THIS
township
was settled under the auspices of the Ohio Company in the
year 1798 - about a year after the settlement of Athens and
Ames. Some events connected with its history can,
however, be traced back to a period nearly twenty-five years
prior to that date. We have referred elsewhere to "Dunsmore's
war" and to the building of a fort at the mouth of the
Hockhocking in 1774. When the first settlers came into
Troy in 1798, the outlines of Dunmore's camping ground were
plainly discernible. Over a tract containing about
twenty acres young saplings and underbrush had grown up, and
it had the appearance of an old clearing. For many
years after this the settlers used to find, in plowing their
fields, mementoes of Dunmore's army, such as hatchets, gun
barrels, bullets, etc. A rusty, but tolerably well
preserved sword is still to be seen (or was recently), in
the college museum at Athens, which was found on the west
side of the Hockhocking near the roots of a fallen tree.
Possibly in that campaign across Athens county, made nearly
a century ago, it adorned the person of some young English
nobleman whom love of adventure or of fame induced to
accompany Lord Dunmore in his arduous march; or,
perhaps, it was wielded by the strong arm of some native son
of Virginia, who, a few months later, was striking swift and
manful blows for his country's independence. Whatever
its history, it has long rested in silence and rust.
Though it may once have "spoken for itself," it is never
likely to find tongue again, and every observer is at
liberty to imagine for himself who its owner was and what
its history may have been.
From its position at the mouth of one river and on the
banks of another, both of which were more or less frequented
by the Indians, this section of country must have been very
familiar to them. Perhaps for hundreds of years before
the white man came hither, the light canoe of the Indian
used to glide down the Hockhocking, and from its narrow
channel out upon the smooth flowing waters of the Ohio.
In 1798 a company of about forty persons, including
men, women, and children, started from near Springfield,
Massachusetts, for the west. They landed at Belpre,
and from thence came in 1799 to what is now Troy township
and settled on the Hockhocking about seven miles from its
mouth. In this party were Eleazur Washburn, Noah,
Cyrus, and Xerxes Paulk, Horace Parsons, and
Ephraim Frost with their families. Xerxes Paulk
and Horace Parsons were Baptist preachers; the latter
was pastor of the first Baptist church in the township for
about thirty years.
Troy, as its boundaries were originally defined by the
county commissioners at their first meeting,*
comprised the territory which now constitutes the townships
of Orange and Olive in Meigs county, and Rome, Carthage, and
Troy in Athens county. At that time the Hockhocking
river was the dividing line between Athens and Washington
counties, but by an act of the legislature passed February
18, 1807, the portion of the river, was detached from
Washington and added to Athens county. The formation
of Carthage township in 1810 and of Rome in 1811, and the
erection of Meigs county in 1819, taking off two townships,
reduced Troy to it s present limits. The population of
the township in 1820 was 541; in 1830 it was 459; in 1840 it
was 1,056; in 1850 it was 1,421; in 1860 it was 1,747.
The first election for township officers was held in 1805 at
the house of Ebenezer Buckingham. Stephen
Buckingham was township lister for that year.
These men were the founders of the Buckingham
family which, removing subsequently to Muskingum county,
become celebrated for wealth and social influence.
Rome township being stricken off from Troy in 1811 took
with it many of the prominent early settlers, some of whom
are notice in Chapter XVI, as Asahel Cooley, Levi
Stedman, Daniel Stewart, and others. Kingman
Dutton, father of Mr. Samuel Dutton, still living
in Troy, settled at the mouth of Hockhocking with his family
in 1806. At that time there were only two roads in the
township - one passed through the center, running from
Belpre to Chillicothe, the ferry of which was kept about two
and a half miles above the present site of Coolville by
Xerxes Paulk; and another from Belpre down the
Ohio to the mouth of Hockhocking, thence by the ridge
(through Carthage township), to Athens. About 1815 a
road was laid out from the mouth of Hockhocking up the
eastern bank of the river to Federal creek, where it
intersected the Federal creek road from the Ames settlement.
At this early period the great majority of the emigrants to
Athens county used to come down the Ohio to the mouth of
Hockhocking and then ascend that river in pirogues or
canoes. Kingman Dutton kept a number of these
craft, and he and his son carried on the business of
conveying emigrants and their goods up the Hockhocking.
Abram Brookhart settled in Troy in 1811, and was
township trustee for several years; Jonas Smith, who
came in 1810, was township trustee for several terms;
Silas Blizzard and Martin Griffin came in 1810.
The township records prior to 1837 are lost.
Township Trustees
since 1837.
| 1837 |
M. L. Bestow, |
Jesse Derry, |
Samuel Dutton |
| 1838 |
" |
" |
Ferdinand Paulk. |
| 1839 |
Nicholas Baker, |
Jedediah Fuller, |
" |
| 1840 |
" |
" |
Wm. Kincade. |
| 1841 |
" |
Samuel Dutton, |
Heman Cooley. |
| 1842 |
Josephus Tucker, |
" |
Wm. W. Barrows. |
| 1843-44 |
" |
Nicholas Baker, |
John Brookhart. |
| 1845 |
Samuel Dutton, |
" |
M. L. Bestow. |
| 1846 |
Josephus Tucker, |
" |
Ferdinand Paulk. |
| 1847 |
" |
" |
Samuel Humphrey |
| 1848 |
J. M. Maxwell, |
R. M. Wilson, |
R. K. Bridges. |
| 1850 |
R. M. Wilson, |
Samuel Humphrey, |
J. M. Maxwell. |
| 1852-53 |
M. L. Bestow, |
" |
Samuel Humphrey. |
| 1854 |
Samuel Dutton, |
" |
C. Creesey |
| 1855 |
Thomas Richardson, |
" |
" |
| 1856 |
S. A. Gibbs, |
" |
" |
| 1857-59 |
M. L. Bestow, |
" |
Thomas Richardson |
| 1860 |
" |
Samuel Humphrey, |
James Morrison |
| 1861 |
Thomas Richardson, |
" |
" |
| 1862 |
R. K. Bridges, |
Shephard Humphrey |
" |
| 1863 |
M. L. Bestow, |
" |
Thomas Richardson. |
| 1864 |
John Frame, |
E. H. Williams, |
" |
| 1865 |
" |
" |
F. W. Tipton |
| 1866 |
Thomas Smith, |
" |
Thomas Richardson. |
| 1867-68 |
R. F. Parrish, |
James B. Dutton, |
" |
Clerks and Treasurers since 1837.
| |
Clerks |
Treasurers. |
| 1837-38 |
Isaac A. Dinsmore, |
R. B. Blair. |
| 1839 |
C. F. Devol, |
" |
| 1840 |
Eps Storey, |
John Frame |
| 1841 |
" |
A. C. Wedge. |
| 1842-54 |
R. H. Lord, |
John Frame. |
| 1855 |
M. L. Bestow, |
C. W. Waterman. |
| 1856 |
" |
Jefferson Cole. |
| 1867-68 |
John Mitchell, |
A. J. Frame. |
Among the justices
of the peace prior to 1837 were Charles Devol, W. S.
Cockrell, Luther Hopkins, Aaron Butts, Jacob S. Miller,
Nathan Cole, Jedediah Fuller, Marcus L. Bewtow, and
Ferdinand Paulk.
Justices of the Peace since 1838.
| 1838 - |
John Praatt |
| 1839 - |
Roswell Washburn |
| 1841 - |
Sylvester A. Gibbs |
| 1842 - |
Roswell Washburn |
| 1843 - |
Sylvester A. Gibbs |
| 1845 - |
Roswell Washburn |
| 1846 - |
Sylvester A. Gibbs |
| 1847 - |
Wm. F. Pilcher. |
| 1850-52 - |
Sylvester A. Gibbs and Wm. F. Pilcher. |
| 1853 - |
Jonathan Pussey |
| 1854 - |
Wm. F. Pilcher |
| 1855 - |
Sylvester A. Gibbs |
| 1857 - |
Wm. F. Pilcher. |
| 1858 - |
Sylvester A. Gibbs. |
| 1859 - |
Wm. F. Pilcher |
| 1861 - |
D. P. Scott. |
| 1862 - |
Wm. F. Pilcher. |
| 1864 - |
D. P. Scott |
| 1865-68 - |
Wm. F. Pilcher and Wm. G. Boyd. |
The present population of the
township, owing to the losses in war, drainage by emigration
and other natural causes, is but slightly greater than it
was in 1860. Hockingport, at the mouth of the
Hockhocking river, one of the earliest settlements in the
county, gives no signs of future growth. Formerly,
when the merchants of Athens, Amesville, Coolville, and
other places had their goods landed at Hockingport and
hauled thence to various parts of the county, the place had
some activity. but since the construction of the
Marrietta & Cincinnati railroad, Hockingport has been
deprived of its principal source of business. A much
more interesting and thriving village is Coolville, on the
west bank of the Hockhocking five miles from its mouth, the
settlement of which was begun in 1814 by Simeon W. Cooley
and his son Heman, who built a mill there.
The town was laid out in 1818, incorporated in 1855, and its
present population is about three hundred. Surrounded
with a good agricultural region and an industrious
population, Coolville is likely to continue one of the most
pleasant village in the county. It has three churches,
two district schools, a prosperous seminary a town hall,
masonic hall, etc.
Personal and Biographical.
(FOR BIOGRAPHIES, CLICK HERE)
Among the earliest settlers
in Troy were Benajah Hoyt, Xerxes Paulk, Joseph
Guthrie, Daniel Stewart, the Barrows family, William
Pilcher, Asahel Cooley, John Torrence, Oliver Rice, Cummins
Porter, Stephen Buckingham, Abram Richardson, Truman Hickox,
and the Frost family. Some of these are
noticed in connection with Rome and Carthage.
Benajah Hoyt was probably the first white settler in
Troy. He came from Nova Scotia to the mouth of the
Hockhocking with his family in 1797. E. H. Williams,
a grandson of his, owns and resides on the lot in
Hockingport on which Hoyt first built a cabin.
One of Mr. Hoyt's daughters, Sarah, married
Captain Charles Devol, of Washington county. They
had two sons and two daughters. Frank Devol,
the oldest son, is a wealthy farmer in one of the
western states. The youngest son, Prescott H. Devol,
is noticed elsewhere. The eldest daughter of Mrs.
Devol married Benjamin Dana of Washington county
(both now deceased); and the youngest, Henrietta, is
the wife of Mr. Samuel S. Knowles, late member of the
state senate, and a well known lawyer of Marietta.
Mrs. Devol is still living in Mr. Knowles'
family. Among the early settlers at Coolville were the
Cooleys, Jacob S. Miller and Hobby. Mr. John
Frame settled here in 1833, and in 1840 commenced
merchandizing and dealing in wool, grain, and country
produce. Though over sixty years of age he still
engages actively in business, having associated his sons
with him. Dr. John Pratt, a native of Schuyler
county, New York, settled in Coolville in 1835. He is
now sixty-eight years of age, hale and has practice his
profession in this community for a third of a century.
-----------------------
* See Page 147 |
