| Page 217 The township was
organized Dec. 30, 1823, and contains sections 33, 34, and
35, in townshp 2, of range 4, and 23 sections in township 3,
of range 5 - in all 26 sections. It is bounded on the
north by Wayne, Centre and Greene townships, on the east by
Greene and Jackson, on the south by Jackson and Benton, and
on the west by Washington and Wayne. This township
lies wholly upon the waters of the Little Muskingum.
The Crane's Nest fork drains its southwestern and southern
parts, and Witten's fork and its branches, the northern and
eastern portions. There is considerable limestone in
many of the hills, and the soil is generally good.
Coal is seen at several points; in section 21, on Crane's
Nest, the seam is unusually thick for this region, being
about four feet.
The first cabin is said to have been built, in 1800, by
Jesse Fleming, but it was not until about 1812, that
anything like permanent settlements were made. In that
year Daniel Dye, senior, with his sons Daniel,
Vincent, David, Reuben, Enoch and John R.,
settled about a mile and a half southeast of where now
stands the town of Antioch. It was known for many
years as "Dye's settlement," and has scarcely yet lost its
distinctive appellation. Among the other early
settlers were Jesse Brown, Thomas Mitchell, senior
and his son, Thomas, a Mr. Vandevanter, Jacob
and Abraham Huffman, Michael Stine, Samuel Bottenfield,
Darlan Long, and his sons John and Levi, Patrick
Hamilton, Evander Burch, Richard Conner, Robert Miller,
Ephraim Headlee, Thomas Rhinehart, Samuel Swartwood and
Jacob Drum, senior. These were all settlers
prior to 1827, and many of them prior to 1820. The
first child born in the township is, by the best authority,
said to have been a child of Mr. Fleming or Mr.
Vandevanter. Israel Lentz settled in 1828, on the
same farm now owned by his son, David Lentz, and
Joseph Morris in 1829. John R. Dye and
Daniel Dye, junior, were the first persons married, but
the names of their wives are unknown to the writer.
The first election was probably held in the spring of
1824, and is said to have been held in a house on the farm
now owned by George Foreaker on the creek.
Among the first township officers were Peter Haught
and Samuel Kincaid trustees; James Okey,
clerk; Tobias Haught, constable; and Jacob Drum,
senior, justice of the peace.
The first water mill was built by Thomas Mitchell,
senior, on Witten fork, in1826. It was a
frame building, two stories high, in size about 30x40 feet,
with two run of stone. Mr. Mitchell bilt the
first saw-mill, at the same place, in 1824. The
property is now owned by James Alexander.
The first school house was
built in Dye's settlement at an early date, but who
was the first teacher is not now remembered by the older
citizens. Henry Johnson was a teacher there
about 1825-6. There are nine school houses now in the
township, good, plan and comfortable buildings.
The first sermon preached in the township was at the
house of Daniel Dye, by a Baptist minister, and the
first church was built by the Baptists,
[Pg. 218]
and known now by the name of the Unity Baptist Church.
The second church organized was the Christian Church, in
Antioch. Preaching was had by ministers of the
Christian Church many years before they erected any church
buildings. On the extreme east side of the township,
near Eddys mill, is a church of this denomination.
The Christian Church, at Antioch, is a frame building, in
size 30x40 feet; membership, 200. There are two M. E.
Churches in the township. The one at Antioch is 32x45
feet; membership, 116; present pastor, Rev. J. A. Wright.
The other is on the south side of the township, is a frame
building, in size 26x36 feet; membership 60, with the same
pastor. The first Sabbath school organized in the
township was in 1826, by Daniel Dye, junior, at his
own house, or more probably, at the school house, near where
is now Unity Church; number of scholars about 20.
Robert Haythorn is superintendent of the Pleasant Grove
Sabbath school; Simeon Simeon Skill, of the Green
Brier Sabbath school; T. L. Twinem of Antioch M. E.
school, and E. L. Lynch of the Christian Church
school.
Henry Johnson, whose narrative of his and his
brother's adventure with the Indians is given elsewhere in
this history, died in Antioch several years ago.
Antioch was laid out in 1837, by Wm. Jarvis; is
centrally located, on quite elevated ground, in the
northwest corner of section 10; is a place of considerable
business; has three stores of general merchandise, two
blacksmith shops, two shoe shops, two hotels, two
physicians, one wagon-maker's shop, one stream grist and
woolen mill, millinery shops, and a reported population, in
1880, of 210. The name of the postoffice is the same
as the town. Green Brier is the name of the only other
postoffice in the township. It is in the southwestern
part of the township. A town has recently (1882) been
laid out at the coal banks, on the creek, called
Mechanicsville.
The population of the township, including the town of
Antioch, in 1880, was 1,214, and the school statistics for
the year ending Aug. 31, 1881, as follows: Amount of
school moneys received within the year, $2,317.83; amount
paid teachers, $1,564.00; paid for fuel, etc., $149.94;
balance on hand Sept. 1, 1881, $603.80; No. of school
houses, 8; No. of school rooms, 9; value of school property,
$2,400; No. of teachers, 9; average wages of teachers per
month, gentlemen, $27.00, ladies, $23.00; No. of pupils
enrolled, 352.
The present justices of the peace are W. H. Hawkins,
G. S. Foreaker and E. L. Lynch.
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