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 35
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Galvin Morrison emigrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1815, and located · in this township on land now owned by William Zimmer. His wife, Catha. rine Morrison, was the first person interred in the old graveyard, where the first schoolhouse stood.
Elisha Whitacre, of whose nativity we are not apprised, emigrated to Ohio soon after Zimmer, and settled on land now included in the town of Blanches. ter. He was a sturdy, energetic pioneer, and cleared a large amount of land in his lifetime. He brought his wife and family with him. Recompense Stans. bury, from New Jersey, Hiram Anderson, William Liston and Edward Crossen were among the early settlers of the township.
Jeremiah Rowan was an old resident of the township. He was born in York County, Penn., on the 19th of June, 1784. In 1802, at the age of eight- een, he came with his father to Ohio and landed above Cincinnati at the pres- ent site of Columbia. He lived for nearly twenty years near the town of Mont. gomery, Hamilton County, from which place he moved to Marion Township, and for a number of years was Justice of the Peace in that township. Jobn B. Gustin, from Pennsylvania, settled in this township in 1836.
John Cooper, another old pioneer, was born in Bucks County, Penn., in the year 1786, and, early in 1802, he emigrated to Highland County, Ohio.
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. In 1803, he was married to Rachel More, and, in 1827, he moved to Marion Township, one and a half miles east of Blanchester, where he remained until his death, in 1832. His wife, Rachel Cooper, survived him, and died in 1876, in the ninety-first year of her age, being at the time of her death the oldest person living in the township. John Cooper was a Justice of the Peace in this township for a number of years, and was familiarly known as Squire Cooper.
William Crossen, who was born June 9, 1800, emigrated from Westmore- land County, Penn., to Ohio in the year 1806, and landed at Columbia, Hamilton Co., Ohio; he remained in Hamilton and Warren Counties a few years, and then finally settled in Marion Township nearly sixty years ago. He is still liv- ing and a resident of this township.
Mrs. Henry Shank, widow of Henry Shank, deceased, emigratod to this township from Fauquier County, Va., over fifty years ago. She is now in the eighty-ninth year of her age, and is the oldest woman living in the township.
Dr. Wilfred Cusick was the pioneer physician of the township; he settled hero early in the spring of 1840, and secured an extensive practice, to which he dovoted his energies until the fall of 1862, when he died.
Hartwell Gilliam, though not a pioneer of the township, merits mention as being one of the oldest men therein; he was born in Sussex County, Va, on Independence Day (July 4), 1788. In 1813, he enlisted in the war, and sorved until poace was declared. He came to Ohio on Christmas Day, 1831, and a few years later entered Marion Township. He is still hale and hearty and occupies himself with the work of the farm.
Another old citizen is Reuben Murphy, who was born at Bedell's Station, Warren Co., Ohio, March 1, 1802; he came to Clinton County in 1838, and to Marion Township in 1860; he is strong and very robust for his years and ac- complishes tasks that would be difficult for a much younger person.
Gertrude Newell was born in New Jersey November 12, 1800, and moved to Warren County when forty-one or forty-two years of age. She came to Marion Township a few years previous to 1860.
The early settlers were very much annoyed with wolves, and it required constant vigilance to protect their young stock, especially sheep, from the rav- ages of these beasts, great numbers of which infested the forest at an early day. Notwithstanding their vigilance, these troublesome pests would often play sad havoc with the flocks and herds of settlers, especially of those isolated from the more thickly settled region. Bears were also to be seen in the forests, and these, too, made frequent raids on the farmyard, but they were much less to be feared than other smaller and more numerous animals that then abounded. Game, such as deer, wild turkeys, raccoons and squirrels, was very plentiful and furnished the settlers with fresh meat at all seasons, and with sport for their few leisure hours. The squirrels and "coons" were very destructive to the corn crops, often destroying several rows next to the woods in a single night. To save the crops from those animals, parties were formed to scour the woods around the settlements and a premium was awarded to the hunter bringing in the most scalps at the end of a given time. The number sometimes killed by one of these parties seems fabulous to us now.
SCHOOLS.
The first schoolhouse built in the township was a log house erected on a half-acre of land donated for that purpose by Hiram Anderson. This land was part of the original 400 acres previously purchased by Baldwin. The first school taught in the house was by James Cochran, an ex-soldier of the Revolu- tionary war. The lot on which this house stood was afterward used as a bury-
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ing-ground, aud is now about full of graves. The remains of many of the old settlers have here found a last resting-place, after long lives of hardship and toil. The cemetery is adjoining the Odd Fellows' Cemetery on the north. This last has been a popular place of burial for the past ten years.
The next school taught in the township was by Benjamin Baldwin, another Revolutionary soldier, and the father of Jonathan Baldwin. The school was kept in a log house on the south bank of Second Creek, about twenty or thirty rods east of where the iron bridge now crosses the creek. The ground is part of an outlot now owned by Samuel Baldwin and a part of Baldwin's original purchase, but now within the corporation limits of Blanchester Village.
The next schoolhouse in the township was built on the farm of William Crossen, now owned by Rebecca Saxton and Mary Baldwin, sisters, and daugh. ters of Jonathan Baldwin.
The schoolhouses of that day were all well supplied with fire-places ro. quiring wood from four to six foot long, stoves being then but littlo known or used. The sonts consisted of slabs from the saw-mill, if they could be pro. cured, but if not to bo had thore, they were cut out of timber of sufficient size. They were from throo to four inches thick, six to oight inches wide and from eight to twelve feet long, and howed on the upper side. The seats were placed fifteen or twenty inches from the floor, thus preventing the smaller children's feet from touching the floor. The school was usually in session all day, noithor the teachers nor parents thinking how they were punishing their children by giving them such long hours of study. The children never complained, boing buoyed by the thought that they would soon grow so their feet could touch the floor, but this era in their lives was soon followed by being taken from school and put to work on the farm.
The writing-desks in the schoolhouses were made by fastening wide planks, with strips along their lower edges, to the wall, with supports braced un. der them, against the wall. The strips served to keep the copy-book and inkstand from slipping off. On these desks the scholars would strive to imitate the copies set for them by the teacher, who would take each copy-book in the morning and write the lesson to be practiced along the top.
These schools were all operated and maintained by subscription, each sot. tler subscribing so many scholars at from $1.25 to $1.50 per scholar for a quarter of sixty-five days. Twenty scholars at the above rate were considered a good school, and with these the teacher would open his school and begin teach. ing the few branches then thought necessary. In beginning the school, the would-be teacher drew up articles of agreement, which he presented to each settler for his subscription. Some would pay in money and some in produce, but many paid in wood, as this could be cut near the schoolhouse with no other expense than the labor of cutting, which was in many cases performed by the scholar. The teacher boarded around among the families of his sup. porters, dividing his time among them; but often one, two or three familion would take it upon themselves to board him all the time, and in this event he changed his boarding-house but a few times during the quarter. When a scholar had advanced to the single rule of three, with a slight knowledge of Peter Parley's Geography, he was considered as having a sufficient education, and would be taken from school and put to work in the clearing, unless ho do. sired to qualify himself for a teacher. The girls were usually not as far ad. vanced as the boys, as it was deemed more necessary to educate them in the" kitchen and household duties, and as it was thought, too, that they did not possess the faculty for learning that the boys did.
There are now in the township five subdistricts, each district con taining a comfortable school building. Four of these are brick and one is
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frame. The town of Blanchester constitutes a special school district, in which five teachers are employed, one in each department. The enumeration of chil- dren of a school age in Blanchester District is 333; in the five subdistricts, 290; total number of children of school age in the township, 623. In the township there are ten teachers regularly employed. It is a heavy tax on the property holders to hire so many teachers, yet they consider the money as being well spent when properly used by those in authority. The success of our country lies in the fact that no money is begrudged by our liberal-hearted tax-payers, when it is used for the cultivation of the minds of the growing youth. The schools in this township are in a flourishing conditon, well at- tended and usually well taught. No youth in the township can in future years lay his want of education to the lack of educational advantages.
CHURCHES.
The first church built in the township was a brick building erected by the members of the Methodist Episcopal society on Lick Run. The ground on which the church was built was purchased by the society of John Salisbury in 1842. This donomination as an organization has become extinct in the town- ship, outside of Blanchester, and the old brick church has been torn down, but the ground where it stood is still owned by the Methodist society. Several bodies were interred in the lot around the church, but as it is now in an open field, the graves are left uncared for, the friends and relatives of those buried there having died or removed to other States.
The next church was a frame building, built in 1845, by the Free-Will Baptists. It was on a lot in Blanchester, purchased of Christopher Lazenby. The first Trustees of the church were Levi Sever, Bonham Fox and Edward Crossen. The society now numbers about one hundred members. It is out of debt and in a flourishing condition.
The United Brethren Church was built in 1849. It is a one-story frame building, two miles northeast of Blanchester on the Wilmington Turnpike. The first Trustees were John Stevens, John Shields and James Cleland. The society is out of debt and now numbers ninety members.
The Universalist Church of Blanchester was built in 1852. It is a brick building, two stories high. The basement contains four rooms, formerly used for school, but now three are used by the Village Council for Council Cham- ber, engine-house and Mayor's office and one for an agricultural implement wareroom. The second story comprises the church auditorium. The first Trustees were William H. Baldwin, William McFerren, John T. Carnahan, Hudson Sever and Absalom C. Newkirk. The society is in a flourishing and prosperous condition, now numbering 134 members. They are out of debt and have a constant income from the rent of their rooms, which goes toward the support of the church.
The Roman Catholic Church of Blanchester was built in 1876. It is a neatly constructed brick edifice, one story high, and of sufficient size to accom- modate the membership, which is not large.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Blanchester was built in 1880. It is a neat brick building, well finished inside and out. The first Trustees were D. H. Moon, John Johnson, P. A. Snyder, Owen West and E. M. Mulford. The society is in a good financial condition and now numbers about one hun- dred members.
LODGES AND SOCIETIES.
Blanchester Lodge, No. 191, F. & A. M., was chartered by the State Grand Lodge, in session at Cincinnati, October 15, 1850. The lodge first met in Samuel Baldwin's old frame hall, which they occupied until the fall of 1864,
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when they leased the hall, now known as the Ross Hall, of R. Goodwin. Here they remained until 1871, when they moved to their own hall, in Trickey's Block, on Broadway street, near the railroad. The lodge is in a prosperous condition, with a good hall nicely furnished and about forty members.
Fithian Lodge, No. 373, I. O. O. F., was organized under a charter from the Grand Lodge of Ohio in June, 1866. There are now nearly sixty mom. bers in good standing in the lodge. This lodge has acted the part of the Good Samaritan since its organization by financially and otherwise aiding brothers, , or the families of brothers, when in distress.
A building and loan association was organized in Blanchester in July, 1871, with a capital of $100,000. The association settled with and paid all the stockholders in May, 1880. The association proves a real benefit to the stockholders and the village by keeping a large amount of money in profitable circulation, and by placing within the reach of builders capital with which to carry on their designs. So well were the stockholders pleased with the result of their venture that a similar enterprise with the same amount of capital was organized in 1881. The stock of this association now sells readily at $5 pro. mium.
CONCLUSION.
The township of Marion has made rapid progress in improvements within the last few years. Over fifty miles of free turnpike have been built, at a cost of over $50,000. Large amounts of drainage tile have been laid, whereby lands heretofore almost useless have been converted into productive and valu. able fields. Two railroads have been built through the township, and a perfect network of mud or summer roads have been made, by which any part of the township is easily accessible. Much of the finest timber of the township is be ing felled and manufactured into lumber, building materials and other useful articles. This township was originally well stocked with trees of great variety, among them being the oak, elm, sugar, beech, hickory, sycamore, walnut, but. ternut, ash; haw, and, in the lowlands, maple, while along the streams a lower growth of sycamore, willow and prickly ash abounded. These trees grow. at times to great height, such being the case with the sycamore, oak and olm in particular. The land once covered by these giants of the forest and enriched by their decayed branches and leaves, has since been, by the hand of man, con. verted into waving fields, productive orchards and verdant meadows.
There is now in the township, outside of the village of Blanchester, realty to the value of $324,514, and chattels to the value of $129,888; realty in Blanchester, $109,412; chattels in Blanchester, $94,324; special school din. tricts, outside of corporation, in realty, $59,443; special school districts in chattels, $1, 738; total valuation of property in the township, including special school districts, $734,962. Population of township in 1880, 1,957; number of acres of land in the township, 15,819. The largest vote ever polled in the township was on October 12, 1880, when the poll amounted to 500 votos.
BLANCHESTER.
This village was laid out by Joseph and John Blancett, and the plat ro corded March 23, 1832. There were originally twenty-four lots, four poles by eight poles square, and one lot (No. 15) not quite so large. The lots were numbered consecutively from 1 to 24, lying on each side of two streets-Broad way running northwest and southeast, and Main street, running northeast and southwest. The courses of the lots were north 45} degrees east by south, 41} degrees east.
The following additions have since been made: John Baldwin's Addition, December 15, 1832; same, another addition, July 9, 1834. July 13, 1835,
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a resurvey of the original plat was made at the instance of the original pro- prietors, John and Joseph Blancett. Christopher Lazenby made an addition September 3, 1851, containing the present railroad depot ground, Railroad street, Depot street, Lazenby street, Walnut street, Mill street, Church street, Fancy street, Pearl street, Bourbon street and several alloys. C. Lazenby made an addition of outlots September 19, 1851. Wilfred Cusick's Addition, containing Conter street, was platted October 8, 1851. William H. Baldwin's Addition, containing Grove and Wright streets, was made November 16, 1855. March 6, 1865, the necessary proceedings were had and the town duly in- corporated by the County Commissioners under the laws of the State. Au- gust 9, 1873, the corporation was extended to include contiguous territory, on a petition signed by property owners within the territory to be annexed, and recommended by the authorities of the town. Anshutz & Patterson's Addition, including the school lot and Clark, High and Columbus streets, was platted February 2, 1874. J. K. Trickoy's Addition, with Central avenue and South Broadway stroot, was platted November 16, 1876. The County Commissioners, in behalf of the heirs of Jonathan Baldwin, doceased, made an addition to the town, containing Baldwin and Blancett streets, October 16, 1877.
The town is situated in the southwestern corner of Marion Township, at the junction of the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad with the Hillsboro Branch of the same road. Wilson's Run and Second Creek surround the town on three sides and connect at the eastern edge of the corporation.
The first merchant of the town was Joseph Blancett, who occupied a hewed-log house on the present site of John Simonton & Son's harness shop. He kept a general line of groceries, notions and such other articles as would be found in a country store of that day. He was followed by Isaac Frazier and William H. Baldwin. The former occupied a room built of logs that stood on the site of Moon & Strawn's drug store; the latter had a stand at a point now outside of the corporation, north of town, on land now owned by George Snyder. William Bundy was the first blacksmith; he had a log shop on the lot now owned by James Gustin. Bryant Trickey, the first wagon- maker, had a log shop on the lot now occupied by John Simonton's livery stable. On the 24th of March, 1870, S. R. Nickerson began the publication of the Blanchester Herald, and continued eighteen months, when he sold to James S. Turk, who, in a short time, changed the name of the paper to the Marion Independent, the publication of which ceased about the 1st of October, 1872.
The following is a partial list of the various kinds of business now car- ried on in the town: Four agricultural warerooms, three blacksmith shops, two wagon and carriage maker's shops, six house and sign painters' shops, two chair factories, four boot and shoe shops, soven dry goods and grocery stores, three livery stables, two grist-mills, two saw-mills, three hotels, several mill- wright and mill furniture shops, three carpenter shops, two lumber yards, one furniture store, three butcher shops, three real estate agents, three Notaries Pub- lic, three drug stores, three grain warehouses, two bakeries, three confection- ery stores, one bank, three millinery stores, a hame factory, where hames are made by the thousand ready for the collar, three hardware stores, one tin shop, three brick yards, five physicians, two dentists, one publishing house, one silver - smith, two undertakers, two carpet weavers and a score of carpenters, brick masons and stone workers.
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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
RICHLAND TOWNSILIP. BY THOMPSON DOUGLAS8.
SITUATED in the extreme northeastern corner of the county and bounded on the north by Wilson Township and Fayette County, on the east by Fayette County, on the south by Wayne Township, and on the west by Wilson and Union Townships, we find the above named township. Whence the name was derived is not now definitely known, but the supposition is well warranted that it was so named on account of the rich soil of the territory originally com- prised within its borders. It was one of the three original townships into which the county was divided by the Commissioners on the 6th of April, 1810, and was erected in words as follows, viz .: "Ordered, that all that part of Clinton County east of the old boundary line of Warren County shall be one township known by the name of Richland." The township was not surveyed nor its boundaries described until the 10th of August, 1813, at which time the origi. nal boundaries were fixed as follows: "Beginning at a large hickory at the corner of Greene Township in the line of Union Township, thence running with the line of Greene Township to the southerly corner of the county and at the corner of Fayette County, thence north with the county line to the north- east corner, thence west with the county line to the original line of Warren County, thence south with said original line to the line of Union Township, thence with the line of Union Township to the place of beginning." It will be seen from this description that the township originally comprised all of what is now Wilson, Wayne and Greene Townships, and parts of Liberty, Union and Clark. A part of the township was taken from the west side to form Union and Greene Townships, August 21, 1813, and on July 15, 1817, a part wan taken from the same side to form Liberty; Wayne was formed from a part of Richland March 4, 1837, and Wilson in August, 1850. The township, as it now exists, is of an irregular shape, being in its longest part, east and west, about eight miles long, by about four miles wide in the widest part, and con. taining 21,210. 72 acres of fine agricultural lands as can be found. It is plen. tifully drained by the waters of Lee's Creek in the south, Rattlesnake Creek in the northeast corner, Palmer's Branch, Wilson's Branch and Grassy Branch, tributaries of Rattlesnake, in the eastern part, and Anderson's Fork, and a branch of Todd's Fork in the western part. Extending through the township from north to south, and nearly on the line of the old Urbana road, is a water shed which has an elevation of about one hundred feet, and which divides the Scioto from the Miami waters, the streams on the east running into the Scioto River through the Rattlesnake Creek and its branches, while those on the west flow into the Miami. Anderson's Fork, running north- northwest, empties into Cæsar's Creek in the extreme northwestern corner of the county, at New Bur. lington, and a branch of Todd's Fork drains the western limit of the township.
The surface of the country is, generally speaking, level, there being no hills or breaks of any kind. The grade in the eastern part of the township in about six feet to the mile, ascending to the table-lands or water shed. The slope on the western side is very considerably less, and the land is a little more rolling between Anderson's Fork and the water shed, but resumes the level appearance from Anderson's Fork to the western side of the township. There is very little if any waste land in the township; no bogs, swamps or hills, no broken country, no stone lands, and, in fact, no untillable lands, even the beds of the streams being so narrow that they occupy but a very small space as compared with those in adjoining counties.
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The soil is of a rich alluvial character based on a clayey subsoil which, in some places, has a stratum of stone underlying it at the depth of from four to .. six feet. The bed of Anderson's Fork is composed entirely of this stone, a stratum of which underlies the creek, extending about a mile from the stream on the west side, and about one hundred yards from it on the east side. The stone belongs to the class of limestone called the Clinton limestone, which is found throughout the county. From it a very good quality of lime. can be produced, which, though not so white, is equally as good for building purposes as any other.
The land of the township is particularly well adapted to the raising of corn and grass, but it has not boon as profitable for the cereals as it might have been; the improved system of drainage now in vogue is rapidly mak- ing it adapted for tho raising of almost any crop.
The timber of the township was originally in great variety, and sometimes grew to a large size. In the low, swampy land the elm and maplo troes grew in great abundance, clearly indicating the richness of the soil on which they stood. On the higher ground tho burr oak grew in profusion, while vast quan- titios of sugar tree grew in all parts of the township. In addition to the above, trees of all other kinds peculiar to this locality could be found. Rails were split by the settlers from walnut, blue ash and other trees that are to- day of great value. Besides the heavy timber, the ground was covered with a thick growth of underbrush and vines through which a passage could only be cut with much difficulty.
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