"That sections one, two, three, four, ten, eleven, twelve, and frational sections eight, and nine, of township four, range twenty-two, situate in the township of Hamilton, contiguous to the south line of Montgomery township, be, and the same is hereby annexed to said Montgomery township, and the said Montgomery township is erected
and constituted a new township, to he called Marion township."

     Montgomery was the western township in the Refugee tract, and was organized in 1807.  It originally consisted of a part of Liberty township.  It was named by Judge Livingston, after his distinguished uncle, General Richard Montgomery, who fell at Quebec.  The new township of Marion was named for the family of that name, now residing in it.

NATURAL FEATURES.

INDIANS,

of the Wyandot tribe, had an encampment, in the early settlement of the township, on Alum creek, just above Colonel Livingston’s.  They hunted in the surrounding region, and were friendly with the whites.  They would, however, occasionally steal a horse from the settlers.  One was stolen from John White, which Mrs. White had ridden all the way from Pennsylvania, and William Hamilton lost a horse in the same way.  But, with the exception of an occasional theft of this kind, the pioneers of Montgomery suffered no annoyances from the Indians.

NATIVE ANIMALS.

EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

     The first settlements in the township were made along Alum creek, and were commenced about the year 1799.  Most of the early settlers came from Mifflin county, Pennsylvania.  One the first families that settled in the township was that of David Nelson, sr., who located and lived, for a year or two, south of where Columbus now stands, and then located near the site of the present residence of John J. Nelson.  Afterwards, he purchased a section of land in the “Refugee tract,” including the homestead now occupied by Mr. Nelson.  After occupying a cabin for a number of years, he erected, in 1819, the main part of the present frame house of his grandson, and occupied it until his death.  He had several children.  Martha was the wife of Judge Livingston, and Nancy was the wife of John Barr, both of whom settled on the creek.  Another daughter married a Shannon, and was the first wife of David Taylor.  The son, Robert, lived on the corner of Broad street and the Creek road, and David, on the homestead.  Four daughters of Robert Nelson are now living: Mrs. Sanderson, in Worthington, Mrs. Dr. McConnell in Upper San
dusky, the widow of Governor Brough, now temporarily , in Europe, and Mrs. James Armstrong, in Wisconsin.  David Nelson, jr., married Mary, daughter of Isaac Taylor; he died in 1847, his wife surviving him some two years.

     William Hamilton and family were the first occupants of the place on which John Barr afterwards lived.  He died in 1802 or 1803, and his was undoubtedly the first death among the pioneers in this township.  He had a large family of children, who were bound out to others after their father‘s death.

     George Turner, one of the first settlers, built on the creek where George Emmett now lives.  He afterwards bought a quarter-section across the creek, through which Friend street now runs.  Only one of the family is now living—Mary Hendren, who lives near Groveport.

     William Shaw settled just above the Nelsons, and lived there until his death.  A daughter, now the wife of Squire Matt Martin, of Columbus, is the only survivor ~of the family.

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     William Reed located on the place next above Shaw.  None of the family are now left.  The Reeds were the largest land-holders on the creek, and carried on farming extensively, but the last one in the family died in the poor-house.

     Among the early settlers, already mentioned, were:  John Starr (the older), Nathaniel Hamlin, and John McGown, afterward proprietor of the present site of Columbus.

     Andrew Culbertson, about the year 1804, settled in the southwest corner of the township, near where the starch factory now stands.

     John White, in 1801, located on the creek, on land then owned by Edward Livingston, now owned by his son, Robert Livingston.  His family consisted of his wife and six children, the youngest of whom was George, now living in Marion, and is nearly eighty-two years of age.  The mother rode all the way from Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, on horseback.  The family arrived in this township on the fourth day of July.  After living some three years on the-creek, during which he made some improvements, erecting a double log house and clearing about fifteen acres of land, he purchased from Messrs. Mills and Stanberry, fifty acres, where his son, George, now resides.  He there built, on nearly the site of the present brick residence of his son, a hewed log house in which he lived until his death, in 1828, at the advanced age of ninety-six years.  His wife died in 1840.  He was the father of eight children, two of whom died in Pennsylvania.  Three are now living, they are: Mrs. Catharine Vining, in Illinois, now over ninety years of age—Susan, unmarried, and George—both living in Marion, aged, respectively, eighty-three and eighty-two, nearly.  George married Mary Kilgore, who died Jan. 6, 1873.  John White, the father, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war.

     Colonel Edward C. Livingston came to this county, from Saratoga county, New York, in 1804.  He was the agent for the sale of considerable land in Franklin and Licking counties.  In March, 1807, he was married to Martha, daughter of David Nelson, sr., and settled on Alum creek, on half section thirty-four.  He erected a frame house on this place, as early as 1808 or 1809 - without doubt the first framed dwelling in the township.  The old building was consumed by fire a few years since.  Judge Livingston was a man of much force of character and native ability, and a worthy descendant of the old and distinguished family of that name in New York.  He was elected associate judge of Franklin county in 1821.  Mr. Livingston died Nov. 13, 1843, in the sixty first year of his age, and his wife died Aug. 30, 1855.  They had eight children, all of whom, except Angelica, who died at the age of fourteen, lived to maturity.  Four are now living, viz: Mrs. David Taylor, in Columbus; Mrs. Elijah Marion and Robert Livingston, in this township, and Mrs. Smith, in Missouri.  James, the eldest, was a physician, and practiced in Marion county until his removal to Missouri, where he died.  Edward was a resident of this township, where his widow, who was Elizabeth Hawkins before her marriage, now lives.  Caroline was twice married: first, to Samuel Wilson, and, after his death, to Dr. John Morrison.

     William Mooberry, with his family, consisting of his wife and five children, came to this county, from York county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1806.  Mr. Mooberry made his location just below where Joseph Berkey now lives, on Alum creek, purchasing three quarter sections of land.  He died there, Jan. 28, 1829, and his wife Aug. 27, 1822.  All of their children, with the exception of Alexander, removed to Tazewell county, Illinois, but John is the only one now living there.  Alexander Mooberry has been a resident of the township ever since he came into it in 1806.  He married, in 1822, Margaret Williams, and settled where Mr. Shoaf now lives.  In 1855, he moved to the place he now occupies.  His wife died in May, 1872.  Mr. Mooberry is now eighty-three years of age.

     Thomas Hamilton, son of William Hamilton, previously mentioned, was brought up by David Nelson, after his father’s death.  He was one of the first children born in Franklin county.  He was born in 1798, and continued a resident of the county until his death, in 1863.  He was married, in 1824, to Elizabeth Reed, of Pickaway county, and located on the northeast part of the Livingston farm, but afterwards settled where his family now lives.  Mrs. Hamilton is still living, and is now aged nearly eighty-one.

     William Merion, sr., came from Boston, Massachusetts, about the year 1807, in company with William Palmer, who afterward owned the Yeager property.  He was then single, but a year or two after his arrival, he married Sally Waite, who came with her father, Jenks Waite, from Johnstown, New York, in 1806.  After residing in Franklinton about a year, he settled on the Chillicothe road, just north of what are now the city limits of Columbus.  He owned, in connection with his brother, Nathaniel, and his sister, Mrs. Morrill, some seventeen or eighteen hundred acres of Refugee land, in Montgomery and Truro townships.  He died, in 1837, aged fifty, and his wife in 1856, aged sixty-six.  Four, of their six children, are now living.  William, the oldest, was born in this township (then Montgomery), in 1811, and is the oldest present resident _of the township, who was born in it.  He located where he now lives, in 1833.  The three other surviving children are: Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Davis, and Mrs. Stewart, all living in Columbus. Captain Nathaniel Merion (deceased), was president of the Central bank of Columbus (now Fourth National).  He died in June, 1877.  George died in 1866.

     Moses Morrill, also from Massachusetts, settled at an early date on the Chillicothe road, south of William Merion, sr., his brother-in-law; his residence was that now owned by Mr. Frisbie.  His wife was Milly Merion.  Mr. Morrill died in 1837, his wife surviving him many years.  Two of their children are now living—Mrs. Cookman, in Columbus, and the wife of Colonel Innis, near the starch factory.

     Elijah Merion, sr., a brother of William Merion, sr., previously mentioned, came from Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife and four children, in 1816; be located on

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the half section just east of where his son, Elijah now lives, and resided there until his death, in 1865.  He was born Dec. 20, 1779, and was, consequently, at the time of his death, eighty-six years of age; his wife, who survived him, was, at her death, about the same age.  Their four children are still living - Calvin, the eldest, aged seventy-eight, residing near Peoria, Illinois, Mrs. Flanagan and Mrs. Lydia Mooberry, also in Illinois, and Elijah, in this township.  He married Adaline, daughter of Judge Livingston.

     Adam Earhart, with his family, came from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1818, and settled where Philo Watkins now lives, in this township, then Hamilton, purchasing eighty acres of land.  After living there a number of years, and making considerable improvement, he removed to Alum creek, across from Eberly’s mills.  He bought there eighty acres of land, and resided upon it till 1840, when he purchased, and removed to, the farm now owned and occupied by his son, John H.  He died Jan. 3, 1844, and his wife, Feb. 18, 1869.  They had a family of eleven children, seven of whom survive, as follows: Josiah Irvin, living in Bloomfield, Iowa; John H., in this township, on the old homestead - he is now serving his third term as director of county infirmary, and has been assessor of the township for many years; Mrs. White, widow of George White, in Columbus; Maxwell K., in Groveport; Isabella, with her brother, John H.; Susannah, wife of John Hawthorn, in Columbus, and Edmiston, in this township.  George H., deceased, was elected sheriff of the county, in 1868, but died before his term expired.

     David Aultman has resided where he now lives since 1833.  His father, William Aultman, emigrated from Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, to Ohio, and after
residing a number of years in Columbiana county, and afterwards, a short time, at Lancaster, settled in Columbus, in 1812.  He was one of the first residents of that
now thriving city, there being but one house there when he bought his lot, at the public sale, and High street was merely cut out.  David Aultman was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1801, married Elizabeth Otstotts, in 1829, and lived in Columbus until 1833, when he removed to Montgomery, now Marion, township.

     Jacob Hare came from Ross county, about the year 1812, and first located on the Scioto river, a mile south of Columbus, and afterwards moved into Columbus, where he resided many years, during which time he was engaged in wagoning from that place to Chillicothe.  He finally purchased the fifty acres now owned by his son, B. F. Hare.  He died in Columbus.  Besides the son mentioned, several children live in the west.

     John Wallace came from Pennsylvania, in 1813, and settled near Columbus, where he purchased one hundred and fifty acres of land.  He married Betsey Andrews, from Massachusetts, in 1817, and raised a family of two sons and two daughters.  The youngest son died at the age of fifteen.  The other married, and lived in Delaware
county.  The daughter, Mary, became the wife of John Bullen, now living in the south part of Truro township, whom she married in 1843, and Elizabeth married, in 1835, David Handley, and lives in this township.

     Colonel Frankenberg, still living in this township, in the eighty-fourth year of his age, emigrated from Hanover, Germany, to this country, in 1833.  After a residence of about six months in Columbus, he purchased half a section, where he now lives.  In 1834, he married Dorothy Frankenberg, his cousin, who came from Germany the same year.  Colonel Frankenberg assisted, in 1814, in driving Napoleon back into France, being a lieutenant of artillery.  His military title is derived from the fact that he was, in the old militia days, a colonel of militia in this State.

     Herman Ochs settled where his son, Gustavus now lives, about the year 1835; he came from Germany, in 1832, and bought first in MIssouri, but the title of his land proving defective, he lost the whole amount of his investment.  His first wife, who was the mother of his two children, was, before marriage, Matilda Hinthe, who came form Germany in the same ship with the Frankenbergs.  Their children were: Gustavus, who occupies the homestead, and a daughter (now deceased), who was the wife of Henry Mitthoff, of Columbus.

     In 1812, David Nelson and Colonel Livingston erected the first frame barns in the township.  The buildings were both quite large, that of Nelson's being thirty by sixty feet.  There were not enough settlers to raise it, and a part of the frame fell down.  A company of soldiers at Franklinton, were sent for, who came and helped to put up the structure.  The barn of Colonel Livingston now stands on the farm of George White, and is still, apparently, as good as ever.  Mr. White says he would rather have the old structure now than any built now-a-days.

THE FIRST SCHOOL.

     According to the recollection of Mr. David Taylor, the first school was kept in a cabin on the old Bartholomew farm, in 1812.  The teacher was a lady, but her name cannot now be remembered.  A frame school house was built on the Morrill farm as early as 1822 or 1823, in which the first school was taught by a male teacher by the name of Christy.

CAPITAL UNIVERSITY.

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CHURCHES.

MILLS.

STARCH FACTORY.

THE REVOLVING SCRAPER COMPANY

COUNTY CHILDREN'S HOME.

TOWNSHIP OFFICERS*

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     Columbus was laid out in 1812, and nearly all events, ,worthy of note in the township, aside from those mentioned, are associated with the city.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.

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THE MERION FAMILY.