Pleasant township was organized as a civil township June 5, 1837, by the commissioners of the county upon a petition of citizens, who requested its formation, its limits as Pleasant township of embrace township 2 south, range 2 east; and the petitioners also requested that township 1 south, range 1 and 2 east and the north half of township 2 south, range 1 east, be attached thereto for township purposes, which was granted.  An election for township officers was ordered to be held at the house of James Maddox on June 20, 1837 (the Maddox house was where is now the E. R. Wells farm).  The number of votes polled was 10.  The next election was for justice of the peace and was held in the log Court House, at which Joseph Gleason was elected.  He held the office for 15 years.

THE FIRST RESIDENTS.

     The first families in Pleasant township, outside of Van Wert town were:  Henry Myers, Asa HIpshire and Daniel Hipshire, living south of town; and James and Samuel Maddox on sections 8 and 9, William Miller on section 5, Augustus Bronson on section 6 and Levi Sawyer on section 7.  In the summer of 1837 Stephen and Joseph Gleason, Elisha and Williams Wells settled in the southwest corner of Pleasant township; also, in the fall, William, Thomas, Jacob and Benjamin Thorn.
     The nearest place that corn could be ground was at East's Mill, three miles west of Lima.  It was a tramp-mill run by oxen, working a large wheel set at an angle of about 30 degrees.

SOME OF THE ORIGINAL LAND ENTRIES.

[Page 154] -

[Page 155] -

MARKS AND BRANDS FOR STOCK.

ENUMERATION OF YOUTHS.

     Between the 1st and 20th of October, 1840, all the youths in the township, between the ages

[Page 156] -
of 4 and 20, unmarried, were enumerated.  The results of such enumeration appear below, and indicate that the girls outnumbered the boys by seven, their being 36 of the former and 29 of the latter.

District No. 1.

District No. 2.

District No. 3.

District No. 4.

EARLY ELECTIONS AND OFFICIALS.

[Page 157] -

EARLY TOWNSHIP FINANCES.

Expenditures

     On March 6, 1843, the trustees met and proceeded to settle with the treasurer, who showed a balance of funds in hand, as follows:  Township funds, notes and justice of the peace receipts, $38.93; road funds, $38.48; school funds, $61.86; a total of $139.27.

THE KEAR FAMILY

     Thomas R. Kear, one of the early settlers of Van Wert County, and one prominently connected with its early history, was born in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Apr. 27, 1806.

[Page 158] -

     His father, John Kear, was a shipbuilder and sailor, as was his father before him, and was connected with the Reed family, of Baltimore, Maryland, in the building of ships and managing the same in mercantile business, for many years before and after the Revolutionary War.  At Annapolis, Maryland, July 31, 1798, John Kear married Mary Reed, a sister of the two brothers with whom he was associated in business.
     During the Revolutionary War John Kear worked in the shipyards, assisting in the building of some of the ships that did noble service in the war for freedom.  During the War of 1812 he served as private in Captain Holt's company, 8th Regiment of Virginia Militia.  After the close of that war, he returned to Maryland and having to a considerable extent lost his health with his family removed to Zanesville, Ohio, from which town he later removed to Licking County, Ohio where he died Nov. 31, 1820, leaving a widow and six children.  Of the three daughters in the family, Eleanor married Richard Pring on Aug. 26, 1819; Mary Ann married John Pring, a brother to Richard Pring; and Amelia married Frederick Baylor.  Of the three sons, Thomas R. Kear is the principal subject of this sketch; John R. Kear died unmarried Sept. 29, 1832; and William R. Kear married Mary Johnson in Harrison township, Van Wert County, by whom he had several children - after her decease, he married her widowed sister, Mrs. Ann Foster, in Iowa or Nebraska.
     Thomas R. Kear, as a boy and young man, was a sailor and worked as a ship carpenter.  Removing to Licking County, Ohio, where his father had taken up his residence, he there with his brothers-in-law, John and Richard Pring, engaged in the work of millwrighting.  As their business increased and pushed Westward they moved to Champaign County, Ohio, and made that their home for some years.  Here Thomas R. Kear met and married his wife, Catharine Frisinger, a daughter of Peter Frisinger who fought in the Revolutionary War, and also in the war of 1812, in which he served as a private in Captain Christopher Morris' company of Light of Light Infantry, 4th Regiment of Virginia Militia, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Huston and Lieutenant Colonel Wooding.  Peter Frisinger died in the service Jan. 4, 1815, and was buried at Norfolk, Virginia.  Mrs. Kear had five sisters, who married and lived to the time of their death in Champaign County, Ohio, where they left many descendants, who still live in that county.  Her brothers, William, Jacob, Noah, Peter and John, moved to Mercer and Van Wert counties, Ohio, between the years 1819 and 1835.  John and Peter coming to Van Wert county in 1830.
     In 1829 Thomas R. Kear, with his brothers-in-law - the Prings - went to Willshire township, Van Wert County, to build a mill at the village of Willshire, but it was not thought advisable to build it on account of the scarcity of cleared lands, so they went over into the State of Indiana and built a mill at or near Muncie, and later one at Pleasant ills (Mollica) and then returned to Children County for a season.  In 1835 Thomas R. Kear moved to Willshire township and took up his residence there, working at the carpenter trade and attending to an undertaking business until he moved to the village of Van Wert, when the county seat was moved to that place.  He was the second sheriff of Van Wert County, and held that office at intervals for several years.  He was an active State militiaman, and when war broke out between the United States and Mexico he was appointed by Governor Mordecai Bartley, May 1, 1846, aide-de-camp, 2nd

[Page 159] -
Brigade, 12th Division of Ohio Militia, for the term of six years.  He was with his regiment to the close of the war, but saw no active service, as they were not taken out of the State.
     Mr. Kear built the first mill in Van Wert, for James Watson Riley, who had contracted with the Board of County Commissioners to build a mill at Van Wert, as one of the conditions and considerations for moving the county seat to Van Wert.  John and Richard Pring helped him to build this mill, and it was purchased, and operated as the first mill in Van Wert, by Samuel Clark one of the oldest residents of the village.  Thomas R. Kear and Joseph Gleason built the first steam mill in Van Wert.  Later Mr. Kear purchased the interest of Mr. Gleason, and operated the property as a combined saw of grist-mill until the year 1856, when it was purchased by Dr. William Smith.
     Mr. Kear died in May, 1864, leaving a widow (Catherine Frisinger Kear), who survived him many years.  He was also survived by eight children.  Of the daughters, Mary Margaret married Jackson Pence, and had seven children; Lydia Ann first married Emery R. Underwood (who died in the army in 1862 or 1863, leaving two children) then married Thomas Mallow, by whom she had one child, and finally became the wife of Benjamin Baltzell; Amanda Ann married William P. Wolcott, late recorder of Van Wert County, by whom she had two sons who arrived at maturity - Harry K. and Edward W. Wolcott, now a prominent law firm of Norfolk, Virginia; Sarah Ellen married George V. Asher, of Licking County, Ohio, and to them were born three children.  Of the sons, John J. married Mahala Boles, and to them were born eight children: Benjamin F. (who served three years in the Civil War) married Alice Beagles, by whom he had three children - after her decease married Mrs. Jane Fowler a war widow with two children, by whom he had five children; Robert Thomas married Catharine Tope and to them were born five children; Wiley McDonald married Malinda Romig, of Brandon, Iowa, and to whom were born seven children, the eldest being Lieut. C. R. Kear, United States Navy.