USA > Ohio > Madison County > The history of Madison County, Ohio > Part 86
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From the lack of any records of Fairfield Township, we are unable to give any information regarding her early elections, or any record of her first officials. as there is not even a " tally-sheet " preserved prior to 1879.
SURFACE, SOIL, ETC.
Fairfield Township is much like Deer Creek Township and in fact much like the greater portion of Madison County in its surface and soil -- very level, with slight undulations, especially along the creeks, as it has no large stream within its territory. In its original state, as the first settlers found it. there were quite large tracts of prairie scattered here and there over its surface, which was covered with a heavy sedge, which constituted quite a sustenance and helped to support the stock of the early settlers. The soil is principally deep, rich and composed mainly of loam and clay, with a limestone gravel as a subsoil, and being very flat and level and of a nature to hold water, was originally very wet and much of it, in wet seasons, cov-
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ered with water; but which in later years is being ditched and drained. so that it constitutes excellent farms equally adapted for grass or grain. The timber portion of the township was never what could be called heavily tim- bered. consisting principally of white and burr oak and hickory. Like a great portion of Madison County, this township has never held great attractions in the line of heavy or valuable timber; hence. we would not expect to find any extensive business carried on here in the way of saw-mills or dealing in lumber. as is the case in some counties. One great attraction to the first settlers of this township and county was the prevalence of vast numbers of deer and other game, especially of the former, which were often seen in large herds, and it is said that probably no section of the State contained in an early day such vast numbers of deer, and held out such attractions to the hunter as did this county. Hence we find many of the first settlers here were " squatters," sportsmen, who located temporarily for the purpose of hunting and killing deer and other game, and they located along the creeks and streams and localities most frequented by these herds of deer, and there erected their rough and temporary cabins, and for a time gave their great attention to hunting. Finally, as game became scarce, they re- moved to other and fresher hunting grounds in the West, their places being filled here by the permanent settler. who located to make a home and a farm.
Not a hundred years ago this section of country was occupied by sav- ages in their paint and wigwams. Next came the hunters and trappers fol- lowing in their trail, with just a degree more of civilization and comfort. Then the pioneer settler appeared in his rude pole and log cabin, and these supplanted by substantial and comfortable hewed-log houses: and these again by good, attractive frame and brick houses. And finally, here and there, scattered over the now thickly populated country, and in the wealthy cities and their suburbs, appear the palatial mansions. What wonderful changes and progress in so brief a period! And not only is this progress and comfort exhibited in the dwellings and habitations of our people, but even a greater advance and progress has been made in all the arts and sci- ences. The invention of machinery, by which to expedite and carry on the work of agriculture with ease: the wonderful application of machinery to spinning, weaving and the manufacture of clothing and wearing apparel. and the astonishing result of application of steam power for manufacturing purposes. and in the transportation of the people and products of one sec- tion of the country to another. And Madison County and Fairfield Town- ship have experienced and exhibited in their history these vast changes and progress. The log cabin of the pioneer, with its clapboard roof. greased paper windows and latch-string door are things of the past. The old wood- en mold-board plow has been supplanted by the improved cast-steel and sulky plows. The sickle and the cradle-those implements so slow and te- dious, and back-ache and side-straining tools, are now supplanted with the - easy and rapid-working reaper and self-binder-the acme of genius.
The pioneer sold his corn at 61 to 12 cents per bushel; wheat at 25 to 40 cents, and often hauled it many miles to market over almost impass- able mud roads, to get even those prices. Now, a short distance from his door, and that. mostly over a good piked road, is the railroad station, where he can sell his grain, and it is shipped to distant markets in any part of the country, and he obtains a good price for all he has to sell: and not only his grain, but for all his stock and products of his farm.
The first settlers spun, wove and made all their fabrics and clothing.
Henry Burnham
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FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP.
The buckskin pants of the hunter. the tow shirt of the pioneer and the lin- sey-woolsey for the women, all had their day and were succeeded by the finer and more attractive cloth and dress goods of the present generation. All this is well and shows the inventive genius and progress of our people And as we view in retrospect this wonderful progress and development of our country and its people, it is to be regretted that society is rapidly being formed into castes. each of which, possessing different degrees of intellect or financial ability. is becoming socially isolated one from the other, tending to produce an aristocracy, a mediocrity and a commonalty, which in their extremes tend to weaken our usefulness and progress, and produce unhap- piness by back-bitings and efforts to pull down the one and build up the other. In the days of the good old pioneers, when neighbors were few and far between, how warm and friendly were their greetings! They would then go miles through the woods to assist one another to erect their log cabins. They would exchange help in manual labor, or in the necessary provisions and commodities of life, and cheer and encourage each other in the arduous duties of opening out and subduing this then wilderness.
Then the tow shirt and linsey dress were ample habiliments in which to mingle in worship in the house of God. The heart was satisfied; they loved God. and they loved each other. The eye had not learned to long for the gaudiness of dress, and when they mnet together to worship, the heart worshiped and not the eve. All were sociable and friendly; all were trav- eling the same road. with the same object in view-a home. comfort, happi- ness. peace and heaven. In the present age of wonderful progress. in all that pertains to the prosecution of the various branches of business in life, to acquire wealth and the comfort it brings, let the people nor forget the social and moral obligations they owe each to the other. And while man seems to be approaching Deity in inventive genius, may he advance and progress in a like ratio in his social, moral and religious obligations to his fellow-man. and let more of that true love and friendship of the worthy old pioneer be cultivated to the great comfort, prosperity and happiness of the people.
STREAMS,
As mentioned above. in speaking of the surface and soil, this township has no large stream within its territory; yet, from the flatness of the country and the nature of its soil, it is generally well watered for stock purposes. There is very little water-power for mill or manufacturing purposes, and very little demand for such, as this is strictly an agricultural and stock- raising township, having but comparatively little timber of value, but pos- sessed of a deep. rich soil. well adapted to the raising of stock and the cul- tivation of grain. and these have monopolized the capital and attention of her people.
The largest stream is Deer Creek. which passes through the southwest- ern corner of the township, entering the township from Oak Run and run - ning in a southern or southeastern course about half a mile, thence it turns south and continues about one mile and enters Pleasant Township. The next largest stream is Opossum Run. known in an early day as Plum Ruv. It takes its rise on the George Hume farm, and takes a general southeast course to near the line of Franklin County, thence takes a southern course and enters Pickaway County. Its present name was given it by John Phe- bis and Isaac McHenry. two of the early settlers who came up the creek from Yankeetown. in Fayette County. seeking a location. As they were traveling up the stream, they were suddenly startled by a large opossum,
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. with a large brood of young ones clinging to the old one; these they killed, and on their journey returning they came upon another which they also killed, from which circumstance they gave it the name Opossum Run, by which it has ever since been known.
A little southwest of the last-mentioned stream is Lubbergut Creek; it takes its rise in the southern portion of the township, and runs in a south- eastern course and enters Pleasant Township. Its name originated as fol- lows: A large fleshy man by the name of Mantle, who weighed 480 pounds avoirdupois, and who lived near the creek, was accustomed to almost daily cross the creek on a foot-log. Two neighbors thought they would have a little fun with the ponderous and weighty Mr. Mantle, so they sawed the foot-log from the under side nearly through, and the next time Mr. Mantle attempted to go across on the log, down went the log, Mr. Mantle and all, and gave him quite a wetting in the creek, since which incident the creek has ever been known by the euphonious name of Lubbergut Run or Creek. West of this is a small stream called Tortle Run, which rises on or near F. L. Young's farm, runs southwest and enters Pleasant Township. There are no other streams of any size within the limits of the township.
PIONEERS.
Enoch Thomas came from "High Knob," Va., and settled on Opossum Run on land now owned by John Heath, in 1807. He was a man of excel- lent Christian character, a great worker in the United Brethren Church, and was the leading active man in organizing the church, which has since been known as the " Thomas Chapel." . His house was ever open to their minis- ters and his hospitality never exhausted. He lived on the place where he first settled till his death, September 31, 1851, aged seventy-nine years. He married Jemima Phebis, who died June 17, 1822, aged forty-five years. He married for his second wife Mrs. Foster, née Dorcas Clark. She died October 23, 1842, aged sixty-one years. At a very early day, Mr. Thomas erected a brick house, which, it is said by some, was the first built in the county.
John Phebis. a native of Kentucky, who was an early settler at Yan- keetown. Fayette County, Ohio, from whence he came to Madison County and settled on the land where Judge E. O. Fitzgerald now lives, in 1807. Mr. Phebis was a great hunter and devoted himself principally to that occu- pation; was a lively, jovial man, yet a very sociable neighbor and a good citizen. But as this county became settled up. and the game scarce, he de- sired better and more extensive hunting grounds, and he removed West to the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. He subsequently, became a settler in Indiana, where he died, and some of his children still reside in that State.
David Dennison. in 1807. settled on the land now owned by B. W. Noland, on Opossum Run. He died October 1, 1823. Jonathan Benja- min settled on land now owned by D. D. Downing; was a native of New Jersey. Isaac and Daniel Long settled where W. B. Fitzgerald now lives, about 1808; the latter was a preacher in the New Light Church. William Ware came from Kentucky and settled on the tract of land now occupied by the village of California, about 1810 or 1812. He served as Sheriff of the county and was quite a leading, prominent man of that day. James Blair, better known in former days as " Big Jim," came from Kentucky and set- tled here about 1813. Ho died September 20, 1816, and his remains rest in the Fitzgerald Cemetery. Robert Thomas, a native of Virginia, settled on a tract of land just east of California, about 1815; the land is still in
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the possession of his descendants, and his history with a large family of the Thomas name is fully written in the biographical sketch of his grand- son, Robert Thomas, in this work. Thomas Dennison settled where Will- iam D. Pringle now lives in 1815. Charles Henderson, a native of Vir- ginia, came to this county with a surveying party as a chain-carrier, and be- came a settler of this township very early. Richard Newland settled here about 1818. Joseph Jackson came from New Jersey to Cincinnati in 1818. In 1819, settied near London, this county, and, in 1820, settled in Fairfield Township, on the land where his son Amos now lives, where he resided till his death. in January. 1861, aged eighty-three years. He was a suc- cessful hunter; knew just when and where to hunt; and yet he never let hunting interfere with his other business, and made hunting quite profit- able. He fully experienced the hardships of pioneer life. He worked for 25 cents per day. sold corn from 10 to 12 cents per bushel, bacon for $1.25 per hundred pounds, and chopped and split rails for 25 cents per hundred.
William Cartinill was a pioneer from Kentucky, and, in the spring of 1813, came to Franklin County, Ohio, and, in 1824 or 1825, located in this county. John F. Chenoweth was born in Mason County, Ky., September 15, 1793. In 1799, settled with his parents in Ross County, Ohio, and, in 1800, they settled on the Big Darby, Franklin County. He married Mar- garet Furguson March 21, 1811, and lived on his father's place till 1820; he purchased land in Madison County, where he has since resided. Ed- ward and Lewis Godfrey settled here about 1825. The former died June 8. 1833, aged forty-seven years. The latter died June 3, 1838, aged fifty- two years. James Byers, a native of Pennsylvania, settled in Ross County in 1806. In 1826, settled in the north part of Fairfield Township, Madi- son County. He was an excellent man, whose life and history is preserved in this volume.
George Hume and his wife, Ann (Scott) Hume, settled here in 1826. Mr. Hume died March 20, 1856. Mrs. Hume still lives and.resides with her daughter. Mrs. Edwards, at Lilly Chapel, now eighty-eight years of age; for a full history of their pioneer life, see sketch of Samuel H. Ed- wards. A. Q. Bennett settled about the same year with Mr. Hume. Judge Edward O. Fitzgerald and William B. Fitzgerald settled where they still reside, the former in 1829 and the latter in 1828. Judge Fitzgerald is well and favorably known throughout Madison County and several adjoining counties. He has been identified with this county in its growth and prog- ress for more than half a century, and is one of her most honored and ro- spected citizens. Jeremiah Johnson settled on land now owned by J. C. Byers in 1831; he was a native of New Jersey; in 1855 or 1856, he removed to Warren County. Ill., where he now resides. Wesley Lilly settled north of Lilly Chapel in 1830, and has been closely identified with the growth and progress of the northern portion of Fairfield Township
John Shepherd was born in Virginia, and with his wife Judy came to Ohio soon after the war of 1812, and settled in Ross County. About 1831, came to this county and settled near California, on land now owned by Richard M. Johnson, and here resided till his death, August 18. 1850, aged sixty-five years. His wife died about 1869, aged sixty-eight years. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was a prosperous farmer, a worthy citizen and a devoted member of the M. E. Church. Daniel C. Freeman was born in Belmont County, Ohio. July 28, 1802, his ancestors being from Ire- land. In 1533. he became a resident of Fairfield Township, and has been thoroughly identified with her growth and interests. At the organization
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY.
of the township, in 1835. he became the first Clerk. He is now eighty years of age, and has been a resident of this township nearly half a century George Noland, a native of Virginia. settled where William Gillham now lives about 1833, where his wife died October 2. 1862, aged sixty-two years; in 1868, he removed to Missouri, where he died, November 4, 1878, aged seventy-four years. J. C. Strain settled where Henry Luse now lives in 1834, and has remained a resident here forty-eight years: is a leading and honored citizen of the township. James D. Truitt, a native of Maryland, became a resident of Madison County in 1811, and of Fairfield Township in 1836, settling in the north part of the township.
John Creath became a settler of this county with his parents, near Mt. Sterling, in 1811. In 1838, he settled in Fairfield Township, where he re- sided till his death, January 15, 1881, an honored and worthy citizen. Valentine Recob settled here in 1846. William D. Pringle settled in this township in 1848, and he and his worthy family have been fully identified with her business interests, improvements and progress since, and their val- ued and important lives are reflected in biographies of William D. Pringle and J. Alfred Pringle. Daniel Thompsou settled on Opossum Run quite early, and built one of the first saw-mills in the township.
CHURCHES.
For many years there was no church edifice within the territory of what now comprises Fairfield Township, but the venerable pioneers here, as in other localities, were not long without the dispensing of the word of God in their midst. Probably the first place in this township where the Gospel was preached was at the house of the worthy pioneer, Enoch Thomas, on Opossum Run. He was an earnest and devoted Christian of the United Brethren faith, and very soon after his settling here, in 1807, preaching was had at his house, and continued to be dispensed there and in the prim- itive log schoolhouses in the neighborhood. till, at a later day, as the coun- try became more thickly settled. a class was organized and a house built for church purposes, near Mr. Thomas', but just over the county line, in Frank- lin County, in accomplishing which Mr. Thomas was the chief actor and leading support, to honor whom the church was called the Thomas Chapel.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at California. - Here, as elsewhere, we find the Methodists with their itinerant system early in the field, and. as soon as the settlements demanded it. their preachers were soon on the ground and held meetings, first at private houses, and thence, as soon as schoolhouses were built, they were used as places of worship. We find a class early organized at Spring Hill. about three miles northeast of Cali - fornia. and another class at the Bales Schoolhouse. At the latter place, preaching was held regularly every two weeks. These meetings were generally conducted by a number of Methodist preachers, one after an- other. as they came on to the circuit, till after the town of California was laid out, when, in 1852, they decided to erect a church in that town. Rob ert Thomas gave and deeded them a lot, and, in the summer of the above mentioned year, the present frame house was erected, and they organized with the following members: John F. Chenoweth. Charles Henderson Charles Warner, Moses Ellsworth, Hezekiah Chenoweth. Andrew White, John Callander, Thomas Corder, Richard Johnson and their wives, Rachel Bales, Sabina Hume, with. perhaps, a few others, whose names are not now remembered. Charles Warner and Hezekiah Chenoweth were class leaders for many years. Among the first ministers were Revs. Hurd, Wolf, Smith,
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William Sutton, Stewart and Young. The church has had many precious seasons of revivals, and in former days seemed to possess more vitality and earnestness than of late years. The church building is becoming old and dilapidated, and a new one is very much needed. The present membership is nearly one hundred, with Rev. J. W. Waite as their minister. The class leaders are Charles Warner, Lucy Minshall and Minnie Higgins. The church and community are abundantly able to erect a good house, and, whenever the Spirit and God's grace shall pervade the hearts of the people, as it did the forefathers, she will arise in her might and strength, a new and beautiful house will be built, Zion will prosper, God honored and the people blessed.
Dennison Chapel (United Brethren Church) .- About the year 1849, a class was formed at the old log schoolhouse which stood on the farm of Lemuel Lawrence, with thirteen members, some of whom were as follows: John Creath, James Dennison, W. Estep, Elizabeth Dennison, Michael Robey, Jesse Timmons, with Joseph Timmons as class leader. They had preaching every three weeks in the schoolhouse. The first minister was Rev. Jesse Bright. Subsequently, they held their meetings for awhile at the house of William Peel, who then lived ou the Lawrence farm. About 1852 or 1853. they built a log house for church purposes, by each person furnishing a specified number of logs. It was built on the same lot where the present church stands. This house was quite large and commodious, and within its walls much good was done. This building was burned down in 1860. But they went right to work, and, in 1861, the present frame house was erected, and was dedicated, in the fall of 1861, by Rev. Joseph M. Spangler, Presiding Elder of the Winchester District, in the Scioto Conference. The church prospered and increased in membership quite rapidly under the faithful and earnest labors of Rev. William Ferguson, James Ross, and others, and at one time her membership was one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty. Subsequently the church declined very much; and one among the various causes of her decrease in members was a large emigration West: forty-three persons among the most efficient mem- bers moved to the State of Missouri. Her present membership is about sixty, with F. Reibal as their minister, and Henry Bowers and Samuel Watrous as Class Leaders. During the existence of this church, they have generally had a good and prosperous Sabbath school. James Brown is its Superintendent at the present time.
Methodist Episcopal Church at Lilly Chapel. -- From the best informa- tion we can get, this church was organized about 1828. The class em- braced the following persons: Philip Durflinger, Isaac Morris, George Bell, Amos Morris, Stephen Morris, William Tway, David Sidner, David Crane, Daniel Durflinger, Samuel Tway, with their wives. For many vears, their meetings were held at private houses and in schoolhouses. Among their first ministers were Rev. David Kemper and William West- lake. The present church edifice was built about 1850, and received the name of Lilly Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church.
German Lutheran Church .- In 1867 a few persons of the Lutheran faith convened together and organized a church at Lilly Chapel, embracing the following persons: Louis Gierich. Charles Greassle, John Mantz, Mi- chael Bellman, Lawrence Miller, Charles Stark, Jacob Schwartz, Jacob Cowling, with their wives and some of their children, numbering twenty or more persons. They held their meetings in the schoolhouse, with Rev. Henry Horst as their minister, who continued as such about three years,
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY.
when. from having several other appointments at other places for preaching, he was compelled to make his appointment for preaching at Lilly Chapel on a week day, and, from the pressure of work and business matters, the people were unable to attend services with regularity, and preaching was discontinued and the organization ceased. In 1878, they again re-organized, with the same members, except Jacob Cowling, who had moved away, with the following additional persons: Henry Wise, Martin Straus, Mrs. Young and John Gierich, with Rev. Henry Peters as minister. Services were held in the schoolhouse till in May. 1882, they obtained privilege to hold serv- ices in the M. E. Church. On December 25. 1880, a subscription was commenced to raise money to build a house for church purposes, and their efforts have been continued till they have an amount raised sufficient to jus- tify them to commence the erection of the house, and, July 2, 1882, is ap- pointed as the day to lay the corner-stone, after which the work will be pushed forward to completion as rapidly as possible. The church now has a membership of twenty eight, and it is hoped the church will prosper and increase in numbers and usefulness. Mr. Peters, their former minister, received a call to preach at Yeagerstown, Penn .. which he accepted, and resigned his charge here in the summer of 1881. He was succeeded here by Rev. W. H. Brown. who is still their minister.
CEMETERIES.
As the pioneers penetrated the forests and the unsettled portions of our country, disease, sickness and death met them everywhere, and it very soon became necessary to have a place to inter their dead. And as they always advanced ahead of the organizations of townships and counties, there could be no provision made by their authority: hence with them every neighbor hood and often each family had to provide for their own dead. Hence we find in all localities, where the first settlers located, family and neighborhood burying-grounds, some of which have been fenced in and carefully protect- ed, and a few have since become the property of the townships, and enlarged and improved until they have become beautiful and pleasant places, fitting depositories for the bodies of our dead. while others agam have been neg- lected, and all headstones and marks or inscriptions obliterated, and the grounds again thrown into the open fields, and the plowshares tear the soil, or the stock roam at will above their sleeping forms.
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