|
RECOLLECTIONS OF
MORDECAI FISHBAUGH,
OF VIOLET TOWNSHIP.
Page 211
RECOLLECTIONS OF GEORGE HARMON
OF VIOLET TOWNSHIP
Page 214
RECOLLECTIONS OF
DANIEL CRUMLY,
OF BLOOM TOWNSHIP.
Page 216
RECOLLECTIONS OF
THEODORE MURPHY,
OF RICHLAND TOWNSHIP.
Page 218
I am the
third son of Edward Murphy, who settled one
mile west of West Rushville, in the year 1802.
I was born on the farm where I now live, the same
where my father first settled. My father came
from Virginia, in 1798, returned in 1799, and with
his father and brothers moved to Fairfield County in
1800, settling in the north part of Walnut Township,
near the present village of Millersport.
My father intended to enter the land since known as the
Buchanan farm and started to Chillicothe for
that purpose, with his saddle-bags full of silver.
On the way he met Mr. Buchanan, who had
preceded him, and had already made the entry.
My mother's father first entered the section where I
now live; his name was John Murphy.
There were Indians on the tract before he made his
entry. One of them showed him five springs on
the section, and he marked the spots by tomahawking
the trees. The springs are all still running.
My father kept a little tavern. It sometimes
happened that so many men stopped for a night's
lodging, that it was impossible to give them all
beds, and straw was spread down for them to sleep
on. Sometimes every room was full.
The Indians often came to our house for something to
eat; they were fond of salt, and always wanted the
half of what was produced. If it was a bushel,
they would not be satisfied without a half-bushel.
My mother coming to understand this, adopted the
plan of producing a tinful, and they they would
always go away with half a tinful. She was
always afraid of the Indians, and on one occasion
when my father had gone to Chillicothe to mill, to
be gone over night, she took her children and dog
and went into the fodder-house and remained till
morning. To keep the dog from barking, she
kept him by her with her hand on him; and for fear
the baby would cry, she kept it constantly at the
breast. She, however, had never been molested
by them.
My mother raised five children of her own, and, in
addition, thirty-two orphans. She never
failed, when a mother died and left small children
that were not provided for, to take one or more of
them. A woman named Batson died, and my
mother took four of the children, and I, having a
family of my own, took two of them off her hands.
She raised Joe Blanchard, colored barber of
Lancaster.
I have seen fifty or more men and boys at a
corn-husking at night. It was the custom for a
lot of girls to be stationed in the rear of the
huskers to take back the husks - some with rakes,
and others using their arms. It was the
privilege of the boys, when they found a red ear, to
take a kiss, a custom also understood by the girls,
and no sooner was the red ear brought to light than
the lucky finder would break for his girl.
This, together with carrying the husks, was the
occasion of a good deal of sport. [The writer
remembers the custom, and has often participated in
it.]
STATEMENT
OF JOHN COURTRIGHT,
OF BLOOM TOWNSHIP
Page 219
My mother
was a sister of the late Walter McFarland, of
Greenfield Township. She came with her father,
William McFarland, to this county in 1799,
and settled first on Hooker's Prairie, four miles
north-west of Lancaster. Her father intended
to enter the land where the Hookers live, but
there were two men who claimed it by tomahawk-right,
and he went and entered the land where Walter
McFarland afterward lived and died.
William McFarland had two sons - John
and Walter, late of Greenfield Township, ad
Walter was the father of John
McFarland, now of Greenfield.
About two years after the arrival of the
McFarlands, Abraham Van. Courtright, my
grandfather, came into the county, and settled near
what is now known as the Betser Church, two miles
south of Lockville. He did not remain there
long before he bought land and moved over in the
vicinity of the present village of Greencastle,
where he died fifty-one or two years ago, or about
the year 1825. His three sons - John, Jesse
and Abraham Courtright, settled in the same
neighborhood, where they are all buried.
John settled two and a half miles south of
Greencastle; Jesse lived in Greencastle,
where he deceased many years since. My father,
Abraham Courtright, bought a place from a
Mr. _andermark, one mile east of Greencastle, on
the old Columbus road, upon which he lived many
years, and died at a ripe old age.
RECOLLECTIONS OF JOHN IRIC,
OF BERNE TOWNSHIP
Page 220
CONTRIBUTION OF THOMAS COLE,
OF AMANDA TOWNSHIP.
Page 222 - 223
|
