Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/418

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��CHAPTER XLIII.

CASS TOWNSHIP.

Its Erection, Boundaries and Physical Features — Settlements — Indians — First Methodist Church — Schools and School Teachers — Towns — Old Salem — London — Planktown — Shiloh — Its Early Settlers, Buildings, Schools and Churches — The Shiloh Review.

��CASS belongs to the northern tier of town- ships, with Pl3anouth on the west. Bloom- ing (xi-ove on the east, and Jackson on the south. It was named after the Democratic candidate for President in 1848. It was erected out of the east half of Plymouth Township, December 12, 1849, and the name of Cass was at that time a prominent one in political his- tory. Its length, from north to south, is six miles ; width, four miles.

It is generally level, very fertile, and an ex- cellent fruit-growing district. The southern part is well watered by the Black Fork and tributaries, and the northern part by the tribu- taries of the Hur.)n River, the dividing ridge running near the village of Shiloh.

The first settlement of this township was made near the head-waters of the Black Fork, in 1815, on Sections 13 and 24. John Long, from Knox County, formerly from Penns}'!- vania, settled on the former, and John McCart on the latter. Both families came about the same time, but McCart built the first cabin in the township, and Long the second. Other set- tlements were rapidly made. Among those who came in that and the year following, may be mentioned John Morris, who settled on Section 4 ; Daniel Cronsales, Section 9 ; Asa 3Iurphy and familj', including a son, Asa, from Vir- ginia, Section 1 : Daniel Prosser, Section 21. Robert Greene came in 1816, from Hampshire County, Va., and [Thomas McBride in 1817, settling on Section 3. The following persons settled near the present site of the vil-

��lage of Shiloh, from 1816 to 1825: Frank Carmichael, Levi Bodle}^, William BodW, Theson Richardson, Cornelius Brink, John and Aaron Pettit, Ephraim Vail, Richard Thew, John and Isaac Murphy, Reason Barnes, Thomas James, Benjamin Young, William Cot- ton, Peter Hall, John Long, Jr., Thomas Hamil- ton and James Long. The settlement of this township began after the war of 1812, when there was a good deal of excitement about, and quite a rush for, Ohio lands ; consequenth', it filled up rapidly, a majority of the settlers ]>eing from Western Pennsylvania and Virginia, a few, from New Jersej" and the New England States. The earl}- history of the township is meager. It does not differ from the general history' of other townships in earl}' days, except perhaps it was more quiet, no Indians of consequence being encamped within the limits of the town- ship, except a small band of Wj'andots or Dela- wares (probably a part of Armstrong's band of Creentown Indians), who had a permanent camp on the head-waters of the Black Fork. The settlers were never molested b}' them. There is the usual supply of bear and deer hunting stories, but none of sufficient im- portance for preservation. The entire town- ship was heavily timbered with l)eech, oak, sugar, hickory, ash, and all other varieties of hard Avood. It is quite probable that none of the earl}^ settlers found sufficient room to build their cabins without first cutting away the trees and brush. Thus the pioneers hewed out the homes for those who now enjoy them. A few

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