Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/258

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY

��wonderful document, the ■ Declaration," for aniong the settlers were not only many excel- lent scholars and gentlemen, l)ut here and there could l)e found a veritable graduate of Yale College. When no minister was present to act as chaplain, a good pious man was called to that post. If the meeting did not end with a grand ring fight, the people went home dis- appointed.

At a meeting of the pioneers of the county in 1858, of which Mr. Jabez Cook was Pres- ident, an ax was presented to each of the fol- lowing persons, they being the oldest pioneers then living in the county; Jacob Stoner, who set- tled here in 1807 or 1 808 ; Michael Newman, who settled in 1808 ; Jonathan Oldfield. 1809 ; Thos. McCluer, 1809; Henry Nail. 1810, and John Coulter. Uriah Matson was also presented with an ax in consideration of his having cleared more land than any man in the county.

Richland County is only seventy-two years of age — yet in its infancy. What mighty changes ! The human mind can hardly comprehend it. Yesterda}^, a wilderness, full of wild animals and wild men ; to-day, rejoicing in the bright light of the highest civilization.

" I ask myself, Is this a dream ? Will it vanish into air ? Is there a land of such supreme And perfect beauty anywhere ? "

There are over three hundred thousand acres of tillable land in the coiuity, valued at about eleven millions of dollars ; property in city and villages valued at about four millions, and chattels and personal property, nearly twenty millions ; all in seventy-two years.

Statistics prove that Richland (Jounty is one of the best in the State for agricultural pui'- poses, generally. Almost everything gTown in the Northern States can be grown on its soil. It does not largely excel in any one thing, but in some things stands first among the best.

Out of eighty-eight counties in the State, only nine raised more wheat in 1878 than Rich-

��land, and these were generally larger counties, with more acreage sown. The average j'ield was a little more than fifteen bushels to the acre ; the average in the State, for twenty-eight years, being a little more than eleven bushels per acre.

In the same year, only two counties in the State raised more oats than this ; these were Stark and Wayne, in both of which the acreage was greater. The average is in favor of Rich- land, it being a little more than forty Inishels per acre, while both Stark and Wayne averaged a little more than thirty-nine bushels. The yield of wheat was 488.041 l)ushels. and of oats, 982,993 bushels.

The average yield of corn in the State for twenty-eight years was a little over thirty bushels per acre ; Richland, in 1878, averaged over thirty-five bushels, the yield being 1.063.- 045 bushels.

These are the principal crops, and it will be seen that Richland excels. In all other crops her standing is high.

For a healthful climate and the longe\ity of its citizens the county stands almost unrivaled. The purity of its water and air, and the general intelligence of its citizens, have tended to lengthen their days. There are a numl)er of hale, hearty pioneers who have passed the three- score and ten allotted to man ; a few who walk with comparatively firm step under the weight of eighty or ninety, or more years, and one at least — John Wiler, Esq. — -who, in this year (1880) completes a century of existence.

The political history of the county is not unlike that of other counties in the State. Its first member of Congress was jMordecai Bartk\v, who was elected in 1823, to the House of Rep- resentatives, serving four terms, or until 1831. The second, William Patterson, was elected to the Twenty-third Congress in 1833, serving as a member of the House until 1837. The third was Jacob Brinkerhoff*. elected to the House in 1843, serving two terms, or until 1847. The

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