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This township was formed from the township
of Hamilton, on the 24th of June, 1818, and its boundaries fixed as follows:
"That part lying east of a line drawn south from the mouth of Todd's
Fork to the south boundary line of Warren County, shall be erected into
a new and separate township—beginning at Robert Whitacre's
corner on the Little Miami River, at the mouth of Todd's Fork, thence
south to the south boundary line of Warren County, thence east with the
county line to the southeast corner of the county, thence north with the
county line to Wayne Township, thence with Wayne Township line until it
strikes the Little Miami River, thence down the river to the beginning."
From the records of the commissioners we learn that on June 8,1818, "a
petition was laid before the commissioners signed by a number of citizens
of the townships of Hamilton and Salem, praying that a part of the township
of Hamilton may be attached to the township of Salem, and that a new township
be laid off and erected, of a part of Salem, adjoining the township of
Wayne, and the commissioners having been satisfied with the reasonableness
of said petition, do order and agree as follows: that the following described
territory of Hamilton Township, beginning on the Little Miami River at
the northeast comer of McGuire's survey, being the upper
corner on the river of said survey, thence due south to the county line,
be attached to and made a part of the township of Salem; then, beginning
at the said northeast corner of said McGuire's survey on the river, thence
up the river with the meanders thereof and binding thereon to Mahlon
Roach's upper corner on the river, thence east to the county
line, thence south with the county line to the southeast corner of the
county, thence west with the county line to the first mentioned line between
Hamilton and Salem Townships, thence north with said line to the Little
Miami River to the said corner of McGuire's survey as
aforesaid, shall compose the township of Salem." Harlan Township
was formed from Salem by an act of the Legislature, passed March 16, 1860,
and the same act gave to Salem the name of Corwin Township, which it retained
until June 6, 1860, when the commissioners on petition changed it again
to Salem. In 1860, a part of Union Township was added to Salem, giving
it its present shape. After all these changes, each of which was the source
of much local controversy and no little bitterness, we have a township
in the shape of a very imperfect right-angled triangle, containing over
twenty square miles. That part of the township taken from Union, and lying
north of the river, is called North Salem, and is divided into sections;
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lying south of the river is called South Salem, and is composed
entirely of surveys of very irregular size and shape. This is explained
by the fact that the part of the township lying south of the Little Miami
River was included in the Virginia Military lands; a full account of which
is given in the general history of the county. The first land warrant
located in Warren County was survey No. 399, opposite Waynesville, and
described as being fourteen miles west of Old Town. It was located August
1, 1787. The second was directly east of this. The third, and the first
in the neighborhood of Todd's Fork, was No. 520, now in Hamilton Township.
It was located by William McGuire, August 21, 1787, and
called for 1,000 acres of land. Other warrants were located as follows:
No. 1494, August 21, 1787, Capt. John Peyton Harrison
enters 4,000 acres of land, part of a military warrant, No. 171, on the
Miami River, beginning at the mouth of Todd's Creek, which empties into
the Miami about ten miles below the mouth of Caesar's Creek; at the mouth
of said creek, on the upper side, is a honey locust marked M, another
W E and a sugar tree No. 3; running up the river 640 poles when reduced
to a straight line, thence at right angles from the general course of
the river easterly for quantity. This was surveyed by Nathaniel
Massie, District Surveyor, and bears the date October 10, 1792.
No. 1,500, August 21, 1787, Alexander McIntyre, assignee,
enters 200 acres of land, part of a military warrant, No. 2,959, beginning
60 poles on the river, at the upper corner of William McGuire's entry
No. 520, run up the Miami to the lower corner of John P. Harrison's
entry No. 1,494, thence west with Harrison's line for quantity. Surveyed
by William Lytle, District Surveyor, October 16, 1796.
The village of Morrow was built in this survey.
No. 1,552, February 19, 1793, Cornelius Skinner, assignee,
enters 2,666 2/3 acres of land on a military warrant No. 3,788, on Todd's
Fork, a branch of the Little Miami, beginning at the south corner of Stephen
T. Mason's survey No. 1,211, thence S. 37 degrees E. 1,082 poles
to the east corner of Benjamin Teliaferro's entry No. 2,225, thence N.
58 degrees E. and at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by William
Lytle, District Surveyor, April 25, 1814. The extreme eastern
corner of the township is in this survey.
No. 2,225, February 19, 1793, Benjamin Taliaferro enters
3,671 acres of land, part of a military warrant No. 559, on Todd's Fork,
a branch of the Little Miami, beginning at the corner of said Taliaferro's
entry of 995 acres, a burr and white oak, thence N. 53 degrees E. 460
poles, thence S. 37 degrees E., at right angles for quantity. Surveyed
by Nathaniel Massie, District Surveyor, October 8, 1792.
No. 2,527, January 27, 1794, Elisha King enters 1,186
2/3 acres of land, a part of a military warrant No. 1,911, on the Little
Miami, beginning at the upper corner of William McGuire's
entry No. 520, thence up the river and binding thereon to the lower corner
of Alexander McIntyre’s entry No. 1,500, thence
with his lower line from the river to his south-east corner, thence with
his back line to where it intersects the line of No. 1,494, and with the
line of said survey, and from the beginning with McGuire's
line out from the river so far that a line from each end of the given
line will include the quantity. Surveyed by William Lytle,
District Surveyor, October 16, 1796.
No. 2,529, March 28, 1797, William Nall, assignee, enters
666 2/3 acres of land, part of a military warrant No. 728, west of the
Miami River, beginning at a large forked white oak in the line of John
A. Binn's survey No. 1,496, and southwest corner to Elisha
King's survey No. 2,527, thence with Binn's
S. 4 degrees W. 350 poles, thence S. 87 degrees E. 400 poles, thence N.
3 degrees E. 356 poles, thence S, 87 degrees W. 800 poles to the place
of beginning. Surveyed by William Lytle, District Surveyor,
March 29, 1797.
No. 3,793, February 8, 1800, John Taylor enters 1,000
acres of land, part of a military warrant No. 4,911, on the waters of
O'Bannon's Creek, beginning at
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the north comer of John Payne's entry No.
3,791, running with his line S. 45 degrees E. 200 poles to his corner, thence
with another of said Payne's lines S. 45 degrees W. to the line of Taylor,
Lytle & Underwood's survey No. 3,790, thence with their line
S. 45 degrees E. 286 poles, thence at right angles N. 45 degrees E. 400
poles, thence N. 45 degrees W. 486 poles, thence S, 45 degrees W. to the
place of beginning. Surveyed by William Lytle, District
Surveyor, February 20, 1800. This includes the land in the southwestern
comer of the township.
No. 3,794, February 8, 1800, John Taylor enters 1,215
acres of land, part of & military warrant No. 4,911, on the waters
of the Little Miami, beginning at the north comer of his former entry
No. 3,793, running S. 45 degrees E. 486 poles, thence at right angles
N. 45 degrees E. for quantity. Surveyed by William Lytle,
District Surveyor, February 20, 1800. Only the upper end of this survey
is in Salem Township.
No. 3,795, February 8, 1800, John Taylor enters 1,215
acres of land, part of a military warrant No. 4,911, on the waters of
the Little Miami River, beginning at the north corner of said Taylor’s
former entry No. 3,794, running S. 45 degrees E. 486 poles with line of
said entry, thence off at right angles N. 45 degrees E. for quantity.
Surveyed by William Lytle, District Surveyor, February
20, 1800. The north end only of this is in Salem Township.
No. 4,439, June 14, 1803, William Lytle, assignee, enters
700 acres of land, part of a military warrant No. 1,841, on the waters
of the Little Miami River, beginning at a large red oak and elm southeast
corner to John A. Binn's survey No. 1,496, east corner
to James McIlhaney and others' survey
1,497, thence S. 4 degrees W. with the line of their survey, passing their
southeast corner and with the line of Thomas Martin's
survey No. 2,805, to the line of John Taylor's survey
No. 3,793, thence N. 45 degrees E. with Taylor's line,
so far that a line running east from the beginning, will include the quantity.
Surveyed by William Lytle, District Surveyor, March 10,
1804.
No. 9,536, November 8, 1817, John Nancarrow, assignee,
enters 300 acres of land, part of two military warrants Nos. 3,695 and
3,480, on the waters of Todd's Fork, beginning at the northeast corner
of John Taylor's survey No. 3,795, in the line of John
Crittenden's survey No. 980, thence with said line to the south
corner of J. P. Harrison's survey No. 1,494, thence with
Harrison's line to the southeast corner of Elisha King's
survey No. 2,527, and from the beginning N. 45 degrees W. with Taylor's
line to said King's line for quantity. Surveyed by William Lytle,
District Surveyor, November 5, 1817.
Most of the land warrants were located as early as 1790, the Indians
being then comparatively peaceable, but owing to a dispute about the terms
of some of their treaties, they became hostile, and remained in a state
of war up to their defeat by General Wayne in August,
1794; and the treaty of Greenville, July 30, 1795, brought an end to Indian
troubles in Ohio. Many Virginians having land warrants had come down the
Ohio River to possess their land, but Indian hostilities caused them to
settle temporarily at Columbia, or White's Station, or in Kentucky near
Cincinnati. Many persons had been waiting one or two years, living in
camps and block-houses, for some assurance of permanent peace to be given
them. In less than thirty days after the ratification of Wayne's treaty,
there was a flood of emigration to the Miami lands, unknown in the previous
history of the country.
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