Sparta Township

Early Settlement, Events and Industries

The forests of Sparta first began to give way to the pioneer's axe in 1812, though little advancement was made toward settlement until after the close of the war of 1812-15.

The following list contains the greater number of the earlier pioneers of the township:

Steven Pain emigrated from the State of Vermont; removed from this section of the country before death.
Samuel Allen emigrated from Kentucky in 1814; removed from the township prior to death.
James Duncan emigrated from Maryland in 1815, his death occurred in 1864.
Moses Musgrove emigrated from Virginia in 1816. He was the father of Mrs. Nancy Wood, who is residing in the township at this time, aged eighty-one years. Mr. Musgrove is said to have killed the last panther shot in the township in the year 1817; the animal weighed 200 pounds and measures nine feet from the end of nose to tip of tail. Mr. Musgrove died in 1819.
Samuel and Demos Moss emigrated from Massachusetts in 1816; removed from the township before death.
Riley Truitt emigrated from Maryland in 1817, and died in 1818.
Thomas Lambertson emigrated from Maryland in 1817, and died in 1865.
Benjamin Johnson emigrated from Maryland and located in Sparta Township in 1817; he was a strong minded man of positive opinions and unwavering character. He was true as steel to a friend, and could be relied upon at all times. He was the father of John D. Johnson, who was elected to the State Legislature in 1846, and re-elected in 1848, and in 1850 was elected a member of the convention to revise the Constitution of the State. He was also the father of Samuel J. Johnson, who served for a number of years as assistant door keeper for United States Congress. Frank M. Johnson, once recorder of Dearborn County, was a grandson of Benjamin. The latter's death occurred in 1859.
Samuel B. and Winslow Wood emigrated from New York State in 1817. Their deaths occurred in the years 1858 and 1868, respectively. Samuel B. was the father of Hosea Wood and husband of Mrs. Nancy Wood (referred to above), residents of the township.
Jonathan Vail emigrated from New York State in 1817, and died in 1847.
Stephen Inman emigrated from the State of Maine in 1817.
Nathaniel Richman emigrated from the State of New York in 1817, and died in 1859.
Gilbert Givan, the father of George M., emigrated from the State of Maryland in 1818, and died in 1862.
Jason Chilson emigrated from Rhode Island, and died in 1838.
Adam Moore and family emigrated from Maryland in 1818, and settled on the site of Moore's Hill. A son, John C., died at Moore's Hill in 1871; was born in Maryland in 1810. His father moved to this place in 1819; has always lived there, and was identified with the place more than fifty-two years, and for a number of years the leading man in it.
Samuel Marshall, a native of London, England, was married in New York City, and in 1818 settled in this township.
Abraham Eversole was born in Virginia in 1791, served in the war of 1812-15, married in 1818, and in 1819 located in this township. Among the early friends were Adam Moore, Charles Dashiell, Morton Justis, John Brumblay, Sr., Ezekiel Maston, John Dashiell, Ranna C. Stevens and Spencer Davis. The residence first erected by Father Eversole was constructed of logs, the above named friends assisting in its construction; the clapboard's and roof were made and put on in one day. There were no saw-mills near or lumber to be obtained, and everything pertaining to the building were of the primitive kind.
Noah Davis emigrated from Maryland in 1818, died in 1880, aged seventy-eight years. He was a good citizen and worth man.
Timothy Kimble and Samuel Stage settled in this township in 1818.
Thomas Heaton, emigrated from Green County, New York in 1818.
William Turner, a native of Yorkshire, England, located in the township in 1819.
Joseph Thompson emigrated from New York in 1819, and died in 1846.
James Daughters and family emigrated from Maryland in the fall of 1820.
Morton Justis, a native of Delaware, with his parents early removed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; thence to Hamilton County, Ohio, and in 1821 Morton and family located in this township.
Elias Little, from Ohio, and William Tyler, from Maryland, were early settlers in this township.

In the fall of 1818 a wagon road was cut through the woods from what is now Aurora to Moore's Hill, and on to the Ripley County line.

The first natural death that occurred in the township is thought to have been that of Riley Truitt in 1818.

Industries

Adam Moore put in operation on his land, soon after settling, a grist-mill, the power of which consisted of a tread-wheel worked by animals -horses or oxen.
About 1830, Lyman Smith erected a saw-mill on North Hogan Creek in this township.
In 1828 James Hayes erected a grist-mill on South Hogan Creek in the western part of the township, which he operated for about fifteen years, when, in the act of cutting ice off the wheel, he fell and was crushed to death. The mill was subsequently operated by Joseph Besong and Jacob Zapp.
One of the first steam-mills in the county was built by Phineas King, in the year 1839, and was operated in connection with his woolen factory, which had been run for twenty years with a tread-wheel, and was situated on what was known as King's Ridge, near Chesterville. At his death the mill was abandoned and the woolen machinery moved to Milan.
In the year 1839 William B. Miller and brother erected the mill known as Miller's Mill on South Hogan Creek about one and a half miles south of Chesterville. The building is of stone, rebuilt in 1868; it is four stories high, with four run of stone, and a capacity of 400 bushels per day.
Samuel and Winslow Wood settle din the township in 1817, and started the first tanyard on Section 20. They were intelligent and useful citizens.
In 1831, Steven Payne built and operated for five or six years a distillery, which was located in the northeastern part of the township, capacity about one half barrel per day. This is believed to have been the first and last enterprise of this character in Sparta Township.