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Historical Collections of Ohio

By Henry Howe

Vol. I.

©1888

 

HARDIN COUNTY

Hardin County was formed from old Indian territory, April 1, 1820.  Area about 440 square miles.  In 1887 the acres cultivated were 132,898; in pasture, 30,697; woodland, 47,516; lying waste, 8,167; produced in wheat, 359,060 bushels; rye, 12,526; buckwheat, 635; oats, 340,047; barley, 315; corn, 1,187,035; meadow hay, 22,771 tons; clover hay, 5,243; flax, 2,012 lbs. fibre; potatoes, 114,506 bushels; butter, 550,396 lbs.; cheese, 574; sorghum, 1,488 gallons; maple syrup, 2,810; honey, 25,358 lbs.; eggs, 524,031 dozen; grapes, 5,085 lbs.; sweet potatoes, 40 bushels; apples, 53,791; peaches, 255; pears, 403; wool, 209,683 lbs.; milch cows owned, 5,954.  School census, 1888, 9,306; teachers, 264.  Miles of railroad track, 91. 

 

 

Population of Hardin, 1840, 4,583; 1860, 13,570; 1880, 27,023; of whom 22,328 were born in Ohio; 1,047 Pennsylvania; 480 Virginia; 320 new York; 187 Indiana; 85 Kentucky; 738 German empire; 386 Ireland; 147 England and Wales; 57 in British America; 20 Scotland; and 18 France. 

Although Hardin was formed from old Indian territory as early as 1820, it was not organized until January 8, 1833, previous to which it formed for judicial purposes a part of Logan County, and when Champaign was organized of that county.  About half of the county is level and the remainder undulating, and all capable of thorough drainage.  The soil is part gravelly loam and part clayey and based on limestone and rich.  Its original forests were very heavy in timber and of the usual varieties. 

Originally the deep woods of the county were singularly free from underbrush, so that the pioneers could see a long distance between the trees.  It is supposed that this arose from a habit of the Indians of annually burning the underbrush to facilitate the capture of game.  Owing to the heavy timber the county slowly settled, so that as late as 1840 it had but 9 inhabitants to the square mile.  The county, like Marion, is on the great watershed of the State, the southern part being in the Mississippi valley and the northern part in the Lake Erie basin.  Its principal streams are the Scioto and the Blanchard, the waters of the first going into the Ohio and the other into Lake Erie.  The Blanchard, Hog Creek and the north branch of the Miami head in this county, while the Scioto heads in Auglaize County, enters Hardin from the southwest, flows through the great Scioto marsh, first goes northeast and then southeast by Kenton. 

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with the northern army, he was sent out on a reconnoitering expedition, with orders to take a prisoner, for the purpose of obtaining information.  Marching silently in advance of his party, he ascended to the top of an abrupt hill, where he met two or three British soldiers and a Mohawk Indian.  The moment was critical.  HARDIN felt no hesitation - his rifle was instantly presented, and they ordered to surrender.  The soldiers immediately threw down their arms - the Indian clubbed his gun.  They stood, while he continued to advance on them: but none of his men having come up, and thinking he might want some assistance, he turned his head a little and called to them to come on; at this moment, the Indian, observing his eye was drawn from him, reversed his gun with a rapid motion, in order to shoot HARDIN; when he, catching in his vision the gleam of light reflected from the polished barrel, with equal rapidity apprehended its meaning, and was prompt to prevent the dire effect.  He brings his rifle to a level in his own hands, and fires without raising it to his face - he had not time, the attempt would have given the Indian the first fire, on that depended life and death - he gained it and gave the Indian a mortal wound; who, also, firing in the succeeding moment, sent his ball through HARDIN'S hair.  The rest of the party made no resistance, but were marched to camp.  On this occasion HARDIN received the thanks of General GATES.   In 1786 he settled in Washington County, Kentucky, and there was no expedition into the Indian country after he settled in Kentucky, except that of General St. Clair, which he was prevented from joining by an accidental lameness, in which he was not engaged.  In these, he generally distinguished himself by his gallantry and success.  In Harmar's expedition, however, he was unfortunate, being defeated by the Indians when on detached command near Fort Wayne.  Colonel Hardin was killed in the 39th year of his age.  He was - says MARSHALL, in his history of Kentucky, from which these facts are derived -a man of unassuming manners, and great gentleness of deportment; yet of singular firmness and inflexibility as to matters of truth and justice.  Prior to the news of his death, such was his popularity in Kentucky, that he was appointed general of the first brigade. 

Colonel HARDIN was killed by the Indians in 1792.  He was sent by General Washington on a mission of peace to them - and was on his way to the Shawnees' town.  He had reached within a few miles of his point of destination, and was within what is now Shelby County, in this state, when he was overtaken by a few Indians, who proposed encamping with him, and to accompany him the next day to the residence of their chiefs.  In the night, they basely murdered him, as was alleged, for his horse and equipments, which were attractive and valuable.  His companion, a white man, who spoke Indian, and acted as interpreter, was uninjured.  When the chiefs heard of HARDIN'S death, they were sorry, for they desired to hear what the messenger of peace had to communicate.  A town was laid out on the spot some years since, on the State road from Piqua through Wapakonetta, and named, at the suggestion of Colonel John JOHNSON, Hardin, to perpetuate the memory and sufferings of this brave and patriotic man: it is about six miles west of Sydney. 

Fort M'Arthur was a fortification built in the late war, on the Scioto river, in this county, on Hull's road.  It was a low, flat place, in the far woods, and with but little communication with the settlements, as no person could go far one to the other but at the peril of his life, the woods being infested with hostile Indians. 

The fort was a stockade, enclosing about half an acre.  There were 2 block houses; 1 in the northwest and the other in the southeast angle.  Seventy or eighty feet of the enclosure was composed of a row of log corn-cribs, covered with a shed roof, sloping inside.  A part of the pickets were of split timber, and lapped at the edges: others were round logs, set up endways, and touching each other.  The rows of huts for the garrison were a few feet from the walls.  It was a post of much danger, liable at any moment to be attacked. 

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Drawn by Henry Howe, 1846

KENTON

 

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