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Logan County, Ohio

History & Genealogy

Source: 
History of Logan County and Ohio
Chicago: O. L. Basking & Co., Historical Publishers
186 Dearborn Street.
1880

CHAPTER XV*
ZANE TOWNSHIP
EARLY SETTLEMENT - LIFE IN THE WOODS - PIONEER INDUSTRIES - GROWTH OF SOCIETY - CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS.
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little community.  He was also a Quaker preacher, and thus, side by side with the advance of the settlement, grew up and expanded the Christianizing influences of that denomination, its early start showing, in a striking manner, the deep religious character of the first settlers.  Thomas Antrim and his wife are both dead.  Their son, Daniel Antrim, was the first white child born in either Union, Champaign or Clarke Counties.  His birth took place in 1804, and he died in April, 1879.

     The same year, 1803, John Sharp, brother of Job Sharp, who had remained behind his brother in Virginia, followed after and settled in the immediate vicinity.  He began to improve and clear his land, harassed, however, by all the drawbacks incident to pioneer life.  He reared a family of eight sons and three daughters.  He died at the advanced age of 98, universally beloved and respected.  Many of his descendants are well-to-do citizens of this township.

     Moses Euans, an old Revolutionary soldier, at the earnest solicitation of Job Sharp, who had known him well in Virginia, and had sent him accounts of the settlement in Zane Township, came up to the Sharp settlement in 1803 on horseback.  Satisfying himself in regard to the fertility of the soil, the excel lent climate, etc., he returned to Virginia and purchased several military claims.  In 1804, with his family, he started for Zane Township, but reaching Chillicothe at the be ginning of the winter season, he remained there until the following year, when, with a five-horse team, he started and came through to the settlement, locating his claims on the land now occupied by his grandchildren.  His two sons, William and Joseph, served in the war of 1812—the latter as captain.  None of his family survive him.  The year 1803 witnessed the settlement of James and Joseph Stokes.  They were both born in Culpepper County, Virginia. James brought with him his wife, a daughter of Moses Euans.  They settled in Zane Township, and put up the first frame house in this township.  This frame house was a great curiosity to the whites and Indians.  Joseph was a Lieutenant in the war of 1812, and after its close engaged in the mercantile business.  He also served as County Commissioner for many years.

      Quite an influx of settlers took place the following year, 1806.  In that year came Daniel Garwood with his sons, Jose, Daniel and Jonathan, and daughters, Patience and Sarah; John and Joshua Inskeep and their families; Robert Ray and his son, Joseph, all from Culpepper, Virginia; Joshua Outland, from the State of North Carolina, and Joshua Ballinger, from New Jersey.  The Garwoods early became prominent citizens of this section; Jose in particular, having received more than an ordinary education, was given several positions of trust and honor.  He served with distinction in the war of 1812, and was appointed Brigade Inspector under Gen. McArthur, with whom he was on very intimate terms.  All the members of the family are now dead.

     The Inskeep brothers were related by marriage to the Garwoods, and came to Ohio in 1805, settling on Darby Plains, near Milford Centre.  Preferring the uplands, they moved to this locality the following year.  No man played a more prominent part in the early history of the township than John Inskeep.  He served as the first Justice of the Peace in what is now Zane and Perry Townships, his commission bearing date Nov. 16, 1816, and the signature of Thomas Worthington, Governor of Ohio.  He was elected to the Legislature from Champaign County when it embraced what is now Logan and Clarke Counties, and, in 1816, conjointly with Reuben Wallace, Member of Legislature, and

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     In the year 1808, the greatest consternation prevailed in the little settlement on account of the failure of the corn crop.  Jose Garwood, in a manuscript written a few days before his death, relates that in that year Dan Garwood, Moses Euans and George Harris, with a five-horse team, went to Chillicothe to get a load for the use of the settlement; and Jose himself, then quite a boy, went along to ride the fifth horse as they threaded their way on the zigzag road down the Darby.  He further relates that wheat was not planted until 1808.  The first crop, when made into bread and eaten, made every one sic, and the experiment was not tried again until the war of 1812.  the principal meat was venison and other wild game which the foret afforded.  When a long, cold winter compelled the game to seek other localities, the settlers often suffered for want of meat.  Edmund Outland relates that his father's family lived at one time nearly two months without bread, and at the same period meat also became very scarce.  One morning, after being without food of any kind for some

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time, his mother went to the spring near the cabin, and saw two pigeons.  With joy, she returned to the house, and informing her husband, he immediately went down and shot them.  These were thankfully eaten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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     Such is the productive character of some of these trees, that one on the farm of John Inskeep has been known to bear as many as sixty bushels of apples in one year.
     Death, the inexorable iconoclast, found its first victim in Henry Jones, known throughout the settlement as Grandfather Jones, in March, 1810.  His body was interred in the Quaker graveyard.  The first marriage was that of William Euans and Rachel Stokes, which occurred in 1811.

 

 

 

 

 

     Death, the inexorable iconoclast, found its first victim in Henry Jones, known throughout the settlement as Grandfather Jones, in March, 1810.  His body was interred in the Quaker graveyard.  The first marriage was that of William Euans and Rachel Stokes, which occurred in 1811.
    

 

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     The fathers of many of the earliest settlers in this township were soldiers in the Revolutionary War, and a few of the pioneers them selves acted their part in that great struggle and in the Indian wars which, for years, blazed along our frontiers. "Mad" Anthony's over throw of the Indians at the Maumee Rapids, and the crushing defeat at the battle of Tippecanoe, had the effect, however, of checking

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the Indians in their depredations, and it was only through the insidious and malicious machinations of the British agents, in 1811, that they were again prevailed upon to dig up the hatchet and take sides against the Americans— a policy reprehended at home and bitterly censured among all civilized nations.  They joined the British, and the first knowledge of that fact came from the lurid glare of the burning cabins which blazed a foreboding beacon light along our defenceless borders.  The news of Hull's disgraceful surrender of the fort at Detroit spread consternation and alarm among the settlers.  A company was at once organized, consisting of nearly all the able bodied men in the settlement, and Zanesfield, then a part of this township, became a frontier post.  The garrison at that point narrowly escaped an attack and surprise by a mere accident.  A few soldiers, who were out on a scouting expedition some miles from the post, had gotten up one morning early for the purpose of hunting squirrels for their break fast; after shooting quite a number they returned to their camp, and, later in the day, while scouting, came across traces of a large band of Indians.  The latter, evidently, had heard the firing and had hastily decamped, supposing their movements had been discovered.  The strong log house of Job Sharp was used as one point where the families of the Sharps, Warners, Inskeeps, Euans, Stokes, Ballingers and Curls gathered on a threatened attack; from the top of the house a lookout was kept for the Indians.  The house of William Seger, in the south part of the township, was used for the same purpose.  Isaac Painter remembers going to a block-house, in what is now Champaign County, with his mother and her children, in company with other families, on the occasion of a threatened Indian descent, while his father was off serving as a soldier.  William Inskeep recollects well the day of Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie.  It was a day of unusual clearness and beauty, and, as he and his father were cutting corn, they heard the roaring of what seemed to them like distant thunder, and they considered this quite phenomenal on account of the weather, not a cloud being perceptible in any direction.  It was afterwards explained to be the roar of artillery about one hundred miles away.
     As early as 1825, an anti-slavery agitation was begun in this locality.  Meetings were held in schoolhouses, and the matter was generally discussed by the citizens.  The reason that the agitation assumed such proportions was because the slaves, on their way north, came up this way, and of necessity the people were frequently called upon to take sides, pro or con, with the runaway slaves.  The poor negroes, in escaping from their pursuers, would, in passing through here, be harbored by the Quakers.  The nearest station of the underground railway was at Pickereltown, in an adjoining township.  They generally came north through London, Madison County, via Marysville, to Canada. Samuel Warner relates that he once met a crowd of nine heading for the "big woods," as their pursuers were close upon them.
     Money was scarce for many years, but, fortunately, there was but little use for it. Counterfeiting, however, was carried on quite extensively at one time, and a great deal of bogus money was circulated.  Several parties were arrested, but, after being confined in jail for some time, were discharged for want of sufficient proof.
     The great earthquake of 1811, the shock of which was felt as far west as the Mississippi River and as far South as New Orleans, was distinctly perceived in this township.  Samuel Warner recollects his father running to catch the dishes in the cupboard, as they began to go through a variety of antics, and the farmers becoming very much alarmed.

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saddlery shop, one shingle factory, one pottery and tile factory.  The latter enterprise was started about 1850, to meet the great demand for sugar crocks, and is carried on at present by the Marquis Brothers.  The town also contains a fine township house, built in 1879, at a cost of $1,750, and including the furnishing $2,250.  It is a frame structure, the upper part of which is a hall, while the lower part is used in part for holding elections and transacting other township business.  There is also a very fine hotel in the town, now under the efficient management of Col. Joel Haines, underlying which is a thick vein of limestone of which there is a fine quarry near.  The town is on an eminence, and great difficulty is experienced in finding a supply of water.  Recently Nelson Devore sunk a shaft to the depth of ninety-six feet, over seventy-five of which was through solid limestone before striking a good flow.  A few years ago the enterprising citizens of the village placed a hydraulic ram in one of the springs on the old Sharp farm, about half a mile distant from the town, and now a good supply of water is forced through pipes up into the central part of the town, where it pours a refreshing stream sufficient to supply all the citizens.
     The first church was that of the Friends, built about half a mile northeast of the present town of Middleburg, and was built about 1805.  It was a double log structure, with puncheon floor.  This was occupied until after 1825, but was finally abandoned.  There the first school was taught, and in the graveyard adjoining the first burial was made.  The oldest grave-stone now to be found is that of Esther, wife of John Garwood, and bears date 20th day of the 12th month, 1811.  It is a simple sandstone slab.  Col. Haines, when a boy, acted as sexton, and, time after time, kindled the charcoal fire on the brick hearth that occupied the centre of the church.  The remuneration that he got was 25 cents for several months' work.  This structure was also occupied at times by the Methodists, until they built a church of their own, about eighteen feet square, at what was known as Inskeep's mill-dam.  This latter church was built about the time of the war of 1812.  This church was on what was known as the Mad River Circuit, and had preaching on week-day. Meetings were held once in six weeks.  This church was used as a place of worship until about 1830, when it was used for a short time by the Protestant Methodists.  The third church erected was that of the Methodist Episcopal, and was known as the Mt. Moriah Church, and its building dates 1829.  It was a hewed log structure, built by voluntary contributions of labor.  The first members were Dr. John Elbert and wife, John Inskeep and wife, Thomas Ballingerand wife, Joseph Euans and wife, Benjamin Weatherby and wife, Allen Sharp and David Sharp; the latter, in all probability, was the first minister.  This building was succeeded, in 1854, by a brick structure, which cost $1,225.  This edifice was burned in a very mysterious manner, at midnight, Aug. 24, 1874.  How the fire originated was never definitely known, but was generally supposed to have been set on fire.  It was rebuilt, however, the following year, at a cost of $1,425, and was furnished at an outlay of some $300 more.  In April, 1860, a severe storm unroofed it and blew in a gable end, which necessitated an additional outlay of $350.   There is adjoining the church a graveyard, where sleep the early members of this church.  The first interment was that of Mary, wife of John Painter, early in 1828, and in the same year she was followed by Samuel Sharp.  Mt. Moriah Church now has a membership of about thirty.  The Pastor is Rev. C. T. Wells.  A Sunday school has been maintained in its connection since 1850, with an average attendance of about twenty or twenty-five.  G. W. Tallman is the present

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Superintendent.  The church was followed by another Methodist Episcopal Church, which was built in the village of Middleburg, in 1834, then but recently laid out.  The building committee consisted of Daniel Garwood and Thomas Ballinger.  The church was built of logs, and volunteer labor raised the structure.  It would have cost, in all probability, about $300.  It was abandoned as a church about 1840, and is now used as a dwelling.  The decline of this church was no doubt owing to the defection of a large body from the Methodist Episcopal Church, who severed their connection with the parent church for the purpose of establishing the Methodist Protestant Church.  he Christian Church at Middleburg followed next, being erected in 1835, and was the first frame church built in the township.  It was the only church of this denomination within fifty miles, and Arthur Criffield was the first minister.  The cost of the structure was about $400.  The present building, a frame structure, was erected in 1870, at a cost of $3,200, completely furnished. It was dedicated by the Rev. N. A. Walker.  The present membership is about seventy-five, and is now without a regular pastor.  Connected with the church is a Sabbath school, with an attendance of about sixty-five.  This is under the superintendency of William A. Ballinger.  The Methodist Protestant Church was built in the town of Middleburg in 1836, at a cost of about $1,200, and was a frame structure.  The membership consisted largely of those who had been prominent in the Methodist Episcopal Church.  The old church at Inskeep's Mill was used a short time by the new organization, when they decided to build a structure far eclipsing anything of the kind in the vicinity.  The prime movers were those who had figured prominently in the early history of the township—name ly, Capt. Joseph Euans and John and Joshua Inskeep.  Both Euans and Joshua Inskeep had saw-mills, and contributed largely to the building.  It is said that Joshua Inskeep, who was a man of most remarkable pluck, contributed more than half the funds to build it.  The building, however, was on a more elaborate scale than the times and condition of the congregation demanded, and as a consequence was never finished, but continued to be used until a smaller one was built, when it was sold, and is now used as a carriage factory by Eurem Carpenter.  The present Methodist Protestant Church was built in 1873.  It is a substantial frame, surmounted by a belfry, containing an excellent bell, and cost, when finished, $1,650.  It was dedicated by Rev. P. T. Johnson, and the first minister was Rev. A. C. Hall.  It has a membership now of about seventy-five, and a Sunday school the year round of about sixty-five scholars. J. W. Young is the Superintendent.
     Union Chapel is situated in the southwestern part of the township on the line of Monroe Township, and was organized Sept. 1, 1874, and was dedicated Nov. 22, 1874, with Rev. J. M. Robinson, Pastor.  The church was formed by a part of the membership of the old Salem Church, one mile and a half below, in Monroe Township, when the latter was abandoned as a place of worship.  The original members were: Elizabeth Stuart, N. M. Stuart, Catharine Stuart, Jane Sharp, J. M. Sharp, Catharine Sharp, T. W. Haines and Phebe Haines.  The church cost, including the furnishing of same, $2,200, and both the church and Sabbath school are in a flourishing condition.  The membership is about sixty, and the Sabbath school about the same number.  The present Pastor is John S. Pumphrey.  The Superintendent of the Sabbath school is James Seamon.
     The first schoolhouse was located near Joshua Inskeep's.  It was a log building of the rudest sort, with puncheon floor and huge fire-place, with greased paper pasted over an

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aperture, as a substitute for glass.  Here pre sided, as first teacher, William Seger, who is mentioned among the earliest settlers.

     "A man severe he was, and stern to view.
*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

     Well had the boding tremblers learned to trace
     The day's disasters in his morning face."

     Here nearly all the youth, in what is now Zane Township, attended school in that day Zane Township, attended school in that day and learned to read by means of Websters Speller, the Testament and Columbian Orator, or were instructed in the mysteries of figures by the aid of Pike and the Western Calculator.  This, however, was burned, and was succeeded by a frame in 1820, far in advance of its times; the spaces between the studding are said to have been filled with brick laid in clay mortar.  Here Edward Watt was the first teacher.
     The first brick school was built on what is the pike leading from North Lewisburg to Middleburg, and is noted as being the first house in which a stove was used.  Here, also, for the first time, the study of geography was introduced in 1838, Hiram Garwood being the first pupil in that branch.  The township now contains six sub-districts, in five of which are substantial frame schoolhouses, while in the village there is a fine two-story building, erected in 1874, at a cost of about $2,700.  The two lower rooms of this building are occupied by the schools of the village district, while the upper part, built by the township, is open to pupils from all the districts.
     The schools of Zane Township are above average, and employ female teachers usually in the sub-districts, at an average salary of about per month, continuing from seven to eight months in the year.  In the township school, a good male teacher is employed, for six months in the year, at a salary of about $47 per month.

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