THE HISTORY OP Champaign and Cogatt COTXtTTIES, FROM THEIR FIRST SETTLEMENT: BY JOSHUA ANTRIM. BELLBFONT&INE, OHIO. PBK88 PlttNTIHO 00. 1872. P. M. SHBAD, Photographer. CERTIFICATE OP AUTHORITY. Jfit the Yearly Meeting ofthe "Western Pioneer Association" 4m4 at Bellefontaine, September 7,1871, Dr. B. S. Rrnwn, Joshua ^o|rim.and Dr. Thomas Cowgill were appointed a Publishing fjommlttee, to collate, arrange and prepare the material for our Pioneer History. Subsequently the Committee appointed Joshua Antrim to arrange the work*: We have examined his proceedings In regard to the arrangement thereof and entirely approve the •ame, and advise that the work be published in book form. BENJAMINS. BROWN, Chairman, 1 n„mm..»^ THOMAS COWGILL. '\ Committee. •MirtdMcoMins toActol Cobfre-a.in the year un, by JoartDA A«rrm»i,loHie otto* »f UM UbttuUq of Oongretn »t Waihlngtoa.' PREFACE. To THB RlfiADBR: I have now completed the task assigned me by the Oonmlttoe on Publications, appointed by the Western Ohio Pioneer Aflft*- . elation. The entire labor of collecting material for this work ww placed on me1>y this Committee,.and when completed, to be pre­ sented to them for their approval or rejection. In this work I have not satisfied myself in many respects, ler I have reason to think I have failed in obtaining a great deal of interesting matter that should have a place in this volume, and la what I have obtained I know there are many unpleasant but unto- tentional mistakes, especially in some ofthe names and date* af the first settlers. Though I obtained the most of them from to* oldest inhabitants, yet I found they could not tell exactly the year • of their immigration to this country, (or some of them, at least,) hence they are responsible for what inaccuracies may appear la these pages. I have done all I could to arrive at the exact fact*. All I, or any one else could expect under the circumstances was aa approximation to accuracy. To those gentlemen who have kindly favored me with their contributions for this work I tender my sincere thanks for their timely aid in furnishing so much valuable matter tor this work. Tour articles, gentlemen, will appear in these pages and they will •peak for themselves, and will present a bettor tribute to the menv ery ef their authors than anything I could say; so, wishing each of yea a long and happy life, I bid you gooJOSHUd bye. A ANTRIM. HISTOE/Y OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. Chnmpaign County was formed from Green and Franklin, March 1,1805, and originally comprised the Counties of Clark and Logan. The Seat of Justice was originally fixed at Springfield, to Clark County, and the first Courts were held in the house or George Fithian. It is said it was named from its appearance, it being a level, open country. Urbana, the Seat of Justice, was laid out to the year 1805, by Col. Win. Ward, formerly of Greenbrier County, Virginia. It is said by some that Mr. Ward named the town from the word Urbanity, but I think it is quite likely he named it from an old Roman custom of dividing their people into dlflbreot classes—one class, tho Plebeians, nnd this again divided into two classes—Plebs Rustica nnd Plebs Urbana. The Plebs llustioa live* in the rural districts and were farmers, whilo the Plebs Urban* lived in villages nnd were mechanics and artisans. George Fithian opened the first tavern in a log cabin on South Main street, formerly the residence of Wm. Thomas; but I think it is now owned by the Methodist Episcopal Church, nnd they In­ tend to improve it and make n parsonage of it. Samuel McCord opened a Dry Goods und Grocery Store in the same cabin in the same year, (March, 180(1.) The first house covered with shingles was a house occupied by McDonald as a store room, on tho north corner of Publio Square, west of North Main street. For a full and satisfactory description of Urbana and its sur- • CHAMPAIGN AND voondlngs, see Judge Patrick's able, minute and satisfactory his­ tory, found in the body of this work, in which he has placed me lender many obligations, nnd also done himself credit, and the city •f Urbana, of which he writes. I find in Howe's History of Ohio the names of a few of the first settlers in Urbana and also in the rural districts, and although most ofthe names found in his history will be found in the body •f this work, for fear some valuable names may be overlooked 1 here transcribe them.; But let the reader be assured that most of -those honored and venerated names will appear in these pages." But before I proceed to record those names I wish to make a remark or two in regard to the first settlers of this county. In vain have I mads inquiry of the oldest living pioneers ns to the first white man that settled here. Likewise the public records have keen searched with the same unsatisfactory results. 'It may seem to some a matter of very little consequence who first settled a coun­ try, but we find people in all ages disposed to attach very great Importance to so apparently trifl'.-ig a circumstance. The Cartha­ ginians have their Dido, the Greeks their Cecrops, and the Romans their Romulus: so In our own country William Penn settled Penn­ sylvania; Boone, Kentucky, Ac; and in most of the counties of this Afcate the first settlers are known, and the date of their settlement. I find to a very able and interesting document, furnished me for this work by an ohl and respected pioneer, Mr. Arrowsmith, the same of Wm. Owens, who, he says, came to this county in the year 1797 or 1798. I think it not unlikely that ho was the first *fp£lte man that made this county his home. ift now commence the list of names: Joseph C. Vance, Thos. and WA. W. Pearce, George Fithian, Sam'l McCord, Zeph. Luse, Benj. Boolittle, George and Andrew Ward, Win. II. Fyffe, Wm. and John Glenn, Frederick Ambrose, John Reynolds and Sam'l Gibbs. Those living in the country—Jacob Minturn, Henry and Jacob 'Vaninetre,Nathaniel Cartmell, Justice Jones, Felix Rock, Thomas Anderson, Abner Barret, Thomas Penrce, Benj. and Wm. Cheney, Matthew and Charles Stuart, Parker Sullivan, John Logan, John Thomas, John Runyjn, John Lafforty, John Owens, John Taylor, John Guttridge, Tohn Cartmell, John Dawson, John Pence, Jona- gjgih Long, Rennet Taber, Nathan Fitch, Robert Nowce, Jacob Hum and Arthur Thomas. ^Joseph Oi Vance was the father of Ex-Governor Vance, and was LOGAN COUNTIES. T the first Clerk of the Court in this County. Capt. Arthur Thomas, whose name Is in the above lint, lived on King's Creek, about three miles North of Urbana. He wns ordered to Fort Findlay with his Company, to guard thepubllc stores at that place, nnd on their return they encamped at the Big Spring near un old Indian town called Solomon's Town, about seven miles north of Bellefontaine. Their horses having strayed away In the night, he nnd his son went in pursuit of them. When they had got some distance from the encampment they were discovered by tho Indians, who attacked them with an overpowering force and they were killed and scalped and left dead on the spot. Urbana was a frontier town during the war 1812. Hull's army was quartered here the same year, before taking up their line of march for Detroit. In fact, it was a place of general rendezvous for the troops starting for the defense of our northern frontier. They were encamped in tho eastern part of the city, nnd here lie the bodies of many brave soldiers mingled with their mother dust, and no monument to mark the place where they rest, nor to tell the story of their sufferings; even their names have perished with them. All we can do now is to drop u tear over their sleeping dust and say, "Here lie in peaceful slumbers the bravo defenders! of our once frontier homes." In penning these sketches, I find mys'.df very much in tho con­ dition of the early pioneer who hud to bla/.e his way through a dense forest to find his way from one place to another. Fortunately for me, however, others have preceded me and blitzed the way to some extent for me. And to none, perhaps, am I under moreofH* gations than to Mr. Howe, in bis History of Ohio; nnd ho' is not entirely reliable, for I have been obliged to makosome corrections in bis statements of facts in the history of this country. For in­ stance, the time of settlement of Logan County, -mlting it in the year 1806, when in fact it was settled in the yen-1801. Alio, the names ofthe first settlers. Of course he had to rely on others for information, and they did not know; but in the main, however, I believe he is correct. I now resume my sketch of Urbana: On the corner of Publie Square and North Main street—now McDonald's Corner, but- in the war of 1812 called Doolittle's Tavern—were Hie headquarters of Governor Meigs. On the opposite" corner—now Armstrong's Bank—stood a two-story brick house, and on the end fronting tho * CHAMPAIGN AND .fkjoare, could be seen the date of its ercction-*-18U. This was oo- aspied for many years by D. A T. M. Gwynneasa store-room.