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OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest                    Volume 99 : Issue 238

Today's Topics:
  #1 PIKE COUNTY - PART 3                 [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE]
  #2 PIKE COUNTY - WILL BOOK PART 3       [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE]

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X-Message: #1
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 21:43:00, -0500
From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER)
Subject: PIKE COUNTY - PART 3


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF OHIO By Henry Howe, LL.D., 1898

                CONFLICT FOR THE COUNTY-SEAT
        The history of every new State is replete with the conflicts
between towns for county-seats. That between Waverly and Piketon is thus
told in the Chillicothe Leader:
        A STRANGE FATALITY has overhung Piketon from its earliest day. A
town of fair promise, it has "just missed" everything good but the
county-seat, and that was taken from her. When the course of the great Ohio
& Erie canal was first laid out, it passed through Piketon. When the survey
was completed, the people of that town were jubilant; they believed the
future success of their town was assured, and that the death-warrant of
Waverly -its rival-was written and sealed. It so chanced that Hon. Robert
Lucas was in the Legislature at this time -Speaker of the House. Mr. Lucas
owned large tracts of land about the present town of Jasper, and so it
happened that after a while the people of Piketon were startled by the
information that another survey was being made, with the view of running
the canal down on the Waverly and Jasper side of the river, completely
cutting them off. The hand of Robert Lucas was plainly discernible in this
new deal, and his influence was great enough to secure the location of the
canal through his Jasper lands. This was a blow between the eyes for
Piketon -a most fortunate circumstance for Waverly.
        The canal gave Waverly water-power for her mills, an advantage that
was of great importance to any town in the days before steam-power was
introduced. Waverly very promptly felt the impetus that this advantage gave
her, and began to exhibit a vigorous growth.
        About 1850, a project was gotten up to build a railroad from
Columbus to Portsmouth, down the valley, which was to pass through Piketon.
Every county along the line voted $100,000 or more to this railroad, but
Pike, and there the road was refused an appropriation by the people at the
polls. Pike's refusal to do anything was the result of the work of the
Waverly people, who did not want Piketon to get a road, to carry away the
trade they were building up. The project was thus defeated, although a part
of the road from Portsmouth to Jackson, was built. This piece of road is
now the C.W. & B.'s "Portsmouth Branch." This was another blow at Piketon's
prosperity -one more link in her chain of calamity.
        When the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad was projected, it was to
run from Cincinnati to Hillsboro, thence on down to Chillicothe and on to
Marietta. The road was built to Hillsboro, but for some reason, best known
to the managers of the road and the schemers who were hand-in-glove with
them, the line stopped right there, and the road shot off at a tangent and
struck out for Chillicothe from Blanchester. This left Hillsboro stuck out
at one end of a railroad's arm, without direct connection with anybody or
anything. Mr. Mat. Trimble, the brother of Dr. Carey A. Trimble, was the
soul of the scheme for getting Hillsboro into connection with the world,
and he was enraged at this treachery of the M. & C. people toward that
city. So, to get even with Hillsboro's enemies, he set to work to organize
a company to build a road -an air line -from Hillsboro to a point on the
river near Gallipolis. This company was organized, the line surveyed and
work commenced at both ends of the road. The roadway was built, culverts
and abutments for bridges put in, immense levees built, a great tunnel
through the hills near Jasper started, the heaviest kind of stone-work was
done wherever required ties were bought and laid along the road, iron was
imported from England, and everything was getting into nice shape, when the
company bursted, after sinking two million dollars. The road was a very
expensive one, as the engineers wouldn't get out of the way for anything.
If a house was in the way, they bought it. "Browns Mill," Pike county, was
purchased and razed to the ground. If a hill was encountered, they cut
right through it, rather than go around it. This sort of "air-line" work
ate up capital rapidly and ruined the company -and Piketon's chance for a
railroad.
        If Piketon had gotten this railroad, the fate of Waverly would have
been sealed. But she didn't get it.
        Waverly had always boasted that she would capture the county-seat,
and "down" Piketon. The towns were always jealous of each other, and as
early as 1836 the county-seat question became a political issue. In 1836
the Democrats nominated James McLeish, of Waverly, for the Legislature. The
people of Piketon took alarm at this, and set to work vigorously to beat
him. Some of the leading Whigs -Dr. Blackstone, James Row and others -came
up to Chillicothe and had a lot of circulars printed with a cut thereon,
showing a man with a house on a wheelbarrow, and labeled, "Jimmy McLeish
moving the Court-house from Piketon to Waverly." That circular settled the
political aspirations of Jimmy McLeish. His defeat so enraged him that, he
left Waverly and removed to Sharonville.
        From that time on, the "county-seat question" grew in prominence.
But it was not until 1859 that Mr. Emmitt inaugurated the great "war" that
resulted in Waverly capturing the desired plum.

        WAVERLY IN 1846 . -Waverly, four miles above Piketon, on the Scioto
river and Ohio canal, was laid out about the year 1829 by M. Downing. It
contains one Presbyterian and one Methodist church, four stores, and had,
in 1840, 306 inhabitants. -Old Edition.
        WAVERLY, county-seat, about eighty-five miles east of Cincinnati,
sixty miles south of Columbus, is on the west bank of the Scioto river, on
the Ohio canal, and the s.V. & O.S. Railroads.
        County Officers, 1888: Auditor, Snowden C. Sargent; Clerk, George
W. Eager; Commissioners: George W. Brodbeck, John Motz, Jacob Gehres;
Coroner, John R. heath; Infirmary Directors, Henry Shy, Thomas Markham,
Jacob Butler; Probate Judge, Branson Holton; Prosecuting Attorney, Stephen
D. McLaughlin; Recorder, Newton E. Givens; Sheriff, James H. Watkins;
Surveyor, Henry W. Overman; Treasurer, Frank Ehrman, City officers, 1888;
Mayor Philip Gabelman; Clerk, George Baringer; Treasurer, George
Hoeflinger; marshal, Jas. R. Bateman. Newspapers: Pike County Republican,
Republican, H.R. Snyder, editor and publisher; Watchman, Democratic, John
H. Jones, editor and publisher. Churches: 1 Methodist Episcopal, 1 German
United Brethren, and 1 Catholic. Bank: Emmitt & Co., James Emmitt,
president, John F. Master, cashier.
        MANUFACTURES AND EMPLOYEES. -James Emmitt, doors, sash, etc., 6
hands; Gehres Brothers, doors, sash, etc., 5; james Emmitt, flour and high
wines, 15; James Emmitt, lumber, 4; Pee Pee Milling co., flour and feed, 8;
M.D. Scholler & Co., oak harness leather, 3; Waverly Spoke Works, wagon
spokes, 12. -State Report, 1888.
        Population, 1880, 1,539. School census, 1888, 52; James A.
Douglass, school superintendent. Capital invested in industrial
establishments, $120,200. Value of annual product, $145,500. In addition to
the handling of grain and stock, ties, bark and hoop-poles are largely
shipped, and, although the place is largely known as a whiskey town, local
option is a force. Census, 1890, 1,514.

           continued in part 4

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X-Message: #2
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 23:51:16, -0500
From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER)
Subject: PIKE COUNTY - WILL BOOK PART 3


OHIO The Cross Road of our Nation
Records & Pioneer Families
July-September 1971
Vol. XII   No. III
Published by The Ohio Genealogical Society - COPYRIGHT 1970

                PIKE COUNTY, OHIO "WILL BOOK #1" continued

THOMAS PEMBERTON (dated Jan. 8, 1851)
(County of Goodland (?), State of Virginia)
Mentions sons John, Thomas, Robert; daughters Ann C. Grenshaw, Mary Dice
Quails, and Maria Selon. Also mentions Mrs. Elizabeth Box. Appoints friends
Dr. Samuel Wilson, Edward Cunningham, Wm. Balling and sons John, Robert and
Thomas Pemberton Ex's.

DANIEL DAVIS (dated Mar. 5, 1851)
Mentions wife Sarah, sons Abraham, Benjamin, John and Daniel; daughters
Caroline, Sarah Cartwright, Margaret Swiers and Eleanor Morris. Appoints
James James Ex.

BRICE KILLPATRICK (dated Mar. 4, 1851)
Mentions daughter Sarah Gee (wife of Joseph Gee), Polly Schoonover (wife of
Hiram Schoonover), Rebecca Wolfinbarger (wife of John Wolfinbarger),
Elizabeth Southworth (wife of James Southworth), Sabina Rickards (wife of
Benjamin S. Rickards); sons William, and Alexander Killpatrick; heirs of
daughter Eliza Bleims, deceased, (wife of Andrew J. Bleims). Appoints
Hallam Hemstead Ex.

FRANCIS A. KRAUS (dated March 5, 1851)
Mentions wife Mary and three children (no names). Appoints Jacob Vallery Ex.

DENOON (DEVON ?) HOWARD (dated April 5, 1851)
Mentions wife and children (no names); and brother Howard.

CHARLES DAILY (dated May 19, 1851)
Mentions wife Hannah, sons Charles and John; daughters Litacia, Rachel,
Mary, Sarah, Nancy. Appoints wife Ex.

ADELINE S. BLACKSTON (dated May 20, 1851)
Mentions husband John Blackston, property in Illinois, brother Allen M.
Pinney, brother Alfred Pinney, sister Martha A. Pinney. Appoints husband Ex.

EDWARD McDEVITT (dated March 21, 1851)
Mentions wife (no name) Appoints John Sharp, Ex.

ABRAHAM POWALSON (dated Sept. 15, 1851)
Mentions Joseph W. Beekman and my sister (person who submitted info) his wife.

JOHN McDOWELL (dated Sept. 15, 1851)
Mentions wife Catherine and 9 children: John, James, Samuel, Mary Keller,
Anna Merritt, Jane Lawson, Eliza Welch, Margaret Williams, and Matilda
Hultz. Appoints John McDowell Ex.

ROBERT ALEXANDER (dated Sept. 11, 1851)
Mentions wife Caroline and only son Newton Gibson Alexander; brother
Steward and other brothers and sisters (no names). Appoints friend John
Anderson Ex.

JANE STRICTLING (dated Mar. 16, 1852)
Mentions daughter Clessaeth ? Buzzard, grand-daughter Mary Jane Strictling
daughter of son Jacob Strictling, daughter Mary Jane Faim ?, daughter Sally
Curry, grand-daughter, Mariah Kees. Appoints son John Strictling Ex.

JOHN BARTON (dated Dec. 31, 1851)
Mentions wife Susanna, daughters Ann McGaffick, Nancy Holton, Lucietia ?;
sons Layton, Levi and John.

ALEXANDER CROSS (dated March 23, 1852)
Mentions two sons, John (eldest), and son William.

HENRY WARREN (dated ____? 25, 1852
Mentions wife Nancy, children George, Lemuel, Fanny, Sally Ann, Rebecca,
Uriah and Elvira. Appoints wife Nancy Ex.

JOHN BELL (dated May 1, 1852)
Mentions wife Margaret and children (no names). appoints wife Ex.

GEORGE CORWINE (dated June 11, 1852)
of Lower Portsmouth, Ohio
Mentions George and John Corwine, sons of brother Samuel Corwine; Richard,
Benjamin, Aaron B., Jackson, William A., Cass and John, sons of brother
Richard Corwine. Appoints George, Aaron B. & Jesse Ex's

PETER O'BRIENT (dated June 19, 1852)
Mentions sons Peter O'Brient

ELIZABETH PERRILL (dated Sept. 11, 1852)
Mentions Mary Ann Freshal of Clinton Co., Ohio a child that I raised, sons
George and John Perrill; daughters Margaret Bennett, Elizabeth McKnight and
Rebecca Perrill; grandsons James and John Perrill.

JOSEPH GILBERT (dated Oct. 4, 1852)
Mentions wife Mary and infant daughter Sarah Elny ?. Appoints friend Lewis
Mattias Ex.

WILLIAM B. BULL (dated Dec. 9, 1852)
Mentions friend Enos Lindsey

MARY ANN KEPLINGER (dated Nov. 18, 1852)
late Mary Ann Warren of Perry Twp. (Pike Co.). Mentions children (no names).

SAMUEL REED (dated Dec. 26, 1852)
Mentions Louise Cutler, grand-daughters Rebecca Lumbeck and Sarah Clough
and grandson William N. Lucas.

THOMAS G. REYNOLDS (dated Jan. 14, 1853)
Mentions wife margaret

NATHAN R. CLOUGH (dated July 1, 1853)
Mentions daughter Clarissa Jane Dunham.

THOMAS JONES (dated Mar. 10, 1853)
Mentions wife Mary Ann, and 9 children; Thomas W., Mary Jane Sharp, William
R., Elizabeth Head, Columbiana Ferneau, John F., Isabel, James H., and
Edmund C. Appoints Mary Ann and Thomas Jones Ex's.

JOHN PARRILL (dated Apr. 6, 1853)
Mentions wife Mary Ann, sons August T. and John F.; daughters Christiana,
Lucinda D., Rebecca D. Moore.

JAMES TAYLOR (dated Apr. 25, 1853)
(General James Taylor)
Mentions wife (no name), son James; daughters Keturah, Ann W. Tibbetts, and
Jane Williams.

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End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #238
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