Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/428

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��Prior to white occupation, the Indians used this territory, extensivel}-, for hunting and mak- ing sugar, but no permanent camp was located within its limits, so far as known. Every 3'ear, however, they were in the habit of making temporary' camps, along the l^eautiful val- leys of Friend's and Brubaker Creeks, and many specimens of their handiwork have been found in various places, though these are not nearly so numerous as in some other portions of the county. On the bank of Brnbaker's Creek, a short distance west of John Kendall's barn, several fine specimens of Indian work- manship have been found, from time to time, indicating the location of an Indian encamp- ment, and, perhaps, of a small burying-gi'ound, though the place has never received careful ex- amination.

The Black Fork, in an earl}' da}^, was con- sidered navigable, for some Doats, as far as Ganges, though it was hard work to get boats of any size above the vicinity of the Charles mill. The earliest settlers of Franklin proba- bly came up this stream, a few, however, com- ing in by way of Beall's trail, and large num- bers, a little later, b}' the old State road, the first road in the township, and was cut through, in a zigzag course, from Mans- field to Brubaker Creek, and thence north- westerly, taking a diagonal course across the township to Ganges. This road has been straightened considerabl}', but its general course remains the same. This is the road upon which large quantities of grain and other produce was wagoned to the lake, in those days the only outlet to the Eastern market ; and it was along this road that the first settlers gen- erally located, and where the}- were not en- tirely isolated from the rest of the world. The daily passage of immense freight wagons, which occurred in the fall of the year, served as a diversion for the monotony of life in the woods.

No exact date can be given for the first set- tlement of this township, though it must have

��occurred as earl}' as 1814, as a printed record — which is confirmed by the oldest settlers — says that Peter Pittenger and George Wolford, together with the Rev. John Clingen, organ- ized a Methodist societ}', with twelve mem- bers, in 1815. This would indicate quite a number of settlers here at that earh' date, and it is fair to presume that some of them came as earl}- as 1814, or even a year earlier, though it must also be remembered that settlers came from long distances to reHgious meetings, and that this early Methodist society might have been made up of settlers parti}' from other townships.

It is pretty safe to place Henry and Peter Pittenger, who settled on Section 21, and George Wolford, among the earliest settlers. Among these early settlers, also, were Samuel Harvey, Mr. Arbuckle, Samuel Gosage and the Armsti'ongs, all of whom settled on Section 16, which had been reserved by the State for school purposes, and all came liefore 1820. These were rather wild, harum-scarum fellows, who cared more for hunting wild animals and bees, fishing and trapping, than for tilling the soil. They erected their cabins upon this sec- tion iDecause it was not open to settlers nor for sale, and they knew they would not be dis- turbed. They made no clearings or improve- ments, for they did not intend to become farm- ers. The State held this land sixteen years, when it was sold to the highest bidder, bring- ing about 111 per acre. It is worth now about .$100 per acre. When it was sold, these hunters were compelled to vacate, and prob- ably followed the Indian and bear further West.

Among the earliest settlers in the southern and western part, were Mr. Groocross, Section 29 ; Samuel Linn, Section 28 ; Jacob Keiser, John and Jacob Stoner, Robert Hall, Samuel Donnan and Israel Long, the latter settling on Section 34. Further north and east, were Cal- vin Morehead and his four sons, James, John, DaAdd and Calvin ; Jacob Cline, Section 17 ;

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