Genealogy Trails Hardin County, Ohio Roundhead Township History

Roundhead This was the first organized township of the fifteen subdivisions of Hardin County; in fact, it was erected one year prior to the organization of this county in 1833, and originally embraced a large scope of country to the north and east of its present boundaries. As the years went by, other townships were erected, and Round Read reduced to its present dimensions. The first general election of county officers was held at the cabin of Jonathon Carter April 1, 1833, the number of votes cast being sixty-three. Of this election and its results, the reader is referred to the general history, where a fall account of the pioneer elections and officials will be found under their respective heads. This township is almost a right-angle parallelogram in shape, extending nearly eight mites from north to south, with an average width, from east to west, of about three and a quarter miles. It is bounded on the north by Marion Township, on the east by McDonald Township, on the south by Logan County, and on the west by Auglaize County. It embraces both Congress and Virginia Military lands. The greater portion of the lands north of the Scioto River are of the former class, and that portion south of said river are of the latter class of lands The first settler of this township was Samuel Tidd, a native of Pennsylvania, who settled on Section 21, in February, 1822, where he died March 8, 1851. Next, in the order of time, came the Widow Richey, with her two eons, Samuel and Andrew, and located on Section 20. They were also from Pennsylvania, whence they emigrated to Logan County, Ohio. Here the father died, and at the date mentioned the family removed to this township, where the sons yet reside. A fuller sketch of these families will be found in the general history of the county. James Hilt came to Round Head Township during the year 1825, also settling on Section 20. He was born near Baltimore, Md., removed thence to Lancaster County, Penn., and, subsequently to Logan County, Ohio; thence to Hardin. He remained here one or two years, and went back to Logan County, but, in 1833, he again came to this township, and located on the same section, where he died, September 25, 1862. aped ninety-nine years. His wife died, in 1851, aged seventy-sight years. During the last eleven years of his life, he was totally blind. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church during his young manhood; subsequently he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church with his wife, and remained an earnest and practical, every-day Christian, and a devoted member of this church for more than sixty years. He was the father of the following children: John C., Nancy, Martin, Sarah, James, Rosanna, Samuel and Mary; all now deceased but .James, who now resides near Huntersville. John Mahan, a native of Kentucky, married Susannah Tillott, and subsequently removed to Ross County, Ohio, and, in October, 1828, came to Round Head Township, and settled on the southeast quarter of Section 19, where he resided until his death. He died April 30, 1845, aged sixty-eight years. His wife died September 4, 1862, aged sixty-two years. Mr. Mahan, a few years after locating here, saw the inconvenience of going twenty miles or more to Logan County to get grinding, those being the nearest mills to this new settlement, so he at once erected a horse-power mill. The buhrs were made from nigger-head stone: the drive wheels made of blocks of wood, of triangular shape, the base being oval and placed at the circumference, with the apex to the center. This wheel was then connected with the horse-power by a belt of hickory bark, and the horse, made to pass around in a circle, attached to the sweep-pole, put the whole machinery in motion, when the grain placed in the hopper passed between the buhrs and was thus ground into meal. Although it was somewhat imperfect, and slow in its operations, compared with our mills of the present day, yet it was a great convenience and saving of much time and labor to the early settlers, and for a few years supplied the people, until better mills were erected. Mr. Mahan was twice married. After the death of his first wife, he married Susan Hillman, a native of Pennsylvania. His children, by his first wife, were Mary, Mattie, Nancy, Elizabeth, James, John and Lydia-all now deceased but Charles, Nancy and Lydia. By his second wife he had Samuel, David, Wesley, William, Henry, Sarah J., Eliza Ann, Asa, Edward H., Margaret and Clay; the latter was killed in the army in the war of the rebellion. Joseph W. Bowdle, a native of Maryland, emigrated to Ross County, Ohio, in 1800, where he married Lucretia Brown, a native of the State of Delaware In the fall of 1831, he removed with his family to this township, and settled on the northwest quarter of Section 19, where he lived till his death, in November, 1856, and his remains now rest in the Salem Cemetery, in Allen County. His wife died several years previous to his death. He was an Associate Judge of Hardin County from 1833 to 1839. Their children were James B., Jesse L., Rebecca C., Nelson R., Priscilla, Isaac N., Thomas W., Milton W., Ann C. and William D. Mr. Bowdle was one of the first Associate Judges of this country. In religion, he was a Methodist, and was an exhorter in that church for many years, even long prior to his settling in Hardin County. Jesse Bowdle, a brother of the above Joseph Bowdle. married Lillie Bowdle in Ross County, and came here in the fall of 1832, and settled on the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 18, where he died in 1862. Mr. Bowdle was a local preacher in the Methodist Church for more than forty years. His children were David S., Samuel P., Henry S. and Elizabeth. Among the earliest settler; of this portion of Hardin County were William and Jane Given. He was a native of Maryland and his wife of Virginia. In 1797, William Given emigrated to Ross County, Ohio: was there married, and. in 1829, removed to Round Head Township, Hardin Co., Ohio, where he resided until his death in 1848, his widow surviving him until 1851, when she, too. passed away. Of their children, Alexander still survives, and resides in McDonald Township, in the history of which a biography of him will be found. William Ford came here from Adams County, Ohio, and settled on the north bank of the Scioto River, just above Round Head, in 1831-32. He married Mrs. Elizabeth Donaldson, of Adams County. He resided here till his death. He died September 9, 1865, aged seventy-three years. His wife died just one year later, September 9, 1866, aged sixty-seven years. Children --William, Ellis, Harvey, Milton and Jane. Jacob Thomson was born in Ross County; married Elizabeth Clark, in Pickaway County, and about 1832-33 settled at Round Head, where, it is said, he erected the first cabin after the town was laid out and platted. Ho resided here until his death. His children were as follows: Elizabeth, William, Henry, Martha and Lewis. John T. Scott came here from Champaign County, Ohio, and settled on the north bank, on land adjoining William Irwin on the south. He married Lucy Henry, of Logan County, Ohio, by whom he had the following children: John, Eliza, Benjamin, Jane. Permelia, Nancy and perhaps a few others. David Groves,. a native of Virginia, born in Frederick County, in 1798, married Sarah Sheets, removed to Maryland thence to Madison County, Ohio, and, in 1833, came to this township, and settled on the southwest quarter of Section 7, where he entered 160 acres, also eighty acres adjoining, in Section 18. Here he resided about thirty years, when sold his farm, and finally located on Section 8, where he died February 26, 1880 He was a member of the Methodist Church nearly all his life, and a local preacher in the same for many years. Children-Mary, Sevilla, Henry, Sarah, Ann. Rebecca and Jane; all now deceased except Sarah and Jane. Richard Rutledge came from Logan County and settled on the northeast quarter of Section 19, in the fall of 1832, and remained a resident, here and on the adjoining section until his death. He died January 12, 1875, aged seventy-six years. He was twice married: first to Mary Lewis, by whom he had the following children: Lewis, Benjamin W., Thomas J., Harriet, and others who died young. His second wife was Mrs. Sarah Lay, by whom he had one son-Sampson M. Mr. Rutledge served several years as a Justice of the Peace: was a devoted member of the Methodist Church, a kind neighbor and a worthy citizen. Thomas Livingston came here from Clark County, Ohio, and settled in Round Head in 1834, where he erected his cabin and kept the first cabin ever in the town. He married Nancy Reed. They resided here until about 1840, when they removed to Roes County: thence to Indiana, and are new residents of Winchester, in that State. Of their children, we learn the following names: Maria, Johnson, Sophronia, Thomas and Sarah. Mr. Livingston was a licensed preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Uriah McKennan carne here from Logan County, Ohio, in 1834, and settled on Section 17, where he died. He was twice married. first to Miss Inskeep, by whom he had John M., Margaret A., Benjamin W., Levi and Daniel F. His second wife was Jane Sharp, who bore him Nancy and Henry: there were some others, but they died young. Mr. McKennan was a man of character and ability and a minister of the Gospel for many years. Alexander Templeton, a native of Pennsylvania, but who became an early settler at Bellefontaine, where he engaged in mercantile trade, and in 1833 removed to Round Head, opened the first store ever in that town. Here he carried on mercantile business several years, then turned his attention to agricultural pursuits until his death, September 10, 1863. He married Mary Ann Wapace, a native of Virginia. She died November 25, 1857. Their children were Ann Maria, Samuel, W. Wallace, Robert R., Sarah Jane, Milton, and David, who died young. Mr. Templeton sustained a high character, and was much esteemed and respected. He was a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church. Andrew Zimmerman, a native of Maryland married Ruth Taylor and emigrated to Ross County, Ohio, about the year 1800. In the fall of 1835, he removed to this township, and settled on the northwest quarter of Section 32, where he died, September 14, 1844, aged seventy years. His wife died, November 24, 1855, aged seventy years. Their children were John, Andrew, Jefferson, Obadiah, Elijah D., George, Elizabeth, Margaret, Delilah, Maria, Lavinia and Eliza Jane. Michael Zimmerman. brother of the above Andrew, married Barbara Taylor, and settled here, at same date, on the southwest quarter of Section 33, near Round Head, where he died, March 12, 1849, aged seventy-two years. His wife died, September 2l, 1852, aged seventy-six years. Their children were Henry, Michael, Samuel, Cynthia, Maria and some others who died young. Robert Breece, of Welsh descent, came here from Logan County, and settled on section 32 in the fall of 1835. He married Miss. Lydia Henry of Logan County. He died, July 19, 1849, aged fifty-five years. His wife died, November 9, 1866, aped sixty-three. years. Their children were John, George, William, Griffith, Jane, Nancy, Margaret, Mary and Amanda. John F. Henkle, a native of Virginia, came to Logan County; thence, in March, 1835, came to Round Head Township and settled on Section 10, where he resided several years; thence re moved to Round Head, and resided in the town and vicinity many, years; but subsequently he removed to Kenton, where he died, November 11, 1872. He was twice married; first to Sarah Vanmeter, by whom he had the following children: Henry R.., Ann Maria, Mary E., Seth V. and Ira A. His second wife was Eliza A. Scott, who bore him three children-Scott, John F. and Eva. Reuben Henkle, when ten years of age, cams with his father's family from Bedford County, Va., to Clark County, Ohio, where he subsequently married Elizabeth Yazel, and, in February 1838, removed to this township and settled on the southeast quarter of Section 20, where be died, October 23, 1854, aged fifty years. His wife still survives, and resides on the old homestead place. Their children were as follow: Eliza A., Maria, Sarah, Isaac, Amanda, John M., Cyrus W.. Ambrose D., Mary and Lather. William Moore, a native of Pennsylvania, married Sarah Sample, and, in the spring of 1834, removed to Ohio, calling upon his sister, Mrs. George Hoover, in Logan County, where he left his family for a few weeks, while he came to Round Head Township and entered 160 acres of land-the southeast quarter of Section 5- and, in June of the same year, he settled with his family upon said land, where he resided until his death. He died, February 9, 1853, aged sixty-three years; his wife died, September 3, 1851, aged sixty-three years. Mr. Moore was a blacksmith by trade, which business he followed in connection with farming through life. He was the father of the following children: John, James, Jane, Eliza, Asenith, William, Sarah, Huldah, Diary, Letitia and Urzilla. Watson Spencer came here from Champaign County, Ohio, in 1835. He married Nellie Rutledge, by whom he had the following children: Mary Ann, Thomas Jefferson, Elizabeth, Louisa, Melissa and John. His wife died, and he subsequently married Nancy Rutledge, by whom he had several children, of whom were Alexander and James. Lorenzo Dow Lay became one of the early settlers of this township, locating here, it is certain, as early as 1832-33, but resided here but a few years until his decease. George Blalock was a settler it is believed, as early as 1830-31: was a blacksmith by trade; a peculiar character, of whom we learned but little. The above embrace, we think, the principal early settlers between 1822 and 1835, after which the township was settled up quite rapidly.       HOME This Genealogy Trails website is the 2008 copyright property of Genealogy Trails and the original submitters. All rights are reserved. Nothing contained in this site may be commercially reproduced or utilized for any purpose, except for private use, without prior written authorization.