Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/436

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��turned and leveled their guns at him, as if the}' would shoot him. He was somewhat fright- ened, but continued his work without exhibit- ing any outward signs of fear, and, finding he was not visibly frightened, they continued their journey.

The first and only grist-mill erected in Jack- son Township was by James Kerr in 1830, on Richland Run, in the northern part of the township, on Section 1. The first miller was Mr. Urie ; the second, William Kerr, son of James Kerr. William is j^et living on the old place. The third miller was a Mr. Sellers. In 1853, this old mill was taken down, and some of the timbers used in the erection of Mr. Kerr's barn. The old mill-race is yet to be seen. A few saw-mills have been erected from time to time in the township, but this territory is not well supplied with water-power, and few mills were ever in operation. Most of the settlers went to the Spring mill, or to Gramble's mill at Shelby.

The first birth in the township occurred in the family of Robert Henrj^ ; the first death has been mentioned as ))eing the child of one of the Currans, and the second was that of Joseph Rockwell, in the spring of 1818. The first marriage was that of Giles Swan to Jane Rockwell, in September, 1817. The Swans, Taylors and Rockwells were influential in all the early aflfairs of the township. When it was organized, all the residents met at the house of Mrs. Rockwell, which stood on the farm now owned by M. M. Barber. There were fourteen persons present, and after the petition was duly signed, they appointed Henry Taylor to present the same to the Commissioners at Mansfield. The Commissioners granted the petition and named the township Sharon, after some town in Connecticut. The subsequent elections in Jackson were hejd at Taylor's Cor- ners. Mr. Henr}' Taylor's house was a noted place for public meetings, elections, militia musters, etc., in those early daj's. Mr. Taylor

��then kept a tavern, in addition to his black- smithing and other business. A town hall is now located at this place for the transaction of the public business of the township. This is a small frame building and answers the pur- pose of all public meetings and gatherings of the people to discuss their local aflFairs. Gen- eral spelling schools and sometimes religious meetings are held here.

No villages have been laid out in this town- ship, the people generally going to Shelby or Mansfield to trade.

Schools were first organized about 1820, and the first schoolhouse was erected on what is now known as the Cutler farm, one and a half miles east of Shelby, near the cross roads, then not far from the residence of Giles Swan, who was very likely a prime mover in the matter, being a well-educated man himself The first teacher was Miss Amelia Graves. A little later, a log schoolhouse was erected in the southern part of the township, John Upp being the first teacher here. At the present day, neat white schoolhouses are placed here and there at convenient distances, and the children who attend them, instead of following a blazed path miles through the woods, barefooted and thinty clad, to the log schoolhouses, now trav- erse cleared, cultivated fields and well-kept highways.

Only two churches have an organized exist- ence within the limits of the township, the people, many of them, attending church in Shelb}'.

Quite a number of the first settlers in the northern part of the towaiship were Lutherans, and did not at first attempt to organize a church of their own, being too few in number and too poor to emplo}' a minister ; they therefore united with the Presbyterian Church of Shelby, with the understanding that they should be allowed to withdraw whenever they felt able to organize a church of their own. Most of these withdrew about or before 1830, and effected an

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