And some earlier activity as well ** Philosophocles **.
It’s kind of interesting that if you look at the Dreisbach family (which the Hitler’s married into in 1873. Of course, there may also have been earlier marriages), it’s easier to get a sense of the timescale of settlement. We know that George Hitler was in the general area (of Circleville) by the late 1700’s but not when that family first settled around Pickaway County. However, the Dreisbach’s family history is more readily accessible:
Firstly, it was presumptuous, at the very least, for me to suggest ‘settlement’ began with the early pioneers:
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/awmarion.htm
"Due largely to the fertile soils of the Pickaway Plains, which are said to contain the richest land in Ohio, early inhabitants were attracted here. The Adena culture were among the first to settle the area 2,000 years ago. An ancient circular earthworks on the site of what is now the city of Circleville (hence the name) gave evidence to their presence. In more recent times the villages of Chief Cornstalk of the Shawnee nation were located on these plains. These same villages were the object of attention of Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, who in 1774 marched his army within striking distance of the Indians."
As to the first pioneers in the general area::
*Twelve years after their disembarkation in Philadelphia, 1755 was a significant year in the history of Simon Dreisbach and his family. **1755 was the year in which land patents were filed *by Simon Sr. and his sons Adam, Jost and George, for land in Minisink Indian territory, south of the Blue Mountain, in newly established Northampton County." – they’d originally ‘bought’ 25 acres from the local Indians (not clear when, either 1749 or 1751) and had to repurchase in 1755."
But things didn’t go entirely smoothly:
"On 26 May 1757 inhabitants of Northampton County sent a petition to the governor of Pennsylvania, requesting protection from Indian raids. Seven houses and other buildings had been burned down, one man was killed, another was shot five times and one girl had been taken captive. The signers included Simon “Driesbach” and his son-in-law Henry Ulrich."
Moving onto the specifics of Circleleville (rather than the general area of the Pickaway Plains). This is what the Drieibach Family have to say:
http://www.dreisbachfamily.org/ohio.htm
"When Ohio was opened for settlement around 1800 many Pennsylvanians were attracted by its cheap and plentiful virgin land. A number of descendants of Martin Dreisbach were among them, as well as at least one descendant of Simon Dreisbach. Two roads led through southern Pennsylvania to the Ohio River: Forbes’ Road and Braddock’s Road. Zane’s Trace was an overland track in Ohio itself. The countryside which the settlers encountered was described in the Biographical History of the Scioto Valley, Ohio, Illustrated (1894) as an “almost unbroken wilderness, the forest abounding in wolves, deer, bears and wild turkeys.” Once settled in Ohio, many Dreisbachs changed the spelling of their name to Dresbach or Dresback
One of the earliest members of the family know to have gone west was Henry Dreisbach, second son of Martin. He took his wife and children to Pickaway County in 1802. There his son Daniel laid out the original Circleville in 1810.
And according to the local heritage folk:
http://www.circleville.com/history.html
“The recorded history of **Pickaway County began in 1774 **when Lord Dunmore led an army into the Ohio Valley in the war with the Indians. Lord Dunmore’s troops were camped east of Circleville at Camp Charlotte. After many battles and the loss of lives, a meeting was arranged to draw up a truce to end the wars. The meeting took place on the Pickaway Plains under a huge elm tree whose branches spread 120 feet in diameter. It was during this meeting that the famous speech of Chief Logan was delivered and the tree became known as the Logan Elm. Logan’s speech has been translated into virtually every language and is widely known as one of the most eloquent speeches ever delivered.”
By 1810, there were 7,124 people living in Pickaway County. Just not sure when them Hitler folk arrived, beyond it being at some point in the 1700’s.
Damn! that was fun. I do like a bit of ‘people history’.
