Notebook on Green Township and Smithville Area History by Daniel L. Kieffer

Notebook on Green Township and Smithville Area History by Daniel L. Kieffer

Pre-Green Township

Dark and Fearful in aspect; deep beyond measure in magnitude; dense and unbroken in itself; and interwoven thickly with vines of venom, thorns and under-brush and high rankling weeds of every description, was the veil of forest which once covered the face of this country. Devoid of habitations of man, unsoiled in sheet, it lay over the entire field of Green township, up to 1811. Indians and wild beasts sporting through swamps and dusky avenues; serpents and reptiles hissing from their lurking places, abounded in swarming populaces all over the land; while the hawk and the buzzard in loud screams acclaimed dominion over the feathery tribe, which seemed to join in emission of uncouth notes from every tree-top. Amid this wild state of things, the first settlement was made upon the soil of Green.

Naming of Green Township

Afterward, when brought into the province of organization, the township took its name from General Green. This township is located north east from the centre of the county, and is designated as township No.17 of range 12 in what once was called "The New Purchase".

Green Boundaries

It is bounded on the north by Milton, on the east by Baughman, on the south by East Union, and on the west by Wayne. The surface of the township is slightly rolling, and in soil very fertile and productive. Its principle streams and Little Chippewa in the south east running north west, and Sugar Creek in the northwest running south east. Both of these streams are emptying into the Tuscarawas. It is six miles square and contains thirty-six sections. Green township is well-watered each quarter-section being supplied with at least one good spring. When found in its pristine state, it was vocered all over with a dinse and heavy forest, with the exception of a square spot of about twelve acres on the south west quarter of section three. This spot being entirely clear from ay timber, stump, and even roots. Tall and heavy timber surrounded it on all sides; but when and by who it was cleared or what caused it this to be, has never been discovered. As it appeared that some corn had been raised, thereon by the Indians, the early settlers called it "The Indian Field". Green in general had more heavy timber than any of the other townships in the county. The largest tree ever found within the county was a "White Oak" which stood on the southeast quarter of section 22 in this township. This large tree measured a little over 23 feet in circumference, stump high. The timber covering the upland, chiefly consisted of white oak interspersed with hickory, chestnut, red oak, black oak and walnut; and that on the bottom land and along the streams, principally consisted of sugar, maple and beech, mixed with hickory and ash and elm. Thick underbrush abounded all over the township. Rank grass grew in abundance upon the low land and along the streams while tall weeds of every kind stood up from the soft, wet soil in their green, living richness, to the height of from tow to six feet, all over the land. The fast of the township being thus covered, presented it in aspect as a most dreary wilderness.

First Exploration

The first exploration ever made through the township was made in the fall of 1802 by a company of four young men who had come from Pennsylvania to Cleveland who, by some motive or other, were propelled to make a strike southward, aiming for a little town which had just been laid out on the Muskingum, at the junction of the Tuscarawas with the Walhonding river, then called "Tuscarawa", now Coshocton, the seat of Coshocton county.

First Death

On the third day of their journey, after reaching what afterwards was made the south east quarter of section No. 5 of this township (now the farm owned by William Pontius) not having quite half the distance of their tramp, they got into some difficulty with the Indians, when one of the young men was shot through the breast and instantly died. The fall passing through his body and entering into a small sized oak tree, which the Indians for some reason or other instantly knotched from the ground up as high as they could reach-perhaps as a monument of their bloodshed. With much terror and dismay the three surviving young men lastened from the scene without witnessing what was done with the body of their slaughtered companion. Having in view of retrace, in case they should become lost, blazed the trees along the line of their route, two years afterwards, tow of these young men, in company of some others, made a tramp back on the same route. They again saw the "Knotched white oak" but neither clew nor trace could be found of the body, which two years ago they had seen fall in crimsoned carnage at its root, by the ball of the "red man"! This was the first death known to occurred upon the soil of Green township.

First Settlement

The oak thus struck by the fatal ball stood until within a fear years. It is claimed by some of the Green was settled as early as 1804. This, however, is absolutely erroneous. The first settlement made within its limits was made in the Spring of 1811 by Michael Thomas who, with his wife and seven children emigrated from Washington county, Pennsylvania, and settled upon the south west quarter of section No. 33, now known as "the Bechtel farm". Isolated ad alone was this family in the wilderness of Green until some time in the summer of the succeeding year when Thomas Boydston and his wife, who had just been married, came from Green county Pennsylvania and settled on the north west quarter of the same section. These were all the white people within the township of Green until the spring of 1814. Lorenzo Winkler with his family came from Monongahala county, Virginia, and settled on section No. 22. These were the first threee white fmailies within the limits of the township.

In consequence of the slow emigration to the west, on account of the War of 1812, the township became settled very slowly up to 1815. Its earliest settlers were nearly all of English and Irish descent among whom were, beside those named, George Boydston, David McConahay, David Boydston, Thomas Hayse, Davis Antles, Thomas Dawson, John Wade, George Smith, Benjamin Boydston, Thomas Smith, Jacob Breakfield, John Harris, James Sparks, John McFaddin, Barter Harris, James Sparks, John McFaddin, Samuel Ferguson, William Sparks, John Hobbs, Frances Shackler, Isaac Robbins, Phineas Burrwell, Thomas Johnston, John Bigham, Robert Calvins, Jacob Cook, Charles Kelly, William Ruffcorn, George Carson, Jacob Breakbail and Thomas Alison.

Green Township Official April 1817

Not struck off, the township in legal measures, remained with East Union until 1817. It now had attained a population of 147 of which 26 were legal voters. On application it then was struck off, named, and became organized. On the 7th day of April in 1817 the electors convened at the residence of William Barnett, a small log cabin then on the north east quarter of section 21, for to elect their own officers for the first time.

First Election

First Judges

By unanimous acclimation, on motion of David Boyston, Thomas Hays, David MCConahay and Thomas Davison were appointed Judges;

First Clerks

and Thomas Boydston and Jacob Breakfield Clerks, for to hold the election.

First Elected Officers

The officers elected were as follows: David McConahay and George BoydstonJustices of the Peace; Peter Flickinger. George Boydston and Thomas Hays Trustees; Thomas Dawson, Treasurer, David Boydston