THIS township was
organized on the 5th day of June, 1832. The first
election took place April 1st, 1833, when the following
persons were elected as township officers, viz:
Trustees - John Rosenberger, Evan W. Brook, Jacob
Kaine.
Clerk - John Craun.
Constables - Eben Conway and Nicholas
Rumbaugh.
Supervisors - Adam Fleck, Isaac Hartsock, James
Hudson, Levi Crissey and Joseph S. Conway.
In 1840 the
population was 1,084; in 1870 it was 1,668 and in 1880 it is
2,159.
An area of nearly a mile wide and three miles long, in
the north-eastern part of the township throughout the
northwestern portion of Ohio. In some places the
limestone rocks cover the ground almost entirely. In
other localities, near the ridge, they are strewn less
thickly and the land is cultivated. The township
generally is free from stone, which makes this spot rather
remarkable from a geological standpoint. It is
otherwise level but very fertile and undulating in some
localities. Large crops are raised here annually.
The western branch of Wolf creek passes in a northeasterly
direction through Liberty, driving several saw mills.
The supply of water is sufficient to run three mills six
months in each year.
A town by the name of Middleburg was surveyed by D.
Risdon, on the 8th of September, 1832, and on section
nine. The land was formerly owned by Jacob Kessler.
The town never flourished.
On the 12th of April, 1838, John Betts, a very
enterprising citizen, laid out a town on section three, and
called it Bettsville; David Risdon was the surveyer.
It is situate near the west branch of Wolf creek and has now
over one hundred dwellings, two churches, one saw mill
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and sash and blind factory and several stores and shops.
The large brick stream flouring mill is doing a good
business. Since the location of the Toledo, Tiffin &
Eastern railroad the business of the town has improved very
materially and is constantly on the increase. Fine
brick residences have been erected and the town has assumed
a very business-like appearance, and the warehouse of
Flumerfelt & Titus has greatly added to its
trade.
Abraham Ash, guardian of Jacob Ash, on
the 9th day of March, 1855, laid out the town of Kansas,
near the northwest corner of the township. It is on
the line of the Lake Erie & Louisville railroad. It is
fourteen miles from Tiffin and thirteen miles from Fremont.
The town has one dry goods store, one cooper shop, one
blacksmith shop, one wagon shop, one stove factory, one
steam saw mill and one steam grist mill. There are
about fifty dwellings, occupied by over two hundred
inhabitnats.
The soil of the township is rich and very productive.
James Grimes, Jacob Null, Daniel Lynch, the
Brickners, Gassman, Lendelbachs, Smiths, Zimmer,
Jacob Zeis, the Robertsons, John Michaels, Joseph
Cessna, avid Brown, Reuben Lott, John Powell, John Baughman,
George Feasel, Orrin Betts, Barney Zimmerman and others
are among the earliest and most prosperous farmers.
Daniel Reinbolt settled here in 1828.
On Saturday morning, the 7th day of August, 1880, a
fire broke out in the back end of A. W. Day's
building, and destroyed nine rooms in Bettsville, and other
property, estimated over $11,000. Mr. Betts,
Schubert, John Cook, C. Norton, Joe Massony, George Schuster
and John Perong were the principal sufferers.
MRS. RACHAEL K. TURNER
This lady is one of the veteran pioneers of
the county, spending the evening of her long, eventful life
in the shades of Liberty township.
She was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, on the
4th of July 1797. In 1817 she came to Perry county, Ohio, where
she remained one year with friends and in the following year she went to
Fairfield county, where, in January, 1818, she was married to
Benjamin Turner. In 1829 they removed to this county and
located one mile west of Sandusky street, in Tiffin.
McNeal's store and Smith's tavern were
then the principal buildings in town. Their neighbors were the
Ogles, Creegers, Cadwalladers, Millers, Jnnings, Gordons, Arbogasts,
Adelspergers and Graffs. She was well acquainted with
Mr. McNeal and Mr. Crissey, and knew
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Joseph Jenay,
the colored cabinet maker. Crissey was the blacksmith.
In the summer of 1830, when the Senecas prepared for
their departure to the west, they came to Fort Ball, where they camped
out some two or three weeks and made sale of their ponies and other
personal property. General Brish and Mr. Hart with
them to the west.
Mrs. Turner also recollects the excitement
occasioned by the accidental drowning of Robert Burns an
Bartholomew Kinney, who attempted to cross the river to the Tiffin
side for the purpose of buying a yoke of cattle.
In the year 1834 the Turner family removed to
the northeast corner of Liberty township, where she still resides.
She says:
When we came to Fort Ball, we bought 19 acres from
Smith, the tavern keeper. We paid him $94 in cash and the
other $6 he was to take in game, paying 60 cents for a hind-quarter of
deer.
To Mr. C. W. Harris my thanks are due for this
statement. |