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Highland County,
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History

 

Source: 
A History of the Early Settlement of Highland County, Ohio
 by Daniel Scott, Esq. with an introduction and index. 
Collected and Reprinted by The Hillsborough Gazette at the Gazette Office
1890


CHAPTER XXXIII.

ERECTION OF THE COURT HOUSE - COMMISSIONERS' PROCEEDINGS - PATTERSON'S MILL - A HORSE-THIEF AND HIS PUNISHMENT - THE COLLEGE TOWNSHIP ROAD - ORGANIZATION OF UNION TOWNSHIP - ELECTION RETURNS FOR 1809.
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snake, thence with the meanderings of said creek as far as formerly.”  The rates of tavern licenses were adjusted again at this term, by which the price in the county generally was fixed at seven dollars per annum, with the exceptions of Hillsboro, and on the College township road, where the rate was fixed at ten dollars.  Many will doubtless inquire not only where the College township road was in Highland, but why the price of tavern license was fixed at so high a rate on it.  The College township road, it will be remembered, was one of the first roads opened through the county.  It was opened by order of the Commissioners of Ross county, in 1799, while that included not only all of the present county of Highland, but much of those adjoining on the north and west.  The immediate object of the road at that day was to secure a direct communication between Chillicothe and the rich country on the Miamis, then the nearest settlement of any note to that place.  After the State was" admitted into the Union, the route was made the line of a State road by order of the State Road Commissioners, and opened up to the township of land secured by the United States, by the act of admission, to Ohio for educational purposes.  This township is now named Oxford.  It was for many years, however, known as the College township, hence the name of the road when established as a State road.  This road passed from Chillicothe through Greenfield and on west through the present towns of Monroe, Leesburg, New Lexington, in the present boundaries of Highland, thence past Morgantown, Snow Hill, Lebanon, and on to College township.  For many years this road was the great thoroughfare west from Chillicothe — the east, indeed almost the entire travel and emigration passing on Zane’s trace from Wheeling west, traveled this route as the best and nearest to the rich bottoms of the two Miamis, and as early as the date of which we speak (1809) all the taverns on the road, and they were quite abundant, were crowded every night in the spring, summer and fall seasons.  Persons traveling on horseback. to look at the country, or hunt up their land — families moving from the old States in wagons, and others packing on horses, were almost hourly passing.  The College township road continued long after to be the principal road between Cincinnati and Chillicothe, and numbers of the Cincinnati merchants going over the mountains to purchase goods, with their pack horses ladened with Spanish dollars, were yearly travelers over this road and frequently sojourners for the night at the small taverns then kept in Greenfield.  These taverns were nightly crowded and, of course, did a thriving business and could afford to pay a liberal price for their license.
     The county tax for this year was fixed its follows by the Board at this session, to-wit: Horses, &c., three years old, twenty-two cents each, cattle over three years old seven and one half cents.
     On the 17th of July, 1809, the Board of Commissioners held a special session in Hillsborough, at which time they ordered “that there be a township laid off by the name of Union and bounded as follows, to-wit: Beginning where the old Mad River road crosses the Anderson State road, thence running a northerly course so as to include Joshua Hussey’s, thence on the same direction to the Highland county line, thence westerly along said county line to the Warren county line, thence with the said line to where it joins the Clermont county line, at the crossing of said State road, thence with said State road to the beginning.  This new township took off all the southern part of Richland and included within its boundaries the present towns of Lynchburg and Willettsville.  Writs of election were issued on which the necessary officers for the new township were elected and before the first of October the organization was perfected.  Joseph Vanmeter, William Noble and Abraham Vanmeter were the first Trustees of this township, and Absalom Vanmeter Clerk.
     Absalom Vanmeter was appointed collector for Richland township, Samuel Harvey collector for Fairfield, Liberty and New Market townships, and Frederick Kirp, of Paint and Brushcreek, at the July session, 1809.
     The land tax of the several townships of the county was fixed at this term as follows: New Market, State levy one hundred and seven dollars and eighteen cents, county levy eight-seven dollars and fifty-five cents; State levy in Brushcreek fifty-two dollars and fifty-one cents, county levy fifty-four dollars and sixteen cents; Liberty township State levy, two hundred and twenty-six dollars, county levy one hundred and seventy-four dollars; in Paint township, State levy seventy-one dollars and seventeen cents, county levy sixty-five dollars and fifty cents; for Fairfield

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township, State levy, two hundred and six dollars and sixty-eight cents, county levy one hundred and sixty-live dollars and fifty-one cents, and for Richland, State levy, seventy-two dollars and ninety-nine cents, county levy, eighty-six dollars and seventy cents.

     The first death in the town of Hillsboro was in the spring of 1809.  Pearson Starr, brother-in-law to Joshua Woodrow the second, came out from Virginia with his wife and two children, intending to take up his residence in Highland.  He was stopping at Joshua’s and had only been a day or two in the county, when he was taken sick and died in a few hours.  This death was quite distressing to the people of the place, chiefly proceeding from the fact that it was the first in the town, and very sudden, and the person a stranger.  The remains of Mr. Starr were followed to the grave by the entire population of the place and many persons from Clear Creek and Rocky Pork.  The burial took place at what is now known as the old Methodist grave yard on East street, and was the first at that place and also the first in the town.

     The October election in 1809 was not particularly interesting, there being but few offices to fill, and they only for the county.  Joseph Swearingen was elected Representative, his competitors being William Lupton, Thomas Terry, James Wilson, Samuel Reece, Thomas Flinn and John Gossett.  Gus. Richards was re-elected Sheriff almost without opposition, Joshua Lucas and William Jackson having received a few votes.  Morgan Vanmeter and Enoch E. Smith were elected Commissioners, the candidates for the office being Salmon Templin, Enoch B. Smith, Morgan Vanmeter, Moses Gregg, John Coffee, John Roads, John Shield, Thomas M. Sanders, Jonathan Boyd, Bourter Sumner, Robert Beaty and Francis Shinn. Levi Warner was elected Coroner over William C. Scott, Aaron Hunt, William Barnett, John Matthews, Henry Wilson, William Hill, Charley Hughey, Frederick Miller, Henry Baldwin, George Matthews and Joel Havens.
     At the day of which we speak, the independent system of voting was well established in Highland.  Each citizen could, without fear of censure, make his own ticket to suit himself and vote it free from the interference of partizan leaders, for the simple reason that the country was then fortunately blessed with the total absence of political parties, and of course, demagogues.  The best men were generally voted for, and most frequently without announcing themselves candidates, and when they were elected, endeavored rather to benefit the public by a faithful and honest discharge of their duties, than to put money into their own pockets from the public purse.
     In the newly erected township of Union there were thirty-four votes cast at this election, which was, held at the house of Thomas Ratcliff.  The names of these voters are, Abraham Clevenger, John Seamen, William Clevenger, William Stewart, John Achor, Samuel Clevenger, James Marks, Absalom Vanmeter, Alexander Gillespy, Elisha Noble, Mathew Small, Joseph McKibben, James McFarland, William Noble, sr., John McKibben, sr., Joseph Vanmeter, Abraham Vanmeter, Morgan Vanmeter, Samuel McCulloch, Isaac Vanmeter, John McKibben, jr., Israel Nordyke, James Rush, Jacob Bowers, Micajah Nordyke, Charles Harris, Jesse F. Roysdon, John Ellis, Daniel Nordyke, John Miller, John Shockley, Benjamin Shockley, and Hiram Nordyke.  The judges of this election in Union were Joseph Vanmeter, William Noble and Abraham Vanmeter.  The clerks were Jesse F. Roysdon and Abraham Vanmeter.
     In Richland township the number of votes at this election was only sixteen.  The judges were Jesse Hughs, Daniel Dillon and James Mills, and the clerks were William Venard and William Powell.
     Liberty township gave one hundred and thirty-nine votes.  Evan Chaney, Ezekiel Kelley and William Keys were the judges, and John Jones and Jacob Hare, clerks.
     Brushcreek gave thirty-eight votes, and the judges were Thomas Dick, Isaac Stock well and Martin Countryman.  The clerks were Bigger Head and Samuel Reede.
     Paint gave sixty-one votes this fall and the judges were William Lucas, Zur Combs and Jesse Baldwin, and Richard Barrett and Moses Tomlinson clerks.
     New Market gave eighty-seven votes and James Morrow, Philip Wilkins and William Boatman were the judges and John Davidson and Eli Berryman clerks. 
     Fairfield township gave ninety-three votes and Jonathan Barrett, Phineas Hunt and Moses Wilson were Judges and Aaron J. Hunt and Isaac McPherson clerks.
     On the 23d day of October of this year the Board of Commissioners met at Barnett's tavern in Hillsboro: Present,

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