Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Part 24

Author: Jacob Anthony Kimmell
Publication date: 1910
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1189

USA > Ohio > Hancock County > Findlay > Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens > Part 24

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dustrious life. Mr. Martz' grandparents were from Bavaria, hence his German extraction. He was a man of excellent morals and busi- ness integrity, although not a member of any church denomination. He had a fair English education, and strong common sense. His opinions were the result of careful thought, and his advice was sought by his neighbors. Honest, intelligent, social and accommodat- ing, he easily won, and always held the esteem of his neighbors.

MARION TOWNSHIP.

The records of the county commissioners for the session of the 6th day of December, 1830, show the following entry: "It appearing to this Board necessary to divide the townships of Findlay and Amanda into three townships after the following manner, to-wit: Begin- ning at the southwest corner of Section 31, in Township I north, in Range 12, running thence north to the northwest corner of Sec- tion 6, in Township 2, in Range 12, thence west to the northwest corner of Section 4, in Range II, thence south to the southwest cor- ner of Section 33, in Township I north, in Range II, thence east to the place of begin- ning, which boundary shall be a separate town- ship, and become a body corporate and politic, and shall be known and designated as Ma- rion." The township was named in honor of the dashing South Carolina Ranger, Gen. Francis Marion, of Revolutionary fame, and is bounded on the north by Cass Township, on the east by Big Lick, on the south by Amanda and Jackson and on the west by Liberty and partly by Findlay corporation, and contains about thirty-four square miles.

This township was formerly very heavily timbered with oak, walnut, ash, elm, poplar,

beech and sugar maple, together with other trees.

The soil in the northern part of the town- ship is a productive clay, somewhat rolling and well drained, and brings forth fine crops. The river bottoms are exceedingly rich and pro- ductive, being a rich sandy loam, and the south end of the township has a soil of very rich, sandy loam. The conditions for the agri- culturist are almost ideal and Marion Town- ship farmers are among the princes of the land.

The township is well watered and drained by the Blanchard River and its tributary creeks, Wolf Creek, Prairie Run and Lye Creek. The river enters the township in Section 35, and running a direct course to the north for three miles, where it makes a sudden turn and takes a direct course to the west to the western boundary. Formerly there were mills located on this stream, one three miles east of Findlay, Marvin's and one about six miles from Find- lay, known as the Marvin mill. At the present time they are a thing of the past.

Elnathan Cory made the first entry of lands on the 28th day of November, 1822, of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 21. On the 24th day of October, Alex- ander Robertson entered the south part of the northeast quarter of Section 23. Jonas Hart- man, of Pickaway County, entered the south- east quarter of Section 24, on the 28th day of April, 1830, and on the 15th day of October of the same year, Rezin Rickets, of Seneca County, entered the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 15. December 28th, 1830, Allen Wisely entered the east half of the south- west quarter of Section 14. Following these were entries made by Jacob Iler, of Pickaway County, Joseph Orwig, Daniel Egbert, Major Bright, of Fairfield County, Nimrod Bright

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and John Leeder, of Pennsylvania, Isaac where the pioneers held service until about Jones, of Richland County, and others.

Marion Township's first settlers were Asher Wickham, Joseph Sargeant and Othniel Wells. These parties settled near the western line of the township-Asher Wickham on the George Burns farm, now owned by Banker E. C. Tay- lor ; Joseph Sargeant on the T. J. Burns place two miles east on the East Sandusky Street road, where it forks with the East Main Cross Street road, and Wells on the Charles Thomas farm at the north end of the bridge crossing the river three miles east of Findlay.

Very shortly after, Allen Wisely, Major Bright, Aaron Baker, Lewis Thomas and oth- ers commenced improvement in different parts of the township. Major Bright became the owner of a large tract of land. He at one time held the office of Associate Judge for this county. He was a long resident of the town- ship, and some of his descendants still live in this and Big Lick Township. Perhaps no man in the township was better known, or more generally respected than was Allen Wisely. He owned a very valuable farm on the New Haven road just east of the center of the township, that was well improved and delightfully lo- cated. The first church edifice erected in the township was the old Baptist Church opposite the Davis residence, on the Tiffin road. Some years later another hewed log church was built about forty rods west of this, and was used for all orthodox denominations to hold services in. Both of these have long since disappeared but on the spot of the last mentioned stands a very comfortable frame building known as the Un- ion Bethel, where, as before, all denominations worship. In quite an early day there was built on Section 27 a small log church, to which was given the name of Bethlehem, and

1850 when it was replaced by a frame struc- ture; this in turn gave way to a handsome brick edifice which serves the people of the present day. Besides there is a church in the eastern part of the township known as Mt. Zion. These two churches are both of the United Brethren denomination.

The first schoolhouse in the township was built on William Marvin's farm, in 1836, and the first school was taught by Adam Robinson. There are now seven good school buildings in the township, all brick, and the enumeration of school children amounts to four hundred and twenty-eight.

In April, 1831, occurred the first election. Asher Wickham, Joseph Sargeant, Allen Wisely, John Dewitt, Lewis Ward, Joseph Johnston, Aaron Baker, Major Bright, Adam Beard, Justin Smith, Henry Powell, Edward Bright and O. Wells, were the voters. The immigration to this townshiup came largely from Fairfield County, Ohio.

In 1837 Daniel Opp put up a frame building on the farm now owned by N. A. Morrison, close to the township house, and commenced tavern keeping. A postoffice was also estab- lished at this place, and called Crow, with Mr. Opp as postmaster. After about two years, Mr. Opp died, and since then there has been no postoffice in the township.

In 1851, when the writer of this was seven years old, his father's family moved from Car- roll County, Ohio, and settled on a farm in Section 10 of this township, and although there had been numerous improvements made, the country was largely uncleared, undrained with no made roads, only the natural ways cut through the woods and along the clearings, with corduroy-logs laid side by side-

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through the swampy places and even at that time there was but one frame house in the township, that being the one still standing on E. C. Taylor's farm, in Section 21.

Marion Township has a special pike tax and the citizens in consequence have the benefit of very fine roads. The material for building these roads has been largely taken from a stone quarry owned and operated by Charles S. Johnston living on the Mt. Blanchard road on the banks of Lye Creek. Many miles of stone road has already been made of stone taken out of this quarry, and the supply is inexhaustible for all time to come of the very best material known in the county.

William Marvin and sons owned and op- erated a saw and grist-mill on the Blanchard River, three miles east of Findlay along in the early fifties. This was sold to William Gilles- pie and the Marvins built a flouring mill and distillery one half mile farther up the river where the residence of Guy Grable now stands. This mill did a good business in custom grind- ing and whisky was made out of corn and rye, of a quality that it is impossible to obtain at the present day.

ORANGE TOWNSHIP.

Orange Township had its genesis December 6th, 1836, when the commissioners of Han- cock County ordered as follows: "That the original surveyed township Number 2 south, Range 9, in Hancock County, Ohio, be set off into a separate township, politic and corporate, and named Orange. Ordered that the voters be notified thereof, to meet on the third Tues- day in December, A. D., 1836, to elect town- ship officers."

This township is in the southwest corner of the county, and retains its original limits of

thirty-six sections, comprising 23,040 acres. It is bounded on the north by Union Township, on the east by Van Buren, on the south by Hardin County, and on the west by Allen County.

The face of the country in this township is generally level, although it has sufficient undu- lation to render drainage easy and abundant. While the northern part is quite flat, the center and southern portion is beautifully rolling. The soil is varied, but very fertile in all parts of the township. In the northern part was what was called "the marsh," a low, wet tract, formerly utterly unfit for cultivation, until by the ex- penditure of a large sum of money in ditching and draining, it became one of the richest tracts of sand and vegetable mould in all the county. In other parts of the township the soil is of loam, sand or clay, and sometimes of all com- bined, but in no part of the township is the soil poor or unproductive. The crops produced are of the principal cereals and vegetables, in abundance and of the best quality, thus show- ing the varied richness of the soil.

The outlets for drainage are the branches of Riler and Tawa Creeks, both of which flow into the Blanchard River, those of Riley run- ning westward by way of Bluffton and those of Tawa running northward by way of Benton Ridge.

Henry L. Dally, of Tuscarawas County, made the first entry of lands in this township, being that of the southeast quarter of Section 19. This entry was made May Ist, 1834. On the 12th of June, 1834, William Bryan of Rich- land County, Ohio, entered the south half of Section 6, afterward owned by Beriah Ewing, R. Greer and A. Kimmell-Sopher Ewing, son of B. Ewing now owns his father's farm-Da- vid Thompson, of Stark County, Ohio, entered

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the northeast quarter of twenty-afterward owned by Asa Battles who became a prominent man of the township-and Samuel Thompson, of Columbiana County, entered the west part of the southeast quarter of Section 22. In Sep- tember of the same year, George McManima, of Richland County, entered the south half of the southeast quarter of Section 17. In August of the same year, John Stump, of Seneca County, took up the northwest quarter of Sec- tion 18-afterward owned by Thomas Mur- ray, of Bluffton.

In October, 1834, John Carnahan, of Put- nam County, entered the west half of the south- east quarter of Section 7, and Henry Atler, of Pennsylvania, entered the southeast quarter of Section 19, and Joseph Morrison, also of Penn- sylvania, entered the northeast quarter of Sec- tion 19, and in November, 1834, Simeon Dudgeon, of Knox County, entered the south- east quarter of Section 21. These entries were followed by others, and in a very few years all of the land in the township was taken up.

It is said that in 1833, Henry L. Dally, Da- vid Thompson and William Bryan came here and were the first settlers of the township. At that time, and for several years afterwards, the Wyandot Indians claimed the country as a part of their hunting grounds, and were fre- quent visitors to the cabins of the palefaces, but, as they were peaceably disposed, and hon- est, they were welcome.

The first settlers were followed by Stump, Shaw, the Battles, the Mckinleys, the Mar- shalls, John Hassan, William Agin, E. S. Crawford, James T. McConnell, James Reed and others, who formed settlements in various parts of the township. James built the first frame building in the township, and James T. McConnell built the first brick one. The first

election was by order of the commissioners, in the fall of 1836, at which there were fourteen votes cast. Every voter was elected to an of- fice in the township.

The pioneers of this township early appre- ciated the blessing of education, and were not unmindful of the moral and religious training of their children, and as a consequence, churches and school houses followed in the wake of the settlement. Next to shelter for themselves and families, they provided these other necessaries to civilization, good order and prosperity. The first schoolhouse was built in 1837. There are nine good schoolhouses in the township, with an enrollment of about five hundred youths of school age. In the early days, teachers in the common schools received fifty cents a day, and boarded around with the families, a week at each place, and were in many families expected to sleep with the chil- dren, and have control of them from the time they left home in the morning until they re- turned at night. The reading of that day was confined principally to the Bible, common school books and occasionally a newspaper. But these, however, were quite sufficient to occupy their leisure hours, which were but few, so busy were they in building cabins, clearing up the ground for cultivation, and assisting their neighbors to do the same.

The Episcopal Church of North America erected the first church building in the town- ship in 1837. There are now quite a number of comfortable places of worship in the town- ship.

The first marriage was that of George Mc- Manima, and a Miss Morrison, both of whom have long since passed away, and no known descendants of this union are now residents of this towship. David Thompson was the first

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white child born in Orange Township, and a Tuscarawas County in 1833, and his was the Mrs. Ivers, who died in 1838, was the first person who died within its limits.

The first mill was built by John Stump, and there was great rejoicing amongst the inhab- itants at its completion, as previously the bur- den of obtaining flour had been a great incon- venience to the people, owing to the distance to be traveled and the almost impassable condi- tion of the roads, if roads they might be called.

John Mckinley, one of the pioneers of Orange Township, was born in Westmoreland County, Pa., September 23, 1801, and at the age of two years came with his father, Will- iam Mckinley, to Trumbull County, Ohio, then on the frontier of civilization. On the 13th of March, 1823, he was married to Mary Marshall, and in August, 1836, he and his family came to Hancock County. The country was entirely destitute of roads, and Mr. Mc- Kinley had to cut his way through the woods to the place where he afterwards resided, camping at night in the wilderness through which he passed. Not in the least discouraged, he at once went to work, and with the assist- ance of his sons, then mere lads, and the en- couragement and assistance of his good wife, he soon opened up a good farm. He lived on this farm until reaching the age of eighty-five, bearing the reputation of being honest in his dealings, frugal, but not stingy, and hospitable alike to neighbors and strangers. Mr. Mc- Kinley was present at the organization of the township, and was one of the fifteen voters present. He held the office of justice of the peace for twelve years, and the office of county commissioner for six years. Quite a number of his descendants are still living in the same neighborhood.

Henry L. Dally came to this township from

first family that settled in this part of the county. The family consisted of himself, wife, four sons and four daughters. The country was entirey new, and they had no neighbors within three or four miles. Mr. Dally was a tall, muscular man, inured to hardships, indus- trious and honest in all his dealings, and a good neighbor. He located on and cleared up a farm in Section 36. He and most of his family were members of the Disciples Church. After remaining here for nearly twenty years, he became restive, and finally, in 1850, he emi- grated to Iowa, and again he became a front- iersman, and was lost to the people of this county.

Isaac Thompson was the second of ten chil- dren of David Thompson, a farmer, who came here from Stark County. Isaac was born in Marlboro Township of that county, February 25, 1828, and when five years of age, was brought to this township by his father's fam- ily. This family was the second to settle here. As Benjamin Marshall, a pioneer of Union Township, and Josiah Dunlap were coming to this county on horseback, they overtook David Thompson twenty-five miles this side of Bucy- rus, O., traveling to his goal on foot, bare- footed and bare-headed. They proffered him the aid of money to buy shoes and a hat, but were met by the response that he had plenty money to buy shoes, and as to a hat he de- clared that he never wore one.

Young Thompson commenced life in the woods, amid all the ups and downs of a front- ier residence. He has always followed the in- dependent occupation of a farmer, and became the owner of a very valuable farm of 280 acres, well improved and very productive. Mr. Thompson has a fair common school educa-

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tion, although his entire attendance at school was only fifteen months, and that after he was fifteen years old. He is a man of good natural ability, good business tact, and safe councilor, and his advice and assistance in business mat- ters is sought by his neighbors, with whom he stands high. In October, 1850, he married Louisa Mckinley, by whom he had six chil- dren, all living.

Mr. Thompson is a member of the Disciples Church, and has been for about forty-three years. His Christian life has conformed to his profession. He is very punctillious in all his business transactions; honest, conscientious and faithful in the discharge of all his duties; firm in his convictions of right, not easily turned aside from what he deems to be right. He has resided continuously in this township since he came here in 1833, and has never been absent from it more than a month at a time. He has been present at every election held in the township, the first of which was held at his father's house. Such is the confidence reposed in him by his neighbors, that he has been called upon to fill almost all the offices in his town- ship. In 1908 he was called on to make a speech at a school reunion, and all present were delighted with the remarks of a man of eighty years old, hale and hearty.

James T. McConnell was born in Pennsyl- vania in 1809, and came to Orange Township in 1838, and at once commenced clearing up a farm in Section 11. He resided for some years in Jefferson County, Ohio, where, in 1830, he was married to Eliza Dunlevy. Mrs. McCon- nell died in February, 1862. Mr. McConnell was the father of twelve children, three of whom are still living, Daniel J. and James C. residing in Findlay, and Patrick in Union County. Mr. McConnell always followed the

occupation of farming. He had a fair common school education, and was a member of the Presbyterian Church for more than thirty years, and was one of the first members in this township. He was a man of strong convic- tions, slow to yield a point, and tenacious in his belief. He was a good neighbor, and an honest man. At his death he left a beautiful farm of 160 acres, well improved by his own labor and industry. His first neighbors were John McKinley, Benjamin Marshall, father of John W. Marshall, now residing on Lima Ave- nue, Willard Boutwell, E. R. Burns, William Ivers, and Thomas Walls; all of whom have passed to the other shore.

On the farm which he cleared up, are to be found some interesting relics of the past. At about the center of the farm is what appears to be an ancient fortification. The earth is thrown up in the shape of a mound or ridge, about thirty feet wide at the top, and scooped out or excavated, the location commanding a view of the surrounding country. In and around this the timber was evidently removed, as the growth of trees, when discovered, was much smaller than that in the forest surround- ing. About twenty rods east of this was a mound higher than any other portion of the . ridge, and from bones and other articles found in this mound, was evidently the burial place of the dead of those who built the mounds. In the immediate vicinity are other mounds of similar character, all no doubt built by the same people and for the same purpose.

The Northern Ohio Railroad, on its route from Bluffton to Jenera, passes through Orange Township, east and west, on which there are two stations, El Rose and Cordelia. But the farmers do almost all their trading at the two places first named.

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Owing to the richness of the soil in this township, the natural roads remained too hard to travel for a good part of the year, as very little had been done by the county in building pike roads. In April, 1896, a special act from the legislature of the State was obtained through the then representative, J. A. Kimmell, empowering the people of this township to levy a special tax for the purpose of improving their roads by the building of stone pike. Consid- erable opposition was made to the passage of the act on the grounds that such legislation was unconstitutional and that the payment of the levy could be enjoined by any citizen of the township. Nevertheless the bill passed, and the people of the township stood up to it to a man, with the results that today Orange Town- ship has the best and prettiest roads of any

township in the county. As one drives along these thoroughfares with a fine pike on one side of it and a fine summer road on the other, lined with beautiful shade trees on both sides, together with the fine buildings of the thrifty farmers with their orchards and gardens of vegetables and flowers, one can imagine he is driving along some grand avenue through some nobleman's estate in a foreign country. The transition that has taken place in these matters since forty years ago seemed like a dream to the writer as he lately passed over the township within the last year. It is certainly a beautiful place to reside in, and the people are to be congratulated upon their pluck and en- ergy in placing it in the condition it is found today.

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CHAPTER XVIII.

PLEASANT, PORTAGE, UNION, VAN BUREN AND WASHINGTON TOWNSHIPS. AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

PLEASANT TOWNSHIP.

It was ordered by the county commis- sioners, at their session March 2, 1835, "that the original surveyed Township Number 2 north, in Range 9 east, be laid off and formed in a body politic and corporate, and designated Pleasant Township." Previous to this date it had been a part of Blanchard Township. This township lies in the north- west corner of the county, and is bounded on the north by Wood County, on the east by Portage Township, on the south by Blanchard Township and on the west by Putnam County. It derives its name, no doubt, from its pleasant location and scen- ery, and is an original township of thirty- six sections. Its area is 23,040 acres ; popu- lation 2,024.

The soil of Pleasant Township is a rich black loam, on a clay subsoil. On the ridges, or higher lands, it is much mixed and mostly made up of sand and gravel. The entire body of land in this township is rich and very productive. The timber of the virgin forests was very abundant and valuable, but for reasons heretofore mentioned gave small returns to the owners. Some small tribu- taries of the Portage River furnish ample facilities for drainage of the lands, which are jamin Cummins, Anthony Wilcoxin, Robert

completely underdrained with tile. Many of the inhabitants are supplied with water for domestic use from wells drilled into the un- derlying rock.

John Algire, of Fairfield County, made the first entry of land in this township, the northeast quarter of Section 31 being bought by him March 15, 1833. On the 20th day of April, the same year, Alexander Kilpatrick, of Hardin County, entered the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 31. Edward Stevenson, of Franklin County, entered the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 27, and on the same day John J. Needles of the same county entered the east half of the northeast quarter of the same section. On the 19th day of October, 1833, John McCulloch, of Jefferson County and William Woods, of Washington County, Pa., entered lands in Section 28, and on the same day Eliakim Crosby entered the west half of Section 29. Jacob Lamb, of Fair- field County, entered the southeast quarter of Section 30, and George Kalb entered the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 26, on the 2nd day of November, 1838. In 1834 entries of land were made by Henry Hemry, Nathan Fiddler, John Kalb, Ben-

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Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Part 24

Author: Jacob Anthony Kimmell Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1189

Author: Jacob Anthony Kimmell
Publication date: 1910
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1189