Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/676

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��CHAPTER LXXI.

MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP.*

Survey — First Skttlers and Settlements — Esquire Newell — Churches — Old Hopewell — Ashland — Its Early Settlers, Etc.— First Carriage — Francis Graham's Recollectkins — Post Office — Schools — The Ashland College — The Churches of Ashland — The Business of Ashland — The Newspapebs AND other Publications.

��SINCE the erection of Ashland' County, Montgomery has assumed a position of importance, being near the center of the county geographically, and including the countj^ seat within its limits. It was surveyed in October, 1806, by Maxfield Ludlow. In running the south boundary going west, seventeen chains and twenty links from the third mile stake, he came to a well-marked Indian trail running southeast and northwest. This is the well- known path of the Wyandots, which was fol- lowed by Maj. Robert Rogers in 1761, in his route to the forks of the Muskingum, on his return to Fort Du Quesne, as well as by Gen. Beall, on his expedition to Sandusky. This trail passed over the farm known as the late residence of John McCammon, thence across the Ryal farm, in Milton Township, into Richland Countj^, in a northwesterly direction through Blooming Grove Township. The east boundary of the township is noted as flat and marshy, with bottoms subject to overflow ; the timber, elm, maple, sugar, swamp-oak and alder bush. On the third mile going north, a plain, much- traveled Indian trail, leading northwest, was seen. This passed b}' the old Newell farm, thence to near the covered bridge on the Wooster road, where it divided, one branch leading up the Catatawa}^, and the other near the bridge on the Harrisburg road, bj^ the old residence of Daniel Carter, Sr., subsequently known as the John Mason farm. The lands of Montgomery on the east are described as level


 * Now in Ashland County, formeriy in Richland.

��and rich ; in the middle and west part of the township as rolling and of good quality ; the timber, ash, walnut, oak, hickory, cherry, sugar and maple, with considerable undergrowth, and a number of glades. The subdivision into sec- tions was surveyed by Jonathan Cox, in No- vember, 1806. Mr. Cox found an ancient earthwork north of Ashland, which is referred to in another chapter of this work.

Montgomery was organized June 6, 1815, out of the north two-thirds of Vermillion, being then twelve miles long from north to south, and six miles wide. June 3, 1816, this territory' was divided, and Orange created out of the north half leaving Montgomery in its present shape — six miles square.

Montgomery, lying back from the principal streams, was not settled as early as the other parts of the county, no settlers being found within its limits for several years after the set- tlement at Greentown. Robert Newell was, without doubt, the first settler in the township. He came from White Eyes Plains (Newcom- erstown), Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, to Mont- gomery' in 1811, settling on the land afterward occupied by Hugh McGuire. He seems also to be the only settler until the spring of 1812, when Samuel Carter came. April 1, 1814, Henry Baughman, with his wife and one child, settled on Section 3. Samuel Burns also came early in the spiung of 1814, from Guernsey County, Ohio, settling on land adjoining that of Mr. Newell. He brought his family by water in a pirogue. He was fourteen days coming up

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