HAMILTON COUNTY OHIO - History of Hamilton County Ohio (published 1881) Columbia Township (1)

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Columbia Township - pgs 263-269
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History of Hamilton County Ohio with Illustrations and Biographical
Sketches.

Compiled by Henry A. Ford, A.M. and Mrs. Kate B. Ford, L.A. William & Co.,
Publishers; 1881.

pages: 263-269

                   Hamilton County History pages 263-269

                                  ~pg 263~

                                 COLUMBIA.

                               ORGANIZATION.

Columbia is the oldest born of the townships of Hamilton county. Upon its
soil, as originally constituted, was planted the first colony in the Miami
Purchase - the first white settlement, indeed, anywhere in the Ohio valley
between Limestone or Maysville and the falls of the Ohio, otherwise the
mouth of Beargrass creek, or Louisville. From this lodgment of Major STITES
and his people near the mouth of the Little Miami, and his designation of
the cluster of cabins by the patriotic title then (1788) much more in vogue
than now, the subsequent township of course derived its name. The history
of that settlement, and to some extent of the gallant men who founded it,
will be told very fully in the chapter devoted to Spencer township, with
which Columbia, as a country village, was last associated, and to whose
history its own seems properly to belong.

Columbia township was erected by the court of general quarter sessions of
the peace, in 1791, at the same time Cincinnati and Miami townships were
formed; but seems to claim priority by virtue of its cattle brand, which
was fixed to be the letter A, the others taking respectively the letters B
and C. The boundaries of this town were then assigned as follows:

"Beginning at the foot of the second meridian east of Cincinnati, on the
Ohio bank; thence north to the third entire (or military) range; thence
east to the Little Miami; thence down the Miami to Ohio river; thence down
the Ohio to place of beginning."

This was a vast township, larger than some counties are now. Cincinnati and
Miami townships, with it, included the whole of Hamilton county on the
Purchase, south of the military range. Beyond their north line, in the
Miami country, there was probably at this time not a single white settler,
and the extensive boundaries of the township were supposed to be sufficient
to include all probable settlement on the east side of the Purchase for
years to come. It was not many years, however, before the call was made for
the erection of townships in the further tracts of the Purchase now covered
by Butler and Montgomery counties, as settlement rapidly progresssd in
them.

Upon the reconstruction of the Hamilton county townships in 1803, after the
erection of Butler county by the first State legislature, the boundaries of
Columbia were thus changed:

"Commencing at the southeast corner of Cincinnati township, thence north to
the northwest corner of section thirty-six in fractional range two,
township four; thence east to the Little Miami; thence south to the Ohio;
thence westward to the place of beginning."

This arrangement gave the township just the entirety of its present
territory, with the whole of the later Spencer township, including so much
of the city as is now east of "the second meridian east" of the old city of
Concinnati. The voters were at this time required to meet at the house of
Samuel MUCHMORE, upon the present site of Madisonville, and elect three
justices of the peace.

The first officers of the township, under appointment of the quarter
sessions court in 1791, were as follows:
Ephraim KIBBY, clerk; John GERRARD, John MORRIS, constables; Luke FOSTER,
overseer of roads; James MATTHEWS, overseer of the poor.

The following memoranda for justices of the peace for Columbia township
have also been found:
1819, John JONES, Abner APPLEGATE; 1825, Abner APPLEGATE, William BAXTER,
James ARMSTRONG; 1829, William BAXTER, Batia EVANS, Eleazer BALDWIN, John
T. JONES; 1865-8, Francis A. HILL, William TINGLEY, James JULIEN; 1859-70,
F. A. HILL, Leonidas BAILEY, L A. HENDRICKS; 1871, L. A. HENDRICKS, C. W.
MAGILL, Louis W. CLASON; 1872-3, CLASON, MAGILL, HILL; 1874, same, with E.
W. BOWMAN; 1875-7, CLASON, HILL, TINGLEY; 1878, CLASON, HILL, William
ARNOLD, Charles S. BURNS; 1879, CLASON, ARNOLD, George REITER; 1880,
CLASON, REITER.
                                 GEOGRAPHY.

When Spencer township was formed Columbia was cut down to its present
limits, and lost the famous old village from which it took its noble and
high-sounding name. The township is now bounded on the west by the "second
meridian line" aforesaid, to a point about a mile and a quarter north of
the Ohio, separating it from Mill Creek township; on the north by the old
line of 1803, from the northwest corner of section thirty-six in the
fractional range two, township four, to the Little Miami, dividing it from
Sycamore and Symmes townships; on the south by that river, Spencer
township, and a part of Cincinnati, and on the east by the same stream,
which separates it from Anderson township and a short front of Clermont
county. It is nine miles long on its north line, which is the greatest
length of the township; and but four miles and a quarter in its shortest
length, at the south of the township. It is five miles broad on the west,
and for more than four miles thence to the eastward, and is then of
variously reduced width, according to the windings of the Little Miami,
until, on its eastern border, it is less than two and a half miles wide.
The Little Miami River, with its ins and outs, has a bank of about nine
miles in this township. Forty sections, twenty-nine whole, and eleven
fractional, are included in the present territory of Columbia, making
~pg 264~
eighteen thousand eight hundred and sixty-acres, of which two hundred and
thirty-nine are covered by the site of Madisonville. They are much more
regular in their boundaries than sections in most other parts of the SYMMES
Purchase - thanks, perhaps, to the superior skill or care of Major STITES
and his surveyors - and each full section comprises exactly or very nearly
a square mile.

The topography of Columbia township, for picturesque and varied character,
and eligibility for suburban purposes, is scarcely equaled anywhere else in
Hamilton county. The valley of the Little Miami stretches broadly along its
eastern and southeastern districts, with the heights beyond Milford and
Newtown in the distance, and others closer to the course of the stream-in
one instance, near the northeast corner of Anderson township, coming down
close to the course of the stream. Across the entire length of the
township, in a general east and west direction, spreads another great, deep
valley, evidently very ancient in its formation, but now with no large
stream in its bed-probably an old channel through which the waters of Mill
creek found their way to the Little Miami. The township may be said to
consist pretty nearly of this and the Miami valleys. The result of the
great operations of nature, by which they have been channeled, has been to
afford a very large number and variety of beautiful sites for human
habitation. Indian Hill and the Norwood Heights, Pleasant Ridge, Oakley,
Madisonville, Mount Lookout, and indeed, almost every square mile of the
higher ground in the township, are excellently adapted to the purposes of
suburban residence, as well as for farming. Neighborhood to a great city
has naturally called attention to these advantages, and every one of its
numerous villages has more or less of the suburban character.

Apart from the Little Miami, Columbia has no stream of size within it or
upon its borders. Duck creek, and perhaps a dozen other brooks and
rivulets, traverse some part of the township, most of them toward the
Little Miami, but two or three, in the northwestern part, making their way
to the valley of Mill creek. The Marietta & Cincinnati railroad enters the
township near Norwood, about a mile and three-quarters from the southwest
corner, traverses about half its breadth on a general east and west line to
Madisonville, whence the route makes rapidly northward and northeastward to
its emergence from the township beyond Madeira station near the southeast
corner of Sycamore township. About seven miles of the course of this
railroad lie in Columbia. The Little Miami railroad has about the same
length along or near the river in this township, entering at the southeast
corner, at Red Bank station, and. proceeding by the Batavia junction,
Plainville, and several other points, to its exit from the county at the
northeastern corner, opposite East Milford, and a mile and a half further,
crossing the river and leaving the county altogether. The Cincinnati &
Eastern narrow-gauge railroad tracks also intersect the southern tier of
sections; but its arrangements for entering Cincinnati from the north and
west are not yet consummated, and the road is not much used west of Batavia
junction, where it connects with the Little Miami railroad. The Cincinnati
Northern narrow-gauge, now in course of construction, crosses the township
from south to north, entering from the direction of Walnut Hills, and
passing through Norwood. Several fine turnpikes, as the Cincinnati &
Wooster, once the main line of communication eastward; the Madison, the
Montgomery, and others, with many well-kept, ordinary wagon-roads, add to
the facilities of communication with the city and surrounding country. Upon
some of them, as over the Montgomery pike to Pleasant Ridge, lines of
omnibuses are regularly run to and from Cincinnati.
                              ANCIENT REMAINS.

One of the richest fields for antiquarian research in the world, for the
extent of it, is presented in this township, notably in the eastern and
southeastern parts of it. It has been industriously and very intelligently
worked during the few years last past by the members of the Madisonville
Scientific and Literary society; and in this sketch we freely use the
results of their labors, particularly as set forth in Dr. Charles L METZ's
article on the pre-historic monuments of the Little Miami valley, in the
Journal of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History for October, 1878, and
his chart accompanying the paper.

I. Dr. METZ and his co-laborers arrange the works in groups. Group A is
mostly upon the property of Charles F. STITES, one mile west of Plainville,
between the Wooster turnpike and the Little Miami railroad and river, upon
the second bottom or plateau, in section nine. This plateau has a general
elevation above the river of nearly two hundred feet; and above it, at a
height varying from ten to twenty-five feet, is a narrow ridge, mainly
composed of reddish sand, upon which the most notable work of the group is
situated. This and the remaining works in this locality are thus described
by Dr. METZ:

Commencing at the east end of the ridge, and in a wood known as "STITES'
grove," we find an earthwork consisting of a circle, central tumulus, and
an oval-shaped tumulus impinging on the outer southeast edge of the circle.
The following extract, from an article entitled "The Mound Builders," by
Mr. Florien GIAUQUE, published in the Harvest Home Magazine, August, 1876,
describes this work as follows:

"In the grove in the 'picnic woods' owned by Mr. Charles STITES, of
Columbia on the top of this ridge, there is a circular enclosure made by a
ditch and an earthen embankment outside of and immediately adjoining this
ditch, and no doubt made of the material which was taken from it. From the
bottom of this ditch to the top of the embankment, the present height is
five and one-half feet; the diameter of the ditch from deepest cut on
either side is seventy-five feet; the enclosing embankment, from crest to
crest, is one hundred and five feet; and the diameter of the entire work,
from outside to outside, is about one hundred and forty-five to one hundred
and fifty feet. On the east this embankment is enlarged into a regular
mound, about forty-eight feet in diameter and about six feet high above the
adjacent ground. At the southeast part of the enclosure there is left an
entrance-way about ten feet wide - that is, there is here neither ditch nor
embankment. This entrance faces and is about forty feet away from the edge
of the terrace or bluff, which is here quite steep, and about one hundred
feet (estimated) high above the river, which is here quite near the foot of
the bluff. The edges of the terrace and ridge coincide here."

The ridge to the east of this work slopes gently until it reaches the
general level of the plateau. On this slope numerous relics are found. The
above-described work was explored by Mr. GIAUQUE and others, and several
fine relics were found. The finding of one he describes as follows:

"One of the trenches was begun about the north of the mound, and the writer
[Mr. GIAUQUE], while working here, hardly a foot below the surface of the
mound and about seven feet from the centre of it, found
~pg 265~
a very fine relic. It is a tube six inches long, a little less than an inch
in diameter, made of crinoidal limestone, highly polished, though somewhat
coated and discolored in places by the oxide of iron which has collected on
it during its long burial. The hole extends entirely through from end to
end, but grows rapidly smaller near one end, being about five-eighths of an
inch in diameter most of the distance, and about three-sixteenths of an
inch at the smaller end. This relic is, in fact, a cylinder for about four
and one-half inches of its length to a diamond-shaped perforation."

I have measured the circumference of some of the larger trees growing on
this work. An oak has nine and one-half feet, beech eight and one-half feet
in circumference on the central tumulus, maple six and three-tenths feet,
an oak six and seven-tenths feet in circumference.

Northwest of this work, and about two hundred feet distant, at the foot of
the sand-ridge, and on the general level of the plateau, is a mound which
has been recently explored. Its diameter east to west is forty-five feet,
elevation seven feet. An oak tree on its western slope has eight and
seven-tenths feet, and a beech on its eastern slope five feet of a
circumference. An interesting account of the exploration of this mound, by
Mr. GIAUQUE, was published in the Harvest Home Magazine, in the article
from which I quoted above. The circumstances of exploration are of
considerable interest to the archaeologist, and I make the following
extracts from Mr. GIAUQUE'S article:

"About eleven feet from the outside and two feet above the original
surface, the shovel, hitherto working pretty freely in clayey sand, struck
the first big stone. It was a flat limestone, possibly brought from the
neighboring hill about a half a mile away, as there was none nearer; and it
was much reddened and softened by fire, the fossil shells in it being
whitened or more nearly calcined than the other parts. This, together with
charcoal and ashes, pieces of bone, pieces of bowlder broken by fire, were
very encouraging indications of a 'find.' Further digging showed that the
rock struck, was the part of a stone arch, rudely made of undressed
limestone.

"That part of the arch first found was removed, and under it was found a
skeleton, the tibia (shin-bone) being the first part of it discovered. The
arch was then entirely uncovered, the earth removed between it and the
skeleton, and the skeleton taken out.

If the mound had been divided into four parts, by drawing a line through
its centre from north to south and another similarly from east to west, the
arch would have been entirely within the northwest section of the mound,
and the skeleton which it covered lay with its head nearly towards the
northeast (N. E. E.) Perpendicular sections of the mound, as dug away that
day, showed from the bottom upwards:

"I. The skeleton resting on or near the original surface, which was a sandy
clay, quite compact and hard.

"2. About a foot of sandy earth, possibly mixed with ashes, but no charcoal
nor pieces of bowlder or bones, and, especially in places where the rock
above had relieved it from pressure, quite loose and soft.

"3. The arch, hitherto so called for convenience, but perhaps hardly
entitled to the name. This was made, as has been said, of undressed but
flat limestone, averaging about twenty to thirty and six to eight inches in
length and breadth, four inches in thickness, and approximately most of
them being about a medium between these extremes. The arch was about seven
feet long and five and a half or six wide, its highest part being in a line
with and directly over the body, and arching downward on either side till
its edges on the right and left of the skeleton nearly reached the clay on
which the skeleton lay. But the stones were not set up on edge, so that the
structure, while really an arch in form, was probably not self-sustaining.
It contained three layers of stone, one over the other, making about a foot
in thickness.

"4. A thin layer of sandy earth, about one inch on the highest part, and
increasing in thickness toward the sides.

"5. Charcoal and ashes, the charcoal not plenty nor in large pieces, this
indicating that the fire had burned out before being covered up with earth.
This fire was hot enough to color all the top rocks, as mentioned of the
first one found.

" 6. A layer of sand about fifteen inches thick, with pieces of
fire-cracked bowlder, burnt limestone, and pieces of human bones, much
decayed - or were they partially burned?

" 7. Another layer of charcoal and ashes similar to the one below, about
three-fourths of an inch thick.

"8. Clayey sand to the top, so soft as to be shovelled without loosening
with a pick, and nowhere over two and a half feet thick. No ornaments or
implements of any kind were found in this mound."

West and to the south of this tumulus, and on the same continuous
sand-ridge mentioned above, are four or five elevations or tumuli, with an
average height of three to four feet, being from two to three hundred feet
apart. The ridge is here under cultivation; numbers of relics, flint chips,
and broken boulders, are ploughed up on this ridge.

Northwest of these tumuli, and on the general level of the plateau,
one-fourth of a mile distant, is a mound which has a circumference at base
of two hundred feet, and an elevation of seven feet. It is as yet
unexplored, but cultivated annually.

Four hundred yards to the northeast of this mound, and at the junction of
the Wooster and Madison turnpikes, can yet be traced a circular work, which
has a circumference of six hundred feet; twenty years ago, I am told by an
old settler, the circle had an elevation at that time of three feet, and
there was a mound four feet in the centre; at present it is almost
obliterated. Its northern side in places has an elevation of eight to
twelve inches. On the south and eastern side, the work can be traced by the
yellow color of the soil. The northeast side is occupied by the Madison
turnpike.

Continuing on the southwestward of the small tumuli, and along the
previously described sand ridge, we come to what is known as the 'Pottery
Field.' Here the ridge slopes gently to the south and southeast, with an
elevation of from sixty to eighty feet above the level of the Little Miami
river. This field is a plateau of about four acres in extent, sloping back
to the higher ground. On this plateau fragments of pottery are found in
great abundance. Flint chips, arrow points, broken bowlders, burnt
limestone, and the shells of the fresh- water muscle (unio), are found all
over the surface. Human remains have been found in the adjoining ravines
and on the slopes; the graves were isolated and shallow, and the method of
burial was not uniform. Bones of various wild animals are also found.

Two hundred yards north of the Pottery field are several small turmuli. The
largest has a circumference at base of about one hundred feet, height five
and one-half feet; this mound has been dug into, but not yet explored. The
Pottery Field, and also the tumulus, are situated in sections nine,
Columbia township, in what is known as FERRIS' woods, in 'Still Home
Hollow.' The largest trees on the Pottery Field measure as follows: A
walnut, fifteen and one-half feet in circumference; an oak, twelve feet in
circumference; a maple, nine and one-half feet in circumference, and an elm
twelve feet in circumference.

A quarter of a mile farther west, in section fifteen, on the estate of
Joseph FERRIS, and just southeast of the family homestead, is a circular
work, with an inside ditch and a central elevation. Its circumference is
about two hundred feet; diameter from east to west about sixty-five feet.
This work is almost obliterated. It is distant from the river half a mile,
and elevated above it about eighty feet.

2. The group B is situated partly in sections fifteen and twenty-one, in
this township. The remainder of the works belonging to and forming much the
larger part of the group are in Spencer township, and will be described in
another chapter. Our scientific authority gives a full account of the
group, from which we extract at present that portion relating to Columbia
township:

One-half mile north of Red Bank station, on the second bottom or plateau of
Duck creek, immediately southwest of the western end of the Cincinnati &
Eastern railroad trestle, is a mound eight feet high and two hundred feet
in circumference at base. It has not been explored, but is cultivated
annually. Half a mile to the northwest of this mound is another, with an
elevation of five feet and circumference of about one hundred and
seventy-five feet. It is on the same level as the foregoing one, and on the
lands of the Dr. DUNCAN estate.

The hill northwest of Red Bank station, and distant about two hundred yards
from it, has an elevation of about two hundred and fifty feet. This hill is
terraced on its eastern and southern slope; the terraces are five in
number, and are undoubtedly the work of human hands. On the top of this
hill is a mound. Its present elevation is about four feet, and it has not
been explored.

3. Dr. METZ's group C lies altogether in Anderson township, and its several
works have been described in the chapter devoted to that subdivision of the
county. Group D is also mostly in Anderson, comprising the enclosure and
mounds in the northeast corner of the township, and also interesting works
in southwestern Col-
~pg 266~
umbia, across the river, which are thus described in the doctor's essay:

No. 6 of this group is a small mound, situated in section twenty-two,
Columbia township, on an elevated ridge known as Gravelotte, on the estate
of T. R. BIGGS. It is situated in a corner of a large embankment. Its
height is three- feet, circumference one hundred and fifty feet.

No. 7 of this group is located in section twenty-nine, Columbia township,
one-fourth of a mile west of Camden, just south of the Wooster turnpike. It
is now only one-third its former size, it being partly removed in the
construction of the Wooster turnpike. Its present dimensions are: Height
nine feet, diameter seventy feet.

In the southeast corner of section twenty-nine, at the village of Camden,
and three hundred feet east of the south line of Mr. GALLOWAY's residence,
is the corner of an embankment which extends east and south to the river.
It extends three-fourths of a mile east, until it reaches the bank of the
river, which is here about forty feet high, the other running south until
it reaches the edge of the gravel ridge, and then runs east to the river.
It incloses from eight hundred to one thousand acres of ground. This
embankment, fifty years ago, was six feet high and twelve feet wide. It is
now scarcely traceable; but can be seen in spring time and just after
plowing, when the peculiar color of the soil discloses it.

At the northwest corner of section twenty-eight, half mile south of the
mound No. 7, between the two headwaters of a little stream setting into the
Miami, is a cluster of seven small mounds.

4. Some miles from any one of these groups, upon the farm of M. C. BENHAM,
on section thirty, near Pleasant ridge, is a fine, large mound, eight feet
high, by two hundred in circumference at the base.

5. On the same turnpike, the Montgomery, which passes near the BENHAM
mound, but a mile and a half to the southwest, on Norwood Heights, is the
famous mound of observation, one of the most notable ancient works in the
county. It is nine feet high and two hundred feet in base circumference;
and its summit commands an extensive view of the surrounding country. From
it signals could be flashed or otherwise communicated to similar points of
observation in the Mill creek valley, and thence rapidly far up and down
the valleys of the Great Miami and the Ohio. Many stone implements, as
axes, fleshers, gorgets, chissels, flint arrow-heads and chippings, and
also mica, have been found in the neighborhood and through the valley.
                               THE EARLY DAY.

For the following items of township history we are indebted to the
interesting work entitled "Surburban Homes," prepared and published in
1874, by Professor Richard NELSON, now president of NELSON'S Business
college, Cincinnati:

Though the records of the township have been kept at Madison, we have found
it difficult to obtain much information regarding the early settlement of
either town or township. The first record of township officers was made
April 4, 1803, when Samuel SHEPPARD was elected chairman, and James MURCH,
clerk, and James MCKNIGHT, N. S. ARM- STRONG, John SEEMAN, and John ELLIOT,
trustees. Two years afterward, the whole number of votes polled in the
township was thirty-two.

During the early history of the township, it was customary to board the
poor at the farm houses, the pauper being sold at auction to the lowest
bidder. Some of these bids, we noticed, did not exceed one dollar per week.
It was also the province of the constable to notify strangers that were
supposed to be in indigent circumstances that the township would not he
responsible for their support. The following we extracted from a record
made in 1826:

"An order to John JONES, constable, for warning B- R- and family . . . .to
depart the township; also; for warning five supervisors to attend to be
sworn into office."

Among the annals may also be seen a book containing the records of the "
ear-marks " for stock. These marks are represented in diagrams, which are
accompanied with a key, and in 1791 numbered up to one hundred and seventy.
The last record stands thus:

"Moses OSBORN, having removed out of the township, his mark is transferred
to Henry LOCKWOOD; which mark is two slits in the right ear."

The oldest of these private marks for animals, recorded as No. I by Judge
William GOFORTH, February 7, 1791, was "a penny on the left ear, and a
half-penny the under side of the same." This is accompanied, as in other
cases, by a diagram showing the form and position of these marks upon the
ear.

A leaf from one of the old justice dockets, bearing dates of August 22, 26,
and 30, 1816, shows for what petty sums suits were sometimes brought in
those days. In the case of William IRWIN against Singer SMITH, judgment was
rendered against the defendant for two dollars. In that of Moses KITCHELL
vs. Christopher LEMAN, judgment was given the plaintiff for "the amount
that, I found between them," as the magistrate puts it - which amount was
seventy-seven and three-fourths cents! The "bale " and a witness in one of
these cases was the well-known Isaac GIFFIN, who receives further notice
under the head of Madisonville. He is but recently deceased, and is
remembered, among other characteristics, for his inveterate habit of
ruminating, or chewing his cud, the same as a cow.

The following document is an interesting but rather painful reminder of its
time, as showing for what trifling delinquencies an unlucky debtor could be
lodged in prison. It is some satisfaction, in this particular case, that
the endorsement upon this writ shows that the debt and costs were paid
without recourse to the last resort of an infuriated or determined
creditor.

THE STATE OF OHIO,} SS.
Hamilton County.
To John JONES, Constable of Columbia Township, Greeting;

WHEREAS John ARMSTRONG, treasurer, obtained judgment against John and
Rachel WITHEM, before me, a justice of the peace of said township, for a
debt of two dollars eighty-three and one-half cents, and ...... dollars
...... cents costs, on the first day of June last. - You are therefore
commanded to levy the said debt and costs, and costs that may accrue, of
the goods and chattels of the said John and Rachel WITHEM, by distress and
sale thereof, returning the overplus, if any, to the said John and Rachel
WITHEM, but for want of such property whereon to levy, then take the said
John and Rachel WITHEM to the jail of the county aforesaid, there to he
detained until the said debts and costs that may accrue, shall be paid, or
. . . . .otherwise legally discharged: And of this writ make legal service
and due return.

Given under my hand and seal, this twenty-second day of April, in the year
eighteen hundred and seventeen.
                               ZACH. BRIGGS,
                           Justice of the Peace.

A justice in those days received four cents for swearing a witness, seven
for issuing a subpoena, twelve and a half for a writ, and the same sum for
rendering a judgment, except pro confesso, when the fee seems to have been
but ten cents. Constables realized twenty to thirty cents costs in a simple
case; but a witness was allowed the extravagant sum of fifty cents for a
day's attendance.

The following is a partial transcript of the original pauper record of
Columbia township, kindly made for this work by Louis W. CLASON, esq., of
Madisonville, to whom its readers are also indebted for many other favors.
He has exhibited an interest and public spirit in the mat-
~pg 267~
ter of recording and perpetuating local history, that are every way
creditable to his intelligence and foresight.

     1801. This book bought from Mr. Nathaniel REEDER, in Cincinnati, the
     second day of September, 1801, for the use of the overseeers of the
     Poor, Columbia Township, Hamilton County, North West of the River
     Ohio. The Price, one dollar and twenty-five cents, and this Book to be
     continued and to be delivered over to the next overseeers, and so on
     from year to year to the overseers for their use of said township.

This Book bought by Wyleys PIERSON and Joseph REEDER, overseeers of the
Poor for Columbia Township, A. D., 1801.

To the Commissioners for the County of Hamilton North West of the River
Ohio.

The overseeers for the Township of Columbia and County aforesaid.

This is to certify that on the fourth day of May, 1801, we sold Thomas
McCORMICK, one of the poor of said Township, for one year, for fifty-one
dollars and ninety-nine cents, George GALASPE, Sen., being the lowest
bidder.

Likewise, on the sixteenth day of May aforesaid, we sold Sarah FRIER, one
of the poor of the township, aforesaid for fifty-nine dollars, until the
first Monday in May next, the lowest bidder being Susannah PRICE. Sold by
us, Joseph REEDER, and Wyleys PIERSON, overseeers of the poor for the
township aforsaid.

     1801. On the third Tuesday of November we held a town meeting to vote
     in Freeholders to audit the accounts of the overseers of the poor for
     the township of Columbia and County of Hamilton, which is to be done
     every year for the same purpose. On that day was voted in William
     LOGAN, Perry CRATCHEL, and John MANN.

An account of money expended to maintain Moses TRADER, according to an
order obtained from two Justices of the Peace for that purpose 29th
December, 1801.
Paid Noah STRONG for two weeks' board, at two dollars per week ............
$4.00
Paid Noah STRONG for three weeks, at $1.50 per week
............................... 4.50
Joseph REEDER allowed him one week
........................................................ 1.00
......................................................................................................................
9.50
......................................................................................................................
3
Balance due
.................................................................................................
6.50

Witness} Joseph REEDER, } We have received in part three dollars to be
Wyllys PIERSON. deducted as above.

The above account for necessaries furnished the poor of Columbia Township,
allowed by the Court the 2nd March, 1802. at six dollars and fifty cents.

The above three dollars that we rec'd was from Major Benj'n STITES, a
former overseeer.

1802. Rec'd of Wyllys PIERSON twenty-five cents, for searching record and
making of the within account, 5th May, 1801, for John S. GANO, Clerk.
                              JOHN ARMSTRONG.

To the Commissioners of Hamilton County, North West of the River, Ohio.

This is to certify that, on the third day of May, 1802, we sold Thomas
MCCORMICK, one of the poor of said Township, for one year, for the sum of
fifty-two dollars, Robert FLACK being the lowest bidder. Likewise we sold
Sara FRIER, one of the poor, for one year for seventy-five dollars on the
same day as the above, the lowest bidder Susannah PRICE.

Sold by us, Wylleys PIERSON and Joseph REEDER, Overseeers of the Poor,
Columbia Township.

     1802. May the 13th, then settled with the Trustees or auditors, and
     our accounts allowed by them; their names:

Hamilton County, }................................................... JOHN
COMINGS,
Columbia Township ................................................. JOHN
SEAMAN,
.................................................................................
JOSEPH MCCORMICK.
Hamilton County.

Whereas Wylleys PIERSON and Joseph REEDER, overseeers of the poor for the
township of Columbia, both this day made complaint unto us, John ARMSTRONG
and William BROWN, Esqrs., two of the justices of the county assigned to
keep the peace; and hath reported that Jonathan COVINGTON, of said
township, is lying sick with a consumption and hath not enough to support
himself; and these are therefore to require you, the said overseeers, to
administer relief to the said COVINGTON in such manner as the law in such
cases directs. In testimony whereof we have set our hands and fixed our
seals at Columbia the 29th day of January, in the year 1803.
...............................................................................JOHN
ARMSTRONG.
..............................................................................WILLIAM
BROWN.

To the Commissioners for the county of Hamilton, Northwest of the River
Ohio.

Whereas we obtained an order from John ARMSTRONG and William BROWN, Esqrs.,
two of the justices for said county aforesaid at Columbia, the 20th day of
January, 1803, to sell one of the poor named Jonathan COVINGTON, and we
sold him on the eighth day of February, 1803, according to law, until the
first Monday of May next, for twenty-three dollars and seventy-five cents,
the lowest bidder being Elizabeth FERRIS. Sold by us, Joseph REEDER and
Wylleys PIERSON.

[On page five of the record I find the first entry of notice to depart the
township. - L W. C.]

June 14th, 1806. A Warrant issued warning John HANNAH to depart this
Township.

October 14. A Warrant issued warning Mary HIGHLANDS to depart this
township.

November 77. A Warrant issued warning Jonathan NARREE to depart this
township.

[On page forty-nine I find the following entry. - L. W. C.

24th. Raatis EVANS brought from Columbia to James JOHNSON'S, and died, at
one dollar per day.

The oldest graveyard in the present township of Columbia is at the foot of
West Indian hill, on the premises of the Joseph MORTON estate. It has not
been used for more than half a century. Some. of the first bodies interred
therein were taken from Columbia village, as several members of the WARD
family, who were among the first settlers in that region. About the same
time with them came John HARBAUGH, who seems to have been an inveterate
enemy of the WARDS, since he gave directions before his death that he
should not be buried in the old cemetery, where their remains reposed, lest
the devil, while searching for the body of a WARD, might make a mistake and
get him!

The first church built was probably that put up for the Duck Creek Baptist
church in 1804. This society was a colony from the church in Columbia, and
the secession created a church quarrel which makes considerable figure on
the records of the Miami Baptist association. The difficulty was amicably
settled by a council, however, before the next meeting of the association.
The two earliest pastors were the Rev. William JONES, 1805-14, and Rev.
John CLARK, 1814-16.
                                 A STATION.

One of the small fortified stations against the Indians, called NELSON'S
station, is mentioned hereafter in an account of Madisonville; but it makes
very little figure in the annals of the early day, and we suspect was
little more than an ordinary settlement, with perhaps some special
preparations for defence.
                            NOTES OF SETTLEMENT.

The MCFARLAND settlement was made in sections twenty-four and thirty, near
the northwest corner of the township, in the spring of 1705, by Colonel
John MCFARLAND, an emigrant from Fayette county, Pennsylvania. He took here
a tract of nearly one thousand acres, comprising the whole of the
first-designated section and the east half of the second, upon which the
village of Pleasant Ridge now stands in part. Near this site MCFARLAND made
his first clearing and put up his cabin, which he seems to have fortified
somewhat, as it is sometimes remarked as being the last station established
in Hamilton county. Life there was comparatively uneventful until some
twelve years after the beginnings, when an incident
~pg 268~
occurred which is well told in the language of John G. OLDEN, in his
Historical Sketches and Early Reminiscences:

In the year 1807, on what is now known as Norwood Heights, in the immediate
neighborhood of Pleasant Ridge, and almost four miles south of the present
village of Reading, then known as Voorheestown, there lived a man named
Daniel WOLVERTON, with a family consisting of a wife and three children -
Jemima, about six years of age; John, nearly four; and an infant but a few
months old. They lived in an humble cabin on the spot of ground now
occupied by the stately residence of Mr. John W. SIEBERN, a well-known
merchant of Cincinnati.

It was the afternoon of a pleasant autumn day that the two children, Jemima
and John, by permission of their mother, went out into the woods to gather
nuts. This was by no means an unusual occurrence; the children were
accustomed to the woods, which at that day sur- rounded every cabin in the
neighborhood - in fact, the whole country was one continued forest, except
here and there a spot laid bare by the woodman's axe. The mother took
little heed of her children until near the close of the day, when, as
twilight set in and they did not return, she grew anxious, and, going into
the woods, called loudly for them, but, receiving no answer, her mind
became filled with forebodings of evil. Darkness now came, and the husband,
who had been absent during the afternoon, having returned, both parents
made diligent search through the adjacent woods. Again they called the
names of their little ones, until their voices reached the neighboring
cabins and alarmed the whole settlement; still no answer came, save the
echo of their own voices. Soon the neighbors came and joined the parents,
and the entire night was spent in a fruitless search. The woods throughout
the settlement resounded with the voices of men and the firing of guns, but
all to no purpose; morning came, but no tidings of the lost ones.

The entire neighborhood was now alarmed, and a large assembly of people met
at the cabin of the distressed parents and determined to continue the
search. That the canvass might be more thorough and cover a greater
territory, they arranged that each person should go alone, or at most in
couples. It was agreed also that each party should carry, what was then a
common article in every cabin in the country, a 'dinner-horn,' which, it
was agreed, should not be used until the children were found, and then the
successful party should sound a blast that would be responded to by others,
and thus the news be conveyed to all exploring parties, and reach as a
joyous signal the almost distracted mother. This also served the purpose of
keeping all parties upon the search, as all would know that so long as the
horns were silent the object of their pursuit had not been found.

Though small bands of Indians passed through the country occasionally, but
little fears were entertained that the children had met with violence at
their hands, for they were quite friendly. There was the greater danger
from starvation, or death from fright or grief, or from the sting of the
deadly serpent. The woods, too, abounded with wild animals. The wolf and
the bear were regarded as dangerous; and panthers, though not numerous, had
been seen in sufficient numbers to make them a terror to all mothers. With
the knowledge that the children had been exposed to all these grave dangers
for the entire night, little hope was left of finding them alive. Still, it
was thought that whatever their fate, it was better to have it known and
put all doubts at rest. Even should they have been devoured by wild
animals, it was confidently hoped that at least a portion of their remains
would be found within a circuit of a few miles.

With these preparations and these thoughts in their minds, the neighbors
went forth again into the forest, some afoot and others on horseback, each
party taking different directions; and it would now seem that a few hours
would crown their efforts with success. But the day wore away, and evening
came; some of the hunters returned, bringing, however, no word of cheer to
the grief-stricken parents. The footprints of the children had been seen
and followed for some distance down a small ravine leading from the
settlement into the Mill Creek valley; but soon the tracks turned upon the
high ground, after which all traces of them were lost, and, what appeared
stranger still, the children had not been seen by any one, although quite a
number of cabins must have been near the range of their travels.

One of the neighbors, named Ralph AUTEN, had proposed in the outset to put
his dog, a fine, noble-looking bloodhound and said to have been a very
sagacious animals on the track of the children, but this was objected to
upon the supposition that should the dog find the children, be might
attack, or at least frighten them seriously, so the project was abandoned.
Notwithstanding the protest of his neighbors, however, Mr. AUTEN, on
resuming the search in the evening, took with him his dog.

A second night was spent in the forest, guns were again discharged and
fires were kindled, but still the horns hung silent by the side of the
hunters, and a pall of grief over the cabin of Daniel WOLVERTON.

On the approach of morning AUTEN and his comrade found themselves on the
hills east of Reading, near the present site of Mount Notre Dame. The dog
had been absent for some time, but now returned and manifested a strange
and unusual anxiety. He turned upon his master a sagacious look, and
uttering a few whimpering barks, ran again into the forest, but soon
returned to repeat his former expressions. The men followed, and had gone
but a few hundred yards when they observed the dog leap upon the trunk of a
fallen tree, and there sit uttering his plaintive whimperings. On reaching
the tree there the men discovered the children lying huddled together,
their legs partly covered with leaves.

The signal blast was promptly given, which was taken up and responded to by
others, and soon the monotone notes of the dinner horn sounded and
reverberated through the forest, along the hills and in the valley, until
the glad tidings reached the home of the distressed parents, bringing to
their hearts for a moment a thrill of joy. These moments of gladness were
brief, however, as a second thought saddened their hopes with alternate
fears. The children had been found, there was little doubt - but, oh! the
momentous question, whether alive or dead, none could answer.

The suspense that followed for an hour or more was intense and painful, not
only to the father and mother of the little ones, but also to the multitude
that had assembled to await the return of the successful party, and partake
of the joy or sympathize in the grief of the parents. Finally AUTEN and his
party returned and restored to the arms of the mother her babes, alive and,
though suffering somewhat from fatigue and the effects of hunger,
comparatively well.

When found the children were in a state of partial stupor, though they did
not seem to have suffered greatly from hunger. The men gave them water and
they were somewhat revived, but they still appeared timid and nervous, and
it was some time before AUTEN and his comrade could gain their confidence;
but on arriving home and receiving the proper care and nourishment they
soon fully recovered.

The little girl could give but an imperfect account of their adventure. The
first night she said they walked until they became very tired, sill the
time expecting to reach home; at last the little boy stopped and could go
no further. They sat down under a tree and both cried until they fell
asleep. When they awoke it was daylight, and they set out again for home.
They ate some acorns and nuts and drank at a little stream. They again
became tired and sat down by the fallen tree where they were found. The
little boy complained of being cold and she gathered leaves and put around
him. At one time she heard people calling and saw them pass, but was too
weak to answer. After this she remembered nothing more.

Hezekiah STITES was born at Scotch Plains, New Jersey. His first settlement
in Ohio was made in 1788, in Columbia township. He is said to have been the
first actual settler in Hamilton county, was a farmer all his life, and his
death occurred in Butler County. Hezekiah STITES, jr., was at first a
trader in merchandise on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, going as far
south as New Orleans. In 1835 he became identified with pork packers, and
continued in that business until his death in 1860. He was a man of great
business ability - securing a fine property by his own exertions - and was,
like his father, respected by all who knew him. Charles F. STITES, his son,
was born in 1831. He married Caroline STITES, daughter of Benjamin STITES,
of Newark, New Jersey. He is now the owner of the old homestead, has
abundant wealth, and is a worthy representative of the old family.

Sampson MCCULLOUGH was born in Chambersburgh, Virginia, but emigrated from
Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1795, where he first settled in Sycamore township.
He came to this State as a surveyor, but in later years turned his
attention to farming. He died in the township where he first settled, in
1819. His wife (Miss Rachel SAYE)
~pg 269~
was born in 1780 and died in 1864. James M. MCCULLOUGH, son of the
preceding, was born in 1811. In 1838 he established the business of seeds
merchant, with the present firm name of J. M. MCCULLOUGH's Sons.

Abner MILLS was among the first who settled in Columbia township. He was
born in New Jersey, and emigrated from there to Ohio. He died in the same
township where he had first settled. Stephen MILLS, his son, was born in
1802. His business was always that of a farmer. His wife's name was Sarah
SMITH. Edward MILLS, son of Stephen, was born in 1837. In 1869 he married
Harriet FLYNN, daughter of Stephen FLYNN, and the same year built the fine
residence where he now lives.

Samuel MUCHMORE was born in Morristown, New Jersey, from which State he
emigrated to Ohio, and settled in Columbia township in 1798. He followed
the business of boating on the river to New Orleans, and died on his last
trip to that city. He also did much at farming. His wife's name was Sarah
MUCHMORE. His son John was the father of Eli L. MUCHMORE, who is now the
only representative of the family alive. He lives on a part of the old
homestead, and is called a worthy scion of the old stock. His birth
occurred in the year 1823. For eight years during and after the war, he was
township trustee, and has also held the office of district assessor and
town clerk.

Joseph FERRIS, born in Fairfield county, Connecticut, emigrated from that
State to Ohio, and settled in this township in 1799, where he died May 17,
1831. He followed farming, milling, and distilling- His wife's name was
Priscilla KNAPP. They have four children, all living at the old home -
Andrew, C. K., Phoebe, and Joseph.

Zadock WILLIAMS was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1798, and came
from that State to Ohio with his parents when but two years of age. He has
always lived in this township-is now eighty-three years old. His wife, born
in 1802, is also living. They have six children living. Mr. WILLIAMS, in
business a farmer, has always been an active and prominent man in the
county. He has now a large property, and is well known and widely
respected.

Samuel JOHNSON settled in Hamilton county in 1801. He was born in Virginia
in 1767. His wife's name was Rebecca CLARK. She was born March 20, 1771.
They married April 20, 1795, and have had nine children, only three of whom
are living - Isaiah J., Merrit J., and Patsy CRAIN. Mr. JOHNSON died in
1847 and his wife in 1849. Isaiah JOHNSON, the subject of this sketch, was
born February 9, 1812. His wife's name was Catherine WOODRUFF. She was born
March 15, 1819. She was the daughter of Samuel WOODRUFF. They have seven
children living. He has always followed farming, and is a man well known
and respected.

Albert CORTELYOU first settled at Reading, Hamilton county, among the
first. He was born in New Jersey in 1807, and emigrated from New Jersey to
Ohio, and died in Sycamore township in 1863. He was a leading farmer and
much respected. His wife's name was Margaret VANPELT. John CORTELYOU was
born in 1824, was married in 1851 to Martha KENNEDY, daughter of John W.
KENNEDY. In 1866 he bought the place known as the WOOD farm, near Pleasant
Ridge - building the fine home where he now lives.

W. H. MOORE first settled in Columbia township in 1811. He was born in
Winchester, Virginia, in 1787, and emigrated from that State to Ohio. He
died in Columbia township in 1879. He was engaged in the garden and nursery
business. He was in the war of 1812, was on the muster roll as "William
MOORE," and was magistrate for about fifteen years. His wife, Mary MOORE,
was born in New Jersey in 1794, and died in 1876. There are eight of the
eleven children living. T. A. MOORE was born in 1824, and has always lived
in Columbia township, and now owns the old homestead. He has never married,
is well known throughout the county and respected.

Joseph MUCHMORE, grandfather of Elias G. MUCHMORE, settled in Columbia
township in 1811. His wife's name was Rhoda MUCHMORE. They had a family of
eight children, only one of whom is living at the present time - Mary HEER,
of this township. David MUCHMORE, son of the preceding, was the father of
Elias G. There are four of the family of five children to which he belonged
living, all in Columbia township. E. G. MUCHMORE married Mehitable HETZLER,
daughter of Jacob HETZLER, of Wyoming county, and has followed the business
of farming. In 1867 he established his present business, and has charge of
the M. and C. R. R. station. In 1867 he was appointed postmaster, which
office he now holds. They have seven children living and twenty-six
grandchildren.

Hiram SMITH and his father, Abraham SMITH, first settled in Columbia
township, in 1815. The latter was born in Pennsylvania in 1775, and
emigrated from Virginia to Ohio. He died in Spencer township in 1815. He
followed farming and trading on the river as far as New Orleans. His wife's
name was Elizabeth MUCHMORE. She was born in New Jersey in 1788 and died in
1868. Hiram was born in 1810. In 1832 he married Elizabeth BABBETT,
daughter of Samuel BABBETT, of Columbia township. They have two children
living. B. F. SMITH was born in 1833 in this township. He is a farmer, and
is living on the old homestead, well known and greatly respected.

Daniel McGREW, who first settled in Sycamore township in 1815, was born in
Ireland, and emigrated from that country to Ohio. He is now living, at the
age of sixty-five. Henry McGREW was born in 1842 in Sycamore township. He
graduated in medical surgery in 1875. In 1877 he graduated at the Bellevue
Hospital and Medical College in New York City. In 1875 he took charge of
the County Infirmary, remaining in charge two years. In 1878 he came to
Pleasant Ridge, where he is still practising.

A. S. BUTTERFIELD's father, John BUTTERFIELD, first settled in Cincinnati
about 1818. He was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and emigrated from
that State to Ohio, where he died in the year 1822. He was a carpenter by
trade. His wife's name was Elizabeth EMERSON.

pages: 269-276
                   Hamilton County History pages 269-276


                                  ~pg 269~


A. S. BUTTERFIELD was born in 1822, and married Ann M. HATCH in 1838. He
established himself in the busi-
~pg 270~
ess of saddlery on Main street, in 1867, and built the residence where he
now lives at Madisonville. In 1864 and 1865 he represented the eighteenth
ward in the city council of Cincinnati.

Joseph SUTTLE first settled in Cincinnati in 1818. He was born in England
in 1791, and emigrated from England to Ohio. He died in this township
October, 1837. He was a blacksmith and whitesmith in Cincinnati in his
earlier days, later he moved to Columbia township, and became a farmer. His
wife, Hannah, was born in 1800, and is still living, eighty years old.

George J. SUTTLE, son of the preceding, married Caroline NASH, daughter of
Samuel NASH, of Hamilton county, She died in 1858, and Mr. SUTTLE has never
married again. He has secured a fine property, and is well known and
respected by a large circle of friends.

Mark LANGDON came to Hamilton county in 1819. He was born in England. His
wife, Sarah GRAHAM, was also born in England, and died in Hamilton county
in 1846. The surviving members of the family are Joseph, Samuel L.,
Elizabeth MILLS and William C. Samuel LANGDON, son of the above, was born
in Mill Creek township in 1823. He married Martha J. LYON, daughter of
James LYON. They have four children.

William DURRELL first settled in Mill Creek township in 1820. He was born
in Bangor, Maine, in 1804, and emigrated from that State to Ohio. He is
still living at the age of seventy-seven. His business has been farming and
teaming. His wife's name was Ann PHILLIPS. She was born in 1805, and died
in 1876. There are four children living. H. C. DURRELL was born in 1826,
and in 1852 he married Harriet WOOD. For a number of years he was in the
lumber business in Cincinnati, now he has a fine farm, and gives his
attention mostly to farming.

Anthony BROWN settled in Columbia township in 1831. He was born in
Yorkshire, England, in 1809, and emigrated from England to Ohio. He has
followed the business of farming. In 1870 and 1871 he served as township
trustee, for about one half the time for the last twenty years has been one
of the supervisors, also one of the school directors for about the same
length of time.

John H. McGOWAN first settled in Cincinnati in 1838. He was born in
Aberdeen, emigrated from Michigan to Ohio, and died in Cincinnati in 1870.
He held offices under the territorial government of Michigan. His wife's
name was Amelia HAYES. She was born in 1804. There are five children
living. John H. McGOWAN was born in 1830.

Thomas FRENCH first settled in Cincinnati in 1840. He was born in England,
but emigrated from New York to Ohio. He is yet living. In 1840 he commenced
the dairy business, at the place now known as the "Zoological gardens." His
wife, Ann N., was also born in England. They have six children. The
business is now owned and conducted by his sons in Columbia township. It is
the largest in the county. They have conducted their business in such a way
as to secure the confidence of all. They have many friends, and are
gentlemen in every sense of the word.

Otis HIDDEN is a native of Caledonia county, Vermont, born in 1821. In
early manhood be resided in the province of Ontario, Canada, whence he
removed to Cincinnati in 1847. Here he was engaged as bookkeeper for Henry
MARKS & Company, R. M. POMEROY & Company, C. OSKAMP, and others, until
1841, when he engaged in his present business as dealer in upholstery goods
and cabinet hardware, and specialties in carriage trimmings, as a partner
with the firm of E. L. HIGDON & Company. In 1874, the name and style of the
firm was changed to HIDDEN & LOUNSBERRY, which it still retains. He bears a
high reputation in all his business and social relations. His wife's maiden
name was Maria L. NEBLETT. She was born in Prince George county, Virginia.

Thomas SWIFT first settled in Columbia township in 1850. He was born in
Derbyshire, England, in 1830, and emigrated from England to Ohio, where he
died in Columbia township in 1860. He was a blacksmith by trade. His wife's
maiden name was Ann SIMPKINSON. There are six children living. His son,
John SWIFT, born in 1830, was engaged in the boot and shoe business in
Cincinnati for a number of years. He married Miss WILLIAMS, daughter of
William WILLIAMS, of Cincinnati. They have two children, Josephine and
Rebecca.

Thomas WHITE first settled in Cincinnati in 1852. He was born in Durham
county, England, and emigrated from there to Ohio. He died in Cincinnati in
1868. He established the marble and granite works at No. 255 Fifth street,
Cincinnati. His wife's name was Martha ENGLISH. She was born in 1812 and
died in 1870. There are five of the children living, all in Hamilton
county. Alfred, son of Thomas WHITE, was born in England in 1835. At the
age of seventeen years be came to Hamilton county. In 1857 he became one of
the firm known as T. WHITE & Sons, now known as Alfred WHITE. He has
steadily increased the business, until, at the present time, it stands at
the head. He is now introducing the polishing of granite, a work which was
first introduced by Mr. WHITE, and for which he deserves great credit. Mr.
WHITE has a son, twenty-two years old, who he soon expects will be a member
of the firm, under the old name of WHITE & Son.

Leonard FOWLER settled in Columbia township. He was born in England in
1818, and emigrated from England to Ohio. His business has been that of a
turnpike contractor. His wife's name is Eliza. He has now secured a fine
competence, and has held the position of township trustee for two years.
                                CAMDEN CITY.

This village is on the Little Miami railroad and Cincinnati and Wooster
turnpike, on the west side of section twenty-three, a mile and a half from
the north line of the township. It was laid out in the year 1857 by William
WINTERS.
                                GRAVELOTTE.

This station on the Little Miami railroad, less than a mile southwest of
Camden, was platted in 1873 by Mr. Thomas R. RIGGS, upon whose extensive
property on section twenty-eight it is situated.
                                  ~pg 271~
                                INDIAN HILL.

This famous locality, which is not a village, although covered with a quite
numerous population, is an eminence or ridge one to three miles northeast
of Madisonville, and between Camden City and Madeira Station, on the
Marietta & Cincinnati railroad, which passes to the west of it. Many fine
views are commanded from points upon this hill, and some beautiful
residences are built upon it. Here, it is said, the celebrated IVES
Seedling grape took its origin. An extensive experiment was made of it upon
Indian Hill by Colonel WARING in 1864, by which a profit of two thousand
dollars per acre was realized. The tables were turned the next year,
however, when there was almost a total failure of the grape crop throughout
the Miami country.

The name of this highland was derived from the simple circumstance of the
burial of an Indian upon it, as is more fully related further on in these
pages.
                                  MADEIRA.

This is the last station on the Marietta & Cincinnati railroad, before it
leaves the township in its course northeastward. The village is situated a
little south of the Sycamore township line, on the dividing line of
sections six and twelve, just half way across the township from east to
west. It was laid out in 1871 by Messrs. J. L. HOSBROOK and J. D. MOORE.
They immediately began building and otherwise improving. A post office and
railway station had previously existed here, taking their name from John
MADEIRA, treasurer of the Marietta & Cincinnati railroad, who owned a large
tract of land in the neighborhood. A Methodist Episcopal church building
was erected here in 1873--a neat frame structure, thirty by forty feet.
There is also a Presbyterian society here, meeting once a month. An Odd
Fellows' lodge, also a lyceum, in due time became established institutions.
The population of the place in 1880 was one hundred and ninety-nine.

One of the first purchasers of land in this part of the township was John
JONES, who in 1795 secured two or three tracts from Judge SYMMES. David
BLACK, in 1796, bought hereabout three hundred and twenty acres, or a
half-section, for two hundred and thirteen dollars. Lewis WOODRUFF also
bought a large tract, which he leased in ten-acre lots for terms of ten
years, conditioned that the lessee should clear the ground, erect a
dwelling, and plant an orchard. The wolves and panthers were specially
troublesome here in the old days, while the deer devoured the wheat.
Bear-hunts were quite common.

Other early settlers in this region were BOLTZELLE, David McGAUGHY, Major
Joseph MANN (who did a great deal in his day to develop the Madison and
Camargo turnpike enterprise), Thomas STEARNS, sen., 'Squire CLASON, Oliver
JONES, Jacob HELTZLER, and. the HOSBROOKS. Some of these receive due notice
elsewhere in this chapter. The progenitor of the HOSBROOKS in this township
- grandfather of one of the founders of Madeira - was Daniel, who in the
winter season, when the woods were almost impassable through deep snows,
went to Columbia for salt, missed his way on his return and was frozen to
death.

The following incident is related in NELSON'S Suburban Homes, from which we
derive many of these facts, of Hon. Daniel HOSBROOK. His son, the younger
HOSBROOK, was several times member of the legislature from Hamilton county,
and at one time sheriff. His early life was considerably spent in teaching,
and the anecdote relates one of his experiences in-that profession:

An incident in his history as a teacher is worth mentioning. Like many of
his profession in those days, he was "barred out." Finding himself on the
wrong side of the door one morning, at the time school should have been
opened, he suspected mischief, and, after ineffectual attempts to gain an
entrance, began to parley with the enemy. A council was proposed, but
indignantly rejected by the occupants of the stronghold. Nothing short of
an unconditional surrender and an indemnity of "apples and cider" would be
accepted by the belligerents on the other side. Determined to regain
possession, the governor issued a manifesto, which resulted in bringing
over to his side one of the ringleaders, named HAYWOOD, and his ring.
Encouraged by this success, he nailed down the windows securely, fastened
the doors, and covered the chimneys. The result will be conjectured. The
magnanimous victor stood the treat and cured the boys of a bad custom.
                               MADISONVILLE.

Madisonville, or rather Madison, as it was originally called, was laid out
upon the north part of school section No. 16, in fractional range two,
township four, as soon as the lands, under the old system of leases, were
made available. A considerable settlement had already gathered upon and
about the spot; and when, January 27, 1809, the legislature passed an act
providing for the disposition of the school sections, the people of this.
locality lost little time in proceeding to act thereon. The record of the
survey of the town is dated March 30, 1809. John JONES, esq., William
ARMSTRONG, and Felix CHRISTMAN, were chosen trustees for the purpose of
platting the village and disposing of the lots; and Moses MORRISON was
their clerk. Joseph REEDER, Joseph CLARK, and Ezekiel LAMARD, were
appointed to fix the valuation of the ground. William DARLING was surveyor;
Jeremiah BRAND and Joseph WARD senior chain carriers; Nathaniel ROSS senior
marker. After the survey the following announcement was made:
                                  NOTICE.

The conditions on which lots will be let or leased are as follows, viz: Lot
No. I on the first block of lots will be first offered, and so on in
rotation, at the appraisement, and the highest bidder shall be the lessee.
Six per cent. on what they bid will be the sum they pay annually, paying
the first payment on the first day of April next. There will be required of
the lessee bond and. security for the building of a house at least eighteen
by twenty feet, of good hewed logs, frame, stone, or brick, at least one
and a half stories high, with a stone or brick chimney and a good shingle
roof, within two years from the date of his lease. Any person bidding off
two lots will he excused by building one house of the above description,
the four corner lots excepted. Any person not complying with the terms of
the articles of sale shall forfeit and pay to the trustees the sum of five
dollars. The lessee will pay in proportion the expense of laying out and
blazing, etc.
By order, etc., 24th April, 1809.
                                                     MOSES MORRISON, clerk.
N. B. The trustees will meet at the house of Willis PIERSON, on the first
day of May next, in order to execute leases.

The same day of the date of this notice - April 24, 1809, entries of first
sales were made in the minute book of the trustees, which has been
preserved, as follows:

Block I. Lot I. William COOPER bought-forfeited…………
$10
..............." 2. William and John ARMSTRONG bought…………
 21
..............." 3. …………
 Ditto …… ………
 31
..............." 4. Thomas SKINNER…………
 20
..............." 5. …………
Ditto …………
 18
                                  ~pg 272~

Minimum values had been fixed upon these lots by the valuers as follows:
Lot one, ten dollars; two and three, each five dollars; four and five, each
three dollars and fifty cents.

The expenses of first sales, etc., to May 1, 1809, are noted in the minute
book as fourteen dollars and seventy-five cents. Amount of interest on sale
of lots for the first year, fifteen dollars and thirty-four cents.

The new town was named Madison, in honor of James MADISON, who had just
been inaugurated President of the United States. It afterwards, in 1826,
became necessary to change the name to some other designation, under the
rules of the Post Office Department, which do not permit more than one post
office of the same name in a State; and the present name was chosen
instead. The old title is retained, however, in designation of the Madison
turnpike and otherwise.

The following is a true copy of memoranda of the first election, etc., on
record:

Trustees on business since last dividend, 4th May, 1818:

Clks amt for making duplicate.

Joseph CLARK-I I I I I I I I for 29-1818 ............. $2.00

W. ARMSTRONG-I I I I I I I I for 16-1818 ............. 2.00

W. BUTTER-I I I I I for 16-1819 ............. 2.00

Agreed to meet on business on the 15th May 1819 at 10 oclk.

The following extracts from the minutes will also be read with interest.
The old spelling is retained:

Dec. 27 Joseph CLARK met David McGAWHEY at his own house, in order to
attend to some business between Aurthur StC. MILLER and Samuel W. PHILIPS.
Lewis DRAKE also attended and received of said PHILIPS, for rent charged on
lots held formerly by said MILLER the sum of $106.90, which satisfies for
the same up to the Ist of this instant.

There is six acres of farm No. 9, and one acre of farm No. 8 to be charged
to W. H. MOORE. April 11th, 1820, the trustees met at the house of James
WOOD, in order to settle with him as treasurer, and made some progress
therein, and agreed to meet again on the 14th at Madison, to finish said
settlement. 14th. The trustees met at Madison, proceeded with the
settlement with WOOD, but could not finish it, and agreed to meet the next
day at 8 o'clock A. M.

Wm. BUTLER furnished half a quire of paper.

For the following interesting reminiscences of Madisonville matters, we are
again indebted to Mr. Nelson's work on Suburban Homes:

Following closely after the record of town officers is the record of
leases, showing that the accruing rents were to be applied to school
purposes. These leases were drawn for ninety-nine years, the first being
from John JONES, Felix CROSSMAN, and William ARMSTRONG, on behalf of the
town to William and John ARMSTRONG. Three years ago [in 1871] the last of
these leases were canceled and surrendered to the State, and deeds
exchanged; and while we were in the office a question arose as to what
disposition should be made of a sum of money received the same day on
account of one of said leases.

Town lots were laid out on the 10th of April, 1809. The first election in
the township was held in the old homestead now owned and occupied by Eli
MUCHMORE, then the property of his grandfather, Eli S. MUCHMORE. When Mr.
MUCHMORE landed in Cincinnati, he had sufficient means to purchase the
whole tract upon which it now stands; but fearing it would be a sickly
place, he chose to purchase a tier of sections in adjoining townships.

Madison was at one time noted for the number of its distilleries, which
used to attract large gatherings from the surrounding country, and be the
occasion of much jollity and dissipation. Men would spend their time in
gaming, and with outdoor manly and unmanly sports, until the affair would
break up in a general Donnybrook fair. Traces of the distilleries seem to
have disappeared, which was accounted for on the ground that, as soon as
transportation for grain and pork was opened up, the corn that had been
shipped in the compact form of whiskey brought higher prices in bulk and in
pork.

Vestiges of the tanning business remain, one of which we noticed on a piece
of ground recently purchased by Colonel WHITE.

Madison was also the home of several men who became distinguished members
of the body politic. Among them we may mention Dr. Alexander DUNCAN, a
well-known member of congress, who disappointed his democratic friends by
stepping over to free soil. One who made his mark and his money in the
insurance business, when there was money in it, was Louis CLASON, who, was
well known in Cincinnati. Madison was also the early home of James
WHITCOMB, who was afterward governor of Indiana. Old citizens tell some
amusing stories about the youth of this intrepid lawyer and statesman. One
of these relates to his love for and devotion to piscatory pursuits, which
were so strong as to render him oblivious to the condition of his toilet.
Linen would frequently display itself where it was impossible for one so
abstracted to be conscious of it, and where its obtrusion was sure to
excite the laughter of bystanders; but that circumstance did not interfere
with his success as an amateur sportsman and an enterprising vender of
fresh fish. He made money enough to buy himself books, and enable him to
attend school; worked hard and studied harder; was a keen lawyer and active
politician; and so literally raised himself from penury to the highest
office of the State. He afterward became a member of the United States
senate, where sickness overtook him, and he died.

Contemporaneous with the history of Madison is that of the history of some
of the surviving citizens, from one of whom, William MOORE, we received
much valuable information. Mr. MOORE is eighty-seven years of age, and bids
fairly to approximate to the century. He is a lively and intelligent
conversationist, and retains dates and events with remarkable tenacity.
When examining the records we found him generally accurate, and noticed
that he could repeat verbatim the long forms and awkward phraseology of the
early leases. He came from Virginia and made Madison his home in 1811, when
there were about twenty buildings in the town. At one time he kept a
tavern, at another a country store; then he managed successively a
brickyard and a nursery. He also seems to have made the circuit of all the
town and township offices, from constable to magistrate. As clerk, the
books show that he made creditable records; as a citizen, his record seems
quite as clear and creditable.

The oldest citizen is Samuel EARHART, who was born January 29, 1784 Next to
him is Esquire Isaac GIFFIN, born August 24, 1785. Mrs. Hattie WARD is the
same age as Mr. MOORE. Mrs. DUNCAN, Ayres BRAMBLE, Colonel I. F. WARING,
and Timothy MAPHET, are all respectively about seventy-five years of age.

During a pleasant interview with Mr. BRAMBLE many interesting facts were
elicited regarding the early settlements, and some anecdotes, of which we
can give only a few. Mr. BRAMBLE'S father and family, with three other
families, emigrated from Barnsville, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1806,
taking with them in their boat of twelve by twenty-four, a horse, a cow,
and a " big black dog." The entire wealth of the company was represented in
one hundred dollars of Spanish silver coin; and that was the property of
Mr. BRAMBLE. They arrived in safety near the mouth of the little Miami, but
the broken character of the land and the sickly hue of the settlers
discouraged Mr. BRAMBLE for the time being, so he waited by the river side
for a passing keel-boat to take him back to his old home. While waiting in
a state of uncertainty, a proposition was made to him to settle near the
present site of Madison, which he accepted. Houses being scarce, he was
obliged to take up his residence for the first six months in an unfinished
log church, which was without doors and windows. That year a heavy
snow-storm was experienced about the first of October, which compelled him
to seek more comfortable quarters. It was an early winter, but 1806 was
remarkable for strange freaks of nature. That year, February the 7th proved
to be the coldest day ever experienced in this latitude. Old settlers talk
of it as "cold Friday," in contradistinction to ordinary cold winter days;
and in 1806 was the great eclipse. Mr. BRAMBLE distinctly remembers his
being present at the raising of the first log house in Madison, which took
place in 1809, when he was ten years of age. The building was afterwards
used as a hotel, and was kept by Colonel William PERRY, from Kentucky, an
enterprising citizen, who seldom allowed himself to be sober. The following
year, 1810, was remarkable for the tide of immigration that set in from the
adjoining State, Kentucky. Thousands of the colored inhabitants, black and
brown, abandoned their homes, swam the river, and landed on the fertile
bottoms of the Ohio. They came unarmed, without sword or spear, musket or
ammunition, or other munitions of war than those bestowed upon them by
nature. Immediately on landing they dispersed among the woods, prepared
themselves log cabins or built more temporary structures, and set up
housekeeping. Nothing could be more peaceable than their intentions. No
class of citizens could have been more active, industrious, frugal, or
cleanly in their habits. But, though as a class

~pg 273~
they were conceded to be productive, in political economy they were ranked
as non-producers, and accordingly were doomed to suffer persecution. Then
every white man was a Granger. Middlemen had not yet found their way out
west; so war was immediately declared against the intruders, and. every
man, woman, and child arrayed themselves against these unarmed and
inoffensive immigrants. War to the knife, bitter, relentless, exterminating
war was waged, and speedily raged. From the township the war sentiment
extended to the county; from the county to the State; until the legislature
actually passed a law for the extinction of the races, black and brown,
indiscriminately. Every atrocity was then practiced and encouraged; and
scalping commanded a high premium.

In 1811, the payment of taxes in squirrel pelts was legalized, In 1811 was
also the great earthquake, which rent the foundations of the first frame
house built in Madison - one erected by Paddy MCCOLLUM, a man of note at
the time. Whether the earthquake had anything to do with the act of
legislature and subsequent slaughter, our informant did not say.

As might be expected, the schools of that day were not conducted with the
highest degree of efficiency. Mr. BRAMBLE'S teacher was an Irishman named
John WALLACE, who was intoxicated half his time, and would play ball with
the boys half the balance. In proof of that Mr. BRAMBLE said he attended
school five winters before he got out of his "Abs."

Mr. BRAMBLE was both a farmer and a trader in his boyhood, and sold corn
and potatoes at ten cents a bushel in Cincinnati. Then property was equally
cheap. School section sixteen was under lease to farmers and others, and
the lease of a tract of forty acres of it was sold in 1810 for a
ploughshare, then for a barrel of whiskey, and afterwards to Mr. BRAMBLE
for sixty dollars.

One of the early incidents of the settlement was the killing of two of the
citizens by the Indians - a brother of Captain GIFFIN; and a father and son
named PAUL were out in search for hogs when discovered by the Indians, who
gave chase, overtook GIFFIN and shot him, and afterwards shot the elder
PAUL. Young PAUL could have made his escape with little trouble, as the
station was near; but, anxious to save his father, he stopped in shelter of
the trees, and with his rifle kept the Indians at bay as long as his
father's strength held out. The latter finding escape hopeless sent his son
off, and resigned himself to his fate.

Another incident of a later date took place east of Madison, when the
victim was an Indian. West of Madison was a station known as NELSON'S,
where were horses pasturing. A party of Indians on their way toward the
hills rode off with some of these, one of which was hoppled. NELSON and
others of the fort made pursuit, but failed in overtaking any except the
one on the hoppled horse, whom NELSON shot when near the site of the
present residence of Esquire CLASON. There the Indian was buried, and the
circumstance turned to account by naming the place Indian hill. Esquire
CLASON says that many years afterward the grave was discovered by accident,
and the jawbone secured as a relic in his family. Judging from the relic,
he says, the Indian must have been a giant in proportions.

One of the few mechanics of the place was Jeremiah BRAND, a plowmaker, and
the best in the county. BRAND was an industrious, honest workman, and a
good citizen; and, even for the times, primitive in his habits and his
wardrobe. He never wore shoes, and so contrived his nether garment that a
single button sufficed to maintain it in its proper position. That button
was alike remarkable for its size, brilliancy, and conspicuity. In BRAND'S
time a local law was enacted requiring every man attending meeting to bring
his musket and ammunition, or pay a fine of one dollar. This was pretty
hard on poor BRAND, who was perfectly innocent of the use of firearms. What
did he want with a musket, when he was as fleet-footed as an Indian? But he
went to meeting - was duly fined in his dollar, and as duly absented
himself therefrom until the author of the objectionable law remitted his
fine. BRAND died in 1856.
                               MADISONVILLE.

Madisonville, or rather Madison, as it was originally called, was laid out
upon the north part of school section No. 16, in fractional range two,
township four, as soon as the lands, under the old system of leases, were
made available. A considerable settlement had already gathered upon and
about the spot; and when, January 27, 1809, the legislature passed an act
providing for the disposition of the school sections, the people of this
locality lost little time in proceeding to act thereon. The record of the
survey of the town is dated March 30, 1809. John JONES, esq., William
ARMSTRONG, and Felix CHRISTMAN, were chosen trustees for the purpose of
platting the village and disposing of the lots; and Moser MORRISON was
their clerk. Joseph REEDER, Joseph CLARK, and Ezekiel LAMARD, were
appointed to fix the valuation of the ground. William DARLING was surveyor;
Jeremiah BRAND and Joseph WARD, senior chain carriers; and Nathaniel ROSS,
senior marker.

The plat of Madisonville was not recorded until May 27, 1829. The village
was incorporated under the old law, about ten years afterwards - March 16,
1839; and under the present State constitution, a certificate of
incorporation was filed with the secretary of State, February 11, 1876.

The growth of the town was naturally slow, in its early day under the
circumstances of its inland position and the absence of means of rapid
transit to the city; and it had but two hundred and eighty-five
inhabitants, or a little more than one-tenth the population of the entire
township in 1830. In 1841 it received notice in the State Gazette as
containing four hundred inhabitants, with one hundred dwellings, five
stores, one brick meeting-house, a two-story schoolhouse, a brick seminary
or academy, and a daily mail. Its largest growth has been received since
the completion of the Marietta & Cincinnati railroad in 1866, which induced
a considerable emigration from the city to a place possessing so many
superior advantages for suburban residence. It is fifteen miles from the
Madisonville station to the depot of this road in Cincinnati.

The first church organized here was of the Methodist Episcopal faith, and
the Madison circuit was organized at least as long ago as 1820. In that
year Elder Henry BAKER and Rev. William H. RAPPER were appointed to it; in
1821 Elder A. WILY and William P. QUININE; the next year, James JONES and
James MURKY; the next, J. STEWARD and Nehemiah B. GRIFFITH; and the next,
Elder John F. WRIGHT and Thomas HEWSON. Those were days of rapid rotation
in the Methodist ministry. A new church was built by the Madisonville
society in 1857, forty by sixty feet, with four hundred sittings, and
costing ten thousand dollars. It was long the only Protestant church
building in town. A parsonage has since been added, worth about five
thousand dollars.

The Catholic church is built upon the addition made to the town by its
former pastor, the Rev. Father A. WALBURG, who reserved a lot for it and a
parochial school, and also bore the major part of the expense of its
construction - about fourteen thousand dollars. It is known as St.
Anthony's church, and the congregation is now ministered to by the Rev. H.
STOPPELMAN.

Other and generally prosperous societies in Madisonville are the Literary
and Musical association, the Young Folks' Benevolent society, for literary
and social-culture, and to provide for the poor; the Free and Accepted
Masons, and the Odd Fellows, who are strong here, and own a property of an
estimated value of fifteen to twenty thousand dollars. The most notable
institution, how-
~pg 274~
ever, is the Literary and Scientific society, which, as indicated above, is
really doing quite remarkable work in the department of archaeology. April
1, 1879, the work upon ancient remains in the ancient cemetery near
Linwood, which had previously been done somewhat irregularly by
individuals, was systematically undertaken by this society. The expense of
investigation is now shared by the Cincinnati Society of Natural History,
and the collections made are divided between the societies. The late
Professor E. B. ANDREWS, who was proficient in these matters, expressed the
view that the discoveries in this cemetery would direct attention to a new
line of investigation, and that explorations for the remains of these
prehistoric people would not in the future be con- fined to opening mounds.
The officers of the society in 1880 were: H. B. WHETSEL, president; S. F.
COVINGTON, vice-president; E. A. CONKLING, treasurer; Charles F. LOW,
secretary; Charles L. METZ, M. D., superintendent.

Madisonville was incorporated as a village in the year 1876. The first
officers were Louis W. CLASON, mayor; Calvin FAY clerk; George J. SETTLE,
marshal; Timothy MAPHET, W. W. PEABODY, Michael BUCKLE, William SETTLE,
James JULIEN, and Louis CORNWELLE, councilmen. The place had one thousand
two hundred and forty-seven inhabitants by the census of 1880.
                                  MONTAUK.

This village is eligibly situated at the bridge connecting the station on
the Little Miami railroad nearest to Milford, Clermont county, with
Milford. It is in the northeast corner of fractional section twenty-three,
on the Little Miami river and railroad, and within half a mile of Camden
City. It was laid out in 1840, while the railroad was in progress, by
Messrs. Joseph LONGWORTH, Larz ANDERSON, R. M. SHOEMAKER, and L. E.
BREWSTER.
                               MOUNT LOOKOUT.

This is a pleasant suburban locality, just at the northwest corner of the
city, where the Observatory of the University of Cincinnati is situated, on
the road from Walnut Hills, Woodburn, and O'Bryanville to the Red Bank
station. The Mt. Lookout building association, for the improvement and
development of this suburb, was incorporated June 10, 1871. It has a fine
pleasure-park, owned by a private company; and a new Methodist Episcopal
church was put up in the vicinity, in the fall and early winter of 1880,
and dedicated December 5th of that year, with services by Bishops WILEY and
WARREN.
                                  NORWOOD.

This beautiful and noted suburb was formerly known in part as Sharpsburgh.
It is on the Montgomery turnpike, and the Marietta & Cincinnati railroad,
in the northwest part of section thirty -four, near the west line of the
township. Some of the ground near, as that upon which the celebrated mound
is situated (Norwood Heights), is among the most elevated in the county. It
was projected in 1870 by some well-known residents and Cincinnatians -
Colonel P. P. LANE, Judge James MCCULLOUGH, S. R. PARVIN, the well-known
advertising agent, Samuel BOLLES, and Moses BUXTON. Eighty-two acres were
laid off in spacious and elegant building tracts of one to six acres; and
the quarter of an acre containing the mound was sacredly reserved, after
the praiseworthy precedent set to all who appreciate the value of all such
interesting relics of antiquity, by the colonists of Marietta.

For many years Judge MCCULLOUGH was accustomed, with the annual recurrence
of Independence day, to invite large parties to the free use of his house
and beautiful grounds at Norwood, serving them also a generous and
gratuitous collation.
                                  OAKLEY.

This place, a mile and a half south-southwest of Norwood, and something
less from the northwest corner of Cincinnati, being just a mile from the
Observatory, began to be considered a suburb of considerable importance by
1867, soon after the completion of the Marietta & Cincinnati railroad. It
was not regularly laid out, however, until 1870, when Mr. Theodore DRAKE
had the place surveyed and platted. It is beautifully situated upon the
railroad named, upon the margin of the great interior valley mentioned in
our description of the township, and is also conveniently reached by the
Madison pike, being only five miles from the county court house, in the
city. Its site was formerly owned by Anthony BROWN, who sold it to Paul
SHUSTER. Among its flourishing institutions have been the Literary and
Musical society, and the Oakley Coterie. By the census of 1880 the village
had two hundred inhabitants.
                                 PLAINVILLE

is a popular country village and suburb of Cincinnati, on fractional
section three, almost due north of Newton, in Anderson township, with which
it is connected by a substantial wagon and foot bridge, an excellent road,
and a plank sidewalk about a mile long. It is also on the Little Miami
river, the railroad along the same, and the Cincinnati and Wooster
turnpike. It was laid out in 1853, by Edward P. CRANCH, Nelson CROSS, and
A. R. SPOFFORD. By the tenth census it had two hundred people.
                              PLEASANT RIDGE.

This is the northernmost village in the township, except Madeira station,
from which it is distant, straight across the country, about four miles. It
is on the south side of section thirty, a mile from the northern township
line and a mile and a half from the western. The Montgomery pike intersects
it about two miles northeast of Norwood and five miles from Montgomery; and
it is also intersected by the old Columbia and Reading road, thus making an
important "cross-roads of the village. It became a post office as early as
1832. The characteristics of the place, physical and other, are well
indicated by its name.

This is an ancient neighborhood for white settlement. In 1791 or '92 one of
the Columbia pioneers named FERRIS, father of A. W. FERRIS, of Montgomery
station, cut his way through the woods from Columbia to this
~pg 275~
vicinity, where he encamped in the primeval forest until he could build a
cabin and block-house. He paid two dollars an acre for the land he bought
here. Among other early settlers was James C. WOOD, of New Jersey, who
planted his stakes at the homestead afterward occupied by his son. John C.,
W. R., and W. W. WOOD, after the death of James C. Wood, made a subdivision
of the estate.