Pioneers of Marion County by Wm. M. Donnel, 1872

Part II, Chapter XXX

Washington Township - Geography and Early History - Names of First Settlers - Hiram Moon -
An Adventure in the Snow - Allen Pearson - Joseph Pershall - A Toilsome Milling Expedition -
Land Excitement - First Church Organizatons - First School - New Town, or Gosport - Columbia

Washington is a southern township, and may be described as the south-east quarter of the south-west quarter of the county, and is technically known as town. 74, range 20. It is bounded on the north by Knoxville, on the east by Indiana, on the south by Lucas county, and on the west by Dallas township.

About two-thirds of the township is prairie, though English creek that runs nearly through the center, from a little west of south to as much east of north, is widely margined by timber of a very good quality. English has numerous tributaries, and coal abounds along these streams in paying quantities, but the best veins yet worked are in section 34, owned by Clark & Williams, and average about three and a half feet in thickness.

On the 6th of January, ‘47, it was ordered by the county commissioners that town. 74, range 20, and town. 74, range 21, be declared a township to be known as Washington township. This included the present townships of Washington and Dallas, as so remained till about October 3, ‘48, when Dallas and Franklin were defined as one township, and Washington as it now is.

The earliest election of which there is any preserved record, was held on the 5th of April, ‘52, at which the following officers were chosen: Allen Pearson and Joseph Grove, justices; James Fletcher and Henry Dresser, constables; Hezekiah Willey, Andrew Reed and Joseph B. Snyder, trustees, and Allen Pearson clerk.

Previous to this Joseph Pershall and James M. Brady were justices; Joseph Scott, John Riddle and Hezekiah Willey, trustees, and Allen Pearson clerk.

The names of most of those who settled in the township at the earliest dates, are as follows:

Josiah Willey, now living in Lucas county, in ‘46; John Asher, Wm. Clear and Wm. Hunt, in ‘47; the Moon Family, Hyram Larkin, Geo. W., and Simon P., and Joseph Pershall in ‘48; Wm. Agan in ‘49; John Agan in ‘50; and John Stotz and Andrew Reed in ‘52. Of these, Hiram Moon, John Asher and Wm. Clear are dead, and the remainder, except Joseph Willey, still live in the township.

Hyram Moon was born in North Carolina, August 22, 1818; moved to Indiana at an early age, and from thence to this township, arriving on the 12th of October, ‘48, and settled on section 31, making what was then the frontier settlement in that part of the county. He was accompanied by his three brothers, Larkin, George W., and Simon P., and another man and his son, whose names have been forgotten, making in all a family of twenty-one persons; and these wintered together in a small cabin on Mr. M’s. claim. Their nearest mill for procuring breadstuff was Haymaker’s, on Cedar, at which they had the good fortune to get a supply of corn ground before the commencement of that terrible winter. They also procured some wheat, of which they made an occasional substitute for corn bread, by grinding it in their coffee mill.

The following is a verbatim copy of some manuscript left by Mr. Moon, narrating an adventure of his in one of those fearful snow storms in the winter of ‘48-9:

“On the 1st day of January, I went fourteen miles for some corn, and on the second day, on my return, accompanied by my brother Simon P., it snowed on us all day, and we got within six miles of home. Nest morning the snow was so deep, and drifted so hard against the axles and fore gate of my wagon, that we got only about three miles, and the horses became so fatigued that we unhitched them and tried to make our way home so. But we soon found the horses too tired to carry us, and, being too tired to walk, I took my old horse by the tail and made him drag me home through the snow. Our wagon stood on the prairie seventeen days. By this time the snow had become so thickly crusted as to bear a team part of the time; and when they went to rescue the wagon and get it home, the animals would occasionally fall through the crust, cutting their legs so badly that their trail could be traced by the blood after their tracks had become obliterated by thaws.”

Mr. Moon was a minister of the Christian denomination, and preached his first sermon here, in his own house, on the first Sunday in March, ‘49, and at John Asher’s on the same day. He organized a church in June, ‘49, composed of 13 members.

It is related that, in his public services, he used a large family bible, and, in the absence of a table on which to lay the cumbersome volume, he rested it upon the back of one of his brothers, who sat in a recumbent position in front of him.

Mr. Moon was a man of affliction, being much of his time prostrated by ill health, which kept him in comparative poverty; yet he continued to preach occasionally at his own house till about the time of his death, January 25th, 1861.

Allen Pearson, whose name appears on our list as the first township clerk, moved form Missouri to this township, in July, ‘49, settled on section 10, and bought his claim of J. Wilcut. Mr. Pearson made the first shingle roof, laid the first brick in his own chimney and put up the first timothy hay in this township. Joseph Pershall, who was one of the first justices in the township, moved from Missouri, and settled on section 3, in the spring of ‘48, on land now owned by Charles McKey.

Mr. P. and his family suffered many hardships during the first few years of their pioneer experience, particularly in the was of procuring breadstuff. One milling expedition performed by two of his sons, I take occasion to relate, quoting from his written statement.

“I do not remember the year, but it was in the month of December. There was a little snow on the ground, but it was pleasant and thawing, when I started two of my boys, Phineas and Isaac, to mill. The went to Haymaker’s, on Cedar, but failed to get their grinding done there. Then they went to Eddyville, and failed there also; and from there to the Skunk river mills. Here they got in company with John Harsin and Phillip Canton, stayed all night and got their grinding by late next evening. In the mean time it turned severely cold, insomuch that it was hazardous to undertake to travel. But they were all pretty resolute fellows, and anxious to get home, for they knew we must be uneasy about them by that time. So, cold as it was, they started. After getting about two miles they discovered they had left their bed clothing at the mill, and had to stop, borrow a horse and send the youngest boy back for them.

They got to Oskaloosa that night, and stayed there. Next morning it was still cold as ever, but they set out to try it again. They would drive on till they were nearly frozen, then stop and warm and go again. One evening Phillip Canton got so cold that he began to get stupid and sleepy, and sat down by the side of the road, with his back against a tree, and said he was going to rest awhile. The others tried to persuade him to get up, but he remained on his seat. They then took hold of him and raised him to his feet, when Mr. Harsin took his whip and gave him several pretty keen lashes around the legs. This made him a little mad and he was then able to travel.

“On the fifth day they got home in safety, and we were all glad to see them.”

During the year 1853, the lands in this part of the county were taken up rapidly by speculators and settlers. Mr. Brumfield Long, who settled that year, on section 23, lodged as many as twenty land prospectors per night, and fed them on corn bread. The beautiful prairies here, no less than in other parts of the county, were justly attractive to land hunters.

As has been stated Rev. Hyram Moon organized the first religious society of the Christian or Campbellite order, in 1849. Rev. Johnson organized the first Methodist class, with a membership of eight or nine persons, at Henry Molesworth’s, a short distance east of where Columbia now is, in 1852. Mr. T. L. Strong, who lived a short distance within the limits of Lucas county, was appointed the first leader of this class.

The first school was taught by Miss Mary Crowley, (now Mrs. Beabout, living near Gosport,) in 1853. The schoolhouse was a small cabin built by Mr. T. L. Strong, above mentioned, and stood upon the line between Marion and Lucas. It was a fair representative of most of the schoolhouses of that period, being small, with a puncheon floor, a clapboard roof and upper floor, and a wide fire-place. The school was mostly supported from this township; and it is a fact worthy of note that at least eight persons that attended that school, have since become teachers.

On the 8th day of July, 1853, John Stipp and John Hessenflow, employed F. M. Frush, to survey and plat a town on land then owned by them, described as the south-west quarter of section 15, and the north-west quarter of section 22, and called it New Town.

The first house in the new town was built by Daniel Sampson, who opened the first store in it, and also kept the first post office the first year of the existence of the place. The mails were at first supplied by volunteer carriers, and the office maintained by volunteer contributions. In due time it was discovered that there was another post-office in the State, bearing the same name, and it was then changed to Gosport.

Gosport is still a small village, but its location is a pretty one, being on an upland flat, within the limits of the timber that margins English creek, and contiguous to a fine farming country on the north, east and south. It contains one store, a large frame building originally erected and used as a hotel, but now unoccupied, and a number of small dwellings and shops.

On the 23d day of March, 1857, being about three years and a little more than eight months, later than the time Gosport was surveyed, Hugh S. Smith, employed Wm. Kent to survey and plat a town on the south-west quarter of the south-west quarter of section 27, and on the north-west quarter of the north-west quarter of section 34, land then owned by Mr. Smith, he having purchased it of Benjamin Litton, and called it Columbia.

James D. Steel built the first house, a round log dwelling, now not standing, John McEldoring sold the first goods, Andrew Reed kept the first post-office, and Clark and Williams kept the first hotel, and are still proprietors of the same building together with a large flouring mill.

The name Columbia, was that of the post-office, which was previously kept by Brumfield Long, at his place, about two miles west of where the village was located.*

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*Columbia post-office was established November 15, 1854, and the commission came to Mr. Long shortly after. He kept it till about the 1st of January, 1857, when it was moved to the village.
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Quite a strife arose between the people of Gosport and Columbia, on the occasion of the location of the latter. Believing that the building of another town so near their own would be detrimental to its prospects, the people of Gosport resolved to nip the new aspirant in the bud. To this end they attended the sales of lots, intending to buy all they could of them, and let them lay vacant. But this trick was understood by the Columbians, and the lots were bid off at too high figures to warrant safe investments by the other party, and they abandoned the scheme.

The town is located in the midst of a large prairie, and surrounded by a good farming district. It contains three stores, one hotel, a large flouring mill, one church building, and a proportionate number of shops and dwellings, some of the latter being very good. The church was erected at an early date, under the pastoral charge of Rev. P. H. Jacobs, Old School Presbyterian.

The following was the population of Washington township, by the United States census of 1870:

Native . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1273
Foreign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1285

Transcribed by Mary E. Boyer, 12/06, reformatted by Al Hibbard 12 Oct 2013.