York Township

Towns, Past and Present

Courtney Corner, Fish Creek, Metz, Page, York Center

Settlers Before 1840
1885 History of Steuben County, Indiana page 595

Cowee BARNS	Royal B. HIX	Alvah PHELPS
Fayette BARRON	Charles F. HODGES	Griswold PHELPS
Jackson CORY	George JENKS	Calvin POWERS
John CROY	George W. JOHNSON	Clark POWERS
Jeremiah DILLINGHAM	David K. JONES	Stephen A. POWERS
Adam DYGERT	John LARUE	Winn POWERS
Martin ELDRIDGE	Richard PETERS	Augustus WOODWORTH

* Most of these pioneers were from New York

Township History
Abstracted from the 1885 History of Steuben County, Indiana pages 594-602

York Twp. is bounded by Fremont, Clear Lake, Richland, Otsego, and Scott townships and Williams County, Ohio.
It is 6 miles from north to south, and 3 3/4 miles from east to west (14,500 acres).
There are no lakes.
Fish Creek runs through it.

First entries of land: Richard PETERS, May 12, 1836; Royal B. HIX, May 1836; Geroge W. JOHNSON, May 1836; Martin ELDRIDGE, May 1836.
First white settler: Fayette BARRON, summer of 1836
First white birth: Volney POWERS, son of Stephen A. and Mary Ann POWERS
First marriage: Augustus W. WOODWORTH and Mary JOHNSON in 1841
First death: Mowry POWERS, son of William and Betsey POWERS died in 1838
Pioneer Sketches:

                Thomas PARSONS (deceased) b. Apr 1823 in Harrisburg, Pa
                        moved to Crawford Co., Ohio near Leesville
                        m. Sept 16, 1845 to Nancy M. McClaskey who d. Aug 7, 1876
                        moved to Lagrange Co., Ind in Oct 1845
                        moved to Steuben Co., Ind in 1847
                        d. July 8, 1880 in Angola aged 57 y 3 m
                Calvin POWERS (deceased) b. March 5, 1808 in Ontario Co., NY
                        moved to Steuben Co., Ind in 1837
                        married twice, second wife survives
                        six children -- 3 sons, 3 daughters
                        buried in Powers Cem
                Joseph W. THOMAS (deceased) b. 1823 in Bucks Co., Pa
                        moved w parents Moses & Prudence THOMAS to Crawford Co., Ohio in 1835
                        moved to Williams Co., Ohio in 1840
                        second child in family of 11 children
                        settled in York Twp soon after 1840
                        d. June 7, 1882

Pioneer Remembrances:

John CROY, his son Andrew CROY, and Elmus BARRON went hunting in 1841 to Williams Co. Ohio. John and Elmus got separated from Andrew who hollered, pounded on trees, and felled a tree to try to guide them back. Andrew went home the next morning thinking they were lost forever, but they arrived back home late in the day having had only a squirrel to eat.

David K. JONES came with his mother from New Hampshire to Wall Lake, near Orland, Ind, and then York Township in 1838. While in York Township, he had terrible trouble with bears trying to steal his pigs.

First school: Winter 1838 in a log cabin near where Powers schoolhouse was later built
First teacher: Winn POWERS
First frame school: 1844, on the land of Stephen A. Powers, known as York Schoolhouse
First church: 1840, Methodists began meeting; fully organized in 1850 at Hathaway's Corner; built a meeting house in 1853
Other churches: Free-Will Baptists met at homes of Adam DYGERT and Cowee BARNS with ministers J.H. MINER and Silas HEADLEY; Disciples who emigrated from Bedford, Ohio made Burdett B. GOODALE pastor and met at the Powers Church
First Justice of the Peace: Stephen A. POWERS
First blacksmith: Peter KLOCK
First gristmill: built in 1844 by Andrew FERRIER, known as the Pepper Mill
First sawmill: built in 1845 by Clark POWERS
First steam sawmill: built by George PETERS in 1846
First frame house: built by Bela DILLINGHAM, now part of Myron POWERS horse barn
First frame barn: built by Griswold PHELPS

Republican township since party formed, previously Democratic

Town History of Metz

Covers portions of Sections 5 & 6 of Richland Twp and Sections 31 & 32 of York Twp
First settler:s Fayette BARRON, Fall 1836; Joseph BENNETT
First Store: 1/2 mile south of Metz, began by Henry LETCHER in 1841
First Mill: called "The Pepper Mill", started by David FERRIER
First Goods in Metz: opened by Justice BARRON in 1851, sold to Oscar SWIFT
First Blacksmith: Joel WILSON in 1851
First Hotels: opened by Dr. E. PATTEE in 1851 and Edward SARGEANT in 1854
First Postmaster: Joseph BENNETT
First Wagon Shop: opened by Nathaniel PETITT in 1854
Mt. Pleasant Lodge, No. 239 IOOF started May 15, 1865
Charter Members: P.L. HUFFMAN, W.I. HOWARD, H.D. WOOD, J.O. ROSE, W. A. WOOD, S.M. LaRUE, and C.P. POWERS
Current Officers (1885): J.N. SNYDER, Ford NORRIS, J.F. MUSSER, J.W. WILLIAMS, G.W. POWERS
Current Businesses (1885):

J.W. GOODALE --- furniture and undertaking
GOODALE & STEVENS --- dry-goods
CULVER & NORRIS --- dry-goods
C.S. MYERS & Co. --- drugs
BOWSIER & PORTER --- hardware
Samuel D. PORTER --- postoffice
Caleb RAKESTRAW --- hotel
Job WILLIAMS --- blacksmith
B. BURCH --- wagon and repair shop
J.B. SHAFFER --- flouring mill
William REEK --- saw mill
Henry RAPP --- shoemaker
Elmus BARRON --- gunsmith
Mrs. CULVER --- millinery
F.F. WOOD, C.W. GOODALE, E.F. STAUFFER, H.M. BYALL --- physicians

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Mindee Gleason