Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1939-07-27

see anywhere from 20 to so mel
with long white or gray beard; to
day we can think of but two men II
the entire township who wea
beard. 1t is true quite numbe
wear mustache, but not nearly 81
many as in those by-gone days. Yes
the styles Of women have changed
but not being conversant with WON
ems wear, we forbear, only we cal
say there is much more women nov
than when we were younger a
/ least we see more of them. In thu
former days the dresses dragged the
(! floor or ground, today they dom
/ touch anywhere but the shoulder:
of the wearers.
In the old days we remember
neighbors would hitch up and drive
to the homes of neighbors in the
winter and spend the evenings
Without telephone service as we
have it now, we often wonder how
news travelled so rapidly. At this
time we want to tell you that Mr.
Roberts informs us that the first
store near Meigs was not the one on
1.-THE Merwin farm, but stood across
| the road on land now owned by Gil
| bert Carnes; then from there to the
one on the Merwin farm. This Sec
| ond store building is now a part OF
| the D. L. jenkins residence. G. L.
Lindimore (Lafe), is authority that
the Granny jenkins house now
owned by Frank Smith, is the Oldest
house in Meigs. The house where
Thurman Reed and family now re-
xryho Mvc
ton was killed by lightning in 1887.
The bolt knocked off some weather
boarding, which was replaced with
ones which we're unpainted for sew
eral years.
Old timers will remember that
Rev. T. M. Stevenson, who preached
at the Bristol Presbyterian church.
was at one time superintendent Of
the McConnelsville school; also that
Rev. w. M. Grimes was a member
of the faculty of the same school.
In our early days about all the
fences were either rail or post and
rail. The latter was made by cut
ting holes through the posts at reg
ular distances, the wOrkmen using
what was called post ak. The rails
were hewn fiat so that the ends
could be inserted in the holes in the
posts. after the post had been set
the proper distance in the ground.
So far as we can think all the lat
ter type of fence is thing of the
past, and the old worm fence is fast
disappearing.
Mark Alexander, who lived just
over the line in Meigs township,
Muskingum county, built the last
rail or worm fence anywhere here
abouts. The fences of today are OF
post and wire barbed, or woven
with one or two strands of barbed
on top. The posts are mostly OF To-
Gust timber.
Bristol Township In Politics
The voters of the township have
always thought the franchise
thing almost sacred The voting
place has been changed around
quite bit, at Cloud, Meigs, and for
many years the elections were held
at the Election school house, which
was the nearest accessible point to
the center of the township. The
year following the granting Of the
franchise to women, the township
was divided into two precincts,
at Cloud and the latter at Meigs.
At the first election held in the
township. only 20 votes were cast.
The poll books Of the present con-
tains the names Of over 500 quail
fed voters.
In our youth two elections were
held each year-in April and NO
yember. The spring election was
-l~:x
elections for county, state and ma
tional. At that time henchmen
were on the ground early and stayed
to the finish, to persuade, coerce, or
buy votes. but Bristol has always
been comparatively free from vote
sellers, and the electorate has held
the franchise as sacred thing.
Wild Game
When the township was covered
with forest, much game abounded.
Bear, deer fox, coon, skunk, mink,
opossum, squirrel and rabbit were
plentiful. AS the forest fell before
the woodman's ak, and the on
slaught of hunters, all game became
scarcer until the bear and deer have
become extinct. Squirrels, on ac-
count of their migratory disposition,
are plentiful one year and scarce
the next Rabbits seem to hold their
own in spite of the hundreds killed
every year.
One of the old time bear dens is
located on the c. p. Roberts farm
on Bear Run. In our boyhood this
was visited by large numbers Of peo-
pie each summer. The den is in
huge sandstone lodges. We might
tell you that for many years the
sandstone was used as foundations
for buildings and road building.
Quite bit of state highway 7S has
a sandstone foundation.
OF the men of this township who
have served as officials of the coun-
ty we find the following. Sheriff, j.
c. Murduck, 1S66-1870; commits
sioners, George j. Henderson, 1896
1851, 71-75; B. B. Parmiter, 1911
1918; JOS Flanders, 19O6-19ll;
Fred Radcliff, 1929-1933; auditor,
John Whitney, 1913-1920; states
attorney, c. H. Fouts, G. 0. McGon-
agile; representative to the general
assembly, c. H. Fouts; Kenneth c.
Ray, 1929-1933; coroner, d. l.. Jen-
kins, 1851, 65-67. We believe b.
B. Parmiter was the only Democrat
who had ever held county office
from the township.
ITO be cOntinued)