First Settlement of Lincoln Township
As has been before remarked the township is nearly all prairie, but still it is far from being devoid of woodland. Numerous creeks traverse its boundaries giving both wood and water. The principal creeks and streams which pass through, nearly all of which take their rise within the territorial limits of the township, are Pilot Grove Creek, Bullard's Branch, Lang Creek, Little Creek, Hickory Creek, and several other streams which fairly interlace the township and upon whose banks a supply of wood is found. Numerous springs also dot the surface, and wells of good water are found at the depth of from fifteen to forty feet. Thus nature has done much for Lincoln township, and now it is only man's work that is needed to make it blossom like the rose, giving fair homes and full granaries to those who do their work thoroughly and well.
First Settled
It was sometime after the central, southern, and western portions of
the township were settled before Lincoln could boast of being the
home of the white man, and while Honey Creek township could boast of
a settlement as early as 1831, and Lick Fork in 1832, and Grindstone
in 1833, it was not until 1837 that these beautiful and sloping
prairies became the home of the stalwart pioneer.
In the latter year came John Williams, a live Kentuckian, who
settled on section thirty-one, in the southwest corner of the
township. James Means, the same year staked his claim on section
thirty. Mrs. Sarah Williams placed her cabin on the same section.
These were from Kentucky. Peter Bear, for a long time one of the
county justices,. came in 1839 from the muddy banks of the flowing
Muskingum in Eastern Ohio. He came in March of that year and also
staked out a home on section thirty. John Mikels, while from
Kentucky, originally, moved to Lincoln township from Indiana, and
came in March and settled on section thirty-one. Reuben Macy came in
1838, and so did Thomas Brown. Then came William and Berg. Shirley,
and Jacob Brown from Indiana and Ohio, most of whom are still
living, enjoying the fruits of a well-spent life, honored and
respected by all.
Then we have Joseph Everly, originally from Pennsylvania, who came
from Indiana direct, and he too tried section thirty, as a place to
start in life. This settlement was on what was called Pilot Grove
Creek, and was called the Pilot Grove Settlement, and the church of
the Baptist denomination was called the Pilot Grove Baptist Church.
It was not long before other portions of the township, received
their quota of the new arrivals, and although slow to settle, yet
Lincoln proved that her growth was solid, and that her enterprising
people were gaining fully as fast in this world's goods as any of
her sister townships. Like the early privations of other sections,
the pioneer of Lincoln found theirs, and they, too, traveled nearly
one-hundred miles for supplies, taking from ten to twelve days for a
trip, and they ground their corn at a horse-mill, or hand-mill, or
pounded it in the burnt hollow of a log. Brunswick, Lexington and
Richmond were their principal trading points, but in later years,
Chillicothe received a large portion of their trade. These
corn-mills were pretty slew and it was actually reported of one of
these mills of those early years, that the meal failing to come
through, it was discovered that three turkey goblers had
perched themselves by the feed, and were eating the corn as fast as
it fell into the hopper. This was the story of one of these mills,
very slow in its work, and never hearing that the story was ever
seriously contradicted, we are fain to believe in its
truthfulness. Like the boy who went to a mill and got tired of
waiting for his grist, exclaiming with great impatience and sarcasm
that "he could eat the meal as fast as it was ground." The miller
wanted to know of the boy how long he could do it, and the boy
exclaimed, "until I starved to death." It will be seen that there
are strong grounds for belief in the turkey story, and that in those
early days there were some very slow grist-mills and, with an
aptitude for simile on the part of the pioneers that would be no
discredit to the present generation with all the advancements
claimed to have been made since in the use of the English language
and for terse expression. The prairie fires which occurred almost
every fall, were the cause of the destruction of considerable
property, crops and fences going down before the devouring flames,
but they were closely watched and not allowed to get headway when it
could be helped. While the pioneers fought the fire wild animals
could be seen fleeing from the danger, fearing man much less than
the fire. John Mikels counted no less than sixty-five wolves in
going a distance of fourteen miles, fleeing from the track of the
fire.
In 1841 and 1842 quite a number of .immigrants settled in the
western and northern part of the township, and a few years later
there was a pretty general settlement. The prairies were rich and
yielded bountifully and those who came before were now writing to
their eastern and southern friends of the elysium they had found in
the west, and to come and see the rich farming lands. They came and
saw and settled, and thus has Lincoln grown up a band of brothers,
coming so many from the same places that communities have been
formed and old ties renewed that had their first inception, in the
homes of their parents and the playmates of their childhood.
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