Why did so many come from Connecticut? Because the land was first owned by the state of Connecticut, then by a Connecticut Land Company and a Connecticut man who had it surveyed by a man from Connecticut.
John Morgan, of New Haven, Connecticut, sold his land to the Torrington Lands Company. The men of that company settled this area. The last names of the men were Austin, Battell, Gillet, Soper, Curtis, Mills, Knowlton, Gaylord and Strong. These names are still around as names of roads, buildings, mills, schools and settlements.
Timothy Hawley, the Farmington, Connecticut, surveyor, completed his work in 1801 of building a sawmill and opening up a road from Austinburg to Gustavus. He then returned home to get his family. He became the first Morgan postmaster, justice of the peace, then moved to Jefferson after being asked to become the clerk of the Court of Common Pleas. It is hard to imagine such structure in government so early in our county’s history when the forests were still thick, the wild animals still roaming and threatening and the development of buildings and homes so rough and fragile.
But laws and government were important, and the development of them would increase the population and businesses as well as add structure and security to the life of the pioneers.
The first settler to come that same year from that state was Ara Gillet, second son of a Revolutionary War soldier and fifer. John and Jabez Gillet owned part of the land of Morgan and, most likely, this was the impetus for Ara Gillet to make the move.
Nathan Gillet joined his brother Ara in 1802. The two men built the first log home of round logs eight in height. The structure was 18 feet square and, in that space, lived ten people for several years. Education was so important, the Gillet family also used the house for a schoolhouse during the week. I cannot imagine sharing my home with a schoolteacher and students. The fact that the Gillets built another log structure next door by 1804 most likely had to do with a dire request by Mrs. Gillet for more space.
Now Morgan Township could boast of a home and a schoolhouse. In the summer of 1804, Diantha Wilcox stood before 8-12 students educating future leaders of Morgan Township. By winter of that same year, enrollment had increased to 15-20 students as more pioneers moved into the area. The new teacher was Quintus F. Atkins.
Pioneer settler Battell came from Torrington, Connecticut, to claim his property in 1802 and build his home. Moses C. Wilcox, brother-in-law of Eli Porter, came that same year and built his house. His father Hosea Wilcox came that same year but returned to Connecticut with Nathan Gillet to get his family and returned in early winter. Edmund Strong came that same year of 1802, cleared his land of 4-5 acres and sowed wheat before returning to Connecticut to get his family.
In the summer of 1802, Captain John Wright, of Litchfield County, Connecticut, exchanged his farm of 800 acres for land in Morgan Township. Earlier pioneers must have given glowing reports of how wonderful the land and region were as many followed from the same area.
Captain Wright made the long trip with his wife, four sons and daughter loaded into a heavy wagon pulled by four oxen. An extra horse was brought along as well as a cow to furnish milk for the family. Two months later, they arrived on the 4th of July. 1802, 224 years ago! Wright turned 5 acres into a wheat field and built a log home, 20×30, by October. I am sure Mrs. Wright gave her blessing and thanks!
In the next 2-3 years, the pioneers to settle and develop Morgan Township were: Sebe Bronson, Quintus F. Atkins, Roswell Stpehens, Issac Phelps and James Stone. In 1804, there was a rush of pioneers. Stephen Knowlton, Erastus Flowers, Jesse D. Hawley and Joseph Bates increased Morgan Township with their families. Descendants of many of these families are still in the area.
Bells were ringing and voices singing as Ara and Nathan Gillett’s sister, Lydia, number sixth of the nine siblings, married J.B. Battell on Sept. 28, 1803, in the first Morgan Township wedding. There was no one in the vicinity to legally perform the wedding, so the pioneers had to bring Justice of the Peace George Phelps from Warren, Ohio, to perform the ceremony. Phelps had to travel 30 miles one way to reach the log home. Phelps had been the first settler in Windsor.
Cupid was on overtime that year of 1803 because after the Battell/Gillet wedding, Edmund Strong married Anna Gillet, number 3 sibling, before Christmas. Quintus F. Atkins married Sally Wright in the valentine month of 1804 and John Wright, Jr. married the 4th Gillet sibling, Saloma, in a lovely June wedding. If George Phelps married all the couples, he might have considered moving closer to be on hand.
Ara and Nathan Gillett and their families stayed only a few years before moving onto to Tallmadge but they receive the distinction as the first settlers after the surveyors had left.
Captain John Wright opened up his home near Thanksgiving of 1802 for the first religious meeting led by Reverend Joseph Badger. About 26 souls made up Morgan Township at that time and nearly all were present at the meeting. After that day, regular services were held each Sunday.
The millsite which Timothy Hawley had constructed was purchased by John Wright and his son John in 1803 with the purpose of improving it for all the settlers to use. It was a combined good neighbor day as folks came from Harpersfield, Austinburg and Morgan to erect the first sawmill in Morgan Township in October of that year. Later the property was sold to Ambrose Humphrey in 1808, who built the first grist mill propelled by water.
The Torrington Land Company set aside land for educational purposes and in 1805, a log schoolhouse was constructed and on Sundays it was used for worship while during the week it was used for schooling.
Stephen Knowlton erected the first frame house in 1811 and was still standing in 1876 to store farm implements. The first brick house was constructed in 1864 by O.W. Lee.
Dr. Issac Weed was the first settled physician in Morgan Township, bringing his skill circa 1817 or 1818 but he stayed only a short time. By 1819, Morgan Township was organized and finally the area had its own justice of the peace, Clement Tuttle, ending the days of Phelps coming from Warren.
The village of Rock Creek was incorporated in the spring of 1849 through the efforts of Representative, N. L. Chaffee.
Roger Foot and his family came in 1814 and bought out Ambrose Humphrey Mill and improved and developed it so much it included grinding work for Rock Creek, Morgan, Rome, new Lyme and Lenox. The first tannery in Rock Creek was built by Joseph Ferry in 1821. It changed hands many times and other tanneries were built and by 1849, Rock Creek would boast of four.
The first church building was erected by the Presbyterians in 1829 with first pastor, Reverend Randolph Stone. The building was moved to High Street in 1845-46. In 1844, the Methodist Episcopal Church was built and the Disciple Church built a brick place of worship the same year they organized in 1874.
Many of Morgan’s pioneers are buried in the west end of Union Cemetery. The first cemetery on Forman Road gives testimony to fifty pioneers who settled Morgan Township including Hawleys, Foots, Bailey, Wrights Woodruffs and Stephen Knowlton.
The next two townships that were settled were Pierpont and Geneva. If you have information or pictures, please contact me at onesouthernwriter@gmail.com. Next week, I will be traveling to the New York Catskills Mountains to Schoharie Valley and Harpersfield, New York, to meet with the presidents of three historical society to find out firsthand about the first settlers to our county. I hope to bring back some interesting stories and new information to put into our history books!
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