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[pg. 295] NATURAL FEATURES:
WITH an honorable record of more than a century's existence
behind her, Chillicothe well sustains her long established
reputation for solidity and wealth. The men who
established the little hamlet in the wilderness in 1796, founded
that reputation, and their descendants and successors have well
maintained it.
MORE TO COME....
THE PIONEERS
AND THEIR WORK:
With
the advent of the first white settlers, the woods abounded in
game of all kinds known in the country. Deer and wild
turkey game of all kinds known in the country. Deer and
wild turkeys, exceedingly plentiful, afforded the principal meat
supply of the early settlers. Every man and boy, and some
of the female population, were expert hunters, and many are the
tales told of hair-breadth
[pg. 296]
escapes from, and single-handed contests with, bruin, the arch
enemy of the young domestic animals about the settlers' cabins.
Wolves, panthers and wildcats also made night hideous, and
nocturnal travel precarious, with their prowling, stealthy and
deceptive methods of attack.
The first settlement of Twin township antedates its
organization by several years. The township organization
was effected on the twentieth of February, 1805, from territory
previously embraced within the townships of Union, Concord and
Paxton. The house of J. Elliott was designated as
the voting place, and was so continued for a number of years.
Lewis
Igo is entitled to the honor of first settler, he
having emigrated to the Paint creek valley in the autumn of
1797. He was born near Baltimore, Md., in 1767, emigrating
from there to Kentucky, thence to Ross county. Mr. Igo
purchased land from General McArthur, on Lower Twin, and
there built his cabin and established a home on the farm later
owned by his son William. In the spring of 1798 he
returned to Kentucky and brought his family, and was accompanied
on his return trip by his brother-in-law, Philip Hare.
When within eight sight of his cabin, Igo discovered
smoke issuing from the chimney; and, believing that the Indians
were in possession, the party prepared for a battle with the
redskins. Advancing cautiously, they were both surprised
and pleased to find that the cabin was occupied by a white
family who were occupying Mr. Igo's home temporarily
during his absence, and pending the erection of their own.
This "squatter," whose name was Jeffers, settled on a
farm adjoining the Igos and became their nearest
neighbor. Families were "near neighbors" in those days,
however, if only separated by the distance of a few miles.
For some time after Mr. Igo located in the wilderness on
Lower Twin, he brought all his family supplies from Kentucky,
himself making the trips with a pack horse. He was a
cooper by trade, and willingly exchanged his mechanical skill
with the settlers for rail-splitting, thus supplying the
neighborhood with wooden ware. He raised a family of eight
children, only one of whom remained in the township, and only
three survived the period of middle life. Descendants of
William Igo still live in Twin. Lewis Igo
died in 1844.
Philip
Hare opened up a small farm to which he brought his
family from Kentucky, but he ended his days in the west.
The families of George V. and
Jacob Haller settled on Paint creek in 1798, and
there established a home on what was locally known as Haller's
bottom, George Haller owning
most of the land in the vicinity. Their first winter in
the new country was spent in a shanty made of puncheons, the
walls of which were lined with bear-skins, the result of
Mr. Haller's success on the
chase. One entire end of the cabin was left open, and a
huge fire of burning logs served the double purpose
[pg. 297]
of warming the room and protecting the family from the howling
wolves who often showed their lank forms, hungry eyes and cruel
teeth across the fiery barrier.
George V. Haller was a local preacher, a man of
strong religious convictions and an excellent citizen. He
was among the first to bring sheep in to the country. His
first home being subject to overflow during freshets, he
re-located on higher ground, but subsequently removed to Adams
county, though his death occurred in Chillicothe Sept. 8, 1839.
He was born in Berkeley county, Va., Dec. 16, 1770. The
last survivor of his twelve children died in Bourneville.
Jacob Haller, before
mentioned, settled on Upper Twin where he died in 1823, at the
age of fifty-seven.
Samuel Teter
and family were among the earliest settlers, coming from
Washington county, Pa., in 1799. They settled on Lower
Twin, where Mr. Teter owned a large tract of land.
This he divided among his sons, Samuel, George, John and
Daniel, and removed to Union county, where he died.
George and John occupied their parental
inheritance and ended their days as residents of Twin township,
where some of their descendants still live. Daniel
died on his farm in Huntington township. The latest
survivor of this family in Twin township was Mrs. John C.
McDonald. John married Mary Edmiston whose
father was one of the earliest settlers in Paint township.
William and Edward
Keran came from the south branch of the Potomoc
during the last days of the eighteenth century. William
lived about five years on Haller's
bottom, afterward re-locating on Plug run where he
resided some sixty-years, and died there. Edward Keran
lived in the township until 1842 when he removed to Hardin
county and died there. Hugh Cochran
emigrated with his family from Kentucky in 1796. His first
location was at Station Prairie below Chillicothe; but he soon
after purchased a large tract of land in the vicinity of
Bourneville, which he divided among his children. Hugh
Cochran, sr. died in 1829, at the age of eight-four years.
His son, Hugh, was among the earliest pioneers of Twin
township, and spent his life on the farm his father had given
him. He married Jane Myers daughter of another
early pioneer of Twin. His sister Miss Elizabeth
Cochran, became the wife of George Kilgore, who came
to the valley with General Massie in the spring of 1796.
They were married in Chillicothe Apr. 17, 1798, and this said to
be the first ceremony of the kind in the Scioto valley.
Several brothers of Hugh Cochran settled in Twin
township, but James, David and Andrew removed to
the west, while Allen remained. The last named
served several years to the west, while Allen remained.
The last named served several years as a justice of the peace in
Twin. His death occurred in his sixty-third year as the result
of an accident.,
The family of
John Core
was another of those established prior to the township
organization. He located on Lower Twin, in 1800,
[pg. 298]
and there erected the first mills in the township, first a grist
mill, and soon afterward a saw mill. These he operated
successfully until 1819, when they were burned. He
afterward established a mill operated by horse power, and this
proved a very good substitute for the popular old plant which
had proved so valuable to the community. Three sons of
this pioneer, John, Henry and Chrisley, were
soldiers in the war of 1812. His youngest son, whose name
was David, married Miss Mary, daughter of the well
known pioneer and historian, Col. Houn McDonald.
The
family of Peter Storm came from near
Martinsburg, Va., in the family the fall of 1802. They
arrived in October, and located on
Haller's bottom
where Mr. Storm raised one crop, after which he
purchased one hundred and fifty acres from General McArthur.
There the family home was established in 1803. He of the
twelve children accompanied the parents from the old Virginia
home, and two sons George and John, then were lads drove
two cows through with the caravan, walking all the way.
Mr. Storm was a blacksmith by trade, opened a shop on his
farm, and was on of the earliest which mechanics in that line.
John Storm in the war of 1812, was a member of the first
company of rangers, in which he served over a year.
Descendants of this family are still residents of the township.
Abijah Flora
was one of the earliest settlers on
Haller's bottom. He was a Virginian, and
served from that state as a lieutenant in the Revolutionary war.
He died in Twin township at the age of seventy years.
(*See Note)
Daniel Hare
came from Kentucky in the fall of 1797 and located on Paint
creek about a mile above the present town of Bainbridge, in
Paxton township. There he built a cabin, and devoted the
winter of hunting. The victims of his rifle he salted in a
large trough, which he dug out from a sycamore log, covering
this with another one of similar dimensions. This food
supply he concealed from the Indians by covering the
troughs carefully with brush in a secluded place in the forest.
In the spring of 1798 he returned to Kentucky and brought his
family to the new home in the wilderness, where he found his
stores as he had left them. He worked at clearing land for
General Massie until he earned one hundred acres for
himself, this being located on Lower Twin. After his
contract with Massie was completed, he continued to work
for others in Paxton until he had accumulated sufficient funds
to purchase another hundred acre tract adjoining the first, and
this he occupied in 1801 as a permanent home. Mr. Hare
was twice married, and had three children by his first union.
His eldest daughter, Elizabeth, became the wife of
John McKenzie who represented a well known pioneer family.
Aaron Foster,
a native of Pennsylvania, emigrated to the township in the early
days of settlement. He served as adjutant in Colonel
McDonald's regiment during the war of 1812. He was
[pg. 299]
twenty-one years a justice of the peace in Twin township, and
was also a member of the board of county commissioners.
David Elliott, another very early settler, was captain of a
company from Ross county during the war of 1812. Jacob
Myers was an officer ranking as major in the same war, and
was distinguished for bravery. He was also among the
pioneers of Twin.
Col. John McDonald,
one of the most popular and worthy citizens who ever lived in
Ross county, was among the early pioneers of Twin township,
where he established his home in 1800. Though most of his
active years were spent in official life, he nevertheless always
considered "poplar Ridge" as his permanent abiding place, and
never transferred his home to any other locality, except
temporarily. He was identified with almost every phase of
human existence on the Ohio until the close of his eventful
career in 1853. He has been characterized as
"backwoodsman, scout, surveyor, pioneer and patriarch, soldier,
legislator and patriot, adequate in every avocation in which he
engaged, and admirable in every relation of life."
Gideon Coover
**came from Pennsylvania in 1800 and located in Twin township
where he lived until about 1820, when he took a flat boat laden
with flour, pork, and other farm products, and, in company with
others, went to New Orleans, where he died of yellow fever, or
rather was put ashore at Baton Rouge, where he died. He
left a wife and nine children who spent their lives in Twin
township.
Philip Gossard
and his son-in-law, Casper Plyley, with their families,
came from Pennsylvania about 1801. They first settled at
the mouth of Deer creek in Union Township, but soon afterward
abandoned the bottom land as unhealthful and re-located on what
has since been known as Plyley's ridge in Twin township.
Mr. Plyley kept a tavern for a number of years. He
was a soldier in the war of the Revolution and participated in a
number of engagements under General Greene.
Financial reverses, due to the fluctuating values of the
Continental scrip, induced him, though a minor, to enter the
army, and subsequently to seek his fortune in the west.
Mr. Plyley lived to advanced old age. He reared a
large family, and numerous descendants still live in Ross
county. The posterity of his sons, Philip G. and
William, still occupy Plyley's ridge. The
former was born at Pittsburg, on the trip to the west.
Philip Gossard was a native of Switzerland and received an
excellent education in his native country, being also an
accomplished musician. He settled on a farm immediately
west of the Plyley homestead and there spent his remaining
years. His son, John, spent his life on the same
farm, and this descended to his posterity, some of whom still
occupy it.
William Campbell,
a native of Scotland, and a cousin of General McArthur,
emigrated to the United States in 1800, and soon afterward found
his way to Chillicothe. Here he entered the employ
[pg. 300]
of General McArthur, and so continued until his marriage
in 1816. He located in Twin township two years later and
continued a resident until his death in 1852. He was the
father of sixteen children, some of whom remained in the
township during their lives, and left a numerous posterity to
inherit their possessions.
Isaac McCrackin
emigrated from Hampshire county, Va., and first located on
Haller's bottom, subsequently removing to another farm
where he did in 1849. He was a well known and prominent
citizen, one of the earliest justices, served two terms in
the State legislature (1831-2), and was one of the associate
judges of the county for seven years. He located his
family in the township in 1808, where his three children were
born. The wife of Judge McCrackin was Catherine
Parker also a native of Virginia, where they were married.
James Sommerville
and family were also early settlers of Twin. Mr.
Somerville was a native of Scotland and came to this county
in 1808, bringing a family consisting of wife and three
children, Helen, James and John. James went
to Kentucky as a school teacher, having among his students
members of the Breckenridge and Clay families.
He joined the army and was killed at the battle of Tippecanoe.
John married Elizabeth Smith, and became the
father of twelve children, most of whom he survived. He
was quarter-master in Colonel McDonald's command during
the campaign of 1814, and died in 1879, at the advanced age of
nearly ninety-two.
Job and John Harness,
brothers, settled in Twin township prior to 1812, making the
journey up the Scioto and Paint creek in a keel boat. They
erected one of the early grist mills of the township, but
finally sold out and moved to Indiana.
Christian Baum
emigrated from Westmoreland county, Pa., about 1815; first
located in Pickaway county, but soon afterward bought two
hundred acres in Twin township. He married
Sarah Shook in 1818, and
they raised a family of seven children: Joseph, George,
John, Mary, Lewis, Laura and Jacob, most of whom
married and located in the county. When Mr. Baum
came to Ohio, he walked over the mountains and carried his rifle
with all of his worldly possessions; but by industry and
economy, he accumulated a fine property. He died in 1862
at the age of seventy.
Peter Platter
was a native of Germany, who, at the age of five years,
accompanied his parents to Pennsylvania, in 1764. He
joined the Patriot army and participated in the battles of
Bunker Hill and Brandywine. About 1793 he emigrated to
Kentucky, having then a wife and one child. He removed to
Ohio about six years later and located in Adams county, where he
purchased three hundred acres of land. In 1811 he
exchanged this farm for a like number of acres on Haller's
bottom in Twin township, where he died Jan. 2, 1832, and his
wife died on the 22d of February of the same year. Their
names were Barbara, Susanna, Joseph, Henry, Christine, Sarah,
Elizabeth, George, Peter, Catherine, Christian, John and
Andrew. Several of these attained a ripe old age and
left a numerous posterity, both in Ross county, where the name
is prominently identified with the pioneer history, and in Adams
county, where some of the sons located after marriage.
Peter Platter, Jr., was an extensive land holder on Paint
creek, where his first wife died, leaving seven children.
Her maiden name was Mary Ann Clark, also a representative
of an early established family. He married Sarah A.
Nesbit for his second wife, and she became the mother of
four children. Mr. Platter was successful in life,
and died possessed of more than a thousand acres of land.
The family, including the ancestral line, were members of the
Presbyterian church, sustaining relations with this society in
Chillicothe.
John W. Pool
left for Ohio from Maryland on the day of Perry's great naval
victory on Lake Erie. He was a blacksmith by trade, and
died in 1823, at the age of fifty. His son Henry
perpetuated the family name in Twin township, where he attained
old age and social prominence. He married a daughter of
George V. Haller.
John Howard
emigrated from Rockingham county, Va., about 1817, accompanying
his two uncles, Philip and John Howard, who were
bachelors. They spent the first year at Frankfort, after
which they located on Hallers bottom, but related, some
afterward, on the farm where John Howard spent his life,
he having inherited the farm on the death of his uncles.
He married Ursula L., daughter of Judge McCracklin.
John Hanawalt
was the first mail carrier between Steubenville and
Gallipolis, making his trips through the woods on horseback.
He was a native of Mifflin county, Pa., and came to Steubenville
in 1818. Two years later he moved to Frankfort, where he
married Mary J. Hill, and in 1828 he located in
Bourneville, where he was busied as a tailor until his death in
1872. His son, James S., was a merchant in
Bourneville for a number of years.
SOLDIERS OF 1812:
Twin township was well
represented in the war of 1812, though it is probably that not
all on the following list were residents there at the time of
enlistment, but he came soon after the war. A large
majority, however, were actual residents of the township for
several years prior to enlistment. The following is an
incomplete list of soldiers who responded to their country's
call in 1812: W. A. Shoults, Hugh Cochran, Joseph
Browning, Henry and Joseph March, John C. Conner, Joseph Conner
(died in service), William Campbell, Thomas McDonald,
David Somers, (Shredrich Wroten was a Revolutionary soldier
who served nearly six years). John Freshour was
also in the Revolutionary war and his son Daniel served
in the war of 1812, Simon Johnson in the Revolution,
Barney Minney, Job and John Harness, Thomas De Hart, Richard
Acton, Archibald
[pg. 302]
McNeal, Abijah Flora, Revolutionary soldier; Michael
Dolohan, Thomas Hanks, in the war of the
Revolution, and his sons, Joseph and John, were in the
war of 1812; John Ward, Peter Shanor (his father,
also Peter Shanor was in the Revolution); John Gossard,
Philip Gossard, Jacob Gossard. James Nichols, Henry
Sharp, Dilard Rowe, Abbott Rowe, David Rowe, Charles Craig, John
Craig, Colonel John McDonald, Alexander Given, Aaron Foster,
Samuel, George, John and Daniel Teter, brothers; John,
Henry and Chrisley Core, also brothers; Captain
Daniel Hare; Captain David Elliott; Major Jacob Myers; John
Mahan; Lieutenant John Sommerville; James Sommerville; Archy
McDonald came as a soldier in the British army, but deserted
and joined the American forces; his two sons, John and
William were also arrayed against their mother country;
James P. Brown; James Demoss, a native of Ireland, crossed
the ocean to fight against England, and died in service;
Captain McKenzie.
The record of the first
elections in Twin township has been lost or was not properly
kept. The earliest record procurable begins five years
after the organization of the township, and contains the
following names of civil officers at that time:
Henry Porter, township clerk; John McDonald, William Reed
and Job Harness, trustees; George V. Haller,
and Moses Dimmel, overseers of the poor; Andrew
Gursham, lister; Jacob V. Haller, house appraiser;
Daniel Hare, treasurer; George Yoakum and Abijah
Flora, fence viewers; Robert McMahan, Peter Clover
and James Irwin, constables; John Harness, Philip
Hare, Samuel Teter, and John Walker, supervisors;
John McDonald and Henry Porter were elected justices
of the peace in the spring of 1811. Henry Porter
performed the double service of clerk and justice of the peace.
Colonel McDonald resigned his office, in 1812, to enter
the army, and Judge Isaac McCrackin was elected to fill
the vacancy. The early elections were held at the house of
J. Elliott for a number of years.
FIRST
BIRTHS AND MARRIAGES:
The first white child born in the
township was Paul, son of Lewis Igo, in February,
1799. The first marriage in the county was a social event
of considerable importance, and was attended by Thomas
Worthington and Dr. Tiffin with their families.
The contracting parties were George and Elizabeth Cochran,
and the marriage was solemnized on the 17th of April, 1798.
Howe's History of Ohio mentions this as the "first marriage in
the Scioto Valley." Mary Igo and Mary Keran,
both born in 1800, were among the first female children born in
the township. They both married, removed from the county,
and died in old age. The first schoolhouse erected in the
township was located on the farm of John Teter, and the
first teacher was David Reed; and William Reed is
said to have been one of the first justices, if not the first.
He served fifteen years in that office. Adam Gilfillan
was also one of the first school teachers in the township.
The first sermon delivered in the Paint creek valley
[pg. 303]
is accredited to Rev. William Keran, a local preacher,
though another authority, perhaps equally reliable, gives his
honor to Revs. William and Edward Carnes. It is
possible that the disagreement of authorities is due to the
similarity in sound of the names, since William Keran is
shown to have had a brother Edward who was also a
preacher, and both settled in Haller's bottom prior to
1800.
CHURCH
SKETCHES:
The Methodists were the leaders in
religious effort in Twin township, the first meetings being held
in the settlers' cabins, and were conducted, principally, by
Rev. William Keran. The first members of this class
were William and Edward Keran and their wives, George
Vinson Haller and wife, John Mick and wife, John
and George Teter and their wives, John Mahan and
wife, Archibald Browning and wife, Abijah Flora,
Benjamin Grimes, Mrs. Mary Porter and Mrs. Matson.
After continuing the services in the homes of the members for
several years, a log meeting house was built in 1809, on the
farm of John Teter. This gave way five or six years
later, to a double hewed log house on the graveyard lot just
north of the present village of Bourneville. This building
served the people for over thirty years, and was the parent
church of Methodism in the township. It was destroyed by
fire at the close of a "watch meeting," the last night of the
year 1841. On the ruins of the old church, a brick
meeting-house was erected in 1842, and under the pastorate of
Rev. Alexander Maharry a very successful revival followed
the opening of the new church, and resulted in one hundred and
eighty accessions to the society during the the
year. In 1875 the old church was taken down, and a
substantial brick was established on the site, at a cost of some
seven thousand dollars.
The church now known as Morris Chapel was organized
about 1813, and meetings were held for a number of years at the
house of John Riley, who was a zealous christian and
active worker until his death, in 1838. Mr. Riley
was the class leader from the date of organization until failing
health compelled his retirement. The services were finally
transferred from Riley's house to the log school house on
the farm of David Moore. Morris' Chapel,
named in honor of Presley Morris, one of the prominent
members, and a generous contributor to the building fund, was
commenced in 1847, and completed in 1850. March 20th,
1848, the church was incorporated under the laws of the State,
and a board of trustees elected, consisting of Solomon V.
Dorman Jesse Wiley and Jacob Miller, Henry Snyder
being elected secretary. This chapel is located about
a mile east of Slate Mills. It has been one of the land
marks pointing the way to a higher christian civilization, and
was the second Methodist organization in the township. It
still maintains its existence, with a considerable membership.
A society was formed in 1842 under the ministerial
labors of Rev. J. Hill, with a membership of nineteen,
and meetings were held at the home of David Core until
the completion of "Core's Chapel" in
[pg. 304]
MORE TO COME....
MILLS:
MORE TO COME....
[pg. 305]
THE EDWARDS MURDER:
Bourneville was the scene of a noted
tragedy in 1844, the murder of Frederick Edwards.
He was reputed to have considerable money on his person or
concealed about the store of Douglas Smith, in which
Edwards slept. Two men, named Thomas and Maxon,
conceived a plan to possess this money; and, forcing an entrance
to the store, aroused Edwards, who was sleeping in
a room adjoining. Without thinking of consequences, he
seized the nearest burglar, and in the melee which
followed, received seventeen knife stabs, any one of which, it
was thought, would have proved fatal. Thomas was
supposed to have been a real murderer, though Maxon was
arrested an accessory, but made his escape from the county jail,
and was never recaptured. Thomas was captured in
Pennsylvania and brought to Chillicothe, where he was tried,
convicted of murder, and hanged in 1846
[pg. 306]
The first tavern in Bournevile
was opened by William Rowe, in 1832, and the same
building served the public for more than fifty years. The
first resident physicians were Dr. Thompson and Morton,
who located in the town about the same time. These were
succeeded by many others during the seventy years of the town's
existence.
CAPTAIN MOLLY:
Mrs. Mary Edmiston was an
early resident, who devoted herself to a special feature of
medical practice, and whose eccentric habits left an impress
upon those who knew her, and the name of Captain Molly"
has been transmitted by family tradition, to the present-day
inhabitants. She came from Kentucky, a widow, with several
small children, and located near the present site of
Bourneville. She dressed in a mixed garb of male and
female attire, and rode a horse as a man rides. Her hair
was always closely cropped, and she wore a straw hat of her own
manufacture, at all seasons of the year, and in all conditions
of weather. This hat was very unlike any attempt at female
adornment. "Captain Molly" was shrewd and
quick-witted, always ready at repartee, and seldom came out
second best in a war of words. Though possessing a rough
unseemly exterior, she had a good true heart within, and was
generous, even to her own disadvantage. The fees she
collected of the wealthy families were liberally distributed
among the poor, and the latter she cheerfully served without
pay. She died of cancer in 1836.
VILLAGE OF
BOURNEVILLE:
Bourneville was incorporated and
assumed the position accorded by that legal proceeding by the
election of Elijah Bridwell, mayor, and establishing a
municipal government. But the Citizens were indifferent to
the honors thus conferred and abandoned the charter two years
aft4er it was granted. The location is beautiful, and the
spot historical. There are many relics of the prehistoric
race in Twin township. These have been generally described
in another chapter.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is the only secret
society now represented in the town. This is designated as
Lodge No. 808. It has been prosperous form its
organization to the present and numbers among its members many
of the best men in the town and adjacent country. It is a
busy trading point, sustained by a large scope of good farming
country, and its support is assured in the character and
reputation of the business men. Some of the stores would
do credit to a much larger place. Some small manufacturing
is also done. An excellent graded school in the village
affords ample opportunities to the children in the acquirement
of a good practical education.
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