NEWTON TOWNSHIP

SOIL, PRODUCTION AND BOUNDS

     This township lies west of the Scioto River and being one of the valley townships, it is rich in its agricultural resources, though in the west it is somewhat broken.  It has an area of nearly thirty square miles, with an average width of nearly six miles, while from north to south it is five miles.  Its northern boundary is Pebble and Pee Pee townships south, Camp Creek, and west, Sunfish.  After leaving the valley of the Scioto it is somewhat broken.  It has the main body of Sunfish Creek passing through it from south and east through the township, and numerous creeks and small tributaries, which are lined by hills and high bluffs, giving it little agricultural advantages.  Sunfish Creek empties into the Ohio River, and with its tributaries, creeks and springs it is a well-watered township.  With the valley of the Scioto for its agricultural resources and its hills and gulches, it is a good stock township, and combined should make it a more valuable township than its assessed valuation now gives it.  No Name Creek is another quite large steam that finds its way across the township, and, like its larger sister, empties into the Scioto River.  Panther Knob, just below Jasper, has an elevation of 663 feet, rough and ragged in its outline, and massive and solid in its proportions.  it is conical in shape, coming almost to a point at the top.  It takes its name from the fact that the last panther killed in  that section found her lair near the top of this somewhat famous peak, and she and her brood were hunted to their retreat and killed there.  Jasper Knob, which takes its name from the bright and prosperous village of that name, is a few feet of reaching the altitude of the first named; and then comes Yankee Hill, named after a colony of New England settlers.

TIMBER.

     The cliffs are covered with a dense forest timber of great value, and of all the varieties which go to make up the wooded growth indigenous to the soil and climate - all the varieties of oak, hickory and maple, the chestnut, walnut, locust, and the pine are the principal kinds, and a large business is done in tan-bark, railroad ties, fence posts, hoop poles, staves, etc.
     Peter Skill, a native of New Jersey, was among the first settlers of the township of from the river bottoms.  He settled some six miles west of Jasper, near the line now dividing Sunfish and Newton.  John Merritt was another of those who brought sunlight into the barren places.

POPULATION AND VALUATION.

     The population of Newton Township was, in 1840, 337; 1850, 461; 1860, 956; 1870, 1,138; 1880, 1,369.  Newton has an acreage of 17,887 acres upon the assessment roll.  This personal property of the township was given in 1880 at $52,767; the real estate valuation for 1882 was, $123,682, and the personal property, $65,401; the real and personal o_ Jasper Village, $41,800; total, $230,883.

JASPER VILLAGE

     The village had the honor of being laid out by Governor Robert Lucas in the year 1833, and the plat was duly recorded.  It was named after the brave Sargent Jasper, of Revolutionary fame, and with its name and founder represents two choice spirits of early days and of enduring fame.  It lies on the canal in the northeaster part of the township, and as it deals largely in timber, railroad ties, hooppoles, etc., it has a large business, and two or three canal-boats are loaded almost daily during the season of navigation.  It was, unfortunately, during the late civil war, on the line of march of General John H. Morgan's raid of Confederate cavalry, and suffered to the extent of pretty much all of portable value.  One of its citizens, a Mr. McDougal, on his return from Piketon was killed.
     Its first business firm was Phelps & Alexander, and the next was Cutler & Curry.  Soon after came W. H. Truesdell & Jones.  This, with a saloon, blacksmith shop, etc., constituted its business interest for many years.  At this time, 1883, the business of Jasper is in the hands of S. N. Cutler & Son, J. McGowen, L. A. Dewey and Stephenson & Wills, all doing a general business.  W. F. Truesdell represents the drug business, and there is a grocery store, blacksmith shop, a harness shop, a saloon and a few other business interests usually found in a village of 200 inhabitants.  The medical profession is well represented by Drs. McPherson and Hooper.  The law is without a representative.  The postoffice was established in 1837 with John G. Alexander as Postmaster.  It is now in the hands of J. W. Stephenson.

PUBLIC SCHOOL.

    The school of Jasper has always been well kept.  The old log school-house flourished in early days, and then came the frame with more of modern conveniences.  It was not until 1880 that it rose to rank of a graded school, when a special tax was levied for a new and still more convenient and commodious building, which was completed and furnished at a cost of some $1,200.  The Superintendent that year was G. W. Roy, succeeded by J. L. Cutler, and in 1883 by E. J. Zeiglar, with Miss Emma McPherson as assistant.
     The population of Jasper Village is not far from 200.  In 1840 it claimed sixty-nine inhabitants, and in 1870, 181.

VARIOUS MATTERS.

     The township was organized about 1825, the loss of the records preventing the giving of the exact date.
     There are in the township outside of Jasper seven public schools, the valuation of the property being placed at $4,000.
     The number of children of school age, is 405, of which about three-quarters are enrolled.
     The township officers in 1838 were: Trustees, Nathan Hitman, John Alexander and Joshua Adams; Clerk, J. G. Alexander.
     In 1883 the Trustees were: Andrew Ward, Theodore Moore and Amos Hoffer; Clerk, W. R. Payne; Treasurer, W. E. Dunn; Justices of the Peace, J. W. Stephenson and James Peetrill.

BETHEL.

     In the southern and western part of the township there is a small hamlet by the above name.  It was laid out in 1860 by the Rev. Hampton and named by him Bethel.  The postoffice was established in 1876 and named Pike.  There is only one general store and the postoffice is kept in that.  The first Postmaster was John Entler, who was succeeded, in the order named, by B. F. Steadman, Hendry Bays, G. W. Rose and W. R. Sharp.

CHURCHES.

     Pleasant Valley Methodist Protestant Church -  This class was organized in 1831, by a few of the old pioneers, who had no church prior to that time of that denomination.  In 1858 they erected a small building at a cost of about $300, and gave it the name of Pleasant Valley Church.  Jonathan Flood is supposed to have been the first minister.  They now number about fifty members, under the care of Rev. Isaac Brundage.  Their Sunday-school is superintended by William McKee, and both church and school are fairly prosperous.

     Methodist Episcopal Church of Jasper - This church was organized in the year 1845, a few persons coming together and forming the class.  Among these the names of Rev. John Booten, Joseph McDougal, Thomas Shropshire and C. B. Smith are remembered.  The church struggled along with such poor accommodations as could be secured in the cabins of the members or the log school-house until 1857, when a subscription was started by the Methodist Protestant church, but failed to secure the desired amount to finish the church building, when the above named congregation of the Methodist Episcopal church bought it and finished it in the year 1858.  The church has grown and strengthened in succeeding years, and has at present a membership of ninety, its present pastor being Rev. W. Morris.  S. N. Culver and St. H. Glower are Class-Leaders; Trustees, S. N. Cutler, J. W. Stephenson, C. B. Smith, J. W. Rose, B. W. Lauman, J. Dewey, St. H. Glower, Dr. L. McPherson and W. F. Truesdell.

BIOGRAPHICAL