The Rev. James Gilruth died before July 12, 1873, a year after publishing these stories, in Davenport, Iowa. He was an abolitionist and preacher of the Gospel. This article was published in the Ironton Register newspaper on March 23, 1872. It is transcribed below.
I have made frequent allusions to the French Grant in my former letters. Before proceeding any further with the history of individual settlers, I think it proper to give you an account of the origin of the French Grant.
Soon after the Revolutionary War, some men went over to France and succeeded in selling to some French gentlemen a large tract of land, to which they had no legal right, at a French crown an acre. These gentlemen brought over several respectable people of the common class to settle their lands, but after they came, they found that they had been swindled out of their money and had no legal right to a foot of land.
These emigrants settled at and formed the town of Gallipolis. This was the origin of Gallia County. The men who had been swindled out of their money all returned to France, except John B. JARVIS, who stayed and employed a lawyer in Philadelphia by the name of DEPONSAW, who drew up a statement of the case and got it before Congress, which then sat in that city.
At the time, the American public felt much friendship for the French, as they had contributed material aid to affect our independence. Congress took up this matter and made a grant of 24,000 acres, amounting to 217 acres to each head of the family that remained and 4,000 acres to JARAVIS. This grant was made conditional that the grantee should settle on it by a given time and remain on it for five years to make good his title. This condition was afterward removed, and a U. S. patent secured each grantee.
Matthew BARTLET drew lot No. 1 and, wishing to return to France, came up to Bellville, Wood County, VA, and offered it for sale at $2 per acre. Thomas GILRUTH, one of the original settlers of Bellville, had settled there in 1775, two years before there was a white man settled in the State of Ohio, and maintained their station through the Indian War, which was closed after Anthony WAYNE’S decisive battle at Preskul on the right bank of the Maumee, opposite the Maumee Rapids, but now had lost their land by an older claim, accepted BARTLET’S offer, and in connection with a widow of the name of HEMPSTEAD, bought the lot, and immediately set about making his preparations to move.
Putting his family, stock, and other things on board a couple of flatboats and a barge perogue, he set sail down Ohio; and arrived at his lot on the 8th day of April 1797. The river being near the full bank, he drew his boats into a cove and made a bank slide in ages back. This made a safe and convenient haven. He lived in his boats until the water left them.
He then knocked the boats to pieces and, of the boards, made a camp, in which the family lived a year or until there were men enough within twenty miles to raise a stout log cabin. His wife’s maiden name was Marion INGLES. They were both immigrants from Scotland but married in the United States. Their children were James, John, Jannet, Mary, and William. James married Hannah KOUNTZ; she died, and he married Mary WESTLAKE; John died of croup, and Jannet of whooping cough, in their infancy at Bellville. Mary married William G. THOMAS; he died she married John FASSER. He died, and she sold out and moved to Massac County, Illinois, where she still lives.
William married Rebecca AUSTIN. He ultimately became the sole owner of the old homestead farm. Thomas GILRUTH has bred a linen weaver and erected the first loom between Big Sandy and Little Scioto on either side of the river. Peter FORT made this loom (may also be spelled Feurt – smk) of black walnut timber and manufactured it in a workmanlike manner, for which GILRUTH paid him $13 in specie.
However, he turned his attention to clearing and cultivating his land. He often boasted that he never bought but one peck of corn, and that was for seed. He exceedingly enjoyed, as a pastime, fishing and hunting. He was raised in the Kirk of Scotland and remained in that faith until he met with Fletcher” Checks, the reading of which upset his Calvinism. In the fall of 1812, he invited Marcus LINSEY, an itinerant Methodist preacher who was then forming the Little Sandy circuit in Kentucky, to make his house a preaching place.
Lindsey accepted the invitation and formed a little society consisting of Thomas GILRUTH, Marion GILRUTH, Rachel HAILEY, Rebecca POWER, and Joel CHURCH, who have all long since died in the faith. This was the first Methodist society from little Scioto up, embracing all of Lawrence County. During Thomas GILRUTH’S lifetime, his house was a regular preaching place. After his death, it was continued so by his widow until a house was prepared for it opposite Greenupsburg.
Lot No. 2 was drawn by Nicholas THEVENIN. He sent a man named James LOGAN to settle on it. He came and went to work, but hearing that the boat which contained his wife and children had, through mistake, passed by in the night, he followed them and never returned. Robert BUCHANAN next occupied the place. His wife’s name was Polly. Their children were Nancy, Clarissa, and George, the babe’s name I had forgotten. BUCHANAN was a cabinetmaker and reputed a first-class workman and closely followed his business.
His was the first cabinet shop between Scioto and Big Sandy on either side of the river. After some years, he moved to Missouri. Vincent FERGUSON bought the lot and moved on, but after laboring on it for some years, he was led to think that he could do better by working a little at Sandy Salt Works; consequently, he left his farm and moved up there.
In his absence, the place was occupied by William GILLILLEN (might be Gilfillan? – smk) and his family. Soon after he came on, his wife went back to Greenbrier County, VA, and never returned. Their children’s names were Pressley, William, Rhoda, Hannah, Peninah, and Jane. PRESSLEY married Agnes DIDWAY Will married ______ASHLEY; Rhoda married David STUMBO; Hannah married Carter HAILEY; Peninah married Jesse DOLLARHIDE, and Jane married Elias WEBB. FERGUSON’S experience at the salt works led him to return to his farm. He was a steady, quiet, hard-working man. After raising his family, he divided his farm between his two sons, John and James.
About 1800, John HAILEY bought and settled on Lot No. 3. His wife’s name was Rachel FLESHMAN. Their children’s names were Richard, Carter, Lucinda, Andrew, William, and Julia. Richard, in early manhood, left for Mexico, and no certain account was ever obtained of him afterward. Carter married Hannah GILLILLAN. He was a natural musician and, decidedly, the best trumpeter I had ever heard blow a horn. Lucinda married a Mr. JONES, who, in company with a Mr. NOBLE, was running a small cotton factory in Greenupsburg, which was afterward moved to Portsmouth, where she died.
Andrew went into the Red River country, grew cotton, and obtained considerable property. His wife dying, he came up and married a daughter of Joel CHURCH, on Gennet’s Creek, and returned. William died soon after the family moved on. His was the first death between Hanging Rock and Gennet’s Creek. Julia married Antony SMITH. She became the owner of the homestead, or the front part of the lot, and the child of Lucinda, owner of the back part. HAILEY was a farmer, made straight cornrows, and raised the first wheat in all this region of the country.
Lot No. 5 remained unsettled until after the period of what I call old settlers. After passing through several hands, it ultimately fell into the hands of William GILRUTH.
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