The history of Clinton County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory, Volume 2, Part 13

Author: Durant, Pliny A. ed; Beers (W.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : W. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1410

USA > Ohio > Clinton County > The history of Clinton County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory, Volume 2 > Part 13

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dent at Athens. At Belpre they abandoned their skiff, continuing their jour- ney on foot, first to Athens, where they spent a week among the students, at- tending the debating clubs, of which Jeremiah N. Reynolds was a prominent member, and other places of college interest. While they were in Athens a Revolutionary soldier died, and Mr. Way and Mr. Vickroy were chosen to serve among the pall bearers. After a pleasant visit at this point, they continued their journey on foot to Wilmington, spending some days in the company of their friends, Mr. Morris, Samuel H. Hale, Dr. Farquhar, James Fife, etc. Their noxt stopping place was near Harveysburg, where they visited an aunt of Mr. Way, and attended Friends' meeting, where Mr. Vickroy was greatly frightened by sitting next a man who had a severe ague chill, the first Mr. Vickroy had ever witnessed.

At Springboro, Mr. Vickroy became assistant teacher. Was it fate that had led them there? For here both met as young girls the women who two years later became their wives. At this school, Robert Way met as his pupil, Abigail Williams, daughter of Ennion Williams, formerly of Randolph County, N. C. Two years later she became his wife. And here Mr. Vickroy also formed the acquaintance of Cornelia Harlan, daughter of Hon. George Harlan, of the Ridgeville neighborhood. In 1823, she became the wife of Mr. Vickroy, . accompanying him to Pennsylvania, where they spent fifty-seven years of happy married life together. After his marriage, which took place at Fair- field Meeting-House, Highland County, according to the ceremony of Friends, Mr. Way taught at Clear Creek, Leesburg and Hillsboro, in that county. In 1832 and 1833, he reported speeches in short-hand in the Ohio House of Representatives, and was consequently located at Columbus; but he soon re- turned to his old occupation, teaching, about two miles north of Hillsboro for about eighteen months, where Judge John Matthews is said to have acted as assistant a part of the time.

In 1837, he again went to Springboro, where he conducted a boarding-

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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

school for two years. He next tried milling in Cincinnati; but this proving unsuccessful, we find him in 1843 teaching in the Butterworth neighborhood, near Foster's Crossing, then at Martinsville, then at Waynesville. In 1845, he removed to the Cadwalader neighborhood, near Morrowtown, where Beach Grove Academy was built for him, in which he taught for six years. He after- ward taught a term at Selma, Clark County; and, in the spring of 1852, opened a school for boys at Springfield, that county, where he taught two years. Here a number of Wilmington boys became his pupils. In 1854, he removed to Wilmington, where he resided until his death, nearly twenty years. His old residence was built by Samuel Buck, one of the early lawyers of Wil. mington, but was purchased by Mr. Way from Judge Benjamin Hinkson. Here, at his residence, he received pupils, both day scholars and boarders, for eleven years. As he was then in his seventy-seventh year, he gave up teaching, which had been his occupation for sixty years. During these years a large proportion of the carly residents of this and the adjoining counties were his pupils. His life-long friend, Mr. E. A. Vickroy, of Johnson, Penn., says of him: " Of all the teachers I ever went to, Robert Way was the model schoolmaster." He made toaching his life work; what more useful and noble calling?

To Robert and Abigail Way were born five sons and two daughters. The sons all survived their parents; the daughters died in infancy. Abigail Way died in Wilmington February 24, 1869. In the various relations which she sus- tained as wife, mother, matron and friend, she exerted the influence of a good life, unostentatious but benign and attractive; truly benevolent and charitable, with a deep seated sympathy which was felt by all who came within the circle of her friendship. By her sons she was held in the greatest reverence, and by all who were her friends she was best loved by those who had the most inti- mate knowledge of her character. She was born in Randolph County, N. C., in 1802, and was brought by her parents to Ohio in 1804. They settled near Leesburg, Highland County, where she was married.

Forty-six years of her life wore spent with her husband, and the loss of her had a marked effect upon him physically and mentally. He survived her but two years. Both are buried in Sugar Grove Cemetery, at Wilmington.

There are now in the township fourteen school districts, with as many good, substantial school buildings, the greater number of which are constructed of brick. There is also a school taught at the infirmary. Fourteen teachers are employed, and the average school year is eight months. The school tax for the year 1881, was $5,474.64; and the amount paid teachers that year was $3,489.37. The school property is valued at $15,000. The enumeration of youth in the schools of the township as given in 1881, was 693, of which num- ber 77 were between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one years.

The story of Jeremiah N. Reynolds' life is probably the most romantic one chronicled in the history of Clinton County. He was born in Cumberland County, Penn., in 1799, and enjoyed but few advantages of early education. In 1807, his mother married Job Jeffries, who regarded learning as of little value. He had made his own way in life without much education, and ex- pected the same of others .. In 1808, the family removed to Clinton County, Ohio, and Reynolds attended the schools taught by Robert Way, at Dutch Creek and Todd's Fork, parts of the years 1813, 1814, 1815 and 1816, in all a little less than two years. He paid.his own tuition and board, and, in order to do so, was obliged to work mornings and evenings and on Saturdays. When short of means he is known to have gone to the prairies of Clark County and engaged in ditching to accumulate sufficient means to pay his expenses at school.

He was considered a boy of much promise by his teacher. A schoolmate

*Prepared by Mrs. Harlan.

Stephen Evans

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UNION TOWNSHIP.

of his, the late Judge Abner Haines, of Eaton, says: "He came to school clad in leather breeches and a linsey wamus, and recited by himself to the teacher. He was a very diligent student." Judge Haines relates this anecdote of him, illustrative of his character: " He had a step-brother by the name of Darling- ton Jeffries, a son of Job Jeffries, and the neighbors called them in fun 'Job's oxen,' and often ran the joke to the chagrin of young Reynolds. On one oc- casion there was a log-rolling at Azariah Wall's, when the neighbors were pretty generally collected and among them Darlington Jeffries and Jeremiah Reynolds. In the afternoon, Reynolds was carrying the end of a handspike opposite to Peter Wrightman, a small but well-built and compact man, and young Reynolds, though large of his age, was unable to move with the weight and broke down, which incident created much merriment among the hands, and one of them remarked that one of Job's oxen was a calf. This remark so offended Reynolds that he left the field, and, as he crossed the fence near by, he set his feet on the outside lower rails, and in the most stately attitude thus addressed them: 'Gentlemen, I have no father to guide and protect me in life, and you have had your fun with me to-day. Many of you are old enough to be ashamed of thus rallying a young and unprotected boy; but, gentlemen, you know little about him of whom you are making fun to-day, for I assure you the time is coming when you will feel proud that you ever rolled logs with Jeremiah N. Reynolds, and with this sentiment I bid you good-bye.' This little speech produced quite a sensation among the hands; some said it was an outburst of chagrin and spite, but others looked upon it as the outcrop- ping of his coming manhood. But be this as it may, I myself have heard sev- eral of these men, in after life, refer to this incident in the very light in which young Reynolds expressed it from the fence." Jeremiah N. Reynolds taught two terms of common school during 1816 and 1817. He also taught several terms of writing school, making this his whole business, and he taught two terms of writing school jointly with Robert Way.

In 1818, he was made a Master Mason in Wilmington Lodge. In 1819, he was a student in the Ohio University at Athens, where he pursued a course in science; he remained there three years. Returning to Wilmington, he taught school one torm, and then engaged in editing a newspaper called the Wilmington Spectator.

On the 14th day of April, 1824, Jeremiah Reynolds made and filed this affidavit in the case of Eliza Carrington, widow of Col. Edward Carrington, and a sister of Chief Justice Marshall, of Virginia, plaintiff, and George Car- rington, et al., defendants, then pending in the Court of Common Pleas of Clinton County, in which affidavit he describes himself as Jeremiah Reynolds, e litor of the Wilmington Spectator, printed at Wilmington, Clinton Co., Ohio, and made oath that a notice of the pendency of said suit was published in said newspaper for nine weeks successively, prior to the setting of the court at the November term, 1823. Signed Jeremiah Reynolds, editor. Fee for publish- ing, $16. After disposing of his newspaper in Wilmington, Reynolds entered into an agreement with Capt. Symmes, of Cincinnati, to lecture jointly with him on the system of "Hollow Spheres," which system alleged that the earth was composed of several spheres, one within another and all widely open at the north and south poles. They two traveled and lectured together until they reached Philadelphia, when Capt. Symmes was taken sick and obliged to re- turn home, and shortly after died. Reynolds persevered, however, and lect- ured in Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, Boston, Portland, Providence, Hartford and other cities, always to full houses and charged 50 cents admission. He thus accumulated quite a large fund; this, with the influence and co-opera- tion of Messrs. Rush and Southerd, members of President John Quincy Adams'

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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

cabinet, fitted out a ship in connection with two small tenders, in order to ex- plore the ocean toward the south pole to test the truth of the theory of " Hol- low Spheres." But, on the election of Andrew Jackson to the Presidency, he vetoed the whole proceeding.

Reynolds soon found a congenial spirit in Dr. Watson, of New York. Watson being a man of wealth, he and Reynolds united their means and fitted out a ship and two small tenders for southern explorations. Soon the vessels were manned with officers and men, and provisioned for twelve months. They sailed in fine style, full of enthusiasm, with the idea that they would soon have the superlative pleasure of entering into the South Pole.

Their vessel, the Annawan, N. B. Palmer, Captain, sailed from New York Harbor in October, 1829. "They at length arrived in sight of land, which they afterward discovered to be a southern continent, which seemed completely blockaded with islands of ice. A landing was determined on. The long boat was launched, with a crew of twenty men. In attempting to reach the shore in the storm, while the waves were rolling mountain high, they were obliged to pass along between the shelving rocks of the shore and the heaving masses of floating ice for a considerable distance, every moment liable to be crushed to atoms. They, however, arrived at a landing-place, and immediately, with joy, drew their boat upon shore, which proved to be a solid rock. On careful ob- servation, they found they were on an extensive continent, covered completely with solid ice, and no vegetable growth to be seen. Now that they were land- ed, no provisions were to be obtained, and starvation seemed to stare them in the face. But behold! Providence seemed to provide the means of support in the sea lion. He exhibited himself at the mouth of a cave, and ten men, in two squads, were sent out to bring him in. They soon returned with his car- cass, which weighed 1,700 pounds. His flesh was excellent eating. By an accurate astronomical observation, they found their latitude to be eighty-two degrees south, exactly eight degroos from the South Pole. After some ten days of anxious delay on land, the soa becoming calm, they put out to sea in their long boat to endeavor to discover the ships. They sailed on and on for nearly forty hours. At length, being very weary, late in the night, they drew their boat upon a high inclined rock. All, in a few minutes, were sound asleep ex- . cept Reynolds and Watson. They stood sentinels over the boat's crew, and felt too anxious to sleep. About 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, they saw a light far distant at sea. The crew was soon wakened, and all embarked in their boat and rowing with might and main for the ships. They soon arrived, and the meeting of the two parties was full of enthusiastic joy. They were con- vinced that they could not enter the South Pole, as it was blocked up with an icy continent; hence they were willing to turn their faces homeward. They soon arrived at Valparaiso, Chili. Here the seamen mutinied against the au- thority of the ship, set Reynolds and Watson on shore, and launched out to sea as a pirate ship."

[That part of the above narrative inclosed in quotations is from Robert Way's sketch. ]

Reynolds now traveled by land through the Republic of Chili, and the Ar- aucanian and Indian territories to the south. It is said that, while among the Araucanian tribe, he was engaged as a Colonel of a regiment at war with a neighboring tribe, and, while marching through a deep and narrow gorge, was thrown from his horse and severely wounded. He was at Valparaiso in Octo- ber, 1832, when the United States frigate Potomac, under Commodore John Downes, arrived there. This vessel, in August, 1831, had been sent to the coast of Sumatra to avenge the wrongs done the United States ship Friendship, of Salem, at Quallah-Battoo, on that coast, in the month of February preced-

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UNION TOWNSHIP.

ing, the Malays having treacherously seized that vessel and massacred part of her crew, who were taking on board a cargo of pepper. After calling the treacherous Malays to account, the Potomac was to cross the Pacific and take command of the squadron on the west coast of South America. The Potomac set sail from New York August 26, 1831, going by way of the Cape de Verd Islands and Rio Janeiro, around the Cape of Good Hope to the coast of Sum- atra. After they had subdued the piratical Malays and re-established our na- tional honor, they sailed, via the Straits of Sunda, to Java, thence to the coast of China, anchoring in Macao Road and visiting several of the principal ports, thence to the Sandwich and Society Islands, and thence to Valparaiso, reach- ing this port October 24, 1832. They had now more than circumnavigated the globe by one degree and forty-six minutes.

At Valparaiso, Reynolds joined the Potomac as private secretary to the Commodore, and continued in this service until they landed in Boston Harbor. Commodore Downes now sailed to Callao, Lima, the Galapagos Islands, and again returned to Callao; revisited Valparaiso on the 9th of February, 1834, having spent sixteen months on the west coast of South America. They now set sail for the United States via the Falkland Islands, again touching at Rio de Janeiro, and anchored in Boston Harbor May 23, 1834. Reynolds was se- lected by the United States Government to write an authentic account of this . voyage of the Potomac, which, with the aid of a copious record kept day by day by one of the officers, he accomplished with great ability.

Jeremiah N. Reynolds now began the study of law in the city of New York; was soon admitted to practice, both in the Common Pleas and Supreme Courts of that State, and afterward in the Supreme Court of the United States. He soon became an able advocate. In 1848, he became a member of the stock company organized in New York for mining in Leon, Mexico. He was elected President of the company, and, after a few years of persistent effort, he made quite a success in this field; but his health soon failed, and he died near New York City in 1858, aged fifty-nine years. He was buried in that city.

RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES, CHURCHES AND GRAVEYARDS.

Centre Meeting .- In the preceding pages of this work devoted to the pio- neer history of Union Township, it will be seen that the first settlements made were by the class of people styled Friends, and that they at once looked after their spiritual wants. The manner and circumstances ,leading to the forma- tion of the society at the point long known as Centre is identical with the set- tlement there, in connection with which its inception is given, and the want of space will forbid a repetition here. Suffice it to say that the first meeting is said to have been held at the cabin of Robert Eachus, where the heads of families assembled to take steps toward the establishment of a Friends' society. 1 The meeting was held at the dwelling of Mr. Eachus on account of it being more roomy than any other in the neighborhood. James Murray's deed for fifteen acres of ground for a meeting-house and schoolhouse, made to Nathan Linton, James Moon and Isaac Perkins, Trustees of the Society of Friends on Todd's ; Fork, bears date of December 19, 1803. After diligent search, the writer failed to find any record showing when the first meeting-house was built, or when either an indulged or preparative meeting was granted. The late Judge Harlan, in the sketch of Robert Eachus, says: "In May, 1805, Miami Quar- terly allowed the holding of the proposed meeting, soon after which a house made of unhewn logs, without door or floor, was built, and meetings were held twice a week therein. This house is believed to have been the first house of worship erected in what is now Clinton County." Quoting again from John Leonard, in the sketch prepared by Dr. A. Jones, who says: "When I arrived

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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

at the settlement, the Society of Friends had erected a small log house at Cen- tre to hold their mostings in. * * * " We find that the meeting-house was built prior to the beginning of the year 1806, when Mr. Leonard settled in that neighborhood.

A monthly meeting was granted and established at Centre on the 7th of 2d month, 1807. The log meeting-house soon became too small for the growing settlement, and another of the same material, but much larger, having two apartments. was built some eight or ten rods southeast of the present site, the old one serving as a wood house. The first quarterly meeting held at Centre was on the 13th of 3d month, 1826. The records show that applica- tion was made for' a quarterly meeting in 1824, and that the visiting commit- tee reported favorably, but there is no evidence that such meeting was estab lished before 1826. The one-story brick building now standing, a very sub- stantial and commodious edifice, was erected in 1828. The brick work was done by William McMillan, under contract of Jonathan McMillan, and the wood work by John B. Posey. In size, the building is fifty by eighty feet, and has two apartments, and otherwise is in keeping with houses of worship of the Society of Friends.

The burying-ground here is on the Murray land set apart for church pur- poses in 1803. Interments were made in it as early as the summer or autumn of 1804. The first adult person here interred is said to have been John Vestal, there having been buried prior to his death twin children by the name of Hodgson. In an interview on this subject some years prior to the death of Samuel Vestal, the latter stated that his father, John Vestal, was the first adult person buried at Centre; that he was buried in June, 1804. He stated further that twin children, belonging to whom he did not remember, were buried there in the same year, previous to the interment of his father. The second adult person buried there was Susan Haworth. This was in 1804, but in the fall of the year. It appears that John Vestal did not make his will until July 10, 1804.

The late Judge Harlan, in his sketch of Vestal, says that he died in the fall of 1804, and that his burial was the second in the old graveyard at Centre. There are no tombstones marking any of the graves of the above-mentioned persons. Some of the tombstones marking the graves of the pioneers have fal- len down, and on others the inscriptions are almost illegible. Many graves are unmarked and others are designated by rough stones, without any inscript- ion. Below will be found a list of names of persons buried here who were born prior to 1800, as taken from such tombstones as could be read:

NAME.

DIED.

AGE.

Mary Green

June 24, 1873.

Samuel Schooley

January 27, 1844.

Rachel Schooley

April 11, 1863 ..

Samuel Hollingsworth.

September 21, 1850.

Sally Miars.

February 15, 1875

David Miars.

December 19, 1879

William Doan.

April 24, 1869.

Betsey Doan

July 23, 1863.

Dr. J. K. Sparks

September 17, 1873.

William Wickersham

June 17, 1839.

Rachel Wickersham

May 23, 1867.

William Walker

February 19, 1846.

Margaret Oren

November 20, 1869.

James Oren .

September 11, 1849.

Joseph Doan

March 1,.1861. 66

Rebecca Ballard.

February 9, 1856.

Hur Hodgson.

February 5, 1851

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UNION TOWNSHIP.

587

NAME.

DIED.

AGE.

Elizabeth Hodgson

November 5, 1868 ..

Spencer Ballard.

September 5, 1852.

Rebecca Ballard.

September 11, 1839.

Isaac Underwood.

August 22, 1853.

Richard Vantress

August 4, 1866. .

Elizabeth Sparks

October 28, 1842.

John Wall.

February 28. 1859.

Mary Wall.

March 22, 1855.

Rebecca Wall

October 13, 1857

Azariah Wall.

'August 29, 1853.

Elizabeth Smith.

July 7, 1842 ..

Nathan Linton

February 11, 1850.

Rachel Linton.

April 30, 1859.

Israel Taylor

'November 24, 1822.

Henry Babb

November 2, 1821

*R. Eachus.

March 24, 1829.

Robert Eachus

March 24, 1829.

Isabella Rich.

WJuly 14, 1860.

Joshua Haines.

'August 25, 1829

31 77

Sarah Haines.

September 1, 1843.

John W. Wall

. January 9, 1857.

John Leonard.

'December 7, 1870

Lydia Leonard.

May 30, 1874.

John Leonard, Jr.

February 18, 1872

61 76

Jacob Haines

'June 16, 1854.

Mary Haines.

'October 9, 1855.

78°

Michael Wollary.

INovember 2, 1857

Elizabeth Wollary

April 25, 1858 ..

Henry Lewis

January 9, 1863

Lydia Haines

December 3, 1860

John Haines.

October 5, 1853.

Elizabeth Sheppard.

March 11, 1878.

Samuel Vestal.

March 10, 1876.

Edith Vestal.

September 20, 1877.

E. Birdsall.

'August 28, 1869.

William Birdsall

November 20, 1865.

Hezekiah Hiatt

July 2, 1872.

Ann Hiatt ..

June 10, 1872.

Christopher Probasco

August 25, 1850

George B. Moore

October 30, 1835.

Dover Meeting .-- Some years after the monthly meeting was estabished at Centre, the Friends of Dover settlement requested the privilege of holding indulged meetings, which was granted by Centre Monthly Meeting, and meet- ings were held for a time at the dwelling of Ezekiel Frazier. The meeting was after awhile made a preparative one, and, the neighborhood becoming thickly settled, it became necessary to have a monthly meeting, which was es- tablished in the ninth month, 1824. The first meeting-house these people erected was of round logs, and stood several rods northeast of the building now at Dover. The present one-story brick meeting-house was erected about the year 1844 or 1845, on ground deeded by Amos Hodgson to Daniel Bailey and Gayer Starbuck, Trustees for the Dover Meeting, in consideration of $3. The amount of land given was one and one-half acres, in Survey No. 1,236. The deed bears date of January 13, 1824. The recorded ministers of Dover Monthly Meeting since 1824 have been as follows: John Parson, 1845; Wilson Carter, 1850; John H. Douglass, 1858: Cyrus C. Carter, 1859; John M. Pidgeon and Louis Hunt, 1866; William P. Gallimore, 1869; Isaac Peelle, 1871; Micajah F. Moorman, 1872; Joseph Haskins, 1874. .

The graveyard at the meeting-house is as old as the place of worship, and

There are two tombstones marked R. Eachus and Robert Eachus, with death and age as given.

Sarah John.

July 3, 1864.

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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

in it rest the remains of many of Dover's first settlers. Since the settlements of Centre and Dover were effected, though nearly three-quarters of a century have come and gone, the religious societies have not changed much. Those persons professing the faith of the Friend or Quaker still occupy and possess the lands. -- They were attracted here, no doubt, from the Carolinas, Tennes- see, Virginia, Pennsylvania and other States, by the reports of the character and quality of the soil, and the prospect of independent homes in a free ter- ritory. They were a frugal and industrious people, and their principles have very largely influenced the people of the township.

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The history of Clinton County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory, Volume 2, Part 13

Author: Durant, Pliny A. ed; Beers (W.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : W. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1410

Author: Durant, Pliny A. ed; Beers (W.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : W. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1410