Ebenezer Cheney made the next settlement in this township. He was born in Harrison County, Va., January 15, 1777, and married Elizabeth Owen, who was also a naive of Virginia. He emigrated to Champaign County, Ohio, in 1807, and in 1827 settled in Jackson Township just south of Essex, now the W. Harriman place. Mr. Cheney was attracted to Jackson Township by the game that abounded in the wilderness. He was passionate ly fond of hunting, and when not engaged with his farm duties was always traversing the forests, gun in hand. The route by which he, and Mr. Carter before him, reached their future homes, was by an Indian trail from Fulton Creek north to Rush Creek, which almost followed the line of the present pike. They came by ox team and often were obliged to stop and cut logs away in order that their team might pass. The cabins were raised by assistance obtained from far and near. The cabin of Ebenezer Cheney was built mostly by men from the Scioto River. The day was fixed for the raising, and as the distance was considerable, the men threaded their way through the woods the evening before, in order to be on hand early in the morning. They built a large fire and camped on the spot, resting as best they could on heaps of brush. It was a jolly crowd of men which wooed sleep in vain, and at last abandoning all hope of slumber, the men rose and went to work by the fitful gleam of camp fire, and by daylight had the cabin erected as high as they could reach with uplifted hands. Mr. Cheney killed many deer and was also a noted bee hunter. While engaged in his favorite pastime, he met with the misfortune of losing the brushing an eye by the brushing of a tree branch against his face. He died July 15, 1833. His wife preceded him to the grave five years. Their children were Keturah, who married David S. Allen, in Champaign County; Thomas; Mary, who married David Carr; Elizabeth, who was the wife of Tabor Randall; John, a farmer, who died in this township; Francis, who died in Marion County; William, now living near Lima, Allen County; and Jane, who died in this township.
