Ohio History Journal

DIARY OF AARON MILLER

 

 

WRITTEN WHILE IN QUEST OF OHIO WHEAT LANDS

 

Aaron Miller, the author of the following diary,

was born in Louden County, Virginia, in 1784, died

in Highland County, Ohio, in 1872 -- at the age of 88

years. He had five brothers, Moses, Daniel, Jesse, Peter

and Jacob, all natives of Louden County, Virginia. In the

spring of 1832 Aaron Miller, together with his brother

Daniel, made the trip as narrated in the diary on horse-

back into Ohio for the purpose of seeking new homes

for five of the brothers. After their return to Virginia,

a Davis family, natives of Louden County, Virginia,

consisting of the father, John Davis, and four mar-

ried sons, Azalia, Jonathan, Thomas and John, joined

with the five Miller brothers and their families -- mak-

ing in all nine families -- organized a wagon caravan

and migrated to Highland County, Ohio.

Aaron Miller, the author of the diary, and his four

brothers each purchased a farm and settled in the

southeastern part of Highland County, Ohio. They

selected that locality because of the adaptability of the

soil for the production of wheat and the proximity of

the Ohio River markets.

Their farms were all in the same neighborhood, no

two farms being in excess of 15 miles apart. On these

farms the pioneer farmers reared large families and

spent the remainder of their days, the shortest lived

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68       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications reaching the age of 74 years. Four of them, Aaron, Jesse, Daniel and Peter lie buried in the community cemetery at Marshall, Ohio, while Jacob was buried in the old Dunkard graveyard a short distance away.

W. H. Miller of Columbus, and Thurman ("Dusty") Miller of Wilmington, are direct descend- ants of Aaron Miller -- the former being a grandson and the latter a great grandson. Many descendants of the Miller and Davis families now live in central and southern Ohio.

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Diary of Aaron Miller                69

 

DIARY OF AARON MILLER*

April 31st, 1832.

This day left home in company with M. Janney, A. Janney,

I. Menefee, M. Arnold, I. Arnold, and D. Miller, on horse back

for the Western country. Dined in Shepherdstown on the banks

of the Patomac river, thence across the river into Merriland

to Sharpsburg, thence to Williamsport where we remained for

the knight.  Pasing through a verry rich and beautiful country

all the way from Keyses Ferry to Williamsport.  The lands

worth from thirty to Fifty Dollars per acre.  The day was

cloudy and inclined to rain.

May 1st.

Left Williamsport this morning in a verry heavy fog.

Breakfasted at the Indian Springs turnpike.  Nine O'clock fog

disapeared, clear sun shine, thence to Hancock where we fed

our horses and remained there two hours.  Found it to be a

verry lively, flourishing little town, situated on the banks of

the Patomac river.  Thence to William Reeces at the foot of

the town. Hill east side distance from Williamsport, 38 miles.

A mountainous, poor country all the way.    Past over two

covered bridges, one over bear creek, the other over Liden

creek, had a fine day for traveling with west wind.

May 2nd.

Wrode from Wm. Reeces to Mr. Bealls on the top of the

Alleganey Mountain, distance 39 miles.  Poor mountainous

country all the way.  Fine accomodations all along the road;

past through Cumberland and Frostburg today; the elevation

from tide water to Cumberland is said to be 537 feet.  This

is a place where a good deal of business is done having the

advantage of water navagation down the Patomac to George-

town, and in a country where there are large quantities of stone

coal to be found. Past five droves beeves today.

May 3rd.

Wrode 12 miles to Mr. Stoddards on top of Kizers Ridge,

the highest ridge known in our domain.  The elevation here is

2843 feet above tide water and 2306 above Cumberland in the

distance of 29 miles.  This is a place of great resort, there

 

* The manuscript diary of Aaron Miller, which is here published

word for word without change in orthography, is in the library of the

Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. Acknowledgment is

made to Honorable William H. Miller, formerly of Wilmington, Ohio,

now of Columbus, who has presented this manuscript to the Society.

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being three lines of stages which stop here; from here we wrode

to Petersville, a very lively little town. Fine farms all around

it, thence to Smithfield, a town on the Yaugheganey. A very

fine stream on the banks of which are abundance of stone coal,

thence to Mr. Jones on Mount Washington, called Fort Neces-

sity, on the large Meadows, where General Washington and his

men encamped when fighting with the Indians.  Here we met

with two very fine droves of beef cattle from Ohio, bound for

Baltimore.

Had a very fine day for traveling. Wrode 38 miles.

May 4th.

Took breakfast in Uniontown, thence to Brownsville on

the Monongahaly river, a verry flourishing town. Steam boats

come from Pittsburgh to this place and as high as morgantown,

except in low water. There are two fine glass works in this

place, from here we wrode to Hillsborough, a little village eight

miles west of brownsville, where we remained for the knight.

Had a fine day for traveling, wrode 34 miles.  Past three

droves of cattle all from Ohio bound for Baltimore.  Past

through a very fine grass country today.  Land worth from

ten to Fifty dollars per acre. Fine houses.

May 5th.

Left Hillsborough took breakfast in Washington, thence to

Alexander near the Virginia line, where we again fed, thence

to Mrs. Goodens, Ohio County, Virginia, five miles east of

Wheeling & near a verry fine monument erected in honor of

Henry Clay on the banks of little wheeling whose stream we

crost nine times today over verry fine bridges. Past 3 droves

of fat cattle from Ohio, bound for Baltimore.  The land over

which we travelled today we thought not so good as that of

yesterday, more broken abounding with an abundance of stone

cole.

May 6th.

Took breakfast in Wheeling, thence across the Ohio river

into Belmont County on to fairview where we remained for

the knight, wrode 35 miles today.  past 5 droves of beeves

from Pickaway cty Ohio bound for philadelphia, the lands in

this county in a high state of Cultivation, fine buildings. Coun-

try verry broken, land worth from 10 to 25 dollars per acre.

May 7th.

Past through Guernsey County on to a town called Norwich

in Muskingdom cty, 12 miles east of Zainesville, and 27 miles

west of Fairview, here Daniel and myself left the turn pike

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Diary of Aaron Miller               71

 

and wrode north three miles to Cephas Hawks where we re-

mained all knight.  Thought the land in Guernsey county not

so good as that of Belmont. Worth from three to ten dollars

per acre.

May 8th.

Wrode from Hanks about eight miles to Adam Millers

where we remained untill the next morning after breakfast.

We are now in the North part of Muskingdom County. Coun-

try verry broken, though fine wheat land.  If well managed,

which is not .the case at this time, on account of its being a

newly settled country but think it will one day be a verry fine

country, well watered and healthy and lands riseing in value

verry fast.  Farms now tollarable well improved, worth from

six to 12 dollars per acre.

Wrode to Zainesville where we fell in with our former

company except Mr. Arnold, who had gone on. Zanesville is

quite a flourishing place. We put up at the national hotell the

finest tavern house I ever seen.  This house is calculated to

intertain 1000 people.  In this place we visited one very ex-

tencive glas works and steem paper mill and some of the best

merchant mills said to be in that are in the united states.

May 10th.

Left Zainesville and continued on the pike 20 miles to

Linville, here we left the pike took a Northwest coarse to

Newark the county town of Licken County, situated on the

canal, the land in this part of the county is verry good, worth

from 10 to 30 dollars per acre, but past through a good eal

of verry poor land between this and Zainesville, they will deliver

flour from this place to New York for $1.62 1/2 per blls.

May 11th.

Took breakfast in Grandville, 6 miles west of Newark,

thence to Collumbus, Franklin cty the seat of government, 33

miles from Newark, the country lying between Grandville and

Collumbus is verry flat beach country, good graising land but

not good for wheat land, worth from three to ten dollars per

acre.

May 12th.

Left Collumbus crost the sioto river, thence to Washington

a small town at the end of the paved road in Madison County,

the country fromm Collumbus to this place lies leavel but rich

deep soil, fine for corn and grass but not for wheat, no spring

water, all wells. About two miles west of this we parted with

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the company, Daniel and myself took the wright hand road for

Urbana and they left for Springfield.  We continued our road

North through Madison County, a low barron country, a great

place for graizing cattle, people here make it a beusiness, they

go to Colinois purchase cattle low, bring them here in this poor

barron country, a leavel plain of grass where you can see as far

as your eyes will carry you, all around you, with here and there

a scrubby oak -- have boys on horse back with their basket of

provisions on their arms after them all day to keep them to-

gether and at knight pen them up, and in the fall of the year

they will pick out the best to feed and drive the weaker ones

to the east and sell them for stock cattle, and make money fast

at the business, from what I can learn they make about fifty

percent clear on their money annually.

We stopt in McCanicksburg, a small village in Champlain

County.  Here we left the barrons and got into a fine rich

farming country, traveled five miles further where we put up

with an old Dutchman who keeps a private entertainment in a

large cabben; our fare here was verry rough, much deverted at

the old man eating mush and milk, dipt his spoon with all the

auquerdness of a Dutchman, into his mush dish, roled it out

onto the table then with both hands into his cup.

Sunday, May 1₃th.

Breakfasted with George Hunter in Urbana, the county

town of Champlain County, thence Northwest seven miles to

John Shrivers where we dind and took our lodgeing at Joseph

Russels in the neighborhood.  The 14th wrode about in the

settlement looking at several farms that were offered for sale,

but did not like the quality of land in that settlement, it being

a beach soil, cold and spoutty and filled with a certain something

they know not what, some supposes one thing and some another.

It is a ceartain something which the cattle git to eat in the woods

which brings on what they call the milk sicness, the cattle will

be turned out in the morning well and healthey and in the eve-

ning will be found verry sick, they take with a trembeling, some-

thing simmerly to a man who has a verry hard shake with the

ague and continue so a few ours and die unless they get im-

meadiate releaf, and any person useing the milk freaquently done

before it is discovered in the cow, takes with a sickness on the

stomach and commence with a pukeing and die without remedy,

in a verry short time; this evening we lodged with Felty Miller

liveing five miles south of where we lay last knight, he says

there is none of that evel where he lives.

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Diary of Aaron Miller                73

 

May 15th.

Left Felty Millers, thence South sentrically through the

county of Champlain to a small village called Christiansburg

near the lower end of the county, on honey creek a distance of

ten miles.

There is a verry fine body of land in this settlement along

honey creek, through a new settlement about 25 miles north of

Daton, and nearly sentically between mad river and big miama.

This settlement has more spring water than any other we have

past through since we left Muskingdom county, lands here say

one half cleared with cabben buildings worth from 8 to 10

dollars per acre.

May 16th.

Left the neighborhood of Christiansburg, crosing the south

east corner of Myama cty into Montgomery cty, about 16 miles

to where brother Moses famley where liveing.  Remained in

that neighborhood 1 1/2 days.  Lands in this neighborhood is

verry good, farms pretty well improved, worth 25 dollars per

acre.

May 18th.

Continued our coars south to Daton the county seat of

Montgomery county. Situated between Mad river, Big Miama

and the canal leading on to Cincinati.  Found this to be a

place of greateal of business, improveing rapedly.  Here we

crost the big miama river thence west 15 miles to Jermantown,

pasing through the best boddy of land by verry far I have yet

seen in aney county, fine prospect for wheat, all the way from

Daton to Jermantown.  Land worth from 13 to 30 dollars per

acre. Nice farmers all through this section of the country, prin-

cipally Jermans.

May 1₉th.

Left Jermantown thence West through Prebble County 30

miles to the line of Indiana where we remained for the knight.

Thought the land in Prebble county not so good as that of

Montgomery, more beach timber. country generally level except

along the water coarses more broken, with here and there a

running spring, yet not so good as the well water.

May 1₉th.

Crost the line into Indiana to Liberty town the county seat of

Union County, a south west coars 7 miles, thence south four

miles to Mr. Ritches where we remained all knight it being Sun-

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day for the purpose of looking at some land he had for sale on

Monday morning.

May 20th.

Spent the fore part of this day in the neighborhood of

Mr. Riches viewing several farms which we thought might suit

us, but thought they held their land to high, being about fifty

miles from cincinnati, their place of market, good improved

farms can be bot here at from 10 to 14 dollars per acre. From

here we steared our coars south through Franklin County, came

by Henry Frys, called at his house expecting to find Mr. Ar-

nolds whoom we had parted with 12 miles east of Zainesville,

but on inquiry were told by Missis Fry that her husband and

them had left early in the morning for the purpose of vewing

some farms that were offered for sale and that they would not

git back before knight, but did not ask us to light off, we then

asked her were would be the best place for us to get lodgeing

in the neighborhood as it was growing late and we wisht to sea

the Mr. Arnolds before we left the settlement, she said she

could not tell us, we then bid her good-bye and wrode off, but

had not gone about half a mile before we met them all comeing

back, apearantly verry much dissatisfied finding that lands which

they expected to have bot for 8 dollars per acre could not be

got for less than 12 dollars, and had not yet bot any and thought

they would return home without buying. Jacob Arnold said he

would return home satisfied with keeping his little farm in

Lowdin in preference to selling and moveing to that country,

and I thought if all the neighborhoods were like that, that I

should be of his opinion.  After haveing some conversation

and giting no invitation from Mr. Fry to return back with them,

we bid them good bye, wrode about three miles, it drawing

towards knight we cast our eyes to the left where we beheld a

very fine farms with most splendid improvements on it, as

though it might have belonged to some great statesman, and

haveing had it in view to improve from, and get all the informa-

tion we could from smart intelegebel men we could, we without

any hisetation wrode wright to the house where we were received

with a great eal of politeness, finding them to be Jersey people

who where possessed of knolage and good sense. His wife was

busily engaged in packing up marketing to load a waggon which

was agoing to start the next morning to cincinnati and said

that they maid something like $300.00 a year in that way,

allthough 45 miles from market. which proves to me that none

are so far from market as those who have nothing to sell.

We got a great eal of information from the old man about the

country, which encouraged us verry much.  The land in this

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Diary of Aaron Miller                75

 

settlement is truly very rich and said to be healthey; good im-

proved farms can be had here at about 12 dollars per acre.

May 21st.

We left here this morning stearing our coarse through the

country towards Hamilton, the county town of Butler county

on the Miama river, pasing through a verry rich country but

scarce of rail timber, principally beach sugar, came on to one

Mr. Mohn Morres who has a verry fine farm 13 miles West

of Hamelton and had been trying to sell it for the last three

months Past, and his neighbers said was verry anxious to

sell, we found him ploughing corn in the field, lit off our horses

and walkt to where he was, asked him if he did not want to

sell his farm, he said he did, and that he had nobody to help

him, his family had all married and left him except one daugh-

ter and that he was giting to old to manage the farm and for

that reason wished to sell, he then invited us to the house and

had our horses put away and we took a walk around his farm,

found it to be a verry fine farm, containing 180 acres with

75 cleared on it, farm well watered with good springs and

verry fine stone house, well finished, after we had vewed the

farm and got back to the house it then being nearly dusk, I

asked him what was the lowest he would take for the farm, he

said Two thousand dollars was his price, cash, and if he did

not git that he would not sell, finding he would not take any

less and beleaving it to be a good bargain, I at length said to

him that I would give him what he askt in cash, he seamed to

be pretty much scaired when I told him I would take the farm,

left us, went down the dairy where his wife was putting away

her milk.  Nothing more being said about the farm untill the

next morning, when I expected to have closed, but on mention

being maid the next morning he said he could not sell that his

wife was not willing. We laughed at him for throughing the

blame on his wife, told him to come out more like a man and

say he was scared but told him that he nead not be uneasy for

we cared verry little about taking it.

May 23rd.

Left Mr. Morris thence south 7 miles to cousin Elizabetth

Beals, took dinner with her sons, thence east four miles to

Cousin Danniel Delaplanes where we remained for the knight.

May 24th.

Left Delaplanes for cincinnati, distance 27 miles, crost

the miama at Hamelton, a verry lively little town on the canal,

thence direct on to cincinnati through Hamilton county, pasing

through two other villages, thought the land through which we

past on the east side of the Miama river not so good as that

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on the west, much pleased with the town of cincinnati, think

it is the greatest place for business I ever saw, verry far sur-

passes Baltimore in my opinion for all kinds of business. We

visited the market house in the morning and where verry much

surprised at seaing 500 waggons their loaded with all kinds

of marketing, but, were told that it was not an uncomon thing

to sea 700 waggons there of a morning.   The population of

Cincinnati is said to be 39000, their was 1000 houses put up

their last year and 1000 more under construction this spring.

May 25th.

Left Cincinnati thence immeadiately up the Ohio river 18

miles viewing the fine bottoms all along the river, but was verry

much surprised seaing the trees markt all along the river where

the water had reacht to at the time of the great freshet this

spring the river then being 62 feet above low water.  This

evening we got to Samuel Behammers, where we had expected

to have found Aunt Margaret Logan but on inquiry we found

that she had been dead about four years.

May 26th.

Left Behammers, thence north west 2 miles to William

Dunhams who has a verry fine farm for sale 2 miles from the

Ohio river and 16 miles from Cincinnati, 180 acres in the tract

with about 100 acres cleared on it. This farm is well improved

with a verry large fine brick house and large fraim barn, well

watered but scarce of timber.  His price for the farm is 2300

dollars cash or 2500 in three payments.  from here we steared

our coarse east through Clearmont county 19 miles through

broken poor country to one Mr. Rosses 5 miles east of Williams-

burg where we remained for the knight.

May 27th.

Left Mr. Rosses continued our coarse east 22 miles through

the white oak swamp nearly all the way to Hillsborough the

county seat of Highland County, here we remained for the

knight.  The corn and wheat maid in this county last year

looks worth all most as mutch again as it did in aney of the

country west of this and I am told that on the Ohio river they

will give from five to ten cents a bushel more for the wheat

raised in Hiland county than for aney other, wheat here generally

weys from 63 to 66 lbs to the bushel.   We traveled about

diferent directions through the east and south parts of this

county. Came across a man by the name of Anthony Caplinger,

10 miles south of Hillsborough who ownd a farm of 252 acres,

He haveing had a faling out with his bretherern the Dunkers,

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Diary of Aaron Miller               77

 

in conciquance of this preacher not living right as he thaught

on account of whitch they split and their meatings were broken

up, be being dissatisfied and wishing to move into another

Dunker settlement, offered his land for sale, after viewing it I

thought it about such a farm as I wanted, there is about 120

acres cleared on it under good fence and in a high state of

cultivation, all the fields which are not now in cultivation are

finely set with clover big enough to mow. The buildings are

tolearable good I would say that all the buildings that are on

the farm could not be put their for less than eight hundred

dollars, his price for this farm was fifteen hundred dollars, find-

ing that we could not bargain for the land alone I proposed

buying him out all togeather; land with all growing on it and

all his personal property except his waggon and horses beads

and beading and such things as he might want to load one

waggon with, he said that he would prefer selling in that way as

he did not know how far he might move. I then askt him what

was the lowest he would take in cash for the whole together and

he said he would take $1600. dollars cash for the whole, I then

told him I would give him 1500 cash for the whole togather and

that he might now take his chois for I would not give aney

more, after standing a little he said it was a bargain we then

closed by article of agreement the next day we wrode about

10 miles north, where we found a farm to suit brother Daniel,

which farm he bot for 1600 dollars.  In the tract a verry

handsome farm well improved.   Daniel says it is the only

farm he ever saw in his life that exactly pleased him.

June Ist.

Left Highland county thence into Ros county direct on to

chilacothe where we remained for the knight. Found the town

improveing verry fast since they have got the advantages of

the canel which is now done 20 miles below the town, and the

balance under contract to points north, the contractors bound

to have it done by next fall, at which time they will have the

advantage of the new york market and the new Orleans market,

sertainly verry great are the advantages of this canal of the

state of Ohio, there is a great eal of verry fine land in Ros

county, but some parts of it thought not to be healthey, par-

ticularly the part surrounding the sioto river. Likewise, some

of the bottoms of paint creek whitch allso are seling high.

June 2nd.

After tending the market this morning in chilacothe and

being much pleased at seaing the brisk sales that were maid, we

left their for home. Wrode to Kingstown, 10 miles through a

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verry fine rich settlement, lands worth from 10 to 30 dollars per

acre. Badly watered, no spring water, and verry little water

for stock, thence to Tarleton, a small town on the east line

of pickaway county, thence to New Lankester, the county town

of Fairfield county, this county is principally settled with Jer-

mans. Farms in fine order with good buildings.  Town verry

flourishing, they have commenced cuting a canal from this place

to intersect the Cleveland canal, a distance of eight miles. This

canal is done by subscription, there is to be no locks in it, say

they will have it done by next fall.

June 3rd.

Left New Lankester, thence through perry county on to

Zainesville in Muskingdom county. The country lying between

Zainesville and chilacothe, distance 70 miles, generally good

wheat land, lays high and roaling, and some of it a good eal

broken up, on the whole I would call it about second quality,

worth from 5 to $30 per acre.

June 7th.

Left the turnpike 5 miles east of Wheeling at Henry Clays

monument, thence a little south of east, 9 miles to West Union,

in Ohio county, Virginia, this afternoon we discovered two

wild dear runing through the woods, the first we have seen,

from here we wrode through Washington county, pencilvaney,

thence through Green county to Wainsburg, the county town of

Green county.  Here we had intended turning of south to

Middletown on the Monnongahaly river in search of Doct. T. H.

Davis but on inquiry where told that we were yet 40 miles

from the place and that this was no direct road leading to the

place but all the way winding among the hills and then we

would have to pas through a verry mountainious country, with

a bad road all the way to Winchester, finding our horses giting

verry tired from the journey all ready, and we anxious to git

home, Daniel said he could not think of takeing the round, he

being under the neadcesity of returning home by the 15th of

June.  We then continued our coarse on the state road 36

miles to Uniontown on the National turnpike.

The country from where we left the turnpike 5 miles on

this side of wheeling through Ohio and Green countyes on to

Waynesburg, is a verry poor mountainious country, with here

and their a few small farms stuck about in the hallows. With-

out aney form, or I had likt to have said, comliness, the country

inhabited with bares, wolves, panthers and some wild dear,

soon after we left Wainesburg we got into a verry beautifull

country, verry fine farms all along the road to Uniontown,

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Diary of Aaron Miller               79 worth from 15 to 18 dollars per acre, sixty one miles from Uniontown to Cumberland to which place I now skip, haveing given some discription of the country in my rout out. June 11th. Left Bruces on the turnpike 5 miles west of Cumberland, we are now in Merriland and but 2 miles from the line of Pa. and 5 miles from Va.  You can go into three states here by wriding 7 miles. Here we took the Winchester road on through Hampshare and Jefferson on to Winchester distance 60 miles, pasing through a verry poor mountainious country until we got within 4 miles of Winchester, here we came into a rich limestone valley clear on to Sniggers ferry on the Shanadone river. I would just remark that in all the route which I have taken the wheat crop looks bad.  I would say that one half of the fields would not pay a man for cuting and thrashing, and again I would say through away one half of the fields and say nothing about them, that the other half would be about half of a crop. [THE END.]

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