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(Source: History of Jackson County, Ohio
by D. W. Williams - Vol. I.
The Scioto Salt Springs - Jackson, Ohio 1900)
THE FIRST ELECTION - Jackson county
held its first election Monday, April 1, 1816, for the purpose of
electing a Sheriff, Coroner and three Commissioners. The names
of all the men that voted at this election have been deemed worthy
of preservation for the benefit of posterity. The old poll
books, which had been supposed lost for eighty years, were found by
the writer in going through old papers in the Court House attic.
The names are given by townships.
BLOOMFIELD -
The election in this township was held at the house of Judge Hugh
Poor, which stood in a central location. The officers were
Samuel McClure, Moses Gillespie and Theophilus Blake, Judges,
and Robert G. Hanna and Allen Rice, Clerks.
Thirty-seven electors cast their ballots, the name of Reuben Long
being the first registered. The others were:
Theophilus Blake, Henry Humphreys, John Hale, James Hale, William
Keeton, Morris Humphreys, Ellis Long, Benjamin Long, Azariah
Jenkins, Joshua Stephenson, Thomas Barton, John R. Corn, John
Scurlock, John Dickerson, Sharp Barton, George Campbell, Hugh Poor,
Hugh Scurlock, Moses Hale, Arthur Callison, Christopher Long,
Benjamin Hale, Robert Irwin, Moses Gillespie, David Stoker, Nimrod
Arthur, Allen Rice, Michael Stoker, James Lackey, Marton Poor, John
Stephenson, Sr., Samuel McClure, Andrew Donnally, John Stephenson,
Jr., Robert G. Hanna and Alexander Poor. There was
considerable excitement at this voting place, occasioned by a number
of free fights, growing out of a feud between members of the Long
and Hale families. The origin of the trouble is
unknown, but at some time in the day Joel Long and John
Hale started the ball rolling by agreeing to "box and fight each
other at fisticuffs." The well known code of the backwoods was
no doubt followed to the letter in this fistic duel, but the result
did not give satisfaction. Blood was up, and some words led
Christopher Long to assault Moses Hale, and, according to
the indictment, did "strike, beat, wound and illtreat, to the great
damage of the said Moses Hale." John R. Corn
interferred in behalf of the latter, and Long promptly gave
him a dose of the same medicine. At this point James Lackey
got mixed up in the affair, and Benjamin Long then took a
hand and assaulted him. These contests furnished some of the
grist for the first term of court in the following August, John
Hale and Joel Long being fined $12 each, and
Christopher Long $6 under each indictment. Benjamin
Long's affair with Lackey was not adjusted until the
November term, when Long plead guilty and was fined $10 and
the costs.
FRANKLIN - The officers in this township were Judges
John Rook, John Farney and Abraham Baker, and Clerks
Isaac Baker and William Stephenson. Teter Null
was the first of the sixty-one electors to cast his vote. The
others were: Jacob Wishon, Peter McCain, Basil Johnson,
John Wallace, Lewis Howard, John Clemmons, Isaiah Sherwood, Jesse
Martin, Peter Seel, Samuel Stephenson, Isaac Kilcoderic, Hugh Malin,
Nathan Kirby, John Graham, John Peters, William Lyons, Eli Dixon,
Thomas Crabtree, James Graham, James Higginbotham, Jonathan R.
Nelson, John Dixon, Abraham Dixon, Thomas Craig, Ralph Nelson, James
Johnson, John Martin, John Duncan, Ross Nelson, Emanuel Traxler,
Richard Johnson, William Martin, Hugh Gilliland, John Burnsides,
Alexander Wilson, Alexander Anderson, Nathan Dixon, John George,
William Holland, Francis Holland, Nottingham Mercer, Samuel Craig,
Levi Mercer, John Traxler, Benjamin Ellison, Samuel Trasler,
JOnathan Traxler, Nathan Sherward, Thomas Scott, John Farney, John
Rook, Abraham Baker, John Webb, James Martin, William Stephenson,
Isaac Baker, Joseph Graham, Isaac Hartley, James Pennelton, Henry
Dixon. An election to choose Justices was held the same
day, but by a different set of officers. They were Teter
Null, Samuel Traxler and Hugh Gilliland, Judges and
John Martin and Francis Holland, Clerks. Sixty
votes were cast, of which John George had 32, Thomas Scott
29, Isaac Baker 28, Nottingham Mercer 26; George
and Scott were winners.
LICK - The officers were James
Weeks, John Ogg and Asa Lake, Judges, and Joseph W.
Ross and George L. Crookham, clerks. The first of
the fifty-nine voters was Major John James, grandfather of
ex-Warden C. C. James. The others were:
Abraham Dehaven, William White, Horam Denny, John W. Sargeant,
Joseph Clemmens, Philip Stother, Samuel Bunn, John Gillaspie, Asa
Lake, James Weeks, George Bowen, Jacob Culp, Matthew Rider, Absalom
Wells, Hugh Sharp, Valentine Pancake, William Givens, John Stockham,
Joseph Armstrong, James Adams, John Brander, George L. Crookham,
David Mitchell, Jacob Schellenger, William Brown, Salmon Goodenough,
John Crago, John Armstrong, John Ogg, John O. Kelly, John
Higginbotham, Charles Higginbotham, David Watson, Samuel A. Hall,
John Henry Grant, Peter Marshall, Daniel Comber, John Fraether, John
Stewart, Henry Routt, Joseph W. Ross, Francis O'Ray, John Lake, John
McGhee, Jared Strong, Daniel Harris, Daniel Clark, Samuel Aldridge,
A. J. Higgins, Isaac Newell, Jesse Watson, Alexander Hill, Abraham
Welch, William Hewitt.
It will be noticed that Franklin had two more
electors than Lick. Lick at that time included a tract of six
miles square, belonging to the State Government, and all its
inhabitants were lessees. Many of them had purchased lands in
Franklin in order to be freeholders, and claimed their residence
there. This is the only explanation that can be offered for
the action of so many Lick men voting in Franklin.
MADISON - The election of this
township was held at the house of Jacob Moler, which stood
near the site of Madison Furnace. The officers were:
Judges, Jacob Moler, William H. C. Jenkins and John
Atkinson, and clerks, John Horton and Jeremiah Callahan.
Twenty-one electors participated, Samuel
Radabaugh being the first to vote. The others were:
George Radabaugh, John Callahan, Sr., Henry Radabaugh, William
Comer, Robert Taylor, Benjamin Arthur, Lewis Adkins, Sr., Joel
Arthur, Amos Arthur, John Horton, Jacob Moler, John Atkinson,
William H. C. Jenkins, Elijah Delano, John Shoemaker, Joseph Pauley,
Jeremiah Callahan, Jeremiah Roach, Lewis Adkins, Jr., Jesse Radabaugh.
The returns were taken to Jackson by Jacob Moler.
This gentleman was for years the leading citizen of Madison, and the
family of Aaron McLaughlin are connected with him. William H. C. Jenkins was another of the leading men.
Cyrus Jenkins of Bloomfield is one of his sons. The
Radabaughs are all gone from Madison, but William, of that name, is
living in the old Arthur schoolhouse, which stands on ground
formerly a part of Madison. Some of the descendants of
Jeremiah Roach still live in the township, and a namesake lives
in Wellston. John Horton's descendants are numerous in
Jefferson.
MILTON - The officers were George
Martin, John Baccus and George Burris, Judges, and Joshua
Scurlock and John Crouch, Clerks. There were
forty-two votes cast, the first by Austin Palmer. The
others were cast by Andrew Frasure, Peleg Potter, Charles
Ratcliff, Joseph Crouch, John Phillips, Thomas Phillips, William
Crow, John Baccus, George Martin, George Burris, Patrick Shearer,
Joshua Scurlock, John Crouch, James Stephenson, William Burris,
Reuben Rickabaugh, Drury Bondurant, William Delay, William Bass,
Jonathan Delay, William Craig, Cuthbert Vinson, John Snuke, Robert
Howard, Jaems Dempsey, Joshua Rhodes, John Kite, Robert Ward,
Jeremiah Brown, Zephaniah Brown, David Paine, Charles Robbins, Adam
Althar, Daniel Hollinshead, John Hollinsheard, John Delay, Joseph
Howard, Jacob Delay, Joseph Crouch, Jr., John Brown and
Nathan Brown. The majority, if not all of these men had
been citizens of Athens county. Several of them have
descendants living in the township and in other parts of this
county. Rev. Jacob Delay was perhaps the most widely
known. The peculiar spelling throughout is that of the poll
book.
COUNTING THE VOTES - The returns
were all taken to Poplar Row and placed in charge of Judge
William Givens. Hugh Poor, David Paine, and
William Givens had been commissioned by Governor Thomas
Worthington, who, it will be remembered, was one of the men that
had surveyed Jackson county, as Associate Judges for the new county.
Their first meeting, of which there is record, was held at Givens'
house on April 6, 1816, to open the election returns and declare the
result. The house of Givens stood a little west of the
site of Fulton Furnace. This has been disputed, but I make the
statement on the authority of James H. Darling and A. F.
McCarley. The house was built of logs, but was better than
the ordinary log house of the early days, in that it had two
stories. This accounts for its selection as the temporary seat
of justice. The lower floor consisted of two rooms, while the
upper story consisted of one large room, unceiled. All the
Judges being present, the votes were counted. Following is the
official abstract:
Sheriff - Abraham Welch 119, John Lake
93, Samuel Traxler 1; Welch declared elected.
Commissioner - John Stephenson 114, Emanual
Traxler 108, John Brown 100, Samuel McClure 94,
Francis Holland 36, Reuben Long, 84, Jesse Watson
21, John Delay 46; Stephenson, Traxler and Brown
were the winners.
Coroner - John Gillaspie 84, William Howe
54, Samuel A. Hall 39, David Mitchell 4, Jacob
Delay 2; Gillaspie won.
The vote by townships was as follows: Bloomfield
37, Franklin 61, Lick 59, Madison 21, Milton 42; total 220. It
is probable that almost the entire vote in the county was cast at
this election. The total vote cast at the presidential
election in 1896, eighty years afterward, amounted ti 8,362.
This shows a healthy growth.
The record of this meeting of the Associate Judges has
been lost, but it is evident that the new officials appeared before
the court, gave bond and took the oath of office. The
Commissioners appointed by the Legislature were elected by the
people for the short term until the Fall election. Welch, the
Sheriff-elect, had been at the salt works for some eight yeas.
He was a tavern keeper, and his acquaintances were so numerous that
he won his election easily over a popular opponent. Welch's
record was not what it might have been, however, and certain
passages in it will be referred to later.
And now a word about Judge Givens, the
wealthiest and most influential man in the county at that time.
The following sketch was written after the death of his son, of the
same name, and may contain a few repetitions:
A NOTED SALT BOILER - The following
special, which appeared in the Cincinnati paper Sunday morning, was
sent from Buena Vista, in Scioto County, July 30, 1898: "William
Givens, a pioneer farmer of Southern Ohio, died on his farm near
here this morning. He would have been 87 years old tomorrow,
and had lived all his life on the farm on which he died." The
death of Mr. Givens deserves more than a passing notice, for
he was the oldest son of Judge William Givens, the most noted
salt boiler in the early history of Jackson county. He was
really 87 years old on the day of his death, for he was born July
31, 1811, at Poplar Row, the village of the salt boilers.
Williams Givens, Sr., was born in Pennsylvania in 1782.
After his father's death his mother removed with her family to
Kentucky. Williams was then ten years old. In
early manhood he came to Ohio and settled in Scioto county.
Later he came to the Scioto salt works, then located in Ross county,
but now included within the limits of Jackson. He was married
October 23, 1810, to Rachel, daughter of William and Susan
(Paine) Stockham, and went to housekeeping on Poplar Row.
There William, the oldest of eleven children, was born as
stated. Mr. Givens prospered at the salt works, and to
maintain his standing in the community he erected a two-story log
mansion, which was for years the finest residence in all Jackson
county. This house stood near the site of Fulton Furnace.
When Jackson county was erected in 1816, this house was designated
as the first seat of justice in Jackson county, Section 5 of the law
reading as follows: That the courts of said county of Jackson
shall be holden at the house of William Givens, within the
reserved township, at the Scioto salt works, until the permanent
seat of justice for said county shall be established - A large oak
tree stood in front of the house, and an interesting and
authenticated tradition is connected therewith. The first term
of court for Jackson county convened August 12, 1816. The
entire male population of the county, salt boilers, planters,
hunters, trappers, hermits and squatters, were in attendance.
The house was too small to hold the crowd. The weather being
warm, Judge John Thompson ordered Sheriff Abraham Welch
to open court under the spreading branches of this primeval white
oak, and the sessions of the first day were held there. When
the grand jury was organized, the Court Constables led it away some
distance to another tree, where it carried on its deliberations, the
crowd being kept out of hearing by the Constables. It was a
memorable day in the history of the new county. Under the old
Constitution, three Associate Judges sat on the bench with the
Presiding Judge, and William Givens, whose activity, energy
and influence had been largely instrumental in securing the
organization of Jackson county, was elected by the Ohio Legislature
on February 24, 1816, as one of the first three Associate Judges of
this county. The others were Hon. David Paine,
father-in-law in later years of Hon. H. S. Bundy and Hon.
Hugh Poore, founder of the Poore famly in this county.
Givens was thus head and judge in his own house, much like
the Patriarchs of old. In 1818 he was honored by his
fellow-citizens with an election to the Legislature, but he served
only one term. In 1823 he was again elected Associate Judge,
and served until 1826, when he left the county, and moved to Nile
township, in Scioto county. He lived there 37 years, and died
June 26, 1863, aged 80 years, 9 months and 8 days. His wife
survived until February 18, 1865, dying at the age of 70 years 9
months and 15 days. Mr. Givens was a Whig in politics,
and a member of the M. E. Church. It was as a manufacturer of
salt that he first acquired prominence in this county, and he was
closely identified with most of the later salt works legislation.
It appears that the expense of salt boiling at the Scioto licks was
always heavy, and about 1812 it became so excessive that the
Legislature appropriated $300 to pay for boring 200 feet, in hopes
of finding stronger brine. No one undertook this work, and the
Legislature found it necessary to increase the appropriation.
Accordingly, $1,500 was appropriated February 5, 1813, and
Abraham Claypool was authorized to sink two wells to a depth of
200 feet. This money does not seem to have been spent, and
Williams Givens, Joseph Armstrong, John Johnson, Ross Nelson,
John W. Sergent, John Prather and Asa Lake petitioned for
assistance to dig a salt well each, they to bear incidental
expenses, and to have exclusive use of wells for five years.
In 1815 the Legislature appropriated $700 to pay William Givens
for sinking a well 350 feet, to be two and one-quarter inches in
diameter at the bottom. It appears that Givens
proceeded to sink the well, and by December 23, 1815, he had reached
a depth of 275 feet, and was paid $375. On February 24, 1816,
he was given until April 1, 1816, to finish and tube the well.
There is no record that Givens was paid any more money by the
State, but he continued the work on the well until he reached the
depth of 450 feet. The last 175 feet were sunk at his own
expense. Hildreth says that Givens procured a
stronger water, but it was in small quantity, and did not rise to
the top of the well, probably from the deficiency of carburetted
hydrogen gas, which at several other works, rises in great volume,
and forces the water for many feet above the surface.
Givens' experiment demonstrated that a brine strong enough to
compete with that of other salines could not be secured at Jackson,
and the legislature passed a resolution January 3, 1818, favoring
the sale of the Scioto Salt reserve. Givens' salt well
is still open. It is a few hundred feet above the Baler
building, and the water stands the year round in the well pipe. Givens'
furnace stood on the knoll near by to the south, and its remains
may be seen whenever the ground is ploughed. The small creek
emptying into Salt creek, a few hundred feet below, bears the names
Givens' run. Thus the name survives here, although the
family has been forgotten. William Givens, jr. was 15
years old when the family left the county. The other children
were Allen, David, James H., Thomas J., John, Samuel, George,
Cynthia, Jane and Mary. The descendants of the
family are scattered in many states. |
