Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/693

 HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

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��the present commodious house of worship, the original house having been demolished. There are at present about forty members. Some of the ministers were C. C. Ball, G. Walker, W. W. Smith, Seymour and E. Buxton. A few miles northeast from Mount Tabor is a German Reformed Church. Services are held in both languages, English and German. The church is attended by a number of settlers of German tongue who are from Pennsylvania and other German communities. A few miles north of the German Reformed Church, and aljout three miles east of West Point, is another chapel, be- longing to the Christian Church. This societ}'

��has been organized some thirty years. There is a membership of about eight}'. The build- ing, a nice frame, comfortabl}' furnished, was erected about 1855. The ministers have been Rev. William Gass, Rev. Burns, Revs. Reed, McVey, Van Voorhies, William Bowling and a few others. Congress Township is well sup- plied with good schoolhouses, mostly built of brick. The numerous schools and 6hurches and other civilizing influences certainly point toward true prosperity. The material resources of this township and its industrious, intelligent citizens promise a bright future.

��CHAPTER LXXV.

NORTH BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP.*

Boundaries — Subface — Settlers — Village of Blooming Grove — Churches — Stores, Shops, Etc. — Village ' OF Westpoint — Early Settlers — Churches — School.

��THIS township joins Troy on the west. It was embraced in the limits of the latter, which was then twelve miles long from east to west, and six miles wide. March 4, 1823, a tract six miles square was set off from the west and named North Bloomfield. The surface of this township is quite smooth, and the soil is free from stones. The early settlements clus- tered about two points, located in the extreme northeast and southwest portions of the town- ship, West Point and Blooming Grove. The oldest pioneer now living in the vicinity of the latter place is probably Hiram Stevens, who was born in Vermont in 1800. He came to this township in 182.3, when there were only eleven voters within its limits. He settled on a piece of land just south of the village, where he re- mained until recentl}', when he moved to the town. Four sons and two daughters are the surviving members of his family. James Apple- man, another old and honored pioneer, lives


 * Now in Morrow County, formerly in Richland.

��just east of the village. He came to Bloom- field in early days, entered a quarter-section of land, embracing a portion of Sections 10 and 11, and cleared it mostly by his own labor. William Harris came to this region in 1820, and settled on the land now owned by Mr. Apple- man. He removed to Indiana about 1841. Stephen Borham, who settled about four miles south of the village, came to this vicinity be- fore 1820. His daughter, Mrs. Eckler, was per- haps the first white child born in this township. At a later period, about 1833, quite a tide of immigration visited this portion of the county, bringing Samuel Bishop and family, all of whom are now dead except ]Mrs. INIoore ; also John McCool, who settled about two miles south of the village. Thomas Chambers and several other prominent men belong to this period. A few 3'ears later, about 1840, Samuel Cummins, John Berger, George Keeler and a few others settled southwest of Blooming Grove. Promi- nent among the settlers who are identified with

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