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* HARRISON TOWNSHIP
*
ORGANIZATION
* NATURAL FEATURES - SOIL
* STREAMS
* TIMBER
* SETTLEMENTS
* EARLY EVENTS
*
SOUTH
BLOOMFIELD
*
CORPORATION
*
BUSINESS OF HARRISON
*
MILLPORT
*
ASHVILLE
*
POST OFFICES.
*
CHURCHES.
*
BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCHES
This township was erected June 15, 181_, being taken from Madison
and Walnut. It was surveyed, beginning at the Scioto rover at
the north boundary of the county, thence along the county line east
to the twenty-first range line; thence south by the same to Walnut
creek; thence down the course of said creek to the Scioto river;
thence up said river to the place of said beginning.
An election was ordered at the house of Hugh CREIGHTON, Saturday,
June 23, 1810.
The township varies from
two to four miles in width from east to west, and is upwards of
eight miles in length. The population in 1830 was seven
hundred and seventy-three; and in 1840, was one thousand one hundred
and forty-nine.
Among the first justices
of the peace in Harrison, were Hugh CREIGHTON, and James DENNY.
It is not known who was the first justice elected, but it was
probably James DENNY. For many years the trustees of the
township met in the justice's office, but at this time no names of
early officers can be found, as the earlier township records are
lost or destroyed.
In 1861 the trustees
bought a wooden building on Main street, for use as a town house.
This was sold about 1870 and a room in the hotel was rented until
1878, when the trustees bought the small store room on the opposite
side of the street from the hotel, for use as a town house.
NATURAL FEATURES - SOIL.
Harrison is a
comparatively level township, with sufficient incline generally, to
carry off surplus water. Along the river and creeks there are
hills, but none of great elevation. The country along the
bottoms and about Bloomfield, has always been accounted the best in
the township and undoubtedly this is true. The land about
Bloomfield, north and south, was what is known as plain land, being
entirely free from timber, and ready for immediate cultivation.
The soil back from the river is mostly clay; that along the streams
is loam, with a mixture of sand and gravel in places. Heavy
timber covered the greater portion of the township; in fact, all
except the plain in the south and west, about Bloomfield. This
plain land was the first to be settled, as it was ready for
immediate cultivation.
STREAMS.
On the west, Harrison
is bounded by the Scioto river, and on the south by Walnut creek.
Big Walnut runs across the northwest corner of the township, and two
or three small runs carry off the water from the central part of the
townships. The Scioto river and Walnut creeks teemed with
myriads of fish when the first white settlers arrived. They
were captured in great numbers by means of seines, made of
grape-vines and brush, and almost incredible numbers were caught in
this manner.
In 1805 a great flood
occurred on the Scioto river, the water being so high as to flow
across the country below Bloomfield, to Walnut creek.
Jacob WIDENER and another man came across the river in a
canoe, and took in a barrel of whiskey, from a distillery which
stood on the east side of the pike, during the flood.
Great damage is often caused to fences along the river bottoms, even
now in seasons of flood. Fences are washed away, and great
holes are sometimes dug in the ground by the action of the water.
Extensive levees, or breakwaters, are used to break the force of the
current, or turn it aside from its course of destruction.
Mr. Adam MILLAR has such a breakwater on his farm,
that cost not far from three thousand dollars.
During the great flood of 1814, Jabez HEDGES and
Thomas PARSELS rowed a canoe through the windows of the
mill, on the Scioto river, built by Simon HEADLEY.
TIMBER.
The timber in Harrison was oak, hickory, ash, elm, and honey locust.
On the banks of Scioto river and Walnut creeks, along the bottoms,
were many black walnut and maple trees. Timber that would, at
this day, be worth more than the land on which it stood, was then
cut down and split into rails, or rolled together into log-heaps and
burned, that the land they covered might be cultivated.
SETTLEMENT
The early settlers of Harrison township
located on Walnut plains, in the southwest part of the township,
where they found large tracts of the best land in the State, free of
timber, with the exception of small groves and all ready for
tilling. They thus had a great advantage over those who came
later, and were obliged to take up with timber land, which had to be
cleared before it could be cultivated. The lands east of the
Scioto river were not put into the market until 1801, but as early
as 1798 or '99, a few squatters located on the most desirable
tracts, where they made improvements, thus entitling them to the
first choice at the government sales.
JAMES
SHORT and his son, Stephen, where the
first arrivals, coming from Delaware, in 1798. They squatted
on Walnut plains, a short distance below the present town of South
Bloomfield, where they began improvements, and planted the first
crops raised in the township. James SHORT
sowed the first field of wheat, in 1799, on land now owned by
Adam MILLER. No fence was built about the
field, as there was no domestic stock to do it injury. When it
ripened, the neighbors, who had, in the meantime, settled in the
vicinity, came with sickles, and assisted in the harvest. The
most of this crop was saved as seed, by the early settlers, a number
of whom were successful in raising crops the next season. At
the sales of land in Chillicothe, in 1801, James SHORT
bought section number fifteen, and fractional section number
sixteen, in Harrison, the most of which was plain land. His
home was made on the lower part of section fifteen, near the old
Indian trail, which ran almost on the line now covered by the
Columbus and Chillicothe pike. Mr. SHORT
died, Aug. 12, 1816, aged seventy-three. At the present time
two large elm trees, standing in the center of the pike, a short
distance south of South Bloomfield, are pointed out as the place
where, in his old age, he passed much of his time in the
contemplation of the past, and in observing the improvements made in
sixteen years. On the building of the road, it was stipulated
that the trees should be allowed to remain as a monument to the
first settler, and the first owner of this tract.
JOHN ROBINSON came at the same time, and married one of Mr. Short's
daughters. He had children before his settlement. He
owned land north of Bloomfield where he died.
JONATHAN
HOLMES came to Ohio, as early as 1798, and
bought land in section twenty-two. He married a daughter of
James SHORT, and had by her a daughter, who was
raised by George RENICK, of Chillicothe.
Mr. HOLMES died soon after 1804, and his widow
married Samuel DENNY. Three daughters of
Jonathan HOLMES are now living: Julia,
widow of Daniel SPANGLER, near South Bloomfield;
Jane, widow of Richard MYERS, with
George WILLIAMS, in Franklin county, and
Mary, widow of William LAYCOCK, in
Columbus. His son, Isaac, married, Sept. 6,
1827, Maria MOREHEAD, daughter of
Ferguson MOREHEAD, one of the early pioneers of Hamilton
township, Franklin county. Mrs. HOLMES is
still living, and, with her son, Isaac, a resident
of the township just named. Her husband died in 1847.
She is aged seventy-two.
JOSHUA BURGET and his sons, Joshua, Joseph, and
George, came to Ohio, before 1804, and located on section
twenty-four, in the northeast part of the township.
WILLIAM BENNETT came about the same time, and
settled on the adjoining section. He was an early justice of
the peace.
The next settler after
James Short, was
WILLIAM MILLAR.
He came from Virginia in 1798, but returned the same year. In
1799 he again came to Ohio, and located in the south part of the
present township of Harrison, near the junction of the Scioto river
and Walnut creek, where he made an improvement and settled his
family. He boarded for a time with Jonathan HOLMES.
His wife was Mary SUDTH, of Virginia. On the
sale of land at Chillicothe, he purchased section twenty-three,
lying partly in Walnut and partly in Harrison, and fractional
section twenty-two, in Harrison. In 1816 he built the first
brick building in Harrison, which is now occupied by his grandson,
Z. T. MILLAR. The children of William
MILLAR were Elizabeth, George, Isaac, Adam, Sarah
Ann, Lucinda, William, and Mary Catharine.
William MILLAR died in 1863, aged eighty-six.
Mrs. MILLAR died in 1860, aged seventy-six.
Two of their children are now living, Mrs. Sarah Ann MILLAR
and Adam MILLAR. Mrs. Millar lives south of
Bloomfield, and owns nearly one thousand acres of land.
Adam MILLAR lives a short distance south of
Bloomfield, and owns three thousand acres of land. He married
Nancy Howe, whose parents came from Delaware and settled in Franklin
county. They have had ten children: William,
Mary and George (twins), Michael, Taylor,
Tecumseh, Fillmore, Adam, Lucinda, and Hattie.
Michael lives just below Bloomfield; Taylor
lives on the old homestead of William MILLAR;
Tecumseh lives in Walnut township; Adam died July
20, 1879; Hattie is at home.
GEORGE
RENICK came to Chillicothe in 1798. In 1801 he
entered land in Harrison township, in partnership with his two
brothers, William and Thomas.
The land he entered for himself and Thomas,
included section fifteen, fractional sections sixteen and
twenty-one, and a part of section twenty-two. When the
property was divided, George's share was the south
part. With his brother William he entered section
number three, and fractional section number four, and pats of
sections nine and ten. On the division of the property
William chose the southern part. George
RENICK never lived here, but located in Ross county.
WILLIAM
RENICK came from Virginia in 1803,
and settled on the land entered by his brother George.
He was married, in Virginia, to Margaret
O'BANION, by whom he had nine children: Seymour G.,
Joseph, Martha, Margaret, Felix, Hiram, William, Eliza, and
Ellen. Joseph lives in Columbus; Hiram,
in Bainbridge, Ross county; Eliza (Mrs. ADAMS),
in Circleville; Ellen (Mrs. PATTERSON), in
Hillsboro; Martha married Wesley HURST,
by whom she had several children, all of whom died. Her
husband also died, and she married Governor Whitcomb, of Indiana, by
whom she had one child. Margaret married
Renick SEYMOUR, of Bainbridge, and is childless;
SEYMOUR married Nancy CROUSE, of Ross
county, and has several children; Felix, also,
married and raised a family. William RENICK
cleared ten acres of land, in 1804, on the river bottom, and planted
it with corn, in 1805. Late in the season, of 1805, the great
flood occurred, and every hill of his corn, and the soil in which it
grew, was washed out. He was much discouraged and offered to
sell the land at the government price, and take his pay in horses,
but no one would buy. In the fall he plowed twenty acres of
plain land and sowed wheat, fencing it during the winter. In
the spring he bought a drove of hogs and drove them to Virginia,
where he sold them at a large profit. He then returned to look
at his wheat, which turned out well, and he became convinced that
the plains were good land. It had all the time been the
ambition of the Virginians to buy river bottoms, but for about
twenty-five years he neglected them and cultivated the plains.
His death took place in 1844. His wife died about 1869.
The farm he owned is now occupied by W. B. Renick,
his grandson.
DAVID
DENNY bought section number ten, and fractional section number nine, in
1800. He was a Virginian, as was his wife. This purchase
was a part of the plains, which was covered with a growth of columbo,
as high as a man's head. This was a feeding place for the
numerous herds of deer that were to be found at an early day
throughout this country. The children of David
were David, John, Margaret, and
Margery. David DENNY, jr., married
Margaret DENNY, his cousin, by whom he had two
children - David and Jane.
He went as a soldier in the war of 1812, and died of camp fever, at
River Raisin, in Michigan. David, his son,
married Elizabeth CLARK, by whom he had two
children. She died, and for his second wife he married a
daughter of John SAMPLE, an early settler in
Scioto. He afterwards sold his part of his father's estate,
and moved to Illinois, where he died. His sister,
Jane, married Abram HOLMES, who was a
cattle dealer. During one o f his frequent absences from home,
she died. John DENNY, son of David
DENNY, sr., married Letitia ROLLINS, by
whom he had one son, Nathan, who died in
Circleville, in 1878. The sisters of David
and John DENNY, Margaret and Margery,
went to Indiana, where they died.
JAMES
DENNY emigrated from Chester county,
Pennsylvania, in 1806. His wife was Ann GREEN.
They settled on land owned by David DENNY.
Mr. DENNY died in 1811. They had four
children - David, Nancy, John and
Elizabeth. David went west, and
engaged in boat-building. Subsequently he became captain of a
river packet, and died in New Orleans, of yellow fever. Nancy
married James R. HUDSON, who died in 1835.
She still lives in South Bloomfield, aged seventy-nine years.
Elizabeth died when a child. John
died in Circleville. Mrs. HUDSON is
the only surviving member of the family.
THOMAS RENICK
was married in Virginia, to Miss
RANKIN, and came to Ohio, with his bother, William,
in 1803. He settled on the land entered by his brother,
George, in section fifteen. Both he and his
wife died in August, 1804, about a year after their settlement.
Both died the same day. They left a child a week old, who was
raised by Felix RENICK, in Ross county. She
died in December, 1865, in Circleville.
A brother of
JAMES and DAVID DENNY came at the same
time, and located on sections nine and ten. He had one child -
Nathan - who inherited his property. The land is now
owned by Mr. Midleoof.
DANIEL
VANSICKLE was a miller by occupation,
and came from Berks county, Pennsylvania, in 1800. He worked
in Stephen SHORT's mill, near Ashville, and was
married there in 1811. His wife was from Loudoun county,
Virginia. He worked in Short's mill five or six years, and for
a short time after the mill was sold. Then he worked in
FORESMAN's mill, on Big Walnut, and died in the
year 1834, aged sixty. Four children were born to him:
Mrs. Mary Ann ABBOT; Martha VANSICKLE, who
died when about twenty-one; Elizabeth VANSICKLE,
who lives with her sister, Mrs. ABBOTT;
and Daniel who owns a farm of sixty acres, on
section one. Mr. VANSICKLE, sr., was twice in
the war of 1812.
JAMES
NEVILLE was an early settler. His place of nativity was in Ireland.
He came to Ohio about 1800, and at the first sale of land in
Chillicothe purchased the north half of section twenty-seven and
fractional section twenty-eight. He settled on this property,
but what became of him and his family is unknown. His property
is now owned by William and others.
JOSEPH MACKEY came about the same time as Neville, and bought the
south half of section
twenty-seven. It is probable that he bought the fractional
section twenty-eight of Neville, as the ford across the Scioto river
from this land has long been known as MACKEY's ford. It has
also been known as GORELEY's ford, so called form a man who settled
opposite Mackey, on the west bank of the river. Mackey raised
a family, one of whom, John, went farther west many years ago.
PHILIP SWISHER bought the north half of section thirty-four, where
he lived until his death. His family married and removed to
other parts.
CHARLES McDANIEL
bought the
west half of section thirty-five. He sold out and moved away
with his family more than thirty years ago. It is not now
known where they settled after removing.
JOHN MARTIN came from Virginia in 1801, and settled on section
twenty-two, the north half of which he bought. He gave each of
his sons, John and James, one hundred acres of land in Scioto, on
which they moved in 1816, and where they died. He had a still
house in 1805 or 1806 on his place.
JOSEPH BOGERT came from Virginia about 1800. He lived a number
of years in Bloomfield, but never owned much property in Harrison.
JOSHUA
HEDGES came from Virginia in 1804, and bought a quarter
section of land on the west side of Walnut creek, on section five.
He married Mary MILLER in Virginia, before coming to Ohio. By
her he raised a family, all of whom are now dead, with the exception
of a daughter, Mrs. Jerome WOLFLEY, of Circleville.
BENJAMIN DUVALL came from Bedford county, Pennsylvania, in 1804.
He settled in Bloomfield, and bought and sold several times.
He then rented in Franklin county, about twenty years, after which
he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Harrison, on
section twenty-five, which he improved. He was married in 1806
to Nancy Reed, by whom he had thirteen children, three of whom now
live in this county - Mrs. Sarah LONG, William and Benjamin
DUVALL.
William owns a farm of one hundred and forty acres, in section
twenty-five. Benjamin owns a farm of one hundred and sixty
acres in section twenty-four. Their father, Benjamin DUVALL,
sr., died in 1864, aged eighty-four years. His wife died in
1866, aged eighty-six years.
PHILIP CHERRY settled on section thirty-four, with his brother
James, in
1804. None of the family now remain in this vicinity.
ELIJAH WRIGHT owned property on section twelve, north of Ashville,
in 1806 or 1808.
WILLIAM RONT came from
Virginia in 1804, and bought on Walnut creek, above Millport.
His purchase was a part of section seven. He had a family of
three daughters and one son, none of whom are now residing here.
MR. BURRELL came from Pennsylvania soon after 1812. His wife
owned eighty-six acres of land south of Bloomfield. She was a
daughter of James Short. Dr. BURRELL
practiced medicine here
for a time, and in 1836 removed with his family to Illinois.
ISAAC SNYDER bought over a quarter of section fourteen, about 1804.
He sold thirty acres of this property to Henry BETTIS. He
owned a saw-mill on Walnut creek, below Millport, at an early date.
A small run coursed through his property, north and south, Mr.
SNYDER died on his property. His daughter, Ruth,
married Conrad PIPER, who lived in the township. He was an early
comer, but never owned land in Harrison. His death occurred in
1848.
ENOS CUTLER emigrated from England
to Virginia, in 1809, and from there to Ohio. He bought a
portion of section twenty-five, which he improved.
Asbury chapel and cemetery are located on land he purchased.
His sons were James, John, and Enos. There were also four
daughters, none of whom now live in the vicinity.
MRS. LUCINDA
PRATT came to Ohio in 1809, with a family of four
children - Elias, Lucinda, William, and Elizabeth. Her husband
died in Virginia. Elias married Elizabeth WIDENER, and died in
Scioto; Lucinda died young; William died in Illinois;
Elizabeth married Thomas WILLIAMSON, who died and left her with a little girl,
who also died. Mrs. Lucinda PRATT married for her second
husband, Harleigh SAGE, and had two children:
Emily married Dr. J.
C. THOMPSON, and lives in Bloomfield; Mrs. Elizabeth WILLIAMSON
lives with them.
JOHN CHAMP came from Virginia in 1809, with his family of five children:
Nathaniel, William, Ellen, Amelia, and
Polly. They leased land of Isaac MILLER.
Nathaniel went with Hull's army in the war of 1812, and
afterwards bought land in Michigan, where he settled;
William married and moved to Illinois; Ellen
married Mr. HARTMAN, and lives in
Groveport, Franklin county; Polly married Mr. KEYES; Amelia
remained single.
JOHN
FISHER was a native of Virginia, where he married, in 1808.
In 18010 he came with his wife to Ohio, and settled in Madison,
where he died, aged sixty-three. His wife died in 1876, aged
seventy-three. They had eleven children, four of whom are now
living- Hiram lives in Walnut; Mrs. Ann
HEDGES, in Walnut; David owns seventy-two
acres of land in section twenty-six; and Conrad
owns eighty acres in section thirty-six, both in Harrison.
JOHN BYERLY came fro Pennsylvania, about 1811, and
leased land of John MARTIN, on section twenty-two,
in the north part of the township, where he died. He had a
family of twelve children, but two of whom are living.
JACOB
HOTT was born in Berkeley county,
Virginia, and emigrated to Ohio in 1810. His wife was
Catharine COON, by whom he had six children. He
bought a part of section seven, and improved it. In the war of
1812, he served for a time as a soldier, going as far as Sandusky.
In 1835 his wife died. For his second wife he married
Julia BURWELL, by whom he had two children. When he
came to Ohio he was accompanied by his brothers - Henry,
Peter, and George - all of whom bought
land, but afterwards sold to him and moved away. They have
since died. The only child of Jacob HOTT now
in this county is William, who owns one hundred
acres of land in section eight, and carries on a general farming
business. Mr. HOTT moved to Circleville,
after improving his land, which he then sold. In 1865, he
died, at the age of seventy-two.
DAVID ADKINS emigrated from Maryland, in 1826, and settled
on section thirty-six, and afterwards bought in section twenty-five.
His wife was Christina HOTT, whom he married in
Harrison. They raised twelve children, ten of whom are now
living. William David, Mrs. Melissa BRINTTINGER,
and Mrs. Eliza Jane WHITEHEAD, life in this county.
David has the homestead, and William
lives in Ashville.
GEORGE HOOVER came from Pendleton county, Virginia, in 1811, and settled
in Walnut township, where he died in 1866. His wife was
Magdalena SIMMONS, by whom he had
eleven children, six of whom are now living. A son,
Jackson HOOVER, married Elizabeth SCOTHERN,
in 1843. They had seven children, for of whom are still
living: L. C., MONROE, F. W., and
Mrs. Nannie E. Whitehead. In 1849, Mr. HOOVER
bought sixty-eight acres of land in Harrison, on section eighteen.
Afterwards he bought land in section seven, and now owns, in all,
three hundred and eighty-seven acres. Mrs. WHITEHEAD,
his daughter, lives in the adjoining township of Walnut, and his
three sons at home. Township and county office have been held
by him, a number of terms, and he is now one of the county
commissioners.
COLONEL
JOHN COCHRAN came to Pickaway county, in 1812, as a recruiting
officer for the army. He had a commission as ensign in the
Nineteenth regiment of infantry, and had his recruiting office at
Franklinton. He served as ensign until the close of the war,
and in 1815 was commissioned second lieutenant of the Seventeenth
regiment. At the close of the war he bought land in Harrison,
and, soon after his return, married Mary O'HARA, by
whom he had nine children, three of whom are now living. Their
names were, Nancy, Priscilla, Frank, Elizabeth, Findly,
William Gustavus, Sarah, and Mary.
Nancy married William FORESMAN,
who died in 1850. Robert, her son, lives with her in
Bloomfield. Frank married Ann Morgan, and owns a farm near
Bloomfield. William married Fanny
FLORENCE, daughter of Colonel Elias FLORENCE.
She died, and he married Mary CLAYPOOL, and now
lives in Kansas. Colonel COCHRAN was
commander of a regiment of militia for a number of years. He
was an intelligent man, who read a great deal, and his influence was
felt in the community in which he lived. He served in the
State legislature in 1818, 1831, 1832, 1835, 1836, and 1850.
In politics he was a Whig. His death occurred in 1878, at the
age of eighty-eight, and that of his wife in 1875, aged
seventy-four.
PHILIP
GATEWOOD from Virginia, settled in Bloomfield, about 1812, and bought
property in the village. Here he married Mrs. Letitia
DENNY, widow of John DENNY, after which he
moved to Illinois.
AARON DEAN settled on Walnut creek, about 1810. Afterwards he
moved a little west of Ashville, where he built a block-house.
He was a lover of fast horses, and withal a rather reckless
individual, who took delight in provoking a disturbance of some
kind, after which he would mount his horse, and distance all
pursuers.
WILLIAM EVANS came to Ohio about 1812, and married a daughter of Stephen
SHORT. She received one hundred acres of land from
her father, on which they settled, and where Mr. Evans
died. They had seven children, six of whom died of
consumption. One went to California, about 1848, and it is not
known if he is now l living.
JOSEPH O'HARA settled in Franklinton, where he kept tavern,
in 1812. After the war, he moved to Harrison, and settled on
section twenty-seven. Mary, his daughter,
married Colonel John Cochran. His children
were: Priscilla, Joseph, Jacob, Benjamin, and
Mary. Benjamin O'HARA now lives at
Lockbourne, Franklin county.
MR. VAN GUNDY bought Simon HEADLEY's mill, on
the Scioto river, about 1812. He raised a large family, nearly
all of whom went west. David Van
Grundy and David Denny took charge of a
flat-boat load of pork, from below Chillicothe, to New Orleans.
Both remained in the South and West, and never returned to Ohio.
THOMAS VAUSE emigrated from Virginia, about 1814,
and first settled in Champaign county. About 1823, he bought
land in Franklin and Pickaway counties, and settled in Lockbourne,
where he died, in 1852. His wife was Elizabeth DECKER.
They had seven children, three for whom are now living:
John D., on section fourteen, in Harrison, and
James I., on sections two and thirty-five, James I. Vause
married Eliza WRIGHT, by whom he had five
children, three of whom are now living, all at home.
Mrs. VAUSE died, June 25, 1878, aged fifty-one.
Mr. VAUSE came to Harrison in 1858. A
brother, Thomas, lives near Camp Chase, Columbus.
(see biography herein)
JACOB MANGUS was, originally, from
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania; he moved to Fairfield county, Ohio,
in 1822, and remained there until 1859, when he removed to
Circleville, where he died in 1866. Emanuel his son, is
engaged in the shoemaking business at Ashville.
JACOB
STAGE came from Virginia, about 1827, raised
a large family of children, and died here. The family are all
gone.
ABNER BIGGS was
raised in Pickaway township, this county. He came with his
parents, from Pennsylvania, in 1810. They settled near
Westfall. He married Martha E. HELLENBACK, in
Circleville. After marriage, he came to South Bloomfield, and
opened the first harness shop, which he has since carried on.
They have had five children, but two of whom are now living.
Two of his sons were in the war of the rebellion, in the Ninetieth
Ohio infantry; Joseph died , from disease, in the
service. Ashton served through the war, and
is now living near Circleville. Mrs.
BRIGGS died in 1876.
DILL
WIEGAND was born in Germany, in 1828, and emigrated to
Ohio in 1842. He made a business of stock-dealing, and has
accumulated a good property. In 1866 he bought a farm formerly
owned by Edward Williams, in section thirty-four.
He has a fine residence on the Columbus and Chillicothe pike, and
owns six hundred acres of land.
BENJAMIN WHITEHEAD
emigrated from Virginia to Ohio about 1826, in which year he rented
a part of Luke DECKER's farm. After working
this for a time, he bought eighty acres in section one, now owned by
his son, V. W. WHITEHEAD. He raised four
children - two sons and two daughters. The only member of his
family now living is W. V. WHITEHEAD, who married
Elizabeth WILSON. He owns two hundred and
seventy-seven acres of land in Harrison. The land first
purchased by Benjamin WHITEHEAD was entered by a
man named FRIATT.
DR. J. C. THOMPSON came from Massachusetts to South
Bloomfield in 1837, where he commenced the practice of medicine,
which he has continued for forty-two years. He had a very
large ride for many years, until the country became more thickly
settled and physicians located at other points. During his
practice he has had all he could attend to, and has, to this day.
He has accumulated a good property, and owns a fine dwelling in
South Bloomfield, besides farming lands in other sections.
Dr. THOMPSON was married to Emily SAGE,
by whom he had five children, only one of whom is now living - a
daughter.
JONATHAN BLUE
was raised in Franklin county. In 1837 he went to Muhlenberg
five years, when he moved to Franklin county, and engaged in
mercantile business, after removing here, which resulted
disastrously to him.
STEPHEN
SIMMONS came to Ohio in 1819, and located in Cadiz.
There he remained until 1832, when he removed to Madison, Pickaway
county, and in 1834 came to Harrison and settled on section
twenty-four, where he died in 1856, aged seventy-two years. His wife
died in 1844. They raised ten children, of whom one-
Mrs. Jeremiah DUVALL - lives in South Bloomfield.
B. G.
PONTIUS bought land of David RISEMAN,
about 1840. He owned about three hundred acres. His
death occurred in 1878. The property was divided among his
children. The home farm was sold to Mr. GREENFIELD.
EARLY EVENTS.
James SHORT raised the first
field of wheat, in 1800, on the eastern part of section sixteen, and
on land now owned by Adam MILLER. The crop
was secured by his neighbors, who came with sickles and reaped it.
The most of it was saved for seed another year. The first
orchard was also planted by James Short, in 1799 or 1800, soon after
his settlement. William MILLAR built the
first brick house in 1816 on the north part of section twenty-two.
This is now owned by Adam Millar, and is occupied by his son,
Z. T. MILLER. The nails in the interior of this house
were made by a blacksmith named Bill.
A visit to the cemetery south of Bloomfield, shows many very old
gravestones, some of which are so badly defaced by time as to be
illegible. The one bearing the oldest date is that of
Sarah, a daughter of Jonathan and Rachel HOLMES,
who died in October, 1801, aged two years and five months.
This is presumably the first grave in the settlement. The
first log school-house was built in 1808, in the east part of the
town of South Bloomfield. In one end of the building was the
door, and in the other was the massive fire-place, which extended
from side to side of the room, and was fed with large logs, which
were rolled in by means of handspikes, or drawn in by a horse.
A log was cut out from each side of the building, and strips of wood
were tacked across the space. Over these oiled paper was
placed, which furnished the light by which the children were enabled
to con their lessons. The first teacher in this primitive
school-house was Dr. Samuel Taylor.
Mr. WILLIAMS, who lived on Darby creek, was the second
teacher. The first frame school-house was built on land owned
by Adam MILLAR, in 1817, by William MILLAR,
William RENICK, and Stephen SHORT.
Joseph OLDS was the teacher. This school was
supported by subscription. James BRADON, an
Irishman, opened the first tan-yard in the east part of the
township. The first marriage that an be recalled was that of
John LEWIN and Salome CLUTTER, both of whom came
from Virginia with William RENICK. They were
married in 1810, by Squire DENNY, who was one of
the first justices of the peace. The first frame house was
built by James SHORT, about 1812. He owned a
saw-mill and grist-mill on Walnut creek, near Ashville, about 1809.
Mr. SHAFER built a corn-mill in the east part of
the township, about 1809. He also operated a tan-yard on his
property. Both are long since gone. The mill was run by
horse power. A distillery was built by William STABE,
near Ashville, in 1812. Richard STAGE had a
distillery near him, about the same time. He afterwards moved
to Iowa, where he died. Jonathan HOLMES
opened a tavern about three miles above Bloomfield, in 1803 or 1804.
It was called the Half Way house, and was located about half way
between Chillicothe and Franklinton, now a part of Columbus.
Philip CHERRY had a blacksmith shop a mile and a
half above Bloomfield about 1806. Michael MILLER,
of Harrison, and John Davis, from near Columbus,
took a boat load of pork, from below Chillicothe, to New Orleans, by
river, returning on horseback, sometime during the year 1807.
George Donaldson was the first blacksmith in
Bloomfield, about 1806. Hugh CREIGHTON kept a
tavern at Bloomfield as early as 1804. He disposed of it a few
years later, and built a corn-mill in Walnut township.
Simon HEADLEY built a grist-mill near the site of
Bloomfield bridge, about 1803. He sold to Mr. Van
GUNDY, who continued it some years. It
afterwards went to decay. At the time it was running, a ferry
was established above the mill dam, by which people on the west bank
of the river could cross to the mill with their corn or wheat, and
return with the flour it produced. William BARR
was the first shoemaker. He moved into the house left vacant
by William MILLAR, when he first occupied his brick
house, in 1816.
The first store in
Harrison was opened by Hugh CREIGHTON, at South
Bloomfield, soon after 1804. He was also an early justice of
the peace. The second store was started in Bloomfield, by
William and John BRADSHAW, who kept a large and
well assorted stock of goods for that early day. The first
post-office was located in Bradshaw's store, at quite an early day,
probably as early as 1810, though there is no record to be found
giving the date or name of a postmaster. Rev. William
JONES was the first preacher. He was a Presbyterian
minister, and organized a church of that denomination. He
preached in about 1812. The church was organized in the
school-house, about 1814. Mr. Jones preached
a few years and moved away. After he left, the organization
dwindled away, and finally died out. James Short
furnished the first ground for burial purposes, south of Bloomfield.
In 1850 William MILLAR added two acres to the lot.
Henry NEVILLE, an Irishman, started a branch store
in Bloomfield at an early date. He carried on an extensive
business at Jefferson, on Pickaway plains. Bloomfield was
platted in 1804. Soon after that date a race-track was platted
in 1804. Soon after that date a race-track was made, a mile in
length, and encircling most of the town. Turfmen brought their
horses from all the surrounding country to the Bloomfield races.
George DEAL built a circular barrack, which he
thatched with rye straw. This shelter was used by the early
settlers as a threshing floor, at an early day. Col.
John COCHRAN built a store in South Bloomfield after the
war of 1812, about 1815. This he continued for many years.
John MOTHERSPAW was an early blacksmith in
Bloomfield. He moved to Macon county, Illinois.
James SHORT built a still-house in 1804, on the east side
of the pike, and but a short distance below South Bloomfield.
During the flood of 1805, the water coursed across the road and
reached u to the distillery. It can not now be ascertained at
what date the first mil route was established through Bloomfield,
but it was previous to 1812. Mail was at first carried by post
boys, who made the trip from Chillicothe to Franklinton on
horseback. After the establishment of the stage-coach line,
the mail was carried by the stages. |
