![]() ![]() Henry and Katherine Gambrose Clover were the parents of 14 children, 11 were boys. In 1813, the Clover family relocated from Virginia after a short stay in Chillicothe. Others mentioned in Martin’s history were the families of S. James, not his father, is mentioned in the 1880 history as one of the early settlers of the township. The family moved to what would become Prairie Township and had 10 more children. A year later, a son, James, was born while they lived near Franklinton. In 1804, widower John Dougherty, 39, married Nancy Ann Gatton, 17, according to an article written by Nola Freeman, a member of the Southwest Franklin County Historical Society. That was just three years after Franklinton became the first permanent settlement in Central Ohio. Martin’s History of Franklin County, the earliest settlers to the area that became Prairie Township are identified as the families of Samuel Higgins, Shatrick Postle and William Darby Creek flowed along the western boundary while Darby Run drained water to the south and Scioto Run provided a land drain to the Scioto River, according to the 1880 History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio. The land was level and the soil was well adapted to the growing of wheat and corn but much of it needed to be drained. A visit to Battelle Darby Creek Park showcases what the woodlands and tall grass area once looked like. The area also had vast forests which kept numerous sawmills busy throughout the year. Stories of the time said the grass was tall enough to hide all but the head of a man riding a horse. It’s believed the name was selected because of the tall grasses that once covered the landscape, much like a prairie. They also fished in the streams, especially Darby Creek and another stream known as Hell Branch. Shawnee and Wyandot Native Americans hunted wild game in and around the dense forests and prairie lands, according to a 1984 newspaper article quoting John Barsotti, a curator at Ohio Historical Connection. ![]() The landscape of Prairie Township today is nothing like what it was when the area was first settled more than 200 years ago. Prairie Township Alton, Rome, LaFayetteville, Galloway-Smithville, Lincoln Village
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