| In 1809, Thomas Johnston, an Irishman, came to Hiram Township. Portage Co, Ohio. He had lived in Pennsylvania, but moved from Trumbull Co, Ohio to this Township. The first resident of Freedom Township came in 1818 and lived there alone for four years. In the spring of 1822, 13 persons arrived all in one family -- Thomas Johnston and his wife and 11 children. Johnston was an Irishman, who in coming to this county had settled in Pennsylvania, afterward removing to the Reserve. He was a genial soul, and could tell a joke with the true Irish flavor. He settled on Lot 32. The first frame barn was built by Johnston as the township always had been supplied with an abundance of timber. |