ORGANIZATION.

     This township was formed June 23, 1817, by the Commissioners, detaching from the south end of Tiffin, all the territory south of a line beginning on Brush creek, at the upper corner of William Stout's farm, thence on a line to three mile tree, below Kirker's mill, thence on a divide line to Clark's meeting house, keeping on a direct course to Sprigg township, being bounded on the west by the Sprigg township line and Island creek, to its mouth, the Ohio river on its south, and Brush creek on the east.
     It was called Monroe, in honor of James Monroe, who had been lately elected, the fifth President of the United States.
     The first election was ordered to be held at the house of Arthur Ellison, the last day in July.

TOPOGRAPHY.

     The surface of this township is mostly high land, many parts of it hilly and rough, with a thin, unproductive soil.  Along the streams, however, especially the Ohio river, there is some rich productive land.

FARM PRODUCTIONS.

      The chief farm crops are wheat, corn, and of late years, some tobacco; the stock raised are cattle and hogs.

SETTLEMENTS.

     There were but few settlers who ventured to locate in the country, outside of the fort and stockade at Manchester, until after Wayne's victory over the Indians in 1794.  That defeat, so crushed and humbled the spirit of the savages, that they never gave any more trouble to the whites, in this section of country.  Upon the conclusion of the treaty at Greenville, Aug. 3, 17955, settlers immediately began to extend back into the country, and Monroe township being contiguous to Manchester, and the place where Gen. Massie proposed to locate the 100 acre lots he offered as bounties to the first colonists that would join him in the settlement, it was the first portion of the county to fill up with any considerable population.
     The land, from which these bounties were to be given, lying in one tract, would, when occupied, make a settlement of at least twenty-five or thirty families, living in close proximity.  But fears from the remembrance of savage cruelties, would no doubt, still linger in the minds of these who had so recently witnessed their atrocities.  When the still actual danger to life and property from the wild beasts, that almost unmolested roamed through all the forests, would naturally incline settlers to locate in neighborhoods . With this nucleus of twenty or thirty families, others would gather round them, and thus, commenced the settlement of the county.

FIRST SETTLERS.

     General Massie, before distributing his land bounties to those who had made the contract with him to settle a colony, reserved 1,000 acres for a farm and home for himself.  This reservation was located around and back of a high promontory, called "Buckeye Station," about four miles up the river, above Manchester, and one mile below Wrightsville.  This reservation, which extended back into the country from the station, was mostly, moderately level, and the best lands in the township.  After this reserve was surveyed, Massie proceeded to locate and survey to his colonists, each his hundred acres, with the privilege of buying, at an agreed price, as much contiguous land as he had the means to pay for, or might wish to purchase.  Thus the original farms of these first settlers frequently contained two or three hundred acres.
     The first settlers mostly located on the highlands in the country back form the river.  These lands are known as "Gift Ridge," from the circumstance of their having been a gift from Gen. Massie, to the colonists who came to make the first lodgement in the wilderness.
     We have been unable to gather the names of these early settlers with sufficient certainty to make their publication reliable, and therefore omit them.

MILLS.

     There are but two mills now in Monroe township.  One is located on Island creek, and owned by Abraham Foster.  The other, a small corn mill, on Beasly's Fork, owned by Joseph Young.
     The second mill in the township was built by Nathaniel Washburn in 1799 or 1800, on the middle fork of Donaldson's creek.
     In 1801, a boy to entangled in the machinery of this mill and was killed.
     Mrs. E. F. Wells, of West Union, owns the property where this mill was located.

VILLAGES, ETC.

     There are in the township, one village, one flouring mill, two post offices, five churches and nine  school districts.

WRIGHTSVILLE.

     This village, which is the only one in the township, lies on the north bank of the Ohio, about six miles above Manchester.  It was laid out by James Hobson, Apr. 22,

1847, on a plat of 144 lots.  October 29, 1859, the court upon petition, vacated lots 78, 79, 80, 81, 125 and 126.  The town stands on the level plain, with room enough for a city, but it seems to have never flourished.  It has a dilapidated appearance, and contains one store, one blacksmith shop, one cooper shop, one doctor, one church, thirteen small houses and eighty-five inhabitants.

POST OFFICES.

     VINEYARD HILL is the name of the post office at Wrightsville.  It was established in 1848, and called Mahala, in honor of a sister of Capt. William Wade.  It was, some yeas afterwards, discontinued for a period of a year.  A post office was again established with the name of Vineyard Hill.

     BEASLEY'S FORK - This office was established in 1857, with James Miller as the first Postmaster, who held it until 1868, when he resigned, and the present incumbent, Jacob Hempleman was appointed.

SCHOOLS.

     The first school house in Monroe township was on the land of Lewis Bible, now owned by William Morrison, and James Lane was the teacher,  in 1802.
     The second one, was bilt in 1805 or '6, on the farm of Arthur Ellison.  The elections were held at this house and the public business transacted at it, for which reason it was called the "State of House."
     There are now nine sub-districts in the township, in which schools are taught six months in the year.

CHURCHES.

     There are five churches in the township, to-wit:  Quinn's Chapel, Beasley's Fork Chapel, M. E. church of Brush creek, United Brethren in district No. 7, United Brethren, Wrightsville.

QUINN'S CHAPEL.

     This is the oldest church organization in the township.  About 1805, Rev. James Quinn preached a sermon at the house of William Lucas, on "Gift Ridge."  This is believed to be the first sermon ever preached in Monroe township.  The meetings were contained, and finally a class was formed, which was prospered, and in a few years a hewed log meeting house was built on the farm of Michael Fenton.  This house was used until 1852, when a new frame building was erected on the farm of John Pennywitt, and called Quinn's Chapel, in honor of the founder of the church.  The Lucas farm, where Mr. Quinn preached his first sermon, is now the property of - Eylar.

UNION CHAPEL - METHODIST EPISCOPAL.

     This church is located on Ohio Brush creek, near the mouth of Beasley's Fork.  No history of it obtained.  It was organized in 1856.

UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH, IN DISTRICT NO. 7.

     This church was organized several years ago.  Their church building was burnt several years since, and they now occupy the Fenton school house in district 7.

BEASLEY'S FORK CHAPEL, CHRISTIAN UNION.

     This church was organized in 1864, with eight members, five males and three females.  In 1871, they built a good frame house, and now number sixty members.

UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH, WRIGHTSVILLE.

     No history of this church can be obtained.

THE M'COLM FAMILY - JOHN M'COLM.

     The great grandfather of this family was born in Scotland, from whence he removed to Ireland, where he married and raised a family.  One of his sons, named John, was the grandfather of the present McColm family.  This son married in Ireland, Elizabeth Blair.  They raised a family there, among whom was a son named John who was born in Tyrone county, in June, 1771.  This son was the father of the family of whom we are now writing.  On the 3d day of August, 1793, the grandfather, John McColm, and the grandmother, Elizabeth McColm, with the following members of their family, to-wit: William McColm, who was a Methodist Preacher; Malcolm McColm and wife; John McColm, who is the father of the present family of McColms; Elizabeth McColm and Margaret McColm, embarked at Londonderry, Ireland, for America, in the brig Cunningham; Captain Cunningham.  This vessel was captured on its voyage across the ocean, by a French privateer, on the 28th of September, 1793, and the passengers plundered of everything they possessed.  They were landed in Baltimore, Oct. 3, 1793, in destitute circumstances, and were supplied with such comforts as their needs demanded, until they could get situations to begin anew.  They presently settled in Allegheny county, Maryland, where the grandfather, John McColm died, September 6th, 1895, aged 64 adn 65 years.  Here also the grandmother, Elizabeth McColm died, October 25, same year.  William McColm, who was a traveling Methodist minister, also died in August, 1795, aged 27 or 28.  From here, the father and his family moved to Pennsylvania, and

settled at Red Stone.  Old Fort, where they remained until 1804.  In the spring of that year, they emigrated to Adams county, arriving at Manchester, May 28, 1804.  The family consisted of John McColm and wife, with their children, William, Sarah and John, who is the principal subject of this sketch,) Abigail and Anna.  They remained at Manchester until December, 1806, when they moved and settled on Gift Ridge, in Monroe township.  There are but four persons now living in Monroe township, that were there when Mr. McColm settled in 1806; these are Capt. William Wade of Wrightsville; G. B. Grimes, at the mouth of Brush creek; Mrs. Rebecca McHenry, who lives some two miles up Brush creek, on the west side, and John McColm, a son; the others are all gone - either removed or dead.  This son, John, was born in Maryland, in 1800, and came with his parents to Adams county, in 1804, where he has continued ever since.  He married Miss Hannah Beach, April 24, 1823.  About eleven years later, he bought his father-in-law's farm near Waggoner's Ripple, where he has since lived.  His wife seems to have been a woman of very quiet, domestic disposition, delighting more in the happiness found in her own peaceful home than in the glitter and fashion of the outside world.  She was married in a room in her father's home that was within two rods of the house she was born in.  She died August 20th, 1879, in the same room and within three feet of where she stood to be married, over fifty-six years before. The peaceful tenor of this good woman's ways may be inferred, when we state the fact that she was never forty miles form home in her life, nor was she ever at her nearest village.  Her bereaved husband, the venerable John McColm, after a long and useful life, spent in doing good, respected by all, still lingers on the shores of time in the old home where he has spent his happy life, serenely and calmly awaiting the summons to call him hence.  The father of this family, John McColm, raised ten children, five sons and five daughters, all of whom grew to years of maturity.  Seven of these children still survive, the youngest of whom is sixty-five years of age.

EARLY REMINISCENCES.

     Some fifty rods below where the village of Wrightsville now stands, near the Ohio river, was the mound on which General Massie, Israel Donaldson and party, stood on the morning of April 21, 1791, viewing the "Land skip o'er," with bright visions floating in thei rmines, of the happiness that awaited them, when they should go in and possess the goodly and beautiful land that so invitingly lay before them.  These bright visions of imaginary happiness were suddenly dissipated by a party of Indians, who approached them from the rear, in canoes on the river.  With one accord and without debate, they concluded to leave the place at once.  They did not stand upon the order of their going, but started each one for himself - for the hills, with an implied understanding that a certain personage whose name it is not necessary to mention, might take the hindmost.  Massic, on his march to the hills laid down his compass and forgot to note the place, and was not found for some years afterwards.  Donaldson, being rather a heavy man, in attempting to leap a run, some fifty roads rods from the place of starting, fell into it, and became the unlucky hindmost man.  The stream, from this circumstance, has ever since been known by the name of "Donaldson's Run."
     For a correct account of Donaldson's captivity and escape, we give his own narrative in another part of this volume.
     The mound upon which this party was standing when the Indians approached them, is only a few rods below the village of Wrightsville.  The wearing away of the river bank by the waters has nearly washed it away, yet human remains and fragments of pottery can be seen remaining in the sides of the perpendicular bank of the river.

BUCKEYE STATION.

     This is a high point that commands a view of the Ohio river for many miles, either way.  It is said the Indians used to station themselves here to watch the approach of boats descending the river.  There was a stockade and blockhouse made here by Massie, who removed his family to it.  This point is near the southern limit of his thousand acre reservation.  Massie did not live here long, but sold it to Charles Wylling Bird, who occupied it previous to 1809.  Bird afterwards sold it to Thomas John, who in turn sold to John Ellison, who becoming pecuniarily involved, it was finally sold out in smaller parcels to suit purchasers, and is now owned by several parties.

BEAR CAVE,

     On the farm of H. Grooms, about a mile and a half back from the Ohio river, is a cave, into which a man named Daniel Sherwood, once entered with torch and gun, after the manner of General Putnam, and when he reached the bottom shot and killed a bear that weighed three hundred pounds, from which circumstance it was known as "Bear Cave," though it has latterly been called "Salt Petre Cave."
     This Mr. Sherwood, as early as 1792 or '93, built a blockhouse about 80 rods below the mouth of Ohio Brush Creek, on survey No. 1,622, to which he moved his family, where he lived until his death.  He was buried near the west end of the blockhouse.  The inroads of the river in wearing away the bank, washed out his remains, which were carried away by the waters.

ZEPHANIAH WADE.    

Zephania Wade located a farm that is now owned by John Morgan.  On this farm is a splendid spring, and on that account, Mr. Wade and Jacob Yocum both wanted this particular lot of land.  To decide which should have it, they agreed to shoot at a "mark" for choice.  They placed the target against a white oak tree, that stands in the boundaries of the road, that passes near this spring and house.  This tree is yet vigorous and healthy and still plainly shows, though healed over, the scars where the bullets were chopped  out, that lay embedded in the wood.  Mr. Wade won the choice, and built his house near the spring.  Here on the 20th of November, 1795, was born his daughter Christiana, now Mrs. Trenary, of Manchester, who was the first white child born in Monroe township.  Here Mr. Wade cleared up his farm, reared his family, one of whom is now the venerable Capt. William Wade, of Wrightsville, and here he lived the remainder of his life.  Since his decease, his old farm and home have passed into the hands of strangers, and t