THE WAY IT WAS
ROME TOWNSHIP
ARTICLE TAKEN FROM THE COMMUNITY HEARALD(1997) Rome Township was first called Center Township, because it was 1/2 way between Pomeroy and Portsmouth when we were part of Washington County, Ohio. After becoming Lawrence County, the name of Rome Township was settled in 1822, because of the seven hills in the township, which reminded Thomas Walton & Judge R.B. Green of the Seven Hills of ancient Rome. Walton was to have just finished a book about Rome, Italy.
The first settler in Rome township was Joseph Miller born in 1762 in Wellsburg Va. (now WVA.) near Wheeling VA. He moved to Gallipolis soon after it was settled and where he lived in the stockade. He was employed by the goverment as an Indian Scout. He also carried the mail by canoe from Gallipolis to Maysville, KY. Occasionally he was attacked by Indians, on one trip coming home from Maysville he was attaked by Indians, about where Sciotoville is now, one of his helpers was killed, the other wounded. Miller and the wounded man jumped in the river and kept the canoe between them and the Indians until they could reach the shore on the Kentucky side of the river. After fixing up the broken arm of the wounded man, they walked back to Gallipolis following the trail back of the river. It is reported that Joseph was friends with Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton and Lewis Wetzel. In 1782.
Joseph Miller moved his family down river to Millersport, Ohio (now named Miller, Ohio) and built his cabin at the mouth of Federal Creek, which he named because he was a strong Federalist. Joseph's wife was Elizabeth Diggins. His son James was the first white child born in Rome Township. One day Mrs. Miller was digging potatoes in the garden, when she saw an Indian lying on his stomach in the pumpkin vines, she just worked her way over to him, pretending not to notice him and whacked him on the head with her hoe and killed him. Another time Mr. Miller was away from home getting supplies and Mrs. Miller was milking, only to return to the house and heard Indians in the loft of her home, she quickly set the pails of milk down, picked up her 2 sleeping children and ran 4 miles up river, off the main path so she would not be followed to her neighbor. The next day the men returned to find her cabin burned down. Another story was two of the sons, was fishing in the river when they saw some Indians, they ran to Federal Creek, then waded up the creek and found a hollow log, crawled into it, where they remained the rest of the day and all night (very quiet). They heard the Indians looking for them, even walking on the log they were hiding in.
Jacob Miller (a brother of Joseph) lived at the foot of Miller hill. Another brother Abe settled at the mouth of Paddy Creek. Abe was a noted hunter, story goes that one day when hunting in Virginia, he tied a rope to his foot, took a torch and crwled into a bears den, shot the bear, tied the rope around the bears leg, crawled out of the den and then he and his brothers pulled the bear out. He mined his own lead for bullets on the waters of Paddy Creek, near the ole Rome Chapel, but never told any one where the mine was, he was to have been told of the mine by Indians.
The Miller brothers were the sons of John Miler of Scottish descent, and his wife, who's name is believed to be Hannah, they lived in Wellsburg, Virginia, where they raised their children. In 1800 they came down the river to Federal Creek to live with their sons, bringing along a widowed dughter, Susan and her children. Susan was married to Peter Duillard, the French trader who bought Simon Kenton from the Indians and saved his life. Peter was killed on one of his trips East.
The Millers were very religious and would cross the river and walk to Guyandotte to attend the Methodist Church meeting. He wrote to the Western Conference to send a preacher and records show that Asa Shinn was assigned to the Guyandotte Circuit in 1803. John Miller passed away in 1817 and Mrs. Miller a little later, both are buried on the creek bank close to where their log cabin stood. Several of the other early Millers are buried in the Miller cementery. The Miller family still has lots of descendants in this area, they have become lawyers, farmers, teachers, and all very solid citizens of the community. Our present Common Pleas Judge Frank McCown is a descendant of this family.
Symmes Creek
Historical events and stories of The Symmes Valley
including Gallia, Lawrence and Jackson County
Written and Compiled By Wayne B. Ingles
I Joseph Drouillard Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of said County do hereby certify that Amos Ripley Esq. before me returns the forgoing declaration appears to have been sworn to was at that time a Justice of the Peace in and for said county duly commissioned and sworn an that the forgoing signed one representing to be his is genuine. In Testimony where I have hereto set my name and affixed the seal of said county at Gallipolis the 31st day of March 1,1855.
Jos. Drouillard, CLK
Note: Joseph Drouillard, the clerk of court, was the son of Peter Druyer (spelling changed according to Hawes History of Ohio) Peter Druyer was the noted Indian Agent at Detroit in the early days of French denomination. Mr.Druyer was prominent in transacting business and negotiating peace betweenthe Whites and Indians. He was killed at Detoit by his pet deer.
This page was submitted by Dianna Miller-Lisi.
*subnote* The original arcticle was written
by William H.H. Miller of Proctorvile, Ohio. I publish articles as I get them. I will not modify any of the information. If I were to do that, the articles would not be the originals. I would hope that no one felt they could change my written words, clearly a copyright infringement.
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