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(Source: History
of Jerome Township, Union County, Ohio
Curry, W. L. : Columbus, Ohio: Press of the E.T. Miller Co.,
1913) |
JEROME TOWNSHIP, UNION COUNTY, OHIO
The township
was organized March 12, 1821, and the first election
was held May 10, 1821, for the selection of Justice
of the Peace. Clark Provin received the
entire fifteen votes cast. James Ewing,
Frederick Sager and Simeon Hager were the
judges of the election. John Taylor and
John McCune were the clerks.
When the first settlers came into the territory in
Jerome Township along the Darby Creek, it was the
favorite "hunting grounds" of the Indians. In
many places the traces of their wigwams still
remained and country was full of all kinds of game,
including bears, deer, wolves, panthers, and small
game.
Just north of Plain City, the Indians had a town where
they lived in large numbers in wigwams covered with
bark, until about the year 1800.
On the old Kent farm on Sugar Run was a sugar camp
where the Indians manufactured maple syrup.
Parties from Chillicothe often came here to trade
for large quantities of raccoon skins and other
furs. At thsi time the Indians were generally
friendly.
The first sheep were brought to the township by
James Ewing and he had to keep them confined in
a high pen built of logs to keep the wolves from
attacking them. One day, a number of Indians called
at his cabin and one of the dogs belonging to the
Indians jumped into the pen and attacked the sheep,
whereupon Mr. Ewing took his rifle and killed
the dog. This made the Indians very angry, and
they had some trouble. As it happened,
Jonathan Alder, who had been among the Indians
for many years and understood their ways, interposed
and peace was established between the Indians and
the white men.
Wolves were very plentiful, but soon after the
settlement was established, a bounty of $4.00 a
scalp was paid by the county, which resulted in
killing off the larger number of wolves.
Jonathan Alder lived in Jerome Township on the
west side of Darby, just north of Plain City.
He was taken prisoner by the Indians in Virginia
when he was a small boy and lived with them until he
grew to manhood. When he lived in Jerome
Township he had a squaw wife. At this time he
talked the Indian language entirely, but soon
re--learned the English language. He finally
parted from his squaw wife and she went northward
with her people. He then married a white girl,
but always seemed to be very much afraid of his
squaw wife. The squaw wife did visit Mr.
Adler's house during his absence and destroyed
much of his white wife's wardrobe. She then
left the neighborhood and that seems to have been
the last he heard of her. The following is the
inscription on his tombstone:
"Jonathan Adler, born September 1`7, 1773.
Taken prisoner by the Indians in 1781.
Died January 30, 1849."
When the War of 1812 opened,
apprehensions of trouble with these Indians were
entertained, but they remained friendly and no
hostilities or difficulties arose to mar their
peaceful relations. Some of the rougher class
of settlers were on intimate terms with the Indians
and would go to their camps and join in the conival
feasts that were held there. The children of
the earliest pioneers were for a time in mortal
dread of them and it required a long time before
they could be accustomed to their presence.
James Robinson had one of the earliest orchards
in the vicinity, and after the trees approached the
age of bearing he was greatly annoyed by the birds
that had a strong liking for his choice fruit, and
manifested the design of indulging their appetites
before it was ripe enough to pluck. Some
Indian lads, belong to several families near by,
were very expert in shooting birds with their small
bows and arrows, and Mr. Robinson agreed with
them by means of signs, that for each bird they
killed in the orchard he would give an apple.
It happened that athe following day was Sunday, and
as Mr. Robinson, who was a God-fearing
Presbyterian, was engaged in the usual morning
prayers, the Indian lads rushed in with a bird they
had killed. The conscientious pioneer could
not tolerate the idea of profaning the Sabbath by
his unhallowed sport, and by shaking his head and
gesticulating, intimated to them that they must not
engage in it that day. They departed highly
incensed, thinking he had withdrawn from his
agreement, and after the old folks had gone to
church that day, the Indian youths amused themselves
by pointing their weapons at the children left at
home, who fled to the house for protection and
remained within the bolted doors till their parents
returned.
When the troubles of 1812 had commenced, it was several
times rumored that the Indians had taken up arms and
were preparing to make a raid upon the settlement.
Many families, panic-stricken, deserted their homes
and fled farther south. At one time, a part of
settlers, including Moses Mitchell, then a
lad of sixteen years, fearlessly marched to the
Indian villages far tot he north to ascertain if
they had concluded to put on the war paint and make
the rumored attack. They found the Indians
sitting in council, but with no hostile intent.
The band of whites remained with them all night, and
then returned to their friends and quieted their
fears. |
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