Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1935-05-16

| sidered. Finally McConnelsvlllt
was selected.
In accordance with an act of the
| general assembly passed in Deem
ber, 1918, to take effect March 1
| 1919, the first general election was
| directed to be held on the first Mon
| day in April Records Of the first
| election show that Timothy Gay
| lord was chosen recorder; Nathan
| Dearborn, coroner; David Fulton
| Sylyanus Piper and Robert Mckee
| commissioners.
| The first building erected by the
| commissioners was jail, which was
| built of hewed logs. Soon after its
completion the building, together
| with the lot on which it stood, was
| sold and the proceeds used to aid
| in building a court house. Another
| jail was built in 1910 and later re-
modelled.
The first court house was built of
| brick, in 1920, by James Young on
| the same site occupied by the pres
| ent structure, which was construct
| ed in 1858.
| In 1849 the infirmary farm of
| 314 acres, lying three miles south
| of McConnelsville, on the Musking-
| UNI river, was purchased by the
| commissioners. The children's home
| farm of Sc acres, about a mile
| above Malta, was purchased and
| buildings erected in 1880 and 1881.
The population Of the county in
1920 was 5,299; in 1880 it was 49,
1883.
The first settlement was made in
the fall of 1890, at Big Bottom, on
the Muskingum river, in the south
ern part of Windsor township, by a
party of 36 men, mostly single,
from Marietta. A block house was
built, which was destroyed, and all
the occupants save one, Phillip
Stacy, a boy of 13, were massacred
by the Indians in the early winter
Other parties of the settlement liv-
ing in cabins nearby escaped during
the attack on the block house.
The first plat for McConnelsvilIe
was made in 1917. The land COW
cred by it was owned by Gen. Rob-
ert Mcconnell. Several lots were
givn to the various religious de-
nominations and some for public
purposes. The town is about equal
distance from Athens, Marietta,
GAINESVILLE and Cambridge.
The first settler in McConnels-
vile was Jacob Kahler, who located
in the newly laid out village in the
fall of 1917. Soon afterwards came
Thomas Moore, James Young, Jacob
Springer, Jacob Adams, Jonathan
Williams, Lewis Ramey, Robert
Robinson, Philip Kahler, Jacob
harrison, Timothy Gaylord and ia
cob Price
Jacob Adams was the first mer-
chant. Between 1920 and 1925,
Edwin Corner, Worley G. Shugert,
John B. Stone and Luther NJ. Bark
er had opened stores. Among other
early merchants were Alexander
Simpson and Robert Mcconnell.
Malta was laid out year earlier
than McConnelsville. Simeon Pool
and his son-in-law, John Bell, set
tied there about 1912. Mr.. Pool
traded real estate in Marietta for
the land now covered by the village.
In 1916 the first plat was made.
BY 1918 there were six families in
the settlement, w. B. Young, Jona-
than Whitney, George Miller, John
Seaman and William Palmer. Geo.
Miller opened the first tavern in
1915 and Hyman Lazarus started a
store in 1918.
The village of Pennsville was laid
out in 1928 for Nathan Sidwell A
few years later several additions
were made John Penrose and JOS
eph Lawrence opened a dry goods
store in 1880. The settlers of this
village, as we'll as the township.
were Quakers.
Windsor or Stockport were laid
out by Nathan Sidwell on his own
land in 1884. The first mercantile
business was opened by the Bes-
wick Brothers in 1888. The first
mill was built in 1912 by Samuel
and William Beswick.
Chesterhill was laid out the same
year as Stockport, 1884, on land,
the greater part of which was own
ed by Bundy and Hiatt. A number
of additions have been made since.
Triadelphia was plated in 1898
by A. Roberts. Deavertown is one
Of the oldest villages Of the county,
having been laid out in 1915 by
Levi Deaver. The first merchants
were Eli and Henry Deaver. The
first hotel was kept by Elijah At
kins.
Early settlements were made on
the GAINESVILLE and Marietta road
and at places later known as Neely-
vile and Mill Grove. Taylor's grist
mill, near where Unionville later
was built, was constructed as early
as 1920.