MIAMI COUNTY OHIO - HISTORY [Part 2] (published 1880)
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Historical Collections Of Ohio
Henry Howe LL.D.

EARLY SETTLEMENTS

From the "Miami County Traditions," also published in the "Troy Times," 
in 1839,  we annex some reminiscences of the settlement of the county
and it's early settlers:

Among the first settlers who established themselves in Miami County was
John Knoop.  He removed from Cumberland Co., Penn.,  in 1797.  In the
spring of that year he came down the Ohio to Cincinnati and cropped the
first season on Zeigler's stone-house farm,  four miles above
Cincinnati,  then belonging to John Smith.  During the summer he made
two excursions into the Indian country with surveying parties and at
that time selected the land he now owns and occupies.  The forest was
then full of Indians,  principally Shawnees,  but there were small bands
of Mingoes,  Delawares,  Miamis and Potawatomies,  peacefully hunting
through the country.  Early the next spring,  in 1798,  Mr. Knoop
removed to near the present site of Staunton village,  and in connection
with Benjamin Knoop,  Henry Garard,  Benjamin Hamlet and John Tildus, 
established there a station for the security of their families.  Mrs.
Knoop,  now living,  there planted the first apple tree introduced into
Miami County,  and one is now standing in the yard of their house raised
from seed then planted that measures little short of nine feet around
it.

Dutch Station--  The inmates of a station in the county,  called the
Dutch Station,  remained within it for two years,  during which time
they were occupied in clearing and building on their respective farms. 
Here was born in 1798 Jacob Knoop,  the son of John Knoop,  the first
civilized native of Miami County.  At this time there were three young
single men living at the mouth of Stony Creek,  and cropping on what was
afterwards called Freeman's Prairie.  One of these was D.H. Morris,  a
present resident of Bethel Township;  at the same time there resided at
Piqua, Samuel Hilliard,  Job Garrard,  Shadrach Hudson,  Jonah Rollins, 
Daniel Cox,  Thomas Rich and ___ Hunter;  these last named had removed
to Piqua in 1797,  and together with our company at the Dutch Station, 
comprised all the inhabitants of Miami County from 1797 to 1799.  In the
latter year,  John,  afterwards Judge Garrard,  Nathaniel and Abner
Garrard and the year following,  Uriah Blue,  Joseph Coe and Abraham
Hathaway,  joined us with their families.  From that time all parts of
the county began to receive numerous immigrants.  For many years the
citizens lived together on footings of the most social and harmonious
intercourse,  we were all neighbors to each other in the Samaritan sense
of the term,  there were some speculators and property hunters among
us,  to be sure,  but not enough to disturb our tranquility and general
confidence.  For many miles around,  we knew who was sick,  and what
ailed them,  for we took a humane interest in the welfare of all.  Many
times were we called from six to eight miles to assist at a rolling or
raising,  and cheerfully lent our assistance to the task.  For our
accommodation we sought the mill of Owen Davis,  afterwards Smith's
Mill,  on Beaver Creek,  a tributary of the little Miami,  some twenty
seven miles distant.  Our track lay through the woods,  and two days
were consumed in the trip,  when we usually took two horseloads.  Owen
was a kind man,  considerate of his distant customers,  and would set up
all night to oblige them,  and his conduct materially abridged our mill
duties.

With the Indians we lived on peaceable terms;  sometimes,  however, 
panics would spread among the women,  which disturbed us a little,  and
occasionally we would have a horse or so stolen.  But one man only was
killed out of the settlement from 1797 to 1811.  This person was one
Boyier,  who was shot by a straggling party of Indians,  supposed
through mistake.  No one,  however,  liked to trade with the Indians, 
or have anything to do with them,  beyond the offices of charity.

Beauty of the Country--  The country all around the settlement presented
the most lovely appearance,  the earth was like an ash heap,  and
nothing could exceed the luxuriance of primitive vegetation;  indeed our
cattle often died from excess of feeding,  and it was somewhat difficult
to rear them on that account.  The white-weed or bee-harvest,  as it is
called,  so profusely spread over our bottom and woodlands,  was not
then seen among us;  the sweet annis,  nettles,  wild rye and pea vine, 
now so scarce,  everywhere abounded,  they were almost the entire
herbage of our bottoms.  The two last gave subsistence to our cattle, 
and the first,  with our nutritious roots,  were eaten by our swine with
the greatest avidity.  In the spring and summer months a drove of hogs
could be scented at a considerable distance from their flavor of the
annis root.  Our winters were as cold,  but more steady than at
present.  Snow generally covered the ground,  and drove our stock to the
barnyard for three months,  and this was all the trouble we had with
them.  Buffalo signs were frequently met with;  but the animals had
entirely disappeared before the first white inhabitant came into the
country;  but other game was abundant.  As many as thirty deer have been
counted at one time around the bayous and ponds near Staunton.  The
hunter had his full measure of sport when he chose to indulge in the
chase;  but ours was essentially an agricultural settlement.  From the
coon to the buckskin embraced our circulating medium.  Our imported
commodities were first purchased at Cincinnati,  then at Dayton,  and
finally Peter Felix established an Indian merchandising store at
Staunton,  and this was our first attempt in that way of traffic.  For
many years we had no exports but skins;  yet wheat was steady at fifty
cents and corn at twenty five cents per bushel,  the latter,  however, 
has since fallen as low as twelve and a half cents,  and a dull market.

Milling--  For some time the most popular milling was at Patterson's
below Dayton,  and with Owen Davis,  on Beaver;  but the first mill in
Miami County is thought to have been erected by John Manning,  on Piqua
Bend.  Nearly the same time Henry Garrard erected on Spring Creek a corn
and saw mill,  on land now included within the farm of Col. Winans.  It
is narrated by the colonel,  and is a fact worthy of notice,  that on
the first establishment of these mills they would run ten months in a
year,  and sometimes longer by heads.  The creek would not now turn one
pair of stones two months in a year,  and then only on the recurrence of
freshets.  It is thought this remark is applicable to all streams of the
upper Miami Valley,  showing there is less spring drainage from the
country since it has become cleared of it's timber and consolidated by
cultivation.


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