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     First Election and Population -

     First Settlers. - The land hunter found his way into this township earlier than any other portion of the county, except Findlay and Delaware Townships, for on record is an entry of the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 34, by HENRY McWHORTER, in September, 1821.  The same gentleman entered, Feb. 27, 1822, the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 3, Amanda Township, lying immediately south of his first entry.  It is believed that Mr. McWhorter and wife, Margaret, located on his land

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in Big Lick in 1823. In the first assessment made by Wilson Vance, lister of Findlay Township, in 1824, Henry McWhorter is assessed for two horses and ten head of cattle.  It will be remembered that the whole of Hancock was then embraced in Findlay Township, and under the jurisdiction of Wood County.  Mr. Vance was elected lister of Findlay Township Apr. 5, 1824, and the same spring made a list of all horses and cattle in the township, over three years old.  McWhorter was then living in Section 34, and was therefore the first settler in what is now Big Lick Township.  He owned 320 acres of land in Big Lick and Amanda, which he subsequently sold to Samuel Sargent and Abraham Huff.  These gentlemen made a joint division of this tract in the spring of 1829, Huff retaining eighty acres in each township, all of Sargent's land lying in Big Lick.  In April, 1830, McWhorter brought suit against the purchasers to recover the face of a note of $237.83 and damages.  He recovered the amount of his note, and damages were assessed at one cent.  After selling his lands McWhorter removed from the county and is not very well remembered.

     SAMUEL SARGENT

     The family of JOHN LONG

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    JOHN HUFF

     JOHN SHOEMAKER

     In 1830 PHILIP ESSEX and family

     ANDREW POULSON and family

     AMOS DUNKEN

     OWEN and LETITIA ROBERTS and family

     JOHN and SARAH GRAHAM,

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      BALDSWORTH and MARY BARINGER

     In the fall of 1833 two pioneers came here together and put up cabins in the forest of Big Lick.  These men were WILLIAM ROLLER and his son-in-law, JOHN MOORE.  Both were

     JOHN MOORE built

     JESSE WISELEY

     HENRY and JANE THOMAS

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THOMAS McKINNIS

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     MOSES McANELLY

     Among other settlers of this period were John P. Ebersole, Jacob Barger, William and Henry Deibly, Charles Henderson, James Wright, Robert L. Martin, William Wilson, Uriah E. Drake, Jackson Stall, Leonard Baumgartner, Samuel B., Silas, William K. and Abner Leonard, William Brown, John Sheridan, John A. Metzger, James Ruckman and Richard Bayliss, all of whom came between 1835 and 1838.  Some of these are long since dead, while others are yet residing in the township, and among its worthy citizens.

     Justices of the Peace -

     Schools. -

     Churches. -

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     Villages and Post offices. -

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     A postoffice named "Big Lick" was established at the house of A. J. Moore, on Section 22, in 1852.  It continued in operation until 1864, and Mr. Moore was postmaster during its existence.  The office was a great accommodation to that part of the township, and never cost the Government one cent to establish and keep in operation.