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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. ------------------ 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 |
Places
French Creek Township
