THE

HE county commissioners, May 1, 1851, made the following order relative to this township:

"Seneca Township altered so as to include and be composed of the following territory, to wit: Commencing for the same at the southeast corner of section 36, in township number 8, range number 8; thence north along the seventh range line to the northeast corner of section 13 in said township and range; thence west along section lines to the northwest corner of section 18 in said township and range; thence south along the range line to the southwest corner of section 31, in said township and range to the place of beginning, containing 24 sections."

Seneca was one of the five original townships of Guernsey County, erected by act of the county commissioners, April 23, 1810. No description of its original boundaries can now be found, but it was doubtless very large in territory, including a considerable portion of the present counties of Noble and Guernsey. The

| township was not in existence many years, new ones being organized from its territory under various names. It does not appear on the tax duplicate for 1830, but afterward a township called Seneca was organized, which appears on the tax duplicate for 1843. Richland Township, Guernsey County, was erected July 9, 1810, and an election for two justices of the peace and other township officers was ordered to be held at the house of Samuel Leath, on Saturday, the 28th of the month. What the township originally included is not known, owing to the absence of any record. In 1830, Richland embraced township 8, in range 8, and parts of township 1, range 1, and township 1, range 2, of the military lands.

The owners of real estate in that portion of Richland Township now embraced in Seneca were as follows in 1830, as shown in the tax duplicate for that year:

Abraham Rich, section 30, 178 acres, value $230; same, section 31, 89 acres, $100, and 89 acres, $90;

Julius Rucker, section 23, 157 acres, $214; Timothy Bates, section 24, 160 acres, $291; same, section 13, 80 acres, $146; Ephraim Bates, section, 14, 794 acres, $106; John Casner, section 14, 79 acres, $100; Daniel Craft, section 30, 178 acres, $243; Thomas Campbell, section 24, 158 acres, $179; Moses Campbell, section 24, 79 acres, $80; George B. Craft, section 13, 80 acres, $100; David Craft, Sr., section 29, 79 acres, $80; Samuel Danford, section 25, 80 acres, $91; Hiram Danford (still living), section 25, 80 acres, $91; James Findley, section 18, 160 acres, $218; same, section 17, 320 acres, $437; James Harris, section 13, 160 acres, $291; David D. Jennings, section 31, 89 acres, $90; same, 89 acres, $90; George Keller, section 28, 158 acres, $179; John Kelly, section 21, 80 acres, $100; James Law, Jr., section 13, 80 acres, $146; John Millhorn, section 14, 159 acres, $200; same, section 15, 79 acres, $98; Cable Murray, section 36, 80 acres, $100; Aaron Morris, section 32, 79 acres, $120; Jonathan Morris, section 21, 159 acres, $217; John Miley, section 21, 159 acres, $200; Henry Morris, section 31, 89 acres, $90; Margaret Nicholson, section 25, 160 acres, $291; same, section 30, 162 acres, $221; George Secrest, section 19, 177 acres, $202; William Stranathan, Jr., section 13, 160 acres, $182; William Stranathan, Sr., section 25, 160 acres, $218; John Stevens, section 19, 88 acres, $118; Joseph Torrence, section 13, 160 acres, $182; John Timony, section 20, 79 acres, $91; Jacob Thompson,

section 17, 320 acres, $437; same, section 18, 176 acres, $200; Dennis Timony, section 20, 79 acres, $91; Jacob Thompson, section 16, so acres, $100; Aaron Vorhies, section 28, 158 acres, $180; Benjamin Wilson, section 13, 160 acres, $218.

One of the earliest settlers and most prominent men was Timothy Bates. He located in what is now Seneca Township about 1805, and was probably the earliest permanent settler of the township. His father, Ephraim Bates, and several of Timothy's brothers were pioneers in other parts of the county, and are elsewhere mentioned. Timothy Bates and his brother Isaac came from Captina Creek, near the Ohio River, as soon as they dared venture into the wilderness, on account of the Indians, and entered land on section 24. They were probably here with their families in the year mentioned. Timothy Bates was born in Pennsylvania in 1778, and from his earliest years was familiar with the scenes of pioneer life. He built a mill soon after he came, in what is now Wayne Township, which was among the earliest in the county. He also had

Luana (Kent), Barua, deceased; Anna (Moore), living; Ruth (Bowersock), deceased; Timothy, living. and Lafayette, Elizabeth and Nancy (Hague), deceased. Timothy Bates, Sr., was an enterprising and successful business man, and by his industry accumulated a good property. In addition to farming, milling and distilling, he bought hogs, which he drove to Baltimore, making them swim across the Ohio River. He was a member of the Christian church and sometimes preached. preached. His distillery was a large building, and in the loft among the whisky barrels, early religious meetings were held, the barrels of whisky serving in place of pews and pulpit. A strange place for divine services it would be in these days, but then the people saw no impropriety in bringing whisky and religion near together.

Hon. Bethel Bates, son of Timothy Bates, is one of the oldest native residents of Noble County. He was born March 12, 1809, on the same section of land where he still resides, and was brought up in the then thinly settled country after the manner of the children of the early settlers, wearing buckskin breeches, his feet covered by moccasins in winter and bare in summer. In early life he assisted his father upon the farm and in the distillery. Since becoming of age he has followed farming and dealing in stock, and has been very successful in his various undertakings. In 1831 he married Mary Ann Meighen, daughter of John Meighen, an early settler who came

from Fayette County, Pa., and lived and died in Seneca Township. They have reared twelve children: Abraham, Hugh, Rebecca, Harriet, Simeon, Lewis, Patrick, Herman, Rosaline, Luana, Susannah and Bethel. All are living except Lewis, who was killed by a boiler explosion in a saw-mill at Sarahsville, in the spring of 1886. Four of the sons were in the service in the late warAbraham, Lewis, Patrick and Herman. The descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Bates are very numerous. They have 111 grand and greatgrand children. Mr. Bates is well and favorably known throughout the county. He served as township treasurer and member of the school board many years. He was elected to the legislature in the fall of 1870 and served two winters. He was formerly a Whig and is now an earnest Republican.

When Bethel Bates was a boy he went with his father, his uncle Ephraim and Benjamin Farley, who had discovered some bears in a hollow tree and wished to secure them. Bethel was assigned to the duty of holding a big dog by a strap while the others cut down the tree. The dog was very anxious to get away and when the tree fell the boy let him go. As soon as the tree fell a bear jumped out; the dog attacked it, but the bear soon put an end to his annoyance, striking him a vigorous blow with his paw and knocking him over into a hollow. Ephraim Bates then shot the bear. By the time he had his gun reloaded another bear crawled out of the trunk of the tree