Some History of Medway

Taken from the 1881 W. H. Beers History of Clark County

BETHEL TOWNSHIP by Dr. H. H. Young

This is the southwest corner township in Clark County. Pike and German Townships join it on the north, Springfield Township on the east, Mad River Township southeast and south, Greene County on the south, Miami County on the west. Bethel Township contains twenty-seven entire sections in Township 3, Range 9; four whole and two fractional in Township 4, and one entire fractional section in Township 3, Range 8. The Mad River forms the boundary of the township from the east line of Section 27, in Township 4; thence southwest to the southeast corner of Section 35, Township 3, Range 8. This diagonal course of the river makes eight fractional sections to be added to the number given above. The soil of Bethel Township is limestone clay, with a gravel subsoil. At several points in the township the limestone rock is found near the surface, where quarries have been opened, furnishing an abundance of the finest stone for building purposes and making lime. The soil as a rule throughout Bethel Township is of the most productive kind, the upland is somewhat rolling, just enough for good drainage with none or but little waste land. The bottom land both first and second of Mad River, Donnel's and Honey Creeks, are among the finest in the world. Bethel was originally very heavily timbered, there having been but very little open land in the township. In the northern part of the township, the timber was principally beech, interspersed with the different varieties of oak, sugar, walnut, poplar, hickory, elm and lien: with a heavy growth of hazel and spice wood. In the central and southern part the beech almost entirely disappears, but oaks, walnut, maples, hickory, elm, linn and poplar are found. Along the streams buckeye were abundant; the past tense is used because there is but little more timber left that can be spared. The township is admirably watered. Mad River along the entire southern border; Donnel's Creek and its branches in the east; Jackson Creek in the middle, both running quite across the township; Honey and Mud Creeks in the west. These with their lateral branches furnish abundant water for all farm purposes, as well as the power needed for milling. On Section 25 is a chain of lakelets, four in number, filled with pure fresh water, well stocked with our common fish. One of these lakes has recently been appropriated by a stock company for the purpose of propagating the more valuable sorts of fish. This series of lakes are evidently the remains of a mighty river, that once rushed through the valley in which they are. situated.

 The Rev. Archibald Steel settled on part of Section 19, Township 3, Range 9, in 1807; soon after built a grist-mill, which formed the nucleus of the town of Medway. It is situated on the Valley Pike, nearly midway between Dayton and Springfield, The last census gave 211 inhabitants. Medway is surrounded by one of the finest farming districts in the world-which, however, is the character of the whole of the Mad River Valley. Medway has one dry goods store, and one grocery and provision store, a carriage-factory, wagon and blacksmith shops, a mill for the reduction of wood to pulp for the manufacture of paper; this establishment employs a number of hands, and will soon be increased to more than double its present products. The Woodbury flouring-mills, adjoining Medway. are among the best in the Mad River Valley and doing a large business, having a never-failing supply of water, and is never stopped by the coldest weather. The buildings in Medway are generally better than are usually found in a village of its size. It contains a graded school and two churches-the Methodist and a new Mennonite; a large proportion of the people in the vicinity are members of the latter church, and are noted as agriculturists of the most thorough sort.

Genealogy Links

Census and Directories

1850 Bethel Township, Clark County, Census

1880 Bethel Township, Clark County, Census

1916 City Directory - Medway

Cemeteries

Medway Cemetery

New Carlisle Cemetery - not updated

Helpful Genealogy Websites

www.rootsweb.com

http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi - Social Security Death Index.

 http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/ - WorldConnect by rootsweb can connect you with other people researching  your family tree.

http://www.usgenweb.com/ - Genealogy pages for each county of each state.

Ohio Death Index - 1913-1937

Clark County Genweb Page

Misc.

http://www.ohiobyways.com/Lower_Valley/LowerValley.htm- Ohio's 18th scenic byway

http://www.betheltownship.info/ - Bethel Township home page

http://www.btcomm.com/trains/newbost/index.htm - Donnels Creek and New Boston Railroad home page