Was organized Mar. 3, 1807, from Short Creek township.  This township is high rolling land with an almost inexhaustible limestone soil that produces well all kinds of grain and grass.  It is underlaid with the coal strata of this part of the state.  This coal is almost exclusively used both for domestic and mechanical purposes.  The sample articles of revenue to the farmers in the earlier years were wheat, which was manufactured
into flour and shipped down the river to New Orleans and intermediate towns for a market, and pork which was made into bacon and sent in wagons over the mountains to Baltimore, Richmond and other points for a market. 
     For the manufacture of flour, mills were erected at every available spot along Short creek; no less than twenty-three mills were at one time in operation along that little stream.  But changes in the methods of transportation by railroads, have brought changes in the agricultural pursuits in different sections of the country.  In this locality wool growing and stock raising have largely taken the place of grain growing, and the mills
have mostly disappeared from the creeks.

EARLY SETTLERS.

     It is probable that Robert Carothers and Jesse Thomas were the first settlers in Mount Pleasant township.  They came from Pennsylvania and settled the land on which the village now stands in 1796—Carothers on the eastern part and Thomas on the western side.  They together laid off the village on this land in 1804.
     Adam Dunlap also came in; 1796, settled on the land now owned by John Weatherton, east of the village.
     Col. McCune came in 1798, and settled about three and a half miles southeast.  This property is now owned by John Weatherson.
     John Tygart came also in 1798, and settled on adjoining land to McCune.  It is now the property of John Parke and Isaac Radcliff.
     Col. Joseph McKee came about the same time, and settled northeast of Col. McCune, on the farm now owned by Richard Hope.
     William Finney and Adam Dunlap about 1798 or 1799; settled between Robinson and Dunlap.  Aaron Schernerhorn now owns the Finney farm, and Sarah E. Jenkins the Dunlap farm.
     David Robinson settled in 1798 or ’99 on the land now owned by William Bowles and Elnathan Pettiit.
     John Pollock settled in 1798, on Irish Ridge, one mile east of town, on the land now owned by Hon J. T. Updegraff.
     William Chambers came in 1799, and settled on the Pollock section.  The farm is now owned by Mr. Lazier.
     Benjamin Scott came from Ireland to Washington county, Pa., and from there to Mount Pleasant, where he settled in 1798.
He settled where the town stands, and kept the first hotel in the place.
     Jonathan Taylor came in the spring of 1800. and settled near Trenton, on the farm now owned by D. B. Updegraff.
     Joseph Dew came from North Carolina July 6th, 1800, and settled in what is now the western part of the village.  The property belongs to Joseph Walker.
     John Hurford came about 1800, and settled about four miles west of Mt. Pleasant. Robert Smith now owns the farm.
     Robert Blackledge came from Washington county, Pa., in 1801, and located one and a halt miles west of the village.  His farm is now owned by Mary Michener.
     James Jesse and Aaron Kinsey came in 1802—settled one mile west of Trenton.
     Amasa Lipsey, from North Carolina, settled about half a mile west of Mount Pleasant, near where the Friends meeting house at Short Creek stands, in 1800.  He remained on this farm until 1853, when he sold it to Samuel Griffith, to whose heirs it still belongs.
     Jeremiah Patterson, from North Carolina, settled in 1805, 1½ miles west of Mt. Pleasant.  The farm is now the home of his grandson, Asahel H. Patterson.
     In 1802 Mahlon Patterson came with his parents, Jeremiah and Faith Patterson, and settled on the land now owned by his son, Mahlon Patterson.
     Aaron Thompson came from Chester county, Pa., in 1802 or ’3 and located some three and and a halt miles northwest of Mt. Pleasant.  The old homestead is now owned by his son, John Thompson.
     David McMasters came from Virginia, and settled in the village in 1810.  He was a Methodist minister, and resided in the first house ever built in that place.  It was a log cabin, and stood on the lot now occupied by Thomas Horton’s store, but a little cast of it.
     Elisha Harris came from North Carolina, and located in Mt. Pleasant, July 6, 1804.  He settled at the west side of the village.    His son, Enoch, then a young man, came with him.  They soon became prominently identified with the early business interests of the place.  Enoch brought with him apple seeds from North Carolina, which he planted, and therefrom grew the trees  that made the first orchard in the township.  This orchard was immediately south of the residence of William Humphreyville.  The land on which it grew now belongs to Joseph Walker.  The orchard is now cut down and cleared away.

NATHAN UPDEGRAFF.

     Nathan Updegraff was a native of York county, Pa., but came to Ohio, with his wife, Ann Updegraff, in 1802, from Winches-

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ter, Va., and settled on Short creek, some two and a half miles northeast of where Mount Pleasant now stands.
     On this creek he built the first mill in Mount Pleasant township.
The old mill still stands, hut a new stone building has since been erected near it.  He also started a paper mill and for many years manufactured paper, but finally it was converted into a flouring mill, and while thus used it was burnt down in 1866 or 1867.  Its place, however, was soon supplied by a new stone building, which is now owned by John L. Barkhurst, who is doing a successful milling business.
     The business enterprise and energy of Mr. Updegraff, was of incalculable benefit to the community in opening up and developing the resources of this new section.  He was a member of the constitutional convention that met in Chillicothe in 1802, to frame a constitution for the new state of Ohio.
     He was one of the earliest and foremost of the Friends in Short creek Monthly meeting, and was for a longtime its clerk.
His family of children was large and most respectable, and their descendants are to be found in many states of the Union.

DANIEL UPDEGRAFF,

Son of Nathan Updegraff, was born in Virginia in 1789, and came with his parents to Ohio, when he was a lad.  He was married in 1812, to Rebecca Taylor, only child of Jonathan and Ann Taylor.  By this union they reared eight children but three of whom now survive, viz: Mrs. Sarah E. Jenkins, widow of the late Prof. G. K. Jenkins, A. M., Hon J. T. Updegraff, now member of Congress, and D. B. Updegraff, the revivalist minister of the Friends’ church, all of whom with their families, live in Mount Pleasant.  Mrs. Mendenhall, wife of the Hon. C. Mendenhall and Mrs. Cattell, wife of Hon. I. D. Cattell, were also sisters, but both deceased some years ago.
     David Updegraff, some time after his marriage, removed to Smithfield township and located where the village of York now
stands, which he laid out in 1815.  In 1823, he removed with his family to his late residence, one mile west of Mount Pleasant, where he spent the remainder of his life.
     He was a man of eminent ability and probity of character in his various business engagements of life and responsible financial trusts.  He was an esteemed elder in the church, and his sound judgment, clear convictions and executive abilities were of incalculable service to it.  He was not a man of many words, and was most unassuming in his deportment.  He early espoused the cause of the oppressed, and was one of the first outspoken anti-slavery men in the land, and voted with the first liberty party from conscientious convictions of duty.
     Beloved by his friends, honored by the church and highly respected by all who knew him, he lived to the good old age of seventy-six.  He died in Dec., 1864.
     His wife, Rebecca T. Updegraff, was born in Loudon county, Va., in 1790, and was a minister of the gospel for fifty years, and as such was widely known, having traveled on missions among Friends in every part of the Union.  She was a woman of superior abilities, remarkable amiability and attractiveness of person and eminently devoted to the services of the Christian cause.  She survived her husband nearly four years.

SCHOOLS OF MOUNT PLEASANT TOWNSHIP.

     There are in this township, four sub-districts for white and one for colored children, besides the union school in the village, and two fractional districts, one attached to Smithfield and the other to Warren township.  The whole enumeration of youth of school age, for 1878, was 216; of these 31 were colored.
     In 1850 a. bachelor gentleman, named Rix Patterson, died, and by his will left a bequest of $5,012.17 to be invested as a permanent fund, to remain forever, the yearly interest of which was to be applied to the support of the common schools of the township.  This fund is managed by a duly appointed trustee.
     The schools of the township are in a high state of efficiency.

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