Madison County History and Genealogy

History and Genealogy



History of Madison County


Amity


From Atlas of Madison County, J.A. Caldwell [Condit, Ohio, 1875]

West Canaan P.O., is located on the west banks of Big Darby, in the northern part of Canaan Township, three miles south of Plain City (formerly Pleasant Valley), and nine miles north from West Jefferson, on the Jefferson and Plain City Turnpike. The town of Amity, in Canaan Township, was laid out by Uri and Lorenzo Beach, who settled there in 1817. Up to that time, the early settlers were content to live in the simplest manner. Agriculture was the only business of the people. Uri Beach, seeing the great need of other industries determined to supply the wants of the settlement by building a saw-mill, which he did, the mill standing on a little stream just north of the village. From this mill was made all of the lumber for hte earliest frame buildings in the north part of the ocunty. The next enterprise Mr. Beach engaged in was the erection of a carding-machine, near his saw-mill. Owing to the difficulty of transporting machinery for hundreds of miles, this was a great undertaking; but energy overcame all obstacles, and the "factory" was finally completed. In addition to the carding, spinning and weaving was carried on in the establishment. For many years the factory was a great benefit to the country for thirty miles around; but it, with the pioneer saw-mill, has long since passed away, so that now but a few people even know where they stood. For a great many years Amity was a trading point of no little importance, Lorenzo Beach, Luther Lane, Henderson Crabb, Sr., and Dr. Charles McCloud being the merchants who have done business there, but the opening of the railroad through Pleasant Valley, now Plain City, transferred most of its business to that place. Its usual population is about 100. it has one dry goods store, one large wagon and blacksmith shop, one church (Union), and one physician.




From History of Madison County, Ohio, Chester E. Bryan, Supervising Editor, B.F. Bowen & Co., Indianapolis (1915)

Amity, or West Canaan, is situated on the banks of Big Darby creek, in the north eastern part of Canaan township. This is the only town within the limits of the township and as the business of mercantile trade began prior to the laying out of the town, the history will really begin with that period. Dr. Lorenzo Beach opened a store and commenced in the mercantile trade about the year 1826. Doctor Beach had been a practicing physician, but having decided to give up the practice of his chosen profession, decided that there was need of a store in which should be kept a general assortment of goods to supply the people of that community. He did a very successful business for several years, and there gained his first financial foothold among the early settlers as a good financier. At that time, 1826, the woolen-mill of Uri Beach was in full operation creating a concentration point for the people of a large extent of surrounding country. With the extensive business of the woolen-mill and Doctor Beach's store as a nucleus a little village began to spring up and there soon became quite a demand for more houses.

In view of this demand Uri and Dr. Lorenzo Beach purchased a tract of land of Dr. James Comstock embracing that upon which the town of Amity now stands, and commenced to lay out a town. Abijah Cary surveyed and laid out one tier of lots on each side of the road, thirty-three in all. The plat was made and the same recorded at London on January 3, 1833, under the name of New Canaan. In November, 1834, an addition to the town was laid out and recorded by Dr. Lorenzo Beach and Luther Lane, the same being surveyed by James Millikin, at which time the name of the town was changed to Amity, by which name it has since been known. In 1831, the first hotel was kept by William J. White, and the first blacksmith shop by P. Strickland. The postoffice was established about 1830, prior to the laying out of the town, and was kept by Horatio Adams, on the Finch farm, and was called New Canaan post office. This office was next kept by A. S. Stone, on the farm which was later owned by Henry Converse; then it was kept on the Nugent farm, and from thence changed to Amity, where it remained until covered by a rural-delivery mail route. In 1834-35 Luther Lane erected a distillery, which was in operation four or five years. About 1833, a Mr. Willey erected a comb factory, in which he employed several persons, and did an extensive business for four or five years.

Probably about 1832, Doctor Beach was succeeded in the mercantile busiess by Rev. Henderson Crabb, father of Judge O. P. Crabb, of London. In 1834, Doctor Beach and Luther Lane purchased a stock of goods and opened a store in another part of the town. At that early period Amity was one of the most flourishing towns in the northern part of Madison county. There were two good stores in the town, a flourishing woolen factory, a saw-mill, a distillery, a comb factory, besides the blacksmith and minor mechanical trades. Plain City at that period did a very small business compared to Amity. But the latter's days of prosperity were numbered. The factory dam was declared a nuisance and had to be torn down, thus putting a quietus on all the manufacturing interests in Amity. Subsequently the railroad was built through Plain City and this gave an impetus to the growth of the latter town, which soon became the leading trade and business center of that section. Since that time Amity has remained a quiet country village, doing a small but, steady, rural trade; the postoffice was a convenience to the community, but with the coming of the rural routes this has been adandoned.

Amity now contains a population of about thirty-five, showing a decline of two thirds in the last thirty years. There is only one store, in the village, which is owned by Clyde Frazell. Clarence Reece is the village blacksmith.


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