HOMER is
the southwest township of Morgan County. It is a
populous and well-improved seciton, with agriculture and
stock-raising as its principal industries. The
land is of the best grade and is well-watered by Federal
Creek, Sunday Creek, and their branches. The coal
underlying the surface is of a superior quality and
thickness, but owing to a lack of facilities for
transportation has not as yet been extensively mined.
A superior quality of fire-clay is found near
Mountsville. A few years ago the development of
the oil territory along Federal Creek attracted much
attention, and for a time it seemed as though the
excitement which attended the first workings of the
Pennsylvania fields was to be renewed here. (See chapter
on ‘‘Resources of Morgan County”). But so, far,
that ancient and honorable occupation, tilling the soil,
has been found more profitable than any other by the
people of the township.
Soon after the organization of Athens County in 1805,
the whole county was divided into four municipal
townships: Ames, Athens, Alexander and Troy.
Ames Township was originally bounded as follows:
“Beginning at the northeast corner of the county
(Athens), thence running west to the northwest corner of
the county; thence south to the southwest corner of
township No. 12, in the 16th range; thence east to the
southeast corner of township No. 7, in the 12th range;
thence north to the place of beginning.”
Thus it will be seen that Ames township included both
of the townships, Homer and Marion, in 1805. Prior
to 1820 Homer was formed from Ames; and prior to 1840
Marion was formed wholly or partly from Homer.
Mar. 11, 1845, both Homer and Marion were set off to
Morgan County. 1820 Homer township, with more than
twice its present territory had 201 inhabitants, of whom
101 were males. In 1830, Homer (including the
present Marion) had 636 inhabitants; in 1840, 912.
The Alderman family were among the
earliest pioneers of this township. In the spring
of 1808 Elisha Alderman and Job
Phillips came from Olean, N. Y., and made a location
on Sharp’s Fork of Federal Creek, being favorably
impressed with the natural advantages of the country,
and deeming it a favor
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Reuben Rice was an
early settler on the land now belonging to the Mansfield
Petroleum company. William Tryon was a
pioneer on the farm now owned by Mrs. Mary A. Wells.
The oldest men now
living in the township (1886) are ames McLain and
James Adams.
James McLain was
born in Washington County, Pa., June 24, 1799.
When two years of age he came with his father to Belmont
County, Ohio, where he remained until nine years of age,
thence removed to Licking County and lived until
eighteen years old. In 1817 he settled in Penn
township, near Pennsville, removing thence to Homer
Township twenty years later. He married SArah
Howard, daughter of Charles Howard, an early
settler of Morgan County and the first justice of the
peace in Penn Township, and was the father of Samuel,
Charles and James, who live in Oregon;
Ruth, Thomas and John, of Homer
Township; Timothy, Rosanna and
Catharine, deceased. John McLain,
born in Homer Township in 1840, married Elizabeth
McMul-
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len. Their children are Roscoe S., Sadie
E. and Timothy A.
Other early settlers in Homer Township (some of
them in that part of the original township of Homer now
known as Marion Township) were Sharp, on the
stream still known as Sharp’s Fork; Champlin,
Reuben Rice, the Lovells, from
Massachusetts; John Beardsley, from Virginia;
Peter Vore, William Tryon; the
Joys, after whom the village of Joy was named;
the Farleys, Starlings, Proutys,
Browns, Carpenters, Withams, Moodys,
McLains and others.
The first sawmill in the township was erected by
Thomas Dougherty, Sr., on the farm now
owned by Martin N. Moody.
The first church, a structure of hewed logs, was
erected near Mountsville, about 1840.
The first schoolhouse was in the Alderman
neighborhood, near Joy. The second stood near
Elliott’s Cross Roads, on the farm then owned by
William French. The third was in the Hyde
district.
Probably the first brick house in the township was
erected by Hosea Aiderman in 1822.
John Wright
came to Homer Township from Washington County,
Pa., in 1829, locating on the southeast quarter of
section 18, and purchasing his farm of A. G. Brown
of Athens for a horse. Mr. Wright
was a native of Connecticut. The only
representative of the family now living in Homer
Township is his son John. The latter
married Mary Hurd.
Captain Thomas S. Lovell,
one of the prominent early settlers of Homer, was
born in Barnstable, Mass., in December, 1786. In
early life he followed the sea, making forty-one voyages
across the Atlantic. In 1814 he settled on the
farm now owned by his son John W. His
family was about the fourth in the township. The
old log house in which Captain Lovell and
his brother Russell passed the first winter is
still standing. Captain Lovell was
wholly unused to farming and to pioneer ways, yet, by
adapting himself to circumstances, he managed to get
along comfortably and well. He served as justice
of the peace one term. His wife’s maiden name was
Charlotte Norcross, and she was the mother
of seven children: Charlotte A., deceased, was
the wife of J. W. Spurr; Susan G. married
John E. Vore; Georgiana, deceased, married
George Walker; Thomas R. married
Lorina Ellis; O. M. married Rosanna
Jenkins; Augustine married Eliza A. Joy;
John W. married Eliza J. Wheeler.
John W. Lovell, born in 1827, is the father of J.
Alfred, O. M., Eliza J. (Elliott) and Georgia.
The Elliotts belong to an early and prominent
family. Elijah Elliott was born m
Belmont County, Ohio, Sept. 20, 1806, and resided in
that county until twenty-five years of age. He married
Dorcas French, of Belmont County, and in August,
1831, removed to Homer Township, locating on section 6,
where he still resides. The children of Elijah
and Dorcas Elliott are as follows: John
married Amy Bingham and lives in Dakota;
Elizabeth (Dougherty) is dead; Otho married
Elizabeth Bullock and resides in Homer Township;
William married Lucinda Strode and lives
in Marion; Rachel (Timms) and Rebecca (Hart)
are dead; Isaac married Esther Harkins and
resides in Missouri; Julia A. married J. W.
Atkinson and lives in Marion;
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E. E. married Mary Bernard and
lives in Missouri; Jesse T., the present county
auditor, married Eliza Lovell and resides
in McConnelsville; Archimedes died young;
Francis E. lives in Homer. Mr.
Elliott served as postmaster from 1848 to 1874.
Otho Elliott was
born in Homer Township Jan. 2, 1835. In 1857 he
married Elizabeth Bullock. Children:
Alfred and Francis, dead; Lewis,
Charles F., Dorcas E. (Dugan), Mary (Davis), Addie
and Annie. Mrs. Elliott died Aug. 31, 1878.
Mr. Elliott served as postmaster about
twelve years, and as justice of the peace for one term.
William Brown came
from Maryland and first settled in Marion Township,
where for a time he followed his trade, that of an
undertaker and cabinetmaker. He then engaged in
merchandising at Elliott’s Cross Roads, where for many
years he did a successful business. He was twice
married, the last time to Miss Sarah A. Hutton.
Five children were born to them—Mary A.,
William A., Addie, Arthur S. and
Frank O.,—all of whom are living except the latter.
William was born in Homer in 1850; is now a
resident of McConnelsville. (See civil list.)
William and Rachel Leeper
came from Pennsylvania in 1820, and thence to Homer
Township, where they lived until their deaths, the
former in the eighty-second year of his age, the latter
aged eighty-three. Hezekiah keeper, a son,
was born in Guernsey County May 22, 1820, married
Catharine Mowrey, and has reared a family of
six children, three boys and three girls. He is a
successful farmer and a, prominent member of the M. E.
Church, and has served the township as trustee.
Mahlon H. Parsons
was born in Delaware County, Pa., in 1802, and removed
thence to Baltimore County, Md. In 1840 he settled
in Union Township, Morgan County, Ohio. He married
Annie M. Afflick, of Delaware County, Pa., and
was the father of eight children, five of whom are
living—Sarah (Powell), Penn Township;
Mary A. Strahl, deceased; Emeline (Strahl),
Union; Elizabeth (Thompson), Union;
Lewis F., Homer; C. B., deceased; Hannah
(Lent), deceased; William H., Union.
Lewis F. Parsons
was born in Maryland Nov. 14, 1834, and came to
Morgan County when five years of age. In 1861 he
married Melissa Llewellyn. They have
four children living—Elmer E.; Effie,
dead; Annie, Fred E. and John E.,
at home. Mr. Parsons has served as
township trustee several years, and as land appraiser
one year.
James Carter
was born in Bedford County, Pa., July 25, 1815,
and came with his parents to Ames Township, Athens
County, Ohio, when about three years old, remaining
there twenty years. About 1839 he removed to Homer
Township, where he has since resided. Mr.
Carter married Elizabeth McDaniel, and
they have had nine children — Nancy (Lewis),
dead; Sarah A. (Howe), dead; Minerva
(Owens), dead; Melissa (Mantz),
Iowa; George, Homer Township; James
Madison, Albert and Jefferson, dead.
Mr. and Mrs. Carter belong to the Christian
Church.
Jacob Lewis, a
native of Washington County, Pa., came from Marshall
County, Va., in 1836, locating on the farm now owned by
A. B. Johnson. He married Elizabeth
Martin, a native of Pennsylvania.
Oliver
Hyde came to Ohio at an early
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date from New York state, locating on section nineteen,
on Hyde’s Fork of Federal Creek. His son,
Ephraim Hyde, about 1825 made a settlement on
section 25, removing hither from Charleston, W. Va.
Joseph Hoopes,
Morris K. Atkinson,
a well-known citizen, was born in Bucks County, Pa.,
in 1827. In 1847 he came to Morgan County, where
he has since resided, and held several prominent
positions. For ten years he was county surveyor
and for twenty years he served as justice of the peace.
He has been engaged in farming and stock-raising, and at
present, with his son Isaac, carries on the
mercantile business at Elliott’s Cross Roads. He
married Margaret Winner in 1848. Children:
Rebecca (Lewis), Letitia (Thomas)
and Isaac, all residing in the county.
Lewis G. Heston
James Law
John Law
Mrs. Nancy M. Moody
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Andrew J. Price
John F. Price
Wm. A. Murphy
Isaac Murphy
Amos Gardner
James Clarence Linden
Daniel Morris
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Mary A. Wells nee
Nolan
Archibald Coulter
Azel B. Johnson
OIL
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about 70 feet. A great many shallow wells have
been bored, nearly all of which were producers.
The specific gravity of the oil is 45 deg. very
little gas is found. About 170 feet deep a vein of coal
about 7 feet thick is found. This is the
Nelsonville vein.
VILLAGES.
The villages of
the township, though numerous, are not large or
important. Mountsville, the oldest, was laid out
in 1837, in a plat of twenty-four lots. In 1886
the place had two general stores, one boot and shoe
store, one grocery, two blacksmith shops, two churches
(Methodist Episcopal and Christian), a public school,
postoffice, Grand Army Post, and one physician.
Wrightsville,
was laid out in 1838 by H. Wright, and contains
thirty-eight lots. The village has about a dozen
dwellings and one church (Christian); also, two stores,
postoffice and black-smith shop.
Bishopville,
laid out in 1859 by James M. Bishop, has in Homer
Township one general store and a Masonic hall, the
churches and school being across the line, in Athens
County.
Joy is a
postoffice and a hamlet of half a dozen houses.
Elliott's Cross
Roads has been for many years a country cross-roads
trading point. It now contains the general store
of M. K. Atkinson & Son, a postoffice, blacksmith
shop, wagon shop, shoe shop and about six dwellings.
SOCIETIES.
Masonic. -
Grand Army -
CHURCHES.
Christian Church -
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Liberty
Hill Methodist Church -
Pleasant
Valley M. E. Church -
Mountville
Christian Church -
BIOGRAPHICAL
ENGENE R. SWAYNE
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MORRIS ATKINSON
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