Pioneers of Mason Township

Pioneers of Mason Township

These Families Mentioned Here Were Not Noted For Producing Famous Soldiers Or Statesmen But Were Substantial ‘Builders’

Mason Township History
The Herald-Advertiser, 20 November 1938
Submitted by Brenda Cook

By R. C. Hall, Ph.D.

Mason Township, Lawrence County, Ohio lies just north of Windsor township, which in turn, is situated just north of Union township. As Windsor is a full township, according to the government land survey and Union is almost, i.e; almost, six miles square. Mason is situated about 11 miles north of the Ohio River to the south, or about 12 miles directly north of Huntington, WV.

Due to the bend in the river, however, Mason township approaches within about four miles of Ohio to the east near Crown City. It is bounded on the east and north by Guyan and Walnut townships respectively in Gallia county and on the west and south by Aid and Windsor townships respectively in Lawrence county. It is Township Number 3 in Range XVI, according to the language of the land survey.

Mason Township, Lawrence County, Ohio lies just north of Windsor township, which in turn, is situated just north of Union township. As Windsor is a full township, according to the government land survey and Union is almost, i.e; almost, six miles square.

Mason township is a full-sized township too according to that survey, being six miles square and divided into 36 sections each one-mile square. It is just outside the Ohio Company’s purchase and belonged to what is known as Congress lands, which, as we have before explained, means that it was sold directly by the government to settlers or others under rules and regulations laid down by the Congress of the United States.

According to the customs for such land the sections are numbered back and forth, beginning in the northeast corner of the township, and running to the northwest corner where number six is located, then dropping south of six for number seven, after which the numbering continues back east to number 12, and so on back and forth to number 36 in the southeast corner.

Not Settled Early

Being some distance from a navigable stream, Mason township was not settled as soon or as rapidly as some of the other places in Lawrence county, nor did any towns or villages larger than mere hamlets develop there, with the exception of Arabia which became a rather important rural trading place just on the edge of the township. Greasy Ridge, Rappsburg, and several churches and schools also became sorts of community centers and several post offices were established within the township limits, some of which, we shall probably have occasion to mention again, in the course of this narrative.

When Mr. Hardesty prepared his valuable history of Lawrence County, Ohio, about 50 years ago, he sometimes included in his lists of leading citizens of, a community one or more names of one or more persons who had never actually been residents of that community but who had contributed in some important way to its well being.

For instance, sometimes a certain pioneer, who had never made his home in the county himself, had become the father of a large family, several members of which became settlers or subsequent leading citizens of the county. The biography of such a man was evidently considered worthy of inclusion in the local county history.

Copies Are Scarce

We think this was a fortunate occurrence, for had it not been so, many an interesting instructive story of pioneer life would probably have been lost to subsequent generations. And even as it is, the Hardesty history and many similar works are becoming so scarce that many people, apparently, miss many of these fine stories.

For instance, we recently came across the story of William Dement, who, although he himself can hardly be called a Lawrence Countian, was a pioneer ancestor, it appears, of one of the leading families of that county. And since the Dement family, or rather a large portion of it, became early settlers in Mason township, we believe it quite appropriate to include a brief sketch of the life of Mr. Dement among our list of pioneers of that township.

First, perhaps, we should call attention to the fact, that this story belongs as much to the history of Maryland or West Virginia as it does to that of Ohio, and just as properly to the history of any one of a number of other counties as to that of Lawrence. For Mr. Dement was one of those true pioneers who appears to have moved westward with the frontier. In fact, he may be said to have preceded it, in some instances.

And it is interesting to note that by following the life story of just one such individual, we may follow pretty accurately the advance of the frontier from the Atlantic coast region well across the Ohio river on its westward movement.

This is particularly true of this section of the frontier which moved up the Potomac River, across the Appalachian mountains, and down the Ohio River.

Born in Maryland

The career of William Dement went well back into those days before there was any United States of America. He was born in the Colony of Maryland, in the year 1768. Thus he was eight years of age when the Declaration of Independence was signed and was just entering young manhood when the independence of the United States was finally won and recognized by the other great world power.

And he was just entering what might be called the prime of life when that great wave of migration carried the frontier across the mountains and into the valleys and plains to the westward. He was still a mere boy, however, when he was taken to Virginia by his father who also must have had the pioneer urge and probably became the first actual western pioneer of the family, in the sense that he led its advance in that direction.

 William Dement had scarcely attained manhood, it appears when he became one of the leading Indian fighters of his vicinity. Like many other young men on the frontier, he volunteered for this service much as one might volunteer for the army in times of war. In fact, the Indian hunter along the frontier was tacitly recognized as a regular local soldier. Sometimes he actually belonged to a local organization of militiamen but more frequently, it appears, he operated on his own responsibility.

Such men were either actuated by the thrills of such a life, by reward earned such as bounties for Indian scalps, or by the more noble motive of protecting their relatives, friends, and neighbors from the tomahawk and scalping knife of the natives. Perhaps many were actuated by a combination of these motives.

Frontier ‘Spies’

These regular Indian hunters were frequently called “spies”, although they differed from the conventional spies in government service. It was the duty of these “spies” to accompany or precede travelers in order to protect them from Indians or clear the way for them to travel unmolested by Indians.

This appears to have been one of the chief duties of young Dement and as such a “spy” he accompanied many important bands of immigrants. Thus, he accompanied, apparently, the first settlers to the site of the present city of Cincinnati, and has been claimed to have been the first white man to land there, although it would probably be impossible to prove this claim since others may have landed there without leaving a record of it.

Nevertheless, he was probably one of the very earliest white men on the site. Then when the first mail was sent out to the new settlement at Fort Washington, on the present site of Cincinnati, it was William Dement who was chosen to convey it over the long and perilous route down the Ohio River from Pittsburg.

During his journey downstream, Mr. Dement was in constant danger of attack by Indians and frequently he had to lie in hiding during the daytime and then drift silently down steam under cover of darkness. He had to keep as nearly as possible in the middle of the river to remain out of reach of bullets from both shores.

Indian Attacks

When the Indians made their determined attack upon the early settlers at Wheeling and Grave Creek, Mr. Dement was on hand to lend his assistance both as a scout and fighter, it appears, and he is said to have assisted the ancestors of many of the present-day citizens of the Ohio valley in protecting their frontier homes from Indians.

When Ohio county, Virginia (now West Virginia), was organized, William Dement was chosen as the first clerk of the courts and naturally had much to do with inaugurating the new county government. He held this position for several years and was later chosen sheriff, a position for which he was well qualified by his experiences as a soldier and scout.

After the opening of the Northwest Territory to settlement, the land beyond Ohio attracted many of these early western Virginia settlers, and Mr. Dement was one of those who followed the line of migration in that direction. About 1802, he settled upon a large tract of land near Calais, Monroe county, Ohio, or what was to become Monroe County, Ohio.

There is suffered about all the privations incident to frontier life, for he was the only white habitation between Zanesville and the settlements across the Ohio River in Virginia. His only neighbors were the Indians and wild animals of which the ferocious panther appears to have been chief. The nearest mill at which he could get his corn ground was a horse mill in Virginia.

But other settlers soon followed him into the wilderness and it was not long before he was assisting in the organization of another county government.

Mr. Dement was one of the early judges of eastern Ohio and served a term or so as sheriff of Monroe county. Then came the War of 1812, and he offered his services to his country. He became a captain of a local company of militia and served for a time under General William Henry Harrison. Of course, he must have felt quite at home as a soldier but peace soon returned and he resumed his positions as a citizen and officeholder, serving as justice of the peace, all together for about 21 years.

Mr. Dement remained hale and hearty until the close of his earthly career. At the age of 85 years, he took a walk one day in his garden, returned to his house, laid down on his bed, and quietly passed away.

Although, as we have said, William Dement never himself became a pioneer of Mason township or Lawrence county, Ohio some of his descendants did. Ella Dement, a daughter of William Dement, married Farlon Ball. Mr. and Mrs. Ball were among the early Mason township settlers, while their children became respected citizens of this same region.

Farlon Ball was a native of London county, Virginia, and according to the best available date, he was born on April 10, 1816. However, according to the same authority, he was taken to Ohio, about two years later, by his parents who settled in Belmont county, in that state. His father, Edward Ball was a blacksmith, and as this trade was one then in much demand the family was probably quite comfortably fixed for those days.

It appears that in about 1833, Edward Ball took his family into Morgan county, but after a short stay there, removed back to Belmont county, where he passed away in 1849. He had been preceded into the Great Beyond, two years earlier by his wife Ann (Moore) Ball.

Died in 1849

The Ball family originally came from England, it appears, and were perhaps among the early settlers of the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia, and now became early settlers of Belmont, Morgan, and Lawrence counties, Ohio.

Farlon Ball was raised as a typical pioneer youth although somewhat removed from the extremely primitive conditions of the frontier. Being raised in the family of a blacksmith indicates that his home community was fairly well settled and provided with most of the advantages common at that day, although they were few enough certainly. Farlon Ball married Ella Dement, on Feb. 7, 1842, in Morgan County, Ohio, and resided for a time in eastern Ohio before migrating to Lawrence county.

Mrs. Ball’s father was, as we have seen, William Dement. Her mother before her marriage to Mr. Dement was Ella Daley. Miss Daly was a native of Chester County, Pennsylvania, and apparently was of the same sturdy pioneer stock as was her husband whom she met and married on the frontier in Ohio county, Virginia (now West Virginia) before they migrated to Ohio.

Mr. and Mrs. Dement apparently raised a large family after settling in Monroe County, Ohio, although we are now chiefly interested in that portion of it that came to be Lawrence county. Farlon Ball and his wife Ella Dement Ball, as we have noted, remained for a time in eastern Ohio. Mr. Ball had taken up the profession of his father and became perhaps one of the best blacksmiths of his time.

Move to Lawrence

After moving to Belmont county, where he spent about one year, Mr. Ball was removed back to Monroe county, and then in 1866, just after the close of the Civil war, he and his family were removed to Lawrence County, Ohio.

Meanwhile, his family had increased by four members, and meanwhile too, that family had given an excellent account of itself in defense of its country. The four children that had come to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ball, were, with the dates of their births, as follows: Elasco. Sept. 1, 1844; George M., March 4, 1846; Emma J. (Carpenter), June 16, 1847; and Ambroz, July 27, 1849.

After the outbreak of the civil war, Farlon Ball offered his services to his county but was soon discharged on account of his age, for although he was only about 45 years old, that is usually considered too old for soldering unless soldiers are in greater demand than was the case, even during the Civil war, on the Federal side. However, Mr. Ball’s son, Elasco, served as a Federal soldier during some of the hardest fights of the war.

He enlisted in Company E, 116th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and fought in the battle of Chattanooga, Mission Ridge, Chickamauga, and many lesser engagements. He narrowly escaped capture at the Battle of Chickamauga. After the war, Elasco became interested in fine horses, which was perhaps natural as his father had become of the leading blacksmiths in his community.

Competed at Fairs

The Ball home was near Rappsburg, Mason Township, Lawrence County, Ohio, whereas we have seen Farlon Ball set up his blacksmith shop after he migrated to that neighborhood. But, in the early days, a good blacksmith had to be able to do many things besides show horses.

He usually had to make or at least shape the shoes, nails, etc., and mend or make various farm implements and particularly make and repair wagons. In this latter work, Faron Ball became practically a professional mechanic. He developed and began building a special farm wagon which was soon in such demand that he could not supply all the would-be customers. In fact, Mr. Ball became one of the leading wagon makers in southern Ohio.

Another pioneer family of Mason township was Thomas C. Tagg. Although Mr. Tagg did not arrive with his family as early as some, he was a real pioneer, in the sense that he came from a “far country.” To make his home under new and unusual conditions and in a region not long settled and even then, but sparsely as compared with his homeland.

Thomas C. Tagg was born on January 15, 1818, in Northamptonshire, England. He did not come to this country, however, until about 22 years later, when his parents with their eight children, left the town of Kettering for America, in 1840.

On Ocean Six Weeks

Their transatlantic voyage began at Liverpool and ended in New York, six weeks and three days is required to make the ocean crossing. Proceeding up the Hudson River to Albany, the Taggs took the train to Schenectady and thence went on the Erie Canal to Buffalo, crossed the eastern end of Lake Erie to Cleveland then went on to Rootstown, in Portage County, Ohio, where they settled.

Mr. Tagg was a professional plumber, glazier, and painter and he taught this trade, or rather these three trades to his five sons. This was rather unusual in those days, that is, it was unusual for a man to be a professional plumber, at least so far west as Ohio, except in the larger cities.

These sons were named Thomas C., James, William, John H., and Joseph. After learning their father’s trades, all except John migrated to different parts of the country and entered business for themselves in one or all of those trades, it appears. John, however, studied for a minister and entered the conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, and according to Hardesty, at the time of his investigation, was located in Cleveland, Ohio.

James Tagg, the head, so to speak, of this immigrant family, passed away November 15, 1859, his wife, Rebecca Tagg, having passed away, June 16, 1868. The latter’s maiden name was Heighton.

Became Leaders

Meanwhile, it appears, that one of the children of this family, Thomas C. Tagg, had moved south to Lawrence County, Ohio. He settled in Mason township, and, on August 30, 1842, married Eliza Morton. They must almost immediately have become leading citizens of their community which was on or near what is known as Greasy Ridge, the post office of that name is their address.

Mrs. Tagg, like her husband, immigrated to Lawrence County from the northern part of Ohio, having been born in Medina county, on March 10, 1821. She was the daughter of George and Mary (Estep) Morton, who settled in Lawrence county in 1840.

During the Civil war, Mason township residents escaped much of the excitement, not to say terror incident to the conflict in some other sections of the north as well as the south. Not that its citizens did not do their full share to preserve the Union, but is somewhat removed from the Ohio River as well as from the main theater of conflict, their homes and those left there, were seldom disturbed by any actual warlike sights or activities. For a time, however, during the days of Morgan’s raid, it was slightly different.

Although news traveled slowly in those days as compared with today, it traveled much in the same fashion. That is, bad news appears to have usually outdistanced good, exciting news became more exciting the more it was repeated, rumor ran rampant once it was started and it appeared to lack, not for starters.

Thus, when Ohioans learned that Morgan was approaching, the wildest tales imaginable regarding his strength and his accomplishments ran before him. Perhaps in this case this was well because it did prove a difficult task to catch the slippery guerrilla and no one could say for certain in advance just what he would do.

Became Alarmed

Thus, when it was learned that Morgan, or some of his band, were in the vicinity of Chillicothe, it was natural for the people south and east of that place to become alarmed. Should he turn slightly to the south, his line of march would lead across northern Lawrence county, it was seen, and so almost everyone who could carry a gun in that region prepared for combat.

As it happened, the main part of Morgan’s band passed north of this vicinity, although sufficient numbers of stragglers perhaps entered Lawrence county to have done much damage had it not been for the fact that the citizenry had become thoroughly alarmed and prepared to meet them.

Among those who did meet some of Morgan’s men, and to his sorrow, was Mr. Tagg who was overpowered by some of them and carried away as a prisoner of war. But by that time Morgan was being hard-pressed. He was hastening to the Ohio river evidently intent on getting across and among friends as soon as possible.

It proved impossible however and when he was forced to turn and fight at Buffington’s island or surrender, he had to give up all excess baggage including captives. Accordingly, when Mr. Tagg’s captors reached the river they let him go and apparently concentrated their attention on their own preservation.

After the war, Mr. Tagg resumed farming in Mason township where he had become a leading citizen. The high esteem and confidence in which he was held by his fellow citizens were shown by the fact that for many years he was almost continuously kept in some township office. For six years was a treasurer, eight years as clerk, four years as a justice of the peace, six years as a trustee, and one year as the assessor.

Had Nine Children

The children of Mr.s and Mrs. Thomas Tagg were named: Joseph W., Oliver J., Thomas J., George W., Mary A., Eliza J., Lucretia, Ralph L., and Lydia. Of these, several passed away during childhood. George W. Tagg was removed to Memphis, Tennessee, and Ralph L. Tagg to Rossdale, Louisiana.

The Tagg family has been an excellent example of the sturdy and industrious type of immigrants that have given America so many farmers, mechanics, industrialists, and professional…men and women as well as able and patriotic defenders of democracy and the principals and institutions for which every true American cherishes an unquenchable love.

In considering the pioneers of any community, we are probably inclined to favor the immigrants over and above the native pioneers. However, the children born in these early settlements were just as true pioneers of course, as were their parents. One of these native pioneers of Mason township was Decator Powell, who was born, on October 7, 1820.

However, he was taken from the township when he was about three years old, by his parents, who moved across the line into Aid township. Then when he was about 29 years old, he himself purchased a farm of some 260 acres in Decatur township and made his home there from that time until about the time of the opening of the Civil war.

Meanwhile, on March 1, 1839, Mr. Powell married Catherine Kelley. She was of true pioneer stock, being herself an immigrant to this country from the Isle of Man, off the coast of Europe, where she had been born on December 25, 1816. She was the daughter of Thomas and Catherine (Kirk) Kelley. Mr. Powell’s parents were Henry and Prisey (Vermillion) Powell. Thus two of the pioneer families of Lawrence county were united by this marriage.

Purchased A Farm

Mr. and Mrs. Powell became not only successful as a farm couple, so to speak, but they were interested in religious work as well. Mr. Powell was for many years a member of the United Brethren church, while Mrs. Powell was, for perhaps even a longer time, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Moreover, Mr. and Mrs. Powell raided a large family, several of whom became pioneer emigrants who went out to help found other communities and other states. These Powell children were named: Edward, Sarah L., Isadore, Winfield C., Wellington, Cirus, Pyron, Isabelle L., Thomas, Ellen S., and John.

Of these eleven children, five migrated to what is sometimes called the far west.

That is, they moved to the northwestern part of the United States and into the region now occupied by the states of Washington and Oregon. As that was over 50 years ago, however, they must have found there much the same conditions as their grandparents had found half a century or so before in southern Ohio. And just as their grandparents helped establish civilization on the old frontier so they helped establish it on the new, so to speak.

Winfield, Cirus, Pyron, and Thomas Powell migrated to what was then Washington territory, while Wellington Powell went a little farther south into Oregon.

Perhaps, the reader unfamiliar with the families discussed in this sketch and accustomed to reading chiefly of persons who achieved fame as soldiers or statesmen will be unable to find much interest in the stories of the lives of these unassuming farmers of the hills of Lawrence County, Ohio. But we believe the more thoughtful will admit that it is from such industrious, upright, and unassuming families as these that the so-called “great” have always come and perhaps will continue to come whenever the need for their services arises.