LEE TOWNSHIP was organized November, 1819, and her territory was taken from Alexander Township.  It is the southwest township of the county, and in size the smallest, having but twenty-four sections of land, or two thirds of a congressional township, being six miles north and south and four miles east and west, or 15,360 acres.  It is bounded on the north by waterloo Township, on the east by Alexander Township, south by Meigs County, and west by Vinton County.  The land is generally rolling, and in some parts quite hilly, but nearly all portions suited for farming portions suited for farming purposes, well suited for cultivation.  The hills in some places are rather steep, but the soil is good and grasses grow luxuriantly.  In fact there is very little waste land.  The soil is not deep, neither is it very strong, but it is fertile enough to raise fair average crops.  There are not many living streams of water, but then there are numerous springs, and water is reached by wells at from ten to forty feet.  This spring water is pure and splendid for stock, and the farmers are giving largely of their attention to stock-raising, and to the best breeds.  In this respect the farmers of Lee Township can boast, for her stock is the equal of any in the county.

SOME OF THE SETTLERS.

     Among the earliest settlers of the township were:  Captain John Martin, of Revolutionary fame; Philip Smith, Henry Cassel, Ziba McVey, Daniel Knowlton, George Canney, Jno. Holdred, Will-

Page 603 -
illiam Brown, William Graham, Jacob Lentner, James McGonnegal, Francis Thomas, Samuel Luckey, Hiram Howlett and John Doughty.  These settlers were characteristic of the times, earnest, progressive, honest and well educated, and they brought with them a strong determination to see that in respect to educational facilities their children should not suffer by settling in the wilderness of the West.  Schools were therefore among the first provided for, and their efforts in this direction met with success.  Their action in this regard is worthy of all commendation, and the erection of churches, school-houses and support of libraries, atteests their devotion to these important elements of moral progress, and the culture and refinement everywhere exhibited at their homes.

POPULATION, ETC.

     This township, like one or two others, has shown a slight decline the past ten years in its population.  In fact, its largest population was in 1860.  The loss during the decade between 1860 and 1870 might be laid at the door of the late civil war, but there is no such excuse during the last, and it can possibly be attributed to too large a colored population.  The population by decades from 1820 is here given:  That year it was 342; in 1830, it was 418; in 1840, it was 848; in 1850, it was 961; in 1860, it was 1,301; in 1870, it was 1,146; in 1880, 1,086.  This showing gives the township but 125 more in 1880 than it had in 1850, a period of thirty years.
     The organization being in November of 1819, the first election for township officers did not take place until the following April, 1820, and these offices and subsequent ones are recorded here.

TOWNSHIP OFFICERS.

     1820 - Trustees, Jacob Lentner, James McGonnegal and Ephraim Martin; Justice of the Peace, Isaac Baker.
     1821 - Trustees, Francis Thomas, James McGonnegal and Elisha Chapman.
     1822 - Trustees, Ephraim Martin, James McGonnegal and Daniel Rowell; Justice of the Peace, Abner C. Martin.
     1823 - Trustees, Joseph Wallace, Francis Thomas and Wm. Brown; Justice of the Peace, Isaac Baker.
     1824 - Trustees, Ephraim Martin, Francis Thomas and James mcGonegal; Justice of the Peace, Joseph Wallace.

Page 604 -
     1825. - Trustees, same as above; Justices of the Peace, McCowen Bean, Michael Canney and James McGee.
     1826 and 1827. - Trustees, same as above.
     1828. - Trustees, Samuel Martin, Francis Thomas and James McGonnegal; Justice of the Peace, Jacob Lentner.
     1829. - Trustees, James McGee, George Reeves and McCowen Bean.
     1830. - Trustees, same as above
     1831. - Trustees, Wm. Graham, Wm. Thompson and McCowen Bean; Justices of the Peace, McCowen Bean and Abner C. Martin.
     1832. - Trustees, Joseph Martin, Wm. Thompson and John Havener; Justice of the Peace, Jacob Lentner.
     1833. - Trustees, Wm. Graham, James McGonnegal and Joseph Martin.
     1834. - Trustees, same as above; Justice of the Peace, Abner C. Martin.
     1835. - Trustees, same as above; Justice of the Peace, Jacob Lentner.
     1836. - Trustees, Joseph Post, Wm. Thompson and Nimrod Dailey.
     1837. - Trustees, Wm. Graham, Michael Canney and Nimrod Dailey; Justice of the Peace, Abner C. Martin.

Page 605 -

Page 606 -

ALBANY

     The village of Albany is situated in the eastern part of the township, on the line of the Ohio Central Railroad.  It was laid out into lots by Wm. Grahama in 1832 or 1833, the first house in the village being built by Lucius R. Beckley on the ground now owned by

Page 607 -

     The Postoffice

Page 608 -

ATWOOD INSTITUTE.

Page 609 -

     The Enterprise Institute

Page 610 -

     The Village School

CHURCHES.

     The Free-Will Baptist Church, of

     The Methodist Episcopal Church society, of

     The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was

     The Colored Churches at Albany are a Baptist and Methodist Episcopal, and are well attended by the colored brethren.

     The Wells Library at

Page 611 -

     Albany Lodge, No. 156, A. F. & A. M., was

Page 612 -
tion of the State took a  more active part in protecting the transfer than did the city of Albany in this humane but unlawful work.

THE ALBANY ECHO.

     The Albany Echo is published at Albany (Lee postoffice), Athens County, by D. A. R. McKinstry, editor and proprietor.  It is a six-column weekly, published every Thursday.  In politics it is independent.  It was first published "semi-occasionally" on the co-operative plan, by D. A. R. McKinstry, of the Lee Insurance Company, as an advertising sheet.  The Echo was established as a weekly journal in January, 1877, by a joint stock company of which the late Dr. Alex Richardson was President, J. H. Vorhes, Secretary, and A. C. Dailey, Treasurer.  At the end of the first year, Mr. McKinstry and J. S. Black bought up these shares and became proprietors as well as editors.  In October this partnership was dissolved by mutual consent, J. S. Black retiring.  The paper has been well received from the first, maintaining a good circulation, and having a fair advertising patronage.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

JOHN S. BLACK - p. 612
A. W. BROWN - p. 612
LYMAN C. CHASE - p. 614
S. T. CLINE - p. 615
MRS. SAMANTHA CLINE - p. 615
JOHN DEWING - p. 615
S. FAUTS - p. 616
HUGH FLETCHER - p. 616
ELIAS GRAHAM - p. 617
E. C. HUMPHREY - p. 617
GEORGE JONES - p. 617
MRS. ALICE KERR - p. 618
REV. R. J. LEMMON - p. 618
HUGH LAUGHLIN - p. 619
JOHN MASTEN - p. 619
ANDREW McCLELLAND - p. 619
A. D. MINEAR  - p. 619
E. C. MOLER - p. 620
J. W. MORRIS - p. 620
JOSEPH OLIVER - p. 620
AUGUSTUS PALMER - p. 621
ISAAC REAM - p. 621
T. K. ROSSETTER - p. 622
MRS. AMY SHRADER - p. 622
JAMES SICKELS - p. 622
WILLIAM A. SMITH - p. 623
MRS. EMMA M. STIMSON - p. 623
ALBERT VORHES - p. 624
JOHN VORHES - p. 624
JOHN T. WINN - p. 625