Copied from Harbaugh's 1909 History
of
Miami County Ohio
Chapter 3
FORMATION OF THE COUNTY;
THE HOME IN THE WILDERNESS, ETC
-Pontiac's Consptracy
- Boquet's Expedition-
- Block Houses Built at Cincinnati-
- New York and Virginia Relinquish Charter Claims-
- Fort Harmar Erected
- The Settlement at Marietta-
- Quick Settlement of the Ohio Valley
- Ordinance of 1787-
- Slavery Forbidden
- St. Clair made Governor-
- Formation of Hamilton and Montgomery Counties-
- Formation Of Miami County
- Abrogastion of the Indian Title
- Wayne's Victory of the Fallen Timbers & Treaty of Greenville
- Miami Indians
- The Symmes Purchase
- School Districts Reserved
- Sale of Public Lands on Time Payments
- The First Court-
- Homes of the Pioneer Settlers
- Pioneer Habits and Customs
- Domestic Industries
- Early Circulating Medium-
- Militia Musters
- County Officials -
The genesis of Miami County begins with the formation of what is known
as the Northwest Territory. I have briefly traced the struggle of France
and England for the soil embraced within the present limits of our domain.
The last engagement of the French and Indian War took place in 1763 at
Fort Piqua.
Although the trety of Paris settled the clames of the continental rivales
to this particular region, in which England was the gainer, it did not
put an end to the Indian troubles. In the year mentioned Pontiac, the great
sachem of the Ottawas, formed one the stupendous conspiracies ever known.
He drew into it the various tribes scattered throughout Ohio, and the design
of this scarlet Napoleon was the destruction of the British posts in the
northwest. In this he was secretly and, at times, openly aided by the French,
who still chafed under the overthrow which they had experienced at the
hands of England. Pontiac and Tecumseh stand forth as the most astute Indians
ever connected with the history of Ohio.
The plans of Pontiac came to naught, most notably in his failure to
capture Detroit, and after the allied tribes had susttained their final
defeat at Fort Pitt (Du Quesue), they-were forced to make peace by Boquet,
who led an expedition into their coutry and librated a number of white
captives. Not until them did the opposition to British rule end on the
part of he Indiana. Royal proclamations had hitherto prevented settlements
beyond the Ohio, but grants of land south of that river were obtained by
companies formed in Virginia and elsewhere, and hunters and traders, ignoring
the boundary lines, pushed into the new territory, taking up lands under
the very noses of the French. In 1774 the "Quebec Act" passed
the English parliarnent and the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers were made the
western and southwestern boundaries of Canada. During the American Revolution
a majority of the Indian nations espoused the cause of England, but the
Delawares were kept neutral by the Moravians who had established villages
of Christian Indians on the Muskingum in 1772.
Two block houses were built at Cincinnati in 1780, the year of Clark's
expeditioin, New York relinquished her charter claims to the Northwest
Territory and the following year Virginia did the same; but at the same
time obtained by way of compromise a tract of land between the Scioto and
Little Miami which received the name of the "Virginia Military District."
Massachusetts and Connecticut yielded their claims in 1785 and 1786, but
gained land like Virginia, which was called the "Western Reserve."
Congress, in 1785, caused to be surveyed the public lands west of the Ohio,
and Fort Harmar was erected at the mouth of the Muskingum and the Ohio.
Under direction of Gen. Rufus Putnam, a brilliant officer of the Revolution,
the "Ohio Company of Associates" was formed in Boston and this
eventually led to the settlement at Marietta.
The settling of the Ohio Valley quickly followed the expedition led
by Putnam. Immigrants poured through the passes of the Alleghanies all
headed for that vast and beautiful region which stretched westward. These
bands of hardy souls crossed or floated down the Ohio, stopping here and
there as the different places pleased them, and the sound of the pioneer's
axe awoke the solitudes of the forest. Congress, 13 July 1787 passed the
celebrated ordinance for the government of the Northwest Territory. This
act provided for the formation of not more than five states out of the
immense tract, and slavery and involuntary servitude was forbidden therein,
otherwise than in punishment for crimes. On July 17th, the regular government
of the Northwest Territory was installed with Gen.Arthur St. Clair as governor.
On the 26th Washington County, Ohio, was established and on September 17th
the first court was held.
The inauguration of Governor St. Clair still further stimulated settlement.
Reports sent back by those who had settled in Ohio caused a perfect stream
of pioneers to flow in this direction. They were undaunted by reports of
restless Indians, for it was believed that the redman was by no means pacified;
but this did not impede immigration. The white man considered himself capable
of coping with the Indian and the lands of the Ohio were too great a prize
to be permitted to slip from his grasp. Year after year the tide of civilization
rolled westward, breaking through the mountain barriers in a resistless
torrent, and filling the forests with a new race which would not brook
threatened dispossession.
In January, 1790, Hamilton County was organized, "beginning on
the banks of the Ohio River at the confluence of the Little Miami, thence
up the same to the Standing Stone Fork, or branch of the Big Miami, and
thence with a line to be drawn due east to the Little Miami and down same
to the place of beginning." In March, 1803, part of Hamilton County
was laid off and called Montgomery. On 16 January 1807, in an act which
took effect March first;
"All that part of Montgomery County be and the same is hereby
laid off and created into a separate and distinct county which shall be
known by the name of Miami, to-wit: Beginning at the southwest corner of
Champaign County and southeast corner of section 1, township 2 and range
9; thence west with the line between ranges 9 and 10 to the Great Miami
River, crossing the same in such direction as to take the line on the bank
of the said river, between townships 3 and 4 in range 6, west of said river.
Thence west with the said line to the state line, thence north with the
same to the Indian boundary line; thence east with the same to the Champaign
County line; thence south with the said county to the place of beginning.
"From and after the 1st day of April, 1807, said county of Miami
shall be vested with all the powers, privileges and immunities of a separate
and distinct county. Jan 7th, 1812, all that part of Montgomery County
lying north of the county of Miami shall be and the same is hereby attached
to the said county of Miami and all that part lying north of the county
of Darke shall be and the same is hereby attached to the said county of
Darke."
In this manner according to law came into being the county we now inhabit.
Prior, however, to the legal establishment of the county the Indian title
had been abrogated. The county's name is derived from the Miami Indians
whose place of residence, as a tribe, has long been a subject for dispute
by local and state historians. I have before me a letter secured especially
for this work from Col. Charles C.Royce, for many years a resident of the
county and a compiler of Indian data for the General Government. Col.Royce
is an authority on Indian affairs and his conclusions which follow settle
once and for all the disputes concerning the Indian occupation of this
county. He writes as follows:
"At the close of the Revolutionary War and for a number of years
thereafter the territory now comprised within the limits of Ohio was occupied
and claimed by a number of Indian tribes, the respective boundaries of
each tribe being specifically differential. As early as 1749 an English
tradeing-post was established called Loramie's Store, or Pickawillany,
within the present limits of Shelby County, and one or more villages of
the Twightwees, or Miami Indians, existed for a time in the vicinity. When
the French, with the assistance of the Ottawas and Chippewas, destroyed
the trading-post in 1752 in the face of a vigorous protest from the Miamis,
the latter were disturbed in their occupation of this territory and withdrew
further to the north and west in the vicinity of Fort Wayne.
"After Wayne's defeat of the allied Indian forces at the Battle
of Fallen Timbers, in 1794, he made a treaty with them at Greenville, in
1795, whereby they ceded all the land south of a line beginning at the
mouth of the Cuyahoga River, thence up the same to the portage between
that and the Tuscarawas branch of the Muskingum; thence down that branch
to the crossing plus above Fort Lawrence; thence to a fork of that branch
of the Great Miami running into the Ohio at or near which fork stood Loramie's
Store and where commences the portage between the Miami of the Ohio and
St.Marys River, which is a branch of the Miami which runs into Lake Erie;
thence a westerly course to Fort Recovery, which stands on a branch of
the Wabash, thence southwesterly in a direct line to the Ohio so as to
intersect that river opposite the mouth of the Kentucky River.
"This treaty was made jointly with a number of tribes, of whom
the Miamis were one. The land ceded to the United States included the present
boundaries of Miami County, but at the time of the cession there was no
Miami County. Indians resided therein and the region including Miami, Clarke,
Champaign, Logan and a number of other counties was claimed and occupied
by the Shawnees who had a number of villages in this section.
"By the treaty of October 6, 1818 the Miamis ceded the United
States a tract of country beginning at the Wabash River, near the mouth
of Raccoon Creek; thence up the Wabash to Fort Wayne, thence to the St.Mary's
River; thence up the St.Mary's to the Portage; thence with the line of
the Wyandot cession of 1817 to the reservation at Loramie's Store; thence
with the Indian boundary line to Fort Recovery, and thence with said line
to the beginning. This tract at its southwestern extremity included a part
of the present Shelby, Augiaize and Mercer Counties and marked the southern
and eastern lines of the territory specifically claimed by the Miamis.
"It can be affirmatively stated that within the period since
the organization of the Federal Government the Miami Indians neither occupied
nor claimed any land within the present boundaries of Miami County. On
the contrary the United States, by a treaty concluded January 31, 1795,
at Greenville, definitely conceded the claims of the Shawnees to the ownership
of certain territory which included the present boundaries of Miami County."
It will be seen from Col. Royce's statement that within the period since
the organizdtion of the general government, the Miamis claimed no land
within the boundaries of this county. That this tribe of the great Algonquin
family at one time were in these parts is undisputed. As early 1658 the
French found the Miamis in the neighborhood of Green Bay, Wis. In 1683
they carried on a war with the Sioux and Iroquois and in 1705 the French
brought about a war between them and the Ottawas. The Miamis, many years
later, united with Pontiac in his conspiracy for the destruction of the
whites, and during the Revolution they assisted the English. As late as
1790 they were able to put in the field fifteen hundred warriors and were
a nation not to be despised. They were war like and energetic, but idle
life and intoxicants so led to their downfall as a great savage nation
that they were easily overcolue by the whites. They gradually ceded all
their lands to the General Government and in 1846 removed to the Fort Leavenworth
agency. At the present time this once powerful nation is almost extinct
and its members are dissipated and wretched.
I have been thus particular in giving an account of the Miamis from
the fact that this county owes its name to them. It is one of the few counties
in Ohio that perpetuates the memory of the tribes that once roamed the
forests. The Miamis produced no celebrated leaders like Tecumseh and Pontiac,
but they had within their ranks warriors whose deeds for many years left
their impress on the localities they inhabited.
Prior to the formation of the county one of the hindrances to settlement
was the manner in which the land could be obtained. In most of the states
and territories lying west of the Alleghanies the United States collectively
and as a nation owned or did own the soil of the country after the extinction
of the Indian title. This vast domain which comprised millions of acres,
was to be sold at moderate prices to the settlers, but even at this many
could not comply with the terms, for the average settler was poor in this
world's goods and had nothing but his strong arm and his determination.
The "Symmes Purchase" included land between the Great and Little
Miami Rivers. It was patented by John Cleves Symmes in 1794 for sixty seven
cents per acre. Every sixteenth section or square mile in each township
was reserved by Congress for the use of schools. This tract is now one
of the most valuable in the state. I extract from the valuable work the
disposition of the lands which attracted the early settlers of this county:
"Up to 1799 Congress lands could not be sold in quantities less
than 4,000 acres; but through the efforts of General Harrison a law was
passed authorizing the sale of half of the public lands in sections and
the other half in half sections. In 1800 land offices were established
by Congress for the sale of these lands in sections and half sections on
the following terms: Two dollars per acre, applicant to deposit $6 for
surveying a section, or $3 for half section and $5 for a patent for a section,
or $4 for a half section; also he was obliged to deposit one-twentieth
of the price, all of which was to be forfeited if within forty-nine days
one fourth of the purchase was not paid, another fourty within two years,
another fourth within three years and the residue within four years with
6 per cent interest on the deferred payments from date of sale. Subsequent
acts, however, gave great relief to the purchasers by extendiug the time
of payments and in 1804 the fees for surveying were abolished and an act
for the sale of lands in quarter seetions was passed. In 1820 lands could
be bought in forty acre lots and the price was $125 cash."
The last act was a great blessing to the early settler. He was enabled
by it to purchase lands in quantities that suited him, but many purchased
sections and half seetious, forming from these tracts some of the best
farms that exist in the county at the present time. When it became known
that land in any quantity desired could be obtained in this section there
was a great influx of immigration. The locality drained by the Miami and
its tributaries offered excellent inducements to the pioneer, and he was
not long in taking advantage of them. He saw that in the valley of the
Miami there was everything needed for a home, and the reports he sent back
over the mountains to friends and relatives produced amazing results.
With thelegal establishment of the county in 1807 a new era was to
begin. The first court was held at Staunton, primitive it is true, but
a court nevertheless. The log court-house witnessed the first oeration
of law within the limits of the county, and if the old records could be
consulted, an interesting and amusing chapter might be included in this
work. It is stated that court was first held in the house of one Peter
Felix, who was a character of the early day. He was a Frenchman and somewhat
of a trader and he dwelt for years at Staunton carrying on his business.
Around the first county seat arose the cabins of the settlers. These early
homes, which long ago gave way to more pretentious ones, were simple in
the extreme. The wants of the settler were also simple in the extreme.
He was easily satisfied. The cabins were, for the most part, constructed
on a universal plan. They consisted, as a rule, of one large room. Overhead
was a garrett, access to which was had by means of a ladder in one corner
of the cabin. The young folks used the upper room for a sleeping apartment.
There they were lulled to sleep by the pattering rain on the clapbo ard
roof which was all that separated them from the outer world. How often
in the winter time on arising in the morning - never later than four o'clock
did they find their beds covered with snow, driven through the crevices
by the piercing winds.
The cracks between the logs were filled with clay in which was mixed
the dry grass of the nearby meadows. This held the clay together and kept
it from cracking and falling out. The fire-place was broad and deep, constructed
of large stolaes obtained from the bed of a creek nearby, and would accommodate
a back-log six feet in length which was rolled into position with handspikes
and would last for days. The floors were constructed of boards split from
long straight logs, generally oak and were smoothed on one side with the
axe, laid rough side down and made fast to the joists by wooden pins driven
in holes made with an augur. This was called a puncheon floor and an old
song recalls it in this manner:
"Oh, Jeianie, my toes are sore,
Dancing over the puncheon floor.
The windows were merely openings made by cutting out a portion of one
of the logs, to be closed by a sliding clapboard. Loopholes were sometimes
pierced in the sides and ends of the cabins through which to shoot when
attacked by Indians. The doors were heavy and strong and were often fitted
with stout barricades to resist outside pressure. The beds were made upon
boards resting on a frame attached to the side of the cabin. The table
from which the meals were partaken was secured in the same manner and three-legged
stools took the place of chairs. Now and then in a cabin was seen an old
split bottom arm-chair that had been brought across the mountains. It was
too dear a bit of furniture to be left behind, for the grandmother in it
had sung sweet lullabies to all her children while in her protecting arms
she rocked them to sleep. These cabin homes, hunble as they were, afforded
the pioneers comfortable and pleasant places of abode.
One of our old settlers has left on record his experiences in a wilderness
home which is particularly interesting:
"My father's family was small and he took us all with hin to
the Miami wilderness. The Indian meal which he brought was expended six
weeks too soon, so for that time we had to live without bread. The lean
venison and the breast of the wild turkey we were taught to call bread.
I remember how narrowly we children watched the growth of the potato tops,
pumpkin and squash vides, hoping from day to day to get something in place
of bread. How delicious was the taste of the young potatoes when we got
them! What a jubilee when we were permitted to pull the young corn for
roasting ears! Still more when it acquired hardness to be made into johnny-cakes
by the aid of a tin grater. The furniture of the table consisted of a few
pewter dishes, plates and spoons, but mostly of water bowls, trenchers
and noggins. If these last were scarce, gourds and hard-shell squashes
made up the deficiency.
I well remember the first time I ever saw a tea cup and saucer. After
the death of my mother, which sad event took place when I was seven or
eight years of age, my father sent me away to school. I stopped at a tavern
which was plastered on the inside, both as to the walls and ceiling. I
had no idea there was a house in the whole world that was not built of
logs - the tavern was a stone affair - but I looked around and could see
no joists. Whether such a house had been built by the hands of man or had
grown up of itself I could not conjecture. I had not the courage to inquire
anything about it. When supper came my confusion was worse confouiaded.
A little cup stood in a bigger one with some brownish stuff in it which
was neither milk, hominy or broth. What to do with these little cups and
the spoons belonging to them I did not know and I was afraid to ask anything
concerning them."
In the winter evenings around the fire blazing on the hearth would congregate
the family, the mother engaged in making or mending the clothes of the
household, while the father was shaping an axe handle, a hickory broom,
or perhaps repairing the moccasins for himself and boys. The children cracking
nuts or studying their lessons, while at their feet stretched out upon
the hearth quietly slept the faithful watch-dog, the guardian of the place,
an indispensable acquisition to the pioneer home. A lurid flame from the
long-nosed iron lamp, filled with melted bear's grease, mingling with the
bright firelight, made cheerful the surroundings of this happy group.
In these pioneer homes there was always a cheerful welcome for the new
comer. There was little room for envy, jealousy and hatred, which are the
cause for so much human misery in the older communities. As a natural consequence
the pioiaeers were, as a rule, true Christians. It was this abiding confidence
in an all- wise Providence that enabled them to bear up under the many
trials and tribulations through which they were called upon to pass.
The early settlers of Miami County were plain in their attire. Their
garments were manufactured at home and from flax and wool, as cotton then
was comparatively scarce. The immigrants from the South wore goods of cotton,
but those who came from the East could not be so favored. The latter had
to depend on wool and flax. A lady's linsey dress would often last through
the second summer for then style seldom changed. The pioneers were content
with what they had. The making of the family clothing gave employment to
the female portion of it and led to habits of economy among them. Men in
the winter time wore light Indigo blue linsey, and now and then was seen
a hunter in buckskin and moccasins. As has been said, the girls of the
pioneer families were industrious. They were early taught industrious and
economical habits by careful mothers. In this connection a page from the
diary of a pioneer miss is given to show what could be accomplished by
the willing hands of the grandmothers of the past:
"Fixed gown for Prude; Mended mother's riding hood; Spun short
thread; Fixed two gowns for the Welsh girls; Carded tow; Spun linen; Worked
on cheese basket; Hatchel'd flax with Hannah, we did 5 lbs; Pleated and
ironed; Read a sermon of Doddridges; Spooled a piece; Spun apiece; Milked
the cows; Spun linen, did 50 knots; Made a broom of wheat straw; Spun thread
to whiten; Set a red dye; Had two scholars from Mrs.Taylor's; Carded two
pounds of whole wool and felt nationally; Spun harness twiue; Scoured the
pewter."
Girls of this sort made excellent wives. The young miss also tells of
washing, cooking, knitting, weeding the garden, picking geese, etc., and
of visits to neighbors. She dipped candles in the spring and made soap
in the autumn. This latter was a budensome business, but the soft soap
was important for home use. Even before they could spin the pioneer girls
of Miami County were taught to knit as soon as their little hands could
hold the needles. Sometimes girls of six could knit stockings. Boys often
had to knit their own suspenders. All the stockings and mittens for the
family were made in large numbers. To knit a pair of mittens was a sharp
and long day's Work. A story is told of a pioneer boy in Spring Creek Township
who came home one night and said that he had lost his mittens in the woods
while chopping wood. His sister ran to a bundle of wool in the garret,
carded and spun a big hank that night. It was racked and scoured the next
morning and in twenty-four hours from the time the brother announced his
loss he had a fine new pair of double mitts.
Another occupation which obtained among the girls of pioneer days was
that of quilting. There was not then the variety of colors to be had now
and it took no little ingenuity to make the product of the quilting frame
a showy one. There was one satisfactory condition in the work and that
was the quality of the cottons and linens of which the patchwork was made.
They were none of the slimsy composition filled, aniline-dyed calicoes
of today. A piece of "chaney," "patch," and "copper
plate" a hundred years old will be as fresh today as when woven. A
sense of the idealization of quilt piecing is given also by the quaint
descriptive names applied to the various patterns. Of these the "Rising
Sun," "Log Cabin," and "Job's Trouble" were perhaps
the most favored. There were many "quilting bees" during early
times and they were great affairs, looked forward to with much interest.
More than one resident of the county has heard his grandmother describe
them. Not only were the girls taught to quilt, but they were initiated
into the mysteries of the spinning wheel. Their deft fingers were ever
busy and all became experts at the various occupations that pertained to
the comforts of the family.
If such were the useful occupations of the girls, what did the boys
do? Like their sisters they were raised to habits of industry, frugality
and self-reliance, and were independent and fearless. At an early age they
were instructed in the use of the rifle and were taught to imitate the
call of bird and beast. Hidden in a thicket or behind a log, they would
call like wild turkeys, drawing whole flocks of these gamey birds within
reach of their rifles. Bleating like fawns they would lure the timid mothers
to their death. Then, barking like squirrels, the treetops would become
alive with the little rodents. And packs of wolves far away in the forest
or on the prairie would howl in answer to their calls. They also rivaled
the Indian in throwing the tomahawk, and in handling the bow and arrow.
They assisted their fathers in opening up the farms and in cultivating
the soil. At night in the cabins the wonderful jack-knife would be brought
forth and all sorts of things, useful as well as ornamental, would be fashioned
from the pliant wood. They learned how to repair every sort of farm machinery
and became adepts at it. There was no idleness in the boys and girls of
pioneer days.
Previous to and during the period that witnessed the establishment of
the county seat at Troy (an event which will be treated in a future chapter)
the currency of the settlers was poor and peculiar. Coonskins and other
pelts became a circulating medium and were accepted at the early stores
in exchange for the simple necessaries required by the neighborhood. There
were no established banks, as the State Bank was not instituted till later.
About the only "money" in circulation was a sort of coin known
as "sharp-shins." It is said to have come from Kentucky. It was
not received in pavment for public lands and had little value in business
transactions outside certain localities. The dollars in circulation were
the Spanish milled and in order to have change, the pioneers took them
to the nearest blacksmith, who proceeded to cut them into two, four and
quite often five pieces, on the anvil, with the assistance of a cold chisel.
If cut into five pieces the workman kept one for toll, leaving the owner
of the original coin four quarters.
These smaller pieces became "bits" and "flips" and
the terms "two-penny bit," "five-penny bit," "two-pence,
flip and a bit, were in every day use. The cut pieces were called "sharp-shilas"
on account of the jagged edges which arose from the cutting, and as they
wrought havoc with the pockets of their possessors leather bags were called
into use to hold them. With this sort of outlandish currency the early
settlers seemed to get along pretty well until better came into use, when
the "sharp-shins" were relegated to the rear and eventually disappeared.
One of the most important functions connected with the opening up of
the county were the frequent musters. These were great, not to say gorgeous
events. The fear of Indian invasion and the protection of the settlements
brought the muster into being and it held its place for many years. As
early as 1788 a law which was passed for "regulating the Militia"
was approved by Goveriaor St. Clair. All male citizens between the ages
of sixteen and fifty were required to furnish themselves, a musket, bayonet,
cartridge- box, pouch and powder-horn and bullet pouch, with one pound
of powder and four pounds of lead, priming wire and six flints.
There were company musters once every two months, except December, January,
February and March. The rules of the old militia kept the settlers familiar
to a certain extent with miltary discipline and they were ready at all
times to respond to any call. As a sample of the orders issued for a general
niuster I append the following:
"Regirmntal Orders. The commissioned officers of the 3rd, R, 2d
D, 10th D.O.M. are hereby notified to appear armed and equipped according
to law at the courthouse in Troy, on the 29th instant at 10 o'clock A.M.
of said day and continue under the command of the Brigadier General of
said brigade until three o'clock P.M. of the succeeding day, for the purpose
of muster, inspection and drill. By order of the Brigadier General.
.......... D.Grosvenor, Col.
The regimental and company musters were important events. The occasion
was often made a holiday and the whole neighborhood flocked to witness
the affair. The brigadier general decked in "all the pomp and panoply
of war" was a sight worth seeing, and Solomon "arrayed in all
his glory" would have cut a sorry figure beside him. General John
Webb, one of the pioneer settlers of Lost Creek Township, was a noted commander
of the old militia. The ranking officers in blue coats, glittering with
polished brass buttons, waving plumes and gorgeous epaulets were the observed
of all observers and created much suppressed merriment among the poor privates
and the concourse of spectators.
Among the old county musters whose glories long ago departed the following
major generals were conspicuous: Robert Young, Hiram Bell and J. W. Frizell.
Then came such brigadiers as James Fergus, Fielding Loury, John Webb, Dr.
Keifer, and S.J.Hensley, while a lot of colonels vied with the generals
in their brilliant yet grotesque uniforms and "military discipline."
The generals were chosen by a vote of the county and it is natural to suppose
that a good deal of "log rolling" was indulged in to secure the
coveted places. General John Webb was once elected to this position and
afterward, according to his personal narrative, became acting major general
of the Tenth Division of Ohio Militia, which division embraced the counties
of Montgomery, Darke, Shelby, and Miani and consisted of ten regiments
of infantry, riflemen, cavalry and artillery. Nearly all of the participants
in the old musters had seen service against the Indians and not a few took
part in the War of 1812. When the county became well settled the musters
went out of vogue, but their memories remanied for many years. They were
excellent things since they taught the manual of arms and prepared the
militia for any emergency. Some of the old company rolls are said to be
extant today, and upon them are to be found the names of many who in later
years became prominent citizens of the county, distinguished in various
walks of life.
ROSTER OF COUNTY OFFICERS, 18O7-1908
After the formation of the county in 1807 its official life began. Officers
were chosen, some by appointment, others by election. After a few years
they were chosen at regular elections, a system which has extended to the
present day. Following is a complete list of the officials of Miami County
from 1807 to 1908:
Treasurers
Andrew Wallace, William Brown, John G.Telford, Jacob Knoop, William
C.Knight, Andrew Patterson, George S.Murray, George C.Clyde, M.D.Mitchell,
A.L.McKinney, S.D.Frank, Theodore Sullivan, John A.McCurdy, D.W.Sinks,
S.N.Todd, George H. Rundle, J.C.Ullery, John Prugh, E.J.Eby, Jesse Burkett,
C.W.Kiser, R.N.Burwell. Of the above Wallace and Brown were appointed,
the latter serving thirty- eight years.
Auditors
H.W.Culbertson, David Grosvenor, Thomas S.Barrett, Jacob Knoop, B.F.Powers,
Thomas B.Kyle, James Nesbitt, C.N.Hoagland, J.W.Defrees, R.J.Douglass,
George C.Clyde, N.C.Clyde (filled a vacancy), Eli Tenney, W.I.Tenney, C.C.Barnett,
Horatio Pearson, Boyd E.Furnas, Elmer E.Pearson, Albert E.Sinks.
Sheriffs
Stephen Dye, T.W.Furnas, Levi Hart, Leander Munsell, Robert Culbertson,
John Shidler, Joseph Defrees, Stephen Johnston, Thomas Jay, Joseph Pearson,
James M. Roe, Daniel Ellis, John Hart, C.T.Bear, S.D.Frank, William Evans,
David L.Lee, D.C.Miller, John M.Campbell, Alexander M.Heywood, T.M.Ashworth,
E.M. Wilbee, F.E.Scobey, W.E.Rogers, Ralph H.Gibson.
Clerks of the Court
Cornelius Westfall, John G.Telford, Thomas J.S.Smith, Benjamin W. Leavell,
Barton S.Kyle, Charles V.Royce, Smith Talbott, J.W.Cruikshanks, John B.Latchford,
J.B.Fouts, Abbott E.Childs, E.A.Jackson, J.H.Landis, Cloyd Smith.
Prosecuting Attorneys
E.Adams, William I. Thomas, Thomas S. Barrett, R. S. Hart, Ebenezer
Parsons, H. G. Sellers, M. H. Jones, James T. Janvier, Walter S. Thomas,
W.F. Ross, H.H. Williams, C.D. Wright, Aloses B. Earnhart, Samuel Jones,
Thomas B. Kyle, J. Harrison Smith, Alva B. Campbell, William E. Lytle.
Surveyors
Armstrong Brandon, Fielding Loury, Jacob Knoop, William Giffin, John
B. Fish, J.E.Alexander, John N.Rouzer, A.C.Buchanan, E.P.Kellogg, H.O.Evans,
R.F.Walker, John W.Dowler, Harry J.Walker, H.E.Whitlock. At the beginning
surveyors were appointed, but not until a number of years after the formation
of the county were they chosen at the regular elections.
Commissioners
Joseph McCorkle, Henry Gerard, James Naylor, William Barbee, Alexander
Ewing, Thomas Coppock, Alexander McNutt, James Fergus, John Wilson, William
Mendenhall, James Orr, James Johnston, William Barbee, Oliver Benton, Hugh
Scott, William Wiley, Robert Morrison, Michael Williams, James Brown, E.P.Davis,
Samuel Pierce, Richard Morrow, Jacob Knoop, Sr., Samuel Kelley, W.C.Knight
William Elliott, D.H. Morris, Isaac Sheets, William Scott, J.N. Wolcot,
Jacob Knoop, Thomas B.Rose, Abner Jones, Ralph Peterson, B.F.Brown, Howard
Mitchell, Jeremiah Fenner, Jacob Rohrer, J.C.Coate, James Sims Jr., D.M.Rouzer,
Nathan Jackson, James Saylor, D.M.Coate, Isaac Clyne, W.H.Northcutt, D.C.Branson,
William Johnston, Edmund Lewis, John W. Widney, John C.Henderson, John
T.Knoop, David C.Statler, B.B.Scarff, S.D.Frank, W.H.Alexander, Robert
Martindale, Havilah Coppock, Ira T.Jackson, B.F.Smith, J.B.Studebaker,
W.G.Wilson, W.B.Segner, J.E.Anderson, Thomas C.Brown, Joe M.Fink.
Infirmary Directors
There seems to be no official roster of this office prior to 1853, but
the following is the roster of the Infirmary Board since that time: James
C.McKaig, Jacob Counts, Asa Coleman, George Throgmorton, David Huston,
S.M.Dickson, William H. Gahagan, James H. Pea, John D. DeWeese, George
B.Frye, Jacob Knoop, William Hamilton, S.A. Cairns, Stephen Genslinger,
Joseph Bains, B.N.Langston, Samuel Bowerman, John E. Anderson, Harrison
Gear, T.M.Aspinall, E.E.Thompson, E.F.Sayers, L.L.Speagh, William E. Foster,
Frank Beek, Havilah Coppock, J.W.Underwood.
Infirmary Superintendents
Since 1853 the following citizens of the county have been superintendent
of the Infirmary: George A.Murray, Jonathan Batson, Samuel Robinson, James
Foster, Price Duncan, Cornelius N. Bowne.
Probate Judges
Joseph Pearson, Samuel Davis, W.N.Foster, A.L.McKinney, William C. Johnston,
William J.Clyde, John C.Geyer, William B.Freshour, J.Harrison Smith, Eberhart
W.Maier.
Representatives
Arthur Stewart, the county's first representative in the Ohio Legislature,
took his seat at the session commencing 8 Dec 1808. In the years following,
his successors have been: Fielding Loury, Joseph Evans, James Blue, T.W.Furnas,
Samuel Kyle, Robert Montgomery, Asa Coleman, James Fergus, John P.Finley,
William Mendenhall, Leander Munsell, William Fielding, John McCorkle, William
Barbee, Amos Perry, John Wilson, Thomas J. Smith, Stacey Taylor, Hiram
Bell, John Briggs, Justin Hamilton, Thomas Shidler, John McClure, David
Alexander, James Bryson, J.W.Riley, David H. Morris, Stephen Johnston,
Joseph Potter, W.A. Weston, Tanzy Julian, Joseph Worley, Henry S. Mayo,
Augustus Fenner, Levi N. Booher, Eli Tenney, M.H.Jones, W.B.McClung, S.E.Brown,
J.H. Randall, David Alexander, J.C.Ullery, J.P.Williamson, George C.Clyde,
Joseph E.Pearson, Samuel Sullivan, M.W.Hays, D.M.Murry, Noah H. Albaugh,
James A. Sterrett, Van S. Deaton, John A. McCurdy, W.I.Tenney, H.J.Ritter.
State Senators
Prominent among the senators elected from the counties comprising the
senatorial district of which Miami has been a part were William I. Thomas,
John W. Morris, A.Curtis Cable and George S. Long, all citizens of the
county.
Common Pleas Judges
The Court of Common Pleas was not instituted till many years after the
birth of the county. The following is the roster of the Common Pleas Court
to date: R.S.Hart, Ebenezer Pearson, Ichabod Corwin, Robert C. Fulton,
George D.Burgess, H.H.Williams, Calvin D. Wright, Theodore Sullivan, Walter
D. Jones.
Congressional
Below are found the distinguished men by whom the county has been represented
in the National Congress to date: William McLean, Joseph H. Crane, Patrick
G. Goode, Robert C. Schenk, M.B.Corwin, B. Stanton, M.H.Nichols, William
Allen, J.F.McKinney, William Lawrence, J.Warren Keifer, Benjamin LeFevre,
Robert M. Murray, Charles M. Anderson, Elihu S. Williams, Martin K. Gantz,
George W. Wilson, Walter L. Weaver, Thomas B. Kyle.
Coroners
Dr.J W. Means, Dr.J.W. Calvin, Dr.J.Funderburg, Dr.Charles Gaines, Dr.John
Beamer, Dr.Van S.Deaton.
Recorders
Cornelius Westfall, William Barbee, Z. Riley, George D. Burgess, J.
Widener, J.P.Williamson, Hiram M. Lukens, George Green, Isaac A. Landis,
E.J. Eby, J.O. Davis, J.C. Moore, Clarkson Coate, Perry Moyer.
End chapter 5
Harbaugh's 1909 History of Miami County Ohio
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