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WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP occupies the
northwestern corner of Union County. Unlike
most townships in the county, its outlines are
comparatively regular, as it is bounded by four
straight lines. To the west of it lies Logan
Counties to the north. Jackson Township bounds
it on the east, and York Township on the south.
The boundary line between it and York is the
Greenville Treaty line of 1795.
The township was erected a civil subdivision of the
county in 1836. The Commissioners' journal
under date of June 6, of that year, contains the
following entry:
The Board considered a petition handed in by John
Dysert, praying for a new township to be taken
from the north part of the township of York.
Whereupon it was agreed that a township be formed,
to be called Washington, to be bounded as follows,
to wit: Beginning at the northwest corner of
the township of Claibourne, thence running west
parallel with the northern line of the county to the
western boundary line of the county, thence north
with said line to the northwest corner of Union
County, thence east with the north line of the
county to the northwest corner of Jackson Township,
thence with the line of said township south to the
place of beginning.
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As its date
indicates, Washington was one of the later townships
organized in Union County. Its boundaries as
originally constituted have perhaps been less
subject to change and alteration than almost any
other township in the county.
Topographically, the township is nearly uniform in its
several parts and also strongly resembles adjacent
townships. It embraces a level stretch of
country, broken in the western part and to some
extent along the streams by gentle undulations.
The most important stream is Rush Creek, which
enters from Hardin County close to the northwestern
corner of the township, but soon bends northward and
passes back into Hardin County about a mile east of
its entrance into the township; it soon after
re-enters and pursues a southeasterly course through
the township, crossing the eastern boundary line
near its center. Rocky Fork, a tributary of
this stream, rises in the southwestern part of the
township and meanders in a northeasterly direction
through the central portion of the township until it
mingles its waters with those of Rush Creek.
The North Branch of Bokes Creek cuts across the
southwestern corner of the township separating
portions of several farms from the main body of the
township. Rush Creek has several small
tributaries in the northwestern region of the
township, and in the southeastern part three or four
runs flow southward and eastward into Fulton Creek.
The composition of the soil is argillaceous, except
along the streams, where sand and gravel prevail to
some extent. Ponds were not uncommon in early
times, and a considerable portion of the township
was swale land. The most of this, by
systematic drainage, has, however, been converted
into productive fields. Sugar, beech, ash,
oak, hickory, elm, black walnut and cherry were the
most important woods that covered the ground when
the first settlers arrived. Walnut, red elm
and buckeye were found along the creeks, and burr
oak in the low lands. Considerable underbrush
also flourished. Some small tracts of timber were
deadened by forest fires, which often raged in dry
weather, and there were places, usually wet where
the fires in extremely dry weather had burned a kind
of peat which covered the surface of the ground and
with it the roots of the trees, until one after
another the sturdy monarchs of the forest fell
crashing to the earth. Several tracts, acres
in extent, were thus entirely denuded of their
forest covering. The land along the streams
was a little higher and drier than the rest, and
deemed more fertile, consequently the first
settlements were made there.
SURVEYS.
The
township contained one survey—in the north-central
part—of 2,666⅔
acres, and one in the northeastern part of 1,555½
acres. There are a number of 1,000 acres, but
the majority are of a lesser extent. The
following is a list of surveys: Squire
Grant, No. 7,373, 200 acres, lying in and north
of Byhalia, surveyed Oct. 30, 1822, by Thomas J.
McArthur; Maria and John C. Ransdale,
heirs, and James Taylor and Charles Scott,
assignees, No. 9,893, 528 acres, southwest corner of
township, partly in Logan County, surveyed Jan. 6,
1820, by Samuel Forrer; John
Swan and James Taylor, No. 9,894,
1,000 acres in the southwestern part of the
township, surveyed Jan. 7, 1820, by Samuel
Forrer; James Wallace and John
McPherson, No. 9,895, 1,000 acres,
southwestern part of the township, surveyed Jan. 7,
1820, by Samuel Forrer; Thomas
Scott, No. 9,896, 364 acres, south of
Byhalia, surveyed Nov. 5, 1821, by Thomas
McArthur; James Fitzpatrick, No.
9,896, 100 acres, southeast of Byhalia, surveyed
Nov. 5, 1821, by Thomas McArthur;
Robert Sayer, James Taylor,
Nicholas Tallioferro and James
Taylor, No. 9,897, 1,000 acres east of Byhalia,
surveyed Jan. 8, 1820, by Samuel Forrer;
William Dark's representatives, No.
9,916, 833 acres,
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south-central part of the township, surveyed by
Thomas J. McArthur, Nov. 3, 1821; Roland
Madison's representatives, No. 9,917, 1,000
acre, east-central part of township, surveyed Jan.
15, 1820, by Samuel Forrer; James Berwick,
No. 9,918, 666⅔ acres,
eastern part of township, surveyed Feb. 14, 1826, by
Thomas J. McArthur; Michael Rudolph's
representatives, Nos. 9,960 and 10,042,w,000 acres,
northwest corner of township and partly in Logan and
Hardin Counties, surveyed Nov. 10, 1821, by
Thomas J. McArthur; Presley Davis, No.
10,383, 200 acres, northeastern part, mostly in
Hardin County, surveyed by Thomas J. McArthur
Dec. 16, 1823; Richard Davis, No. 10,938, 200
acres, southeastern part, surveyed Apr. 30, 1824, by
Thomas J. McArthur; George Winchester, No.
10,971, 2,666⅔ acres, surveyed by Thomas J.
McArthur Oct. 29, 1822; Richard Dorsey,
No. 12,105, 1,000 acres, western part of township,
surveyed by Thomas J. McArthur Nov. 8, 1824;
Elizabeth R. Worthington's heirs, No. 12,112,
1,333⅓ acres, western part of township and partly in
Logan County, surveyed by E. P. Kendrick July
1, 1840; George Lambert, No. 12,281, 500
acres, mostly in Hardin County, surveyed by
Thomas J. McArthur Dec. 15, 1823; Elizabeth
A. P. Scarborough, No. 12,289, 1,555⅓ acres,
surveyed by Thomas J. McArthur Apr. 29, 1824;
James J. Teackle, No. 12,360, 916½ acres,
mostly in Hardin County, surveyed by Thomas J.
McArthur Apr. 30, 1824; John Evans, No.
13,320, 160 acres, west of Byhalia, surveyed by
Cadwallader Wallace July 10, 1832; James
Gallaway, Jr., No. 13,427, 89 acres, eastern
part of township, surveyed by James Gallaway,
Jr., Nov. 7, 1833; Cadwallader Wallace
Mar. 21, 1836; Allen Latham, No. 14,639, 330
acres, southeastern part, surveyed by E. P.
Kendricks, Dec. 25, 1843; Thomas Paisley,
No. 12,189, 200 acres, partly in Hardin and Madison
Counties, surveyed by Thomas J. McArthur Dec.
16, 1823; Abraham J. Williams, No. 10,177,
523 acres in northern part of township; W. and T.
Tibbs and others, No. 9,915, 959 acres, mostly
in Logan County, surveyed by Samuel Forrer
Jan. 14, 1820; Robert Green No. 10,945,
eastern part of township, 166 acres. The
surveys were usually found to contained more land
than the quantity for which they were surveyed, and
in some cases the excess was considerable.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
The first
white occupants of Washington Township were mainly a
class of men who were attracted thither by the game,
which abounded in the deep solitudes of the region.
They were usually men who enjoyed hunting and
trapping better than anything else, who possessed no
land and who did not care to possess any, but
preferred ranging over large scopes of country at
will to owning and tilling a limited tract of land.
The proprietors of the land here were mostly
non-residents of Ohio, and the first squatters would
pitch their tents at desirable localities without
attempting to find the owner and obtain permission,
and in this they were seldom molested. The
owners rarely knew of the squatter occupancy, and
when they did were usually not disposed to remove
the occupants as the cabin that would invariably be
erected and the little clearing that would be made
enchanced the value of the land. But few
traces remain of these primitive settlers, although
it is scarcely more than a half century since the
land was first occupied. Almost all the pioneers,
both those whose title to possession was only the
frail squatter's claim and those who purchased and
improved land, have long ago emigrated to other
parts.
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Before tiling was introduced to reclaim the lands
from swales and swamps, agricultural pursuits were
attended with serious obstacles and meager results
and the discontent thus produced promoted emigration
to other localities. The darkest period in the
township history was after game had disappeared from
the forests and before the improved system of
farming was adopted. To those who loved the
free and roaming life of a huntsman, Washington
Township invited a sojourn for many years.
Game was abundant and the product of the chase found
an easy market, sufficient to provide for the few,
simple wants which the position of the squatters
required. For a few years after the first
settlers came, the "Wyandot Indians shared with the
whites the occupancy of the hunting grounds in this
vicinity. The Indians engaged in trapping and also
in sugar-making to some extent. Their
relations to the whites were always of a friendly
nature, and the two races sometimes pursued their
favorite pastimes in company, and the young
emigrants learned many a valuable fact in hunting
from their swarthy neighbors.
Edward, or
Ned Southworth,
as he was familiarly known, is reputed to be the
first settler in the township, but the date of his
arrival is not known. It was probably not far
from 1830. He came from Logan County and owned
a piece of land on Rocky Run. His brother,
William Southworth, also moved to this township,
but died a few years later.
Stephen Davis, a prominent
pioneer, moved to a little place he had purchased on
Rocky Run in the eastern part of Survey No. 9,917,
in 1832. He was born Maryland and removed when
a young man to Bourbon County, Ky. There he
remained until 1808, when he came to Ohio. He
first lived in Brown, then Pickaway County, and from
the latter place came to Washington Township with
his wife Sarah. He remained on his farm
here the remainder of his wife. He was
influential among his neighbors and highly esteemed.
Of a large family of children, Ebenezer was
the only one who emigrated to this township.
He came in 1843 from Pickaway County to Jackson
Township, and to Washington Township in 1837.
He succeeded his father in the possession of the
farm and also succeeded to the esteem with which his
father had been regarded. Ebenezer died
May 2, 1867; his widow still survives.
John Dysert was among the
first to settle on Rush Creek. He was born at
Portsmouth, Ohio, moved to Ross County, then to Mill
Creek, several miles below Marysville, whence he
came here in 1836. He was a member of the Free
Will Baptist Church and was reputed to possess an
excellent character. He owned three families
had settled on /rush Creek in this township when he
came. He remained here about nine years, then
removed to Ross County. His wife was Mary
Wheeler, and his family consisted of twelve
children, four of whom now reside in Jackson
Township.
The
Titsworths
came about 1834. They consisted of Isaac
Titsworth, his wife and two sons - Hiram
and Lemuel - and several daughters.
They had formerly resided for many years in Logan
County. They settled in the southwestern part
of Survey 9,917, about a mile northeast for Byhalia,
on the Essex road. Hiram was the first
Justice of the Peace in the township. But
little legal erudition was then requisite as a
qualification for election to this office and legal
forms were not very closely observed at first.
Hiram afterward sold his place of 126 acres
in Survey 9,917, and removed to Missouri.
Isaac and his wife died in the township, and
Lemuel moved to Richland County, near Mansfield,
after disposing of his farm in this township.
James
Foster was a good specimen of the rough
backwoodsman. He owned ninety-one acres in
Survey 9, 917, but remained here only a few years.
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He hailed originally from the South, and moved with
a large family to near Middlebury, Logan County.
Jonathan Haynes was one of
the foremost pioneers. He owned and, occupied
a 100-acre farm on Rush Creek in the northeast
corner of Survey 9,917, since known as the
H. W. Minuh place.
Mr. Haynes removed to Mt. Victory, Ohio,
where he kept hotel for awhile. He died in
that village.
John Johnson came about
1837. He was raised in Logan County, married
Ann Southworth
and purchased a portion of Survey 13,320,
just northwest of Byhalia. He was industrious
and accumulated some property. He returned to
Logan County and is still living near Pickerell,
that county. His son, Hosea, lived for
a short time on Rocky Fork, then removed to Logan
County.
Jeremiah Lingrel
came in 1837 from Logan County. He was
a native of Virginia and in Logan County married
Ellen Ragan, by whom he had thirteen children.
For many years after he came to Washington Township
he owned no land. He built his first cabin
north of Byhalia, and when the Marysville & Kenton
road was opened the cabin stood in the way and had
to be removed. He then lived in the Harriman
place in the southwest part of Survey 9,916; he
afterward moved to the western part of the township.
Marquis Osborn came in
1837. He was an Eastern man, but prior to his
residence here lived a while near Urbana. He
had a small family and died at his place on Rush
Creek - Survey 13,427, later known as the
Burnside farm.
In the same
year, Moses Redford was
making shoes on Rocky Fork. He owned no land
and remained in the township but a short time.
Jesse Thornton settled in
the township about 1835, purchasing 150 acres in
Survey 13,320, northwest from Byhalia. He was
originally form South Carolina, but had lived in
Virginia and Tennessee before emigrating to Ohio.
He first located in Champaign County and then lived
in Logan County eleven years before coming here.
He engaged in shoe making and coopering before
settling in Washington Township, but here he devoted
his attention entirely to farming. He had
married Nancy Richardson and raised a large
family. His children were James, Boyd,
Jacob, Aaron, Jesse, Mary, Sallie, wife of
Levin Wright, Lucinda, the wife of Solomon
Shirtzler, Rachel, wife of John Harriman,
and Nancy, wife of Joshua Harriman.
Mr. Thornton was born in 1777,and died in
Washington Township Mar. 31, 1857.
Southworth Mather settled
on Rocky Fork at an early day. He came from
the East somewhere, and was a local Methodist
preacher. Like many others, he was a squatter
at first, but afterward purchased land. He
removed to Paulding County.
John W. Basard, in
1837-38, located in the extreme eastern part of the
township on Rush Creek. He hailed from Logan
County, and devoted his time and attention for
awhile to farming. He then opened a little
grocery store on Rush Creek and sold a considerable
amount of goods to his neighbors.
Christopher Richards was one of the earliest
occupants of the land on Rocky Fork.
David Cunningham changed
his residence from near West Liberty, Logan County,
to a home in the wilderness, about two miles north
of Byhalia prior to 1840, but afterward sold out his
worldly possessions here and went West. When
last heard of he was still living.
In 1838, or
earlier, Jacob Collins was living just north
of what is now Byhalia, engaged in blacksmithing.
He remained but a few years and removed farther
west.
Joshua Hatcher was an
early farmer in the township. His farm was
situated about two miles west from Byhalia. He
came from Logan County,
Pg. 661 -
and after a residence of a few years in Washington
Township he returned thither. His brother,
Isaac Hatcher, was also an early settler.
James P. Scott was an
early resident on Rush Creek. He moved here
from Champaign County and afterward lived on Rocky
Fork. He died in this township and his family
moved West.
John
Williams came from Logan County about
1838, and settled in the northwestern part of the
township. His sojourn here was short.
After returning to Logan County, he emigrated to the
West. George
McElfish was an
early settler on Rush Creek.
William
Tomlinson lived
for a short time in pioneer days in the eastern
portion of the township.
James
Bird was perhaps the first settler in the
western part of the township. He came to it in
June, 1839. He had purchased 400 acres in Survey
12,105 and had to cut a road to the place. His
nearest neighbor, when he arrived, was Jeremiah
Lingrel, who lived two and a half miles east,
a short distance northwest from what is now Byhalia.
Mr. Bird was born in New York, and
while in that State served in the war of 1812 a
short time. He removed to Cuyahoga County,
Ohio, and thence to Logan County, where in addition
to his farm labors he preached the Gospel to his
neighbors and also practiced the " Thompsonian"
system of medicine. But after his removal to
Washington Township all his energies were given to
the development of his farm. He brought with
him five children—Gorum, William,
Albert, James and Olive (Ennis).
He was born June 8, 1798, and died Mar. 24, 1882.
William Green, of Logan
County, purchased land on Bokes Creek in the
southwestern corner of the township, and his sons,
George, Henry and John, cleared
and afterward settled upon it, while the country
around them was yet covered with one dense forest.
After the Greens, Matthew Williams
came
from Logan County and settled in that vicinity.
He died and was buried on the place.
David
Irwin, in 1836 or soon after, came from
Logan County and opened a blacksmith shop near the
Titsworth
place on the Essex and Rush Creek
road. He also carried on farming to a limited
extent. He afterward removed with his family
to Missouri.
In 1840, the township was very sparsely settled.
Land was then worth from $3 to $8 per acre.
During the next twenty years, the township steadily
increased in population and the land was gradually
cleared and placed under cultivation. I n 1855,
Matthew
Lingrell
purchased his farm in and north of Byhalia for $7
per acre. He has recently refused $80 per acre
for it. Within the last two or three years the
land has increased greatly in value. Its
average market value exceeds $50 per acre, while but
a few years ago it was not valued at more than $30
or $35 on an average. The tax duplicates
reveal the material increase of wealth, both of
personal and real property in the township. In
1837, the year after the township was organized, the
total taxable personal property consisted of
twenty-seven horses and thirty-seven cattle,
with a valuation of $1,376, and tax of $18.23.
The real estate was returned 15,157 acres:
valuation, $14,266; tax, $188.48. In 1840,
there were 20,015 acres, valued at $20,015, and town
lots at $223; personal property—thirty-two
horses, $1,280, sixty-eight cattle, $544, moneys,
$100, total valuation, $22,163; taxes, $332,45, of
which $149,64 was delinquent. In 1850, the
acreage was 16,768, valuation, $40,748; chattels,
$6,951; total, $47,699; taxes, $855.90. In
1860, the acreage was 17,087, valuation, $146,971,
tax, $1,660.78. In 1870, 17,280 acres,
valuation, $287,681 tax, $10,400. In
1880, 17,819 acres, valuation, $319,591; buildings,
$12,310; chattels, $83,268.
Washington Township has been distinctively rural in its
character. Its people have pursued the even
tenor of an agricultural life, and neither built up
Pg. 662 -
villages in their midst nor engaged in extensive
industrial pursuits. There are or have been no
grist mills within the limits of the township,
except a tread horse mill owned by David
Miller nearly forty years ago. It was a
very rude and imperfect affair and only patronized
to any considerable extent when very muddy roads or
very dry weather rendered it impossible to get
grists ground elsewhere. East Liberty,
seventeen miles distant from Byhalia, was the
principal milling point in early times. The
timber has been cleared largely from the land since
the introduction of portable saw mills and the early
saw mill has had no place here. Timber was
regarded as valueless by those who first occupied
the township as permanent settlers. It was
viewed only as an encumbrance to the cultivation of
the soil to be annihilated in the easiest and most
rapid manner possible. The usual way of first
deadening the timber by cutting a ring around the
tree through the bark and afterward felling, was in
many cases deemed too slow an operation, and the
timber was cut in the green. A number of the
earlier settlers owned little asheries on their
places and manufactured "black salts" from the ashes
produced by the rapid clearing of their farms.
The salts found a ready sale in Marysville and
elsewhere, and from the money received from it they
easily supplied themselves with the necessaries of
life until their crops were harvested. Ed
Blacock had an ashery on his place in the
western part of the township—the E. O. Stevenson
farm, southwestern corner of Survey 10,971.
Elisha and James Wright, the
Ellises and others in the northwestern portion
of the township also possessed them.
ELECTIONS.
In 1836,
when the township was organized, there are said to
have been sixteen voters here - Benjamin Davis,
Isaac Titsworth, George McElfish, Lemuel Titsworth,
William Southard, Stephen Davis, William E. Curl,
James Foster, Joseph Davis, Hiram Titsworth,
Jonathan Haynes, John V. Streeter, John Dysert
and Edward Southard. At gubernatorial
election of that year, however, only eleven votes
were cast, all for Joseph Vance. Since
then the votes of Washington Township for Governor
have been as follows: 1838, Joseph Vance,
12, Wilson Shannon, 5; 1840, Thomas
Corwin, 22, Wilson Shannon, 3; 1842,
Thomas Corwin, 12, Wilson Shannon, 5;
1844 Mordecai Bartley, 22, David Tod,
4; 1846, William Bebb, 26, David Tod,
3; 1848, Seabury Ford, 28, John B.
Wellers, 15, scallering, 1; 1850, William
Johnson, 26, Reuben Wood, 12; 1851,
Samuel F. Vinton, 28, Reuben Wood, 13,
Samuel Lewis, 6; 1853, Nelson Barrere,
27, William Medill, 18, Samuel Lewis,
20; 1855, Salmon P. Chase, 42, William
Medill, 16, Allen Trimble, 5;
1857, Salmon P. Chase, 47, H. P. Payne,
13, P. Van Trump, 2; 1859, William
Dennison, 58, R. P. Ranney, 7; 1861,
David Tod, 72, H. J. Jewett, 12;
1863, John Brough, 119, C. L.
Vallandigham, 16, 1865, J. D. Cox, 93,
George W. Morgan, 18; 1867, R. B. Hayes,
109, Allen G. Thurman, 30; 1869, R.
B. Hayes, 122, George H. Pendelton, 22;
1871, E. F. Noyes, 124, George W. McCook,
18; 1873, E. F. Noyes, 132, William
Allen, 29, Gideon T. Stewart, 3; 1875,
R. B. Hayes, 160, William Allen,
45; 1877, William H. West, 133, R. M.
Bishop, 52; 1879, Charles Foster,
195, Thomas Ewing, 56; 1881,
Charles Foster, 193, John W.
Bookwalter, 49, A. R. Ludlow, 1.
As will be seen, the township has been uniformly and
heavily Whig and Republican in its political
complexion since the organization of the township
except in 1853. In 1840, at the Presidential
election there were but three Democratic voters in
the township, and they, preferring to cast their
votes in a more congenial Clime, voted in an
adjoining township, the election laws then
permitting a citizen of the county to vote for
President at any precinct in the county.
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The Justices of the Peace for Washington, with the
dates of election, are as follows: Hiram
Titsworth, 1836; Hiram Titsworth, 1842;
Joshua B. Haynes, 1845. Nathan Hemin,
1848; Rees Miller, 1851; Nathan Heming,
1851; Hiram Titsworth, 1854; resigned in
1856; Nathan Homing, 1854; William
Williams, 1856; Walter Allyn, 1857;
Gorum Bird, 1857; Walter Allyn, 1860;
William Ballinger, 1860; William Spack,
1862; William W. Ballinger, 1863; William
Spack, 1865; John Rea, 1865; Matthew
Lingrell, 1868; Milton Southard, 1868;
Matthew Lingrell, 1871; Milton Southard,
1871; Gorum Bird, 1874; Matthew Lingrell,
1874; Aaron Coleman, 1877, resigned 1878;
Matthew Lingrell, 1877; George Miller,
1878; resigned 1879; N. M. Baldwin, 1879;
S. S. Sherwood, 1880; N. M. Baldwin,
1882.
The first election was
held at the house of Stephen Davis and after his
decease at the residence of his son, Ebenezer
Davis. When the schoolhouse was erected
just north of the Methodist Church above Byhalia, it
became the voting place. In 1882, a neat
township house was erected in Byhalia.
VILLAGES.
Byhalia,
comprising probably a dozen houses and a few stores,
is a busy little trading point and the only approach
to a village in the township. It is situated
in the southern part of the township at the crossing
of the Marysville & Kenton and Rush Creek & Essex
Gravel Roads, and is a growth of but two or three
years. In the earlier days of the township,
two attempts were made to establish a village, but
each met with a signal failure.
Arbela was a village plat laid out by Marquis
L. Osborne, July 25, 1838. It was situated
in the eastern part of the township, north of and
near Rush Creek, on Survey 13,427, the N. Burnside
place. John W. Basard kept a grocery
and followed gunsmithing, and Stacy Smith lived and
taught school here for a short time, and this is the
extent of the known human habitation of the place.
The utmost endeavors of its founder failed to make
it a metropolis or an emporium of trade. The
plat consisted of forty-five lots, a public square
and two streets - Main and Osborne. The lots
were 4x12 poles in size; their courses, north 12°
west and north 78° east. There are now two
small country stores in the eastern part of the
township.
In the spirit of a generous rivalry, it is said,
Haynesville was laid out by Jonathan
Haynes Sept. 4, 1838, about one mile up Rush
Creek from Arbela and on the southern, banks of the
stream. It was of more modest dimensions than
its established rival, containing but twenty-one
lots and a public square. This attempt at
town-making proved more abortive than the other, for
so far as known it remained in utter solitude. Its
streets were Main and Rush Creek.
In striking contrast with these two unsuccessful
efforts Byhalia has become the seat for a prosperous
little town by the process of natural selection
without any boosting from interested parties.
It has never been laid out; its lots have been sold
by metes and bounds by the owners of the land as
fast as they were required. Rees
Miller opened a little store about thirty years
ago on the Jehu Gray farm, a short
distance north of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
On application, a post office was established at the
store, with Mr. Miller as Postmaster,
and named Byhalia. The store was maintained here for
about twenty years and passed through the hands of
quite a number of owners. Jehu Gray
became Mr. Miller's partner after
awhile, and they were succeeded by Nathan
Moffat, William Davis, Walter Allyn, who
left in 1861, Joshua B. Haynes, Robert
Dodds, James Eaton, Moffat
and Gray and P. Allen. The last
mentioned closed business here about 1870. At
the cross roads or what
Pg. 664
-
is now Byhalia, there stood at this time three
farmhouses, belonging to and occupied by Matthew
Lingrell, Orson Allen and
Horace Pinney. William Moffat
purchased a corner lot off the Pinney farm,
built a store-room and there offered a general stock
of goods for sale to the public. Except one
year, when Logan & Coleman operated
the store, Mr. Moffat has been in
possession of the store ever since. When Mr.
Moffat returned and took possession again
about four years ago, Logan & Coleman
erected a store building and opened the second store
in the place. They sold general merchandise
for three years, then in November, 1881, sold to
G. J. & N. M. Baldwin, who are the present
owners. In May, 1881, J. W. Mehaffey
opened a drug store, and in March, 1882, Alfred
Davis brought to the village a stock of
hardware, notions and groceries; both these stores
are still operated by their founders.
Jefferson Severe erected a hotel a few years ago
and was its first proprietor; he subsequently rented
it to T. W. Tolman, then sold it to Marion
Flickinger. G. J. Baldwin
purchased from Mr. Flickinger in
March, 1881, and about nine months later disposed of
it to the present proprietor, Z. R. Thornton.
Dr. Hiram
Myers was the first practicing physician at
Byhalia. He opened an office about thirty
years ago and practiced ten or twelve years.
Dr. William Breese succeeded
him, but remained only a short time. Dr.
Gustavus Skidmore then became the physician
of this vicinity, but several years later he removed
to Essex and subsequently to Pharisburg. Dr.
Emanuel Whittaker also practiced here
for a time, then moved West. The two
physicians now located here are Drs. B. A. Martin
and George Martin; both have been here
for a number of years and have won a good,
established practice.
During the past year there have been more buildings
erected than at any time previous. About
fifteen families now reside here. There are
two blacksmith shops. In 1879, the lines of
the adjacent school districts were changed so as to
give Byhalia a school, and it now has a substantial
frame schoolhouse. G. J. Baldwin is the
present Postmaster. The office was transmitted
from one merchant to another at the store where it
was first established until the seat of business
shifted to the site of Byhalia, and it has since
been held by William Moffat, Aaron
Coleman and G. J. Baldwin successively.
CEMETERIES.
The township cemetery is situated on an elevated
lot of ground on the Boyd Thornton farm,
northwest from Byhalia. It was first used as a
private burial ground and since about 1854 the
earthly remains of most of Washington Township's
deceased have reposed beneath its sod. The lot
originally included half acre, but recently another
half acre has been added. The first graveyard
in the township was on the Titsworth place,
northeast of Byahalia, and many of the earliest
settlers have been interred here. For about
thirty years, however, it has caused to subserve
this sacred purpose, and a more neglected spot could
scarcely now be found. Many of the remains
have been removed to other cemeteries. It lies
so close to the channel of rocky Fork that the
graves are in danger of being despoiled of their
hallowed trusts by the treacherous current, and it
is said that skeletons have already been washed away
by its waters. Another small cemetery is
situated in the east part of the township on the
Nathan Burnside place. It has been in use
for many years.
SCHOOLS.
On the Titsworth place, a log schoolhouse was
erected through the joint labors of the settlers in
that vicinity at an early day. It was probably
the first building of the kind in the township, and
stood near the old cemetery.
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Joseph Carter was one of the first
teachers. He taught one or two winters only.
David Ellis taught several terms in
the same school, and was considered an excellent
teacher. For a number of years after, a
subscription school was held on the Kenton &
Marysville road, some distance north of
Byhalia. Stacy Smith was also an
early teacher here. The schools were held very
irregularly before the establishment of the common
district schools, and terms were usually of three
months' duration. The first school in the
western part of the township was held in a log house
which stood on the Bird farm.
Mary Johnson was the first teacher.
She received only 75 cents per week and " boarded
'round. " Margaret Johnson
afterward taught at the same place. There are
now eight school districts within the township, each
of which is supplied with a good building, furnished
with modern school furniture and appliances.
CHURCHES.
Davis Methodist Protestant Chapel is located on
the Essex & Rush Creek road, in the eastern part of
the township. The society was organized in
1848 with ten members—Jonathan Fields
and wife, Ebenezer Davis and wife,
Thomas Miller and wife, Jesse
Weatherbee and wife and Jefferson Fields
and wife—by the Rev. Cyrus Carter
in a log schoolhouse which stood on Lemuel
Titsworth's land. The services were held
in this schoolhouse for ten or twelve years, when
the neat frame church now used as the house of
worship was constructed. Ebenezer
Davis, Thomas Miller and John
McPeck were the largest contributors in the
enterprise. The first mentioned donated the
lot upon which the house was erected. Rev.
Oliver Stephens was the pastor in
charge when it was built. The church has been
prosperous and now
contains fifty-seven members. Rev.
James Adams has perhaps been the most
successful pastor. During the revival services
conducted by him, the membership of the church
increased to considerably more than one hundred.
This church has been a charge in the Richwood
Circuit until about a year ago, when it and the
Essex church engaged the services of Rev.
Cadwallader, who has since administered to them.
A Sabbath school is regularly maintained during
pleasant weather.
A Methodist Episcopal society was organized about 1840,
in a log schoolhouse built in the woods on Rocky
Run, near where Southworth Mather then
lived, afterward the Hiram Titsworth
and now the William Haynes place.
The membership was small, and most prominent among
the little band were Hiram and Lemuel Titsworth,
John Johnson and Southworth
Mather. The latter two were local
preachers. Services were continued in a log
schoolhouse until a new schoolhouse was built on the
newly opened Marysville & Kenton road, which stood
near the site of present Methodist Church, north of
Byhalia.
Services were then held in the schoolhouse for a
number of years. By the removal of members
from the neighborhood, the society became very weak
numerically and regular preaching was suspended.
About 1872, a class of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
consisting of perhaps twelve members, was organized,
with Allen Haines as class leader.
The society prospered, and in 1876 erected a
commodious and handsomely constructed edifice, 34x48
feet, north of Byhalia half a mile, and close to the
schoolhouse, in which the meetings had previously
been conducted. Its cost exceeded $2,000.
It was dedicated by Rev. David
Rutledge, then Presiding Elder of the district
to which it was attached. The first steps
looking to the
erection of the church were taken during the
pastorate of Rev. Solomon Linsley.
His successors as pastors of this church have been
Revs. William Shultz,
William Dunlap, J. C. Clemmons,
David Bowers and John W. Donnan.
The last mentioned is now serving his second year.
The Byhalia Church was orig
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inally included in the Mt. Victory Circuit, composed
of four charges—Byhalia, Mt. Victory, Wilson Chapel
and Reinhart Church. It is now an element in
the York Center Circuit, which comprises four
churches—McKendree at York Center, Byhalia,
Summersville and Bethel. The present
membership is about forty. A Sabbath school
was organized subsequent to the erection of the
church, and is now working in an active and
successful manner. It contains ninety-five
members, eight classes and is superintended by
William Haines.
In the extreme northwestern corner of Washington
Township is an organization of the Quakers or
Friends, known as Rush Creek Church. Its
membership is drawn from Hardin and Logan Counties
as well as this township. The organization was
effected soon after the close of the rebellion in a
log schoolhouse. A few years later, through
the efforts of Obediah Williams.
Bennett Watkins, Isaac Penoc
and other early members, a frame structure was
erected, which has since served as their meeting
house. At the organization of the society, the
membership scarcely numbered half a dozen. It
is now probably forty. Services are held every
Sabbath. A Sabbath school has been maintained
for many years.
In the southwestern portion of the township is a
religious society of the Free-Will Baptist
persuasion, which owns no house of worship, but
meets in the Bird Schoolhouse. It was
organized there about ten years ago by Elder
George Baker, then of Marion County, Ohio.
He and Elder K. F. Higgins have been the only
two pastors in charge. The early membership
was small, and included the names of Gorum
Bird and wife Arsadilla, Albert
Bird and wife Mary, William
Peterson and wife Ellen, and Rachel
and Mary Elliott. A Sabbath
school has been supported until the present year,
when, owing to the temporary suspension of regular
services, the school, too, ceased active work.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
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