Ross County, Ohio An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Λ Under the Editorial Supervision of LYLE S. EVANS LLUSTRATED VOLUME I THE IWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK INTRODUCTION As Ohio was the first American commonwealth to be laid out in the old Northwest Territory between the Ohio River and the Upper Mississippi, so Ross County was the nucleus of its civil life at the time of its birth. Chillicothe was for a time the capital of the territory and the state, and great pioneers, politicians and statesmen were drawn thither. Several of the most distinguished of them had their homes at and near the political center, which, by virtue of its public standing, also became a noteworthy resort for sociability and culture. Even more than Marietta, the pioneer settlement of the Northwest Territory, did Chillicothe reflect the most advanced life of the new America beyond the mountains. All this has been illustrated in the history of the earlier periods covered by this work. Ross County is naturally proud of its early history and the superb records of its founders, and this spirit of just pride has been inherited by several generations of men and women; for it is a fact which has been demonstrated by this history that there is no county in the United States where the descendants of the founding families have clung to their ancestral soil and homes with such fondness and tenacity as those of Ross. The county supports the oldest newspaper published continuously under the same name in the world, and the majority of its most prosperous institutions carry the burdens of age successfully and vigorously. If any more remarkable illustration of the "staying" powers of an American section than that afforded by Ross County can be adduced it is not within the knowledge of the author. The prime reasons for this high standard of life, and the lifelong choice of Ross County as an abiding place for individuals and families, are that it is progressive in agriculture and the industries; its people are both sociable and just; its schools, churches and libraries are well supported and well managed; its professional men and women are able and practically helpful-in a word, Ross County presents all the essentials demanded by a people who claim. the rights of a moral and legitimate pursuit of happiness and full opportunities for the advancement of all. In presenting this history to the people of Ross County and an even larger public, the editor wishes to convey his thanks not only |