Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/442

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��HISTORY OF EICHLAND COUNTY.

��Section 22 ; Geo. Aimgst, from Virginia, south- east quarter of Section 1 5 ; John Fowler, south- west quarter of Section 14 ; John Boham, northeast quarter of Section 20 ; Robert Bell, Sr., and Robert Bell Jr., from New Jersey, northeast quarter of Section ; Zephaniah Bell, northwest quarter of Section 4 ; John Study, from Pennsylvania, southwest quarter of Section 25 ; John "Watson, southeast quarter of Section 7 ; Joseph Hix, from Pennsylvania, northeast quarter of Section 25 ; Henry Swank, from Pennsylvania, northwest quarter of Section 34 ; James Selb}', southeast quarter of Section 19 ; Jacob Stout, from Pennsylvania, northwest quar- ter of Section 7 ; Jonathan Oldfleld, came to township in 1808, from New York, northeast quarter of Section 22 ; William Oldfield, came in 1810, from New York, southeast quarter of Section 16 ; Samuel Oldfield, came in 1810, from New York, northeast quarter of Section 16 ; John Weirick, came in 1809, from Mary- land, northwest quarter of Section 17 ; Peter Weirick, came in 1809, from Mar^dand, south- west quarter of Section 8 ; John Zent, Sr., came in 1810, from Pennsylvania, northwest quarter of Section 9 ; John Zent, Jr., came in 1810, from Pennsylvania, southwest quarter of Sec- tion 7 ; Duncan Spear, came in 1810, from Ver- mont, southwest quarter of Section 15 ; William Spear, came in 1810, shoemaker in Bellville ; Abraham Smith, in 1810, from Vermont, north- west quarter of Section 22 ; John Leedy, came in 1811, from Pennsylvania, northwest quarter of Section 35.

The male adults residing in the present limits of the township previous to the war of 1812, were James McCluer, Samuel McCluer and the above eleven whose names have dates of settlement. Jefferson being on the frontier, with good soil and water, and on the principal thoroughfare through the county, held a large share of the heavy wave of immigration which came imme- diately- after the war of 1812; and for many j-ears it had a larger population than any other

��township in the count}-. In 1826, there were but forty acres of public land, which was en- tered by George Nicewanger, whose patent bears the date of 1835.

The first road in the township established l)y State aid. is the State road running from Mount Vernon to Mansfield, along the central section line. It was opened to the boundary line as early as 1810, and through the township in 1812.

The survey of the " new purchase " was completed and the land offered in market in January, 1808 ; and soon after, James McCluer, a Virginian, and Jonathan Oldfield and Thomas McCluer, two young men in his employ, came from Pickawa}^ County and opened a road from Fredericktown, in Knox County, to the present site of Bellville, which he chose as a location, and while he picked his way to Can- ton to enter it, the northeast quarter of Section 9, the two young men commenced the improve- ment. The entry was made in March, 1808. They remained a part of the year, clearing a parcel of ground and erecting a cabin, and then returned to Pickaway County again. The next year, Mr. McCluer moved his famil}-. This was the first cabin built in the southern part of the county w-ith its present limits, and the sec- ond built in the count}-. It stood on what is now a part of D. Zent's garden lot, a few feet northwest of the scale-house connected with Alexander & Zent's grain elevator, in Bellville. The block-house stood south of the railroad station, a few feet from the railroad, and was erected soon after the Greentown massacre in 1812. The settlers along the Clear Fork gath- ered there for defense against hostile Indians, but underwent no attack. The Indians had camps in various parts of the township, and as- sociated freely with the first settlers in a busi- ness way ; and in 1818, they bid final farewell to their hunting-grounds and generous white friends who treated them as human, aifiidst many tears and thanks.

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