The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-06-30
GheQtteILiaetrr
CENTENNIAL sKETCHEs.
Random RecOlIectionS OF Bel
mont County, Ohio.
nv IsAAou, PATTERSON, ESQ.

In attempting 10 give some reminis
,cences Of the early days Of Belmon
county, We find the task more dithcul
han was anticipated. Had We com
mspced six months ago, n much more In
teresting collection Of items would hay
resulted. Death has left very few Of gu
old citizens who could have furnishe
ilemSoiiniormation. etruSt your read
era will accept the following sketche
kindly, and that sbme ADLER pen willtak
IN and complete the subject:
Belmont county was established Ser
tembcr 9TH, 1901, by proclamation oil AZ
thur st. Clair, Governor, being the tent
andlssl county formed in the Northwest
ern Territory. The name Belmont Is y: &c
rived from the French words nean'pi
Beautiful Mountains" ,,..,,.,,
Belmont county was one o. lhe esiFi'e''
settled within the State OF Ohlo. ..do
Probably the first settlement was ma Y,
Inv Captain Joseph KifkWood az 'ne
mouth Of Wheeling Creek H9w .n Nos ~ u :
the town OF Bridgeport nc 49, Nv 800 ]
block house on the sonth, sids 9 sleelSsa
about 1889. Captain ThnAnyu H l-
Ss"m nsIswars, and was the gallant and
ir0m r,iSd Captain Kirkwood Of Che
Tnis"ii pe,in the war Of the ReVolu.
,ien w whom such frequent and honora.
liz tiO mention Is made in Lees memoir Of
,bc Southern campaigns. He fought With
distinguished gallantry through the war,
and was in the bloody battles Of Camden,
Hobkirks, Eutaw and 1907 .ls!S , .Cp
The next settlement we learn Of was
made on the river bank nearly opposite
Moundsyille, on the lands now known n
GDiIlies Bottom" A Fort was erected
there called nDillies Porhn On high
point on the Ohio side Of the river near
" opposite the, Grave Greek mound, are
tbe remains OF ancient Notifications,
which probably date with the mound. l
can rel but little information concerning
this relic.
The first regular court in Belmont coun-
" was held ut the town Of Pultney, few
miles below Bellaire, now known as the
"Pultney Bottoms" There was quite a
town laid out at this place-on paper
in 1901 by Daniel McElherren. In the
records Of the court the town was called
"Pultney," and the plat as shown on the
Recorders books, presents quite an I'M
posing appearance-Squares for court
house, jail, market house and churches
were duly marked out. By.a musty old
court document we find that at Noyem.
Der term, 1901, "The court do order that
tbere be built in the town OF Poultney, on
the public square, q brick house, thirty;
two feet square inthe clear, twelve feet
high in the first story, 10 be occupied as q
court house for the county" We find
another interesting relic regarding public
buildings at this term. at is ordered by
the court that u house be erected twenty
four by fifteen feet Of hewn logs, with
Ihinqle.roof, strongly built, with q log par.
tilion across the centre, TO be Occupied as
Joal."
The first Commissioners Of Belmont
county were William Bell, Samuel Oily
and Jacob Lewis. This Oily was pro-
badly "Dillie," who gave the name TO the
fort q few miles below, and ,alsotto eDil-
lies Bottom" now owned by Col. John II.
Thompson. '@ 20 ~ go
Judge Calvin Pease was the first Judge
in the county for Copmon Pleas Court
lie came from the neighborhood OF the
Western Reserve. '-Therc was court
previous 10 this time composed Of msgis;
trates Of the county. Here is q copy OF
"The minutes and, proceedings Of the
Court Of General Quarter Sessions ofthe
Peace for Belmont county, In the Terri:
tory Of the United States northwest OF
the River Ohio, held at Poultney in pur-
suancc Of a proclamation Of His Excel
lency, Arthur 81. Clair, Esquire, Gov
ernor of'the Territory, November session,
1901" t.'tf' q ~. rF
David Lockwood, Daniel McEIherren,
Jacob Repshire, Esquires, composing the
Court, and the Grand Jury, to-wit: Not
ley Hayes, Patrick White, John King,
Anthony bigger. Joshua Bailey, 'Cephas
Cary, Joseph Findley, Matthew Noel.
herren, Martin Sherry, Thomas Dufield,
VIM. Bush, Geo. Barnet, Peter Buzzard(?l,
John Wall, Abraham Emerins, Richard
Hardesty, John Lamb, Robert Citizen,
Henry Leep, Samuel Barns, George Mil
Ter, Archibald Smith, Andrew -:
This was probably the irst Grand Jury
in Belmont county-2S, an odd number.
Wly2 ~ ::
We find that at the November session,
1901, John Woolford was recommended
as proper person to keep a house oil
entertainment on the road leading from
the HRiyer Ohio TO Chillicothe.o Rather
an indefinite location at this date, but .
very popular route 10 "keep hotel" on,
Judging from the number Of applicants
for license. Can any one give light as TO
the location Of this road? .s.
We find also about the same time,
license for "Zanes road" The National
road occupies nearly the site Of the old
"Zane road"
In 1901 the court ordered that road
should be opened from the townof Poult-
ney to NewelStown, ST. Clairsyille, Jacob
Coleman surveyor, -.
In The same year, 1901, a road was
opened from Major Abraham Martins
Ferry to intersect road from Peter
Henderson's, at Tlton's Ferry, near the
mouth OF Short Creek. =.
In 1901 Charles Hammond was ap-
pointed by the court 10 act as Prosecutor
until he should be legally appointed by
the Attorney, Gensral.l He was illegally"
appointed In 1902 by the Attorney Gen
eral, nephew Of General 81. Clair.
At the February term, 1902, be qusshed
an Indictment against Jacob Repshire
for assault and battery. Jacob was one
Of the magistrates holding court the pre-
yious year, and was tlriee indicted at this
term for tie same offense Assault and
battery was o frequent cause Of trouble
abo Il that time. 'a..E
The first church in the settlement, that
we learn Of, was near the mouth Of "Jug
Run" on the farm now owned by Major
Thompson.
merely q log cabin, on the grounds Of the
Union cemetery, quarter ola mile north OF
81. Clairsyille. The cabin church was
put up about 1898, and occupied until
lsOS, when larger and more comfort
able log building was erected on the same
spot. That second building waSused IN.
III 1922, when the congregation erected
in the town Of 81. ClSirsyille q large
brick building, Whiehyas destroyed by
FIRE in 1s4l. In 1913 the present church
building was erected , =.
Rev. Joseph Anderson, the first pastor
Of the Presbyterian Church, was installed
in 1900, and occupied the pulpit for thirty
.,n.,. H. ,ya. tha kns1 peaahvtAPian