Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/250

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��mnn, but one of those bold, daring spirits that always stand ready to act as' the picket-guard of civilization. He walked up through the woods from Mount Vernon, then a little hamlet and frontier town, and erected his cabin far in advance of all others. Proba1)ly the first road that entered the county came from the east at Wooster and ended somewhere about Green- town, and was probably soon extended to the Newman settlement, and thence to Mansfield. The next road was the one leading from Mount Vernon north through the McCluer settlement. A settlement existed at the mouth of Huron River, and this road connected Mount Vernon and other frontier towns with that settlement, and was opened through Richland County in 1811. McCluer was so well pleased with the country and his prospects that he induced some of his relatives, among whom was Jonathan ldfleld and Samuel ^IcCluer, his nephew, to accompany him and his ftimil}- in the spring of 1809, and make a permanent set tlement. Thomas McCluer also came, and worked as a hired hand, helping to clear up the land.

This James McCluer afterward became prom- inent in the affairs of the county, being one of its first Associate Judges. When Mansfield began to grow, he left his farm, at Bellville, and resided in Mansfield a few years, occupying a cabin on the southwest corner of Main and Fourth' streets (present site of the savings bank), and afterward moved to the vicinity of Leesville, in Crawford County, where he had previously purchased a piece of land, and where he resided until his death, occupied with farm- ing pursuits.

During this year (1809) settlements were made in different parts of the county, mostly, however, along the tributaries of the Mohican, the Black Fork, Clear Fork and Rocky Fork. They came partly by boat up these streams, and partly l)y the Indian trails. David Hill made the first settlement at Lucas, in this year. A

��number of his kinsmen followed, and consti- tuted quite a settlement of Hills in this neigh- borhood. Samuel Lewis settled in the northern part of Worthington Township, and afterward erected the "Lewis block-house" on his prem- ises. Settlements were also made in Green Township, in what is now Ashland County, and in Mifflin Township, within the present limits of Richland. Mansfield also received two or three additional settlers during this year.

During the j^ear 1810, the road before men- tioned, from Wooster to Mansfield was opened, and settlers came more rapidty ; none, however, settled west or north of Mansfield. A few were added to each of the settlements already made ; and the same may be said of the year 1811, except that Archibald Gardner, and, per- haps, one or two others, pushed on up the Black Fork, settling near the present site of Windsor; a settlement was made in the vicinity of Lexington, another in Vermillion Township (now in Ashland County), east of Hayesville : one in Monroe and one in Worthington Town- ship. The war of 1812 checked emigration somewhat, but after it ended the tide began again to fiow in greater volume than ever. The jDassage of the armies of Gens. Crooks and Beall, as well as the presence and passage, at different times, of ' smaller bodies of troops, served the purpose of opening roads in diflfer- ent directions, as well as introducing into the new country thousands of men who would never otherwise haA^e known of its beaut}' or advan- tages, and who, when they were at liberty to do so, returned and settled in it. The county, no doubt, settled far more rapidly tlian it would had there been no war of 1812.

The march of Beall's army opened up the county to the north, hence, in 1814 and 1815, quite a number of settlers followed -Beairs trail," and settlements were made at Trucks- ville, Pl3'mouth, and in different parts of Mont- gomery, Milton, Weller, Franklin, Blooming Grove, Plymouth, Cass and other townships in