Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/686

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��were border volunteers and had suffered much from Indian raids and depredations. In the winter of 1815, he erected a blacksmith-shop on his land, being the first one in Orange Town- ship, he being a blacksmith and gunsmith by trade. The first winter after his arrival, he killed forty deer, eight large black bears, a great number of coons and other game.

An Ashland paper of April 9, 1862, has this item : '• Jacob Young, an old citizen of this township, died on the 3d instant, at the ad- vanced age of eighty-nine years and three months. He was born in Hardy County, Va. January 1, 1773 ; emigrated to Ohio in 1804, and to this county in 1814. He lived with his companion, who still survives him, sixty-eight 3'ears. He was the father of twelve children ; and when he died, had one hundred and seventeen grandchildren ; one hundred and seventy-six great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren. ' '

No road had been surveyed in the township at the date of its first settlement. John Bishop carried the chain for the surveyors when they established the first road which led from Sheet's saw-mill, on the east line of Montgomery Township, via Jacob Young's and Leidigh's mill to Savannah, though no mills or towns were then in existence. Mr. Bishop was made Con- stable at the first election held in the town- ship.

On the site of this Leidigh mill, two miles west of the present village of Orange, was erect- the first mill in the township, in 1815, by Mar- tin Mason. The stones were " hard-heads," and would grind sixty bushels per day. The mill commenced operations in March, 1816. That the settlers in Orange and adjacent townships appreciated the advantages of the mill, ma}^ be understood when it is stated that prior to its erection, the nearest mill was that of Stibbs, one mile east of Wooster. In 1814-15, no corn could be obtained nearer than Wooster and along Apple and Short Creeks — price, $1.25 per

��bushel. Wheat could not be obtained nearer than Massillon, at $2 per bushel.

Previous to the erection of this mill, corn was prepared for use on hominy blocks, and nearly ever}^ cabin had one. Mr. Mason constructed a hand-mill before this first water-mill was built. He had a couple of hard-heads made into mill-stones. This hand-mill (a good one of its kind) would, by the aid of six persons, pro- duce half a bushel of meal in two hours.

What was called "sick wheat" was often produced in the early attempts at cultivation. The berry would be as plump and attractive in appearance as the best quality ever grown, and the flour as white as the best specimens now produced. When made into bread, it would be palatable, except that it would have a sweet taste ; but when eaten by man or beast, it pro- duced a distressing sickness, and only remained upon the stomach a few moments. This was, how- ever, the only disease that attacked the wheat, neither weevil, rust nor smut being then known.

Milling was sometimes done at Beam's, on Black Fork, and down on the White Woman ; the trip to the latter being made in canoes, and occup}' ing about two weeks. For a long time Beam's mill ground onlv corn.

Orange, the onh^ town in the township, was laid out April 22, 1828, by Amos Norris and J. C. Chilcoat. It is located in the midst of a fine farming region, but long ago arrived at maturity — a village of one or two hundred people. The post office is Nankin.

The religious sentiment is well developed, a number of churches having been organized in the town and township. One of the earliest is the German Reformed, organized about 1832. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Orange is prob- abl}' the oldest, having been organized some years before 1830, at which date the church building was erected. The Evangelical Lu- theran was organized in 1861 ; the North Orange Methodist Episcopal about 1848 ; tlie Canaan Church was erected in. 1850 ; the Ger-

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