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Oliver and Harris Jaynes settled on the Little Darby, near where Henry King afterward settled. It is believed they were among the first who came into this township. Farther up the Darby, near the northeast corner of the township, settled a family of Keyes. Two brothers, Edsel and Samuel Carr, settled on Barron Run, near where Newton Hunt now resides. Samuel was quite an active man, and, it appears, a very moral and upright man, and a leading, active worker in the Methodist Church in its first organization in this township. A family by the name of Whitman, the head of which it is believed was Solomon, settled on Barron Run, on land now owned by Charles Phellis. He never purchased land there, and, after a few years' residence, moved away. Samuel, Isaac and Daniel Allen, three brothers, settled on Barron Run, where they subsequently purchased small tracts of land. Samuel was a local preacher in the Methodist Church and quite a prominent man of that day. About 1830, it is supposed, they moved into Union County. A Mr. Burrell, a blacksmith by trade, was also a very early settler on Barron Run, but soon moved away. A Mr. Dockum, believed to be a native of Canada, settled on the Aaron Weaver place, near the mouth of Barron Run, at a very early date, and there he resided till his death, and his body was interred upon teh place, and was probably the first person buried in what is now known as the Weaver Burying-Ground. The following were his children: William, who married Nancy Jones, and settled adjoining the home place, but subsequently moved West, where he died; one daughter married Mason Jones, and finally settled near California, this county, where she died; James married a Miss Clement, and settled in this township, thence removed to Darby Township, Union County, where he died; Boardman married Miss Tullis and settled in this township and resided till his death; and one other daughter, who married Allen Jones, and resided in this county several years, thence moved West. John Rathburn was an early settler on Barron Run, and was a Methodist preacher; also practiced as a steam doctor. It is believed he was the organizer of the Methodist Church that in an early day existed on Barron Run for several years, of which he was a main pillar and support. He had the following children: Charles, who is now a resident of the West and is a practicing physician: Levi, who was for osme time a merchant in Mechanicsburg, thence removed West, but one of his daughters is still a resident of Mechanicsburg; Nelson, who is now a minister and resides in Iowa; Abigail, died single; Sarah, married Luke Clemens, and settled in the south part of the county; and Harmon, who settled in Iowa, where he still resides.
John Erwin settled in the northwest corner of Pike Township about 1812, and purchased land there, for which a deed was recorded in September, 1814. He came here from Southern Ohio, and was probably the first settler in the west part of Pike Township, and he remained here till his death. He followed farming and stock-raising, was a man of excellent character, plain and unassuming in his habits, a devoted Presbyterian in faith, and a substantial and worthy citizen. He had a large family of children, who nearly all died early in life with consumption. One son, Amzi, or Amazi, settled on the home place and lived to quite an advanced age; he died May 14, 1879, aged eighty years. Several of his children reside in this vicinity. On the building of the railroad from Springfield to Delaware it passed through the corner of the township and his land, and a station was established called Erwin. Joseph Mitchell, a native of Vermont, emigrated with his family to Ohio, and settled in the southwest part of Pike Township, on land now known as the Farrington farm, about 1812-13; he purchased 900 acres of land, became an extensive farmer and stock-raiser; he resided here till quite advanced in years, when he removed West, where he died. He was a leading, active man in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a minister in the same during a greater part of his life, and devoted much of his time to itinerant work, traveling over many different States, and was a companion of Lorenzo Dow for several years. He was the father of the following children: Joseph, Newman, Wililam and Abner; the first two are deceased, and William and Abner are located in the West; the latter served in the late war of the rebellion.
Claudius Mitchell, a brother of Joseph, of whom we have just written, and son of Ensign Mitchell, of Champaign County, settled in the township on land known as the Henry Weaver place, about 1815-16; this situation is on the Urbana & Liverpool pike, near the west line of the township. We have obtained quite a full account of the manner of his starting out in life, and the hardships and trials he endured; and as an illustration of pioneer life, we here give it a space in the history of Pike Township, that not only his descendants many years hence may read and know how their worthy ancestor lived and labored, but that all future generations may have the means of knowing, so far as the pen of the historian is able to portray it, the true picture of pioneer life.
Claudius Mitchell was born in Vermont in 1794, of poor but respectable parents, who, after a few years, removed to the State of New York, thence to Pennsylvania, from there to Kentucky and thence to Southern Ohio, and, in 1815, to Madison County. During these years of pioneer itineracy, he arrived at his majority, but these were years of rough, yet it seems pleasant, experiences, to young Claudius, and he enjoyed, with his favorite dog and uneering rifle, the sports of frontier life; ever on the chase for, or in mortal combat with, the wounded bear or stolen cub, and often came to "hand and hand" contest with the wild buck deer of the forests, which then abounded with all kinds of wild game and animals. Consequently, Claudius had no opportunities of obtaining even a common-school education; did not even learn to read or write. The first pair ofpants he ever wore were made by his faithful Vermont mother, who manufactured them out of hair combed from their own cow in the time of shedding in the spring, mixed and carded with common flax tow, all done by hand, and spun by hand and knit inot a pair of pants, all being done by her own hands. The first pair of shoes he ever wore was when he was ten years of age, for which he earned the money to pay for them by taking his ax and hand-sled and cut and hauled wood a distance of several miles. At the age of twelve years, he performed a man's work cutting cord-wood and working at the Kanawha Salt Works. As stated above, in 1815 he came to Madison County, and, in 1816, he married Nancy Lambert, of Brown County. On the 1st day of February, he took leave of his home and parents, whom he had served faithfully for many years, and commenced life for himself. The first day's work for himself he took his ax and maul, and cut and split 350 rails, for which he received 25 cents per hundred, but not in cash, but in corn at 25 cents per bushel, which gave him three and one-half bushels of corn. The second day he made 250 rails, and took his pay in tallow and fat meat. On February 7, he took a lease of land on Spring Fork, and at once conmmenced to build a cabin, with the snow then six inches deep. He soon had his cabin up and a roof on the same, and the next day he and his young wife moved into it, cleared away the snow and built a fire on the ground; then to work they went in earnest to fit up the new home. At a late hour that night they laid down some loose clapboards on the snow, on which they spread their scanty bedding, and then before retiring to rest they knelt down upon the icy-cold ground by two blocks, their only chairs, and there offered their songs and prayers to the God of the Universe. The only utensil they had for cooking was an old iron pot, and their table-ware consisted of two broken knives and forks and two old pewter spoons. He had one two-year-old heifer, upon which the tax was 8 cents, and he had more difficulty to raise the money and pay that 8 cent tax than any tax he has ever paid. Since that time, he has paid his $300 tax with perfect ease. He resided in this township for many years; finally, he removed with his family into Champaign County, where he has since resided. He was twice married. By his first wife he had seven children — Sarah, Lavinia, Elizabeth, Nancy, Alvira, Chandler and Joshua. Mrs. Mitchell died, and he married for his second wife Mary Ann Reed; by her he had one child, deceased. Mr. Mitchell now resides in Mechanicsburg, retired from all active business; is in the ninetieth year of his age, and has all his business matters fully settled up, with no temporal affairs to trouble him. He is as erect and straight as a young man of twenty, is in comfortable health, cheerful and happy, and is patiently awaiting the summos of his Master that he may see the King in His beauty.
George Van Ness, a native of New Jersey, married Eleanor Van Lear, a native of Holland; they emigrated to Ohio prior to its becoming a State, and settled in Butler County. In January, 1813-14, they removed to Madison County and settled on the Little Darby, in the northwest corner of this township, on the place now owned by John Van Ness, and here he resided until his death, March 22, 1832. He was a true pioneer and experienced the rough side of life. Indians were his neighbors, and deer, wild hogs and game of all kinds were in abundance. About 1820, Mr. Van Ness erected a grist-mill, a three-story frame, run by water-power. The mill only ran about three years, when the dam washed away and was never repaired or used afterward. Mr. Van Ness served through the war of the Revolution, and was with Gen. Washington at the memorable Valley Forge. He was the father of the following children: John, who married Rachel Nichols, and settled near the same place, but subsequently moved West and died in Iowa; Susannah, married Stacy Storer, and settled in Highland County, Ohio, where she died, aged nearly one hundred years; Catharine, married John Payne, first settled in this township, thence in Highland County, and finally in Illinois, where she died; George, married Sarah Britton, settled in Butler County, on the old Van Ness farm, thence removed to Seneca County, Ohio, thence moved West and is now a resident of Indiana; Judith, married William Storer, and settled in Highland County, where they now reside; Peter, married Polly Neff, and settled in Logan County, Ohio, and died there; Cornelius, married Rebecca Bower, and settled on the old home place of his father, where he still remains, and has now spent seventy years of his life on this farm; Daniel, married Elizabeth Yearns, and resides in Logan County, Ohio; and Mary, married Henry McCumber, and soon moved West and settled in Illinois, where she died.
George Jones, a native of Virginia, settled on land now owned by Mr. Guy, about 1815-18. He was a leading, active man in the Methodist Church; was also quite a politician, and after the Morgan trouble in New York he became an active anti-Mson. He served in the war of the Revolution. His children were Elizabeth, who married Michael Roseberry; William, who was a miller in Mechanicsburg for many years; Mason and Allen, who moved West; Nancy, married William Dockum, and settled in the West; and Charles, who also went West.
Henry King was a native of Pennsylvania and first settled near Chilicothe; thence, about 1818-20, removed to the west bank of the Little Darby, on the farm since known as the Joseph King place; here he resided till his death. He was an intelligent and a well-educated man, a wheelwright by trade and a skillful mechanic, and to this trade and to farming he devoted his life; was a kind neighbor and a worthy citizen. His children were Joseph, who married Amanda Tarpening, and settled and died on the old home place; william F., who married Miss Bigelow, daughter of Dr. Bigelow, of Plain City, he is now deceased; one daughter died young; Hannah, married Daniel Brooks, settled in Darby Township and resided till the spring of 1882, when they removed to Kentucky; Henry J., married a daughter of John Mitchell, and settled in Darby Township, Union County, Ohio, but now resides at Marysville; Benjamin, married Miss Keyes, and settled in Darby Township, where he died at an early age; and Sarah K., who married Newton Hunt.
George Weaver, also a native of Pennsylvania, settled on the place now owned by Aaron Weaver about 1817-18, as we find his deed recorded in January, 1818. He was married to Elizabeth Hempleton. Their children were Jacob, who married Polly Nagley, and settled on the home farm where he resided till his death; Solomon, married Lydia Niles, and settled near the home place, but subsequently removed to Illinois and settled near Clinton, where he now resides; one daughter married David Morris, but is now deceased; John, married Elizabeth Morse, and settled and resides in this township; Elizabeth, married John H. Surfus, and settled here first, but subsequently removed West and now resides in Illinois; George, married a Miss Morse, and resides in Illinois; Joseph, married a Miss cobbler, and settled in the West; David, settled in the West; Mary, married John Sterritt, and settled in Monroe Township, but subsequently removed to the West. Mr. George Weaver, the father of this large family, was one of those industrious, thoroughgoing Pennsylvanian farmers, who knew how to make money and how to invest all his surplus capital, and the result was that he became owner of 3,000 acres of fine land.
Samuel Mann, a native of Vermont, settled in the southwest part of the township on land since owned by Joseph Ware, about 1814-15. He was a very successful farmer and a good citizen. He raised a large family of children and gave them a good education for that day. His children were Samuel, Reuben, Nancy, Benjamin, John, Alden, Lorenzo D., Leonard and Azro. Reuben and Leonard H. became physicians, both now deceased, in fact, all the children are deceased. Benjamin was quite a prominent, active man of this community, and resided the greater part of his life in Monroe Township, and held many of the offices of his township.
Abraham Johnson, a native of Virginia, settled on the place now owned by William Guy about 1814-15, as the record shows the deed for his land to be recorded in June, 1815. He was a good neighbor and a reliable citizen. In those days, it was a custom to bleed people in the spring of the year, to take away the "bad blood," which had accumulated during the winter, and, although it was probable that he was neither a physician nor surgeon, yet he was skilled in the art of bleeding people, and many were accustomed to apply to him to perform this work. He married Hannah Roseberry, and resided here for several years, but he subsequently removed to Union County and died there.
Andrew Alden was a native of New York or New England, settled on land near Mr. Mann, in the spring of 1817. He was a very active, industrious man, and a good citizen. He married Elizabeth Manville, by whom he had the following children: Chester, Elizabeth, Sarah, Lydia, Stanford, George, Eli and Prince, all deceased but Stanford and Prince; the former settled in the West; the latter resides at Mechanicsburg.
Levi Patrick a native of Massachusetts, emigrated to Ohio and settled in Pike Township on land now owned by Lafayette Newman, on Christmas Day, 1817, where he resided till his death, February 22, 1855. He married Clarissa Patrick, also a native of Massachusetts; she died December 12, 1868. Their children were M. Young, Eliza, Mary, Levi M., C.F., John P., Clarissa Ann and Olive. M. Young married Fidelia Cartmill, a native of Kentucky, and settled near the home place, where he resided till he located on his present place, in 1853, where he has since resided and has held nearly all the offices of his township; Eliza never married, and died in the spring of 1881; Mary married Nathaniel Griffin, and is now deceased; Levi moved to Missouri, where he married and settled, but died a few years ago; John P. married Emma Converse, and settled near the home place, but subsequently removed to Union County, where he died; Clarissa Ann died quite young; Olive married Henry Brown, and settled in Champaign County, where they still reside.
Michael Roseberry, a native of Virginia, settled on Spring Fork, on land now owned by William H. Guy, about 1822-24; here he resided about ten years, when he purchased 350 acres, known as the Henry Guy farm, and there resided till his death, about 1859. He was a prominent, active farmer and stock-dealer, had the confidence of the people, and filled many of the offices of his township. He married Elizabeth Jones, a native of Virginia; they had the following children: Ellen, married Ira Stacy; Permelia, deceased; Sarah, deceased; Elizabeth, is now Widow Fox; Julia, married and moved West; Joseph, deceased; Ebenezer, married Miss Carter; Hannah, deceased; and Jane, deceased.
Darius Burnham was born in Hampton, Conn., May 10, 1791, married Lucretia Hunt September 12, 1819, emigrated toOhio and settled in Pike Township, Madison County, in the fall of 1820, on land where Orlo Stoddard now resides, and here he remained through life. Here he began in a log cabin — true pioneer style. To his first purchase of land he subsequently added more from time to time, till at the time of his death he owned about 760 acres of good land. He became the owner of the land upon which Liverpool is now located, and laid out and platted the town, which was given the name of Liverpool and had the same recorded at London. Mr. Burnham was an active, stirring business man; he engaged quite largely in raising stock and dairy business and was a true,k public spirited man, kind and benevolent, ever ready to aid all enterprises and improvements for the general public good. He served in nearly all of the offices of his township, and was a Justice of the Peace for many years. He died August 10, 1846. His wife was born February 18, 1798, and died May 22, 1878. They had eight children — John H., Henry, Anna L., Emiline S., Darius D., Achsa M., Lucius A. and Flora E., all now surviving except Acsha M., who died at Plain City.
George Fullington, a native of Vermont, born August 18, 1769, married Rebecca Greeley, and, in 1813, they emigrated to Ohio, and settled in Union County, where they resided about eight years, and removed to Madison and settled on land now owned by Chalres Phellis, Esq., where he resided till his death, July 24, 1835. His wife survived him several years. Their children were Sarah, who married Alfred Carpenter, and moved to Illinois, where she died; Moses, married Harriet Guy, and settled on the old Fullington place, in Union County, where he died; Clarriet, married William Guy, and died in 1827; Jefferson, settled in Illinois, where he married Eleanor English, and resided there till his death, and his body was brought back and interred in the Guy cemetery; Adelaide became the second wife of William Guy; Mary, married Truman Kimball, and raised a family of ten children, and is now deceased; Abigail, married Charles Phellis, Esq., is deceased; and Selina, married John Burnham, and now resides in Mechanicsburg. Mr. Fullingotn was a carpenter and joiner by trade, and still followed his trade to some extent after settling here, but his main attention was given to farming and the stock business, which he carried on quite extensively. He was a man of substantial character and undoubted integrity, honorable in all his business transaction, kind-hearted and benevolent and a great friend to the poor, and to all who needed his aid in means or influence.
These families of whom we have given the above history embrace the majority of the early settlers of Pike Township. Many others have come in and settled at a more recent date, some of whom are among the leading business men of the township, and who have taken a leading and active part in the progress and improvements of the township, and who are fully identified with its interests. Among these we mention Charles Phellis, Esq., who is the largest land-owner and stock-dealer in the township, a man of high and marked ability, whose honor and character stand untarnished, and is one of the township's best and most worthy citizens. In the biographical department of this owrk will be found the history of many of the present prominent and enterprising families of Pike Township, to which we would refer the reader for further information.
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