"Commencing on the seventh range line, at the southeast corner of section 24, in township number 5, of range 8; thence north along the seventh range line to the northeast corner of section 24, in township number 6, of range 8; thence south along section lines to the northwest corner of section 23, in township 6, range 8; thence south along the section line to the northeast corner of section 34, in township 6, range 8; thence to the northwest corner of said section 34; thence south to the southwest corner of said section 34; thence west along the township line to the northwest corner of township No. 5, range 8; thence along said township line to the southwest corner of section 6 in said township number 5 of range 8; thence east to the southeast corner of said section 6; thence south to the southwest corner of section 8, in township number 5, range 8; thence east to the southeast corner of section 9, in township number 5, of range 8; thence south to the southwest corner of section 15, in township number 5, of range 8; thence east to the southeast corner of said section; thence south to the southwest corner of section 23 in township number 5, range 8; thence east to the place of beginning - containing 23 sections."
     Before Noble County was formed the northern portion of Jefferson Township belonged to Enoch Township, Monroe County, and the southern portion of Aurelius Township, Washington County.  The ragged outline of the western part of the township is a result of a compromise between those who favored and those who opposed the formation of Noble County, the zig-zag line leaving some of the prominent dissatisfied ones in Washington county.
     Jefferson is one of the hilliest and most uneven townships of the county.  The surface is chiefly drained by the Middle and East Forks of Duck Creek and numerous small tributaries.  The streams of the western part of the township flow into the West Fork of Duck Creek.  Of late years Jefferson Township

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has proved one of the most prolific petroleum fields in this part of Ohio.  Coal is abundant and of fair quality.
     David Ales was probably the first settler within the territory now forming Jefferson Township.  He lived on the East Fork on the present Joseph Stevens farm.  A stream known as Ales' Run, is still called after his name.  Ales came from New England.  His house was a favorite stopping place for travelers on the old Barnesville and Marietta State Road, and was the only house of entertainment for many miles.  He died here.  None of the name are now left but some of his descendants of the third and fourth generations still live in the township.
     the inhabitants along the creek were visited with the cholera epidemic some time between 1830 and 1840.  David Ales, who had been down the Ohio River on a boat, was first victim.  His wife died soon after and her death was followed by that of Henry Lowe, Ales' son-in-law, and all his family, Henry Murduck, Charles Clark, William Gray's wife, and others living in the same neighborhood.  A few had the disease and recovered.

     Samuel S. Neptune, one of the oldest

     Henry and Hiram Hupp lived on farms below Middleburg in 1833 and  had small improvements.  Henry Hupp sold out to Amos Spencer.

     Braxton Wells

     Next below Wells' farm lived a German named Christian Huffman.  On the west side of the creek was John Miller, who was a blacksmith by trade.  These were Mr. Neptune's neighbors in 1836.  To get enough men to assist him in raising a cabin he had to go five miles.  There were no early settlers among the hills in the northeastern part of the township where several thrifty Germans now have good farms.
     The old settlers on the creek were good-natured, but improvident and unprogressive.  They did not want the country to become thickly settled and predicted that it never would be.  The wish was father to the thought, as they desired to have the hills for a range for the little stock which they kept; and by allowing the cattle to run at large, they were spared

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the trouble of building fences and keeping them in repair.  All the early settles did more or less hunting.  Deer and wild turkeys were abundant, and wolves were occasionally seen.  The land along the creek was timbered with a heavy, dense growth of large trees.

     Henry Enochs, son of Elisha Enochs, one of the pioneers of the East Fork, was an early settler south of Middleburg.  He died in Lawrence County in 1886.  His son, William H. Enochs, a brigadier-general in the late war, and now a prominent lawyer of Ironton, Ohio, was born on the farm south of Middleburg.

     John Hall, from New England, settled on the East Fork soon after the War of 1812.  He had served as a teamster in that war.  He married a daughter of David Ales and lived in the same neighborhood.  James S. Hall his son, is among the oldest residents, having lived on his present farm since 1836.  At that date there were very few settlers on the ridges.  Mr. Hall, in his younger years used to go to mill in Marietta and Lowell.  Marietta was the nearest trading point for all the early settlers, and there they traded maple sugar, deer skins, venison, etc., for salt and groceries.  Most of the travel was on horseback.  Pack-saddles were used in place of wagons for carrying goods.  Except the State Road from Barnesville to Marietta which led via Carlisle, Middleburg and Salem, there were no early roads through the township.

     George Hupp,

     William Heiddleston

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     Hezekiah Cousins

     Thomas Morris and family came from England in 1830, and settled on the farm which John F. Morris, Esq., now owns.  Here he had one of the early grist-mills run by horse-power.  Andrew Morris, a brothers of Thomas, came a little later.

     Humphrey Pedicord was quite an early settler on the farm now occupied by W. Warren.

     James Mitchel is one of the old residents.  He has been living in the vicinity of his present home since 1837.

     John Hesson, who now lives in Lawrence County, settled in this township quite early, Benjamin Hinton lived north of George Hupp, in 1843.  Peter Gray was an early resident upon the present Shafer place.  James Whitmore and Thomas Turner settled about 1840 on the farms where they died.

     George Hupp, Sr., was one of the early hunters.  He killed several elk, many deer, and once shot a panther.  He also tanned and made powder, which he sold to the early settlers.

     Philip Craig, an easy going, honest man, somewhat peculiar in his ways, and among the early settlers.  He was something of a hunter, and left the county after it became too thickly settled to suit him.  In the same neighborhood lived two early settlers, each by the name of Samuel Dugan.  David Ward lived and

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died south of the Heiddleston farm.  George Gillespie lived near.

     Philip Kitts cleared the Watson farm above Middleburg.  He owned the land on which the village is, and sold it to Church Tuttle and Liberty Curtis.

     Henry Woods, and Englishman, was the first blacksmith of the township, and was an unusually good workman.  He lived on Ales Run, in the southern part of the township.

     Church Tuttle, the founder of Middleburg, was a Yankee and a most excellent man.   He was shrewd, intelligent and possessed excellent judgment.  He was an early abolitionist, and was identified with the Underground Railroad, being one of its most active agents in this section.  He served as justice of the peace a number of years.  From here he went to Washington County, and recently died in Marietta.

     Wesley Neptune came to Middleburg in 1845.  For over forty years Mr. Neptune has been a resident of this section, and has been one of its prominent and progressive citizens.

     Samuel S. Neptune was one of the pioneers of this part of the township.  He located a farm near Middleburg, obtaining his deed from the government.  He was a worthy citizen.  He married Miss Mary Pickering, a Quakeress, and reared a family of eight children, six of whom are living.  Elias P. Neptune, a son, was born in Monroe County, and is one of the thrifty farmers of the township; he owns the Andrew Morris homestead.

     Thomas Morris, whose name is prominently mentioned elsewhere in this chapter, was a native of England.............................................

     Andrew Morris

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     About 1833 Christian Huffman, a native of Germany, settled on Middle Creek, where he died.  His children were Henry, Charles, John, William, Louisa and Lovina.  Charles, William and Louisa (Pryor) are still living in the county.  Mr. Huffman was the first of the native German settlers in Jefferson and Enoch Townships.  The immigration to the latter township did not begin until 1836.

     T. B. Tarleton is one of the old soldiers of Noble County.  He was a member of Company I, One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served with credit until his muster out.  He is one of the reputable citizens of Middleburg and a worthy man.

     A. A. Clymer

     One of the conspicuous and familiar names in this section of the county is that of Samuel Hussey, who for many years was known as one of the most successful farmers and stock growers in the valley.  He was born in Maine, in 1803, and came to Washington County with his parents when a lad.  The elder Hussey was a small farmer and Samuel remained with him, as was the custom in those days, until he had attained his majority, when he commenced life for himself as a farm hand.  For a time he was engaged in boating on the Ohio between Marietta and New Orleans.  After he abandoned the river he came to Jefferson Township, and bought the farm on which he died.  He was a worthy citizen and a successful farmer.  He was twice married; his first wife, Miss Elmira Warren, died in 1843.  In 1844 he married Miss Marrilla, a sister of his first wife.  By the first marriage there were two children, Joseph and Elmira, by the second a son and daughter, Oscar and Jane, both of whom are deceased.

     John J. Corp was one of the pioneers of this region.  He was of English parentage and birth, and came to this State with his parents when a lad of nine years, and settled in Marietta.  In 1835 he came to what is now Jefferson Township.  While he was not the pioneer on the

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farm on which he lived so many years, he was in reality the first settler.  A man by the name of Doan had entered the land and made some slight improvements, but being unable to "pay out," Mr. Corp purchased his interest and improved the property.  Mr. Corp was a reputable citizen and a man of strong religious proclivities.  For over a half century he was a local preacher; he died in 1884.  A daughter, Mrs. Hutchinson, resides on the homestead.

     Dexter W. Sullivan

     The life of Richard S. Deal

     The Morgareidge family were among the early pioneers of the county.  They came from the State of Maine and settled on a farm adjoining the present site of Dexter City, in 1814.  Burnham Morgareidge, who was four years of age at the time the family came to Ohio, died on the farm where he settled.  His widow is still living.  Their family consisted of nine sons and four daughters.

     Parley C. Morgareidge was born Nov. 18, 1837, and has followed railroading and other occupations.  He first married Elizabeth Davis, who died in 1874, leaving five sons and two daughters.  His second wife was Charlotte B. Magee, who died in 1885, leaving one child, Flora Belle, who died in infancy.  Jan. 19, 1887, he was again married to Mrs. Maria Yoemans of Washington County.  In 1861 Mr. Morgareidge entered the service of Company K, Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; was mustered out as sergeant at Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 20, 1864.  Among other battles, he was in the following noted engagements:  Second Manassas, South Mountain, Antietam, Vicksburg and Jackson, Miss.  At the latter place he was detailed as sergeant, in charge of Divi-

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sion Commissary, where he remained until mustered out.  He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, Masonic and Independent Order Odd Fellows organizations, also the Grand Army of the Republic.  He is a Republican, and assistant inspector-general of the Grand Army of the Republic in Noble County.

     S. S. Morgareidge, son of Burnham Morgareidge, was born in Noble County, in 1847, and has followed various occupations.  In 1876 he married Cora M., daughter of E. P. Sullivan.  They have one child, Mary A.  Mrs. Morgareidge is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.  Mr. Morgareidge, is an Odd Fellow, a Mason and a Democrat.

     Frederick N. Morgareidge

     Henry S. Williams,

     Halsee Williams,

     In 1827 I. F. Wilson

     Josiah A. Bower

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     S. J. Donaldson,

     Minor M. Dye was born in Lawrence Township, Washington County, in 1844, and is a stock dealer by occupation.  He enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Seventy-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Sept. 6, 1864, and was discharged July 10, 1865.

     Daniel N.. Brown, merchant at Dexter City, was born in Washington County in 1838.  He enlisted in September, 181, in Company L, First Ohio Cavalry, and was honorably discharged in March, 1863.  He married Phebe Caywood in 1864, and is the father of two children.

DEXTER CITY.

     The town site of Dexter City was laid off into lots Aug. 5, 1870, by R. W. St. John, surveyor, for Hiram Flanders proprietor.  David McKee's first addition (lots 20 to 33), was surveyed by George Bell, Feb. 11, 1871; his second addition (lots 33 to 41), Mar. 12, 1875;........................................

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is built lies in Jackson Township, but the greater portion is in Jefferson.
     The town was named after one of its well known residents, Dexter W. Sullivan.  Prior to the location of the town there were two houses here - the residences of R. S. Deal and Dr. T. M. McVay, and a steam grist-mill owned by R. S. Deal.  The mill was built by James Rowland, Sr., about 1853.

     The first building was a dwelling erected by Dexter W. Sullivan, in 1871.  Mr. Sullivan afterward built another house and in it kept hotel for several years..  He was the first hotel-keeper in the place.

SOCIETIES

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CHURCHES

MIDDLEBURG

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Middleburg schools, both select and public.  The select schools were well attended.

BIOGRAPHICAL

EDWARD P. SULLIVAN. - pp. 543-544