OLD SETTLERS

     The first visit to Ames township was in the spring of 1797, by Lieutenant Geo. Ewing and Judge Ephraim Cutler; and their second visit in the fall of the same year, Captain Brown accompanying them.  In the followiong spring Lieutenant Ewing located the first farm or residence in the township, which wa on the 1st of March, 1798, followed by John Cutler and Captain Benjamin Brown.  These were the first three, but Ewing located first, and that farm is now known as the Tom Gardner farm.  Judge Cutler settled on his place in 1799 and Wm. P. Cutler owns the homestead.  Captain Brown settled at the same time, and his farm is now the Daniel Fleming farm.  Just how many came the next few years is hard to tell, but when Ames Township was organized in 1802, the following were citizens of the township but widely located:
Samuel Brown, Nathan Woodberry, Sylvanus ames, Christopher Herrold, Jonathan Swett, Daniel Weethee, Josiah True, Daniel Converse, Ambrose Evarts, Benjamin L. Brown, Joseph Pugsley, Alvin Bingham, Benjamin Brown, John Brown, Joshua Wyatt, Jacob Boyles, Edmund Dorr, Wm. Brown, Silas Dean, Azel Johnson, George Wolf, Noah Linscott, Edmund Neal, Solomon Tuttle, Oheniel Tuttle, Jonathan Swett, Jr., Stephen Swett, David Boyles, Ezra Green, Jason Rice, John Brown, Jr., Isaac Stephens.  In 1804 the following were residents: Hosea Neal, Samuel McCune, John McCune, Wm. Green, Nehemiah Davis, Nehemiah Davis,

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Jr., Moses Kay, Abel Glazier, Moses Everett, Thomas M. Hamilton, Upton Farmer, Frederic Fought.  There were others who were residents of the township as then formed, but they were too widely scattered to be named.
     Ames Township men comprised not only its present limits as well as the whole north tier of townships in the county, but it had within its limits the present townships of Ward, Green and Starr, now in Hocking County; Marion and Homer townships, in Morgan County.  The following townships were taken from Ames in this county, viz: York, Trimble, Dover and Bern.  Its boundary was then described as follows: "Beginning at the northeast corner of the county, thence running west to the northwest corner of said county; thence south to the southwest corner of said township 12, range 16; thence east to the southeast corner of township 7, range 12; thence north to the place of beginning."  This was the territory ut a trifle less in extenet than the present area of the whole county of Athens, but was rapidly lessened on the organization of Hocking County, Jan. 3, 1818, and Morgan County, March 1, 1818, which was then followed by the reorganization of township, when, in about 1851, after Vinton County had been organized, Athens County had been reduced to her present size.  The first meeting of the Township Board of Trustees was June 1, 1802, at the house of Sylvanus Ames; in 1803 the next annual meeting, on March 7, was at the house of John Swett, and from this time up to the year 1812 the meetings were held at the house of Christopher Herrold.
     Quite an influx of settlers came in the following years, and in 1805 to 1809 these old time settlers made their home in the township, to-wit: Reuben Hurlbut, Reuben I. Davis, Samuel Beaumont, Joseph Fuller, Samuel Lewis, John Mansfield, Joseph Ballard, Robert Palmer, Zebulon Griffin, Silas Dean, Jonathan Watkense, Jacob Haysenton, David Rathbern, Luther Daielson, William Beckerstaff, Abner Connett, John Wright, Henry Johnson, Joseph Linscott, Amos Linscott, Samuel Mansfield, Jr., Jeremiah Cass, William H. Hasse and Uriah Tippy.
     In 1807 the trustees decided to give a premium on squirrel and crow scalps, shot between the first day of February and the first day of July, to be three cents for squirrels and six cents for crows if shot within, as was worded, "two miles of a plantation."  These had become a pest to the growing corn, and it was proposed to lessen their number.

SOME ITEMS.

     The first road-tax was levied in 1805, and it was the same amount as the county tax.  They could pay the cash, or they had the privilege of working it out on the road at 75 cents per day and board themselves.
     The first white child born in Ames Township, or in Athens County, was Margaret Strong, daughter of a Judge Strong, and the birth of this child is given as 1797.  There is evidently a slight mistake of date here.  Ames township was not settled, so far as known until 1798, although Cutler and Ewing visited it in 1797.  The date is probably 1799, for up to January of that year there were only three or four families in the township or county.  At his birth there were but seven families, and Mr. Evarts's was one of them, then in the township.  The name of Judge Strong was not among the early settlers.  It is therefore impossible to vouch for the absolute truthfulness of the above statement, but it is probable that it is true and the date 1799.
     The first physician known to have practiced in the township was a Dr. John Baker, who first case was in the Ewing family, in 1801.
     The first school was taught in the township in 1802, by Mr. Charles Cutler, and the children of all the early settlers attended.  It was here the Hon. Thomas Ewing, so prominent both in State and Nation as a lawyer and statesman, first received the rudiments of education.
     The first marriage was that of Betsey Wyatt and William Parker, May 13, 1802.
     Judge Cutler, one of the most prominent men of that early day, and who, though living there but a few years, left the impress of his strong mind upon the infant settlement, removed from the township, in 1806, to Washington County, as also did Lieutenant George Ewing, the father of Thomas, who made Perry County, Ind., his home in 1818.

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RELIGIOUS WHISKY

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POPULATION.

CENSUS RETURNS.

PRODUCTION AND AREA.

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BOUNDARY.

WESTERN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.

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TRUSTEES SINCE 1813.

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TOWNSHIP CLERKS SINCE 1809.

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE SINCE 1802.

AMESVILLE.

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WHEN FOUNDED.

ITS BUSINESS INTEREST.

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POSTOFFICE.

AMESVILLE ACADEMY

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CHURCHES.

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PASTORS FROM 1847 TO 1883.

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PRESIDING ELDERS.

LODGES.

     Amesville Lodge, No. 278, A. F. & A. M., held its first meeting at Amesville, in their present lodge-room, Feb. 18, 1845, the following officers being in charge: Watson Harris, W. M. pro

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tem; J. G. Wooman, S. W.; A. S. Dickey, J. W.; Job S. King, Treas.; J. P. Harris, Sec.; John Patterson, S. D.; G. W. Pewthes, J. D.
     The only business before this meeting was the reading of three petitions for initiation, which were properly referred, signed by Hiram Black, William . Curfinan and Francis Ginn.  At the meeting of the lodge, Sept. 20, 1856, the following exhibit of work for the seven months of its existence was reported:  Number of initiations, fifteen; number passed, fourteen; number raised, twelve.
     With this, their Grand Lodge report, they met the G. L. at Zanesville, Ohio, Oct. 22, 1856, and asked that body to grant them a charter, which was done, the charter being signed by the following officers of the Grand Lodge:  W. B. Dodds, M. W. Grand Master; B. F. Smith, R. W. Deputy Grand Master; M. D. Brock, R. W. S. G. W.; Barton S. Kyle, R. W. J. G.; John D. Caldwell, R. W. Grand Secretary.
     The following names appear upon the charter as charter-embers of the new lodge; John Patterson, A. S. Dickey, O. W. Pickering, William Golden, L. Fulton, J. P. Harris, Abner Cooley, D. L. Dana, J. F. Woolman, George W. Baker, J. L. Kessinger.
     Thus eqiuped with a charter the lodge began its Masonic life, which has continued harmoniously for twenty seven years.  One of the first business undertakings for twenty seven years.  One of the first business undertakings of the lodge was to contract a debt of over $400 for building and furnishing a lodge-room.  It was built by a stock company, mostly Masons.  Although largely in debt, and the members of the lodge not being wealthy, they began at once to practice that greatest of virtues, charity.  Very seldom has a worthy applicant been turned away from this lodge empty handed.  This charitable practice has wrought itself so thoroughly into the character of the lodge that they remain contented with a very plain lodge-room to point with pride to their long list of charitable bestowments.
     The working of the lodge ran along smoothly, without interruption, receiving into its membership many honorable and intelligent men, until the spring of 1861, when many of her members offered themselves to their country, engaging in the great struggle for the nation's life.  No member of this lodge sympathized with the Southern Confederacy.  At the close of the war regular meetings, which had been suspended, were resumed, and have been kept up to the present time. 

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     When labor was resumed some confusion was to be encountered in the affairs of the lodge.  Debts had accumulated, the lodge-room had run down, and many of the members had died or moved away.  Those who were left equal to the emergency began the work of restoring the lodge; the lodge-room was repaired and refurnished, the lodge placed under new management, and the debt, which had never ceased to grow from the beginning, began gradually to decrease.  The entire debt was at length paid, and the lodge is now on a good basis in every respect.
     In July, 1871, a number of the members who lived near Guysville, Athens County, asked for and were granted permission to establish a lodge at that place.  In the establishment of this, Amesville Lodge not only lost some of her best members, but also a large portion of her best territory, which fell into the jurisdiction of the new lodge.
     In August of the same year the old lodge was again asked to divide her members and territory for the establishment of a new lodge at Bishopville, Morgan County.  Although crippling her severely in membership and territory, she gave consent, the Bishopville Lode was formed.  Since the establishment of these two new lodges, owing to reduced territory, the membership of Amesville Lodge has not grown so rapidly as before.  None of the interests of the order, however, have been forgotten or neglected, the members are fully alive to their obligations, and each is doing his duty, while perfect harmony prevails.
     The entire membership of the lodge since its organization, excepting charters members, is 125; of this number seven have died while members of the lodge, fifty-one have been demitted, and thirteen have been expelled, leaving a membership of fifty-four at the present time.

BIOGRAPHICAL:

EDWARD R. AMES, D. D. - 514
[PHOTO OF JOHN F. WELCH]
GEORGE S. ANDERSON - 516
GEORGE BEASLEY - 516
JOHN J. BEASLEY - 516
HENRY B. BRAWLEY - 517
EDWARD H. BRAWLEY - 519
JOHN P. BRAWLEY - 519
ELI F. BROWN - 519
ARCHIBALD BRYSON - 520
WILLIAM CONE - 520
WILLIAM H. CURFMAN - 521
HENRY H. CURTIS - 521
NATHAN W. DEAN - 522
B. A. ELLIS - 522
WALTER G. FINCH - 523
DANIEL FLEMING - 523
A. J. FRAME - 524
JOHN FRAME - 524
THOMAS GARDNER - 525
C. W. GLAZIER - 525
JOHN HENRY GLAZIER - 525
JOHN HENRY GREEN - 526
DANIEL HILL - 527
LOREN HILL - 527
SOLOMON HILL - 527
CHARLES MATHEW HENRY - 528
JAMES HENRY - 528
JOHN HENRY - 529
R. B. HENRY - 530
NATHANIEL P. HOISINGTON - 530
MRS. ANN M. JOHNSON - 531
L. F. JUNOD - 531
KILION KASLER - 532
FREDERICK P. KASLER - 532
SETH LINSCOTT - 532
JOHN MATHENY - 533
A. MATTESON - 533
JACOB McCUEN - 534
JOSEPH K. MINOR - 534
H. A. OBERHOLZER - 534
DAVID W. O'NEAL - 535
HORACE C. OWEN - 535
JAMES G. OWEN - 535
A. C. PAINTER - 536
JAMES PATTERSON - 536
JOHN PATTERSON - 537
JOSEPH PATTERSON - 548
TAYLOR PATTERSON - 539
EZRA PHILLIPS, JR. - 539
J. B. POTTER - 539
LEWIS RATHBURN - 540
JASON RICE - 540
FRANCIS O (or C.) ROBINSON - 541
JOHN C. ROBINSON - 541
CAPTAIN JAMES B. SHOOP - 542
JOHN SMITH - 543
FRED STALDER - 544
SAMUEL D. STILES - 544
JUDGE GEORGE WALKER - 545
REV. WM. JOHN WARRENER - 545
EDMUND WHEELER - 546
JAY WILDER - 547