| 2 | Ibid. http://www.ststlocations.com/Archives/Donham/AppendixA.
Text From Source: John DONHAM was often known as "King Donham" because of the
vast amount of land that he owned. One history reports, "At the time of his
decease, in 1858 (sic), he was the owner of some twenty-eight thousand acres of
land, of which about three thousand five hundred acres were in Pierce, Ohio, and
Monroe townships, Clermont County."62 The following is from the same history:
[John] DONHAM and a Mr. MASON were two of the hunters for the Columbia
colony and were probably the first white men to visit Bethel, Ohio. On one of
their big hunting trips, they killed several deer, near Deer Lick, not far from
Bethel, which they hung in the trees out of reach of the wolves and other wild
animals numerous at that time, after which they 'blazed' a trail so that a squad
of men could be sent for the venison, from Columbia. They also broke the first
ground for the colony at Columbia. John DONHAM was a man of few words and prompt
action, as was illustrated upon one occasion when, needing flour badly, he put
two bags of wheat on a horse which he led to a water mill at Ten Mile. Upon
arriving at the mill, he asked the propietor's son to carry the bags into the
mill for him, which the boy rudely refused to do, whereupon the gentleman turned
away and taking his wheat with him returned home. He then sent one of his sons
to Twelve Mile creek to locate a site for a grist mill, while he journeyed to
Cincinnati to secure a mill wright. A tract of two thousand acres was secured
and a mill erected on what is now the Francis WERST place. The business thus
established flourished for many years, and was a great benefit to the community.
Politically, Mr. DONHAM was a Democrat and served his party as a member of the
State legislature of Ohio, from Hamilton county....63
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