Washington County

Fearing township, named in honor of Hon. Paul Fearing, was established March 8, 1808. In 1809 and 1861 its boundary lines were changed slightly.

On the fourth day of April, 1808, the electors met at the house of Henry Maxon and elected the following officers: Henry Maxon, clerk: Thomas Stanley, John Porter and Resolved Fuller, trustees; Simeon Wright and Joel Tuttle, overseers of the poor: Solomon Goss and John W. White, fence viewers; William Stacy, Jr., and John Miller, appraisers; Didier Gevrez, Isaac Hill. Daniel Dunchew, Henry Maxon. John Porter and Ebenezer Nye, supervisors: Daniel G. Stanley and George Nye; constables: Solomon Goss. treasurer.

Much of the early history of this township, as is true with all the rest, has been described in the history of the Ohio Company. A public school was in existence as early as 1804.

One extraordinary bit of history, which characterizes the early inhabitants of Fearing as exceptionally enterprising and educated, was the formation of a township library as early as 1812. The library was incorporated in 1816. The articles of incorporation limit the property besides books, maps, charts, and the like, to $3,000. As officers until an election could be held: Thomas Stanley, Robert Baird and Elisha Allen were made directors: John Miller, treasurer; and Daniel G. Stanley, librarian. In time the association dissolved, the books were distributed among the shareholders and many yet remain in private libraries of their descendants. Many books are of a religious nature, and all are of the weightier class of reading. The latest date noticed on the title page as date of publication is 1813.

In the back fly-leaves of many books are the notes of damages and fines written by the librarian on the return of the book. The principal disasters to the works are from grease spots—suggesting the light of other days.

A Presbvterian Church was erected in Stanleyville on land given by Thomas Stanley, in 1814. The Fearing Religious Society was incorporated in 1813 and reorganized (for business purposes) in 1853, a dispute over property having arisen. A Congregational Church was organized in 1851 and a building erected in 1856. A Methodist Church came into existence in 1820 and a building was completed in 1847 and a parsonage 16 years later. A branch of the Congregational Church at Stanleyville was organized near Cedar Narrows and a church was erected in 1873. A second Methodist Church was built east of Stanleyville in 1839, and was replaced by the present church 20 years later. The first Protestant Evangelist Church was erected near Whipple's Run in 1872 and St. Jacob's Church was erected a mile west of Stanleyville in 1858-59.

Among the early settlers were: Levi Chapman, from Saybrook, Connecticut; Thomas Stanley, from Marietta; Joel and Simeon Tuttle, from Connecticut; Simeon Blake, from Rhode Island; John Amlin, a native of Germany; Patrick and Daniel Campbell, Charles Daugherty, John Forthner, Andrew and Daniel Galer, Seth Jones, Henry and Richard Maxon. Allen Putnam, Conrad Rightner, Abraham Seevers, Charles H. Morton, Ephraim True. John Widger, William Cay wood, Robert McKee, Nathaniel Kidd from Pennsylvania; Walter Athey from Virginia; William Price, Reuben McVay front Pennsylvania; James Dowling from New York; Thomas Ward, John P. Palmer. Dr. Hicks. John Young, and William Brown from Loudoun County, Virginia.

Of the German emigrants who after 1830 settled in Fearing and aided in its material development, we have the names of the Donakers, the Seylers, Conrad Biszantz, Jacob Zimmer, Theobald Zimmer, Dietrick and Henry Pape, Theobald Boeshar, Lewis Mottcr, John Bules, Rev. F. C. Trapp, and Conrad Leonhardt.

The following petition from the Hildreth manuscripts is interesting on account of the names and topography:

To the Honorable Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peaee of the County of Washington:

Your petitioners request that a road may be laid out from Marietta to the forks of Duck Creek and on to Mr. Tolman's in the most eligible situation to be taken past Pott's Mills, so called, or any other place that should be found more convenient hereafter, from thence on to a ridge, keeping the same ridge to the Cedar Narrows, so called, thence following'the creek by Mr. W'idger's then past Mr. Levi Chapman's, and crossing the creek and on to the forks of Duck Creek, front thence to the mouth of Pawpaw and on to Mr. Tolman's.

Which your petitioners, as in duty bound, request a committee may be appointed for that purpose. Signed.

Samuel Nash	John Campbell
Levi Chapman	Joseph Chapman
Dudley Davis	Amos Porter
Levi Dains	Seth Jones
Levi Chapman	Joel Tuttle
Levi Chapman, Jr.	Ezra Chapman
Linus Tuttle	Simeon Tuttle
John Widger	Isaac Chapman
Tomas Stanley, Surveyor, June, 1797

 

 

 Source: History of Marietta and Washington County, by Martin R. Andrews, MA, 1902, Transcribed by C. Anthony