hart, Levi Glover and their wives, Timothy Bates, Margaret Glover, Margaret Dobbins and many others. In 1842 a meeting-house of hewed logs, some 30x35 feet in dimensions, was erected. Ephraim Vorhies donated the lot for the church and graveyard. In 1879-80 the present church was built at a cost of about $1,500. It is a frame building 30x40 feet. The present membership is about thirty-seven. The pastors have been Revs. Asbury, Gardiner, Charles Van Vorhies, John Flick, -- Harvey, John Moody, Joseph Thomas, Berkley Poulton, J. W. Arnold; David S. Craft and John Wilson, are the present elders. THE RICH FAMILY. er brother back to Pennsylvania. His brother returned by way of Columbus and Zanesville, swimming the Muskingum River at the latter place, with Abraham upon his back. Where Zanesville now is there was then but one log cabin. In 1810 he came with his brother John to what is now Buffalo Township, Noble County, where he remained a short time and had many rough experiences. He was drafted in the War of 1812, but before reaching the seat of war, peace was declared. In 1813 he married Annie Thompson and settled in Seneca Township. By this union. he was the father of ten children, five of whom are living-Jacob, William, Thomas, Abraham and Mehitable. His wife died in 1844; she was a member of the Presbyterian church. After her death he visited the place of his childhood in Miami County, Ohio, and in 1848 he married Mrs. Catharine Stevens (nee Johnston). Their children were Johnston, Jessie, Louis and Catharine. Abraham Rich, Sr., was a hunter in early years. He was a successful farmer and a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died in 1873. His widow still lives upon the homestead. He entered in Seneca Township 160 acres of land, on sections 20 and 31, to which he added until he had 432 acres in this county and 276 acres in Guernsey County. The Rich family are of German and Scotch extraction. Jacob Rich, the progenitor of the family in this country and the father of the pioneer Abraham Rich, was born in Germany and came to America with a brother about 1740, settling in Massachusetts, where the brothers separated never to meet again. Jacob removed to Greene County, Pa., and settled upon the farm, where he died. He was a successful man and acquired a well won competency. He married a Miss Craft. Their children were Thomas, George, Daniel, David, John, Abraham, Peter, Ann, and Catherine. Abraham was the youngest of the family and was born in Greene County Pa., in 1792. When two years of In many respects he was more age he was taken to Miami County, than an ordinary man. He was of Ohio, with his brother's family. medium height, but possessed of an There he remained only a short iron constitution and wonderful entime when he was taken by anoth-durance; he was thought to be a man of excellent judgment and unspotted integrity. He was a peacemaker, and was consulted on all important matters. He was one of the early Methodists, and contributed liberally to religious and educational projects. He built saw-mills and instituted many substantial improvements, especially the opening and development of roads. He died in 1873 and was buried on the old farm. He had a family of ten children: James, Ann, Rebecca, Jacob, Will iam, Mary, Thomas, Abraham, Mehitable and Elvira A. The latter died in infancy. Jacob, the oldest son of Abraham Rich now liv ing, was born in a log cabin in Seneca Township in 1824. Early in life he was inured to all the privations and hardships of pioneer life. ham M. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Rich has been class-leader for forty years. Mr. Rich commenced upon 120 acres, which is a part of his present farm. The land was only slightly improved, all of which he was in debt for. To this he added from time to time until he was the owner of 600 acres of valuable land. In 1862-3 he made an extended trip to the far West, visiting Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington Territory, Idaho, Montana, British America and California. He traveled over 3,000 miles and had some lively adventures. On one occasion he was captured by Indians, and came near losing his life. On the Borsha River his boat was capsized, and by his presence of mind and courage he rescued some of the party that otherwise would have been lost. He had a similar expe After the death of his mother he was the eldest of the children, and the care of the family devolved upon him. In this school of toil and hard-rience on the Platt River, where he ship he was reared. At the age of twenty-six he married Miss Jane, daughter of Abraham Miley, one of the pioneers of this township. His children are Mary I. (Miley), William H., Rachel (Talbott), and Abra again came near losing his life. The culmination of his misfortunes was a shipwreck on the Pacific Ocean. He is a Republican in politics, and one of the representative men of Seneca Township. CHAPTER XXIV. NOBLE. ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWNSHIP - METES AND BOUNDS- EARLY ELECTIONS AND ELECTORS POLL BOOK LIST FOR 1820-TAXES IN 1822 - AN EARLY INDIAN TRAIL FORMERLY A PART OF BUFFALO TOWNSHIP - THE MEMORABLE ELECTION OF 1816- THE FAMILY OF JOHN NOBLE, SENIOR DIFFICULTIES OF PIONEER LIFE THE "COLD PLAGUE". MENTION OF EARLY AND PROMINENT FAMILIES-JOSEPH LIPPITT AN IRISHMAN'S TRICK A BEAR STORY-PROGRESS OF IMPROVEMENT AND SETTLEMENT - EARLY SCHOOLS - PERSONAL SKETCHES VILLAGES - HIRAMSBURG, HOSKINSVILLE, ROCHESTER, BELLE VALLEY AND AVA — CHURCHES. NOB OBLE TOWNSHIP was organized in 1819. At that date it became a township of Morgan County, and so continued until the formation of Noble County. May 1, 1851, May 1, 1851, the county commissioners changed the boundaries of the township, making them as follows: "Commencing at the southeast corner of section 34, in township number 7, of range 9; thence north to the northeast corner of section 3, in said township number 7, range 9; thence west along the township line to the northwest corner of section 1, in township number 7, of range 10; thence south along section lines to the southwest corner of section 36, in said township number 7, range 10; thence east along the township line to the place of beginning; containing thirty sections." At an election for township officers which was held in Noble Township, Morgan County, on April 3, 1820, forty-three votes were polled. Andrew Millslagle, Asa Burlingame and Joseph Franklin acted as judges of election; and Josiah Burlingame | and John Fogle, clerks. For justice game, Peter Fogle, Armstrong Johnston, Ezekiel Bates, William Ralph and James Dye. At the general election held on October 10, 1820, Asa Burlingame, Andrew Millslagle and Peter Fogle acted as judges of election; and Josiah Burlingame and Sylvester John Jones, Jeremiah McMahan, John Mead, Martha McKee, John Moore, David McGarry, Andrew Millslagle, Lambert Newton, Joseph Posten, Charles Parsons, Jane Ralph, William Rees, Joseph Reed, John Reed, Sr., James Reed, William Smith, Jr., William Seevers, John Seevers, Benjamin Severance, Jr., William P. Willey and Enos Wheeler. Westcott, as clerks. Only twenty votes were cast. For governor, Ethan A. Brown had eighteen votes; Robert Means, two. For representative to the legislature, Alexander McConnel, two; William M. Dawes, fifteen; Amzi Stanley, three. For representative in Congress, David Chambers, twenty. For county commissioner, David Fulton, fifteen; Andrew Wharton, five. What can be said of the political enthusiasm of that day, when an election for a justice of the peace called out more than twice as many voters as an election for State officers? From the tax-list of Noble Township for the year 1822, made out by Josiah Burlingame, lister, and Lambert Newton, appraiser, it appears that the township contained ninetysix property holders, and ninety-nine horses and one hundred and four neat cattle were listed for taxation. Upon this list appear the following names in addition to those upon the poll-book for 1820: Richard Albury, Amos Bates, Benjamin Barry, James Barry, Edward Beck, Andrew Brawton, Brawton, Dexter Brown, Benjamin Cox, Jarrett Cox, Ezekiel Cole, Richard Chillcott, Daniel Devolld, John Devolld, Samuel Dennis, Thomas Davis, Walter Downey, David Frakes, Robert Frakes, George Frakes, Lemuel Fowler, Royal Fowler (still living), Jacob Fogle, Calvin Franklin, John Griswold, John George, Samuel Gookins, George Hellyer, Joshua Holster, Along the West Fork of Duck Creek was an Indian trail which had evidently been much traveled by the red hunters prior to the settlement of the valley by white people. The stream seems to have been a favorite resort for the elk, deer and buffalo, and was doubtless an attractive hunting-ground for the Indians. The buffalo paths, in many places deeply worn into the earth, were distinguishable long after the white settlers came into the valley. For some years prior to the War of 1812, the Indians devoted themselves to the destruction of the larger wild animals of the forest, apparently for the sole purpose of thwarting the white hunters, as they left the carcasses to rot upon the ground. The Duck Creek Valley was frequented by the Indian hunters almost up to the time of the war, but never after its close. Mr. John Noble, who came to his present farm in 1812, states that an Indian camp, evidently erected only a few years previous, was then standing on the bank of the creek, a short distance above his present residence. Buffalo Township, Guernsey County, was organized in 1810, and then |