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Source:
History
of
Athens County, Ohio
And Incidentally
of the Ohio Land Company
and the First Settlement of the State at Marietta
with personal and biographical sketches of the early
settlers, narratives of pioneer adventures, etc.
By
Charles M. Walker
"Forsam et hæc olim
meminisse juvabit." - Virgil.
Publ. Cincinnati:
Robert Clarke & Co.
1869.CHAPTER XV.
Lodi Township
| THIS
township was originally a part of Alexander. The east
half of Lodi was included in Carthage when that township was
organized in 1819, and was not detached till 1826.
Lodi was separately organized in April of that year, and,
according to the records, only fourteen votes were cast at
the first township election held in the spring of 1827.
The population of the township in 1830 was 276; in 1840 it
was 754; in 1850 it was 1,336; in 1860 it was 1,598.
Joseph Thompson was one of the earliest settlers in
Lodi. He lived on the farm now owned by Cyrus
Blazer, and built the first flouring mill about 1815.
Some of his descendants still reside here. Before he
built his mill (which has long since disappeared), the
inhabitants of this region used to get their milling done at
Coolville, more than fifteen miles off. The second
mill was built in 1825 by Ezra Miller; it was very
small and has also disappeared. At present there is an
excellent steam flouring mill in the township of ample
capacity. The first religious society formed in Lodi
was by the Methodists in 1820 under the supervision of the
Rev. Goddard Curtis. They worshiped for many yeasr
in a small school house on Shade river. At present the
Methodists have a flourishing society that worships in
"Morse chapel," an excellent frame church building, and
another large class meet in what is called "Cremer's" or
Wesley Chapel. The Cumberland Presbyterians organized
a society here about 1843 and built a good frame church, but
it was destroyed by fire soon afterward. About 1840
the Christians (or Campbellites) formed a society and built
a church which, soon after its completion, was demolished by
a large forest tree falling on it. They have recently
erected a good frame building in the township. There
is a very creditable school at Pleasant Valley (Shade post
office), in the township called the "Pleasant Valley
seminary." The building, a two story frame forty by
thirty feet, with a cupola and bell, was erected in 1867 by
the voluntary contributions of the citizens. It cost
$2,000 - Mr. Joseph Cremer's donation of $500 was the
largest individual subscription. The school opened in
December, 1867, under the superintendence of Mr. Daniel
D. Clark, a graduate of the Ohio university, who is
still the teacher. The trustees are Dr. E. M. Bean,
Cyrus Blazer, Asbury Cremer, John Buck, William ANgell,
John Burson, and W. S. Williams. The school
promises to be one of the permanent usefulness. Township Trustees.
| 1827-28 |
Joseph Thompson, |
Elam Frost, |
John L. Kelly. |
| 1829 |
" |
Rufus P. Cooley, |
" |
| 1830 |
Francis B. Drake, |
Tomas Miles |
Abner Frost |
| 1831 |
Joseph Thompson, |
Elam Frost, |
John L. Kelly. |
| 1832 |
" |
Thomas Miles, |
A. M. Williams. |
| 1833 |
John Bodwell, |
Francis B. Drake, |
Abner Frost |
| 1834 |
Luther Dinsmore, |
John L. Kelly, |
J. B. Force. |
| 1835 |
" |
" |
G. H. Cooley |
| 1836 |
Charles Brown, |
" |
John Carlton, |
| 1837 |
Samuel Day, |
George Eaton, |
Cyrus O. McGrath. |
| 1838 |
Joseph Bobo, |
John Carlton, |
David Whaley. |
| 1839 |
Calvin P. Dains, |
Ezra H. Miller, |
Rufus P. Cooley. |
| 1840 |
Samuel Day, |
Wakeman Hull, |
" |
| 1841 |
" |
Julius Stone, |
George Blazer. |
| 1842 |
" |
Jehu Acley, |
Churchill Creesey. |
| 1843 |
Wakeman Hull, |
" |
" |
| 1844 |
John Cather, |
" |
" |
| 1845 |
Joseph Cremer, |
John L. Kelly, |
John Whittington. |
| 1846 |
James G. Roberts, |
Wakeman Hull, |
' |
| 1847 |
Julius Stone, |
" |
John L. Kelly. |
| 1848 |
William Jeffers, |
" |
" |
| 1849 |
" |
D. H. Miles, |
Amos Moore. |
| 1850 |
" |
Joseph Cremer, |
William Bart. |
| 1851 |
Churchill Creesey, |
Ebenezer Williams, |
" |
| 1852 |
" |
" |
D. H. Miles. |
| 1853 |
Joseph Cremer, |
" |
" |
| 1854 |
E. Williams, |
David Hart, |
Wm. Jeffers. |
| 1855 |
Wm. Wilson, |
D. D. Miller, |
' |
| 1856-57 |
John Kelly, |
" |
" |
| 1858 |
" |
David Hart, |
" |
| 1859 |
John Kinney, |
" |
" |
| 1860 |
John Cowen, |
Joseph Creesey, |
" |
| 1861-62 |
" |
" |
Lewis Dains. |
| 1663 |
" |
" |
John Cather. |
| 1864 |
" |
" |
James Wilson |
| 1865 |
John Buck, |
A. J. Howard, |
Lewis Dains. |
| 1866 |
Moses Lawrence, |
" |
F. J. Cremer. |
| 1867-68 |
Wm. Jeffers, |
Joseph Creesey, |
" |
Township Clerks.
| 1827-31 - |
G. D. Drake |
| 1832 - |
Rufus P. Cooley |
| 1833 - |
Joseph B. Force |
| 1834-36 - |
Rufus P. Cooley |
| 1837-39 - |
John L. Kelly |
| 1840-41 - |
John Cather |
| 1842 - |
Jonathan Witham |
| 1843 - |
John Cather |
| 1844 - |
D. H. Miles |
| 1845 - |
Stephen GAtes |
| 1846-47 - |
Joseph Cremer |
| 1848 - |
William H. Hull |
| 1849 - |
L. D. Evans |
| 1850 - |
Matthew Wilson |
| 1851 - |
R. P. Cooley |
| 1852-64 - |
Isaac Bedell |
| 1865-66 - |
R. R. Cooley |
| 1867-68 - |
John Crather |
Successive Justices of the Peace.
| 1827 - |
Joseph Thompson |
| 1829-32 - |
Rufus P. Cooley |
| 1833 - |
Joseph Thompson |
| 1835 - |
Rufus P. Cooley and Luther Dinsmore. |
| 1837 - |
Smith C. Allen |
| 1838 - |
Churchill Creesey |
| 1839 - |
William Lee |
| 1840 - |
Richard St. Clair |
| 1841 - |
Julius Stone |
| 1842 - |
David H. Miles |
| 1843 - |
Richard St. Clair |
| 1845 - |
David H. Miles |
| 1846 - |
Isaac Woodyard |
| 1848 - |
John Cather |
| 1849 - |
Isaac Woodyard |
| 1851 - |
Lorenzo D. Evans |
| 1852 - |
Isaac Woodyard |
| 1854 - |
Lorenzo D. Evans and David Hart. |
| 1857-60 - |
Lorenzo D. Evans and Elisha Langhead |
| 1861 - |
Benoni R. Pierce |
| 1863 - |
John Kelly |
| 1864 - |
Nelson Lord |
| 1866 - |
Waldron S. Williams |
| 1867 - |
Nelson Lord |
| 1868 - |
William J. Shaffer |
NARRATIVE OF JOSEPH BOBO, OF LODI.
My father,
Henry Bobo, was born and reared in Prince William
County, Virginia, and my mother, whose maiden name was
Sarah Black, in Loudoun county, in the same
state. They came to Athens county in 1798, and
settled on Margaret's creek, two miles from Athens.
I was born here Oct. 24, 1802. In 1810 my father
removed to what is now Lodi township. I was eight
years old, and can remember a little about the removal.
Lodi was all wilderness then. I think there was
but one man living in the (present) township when we
moved in, and that was Joseph Thompson. He
lived on the farm now owned by Cyrus Blazer.
After I was thirteen years old I used to go to mill
at Coolville, about fifteen miles distant, and there was
but one house on the road, called the "brick house,"
about eight miles west of Coolville. I once went
to mill more than seventy miles, thus: From Athens to
the mouth of Hockhocking (by water), forty miles; then
up the Ohio to Marietta, thirty miles; then up the
Muskingum to the horse mill, two miles, making
altogether about seventy-two miles. Sometimes
three or four men would form a party, go down the
Hockhocking, and up the Ohio to Belpre, in a canoe.
There they would get their grain and go on to the horse
mill above Marietta, where they had to give one fourth
for grinding, then home again with the canoe. When
they reached Athens (which was called "the point" when I
was a little boy), each man would shoulder his sack and
pack it home. My father and a few others had hand
mills, with which they could grind corn in the fall of
the year, when the corn is soft. In this way we
got our bread.
So far as meat was concerned we had plenty by killing
it in the woods. Deer, bears, and turkeys were
very plenty, and I have seen a good many elk when I was
a boy, and some buffaloes. My father was
considerable of a hunter, and killed a great many deer
and bears. I remember an adventure he had with a
bear when I was about fifteen years old. In the
forepart of winter the fat bears would go into a hollow
tree or cave, and stay there till spring. They
were always fat when they came out in the spring.
Frequently, they went into pretty rough caves or holes
in the rocks. Father would go in, with a pine
torch in one hand and his gun in the other, and crawl as
close as he could, and then shoot. The time I am
speaking of, he and George Shidler found a hole
in the rocks they had never been in before, so father
lighted his torch and started in to explore as usual.
He had gone about twenty-five feet, looking all the time
to see if there was any thing, when suddenly the bear
struck the torch with his paw, and put out the light.
Father got out of that as quickly as possible, and told
Shidler what had happened, for it was around the
corner of a rock which he could not pass, and the hole
was very small. But father determined to go in
again, and told George to stand at the mouth of
the hole, and, if the bear came out, to shoot it.
He lighted his torch again, and got as near the bear as
he could, and fired, but only wounded him. The
bear started for the mouth of the hole, right toward
father, who had just time to lie down flat on his belly,
when the bear rushed over him, tearing his clothes
pretty badly, and leaving marks of claws on his back
that he carried to his grave. Shidler was
ready at the mouth of the hole, and, when the bear came
out, gave him an ounce of lead that settled him.
They dressed the bear and it weighted three hundred and
ninety pounds. My father killed as many as seven
deer in one day, and that often. He also killed
elk and a few buffaloes after we came here, but the
buffaloes left very soon. I think at last one seen
in this region, was in Bedford township, Meigs county,
in 1815, where it was wounded. When I was a young
man I have stood in one spot, behind a large tree, in
Lodi township, and killed three deer as fast as I could
load and shoot. My brother, Thomas Bobo,
killed twelve deer the year he was twelve years old.
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