The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-07-14
MISCELLANY.
CENTENNIAL
Historical Address
For Perry County, Ohio,
SOMERSET, OHIO, JULY 4th, 1876,
BY L. 8. coLBoRN.
INTRODUCTORY.
BY L. s. coLBoRN.

Alter receiving me INVITATION OF the
Committee, and deciding TO prepare a
brief Historical Address, began 20 re-
feet as to what the character of it should
be, and my first impulse was TO make il,
TO a great extent, q recitation Of some
Of the interesting and thrilling incidents
connected with the early settlements Of
the county; but, upon reflection, ] was
forced TO the conclusion that such an
arrangement Of the subject would be un-
satisfactory, II not impracticable; and
that ] must confne my discourse, prin-
cipally. IL not entirely, to n general out
line Of the history Of the county, begin
ming with its frat settlement by the
white people. and tracing it, in its most
important and interesting features,
briefly and compactly il must OF mecca
sity be, down 10 the present time. l.
have worked and studied much upon the
historical features Of the county Of Per.
~, and, in another way, in the near fu-
ture ] expect to present. for the consid-
erntion Of all interested, something like
detailed and complete history Of the
county. But. in the present discourse,
time and circumstances will only per-
nit general outline.
l776- 1900.
Almost everywhere. on this Centen-
niai Day, the figures 1776 and 1876 are
70 be seen, indicating the one hundred
years Of onr natior al history and na-
tional growth One hundred years ago
there were no white settlements within
the limits Of the present State of Ohio,
unless that Of the Moravian missiona
ries. iB what L. now Tuscarawas county,
might be termed such, but they lived
among and with the indiana. The no
BILE and beautiful river that forms the
southern boundary Of the State had been
navigated by daring explorers, and Lake
Erie, at the north had long been plowed
by the craft Of civilized men, and the
French had long before established trad
ing posts along it, borders; and, proba-
bly,, the waters of the Muskingnm, the
Scioto, the Miami, end other interior
rivers, had rerounded to the stroke o.
the white man's oar; and il is claimed
and j. probably true, that white child
WA born on the upper Miami, in IVA
whose parents were Canadian French
and ON their way to Louisiana; and j
is known that Mary Heekewelder, ,
daughter Of = Moravian missionary
WINS born at Mornvian Indian town
April 10Th, 1881. Yet il may be safely
asserted as true, that with the excep
tions already given, q century since
within the borders Of now our grea
State, there existed not n hamlet o
dwelling occupied by civilized men.
A year or two previous to 1776, tn
Earl Of Dupmore, then the Royal Gov
ernor Of Virginia, sent out expedition
TO attack the hostile Indians on tn
Scioto, near where Chillicothe now il
and on the Muskingum, near where tn
town Of Dresden now stands, the forme
expedition being accompanied by Lor,
Dunmore himself; and tradition has
that he encamped on Sunday creek, i
Athens county, not far from what is not
the Perry county line. Struggling sold
iers, from these armies, may have trod
den upon what is now the soil Of PER-
county, and IL is quite probable. tha
captive white men and women, prison
ers in the hands Of Indians, may hav
sojourned within what il now our peact
ful borders prior to 1776; but, with thes
exceptions. IL is not within the bound
Of probability, that any white persor
at that time had ever existed here. tn
silence Of savage life brooded over hill
valleys, and the unbroken forest.
In 1897, Ebenszer Zane opened th
road, known as "Zane's Trace" froi
Wheeling. Virginia. to Msysville. Ker
lucky. Zanesville and Lancaster wei
points on this road, and It passe
through what is now Perry county,
little northward Of the town Of Some
set. IL is not certain. but at that da
there was probably not white settl
within the limits Of what IL now PER-
county. ZanPsville was not settled nj
Ill 1896, Fairfield conrty was FIRST se
tied in 1898. and earlipT ,ttlements d
not likely exist. previous - these time
nj any Of the intermediate points,
within wha, il now the limits Of PER-
Advsniurous hunters, loving a wild Iii
d.d 'aoriimcs precede the FIRST imm
7rau.H ard ssttlements, erect rude ca
iu~. aut clear and cultivate small spo
I gr.luJ. and some Of them msy hs
TeIaln'd permanently. just what tin
this class of adveniurers came, it is d
6cu.. II not almost impossible, to d
terrnine.
1s00-lS10.
But, about 1900, possibly in 1899, 1
van guard Of the actual settlers col
menccd to come into the townships
Reading. Thorn, Mahison and Har
son, and by 1910 there were very consi
cradle settlements in these townshi
and possibly. a few settlers in 9th
townships. In this decade, Overmy,
town, Gnow New Reading.] Middleton
[row Somerset and Lebanon, In
Thornville,l and Hanover, were est,
lished. Hanover was situated abe
four miles west Of Somerset, and was
nsiled In 1918. Ii does not take long
tell the story Of the decade runni
from 1900 to 1910. II is simply Of 4
brave pioneers Of Reading, Tho
Madison and Harrison, and possil
one or two other townships, endnri
indescribable hardships, and brav
and grandly fighting the battle of fro
Ter life. There are, no debut, pers
here Today, whosaw something Of tn
ten yenrs Of pioneer life, and ] am
formed, that there are persons still
ing, some Of them in these townsh
who we're born In them, as early
1908. Such perSons, il present h,