Source:
History of Western Ohio & Auglaize County
with
Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of
Pioneer and Prominent Public Men
by C. W. Williamson
Columbus, Ohio
Press of W. M. Linn & Sons
1905

ST. MARY'S TOWNSHIP
Page 645

     This township, as near as can be ascertained from official records, was organized in 1824, and is the oldest permanently settled portion of the county.  The entire settlement of the township, prior to that date was centered at the St. Marys trading post.  In 1820 the entire population did not exceed twenty.  Four years hater the tax duplicate numbered twenty-nine, and the total amount of taxes collected amounted to $26.64.
     St. Marys became the seat of justice of Mercer county in 1824, and so remained until 1840, when Celina became the county seat.
     Hon. Joseph H. Crane as president judge, held the first term of court in the fall of 1824.  Court was held in such rooms as could be obtained until 1828.  In March of that year the county commissioners entered into a contract with W. McClung for the erection of a two-story frame court house, twenty by twenty-four feet on lot 27, at a cost of $192.49.  The settlement for the construction of the building took place, Mar. 2d, 1829, and the lost was valued at $40.
     A jail was afterward built on the corner of Spring and Main streets.
     St. Marys township is bounded on the north by Noble township, east by Washington township and Shelby county; south by German township, and west by Mercer county, and contains thirty-six sections.  A portion of sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17 and 18 are covered by the St. Mary's reservoir.  The principal part of hte township is drained by the east branch, the center branch and the west branch of the St. Marys river.  The Miami canal passes through sections 35, 36, 23, 14, 11 and 3 in each of which there is a lock.  The lands adjacent to the great reservoir and along

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the St. Marys river and its tributaries are unsurpassed in their fertility.
     A Shawnee village, located at the junction of the three branches of the St. Marys river, was a noted locality as early as 1782.   In that year the noted outlaw, James Girty, established a store here, and on that account the place became known as Girty's town.
     James George, Simon and Thomas were sons of Simon Girty, sr., who settled in western Pennsylvania, in 1749.  "He was killed in a drunken frolic, by an Indian named "the Fish," at his home, about the ending of the year 1751.  The killing of Girty was avenged by John Turner, who put an end to the existence of "the Fish."  But Turner must have his reward; and he married in Paxtong, early in 1753, Mrs. Girty the widow, a woman of unblemished character.  After their marriage they moved to a point near Fort Granville in the western part of Pennsylvania.  Soon after settling in the valley, the Turner family took refuge in the fort.  In July, 1756, the fort was attacked by a party of twenty-three Frenchmen and thirty Indians.  After a short resistance, its occupants were quickly hurried into the western wilderness.  Among the number were Turner, his wife and children.  Turner was recognized by the Indians as the one who had put an end to the existence of "the Fish."  He was tortured at the stake for three hours, scalped while yet alive, and finally dispatched by a boy with a hatchet.  of the four sons, Thomas, Simon, James and George, - Thomas was rescued by Lieutenant Colonel John Armstrong, in an attack made after their capture of the fort."
     The foregoing statements concerning the Girty family are taken from Butterfield's History of the Girtys.
     The fate of the singularly unfortunate mother has given rise to many conflicting traditions, and is still involved in uncertainty.  The three boys, James, George and Simon were distributed among the Indian nations west of the Alleghenies.  James was adopted by the Shawnees, George by the Delawares and Simon by the Senecas.  "Simon was the most conspicuous in his day, and was a leading and influential chief among the allied Indians, and was ever present and took an active part in all their councils and deliberations."
     James Girty, before moving to the source of the St. Marys.

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river, lived at Wapatomica, and was well acquainted with the country between the St. Marys river and Loramie creek.  He had already been trafficking to the considerable extent with the Shawnees and other tribes, purchasing his supplies at Detroit.  He had also married a Shawnee woman, who was know to the whites as Betsy.  She could speak English.

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lowing lists of entries made in the Land Receiver's books from 1820 to 18633, when the last parcel of public land was sold.  The greater number of persons named came here to reside on their lands immediately after entry.

TOWNSHIP 6 SOUTH, RANGE 5 EAST.

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St. Marys, services were held in the court room until 1840, when a frame church was built on a half lot back of Edward Hollinsworth's brick residence.  In December of the same year it was removed to the present church lot, where it stood until the present elegant edifice was erected.
     Two United Brethren churches, located in the southeastern portion of the township, are commodious buildings, and in architectural design, are model country churches.

SCHOOLS.

     The public district schools of St. Marys township were the first ones established in the county.  Ten frame or brick buildings provided with all the modern school appliances afford ample provision for the education of all the youth of the township.

PIKES.

     St. Marys township was one among the first to take advantage of the law authorizing the construction of free turnpikes.  Since the construction of the first pike in 1876, the work has gone steadily along until every public road in the township is now a free turnpike.

ST. MARY'S

     The town of St. Marys is the oldest one in the county, and the only one in St. Marys township.  In August, 1823, Charles Murray, William A. Houston, and John McCorkle, three of the earliest settlers of the county, laid out a town of sixty-eight lots.  It is situated on the St. Marys river about one hundred and fifty rods north of the junction of the three branches forming the river.  The location of the town is a good one, surrounded by beautiful and rich farming lands.  Like all the towns of this section of the state its growth was slow until after the construction of the Miami and Erie Canal.  This may be noted as the first period in the history of the town.  The second period dates from 1838 to the discovery of petroleum in 1886.  Since that date St. Marys has enjoyed a period of rapid growth and great prosperity.  In 1903, it attained to the dignity of a city.
     The following is the plat and dedication of lots, as recorded in the county recorder's office at Greenville, Ohio, Aug. 26, 1823:

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     Town of St. Marys in Section Three (3) Township six (6), South Range four East.  This town is laid out upon a variation

ORIGINAL PLAT OF ST. MARYS

of thirty degrees west of north according to the magnetic meridian, containing sixty-eight (68) lots as numbered on the plat.
     The lots between Front Street and Main Street, from number one (1) to twenty-four inclusive, are five poles square.  The lots numbered 29, 30, 31, and 32 are five poles long and eight poles wide, and all other lots numbered on said plat are five poles wide and ten poles long.  Main Street and Wayne Street are each five

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TOWN OFFICERS OF ST. MARY'S SINCE 1836.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ST. MARYS

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CHURCHES.

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BIOGRAPHICAL:

JOHN HAWTHORNE
AARON A. SMITH
AARON A. SMITH, JR.
THOMAS STURGEON
THOMAS McKEE
HENRY BRANDENBURG
WILLIAM SAWYER
RICHARD R. BARINGTON
HENRY M. HELM
JOHN BLEW
THE ARMSTRONGS
DAVID SIMPSON
DR. WASHINGTON G. KISHLER
MAJOR CHARLES HIPP
ROBERT B. GORDON
COLONEL SAMUEL R. MOTT
FRANK KOEHL
AUGUST WILLICH
HERMAN HENRY FLEDDERJOHANN
 

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