Mercer County Genealogy

 

Places French Creek Township     

 

The eastern portion of Sandy Creek township was detached and made French Creek township in 1805, and in November, 1849, Mill Creek township was formed from the south half of the original French Creek. In 1806 the officials of French Creek township were: Samuel Kilgore, constable Patrick Kilgore, supervisor; Jacob Reed and James Montgomery, appraisers.  

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The valley of French Creek, which cuts across the corner of this township, was a route of the early French explorers, settlers and soldiers in passing from Lake Erie to the site of Pittsburg. Therefore this portion of the county is the most historic from the point of connection with the colonial period of American history. No permanent results, however, were left from these early passages of French and English parties. The actual settlement of the township was begun during the first decade of the last century. Robert Robb, John Smith, Hugh Moore, Thomas Jones were pioneers. French Creek is a rugged country, in an early day was a paradise of hunters and trappers, but the permanent settler preferred a region less difficult to bring under the dominion of the plow. During the twenties and thirties [1820s and 1830s] several industries were started, among them a tannery, sawmill, grist mill and a pottery.  

The settlement called Milledgeville was officially begun in 1851, when the plat was surveyed. One or two mills had been operated here some years before, and after the laying out of the village a congregation of the Christian denomination was organized (in 1852) and in 1858 the Milledgeville Presbyterian church. The Deer Creek Methodist church had been organized a little after 1840, and their house of worship was about a mile and a half from the village. The postoffice was established in August, 1839, under the name of Deer Creek, with William R. Cooper as postmaster. The name was changed to Milledgeville in 1852. Rural delivery brought about the abandonment of this office.  

After the building of the Franklin branch of the Erie Railroad early in the seventies, passing down the east side of the valley of French creek, a railroad station was established in the corner of Mercer county called Carlton. A postoffice was opened in July, 1874, with Nelson J. Reynolds as postmaster, and the office is now the only one in that corner of the county. 

Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, 1909, pages 164-165 

                      

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