Shelby County History

---

Turtle Creek Township  Location & Features | First Families | Other firsts | Churches (for a larger view of the map, click here)     Turtle Creek Township  is bounded on the north by Van Buren and Franklin townships, on the east by Franklin and Clinton townships, on the south by Washington and McLean townships and on the west by Cynthian and McLean townships.
    The township is drained by Turtle Creek and it's many branches.  The surface is somewhat broken among Turtle Creek and it's branches.  The remainder of the surface is level, or nearly so.  The soil is comprised principally of a black loam.  The northern part of the township is of a gravely nature, containing large beds of gravel near the surface.  The township also contains about 12 miles of Pike.  The C.C.C. & I.R.R. forms the southern boundary of this township.
     
 

First Families of Turtle Creek Twp. 
(this list is by no means complete - others were settled in the area that I do not have listed)

bef (or during) 1812	John Kennard (from KY), William Carddingley, Cephas Carey, Thomas McClish, and William Bush.
1815	Richard M. Cannon, Richard Lenox & family, John Lenox & family, and Joseph Steinberger.
1816	William Davis (from KY), John Stephens, Jeremiah White, Ebenezer D. Stephens, and William Grooms.
1817	Basil Burton, David Coon, and James Davis.
1818	James Thatcher and Joseph Lyons.
1821	Thomas Shaw and Edwin Barker.
1822	Joshua Cole and James A. Graham.

  top     Other Firsts  

• The 1st road, Hardin & Wapakoneta Rd., was built abt. 1816.
• 1st marriage was performed June 3, 1818 by Cephas Carey Esq. for Richard M. Cannon and Mary Brodrick.
• 1st brick house was built by William Davis in 1831.
• 1st frame house was built by Joseph Steinberger in 1829.
• 1st Justice of the Peace was James Lennox.
• 1816, the first log school was possibly built.
• In 1820, a school building was built on the bank of Turtle Creek in Hardin.  The 1st teacher at this school was Mr. Cahoon.
• 3rd school was built in 1824.
• In 1854, William & Hugh Patten built a sawmill on the bank of Turtle Creek near Hardin.  It was destroyed by fire in 1888.

top   Churches    

Cole Chapel M.E. Society	Organized about 1832 at the residence of Joshua Cole by Rev. John Stewart.  Meetings were held regularly at Joshua Cole's house.  In 1836/7, a school house was build on Mr. Cole's farm and meetings were moved to this school house.
White Feather Christian Society	Organized in 1836 on the residence of Samuel Harshbarger by Elder Joseph Warbington.  In 1852/1857 a frame building was built.  On August 28, 1880, the new church was dedicated by Elder W.W. Weeks.
Turtle Creek Presbyterian Church	Organized on June 28, 1865 at the house of William Patten by Rev. W.M. Galbreath. In December 1865, a new brick building was dedicated by Rev. Long, assisted by Rev. W.M. Galbreath.
Hardin M.E. Society	The oldest M.E. Society in Shelby county.  It was organized prior to 1819 at the residence of Cephas Corey by Rev. Goddard.  In 1832/34, a brick church was built on land donated by Thomas McClish.  In August 1865, a new building was dedicated by Rev. William S. Paul, assisted by Rev. Philip A. Drown.

top   Information was gathered from the following sources: "History of Shelby County, Ohio" by R. Sutton & Co. 1883    Back to Shelby County OHGenWeb ©1999 by Tina Hursh