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Pioneers of Marion County Swan Township Swan Township Histories - Page 309 Chapter XXVIII. Swan Township - Its Geography and Early History - First Election - Names of First Settlers - First Birth and First Marriage - C. M. Thomas - Daniel Hunt - First School - First Orchard - First Preachers - Andrew Schirner - A Severe Crisis - Wheeling - Lynching the Castners. This township is all of town. 77, range 21, south of the Des Moines river, with the additions of 5 and 6, and half of sections 1, 2, 3 and 4, belonging to town. 76, same range. It is bounded on the north by Perry, on the east by Union, on the south by Pleasant Grove, and on the west by Warren county. Numerous small streams run through the township, mostly from south to north. Coal abounds in various parts and thin veins have been found in wells of considerable dept. Several veins have been opened and worked, one in the northwest part of the township, owned by John Shook; one three miles east of Wheeling, by J. F. Smith; and one near and west of Wheeling by Wm. Carte. That of Mr. Smith has been most extensively worked, and is about four feet thick. This township is rather more than half timbered, the small streams being widely margined by heavy growths, covering all the northern part, except the wide strip of bottom land along the Des Moines river, called Hoosier Prairie, so named from the number of people from Indiana who settled on and about it. Part of this tract is uncultivated, being quite sandy and subject to inundations from the river. The southern part of the township is mostly prairie, with here and there a beautiful native grove. Swan was organized in '51, being up to that date a part of Perry, and was separated into a district township by order of Swan Township Histories - Page 310 the board of commissioners, in compliance with the petition of her citizens, for reasons already stated in the history of Perry. It was called Swan for the beauty and brevity of the name, by the suggestion of a former citizen of Swan township, Athens county, Ohio. The first election was held at the house of ------ Moffett, at which Wilson Groom was elected clerk. John Shook was justice at the time the township was organized, and held over. At this time Gilson Shook was elected constable. The first election of which there is any preserved record, took place on the 4th of April, '53, at the house of Charity Groom. Judges - John Noyes, Jacob Haynes, and Edward Murray; clerk, C. C. Wilkie; deputy clerk, J. W. Brand. Number of votes cast, 37, by which the following officers were elected: J. Metcalf and Samuel P. Hamilton, justices; A. G. Young and Robert McElroy, constables; James Metcalf, Jacob Haynes, and Edward Murray, trustees; Eli M. Cole, assessor; and H. W. Groom, clerk. The following are the names of persons who settled in this township at the earliest dates: Charles M. Thomas, Wm. H. Parmer, Jesse Johnson, James Crabb, John Firman and his two sons, John Henry and John Stroop, in '46; John Groom, Wm. Groom, Jesse Walker, Harrison Freel, the three Markly brothers, Wm. Bundren and his sister, Mary Tout, in '46; Daniel Hunt, Andrew Schirner, John Butcher, and the Childers family, in '47. Of these but seven still live in the township, to-wit: C. M. Thomas, W. H. Parmer, Jesse Johnson, John Henry, Daniel Hunt, Andrew Schirner and John Butcher. James Crabb lives in Perry, the Grooms are dead, and the others unknown. The first white child born in the township was Emma Jane, daughter of Wm. H. Parmer, born October 8, '46. She is now the wife of James H. Easley, and still lives in the township. Swan Township Histories - Page 311 The first marriage was that of Wm. Markley and Eva Groom, in February, '48. John E. Groom taught the first school in the township, in a small cabin originally owned and occupied by a man named Moore, on the east side of what is now Daniel Hunt's farm, on Hoosier Prairie, at what date we have been unable to learn. At this time the grass grew tall on this prairie, and Harrison Freel plowed a pathway for his children to travel in to school, which is still dimly visible. The first orchard was planted by Jesse Walker, on land now Swan Township Histories - Page 312 owned and occupied as a farm, by Jacob Camp. Only four or five of the trees still live, the trunks of which are between twelve and eighteen inches in diameter. The Rev. Mr. Forbes, United Brethren, was the first person remembered to have preached in this township. Revs. Johnson and Gardner were the first Methodist preachers that organized societies of this denomination here. Swan Township Histories - Page 313 On the 5th of July, 1851, Thomas Palson and John Rankin caused to be surveyed on land owned by them, on the northwest-quarter of the north east-quarter of section five, and called it Wheeling, in honor of Wheeling, Va., as suggested by Henderson Palson. Surveyor, James Rousseau; chain-carriers, Henderson Palson and Elisha Hardin. By agreement the plat was equally divided between the proprietors, Palson being proprietor of the east and Rankin of the west side. The first house was built by James Wilson, the second by Henry Hamilton, and the third by C. C. Wilkie. That by Wilson was a frame, and the others were log houses. The first postmaster was James Wilson, and he also had the first blacksmith shop in town. Present postmaster, John Palson. Mails tri-weekly. The first goods were sold by James Walters and John Butcher. The first physician located in town was C. C. Wilkie, who is still a citizen and in practice. He came originally from New York, in 1849, resided in Knoxville several months, and finally located in Wheeling, in 1853. Wheeling has never
grown beyond the proportions of a small country village, but its location
is pleasant, being on level upland prairie, surrounded by a rich farming
country, with timber and coal convenient.
Index of names mentioned in Swan township Brand, J. W. - Swan
Township page 310 Camp, Jacob - Swan
Township page 312 Easley, James H. (Mrs.) - Swan Township page 310 Firman, John - Swan
Township page 310 Gardner, Rev. -
Swan Township page 312 Hamilton, Henry
- Swan Township page 313 Johnson, Jesse -
Swan Township page 310 McElroy, Robert - Swan Township page 310 Markley, Wm. - Swan
Township page 311 Noyes, John - Swan Township page 310 Palson, Henderson
- Swan Township page 313 Rankin, John - Swan
Township page 313 Schirner, Andrew
- Swan Township page 310 Thomas, Charles
M. - Swan Township page 310 Walker, Jesse -
Swan Township page 310, 311 Young, A. G. - Swan
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