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LAMBERT POND

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     The following-named persons came to the county about the same time, or soon after:  David PARKINSON, James TURNER, John GUTHRIDGE, Abner BARRETT, William JOHNSON, George and Jacob LEONARD.  A majority of the first settlers came from Kentucky and Virginia.  Matthew STEWART and John McADAMS came from Pennsylvania at an early day, and lived a short time at Columbia, on the Ohio River, above Cincinnati; from there they came to this place, and settled on King's Creek, in 1804.  John TAYLOR came from Virginia and settled on King's Creek in 1806, at the place where the village of Kingston now is.  He purchased 640 acres of land from Isaac ZANE, for which he paid four dollars per acre.  This land, together with two other sections of the same size, was given to Isaac ZANE by the United States Government in consideration of services rendered the army under the command of General WAYNE, in 1794.  In 1810, Joh TAYLOR erected a grist-mill, now (in 1880) owned by Henry WOLFE & Sons.  In the same year the citizens who then lived in the vicinity erected two block-houses near the mill, as a protection against the attacks of the Indians.  To these houses, which were enclosed by tall pickets, the settlers would flee in times of danger.  But the Indians never disturbed them there; great numbers of them, mostly squaws, were to be seen every day coming to and returning from the mill, with their little buckskin sacks filled with corn, and thrown across the naked backs of their bob-tailed ponies, upon which the squaws rode astride, some of them with their papooses fastened to a board and strapped upon their backs.  On dismounting, the squaw would place the board to which the baby was tied against the wall of the mill, in an erect position, then take off and carry in her sack of corn, and immediately return and feed her papoose.  The late Judge Edward L. MORGAN relates that he once saw a squawin a grat hurry accidentally place her child upon the board wrong end up.
     The youngster soon discovered the mistake, and, though a wild savage, its cries and screams precisely resembled those of a white child.
     Salem Township was organized in 1805, the same year that the county was created.  The civil jurisdiction of the county then extended from the southern

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     Capt. Alexander BLACK

     Molly KISER

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large sums of money for the building of two houses of public worship in Salem “Township; he has patiently borne the burden and heat of the day in sustaining them, sometimes under discouraging circumstances.

LUDLOW'S LINE

     The above name was given to a line running from the head of Scioto to the source of Little Miami River, dividing the United States land on the west from the Virginia military land on the east.  This line was run by Israel Ludlow about the year 1800.  By virtue of a charter given by James I. king of England, in the year 1609, all the country west of the Ohio River to the Pacific Ocean was ceded to the State of Virginia.  After the close of the Revolutionary war, the State of Virginia ceded to the United States the greater part of this vast domain, and, at the same time, made certain reservations, and among them she reserved all the land lying between the Little Miami and Scioto Rivers in what is now the State of Ohio.  Nearly four thousand acres of this Virginia military land lies in the northeasterly corner of Salem Township.  The remainder of Salem Township is composed of United States lands, which, about the year 1800, were laid off in blocks of four miles square, by Israel LUDLOW, and, about 1802, said blocks of land were divided into sections and quarter-sections by Lewis CASS  The sections are one mile square, containing 640 acres each.  Six miles square of this land form a township.  The Virginia military lands are not surveyed into townships or any regular form, but any individual holding a Virginia military land warrant could locate it wherever he chose within the district, and in any shape he pleased, where the land was not previously located.  In consequence of this deficiency of regular original surveys, and the irregularities with which the several locations were made, and the consequent interference and encroachment of some surveys upon others, more than double the litigation arose between the holders of adverse titles in this district than occurred in any other part of Ohio of equal extent, in regard to land titles.  Those difficulties were mostly settled more than forty years ago.
     The following will give an idea of how a law-suit was prevented fifty years ago in Salem Township: About the year 1824, it was found the title was not good to Military Survey No. 4520 - Richard OSOBORN, original proprietor.  This land is situated about nine miles north of Urbana, and mostly in Salem Township, adjoining the farm on which the writer lives, and embraces a tract of nearly one thousand acres.  It was also discovered, at the same time, that about three hundred acres of land, lying immediately south of the Osborn tract, was  vacant land, and these three hundred acres had, before that time, been thought to be included in the OSBORN survey.  A part of the occupants of the OSBORN survey were James THOMAS, Silas WILLIAMS, Phineas HUNT, Richard WILLIAMS, Benjamin JOHNSON, Asa WILLIAMS, John ROBINSON, Col. John THOMAS and Jacob STRATTON.  The occupants of the vacant land were Jacob STRATTON, John ROBINSON and Garlant WADE.  This affair occasioned, for a time, much trouble and uneasiness, as the occupants would probably be involved in a tedious lawsuit, and be subjected to much difficulty, and might lose their homes.  Upon examination it was found that the defect in the title of the Osborn survey was with some of the representatives of Richard OSBORN, one of whom was Maj. Hugh BOYLE, then Clerk of the Courts of Fairfield County, at Lancaster.  It was agreed by the parties interested that Col. John THOMAS - an honored name  - should be deputed to visit Hugh BOYLE at Lancaster, and see if some arrangement could be made to quiet the title of this land.  Col. Thomas accordingly

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BENJAMIN NORMAN

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NORTH, Aaron L. HUNT, Col. John THOMAS, Alexander THOMAS, Griffith EVANS, Isaac EVANS, Isaac Thompson, Joseph DOWNS, William MAYSE, Thomas HUMPHREYS, Nathaniel HUNTER, Alexander HUNTER, Thomas HUNTER, and Bethuel SAMPLES.  This was the beginning of a friendship with Mr. COWGILL and each and every one of the venerated persons above named, which continued through life.

LOST CHILD IN THE WOODS AND PRAIRIES IN 1821.

     The little daughter of Mr. Cowgill's, then about four years old, had been in the habit of going with some of the family to the nearest neighbor's, William H. Baldwin.  She one afternoon assumed the responsibility of going alone; she went straight to the neighbor's, when Aunt Elizabeth soon started her home, and went with her near to the crossing of the Urbana road, and watched her along the path until she thought the little girl would surely get safe home.  Somehow, she missed the way, and took down south along the Urbana road, which was then a mere pathway.  Her track was seen in the road, but, as it happened, she was not seen by any one until after sundown.  She had traveled partly along the Urbana, and along paths and through woods, barrens and prairies, and crossed King's Creek, which is said to have been one-third larger fifty years ago, than at present.  In the evening, after sundown, she was found along a cow-path, among the plum and hazel bushes near the present home of Matthew Stewart, Esq.  A man named Lyman Olds, lived near Kingston; his boys were out hunting their cows, and met the little girl along the path; they asked her where she was going, she said "goin' home."  The boys took her home with them, their father talked with her, and she told him where she had been, told him her name, and answered every question directly and to the point.  Lyman Olds made ready as soon as he could and too the little girl to the house of John McAdams, Exq.  As soon as it was ascertained that the child was lost, almost the whole neighborhood turned out to search for her, a number of women were of the company.  Near 11 o'clock at night, several men were stopped about one-fourth mile south of where Kennard now is, consulting about the best mode of search, when some one said, "Listen, I hear a cal."  We listened, and at the distance of about one mile we plainly heard a loud clear call borne upon the quiet air of that calm, clear night in August, Isaac McAdams said, "That is mother's voice.  I know the child is found."  The men then started on a run in the direction of the call.  Soon after, tin horns sounded from several of the neighboring houses; it seemed to be a time of great and general rejoicing - the child was found.  Lyman Olds said the little girl talked to him incessantly on their journey that night, told him what each member of the family were doing when she left home, the names of all the horses and cows on the farm.  She arrived at home about midnight, to the great joy of her parents and the family, her mother being sick at the time.  A company of Indians were camped a few days before on the east fork of King's Creek, near where Cable now stands.  It was feared by some that the Indians had taken the child.

RAILROADS.

     The Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad was the pioneer road in Ohio; it was surveyed in 1832, and finished building in 1848.  It is now known as the Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad.  It is now one of the most noted thoroughfares in the State ; running across Salem Township from a point south of Saratoga Mills to Logan County line, near West Liberty.

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The New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad, first known as the Franklin & Warren Railroad, afterward as the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad, was surveyed in 1855, and trains first ran on this road through Salem Township in 1865.  This road is now about equal in commercial importance with the Cincinnati, Sandusky k Cleveland Railroad.  It crosses Salem Township from a point at about the junction of King’s Creek and Mingo Valleys, running down King’s Creek Valley to join the line of Urbana Township, near Urbana.  The Pan Handle Railroad, now known as the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad, was surveyed in the spring of 1852, and built immediately thereafter.  A great business is now done on this road. It is probably equal in importance to any road in this part of Ohio.  It crosses the east line of Salem Township at a point near “Round Prairie,” on the south Fork of King’s Creek, running down the beautiful valleys of King’s Creek and Dugan to join the line of Urbana Township, very near the line of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad. 

TOWNS.

     The town of Kingston was not regularly laid out.  It has been growing seventy-five years, since 1805, when Salem Township and Champaign County were established.  The writer was at this town sixty-three years ago; a block-house was then standing near Taylor's Mill, which mill was built by John Taylor, a Virginian, in 1810.  In 1814, and for some years thereafter, Simon Kenton lived hear the mill, and used frequently to come here to mill, riding on his pony with a bushel and a half of corn under him to get ground to make his pone of.  Kingston is now a flourishing village of about 300 inhabitants, containing two fine churches, and two good schoolhouses near.  Rev. Benjamin Gehman lives near this village.
     There is a post office at this village, and a depot on the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad lies one-half mile east of the village.
     The village is surrounded by a rich country.  The late Judge Edward L. Morgan lived one mile east of this village.
     Kennard is situated on the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad, seven miles north of Urbana.  Samuel H. Robinson was proprietor and laid out this town in 1864.  The village contains near 200 inhabitants.  One good church, one good schoolhouse, one large grain warehouse and one post office, which was the first post office in Salem Township.
     A good country surrounds this village.  The classic "King's Creek" runs in sight.
     William and Alex Madden, brothers and native Virginians, reside near this town.  William is about eighty years of age, in very feeble health.  Alex is aged about seventy years, and is strong, robust and healthy.
     [Since the writing of Salem Township history, Rev. William Haller has passed away.  He took a deep interest in the Champaign County History, and assisted in placing on record many interesting historical facts known only to himself.  The following obituary notice appeared Dec. 9, 1880, in the columns of the Citizen and Gazette, of Urbana, Ohio, and is so fitting a tribute to the man and his works that we gladly make place for it - PUBLISHERS.]
     "Rev. William Haller, an old and highly esteemed citizen of this county, died at his residence in Salem Township, Thursday morning, Dec. 2, aged about eighty years.   The deceased was one of the early pioneers of the county, having resided here for some sixty-five years, and was highly appreciated by

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all who knew him for honesty and integrity.  In early life, he embraced religion, and for some sixty yeas has been a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church.  His life has been one of activity and usefulness, and at a ripe old age has been gathered to his fathers.  'Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.'  For many years the deceased has been a contributor to the columns of the Citizen and Gazette.
     "Since the above has been put in type, the following has been received from the pen of T. S. McFarland:
     "The subject of the following sketch was born at Mayslick, Mason County, Ky., on the 5th day of August, 1801.  In 1812, his father came to Ohio, at a time when the war cloud was gathering between this and the mother country, and landed in Urbana on the 12th of October of the above year; William then being a lad of eleven years of age.  His father, John Haller, subsequently, in1814, settled near the mouth of Nettle Creek, when William grew to the years of manhood.  He had, prior to his leaving Kentucky, at the age of nine years, professed conversion, and shortly after his emigration to Ohio, at the age of thirteen years, he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church under the labors of Rev. Robert W. Finley.  At the age of nineteen years, he was licensed as an exhorter, and three years later as a minister.  In 1825, he married Sarah, daughter of Ezekiel Arrowsmith, who died ten years later, leaving him three children - Fletcher, Lewis and Emily Jane.  The year following her death in 1836, he married Jane, his former wife's sister, who diedin1851, leaving him two children, Sarah band Lavenia.  In 1855, he married Myrtilla Bishop, his now bereaved widow, by whom he had one child, who appropriately bears his father's name.  Shortly after his first marriage, he built his first cabin at the old homestead, in Mad River Township, now occupied by his son-in-law, Elijah Hanna.  Here he continued to live until after the death of his second wife, when he removed to the hill one mile west of Urbana.  He finally removed to Kingston, where he lied either in the village or vicinity, until the day of his death, December, 2, 1880.  Coming into the county as he did, when the country was a comparative wilderness, he grew up to years of manhood, and watched with more than ordinary attainments, and always imparted his information for the benefit of others, with great pleasure.  He was a modest, unassuming, self-sacrificing man, and the people of the Mad River Valley are indebted more to him than any other man for its moral and religious element.  He was for many years a contributor to the paper which contains this notice of his life and death.  In this he will be missed, as in all other circles of society, for, though dead, his works do follow him.  His funeral services took place in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Kingston, under the direction of the venerable Rev. D. Warnock, assisted by Rev. S. F. Conrey, Rev. B. Gehman, and the Pastor, Rev. G. H. Kennedy.  The Hymns 979 and 990 were sung by the choir in a manner never to be forgotten by those present.  A very large and sympathetic congregation was present to show their regard for a man who had no enemies.  His remains were at his request laid in the Talbott Graveyard, beside those of his second wife.  Peace to his ashes.

END OF CHAPTER OF SALEM TOWNSHIP          NEXT TO WAYNE TWP.