Old Settlers & Recent Inhabitants of Pleasant Township
"20th Century History of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio"
William M. Rockel, 1908

extracted 2002 by Jane M. Whitty

Note:  The first settlements were in the Western portion of Pleasant Twp because the Eastern Portion was in "Virginia Military Land" and its settlement hindered by the question of conflicting claims (Pg. 305).  Also see notes on Thomas M. BAILEY

Note:  It is unclear who the named children belong to....Solomon SCOTT or Jonathan HUNTER, but it would appear to this extractor that they belong to Jonathan HUNTER, and I may be wrong.  Pg. 304, paragraph reads:  "Solomon SCOTT came in 1805 from Virginia, as did Jonathan HUNTER, with a large family.  The sons and daughters were named respectively William, George Jonathan, Jeremiah, James, Elizabeth, Mary, Nancy, Rachel, Sarah."

Township Officials.  Served in an official capacity in twp affairs in former history:  Samuel LAFFERTY, Joseph COFFEY, Henry DAWSON, William COFFEY, Cornelius ARBOGAST, Henry CURL, Joseph WILKINSON, Daniel MCCONKEY, and J. V. CARTMELL.

Township Officials serving at a more recent date:  D. H. RANDALL, Otho ARBOGAST, George YEAZELL, Matthew NEER, Joseph PEARSON, Jonathan PAGE, William HARDMAN, John MCCLENEN, John W. YEAZELL, Luther JONES, Enos MCCONKEY, George COFFEY, N. M. MCCONKEY, J. H. BALDWIN, John Q. SKILLMAN.

Trustees 1880-1907.  Number of years served is in parenthesis:  H. L. MCCONKEY (1), Martin MAHAR (1), F. M. SILVERS (2), Daniel Gordon (5), A. J. RUST (1), J. M. RUNYAN (3), T. W. RUNYAN (2), Enos MCCONKEY (3), W. J. BAIRD (3), J. M. YEAZELL (6), C. A. WRIGHT (3), S. P. HEDGE (6), William H. NEER (6), Jesse TARBUTTON (3), George Coffey (6), James FITZGIVENS (3), Charles MCCLENEN (4), J. H. PAGE (4), Alf. JONES (5), William NEER (3), T. M. HUNTER (2), C. H. RUNYAN Twp. clerk.

Justices of the Peace since 1871:  John SKILLMAN 1871-1874, J. W. YEAZELL 1872, Joseph BALDWIN 1875 & 1885, William JOBES 1877-1883, N. S. CONWAY 1878-1893, Eli HUNTER 1886-1892, J. M. RUNYAN 1895-1904-1908, Enos MCCONKEY 1896, Alf. JONES 1897, T. M. HUNTER 1900, Harry JONES 1903, F. H. MAHAR (elect).

List of Teachers for the coming year:  N. W. LEMEN (Superintendent); No. 1 Lottie WEST (Vernon); No. 2 Theresa L. SLAGLE (Asbury), No. 3 N. W. LEMEN (Catawba Principal), A. G. PEARSON (Catawba Intermediate), Grace Davis (Catawba Primary),. No. 4 MCCONKEY, F. M. TAVENNER, No. 5. Forest MAHAR (Pleasant Chapel), No. 6 Pleasant Hill - open, No. No. 7 Alice FENTON (National Chapel), No. 8 J. Omer HEDGES (Oak Grove), No. 9 BODKIN, J. E. RUNYAN

YEAR SETTLED	NAME	SPOUSE	CHILDREN	COMMENTS
May 6, 1803	Joseph COFFEY	wife	two sons, Tatum & Joseph ; Grandson, George COFFEY lives on old homestead	Came from PA>Cincinnati>Pleasant Twp.  Built 1st cabin by a white settler, L16 ft x W14 ft.  First Election in Twp was at his house, was elected Trustee
	Thomas & Jesse PIERCE			1803 living in Champaign Co, assisted Joseph COFFEY in building cabin.
	Simon KENTON			Owned a mill in 1803 located on present site of Lagonda
1803	Isaac AGMOND			Settled where Mart MAHAR now lives
1804	Archibald MCCONKEY, b. Ireland, lived until 1890	not named	Alexander, Elizabeth, Daniel (from KY); Margaret, Nancy, Mary, born on family farm afterwards	From KY w/wife & father-in-law, mother carried children on horseback, all others on foot, brought one cow.  Settled on farm now owned by son-in-law Mahlon NEER
1804	Samuel LAFFERTY	wife (not named)	Catherine	with father-in-law, William HENDRICKS, joint owners of farm on Buck Creek, afterward sold to Nathan CARTMELL now called "The old CARTMELL farm".  Both were from VA.  Was elected Clerk of Twp in first election.
1804	Henry DAWSON	Pg 304,Constantine, died 29 June 1805, buried near cabin home.  (Pg. 306 says Constantine d. 28 June 1805, first death in Twp.)	Ellen, George, John, Richard, Harriet, Elizabeth	Henry DAWSON served in Rev. War as  Lt.  Came from KY, brought Twp's first fruit trees, was the first Cooper.  Was elected treasurer of Twp. in first election.
1804	George METSKER			Lived on the farm now owned by William HUNTER, better known as "LOFLAND farm"
1805	Solomon SCOTT (See note at bottom of this page)		dau. Sarah marr Jonathan BALDWIN	From VA.  Was elected Justice of the Peace in first election.
1805	Jonathan HUNTER (see note at bottom of this page)		William, George, Jonathan, Jeremiah, James, Elizabeth, Mary, Nancy, Rachel, Sarah	From VA, located on Sec. 22, purchased soon after
	Sarah COFFEY, b, 29 May 1808, first female birth, pg 304	Enos NEER		Pg. 306 states birth was 28 May 1808.
	William COFFEY, b. Jan 11, 1811 (fourth son)
	Jonathan BALDWIN	Sarah SCOTT (dau. of Solomon)		married (early)
	William HUNTER	Blanche HENDRICKS, marr Feb 1, 1807		Built first grist mill on Buck Creek abt. 1819.
1808-1812	Nathan CARTMELL			built mill on Buck Creek abt. 1822
1808-1812	David WREN
1808-1812	Peter ARBOGAST			with others formed first settlement at Asbury
1808-1812	Andrew BAUMGARDNER			with others formed first settlement at Asbury
1808-1812	George, Joseph & Abraham RUNYON
1808-1812	William CURL
1808-1812	Edmond WEST also spelled Edmund on pg 304			Lived on farm now owned by William WALTMAN
1808-1812	BOTKIN; George, Richard & Charles			Charles & Richard lived near each other.  Richard's cabin was where George COFFEY now lives.  Charles' cabin located short distance west of present dwelling of Armstead TAVENNER
1808-1812	Jonathan JONES
1808-1812	W. T. HUNT
1808-1812	Andrew HODGE			with others formed first settlement at Asbury; was elected a Twp. Trustee in first election
1808-1812	Absalom CLARK			Lived at a place a little north of Philip TUNKS, managed a distillery, house now owned by Isaac EVERHART
1808-1812	TUNKS, Thomas & Philip			Located on adjoining farms, one now owned by Henry ARBOGAST, the other by John MCCLENEN.  Philip TUNKS established a tannery on the latter.  Thomas TUNKS sold his claim to George BOTKIN in 1816. Philip sold his to Mathew SHAUL sometime later.
1808-1812	George JONES			with others formed first settlement at Asbury
Abt. 1820	David WALTMAN
Abt. 1820	Simon ROPP			farm adjoined that of David WALLMAN.  Built a cabin on the farm now owned by Jonathan PAGE
	David WALLMAN			Farm adjoined Simon ROPP, near the residence of Samuel H. GROVE
	Abraham & Joseph RUNYAN			with others formed first settlement at Asbury
	William CURL			with others formed first settlement at Asbury
	Jeremiah CURL		Mrs. William COFFEY	early settler, located on North side of Buck Creek Valley, short dist. S/W of present residence of Albert CHENEY
	Brazill HARRISON			early settler on Columbus Road, at a cabin on eastern part of farm now owned by Nelson HAMMOND
	Thomas M. BAILEY			owned large tract of land and deferred the sale of for many years, resulting in only "comparatively recent" settlement of those lands (located in Eastern portion of Twp.)
1808-1811	Samuel WEST			with others, formed the first neighborhood in eastern part of Twp
1808-1811	Henry CURL			with others, formed the first neighborhood in eastern part of Twp
1808-1811	Otho ARBOGAST			with others, formed the first neighborhood in eastern part of Twp
1808-1811	David RUNYAN			with others, formed the first neighborhood in eastern part of Twp
1808-1811	William NEER			with others, formed the first neighborhood in eastern part of Twp
1808-1811	Lemuel DAVISSON			with others, formed the first neighborhood in eastern part of Twp
1808-1811	Nicholas MCCAULEY			an earlier settler than the others, lived on farm afterward owned by S. R. DICKSON; with others, formed the first neighborhood in eastern part of Twp
1817	Amos NEER			from VA
	Cornelius PALMER			Built 1st Blacksmith shop not far from where Nathan NEER formerly resided
	George DAWSON			first saw mill, near present grist mill of J. M. RUNYAN
	William T. HUNTER			first Cabinetmaker and Undertaker, lived in log home near recent residence of S. N. CONWAY.
	Miss Ellen DAWSON	John GILMORE, of Urbana		first marriage in Twp in 1805
	Jesse REESE			Taught the 1st school in 1810
	Dr. W. OWEN			first resident physician
	John COFFEY, b. 29 Jun 1805			1st White child born in Twp
	William LAFFERTY, b. 25 May 1806			2nd White child born in Twp
	Eli HUNTER, b. 24 Sep 1847	"Squire" HUNTER marr Lucinda J. MCCLINTOCK in 1876		son of Lemuel HUNTER who was born in Pleasant twp in 1814
abt. 1860	Daniel T. GORDON, b. Champaign Co. in 1835, d. 1907	Sarah E. GROVE, dau of John GROVE, marr. in 1861		son of John W. GORDON
	"Uncle Joe" PEARSON, b. London 12 Feb 1827	Marr. 1st Nancy GOLDEN in 1848, she died of Cholera the following year.  Marr. 2nd Mary S. PALMER		Came to America with father in 1832.  Resided here since the war.  Had a hotel in Catawba
	J. Milton RUNYAN, b. Catawba June 20, 1841			son of Henry RUNYAN, has resided at present place since 1856
1861	Israel EVERHARDT, b. Loudin Co, VA in 1811			Longtime resident of Twp.
	The father of Daniel MCCONKEY, b. 1805, d. 1856		Daniel, Alexander (fourth child), Nathan M., Enos (died a few years ago), Alexander (still living in Moorefield)
	Luther NEER, b. Nov 12 1855	Molly J. LOVELESS, marr. in 1879		Descendant of Amos NEER who came to Catawba 1818
	William H. NEER, b. 1822 near Catawba	marr Mary A. HUNTER, b. near Catawba; marr. (2nd?) on Dec. 29, 1874 to Anna E. CARTMELL, dau. of Nathaniel M. CARTMELL and sister of P.M. CARTMELL of Springfield.		son of Nathan NEER
	Charles F. NEER, b. S.W. of Catawba in 1856	Lida A. CONWAY, dau of N. S. CONWAY,  marr in 1882		Son of Nathaniel , brother of Alonzo W.
	Alonzo NEER			Brother of Charles F. NEER
	James M. HODGE, b. 1837, recently deceased	Mary A. HUNTER in 1864, recently deceased		became possessor of "Old Jim FOLEY Farm" in Moorefield.
	William HODGE, b. Nov. 14, 1826	Dorcas H. BOTKIN in 1850
	George W. COFFEY, b. Jul 26, 1837	Margaret A. FERGUSON in 1865		Son of William COFFEY, now lives in Catawba
1865 to Catawba	Thomas WINGATE, b. 24 Jan 1827 in MD	Mary LAFFERTY, marr Jan 16, 1853		conducted a General Store in Catawba
	William E. YEAZELL, b. 1829 in Moorefield Twp., d. 1906	Lydia BENNETT, marr in 1850		Became large land owner in southern part of Pleasant Twp.
	Amos SMITH, b. 16 Jun 1848	Catharine WYATT, marr Jun 25, 1872		son of Eli SMITH who was b. in Harmony Twp.in 1823.
	Samuel WEST			now living towards S.W. part of Twp.
	Aquilla WEST			recently moved to London
	W. L. Houston			prominent Land Owner, recently deceased
	M. R. HUNTER			practicing physician for more than 50 years
	Dr. STEPHENS			Presently practicing physician
	Dr. BEACH			one time resident
	Dr. BLOYER			one time resident
	CARTMELL			built a mill about 3 years later and  further west on Buck Creek than William HUNTER's grist mill built in 1819
	N. M. MCCONKEY		M. M. MCCONKEY	Co-Commissioner 1870-1876; representative 1880-1882; was Superintendent of Orphans Home at time of death.
	M. M. MCCONKEY			Recorder 1891-1897. Was the son of N. M. MCCONKEY
	J. D. THOMAS			Present coroner, was resident of Pleasant Twp at time of his election
	N. M. CARTMELL			resident & now County Commissioner
	William SAYLOR			was sheriff 1826-1830
	STRANGE			early preacher at Asbury Chapel
	GODDARD			early preacher at Asbury Chapel
	Rev. M. E. ECHOLS			current pastor at Asbury Chapel
	Rev. J. DOLBY			current pastor at Methodist Episcopal Church in Catawba
	Rev. M. M. CAMPBELL			current pastor at Methodist Protestant Church in Catawba
	John DAWSON			Immediate successor to Jesse REESE, the first School teacher
	Edward WATTS			First teacher of second school built
	John HARVEY			taught school abt. 1811on place where Kemp COFFEY now resides
	Israel PUTNAM, Samuel LAFFERTY			Teachers at school built in 1815 in Asbury neighborhood