Circleville reminisences : a description of Circleville, Ohio (1825-1840) ; also an account of the 115-year old sister of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry

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mi X IBSCHIPTION OP CiaGLBYILLB,
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UNIVERSITY
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LIBRARY

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CIRCIEVILLE, OHIO

REMINISCENCES

CIRCLEVILLE
Reminiscences

A Description of Orcleville, Ohio
(1825-1840)

Also an Account of the

115-year-old sister of

Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry

Published By

DAVID KNOWLTON WEBB

Chillicothe, Ohio

1944

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

All of the material in this book is
taken from a scrap book left by
the late G. F. Wittich of Circleville
and has been edited with the help
of corrections made by Mr. Wittich
in his annotations.

CIRCLEVILLE

AN OLD CITIZEN WRITES UP
THE PAST

And Revels In Thoughts Of
Old Time Situations

Banning, Cal., Oct. 3d, 1887.

Editor Union-Herald: — Fifty years ago
this night I landed from the canal boat,
Circleville, Captain, John H. Sunderman
at the foot of Main street, with my father's
family, and were taken to old National
House then kept by Mr. Darst, the father
of Mrs. Henry M. Hedges, Sr.

The circle was then complete, and nearly
all the business was done in it, Jacob Lutz
and Messrs. Gregg and Wolfley had moved
on Main street the winter before. In go-
ing up Main street from the canal, we
passed Samuel Briner's grocery and bak-
ery, on the corner canal and Main, then
the McArthur block, which was just up

to the second story, then came Lutz's
store, in the room now occupied by Lynch
& Son, then Gregg and Wolfley, Wm. and
Hugh Bell. Wm. J. Pyle, M. S. Butler and
Israel Gregg and Lenant, all in the block
then known as commercial row, the next
was the Market House, where Messrs.
Clark, Steele, and Jones block now stands,
I do not recollect what was on the site
where the next block stands. The next
house that I remember was Mr. Jacolb
Leiby (saddler), a two story frame, where
the Second National Bank now stands; the
upstairs he occupied as a workshop, and
the lower room as a salesroom, an"d justice
of peace office, adjoining that was another
two story frame, occupied by Major Bright
and Capt. S. Swindell as a tin shop, from
then on to the Circle was a row of wooden
buildings, two of them are still remaining,
those occupied by T. J. Epps and Caddy
Miller, on the corner of Main and the
Circle, was a one story frame grocery,*
kept by William Hamilton, next to him on
the Circle going south, was John Hedges'
cabinet shop next to him, and cornered on
Bastile Avenue was a two story frame
house, one half occupied by Isaac Darst as
a store, an<d the other half as a dwelling.
The next house was Dick Jenkens' saloon

6

(in '42 and '43 used by Mr. French as a
girls' seminary; in 1844 Wittich's confec-
tionery), the next was a little one story
frame, occupied by Henry Sage as jeweler
and watch maker, then came Thomas
Moore's grocery, the Masonic Temple, now
occupies the ground. After crossing South
Main street, the only business houses I
recollect between that and the Avenue was
Samuel Diffenderfer's grocery, then came
the Avenue leading to the old stone jail.
On the east side of this Avenue were the
county offices, and where the elections
were held. On the corner of East Main
and the Circle, was a drug store, I believe
kept by Dr. E. B. Olds, the Star Saloon
now occupies the site. On the opposite
corner was the old Circleville House kept
by Jacob Gossler, a part of the old tavern
is now occupied by James Harsha as a
Marble shop. As the old man was a very
clever and social Dutchman (German),
and had two very nice girls and kept an
excellent table he was well patronized by
the young men. The next building was
Matthew McCrea's dwelling, a two story
frame on the corner of the Avenue leading
to the old Academy building, and the old
Methodist church, which afterwards burned
down. On the opposite corner was a frame

building, occupied by the Widow Jackson
and three Bell girls, one of them married
William Entrekin, and is still living, an-
other one married a Presbyterian minister,
by the name of Wells, the other I do not
know whom she married nor do I know
whether they are living or not. The next
was a two story frame, one part occupied
by Francis Kinnear, as a dwelling, and
the room on the corner of North Main
street as a store; in the rear and fronting
on North Main street was the residence of
old Joseph Johnson; immediately north
was a tavern kept by Gen. John E. Mor-
gan, the site now occupied by Wm. Baud-
er's carriage shop. On the North West
corner of North Main and the Circle, stood
an old yellow frame building then occupied
toy Matt Whitesell as a grocery. I cannot
call to mind now who occupied the premises
frpm there to the Avenue. On the west
corner of the avenue, was the two story
brick residence of Samuel Rodgers, and
adjoining was the store of Rodgers and
Martin. In the rear of the store, and front-
ing on the Avenue, was an old red frame
building occupied by Rock & Rutter as a
tailor shop, Mr. Rutter is still living and
occupies the same house on Scioto street
that he did when we first came to Circle-
8

ville. Next was the store room of Renick
& Hurst, it fronted on the circle, and in
squaring that quarter of the town it was
turned around to front on West Main
street, and is the same building now oc-
cupied by Joseph Richardson. On the cor-
ner was the store room of Joseph Johnson,
a one story frame, which was also turned
around on Main street. I have now com-
pleted the Circle, and the only brick build-
ings on the north side of Main street was
the grocery of Harvey and Samuel Littler,
now occupied by Snyder. The building
now occupied by the Union-Herald office,
was a store kept by Z. R. Martin and
Henry Sunderman. The next was a build-
ing occupied as the bank of Circleville,
Hoel Lawrence, President, and Mr. Gillette
Cashier, and I am glad to know that Mrs.
Gillette is still living, and remarkably ac-
tive for one of her age. Adjoining the
bank on the east, was the harness and
sadler shop of John A. Wolf ley; the next
was a two story ibrick building occupied
by Geo. E. Wolfley as a dwelling now
turned into a hotel, and on the canal was
the large brick ware-house belonging to
Rogers & Martin. The block which is
Benford's hardware store, was built in
the summer of 1838, arid when finished

Rogers & Martin and Renick & Hurst
moved from the circle into it, the former
parties occupying the corner room,, and
the other the room east; I do not now re-
member who occupied the east room.

The old circular embankment was per-
fect then except where the streets crossed
it, which were cut down. The old square
fortification was nearly whole, and a part
of it was used . annually by the Militia as
muster grounds. South of that, and what
was familiarly known as "Darlin's" lake
were corn fields farmed by John O'Day,
who lived in a log cabin, somewhere near
the residence of Mrs. William McCrum. I
recollect going to his house once to buy
some corn, and he gave me three half
(bushels of ears for a bushel. I thought he
was cheating himself, but I found out
different afterwards.

There was not a turnpike in the county,
the Maysville and Zanesville, was not built
for three years after; there was no bridge
across the Scioto then, although there had
previously been a floating bridge, all the
crossing was done in a ferry boat just
above the aqueduct kept by a old man by
the name of Richardson. The piers of the
old bridge that was burnetii a few years

10

ago were laid the summer before we came
and the wood work the same fall and
winter. The contractor was a Mr. Day.
I believe he was from New York and re-
port said he lost money on the contract,
but I am certain there never was a better
bridge erected in the State, and if it had
not burned it would have lasted for fifty
years longer. At that tiate there was not
a railroad in Ohio, all the produce was
shipped by canal, and all the goods were
brought here by the canal or by wagon.
All the traveling was done by stage. It
took two days and night to go from Co-
lumbus to Cleveland, and then often the
passengers had to get out and pry the
stage out of the mud. After the National
road was built, our merchants went East
by that route, goods were generally sent
by rail to Cumberland, and from thence to
Wheeling by wagon; if there was plenty
of water in the Ohio river, they were put
on a steamboat to Portsmouth and from
thence to Circleville by canal. If the Ohio
river was low they usually wheeled them
clear through. I recollect one spring D.
Peirce, the veteran merchant had his
goods wagoned from Cumberland, one
wagon carried ninety-six hundred pounds.
It was a large Conestoga wagon, four inch

11

tire, six horses, bells on each horse, driven
by a single line, and the driver rode the
off horse, and when the wagon was backed
up to the pavement in front of his store,
the team reached across the street. The
merchants carried everything, hardware,
glassware, queensware, earthenware, boots
and shoes, hats and caps, groceries and
liquors. It was a very common thing but
it was thought no disgrace then to get
drunk, everybody drank, and if you went
to a farmer's house, the first thing he
would do, would be to hand out the bottle,
and if you did not take some he would con-
sider it an insult. Whisky was cheap. I
have sold many a barrel, when they were
building the Washington turnpike, of Dick
Ward's fine corn juice for five dollars, and
used to retail M. and A. M. Ashbrook's
best rectified fine whisky and not doctored
for twenty cents per gallon. Money was
very scarce and not much in circulation,
and what was in circulation was paper
money. There were plenty of banks
throughout the state which issued their
paper freely, and their standing was not
the best. Most all the business was done
by trading. If any body wanted to go to
house-keeping, the merchant would give
them orders to the furniture store, to the
12

stove and tin shop, or if he wanted a
saddle or a set of harness, the merchant
would send a clerk or an order and get
them and the manufactors would pay his
employees by giving them orders on the
store. Every thing in the produce line,
or every thing that the farmer manufac-
tured was very low, and as he could not
sell it for cash he had to trade it out. I
have bought wheat when I was with Dod-
dridge & Co. at forty and fifty cents per
bushel, corn at twelve and a half cents,
oats ten cents. Good fat hogs would only
bring two and a half cents per pound
dressed, and one season Messrs. Gregg and
Wolfley packed pork at that price, shipped
it to New York via New Orleans, and lost
money on it. Could buy good beef at three
cents per pound, chickens seventy-five
cents per dozen, turkies from twenty-five
to thirty cents each, butter in the summer
six and a quarter cents, eggs two to three
cents a dozen, and I have seen barrels
carted away and dumped in the bottoms,
could not sell them and they spoiled on
their hands. I remember Doddridge and
Co. shipping thirty barrels of dried apples
to Cleveland, which they only paid thirty-
seven cents per bushel for and when they
got return of sales they did not realize
13

first cost. Common homemade blue jeans
brought fifty cents per yard in trade, lin-
sey twenty-five cents, plaid flannels fifty
cents, homemade linen thirty to forty
cents. Wages were exceedingly low; good
mechanics got from one dollar to a dollar
and a quarter per day, and common labor-
ers from fifty to sixty-five cents, while
farm hands were working for eight to
twelve dollars per month arid board, and
they did not stop at ten hours for a days
work either, nor did they go to town every
Saturday afternoon, as most of them do
now. The farmer boys all wore homespun,
staid at home, and worked for the best
interest of his employees, but what a
change has taken place in the last half
century. Now, he must wear the best of
store clothes, have a horse and often a
buggy, and come to town every Saturday
afternoon; in fact I have known young
America plowing in twelve dollar (doeskin
pants and ten dollar boots.

There was not a (bookstore in town. I
had to go to Chillicothe to get my school
books. The first bookstore was opened by
William McAthur, on the corner, in a one
story frame house, now covered by the
Odd Fellows block. The first regular hard-
ware store was opened by Samuel Mar-

14

field in the room adjoining the Third Na-
i tonal Bank. The squaring of the circle
was commenced by Dr. E. B. Olds in 1839
by erecting the large three story brick
known as the Olds block; the corner room
was completed early in the year of 1840,
and occupied by Olds and Baker as a dry
goods store. I do not now remember who
did the excavations, but Dick Wilson and
Joe Carr did the stone work, W. C. Joseph
and Jacob Taylor did the brick work and
Stanly Cook and Sons did the wood work.
That fall was the great campaign when
Harrison ran against Van Buren for pres-
ident. Dr. Olds being a strong Democrat,
and believing that Van Buren would be
elected he offered to sell, and did sell,
quite an amount of goods, at double price
if Van Buren was elected or nothing if
Harrison was elected. The result was that
he supplied a good many Whigs with dry
goods for nothing. I shall never forget
the exciting times during that campaign.
The political meetings were immense, with
their long processions. Everybody seemed
to be fully aroused and excited and to see
the log cabins, coonskins, strings of buck-

15

eyes, and hard cider, was wonderful. On
one occasion I remember of seeing a very
large wagon made for the express purpose,
filled with men, drawn by thirty-six yoke
of oxen. General Harrison came here one
evening, the people built a temporary plat-
form around the sign post that stood in
front of the ("Ohio House" I think it was
called then) and he made a speech from it.
During that season we had some of the
most able and talented speakers in the
state, such as Thomas Ewing Sen., the old
salt boiler, Thomas Corwin the waggoner
boy, Henry Stansbury and others. The
meetings were generally held in the woods,
which is now built up and known as Briar-
town. The evening meetings were held in
the old court house which was not torn
down till the next year (1841). The south-
east quarter of the Circle was next squared
by Olds and Cradlebaugh, and a row of
one story frame buildings were erected on
Main street . Two of them are still stand-
ing one occupied by Acker King and the
ibarber shop next to it. On the grounds
now occupied by the Wagner block the
Old School Presbyterians erected a frame
church, which was moved over to the
north-east quarter of the Circle and now
occupied by Ensworth & Brunner as a

16

hardware store. The north-east quarter
was next squared by the same parties.
The south-west quarter was to be squared,
but was not for several years afterwards,
by W. W. Beirce. In this quarter was
"Bactile Avenue." It was the most popular
Avenue in town, and* the most populous.
A short reminiscence of one of its residents
by "Lex" was published a few weeks ago
in your paper, which was perfectly fa-
miliar to me, as we lived on the Avenue,
and scarcely a stone's throw from the
place. The first residence on the Avenue
was Isaac Darst, which was sold to John
Conn and moved on Mound street opposite
Mrs. Dr. Stribling'.s house. On the rear
end of the same lot, was a story and a
half frame, formerly used by Darst as a
warehouse, afterwards converted into a
dwelling, and my recollection is that Dr.
Terry and wife were the first to occupy it.
Afterward S. D. Turney lived in it. In
squaring that quarter it was moved to
Franklin street, an*d now owned by the
Londsberry heirs. Directly opposite was
the residence of Dick Jenkins, who died
there and whose widow married George
Dalton, and who a short time afterward-
moved to southern California near Los
Angeles. When I came to California near-
17

ly three years ago. I went out to see the
old gentleman, and found him hale and
hearty, and very spry for one over eighty
years of age. His wife hafl died the year
before. Mr. Isaac Myers (who is a brother
to Mrs. Dalton) and his wife both formerly
lived in Circleville, are keeping house for
him. He seemed quite pleased to see me,
and inquired- very particularly about his
old acquaintances in Circleville. He has
about fifty acres in orange trees, and is
quite wealthy. Next to that was a one
story frame. I do not recollect who lived
m it when we came here, but it was where
Doctor Griswold and wife went to house
keeping after they moved to Circleville.
On the other side of the Avenue was a
one story frame used by George Gephart
as a tailor shop, until Mr. Diffentierler
built his store on West Main, when he
moved into the second story of that. After
the General moved, the room was occupied
toy James Civils and John Butler, as a
paint shop. Mrs. Butler is still living at
Circleville. On the same lot farther west
was the two story residence of George
Gephart. now owned and occupied by Mrs
Alice D. Hawkes. General Gephart raised
a large family, and moved west many years
ago, and lived to be quite old, and has only

18

been dead a few years. Next to this on the
west was the one story brick cottage of
Dr. Gibson, the residence of the belles of
Bastile Avenue mentioned by your cor-
respondent "Lex," who is mistaken, when
he said the Doctor left two children. He
left three, Hannah, Susan and George.
Hannah married a Mr. Stiner. Susan mar-
ried Peter Bonn, George died quite young,
wa<3 about eleven or twelve years old
from white swelling of the knee.

Opposite ten. Gephart's lived Colonel
Henry Sage in a two story frame. He also
had a large family. My impression is
that the children are all dead except the
youngest boy Harleigh. who is living at
Dayton. The youngest daughter married
a Mr. Cherry who died. She afterwards
married a Doctor Sharp, who became no-
torious for his fighting proclivities during
the late war, but always backed down
whenever anybody wanted to fight him.
They moved from Circleville and I don't
know whether she is living or not. Next
was the residence of Dr. Wm. N. Luckey
and wife, a more generous, clever whole-
souled couple never lived in Circleville.
Aunt Lucky was the personification of
generousity and goodness, as every one
that lived by her could testify. They never
19

had any children. One peculiarity the
Dr. had, you could never get him to go on
the ice, no difference how thick it was,
he said it had no joist underneath.

The next building was the Lutheran
church, which stood back a little of the
present church. The pastor was Joseph A.
Roof. Although he left Circleville quite a
number .of years ago, I believe he is still
living. There never was a preacher in
Circleville that was more highly esteemedi
by everybody than he. He was very gen-
erous to the poor, although his salary was
small. He did a great deal of good, during
the cholera season of 1850. He was on the
board of health. He was one of the most
active men on the board; he was taking
care of the sick, helping bury the dead, and
urging the living to prepare for death. He
was one of the most useful ministers Cir-
cleville ever had. Opposite the church was
a one story frame, occupied by Abram,
Emanuel, John and David Gephart, four
brothers, as a carpenter shop. Emanuel is
the only one of them now living in Circle-
ville, and I think the others are dead, can-
not say positively. The next residence was
that of George W. Downs, a man univers-
ally known throughout the county. He had

20

some very peculiar traits, was rather rough
in his language, but had a heart in him as
big as an ox, a more liberal and generous
man coul'd not be found anywhere; the
latch string always hung outside, and he
never turned any away if they needed help.
I speak from personal knowledge, for we
lived beside him for several years. He was
a hatter by trade and had a shop on the
public grounds in the rear of the market
house, his hats were very heavy and dur-
able, and have heartf of them lasting as
long as seven years. On the other side of
the Avenue next to the church was Jacob*
F. Mader's grocery and bakery. The house
was built on the side of the Mount Gilboa
the basement being used as a bakery, while
the upper rooms were used as a grocery
and dwelling. He moved to Chillicothe and
lived there quite a number of years, but
moved back to Circleville. where he is now
living, a very hale, hearty old man. The
next house was owned an<d built by Henry
Sunderman, into which we moved when we
came to Circleville; it was a one and a half
story frame, and in squaring that quarter,
it was moved around to front on Mound
street, and is still standing. There were
no other houses for several years. At that
time Mount Gilboa was almost complete.
21

A road had- been cut through it, the old
Episcopal church was built on the mound
on the south side of the roa^ on the same
grounds of the present church building, but
at a greater elevation; the floor of the old
building would be as high as the roof of
the present one. The north part of the
mound was a great place for bonfires and
holding rejoicings success of elections etc.
I recollect on one occasion the Demo-
crats had achieved a victory and they were
having a big demonstration on the mound.
They were all pretty full, and felt happy,
when one Wm. Strevay got too near the
edge of the bank and fell off, down to the
road. They thought he was killed, when
old Anthony Bowsher hollowed out "cover
him up, cover him up so these d — d Whigs
won't find him." It happened that the man
was not hurt at all. There was no foundry
then, all the plows and castings sold here
were brought from Columbus. In the year
1838 my father entered into partnership
with Isaac Darst and they put up a foun-
dry on the land [belonging to Mr. Darst
nearly on the site where the Gas works
stands. It was literally a one horse con-
cern, for the power was produced by a
large bay horse walking on a large hori-
zontal wheel. It was quite a novety to all

22

the young- folks and a large number of
the older people, who used to come down
there by the score every time they took a
cast. It was sold after the death of Mr.
Darst to Judge Beirce, who had it removed
to the old Cradlebaugh tavern stand where,
it has remained ever since, and is now
known as the "Scioto Machine works."
There was another foundry started by a
Mr. Jones on the south side of the canal
near the aqueduct, but it soon fizzled out.
There were three furniture shops, John
Hedges, Solomon Hedges and Michael Pon-
tious, two chair shops, Mathias Myers and
Emmet & McLain, the last named did all
their turning by dog power, two large and
heavy dogs travelling in a large wheel
about thirty feet in diameter. There was
also a wood turning shop owned by Jona-
than Moore, on the race from the mill near
the aqueduct. There were two carding
machines, one over the turn ng shop just
mentioned and one just above Groce's
slaughter house, run by Jacob Deffen-
baugh, who also had a ,caw mill in connec-
tion with it, was turned by water from
Hargus creek. There was also a saw mill
on the same creek near where Pickaway
street crosses the creek, and another on
the basin close by the old Doddridge mill.

23

The canal did a large business, as it was
the only way to get rid of the surplus corn,
wheat, flour, pork and lard. During the
dry summer and fall of 1841 all the coun-
try mills were stopped on account of the
creek drying up, and the farmers from
Clinton, Fayette, Madison and part of
Highland counties used to come here to
get their wheat ground, and have known
them to wait three days for their grist,
and have seen as many as fifty wagons
camped out near the mill at one time.
There were three tannerys, James Bell's
near the Academy, Robert Hayes on the
street between George Gearhart and Daniel
Demuth, and Andrew Cradlebaugh's on
the lot owned by the Scioto Machine works.
There were three cooper shops, James
Sapp and George Burgett's on Water alley,
and a very large one on mill race, run ex-
clusively on flour barrels for the mill, car-
ried on by William and John Maiden.
There was only one flouring mill, owned toy
J. D. Doddridge and turned out one hun-
dred barrels every twenty-four hours, and
which is still standing.

Now after saying so much about the
town let me say a word of the inhabitants
at that time. There is barely a dozen per-
sons who were men grown that are living

24

there now. All I can call to mind are
Samuel A. Moore, Jerome Wolf ley. George
Gearhart, Jacob Rutter, Michael Pontious,
George Pontious, Acker King, Benjamin
Myers, Bentley Groce, Emanuel Gephart,
Jacob F. Mader and Joseph Richardson.
There are a few others that are living but
have moved away, J. G. Doddridge, Hugh
Bell, Daniel Pontious, Harvey Johns and
Joseph A. Roof. There may be others but
I cannot call them to mirid.

There is not a single man in business
now, that was doing business when we
came to Circleville. D. Pierce, the oldest
in business, came the next year after, as
did Samuel Ruggles.

In the summer of 1840 I attended a select
school (there was no free school then) in
the Academy, and out of a school of forty
boys there are but four of them still living,
George Doane, of Omaha; W. K. Rodgers,
of Columbus; William McCrea, of Illinois,
and the writer, and the time will not be
long when we too will be numbered with
many that have gone on before.

There is a great deal more I could say
about Circleville. but as I have already
spun my letter out to such a great length
I will stop, an*d perhaps at some future
time I may say something more. Read my

25

communication of "Lex" published in your
paper, the letter of Jas. Haswell, of Ken-
tucky, a Circleville boy, and later still the
letter of J. D. Doddridge, who formerly
lived in Circleville, incited within me a de-
sire to write what I remembered about
Circleville fifty years ago. These things
will not be new to many of the old inhab-
itants, but may be interesting to the young
generation that are growing up.
Yours Respectfully,

W. H. Yerington.

26

VOL. I— NO. 17.

Circleville Daily Press, Oct. 16, 1885.

SIXTY YEARS AGO

Reminiscences Of The Circleville
Boys At That Time

Appearance Of The City And Surroundings

Sixty years ago the east corporation
line was the alley between the dwellings
of Mack Parrett and Henry Pfennig, then
called a lane.

Then the quarter-mile race-track was
from this line east through the farm of
Samuel Watt, the farm house being the
house in which George H. Fickhardt now
lives, and the termination of the quarter
mile track was opposite the McCrea prop-
erty. At the termination of every race
the regular fist fights took place, as
then about every other man wanted to
be counted a bully. There were at that
time regular training days for the militia
which comprised all men between the ages
of 18 and 45. The training day for com-

27

panies was the first Friday in September
of each year, and the general musters were
on the Monday following, when all the
companies of the county came to town to
muster, the arms 'being generally corn-
stalks. It was a great time for us boys,
as there were plenty of fist fights, keeping
the boys running from one side of the circle
to the other to witness the fights.

In those days every family raised their
own hogs for their meat, the hogs being
slaughtered in their own yards, in winter,
neighbors helping neighbors. The hogs
were cut and sausages made in the eve-
ning, and generally all cleaned up in one
day. Numbers of families also kept a
flock of sheep running at large over the
then open country. The sheep were shear-
ed in the spring the wool washed, picked
and carded by hand, and spun on the big
spinning wheel, and woven into cloth on
hand looms for winter clothing for both
men and women. Wool picking was Gone
by inviting the women to spend the eve-
ning, which took the place of the party of
to-day. Refreshments or a regular supper
of flannel cakes, stewed chicken, store cof-
fee, store tea, warm ginger cakes, &c,
were served. No angel food or pound cakes
were to be found in those times. Flax was
28

also raised toy numbers of citizens of the
town, who had their flax pullings. When
ripe the flax was hauled in, and when the
husks were sufficiently rotted, broken on
a regular flax brake. It was then hackled
on long iron prongs set in a piece of wood,
put up in bunches an<d spun on the small
wheel and afterwards woven into cloth for
summer wear for men and women.

There were at that time two spinning
wheels in the town, one owned by Isaac
Warren, and the other by Mathias Myers,
grandfather of Allen O. Myers, the states-
man.

For hats for men and boys we depended
on the hat manufactories of the town. We
had fur hats for the men and wool for the
boys. The measure of the head was taken
and we waited for the hat to be made. For
shoes (no boots in those times), the leather
owned by the head of the family was taken
to the shoe shop, where each member of
the family, boys and girls alike, went to
have their feet measured to have shoes
made for the winter. No shoes were worn
in summer by boys particularly; usually
only the girls had shoes in summer.

Clothing, such as it was, was also made
at home. There were no clothing stores,
no hat stores, no shoe stores, no stores to
29

sell groceries exclusively, no queensware
stores, no furniture stores, no stores for
hardware exclusively. The so-called stores
then kept groceries, queensware, and a
general assortment of goods with usually
a bottle of whickey on the counter for such
customers that wished to help themselves.

There was more manufacturing in Cir-
cleville then than now. Shoes, hats, cloth-
ing and furniture were all manufactured
here, and we had a nail factory here then.

Wagons were sent to Zanesville for loads
of salt to be distributed through town and
country. All dry goods and articles brought
from the east were hauled over the moun-
tains in large wagons drawn by six large
horses, which were generally provided with
bells. There were no railroads anywhere
in this country at that iday. No cooking
stoves in those days. In their place were
the large fire places in the kitchen with
cranes for pots, and the tin reflector to
set before the fire to bake bread. Wood
only was used for heating purposes and
cooking, the fire being covered at night to
be rekindled in the morning, and if the
fire went out some one was sent to the
neighbors for a coal. Failing in this, the
steel and flint to strike a fire were resort-
ed to. We had no matches in those days.
30

The culinary "department of a household
was not then as now. No fruit was put up
in cans in their season, but fruits of all
kinds were dried and preserved. Tomatoes
were not known as an article of food, but
were known as Jerusalem apples and were
set on mantle-pieces as ornaments only.

The schools of those times would not at
all compare with those of the present day.
For school books we had Webster's spell-
ing- book, Murray's grammar, Smiley &
Pike's arithmetic, Olney's geography, and
the Bible and New Eestament were used
as readers. For books to read at home by
the firesMe in winter we had Scottish
Chiefs, Thaddeus of Warsaw, Children of
the Abbey, Alonzo and Molise. Charlotte
Temple, Robinson Crusoe, Lives of Wash-
ington and Marion, &c. We had no news-
papers, except the one printed in Circle-
ville, a small weekly sheet by the name of
the Olive Branch, the grandfather of the
Union-Herald and Daily Pre.cs.

We had no gas or coal oil for lights in
those days, but instead we used the candle
flips, which each family made for itself,
just as they made their own soap for wash-
ing. Laborers received fifty cents per day
in those times, and worked from sunrise

31

to sund'own; no talk about eight hours for
a day's work. By the month they got
seven or eight dollars per month and board.
Female help was then seventy-five cents
per week.

As store coffee was then high, and but
little money was to be had, rye coffee was
used through the week, and store coffee
Sunday morning.

The boys' then ha"d no glass or stone
marbles to play with, but instead we would
go to the brick yard, make mud marbles,
and have them burned like bricks.

For currency there were six and a fourth
cent pieces, called fips, twelve and a half
cent pieces, called nine pence, and quarter,
half, and whole dollars. We had no five
or ten cent pieces. Money of all kinds was
so scarce that a half 'dollar looked to al-
most any one as large as a cart-wheel. In
those days a large part of the mechanics
of the town would go to the country in
harvest time to help the farmers reap
their wheat, as nothing but sickles were
used for cutting. We had no wheat cradles
and no reapers and binders in those days.
Fifty cents per day was paid for a day's
work, for a full hand, twenty-five for a
half hand. The writer then made a half
han'd, coming home from a full week's
32

work Saturday evening with six bright
quarter dollars jingling in his pocket.

We had no buggies or carriages, no
livery stables. We all went horse back
or in common road; wagons. On Christmas
our stocking was hung up with the prongs
of a fork and filled with gingerbread, mint
candy and nuts. An occasional concert
was given with such songs as Pretty Polly
Hopkins, How do You do. My Long-tailed
Blue, Jim Crow, Coal Black Rose. Barbara
Allen, etc. Men worth from five to ten
thousand dollars were considered very
wealthy, and a family with an income of
two to three hundred dollars per year
well to do.

There were no high-priced undertakers
in those days. Coffins for an adult person
cost from five to eight dollars. There were
no hearses. The coffin was carried on a
bier borne by the pall-bearers to the village
grave yard. There were no envelopes for
letters. The paper was folded and sealed
with wax. We had no steel or gold pens.
We used the goose quill for pens. We had
no blotting paper, but black sand for blot-
ting.

We had what we then regarded as com-
fortable houses, but not elegant or costly

33

ones. Plumbing wjls an unknown art. We
had no water or gas-pipes in our walls, no
water closets in our houses, no fixed bath-
tubs, and no door-bells.

Boys were modest, girls virtuous, and
old age respected in those days. Finally
things in general were not then as now.

34

From Daily Evening Herald, April 14, 1885,

Oldest Woman Living!

Once A Resident Of Circleville

The Lafayette, Ind., correspondent of the
Cincinnati Enquirer says that there arriv-
ed in that city on Wednesday evening, Mrs.
Mary Beneman, from Ames, Iowa; Mrs.
Beneman is 112 years old, she having been
born at Lewiston, Delaware, March 14,
1773.

The aged lady is the guest of relatives
in Lafayette. The correspondent says;
"Mrs. Beneman's maiden name was Mary
Perry, as is gleaned from her relatives.
She is a daughter of Captain Christopher
R. Perry of Revolutionary fame, and sister
of Commodore Oliver Perry, one of our
noted naval commanders. Another brother
was Matthew Colbreth Perry, who framed
the treaty with Japan.

35

"On arrival at womanhood Miss Perry
married Wm. Colter. In 1806, with their
two sons, they started for Ciroleville, Ohio.
Their journey was long and tedious, but
they arrived there and began farming.
Four sons were born to them. Three still
living — Peter Colter, wh» resides at Rens-
selaer, this State, aged eighty-one years,
and Charles and James Colter, living at
Booneville, Mo. Taken altogether, it is
said she now has 120 children, grandchil-
dren, great-grandchildren and great-great-
grandchildren living. At Circleville Mr.
Colter died, and Mrs. C. afterward became
Mrs. John Beneman. He lived tout a short
time.

"Of Circleville, and their trip to Ohio,
the old lady says they started with a
horse and- wagon, but the horse died about
sixty miles from Circleville. They put the
two children in a wheelbarrow and wheeled
them to Circleville. At that time there
was but one house there and that was a
log cabin. The Indians did not trouble
them there, but the wolves and wildcats
were very numerous, and they had to night-
ly encircle their house with fire.

"Asked if she had ever seen General
Washington, she answered: 'Oh, yes; I
have seen him, and remember him very

36

well. He was tall and fine looking, and
was a great friend of my father. He has
been where we lived, and everybody turned
out to see and shake hands with him.

"Brother Oliver, she said, was a sailor,
and he had been to sea a good many times.
Once they were from home when his ship
came in and he had only time to write his
name in chalk on the door of the house.
She never saw him again. Soon after his
ship was wrecked, and the family heard he
was drowned. It was after she went to
Ohio that she heard that Oliver was saved
and was a great officer."

Of the aged lady's appearance the cor-
respondent says; "Her form much ibent
with age. was clad in black and wrapped in
a heavy shawl, her head partly hidden in
a snowy cap of the old style of architec-
ture. The face, elongated by age, is tra-
versed by countless wrinkles and of a
sallow yellow hue. Her mouth is sunken,
and her lips tightly drawn and puckered.
Her brows are heavily overhanging, and
from beneath them gleam eyes that are
still sharp and bright. The face remains
an expression of shrewdness, and there are
yet evidences of a powerful mind. A few
locks of hair as thick, white and soft as

37

wool, were visible beneath the cap, and
Mrs. B. sai<J that about two decades ago
a new growth of hair came out, and so
vigorously did it grow that repeated cut-
tings were necessary.

NOTE — Mrs. Beneman is reputed to
have lived to the age of one hundred and
fifteen years.

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