OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

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Welcome to
Miami County, Ohio

History & Genealogy

The
History
of
Miami County,  Ohio

CONTAINING
A History of the County; its Cities, Towns, etc.; General and Local
Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men;
History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio;
Map of Miami County; Constitution of the United States,
Miscellaneous Matters, etc. etc.
ILLUSTRATED
Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co.
 1880

OLD SETTLERS UP TO 1807.

     Having now brought the settlements up to the year of 1807, at which time the county was organized, we will recapitulate, by giving a list of the old settlers here, previous to and at that period, with, perhaps, mention of a few additional facts concerning the biography of some.  Beginning on the east side of the river south, we have

Batterall, John Gerard, Henry Mendenhall, William
Blue, Barnabas Gerard, John Mendenhall, William
Blue, James Gerard, Nathaniel Morris, David H.
Blue, Uriah Hamlet, Benjamin Morrison, Samuel
Brown, William Harmon, Peter Orbison, John
Carter, William Hathaway, Abram Palmer, Richard
Christian, John Hathaway, Caleb Prillman, Christ
Coe, Joseph Hilliard, Charles Rollins, Jonathan
Crawford, Cunningham Hilliard, Joseph Sailor, Jacob
Crawford, John H. Hilliard, Samuel Sailor, Philip
Crawford, Robert Hudson, Shadrach Sayers, Thomas
Deweese, James Knight, David Wallace, John
Deweese, Lewis Knight, John Webb, John
Deweese, Samuel Knight, William Webb, John
Dye, Andrew Knoop, Benjamin Webb, Joseph
Dye, Andrew, Jr. Langley, Bennett Westfall, Cornelius
Dye, Benjamin Laudry, Simon Williams, George
Dye, John Lefevre, Christian Winans, John
Dye, Stephen Lefevre, Daniel Winans, Lewis
Dye, William Loury, Fielding Winans, Richard
Ellis, William Mann, Jacob Winans, Samuel
Felix, Peter Mann, John Winans, Stephen
Flinn, John McCambell, James Winters, Lewis
French, Ralph McKinney, James L. Winters, Obadiah
Garard, Abner McKinney, William

     On the west side of the Miami, on the north, we have: 

Adams, William Jenkins, David, Esq. Mitchell, William
Barbee, Judge, the father of Jenkins, Jesse Mote, John
Barbee, William, sr. Jnes, Jnathan Mote, Jonathan
Beedle Family, father & sons Johnston, Frank Nayton, James
Brandon, Armstrong Johnston, James Neal, Caleb
Brown, James Jones, Samuel Oliver, Peter
Brown, William Kerns, Aaron Oliver, Thomas, son of Peter
Caldwell, Matthew Kerns, David Oliver, William, son of Peter
Coates, Jesse Kerns, Henry Orbison, John
Coates, John Kerns, Joel Orr, James
Coates, Moses Kerns, John Patty, David
Coates, Samuel Kerns, John T. Pearson, Benjamin
Coppock, John Kerns, Peter Pearson, Enoch
Coppock, Thomas Kerns, Stephen Pearson, Samuel
Coppock, William Kerns, William Peck, John
Davis, Abiather Kerr, George Peirce, Samuel
Davis, Samuel Kle, Thomas Scott, Hugh
Ember, Jacob Knight, James Shackelford, Ruben
Evans, Joseph Kyle, Samuel Statler Family
Ewing, Alexaneer Kyle, Samuel, Jr. Stewart, Arthur
Freeman, Daniel, son of Samuel Layton, Joseph Teague, Samuel
Freeman, John, son of Samuel Leavel, Benjamin Tennery, George F.
Freeman, Noah, son of Samuel Leavel, Robert Thomas Adam, son of Abraham
Freeman, Samuel Long, William Thomas, Abraham
Freeman, Samuel, son of Samuel Mackey, Robert Thomas, Adam, son of Abraham
Freeman, Shrylock Manning, Enos Thomas, William, son of Abraham
Furnas, Joseph Manning, John Thomson, Andrew
Gahagan, William Mart, John Tullis, Aaron & sons
Gerard, Jesse McConnell, Robert Wallace, Andrew
Hendershot, Mr. McCool, Joseph Williams, George
Hill, John, son of Thomas McCool, Robert Williams, Michael
Hill, Nathan, son of Thomas McCool, Robert Williams, Thomas W.
Hill, Thomas McCullough, Alexander Yourt, Frederick
Jenkins, Amos McGimsey, Robert Yourt, James
Jenkins, David Mills, Jonathan Yourt, James

     The following were living in 1868:  

Coat, Samuel, aged 96 McConnell, Robert, aged 89 Tullis, John T., aged 74
Davis, Samuel, aged 84 McCool, Robert, aged 87 Webb, Elisha, aged 93
Jones, Jonathan, aged 87 Patty, David, aged 83 Webb, John, still living, aged 90
Lefevre, Christian, aged 83 Thomas, Samuel, aged 73

     In this connection, we beg to note a few additional facts, in regard to Gen. Fielding Loury.  He was elected to the State Legislature, October, 1809, and re-elected in 1810.  The number of votes cast in the country, then more extensive than now, was 393; in 1810, 250.  The wife of Loury, as has been said, was a daughter of John Smith, who resided near Cincinnati, on the Ohio.  Smith was a merchant, preacher and politician, and a man of great wealth, having at an early period entered about 16,000 acres of land in the eastern part of this county, for the sale of which Gen. Loury was the agent.  Smith was suspected of being an accomplice in the celebrated Aaron Burr conspiracy, for which he was tried.  Though acquitted, it proved his financial and political ruin in Ohio, which State he soon left, and moved to Louisiana.  At the close of the war with England, in 1815, there were large arrearages due the volunteers and drafted men, who had served on the frontiers.  The Government being very slow in paying them, one Jesse Hunt, of Cincinnati, who was paymaster, conceived the idea, in conjunction with Mr. Loury, then a merchant, of buying up the claims, which they accordingly did, for fifty cents on the dollar, paying for the same merchandise, at an enormous profit.  This, though perhaps legal, caused a strong impression that the brave men who risked their lives on the frontier, had been unfairly dealt with, and created a strong and settled prejudice against the principal actors in the transaction.  By reason of Smith's political downfall, he failed to meet the second payment on his lands, and they reverted to the Government.  At this juncture, Loury and Hunt re-entered a great portion of it, the former representing Hunt's interest in the sale of it.  Loury was elected Colonel of Militia, in April, 1815, Brigadier General in 1817; engaged in merchandising in Troy, and, in consequence of misfortune in down-river trade, failed in 1819.
     Cornelius Westfall was the first Clerk of the Common Pleas Court, Clerk of the Supreme Courty, County Recorder, Postmaster, and Director of the town of Try after the first year.  Offices in those days were not so remunerative as now, therefore not so much sought after, and as a consequence office-seekers were not so abundant as now.  It is said that while Mr. W. was not a man of much energy, he thoroughly understood the art of wire-pulling.  A cotemporary says of him: "It was very marvelous how Mr. Westfall happened to have all the offices in the county.  He could not have had a certificate to teach an infant class, as may be seen by the early records.  He could not spell the day of the week.  In several instances Fri is spelled Fryday, and the names of the days of the week and month do not begin with a capital letter.  If I were good at a picture I would contrast the systematic arrangement of Mr. Talbott's office with Mr. Westfall's.  But he was not responsible for all the difference; he had no bookcase or fixtures for keeping his office in good order.  A large store box was the receptacle of praecipe, subpoena, summons, declaration, pleas, rejoinder, et cetera."

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