Dixon Township, Preble County

How Dixon Township, Preble County began

Dixon Township, in southwestern Preble County, was organized in 1812 and named for Eli Dixon, its first settler, a captain in the Ohio militia and later county commissioner and justice of the peace. Dixon arrived from Georgia around 1804 with three brothers, one of whom, Stephen, later moved to the Wabash River in Indiana and was killed there by Indians along with the family he was living with; no similar violence is recorded within Dixon Township itself, where the 1881 county history notes Native people were seen passing through or camping but 'never daring to molest the inhabitants.' It is the only Dixon Township in Ohio. It remains one of the county's smallest and most sparsely populated townships, with 568 residents at the 2020 census.

Settled circa 1804 (Eli Dixon), incorporated 1812.

Where the name comes from

Dixon Township was named for Eli Dixon, its first settler, a captain in the Ohio militia who was later elected the township's first justice of the peace and served as a Preble County commissioner; it is the only Dixon Township in Ohio.

Before the town

The 1881 county history states plainly that 'no record now exists of any disturbance being made in this township by Indian hostilities' during the War of 1812 era, even though the region's weak, newly settled state might have invited attack; Native people were 'often seen passing through, or camping in, this neighborhood, but never daring to molest the inhabitants.' The township's namesake family did suffer violence, but away from here: Stephen Dixon, one of Eli Dixon's three brothers, had moved with several families to the banks of the Wabash River in Indiana, where the settlement was attacked and Stephen and others were killed; two girls of the party were never found, and rumors persisted for years that they had been seen alive, in Native custody, heading further west.

Nations recorded here: Miami, Shawnee.

Timeline

1. 1808-03 — Preble County was organized, John Leslie having settled the general area in 1798.
2. 1804 — Eli Dixon and three brothers, Samuel, Stephen and Joseph, moved to the area from Georgia and settled on what became known as the 'Four Mile' settlement; a Kentuckian named Kercheval arrived at nearly the same time and built the township's first mill on Four Mile Creek.
3. 1812 — Dixon Township was organized at the instigation of Eli Dixon, then a county commissioner, who was elected the township's first justice of the peace.
4. 1817 — A severe winter with a two-foot snowpack crusted hard enough to bear dogs but not deer let the settlers' dogs run down large numbers of deer, a windfall long remembered by the township's old settlers.
5. 1818 — Eli Dixon moved with his family to Greene County, Indiana, where he is believed to have died.
6. 1841 — The township's first post office, called Stony Point, opened with Jacob Morris as postmaster.
7. 1840 — Dixon Township's population was recorded at 1,281.
8. 1880 — Dixon Township's population had declined to 1,162.
9. 2020 — The U.S. Census recorded 568 residents in Dixon Township.

Stories

The brother who left and never came back

Eli Dixon and three brothers -- Samuel, Stephen and Joseph -- came together from Georgia around 1804 to settle the township that would later bear Eli's name. Samuel was 'partially insane' by the family's own account and Joseph vanishes from the record entirely, but Stephen struck out again, moving with a group of families, including one named Paddack, to a new settlement on the banks of the Wabash River in Indiana. Soon after they arrived, the small settlement was attacked. Stephen and the male head of the Paddack family were found dead outside the cabin -- Stephen with a heavy hoe still in his hands, its handle nearly cut to pieces by tomahawk blows in what the county history calls 'a fearful struggle against overwhelming odds.' The women and some children died in the burned cabin; two young girls were never accounted for. For years afterward, travelers passing through brought word of bands of Indians seen heading west with two young white girls in their company, but whether they were the missing Paddack girls, and what became of them, was never settled. Eli himself stayed on in Preble County, becoming its namesake township's first justice of the peace, before moving on to Indiana himself around 1818.

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · ohiogenealogyexpress.com · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · genealogytrails.com

Every historic place in Preble County on the full map

Groundwater pumped from 8 wells from 3 wellfield sources (City of Eaton CCR wording). The CCR does not name the aquifer type. The water here

• Eaton Public Water System62% of residentsSand and gravel (Pleistocene) aquifer wells, Preble County
• Lakengren Water Authority26% of residentsGroundwater wells (3 wells)
• Camden, Village Of8% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
• Southwest Regional Water District4% of residentsGreat Miami Buried Valley Aquifer (wells)
• Gratis Village0% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)

Bridges rated poor (4)

Spills reported since 2021 (1)

Money issues on the ballot since 2020: 4 of 4 passed.

Ballot issues

Elections for office

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

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