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 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107
Among other early settlers in the place were the following, mentioned by Dr. Jones:
"Eli Gaskill, brother of Thomas Gaskill, settled in Wilmington in 1811, and built his house on the corner now occupied by Dr. A. Jones, southwest corner of Main and Mulberry streets. He erected a small office, which he used as a Dotion store and grocery. Soon after taking possession of his house, he was appointed one of the Justices of the Peace for Clinton County, and for a great number of years he served in that capacity in the township of Union. He served several terms as County Commissioner; represented Clinton County in the Legislature; possessed large brain power and had just and correct views of the rights of men." Mr. Gaskill interested himself largely in the further- ance of agricultural interests in his county, and it was through his instrumen- tality that the act was passed authorizing the organization of agricultural so- cieties in the counties of Ohio.
As early as 1811-12, Thomas and Arthur McCann came to Wilmington and built and operated a pottery near the middle of the block, between South and Mulberry streets, and north of Locust street. They manufactured a dark-
-
1
1
M
2
485
UNION TOWNSHIP.
colored, finely-polished ware, which was in great demand in the place, as that previously in uso had been mostly pewter. The Delft-ware was next intro- duced. Tho McCanns, who were natives of the Emerald Isle, were energetic men and good citizens. In February, 1815, when the news of Jackson's vic- tory at New Orleans reached Wilmington, a month after the battle, the Mc- Canns headed a movement toward getting up a celebration in honor of the event. They were successful in the attempt and a " good time" was indulged in. Holes were bored in trees, and after powder had been placed in them, they were plugged up, the fuses lighted, and the trees were blown to pieces. Other things were done to make the day a memorable one. The McCanns left the place previous to 1819.
Isaac Cochran, shoemaker, settled in 1811. Adin Clevenger, a black- smith by trade, settled in 1811 near the present railway station, building his . log house on the ground now occupied by the stone house which was. erected some years later by Jesse Thatcher. Clevenger came up from the Cowan's Creek settlements, and returned there after a time.
Peter Burr, long Clerk of the Courts of this county, built a large two-story house in 1811, on the lot at the northwest corner of Main and Mulberry streete, where Dr. Joshua Moore now lives, Larkin Reynolds having previously built a log house on the same ground. He sold the premises immediately after to Mr. Burr, and moved to his location near the court house. Burr was a native Vir- ginian, with all the characteristics of the members of the "first families."
. Isaac Garretson located in 1811, on a lot on the south side of Main street, since owned by John Dillon. He was by profession a school teacher, and taught an early school in the place. He also built a small grist-mill on the back part of his lot and operated it by horse-power. When a grist of corn was being ground, the mill could be heard a mile away, making a harsh, grating sound. It was the first institution of the kind in the town. Garretson also built a powder-mill, which, in the natural course of events, blew up and put a stop to the business. Warren Sabin, who is also said to have kept a small stock of notions in his old tavern, built a horso-power mill about 1817 or 1818, on the ground where the Methodist Episcopal Church now stands, and traded it immediately to Joseph Wright for a piece of land .* In that mill, Abraham E. Strickle, then a boy, while playing with some other boys, pushing the large wheel around, caught his hands in the cogs and crushed off several of his fin- gers. The mill was in use but a short time and was purchased by the Metho- dist society, who converted it into a meeting-house.
Jacob Strickle settled at the corner of South and Locust streets in 1811, and worked at blacksmithing for many years.t Charles Swayne located here in 1812 and engaged in tailoring. Ellis Pugh, in 1814, opened a wagon shop in the place, but as wagons were not in great domand at that day, his business was not very prosperous. John McElwaine, a blacksmith, settled about the same time on Main street. Ebenezer Seamans, a printer, was foreman of the True American office, beginning in the spring of 1815. Israel Johns set- tled in 1813, on the southeast corner of Main and Walnut streets, and his place was long a home for itinerant Methodist preachers. He was a builder by trade, and assisted in raising and finishing many of the pioneers' bouses in the place.
Levi Sheppard, who was born near Winchester, Va., was married in 1816 and settled at Wilmington soon after, uniting with the Methodist Episcopal Church in this place in 1819. By trade he was a plasterer. He lived on the lot near the present site of the Christian Church, and was a valuable citizen. His name
*This from the recollection of William Hale.
+Mr. Strickle, who was the father of Abraham E. Strickle, was probably the first blacksmith in Wilmington.
1
T
لحم
486
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
appears prominently in other connections in this work. He died October 20, 1870, aged eighty-one years. His son, Dr. William W. Sheppard, has resided for many years in Sligo, Adams Township.
John Patterson, in 1813, carried on the blacksmithing business in Wil- mington. Jonah Seamans was engaged in the same business the next year, and built his house on the northeast corner of Spring and Sugartree streets. Reu- ben Adams, a tailor, settled in 1816, and carried on a considerable business in his line at the house of Joseph Seamans. Joseph Whinery located here about 1812. He was a sash maker by trade, and, from his propensity for writing rhymes, became known among the people as "the Todd's Fork Poet."
Joel Austin settled in 1811 on a part of the lot now occupied by C. M. Bosworth, on Locust street. He was slow in speech and action, but his wife, Hannah, was the opposite. She read and talked very much. One day at the hotel of Warren Sabin, she met Isom Good, a Tennesseean, who had some reputation as a maker of rhymes, and, wishing a test of his power, she asked him to give an extemporaneous rhyme for her benefit. He rose from his chair and delivered the following:
"The children of Israel wanted bread, And the Lord sent them manna, Joel Austin wanted a wife, And the devil gave him Hannah."
This, the poet said, was not very good rhyming, but it was a self-evident truth. He was asked for no more. Good was an eccentric individual, and from his genial nature made a desirable companion.
Daniel Radcliffe* settled here about 1814, and read law with William R. Cole, but did not practice in the courts. He served several years as Justice of the Peace and also as County Treasurer. It is said while filling the latter office he kept the funds in a common bureau drawer, where it was perfectly safe, as robberies were hardly known at that day. Samuel McCune, a hatter, located here about 1818, and lived and conducted his business on Main street. John McF'all, a native of Terre Haute, Ind., also a. hatter, settled the same year on Main street, east of the present site of the First National Bank.
"The first hatter in Wilmington," says Mrs. Harlan, "is supposed to have been Richard Peirce., He came to the town December 1, 1813; to Ohio in 1811." His shop was at first on the spot now occupied by the Baptist Church, but he subsequently moved it to the south side of East Main street, upon the lot where the Peirce House now stands, as the location was nearer to water. In the spring of 1833, he built the hotel which bears his name, and conducted it for many years. He is now deceased. Mr. Peirce was a man of more than ordinary culture for his time, and among other accomplishments, wrote very good verses. He is remembered by many of the citizens of Wil- mington. Mrs. Henry B. Morgan, whose husband is the present proprietor of the Peirce House, is a daughter of Richard Peirce.
The business of making hats was quite extensively engaged in during the early years of the settlements in this region, both wool and fur being used in their manufacture. Nearly every hamlet had its hatter, who furnished hats of his own make to order. The storekeepers occasionally sold a few, but they were only those they had taken from the village hatter in exchange for store goods. Hats for every day, for men and boys, were made of wool, while those for Sunday wear were made of finer material, and have been known to last- from ten to twenty years. Other men who carried on the hatting business in
*Mr. Radcliffe was a native of Virginia, and served in the war of 1812 under Harrison. His father had settled in Kentucky in 1786, when his son was but two years of age, and was an intimate acquaintance of Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton, and served with George Rogers Clark in 1777. The son died at Princeton, Bureau Co., Ill., in 1873, aged nearly eighty-nine years.
4 .
2.ml
grar
15
John F. Miller
489
UNION TOWNSHIP.
Wilmington, besides those already mentioned, were William Stanton, Micajah Bailey, Thomas L. Carothers and Henry D. Sayres.
John A. Hays, a stone mason by trade, settled in Wilmington in 1815, on the lot now occupied by W. J. Marble. He met misfortune upon investing his money in dry goods and groceries. James Birdsall, an early settler at Oak- land, where he built and conducted a hotel for a number of years, beginning about 1804, moved to Wilmington soon after it was laid out and settled on what is known as the Samuel Smith farm, within the limits of the present cor- poration. He engaged in farming and hat-making. Dr. Jones says of him: "At the organization of the militia forces in the year 1812, he was appointed Paymaster of the First Regiment of Volunteer Infantry. He gave his atten- tion and aid to the military organization until the close of the war, in 1815. Mr. Birdsall was one of the members of the M. E. Church first organized in Wilmington."
"Col. Samuel Cox settled in the village of Wilmington in the year 1811, and erected his log cabin on part of the lot where the new town hall now stands. The southeast corner of the hall stands over the well used for house- hold purposes in the dwelling of Cox. Col. Cox was a man possessing a great deal of driving power. He early engaged in the manufacture of whisky, which in early pioneer times was an article in very common use. He was a strong advocate for the education of the people. As early as the beginning of the year 1816, he aided in organizing a literary society in the town of Wilming- ton. In the years 1811 and 1812, he gave his attention to organizing the militia and preparing them to meet the aggressions of the Indians in the war of 1811, and the Indians and their allies, the English, in the war of 1812. Col. Cox and Col. Thomas Hinkson were the active and efficient agents in get- ting up military companies and in organizing the first regiment of pioneer soldiers. Amidst the stumps, brush and other obstructions in and around the new village of Wilmington, the regiment was frequently drilled. It was an awkward squad and uncouth, but their rifles when pointed at the enemy sel- dom missed."
Joel Woodruff settled in Wilmington in the summer of 1811, and began housekeeping in a log dwelling on South street, adjoining Warren Sabin's hotel. By trade a carpenter, he found employment in assisting to build the rough log houses of the settlers, and continued to work at his trade until the close of the war, in 1815. He was then appointed Collector of taxes in and for the county of Clinton. In 1822, he was elected Sheriff, and held the office four years. He assisted, in 1818, in remodeling Wright's horse-mill into a church building for the Methodists. Soon after coming here, he built a log cabin on the lot where the Friends' Meeting-House now stands, and lived there many years. His son Samuel was born in that house.
Haines Moore settled in Wilmington in 1814 or 1815, having some time previous removed to Ohio from Pennsylvania. "He was a worker in wood, and by trade a cabinet-maker. He purchased the property on Main street for- merly built and owned by William Hobson. This house and lot were occupied for a number of years by David Marble, successor to Moore in the manufacture of cabinet furniture. In his line Mr. Moore did a large business. He finally sold his shop to Daniel Marble, and removed to a farm on Lytle's Creek."*
Joel Dillon, a wagon-maker by trade, located in Wilmington in 1812, and opened his shop near the north end of South street, on the east side. All wagons then in use by the settlers were made by local workmen, and Dillon prospered. He finally, however, sold out his business and engaged in liquor selling, and from that time his fortunes waned.
*Dr. Jones.
.
<
b
b
LILLA
490
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
William Millikan, a saddler, settled in Wilmington between the years 1812 and 1815. He served for some years as Justice of the Peace, and finally removed to Indiana. Amos T. Sewell settled about 1814. His vocation was that of a school-teacher, and he sometimes worked at shoemaking. He was for some years a Justice of the Peace, and was County Recorder by appoint- ment until the office became elective, being afterward elected to the same office. Mrs. Ruth Thatcher, mother of Thomas and Jesse, was an early settler in the village, and for some years lived on a part of the lot formerly owned by S. H. Hale. She aided her son Jesse in building the stone house now stand- ing on South street, south of the railroad. "Uncle Jesse Thatcher" was a member of the Society of Friends, and exceedingly plain in features.
Joshua Moore, a native of Pennsylvania, settled in Wilmington in 1813, and built his dwelling on the lot since occupied by Zimri Haines. He was a carpenter by trade, and was capable of making almost anything which could be manufactured of wood. Two or three years after his settlement here, he moved to a farm west of town, on Lytle's Creek. He died at the age of eighty- one years. His son, Dr. Joshua Moore, rosidos in Wilmington on the lot for- morly occupied by Peter Burr, northwest corner of Main and Mulberry streets. William McMillan settled in Clinton County about 1808, afterward locating in Wilmington. About" 1830, he engaged in business with Warren Sabin, and settled permanently in the place in 1837. Ho was a mason by trade, and built many of the brick houses now standing in the place. He died February 26, 1872, aged seventy-three years.
Archibald Haynos, a native of Dutchess County, N. Y .. was brought by his parents to Ohio in 1808 when but six months old, the family settling at Oak- land in what is now Chester Township. His father, William Haynes, not long after died of malarial fever, and the child was placed by his guardian under the care of Warren Sabin, of Wilmington, At fifteen years of age, he was possessed of a limited education, and had for some time worked with James Massie at the harness-makor's trade. He was then placed in a hat shop and set at "bowing wool " for hats, but the business was so injurious to his health that he was forced to abandon it. He was employed by Samuel H. Hale in the latter's store, and subsequently found employment in the establishment of Samuel Smith, on the east side of South street. Smith finally gave him a partnership, which relation continued for some time. He subsequently re- moved to Oakland and became quite wealthy.
"Aunt Rachel Eaton" was an early settler on Columbus street, and her . two sons, Jamos and William Eaton, became worthy citizens of the place. James How settled here in 1815, and kept a public house on the northeast cor- ner of Main and Mulberry streets. He shortly after removed from town, and the property was purchased in 1818 by Samuel Welch, Sr., for his son, Dr. Turner Welch, who boarded with Mr. How. Palmer and Samuel Adsit, house- builders, located here in 1814. Palmer Adsit died not long afterward, and after some years his brother removed farther West.
During the winter of 1815-16, a lyceum was held in Wilmington, and the following is a record of one of its meetings: "January 16, 1816, the members of the lyceum met, Joel Woodruff, President. Meeting called to order. Question of discussion, 'Is the infidel more injurious to the cause of religion than the hypocrite ?' Affirmative, James Wilkinson, Peter Burr, Charles Paist, Robert Way, John A. Hays, Thomas Gaskill, John Eachus and Thomas Ballow. Negative, Eli Gaskill, S. H. Hale, Richard Peirce, James How, Samuel Adsit, David Sewell and John Whinery. The question was decided in the affirma- tive, and the society adjourned to meet again at the residence of Peter Burr." Samuel H. Hale was the last survivor of those mentioned, and died on the day he was ninety-two years of age.
W
101
1
491
UNION TOWNSHIP.
William Jones, a native of North Carolina, grow to manhood in South Carolina, married in the former Stato, and, in 1795 or 1796, removed to Gran- ger County, Tenn., and settled at Bean Station, where he followed the business of a tavern-keeper and traded with the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians, at Muscle Shoals, in Alabama. He acquired considerable wealth, and, in 1810, removed to Ohio, and, on the 4th of March, settled on Todd's Fork, in the northwest part of what is now Union Township. He was accompanied to this State by his wife and nine children, including Dr. A. Jones, now of Wilming- ton, who was born at the old home in Tennessee in 1807. Another son, Charles, was born in Clinton County, in August, 1811. William Jones had in his carlier years learned the house-building trade, and built a number of houses in Wilmington for persons residing in the place. He could never be induced to settle in a town, however, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits ; during the greater part of his residence in this county. His son, Daniel Jones, a shoemaker by trade, settled in Wilmington in 1817, and built a log house, on the lot now occupied by the residence of the late Judge R. B. Harlan. He had first worked here in 1811. He was a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was a member of the first class organized in Wilming- ton. He manufactued boots and shoes quite extensively, having at times as many as six men in his employ, and buying his stock from the tanneries in the place. He owned several lots in the village. He died in St. Louis in the eightieth year of his age, and was brought to Wilmington and interred in Sugar Grove Cemetery.
David Faulkner, one of the original propriotors of the land on which Wilmington was laid out, never lived here. His son Thomas was an early set- tler in the northeast part of the town. People at that day were not wont to stay long in the place, and many removed to other localities within a short time after locating here.
The following are the dates at which licenses were granted to other early tavern-keepers in Wilmington :* John McGregor, May 7, 1812; Asa Holcomb, July 20, 1812; David Sewell, September 21, 1813; Nathaniel Cunningham, December 23, 1813; Joel Woodruff, February 9, 1815; Samuel Cox, November 10, 1815; Lewis Rees, December 2, 1815; Samuel Ruble, Jr., September 16, 1818; Samuel H. Hale, March 8, 1818; David Smart, September 20, 1821; Jonathan K. Beekman, August 4, 1823.
Following is a sketch of Abraham E. Strickle, a former prominent citizen of Wilmington, contributed by his son-in-law, Maj. W. D. Bickham, of Day- ton, Ohio:
" Abraham Ellis Strickle, son of Jacob and Ann Strickle, was born in Wil- mington, Clinton Co., Ohio, October 4, 1807.f His parents, who were of Ger- man extraction, emigrated to Ohio from old Virginia. Abraham Strickle was the first white child born in the new settlement subsequently named Wilming- ten .¿ In early manhood he was fond of athletic sports, in which he excelled. His cotemporaries to this day remember his triumphs in running, leaping, lifting weights, wrestling and shooting. He was afterward crippled by rheu- matism so that he walked very lame, and besides suffered a mangling of both hands in agricultural machinery, but his resolution largely overcame these misfortunes, and he continued until his death a marvel of energy and activity. He compensated for his physical misfortunes by application of his mind to the development of the resources of his native county. From early manhood until the beginning of the war, he was conspicuous in all enterprises tending
*Harlan.
+He was born near the subsequent site of Wilmington. The place was not laid out until August 4, 1810.
#Warren Sabin's daughter was the first whitechild born strictly within the limits of the place.
492
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
to promote the moral and material welfare of the community. He was a di- rector of the first turnpike company in Clinton County, and pushed the road to completion, giving the farmers an outlet for their produce to' Cincinnati. Being naturally inclined to farming, he was among the first to adopt improved methods of agriculture. He bought the first reaping machine used in the county. There was a clamor against it and he was threatened with dire calamities to himself and his property if he attempted to use it. The manu- facturer in Springfield from whom he purchased it guaranteed to replace it if it was destroyed. Mr. Strickle took his rifle, together with his machine, into his fields and was not interrupted, although hard words were as abundant as bushels of wheat reaped by his machine. He was President of the Clinton County Agricultural Society, and was also a member of the State Board of Agriculture for a number of years. He was also a member of the Clinton County Live Stock Company, which imported Durham cattle, Southdown, Sax- ony and Cotswold sheep, which placed Clinton County in the van of this in- terest, which has proved of such immense importance to the country. Under his administration of the Clinton County Agricultural Society, the first county agricultural fair was held,* and they have been held annually to this date without interruption. He was among the most energetic and influential in securing the railroad-now called the Muskingum Valley road-through Wil- mington and Clinton County, and was for some years a director of the company. He was also elected Clerk of the Courts of Clinton County several terms, and one of his last public benefits was active co-operation in the organization and establishment of the Wilmington Cemetery Association, of which he was Presi- dent. The result of his labor is seen in the beautiful Sugar Grove Cemetery, near Wilmington, where he now quietly sleeps with his wife, several children and other kindred and the friends of his lifetime. In politics, he was an ar- dent Whig, and devoted himself to that cause with characteristic zeal and energy. When the Republican party was organized, in 1856, he threw him- self into that organization with customary devotion, and the political joy of his life was the election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency. When the war of the rebellion began, being debarred from active field service by his physical disabilities, he accepted a commission as commissary of subsistence, with rank of Captain, and, joining Gen. Grant's army immediately after the battle of Fort Donelson, served with that army until fatally stricken with ma- larial fever in front of Vicksburg. He was taken to Cincinnati and died at the residence of his son-in-law, Maj. William D. Bickham, July 9, 1863. His wife was Caroline Goodwin, of Cincinnati, whom he married December 22,, 1830. Together with three daughters, she accompanied him in the field dur- ing the Vicksburg campaign. She survived him only two or three years. In many respects, Abraham E. Strickle was a notable man, remarkable for his energy, his inflexible resolution and his devotion to all things which engaged his attention. He was a devoted member of the Christian Church in Wil- mington all his manly life. He had ten children, of whom seven accomplished and noble daughters survive him."
From the Harlan Notes is taken this sketch of W. H. P. Denny: "His father was George Denny, publisher of the Scioto Gazette, at Chillicothe, the Galaxy, at Wilmington, and the Ohio Interior Gazette, at Xenia. At the latter place, his son learned to set type. In 1829, at the age of eighteen, he started the Clintonian at Wilmington. Two years later, he sold the paper and worked as a journeyman in Cincinnati. He was next foreman for George D. Prentice, at Louisville. In 1834, he returned to Cincinnati, and, in 1836, he bought the Western Star, at Lebanon, which he conducted until 1858. Thence he
*See general chapter.
.
H
இலை
493
UNION TOWNSHIP.
went to Dayton, where he published the daily and weekly Gazette, until 1861, when he bought out the Circleville Herald and changed its name to the Circle- ville Union. In 1865, he sold the paper to become Postmaster of Circleville. He held the office six years, but was anxious to return to his profession." Mr. Denny subsequently published the Wilmington Journal, and is now en- gaged in the newspaper publishing business at Georgetown, Brown Co., Ohio.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.