Washington County Ohio Genealogy Trails A part of the Genealogy Trails History Group

Washington County

Wesley township was established on petition of Joseph Palmer and others, in 1810, and originally embraced the territory of township three, range ten, and township seven, range eleven, then belonging to Wooster, also the south half of township eight, range eleven, belonging to Roxbury. Afterwards sections one, two, three, four, five, six of township seven and sections one, two, three of township eight were added. At present it is nine miles long from north to south, and four miles wide, containing in all 30 sections, embracing an area of almost 20,000 acres.

Wesley claims as one of its earliest settlers Hon. Thomas Ewing, whose lowly cabin stood just west of Plymouth. Other early settlers were Woodruff, Rardins, Breckenridge, Mullen, Coaley, Cable, Ames, Arnold and Smith.

The first school house was built a mile north of Plymouth about 1820. The first teacher was Miss Hewitt. Bartlett's Academy was organized in 1856, the Board of Trustees being Joseph Penrose, president, Joseph K. Bucy, Isaac Emmons, James King, Jefferson M. Heston was first principal.

The Methodist Episcopal Society erected the first church building in the township about a mile north of Plymouth in 1825. It was a log meeting house and was used until the church at Pleasanton was built in 1855. A Friends' Church was organized in 1837 and a building erected in Plymouth. The Friends' Church Southland, was a branch from the first society and erected a church four miles west of Plymouth in 1850. A United Brethren Church was erected in 1870, less than a mile south of Patten's Mills; another branch has a church in the northwest part of the township, erected in 1870.

Plymouth, on the State road in the center of the township, was founded by Harvey Smith in 1835. Mr. Smith was the first store keeper. Pleasanton was established at an earlier date, the post office being named Bartlett in honor of Amos Bartlett. the first postmaster. The first mill was erected on Wolf Creek by George and John Martin in 1816 near the present site of Patten's Mills.

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