to Waterford, subsequently to Athens county, until the death
of his wife in 1835, when he came to his son-in-law's and
daughter's, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Fair, of Chester, Meigs
county, with whom he remained until his decease, in his
eighty-seventh year. He is buried in the Chester cemetery.
Samuel Ervin built a cabin near the site of what is known
as the "Horton boatyard" in 1807, being the first settler of the
town of Pomeroy. Amos Partlow came in 1809 and built his
cabin about where the Excelsior Salt Works are situated, and
that was the second house. The third cabin was erected by
Frank Hughes on the ground where the court house stands,
and John Mason put a cabin on Sugar run, being the fourth
dwelling house in Pomeroy. Mr. Ervin vacated his house in
favor of John Bailey and built another cabin at the mouth of
Kerr's run; lived there in 1815, when he sold to Nathan
Clark, who was therefore about the fifth settler of
the town of Pomeroy. Some of the above mentioned improvements were
sold to other parties. Clark sold his improvement to Robert
Bailey or Randall Stivers, who afterwards sold to Major Dill.
Nial Nye bought a lot of Dill and built the first store house,
where he kept the first post office in Pomeroy in 1827. Mr.
John Knight bought the improvement made by Mr. Ervin of
a Mr. Miles, and Samuel Grant bought the Partlow improve-
ment.
Robert Bailey, Elihu Higley, John Bailey, David Bailey,
Hedgeman Hysell, Leonard Hysell and Elam Higley met at
the house of Samuel Ervin and from there started to Gallipolis
and volunteered under General Tupper to serve in the War
of 1812.
Thomas Ervin, Robert Bailey, David Bailey and John Bai-
ley were pioneer keelboat men, who boated salt from Ka-
nawha to Pittsburg, the boat being owned by P. Green and
Jack Allen.
The first public road cut through the woods from Gallipolis
to Chester was opened by Samuel Ervin, Asahel Cooley and
