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Page 624
The first white persons who settled within the present limits of Jefferson Township were Michael Johnson, wife and eight children, who emigrated from Virginia to this section of the Northwest Territory in 1796-97. About the same time, William Lapin located in this township, and subsequently married Margaret, daughter of Michael Johnson, which family had settled about four miles northwest of the site of Jefferson. Silas Springer, another pioneer of this period, first located near Plain City, but afterward removed to this township. Full sketches of all of these families will be found in the general history of the county, to which we refer the reader for further information. The next to locate here was Reason Francis, also a native of the Old Dominion, who came to the neighborhood in 1800, and settled between the Darbys. He was quite a hunter, adn loved the chase; possessed many peculiar characteristecs, and was a shrewd, sharp business man. Another early settler was Tobias Bright, who, it is claimed, killed an Indian in 1810, at the old camping-ground on Spring Fork, near its junction with Little Darby. He was tried and acquitted. One of the Lapins also shot an Indian near the same place in subsequent years, but these events were common in pioneer days, as the indians were, as a rule, inveterately detested, especially by those who lost friends during the Indian wars. Along about the beginning of the present century, Nehemiah Gates came into the township, and remained until after the war of 1812, when he returned to Virginia, his native State, and married a Miss Johnson, and again came to Madison County. She bore him nine children, viz., Ezra, Miar, Jacob, Henry, Mary, Eliza, Olive, Rebecca and Harriet. His wife died, and he was subsequently married three times. The second and third left on issue, but his fourth wife was Susan Johnson, a sister of his first wife, who bore him two sons. Mr. Gates was a native of New York, and, after his final settlement on Little Darby, he assisted in erecting a mill on that stream. He was an industrious, hard-working man, and was much respected by the pioneers of his time. We find his name among the first juries of Madison County.
Philip Sidener came from Bourbon County, Ky., in 1802, and settled on the Scioto River, four miles below Franklinton. He there built and operated a distillery, but was very much annoyed by the Indians, who were continually begging whisky of him, and if he would not give it, they would either buy or steal it. He was located on what is now known as the Hoffman farm, but, after a brief residence, unusual sickness induced him to sell his farm and "strike out" for the Darbys. He built his cabin on the east bank of Little Darby, about sixty rods south of the National road, and a neighbor to Reason Francis and Tobias Bright. A short time after Philip Sidener settled here, Tobias Bright and another neighbor one evening called at the camp fo two Indians on Spring Fork. After spending the early part of the evening, they started home, and, when a few paces away, Bright turned and shot one of the Indians dead. This cold-blooded act caused great indignation among the Indians, and spread general consternation over the settlement. A general uprising was expected. Such were the feelings, that it led to Mr. Sidener's removal to Kentucky.
The settlers who remained built a stockade about fifteen feet high, inclosing about an acre of ground, including Sidener's cabin, in 1811. Some of the remains of the posts are yet to be seen.
The excitement soon subsided, and Mr. Sidener returned to the place of his former settlement, and built a cabin just south of the present residence of John Heath. There were no roads save an Indian trail from the Muskingum and Scioto to Mad River, passing just north of the National road. There were no stores nearer than Franklinton, no schools, and for many years religious services were only held at intervals. There were no blacksmiths and wagon-makers, but every man was his own mechanic.
The clothing was of buckskin, flax or linsey; the wants of the people were few; game was plenty, and there was not much to stimulate the people to exertion, as there was but little market for any surplus they might produce.
Quite a number of the early settlers engaged in making whisky as the only thing they could transport to Chillicothe and profitably exchange for other goods. The greatest bulk they took in exchange was salt, an actual necessity. It is claimed that the whisky made then was whisky, and not the poisonous stuff men get crazy on nowadays.
As in all countries where mental culture is neglected, bone and muscle are at a premium. Physical power was the standard of merit in pioneer days. This, of course, led to many personal conflicts. Musters were held at Philip Sidener's house about every three months, and it is said that it was no uncommon thing to see twenty to thirty men with their coats off, either fighting or ready to see fair play between combatants. At that time, there was a strong feeling existing between the Darbyites and those living on Deer Creek. They scarcely ever met without having a rough-and-tumble time to prove who were the best men. John, better known as "Chunky" Johnson, was an acknowledged leader among the Darbyites. He was, however, not a quarrelsome man, but was always ready to enforce his claim of physical superiority by fighting any one who disputed it. A Mr. Graham was the "bully" among the Deer Creekers, but, fortunately for both, he and Johnson never came into personal collision.
At that date, about half of the township was prairie, or barrens, thought to be of little value, and in consequence, the settlement was all made along streams. The first ground plowed in Jefferson Township, of which we have any definite knowledge, was that lying between the National road and the railroad, just east of Little Darby. At least, this was Mr. Sidener's first cultivation. The Indians were in the majority perhaps ten to one. They were peacable, lazy, and mostly honest, rarely stealing anything from the whites. The squaws would raise a little corn, working with their hoes, but their main reliance wa on hunting. The younger ones used their bows and arrows to kill game. Jonathan Alder, living a few miles up the creek then, frequently visited Philip Sidener. There was but little money in circulation, and what they had was gold and silver; small change was scarce, and to remedy this a silver dollar was cut into pieces passing for their value. Sometimes a shrewd operator would cut a dollar into nine pieces, instead of eight, and still pass them for the fractional parts, "nine-pence," or one-eighth of a dollar.
We now reach the fall of 1806, in which year Rev. Lewis Foster came from Pennsylvania and took up the land previously built upon by Jonathan Alder. On this farm Francis Downing, son-in-law of Lewis Foster, settled, near the present site of Foster Chapel. Francis Downing and wife had one child, and, in February, 1807, another child, Jemima, was born. John Tomlinson, another son-in-law of Rev. Foster, came in the fall of 1806, with two children. They settled in a log cabin which had no floor, and there wintered. The building was entirely surrounded by the primeval forest. It was chinked, but the openings were not plastered. The spring following, a second hut was erected, and each occupied their respective houses, and life began in earnest. They remained long enough to open out good farms, when Tomlinson's family moved to Northern Ohio, and none of the posterity now remain in the county. Of the Downing family, all moved to Indiana, save Jemima, the widow of the late Israel Brown, and the only one now living in the county. Her four brothers are scattered over the far West.
In 1806 came Rev. Lewis Foster, wife and six single children, viz., John, Joshua, Cassandra, Benjamin, Joseph and Rachel, and one married son, Thomas. They settled south of the present site of the chapel, on land given them by their father, Rev. Foster. After clearing up the farm and remaining until about 1835, they all moved to Illinois. Rev. Foster in early life embraced the faith of the Methodist Church, and commenced preaching while in Pennsylvania. Soon after coming to Ohio, his Christian walk and zealous work in behalf of the church soon enabled him to organize a society at his residence.
During his entire residence in Madison County, he served as a local minister. He died in Illinois, aged nearly one hundred years, and followed preaching until within a few weeks of his death. To-day, Foster Chapel stands as a monument to his Christian walk and zealous work in its behalf.
By tradition, we record the year 1803 as that in which the settlement of William Johnson took place in Jefferson Township. He was more familiarly known as "Uncle Billy" Johnson. His place of nativity was in Virginia, but he was married in Pennsylvania. When coming to the Little Darby, he and wife had two children, and they settled about one and a half miles southeast of the present town of Jefferson. He was through life a farmer, and lived in Madison County until about 1842, when he settled in Franklin County, where he died one year later, and his wife followed him about 1845. Their family consisted of ten children, who were mostly of the early born citizens of the county, viz., Hannah, Sarah (died in Pennsylvania), Robert, Mary, William, Patrick, Susan, David, Henry and Catharine. "Uncle Billy" Johnson was a man of small stature, rather chunky, very stout and posessing a strong constitution.
Nathaniel, Henry and Robert Frakes were among the settlers prior to the war of 1812. They took up their abode on Little Darby, and soon the cry of the Indian war was heard, and they all three took part in the struggle, in which Robert and Nathaniel were killed. Henry soon after died. About the same time we chronicle the name of Michael Dickey, who settled near the W. O. Browning farm, now owned by Mr. Bradfield. Prior to the war of 1812, we find the settlement of a second Robert Frakses, who was a native of England, but married in Pennsylvania, where two children were given the union, and then they settled in Jefferson Township. When he came to the neighborhood, it was conceded that a valuable man had come, as he was a cooper by trade, and probably the first one to meet the wants of the few settlers then in Jefferson Township. In connection with his trade, he did some clearing and farming, as the former would not furnish him constant employment. He died about 1830, and his wife subsequently. He was small, industrious, energetic, and a man of strong constitution.
We now come to the settlement in Jefferson Township of probably the first colored man, Moses Nickens, who came in the year 1810. He was a soldier in the Continental army under Gen. Washingotn, and went forth to bear arms in the battles of 1812 from Madison County. As a neighbor, he was obliging and sociable; as a citizen, he was industrious, peacable and inoffensive; but as a husband he was brutal, and neighbors frequently rescued his wife from his fury. He remained a resident quite a number of years, but finally died in Columbus, Ohio.
About the same date as the preceding settler came Isaac Rubert, from Virginia. He, with four children, viz., Benjamin, John, Mary and Phoebe, settled near the old grist-mill on Little Darby, which was in an early day known as the Gates Mill. Benjamin Rubert married Elizabeth, eldest sister of the late David Sidener. The Rubert family were generally all well-respected citizens, and filled a favorable place in the circles of society and the community at large.
During the period of the war of 1812 dates the settlement of David Harriman and family, on Little Darby, near the grist-mill below Jefferson. He and wife soon after died, and among the children we are able to record the names of David, Enoch, Job and Elizabeth. They subsequently settled near Springfield and Xenia, Ohio. John T. Sidener, Sr., brother to the pioneer Philip Sidener, died in Kentucky, and his wife subsequently, when in advanced age, came to Jefferson Township, where she died. One of their sons, viz., Jacob, who was a native of Maryland, was married in Kentucky, to Lucretia Blair (a distant relative of the Blairs of this township). Soon after Jacob was married, he entered the war of 1812 from Kentucky; he served until its close, and in a short time thereafter, he, wife and two children came to Jefferson Township, settling about two miles south of the present village of Jefferson. He was a land-owner and farmer through life, and pssessed a common characteristic of the pioneer Sideners – reticence. He and wife both died in Madison County. Their immediate psterity were ten in number, all of whom are now deceased; but six of his (Jacob's) grand-daughters are now residents of Madison County, and are daughters of Margaret (Sidener) Zinn, viz., Mrs. James Peene, Mrs. L. D. Hull, Mrs. Quinn Bradley, Mrs. T. B. Roberts, Mrs. – – Tresnsider and Mrs. D. Brown; the latter two reside in London, and the four former in and about Jefferson. While we are writing of the family, even though the settlement does not come chronologically in order, we will mention the name of John T. Sidener, Jr. (a brother to Jacob). He was also a native of Maryland, but in 1828 came from Fayette County, Ky., to Madison County, and settled about two miles south of the town of New Hampton, or the present site of Jefferson. While in Kentucky, he married Margaret Hickey, who was born and raised in Scotland. On coming to Ohio, they had ten children, and settled on land which he (John T.) had previously purchased. It was all in the natural wilds and undeveloped condition, but he soon transformed it into open and productive feilds. He, however, only lived until March 30, 1839, when death overtook him. his widow survived him five years. Two of their children are now living, viz., Jeannetta, wife of David Duncan; and Eliza, wife of G. P. Simpkins. Among the early settlers of New Hampton were Samuel sexton, one of the founders of the place. He and family came to Jefferson Township about 1818. He was a teacher, and one of the early Justices; a native of New Jersey, and an excellent citizen. About ten years after coming to Ohio, he buried his wife. His second wife was the widow of Moses Pippet, who was also an early settler of the place then known as New Hampton. Subsequently, New Hampton's population was increased by the coming of Samuel Sexton, Sr., wife and son-in-law, William Jones, eldest son of Samuel Jones. They remained a few years, when both families became dissatisfied and returned to New Jersey, from whence they had migrated.
Samuel Jones emigrated to Ohio about the same time (1818), with his wife and nine children, viz., William (Married as given above), Abigail, Mary A., Abraham, Samuel, Jr., Isaac, Sarah A. (died in New Hampton), as did also Thomas, and Susan, who, after burying her mother in 1823, returned to their native state with her father. Of Mary and Abigail we can learn nothing, but Samuel, Jr., Abraham and Isaac remained in Jefferson Township, where, in fact, the former and latter both died. Abraham subsequently settled near Sandusky, Ohio, where he resided until death.
We find the Ayle family as being early settlers of Jefferson Township, and mention the name of John Ayle, whose father, Valentine Ayle, was a native of Germany, a patriot of the Revolution, and was captured on the ocean. He subsequently settled in Virginia, but finally died at Georgesville, Ohio. John was a native of Martinsville, Va., and reached Jefferson Township about 1828. He ever after remained in the township until his death, August 17, 1861. He was twice married. By the first union, four children were born, two of whom are living, and one in this county. His second wife was Elizabeth, widow of James Cannedy. her maiden name was Griffith. She was a native of Pennsylvania, and died in Madison County. She and John Ayle had a family of eight children, three of whom are now living.
Among the earliest settlers of Jefferson Township was James Burnham, son of James and Tamma (Holt) Burnham, who, during a life of sixty-six years – forty of which were passed in that township, in the plain, substantial occupation of farming – was widely known as a public spirited and leading citizen, always ready to assist in every enterprise designed to promote the public welfare, and always occupying positions of public trust till near the close of life, when failing health forbade. He was born in Windham County, Conn., December 12, 1791, and came to Ohio in 1817, with a large train of emigrants, over fifty of whom were burnhams, and who settled in Madison, Union and Champaign Counties. James Burnham located in the northwest part of Jefferson Township, where for years he kept hotel on a stretch of the Columbus & Urbana Stage Route, then very thinly settled, and whence he removed, about 1832, to a farm adjoining Jefferson, then not yet laid out.
In those earliest days of settlement, when Indians still prowled around, military organizations were thought useful as well as ornamental, and a brigade of cavalry was organized from the counties of Madison and Union, and perhaps Champaign. Of this brigade Mr. Burnham was appointed General, and for many years its parades were marked days in the calendar.
In very early days, Mr. Burnham was elected County Commissioner, and was continuously re-elected to this responsible post for a period fifteen or eighteen years. He was also, in very early days, elected Justice of the Peace, and was re-elected to that office till his successive terms amounted to over thirty years, and till, in 1854, he declined a re-election. In all these positions, and wherever known his name was a synonym for integrity, good judgment and fidelity to every trust.
In 1823, Mr. Burnham married Mary Ann Jones, whose family was from Pemberton, N. J., and who was a sister of Rev. Isaac Jones, so widely known throughout that region. Mr. Burnham died January 6, 1857, leaving his widow, who survived him nine years, and three sons and a daughter. The eldest of these, James S., is editor and publisher of the Index, a weekly newspaper at Minneapolis, Kan. The second, Lester A., occupies the paternal farm, near Jefferson; and the third son, John, is located at San Jose, Cal. The daughter, Emma, survived her father only two years, dying in the bloom of early womanhood. Besides these, two daughters died in childhood, and a third, Mary, in 1841, two years after her marriage to Thornton Ross. The younger brothers of James Burnham located in Jefferson Township – Nathan and Lester H., the former of whom died in November, 1882, and is sketched in another place. The younger, Lester H., died about 1866, and his widow and children removed to Kansas. Especial mention should be made of the unswerving courage and loyalto to conscience of Lester H. Burnham, who, with N. C. Davis and Moses Byers, made up the trio of Abolitionists and underground railroaders of the county for many years, when to be such was to be the object of general scorn and derision, and who assisted loads of fugitives on their weary way to Canada, then the nearest land where a black man could safely shout liberty. These men aided in the organization of the Republican party, and saw triumph of their principles when slavery perished by the very sword it had drawn against freedom. N. C. Davis is still living, and resides near Mechanicsburg, Ohio. Moses Byers removed to Iowa about the year 1850.
The emigration of the Foster family brought, in its turn, the family of Thomas Timmons, who was born in Pennsylvania. He was a son of Peter and Elizabeth Timmons, both natives of Pennsylvania, where he died, but Elizabeth came to Ohio and died about the time of the late war. Thomas was raised in his native State, where he married Hannah (Silvers) Peoples. They had one child when they bought and settled on the Lewis Foster farm. There he lived until his death, October, 1864. He had, however, buried his wife in 1853, and at his death left his second wife a widow. He was the father of eleven children, five of whom are living now, viz., Rebecca, Mary, Thomas F., Laura and Asa T. Thomas Timmons was an industrious and frugal pioneer. He was a man of rugged constitution, and, though not wealthy, placed himself in comfortalbe circumstances. He was much interested in the establishment of what is now known as Alder Chapel, and liberally assisted to that end. He was of a quiet turn, and very attentive to his interests at home. He was well estimated in the minds of the people.
Whilst mention has previously been made of the pioneer, Philip Sidener, we deem it nothing more than due a pioneer family such as they to more particularly outline them further, as what has been said in regard to the pioneer was in connection with other events.
Philip, as previously stated, came to Ohio early in the present century, and remained until his death, which occurred about the year 1828. he was a peacable pioneer and frontier woodsman; had many combats with wild animals, which then roamed the forest of Ohio and frequently came in contact with the Indians, but, as they were generally peacable, as well as he, they never had any trougle, save once, when he received a wound in the arm, which he carried to his grave. He was a noted pioneer, of rather a discontented nature. His son David was born in Kentucky about 1790, adn died at Columbus, Ohio, in May, 1880, at a great age. He matured in Jefferson Township; was not a large man, but was vigorous, energetic and posessed a strong constitution. He was determined in his undertakings, and possessed the trait of economy, which placed him among the substantial farmers of the county. He served from Madison County in the war of 1812, under Gen. Hull, and was taken prisoner at Hul's surrender, taken to Canada, where he endured many privations connected with the military prisoners of that day. He returned home, and, soon after the close of the war, married Elizabeth Hann, a native of New Jersey, and died in 1833, leaving as her posterity eight children, seven of whom are now living. David's second wife was Nancy Bond, of whom five children were born, adn three are now living. His settlement was on the farm now owned by John Heath, about one mile south of Jefferson. There he lived until the Centennial year, when he located in Columbus, Ohio. At the time of his death, he had lived a widower fourteen years. He and family were generally members of the Methodist church. His political affiliations were given to the interest of the Old-Line Whig and Republican parties.
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