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1807. 


HISTORY 


OF 


LORAIN  COUNTY 


OHIO. 


WITH 


Illustrations  &  Biographical  Sketches 


Some  of  its  Prominent  Men  and  Pioneers, 


PHILADELPHIA: 


Williams  Brothers. 


—1879 


PRESS  OF  LEADER   PRINTING  COMPANY,  CLEVELAND,  O. 


i 


I-S^UL' 


A 


AT  THE    CONFLUENCE    OF    EAST    aWEST   BRANCH    SLACK  RIVER  CAST    BRANCH    AT    LAKE    SHORE    RI    VIADUCT, 

Scenes  in  and  around   e:lyria,  ohio. 


.66 


± 


mrc^ 


to 


Prefatory  Note, 


N  tlie  preparation  of  this  History,  accnrafv  has  lieen  the  aim  of  the  publishers.  They  have 
endeavored  to  confine  themselves  within  the  limits  of  aseei'tained  facts  and  reliable  (hita,  and 
while  they  have  not  published  every  item  of  history  belDngino-  to  the  county  of  Lorain,  all  tliat  is 
realU'  important  is  given,  and  that  which  is  published  may  l)e  regarded  as  authentic. 

(ientlemen  of  experience,  as  writei-s,  liave  assisted  the  author  in  the  production  of  this  book: 
and  it  is  believed  that  the  subjects,  which  eacli  writer  luxs  severally  dealt  with,  have  been  treated  \\ith 
care  and  thoroughness.  In  the  general  history  department,  A.  G.  Riddle,  of  Washington,  D.  C 
contributed  the  cliapter  on  "Pioneer  Life:"'  Jay  Terrell,  the  "Geology"  and  "Fossil  Fishes:"" 
P.  H.  BoYNTON,  the  "Bar  of  Lorain  County:""  George  G.  Washburn,  the  "Press  of  Lorain  County;"" 
K.  Baker,  the  "Lorain  Agricultural  Society."  The  history  of  "Elyria"  was  mainly  prejiared  by 
Dr.  L.  T>.  Griswold;  that  of  "Russia,""  including  "Oberlin,"  by  Rev.  Henry  Matson;  that  of 
'•  Wellington,""  by  Hon.  J.  H.  Dickson,  while  iSL-s.  Nesbett  contributed  the  greater  part  of  "  Grafton."" 
To  the  pen  of  President  Fairchild,  the  publishers  are  indebted,  in  the  main,  for  the  history  of 
"  Brownhelm,""  and  the  biography  of  "Father  Keep."'  They  are  also  under  obligations  to  many 
others  who  have  aided  them  greatly  in  collecting  and  furnishing  data  for  this  history. 

The  publishers  feel  that  they  have  done  the  work,  they  undertook  to  do,  faithfully;  and  while 
the  book  may  not  be  found  entirely  free  from  blemishes,  they  are  confident  that  none  of  a  serious 
character  Avill  be  discovered. 

Hitherto  the  publishers  have  had  their  county  histories  published  in  Philadelphia,  by  J.  B. 
LiPPiNCOTT  &  Co.,  but  this  volume  is  from  the  press  of  the  Leader  Printing  Company,  Cleveland,  who 
have  done  themselves  credit  by  the  high  degree  of  typographical  excellence  shown  in  the  printing  of 
this  book.  Every  inhabitant  of  the  Western  Reseiwe  has  cause  for  congratulation  in  the  fact, —  of 
which  this  Histoi-y  of  Lorain  County  is  proof, —  that  Cleveland  is  al)le  to  maintain  successful  rivalry 
with  Philadelphia,  New  York  and  Boston,  in  the  publication  of  books  whose  beauty  of  typography 
is  of  the  highest  standard  attained  by  the  "  art  preservative." 


^munvjiv} 


CONTENTS. 


h:istok.ig..^Xj. 


;erve 
aiiv 


are  F 


uund 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY. 

(!H  \PTER 

I. — Biseovery 
II. — The  Connecticut  Western  Re; 
III. — The  Connecticut  Land  Comp; 
IV. — Physical  Features  . 

V. — Fossil  Fish,  and  Where  they 
VI.— The  Mound-Builders      . 
VII.— The  Indians  . 
VIII. — The  Moravian  Missions 
IX. — Pioneer  Life  . 

X. — Civil  Organization 
Xr.— Civil  List       . 
XII. — The  Bar  of  Lorain  County 
XIII.— The  Press  of  Lorain  County 
XIV. — Lorain  Agricultural  Society 

XV. — Lorain  in  the  Rebellion 
XVT. — Roster  of  Soldiers  . 


HISTORY   OF    THE    TOWNS     AND    VILLAGES 
LORAIN    COUNTY. 


Errata 


PAGE 

Elyria 

9 

Columbia     . 

10 

Ridgeville  . 

l.T 

Russia 

IS 

Eaton 

HO 

Black  River 

32 

Brownhelm 

33 

Henrietta 

37 

Carlisle 

38 

Sheffield 

41 

Grafton 

43 

Avon  . 

45 

Huntington 

55 

Rochester    . 

fi8 

Camden 

77 

Penfield 

'JO 

Lagrange     . 

Brighton 

Amherst 

Wellington  . 

373 

Pittsfield      . 

or 

PAGE 

103 
147 
157 
169 
199 
207 
217 
236 
245 
250 
255 
271 
278 
284 
289 
298 
308 
317 
325 
347 
367 


I  Xj  Xj  TJ  s  a?  I?,  j^  T I  o  3sr  s. 


Scenes  in  and  around  Elyria  (Frontispiece) 
Outline  Map  of  Lorain  County  . 
Dentition  of  Dinichthys  Terrelli  (Front  View)  . 
"  "  "        (Side  View)    , 

ELYRIA. 

Residence  of  A.  Bccbe,  Sr. 
Edwin  Hall    . 
"  A.  Beebe,  Jr. 

Beebe  House 

Tavern,  opened  in  1820,  l)y  A.  Beebe, 
Portraits  of  Artemas  Beebe  and  Wife 
Portrait  of  N.  B.  Gates 

Wm.  H.  Tucker 

Iral  A.  Webster 
St.  .Andrew's  Episcopal  Church 
Portrait  of  Elizur  G.  Johnson 

"  Judge  John  C.  Hale 

Residence  of  Geo.  G.  Washburn,  Esq 
Union  Hall  Clothing  House 
Portrait  of  Dr.  E.  C.  Perry 

"  Dr.  Chas.  F.  Cushing 

"  Frederick  S.  Reefy 

C.  A.  Ely  (steel) 
Residence  of  Mrs.  C.  A.  Ely 
Elyria  Library  Building 
Portrait  of  Hon.  P.  Bliss  (steel) 

Dr.  L.  D.  Griswold 

W.  A.  Braman  . 

R.  E.  Braman    . 

E.  D.  Holbrook 

Wm.  W.  Aldrich 

E.  P.  Haines     . 

L.  C.  Kelsey      . 


PAGE 

;  Title 

il 

30 

31 


between  1114,  105 

104,  105 

104,  105 

104,  105 

104,  105 

104,  105 

facing     108 

112 

113 

115 

lis 

bi-twocn  lis,  119 

facing     123 

"  123 

between  130,  131 

130,  131 

facing     131 

between  134,  135 

134,  135 

.     136 

facing     137 

138 

140 

140 

141 

141 

141 

141 


Portraits  of  M.  W.  Pond  and  Wife 
Residence  of  Martin  W.  Pond     . 
Portrait  of  Hon.  Stevenson  Burke  (steel)    . 
"  Houston  H.  Poppletoh  (steel)    . 

COLUMBIA. 

Portraits  of  Ransom  Brouson  anrl  Wife 
Portrait  of  Jesse  Eddy         .... 

RIDGEVILLE. 

Congregational  Church  and  Centre  Cemetery 
Portrait  of  Harry  Terrell   . 
Residence  of  M.ark  Humphrey    . 
Portraits  of  Mark  Humphrey  and  Wife 

N.  H.  Hinckley  and  Wife 
Residence  of  E.  W.  Hinckley 

"  N.  T.  Meach  . 

"  C.  L.  Sexton  . 

Portrait  of  Richard  Blain  . 

RUSSIA. 

Residence  of  C.  L.  Freeman 

Portraits  of  C.  L.  Freeman  and  Wife 

Portrait  of  Sylvester  Hart  . 

Homestead  of  Mrs.  R.  B.  Hart  . 

Portraits  of  Mrs.  Relief  B.  and  Mi.ss  E.  C.  Hart 

Portrait  of  John  Keep  (steel)     . 

Residence  of  Charles  Bassctt 

Portraits  of  Charles  Bassctt  and  Wife 

Residence  of  Lott  Parsons  . 

Portraits  of  Lott  Parsons  and  Wife     . 

EATON. 

Residence  of  Lemuel  Abbey 
Portraits  of  Ebenezer  Abbey  and  Wife 


PAGE 

facing     143 

143 

144 

between  146.  147 


between  156,  157 
'*        156,  157 


facing 


157 
159 
160 
160 
162 
162 
164 
167 
168 


facing     169 

"         169 

between  184,  185 

184,  185 

184,  185 

facing     192 

between  196,  197 

"        196,  197 

196,  197 

196,  197 


199 
199 


CONTENTS. 


IXjIjTJSTK...^TI03NrS. 


Portraits  of  Lemuel  Abbey  and  Wile 
Residence  of  John  Roacb   . 
'*  Oel  Durkee     . 

Portraits  of  Ocl  Durkee  and  Wife 
Portrait  of  William  11.  Phillips  . 


facin' 


BL.4CK    RIVER. 

Portrait  of  Conrad  Keid      .... 
Residence  of  E.  Gregg        .... 

BROWNHELM. 

Residence  of  George  G.  Morse     . 
Portrait-^  of  George  G.  Morse  and  Wife 
Portrait  of  Anna  Ray  Jlorse 

"  Elisha  Peck  (deceased) 

"  Colonel  E.  F.  Peck  and  Wife 

Residence  of  E.  F.  Peck     . 

'•  Solomon  Whittlesey,  1S24 

Portrait  of  Solomon  Whittlesey  . 
Residence  of  Cyrus  L.  Whittlesey 
Portraits  of  William  Sayles  and  Wife 
Portrait  of  Mrs.  Sarah  C.  Sayles  (deceased) 
Residence  of  William  Sayles 

"  Chester  A.  Cooley  . 

Portraits  of  Chester  A.  Cooley  and  M'ife 
Residence  of  W.  H.  Cooley 
Portrait  of  W.  H.  Cooley    . 
"  Leonard  Bradley 

Portraits  of  George,  Catharine,  and  Maria  B.  Wells 
The  Amherst  Mill        .... 
Residence  of  John  H.  Ileymann 
Portraits  of  John  II.  Ileymann  and  Wife 


CARLISLE. 

Residence  of  the  Heirs  of  David  Bennett 
Portraits  of  David  and  Jane  Bennett . 
Residence  of  Lorenzo  Clark 
Portrait  of  William  Patterson 
"  Chauncey  Prindle 

SHEFFIELD 

Residence  of  L.  F.  Parks    . 

Portraits  of  L.  F.  Parks  and  Wife      . 

Residence  of  the  late  Geo.  B.  Crehore 

Portraits  of  Geo.  Crehore  and  Wife    . 
"  Erastus  Ileeock  and  Wife 

"  Zopher  Irish  and  Wife    . 

Portrait  of  Isaac  Burrell     . 

"  Jonathan  C.  Bennett 


facing 


PACK 
I'.lil 

200 
205 

201; 


208 
21C 


bet 

veen  218, 

219 

218, 

219 

218, 

219 

220, 

221 

220, 

221 

220, 

221 

facing 

222 
222 
222 

bet 

iveen  224, 

225 

224 

225 

224, 

225 

226, 

227 

226, 

227 

226, 

227 

226, 

227 

facing 

228 
23.3 
234 
234 

234 

facing 

245 
245 
246 

bet 

tveen  248, 

249 

■■        248, 

249 

GRAFTON. 

Residence  of  Henry  B.  Rawson  . 
Portraits  of  H.  B.  and  Grindall  R.-iwson     . 

"  B.  S.  Corning  and  Wife  . 

Birthplace  of  Duke  MeuncU,  Yorkshire,  Eng 
Residence  of       "  •'         (Grafton,  Mich. 

Portraits  of  Crispin  and  Duke  Mcnnell 
Residence  of  A.  W.  Nichols  (double  page) 
Portraits  of  A.  W.  Nichols  and  AVife  . 
Birthplace  of  A.  W.  Nichols,  York,  N.  Y.  . 
Residence  of  Dr.  C.  B.  Knowlton 
Portrait  of  "  "  .        . 

"  Mrs.  Harriet  I.  Nesbett     . 

Portraits  of  Stephen  H.  and  Margaret  R.  Brown 

AVON. 

Portrait  of  Edwin  Snow 

Residences  of  Edwin,  C.  11.,  and  T.  L.  Snow      . 
Residence  of  G.  W.  and  W.  0.  Hurst 


facing 


facing 


facing     250 

250 

252 

252 

between  254,  255 

"         254,  255 

"         254,  255 

"         254,  255 


facing     256 

"         256 

between  258,  259 

260,  261 

260,  261 

260,  261 

264,  265 

264,  265 

264,  2G5 

266 

266 

268 

270 


facing 


272 
272 

274 


Portraits  of  William  and  Lucina  Hurst 
Portrait  of  Albin  Stickney 

Joseph  Schwartz 

E.  G.  Moon 

Dr.  T.  B.  Dailev 


HUNTINGTON. 

Residence  of  Abram  Holland 
Portraits  of  Abram  Holland  and  Wife 

ROCHESTER. 

Portraits  of  Roswell  B.  Boice  and  Wife 


CAMDEN. 

Residence  of  John  Rose,  Kipton 
Portraits  of  John  and  Lueinda  Rose  . 

PENFIELD. 

Residence  of  William  W,  Penfield 
Portraits  of  Truman  Penfield  and  Wife 

"  Elisha  and  Sally  Sheldon 

Residence  of  Elisba  Sheldon 

"  the  late  Beri  Andrews   . 

Portraits  of  Beri  and  Amy  S.  Andrews 

"  Orrin  Starr  and  Wife 

Residence  of  Orrin  Starr     . 

"  Street  Goodyear 

Portraits  of  Street  Goodyear  and  Wife 

LAGRANGE 

Residence  of  Dr.  E.  D.  Merriam 
Portraits  of  Dr.  E.  D.  Merriam  and  Wife 

"  Roman  and  Amanda  Freeman 

"  E.  H.  Sanders  and  Wife 

Residence  of  E.  H.  Sanders 

'*  Boman  Freeman 

"  Allen  Sanders 

"  Delos  M.  Sanders 

Portraits  of  Allen  Sanders  and  Wife 

"  Delos  M.  Sanders  and  Wife 

"  R.  B.  Muuro  and  Wife     . 

Residence  of    "  "... 

Portrait  of  Nathan  P.  Johnson  . 


BRIGHTON. 

Residence  of  James  Whipi>le 

Portraits  of  Leonard  H.  Loveland  and  Wife 

AMHERST. 

Residence  of  Capt.  Samuel  Flint 

"  C.  Bailey 

Portraits  of  Curtis  and  Lovina  Bailey 
Residence  of  J.  J.  Rice,  and  Foundry  of  J.  J. 

&  Co 

Portraits  of  J.  J.  Rice  and  Wife 
Residence  of  Emeline  Cook 
Portraits  of  L.  R.  Cook  and  Wife 

"  Samuel  and  Jane  Kendeigh 

Residence  of  Samuel  Kendeigh  . 
Late  Residence  of  Geo.  Dudley  . 
Residence  of  Casper  Dute  . 
Portraits  of  Casper  Dute  and  Wife    . 
Residence  of  Captain  E.  P.  Frink 
Portraits  of  Captain  E.  P.  and  Aurilla  Frink 

**  George  and  Adaline  L.  Bryant 

"  John  J.  and  Cecilia  Kendeigh 

Views  of  Clough  Stone  Co.'s  Quarries  (double 
Portrait  of  Henry  Warner  .... 

"  Baxter  Clough  .... 

"  A.  A.  Crosse,  M.D.    . 

Portraits  of  Jacob  Hildebrand  and  Wife     , 


Rice 


P.\GE 

facing  274 
276 
277 
277 
277 


facing 


283 
283 


facing     284 


facing     297 

"         297 


facing 


298 
298 
300 
300 
302 
302 
305 
305 
307 
307 


fa. 


cing 


308 

308 

between  310,  311 

310,311 

310,  311 

"         310,  311 

312,  313 

312,  313 

312,313 

•'        312,  313 

facing     314 

314 

316 


facing 


320 
323 


between  226,  227 

facing     325 

325 


page) 


between  326,  327 

"       326,  327 

326,  327 

"        326,  327 

"       328,  329 

328,  329 

328,  329 

330,  331 

.330,  331 

"        330,  331 

"        330,  331 

332,  333 

"        332,  333 

336,  337 

facing     338 

341 

342 

346 


CONTENTS. 


IXjXjTJSTK/.A^TIOZsrS- 


WELLINGTON. 


PAGE 

"Evergreen  Hill,"  Residence  of  F.  S.  Wadsworth 

between  358 

359 

Residence  of  D.  L.  Wadsworth  . 

facing     347 

Portraits  of  Roswell  and  Jane  Smith 

facing 

361 

"             James  Sheldon 

between  348,  349 

"           Selden  Hall  and  Wife      . 

. 

361 

"             S.  D.  Bacon  . 

348,  349 

Portrait  of  Abner  Loveland        .... 

•  ■ 

361 

Portraits  of  James  Sheldon  and  Wife 

348,  349 

Portraits  of  Silas  and  Ljdia  Miller    . 

. 

364 

"            S.  D.  Bacon  and  Wife      . 

348,  349 

Residence  of  Silas  Miller 

" 

364 

Residence  of  Homer  Mason 

facing    350 

W.  H.  H.  Sutliff    .... 

. 

366 

"          and  Portrait  of  J.  H.  Dickson 

353 

Portraits  of  W.  H.  H.  Sutliff  and  Wife      . 

366 

Carriage  Manufactory  of  T.  Doland   . 

354 

Residence  of  B.  B.  Herrick 

356 

PITTSFIELD. 

Portraits  of  Lawton  Wadsworth  and  Wife 

between  358,  359 

Residence  of  J.  T.  Carter 

facing 

368 

BIOGE^^IE'HIIO^Xj. 


Ebenezer  Lane    . 
Elijah  Parker 
Reuben  Mussey  . 
-  Woolsey  Welles  . 
Frederick  Whittlesey 
?.  J.  Andrews 
Edward  S.  Hamlin 
Horace  D.  Clark 
Joel  Tiffany 
Albert  A.  Bliss    . 
Judson  D.  Benedict 
Philemon  Bliss    . 
Wm.  F,  Lockwood 
Sylvester  Bagg    . 
John  M.  Vincent 
Lionel  A.  Sheldon 
Artemas  Beebe,  Sr. 
Nahum  B.  Gates 
William  H.  Tucker 
Iral  A.  Webster  . 
Elizur  G.  Johnson 
Judge  John  C.  Hale 
Judge  W.  W.  Boynton 
Edwin  C.  Perry,  M.D 
Charles  F.  Gushing,  M.D. 
Frederick  S.  Reefy 
Charles  A.  Ely    . 
Hon.  Philemon  Bliss 
Dr.  Luther  D.  Griswold 
Wm.  A.  Braman 
Ransom  E.  Braman 
Dr.  L.  C.  Kelsuy 
William  W.  Aldrich 
Martin  W.  Pond 
Hon.  Stevenson  Burk 
Elwood  P.  Haines 
Edwin  D.  Holbrook 
Houston  H.  Poppleton 
David  Bennett     . 
Ransom  Brondon 
Jesse  Eddy  , 
Harry  Terrell 
C.  Lester  Sexton 
Richard  Blain     . 
Sylvester  Hart     . 
Charles  G.  Finney 
Rev.  James  H.  Fairchild 
John  Keep  . 
Samuel  Matthews 
Charles  Bassett  . 
Lott  Parsons 
Luther  Freeman  . 


PAGE 

.       45 

45 

45 

46 

46 

46 

47 

47 

47 

48 

48 

49 

49 

50 

51 

51 

between  104,  105 

facing     108 

112 

113 

118 

between  118,  119 

"  -    118,  119 

130,  131 

130,  131 

facing     131 

.     134 

.     137 

.     138 

facing     140 

140 

.     141 

141 

143 

144 

145 

146 

between  146,  147 

facing     147 

between  156,  157 

"         156,  157 

facing     159 

.     167 

.     168 

between  184,  185 

.     190 

.     191 

.     192 

.     196 

.     196 

.     197 

198 

PAGE 

Lemuel  Abbey 204 

Oel  Durkee 205 

William  H.  Phillips,  Esq 206 

John  Roach 206 

Conrad  Reid facing     208 

Ebenezer  Gregg  ..........     216 

Capt.  Samuel  L.  Flint 216 

George  G.  Morse between  218,  219 

Col.  E.  F.  Peck  . "       220,  221 

Chester  A.  Cooley "       226,  227 

Leonard  Bradley facing     228 

Deacon  George  Wells 233 

Solomon  Whittlesey    .........     233 

William  Sayles 234 

John  H.  Heymann 234 

Henry  Brown      ..........     234 

Rev.  Alfred  H.  Betts 235 

William  Patterson between  248,  249 

Chauncey  Prindle "        248,  249 

Erastus  Hecock "        254,  255 

B.  S.  Corning "        258,  259 

Crispin  and  Duke  Menncll  ....  "        260,  261 

Mrs.  Harriet  I.  Nesbett 268 

Grindall  Rawson 269 

Henry  B.  Rawson 269 

Allen  W.  Nichols 269 

Dr.  C.  B.  Knowlton 270 

Stephen  H.  Brown facing     270 

Edwin  Snow 276 

William  Hurst 276 

Joseph  Schwartz ..........     276 

Albin  Stickney    ........        facing     276 

Elbridge  G.  Moon 277 

Dr.  Truman  B.  Dailey 277 

Abram  Holland 283 

Roswell  B.  Boice facing     284 

John  Rose  ...........     297 

Truman  Penfield         .........     305 

Elisha  Sheldon 305 

Beri  Andrews      ..........     306 

Orrin  Starr 306 

Street  Goodyear  and  Family       .......     307 

Nathan  P.  Johnson facing     316 

E.  D.  Merriam,  M.D 316 

R.  B.  Munro 317 

James  Whipple 322 

Leonard  H.  Loveland  ........     323 

Selden  Hall,  Sr 323 

Samuel  Kendeigh between  328,  329 

George  Bryant "        332,  333 

John  J.  Kendeigh '•        332,  333 

Henry  Warner facing     338 


CONTENTS. 


BZOC3-E.^I=I3:IC^Xj. 


Biixtcr  Clough 
Asahel  A.  Crosse . 
Curtis  Bailoy 
Joseph  aud  J.  J.  Kicc 
Lewis  Rodman  Cook  . 
Caspor  Duto 
Capt.  E.  P.  Frink 
lion.  J.  II.  Dickson     . 
Lawton  Wadsworth 
Francis  S.  Wadsworth 


facing 
between  358 


PAGE 

341 
342 
343 
.344 
344 
345 
345 
353 
,  359 
359 


Sereno  D.  Baeon  . 

Abner  Lovcland,  Jr.    . 

Roswell  Smitli     . 

Homer  Mason  and  Family 

James  Shelden       " 

Silas  Miller 

Bert  B.  Herrick     '* 

Dr.  John  W.  Houghton 

Wm.  H.  H.  Sutliff 

R.  J.  Robinson    . 


PAGE 

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361 
361 
363 
363 
364 
365 
366 
366 
366 


HISTORY 


OF 


LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO, 


BY  W.  W.  WILLIAMS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


DISCOVERY. 


The  year  986  signalizes  the  first  visitation  of  white 
men  to  the  New  World.  Then  it  was  that  Herjulfson, 
a  Xorse  navigator,  in  sailing  from  Iceland  to  Green- 
land, was  driven  by  a  storm  to  the  coast  of  Labrador, 
or,  as  some  historians  claim,  to  that  of  Newfouu-dlaud. 
The  uninviting  character  of  the  coasts  of  the  new  land 
deterred  him  from  landing.  What  Herjulfson  first 
saw,  it  was  reserved  for  other  discoverers  to  expore. 
The  Norsemen  returned  to  Greenland,  and  there  re- 
lated wonderful  stories  of  the  land  they  had  seen,  but 
made  no  further  attempts  at  discovery. 

Fifteen  years  later  Lief  Erickson,  a  brave  and  daring 
Icelandic  captain,  with  mind  inflamed  with  the  fabu- 
lous accounts  of  his  brother  Norseman,  resolved  to 
extend  the  discovery  of  Herjulfson,  and  in  the  year 
1001  set  foot  upon  the  shore  of  Labrador.  He  directed 
his  course  southwest  along  the  coast,  and  finding  the 
country  pleasant  and  attractive  extended  his  explora- 
tions, and  finally  reached  the  territory  embraced 
within  the  present  State  of  Massachusetts,  where  he 
and  his  companions  remained  one  year.  They  pro- 
ceeded along  the  coast  bordering  upon  Long  Island 
Sound,  and  it  is  claimed  that  the  persevering  band 
even  found  their  way  to  New  York  harbor. 

That  this  early  discovery  of  American  soil  may  not 
be  deemed  a  myth,  we  will  say,  that  while  ujitil 
recently  historians  have  been  incredulous,  they  now 
almost  universally  concede  the  fact;  and  by  way  of 
trustworthy  information  we  quote  fi'om  Humboldt's 
"Cosmos,"  as  follows:  "We  are  here  on  historical 
ground.  By  the  critical  and  highly  f)i"a'ise worthy 
efEorts  of  Professor  Rafn  and  the  Royal  Society  of 
Antiquaries  in  Copenhagen,  the  sagas  and  documents 
in  regard  to  the  expedition  of  the  Norsemen  to  New- 
foundland, Nova  Scotia,  and  Vinland,  have  been  pub- 
lished and  satisfactorily  commented  upon.  The  dis- 
covery of  the  northern  part  of  America  by  the  Norse- 
men cannot  be  disputed.  The  length  of  the  voyage, 
the  direction  in  which  thev  sailed,  the  time  of  the  sun's 


rising  and  setting,  are  accurately  given.  While  the 
Caliphate  of  Bagdad  was  still  flourishing  America  was 
discovered,  about  the  year  1001,  by  Lief,  the  son  of 
Eric  the  Red,  at  the  latitude  of  forty-one  and  a  half 
degrees  north." 

Nor  did  the  explorations  of  these  intrepid  Icelanders 
cease  with  the  ex2)edition  of  Erickson  and  his  compan- 
ions, but  in  the  following  year  — 1002  —  Thorwald 
Erickson,  brother  to  Lief,  stimulated  with  a  desire  to 
see  the  new  and  beautiful  country,  made  a  voyage 
to  the  coast  of  Maine.  He  is  said  to  have  ended 
his  days  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  town  of  Fall 
River,  Massachusetts.  In  1005  still  another  brother, 
Thoi'stein  Erickson,  with  a  baud  of  adventurers,  made 
a  similar  voyage,  and  was  followed  in  1007  by  Thor- 
finn  Karlsefne,  a  celebrated  mariner,  who  sailed 
southward  along  the  coast  as  far  as  Virginia. 

The  Norsemen  must  be  regarded  as  a  band  of  roving 
adventurers,  who  effected  no  settlements,  and  of 
whose  discoveries  but  few  imi^ortant  records  have 
been  preserved.  The  enthusiasm  which  the  first  dis- 
coverers excited  gradually  subsided,  and  as  there  were 
no  spoils  in  the  wilderness  which  might  fall  prey  to 
the  Norse  freebooters  and  pirates,  further  occupancy 
of  the  country  was  not  attempted.  The  shadows 
which  had  been  for  a  moment  dispelled  began  to 
darken  over  the  shores  of  the  New  World,  and  the 
curtain  was  not  again  lifted  for  nearly  five  hundred 
years.  Then  came  the  achievement  of  Columbus,  in 
the  year  1492.  Born  of  a  holy  faith  and  an  inflexible 
purpose,  it  was  the  greatest  maritime  enter25rise  in 
the  history  of  the  world.  He  touched  upon  an  island 
subsequently  called  San  Salvador,  and  planting  there 
the  banner  of  Castile,  formally  claimed  jjossession  of 
the  land  in  the  name  of  Isabella,  Queen  of  Spain. 
Marvelous  were  the  results  of  discovery  and  explora- 
tion which  followed.  England  and  France  vie  with 
Spain  and  with  each  other  for  the  mastery  in  the  New 
World.  The  Spanish  nation,  led  on  by  an  insatiable 
thirst  for  gold,  pushed  forward  her  explorations  in 
America  with  such  energy  and  spirit  that  in  less  than 
fifty  years  from  the  time  of  the  great  discovery  of 

(9) 


10 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Columbus,  she  liad  explored  and  laid  claim  to  nearly 
one-half  of  tlie  present  territory  of  tlie  United  States. 
Her  adventurers  had  visited  the  pi-osent  States  and 
Territories  of  Florida,  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  North 
Carolina,  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana, 
Arkansas,  Missouri,  Kansas,  the  Indian  Territory, 
Texas,  New  Mexico,  Colorado,  Utah,  Arizona,  Ne- 
vada and  California. 

France  likewise  made  large  acquisitions  of  Ameri- 
can soil,  though  of  later  date.  Tlie  discoveries  and 
explorations  of  James  Cartier,  of  tlio  patriotic  De 
Monts,  of  Samuel  Chami)lain,  of  Marquette,  of 
Joliet,  and  of  the  gallant  La  Salle,  secured  to 
France,  before  the  close  of  the  Sixteenth  century, 
claims  to  North  American  territory  greater  than 
those  of  any  other  European  power.  At  the  time 
referred  to,  her  sovereignty  in  America  embraced 
Newfoundland,  Acadia,  Nova  Scotia,  Hudson's  Bay, 
all  the  Cauadas,  more  than  half  of  Maine,  Vermont, 
and  New  York,  the  whole  valley  of  the  Mississippi — 
including  its  eastern  tributaries — the  great  chain  of 
lakes  at  the  north  and  Texas  at  the  south,  as  far  as  to 
the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte. 

England's  dominions  in  America  lay  along  the 
Atlantic  seaboard.  The  thirteen  original  colonies 
skirting  the  Atlantic  from  Florida  to  the  verge  of 
Nova  Scotia  were  the  planting  of  the  English  people, 
and  constituted  that  nation's  possessions  up  to  tiie 
time  of  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht,  in  1713.  By  virtue 
of  this  treaty  England  obtained  large  concessions  of 
territory  from  France.  The  entire  possessions  of  the 
Bay  of  Hudson  and  its  borders;  of  Newfoundland, 
subject  to  the  rights  of  France  in  its  fisheries;  and  all 
of  Nova  Scotia,  or  Acadia,  according  to  its  ancient 
boundaries,  passed  from  the  dominion  of  Fra^.ce  to 
tliat  of  England.  And  now  the  strife  in  America  for 
the  possession  of  colonial  monopolies  and  territorial 
sovereignty  was  confined  to  these  two  great  powers. 
France  still  maintained  lier  claim  to  much  the  larger 
extent  of  territory,  but  her  poi)ulation,  scattered  over 
tiiis  immense  area,  numbered  only  eleven  thousand 
two  hundred  and  forty-nine  persons  in  1G88,  while 
that  of  the  English  colonics  in  tiie  same  year  exceeded 
two  luindred  thousand.  A  contest  of  fifty  years' 
duration  between  these  two  great  powers  for  territo- 
rial acquisition  in  America  foHowed,  resulting  in  the 
Treaty  of  Paris,  in  17fi:?,  by  virtue  Of  which  France 
lost  and  England  gain(>d  the  whole  foiintry  between 
the  Allegheny  mountains  and  tiie  Father  of  \A^aters, 
except  a  small  tract  lying  at  tlie  montii  of  the  gn^at 
river.  The  valley  of  the  Ohio,  foi-  wliose  special 
conquest  a  seven  years'  war  li:iil  Ixtm  Ix^gnn,  tJnis 
passed  to  the  possession  of  Britain. 

Strangely  enough,  for  the  success  of  tiiis  under- 
taking the  English  nation  was  mainly  indel)ted  to  the 
very  hero,  who,  a  few  years  later,  as  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  American  armie's,  was  eiiffasfed  in 
wresting  it — in  common  witli  tlie  territory  of  the 
whole  country — from  British  rule,  in  order  to  transfer 
it  to  the  free  jieople  who  should  make  for  humanity  a 


new  existence  in  America.  In  less  than  a  decade  the 
dominions  which  England  took  from  France  were  in 
turn  taken  from  her,  and  the  United  States  of 
America  obtained  a  place  among  the  nations  of  the 
world,  and  undertook  the  glorious  work  of  tilling  a 
territorial  continent  with  commonwealths. 


CHAPTER   II. 

*  THE  CONNECTICUT  'WESTERN  RESERVE. 

The  Western  Reserve  of  Connecticut  lies  l)etwecn 
the  panillels  of  11'"  and  12°  2'  of  north  latitude,  com- 
mencing with  the  western  boundary  line  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  extending  thence  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  westward.  The  entire  tract  embraces  an  area  of 
seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty  square  miles, 
nearly  one-third  of  which  is  water.  If  the  whole  were 
land,  there  would  be  four  million  seven  hundred  and 
sixty-one  thousand  six  hundred  acres.  It  is  composed 
of  the  counties  of  Ashtabula,  Trumbull,  Portage, 
Geauga,  Lake,  Cu3'ahoga,  Medina,  Lorain,  Huron, 
Erie,  Summit  (except  the  townships  of  Franklin  and 
Green),  the  two  northern  tiers  of  townships  in  Ma- 
honing, the  townships  of  Sullivan,  Troy,  and  Ruggles, 
in  Ashland,  and  several  islands  lying  north  of  San- 
dusky, including  Kelly's  and  Put-in-Bay.  This  is  the 
land  portion  of  the  Reserve.  The  portion  consisting 
of  water  lies  between  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie 
and  the  forty-second  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  east  and  west  by  the  same  parallels  of 
longitude  that  form  the  east  and  west  boundaries  of 
the  land  ])ortion. 

There  liave  been  numerous  claimants  to  tlie  soil 
of  the  Reserve.  In  addition  to  the  red  man's  title. 
France,  England,  the  United  States,  Virginia.  Massa- 
chusetts, New  York,  and  Conneccicnt  have  all,  atone 
time  or  another,  asserted  ownership.  The  claim  of 
France  arose  by  reason  of  its  being  a  portion  of  the 
territorv  which  she  ])ossessed  by  right  of  discovery. 
England  laid  claim  to  all  territory  adjoining  those  dis- 
tricts lying  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  whose  soil  she 
jiossessed  by  right  of  occupancy,  asserting  ownershiji 
from  sea  to  sea.  The  greatest  ignorance,  however, 
prevailed  in  early  times  as  to  the  inland  extent  of  the 
y\merican  continent.  During  the  reign  of  James  I.^ 
Sir  Francis  Drake  reported  that,  from  the  top  of  the 
mountains  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  he  had  seen 
both  oceans.  This  led  to  the  belief  that  the  continent 
from  east  to  west  was  of  no  considerable  extent,  ami 
(hat  the  South  Sea,  by  which  appellation  the  Pacilic 
then  was  known,  did  not  lie  very  far  removed  from 
tlie  Atlantic.  As  late  as  1710,  the  Duke  of  Newcastle 
addressed  his  letters  to  the  "Island  of  New  England." 
This  ignorance  of  the  inland  extent  of  America,  gave 
rise,  as  we  shall  see,  to  conflicting  claims  of  western 


*  For  the  facts  upon  which  this  chapter  ishased  we  are  largely  indebted 
to  an  address  deUvered  by  Judge  Boynton.  at  Elyria,  July  4th,  1876. 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


11 


territory.  Eiialand's  valid  title  to  the  great  west  was 
obtained  through  conquest,  conipelliiig  France,  in 
1713  and  1763,  to  surrender  nearly  the  wiiole  of  her 
American  possessions.  The  United  States  succeeded 
Great  Britain  in  her  riglits  of  ownorslii[)  in  American 
soil,  and  tiius  came  to  have  a  claim  to  tlie  lands  of 
the  Reserve.  Tiie  claims  of  Virginia,  .Massaciiusetts, 
Xcw  York  and  Couueeticut  were  obtained  by  virtue 
of  charters  granted  to  English  subjects  by  English 
sovereigns.  The  tract  of  counti-y  embraced  in  the 
London  Company's  charter,  granted  by  James  I.  in 
1009,  whence  arose  Virginia's  claim,  commenced  its 
l>onndaries  at  Old  Point  Comfort,  on  the  Atlantic, 
and  extended  two  hundred  mdes  south,  and  two  hun- 
dred north  from  this  jioint.  From  the  southernmost 
l)oint,  a  line  drawn  dne  west  to  the  Pacific  formed  the 
southern  boundary;  from  the  nortliernmost  point,  a 
lino  running  diagonally  northwesterly  through  Penn- 
sylvania and  Western  Xew  York,  across  the  eastern 
portion  of  Lake  Erie,  and  terminating  finally  in  the 
Arctic  ocean,  formed  the  nortliwcstern  boundary; 
and  the  Pacific  Ocean,  or  what  was  then  called  the 
South  Sea,  the  western  boundary.  Tlie  vast  empire 
lying  within  these  four  lines  included  over  one-half 
of  tlie  North  American  continent,  and  embraced  all 
of  what  was  afterwards  known  as  the  Northwestern 
Territory,  including  of  course  the  lands  of  the  Ke- 
servc. 

The  claim  of  Massaciiusetts  rested  for  its  validity 
uiion  the  charter  of  1630,  granted  by  James  I.  to  the 
('ouncil  of  Plymouth,  and  embraced  all  tlie  territory 
from  (lie  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  lying  between  the 
fortieth  and  forty-eighth  degrees  of  north  latitude. 
This  grant  comprised  an  area  of  more  than  a  million 
sipiare  miles,  and  included  all  of  the  present  inhabited 
lii'itisli  possessions  to  the  north  of  tiie  United  States, 
all  of  what  is  now  New  England,  New  York,  one-half 
of  New  Jersey,  very  nearly  all  of  Pennsylvania,  more 
than  the  nortliern  half  of  Ohio,  and  all  the  country  to 
the  west  of  tiiese  States.  In  1630,  the  Earl  of  War- 
wick olitained  a  grant  to  a  part  of  the  same  territory, 
and  in  the  following  year  assigned  a  portion  of  his 
grant  to  Lord  Brooke  and  Viscounts  Say  and  Seal. 

In  1061,  Charles  II.  ceded  to  his  brother,  the  Duke 
of  York,  and  afterwards  King  James  II.  of  England, 
the  country  from  Delaware  Bay  to  the  River  St.  Croix, 
and  afterward  it  was  insisted  that  the  granted  territory 
extended  westward  to  the  Pacific.  This  constituted 
New  York's  claim  to  western  territory,  of  which  the 
lands  of  the  Reserve  were  a  jiortion.  In  1662,  the 
same  monarch  granted  to  nineteen  patentees  an  ample 
charter,  from  which  Connecticut  derived  her  claim  to 
a  territory  bounded  by  Massachusetts  on  tiie  north,  the 
sea  on  the  south,  Narragauset  Bay  on  the  east,  and 
the  Pacific  on  the  west.  This  grant  embraced  a  strip 
of  land  sixty-two  miles  wide,  extending  from  Narra- 
gansett  Bay  on  the  east  to  the  Pacific  ocean  on  the 
west;  and  the  northern  and  southern  boundaries  of 
this  tract  were  the  same  as  those  which  now  form  the 
boundaries  at  the  north  and  south  of  the  Reserve. 


Thus  arose  conflicting  claims.  The  extent  of  terri- 
tory to  which  Virginia  insisted  tiiat  she  was  rightful 
owner  was  the  largest,  and  included  all  the  other 
claims.  That  of  Massachusetts  was  next  in  size,  and 
included  the  whole  region  claimed  for  Connecticut, 
as  did  the  territory  embraced  in  New  York's  claim. 

The  United  States  did  not  appear  as  a  contestant 
until  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  when  she, 
with  good  reason,  insisted  that  these  disputed  lands 
belonged  of  right  to  Great  Britain's  conqueror;  that 
a  vacant  territory,  wrested  from  a  common  enemy 
by  the  united  arms,  and  at  the  joint  expense  and 
sacrifice  of  all  the  States,  should  be  considered  as  the 
jiroperty  of  the  conquering  nation,  to  be  held  in  trust 
for  the  common  benefit  of  the  people  of  all  the  States. 
To  show  how  groundless  were  the  claims  of  these 
contesting  States,  it  was  pointed  out  that  the  charters 
upon  which  their  titles  were  founded  had  in  some 
instances  been  abrogated  by  Judicial  proceedings,  and 
the  companies  to  Avhom  they  had  been  given  dissolved; 
that  the  charters  were  given  at  a  time  when  much  of 
the  territory,  to  which  ownership  was  claimed  under 
them,  was  in  the  actual  possession  and  occupancy  of 
another  power;  that  all  the  various  grants  were  made 
in  the  grossest  ignorance  of  the  inland  extent  of  the 
American  continent;  and  that  George  III.  had  cither 
repudiated  the  charters  of  his  royal  jiredecessoi's,  or 
denied  to  them  the  right  of  sovereignty  over  territory 
of  so  vast  extent,  by  issuing  a  proclamation  forbidding 
all  persons  from  intruding  upon  lands  in  the  valley  of 
the  Ohio. 

Popular  feeling  ran  high.  Contentions  between 
conflicting  claimants  frequently  resulted  in  bloodshed. 
The  prospects  of  the  American  Union  were  darkened; 
the  ratification  of  the  Articles  of  Confederation  was 
retarded;  the  difficulty  and  embarrassments  in  prose- 
cuting the  war  for  independence  were  greatly  aug- 
mented. Mainland  would  not  become  a  member  of 
the  Union  unless  the  States  claiming  western  territory 
would  relinquish  to  Congress  their  title.  In  the  midst 
of  these  gloomy  and  foreboding  events,  in  which 
disaster  to  the  common  cause  was  more  to  be  feared 
at  the  hands  of  its  friends  than  of  its  enemies.  Con- 
gress made  a  strong  appeal  to  the  claiming  States  to 
avert  the  approaching  danger  by  a  cessation  of  con- 
tentious discord  among  themselves,  and  by  making 
liberal  cessions  of  western  territory  for  the  common 
benefit.  New  York  was  the  first  to  resjiond,  and  in 
1780  ceded  to  the  United  States  the  lands  she  claimed 
lying  west  of  a  line  running  south  from  the  western 
bend  of  Lake  Ontario,  reserving  an  area  of  nineteen 
thousand  square  miles.  Virginia,  in  1781,  relinquished 
in  favor  of  Congress  her  title  to  lands  lying  northwest 
of  the  Ohio,  reserving  a  district  of  land  in  Ohio  lying 
between  the  Scioto  and  Little  Miami,  which  came  to 
be  known  as  the  Virginia  Military  District,  which 
reservation  was  made  in  order  to  enable  Virginia  to 
fulfill  pledges  to  her  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionai-y 
war  of  bounties  payable  in  western  lands.  In  1785, 
Massachusetts  ceded  the  western  territory  to  which 


13 


niSTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


she  had  been  a  chiiniiint,  reserviiiE;  tlic  same  nineteen 
thousand  square  miles  reserved  by  New  York,  which 
disputed  territory  was  afterwards  divided  equally  be- 
tween tiiese  two  States.  Connecticut  was  the  most 
reluctant  and  tardy  of  all  the  contesting  States  iu 
sacrificing  State  pretensions  for  the  common  benefit. 
Ilowever,  on  the  14th  day  of  September,  1786,  her 
authorized  delegates  in  Congress  relinquished  all  the 
right,  title,  interest,  jurisdiction  and  claim  that  she 
possessed  to  land  within  her  chartered  limits  lying 
west  of  a  line  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  west  of 
and  parallel  with  the  western  boundary  line  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  The  tract  of  laud  and  water 
lying  west  of  Pennsylvania  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles,  and  between  latitudes  41°  and  42°  2' 
north,  was  not  conveyed, — hence  reserved  by  Con- 
necticut, and  hence  was  called  the  Western  Reserve 
of  Connecticut. 

As  Connecticut's  claim  included  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  northern  half  of  the  present  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, it  infringed  upon  the  rights  of  the  jseojile  of 
the  latter  State  or  colony,  who  alleged  ownership  by 
virtue  of  the  charter  to  William  Penn.  granted  by 
James  II.  of  England,  in  1681.  Both  States  strove 
for  the  occujiancy  of  the  disputed  soil,  and  Connec- 
ticut sold  to  certain  individuals  seventeen  townships, 
situated  on  or  near  the  Susquehanna  river,  organized 
the  tract  into  a  civil  township,  called  it  Westmore- 
land, and  attached  it  to  the  probate  district  and  county 
of  Litchfield,  in  Connecticut.  Westmoreland  repre- 
sentatives occupied  seats  in  the  Connecticut  legisla- 
ture. Pennsylvania  protested,  and,  when  the  Revolu- 
tionary contest  closed,  sent  an  armed  force  to  drive 
the  intruders  from  the  lands.  The  shedding  of  blood 
resulted.  The  controversy  was  finally  submitted  to  a 
court  of  commissioners  appointed  by  congress,  upon 
the  petition  of^ Pennsylvania,  as  provided  in  the  ninth 
article  of  the  Confederation,  which  gave  to  congress 
the  power  to  establish  a  court  for  the  settlement  of 
disputed  boundaries. 

This  court  sat  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  in  1787,  when 
the  case  was  tried,  and  decided  against  Connecticut. 
The  title  to  lauds  lying  west  of  Pennsylvania  was  not 
involved  in  this  adjudication,  and  Connecticut  still 
insisted  upon  the  validity  of  her  claim  to  lands  not 
ceded  by  her  to  the  United  States. 

At  a  session  of  the  Connecticut  legislature,  held  at 
New  Haven,  in  178G  aiul  in  1787,  it  was  resolved  to 
offer  for  sale  that  part  of  the  Reserve  lying  east  of  the 
Cuyahoga,  the  Portage  path,  and  the  Tuscarawas 
branch  of  the  Muskingum,  and  a  committee  of  three 
persons  was  appointed  to  cause  a  survey  to  be  made 
and  to  negotiate  a  sale.  Nothing,  however,  was 
immediately  done.  On  the  10th  of  Feln-uary,  1788, 
however,  certain  lands  lying  within  the  limits  of  the 
Reserve  were  sold  to  General  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  then 
of  Middletown,  Connecticut.  This  was  afterwards 
known  as  the  Salt  Spring  tract.  No  survey  had  been 
made,  but  in  the  description  of  the  land  conveyed  the 
numbers  of  the  ranges  and  townships  were  designated 


as  if  actually  defined.  General  Parsons  had  explored 
the  country,  and  had  found  the  location  of  a  salt 
spring  near  the  Mahoning.  He  selected  his  tract  so 
as  it  should  include  this  spring,  from  which  he 
expected  to  manufacture  salt  and  to  make  his  fortune. 
The  entire  number  of  acres  thus  sold  and  conveyed  to 
Mr.  Parsons,  as  afterwards  determined  by  the  survey 
made  by  the  (!onnecticut  Land  Company,  was  twenty- 
five  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty.  The  descri))- 
tion  in  the  deed  is  as  follows: 

"  Beginning  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  first  township,  in  the  third 
range  of  townships;  thence  rnnning  northwardly  on  the  west  line  of 
the  second  range  of  said  lands  to  forty-one  degrees  and  twelve  minutes 
of  north  latitude;  thence  west  three  miles;  thence  southwardly  parallel 
to  the  west  line  of  Pennsylvania  two  miles  and  one-half;  thence  west 
three  miles  to  the  west  line  of  said  third  range;  thence  southwardly 
parallel  to  the  west  line  of  Pennsylvania  to  the  north  hue  of  the  first 
township,  in  the  third  range;  thence  east  to  the  first  bound." 

In  1795  Connecticut  sold  all  the  Reserve,  except 
the  "Sufferers'  Lands"  and  the  Salt  Spring  tract,  to 
a  number  of  men  who  came  to  be  known  as  the  Con- 
necticut Land  Company,  The  "Sufferers'  Lands'' 
comprise  a  tract  of  five  hundred  thousand  acres,  taken 
from  the  western  end  of  the  Reserve,  and  set  apart  by 
the  legislature  of  the  State  on  the  10th  of  May,  1792, 
and  donated  to  the  suffering  inhabitants  of  the  towns 
of  Greenwich,  Norwalk,  Fairfield,  Danbury,  New  and 
East  Haven,  New  London,  Richlield  and  Groton,  who 
had  sustained  severe  losses  during  the  Revolution. 
Upwards  of  two  thousand  persons  were  rendered 
homeless  from  the  incursions  of  the  British,  aided 
by  Benedict  Arnold,  and  their  villages  pillaged  and 
burned.  To  compensate  them  for  this  great  calamity 
this  donation  was  made  to  them.  The  lands  thus 
given  are  boundel  on  the  north  by  Lake  Erie,  south 
by  the  base-line  of  the  Reserve,  west  by  its  western 
line,  and  east  by  a  line  parallel  with  the  western  line, 
and  at  such  a  distance  from  it  as  to  embrace  one-half 
million  of  acres.  The  counties  of  Huron  and  Erie 
and  the  township  of  Ruggles,  in  Ashland,  comprise 
these  lands.  An  account  of  each  sufferer's  loss  was 
taken  in  pounds,  shillings  and  pence,  and  a  price 
placed  upon  the  lands,  and  each  of  the  sufferers 
received  lands  proportioned  to  the  amount  of  his  loss. 
These  lands  finally  took  the  name  of  ''  Fire  Lands," 
from  the  fact  that  the  greater  part  of  the  losses  resulted 
from  fire. 

The  resolution  authorizing  the  sale  of  the  remain- 
der of  the  Reserve,  adopted  at  a  session  of  the  General 
Assembly,  held  at  H;irtford,  in  May,  1795,  is  as 
follows: 

"  Resolved,  By  this  Assembly,  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  re- 
ceive any  proposals  that  may  be  made,  by  any  person  or  persons, 
whether  inhabitants  of  the  tTnited  States  or  others,  for  the  purchase  of 
the  lands  belonging  to  this  State  lying  west  of  the  west  line  of  Pennsyl- 
vania as  claimed  by  that  State,  and  the  said  committee  are  hereby  fully 
authorized  and  empowered,  in  the  name  and  behalf  of  this  State,  to  nego- 
tiate with  any  such  person  or  persons  on  the  subject  of  any  such  pro- 
posal. And  also  to  perform  and  complete  any  contract  or  contracts  for 
the  sale  of  said  lands,  and  to  make  and  execute,  under  their  hands  and 
seals,  to  the  purchaser  or  purchasers,  a  deed  or  deeds  duly  authenti- 
cated, quitting,  in  l)ehalf  of  this  State,  all  right,  title,  and  interest, 
juridicial  and  territorial,  in  and  to  the  said  lands,  to  hira  or  them,  and  to 
his  or  their  heirs,  forever.  That  before  the  executing  of  said  deed  or 
deeds,  the  purchaser  or  purchasers  shall  give  their  note  or  bond,  paya- 
ble to  the  treasurer  of  this  State,  for  the  purchase-money,  carrying  an 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


13 


interest  of  six  per  centum,  payable  annually,  to  commence  from  the 
date  thereof,  or  from  such  future  period,  not  exceeding  two  years  from 
the  date,  as  circumstances,  in  the  opinion  of  the  committee  may  re- 
quire, and  as  may  be  agreed  on  between  them  and  the  said  purchaser 
or  purchasers,  with  good  and  sufficient  sureties,  inhai)itants  of  this 
State,  or  with  a  sufficient  deposit  of  banlc  or  other  stock  of  the  United 
States,  or  of  the  particular  States,  which  note  or  bond  shall  be  taken 
payable  at  a  period  not  mrre  remote  than  five  years  from  the  date,  or, 
if  by  annual  installments,  so  that  the  last  installment  be  [layable  within 
ten  years  from  the  date,  either  in  specie,  or  in  six  per  cent.,  three  per 
cent.,  or  deferred  stock  of  the  United  States,  at  the  discretion  of  the 
committee.  That  if  the  committee  shall  find  that  it  will  be  most  bene- 
ficial to  the  State,  or  its  citizens,  to  form  several  contracts  for  the  .sale 
of  said  lands,  they  shall  not  consummate  any  of  the  said  contracts  apart 
by  themselves  while  the  others  lie  in  a  train  of  negotiation  only,  but  all 
the  contracts  which  taken  together  shall  comprise  the  whole  quantity 
of  the  said  lands  shall  be  consummated  together,  and  the  purchasers 
shall  hold  their  respective  parts  or  proportions  as  tenants  in  common 
of  the  whole  tract  or  territory,  and  not  in  severalty.  That  said  com- 
mittee, in  whatever  manner  they  shall  find  it  best  to  sell  the  lanils, 
whether  by  an  entire  contract  or  by  several  contracts,  shall  in  no  case 
be  at  liberty  to  sell  the  whole  quantity  for  a  principal  sum  less  than  one 
million  of  dollars  in  specie,  or  if  the  day  of  payment  be  given,  for  a  sum 
of  less  value  than  one  million  of  dollars  in  specie,  with  interest  at  six 
per  cent,  per  annum  from  the  time  of  such  sale." 

The  following  were  appointed  a  committee  to  nego- 
tiate the  sale:  John  Tread  well,  James  Wadsworth, 
Marvin  Wait,  William  Edmonds,  Tliomas  Grosvenor, 
Aaron  Anstin,  Elijah  Hubbard,  and  Sylvester  Gilbert. 
These  eight  persons  were  selected,  one  from  each  of 
the  eight  counties  of  the  State.  They  effected  a  sale 
in  separate  contracts  with  forty-eight  different  indi- 
viduals, realizing  for  the  State  the  sum  of  one  million 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Most  of  the  pur- 
chasers made  their  bargains  each  separately  from  the 
others,  although  in  some  instances  several  associated 
together  and  took  their  deeds  jointly.  The  contracts 
made  were  as  follows:  with 


Joseph  Howland.  I jg,,  45, 

Daniel  L.  Coit,      (  ' 

Elias  Morgan,    I  c,  .^9 

Daniel  L.  Coit.  f    "''^"^ 

Caleb  Atwater 22.816 

Daniel  Holbrook S.T.jO 

Joseph  AVilliams 15,2;il 

William  Law 10..500 

William  Judd 16.250 

Elisha  Hyde.  I  =-  ,nn 

UriaTraeey,  f ^••*'" 

James  Johnson  30,lM0 

Samuel  Mather.  Jr 18,461 

Ephraim  Kirljy,      I 

Elijah  Boardman,  y 60,000 

Uriel  Holmes,  Jr., ) 

Oliver  Phelps.        I  on  nnn 

Gideon  Granger,  f *''"™ 

Solomon  Griswold 10,000 

William  Hart  30,46J 

Henry  Champion  2d 85,675 

Ashur  Miller .34,000 

Robert.  C.  Johnson 60.000 

Ephraim  Post  42.000 

Nehemiah  Hubbard,  Jr...  19.039 


Solomon  Cowles  $10,005 

Oliver  Phelps 108.180 

Ashael  Hathaway 12.000 

John  Caldwell.      I  lemin 

Pel  eg  Sandtord,  f ^^'"^ 

Timothy  Burr 1.5,2:31 

Luther  Loomis,        (  j.  0,0 

Ehenezer  King,  Jr.,  ( «,oio 

William  Lyman, ) 

John  Stoddard,     }■ 21,730 

David  King,  ) 

Moses  Cleaveland .32.600 

Samuel  P.  Lord  14,092 

Roger  Neivljury,    J 

Enoch  Perkins,      V 38,000 

Jonathan  Brace,  \ 

Ephraim  Starr 17,415 

Sylvanus  Griswold 1,683 

,labez  Stocking,   I  ,,  ,,,« 

Joshua  Stow,        f  "•^'^* 

Titus  Street 22,846 

James  Bull,  ) 

Aaron  Olmstead,  V 30,000 

John  Wyles.  j 

Pierpont  Edwards  60,000 

Amounting  to 81,200,000 


The  State  by  its  committee  made  deeds  to  the  several 
purchasers  in  the  foregoing  amounts,  each  grantee 
becoming  owner  of  such  a  proportion  of  the  entire 
purchase  as  the  amount  of  his  contract  bore  to  the 
total  amount.  For  example:  the  last-named  indi- 
vidual, Pierpont  Edwards,  having  engaged  to  pay 
sixty  thousand  dollars  towards  the  purchase,  received 
a  deed  for  sixty  thousand  twelve  hundred  thousandths 
of  the  entire  Reserve,  or  one-twentieth  part.  These 
deeds  were  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  afterwards  copied 
into  a  book,  commonly  designated  as  the  "Book  of 
Drafts." 


The  individuals  above  named  formed  themselves 
into  a  company  called  the  Connecticut  Land  Company, 
a  brief  history  of  whose  doings  will  be  presented  in 
the  succeeding  chapter. 


CHAPTER    III. 


THE  CONNECTICUT  LAND  COMPANIT. 

The  members  of  this  company  etiected  an  organi- 
zation on  the  5th  day  of  September,  1795.  This  was 
done  at  Hartford,  Connecticut.  They  adopted  articles 
of  association  and  agreement,  fourteen  in  number. 
Their  first  article  designated  the  name  by  which  they 
chose  to  be  known.  Article  number  two  provided  for 
the  appointment  of  a  committee,  consisting  of  three 
of  their  number, — John  Caldwell,  John  Brace,  and 
John  Morgan, — to  whom  each  purchaser  was  required 
to  execute  a  deed  in  trust  of  his  share  in  the  purcliase, 
receiving  in  exchange  a  certificate  from  the.se  trustees 
showing  that  the  holder  thereof  was  entitled  to  a 
certain  share  in  the  Connecticut  Western  Reserve, 
which  certificate  of  share  was  transferable  by  proper 
assignment.  The  form  of  this  certificate  is  given  in 
Article  IX.  Article  III.  provides  for  the  appointment 
of  seven  directors,  and  empowers  them  to  procure  an 
extinguishment  of  the  Indian  title  to  said  Reserve;  to 
cause  a  survey  of  the  lands  to  be  made  into  townships 
containing  each  sixteen  thousand  acres;  to  fix  on  a 
township  in  which  the  first  settlement  shall  be  made, 
to  survey  the  township  thus  selected  into  lots,  and  to 
sell  such  lots  to  actual  settlers  only;  to  erect  in  said 
township  a  saw-mill  and  a  grist  mill  at  the  expense  of 
the  company;  and  to  lay  out  and  sell  five  other  town- 
ships to  actual  settlers  only.  Article  IV.  obliges  the 
surveyors  to  keep  a  regular  field-book,  in  which  they 
shall  accurately  describe  tiie  situation,  soil,  waters, 
kinds  of  timber,  and  natural  productions  of  each 
township;  said  book  to  be  kept  in  the  office  of  the  clerk 
of  said  directors,  and  open  at  all  times  to  the  inspec- 
tion of  each  proprietor.  Article  V.  provides  for  the 
appointment  by  the  directors  of  a  clerk,  and  names 
his  duties.  Article  VI.  makes  it  obligatory  upon  the 
trustees  to  give  to  each  of  the  proprietors  a  certificate 
as  named  above.  Article  VII.  imposes  a  tax  of  ten 
dollars  upon  each  share  to  enable  the  directors  to 
accomplish  the  duties  assigned  to  them.  Article 
VIII.  divides  the  purcha.se  into  four  hundred  shares, 
and  gives  each  shareholder  one  vote  for  every  share  up 
to  forty  shares,  when  he  shall  thereafter  have  but  one 
vote  for  every  five  shares,  except  as  to  the  (juestion  of 
the  time  of  making  a  partition  of  the  territory,  in 
determining  which  every  share  shall  be  entitled  to 
one  vote.  Article  X.  fixes  the  dates  of  several  future 
meetings  to  be  held.     Article  XI.  reads: 

'*And  whereas,  some  of  the  proprietors  may  choose  that  their  propor- 
tious  of  said  Reserve  should  be  divided  tu  them  in  one  lot  or  location,  it  is 
agreed  that  in  case  one-third  in  value  of  the  owners  shall,  after  a  survey 
of  said  Reserve  in  townships,  signify  to  said  directors  or  meeting  a  re- 
quest that  such  third  part  be  set  off  in  manner  aforesaid,  that  said 
directors  may  appoint  three  commissioners,  who  shall  have  power  to 
divide  the  whole  of  said  purchase  into  three  parts,  equal  in  value, 


14 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


according  to  quantity,  quality,  and  situation;  and  when  said  commis- 
sioner's sliall  have  so  ilivided  said  Reserve, and  made  a  report  in  writing 
of  their  doings  to  saiil  directors,  describing  precisely  the  boundaries  of 
each  part,  tlie  said  directors  shall  call  a  meeting  oE  said  proprietors, 
giving  the  notice  required  by  these  articles;  anil  at  such  meeting  the 
said  three  parts  shall  be  numbered,  and  the  number  of  each  part  shall 
be  written  on  a  separate  I)iece  of  paper,  and  shall,  in  the  presence  of 
such  meeting,  be  by  the  chairman  of  said  meeting  put  into  a  box,  and 
a  person,  appointed  l)y  said  meeting  for  lluit  purpose,  shall  draw  out  ipf 
said  box  one  of  said  numbers,  and  ihe  part  designated  by  such  number 
shall  be  aparted  to  su  h  person  or  persons  requesting  such  a  severance. 
and  the  said  trustees  shall,  ttpon  receivmg  a  written  direction  from 
said  directors  for  that  purpose,  execute  a  deed  to  such  per-ion  or  per- 
sons accordingly;  after  which,  such  person  or  persons  shall  have  no 
power  to  act  in  said  conq)aii.y." 

Article  XU.  eniiiowt^Ts  the  company  to  raise  money 
by  a  tax  on  tlie  ]iroi)rietor.s,  anil  to  disiio.se,  iiiioii 
certain  eoiulition.s,  of  so  niiicli  nf  a  |ii-o[irietor"s  in- 
terest, in  case  of  (leliiii(iHincy,,  as  shall  be  necessary  to 
satisfy  tlie  as.sessment.  Article  XIII.  provides  for 
the  apiiointiiu'iit  liy  tlie  comiiaiiy  of  a  successor  to  a 
trustee  who  may  have  caused  a  vacancy  in  the  ofilce 
by  deatli.  Article  .\i\'.  places  the  directors  in  the 
transaction  of  any  business  of  the  company  under  the 
control  of  the  latter  "by  a  vote  of  at  least  three- 
fourths  of  the  interest  of  stiid  company." 

The  following  gtqitlemen  were  chosen  to  consti- 
tute the  board  of  directors:  Oliver  Phelps,  Henry 
Champion  ("-Jnd),  Moses  Cloaveland,  Samuel  W. 
Johnson,  KiihraJm  Kirby,  Saiimel  Mather,  Jr.,  and 
Roger  Newbury.  At  a  meeting  liehl  in  April,  17!)U, 
Ephraim  Root  was  made  clerk,  ;ind  continued  to  in 
act  this  capacity  until  the  dissolution  of  the  company 
in  1809.  A  moderator  was  chosen  at  each  meeting, 
and  changes  of  directors  were  made  from  lime  to  time. 

Tin;  XAIIES  OF    TIIK    MEMIilCRS  OI?    THE    CONNECTICUT 
]..\N1)    COMl'ANY. 

The  following  arc  Ihe  names  i.if  the  persons  who 
subscribed  to  the  "  .Vrticles  of  Associtilion  and  Agree- 
ment constituting  the  Connecticut  Land  Company:'' 


Ashur  Miller, 
Uriel  Holmes.  Jr.. 
Ephraim  Starr, 
Luther  L->oniis. 
Roger  Newbury  for 
Justin  Ely, 
Elisha  Strong, 
Joshua  Stow, 
Jabez  Stocking, 
Solomon  Oowles, 
J<:inathan  Brace, 
Daniel  L.  Coit 
Enoch  Perkins, 
Elijah  Boardman, 
"Williaiu    Hart, 
Samuel  Mather,, Jr., 
Caleb  Atwaler, 
Nehemiah  Hubbard,  Jr., 
Lemuel  .Storrs, 


,lose[)h  Ihnvland, 
Pierponl  Edwards, 
James  Bull, 
Titus  Street, 
William  .ludd, 
Rol)ert  C.  .lohn.son, 
Samuel  F.  Lord, 
Ephraim  Kelly, 
Oliver  Phelps, 
(Jideon  Granger,  ,Jr. 
Tephaiiiih  Swift, 
Moses  Cleaveland, 
Joseph  Williams, 
Peleg  Saudford, 
William  M.  Bliss, 
John  Stoddard, 
William  B.attle, 
Benajab  Kent, 
Timothy  Burr, 


William  I.,aw, 
James  Johnson, 
Elisha  Hyde, 
Uriah  Tracey, 
William  Lyman, 
Daniel  Holbrook, 
Ejihraim  Root, 
Solomon  Griswold, 
Tliaddeus  Levvett, 
Ebenezer  King,  Jr., 
Roger  Newbury, 
Elijah  White, 
Eliphalet  Austin, 
Joseph  C.  Yates,  and 
Samuel  Mather,  in  be- 
half   of    themselves 
and  their  associates 
in  All)any,   State  of 
New  York. 


Before  this  organi/.ed  body  of  men  lay  the  impor- 
tant work  of  obtaining  a  perfect  title  to  thciri)urchase; 
of  causing  a  survey  of  the  lands  to  be  maile;  of  making 
partition  of  the  same;  and  then  of  inducing  colonies 
of  men  to  undertake  tlie  settlement. 

To  these  tasks  tlie  purchasers  addressed  themselves 
in  right  good  earnest.  In  order  to  make  sound  their 
title  they  must  obtain  from  the  United  States  a  release 


of  the  government's  claim, — a  very  just  and  formid- 
able one, — and  to  extinguish  the  title  of  tlie  Indian, 
who.se  right  to  the  soil  rested  upon  the  substantial 
basis  of  actual  occujiancy.  Whatever  interest  \'irgiiiia, 
Massachusetts,  and  New  York  may  have  had  in  the 
Western  Reserve  had  jiassed  to  the  United  States,  and 
if  none  of  the  claiming  States  had  title,  the  dominion 
;ind  ownership  were  transferred  to  the  general  govern- 
ment by  the  treaty  made  with  Gretit  Britain  at  the 
close  of  the  Revolution.  There  was,  therefore,  a  very 
reasonable  solitutude  ujion  the  [lart  of  the  Connecticut 
Land  ('omi)any,  lest  the  claim  of  the  United  States 
Would,  if  issue  were  made,  be  proven  to  be  of  greater 
valiilily  than  that  of  Connecticut,  the  company's 
graiitor.  Another  difficulty  made  itself  felt.  AViien 
an  attempt  was  made  to  settle  the  Reserve,  it  was 
discovered  that  it  was  so  far  removed  from  Connecticut 
as  to  make  it  impracticable  for  that  State  to  extend 
her  laws  over  the  same,  or  to  make  new  ones  for  the 
government  of  the  inhabitants.  Congress  had  pro- 
vided in  the  ordinance  of  17S7  for  the  government  of 
the  Northwestern  Territory;  but  to  admit  jurisdiction 
by  the  general  government  over  this  part  of  that  terri- 
tory would  be  a  virtual  acknowledgment  of  the  validity 
of  the  government's  title,  and  therefore  an  indirect 
proof  of  the  insufficiency  of  the  company's  title.  The 
right  to  siu;h  jurisdiction  was  therefore  denied,  and 
Connecticut  was  urged  to  obtain  from  the  Unitetl 
States  a  release  of  the  governmentid  claim.  The  result- 
was  that  congress,  on  the  :J8th  day  of  Ajiril,  ISOO, 
authorized  the  President  to  execute  and  deliver,  on 
the  part  of  the  United  States,  letters  i)atent  to  the 
governor  of  Connecticut,  releasing  all  right  and  title 
to  the  soil  of  the  Reserve,  upon  condition  that  Connec- 
ticut should,  on  her  part,  forever  renounce  and  release 
to  the  United  Sttites  entire  and  complete  civil  juris- 
diction over  the  Reserve.  Thus  Connecticut  obtaine(l 
from  the  United  States  her  claim  to  the  soil,  and 
transmitted  iind  confirmed  it  to  the  Connecticut  Laml 
('onn),-iny  and  to  those  who  had  purchased  from  it, 
and  jurisdiction  for  the  purposes  of  government  vested 
in  the  United  States. 

THE    EXTlNtHlSHMENT    OF   THE    INDIAN    TITLE. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolution  the  general  govern- 
ment sought  by  peaceable  means  to  acquire  the  red 
man's  title  to  the  soil  northwest  of  the  Ohio.  On  the 
2 1st  of  January,  1785,  a  treaty  was  concluded  at  Fort 
Mcintosh  with  four  of  the  Indian  tribes,  the  Wijnn- 
ihts,  Ddaiiidrcx,  C/iijjpewa.s,  and  Ot fawns.  By  this 
treaty  the  Cuyahoga  and  the  portage  between  it  and 
the  Tuscariiwtis  were  agreed  upon  as  the  boundtiry  on 
the  Reserve  between  the  United  States  and  the  Indians. 
All  east  of  the  Cuyahoga  was  in  fact  ceded  to  the 
United  States.  The  luditms  soon  became  dissatisfied, 
and  refused  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  the  treaty. 
On  January  0,  1789,  another  treaty  was  concluded  at 
Fort  Harmar,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  be- 
tween Arthur  St.  Clair,  acting  for  the  United  States, 
and  the    Wyandots,  Dclawares,   Clivppeioas  and   Siac 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIlsr  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


15 


Nations,  l)y  which  the  terms  of  tlio  former  treaty  were 
renewed  and  confirmed.  Bnt  only  a  short  timeehipsed 
before  the  Indians  viohited  their  pompact.  Peaceful 
means  failing,  it  became  necessary  to  compel  obedience 
bv  the  use  of  arms.  Vigorous  means  for  relief  and 
protection  for  the  white  settler  were  called  for  and 
enforced.  At  first  the  Indians  were  successful;  ])ut 
in  1794,  General  Wayue,  at  the  head  of  three  thou- 
sand five  hundred  me:),  encountered  the  enemy  on  the 
2()th  (lay  of  August,  on  the  Maumee,  and  gained  a 
decisive  victory.  Nearly  every  chief  was  slain.  The 
Treaty  of  (h-eenville  was  the  result,  (ioneral  Wayne 
met  in  grand  council  twelve  of  tlie  most  powerful 
northwestern  tribes,  and  the  Indians  again  yielded 
their  claims  to  the  lauds  east  of  the  Cuyahoga,  and 
made  no  further  effort  to  regain  them. 

We  quote  as  follows  from  Judge  Boynton's  Histori- 
cal Address,  to  which  we  are  chiefly  indebted  for  the 
facts  given  in  this  and  the  preceding  chapter: 

"The  Cuyahoga  river  and  the  portage  between  it  and  the  Tuscarawas, 
as  between  the  United  States  and  the  Indians,  constituted  the  western 
boundary  of  the  United  States,  upon  the  Reserve,  until  .July  4th,  ISO.j, 
On  that  day  a  treaty  was  made  at  Fort  Industry  with  the  chiefs  and 
warriors  of  the  iVyaiidot,  Ottawa,  Chippewa,  Munsee,  Delaware, 
Skawnee  and  Pottawatomie  nations,  by  which  the  Indian  title  to  all  the 
lands  of  the  Reserve  lying  west  of  the  Cuyalioga  was  extinguished.  By 
this  treaty  all  the  lands  lying  between  the  Cuyahoga  and  the  Meridian. 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  west  of  Pennsylvania,  were  ceded  by 
the  Indians  for  twenty  thousand  dollars  in  goods,  and  a  perpetual 
annuity  of  nine  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  payable  in  goods  at  first 
cost.  And  although  this  annuity  remains  unpaid,  l)ecause  there  is  no 
one  to  claim  it,  the  title  to  the  laud  on  the  Reserve  west  of  that  river 
was  forever  set  at  rest." 

SURVEY   OF   THE    WESTERN   RESERVE. 

The  title  having  been  perfected,  the  comjiany  made 
preparations  to  survey  the  portion  of  the  Ileserve 
lying  east  of  the  Cuyahoga.  In  the  early  part  of 
May,  17'JC,  the  company  fitted  out  an  expedition  for 
this  puri)ose,  of  which  Moses  Cleaveland  was  the 
leader  of  a  company — all  told  of  about  fortv  men — • 
live  of  tlieni  surveyors,  one  a  physician,  and  the  rest 
cliaiumeu  and  axemen. 

By  i)revious  arrangement  they  met  at  Scheiiectadv, 
New  York,  at  which  point  they  commenced  their 
journey,  ascending  the  Mohawk  in  four  flat-lioMomed 
boats,  proceeding  by  the  way  of  Oswego,  Niagara  and 
Queenstown  to  Buffalo,  reaching  the  soil  of  tiie 
Reserve  on  the  -Itli  of  July. 

The  names  of  this  surveying-jjarty,  a  company  of 
fifty-two  persons,  all  told,  are  as  follows:  Moses 
Cleaveland,  the  Land  Company's  agent;  Joshua  Stow, 
commissary;  Augustus  Porter,  principal  surveyor; 
Setli  Pease,  Mo.ses  Warren,  Amos  Spafford,  Milton 
Holley  and  Richard  M.  Stoddaid,  surveyors;  Theodore 
Shepard,  ])hysician;  Josepii  Tinker,  principal  boat- 
man; Joseph  Mclntyre,  (feorge  Proudfoot,  Francis 
Gray,  Samuel  Forbes,  Elijaii  Uunn,  wife  and  child, 
Amos  Sawtel,  Samuel  Hungerford,  Amos  Barber, 
Stephen  Benton,  Amzi  Atwater,  Asa  Mason,  Michael 
Coffin,  Samuel  Davenport,  Samuel  Agnew,  Shadrach 
Benham,  William  B.  Hall,  Elisha  Ayers,  George 
Gooding,  Norman  Wilcox,   Thomas  Harris,  Timothy 


Dunham,  Wareham  Shepard,  David  Beard,  John 
Briant,  Titus  V.  Munson,  Joseph  Landon,  Olney  F. 
Rice,  James  Hamilton,  John  Lock,  James  Halket, 
Job  V.  Stiles  and  wife,  Charles  Parker,  Ezekiel 
Morley,  Nathaniel  Doan,  Luke  Hanchet,  Samuel 
Barnes,  Daniel  Shulay  ami  Stephen  Burbank. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  coincidence  that  this  advance- 
guard  of  the  army  of  civilization  that  was  soon  to 
people  the  territorial  limits  of  the  Reserve,  first 
touched  her  soil  on  the  anniversary  of  America's 
independence.  Thus,  in  this  signal  manner,  did  a 
new  colony,  destined  to  play  so  important  a  part  in 
the  future  of  the  nation,  l)cgin  its  existence  on  the 
same  day  of  the  same  month  in  which  the  nation 
itself  began  to  exist.  Nor  were  these  sons  of 
Revolutionary  fathers  oblivious  of  the  day  which  not 
only  commemorates  the  birth  of  their  country's 
freedom,  bnt  should  henceforth  be  to  them  and  their 
posterity  the  anniversary  of  the  day  on  which  their 
pilgrimage  ended,  and  on  which  Ijegan  their  labors, 
toils  and  sufferings  for  the  establishment,  in  the 
wilderness  of  Ohio,  of  homes  for  themselves  and  their 
children.  Animated  with  emotions  appropriate  to 
the  occasion,  these  Pilgrim  Fathers  of  the  Western 
Reserve  celebrated  the  day  with  such  rude  demonstra- 
tions of  patriotic  devotion  and  joy  as  they  were  able 
to  invent. 

They  gathered  together  in  groups  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  creek  now  known  as  the  Conneaut;  the}' 
pledged  fidelity  to  their  country  in  liquid  dipped 
from  the  pure  waters  of  the  lake;  they  discharged 
from  two  or  three  fowling-pieces  the  nati(nial  salute; 
they  ate,  drank,  and  were  merry,  blessing  the  land 
which  many  of  them  had  assisted  in  delivering  from 
British  oppression;  and  they  may  have  indulged  in 
glowing  predictions  as  to  the  future  greatness  and 
glory  of  the  colonies  they  were  about  to  plant.  Could 
one  of  their  number  who  shared  their  fancies,  bnt 
who  lived  to  see  no  part  of  them  realized,  behold  to- 
day the  changes  wliich  have  proceeded  in  so  wonder- 
ful a  manner,  we  think  that  he  would  admit  that  the 
boldest  anticipations  of  the  little  party  of  179G  were 
but  a  feeble  conception  of  the  reality.  However  diffi- 
cult it  might  be  for  him  to  understand  the  stages  of 
the  process  by  which  so  great  a  transformation  has 
taken  ijlace,  the  actual  truth  would  still  present  itself 
for  his  contemplation,  Wliat  would  astonish  him 
most  would  be,  not  the  conquest  of  forests,  but  that 
they  have  been  succeeded  by  the  numerous  thriving 
cities  and  villages  and  the  multitudinous  homes  of 
the  prospering  farmei',  established  on  nearly  every 
quarter-section  of  land  in  this  county;  that  distance 
has  been  annihilated  by  the  use  of  steam  and  the  con- 
sequent acceleration  of  speed;  that  wealth  and  popu- 
lation have  been  so  rapidly  cumulative;  that  the  com- 
munity is  so  opulent  and  enlightened;  that  education 
is  fostered  by  so  admirable  a  system  of  free  schools; 
that  intelligence  is  universally  diffused  by  so  many 
representatives  of  a  free  press;  that  moral  oi^iuion  has 
gained  such  ground;  that  religion  is  sustained  by  the 


IG 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


convictions  of  :in  cnliglitcncd  faith,  and  that  the  hap- 
piness of  tlie  people  is  universal  and  secure. 

They  christened  the  place  where  occurred  these 
demonstrations  of  patriotism  and  joy.  Fort  Inde- 
pendence, and  the  following  are  the  toasts  which 
they  drank: 

1st.    The  I'resiilent  of  the  United  State's. 

2d.     The  State  of  Connecticut. 

3d.     The  Connecticut  Land  Company. 

4th.  May  the  Port  of  Independence  and  the  fifty  sons  and  daughters 
wlio  have  entered  it  this  day  be  successful  and  prosperous : 

5tli.  May  tiiese  sons  and  daughters  multiply  in  sixteen  years  sixteen 
times  fifty : 

6th.  May  every  person  have  his  bowsprit  trimmed  and  ready  to  enter 
every  port  that  opens. 

The  surveyors  proceeded  to  tlie  south  line  of  the 
Reserve,  and  ascertained  the  point  where  the  forty- 
first  degree  of  north  latitude  intersects  the  western 
line  of  Penn.sylvauia,  and  from  this  line  of  latitude 
as  a  base,  meridian  lines  five  miles  apart  were  run 
north  to  the  lake.  Lines  of  latitude  were  then  run 
five  miles  apart,  thus  dividing  the  Reserve  into  town- 
ships five  miles  S([uare.  As  the  lands  lying  west  of 
the  Cuyahoga  remained  in  possession  of  the  Indians 
until  the  Treaty  of  Fort  Industiy,  in  1805,  the 
Reserve  was  not  surveyed  at  this  time  farther  west 
than  to  the  Cuyahoga  and  the  portage  between  it  and 
the  Tuscarawas,  a  distance  west  from  the  western 
line  of  Pennsylvania  of  fifty-six  miles.  Tlie  remainder 
of  the  Reserve  was  surveyed  in  1806.  The  Land 
Company  made  a  contract  with  Abraham  Tap})an 
and  Anson  Sessions,  in  1805,  for  the  survey  of  the 
lands  of  the  Reserve  between  the  Sufferers'  lands  and 
the  Cuyahoga.  The  limited  width  of  range  nineteen, 
emliracing  in  Lorain  county  the  townships  of  Brown- 
helm,  Henrietta,  Canxden,  Brighton  and  Rochester, 
is  proof  of  the  fact  that  the  Reserve  is  less  than  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  length.  Judge  Boynton 
says: 

"This  tier  of  townships  is  gore-shaped,  and  is  much  less  than  five 
miles  wide,  circumstances  leading  the  company  to  divide  all  south  of 
Brownhelm  into  tr.acts,  and  use  them  for  purposes  of  equalization. 
The  west  line  of  range  nineteen,  from  north  to  south,  as  originally  run, 
bears  to  the  west,  and  between  it  and  range  twenty,  as  indicated  on  the 
map,  there  is  a  stri])  of  land,  also  gore-shaped,  that  was  left  in  the  first 
instance  unsurveyed,  the  surveyors  not  knowing  the  exact  whereabouts 
of  the  eastern  line  of  the  "half  million  acres '"  belonging  to  the  Suf- 
ferers. In  1801),  .\mos  Spafford,  of  Cleveland,  and  Alnion  Ruggles,  of 
Huron,  were  agreed  on  by  the  two  companies  to  ascertain  and  locate 
the  line  between  the  Fire  Lands  and  the  lands  of  the  Connecticut  Com- 
pany. They  first  surveyed  off  the  "half  million  acres  "  belonging  to  tlie 
SulTerers,  and,  not  agreeing  with  Seth  Pease,  who  had  run  out  the  base 
and  west  line,  a  dispute  arose  between  the  two  companies,  which  was 
finally  adjusted  before  the  draft  by  establishing  the  eastern  line  of  the 
Fire  Lands  where  it  now  is.  This  left  a  strip  of  land  east  of  the  Fire 
Lands,  called  surplus  lands,  which  was  included  in  range  nineteen,  and 
is  embraced  in  the  western  tier  of  townships  of  Lorain  county." 

THE    .\PPOIXTME.VT    OF    AN    EQU.\LIZIXG    COMMITTEE. 

.M'ler  this  survey  was  completed,  the  Land  Com- 
]iaiiy,  in  cn-iier  tlutt  the  shareholders  might  share 
eipiitabiy  as  nearly  as  possible  tlie  lands  of  the 
Reserve,  or  to  avoid  the  likelihond  of  a  part  of  the 
.shareholders  drawing  the  best  and  others  the  medium 
and  others  again  the  poorest  of  the  lands,  appointed 
an  eijualizing committee,  whose  duties  we  will  explain. 


The  amount  of  the  purchase-money,  one  million 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  was  divided  into  four 
hundred  shares,  each  share  value  being  three  thousand 
dollars.  The  holder  of  one  share,  therefore,  had  one 
four-hundredth  undivided  interest  in  the  whole  tract, 
and  he  who  held  four  or  five  or  twenty  shares  had 
four  or  five  or  twenty  times  as  much  interest  undi- 
vided in  the  whole  Reserve  as  he  who  held  but  one. 
As  some  townships  would  be  more  valuable  than 
others,  the  company  adopted,  at  a  meeting  of  share- 
holders at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  in  April,  1796,  a 
mode  of  making  partition,  and  ajipointed  a  committee 
of  equalization  to  divide  the  Reserve  in  accordance 
with  the  company's  plan.  The  committee  appointed 
were  Daniel  Holbrook,  William  Shepperd,  Jr.,  Moses 
Warren,  Jr.,  Seth  Pease  and  Amos  Spafford,  and  the 
committee  who  made  up  their  report  at  Canandaigua, 
New  York,  December  13th,  1797,  were  William 
Shepperd,  Jr.,  Moses  Warren,  Jr.,  Seth  Pease  and 
Amos  Spafford. 

The  directors  of  the  company,  in  accordance  with 
Article  III.  of  the  Articles  of  Association,  selected 
six  townships  to  be  offered  for  sale  to  actual  settlers 
alone,  and  in  which  the  first  improvements  were 
designed  to  be  made.  The  townships  thus  selected 
were  numbers  eleven,  in  the  sixth  range;  ten,  in  the 
ninth  range;  nine,  in  the  tenth  range;  eight,  in  the 
eleventh  range;  seven,  in  the  twelfth  range;  and  two, 
in  the  second  range.  These  townships  are  now 
known  as  Madison,  Mentor  and  Willoughby,  in  Lake 
county;  Euclid  and  Newburgh,  in  Cuyahoga  county; 
and  Youngstown  in  Mahoning.  Number  three,  in 
the  third  range,  or  Weathersfield,  in  Trumbull 
county,  was  omitted  from  the  first  draft  made  by  the 
company  owing  to  the  uncertainty  of  the  boundaries 
of  Mr.  Parsons'  claim.  This  township  has  sometimes 
been  called  the  Salt  Spring  township.  The  six  town- 
ships above  named  were  offered  for  sale  before  partition 
was  made,  and  jiarts  of  them  were  sold. 

Excepting  the  Parsons  claim  and  the  seven  town- 
ships above  named,  the  remainder  of  the  Reserve  east 
of  the  Cuyahoga  was  divided  among  the  members  of 
the  company  in  accordance  with  the  following 

MODE    OF    PARTITION. 

The  four  best  townships  in  the  eastern  jiart  of  the 
Reserve  were  selected  and  surveyed  into  lots,  an 
average  of  one  hundred  lots  to  the  township.  As 
there  were  four  hundred  shares,  the  four  townships 
would  yield  one  lot  for  every  share.  When  these  lots 
were  drawn,  each  holder  or  holders  of  one  or  more 
shares  participated  in  the  draft.  The  committee 
selected  township  eleven,  in  range  seven,  and  town- 
ships five,  six  and  seven,  in  range  eleven,  for  the  four 
best  townshijis.  These  are  Perry,  in  Lake  county, 
Northfield,  in  Summit  county,  Bedford  and  Warren- 
ville,  in  Cuyahoga  county. 

Then  the  committee  proceeded  to  .select  from  the 
remaining  townships  certain  other  townships  that 
should  be  next  in  value  to  the  four  already  selected. 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


17 


which  were  to  be  used  for  equalizing  purposes.  The 
tracts  thus  selected  being  whole  townships  .and  parts 
of  townships,  were  in  number  twenty-four,  as  follows: 
sis,  seven,  eight,  nine  .and  ten,  in  the  eiglith  range; 
six,  seven,  eight  and  nine,  in  the  ninth  range;  and 
one,  five,  six,  seven  and  eight,  in  the  tenth  range; 
and  sundry  irregular  tracts,  as  follows:  number  four- 
teen, in  the  first  range;  number  thirteen,  in  the  third 
range;  number  thirteen,  in"  the  fourth  r.ange;  number 
twelve,  in  tlie  fifth  range;  number  twelve,  iu  the 
sixth  range;  number  eleven,  in  the  eighth  range; 
number  ten,  in  the  tenth  range;  number  six,  in  the 
twelftli  range;  and  numbers  one  and  two,  in  the 
eleventh  range.  These  tracts  are  now  known  as 
Auburn,  Newbury,  Muusou,  Chardou,  Bainbridge, 
Russell  and  Chester  townships,  in  Geauga  county; 
Concord  and  Kirtland,  in  Lake  county;  Springfield 
and  Twinsburg,  in  Summit  county;  Solon,  Orange, 
and  Mayfield,  in  Cuyahoga  county.  The  fractional 
townships  are  Conueaut  gore,  Ashtalnila  gore.  Say- 
brook  gore,  Geneva,  Madison  gore,  Painesville,  Wil- 
loughby  gore,  Independence,  Coventry  and  Portage. 
After  this  selection  had  been  made  they  selected  the 
average  townships,  to  the  value  of  each  of  which  each 
of  the  others  should  be  brought  by  the  equalizing 
process  of  annexation.  The  eight  best  of  the  remain- 
ing townships  were  taken,  and  were  numbers  one, 
five,  eleven,  twelve  and  thirteen,  in  the  first  range; 
twelve,  in  the  fourth  range;  eleven,  in  the  fifth 
range;  and  six,  in  the  sixth  range.  They  are  now 
known  a«  Poland,  in  Mahoning  county;  Hartford,  in 
Trumbull  county  ;  Pierpout,  Monroe,  Conneaut, 
Saybrook,  and  Harpersfield,  in  A.sh tabula  county; 
and  Parkmau,  in  Geauga  county.  These  were  the 
slamlard  townships,  and  all  the  other  townships  of 
inferior  value  to  these  eight,  which  would  include  all 
the  others  not  mentioned  above,  were  to  be  raised  to 
the  value  of  tlie  average  townships  by  annexations 
from  the  equalizing  townships.  These  last  named 
were  cut  up  into  parcels  of  various  sizes  and  values, 
and  annexed  to  the  inferior  townships  in  sueli  a  way 
as  to  make  them  all  of  equal  value  in  tlie  opinion  of 
the  committee.  Wlien  the  committee  had  performed 
this  task,  it  was  found  that,  with  the  exception  of 
tlie  four  townships  first  selected,  the  Parsons  tract, 
and  the  townships  that  had  been  previously  set  aside 
to  be  sold,  the  whole  tract  would  amount  to  an 
eipiivalent  of  ninety-three  shares.  There  were,  there- 
fore, ninety-three  ecpialized  townships  or  parcels  to 
be  di-awn  for,  east  of  the  Cuyahoga. 

To  entitle  a  shareholder  to  the  ownership  of  an 
equalized  township  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  be  the 
])roprietor  of  twelve  thousand  nine  hundred  and  three 
dollars  and  twenty-three  cents  of  the  original  purchase 
of  the  company.  This  division  by  draft  took  place  on 
the  29th  of  January,  1798. 

The  committee  appointed  to  make  partition  of  the 
lands  west  of  the  Cuyahoga  divided  the  entire  tract 
into  forty-six  parts,  for  the  purchase  of  one  of  which 
the  sum   of  twenty-sis   thousand  six   hundred   and 


eighty-seven  dollars  was  required.  This  draft  took 
place  April  4, 1807,  and  the  mode  of  procedure  was  the 
same  as  in  the  first  draft.  The  townships  were  num- 
bered from  one  to  forty-six,  and  the  numbers  on  slips 
of  paper  placed  in  a  box.  The  names  of  shareholders 
were  arranged  in  alphabetical  order,  and  in  those 
instances  in  which  an  original  investment  was  insuf- 
ficient to  entitle  such  investor  to  an  equalized  towusliip, 
he  formed  a  combination  with  others  in  like  situation, 
and  the  name  of  that  person  of  this  combination  that 
took  alphabetic  precedence  was  used  in  the  draft.  If 
the  small  proprietors  were,  from  disagreement  among 
themselves,  unable  to  unite,  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  select  and  classify  them,  and  those  selected 
were  compelled  to  submit  to  this  arrangement.  If 
after  they  had  drawn  a  township  they  could  not  agree 
in  dividing  it  among  them,  this  committee,  or  another 
one  appointed  for  the  purpose,  divided  it  for  them. 
That  township  which  the  first  number  drawn  desig- 
nated belonged  to  the  first  man  on  the  list,  and  the 
second  drawn  to  the  second  man,  and  so  on  until  all 
were  drawn.  Thus  was  the  ownership  in  common 
severed,  and  each  individual  secured  his  interest  in 
severalty.  John  Morgan,  John  Cadwell,  and  Jona- 
than Brace,  the  trustees,  as  rapidly  as  partition  was 
effected,  conve3'ed  by  deed  to  the  several  purchasers 
the  lands  they  had  drawn. 

"  The  lands  of  Lorain  county,  that  were  taken  for  the  purpose  of 
equalizing  townships  of  inferior  value,  were  those  of  Rochester 
Brighton,  Camden,  Black  River,  and  that  pai't  of  Henrietta  that  did  not 
originally  belong  to  Brownhelni.  Tract  eight  in  range  nineteen,  being 
partly  in  Brighton  and  partly  in  Camden,  consisting  of  three  thousand 
seven  hundred  acres,  was  annexed  to  LaGrange,  to  equalize  it.  Tract 
number  three  in  LaFayette  township,  Medina  county,  consisting  of  four 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  ten  and  one-half  acres  was  annexed  to 
Penfield.  Tract  one,  in  gore  four,  in  range  eleven,  consisting  of  two 
thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres,  was  annexed  to  Eaton. 
Tract  two,  in  gore  four,  range  eleven,  consisting  of  two  thousand  six 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  was  annexed  to  Columbia;  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  acres,  in  tract  four,  in  Rochester,  were  annexed  to  Huntington; 
two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  nine  acres,  in  fraction  number 
three  in  range  eleven,  in  Summit  county,  were  annexed  to  Ridgeville; 
tour  thousand  six  hundred  aci-es  in  tract  nine,  in  Camden,  were  annexed 
to  Grafton ;  four  thousand  acres,  tract  seven,  in  Brighton,  were  annexed 
to  Wellington;  four  thousand  three  hundred  aeres,  iu  tract  three,  gore 
six,  range  twelve,  were  annexed  to  Russia;  fifteen  hundred  acres  iu 
tract  fourteen,  in  Henrietta,  were  annexed  to  Shefflekl ;  three  thousand 
acres  in  tract  eleven.  In  Camden,  were  annexed  to  Pittsfield ;  tract  three 
consisting  of  four  thousand  and  fifty  acres,  in  Rochester,  was  annexed 
to  Elyria ;  four  thousand  acres  in  tract  two,  in  Black  River,  were  annexed 
to  Amherst;  Bass  Islands,  numbers  one  and  two,  and  Island  number 
five,  lying  north  of  Erie  county,  consisting  of  two  thousand  and  sixtj- 
three  acres,  were  annexed  to  Avon;  and  Kelley's  Island,  consistmg  of 
two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty -seven  acres,  was  annexed  to 
Carlisle." 

THE   VARIOUS    DRAFTS. 

The  first  draft  was  made  January  29,  1798,  and 
was  for  that  portion  of  the  Reserve  east  of  the  Cuya- 
hoga. In  this  draft  the  lands  drawn  were  divided 
into  ninety-three  parts,  each  representing  twelve 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  three  dollars  and  twenty- 
three  cents. 

The  second  draft  was  made  iu  1802,  and  was  for 
such  portions  of  the  seven  townships  omitted  in  the 
first  draft  as  remained  at  that  time  unsold.  This 
draft  was  divided  into  ninety  shares,  representing 
thirteeen  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-three 
dollars  and  thirty-three  cents  of  the  purchase-money. 


18 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


The  fliivd  ili'iift  was  maile  in  ISO?,  and  was  for  the 
hinds  of  the  comjiany  lying  west  of  the  Cnyalioga, 
and  was  divided  into  forty-six  parts,  each  representing 
twenty-six  tliousaiid  .six  luuKlrcd  and  eiglity-seven 
dolhirs. 

A  fourth  draft  was  made  in  1809,  at  which  time  the 
snrphis  hind,  so  called,  was  divided,  including  sundry 
notes  and  claims  arising  from  sales  that  had  heen 
effected  of  the  seven  townships  omitted  in  the  first 
drawinjr. 


(JUANTITT   OF  LAND  IN   THE    CONNECTICUT    WESTERN 
RESERVE,  ACCORDING  TO  THE   SURVEY  THEREOF. 

Land  east  of  the  Cuyahoga,  exclusive  of  the  Parsons  tract 

inacres 2,0()a,!)T0 

Lanil  west  of   the  Cuyahofra,  exclusive  of  surplus   land, 

islands,  and  Sufferers' Lands 827.291 

Surplus  land,  so  called 6,280 

iC!unninj?ham  or  Kelley 's 2749 
Ba.ss,  or  B.ay,  No.  1 1322 
"     "    "  I;;;::;;:;:::;::::;::;;::;:  709 
"           "         '•    4 403 
"5 32 

.5,924 

Parsons',  or  "Salt  Spring  Tract" 2.'), 4.50 

Sufferers',  or  Fire  Lands 5IK1,OI10 

Total  amount  of  acres  in  the  Connecticut  Western  Reserve.      3,300  921 


CHAPTER   IV. 


PHYSICAL    FEATURES. 


GEOGRAPHY. 

Lorain  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lake 
Erie,  on  the  south  by  portions  of  Medina  and  Ashland 
counties,  on  the  east  by  Cuyahoga  and  Medina,  and 
on  the  west  by  Huron  and  Erie.  Its  capital  town  is 
Elyria,  which  is  situated  in  longitude  83°  C  49" 
west  from  Greenwich  and  in  latitude  41°  22'  1".  It 
is  divided  into  twenty-one  townships,  most  of  which 
are  five  miles  square,  whose  names  ai'e  as  follows: 
Columbia,  Avon,  Ridgeville,  Eaton,  Grafton,  Shef- 
field, Elyria,  Carlisle,  LaGninge,  Penfield,  Black 
River,  Aiiiherst,  Russia,  Pittsfleld,  Wellington,  Hunt- 
ington, Brownhelm,  Henrietta,  Camden,  Brighton 
and  Rochester.  The  principal  towns  and  villages 
named  in  the  order  of  their  population  arc  Elyria, 
Oborlin,  Wellington,  Amherst,  Kipton,  and  Grafton. 
The  population  of  the  county  in  1S70,  by  town.ships, 
was  as  follows: 


Amherst 2,482    ,    Henrietta. 


Huntington 

LaG range 

Pittsfleld 

Penfield 

Ridgeville 

Rochester 

Russia.exclusive  of  Oberlin 

Oberlin 

Sheftieki 

Wellington  township 

Welhngton  borough 


8;M 
1,.3(I<.1 

980 

749 
1,477 

091 
1.319 

a,8HK 

973 

fdO 

1,281 


Avon 1,924 

Black  River 8;18 

Brighton 508 

Brownhelm 1,401 

Camilen S'tfi 

C'arlisle 1 ,219 

Columhia  892 

p:at(>n I,0ri2 

Elyria,  exclusive  of  city...  1,088 

Elyria  City 3,0;)8 

Grafton 980 

Total .30,308 

*  GEOLOGY. 

There  is  perhaps  no  subject  at  the  present- time 
that  excites  a  deeper  interest  among  thinking  and 
.scientific  minds  than  the  science  of  Geology.     Several 


•  By  Jay  Terrell. 


reasons  may  be  given  for  this,  one  of  which  is  that  it 
is  the  newest  among  all  the  sciences;  another  is  tliat 
it  upsets  all  of  our  old  preconceived  notions  as  to  the 
age  of  the  world.  Whereas  we  had  been  taught  tliat 
it  was  almost  horc-'y  to  believe  that  the  world  was  more 
than  six  thousand  years  old,  and  that  Moses'  account 
of  the  creation  in  its  six  solar  days  of  twenty-four 
hours  each  was  literally  correct,  geology  has  proven 
beyond  a  doubt  that  it  has  been  as  many  millions  or 
even  more  years  in  existence,  and  that  it  was  countless 
ages  before  it  was  jirepared  for,  or  even  was  jiossible 
for  man  to  have  lived  uj)on  it.  Hence  at  first  many 
divines  were  found  opposing  this  new  science  with  its 
new  theories. 

These  controversies  have  been  fraught  with  very 
much  good.  They  have  laid  the  fouiuhition  for  deeper 
thought  and  investigation,  and  now,  instead  of  lift- 
ing up  liands  with  holy  horror  at  the  teachings  of 
this  great  geological  book,  we  find  onr  most  eminent 
divines  quoting  it  as  authority  to  substantiate  just 
what  at  first  they  supposed  it  disproved. 

We  have  neither  space  nor  time  to  go  back  over 
these  old  controverted  grounds,  whose  errors,  like 
cobwebs,  are  fast  being  brushed  away  by  the  hand  of 
time  as  new  light  lireaks  in  upon  the  intelligent 
mind.  Neither  have  we  time  to  open  out  this  grand 
old  book  of  nature,  and  commence  at  the  beginning, 
every  page  of  which  shines  like  letters  in  gold,  telling 
of  the  great  Creator's  power  and  goodness;  how  that, 
stej)  by  stej),  for  millions  of  years,  the  earth  was  being 
fitted  and  prejiared  for  the  al)odc  and  ha])piness  of 
man.  (We  use  the  term  "millions  of  years"  not  that 
geological  time  can  be  counted  or  expressed  in  years, 
but  this  term,  perhaps,  gives  us  the  best  idea  of  the 
lapse  of  ages.)  But  we  must  begin  almost  at  the  very 
ending  and  only  study  a  portion  of  that  chapter  that 
relates  to  onr  immediate  surroundings. 

We  do  not  propose,  therefore,  in  this  brief  chajiter, 
to  take  the  reader  all  over  the  world  to  teach  geology, 
but  shall  confine  ourself  to  Lorain  county  and  that 
which  jiertains  to  and  a£Fe(;ts  it. 

Nearly  every  farm  in  the  county  has  material 
enough  upon  it  to  fill  pages  with  interesting  matter, 
and  if  the  geology  of  Lorain  county  was  fully  written 
up  it  would  more  than  fill  every  page  of  this  beautiful 
history.  I  shall,  tlierefore,  merely  give  an  niitline, 
and  confine  myself  to  what  I  have  seen  and  what  the 
rocks  teach  us.  This  will  of  necessity  take  us  back 
into  the  far-away  ages  of  the  past  when  there  was  no 
human  eye  to  behold  the  heauties  in  the  morning 
dawn  of  creation  (no  less  lieautiful  then  than  now), 
nor  human  hand  to  record  their  history;  and  yet  the 
everlasting  rocks  have  left  their  record  as  plainly  and 
distinctly  marked  as  if  "graven  with  an  iron  pen." 
The  geologist  reads  these  "  footprints  of  the  Creator  " 
with  clearness  and  just  as  much  assurance  as  the 
astronomer  marks  the  course  of  the  stars,  or  the 
historian  records  the  events  of  a  nation. 

Geology  being  the  newest  of  all  the  sciences,  it  is 
very  probable  that  some  of  the  theories  now  held  by 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


19 


our  leiuliiiij  scientists  will  have  to  be  abandoned  as 
new  liyli(  breaks  in  with  the  lapse  of  time.  It  would 
indeed  sliow  but  little  progress  and  be  very  strange  if 
this  were  not  the  case.  It  behooves  us,  therefore,  to 
lie  very  careful  about  adopting  new  theories  until  we 
are  well  assured  that  they  are  based  upon  solid  foun- 
dation, or  rather  solid  rock.  I  hold  it  as  a  cardinal 
l)rinciple  that  theories  can  always  afford  to  wait  until 
fully  tested  and  facts  are  brought  to  prove  the  validity 
of  their  claims.  There  ai-e,  however,  some  theories  in 
geology  that  must  of  necessity  be  founded  on  negative 
proof.  For  example:  the  great  Ohio  fossil  fishes  are 
said  to  have  had  no  scales  from  the  fact  that  none 
have  ever  yet  been  found  with  their  remains.  This, 
coupled  with  the  fact  that  their  structure  was  such 
that  they  seemed  not  to  have  needed  scales,  is  deemed 
sufficient  to  establish  the  theory  that  they  had  none, 
although  it  is  based  upon  negative  testimony. 

In  some  respects  the  study  of  geology  has  been 
with  me  a  life  work,  and  for  manyyears  some  portion 
of  each  year  has  been  devoted  to  jiractical  field  work. 
In  Canada,  and  on  the  islands  of  Lake  Erie;  in  Ohio, 
and  other  States;  in  summer,  under  broiling  suns;  in 
rain  and  storms;  in  winter,  amid  snow  and  ice, — have 
I  tried  faithfully  to  work  out  these  grand  problems 
of  nature;  and  yet  how  little  do  we  know  of  the  great 
Creator's  power  and  2)ur2JOses.  Evidently  the  world 
has  passed  through  a  thousand  changes,  all  seemingly 
for  the  benefit  of  the  last  crowning  act  of  creation — 
man. 

We  will  now  take  up  the  geology  of  Lorain  county 
in  detail,  beginning  with  the  clay  drift,  the  first 
formation  or  surface  deposit,  and  so  step  by  step, 
along  down  to  the  Huron  shale,  the  lowest  exposed 
deposit  in  the  county. 

The  mechanical  force  which  distributed  this  wide- 
spread drift,  we  will  sjieak  of  further  on,  under  its 
proper  head,  "Glaciers."  The  soil  which  rests  im- 
mediately upon  this  drift,  or  clay-bed,  and  which  we 
plow  and  cultivate,  is  of  vegetable  origin  and  produced 
by  the  slow  process  of  the  decomposition  of  vegetable 
matter.  It  is  usually  only  a  few  inches  in  thickness 
over  the  surface  except  where  it  has  accumulated  on  the 
lower  lands,  either  by  the  wash  from  the  higher  lands 
or  water  standing  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  collect 
leaves,  mosses,  etc.,  which  eventually  became  swamps. 

This  soil  although  rpiite  thin,  nevertheless  bears  the 
evidence  of  having  been  ages  in  its  accumulation,  ere 
it  was  able  to  sustain  the  first  scanty  growth  of  forest 
trees.  .Just  what  tliat  first  growth  of  forest  trees  in 
Lorain  county  was,  we  are  unable  definitely  to  deter- 
mine; Init  from  drift-wood  which  is  more  or  less  found 
under  all  our  ridges,  and  some  other  "foot-prints," 
we  are  led  to  conclude,  that  our  first  forest  trees 
belonged  to  the  pine  or  cedar  family. 

For  several  years  I  have  been  led  to  believe  tiiat  one 
race  of  trees  succeeded  another  in  the  cycles  of  time; 
that  is,  they  came  in  the  order  in  which  the  climate 
and  soil  are  prepared  for,  and  adapted  to  receive  them. 
This  we  know  to  be  true  of  animals  ;  one  race  becomes 


extinct  and  another  follows  in  its  course  and  takes  its 
place.  As  changes  are  constantly  going  on  in  the 
world,  new  beings  are  created  to  meet  these  changes, 
and  the  old  ones,  that  can  no  longer  exist  under  the 
new  order  of  things  pass  away.  These  climatic  and 
other  changes,  humanly  speaking,  are  very  slow:  so 
slow,  that  to  us  they  are  not  percci^tible.  To  us  there 
seems  to  be  a  profound  rest;  but  these  changes  are 
just  as  sure  and  certain  as  summer  and  winter;  sunrise 
and  sunset. 

The  evidence  of  the  succession  of  tree-growth  is 
very  clearly  shown  on  Point-au-Pelee,  one  of  the 
islands  of  Lake  Erie.  All  over  the  higher  lands,  the 
soil  is  literally  filled  with  red  cedar  roots,  showing 
conclusively  that  there  once  existed  on  this  island  a 
dense  groAvth  of  this  species  of  conifers.  These  roots, 
lying  as  they  do,  intermixed  with  the  hard  clay  drift, 
are  as  nearly  imperishable  as  almost  any  thing  can  be, 
except  it  be  the  "everlasting  rocks." 

In  all  probability  this  was  the  first  tree  or  shrub  (it 
could  only  have  been  a  shrub  in  its  incipient  stages) 
that  took  possession  of  the  soil,  and  it  must  have  held 
complete  possession  for  a  long  period  of  time,  until 
their  slowly  decaying  leaves,  with  other  scanty  vege- 
tation ultimately  produced  a  soil  sufficient  for  the 
sustenance  of  other  trees,  and  a  more  rank  vegetation. 
Around  the  margin  of  the  island,  on  the  almost 
barren  sandy  beach,  I  found  the  red  cedar  still  flourish- 
ing where  scarcely  anything  else  could  grow.  These 
cedars  must  have  been  "nionarchs  of  all  they  sur- 
veyed" for  tens  of  thousands  of  years,  until  they 
slowly  gave  jilace  to  the  growth  of  another  class  of 
trees,  for  which  the  accumulated  soil  of  ages  became 
especially  adapted. 

The  next  growth  in  the  succession  we  find  were  truly 
"  nionarchs  of  the  forest,"  great  oaks.  No  such  trees 
are  now  growing  upon  the  island,  nor  indeed  have 
been  for  many  generations  in  the  past,  but  their 
prostrate  decaying  bodies  lie  half  buried  beneath  the 
soil  of  centuries,  and  are  scattered  here  and  thei'e  over 
the  surface,  among  the  thickly  wooded  timber  of  the 
present  forest.  As  I  stepped  upon  some  of  these 
trees,  they  would  sink  beneath  my  feet,  as  nothing 
but  their  moss-covered  bark  holds  them  together. 
Probably  within  the  present  generation  they  will 
entirely  disappear,  leaving  no  trace  behind  them  as 
evidence  of  their  having  once  existed. 

No  doubt  there  is  many  a  missing  link  in  the  long 
chain  of  geological  events,  which,  if  we  had  them  all 
connected  together,  we  could  read  the  sequences  of 
time  much  plainer  than  we  can  now.  Nevertheless 
there  is  still  enough  left  to  give  us  a  tolerably  correct 
idea  of  the  progressive  stages  in  the  earth's  history 
since  the  dawn  of  creation.  A  mixed  growth  of 
timber  now  covers  the  island,  such  as  oak,  hickory, 
ash,  maple,  etc.  I  give  this  as  an  illustration,  to 
prove  the  succession  of  forest  trees  and  the  ages  of 
time  that  must  have  elapsed,  from  the  dejjositiou  of 
these  drift  clay-beds,  until  they  accumulated  a  suf- 
ficient soil  to  sustain  such  a  mass  of  vegetation  as  that 


20 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


whicli  now  everywhere  meets  our  gaze.  I  am  of  the 
o]iinion  that  the  earth  is,  and  always  has  been  occu- 
liicd  at  each  successive  period  with  the  liighest  type 
of  life,  both  uiiiiual  and  vegetable,  that  the  conditions 
will  allow. 

The  drift  formation  of  Lorain  county,  is  mostly 
the  product  of  the  Huron  and  Erie  shales,  intermixed 
with  other  material  that  has  been  transinorted  long 
distances  by  the  action  of  ice.  These  shales  have 
been  plowed,  torn  uj),  crushed,  and  massed  together, 
by  the  plow-share  of  the  Almighty:  an  agency  that 
the  All-wise  Father  has  used  to  tit  and  prepare  this 
part  of  his  heritage  for  the  habitation  of  man  —  a 
power  that  has  plowed  and  ])laned  down  mountains 
into  valleys,  and  leveled  the  whole  into  vast  plains. 
Such  a  power  is,  and  only  can  be,  immense  fields  of 
ice  in  the  form  of  glaciers. 

That  these  glaciers  existed  on  the  North  American 
continent  at  one  period  in  the  far-away-past,  and  that 
they  were  the  direct  cause  of  the  distribution  of  our 
clay-beds  there  can  now  be  no  reasonable  doubt.  These 
clays  are  more  or  less  filled  with  fragments  of  lime, 
granite,  fjuartz,  gneiss,  green  stone  and  other  pebbles, 
all  foreign  material,  brought  down  from  the  moun- 
tain-side, and  transported  hundreds  of  miles  from 
their  place  of  origin — mixed  and  intermixed  with  these 
shales  which  were  so  evenly  distributed  over  the  un- 
derlying rocks. 

The  dairy-farmers  of  Lorain  county  owe  to  these 
shales,  which  were  thus  ground  up  and  mixed  to- 
gether, their  peculiar  clay  soil, —  hai-d,  tenacious, 
unworkable  when  wet,  but  when  well  drained,  and 
seeded,  nothing  can  excel  it  for  grazing  and  dairying 
purposes.  Along  the  border  of  tiie  lake,  especially  in 
Avon  and  Sheffield,  this  soil  is  jieculiarly  adapted  to 
grape  culture;  and  here  may  be  seen  nuiny  beautiful 
vineyards,  from  which  hundreds  of  tons  of  grapes 
are  annually  gathered  and  shijjped  to  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

There  is  perhaps  no  part  of  the  county  where  the 
di'if  t  is  so  well  shown  as  on  the  lake  shore  in  Sheffield 
township.  Here  commences  a  long  line  of  beach 
which  extends  almost  to  Vermillion.  Tlie  direct 
cause  of  this  beach  is  that  the  glacier  dipped  deeper 
into  the  rock  here  than  farther  east,  tearing  up  the 
hard  shale  to  a  considerable  depth  below  the  present 
surface  of  the  lake,  leaving  the  clay  banks  to  come 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  Farther  east  the  shale 
being  above  the  water,  forms  a  bluff  bank  (we  call  it 
iron-bound  shore)  against  which  the  waves  almost 
constantly  dash.  At  the  eastern  end  of  this  beach 
the  banks  are  about  eighteen  feet  high.  About  half 
way  from  top  to  bottom  the  clay  drift  lies  directly 
upon  the  Huron  shale;  the  line  of  demarkation  be- 
tween the  two  is  as  well  defined  as  would  be  one  board 
lying  upon  another.  Farther  on  we  find  the  shales 
torn  from  their  bed  and  the  upper  portion  thoroughly 
mixed  and  incorporated  with  the  lower  stratum,  or 
base  of  the  clay.  The  lower  portion  of  the  shale  that 
was  torn  from  the  rock,  was  broken  up,  ground  and 


shoved  along,  but  still  remained  unmixed  with  the 
clay  above,  and  unexposed  to  atmospheric  changes;  it 
therefore  remains  a  stratum  of  broken  shale  between 
the  clay  and  the  solid  rock  l)elow. 

Still  farther  on  we  find  where,  in  some  way,  the  ice- 
field got  a  foot-hold  in  a  seam  in  the  rock  and  moved 
the  whole  mass  bodily  to  the  west  several  feet,  making 
quite  a  large  fissure;  then,  passing  on  over,  filled  this 
fissure  to  its  very  bottom  with  clay-mud  and  gi-avcl. 
This  great  ice-field  was  working  westward,  and  all 
through  Sheffield  it  was  on  a  downward  grade:  that 
is,  working  deeper  into  the  rock. 

Just  before  it  reached  the  point  wliere  Lake  Breeze 
is  now  situated,  (it  wasn't  Lake  Breeze  then,)  it  plowed 
still  deeper  into  the  rock  and  soon  dipped  below  the 
surface  of  the  lake  (it  wasn't  lake  then  either),  and 
did  not  rise  again  above  the  present  water  level  until 
it  reached  almost  to  Vermillion  in  Erie  county. 

The  glacial  action  in  this  drift  formation  is  as 
readily  traced  along  this  lake  shore  beach  as  may 
be  the  course  of  a  river,  and  its  "foot-prints"  are 
as  plain  and  unmistakable  as  those  of  a  man  or  a 
horse.  No  written  record  can  be  plainer  or  more 
easily  studied,  than  can  be  the  drift  along  tliis  lake 
line.  Wliilo  so  many  scientific  facts  are  left  in  sucli 
obscurity  that  it  takes  a  long  life  of  patient  toil  and 
research  to  comju-ehcnd  only  a  few  facts,  here  tlie 
drift  which  has  been  so  little  understood  in  the  past 
is  laid  bare  before  us  like  a  panoramic  view,  so  that 
we  may  study  it  at  our  will. 

Tlu^re  is  no  dei)artment  in  the  science  of  geology 
that  has  tieen  heretofore  so  little  understood  as  the 
drift  formation.  Tliis  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact 
that  it  was  produced  by  ditferent  causes  and  at  widely 
separated  periods  of  time.  We  are  now  coming  to  the 
light,  and  as  we  learn  to  classify  these  periods  and 
depositions  of  drift,  instead  of  massing  them  together 
into  one  general  deposit,  we  are  better  able  to  under- 
stand their  formations. 

BOULDERS. 

The  erratic  rocks,  wliich  we  call  boulders  or  "  hard 
heads,"  that  are  so  profusely  distributed  over  the  clay 
soil  of  Lorain  county,  are  from  beds  of  different 
deposits.  They  are  composed  of  granite,  quartzite, 
diorite,  crystalline  lime-stone,  gneiss,  silician  slate, 
etc.  Although  of  different  formations  and  deposits, 
they  are  all  classed  with  and  belong  to  the  Eozoic  age 
of  the  world.  It  was  called  Azoic  (that  is,  "  without 
life  ")  until  within  a  few  years.  Although  there  have 
been  no  fossils  found  in  tiie  Eozoic  rocks,  it  is  now 
very  generally  believed  among  geologists  and  scientific 
men  that  even  in  this  very  remote  period  in  the  earth's 
history  there  did  exist  some  of  the  lower  forms  of 
animal  and  vegetable  life.  This,  we  think,  is  clearly 
proven  by  the  abundance  of  graphite,  iron  and  lime- 
stone that  is  found  in  these  rocks,  each  of  which  is 
the  direct  product  of  either  animal  or  vegetable  or- 
ganisms: graphite  and  iron  are  the  products  of  the 
carbon  of  plants.     When  you  pick  up  a  piece  of  native 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


31 


ii-oii  ore  to  examine  it,  beiir  in  mind  tliat  it  was  not 
l)ro(lnco(l  like  lava,  by  passing  tliroagli  a  melting  pro- 
cess, bnt  that  it  is  of  vegetable  origin.  Although  it 
may  have,  as  all  our  Lake  Superior  ore  has,  passed 
tiirougii  this  metamorphio  process,  yet  heat  has  noth- 
ing to  do  with  its  origin  as  iron,  but  was  merely  an 
after  result  of  internal  disturbances. 

Limestone  is  almost  wholly  made  up  from  the 
shells  and  minute  skeletons  of  marine  organisms  that 
have  the  power  of  secreting  the  carbonate  of  lime 
which  forms  their  shells.  We  have  no  reason  to 
believe  that  iron  or  limestone  were  produced  in  the 
Eozoic  age  by  any  different  process  than  it  is  now. 

We  find  these  rocks  stratified,  an:l  tint  they  were 
originally  deposited  in  even  horizontal  bods,  l)ut  have 
since  been  metamorphosed  by  heat,  and  are  now  much 
displaced  and  broken  up  by  upheavals  and  internal 
forces.  They  are  divided  into  two  groups — upper  and 
lower — called  Huronian  and  Laurentian:  lluronian, 
from  their  fine  exjiosure  ou  the  north  of  Lake  Huron; 
Laurentian,  from  the  lower  St.  Lawrence  region, 
where  these  rocks  abound.  They  are  the  surface 
rock  over  a  broad  belt  of  country,  extending  from 
Labrador,  on  the  east,  to  Lake  Superior,  and  then 
stretching  away  northward  to  the  Arctic  Sea. 

The  Adirondac  Mountains,  although  outside  of  this 
belt,  belong  to  the  same  epoch  and  formation,  and 
were  raised  above  the  oceen  at  the  same  time.  They 
are  called  the  oldest  rocks  in  the  world,  and  deservedly 
so;  for  they  are  the  oldest  surface  rocks  now  known, 
and  never  have  been  submerged  since  they  were  first 
raised  above  the  old  eozoic  ocean.  While  most  parts 
of  our  continent  have  been  raised  above  the  sea,  only 
to  be  submerged  again,  (and  this  occurring  many 
times,  as  each  stratified  formation  plainly  testifies.) 
yet  these  old  eozoic  rocks  have  proudly  held  their 
giant  heads  above  the  surrounding  ocean  almost  from 
the  time  that  the  sun  first  penetrated  the  thick  cloud 
of  darkness  that  surrounded  the  eartli,  wlien  God 
said,  "  Let  there  be  light;  and  there  was  light."' 

We  call  the  eastern  continent  the  Old  World;  but 
the  Adirondac  mountains  of  New  York,  the  region 
around  Lake  Superior  and  the  Ozarks,  of  Missouri,  are 
ages  older  than  any  land  on  that  continent.  The 
igneous  rocks  which  nnderly  these  metamorphic  rocks 
are  of  course  much  older  than  they;  but  all  that  we 
know  about  them  is  by  their  being  thrown  to  the 
surface  by  eruptions,  as  they  are  nowhere  found 
exposed  on  the  surface.  They  have  jiassed  through 
inconceivable  heat,  first  in  the  gaseous  and  then  in 
the  molten  state,  and  were  the  first  rocks  formed  by 
the  cooling  of  the  earth's  surface,  and  are  therefore 
not  stratified.  They  belong  to  that  age  of  the  world 
of  which  they  are  the  only  record.  We  find  these 
fused  rocks  frequently  among  our  erratics  of  the 
*  iceberg  drift. 

Sir  William  Logan,  an  eminent  Canadian  geologist, 
estimates  the  eozoic  rocks  in  Canada  to  be  about  forty- 
seven  thousand  feet  in  thickness.  When  we  consider 
that  all  this  vast  rock  formation  was  the  accumulation 


from  the  destruction  and  slow  wearing  away  process  of 
an  older  continent,  and  that  older  continent  perhaps 
from  the  debris  of  one  still  older,  we  can  form  but  a 
faint  conception  of  the  myriads  of  ages  that  have 
passed  away  since  "in  the  lieginning,  God  created 
the  heaven  and  the  earth." 

The  boulders  were  broken  and  torn  from  these  old 
eozoic  rocks  by  glaciers  coming  down  from  the  moun- 
tainous region  of  the  north.  As  they  shoved  them- 
selves out  into  this  great  inland  sea  of  fresh  water, 
which  had  been  formed  by  the  scooping  out  of  the 
lake  basin,  they  were  lirokcn  up  and  floated  out  to 
sea.  No  longer  traveling  by  land  and  grasi)ing  in 
their  icy  arms  massive  boulders  and  all  other  material 
that  lay  in  their  course;  now  they  are  icebergs,  trav- 
ersing the  sea  and  carrying  their  boulders,  sand, 
gravel  and  ot\\Qv  debris  whithersoever  the  wind  drives 
them.  We  therefore  call  the  boulders  a  part  of  the 
iceberg  drift,  as  they  were  deposited  by  icebergs  and 
not  by  glaciers. 

The  surface  clay  of  Lorain  county  is  glacial  drift, 
and  was  deposited  at  the  time  the  Lake  Erie  basin 
was  formed.  This  was  long  before  the  period  of 
which  we  are  now  speaking.  At  this  time  the  clay 
had  already  been  deposited,  the  glacier  had  passed  on 
and  left  the  basin  which  was  now  filled  with  water  to 
the  brim,  from  the  summit  on  the  south  to  the  Cana- 
dian highlands  on  the  north,  and  extending  east  and 
west  from  the  Adirondacks  to  Lake  Superior.  We 
sjTOke  of  the  mountainous  region  of  the  north  from 
whence  the  glaciers  which  produced  the  icebergs 
came.  Nothing  now  remains  but  the  bases  of  these 
mountains  to  tell  of  their  long  ag<i  existence,  as  they 
were  eroded  and  worn  away  by  these  immense  fields 
of  ice. 

Glaciers  are  being  formed  at  the  present  time  in  the 
monntainous  region  of  the  interior  of  Greenland,  and 
as  they  push  their  way  to  the  ocean,  the  foot  is  shoved 
out  into  the  sea,  is  broken  np  and  rises  to  the  surface. 
They  are  no  longer  glaciers,  but  icebergs.  Floating 
away  to  the  southward,  they  are  often  stranded  on 
the  banks  or  sand-bars  of  Newfoundland,  and  there 
perform  the  same  work  that  these  did  here  in  the  drift 
age,  depositing  large  quantities  of  their  debris  over 
the  floor  of  the  ocean.  In  ages  to  come,  when  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean  shall  have  again  been  raised  above 
the  water,  the  same  conditions  will  lie  found  to  exist 
there  that  we  now  find  here. 

The  northern  border  of  this  great  inland  sea  was 
along  the  base  of  the  highlands  in  Canada,  called  by 
geologists  Laurentian  highlands.  They  are  about  three 
hundred  miles  north  of  Lake  Erie.  As  these  icebergs 
pushed  out  into  the  water  from  this  northern  shore, 
they  were  driven  hither  and  thither  by  every  stormy 
change  of  wind.  They  deposited  their  debris  wherever 
and  as  fast  as  they  melted.  Sometimes  being  driven 
into  shallow  water,  they  stranded.  Here  they  slowly 
melted  away  until  they  were  light  enough  to  clear 
themselves  and  float  again.  At  such  points  they 
dropped  larger  quantities  of  boulders  than  elsewhere. 


23 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


These  places  may  readily  lii.^  i)i(jke(l  out  all  over  the 
(•(Mint  rv,  and  many  of  our  farms  are  made  less  valuable 
by  the  iiiimenjus  boulders  ou  some  of  their  lields. 

That  these  boulders  were  dropped  from  floating  ice- 
I>ergs,  is  very  clearly  proven  by  their  position  as  we 
now  find  them  in  our  lields.  Almost  every  farmer 
knows  that  these  big  boulders,  or  "hard-heads,"  are 
very  dillicult  to  get  out  of  the  ground,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  the  largest  end  is  always  in  the  ground. 
This  of  itself  is  almost  conclusive  evidence,  aside  from 
any  other,  that  they  must  have  fallen  S(jme  distance 
through  water,  and  in  falling  the  larger  end  would 
naturally  go  down.  We  can  account  for  this  phe- 
nomenon by  no  other  theory.  We  find  no  boulders  in 
or  upon  the  sand  ridges,  for  the  reason  that  the  ridges 
were  deposited  at  a  later  period,  and  conse((uently 
whatever  boulders  may  have  been  on  the  surface  are 
now  buried  beneath  the  sand. 

'I'he  reader  will  observe  that  we  have  spoken  of  three 
different  and  distinct  drift  de])osits,  which  occurred 
at  different  periods  in  the  earth's  history.     We  will 
therefore  place  them  in  the  order  in  which  they  occur: 
1st.  Glacial  drift — clay,  sand,  gravel,  etc. 
2d.   Iceberg  drift — boulders,  sand  and  other  deln'is. 
3d.    Water  drift — Hood-wood  and  sand  ridges. 
The  great  ditiiculty  in  studying  the  drift  has  been 
in  not  keeping  the  different  periods  and  causes  sepa- 
rate: this  will  enable  us  to  do  so.    I  am  aware,  however, 
that  good  authority  dilfers  with  me  on  some  of  these 
])oints:  but  after  great  care  and  research,  I  think  the 
evidence  will  beai-  me  out  in  my  drift  theory. 

It  may  be  askeil,  how  do  we  know  that  these  boulders 
came  from  this  northern  region  beyond  the  lake?  In 
the  first  j)lace,  we  Jiave  no  evidence  of  glaciers  push- 
ing themselves  into  this  great  body  of  water  from  any 
other  direction  than  on  the  north;  and  then,  too,  we 
find  that  these  boulders  exactly  correspond  with  the 
rocks  found  in  place  along  this  northern  belt,  so  that 
now  we  may  readily  trace  some  of  the  erratic  rocks 
found  here  back  to  their  original  beds  of  deposition. 
1  have  lying  before  me  a  jiieee  of  granite,  that  is  filled 
witii  graphite  (black  h^ad  we  call  it,  though  there  is 
no  lead  about  it).  Tiiis  fragment  I  broke  from  a 
lioiildrron  my  father's  farm,  in  Ridgeville,  nearly  forty 
years  ago.  We  can  now  trace  this  graphite  directly 
back  to  its  home  on  the  Georgian  Bay,  in  Canada. 
Copper  is  not  unfrenueutly  found  in  the  boulders 
of  our  county,  plainly  showing  their  Lake  Superior 
origin. 

Tims,  by  iUc  composition  of  these  boulders,  and 
the  minerals  they  carry  with  them,  we  are  able  to  tell 
where  they  came  from;  and  l)y  the  position  in  which 
we  find  them,  ami  the  grooves  and  markings  on  the 
surfiK-e  rocks,  we  are  enabled  to  tell  how  they  came 
here. 

ANCIENT    FOREST    BEDS. 

Beneath  the  sand  ridges  there  are  nu)re  or  less  of  the 
remains  of  forest  trees,  called  "flood- wood."  It  was 
drifted  into  its  present  resting  place  when  the  lake 


was  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet  higlier  than  it  now 
is,  and  covered  beneath  the  sand  when  the  ridges 
were  formed.  About  forty  years  ago  my  father,  in 
digging  a  well  (on  the  ridge),  one  mile  east  of  the 
center  of  Ridgeville,  came  upon  trees  altoutone  foot  in 
diameter,  at  a  depth  of  fifteen  feet  below  the  surface. 
This  wood,  although  changed,  was  not  fossilized, 
but  was  soft  and  yielding,  and  could  easily  be  cut 
with  a  sharp  spade.  I  very  well  remember  the  men 
examining  it  very  closely  by  whittling,  tasting,  smell- 
ing, etc.,  and  after  much  deliberation  pronounced  it 
cedar  wood.  Their  decision  was  probably  correct,  as 
all  the  timber,  so  far  as  I  know,  found  beneath  the 
ridges,  is  coniferous  (cone-bearing  trees).  We  have 
the  record,  however,  in  some  localities,  of  hickory, 
sycamore,  willow  and  some  other  kinds  of  wood  being 
found  beneath  the  drift.  An  old  forest  bed  was  very 
widely  distributed  over  the  northern  half  of  our  conti- 
nent. To  give  some  idea  of  its  nnignitude  and  extent, 
I  (juote  from  different  authorities  the  following: 

■'Ross  County,  Ohio. — Wood  apparently  cedar,  from  a  well  thirty  feet 
deep." — Col.  Charles  Whittlesey. 

"All  through  Southern  Indiana.— Ancient  soil,  with  peat,  muck, 
rooted  stumps,  trunks,  branches  and  leaves  of  trees,  sixty  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  below  the  surface,  called  *Noah"s  Cattle  Yard.' 
Wells  spoiled  by  them.  "—JoAh  Collvtt. 

"  Iowa. — An  old  soil,  with  buried  timber  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  be- 
neath the  surface,  struck  in  sinking  wells  in  several  counties."— 3/orris 
Miller. 

*'  Wadsworth  County',  Wisconsin.— Timber  resembling  white  cedar, 
from  a  well  eighteen  feet  deep  in  the  prairie  region,  and  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  surface  of  Lake  Michigan."— J.  A. 
Lapham. 

'•  Grand  Sable,  South  Shore  of  Lake  Superior.— Layers  of  roots, 
and  timber  of  trees,  sometimes  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  thick,  resting  on 
clay,  inter-stratified  with  gravel,  three  hundred  feet  thick." — Sir  Wm. 
Lf>tjan,  in  Geology  of  Canada. 

"Montgomery  County,  Ohio. —Beds  of  peat,  from  twelve  to  twenty 
feet  in  thickness,  containing  qu.antities  of  coniferous  wood,  with  twigs, 
branches  and  berries  of  red  cedar ;  also  containing  bones  of  the  elephant 
and  mastodon,  and  teeth  of  the  giant  beaver;  the  whole  covered  with 
ninety  feet  of  sand."— Pro/   Ortoti. 

"Toronto,  Canada.— Trunks  and  branches  of  trees,  embedded  m 
yellow  cla.y,  at  a  depth  of  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  from  the  surface." 
—Prof.  Hind. 

We  do  not  wish  it  understood  that  these  remains 
of  trees  and  animals  were  all  buried  beneath  a  drift 
deposit  at  one  and  the  same  time;  but  we  do  say  that 
all  over  this  wide  extent  of  country  there  once  existed 
a  heavy  growth  of  forest  trees,  with  animals  of  huge 
dimensions  roaming  through  tlieni.  both  of  which 
have  become  extinct,  and  are  now  deeply  buried  be- 
neath a  drift  deposit.  From  all  the  light  that  we  can 
gather  from  these  and  other  facts,  it  is  evident  that 
our  continent  has  been  raised  and  again  submerged 
beneath  the  ocean  several  times  since  the  eozoie  age, 
at  least  all  of  it  except  the  few  localities  heretofore 
mentioned. 

MASTODONS    AND    ELEPHANTS. 

Not  only  forest  trees,  but  the  remains  of  large  ani- 
mals have  been  found  in  many  localities  in  Northern 
Ohio,  Indiana  and  Michigan.  These  remains  ai'e 
mostly  found  in  deep  marshes  and  peat  bogs,  which 
were,  when  these  animals  lived,  small  lakes.  In  some 
instances,  the  leg  and  other  lower  bones  of  the  mas- 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COFNTY,  OHIO. 


todon  and  elephant  have  been  fi)uiid  in  a  standing 
position,  sliowing  that  in  going  to  these  places  for 
water,  they  mnst  have  been  mired,  and  their  great 
weight  and  clnmsiness  prevented  their  extricating 
themselves.  These  lakes  have  now  become  peat 
marshes  by  the  continued  accumulation  of  leaves, 
mosses  and  other  vegetation  which  now  cover  their 
bones  many  feet  deep.  No  remains  of  these  animals 
have  been  fo>ind  in  this  county,  but  it  is  ])ossible 
that  there  might  be.  upon  proper  search  for  them 
in  and  about  the  swam])s  of  Brighton  and  Camden; 
as,  fi-om  the  location  of  these  swamps,  I  have  no 
doubt  that  those  places  were  favorite  resorts  for  these 
animals. 

A  few  yeai's  since,  some  of  the  ribs,  vertebrsp,  a  jiart 
of  a  tooth,  the  tusks  and  some  other  bones  of  a  mas- 
todon were  found  in  Montville,  Medina  county.  The 
bones  were  more  or  less  broken,  and  were  supposed  to 
belong  to  a  young  animal.  The  tusks  were  broken  off 
at  tJieir  points,  and  were  about  four  feet  long,  largest 
in  the  middle  and  tapered  towards  the  point  and  base; 
the  ribs,  which  were  somewhat  broken,  were  five 
inches  wide. 

In  Cleveland  the  remains  of  a  large  animal  were 
found  in  excavating  a  cellar  on  Ontario  street.  The 
knights  of  the  spade  and  pick,  not  knowing  what  they 
were,  or  not  caring,  carted  tlie  most  of  them  off,  and 
they  were  dumped  away,  broken  and  destroyed.  How- 
ever, a  few  teeth  and  vertebra?  were  saved,  and  are 
now  in  the  Western  Reserve  Historical  Society  rooms 
in  that  city.  Dr.  E.  Sterling  called  my  attention  to 
these  bones  at  the  time.  Upon  examination  they 
were  found  to  be  the  remains  of  a  very  large  elephant. 
(Elcphas  Americanus.)  These  bones  were  not  found 
as  nsual  in  a  low  marshy  place,  but  on  high  land,  in 
sand  and  gravel.  It  is  altogether  probable  that  they 
were  washed  in  and  covered  up  when  the  lake  stood 
at  that  level.  These  huge  animals  roamed  over  all 
of  northern  Ohio  for  a  long  time  after  the  accnmn- 
lation  of  its  ancient  soil  and  great  forests,  up  to  a 
recent  period,  geologically  sjieaking,  that  is  up  to 
aliout  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  sand  ridges. 
Whether  they  became  extinct  about  this  time,  by  some 
sudden  climatic  or  otlier  change,  or  gradually  died 
out,  we  are  unable  to  determine.  The  only  record  we 
have  of  them  is  their  bones  and  the  location  in  which 
they  are  fonnd.  Their  bones  not  being  fossilized  arc 
liable  to  decay  on  exposure  to  the  atmosiihere,  except 
the  teetli  and  tusks,  which  being  enameled  are  usually 
well  preserved.  There  are,  however,  a  few  well 
l>reserved  whole  skeletons  of  these  great  American 
animals  of  our  primeval  forests. 

TERRACES. 

We  now  come  to  the  last  e}>och  or  ]ihase  in  the 
series  of  drift  deposits:  "Terraces  and  Sand-ridges." 
These  belong  to  our  present  geological  time,  that  is, 
there  have  been  no  great  changes  since  their  deposi- 
tion, or  rather  they  are  the  result  of  the  last  change 
in  the  Lake  Erie  basin.     Although  we  speak  of  them 


as  of  a  recent  formation,  or  the  last,  }'et  we  mnst 
i-emember  that  they  were  formed  ages  before  man 
came  into  being.  This  was  the  last  act  in  the  geologi- 
cal drama  that  was  performed  to  fit  and  prepare  the 
earth  for  man's  abode. 

At  no  time  previous  to  this  epoch  could  man  have 
lived  upon  the  earth  for  a  single  year,  but  now  all  is 
changed,  the  right  conditions  have  been  reached  as  to 
soil,  climate,  and  the  class  of  animals  suited  to  his 
wants;  all  is  prepared  and  ready  for  his  advent;  and 
in  his  own  good  time  the  Lord  God  formed  man  of 
the  dust  of  the  ground  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils 
the  breath  of  life  and  man  became  a  living  soul. 

Of  the  terraces  I  can  only  give  a  very  meager 
description,  having  given  them  but  a  passing  thought 
among  my  other  researches  in  the  county  until  about 
two  years  ago,  when  I  became  convinced  that  they 
held  a  very  conspicuous  place  in  the  topogrophy 
of  the  county;  I  then  commenced  regular  field  work 
upon  them  and  have  traced  out  and  located  two  of 
them  quite  satisfactorily.  The  last  terrace  now  visible 
I  found  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  present 
shore  line,  and  at  an  altitude  of  forty  feet  above  lake 
level.  It  follows  nearly  the  present  contour  of  the 
lake  shore.  It  is  very  evident  that  the  water  receded 
to  a  broad  river  after  these  terraces  were  formed,  and 
now  by  gradually  wearing  its  way  back  inland,  its 
shore  follows  nearly  the  same  lines  that  it  left  in  its 
recedonce.  I  have  traced  this  terrace  most  of  the  way 
from  the  Vermillion  to  Black  River,  and  all  the  way 
from  Black  River  east  fifteen  miles  into  Dover,  Cuya- 
hoga county.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  it  can  readily 
be  traced  the  whole  length  of  the  lake  shore.  At 
Avon  Point  it  does  not  make  the  sharp  angle  of  the 
shore,  but  merely  makes  a  gentle  curve  to  the  north. 
The  soil  is  clay,  with  its  surface  somewhat  mixed  with 
gravel.  The  timber  upon  it  is  mostly  hard  maple, 
beech  and  hickory,  and  that  upon  either  side  of  it,  is 
black  ash,  soft  maple,  elm,  &c.  Its  rise  from  the 
north  is  very  perceptible,  and  upon  the  farms  through 
which  it  passes  it  is  usually  selected  as  the  building  spot 
if  at  all  convenient,  as  it  is  the  dryest  land.  These 
terraces  were  formed  by  the  natural  wearing  of  the 
water  against  the  shore,  at  which  level  the  water  stood 
for  a  considerable  period  of  time,  and  then  by  a  sudden 
recedence  caused  liy  the  breaking  away  of  the  Ijarrier 
at  the  outlet,  the  water  dropped  away  from  this  line 
leaving  it  a  natural  terrace.  Should  Lake  Erie,  by 
the  sudden  breaking  away  of  Niagai-a,  be  drained  forty 
feet  lower  than  it  now  is,  its  present  shore  line  would 
form  Just  such  a  terrace  as  the  one  now  under  consid- 
eration was  when  it  was  left  by  the  retreating  waters. 
Its  many  years  of  weather-wear  since,  has  given  it  its 
present  appearance  and  sloping  condition.  There  is 
a  succession  of  these  terraces,  each  one  higher  than 
the  last,  as  we  go  south  through  the  county,  one  south 
of  Wellington  has  an  altitude  of  three  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  above  lake  level.  Please  remember  that  I 
reckon  all  altitudes  from  lake  level, —  that  when  I 
speak  of  any  height,  it  is  so  many  feet  above  the  level 


24 


niSTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


of  the  lake.  Lake  Erie  is  five  hundred  and  sixty  five 
feet  above  the  ocean  level. 

These  terraces  no  doubt  continue  on  up  to  the 
summit,  tjiat  is,  tlie  hi<;h-lands  or  divide,  between  the 
waters  of  the  Oliio  river,  and  Lake  Eric,  which  here 
have  an  altitude  of  seven  hundivd  and  seventy-tliree 
feet.  The  liighest  land  in  the  State,  whicli  lies  south- 
west from  here  in  Logan  county  has  an  altitude  of  nine 
hundred  and  seventy-tive  feet.  Wellington  stands  at 
two  liundred  and  eigiity-six  feet;  Oberlin,  two  hun- 
dred and  lifty-three  feet;  Elyria  one  liundred  and  fifty- 
tive  feet,  and  Amherst  one  hundred  and  twenty-two 
feet,  gradually  sloping  away  to  the  lake.  These  dif- 
ferent altitudes  are  caused,  partly  by  the  glaciers  plow- 
ing dee]>er  into  the  rocks  in  its  center,  and  partly  by 
the  formation  of  these  terraces  by  the  retreating  waters. 
The  next  terrace  south  of  the  one  above  described  is 
the  largest  and  most  distinct  of  all  of  them.  This 
was  undoubtedly  caused  by  the  water  standing  at  this 
level  for  a  longer  period  of  time  than  clsewdiere.  It 
lies  about  four  miles  back  from  the  lake,  at  an  altitude 
of  about  one  hundred  and  five  feet.  In  Amherst, 
Sheffield,  Avon  and  a  i>art  of  Dover,  the  old  sand- 
beach,  called  the  North  ridge,  rests  directly  upon  it, 
but  in  some  places  in  Cuyahoga  county,  as  in  Dover, 
liockport  and  Euclid,  east  of  Cleveland,  it  is  separate 
and  distinct  from  the  ridge,  and  very  marked  in  its 
character. 

I  hardly  deem  it  necessary  to  go  back  farther  and 
trace  out  others  of  these  shore  line  terraces,  a  dcscrip- 
tion  (if  these  two  being  sufficient  to  give  us  all  tlie 
knowledge  we  need  as  to  their  formation  and  char- 
acter. 

SAND    RIDGES. 

Our  beautiful  ridges,  running  through  the  couiitv 
nearly  parallel  with  the  lake  east,  and  west,  are  tlie  last 
link  in  the  geological  chain.  They  are  the  last  land- 
marks, or  rather  the  last  water-marks,  that  were  left 
by  the  retreating  waters.  Upon  these  ridges  the 
liioueer  first  built  his  log-cabin;  along  them  ran  the 
first  wagon-roads.  The  first  settlers  all  strove  to  build 
upon,  and  cultivate  the  ridges.  Their  light  sandy 
soil,  natural  drainage,  and  easy  cultivation,  made 
them  a  very  desiral)le  location  for  the  pioneer.  There 
are  several  theories  as  to  the  cause  of  their  formation: 
one  is  that  tiiey  are  moral ns  left  by  the  retreating 
glaciers;  (morains  are  the  debris  that  is  pushed  out 
from  under  the  glacier  and  left  at  its  sides  as  it  moves 
on  over  the  suiface);  another  is  that  they  are  off-shore 
sand-liars;  luit  the  one  that  is  now  most  generally 
accepted  is  that  they  are  old  beach-lines  left  by  the 
receeding  waters  in  their  successive  stages  of  rest. 
There  are  three  continuous  lidges  running  through 
the  county  besides  several  local  ones. 

The  liulltrnut  RUlye  was  the  first  formed.  At  this 
level  the  water  remained  for  a  long  period  of  time, 
until  all  the  accumulation  of  that  old  beach  was 
washed  and  binwn  uji  by  the  combined  agency  of  the 
water  and  the  winds;  then  a  sudden  breaking  away 


of  the  barrier  at  the  outlet  cansed  the  water  to  fall 
thirteen  feet,  and  then  another  period  of  rest  that 
formed  Chestnut  ridge.  A  breaking  away  of  twenty- 
four  feet  more  and  we  have  Sugar  ridge;  of  seven 
more  and  we  have  Center  ridge.  Here  was  a  longer 
period  of  rest,  which  formed  a  continuous  ridge  the 
whole  length  of  the  lake.  Aiiotherrecedence  of  fifty- 
two  feet  brought  it  to  the  line  on  wdiich  the  North, 
or  last  continuous  ridge  now  rests.  I  have  examined 
no  less  than  ten  of  tliese  sand  ridges  in  our  county 
and  have  taken  their  altitude  in  many  places. 

The  fact  that  both  terraces  and  sand  ridges  were 
the  result  of  old  shore  lines,  naturally  led  to  the 
question  why  do  we  not  find  sand-ridges  as  far  south 
as  we  do  terraces?  This  question,  to  my  mind,  is 
easily  answered.  The  ridges  were  formed  from  the 
sand  that  was  worn  from  the  rocks  by  the  action  of 
water;  hence  these  ridges  are  only  found  within  the 
limits   of  the  horizon  of  sand-rock  exposure. 

It  is  evident  that  tliese  rocks  could  be  worn  but 
very  little,  if  at  all,  while  submerged;  but  when  the 
water  receded  and  became  low  enough  to  expose 
them  as  cliffs  and  shore  lines,  then  the  ever-ceaseless 
waves  of  summer,  of  which  no  rock-bound  shore  can 
resist  their  slow  but  sure  advance,  and  the  frosts  and 
grinding  ice  of  winter  commenced  their  destructive 
eroding  process,  which  ground  from  these  rocks  large 
quantities  of  sand,  which  was  taken  up  Ijy  the  under- 
tow and  waves  and  piled  high  upon  the  near  shore 
beach . 

We  will  now  take  uji  the  ridges  in  the  order  in 
which  we  find  them,  beginning  at  the  lowest  or  last 
sand  lieaeh  formed,  giving  only  their  location,  altitude 
and  most  interesting  features: 

North  Ridge. — This  ridge  at  Avon,  one  mile  east 
of  the  center  and  four  from  the  lake,  according  to  my 
measui-ement  in  1806,  has  an  altitude  of  one  hundred 
and  six  feet.  At  the  centre  it  is  some  sixteen  feet 
higher,  composed  of  finer  sand,  blown  up  by  the 
winds  into  a  broad  knoll,  upon  which  the  early  set- 
tlers buried  their  dead,  and  upon  which  now"  rests  the 
beautiful  Avon  cemetery.  This  ridge  bears  nearer 
the  contour  of  the  present  lake  shore  line  than  any  of 
the  other  ridges.  It  runs  through  Avon,  Sheffield, 
southeast  corner  of  Black  River,  Amherst  and  Brown- 
helm.  I  shall  only  give  the  townships  in  our  county 
in  which  these  ridges  are  located. 

Ceil/ re  Ridfje. — In  Ridgeville  tliis  has  an  altitude 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  feet.  In  the  eastern 
jiart  of  Ridgeville,  it  takes  the  form  of  a  double  ridge, 
liuginning  on  the  farm  of  Laurel  Beebe  and  extending 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  farm  of  Ichabod  Ter- 
rell, when  it  divides  into  two  distinct  ridges,  and 
these  continue  on  to  the  western  part  of  the  township, 
where,  on  the  farm  of  John  Cahoon,  they  unite  again 
into  one  ridge.  In  this  double  ridge  is  remarkably 
well  shown  the  part  the  winds  played  in  the  forma- 
tion of  these  ridges.  The  north,  and  very  much  the 
lower  half,  is  coarse  sand  and  gravel,  while  tlie  south 
and  larger  part  is  comijosed  of  fine  sand,  which,  being 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN"  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


25 


lighter,  was  separated  and  blown  up  from  the  coarser 
by  the  winds,  day  by  day  and  year  by  year,  as  it 
accumulated  upon  the  beach,  until  it  was  piled  high 
above  the  other.  I  can  give  no  other  theory  for  this 
phenomenon.  This  ridge  was  used  as  the  first  wagon 
road  in  the  county,  and  as  long  as  stage  coaches  were 
run,  it  was  the  old  stage  road  between  Buffalo  and 
Detroit.  It  lies  through  Ridgeville,  Elyria,  Amherst, 
extreme  northwest  corner  of  Russia  and  Henrietta. 

SoutJt,  or  Buttermd  Ridge,  in  Ridgeville,  has  an 
altitude  of  two  hundred  and  four  feet.  It  runs 
through  Ridgeville,  northwest  corner  of  Eaton  and 
Carlisle.  A  description  of  either  one  of  these  three 
continuous  ridges  is  a  description  of  the  other  two, 
with  the  exception  of  its  location  and  altitude.  The 
balance  of  the  ridges  in  the  county  are  intermediate 
or  local.     Of  these. 

Chestnut  Ridge  is  the  longest.  It  lies  between  the 
center  and  south  ridges.  It  commences  in  Olmsted, 
Cuv'ahoga  county,  and  runs  through  Ridgeville,  north- 
west corner  of  Eaton,  and  ends  in  Carlisle.  Its  course 
is  northeast  and  southwest,  its  altitude  one  huiulred 
and  eighty-one  feet. 

Siiijiir  Ridge  lies  in  Ridgeville,  between  the  Chest- 
nut and  Center  ridges;  commencing  a  mile  southwest 
of  the  center  of  Ridgeville;  it  runs  due  southwest  two 
miles,  and  has  an  altitude  of  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  feet. 

Stonji  Ridge  is  another  of  the  Ridgeville  ridges,  and 
is  rightly  named,  it  is  the  stoniest  ridge  in  the  county, 
and  the  stoniest  one  I  ever  saw.  It  begins  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  northwest  from  the  center,  and  runs 
west-northwest.  From  its  peculiar  location  with  ref- 
erence to  the  other  ridges,  and  the  topography  of  the 
surrounding  country,  and  also  its  formation  being 
water-worn  sandstones,  many  of  them  quite  large,  I 
am  inclined  to  believe  that  this  ridge  was  formed  as  an 
off-shore  sand  bar  in  shallow  water,  and  not  as  a  sand 
beach.  These  water-worn  sandstones  are  from  the 
shelly  cliffs  of  the  Ohio  sandstone,  and  are  so  thickly 
scattered  over  the  surface  that  in  many  places  cul- 
tivation is  impracticable  until  they  are  picked  up 
and  thrown  into  heaps.  They  are  thin,  flat,  rounded 
stones,  from  the  size  of  gravel  to  fifteen  or  twenty 
jMunds  weight.  It  seems  to  me  impossible  that  this 
ridge  could  have  been  formed  as  a  beach  line.  I 
therefore  give  it  as  my  opinion  that  it  is  an  off-shore, 
shallow-water  sand  bar. 

Murray  Ridge  is  a  short  ridge  two  miles  west  of 
Elyria,  in  that  township.  Its  course  is  ucfirly  north 
and  south;  it  branches  off  from  the  main  or  center 
ridge  to  the  south;  altitude,  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
eight  feet. 

Middle  Ridge  commences  in  the  extreme  southwest 
corner  of  Sheffield,  runs  through  the  northwest  corner 
of  Elyria,  and  through  Amherst  in  a  southwesterly 
direction;  altitude,  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  feet. 
Wltittlesfij  Ridge  is  about  two  miles  from  the  lake, 
and  has  an  altitude  of  from  ninety  to  one  hundred 


feet.  It  extends  southwest  from  Beaver  creek  in 
Amherst  to  the  Vermillion  river  in  Brownhelm.  It 
is  the  nearest  of  all  the  ridges  to  the  lake  that  runs 
parallel  with  it. 

A  ridge  runs  out  from  Elyria  west  of  north  through 
the  township  upon  which  is  located  the  Black  River 
road.  Its  altitude  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet.  It  is  a  spur  or  offshoot  from  the  Center  ridge. 
Often  while  driving  along  this  beautiful  ridge,  have 
I  looked  off  across  to  the  east  and  north  over  the  well 
cultivated  farms,  and  pictured  to  myself  this  arm  of 
a  great  inland  sea  coming  up  to  the  very  foot  of  this 
ridge  and  extending  off  to  the  east  along  the  slope  of 
the  Center  ridge,  forming  in  this  obtuse  angle  a 
beautiful  bay.  This  was  long  before  there  was  a 
human  being  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  to  behold 
the  beautiful  things  that  God  had  created;  and  yet 
there  were  no  less  beautiful  things  then  than  now, 
with  all  the  teeming  millions  of  human  eyes  to  behold 
with  wondering  admiration. 

The  main  ridges  all  run  parallel  with  the  lake,  and 
as  a  consequence  presented  a  barrier  to  the  natural 
drainage  of  the  land.  The  water  coming  down  from 
the  higher  lauds  on  the  south,  settled  in  behind  these 
ridges,  forming  ponds  or  small  lakes,  which,  as  vege- 
tation slowly  accumulated,  finally  became  swamj^s. 
Hence  we  find  on  the  south  side  of  all  our  ridges, 
these  swamps. 

ROCK    FORMATIONS. 

By  the  fossil  remains  of  the  fauna  and  flora,  in  the 
geological  strata  of  past  ages,  the  geologist  is  enabled 
to  read  with  tolerable  certainty  the  condition  of  the 
globe  at  any  given  period  of  its  history.  Fossils  are 
the  working  capital  of  the  geologist,  for  by  these 
only  can  he  tell  equivalent  rocks  and  their  relative 
positions.  No  Silurian  fossils  are  ever  found  above 
or  below  the  Silurian  age ;  Devonian  fossils  are 
never  found  in  the  Silurian  or  carboniferous  ages; 
but  each  distinctive  age  had  its  own  peculiar  animal 
and  vegetable  life  for  which  it  was  then  adajited; 
that  is,  the  fauna  and  flora  which  belonged  to  that 
and  no  other  age.  This  is  also  true  of  the  different 
epochs  and  subdivisions  of  time.  No  fossils  are  found 
in  the  one  that  belong  to  the  other.  Hence,  when 
the  Silurian  age  closed,  with  it  closed  all  the  teeming 
millions  of  animal  life  that  then  existed;  and  so  it  is 
with  each  successive  age.  No  bridging  over  from 
one  age  to  the  other;  no  connecting  link  between  the 
two.  But,  on  the  contrary,  the  line  of  demarkation 
is  very  plainly  drawn  between  each  successive  age  of 
the  world,  by  means  of  the  fossils  they  contain. 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  that  we  do  not  find 
fossils  in  one  age  that  may  not  represent  in  some  way 
those  of  another,  for  we  know  that  we  find  trilobites 
which  are  a  crustacean  in  the  very  lower  Silurian,  and 
we  find  living  crustacean  to-day  but  no  trilobites. 
The  farmer  knows  that  he  gathers  apples  from  ajiple 
trees,  and  hickory  nuts  from  hickory  trees.  Just  as 
sure  does  the  geologist  know  when  he  finds  a  fossil 


20 


niSTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


to  what  class  of  rocks  and  age  it  belongs.     "  By  their 
fossils  ye  shall  know  them." 

CUTAnOCJA    SHALE. 

The  highest  or  first  surface  rock  in  Lorain  county 
is  called  the  Cuyahoga  sliale,  from  its  fine  ex]iosui'e 
on  the  banks  of  the  Cuyahoga  river.  It  underlies  all 
the  souMiern  ])art  of  the  county,  and  is  the  first  rock 
above  ilic  sandstone,  having  its  out-crop  along  the 
streams  through  the  middle  and  sontlieru  portion  of 
the  conniy.  It  is  a  fine,  hard,  impervious,  argilla- 
ceous, gray  shale,  with  occasionally  thin  l)ands  of 
pearly  sandstone  running  through  it,  but  is  of  no 
economic  value.  In  its  decomposition  it  produces  a 
cold,  wet,  tenacious  soil,  of  little  value  for  tillage; 
and  it  is  well  for  the  farmers  that  they  get  but  little 
of  it.  It  is  one  of  the  most  uninteresting  of  all  the 
series.  It  holds  no  minerals  of  value  and  but  few 
fossils  of  interest.  Much  of  its  upper  portion  has 
been  removed  hj  glacial  attrition,  leaviug  its  average 
thickness  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

The  Cuyahoga  shale  is  tlie  uppermost  member  of 
the  Waverly  group.  The  Waverly  is  of  carboniferous 
age  and  is  the  lowest  group  of  carbouifereous  rocks. 
In  Lorain  county  this  group  is  subdivided  into  four 
members,  namely:  Cuyahoga  shale,  Oliio  sandstone, 
Bedford  shale,  and  Cleveland  shale. 

SAND    ROCK 

AND  ITS   ECONOMIC  VALTTE. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  I  made  a  tour  of  tlie  rocks  and 
quarries  of  Elyria,  Amherst  and  Brownhelm.  For 
years  I  have  occasionally  visited  some  one  or  more  of 
these  magnificent  quarries,  but  never  before  made  a 
tour  of  the  whole.  I  was  hardly  prepared  to  realize 
the  vast  magnitude  of  the  work  going  (ui  licre. 
The  stone  annually  handled  is  simply  enormous.  In 
nearly  all  these  quarries  work  was  being  vigorously 
pushed  although  it  was  late  and  in  the  closing  season. 
It  was  cheery  and  pleasant  to  hear  the  click,  click  of 
the  pick,  chisel  and  drill,  as  I  went  from  quarry  to 
quarry.  1  found  more  or  less  fossilized  wood,  appa- 
rently coniferous  (cedar  family),  but  no  shells  or 
other  animal  fossils.  Althougli  at  Berea,  in  the  same 
formation,  tliere  has  been  found  shark's  teeth  {rJn- 
(liitlus),  and  a  species  of  shells  {lingiihi  srn/ii-n). 

In  Clough's  quarry  I  found  a  seam  in  tlie  rock  tliat 
deserves  more  tlian  a  passing  notice.  It  was  about 
two  feet  wide  from  top  to  bottom  and  nearly  vertical, 
extending  from  the  top  to  the  depth  they  had  quar- 
ried, fifty  feet,  and  how  much  farther  we  cannot  tell, 
but  undou])ledly  to  the  very  bottom  of  the  rock. 
There  ai'e  two  causes  combined  which  could  have  pro- 
duced tiiis  singular  break,  although  tliey  may  have 
been  long  ages  apart:  an  internal  disturbance  which 
raised  the  rock  and  opened  tlie  seam.  But  had  the 
rock  remained  in  its  raised  position  the  crevice  would 
not  have  been  of  uniform  widtli,  but  would  have  been 
V  shaped,  or  widest  at  the  top;  or,  had  the  rock  set- 
tled back  to  its  original  level,  the  seam  would  have 


been  closed.  This  last  is  probably  just  what  was 
done,  as  we  find  it  of  the  same  width  all  the  way 
from  base  to  summit,  filled  with  bluish  clay  and  frag- 
ments of  stone,  some  of  them  showing  erosion.  Now 
it  hardly  seems  possible  that  this  massive  rock  of 
millions  of  tons  in  settling  back  to  position  could 
have  moved  at  its  base  sufficient  to  have  left  such  a 
seam  as  this,  and  certainly  it  would  not  have  been 
filled  with  such  a  mass  of  luird  clay  and  other  nuite- 
rial  that  we  now  find  in  it. 

But  in  the  ice  period  there  was  another  agency  at 
work:  tlie  great  glaciers,  whicli  passed  over  these 
rocks  (for  their  marks  are  on  them)  from  east  to  west, 
tearing  down  mountains  and  filling  up  valleys  in 
their  course.  This  jjower,  and  this  alone  it  seems  to 
me,  was  adequate  to  have  separated  this  rock  (the 
break  having  already  been  made)  and  moved  it  to  the 
west  sufficient  to  leave  this  crevice  which  we  now  find 
filled  up  with  clay-mud  and  otiier  debris. 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  undei'stood  tliat  this  is  the  only 
possible  solution  of  this  strange  plienomenon.  But 
after  giving  it  careful  study,  this  is  the  theory  I  have 
arrived  at.  I  also  found  a  similar  break  nearly  in 
the  center  of  the  Worthington  quarry. 

We  found  upon  inquiry  at  tlie  different  quarries 
that  the  number  of  men  employed  dui'ing  the  season 
is  aboiit  six  hundred.  And  here  let  me  say  that  the 
gentlemanly  jiroprietors  and  their  foremen  laid  us 
under  many  obligations  for  valuable  information. 
They  were  all,  without  a  single  exception,  willing  to 
stop  and  show  us  through  their  quarries  and  machin- 
erv,  and  also  to  give  any  information  desired  in  regard 
to  the  quality  of  stone,  shipments,  etc.  We  found 
these  foremen  not  only  well  informed,  intelligent 
men,  but  some  of  them  quite  good  geologists,  who 
cduld  talk  about  other  rocks  than  Amherst  sandstone. 

In  nearly  all  these  quarries  the  rock  is  very  mas- 
sive but  easily  accessible;  standing,  as  it  does,  in 
ledges,  the  stripping  is  comparatively  light.  None  j 
of  them  have  as  yet  gone  to  the  bottom  of  the  I'ock. 
At  Worthington's  they  have  gone  down  some  eighty 
feet  and  not  touched  bottom  yet. 

There  are  many  small  (juarries  scattered  here  and 
there  throughout  this  wliole  sand-stone  district, 
mainly  used  for  home  consumption  and  local  trade. 

We  will  now  try  to  give  a  description  of  this  vast 
deposit,  its  distribution,  composition,  economic  value, 
etc.  It  is  the  most  valuable  element  in  all  our  geo- 
logical series,  and  reaches  its  greatest  maximum  of 
excellence  in  quantity,  quality  and  accessibility  in  the 
quarries  at  Amherst  and  Brownhelm.  These  rocks 
underlie  the  wliole  eastern  half  of  the  State,  and  have  ' 
their  out-crop  from  Brownhelm  <hi  the  north  and 
west,  through  the  entire  central  ]iortion  of  the  State 
to  Portsmouth,  on  tlie  Ohio  river.  Although  dcei)ly 
buried  in  many  places  by  drift  deposits  or  the  Cuya- 
hoga shale,  yet  they  are  readily  accessible  in  more 
than  fifteen  counties  in  the  State:  of  which  Lorain. 
Cuyahoga,  Geauga,  Trumbull,  Medina,  Fairfield  and 
Pike  are  the  most  important. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


27 


These  rocks  have  a  gradual  thinning  out  as  they  go 
east  and  south,  so  that  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky 
there  is  but  very  little  if  any  sandstone  in  the  series, 
and  in  eastern  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  argillaceous 
material  enters  largely  into  the  composition  of  its 
beds.  Its  greatest  thickness  is  ohtaiued  at  its  very 
mn-thwestern  out-crop.  Here  it  attains  a  depth  of 
eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  or  more.  At  Amherst  and 
Brownhelm  tlie  topmost  layers  are  removed  as  strip- 
pings,  wlieu  afew  feet  of  flagging  is  generally  obtained, 
and  then  the  solid  homogeneous  rock  is  reached.  At 
Independence,  in  Cuyaiioga  county,  nearly  all  the 
flagging  material  has  been  removed  by  glacial  erosion 
leaving  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  of  massive 
sandstone.  At  Berea  it  is  still  different.  Hero  the 
flagging  stone  comprises  nearly  one  half  of  its  entire 
thickness,  or  about  twenty  feet  of  flagging  to  thirty 
feet  of  building  stone;  so  that  at  Berea  its  entire 
thickness  is  only  about  half  of  that  at  Amherst. 
There  are  good  ([uarries  at  Elyria,  Ridgeville,  Colum- 
bia and  Avon.  Tiie  stone  at  Ridgeville  does  not  come 
al)ovc  the  surface,  but  is  of  very  suj)erior  ([uality,  fine 
in  texture,  very  white,  and  free  from  iron  and  clay 
balls.  The  upper  stratum  of  these  ledges  at  Amherst 
and  Brownhelm,  stands  about  sixty  or  seventy  feet 
above  the  natural  drainage  of  the  surrounding  country, 
consequently  there  has  been  for  ages,  atmospheric 
moisture  passing  through  these  rocks,  thoroughly 
oxydizing  the  iron  they  contain;  thus  leaving  those 
cheerful  mellow  tints,  so  highly  appreciated  by  the 
architect  and  builder.  The  prevailing  color  is  a  light 
warm  bull  or  drab,  changing  as  tlie  rock  dceitens 
below  drainage,  to  a  light  gray  or  dove  color,  and  at 
its  base  to  a  bluish  tint,  known  as  ''  blue  Amherst," 
and  very  highly  prized  in  the  New  York  market. 

The  texture  of  the  stone  is  fine  and  homogeneous, 
usually  without  iron,  and  very  few  flaws  or  breaks, 
so  that  it  is  very  readily  worked  into  any  desiraljle 
shape  or  size,  working  very  easily  under  the  pick  or 
chisel,  and  yet  retaining  with  faithfulness  all  its 
markings. 

Its  strength  is  equal  to  ten  thousand  pounds  to  the 
square  inch,  one  thousand  pounds  more  than  the 
celebrated  brown  stone  of  Connecticut;  four  times 
that  of  the  best  l^rick,  and  much  stronger  than  the 
best  marble  or  granite. 

Its  durability  is  greater  than  any  other  known  sedi- 
mentary rock;  being  nearly  pure  silex,  it  resists  the 
erosive  action  of  the  atmospliere  to  a  wonderful 
degree,  and  is  not  affected  by  weathering  any  more 
than  the  very  best  Scotch  gi-anite.  Its  durability  is 
beautifully  shown  on  the  I'ocks  north  of  the  Haider- 
man  quarry,  where  there  are  very  fine  glacial  grooves 
and  markings,  which  have  remained  intact  for  ages. 
and  also  in  the  hierogly])hic  markings  on  the  surface 
rocks  on  the  farm  of  J.  J.  Rice,  in  Amherst  township. 
Here  these  markings  must  have  lain  exposed  to  the 
denuding  agencies  of  the  frosts  and  storms  of  a 
thousand  years  or  more,  and  still  the  sharp  markings 
of  the  pick  are  plainly  visible  to  this  day. 


It  is  also  very  refractory  and  will  resist  the  action 
of  fire  where  limestone,  marble  and  granite  are  en- 
tirely destroyed.  This  was  very  clearly  demonstrated 
in  the  great  Chicago  fire.  Its  chemical  analysis  is  as 
follows: 

Silicic  acid  (the  substance  of  pui'o  quartz) 00.22 

iVlumnia ^■'■^ 

Peroxide  and  protoxide  iron 2.37 

Lime 0.87 

Magnesia tJ.26 

Alkalies OO'i 

100.00 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  great  beauty,  strength 
and  durability  of  this  rock  will  command  for  it  the 
highest  price  in  any  market.  Hence,  as  a  building 
stone,  it  is  shipped  to  nearly  every  city  in  the  Union, 
irom  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mississippi,  and  from  Her 
Majesty's  Dominion  in  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
From  the  Amherst  quarries  some  of  the  finest  build- 
ings of  Boston,  New  York,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis 
were  constructed;  as  were  also  the  Parliament  build- 
ings of  Canada. 

We  have  only  spoken  of  it  as  a  material  for  build- 
ing purposes.  Thousands  of  tons  of  grindstones  and 
coarse  whetstones  are  made  and  annually  shipped  to 
all  parts  of  the  civilized  world,  and  in  New  England 
they  come  into  competition  with  the  best  Nova  Scotia 
stones;  and  for  dry  grinding  they  are  not  excelled 
anywhere. 

The  annual  product  of  these  quarries  is  quite  large. 
We  have  the  average  figures  before  us,  kindly  fur- 
nished by  the  difl'erent  companies,  which  show  the 
annual  shipment  of  block  stone  to  be  three  hundred 
and  eighty-five  thousand  cubic  feet.  Of  grindstone, 
eleven  thousand  two  hundred  tons  and  of  other  stone 
large  amounts.  Total  annual  receipts  over  1500,000, 
and  the  business  is  increasing  from  year  to  year. 
This  great  deposit  so  widely  distributed  over  our  State 
belongs  to  the  Waverly  series,  and  is  of  carboniferous 
age. 

The  question  is  often  asked,  how  and  why  are  tlie 
different  names  given  to  the  different  geological  for- 
mations, and  how  divided.  The  equivalent  of  our 
Devonian  rocks  were  first  described  and  classified  at 
Devonshire  in  England,  hence  the  name  Devonian. 
The  Silurian  from  Siluria,  in  Wales.  The  Huron 
shale  (which  belongs  to  the  Devonian)  was  deter- 
mined and  located,  as  to  its  relative  position  to  the 
otlier  rocks,  on  tlie  Huron  river,  hence  its  name. 

The  Waverly  sandstone  was  brought  into  note  by 
the  large  quarries  at  the  town  of  Waverly,  in  Pike 
county,  from  which  this  stone  was  taken  to  build  the 
massive  loelvs  of  tlie  Ohio  canal.  Tlie  first  geological 
survey  in  1837  gave  these  rocks  the  name  of  Waverly 
sandstone;  but  they  have  been  called  by  so  many 
local  names  since  that  we  adopt  the  name  "Ohio 
sandstone."  Our  present  State  geologist  called  them 
"Berea  grit,"  from  the  fact  that  at  Berea  the  first 
grindstones  were  manufactured  from  it  and  sent  into 
market,  which  brought  them  into  such  a  world-wide 
reputation.  The  name  Waverly  is  retained  and  at- 
tached to  the  class  of  rocks  to  which  this  belongs. 


28 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


The  outcrops  of  these  rocks  at  Amherst  and  Brown- 
hclni,  of  which  we  have  been  speaking,  were  once 
liigh  bhiffs  against  which  a  great,  inland  sea  dashed 
its  ever-ceaseless  waves  for  countless  ages,  wearing 
away  the  softer  portions  and  leaving  those  ledges  like 
little  islands  amid  a  boundless  ocean. 

BEDFORD    SUALE. 

The  next  rock  below  the  sandstone  is  the  Bedford 
shale,  which  is  about  seventy  feet  m  thickness.  Its 
upper  portion  is  of  a  reddish  color,  caused  by  the 
oxidation  of  iron  from  the  sandstone  lying  immedi- 
ately above.  This  is  the  only  red  shale  in  the  coun- 
try, and  is  a  good  guide  to  those  in  search  of  the 
sandstone.  This  red  shale  is  well  exposed  in  nearly 
all  the  creeks  and  gorges  the  whole  widih  of  the 
county  along  the  base  of  the  sandstone.  The  l)est  ex- 
posure of  the  Bedford,  however,  is  shown  on  the  Ver- 
million river  in  Brownhelm  township,  at  and  near 
the  mouth  of  Chance  creek.  Here  the  banks  are  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  feet  in  height,  and  nearly 
the  entire  thickness  of  both  the  Bedford  and  Cleve- 
land are  shown  together.  The  upper  strata  of  the 
Bedford  are  red,  the  middle  and  lower  portions  a  dull 
bluish  gray. 

The  Vermillion  river  was  so  named  from  the  color 
this  shale  gives  to  its  banks.  The  upper  strata  being 
red,  as  it  crumbles  and  dissolves,  the  storms  wash  it 
down  from  above  thus  giving  the  banks  at  a  little 
distance  the  appearance  of  having  been  painted  red. 
On  Black  river  the  Bedford  is  also  well  exposed,  and 
here  is  shown  its  uneven  upper  surface  which  was  cut 
away  by  currents  of  water  while  it  was  soft  clay. 

These  channels  were  filled  with  sand  which  was 
eventually  hardened  into  stone.  This  will  account 
for  the  uneven  lower  surface  of  the  sandstone  at 
Grafton  and  other  places. 

There  are  some  very  interesting  fossils  in  the  Bed- 
ford, although  they  are  not  numerous,  for  which  see 
chapter  on  "  Fossils." 

CLEVELAND    SHALE. 

I  quote  from  Prof.  Newberry,  a  description  of  this 
shale  which  is  better  than  any  I  can  give: 

*■  This  is  a  black  bituminous  shale  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  in  thiclcness, 
which  is  well  exposed  beneath  the  Bedford  shale  in  the  valles'S  of  Black 
and  Vermillion  rivers.  It  contains  over  ten  per  cent,  of  carbonaceous 
matter,  and  this  gives  it  a  black  color  by  which  it  may  at  once  be  recog- 
nized when  freshly  broken.  Where  long  exposed,  its  carbon  is  burned 
out  by  oxidation  and  it  becomes  gray;  hence  its  out-crops,  taking  the 
color  of  the  other  gray  shales  in  the  series,  may  not  be  identified  with- 
out some  excavation. 

"The  only  fossils  found  in  the  Cleveland  shale  of  Lorain  county  up  to 
the  present  time,  are  rbomboidal  enameled  fish-scales.  These  belong  to 
a  ganoid  fish,  probably  a  species  of  Pakisoitiscus  but  no  entire  individual 
has  as  yet  been  obtained.  The  Cleveland  shale  has  no  economic  im- 
portance, except  that  it  is  clearly  the  source  of  the  petroleum  found  at 
Grafton  and  Liverpool." 

Since  the  above  description  of  this  shale  was  written 
by  Prof.  Newberry  I  have  made  this  shale  an  especial 
study,  and  have  finally  discovered  in  it  the  remains  of 
some  of  the  most  remarkable  jolacoderm   fishes  the 


world  has  ever  known,  nearly,  if  not  quite  equal  to 
those  of  the  Huron  epoch  for  which  see  chapter  on 
"Fossils." 

This  shale  is  literally  filled  with  sea-wee  ds  and  nther 
carbonaceous  matter.  There  are  good  exposures  on 
nearly  all  the  streams  emptying,  into  Lake  Erie,  from 
the  Vermillion,  east;  but  the  best  are  found  on  the 
Black  and  Vermillion  rivers.  Here  may  be  seen  its 
entire  thickness  at  a  glance,  and  the  student  in  geology 
may  use  his  pick,  and  chisel,  with  a  fair  prospect  of 
success.  There  are  thin  bands  of  cone-in-cone  lime 
running  through  it.  From  its  i)eculiar  structure  at 
first  it  was  taken  te  be  fossiliferons,  but  ujion  careful 
examination  it  was  found  to  be  mechanical,  and  not 
organic.  Some  of  this  cone-iu-cone  takes  the  form  of 
half  a  clam-shell,  and  as  they  slip  out  from  the  rock 
in  this  shape  with  their  folds  and  serrated  edges,  it  is 
ditlicult  to  persuade  one's  self  that  tliey  are  not  fossils. 
We  often  find  a  group  of  these,  very  uniform  in  size, 
shape,  and  appearance;  but  mostly  the  cones  are 
massed  in  together  wedge-shape,  and  can  only  be 
taken  out  by  breaking  up  the  rock.  At  present  the 
economic  value  of  the  Cleveland  shale  is  but  slight. 
There  can  be  distilled  from  it  about  ten  gallons  of 
petroleum  to  every  ton  of  shale,  and  the  time  may, 
and  probably  will  come  when,  with  improved  ma- 
chinery and  better  knowledge,  this  will  be  made  an 
additional  source  of  wealth  to  our  county.  It  is 
impossible  for  us  to  even  remotely  comjirehend  the 
vast  resources  of  the  earth.  What  wise  provisions 
there  have  been  made  for  the  comfort  and  happiness  of 
man! — "Treasures  new  and  old"  hid  away  in  the 
great  storehouse  of  nature,  ready  to  be  brought  to 
light  and  use,  as  man  needs  tliem  along  down  the 
course  of  time. 

One  of  the  most  wonderful  of  all  these  productions 
of  nature,  is  petroleum;  and  as  the  Cleveland  shale  is 
unquestionably  the  source  from  which  the  petroleum 
at  Grafton  is  obtained,  we  will  consider  it  in  connec- 
tion with  these  rocks.  We  shall  speak  of  it  only  in 
general  terms,  but  for  a  detailed  account  of  the  oil 
wells  at  Grafton,  we  refer  the  reader  to  the  history  of 
that  township  in  this  volume. 

The  early  settlers  of  Grafton  found  along  the  creeks 
in  that  township  sinkholes  or  pits,  in  which  oil  col- 
lected. In  many  places  the  soil  was  saturated  with 
asphaltic  tar,  produced  by  the  evaporation  of  this  oil. 
These  pits  bear  every  evidence  of  having  been  made 
for  the  i)urpose  of  collecting  the  oil,  by  the  ancient 
peojile  who  inhabited  the  country  long  before  the 
white  man  trod  the  soil.  AVhether  it  was  the  old 
Mound-Builders,  or  the  red  man  of  a  later  period,  we 
of  course  cannot  tell;  but  probably  the  former,  as  the 
whites  have  no  knowledge  of  the  Indians  coming  to 
these  oil  jjits,  after  they  came  into  i)ossession.  What 
use  this  ancient  people  made  of  this  oil  is  of  course 
all  conjecture;  but  the  most  rational  theory  is,  that 
they  used  it  for  its  medicinal  qualities.  This  also 
seems  to  have  been  the  first  use  made  of  it  by  the  i 
whites.  " 


HISTOEY  OF  LOKAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


29 


These  oil  springs,  as  they  were  culled,  extended 
from  Grafton  into  Liverpool,  five  miles  east.  And 
here,  as  early  as  1843,  Harris  Warner  suuli  a  well  in 
one  of  these  springs  down  to  the  rock,  from  which  he 
collected  the  oil  and  sold  it  as  "rock  oil,"  for  the 
cure  of  burns,  sprains,  rheumatism,  etc.,  for  which  it 
ac(|nired  quite  a  reputation. 

In  18G1,  the  oil  excitement  ran  high,  and  wells  were 
drilled  in  Grafton.  Tlie  Jones  well,  about  a  mile 
north  of  the  center,  was  sunk  to  a  deptli  of  six  hun- 
dred feet,  but  drew  its  oil  from  a  dejith  of  one  hundred 
feet  below  the  surface.  The  Rising  well  was  sunk 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  but  drew  its  oil  from  a 
point  eighty-five  feet  below  the  surface.  From  these 
and  other  experiments,  it  was  soon  learned  that  it 
was  useless  to  go  below  the  base  of  the  sand  rock. 
The  oil  from  these  wells  is  a  thick,  heavy  oil,  of  a 
specific  gravity  of  33°  to  38°  (Baum.):  too  heavy  to 
jirofitably  distill  for  illuminating  purposes — the  only 
use  then  made  of  petroleum.  Since  that  time,  it  has 
becQ  discovered  that  this  heavy  oil  is  an  excellent 
lubricator,  and  consequently  more  valuable  than  the 
lighter  oils. 

The  rock  in  which  this  oil  is  found  is  the  "Ohio 
sandstone,"  which  here  varies  very  much  in  tliickncss, 
and  consequently  makes  the  production  of  oil  more 
uncertain.  In  one  place,  it  was  found  to  V)e  only  one 
foot  in  thickness,  and  a  few  rods  away  one  hundred 
feet  thick.  Now,  we  have  before  stated  that  this 
sand-rock  is  nearly  pure  silex,  or  quartz:  it  is  tiiere- 
fore  very  evident  that  it  cannot  produce  the  oil — no, 
not  one  drop  in  a  thousand  tons.  Then  it  may  be 
asked,  if  it  is  found  here,  where  does  it  come  from, 
and  how  does  it  get  into  these  rocks?  And  why  don't 
we  find  it  everywhere  in  the  sand-rocks,  as  well  as 
here?  We  will  try  to  answer  these  questions  satis- 
factorily by  investigating  these  rocks  at  Grafton. 

Now  then,  commencing  at  the  turf,  we  go  through 
a  few  feet  of  drift-clay  into  the  Cuyahoga  shale,  hard 
argillaceous,  of  a  bluish-gray  color,  and  fine  in  tex- 
ture. Its  composition  jjrecludes  the  idea  of  its  being 
an  oil-producing  rock.  Then  we  go  down  some  forty 
or  fifty  feet  to  the  sand-rock;  tiiis  we  know  does  not 
produce  it,  although  we  find  it  here.  And  now,  we 
remember  that  oil  always  works  up,  not  down;  and  as 
we  find  it  here,  we  must  still  go  lower  for  its  origin. 
So  we  go  down  again  some  eighty  or  one  hundred  feet 
to  the  next  shale  below  the  sand-rock;  this  is  called 
"  Bedford  shale."  A  few  feet  of  this  is  red,  and  then 
the  color  is  light  and  dark  gray.  This  is -not  what 
we  are  looking  for;  so  down  we  go  sixty  or  seventy 
feet  more,  and  we  strike  a  hard,  black,  bituminous 
shale  called  the  "Cleveland  shale."  Ah!  this,  we 
think,  must  be  it:  bituminous  it  is,  iu  every  sense  of 
the  word.  We  will  now  take  some  of  this  shale  to 
Prof.  Wormely,  at  Columbus,  and  have  him  analyze 
it  by  distillation,  and  what  is  the  report?  Ten  to 
fifteen  gallons  of  oil  to  every  ton  of  shale.  We  have 
now  found  where  this  oil  comes  from;  and  now  we 
want  to  know  what  produces  it.     Prof.  Wormely  tells 


us,  and  our  eyes  can  plainly  see  that  these  rocks  (we 
call  all  the  members  of  the  series  rocks)  are  literally 
filled  with  sea-weeds,  and  other  fatty  vegetable  mat- 
ter, so  we  conclude  that  it  is  a  vegetaljle  production, 
and  not  of  aniuud  origin. 

The  conditions  under  which  oil  is  found  a,re  alike 
in  all  parts  of  tiic  wdrld:  whether  in  Oiiio,  Pennsyl- 
vania, China,  or  elsewhere.  It  must  be  an  open, 
porous  sand-rock,  which  can  absorb  and  retain  the 
od;  or  broken  up  into  crevices,  as  reservoirs  for  its 
accumulation,  and  a  hard  impervious  shale  resting 
immediately  upon  the  rock  to  prevent  its  esca))e. 
These  are  the  only  conditions  under  whicli  oil  is  found 
in  quantity. 

At  Gi'afton  we  find  that  internal  disturbanc(^s  from 
far  below  the  surface  have  02)ened  seams  iu  the  rocks, 
from  below  the  Cleveland  shale  up  to  the  sand-rock, 
which  permitted  the  oil  to  escape  above;  and  as  the 
sand-rock  was  harder  and  more  compact  tluin  the 
other  rocks,  the  shock  was  correspondingly  greater, 
thus  rending  them  into  fissures,  into  which  the  oil 
flowed  for  ages  by  the  process  of  slow  distillation. 
The  impervious  Cuyahoga  shale  resting  directly  upon 
this  rock,  acts  like  the  cover  to  a  pot  to  hold  tlie  oil 
in  these  fissures  and  prevent  its  escape.  Here  it  has 
remained  foruntold  ages,  until  man's  inventive  genius 
has  probed  the  earth  and  brougiit  this  wonderful 
treasure  forth.  Tlie  Cleveland  shale  is  the  lowest 
mendjer  in  the  Waverly  group,  which  belongs  to  the 
carboniferous  age. 

ERIE    SHALE. 

We  might  almost  pass  the  Erie  rocks,  without 
mention,  so  unimportant  are  they  in  our  county. 
They  have  no  fossils,  and  hold  no  minerals  or  other 
matter  that  can  contribute  materially  to  the  wealth  of 
the  county.  I  only  find  the  Erie  a  few  feet  tliick  on 
the  Vermillion  near  its  mouth.  A  thin  outcrop 
aiq)ears  about  a  mile  or  so  east,  on  the  lake  shore, 
and  from  this  we  find  r.o  more  of  it  until  we  reach 
Avon  point,  where  it  forms  the  rocky  cliffs  of  the 
shore.  Here  it  has  an  exjiosure  of  twenty-six  feet; 
and  four  miles  east,  of  sixty  feet,  and  continues  to 
form  the  shore-line  to  Dunkirk. 

In  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  the  Erie  shale 
reaches  a  thickness  of  more  than  two  thousand  feet, 
so  that  we  here  in  L(jrain  county  are  on  the  extreme 
western  edge  of  the  basin  of  that  old  l-Crie  sea,  which 
in  New  York  State  was  more  than  two  thousand  feet 
deep  when  this  deposit  was  formed. 

This  shale  may  readily  be  distinguished  by  its  color, 
which  is  a  dull  blue  or  greenish  gray.  There  are  tiiin 
bands  of  lenticular  iron  ore  running  through  it, 
which  were  used  in  an  early  day  for  smelting  botli 
at  Vermillion  and  Black  river,  but  since  the  Lake 
Superior  and  other  iron  mines  have  been  made  acces- 
sible, this  kind  of  ore  has  been  abandoned  for  the 
reason  that  it  could  not  be  obtained  in  any  quantity, 
as  it  could  only  be  gathered  along  the  shore  as  it 
washed  out  from  the  cliff  by  the  action  of  the  waves; 


30 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


and  also  the  expense  and  ditRculty  of  smelting.  I 
luivc  lieen  told  by  those  who  iiave  worked  this  kind  of 
iron-stone  that  it  prodiu-od  aljoiit  forty  per  eent.  of 
iron.     The  Erie  belon^^s  to  the  Devonian  and  is  the 

ii[ipcrniiist  iin'inhcr  in  this  jiroup. 

Ill' RON    SHALE. 

We  now  come  to  the  last  or  lowest  rock  that  is 
exposed  on  the  surface  in  the  county.  Like  the  Cleve- 
land, it  is  a  black  bituminous  shale  filled  with  car- 
bonaceous matter.  The  oil,  of  which  it  is  the  origin 
and  of  which  it  contains  from  ten  to  fifteen  gallons  to 
the  ton  of  shale,  is  of  a  lighter  grade  than  that 
obtained  from  the  Cleveland  shale.  It  is  supposed  to 
be  the  source  from  which  is  obtained  all  the  oil  of 
Pennsylvania.  This  rock  underlies  all  of  Ohio,  has 
its  outcrop  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  some  of  the 
western  States.  Its  thickness  here  is  about  three 
hundred  feet,  but  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  it 
is  nearly  twice  as  thick.  Aside  from  the  petroleum 
production  the  most  interesting  feature  of  the  Huron 
is  its  gigantic  fossil  fishes,  fm'  which  see  chapter  on 
"Fossils." 

Not  only  is  the  llur.m  the  source  of  petroleum,  but 
it  is  the  origin  of  the  carburetted  hydrogen  gas  which 
escapes   from   the    ground   at   numerous   points   all 


through  the  county.  Almost  every  township  has 
more  or  less  of  these  "gas-springs."  All  along  the 
lake  shore,  in  still  weather,  this  gas  may  be  seen 
bubbling  up,  and  in  some  places  the  flow  is  so  copious 
that  they  never  freeze  over  in  winter.  Often  have  I 
touched  a  lighted  match  to  the  escaping  gas  as  I  have 
been  sailing  along,  to  see  it  flash.  lu  some  parts  of 
the  county  these  gas-springs  have  been  utilized  for 
lighting  and  heating  purposes,  and  it  seems  to  me 
the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  this  gas  will  be  used 
to  a  considerable  extent. 

I  have  now  given  as  full  a  descrij)tion  of  these 
rocks  and  their  economic  values  as  it  is  possible  to 
give  in  one  short  chapter  in  a  work  like  this.  I  have 
given  their  relative  position  to  each  other,  as  laid 
down  in  the  books.  That  this  will  be  changed  and 
very  much  modified  hereafter  I  have  do  d(Uibt,  but  at 
present  we  leave  them  here. 

I  hardly  think  it  necessary,  or  that  the  reader  will 
wish  me  to  go  on  and  tell  about  the  Hamilton  group, 
that  lies  next  below  the  Huron,  and  the  coniferous 
groui),  which  is  next,  and  the  Oriskany  which  is  the 
lowest  member  of  the  Devonian  age.  None  of  these 
rocks  come  to  the  surface  in  Lorain  county,  but  are 
found  as  surface  rocks  in  adjoining  counties. 


CHAPTER    V. 

FOSSIL  FISHES  AND  WHERE  THEY  ABE  FOUND; 
Front  View  (Diagram)  one-tentli  natural  size,  linear. 


Dentition  of  Diniclithys  Terrelli. — Newb. 


ITntil  a  few  years  since  it  was  sujiposed  that  the 
rocks  of  Lorain  county  were  ban-en  of  fossils,  except 
small  fragments  of  wood  found  in  ([uari-ying  the  sand- 
stone at  Amhei'st,  Elyria  and  some  other  places. 
These,  of  themselves,  are  ([uite  unimportant,  except 
it  be  to  sliow  that  in  the  ejjoch  of  the  deposition  of 
these  sand  rocks  there  existed  coniferous  trees. 

In  the  year  186G  I  came  to  the  lake  shore  and 
purchased  the  place  now  known  as  "  Lake  Breeze." 
In  walking  along  the  beach  I  found  water-worn  frag- 
ments of  a  new,  and  to  me  unknown  fossil,  of  which 
Prof.  Newberry,  in  the  "  Report  of  the  Geological 
Survey  of  Ohio,"  says: 

"About  the  time  of  Mr.  Hertzer's  discovery  of  fish  remains  at  Dela- 
ware, Mr.  Jay  Terrell,  of  Elyria,  found  several  large,  water-worn  frag- 
ments of  lilack.  mineralized  bone  on  the  beach  of  the  lake  west  of  Avon 
Point.  These  had  evidently  fallen  out  of  the  cliff  of  Huron  shale  which 
here  forms  the  lake  shore.    On  examining  these  bones  when  brought  to 

»By  Jay  Terrell, 


Cleveland  by  Mr.  Terrell,  I  discovered  that  they  were  portions  of  the 
'OS  niedi'itm  dorst '  of  Dmichthys.  This  is  a  plate  which  covers  the  arch 
of  the  back  immediately  behind  the  head;  and  was,  in  some  cases,  two 
feet  in  length  and  breadth,  and  more  than  two  inches  thick  at  its  cen- 
tral anterior  portion.  Since  his  discovery  of  the  first  of  these  interesting 
relics,  Mr.  Terrell  has  pursued  the  search  for  them  with  much  enthu- 
siasm and  success." 

These  water-worn  sjjecimens  did  not  give  me  any 
cine  as  to  where  they  might  be  found  in  place;  still  I 
made  a  careful,  and  thorough  search  for  them  when- 
ever the  lake  was  still  and  clear  enough  to  admit  of 
it,  supposing  them  to  be  under  the  water,  but  near 
the  shore,  or  they  would  not  thus  be  broken  up  and 
thrown  upon  the  beach. 

I  continued  this  search  for  more  than  a  year,  and 
had  nearly  given  uji  the  hope  of  ever  finding  them  in 
place,  and  as  we  often  found  pieces  upon  the  beach, 
I  had  began  to  think  that  possibly  they  might  have 
been  brought  here  in  the  ice  period. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


31 


About  this  time  Park,  one  of  my  little  boys,  (who 
was  then  ten  years  old  and  wlio  had  been  with  me 
considerable  in  my  researches,  and  had  become  much 
interested  in  hunting  for  "our  fish-bed"  as  we  had 
already  begun  to  call  it)  went  out  alone  one  day  and 
in  hnntiug  along  the  banks  of  shale  found  a  specimen 
embedded  in  the  solid  shale.  He  immediately  came 
to  me  to  tell  me  of  his  success,  and  to  show  me  where 
it  was  that  I  might  get  it  out.  This  was  the  start- 
ing point, — -''our  leader."  From  this  we  certainly 
could  find  others.  It  was  not  then  a  bed  of  bones 
massed  together  as  I  had  supposed,  but  in  detached 
pieces,  scattered  here  and  there  through  the  shale. 
Enough  was  now  known  to  tell  us  where  to  look 
for  them;  and  a  vigorous  search  was  at  once  com- 
menced. It  was,  however,  three  weeks  before  another 
single  trace  was  found;  and  I  had  almost  given  up  in 
despair,  when  one  day,  about  a  mile  below  our  starting 
point,  I  found  another  specimen  clearly  defined  in 
the  rocky  shale.  My  field  of  labor  was  now  fully 
located,  and  a  systematized  search  commenced  in 
earnest.  From  that  time  to  the  present  I  have  exca- 
vated more  thau  a  thousand  bones. 

Sometimes  I  have  had  to  work  for  days,  and  blast 
the  rocks  in  order  to  reach  them;  others  have  been 
readily  accessible  by  the  pick  and  chisel.  In  one 
instance  I  worked  five  days,  with  several  men,  in 
blasting  and  clearing  away  the  debris,  bafore  we 
reached  the  rocky  floor  in  which  these  bones  were 
embedded;  but  it  was  a  grand  find.  Prof.  Newberry, 
in  speaking  of  it  says: 

"Since  the  publication  of  the  first  vohime  of  this  report,  a  lar^e 
amount  of  interesting  material,  illustrating  the  structure  of  this  genus, 
has  been  brought  to  light.  In  this  material  is  to  be  found  nearly  the 
entire  bony  system  of  one  large  individual,  which  gives  us  a  more  com- 
plete representation  of  Dinichthijs  than  has  yet  been  obtained  of  any 
of  the  larger  fossil  fishes  of  the  (_>U1  World,  These  specimens  we  owe  to 
the  enthusiasm  and  intelligence  of  Mr,  Jay  Terrell,  who  found  them 
near  his  home  in  Sheffield,  Lorain  county.  Here  the  upper  portion  of 
the  Huron  shale  forms,  along  the  Lake  shore,  cliffs  which  are  being 
constantly  worn  away  by  the  waves.  These  cliffs  have  been  Mr,  Terrell's 
favorite  hunting-ground,  and  as  the  erosion  of  the  surface  reaches  here 
and  there  the  projecting  point  of  a  bone,  each  indication  has  been  fol- 
lowed up  with  care,  and  the  bone  taken  out,  perhaps  in  many  fragments, 
but  yet  complete  in  all  its  parts,  Mr.  Terrell  has  carefidly  preserved 
and  united  these  fragments,  and  thus  has  been  able  to  contribute  to 
science  some  of  the  most  interesting  and  valuable  Paheonfological 
material  ever  discovered," 

"Some  months  since,  while  scanning  the  cliff  near  his  house,  his 
attention  was  attracted  to  a  bone  of  which  only  a  small  portion  w.as 
visible,  the  remainder  being  concealed  in  the  rock.  On  taking  this  out, 
others  immediately  associated  with  it  were  revealed,  which  were,  h<iw- 
ever,  so  deeply  buried,  as  to  be  inaccessible  by  ordinary  means.  In 
these  circumstances  Mr,  Terrell  began  operations  on  the  cliff  above, 
and  excavated  a  spa;e  about  twelve  feet  square  down  to  the  locality  of 
the  bones.  Here  he  found  the  ventral  shield,  before  unknown,  quite 
complete:  one  mandible,  a  "premaxillary"  and  two  "raaxniary;"a 
perfect  dorsal  shield,  two  feet  in  diameter;  two  scapulo-coracoid*,  with 
a  large  number  of  additional  bones,  including  the  ossified  rays  of  a 
large  fin.  From  the  same  locality  Mr.  Terrell  had  before  obtained  a 
cranium  almost  complete,  and  two  supra-scapulas:  thus  giving,  as  has 
been  said,  nearly  the  entire  bony  structure." 

"  Since  this  important  discovery  Mr,  Terrell  has  found  a  complete 
mandible  and  maxilLary  of  larger  size  than  any  before  met  with;  the 
mandible  (under  jaw)  being  twenty  two  inches  in  length," 

The  class  of  fishes  to  which  these  bones  belonged, 
are  now  called  Diiiiehfhi/s-Terrelli  (Terrell's  terrilile 
fish.) 


Dentition  of   Dinicbthys  Terrelli. 


Side  view  (diagram);   one-tenth  natural  size,  linear. 


They  were  armor-clad  monsters  of  the  old  Huron 
sea,  which  rolled  over  nearly  all  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican continent,  long  ages  before  the  formation  of  the 
coal  measures.  A  thick,  massive,  bony  coat  of  mail 
covered  all  the  vital  parts  of  their  upper  surface, 
while  the  plates  that  protected  the  under  side  of  the 
body  were  large  but  relatively  thin.  No  scales  have 
as  yet  been  found  with  their  i-emains;  hence  it  is 
inferred  that  the  posterior  portion  of  the  body  must 
have  been  covered  witJx  a  thick,  tough  skin.  It  is 
evident  that  they  were  cartillagenous,  from  the  fact 
that  no  bones  of  their  internal  structure  have  been 
found.  Hence  it  is  more  difficult  to  calculate  their 
size  and  shape,  which  has  not  yet  been  fully  deter- 
mined; but  probably  tliey  were  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet  in  length,  with  very  massive  bodies.  The  head 
is  composed  of  thick,  bony  plates,  strengthened  with 
massive  internal  arches,  all  firmly  anch\dosed  together, 
forming  a  bony  bos  which  is  two  feet  in  length  and 
thii'ty  inches  in  breadth  and  in  some  places  more  than 
three  inches  in  thickness. 

Prof.  Newberry  says  of  the  os  arficulare  rapifls  of 
the  head  plate: 

"  The  joint  itself  is  formed  by  a  deep  cylindrical  socket,  into  which 
fits  the  condyle  of  the  mtpra-ncaimlar,  in  such  a  way  as  to  form  one  of 
the  strongest  and  most  complete  articulations  in  the  whole  animal 
kingdom," 

Of  the  .iaws,  he  says: 

"  The  dental  apparatus  of  Dinichthys  is  its  most  remarkable  feature. 
The  massive  jaws  are  themselves  transformed  into  teeth  more  singular 
in  their  structure,  and  more  formidable  than  any  living  fish.  These 
powerful  jaws  terminate  in  four  dense  teeth,  which  aj-e  five  inches  long 
and  three  broad.  They  have  shining  black  enamel  on  their  wearing 
edge.  Back  of  these  front  teeth,  the  under  jaw  is  formed  into  a  sharp 
cutting  edge  of  jet  black  enamel,  one-third  their  entire  length.  An 
upper  tooth  with  a  thin,  long,  beveled  edge  (six  inches  long),  fits  and 
corresponds  to  the  under  jaw  in  such  a  manner  that  the  two  pla,y  upon 
each  other  precisely  like  the  blades  of  a  pair  of  shears." 

With  such  a  pair  of  jaws  as  these,  set  in  a  head  more 
than  three  feet  and  a  half  In-oad,  it  is  easy  to  see  that 
these  great  monsters  were  able  to  crush  a  much  larger 
body  than  that  of  a  man.  I  have  one  bone  (middle 
plate  of  the  back)  which  is  twenty-four  inches  long 
and  twenty-seven  broad;  is  three  inches  in  its  thickest 
jiart,  and  weighs  thirty  pounds. 

I  need  not  here  give  a  detailed  descriiition  of  the 
many  bones  which  belong  to  this  wonderful  fish.     The 


32 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


tlirec  al)Ovc  mentioncil,  are  sufficient  for  our  present 
purpose.  It  is  impossible  in  hmgiiiige,  to  give  any 
correct  idea  of  these  specimens.  Suffice  it,  therefore, 
to  say,  tliat  they  are  the  remains  of  the  hirgest  fossil 
fishes  now  known  to  tiie  scientific  world. 

Such  a  lish  as  this  must  have  had  formidable 
enemies,  or  he  would  not  have  been  clad  with  such  a 
bony  coat  of  mail;  and  then  his  teeth  clearly  indicate 
that  he  was  carnivcrDUs,  and  therefore  fed  on  other 
large  animals  of  the  deep.  Hence,  in  all  my  re- 
searches for  his  remains,  I  have  ever  been  on  the 
lookout  for  something  else;  and  my  labors  have  been 
rewarded  as  follows: 

In  the  rocks  u))  Black  River,  which  Prof.  Newberry 
designates  "  Cleveland  Shale,"  and  as  belonging  to 
the  W.averly  series,  T  discovered  the  remains  of  very 
large  placoderni  fishes,  nearly  if  not  quite  as  large  as 
those  belonging  to  the  Huron  epoch,  some  of  the 
bones  weighing  many  pounds  each.  I  am  not  quite 
satisfied  that  the  location  of  these  rocks  is  correct; 
at  present,  however,  we  leave  them  as  they  are  placed 
by  the  geological  survey. 

I  also  found  in  the  same  locality  the  spine  of  a  large 
denacanf/ius shark;  dadodus.  and  other  small  sharks' 
teeth  ;  jugular  and  other  plates,  of  different  parts,  of 
these  little  carboniferous  sharks;  together  with  the 
scales  of  other  fishes. 

In  the  Bedford  shales  below  Elyria  I  have  obtained 
shells  of  a  small  Llnijiihi,  not  yet  described  and 
named;  also  a  shell,  new,  but  proljably  allied  to  the 
SpirifiTS,  and  (puuitities  of  mollusks,  (Miirrndon- 
Haiiiilfoniu');  also  a  species  of  small  shark,  and  some 
other  fossils.  These  were  all  found  in  a  baud  of 
limestone,  of  about  one  foot  in  thickness,  lying  in 
the  upper  stratum  of  this  shale  and  extending  two  or 
throe  miles  along  its  exposure  on  Black  river. 

I  have  obtained  from  the  Huron  shale  at  the  lake 
shore,  iu  addition  to  those  already  mentioned,  several 
bones  and  teeth  of  small,  and  as  yet  undescribed  fossil 
fishes,  some  cones,  apparently  belonging  to  Lepido- 
dendron,  fruit  pods  and  seeds,  of  sea  weeds,  and  an 
undescribed  species  of  Goninfites,  (chambered  shells). 
Broad,  flag-like  impressions  of  sea-weeds  are  very 
common  all  through  this  shale. 

We  now  come  to  three  classes  of  large  fishes,  that 
have  recently  been  described  and  named  by  Professor 
Newberry.  I  give  extracts  from  his  descriptions, 
pulilished  in  the  Annals  of  the  New  York  Academy 
of  Sciences,  1878: 

nil'LOON.VTIIUS  Mrit.VBILIS*  (n.  sp.)  X. 

"  Dentary  bone  of  mandible  (under  jaw),  about  eigliteen  inches  long, 
by  two  inches  in  width,  anterior  half  thickens  as  in  Dinichthys.  vising 
inU^  a  prominent  point  anteriorly,  which  diverges  from  its  fellow  of 
the  opposite  dentary  bone,  to  form  a  forked  extremity  to  the  under 
jaw.  Upper  margin  of  the  anterior  half  of  dentary  bone  set  with  strong, 
conical,  smooth,  acute,  incurved  teetii,  which  dimish  in  size  as  they 
ascend  the  elevated  point.  Four  larger,  conical,  recurved  teeth,  are  set 
on  the  inner  side  of  the  triangular  extremity  of  the  mandible,  filling 
the  space  between  the  point  and  the  symphysis.  A  broad,  roughened 
depression  or  pit  at  the  symphysis  marks  the  place  of  attachment  of  a 

♦Wonderful  double-acting  jaw. 


strong  ligament,  which  unites  the  mandibl»s,  and  prevents  the  splitting 
of  the  forked  extremity  of  the  jaw. 

"  The  remarkable  stnictnre  of  the  jaw  on  which  the  foregoing  descrip- 
tion is  baseil.  is  without  parallel,  so  far  as  known  in  the  animal  kingdom^ 
The  dentary  bones  are  produced  forward  into  triangular  divergent 
points,  which  are  set  with  teeth  on  either  margin;  thus  the  extremity 
of  the  lower  jaw  forms  a  fork  set  with  strong  recurved  teeth.  This 
would  form  a  very  effective  instrument  for  catching  slender  slippery 
fishes  like  eels  .and  was  doubtless  used  for  that  purpose," 

"  From  the  Huron  Shale,  SheCReld,  Lorain  couuty,  Ohio.  Discovered 
by  Jay  Terrell," 

DIXK'HTHYS  CORRUGATUS  (N.  SP.)    N. 

"  Dorsal  plate  four  to  five  inches  long,  shield-shaped,  terminating 
anteriorly  in  an  obtuse,  posteriorly  in  an  acute  point;  the  sides,  irre^- 
larly  rounded,  f«)rin  a  feather-edge,  probably  btiried  in  the  ii,  tegument, 
U|iper  surface  gently  arched,  marked  by  several  obscure  longitudinal 
striic,  anil  by  a  peculiar  transverse  crape-like  wrinkling.  The  under 
surface  is  uniformly  excavated,  and  arched  transversely  on  either  side 
of  the  low  and  sharp  central  crest.  This  crest  is  prolonged  into  a  nar- 
row neck-like  process,  which  projects  forward  and  downward  from 
the  margin  of  the  shield,  and  is  excavated  in  v  broad  furrow  on  its 
upper  surface. 

"The  supra-occipital  bone  is  wedge-shaped  and  truncated  fonvard, 
rounded  behind,  with  a  low  point  at  the  center  of  its  margin.  The 
upper  surface  is  marked  with  characteristic  transverse  crape-like 
wrinkling;  the  under  surface  slopes  backward  from  the  middle,  with  a 
prominent  ridge,  which  forms  the  terminal  point;  anterior  to  the  slope 
is  a  semi-elliptical  excavation,  divided  at  the  bottom  in  two  by  a  longi- 
tudinal ridge," 

"  An  imperfect  jaw  found  with  the  dorsal  plate,  and  correspond  ng  in 
size,  is  about  four  inches  in  length,  posterior  extremely  spatulate  and 
thin;  the  anterior  portion  polished  without,  and  terminating  above  in  a 
sharp  edge;  the  anterior  extremity  broken  away," 

"  From  the  Huron  Shale,  Sheffield,  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  Discovered 
by  Jay  Terrell." 

CTENACANTnrS  COIIPRESSUS  (N.   SP. )    N. 

■'Spine  of  medium  size,  perhaps  six  inches  long,  much  compressed, 
by  one  inch  and  a  half  wide,  strongly  arched  above;  anterior  margin 
smooth,  posterior  flattened  with  a  well-marked  rounded  ridge  along  the 
central  line.  Upper  half  of  posterior  face  thickly  set  with  conical 
recurved  teeth.  Exposed  portion  wholly  covered  with  fine  longitudinal 
ribs,  which  are  highly  ornamentedby  closely  approximated  transverse 
lines," 
"  Pectination  finest  on  middle  and  lower  portion  of  sides," 
"  From  the  Huron  Shale,  Sheffield,  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  Discovered 
by  Jay  Terrell." 

I  have  now  mentioned  and  described  all  the  fossils, 
so  far  as  I  know,  that  have  been  discovered  within  the 
limits  of  our  county.  The  Cuyahoga  shale  which  is 
exposed  along  the  streams  in  the  southern  portion  of 
our  county,  has  yielded  in  Medina  and  some  other 
places  crinoids,  mollusks  and  other  small  shells,  and 
no  doubt  these  might  be  found  here  upon  proper 
search  made  for  them;  and  possibly  new  genera  and 
new  species. 


CHAPTER  YI. 

THE   MOUND-BUIIiDERS, 

A  people,  concerning  whom  nothing  beyond  the 
fact  of  their  existence  is  known,  are  called  Mound- 
Builders.  This  name  was  given  them  because  of  the 
earthworks,  mounds  and  fortifications  which  they 
erected, —  generally  along  the  courses  of  streams. 
Some  of  the.se  are  works  of  defence,  others  burial 
places.  These  mounds  and  their  contents  furnish  us 
the  only  information  obtainable  in  reference  to  this 
strange  people.  That  the  period  of  time  at  which 
they  existed  reaches  far  back  into  the  past  is  evi- 
denced from  the  fact  that  the  races  of  red  men  who 


HISTORY  OP  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


33 


succeeded  them  have  been  unable  to  furnish  us  any 
account  of  mIio  they  were,  whence  they  came  and 
whither  they  went.  A  veil  of  impenetrable  mystery 
enshrouds  their  history.  Their  mounds  are  a  proof 
of  tlieir  existence,  for  tlieir  chai'acter  and  the  place 
and  mode  of  their  erection  attest  the  handiwork  of 
intelligent  beings,  while  the  bones,  weapons  of  war- 
fare, stone  implements  and  arrow-heads  which  have 
been  discovered  and  are  still  found  buried  in  these 
earthworks,  furnish  a  still  stronger  proof  of  the  ex- 
istence of  a  pre-historic  people.  The  skek'ton  re- 
mains of  lium m  beings  of  such  dimensions  as  to  show 
that  their  one-time  possessors  were  beings  of  almost 
gigantic  proportions,  were  exliumed  from  their  ancient 
cemeteries  by  the  tirst  settlers.  The  Indians,  dis- 
claiming them  as  kindred,  could  give  no  information 
in  regard  to  them.  These  ancient  earthworks  are 
found  in  several  t>laGes  in  Lorain  county.  We  de- 
scribe one  or  two  of  them.     Professor  Newberry  says: 

"The  best  preservf-tl  fortifications  in  the  county  are  on  land  owned  by 
R.  Burrell,  Esq.,  in  the  angle  formed  by  the  union  of  French  and  Sugar 
creeks,  in  Sheffield  township.  The  valleys  of  these  two  streams  are 
quite  deeply  excavated,  and  inclose  a  narrow  triangle  of  high  land  at 
their  juncture,  which  is  bounded  by  cliffs  of  shale  forty-five  feet  in 
height  and  almost  perpendicular.  Across  the  base  of  this  triangle,  at 
the  distances  respectively  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  and  two  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  feet  from  the  apex,  are  two  deep,  parallel  trenches, 
each  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  long,  reaching  from  bluff  to  bluff. 
Mr.  Burrell  states  that  when  the  land  was  first  cleared  in  1816,  these 
trenches  were  eight  feet  deep.  They  have  been  plowed  over  from  year 
to  year  since,  but  are  quite  plainly  discernible.  The  purpose  of  these 
trenches  was  evid<'ntly  to  defend  from  attack,  a  village  or  citadel  situ- 
ated on  the  level  surface  of  the  height.  The  plateau  was  evidently  in 
habited  for  many  years,  perhaps  centuries,  as  the  soil  which  covers  it 
is  a  '  made  soil,'  abounding  in  bones  of  animals,  stone  implements 
and  arrow-heads.  Probably  the  efficifncy  of  the  trenches  was  increased 
by  palisades  or  some  other  defence  of  wood,  all  trace  of  which  has  dis- 
appeared by  decaj". 

"An  ancient  fortification  erected  by  the  Mouad-Builders  is  discernible 
on  land  owned  by  Mr.  Jacob  Delker  on  a  bench  of  the  west  bluff  of  the 
Vermillion  river,  where  it  makes  a  bend  after  entering  the  township 
from  Henrietta,  not  far  below  the  bridge.  The  descent  upon  this  pro- 
jection of  land  is  quite  rapid.  About  midway  of  the  descent  a  trench 
was  dug  and  breastworks  were  thrown  up.  They  now  stand  out  dis- 
tinctively, but  have  been  cut  through  in  the  middle  to  permit  the  pass- 
age of  wagons.  The  trench  has  been  mostly  filled  in  by  the  washing 
down  of  the  gravelly  bluff  above.  A  young  peach  orchard  is  in  the  old 
fortification. 

**  About  seven  acres  are  included  in  a  large  fort  on  Mr.  Jacob  Ennis's 
land,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Vermillion  river,  three  miles  above  its 
mouth.  The  Mound-Builders  must  have  considered  this  an  important 
station,  as  shown  by  these  extensive  intrenchments,  now  sonipwhat  ob- 
scured in  outline  on  one  side  by  reason  of  many  years'  plowing.  The 
soil  of  this  fort  contains  quantities  of  fragments  of  bone  and  potteiy 
and  chippings  of  flint." 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE   INDIANS. 

The  aboriginal  tribes  that  are  known  to  have  inhab- 
ited this  region,  together  witli  the  entire  conntry  in 
Ohio  lying  to  tlie  south  of  Lake  Erie,  belonged  to  one 
(u-  the  other  of  two  great  families  of  Indians:  the 
Algonkin,  or  Huron-Iroquois.  The  tribes  whieh  may 
l)e  named  as  having  been  at  one  time  or  another 
dwellers  upon  the  soil  of  what  is  known  as  the  Western 
Reserve,  are: 

Of  the  Huron-Troquois  family:  The  Erics,  followed 
by  the  Iroquois  proper,  or  tlie  six  nations — the  Mo- 
hawks, the  CaijHfjas,  the  Oneidas,  the   Onondagas, 


the  Senccas  and  the  Tuscarawas — and  the  Hurons 
proper,  or  the  Wyandots.  Of  the  Algonkin  family: 
The  Delawares,  the  Shawnces,  the  Ottawns,  the  Mi- 
amis,  the  Chippewas,  the  Pottaiuattomies  and  the 
Kicka2)Oos. 

THE    ERIES. 

The  Eries  arc  the  only  red  men,  who  as  a  complete 
tribe  have  inhabited  the  region  bordering  the  southern 
shore  of  the  lake  that  bears  their  name.  They  were 
known  to  the  first  French  explorers  and  discoverers 
of  the  great  west,  and  by  them  were  called  the  FeJinns 
or  the  Cat  nation.  Why  they  received  this  name  is 
not  known,  except  it  was  that  throngh  the  forests  in 
which  they  dwelt  there  prowled  great  numbers  of 
the  animal  known  as  wild  cats.  They  have  given  to 
the  lake  near  which  they  dwelt  the  name  that  desig- 
nated their  tribe.  More  than  this,  we  do  not  know 
aught  of  this  strange  people,  except  the  interesting 
information  which  the  traditions  of  other  tribes 
furnish  us  in  regard  to  their  overthrow  and  complete 
destruction.  These  traditions  come  from  their  con- 
querors, the  fierce  and  powerful  Iroquois,  and  by  them 
we  are  assured  that  the  account  is  accurate  and 
trustworthy.  AVe  give  herewith  the  narrative  as  taken 
from  the  lips  of  Black  Snake  and  other  venerable  chiefs 
of  the  Senecas  and  Tonawandas,  and  published  in 
the  Buffalo  Commercial  of  July,  1845.  That  i^aper 
says: 

"Near  the  mission-house,  on  the  reservation  adjoining  the  city  of 
Buffivlo,  can  be  seen  a  small  mound,  evidently  artificial,  that  is  said  to 
contain  the  remains  of  the  unfortunate  Eries,  slain  in  their  last  great 
battle.  The  Indians  hereabouts  believe  that  a  small  remnant  of  the 
Eries  still  exist  beyond  the  Mississippi,  The  small  tribe  known  as  the 
Qtoapaws,  in  that  region,  are  also  believed  to  be  the  remains  of  the 
Kankwas,  the  allies  of  the  Er/cs/^ 

This  sanguinary  conflict  is  supposed  to  have  taken 
place  a  few  years  prior  to  the  year  1700. 

DESTRUCTION   OF   THE    ERIES. 

The  Uries  were  tlie  most  powerful  and  warlike  of 
all  the  Indian  tribes.  They  resided  south  of  the  great 
lake  (Erie),  at  the  foot  of  which  stands  the  city  of 
Buft'alo,  the  Indian  name  for  which  was  Tu-slm-way. 

When  the  Eries  heard  of  the  confederation  which 
was  formed  between  the  Mohairks,  who  resided  in  the 
valley  of  that  name,  the  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayti- 
gas,  and  Senecas,  who  lived,  for  the  most  part,  upon 
the  shoi-es  and  the  outlets  of  the  lakes  bearing  respec- 
tively their  names  (called  by  the  French  the  Iroquois 
nation),  they  imagined  it  must  be  for  some  mischiev- 
ous purpose.  Although  confident  of  their  superiority 
over  any  one  of  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  countries 
within  the  bounds  of  their  knowledge,  they  dreaded 
the  power  of  such  combined  forces. 

In  order  to  satisfy  themselves  in  regard  to  the 
character,  disposition,  and  power  of  those  they  con- 
sidered their  mutual  enemies,  the  Eries  resorted  to 
the  following  means:  They  sent  a  friendly  message  to 
the  Senecas,  who  wei'e  their  nearest  neighbors,  invit- 
ing them  to  select  one  hundred  of  their  most  active, 
athletic  young  men  to  play  a  game  of  ball  against  the 


34 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


same  iinnilicr  to  be  selected  by  the  Fries,  for  a  wager 
wliich  sliould  be  considered  worth)'  the  occasion  and 
the  character  of  the  great  nation  in  whose  belialf  the 
ofPer  was  made. 

Tlie  message  was  received  and  entertained  in  the 
most  respectful  manner.  A  conncil  of  the  "Five 
Nations"  was  called,  and  the  proposition  fully  dis- 
cussed, and  a  messenger  in  due  time  dispatched  with 
tJie  decision  of  the  council,  respectfully  declining  the 
challenge.  This  emboldened  the  Erics,  and  the  next 
year  the  offer  was  renewed,  and,  after  being  again 
considered  was  agaiji  formally  declined.  This  was  far 
fi'om  satisfying  the  proud  lords  of  the  great  lake,  and 
the  challenge  was  renewed  the  third  time. 

The  blood  of  the  j'oung  Iroquois  C(mld  no  longer 
be  restrained.  They  importuned  the  old  men  to  allow 
them  to  accept  the  challenge.  The  wise  counsels 
which  had  hitherto  prevailed  at  last  gave  way,  and  the 
challenge  was  accepted. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  enthusiasm  with  which 
each  tribe  sent  forth  its  chosen  champions  for  the 
contest.  The  only  difiiculty  seemed  to  be  to  make  a 
selection  where  all  seemed  .so  worthy.  After  much 
delay  one  hundred  of  the  flower  of  all  the  tribes  were 
finally  designated,  and  rhe  day  of  their  departure  was 
fixed.  An  experienced  chief  was  chosen  as  the  leader 
of  the  party,  whose  orders  the  young  men  were  strictly 
enjoined  to  obey.  A  grand  council  was  called,  and  in 
the  presence  of  the  assembled  multitude  the  party 
was  charged  in  the  most  solemn  manner  to  observe  a 
pacific  course  of  conduct  towards  their  competitors  and 
the  nation  whose  guests  they  were  to  become,  and  to 
allow  no  provocation,  however  great,  to  be  resented  by 
any  act  of  aggression  on  their  part,  but  in  all  respects 
to  acquit  themselves  worthy  the  representatives  of  a 
and  great  powerful  people,  anxious  to  cultivate  peace 
and  friendship  with  all  their  neighbors.  Under  these 
solemn  injunctions  the  party  took  up  its  line  of  march 
for  Tii-slni-waij.  When  the  chosen  band  had  arrived 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  point  of  their  destiiiation,  a  mes- 
senger was  sent  forward  to  notify  the  Eries  of  their 
arrival,  and  the  next  day  was  set  apart  for  their  grand 
entree. 

The  elegant  and  athletic  forms;  the  tasteful,  yet 
not  cumbrous,  dress;  the  dignified,  noble  bearing  of 
the  chief,  and,  more  than  all,  the  modest  demeanor 
of  the  young  warriors  of  the  Iroquois  party,  won  the 
admiration  of  all  beholders.  They  brought  no  arms; 
each  one  bore  a  bat,  used  to  throw  or  strike  a  ball, 
tastefully  ornamented,  being  a  hickory  stick  about 
five  feet  long,  bent  over  at  the  end,  an<l  a  thonsr 
netting  wove  into  the  bow.  After  a  day  of  repose  and 
refreshment,  all  things  were  arranged  for  the  contest. 
The  chief  of  the  Iroquois  brought  forward  and  depos- 
ited upon  the  ground  a  large  pile  of  elegantly  wrought 
belts  of  wampum,  costly  jewels,  silver  bands,  beauti- 
fully ornamented  mocca.sins,  and  other  articles  of 
great  value  in  the  eyes  of  the  sons  of  the  forest,  as 
the  stake  or  wager  on  the  part  of  his  people.  These 
were  carefully  matched  by  the  Eries,  with  articles  of 


equal  value,  article    with   article    tied  together   and 
again  deposited  on  the  pile. 

The  game  began,  and,  although  contested  with 
des])eration  and  great  skill  by  the  Eries,  was  won  by 
the  Iroquois,  who  bore  off  the  prize  in  triumph. 
Thus  ended  the  first  day. 

The  IroqwAs  having  now  accomplished  the  object 
of  their  visit,  pi'oposed  to  take  their  leave,  but  the 
chief  of  the  Eries,  addressing  himself  to  their  leaders, 
said  their  young  men,  though  fairly  beaten  in  the 
game  of  ball,  would  not  be  satisfied  unless  they  could 
have  afoot-race,  and  proposed  to  match  ten  of  their 
number  against  an  equal  number  of  the  Iroquois 
party,  which  was  assented  to,  and  the  Iroquois  were 
again  victorious. 

The  Kdukirus  who  resided  on  Eighteen-Mile  creek, 
being  present  as  the  friends  and  allies  of  the  Eries, 
now  invited  the  Iroquois  party  to  visit  them  before 
they  returned  home,  and  thither  the  whole  jiarty 
repaired.  The  chief  of  the  Erjes,  as  a  last  trial  of 
the  courage  and  prowess  of  his  guests,  proposed  to 
select  ten  men,  to  be  luatched  with  an  equal  immlier 
of  the  Iroquois  party,  to  wrestle,  and  that  the  victor 
should  dispatch  his  adversary  on  the  spot  by  braining 
him  with  a  tomahawk  and  bearing  off  his  scalp  as  a 
trophy.  This  sanguinary  proposition  was  not  at  all 
])leasing  to  the  Iroquois;  they,  however,  concluded 
to  accept  the  challenge  ;  with  the  determination, 
should  they  be  victorious,  not  to  execute  the  bloody 
part  of  the  proposition.  The  champions  were  accord- 
ingly chosen.  A  Senecn  was  the  first  to  step  into  the 
ring,  and  threw  his  adversary,  amid  the  shouts  of  the 
multitude.  lie  stepped  back  and  declined  to  execute 
his  victim,  who  lay  passive  at  his  feet.  As  quick  as 
thought  the  chief  of  the  Eries  seized  the  tomahawk, 
and,  at  a  single  blow,  scattered  the  brains  of  his  van- 
quished warrior  over  the  ground.  Ilis  body  was 
dragged  away,  and  another  champion  of  the  Eries 
presented  himself.  He  was  ([uiekly  thrown  by  his 
more  powerful  antagonist  of  the  Iroquois  party  and  as 
(|uickly  dispatched  by  the  infuriated  chief.  A  third 
met  the  same  fate. 

The  chief  of  the  Iroquois  party,  seeing  the  terrible 
excitement  which  agitated  the  multitude,  gave  a  signal 
to  retreat.  Every  man  obeyed  the  signal,  and  in  an 
instant  they  were  out  of  sight.  In  two  hours  they 
arrived  at  Tu-shu-waq,  gathered  up  the  trophies  of 
their  victories,  and  were  on  their  way  home. 

This  visit  of  the  hundred  warriors  of  the  Fire  Ay/- 
fions  and  its  results  only  served  to  increase  the  jeal- 
ousy of  the  Eries,  and  to  convince  them  that  they  had 
powerful  rivals  to  contend  with.  It  was  no  part  of 
their  policy  to  cultivate  friendship,  and  strengthen 
their  own  power  by  cultivating  peace  with  other  tribes. 
They  knew  no  way  of  securing  jK-ace  to  themselves 
but  by  exterminating  all  who  might  oppose  them. 
But  the  combination  of  several  powerful  tribes,  any 
of  whom  might  be  almost  an  e(|ual  match  for  them, 
and  of  whose  personal  prowess  they  had  seen  such  an 
exhibition,  inspired  the  Eries  with  the  most  anxious 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


35 


forebodings.  To  cope  wifli  tliem  collectively  they  saw 
was  impossible.  Tlieir  only  hope,  therefore,  was  in 
beinjr  able  by  a  vigorous  and  sudden  nioveniont  to 
destroy  tliuni  in  detail.  With  this  view  a  powerful 
])arty  was  immediately  organized  to  attack  the  Seitecas 
who  resided  at  tlie  foot  of  Seneca  lake  (tiie  present 
site  of  Geneva),  and  along  the  banks  of  Seneca  river. 
It  happened  that  at  this  period  tiiere  resided  among 
tile  Fries  a  Seneca  woman,  who  in  early  life  had  been 
taken  prisoner,  and  liad  married  a  husband  of  the 
Erie  tril)e.  He  died  and  left  her  a  widow  without 
children,  a  stranger  among  strangers.  Hearing  the 
terrible  note  of  preparation  for  a  bloody  onslaught 
upon  her  kindred  and  friends,  she  formed  the  resolu- 
tion of  apprising  tliem  of  their  danger.  As  soon  as 
night  set  in,  taking  the  course  of  the  Niagara  river, 
she  traveled  all  night  and  early  next  morning  reached 
tiie  shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  She  jumped  in  a  canoe, 
which  she  found  fastened  to  a  tree,  and  boldly  pushed 
into  the  open  lake.  Coasting  down  the  lake,  she 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswego  river  in  tlie  night, 
where  a  large  settlement  of  the  nation  resided.  She 
directed  her  steps  to  tlie  house  of  the  head  chief,  and 
disclosed  the  object  of  her  journey.  She  was  secreted 
bv  tiie  chief,  ami  runners  were  dispatched  to  all  the 
trilies,  summoning  them  immediately  to  meet  in  coun- 
cii,  wliicli  was  held  in  Onondaga  Hollow. 

Wiien  all  were  convened  tlie  chief  arose,  and,  in  tiie 
most  solemn  manner,  rehearsed  a  vision,  in  wiiich  he 
said  that  a  beautiful  bird  appeared  to  him  and  told 
iiim  that  a  great  party  of  the  Eries  was  preparing  to 
mike  a  secret  and  sudden  descent  upon  them  to  de- 
stroy tliem,  and  th.it  notiiing  could  save  them  Init  an 
immediiite  rally  of  all  the  warriors  of  tiie  Five  Na- 
tions, to  meet  tiie  enemy  before  tiiey  siioukl  ix^  aljle 
to  strike  tiie  ijiow.  These  solemn  annouucenieuts 
were  heard  in  breathless  silence.  When  the  eliief 
had  linisiied  and  sat  down,  tliere  arose  one  immense 
yell  of  menacing  madness.  The  earth  shook  wiien 
tlie  migiity  mass  brandished  high  in  the  air  their  war- 
ciuljs,  and  stamped  the  ground  like  furious  beasts. 

No  time  was  lost.  A  body  of  five  thousand  warriors 
was  organized,  and  a  corps  of  reserve,  consisting  of 
one  thousand  young  men  who  had  never  been  in  bat- 
tle. The  bravest  ciiiefs  of  all  the  triljcs  were  put  in 
com  mind,  and  spies  immediately  sent  out  in  search 
of  tile  enemy,  the  whole  body  taking  up  their  line 
of  marcii  in  the  direction  whence  they  expected  tlie 
attack. 

The  advance  of  the  party  was  continued  several 
days,  passing  through,  successively,  the  settlement  of 
tiieir  friends,  the  Onondaijas,  the  Cayuyas,  and  the 
Senecas;  but  they  had  scarcely  passed  the  last  wig- 
wam, now  the  fort  of  C'a-aii-du-f/ua  (Canandaigua) 
lake,  when  the  scouts  brought  in  intelligence  of  the 
advance  of  the  Fries,  who  had  already  crossed  the 
Ce-nis-se-u  (Genesee)  river  in  great  force.  Tiie  Eries 
had  not  the  slightest  intimation  of  the  approach  of 
their  enemies.    They  relied  on  the  secrecy  and  celerity 


of  their  movements  to  surprise  and  subdue  the  Sene- 
cas almost  without  resistance. 

The  two  parties  met  at  a  point  about  half-way  be- 
tween the  foot  of  Canandaigua  lake,  on  the  Genesee 
river,  and  near  tlie  outlet  of  two  small  lakes,  near  the 
foot  of  one  of  wiiicii  (Iloncoye)  the  battle  was  fought. 
When  the  two  parties  came  in  sight  of  each  otiier  the 
outlet  of  the  lake  only  intervened  between  them. 

Tlie  entire  force  of  the  five  confederate  tribes  was 
not  in  view  of  the  Eries.  The  reserve  corps  of  one 
thousand  young  men  had  not  been  allowed  to  advance 
in  sight  of  the  enemy.  Nothing  could  resist  the  im- 
petuosity of  the  Fries  at  tiie  first  siglit  of  an  opposing 
force  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream.  They  rushed 
through  it  and  fell  upon  tiiem  with  tremendous  fury. 
Tiie  undaunted  courage  and  determined  bravery  of 
the  Iroquois  could  not  avail  against  such  a  terrible  on- 
slaught, and  they  were  compelled  to  yield  the  ground 
on  the  bend  of  the  stream.  The  whole  force  of  the 
combined  tribes,  except  the  corps  of  the  reserve,  now 
became  engaged.  They  fouglit  hand  to  hand  and  foot 
to  foot.  The  battle  raged  horribly.  No  quarter  was 
asked  or  given  on  eitiier  side. 

As  the  fight  thickened  and  became  more  desperate, 
tiie  Fries,  for  the  first  time,  became  sensible  of  their 
true  situation.  What  they  had  long  anticipated  had 
become  a  fearful  reality.  Their  enemies  hid  combined 
for  their  destruction,  and  tiiey  now  found  themselves 
engaged,  suddenly  and  unex])ectedly,  in  a  struggle 
not  only  involving  the  (jlorij,  but  perhaps  the  very 
existence  of  their  nation.  They  were  proud,  and  had 
hitherto  been  victorious  over  all  their  enemies.  Their 
superiority  was  felt  and  acknowledged  Ijy  all  tlie  tribes. 
They  knew  how  to  conquer,  but  not  to  yield.  All 
these  considerations  flashed  upon  the  minds  of  the 
liold  Eries,  and  nerved  every  arm  with  almost  sujicr- 
huinan  power.  On  the  other  hand,  the  united  foi'ces 
of  the  weaker  tribes,  now  made  strong  Ijy  union,  fired 
with  a  spirit  of  emulation,  excited  to  the  highest  pitcli 
among  the  warriors  of  the  dillcrcnt  tribes,  brought 
for  the  first  time  to  act  in  concert,  inspired  with  zeal 
and  confidence  by  the  counsels  of  the  wisest  chiefs, 
and  led  by  the  most  experienced  warriors  of  all  the 
trii>es,  the  Iroquois  were  invincible. 

Though  staggered  by  the  first  desjierate  rush  of 
tiieir  opponents  they  rallied  at  once,  and  stood  their 
ground.  And  now  the  din  of  battle  rises  higher;  the 
war-club,  the  tomahawk,  the  scaljiing-knife,  wielded 
by  herculean  hands,  do  terrible  deeds  of  death.  Dur- 
ing the  hottest  of  tlie  battle,  which  was  fierce  and 
long,  the  corps  of  i-eserve,  consisting  of  a  thousand 
young  men,  were,  by  a  skillful  movement  under  their 
exjjcrieiiced  ciiicf,  placed  in  tiie  rear  of  tiie  Fries,  on 
tiie  opposite  side  of  the  stream  in  ambush. 

The  Fries  had  been  driven  seven  times  across  the 
stream,  and  had  as  often  regained  tiieir  ground;  but 
the  eighth  time,  at  a  given  signal  from  their  chief, 
the  corps  of  young  warriors  in  ambush  rushed  upon 
the  almost  exhausted  Fries  with  a  tremendous  yell, 
and  at  once  decided  the  fortunes  of  the  day.     Hun- 


36 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


dreds,  disdaining  to  fly,  were  struck  down  by  the  war- 
clulis  of  the  vigorous  young  warriors,  whose  thirst  for 
the  blood  of  tlie  enemy  knew  no  bounds.  A  few  of 
tlie  vanquished  Eries  escaped  to  carry  the  news  of  the 
terrible  overthrow  to  their  wives  and  children  and  old 
men  that  remained  at  home.  But  the  victors  did  not 
allow  them  a  moment's  repose,  but  pursued  them  in 
their  flight,  killing  all  who  fell  into  their  hands. 

The  pursuit  was  continued  for  many  weeks,  and  it 
was  five  months  before  the  victorious  party  of  the 
Five  jYrt/('o«s  returned  to  their  friends  to  join  in  cele- 
brating the  victory  over  their  last  and  most  powerful 
enemy — the  Eries. 

Tradition  adds  that  many  years  after  a  i)owerful 
war-party  of  the  descendants  of  the  Eries  came  from 
beyond  the  Mississippi,  ascended  the  Ohio,  crossed 
the  country,  and  attacked  the  Senecns,  who  had 
settled  in  the  seat  of  their  fathers  at  Tu-slm-wmj.  A 
great  battle  was  fought  near  the  site  of  the  Indian 
mission-house  in  which  [\\q  Erics  were  again  defeated, 
and  slain  to  a  man.  Their  bones  lie  bleaching  in  the 
sun  to  the  present  day, — a  monument  at  once  of  the 
indomitable  courage  of  the  terrible  Eries  and  of  their 
brave  conquerors,  the  Seneras. 

THE    IROQUOIS. 

After  their  conquest,  the  Fire  Nations  became  the 
undisputed  owners,  if  not  the  actual  occupants,  of  the 
soil  bordering  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  They 
carried  their  incursions  into  the  far  west,  and  became 
sovereigns  of  an  almost  boundless  territory.  For 
many  years  succeeding  the  subjugation  of  the  Eries 
this  region  was  known  as  the  hunting-ground  of  the 
powerful  Iroquois.  The  Senecas  which  were  the 
westernmost  tribe  of  the  Fii'c  Nations  were  oftener 
the  occupants  of  the  territory  than  any  other  tribe. 
The  rivalry  between  the  French  and  English  for 
title  to  American  soil  involved  the  Indians  in  innumer- 
able wars,  resulting  in  great  decimation  of  their  num- 
bers. This  struggle  for  rivalry  ceased  in  1703  with 
the  treaty  of  Paris,  when  England  came  into  the 
possession  of  France's  title  to  the  gi-eat  west.  From 
this  time  to  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle 
the  Iroquois  retained  possession  of  the  forests  of 
Northern  Ohio.     In  1780  the  number  of  the  Iroquois 


warriors  inhabiting  what  now  is  the  Reserve  could  not 
have  exceeded  two  hundred. 

TUK    liruoNS,    OK    WYANDOTS. 

The  peninsula  enclosed  between  lakes  Huron,  Erie 
and  Ontario,  had  been  the  dwelling-place  of  the  orig- 
inal llurons.  After  their  defeat  by  the  Five  Nations 
they  became  widely  scattered,  some  descending  the 
St.  Lawrence,  where,  in  the  region  of  Quebec,  their 
descendants  are  yet  to  be  seen;  a  part  were  adopted 
into  the  tribes  of  their  conquerors;  others  fled  beyond 
Lake  Sujierior  and  hid  themselves  in  the  wilderness 
that  divided  the  Chippewas  from  their  western  foes, 
while  scattered  bands  took  refuge  iu  the  forests  of 
Northern  Ohio.  They  were  probably  more  familiarly 
known  to  the  pioneers  of  this  region  than  any  other 
tribe  of  Indians. 

REMNANTS    OE    ALGONKIN    TRIBES. 

The  Algonkins,  two  hundred  years  ago,  were  by  far 
the  most  numerous  family  of  American  Indians,  and 
their  domain  reaching  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Jlissis- 
sippi  river  was  the  greatest  in  extent.  The  historian, 
Bancroft,  fixes  their  number  two  centuries  ago  at 
ninety  thousand,  while  the  Iroquois  family  arc  thought 
not  to  have  exceeded  seventeen  thousand.  A  hundred 
years  ago  a  numl)er  of  their  tribes  were  quite  numer- 
ously rej>resented  on  the  soil  of  what  is  now  Northern 
Ohio.  The  greatest  numljer  of  these  red  men  belonged 
to  the  Delaware,  the  Chippeioa,  and  the  Ottawa  tribes, 
although  remnants  of  the  Shawnees,  the  Pottawato- 
mies,  the  Miainis,  and  the  Kiekapoos  were  likewise 
present.  In  the  wars  between  the  Indians  and  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Ohio,  preceding  the  treaties  of  Fort 
Mcintosh  (1785),  of  Fort  liarmar  (1789),  of  Fort 
Greenville  (1705),  and  of  Fort  Industry,  (1805),  the 
red  men  were  completely  subdued,  and  thereafter  this 
region,  instead  of  being  the  permanent  dwelling-place 
of  one  or  more  tribes  of  Indians,  came  to  be  tempo- 
rarily the  common  hunting-gi-ound  of  many  tribes. 
Seeking  permanent  homes  in  the  remoter  west,  they 
returned  here  during  the  hunting  seasons  to  renew 
the  sports  of  the  chase  and  roam  through  the  jjleasant 
forests  where  lay  buried  the  dead  of  their  forefathers. 
Such  was  the  condition,  for  the  most  part,  of  the 
red  men  of  this  locality  when  first  came  hither  the 
white  settler. 


ABSTRACT   OF   TREATIES    CONVEYING    LANDS. 


DATE  OP 

TREATY. 


WHERE  MADE,  AND  BY  WHOM. 


1713 1  Utrecht.    England,  France    and    other  European 

powers. 
1726 Albany,  New  York.    Iroquoin  and  the  English. 


1"W Lancaster,  Pa.    Same  parties  as  above. 


SUHMABT  OF  THE  GRANTS. 


France  cedes  to  England  Bay  of  Hudson  and  its  borders.  Newfoundland  and  Nova 
Scotia. 

All  the  claims  of  the  Six  Nations  to  hinds  west  of  Lake  Erie,  including  a  strip 

sixty  miles  wide  along  the  shores  of  Lakes  Ontario  and  Ei-ie  from  Oswego  river 

to  the  Cuyahoga. 
AH  the  lands  of  the  Iroquois  that  are  or  hereafter  may  be  within  the  colony  of 

Virginia. 
Confirm  the  treaty  of  Lancaster,  and  consent  to  settlements  south  of  the  Ohio 

river. 


i'^~    I  At  Logstown,  on  the  Ohio.    Same  parties  as  above 

and  western  Indians. 
Paris.    England  and  Portugal  on  the  one  side,  and 

France  and  Spain  on  the  other.  France  cedes  to  England  islands  in  the  West  Indies;  the  Floridas;  the  eastern 

half  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi;  all  Canada;  Acadia;  and  Cape  Breton  and 
its  independent  islands. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


37 


ABSTRACT   OF  TREATIES   CONVEYING    LANDS. — CONTINUED. 


DATE  OF 
TREATY. 


WHERE   UADE,    AND    BY    WHOM. 


1783 Paris.    England  and  the  United  States. 

ITt^ ;  Fort  Stanwix,   New  York.      The  Iroquois  and  the 

United  States. 
1785 Fort  Melntosb,  at  the  mouth  of  Big  Beaver.    The 

United  States  and  the   Chippewas,  Delawares, 

Ottawas,  and  Wyandoh. 


1786 Fort  Finney,  near  the  mouth  of  the   (Ireat  Miami. 

The  United  States  and  the  Hhawnees. 


SUMMARY   OF  THE    GRANTS. 


1789 At  Fort  Harinar.    The /rocyuo/s  and  western  tribes 

I        and  the  United  States. 

1795 At  Fort  Greenville.       United  States  with   twelve 

tribes, —  Wyandofti,  Delanmres,  Shtiwnees,  Otta- 
was,  Chippewas,  Putfdwattomies,  Miainis,  Kick- 
apoos,  Piankashau's,  a,Qd  Kaskctskias. 

17% At  Buffalo.    The  Senecas  and  the  Connecticut  Land 

Company. 

1805 At  Fort  Industry,  on    the  Maumee.    The  United 

States  and  Western  Tribes. 


1807. 
1808. 

1815. 


At    Detroit.       The    Unite<l    States   and    Western 

Tribes. 
Brownstown,  Michigan. 

Springwells,  near  Detroit. 

At  the  rapi  Js  of  the  Maumee. 


At  St  Mary's. 


England  cedes  to  the  United  States  the  territory  in  North  America  lying  south  of 

the  chain  of  lakes  and  east  of  the  Mississippi. 
Tlie  Iroquois  cede  to  the  United  States  all  their  claims  west  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  Indians  cede  all  their  claims  east  and  south  of  the  Cuyahoga,  and  the  portage 
between  it  and  the  Tuscarawas  to  Fort  Laurens  l  Bolivar);  thence  to  Laramie's 
Fort  (northwest  part  of  Shelby  county);  thence  along  tite  Portage  path  to  the 
St.  Mary's  river,  and  down  it  to  the  Omee  or  Maumee  river  and  the  lake  shore 
to  the  Cuyahoga. 

These  Indians  did  not  own  the  land  occupied  by  them  on  the  Scioto,  and  are 
allotted  a  tract  on  the  heads  of  the  two  Miamis  anil  the  Wabash,  west  of  the 
Chippewas,  Delawares,  and  Wyandots. 

Treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix  confirmed  by  the  Irotptiu's.  Treaty  of  Fort  Mcintosh 
confirmed  l)y  the  western  tribes,— the  Sauks  and  Pottairuttomies  assenting. 

Boundary  of  Fort  Mcintosh  and  Fort  Harmar  confirmed,  and  extended  to  Fort 
Recovery  and  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river. 


The  Senecas,  represented  by  Brant,  cede  the  Connecticut  Land  Company  their 

rights  east  of  the  Cuyahoga. 
The  Wi/andots,   Delaivarfs.  Oftawas,  Chip}>ewas,  Shaimees,  Munsees.  and  Potta- 

H'a/fom/e;;  relinquish  all  lands  west  of  the  Cuyahoga  as  far  west  as  the  west 

line  of  the  Western  Reserve,  and  south  of  the  line  from   Fort  Laurens  to 

Laramie's  fort. 
The  Ottatvas,  Chippewas,  Wyandots  and  Potfairattomies  cede  all  tbat  part  of  Ohio 

north  of  the  Maumee  river,  with  part  of  Michigan. 
The  same  parties  and  the  Shtutmees  grant  a  tr-act  two  miles  wide,  from  the  west 

line  of  the  Reserve  to  the  rapids  of  the  Maumee,  for  the  purpose  of  a  road 

through  the  Black  swamp. 
Thi  Chijjpewas.  Ottaivas,  Potttiuattomies,  Wyandots,  Delaivares,  Senecas,  Shaw- 

nees,  and  Miamis,  wlo  had  engaged  on  the  British  side  in  the  War  of  1813, 

confiim  the  treaties  of  Fort  Mcintosh  and  Greenville. 
The    Wyandots  cede  their  lands  west  of  the  Uhe  of  1H)I5,  as  far  as   Laramie's 

and  the  St.   Mary's  river  and  north  of  the  Maumee.     The  Poitanattomies, 

Chippewas,  and  Oitanas  cede  territory  west  of  the   Detroit  line  of  1807  and 

north  of  the  Maumeee. 
The  Miamis  surrender  the  remaining  Indian  territory  in  the  north  of  the  Gieeuville 

line,  and  west  of  the  St.  Mary's  river. 


CHAPTER  VI  IT. 

THE  MORAVIAN  MISSIONS. 

The  earliest  actual  settlement  made  withiu  the 
present  limits  of  Lorain  county,  though  short-lived, 
was  effected  by  that  zealous  but  persecuted  sect  known 
as  Moravians,  at  the  mouth  of  Black  river  in  1787. 
We  deem  it  but  just  that  a  short  chapter  be  devoted 
to  this  interesting  people,  aud  believe  no  one  will 
deem  the  space  we  accord  them  as  unwisely  granted. 

The  sect  had  its  origin  in  Bohemia.  Always  in- 
significant as  to  numbers,  and  none  of  them  remark- 
able for  wealth,  position  or  learning,  no  Christian 
people  have  shown  more  zeal  or  enthusiasm  in  ex- 
tending their  Master's  kingdom.  Considering  their 
meager  numbers,  it  may  be  confidently  asserted  that 
no  other  denomination  of  Christians  has  done  so 
much  for  the  missionary  cause.  Without  extraordi- 
nary skill  or  ability  in  elucidating  abstruse  or  difficult 
problems  of  l)e!ief,  they  have  sought  not  to  make 
]iroselytes  among  those  already  well-grounded  in  the 
cardinal  doctrines  of  Christian  faith,  but  to  teach  the 
elementary  gospel  religion  to  those  peoples  aud  tribes 
who  had  not  yet  been  converted  to  Christianity.  To 
the  prosecution  of  this  work  they  have  freely  devoted 
their  lives  and  fortunes,  and  no  country  has  been  too 


remote,  no  shore  too  forbidding  or  inhospitable  to 
prevent  their  planting  there  tlie  banner  of  the  cross 
aud  seeking  to  bring  under  its  folds  the  most  savage 
and  degraded  of  mankind. 

In  1732,  while  their  numl)ei-s  were  less  than  four 
hundred,  they  began  tlieir  missionary  work,  the  first 
station  estaljlished  being  at  St.  Thomas  in  the  West 
Indies. 

In  17-40  they  established  a  mission  among  the  In- 
dians at  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania;  but  as  the  Indians 
were  being  gradually  driven  westward,  a  i)ermanent 
location  was  impossible. 

Tlie  efforts  of  the  missionaries  to  civilize  the  In- 
dians were  not  wholly  successful.  Their  contact  with 
the  whites  was  always  corrupting  in  its  influence  upon 
the  red  men.  For  the  missionaries  to  have  success  it 
was  necessary  for  them  to  keep  in  advance  of  the  wave 
of  emigration. 

In  1768  a  new  location  was  sought  near  Oil  City, 
Pennsj'lvania,  and  in  1770  they  removed  to  tlie  Beaver 
river,  where  they  remained  a  year  or  more,  and  tlien 
turned  their  steps  westward  to  tlie  valley  of  the  Tus- 
carawas, near  New  Pliiladelphia.  Ohio.  Here,  in  this 
pleasant  and  fertile  valley,  they  tliouglit  themselves  so 
far  in  the  wilderness  that  they  hoped  they  might  for- 
ever remain  undisturbed.     They  built  cabins,  cleared 


38 


HISTOllY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


away  the  forests,  worshiped  God  in  peace  and  happi- 
ness. Their  numbers  increased  by  conversions  from 
the  Indians  until  the  seltlemont  contained  tiirec  vil- 
lai^es  named  Schoeubruun,  Salem  and  (Jnadenhutten. 

Though  they  exercised  only  the  arts  of  peace  and 
kept  ah)of  from  war  and  strife,  patiently  suliniitting 
to  wroiij,'  without  seeking  to  bestow  punishnuMit,  they 
could  not  escape  persecution  and  marl yi'doni.  They 
were  distrusted  by  both  the  IJritish  and  the  Ameri- 
cans. 'I'lie  former  took  steps  to  break  up  their  mis- 
sion and  bring  I  he  iidiabilants  to  Detroit  as  prisoners. 

It  was  a  sad  blow  to  the  peaceful  Christians  to  be 
forced  to  leave  their  homes  and  ungathered  crops, 
and  in  a  long  journey  through  a  pathless  wilderness, 
sutfcring  indignity,  cruelty  and  untold  hardships. 

The  following  s|)riug,  1782,  a  few  of  them  by  |)er- 
mission  returned  to  harvest  their  corn;  but  no  sooner 
were  they  arrived  than  a  detachment  of  Americans 
came  among  them,  and,  seizing  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity, rushed  ui)on  the  defenceless  Christians  and 
slaughtered  them  in  cold  blood.  It  was  one  of  the 
most  cruel,  unprovoked  and  bloody  deeds  known  to 
the  annals  of  border  warfare. 

Those  that  had  remained  at  Detroit  sought  a  home 
in  Canada;  but,  after  dwelling  a  few  years  among  the 
C/ii/ipcwas,  their  hearts  yearned  for  their  old  home  in 
the  Tuscarawas,  and  in  1780  they  started  thither. 

Reaching  a  point  on  the  Cuyahoga  in  Independence 
township,  known  as  Pilgrims'  Rest,  they  received  in- 
telligence that  made  them  shrink  from  going  further. 
They  halted  and  remained  here  about  one  year  and 
then  journeyed  westward  until  they  reached  the  nu)uth 
of  Bhick  river  (in  1787),  and  here  they  made  a  settle- 
ment. Their  hope  was  to  found  here  a  permanent 
colony  and  to  labor  among  the  Indians,  endeavoring 
to  civilize  and  t'hristianize  them.  This  cherished 
wish,  however,  could  not  be  realized.  But  a  few  days 
had  ela[)sed  when  the  chief  of  the  Delawares  sent 
them  a  message  commanding  them  to  depart.  This 
may  be  tei'uieil  the  lirst  actual  settlement  eilected 
within  the  limits  of  Lorain  county.  Though  these 
Moravians  tarried  but  a  few  days,  they  had  actually 
chosen  a  spot  where  they  fully  intended  to  perma- 
nently remain,  and  their  withdrawal  was  obligatdry, 
not  voluntary. 

l)i-i\cn  from  Black  river,  tliese  valiant  Christian 
soldiers  next  souglit  for  themselves  an  asylum  on  the 
banks  of  the  Huron,  about  two  miles  north  of  the  j)res- 
ent  village  of  Milan,  in  Erie  county.  Here  they  dwelt 
for  five  or  six  years;  but,  after  suffering  many  jierse- 
cutions,  they  were  again  driven  away,  and  returne(l  to 
Canada,  settling  on  the  river  Thomas. 

In  1797,  Congress,  mindful  of  their  ])ast  wrongs, 
made  grants  to  them  of  their  old  lands  on  the  Tus- 
carawas, whither  a  portion  of  them  returned  and 
prosecuted  their  missionary  labors.  However,  their 
success  was  retarded  by  the  influence  of  the  white 
settlers,  which  was  ever  demoralizing  upon  the  In- 
dian, and  some  of  them  returned  again  to  Canada, 
while  others,  among  them  Chai'les  Frederich  Dencke, 


came  to  the  Huron  river  and  established  there  a  mis- 
sion. This  was  in  ISO-i.  Here  they  continued  to 
dwell  for  five  years,  until  the  Fire  Lauds;  having 
been  surveyed,  the  white  settler  began  to  claim  the 
lands  upon  which  their  cabin  homes  were  erected. 
Then  the  missionaries  and  their  Indian  adherents 
sought  their  brethren  in  (ianada. 

The  mission  village  on  the  Huron  was  called  Pe- 
quotting,  or  Paynothing.  and  consisted  of  a  chap(d, 
mission  house  and  a  seoi'e  or  more  of  cabins,  some  of 
which  were  afterwards  used  Ijy  the  white  settlers. 

Their  labors  consisted  in  teaching  the  Indians  not 
only  religion,  but  the  rudiments  of  education,  and 
were  successful  in  inducing  them  to  a  certain  extent- 
to  procure  their  food  by  cultivating  the  soil,  to  live 
in  cabins,  and  to  leave  off  their  paint  and  feathers  and 
to  clothe  themselves  in  more  civilized  garbs. 

Among  the  most  noted  of  these  missionaries  may 
be  named  Charles  Frederich  Dencke,  who  was  born 
in  Iceland,  his  father  being  a  missionary  to  that  conn, 
try.  Tradition  states  that  he  had  a  library  which 
filled  a  space  of  not  less  than  ten  feet  in  length  by  six 
in  height,  and  occupied  nearly  the  whole  of  one  side 
of  his  log  cabin  at  Pequotting.  Surely  the  man  who 
took  the  pains  to  transport  these  books  from  place  to 
place  under  so  many  ditliculties,  could  not  have  been 
uncultivated  and  unlearned. 

These  men  were  not  the  heroes  of  battles  nor  win- 
ners of  renown  in  the  noisy  triumjih  of  civic  strife. 
They  cared  not  for  the  apjilause  of  man,  but  in  a 
humble  way,  through  years  of  hunger,  toil,  weariness 
and  loneliness,  sustained  by  an  unwavering  trust  and 
faith,  they  sought  out  the  rude  savage  of  the  forest 
and  strove  to  elevate  him  to  a  higher,  truer  manhood. 
Is  it  not  fitting  that  History  spares,  then,  a  page 
whereon  to  transfix  their  names  and  deeds? 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PIONEER  LIFE.* 

It  Would  seem  that  the  good  old  state  of  Connecticut 
never  attempted,  perhaps  never  intended,  to  exercise 
empire  over  her  possessions  in  the  west.  She  con- 
tented herself  with  mere  ownership;  was  not  very  loth 
to  part  with  her  property,  which  she  made  haste  to 
dispose  of  without  any  expenditure  to  develop  or 
enhance  its  nuirket  value.  The  Connecticut  Land 
Comjjany  purchased  only  to  sell  again.  For  the  imr- 
pose  of  division,  it  was  obliged  to  survey  its  domain. 
This  accomplished,  the  Company  was  immediately 
dissolved,  and  each  with  his  allotment  at  once  sought 
purchasers,  and  they,  without  concert,  pushed  off 
singly  to  their  aeipusitions.  Colonizing  in  America 
has  been  pursued  on  a  somewhat  different  basis,  under 
a  different  inspiration  from  that  practiced  in  Europe. 
The  state  undertakes  nothing.  It  is  rare  that  there 
is  organization  or  combination  with  us  to  effect  this 

*By  A.  G.  Riddle. 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


39 


purpose.  It  comes  to  be  known  that  some  new  un- 
peopled region  is  open  or  may  be  opened,  and  by  a 
common  impulse,  hardy,  enterprising  men,  with  their 
wives  and  families,  or  without  them,  push  off,  un- 
deteiTed  by  difKculties,  and  unappalled  by  obstacles 
or  dangers  even,  and  the  next  that  the  world  hears,  a 
new  and  thriving  community,  pcrliaps  a  lusty  young 
state,  demands  recognition. 

Perha]is  no  section  of  the  country,  of  such  an 
extent,  had  then  been  so  rapidly  peopled  as  the  Con- 
necticut Reserve.  Witli  not  a  score  of  occupants  in 
1800,  twenty  years  saw  it  well  settled,  and  those  years 
cover  all  there  was  of  pioneer  life  pro})er,  although 
for  twenty  years  more,  the  region  was  souglit  ]>y  men 
in  search  of  new  homes. 

Planted  mainly  from  Connecticut  and  Massachu- 
setts, with  a  little  sprinkle  from  the  rest  of  New 
England,  New  York  and  Western  Pennsylvania,  most 
of  immigrants  had  to  traverse  over  six  hundred  miles, 
two-thirds  or  three-fourths  of  which  was  through  a 
wilderness  and  over  the  rougliest  of  roads.  The 
wliole  was  generally  by  land  carriage,  and  usually  by 
ox  teams.  Not  until  the  construction  of  the  Erie 
canal,  did  Lake  Erie  and  water  carriage  make  any 
considerable  figure  in  the  transit.  Some  of  the  earlier 
pioneers  ventured  up  the  lake  in  small  open  boats, 
landing  each  night,  while  many  found  its  wave-beaten 
beach  a  smooth  and  level  highway. 

The  crushing  defeat  of  the  western  tribes  of  Indians 
by  Wayne,  in  KTt-t,  freed  the  Reserve  from  the  fear  of 
savage  hostilities,  and  although  numy  small  bands 
found  homes  and  hunting  grounds  by  her  beautiful 
streams  and  splendid  forests,  they  were  not  even  a 
source  of  annoyance  till  the  dark  days  of  1812.  Save 
a  few  from  western  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  most 
of  the  settlers  were  from  older  New  England,  where 
the  hatreds  and  enmities  against  the  Indians  had  died 
out,  and  where  the  memories  of  the  Pequots  of  the 
Narragansetts,  and  of  King  Phillip,  had  become  tradi- 
tions. Her  children  carried  no  border  animosities 
into  the  Ohio  woods,  and  very  few  of  them  had  any 
skill  as  hunters,  or  much  knowledge  of  woodcraft. 
No  American  of  that  time  but  had  the  memory  at  lea-t 
of  a  hunter's  and  soldier's  life;  and  men  in  a  single 
day  revert  to  the  ways  of  barbarism  if  not  savagery. 
Each  man  and  woman  from  the  old  organized  states 
of  civilization,  as  their  journeys  led  them  deeper  and 
deeper  into  the  western  forests,  by  so  much  plunged  in- 
to the  heart  of  primitive  life,  bearing  all  their  civilized 
needs  and  wants  with  them,  which  could  alone  be  sup- 
plied by  the  skill  of  the  hunter,  and  of  men  who  could 
draw  all  the  elements  of  subsistence,  at  first  hand, 
from  unchanged  nature.  The  great  wave  of  pioneer 
life,  whicli  slowly  rolled  from  the  east  to  the  west, 
followed  by  the  fixed  foot-prints  of  ever  equally 
advancing  refinement  and  civilization,  gave  birth,  as 
it  went,  to  a  mode  of  life,  manners  and  customs  of  a 
])ioneer  type,  consisting  of  a  few  well  marked  pecu- 
liarities, of  plainness,  almost  coarseness,  in  a  stimulat- 
ing atmosphere,  in  that  fullness  of  unconventional 


freedom,  which  left  individuals  to  develope,  in  a 
striking  way,  the  diverse  peculiarities  and  character- 
istics of  their  natures.  On  the  Reserve,  this  phase  of 
pioneer  life,  with  its  manners  and  customs,  was  of 
but  a  few  years  duration,  and  affected  not  more  than 
two  generations.  There  is  scarcely  a  vestige  of  it 
now  remaining.  A  cherished,  a  regretful  memory: 
it  is  fast  fading  into  a  tradition,  which  genius,  art, 
enthusiasm  and  the  warmest  imagination  can  never 
reproduce. 

In  the  peopling  of  the  Lorain  woods,  no  state,  nor 
powerful  corporation,  no  strong  combination  of  indi- 
viduals had  any  hand.  Few  persons  of  wealth  took 
any  jiersoual  part  in  it.  No  well  constructed  highway 
led  from  the  old  to  the  new,  with  convenient  resting 
places.  No  common  starting  place,  and  no  common 
point  of  arrival  and  settlement,  where  sujijdies  wei-e 
gathered,  and  around  and  from  which  the  new  homes 
would  be  built.  A  hundred  different  points,  remote 
from  each  other,  were  occupied  at  the  same  time, 
and  the  sufferings,  privations  and  hardshijis  of  the 
first  settler  were  repeated  a  thousand  times,  when  by 
care  and  tact  they  might  have  been  avoided. 

The  silence  of  the  Lorain  forests  remained  unbroken 
a  few  years  longer  than  some  of  her  neighboring  re- 
gions. The  incidents  of  their  first  occupation  will  be 
detailed,  under  the  names  of  the  different  townships; 
only  a  slight  general  reference  can  here  be  made  to 
them.  As  a  general  rule,  the  pioneers  were  men  of 
courage  and  enterprise.  Few  others  would  have  the 
hardihood  to  run  the  risk,  and  take  upon  themselves 
the  labor  and  privation  incident  to  a  removal  into  the 
woods. 

It  is  said  that  the  Moraviatis  were  the  first,  of 
European  blood,  who  attempted  to  make  a  permanent 
lodgment  on  the  soil  of  Lorain,  and  that  in  1787, 
they  gathered  a  small  baud  of  christian  Indians  at 
the  mouth  of  Black  river,  where  they  intended  to 
establish  a  mission  for  the  conversion  of  the  natives, 
but  were  compelled  to  depart  by  the  maiulate  of  a 
chief,  who  claimed  jurisdiction  of  that  region. 

One  of  the  first  efforts  of  a  settlement,  if  such  it 
may  be  called,  was  in  1807,  by  Nathan  Perry,  who 
established  a  trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  same 
river.  Actual  clearers  of  the  woods,  and  cultivators 
of  the  soil,  first  planted  themselves  at  that  point  in 
1810.  They  were  said  to  have  been  natives  of  Ver- 
mont. This  position  was  on  the  lake  coast  region, 
and  quite  central  in  the  present  county. 

In  the  autumn  of  1807,  a  strong  and  seemingly  well 
cotisidered  attem])t  was  made  to  colonize  the  present 
township  of  Columbia,  the  most  eastern  of  Lorain, 
from  Waterbury,  Connecticut.  The  more  prominent 
men  were  the  three  Hoadleys,  Williams,  Warner, 
and  Bronson,  most  of  whom  had  families;  also, 
Mrs.  Parker  and  five  children.  It  is  said  tlie  party 
were  two  mouths  in  reaching  Buffalo,  and  undertook 
to  navigate  Lake  Erie,  which  must  have  been  extra 
hazardous  at  that  season.  They  seem  to  have  been 
wrecked  near  the  present  city  of  Erie,  whence  tliey 


40 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


made  their  way  on  foot  to  Cleveland, — one  of  the 
most  disastrous  of  tlie  early  attempts  to  reach  the 
then  west.  Most  of  the  party  spent  the  residue  of 
the  winter  in  Cleveland.  Other  immigrants  reached 
Cohunliia  iliiring  tlic  winter,  and  the  ensuing  season. 

Ridgeville  also  received  her  first  pioneers  from 
Connecticut  in  ISld,  and  Amherst  her  first  about 
the  same  time.  Eaton  was  also  first  settled  from 
Waterhury,  Connecticut,  in  1810. 

Three  of  these  points  of  occupation  formed  a  sort  of 
triangle,  not  remote  from  each  other,  in  the  eastern 
central  portions  of  the  county,  while  Black  River  and 
Amherst  were  quite  distant  to  the  northwest.  The 
five  seem  to  have  lieeu  tlie  only  settlements  in  the 
county,  until  after  the  dark  days  of  the  war  of  1813, 
although  some  of  them  seem  to  have  made  accessions 
during  that  gloomy  jieriod. 

Siiellit^ld,  adjoining  IJlack  River  on  the  east,  received 
her  first  settlers  in  1S1.5,  from  Massachusetts.  They 
came  on  strong-handed. 

Avon,  still  east  of  Sheffield,  was  settled  in  ISl-l. 

Hrownhelm,  west  of  Black  River,  and  Grafton, 
adjoining  Eaton,  on  the  south,  were  settled  in  181G, 
as  Avas  Elyria.  the  future  county  seat,  ;ind  all  three 
from  Massachusetts.  Elyria  was  most  fortunate  in 
being  selected  as  the  home  of  the  Elys. 

Wellington  and  Huntington,  in  the  southwesterly 
part,  received  tlieir  first  settlers  in  1S18,  and  both 
from  Massachusetts. 

Carlisle,  south  of  Elyria  and  west  of  P^aton,  was  first 
occupied  in  1819,  from  Connecticut,  and  Hrigjiton, 
adjoining  Wellington  on  the  west,  in  1830.  Russia's 
first  settler  came  from  New  York  in  1818.  Penfield, 
adjoining  Wellington  mi  the  east,  in  18I',>,  while  Hen- 
rietta was  settletl  in  1817.  The  other  townships, 
many  of  them,  were  first  occujiied  in  the  j'cars  soon 
following  these  older  sisters. 

These  pioneers  were  of  one  origin,  language,  re- 
ligion, witJi  political  and  jiatriotic  sentiments  mainly 
identical  witii  a  common  history  and  the  same  tradi- 
tions. They  were  of  the  intelligent  working  class, 
having  coniuiunity  of  puri)ose.  wiiicli  they  pursued 
by  the  sanu'  methods,  and  in  the  same  lieli],  with 
results  not  widely  dissimilar.  The  journev,  arrival, 
building,  mode  of  life,  fortune  and  career,  of  almost 
any  one  of  these,  resolute,  vigorous,  thrifty  down- 
cast families,  was  the  couuterj)art  of  the  histories  of 
all  the  others. 

The  leading  incidents  of  these  will  more  properly 
be  mentioned  elsewhere.  .This  slight  reference  to  the 
]iei-iods  of  the  first  settlements  of  the  older  townships 
and  the  mention  of  their  origin  is  merely  to  show 
that  they  were  ijuite  contemporaneous,  and  made  by 
a  jK'i'fectly  limnogeneous  ]>eople  :ind  under  similar 
cnndit  ions. 

The  UKin  of  our  ol<l  civilization  is  astonished  ;it  the 
enumenition  of  his  wants,  and  perhaps  still  more  at 
the  small  nnndjcr  absolutely  essential  to  the  comforta- 
ble maintenance  of  human  life,  with  all  of  its  real  en- 
joyments.    A  renujval  into  the  dejiths  of  the  Ohio 


woods,  where  a  man  was  directly  placed  face  to  face 
with  primitive  conditions,  brought  him  at  once  to  the 
practical  contemj)lation  of  the  problem,  and  the  solu- 
tion was  in  his  own  hands:  Food,  shelter,  raiment. 
Here  was  the  earth,  whose  soil  was  to  furnish  bread 
and  clothing,  but  it  was  covered  with  a  thick  growth 
of  great  trees  to  be  removed  ere  it  could  be  planted. 
Their  trunks  and  barks  must  be  converted  into  houses. 
The  last  was  the  first  to  be  extemporized.  A  temporary 
supply  of  food,  was  carried  by  the  immigrant  with  him. 
On  making  his  way  to  his  purchase  he  pursued  the 
trail  that  led  nearest  to  it,  and,  with  his  axe,  opened 
the  rest  of  the  way.  The  iroint  gained,  the  same 
implement  with  which  a  savage  continent  has  been 
hewn  into  the  rough  forms  of  civilization,  cuts  down 
and  prepares  the  tree  trunks  for  the  first  cabin,  which 
the  hands  of  the  whole  party,  Avomeu  and  children  as 
well,  help  to  place  in  the  low,  rude  walls  of  the  primi- 
tive structure,  while  the  bark  of  the  baswood  and  elm 
make  the  cover.  Doorless,  floorless.  windowless,  chim- 
neyless,  the  pioneer,  eagerly  takes  possession  of  his 
cheerless  cabin.  Thousands  of  them  within  these 
seventy  years  were  built  and  occupied  in  the  Lorain 
woods.  Men  and  women  lived  in  them;  children — all 
the  elders  of  the  new  generation — were  born  in  them. 
Death  came  to  them  there;  and  there  young  women 
became  brides  and  dwelt  there — the  hajipy  wives  of 
happy  husbands.  Of  all  these  dwellings  in  the 
woods,  scarcely  the  site  of  one  can  now  be  identified. 
The  forest  was  at  once  the  great  foe  and  lienefactor 
of  the  new  dwellers  in  its  midst.  A  war  of  exter- 
mination began  on  the  trees.  The  axe  and  fire 
were  the  agents  of  their  swift  destruction,  and 
rapidly  the  small  ring  of  trees  about  the  cabin  en- 
larged, and  the  growing,  stumpy  fields,  marked  the 
progress  of  the  struggle.  Next  to  the  erection  of 
their  own  cabin,  the  most  important  event  was  the 
arrival  of  another  family  in  the  woods,  and  the  erec- 
tion of  their  dwelling  received  the  joyous  help  of 
every  male  within  ten  miles  of  it.  No  one  born  of 
later  years  can  comprehend  the  strength  and  warmth 
of  the  bands  of  sympathy  and  fellowship  which  united 
the  first  dwellers  in  the  woods  in  wide  neighborhood! 
What  an  event  was  the  erection  of  the  first  saw- 
mill! The  first  grist  mill!  The  setting  up  of  the 
first  lilacksmith's  forge!  The  advent  of  the  first  shoe- 
maker! The  purchase  of  the  first  cows  and  sheep! 
The  acquisition  of  the  first  cat,  dog  and  hens!  The 
coming  of  a  spinning-wheel  in  a  family  and  the  setting 
up  of  a  hand  lo<im  in  a  neighborhood  were  events. 
The  raw  material  for  all  fabrics  were  won  from  the 
earth.  Men  raised  flax,  rotted,  broke  and  swingled 
it.  Women  hatcheled,  spun,  wove  and  made  it  into  i 
garments.  Wool,  shorn  from  the  sheep,  was  turned 
into  cloth,  dyed  with  Ijark,  and  the  first  fretting  mill 
was  a  benefaction.  Then  came  carding  machines.  I 
Many  men  became  apt  and  skillful  hunters,  and  the 
pelts  of  elk  and  deer  were  changed  by  domestic  tanners 
to  material  for  clothing.  A  great  drawback  was  the 
scarcity  of  necessary  implements  for  the  household. 


i 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


41 


and  for  tlio  outsido  war  on  the  savagery  of  nature — 
rudely  extempoi'ized  chairs,  stools  and  hoxes,  gourds, 
shells,  sap-troughs,  wooden  trays  and  trenchers;  poor 
axes,  rude  hoes,  imperfect  scythes,  sickles,  hand  flails, 
and  fans,  and  wooden  ])lows.  Money  there  was  none, 
and  vet  money  had  to  he  iiaid  for  taxes,  for  leather, 
and  usuallv  for  salt.  Hut  one  product  could  he  ex- 
changed for  money.  The  Held  and  house  ashes  were 
carefully  saved,  rude  hoiling  asheries  extemporized, 
and  crude,  hiack  salts  manufactured  which  in  remote 
rittsl)urgh  conunanded  money. 

Not  tlie  least  of  the  enemies  eiu'ountered  hy  the 
pioneers,  were  the  predaceous  wild  animals.  The 
hears  made  war  on  the  swine,  considerahle  flocks  of 
sJieep  were  often  devoured  hy  wolves,  and  the  good 
wives'  poultry  found  many  enemies,  while  the  ripen- 
ing crops  were  the  spoil  of  animals  and  hirds  of  all 
sorts. 

The  ill  condition  of  their  dwellings,  the  scanty 
supply  of  warm  clothing,  the  sometimes  lack  of  food, 
the  general  iuxrdship  and  exposure  of  their  mode  of 
life  and  labor,  the  endlessness  of  that  toil,  with  the 
constant  care  and  anxiety  of  the  elders  of  the  family, 
amid  the  unknown  perils  of  the  climate,  and  diseases 
iiu-identto  pioneer  life,  rendered  the  settlers  liahlc  to 
hccome  the  victims  of  sicrkuess,  often  fatal.  More 
than  one  epidemic,  moi'e  malignant  than  any  known 
to  later  times,  visited  the  pioneers,  and  which,  in  the 
.absence  of  skilled  medical  assistance,  was  left  to  work 
its  fatal  wi'l,  often  aggravated  by  the  attendance  of 
ipiacks,  who  find  sludter  and  victims  on  the  skirts  of 
civilization. 

The  presence  with  us,  or  the  memory,  of  the  few 
]iioneers  who  have  reached  remarkable  age,  should 
luit  be  taken  as  conclusive  that  such  life  is  conducive 
to  great  length  of  years.  Whoever  will  consult  the 
tombstones  of  the  pioneers, —  men,  women  and  chil- 
reu, — will,  I  think,  be  struck  hy  the  average  short- 
ness of  their  lives. 

Living  on  the  bordeis  of  older  .States  and  commu- 
nities, their  lives  were  marked  by  sharp  vicissitudes 
and  well  defined  and  peculiar  features.  Often  the 
victims  of  the  common  human  vices  and  weaknesses, 
the  nobler  humane  and  social  virtues  were  developed 
among  them  in  a  degree  never  found  in  well  estab- 
lished states  of  human  association.  If  there  was  less 
of  what  is  now  called  culture,  and  conventional  polish', 
and  relinenient,  there  was  an  hundred  fold  more 
warmth,  spontaneous  charity,  abounding  and  widely 
extended  sympathy,  friendliness,  and  good  neighbor- 
hood. Men  and  women  were  then  spontaneously 
cajjable  of  self  devoted,  heroic  and  even  great  actions. 

In  the  nature  of  things,  pioneer  life  in  the  northern 
Ohio  woods,  with  its  habits,  manners  and  customs, 
was  necessarily  transitory.  The  sons  and  daughters 
of  advanced  civilization,  hearing  all  its  most  precious 
elements,  seeds  and  principles  with  them,  rushed  into 
the  forest,  and  planted  them  in  the  stimulating  soil 
of  the  west,  resolved  themselves  into  the  primitive 
constitutions  of  human   societv.    onlv  to  guard  and 


cherish  the  new  growths  the  more  certainly.  And 
now,  in  seventy  years,  their  descendants  are  in  advance 
of  the  kindred  who  remain  in  the  old  seats  from 
which  they  all  sprung,  retaining  something  of  the 
warmth,  much  of  the  elevation  of  character,  many 
features  of  the  In-oader  and  freer  natures  and  lives, 
developed  in  their  ])ioneer  fathers  and  mothers,  by 
their  sojourn  in  the  wilderness.  These  are  clear  gains 
to  the  race  of  man,  above  and  beyond  the  natural 
wealth  wrought  out  and  transmitted  by  their  hands. 
They  gave  us  a  broader,  deeper  and  wider  system  of 
education,  freer  .and  more  catholic  christian  institu- 
tions, lived  their  hard,  ])aticnt,  toilsome  lives  of 
fidelity  and  devotion,  and  dropped  by  the  wayside, 
many  of  them,  early,  unmeutioned,  with  their  worn, 
patient,  unwearied  wives,  and  were  buried  in  the 
shadow  of  the  near  woods;  while  many  more  favored, 
or  hardy,  endured  to  near  our  day,  honored  and 
cherished. 

Of  the  real  pioneer,  the  fellers  of  the  first  trees,  not 
one  remains: 

*'  Each  in  his  narrow  cell  forever  laid, 
The  riide  forefathers  of  the  hamlet  sleep."' 

******* 

"  Oft'  did  the  hai^vest  to  their  sickles  yield, 

Their  fun-ows  oft'  the  stubhoni  glebe  has  broke, 
How  jocund  did  they  drive  their  teams  afield, 
How  bowed  the  woods  beneath  their  sturdy  stroke." 


Their  fields 
remain  to  us. 


their  memories,   their  graves    alone 


CHATTER  X. 

CIVIL  OEGANIZATION. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  1788,  Governor  St.  Clair,  the 
newly  appointed  governoi',  arrived  at  Marietta,  and, 
with  the  help  of  the  judges  .lud  secretary,  proceeded 
to  organize  the  northwestern  territory.  Congress  had 
appointed  Winthrop  Sargent,  secretary,  and  Samuel 
Holden  Parsons  and  John  Cleves  Symnies  as  judges. 
The  district  embraced  was  a  vast  one,  including  all 
the  country  lying  northwest  of  the  Ohio  as  far  west 
,as  the  Mississippi.  The  laws  adopted  for  the  govern- 
mental needs  of  the  territory  were  those  provided  in 
the  celebrated  ordinance  of  1V87,  which  has  been  fitly 
described  as  having  been  "a  pillar  of  cloud  by  daj', 
and  of  fire  by  night,"  in  the  settlement  .and  govern- 
ment of  the  northwestern  States. 

In  17S8  the  county  of  Washington  was  organized 
by  proclamation  of  the  governor  and  judges.  It  in- 
cluded that  part  of  the  Western  Reserve  east  of  the 
Cuyahoga  river,  the  old  Portage  path,  and  tlie  Tusca- 
rawas river.  In  the  year  17!I5.  Wayne  county  was 
established,  including,  with  other  territory  of  vast 
extent,  the  remainder  of  the  Reserve  not  embraced  in 
Washington  county.  In  17il7,  .Tetferson  county  was 
organized,  and  its  boundaries  were  such  as  to  include 
all  of  the  Western  Reserve  east  of  the  Cnyahog.a. 

Notwithstanding  the  inclusion  of  the  soil  of  the 
Reserve,  by  act  of  the  territorial  government,  within 
the  limits  of  these  several  counties,  civil  government 


43 


niSTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


was  not  of  binding  force  upon  the  inhabitants  of  New 
Co7inooticnt  until  tlio  year  1800.  Prior  to  this  date, 
Connecticut  and  the  Connecticut  Land  Conqjany  de- 
nied to  the  United  States  the  right  of  jurisdiction  over 
the  soil  of  the  Reserve,  and  refused  obedience  to  the 
laws  of  the  territorial  government.  (The  reasons  for 
this  course  are  given  in  a  former  chapter  of  this  work. ) 
Thus  it  hapi)ened  that,  from  1700-9?.  the  tinu'  the 
first  settlers  arrived,  until  May  30,  1800,  the  pioneers 
of  the  Reserve  were  without  municipal  laws.  Their 
conduct  was  regulated  and  restrained,  and  their  duties 
were  prescribed,  solely  by  their  New  England  sense  of 
justice  and  right.  There  was  no  law  governing  the 
descent  and  conveyance  of  real  property,  or  of  the 
transfer  of  personal  goods;  there  wore  no  regulations 
for  the  redress  of  wrongs  or  for  the  protection  of 
private  rights.  They  were  literally  a  law  unto  them- 
selves. Happily  but  few  cases  of  misdemeanor  ai'ose; 
but  if  a  settler  was  guilty  of  theft,  or  if  he  misused 
his  wife,  his  neighbors  constituted  a  court  of  justice. 
and  decided  what  punishment  should  \)0  inflicted. 
The  offender's  back  generally  furnished  the  only  record 
of  these  judicial  proceedings. 

On  the  10th  day  of  July,  1800,  the  general  govern- 
meiit  having  ceded  to  Connecticut  her  claim  to  the 
soil  of  the  Reserve,  and  Connecticut  on  her  part 
having  transferred  to  the  general  government  all  right 
of  jurisdiction  within  the  limits  of  New  Connecticut, 
the  Western  Reserve  was  erected  into  a  single  county 
and  called  Trumbull,  in  honor  of  Jonathan  'J'rundmll, 
tJion  governor  of  Connecticut.  This  was  effected  by 
proclamation  of  the  governor  and  judges  of  the  north- 
western territory.  The  county-seat  was  at  Warren. 
Now  had  the  people  of  the  Reserve  a  government  to 
which  they  gladly  acknowledged  allegiance.  The  first 
court  of  this  large  county  convened  in  Warren  on 
Monday,  August  2.5.  1800.  The  following  were  Ibc 
first  officers  of  Truird)ull  county: 

•Tolm  Young,  Turhand  Kirtland,  Camden  Cleveland,  .lames  Kingsbury, 
Eliplialet  Austin,  Esqs.,  justices  nf  tlie  peace  and  quorum. 

John  Leavitt,  justice  of  tlie  peace  and  judge  of  probate:  Solomon 
Griswold,  Martin  Sinitli,  John  SIrutbers,  Calel)  lialdwin,  f'alvin  Austin, 
Edward  Brocli way,  John  Kinsman,  Benjamin  Davison,  Epliraiin  Quinby, 
Ebenezer  Sheldon,  David  Hudson,  Aaron  Wheeler,  Amos  Si)an'ord, 
Moses  Park,  and  John  Miner,  justices  of  the  peace. 

Calvin  Pease,  Esq.,  cierk;  David  Abbott,  Esq.,  sherilT;  .John  Hart 
Ailsrate,  coroner;  Eliphali't  Austin,  treasurer;  John  Stark  Edwards, 
recorder. 

The  following  is  an  extract  taken  fmm  -liidgo  Tur- 
hand Kirthiiid's  diary: 

"Monday,  aMi.— Went  to  Warren;  took  dinner  at  Adg,ate'fs  and  went 
toQuinby's;  met  the  judge  .and  ju.stices  of  the  connt.y.  when  tliey  all 
took  the  oath  of  office,  and  proceeded  to  open  the  court  of  quarter 
sessions  and  court  of  common  pleas,  agreeably  to  the  order  of  the 
governor.  They  proceeded  to  divide  the  county  into  eight  townships, 
and  appointed  constables  in  each,  A  veiiiri:  was  issued  to  summon 
eighteen  ijersons  as  grand  jurors." 

The.se  eight  townships  were  as  follows:  Riehlield, 
Middlefield,  Vernon,  Youiigstown,  Warren,  Hudson, 
Painesville  and  Cleveland.  The  township  of  Cleve- 
land, in  addition  to  a  large  extent  of  territory  east 
of  the  Cuyahoga,  embraced  all  of  the  Reserve  lying 
west  of  that  river.     Judge  Boynton  says: 

"On  December  1,  1S0.1,  the  county  of  Oeauga  was  erected.  It  in- 
cluded within  its  liiuils  nearly  all  of  the  jiresent  counties  of  Asbt.abnla, 


Geauga,  Lake  and  tJuyahoga.  On  the  10th  da.r  of  February,  1807,  there 
was  a  more  general  division  into  counties.  That  part  of  the  Western 
Reserve  lying  west  of  the  Cuyahoga  and  north  of  towniship  No,  4,  was 
attached  to  Geauga,  to  be  a  part  thereof,  until  Cuyahoga  should  be 
organized.  .\11  of  the  present  county  of  Lorain,  north  of  (iraftou,  La- 
Grange,  Pittsfield  and  Camden,  belonged  to,  and  was  a  part  of,  the 
county  of  Geauga,  from  Febniary  10,  1807,  until  .Tnnuary  Ifi,  1810. 
At  that  date,  1807,  Ashtabula  was  erected  outof  Trumbull  and  Geauga, 
to  be  organized  whenever  its  population  would  warrant  it.  Also,  all 
that  part  of  Tnimbull  which  lay  west  of  the  fifth  range  of  townships, 
was  erected  into  a  county  by  the  name  of  Portage,  and  all  of  the 
Western  Reserve,  west  of  the  Cu.yahoga,  and  south  of  township  No.  :>, 
was  annexed  to,  and  declared  to  be  a  part  of  Portage.  So  that  all  of  the 
present  comity  of  Lorain,  south  of  Eaton,  Carlisle,  Russia  and  Henrietta 
belonged  to,  and  was  a  part  of.  Portage,  and  remained  a  part  of  it  until 
January  'ii,  1811.  On  the  lOth  day  of  February,  ]8()7,  the  county  of 
Cuyahoga  was  carved  out  of  Geauga,  to  be  organized  whenever  its  pop- 
ulation  should  be  sufficient  to  require  it.  On  the  16th  of  .lanuary,  1810. 
the  population  having  become  sufficient,  the  connt.y  was  declared  organ- 
ized. On  Febru.ary  S,  18il!t,  Htrron  was  erected  into  a  county  covering 
the  Fire  Lands,  but  to  remain  attached  to  Geauga  and  Poitage,  for  the 
time  being,  for  purposes  of  government. 

"On  .January  22,  1811,  the  bomidary  line  of  Huron  was  extended  east, 
on  the  line  now  dividing  Camden  and  Henrietta,  Pittsfleld  and  Russia, 
Carlisle  ami  I^aGrange,  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Eat(»n;  atid  from 
there,  north  on  the  line  dividing  Carlisle  and  Eaton,  and  Elyria  and 
Ridgeville,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Ridgeville;  thence  west  to  Black 
river,  and  down  the  same  to  the  lake.  On  the  day  that  these  lines  were 
so  altered  and  extended,  the  legislature  e.Ktended  the  south  line  of  Cuy- 
ahoga county,  from  the  southwest  corner  of  Strongsville,  west  to  the 
southwest  corner  of  Eaton;  thence  north,  between  Eaton  and  Carlisle, 
to  the  northwest  corner  of  Eaton ;  and  from  that  point,  west  between 
Elyria  .and  C'arlisle,  to  tiie  east  branch  of  Black  river,  and  down  the 
same  to  the  lake.  Here  was  a  contlict  in  boundaries.  The  boundary  of 
Huron  county  included  all  of  El,vria.  extending  east  to  Ridgeville;  and 
the  boundary  of  Cu,vahoga  included  within  its  limits  that  part  of  Elyria 
lying  east  of  the  east  branch  of  the  river.  The  river  was  the  dividing 
line  between  the  two  cotinties,  in  the  one  act;  and  the  line  between 
Elyiia  and  Ridgeville  was  the  dividing  line  in  the  other.  This  conflict 
was  removed  at  the  next  session  of  the  legislature,  by  adopting  the 
township  line,  instead  of  the  river,  ,as  the  boundarj"  line  between  the  two 
counties,  at  this  point.  This  adjustntent  of  boundaries  gave  to  Huron 
county  the  townships  now  kttowu  as  Elyria,  Carlisle.  Russia,  Henrietta, 
Brownbelin.  Amherst,  and  all  of  Black  River,  and  Sheffield  l.ying  west 
of  the  river;  and  to  Ou.yahoga  couut.v,  Eaton,  Columbia,  Ridgeville, 
Avon,  and  all  of  the  townships  of  Black  River  and  SbelTleld  tying  east  of 
the  river.  At  that  date,  181 1.  the  territory  now  comprising  the  coimt.v 
of  Lorain,  belonged  to  the  counties  of  Huron,  C'uyahoga,  ami  Portage. 

"Thecotmty  of  Huron,  altbongh  established  in  180!),  and  extended  east 
of  Black  River  in  1811,  was  annexed  to  Cuyahoga  in  1810,  for  judicial 
and  other  purposes,  and  renuiined  so  annexed  until  January,  1815,  when 
it  was  organized,  and  assumed  control  of  its  own  affairs, 

"On  tile  IStli  day  of  February,  1812,  Medin.a  was  formed,  and  comjirised 
all  of  the  territor.y  between  the  eleventh  range  of  townships  and  Huron 
county,  and  south  of  townships  No.  ^.  It  therefore  included  all  of  the 
present  county  of  Lorain,  soutli  of  Eaton,  Carlisle,  Russia  and  Henri- 
etta. On  the  14tli  y\&y  of  .Januar.y,  1818,  that  county  was  organized,  and 
its  local  government  put  into  operation,  it  remaining  in  the  interim, 
from  the  date  of  its  formation  to  the  date  of  its  organization,  attached 
to  the  county  of  Portage,  for  countj'  purposes.  On  the  2r)th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1822,  Lorain  county  was  established.  It  took  from  the  county  of 
Huron  the  territory  embraced  in  the  townships  of  Brownbelin,  Henri- 
etta, Amherst,  Russia,  Elyria,  and  C'arlisle;  and  those  parts  of  the 
townships  of  Black  River  .and  .Sheffield  dhat  lie  on  the  west  of  Black 
River,  and  from  the  county  of  Cu.vahciga  the  townships  of  Tro.v,  (now 
Avon),  Ridgeville,  the  west  half  of  Olmsted,  (then  called  Lenox),  Eaton, 
Columbia,  and  those  jiarts  of  Black  River  and  Sheffield  lying  east  of  tin- 
river;  and  from  the  county  of  Medina,  C)amden,  Brigliton,  Pittsfleld. 
LaGrange.  and  Wellington.  The  count.y.  as  originally  formed,  embraced 
seventeen  and  one-half  townships,  which,  until  the  county  was  oi-gau- 
ized,  were  to  rein.ain  attached  to  the  counties  of  Medina,  Hui-ou,  and 
Cuyahoga,  as  formerl.y.  It  was,  however,  organized  imiependentl.v, 
and  went  into  oper.atiou  on  the  21st  day  of  January,  1821,  In  the 
organization  of  the  couiitv,  it  waspr<tvided  th.attbe  first  officers  should 
be  elected  in  .\]iril,  1821;  and  at  that  election,  that  part  of  Lenox  th.af 
was  brought  into  Lorain,  should  vote  at  Ridgeville,  and  that  part  nf 
Brighton,  lying  prcviousl.v  in  Medina,  should  vote  io  the  adjoiniuL; 
township  of  Wellington. 

"On  .January  20, 1827,  the  boundary  lines  were  changed.  The  towniships 
of  Grafton,  Penfield,  Spencer,  Homer,  Huntington,  Sullivan,  Roi-licsfer, 
and  Tro.v— some  of  them  organized  and  some  not — were  detached  from 
Medina,  and  annexed  to,  and  became  a  part  of.  Lorain;  and  the  half  of 
Lenox,  belonging  to  Lorain,  was  set  otT  to  Cu.vahog.a,  to  be  a  ]iart  of 
Middlebury,  until  otherwise  provided.  Upon  the  formation  of  Summit, 
in  1840,  the  townships  of  Spencer  and  Homer  w*ere  reattached  to  Medina: 
and  upon  the  formation  of  Ashland  county,  in  Febniary,  1840,  Sullivan 
niid  Tro.v  were  detached  fi^m  Lor.ain.  .and  made  a  part  of  tli.at  count.V- 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


43 


Prior  to  this,  and  on  the  39th  of  January,  1837,  an  act  was  passed,  ftsiug 
the  uortheni  boundary  of  the  county.  The  mode  of  forming  and  organ- 
izing thf  cuuiities  had  been  such  as  tu  leave  unsettled  the  northern  limit 
of  the  counties  of  Ashtabula,  Geauga,  Cuyahoga  and  Lorain.  And  in 
matters  inv<ilving  tlie  exercise  of  criminal  jurisdiction  of  offences  com- 
mjtffd  on  the  lake,  in  the  vicinity  of  tlie  store,  the  question  was  of  too 
much  practical  importance  to  be  left  iji  doubt.  The  treaty  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain  fixed  tlie  line  running  through  the  mid- 
dle of  the  lakes,  as  the  dividing  Hne  between  the  two  countries.  Connec- 
ticut had  reserved  the  land  between  the.  41-  north  latitude,  and  42°  and  2'. 
The  course  and  shai)e  of  Lake  P^rie  were  such  that  the  parallel  of  43'^ 
and  2'  would  cross  the  middle  line  of  the  lake;  and  adjoining  Ashtabula, 
that  degree  of  latitude  would  be  south  of,  and  adjoining  Lorain,  north 
of  the  boundary  line  between  Canada  aud  the  United  States.  Tliis  car- 
ried the  northern  boundary  of  Lorain  to  the  miiUIIe  of  Lake  Erie,  with- 
out regard  to  tlie  nortliern  limit  of  the  Western  Reserve." 


CHAPTER   XI. 

CIVIL  LIST. 

On  the  2-1-tli  iliiy  of  M;iy  following  the  organization 
of  the  county,  the  following  record  was  made  in  the 
Court  Journal  on  page  one  of  volume  one: 

"Be  it  remembered,  that,  on  the  :i4th  day  of  May,  A. 0.  18^,  at  Efyria, 
in  the  county  of  Lorain,  in  pursuance  of  a  statute  law  of  the  State  of 
Ohio,  passed  on  the  10th  day  of  February  in  the  year  aforesaid,  entitled 
an  'Act  regulating  the  time  of  Iiolding  Judicial  Court,'  the  first  Court 
of  Common  Pleas,  in  ant!  for  said  county  of  Lorain,  was  opened  ill  due 
form  by  the  Sheriff  thereof,  .Tosiah  Harris :  holding  said  Court,  George 
Tod,  President  of  the  Coui-t  of  Common  Pleas  for  the  third  circuit  in 
said  State,  in  which  circuit  is  the  said  county  of  Lorain,  and  his  asso- 
ciates, Moses  Eldred,  Henry  Brown  and  Fredei'ick  Handin.  before  which 
Court  the  following  proceedings  were  bad,  to  wit:  Wtiolsey  Welles,  an 
Attorney  of  Kecord  in  the  Court,  was  appointed  the  attorney  to  prose- 
cute the  pleas  of  the  State  for  this  county  during  the  pleasure  of  the 
Court." 

The  first  official  act  of  this  court  was  the  apjioint- 
iiient  of  administrators  ui)on  the  estate  of  Almond 
Holcomb,  deceased.  Lucinda  Holcouib,  widow  of  the 
deceased,  and  Edward  Durand,  were  appointed. 

Before  the  court  j)roceeded  to  the  general  business 
of  tlie  session  Woolsey  Welles  was  appointed  clerk, 
during  the  pleasure  of  tlie  court.  The  first  snit  was 
for  the  recovery  of  fourteen  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  dollars  and  twenty-seven  cents.  Simon  Nichols, 
lilaintilf,  and  Thomas  G.  Bronsou,  defendant.  Judg- 
ment was  rendered  for  tlie  plaiutilf.  The  second  day 
of  the  session  Ebenczer  Whiton  was  appointed  clerk 
of  the  court  of  common  pleas,  and  Woolsey  Welles 
was  discharged  from  further  attendance  as  clerk. 

The  following  gentlemen  composed  the  first 

GRAND    JURY, 

who  were  duly  sworn,  charged  by  the  court,  and  sent 
out: 

Benjamin  Brown,  Eliphalet  Redington,  Hcman  Ely,  Phineas  Johnson, 
Mabel  Osburn.  Edward  Durand,  Harry  Redington,  Gardner  Howe, 
Erastus  Hamlin,  Simon  Nichols,  Silas  Willniot,  Thomas  G.  Bronson, 
James  J.  Sexton,  Abraham  Moon  and  Thomas  T.  Phelps;  Heman 
Ely,  foreman. 

The  grand  jury  returned  into  court,  aud  having 
no  business  before  it,  was  discharged  from  further 
attendance. 

Edward  Durand  was  appointed  coimty  surveyor. 

At  the  September  term,  18M,  Lewis  Ely,  Jr.,  was  appointed  deputy 

clerk. 
September  term,  1820,  Ebenezer  Whiton  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  court 

of  common  pleas  for  the  period  of  seven  years,  "if  no  lomj  he  shall 

behave  MJeif." 


At  the  March  term,  1830,  Hon.  Reuben  Wood  took  his  seat  as  presiding 
judge,  with  the  same  associates  as  before  given.  Heman  Ely  became 
associate  judge  the  fall  of  18.30.  April,  1831,  Josiah  Harris  and  E. 
W.  Hubbard,  associate  judges.  Fall  of  IHTJ,  Hon.  Matthew  Burclmrd 
was  presiding  judge.  Spring  of  1834,  Hon.  Ezra  Dean  was  presiding 
judge;  Heman  Ely,  Josiah  Harris  and  Franklin  Wells  associate 
judges.  Spring  of  183.j,  Ozias  Long  was  associate  judge.  Daniel  J. 
Johns  was  associate  judge  in  1837,  and  from  this  time  until  the 
spring  of  is;i'.)  the  record  is  missing.  In  1840,  Hon.  John  W.  Willey 
became  iiresiduig  judge.  Judge  Willey  died  in  office  July  9,  IKll, 
and  the  Hon.  Reuben  Hitchcock  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy 
until  the  next  spring  term,  when  we  find,  January  23,  1H42,  Hon. 
Benjamin  Bissell  presiding  judge,  with  Franklin  Wells,  Daniel  J. 
Johns  and  Josejib  L.  Whiton  associates.  In  the  May  term,  1&45, 
Ebjah  De  Witt  and  Daniel  T.  Baldwin  became  associate  judges.  In 
the  April  term,  1848,  Benjamin  C.  Perkius  was  an  associate  judge. 
In  the  May  t«rui,  181tt,  Hon.  Philemon  Bliss  was  presiding  judge,  and 
William  Day,  associate. 

In  1852,  upon  the  adoption  of  the  new  Constitution, 
the  office  of  associate  judge  was  abolished,  and  that 
of  .Judge  made  elective.  The  following  is  a  complete 
list  of  the  gentlemen  who  have  presided  as  judge, 
from  the  above  year  until  the  j)resent,  with  dates  of 
their  election: 

1852,  Hon.  Samuel  Humphrey ville;  1857,  Hon.  James  B.  Carpenter;  18.58, 
Hon.  Thomas  Bolton;  1859,  Hon.  WiUiam  H.  Canfleld ;  1802,  Rons. 
John  S.  Green  and  Stevens<.in  Burke.  The  last  named  resigned  in 
l.St}9,  and  Hon.  Washington  W.  Boy n  ton  was  appointed  to  fill  vacancy, 
who  served,  it  appears  by  the  journal,  until  1877,  when  John  C.  Hale, 
the  pi'esent  incumbent,  was  elected,  and  Mr.  Boynton  was  elevated 
to  the  Ohio  supreme  bench. 

MEMBERS   OF   CONGRESS. 

The  following  residents  of  Lorain  have  occupied 
seats  in  the  lower  house  of  Congress: 

1843  to  1845— Edward  S.  Hamlin. 
1851  to  1853— Norton  S.  Towushend. 
1857  to  1859— Philemon  Bliss. 
1871  to  1879— James  Monroe. 

Lorain  has  been  represented  at  Columbus  by  the 
following 

STATE   SENATORS. 

1825  to  1830— Reuben  Wood. 

18.30  to  1833— Joseph  W.  Willey. 

18S3  to  1&35— Frederick  Whittlesey. 

is:35  to  18;3(;-John  W.  Allen. 

1.830  to  18:M— James  Moore. 

18:38  to  1840^Heman  Birch. 

1810  to  1842— James  S.  Carpenter. 

1842  to  1844-Josiah  Harris. 

1844  to  184i;— John  Codding. 

1841)  to  1848-  Nathan  P.  Johnson. 

1848  to  18.50— Harrison  G.  Blake. 

1850  to  1852— Aaron  Pardee. 

1852  to  1850— Norton  S.  Townsliend. 

1850  to  1800- Herman  Canfleld. 

1800  to  1864— James  Monroe. 

1804  to  1860— Samuel  Humphreyville. 

l.SOO  to  1870— L.  D.  Griswold. 

1870  to  1874— James  A.  Bell. 

1S74  to  1878— Andrew  M.  Burns. 

STATE    REPRESENTATIVES. 

1825  to  1827— Leonard  Case. 

1828  to  1.829- Josiah  Harris. 

1829  to  18:30- William  Eyles. 
18:)0  to  1831— Josiah  Harris. 
1831  to  1832— William  Eyles. 

18:32  to  1833— Frederick  Whittlesey. 

18:33  to  18:J4— Duthan  Northrup. 

m34  to  1835  -Daniel  T.  Baldwin. 

18:B  to  1839-EbBr  W.  Hubbard. 

18:39  to  1840— William  Andrews. 

1840  to  1842— Albert  A.  Bliss.    1841— Lorenzo  Warner. 

1842  to  1843— Richard  Warner. 

184.3  to  1844— Sylvanus  Parmely. 

1844  to  1840- Nathan  P.  Johnson. 

1840  to  1*18— Elah  Park. 


44 


IIISTOIIY  OF  LOKAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


I&i8  to  1W9— Norton  S.  Townshend. 
iSiO  to  ISV)— Joseph  L,  Whiton. 

1850  to  IKil— Hiram  Thompson. 

1851  to  lH5'i— Daniel  B.  Kinney. 

1852  to  1854— Aaron  Pardee. 
1854  to  1850— Walter  F.  llerrick. 
185G  to  I8G0— .James  Monroe. 

1800  to  18(i:i— Walter  F.  Herriek  and  .John  M.  Vinceni. 

18fi3  to  18(i(J— Sidney  S.  Warner. 

1800  to  1868— W.  W.  Boynton. 

1808  to  1872— Joseph  H.  Dickson.     ISTO— J   Strong. 

1872  to  1874— Heman  Ely. 

1874  to  1876— .Tohn  H.  Fa.\ou. 

187G  to  1878— Lucius  Ilerriuk. 

PROBATE   JUD(JES. 

This  office  was  created  by  the  new  constitution,  and  agreeably  to  its 
provisions  an  election  was  held  in  October,  1851,  at  which  time  Phile- 
mon Bliss  was  cliosen  to  (ill  it  for  Lorain  County.  He  was  commis- 
sioned by  Governor  Reuben  Wood  January  17,  1852,  and  entered 
upon  the  dutie-^of  the  office  March  .'J,  18.52.  His  lirst  official  act  bears 
date  March  5, 18>2,and  was  the  granting  of  a  license  to  the  Reverend 
William  O'Conner,  a  priest  (»f  the  Catholic  faith,  authorizing  him 
to  solemnize  marriage  contracts.  Judge  Bliss  was  succeeded  by 
William  F.  Loekwood,  whose  commission  was  signed  by  Governor 
William  Medill,  and  bears  date  November  11. 1851.  Judge  Loekwood 
resigned,  aui.1  Lionel  A.  Sheldon  was  appointed.  His  commission. 
which  was  signed  by  Governor  Salmon  P.  Chase,  bears  date  Novem- 
ber 20,  18.5(>.  Judge  Sheldon  was  succeeded  by  Charles  H.  Doolittle, 
who  was  commissioned  October  26,  1857.  His  commission  was  also 
signed  by  Governor  Chase.  Judge  Doolittle  was  followed  by  John 
W.  Steele,  who  was  commissioned  December  12,  18ti7,  his  commission 
being  signed  by  Jacob  D.  Cox,  as  governor.  Judge  Steele  resigned, 
and  the  present  incumbent,  Laertes  B.  Smith,  succeeded  him. 
Judge  Smith  was  commissioned  by/Governor  Rutherford  B.  Hayes, 
May  26,  1871,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office  June  first  of  that 
year. 

COUNTY    CLERKS. 

As  previously  mentioned,  Ebenezer  L.  Whiton  was  really  the  first  gen- 
tleman who  filled  the  position  of  clerk  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas  for  Lorain  county.  He  served  until  18:w,  when  E.  H.  Leonard 
succeeded  him,  and  continued  to  occupy  the  office  until  18-14,  when 
George  H.  Benham  was  elected  to  the  position.  Mr.  Benham  was 
succeeded  in  1817  by  Myron  R.  Keith,  who,  in  1852,  was  followed  by 
Laudon  Rood.  In  1858  Roswell  G.  Horr  assumed  the  duties  of  the 
office,  and  continuing  until  isiit,  when  WUliam  A.  Briggs  was  elected 
and  the  fact  of  his  having  held  the  office  continuously  until  the  fall 
of  1S7S  is  conclusive  evidence  of  his  fitness  for  the  place.  To  him 
and  also  to  his  worthy  companion  who  has  ably  assisted  in  the 
duties  of  the  office,  we  wish  to  express  our  thanks  for  material  aid 
in  the  preparation  of  the  official  roster.  Henry  J.  Lewis  is  the  clerk 
elect  and  will  succeed  Dr.  Briggs. 

PROSECUTING    ATTUKN'EY. 

We  liave  seeu  that  Woolsey  Welles  was  appointed  to  this  position  in 
182^1.  He  served  two  years  and  re-signed.  Frederick  Whittlesey 
succeeded  him.  In  18:J3,  J.  W.  Willey  was  appointed.  In  IS^iJi, 
Frederick  Whittlesey,  came  in;  served  two  years;  was  followed  in 
in  1835  by  E.  S.  Hamlin;  and  he,  in  1H36,  by  Elijah  Parker,  for  one 
year.  He  was  succeeded  by  Joel  Tiffany;  and  his  successors  are 
as  follows:  IStO,  E.  H.  Leonard;  1841,  Joe!  Tiffany;  1.^2,  E.  S. 
Hamlin;  1814,  Horace  A.  Teuny;  18-15,  Joel  Tiffany;  1846,  William 
F.  Loekwood;  1850,  John  M.  Vincent;  1854,  Joseph  H.  Dickson; 
1856,  John  M.  Vincent;  1858,  (ieorge  Ohnsted,  who  resigned;  and 
W.  W.  Boynton  was  appointed  to  fill  vacancy.  Mr.  Boynton  was 
elfictcd  the  fall  of  IS.50.  He  was  succeeded  by  John  C.  Hale,  in 
185:J.  Charles  W.  Johnston  was  elected  in  ISfl'.);  and  his  successor, 
who  was  elected  in  IHTa,  is  George  C.  Metcalf,  the  present  incum- 
bent, a  man  every  way  capable  and  worthy. 

AUDITORS. 

ContemiM»raneous  with  the  birth  of  the  county  of  Lorain,  Sherman 
Minott  assumed  the  dnl,ies  and  responsdiilities  of  auditor.  He 
retained  the  position  until  Henry  C.  Minott  was  appointed,  and 
afterward  elected,  lie  was  succeeded  in  I8"i5  by  Edward  Duraud. 
lu  18:i6,  Luther  D.  Griswold  was  elected;  and  in  18'J8,  Edward  Durand 
again  became  the  incumbent,  ami  served  until  1842,  when  we  find 
John  Sherman  occupying  the  office.  The  following  were  his  sue 
cessors:  In  1844,  Lamlon  Rood;  in  1851,  Geoi^e  Clifton;  in  1855, 
William  H.  Root;  in  1861,  Richard  Day;  in  1863,  Mozart  Gallup;  in 
186!»,  E.  G.  Johnson;  and  in  1877,  Orville  Root,  who  still  retains  the 
office. ' 


TREASURERS. 

Upon  the  permanent  oi^anization  of  the  county,  E.  West  was  appointed 
its  treasurer,  and  held  the  office  one  year.  Following  are  the  names 
of  the  gentlemen  who  have  occupied  this  jiosition,  with  date  of  elec- 
tion or  appointment:  182.5,  Heman  Ely;  1827.  F.  W.  Wliittlesey;  1830, 
Elihu  Cooley;  18:J.5,  Charles  Chaney;  1840,  Elijah  DeWitt;  IH-lt.  Henry 
M.  Warner;  184.5.  Henry  B.  Kelsey;  184H,  S.  D.  Hinman;  1K5;J.  C.  S. 
(roodwin  (deceased  in  the  spring  of  1856  and  N.  B.  Gates  was  ap- 
pointed to  ffil  vacancy  until  the  fall  election,  when  John  H.  Boynton 
was  elected);  IMiO.  William  E.  Kellcgg;  1861,  M.  F.  Hamlin;  IHG8. 
John  H.  Boynton;  1872,  Isaac  M.  Johnson,  and,  in  1876,  the  present 
incumbent,  William  A.  Braman. 

RECORDERS. 

Ebenezer  Whiton  was  first  recorder  of  Lorain  county,  and  his  first  offi- 
cial act  was  to  record  a  deed  from  Benjamin  Pritchard  to  Anna 
Merrills,  conveying  a  parcel  of  land  containing  thirty  and  three- 
fourths  acres,  situated  in  township  number  six,  range  eighteen,  in 
the  county  of  Huron,  and  being  part  of  lot  number  thii*ty-oue.  This 
instrument  was  acknowledged  on  May  10,  lS2-i.  before  Isaac  Mdls, 
J.  P.;  was  witnesseil  by  I.  Mdls  and  Mary  Mdls,  and  endorsed  "Re- 
ceived April  13,  1S21,  and  recorded  May  11,  1S2I,  <m  page  one, 
book  'A,'  Lorain  county  record  of  deeds."  Mr.  Whiton  deceased  in 
1834.  and  Eliphalet  H.  Leonard  was  appointed  to  fill  vacancy;  18.37, 
E.  O.  Foot;  1840,  H.  B.  Kelsey;  l>ai,  Elah  Park;  1843,  Cyrus  E.  Bas- 
sett;  1849,  John  B.  Northrop;  1852,  Hem-y  S.  Rockwood;  1861,  Henry 
B.  West;  1H64,  William  H.  Tucker,  and,  in  1S73,  the  present  incum 
bent,  John  Bhuiehard,  was  elected.  Mr.  Blanchard  was  one  of  the 
noble  army  who  went  out  to  do  battle  for  the  fiag,  and  lost  his  right 
forearm  in  its  support  on  the  bloodv  field  of  Stone  river,  pecember 
26,  1862. 

CORONERS.       • 

The  first  record  we  are  able  to  proc  re  is  in  the  year  1827.  James 
J.  Sexton  then  filled  the  office.  The  following  is  a  complete  list: 
1830,  Edwin  Byington;  1S;W,  William  N.  Race;  183-1,  Justin  Williams; 
18:J6,  Orson  J.  Humphrey;  18^58,  Otis  Briggs;  l84:i,  IJiinsoni  Gibbs; 
1844,  Philip  L.  Goss;  1846,  Hezekiah  Brooks;  181J),  John  S.  Stranahan; 
1852,  William  S.  Hopkins;  18.5:3,  llerrick  Parker;  1857,  Clark  Eldred; 
1863.  Nahum  B.  Gates;  1865,  Otis  Briggs;  1870,  Jolm  H.  Faxou;  1872, 
Hiram  Patterson,  who  is  the  present  incunxbent. 

SURVEYORS. 

IS24,  Edward  Durand;  18;J5,  J.  E.  Truman;  ia*18,  John  Sherman;  \f>i2, 
John  H.  Faxon;  1843,  C.  G.  Cole;  1846,  Joseph  Swift,  Jr.;  1848, 
Schuyler  Putnam;  1855,  John  H.  Faxon;  1856,  Joseph  Swift,  Jr.; 
1877,  L.  F.  Ward,  present  incumbent. 

SHERIFFS. 

The  name  of  Josiali  Hai'ris,  who  was  first  sheritl",  occurs  the  last  time 
(►ctober  10,  I8:i3.  William  N.  Race,  coroner,  acted  as  shei-ifl'  until 
November,  18:i4,  when  the  name  of  E.  Griffith  ajipears  as  sheriff. 
Mr.  Griffith  was  succeeded  by  Edwin  Byingtou  in  18;i6.  Natum  H. 
Gates  was  sheriff  in  18'i8;  E.  Byington  iu  1812;  Jolm  H.  Faxou  in 
1844;  AVilllam  Patterson  in  1848;  John  H.  Boynton  in  1S50;  Ashbei 
Culver  in  1854;  S.  W.  Lincoln  iu  ISoti;  H.  E.  Burr  in  1H5'.):  Mil.*  Harris 
in  1863;  resigned,  and  W.  W.  Dyer,  coroner,  filled  the  vacaucy  imtil 
1865,  when  Mark  Hitchcock  was  elected.  He  was  succeeded  by  X. 
Peck,  in  1H61>;  and  he  by  R.  E.  Braman,  in  1870;  and  he  again  by 
Charles  Stone,  in  1877,  who  is  the  present  incumbent.  H.  E.  Corning, 
sherilT  elect,  succeeds  Mr.  Stone  January  1,  1870. 

COMMISSIONERS. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  commissioners  of  Lorain  county  was  held  at 
Elyria,  on  the  24th  day  of  May,  1824.  Present:  John  S.  Reid,  Asha- 
bel  (Jsboi'ue,  and  Benjamin  Bacon.  Their  first  official  act  was  the 
appointment  of.  Edmund  West  as  county  treasurer,  who  gave  bond 
in  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars,  for  the  faithful  discharge  of 
his  duties.  At  the  following  June  session,  we  find  the  record  of  the 
estalilishment  of  a  road,  as  follows:  "Beginning  in  the  highway, 
a  little  easterly  of  the  dwelling  house  of  Walter  Crocker,  in  Black 
River  township,  thence  running  in  the  !UOst  convenient  route  near 
the  dwellings  of  Fi-ederiek  and  Daniel  Onstine,  thence  across  Beaver 
creek,  near  the  house  of  Mr.  Rice,  thence  to  intersect  the  North 
Ridge  road,  so  called,  a  little  eastwardly  of  the  dwelling  house  of 
Mr.  Ormsby."  1S27,  Judson  Wadsworth  succeeded  <.»sborne,  as 
commissionei-.  The  entire  succession  of  incumbents  to  this  office  is 
given  in  the  following  list:  18:iO,  Bacon,  Wadsworth,  and  Milton 
Garfield;  1831,  Wadsworth  ,  Garfield,  and  Samuel  Crocker;  "1832, 
Wadsworth,  Crocker,  and  George  Bacon,  Jr. ;  18:54,  Crocker,  Bacon, 
and  John  Laborie;  18:S5,  Bacon,  Laborie  and  Jonathan  Rawson;  1836, 
Laborie,  Rawson  and  Conrad  Reid ;  1837,  Rawson,  Reid  and  Leonard 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


45 


H.  Loveland;  1838,  Reid,  Loveland,  and  Ashley  S.  Root;  1830,  Love- 
land,  George  Sililey,  and  Wdliani  Day;  IHIO,  Sibley,  Day,  and  Reliisa 
Close;  1^*41,  Day,  Close,  and  Sinioti  Nichols;  ISK,  Close,  Nichols,  and 
James  M.  Clark;  1K44,  Clark,  C.  Onnsliy,  and  Uriah  Thompson; 
IfUS,  Clark,  Thompson,  and  Eliphalet  Reilinjiton;  ISIIl,  Thiimpsnn, 
Redington,  and  .lohii  Coiuint;  ISIT.  Ucdingtim,  Conant,  and  Hany 
Ten-ell;  IfMS,  Conant..  Terrell,  and  Ueorge  Bacon;  IHW,  Tei-rell, 
Bacon,  anil  Samuel  Knapp;  ls.")0,  Baccin,  Knapp  and  (t.  J.  Humphrey; 
1S.)1,  Kniipp,  Humphrey,  and  ,Iohn  B.  Rohertson;  IKfi,  Humphrey, 
M.  B.  Beldeu,  and  Asa  Hamilton;  IMVi,  Belden  Hamilton  and  dtis 
Briggs;  l>i5l,  HamiltoD,  Briggs,  ami  ,).  H.  Dudley;  183,5,  Briggs, 
Dudley  and  C.  O.  Cole;  l.'ffili,  Briggs,  Cole,  and  J.  H.  Dudley;  IUST, 
Briggs.  Cole,  and  Darwin  D.ver;  18.")S,  Briggs,  Dyer,  and  A.  Luniui; 
18.5!),  Dyer,  Luruui,  \Vi  liam  rattersou;  IStiO,  Dyer,  Patterson,  .and 
Charles  S.  Aiken;  IHOl,  Dyer,  Patterson,  and  Tabor  Wood;  IMIi'-, 
Dyer,  Wiiud,  and  Thomas  CImrehward;  18li8,  W.j.id.  Churidinard, 
and  Darwin  Dyer;  18(il,  Wood,  Dyer,  and  (Jeorjre  Clifton;  IHi}.".,  Wootl, 
Clifton,  and  Reuben  Eddy;  18li(i,  same;  IsiiT,  Clifton,  Eddy,  and  B.  S. 
Corning;  istis.  Eddy,  Corning,  and  William  A.  Braman;  ISOO,  Corn- 
ing, Laurel  Beebe,  and  L.  W.  Bates;  1R"0,  same;  1871,  Corning, 
Bates,  and  Lucius  Herrick;  1873.  .same;  18;;^,  Corning,  Herrick,  and 
James  Lees;  1874,  Corning,  Herrick,  and  William  H.  Root;  187'5, 
Corning.  Herrick,  and  Charles  S.  Mills;  1.87IJ,  Herrick,  Mills,  and  S. 
B.  Dudley;  1877,  Mills,  Dudley  .and  A.  D.  Perkins. 

COIN'TV     INIIUMAKV. 

Oil  Miircli  17,  ISiiti,  Tabor  Wotid,  (ic'i)rj;e  Clifton 
:iiul  Reuben  Kddy,  county  eoniiiii.ssioiiL'r.s,  purchased 
of  Jose[)h  Swift,  Jr.,  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  acres 
of  land  in  (_!;irlisk'.  township,  for  an  iiilirniary  farm, 
|i:iyiiig  therefor  ten  thoiis;inil  live  liiindreil  dollars. 
On  .laiuniry  8,  1807,  the  contract  for  the  erection  of 
a  suitable  building  for  the  use  of  the  poor  of  Ijorain 
county,  was  awardeil  to  Joiin  Childs,  of  Elyria.  and 
Samuel  C.  Brooks,  of  Cleveliinil,  for  the  sum  of  thirty- 
seven  thou.saiid  Ove  iiundred  dollars,  and  on  Septein- 
I)er  It),  1S6S,  the  building  was  completed  and  accepted 
liy  the  commissioners.  The  'contractors,  however, 
having  done  e.xtra  work,  were  paid  thirty  eight  thous- 
;ind  five  Iiundred  dollars.  The  main  building  is  one 
hundred  and  twenty-three  by  forty-six  feet,  three 
stories  in  height.  In  the  center  and  rear  of  the  main 
building  is  a  wing  thirty-two  by  seventy-tive  feet  and 
two  stories  high, — the  whole  containing  one  hundred 
and  twenty  rooms. 

INFIRM  A  UY    DIRECTORS. 

The  commissioners  appointed  in  1808,  Isaac  S.  Metcalf,  Samuel  Plumb, 
autl  Lucius  Herrick,  directors;  18(il),  Metcalf.  Herrick,  and  Joseph 
Swift,  Jr.,  were  elected;  187(1,  Metc;df,  Swift,  and  J.  H.  Huiibert 
1H71,  same;  l.S7ti,  satne;  187^1,  Swift  resigned  and  John  Cliamberlain 
was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy— the  others  were  Metcalf  and  Joseph 
B.  Clark;  1874,  sam-;  187.'),  Clark,  S.  D.  Bacon  and  Isaac  S.  Straw. 
These  geutlemeQ  still  occupy  the  position. 

SUPEIUNTENDENT    OF    INFIRMARY. 

September  11,  1808,  Tabor  Vincent  was  elected,  and  he  confined  as  such 
until  March,  187U,  when  he  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  nresen 
superintendent,  Hiram  Patterson, 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  BAR  OF  1.0KAIW  COUNTY.* 

At  the  organization  of  the  county,  in  18:i-l,  there 
was  scarcely  what  could  be  called  a  bar. 

Tiie  history  of  the  bar  of  Lrirain  county  begins 
proi)erly  with  the  organization  of  the  county,  in  the 
year  1834.     It  is  worthy  of  mention,  however,  that 


*  By  p.  H.  Boynton. 


there  had  resided  in  the  county,  prior  to  that  time, 
a  lawyer  who  suljse((uently  rose  to  great  eininence  in 
the  profession  in  Ohio.  We  refer  to  KiiENiozEii  IjANE, 
wild  came  to  Klyria  nol  long  after  tiie  original  settle- 
menl,  in  1817,  and  while  that  pitrt  of  Ihe  present 
Lorain  c<ninty,  which  lies  west  of  llu'  East  IJrancli  of 
]>lack  river  constituted  ;i  p;irt  of  Huron  eounty.  He 
was  elected  iiroseculing  attorney  of  Huron  eounty  in 
the  sj)ring  of  ISl'.t,  but  continued  to  reside  in  Elyria 
until  October  10,  of  the  same  year,  when  he  removed 
to  Norwalk  for  the  more  convenient  discharge  of  his 
oilicial  duties.  He  rose  rapidly  in  iiis  profession;  and 
in  1831  occupied  a  seat  upon  the  supreme  bench, 
which  he  continued  U>  hold  until  1845.  His  decisions 
are  reported  in  volumes  five  to  thirteen,  inclusive,  of 
the  Ohio  reports. 

At  the  organization  of  the  court  of  common  jileas 
of  Lorain  county,  May  24,  18-.J4,  four  gentlemen 
comiteted  for  the  appointment  of  prosecuting  attor- 
ney from  the  court.  These  were  Woolsey  Wells, 
Elijah  Parker,  Ebenezer  An'dhews  and  Reuben 
MrssEY.  Mr.  Welles  was  the  successful  candidate. 
"  Not,"  says  Mr.  Welles,  in  a  recent  letter,  "  because 
I  was  the  best  lawyer,  but  because  I  had  more  influ- 
ential friends  to  recommend  me  to  the  court."' 

]\Ir.  Andrews  must  have  left  the  county  about  tliat 
time,  as  there  is  nothing  in  the  records  of  the  court 
to  show  that  he  was  practising  here  at  any  subse(pieut 
time.  His  name  a])pears  in  only  a  single  case,  and 
th;it  in  183!l. 

The  other  three  gentlemen  above  named,  with 
Frederick  Whittlesey,  who  came  shortly  afterwards, 
seem  to  have  constituted  the  resident  bar  of  this 
county  until  about  ISol. 

Mr.  Parker,  the  eldest  of  these,  was  born  .lune  22, 
177'.l.  He  came  to  Ohio  from  N'erinont  at  a  very  early 
day.  The  date  of  his  arrival  we  have  been  unable  to 
a:  certain;  but  he  was  in  Elyria  as  early  as  1823.  He 
remained  in  Elyria  until  his  death,  A[iril  3,  1859. 
His  health  in  later  years  was  poor,  and  he  would 
seem,  from  the  records,  not  to  have  practiced  any 
after  about  1854.  He  held  the  ollice  of  justice  of  the 
peace  several  times,  and  that  of  prosecuting  attorney 
of  the  county  during  the  years  1830  and  1837. 

Reuben  Mussey,  the  father  of  Henry  E.  Musscy, 
who  is  still  a  resident  of  Elyria,  was  born  in  Hover, 
N.  II.,  October  14,  1785.  He  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice as  an  attorney-at-law  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  .January 
17,  1818,  and  as  a  counsellor  January  13,  1831.  Prior 
to  his  removal  to  Ohio  he  resided  at  Sandy  Hill, 
Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  a  partner 
with  Judge  Skinner  in  the  practice  of  the  law.  Dur- 
ing this  period  Silas  Wright  was  a  student  in  their 
otliee.  Mr.'  Mussey  settled  at  Elyria  in  the  spring  of 
1835,  having  previously  located  temporarily  in  Elyria, 
Norwalk  and  Cleveland,  and  continued  to  reside  there 
(Elyria)  until  the  fall  of  1837,  devoting  himself  dur- 
ing the  time  exclusively  to  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  to  the  duties  of  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  which  ho  held  two  or  three  terms  within  that 


40 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OUIO. 


period.  During  his  residence  in  Elyria,  Mr.  Mussey 
dill  a  iarur  business,  coniparativoly,  tliongli,  of  course 
llie  whole  Inisiiiess  was  small  compared  with  that  of 
hiter  years.  I  le  was  a  well-ediu-ated,  thorough  lawyer, 
anil  a  gmial,  kind-hearled  man.  On  leaving  Klyria, 
in  llic  aiituMHi  of  IS.'JT,  he  wt'ut  to  Logansjiort,  In- 
diana, where  he  remained  about  a  year  and  a  half, 
when  he  removed  to  Kishwaukee,  HI.,  where  he  was 
joined  liy  his  family,  which,  up  Id  that  time,  had  con- 
tinued to  ri'side  in  Elyria.  His  death  occurred  at 
Kishwaukee,  Oetolii'r  14,  1S43. 

WoohSEV  \Vei>j.es,  the  first  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Loi'ain  counlv,  was  horn  in  Laneshoro,  Berkshire 
eounly,  !\[ass..  May  20,  18t)'>.  He  received  an  aca- 
demic education  at  Lewisville,  Ijewis  county,  N.  Y., 
and  IJtica,  Onciila  county,  N.  V.,  and  removed  to 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  Septemlier,  181'.).  Ho  immedi- 
ately connncnccd  reading  law  in  the  othce  of  Kelly  anil 
Cowles,  in  that  city,  and  was  ailmitted  to  the  l)ar  in 
182;$.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  removed  to 
Elvria  and  entered  u|H)n  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
He  remained  in  Elyria  about  two  years  (receiving,  as 
he  says,  sixty  dollars  per  year  for  prosecuting  the 
j)leas  of  the  State),  when  he  reniovi'd  to  Akron,  where 
he  ha<l  been  appointed  collector  of  canal  tolls.  'J'liis 
oHlce  he  held  about  a.  year,  and  then  resigned  it  he- 
cause  he  was  i'ei|uired  to  attend  to  its  duties  on  the 
Sabbath.  He  was  also  ap])ointed  postmaster  at  Akron 
liy  l'resi<lcnt  John  (),.  Adains,  and  held  that  jiosition 
until  the  second  term  (jf  President  Jackson,  in  the 
lald'rpart  of  which  he  resigned.  He  also  hekl  the 
otlice  of  justice  of  the  peace  in  Akron  about  four  and 
a  half  years  and  res'gned  it  in  1834,  at  which  time  he 
commenced  traveling  over  the  State  as  agent  of  the 
Ohio  State  'remperance  Society,  of  which  (Jovernor 
lau-as  was  [)rcsident.  He  continued  this  al>out  a 
year,  when  he  returned  to  Elyria  and  re-entered  the 
practice  of  the  law  in  partnership  with  Heman  Birch, 
Esi|.  In  the  fall  of  1837  he  remoxed  to  Cleveland, 
where  he  spent  three  years  in  the  practice,  at  the  end 
of  whiidi  he  returned  to  Elyria  and  again  opened  a 
law  otlice.  He  remained  at  Klyria  this  time  some 
eight-  or  ten  years.  During  this  time  he  took  part  as 
an  anti-slavery  man  in  the  agitations  of  the  (piestion 
of  slavery;  but  his  success  at  the  practice  of  law  was 
meager,  partly,  no  doid)t,  on  account  of  the  pivjudice 
excited  against  him  by  his  anti-slavery  sentiments. 
At  the  end  of  this  time,  through  the  agency  of  Dr. 
N.  S.  'rownshend.  whom  the  Ereesoilers  had  suc- 
cee<lc<l  in  electing  to  the  legislature,  he  received  the 
appointment  of  agent  of  the  State  for  the  sale  of 
Western  Reserve  school  lands,  and  removed  to  Defi- 
auce,  where  he  cout  inui'd  to  reside  about  nine  years, 
after  which  he  was  appointed  to  an  Iowa  land  agency 
and  removed  to  Fort  Dodge,  in  that  State,  where  ho 
still  resides  at  the  ripe  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 

Fkedkriok  Whittlesey  was  born  at  Southington, 
Conn.,  Docendjer  33,  1801.  From  the  court  records, 
he  would  seem  to  have  come  to  Elyria  about  1837, 
and  continued  to  reside  there,  holding  a  ])rominent 


position  at  the  bar  until  1835.  He  held  the  otHce  of 
prosecuting  attorney  several  years  during  that  time, 
and  twice  represented  Lorain  county  in  the  Legisla- 
ture. Ho  continued  to  reside  in  Cleveland  until  his 
death,  which  <jceui-red  November  13,  18.54.  During 
his  residence  there,  he  held  the  otlice  of  clerk  of  the 
courts  of  Cuyahoga  county,  and  afterward  of  associate 
judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas.  He  also  rejire- 
sented  Cuyahoga  county  in  the  State  senate.  Mr. 
Whittlesey  was  a  well-educated,  thorough  lawyer,  and 
always  aci|uitted  himself  credit-ably  both  at  the  bar 
and  on  the  bench.  He  gave  great  satisfaction  to  the 
bar  of  Cuyahoga  county  while  acting  as  associate 
judge,  an  office  not  generaf  ly  filled  by  lawyers;  and  his 
opinions  were  received  with  <[uite  as  much  respect  as 
those  of  the  presiding  jmlge.  While  in  Elyria,  Mr. 
Whittlesey,  f(u- a  short  time,  added  to  his  professiomd 
labors  those  of  an  editor,  having  charge  of  the  Lorniii, 
(hc.iilc,  the  first  uowsi)aper  puljlished  in  Lorain 
county,  which  was  established  in  1831).  Mr.  Whitle- 
sey's  exani|ilo  in  this  respect  was  followed  by  <|uite  a 
large  nundjcr  of  his  successors  in  the  practice  of  the 
law  at  Elyria.  Of  their  career  as  journalists,  liowever, 
very  little  or  nothing  will  be  said  in  this  connection, 
but  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  chapter  upon  the 
press  of  the  county,  where  it  will  he  set  out  in  full. 

These  were  the  jtioneers  of  the  Lorain  bar,  men  of 
learning,  ability  and  integrity;  ;ind  in  proportion  to 
the  amount  of  business  to  be  done,  the  bar  would 
seeii!  to  have  been  as  large  then  as  in  the  past  ten 
years.  The  court  of  common  pleas  then,  and  for 
many  years  after,  held  only  two  sessions  a  year  of  a- 
a  week  each,  and  the  sui)reino  court  only  one  session 
of  a  single  day.  The  first  journal  of  the  court  of 
common  pleas,  which  extends  to  the  spring  of  1833, 
and  iueludes  all  the  probate  business,  cijiitains  about 
the  same  amount  of  matter  as  the  present  journal  of 
the  same  court  for  a  single  year,  and  the  probate  busi- 
ness is  now  all  removed  to  the  probate  court.  Over 
against  this,  however,  is  to  be  set  the  undoubted  fact, 
that  a  greater  proportion  of  the  litigation  was  tlien 
disposed  of  finally  before  justices  of  the  peace.  Small 
as  the  business  was,  however,  the  Lorain  bar  by  no 
means  had  the  monopoly  of  it.  Lawyers  from  adja- 
cent, and  even  from  remote  counties,  were  at  Elyria 
attending  court,  and  did  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the 
business.     Promindt  among  these  were: 

Rei'isen  Wood,  (afterwards  common  pleas  and 
sui)reme  judge,)  and  John  W.  Willey,  of  Cleveland, 
afterward  presiding  judge  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas.  Samuel  Cowles,  of  the  same  city,  also  did  a- 
considerable  practice.  Whittlesey  &  Newton,  both 
eminent  lawyers,  of  Warren,  TrumliuU  county,  and 
Thomas  D.  Weub,  of  the  same  place,  also  ap[iear 
freipieutly  n\wa  the  records  of  the  courts  of  Lorain 
during  its  early  years.  During  this  period,  also,  there 
commenced  a  practice  which  continued  consecutively 
for  about  twenty  years,  and  at  intervals  ever  since. 
We  refer  to  that  of 

S.  J.  Andrews,  of  Cleveland.      He  was  never  a 


niSTOKY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


47 


resideut  of  Lorain  county,  and  hence  no  extended 
notice  of  liim  will  be  attempted  hero,  but  a  history  of 
the  bar  of  Lorain  which  omitted  to  mention  him 
wiHild  1)0  incomjilete.  Admitted  to  tlio  l)ar  in  Clcve- 
land  in  1828,  he  immediately  commenced  attending 
the  courts  at  Elyria,  and  rapidly  acquired  a  practice. 
A  thorough  and  accomplished  lawyer,  a  fiery  and 
fl(i(picnt  advocate,  quick  and  incisive  at  re|)artec,  full 
ol"  the  spirit  of  gcnnineand  licalthy  mirthfuluess,  and 
witiial  a  perfect  gentleman,  Mr.  Andrews  will  long 
continue  a  ])rominont  figure  in  the  memory  of  the 
earliei'  inlialiitaiit  of  Lorain  county.  He  was  for  a 
slioi't  time  judge  of  the  old  sujicrior  court  of  Cleve- 
land, and  also  a  memher  from  tiiat  county  of  tiieOhio 
constitutional  conventions  of  1850  and  187:5.  lie  still 
resides  in  Cleveland,  at  tiie  ripe  age  of  seventy-seven 
years,  in  full  possession  of  his  mental  fa(niltics,  and 
remarkably  well  preserved  physically,  in  the  regular 
jiractice  of  his  profession — the  honored  Nestor  of  tfie 
Cuyahoga  bar. 

The  period  from  18:11  to  184.'")  with  large  increase  of 
|iopiilation  and  business  in  the  county  witnessed  the 
advent  of  no  fewer  than  twenty  new  lawyers  to  Elyria, 
the  county  seat.  Prominent  among  these  were  Ed- 
ward S.  Hamlin,  Horace  D.  Clark,  Joel  Tiffany, 
Albert  A.  Bliss,  Phili'm<ui  Bliss,  .Tndson  I).  Benedict, 
Bobert  McEachron  and   Williain  K.  Lockwood. 

The  earliest  of  these  to  begin  jiractice  at  Elyria  was 
Enw.vui)  S.  Hamlix  who  held  a  prominent  position 
at  the  bar  and  had  a  large  practice  for  a  period  of 
about  eighteen  ^'cars.  He  commenced,  as  the  records 
indicate,  about  1X31,  and  soon  after  entered  into 
|iMi'tncrsbip  witii  Frederick  Whittlesey,  which  ])artner- 
sliip  continued  until  Mr.  Whittlesey  left  Elyria  in  18;!.'). 
In  18;):)-4-."),  he  held  the  otiico  of  prosecuting  attor- 
ney of  Lorairi  county.  In  1837  he  removed  to  Cleve- 
l;ind.  but  returned  in  a  little  over  a  year.  In  1838  or 
1S39.  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Albert  A.  Bliss, 
(of  whom  more  hereafter)  which  arrangement  con- 
tinued until  1843,  when  Mr.  Hamlin  was  elected  to 
Congress  for  an  unexpired  term.  About  the  time 
of  its  dissolution  William  F.  Loe^kwood  became  his 
jiartner,  and  seems  to  have  continued  so  until  Mr. 
Hamlin  left  Elyria  in  about  1840.  Mr.  Hamlin  was 
known  as  a  close,  thorough  and  indnstrious  lawyer, 
and  tiiough  not  as  ebxpient  an  advocate  as  some  of 
bis  cotemporaries,  an  eminently  ''safe"  man  to  have 
the  charge  of  litigation.  He  is  still  living  and  pi'ac- 
tieiughis  profession,  and  when  last  heard  from  by  the 
writer  was  at  Cincinnati. 

HoRAf'K  D.  Clark,  one  of  the  lawyers  who  bad 
the  birgest  continu(nis  practice  in  Lorain  county,  was 
born  May  23, 1805,  at  Graiiby,  Connecticut,  where  his 
mother  still  resides  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four 
years.  He  went  to  district  school  summers  till  he 
was  eight  years  of  age,  and  in  the  winter  till  he  was 
sixteen,  when  he  was  taken  from'  school  and  placed 
in  a  country  store,  where  he  served  his  apprenticeship 
a7id  was  taken  in  as  a  partner.  In  this  business  be 
continued  some  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time. 


says  he  in  a  recent  letter,  "  I  found  we  had  lost  so 
much  by  bad  debts  and  the  stealings  of  clerks  that 
there  was  but  little  left,  and  I  quit  the  Inisiness  in 
disgust.''  He  studied  law  one  year  in  Connecticut, 
and  in  November  17,  1832,  started  for  Ohio,  and 
reached  Hndson  in  this  state,  in  nccember  of  the  same 
year.  On  the  eighth  of  th:il  month  he  entered  the 
biw  school  of  .Judge  Van  K.  Humphrey,  and  a  year 
later  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  snpreme  court  in 
b;i,nk  at  Columbus. 

On  the  fourth  of  the  following  -luly  (1834)  Mr. 
Clark  opened  a  law  office  in  tlie  southeast  corner  room 
in  the  court  house  in  Elyria.  He  continued  Id  jiractict^ 
law  in  Elyria  from  that  time  for  about  tbirl\-  years, 
having  during  a  large  portion  of  that  time  the  birgest 
practice  in  the  county — a  practice  never  ;ipproa.elied 
in  magnitude  by  more  than  one  rival  at  a  time.  A. 
A.  Bliss,  Hamlin  and  P>liss,  .loel  Tiffany,  Benedict 
and  Leonard,  Hamlin  and  Lockwood,  and  W.  F. 
Lockwood  alone,  were  at  different  times,  his  nearest 
competitors,  but  Mr.  Clark  steadily  maintained  the 
leading  position  be  had  gained,  until  after  he  ceased  to 
reside  in  Elyria.;  for  though  he  continued  to  practice 
there  till  18C4.  he  i-emoved  with  his  family  to  Cleve- 
land in  1S51. 

In  184.">  Jlr.  Clark  took  in  as  a  i)ai'tuer  Cyiais  Olney, 
who  came  from  Iowa,  where  he  had  been  in  practice. 
He  stayed  about  a  year  and  returned  to  Iowa,  where 
he  was  soon  after  elected  a  judge.  ''He  was  about 
twenty-eight,"  says  Mr.  I'lark,  "and  the  best  special 
pleader  of  his  age  I  ever  saw.'' 

In  jMareh,  1849.  Mr.  Clark  fornu'd  a  ]i;nt  ucrsbip 
with  .Stevenson  Burke,  who  Imd  been  admitted  to  the 
bar  the  August  previous,  having  been  astudent  in  Mr. 
Clark's  office.  His  partnership  continued  til!  about 
June,  18.52.  John  M.  Vincent  and  John  A'.  Coon 
were  also  students  with  Mi-.  Clark  during  bis  practice 
in  Elyria.  In  18.50  Mr.  Clark  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  constitutional  convention  of  Ohio,  and  served 
in  that  body,  which  completed  its  labors  March  10, 
18.51.  This  is  the  only  otficiid  position  held  l)y  Mr. 
Clark. 

He  was  an  excellent  lawyci-,  though  not  es]iccially 
an  eloquent  advocate.  He  abandoned  (be  practice  of 
law  in  180.5  and  removed  to  IMoiilival,  Canada,  where 
he  now  resides. 

.loEL  Tiffany,  one  of  the  the  most  remarkable  men 
who  ever  lived  in  Elyi'ia,  was  a  native  of  Barkham- 
stead,  Connecticui.  He  removed  to  Elyria  fi'om 
Medina,  in  183.5.  and  remained  in  Elyria,  as  the 
court  records  indicate,  until  184S.  hi  1840,  beseems 
to  have  been  associated  with  Mr.  Silliman,  of  Wooster. 
Mr.  Silliman  was  an  able  lawyer,  and  ]iracliccd  in 
Elyria  for  a  number  of  years;  though  never  a  resident 
there.  Mr.  Tiffany  .seems  also  to  have  been  associated 
with  L.  G.  Byington.  for  a  short  time,  and  with  Mr. 
E.  II.  Leonard,  for  about  two  years.  He  was  prose- 
cuting attorney  in  1838  and  1839.  Upon  leaving 
Elyria,  he  went  to  Painesville,  and  subsequentl}-  to 
New  York  Citv.     From  lSfi3  to  lSfi9.  he  resided  in 


48 


IIISTOllY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Alhiiny,  where  be  was  reporter  of  the  court  of  ai)i)e;ils 
of  New  Yoi'k,  and  pnhlished  vohiines  f  wenty-eiiiht  to 
tliirty-iiiiH',  inclusive,  of  (lie  N'ew  York  rojiorls.  From 
there  lie  removed  to  Chicairo,  where  lie  .still  resides. 

Mr.  Tiffany  a|i])roaclied  lu^arer  to  lieint^^a  "genius," 
as  tliat  word  is  oi'dinarily  understciod,  than  any  other 
jiractitiiincr  of  the  Lorain  bar.  Wit  h  acute  and  accn- 
i'at<e  jierceptions.  great  mental  powers  of  acipiisitioii 
and  assimilation,  a  [)rodigious  memory,  and,  withal, 
an  elo(|uencc  seldom  equalled,  he  was  extremely  well 
ei|uipi)ed  for  all  forensic  encounters.  In  the  locally 
c(debra(cd  "  counterfeit  cases,"  Mv.  Tiffany  exerted 
his  great  powers  to  their  utmost,  and  made  f<ii-  liim- 
self  a  reputation  that  will  long  endure  in  Lorain 
county.  These  were  trit'(l  in  LSitS-O,  when  he  was 
prosecuting,  and  no  fewer  tluin  fourteen  persons  were 
sent  to  penitentiary  for  being  implicated  in  the  mak- 
ing and  issuing  of  counterfeit  money. 

'i'he  great  ipialities  we  have  mentioned  were,  liow- 
cver.  handicaiiiied  by  an  unsteadiness  of  purpose,  and 
lack  i)t  applicatiim  to  his  profession,  which  rendeivd 
tln'in  of  comparatively  little  value  to  their  possessor. 
He  engaged  in  a-  variety  of  entei'prises,  outside  of  his 
profession,  while  in  Elyria,  none  of  which  pro\cd 
j)ro(itable,  while  they  j)revented  his  reaching  that 
success  in  his  j)i'ofcssion  which  he  might  otherwise 
Jiavc  attained. 

During  liis  residence  in  Albany,  in  18G4,  Air. 
Tiffany,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Henry  Smith,  pub- 
lished a  work  uj)iin  ]iractice  under  the  New  York 
code,  under  the  title  of  "Tiffany  &  Smith's  New 
York  Practice."  It  is  highly  spoken  of  by  the  law 
reviewers.  A  second  edit  ion  has  just  been  ])ublishcd. 
edited  by  IL  (J.  Woods. 

In  18(i2.  in  connection  with  E.  !•'.  llullard,  Mr. 
Tiffany  published  awork,  under  the  titki  of  "The  Law 
of  Trust  and  Trustees,  as  administered  in  England 
and  America."  I'rofessoi'  Theodore  W.  Dwight,  re- 
viewing this  work,  in  the  Ami-ricd)).  Lnir  Eegistcy  of 
.hily.  ISi;;},  says:  " 'i'h is  appears  to  be  an  excellent 
wiirk.  The  ari-angcnieiil  iif  topics  is  simiile  and  log- 
ical, and  tlie  discussion  lucid  and  satisfactorv." 

In  1S(;.5,  Tilfany  &  Smith  luiblishcd  a-  bdok  of 
••  I'lii'iiis  ad.Mjitcd  III  the  jiracticc  and  special  pleadings 
in  New  York  courts  of  Kecord." 

Mr.  'i'ill'any  also  intblishe(l,  in  18C7,  "A  'I'reatise 
on  (iovernmeiil,  an<l  Const  it  lit  ional  Law.  being  mii 
inquiry  into  the  source  and  limitation  of  govern- 
mental authority,  according  to  the  American  Tlieorv." 

ALUKiiT  A.  Bliss  was  boni  March  '2:!,  ISll,  in 
C'antiiii,  (Ninnecticiit.  in  IS-il.  his  father's  family 
reinoNcd  to  W  hitestnwn.  Oneida,  count  v.  New  "^'ork. 
Li  LS-.'."(,  he  left  hoiii..',  to  leirn  a  trade,  and  served 
until  ISIio.  He  then  attended  school  for  a  couide  of 
years  at  the  Oneida  [nstitute.  at  Whitestown,  an 
excellent  institution,  on  the  manual  labor  ])lan,  then 
recently  organized,  in  the  spring  of  IS:).'^,  iM  r.  Uliss 
came  to  Elyria.  and  commenced  studying  law.  in  the 
office  of  Whittlesey  &  Hamlin.  During  the  jieriod  of 
his  studying  he  engaged  also  in  newspaper  work.     lie 


was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  C'leveland.  Sejitember, 
1S;S.5,  and  the  following  sj>ring  moved  to  that  city, 
and  engaged  in  editing  a  ncwsi)aper,  the  Daily  Ga- 
zi'lle.  during  the  political  campaign  of  that  year;  after 
which  he  returned  to  Elyria,  and  engaged  in  the 
])ractice  of  his  profession  until  1847.  In  1840,  he 
cut  red  info  |)arliierslii[i  wilh  E.  S.  Hamlin,  and  the 
linn  did  a  large  business  until  sometime  in  1845, 
when  it  was  dissolved.  Previous  to  184."),  Mr.  Bliss 
had,  for  a  short  time,  been  in  paiinership  with  his 
brother,  I'hilemon  Bliss. 

A  deep  interest  in  politics,  however  intemipftHl  the 
continuity  of  Mr.  liliss'  application  to  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  He  was  three  times  elected  to  the 
legislature — in  IS.'iO,  1840  and  1841,  and  was  occu- 
j)ied  at  different  times  in  tlie  editing  of  poliUcal 
newspapers.  In  the  winter  of  1S4G-7,  he  was  elected 
treasurer  of  state  by  the  legislature,  and  held  that 
oHice  until  .January,  I8.5'i.  He  removed  to  Columbus 
in  the  sjiring  of  1847,  but  sc^ems  to  have  kept  up, 
somewhat,  his  hiw  ])ractice  at  Elyria,  as  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Bliss  &  Bagg,  until  1840.  He  returned  to 
Elyria  late  in  18.'S'-J,  and  remained  until  the  spring  of 
18')o,  when  he  removed  to  .Jackson,  Michigan,  and 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  until  1874,  wlien, 
finding  the  business  liceoming  unprofita'de.  he  sold  it 
out  and  re-engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law.  He 
still  resides  at  Jackson,  where  he  is,  as  he  always  has 
been  wherever  he  has  lived,  a  highly  respected  citizen. 

He  isa  n. ember  ar.d  the  treasurer  of  the  city  school 
lioard,  and  one  of  the  inspectors  of  the  Michigan 
penitentiary,  which  is  located  at  that  place. 

.Ii'D.soN  I).  Benedict  came  to  Elyria  fi'om  Medina 
in  18o8.  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law  for 
about  ten  years  from  that  time.  In  1840  or  there- 
abouts, he  formed  a  partnership  with  E.  H.  Leonard, 
who  had  then  recently  finished  a  long  term  as  clerk 
of  the  courts,  and  been  admitted  to  the  liar.  This 
partnership  continued  some  two  years,  the  firm  doing 
a  large  business  during  the  time.  xVfter  the  dissolu- 
tion of  his  connection  with  Bi'iiedict,  Mr.  Leonard 
soon  formed  a.  iiartnershi])  with  Mr.  Tiffany,  which 
lasted  till  al)out  184."),  after  which  time  his  name  does 
not  appear  upon  the  records  of  (his  court. 

After  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  of  Benedict  and 
fjconard,  Mr.  Bene(lict  associated  with  himself  Robert 
.\rclvic broil,  under  the  firm  of  lienediet  &  McEaciii'oii. 
which  linn  continued  some  three  years,  after  which 
.Joshua  Mvers  was  partner  with  AH-.  Benedict  for 
about  two  years  more.  About  1848,  Mr.  Benedict 
a.iiandoned  the  jiractice  of  law,  and  liecaine  a  preacher 
id"  the  denomination  known  as  Disciples  or  ('ampliell- 
ites,  and  left  Elyria.  He  removed  to  the  vicMiiity  of 
Buffalo.  New  York,  where  he  resided  most  of  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in  Canada  tliree  or 
four  years  ago. 

Mr.  Benedict  did  a  very  consideralile  business 
during  all  his  residence  at  J<]lyria,  but  was  no( 
considered  a  strong  lawyer;  as  a  pleader,  he  was 
especially  weak. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


49 


Philemon  Bliss,  a  brother  of  A.  A.  Bliss,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  Elyria  in  1838.  He  com- 
menced practice  at  once  in  Elyria  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  A.  A.  Bliss,  but  soon  after,  by  reason  of 
ill-liealth,  was  forced  to  abandon  business,  and  went 
west.  Regaining  his  health,  he  re-commenced  his 
practice  in  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Summit  county,  Ohio,  in 
1843,  but  returned  to  Elyria  in  the  winter  of  18-H5-7, 
and  remained  in  practice  there,  except  when  inter- 
rupted by  office  holding,  until  tlic  spring  of  1861. 
During  that  period,  he  was  elected  probate  judge, 
being  the  first  prol)atc  judge  of  Lorain  couiit}^,  also 
common  pleas  judge  in  the  winter  of  1848-9,  and  to 
Congress  in  1854  and  1856. 

In  1801,  he  was  appointed  chief  justice  of  Dakota 
territory,  which  office  he  held  until  the  fall  of  1864, 
when  he  removed  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  he 
resided  until  1873.  During  this  period,  he  was 
elected  probate  judge,  and,  in  1868,  supreme  judge  of 
Missouri,  which  office  lie  filled  to  the  end  of  the  term 
with  credit  to  himself  and  benefit  to  the  jurisprudence 
of  that  state.  In  1873,  he  was  elected  resident  pro- 
fessor of  law  at  the  university  of  Missouri,  and  dean 
of  tlie  law  faculty,  and  removed  to  Columbia,  where 
lie  still  resides.  Mr.  Bliss  is  a  man  of  great  mental 
ability.  A  more  extended  sketch  of  his  life  will  be 
found  in  that  part  of  this  volume  devoted  to  Elyria. 
He  is  the  autJior  of  a  work  on  jileading,  which  is  just 
published. 

Wm.  F.  Lockwood,  one  of  the  latest  lawyers  to 
settle  in  Elyria  during  the  period  of  which  we  arc 
now  speaking,  was  born  April  1,  1823,  in  Norwalk, 
Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  aud  there  received  a 
common  school  education.  In  1837,  he  went  to  New 
York,  and  became  a  clerk  in  a  wholesale  grocery 
store.  In  1840,  lie  came  to  Ohio,  and,  in  1841, 
settled  in  Elyria,  where  he  became  a  law  student  in 
the  office  of  Hamlin  &  Bliss.  In  1843,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  l)ar  at  Medina.  He  was  a  candidate 
on  the  wliig  ticket,  the  same  year,  for  the  office  of 
lirosccuting  attorney,  but  was  defeated  by  H.  A.  Ten- 
ney,  the  democratic  candidate.  He  was  elected  to  that 
office,  however,  in  1844,  and  held  it  for  four  years, 
being  re-elected  in  1846.  In  1853,  he  was  a  delegate 
from  his  congressional  district  to  the  wliig  national 
convention,  whicli  met  at  Baltimore  and  nominated 
Winfield  Seott  as  a  candidate  for  the  presidency.  The 
same  year  he  was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  con- 
gress, but  was  defeated,  Harvey  Johnson,  of  Ashland 
county,  the  democratic  candidate,  being  elected. 

In  1854,  he  was  elected  probate  judge  of  Lorain 
county,  succeeding  Philemon  Bliss.  In  1856,  he  was 
a  candidate  before  the  Republican  convention  for  the 
nomination  for  common  pleas  judge,  but  Judge  Car- 
penter, of  Akron,  was  the  nominee. 

By  reason  of  impaired  health,  he  resigned  his  office, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1857  removed  with  his  family  to 
Nebraska  and  settled  at  Omaha,  wliere  he  resided 
some  two  years,  when   he  removed  to  Dakota  City, 


which  continued  to  be  his  home  till  he  returned  to 
Ohio  in  1867. 

He  was  one  of  the  federal  judges  for  the  territory 
of  Nebraska,  from  April,  1861,  until  the  admission 
of  Nebraska  as  a  State  in  1867,  when  he  was  nom- 
inated by  President  Johnson  as  United  States  district 
judge  for  the  district  of  Nebraska,  but  was  not  con- 
firmed by  tlie  Senate.  He  then  returned  to  Toledo, 
in  this  State,  where  he  still  resides. 

He  was  the  democratic  candidate  for  congress  in 
tlie  Toledo  district,  in  1870,  but  was  unsuccessful, 
the  district  being  republican. 

In  1878,  he  was  recommended  by  the  bar  of  Lucas 
county  for  the  office  of  common  pleas  judge,  which 
recommendation  was  ratified  by  both  the  republican 
and  democratic  conventions,  and  he  was  elected  to 
that  office. 

Mr.  Lockwood  had  a  large  practice  when  at  the 
bar  in  Elyria,  and  is  a  man  of  fine  abilities,  as  the 
large  number  of  important  positions  he  has  held  with 
credit  to  himself  well  attests. 

Other  lawyers  who  resided  in  Elyria  during  tlie 
period  of  which  we  arc  now  speaking  were: 

Thomas  Tyrrell,  from  1834  to  1838.  During  a 
part  or  all  of  this  time,  he  was  a  partner  with  E.  S. 
Hamlin.  He  engaged  also  in  the  newspaper  busi- 
ness. 

A.  C.  Penfield,  from  about  1833  to  1854.  He  did 
a  moderate  business  for  a  number  of  years.  He  died 
in  Elyria. 

C.  Whittlesey,  1835.  Heman  Birch,  1835  to 
1847.  Le  Grakd  Byington,  1837  to  1839.  A.  H. 
Curtis,  1838. 

L.  F.  Hamlin,  1838  to  1855.  He  was  considered 
a  good  equity  lawyer,  but  his  practice  was  limited. 
He  was  for  a  time  a  partner  with  Mr.  Lockwood. 
He  died  in  Elyria. 

Robert  McEachron,  1842  to  1850.  He  came  from 
Richland  county,  was  a  partner  with  Mr.  Benedict 
from  1842  to  1845,  and  with  Joshua  Myers  under  the 
name  of  McEachron  &  Myers  from  1847  to  1849,  and 
did  a  very  considerable  business.  His  health  failed 
while  in  Elyria,  and  be  died  soon  after  leaving 
there. 

Joshua  Myers  came  to  the  bar  about  1844,  and 
remained  in  Elyria  until  his  death,  in  1877.  He  was 
first  associated  with  Mr.  Benedict,  then  with  Mr. 
McEachron,  as  already  stated.  From  about  1850  to 
1854,  he  was  associated  with  Judge  Bissell,  of  Paines- 
ville,  in  the  firm  of  Bissell  &  Myers,  whicli  did  a 
considerable  business.  His  practice  when  alone  was 
never  large.  During  his  later  years,  he  held  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  single  term,  securing  his 
election  partly  by  means  of  the  anti-temperance  excite- 
ment, which  grew  up  in  oiii^ositiou  to  the  "crusade," 
in  1874. 

FORDTCE  M.  Key^th  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1839,  and  commenced  practice  in  Elyria,  but  removed 
to  Stark  county  in  1840,  and  subsequently  to  Jackson 


50 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


county,  Ohio.  He  served  with  distinction  in  tlie  late 
war  as  major  of  infantry,  and  wajor  and  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  artillery,  and  in  18G5  removed  to  White 
Cloud,  Kansas,  where  he  now  resides,  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law,  and  farming. 

Myron  R.  Keith  was  born  in  Wingfield,  Herkimer 
county,  N.  Y.,  March  3,  1819;  came  to  Elyria  with 
his  father,  Colonel  Ansel  Keith  in  Octolier,  1832;  and 
was  admitted  as  an  attorney  in  1841.  He  commenced 
the  jiracticc  of  law  in  Elyria  in  1841,  and  in  181:2 
removed  to  Cleveland  and  practiced  with  Harvey 
Rice,  in  the  firm  of  Rice  &  Keith,  until  184G.  In 
January,  1840,  he  returned  to  Elyria  and  was  appointed 
clerk  of  the  courts  for  Lorain  county,  and  officiated 
in  that  cajiacity  until  the  spring  of  1852.  In  August, 
1852,  he  removed  to  Cleveland,  and  since  that  time 
he  has  been  and  still  is  engaged  in  the  i)ractice  of  the 
law  there.  In  June,  1807,  he  was  appointed  register 
in  bankruptcy,  and  is  still  acting  in  that  capacity. 

H.  A.  Tenney  came  to  the  bar  in  1842,  ami  was 
elected  prosecuting  attorney  that  year.  He  remained 
in  Elyria  a  few  years  engaged  in  the  law  pi-actice  and 
newspaper  work,  and  then  removed  to  Wisconsin. 

John  B.  Green  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Elyria 
in  1843,  and,  after  remaining  a  year  or  two,  removed 
to  Newark,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1845. 

Eleazer  Wakely  was  admitted  to  tlie  bar  in 
Elyria  in  1844,  and  remained  there  about  two  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Wisconsin,  and,  subse(iueutly,  to 
Nebraska,  where  he  held  the  office  of  federal  terri- 
torial Judge,  in  which  he  was  succeeded  by  Judge  Wni. 
F.  Lockwood  in  1801.  He  still  resides  in  Omaha 
eminent  in  his  profession. 

During  this  period,  1831  to  1845,  the  law  business 
of  the  county  had  increased,  so  that,  in  1844,  it  was 
something  more  than  half  its  i)resent  amount  as  indi- 
cated ])y  the  jciurnal  of  the  court  of  common  pleas. 
Still,  u})  to  this  time,  very  few,  if  any,  of  the  lawyers 
had  devoted  themselves  exclusively  to  the  practice  of 
the  law,  almost  all  engaging  in  newspaper  publication 
and  sonui  in  other  enterprises.  The  relative  amount 
of  l)usiiiess  done  by  foreign  attorneys  was  much  less 
than  in  the  earliest  period,  but  still  a  large  number 
of  attorneys  from  Cleveland  and  other  points  prac- 
ticed occasionally  in  Lorain.  Prominent  anuing  these 
were  W.  Silliui;in,  of  Woost(U',  and  C.  L.  Lattimer,  of 
Norwalk. 

Tlie  jieriod  from  1845  to  1800  witnessed  an  almost 
complete  change  in  the  personnel  of  the  Lorain  bar. 
About  thirty  new  men  came  to  the  bar  during  tiuit 
period,  and,  at  its  close,  Philemon  Bliss  remained  tlie 
only  resident  attorney  who  had  begun  practice  prior 
to  1845,  although  Mr.  Clark,  then  residing  in  Cleve- 
land, still  practiced  at  the  Lorain  bar.  Of  some  seven 
or  eight  of  those  who  came  to  the  practice  within  this 
period  it  is  proper  to  make  somewhat  extended  men- 
tion. 

Sylvester  Bagg,  who  has  since  served  a  number 
of  years  on  the  bench  in  a  sister  State,  was  born 


August  0,  1823,  at  Lanesborough,  Berkshire  county, 
Mass.  He  removed  to  Elyria  in  May,  1845,  and,  in 
1840,  entered  the  office  of  A.  A.  Bliss  as  a  partner, 
and  continued  in  the  practice  until  December,  1850, 
when  he  removed  from  Elyria.  During  his  residence 
in  Elyria  he  was  also  associated  with  Mr.  Edmund  A. 
West,  now  of  Chicago,  in  the  firm  of  Bagg  &  West, 
and  later  with  Mr.  George  Olmsted,  now  of  Elyria,  as 
Bagg  &  Olmsted.  He  also  engaged  at  times  in  the 
drug  and  insurance  business  while  in  Elyria.  After 
remaining  a  few  mouths  in  Ciiicago,  he  removed  to 
Iowa  in  March,  1857,  and  settled  at  Waterloo,  where 
he  now  resides.  He  was  commissioned  in  the  army 
as  A.  Q.  M.  with  the  rank  of  captain,  October  22, 1862, 
and  served  until  November  20,  1805,  being  discharged 
with  tlie  bi'evet  of  major.  He  was  elected  circuit 
judge  in  1808,  and  re-elected  in  1S72  and  1876,  and 
elected  district  judge  in  1878,  which  office  he  now 
holds. 

Stevenson  Burke  was  bom  in  St.  Lawrence 
county.  New  York,  November  20,  1826.  He  com- 
menced studying  law  in  the  office  of  Powell  &  Buck, 
at  Delaware,  Ohio,  and  afterwards  went  into  the  office 
of  U.  D.  Clark  at  Elyria,  where  he  continued  till  his 
admission  to  the  bar,  August  11,  1848.  In  the  fol- 
lowing March  he  entered  into  partnership  witli  Mr. 
Clark,  which  partnership  continued  until  May  or 
June,  1852.  He  continued  to  reside  at  Elyria  with  a 
rapidly  increasing  practice  until  1801,  when  he  was 
elected  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  for  the 
counties  of  Lorain,  Medina  and  Summit.  Prior  to 
his  elevation  to  the  liench  he  was  associated  for  a 
short  time  with  Mr.  Lake  and  Mr.  Sheldon,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Burke,  Lake  &  Sheldon.  This  firm, 
however,  lasted  but  a  short  time.  In  1857  he  was 
associated  with  E.  F.  Poppleton,  and,  in  1800,  with 
H.  II.  Poppleton. 

Mr.  Burke  was  a  sound  and  thorougli  lawyer  antl  ;i. 
man  of  remarkable  industry,  being,  no  doubt,  the 
hardest  working  lawyer  who  ever  practiced  at  the 
Lorain  bar.  He  was  elected  to  the  common  pleas 
bench  October,  1861,  and  took  his  seat  the  February 
following,  and  continued  to  hold  the  office  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1809,  having  been  re-elected  in  1860.  He  re- 
signed his  office  January  1,  1809,  his  resignation 
taking  effect  at  the  end  of  the  judicial  year  the  9th 
of  the  following  February.  Immediately  upon  his 
resignation  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Backus, 
Estep  &  Bnrke  in  Cleveland,  Messrs.  Backus  and 
Estep  having  previously  been  partners  in  the  practice 
in  that  city.  Judge  Bnrke  also  kept  for  a  time  an 
office  in  Elyria,  where  he  still  resided,  in  connection 
with  Mr.  II.  H.  Poppleton.  This  was  soon  discon- 
tinued, however.  Not  long  after  Mr.  Burke  went  to 
Cleveland  tlie  partnership  of  which  he  was  a  member 
was  broken  up  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Backus.  After  a 
short  time  more  Messrs.  Estep  &  Burke  dissolved 
their  connection,  since  which  Judge  Burke  has  been 
practicing  alone  in  Cleveland,  and  doing  a  large  and 
higlilv  lucrative  business.     He  has  become  interested 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


51 


in  several  railroad  and  other  corporations,  and  is  at 
)>resent  a  director  and  chairman  of  tlie  finance  com- 
mittee of  the  C,  0.,  C.  &  I.  R'y  Co.,  and  general 
counsel  of  the  company,  and  occupies  the  same  posi- 
tion witli  reference  to  the  Cleveland  and  Mahoning 
\'alley  R.  R.  Co.,  and  holds  prominent  positions  in  a 
number  of  other  railroad,  mining  and  manufacturing 
corjiorations. 

JouN  M.  Vincent  was  bcjrn  at  Mount  Washing- 
ton, Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  October  14,  1830.  He 
came  to  Ohio  in  1834.  His  collegiate  course  was 
begun  at  Oberliii,  but  concluded  at  Union  College, 
Schenectady,  Now  York,  where  he  graduated  in  1846. 
Returning  to  Elyria,  he  entered  the  office  of  H.  D. 
Clark  as  a  law  student^  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  the  supreme  court  in  Elyria  August  11,  1848.  En- 
tering at  once  npon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  he 
was  elected  in  the  fall  of  tlie  following  year  to  the 
office  of  prosecuting  attorney  of  Lorain  county,  which 
he  held  two  consecutive  terms,  being  re-elected  in 
18.51.  He  was  elected  to  the  same  office  again  in 
1855  and  served  one  more  term.  Mr.  Vincent  was  a 
man  of  quick  and  accurate  perceptions,  a  thorough 
lawyer,  a  ready  and  effective  debater,  and  withal  a 
genial,  kind-hearted  gentleman.  With  such  qualifi- 
cations he  could  not  but  occupy,  as  he  did,  a  promi- 
nent position  at  the  bar  as  long  as  his  health  per- 
mitted him  to  continue  in  the  practice.  He  was 
elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  State  legislature  in 
tlie  autumn  of  1859,  and  served  in  that  body  during 
tlie  session  of  18C0  and  1861.  This  legislative  work 
was  substantially  the  last  of  his  life.  Failing  healtji 
forljade  his  continuing  in  the  jiractice  of  his  profes- 
sion, and,  in  the  summer  of  1863,  he  went  to  Minne- 
sota in  hope  of  improving  liis  health  by  change  of 
climate;  but,  finding  himself  growing  rapidly  worse, 
he  started  to  return  home,  but  was  compelled  to  leave 
tiie  cars  at  Milwaukee,  where  he  died  Sejitember  23. 
1863,  mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acijuain- 
tances.     His  wife  and  son  still  reside  at  Elyria. 

LioNKL  A.  Sheldon  was  born  August  30,  1831,  at 
Worcester,  Otsego  county,  New  York,  and  removed 
with  his  parents  to  LaGrange,  Lorain  county,  in  1834. 
He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Clark  &  Burke,  in- 
Elyria,  and  also  attended  law  school  at  Poughkeepsie, 
New  York,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
supreme  court  at  Elyria,  in  July,  1851. 

In  September,  1853,  he  commenced  practice  in 
connection  with  Mr.  Vincent,  which  partnership 
lasted  some  two  years.  He  was  subse(iuently  asso- 
ciated, at  different  times,  with  George  15.  Lake,  L.  B. 
Smith,  and  W.  W.  Boynton.  He  remained  in  Elyria, 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  until  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  in  1861.  He  held  the 
office  of  probate  judge,  from  November  35,  1856,  to 
February  8,  1858,  filling  out  the  unexpired  term  of 
William  F.  Lockwood. 

In  August,  1861,  he  entered  the  army  as  captain 
in  the  3d  Ohio  cavalry,  and  was  snbseipiently  a  major 
in  the  same  regiment.     At  the  organization  of  the 


43d  Ohio  volunteer  infantry,  he  was  commissioned  its 
lieutenant-colonel,  and  on  the  promotion  of  its  col- 
onel, James  A.  Garfield,  he  became  colonel  of  the 
regiment,  and  served  with  distinction  throughout 
the  war,  receiving  toward  the  close  of  the  war,  the 
rank  of  brevet  brigadier  general. 

After  the  close  of  the  conflict,  he  settled  in  New 
Orleans,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
and  also  became  interested  in  politics.  Ho  was 
elected  to  congress  in  1868,  1870,  and  1873,  and 
served  with  credit  in  those  three  congresses.  In 
1876,  he  was  one  of  the  presidential  electors  of  the 
state  of  Louisiana.  He  still  resides  in  New  Orleans; 
spending  his  summers,  however,  on  liis  large  farm 
in  LaGrange,  Lorain  county,  the  home  of  his  boy- 
hood. 

George  B.  Lake  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Elyria,  July,  1851,  and  practiced  in  Elyria,  with 
credit,  until  about  1857,  when  he  removed  to  Omaha, 
where  he  still  resides.  He  has  attained  tliere  a 
marked  eminence  in  his  profession,  and  now  occupies 
a  seat  ujion  the  bench  of  the  sujjreme  court  of 
Nebraska. 

Houston  H.  Popplbton  was  born  at  Bellville, 
Richland  county,  Ohio,  March  10,  1836.  He  removed 
with  his  father  to  Delaware,  Ohio,  in  March,  1853, 
and  entered  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  university,  at  that 
place,  the  same  year,  from  which  institution  he  grad- 
uated June  38,  1858. 

lie  commenced  studying  law  with  Mr.  Burke,  in 
Elyria,  September  9,  1858,  and  continued  with  him 
till  he  entered  the  Cincinnati  law  college,  October 
15,  1859,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Cincinnati 
April  16, 1860.  He  commenced  the  jiractice  of  law  at 
Elyria,  May  3,  1860,  having  formed  a  jiartnership 
with  Judge  Burke;  and  continued  in  the  general 
practice  until  December  1,  1873,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed general  attorney  of  the  Cleveland,  Columbus, 
Cincinnati  &  Indianapolis  Railway  Conijiany,  with 
headquarters  at  Cleveland,  and  at  once  took  charge 
of  the  entire  legal  department  of  that  comj^any,  which 
position  he  still  holds,  and  fills  with  marked  ability. 

Washington  W.  Boynton  was  born  iu  Russia, 
Lorain  county,  January  37,  1833.  He  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools,  studied  law,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  by  the  district  court  of  Lorain 
county,  at  its  September  term,  1856,  and  immediately 
commenced  practice.  In  March,  1859,  upon  the 
resignation,  by  Mr,  George  Olmsted,  of  the  office  of 
prosecuting  attorney,  he  was  appointed  by  the  court 
to  fill  the  vacancy  for  the  unexpired  term,  which 
ended   the  first  Monday  of  the  following  January. 

In  October,  of  the  same  year,  (1859),  he  was  elected 
to  the  same  office,  and  continued  to  discharge  its 
duties  with  credit  to  himself,  and  satisfaction  to  the 
public,  until  January,  1864,  having  been  re-elected  in 
the  fall  of  1861.  Mr.  Boynton  continued  in  the 
practice  of  the  law,  at  Elyria,  with  the  exception  of 
a  short  residence  in  Minnesota,  whither  he  went  on 
account  of  his  health,  until  February,  1869,  when  he 


52 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


was  appointed  by  tlio  governor  to  tlie  office  of  com- 
mon jileas  Judge,  left  vacant  by  tlie  resignation  of 
llou.  Stevenson  Burke.  In  October,  of  the  same 
year,  he  was  elected  to  that  office,  for  the  remainder 
of  .Tudgc  Burke's  term,  which  expired  February,  1873. 
In  liie  fall  of  1S71,  lie  was  re-ek'cted  for  a  full  term, 
which  expired  February,  1877,  at  wliich  time  he 
entered  upon  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  a  judge 
of  the  supremo  court,  having  been  elected  to  that 
office  in  October,  187G.  He  is  still  a  member  of  the 
supreme  court. 

A  considerable  number  of  lawyers  commenced  i)rae- 
tiee  m  Lorain  county  during  this  time,  and  remained 
for  longer  or  shorter  periods,  including  some  who  are 
still  at  the  bar,  who  will  be  mentioned  hereafter. 

These  were  George  T.  Smith,  1845  to  1854. 

Edmund  A.  West,  184G  to  1853.  He  was  tlie  son 
of  Edmund  West,  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Elyria. 
On  leaving  Elyria  he  went  to  Chicago  where  he  is  still 
practicing  law,  making  a  .specialty  of  patent  business. 

Elbuidge  G.  Boynton,  admitted  to  the  bar  Sep- 
tember, 1845,  died  in  Elyria  in  1857. 

John  Curtis,  1847  to  1851. 

John  G.  Irving,  admitted  August  20,  1847. 

Bird  B.  Chapman,  admitted  in  Elyria  in  1843, 
practiced  there  for  a  time,  about  1849  to  1853. 

George  G.  Washburn  practiced  law  from  1849  to 
1853.  He  then  al)andonod  the  law  and  devoted  him- 
self to  journalism,  and  still  resides  in  Elyria,  the 
editor  and  publisher  of  the  Elyria  Rejniblican. 

John  Sherman,  1851. 

E.  C.  K.  Garvey,  1851-3. 

Schuyler  Putnam  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852, 
at  the  first  term  of  the  district  court  under  the  consti- 
tution of  1851.  He  was  a  great-grandson  of  General 
Israel  Putnam  of  revolutionary  war  fame.  Says  Mr. 
H.  D.  Clark  in  a  recent  letter,  speaking  of  Mr.  Put- 
nam: ''He  came  to  the  bar  at  an  advanced  age,  ripe 
in  judgment  and  experience.  He  had  a  good  legal 
mind,  and  in  a  long  number  of  years  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  never  gave  an  opinion  that  was  reversed  by 
a  higher  court.  He  was  a  moral,  conscientious,  up- 
right man." 

C.  G.  Finney,  Oberlin,  1854.  He  was  a  son  of  the 
celebrated  divine.  Reverend  C.  G.  Finney,  for  many 
years  president  of  Oberlin  college.  He  returned  to 
Oberlin  a  few  years  ago  and  entered  into  partnership 
with  I.  A.  Webster,  but  his  health  permitted  him  to 
remain  only  a  short  time. 

John  M.  Langston,  Oberlin,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Elyria  in  1855,  and  practiced  at  Oberlin  until 
;ii)out  18G7.  He  now  resides  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
wliere  he  is  a  law  lecturer  in  Howard  University. 

From  1857  to  1859  Samuel  and  Ralph  Plumb 
practiced  law  in  Oberlin  under  the  name  of  Plumb 
and  Plumb,  and  Ralph  seems  by  the  court  record  to 
have  continued  until  1861.  Samuel  Plumb  organized 
a  bank  in  Oberlin  under  the  name  of  "S.  Plumb's 
Bank,"  whicli,  on  the  jiassage  of  the  National  liank- 
inu;  act  was  converted  into  the  "  First  National  Bank 


of  Oberlin,"  of  which  Mr.  Plumb  was  president  as 
long  as  he  resided  in  Oberlin.  Both  gentlemen  now 
reside  at  Streator,  Illinois. 

Cyrus  B.  Baldwin  resided  at  Oberlin  and  did  a 
small  law  business  between  1858  and  1805. 

Laertes  B.  Smith  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Elyria,  in  September,  1858,  and  practiced  in  Elyria, 
holding  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  several 
terms,  until  June  1,  1871,  when  he  was  appointed 
probate  judge,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the 
resignation  of  John  W.  Steele.  He  was  elected  to 
that  office  tlie  same  year  for  the  unexi)ired  term 
and  still  holds  the  office,  having  been  re-elected  in 
1873,  1875  and  1878. 

Edward  D.  Holbrook,  son  of  Dexter  Holbiuok 
who  still  resides  in  Elyria,  was  born  in  Elyria  October 
10,  1835,  studied  law  with  Johnson  and  Rex  in  Woos- 
ter,  and  was  admitted  at  that  place  in  May,  1857.  He 
commenced  practice  in  Elyria  in  1858,  and  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1861  when  he  removed  to  Califor- 
nia, where  he  remained  studying  the  mining  laws  until 
May  17,  1863,  when  he  removed  to  Idaho  territory, 
where  he  rapidly  rose  to  prominence  and  acquired  an 
extensive  practice.  He  represented  that  territory  as 
delegate  in  the  thirty-ninth  and  f.irtieth  congresses. 
He  continued  to  reside  in  Idaho,  attending  to  his 
increasing  professional  duties  until  his  death.  He 
was  murdered  by  Charles  H.  Douglas,  at  Idaho  City, 
June  19,  1870. 

Theodore  H.  Robertson  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  Elyria  in  August,  1848,  and  remained  in  Elyria  in 
the  practice  some  five  or  six  years. 

Washburn  Safford  practiced  in  Elyria  for  two  or 
three  years,  beginning  in  1855,  in  partnership  with 
.Judge  Pliilemon  Bliss,  under  the  name  of  Bliss  and 
Safford.  Daring  a  portion  of  this  time  R.  H.  Allen, 
who  practiced  in  Oberlin,  was  also  a  member  of  the 
firm,  the  title  at  the  Oberlin  office  being  Bliss,  Allen 
and  Safford.  Mr.  Allen  remained  in  Oberlin  a  year 
or  so  after  the  dissolution  of  this  firm. 

H.  C.  Safford  also  practiced  law  a  few  years  in 
Ob'^rlin,  about  the  same  time. 

Anson  P.  Dayton  opened  a  law  otllce  in  Oberlin 
in  the  summer  of  1856,  and  remained  there  about  two 
years. 

The  period  from  1800  to  the  present  time  can 
scarcely  be  called  historical,  and  must  be  passed  over 
rapidly.  It  has  witnessed  the  advent  of  many  more 
lawyers  than  any  other  period  of  e(pial  length;  but  a 
majority  of  them  are  still  young  men,  and  the  time 
has  not  yet  arrived  for  them  to  have  reached  the 
eminence  and  distinction  to  which  many  of  the  older 
members  of  the  Lorain  bar  have  attained. 

The  most  conspicuous  figure  among  the  men  who 
have  come  to  the  Lorain  bar  within  this  period  is  Hon. 
John  C.  Hale,  one  of  the  jiresent  judges  of  the  court 
of  common  pleas.  He  was  born  March  3,  1831,  at  Or- 
ford.  New  Hampshire,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
College  in  1857.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Cleveland  in   the  spring  of  1861,   and  immediately 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


53 


rcmuveil  lo  Elyriu  in  coiiiiiany  willi  J.  C.  Hill,  witli 
whiini  1k'  liail  foi-nit'd  a  jiartiienshii),  uiidiT  the  iiaine 
oi'  Hale  &  Hill,  ami  tlicy  opened  a  law  office  in  tlie 
room  occupied  by  Jolin  M.  Viiieeiit.  This  ]iartiier- 
ship  eoiitinued  one  year,  wlieii  Mr.  Hale  went  iiif-o 
])MrtiH'rship  witli  W.  W.  Boyiitoii.  lie  ro.se  ra))idly 
ill  his  pi'ot'ession,  and  in  18fi:3  was  elected  to  the  otliee 
of  prosecuting  attorney,  which  he  held  six  years  coti- 
secutively,  being  re-elected  in  18ii.j  and  1807.  lie 
represented  Lorain  county  in  the  constitutional  cou- 
vention  of  1873-4,  and  in  187G  was  elected  common 
pleas  judge,  succeeding  Judge  Boyntou.  He  is  still 
on  the  common  pleas  bench. 

We  shall  now  pass  rapidly  over  the  gentlemen  who 
have  been  members  of  the  Lorain  bar  since  1860  and 
who  are  not  now  in  the  practice  there,  and  close 
this  sketch  with  a  mention  of  the  attorneys  now  resi- 
dent in  the  county. 

0ii4KLKs  A.  WiiKiHT  commenced  practice  in  Elyria- 
in  1800  and  remained  there  a  year  or  two. 

Lewis  Breckeneidge  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
18.39,  commenced  practice  in  Elyria  in  1861  and  I'c- 
mained  until  1873  when  he  removed  to  Cleveland 
where  he  now  resides  and  practices. 

J.  C  Hill  came  to  Elyria  as  an  attorney  in  1801, 
as  already  mentioned,  as  a  partner  with  J.  C.  Hale. 
He  remained  in  the  practice  until  186-1,  when  he 
abandoned  it  and  engaged  in  other  business.  He  is 
now  a  resident  of  Elyria  and  cashier  of  the  Savings 
l)eix>sit  Bank. 

Andrew  Morehouse  apjjcars  as  an  attorney  on  the 
records  in  1863. 

James  B.  Huiii-nREY  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Elyria  in  1803,  and  practiced  there  until  1867  or 
1868,  when  he  removed  to  Allegan,  Michigan,  where 
he  still  resides.  He  is,  or  recently  was,  probate  judge 
of  Allegan  county,  and  occupies  a  prominent  position 
at  the  bar  there. 

O.MAR  Bailey,  .Jr.,  practiced  law  in  Oberlin  from 
1803  to  1807,  when  he  removed  to  Norwalk,  Huron 
county,  where  he  still  resides. 

KoswELL  G.  HoRR  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the 
exjjiration  of  his  term  as  clerk  of  the  court  in  1804, 
and  entered  into  partnership  with  J.  C.  Hale.  He 
continued  in  the  practice  about  two  years,  when  he 
removed  to  Missouri.  He  subse(juently  removed  to 
East  vSaginaw,  Michigan,  where  he  still  resides.  He 
was  elected  to  Congress  from  that  district  at  the 
election  in  November,  1878. 

II.  M.  LiLLiE  had  a  law  ofHce  in  Elyria  a  few 
months  in  1864,  but  did  little  or  no  business. 

A.  R.  HiLLYER  opened  a  law  office  in  Oberlin  in 
1805,  and  remained  there  a  year  or  two,  when  he 
removed  to  Grinuell,  Iowa. 

Herbert  L.  Terrell  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Pllyria  in  September,  1804,  aiul  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  W.  W.  Boynton,  remaining  about  a  year. 
He  then  removed  to  Tennessee,  but  subsequently 
returned  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Cleveland,  where  he 
is  now  practicing. 


I).  L.  ]?RECKINRII)(IE  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1806,  but  continued  to  reside  on  his  farm  in  (irafton 
till  his  death,  in  1878,  never  devoting  himself  e.xclu- 
sively  to  the  law. 

A.  C.  HouiiHTON  went  into  partnershi]i  with  J.  II. 
Dickson,  at  Wellington,  in  1808,  and  ivmained  in  tiie 
l)ractice  there  until  about  1873,  when  he  removed  to 
Toledo. 

M.  W.  I'oND,  Jr.,  in  partnership  with  C.  H.  ! too- 
little,  practiced  in  Elyria  in  1869.  Ho  removed  to 
Pennsylvania.,  but  subse<iuently  i-eturned  to  Cleveland, 
where  he  now  resides,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  the 
law. 

(jL'stavus  V.  Bayley  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1873,  and  in  the  fall  of  1873  settled  at  Black  River 
(now  Lorain),  and  engaged  also  in  the  lumber  business. 
He  continued  to  reside  there  until  1877,  when  he 
removed  to  St.  Louis.  His  law  pi-actice  was  very 
nu'ager. 

Meric  J.  Sloan  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Elyria 
in  September,  1873,  and  had  an  office  for  a  short  time 
in  Oberlin. 

P.  L.  Chandler  removed  fi-om  Wisconsin  to 
Oberlin  in  1875,  and  opened  a  law  office  there.  He 
remained  there  about  a  year. 

.Joseph  C.  Colllster  studied  law  with  Hon.  J.  II. 
Dickson,  at  "Wellington,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1874.  He  entei-ed  into  pa^rtnership  with  his  pre- 
ceptor, and  remained  one  year,  when  he  left  the 
County. 

D.  C.  Bruce,  from  Pennsylvania,  opened  a  law 
otfice  in  Elyria  in  1875,  and  remained  about  a  year. 

C.  A.  Brintnall  came  to  Elyiia,  from  Medina,  in 
the  summer  of  1870,  with  A.  R.  Webber,  who  still 
remains  there.  They  remained  in  partnership  a  few 
months,  when  they  dissolved  partnership,  and  Mr. 
Brintnall  left  the  county. 

Warren  W.  Sampsel,  son  of  Dr.  P.  W.  Sampsel, 
of  Elyria,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Norwalk  in  the 
si)ring  of  1878,  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
N.  L.  Johnson,  of  Elyria,  but  after  remaining  a  few 
nu)nths  he  removed  to  Toledo,  where  he  still  resides. 

Judge  Benjamin  Bissell  and  Mr.  Tinker,  both 
of  Paiuesville,  had  an  office  in  Elyria  in  1873,  in 
connection  with  Mr.  J.  V.  Coon,  niuler  the  luiine  of 
Bissell,  Coon  and  Tinker.  Judge  Bissell  died  recently 
in  Iowa.     Mr.  Tinker  still  resides  in  Painesville. 

The  present  bar  of  Lorain  county  consists  of  twenty- 
nine  members,  residing  in  all  parts  of  the  county,  but 
principally  of  course  at  the  county  seat. 

John  V.  Coon,  the  one  of  these  who  has  been 
longest  at  the  bar,  was  admitted  at  Elyria  in  August, 
1840,  and  has  continued  to  reside  in  Elyria  or  its 
mimediate  vicinity  ever  since,  and  has  kept  a  more  or 
less  intimate  connection  with  the  practice  during  all 
that  time.  He  has  not,  however,  devoted  himself 
exclusively  to  the  law,  having  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  manufacturing  enterprises,  and  real-estate 
siJceulations  in  Ohio  and  other  States,  during  a  very 
considerable  portion  of  that  time.    He  is  now  engaged 


54 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


in  practice,  and  has  a  very  considerable  reputation  as 
a  real  estate  lawyer. 

Charles  H.  Doolitte  came  to  theljar  in  Elyria  in 
1S")1.  lie  was  soon  after  elected  justice  of  tlie  jieaee, 
wliicli  (iMice  lie  lielil  aliout  six  years.  In  the  fail  of 
1857,  lie  was  elected  iirol)ate  juilyc  ami  held  that 
office  for  nine  years  from  the  following  February, 
being  re-elected  in  1860  and  18G3.  After  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  office  as  probate  judge,  he  removed 
for  a  siiort  time  to  Gainesville,  but  soon  returned  to 
Elyria,  where  he  still  resides.  For  several  years  past 
he  has  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace. 

Hon.  Joseph  H.  Dickson  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  August,  1853,  at  Elyria,  and  at  once  entered 
ui)on  the  practice  of  his  profession  there,  forming  a 
partnership  with  John  M.  Vincent.  In  the  fall  of 
1853  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney,  for  two 
years  from  the  succeeding  January.  In  December, 
1855,  he  dissolved  his  connection  with  Mr.  Vincent, 
and  removed  to  Wellington,  where  he  has  continued 
to  reside  up  to  the  present  time.  He  was  elected  to 
the  lower  house  of  the  state  legislature  in  18l!7  and 
1869.  He  still  occupies  a  leading  position  at  the 
Lorain  bar. 

GBOR<iE  Olmsted  came  from  New  York,  and 
entered  into  practice  in  Elyria  in  1853,  entering  into 
partnership  with  S.  Bagg,  as  Bagg  and  Olmsted.  He 
was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  in  October,  1857, 
and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  office  in  the  fol- 
lowing January.  He  resigned  the  office,  however,  in 
March,  1859,  afcer  having  served  a  little  over  one 
year.  He  then  removed  to  Indianapolis,  where  he 
staid  about  a  year,  when  he  returned,  and  continued 
to  reside  in  Elyria,  and  practice  law,  until  1862,  from 
which  time  he  was  absent  from  Elyria  about  four 
years.  He  returned  to  Elyria,  however,  in  1866, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  in  1871,  and  held  that  oftice  for  three  years, 
being  succeeded  l)y  Joshua  Myers. 

Charles  W.  Jouxston  came  to  Elyria  from  La- 
Grange,  where  he  had  formerly  practiced  medicine, 
and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  the  law  in  A]>ril, 
1859.  He  formed  a  partnership  with  Hon.  P.  Bliss, 
the  next  Septendjer,  under  the  name  of  Bliss  and 
Johnston,  which  continued  until  Judge  Bliss  removed 
to  Dakota,  in  1861.  Mr.  Johnston  continued  to 
devote  himself  exclusively  to  the  practice,  and  still 
resides  in  Elyria,  where  he  has  an  extensive  business. 
He  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  in  1869  and  1871. 

Elizuk  G.  Johnson"  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1861,  but  continued  to  reside  in  LaGrange,  where  he 
held  the  office  of  justice  of  tlie  peace  until  March, 
1869,  when  he  came  to  Elyria  to  assume  the  office  of 
county  auditor,  to  which  he  had  been  elected  the 
previous  October.  He  continued  to  hold  that  office 
until  November,  1877.  In  the  autumn  of  1876,  how- 
ever, he  opened  a  law  office  in  Elyria,  and  is  still 
engaged  in  the  practice. 

Norman  L.  Johnson  came  to  Elyna  from  Massa- 


chusetts in  1863  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  the 
law,  to  which  he  hiis  devoted  himself  ever  since,  and 
at  which  he  is  now  doing  a  very  considerable  business. 

Iral  a.  Webster  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Elyria 
in  September,  1867,  and  soon  after  opened  an  office 
in  Oberlin,  where  he  still  resides.  In  1877  he  also 
opened  an  office  in  Elyria. 

Charles  Downinu  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1867  in  Elyria,  where  he  still  resides.  He  has  de- 
voted his  attention  mainly,  however,  to  the  business 
of  insurance. 

P.  II.  BoYNTON  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1869 
and  is  still  practicing  in  Elyria. 

George  P.  Metcalf  was  admitted  in  1869.  He 
was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  in  1873,  1875  and 
1877,  and  still  holds  that  office. 

J.  M.  HoRD  removed  to  Elyria  from  Wood  county 
in  1S7'2,  and  is  still  in  practice. 

WiNSLOW  L.  Fay,  admitted  1870,  still  in  practice. 

E.  II.  HiNMAN  opened  an  office  in  1873  in  North 
Amherst,  where  he  is  still  practicing. 

Amos  Coe,  who  formerly  practised  law  in  Cleve- 
land, settled  on  a  farm  near  Elyria  about  1870.  He 
appears  in  court  occasionally. 

David  J.  Ny'e  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1873  and 
removed  to  Kansas.  He  returned  in  1873,  and,  in 
April,  1874,  opened  an  office  in  Elyria,  where  he  still 
resides. 

Walter  F.  Herrick  commenced  practicing  law  in 
Wellington  in  187-1,  and  is  still  there.  He  served  in 
the  Ohio  legislature  in  1860  and  1861,  and  was  a 
colonel  in  the  army  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion. 

J.  H.  Lanc;  has  been  practicing  law  in  Oberlin 
since  1874.     He  engages  also  in  other  business. 

Lkster  i\[(;LEAN  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  War- 
ren in  the  spring  of  1875,  and  immediately  removed 
to  Elyria,  where  he  is  still  engaged  iu  the  practice, — 
now  in  partnership  with  E.  G.  Johnson. 

A.  R.  Webber  came  to  Elyria  from  Medina  in 
1876,  and  is  still  engaged  in  practice  as  jiartner  with 
C.  W.  Johnston. 

CiiAS.  A.  Metcalf  was  a<lmitted  in  1877,  and  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  his  brother,  Geo.  P.  Met- 
calf, and  is  still  in  practice. 

J.  W.  Steele  was  admitted  to  the  bar  just  before 
tlie  lireaking  out  of  the  war.  He  entered  the  army 
and  served  through  the  war.  He  was  elected  probate 
judge  of  Lorain  county  in  1867,  and  held  that  office 
till  June  1,  1871,  when  he  resigned.  He  commenced 
practice  in  Oberlin  in  1877,  and  is  still  there. 

Wm.  H.  Tucker  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Cleve- 
land in  the  fall  of  1877.  He  engages  also  in  other 
business. 

John  H.  Faxon,  of  Elyria,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Columbus  in  1876.  Mr.  Faxon  is  an  old  resi- 
dent of  Lorain  county.  He  was  elected  sheriff  in 
1844  and  1846,  and  to  the  legislature  in  1873  and 
1875.  He  has  also  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace  for  a  considerable  number  of  years. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


55 


In  1877,  C.  G.  Jeffries,  an  attorney  of  several  years 
standing,  moved  to  Elyria  from  Akron  and  ojiened  a 
law  office,  and  is  still  in  tlic  practice. 

Ed.  C.  Manter  was  admitted  to  tlio  l)ar  in  April 
1878,  and  at  once  commenced  practice  in  Elyria. 

Fred.  A.  Beckwith  came  to  Elyria  in  tlie  snmmer 
of  1878,  and  entered  into  practice  in  tJie  office  of  I. 
A.  We])ster. 

Fred.  Weiwtek  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Nor- 
walk  in  the  spring  of  1878,  and  now  has  an  office  at 
Oljerlin. 

Alex.  H.  Perry,  of  Brownlielm,  was  admitted  to 
tlie  liar  in  ISCo,  but  still  resides  in  that  townsliip,  not 
engaging  in  active  practice. 

This  completes  the  list  of  the  members  of  the  bar 
of  Lorain  county.  This  bar,  throughout  its  history, 
lias  Ijeen  characterized  by  a  high  degree  of  morality 
and  integrity,  as  well  as  ability  and  learning  on  the 
part  of  the  members,  and  has  been  singularly  free 
from  that  which  has  been  the  bane  of  so  many  of  the 
greatest  and  most  brilliant  lawyers  of  the  country, 
the  addiction  to  the  use  of  intoxicating  li(:[uors. 

Ten  of  its  members  have  been  elevated  to  the  bench 
(aside  from  probate  judges)  and  held  fifteen  different 
judicial  positions,  viz:  Frederick  Whittlesey,  common 
])leas  judge  in  Ohio;  Philemon  Bliss,  common  pleas 
judge  in  Ohio,  territorial  chief  justice  of  Dakota, 
and  supreme  judge  of  Missouri;  William  F.  Lock- 
wood,  territorial  judge  of  Nebraska,  and  common 
pleas  judge  in  Ohio;  Eleazer  Wakeley,  territorial 
judge  of  Nebraska;  Gyrus  Olney,  judge  in  Iowa;  S. 
Bagg,  circuit  and  district  judge  in  Iowa;  S.  Burke, 
common  pleas  judge  in  Ohio;  George  B.  Lake,  su- 
]ii-eme  judge  of  Nebraska;  W.  W.  Boynton,  common 
pleas  andsuprome  judge  in  Ohio;  and  .John  C.  Hale, 
common  pleas  judge  in  Ohio. 

Four  Lorain  lawyers  have  been  members  of  congress, 
holding  in  all  eight  terms:  E.  S.  Hamlin,  one  term; 
Philenron  Bliss,  two  terms;  Lionel  A.  Sheldon  three 
terms  and  E.  U.  Holbrook,  (delegate)   two  terms. 

The  bar  furnished  one  of  the  delegates,  Mr.  Clark, 
to  the  constitutional  convention  of  18.50,  and  the 
single  one,  Mr.  Hale,  to  that  of  1873.  Two  former 
Lorain  lawyers  are  lecturers  in  law  schools:  .Judge 
Bliss  and  Mr.  Langston;  and  two.  Judge  Bliss  and 
Mr.  Tiffany,  are  the  authors  of  legal  treatises. 

So  far  as  the  writer  has  been  able  to  learn  Philemon 
Bliss  seems  to  have  held  the  largest  number  of  im- 
portant official  positions:  two  terms  in  congress,  and 
(including  probate  judgeships)  five  different  judicial 
positions. 

To  Mr.  Slyers  belongs  the  distinction  of  having 
been  the  longest  at  the  bar,  from  1844  to  1877.  The 
next  longest,  and  by  far  the  longest  practice  of  the 
leading  lawyers  of  the  bar,  was  that  of  Mr.  H.  D. 
Clark,  from  1834  to  1865. 

With  this  we  take  our  leave  of  the  bar.  It  is  suf- 
ficient to  say  of  it  in  closing,  that  it  has  stood  high 
compared  with  those  of  similar  counties,  for  learning, 
industry,  integrity  and  eloquence. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE  PRESS  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY.* 

Newspapers  are  both  "annals"  and  "history." 
Not  only  do  their  columns  contain  a  record  of  events 
in  chronological  order,  but  the  causes  and  effects  of 
such  events  are  also  considered.  Newspapers  also 
contain  a  perfect  record  of  their  own  history;  but, 
like  any  other  record,  it  is  of  no  use  to  mankind 
unless  it  is  carefully  preserved.  In  the  early  days 
of  a  new  settlement,  the  pioneers  have  enough  bur- 
dens to  bear,  enough  present  wants  to  supply,  to 
engross  all  their  time,  without  giving  thought  to 
what  their  children,  in  after  years,  may  desire  to 
know  of  the  details  of  their  pioneer  life;  hence  the 
rarity  of  the  record  of  those  events,  and  the  difficulty 
of  obtaining,  in  many  cases,  any  correct  data  concern- 
ins  them.  It  is  doubtless  for  the  same  reason  that 
publishers  of  newspapers  took  so  little  pains  in  pioneer 
times  to  preserve  tlieir  files.  With  the  exception  of 
two  volumes,  no  files  have  been  preserved  of  any 
newspapers  published  in  this  county  prior  to  1850. 
Wlieu  it  is  known  that  there  were  almost  yearly 
changes  in  the  ownership  and  editorial  management 
of  these  early  publicatiDUS,  and  that  only  straggling 
copies  can  now  be  found,  the  difficulty  in  giving  an 
accurate  history  of  the  preps  in  this  county  will  be 
apparent;  but  through  the  interest  taken  in  this  labor 
by  many  who  were  formerly  connected  therewitli,  and 
the  kindness  of  others  who  have  forwarded  occasional 
copies  of  the  early  publications,  these  obstacles  have 
been  chietiy  overcome,  and,  with  the  conviction  that 
the  labor  of  rescuing  these  interesting  details  from 
oblivion  was  undertaken  none  to  soon,  the  reader  may 
rest  assuied  that  tlie  liistory  of  the  nearly  three  dozen 
newspapers  and  otlier  periodicals  tliat  have  been  ])uh- 
lislicd  ill  this  county  will  be  found  substantially 
correct.  The  history  of  each  publication  will  be 
given  in  the  order  of  its  date,  commencing  in  Elyria; 
and,  as  a  matter  of  equal  public  interest,  a  brief  notice 
of  those  who  were  prominently  connected  with  them 
is  appended. 

THE    LORAIN    GAZETTE. 

The  first  newspaper  printed  in  Lorain  county  was 
called  The  Lorain  Gazette,  published  in  Elyria  by 
Archibald  S.  Park,  who  in  the  spring  of  18-^9  was 
conducting  a  newspaper  in  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  called 
The  Western  Journal.  Desiring  to  change  his  loca- 
tion, he  came  to  Elyria,  and  made  arrangements 
with  Mr.  Heman  Ely  to  purchase  the  necessary 
material  for  a  newspaper  and  job  office.  On  his 
return,  he  sent  him  a  bill  in  detail  of  the  articles 
needed,  which  Mr.  Ely  forwarded  to  New  York 
The  material  was  shii)i)ed  on  the  6th  of  May, 
by  way  of  the  Hudson  river  and  canal  to  Buffalo, 
thence  by  steamer  to  Cleveland,  and  thence  to  Elyria 
in  wagons.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  bill  and 
accompanying  letter,  found  among  the  papers  of  the 


*  By  George  G.  Washburn. 


56 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


late  Heiniiii  Ely.  It  shows  th;it  at  that  day  it 
required  but  a  small  sum  to  purchase  what  was  then 
considered  a  sufficient  outlit  for  a  newspaper  and  job 
office: 

11  KM  AN  Ely  to  E.  White,  dr. 

To  S09  Uis.  Small  Pica  40c  JSJ  60 

"      4 2-line 44  176 

"  56    "      H  oz.  Bgs 50  !J8  33 

"      2    "    10    "    '•   2-liue 44  1  15 

"      8    "    12    "  Canon,  shade 32  2  SO 

"  12    "    Canon  llower's 38  4  56 

"      5    •'    Small  Pica  (lowers  40  ■    2  00 

"  49    '•    4  OE.  Paragon 36  17  73 

"  35    **    Canon 32  1120 

"  13  oz.  L.  P.  spaces,  etc  42  34 

*'  11  oz.  Brevier   do         60  41 

"      4lbsLeads.. 30  1  20 

"       1  Fount  2-line  Pearl 1  .52 

"      1      '■      Rlinion  Caps 162 

"       1       *'       Brevier  Antitiue  102 

•'      1      "      Pica,  black  128 

"      2  Large  Dashes 1  00 

"  22  Small  Dashes .50 

"      IHorseCut 5  50 

"  24  Cuts,  assorted 8  20 

"  17!4  feet  Common  Rule 37)^  6  50 

'■      4       •'    Double        "        37!^  150 

"  12        "    Single          "     10  120 

2  Composing  Sticks  4  00 

"       1             "                "      3  00 

"  30  lbs.  News  Ink 33  9  90 

1  Keg  for  Ink 50 

1  Post  Office  Stamp 75 

$-»2  55 

"      3  Boxes  .   40c      120 

"        Cartage 25 

"      1  Super  Royal  Ramage  Press 7()  00 

*'         Boxing,  Packing,  etc.,  of  Press 6  00 

Cartage  on  Press 50 

77  95 

J2S0  50 

(Jii  tlie  mai'sin  is  writien  in  pencil — 

Paid  Freight $17  98 

On  the  opposite  page  of  the  aljove  Ijill  is  the  follow- 
ing letter: 

"New  York,  May  6th,  1H29. 
"  Heman  Ely,  Esq.— 

"  Dear  Sir:— Herewitli  you  have  a  bill  of  articles  shipped  you  tliis 
day.  I  think  it  to  be  judiciously  arranged  for  a  country  office.  Not 
finding  any  second-hand  type  that  I  judged  would  please  you,  and  as  I 
have  reduced  the  pi-ice  oi  my  small  pica  6  per  cent.,  and  my  bourgoise 
S  per  cent,  per  pound,  and  the  price  of  other  sizes  about  in  the  same 
proportion.  I  concluded  it  l>est  to  send  you  new  type.  Should  you 
find  anything  wanting,  name  it,  and  it  shall  lie  sent.  The  press, 
boxing  and  cartage  I  have  charged  only  at  what  I  had  to  pay,  which  is 
$10  less  than  you  could  have  got  it  at  had  you  applied  in  person.  I 
purchase  largely  of  the  man,  and  my  custom  is  an  object  to  him.  It 
my  bill  is  to  be  charged  to  you  as  a  cash  sale^  you  will  be  entitled  to  a 
disct.  of  714  per  cent,  on  all  but  the  press,  b<)xes  and  cartage,  viz:  on 
$202.5.5,  which  disct.  I  shall  have  to  credit  you  in  account. 

"  Yours  Sincei-ely,  E.  White, 

"per  John  T.  White." 

Mr.  Ely  remitted  the  cash,  thus  saving  nearly  tjie 
amount  of  freight  in  the  discount. 

Mr.  Park  sold  his  pa]ier  in  Aslitahula,  and  removed 
to  Elyria  with  his  family,  arriving  June  18,  1829. 
The  press,  known  as  tlie  "two-pull  Ramage,"  con- 
structed almost  entirely  of  wood,  was  put  up  in  the 
small  one-story  building,  two  dooi-s  cast  of  East 
avenue,  on  the  south  side  of  ]5road  street,  (now  No. 
22,)  where  the  first  number  of  the  Lorain  Gazette 
was  issued  July  24.  1829.  The  first  stickful  of  type 
set  iu  this  county  was  by  Calvin  Hall,  then  si.xteen 


years  old,  who  accompanied  Mr.  Park  from  Ashtabula 
as  an  apprentice.  It  is  made  a  part  of  this  record, 
not  only  as  a  matter  of  general  interest,  but  because 
it  is  doubtful  if  the  same  number  of  high-sounding 
words  have  since  been  compressed  into  a  single  stick- 
ful.    It  was  as  follows: 

[from  the  literary  chronicle.] 
"THE  RENEGADE." 
"The  sack  of  the  city  had  commenced.  The  fire  darted  from  a 
hundred  roofs;  the  crash  of  broken  bars  and  bolts  rang  through  the 
bloodstained  streets  of  the  long  ])eaceful  Mother  of  the  Arts.  Barbar- 
ians of  gigantic  stature,  their  hair  flowing  wildly  on  their  shoulders,  and 
wielding  spears  of  prodigious  length,  with  fierce  gestures  and  dissonant 
cries,  trampled  the  venerable  halls  of  the  Areoimgus,  and  violated  the 
holy  stillness  of  the  Parthenon." 

The  Gazette  was  a  five  column  folio,  sent  by  mail 
for  two  dollars,  and  delivered  in  the  village  for  two 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  year.  In  politics,  it  sup- 
ported the  whig  party.  A  copy  of  the  first  number, 
now  in  the  Elyria  library,  contains  the  name  of  "A 
S.  Park,  printer,  publisher,  and  proi^rietor. "  Fred- 
erick Whittlesey  was  editor  of  the  paper,  for  the  first 
six  months,  after  which  its  publisher  assumed  entire 
charge,  and  its  columns  were  chiefly  filletl  with 
selected  miscellany  and  news  items.  In  the  fall  of 
1830,  Mr.  Abraham  Burrell,  also  a  practical  printer, 
became  a  partner  in  the  paper,  and  its  publication 
was  continuetl  by  Park  &  15urrcll,  until  the  spring  of 
1832,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  James  F. 
Manter,  who  changed  its  name  to  The  Elyria  Times. 
Only  an  occasional  copy  of  the  Gazette  is  now  extant. 

Archibald  8.  Park  served  his  apprenticeship  iu  the 
office  of  Ileacock  &  Bowen,  publishers  of  the  Ashta- 
bula liecorder.  He  was  sul>se<piently  connected  with 
two  more  journals  in  Elyria,  and  not  finding  the  bus- 
mess  sufficiently  lucrative,  abandoned  the  case  in 
1834,  and  engaged  iu  other  business.  He  still  lives 
in  Elyria,  hale  and  hearty,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years,  where  he  has  ever  sustained  the  character  of  an 
honest  and  ujiright  citizen. 

Frederick  Whittlesey,  the  pioneer  editor  of  the 
county,  removed  to  Cleveland  in  1835,  where  he  died 
November  13,  1854,  aged  fifty-three  years.  He  was 
held  in  high  esteem,  and  among  various  offices  that 
he  filled  with  credit,  were  that  of  clerk  of  the  Cuyahoga 
court  of  common  pleas,  and  senator  in  the  legislature 
from  Cuyahoga,  county,  for  several  years. 

Abraham  Burrell  was  tliorouohly  taught  the  print- 
ers' art  in  the  state  of  New  York.  lie  came  to  Elyria 
in  the  spring  of  1830.  and  went  lo  work  as  coinitositor 
in  the  Gazette  office.  He  was  subsecpiently  printer  of 
the  Oliio  Atlas.  Jlvrkeye  Sentinel,  Elyria  t'ovrier, 
Lorain  Anjus,  Lorain  Eagle,  and  for  a  nnnd)er  of 
years  of  the  lt'de2]enilent  Eemoerat,  published  by  the 
writer,  in  whose  emjiloyment  he  died  November  23, 
1808,  at  the  age  of  sixty -nine  years.  Mr.  Burrell  was 
emjihatically  the  veteran  printer  of  Lorain  county. 
He  was  a  man  of  remarkable  industry,  was  strictly 
honest  in  his  dealings,  but  he  experienced  many  of 
the  ups  and  downs  incident  to  his  profession.  He 
was  better  fitted  for  the  mechanical  than  the  business 
dejiarlinent  of  a  newspaper,  and  worked  more  hours 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


57 


in  a  day,  and  more  days  in  a  week,  than  any  person 
wlio  li.-i.s  ever  lived  so  long  in  Elyria. 

THE  ELYIUA  TIMES. 

This  paper  immediately  succeeded  the  GcaeUc,  and 
also  supported  the  whig  party.  Mr.  Manter  pub- 
lished it  three  months,  without  changing  its  size  or 
l)rioe.  under  promises  of  adequate  support,  which 
were  not  realized,  and  about  the  first  of  June,  18.')'3, 
he  sold  the  office  and  good  will  to  A.  S.  Park  and 
Josiah  A.  Ilari'is,  who  added  new  material,  enlarged 
the  sheet,  and  changed  its  name  to  'Ihe  Ohio  Atlas 
and  Elyria  Advertiser. 

My.  Manter  learned  the  art  of  printing  in  the  office 
of  the  Patriot,  Utica,  New  York.  After  working  at 
the  case  in  various  places  in  that  State,  he  removed  to 
Ohio,  and  in  May,  182G,  came  to  Elyria,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming.  The  three  months  during  which 
he  published  the  Times,  concluded  his  labors  as 
printer  and  publisher.  He  now  resides  in  Elyria,  at 
the  age  of  nearly  eighty-one  years,  remarkable  for  his 
physical  and  mental  vigor,  and  respected  for  his  many 
excellent  traits  of  character.  He  has  no  recollection 
of  the  date  when  he  commenced  or  concluded  the 
publication  of  the  Times,  except  that  it  was  in  the 
early  ])art  of  1832,  and,  so  far  as  is  known,  no  copy  of 
it  is  now  in  existence. 

THE  OHIO  ATLAS  AND  ELYRIA  ADVERTISER. 

Soon  after  the  purchase  of  the  Times,  by  Messrs. 
Park  &  Harris,  they  issued  the  Oliio  Atlas  and  Elyria 
Advertiser.  The  first  number  was  dated  July  13, 
18.32.  It  was  a  six  column  folio,  presenting  a  much 
better  ajijiearance  than  its  predecessor,  and  for  twelve 
years,  under  tlie  editorial  charge  of  various  persons, 
it  sustained  a  high  character,  as  a  newspaper.  Its 
motto  was  the  interrogative,  "  What  is  it  but  a  map 
(if  busy  life?"  Its  terms  were,  #2,  if  jiaid  within  six 
months,  and  12.50,  if  not  paid  within  one  year. 
Among  its  regular  contributors  was  Rev.  Alfred  H. 
Betts,  of  Brownhelm,  whose  letters  to  the  young, 
over  the  familiar  initials,  "  B.  H.  A.,"  continued  for 
some  years,  and  were  widely  read.  A  few  months 
after  the  paper  was  started,  Mr.  Park  sold  his  interest 
to  his  associate,  and  retired.  Up  to  this  period,  Mr. 
Harris  was  its  editor,  and,  on  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Park,  Abraham  Burrell  became  its  printer,  and  re- 
mained in  that  position  until  it  was  discontinued  in 
1844. 

Mr.  Harris  conducted  the  paper,  as  editor  and 
proprietor,  until  the  21st  day  of  November,  1833, 
when  he  sold  the  office  to  Frederick  Whittlesey  and 
Edward  S.  Hamlin.  Albert  A.  Bliss,  then  a  law 
student  in  their  office,  became  its  editor.  The  paper 
was  increased  to  seven  columns,  and  otherwise  im- 
proved in  its  general  make  up,  as  well  as  in  its  sjiirit 
and  ability.  On  the  10th  day  of  July,  1834,  A.  A. 
Bliss  and  Thomas  Tyrrell  became  its  editors  and  pro- 
prietoi-s,  and  on  the  27th  of  November,  of  the  same 
year,  Mr.   Bliss  published  his  valedictory,  with    an 


intimation  that,  although  his  connection  with  the 
]iaper  had  been  personally  agreeable,  his  purse  had 
been  somewhat  depleted  thereby.  He  did  not  long 
remain  absent  from  the  chair  editorial,  for,  on  the 
22d  of  January,  1835,  as  appears  by  a  single  tattered 
copy  of  the  Atl<(s  of  that  date,  he  resumed  his  duties 
as  editor.  The  fragment  of  the  copy  contains  the 
following  editorial  notice: 

For  reasons,  which  it  is  iinnecsssary  to  detail,  the  subscriber  lias 
again  become  connectetl  with  the  Athii<.  All  business  relating  to  the 
establishment,  other  than  with  the  editorial  department,  will  be  trans- 
acted by  the  proprietors,  T.  Tyrrell  &  Co.  A.  A.  Buss. 

The  exact  time  when  Mr.  Bliss  finally  retired  from 
the  paper  cannot  be  ascertained,  Imt  it  was  aliout  the 
beginning  of  1836.  On  the  10th  of  Febi-uary,  1836, 
the  name  of  E.  S.  Hamlin  appears  as  editor,  and  A. 
Burrell  &  Co.  as  publishers.  Mr.  Bliss  went  to 
Cleveland,  temporarily,  and,  in  connection  with 
Charles  Whittlesey,  conducted  the  Cleveland  Gazette 
through  the  campaign  of  1836.  Not  long  after  Mr. 
Hamlin  took  charge  of  the  pajier  he  sold  it  to  an 
association  of  gentlemen,  consisting  of  D.  W.  Lathrop, 
H.  Ely,  S.  W.  Baldwin,  Wm.  Andrews,  Ozias  Long, 
Franklin  Wells,  and,  possibly,  others,  who  formed  a 
stock  company,  and,  under  the  new  management,  Mr. 
Lathrop  became  its  editor.  A.  Burrell  continued  to 
be  its  i^rinter.  The  exact  date  of  this  transfer  is 
not  known,  but  it  was  previous  to  July  27  1836. 
Under  the  management  of  Mr.  Lathrop,  the  Atlas 
took  an  advanced  position  on  all  the  moral  questions 
of  the  day,  and  was  an  able  champion  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  whig  party.  The  exact  date  of  his  with- 
drawal is  also  not  known,  but  it  was  about  July  1, 
1842.  Mr.  Burrell  continued  to  print  the  paper,  and 
its  editorial  labor  was  performed  by  W^m.  P.  Lock- 
wood,  and  later,  by  Ezra  L.  Stevens,  who,  ou  the  12th 
of  June,  1844,  became  jiart  proprietor  of  the  office, 
susjiended  the  publication  of  the  Atlas,  and  issued  it 
under  the  name  of  the  Buckeye  Sentinel. 

Of  those  who  were  connected  with  the  Atlas,  Josiah 
A.  Harris  removed  to  Cleveland,  and  in  1837  inir- 
chased  the  Cleveland  Herald,  which  he  published  for 
a  number  of  years  with  distinguished  ability.  lie 
died  in  that  city  August  21,  1876,  aged  sixty-eight 
years,  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Albert  A.  Bliss  was  born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  March 
23,  1811.  He  removed  to  Elyria  in  June,  1833,  where 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
occujiied  the  highest  position  as  an  attorney.  He 
represented  this  county  in  the  legislature  during  the 
thirty-eighth,  thirty-ninth  and  fortieth  general  assem- 
blies, in  1839,  '40  and  '41,  where  he  took  a  prominent 
jjosition  as  a  debater.  He  subsequently  established 
the  Elyria  Courier,  and  in  1846  was  elected  treasurer 
of  state,  serving  five  years.  In  May,  1863,  he  removed 
to  Jackson,  Michigan,  where  he  now  resides,  widely 
esteemed  for  the  unblemished  character  he  has  ever 
borne. 

Thomas  Tyrrell  left  Elyria  in  the  fall  of  1835,  and, 
if  living,  his  present  residence  is  unknown. 


58 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Edward  S.  Hamlin  ranked  among  the  best  members 
of  the  Lorain  bar,  was  elected  to  congress  to  fill  a 
vacancy  in  1844,  and  served  during  the  second  session 
of  the  twenty-eightji  congress.  A  short  time  after 
his  term  expired,  he  removed  to  Southern  Ohio,  where 
he  lived  a  number  of  years,  and  then  removed  to 
N'irginia.  lie  now  resides  in  Egremont,  Mass.  Mr. 
Jhimlin  first  settled  in  Elyria  in  1830. 

Rev.  D.  W.  Lathrop,  who  edited  the  Athix  for 
nearly  six  years,  came  to  Elyria  in  1834.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  organization  of  the  First  Presljytei'ian 
Church  in  Elyria,  in  that  year,  became  is  first  pastor, 
iind  hiliored  in  that  relation  for  about  six  years.  After 
I'dinquishing  his  editorial  charge,  in  1842,  he  was 
employed  as  agent  of  the  American  Home  Missionary 
Society,  and  in  1848  removed  to  New  Haven,  C'onn. 
At  this  time,  he  is  residing  in  Jackson,  jMicli.,  aged 
eighty  years.  He  was  a  man  of  much  ability  aiid 
untiring  industry,  and  even  now  spends  much  of  his 
time  in  writing. 

It  is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  so  few  copies  of  the 
Ohio  Atlas,  containing  so  much  of  personal  and  local 
history  that  would  be  valuable  at  this  day,  have  been 
preserved. 

THE    LITERARY    REGISTER    AND    MISCELLANEOUS 
MAGAZINE. 

Soon  after  A.  S.  Park  sold  his  interest  in  the  A  this, 
he  went  to  New  York  and  purchased  a  newspaper 
outfit,  including  an  iron  press,  the  first  ever  brought 
here,  and  on  the  fourth  day  of  Octolier,  1833,  issued  the 
first  number  of  a  weekly  paper  with  the  above  title. 
It  was  a  three-column  quarto,  and  was  entirely  filled 
with  original  and  selected  matter — no  advertisements. 
It  did  not  prove  to  be  a  profitable  venture  for  its 
l)ublisher;  and  after  continuing  it  one  year,  Mr.  Park 
sold  the  establishment  to  Dr.  Matson,  H.  K.  Kendall, 
Edwin  Byington  and  Dr.  E.  W.  Htibliard,  who  issued 
the  first  democratic  paper  ever  published  in  the  county 
and  called  it 

THE    ELYRIA     REPUBLICAN    AND    WORKING-MEN'S 
ADVOCATE. 

Soon  after  the  transfer  aliove  referred  to,  the  pur- 
chasers negotiated  with  Samuel  L.IIatch,  of  Chenango, 
N.  Y.,  who  removed  to  Elyria,  and  on  the  second  day 
of  October,  1834,  issued  the  first  number  of  the  above- 
named  paper.  Mr.  Hatch  was  its  nominal  editor,  but 
most  of  the  proprietors  contributed  to  its  editorial 
columns.  It  was  a  six-column  folio,  its  terms  being 
one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents  in  advance,  two  dol- 
lars within  six  months,  and  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
within  one  year.  In  January,  1835,  LeGrand  Bying- 
ton, then  (piite  a  young  man,  came  on  from  Chenango, 
purchased  tlic  paper,  and  continued  its  publication,  a 
l)art  of  the  time  in  connection  with  Calvin  Hall,  until 
May  17,  1837.  During  this  time,  political  excitement 
ran  high,  and  the  cause  of  the  democratic  party  was 
c'hainpioiu'd  by  Mr.  Byington  with  great  energy,  and 
his  ]ia])cr  fairly  bristled  with  pungent  personal  ])ara- 


graphs.  Not  being  sustained  in  the  effort  to  make 
the  pajier  remunerative,  he  declined  to  publish  it 
longer;  and  at  the  date  above  mentioned,  the  estab- 
lishment passed  into  the  hands  of  Horace  D.  Clark, 
who  drop2)ed  the  "atul  W^rkiny-tiietis  Advocate"  from 
its  title,  and  issued  his  first  number  May  24,  1837. 
Calvin  Hall  was  employed  to  print  it.  Mr.  Clark 
continued  to  conduct  the  itajicr  until  August  30, 1838, 
when  he  transferred  it  to  E.  R.  Jewitt  and  Calvin 
Hall,  the  former  having  charge  of  the  editurial,  and 
the  latter  the  mechanical  department.  Mr.  Jewitt 
retained  his  connection  with  the  paper  for  about  one 
year,  when  he  retired,  and  Jlr.  Hall  continued  its 
juiblication  until  the  spring  of  1840,  when  it  was 
purchased  by  Charles  Chaney,  who  changed  its  title 
to  The  Lorain  Standard.  The  Eepnhlicaii  and  its 
immediate  successors  were  never  iiecuniarily  prosper- 
ous. Like  some  of  the  whig  papers  of  that  and  a 
later  period,  they  were  sustained  by  their  partisan 
friends,  who  came  to  the  rescue  with  their  contri- 
butions occasionally  to  relieve  their  ])ublishers  from 
embarrassment.  The  whigs  were  generally  most  able 
or  most  willing  to  sustain  their  organs,  and  the  amount 
of  the  dclin(|uency  which  either  party  was  called  upon 
to  contribute  depended  largely  upon  the  county  pat- 
ronage, which  at  that  period  alternated  between  the 
two. 

Horace  D.  Clark  came  to  Elyria,  .luly  4,  1834. 
During  his  residence  here,  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  he  occupied  a  prominent  position  at  the  bar, 
was  an  active  politician,  but  not  ambitious  for  official 
position.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which 
formed  the  present  constitution  of  Ohio,  in  1850,  and 
removed  to  Cleveland  some  time  i)revious  to  the  com- 
mencement of  the  civil  war.  He  now  resides  in  Mon- 
treal, Canada,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  long  and  active 
professional  career. 

Samuel  L.  Hatch  removed  to  Norwalk  in  1835,  and, 
in  company  with  Joseph  M.  Farr,  established  the 
Norwalk  E.qjeriment.  His  subsequent  history  is  not 
known  to  his  associates  in  Elyria. 

LeGrand  Byington  distinguished  himself  while 
here  as  a  bitter  partisan  of  the  pro-slavery  school,  and 
more  particularly  as  the  author  of  a  series  of  articles 
called  ''Chronicles,'"  in  prose  and  poetry,  which  were 
published  in  three  numbers,  over  the  nom  deplume  of 
"Peter  Porcupine,  Esq."  in  which  all  his  prominent 
political  O])poncnts  were  savagely  caricatured.  He 
went  to  Ravenna  in  the  spring  of  1838,  where  he  ]nil)- 
lished  a  paper  for  a  few  months  called  Tlie  Bvekei/e 
Democrat,  and  from  there  he  removed  to  Pike  county, 
Ohio,  He  represented  Pike  county  in  the  fortieth 
and  forty-first  general  assemblies.  While  there  he 
married,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Iowa,  where 
he  now  I'csides  in  Iowa  City,  reputed  to  be  the 
wealthiest  citizen  of  the  State. 

Calvin  Hall  removed  to  Cleveland  January  3,  1841, 
and  assumed  the  management  of  the  Cleveland  Ad- 
vertiser, a  weekly  paper,  and  for  a  time  issued  a  penny 
daily  called  the  Morning  Mercury.     At  the  close  of 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


59 


the  year  the  Advertiser  was  purchased  by  A.  N.  and 
J.  W.  Gray,  wlio,  on  tlie  8th  of  January,  1843,  rrans- 
fornied  it  into  the  Plain  Dealer.  Mr.  Hall  still 
resides  in  Cleveland,  where  he  has  worked  at  the  case 
for  thirty-six  years. 

E.  R.  Jewitt,  who  was  the  last  regular  editor  of  the 
RepiMican  under  its  original  name,  was  a  man  of 
very  positive  convictions,  and,  during  his  editorial 
charge,  the  pai)cr  lacked  none  of  the  qualities  that 
would  recommend  it  to  the  intensely  partisan  portion 
of  his  party.  After  leaving  the  editorial  chair  he 
remained  in  Elyria  until  the  fall  of  1840,  when  he  left 
and  entered  the  ministry  as  a  member  of  the  North 
Ohio  Conference.  For  many  years  he  has  devoted 
his  energies  to  the  cause  of  Christianity  with  the  same 
zeal  that  characterized  his  political  efforts.  He  now 
resides  in  Sandusky  City,  with  health  much  impaired, 
engaged  in  selling  books  and  stationery,  aged  sixty- 
seven  years.  He  still  retains  his  connection  with  the 
conference  on  the  superannuated  list. 

TUE    LORAIN    STANDARD. 

This  paper  was  issued  soon  after  the  pui-chase  of 
the  press  and  type  of  the  llepublicaii  by  Charles 
Chauey,  the  first  number  being  dated  April  7,  1840. 
It  was  also  a  six-column  folio;  terms,  f3  in  advance, 
and  13.50  after  six  months.  It  was  printed  by  Horace 
C.  Tenney,  who  was  also  associate  editor.  Mr.  Chancy 
continued  its  publication  as  a  democratic  paper  until 
November  3,  1840,  when,  not  finding  its  self-sustain- 
ing, he  discontinued  it.  A  comi)lete  file  of  this  paper 
is  now  in  the  Elyria  library,  presented  by  Hon.  Horace 
A.  Tenney. 

Charles  Chancy  never  again  engaged  in  a  newspaper 
enterprise.  He  continued  to  reside  iu  Elyria,  quietly 
jiursuing  the  several  Ijranches  of  business  in  which  he 
was  at  different  times  engaged,  where  he  died  July 
30,  1874,  aged  eighty-two  years.  He  was  a  justice  of 
the  peace  for  several  yeai-s,  and  served  one  term  as 
treasurer  of  the  county. 

THE  INDEPENDENT  TREASURY. 

When  Mr.  Chancy  discontinued  the  Stait(h(nl,  the 
press  and  type  remained  idle  until  November  18,  1841, 
when  the  material  was  purchased  by  Edmund  S.  Ellis, 
who  started  a  new  democratic  ]iaper  with  the  above 
title.  It  was  of  the  same  size  and  form  as  the  Stand- 
ard; terms  $3  in  advance.  On  the  13th  of  April, 
1843,  Mr.  Ellis  sold  the  paper  to  Horace  A.  Tenney, 
and  removed  to  the  central  })art  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Tenney 
publislied  it  until  November  16,  1843, — the  close  of 
the  first  volume, — when  he  changed  its  name  to 

THE    LORAIN    REPUBLICAN. 

He  continued  the  Repuhlica7i  in  the  same  size  and 
form,  and  with  varied  success,  until  the  fall  of  1844, 
when  it  was  discontinued  for  want  of  adequate  support. 

Horace  A.  Tenney  came  to  Elyria  in  1S3C,  and  im- 
mediately went  to  work  as  compositor  iu  the  office  of 


the  Republican.  He  spent  most  of  his  time  in  jour- 
nalism while  he  resided  here,  and,  in  1845,  there  being 
no  prosjiect  of  a  revival  of  the  democratic  j^aper,  he 
boxed  the  press  and  type  and  shipped  them  to  Galena, 
Illiiuiis,  where  they  became  the  proiierty  of  the  Galena 
Jejfersonian.  The  old  press  is  still  in  use  in  that 
city.  Mr.  Tenney  now  resides  in  Madison,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  has  lived  many  yeai-s,  and  where  he  has  held 
numerous  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  is  at 
present  engaged  in  writing  biographical  sketches  of 
the  members  of  the  Wisconsin  constitutional  conven- 
tion of  1846-1847. 

THE    DOLLAR    DEMOCRAT. 

Soon  after  the  suspension  of  the  Republican,  in  the 
fall  of  1844,  Eleazar  Wakeloy,  then  a  young  attorney 
in  Elyria,  issued  one  number  of  the  Dollar  Democrat; 
but  sufficient  encouragement  not  being  given  for  its 
continiuince,  it  was  suspended.  Prom  this  period 
uutil  March  14,  1848,  there  was  no  democratic  paper 
published  in  this  county.  Mr.  Wakeley  removed  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  was  appointed  territorial  judge 
in  1854.  He  now  resides  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  where 
he  has  acquired  wealth  and  honor  in  his  profession. 

THE    BUCKEYE   SENTINEL. 

This  paper,  as  has  been  before  stated,  was  successor 
to  the  Ohio  Atlas,  the  first  issue  a}ipearing  the  week 
following  the  susi)eusion  of  that  paper,  and  bearing 
date  June  l!t,  1844.  Ezra  L.  Stevens  was  its  editor, 
and  Abraham  Burrell  publisher.  During  the  exciting 
cami)aign  of  1844,  the  Sentinel  urged  the  election  of 
Henry  Clay  for  president  with  much  si^iritand  ability, 
and,  a  short  time  after  its  close,  Mr.  Stevens  sold  his 
interest  to  Mr.  Bnrrell  and  retired.  Mr.  Biirrell  con- 
tinued to  publish  the  papei-,  acting  in  the  capacity  of 
both  editor  ami  printer  for  nearly  two  years,  when  it 
became  nececsary  to  reorganize  the  establishment 
in  order  to  put  it  on  a  paying  basis.  Mr.  A.  Bliss 
purchased  tlie  press  and  suspended  its  publication, 
succeeding  it  in  November,  1846,  with  a  new  paper 
called  Tlie  Elyria  Courier. 

Ezra  L.  Stevens,  after  completing  his  collegiate 
studies  at  Oberlin,  entered  the  law  office  of  Hamlin 
and  Lockwood,  in  tlie  fall  of  1843,  but  finding  jour- 
nalism more  congenial  to  his  taste,  devoted  most  of 
his  time  to  politics.  On  retiring  from  the  Sentinel 
he  went  to  Olmsted  Falls,  and  commenced  the  j)nbli- 
catiou  of  Tlie  True  Democrat,  which  he  conducted 
for  some  time,  and  then  removed  the  office  to  Cleve- 
land, where,  in  connection  with  E.  S.  Hamlin,  he 
converted  it  into  a  daily.  The  paper  subsequently 
went  into  other  hands,  and  is  now  the  Cleveland 
Leader.  After  leaving  Tlie  True  Democrat  Mr. 
Stevens  removed  to  AVashington,  where  for  a  time  he 
was  engaged  as  a  newspaper  correspondent.  He  still 
resides  there,  and  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century 
has  been  in  the  government  service. 

William  F.  Lockwood  served  for  some  years  as  terri- 
torial judge  in  Nebraska,  and  subsecpiently  removed 


60 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


to  Toledo,  where  lie  now  resides.  He  was  recently 
elected  to  the  office  of  judge  of  the  common  jDleas 
court,  hy  the  united  recommendation  of  the  bar,  of 
all  parties. 

THE   ELYKIA    COURIER. 

On  the  suspension  of  the  Sentinel  Mr.  Albert  A.  Bliss 
purchased  a  now  supply  of  type  in  Boston,  and  com- 
menced, in  connection  with  A.  Burrell,  the  publication 
of  The  Elyria  Courier.  The  first  number  was  issued 
Noveinl)er  10,  184(5;  A.  A.  Bliss,  editor,  A.  Burrell, 
printer.  It  was  a  seven  column  folio;  terms,  $2,00  a 
year.  During  the  session  of  the  legislature  the  fol- 
lowing winter  Mr.  Bliss  was  elected  treasurer  of  state, 
and  on  the  27th  of  February,  1847,  he  sold  his  interest 
in  the  paper  to  Job  n  II.  Faxon,  then  sheriif  of  the  coun- 
ty. It  was  published  by  Faxon  and  Burrell,  until  April 
13,  1847,  when  Mr.  Faxon  became  sole  proprietor  and 
published  it  until  December  7,  1847,  when  he  sold  the 
paper  to  Edmund  A.  West.  Mr.  West  employed  J. 
Wesley  Udall  as  printer,  and  continued  its  publication 
as  a  whig  paper  until  the  campaign  of  1848,  when  he 
refused  to  support  General  Taylor  for  the  presidency, 
and  the  Courier  became  an  organ  of  the  "Free  Soil" 
party.  About  the  first  of  November,  1849,  Mr.  West 
sold  the  paper  to  Jerome  Cotton,  who  had  acquired  a 
good  reputation  as  a  Washington  correspondent  of 
several  leading  journals.  He  changed  the  title  to 
Elyria  Weekly  Courier,  and  continued  to  support  the 
free  soil  party;  but  many  of  the  active  whigs  who 
supported  Van  Buren  in  1848,  fell  back  into  the  ranks 
of  their  old  party,  and  the  Courier  gradually  lost 
much  of  its  support.  On  the  first  of  June,  1850,  an 
association  of  gentlemen,  among  whom  were  Myron 
R.  Keith,  Landon  Rood,  and  Benjamin  C.  Perkins, 
j)urchased  the  Courier  establishment  of  Mr.  Cotton, 
with  the  design  of  converting  it  into  an  organ  of  the 
whig  pai'ty,  and  on  the  10th  of  the  same  month 
George  G.  Washl:>uru  took  charge  of  it  as  editor,  Mr. 
Udall  continuing  to  print  it.  Its  original  title  was 
restored,  and  from  this  time  forward  the  paper  became 
self-sustaining;  but  on  the  10th  day  of  February,  1852, 
the  office  and  all  its  contents  were  destroyed  by  fire, 
witliout  insurance,  in  the  first  great  conflagration  that 
destroyed  commercial  block.  After  the  lajtse  of  four- 
teen weeks  a  new  outfit  was  ^lurchased  by  George  G. 
Washburn  and  George  T.  Smith,  and  its  publication 
was  resumed,  with  these  gentlemen  as  editors,  and  Mr. 
Udall  printer,  until  January  35,  1854,  when  Mr. 
Washburn  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner,  and  soon 
after  (he  ('ouricr  and  Independent  Democrat,  then 
published  by  Philemon  Bliss,  were  united,  retaining 
the  name  of  the  latter. 

John  H.  Faxon,  subsequently  tilled  various  offices 
acceptably,  both  state  and  national,  and  for  two  terms 
rejn-esented  the  county  in  the  lower  branch  of  the 
legislature.  He  is  still  an  honoi'ed  resident  of 
Elyria. 

Edmund  A.  West  removed  to  Chicago  soon  after 
relinquisliiug  journalism,  where  he  is  now  engaged  in 


the  practice  of  law,  making  a  specialty  of  cases  relat- 
ing to  patents. 

Jerome  Cotton  resumed  his  position  as  correspon- 
dent, after  leaving  the  Courier,  but  his  health  began 
to  decline,  and  in  the  summer  of  1851  he  returned  to 
Elyria,  where  he  died  September  21,  1852,  of  con- 
sumption, aged  twenty-eiglit  years.  He  was  a  ready 
and  spicy  writer,  giving  promise  of  much  ability  in 
the  profession  of  journalism. 

George  T.  Smith  retained  his  connection  with  the 
Democrat  until  November,  1855,  when  he  sold  his 
intei-est  to  George  G.  Washburn,  and  soon  after  re- 
moved to  Illinois.  He  now  resides  in  Cleveland, 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law. 

THE    LORAIN    ARDUS. 

AVhen  Edmund  A.  West  purchased  the  Courier  office 
he  failed  to  make  satisfactory  arrangements  with  Abra- 
ham Burrell  to  print  it  for  him,  and  employed  J.  W. 
Udall  instead.  Tliis  threw  Mr.  Burrell  out  of  employ- 
ment, but  he  soon  foi-nied  a  partnership  with  Sylvester 
Matson,  purchased  a  press  and  type,  and  on  the  11th 
day  of  January,  1848,  issued  the  first  luunber  of  the 
Lorain  Argus.  It  was  a  seven  column  folio;  terms 
11.50  in  advance,  $2.50  after  one  year.  No  responsi- 
ble editor  was  announced,  and  various  j'ersons  con- 
tributed its  political  matter  for  nearly  two  years. 
Among  the  number  of  those  most  prominent  were 
H.  D.  Clark,  .lohn  M.  Vincent  and  John  H.  Sherman. 
Mr.  Matson  did  not  retain  his  interest  long  after  the 
first  year,  disposing  of  it  to  other  parties,  and  the 
whole  management  devolved  upon  Mr.  Burrell.  On 
the  first  of  January,  1851,  Mr.  Sherman  was  an- 
nounced as  editor,  but  he  withdrew  on  the  22d  of  July 
following.  Fi-om  that  date  until  December,  1851, 
Mr.  Vincent  was  its  responsible  editor.  Geo.  B, 
Lake  then  took  the  editorial  chair,  sub  rosa,  and  con- 
tributed most  of  the  editorial  matter  for  sevenil 
months.  On  the  night  of  August  10,  1852,  the 
building  in  which  the  paper  was  printed,  called  Gar- 
vey's  Exchange,  took  fire,  and  was  mostly  consumed. 
The  press,  most  of  the  type,  and  nearly  all  of  the 
furniture  in  the  printing  office  were  destroyed.  With 
the  insurance  money,  Mr.  Burrell  purchased  the  old 
press  and  type  formerly  used  by  the  Sandusky  Eeyis- 
ter,  and  being  aided  jiecuniarily  by  E.  C.  K.  Garvey, 
resumed  its  publication,  considerably  enlarged  by 
lengthening  its  columns.  Mr.  Garvey  soon  secured 
control  of  the  entire  estalilishment,  and  retaining  Mr. 
Burrell  as  printer,  conducted  it  until  November  17, 

1852,  when  he  sold  it  to  Bird  B.  Chapman  &  Co.,  and 
L.  S.  Everett,  who  had  been  nomiiuil  editor  during 
Mr.  Garvey's  ownership,  became  its  responsible  editor. 
The  title  of  the  paper  was  changed  to  The  Lorain 
County  Aryiis. 

Mr.  Everett  retired  from  the  Aryvs,  November  10. 

1853,  and  at  that  date  John  H.  Sherman  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  office,  and  became  its  editor-in-chief. 
The  exact  time  when  he  retired  is  not  known,  but  he 
remained  only  a  few  mouths;  and  on  his  retirement, 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


61 


the  paper  Avas  published  by  Mr.  Chapni;iii:  aiulduriiiij 
his  frequent  terms  of  absence,  various  parties  wrote 
for  its  columns,  Mr.  Burrell  contributing  his  share. 
Having  lost  the  county  i>rinting,  tlie  paper  began  to 
be  a  burden  to  its  proprietor,  and  on  the  18th  of 
April,  1855,  Mr.  Chapnuiu  discontinued  its  publica- 
tion, packed  the  material  and  shipped  it  to  Nebraska, 
wliere  he  established  the  Omaha  Nebraskiun. 

Of  the  seven  persons  not  previously  mentioned, 
who  were  connected  with  the  Aiijus,  only  one  is  now 
known  to  be  living. 

Sylvester  Matsou  removed  to  t'levelaud,  where  he 
eidisted  in  the  United  States  army,  and  served  out 
his  term.  Ou  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  he 
volunteered  in  the  cause  of  tlie  union,  and  was  killed 
in  one  of  the  great  conflicts  of  the  war. 

John  II.  Sherman  was  a  young  man  of  considerable 
ability  as  a  writer,  but  his  connection  with  journalism 
here  was  brief,  lie  left  Elyria,  in  connection  with 
Mr.  Chapman,  in  1855,  and  went  to  Nebraska,  where 
for  sonu^  years  he  was  connected  editorially  with  the 
Omaha  JSebrdnkian.  He  died  in  Council  BlulTs,  in 
1865. 

E.  C.  K.  Garvey  was  a  man  of  great  business  activity, 
but  with  little  business  capacity.  He  removed  to 
Kansas  during  the  "border-ruflian '"  troubles,  where 
he  espoused  the  "free  State"  cause  with  much  ardor, 
and  was  on  one  occasion  lynched  by  the  rufiians,  but 
was  neither  intimidated  nor  subdued.  He  was  resid- 
ing in  Kansas  when  last  heard  from,  many  years  ago, 
but  it  is  hardly  probable  that  he  is  now  living. 

Bird  B.  Chapman  removed  to  Omaha  and  was  elected 
the  first  delegate  in  congress  from  that  territory,  which 
was  organized  in  1854.  He  contested  his  opponent's 
seat  for  the  second  term,  but  was  unsuccessful,  securing 
however  his  pay  and  mileage.  In  1859,  he  returned 
to  Elyria,  where  he  resided  until  1802,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Put-in-Bay  island,  where  lie  died  after  a 
Imgering  illness,  Septemljer  12,  1871,  aged  fifty  years. 

George  B.  Lake  removed  to  Nebraska,  and  entered 
upon  the  ]iractice  of  the  law  with  marked  success. 
His  character  and  al)ilitics  were  soon  recognized  l>y 
the  jieople,  who  have  for  several  terms  elected  him  to 
the  highest  judicial  jiosition  in  the  State,  and  he  still 
resides  in  Omaha,  an  honored  member  of  the  supreme 
court. 

L.  S.  Everett  came  to  Elyria,  a  democrat  in  political 
oj)inions,  during  the  Kansas-Nebraska  troubles;  and 
when  the  Iiidependent  Democrat,  which  represented 
the  free  democracy,  was  started,  he  Ijecame  its  first 
editor.  He  was  a  man  of  much  ability  and  large 
experience  as  a  journalist,  and  his  immediate  return 
to  the  democratic  fold,  after  waging  a  vigorous  war- 
fare against  that  party  in  the  columns  of  the  Bcmocraf, 
showed  that  he  had  facility  to  change,  as  well  as 
ability  to  assert  his  )>rinciples.  After  leaving  the 
Argus,  he  removed  from  the  county,  and  foi-  a  time 
wrote  for  the  Plain  Dealer,  but  returned  in  1866,  and 
commenced  the  publication  of  the  Lorain.  Constilu- 
tionalist,  which  he  conducted  about  one  j'ear,  when 


he  removed  to  Akron,  where  he  died  a  few  years  since, 
considerably  advanced  in  years. 

John  M.  Vincent  was  an  honored  mendjcr  of  the 
legal  profession,  and  his  connection  with  journalism 
w^as  only  incidental.  He  subsequently,  in  connection 
witii  Philemon  Bliss,  established  the  Independenl 
Democrat,  but  immediately  afterward  devoted  his 
entire  attention  to  his  clients.  A  sketch  of  his  life 
will  be  found  in  tlie  history  of  the  bar. 

TUB  INDEPENDENT  DEMOCRAT. 

This  journal  was  started  at  a  very  important  epoch 
in  the  history  of  our  country,  and  as  its  publication 
was  continued  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  nearly  all  of 
the  time  under  the  proprietorship  and  management 
of  one  individual,  it  is  due  that  a  brief  notice  of  its 
origin  be  here  given.  The  passage  of  the  fugitive 
slave  act  of  1850,  and  its  attempted  enforcement  by 
lioth  of  the  great  national  parties,  aroused  a  sp;rit  f)f 
hostility,  both  to  the  act  and  the  system  it  sought  to 
perjtetuate,  on  the  part  of  many  who  still  clung  to 
their  old  party  organizations,  although  opposed  to 
slavery.  In  the  campaign  of  1852,  both  the  whig  and 
democratic  parties  virtually  allowed  the  pro-slavery 
element  to  dictate  their  platforms,  and  from  this 
period  the  tendency  to  break  away  from  old  associa- 
tions began  to  be  developed.  It  was  to  aid  in  disinte- 
grating these  old  parties,  and  in  forming  a  new  one 
based  upon  tlie  broad  idatform  of  human  rights,  that 
the  Independent  Democrat  was  established.  The  funds 
necessary  to  purchase  the  outfit  were  contributed  by 
various  persons  who  had  formerly  been  affiliated  with 
the  old  parties.  Prominent  among  tliose  who  fur- 
nished pecuniary  aid  were  Norton  S.  Townshend,  then 
a  resident  of  this  county,  and  Salmon  P.  Chase,  then 
If^nited  States  senator  from  Ohio,  and  late  chief  justice 
of  the  supreme  court.  Far  the  greater  portion  of  the 
necessary  funds  were  contributed  by  Philemon  Bliss. 

Philemon  Bliss,  formerly  a  whig,  and  Jolin  M. 
Vincent,  formerly  a  democrat,  had  charge  of  the 
enterprise,  and  on  the  5th  day  of  August,  1853, 
issued  the  first  number,  as  editors  and  publishers. 
Jonathan  I).  Baker  was  employed  as  printer.  It  was 
a  seven-column  folio;  terms,  11.50  per  annum.  It 
was  ably  conducted  under  their  management  until 
January  12,  1853,  when  Mr.  Vincent  retired,  leaving 
Mr.  Bliss  in  sole  charge.  On  the  13th  of  April  fol- 
lowing, Joseph  H.  Dickson  was  employed  to  edit  the 
paper;  and  on  the  10th  of  August,  the  same  year, 
John  H.  Boynton  and  Mr.  Dickson  assumed  the  entire 
charge,  and  conducted  it  until  the  28th  of  December, 
when  it  was  again  turned  over  to  Air.  Bliss,  who  pub- 
lished it  until  February  1st,  185-1.  Meanwhile  several 
persons  printed  the  paper.  Mr.  Baker  withdrew^  Oc- 
tober 12,  1853,  and  was  succeeded  by  A.  J.  and  G. 
McElleran,  who  remained  tuily  one  w-eek,  and  were 
succeeded  by  Tower  J.  Burrell,  who  printed  it  until 
tlie  1st  of  February.  1854. 

At  this  date,  the  interests  of  the  Courier  •ati'X  Dem- 
ocrat were  united,  with  P.  Bliss  and  Geo.  T.  Smith, 


63 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


editors  and  proprietors,  and  J.  W.  Udiill,  of  the  late 
Courier,  printer.  Under  tliis  management,  tliepa])er 
was  continned  until  November  ^8,  1855,  when  Mr. 
Smith  sold  his  interest  to  the  writer  of  these  annals, 
and  during  the  suceeeding  ycai'  tlie  Ormucrfft  was 
published  by  Bliss  &  Washliurn.  Tiie  hdter  was 
editor  and  business  manager,  and  tiie  formei',  who 
had  previously  been  eleeted  to  congress,  was  coi'res- 
j)onding  editor.  At  the  (dose  of  the  year,  185(!,  Mr. 
Washburn  became,  ))y  purchase,  possessor  of  the 
office,  and  fin-  upwards  of  twenty-one  years  following, 
was  its  sole  projjrietor,  editor,  and  business  manager. 
In  1859,  the  title  was  changed  to  Elyria  IndependvMt 
Democrat.  On  the  24th  of  March,  1858,  Mr.  Udall 
was  eonii)elled  to  relimpiish  his  i)ost  as  jirinter,  on 
account  of  failing  health,  and  Abraham  Burrell,  who 
was  associated  with  his  son  in  the  publication  of  the 
Emjlv,  withdrew  from  that  jounuil,  and  took  Mr. 
Udall's  place,  which  he  faithfully  retained  until  his 
death,  November  23,  18G8.  At  his  death,  his  son, 
S.  A.  Burrell,  who  was  a  journeyman  in  the  ottice, 
assumed  the  duties  of  printer,  and  retained  the  posi- 
tion until  the  paper  was  discontinued. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1877,  the  interests  of  the 
Democrat  and  Eti/riu  Reputilicnu  were  united,  retain- 
ing the  name  of  the  latter,  as  nioi-eajjjirojiriate  to  the 
l)rinciples  which  the  Democrat  had,  for  a  (piarter  of  a 
century,  ever  steadfastly  advoc-ited.  Coming  into 
being  when  the  public  mind  was  in  a  state  of  unrest 
concerning  the  designs  of  the  slave  jiowei',  the  Inde- 
penilent  I'emocrat  took  an  active  i)art  in  unifying  and 
crystaliziug  tiiat  sentinuMit  in  opposition  to  the  further 
encroachments  of  slavery  u[ion  the  jiublic  donuiin. 
It  lived  to  witness  the  rajjid  growth,  and  final  success, 
of  the  new  party  of  freedom.  It  witnessed  the  inaug- 
uration of  the  great  slaveholdei's'  rebellion,  and  east- 
ing its  lot  with  the  loyal  millions,  rejoiced  with  them 
in  witnessing  its  final  overthrow,  and  the  restoration 
of  nil  the  States  under  the  tlag  of  thelhiiou.  During 
all  these  eventful  years,  tlie  aim  of  its  puldisher  was 
to  so  conduct  it  as  to  merit  the  ai)jU'oval  of  loyal  men, 
and  not  disai)j)oint  the  hojies  and  exjiectations  of  its 
founders. 

Of  the  persons  jirominently  connected  with  the 
Democrat,  but  a  brief  notice  will  be  given: 

Messrs.  P.  Bliss  and  J.  II.  Dickson  were  more  dis- 
tinguished as  lawyers  than  as  journalists,  and  will  be 
noticed  in  the  chaiiter  on  the  bar. 

J.  II.  Boyntiiu  has  tilled  various  inipoi'tant  jtositious 
in  the  gift  of  tiie  jieople,  with  such  entire  acceptance, 
as  to  merit  the  puldic  esteem  that  is  universally  be- 
stowed upon  him. 

J.  D.  Baker  removed  to  l':iulding  county,  Ohio, 
in  October,  18.")o,  and,  for  a  time,  edited  and  pub- 
lished the  Paulding  Democrat.  His  subseipient  his- 
tory is  not  known. 

J.  W.  Udall  entered  the  office  of  the  Ohio  Atlas  as 
an  errand  boy,  at  the  age  of  tiiirteeu  years,  making 
himself  useful  ill  every  part  assigned  liiiii.  In  lliose 
days,  the  mails  were  very  irregular,  and  for  a  few  of 


the  first  years  of  his  apjirenticeship,  in  addition  to 
his  labors  as  "devil  "  and  compositor,  he  performed 
the  office  of  jiost-rider — taking  a  large  sack  of  the 
(lapers  each  week,  iiiioii  a  hor.sc,  and  distributing 
them  in  bundles,  to  each  neighborhood,  in  the  north 
part  of.  the  county.  This  duty  he  performed  with 
remarkable  fidelity;  and  whether  it  rained  in  torrents, 
or  the  scorching  sun  sent  his  heated  rays  upon  the 
earth,  or  stern  winter  its  freezing  blasts,  the  weekly 
advent  of  the  post-boy  was  expected  with  as  much 
certainty  as  the  rising  of  the  sun.  When  the  mail 
facilities  of  the  county  rendered  this  branch  of  ser- 
vice no  longer  necessai'y,  Mr.  Udall  devoted  his  time 
exclusively  to  his  duties  in  the  office,  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  seven  years  before  he  asi)ired  to  the 
position  of  a  "jour."  He  became  an  expert  printer, 
and  ever  enjoyed  the  fullest  confidence  of  his  em- 
ployers, scarcely  losing  a  day  from  his  case  after  he 
became  a  journeyman.  When  he  realiz.ed  that  his 
disease  (consumption)  was  beyond  remedy,  he  went 
to  his  sister's  house,  in  Hudson,  Ohio,  where  he  was 
kindly  cared  for  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
August  18,  1858,  aged  thirty-three  years. 

THE  LORAIN  EACiLE. 

After  the  suspension  of  the  Aryun,  there  was  no 
Democratic  jjaper  printed  in  the  county  for  nearly 
two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1857,  a  sufficient  sum 
was  pledged,  by  subscription,  to  purchase  the  mate- 
rial, and  on  the  seventh  of  March,  of  that  year,  A. 
and  T.  J.  Burrell  issued  the  first  number  of  the 
Lorain  Eafjle.  It  was  a  seven  column  folio,  pub- 
lished in  Elyria;  price  13  a  year,  in  advance.  On  the 
2-lth  of  March,  1858,  Abraham  Burrell  withdrew,  and 
took  the  position  of  printer  of  the  hidependent  Dem- 
ocrat. Ilis  son,  T.  J.  Burrell,  continued  to  publish 
the  Eagle  until  after  the  rebellion  broke  out,  when, 
in  consecjuence  of  its  equivocal  position  concerning 
the  management  of  the  war,  it  ceased  to  pay  expenses, 
and  was  discontinued  in  August,  18')1.  During  the 
five  years  of  its  existence,  no  responsible  editor  was 
announced,  and  what  editorial  matter  was  not  written 
by  its  publishers,  was  furnished  by  various  persons 
during  the  i)olitical  cam])aigns. 

THE   LOKAIN    CONSTITUTIONALIST. 

Oil  the  third  day  of  October,  1860,  Mr.  L.  S.  Everett 
issued  the  first  number  of  this  journal,  a  democratic 
paper,  which  was  a  seven-column  folio;  terms,  |i2.00 
a  year.  Mr.  Everett  was  not  the  owner  of  the  estab- 
lishment, but  announced  that  he  published  it  "for 
the  proprietors,"  whose  names  are  not  given.  F.  S. 
Moore  was  its  printer.  On  the  8th  day  of  July,  1867, 
a  joint  stock  company  was  formed,  consisting  of  A. 
A.  Crosse,  II.  U.  Poppleton,  N.  L.  Johnson,  P.  W. 
Sampsel  and  others,  with  a  capital  stock  of  three  thou- 
sand dollars,  divided  into  shares  of  ten  dollars  each, 
which  assumed  the  resjionsibility  of  the  jiublication, 
Mr.  Everett  still  officiating  as  editor,  until  near  the 
close  of  the  first  volume,  when  he  withdrew.     It  was 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


63 


tlien  "Published  by  the  Lorain  Printing  Company," 
and  N.  L.  Johnson,  president  of  the  company,  C(m- 
tribntcd  most  of  the  editorial  matter.  Mr.  Moore 
continued  to  serve  as  printer.  This  relation  existed 
until  June  9,  18C9,  when  Mr.  Jumes  K.  Newcomer 
assumed  the  editorial  and  business  control  of  the  jiaper, 
the  iiroprietary  interest  still  remaining  in  the  printing 
company.  The  word  "Lorain "was  drojiped  from  its 
title.  On  the  night  of  January  22,  1870,  a  fire  broke 
out  in  the  oftice,  and.  before  it  was  extinguished,  a 
large  portion  of  the  tyj)e,was  destroyed,  the  presses 
alone  escaping  injury.  The  damage  was  estimated  at 
one  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Moore,  proprietor  of  the 
job  department,  lost  a  portion  of  jiis  material.  With 
tlie  aid  rendered  by  tlie  proprietor  of  the  Democrat, 
tlie  Const  tint  iuinilisf  ajjpeared  on  time  the  next  week, 
and,  after  February  10,  it  apjieared  regularly,  with 
the  word  "  I.oiain  "  again  replaced  in  its  title.  Mr. 
Newcomer  retained  his  position  as  editor  until  the 
close  of  tlie  political  campaign  of  1870,  when  he  with- 
drew and  F.  S.  Moore  became  its  publisher,  N.  L. 
Johnson  furnishing  the  leading  political  articles.  Mr. 
Moore  continued   to  publish    it   until  November  1, 

1871,  when  Mr.  J.  V.  Faitli  took  charge  of  the  edi- 
torial and  business  dejiartment,  under  an  agreement 
to  publish  it  one  year  without  charge  to  the  proprie- 
tors, in  consideration  of  which  lie  was  to  become  its 
owner.  On  the  loth  of  March,  1872,  its  size  was 
increased  to  an  eight-column  folio,  with  its  outside 
columns  printed  on  the  co-operative  plan,  in  Chicago, 
and  its  title  was  changed  to  Tlie  Lorain  Constitution. 
On  the  2Gt]i  of  Septcmlier,  1873,  the  co-operative 
plan  was  aliandoned,  and,  without  change  in  size,  it 
was  all   printed  at  home.      On  the  lOtli  of  October, 

1872,  Mr.  F.  S.  Reefy  purchased  the  entire  establish- 
ment, and  has  continued  its  publication  to  the  present 
time.  On  the  13tli  of  February,  187.3,  it  appeared  as  a 
five-column  quarto,  and  was  continued  in  that  form 
until  the  5th  of  the  following  June,  when  it  was 
clianged  to  a  nine-column  folio,  on  the  co-operative 
]iian.  On  the  30th  of  September,  1875,  it  was  reduced 
to  an  eight-column  folio,  and,  in  consequence  of  the 
incorpoi-ation  of  the  village  of  Lorain  at  the  mouth  of 
Black  River,  its  title  was  changed  to  Tlte  Etyria  Con- 
stitution, which  name  and  size  it  still  retains. 

THE    ELYRI.i    REPUBLICAN. 

II.  A.  Fisher  issued  the  first  number  of  tliis  jour- 
nal, October  24,  1874.  It  was  printed  on  the  forms 
of  the  late  Black  River  Conmicrrial  (nine-column 
folio)  with  this  exception,  that  its  four  pages  were  all 
]irinted  in  the  office.  He  continued  its  publication 
until  the  20th  of  February,  1875,  when  James  W. 
Ciiapman  became  associated  with  him  as  equal  part- 
ner. This  relation  continued  until  the  10th  of  the 
following  July,  when  Mr.  Chapman  withdrew.  On 
tlie  7th  of  August,  1875,  it  was  changed  to  a  six- 
column  quarto  (its  present  form),  and  on  the  1st  of 
the  following  November,  Mr.  A.  H.  Smith  purchased 
an  equal  interest  in  the  establishment,  and  for  the 


following  fifteen  months  the  paper  was  jiublished  by 
Fisher  &  Smith,  E.  G.  Johnson  lieing  its  political, 
and  II.  A.  Fisher  its  local  editor.  On  the  1st  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1877,  Mr.  Fisher  purcliased  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Smith,  and  the  Independent  Ihmorrat  and  Eepuhli- 
can  were  consolidated.  Under  this  arrangement  the 
Democrat  was  discontinued  and  the  Bejmtj.ican  was 
pnblisiied  by  Wasliburn&  Fislier,  with  Geo.  (f.  Wash- 
burn as  editor-in-chief,  11.  A.  Fisher  local  editor,  and 
A.  H.  Smitli  i)rinfer.  On  the  1st  of  October,  1877, 
Mr.  Wasliburn  purcliased  Mr.  Fisher's  interest  and 
assumed  entire  control  of  the  paper.  On  the  retire- 
ment of  Mr.  Fislier,  Mi-.  Smith  took  the  position  of 
local  editor  and  superintendent  of  the  uunhauical  de- 
partment, with  Mr.  Wni.  T.  Morris  as  job  printer. 
Under  this  management  the  Ri'pvblican  continues  to 
make  its  weekly  visits  to  its  large  list  of  readers. 

The  foregoing  concludes  the  record  of  the  jircss  in 
Flyria,  with  the  exce])tion  of  a  few  pajieis  of  brief 
duration,  to  which  reference  is  here  made.  During 
the  political  campaign  of  1838,  the  whigs  published  a 
small  sheet  called  The  Peopte's  Banner,  edited  by 
Albert  A.  Bliss,  and  the  democrats  a  similar  paper 
called  Tlie  Jeffersonian,  edited  l)y  Joel  Tiffany.  Tliese 
papers  were  conducted  with  much  spice  and  al>ility. 
In  1840  the  whigs  published  for  three  months  Otd 
Tip's  Broom,  edited  by  D.  W.  Lathrop  and  other 
prominent  whigs  of  that  day.  It  was  ably  conducted 
and  contributed  much  towards  securing  the  victory 
that  followed  the  famous  ''Log  Cabin  and  Hard  Cider" 
campaign.  In  1864  II.  M.  Lillie  published  for  a  few 
weeks  a  small  two-column  (juarto  devoted  to  the  cause 
of  temperance.  Its  jniblisher,  who  was  a  reformed 
inebriate,  returned  to  his  cups,  and  his  paper  was  dis- 
continued. Its  name  cannot  be  recalled.  About  tbe 
year  1808  two  or  three  numbers  of  a  very  creditable 
paper  were  issued,  called  77ie  Lorain  Templars'  Offer- 
ing. The  name  of  its  publisher  is  not  remembered, 
but  he  was  a  stranger,  and  proved  to  be  unworthy  of 
confidence. 

THE    ELYRIA    VOLKSFREUNn. 

This  was  an  eight-column  folio,  published  in  Ger- 
man, by  F.  S.  Reefy,  at  the  oftice  of  the  Constitution. 
TJie  first  number  was  issued  February  I,  1873;  terms, 
$2.00  a  year.  For  the  first  two  months  its  outside 
pages  were  printed  in  Philadeli)hia,  after  which  it  was 
all  printed  at  the  pulilication  office.  At  the  end  of 
three  years  Mr.  Reefy  sold  the  paper  to  Henry  Minnig, 
who  published  it  about  a  year,  when  it  was  discon- 
tinued for  want  of  sujtport.  The  types  were  then 
purchased  by  the  Biene  priuting  company,  of  Cleve- 
land, and  the  new  proprietors  made  an  effort  to  estab- 
lish a  German  paper  here,  called  The  Weekhi  Post, 
but  it  was  not  successful. 

There  have  also  been  }iiiblished  in  Elyria  at  various 
times  and  for  various  pei-iods,  a  number  of  very  credit- 
able amateur  sheets,  a  notice  of  which  cannot  be  given 
in  the  space  allotted  to  this  history. 


64 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY.  OTTTO. 


The  lirst  steam-power  press  lised  in  Elyria  was  in- 
troduced by  Mr.  Reefy,  in  tlie  ofifioe  of  the  ConstHii- 
fimi,  in  January,  1S73.  It  is  called  the  Fairhavcn 
cylitider  ])ress.  This  was  fnllnwcil,  in  Juno  of  the 
same  year,  by  Mr.  Wasliburn,  who  int  rodueed  a  large 
I'otter  cylinder  jiowcr  press  in  the  office  of  tlie  Deino- 
(■>■/(/,  running  it,  however,  witliout  steam.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1875,  another  Potter  press  of  the  same  size  was 
introduced  in  the  Rejnibllran  office,  with  steam  power. 


THE  PRESS  IN  OBERLIN. 

TUE    OBERLIN    EVANGELIST. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  collegiate  insti- 
tute at  Oberlin,  on  the  plan  of  furnishing  a  liberal 
Christian  education  to  botli  sexes,  regardless  of  color 
or  caste,  there  began  to  be  felt  a  necessity  for  some 
medium  through  which  the  eminent  reformers  who 
composed  its  faculty  could  reach  the  public  ear. 
Nothing  was  done,  however,  toward  supplying  the 
want  until  November  1,  1838,  five  years  after  the 
institution  was  founded,  when  the  first  number  of 
the  Obvrlin  Eranijelid  was  issued.  It  was  a  (piaito 
of  eight  pages,  9x12  inches,  and  was  published 
every  two  weeks,  at  $1.00  a  year.  After  live  years, 
its  size  was  increased  to  10  x  14  inches.  It  was  at 
first  edited  by  an  association  of  the  college  professors, 
and  was  published  by  R.  E.  Gillett.  In  1844.  Prof. 
Henry  Cowles  became  its  editor,  and  continued  in 
charge  until  it  was  discontinued,  December  17,  1862. 
At  about  the  same  time,  James  M.  Fitch  became  its 
publisher,  and  remained  such  until  December,  1858. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Shankland  &  Harmon,  and  in 
Ajn-il,  18G1,  V.  A.  Shankland  took  sole  charge  as 
]>ul)lisher,  and  continued  until  the  end. 

The  Erangelisl  was  always  an  able  paper,  candidly 
and  earnestly  discussing  the  reforms  sought  to  be 
secured  through  the  aid  of  Christian  effort,  and  for 
many  years  each  number  contained  a  sermon  by 
Professor,  afterwards  President,  Finney,  reported  in 
short-hand  by  Prof.  Cowles.  Its  twenty-four  vol- 
umes form  a  jiortion  of  the  college  library,  and  in 
after  years  will  become  of  great  value. 

Prof.  Cowles.  in  addition  to  Jiis  duties  as  instructor 
in  the  college,  has  published  several  volumes  on  the 
]iroi>hetical  books  of  the  Bible,  besides  other  works 
of  lesser  u<ite,  and  still  resides  in  Oberlin.  venerable 
in  years,  and  beloved  by  all. 

R.  E.  (iilh.'tt,  its  first  juJjlisher,  removed  west  many 
years  ago,  where  he  died,  but  at  what  time  has  ikjI 
been  ascertained. 

James  M  Fitch  conducted  the  book  and  jieriodical 
j)rintiug  for  the  college  for  many  years,  with  ability 
and  credit,  and  died  in  Oberlin  June  7,  18(i7,  widely 
esteemed  and  deeply  lamented  b)  all  who  knew  him. 

THE    PEACK.MAKKK. 

This  was  the  title  of  a  small  pajier  conducted  b}' 
Rev.  Israel  Mattison,  and  devoted  to  the  advocacy  of 
peace   princijiles,    as   held    by   Elihn    Buriitt.     His 


residence  was  in  "New  Oberlin,"  a  mile  from  the 
village,  whei'c  he  edited  the  pajier  and  jiut  it  in  type, 
and  it  was  printed  on  the  Eniiir/i'lisf  press,  by  Mr. 
Cillett.  It  was  first  issued  about  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1830,  and  was  discontinued  in  1840,  when  its 
jiublisher  removed  to  Illinois. 

THE  people's  press. 

Sodu  after  James  ^1.  Fitch  liccauie  |iublishei' (if  the 
Evanyclht,  in  1844,  he  issued  a  small  folio,  18  x  24 
inches,  with  the  above  title.  It  was  published  at 
irregular  intervals,  luit  imt  receiving  sufficient  su]i- 
port  to  warrant  its  cuntinuaiice,  it  was  suspended 
after  about  one  year. 

the  oiseklin  quarterly  review. 

This  was  an  octavo  of  one  hundred  and  forty  pages, 
published  by  James  M.  Fitch  from  1845  to  1849, 
making  four  volumes.  It  was  devoted  to  the  discus- 
sion of  theoldgical  (jucstions,  and  was  ably  conducted, 
the  first  year  by  President  Malum  and  Rev.  William 
Ciicbran.and  afterwards  l)y  Jfabau  and  Prof.  Finnej'. 

THE    VILLAGE    ITEM. 

This  was  a  small,  spicy  little  sheet  that  was  issued 
from  the  press  of  the  Evangelist,  in  May,  1852.  But 
a  few  numbers  were  printed.  Soon  after  it  was  dis- 
continued, Mr.  Fitch,  publisher  of  the  Evangdist, 
made  the  first  practical  effort  to  establish  a  secular 
uewsjiaper  in  (Jberlin,  and  issued 

THE    OliERLIN    WEEKLY   TIMES. 

This  was  a  six-column  folio,  very  neatly  printed, 
and  filled  with  w^ell  selected  articles  and  ably  prepared 
original  matter.  It  struggled  through  its  first  year  at 
quite  an  expense  to  its  publisher,  who,  in  June,  1853, 
announced  that  ^'The  Oberlin  Weekly  Times.  wiW  not 
be  issued  again  until  we  have  further  encouragement," 
which  he  failed  to  receive. 

THE    student's    MONTHLY. 

This  was  an  octavo  of  thirt^'-two  pages,  issued  in 
1858  by  the  publisher  of  the  Erangelist,  and,  as  its 
title  indicates,  was  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the 
college,  being  edited  and  sustained  mainly  by  the 
students.  It  was  discontinued  after  ncaidy  three 
yeai's,  at  the  lireaking  out  of  the  war.  in  ISiil. 

THE    LORAIN  COUNTY  NEWS. 

The  first  weekly  jiaper  in  Oberlin  that  proved  to  be 
of  a  permanent  c-haracter,  was  The  Loraiv  Covnfij 
News,  the  first  number  of  which  was  issued  on  the 
7th  of  March,  1800,  by  V.  A.  Shankland  and  J. 
F.  Harmon,  at  that  time  pulilishers  of  the  Oberlin 
Evangelist.  It  was  a  six  column  folio,  price  ^1.00 
per  annum.  During  the  first  year  of  its  existence  the 
News  was  edited  by  A.  B.  Nettleton,  who  laid  down 
the  jien  to  assume  the  sword  in  defense  of  the  union. 
He  was  succeeded  by  J.  B.  T.  Marsh,  then  a  college 
student.     At  the  commencement  of  the  war,  in  1861, 


HISTOEY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


65 


Mr.  Harmon  sold  his  interest  in  tlie  pnblisliiug  busi- 
ness to  his  partner,  and  enlisted  in  the  army  where  he 
served  three  years.  Mr.  Shankland  eontiniu'd  to 
])iil)lis]i  the  paper  alone  nntil  ilareh  .''),  ISCri.  (the 
close  of  the  second  year),  when  Prof.  H.  E.  I'eck 
jiurchased  an  interest  therein,  and  the  bnsiness  was 
continued  l)y  V.  A.  Shankland  &  Co.,  with  Prof. 
Peck  and  ^Ii\  !Marsh  as  editors.  In  the  summer  of 
1803  boll)  (lie  editors  withdrew  from  the  A'eu's,  Mr. 
Marsli  enlisting  in  the  army.  In  .July.  l>i<i.3,  William 
Kincaid,  tiien  a  senior  in  college,  assumed  the  position 
of  c(lit(ir.  and  served  in  that  cajjacity  for  one  year. 
He  was  succeeded  liy  L.  L.  Kice,  who  edited  the  paper 
until  October,  lS(i.5.  In  .Inly,  lSii4,  Mr,  Harmon 
retnriu'd  fi'oni  t  be  army  and  again  liecamc  joint  owner 
iif  the  pajiei-,  ami  in  Novendjer  of  the  same  year  he 
imrchased  Mr.  Shankland's  interest  and  became  sole 
pi-oprietor.  In  October,  1805,  be  sold  the  entire 
establishment  to  .1.  ]■?.  T.  Marsh,  who  conducted  the 
pai)er  as  editor  and  proprietor  until  July  'M,  1807, 
when  he  sold  it  to  Elbei't  W.  Clark,  who  employed 
Prof.  C.  H.  Churchill  asedit(n-.  Under  tliis  manage- 
ment the  Xcirs  was  puljlished  for  about  two  years, 
wlien  }ilv.  Clark  sold  theottice  to  E.  P.  Brown,  at  that 
time  [lublisherof  the  BpUitkc  (hizctte,  who  conducted 
the  paper  as  editor  and  publisher  until  February, 
1870,  when  he  sold  it  tt)  Kichard  liutlei',  who  on  Feb- 
ruary 9, '1871,  sold  the  establishment  to  .lusius  N. 
lli'own,  a  graduate  of  llie  Oberlin  theological  semi- 
nary. After  conducting  the  pajier  about  three  months 
as  sole  }ii-oprictor,  Mr.  J5rown  sold  an  interest  in  the 
otlice  to  A.  li.  A\  ililman,  who  for  some  time  previous 
bad  been  foreman  in  the  oflice  of  the  Standard  of  the 
('riixtt,  and  wlu)  took  charge  of  the  mechanical  de])art- 
nieut  in  February,  1875,  Mi".  Brown  still  occupying 
the  post  of  editor.  In  May,  1873,  Mr.  Wildman  sold 
bis  interest  to  .1.  H.  Lang,  but  continued  to  retain  the 
position  of  foreman.  About  the  first  of  December. 
1873,  Brown  &  Lang  sold  theottice  to  George  B.  Pratt 
and  .J.  H.  Battle,  Mr.  Pratt  being  one  of  the  projiri- 
etors  of  the  Olx'flin  7'iiiiefi,  formerly  the  JVew  Era, 
aiul  at  that  date  tlie  Times  and  JS'cws  were  consoli- 
dated, retaining  the  name  of  the  latter,  which  was 
changed  to  the  T/ic  ObvrUn  WcvkJy  Xews,  the  title  it 
now  bears.  The  new  paper  stalled  out  with  a  large 
li«t  of  subscribers;  a  large  addition  to  its  stock  of  type 
and  machinery  was  purchased,  and  the  office  was  put 
in  complete  order,  at  great  cost  to  its  jn'oprietors,  who 
anticipated  a  sufficient  revenue  to  meet  the  liabilities 
tiius  incurred.  Their  anticijiations  were  not  realized, 
and  on  January  ■27,187.'),  Mr.  Pratt  disposed  of  bis 
interest  and  retired  fnim  the  office.  The  paper  was 
then  conducted  by.).  11.  Battle,  in  company  with  his 
father,  William  Battle,  until  July,  1876,  when  Mat- 
thias Day,  Jr.,  formerly  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Manafield  Herald,  became  the  editor  and  proprietor. 
The  paper  at  this  time  was  deeply  involved  in  debt, 
and  Mr.  Day  reduced  its  size  and  otherwise  diminished 
the  cost  of  its  publication,  hoping  to  be  able  to  sus- 
tain it.     Finding  it  impossible  to  meet  its  liabilities,  in 


December,  1876,  he  sold  the  office  to  Iral  A.  Webster 
and  Edwin  Eegal,  who  retained  Mr.  Day  as  editor. 
In  May,  1877,  Mr.  Regal  retired,  and  Messrs.  W.  L. 
&  JI.  G.  Mains  jiurchased  an  interest,  the  new  firm 
being  Webster,  Mains  &  Co.,  Mr.  Fred.  Webster  serv- 
ing as  local  editor.  This  arrangement  continued  nntil 
December  1,  1877,  when  William  H.  Pearee,  previ- 
ously editor  of  the  Grinds/nne  Vilij  Advertiser  in 
Berea,  ])urehased  the  interest  of  the  Messrs.  Mains, 
and  became  its  editor  and  l)usiness  nnmager,  the  (irm 
licing  Weljster  &  Pearee.  On  tlie  1st  of  January, 
I87!l,  Mr.  Webster  sold  his  interest  and  retired.  The 
Xew."  is  now  published  by  W.  H.  Pearee,  who  may 
well  congratulate  himself  on  seeing  it  established  on 
a  jiaying  basis. 

The  Neics  was  originally  a  sis  column  folio,  price 
$1.00  })er  year.  For  the  first  few  years  a  line  in  the 
beading  read,  "Published  at  Oberlin  and  Wellington," 
one  page  being  edited  for  a  time  by  parties  in  Welling- 
ton. In  1863  it  was  enlarged  to  an  eight  column  folio 
and  the  price  advanced  to  $1.50,  and  soon  after  to 
ifeS.OOayear.  In  January,  1806,  it  was  again  enlarged 
and  made  a  nine  column  folio.  During  a  part  of  the 
year  1807  it  was  an  eight  column  paper,  but  was  again 
restored  to  the  nine  column,  and  so  remained  until 
December  10,  1874,  when  Messrs.  Pratt  &  Battle 
changed  it  to  a  six  column  quarto.  Two  years  later, 
under  the  management  of  Mr.  Day,  it  again  became 
an  eight  column  folio,  which  size  it  still  retains.  At 
the  same  time  the  price  was  reduced  to  $1..50,  as  at 
present.  The  A>?/'.<  has  always  been  repulilican  in  poli- 
tics, and  its  editors  have  generally  taken  an  advanced 
]iosition  on  all  moral  and  educational  movements. 

By  the  foregoing  it  will  lie  seen  that  tlie  Xewtt  has 
been  owned,  in  part  or  in  whole,  by  nineteen  different 
persons  since  its  establishment,  a  little  less  than  nine- 
teen years  ago,  all  of  whom,  with  one  exception,  are 
still  living,  and  several  have  acquired  some  prom- 
inence in  their  respective  fields  of  labor.  The  limits 
of  this  history  will  only  admit  a  brief  notice  of  those 
most  prominently  connected  witli  the  jiaper  during 
tlie  time. 

V.  A.  Shankland  now  resides  in  Benton  Harbor, 
Michigan,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  culture  of  fruit. 

J.  F.  Harmon  served  as  postmaster  in  Oberlin  for 
nine  years,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
(Harmon  &  Beecher)  in  that  village. 

A.  B.  Nettleton  won  a  geiierafs  commission  in  the 
army,  subsequently  edited  the  Sauduskv  Register 
and  the  Chicago  Advance,  and  now  resides  in  Phila- 
delphia. 

.1.  B.  T.  Marsh  was  subsequently  one  of  the  editors 
of  the  Chicago  Adrance  for  eight  years,  and  now 
resides  in  Oberlin,  holding  the  position  of  treasurer 
of  the  college  and  mayor  of  the  village. 

Prof.  II.  E.  Peck  was  appointed  minister  to  Ilayti, 
by  President  Johnson,  and  died  on  that  island  in  1807. 

William  Kincaid  has  been  for  several  years,  and  is 
now,  the  beloved  pastor  of  the  Second  Congregational 
Church,  in  Oberlin. 


66 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


L.  L.  Rice  was  a  veteran  editor  of  forty-two  years' 
experience  when  he  edited  tlie  Neivx.  had  been  private 
secretary  of  (Jovernor  (Jhase,  and  was  since  for  twelve 
years  superintendent  of  i)ublic  jirintino'  in  Cohindms. 
][e  now  resides  in  Oberlin,  veneral)le  in  years,  and 
resj)ected  by  all  who  know  him. 

Ell)ert-W.  Clark  resides  in  I'ainesviile,  and  is  the 
])ul)lislicr  of  the  I'ainesviile  Advertiser. 

Prof.  (!.  n.  Clhurchill  still  occupies  a  chair  in  Olicr- 
lin  College,  where  he  is  regarded  as  an  able  educator. 

E.  P.  ]5rown  is  now  manager  of  the  "Aiken  News- 
paper Ilnioji,"  in  Cincinnati. 

Richard  Butler  is  jiublishcr  of  flic  f'liuton  (Illinois) 
Puhlic. 

Justus  N.  Brown  is  ])astor  of  the  ('(uigregational 
Church  in  CHiarlotte,  Michigan. 

J.  H.  Lang  is  an  attorney  at  law,  residing  at 
Oberlin. 

Geo.  B.  Pratt  for  a  time  published  the  Huron 
County  Chronicle,  and  is  now  jniblisher  of  the  Cazette, 
in  Menasha,  Wisconsin. 

Most  of  the  remaining  proprietors  of  the  News. 
reside  in  Oberlin,  engaged  in  various  pursuits. 

The  News  was  first  printed  upon  an  Adams  book- 
press,  which  was  purchased  by  .J.  M.  Fitch,  in  1848, 
and  was  used  for  printing  the  Evangelist  and  other 
papers,  also,  several  books,  including  the  fii'st  edition 
of  "President  Finney's  Theology."  In  18(iH,  a 
Campbell  cylinder  press,  the  first  cylinder  ])ress  in 
the  county,  was  purchased,  and  run  by  hand  uj)  to 
1871,  when  a  steam  engine,  also  the  first  in  the 
county  used  for  printing  purposes,  was  attached  by 
J.  N.  Brown.  In  -lanuary,  1874,  Pratt  &  Battle  dit- 
posed  of  the  Campbell  press,  and  procured  a  large 
and  expensive  Potter  press,  which,  in  Fcl)ruary,  1878, 
was  sold  by  Webster  &  Pearce,  and  a  country  Potter 
cylinder  jjress  procured,  which  is  now  in  use  in  the 
News  office. 

THE  STANDARi:)  OF  THE  CROSS. 

This  was  a  small  sized  quarto,  published  weekly, 
the  first  number  of  which  was  issued  in  Oberlin, 
in  August,  1868.  Rev.  W.  C.  French,  U.D.,  was  its 
editor  and  ])idjlisher.  It  was  the  successor  of  the 
Uanibier  Obserrer,  (afterwards  called  the  Western 
Episcopalian,)  which  was  estaldished  in  (iambier, 
Ohio,  in  18.'?0,  as  the  representative  of  the  I'rotestant 
Episcopal  church  in  ()lii<i.  Its  editor  was  rect<!r  of 
the  greater  ])ortion  of  the  time,  in  rooms  in  the 
the  clum^h  in  Obi'rlin,  and  the  pa})er  was  printed, 
rear  of  the  church  edifice.  In  1873,  the  office 
was  removed  to  Cleveland,  where  it  is  still  pLiblished 
by  Dr.  French,  thi'ough  whose  ability  and  industry 
the  paper  has  secured  a  general   circuhilion   in   Ohio, 

and  (Hintinues  to  be  the  recognized  ex| enf   nl'  that 

church  in  this  State. 

THK  onEIUJX  XEW  ERA. 

Ill  April.  187:^,  Dr.  II.  W.  Libbey,  of  t:ievcland. 
established  a  newspaper  in  Oberlin  called  The  Oherlin 


New  Era.  lie  was  a  specialist  in  his  practice,  and  in 
consef|uencc  of  the  News  declining  to  ]iublish  his 
advertisements,  he  started  this  as  an  oi)position  jiaper, 
and  by  furnishing  it  at  a  low  ])riee,  and  canvassing, 
at  considerable  cost,  for  subscribers,  succeeded  in 
securing  a  good  circulation.  It  was  an  eight  column 
folio;  i)rice,  II  a  year.  Rev.  II.  O.  Sheldon,  .1.  I'". 
C.  Iliiyes,  and  othei'S,  were  employed  as  wrilcrs.  and 
II.  P.  Whitiney  was  its  Inisiness  manager.  It  did  not 
realize  the  object  of  i!s  ]iulilislier,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1873.  he  sold  itto(!.  A.  Sherman  and  Ceorge  B.  Pratt, 
and  the  name  was  changed  to  7'he  Olierlin  Times. 
Aftei'  flic  issue  of  a  few  nundiers,  it  was  (■(uisdlidiifi  d 
with  the  News,  by  Messrs.  Pi'att  &  Battle. 

THE  OREKUN  REVIEW. 

This  is  a  sixteen  page  semi-monthly  paper,  now 
published  in  Oberlin,  and  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
the  college.  It  is  owned  and  conducted  by  the 
students.  The  first  number,  containing  twelve  i)ages, 
was  issued  A])ril  1.  1874,  with  (J.  N.  Jones,  as  man- 
aging editor.  It  was  jiriiifed  in  ihe  AV«'.s-  oflfiee,  at 
11.50  a  year.  On  the  ICtb  of  Se]itember,  1874,  it 
j)assed  into  the  hands  of  the  Union  literary  associa- 
ti()n,  of  Obei'lin  college,  a  corjiorafe  body  couijiosimI  of 
the  Phi  Kapiia  Pi,  Phi  Delta,  Alpha  Zeta,  Ladies"  liit- 
erary,  Aelioiaii  and  Beth  Nun  Alepli  societies,  which 
has  continued  it  jiublication  to  the  jiresent  time.  Its 
editor-in-chief,  together  with  a  board  of  associate 
editors,  is  elected  aunually  by  the  association.  The 
following  ])ersons  have  successfully  served  as  edit(n-s- 
in-chief:  J.  A.  Winters,  E.  J.  Malle,  Arch  Iladden. 
E.  A.  Tuttle,  I.  W.  Metcalf,  W.  W.  Beacom,  and  II. 
C.  King.  With  its  second  vohinic,  the  ]):i]>er  vas 
enlarged  to  sixteen  pages,  and  its  subscription  in- 
creased to  $1.75  per  year.  For  the  jiast  two  years,  it 
has  been  self-sustaining,  having  a  circulation  of  nearly 
six  hundred  coj)ies. 

TUEOItEliMNT    GAZETTE. 

The  first,  number  of  The  Oherlin  (lazellc  was  issued 
December  7.  1876,  by  A.  P.  Wildman  and  E.  M. 
Brice.  It  was  a  seven  column  folio,  all  home  j)rint, 
for  the  first  seven  months,  and  its  terms  wei'c  $1  ]ier 
annum.  On  the  I'.Uli  of  .July,  1876,  Mr.  Wildman 
])urchascd  Mr.  Brieve's  interest,  j)rocured  his  jiaper 
with  outside  jjages  ready  jirinted,  in  Clevelaiul,  and 
continued  its  publication  until  .June  6,  1878,  wdicii  he 
sidd  it  to  W.  W.  WoodrufP,  under  whose  direction  it 
is  still  published  on  the  co-o])erative  plan. 

Both  A.  R.  Wildham  and  E.  M.  Brice  are  j)ractieal 
jirinters,  of  much  experiiMice,  and  an  honor  to  Ihe 
craft.  The  latter  is  now  editor  and  pi'o])rietor  of  the 
Blue  Rapids  (Kansas)  Times.  Mr.  Woodruff  is  a 
novice  in  the  art  of  printing.  The  (fazette  is  con- 
sidered independent  in  politics,  though  with  strong 
republican  i)ro(divities.  During  Ihe  iani|iaign  of 
1878,  its  editor  mainly  supj)orted  the  jiioliibition 
ticket. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


67 


THE    PRESS   IN    WELLINGTON. 

T)IE    WELLINGTON   JOUKNAL. 

The  first  newsjiaper  printed  in  Wellington  was 
issued  March  11,  185:i,  and  called  The  WclUnfiton 
.foitriinL  (fcorge  Brewster  was  its  editor  and  L.  S. 
(iriswiilil,  associate  editor.  Its  first  proprietorship 
(Miiiiot  l>e  ascertained,  but  on  the  35th  of  the  same 
iiiiiiith  Jonathan  D.  Baker  purchased  an  interest  in 
(he  office  and  became  its  printer.  April  23d  of  the 
liwma  year  Cieorge  Brewster  withdrew  from  the  paper, 
tiikiiig  the  position  of  corresponding  editor.  On  the 
•i'M\\  of  April  the  title  of  the  paper  was  changed  to 
Jiiurnal  and  Free  Democrat,  but  on  the  23d  of  July 
its  original  title  was  restored.  At  this  date  J.  S. 
Reed  aud  E.  Boice  became  its  proprietors  and  George 
BrL^vstor  its  editor.  Mr.  Brewster  retained  his  con- 
ncctidu  with  tlic  ii:t[ior  for  about  one  year,  and  for  a 
time  li.  S.  CJriswold  edited  it.  Henry  T.  Culver,  J. 
W.  Hill,  C.  F.  Brewster  and  T.  Burus  res[iectively 
succeeded  each  other  as  printer.  The  paper  failed  to 
sustain  the  cost  of  its  publication,  and  was  discon- 
tinued after  about  two  years,  but  the  precise  date  can- 
not be  ascertained. 

THE    WELLIXCJTON    ENTERPRISE. 

In  the  summer  of  1865,  James  A.  (Juthrie  of  Dela- 
ware, Ohio,  removed  to  Wellington  and  commenced 
tiie  i)ublication  of  The,  WelUiKjIon  Uufcrprise.  The 
first  issue  was  dated  Sei)teniber  25,  1865.  It  was  a 
tiibo,  printed  on  a  sheet  25^x38  inches,  and  its  terms 
were  *3.00  a  year.  On  March  1,  1860,  Mr.  Guthrie 
sold  the  paper  to  Jolin  C.  Artz,  who  reduced  the  size 
to  seven  columns,  and  the  price  to  11.50.  On  the 
IStii  of  September,  1867,  the  j)aper  was  enlarged,  and 
its  outside  pages  were  furnished  on  the  co-opei'ative 
])liin.  Mr.  Artz  remained  its  editor  and  proi)rietor 
until  Octoljer  1,  1876,  wiien  he  sold  the  office  to  Dr. 
J.  W.  Ilougiiton  and  D.  A.  Sniitli.  Dr.  Houghton 
and  ]}is  wife,  Mary  11.,  Iiecanie  its  editors,  and  Mr. 
Smith,  being  a  pi'actical  jirinter,  took  chai'ge  of  the 
mechanical  dejiartment.  The  size  of  the  paper  was 
inci'cascd  to  a.  slieet  26x40  inches,  with  co-operative 
outside  l)ages,  bnt  its  price  remains  at  11.50.  On  the 
15th  of  December,  1877,  Mr.  Houghton  purchased 
his  partner's  interest,  and  is  now  its  sole  projirietor. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Houghton  were  novices  in  newspaper 
Work  when  they  assumed  the  cliai-ge  of  the  Enterprise, 
but  their  industry  and  painstaking  have  placed  it  on 
a  substantial  basis.  It  has  always  supported  the  repub- 
lican party,  and  its  column  reflect  the  well-known 
characteristics  of  its  editors — fairness  in  discussing 
dis]uited  (|uestions,  and  })rogress  in  all  the  reforms  of 
the  day. 


THE    P1!P]SS    IN    LORAIN. 

BLACK   RIVER  COMMERCIAL. 

Tlie  first  numl)er  of  this  jjaper  was  issued  May  8, 
1873,  by  II.  A.  Fisher,  at  Black  River,  now  Lorain. 


It  was  a  five-column  quarto;  terms,  #1.50  a  year.  On 
the  3d  of  July,  1873,  its  form  was  changed  to  an 
eight-column  folio;  and  on  the  I8th  of  September,  it 
was  reduced  in  size  to  six  columns.  On  the  8th  of 
January,  1874,  it  was  restored  to  an  eight-column 
folio,  with  patent  outside  pages,  and  ou  the  9th  of 
the  following  May,  its  size  was  increased  toliine  col- 
umns, and  thus  remained  until  it  was  discontinued, 
September  12,  1874,  for  want  of  adequate  sujjjjort. 
At  that  date,  the  material  was  removed  to  Elyria  by 
Mr.  Fisher,  who  commenced  the  publication  of  a  new 
paper,  called  the  Eljiria  RepuMican. 

THE    LORAIN    MONITOR. 

A  small  flvc-colunm  folio,  called  the  Lorain  Afoni- 
liir,  has  recently  been  issued  in  Lorain  by  Lawler  & 
Brady,  with  j>atent  outside  pages.  Its  history  is  yet 
to  be  written. 


THE  PRESS  IN  AMHERST. 

THE   AMHERST   FREE    I'RESS. 

This  paper  was  issued  July  31,  1875,  in  North 
Amherst,  by  F.  M.  Lewis,  editor  and  proprietor.  It 
was  a  six-column  folio,  patent  outside  pages,  iiule- 
pendent  in  politics,  and  its  terms  were  $1.50  a  year. 
After  three  weeks,  Mr.  J.  K.  Lewis  became  associated 
with  his  brother  in  its  publication,  and  continued 
until  July  22,  1876,  when  he  withdrew,  and  C.  II. 
Lewis  took  his  place  in  the  firm.  On  the  18tli  of 
August,  1877,  F.  M.  Lewis  again  took  sole  charge  of 
the  i)aper.  On  the  37th  of  November,  following,  its 
])rice  was  reduced  to  $1.25  a  year,  and  its  size  was 
increased  to  seven  columns.  It  is  chiefly  devoted  to 
local  interests,  and  its  publication  is  continued  by 
Mr.  Lewis  as  editor  and  ])roprietor. 

In  concluding  the  history  of  the  press  in  Lorain 
county,  the  writer  acknowledges  the  obligations  he  is 
under  to  various  persons  who  have  aided  him  in  ob- 
taining the  desired  information,  and  especially  to 
President  J.  H.  Fairchild.  and  AV.  II.  Pearce,  editor 
of  the  Newx,  who  have  kindly  furnished  most  of  the 
data'relating  to  the  twelve  different  publications  in 
Oberlin. 

SUMMARY. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  have 
been  thirty-three  different  publications  issued  in  this 
county  during  the  past  fifty  years,  viz:  Sixteen  in 
Elyria,  twelve  in  Oberlin,  two  in  Wellington,  two  in 
Lorain,  and  one  in  Amherst.  At  this  time,  there  are 
seven  weekly  papers  and  one  semi-monthly  published 
in  the  county,  viz:  Two  in  Elyria,  two  weeklies  and 
one  semi-monthly  in  Oberlin,  one  in  Wellington,  and 
one  in  Lorain. 


68 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

LOEAIN  AGHICULTURAL  SOCIETY.* 

The  present  "  Loruiu  County  AgrieiiKiinil  Society" 
was  orgiuiized  in  (he  year  184G.  Previous  to  this  time 
shows  for  stock,  etc..  had  l)cen  hekl  in  Elyria  and 
Oberlin.  As  early  as  18i)3  a  stociv  show  was  iiehl  east 
of  tlie  Heche  House,  on  the  site  of  Ely  park.  At  this 
show  sixty  dollars  was  award(Ml  as  preniinni  upon  cat- 
tle, horses  and  articles  of  various  kinds.  How  many 
of  these  exhibitions  were  held  previous  fo  the  organi- 
zation of  the  [iresent  society,  the  writer  cannot  ascer- 
tain. Thei'c  must  have  been  several.  In  October, 
1845,  a  show  was  held  in  Oberlin,  and  il  appears  by 
President  Kinney's  report,  that  there  had  been  ])rc- 
vious  meetings  of  a  like  nature.  This  organization 
seems  to  have  been  carried  on  Ijy  the  citizens  of  Ober- 
lin and  its  vicinity,  and  Mr.  Kinney's  rejjort  refers  to 
the  assistance  given  by  the  presiilent  and  professors  of 
Olierlin  college.  At  this  meeting  a  jilowing  match 
was  hekl,  cattle  and  other  stock  competing  for  pre- 
miums. The  chairman  of  committee  on  plowing  was 
Prof.  Cowles.  The  names  of  the  other  committees 
are  before  me,  but  no  report  of  their  awards.  The 
report  was  to  appear  the  following  week — so  says  Tltc 
Peoples  Pre.sx,  October  1,  184.5.  In  the  evening  at 
half-past  six  o'clock  a  meeting  was  held  in  tlie  chapel, 
and  short  speeches  were  delivered  liy  several  gentle- 
men, among  them  Dr.  Townshend,  President  Jlahan, 
Prof.  Fairchild  (now  i)resident),  and  Prof.  Cowles. 
Songs  had  been  prepared  by  Tutor  Hodge,  and  the 
music  was  pronounced  excellent. 

Whatever  had  been  done  by  Elyria  or  Oherlin  j)re- 
vious  to  1S4G,  no  doubt  partially  j)aved  the  way  for 
the  organization  formed  under  the  act  of  the  legisla- 
ture for  the  encouragement  of  agriinilture,  February 
■i7,  184(i.  Dr.  N.  8.  Townshend.  then  of  Elyria,  now 
professor  of  agriculture,  etc.,  in  "The  Ohio  State 
University,"  probably  did  more  to  get  farmers  and 
others  togethei'  and  organize  a  meeting  which  eventu- 
ally resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  present  society, 
than  any  other  individual.  The  proceedings  of  the 
agricultural  meeting  held  at  Elyria,  Lorain  county, 
Ohio,  on  Wednesday,  April  'M,  184(),  aiv  reported  as 
follows: 

On  motiim  of  Dr.  E.  W.  Hubbard,  the  Hon.  .1.  Harris  was  called  to 
the  chair,  aud  N.  S.  Townshend  appointed  secretary. 

On  motion  of  .V.  H.  Re<iington,  and  after  remarks  by  Hon.  D.  T. 
Baldwin,  l)v.  Hubbard  and  others,  it  was  resolved  to  proceed  immedi- 
ately to  the  organ-zation  of  a  county  .society,  in  accordance  with  the 
ndes  and  regulations  recommended  by  the  State  board  of  agriculture. 
On  motion  of  Joel  Tiffany,  Esq.,  an  enrollment  was  made,  to  ascertain 
if  a  sufficient  uundjer  of  persons  desirous  of  ass<iciating  themselves  as 
a  county  agi-icultural  society  wel'e  present,  and  if  a  sufticient  sum  could 
he  raised  to  meet  the  provision  of  the  act.  Whereupon  fifty-eight 
names  were  enrolled,  and  eighty  dollars  subscrilied.  .\greeable  to 
the  recommendation  of  the  nominating  committee,  the  following 
gentlemen  were  unanimously  elected,  and  now  constitute  the  board  of 
ilirectors:  Joseph  Swift,  president;  Daniel  B.  Kinney,  vice-president; 
Artemas  Beebe,  treasurer;  A.  H.  Re<lington,  secretary;  Henry  Tracy, 
George  Sibley,  Edwin  Byington,  D,  T.  Baldwin,  T.  W.  Osboru,  managers. 

On  motion,  it  was  resolved  that  committees  be  ajipoiuted,  consisting 
of  two  individuals  in  each  township,  to  solicit  subscriptions,  with  the 
names  of  i>ersons  wishing  to  become  members  of  the  society. 


*  By  R.  Baker. 


The  following  geritlemen  were  chosen:  Amherst — H.  Brownell  and 
J.  C.  Hrj-ant;  Avon— Uriah  Thompson,  Elah  Park;  Black  River— C.  Read, 
Sanmel  Stocking;  Brighton—Hosea  Dunbar,  P.  S.  Goss;  Brownhelm— 
C.  L.  Perry,  Jolin  Curtis;  Camden  — Hiram  Allen,  Gideon  Waugh; 
Carli.sle-R.  (Hbbs,  C.  Primlle;  Columbia-S.  Reed,  B.  B,  Adams;  Eaton 
— James  Firlas.  O.  Sperry ;  Elyi-ia— D.  Nesbitt,  Festus  Cooley,  Jr. ;  Graf- 
ton— A.  S.  Root.  Thos.  Inglesoll;  Henrietta— Hervey  Leonard,  Levi 
Vincent;  Huntington— Henry  Ti-acey,  H.  P.  Sage;  La  Grange— N.  P. 
Johnstiii,  H.  Hubbard;  Penfield— Wni.  .\ndrews,  Lewis  Starr;  Pitisheld 
— P.  McKoberts,  E.  Ulatchem;  Ridgeville— t^tis  Beggs,  L.  Beelie;  Roches- 
ter—John Conant,  M.  L.  Blair;  Russia— H.  C.  Taylor,  Dr.  Dascotub; 
Sheffleld-VVm.  Day,  Win.  H.  Root;  Wellinglon— Harvey  Grant,  J 
Wadswoi  th. 

On  motion,  the  above  committees  were  instructed  to  make  all 
possible  exertion,  immediately,  and  report  in  person  or  by  letter  at  the 
tirst  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors. 

It  was  voted  that  the  board  of  directors  meet  at  the  court  house,  in 
Elyria,  on  W^ednesday,  the  i;ith  of  May,  at  11  o'clock  a.  m..  to  determine 
the  sulijectsand  rates  of  premiums,  ami  transact  such  other  business 
as  may  be  necessary.    Adjourned  .-iint'  die. 

JosiAH  Harris,  ChiHrman. 

N.  S.  Townshend,  Secretari/. 

Proceedings  of  the  meeting  of  ho;i]-d  df  diieclors  of 
the  Lorain  county  agricultural  si>ciety.  May  lo,  184(): 

Rraolved,  That  this  society  have  an  exhibition  and  fair  at  Elyria,  on 
Wednesday,  September  30,  lS4i;. 

Resolved,  That  preniiuns  he  awarrled  upon  the  following  articles; 
The  several  amounts  to  be  determined  at  the  ne.xt  meeting  of  the  board, 
when  the  amount  of  funds  at  the  control  of  the  society  shall  he  ascer- 
tained. 

Committees  appi>inted  to  examine  farms  .and  crops:  tit  orge  Sibley. 
P.  McRoherts,  Harry  Terrell,  E.  Sanderson. 

Resolved,  The  ladies  of  this  county  be  invited  to  manufacture  useful 
articles,  to  be  donated  to  this  society,  and  that  they  hold  a  fair  in  the 
afternoon  and  evening  of  the  day  of  the  exhibition,  and  that  all  citizens 
be  requested  to  bring  choice  specimens  of  fruit  and  flowers,  manufac- 
tured articles,  and  he  offered  for  sale  at  the  ladies"  fair,  for  tlie  benefit 
of  the  society. 

Adjourned,  to  meet  at  E!yri;t,  on  .Moinbiy.  August- 
;S,    1840.  F.   Swift.  J 'resident. 

A.  H.  Redington,  Svcrclitrii. 

Owing  to  harvesting  time  of  the  year,  there  was 
not  any  meeting  on  August  li. 

According  to  previous  notice,  meeting  at  Olierlin. 
on  Tuesday,  August  20,  184'i.  At  this  meeting,  a 
long  list  of  committee  men  were  a|i|niinted.  It  was 
also  decided,  to  offer  premium  for  hcnls  of  cattk',  not 
less  tluin  tifteeii  he;i<l,  owneil  hy  one  farmer — tirst. 
seeimtl,  third,  fourtli  :iiid  tifth  liest.  The  best  tlock 
of  sheep,  not  less  than  twenty-live  head — first,  secoml, 
third,  fourth  ;ind  lifth  best.  Then  comes  a  list  of 
awards,  at  the  tirst  fair,  September  30.  Amount 
of  jiremiums  ;i\\;irded,  one  hiindi'cd  and  seventeen 
dollars. 

A  statement  of  receipts,  etc.,  of  the  Lorain  county 
agricultural  .society,  made  at  that  time,  are  as  follows: 

.-Vmouut  subscribed  by  members  of  the  society $304  liO 

.\mount  paid  in 121  IMl 

Balance  due 83  IIO 

Paid  .\.  Burrell.  foj-  printing 7  t)i) 

A  report  of  the  iiroceeilings  of  the  society,  and 
statement  of  the  pros[)Cct  of  the  crops,  as  re([uiretl 
by  law,  was  made  out,  and  forwarded  to  N.  P, 
Johnson,  the  ;ippoiiited  delegate  by  the  society,  to 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  State  boanl,  at  Columbus, 

It  is  very  evident  that,  in  the  early  days  of  the 
society,  the  nuinagers  were  men,  deeply  interested, 
and  very  zealous  in  the  work  of  establisliing  this, 
now,  prosperous  society.     The  constitutiou  preijared 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


69 


and  siiliiiiittud,  and  ado|itet1  bv  tlie  society,  was  short, 
and  met  all  that  was  rec|niri'il  in  those  early  days,  it 
was  as  follows: 

Art.  1.  The  offlcers  of  the  society  shall  consist  of  a  president,  vice- 
president,  secretary,  treasurer,  and  five  manaj^ers.  who.  together,  shall 
constitute  a  hoard  of  directors  for  the  t^eneral  inanaj^enient  of  the 
affairs  of  the  society.  They  shall  be  elected  annually,  liy  the  members 
of  the  society,  and  hold  their  offices  till  their  successors  are  appointed. 

Art.  '2.  Members  of  the  sociel-.y  must  be  residents  of  Lf.irain  county, 
and  pay  the  sum  of  one  dollar  annually  to  the  treasurer. 

.Vrt.  ;t.     Competitors  for  premiums  nuist  he  members  of  the  society. 

Art.  4.  A  list  of  articles  for  which  premiums  are  to  be  awarded  by 
the  society,  must  be  publislied  in  a  newspaper,  or  in  handbills,  at  least 
one  month  previous  to  the  da.v  of  the  exhibition. 

Art.  .').  All  articles  offered  for  premiums  must  be  owned  by  the 
persons  offerinj^  the  same,  or  b^'  members  of  their  family.  I'roducts  of 
the  soil,  and  niantifacturcd  articles,  must  be  produced  or  manufactured 
within  the  county,  agricultural  iiuplements  excepted. 

.\RT.  6.  .\warding  committees,  of  three  persons  each,  shall  be  annu- 
all.v  appointed  by  the  directors  of  the  society,  for  judging  the  different 
classes  of  articles  offered  in  competition,  and  awarding  premiums  for 
the  same. 

Art.  7.  Awarding  committees  must  conform  to  the  provisions  of 
the  law  in  requiring  competitors  for  premiums  on  crops,  and  other 
improvements,  to  furnish  fidl  and  correct  statements  of  the  process, 
and  expense  of  culture  atid  production,  etc. 

Art.  8.  Competitors  for  premiums  on  crops  shall  be  required  to  have 
the  ground  and  its  produce  accuratel.v  measured.  b.y  not  less  than  two 
disinterested  persons,  whose  statement  shall  be  in  writing  and  verified 
by  .atfidavit. 

Art.  9.  Premiums  on  grain,  and  grass  crops,  shall  not  he  awarded 
for  less  than  one  acre,  and  on  root  crops  for  not  less  than  one-fourth  of 
an  acre.  The  whole  quantity  produced  on  the  amount  of  laud  specified 
shall  be  measured  or  weighed.  Root  cnips  to  be  estimated  by  weight, 
divested  of  the  tops,  sixty  pounds  to  be  considered  a  bu.shel;  and  grain 
crops  to  be  measured  or  weighed  according  to  the  usual  standards. 
The  rules  in  relation  to  other  crops,  and  pi-oductions,  to  be  agreed  on  by 
the  directors  of  the  society. 

Art.  10.  The  annual  exhibition  of  the  society  shall  l)e  held  at  some 
period  between  the  first  da.v  of  .September  and  the  first  of  November. 
The  premiums  on  crops  can  be  awarded  at  a  later  period,  if  thought 
best. 

The  l)y-huvs  are  as  follows: 

First.  No  person  that  is  a  member  of  the  society  shall  liereafter 
compete  for  a  premium  as  long  as  an  annual  fee  against  him  remains 
unpaid. 

Second.  All  articles  drawing  the  first  premium  at  a  previous  fair, 
cannot  compete  for  a  premium  on  the  same  article  until  the  second  year 
after. 

Third.  Articles  competing  for  a  premium  where  there  is  no  compe- 
tion,  will  be  left  discretionaiy  with  the  judges,  to  awartl  a  premium 
or  not. 

Fourth.  The  board  of  directors  shall,  at  their  annual  meeting  in 
January  in  each  year,  appoint  a  corresponding  secretary,  who  shall 
hold  his  ofBce  for  one  year,  and  until  his  successor  shall  be  apjjointed. 

Having  given  nearly  a  full  report  of  the  transaetions 
of  the  society  during  its  first  year,  which  cdiild  nol  be 
very  well  curtailed,  to  present  tlie  ti-ansactions  of  the 
society  clearly  to  the  public,  throughout  the  ensuing- 
years  only  a  carefully-condensed  sketch  can  be  given, 
or  this  article  will  be  entirely  too  long.  During  the 
year  1847,  it  will  lie  seen  that  the  society  made  an 
elfort  to  phiee  before  the  citi/.ensof  Loniin  countv  the 
claims  for,  and  advantages  iirising  from,  (he  organiza- 
tion, by  :xp])ointing  able  men  to  deliver  lectures  in 
the  townshijis. 

A  meeting  of  the  Society,  November  20,  1840,  to 
elect  otticers  for  the  ensuing  year,  resulted  as  follows: 

President,  Joseph  Swift;  Vice  President,  D.  B.  Kinney;  Johu  H.  Faxon, 
Treasurer,  and  A.  H.  Redington.  Secretary.  Edwin  Byington,  IL  C. 
Safford,  W.  N.  Race,  A.  W  Wliitney,  and  Benjamin  C.  Perkins, 
Managei-s. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board,  January  2S,  1847,  Mr. 
Holtslander  was  elected  manager  to  fill  the  vacancy 
occasioned  by  the  death  of  William  N.  Race.     At  this 


meeting  lecturers  were   appointed    for  the    different 
townships  as  follows: 

Dr.  N.  S.  Townshend.  for  F.lyria,  Carlisle,  Eaton,  Columbia,  Ridgeville, 
Avon  and  Shelheld ;  Prof.  J.  Dascomb,  for  (irafton.  La  Grange,  Penfield, 
Huntington,  Wellington  aud  Pittsfield;  Professor  J.  H.  Fairchild,  for 
Black  River,  Amherst,  Brovvnhelm,  Henrietta,  Cam  leu,  Brighton  and 
Rochester. 

At  tlie  next  meeting,  ilay  4,  Ihe  time  was  lixed 
to  hold  the  second  annual  fair  ;it  Elyria,  October  0 
and  7.  It  was  resolved  to  award  premiums  on  a 
longer  list  of  articles. — increasing  the  amount  of 
premiums  from  one  hundred  and  seventeen  dollars  to 
one  hundred  and  Ihirly-five  dollars.  The  dilTerent 
awarding  ctnnmittces  were  a])i)Ointed. 

The  first  day  of  the  fair  was  occupied  by  the  (hjui- 
mittees  examining  stock  and  other  articles.  A  large 
number  of  farmers  of  the  county  were  present,  and 
manifested  a  very  commendable  zeal,  in  competing 
for  the  premiums  offered. 

The  plowing  match  took  phice  in  the  fdreiioun  of 
the  second  day,  after  which  the  members  of  the  soci- 
ety met  in  the  court  house  aud  the  following  persons 
were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  yetir: 

Joseph  Swift,  president;  D.  B.  Kinney,  vice  president;  J.  H.  Faxon, 
treasurer,  and  A.  TI.  Redington,  secretary;  delegate  to  State  board 
convention  at  Columbus,  December,  1847,  N.  P.  Johnson. 

After  the  reports  of  committees  and  awarding  of 
premiums,  it  is  said  that  a  very  excellent  and  appro- 
priate address  was  given  by  Dr.  E.  W.  Ilublianl,  who 
had  been  previously  invited  to  address  the  society. 

Best  cultivated  farm,  Joseph  Swift,  Henrietta;  second  best,  Alonzo 
Gaston,  Russia;  third  best,  P.  Sheppard,  Henrietta.  Best  plowing,  Ed. 
Matchem,  Pittsfield;  second  best,  William  Reed,  same  town. 

At  the  third  annual  fair,  held  at  Elyria,  a  good 
attendance  is  reported,  aud  exhibition  good. 

The  first  premium  was  awarded  to  Alonzo  Gaston  for  best  cultivated 
farm;  second  to  N.  Jackson;  third  to  A.  H.  Redington.  The  old  offlcers 
were  re-elected.  James  Dascomb  was  appointed  delegate  to  State  board 
convention  at  Columbus. 

It  appears  that  James  Dascomb  did  not  go  to 
(Jolunibus,  the  report  being  forwarded  to  Dr.  Towns- 
hend, who  presented  it  at  the  convention,  at  Oolum- 
Inis  in  December. 

The  fourth  annual  ftiir,  held  at  Elyria,  was  a 
success.  The  fii-st  day  being,  as  iisua.l,  for  the 
examination  of  stock,  etc.;  the  second,  to  plowing 
match;  and  afternoon  of  thfit,  to  election  of  officers, 
and  other  business.     Elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

President,  D.  B.  Kinne.y;  vice-president,  N.  B.  Gates;  treasurer,  Wm. 
Patterson;  secretary,  A.  H.  Redington. 

The  society  listened  to  very  approjiriale  remarks 
from  Dr.  N.  8.  Townshend  and  K.  McEachron,  Es(|., 
after  which  the  several  awarding  committees  rejjorted 
their  awards. 

The  tiftb  annual  fair  was  held  at  Olx-rlin,  Septem- 
ber 20,  18,51).  At  this  fair,  higher  premiums  were 
offered;  the  premium  on  bestcultivated  farm  was  raised 
from  five  to  eight  dollars,  and  others  in  [iroporliijn. 
E.  Clark,  best  cultivated  farm;  A.  Gaston,  second. 
The  same  president  and  vice-president  were  elected, 
and  A.  H.  Redington  made  secretary  and  tre;isiirer. 

The  next  fair  was  hold  at  Wellington,  two  days, 
between  the  10th  and  20th  of  September,  18.51. 


70 


HISTOUY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Here  is  the  lir.sfc  statement  of  receiiits  and  expendi- 
tures: 

Amount  recoived  from  members  and  county JSIHG  00 

Expenditures,  premiums,  etc 181  00 

AtiKiunt  in  hands  of  Treasurer $2  00 

At  tills  fail',  dijiioiiias  were  offered  (Hiite  liberally 
instead  of  money  for  |ii'eiiiiiiiiis.  The  fair  is  said  to 
havt'  passed  off  satisfaetorily  to  iiiosi  parties.  The 
uleetion  resulted  as  follows: 

President,  B.  C.  Perkins;  vice-president,  N.  B.  Gates;  secretary  and 
treasurer,  Ed.  Matchem. 

Receipts  from  all  sources  during  the  year  amount  to $2ri5  10 

Amount  paid  in  premiums  and  other  expenses..   193  17 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board,  held  at  Oberlin,  August 
3,  1S52,  the  committee  previously  appointed  to  solicit 
subscriptions  to  aid  the  society  re|)orted  as  follows: 

O.  S.  AVadsu'orth  reixn-led  lifty-two  dollars,  on  con- 
dition that  the  next  fair  be  held  in  Wellington.  A. 
W.  Whitney  iiiadt^  an  adverse  rc|)ort  for  Pittsfield. 
The  members  from  Oberlin  and  Elyria  being  absent, 
it  was  voted  to  hold  the  next  fair  at  Wellington.  At 
a  later  hour  N.  B.  (rates  reported  one  hundred  dol- 
lars, pledged  by  citizens  of  Elyria,  on  condition  that 
the  fair  be  held  in  that  place.  On  motion  of  0.  S. 
Wadsworth,  it  was  voted  to  rescind  the  resolution  for 
holding  the  fair  at  Wellington,  and  that  the  next  fair 
be  held  in  Elyria  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  Gtli 
and  7th  of  October,  1852. 

A  committee  of  four  were  a})poiiited  to  make  neces- 
sary arraiige:nents  for  holding  the  fair  at  Elyria,  and 
were  authorized  to  make  expenditures  to  an  amount 
not  exceeding  mie  hundred  dollars,  and  not  exceeding 
the  amount  paiJ  into  the  treasury  by  donations  by  the 
citizens  of  Elyria  in  making  an  enclosure,  pens,  build- 
ings, etc.,  necessary  for, the  convenience  of  said  fair. 
N.  B.  Gates,  Edwin  Byington,  G.  <{.  Washburn  and 
E.  W.  Hubbard  were  made  said  committee.  It  was 
decided  to  ajiproiiriate  fifty  dcdiars  more  from  the 
fund,  provided  the  said  ccnnmittee  fence  in  grounds 
so  that  an  admission  fee  can  be  collected. 

N.  B.  Gates  was  requested  to  act  as  marshal,  with 
power  to  choose  his  assistants.  The  above  committee 
were  to  |trocure  a  suitable  person  to  deliver  the  annual 
address. 

This  seventh  fair  was  a  great  success.  The  pre- 
mium list  was  extended  and  stock  somewhat  classi- 
fied. The  ladies  exhibited  a  long  list  of  articles,  both 
of  domestic  and  ornamental  use,  and  were  awarded 
liberal  premiums. 

N.  B.  dates  was  made  president,  O.  S.  Wadswoi-th  vice-[)resi(lent,  and     1 
E.  IMatchem  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  eighth  annual  fair  was  held  at  Klyria.  and  more  I 
lilicral  premiums  were  olTered.  (»n  cattle  the  amount 
to  l)e  awarded  was  seventy-live  dollars  and  nine  copies 
of  ()/nu  Fiirmer.  On  horses,  fifty-three  dollars  and 
two  Ohio  Farmers.  Fine  arts,  flowers  and  fruits  were 
largely  represented  at  this  fair.  There  was  a  long  list 
of  utienuuierated  articles.  In  this  class  a  premium 
was  awarded  to  Fordice  Miller,  a  cripple,  /(;/•  skill  in 


training  dogs,  etc.,  three  d(dlars,  and  J.  Cunningham, 
for  a  substitute  for  chocolate,  tweuty-five  cents. 

Gates,  Wadsworth  and  Matchem  were  elected  president,  vice-presi- 
dent, secretary  and  treasurer  respectively. 

The  board  of  directors  met  at  Oberlin  dune  1,  1S54. 
This  was  a  vei-y  iniporlant  meeting.  The  whole  pro- 
ceedings ai'c  fui'nished  as  follows: 

Memljers  present,  President  Gates,  E.  Clark,  Wm.  r)a.v,  A.  W.  Whit- 
ney, A.  H.  Redintcton,  Edwin  Byington  and  E.  Matcliem. 

Af'er  hearing  reports  from  committees  from  Elyria  and  Oberlin,  the 
board  took  into  consideration  the  subject  of  locating  tlie  county  fair  for 
the  next  ten  j-ears. 

On  motion  of  E.  Matchem.  that  the  Lorain  county  fair  be  located  at 
Oberlin,  in  the  township  of  Russia,  for  the  next  ten  years,  the  question 
being  called,  and  the  yeas  and  nays  demanded,  resulted  as  follows: 

Yeas— A.  W.  Whitney,  E.  Matchem,  A.  H.  Redington. 

Nays— E.  Byington.  Wm.  Day.  E  Clark,  N.  B.  Gates. 

A.  W.  Whitney  immediately  withdrew  from  the  society. 

On  motion  of  E.  Byington,  to  locate  the  fair  at  Elyria  tor  the  next  ten 
years: 

Yeas— E.  Byington,  A.  H.  Redington,  Wm.  Day,  N.  B.  Gates. 

Nays— E.  Clark.  E.  Matchem. 

The  following  were  appointed  a  committee  of  arrangements,  to  pro- 
cure and  enclose  grounds,  erect  suitable  buildings,  and  other  necessar.v 
fixtures,  dig  a  well,  and  superintend  next  fair;  N.  B.  Gates,  H.  C.  Safford, 
E.  Byington,  A.  Beebe,  A.  H.  Redington. 

Rc'soliK'd,  That  the  committee  of  arrangements  dr.aw  on  the  treasurer 
tor  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  to  be  expended  in  fitting  up  the  fair 
grounds.    Adjourned. 

The  ninth  annual  fair  was  a  success.  Being  a  full 
show,  every  department  was  well  represented,  ami 
there  was  a  large  attendance.  Among  the  noticeable 
offerings  at  this  fair  were  three  premiums  for  ladies' 
horsemanshi}) :  First,  silver  cake  basket;  second, 
ladies"  riding  hat;  third,  gold  pencil.  The  success- 
ful coiiip'titors  being  Miss  Arys  Terrell,  first;  Miss 
iS:)i)hia  I'erry,  seond;   Mrs.  L.  S.  Jenkins,  third. 

September  28,  18")-t,  ofticers  elected  for  the  ensuing 
year: 

N.  B.  Gates,  president;  N.  S.  Townshend,  vice-president;  H.  C.  Saf- 
ford. secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  next  annual  fair  was  held  on  the  3d.  4th  ami 
5th  of  Ociober.  One  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  had 
been  expended  in  improving  the  grounds.  Previous 
to  this  fair,  very  few,  and  it  is  fjuestionable  if  any, 
pure  bred  cattle  had  been  exhibited,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Aston  anil  lliiiii[ihrey"s  Ilcrcfords. 

During  this  year  Ilennin  Ely,  Esq.,  ]nirchased  sev- 
erid  "Herd-Book"'  short-horns — the  bull.  Sir  Huni- 
jilircy,  074,  and  a  tine  cow  and  heifer  bred  by  Reber 
&  Kutz,  Fairfield  county,  Ohio.  These  animals  made 
a  good  showing  and  were  admired  by  the  visitors. 
Also,  the  lamented  Chas.  Arthur  Ely  had  purchased 
a  fine  herd  of  pure  Devon  cattle.  These,  too,  were 
on  exhibition,  and  were  of  great  excellence. 

l'rob:il)ly  Ohio  has  not  exhibited  finer  specimens  of 
the  Devon  ii[)  to  this  day.  The  fine  old  bull,  the 
'■  Duke  of  Devon,""  was,  in  every  point,  a  first-class 
aiiim  d.  K.  Matchem  exiiibited  Devons,  and  owned 
some  thoroughbreds.  This  fair  is  reported  as  being 
ahead  of  that  of  any  previous  fair.  There  was  also  a 
full  field  of  ladies  contending  for  the  premiums  offered 
for  their  skill  in  horsemanship,  both  for  riding  and 
ilriving. 

For  best  riding.  Mrs.  E.  T.  Kirby.  silver  cake  basket;  second,  Mrs.  s 
Morehouse,  silver  spoons;  third,  Miss  Sophia  Perry,  silver  butter  knife; 
fourth,  Miss  W^ooster,  salt  spoons.    For  driving,  first,  Mrs.  Helm,  gold 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


71 


chaiu;  second,  Mrs.  .1.  Manville,  gold  locket;  third,  Mrs.  6.  E.  Nichols, 
gold  pencil ;  fourth.  Miss  Wooster,  gold  studs. 

October  5,  18;")5,  officers  elected  for  ensuing  yeiir: 

N.  B.  Gates,  president;  O.  S.  Wadsworth,  vice-president;  Wm.  H.  Root, 
secretary  and  treasurer;  A,  H.  Redington,  corresponding  secretary. 

The  constitution  of  the  Liiniin  county  ;igrieultur;il 
society  was  revised  at  a  meeting  of  the  ineinl>ers  of 
society  liold  at  Elyria,  Felniiary  7.  l!~i5f;.  We  have 
not  S])ace  to  give  it  as  revised. 

The  eleveiitii  auinial  fair  was  held  Octoljer  7th,  !Sth 
and  9th,  1856.  This  was  a  full  show,  and  nearly 
every  i>reniiuni  offered  v/as  competed  for. 

Alonzo  (iastoii  took  first  on  best  cultivated  farm; 
Pitt  W.  Hall,  second;  I).  1'..  Kinney,  third.  Prin- 
cipal exhil)itors  in  short-horns  and  Jlerefords,  Louis 
&  Wooltoii,  Iloyle,  Redington.  jMills  and  Wadsworth. 
In  Kevoiis,  C.  A.  Ely,  Matchem,  Hamlin  and  Rhodes. 
Horses,  DeWitt,  Howe,  Nichols,  Webster,  Vincent, 
Panybow,  .Smith;  C.  A.  Ely,  matched  horses. 

The  twelfth  annual  fair  was  held  October  (5,  7,  and 
8,  1857.  This  fair  was  peculiar  for  the  arrangement 
of  the  cattle  classes.  First  class  included  Short- 
Ilorns.  Devons,  Ilerefords,  Alderneys,  and  Ayrsliires, 
with  three  premiums  to  each  age,  from  three  years  and 
upwards,  down  to  a  calf.  In  sweepstakes,  there  were 
also  three  premiums,  as  in  the  regular  class,  a  thing 
unprecedented — -there  being  the  second  committee; 
and  it  was  amusing,  to  see  the  same  animals  come  m 
competition,  and  witness  many  of  the  previous  awards 
reversed.  T'here  was  a  large  amount  of  grumbling  by 
some  of  the  exhibitors.  The  show  of  cattle  was  poor, 
and  there  were  a  few  well  bred  animals.  The  com- 
mittee ou  sweepstakes  was  A.  Bsebe,  Sr.,  R.  Baker, 
and  C.  Wheeler.  The  award  oh  bulls:  A.  Reding- 
ton's  Gov.  Morrow,  543,  first;  0.  A.  Ely's  Duke  of 
Devon,  second;  S.  C.  Hoyle's,  third,  the  Duke 
being  third  in  class,  and  a  Hereford  second,  Heding- 
ton's  first.     The  cows  373  and  over,  were  good. 

This  classification  was  quite  unsatisfactory  to  stock 
men,  generally,  and  w.is  never  rejieated  thereafter. 
The  hidies'  horsemanship  resulted  in 

Miss  C.  Wooster  taking  the  first  premium,  Miss  Mary  Darling,  the 
second,  and  Mrs.  S.  Morehouse,  the  third. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  October  8,  18.57,  ofiiccrs 
elected : 

Edwin  Byington,  president;  A.  H.  Redington,  vice-president;  Wm.  H. 
Root,  secretary  and  treasurer;  H.  E.  Peck,  corresponding  secretary. 

The  thirteenth  annual  fair  was  held  October  5,  0, 
and  7,  1858.  The  premium  list  had  been  extended, 
and  every  department  full;  the  attendance  large,  and 
receipts  gooiL  Grounds  had  become  too  small  to 
accommodate  so  large  agathering.  This  year  an  addi- 
tion was  made  to  the  short  horn  cattle,  R.  Baker 
having  purchased  the  bull  Gen.  Havelock,  2900,  and 
three  females,  all  "herd  book  jieiligrees,"  and  Dr.  N. 
S.  Townshend  had,  also,  purchased  several  animals  of 
the  same  bree<l;  the  latter  taking  first  premium  on 
his  bull,  "  Prince  Albert,"  and  the  former  first  on 
his  cow,  "Harriet  2d,"  by  Sir  Humphrey,  974. 
There  was,  at  this  fair,  a  large  fiehl  of  ladies,  mounted. 


to  contend  for  the  premiums  offered  for  riding  and 
driving.  Premiums  paid  at  this  fair  amounted  to 
*714.95. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  October  7,  185S,  the  ollicers 
elected  for  the  ensuing  year,  were: 

Ed.  Byington.  president;  Wm.  L.  Smith,  vice  president;  Wm.  H.  Koot, 
secretary  and  treasurer;  J.  Swift,  Jr.,  corresp-:)nding  secretary. 

The  fourteenth  annual  fair  was  held  Septemlier  27, 
28,  and  29,  1859.  The  heavy  rain  on  the  first  day 
kept  away  many  exhibitors,  with  their  stock,  etc., 
also,  visitors.  Financially,  sufficieut  was  made  to 
meet  necessary  expenses  attending  the  fair,  proper. 
At  this  fair,  an  addition  was  made  to  the  cattle  de- 
partment, by  D.  A.  Stocking  having  purchased  several 
thoroughbred  short  horns,  and  some  high  grades. 
These  were  on  exhibition,  and  having  been  fattened 
on  the  blue  grass  regions,  were  in  high  flesh,  and  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  many,  especially  those  who  had 
not  been  in  the  habit  of  seeing  high  fed  aaimils. 

The  annual  election  of  officers  was  held  on  the  last 
day  of  the  fair,  resulting  in  the  election  of 

Dr.  N.  S.  Townshend,  president;  A.  W.  Wliitney,  vice-president;  H. 
M.  Redington,  .secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  fifteenth  annual  fair  was  well  attended,  and 
financially  a  success.  There  were  but  two  entries  of 
farms,  and  only  one  premium  awarded,  and  that  to  A. 
(iaston,  twenty  dollars.  Many  premiums  were  low- 
ereil,  and  ipiite  a  number  of  second  premiums  struck 
off  the  list — all  on  grain  samples  and  garden  vege- 
tables. This  injured  the  show  in  these  classes,  those 
tables  being  badly  sui)plied,  and  ([uite  a  feeling  of 
dissatisfaction  was  expressed  by  many  exhibitors.  By 
cutting  off  so  many  ]n-emiums,  the  expenses  were 
reduced,  so  that  at  the  end  of  the  year  the  society  had 
a  balance  of  about  eight  dollars  in  the  treasury.  This 
was  the  last  year  that  a  premium  was  offered  for 
plowing. 

The  election  of  officers  did  not  take  place  on  the 
last  day  of  the  fair  in  1800,  owing  to  a  regulation 
issued  by  the  Ohio  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  that 
all  county  agricultural  societies  shall  hold  the  annual 
meeting  for  the  election  of  officers,  etc.,  sometime  in 
January;  consequently  the  old  board  held  over,  and 
at  the  call  of  the  president  the  meeting  was  ordered 
for  .January  7,  1801,  when  the  following  officers  were 
elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

For  president,  N.  B.  dates;  vice  president,  J.  Swift,  .Tr;  secretary  and 
treasurer,  P.  A.  Bishop;  directors,  R.  Baker,  Joshua  Boynton,  Alonzo 
Gitston,  D.  A.  Stocking,  and  William  H.  Root. 

The  sixteenth  fair  was  held  September  2.')-28  inclu- 
sive. This  fair  had  immy  things  to  contend  with. 
A  "fast  day"  had  been  proclaimed  by  Presidtmt  fjin- 
coln,  which  occurred  on  the  first  day  of  the  fair,  <ind 
a  continual  rain  the  following  day  and  also  ujito  noon 
of  the  third  ilay;  in  conse(iuence  a  fourth  day  was 
added.  Notwithstanding  these  disasters  the  receipts 
were  ahead  of  any  previous  year. 

P.  A.  Bishop  refused  to  serve  as  secretary  and  t  rea- 
snrer,  and  E.  C.  Griswold  was  appointed  by  the  board 
in  his  stead. 


73 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Tlic  iiiimi;tl  mot'tiiig  was  hold  January  G,  18'J2, 
when  tlie  following  officers  were  clectpd  for  the  ensu- 
ing year: 

President,  N.  B.  Gates;  vice  presideitt.  R.  Haker;  secretary  and  ti*ea- 
surer,  R.  G.  Horr;  eorrespondinK  secretary,  G.  G.  Washliurn. 

Tho  board  came  together  and  revised  the  i)reiiiiuni 
list,  made  the  usual  arrangements  for  holding  the 
annual  fair,  hut  by  some  of  the  disasters  of  tiio  war 
and  tiie  gjooui  ))ei'vadiug  the  wliolc  north,  the  l)oard 
was  called  to  meet  in  August,  and  at  tjiat  meeting  it 
was  decided  not  to  liold  a  fair  during  that  year. 

The  annual  meeting  was  held  January  14,  ISOH. 
At  this  meeting  it  was  voted  that  all  persons  to  be 
entitled  to  vote  for  officers  shall  first  |)ay  tiie  sum  of 
one  dt)llar  into  the  treasury  of  the  society.  The  elec- 
tion of  officers  was  postponed  until  January  31,  186;3, 
to  which  time  the  st)ciety  adjoui'ncd. 

January  -51,  the  society  niet;  eleven  persons  jiaid 
the  annual  fee,  eac'h  of  cwo  dollar.  The  follnwiiig 
persons  were  duly  elected: 

Presiilent,  N.  B.  Gates;  vice  president,  R.  Baker;  secretary  and  trea- 
surer. R.  (j.  Horr;  corresponding  secietary,  George  G.  Washburn. 

A  vote  was  ])assed  te  enlarge  the  fair  grounds,  if 
ground  could  be  had  adjoining.  The  board  met 
September  Vi,  and  appointed  N.  1>.  Gates  a  committee 
to  fit  up  the  grounds,  and  that  a  sunt  not  exceeding 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  he  appropi-iated 
for  that  purpose. 

The  eighteenth  annual  fair  was  held  October  (i  to 
9,  1803,  The  show  was  excellent;  horses,  calitle  and 
.sheep  very  numerous;  a  large  attendance  of  visitors. 
The  last  day  was  fixed  for  the  extra  trotting  and  all 
kinds  of  amusements,  which  had  first  been  intro- 
duced in  ISiil,  by  1).  A.  Stocking.  This  arrangement 
was  not  luuinimously  desireil,  and  was  attended  with 
considerable  discussion;  hut  it  was  decided  to  sive 
the  day  to  the  j)nrposo  of  amusing  a  certain  class — 
contrary,  I  think,  to  the  objects  for  which  county 
asjricultural  societies  were  or<raiii/.ed. 


At  an  annual  nu'eting,  January  23,  1804, 

N.  B.  Gates  was  elected  president;  Win.  Patterson,  vice-president;  and 
Mozart  (lallnp,  secretary-  and  tl'easurer. 

On  motion,  the  constitution  was  so  ;imende(l  as  to 
dispense  with  the  office  of  corresponding  secretary. 

On  motion  of  !>,.  P>;iker,  the  following  resolution 
was  atlopteil,  to  wit: 

Iie:it>lvi'tl,  ^Tliat  the  Lorain  county  agricultural  society  hold  a  meeting 
on  the  second  Monday  in  l)ecember  of  each  year,  to  decide  on  premi- 
ums for  tield  crops,  and  to  (romplete  any  uuninshed  business  relating  to 
the  previous  fair. 

Also,  on  niolion  of  !!.  Baker,  the  following  resolu- 
tion /cds  itildjilril : 

Hesoli-ed,  That  the  Lorain  I'ounty  agricultural  society  publish  an 
annual  report,  in  pamphlet  form,  of  tlie  proceedings  of  said  society. 

The  nineteenth  iiniuuil  lair  w;ts  held  October  4,  .5, 
0  and  7. 

The  regiihir  :inntial  niei'ting  was  held  .l:tnn;i]-y  11, 
1865,  wluui  the  following  otlicers  were  elected: 

D,  A.  stocking,  president;  T.  S.  Metcalf,  vice  president ;  and  Mozart 
Gallup,  secretary  and  treasurer. 


On  moti 


)f  J{.  l^iiker,  it  was 


Resolved,  That  the  constitutioa  be  so  amended  as  to  fix  the  price  of 
membership  at  one  dollar  and  tifty  cents  for  each  member  annual]}'. 

The  annual  fair  Wius  held  October  3,  4  and  o. 

The  annual  meeting  for  theelecti(Hi  of  officers,  etc., 
was  held  January  27,  1800.  This  being  a  meeting  at 
which  action  must  be  taken  with  regard  to  a  regula- 
tion of  the  State  board  of  agriculture,  viz: 

"That  county  societies  shall  fix  the  time  for  holding  the  annoal  meeling 
sometime  in  .January,  and  then  keep  to  such  time;  and  also  shall  decide 
on  the  number  of  persons  they  with  to  constitute  a  board  of  directors — 
the  number  not  to  be  less  than  eight  intlividuals,  and  as  many  more  as 
the  society  may  wish.*' 

This,  with  other  iinport;int  business,  sh;ill  he  given 
as  recorded.     'I'he  election  resulted  as  follows: 

President,  D.  A.  Stocking;  vice-president.  Joseph  Swift,  .Jr  ;  secretary 
and  treasurer,  T.  S.  Metcalf. 

Oil  moti(ui  of  Mr.  Swift,  it  was 

Resulted,  That  the  board  of  managers  of  the  society  shall  consist  of 
eight  members,  to  conform  to  the  rules  of  the  State  board,  and  that  we 
proceed  to  elect  thes.inie  by  i.allot;  and  those  elected,  cast  lots  for  the 
longer  or  shorter  term.  The  result  was  as  follows,  after  casting  lots,  viz; 
Parks  Foster,  W'm.  A.  Braman,  R.  Baker  and  L.  F.  Parkes.  one  year; 
Joshua  Worcester,  Bradford  Race,  T.  S.  Metcalf  and  M.  H.  Cunningham, 
two  years. 

A  resolution  passed  instructing  the  president  to  appoint  a  committee 
of  three,  to  proceed  to  Wellington  and  confer  with  the  Union  agricul- 
tural society,  at  their  aimual  meeting,  to  ascertain  whether  they  have 
any  desire  to  unite  with  the  county  society,  and  report  to  the  board 
forthwith.  The  chair  apiiointed  on  said  committee,  Messrs.  Parks 
Foster,  T.  S.  Metcalf  and  R.  Baker. 

Mr.  Baker  offered  a  series  of  resolutions,  which 
were  unanimously  adopted  by  the  society,  which  were 
in  writing,  as  follows: 

1.  Resolved,  That  the  Lorain  county  agricultural  society  take  steps  to 
purchase  land  for  fair  grounds,  and  that  as  near  the  county  seat  as 
practicable. 

2.  Resolved,  That  so  soon  as  the  board  of  managers  can  select  a 
proper  site,  the}*  are  authorized  to  puix^hase  not  less  than  fifteen  acres 
of  land,  to  be  deeded  to  the  society  for  the  u.se  of  .said  society. 

3.  Resolved,  That  the  President  appoint  one  or  more  members  in 
each  township  of  the  count}',  to  solicit  subscriptions  in  the  several  town- 
ships, and  report  on  the  first  Saturday  in  .-Vpril,  ISIJIi. 

4.  Resolved,  That  the  president  request  the  county  conmussioners 
(to  the  full  extent  of  the  power  vested  in  them)  to  appropriate  of  the 
county  funds  toward  pm-cliasiug  and  fitting  up  proper  grounds  for  the 
use  of  our  county  agricultural  society,  and  that  he  report  on  the  first 
Saturday  in  April,  IStJtJ. 

Laiivl  for  fair  grounds  w;is  finally  jmrchased  of 
Ilenuin  Ely  in  ISOT,  being  lots  one  hiiiidreil  and 
twelve  and  one  hundred  and  thirteen  west  of  river, 
being  eighteen  and  tive-hundredths  acres  of  land,  at 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre.  A  cash  pay- 
ment of  five  hundreil  dolhirs  was  m;iile.  Election  of 
officers  resulted  as  follows: 

President,  Win.  A.  Braman;  vice-president,  J.  Swift,  Jr. 

Voted,  that  the  society  employ  an  agent  to  solicit 
subscriptions.  Mr.  J.  H.  Boynton  was  appointed 
such  agent.  .\t  this  meeting  it  was  again  voted,  that 
the  coniniissioners  be  requested  to  api)ropriate  funds 
to  the  equal  ;inioiint  raised  by  the  soeiety.  K.  Baker 
i>ffered  the  following  resolution,  wliich  u'(t)<  dixrussed 
inifl  adapted: 

"  WHERE.4S,  Many  of  the  members  of  the  Lorain  county  agricultural 
society  are  opposed  to  the  admission  of  side  shows,  etc.: 

^•Resolved,  That  we  will  not  admit  to  the  fair  grouiuis  any  side  shows, 
swings,  auctions,  or  intoxi.-ating  drinks,  during  the  days  of  the  annual 
exhibitions." 

Adjourned  .linp  die. 

T.  S.  Metcalf,  Sccretanj. 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


73 


January  20, 1S6T,  the  new  board  was  organized,  and 
elected  T.  S.  Metcalf  secretary  and  treasurer  for  the 
ensuing  year.  It  was  decided  to  remove  the  build- 
ings from  the  old  fair  grounds  to  the  new  grounds 
immediately.  The  buildings  were  taken  down  early 
in  the  week  and  a  "Bee"  called  on  Saturday,  and 
the  old  buildings  were  moved  across  the  river.  At 
this  meeting  it  was  (Cor  the  first  time)  voted,  that  the 
secretary  and  treasurer  be  paid  for  his  services  the 
past  year. 

Bids  for  furnishing  lumber  for  the  fair  grounds 
were  opened  at  a  meeting  of  board  held  February  IG, 
18()7.  The  l)ids  varied  from  eighteen  dollars  per  thou- 
sand to  twenty-three  dollars  per  tliousand.  The  board 
decided  to  have  oak  posts  and  pine  boards  for  fences. 
Hiram  Woodward  furnished  a  part  of  oak  posts  at 
eighteen  dollars  per  thousand.  The  grounds  were 
graded,  and  the  "  trotting  ring "  constructed,  under 
the  superintendence  of  D.  A.  Stocking. 

During  the  summer,  wells  were  dug,  the  fence  and 
suitable  buildings,  offices,  and  stalls  for  horses  and 
cattle,  pens  for  sheep  and  swine  were  all  fixed  up  and 
put  in  good  shape  at  a  cost  of  13,928.  !)6.  Wm.  A. 
Braman,  who  was  the  president  of  the  society, 
deserves  the  good  wishes  and  gratifications  of  the 
society  for  his  indefatigable  labors  during  this  sum- 
mer, in  superintending  the  arrangement,  and  fitting 
up  these  new  grounds,  which  were  presented  to 
the  public,  at  the  exhibition,  in  a  shape  not  only 
satisfactory  to  the  exhibitors  and  the  society,  but  an 
ornament  to  Lorain  county.  All  visitors  pronounced 
this,  the  twenty-second,  the  best  exhibition  and  the 
largest  fair  ever  held  by  the  society,  up  to  this 
date. 

The  public  were  well  pleased,  and  expressed  them- 
selves satisfied  with  the  new  grounds,  and  especially 
for  their  proximity  to  the  village.  The  new  bridge 
having  been  erected  during  the  summer,  made  the 
transit  from  the  city  to  the  grounds  all  tiiat  could  be 
d  sired. 

At  annual  meeting,  held  .January  35,  1868, 

Wm.  A.  Braman  was  elected  president;  J.  Swift,  Jr.,  vice-president; 
T.  S.  Metcalf,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

During  this  year,  additional  ex])ense  was  incurred 
by  rounding  off  corners  of  track,  and  in  putting  n\)  a 
large  dining  hall,  at  a  cost  of  $1,017.48. 

The  twenty-third  annual  fair  was  held  September 
15,  10,  17  and  18,  1868.  The  exhibition  was  success- 
ful in  every  department. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  January  .30,  1869,  the 
following  officers  for  the  ensuing  year  were  elected: 

President,  Wm.  A.  Braman;  vice-president,  J.  Swift,  Jr.;  secretary 
and  treasurer,  C.  W.  Jolinston. 

The  twenty-fourth  annual  fair  was  held  October  5, 
0,  7  and  8.  The  first  :ind  second  days  were  rainy  and 
cold.  The  morning  of  the  third  was  bright  and  clear, 
and  the  grounds  were  packed  with  visitors,  and  an 
immense  crowd  on  the  last  day  made  the  fair  finan- 
cially a  success. 

10 


At  the  annual  meeting,  January  29,  1870,  the 
following  officers  were  elected: 

President,  Wm.  A.  Braman;  vice-president,  Chas.  S.  Mills;  secre- 
tary and  treasurer,  C.  W.  Johnston. 

In  August  of  this  year,  an  excursion  to  Put-in-Bay 
Island  was  enjoyed  by  the  society.  A  special  train 
on  the  L.  S.  road  conveyed  passengers  to  Vermillion, 
where  the  party  embarked  on  the  steamer  "  Reindeer." 
A  very  pleasant  time  was  had. 

The  annual  fair  (twenty-fifth)  was  fixed  for  October, 
but  the  Northern  Ohio  fair  association  being  organized, 
they  fixed  to  hold  their  fair  on  our  days.  The  Lorain 
county  fair  was  changed  to  September  20  and  follow- 
ing days.  In  August  of  this  year,  the  society  allowed 
their  grounds  to  be  used  for  a  horse  or  trotting  fair. 
Many  attended  this  that  were  not  disjiosed  to  turn  out 
again  at  the  September  fair.  This,  with  the  novelty 
and  excitement  of  attending  the  large  fair  to  be  held 
at  Cleveland  in  October,  greatly  influenced  the  peoi)le 
against  attending  our  county  fair.  Tlie  show  was 
never  better,  but  visitors  7.ot  so  numerous  as  at  the 
two  previous  fairs. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  held  .Tanuary  28,  1871,  the 
following  officers,  for  the  ensuing  year,  were  elected: 

Chas.  S.  Mills,  president;  R.  Baker,  vice-president;  George  P.  Metcalf, 
secretary;  C.  W.  Johnston,  treasurer. 

This  year,  a  new  "floral  hall"  was  erected,  at  a 
cost  of  twelve  hundred  dollars.  This  was  greatly 
needed,  there  not  being  room  in  the  old  hall;  neither 
was  it  fitted  up  in  proper  shape  for  ladies  to  arrange 
and  display  their  handiwork  to  the  best  advantage. 
This  year  an  other  excursion  was  made  to  the  island, 
the  boats  "Fieris"  and  "Gen.  Grant  "being  char- 
tered for  the  i)ur])ose.  This  was  an  enjoyable  and 
profitable  undertaking.  All  passed  off  in  good  order, 
and  there  were  realized  for  the  treasury,  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  dollars. 

The  twenty-sixth  annual  fair  came  off  September 
19,  30,  31,  and  23.  More  entries  than  at  any  other 
fair  heretofore.  Attendance  quite  large.  Premiums 
actually  paid  this  year,  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  It 
cannot  be  maintained  that,  the  Northern  Ohio  fair 
lessened  the  attendance  at  Lorain  county  fair.  Never 
in  the  history  of  our  society,  did  all  pai-ties  seem  so 
harmonious  and  enthusiastic,  as  at  this  fair.  The 
new  hall,  with  the  well  arranged,  and  equally  well 
manufactured  articles,  from  domestic,  ornamental, 
floral  and  fine  arts,  made  a  display  that  had  never 
been  equalled  in  the  history  of  the  Lorain  county 
agricultural'society.  The  hall  was  crowded  all  the 
time.  Expressions  of  delight  wei-e  continually  heard, 
and  the  board  of  directors  wei'e  very  grateful  for  the 
helping  hand  of  the  ladies  of  Elyria,  and  the  county, 
who  made  their  display  so  attractive,  which  gave  a 
finish  to  the  exhibition,  which  its  predecessors  never 
had. 

It  had  been  a  subject  of  considerable  talk:  "Why 
cannot  the  agricultural  society  do  something  more 
than  hold  its  fair,   and  meet  once  a  year,  to  elect 


74 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


officers?"  a  question  always  timely,  and  very  import- 
ant. At  a  meeting,  lield  January  27,  1873,  R.  Baker 
(who  had  previously  read  an  address)  moved  a  resolu- 
tion, which  was  unanimously  adopted: 

"Tliat,  horeafter,  the  rule  of  the  Lorain  county  agricultural  society, 
at  the  annual  meetiuss,  shall  be  to  meet  at  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  That, 
after  the  reading  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer's  reports,  short  papers 
and  addresses,  on  matters  pertaining  to  the  society,  shall  be  in  order. 
That  the  ;eIection  of  officers  shall  take  place  at  1  o'clock  p.  m  ,  after 
which,  discussion  shall  be  resumed , " 

The  election  of  officers  resulted  as  follows: 

Clias.  S.  Mills,  president;  R.  Baker,  vice-president. 

On  motion  of  ex-president  Gates,  it  was  voted  that 
the  board  call  on  the  commissioners  of  the  county, 
and  again  request  them  to  make  an  appropriation 
I'rniu  the  county  funds,  to  relieve  the  society  of  its 
indebtedness.  In  support  of  this  resolution,  Col. 
Gates  made  quite  an  e.\tended  speech.  On  motion, 
his  speech  was  ordered  printed.  The  board  met  and 
aijjwinted 

Geo.  P.  Metcalf,  secretary;  and  C.  W.  Johnston,  treasurer.  Mr.  .lohn- 
ston  refused  to  serve,  and  Jay  Terrell  was  appointed  treasiu'er  for  the 
ensuing  year. 

March  4,  1873,  the  Itoard  met,  and  a  resolution  was 
ailojited,  asking  the  following  persons  to  act  as  a  com- 
mittee to  solicit  donations  of  money,  to  be  applicil 
toward  liquidating  the  present  indebtedness  of  said 
society.  The  conditions  upon  which  said  subscribers 
are  to  pay  their  subscrijttions,  are:  that  the  committee 
secure,  pledged  for  said  purposes,  the  sum  of  13000.00. 
The  men  selected  for  the  several  townships,  com- 
menced the  work,  headed  by  J.  11.  Boynton,  Esf|., 
who  himself  subscribed  seventy-five  dollars,  he  being 
assigned  Elyria  and  Oberlin.  The  amount,  by  the 
next  annual  meeting,  was  nearly  all  promised,  but 
the  fire  in  March,  18G3,  destroyed  the  lists,  with 
books,  and  other  documents,  of  the  society;  after 
which,  the  persons  who  had  subscribed,  and  promised 
to  advance  the  ca.sh  as  soon  as  the  two  thousand 
dollars  were  all  promised,  could  never  be  prevailed 
upon  to  come  forward  and  pay  the  various  sums. 
Had  they  done  this,  the  debt  would  have  been  lifted 
in  18G3. 

The  third  annual  picnic  and  excursion  was  held  at 
the  opening  of  the  T.  C.  V.  liailroad.  Three  steam- 
ers were  chartered  for  the  occasion,  viz:  the  "Evening 
Star,"  "Ferris,"  and  "Sarah  Van  Epps."  All  were 
ready  to  t;'.ke  on  jiasseugers  at  the  mouth  of  Black 
river,  before  and  on  the  arrival  of  the  train  from  tiie 
south.  Quite  a  number  went  from  Elyria  and  vicin- 
ity, but  the  crowd  by  railroad  was  immense.  The 
"I'erris"  was  ordered  to  touch  at  Vermillion,  to  take  on 
one  hundred  and  thirty  ])a.ssengers,  but  she  neglected 
to  enter,  and  the  "Star"  having  a  full  load  could  not. 
Consequently,  the  "Van  Epps"  l)eiug  the  last  to  set  off, 
and  I'l'esideiit  Mills  being  aboard  of  her,  it  was  decided 
I'lir  her  to  call  at  V'enniJiion,  for  wliicli  the  captain 
deniMuded  extra  ])ay,  she  not  l)eing  chartered  to  enter 
llijt  port.  The  two  former  boats  made  good  heading 
and  landed  the  pas.sengers  in  good  time,  but  the 
"Van  Epps,"  was  away  back  many  miles.  After 
spending  an  enjoyable  time  on   the   island — though 


the  pleasui-e  of  many  was  greatly  marred  by  the  non- 
arrival  of  the  other  boat, — the  two  boats  left  in  due 
season.  Being  witli  tlie  comnumder  of  the  "Even- 
ing Star"  he  called  my  attention  to  a  boat  just  going 
into  port  on  the  nortli  side  of  the  island,  which  he 
claimed  was  the  "Saridi  Van  Epps."  They  landed, 
and  commenced  the  return.  None  of  the  passengers 
happened  to  die  of  old  age,  but  they  did  not  get  to 
Black  River  till  nearly  two  o'clock,  a.  m.,  of  next  day. 
This  was  hard  on  those  who  had  to  stay  over  at  Black 
River.  The  train  could  not  go  without  the  Ijalance 
of  her  passengers.  Tjiis  made  confusion,  and  spoiled 
the  day's  enjoyment.  The  "Van  Epps"  was  a  poor 
sailor,  and  worse  yet,  it  was  proved  afterwards,  that  she 
was  unseaworthy  at  the  time.  This  was  kept  back 
from  our  excellent  secretary,  who  chartered  her  at 
the  eleventh  hour.  Notwithstanding,  the  society 
gained  eight  hundred  and  eighty-four  dollars  by  tiie 
excursion. 

The  twenty-seventh  annual  fair  was  held  Septemlier 
17,  18,  19,  and  30.  The  entries  were  full,  bnt  the 
second  and  third  days,  rain  was  falling  incessantly. 
The  grounds  were  miserable.  The  board,  on  the 
tliird  day,  decided  to  hold  open  on  the  fifth  day.  The 
fourth  day  opened  fine,  and  continued  all  through  the 
two  days.  A  large  attendance  each  day,  so  that  the 
society  was  saved  from  loss. 

The  annual  meeting  was  held  January  35,  1873,  at 
ten  o'clock,  a.  in.  After  treasurer's  report.  President 
Mills  made  his  annual  address.  Papers  and  discussion 
byR.  Baker,  N.  B.  Gates,  L.  M.  Pounds,  William  A. 
Braman,  D.  A.  Stocking,  and  W.  W.  Aldrit'h.  Ad- 
journed to  H,  p.  m.,  when  a  ])apcr  was  read  by  II. 
II.  Pojipleton,  and  further  discussiDii.  The  election 
resulted  as  follows: 

R.  Baker,  president;  L.  M.  Pounds,  vice  president.  The  board  imme- 
diately on  adjonrnment  of  society,  met  and  appointed  T.  S.  Metcalf, 
secretary,  and  J.  C.  Hill,  treasurer. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  it  was  voted  to  Inive  ;i 
2)icnic  on  the  fair  grounds,  on  the  fourth  of  July, 
horse  trot,  exhibition  of  new  fire  engine  and  a  speech 
from  Governor  Noyes,  or  Prof.  Monroe.  Tiie  latter 
gave  the  address  at  the  appointed  time,  which  -vvas 
listened  to  by  a  large  number  of  j)ersons.  All  were 
greatly  pleased,  and  expressed  satisfaction. 

On  August  30,  the  annual  excursion  on  the  lake 
and  iiicnic  at  river  came  off.  The  fine  steamer  '  'Nort  ii- 
west"  was  chartered.  The  trip  on  the  lake  was  en- 
joyed by  all;  but  this  large  boat  was  too  costly.  ;ind 
the  receipts  did  not  meet  expenses. 

The  annual  fair  was  held  September  in  to  10.  The 
early  part  of  the  season  was  very  dry;  grass  sutferecl 
by  grassho]ipers  being  so  numerous:  fruits  mostly  .-i 
failure,  so  that  some  departments  of  tlie  exliiliition 
were  not  ei[ua!  to  some  previous  years.  But  the  dis- 
play was  fair.  The  receii)ts  at  this  fiiir  exceeded  aii\ 
previous  one.  the  total  being  two  thousand  four  liuii- 
dred  and  ten  dolhirs  and  twenty-six  cents;  about  se\en 
hundretl  dollars  cleared  from  the  fair  proper. 


.ta 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


75 


At  the  aimuiil  meeting  lielil  Jiimiary  31,  the  presi- 
dent gave  liis  annual  address,  secretary  and  treasurer 
their  rejiiirts;  also  other  addresses  and  discussion  fol- 
lowed. It  was  also  voted,  to  hold  the  annual  fairs 
for  the  future  but  three  days  instead  of  four  days. 

Election  of  ofilcei-s,  the  rules  being  suspended,  to  elect  by  ballot.  R. 
Baker  was  uuaniniously  elected  president  for  the  ensuing  year;  also  L. 
M.  Pounds,  vice-president,  in  like  manner.  The  new  board  organized  by 
appointing  J.  C.  Hill,  treasurer,  and  E.  G.  Johnson,  secretary. 

An  arrangement  was  made  for  an  excursion  to  the 
coal  fields,  which  came  off  August  21.  The  profits  of 
tJiis  excursion  amounted  to  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  dollars  and  sixtj'-three  cents  in  cash,  also  a  great 
amount  of  pleasure. 

The  twenty-ninth  annual  fair  was  held  September 
30  to  October  2.  The  fair  was  well  attended,  and  the 
exJiibition  hardly  up  to  the  average  of  the  two  or 
three  previous  years.  The  total  receijits  from  fair  was 
two  thousand  two  hundred  and  eight3'-oue  dollars. 

The  annual  meeting  was  held  in  the  town  hall, 
Elyria,  .January  30th,  1875.  Secretary  and  treasurer's 
ivi>i.irts;  jiresideut's  annual  address;  essays  by  T.  S. 
Metealf,  Win.  A.  Braman;  address  by  Prof.  N.  S. 
Townshend,  of  the  ''  Ohio  State  University,"  and 
discussion  by  several  others.  D.  A.  Stocking  con- 
demned the  prartice  of  trotting  Itorses  for  money, 
claiming  that  the  money  could  be  put  to  a  better  ad- 
vantage by  offering  larger  premiums  on  cattle  and 
horses  for  all  purposes.  This  gratified  and  greatly 
amiLsed  the  convention,  that  the  veteran  horseman 
should  give  such  good  and  sound  advice,  and,  if  acted 
ujion,  would  bring  our  society  to  a  position  which 
would  better  meet  the  reipiirements  of  the  act  pro- 
viding for  the  organization  of  county  agricultural 
societies.     The  election  resulted,  as  follows: 

Wm.  A.  Braman,  president;  and  N.  B.  Gates,  vice-president;  J.  C.  Hill, 
treasurer;  and  E.  G.  Johnson,  treasurer. 

This  year  an  excursion  to  Niagara  Falls  was  made 
August  loth.  This  was  gotten  up  at  considerable 
expense.  Arrangement  was  made  to  accommodate  all 
by  starting  cars  from  Wellington,  V^ermillion  and 
Norwalk.  When  the  train  left  Cleveland  there  was  a 
respectable  party.  The  train  was  conducted  by  one 
of  the  most  experienced  of  the  Lake  Shore's  able  con- 
ductors, and  wc  arrived  at  the  falls  nearly  on  time. 
The  party  had  nearly  six  hours  to  view  the  falls 
from  the  different  points.  President  Braman  had 
previously  been  to  Niagara  and  procured  tickets  at 
the  lowest  prices,  and  made  every  arrangement  as 
favorable  for  the  excursionists  as  possible.  Never  was 
greater  enthusiasm  manifested  by  any  party  than  by 
the  Lorain  visitors.  The  day  was  fine  and  all  that 
could  be  wished.  The  clear  profits  were  upwards  of 
one  thousand  dollars.  Though  a  large  crowd  took 
advantage  of  this  triji,  others  were  sorry  they  did  not 
go;  and  a  second  trip  was  had,  which  proved  very 
enjoyalile  to  those  who  went,  though  not  many  dol- 
lars were  added  to  the  treasury;  but,  as  no  loss  was 
sustained,  all  passed  oil  pleasantly.  The  society  being 
so  deeply  in  debt,  the  excursion  was  very  beneficial 
and  created  a  determination  to  lift  the  debt  as  soon 


as  possible.  Consequently  it  was  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that  the  zeal  so  manifest  over  the  trip  to  Niagara 
should  be  continued  to  make  the  fair  next  year  a  great 
success.  Every  department  was  full  and  some  over- 
flowing. A  larger  crowd  visited  the  grounds  than 
had  in  any  previous  year  in  the  history  of  the  society. 
Old  and  young  of  both  sexes  were  thoroughly  aroused 
to  make  such  a  display  as  should  be  a  credit  to  old 
Lorain.  Consequently  the  reccijits  were  ahead  of  any 
other  fair,  being  two  thousand  four  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  dollars  and  seventy-three  cents.  This  was 
fifty-eight  dollars  more  than  in  1873.  Taking  this 
year  all  in  all,  so  far  as  the  finances  are  concerned,  it 
was  the  greatest  success  the  Lorain  county  agricultural 
society  had  ever  witnessed.  But  before  another  year 
was  to  be  entered  ui)ou,  our  much  respected  and  effi- 
cient president  was  to  suffer  a  long  and  painful 
illness — brought  even  to  death's  door.  All  who  knew 
him,  as  did  the  agricultural  board,  j)assed  many  anx- 
ious days,  almost  hojiing  against  hojje.  But  the 
good  Providence  saw  fit  to  restore  him,  and,  as  we 
gathered  at  the  annual  meeting  of  187(i,  our  society 
and  his  many  friends  had  bright  hopes  of  his  sjieedy 
recovery.  On  that  39th  day  of  January,  1876,  W.  A. 
Braman,  though  confined  to  his  room  and  scarcely 
out  of  danger,  was  unanimously,  for  the  sixth  time, 
elected  president  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  N.  B. 
Gates  vice-president.  At  this  meeting  Vice-Presi- 
dent Gates  presided  and  made  the  annual  address. 
Papers  were  read  by  R.  Baker,  D.  A.  Stocking,  and 
discussed  by  several  others.  A  resolution  was  also 
adopted,  to  i)resent  President  Braman  with  a  suitable 
gold  watch  and  chain,  as  a  token  of  respect  and 
appreciation  of  his  services  to  the  society,  and  for  his 
indefatigable  exertions  during  the  past  successful 
year,  which  was  accordingly  done. 

This  being  centennial  year,  it  was  decided  to  hold 
a  celebration  (ui  the  fair  grounds  on  July  the  -Ith. 
The  board  decided  to  erect  a  "log  cabin"  on  the 
grounds  on  that  day — members  of  the  society  having 
been  requested  to  send  in  a  log  each,  and  be  on  hand 
at  an  early  hour,  to  erect  the  building.  The  logs 
were  on  hand,  and  the  building  commenced,  but  a 
regular  deluge  set  in  early  in  the  day,  and  jare vented 
its  completion.  Every  possible  arrangement  was  made 
to  .secure  a  day  of  jJeasure  and  profit  for  the  multi- 
tude. A  large  procession  was  formed,  and  paraded 
the  streets  of  Elyria.  Almost  every  trade  in  the  county 
was  represented,  and  manufacturing  going  on,  while 
the  procession  was  marching,  the  rain  coming  down 
all  the  time,  and  greatly  marring  the  proceedings. 
In  the  afternoon,  Hon.  W.  W.  Boynton  read  a  care- 
fully prepared  address,  being  the  early  history  of 
Lorain  coiintv.  The  .Judge  delivered  it  in  his  easy 
and  happy  style;  a  large  concourse  of  people  were 
attentive  listeners,  all  exjiressing  themselves  as  highly 
gratified,  and  gave  the  Judge  a  i-ousing  vote  of  thanks 
for  his  able  production.  Fortunately,  the  rain  ceased 
previous  to  the  address,  but  the  inclement  weather 
prevented  the  carrying  out  of  the  full  programme. 


76 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


The  unfinished  cabin  was  finished  at  an  early  day — 
a  residence  being  greatly  needed  for  tlic  Iveeper  of  the 
grounds.  Tliis  cabin  adds  to  the  vaUie  of  the  j)roperty, 
it  being  a  substantial  building,  made  very  comfortable 
for  a  family.  Mr.  S.  Rawson,  a  faithful  overseer  of 
the  grounds,  occupies  the  house. 

The  fair  of  this  centennial  year  was  not  expected 
to  compare  favorably  with  that  of  1875,  so  many 
having  given  tlieir  time  in  attending  the  exhiljitiou 
at  Philadelj)hia,  could  not  afford  to  give  attention  to 
the  Lorain  exhibition  as  they  otherwise  would  have 
done.  Several,  who  generally  exhibited  largely,  were 
at  the  centennial  during  our  fair.  The  receipts  were 
upwards  of  two  thousand  dollars,  though  not  quite 
sufficient  to  cover  all  the  expenses  of  the  year,  includ- 
ing those  of  the  fourth  of  July.  Quite  an  amount 
was  incurred  in  fitting  up  the  cabin,  viz:  two  hundred 
and  twenty  dollars.  The  value  of  the  house  was  five 
hundred  dollars  at  least. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  .January  21,  1877,  President 
Braman  gave  the  annual  address;  secretary  and  treas- 
urer's reports,  followed.  Papers  were  read  by  N.  L. 
Cotton,  N.  B.  Gates  and  K.  Baker;  discussed  l>y  others. 

C.  S.  Blills  was  elected  president;  B.  Race,  vice  president;  and  E.  G. 
Jolmson,  secretaiy  and  treasurer. 

The  society  of  this  year  gave  another  excursion  to 
Niagara  Falls,  August  21,  which  passed  off  satisfacto- 
rily to  all  jjarties.  Upwards  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  were  added  to  the  treasury.  These  excur- 
sions have  been  a  great  help  in  reducing  the  society's 
indebtedness.  Three  years  ago  tiie  amount  of  debts 
was  three  thousand  tliree  hundred  dtdlars,  which  is 
now  reduced  to  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

The  thirty-second  annual  fair  was  held  September 
19,  20  and  21.  The  show  was  scarcely  up  to  those  of 
a  few  years  past,  though  ((uite  creditable;  the  receipts 
were  two  thousand  two  InUidrt^d  and  twenty  dollars. 
The  iM'emiums  paid  amounted  to  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  thirty-nine  dollars,  leaving  a  good  bal- 
ance in  the  treasury. 

The  annual  meeting  of  1878  was  held  January  2(J, 
President  Mills  in  the  chair.  The  secretary  and 
treasurer  gave  his  report.  The  president  delivered 
the  annual  address.  N.  L.  Cotton  i-ead  a  paper  on 
"winter  care  of  stock;"  N.  B.  Gates,  on  "what  I 
know  about  farming;"  and  R.  Baker,  on  "  the  best 
breed  of  cattle  for  Lorain  county."  Some  discussion 
followed.  A  motion  was  made  by  R.  Baker  that  a 
report  of  the  transactions  of  the  Lorain  county  agri- 
cultural society  be  ]iublished  annually,  in  pamphlet 
form.  After  considerable  discussion,  the  motion  was 
laid  on  the  table  for  one  year.  The  election  of  officers 
resulted  in  re-electing 

(;.  S.  Mills,  president;    Bradford    Race,   vice-president;    and  E,  G. 
Johnson,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

August  20,  an  excursion  to  Niagara  Falls,  resulted 
in  adding  two  hundred  and  two  dollars  to  the  treasury 
of  the  society. 

The  thirty-third  annual  fair  was  held  October  1,  2, 
and  3.    Every  dei)artment  of  stock,  products,  and 


mechanic  arts  was  well  filled.  Vegetables  and  apples 
made  a  splendid  show,  being,  not  only  very  numer- 
ous, but  of  largo  size  and  excellent  quality.  Tiie 
1  idics'  departments,  in  floral  hall,  were  well  filled  uj) 
with  useful  and  ornamental  articles,  fine  arts,  etc. 
Miss  Wasldnirne,  the  assistant  superintendent,  showed 
her  skill,  in  arranging  the  articles  so  tiistefully.  The 
hall  was  crowded  each  day  with  the  ladies,  who  were 
unwilling  to  leave  the  building  until  they  had  ex- 
amined every  article.  The  decorations  made  liy 
the  young  ladies,  jirevious  to  tJie  exhibition,  were 
highly  appreciated  by  the  visitors.  The  receipts  at 
this  fair  amounted  to  two  thousand,  two  hundred  and 
thirty-six  dollars.  It  was  ((uite  clear  to  the  board  of 
directors  that,  ere  the  annual  meeting  of  1879,  the 
society  would  be  free  from  this  long  and  heavy  bur- 
den of  indebtedness.  A  plan  was  suggested,  to  ask 
all  favorable  to  the  association,  to  subscribe  one  dcillar. 
This  was  done,  and  more  than  was  sufficient  for  the 
})urpose  was  raised,  leaving,  at  the  aniuuil  meeting  of 
the  l)oard,  December  28,  1878,  a  cash  balance,  in  the 
hands  of  the  treasurer,  of  fifty  dollars  and  twenty- 
five  cents.  Some  further  receipts  and  payments  since 
that  date,  leave  the  account,  at  this  day,  January  26, 
1879,  viz:  twenty-four  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents 
in  the  treasury. 

At  the  thirty-fourih  annual  meeting,  held  .January 
2G,  1879,  the  secretary  and  treasurer  presented  his 
report.  President  Mills  read  his  annual  address, 
which  contains  a  list  of  jiayments,  made  on  land  con- 
tracts, frjm  the  purchase,  in  1867,  up  to  taking  pos- 
session of  the  deed.  The  address  of  President  Mills 
gave  the  greatest  satisfaction.  After  the  president's 
address,  a  discussion  followed. 

The  election  of  officers  resulted  in  the  choice  of 

C.  S.  Mills,  president;  John  W.  Hart,  vice  president;  directors  for  two 
years.  Freeman  Parmely,  H.  Moores.  Ed.  Hanoe,  and  William  W.  Pen- 
field  ;  for  one  year,  (per  J.  W.  Hart,  vice  president)  H.  M.  Axttll,  Those 
holding  over,  S.  B.  Dudley,  R.  Baker,  and  H.  E.  Corning.  The  present 
board  appointed  E.  G.  Jolmson,  secretary  and  treasurer  for  the  ensuing 
year. 

After  the  election,  papers  were  read  by  R.  Baker 
on  "the  necessity  of  a  better  system  of  husbandry;" 
William  A.  Braman  (claimed  by  the  writer  to  be)  "a 
paper  without  a  subject,"  and  N.  B.  Gates  presented 
a  paper,  in  part,  and  finished  with  his  accustomed  off- 
hand remarks  respecting  farming  in  Connecticut,  etc. 
To  the  society  was  sent,  by  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture, for  distribution,  some  seventy  copies  of  the 
"Ohio  State  Board  of  Agriculture  Reports." 

The  history  of  the  society  is  here  given  from  its  or- 
ganization up  to  the  thirty-fourth  annual  meeting, 
1879.  To  have  given  all  the  details  would  have  en- 
croached too  much  on  the  pages  of  this  county  history. 
Sufficient  is  included  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  its  pro- 
gress, the  many  difficulties  the  early  officers  had  tcj 
contend  with,  and  the  determined  zeal  manifested  by 
them.  Much  is  missing  on  account  of  the  loss  of  im- 
portant papers  consumed  by  the  fire  of  1873.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  names  of  persons,  and  the  amounts 
subscribed  by  them,  for  the  fitting  up  of  the  new 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


77 


grounds  iu  1867  cannot,  be  inserted,  tlie  list  being 
also  burnt  up.  But,  to  the  credit  of  ni.xny  let  it  be 
recorded,  tluit  individuals  g:ive  liberally,  from  twen- 
ty-five to  fifty  dollars,  and  also  donated  a  part,  and 
in  many  cases  the  whole  of  the  prenaiums  awarded  to 
tliem  in  1807  and  18(58,  some  waiting  over  a  year  for 
their  premium  money.  It  will  be  admitted  by  many 
readers  of  this  history  that  many  of  the  members 
subscribed  all,  or  more,  than  they  were  able.  Many 
of  the  enterprising  farmers  of  the  county  appreciate 
tiie  benefits  derived  through  this  organization.  It 
must  be  conceded  that  through  the  influence  of  this 
society,  the  agriculture,  etc.,  of  the  county  has  been 
improved  to  such  a  degree  that  the  wealth  of  the 
county,  by  way  of  live  stock  and  improved  culture, 
is  vastly  greater  than  it  otherwise  would  have  been. 
It  will  be  disputed  by  none  that  this  society  has  been 
the  means  of  vast  improvement  in  the  breeds  of  stock, 
and  of  great  benefit  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic 
arts.  The  fanners  raise  better  cattle,  horses,  sheep, 
and  swine,  while  the  number,  variety,  and  quality  of 
manufactured  articles  are  far  in  advance  of  what  tliey 
would  have  been  but  for  this  organization.  It  has 
imparted  a  healthy  stimulus  to  every  branch  of  in- 
dustry. 

The  dairying  interests  of  the  county  are  being  de- 
veloped. Dairymen,  having  excellent  breeds  of  cattle 
"to  select  from,  are  endeavoring  to  use  those  tiiat  will 
make  the  best  return,  by  way  of  milk,  cheese  aud 
butter.  The  county  is  noted  as  producing  tlie  finest 
quality  of  cheese,  and  the  richest  and  sweetest  butter 
of  any  county  in  the  State.  In  the  opinion  of  the 
most  thoughtful,  it  would  have  been  better  had  the 
society  conformed  to  the  requirements  of  the  act, 
passed  in  1846,  for  the  encouragement  of  agriculture, 
etc.  For  years,  the  society  offered  inducements  for 
improved  plowing.  The  last  contest  for  best  jjlow- 
ing  was  in  1800.  Here  was  the  first  great  mistake. 
Also,  encouragement  was  given  for  the  best  cultivated 
farm.  This  was  dropped  in  1803.  The  offering 
made  for  the  best  crops  of  grain,  etc.,  have  been  dis- 
continued since  1873.  All  these,  I  think,  should  have 
been  continued,  and  should  have  formed  a  prominent 
part  in  the  premiums  oifered  by  the  society.  But,  not- 
withstanding all  these  shortcomings,  we  find,  by  the 
reports  of  various  county  societies,  of  Ohio,  sent  in  to 
the  State  board  of  agriculture,  at  the  convention  of 
1879,  that  Lorain  stands  nearly  at  par  with  the  best, 
and,  iu  some  matters,  takes  the  lead. 

Tlie  society  was  fortunate  iu  selecting  the  present 
location;  the  grounds  being  beautifully  situated,  and, 
have  become  valuable,  by  increasing  from  two  thous- 
and seven  hundred  and  seven  dollars  and  fifty  cents,  to 
upwards  of  twenty  thousand  dollars.  In  the  year  1873 
previous  to  the  panic,  it  was  claimed  that  the  grounds 
could  be  sold  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  There 
may  be  larger  county  fair  grounds  in  the  State,  but 
none  better  located,  or  grounds  better  adapted  for 
holding  a  county  exhibition.  And  now,  the  debt 
being  removed,  improved  and  more  a^jprojiriate  build- 


ings can  shortly  be  erected,  and  the  organization  will 
be  in  such  a  position  that  every  member  will,  not  only 
appreciate,  but  be  proud  of  it,  and,  in  the  next  dec- 
ade, it  will  become  more  efficient,  and,  consequently, 
more  useful  and  beneficial  to  the  agriculturists,  hor- 
ticulturists, mechanics  aud  stock  raisers  of  Lorain 
county. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

LORAIN    IN    THE   REBE3LLION. 

All  remember  the  early  days  of  1801.  Sumter  had 
fallen;  the  Southern  Confederacy  was  formed;  the 
South,  with  stolen  munitions  of  war,  and  stolon 
money,  had  organized  a  formidable  army;  secession 
was  unmistakably  resolved  upon.  So  appalling  were 
tliese  events,  that  the  North  stood  awhile  jiaralyzed 
and  awe  stricken.  Then  came  our  President's  call 
,  for  seventy-five  thousand  men.  Everywhere  through- 
out the  Northern  States  there  was  a  hearty  response — 
nowhere  was  it  heartier  than  njion  the  Reserve  of 
Northern  Ohio.  Lorain  took  a  gallant  part  in  this 
first  outburst  of  northern  jiatriotism;  and  during  the 
entire  period  of  the  war,  there  was  no  time  when  she 
was  found  faithless  to  duty.  Where\er  danger  lurked 
tliickest,  there  we  find  the  Lorain  boys.  Manv,  very 
many  never  returned;  their  lives  went  out  as  a  sacri- 
fice. They  died  the  noblest  deaths  for  their  country, 
and  beneath  the  skies  of  the  sunny  South,  where  the 
groves  of  the  magnolia  and  the  orange  shed  an 
undying  perfume — the  spot,  perhaps,  unmarked  and 
unknown — they  "sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  no  wak- 
ing." 

"Rest  on,  embalmed  and  sainted  dead. 

Dear  as  the  blood  ye  gave; 
No  traitor's  footsteps  e'er  shall  tread 

The  iierbage  o'er  your  grave; 
Nor  shall  your  glory  be  forgot 

While  Fame  her  record  keeps, 
For  Honor  mourns  the  hallowed  spot 

"Where  loyal  valor  sleeps." 

" '  The  real  heroes  of  this  war  are  the  great, 
brave,  jjatient,  nameless  people.'  It  is  to  their  service 
through  these  varied  scenes  that  we  now  gladly  turn. 
The  victory  was  not  won  through  generalship — it  is  a 
libel  on  the  word  to  say  that  generalship  delayed  for 
four  years  the  success  of  twenty-five  millions  in  con- 
flict with  ten  millions,  or  required  a  million  men  in 
the  closing  campaigns  to  defeat  a  hundred  thousand; 
it  was  won  by  the  sacrifices,  the  heroism,  the  suffer- 
ings and  the  death  of  the  men  in  the  ranks.  Their 
story  we  now  seek  to  tell.  It  will  not  be  picturesque 
or  attractive,  but  full  of  dry  details  of  fruitless  fight- 
ing, of  tedious  marches,  of  heroic  endurance,  of 
])atience,  and  of  weariness.  Even  such  was  the  life 
they  led  for  us;  and  its  record,  we  are  firmly  per- 
suaded, will  newer  cease  to  be  cherished  by  their 
grateful  countrymen." 

But  let  us  not  forget  to  pay  a  tribute  of  gratitude 
and  just  praise  to  the  noble  aud  heroic  women  of 
Lorain  county,  for  their  labors  of  affection  and  mercy 


78 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


durinn;  tliese  weary,  gloomy  days.  Their  generous, 
loving  hearts  sent  forth  pitying  tears  and  prayers  for 
the  safety  of  loved  ones,  and  the  preservation  of  the 
Union.  Wiiile  fair  hands,  many  of  them  unused  to 
labor,  were  oeeujiied  in  ])rej)ai'iiig  comforts  for  the 
well,  dainties  for  the  siek,  necessaries  for  the  wounded, 
and  cheer  for  all,  noMe  and  seU'-sacrilicing  women  all 
over  the  North  formed  themselves  into  aid  societies, 
the  good  results  of  which  can  hardly  be  over-esti- 
mated. Early  and  late  these  angels  of  mercy  toiled 
and  gathered,  forw'arding  bo.xes  of  everything  needed 
by  the  soldier.  Yet,  could  the  senders  have  seen  the 
tears  of  joy  which  often  greeted  its  reception,  they 
would  have  felt  amply  compensated. 

The  historical  sketches  of  the  organizations  follow- 
ing are  from  the  very  valuable  work,  "Ohio  in  the 
War,"  by  Whitelaw  Keid.  We  have  spent  consider- 
able time  at  the  office  of  the  adjutant-general,  at 
Columbus,  in  procuring  records.  Many  muster-rolls 
are  incomplete,  or  missing  altogether;  those  of  the 
three-months'  men  especially  are  nearly  all  destroyed. 
In  cases  wliere  less  than  full  companies  of  men  report 
for  muster,  tlie  column  on  the  muster  roll,  headed 
'•whei'e  enrolled,"'  will  be  lillcd  with  the  place  of 
rendezvous  —  for  instance,  the  greater  part  of  the 
s((ldiers  from  north-eastern  Ohio  rendezvoused  at 
Camp  Taylor,  near  Cleveland.  They  are  so  recorded 
at  the  office  of  the  adjutant-general,  and  no  reference 
whatever  is  made  to  the  county  in  whicli  they  resided 
when  enlistment  oecurreil.  We  have,  liy  correspend- 
ence  with  ex-company  officers,  endeavored  to  obtain 
(lie  name  of  every  citizen  of  Lorain  county  who  was 
a  soldier  of  the  rebellion,  ami  if  omissions  occur,  tlie 
•'boys"  will,  we  trust,  be  eharitalile,  believing  that 
we  have  done  all  that  circumstances  would  allow. 

Tiie  spelling  of  names  is  ver/mtim  as  given  on  mits- 
ter-in-rolls,  and  the  writer  cannot  be  held  responsible 
for  errors  of  that  kind. 

SEVENTH  UEGIMENT  OHIO  VOLUNTKEU  IKFANTKV. 

The  lirst  rebel  gun  tired  at  l^'orl  .Suinter  was  the 
signal  for  the  assemblage  of  this  regiment,  and  its 
echo  had  scarcely  died  out  in  the  North  ere  this 
regiment  was  in  eamj).  It  was  made  up  entirely  in 
Northern  Ohio,  went  into  camp  near  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  on 
Ajiril  lit),  1861.  .John  S.  Casement,  of  Painesville, 
was  its  first  major.  He  resigned  after  a  time,  and 
assisted  in  raising  other  organizations.  He  ascended 
the  stei)S  of  promotion  until,  we  believe,  he  was 
brigadier-general  when  he  left  the  service.  At  the 
expiration  of  the  term  of  service  for  which  they  were 
mustered,  the  regiment  re-enlisted,  almost  to  a  man, 
for  three  years;  and  on  .lune  :iK,  1861,  it  started  for  the 
field  to  take  part  in  the  opening  of  the  camijaign  in 
Western  Virginia,,  and  on  the  following  day  first  set 
foot  on  rebel  soil,  near  Beuwood.  They  marched 
along  the  line  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  to 
Clarksburg  and  went  into  camp.  Here  a  beautiful 
stand  of   colors   was   presented  to  the  regiment  by 


Cai)tain  Schulte,  in  behalf  of  the  "Social  Turnverein," 
of  Cleveland,  .June  29.  The  regiment  made  its  lirst 
march  fully  e({uipj)ed.  The  day  was  oppressively  hot, 
and  before  one  mile  had  been  laboriously  overcome, 
many  valuable  and  useful  articles,  su])posed  to  be 
ahsoliitdy  indispensable,  had  become  an  intolerable 
burden;  at  three  miles,  when  a  halt  was  ordered,  the 
men  went  deliberately  to  work  reducing  their  baggage. 
Blankets,  dress  uniforms,  books,  under-clothing,  and 
every  article  that  could  possibly  be  dispensed  with, 
were  emptied  on  the  ground  and  left  there.  This 
march  terminated  at  Weston.  After  doing  consider- 
able marching,  the  regiment  reached  Cross  Lanes  on 
the  IGth  of  August;  and  it  was  here,  on  the  25th  of 
the  same  month,  that  they  had  their  first  fight,  which 
proved  a  disastrous  affair;  the  regiment  being  obliged 
to  retreat,  although  they  held  their  position  for  some 
time  against  overwhelming  numbers.  Their  loss  was 
one  hundred  and  twenty  in  killed,  wounded  and  pris- 
oners. The  next  battle  was  at  Winchester,  March  2.'5. 
At  three  o'clock  p.  m.  the  battle  began  in  earnest  and 
raged  furiously  until  dark,  resulting  in  success  to  the 
Union  army.  Again  at  Port  Keimblie  the  "Seventh'' 
fought  splendidly  and  cfiEectively.  Here,  with  less 
than  three  thousand  muskets,  "Stonewall"  -Jackson's 
force  of  fourteen  thousand  rebel  troojis  were  held  at 
liay  for  five  hours.  The  Union  forces  were,  however, 
obliged  finally  to  retreat.  On  August  9,  at  Cedar 
Mountain,  the  regiment  was  again  at  the  front  and 
eiigage<l  in  a  fierce  hand-to-hand  contlict.  Of  the 
three  hundred  men  engaged  in  the  "Seventh''  only 
one  hundred  escaped  unhurt.  Their  next  battle  was 
at  Antietam,  but  it  would  i-e(piire  a  volume  to  tell  of 
all  the  fighting  this  regiment  did.  On  Saturday, 
.lune  24:,  1864,  the  regiment  took  its  departure  for 
Cleveland,  wliere  it  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
on  the  Sth  day  of  July  following,  having  served  a 
little  more  than  three  years.  During  that  time 
eighteen  hundred  men  had  served  in  it,  and  when 
mustered  out  there  were  but  two  hundred  and  forty 
men  remaining  to  bring  home  their  colors,  pierced  by 
till'  shot  and  sliell  of  more  than  a  score  of  battles. 

TUB    EIUHTH    KEIilMENT  OHIO  VOLUNTEER   INFANTKV 

was  originally  organized  as  a  three  months'  regiment 
under  the  first  call  of  the  President,  most  of  the  com- 
])aiiies  having  been  enlisted  between  (he  IGth  and 
22d  days  of  April,  1861,  and  all  of  them  arriving  at 
Cam])  Taylor,  Cleveland,  as  early  as  April  29. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  all  the  companies  haying  been 
mustered  into  the  service,  the  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Camj)  Dennisou,  where  it  arrived  on  the  3d,  dur- 
ing a  drenching  rain,  and  many  of  the  men,  for 
the  first  time  in  their  lives,  slept  in  the  open  air, 
with  only  a  soldier's  blanket  for  floor,  roof,  walls 
and  bed  clothes.  The  regimental  organization  was 
here  completed  by  the  appointment  of  the  field  and 
staff  officers.  | 

Instructions  in  the  "drill"  now  commenced,  and      I 
vigorous  efforts  were  put  forth  to  fit  the  regiment  for 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


79 


service;  but  it  soon  became  evideut  that  the  troops  at 
tills  camp  would  not  be  sent  to  the  field  as  three 
months'  men,  and  an  effort  was  made  to  re-enlist  the 
regiment  for  three  years.  To  this  everj'  company 
responded  except  Conijiany  I,  and  the  regiment  of 
nine  companies  was  mustered  into  the  service  for 
three  years,  on  tlie  22d,  25th  and  2(ith  of  .Tune. 

In  the  following  September,  t'oniiiany  I  joined  the 
regiment  at  Grafton,  Virginia. 

On  the  9th  day  of  .July,  1861,  the  regiment  left 
Camj)  Dennison  for  (Jraftou,  Virginia,  and  on  the 
12th  ai'rivod  at  West  Union,  Preston  county,  Va.,  on 
the  summit  of  the  Alleghany  mountains  where  they 
are  crossed  by  the  Great  Western  Turnjiike,  and  along 
which  Garnett's  rebel  army  was  then  being  rajiidly 
driven  by  McClellan's  troops. 

For  some  weeks  after  this  the  regiment  was  sta- 
tioned at  various  places  among  the  mountains  and 
along  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad,  during  which 
time  it  suffered  severely  from  typhoid  fever;  at  one 
time  over  three  hundred  men  were  in  hospital,  and 
some  tliirty-f(nir  deaths  resulted  from  the  fever  in  a 
short  time.  On  the  24th  of  September  the  regiment 
particiiiated  in  an  attack  on  Romncy.  At  the  "Hang- 
ing Rock"  it  was  ex]iosed  to  a  severe  fire,  and  lost 
several  men  in  killed  and  a  number  wounded.  The 
regiment  again  ]iarticipated  in  an  attack  on  Romnev, 
October  21;  which,  being  evacuated  by  the  enemv, 
was  occupied  by  the  troojis  under  General  Kelley 
until  January  12,  1SC2.  The  next  fight  was  at  Blue 
(!ap.  In  January  the  troops  were  removed  to  Patter- 
son's Creek,  and  the  following  month  to  Pawpaw 
Tunnel.  On  February  14  the  Eighth  participated  in 
a  brisk  fight  at  Bloomey  Gap,  in  which  C'olonel  Bald- 
win, with  his  staff  and  a  part  of  his  command,  were 
'captured.  General  Lander  died  March  2,  and  shortly 
after  the  division  moved  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley, 
where  General  Shields  took  command.  On  March  22, 
the  outposts  at  Winchester  were  attacked  by  Ash  by 
and  General  Shields  severely  wounded.  The  next  day 
the  battle  of  Winchester  was  fought.  But  few  of  the 
troops  had  ever  been  under  fire,  and  none  of  them,  as 
then  organized,  in  any  serious  engagements.  Colonel 
Kimball  commanded,  and  made  his  arrangements  to 
whii>  Stiniewall  Jackson,  who  had  arrived  during  the 
night.  The  battle  was  one  of  the  most  severe  of  the 
war.  .Jackson,  towards  evening,  attenijited  to  turn 
our  right  fiank,  but  was  met  by  Tyler's  brigade  in 
front,  when  Colonel  Kimball  threw  several  regiments 
"11  his  right  flank,  and,  after  a  desperate  fight,  whicli 
in  some  instances  was  hand  to  hand,  the  enemy  was 
routed  and  driven  furiously  fnnn  the  field.  The  regi- 
ment followed  the  enemy  up  the  valley,  skirmishing 
at  Woodstock,  Mount  Jackson,  Edinburgh  and  New 
Market;  thence  it  joined  McDowell  at  Fredericks- 
burg. Here  it  remained  a  few  days  and  was  ordered 
back  to  the  valley  again.  In  the  meantime  Banks 
had  executed  one  of  those  retrograde  movements  for 
which  he  became  eminently  CDmjjicnous  ere  the  close 
of  the  war.     In  August  following  the  Eighth   was 


united  to  the  Second  corps,  then  commanded  by 
Sumner,  and  with  his  corps  it  continued  to  act  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  its  service. 

The  Potomac  was  crossed  at  (Jhain  Bridge,  and  the 
march  through  Maryland  commenced,  which  ended 
in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Antiefani. 
Near  Reedyville  the  whole  army  was  massed  by  the 
miirniug  of  Soptemlier  10,  and  a  furious  artillery  duel 
commenced.  One  of  the  first  of  the  enemy's  shots 
killed  W.  W.  Farmer,  a  color-sergeant  of  the  Eighth. 
This  cannonade  lasted  all  day.  The  next  day  the 
battle  of  Antietam  was  fought.  The  second  corps 
crossed  the  river  and  occujiied  the  center  of  the  line. 
It  did  effective  work  that  day. 

Ill  the  terriWe  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  on  Decem- 
ber 13,  the  Eightli  formed  the  right  wing  of  the 
forlorn  hope.  At  the  battle  of  Chancellorsvilie,  be- 
ginning April  2S,  18G3,  the  Eighth  was  almost  con- 
stantly under  fire  for  four  days,  and  yet  its  loss  was 
only  two  killed  and  eleven  wounded.  The  brigade 
was  at  this  time,  and  subsequently,  commanded  by 
General  (Jarroll. 

No  further  active  service  was  had  until  the  Gettys- 
burg camiiaign.  In  that  I>attle  the  regiment  bore  a 
conspicuous  jiart,  capturing  three  stands  of  colors. 
After  the  escape  of  Lee's  army  across  the  Potomac, 
the  Eighth  marched  with  the  army  to  the  Raindau; 
but  we  have  not  space  to  record  all  the  fighting  done 
by  the  regiment;  suffice  it  to  say,  that,  from  this 
date  until  June  25,  1804,  when  its  term  of  service 
expired,  and  the  little  scjuad,  who  numbered  but 
seventy-two  officers  and  men,  fit  for  duty,  were  taken 
from  the  trenches  before  Petersburg  and  returned  to 
Ohio  for  muster  out,  they  were  almost  constantly 
ill  active  service  of  the  severest  character. 

The  regiment  was  formally  mustered  out  on  July 
13,  18G4,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  by  Captain  Douglass. 

TWENTY-TlirUD     REGIMENT    OHIO    YOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  war  it  was  organized 
and  otlicercd  as  follows:  Colonel,  William  S.  Kose- 
crans;  Lieutenant-colonel,  Stanley  Matthews;  Jlajor, 
Rutherford  B.  Hayes. 

The  jiosition  of  these  ofllcers  has  lieeii  (|uite  different 
since  those  days — In  fact,  too  well  known  to  need 
repetition.  Under  command  of  Colonel  E.  P.  Scam- 
moii,  the  Twenty-third  went  into  active  service  in 
West  A'irginia,  meeting  with  the  new  and  exciting 
events  common  to  inexperienced  soldiers,  which  were 
almost  forgotten  amid  the  sterner  and  sad  realities  of 
active  warfare. 

The  regiment  participated  in  the  battles  of  Carni- 
fex  Ferry,  Virginia,  Septeinher  lo.  1801 ;  Giles  Court- 
house, May  10,  18(!2;  and  had  the  honor  of  oi)ening 
the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  Septeml)er  14,  18(i2, 
where  it  lost  tliirty-three  men  killed  and  eiglity 
wounded,  among  the  latter  Rutherford  B.  Hayes, 
now  President  of  the  United  States.  As  an  incident 
of  this  battle,  it  is  said  that  the  Twelfth  and  Twenty- 


80 


niSTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


third  Oliio  iuid  Twelfth  ami  Twenty-third  North 
Carolina — Companies  R  on  each  side — were  directly 
engaged  with  each  other.  The  Twenty-third,  nnder 
coniinand  of  Lieutenant-colonel  Hayes,  was  in  the 
advance  on  that  day.  It  was  ordered  at  an  early 
hour  to  advance  up  the  mountain  and  attack  the 
enemy.  From  liehind  stone  walls  the  eneni}'  poured 
a  destructive  tire  into  the  Fcdci'al  ranks  at  very  shoi't 
range.  The  comnuind  of  the  Twenty-third  fell  iijion 
Major  Condy  after  Lieutenant-colonel  TIayes  was 
wounded,  the  latter  again  making  his  ajipi'arance  on 
tiie  lield,  with  his  wound  half  dressed,  and  fought, 
against  the  remonstrances  of  the  wiiole  command, 
until  carrie<l  off.  Neai'  the  close  of  the  day  at  Antie- 
tam  a  change  was  made  hy  the  division  to  which  the 
Twenty-third  belonged,  and  it  was  exposed  to  a  large 
force  of  the  enemy  posted  in  a  cornfield  in  the  rear  of 
the  left.  Its  colors  were  shot  down,  and  at  the  same 
time  a  feint  was  made  in  its  front.  The  colors  were 
planted  on  a  new  line  at  right  angles  with  its  former 
front,  and  the  regiment  formed  a  line  in  the  new 
direction,  and  opened  fire  upon  the  enemy,  who  re- 
tired. The  division  withdrew,  hut  no  order  reached 
the  Twenty-third,  and  it  remained  on  the  field  until 
the  division  commander  returned  and  ordered  it  to 
the  rear. 

The  Twenty-third  assisted  in  heading  off  Morgan's 
command  at  Huffington's  Island,  and  tiien  returned 
to  t'harlestown.  West  Virginia,  and  afterwards  joined 
General  Crook's  forces  for  a  raid  on  the  Virginia 
and  Tennessee  railroad.  May  ',),  1S(!4,  the  Twenty- 
third  fought  at  Cloyd  Mountain.  The  enemy  occn- 
j'ied  the  first  crest  of  the  mountain,  defended  by 
artillery  and  rudely-c<instructed  breastworks.  The 
hill  was  steep,  thickly  wooded,  and  ditlicult  of  ascent, 
and  skirted  by  a  stream  of  water  two  or  three  feet 
deep.  At  the  word  of  command  the  regiment  ad- 
vanced across  the  stream  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain, 
under  a  heavy  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery,  without 
returning  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  A  furious  assault 
was  made  upon  the  enemy's  works,  carrying  them, 
with  two  pieces  of  artillery.  The  struggle  at  the 
guns  was  of  the  fiercest  description.  The  Confed- 
erate artillerymen  attempted  to  reload  their  pieces 
when  the  Federal  line  was  not  more  than  ten  paces 
distant.  The  Twenty-third  was  with  Hunter  in  the 
attack  iin  Lynchburg,  and  in  numerous  skirmishes 
and  battles  in  the  Shenandoah  valley.  At  Winches- 
ter. July  '^4,  1804,  it  lost  one  hundred  and  lifty-three 
men.  At  the  battle  of  ()|)e<|uan,  September  111, 
Haves'  brigade  had  the  extreme  right  of  the  infanti-y. 
.Moving  forwaril  undei-  tire,  the  brigade  came  u])(in  a 
deep  slough,  forty  or  fifty  yards  wide,  and  neai'ly 
waist-deep,  with  soft  mud  at  the  bottom,  overgrown 
with  a  thick  bed  <>{  uioss.  It  seemed  impossible  to 
get  through  it,  and  the  whole  line  was  staggered  for 
a  moment.  Just  then  Oohuiel  Hayes  pluno-ed  in 
with  his  hor.se,  and  under  a  shower  of  bullets  and 
shells  he  rode,  waded,  and  dragged  his  way  through 
— the  first  man  over.    The  Twenty-third  was  ordered 


by  the  right  flank  over  the  slough.  At  the  same 
place  men  were  suffocated  and  drowned;  still  the 
regiment  plunged  through,  re-formed,  charged  for- 
ward again,  driving  the  enemy.  The  division  com- 
mander was  wounded,  leaving  Colonel  Hayes  in  com- 
maiui.  He  was  everywhere  exposing  himself  as  usual ; 
men  were  falling  all  around  him,  but  he  rode  through 
it  all  as  though  he  had  a  charmed  life.  No  reinforce- 
ments, as  jiromised;  something  must  be  done  to  stop 
the  fire  that  is  cutting  the  force  so  terribly.  Select- 
ing some  Saxony  rifles  in  the  Twenty-third,  pieces  of 
seventy-one  calibre,  with  a  range  of  twelve  hundred 
yards.  Lieutenant  McBride  was  ordered  forward  with 
them  to  kill  the  enemy's  artillery  horses,  in  jilain 
sight.  At  the  first  shot  a  horse  drops,  immediately 
another  is  killed,  and  a  panic  seems  to  seize  the  artil- 
lerymen, and  they  commence  limbering  up.  The 
infantry  take  the  alarm,  and  a  few  commence  running 
from  the  intrenehments,  and  the  cavalry,  which  had 
been  hovering  upon  the  flanks,  swept  down  upon  the 
enemy,  capturing  them  by  regiments,  and  the  battle 
was  at  an  end.  The  Twenty-third  fought  at  North 
Mountain,  September  20,  1864,  and  at  Cedar  Creek, 
October  19 — a  day  that  is  a  household  word  through- 
out the  land.  The  Twenty-third  was  mustered  out 
on  the  'idth  day  of  July,  18G5,  at  Cumberland,  Mary- 
land, and  was  jiaid  and  disbanded  at  Camp  Taylor,  | 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

FORTY-FIRST  REfilMENT  OHIO  YOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 

Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Bull  Run.  a  num-     . 
ber  of  the  citizens  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  set  about  rais-     ' 
ing  a  regiment,  and  the  result  of  their  labors  was  the 
Forty-first  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  Cajitain 
William  B.   Ilazen,  Eighth  United  States  Infantry, 
was    appointed   colonel.      The   camp   of  rendezvous 
was    established    near     Cleveland.     ]5y   the  first    of 
September,  a  large  number  of  men  were   in  camp, 
and  the  work  of   instruction  had  commenced.     An 
officers'  school  was  instituted,  and  the  strictest  disci- 
pline enforced,  and,  by  the  time  tjie  regiment  was 
mustered  as  complete,  on  the  31st  of  October,  18G1, 
the  officers  and  men  understood  their  duties  well,  and 
were  cjuite  proficicut  in  drill.     On  November  6,  the 
regiment   moved,  by  rail,  to  ('amp  Dennison,  where 
it  was  supplied  with  arms.     These  consisted  of  the      , 
Greenwood  rifle,  a  weapon  nearly  useless,  and  soon 
discarded  by  the  governineiit.     After  a  week  at  Camp 
Dennison,  the  regiment  proceeded  to  Gallipolis,  tak-     > 
ing  steamer  from  Cincinnati. 

A  few  raiding  excursions,  from  this  jioint  into  Vir- 
ginia, was  the  only  relief  from  daily  drills,  and  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  month,  the  regiment  was  ordered  1<> 
Louisville,  and  rejK/rted  to  General  Buell,  then  organ- 
izing the  army  of  Ohio.  The  Forty-first  became  a 
part  of  the  Fifteenth  brigade.  Nelson's  division,  and,  H 
iluring  the  winter,  remained  at  Camp  Wickliffe,  Ken- 
tucky. Here,  the  Forty-first  was  made  the  nuclen- 
of  a  new  brigade,  (the  Nineteenth),  to  which  were 
assigned  the  Forty-sixth  and  Forty-seventh  Indiana, 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


81 


ami    tlie   Sixtli    Keutucky,   commanded   by  Colonel 
Hazen. 

On  tlie  14tli  of  February,  1863,  Nelson's  division 
marched  to  West  Point,  which  was  reached  after  a 
severe  march  of  three  days.  Here,  the  two  Indiana 
regiments  were  sent  to  Grant.  Nelson  embarked  on 
transports  for  the  Tennessee  river,  and  arrived  at 
Nasliville  on  the  37th  of  Febrnary.  1863.  About  the 
middle  of  March,  the  regiment  moved  with  the  army 
to  Savannah,  on  tlie  Tennessee  river,  arriving  within 
two  miles  of  that  point,  the  Saturday  preceding  the 
battle  of  Pittsljurg  Landing.  Heavy  tiring  was  heard 
on  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  April,  and,  at  one 
o'clock,  p.  m. ,  after  being  supplied  with  rations  and 
ammunition,  the  regiment  moved  for  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, one  company,  (G),  being  left  to  guard  the  camp 
and  garrison  equipage.  At  five  o'clock,  the  troops 
arrived  opposite  the  battle-field,  and  Hazen's  brigade 
was  the  second  to  cross  the  river.  Tlie  regiment  lay, 
that  niglit,  on  the  tield,  in  tlie  driving  rain,  among 
tlie  dead  and  wounded,  and,  at  day-light,  moved  for- 
ward in  its -first  engagement. 

Tlie  Forty-first  was  on  the  right  of  Nelson's  division, 
and,  wiien  tlie  rebels  were  discovered  to  be  advanc- 
ing, Hazen's  brigade  was  ordered  to  charge.  The 
Forty-first  was  placed  in  the  front  line,  and  advanced 
steadily,  through  a  dense  thicket  of  undergrowth,  and, 
emerging  in  the  more  open  gi'ound,  was  saluted  with 
a  murderous  fire.  The  line  still  advanced,  checked 
the  approaching  rebels,  drove  them  back  beyond  their 
fortifications,  aud  captured  their  guns.  Three  officers 
and  tliree  men,  who,  at  different  times,  carried  the 
colors  in  the  charge,  were  shot  down,  either  killed  or 
wounded,  aud,  of  the  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  who  entered  the  engagement,  one  hundred  and 
forty-one  were  either  killed  or  wounded,  and  this,  too, 
in  the  space  of  half  an  hour. 

The  night  after  the  battle,  Hazen's  brigade,  as  an 
outlying  force,  occupied  the  Tan  Bark  road,  upon  the 
left  of  the  army.  The  regiment  occupied  a  miseralile 
camp  on  the  field  of  battle,  surrounded  by  the  half 
buried  bodies  of  men  and  horses,  until  the  army 
moved  on  Corinth.  Tlie  regiment  suffered  very  much 
from  exposure,  during  the  march,  and  in  the  ojiera- 
tions  immediately  following.  The  Forty-first  was 
with  Buell's  army,  on  its  march  to  Louisville,  mov- 
ing, day  after  day,  over  dirty  roads,  with  short  rations 
and  water  scarce,  until,  nearly  exhausted,  ragged  and 
dirty,  it  entered  Louisville,  on  the  West  Point  road, 
aud  encamped,  for  a  three  days'  rest.  On  the  3d  of 
October,  the  regiment  marched  against  Bragg.  At 
the  battle  of  Perryville,  its  duties  were,  princijially, 
ski  rmisl  ling. 

About  October  30,  the  brigade  commenced  its  re- 
turn to  Nashville. 

I     December  36,  the  Forty-first,  with  the  army,  moved 
'on  Murfreesboro.     At  midnight,   on   the  30th,    the 

■  iment  took  position  in  the  first  line,  facing  Cowan's 
House,  and  from  this  time,  until  the  cessation  of  lios- 
tilities,  was  actively  engaged.     Of  the  four  hundred 
11 


and  ten  officers  and  men  of  the  Forty-first,  the  largest 
number  it  ever  took  iuto  battle,  one  hundred  and 
twelve  were  killed  or  wounded. 

January,  10,  1863,  the  regiment  moved  to  Reedy- 
ville.  where  it  remained,  in  comparative  quiet,  until 
the  34th  of  the  following  June,  when  the  command 
moved  to  TuUahoma;  but,  that  place  being  eviicuated 
before  they  reached  it,  the  troojis  returned  to  Man- 
chester, and  went  into  camp. 

Tents  were  struck  on  the  15th  of  August,  and  the 
command  moved  toward  Chattanooga.  The  morning 
of  the  19th  of  September  fouud  the  regiment  again 
on  the  bank  of  the  Chickamauga,  near  Gordon's 
Mills.  About  nine  o'clock,  a.  m.,  the  battle  com- 
menced, and,  at  one  o'clock,  ]i.  m.,  Palmer's  division, 
(in  which  the  Forty-first  was),  went  into  the  fight, 
attacking  in  echelon  by  brigades,  Hazen's  brigade 
being  the  first  echelon.  The  regiment  advanced 
rapidly,  over  an  open  field,  to  a  strip  of  woods.  After 
holding  the  position  two  liours,  and,  during  the  time, 
losing  a  hundred  men,  the  regiment  was  withdrawn. 
They  were  immediately  moved  to  the  assistance  of 
General  VanCleve.  They  were  continuall)^  under  fire, 
and,  at  last,  the  brigade  was  formed  in  cplumns,  by 
regiments,  and  advancing,  one  after  the  other,  de- 
livered its  volley  jiito  the  dense  masses  of  tlie  rebels, 
who  reeled  aud  fell  back.  This  was  the  last  fighting 
on  Chickamauga.  The  next  day  was  spent  on  Mission 
Ridge,  and,  the  following  night,  the  regiment  retired 
to  Chattanooga. 

In  the  re-organization  of  the  army,  Hazen's  brigade 
was  composed  of  the  First,  Forty-first,  and  Ninety- 
third  Ohio,  Fifth  Kentucky  and  Sixth  Indiana,  and 
was  assigned  to  the  fourth  army  corps,  Major-general 
Gordon  Granger,  commanding. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  October  37, 
fifty-two  pontoons,  bearing  Hazen's  brigade,  pushed 
out  silently  from  Chattanooga,  and  floated  down  the 
river.  In  half  an  liour's  time,  the  leading  pontoons 
were  passing  in  front  of  the  enemy's  pickets  on  the 
bank,  a  hundred  feet  above.  The  conversation  of  the 
rebels  could  be  distinctly  heard,  but  their  attention 
. wasnotouce  directed  to  the  twelve  hundred  silent 
enemies  floating  past,  within  pistol  shot.  Just  as  the 
first  pontoon  arrived  opposite  its  landing,  it  was  dis- 
covered; but  the  landing  was  effected,  the  pickets 
driven  in,  and  the  hill  gained.  When  the  morning 
haze  cleared  away,  the  rebels  ou  Lookout  saw  the  hills 
beneatli  them,  commanding  two  roads  to  Bridgeport, 
covered  with  blue-coats,  in  a  position  from  which  they 
could  not  be  driven,  with  a  pontoon  bridge  to  connect 
them  with  Chattanooga,  almost  completed. 

At  noon,  on  the  33d  of  November,  the  brigade  was 
ordered  to  fall  in,  for  a  reconuoissance.  The  brigade 
advanced  briskly,  driving  the  enemy's  skirmishers 
into  a  dense  undergrowth,  ou  a  small  ridge,  between 
Chattanooga  and  Mission  Ridge.  The  line  followed, 
and  received  a  heavy  fire.  Nothing  could  be  seen; 
but  it  was  too  hot  a  fire  to  bear  quietly.  Colonel  Wiley 
ordered   the   regiment  to  charge,  and    orders   from 


82 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OUIO. 


H.azen,  at  the  same  time,  dirocted  the  taking  of  th 
line  on  the  hill.  The  Forty-first  delivered  a  volley, 
trusting  to  fortune  for  its  effect,  then  dashed  forward 
through  the  thicket,  through  the  balls,  up  to,  and 
into  the  rebel  works,  capturing  the  colors  of  the 
Twenty -eighth  Alabamba  regiment.  In  this,  its 
severest,  cngagemement,  tlie  Forty-first  was  asso- 
ciated with  the  Ninety-third  Ohio,  which  shared  fully 
the  danger  and  honor  of  the  fight.  The  ^losition  was 
held  without  (rouble,  and  was  known  as  Orchard 
Knob.  Soon  after  the  fight.  Generals  (Jrant,  Thomas 
and  others  passed  along  the  new  line,  when  Thomas, 
looking  at-  the  ground  within  fifty  paces  of  the  rebel 
works,  where  the  fight  had  been  fiercest,  and,  where 
lay  the  horses  of  Colonel  AVilley  and  Lieutenant-colo- 
nel Kimberley,  called  for  the  officers  of  the  regiment, 
and  said  to  Colonel  Willey:  "Colonel,  I  want  you 
to  exi)ress  to  your  men  my  thanks  for  their  splendid 
conduct  this  afternoon.  It  was  a  gallant  thing.  Colo- 
nel— a  very  (jallani  thing."  That,  from  General 
Thomas,  was  better  than  an  hour's  sjicecb  from  any 
other  man. 

On  the  25th,  Ilazen's  brigade  moved  across  the  val- 
ley from  Orchard  Knob  to  Mission  Ridge,  under  a 
heavy  artillery  fire;  and,  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  a 
dash  was  made  and  the  enemies'  .works  cairtiired. 
The  troops  were  here  exposed  to  canister  and  musketry, 
and  to  remain  was  impossible:  so  they  advanced  up 
the  stecji  hill,  swejit  by  an  enfilading  fire  of  artillery; 
up  they  went,  and  when  near  the  top,  the  fire  of  the 
Forty-first  was  directed  to  the  batteries  on  the  right. 
The  rebels  retired,  and,  with  a  cheer,  the  line  occupied 
the  works  on  the  ridge.  A  S(|uad  of  the  Forty-first 
seized  a  battery  almost  before  the  rebels  were  away 
from  it,  turned  it  to  the  right,  and  discharged  it 
directly  along  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  where  tlic 
enemy  in  front  of  Newton's  division  still  stubbornly 
held  out;  and,  as  the  shells  went  skimming  along  in 
front  of  and  among  them,  the  rebels  turned  and  fied. 
Eighteen  captured  pieces  of  artillery  graced  General 
Hazen's  headquarters  that  night,  of  which  the  Forty- 
first  and  Ninty-third  could  fairly  claim  six  as  their 
trophies,  while  the  former  also  captured  a  battle-flag. 
1'he  losses  were  severe.  One  hundred  and  fifteen  of 
the  Forty-first,  most  of  them  in  the  fight  of  the  23d 
had  fallen. 

After  resting  scarcely  long  enough  to  luiry  the  dead, 
the  regiment  moved  with  its  corps  for  Knoxville. 
Sniijilics  bad  been  scarce,  and,  before  the  march  was 
half  aecmuplished,  two-thirds  of  the  men  were  walk- 
ing over  the  frozen  ground  bare-footed;  but  with  their 
feet  wrapped  up  in  sheejj-skins  and  cow-hides  thev 
journeyed  on,  and  finally  reached  Clinch  Mountain, 
twenty  miles  above  Knoxville.  Here  the  regiment 
re-enlisted,  one  hundred  and  eighty  out  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight  becoming  veterans,  and  on  tlie 
5th  of  January,  1864,  started  for  Chattanooga,  and 
reached  Cleveland,  Ohio,  on  the  2d  of  February. 

AVith  nearly  a  hundred  recruits,  the  regiment  joined 
its  division,  in  East  Tennessee,  on  the  26th  of  March, 


and  was  placed  in  a  battalion  with  the  First  Ohio, 
Lieutenant-colonel  Kimberly  commanding.  At  Rocky 
Face  Ridge  the  battalion  was  complimented  for  its 
steadiness  under  a  galling  fire,  and  at  Resaca  it  gained 
a  crest  within  seventy-five  yards  of  the  enemies'  main 
line,  and  effectually  prevented  the  use  of  his  artillery. 
At  Dallas,  on  May  26,  the  Forty-first  lost  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  men  out  of  two  hundred  and  sixty. 
During  sii1)sequent  movements  the  regiment  was  en- 
gaged at  Peach  Tree  creek,  before  Atlanta,  in  the 
movement  against  Hood,  in  December,  where  it  did 
noble  work;  it  ])articipated  in  the  j)iirsuit  of  Hood, 
and  finally  rested  at  Iluntsville,  Alabama. 

In  June,  18C5,  the  corjis  embarked  at  Na.shville  for 
Texas.  Near  Cairo  the  steamer  collided  with  a  gun- 
boat, and  sunk  in  a  few  minutes,  with  all  the  regi- 
mental and  company  pajiers  and  most  of  the  personal 
property  of  the  officers  and  men.  Fortunately  no 
lives  were  lost.  In  Texas  the  regiment  was  stationed 
near  San  Antonio  until  November,  when  it  was  ordered 
to  be  mustered  out.  It  reached  Columbus,  Ohio, 
about  the  middle  of  the  mont-li,  and  was  discharged 
on  the  26th  of  November,  1865,  after  four  years  and 
one  mouth's  service. 

FORTT-SEOOND    REGIMENT   OjnO    INFANTRY. 

The  Forty-Second  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  was 
organized  at  Camp  Chase,  near  Coliimlnis.  Ohio. 
Companies  A,  V>,  C,  and  D,  were  mustered  into  tlie 
service  September  25,  1861;  company  E,  Oct.ol)er  30; 
company  P,  November  12;  and  companies  (?,  H,  I, 
and  K,  Novendjcr  26,  at  which  time  tiie  organization 
was  completed. 

On  the  14tb  of  Dec(!niber,  orders  were  rec^eived  to 
take  the  field,  and  on  (he  following  day  it  moved  liy 
railroad  to  Cincinnati,  and  thence  by  steamer  up  the 
Oiiiii  river  to  C!atlettsburg,  Kentucky,  where  it  arrived 
the  morning  of  December  17.  Tlie  regiment,  to- 
gether with  the  Fourteenth  Kentucky  Infantry  and 
McLaughlin's  squadron  of  Oiiio  (!av.-ilry,  proceeded  to 
Green  Creek.  Another  advance  was  made  December 
31,  and  on  the  night  of  .Tanuary  7,  1S62,  the  whole 
command  encamped  within  three  miles  of  Paintville. 
The  next  morning  five  companies,  under  command  of  j 
Lieutenant-colonel  Sheldon  took  possession  of  the 
village.  On  the  evening  of  the  same  day  Colonel  j 
Garfield  took  the  Forty-second  aud  two  companies  of 
the  Fourteenth  Kentucky,  and  advanced  against  Mar- 
shall's fortified  position,  about  three  miles  south  of 
Paintville  village.  Arriving  at  about  nine  o'clock,  p. 
ni.  they  found  the  works  evacuated,  and  everything 
valualile  either  carried  away  or  destroyed;  marching  , 
all  night,  they  reached  Paintville  a  little  after  day- 
light." 

About  noon  on  the  0th,  Colonel  Garfield,  with  eleven 
hundred   infantry  from  the  Forty-second   Ohio,  and    | 
other  regiments,  and  about  six  liundred  cavalry  started 
in  pursuit  of    Marshall,   and  about   nine  o'clock   in    \ 
the  evening  the  advance  was  fired  ujion  by  Marshall's   ; 
jiickeis,  on   the  summit  of    Abbott's  Hill.     Garfield 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


83 


took  possession  of  tlie  hill,  bivouacked  for  the  night  and 
I  lie  next  morning  continued  the  pursuit,  overtaking 
the  enemy  at  the  forks  of  Middle  Creek,  three  miles 
southwest  of  Prestonburg.  Marshall's  force  consisted 
of  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  men,  infantry 
and  cavalry,  with  three  pieces  of  artillery.  Major 
I'ardee,  with  four  hundred  men,  was  sent  aci'oss  Mid- 
die  Creek  to  attack  Marsliall  directly  in  front,  and 
Lieutenant-colonel  Monroe  (Twenty -second  Kentucky) 
was  directed  to  attack  on  Marshall's  right  flank. 
Tlie  tigiit  at  once  opened  with  considerable  spirit,  and 
I'ardee  and  Monroe  became  liotly  engaged  with  a  force 
four  times  as  large  as  their  own.  They  held  their 
ground  with  great  obstinacy  and  bravery  until  re- 
inforcements reached  tlie  field,  when  the  enemy 
comnienced  to  fall  back.  The  National  forces  slept 
upon  their  arms,  and  at  early  dawn  a  reconuoissance 
disclosed  the  fact  that  Marshall  had  burned  his  stores 
and  lleil,  leaving  a  portion  of  his  dead  upon  the  field. 
From  this  date,  for  a  considerable  time,  the  regiment 
was  engaged  in  several  expeditions  against  guerrillas. 
Tlie  arduous  nature  of  llie  campaign,  the  exceed- 
ingly disagreealde  weather,  and  the  want  of  sujiplies, 
were  disastrous  to  the  health  of  the  troops,  and  some 
eighty-five  of  the  Forty-second  died  of  disease.  On 
June  18,  this  regiment  led  the  advance,  and  was  the 
first  to  plant  the  starry  ensign  on  the  stronghold  of 
Cumherla.nd  (iap.  When  the  regiment  left  the  (Jap 
it  numbered  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  while 
on  the  march  there  were  issued  to  it  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  pounds  of  flour,  four  hundred  pounds  of 
liacon,  and  two  rati(nis  of  fresh  pork:  the  rest  of  the 
food  consisted  nf  corn  grated  down  on  tin  plates  and 
cooketl  upon  them.  The  distance  marched  was  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles.  The  weather  was  very  dry 
and  liie  men  suffered  for  water.  They  were  without 
siloes,  and  their  clothing  was  ragged  and  filthy.  The 
Forty-second  lost  but  one  man  from  all  causes,  and  it 
was  the  only  regiment  that  brought  through  its  knaj)- 
sacks  and  blankets.  These  proved  of  great  service, 
as  the  men  were  com])elled  to  camp  at  Portland, 
Jackson  county,  Ohio,  two  weeks  before  clothing, 
camp  and  garrison  e([uipage  could  be  furnished  them. 
While  at  Portland  the  regiment  received  one  hundred 
and  three  recruits,  and  at  Memphis,  whither  it  arrived 
on  November  28,  sixty-five  more.  It  had  from  time 
to  time  received  a  few,  so  that  the  whole  number 
reached  two  hundred  or  more,  and  the  regiment  could 
turn  out  on  jiarade  nearly  nine  hundred  men.  Here 
the  division  was  re-organized,  and  denominated  the 
Ninth  division.  Thirteenth  army  corps. 

On  the  30tli  of  Deceinljcr  the  Forty-second,  with 
other  troops,  under  General  W.  T.  Sherman,  em- 
barked at  Memphis,  and  j)roceeding  down  the  river, 
landed  at  Joiinston's  plantation  on  the  Yazoo.     The 

I  Forty-second  led  the  advance  against  the  defences  of 
Vicksburg  on  the  27th  of  December,  and  skirmished 
with  the  enemy  until  dark.  The  next  morning  the 
regiment  resumed  the  attack,  and  by  a  charge,  which 

I   was  made  with  great  spirit,  succeeded  in  gaining  pos- 


session of  the  woods,  driving  the  Rebels  into  their 
works.  About  nine  o'clock,  a.  m.,  on  the  29th,  a 
charge  was  made,  tlie  Forty-second  being  ou  the 
extreme  right  of  the  assaulting  column.  The  storm 
of  shot  and  shell  was  terrific,  but  the  regiment  main- 
tained its  organization  and  came  off  the  field  in  good 
order.  An  important  victory  followed,  in  January, 
180.3,  being  the  assault  uiion  and  capture  of  Fort 
Ilindman,  Arkansas.  In  this  the  regiment  led  the 
advance.  The  spoils  were  seven  thousand  prisoners, 
all  the  guns  and  small  arms,  and  a  large  ipiantity  of 
stores.  At  Port  Gilison  the  regiment  had  hot  work, 
and  sustained  a  heavier  loss  than  any  regiment  in  the 
corps.  After  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg  the  regi- 
ment marched  to  Jackson  and  participated  in  the 
reduction  of  that  place,  and  then  returned  to  Vicks- 
burg, where  it  remained  until  ordered  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Gulf.  Companies  A,  B,  C,  and  D,  were 
mustered  out  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  September  30, 
180-1.  Tlie  remaining  six  comjianics  wei'c  ordered  to 
Duvall's  Bliitr,  Arkansas.  Companies  E  and  F  were 
mustered  out  November  35,  and  the  other  four  com- 
panies, Dccemlier  2,  18G4.  One  hundred  and  one  men 
remained,  whose  term  of  service  had  not  expired,  and 
they  were  organized  into  a  company  and  assigned  to 
the  Ninety-sixth. Ohio. 

FORTY-THIRD    REGIMENT   OHIO    INFANTRY. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Camji  Andrews, 
Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  February  7,  1802,  and  left  its 
rendezvous  for  the  front  on  the  21st  of  the  same 
month.  On  the  20th  of  February,  it  reported  to 
Brigadier-General  .lolin  Pope,  commanding  the  dis- 
trict of  Mississippi,  and  was  at  once  assigned  to  the 
Ohio  brigade,  composed  of  the  Twenty-seventh,  Thirty- 
ninth,  Forty-third  and  Sixty-third  regiments,  first 
division,  army  of  the  Mississippi. 

It  was  but  a  few  days  before  the  regiment  was 
introduced  to  active  service,  for  in  March,  1802,  it 
was  under  fire  at  New  Madrid,  Missouri;  and  in  all 
the  operations  against  that  jiost,  it  bore  a  prominent 
part,  especially  in  its  final  bombardment  and  capture 
on  the  13th  and  14th  of  March.  The  loss  of  the 
regiment  in  killed  and  wounded  was  quite  severe. 

In  the  movements  against  Island  No.  10,  and  the 
crossing  of  the  Mississippi  river  in  the  face  of  the 
enemy,  the  Forty-third  bore  a  conspicuous  part,  as  it 
did  also  in  the  sulisequent  capture  of  the  forces  of 
General  McCall,  at  Tiptonville,  Tennessee.  The  next 
movement  was  against  Fort  Pillow.  In  all  the  opera- 
tions of  that  campaign,  the  Forty-third  bore  its  part. 
The  actions  of  the  8th,  9th  and  20th  of  May,  may  be 
particularly  mentioned.  At  Corinth,  the  Forty-third 
was  posted  imincdiately  on  the  left  of  Battery  Robi- 
nett,  and  the  Sixty-third  on  the  right  of  the  battery; 
and  it  is  said  these  two  regiments  did  more  to  save 
the  day  than  any  other  organization  engaged.  The 
grand  assault  of  the  rebels  was  made  at  daylight  on 
the  4th  of  October.  They  opened  ou  Battery  Robinett 
with  artillery  at  about  three  hundred  yards,  and  at 


84 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


10  o'clock  a.  m.,  led  by  Colonel  Rogers,  of  the  Second 
Texas,  moved  forward  to  the  assault.  The  Forty- 
third  and  Sixty-third  Ohio  stood  firiidy  at  their  posts, 
and  succeeded  in  staggering  the  assaulting  column, 
and  in  hurling  it  back,  at  a  time  when  onr  lines  were 
broken  and  our  troops  were  seen  Hying  from  every 
otlier  part  of  I  lie  field.  The  o))])osing  forces  were  but 
a  few  feet  aiiarl,  and  fought  almost  liand  to  hand, 
:uid  liien  went  d<jwn  on  both  sides  in  great  nund)ers. 
(■olonel  Smith  fell  mortally  wounded  at  the  first  onset, 
while  gallantly  diseliarging  his  duty.  Adjutant  llcyl 
and  Cajitain  Spangler  were  killed  at  about  the  same 
moment.  Captain  S.  F.  Timmons  and  Lieutenant 
S.  McClaren,  A.  L.  Howe  and  II.  L.  Prophet  received 
honorable  wounds.  The  casualties  among  the  men 
were  very  severe.  In  a  few  minutes  of  fighting,  over 
one-fourth  of  those  engaged  of  the  Forty-third  were 
either  killed  or  wounded.  Colonel  Smith  died  eight 
days  after  the  battle.  The  next  movement  of  the 
Fortv-tiiird  was  with  Grant's  army,  at  Oxford,  Jliss. 
In  the  campaign  against  Forrest,  in  West  Tennessee, 
in  the  winter  of  1802-03,  and  in  General  Dodge's 
raid  in  North  Alaliama,  in  April,  18C3,  the  Forty- 
third  was  with  General  Sherman  when  he  made  his 
memorable  march  from  Memphis  to  the  relief  of  the 
army  of  the  Cumberland. 

In  Uecend)er,  IStiS,  the  regiment  almost  unani- 
inonsly  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and  went  home  on  a 
furlough  of  thirty  days.  Returning,  the  regiment 
assisted  at  the  capture  of  Decatur,  Alaliama,  and  lay 
at  this  point  until  the  opening  of  General  Sherman's 
campaign  against  Atlanta.  On  the  1st  of  May,  1864, 
the  command  began  the  march  for  Chattanooga.  On 
the  13th,  it  was  engaged  in  the  advance  on  Resaca, 
and  suffered  severely.  At  Dallas,  the  Forty-third 
took  an  important  part;  and  in  the  advance  on  the 
enemy's  position  near  Big  Shanty,  Company  D,  of 
the  regiment,  participated  in  a  most  brilliant  charge 
of  skirmishers,  capturing  a  strong  barricade  from  the 
Twenty-ninth  Tennessee,  and  numerous  iirisoners. 
Immediately  thereafter  came  the  siege  of  Kenesaw, 
with  its  deadly  skirmishing,  its  grand  cannonading, 
and  the  disastrous  repulse  of  the  national  forces  on 
the  29th  of  June. 

The  Forty-third  participated  in  the  general  move- 
ments of  the  corps  until  the  advance  of  the  army  on 
Decatur,  when  it  was  detached  to  hold  the  bridge 
across  tlie  Chattahoochie.  This  was  successfully  ac- 
complished, and  during  the  remainder  of  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  the  Forty-third  shared  the  trials  and  glories 
of  the  sixteenth  Army  Corps;  and  on  the  4th  and  7th 
of  August,  particularly,  in  advancing  the  national  lines, 
won  tlie  thanks  of  Ransom,  the  division  commander, 
by  sjjlcndid  and  steady  fighting.  After  the  fall  of 
Atlanta,  the  Forty-third  enjoyed  General  Sherman's 
"  full  month's  rest."  Ater  this,  the  regiment  jiartici- 
pnted  in  the  chase  after  Hood,  as  far  as  Resaca,  and 
then  hurried  back  to  join  Sherman  in  his  great  ''nuii'ch 
to  the  sea."  Of  this  campaign,  the  history  of  one 
regiment  is  the  history  of  all.     It  was  a.  daily  succes- 


sion of  ea.sy  marches,  with  little  interruption,  with 
plenty  of  forage  for  both  man  and  best,  and  full  of 
])leasant  adventure.  Savannah  was  reached  and  be- 
sieged. In  this  tlie  Forty-third  performed  its  full 
share  of  duty. 

In  Januai'y,  180.5,  the  regiment  moved  to  Beaufort, 
and  directly  afterward  upon  I'ocotaligo.  where  it  lay 
untiltlu'  beginning  of  Sherman's  march  through  the 
Carolinas.  On  the  2d  of  Feliruary,  the  Seventeenth 
Corps  crossed  Whi|)py  swamp,  and  were  soon  con- 
fronting the  enemy,  who  were  strongly  posted  at 
River's  Bridge.  Here  Colonel  Swayne  lost  a  leg  by  a 
shell.  The  regiment  lost  in  liim  a  lirave  and  compe- 
tent leader,  wlio  had  Ijcen  with  it  from  its  organiza- 
tion, and  who  had  always  shown  the  utmost  devotion 
to  its  interests.  The  next  day,  the  regiment  I'eceived 
a  baptism  of  fire,  in  a  charge  on  a  battery  which 
commanded  the  bridge  and  the  causeway  approaching 
it.  Down  this  narrow  causeway  the  regiment  rushed 
amid  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell,  compelling  the  rebels 
to  withdraw  the  battery  and  uncover  the  crossing. 
The  war  closing,  the  regiment  went  to  Washington, 
and  took  part  in  the  grand  review;  returning  to  Ohio, 
it  was  mustered  out  of  service  on  the  13th  of  July, 
180.5. 

FIFTT-FOUKTIi     REGIMENT    OHIO     VOMNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

Recruiting  for  this  regiment  liegan  in  the  latti  r 
])art  of  the  summer  of  1801,  the  i)lacc  of  rendezvous 
being  Camp  Dennison,  where  the  regiment  was  organ- 
ized and  drilled  during  the  fall  of  1801.  The  regiment 
went  into  the  field  on  the  17tli  of  February,  1802. 
with  an  aggregate  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
It  reached  Paducah,  Kentucky,  February  20,  and  was 
assigned  to  a  brigade  in  the  division  commanded  1)V 
General  Sherinaii.  On  the  0th  of  April,  tlie  regiment 
engaged  in  the  liattle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  its  position 
being  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  army;  but,  on  the 
second  day,  it  was  assigned  a  new  position  near  tlie 
center  of  the  line. 

In  the  two  days'  fighting,  the  regiment  sustained 
a  loss  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  men  killed, 
wounded  and  missing.  The  regiment  was  next  en- 
gaged upon  the  movement  upon  Corinth,  and,  upon 
the  evacuation  of  that  point,  was  among  the  first 
organized  bodies  to  enter  the  town,  and  afterward 
performed  provost  duty  there.  During  the  summei-, 
the  regiment  was  engaged  in  several  short  expeditious. 
It  was  engaged  in  the  assault  on  Chickasaw  Bayou, 
December  28  and  29,  with  a  loss  of  twenty  killed  and 
wounded.  January  1,  1803,  the  regiment  ascended 
the  Mississippi  and  Arkansas  rivers,  and  engaged  in 
the  assault  and  capture  of  Arkansas  Post.  On  the 
0th  of  May,  the  regiment  began  its  march  to  the  rear 
of  Vicksburg,  byway  of  Grand  Gulf,  and  was  engageil 
in  the  bat  ties  of  Champion  Hills  and  Big  Black  Bridge. 
It  was  engaged  in  a  general  assault  on  the  enemv's 
works,  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg,  on  the  19th  and  22d 
of  June,  losing  in  the  two  engagements  forty-seven 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


85 


killed  and  wounded.  It  was  continually  emjiloyed  in 
skirmishing  and  fatigue  duty  during  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg.  After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  the  Fifty- 
fourth  moved  witii  the  army  upon  Jackson,  Missis- 
sijjpi,  and  was  constantly  engaged  in  skirmishing 
from  the  9th  to  the  1-lth  of  .July.  It  was  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  November  36,  and 
the  next  day  marched  to  the  relief  of  the  garrison  at 
Knoxville,  Tennessee.  It  went  into  winter  quarters, 
.January  13,  1864:,  at  Larkinsville,  Alabama. 

The  regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service  as  a 
veteran  organization  on  the  33d  of  January,  and  at 
once  started  to  Ohio  on  furlough.  Returning,  it 
entered  on  the  Atlanta  campaign  on  the  1st  of  May. 
It  participated  in  a  general  engagement  at  Resaca, 
and  at  Dallas,  and  in  a  severe  skirmish  at  New  Hope 
Church,  June  6  and  7.  It  was  in  the  general  assault 
upon  Kenesaw  Mountain,  .June  37,  losing  twenty- 
eight  killed  and  wounded,  and  was  in  a  battle  on  the 
east  side  of  Atlanta,  July  31  and  33,  sustaining  a  loss 
of  ninety-four  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  The 
Fifty-fourth  lost  eight  men  killed  and  wounded  at 
Ezra  Chapel,  July  38;  and  from  the  39th  of  July  to 
the  37th  of  August,  it  was  almost  continually  engaged 
in  skirmishing  before  Atlanta,  was  in  the  march  to 
Savannah,  and  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Fort  McAllis- 
ter, December  15th.  It  was  closely  engaged  in  the 
vicinity  of  Columbia,  and  participated  in  its  last 
battle  at  Beutonsville,  North  Carolina,  March  31, 
1805.  Tiie  regiment  marched  to  Richmond,  Virginia, 
and  from  thence  to  Washington  City,  where  it  engaged 
in  the  grand  review  of  the  western  army.  It  was 
mustered  out  at  Camjj  Dennison,  Ohio,  August  31:, 
1865. 

It  marched  during  its  term  of  service  a  distance  of 
three  thousand,  six  hundred  and  eighty-two  miles, 
participated  in  four  sieges,  nine  severe  skirmishes, 
fifteen  general  engagements,  and  sustained  a  loss 
of  five  hundred  and  six  men  killed,  wounded  and 
missing. 

ONE    HUNDRED    4ND   THIRD    REGIMENT   OHIO  VOLIN- 

TEEK  INFANTRY. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Third  Oliio  was  composed  of 
men  from  the  counties  of  Cuyahoga,  Lorain  and  Me- 
dina. Ten  companies  rendezvoused  at  Cleveland,  in 
August,  1863,  and  on  the  3d  of  September,  started  for 
Cincinnati,  which  theyfound  in  a  state  of  excitement 
and  alarm,  because  of  the  near  a])))roach  of  the  enemy, 
under  Kirby  Smith,  upon  Lexington,  Kentucky. 
Having  received  arms  in  Cincinnati,  the  regiment 
crossed  over  to  Covington,  where  it  was  furnished 
with  clothing  and  other  necessaries  for  cami)-life. 
Thus  equipped,  it  marched  out  to  Fort  Mitchell,  on 
the  evening  of  the  6th. 

After  a  few  days  of  painful  suspense,  information 
was  received  at  headquarters  that  the  enemy  had  re- 
treated. Immediate  pursuit  was  ordered.  The  One 
Hundred  and  Third  moved  out  on  the  18th,  with  other 
forces,  in  pursuit,  taking  the  pike  toward  Lexington. 


Having  followed  the  enemy  three  days,  without  being 
able  to  overtake  him,  the  national  forces  returned  as 
far  as  Snow's  Pond,  where  they  encamped  for  a  short 
time.  While  here,  sickness  prostrated  nearly  one- 
iuilf  the  regiment.  It  was  now  organized,  with  two 
other  regiments,  into  a  brigade,  under  the  command 
of  Brigadier- general  Q.  A.  Gilmore.  The  regiment, 
with  its  brigade,  moved  out,  on  the  6th  of  October, 
to  repress  the  outrages  of  the  rebel  cavalry,  and,  be- 
coming separated  from  the  brigade,  went  into  camp 
on  the  bank  of  the  Kentucky  river,  at  Frankfort, 
where  it  remained  until  the  5th  of  April,  1863.  At 
tiiis  date,  the  regiment  marched  to  Stanford. 

Marauding  bands  of  mounted  men,  nominally  be- 
longing to  John  Morgan's  command,  l>ut,  in  reality, 
independent  squads  of  freebooters,  had  kept  all  this 
region  in  a  constant  state  of  excitement  and  alarm, 
and  gave  considerable  annoyance  to  the  national 
troops — capturing  parties  stationed  at  outposts,  and 
destroying  supply  trains.  A  large  force  was  gathered 
at  Stanford,  and,  on  the  35tli,  an  advance  was  ordered 
by  (ienerai  S.  P.  Carter,  then  commanding.  The 
national  forces  moved  forward  to  Somerset  and  Mill 
Springs,  the  enemy  falling  back  all  the  time;  but 
there  were  not  wanting  indications  of  an  intention, 
(la  the  part  of  the  rebels,  to  concentrate  their  scat- 
tt'red  forces,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  stand,  at 
some  point  favorable  for  defence.  Our  infantry  had 
considerable  ditKculty  in  crossing  the  Cumberland, 
on  account  of  high  water;  but,  once  crossed,  it  pushed 
rapidly  after  the  enemy,  preceded  by  the  cavalry, 
which  had  crossed  a  little  below.  On  the  30th,  the 
cavalry  came  up  witii  a  body  of  rebels,  when  a  smart 
skirmish  took  place.  On  the  5th  of  May,  our  forces 
were  ordered  back  to  the  Cumberland.  The  One 
Hundred  and  Third  took  a  position  near  Stigall's 
ferry,  where  they  were  soon  visited  by  a  body  of 
rebels,  who  fired  on  them  from  the  southern  bank. 
Much  powder  was  expended,  by  both  juirties,  but 
with  little  result. 

On  the  5th  of  .July,  the  regiment,  with  other 
troops,  marched  toward  Danville,  where  they  remained 
a  few  days,  and  then  fell  back  to  Hicknuin  bridge. 
Returning  to  Danville,  shortly  after,  this  regiment, 
was,  with  others,  formed  into  the  twenty-third  army 
corjis,  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Major-general 
llartsuif.  The  ninth  army  corps  having  been  added 
to  the  force,  at  this  point,  the  troops  began  to  move 
on  the  18th  of  August,  under  the  command  of  General 
A.  E.  Bnrnside.  No  tongue  can  tell  what  that  army 
suffered  in  its  march  from  Danville,  ria  Stanford, 
Crab  Orchard,  the  Cumberland,  at  Burnside's  Point, 
Chitwood,  Montgomery,  Emery's  Iron  Works,  and 
Lenoir  to  Concord,  Tennessee.  On  the  19th  of  Sep- 
tember, the  regiment  joined  in  the  general  advance, 
which  resulted  in  driving  back  the  rebels  to  their 
main  force,  then  assembled  at  Jonesboro. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  the  regiment  proceeded 
Ijy  railroad  to  Knoxville,  and  was  stationed  with  its 
brigade,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.     Longstrcet 


86 


IIISTOKY  OF  LOKAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


wa.«  now  advancing  upon  the  city,  with  a  hirge  force. 
During  tiie  investment,  our  troops  suffered  the 
greatest  liardships  from  insuflicient  clothing,  sliort 
rations,  and  otlier  privations.  About  noon,  on  the 
25th,  six  companies  of  the  regiment  were  sent  out  to 
relieve  a  company  on  picket-duty,  and,  while  so  do- 
ing, a  heavy  cliarge  was  made  by  the  rebels,  with  the 
intention  of  capturing  the  whole.  The  men,  assisted 
by  the  ])ickets  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Kentucky,  and 
the  .Sixly-tirth  Illinois,  poured  into  the  ranks  of  the 
rebels  a  well-directed  fire;  but  tliis  did  not  cheek 
them  in  the  least,  for,  with  yells,  of  the  most  liorrid 
description,  they  rushed  ui)on  the  picket-line,  and  a 
desperate  struggle  ensued.  The  regiments  of  the 
respective  pickets  coming  up,  in  full  force,  a  liayonet 
cliarge  was  ordered,  wliicli  soon  decided  the  contest, 
for  the  reljcls  Ijroke  and  lied,  leaving  their  dead  and 
wounded  upon  the  Held.  The  regiment  lost,  in  this 
engagement,  some  thirty-five,  in  killed  and  wounded. 

This  regiment  linally  lieeame  a  (lart  of  the  grand 
army,  with  which  Shernum  marched  lo  the  sea,  and, 
on  the  13th  of  May,  arrived  in  front  of  Kesaea.  The 
next  day,  the  tweuty-thii'd  eorps  charged  the  enemy's 
works,  and  carried  his  two  lines.  The  regiment  lost, 
in  this  engagement,  over  one-third  of  its  effective 
force.  Among  those  who  fell,  were  Captains  W.  W. 
Hutchinson  and  J.  T.  Philpot.  The  ]-egimeut  finally 
reached  Decatur  on  the  8th  of  September.  It  had 
lost  heavily  during  this  campaign.  On  May  1,  its 
effective  force  numbered  four  hundred  and  fifty  men; 
but,  when  it  encamped  at  Decatur,  it  could  oidy 
muster  one  hundred  and  ninety-five. 

At  Spring  Hill,  the  regiment,  while  supporting  a 
l)attery,  showed  conclusively  what  they  were  made  of. 
On  tiie  '.'4tli  of  February,  l^'io,  the  regiment,  with  its 
corps,  arrived  at  Wilmington,  and,  ou  the  6th  of 
March,  it  started  forward,  moving  through  Kingston 
to  (ioldsboro,  where  it  again  met  Sherman's  army. 
The  whole  army  .soon  took  up  its  march,  and,  on  the 
13th  of  April,  reached  lialeigh,  where  the  regiment 
remained  till  the  10th  of  June,  when  it  started  foi' 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  to  be  mustered  out.  As  the  train, 
conveying  the  nu'u,  was  descending  the  western  slope 
of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  a  truck  broke  loose, 
throwing  three  of  the  ears  down  a  steep  embankment, 
causing  the  death  of  three  men,  and  the  mutilation 
of  a  much  larger  number.  On  the  I'Jth,  the  regiment 
reached  Cleveland,  and,  on  the  'Z2d,  it  was  paid  off, 
and  musterecl  out. 

GNU  IirNDIiKI)    AND    SEVENTH    liElilJlENT    OHIO    VOL- 
UNTEER  INEANTKV. 

This  regiment,  was  composed  almost  wholly  of 
(iermans.  It  was  organized  August  25,  1863,  at 
Canij)  Taylor,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio.  It  lay  in  camp 
at  this  place  until  tlu^  latter  i)art  of  September,  when 
it  moved  under  orders  to  Covington,  Kentucky.  This 
move  was  made  with  reference  to  au  anticipated  attack 
on  Cincinnati  l)y  Kirl)y  Smith's  Grey-l)acks.  The 
regiment  went   to   Washington,  D.  C,  after  a  short 


time  and  was  engaged  for  nearly  a  month  in  construct- 
ing fortilications  around  that  city.  In  Novenilier  it 
was  assigned  to  the  Second  Brigade,  First  Division, 
Flevenlh  Army  Cor])s,  Major-general  Sigel  command- 
ing. On  April  20,  1863,  the  regiment,  with  its 
bi'igadeand  division,  moved  across  the  Eapjiahannttck 
to  (Jhancellorsville,  where,  on  the  2(1  and  3d  of  May, 
it  took  part  in  the  battle  of  that  name.  In  this  disas- 
trous alfair  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventh  sufieicd 
leri-ibly,  hjsing  two  hundred  and  twenty  officers  ami 
men,  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners.  The  surgeon  of 
the  legiment,  Dr.  Hartman,  of  C'leveland,  Ohio,  and 
several  otfic'crs  were  killed.  July  1,  it  reached  tJettys- 
liurg  and  was  at  (uiee  engaged  with  the  enemy,  taking 
])osition  on  the  right  wing.  The  first  day's  fight  the 
regiment  and  eleventh  eor])s  were  comjielled  to  fall 
back  through  the  town  of  Gettysliurg  to  Cemetery 
Hill,  where  a  new  line  was  formed  and  held  during 
the  remainder  of  the  battle.  In  falling  back  to  this 
place  the  regiment  lost  in  killed,  wounded  and  prison- 
ers, two  hundred  and  fifty  officers  and  men.  In  the 
second  day's  fight,  in  a  charge  n)ade  about  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  it  again  lost  heavily.  In  this  affair 
the  regiment  captured  a  Eebel  tiag  from  the  Eighth 
Louisiana  Tigers.  Aside  from  slight  skirmishing  it 
was  not  engaged  in  the  third  day's  fight.  Its  total 
li>ss  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg — killed,  wounded  and 
prisoners — was  over  four  hundred  out  of  about  five 
hundred  and  fifty,  rank  and  file  with  which  it  entered. 
With  one  hundred  and  eleven  guns,  all  that  was  left 
of  the  regiment,  it  joined  in  the  pui'suit  of  the  Eebel 
army,  following  it  to  Hagerstown,  and  thence  into 
\'irginia.  Its  subse(|uent  engagements  were  priuci- 
|ially  light  ones.  The  heaviest  ])erhaps  being  at 
Sumterville,  South  C'aroliua,  March  23,  1865,  where 
it  defeated  the  enemy,  capturing  three  2iieces  of  artil- 
lery, six  horses,  and  fifteen  prisoners.  On  A2)ril  16, 
1865,  news  was  received  of  the  surrender  of  Lee's  and 
•lohnston's  armies.  Three  weeks  thereafter  it  was 
taken  by  steamer  to  C'harleston,  where  it  did  jirovost 
duty  until  July  10,  when  it  was  mnstei'ed  out  of  the 
service  and  sent  home  to  Cleveland,  where  it  was  paid 
otf  and  discharged. 

ONE    IIUNDUElJ     AND    TWENTY-ElGIITn     KEGIMENT 
OHIO    VOLl'NTEER    INFANTKY. 

This  regiment,  although  chiefly  occujiied  in  guard 
duty  within  the  borders  of  the  State,  was  an  organ- 
ization of  three  years'  troojjs,  enlisted  and  mustered 
into  the  United  States'  service,  the  same  as  other 
\olunteer  ti'oops,  and  was  liable  to  service  wherever 
lequired.  It  attained  minimum  strength  on  the  25tli 
of  Decendjer,  1863,  and  consisted  of  four  companies 
before  known  as  the  "Hoffman  Battalion"  raised  at 
different  times  in  1862.  At  and  before  the  time  of 
forming  the  regiment,  the  Hoffman  Battalion  was 
under  the  command  of  a  Lieutenant-colonel  and  Ma- 
jor. Six  new  companies  were  mustered  in  at  Camp 
Taylor,  near  Cleveland,  between  the  8th  and  15th  of 
January,  1864.     The  four  old  companies  had  been  ou 


mSTORY  OF  LORAIN"  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


S7 


duty  at  Johnson's  Island,  nearly  all  the  time  since 
tlu'ir  muster  in,  but  had  frequently  furnished  detacli- 
monts  for  service  elsewhere,  including  a  short  and 
very  active  caniiiaigu  in  ]>nrsuit  of  Rebel  ti-oops,  in 
Western  Virginia  in  18(12. 

Tlip  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-eighth  was  ehielly 
occujiied  at  the  frontier  posts  of  Johnson's  Island  and 
Sandusky.  Fortune  did  not  give  the  regiment  an 
opportunity  to  earn  laurels  in  battle,  but  it  performed 
its  duties  always  witli  faitlifulness  and  efficiency.  If 
left  the  Island  on  July  10,  1865,  and  was  nmstered  out 
at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  on  the  17th. 

ONE    iniNDIlEn    AXn    THIfiXr-FIFTH    KEGniENTT    OITIO 
NATIONAL   GUARD. 

This  regiment  was  composed  of  men  from  Licking 
and  Hardin  counties,  and  one  eompanj' of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Battallion,  Ohio  National  Guard,  of  Lorain 
county.  It  was  mustered  into  the  United  States' 
service  on  the  lltli  of  May,  18fi4,  and  was  ordered 
immediately  to  Washington  City.  Proceeding  by 
way  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad,  the  regiment 
arrived  at  North  Mountain,  where  information  was 
received  that  the  bridge  at  Harper's  Ferry  was  impass- 
able; and  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth,  with 
other  "hundred  days"  regiments,"'  was  delayed  await- 
ing the  repair  of  the  bridge.  A  picket  was  estab]ishe<l, 
and  every  precaution  taken  for  defence.  In  a  few 
days  the  troops  moved  on,  and  the  regiment  arrived 
at  Washington,  May  23.  It  was  placed  in  the  de- 
fences south  of  the  Potomac,  with  headcpiarters  at 
Fort  Albany,  and  detachments  in  Forts  Craig  and 
Tillinghast.  The  time  was  occupied  in  repairing  and 
(■ompleting  these  forts,  and  drilling  in  infantry  and 
lieavy-artillery  tactics.  On  the  5th  of  June  the  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  White  House  Landing,  where  it 
was  emplo\-ed  in  picket  duty  and  in  guarding  Rebel 
jirisoners.  On  the  lOth  of  June  the  regiment  was 
ordered  to  Bermuda  Hundred,  and  proceeded  on 
steamer,  rid  Fortress  Monroe,  up  the  James  to  Fort 
Powliattau.  Here  its  progress  was  checked  by  the 
jiDUtiinn  liridge  (in  which  the  Armj'  of  the  Potomac 
was  crossing  the  .lames.  The  regiment  debarked  and 
marched  to  Bermuda  Hundred,  distant  twenty-tive 
Tiiiles.  The  marcli  was  made  during  two  of  tlie 
liottcsl  days  of  suuimer,  and  the  men  suffered  greatly 
from  dust  and  the  want  of  water.  The  regiment 
arrived  at  Fort  Spring  Hdl,  on  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  Appomattox,  opposite  Point  of  Rocks,  on  the 
19th  of  June,  and  was  engaged  in  picket  and  fatigue 
duty  at  Point  of  Rocks  and  at  Broadway  Landing. 
The  regiment  next  nmved  to  Cherry-stone  Inlet,  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  Virginia.  Headquarters  were 
established  at  Eastville,  the  county  town  of  Nortii- 
ampton  C(junty,  and  the  companies  were  distributed 
at  various  points  to  guard  the  telegraph  from  Cherry- 
stone to  Wilmington,  to  ])revent  raids  from  the  op|io- 
site  side  of  the  bay,  and  to  intercept  blockade  I'unners 
and  Rebel  mail-carriers.  At  the  exjiiration  of  its 
term  of  service  the  regiment  returned  to  Ohio,  and 


was  mustered  out  at  Camp  Dennison  on  September 

I,  18G4. 

ONE    HUNDRED   AND    FIFTIETH    REGIMENT   OHIO 
NATIONAL   GUARD. 

This  regiment  rendezvoused  at.Camp  'i'ayloi',  near 
Cleveland.  It  was  composed  of  eight  companies  from 
the  city  of  Cleveland,  one  from  Oberlin,  this  count.y, 
and  one  from  Independence  township,  Cuyahoga, 
county.  It  was,  on  the  oth  of  May,  18G4,  sworn  into 
the  United  States  service  for  one  hundred  days,  and 
was  immediately  ])laced  on  the  cars  for  Washington 
City. 

On  its  arrival  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  garrison 
Forts  Lincoln,  Saratoga,  Thayer,  Bunker  Hill,  Slo- 
cum,  Totten,  and  Stevens,  forming  part  of  the  chain 
of  fortifications  surrounding  the  National  capital. 
Tliis  important  duty  was  fully  and  strictly  performed, 
thereby  enabling  General  Gi'aut  to  draw  from  the  for- 
mer garrisons  of  these  forts  the  re-inforcements  so 
much  desired  in  liis  movement  thi-ough  the  Wilder- 
ness toward  Richmond.  The  One  Hundred  and  P^if- 
tieth  remained  in  these  forts  during  the  whole  term 
of  Service,  and  participated  in  the  tight  before  Wash- 
ington witli  a  part  of  Early's  Rebel  corps,  July  lU  and 

II,  18G4.  Coni])anies  G  and  K  were  engaged,  but 
lieing  behind  breastworks,  did  not  suffer  much.  One 
man  was  killed  and  three  or  four  men  were  wounded. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Cleveland  on  the 
23d  of  August,  1804.  During  its  term  of  service  the 
regiment  was  rigidly  and  effectively  drilled,  and  at  its 
muster  out  had  reached  a  point  of  military  efficiency 
which  fitted  it  fen-  any  emergency. 

ONE  HUNDRED   AND  SEVENTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT  OHIO 
VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio, 
September  21,  1804,  for  one  year.  As  soon  as  the 
organization  was  completed  the  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  assigned  to  the  Second 
Brigade,  Fourth  Division,  Twentieth  Army  Corps. 
Soon  after  its  arrival  it  was  detailed  to  perform  pro- 
vost duty  at  Nashville,  and  during  the  siege  and 
l;)attle  at  that  point  was  in  the  works;  but  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  companies,  under  Major  Cum- 
mings,  the  regiment  was  not  engaged.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  the  officers  and  men  were  veteran  soldiers,  and 
their  knowledge  and  experience  gave  the  regiment 
considerable  reputation  for  proficiency  in  drill  and 
discipline. 

The  regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Tod 
Barracks.  (_'oluml)us,  Ohio,  on  the  istli  of  June,  1805. 

HATTERY    "li,"    FIRST    OHIO    LIGHT    ARTILLERY 

was  organized  at  Camp  Dennison  and  mustered  into  the 
service  October  8,  1861,  with  an  aggregate  strength  of 
one  hundred  and  forty-seven  men.  By  m-der  of  Gen- 
eral 0.  M.  Mitchell  it  left  Cincinnati  to  report  to 
General  George  U.  Thomas,  then  in  command  at 
Camp  Dick  Robinson,  Kentucky.  The  first  experi- 
ence it  had  in  the  field  was   a   brisk  little  affair  at 


88 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Camp  Wild  Cat.  in  whicli  it  flred  twelve  rounds  and 
silenced  one  of  the  enemy's  guns.  From  Wild  Cat  it 
marched  to  London,  Kentucky,  where  it  remained  two 
weeks.  On  November  .5,  tlie  battery,  under  orders, 
joined  the  Seventeenth  Ohio  at  Fishing  Creek,  and 
was  engaged  during  tlie  whole  of  tiiat  montli  in  skir- 
mishes and  scout  duty,  with  headquarters  at  Somerset. 
January  27,  it  moved  to  Mill  Springs  to  re-enforce 
General  Thomas.  It  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Mil! 
Springs,  and  performed  very  effective  service.  Feb- 
ruary 10,  it  took  up  its  line  of  march  for  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  where  it  embarked  for  Nashville;  arriving 
there,  it  was  assigned  to  Colonel  Barnett's  Artillery 
Reserve.  July  18,  1862,  it  reported  to  Major-general 
Nelson  at  Murfreesboro,  and,  during  the  months  <>f 
July,  August  and  September,  was  almost  constanlly 
on  the  marcii,  and  frecjuently  engaged  in  skirmishes 
with  the  enemy.  On  December  20,  the  battery  moved 
witii  its  brigade  and  division  from  Nashville  towards 
Miii-freesboro,  skirmishing  heavily  in  and  about  La 
\'ergne.  It  was  here  that  the  present  county  re- 
corder lost  his  "good  right  arm."'  In  the  battle  of 
Stone  river  it  was  stationed  on  the  left  of  General 
Negley's  division.  It  was  involved  in  the  disaster  on 
the  right,  but  succeeded  in  withdrawing  all  its  guns 
from  the  field.  It  bore  its  full  ])art  in  the  battle,  and 
lost  seventeen  men,  killed,  wounded  and  missing,  and 
twenty-one  horses  killed.  June  24,  18G3,  it  joine<l 
in  the  advance  of  the  national  forces  on  Tullalioma,. 
September  19,  it  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga.  On  tlie  next  day  it  Avas  charged  by  the 
enemy,  but  succeeded  in  boating  them  off.  A  second 
charge  soon  followed  which  overwhelmed  the  battery, 
and  it  was  obliged  to  leave  two  of  its  guns  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  In  this  charge  several  members 
of  the  battery  were  wounded  and  caj)tured.  Tliis  was 
ill  the  siege  of  Chattanooga.  January  4,  18G4,  sixtj'- 
five  of  the  original  members  of  the  battery  re-enlisted 
as  veterans,  and  were  furloughed  home  for  thirty 
days.  Tne  battery  returned  to  Nashville  in  March, 
and  on  the  lOlh  of  that  month  reported  to  Bridge- 
port, Alabama,  wliere  it  remained  until  July,  18G0. 
It  was  then  sent  home  to  Columbus,  and  there  nins- 
tei'ed  out,  being  one  nf  the  last  organizations  to  leave 
the  service. 

FIFTBEXTH  OHIO  IN  DEPEKDENT  ISATTERY 

was  recruited  by  Captain  J.  B>.  Burrows  and  First- 
lieutenant  Edward  Spear,  Jr.  This  battery  was 
mustered  into  the  service  on  the  1st  day  of  February, 
1862,  and  was  immediately  ordered  to  Cincinnati, 
where  it  emljarked  February  16,  under  orders  for 
Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  but  on  reaching  Pa,due;di, 
Kentucky,  was  disembarked  by  order  of  (ienei-al 
Siiermau.  Horses  were  drawn  here,  and  the  battery 
embnrked  under  oi'ders  to  report  to  General  tlrant,  at 
Pittsburg  Landing,  Tennessee.  Wbile  proceeding  up 
the  Tennessee,  and,  wjien  near  Whitehall  Landing, 
the  boat  was  tired  into  by  guerrillas,  from  the  shore. 
Tlie  fire  was  returned  with  shell,  luuler  cover  of  which 


the  men  of  the  battery  landed,  drove  the  guerrillas 
from  their  cover,  and  captured  some  prisoners  and 
horses.  In  this  exjiedition,  the  battery  lost  one  man 
wounded.  It  reported  to  General  Grant  on  the  20th, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  Fourth  division,  army  of  the 
Tennessee.  The  battery  was  on  the  first  line  during 
the  seige  of  Vicksburg,  having  position  on  the  Hall's 
Ferry  road,  southeast  of  the  city,  and  within  two 
hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  works,  and  enfilading 
sev(U'al  hundred  yards  of  their  line.  In  this,  as  in 
all  the  engagements  in  which  the  battery  figured, 
most  excellent  service  was  performed,  eliciting,  on 
every  occasion,  the  commendations  of  the  command- 
ing officers.  It  expended  two  thousand,  three  hun- 
dred and  one  rounds  of  ammunition  during  the  seige. 
The  Fifteenth  was  with  General  Sherman,  princi2)ally, 
and  participated  in  his  famous  "march  to  the  sea." 
An  incident  is  related  that,  at  the  battle  of  Chatta- 
hoochee River,  a  bird  tlew  upon  the  shoulder  of  Pri- 
vate Seth  Bowers,  who  was  acting  No.  1  on  one  of 
the  guns,  where  it  remained  during  the  engagement. 
At  every  discharge  of  the  piece,  the  bird  would  thrust 
its  head  in  the  man's  hair.  After  the  recoil,  it  would 
again  take  its  position  on  the  man's  shoulder,  and 
watch  the  operations  of  loading.  After  the  battle, 
the  bird  remained  around  the  men's  ijuarters,  but, 
after  a  few  days,  disappeared. 

The  Fifteenth  battery  was  mustered  out  June  20, 
18'i5,  at  Columbus,  Ohio. 

SECOND  REdlMENT  OHIO  VOLUNTEER  CAVALRY. 

This  regiment  was  recruited  and  organized  in  the 
summer  and  autumn  of  18fil,  under  the  supervision 
of  the  late  Hon.  B.  F.  Wade  and  Hon.  John  Hntchins, 
who  received  special  authority  from  the  war  office. 
The  regiment  rendezvoused  at  Camp  Wade,  near 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  the  last  company  was  mustered 
in  on  the  10th  of  October,  1861.  Being  the  first 
cavalry  regiment  raised  iu  the  northern  part  of  the 
State,  it  drew  into  its  ranks  a  large  proportion  of 
wealth,  intelligence,  capacity  and  culture.  Men  and 
officers  were  almost  wholly  from  the  Western  Reserve, 
and  represented  every  trade  and  profession.  The 
Second  was  uniformed,  mounted  and  partly  drilled  at 
Cleveland,  and.  in  the  last  of  November,  was  ordered 
to  Camp  Dennison,  where  it  received  sabers,  and  con- 
tinued drilling  during  the  month  of  December. 
Early  in  January,  1862,  under  orders  from  the  war 
department,  the  Second  proceeded,  by  rail,  via.  Cin- 
cinnati, St.  Louis  and  St.  Joseph,  to  Platte  City, 
Misssouri. 

On  the  18th  of  February,  Donbleday's  brigade,  of 
which  the  Second  was  a  part,  was  ordered  to  march 
through  the  border  counties  of  Missouri  to  Fort  Scott, 
Kansas.  On  the  22d  of  February,  and  during  the 
march,  a  scouting  ]3ai'ty  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
men  of  the  Second  Ohio  cavalry  was  attacked  in  the 
streets  of  Independence,  Missouri,  by  an  equal  force, 
under  command  of  the  subse<]uently  infamous  Quant- 
ril.      As  the   result  of  the  Second's    "first    fight," 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


89 


Quantril  was  routed  iu  fifteen  minutes,  losing  five 
killed,  four  wounded,  and  five  captured,  including 
one  officer.  The  Second  lost  o;ie  killed  and  three 
wounded.  Arriving  at  its  destination  about  March  1, 
it  remained  for  several  mouths,  doing  garrison  and 
scouting  duty. 

In  the  fall  following,  it  ]iartioipate(l  in  the  cam- 
jiaign  ending  in  the  victory  of  Prairie  Grove,  Ar- 
kansas, December  3,  1862.  It  also  fought  at  Carthage 
and  Newtonia,  Missouri,  and  at  Cow  Hill,  Wolf 
Creek,  and  White  River,  Arkansas. 

In  November  and  December,  the  Second  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Eastern  army,  moving  by  rail  to  Camp 
Chase,  Oliio,  to  remount  and  refit  for  the  field. 
This  accomplished,  the  regiment  left  early  in  April 
for  Somerset,  Kentucky,  and  remained  in  camp  there, 
witli  the  exception  of  an  occasional  reconnoissancc, 
until  tlie  37th  of  June. 

In  May  and  June,  the  Second  fought  twice  at 
Steubenville,  twice  at  Monticello,  and  once  at  Col- 
umbia, Kentucky. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  the  Second  Joined  in  the  pur- 
suit of  John  Morgan,  and  followed  the  great  raider 
twelve  hundred  miles,  tlirough  three  States,  marching 
twenty  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  living  wholly 
upon  the  gifts  of  the  people  for  tT\-enty-seven  days, 
and  finally  sharing  in  tlie  capture  at  Buffington  Is- 
land. 

January  1,  ISG-l,  nearly  tlie  entire  regiment  reen- 
listed.  But  lack  of  sj)ace  forbids  us  following  the 
regiment  through  all  its  encounters  and  privations. 
It  was  mustered  out  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  September 
11,  1865. 

Tlie  Second  fought  under  twenty-three  general 
officers.  Its  horses  have  drunk  from,  and  its  troopers 
have  bathed  in,  the  waters  of  the  Arkansas,  Kaw, 
Osage,  Cygnes,  Missouri,  Mississippi,  Oliio,  Scioto, 
Miami,  Cumlierhuul,  Tennessee,  Halston,  Potomac, 
Shenandoah,  Rappahannock,  Rapidan,  Bull  Run, 
Mattapony,  Pamunkey,  Chickahominy,  James,  Appo- 
mattox, 151ack water,  Nottoway,  and  Chesajieake.  It 
campaigned  through  thirteen  states  and  one  territory. 
It  traveled,  as  a  regiment,  on  foot,  horseback,  by 
railroad  and  steamboat,  on  land,  river,  bay  and  ocean. 
1 1  has  marched  an  aggregate  distance  of  twenty-seven 
tliousand  miles;  has  fought  in  ninety-seven  battles 
and  engagements.  It  has  served  in  five  diiferent 
armies,  forming  a  continuous  line  of  armies  from  the 
head  waters  of  the  Arkansas  to  the  mouth  of  the 
James;  and  its  dead,  sleeping  where  they  fell,  form  a 
vidette-line  iialf  across  the  continent,  a  chain  of  pros- 
trate sentinels,  two  thousand  miles  long.  Even  in 
their  graves,  may  not  these  jiatroit  dead  still  guard 
the  glory  and  tlie  integrity  of  the  Republic  for  wiiich 
they  fell? 

TUIKD  REGIMENT  OHIO  VOLUNTEER  CAVALRY. 

This  regiment  was  organized  in  September,  1861, 
at  Monroeville,  Huron  county.  It  moved  to  Camp 
Deunison  on  the  14tli  of  January,   1862.     In  Feb- 

12 


ruary  following  it  went  to  JefEersonville,  Indiana. 
On  March  3  it  was  ordered  to  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
and  arrived  there  March  18.  On  the  29th  it  left 
Nashville  for  Pittsburgli  Landing.  It  reached  that 
point  on  April  25,  and  encamped  four  miles  from  the 
river.  It  remained  here  some  time,  and  made  sev- 
eral successful  raids.  It  next  moved  to  luka  and 
Tuscumbia.  Here  it  remained  until  June  30,  wlicn 
it  went  to  Courtland;  thence  to  Decatur,  Alabama, 
and  from  this  point  to  Mooresville.  On  the  3d  of 
September  the  division  marched  to  Nashville,  arriv- 
ing there  on  the  6th,  tlience  to  Mumfordsville,  Ken- 
tucky, via  Gallatin  and  Bowling  Green.  On  Sep- 
tember 31,  the  first  battalion  of  the  Third  Cavalry 
had  a  sharji  engagement  at  Mumfordsville  witli  tliree 
times  its  own  number,  and  drove  them  into  their 
works  iu  three  separate  charges.  It  lost  twelve 
wounded  and  two  killed.  The  ''Jolmnies"  lost  thirty- 
eight  killed  and  sixty  wounded.  The  Third  Cavalry, 
during  its  first  year  of  service,  was  attached  to  Gen- 
eral T.  J.  Wood's  division,  and  during  the  most  of 
the  time  was  under  his  immediate  command.  The 
second  and  third  battalions,  under  Colonel  Zahm,  was 
stationed,  during  a  portion  of  the  summer  of  1863,  at 
Woodville,  Alabama.  On  October  19,  a  detachment 
of  the  Tliird  Cavalry,  with  a  portion  of  the  Fourth 
Cavalry,  numbering  some  two  hundred  and  fifty,  was 
sent  as  an  escort  to  Covington,  Kentucky.  It  en- 
camped near  the  old  plantation  of  Henry  Clay,  at 
Ashland,  and  the  next  day  (30th)  was  captured  by 
.John  Morgan,  wlio  stripped  them  of  their  Iiorses  and 
valuables,  paroled  them  and  sent'tliem  into  the  na- 
tional lines.  Tlie  men  were  soon  in  the  field  again. 
The  regiment  re-enlisted  in  January,  1864,  and  were 
fuiioughed  home.  Returning  to  Nashville,  it  was 
re-equipped,  armed  and  mounted,  and  from  this  time 
until  it  was  mustered  out,  it  was  constantly  in  active 
service.  It  turned  over  its  horses  and  arms  at  Macon 
and  proceeded  to  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  whore  it  was 
paid  off  and  discharged  August  14,  1865,  having 
served  four  years,  lacking  twenty  days. 

TWELFTH    REGIMENT   OHIO    VOLUNTEER   CAVALRY. 

This  regiment  was  recruited  during  the  months  of 
September  and  October,  1863,  from  nearly  every 
county  in  the  State,  rendezvousing  at  Camp  Taylor, 
near  Cleveland,  where  it  was  mustered  into  the  ser- 
vice on  the  34th  day  of  November,  1863.  One-half 
of  the  regiment  was  engaged  in  doing  guard  duty, 
during  the  winter  of  1863-4,  on  Jolmson's  Island, 
having  been  ordered  there  on  the  10th  of  November. 
The  regiment  was  mounted,  armed  and  equipped  at 
Camp  Dennison,  and  moved  to  Louisville,  and  then 
to  Lexington  and  Mount  Sterling,  Kentucky.  Little 
of  importance  transpired  until  the  33d  of  May,  when 
the  regiment  was  a  portion  of  General  Burbridge's 
command  on  the  first  Saltville  raid.  On  the  arrival 
in  the  vicinity  of  Pound  Gaii,  after  eight  days'  march- 
ing, it  became  evident  that  John  Morgan  had  entered 
Kentucky,  and  the  command  immediately  started  iu 


00 


niSTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


I)ursnit.  After  severe  marching,  witli  but.  little  time 
for  eating  or  sleeping,  the  command  arrived  at  Mount 
Sterling  on  the  91  Ii  of  Juno,  ISfi-L  The  Twelfth  was 
closely  engaged  with  the  rebels  at  this  jioint,  behav- 
ing with  much  gallantry,  and  was  specially  comi)li- 
montcd  by  General  Hurbridge.  The  Twelfth  again 
overtook  ^torgan  at  Cyntliiana,  and  fought  with  him, 
scattering  his  forces  in  every  direction.  T'he  regi- 
ment charged  through  the  town,  crossed  the  river, 
and  pursued  the  retreating  rebels  for  three  days. 
During  the  second  exjiedition  to  Saltville  in  Septem- 
ber, it  be(!anie  necessary  to  silence  a  battery  i)osted 
upon  a  hill;  the  Twelfth,  with  its  Ijrigade,  charged  up 
the  hill  and  drove  the  enemy  from  his  works.  After 
this,  the  regiment  encamped  at  Lexington,  until 
ordered  to  Crab  Orchard  to  join  another  Saltville 
exjiedition. 

The  division  left  Crab  Orchard  on  the  33d  of  No- 
vember, during  a  severe  snow-storm,  and  moved  to 
Bean's  Station.  On  the  night  of  their  arrival  the 
Twelfth  made  a  successful  rccouoissance  to  liogersville 
It  did  its  full  share  of  duty  under  General  Stoneman, 
at  Bristol,  at  Abingdon,  at  Marion,  and  thence  as 
su])port  to  General  Gillam  in  his  ])ursuit  of  Vaughn, 
then  back  again  to  Marion,  where  General  Stoneman 
engaged  Breckenridge  for  forty  hours,  and  finally 
defeated  him.  In  this  engagement  all  of  tlie  Twelfth 
bearing  sabers,  participated  in  a  grand  charge,  driving 
back  the  enemy's  cavalry.  The  regiment  behaved 
gallantly  throughout  the  fight,  and  received  tlie 
praises  of  Generals  Stoneman  and  Burbridge.  On 
the  31st  of  December,  Saltville  was  captured,  and  the 
forces  returned  to  Richmond,  Kentucky,  where  head- 
quarters were  established.  As  the  result  of  this  raid 
four  boats  were  captured,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
of  railroad,  thirteen  trains  and  locomotives,  lead 
mines,  salt  works,  iron  foundries,  and  an  immense 
quantity  of  stores  of  all  sorts,  were  completely  de- 
stroyed. During  the  raid  Company  F  acted  as  escort 
to  General  Burljridge.  About  the  middle  of  Febru- 
ary the  regiment  was  thoroughly  armed,  equipped  and 
mounted.  It  then  proceeded  by  way  of  Louisville 
and  the  river  to  Nashville,  arriving  March  (1.  From 
here  it  moved  to  Murfreesboro  and  Knoxville.  At 
this  point  it  again  formed  part  of  a  raiding  expe- 
dition under  General  Stoneman.  The  Twelfth  finally 
rendezvoused  at  Nashville,  and  was  mustered  out  on 
the  14th  of  November,  180.5;  then  proceeded  to  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  where  it  was  paid  and  discharged  on 
the  32d  and  33d  of  the  same  month,  after  two  years 
of  incessant  service. 

THE   SQUIRREI,   HUNTERS. 

During  the  autumn  of  1803,  the  Confederate  Gen- 
eral Kirl)y  Smith  advanced  upon  Cincinnati  with  a 
largo  army.  Governor  Tod  issued  a  proclamation 
calling  upon  all  who  woiild  furnish  themselves  with 
rations  and  arms  to  turn  out,  organize  under  their 
own  otlicers,  and  rendezvous  at  Cincinnati,  transpor- 
tation over  the  railroads  to  be  ])rovided  by  the  govern- 


ment. About  three  hundred  and  fifty  citizens  of 
Lorain  county  responded  to  the  call  of  the  governor. 
These  men,  of  course,  saw  no  fighting,  but  their 
work  was  cheerfully  performed,  because  they  thought 
their  services  were  needed.  Governor  Tod  caused 
lithograph  discharges  to  be  forwarded  to  those  whose 
namcis  could  l)e  obtained.  These  discharges  may  be 
found  in  many  homes  in  the  county,  where  they  are 
pro)ierly  ])rized. 

The  sobliers  of  the  early  wars,  with  descriptions  of 
forts  and  other  defences,  are  given  in  the  histories  of 
tlioir  respective  townshi])s. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ROSTER  OP  SOLDIERS. 

COMPANY    A,    FOURTH    BATTALION    OHIO    VOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Second  Lieutenant  Lucicn  Abbott,  enrolled  Au^st  10,  ISfil. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  Serfjeant  George  C.  Dennistou,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Second  Sergeant  Ransom  E.  Braman,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Sergeant  Alonzo  Ellsworth,  enrolled  August  10,  IHGI. 

Sergeant  Ferdinand  Refeuning,  enrolled  August  10,  IHGl, 

Sergeant  Thomas  B.  Heylaud,  enrolled  August  10,  1861 ;  prisoner  of  war. 

Corporal  Joseph  Jewett,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Corporal  William  A.  Thompson,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Corporal  Harrison  Jewell,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Corj^oral  George  I.  Boment,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

PRIVATES. 

Jacob  Cline,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

John  Cummins,  enrolled  August  10,  1.861. 

Abrani  J.  Disbro,  enrolled  August  10_  1861. 

Alonzo  A  Grant,  enrolled  August  10,  1.861 . 

Lorenzo  W.  Grant,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Luman  L.  Griswold,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Harrison  Hance,  enrolled  August  10,  1S61. 

James  R.  Humphrey,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Edgar  H.  Irish,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Stephen  R.  Irish,  enrolled  August  10.  1861. 

Archibald  Kelly,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Albert  Lilley,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Henry  F.  Marsh,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Rufus  C.  Marsh,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

Joel  W.  Newland,  enrolled  August  10,  1.861. 

William  Wilcox,  enrolled  August  10,  1861. 

This  squad  was  mustered  into  service  August  17,  1.8G1,  at  Camp  Chase, 

Ohio,  by  Major  Wainby,  for  three  years.    We  are  iniable  to  find 

anything  further  of  them. 

COMPANY    C,    SEVENTH    REGIMENT    OHIO    VOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service,  at  Camp  Dennison,  Ohio,  June  30,  1861.    Mustered 
out  of  service,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  July  6,  18(U. 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Captain  Giles  W.  Shirtliff,  resigned  March  18,  1863. 

First  Lieutenant  Judson  N.  Cross,  promoted  to  Captain  of  Company 

K,  November  35,  1861. 
Second  Lieutenant  Ephraim  H.  Baker,  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant 

November  3.5,  1.861;  resigned  March  1,  1863. 
Second  Lieutenant   Henry   W.   Lincoln,  promoted    from    Sergeant   to 

Second  Lieutenant,  August  9,  1.863;  to  First  Lieutenant,  November  6, 

1863;  resigned  January  7,  186:1 
Second  Lieutenant  Isaac  C.  Jones,  enrolled  March  1,  186.S;  promoted 

from  Sergeant  to  Second  Lieutenant;  died  November  ;W,  1863,  of 

wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Ringgold,  Ga.,  November  27,  1863. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  Martin  M.  Andrews,  appointed  Fii-st  Sergeant  August  U, 
1862;  wounded  in  left  hand  in  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  August  9, 
1863. 

Sergeant  Holland  B.  Fry,  wounded  in  leg  at  battle  of  Port  Republic, 
June  9,  1868;  appointed  Sergeant,  November  1,  1863. 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


<J1 


Sergeant  James  E.  Avery,   appointed    Sergeant,    November   1,  1862; 

wounded  at  battle  of  Dallas,  Oa.,  May  35,  1S64, 
Sei-K'eant  Addison  M.  Halbert,  appointed  Sergeant,  May  1,  18l>4. 
Corporal  Stephen  M.   Cole,  wounded  at  battle  of  Cross  Lanes,  Va., 

August  36,  ISiil,  and  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  18G3. 
(!on)oral  Thouias  J.  Wallace,  appointed  Corporal,  November  1,  18(33. 

PRIVATES. 

Nathaniel  S.  Badger,  wounded  in  the  leg  at  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain, 

Va.,  August  'J.  ISia, 
John  M.  Biuns,  wounded  in  battles  of  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  3,  1863,  and 

DaUas,  Ga.,  May  35,  18(H. 
Charles  H.  Buxton,  wounded  in  shoulder  and  wrist,  at  battle  of  Cedar 

Mountain,  Va..  August  It.  1S63. 
Ezekiel  F.  Hayes,  mustered  out  with  Company. 
Irving  A.  Noble,  taken  prisoner  at  battle  of  Cross  Lanes,  Va.,  August 

26,  1861. 
Hiram  Parsons,  mustered  out  with  Company. 
Thomas  Sprlggs,  mustered  out  with  Company. 
David  A.  Ward,  nuistered  out  with  Company. 
William  Woodmanse,  mustered  out  with  Company. 
Oliver  Wise,  wounded  in  hand,  at  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May 

3,  1863. 

KILLED  IN  BATTLE. 

NON-COMMISSIONED    OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  Arthur  C.  Danforth,  promoted  to  First  Sergeant  Novem- 
ber 30,  1861 ;  killed  in  battle  of  Winchester,  Va.,  March  23,  1863. 

Sergeant  Charles  P.  Bowler,  promoted  to  Sergeant,  April  1,  1863;  killed 
in  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va.,  August  !1,  1862. 

Corporal  .John  J.  Evers,  promoted  to  Corporal,  November  20,  1861;  killed 
in  bittle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va.,  August  5),  1863. 

Corporal  Lewis  R.  Gates,  promoted  to  Corporal,  April  1,  1863;  killed  in 
battle  of  Port  Republic,  Va.  June  fl,  1862. 

Corporal  George  R.  Matgary,  promoted  to  Corporal  April  1,  1862;  killed 
in  battle  of  Port  Republic,  Va.,  June  9,  1862. 

PRIVATES. 

Romain  J.  Kingsbury,  killed  in  battle  of  Port  Republic,  Va.,  June  0, 1863. 
Charles  F.  King,  killed  in  battle  of  Ringgold,  Ga.,  November  37,  1863. 
James  M.  Rappleye,  killed  in  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va.,  August  0, 

1862. 
Warren  F.  Richmond,  killed  in  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va.,  August  9, 

1862. 
Edward  P.  Sheppard,  killed  in  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va..  August 

:i,  1803. 
Charles  E.  Wall,  killed  in  battle  of  Ringgold,  Ga.,  November  37.  1803. 
Daniel  P.  Wood,  killed  in  battle  of  Ringgold,  Ga.,  November  27,  1863. 

DIED. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Sergeant  William  W.   Parmenter,  taken  prisoner  at  battle  of  Cross 

Lanes,  Va.,  August  26,  1801;  died  in  Parish  Prison,  New  Orleans, 

La.,  November  IS,  1801. 
Sergeant  John  Gardner,  appointed  Sergeant  May  1,  1803;  died  December 

19,  186.5,  of  wounds  received  in  battle  of  Ringgold,  Ga.,  November 

27,  1863. 
Sergeant   Oliver   C.    Trembly,  appointed   Sergeant   J,amiary    1.    1(64; 

drowned  in  the  Ohio  river,  June  24,  1864. 
Corporal  Edward  W.  Goodsel,  died  September    19,   1863,  of   wounds 

received  in  battle  of  Antietam,  Md.,  September  17,  1862. 

PRIVATES. 

William  Biggs, 'taken  prisoner  at  liattle  of  Cross  Lanes,  Va.,  August  26, 

1861,  and  died  in  Parish  Prison,  New  Orleans,  La.,  October  17,  1861. 
Wallace  Coburn,  died  March  29,  1862,  of  wouuds  received  in  battle  of 

Winchester,  Va..  March  33,  1863. 
Joseph  H.  Collins,  died  August  27,  1861,  of  wounds  received  at  battle  of 

Cross  Lanes.  Va.,  August  30,  1861. 
Cyrus  P  Hamilton,  wounded  and  captured  at  battle  of  Port  Republic, 

Va.,  June  9,  1.S62;  died  in  rebel  hospital  of  wounds. 
Daniel  S.  Judson,  wounded  and  captured  at  battle  of  Port  Republic, 

June  9,  1862;  died  of  wounds  in  rebel  hospital. 
Burford  Jenkins,  wounded  and  captured  at  battle  of  Cross  Lanes,  Va., 

August  26,  1861;  died  of  wouuds  September  6,  1861. 
Harrison  Lewis,  died  in  Fairfax  .Seminary  Hospital,  Va.,  Deceiuber  0, 

1S62,  of  fever. 
Joseph  McCanan,  died  July  23,  1H63,  of  wounds  received  at  battle  of 

Gettysburg,  July  3,  1.863. 
Levi  Myers,  died  in  hospital  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  December  20,  1863,  of 
[  small  pox. 

•    Fred.  M.  Palmer,  died  April  7,  1863,  of  wounds  received  in  battle  of  Win- 
chester, March  2;i.  1S63. 
Edward  G.  Sackett,  died  March  29,  1862,  of  wounds  received  in  battle  of 

Wiuchester,  Va.,  March  23,  1802. 
Thomas  Sweet,  died  November  30,  1863,  of  wounds  received  in  battle  of 

Ringgold,  November  37,  1863. 


Orlando  Worcester,  died  April  15,  1862,  of  wounds  received  in  battle  of 
Winchester,  Va.,  March  23,  1863. 

DISCHAKGED. 

NON-COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

Sergeant  John  C.  Cooper,  appointed  Sergeant  November  21,  1861;  dis- 
chai-ged  at  Harper's  Ferry,  October  26,  1863;  eiUisted  in  United 
States  Engineers. 

Sergeant  Edgar  M.  Condit,  appointed  Sergeant  November  1,  1863;  dis- 
charged at  Alexandria,  Va.,  February  11,  1863,  tor  wounds  received 
at  battle  of  Dumfries,  Va.,  December  27,  1862. 

Sergeant  Seldon  A.  Day,  appointed  Sergeant  March  24,  1862;  discharged 
at  Frederick  City,  Md.,  January  35,  1863;  enlisted  as  Hospital  Stew- 
ard United  States  Army. 

Sergeant  Isaac  C.  Jones,  appointed  Sergeant  November  30,  1861;  dis- 
charged at  Dumfries,  Va.,  March  1,  1863,  to  accept  promotion  as 
Second  Lieutenant  in  Company  C. 

Sergeant  Henry  W.  Lincoln,  appointed  Sergeant  November  20, 1861 ;  dis- 
charged at  Alexandria,  Va.,  August  9,  1862,  by  reason  of  promotion 
to  Second  Lieutenant  in  Company  C . 

Sergeant  Ellas  W.  Morey,  discharged  at  Wauhatchie,  Tenn.,  November 
10,  1863,  by  reason  of  promotion  to  First  Lieutenant  in  Ninth  Regi- 
ment United  States  Colored  Troops. 

Corporal  Theron  E.  W.  Adams,  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C,  June, 
1863,  by  order  of  General  Wadsworth . 

Corporal  Harlan  B.  Cocliran,  appointed  Corporal  November  30, 1861 ;  dis- 
charged at  Columbus,  O.,  October  18,  1863. 

Coqjoral  James  M.  Grim,  appointed  Corporal  November  20,  1862;  dis- 
chargeil  at  Washington,  D.  C,  January  10,  1863. 

Corporal  Elliott  F.  Grabill,  appointed  Corporal  November  1,  1863;  dis- 
charged at  Wauhatchie,  Tenn.,  November  10,  1863;  appointed  First 
Lieutenant  in  Fifth  Regiment  United  States  Colored  Troops. 

e'orporal  Jason  S.  Kellogg,  appointed  Corporal  January  1,  1863;  dis- 
charged at  Camp  Dennison,  O.,  January  27,  1864. 

Corporal  Isaac  F.  Mack,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  October  16,  1862. 

PRFVATES. 

Edward  Atwater.  wounded  in  battle  of  Port  Republic;  discharged  at 

Harper's  Ferry,  Va.,  October  iil,  1863;   enlisted  in  Third  United 

States  Artillery. 
Foster  Bodle,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O..  October  2,  1863. 
Charles  C.  Bosworth,  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C,  April  5,  1861; 

appointed  Hospital  Steward  LTnited  States  Array. 
George  Carrothers,  discharged  at  David's  Island,  N.  Y.,  May  13,  1863,  of 

wounds  received  in  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va. 
James  W.  Cheeney,  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C,  October  15,  1801; 

appointed  First  Lieutenant  Forty-nmth  Illinois  Volunteers. 
Buel  Chipman,  discharged  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Va.,  October  26,  1802; 

enlisted  in  United  States  Engineers. 
Edward  F.  Curtis,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  July  7,  1862. 
Henry  S.  Clark,  discharged  at  Cumberland,  Md.,  September  4.  1802. 
Henry  Claghorn,  discharged  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  May  11,   1864,  for 

wounds  received  in  battle  of  Ringgold,  Ga.,  November  27,  1863. 
Thomas  P.  Dickson,  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C,  January  8,  1803, 

by  reason  of  wounds  received  in  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  August 

9,  1802. 
John  W.  Finch,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  October  4, 1862. 
John  Gillanders.  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C,  January,  23,  1863. 
Ni.■h(^Ias  Gttffett,  dischargeil  at  Dumfries,  Va.,  Februaiy  18,  1803. 
Phillip  Grigsby,  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C,  July  24, 1863,  by  reason 

of  wounds  received  in  battle  of  Dumfries,  Va.,  December  27, 1862. 
Mathis  N.  Hamilton,  discharged  at  Cumberland,  Md.,  August  33,  1863. 
Henry  G.  Hixon,  discharged  at  Romney,  Va.,  December  24,  1861. 
Henry  Howard,  discharged  .it  Columbus,  O.,  April  9,  1863. 
Albert  Hubble,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  July  7,  1862. 
Lewis  J.  Jones,  discharged  at  Harper's  Feny,  Miirch  10, 1863,  for  wounds 

received  at  battle  of  Cross  Lanes,  Va.,  August  26,  1861 . 
Seldon  B.  Kingsbury,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  August  2,  1862. 
Dan  G.  Kingsbury,  discharged  .at  Hai-per's  Ferry,  Va.,  October  30,  1862; 

enlisted  in  United  States  Engineers. 
Edward  E.  Kelsey,  discharged  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  March  25, 1864;  enUsted 

as  Hospital  Steward  United  States  Army. 
Stephen  Kellogg,  discharged  for  wounds  received  in  battle  of  Winches- 
ter, Va. 
James  A.  Massa,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  June  23,  1861. 
Joseph  Massey,  discharged  at  Winchester,  Va.,  M<ay,  1862. 
Elan  B.  Myers,  discharged  at  Cohuubus,  O. 
Albert  Osborn,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  May  7,  1863. 
HobertG.  Orton.  discharged  at  Cincinnati,  O.,  October  11, 1862.  by  reason 

of  wounds  received  in  battle  of  Cross  Lanes,  August  26,  1861. 
Alexander  Parker,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O. 
Reuben  R.  Potter,  discharged  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Va.,  October  34,  1862; 

enlisted  in  Tliird  Regiment  United  States  ArtilleiT. 
William  H.  Pelton,  discharged  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  January  21,  1864. 

for  wounds  received  in  battle  of  Ringgold,  November  37,  1863. 
Anson  H.  Robbuis,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  July  II,  1863. 


93 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


George  Roj?ers,  discharged  at  Harper*s  Ferry,  Va.,  Oct.  30,  1862.    En- 
listed in  U.  S.  Engineers. 
Edward  C.  Root,  dieeharged  at  Columbus.  O.,  August  2, 1862. 
Orlando  Richmond,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  February  21,  18(53. 
Oeorgt'  L.  Spees.  discliarged  at  (Jauley  Bridge,  Va.,  November  18.  1861. 
Clinton  N.  Sterry,  discharged  at  Alexandria, "O.,  October  18,  1862. 
Kdnumd  R.  Stiles,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O. 
Edwin  R.  Smith,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  July  7,  1863;  appointed 

St'coud  Lieutenant  in  Fifth  U.  S.  Colored  Trot)ps. 
■NVilliam  H.  Scott,  discharged  at  Columbus.  O.,  November  20,  1864. 
Henry  G.  Sheldon,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  July  3,  18^3,  for  woimds 

received  in  battle  of  Cross  Ijanes,  Va.,  August  36,  1861. 
Heiijamin  L.  S«vey,  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C,  February  .5,  IStW. 
David  J.  Thompson,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  June  2,5,  1864. 
George  U.  Thrasher,  discharged  at  Washington,  D.  C.  June  19,  1862. 
Lucius  V.  Tutile,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  July  31,  1862. 
R.  C.  Van  Orman,  discharged  at  Camp  Dennison,  O.,  February  15.  1864. 
Warren  F.  Walworth,  discharged  at  Columbus   O.  July  11,  1863,  for 

wounds  received  at  battle  of  Winchester,  Va..  March  2S,  1862. 
Frederick  A.  Warner,  discharged  at  Columbus,   O.,  July  11,    1862,  for 

wounds  received  at  battle  of  Winchester,  Va.,  March  23,  1862. 
Leroy  Warren,  discharged  at  Cohimbus.  C,  July  22, 1862. 
AVillard  W.  Wheeler,  discharged  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  June  2:i,  1862. 
Theodore  Wilder,  di-^charged  at  Alexaiidna.  October  20, 1862,  for  wounds 

received  in  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain.  Va.,  August  1),  1863. 
Richard  Wenser,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  November  25,  1S62,  for 

wounds  received  in  battle  of  Winchester,  Va.,  March  33,  1862. 

TRANSFERRED. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Sergeant  Frank  Harmon,  appointed  Sergeant  January  1,  1863:  trans- 
ferred to  N.  C.  S.  as  Quartermaster  Sergeant,  Septemqer  1,  1862; 
■noimded at  Gettysburg, 

Sergeant  Henry  Fairchilds,  transferred  to  Company  G,  Fifth  Ohio  Vet- 
eran Volunteer  Infantry,  October  31st,  1864. 

Corporal  James  W.  Ramond,  transferred  to  Detachment  of  Recruits  in 
the  field  at  Ackworth,  Ga.,  June  II,  1864;  wounded  in  battle  of  Ring- 
gold, Ga. 

PRrVATES. 

Private  Joseph  E.  Bates,  transferred  to  Regimental  Band,  at  Weston. 
Va..  July  10,  1861. 

Edgar  M.  Bostwick.  transfen-ed  to  Regimental  Band,  at  Weston,  Va 
July  10,  1861. 

Orlando  P.  Brockway,  transferred  to  Batteiy  I.  First  Ohio  Volunteer 
Artillery,  December  1.  1861;  promoted  Sergeant. 

James  R.  Bell,  transferred  to  Hospital  Department,  December  1,  1861. 

James  C.  Bartlett,  transferred  to  Company  B,  Fifth  Ohio  Veteran  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  October  31,  1864. 

William  O.  Barnes,  transferred  to  Company  B.  Fifth  Ohio  Veteran  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  October  31,  1864;  wounded  at  Ringgold,  Ga.,  No- 
vember 27,  1863. 

Freeman  Bunker,  transferred  to  Company  B,  Fifth  Ohio  Veteran  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  October  31,  1864. 

Martin  V.  Clark,  transferred  to  Regimental  Band,  July  10,  1S61. 

Joseph  Cleverton,  transferred  to  Company  B,  Fifth  Ohio  Veteran  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  October  31,  1864;  wounded  at  Ringgold,  Ga..  No- 
vember 27,  1863. 

Charles  W.  Rossiter.  transferred  to  Regimental  Band,  Jidy  10.  1861. 

John  Wilford,  transferred  to  Company  B,  Fifth  Ohio  Veteran  Volunteer 
Infantry,  October  31,  1864. 

Leonard  G.  Wilder,  transferred  to  Invalid  Corps,  Febi-uary  15,  1864. 

COMPANY    D,    EIGHTH    REGIMENT   OHIO  VOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICER. 

Coi-poral  Parker  S.  Bennett,  enrolled]June  3,  1861 ;  promoted  to  Sergeant. 
Died  of  wounds,  at  Washington,  D.  C.  13,  1863. 

COMPANY    H,  EIGHTH  REGIMENT   OHIO    VOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

PRIVATES. 

John  Connolly,  enrolled  June  6,  1861;  discharged  May  19,  1862. 
Adolph  Gawzert.  enrolled  June  6,  1861;  discharged  September  6, 1862. 
Myron  M.  Keith,  enrolled  Jmie  6.  1861;  discharged  January  21,  1863,  of 

wounds  received  at  Battle  of  Fredericksburg. 
Charles  Lyman,  enrolled  June 6,  1861;  died  at  Webster,  Va.,  October  23 

1861. 
Charles  Boughton,  enrolled  June  17,  1861;  discharged  at  Harper's  Ferry, 

Va.,  October  21,  1862. 
Calvin  Linton,  enrolled  June  6, 1861;  killed  at  the  Battle  oi  Poe  River, 

May  11,  1864. 
Frederick  Newton,  enrolled  June  17, 1861;  discharged  at  Baltimore,  Md.. 

Januarys,  186.3. 


EInathan  M.  Smith,  enrolled  June  17,  1861 ;  killed  In  Battle  of  the  Wilder- 
ness, May  6,  1864. 

Charles  S.  Thompson,  enrolled  June  17,1861;  discharged  September  2, 
1861. 

Jesse  Thayer,  enrolled  June  17,  1861;  discharged  May  11,  1862. 

Henry  H.  Waldo,  enrolled  June  6.  1861;  premoted  to  Sergeant;  mustered 
out  with  Company,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  July  !3,  1864. 

COMPANY    D,    TWENTY-THIUD     REGIMENT,    OHIO    VOL- 
UNTEER   INFANTRY. 

Organized  at  Camp  Taylor,  Cleveland  Ohio,  May  16,  1861.    Mustered  out 
of  Siervice  at  Cumberland,  Md.,  July  26,  1865. 

COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

Captain  Howard  S.  Lovejoy;  resigned  February  13,  1863. 

First  Lieutenant  Abrani  A.  Hunter,  promoted  to  Captain.  March  1,  1862, 

and  assigned  to  C'ompany  K. 
Second  Lieutenant  Henry  Ricliardson,  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant, 

July  34,  1861.  and  assigned  to  Company  B. 

NON-COMMISSIONED    OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  Adin  W.  Durkee,  promoted  to  Second  Lieiitenant;  re- 
signed Decendjer  26.  1862. 

Sergeant  Lampson  C.  Curtis 

Sergeant  William  W.  Hardy. 

Sergeant  Theodore  Harris. 

Sergeant  William  H.  H.  Wheeler. 

Corporal  John  H.  Lindlej-,  promoted  to  Sergeant;  killed  in  Battle  of 
South  Mountain,  Md.,  September  14,  1862. 

Corporal  Leauder  H.  Lane,  discharged  to  accept  promotion  July  2, 1864. 

Corporal  Eliphalet  I.  Taylor,  discharged  Juhp  11,  1864. 

Corporal  John  T.  Ogiien,  discharged  to  accept  promotion,  January  12^ 
1865. 

Corporal  Dennison  C.  Hanchett.  discharged  June  11,  1864. 

Corporal  Edgar  A.  Price,  discharged  fordisabihty  December  18,  1862. 

Corporal  Clifton  A.  Bennett,  discharged  to  accept  promotion,  July  28i 
1863. 

CoiTDoral  Orrin  F.  Green. 

Musician  Samuel  McElroy. 

Musician  Frederick  V.  Cogswell. 

Wagoner  Truman  S.  Seamans. 

PRIVATES. 

Henry  Agal,  transferred  to  C<impany  K. 

George  A.  Archer,  transferred  to  non-commissioned  staff. 

John  O.  Beirn. 

Coiydon  Bassett. 

William  R.  Boon. 

Josei)h  Brumley.  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Henry  M.  Battles. 

George  S.  Bidwell,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Daniel  Baker. 

Henry  D.  Barber. 

William  E.  Brooks.  <lischarged  June  11,  1864. 

Isaac  W.  Barker,  killed  in  battle  of  South  Mountain.  Md.,  September  14, 
1863. 

James  Crowder,  discharged  November  2;i,  1863. 

Willis  Chase,  promoted  to  Sergeant;  discharged  April  19th,  1865,  by  rea- 
son of  wounds  received  in  battle. 

Samuel  Clifford,  died  in  Rebel  prison,  July  12,  1864. 

Edward  Cameron. 

Jasper  H.  Cooley,  discharged  June  18.  1862. 

David  Danby,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Hiram  Durkee,  killed  in  battle  of  South  Mountain,  Md.,  September  U- 
1862. 

William  W.  Dunlap. 

John  Eaton,  discharged  for  disability.  November  29,  1863. 

James  V.  Eldridge.  killed  at  battle  of  Antietam.  Md.,  September  17,  186-J. 

Gilbert  G.  Field,  blown  up  in  steamer  "Sultana,"  April  35.  1865. 

Milton  H.  Franks,  discharged  for  disability,  September  19,  1861. 

Thomas  Flack,  discharged  January  33,  1S65. 

Ransom  Fisher,  transferred  to  Company  H. 

John  Goss,  discharged  April  1,  186:3. 

Lucius  F.  Gilson,  promoted  to  Sergeant;  discharged  June  11.  1864. 

William  Graeber. 

John  Gorman. 

James  Goddard, 

Uriah  Hart  man. 

Jacob  Hartman,  discharged  May  4,  1863. 

Edwin  Hawes. 

William  I.  Holcomb,  discharged  April  17,  1863. 

Chauncey  N.  Hanson,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

William  D.  Hanson. 

Frederick  Hooker,  killed  at  battle  of  South  MounUxin,  Md.,  September 
14,  1863. 

Joel  Hance. 

Joseph  Hower,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Henry  M.  Holzworth,  transferred  to  Company  K. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


93 


Philip  Holzworth,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Theodore  W.  Ingersoll,  transferred  to  Company  H. 

William  Jones,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Harvey  K.  Lowe. 

George  Loewenstein,  transferred  to  Company  H. 

John  Leasure. 

Edgar  Leach. 

Sylvester  Leach. 

Allen  H.  Larnard,  transferred  to  Company  H. 

Anson  K.  Mills,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Charles  E.  Manchester,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Henry  Marmilstein. 

Frederick  Motrey,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Meredith  McKiiuiey  transferred  to  Company  H. 

Charles  Morgan,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Decolia  B.  Masten,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Henry  Montague,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Francis  S.  McCumber. 

Henry  Molter,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

David  Petermau,  discharged  for  disabihty,  October  2G,  XHtiii. 

George  W.  Peun. 

Addison  A.  Root,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Martin  Ryan. 

George  C.  Reannourd. 

David  E.  Scott, 

Marshall  H.  Siples. 

Ephriam  Stevens,  discharged  June  11. 1864. 

Warren  Squire,  transferred  to  Company  K. 

Lawrence  Squire,  discharged  for  disability,  May  22,  1863. 

John  R.  Searl.  died  at  Raleigh.  Va  ,  July  17,  1864. 

Edmund  A.  Sims,  killed  at  battle  nf  South  Mountani,  September  14,  1862. 

Almon  A.  Sheffield. 

Daniel  Skinner. 

Abram  M.  Tanner,  promoted  to  Corporal;  discharged  at  expiration  of 

term  of  service. 
James  H.  Waldo,  transferred  to  Company  H. 
James  Wort  man. 

Nelson  H.  Wing,  transferred  to  Company  H. 
Francis  Wildman. 

Thomas  I.  Wiley,  transferred  to  Company  H. 
Samuel  Ward,  di.soharged  October  25,  1863. 
Frank  Wood  row. 

The  names  bearing  no  record  were,  doubtless,  mustered  out  with 
Company  at  close  of  the  war. 

COMPANY  K,  TWENTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  OHIO  VOLUN- 
TEER INFANTRY. 

Organized  at  EljTia,  Ohio.  Mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Jackson, 
near  Columbus.  Ohio,  June  U,  1861.  Mustered  out  of  service  at  Cum- 
berland, Maryland,  July  26.  186.5. 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Captain  Dewitt  C.  Howard,  resigned,  July  11,  1862. 
First  Lieutenant  Frederick  H.  Bacon. 
Second  Lieutenant  Archie  C.  Fisk. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  Thomas  A.  Stephens,  promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant, 

December  26,  1862,  and  assigned  to  Company  H. 
Sergeant  David  Newbuiy. 

Sergeant  Lewis  D.  Lee,  re-enlisted  jis  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Sergeant  George  W.  Moulton,  discharged  for  disability,  Septembers,  1862 
Sergeant  Thomas  G.  Wells,  kihed  in  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  Md., 

September  14.  1863. 
Corporal  Otto  E.  Huene,  promoted  to  Sergeant,  September  15,  1862. 
Corporal  Cyrus  Whittlesey,  api^ointed  Corporal  June  13,  1861. 
Corporal  Timothy  C.  Wood,  died  at  Charleston,  W.  Va.,  November  20, 

1862. 
Corporal  Lyman  W.  Cai-penter,  died  at  Charleston,  W.  Va.,  August  8, 1862. 
Corporal  Daniel  R.  King,  discharged  May  20,  1863,  for  disability. 
Corporal  Benjamin  F.  Bums. 

Coi-poral  Edgar  Herrick,  promoted  to  Sergeant  Jainiarj*,  1,  1863. 
Drummer  RoUin  Horton,  appointed  Hospital  Steward,  and  transferred 

to  non-commissioned  staff  April  8,  1863. 
Wagoner  Rollin  Emmons. 

PRIVATES. 

Richard  B.  Atwater. 

William  Abel,  appointed  Corporal  May  1.  1862. 

Siebert  Abel,  discharged  December  15,  1862,  by  reason  of  wounds  re- 
ceived at  tlie  battle  of  Antietam,  September  17,  1862. 
John  Aschenbach. 
Gilbert  I.  Braman. 

Frederick  W.  Broady,  re-enlisted  a  Veteran  Volunteer  November,30.l863. 
Jacob  Brown. 

William  Brown,  discharaged  April  22, 1862,  by  reason  of  woiaids  received 
j  at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  September  14,  1862. 


Oliver  Barret,  appointed  Corporal  May  1, 1862. 

John  M.  Bronson. 

George  W.  Bartholomew,  discharged  August  26,  1862,  for  disability. 

James  Brooks,  re-enlisted  as  veteran  volunteer,  October  1,  186:J. 

William  A.  Cooley,  died  in  hospital  at  Washington,  D.C.  September,  1862 

Isaac  Cook 

Kmanuel  Campbell. 

William  H.  Call,  discharged  July  14,  1862.  for  disai)ility. 

James  F.  Call,  discharged  February  25,  1863,  for  disabilit)'. 

Cornelius  D.  Conger,  dischai-ged  March  5,  18(j2.  for  disability. 

Henry  Crandall,  appointed  Corporal  June  13,  1861;  ilied  at  Fayettville, 

W.  Va..  November  20  1862. 
Kdwin  H.  Hill. 

Aifi-ed  Day,  appointed  Cori)oral  Octobers,  1862. 
John  T.  Ewings. 
Harvey  E.  Fitts.  appointed  Corporal  May  1,1862;  transferred  October  19. 

18(i2,  to  regulai"  cavalry. 
Valentine  Faidhaber,  appointed  Corporal  November  12,  1862. 
Isaac  W.  Gray. 
Isaac  Hill,  wounded  in  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  Md.,  September  14, 

18<>2;  transferred  to  invalid  corps. 
G  ittleib  Hurlebaus,  re-enlisted  a  veteran  volunteer  November  30,  186.3. 
Ceorge  H.  Hubbard,  discharged  February  10.  1862,  for  disability. 
Horace  Hill,  re-enlisted  veteran  volunteer  October  1,  1863. 
Frederick  Isbelle,  discharged  October  20,  1861,  for  disabihty. 
James  James,  re-enlisted  as  veteran  volunteer  November  30.  1863. 
Charles  A.  Jewell,  re-enlisted  as  veteran  volunteer  December  31,  1863. 
John  Lent,  discharged  September  20.  1861,  for  disability. 
Henr>'  O.  Loomis  re-enlisted  veteran  volunteer,  December  31,  1863. 
Ira  W.  Mead. 

Ji'el  P.  Monger,  re-enlisted  as  veteran  volunteer  October  1,  1863. 
Benjamin  F.  Marlet. 

John  \V.  Mo.sser,  discharged  September  20,  1861.  for  disability. 
George  W.  Mason,  re-enhsted  as  veteran  volunteer  October  1, 1863. 
Charles  Maturah. 
Joseph  Mitchell,  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Antietam,  Md.,  September  17 

1862;  discharged  February  24.  1863. 
James  O'Reiley. 

Timothy  Powers,  discharged  June  28,  1861,  for  disability. 
Jonathan  Ring,  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Antietam  September  17,  18(i2; 

died  September  21,  1862. 
George  G.  Root,  appointed  Corporal  January  1,  1862. 
William  Roach,  killed  at  Camp  Ewing,  W.  Va.,  November  15,  1861. 
Frank  Stow,  appointed  Corporal  September  20,  1862. 
Silas  Southworth,  discharged  Februaiy  12,  18f>4. 
Peter  Saxton. 

Fitzland  Squires,  wounded  in  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  Md.,  Sep- 
tember 14,  1862;  died  September  27,  18l»2. 
Albert  E.  Squires. 

Frank  Sperry,  re-enlisted  as  veteran  volunteer  October  1,  1863. 
Frederick  Stark. 

John  C.  Springer,  re  enlisted  as  veteran  volunteer  October  1,  18G3. 
Wyatt  B.  Thorp,  discharged  September  2,  1863,  for  disability. 
William  Treadwell,  discharged  May  4,  186:3,  for  disability. 
P'rai  cis  Taylor,  discharged  July  12,  1862,  for  disability, 
Willis  R.  Terrell,  transferred  to  regular  cavalrj-,  October  26,  1862. 
John  Tisdale. 

Robert  Warmock,  discharged  September  2i).  1861.  for  disability. 
John  C.  Worcester,  appointed  Corporal  January  1,  1863:  re-enlisted  as 

veteran  volunteer  October  1,  1863. 
George  R.Whitman,  appointed  Corporal  May  1,1862;  appointed  Sergeant 

September  20,  1862;  re-enhsted  as  veteran  volunteer  October  1,  1863. 

See  remarks  at  close  of  Co.  D.  roster. 

COMPANY  H,  FORTY- FIRST  REGIMENT  OHIO  VOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Captain  Alonzo  Pease,  resigned  January  9,  1862. 

First  Lieutenant  John  W.  Steele,  promoted  to  Captain,  February  3, 1862; 

appointed  Major  and  Aid-de-Camp  by  President. 
Second  Lieutenant,  Albert  McRoberts,  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant, 

March  1,  1862;  resigned  May  24,  1802. 

NON-COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  Henry  S.  Dirlam,  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  March 

S4,  1863;  killed  November  23.  1863. 
First  Sergeant  Nathan  H.  Whitney,  died  in  1862. 
Sergeant  Harvey  H.  Green. 
Corporal  George  F.  ^Miitney. 
Corporal  WiUiam  H.  Prince. 

Corporal  Thomas  H.  Somers.  promoted  to  Captain,  November  26,  1864. 
Corporal  Robert  L.  Simmonds. 
Corporal  Raymond  Wilder. 
Musician  Horace  Wilcox. 


94 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Ephraim  T.  B«ane. 
Maiiin  M.  Bigelow. 

Hynian  A.  lirown,  died  at  Corinth,  Miss.,  in  1862. 
EdwiTi  Brice. 

James  W.  Blackwell,  killed  in  battle,  November  iKJ.  18CJ, 
Chester  I.  Case. 

Matthews  Chamberlain,  killed  at  Shiluh,  April  T,  IHt>2. 
Andrew  Chaml)erlain. 
(leorge  C.  Clark,  died  in  18C:i. 
(leorpe  Clark. 

Albert  I.  Clark,  died  at  Corinth.  Miss.,  1802. 
Joseph  (;^ross.  promoted  to  Sergeant. 
John  Cross. 
Veragane  Derlam. 
Sidney  S.  Goodill. 
Edward  P.  Kaskall. 
Jacob  Hoover. 
Hu^h  H.  Kellogg. 
Albert  M.  Kellogg,  died  ISfJiJ. 

Ebene/.er  Kingsbnrj',  killed  in  battle,  November  23,  18(j3. 
Martin  H.  Keltogg- 
Daniel  Lawrence,  died  in  18(i2. 

John  C.  Lenhart,  killed  at  Stone  River,  December  31,  18fi2. 
Joseph  H.  Lincoln  died  in  1802. 
Anson  Lymles. 
Harrison  Moore. 
Charles  F.  Murray. 
George  W.  Miller. 
Leander  L.  Morton. 

William  A.  Mills,  killed  in  battle,  November  2-3,  1S63. 
John  ({.  Mills,  killed  in  battle,  May  27,  18)^1. 
,  Adelbert  Marcy. 
John  Porter. 

Franklin  Pomeroy.  died  in  1803. 
William  H.  Porter,  killed  at  Shiloh,  April  7,  1802. 
William  RoIIinson. 
John  C.  N.  Rjiser. 

George  M.  Rogers,  promoted  to  Sergeant. 
Oliver  M.  Smith,  died  in  1802. 
Harvey  Sanderson,  died  at  Corinth,  Miss.,  1802. 
Josiah  Staples,  killeil  in  battle,  May  27,  1864. 
George  D.  Simmonds. 
James  Tooze. 
George  G.  Tifft. 
Benoni  B.  West,  died  in  181*4. 
Henry  West,  killed  at  Shiloh,  April  7,  1863. 
Jobn  E.  Smith. 

COMPANY    K,     FOKTY-FIRST    OHIO    VOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

NON-COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

Corporal  Edward  Danforth. 

PRIVATES. 

Danford  Barnes  Saxton  Taylor. 

This  regiment  became  veterans.    No  muster-out  rolls  of  first  enlist- 
ment are  preserved. 

REGIMENTAL    BAND    FORTY-SECOND    OHIO  VOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 


Mustered  into  service,  November  27,  1861. 
date  given. 


Mustered  out  of  service— no 


Leader  John  W.  Ford. 
Sergeant  William  H.  Park. 
Sergeant  Charles  E.  Mason. 
Sergeant  Anson  G.  Hollister. 
Sergeant  Wilson  C.  Hart. 


Corporal  Daniel  Chase. 
Corporal  Enoch  Elber. 
Corporal  George  Gucker. 
Cori>oral  Philip  Harper. 
Corporal  Henry  Morrison. 


Henry  H.  Bryant. 
Sylvester  Conch. 
Thomas  G.  Gibson. 
Frank  P.  Hale. 
Johnson  Hutcliins. 


Corporal  Edward  F.  Smith. 

PRIVATES. 

William  B.  HoUister. 
Enos  Kelly. 
Jacob  L.  Lewis. 
Lewis  F.  Niles. 
Milo  R.  Parsons. 
Marvin  Wood. 


COMPANY  E,  FORTY-SECOND    REGIMENT   OHIO    VOLUN- 
TEER   INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service  October  30,  1801.    Mustered  out  of  service  Novem- 
ber 15,  1864. 

COMMISSIONED    OFFICERS. 

Captain  Charles  H.  Howe,  resigned  May  I.  1863. 
First  Lieutenant  Ge..)rge  F.  Brady,  resigned  March  27,  1803. 
Second  Lieutenant  Melville  L.  Benham,  promoted  to  Captain,  May  17. 
1863. 


NOK-COMHISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  William  R  Moses. 

Sergeant  Jackson  Irish. 

Sergeant  Samuel  M.  Wellmr-n. 

Sergeant  Charles  A.  Hoynt^)n 

Sergeant  John  B.  Underbill. 

Corporal  Benjamin  F.  Morehouse. 

Corporal  Julien  W.  Smith. 

(^'i)rp'>i-al  \Villiam  H.  II.  Bryant,  promoted  to  First  Sergeant,  December 

0,  1802. 
Corporal  Edson  A.  Root. 
(Corporal  Lyman  Knapp. 
Corporal  Asaiiel  P.  Foot. 

Corporal  John  T.  Flinn,  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  April  7,  I8fr4. 
Corporal  Bertrand  C.  Austin. 
Wagoner  Ransom  G.  Hunt. 

PRIVATES. 

Roland  G.  Abby. 

Rienzi  W.  Austin. 

Franklin  F.  Allen. 

Harrison  H.  Bates. 

J.imes  Beverage. 

Fi-ederick  Brooks,  died  at  St.  Louis.  Mo. —date  not  given. 

Reul)en  Blanct,  drowned  in  Big  Sandy,  Januaiy  38,  1862, 

Edmund  E.  Bunel. 

Melvin  B.  Cousins,  died  February  28,  1863. 

Truman  L.  Cooley. 

Orrin  S.  Campbell,  promoted  to  Sergeant,  May,  1863. 

.Tiihn  Dunkhall 

Christopher  Dimmock,  wotmded  in  battle;  died  March,  1863. 

Orson  Emmons,  promoted  Corporal;  killed  in  battle.  May  1,  1863. 

Ruel  Fulton. 

Luke  Flint,  died  February  8,  I8«2. 

Nicholas  Flood. 

Charles  P.  Goodwin,  prometed  to  Adjutant;  ilischarged  October  5,  1S63. 

Edwin  Gould. 

Charles  Gould. 

John  Grittln. 

Lewis  Hanchett. 

Thomas  Howes,  promoted  Corporal  November  14,  1H63. 

Nathan  Holmes. 

George  S.  Harris,  promoted  Sergeant  February  8,  1863;  killed  in  bailie 
May  1,  1863. 

Henry  Hibner,  died  August  19,  1863. 

John  Hudson. 

Lyman  Hawley,  wounded  at  Vicksburg;    arm  amputated;    drowned 
March  12,  1H64. 

(Jiles  Irish. 
Charles  B.  Jordan. 

William  H.  Jacques,  promoted  Corporal  Api-il  30,  1862. 

Henry  D.  Johnson. 
Stephen  Ketchum. 

Robert  G.  King. 

Leonard  G.  Loomis,  promoted  Sergeant  February  28, 18(>i. 

Charles  B.  Lambkin. 

John  Launsbrough,  promoted  Sergeant  April,  30,  1862. 

(Jeoi'ge  VV.  Lee,  died  January  12.  lS(i2 

Martin  Lilly,  killed  in  battle  December  29,  1863. 

Milo  W.  Morse,  killed  in  battle  May  25.  186:^ 

Frank  W,  Markert. 

Willard  Morriss. 

William  Morriss. 

(ieorge  Moe. 

Henry  McNelly. 

George  Newman. 

Charles  (.^"Brien,  died  May  18,  1862. 

Benjamin  Phinney,  promoted  ('orporal  July  1,  1863. 

Sanford  Phinney,  died;  no  date  given. 

(Jeorge  A.  Raj'mond. 

EbenezerP.  Sexton. 

George  Sexton,  died  February  7,  1863. 

Ambrose  Sawyer. 

Cornelius  Springer,  died  of  wounds  in  186;i. 

William  Stephens. 

William  H.  Stephens. 

Wiliam  Swan. 

Mason  Terry,  died  at  Baton  Rouge;  date  not  given 

Charles  R.  Turner,  promoted  Corporal  April  30,  1862. 

David  H.  Taylor. 

Stephen  M.  Taylor. 

Angel  Tnttle. 

Joseph  Willford. 

Thomas  Williams,  died  in  Memphis. 

William  H.  VVebsdale. 

Frederick  Watson,  killed  in  battle  Jidy  12.  1863. 

Henry  K.  White,  promoted  Corporal  February  20,  1863. 

William  Zeman,  promoted  Corporal  April  30,  1863, 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


05 


RECRUITS. 

PRIVATES. 

John  Curl,  enlisted  August  14.  1862;  died  June  30,  1803 

George  Goldsmith,  enlisted  August  13,  18ti2;  died  February  12,  18fi3. 

William  H.  Hubbard,  enlisted  August  12,  1862;  died  February,  1863. 

Alfred  Lucas,  enlisted  August  12,  1862;  died  May  6,  1S()3. 

Friend  McNeal,  enlisted  August  12,  18)i2;  died  March  25,  1S63. 

Corporal  Luther  A.  Sweet,  enlisted  August  11,  1862;  died  March  29.  1803. 

Philo  Van  Dusen,  enlisted  August  11,  1802,  died  Februaiy,  1863. 

Horace  J.  Cahoon,  enlisted  August  14,  1802;  discharged  March  25,  1803. 

John  Ross,  enlistd  August  11,  1862;  discharged  April  22,  1H03. 

John  Brinker,  enlisted  August  11,  1862;  transferred  to  Company  G. 

George  W.  Biggs,  enlisted  Septenil)er  10,  1863;  transferred  to  Company  G 

Matthew  Coone,  enlisted  August  11.  1862;  transferred  to  t'ompany  G. 

Charles  Chester,  enlisted  August  12, 1802;  transferred  to  (^ompany  G. 

William  F.  Hathaway,  enlisted  August  12,  1862;  appointed  Hospital 
Steward. 

William  G.  Kent;  enlisted  September  1, 1802;  transferred  to  Company  G 

Horace  Morehouse, enlisted  November  14,1801 ;  transfeiTed  to  CompanyH 

Corporal  William  H.  Nickerson.  enlisted  Novendier  14, 1861;  transferred 
to  Company  H. 

Theodore  P.  Sweet,  enlisted  August  11,  1802;  transferred  to  Company  G 

James  M.  Smith,  enHsted  August 27,  1H62;  transferred  to  Company  G. 

Howard  Williams,  enlisted  October  30,  1861;  transferred  to  veteran  re- 
serve corps  May  22,  1804. 

Oscar  Wilcox,  enlisted  August  11, 1862,  transferred  to  Company  G. 

Joseph  Wetter,  enlisted  August  11,  1802;  transferred  to  Company  G. 

Corporal  Benjamin  Mor-ehouse,  enlisted  October  30,  1801. 

Julien  W.  Smith,  enlisted  October  30,  ISOI ;  died  January  29,  1862. 

Thomas  F.  Williams,  enlisted  August  II,  1862;   died  of  wound  April  11, 

ism. 

Oel  Durkee,  enlisted  November  12,  1861 ;  transferred  to  Company  H  . 

COMPANY    F,    FORTY-THIRD     REGIMENT   OHIO    VOLUN- 
TEER   INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service  in  October,  November  and  December,  1861.    Mus  ■ 
tered  out  of  service  July  13,  1865. 


Harlow  W.  Aldrich,  veteran  volunteers,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Benjamin  Baldei-son,  discharged  at  expiration  of  term  of  service. 

George  Bennett,  discharged. 

Alsaphin  BasweU,  veteran  volunteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

William  Haber,  promoted  Co  poral,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Andrew  Hosford,  veteran  volunteer. 

Abraham  Jaquaies,  died  January  26,  1804. 

Peter  Mulberry. 

Henry  Naracong. 

Orville  Naracong. 

Eugene  Ostrander. 

Michael  Rudifortb. 

Thomas  Rose . 

Lewis  Schaffer,  veteran  volunteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Royal  G.  Slater. 

John  I.  Smith. 

Herbert  Smith,  veteran  volunteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Conrad  Trushiem. 

George  Westinghousen,  veteran  volunteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

COMPANY    I;    FORTY-THIRD     REGIMENT    OHIO     VOLIN- 
TEER    INFANTRY. 


Mustered  into  service  in 
Nelson  Allen. 
William  O.  Allen. 
Frederick  April. 
Charles  H.  Bayless. 
Medad  H.  Bulkley. 
John  Y.  Burge. 
Charles  Clark. 
Montgomery  Close. 
Martin  Denman. 
Martin  Douglass. 
Gibson  Douglass. 
Charles  Donelson. 
William  H.  Dunham. 
Joel  A.  Gager. 
John  Ginste. 
Levi  Gillet. 
Russell  Greeley. 
Cornelius  Groat. 
Birney  Grifliu. 
George  W.  Howard. 
JeflEerson  Harrington. 
Willoughby  Howe. 
Albert  L.  Howe. 


1862.    Mustered  out  July  13,  1865, 
Henry  Hoyle. 
Stephen  Hill. 
Russell  T.  HUl. 
Joseph  L.  Hanson. 
Gideon  Lateman . 
Charles  M.  Miller. 
Jerome  N.  B.  McCarty. 
John  McCotter. 
Shubbill  H.  Marsh. 
Hugh  Moshier. 
Marvin  Moshier. 
Hiram  Moshier. 
Benjamin  F.  Mills. 
Joseph  Newton. 
Seth  J.  Porter. 
Daniel  T.  Russell. 
Franklin  J.  Russell. 
Azidi-ew  S.  Russell. 
Philip  Ritzenthaler. 
Lewis  L.  Rowe. 
Daniel  E.  Rose . 
Frederick  Schneider. 
Stephen  Sweet. 


John  W.  Harley . 
Avery  Hall. 

James  Hales. 
Arteman  Hinkley. 

COMPANY    B, 


Thatcher  Vincent. 
Thomas  Whitney. 
Jefferson  Wood. 
Oscar  McNamee. 

FIFTY-FOURTH    REGIMENT    OHIO   VOLUN- 
TEER   INFANTRY, 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Caiitain  Robert  Williams,  promoted  to  Lieutenant  Colonel;  discharged 
September  14,  ISM. 

NON-COMMISSIONED    OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  David  A.  Rees,  promoted  First  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant. 

Sergeant  Miles  W.  Elliot,  discharged  for  disability  (no  date) 

Corporal  Henry  B.  Neff,  promoted  Second  Lieutenant,  January  29,  1865. 

Corporal  James  H.  Dillon,  discharged  December  19,  1864. 

Corporal  Cyrus  Pattinger,  discharged  December  lil,  lK(i4. 

Con>oral  Adam  C.  Neff,  veteran  volunteer. 

Corporal  John  W.  Kelley,  promoted  Sergeant,  January  22,  1864. 

Wagoner  Henry  Sprong,  discharged  for  disability,  Jul3-  22,  18ti2. 

PRIVATES. 

Alexander  W.  Boyer,  discharged  at  Cincinnati,  O.,  (no  date). 

Thomas  Brown,  Jr. 

Charles  K.  Bennett,  promoted  Sergeant,  October  25th,  1864. 

Thomas  Bennett. 

Jacob  Campbell. 

Christopher  H,  Cook,  veteran  volunteer. 

Samuel  Cook,  discharged  June  27,  1862. 

Andrew  J.  Clark,  discharged  (no  record). 

Henry  W.  Carroll. 

John  Frazier. 

Samuel  Glunt,  died  Jidy  6,  1883. 

Jesse  Glunl,  died  in  hospital  (no  record). 

John  GUnit,  died  in  hospital  (no  record). 

Nathan  H.  Henderson. 

Francis  V.  Hale,  killed  in  battle  of  Shiloh. 

Alonzo  D.  Kimball,  died  of  wounds,  April  6,  1862. 

Allen  H.  Lowe,  killed  in  battle  of  Shiloh. 

Henry  Marshland . 

William  H.  Moravy. 

John  W.  Neff,  veteran  volunteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Milton  N.  Neff,  veteran  volunteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Albert  S.  Robinson,  veteran  volunteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

William  H.  Robinson,  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

James  H.  Robinson,  veteran  volunteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

William  H.  Runyon . 

Samuel  Smiley,  discharged  at  Covington,  Ky. 

William  F.  Smiley,  discharged  June  22,  1805. 

John  W.  Thompson,  discharged  August  10.  1863. 

George  W.  Wilson,  discharged  December  19,  1804. 

John  Wingler,  discharged  November  9,  1H64. 

James  Wingler,  discharged  January  12,  1803. 

William  C.  Wilson,  discharged  December  19,  1804. 

Franklin  W.  Whiteside,  discharged  January  12,  1863. 

COMPANY    E,    SIXTIETH    UEGIMENT    OHIO    VOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service  April  16,  1804,  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio.    Mustered 
out  of  service  July  28,  1865. 

PRIVATES . 

John  A.  Bean,  killed  in  action,  June  3,  18(i4. 
Hiram  K.  Bedortha,  died  October  22.  1861 
Charles  W.  Conklin;  killed  in  action  June  3,  1804. 
.Tames  H.  Davis,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Jared  Gridley,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Edward  T.  Lufkin,  discharged  July  1864. 
Charles  T.  Smith,  promoted  to  Sergeant. 

COMPANY    G,  SEVENTY-SECOND    REGIMENT   OHIO    VOL- 
UNTEER  INFANTRY.* 


Mustered  into  service  February  18,  1862.     Mustered  out  September  II, 

1865. 
George  Metcalf . 
Jacob  Rath . 
William  M.  Walker. 
John  Warner. 
Eri  S.  Warner. 
COMPANY    H. 

Frederick  Kimmick. 


John  Amman. 
Joshua  Geiger. 
Wesley  A.  Howard. 
William  B.  Halsey. 
John  Maloney. 


Frederick  Frank 
John  Ritz. 


♦This  regiment  re-enlisted.    Muster  out  rolls  of  original  enlistment 

not  on  file  in  Adjutant  General's  office. 


96 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


COMPANY    C,  EirrllTY-SIXTn    REGIMENT   OHIO    VOLUN- 
TEER   INFANTRY. 
Mustered  into  service  July  14,  iSiW.  for  six  months.    Mustered  out  of 
service  at  expiration  of  enlistment. 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Captain  Aaron  K.  Lindaley. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 


First  Sers«'ant  Charles  E.  Clark. 
Sergeant  Iju-ius  E.  Finch. 
Sergeant  Arehiliakl  M.  Willard. 
Corporal  Charles  M.  Davidson 
Corporal  Stanley  K.  Wileo.v. 

William  J.  Allison. 
Milan  Avery. 
fMiarles  Bowers. 
Henry  Bennett. 
James  J.  Dixon. 
William  Emmons. 
Dareau  Finch. 
Lucius  H.  Hartwell. 
Linwell  E.  Hamilton. 
Charles  O.  Hanson. 
George  W.  Heif  ner . 
Nelson  T.  Lee. 
Dayton  Morgan. 


Corporal  Frank  W.  Bennett. 
Corporal  Josiah  Buffett. 
Corporal  Fi-ank  B.  Smith. 
Musician  Horace  M.  Wilcox. 

PRIVATES. 

Charles  Prestage,  died  October   1, 

lS»i3. 
John  Serage. 
Lsaac  Springer. 
David  Stevicks. 
Frank    btrong,    died    Octoher     H, 

1SG8. 
Henry  Terry. 
William  S.  Wright. 
(Jarrison  Marcy. 
Joshua   Crandall,  died    November 

2,  I80:i. 
Eugene  Merrill. 


COMPANY     1),    EIGHTY-SEVENTH    REGIMENT   OHJO 
VOLCXTEER    INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service  June  10,  18ti:3.  for  three  months.     Mustered  out  at 
expiration  of  term  of  service. 

CONMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Captiiin  Sames  F.  Herrick. 

Second  Lieutenant  Wallace  N.  Pinning. 

NON-COMMISIONED  OFFICERS. 


Corporal  Thomas  A.  Riddle. 
Corporal  Theodore  A.  Tenney. 
Corporal  Edgar  Conels. 


AlvahT.  Kellogg. 
George  H.  Mathews. 
Marion  J.  Morse. 
Erwin  McRoberts. 
Robei't  Preston. 
Richard  N.  Phelps. 
Charles  C.  Prentiss. 
Benjamin  F.  Sems. 
Frank  Swift. 
Charles  Wright. 


First  Sergeant  John  H.  Siddale. 
Sergeant  Nathan  W.  Foots. 
Sergeant  Seth  W.  Maltby. 
Corporal  James  B.  Johnson. 

p 
William  J.  Aliason. 
Isaac  C.  Ayers. 
Philip  Ayers. 
Willis  E.  Baldwin. 
Charles  E.  Bristol. 
Frank  L.  Best  wide. 
Henry  C.  Breckenridge. 
William  E.  Chidister. 
George  W.  Devlin. 
Lucius  Fi.  Finch. 
Harrison  t^irnie. 
Charles  M.  Graves,  discharged  fi 
disabilitj-. 


ONE    HUNDRED    AND     THIRD     OHIO     VOLUNTEER 
INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service  at  Cleveland,  O..  September  8,  1H(;3.     Mustered 
out  of  service  at  Cleveland,  O.,  June  22,  1865. 

FIEI-D  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 

Major  Dewitt  C.  Howard,  discharged  February  15,  18ti-5. 

Surgeon  Luther  D.  Griswold,  resigned  August  1,  1SG4. 

Quarter  Master    Sergeant    Clark    P.   Quirk,   promoted    to    Regimental 

Quarter-Master,  July  21.  18ti3. 
Hospital  Steward  Cyrus  Durand.  promoted  from  Sergeant  in  Co.  H. 
Fife-Major  John  Mountain,  discharged  May  15.  18iJ3. 
Sergeant-Major  Gilbert  S.  Judd,  promoted  from  Sergeant  in  Co.  F., 

January  'J,  IHti3. 
No  *'  Muster  out  Rolls  "  of  this  regiment  are  on  file  in  the  office  of  tlie 

Adjutant  Genera!,  at  Columbus,  O.,  rendering  it  impossible  to  show 

the  status  of  the  companies  from  Lorain  county  when  discharged 

the  service. 

COMPANY    F. 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Captain  Philip  C.  Hayes,  promoted  to  Colonel  of  regiment,  June  <>.  18().\ 
Fii-st  Lieutenant  Simeon  Windecker.  promoted  to  Captain.  June  04,  isfi2. 
Second  Lieutenant  Charles  E.  Morgan,  promoted  to  Captain,  November 
18,  1864. 


NON-COM  MISSION  ED  OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  Miles  E.  Wattles,  promoted  Second  Lieutenant,  February 

!),  1863. 
Sergeant  William  H.  Ayers. 
Sergeant  Henry  C.  Bacon,  promoted  First  Lieutenant,  November  18, 

1H64. 
Sergeant  Orlando  W.  Bacon. 
Sergeant  John  S.  W^ right. 
Ct)rporal  Newton  L.  Cotton. 
Corporal  William  W.  Watkius. 
Corporal  Charles  Johnson. 
Corporal  Gilbert  S.  Judd. 
Corporal  Charles  Blair. 
Corporal  George  B.  Fenn. 
Corporal  Wesley  P.  Hier. 
Corporal  Edward  M.  West. 
Fifer  Richard  N.  Tiffany. 
Drummer  Rhesa  C.  Houghton. 
Wagoner  Edwin  D.  Shattuc. 


Luther  Bemis,  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  July  17,  1863. 

John  H.  Bovvers,  died  November  26,  lH)i3,  of  wounds  received  in  battle 

near  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  November  2.5,  1863. 
Charles  Bradley. 

Justin  A.  Breckenridge,  discharged  in  1S63,  dale  not  given. 
Theodore  F.  Brown . 
Alfred  O.  Briggs. 
Thomas  Burnham. 
Thomas  Butson. 
Francis  Cook . 

Charles  Cooper,  disehargeil  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  date  not  given. 
George  J.  Cotton. 
James  Covenhoren. 
George  W.  Covenhoren. 
John  H.  Crandall. 

Lewis  Carver,  died  at  Camp  Nelson,  Ky.,  October  3,  1863. 
William  H.  Eisenhower. 
Milton  H.  Franks. 
Albert  B.  Fitch. 
John  G.  Fitch. 

Lampson  B.  Franklin,  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  November  21,  1SG2. 
Dyer  B.  Gillett. 
Joseph  D.  Goodrich. 
George  W.  Hale 
Seldon  Hall. 
Edward  Hackett. 
Daniel  W.  Highland. 
James  M.  Harton. 
Sylvester  F.  Harton. 
John  E.  Howk. 
William  Hutton. 

William  O.  Humphrey,  discharged  at  Frankfort.  Ky.,  date  not  given. 
Ezekiel  Jones,  discharged  at  Columbus,  O.,  March  2."),  1H63. 
James  M.  Jones. 
William  Jordon. 
Edward  C.  Kinney. 
James  E.  Kenyon. 

Silas  Kingsley,  died  at  Camp  Denuison,  O.,  July  13,  1S63. 
George  H.  Kingsbury. 
John  Kiuekerfocher. 
Edward  Linder. 

Jerome  Lamphiei",  discharged  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  (date  not  given). 
Joshua  S.  Mason. 
Stephen  C.  Mason. 
Edwin  Mills. 
Emanuel  Myers. 
Solomon  Nason. 
Albert  Northrup. 
Madison  Northrup. 
John  Northrupp. 
Frank  Nolen. 
Frank  L.  Oberly. 
Joseph  Oberly. 
George  Peasly. 
Robert  Penson. 
Thomas  Penson. 
Merit  W.  Piatt 
James  H.  Redburn. 
Charles  H.  Rosa. 
David  Robinson,  died  November  28,  1863,  of  wounds  received  in  battle 

near  Knoxville.  Tenn.^  November  25,  1863. 
Joseph  Robinson,  killed  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  December  28,  1862. 
Robert  Reynolds. 

Henry  M.  Salsbury,  discharged  at  Cincinnati,  O.,  July  24,  186:1. 
Daniel  Salsbury. 
Sylvester  F.  R.  Sage. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


97 


Theodore  A.  Shafer. 

John  I.  Shafer. 

Frank  B.  Sherburne. 

Michael  Truckenniiller. 

Wellin^on  Varney. 

Henry  Whitney. 

Richard  Waterson. 

Edward  51.  West,  discharged  February  5,  18G3. 

Edwin  A.  Wood. 

Oilman  M.  Young. 

COMPANY  H. 

COMMISSIONED    OFFICERS. 

Captain  George  F.  Brady,  resigned  May  9,  1803. 

First  Lieutenant  John  Booth,  promoted  to  Captain,  May  9,  1863.    Re. 

signed  April  "24,  KStvl. 
Second  Lieutenant  1'.  B.  Parsons,  resigned  June  18,  18113. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  John  Connally.  captured  January  18,  1864. 

Sergeant  James  Allen,  promoted  First  Lieutenant  November  18,  1864. 

Sergeant  Francis  M.  Truman. 

Sergeant  William  T.  Chapman,  promoted  Second  Lieutenant,  June  8  , 

1863:  resigned  February  43,  1864. 
Sergeant  William  Knowles,  captured  January  18,  18G4. 
Corporal  Welton  Van  Wagoner. 
Corporal  Edward  P.  French,  discharged  at  Lexington,  Kentucky.    (Date 

not  given). 
Corporal  Clark  W.  Quick,  promoted  to  Captain  August  19,  18M,  from 

First  Lieutenant      Commission  declined. 
Corporal  James  Lyons,  promoted  to  Sergeant  March  10,  18^3. 
Corporal  Ira  P.  Griswold. 

Corporal  JIarion  Bruce,  promoted  to  Sergeant  March  10,  1803. 
Corporal  Chapin  M.  Banister. 

C'jrporil  Byron  .McNeal,  promoted  to  Sergeant,  Julr^  15,  1863. 
Musician  John  Mountain,  discharged  by  reason  of  error  in  muster,  May 

15,  1863. 
Musician  Andrew  Parsons,  promoted  to  Drum  Major.    (Date  not  given.) 
W^agoner  Charlos  C.  Spaulding. 

PRIVATES. 

Job  Alexander. 

Albort  Adams. 

Charles  Abbey. 

Solomon  Alcott,  promoted  to  Corporal  March  10,  1863. 

Frederick  Ambrose,  died  April  27,  1803. 

Washburn  W.  Bushnell,  discharged  February  20,  1864. 

Jeremiah  Brannen. 

George  Blair. 

JrliUs  Blain,  promoted  to  Corporal,  May  19,  1863. 

Loren  Bement. 

John  W.  Bacon. 

James  Bailey. 

Joseph  Biggs. 

Thomas  Bunnell,  died  January  14,  1863. 

Benjamin  Bunnell. 

Cephas  Castle. 

Harlan  P.  Chapman. 

Emory  N.  Chapman. 

Sanford  M.  Carpenter. 

Luke  Collins,  promoted  to  Corporal,  March  10,  1863. 

James  Collins. 

Charles  Chandler. 

Daniel  Coughlin. 

Benjamin  F.  Crippen,  died  January  18, 1803. 

Elliott  A.  Colls. 

Paul  Dumas. 

Robert  Dickson,  died  October  1.5,  1863. 

Cyrus  Durand,  detached  as  Hospital  Steward,  September  8,  1862. 

Thomas  O.  Fretler. 

Edward  Flood. 

Albert  Fauver,  died  November  23,  1862. 

Patterson  Fauver.  discharged  January  8.  1863. 

Henry  W.  Fretter. 

Austin  Gandorn. 

Harrison  Goding,  died  November  25,  1863,  from  effects  of  wound.,  re- 
ceived at  battle  of  Armstrong  Hill. 

Michael  Graham,  promoted  tc  Corporal,  March  10,  1863. 

Byron  A.  Gilmore . 

Richard  C.  Hinckley. 

Thomas  Harrison. 

Martin  Hudson,  died  Novembers.  1863. 

William  Howes,  died  December  0,  1863,  of  wounds  received  at  battle  of 
Armstrong  Hill . 

George  E.  Hurd,  captured  Januaiy  18,  1864. 

Charles  Iserman . 

John  Jarrett,  captured  January  18,  1864. 

Charles  R.  Kibbey,  discharged  January  8,  1863. 

13 


Philip  Lewis,  transferred  to  I.  C.  November  2,  1863. 

Charles  Lanaghan . 

Harrison  McClay,  promoted  to  Corporal,  January  83,  1861. 

Arthur  Moran . 

Joseph  Mathews,  died  at  Frankfort,  Ky.,  March  26,  1863. 

Alanson  D.  Mynderse,  discharged  Jmie  4,  1863. 

Hannibal  T.  Osgood,  died  March  2:5,  1863. 

Morris  O'Connell. 

George  W.  Phelon. 

David  Phelon,  discharged  January  31,  1363. 

Matelon  Pember,  promoted  to  Coi-poral,  January  2:3,  1864. 

Francis  E.  Pelton,  transferred  to  I.  C.  Miiy  9,  1863. 

Grosvenor  Pelton,  died  November  10,  1803. 

Ropha  Rawson,  captured  January  18,  1864. 

Charles  Roe. 

John  Stangue. 

John  Smith. 

Lewis  Spaulding. 

Richard  H.  Shute. 

George  Thompson. 

Augustus  Towner. 

William  G.  Taylor. 

Hiram  Van  Guilder,  captured  January  27,  1854. 

John  S.  Warnock. 

James  W^arnock. 

Oramel  Whitaker. 

WUliam  H.  Weeden,  promoted  to  Corporal  July  20,  1803. 

Carey  J.  Winckler,  died  March  13,  1863. 

Joseph  Wilson. 

COMPANY'    E,    ONE    HUNDRED    AND    SEVENTH    REGI- 
MENT   OHIO    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service  September  9,  1862,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.    Mustered 
out  of  service  July  10,  1865. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICER. 

Corporal  W^illiam  Snell. 

PRIVATES. 

otto  Boodicker. 

Willium  Fees,  died  August  19,  1863. 

Gottlieb  Wieland,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  1861. 

COMPANY    G,    ONE    HUNDRED    AND  SEVENTH    REGI- 
MENT   OHIO    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service  September  9,  1862,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.    Mustered 
out  of  service,  July  10,  1865,  at  Charleston,  S.  C. 

COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

Captain  Anton  Peterson,  resigned  November  7,  1862 . 
First  Lieutenant  John  Pfaff,  resigned  November  33,  1803. 
Second  Lieutenant  Charles  F.  Marskey,  promoted  First  Lieutenant  No- 
vember 25,  1802;  resigned  January  12,  1863. 

NON-COMMISSIONKD   OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant,  Fernando  C.  Suhrer. 

Sergeant  Joseph  C.  Peterson,  discharged  June  10, 1863. 

Sergeant  Jolm  Sharp. 

Sergeant  John  Zenz,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Corporal  Martin  Horleer. 

Corporal  Anton  Stewald,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Corporal  William  Gillett. 

Corporal  John  Welling. 

Corporal  Peter  Vallerius,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Corporill  .A-dolph  Ehrligh. 

Cori^oral  Mathias  Noon. 

Musician  Thomas  S.  Binkard,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Musician  Joseph  Osterman. 

Wagoner  John  Haight. 

PRIVATES. 

John  Baker,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  Pa. 

John  Burkard. 

John  Burr. 

Philip  Beard. 

Nicholas  Burr,  died  March  25, 1885. 

John  Bauer. 

Nicholas  Bowers. 

Casper  Bohrer. 

Adam  Berris. 

Simon  P.  Barber. 

Frederick  Beese. 

Oren  F..Browning,  promoted  Sergeant  Major,  September  12,  1862. 

John  Conradi. 

John  Crager. 

Joseph  Cramer,  died  of  wounds,  January  22,  1803. 

Peter  Eugels. 

George  Fisher. 

Peter  Fisher 


98 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Julius  Geiple,  discharged,  May  89, 1805. 

Almon  HoUey. 

Henry  Gentcs. 

Henry  Honeywell. 

Jaiues  Haight,  wounded  at  Chuucellorsville,  May  2,  1863. 

Peter  Howard. 

Nicholas  Jacob. 

Isaiah  Jewell - 

John  Jungblutt. 

William  II.  Lindman,  died  July  3,  1802. 

Peter  Juchoni. 

George  Lenfer. 

Joseph  Klinknor,  severely  vroundetl  at  Chaiicellorsvillle,  Va. 

John  M.  Oliver. 

John  Ketcliuni. 

Robert  Park. 

Michael  KUiishern,  died  prisoner,  January  13,  186-1. 

.Selden  M.  PajTie. 

Nicholas  Lopendall,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Henry  W.  Pomeroy. 

Oscar  Loux. 

Martin  Ross. 

Peter  Laseher,  promoted  Corporal  September  1. 1804. 

Orson  Sears. 

John  Meyer,  captured  at  Gettysburg,  July  1, 1863. 

Valtiu  Seabert. 

John  Nesbit,  discharged  June  4,  1863. 

Thomas  M.  Sherwood. 

Mathias  Pfeifer,  died  January  25,  1803. 

Amasa  Squires,  died  November  8,  1864. 

Henry  Buedi. 

Eli  Stedman. 

John  Shultz. 

Joseph  Welton. 

Jacob  Sneider. 

Patrick  Welch. 

John  Schintzler. 

Benjamin  C.  Wood. 

Peter  Simmer,  died  prisoner,  January  7, 1861. 

Nicholas  Wood. 

Mathias  Schmitz. 

Oilman  J.  Wright,  discharged  at  expiration  of  service 

Jacob  Schmitz,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Judsou  E.  Willard. 

Jacob  Seyler. 

John  Shoemaker. 

Nicholas  F.  Traxler,  discharged  March  17, 1803. 

COMPANY    C. 

Mustered  into  service  June  6,  1862,  at  Johnson's  Island.    Mustered  out 

Nicholas  T.  Traxler,  discharged  February  28.  1803. 

of  service  July  13,  1865,  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio. 

Henry  Tores. 

PRIVATES. 

John  Voeiker,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Lacey  T  Disbro,  discharged  at  expiration  of  term  of  service . 

Martin  Walls. 

Willard  3IcConnelI,  discharged  March  7,  186:i. 

John  Voeiker,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Eli  Ward,  woundetlat  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  2,  180:1. 

COMPANY    n. 

Joseph  Yeuz. 

Mustered  into  service  September  16, 1862,  at  Johnson's 

Island.    Mustered 

RECRUITS. 

out  of  service  July  13,  1865,  at  Camp  Chase 

Ohio. 

PRIVATES. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Nicholas  Lopendall,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Sergeant  Andrew  Ryan,  died  March  29,  1803. 

Ferdinand  C.  Luhrer,  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Corporal  Hobart  Corning,  promoted  to  Quarter-master  Sergeant,  April 

John  Weber,  killed  in  battl-,  Jidy  1.  1863. 

.3,  1865. 

Martin  Walls,  died  prisoner,  November  16,  1863. 

Corporal  Adison  Wells. 
Corporal   Judah  P.  Perkins- 

COMPANY    C,    ONE    HUNDRED    AND     ELEVENTH    REGI- 

PKIVATES. 

MENT,    OHIO    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 

Franklin  Brown. 
Hai-vey  J.  Curtiss. 

Mustered  into  service  September  5,  1862,  at  Camp    Toledo,    Ohio. 

Milo  A.  Cook,  died  January  27,  1863. 

Mustered  out  of  service,  June  27,  1868,  at  Salisbury.  N.  C. 

Robert  Dunn. 
Francis  N.  Dunn. 

NON-COMMISSrONED  OFFICER. 

Harlon  Garrett. 

Sergeant  Sylvester  S.  Hoadley,  promoted  First  Lieutenant,  March  1, 

John  Herald. 

1861.    Died  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  October  »3, 1861. 

Thomas  C.  Ingerson. 

PRIVATES. 

James  Liner. 

Samuel  Blair. 

F'rancis  LaflSin. 

John  P.  Beck,  died  November  28,  1862. 

Abel  S.  Phipps. 

Briggs  Gould. 

Owen  Phipps. 

William  Ketenug,  promoted  Corporal. 

George  Phipps,  ilied  October  24,  1802. 

John  H.  Lee. 

Charles  E.  B.  Rowell. 

Joseph  Spitler. 

Henry  C.  Royce,  died  February  15,  1863. 

Jacob  Traxler. 

George  B.  Schott. 

James  C.  Thomas,  promoted  Corporal,  June,  1865. 

Jackson  Wells. 

Deloma  W.  Wisener. 

Andrew  P.  Hamhn,  died  January  23,  1803. 

Orson  Whaley.    Enrolled  among  deaths— no  date. 

COMPANY    E. 

HOFFMAN'S  BATTALION. 

Mustered  into  service  January  i),  1864,  at  Cleveland, 
out  of  service  July  13,  1865. 

Ohio.     Mustered 

COMPANY    B,    ONE     HUNDRED    AND    TWENTY-ErGHTH 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

REGIMENT   OHIO    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 

Corporal  Charles  B.  Griggs. 

Mustered  into  service  February  27, 1662,  at  Johnson's  Island,  Ohio.    Mus- 

PRIVATES. 

tered  out  of  service  July  13,  1865,  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio. 

Putnam  Bi-iggs. 
Lym.an  W.  June. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICER.S. 

John  W.  Mack,  discharged  April  25,  1864. 

Corporal  Allen  Sergeant,  discharged  to  accept  promotion  in  the  United 

Tasso  D.  Phelan . 

States  Colored  Troops. 

DewittC.  Rogers. 

Corporal  David  Wood. 

Porter  Wheeler,  discharged  June  12,  1.S65 

Corporal  Leo  Berlitz. 

George  PufT,  died  January  2,  1805. 

Musician  George  Q.  Adams, 

PRn'ATES. 

COMPANY    F. 

Alonzo  Blackman. 

Isaac  H.  Church. 

Mustered  into  service  December  21,  1863,  at  Cleveland, 

Ohio.    Mustereil 

Martin  E.  Church. 

out  of  service  July  13,  1865. 

Lucian  M.  Clark. 
Carl  EluUch. 
Thomas  Fishbum. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Corporal  Jefferson  N.  McCarty,  promoted  to  Sergeant, 

April  15,  ISChl. 

William  Gornnan. 

Corporal  Rufus  E.  Jump,  promoted  to  Sergeant. 

John  Harrington. 

PRIVATES. 

Miles  Hart. 

Samuel  Baker. 

Peter  Hazel - 

Cameron  B.  Stone. 

James  Hitsman. 

Charles  H.  Wright,  discharged  September  23,  ISM. 

■j 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


99 


COMPANY    I. 

Mustered  into  service  Jaiuiarj'  5,  isr4.  at  Cleveland,  Oliio.     Mustered 
out  of  service  July  13,  1865. 

NON-COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

Corporal  Henry  L.  Napp. 


PRIVATES. 


Robert  Dowling. 

John  Napp. 
Silas  Penneman. 


Williaui  Robinson. 
Charles  H.  Wright. 


COMPANY  K,  ONE  IILTNDRED  AND  THIRTY-FIFTH  REGI- 
MENT OHIO  NATIONAL  GUARDS. 

Miiatered  into  service  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  on  May  11,  1864,  for  one 
hundred  days.  In  the  absence  of  a  Muster-out  Roll,  it  is  presumed  the 
Company  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  the  expiration  of  the  term 
of  service  for  which  they  were  enlisted. 

COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

Captain  George  D.  Williams. 

First  Lieutenant  David  C.  Baldwin. 

Second  Lieutenant  Marvin  B.  Keith. 

NON-COMMISSIONED    OFFICERS. 


First  Sergeant  Edward  P.  French. 
Sergeant  William  E.  Cahoon. 
Sergeant  Frank  C.  Cromling. 
Sergeant  Caleb  W.  Dill. 
Sergeant  James  F.  Flowers. 
Corporal  Edwin  J.  Abbott. 
Corporal  George  Cogswell. 
Corporal  Edward  Glover. 


Corporal  Lewis  Haserodt, 
Corporal  Halsey  J.  Hawthorn. 
Cori)oral  Saunders  Hmes. 
Corporal  John  Lent. 
Corporal  Alfred  R.  Philpott. 
Musician  William  B.  HoUister. 
Musician  Ernest  Morehouse. 
Wagoner  William  Tite. 


PRIVATES. 


Frank  Agate. 
John  Bartlett. 
John  Biggs. 
William  S.  Biggs. 
Martin  J   Braman. 
Elbert  A.  Brush. 
Eldt-n  R.  Brush. 
George  Burnham. 
Oscar  N.  Bush. 
Joseph  Buswell. 
Michael  Coagliu. 
Joseph  Clark. 
Emir  J.  Coon. 
George  Crisp. 
WiUiaiu  Dawley. 
Franklin  W.  Dunham. 
Oscar  Durkee. 
Charles  Eason. 
Newton  Eldred. 
George  Farmer. 
Henry  Farmer. 
Theodore  S.  Faxon. 
Martin  C.  Fox . 
Edward  E.  Gaudeme. 
William  Gooispeed. 
Edwin  R.  Goodwin. 


Luther  B.  Grigg. 
Volosco  C,  Hard. 
Lewis  Hess. 
Albert  Hyland. 
Luther  Hoadley. 
Calvin  Jackson. 
Andrew  Johnson. 
Lyman  R.  Kemp. 
Amos  V.  Kent. 
Merit  Meade. 
Andrew  Moore. 
Loren  J.  Myers. 
Winthrop  W.  Phelps. 
Edgar  A.  Phillips. 
Thomas  M.  Proctor. 
Willis  Reichard . 
Dwight  W.  Rockwell . 
Frederick  Starkweather. 
Albert  S.  Taylor. 
Loren  Taylor. 
James  B.  Warden. 
George  H.  Wolcott. 
Ervin  Worthington. 
Charles  Young. 
Agastus  Zubor. 


REGI- 


COMPANY     K,    ONE    HUNDRED    AND    FIFTIETH 
MENT   OHIO    NATIONAL   GUARD. 

Mustered  into  service  at  Cleveland,  O.,  May  5,  1864,  for  one  hundred 
days.    Mustered  out  of  service  at  expiration  of  term  of  service. 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Captain  Albert  Allen  SaflFord.  First  Lieutenant  Henry  L.  Turner. 

Second  Lieutenant  George  W.  Phinney. 

NON-COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 


First  Sergeant  James  H.  Laird. 
Sergeant  Russell  T.  Hall. 
Sergeant  George  W.  Facklin, 
Sergeant  George  W.  Keyes. 
Sergeant  Anson  H.  Robbins. 
Corporal  Lucien  C.  Warner. 
Corporal  William  H.  Ryder. 


Corporal  James  T.  Hudson. 
Coi-poral  R.  Dwight  Burrell. 
Corporal  Theodore  W.  Otis. 
Corporal  Edward  A.  Ellis. 
Corporal  Elihu  C.  Barnard. 
Corporal  W.  Irving  Squire. 


Edgar  L.  Beach. 

John  A.  Bedient. 
Eugene  P.  Boise. 
Franklin  M.  Burns. 
Henry  S.  Bennett. 
Frank  J.  CaU. 


PRIVATES. 

John  Jeffers. 
Jay  L.  Judd. 
Cyrus  >L  Johnson. 
Amos  A.  Kellogg. 
Eugene  P.  Kingsley. 
Peter  H.  Kiser. 


James  C.  Cannon. 
William  T.  Clark. 
Edgar  A  Chapman. 
Buel  Cliidester. 
Edward  P.  Church. 
Fiudley  Cleveland. 
Ilenrj''  A,  Cowles. 
Wilham  E.  Copeland. 
John  C.  Doughty. 
Albert  Dwelle. 
Charles  Dean. 
Joseph  Eccles. 
Johu  C.  Fillmore. 
Thomas  J.  Frazier. 
William  Fuller. 
Heury  W.  Gates. 
James  Goss. 
Daniel  E.  Hathaway. 
Arthur  E.  Hawley. 
Edward  K.  Hawley. 
Chalmer  Hammond. 
Edgar  H.  Hunman. 
Charles  F.  Hall. 
Richard  Holland. 
Lucius  C.  Hotchkiss. 
Luman  L.  Hudson. 
Theodore  Hulburt. 
Nicholas  P.  Hugus. 
Harlan  P.  Jackson. 

There  is  no  "Muster  out' 
General  of  Ohio;  hence 
this  company. 


Charles  F.  KrimeL 
WilUam  E.  Leach. 
Marcus  M.  Lincoln. 
George  R.  Morgan. 
Henry  J.  Marietta. 
William  A.  Miner. 
John  Monroe. 
Frederick  J.  McWade . 
George  K.  Nash. 
Chaplin  C.  Neph. 
Thomas  B.  Orton. 
Joel  M.  Partridge. 
Edward  L.  Plymptou. 
Albert  P.  Reed. 
Josiah  J.  Scovill. 
Edwin  Stickle. 
Henry  H.  Straight. 
Horace  J.  Street. 
John  Strong. 
James  E.  Todd. 
Carter  Van  Antwerp. 
Levi  Van  Fossen. 
Henry  L.  Warren. 
Lanson  B.  Warren. 
Calvin  M.  Wells 
Alfred  R.  Wildman. 
Lewis  E.  Wilson. 
Albert  A.  Wright. 
Walter  E.  C.  Wright. 

Roll  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Adjutant 
we  are  compelled  to  omit  further  data  of 


COMPANY     C,     ONE    HUNDRED    AND    SEVENTY-SIXTH 
REGIMENT  OHIO  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service  September  13,  1864,  for  one  year.    Mustered  out 

of  service  June  14,  1865. 
Captain  Aaron  K.  Lindsley,  mustered  out  with  company. 
First  Lieutenant  Joseph  A.  Lovejoy.  promoted  Captain  Aprils,  1865,  and 

assigned  to  Company  H;  mustered  out  with  company. 
Second  Lieutenant  Ramson  Peabody,  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant 

April  8,  1865,  assigned  to  Company  C,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Louis  B.  Avery,  discharged  May  2:i,  1865. 
Almon  G.  Bruce,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Sergeant  Henry  Bennett,  appointed  Sergeant  September  33,  186i. 
Wesley  S.  Battle,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Joseph  H.  Battle,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Corporal  Robert  N.  Bleur,  appointed  Cori>oral  September 33, 1864, 
J.  W.  Beaman.  mustered  out  with  company. 
Luther  S.  Brown,  died  December  16,  1864. 
John  Croteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Walter  Catifield,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Sergeant  Luther  W.  Clark,  appointed  Sergeant,  March  3,  1865. 
George  F.  Clark,  mustered  out  with  company. 
James  R.  Daley,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Wlliam  G.  Dudley,  mustered  out  with  company. 
James  H,  Daugherty,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Dewitt  C.  Everlee,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Washington  Forbes,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Albert  Forbes,  died  December  5,  1864. 
James  Foote.  died  May  S,  1865. 
Addison  W.  Gregg,  mustered  out  ^vith  company. 
Corporal  Grantham  Grundy,  appointed  Corporal  September  33,  ISW. 
Robert  P.  Gibbs,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Eli  D.  Gilson,  nuistered  out  with  company. 
Nathan  Gray,  died  November  3,  1864. 
Joseph  Gray,  mustered  out  T.vith  company. 
George  AV.  Griggs,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Lewis  Gwyun,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Drummer  Charles  Hayes,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Hiram  Harpster,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Sergeant  Carolus  Hickox,  promoted  Sergeant  September  23,  1864. 
Linville  E.  Hamilton,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Ricliard  S.  Bines,  mustered  out  with  company. 
George  C.  Hanes,  mustered  out  with  company. 
First  Sergeant  Henry  W.  Houghton,  died  March  3,  1865. 
Orlow  M.  luman,  mustered  out  with  company. 
William  Jickles,  not  accounted  for  on  muster  out  roll. 
Corporal  Edgar  C.  Jeffries,  promoted  Corporal  January  1, 1865. 
Sergeant  Ezekiel  Jones,  appointed  Sergeant  September  3^3,  1864. 
James  Lewis,  mustered  out  with  company. 
William  T.  Little,  mustered  out  ■ivith  company. 
Benjamin  F.  Le\vis,  mustered  out  with  company. 
John  W.  Moon,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Edward  Munsinger,  mustered  out  with  company. 


100 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


George  Munsinger,  mustered  out  with  company. 

David  N.  Maiideville,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Nelson  L.  3Iain,  mustered  nut  with  company. 

Eugene  R.  JIai'cy,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Corporal  Henry  W.  Mallory,  promoted  Corporal  September  33,  1864. 

Drnnuner  Adam  .Miller,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Charles  H.  (^gden,  nuistered  out  witli  company. 

John  Payne,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Heniy  D.  Palmer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

James  Pember,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Alvah  Peabody,  nuistered  out  with  company. 

Morris  W.  Plain,  died  April  14,  1S6.5. 

Kussell  Peltou,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Sergeant  Leonard  G.  Perry,  appointed  Sergeant  September  33,  1H(>4. 

Nicholas  Robins,  mustered  out  with  company, 

Albert  S.  Reynolds,  died  December  24,  \XiA. 

Corporal  Henry  J.  Rossiter.  appointed  Corporal  September  23, 1854. 

Charles  E.  Starr,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Walter  Soles,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Corporal  George  \V.  Sutliff.  appointed  Corporal  January  1,  1805. 

John  G.  Smith,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Sidney  A.  Smith,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Wilham  N.  Smith,  mustered  out  with  company. 

William  R.  Sackett  discharged  May  3*1,  W>5. 

Charles  Swain,  mustered  out  with  company. 

John  Serage,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Lucius  B.  Sweet,  nuustered  out  with  company. 

George  W.  Upson,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Albei-t  Voorhes,  mustered  out  with  company. 

First  Sergeant  Henry  S.  Viets,  promoted  First  Sergeant  March  3,  1SG6. 

Edgar  A.  Warner,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Roland  C.  AVoodbury,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Hazelton  Ward,  mustered  out  with  company. 

COMPANY    C,    ONE    HUKDRED    AND    NINETY-SEVENTH 
REGIMENT   OHIO    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 

Mustered  into  service,  April  1,  1S65,  for  one  year.    Mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice July  23,  1865. 

Jacob  Gehring,  mustered  out  with  company. 

August  Holder,  mustered  out  with  company. 

James  Hastings,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Franklin  J.  Hosford.  mustered  out  with  company. 

Corporal  George  Jillich,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Sergeant  William  H.  Richardson,  mustered  out  with  company. 

George  F.  Shenvood,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Charles  Skader,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Moses  Ruggles,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Joseph  W.  Pickle,  m.ustered  out  with  company. 

COMPANY    F. 
Mustered  into  service,  April  8,  1S65,  for  one  year. 
Frank  Book,  mustered  out  with  company  July  31,  lSt)5. 

FIFTH  INDEPENDENT  COMPANY  SHARP  SHOOTERS. 

Mustered  into  service,  December  5.  1863.     Mustered  out  of  se^-vice, 

July  19,   1865. 
John  Barker.  Sergeant  Homer  Meacham. 

Barlow^  Bridge.  Sergeant  David  Rose. 

Homer  S.  Franks.  Sergeant  JuHus  P.  Stark. 

John  Hancock.  Corporal  John  W.  Vanfosseu. 

Ephraim  D.  Holester.  Corporal  Benjamin  F.  Watkins. 

COMPANY     A,    TWENTY-SEVENTH     REGIMENT    UNITED 
STATES    COLORED    TROOPS. 

Mustered  into  service,  January  16,  1864.    Mustered  out  of  service,  Sep- 
tember 31,  1865. 


Isaac  Brown. 

Thomas  A.  Hartwell. 
Tliomas  Jenkins. 
Isaac  Noble. 


Isaac  Smith,  died  April  13,  1864. 
John  Willes. 
Simpson  Yaunger. 


Richard  Evans. 
Enoch  Freeman. 


COMPANY    B. 
Mustered  into  service,  Februai'y  8,  18G4. 
Charles  W.  Long. 


COMPANY    G. 

Mustered  into  service  in  February,  March  and  April,  1864. 
William  Broadwell.  Charles  Moore. 


BATTERY    B,    FIRST   OHIO  LIGHT   ARTILLERY. 

Mustered  into  service  October  8,  1861.    Re-enlisted  January  4,  I86^t. 
Mustered  out  of  service  July  22,  1865. 

NON-COUHISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Corporal  Addison  J.  Blanchard,  dischai'ged  on  account  of  disability 

July  15,  18(;3. 
Corporal  Alunzo  Starr,  died  of  fever  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Ky.,  November  19, 

I8(;i. 

Corporal  Harvey  P.  Fenn,  died  of  fever  at  Lebanon,  Ky.,  February  23, 

Corporal  Merwin  Blanchard,  discharged  by  reason  of  severe  injury 
caused  by  his  horse  leaping  a  fence  whileeudeavoring  to  escape  the 
enemy,  by  whom  he  was  captured  and  paroled. 

Corporal  Lewis  R.  Penlield,  promoted  to  Sergeant  October  3, 1"''63.  Re- 
enlisted  as  Veteran  Volunteer  January  4,  18t>4. 


John  Boon,  transferred  to  Batter}'  K,  was  captured  near  McMinnviUe, 

Tenn.,  August  6,  1863. 
Hugh  Chambei-s,  transferred  to  Battery  K..  April  6,  1864. 
John  G.  Courser,  discharged  for  disabiHty,  March  34,  1862. 
Theodore  Gott,  re-enlisted  as  Veteran  Volunteer,  January  4,  1864. 
Ransom  E.  Gillett,  transferred  to  Battery  K.,  April  6,  1S64. 
Egbert  Holcomb.  promoted  to  Corporal    January  15,  1863;  re-enlisted 

as  Veteran  Volunteer,  January  4,  1864. 
Percival  Holcomb,  discharged  from  service  for  disability..    Date  not 

given. 
John  Jackson,  re-enhsted  as  Veteran  Volimteer,  Januaiy  4,  1864. 
George  Mason,  discharged  for  disability,  March  23,  1863. 
Harlan  P.  Penfield,  re-enlisted  as  Veteran  Volunteer;  promoted  to  Cor- 
poral January  5,  1864. 
John  Ripperton,  re-enlisted  as  Veteran  Volunteer. 
John  W.  Renouard,  re-enlisted  as  Veteran  Volunteer, 

Stephen  D.  Renouard,  re-enlisted  as  Veteran  Volunteer.  ^ 

Walter  W.  Starr,  wounded  at  Stone  River;  re-enlisted  as  Veteran  Vol-        I 

Tinteer. 
William  R.  Stanfield,  re-enlisted  as  Veteran  Volunteer. 
James  H.  Sloan,  re-enlist-ed  as  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Theodore  White,  died  at  Lebanon,  Ky.,  February  18,  1803. 
Alonzo  White,  discharged  for  disability,  Ajiril  30,  1863. 
Arthur  West,  discharged  for  disability,  July  19,  1863. 
David  Burnham,  joined  the  Battery,  September  28,  1863;  discharged 

for  disabihty  February  1.  1864.  , 

John  Blanchard,  joined  the  Battery,  September38, 1863;  wounded  in  the         1 

arm  at  battle  of  La  Vergne;  arm  amputated,  and  discharged  in  con- 

setpience.     Date  not  given. 
Walter  Dalgleisb,  joined  the  Battery,  September  28,  1862;  mustered  out 

with  Battery. 
Gilbert  S.  Goodyear,  joined  the  Battery  September  28,  1863;  mustered 

out  with  Battery. 
Augustus  B.  Hayes,  joined  the  Battery  September  28,  1863;  mustered 

out  with  Battery. 
Samuel  F.  Hoyt,  joined  the  Battery  September  38,  1863;  discharged  fur 

disability.    Date  not  given. 
James  S.  Jennings,  joined  the  Battery  September  38,  1863;  dischai^ed 

with  Battery. 
Wilham  R.  Leonard,  joined  the  Battery  September  28,  1862;  discharged 

with  Battery. 
Cuyler  Morris,  joined  the  Battery  September  28,  1863;  discharged  with 

Battery. 
Fletcher  S.  Penfield,  joined  the  Battery  September  28, 1863:  discharged 

with  Battery. 
Philo  A.  Penfield,  joined  the  Battery  September  28, 1863;  discharged  with 

Battery. 
Lester  J.  Richmond,  joined  the  Battery  September  38, 1862;  discharged 

with  Battery. 
Addison  E.  Sheldon,  joined  the  Battery  September  28, 1863;  discharged 

with  Battery. 
Leonard  G.  Starr,  joined  the  Battery  September  38, 1862;  died  of  fever, 

November  37,  1862. 
Edwin  A.  Swift,  joined  the  Batteiy  September 38,  1861;  discharged;  date 

not  given. 

FIFTEENTH  INDEPENDENT  BATTERY. 

Mustered  into  service  January  1,  1862,  at  Camp  Denison,  O.    Mustered 
out  of  sei-^'ice  June  20, 1865,  at  Columbus,  O. 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Captain  James  Burdick,  promoted  from  First  Lieutenant. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  James  Reed,  promoted  from  Corporal  December  20, 1864. 
Sergeant  Frederick  Dibble,  promoted  from  Con^oral  December  20,  1864. 
Sergeant  Seth  W.  Rolhn,  promoted  from  Corporal  April  23,  1865. 
Sergeant  Marshall  Ferguson,  promoted  from  Corporal  March  1,  1865. 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


101 


Corporal  Lafaj-ette  S.  Lee,  promoted  from  private  December  20,  1W4. 
Coi-poral  George  Donaldson,  promoted  from  private  March  1,  1865. 
Corporal  Joshua  R.  Potter,  promoted  from  private  March  1,  1865. 
Corporal  Azor  H.  Osboru,  promoted  from  private  April  iXi,  1865. 
Artificer  Joseph  Gates,  promoted  from  private  December  20,  1865. 

PRrVATES. 

Moses  Beal. 

John  W.  Bougliton. 

Thomas  Disbro. 

Eugene  Faxon. 

William  King. 

Gottleib  Keller,  captured  February  30, 1865;  returned  to  iluty  May  20,  '05 

Lewis  G.  Lambert. 

William  Nottham. 

Merrit  Nichols. 

Rufus  G.  Reynolds. 

Warren  RoUin. 

Ehjah  Stearns. 

Freeman  Stearns. 

Alanson  H.  Williams. 

Lewis  S.  Wright. 

Jerome  B.  Warner. 

William  Berry,  died  at  Vioksburg,  Miss.,  August  7,  186-3 

George  W.  Knoup,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  September3.3,  1863. 

John  Maddox,  wounded  at  Coldwater,  Miss. ;  discharged  at  Cleveland,  O. 

January'  14,  1865. 
Chester  Phillips,  died  at  Collierville,  Tenn.,  February  7,  1863. 
Lyman  W.  Smith,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  1863. 
John  H.  Taylor,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  March  30,  1863. 
John  H.  Taft,  died  at  LaGrange,  Tenn.,  January  33,  1863. 
Curtis  E.  Thompson,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  September  13,  1863. 
Charles  I.  Spencer,  died  at  home;  date  unknown. 
Ezra  Dunton,  discharged  July  33,  1863,  for  disability. 
Otis  R.  Snell,  discharged  April  1,  1863,  for  disability. 
Bradley  Fauver,  transferred  to  InvaUd  Corps. 
Orfield  Stearns,  transferred  to  Invalid  Corjjs. 

SECOND  REGIMENT  OHIO  VOLUNTEER  CAVALRY. 

Sergeant  Theodore  H.  Eobbins,  Third  Battallion,  not  accounted  for  on 

Muster  Out  Rolls. 
Stephen  A.  Mason,  not  accounted  for  on  Muster  Out  Rolls. 
Frank  Brooks,  not  accounted  for  on  Muster  (tut  Rolls. 

This  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp  Wade,  Cleveland,  O.,  from 
August  to  October.  1861,  for  three  years.  A  portion  of  the  men  became 
veterans;  the  remainder  were  mustered  out  on  e.xpiration  of  their  term 
of  enlistment. 

COJIPANT  H. 

Mustered  into  service  October  8, 1861.    Mustered  out  of  service  Septem- 
ber 11,  1865. 

COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

Captain  Aaron  K.  Lindsley,  discharged  February  15,  1863. 
Second  Lieutenant  Franklin  S.  Case,  promoted  Captain. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  Theodore  P.  Hamlin,  promoted  First  Lieutenant. 

Quarter-master  Sergeant  Edwui  June,  nmstered  out  with  company. 

Sergeant  Sumner  L.  Drake. 

Sergeant  Newton  D.  Fisher,  promoted  First  Lieutenant  August !»,  1865. 

Corporal  Edward  F.  Webster. 

Corporal  Francis  Finch, 

Corporal  Lucius  D.  Leach. 

Corporal  Ezra  L.  Burge,  promoted  Sergeant  July  1,  186,5. 

Corporal  Albert  C.  Houghton,  promoted  Captam  December  35,  1864. 

Corporal  Walter  P.  Ledyard. 

Corporal  Peter  L.  Mason. 

Bugler  Newton  E.  Adams. 

Bugler  Delos  B.  Haynes . 

Farrier  Robert  C .  Pickworth. 

Farrier  Henry  Onneroid. 

Wagoner  Roswell  E.  Thayer. 

Saddler  Calvin  Sage. 

PRIVATES. 

Martin  H.  Avery. 

Calvin  C.  Allen,  discharged  September  35,  1861. 

HamUne  S.  Bigelow,  Veteran  Volunteer,  mustered  out  with  company. 

William  P.  Bushnell,  discharged  September  25,  1864. 

James  W.  Bonney. 

Harvey  Bonney. 

Henry  W.  Chester,  promoted  to  First  Sergeant. 

John  Cushing. 

William  Challacombe. 

Spooner  C.  Crapo. 

Ahueron  Codding. 


Jabez  B.  Challacombe. 

John  W.  Devlin. 

William  M.  Davis. 

Charles  G.  Fairchild. 

Henry  R.  Fenton. 

Charles  W.  Fenton. 

Joel  E.  Field. 

Milton  M.  Geer. 

Daniel  M.  Hall. 

Franklin  H.  Howk. 

Alpheus  Howk,  discharged  for  wounds,  March  5,  1865. 

William  F.  Johns. 

Henry  Kingsbury. 

Thomas  Knowles. 

Hiram  A.  Knapp. 

Edward  T.  Kii-by. 

John  P.  Larmdon. 

Charles  E.  Lanphear. 

William  Lindsey. 

Anion  Litchfield. 

Robert  B.  Lucas. 

Albert  N.  Litchfield. 

Enoch  Leavitt,  Veteran  Volunteer,  discharged  May  35,  1865. 

Noah  Long. 

Robert  E.  Mernfleld. 

Aurelian  P.  Matthews. 

Henry  Maple. 

James  C.  Miller. 

Wilbert  D.  5'anchester. 

William  T.  Noi-ton. 

James  R.  Ogden. 

Charles  Patterson. 

Alonzo  Perkins. 

Oliver  Rulison. 

Homer  H.  Stark,  discharged  September  35,  1864, 

James  W.  Shaffer. 

Otis  L.  Sexton. 

PhiUp  B.  Stroup. 

Chauncey  Smith. 

Luman  H.  Tenny. 

Charles  Webster. 

George  Whiton. 

Frank  R.  Whitney,  discharged  June  3,  1805. 

Henry  M.  Waters. 

Oliver  Vader. 

COMPANY  K,  TENTH  REGIMENT  OHIO  VOLUNTEER 
CAVALRY. 

Mustered  into  service,  .January  15,  1863,  tor  three  years.    Discharged  at 
the  close  of  the  war. 

NON-COMMISSIOHED  OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  John  W.  Williams. 

COMPANY    F,    THIRD    REGIMENT   OHIO    VOLUNTEER 
CAVALRY. 

Mustered  into  service   December   11,   1861.     Mustered  out  of  service 
August  4,  1865,  at  Nashville,  Tenn. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  Sergeant  Warden  W.  Welsher,  mustered  out  November  4,  1864. 
Sergeant  James  Hart,  promoted  to  Sergeant  January  15,  1S05.J 
Corporal  John  Barnes. 
Corporal  Henry  S.  Barker,  promoted  to  Corporal  June  17,  1805. 

PRIVATES. 

Josiah  Coates,  mustered  out  November  4,  1864. 

WUham  Campbell. 

Peter  Dagnon. 

John  Hanley. 

A.  Richards. 

Daniel  LeClear. 

Georges.  Mitchell,  promoted  to  Corporal;  mustered  out  November  4, 

1864. 
Sidney  G.  Mitchell. 
Andrew  J.  Pierce. 
Henry  Smith. 

Joseph  B.  Shepard,  mustered  out  November  4, 1864. 
John  B.  Taylor. 

Henry  Van  Sickles,  promoted  to  Corporal,  June  17,  1865. 
William  H.  Blair— date  of  discharge  not  given. 
Lewis  La  Duke— date  of  discharge  not  given. 
John  Robinson. 

Men  not  otherwise  marked,  mustered  out  with  the  Company. 


102 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


COMPANY    F.    TWELFTH    REGIME JfT    OHIO    VOLUx^TEER 

CAA'ALRY. 

Mustered  into  service,  October  39, 1803.    Mustered  out  of  service,  Novem 
ber  14,  1865. 

COMMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

First  Lieutenant  Ueubeii  H.  Sardane,  promoted  to  Captain  and  assigned 
to  Company  F. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  iSiT^eaut  i\Iilo  L.  Blanchard,  promoted  to  Sfcoud  Lieutenant,  Com- 
pany A;  transferred  to  Company  F.  June  1,  18G5. 
Sergeant  William  W.  Worcester,  died  October  19,  IHfil. 
Sergeant  Cliarles  H.  Sherburne,  died  from  wounds  December  13,  1801. 
Sergeant  Janirs  F.  Davis,  died  October  6,  18G4. 
Sergeant  Richard  H.  Sheldon,  promoted  First  Sergeant  Veteran. 
Corporal  Howard  H.  Hall,  promoted  Sergeant. 
Corporal  CJeorge  C.  Rising,  died  March  20,  18ti4. 
Corporal  Oeorge  H.  Houghton,  discharged  June  8,  1865. 
Bugler  Henry  Moore,  promoted  Corporal  September  1,  1865. 
Bugler  Judsou  Chamberlain,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Farrier  Ephraini  Kuapp,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Saddler  Wyatt  T.  Judson,  promoted  Sergeant. 

PRIVATES. 

Wilson  Ager,  promoted  Sergeant  September  1,  1865. 

Erwiu  E.  Baldwin,  discharged  July  21,  1865. 

Tenny  Blair,  promoted  Corporal  September  1,  1865. 

Erastus  W.  Bailey,  discharged  September  30,  1864. 

Milo  Barnes,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Wells  A.  Chamberlain,  promoted  Sergeant  September  1,  1865. 

John  Dagner,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Frank  W.  Ellsworth,  discharged  September  7,  1865. 

Charles  M.  Hal!,  died  from  wounds  June  16.  1864. 

Henry  C.  Hopwood,  promoted  Corporal. 

Daniel  M.  Hall,  promoted  Sergeant. 

John  Jackson,  mustered  out  with  company. 

John  Kirkpatrick,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Joseph  King,  mustered  out  with  company. 

Charles  M.  Knapp,  discharged  August  27,  1865. 

Charles  W,  Kelley,  nmstered  out  with  company. 

Charles  E.  McLean,  mustered  out  with  company. 

George  H.  Mosher,  discharged  March  27,  1865. 

Albert  B.  Probert,  discharged  June  S,  1865. 

Sylvanus  Phelon,  promoted  to  Corporal  September  1,  1865. 

James  Richard,  discharged  August  16,  1865. 

Edward  Scoville,  Jr.,  discharged  July  11,  1865. 

Orson  P.  Smith,  discharged  May  15,  1865. 


Eli  Smith,  mustered  out  June  15,  1865. 
William  Soules,  mustered  out  with  company. 
Ri"hard  J.  Staples,  promoted  Sergeani  September  1,  1865. 
Emerson  O.  Stone,  mustered  out  with  company. 
William  Turner,  mustered  out  with  company. 
John  W,  "Wilson,  discharged  February  35,  1864. 
Eugene  A.  Burrell,  mustered  out  July  10,  1S65. 
Sergeant  Carlos  A.  West,  mustered  out  June  15,  1865. 
Benjamin  A.  Briggs,  killed  in  action  June  8,  1864. 
Corporal  John  McOee,  committed  suicide  August  3,  1865. 

MUSTER    ROLL    OF    THE    **HART    (iUARDS,"    COMPANY 
G,  FIFTEENTH  REGIMENT  OHIO  NATIONAL  GUARD. 

CONMISSIONED   OFFICERS. 

Captain  P.  D.  Reefy.  First  Lieutenant  Fred  N.  Smith . 

Second  Lieutenant  S  T.  Sawyer. 


First  Sergeant  A.  Rawson. 
Second  Sergeant  H.  Schwartz. 
Third  Sergeant  S.  C.  Nickei-son 
Fourth  Sergeant  C.  B.  Faux. 
Fifth  Sergeant  Irving  Taylor. 


NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

First  Corporal  George  Teasedale. 
Second  Corporal  G.  W.  Gilbert. 
Third  Corporal  G.  R.  Kelley. 
Fourth  Corporal  Charles  Hackett. 
Fifth  Corporal  F.  D.  Wathen. 


PRIVATES . 


A.  Dickinson. 
R.  Storer. 

D.  M.  Hurst. 
G.  T.  Nichols 
A,  Vogeley. 
Fi-ed  Weigand. 
John  Bishbaugh. 
J.  L.  Cunningham. 
H.  Foreman. 
Thomas  Fitzsimmons. 
Charles  Flood. 

E.  A.  Gilbert. 

Musician  Frank  Goodspeed. 
Regim«ntal  Drum-Major  A.  F. 
Regimental  Hospital  Steward 


A.  Hause. 

E.  Herney. 
Fred  Lane. 
W.  Maddock. 

F.  W.  Miller. 
A.  Miller. 
James  Melin. 
George  Mclntyre. 
John  Ingram. 
George  L.  Sears. 
L.  W.  Semple. 
John  Wiler. 

Parsons. 

Frank  Burgert. 


The  "Ely  Guards,''  since  changed  to  "Hart  Guards,''  were  mustered 
into  the  service  of  the  State  July  2,  1877,  to  serve  for  a  period  of  five 
years.  The  Company  was  soon  after  assigned  to  the  Fifteenth 
Regiment  as  Company  G.,  with  head -quarters  at  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
The  whole  number  enlisted  is  seventy  men.  Those  whose  names  do 
not  appear  above  have  been  discharged  for  various  reasons,  princi- 
pally on  account  of  removal  from  the  county. 


HISTORY 


Towns  and  Villages  of  Lorain  County, 


ELYRIA. 


This  township  was  named  for  its  iirincipal  pro- 
jnietor,  the  late  Hon.  Heman  Ely.  It  originally 
eniliraced  the  territory  now  contained  in  Carlisle, 
number  five,  and  Elyria,  number  six  in  range  number 
seventeen,  of  the  Connecticut  Western  Reserve.  It 
is  situated  on  and  between  both  branches  of  Black 
river,  in  north  latitude  forty-one  degrees  and  forty- 
tive  minutes  It  is  twenty-four  miles  west  of  Cleveland, 
and  eight  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Above  the  village  it  is  generally  level,  the  banks  of 
the  river  being  low.  An  excellent  quality  of  sandstone 
crops  out  along  the  river  banks,  which  forms  good 
building  material,  and  is  used  extensively  for  flagging 
the  streets.  There  are  over  nine  miles  of  stone  side- 
walks within  the  limits  of  the  village.  Several  quar- 
ries are  extensively  worked.  The  largest  is  owned  by 
Mr.  Henry  E.  Mussey,  situated  on  the  west  side  of 
the  west  branch  of  the  river.  He  has  built  a  spur 
branch  of  the  C,  T.  V.  &  W.  railroad  to  his  quarry, 
and  the  work  of  turning  grindstones,  raising  the 
stone  from  the  quarry,  loading  cars,  etc.,  is  done  by 
steam  power.  The  stone  are  shipj)ed  by  railroad  to 
many  parts  of  the  country.'  Mr.  John  Weller  has  also 
a  fine  (juarry  below  the  town,  which  is  worked  by 
steam  power.  Stone  are  extensively  quarried  on  the 
east  branch  for  building  and  flagging  purposes. 

Below  the  village,  the  banks  of  the  river  are  generally 
high  and  rugged,  though  there  are  several  fine  farms 
of  alluvial  bottom  lands,  which  are  easy  to  till  and 
very  productive.  The  sandstone  termimxtes  and  tlie 
Huron  shale  crops  out  along  the  river  bank  aljout  two 
miles  below  the  village.  On  the  east  side  of  the  river 
there  are  several  small  streams  running  at  right 
angles  with  it,  and  discharging  themselves  into  tlie 
main  stream.  These  have  worn  deep  ravines  in  the 
soil,  and  extend  a  mile  or  more  back  from  the  river, 
but  the  roads  are  graded  and  the  streams  bridged  so 
that  they  are  quite  passable.  Running  parallel  with 
the  lake  are  two,  and  in  some  places  three  or  more 
ridges,  composed  of  sandy  loam,  and  in  some  places 
gravel.  The  first  is  about  four  miles  from  Lake 
Erie  and  is  called  the  North  Ridge.  The  second 
passes  through  Elyria,  and  extends  east  through  all 
the  northern  counties  of  the  Western  Reserve.     They 


were  formed  by  a  subsidence  of  the  lake  at  some 
remote  period  of  the  world's  history  ;  but  after  the 
growth  of  timber,  as  large  trees  are  found,  in  digging 
wells,  twenty  feet  or  more  below  the  surface.  These 
ridges  make  excellent  roads,  and  the  soil  is  warm  and 
productive,  well  adapted  to  fruit  growing  and  early 
gardens. 

COL.  JAMES  SMITH. 

Perhaps  no  more  fitting  preface  to  the  history  of 
the  early  settlement  of  the  township  of  Elyria  could 
be  procured  than  a  brief  sketch  of  the  above  named 
person,  who  was  doul)tleKs  the  first  white  man  who 
ever  lived  for  any  considerable  time  in  what  now  con- 
stitutes the  above  township.  We  are  indebted  for  the 
facts  to  a  book  called  "Our  Western  Border,"  written 
by  Charles  McKnight,  and  published  during  the 
centennial  year,  which  was  kindly  loaned  us  by  G. 
G.  Washburn,  Esq.,  and  also  to  an  article  published 
in  The  Elyria  Repuhlican,  in  1876.  We  have  not 
space  to  publish  the  entire  narrative  of  Col.  Smith, 
but  shall,  as  far  as  possible,  give  it  in  his  own  quaint 
and  terse  language: 

"  In  May,  1755,  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania  agreeil  to  send  out  three 
hundred  men  in  order  to  cut  a  wagon  road  from  Fort  London  to  join 
Braddock's  road  near  the  Turkey  Fork,  or  the  three  forks  of  the 
Yohoguina.  My  brother-in-law,  William  Smith,  was  commissioner, 
and  though  but  eighteen  years  of  age.  I  concluded  to  accompany  the 
expedition.  We  went  on  the  road  without  interruption  until  near  the 
Alleghany  mountains,  when  I  was  sent  back  in  order  to  hurry  up  some 
provision  wagons  that  were  on  the  way  after  us.  I  proceeded  down  the 
road  as  far  as  the  crossing  of  the  Jimiata,  where,  finding  that  the  wag- 
ons were  coming  on  as  fast  as  possible,  I  returned  up  the  road  toward 
the  Alleghauj^  mountains  in  company  with  one  Arnold  Vigoras.  About 
four  or  five  miles  above  Bedford  three  Indians  hail  made  a  blind  of 
bushes  stuck  in  the  ground  as  though  they  had  grown  naturallj',  where 
they  concealed  themselves,  about  fifteen  yards  from  the  road.  When 
we  came  opposite  to  them  they  fired  upon  us  at  this  short  distance  and 
killed  my  fellow  traveler;  yet  their  bullets  did  not  touch  me,  but  my 
horse  making  a  violent  start  threw  me,  and  the  Indians  immediately  ran 
up  and  took  me  prisoner.  The  one  that  laid  bold  on  me  was  a  Cunasa- 
taugee,  the  other  two  were  Delawares.-  One  of  them  could  speak  English. 
Two  of  them  stood  by  me  while  the  other*  scalped  my  comrade.  We 
slept  on  the  Alleghany  moimtains  that  night  without  fire.  The  next 
morning  they  divided  their  remaining  provisions  and  gave  me  an  equal 
share,  which  consisted  of  two  or  three  ounces  of  mouldy  bi.scuit.  They 
continued  their  journey  to  Fort  Duquesne  (now  Pittsburgh)  and  when 
they  reached  the  bank  of  the  Mleghany  the  Indians  gave  the  scalp  halloo, 
which  was  answered  by  the  firing  of  guns  and  the  shouts  of  the  French 
and  Indians  who  were  in  and  about  the  Fort." 

HE    RUNS   THE  GAUNTLET. 

"  I  saw  numbers  of  Indians  running  towards  me  stripped  naked  except 
breech-clouts,  and  painted  in  the  most  hideous  manner.  As  they  ap- 
proached they  formed  themselves  in  two  long  ranks  about  two  or  three 
rods  apart.    I  was  told  by  an  Indian  who  could  speak  English  that  I 

(103) 


104 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


must  run  between  these  ranks,  and  that  they  would  flog  me  all  the  way 
as  I  ran,  and  if  I  ran  quick  it  would  be  so  much  the  better. 

**  There  appeared  to  be  general  rejoicing  around  me,  yet  I  could  find 
notliing  like  joy  in  my  breast;  but  I  started  to  the  race  with  all  the  reso- 
lution and  vigor  I  was  capable  of  exercising,  and  found  it  was  as  I  had 
been  told,  for  I  was  flogged  all  the  way.  "When  I  had  got  near  the  end 
of  the  race  I  was  struck  by  something  that  appeared  to  me  to  be  a 
stick,  or  the  handle  of  a  tomahawk,  which  caused  me  to  fall  to  the 
gi-ound. 

"On  my  recovering  my  senses  I  endeavored  to  renew  my  race,  but  as 
I  arose  some  one  cast  sand  in  my  eyes  which  blinded  me  so  that  I  could 
not  see  where  to  run.  They  contiiiued  beating  me  most  intolerably  imtil 
I  was  at  length  insensible,  but  before  I  lost  my  senses  I  remembered 
wishing  them  to  strike  the  fatal  blow." 

He  was  conveyed  to  tlie  Fort  and  the  French  doctor 
dressed  his  wounds  and  apj)lied  remedies. 

"Soon  after  I  was  visited  by  a  Delaware  Indian  who  could  speak 
broken  English.  I  asked  hiui  if  I  had  done  anything  that  offended  the 
Indians.  He  said  no.  it  was  only  an  old  custom  the  Indians  had,  and 
was  like  '  how  do  you  doV    After  that,  he  said,  I  would  be  well  used.'' 

After  tliis  Smith  was  taken  by  his  captors  to  an 
Indian  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Muskingam  river  in 
Ohio. 

niS    ADOPTION    INTO    THE    TRIBE. 

Tliis  ceremony  being  somewhat  interesting  we  take 
tlie  lil)erty  of  giving  it  at  length  in  his  own  words: 

"  The  day  after  my  arrival  at  the  aforesaid  town  a  number  of  Indians 
gathered  about  me,  and  one  of  them  began  to  pull  the  hair  out  of  my 
head.  He  had  some  ashes  on  a  bark  in  which  he  frequently  dipped  his 
fingers  in  order  to  take  a  firmer  hold,  and  so  he  went  on  as  if  he  had  been 
plucking  a  turkey,  until  he  had  all  the  hair  clean  out  of  my  head,  except 
a  snuill  spot,  three  or  tour  inches  square,  on  the  crown.  This  they  cut 
oft  with  a  pair  of  seissoi-s,  excepting  three  locks,  which  they  dressed  up 
in  theirown  mode.  Two  of  these  they  wrapped  around  with  a  narrow 
beaded  garter,  made  by  themselves  for  the  purpose,  and  the  other  they 
plaited  atfuU  length  and  stuck  it  full  of  silver  brooches.  After  this  they 
bored  my  nose  and  ears,  and  fixed  me  off  with  nose  and  ear  jewels. 
Then  they  ordered  me  to  strip  off  my  clothes  and  put  on  a  breech-clout, 
which  I  did.  They  then  painted  my  face,  hands,  and  body  in  various 
colors.  They  put  a  large  belt  of  wampum  on  my  neck,  and  silver  bands 
on  my  hands  and  right  arm,  and  so  an  old  chief  led  me  out  in  the  street 
and  gave  the  alarm  halloo  several  times  repeated  quick,  "coo  wigh .'"  and 
on  this  all  that  were  in  the  town  came  running  and  stood  round  the  old 
chief  who  held  me  by  the  hand  in  the  midst." 

"As  at  that  time  I  knew  nothing  of  their  mode  of  adoption,  and  had 
seen  them  put  to  death  all  they  had  taken,  I  made  no  doubt  but  they 
were  about  putting  me  to  death  in  some  cruel  manner.  The  old  chief, 
holding  me  by  the  hand,  made  a  long  speech,  very  loud,  and,  when  he 
had  done,  he  handed  me  to  three  young  squaws,  who  led  me  by  the 
hand  down  the  bank  into  the  river,  until  tiie  water  was  up  to  our  middle. 
The  squaws  then  made  signs  to  me  to  plunge  myself  into  the  river,  but  I 
did  not  uruierstaud  them.  I  thought  the  i-esult  of  the  council  was  that  I 
was  to  be  drowned,  and  that  these  young  ladies  were  to  be  the  execution- 
ers. They  all  three  laid  violent  hold  of  me,  and  I  for  some  time  resisted 
them  with  all  my  might,  which  occasioned  loud  laugliter  by  the  multi- 
tude that  were  on  the  bank.  At  length  one  of  the  squaws  said,  no  hurt 
you;  on  this  I  gave  myself  up  to  their  ladyships,  who  were  as  good  as 
their  word,  for,  thougli  they  plunged  me  under  the  water,  and  rubbed 
me.  I  could  not  say  they  hurt  me  much.  Tliey  then  led  me  up  to  the 
council  house,  where  the  tribe  were  ready  with  new  clothes  for  me. 
They  gave  me  a  new  ruffled  shirt,  which  I  put  on;  also  a  pair  of  leggins 
done  off  with  riljbons  and  beads;  also  a  pair  of  moccasins  and  a  tinsel- 
laced  cappo.  They  again  painted  my  head  and  face  with  various  colors. 
When  I  was  seated  the  Imlians  came  in  di-essed  in  their  grandest  man- 
ner. At  length  one  of  the  chiefs  made  a  speech  as  follows:  'My  son, 
you  are  now  flesh  of  our  flesh,  and  bone  of  our  bone.  By  the  ceremony 
which  wa<  performed  this  day  every  drop  of  white  blood  is  washed  out 
of  your  veins.'  After  this  ceremony  I  was  introduced  to  my  new  kin 
and  invited  to  attend  a  feast  that  night,  which  I  did." 

We  must  omit  many  of  tlie  events  tliat  occurred  at 
the  cami)  on  the  Muskingum.  The  name  of  one  of 
tlie  chiefs  was  Tecanyaterighto,  alias  Pluggy.  Dur- 
ing the  fall  Pluggy  headed  a  war  party  to  the  frontiers 
of  Virginia.  While  they  were  absent,  Smith  and  a 
jiarty  of  Indians  went  south  on  a  hunt.  On  this  liunt 
they  encamped  at  Buffalo  Lick,  where  they  killed 
several  buffaloes.     This  lick  must  have  been  in  the 


Hocking  valley,  between  the  Muskingum  and  Scioto 
rivers.  While  here  with  their  small  kettles  they  made 
about  a  half-bushel  of  salt. 

It  was  here  that  our  hero,  while  following  buffalo, 
got  lost  in  the  woods,  where  he  spent  the  night.  The 
Indians  found  him  in  the  morning.  For  this  offense 
his  gun  was  taken  from  him,  and  he  was  reduced  to  a 
bow  and  arrows  for  nearly  two  years. 

They  were  on  this  tour  for  about  six  weeks.  When 
they  returned,  Pluggy  and  his  party  had  got  back, 
bringing  with  them  a  number  of  scalps  and  prisoners. 
They  also  brought  with  them  an  English  Bible,  which 
they  gave  to  a  Dutch  woman  who  was  a  prisoner,  but 
as  she  could  not  read  English,  she  made  a  jiresent  of 
it  to  Smith,  which  was  very  acceptable. 

"I  remained  in  this  town  until  some  time  in  October,  when  my  adopted 
brother,  Toutileaugo,who  had  married  a  W^yandotte  squaw,  took  me  with 
him  to  Lake  Ene.  On  this  route  we  had  no  horses  with  us,  and  when  I 
started  from  the  town  all  the  pack  I  carried  was  a  poucii  containing  my 
books,  a  little  dried  venison  and  my  blanket.  I  liad  then  no  gun,  but 
Tontileaugo,  who  was  a  first-rate  hunter,  carried  a  rifle  gun,  and  every 
day  killed  deer,  raccoons  or  bears.  We  left  the  meat,  excepting  a  little 
for  present  use,  and  carried  the  skins  with  us  until  we  camped,  when 
we  dried  them  by  the  fire." 

They  struck  the  Canosadooharic  (Black  river)  pro- 
bably near  its  source,  and  followed  it  down  for  some 
distance,  when  they  must  have  left  it  as  they  reached 
the  lakeshore  some  six  miles  west  of  its  mouth.  As  the 
wind  was  very  high  the  evening  they  reached  the  lake, 
our  traveller  was  surprised  "  to  hear  the  roaring  of 
the  water  and  see  the  high  waves  that  dashed  against 
the  shore  like  the  ocean."  They  camped  on  a  run 
near  the  shore,  and,  as  the  wind  fell  that  night,  they 
pursued  their  journey  in  the  morning  towards  the 
mouth  of  the  river  on  the  sand  along  the  side  of  the 
water.  They  observed  a  number  of  large  fish  that 
had  been  left  in  the  hollows  by  the  receding  waves, 
and  numbers  of  gray  and  bald  eagles  were  along  the 
shore  devouring  them. 

Some  time  in  the  afternoon  they  came  to  a  large 
cam])  of  Wyaiidottes  at  the  mouth  of  the  Canesadoo- 
haric,  where  Tontileaugo's  wife  was.  Here  they  were 
hospitably  received  and  entertained  for  some  time. 
Smith  says:  ''They  gave  us  a  kind  of  rough,  brown 
potatoes,  which  grew  spontaneously  and  were  called  by 
the  Caughnewagas,  ohenata.  The.se  potatoes,  peeled 
and  dipped  in  raccoon's  fat,  tasted  like  our  sweet  pota- 
toes." (Query:  what  were  they?)  They  killed  while  here 
some  deer  and  many  raccoons  which  were  remarkably 
large  and  fat.  They  kept  moving  up  the  river  until 
they  came  to  the  great  falls.  These  were,  doubtless, 
the  east  falls  of  Black  river,  now  within  the  corporate 
town  of  Elyria.  They  Iniried  their  canoe  and  erected 
a  winter  cabin.  This  was  probably  located  on  Ever- 
green Point,  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present 
residence  of  T.  L.  Nelson,  Esq.  The  narrative  pro- 
ceeds: 

"It  was  sometime  in  December  when  we  finished  oin-  winter  cabin 
but  then  another  difficxdty  arose,  we  had  nothing  to  eat.  While  the 
hunters  were  all  out  exerting  their  utmost  ability,  the  squaws  and  boys 
(in  which  class  I  was,)  were  scattered  in  the  bottom,  hunting  red  haws 
and  hickory  nuts.  We  did  uot  succeed  in  getting  many  haws,  but  had 
tolerable  success  in  scratching  up  hickory  nuts  from  under  a  light  snow. 
The  hunters  returned  with  only  two  small  turkeys,  which  were  but  little 


Residence  of  A.BEEBE.SR,  26  Broad  St.Elyria  0.  Residence  of  EDWIN  HALL,  East  Ave,  Ely  Rl^,  0. 


Residence  ofA,BEEBE,JR.,East  Ridge  St,  Elyria.O. 


TAVERN  OPENEai820.BY  A.  BEEBE  SR.BROAD  ST.ELYRIA.O. 


^/^r-Ce^^ri/^ 


AETEMAS 


This  day,  March  17,  1879,  brings  to  the  memory 
of  an  aged  man  Marcli  17,  1817.  Sixty-two  years 
ago,  this  day,  Mr.  A.  Beebe  first  visited  the  log  house, 
only  sign  of  the  now  pleasant  town  of  Elyria.  Only 
living  member  of  the  little  band  that  first  settled 
Elyria,  in  his  eighty -sixth  year,  he  alone  is  left  to  tell 
the  birth  and  growth  of  said  town. 

Of  a  family  noted  for  longevity,  his  father  was  born 
at  Waterbnry,  Conn.,  and  removed  to  West  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  where  he  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-six,  in  the  year  1852.  His  faithful  wife  died 
in  1851,  seventy-nine  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Beebe,  of  whom  we  write,  was  born  at  Rus- 
sell, Hampden  Co.,  Mass.,  Oct.  7,  1793.  Scanty 
were  his  educational  opportunities.  A  clerkship  in 
his  father's  store,  and  the  district  school,  however, 
gave  to  him  much  that  in  after-years  he  used  so  well. 
Like  many  young  men  of  his  day  in  New  England, 
he  had  a  strong  desire  to  "  go  West."  Ohio  then 
was  almost  the  end  of  western  civilization.  A  fel- 
low-townsmen coming  into  possession  of  a  large  tract 
of  land  on  the  Western  Reserve  aiForded  a  chance 
to  gratify  his  wish.  On  the  20th  of  February,  1817, 
a  company  of  six  left  West  Springfield,  Mass.,  for 
Ohio,  composed  as  follows:  Heman  Ely,  founder; 
Ebenezer  Lane  (afterwards  chief  justice  of  Ohio) ; 
Mr.  A.  Beebe  ;  Luther  Lane  (so  well  known  in  after- 
years  as  the  good  deacon) ;  Ann  Snow,  housekeeper ; 
and  Ned,  a  colored  boy. 

]\Ir.  Beebe  received  twenty  dollars  for  expenses, 
and  the  privilege  of  riding  as  far  as  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
From  that  ])lace  through  the  forests,  over  unbridged 
streams,  on  foot,  he  arrived  at  the  "  log  house"  on 
the  aforesaid  date,  late  in  the  day.  Using  his  own 
words:  "On  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  March, 
1817,  I  got  up  to  see  where  the  sun  came  from,  and 
found  it  came  up  all  right,  and  it  has  ever  since." 
No  time  did  he  have  to  regret  the  comforts  of  a  New 
England  life.  A  new  life  was  to  commence;  that 
life  that  did  so  much  for  over  half  of  a  century  in 
making  Elyria  what  it  is.     Carpenter  and  joiner  his 


(Pjl^-.^ 


BEEBE,  Sr. 

calling,  his  first  work  was  the  erection  of  the  first 
frame  building  in  Elyria,  built  on  the  corner  of  what 
is  now  Broad  and  Cedar  Streets.  In  this  building 
were  born  many  others.  Used  for  a  shop  for  one 
year,  it  was  filled  in  the  ensuing  year,  with  such 
goods  as  filled  the  limited  wants  of  pioneers,  by 
Edmund  West  &  Co. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1817,  Mr.  Beebe  and 
Mr.  Douglas  jointly  purchased  of  Heman  Ely  the 
first  city  lot  ever  sold  in  Elyria.  On  this  property, 
in  1818,  they  built  the  building  so  well  known  to 
this  day  as  the  "  Old  Beebe  Tavern"  (hotel  being 
a  term  as  yet  unknown).  For  years  was  this  place 
the  home  of  all  new-comers  until  their  own  fireside 
was  established.  Under  its  roof  were  held  many  social 
gatherings.  There  was  held  the  first  meetings  of 
Elyria's  original  Masonic  lodge.  At  the  expiration 
of  one  year  Mr.  Beebe  purchased  of  Mr.  Douglas  his 
share  of  said  property,  and  in  him  has  the  title  ever 
since  remained.  Constant  work  was  Mr.  Beebe's 
mission  until  February,  1819,  when  he,  with  a 
horse  bought  for  the  purpose,  left  Elyria  for  the  old 
home,  via  Pittsburgh,  Philadelphia,  and  New  York, 
to  regain  health  injured  by  constant  toil.  A  sliort 
visit,  and  the  little  "  gray  horse"  and  one-horse 
lumber-wagon  landed  him  once  more  in  Elyria. 
Now  a  few  months  are  spent  in  various  activities. 
The  following  February  again  witnessed  his  departure 
for  New  England.  This  trip  was  performed  in  great 
share  on  foot.  Arriving  at  West  Springfield,  there 
and  in  its  vicinity  he  remained  until  the  following 
October.  Of  this  visit  came  nuich  to  him, — much  to 
Elyria.  He  gained  the  life-partner  of  his  early  hard- 
ships, of  his  later  prosperity,  and  Elyria  won  one  of 
its  truest  women.  One  of  tiie  first  meetings  of  Mr. 
Beebe  with  his  future  wife  was  at  West  Springfield, 
where  she  was  a  member  of  the  Contrrearational 
Church.  She  was  also  a  member  of  the  choir,  of 
which  Miss  Celia  Belden,  afterwards  first  wife  of 
Judge  Heman  Ely,  was  also  a  member.  Short  was 
the  courtship,  but  long  and  pleasant  the  many  years 


ARTEMAS  BEEBE. 


tliat  followed.  Mr.  Beebe  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Pamelia 
Morgan  Oct.  4,  1820.  This  marriage  was  solemnized 
under  peculiar  circumstances,  viz.,  by  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Lathrop,  wiio  for  two  geuerations  had  performed  the 
duties  of  a  pastor  in  said  town.  To  him  was  it  left, 
after  performing  the  marriage  ceremony  for  the  last 
time  in  his  life  (then  in  his  eighty-ninth  year,  totally 
blind),  to  send  out  the  young  couple  to  the  western 
wilds  with  all  and  every  good  wish  and  fond  hopes  for 
their  future  welfare.  No  Saratoga  trunk  or  useless 
finery  filled  the  wagon-box  that  left  Mrs.  Beebe's 
early  home.  The  plain  and  substantial  comprised 
its  contents.  The  brass  kettle,  the  warming-pan,  the 
candlesticks,  the  andirons,  etc.,  yet  in  the  family 
tell  their  own  tale.  A  long  journey  full  of  incident, 
now  with  wagon  overturned,  again  vexatious  delay 
from  impassable  roads,  or  rustic  bridge  swept  away, 
ended  Nov.  17,  1820.  With  earnest  hearts,  a  wi'll 
to  do,  and  hands  trained  to  work,  Mr.  and  ^Irs. 
Beebe  commenced  life  in  the  "  Old  Beebe  Tavern." 
Many  years  were  there  passed.  To  Mrs.  Beebe 
much  of  the  reputation  this  tavern  gained  in  early 
days  was  due.  She  not  only  made  it  the  place  of 
entertainment  for  the  weary  traveler,  but  many  a 
one  homesick,  and  longing  for  the  eastern  home, 
from  her  got  words  of  healthy  cheer  and  kind  sym- 
pathy. From  this  time  onward,  until  the  date  of 
her  death,  June,  26,  1878,  Mrs.  Beebe's  life  was  one 
of  womanly  work.  Noted  as  the  housewife;  earnest 
and  active  in  the  church  ;  as  neighbor  kind,  ever 
i-eady  with  helping  hand  to  aid  and  comfort  the  sick, 
genial  in  social  intercourse,  she  was  eminently  the 
good  woman.  One  of  the  original  ten  who  formed 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Elyria,  Nov.  24, 
1824,  she  was  always  its  ardent  supporter,  in  word 
and  deed  living  out  her  profession.  Her  energy 
and  economy  aided  the  husband  in  acquiring  the 
competency  that  in  declining  years  made  their  home 
so  pleasant,  and  caused  them  both  to  forget  the  early 
privations  attendant  upon  the  "  fii'st  settler." 

She  left  at  her  death  two  sons  and  three  daughters, 
all  in  the  maturity  of  life.  An  obituary  notice  says 
of  her:  "She  died  rich  in  all  those  experiences  she 
had  garnered  up  with  the  growth  of  Elyria.  To  her 
was  given  the  good  fortune  to  watch,  help,  or  nurture 
a  little  hamlet  of  one  or  two  log  houses  become  a 
town  of  churches,  schools,*and  a  prosperous  people." 

In  1826,  Mr.  Beebe,  in  partnership  with  Ezra 
Adams,  purchased  of  Silas  Wolverton  the  contract 
for  carrying  the  mail  between  Cleveland  and  Lower 
Sandusky,  now  called  Fremont.  Mr.  Beebe  per- 
formed the  duties  of  said  ^contract  between  Elyria 
and  Cleveland  ;  Mr.  Adams  and  others  between  Elyria 
and  Fremont.  At  the  end  of  one  year  Mr.  Beebe 
purchased  the  entire  business.  Increase  of  popula- 
tion demanded  greater  facilities  than  the  single  horse, 
with  mail-bag,  could  perform.  Soon  Mr.  Beebe,  with 
letters  from  the  Hon.  Elisha  Whittlesey  and  others, 
visited  Washington,  D.  C,  and  from  the  Postmaster- 
General  obtained  a  general  contract  for  the  transpor- 
tation of  mails  and  passengers  between  the  above- 
mentioned  i)oints.  The  coach  seating  six,  with  its 
four  horses,  soon  had  to  give  way  to  the  more  com- 
modious coach,  which  gave  ample  room  to  nine. 

The  coach,  with  its  merry  driver  and  noisy  tin  horn, 
excited  as  much  attention,  and  drew  as  many  to  the 
"  stage  otKce"  on  its  coming  and  departure,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  iJopulatiou,  as  the  steam  car,  with  more 
noisy  steam  horn,  did  twenty-five  years  after.   Fraught 


with  labor  was  this  undertaking;  poor  roads,  poorer 
bridges  were  ever  opposing  him;  shipwrecked  coaches 
and  drowned  horses  were  not  uncommon.  But  Mr. 
Beebe's  untiring  energy  overcame  every  obstacle 
of  nature  and  all  opposing  lines  started  by  others; 
and  the  year  1831  .saw  a  daily  line  of  four-horse 
coaches  running  over  his  route.  Success  rewarded 
his  efforts  until  1842,  when  he  sold  this  branch  of  his 
business  to  Neil  Moore  &  Co.,  of  Columbus,  Ohio. 

From  the  years  1830  to  1833,  Mr.  Beebe  was  en- 
gaged in  the  business  of  general  merchandise,  with 
H.  N.  Gates  as  partner.  Shortly  after  disposing  of 
his  mail  contracts  he  purchased  of  Deacon  L.  Lane 
the  Eagle  Mills,  on  the  east  branch  of  Black  River, 
which  he  successfully  operated  for  twenty-three  years, 
selling  them  then  to  the  late  I.  W.  Bullock. 

In  1846,  remembering  the  "Old  Beebe  Tavern," 
and  seeing  Elyria  in  need  of  a  first-class  hotel,  he 
built  the  Beebe  House.  A  building  an  ornament  to 
the  town,  an  honor  to  the  builder,  long  and  favorably 
has  it  been  known  to  the  traveling  public. 

Motives  outside  of  mere  pecuniary  gain  must  have 
actuated  Mr.  Beebe  in  this  enterprise.  The  needs  of 
Elyria  for  a  hotel  far  better  than  any  existing,  it  seems, 
must  have  induced  him,  regardless  of  any  ultimate 
dividend,  to  have  erected  so  substantial,  so  complete 
a  structure.  Erected  thirty-three  years  ago,  it  yet  re- 
mains in  many  respects  a  pattern  for  more  modern 
structures.  At  the  time  of  its  building,  nothing  like 
it  for  its  jiurpose  stood  upon  the  Western  Reserve  in 
towns  of  similar  size.  A  similar  motive  must  have 
had  much  to  do  in  influencinsr  Mr.  Beebe  to  build  the 
beautiful  Beebe  House  on  Put-in-Bay  Island,  so  many 
years  and  still  kept  by  his  eldest  son,  Henry  Beebe. 
In  this  respect  he  may  well  be  called  a  public  bene- 
factor. In  1847,  when  the  subject  of  a  bank  was  agi- 
tated among  Elyria's  citizens,  Mr.  Beebe  was  one  of 
the  first  to  respond.  An  original  stockholder  and  di- 
rector from  its  birth,  in  its  change  to  a  national  bank 
he  has  ever  held  both  positions  until  the  present  day. 
In  1849,  becoming  a  stockholder  in  the  Plank-Road 
running  from  Black  River,  Lorain  Co.,  to  Homer, 
Medina  Co.,  he  was  largely  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing the  advantage  of  said  road  to  his  fellow-citizens, 
and  in  completing  it,  being  appointed  superintendent 
of  its  construction. 

The  latter  j-ears  of  Mr.  Beebe's  life,  although  not 
as  full  of  actual  labor,  have  been  none  of  idleness. 
The  duties  of  bank  director,  trusts  confided  him  by 
his  fellows,  the  care  of  a  large  property,  and  farming 
interests  have  constantly  busied  him.  Such  is  a  brief 
outline  of  the  life  of  the  remaining  link  between 
Elvria's  beirinnint!:  and  its  now  onlv  survivina;  raem- 
ber  of  the  little  band  of  six  who  nearly  seven  decades 
ago  laid  Elyria's  foundation  ;  he  yet  remains. 

As  a  man  Mr.  Beebe  was  ever  noted  for  strict  in- 
tegrity ;  ever  careful  to  aid  the  cause  of  morality  and 
religion,  always  an  attendant  upon  religious  obser- 
vances, and  ever  contributing  to  the  church.  Upon 
May  6,  1866,  making  public  profession  of  religion, 
he  became  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Elyria.  Now  past  the  allotted  age  of  man, 
hardly  one  remaining  of  his  early  associates  he  lives 
Elyria's  oldest  citizen.  The  children,  ay,  even  the 
grandchildren,  of  those  with  whom  his  youth  and 
middle  age  were  spent  with  reverence  and  respect 
regard  him,  ever  seeing  the  sterling  integrity,  clear 
business  decision,  and  prompt  action  that  he  used  so 
well  in  the  building  up  of  the  town  of  Elyria. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


105 


among  eight  hunters,  and  thii-teen  squaws,  boys  and  children.  But  they 
were  divided  equally.  The  next  day,  the  hunters  turned  out  again,  and 
succeeded  in  killing  one  deer  and  three  bears.  One  of  the  bears  was 
remarkably  large  and  fat.  All  hands  turned  out  the  nest  morning  to 
bring  in  the  meat. 

*'  During  the  whiter,  a  war  party  of  four  went  out  to  the  borders  of 
Pennsylvania,  to  procure  horses  and  scalps,  lea\ing  the  same  number 
in  camp,  to  jjrovide  meat  for  the  women  and  children.  They  returned 
towards  spring,  with  two  scalps  and  four  horses.  After  the  departure 
of  the  warriors,  we  had  hard  times,  and  though  not  out  of  provisions, 
we  were  brought  to  short  allowance.  At  length,  Tontileaugo  had  fair 
success,  and  brought  into  camp  sufficient  to  last  ten  tiays.  Tontileaugo 
then  took  me  with  him  in  order  to  encamp  some  distance  from  the 
winter  cabin.  We  steered  south  up  the  creek  ten  or  twelve  miles,  and 
went  into  camp . " 

This  was  jirobably  iu  La  Grange.  They  went  to 
bed  hungry  the  first  night,  but  the  ne.xt  day,  suc- 
ceeded in  killing  a  bear,  and  the  day  after,  a  bear  and 
three  cubs.  They  remained  here  about  two  weeks, 
killing  an  abundance  of  game,  and  then  returned  to 
the  winter  cabin.  On  their  arrival,  there  was  great 
joy,  as  all  were  in  a  starving  condition. 

About  the  first  of  Ajjril,  they  dug  up  their  canoe, 
but  were  forced  to  make  an  additional  one  to  carry 
all  their  riches — left  their  winter  cabin  at  the  falls, 
and  proceeded  to  the  lake — -Tontileaugo  by  water,  and 
Smith  on  horseback.  On  reaching  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  they  proceeded  west  along  the  shore  to  Sun- 
yeu-deauk  (Sandusky),  where  was  another  Wyandotte 
town.  Late  in  the  fall.  Smith  joined  a  hunting 
party,  and  i^roceeded  to  the  Cuyahoga  river.  At  the 
distance  of  about  thirty  miles  from  its  mouth,  they 
formed  an  encamjjment  near  a  small  lake,  and  spent 
the  winter  in  catching  beaver.  In  the  spring  of  1757 
they  returned  to  Sandusky,  and  soon  proceeded  by 
water  to  Detroit,  where  they  disposed  of  their  peltry 
to  the  French  traders. 

In  1759,  Smith  accomiianied  his  Indian  relatives  to 
Montreal,  where  he  was  finally  exchanged,  and  re- 
turned home  in  17G0,  to  find  his  old  sweetheart  mar- 
ried, and  all  sup))osing  him  dead.  He  afterwards 
became  a  captain  iu  the  regular  British  army,  and 
was  engaged,  principally,  in  protecting  the  border 
settlers  against  Indian  raids.  During  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  he  joined  the  patriot  army,  rose  to  the 
rank  of  colonel,  and  did  good  service,  both  against 
the  British  and  their  Indian  allies.  In  1788,  he 
migrated  to  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  where  he 
represented  his  district  in  the  assembly  down  to  the 
present  century. 

After  this  long  digression,  we  return  to  the  history 
of  Elyria  in  later  times. 

ORIGHiTAL  OWNERS. 

The  township  of  Elyria  was,  in  April,  1807,  drawn 
by  the  following  individuals  of  the  Connecticut  land 
company,  vi/,:  Justin  Ely,  Roger  Newberry,  Jona- 
than Bruce,  Elijali  White,  Enoch  Perkins,  .John  H. 
Buel,  .Jonathan  Dwiglit,  and  others,  whose  names  are 
not  mentioned. 

At  the  September  term  of  the  supreme  court,  in 
Portage  county,  iu  1816,  the  south  part  of  the  town- 
ship (about  one-third  of  the  whole,)  was  set  off  to 
Justin  Ely;  the  central  part  to  Elijah  White.    A  tract 

14 


of  two  thousand,  one  hundred  and  ten  acres,  lying 
immediately  north  of  this,  was  assigned  to  Jonathan 
Bruce,  and  the  remaining  portion  of  the  township  to 
Enoch  Perkins  and  Roger  Newberry. 

White  conveyed  his  tract  to  Justin  Ely,  and  he,  in 
turn,  to  Heman  Ely,  his  son,  who  purchased  the 
Bruce  tract,  making  him  the  owner  of  twelve  thou- 
sand five  hundred  acres  lying  in  a  single  body.  The 
following  history  of  the  settlement  of  the  township  of 
Elyria  is  prepared  from  reminiscences  of  the  venerable 
Artemas  Beebe,  the  Hon.  Heman  Ely,  the  address  of 
the  Hon.  W.  W.  Boynton,  and  from  personal  inter- 
views with  N.  B.  (iates  and  such  early  settlers  as  are 
now  remaining  in  the  township. 

SETTLEMENT. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  181G,  Heman  Ely,  of 
West  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  came  to  Oliio  to 
look  after  his  estate.  He  came  in  a  sulky,  until  he 
readied  Buffalo,  where,  leaving  his  sulky,  he  com- 
pleted his  journey  on  horseback. 

A  NARROW  ESCAPE. 

' '  In  following  the  trail  which  wound  along  the  lake  shore,  through  the 
unbroken  forest,  the  ground  gave  way,  his  horse's  hind  feet  were  thrown 
over  a  high  wash  bank.  The  horse,  however,  clung  with  his  fore  feet; 
Mr.  Ely  clung  to  the  bridle  and  mane,  and  a  vigorous  use  of  the  whip 
probably  saved  the  life  of  the  founder  of  Elyria." 

He  made  his  home,  temporarily,  with  Moses  Eldred, 
father  of  Clark  Eldred  now  of  Elyria,  who  then  kept 
a  tavern  some  two  miles  east  of  the  river,  in  Ridge- 
ville  township. 

Mr.  Ely  immediately  set  about  the  work  of  im- 
provement. First  of  all,  he  contracted  with  Jedediah 
Hubbell,  and  a  man  named  Shepard,  of  Newburgh, 
Cuj'ahoga  county,  to  build  a  dam,  and  erect  a  grist 
and  saw  mill.  These  were  located  on  the  east  branch 
of  Black  river,  near  the  foot  of  the  present  Broad 
street.  There  was  also  erected  a  large  log  house, 
which  stood  near  where  Mr.  Beebe  afterwards  built  his 
tavern  stand.  This  was  occoupied  by  John  Bacon, 
late  of  Carlisle,  who  boarded  the  men  who  were  en- 
gaged iu  the  construction  of  the  mills. 

During  his  first  visit,  Mr.  Ely,  while  examining 
his  lands,  in  company  with  Clark  Eldred,  then  a 
young  man,  came  upon  a  spot,  some  two  and  a  half 
miles  west  of  the  river,  which  jjleased  young  Eldred, 
and  which  he  selected  for  his  future  home.  Though 
as  yet  unsurveyed,  he  made  a  verbal  contract  for  it,  ■ 
and  after  its  survey,  secured  a  deed.  Mr.  Eldred 
occupied  this  farm  for  fifty-five  years,  and  for  many 
years  kept  a  hotel.  He  now,  after  a  long  and  useful 
life,  resides  in  the  village,  retaining  his  full  powers 
of  mind  and  memory. 

Mr.  Ely  returned  to  Massachusetts,  in  the  fall  of 
1816,  and  immediately  commenced  making  prepara- 
tions for  his  I'emoval  to  liis  wilderness  possessions  on 
Black  river. 

About  the  first  of  January,  1817,  Mr.  Ely  sent  on 
three  men,  with  axes  in  their  hands,  to  commence 
clearing  land.    They  made  the  entire  distance  on  foot 


106 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


(about  six  hundred  miles),  and  before  Mr.  Ely  ar- 
rived with  his  party,  in  March,  they  had  made  quite 
a  hole  in  the  woods.  Their  names  were  Roderick 
Ashley,  Edwin  Bush,  and  James  Porter. 

On  the  20th  of  February,  1817,  Mr.  Ely  and  his 
party  commenced  their  weary  journey,  much  of  the 
way  by  a  wood  route,  barely  passable  at  any  time,  but 
especially  difficult  at  that  season  of  the  year.  AVe 
who  live  in  this  age  of  telegraiihs  and  railroads,  and 
can  to-day  take  our  breakfast  in  Elyria,  and  to-mor- 
row morning,  after  a  comfortable  night's  rest  in  a 
sleeping-car,  take  the  same  meal  in  New  York  City, 
have  but  a  feeble  conception  of  the  trials  and  diffi- 
culties attending  the  same  journey,  from  the  cast, 
sixty-one  years  ago.  The  mode  of  conveyance  of 
these  pioneers  was,  by  a  stout  pair  of  horses  harnessed 
to  an  equally  stout  wagon.  This  vehicle  was  covered 
with  homespun  tow-cloth  over  the  bows,  in  the  prevail- 
ing emigrant  style.  The  party,  six  in  all,  started  from 
their  New  England  homes  in  high  spirits.  It  con- 
sisted of  Heman  Ely,  the  founder  of  the  present 
township  and  village  of  Elyria,  Ebenezer  Lane,  after- 
wards chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio, 
Miss  Anna  Snow,  housekeeper,  Luther  Lane,  who 
drove  the  team,  Artemas  Beebe,  a  house  joiner  and 
carpentei',  who  had  been  engaged  to  accompany  the 
expedition;  and  a  colored  servant  of  Mr.  Ely's,  named 
"Ned."  They  proceeded  as  far  as  Seneca  Falls  when, 
the  sleighing  being  good,  they  halted,  and  made  a 
sled.  Loading  the  wagon  and  goods  on  the  sled, 
they  pushed  on  to  the  vicinity  of  Buffalo,  when  the 
sleighing  left  them.  From  Buffalo  to  '('attarangus 
creek,  they  traveled  on  the  ice.  They  arrived  at 
Cleveland,  without  accident  or  material  incident,  on 
the  IGtli  of  March,  and  a  few  days  subsequent,  at  the 
Mecca  of  their  pilgrimage,  where  they  were  duly  in- 
stalled in  the  log  house,  before  mentioned.  I  quote 
from  the  interesting  reminiscences  of  Mr.  Beebe: 

**  Mr.  Bacon  and  family  went  to  their  home  in  Carlisle,  and  Mr.  Luther 
Lane  went  with  the  team  for  straw  to  fill  the  beds.  When  the  river  fell 
so  that  the  load  could  be  brought  over,  two  beds  were  made,  and  a  de- 
scription of  them  will  not  be  out  of  place.  Mr.  Ely  had  brought  some 
bed-ticks  from  the  east,  ready-made,  and  the  cover  of  the  wagon  was 
also  converted  into  ticks.  The  bedsteads  were  made  of  poles,  with  bark 
stretched  across  them  for  bottoms,  and  pillows  were  scarce.  Some 
coarae  cloth  was  used  for  sheets.'' 

A  family  named  Beach  made  a  settlement,  in  181  fi, 
in  the  western  part  of  the  township,  near  the  site  of  the 
present  Haag's  mill.  This  was  the  first  white  family 
■to  settle  in  the  township.  On  the  10th  of  September, 
1817,  Mrs.  Beach  gave  birth  to  a  son,  the  Jimt  whUc 
child  born  in  the  township.  lie  was  named  Henrj', 
and  was  living,  at  a  recent  date,  in  Rockjwrt,  Cuya- 
hoga county,  and  with  him,  his  aged  mother.  Mr. 
Beach  was  taken  sick  soon  after  the  birth  of  the 
child,  and  died  on  the  2'2d  of  the  succeeding  No- 
vember. Mrs.  Beach  took  her  family,  and  the  dead 
body  of  her  husband,  to  the  log  school  house,  opposite 
Captain  Eld  red's.  He  was  buried  in  a  sandy  ridge,  a 
little  east  of  of  the  center  of  Ridgeville.  Mr.  A. 
Beebe  made  the  coffin.  This  was,  doubtless,  the  first 
death  of  a  white  person  in  the  townshijj. 


Mr.  Beebe  says  the  first  improvement  in  the  way  of 
chopi)ing,  was  made  by  Clark  Eldred,  who  had  about 
two  acres  chopped  down  when  the  improvements 
were  commenced  in  the  village.  The  first  clearing 
in  the  village  was  made  at  the  foot  of  Broad  street, 
and  progressed  westward,  as  required.  In  this  clear- 
ing, the  houses  of  Mr.  Ely  and  }t\r.  A.  Beelje  were 
built.  George  Douglas  and  Gershom  Danks,  car- 
{)enter?,  arrived  from  Westficld,  Massachusetts,  about 
tlie  first  of  April,  1817,  and  so(m  after  the  work  of 
building  was  commenced.  The  ^rst/rajned  build  in;/ 
erected  was  to  be  occu])ied  for  a  store.  This  was 
located  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Ely  home- 
stead lot,  at  the  corner  of  Cedar "  and  Broad  streets. 
It  was  about  twenty  by  forty  feet,  one  story  high, 
and  without  a  cellar.  During  the  year  1817  it  was 
used  for  a  joiner  shop,  but  the  next  year  it  was  filled 
with  goods  by  Edmund  West  &  Co.  This  was  the 
pioneer  store  in  Elyria  which  has  since  been  "  noted 
for  its  trade  in  dry  goods,  and  for  the  success  which 
has  attended  the  enterprise  of  some  of  its  early  mer- 
chants." The  next  building  was  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Ely,  and  is  the  same  now  occujiicd  by  his  son,  Hon. 
Heman  El}".  This  house  was  forty-five  feet  front  by 
forty  feet  deep,  with  a  kitchen  and  wood-house  in  the 
rear  and  a  cellar  under  the  main  building.  It  has 
undergone  various  changes  and  iinjjrovemcnts  both 
externally  and  internally,  and  its  present  fine  archi- 
tectural appearance  and  Iteautiful  surroundings  are  in 
striking  contrast  with  the  ])icture  it  presented  in  the 
dense  forest  sixty  years  ago.  The  siding  of  the  lioit-c 
was  all  made  from  one  whitewOod  tree  that  stood  at 
the  turn  of  the  street  near  where  the  large  willow 
now  stands. 

On  the  39th  day  of  Jlay,  1817,  Captain  Festus 
Coolcy,  father  of  Festus  Cooley  late  of  Elyria  but  now 
of  Kansas,  arrived  from  Westfield,  Mass.,  and  took 
charge  of  liotli  the  saw  and  grist  mills.  He  came  tlie 
whole  distance  on  foot.  In  the  summer  Enos  Mann 
came  to  Elyria.  He  was  from  Becket,  Mass.  lii 
located  on  the  farm  east  of  the  rivei',  since  owned  by 
Deacon  Lane.  Mr.  Mann  was  a  turner  of  wooden 
bowls,  and,  it  is  said,  followed  this  vocation  for  a 
number  of  years  after  his  arrival  in  Elyria.  During 
the  fall  following  their  arrival  Mrs.  Mann  gave  birth 
to  a  son,  the  second  born  in  the  township.  Mrs. 
Mann  died  on  the  9th  of  March,  1833,  and  her  re- 
mains were  the  first  interred  in  the  Elyria  cemetery. 
A  plain  sandstone  slalis  marks  the  spot,  and  upon 
it  the  following  inscription:  "In  memory  of  Mrs. 
Clamaney  Mann,  consort  of  Mr.  Enos  Mann,  who 
died  JIarch  9,  183.",  in  the  fortieth  year  of  her  age." 
A  simple  collection  of  words  and  figures,  yet  of  what 
terrible  significance  to  the  bereaved  ones,  hundreds  of 
miles  from  relatives,  in  a  comparative  wilderness. 
Friends  were  raised  up  for  them,  and  kind,  tiiougli 
strange  hands,  ministered  to  tlie  wants  of  the  mother- 
less ones. 

Neri  Gulpin,  from  Litchfield  county.  Conn.,  settled 
in  Elyria  in  November,  1833,  on  the  farm  now  occu- 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


107 


pied  by  Anson  Pangburn.  Seven  cliildren  came  with 
liini.  Of  Uiese  but  one  resides  in  Elyria:  Marcus  D., 
who  married  Amanda  Ely,  daugliter  of  Lewis  Ely, 
who  came  to  the  IJesorve  in  isoO,  louatiug  in  Deer- 
field,  now  Portage  county,  with  his  parents,  Lewis 
and  Anna  (Granger)  Ely. 

Lewis  Ely,  Jr.,  came  to  Elyria  in  ISTi,  purchased 
two  lots  oh  West  Broad  street,  put  up  a  small  frame 
house,  returned,  and,  with  his  family,  removed  to 
Elyria  in  the  spring  of  1834.  Mr.  Ely  was  killed  by 
a  runaway  horse,  in  Juno,  1831.  He  was  sheriff  of 
Jjorain  county  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Mrs.  Ely 
died  in  1863. 

Francis  Douglas,*brother  of  George  Douglas,  came 
from  Westfield,  Mass.,  to  Elyria  in  1830.  He  was  a 
carpenter,  and  for  several  years  a  Methodist  local 
preaclier.  lie  built  several  houses,  one  of  which  is 
the  l)rick  front  west  of  the  pul)lic  square  now  occu- 
pied i)y  Dr.  Sherwood.  In  1843,  he  removed  to  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  where  ho  died  in  March,  1878,  aged 
eighty  j^ears. 

Calvin  Smith  removed  witli  his  family  from  Nauga- 
tuck,  Conn.,  to  Elyria  in  1819.  He  built  a  log  house 
east  of  the  river  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  Mr.  L. 
F.  Ward,  where  he  resided  several  years.  He  removed 
from  thence  to  Sheffield,  where,  after  a  long  sickness, 
he  died  in  1836.  He  was  a  fine  singer,  and  led  the 
singing  in  the  early  religions  meetings  in  the  log 
school  house  east  of  the  river. 

Heber  G,  Sekins,  born  in  Stafford,  Vt.,  came  to 
Elyria  in  the  fall  of  1835.  His  family  then  consisted 
of  a  wife  and  two  cliildren.  Ira  15.,  the  oldest,  still 
resides  in  Elyria.  He  was  for  years  connected  with 
the  military  organizations.  One  of  his  daughters  is 
the  widow  of  the  late  Thomas  Childs,  and  still  resides 
in  the  village.  Another  daughter  married  Elizur 
Northrop.     They  are  residents  of  Cleveland. 

We  are  unable  to  ol>tain  the  names  and  liistory  of 
many  of  the  fii-st  settlers,  but  shall  refer  to  some  of 
them  incidentally  as  we  proceed. 

Immediately  after  the  first  settlement  of  the  town- 
ship, Mr.  Ely  and  others  felt  the  importance  of  estab- 
lishing and  maintaining  religious  institutions.  They 
had  built  a  log  school  house  on  the  triangular  piece 
of  ground  between  the  railroad  and  the  highway,  just 
across  the  east  branch  of  the  river.  Here  the  pioneers 
assembled  every  Sunday  and  engaged  in  public  wor- 
ship. Mr.  Ely  usually  read  a  sermon;  Luther  Lane 
and  William  Smith  were  called  upon  to  lead  in  prayer; 
Calvin  Smith,  assisted  by  Irene  Allen  and  others,  led 
the  singing.  We  again  quote  from  Mr.  Beebe's  remi- 
niscences: 

j  "The  first  sermon  preached  in  Elyria  was  hy  the  Rev.  Alvin  Hyde,  on 
!  the  5th  of  February,  ISIS.  He  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hyde  of  Lee, 
Berlcsliire  countv,  Mass.  His  text  was  from  Jonah  2:  9,  '  Salvation  is  of 
I  the  Lord.'  During  part  of  the  years  1817-18,  he  resided  in  Dover,  where 
■  he  preached  half  i>f  the  time,  and  the  other  half  in  the  adjacent  town- 
I     ships. 

"  Our  ordinary  rations  consisted  of  pork,  flour  and  peas.  Sometimes 
we  got  venison  and  fresh  fish.  The  Indians  furnished  us  with  the  first 
fish  we  had.  They  caught  them  below  the  falls.  They  shot  the  deer 
where  they  could  find  them,  and  would  come  riding  in  single  file  with 
1  squaws  and  pappooses  on  their  ponies.  They  came  from  Upper  San- 
dusky to  hunt  and  fish,  and  belonged  to  the  Wyandotte  and  Seneca 


tribes.  They  used  to  camp  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Hoyle 
and  Col;  Gates,  which  was  then  covered  by  a  small  grovrth  of  hemlocks 
and  pines. 

"  Mr.  Chester  Wright  had  established  a  distilleiy  on  the  east  side  of 
the  cast  brani'h,  in  the  rear  of  the  sand  pits.  The  Indians,  being  great 
lovers  of  whisky,  could  obtain  supplies  at  the  distillery,  whisky  being 
considered  one  of  the  necessities  of  life."  Mr.  Beebe  remarks  that 
"distilleries  were  then  as  plenty  as  cheese  factories  are  now.  Some  of 
the  Indians'  names  were  Goodhunt,  Red  Jacket,  Betwixt-the-Logs,  etc. 
They  were  civil  and  gave  us  no  trouble." 

WILD    ANIMALS. 

Bears  were  frequently  killed  by  the  early  settlers, 
and  were  particularly  destructive  of  the  pigs  that 
roamed  in  the  woods  in  those  days.  In  the  winter  of 
1830,  J.  A.  Harris,  late  of  the  Cleveland  Herald,  who 
then  resided  in  Elyria,  encountered  four — an  old  bear 
and  three  well  grown  cubs — in  the  woods  just  east  of 
E.  A.  Griswold's.  The  three  cubs  ascended  a  tree, 
while  the  old  bear  maintained  her  position  on  the 
around.  He  first  lodged  a  ball  in  the  old  bear.  In- 
stead  of  attacking. him,  she  fled,  leaving  her  young 
unprotected.  He  fired  deliberately  at  each  of  the 
three  in  the  tree,  bringing  them  all  dovvn,  and  killing 
bat  one.  He  had  only  a  squirrel  rifle.  With  a  target 
gun,  such  as  are  used  at  this  time,  he  would  probably 
have  bagged  them  all.  A  party  of  hunters  followed 
them  the  next  day,  tracking  them  by  their  blood,  but 
did  not  overtake  them.  lu  the  winter  of  1831-3,  the 
writer  was  teaching  school  in  the  yellow  school  house 
which  stood  west  of  the  public  square,  on  the  ground 
now  occupied  by  the  town  hall.  One  afternoon  the 
school  was  thrown  in  great  commotion  by  a  bear  pass- 
ing through  the  town  just  back  of  the  school  house, 
pursued  by  dogs  and  hunters.  It  crossed  the  river 
below  the  falls,  and  was  killed  about  three  miles  down 
the  river,  on  the  farm  belonging  to  the  late  Aaron  R. 
Taylor.  This  was  the  last  bear  seen  iii  this  vicinity. 
Wolves  were  quite  numerous  until  about  1835. 
Their  bowlings  could  be  heard  almost  every  night  in 
the  woods  north  of  town.  One  evening  during  the 
fall  of  1833,  the  writer  was  i^assing  on  foot  along  the 
road  which  skirted  a  swamp  near  the  residence  of 
Harlcjw  Wells,  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  township, 
a  pack  of  wolves  followed  him,  keeping  along  the 
boiirder  of  the  swamp,  so  near  that  he  could  hear  the 
pattering  of  their  feet.  Their  bowlings  were  not 
musical,  but  very  much  diversified.  Like  the  retreat- 
ing soldier,  though  not  frightened  he  was  somewhat 
demoralized.  The  last  wolf  was  seen  in  Elyria  during 
the  year  1844.  He  was  evidently  lonely,  as  he  sought 
the  society  of  dogs;  but  the  dogs  did  not  fraternize 
with  him,  but  avoided  his  society.  Many  times  he 
came  into  the  village  during  the  evenings,  and  our 
largest  bull-dogs,  after  a  brief  encounter,  retreated  to 
their  kennels  in  disgust.  He  created  much  excite- 
ment among  the  citizens.  Those  who  had  brief 
glimpses  of  him  greatly  magnified  his  size,  and  im- 
agined him  to  be  some  huge  wild  animal,  probably  a 
panther  of  the  largest  class.  At  length  during  the 
ensuing  winter  a  party  of  hunters  got  on  his  track 
which  they  followed  for  three  days,  killing  him  in  New 
Haven,    Huron   county.      While   being   pursued   he 


108 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


would  stop  occasionally  to  kill  a  sheep  on  which  to 
refresh  himself.  Tiie  party  returned  in  triumph, 
bringing  his  skin,  wlii(;li  \v:is  stuflod  and  preserved  in 
the  rooms  of  the  Natural  History  Society  until  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1852,  when  the  block  containing  the  rooms 
was  consumed  by  fire,  and  this,  with  all  other  speci- 
mens, perished.  He  was  a  gray  wolf  of  the  largest 
size,  and  evidently  a  veteran. 

Many  anecdotes  could  be  related  of  the  encounters 
of  our  pioneer  settlers  with  Avolves;  some  of  them 
being  followed  by  a  pack  in  the  evening  were  forced 
to  take  refuge  in  trees,  where  they  remained  till 
morning,  when  their  pursuers  retreated.  Mr.  George 
Sexton  and  wife,  living  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the 
village,  hearing  a  disturbance  among  their  slieep  in 
the  barnyard,  got  up  and  went  out  en  dishabille,  and 
with  an  axe  dispatched  the  disturber  of  their  repose 
among  their  sheep. 

Deer  were  very  numerous  until  about  1835.  The 
writer  once  saw  tliirty  in  a  flock  on  the  farni  of  Mr. 
Asahel  Parmely.  Tlioy  liad  entered  the  clearing 
probably  to  avoid  the  black  flies  wbicli  were  very  nu- 
merous in  tlie  woods  at  tluit  time.  Venison  and  pork, 
with  an  occasional  wild  turkey,  furnished  meat  for 
the  early  settlers.  There  were  no  butchers'  meat-shops 
in  those  days.  When  a  pioneer  got  out  of  meat  he 
took  down  his  trusty  rifle,  and  usually  soon  brought 
in  a  deer.  What  he  could  not  consume  in  liis  own 
family  he  distributed  to  his  neighbors. 

The  last  deerseen  in  tJie  township  was  in  the  winter  of 
1841.  A  party  of  fifteen  or  twenty  young  clerks  and 
mechanics  went  out  one  pleasant  day  in  February,  with 
hounds  to  hunt  rabbits.  On  entering  the  woods  west 
of  Gates'  saw-mill  they  discovered  fresh  deer  tracks. 
The  dogs  were  put  upon  the  tracks  and  soon  gave 
tongue.  The  boys  were  directed  to  form  a  line  across 
the  woods.  Before  the  line  was  fully  formed  one  of 
the  deer  broke  through  and  was  killed  by  the  writer. 
A  second  one  passed  by  the  end  of  the  line  and  escaped, 
pursued  by  one  of  the  dogs.  The  third  and  last  one, 
a  noble  buck,  approached  the  line  at  its  east  end.  He 
was  but  two  or  tliree  rods  in  advance  of  the  di)g,  and 
instead  of  running  at  full  speed  he  was  making  leaps 
three  or  four  feet  from  the  ground.  He  turned  on 
seeing  the  boys  and  ran  about  ton  rods  in  front  of 
them  the  whole  length  of  the  line.  Each  one  had  his 
shot,  but  no  one  was  guilty  of  shedding  one  drop  of 
his  blood.  This  skirmish  line  was  about  as  harmless 
as  some  at  a  later  day,  in  the  army,  where  immense 
quantities  of  ammunition  were  wasted  without  loss  on 
either  side.  The  two  deer  which  escaped  were  killed 
the  same  day  by  other  hunters,  one  in  Amherst  and 
the  other  at  the  stave  landing  on  Black  river. 

Wild  turkeys,  which  were  very  numerous  at  the 
first  settlement  of  the  country,  have  almost  entirely 
disappeared.  They  were  sold  on  the  street  at  an  early 
day  for  twenty-five  cents  each.  The  largest  size 
weighed  thirty  pounds  dressed. 


MR.  ELY'S   JOURNEY. 

In  the  fall  of  1817,  Mr.  Ely  started  on  horseback 
for  his  old  home  in  Massachusetts,  while  Ebenezer 
Lane  and  Luther  Lane  started  for  the  same  destina- 
tion on  foot.  They  walked  as  far  as  Albany  where 
they  took  the  stage  for  Springfield.  During  their 
absence  Mr.  George  Douglas  and  Mr.  Beebe  remained 
and  worked  on  the  inside  of  Mr.  Ely's  house.  Mr. 
Ely  returned  in  the  spring  of  1818. 

In  the  fall  of  1818,  Mr.  Ely  took  the  steamboat 
"  Walk-in-the- Water  "  for  the  east.  The  steamer  first 
went  to  Detroit,  as  she  could  not  stop  at  Cleveland  on 
her  way  down,  there  being  no  har-bor.  He  left  Cleve- 
land on  the  17th  of  September,  reaching  Detroit  on 
the  21st,  and  Buffalo  on  the  24th.  The  ' '  Walk-in- the- 
Water"  was  the  first  steamboat  on  Lake  Erie,  and 
seems  to  have  been  a  slow  walker. 

"Mr.  Ely  reached  West  Spriiigflekl  on  the  first  day  cf  October,  and  on 
the  10th  of  the  same  month  was  married  to  Miss  Celia,  daughter  of 
Col.  Ezekiel  P.  Belden,  of  Weather^ field,  Conn.  On  the  18th,  they  started 
for  Elyria,  where  they  arrived  October  30th,  in  company  with  Ebenezer 
Lane  and  his  wife.  Those  who  knew  the  first  Mrs.  Ely,  speak  of  her  in 
terms  of  warm  enthusiasm.  She  was  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  lady, 
kind  and  affectionate  in  her  disposition,  and  generous  to  the  poor  and 
needy.  She  was  especially  loving  to  the  little  children  of  the  pioneers- 
She  always  had  a  piece  of  cake  and  kind  words  for  them  when  they  called 
upon  her,  and  her  memory  was  cherished  by  all  of  them.  One— a  child 
at  that  lime— who  was  the  life  companion  of  the  writer,  often  spoke  of 
her  in  glowing  terms  of  praise.'' 

The  framed  house  not  being  comideted  when  Mr. 
Ely  returned  with  bis  bride,  they  commenced  house-    • 
keeping  in  the  log  house.     An  incident  is  related  by 
Mr.  Beebe.     We  quote  in  his  own  words: 

'*As  soon  as  it  was  known  in  the  settlements  that  Mr.  Ely  bad  brought 
home  w'ith  him  a  blooming  bride,  the  ladies  felt  it  a  duty  as  well  as  a 
pleasure  to  call  on  her.  Accordingly,  a  short  time  after  their  arrival, 
Mrs.  George  Sexton,  of  Ridgeville,  and  a  lad.v  friend  started  on  foot 
through  the  woods  to  call  on  the  bride.  On  arriving,  they  were  met  at 
the  door  of  his  cabin,  as  it  was  called  by  Mr.  Ely,  who  received  them 
cordiall.y  and  introduced  them  to  his  wife,  who  entertained  them  very 
pleasantly  d^u■ing  the  afternoon.  They  accepted  an  invitation  to  tea, 
and  their  companionship  was  so  agreeable  that  the  da.v  was  far  spent 
before  thej'  started  on  their  return  home.  Tl>ey  had  not  gone  far  from 
the  settlement  before  they  lo.st  their  way,  and  wandered  on  until  late  in 
the  night,  when  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  really  lost 
in  the  wilderness,  and  would  be  compelled  to  submit  to  the  necessity  of 
staying  where  they  were  till  mornmg.  They  therefore  crawled  up  on  a 
fallen,  leaning  tree,  and  held  on  by  other  trees  to  keep  from  falling,  and 
waited  for  morning  to  come,  as  it  did  at  last  with  all  the  chills  and  frosts 
of  a  November  night.  They  soon  found  their  way  home,  and  were 
quite  well  satisfied  as  they  had  visited  the  bride,  and  had  a  good  time 
after  all."  » 

Mr.  Beebe  and  George  Douglas  built  a  house  for 
Ebenezer  Lane  (afterward  Judge  Lane),  east  of  the 
river,   on    the   farm   afterward   bought   by   Clement 
Northrop.     Ebenezer  Lane,  on  the  11th  of  October, 
1818,  married  Frances  Ann,  daughter  of  Gov.  Roger 
Griswold,  of  Lyme,  Conn.,  and  returned  to  Ohio  in 
company  with  Mr.  Ely  and  wife.     His  house  being  in 
readiness,  he  commenced*  housekeeping  at  once.     He 
remained  on  his  farm  less  than  a  year.     Having  been     ' 
appointed  jjrosecuting  attorney  of  Huron  county,  he     } 
removed  to  Norwalk,   October  10,  1819.     The  Jour      ! 
ney  from  Elj'ria  to  Norwalk  was  made  on  horseback,     f 
Mrs.  Lane  riding  one  horse  and  lier  husband  another, 
he  carrying  their  infant  child  on  a  pillow  in  his  arms 
and  being  two  days  on  the  road.     He  rose  to  distinc- 
tion in  his  profession,  and  was  for  many  years  a  judge; 


>4 


f 


Photo,  by  C.  F.  Leo,  Elyrin,  0. 


/Si^i^ 


Nahum  Ball  Gates  was  born  in  St.  Alban's,  Vt.,  Sept.  28, 
1812.  His  father,  John  Gates,  and  his  mother,  Abigail  Ball, 
emigrated  from  Northborough,  Mass.,  to  St.  Alban's  in  1 800, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  that  township.  His  father  was  of 
Puritan  stock,  and  belonged  to  Revolutionary  blood.  The 
day  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  enlisted  in  the  army  of 
the  Revolution  for  three  years,  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  and  was  then  discharged  by  Gen.  Knox,  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  York.  His  three  eldest  brothers,  Samuel, 
Silas,  and  William,  served  in  the  same  war  during  its  con- 
tinuance. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  of  twelve 
children.  His  early  education  was  the  best  afforded  in  those 
days  in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  town,  with  one  term 
at  the  St.  Alban's  Academy,  to  fit  him  for  a  "  country  ped- 
agogue," teaching  district  school  for  three  winters  in  his 
native  State. 

The  years  of  his  minority  were  spent  on  his  father's  farm, 
attending  and  teaching  school  winters,  and  laboring  on  the 
farm  the  residue  of  the  year.  In  this  way  he  secured  for 
himself  an  athletic  frame  and  vigorous  Vermont  constitution. 
Being  violently  attacked  on  his  father's  farm,  in  the  spring 
of  1834,  with  what  was  termed  the  "  Western  Fever,"  which 
prevailed  at  that  time  in  Vermont  to  almost  an  alarming 
extent,  he,  on  the  29th  day  of  April,  1834,  bade  farewell  to 
his  native  heath  and  started  for  Ohio,  for  the  ostensible  pur- 
pose of  visiting  his  brother,  Horatio  N.  Gates,  who  at  that 
time  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Elyria,  Ohio, 
under  the  firm-name  of  Gates  &  Greene. 

After  remaining  in  Elyria  a  few  weeks,  he  went  to 
Cleveland  to  learn  more  of  the  West  and  find  something  to 
do.  Whilst  standing  in  front  of  the  Western  Reserve  Hotel, 
then  in  Ohio  City,  on  the  west  side  of  Cuyahoga  River,  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Swain  came  along,  and  inquired  of 
young  Gates  if  he  knew  of  any  one  who  would  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  go  into  the  woods  and  score  timber  for  him,  as 
he  was  about  to  erect  a  dwelling-house.  Young  Gates  vol- 
unteered his  services,  and  a  bargain  was  soon  struck.  The 
next  day  saw  a  good,  honest  day's  work  done. 


His  next  venture  was  painting  and  glazing,  in  the  employ 
of  William  Wheat.  At  this  time  the  cholera  broke  out  in 
its  most  malignant  form  in  the  cities  of  Cleveland  and  Ohio 
City.  Young  Gates  did  not  flee  to  the  country  or  shut  him- 
self up  in  some  secluded  retreat,  as  so  many  did,  but  he 
made  it  his  entire  business  for  weeks  to  watch  with  the  sick, 
to  care  for  the  dying,  and  to  bury  the  dead.  He  spent  day 
and  night  in  performing  these  duties  until  the  cholera  sub- 
sided. At  the  urgent  request  of  his  brother,  H.  N.  Gates, 
on  the  1st  day  of  September,  1834,  he  visited  Elyria  for  rest 
and  recreation,  spending  the  winters  of  1834  and  1835  in 
Elyria,  clerking  for  Gates  &  Greene. 

On  the  17th  day  of  May,  1835,  he  went  to  Black  River 
and  opened  a  general  assortment  store  for  Gates  &  Greene, 
where  he  resided  with  varying  success  and  experience  until 
the  fall  of  1838.  Here  his  Vermont  constitution  under- 
went a  fearful  struggle ;  a  nine  months'  siege  of  regular 
old-fashioned  typhus  fever  and  swamp  ague  could  not  conquer 
it ;  but,  in  his  own  words,  "  there  was  nothing  left  of  him 
but  his  boots  and  spurs." 

From  the  year  1836  until  1844  a  copartnership  existed 
between  himself  and  brother,  H.  N.  Gates,  in  the  forward- 
ing and  commission  business,  headquarters  being  at  Black 
River. 

In  the  fall  of  1838,  Mr.  Gates  was  elected  sheriflF  of 
Lorain  County,  removing  to  Elyria.  It  has  since  been  his 
residence.  During  his  residence  in  Black  River  he  filled 
the  various  offices  of  constable,  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
marshal  of  Charlestown  village.  On  the  12th  day  of  No- 
vember, 1838,  he  took  the  oath  of  ofBce  as  sheriff,  and 
entered  upon  its  duties.  The  court  of  Common  Pleas  was 
then  in  session.  This  was  the  time  of  great  excitement 
among  the  bogus  or  counterfeiting  fraternity,  who  at  that 
time  seemed  to  have  a  strong  foothold  in  many  of  the  town- 
ships of  Lorain  County.  Times  were  hard.  Nearly  all  the 
banks  in  the  country  had  suspended  specie  payment ;  the 
paper  money  then  in  circulation  was  of  all  grades  and  value. 
Many  thought  they  would  take  a  hand  in  currency  tinkering, 
which  was  the  order  of  the  day.     Therefore,  many  resorted 


NAHUM    BALL   GATES. 


to  countcrfeitiiis;  and  tlie  iiiakiiiir  of  bogus  coin.  Men  who 
had  been  arrested  and  placed  in  jail,  charged  with  this 
offense,  broke  out  and  fled  for  their  country's  good.  Mr. 
Israel  Cash,  who  had  turned  State's  evidence,  was  shot 
through  the  body,  but  not  killed,  by  the  son  of  an  implicated 
counterfeiter.  Lorain  County  was  all  excitement.  Such 
was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  Mr.  Gates  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  his  office.  Thus  they  remained  for  over  a 
year.  Strict  justice  will  ever  give  to  Sheriff  Gates,  a  de- 
termined judge;  and  efficient  ])rosecutor,  the  credit  of  break- 
ing up  this  nefarious  gang,  whose  wicked  ramifications  even 
reached  into  families  hitherto  called  honest  and  respect- 
able. His  prompt  action  routed  tlie  whole  gang,  root  and 
branch.  Many,  under  the  kind  care  of  Sheriff  Gates,  visited 
Columbus,  others  fled  their  country,  some  reformed,  and 
others  died. 

In  1840  a  zealous  Whig  was  Mr.  Gates;  active  was  the 
part  he  took  in  that  ever  memorable  campaign.  Zeal  and 
ardency  actuated  his  every  action.  As  marshal,  on  liis 
famous  black  horse  Bucephalus,  did  he  lead  the  pro- 
cession from  Elyria  and  adjoining  townships  that  visited 
that  imposing  and  grand  convention,  held  on  the  banks  of 
the  Maumee  River,  June  11,  1840. 

In  1840  he  was  re-elected  sheriff  of  Lorain  County. 
Serving  to  the  end  of  his  term,  he  completed  his  four  years, 
the  constitutional  limit. 

On  the  12th  day  of  May,  1841,  Mr.  Gates  married  Miss 
Sarah  S.  Monteith,  eldest  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Mon- 
teith,  who  formerly  had  filled  the  position  of  professor  of 
ancient  languages  at  Hamilton  College,  New  York.  Com- 
ing to  Elyria  he  took  charge  of  the  first  select  school 
taught  in  Elyria  of  any  note.  This  school,  .so  well  known 
as  the  High  School,  is  yet  remembered  with  the  fondest 
memory  by  many  a  one  who  can  never  forget  the  kindness 
and  the  many  virtues  of  their  teacher  long  years  since. 

From  this  marriage  numbers  the  issue,  viz.  :  John 
Quincy,  who  died  in  early  years ;  Elizabetli  Monteith,  wife 
of  Dr.  Wheeler,  of  Cleveland  ;  Charlotte  Augusta,  wife  of 
Rev.  T.  Y.  Gardner,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
Hudson,  Ohio  ;  Mary  Ely,  who  died  in  early  years ;  Charles 
Alexander,  graduate  of  Western  Reserve  College ;  William 
Nahum,  in  business  at  Massillon,  Ohio  ;  Nellie,  at  home  ; 
and  Frederick  Hayes,  the  tjaby,  but  a  good-sized  one,  now 
a  student  at  Western  Reserve  College. 

In  1843,  Mr.  Gates  purchased  of  Mr.  Heman  Ely  a 
mill  site  on  the  west  branch  of  Black  River,  and  proceeded 
at  once  to  build  a  saw-mill,  sash,  door,  and  blind  factory, 
to  which  he  gave  liis  personal  supervision  and  much  hard 
labor  for  twenty-three  years,  when,  in  1866,  he  sold  out. 
In  1848  lie  built  an  ashery  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Black 
River,  and  has  kept  the  same  in  .successful  operation  up  to 
the  present  time.  Mr.  Gates  thinks  he  may  be  classed  as 
the  oldest,  long-continued,  and  successful  ashery-man  in  the 
State.  This  ashery  is  still  smoking.  On  the  first  day  of 
September,  1869,  purchasing  of  Davis  M.  Clark  the  soap 
factory  on  the  west  side  of  Black  River,  he  lias  since  been 
and  now  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  his  celebrated 
chemical  erasive  soap. 

The  Lorain  County  Agricultural  Society  was  organized 
in  1845,  and  lived  along  at  a  poor,  dying  rate  until  1852, 
when  Mr.  Gates  was  elected  president  of  the  same.  He 
immediately  set  to  work  to  stimulate  its  activities  and  infuse 
new  life  by  inclosing  grounds,  building  stables  and  pens, 
erecting  sheds,  revising  and  enlarging  the  premium  lists ; 
and  since  that  time  he  has  served  ten  years  as  its  president, 
always  taking  the  laboring  oar,  and  perhaps  to  no  one  more 
than  him  is  said  society  more  indebted  for  its  progress, 
growth,  and  present  prosperity.  Of  its  tliirty-three  annual 
fairs  he  has  been  present  at  all  of  them,  actively  engaged 
in  promoting  its  interests. 

In  1844  he  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business 
at  No.  1  Cheapside,  Elyria.      Not  liking  the  cares  and  per- 


plexities of  the  business,  he  made  an  advantageous  sale  of 
his  wliole  stock  of  goods  in  1845  to  Messrs.  Castle  & 
King,  of  Medina,  Ohio,  saying,  as  he  closed  out  his  goods, 
"  that  he  should  never  engage  in  the  mercantile  business 
again  unless  he  got  hard  up."  Mr.  Gates  was  among  the 
founders  and  active  workers  in  the  Elyria  Union  School. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  the  most 
of  the  time  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century.  1860  saw 
him  coroner  of  Lorain  County,  which  office  he  filled  for 
two  years. 

He  was  ever  active  and  a  hard  worker  in  the  various  rail- 
road projects  wliich  have  been  connected  with  the  history 
of  Elyria  for  the  last  thirty  years.  In  1850  he  was  a  di- 
rector in  the  Lorain  Plank-Road  Company,  and  for  many 
years  was  superintendent  of  said  road.  The  year  1860  found 
him  an  active  worker  for  the  Republican  party,  and  an  officer 
in  the  Wido-Awake  Club.  In  1862  he  was  appointed  col- 
lector of  internal  revenue  for  the  fourteenth  district  of 
Ohio,  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  where  he  remained  until  re- 
moved by  Andrew  Johnson,  "  my  policy"  being  in  the  way. 
Elected  as  mayor  of  Elyria  in  1843  for  the  first  time,  he 
has  since  that  time  filled  that  position  for  twelve  years,  and 
is  now  acting  in  that  capacity. 

In  1856,  Caleb  S.  Goodwin,  treasurer  of  Lorain  County, 
dying,  Mr.  Gates  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and 
served  acceptably  for  one  year. 

Mr.  Gates's  life  in  Elyria  has  been  one  of  constant  ac- 
tion. For  example:  in  the  year  1856  he  was  treasurer 
of  the  county,  mayor  of  Elyria,  township  trustee,  member 
of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Elyria  Union  Schools,  su- 
perintendent of  the  Lorain  Plank-Road,  foreman  of  ./Etna 
( Elyria)  Fire  Company,  discharging  the  .several  duties  apper- 
taining to  each  with  acceptance,  to  say  the  least,  besides 
attending  to  his  own  personal  affairs,  whicli  were  neither 
few  nor  small. 

He  was  mainly  instrumental  in  the  formation  of  Elyria 
Lodge,  No.  103,  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd-Fellows, 
and  was  one  of  its  charter  members.  This  lodge  was  in- 
stituted March  1,  1848,  and  from  that  day  to  this  it  has 
been  an  honored  and  respected  institution.  Mr.  Gates  is 
the  oldest  member  of  said  lodge,  and  the  only  one  left  of 
its  charter  members,  or  of  those  present  at  its  inauguration. 

As  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Elyria,  and  society  of  said  church,  he  may  be  termed  a 
pronounced  Presbyterian  in  all  its  meanings. 

During  the  Rebellion  no  one  was  more  efficient  tlian 
Mr.  Gates.  His  quota  of  years  required  no  personal  enlist- 
ment to  fill  any  quota  demanded  from  Lorain  County,  yet 
it  may  be  truly  asserted  that  no  one  not  subject  to  draft 
(and  few,  if  any,  that  were)  did  more  than  Mr.  Gates,  by 
word,  act,  and  money,  for  the  republic. 

Of  strong  and  pronounced  opinions,  his  ear  is  ever  open 
to  reason's  call.  Commencing  life  with  little  or  nothing, 
prosperity  lias  not  elevated  him  above  the  cry  of  the 
poor  and  needy.  Generous  and  self-sacrificing,  his  purse 
is  ever  open  to  true  charity,  and  his  hand  is  always  found 
helping  the  downtrodden  and  oppressed.  Of  him  may 
it  truly  be  said  no  one  in  Elyria  has  spent  more  hours 
in  watching  with  the  sick,  in  burying  the  dead,  in  visiting 
the  widow  and  orphan,  than  Mr.  Gates. 

The  writer  knows  of  no  citizen  of  Elyria  wlio  has  spent 
more  time  for  the  public  at  large,  with  less  pay,  than  Mr. 
Gates.  No  one  can  he  recall  who  has,  according  to  his 
means,  so  liberally  contributed  with  voice,  action,  and 
money  to  Elyria's  various  improvements.  Now  at  the  ripe 
age  of  sixty-six  years,  with  commanding  presence,  hale  and 
liearty,  as  if  yet  he  breathed  the  mountain  air  of  his  old 
Vermont  home,  surrounded  with  the  comforts  of  life, 
with  home  graced  by  the  dear  wife  ever  young,  cheered  by 
the  presence  of  manly  and  womanly  children,  and  amused 
by  the  prattle  of  grandchildren.  Colonel  Gates  lives  honored 
and  respected  by  all. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


109 


and  for  a  portion  of  the  time  chief  justice  of  the 
supreme  court  of  Ohio.  He  died  in  Sandusky  on  the 
12th  of  June,  186G.  He  may  with  mucli  propriety  be 
ranked  among  the  great  men  of  Ohio.  He  graduated 
at  Harvard  College  in  1811,  and  studied  law  with 
Judge  Matthew  Griswold,  at  Lyme,  Conn.  He  did 
not  confine  himself  to  his  profession  alofte,  but  during 
his  whole  life  he  eagerly  pursued  the  different  branches 
of  natural  science,  and  became  eminent  as  a  naturalist. 
The  first  deed  executed  by  Mr.  Ely  was  made  to 
Ebenezer  Lane,  dated  June  1,  1818.  It  conveyed  lot 
sixty-four,  east  of  the  river,  containing  sixty-four 
acres;  the  second  to  Edmund  West;  the  third  to  Ar- 
tcmas  Beebe.  Mr.  Beebe  and  George  Douglas  had 
contracted  for  the  land  in  the  fall  of  1817.  It  con- 
sisted of  the  ground  where  his  old  tavern  stood.  The 
building  still  remains  on  the  same  spot,  in  good  con- 
dition. Early  in  1817,  Mr.  Ely  had  contracted  with 
Joshua  Henshaw  to  survey  the  township  and  village. 
He  was  assisted  by  Clark  Eldred  and  others.  Mr. 
Eldred  says  they  were  in  the  habit  of  starting  out  on 
Monday  morning,  with  their  week's  provisions  and 
blankets  on  their  backs.  They  stopped  wherever 
night  overtook  them.  They  cooked  their  own  pro- 
visions, and  the  water  they  drank  was  sometimes 
filled  with  wrigglers.  Part  of  the  surveys  were  made 
in  1816,  but  the  township  was  not  allotted  until  1817. 
The  town  plat  was  first  surveyed  in  blocks  in  1820. 
It  was  not  divided  into  lots  until  1823. 

FIRST  CELEBRATION  OF  THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY. 

This  occurred  at  Elyria  in  1819,  with  all  the  "pomp 
and  circumstance"  which  became  the  sons  of  New 
England  patriots.  The  settlers  in  all  the  adjacent 
townships  turned  out  en  viasse.  Grafton  especially 
was  represented  by  nearly  all  its  inhabitants.  They 
came  generally  with  ox-teams,  and  all  entered  into 
the  sjjirit  of  the  occasion.  A  blacksmith's  anvil 
served  in  place  of  a  cannon,  and  was  kept  warm 
during  the  day.  The  dinner  was  one  of  the  interest- 
ing features,  and  was  for  those  days  quite  sumptuous. 
The  dessert  consisted  of  several  popular  beverages,  of 
which  whisky  formed  the  chief  ingredient.  Mr.  El- 
bridgc  Gerry,  then  residing  in  Ridgeville,  delivered 
the  oration,  which  was  patriotic  and  of  course  loudly 
applauded.  Mr.  David  Gibbs,  of  Carlisle,  led  the 
martial  music.  He  was  not  only  a  good  drummer, 
but  proficient  on  the  fife  and  clarionet.  Mr.  Beebe 
says: 

*'  In  order  to  approximate  as  near  as  possible  the  old-fashioned  man- 
ner, an  old  fowUng-piece  was  strapped  on  the  back  of  John  Gould,  who 
placed  himself  on  ail-fours,  serving  as  gun-carriage,  whrn  a  toast  would 
be  read,  and  the  gunner,  with  a  grand  flourish  of  his  hot  poker,  would 
discharge  the  old  fliat-lock  amidst  rounds  of  applause." 

The  exercises  were  closed  with  a  grand  ball  in  the 
evening,  in  which  all  participated.  The  fiddler  was 
John  Shafer,  of  Ridgeville.  Several  remained  until 
morning.  It  is  said  whisky  was  freely  used,  as  was 
then  the  custom,  but  no  one  became  intoxicated, 

A  post  office  was  established  in  Elyria  on  the  23d 
of  May,  1818,  and  Heman  Ely  was  appointed  post 


master,  which  office  he  held  until  the  1st  of  April, 
1833.  The  revenues  accruing  to  the  government 
during  the  first  four  years  ranged  from  two  dollars 
a;id  forty-one  cents  to  eight  dollars  and  twenty-eight 
C3nts. 

Perhaps  no  more  suitable  place  can  be  found  to 
give  a  brief  sketch  of  some  of  the  lives  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Elyria,  The  biography  of  some  of  them 
will  be  written  by  an  abler  pen.  In  reference  to  Mr. 
Heman  Ely,  it  can  be  said  that  he  was  eminently 
just  as  a  landed  proprietor.  He  usually  sold  his 
lauds  on  four  years'  time,  on  a  written  contract  or 
article  of  agreement,  each  party  retaining  a  copy. 
He  was  very  systematic  and  methodical  in  his  busi- 
ness transactions,  living  up  fully  to  his  contracts,  and 
he  expected  those  with  whom  he  dealt  to  fulfil  their 
obligations;  but  he  was  never  known  to  dispossess  any 
of  the  early  settlers  of  their  lands  who  were  industri- 
ous, temperate  and  frugal,  and  were  doing  the  best 
they  could  to  make  themselves  homes  and  to  pay  for 
their  land.  Those  who  were  intemperate,  lazy  and 
shiftless,  and  others  who  took  up  land  merely  to  strip 
it  of  its  most  valuable  timber,  without  intending  to 
])ay  for  it,  found  no  mercy  at  his  hands. 

It  used  to  be  said  of  him  that  he  could  tell,  by 
looking  on  his  map,  whenever  a  tree  was  cut  on  any 
jiart  of  his  domain,  and  that  he  would  at  once  mount 
liis  horse  and  ride  directly  to  the  spot.  He  was  much 
on  horse-back,  and  early  settlers  will  remember  the 
old  bay  horse  that  stood  hitched  in  front  of  his  office, 
ready  saddled  and  bridled,  every  day  when  he  was  at 
home.  He  never  sought  official  position,  though  he 
served  for  six  years  as  associate  judge  of  the  county; 
and  he  was  on  several  occasions  a  member  of  the 
State  board  of  equalization,  which  met  at  Columbus 
to  equalize  the  lands  of  the  State  for  taxation.  In 
business  transactions,  he  was  a  man  of  few  words,  but 
when  free  from  the  cares  of  business  he  was  genial 
and  sociable,  and  loved  to  hear  and  tell  a  good  story. 
So  much  for  Mr.  Ely,  the  founder  of  the  township. 

A  sketch  of  the  life  of  Artemas  Beebe  will  be 
found  elsewhere. 

Captain  Festus  Cooley'  commanded  a  company 
of  Massachusetts  troojjs  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
marched  his  company  to  Boston,  but  as  Massachu- 
setts troojis  were  not  permitted  by  the  governor  to 
leave  the  State,  it  is  not  believed  that  the  company 
of  Capt.  Cooley  were  guilty  of  shedding  any  British 
blood.  He  came  to  Elyria  from  Springfield  on  foot, 
i.rriviug  on  the  29th  day  of  May,  1817,  and  imme- 
diately took  charge  of  both  the  saw  and  grist  mills, 
that  were  erected  in  181G.  He  put  them  in  good 
order,  and  all  things  seemed  to  prosper  in  the  way  of 
making  improvements  in  the  wilderness.  Mr.  Beebe 
says  "every  man  worked  with  a  will;  there  were  no 
drones  in  those  days."  In  the  spring  of  1819,  Capt. 
Cooley  went  east,  and  returned  with  his  family  in 
August  of  the  same  year.  He  moved  into  the  old 
tavern  stand,  built  by  Mr.  Beebe  and  George  Douglas, 
which  he  occupied  for  about  a  year,  until  Mr.  Beebe 


110 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


arrived  with  his  bride.  Capt.  Cooley  lived  ia  this 
town  until  the  time  of  his  death,  August  9,  1872,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eiglity-six  years.  Mrs.  Cooley 
survived  hiui  several  years:  she  died  August  4,  1876. 
He  was  a  kind  unci  oliiiging  nciglilior  and  friend,  and 
died  without  an  enemy,  lie  was  tlie  father  of  several 
daughters,  who  all  died  soon  after  reaciiing  maturity. 
His  only  son  Festus,  late  of  Elyria,  now  of  Blue 
Rapids,  Kansas,  is  his  only  surviving  child. 

LuTHEii  L.VNE  came  to  Elyria  with  the  first  jiarty 
of  immigrants.  Being  hired  for  only  eight  months, 
he  returned  at  the  end  of  that  time,  in  company  with 
the  late  Judge  Lane,  to  Massachusetts.  They  made 
the  entire  distance  on  foot.  He  returned  to  Elyria, 
in  1821,  and,  in  a  year  or  two,  built  the  house  where 
he  resided  until  his  death.  <)u  the  4th  of  July,  1836, 
he  nuirried  Miss  Ann  Cooley,  in  West  S])ringfield, 
and  brought  her  to  his  new  western  home.  She 
lived  to  share  his  toils,  joys  and  sorrows.  She  died 
only  a  few  years  before  her  husband,  ripe  in  years, 
and  lamented  liy  all,  who  loved  her  for  her  many 
christian  virtues.  Mr.  Lane  was  oue  of  the  original 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Elyria,  and 
was  elected  deacon  at  the  time  of  its  organization. 
He  was,  pre-eminently,  a  good  man.  No  one  spoke 
ill  of  him.  lie  was  honest,  industrious,  temperate, 
and  kind  t(i  all  witli  whom  he  associated.  Children 
loved  him,  for  he  always  had  a  kind  word  for  them. 
He  owned  the  farm  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  op- 
posite  the  residence  of  Rev.  L.  F.  Ward.  Deacon 
and  Mrs.  Lane  raised  no  children  of  their  own,  but 
they  brought  up  a  number  of  orphan  children,  who 
were  treated  with  parental  affection.  Ho  died  on  the 
23d  of  November,  1868. 

James  Porter  was  an  industrious,  hard  working 
man,  and  accumulated  considerable  property.  He 
owned  the  farm  now  belonging  to  I.  J.  Ra3inond, 
east  of  the  river,  and  several  houses  and  lots  in  town. 
Ho  left  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  was  six  years  old 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  M. 
B.  Purnly,  of  Dayton,  Ohio.  His  widow  married 
Dr.  H.  F.  Hubbard,  who  died  in  Wisconsin.  She  is 
still  living,  and  resides  with  her  children  in  Colorado. 

George  Douglas  died  young.  He  is  remembered 
by  the  early  settlers  as  an  enterjirisiug,  kind-hearted 
man.  He  died  on  the  5th  day  of  November,  1820; 
aged  thirty-five  years. 

Roderick  Ashley  went  east  after  a  year  or  two, 
and  engaged  in  boating  on  the  Connecticut  river, 
between  Sjjringfield  and  Hartford.  He  accumulated 
a  fortune,  and  died  at  an  advanced  age,  in  the  spring 
of  1878,  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him. 

(Jershom  Danes  bought  the  farm  now  occupied 
by  Sheldon  Paddock,  in  Ridgeville,  which  he  occupied 
for  several  years.  He  sold  out  many  years  ago,  and 
moved  west.     His  subsequent  history  is  unknown. 

Edward  Bush  returned  to  the  east,  but  afterwards 
removed  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  where  all  trace  of  him 
is  lost. 

John  Bacon,  who  kept  the  log  boarding  house  for 


the  pioneers,  removed  to  his  farm  in  Carlisle,  where 
he  resided  many  years.  He  died  not  long  ago,  at  an 
advanced  age.  Uncle  John,  as  he  was  familiarly 
called,  was  a  generous  and  kind-hearted  nuiu. 

(»f  the  first  settlers  in  Elyria,  Mr.  A.  Beebe  is  be- 
lievi'd  to  be  the  only  survivor. 

ELYRIA  VILLAGE 

as  first  incorporated,  embraced  only  the  territory  lying 
between  the  branches  of  Black  river.  Its  boundaries 
have  been  extended,  so  that  it  now  embraces  a  good 
part  of  the  township.  Should  its  territory  all  be  oc- 
cupied as  a  city,  it  would  contain  about  two  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants. 

The  cast  and  west  branches  of  the  river  approach 
each  other  at  the  south  line  of  the  township,  to  within 
the  distance  of  about  one  mile.  The  west  branch  runs 
in  a  northerly  direction,  until  it  reaches  the  west  falls. 
The  east  branch  runs  parallel  to  it,  until  it  passes 
sume  distance  north  of  Broad  street,  where  it  bends 
west,  and  for  a  short  distance,  south;  turning  again 
to  the  west,  it  reaches  the  east  falls,  a  little  below  the 
bridge,  which  connects  Washington  avenue  with 
Briiad  street.  These  falls  are  forty  feet  per])endieu- 
lar,  and  when  the  i-iver  is  high,  j)resent  a  grand  ap- 
])earance.  The  river  there  nuikes  its  way  through  a 
rocky  gorge,  about  sixty  rods,  where  it  unites  with 
the  west  lira.nch.  The  west  fall  is  about  the  same 
heighth  as  the  east.  After  leaping  the  fall,  it  runs 
through  a  similar  rocky  gorge,  for  about  forty  rods, 
where  the  two  branches  form  a  junction. 

SCENERY. 

The  scenery  on  both  l)ranches  below  the  falls  is 
grand  and  beautiful.  Immense  ledges  of  sandstone 
project  over  the  valley,  for  part  of  the  distance,  while 
hirge  boulders  of  the  same  material  are  found  in  the 
l)ed  of  the  stream,  which,  in  a  measure,  obstruct  its 
ixissage.  .  The  banks  on  either  hand  are  covered  with 
deciduous  trees,  with  which  are  intermingled  ever- 
green trees,  consisting  of  j'iues  and  hemlocks.  At 
the  foot  of  the  west  fall,  on  the  south  side,  there  is  a 
large,  wide-mouthed  cave,  over-arched  with  sand  rock. 
It  is  a  famous  resort  for  both  young  and  old.     Iliah 

Jo  B 

uj)  on  the  projecting  rock,  many  names  are  inscribed, 
and  among  them,  in  large  letters,  is  that  of  Q.  A. 
(iilmore,  1844.  At  that  date.  General  Gilmore  was  a 
bright  lad,  attending  school  in  Elyria. 

At  some  period  in  the  distant  jiast,  the  west  falls 
were  located  some  twenty  rods  below  where  they  are 
at  present,  and  at  the  place  where  they  poured  over 
the  precipice,  the  rocks  are  water-worn,  giving  abund- 
ant evidence  of  their  former  location.  Many  interest- 
ing relics  have  been  found  in  the  former  bed  of  the 
stream. 

At  the  foot  of  the  ancient  junction,  there  is  a  basin 
or  small  lake,  covering  an  acre  or  more  of  ground. 
Surrounding  this  basin,  the  scenery  is  indescribably 
grand;  rocks  are  piled  on  I'ocks,  in  endless  confusion. 
This  is  a  famous  resort  for  artists,  many  of  whom 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COtJNTY,  OHIO. 


Ill 


luive  visited  Elyria  for  the  purpose  of  sketching  its 
scenery.  A  little  below  the  basin,  there  is  an  island 
of  several  acres,  covered  with  majestic  trees  of  nia]ile, 
beech,  and  sycamore,  the  property  of  Mrs.  Charles 
Arthur  Ely.  This  she  has  generously  cleared  of 
underl)rush,  and  provided  with  rustic  seats.  She  has 
also  liuilt  a  stairway,  leading  down  from  the  high 
hank  above,  and  thrown  her  beautiful  grounds  open 
to  the  public.  Pic-nic  jiartios  come  from  a  distance 
to  enjoy  this  beautiful  retreat.  Strangei's  visiting 
Elyria  are  not  aware  that  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
Broad  street,  can  be  found  the  most  beautiful  scenery 
in  the  State. 

EELICS  OF  AN  ANCIENT  RACE. 

On  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  on  the  northei'n 
border  of  the  township,  there  is  a  lot  known  as  the 
Fort  Lot.  On  this  lot  there  are  extensive  works,  con- 
structed, probably,  by  a  race  of  people  who  inhabited 
this  country  prior  to  the  present  Lidian  race.  About 
forty  years  ago,  a  party  of  gentlemen,  of  whom  the 
writer  was  one,  nnide  a  survey  of  these  works.  They 
consisted  first,  of  a  large  central  mound,  near  the 
river  Ixink.  and  a  smaller  mound  on  each  side  of  it. 
The  bank  of  the  river  descended  gradually  for  about 
twenty  feet,  where  was  a  level  j)lateau,  some  two  rods 
in  width.  Out  of  this  bank  gushes  a  sjjring  of  pure 
water,  of  sufficient  size  to  carry  an  overshot  wheel, 
and  falls  into  the  river,  the  perpendicular  bank  of 
which  is  some  seventy-tive  feet  in  height.  Extending 
around  these  mounds,  some  ten  rods  or  more  from 
them,  was  a  ditch.  It  commenced  at  the  river  bank, 
some  twenty  rods  north  of  the  mounds,  and  termin- 
ated at  a  doeiJ  ravine,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
its  place  of  beginning.  At  the  distance  of  about  ten 
rods  from  each  other,  were  pits  or  caches,  evidently 
made  for  the  purpose  of  storing  provisions.  Very 
ancient  oaks  grew  from  the  bottom  of  the  ditch,  in 
places.  We  excavated  the  largest  mound  rather  im- 
perfectly, and  found  nothing  but  ijieces  of  potteiy, 
and  fragments  of  human  bones.  The  mounds  were 
undoubtedly  used  as  places  of  sepulture,  where,  after 
some  battle,  perhai)s,  large  numbers  of  the  slain  were 
entombed.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that,  the  owners  of 
the  land,  in  a  spirit  of  vandalism,  have  ploughed 
over  the  mounds,  and  they  are  nearly  on  a  level  with 
tlie  surrounding  surface. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  TOWNSHIP. 

On  the  twentietii  of  October,  1819,  the  township  of 
Elyria,  comjirising  townsjiips  number  five  and  six,,  in 
range  seventeen,  now  Carlisle  and  Elyria,  was,  by  the 
commissioners  of  Huron  county,  erected  a  separate 
township.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  its  jjioneer 
owner  and  settler,  Heman  Elj-, — Ely-ria.  The  first 
election  occurred  on  the  3d  of  April,  1830,  at  which 
time  there  were  twenty  votes  cast.  The  following 
I  list  gives  the  names  of  the  electors  at  that  time: 
Sherman  Miuot,  .Tohn  M.  Butler,  John  Bacon,  James 
A.  Sexton,  Abel  Farr,  Dudley  Starr,  George  Douglas, 


William  Sexton,  Enos  Mann,  Calvin  Eice,  Burton 
Waite,  Chester  Wright,  J.  L.  Terrell,  Elias  Mann, 
Heman  Ely,  Roger  Cooley,  Festus  Cooley,  .James 
Ledoit,  Henry  Wolford  and  Edmund  West.  James 
Ledoit  and  Sherman  Minot  were  judges  of  election, 
and  Edmund  West,  clerk.  Heman  Ely,  Sherman 
Minot  and  Jonathan  A.  Sexton,  were  elected  trustees. 
Edmund  West,  clerk  and  treasurer.  Heman  Ely  and 
Festus  Cooley,  overseers  of  the  poor.  Chester  Wright 
and  Enos  Mann,  fence  viewers.  John  F.  Butler  and 
Festus  Cooley,  appraisers  of  property.  George  Doug- 
las, constable,  and  Heman  Ely  and  William  Sexton, 
supervisors  of  highways.  Sherman  Minot  was  the 
first  justice  of  the  peace;  elected,  doubtless,  in  1820, 
though  the  only  record  we  find  is  a  copy  of  the  notice 
for  an  election  of  justice  of  the  })eace,  "in  place  of 
Sherman  Minot,  whose  term  of  office  expired  Decem- 
ber 33,  1822." 

From  a  list  of  taxable  property,  jircpared  in  May, 
1820,  by  Roger  Cooley  and  Phineas  Johnson,  we  learn 
that  there  were  in  the  township  eleven  hors(>s,  ninety- 
eight  cattle,  and  seven  houses,  five  of  which  were  val- 
ued at  one  hundred  dollars  each,  one  at  fourteen  hun- 
dred (Heman  Ely's),  and  another  (Artemas  Beebe's) 
at  nine  hundred  dollars.  The  number  of  horses 
returned  by  the  assessor  in  the  spring  of  1878  was 
seven  hundred  and  seventy-seven,  valued  at  thirty- 
eight  thousand  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars; 
cattle,  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven, 
valued  at  twenty-two  thousand  two  hundred  and 
ninety-four  dollars;  total  value  of  real  estate  and 
buildings,  township,  three  hundred  and  twelve  thou- 
sand and  thirty-five  dollars;  village,  one  million  and 
eighty-one  thousand  dollars;  total  in  townshij)  and 
village,  one  million  five  hundred  and  ninety-three 
thousand  and  thirty-five  dollars. 

The  records  of  the  townshiii  cannot  be  found  fur- 
ther back  than  1842.  At  the  spring  election  this  year 
Herrick  Parker,  Ira  Cunningham  and  Israel  Everden 
were  judges;  Schuyler  Putnam  and  Benjamin  F. 
Robinson,  clerks.  The  otHcers  elected  were  Ebenezer 
(h'iffith,  Daniel  Nesbitt  and  William  Gregg,  ti-ustees; 
Schuyler  Putnam,  township  clerk;  Abraham  Burrell, 
treasurer;  William  Doolittle  and  John  II.  Faxon,  con- 
stables, and  nine  supervisors  of  highways. 

In  1843,  Clark  Eldred,  Daniel  Nesbitt  and  Artemas 
Beebe,  trustees;  Stephen  B.  Wolcott,  township  clerk; 
A.  Burrell,  treasurer;  John  H.  Faxon,  constable; 
Heman  Burch  and  Edson  A.  Griswold,  justices  of  the 
peace. 

The  officers  for  18T8  are  Levi  Morse,  H.  C.  Tail 
and  George  F.  Sears,  trustees;  W.  II.  Park,  clerk; 
George  D.  Williams,  treasurer;  O.  Dole,  Charles 
Myers  and  S.  A.  Rawson,  constaliles;  Wm.  H.  Tucker, 
justice  of  the  peace. 

ELYRIA  CHOSEN  AS  THE  COUNTY  SEAT. 

j\Ir.  Ely  visited  Columbus  in  the  winter  of  1821-2, 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  an  act  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  county  of  Lorain.     He  traveled  on  horse- 


112 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


back,  and  the  first  day  out  he  became  lost  in  the 
woods.  He  succeeded  iii  finding  his  way  back  to  liis 
lionio  at  night,  and  the  next  day  was  more  successful 
in  finding  his  way,  and  finally  reached  tlie  State  capi- 
tal. The  new  county  was  not  formed  at  that  session 
of  the  (reueral  Assembly,  but  on  the  22d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1832,  an  act  was  passed  for  its  formation.  It 
was  taken  from  the  counties  of  Cuyahoga,  Huron  and 
Medina,  and  was  named  Lorain.  It  took  its  name 
from  Lorraine  in  France,  in  whieli  province  Mr.  Ely 
spent  some  time  while  in  Europe,  and  with  which  he 
was  greatly  pleased.  It  will  be  observed  that  the 
name  is  somewhat  anglicised.  It  originally  embraced 
the  townships  of  Homer  and  Spencer  now  in  Medina, 
and  Sullivan  and  Troy  now  in  Ashland  county.  At 
the  same  session  a  board  of  three  commissioners  was 
appointed  to  locate  the  county  seat.  Black  River  and 
Sheffield  were  competitors  with  Elyria,  and  tlie  com- 
missioners visited  both  of  those  townships;  but,  after 
a  fair  consideration  of  their  claims,  fixed  upon  Elyria 
as  the  seat  of  justice  for  the  new  county,  and  on  the 
14th  of  February,  1833,  drove  the  stakes  for  the  loca- 
tion of  the  new  court  house.  It  was  located  at  the 
north  east  corner  of  Middle  avenue  and  Broad  street, 
and  occupied  the  ground  where  J.  A.  Bean's  grocery 
store  now  stands.  Mr.  Ely  agreed  to  furnish  build- 
ings for  the  court  house  and  jail,  and  to  pay  two 
thousand  dollars  towards  the  erection  of  a  new  court 
house  wlienever  the  county  commissionei'S  should  see 
fit  to  build  one. 

After  the  erection  of  the  new  court  house,  the 
original  building  was  removed  to  a  lot  fronting  Broad 
street,  and  was  used  for  a  time  as  a  school  house  and 
afterwards  as  a  Presbyterian  church.  It  now  stands 
in  the  rear  of  Snearer  and  Waldeck's  cabinet  shop. 
Tlie  jail  was  erected  on  what  is  now  the  South  public 
square,  nearly  opposite  the  i)resent  residence  of  N. 
L.  Johnson.  It  was  a  two-story  frame  building,  the 
inside  of  one  end  lined  with  s(iuare-iiewn  legs,  which 
was  used  as  a  prison.  The  other  end  was  used  by 
tlie  family  of  the  jailor.  It  answered  its  purpose  very 
well,  few  if  any  prisoners  having  escaped  from  it.  It 
now  stands  on  East  Third  street,  and  is  owned  and 
occupied  as  a  dwelling  by  R.  W.  Pomeroy. 

ELYRIA   IN   1835. 

Some  of  the  townships  in  Lorain  county  were  quite 
raj)idly  settled  after  the  first  improvements.  Sucli 
was  not  the  case  with  Elyria.  Its  population  is  not 
remembered,  but  the  following  list  shows  the  houses 
and  their  occupants  at  the  above  date.  Commencing 
at  the  east  end  of  Broad  street  the  first  house  stood 
nearly  opposite  the  old  tannery,  and  was  occupied  by 
a  Mr.  Cuues.  The  second  house  was  occupied  by  Mr. 
(iardner  Howe,  a  tanner.  Third,  Heman  Ely's  resi- 
dence, now  occupied  by  his  son  Heman.  Fourth,  the 
old  tavern  of  Mr.  Beebe,  standing  nearly  opposite  Mr. 
Ely's.  Fifth,  the  residence  of  Mr.  Edmund  West, 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  Albert  Ely.  Sixth,  resi- 
dence of  Deacon  Luther  Lane,  now  owned  by  Mr. 


Budd.  Seventh,  the  residence  of  Mr.  Kingsbury, 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Coburu.  Eighth, 
George  Gilbert,  a  blacksmith.  Ninth,  residence  of 
Dr.  John  F.  Butler,  corner  of  Broad  street  and  Mid- 
dle avenue.  Tenth,  residence  of  Hiram  Emmons. 
Eleventh,  residence  of  Thompson  Miles.  Twelfth, 
residence  (name  not  remembered)  on  ground  after- 
wards occupied  by  residence  of  Samuel  Goodwin. 
Thirteenth,  residence  of  Halstead  Parker.  Four- 
teenth, fifteenth,  sixteenth  and  seventeenth,  occupants 
not  remembered.  -Eighteenth,  occupied  by  Roger 
Cooley.  Nineteenth,  resident  not  known.  Twen- 
tieth, residence  of  Francis  Douglas.  Twenty-first, 
residence  of  Ebenezer  Wliiton.  Twenty-second,  res- 
dence  of  James  Porter.  Twenty-third,  now  occupied 
by  W.  H.  Park,  built  by  Ransom  Redington,  at  that 
time  unfinished. 

There  were  but  few  farmers  settled  in  the  township 
outside  the  village. 

From  the  report  of  the  appraiser  of  real  estate  for 
1870  (the  last  made)  we  take  the  following: 

Village.    Number  ot  houses  554;  valued  at  $4IS,015  00 

•as  other  buildings,  valued  at  -lO.fias  00 

In  the  township,  174  houses,  valued  at  67,005  DO 

155  other  buildings,  valued  at... 32,0(17  00 

Total,  village  and  township S.558,342  00 

Real  estate  is  appraised  at  less  than  half  its  true 
value. 

A  number  of  persons  whose  names  have  not 
been  mentioned  settled  in  Elyria  prior  to  1825.  Wil- 
liam Turner,  Jr.,  whose  father  came  to  Grafton  in 
1816,  was  apprenticed  to  George  Douglas,  to  learn  the 
house  joiner  and  carpenter's  trade,  in  1823.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Olive  M.  Lynde,  in  183-4,  and  became  a 
permanent  resident.  By  a  life  of  industry  he  has 
accumulated  a  competence,  and  is  now  living  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five,  respected  by  the  community.  His 
wife,  aged  seventy-three,  is  also  living.  Hiram  Em- 
mons came  from  Connecticut  in  1831.  He  died  in 
1 865  aged  seventy-two.  He  was  an  honest  man  and  a 
good  citizen. 

Stanton  Sholes  was  one  of  the  early  merchants  of 
Elyria.  He  sold  out  to  Thompson  Miles,  who  suc- 
ceeded him  both  as  a  merchant  and  resident  in  1834, 
and  removed  to  a  pleasant  home  in  Amherst.  Cajjl. 
Sholes  afterwards  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Colum- 
bus, where  he  died  recently,  aged  over  ninet}'  years. 
He  commanded  a  company  in  the  war  of  1813,  and 
did  good  service  for  his  counti-y.  Mr.  Miles  having 
secured  a  competence,  retired  from  business  in  1833. 
He  died  in  September,  1845,  aged  fifty-five  3'ears, 
leaving  a  highly  respectable  family. 

Ezra  S.  Adams,  from  Canton,  Conn.,  settled  in 
Elyria  in  1831,  and  established  the  first  harness  and 
saddlery  shop  in  the  county.  He  kept  the  hotel  built 
by  George  Douglas  for  a  time,  and  was  a  partner  of 
Mr.  A.  Beebe,  in  establishing  the  first  line  of  stage 
coaches  between  Cleveland  and  Sandusky,  (now  Fre- 
mont.) He  afterwards  carried  on  the  business  of 
harness  making  for  many  years.  He  died  January 
33,  1847,  aged  forty-six  years. 


ii«i*"  ,. 
^  *& 


V^N  V-V^vvv-,s   -N5^    **^\\\\^?5SS$?^N:*  ^■^'^> 


Photo,  by  Lee,  Elyria,  0. 


G^^^^-e-^^6S^^--^ 


A  young  man  who,  with  good  hahits  and  energ_v,  says, 
"  This  will  I  do,"  rarely  fails.  William  H.  Tucker  is  a  living 
illustration  of  this  fact.  He  was  born  in  Windham,  Portage 
Co.,  Ohio,  March  21,  1826,  the  youngest  son  of  Jacob  and 
Chloe  Tucker.  Jacob  first  settled  in  Ohio,  at  Vermillion,  in 
1816.  In  1818  he  moved  into  Windham,  as  above,  from  which 
place  he  removed  to  Eaton,  Lorain  Co  ,  Ohio,  in  1832,  pur- 
chasing a  farm  on  Chestnut  Ridge. 

Here  with  his  wife  he  remained  until  their  respective 
deaths  ;  Mr.  Tucker  dying  in  1863,  in  his  eighty-eighth  year  ; 
his  wife  having  died  two  years  previous. 

From  the  mother  did  W.  H.  Tucker  get  the  notions  which, 
worked  out,  have  made  the  valuable  citizen.  Mrs.  Chloe 
Tucker  was  a  woman  of  uncommon  energy  ;  the  great  motherly 
heart  of  a  good  woman,  by  precept  and  example,  left  an  im- 
press on  the  character  of  her  children  that  to  this  day  recalls 
the  memory  of  a  mother  who  ever  watched  over  them  with 
self-sacrificing  devotion,  and  aided  them  to  become  the  true 
man  or  true  woman. 

The  father,  of  a  difl'erent  mental  mould,  ever  kind,  no  mat- 
ter how  gloomy  the  outlook,  was  ever  cheerful ;  always  think- 
ing "  Suflicient  unto  the  day  is  tlie  evil  thereof." 

Mr.  W.  H.  Tucker,  well  remembering  the  exodus  from 
Portage  to  Lorain  County,  recalls  the  pa.ssage  of  Cuyahoga 
River,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  on  a  floating  bridge,  the  all  of 
his  parents  in  a  lumber  wagon  drawn  by  a  yoke  of  oxen, 
those  parents  to  work  out  of  the  then  woods  of  Eaton  a  home 
for  selves  and  little  ones.  Such  a  home,  poor  as  it  was,  was 
even  then  made  so  pleasant  that  one  and  all  of  those  children 
look  back  to  it  with  fond  memories. 

Early  life  in  Lorain  County  gave  limited  opportunities  for 
education.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  Mr.  Tucker  began  to  think 
for  a  better  education  than  home  schools  provided.  In  his 
seventeenth  year  his  father  gave  him  all  he  could,  viz.,  his 
time.  With  this  and  a  fixed  determination  he  commenced 
the  business  of  education,  chopping  cord- wood  for  tuition,  and 
doing  chores  for  board.  He  was  a  pupil  at  a  select  school  at 
Ridgeville,  Ohio.  The  following  winter  found  him  teacher 
of  the  common  school  at  Lagrange,  Ohio.  In  the  following 
July,  to  acquire  further  funds  for  schooling,  he  commenced 
work  with  a  traveling  threshing-machine.  A  week's  work 
left  him  with  only  one  leg,  and  even  life  in  danger.  Good 
early  habits  and  a  sound  constitution  pulled  him  through  so  far 
as  the  playsical  was  concerned  ;  but,  as  he  looked  to  the  future, 
"black    care  brooded  o'er  his   mind."     Fearing   he  should 


become  a  burden  to  his  friends,  he  almost  wished  for  death. 
However,  will-power  and  kind  attention  offender  friends  drove 
such  thoughts  away,  and  left  him  with  a  fixed  purpose.  En- 
gaging in  school  teaching  for  the  following  twenty-two  years, 
Mr.  Tucker  taught  every  winter,  frequently  fall  and  summer 
terms,  in  the  common  schools  of  Ohio;  now  and  then  a  select 
school.     All  this  time  as  teacher  he  was  everywhere  a  learner. 

In  the  year  1864,  Mr.  Tucker  removed  to  Elyria,  Ohio, 
where  he  now  lives.  He  was  married  in  his  twenty-third 
year  to  Miss  Clarissa  Andrews,  who  as  kind  wife,  with  joyous 
and  sunny  disposition,  cheered  his  life  until  her  death,  which 
occurred  at  Elyria,  Jan.  20,  1870.  She  left  three  sons,  the 
youngest  but  eight  days  old,  her  only  daughter  having  died 
before,  aged  two  years. 

He  was  remarried,  March  13,  1871,  to  Mrs.  M.  C.  Hart, 
widow  of  Hermon  Hart,  of  Grafton,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  who 
now  with  every  womanly  grace  makes  home  pleasant  to 
husband  and  their  manj'  friends. 

Mr.  Tucker  was  elected  recorder  of  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  in 
1864,  filling  the  position,  by  two  re-elections,  for  nine  years. 
Retiring  from  olfice  with  health  somewhat  impaired  by  close 
confinement  and  strict  attention  to  official  duties,  for  a  short 
time  he  engaged  in  sundry  business  occupations.  Having,  dur- 
ing his  recordership,  reviewed  his  law  studies  under  the  in- 
struction of  Judge  John  C.  Hale  (which  studies  were  originally 
made  under  Judge  W.  W.  Boynton),  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  at  a  sitting  of  the  District  Court,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

In  1875,  Mr.  Tucker  was  a  prominent  mover  in  the  organi- 
zation of  a  lodge  of  Knights  of  Honor  at  Elyria,  and  was 
chosen  past  dictator  of  said  lodge.  In  1876  he  represented  said 
lodge  in  grand  council,  and  has  ever  since  been  a  member  of 
that  body,  now  being  grand  trustee. 

In  February,  1878,  as  charter  member,  he  helped  the  forma- 
tion of  a  council  of  Royal  Arcanums  at  Elyria,  of  which  he 
was  elected  past  regent.  He  now  fills  the  office  of  grand  sec- 
retary of  the  grand  council  of  said  order  for  the  State  of 
Ohio. 

Elected  by  his  fellow-citizens  as  justice  of  the  peace;  a 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Fary  &  Tucker ;  with  an  oflicial 
reputation  as  recorder  of  Lorain  Count}'  unequaled  either  by 
successor  or  predecessor  ;  with  the  trusts  of  a  grand  officer  in 
his  hands ;  his  ever  charitable  hand;  his  undeviating  life  of 
integrity  in  all  its  meaning  ;  the  universal  respect  of  all  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact,  Mr.  Tucker  can  be  well  said  to 
have  grandly  done  his  "  This  will  I  do." 


<9^uyf,UjcJ^^ 


William  Webster  was  born  in  West  Hartford,  Conn., 
Oct.  20,  1778,  and  moved  to  Laporte,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio, 
May  15,  1828,  from  the  town  of  Spaiford,  Onondaga  Co., 
N.  Y.  His  son  William  was  born  at  Florence,  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  20,  1809. 

The  occupation  of  both  father  and  son  was  that  of  black- 
smithing.  William,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
worked  at  his  trade  in  Elyria,  in  company  with  George  G. 
Gilbert,  from  1831  to  1834.  His  wife  was  born  July  3, 
1813,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  J.  Fhillips.  They 
were  married  Oct.  27,  1831,  in  Eaton,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio. 
Mrs.  Webster  died  Nov.  13,  1868,  leaving  six  children, 
viz.  :  Daniel,  Edward,  Cordelia,  (wife  of  Dr.  L.  C.  Kelsey, 
of  Elyria,  Ohio),  Iral  A.,  Fred,  and  Will. 

Iral  A.  Webster  was  born  on  Butternut  llidge,  Eaton 
township,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  Dec  22,  1840.  In  Iral's 
youth  his  parents  moved  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  lleturniug 
from  the  West,  for  a  short  time  Cleveland,  Ohio,  was  their 
home;  and  in  1848,  Carlisle,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  became  his 
father's  residence,  where  he  still  lives. 

Iral  A.  Webster's  early  days  were  spent  on  the  home 
farm,  in  the  blacksmith-shop,  or  in  a  quarry  belonging 
to  his  father,  except  such  time  as  was  given  to  the  district 
school,  until  1861.  During  this  year  he  attended  a  select 
school  at  Elyria,  Ohio.  In  1862  he  commenced  studies  at 
Oberlin,  Ohio,  where  some  time  was  spent  until  the  spring 
of  1866;  the  balance  was  pa.s.sed  in  teaching  school  at 
Lagrange  and  Amherst,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  and  in  reading 


law^with  J.  D.  Horton,  of  Ravenna,  Ohio.  Continuing  his 
reading,  with  C.  W.  Johnston,  Esq.,  of  Elyria,  he  was,  in 
said  place,  admitted  to  the  bar  Aug.  29,  1867.  In  De- 
cember, 1867,  he  opened  a  law  office  at  Oberlin,  Ohio, 
where  his  family  still  resides,  although  Mr.  Webster's  time 
is  mostly  passed  in  Elyria,  where  he  started  a  branch  office, 
August,  1877.  He  formed  a  copartnership  with  Charles  G. 
Finney,  Jr.,  in  February,  1872,  which  lasted  but  a  few 
months,  owing  to  the  ill  health  of  his  partner.  Jan.  1, 1877, 
saw  his  uncle,  H.  L.  Webster,  in  the  law  business  with  him, 
which  relation  continued  for  one  year,  when  Mr.  Webster 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother  Fred,  which  still 
continues. 

In  December,  1877,  Mr.  I.  A.  Webster  purchased  one- 
half  of  the  Oberlin  Weehly  News,  and  continued  one  of  its 
owners  and  publishers  until  Jan.  1, 1879,  his  efforts  having 
aided  in  a  great  degree  in  placing  it  upon  a  sound  foun- 
dation. 

On  Nov.  25,  1868,  Mr.  Webster  married  Miss  Lottie 
Robb,  daughter  of  Jackson  and  Mary  Robb.  Of  this 
marriage  were  born  Albert  M.,  Feb.  13,  1875;  Angle  L., 
April  8,  1877. 

Mr.  Webster  is  yet  young,  a  man  of  high  moral  stand- 
ing, and  an  ardent  supporter  of  every  movement  looking 
towards  the  right.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Republican  party.  Sharing  the  confidence  and  good  will  of 
all,  he  enjoys  that  true  respect  of  his  fellows  that  only 
follows  a  life  of  strict  integrity. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


113 


Zenas  Banuim  built  a  forge  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  wliere  Gates'  saw-mill  was  afterwards  built  in 
1818,  and  carried  on  the  business  of  manufacturing 
wrought  iron  until  1832.  He  then  removed  to  Rock- 
port,  where  he  died  manj'  years  ago. 

Elias  Mann  came  to  Elyriain  1819.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Major  David  Beebe,  of  Ridgeville  and 
removed  to  Amherst,  where  he  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 

John  Gould  and  Ebenezer  Perry  settled  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
cemetery.     Both  died  many  years  ago. 

ELYRIA   VILLAGE. 

INCORPORATED  IN  18.33. 

Section  first  of  an  act  to  incorporate  the  town  of 
Elyria,  reads  as  follows: 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  That 
all  that  part  of  the  township  of  Elyria,  in  the  county  of  Lorain,  which 
is  included  within  the  branches  of  Black  river,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby 
created  a  town  corporate,  and  shall  hereafter  be  known  and  dis- 
tinguished by  the  name  of  the  Town  of  Elyria.  The  above  was  passed 
February  2.3,  18:!3.      Signed, 

David  T.  Disney,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
Samuel  P.  Miller,  President  of  the  Senate. 

We  are  unable  to  find  the  record  of  elections  i)rior 
to  April  6,  1843.  At  this  date  an  election  was 
held  and  the  following  gentlemen  were  chosen,  viz: 
Orren  Cowles,  mayor;  Benjamin  F.  Robinson,  re- 
corder; Archibald  S.  Park,  Thompson  Miles,  Israel 
Everden,  Ansel  Keith,  and  T.  Crane,  trustees;  and 
Samuel  Goodwin,  treasurer.  1843:  Nahum  B.  Gates, 
mayor;  Austin  C.  Penfleld,  recorder;  Herrick  Parker, 
T.  Crane,  I.  Everden,  Orville  L.  Mason  and  William 
Olcott,  trustees;  treasurer  re-elected.  1844:  Oliver 
R.  Ryder,  mayor;  I.  Everden,  0.  L.  Mason,  C.  S. 
Goodwin,  and  Norman  Crandall,  trustees;  recorder 
re-elected;  Horace  C,  Starr,  treasurer.  1845:  officers 
re-elected  entire.  1846:  Albert  A.  Bliss,  mayor;  0. 
L.  Mason,  0.  Cowles,  T.  Crane,  N.  B.  Gates  and 
William  Olcott,  trustees;  recorder  and  treasurer  re- 
elected. 1847:  Hemau  Ely,  Jr.,  mayor;  M.R.Keith, 
recorder,  B.  F.  Robinson,  W.  F.  Lockwood,  A. 
Woostor,  A.  Culver  and  Milo  Bennett,  trustees;  H. 
C.  Starr,  treasurer.  We  pass  to  a  recent  date.  1876: 
John  H.  Boynton,  mayor;  John  Childs,  George  H. 
Ely,  E.  G.  Johnson  and  Charles  Spitzenburg,  trustees. 
1877:  N.  B.  Gates,  mayor;  council,  John  Childs, 
George  11.  Ely,  E.  G.  Johnson,  Charles  Spitzenburg, 
William  Allen  and  George  R.  Starr.  1878:  N.  B. 
Gates,  mayor;  council  same  as  before,  adding  John 
W.  Hart  and  D.  J.  Nye. 

In  making  out  the  foregoing  list  of  officers  we  have 
co])ied  from  the  records  as  kept  by  the  recorder,  hence 
we  are  not  responsible  for  the  omission  of  first  names. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  settlement, 
Mr.  Ely  saw  the  necessity  of  having  bridges  across 
both  branches  of  the  river,  and  contracted  with  Maj. 
Calvin  Hoadley  to  build  them.  They  were  completed 
in  the  fall  of  1818.  Their  location  was  substantially 
on  the  sites  of  the  present  stone  and  iron  bridges. 

In  the  summer  of  1819  Chester  Wright  erected  a 
distillery,  one  of  those,  at  that  day,  popular  institu- 

15 


tions.  This  stood  on  the  east  side  of  the  east  branch 
of  the  river,  near  the  spring  in  the  rear  of  the  sand 
pits.  Enos  Mann  and  others  afterwards  carried  on 
this  distillery.  Long  years  since  it  went  into  decay 
and  now  not  a  vestige  of  it  remains. 

At  a  very  early  date,  a  carding  and  fulling  mill 
was  in  operation.  It  was  located  on  the  site  of  Messrs. 
Topliff  and  Ely's  extensive  manufactory.  Gardner 
Howe  at  first  carried  it  on,  who  was  succeeded  by 
John  L.  Butler,  and  he,  in  turn,  by  Herrick  Parker. 
The  spinning  wheel  and  hand-loom  having  become 
things  of  the  past,  Mr.  Parker  converted  it  into  a 
woolen  manufactory,  but  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
successful,  as  the  work  was  abandoned  some  twenty 
years  ago. 

The  grist  and  saw  mills,  built  by  Mr.  Ely  at  the 
time  of  the  first  settlement,  near  the  east  branch 
bridge,  have  been  succeeded  by  others,  with  more 
modern  improvements,  which  are  still  in  oijeration. 

The  old  red  mill  at  the  east  falls  was  built  by  Mr. 
Ely,  as  early  as  1834.  In  February,  1832,  there  was 
a  great  freshet,  caused  by  heavy  rains,  which  caused 
the  breaking  up  of  the  ice.  It  swept  away  every  mill 
dam  above  Elyria,  gathering  force  at  each,  and  came 
down  almost  like  a  wall  of  waters,  bearing  along  large 
trees,  which  had  been  torn  up  by  the  roots.  Nearly 
half  of  the  red  mill  standing  over  the  water  was  swept 
away,  and  all  of  the  running  gear,  including  the  mill 
stones,  and  made  a  complete  wreck  of  the  lower  por- 
tion of  the  mill.  That  part  of'the  building  next  the 
water,  settled  a  foot  or  more,  and  the  whole  structure 
came  near  falling  into  the  stream.  It  was  soon  re- 
paired, and  has,  until  recently,  done  a  large  business, 
both  as  a  custom  and  merchants'  mill.  It  is  not  now 
in  operation. 

The  Lorain  Iron  Company  was  established  in  1832, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  near  the  west  falls. 
Ileman  Ely  furnished  the  capital,  aud  built  the 
necessary  works.  It  was,  at  one  time,  an  extensive 
affair,  employing  one  hundred,  or  more,  men.  It 
was  not  a  success,  financially,  and  was  eventually 
abandoned.  Its  failure  was  probably  due  to  the  fact 
that  it  used  bog  ore,  which  was  not  vei-y  rich  in  iron. 
Had  the  iron  mines  of  Lake  Sui^erior  been  then 
known,  it  would  doubtless  have  been  in  operation  at 
the  present  time. 

Below  the  "old  red  mill,"  was  a  second  one,  which 
was  burned  down,  aud  between  the  two,  a  gentleman 
named  Clark,  put  in  operation  an  axe  manufactory. 
Tills  business  was  carried  on  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  turned  out  a  very  good  class  of  work.  This 
has,  long  since,  ceased  to  be.  Mr.  N.  B.  Gates,  for 
many  j^ears,  run  a  saw-mill,  and  carried  on  a  sash  aud 
blind  manufactory,  on  the  west  branch,  above  the 
falls.  As  timber  became  scarce,  it  was  abandoned, 
not  being  profitable. 

ELTKIA  NATURAL  HISTORY  SOCIETY. 

Sometime  during  the  year  1844,  the  above  society 
was  organized.     It  rented  a  large  hall  in  the  Ely 


114 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


block,  furni.slic'd  eacli  side  of  it  with  glass  cases,  for  the 
reception  of  sjiecitnens — a  platform  and  desk  occupy- 
ing the  front  of  the  room.  It  was  also  supplied  with 
seats,  to  accomodate  about  three  hundred  persons. 
The  glass  cases  were  generally  filled  with  choice  spec- 
imens, illustrating  geology,  mineralogy,  eonchology, 
ornithology,  and  botany.  Many  Indian  relies  were 
also  collected,  together  with  a  small  library.  In  this 
room,  weekly  public  free  lectures  were  given  for 
about  four  years,  except  during  the  month  of  August. 
The  lecturers  were  mostly  residents  of  Elyria,  among 
whom  were  Di's.  N.  R.  Townshend,  Eber  W.  Hubbard, 
and  L.  I).  Griswold;  Joel  Tiffany,  A.  A.  Bliss,  P. 
Bliss,  and  Woolsey  Wells,  attorneys;  Rev.  D.  A. 
Grosvenor;  and  H.  A.  Tenney,  editor,  and  others, 
not  recollected.  The  lecturers  were  all  volunteers, 
and  performed  their  duties  without  compensation. 
During  the  existence  of  the  association,  several  dis- 
tinguished scientists  from  abroad  were  eniploj-ed,  who 
delivered  coui'ses  of  lectures  upon  chemistry  and 
geology.  For  nearly  four  years,  the  hall  was  filled, 
weekly,  by  the  young  and  middle-aged  citizens  of 
Elyria,  who  were  constant  attendants  upon  the 
lectures.  No  one  can  projierly  estimate  the  influence 
for  good,  especially  upon  the  3'oung  peojde  of  our 
village,  resulting  from  these  lectures.  Elyria  has 
ever  been  celebrated  for  the  literary  and  scientific 
culture  of  its  inhabitants,  and  it  is  believed  that,  its 
reputation  is,  to  a  great  extent,  due  to  the  influence 
of  this  society. 

After  about  four  years  of  prosperity,  several  gen- 
tlemen, who  had  been  prominent  in  conducting  its 
afi'airs,  removed  from  town,  the  regular  lectures  were 
discontinued,  and  it  gradually  fell  into  decay.  In 
1852,  a  fire  consumed  the  block  and  what  .specimens 
remained  in  the  room. 

CHURCHES    IN    ELYRIA. 
THE    PRESBYTERIAN   rHUROn  * 

Was  organized  in  the  log  school  house  east  of  the 
river,  on  Thursday,  the  2.5th  of  November,  1824. 
There  were  jiresent  on  the  occasion.  Rev.  Alfred  II. 
Betts,  a  minister  of  the  Presliytery  of  Huron,  and  tlie 
Revs.  Daniel  W.  Lathrop,  Joseph  Treat,  and  Caleb 
Pitkin,  of  tlie  Missionary  Society  of  Connecticut. 

The  following  jwrsons  presented  themselves  for 
examination,  viz:  Luther  Lane,  Celia  P]ly  and 
Pamelia  Beebe,  from  the  First  church  in  West 
Springfield,  Massachusetts;  Abbe  W.  Lathrop,  from 
the  First  Presbyterian  church  in  Brooklyn,  Long 
Island;  William  Smith,  from  the  church  in  Sheffield; 
Samuel  Brooks,  Hezekiah  Brooks,  Lydia  Brooks, 
Sophia  Brooks,  Hannah  Brooks,  Hannah  Johnson 
and  Irene  Johnson,  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Carlisle;  and  Harriet  Hamlin,  Julia  West,  Pearly 
Douglas,  Ann  Palmer  and  Pamelia  Jlanter,  who  had 
never  before   made  a  public  jirofession  of  religion. 


*  Derived  mostly  from  the  church  records,  and  from  conTersation 
ivith  the  Hon.  Hemau  Ely. 


The  building,  occupied  exclusively  ns  a  clnrrch,  stood 
on  the  northeast  corner  of  of  the  public  sipiare,  and 
is  the  same  now  occupied  by  Snearer  &  Waldeck  as  a 
cabinet  shop. 

In  18.34,  a  wooden  church  edifice  was  erected  on 
lot  No.  247  East  Second  street.  This  w-as  completed, 
and  on  February  12,  of  the  same  year,  was  dedicated 
to  the  service  of  Almighty  God.  On  the  same  day, 
the  Rev.  James  II.  Eells  was  oixlained  jjastor  of  the 
church.  This  building  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Sarah 
W.,  widow  of  the  Rev.  I).  A.  Grosvenor,  and  is 
occupied  as  a  dwelling. 

The  massive  and  beautiful  stone  church  on  the 
corner  of  Second  and  Court  streets  was  comjileted  in 
the  spring  of  1848,  and  dedicated  iSIay  17,  of  that 
year,  at  a  total  cost  of  twelve  thousand  five  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  dollars  and  sixt3--five  cents.  The 
clock  which  occujiies  the  tower  of  this  church  was 
put  up  some  years  later,  and  cost  three  hundred 
dollars;  the  bell,  six  hundred  dollars,  and  the  fine 
organ,  fourteen  hundred  dollars.  A  neat  stone  chapel 
was  erected  just  south  of  the  church  in  1853. 

The  following  list  shows  the  pastors  who  have 
ministered  to  the  church,  witJi  the  date  they  were 
severally  installed: 

June  29,  1835,  Rev.  Daniel  W.  Lathrop;  Februaiy  2.  ISil,  Rev.  John  J. 
ShipluTd;  Febriiai-y  11,  18:B,  Rev.  James  H.  Eells;  September  2t),  ISiT, 
Rev.  Lewis  H.  Loss;  February  !t,  1813,  Rev.  David  A.  Grosvenor;  Novem- 
ber 4,  ia5a.  Rev.  F.  M.  Hopkins;  April  4,  18.5.1,  Rev.  Francis  A.  Wilber; 
July  2,  1867,  Rev.  Fergus  L.  Kenyon;  March  1,  1872,  Rev.  C.  H.  Wlieeler; 
August  21,  1872,  Rev.  E.  E.  Williams;  present  pastor  was  employed  and 
installed  December  9,  187:3. 

The  ]ir('seiit  officers  of  the  church,  many  of  whom 
have  grown  grey  in  its  service,  are  as  follows: 

Deacon,".— Elijah  DeWitt  (Emeritus),  Joseph  .Swift,  Jr.,  Edward  W. 
West,  Isaac  S.  Metcalf. 

Standing  Committee — Thomas  L.  Nelson.  Hemau  Ely,  Edward  W. 
West,  Elijah  DeWitt,  Joseph  Swift,  Jr.,  and  Reuben  M.  Carter.  Clerk— 
Isaac  S.  Metcalf. 

Ladies'  Committee — Mrs.  Heman  Ely,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Monroe,  Miss  Eliza  J. 
Hall. 

Chorister—John  W.  HuJburt. 

Organist — Miss  Ann  M.  C'randall. 

Superintendent  of  Sahbath  School — Hemau  Ely. 

Assistant  Snpenntendent — H.  M.  Parker. 

Sccretttrl/  and  Treasurer— Mrs.  T.  L.  Nelson. 

Committee  on  Missionarji,  Snnday  School  and  Bible  Society  Collections 
—Elijah  DeWitt,  Heman  Ely,  E.  W.  West,  Joseph  Swift,  Jr.,  and  I.  S. 
Metcalf. 

Officers  of  the  Society— Nahum  B.  Gates,  president;  I.  S.  Metcalf,  seen' 
tary  and  treasurer.  Trustees — Hemau  Ely,  Artemas  Beebe,  Thomas  L. 
Nelson,  John  W.  Hulburt  and  Joseph  Swift,  Jr. 

In  the  Sabbath  school,  the  total  enrollment  is  six 
hundred  and  twenty-five;  average  attendance,  three 
hundred  and  seventy-five.  There  are  also  sustained 
by  the  church  six  mission  schools,  with  an  attendance 
of  from  thirty  to  sixty  each. 

The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  two 
hundred  and  ninety. 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

The  following  brief  sketch  of  this  religious  society 
is  prepared  from  data  furnished  by  Clark  Eldred  and 
Mrs.  W.  0.  Cahoou.  Occasional  services  were  held 
in  Elyria,  at  the  houses  of  the  settlers,  by  preachers 
of  this  faith,  soon  after  the  settlement,  prior  to  1820. 


SI  ANDREWS  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  ELYRfA  ,  OHIO 
ARTHUR  f/I  BACKUS, RECTOR 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


115 


From  1830  to  1833,  Elyria  was  included  in  Huron 
circuit  and  was  suiiplied  ))y  tlic  following  ministers: 

In  ISao  and  IS2t,  Dennis  Cimidard;  18ft.',  Philip  Green;  1823,  N.  and  John 
Warner. 

From   1824  to  18;!1,  Elyria  was  included  in  Black 
river  circuit,  and  supplied  by  the  following  ministers: 

18*1,  Zarah  Coston;  1825,  James  Taylor;  183(!,  E.  H.  Field;  1827,  Harry 
O.  ISheldon;  1S2S.  Shadracic  Riiark;  18211,  John  C.  Havens;  18.30,  E.  S. 
Carpenter  and  H.  Colelazer;  WJl,  E.  S.  Carpenter  and  E.  C.  Gavitt. 

From  1833  to  1843,  it  was  known  as  Elyria  circuit: 

is:j2,  William  Rnnnels  and  George  Elliot;  18:5;3,  William  Runnels  and 
J.  Kiimear;  1834,  A.  Billings  and  A.  A.  Brewster;  18:S5,  A.  Billings  and 
J.  Wilkinson;  18:30,  J,  Wheeler  and  T.  BarkduU;  18:37,  S.  M.  Allen  and  J. 
Hudson;  1838,  John  M.  Goshom;  18:39,  James  Brewster;  1840,  Joseph 
Jones  and  John  Brakefield;  1841,  Cyrus  Sawyer  and  S.  B.  Guyberson; 
1842,  E.  C.  Gavitt  and  Peter  Sharp. 

From  1843  to  tlie  present  time,  Elyria  lias  been  an 
independent  station,  and  sujiiilied  as  follows: 

18i;3and  1814,  William  Runnels;  184.5  and  1846,  Lorenzo  Warner;  1847 
and  1848,  William  B.  Disbro;  1819,  ISoO  and  18->1,  Wm.  C.  Pierce;  1851  to 
1853,  Samuel  L.  Yourtee;  1853  to  1835,  James  M.  Morrow;  l&JS  to  1S56, 
Uri  Richards;  183G  to  18.58,  M.  K.  Hard;  18.58  to  185'j,  Thomas  BarkduU; 
1859  to  18(iO,  J.  A  Kellum;  18110  to  1802,  C.  H.  Owens;  1862  to  1863,  Wm.  B. 
Disbro;  1803  to  1805,  E.  H.  Bush;  1805  to  1867,  Gajlord  H.  Hartupee;  1807 
to  18(i8,  J.  S.  Broadwell;  1868  to  1871,  John  A.  Mudge;  1871  to  187:3,  J.  W. 
Mendenhall;  1873  to  1876,  A.  J.  Lyon;  1876  to  the  present  time,  J.  H. 
McConnell. 

In  Jlay,  1834,  a  class  was  formed,  comjiosed  of  the 
following  persons:  Hiram  Emmons  (who  was  first 
class  leader)  and  wife,  C^lark  Eldred  and  wife,  George 
H.  Gilbert  and  wife,  Heber  G.  Sekins  and  wife,  Sally 
Gilbert,  and  some  others  whose  names  cannot  be 
ascertained.  Soon  after  the  year  1834,  a  church 
edifice  was  erected  by  this  class  and  outside  friends. 
It  was  a  comfortable  wooden  structure,  and  stood 
near  the  site  of  the  present  Methodist  Ejiiscopal 
church. 

The  i)resent  brick  church  was  erected  in  1850,  at 
a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars.  The  society  is  now 
taking  measures  to  build  a  new  and  more  commo- 
dious church  edifice. 

The  old  church  building  was  converted  into  a 
dwelling  house,  and  is  occupied  by  Clayton  Johnson. 
It  has  been  so  modernized  and  imj)roved  m  its  archi- 
tecture that  no  person  would  recognize  it. 

A  lot  for  a  parsonage  was  purchased  in  1831,  and 
soon  after  a  house  was  put  up  for  the  use  of  the 
pastor.  The  parsonage  trustees,  at  that  time,  were: 
Lewis  Ely,  George  G.  Gilbert,  Hiram  Emmons,  Wil- 
liam Peters,  Henry  B.  Tenis,  Jonah  Bradley,  Clark 
Eldred,  Charles  Abljcy  and  Jabez  Hamlin.  The  first 
1  parsonage  has  since  been  sold,  and  a  new  and  better 
'  one  erected. 

!  The  present  parsonage  trustees  are:  Levi  Morse, 
jJohn  C.  Houghton,  Jerome  Manvillo,  Waterman 
;  Morse,  T.  L.  Taylor,  C.  M.  Eldred,  I.  J.  Carpenter 
iand  Joseph  Biggs. 

i  Trustees  of  the  Church— Seymour  W.  Baldwin,  William  Snearer,  Levi 
I  Morse,  William  Bennington  and  A.  C.  Phipps. 

Stewards— O.  Bowen,  Levi  Morse,  E.  C.  Griswold  and  Hiram  Patterson. 
I    Recording  Steward— S.  B.  Sprague. 

I'i^trict  Steward— nivalin  Patterson. 

There  is  a  large  and  flourishing  Sunday  school  in 
I  connection  with  the  church,  of  which  S.  B.  Sprague 
.s  superintendent. 


ST.    ANDREW'S    CHURCH. 

The  Protestant  Epi.scopal  Church  in  Elyria  was  or- 
ganized in  1837  under  the  superintendence  of  the 
Kev.  Anson  Clark,  missionary,  with  the  aid  of  tlie 
missionary  committee  of  the  diocese  of  Ohio. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  those  who  first 
signed  tlie  articles  of  association:  Orrin  Cowles,  Jane 
C.  Cowles,  M.  Augustus  Cowles,  E.  H.  Leonard, 
Sarah  W.  Leonard,  Drake  Andrews,  Lucy  Andrews, 
Cbaiincey  Prindle,  Nancy  Prindle,  Aaron  Andrews, 
Eunice  W.  Andrews,  Maria  Prindle,.Julia  Vaudeberg, 
Caroline  Leonard,  L.  D.  Griswold,  Jerusha  H.  Gris- 
wold, Caroline  Byington,  Ruth  Minot,  Perley  Blakes- 
ley,  Mary  Blakesley,  William  Babbitt,  and  Mary 
Babljitt. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  parish  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Orrin  Cowles,  Rev.  Anson  Clark,  presiding, 
and  Eliiihalet  H.  Leonard,  seci-etary.  At  this  meet- 
ing the  name,  style  and  title  of  St.  Andrew's  Church 
was  adojitcd,  and  the  following  jiersons  elected  ward- 
ens and  vestrymen:  Drake  Andrews,  senior  warden; 
Orrin  Cowles.  junior  warden;  vestrymen,  Chauncey 
Prindle,  E.  li.  Leonard,  and  L.  D.  Griswold. 

In  the  summer  of  1839,  Rev.  Mr.  Clark  resigned 
the  charge,  and  during  the  next  year  the  first  church 
edifice  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  five  hun- 
dred dollars. 

In  1841,  Rev.  Hugh  Kelley  was  called  to  the  charge 
of  the  parish,  and  resigning  in  1843,  was  followed  by 
the  Rev.  George  S.  Davis  who  remained  until  1845. 
From  this  time  for  a  series  of  years  the  church  was 
without  a  settled  rector.  In  conserpience  of  this  and 
the  death  and  removal  of  several  leading  members  the 
church  gradually  declined. 

In  May,  1851,  the  first  rector,  Rev.  Anson  Clark, 
was  recalled,  and  found  but  little  remaining  except 
tlie  churcli  edifice,  but  a  congregati(m  was  soon  col- 
lected, and  among  these  were  fifteen  communicants. 

In  October,  1853,  Mr.  Clark  resigned,  leaving 
twenty-six  communicants  who  worked  faithfully  and 
earnestly  in  the  church  for  its  jiermanent  growth. 
After  a  short  interval  the  Rev.  Francis  Granger  be- 
came rector,  and  continued  as  such  until  Easter,  1857. 
In  May  following,  the  Rev.  B.  T.  Noakes  assumed 
charge  and  remained  until  May  1,  1860,  when  he 
resigned  on  account  of  failing  health.  During  the 
time  he  was  rector  the  church  edifice  was  greatly  en- 
larged; a  parsonage  built;  sixty-four  per.sons  added  to 
the  church,  and  forty  confirmed.  In  June,  1860,  the 
Rev.  Richard  L.  Chittenden  assumed  charge  of  the 
parish,  remaining  until  December,  18G3,  when  he  left 
to  accept  a  commission  as  chajilain  of  the  forty-third 
regiment  Ohio  Tolunteer  infantry,  then  in  Tennessee. 
In  February,  1864,  he  resigned  his  rectorship.  Dur- 
ing the  interval  of  his  absence  the  Rev.  William  C. 
French,  of  Oberlin,  held  afternoon  services  for  a  period 
of  some  ten  mouths,  and  visiting  clergymen  occasion- 
ally supplied  the  pulpit  until  July,  1865.  In  August, 
1865,  Rev.  Mr.  Chittenden  resumed  charge,  but  in 


116 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


consequence  of  failing  health,  resigned  in  June,  1868. 
In  July,  of  that  year,  Rev.  S.  A.  Brousou,  i)rofessor 
ill  the  Diocesan  Tlicologieal  Seminary  took  charge, 
temporarily,  of  the  parish,  and  continued  until  Easter, 
1869,  wlien  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Chittenden  assumed  charge 
and  remained  until  Easter,  1870.  He  was  succeeded 
in  June  following  hy  the  Rev.  B.  T.  Noakes,  who 
remained  until  February,  1876.  During  his  rectorate 
the  present  beautiful  cliurch  edifice  was  erected  and 
informally  dedicated  on  the  nineteenth  Sunday  after 
Trinity,  1873.  It  was  afterwards  consecrated  by 
Bishop  Gillespie  of  the  Diocese  of  Western  Michigan, 
in  the  absence  from  the  country  of  the  Bisliop  of  the 
Diocese,  in  July,  1875.  It  cost  thirteen  thousand 
dollars.  The  organ  was  made  by  Hook  &  Hastings, 
of  Boston,  Mass.,  and  cost  one  thousand  six  liuudred 
dollars. 

After  the  resignation  of  Rev.  B.  T.  Noakes  the  Rev. 
John  Coleman  officiated  during  the  months  of  March 
and  April,  1876.  The  Rev.  William  Hyde  became 
rector  May  1,  1876,  and  resigned  June  1,  1877.  The 
present  rector,  Rev.  Arthur  M.  Backus,  entered  upon 
his  duties  July  1,  1877. 

The  present  oiHcers  are  L.  D.  (.iris wold,  senior 
warden;  William  Jewett,  junior  warden;  J.  D.  Faxon, 
R.  H.  Hill,  J.  C.  McDonald,  H.  C.  Starr,  and  G.  S. 
Davis,  vestrymen.  Present  number  of  commiiui. 
cants,  one  iiundred.  Total  enrollment  of  Sunday 
school  scholars  one  hundred  and  forty. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  Rev.  A.  M.  Backus  for  the 
foregoing  data. 

BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

[Compiled  principally  from  the  memorial  sermon  delivered  by  the  Rev. 
L.  Andress,  November  16,  1876.] 

In  the  latter  part  of  June,  183G,  tlie  Rev.  Daniel 
C.  Waite,  who  had  but  recently  graduated  at  Hamil- 
ton, N.  Y.,  came  west  in  search  of  a  field  for  gospel 
labor.  Arriving  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  he  was,  on  con- 
sultation with  the  Rev.  Levi  Tucker,  directed  to 
Elyria,  where  he  held  the  first  meeting  in  July 
following.  This  was  in  the  court  house,  and  after  a 
few  meetings  held  there,  they  were  transferred  to  the 
old  yellow  school  house,  then  standing  on  the  west 
side  of  the  public  square.  On  the  26th  of  November 
ensuing,  the  following  persons  united  in  constituting 
the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Elyria:  Daniel  0.  Waite, 
pastor;  Luther  Hartson,  sen.,  Lutlier  Hartson,  jr., 
Mrs.  Mercy  Brooks,  Miss  Margaret  Wright,  Lucius 
and  Sally  Andress — seven  in  all.  Mr.  Waite  contin- 
ued as  pastor  until  January,  1837.  Prom  that  time 
until  the  following  September  there  was  no  settled 
pastor,  but  occasional  preaching.  Rev.  Mr.  Hillis, 
the  next  pastor,  assumed  the  pastorate  in  September. 

The  first  sabbath  in  January,  1838,  was  tlie  com- 
mencement of  a  series  of  meetings  which  resulted  in 
a  general  awakening  and  an  addition  of  twenty-six  to 
the  church.  At  the  close  of  these  meetings  measures 
were  put  in  operation  for  the  building  of  a  church 
edifice,  which  was  completed  perhaps  one  and  a  half 
years  later.     Rev.  Mr.  Hillis  resigned  from  physical 


infirmities  in  June,  1838,  and  the  Rev.  Silas  Tucker 
succeeded  him.  He  remained  until  November,  1840, 
when  he  resigned.  Rev.  Josepli  Elliot,  of  Pontiac, 
Mich.,  followed  him.  He  commenced  his  labors  the 
February  following,  and  continued  for  three  years. 
These  were  the  most  prosperous  of  any  equal  period 
in  the  history  of  the  church  as  far  as  increase  of  mem- 
bership is  concerned.  In  Noveml)er,  1842,  the  Rev. 
Elijah  Weaver,  an  evangelist,  of  Wall  Lake,  Mich., 
assisted  in  a  series  of  meetings  wliieh  continued  four 
weeks. 

From  June,  1842,  to  June,  1843,  one  hundred  and 
ten  members  were  added  to  tlie  church.  Tlie  entire 
list  of  pastors  after  Mr.  Elliot,  who  served  three 
years,  is  as  follows:  H.  Silliman,  D.  Bernard,  D. 
Eldridge,  N.  S.  Burton,  L.  Ramstead,  A.  Heath, 
Rev.  Mr.  Hayhurst,  George  E.  Leonard,  H.  H.  Baw- 
den,  M.  L.  Bickford  and  Rev.  W.  A.  Depew,  who 
has  recently  resigned  his  pastorate.  He  assumed 
charge  in  JMarch,  1877.  The  present  mcmljcrshiii  is 
one  hundred  and  fifty;  enrollment  in  Sabbath  school, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five.  Miss  L.  S.  Carter  is 
suiierinteiident  of  the  Sabbath  school. 

Tlie  officers  of  the  churcli  are  Henry  E.  Mussey,  T. 
W.  Laundon,  Cyrus  Wheeler,  Thomas  Biggs  and  J. 
W.  Rockwell,  trustees;  Thomas  Biggs,  and  ,T.  W. 
Rockwell,  deacons;  Amos  Maxted,  clerk. 

The  entire  property  of  the  church,  including  tlie 
church  edifice,  parsonage,  organ,  etc.,  is  valued  at 
thirteen  tliousand  five  hundred  dollars. 


GERMAN  EVANGELICAL   LUTHERAN. 
CHURCH. 


-ST.    ,10HN  S 


The  first  members  were  Daniel  Haag,  Louis  Hase- 
rodt,  Edward  Beesc,  .Jolin  Duclitler,  .J.  G.  Boehm, 
Henry  Rembacli,  and  Ernest  Schmittgen. 

Mitii.'iters  of  the  Chuvrh. — H.  Jiiengel,  A.  Ileit- 
mueller,  H.  W.  Lothinann,  C.  C.  Schmidt,  and  J. 
A.  Schmidt,  present  pastor. 

The  church  building  was  dedicated  on  the  16th  of 
March,  1868.  It  cost  four  thousand,  five  hundred 
dollars. 

The  congregation  was  organized  1  efore  the  cliurch 
was  built,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  H.  W. 
Lothmann,  and  services  were  held  in  the  Presbyterian 
chapel,  court  house,  and  other  places.  Present  mem- 
bership, eighty  to  ninety  families.  Connected  with 
the  church  is  a  parochial  school,  numbering  eighty 
pupils.  Tliis  is  taught  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  J.  A. 
Schmidt. 

UNITED    EVANGELICAL. — ST.     PAUL'S    CHURCH. 
(GERMAN.) 

The  trustees  of  this  church,  consisting  of  Henry 
Fowle,  president;  Paul  Krause,  secretary;  and  Got- 
lieb  Mobeus,  treasurer,  on  the  16th  day  of  October, 
1871,  purchased  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Andrew's  Church 
the  building  and  lot  then  occupied  by  the  latter 
named  body,  paying  therefor  the  sum  of  two  thou- 
sand, two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


117 


Rev.  Mr.  Deering  was  the  minister  of  this  pai'ish 
from  Octoljcr,  1871  to  July,  1873;  Rev.  Mr.  Walt- 
berger  from  July,  1872,  to  January  1873;  Rev.  Mr. 
Deering  from  January,  1873,  to  May  26,  1873;  Rev. 
Mr.  Rein  from  May  26,  1873,  to  November,  1873; 
Rev.  Mr.  Sehelloha  from  November,  1873,  to  Octo- 
ber, 1875;  Rev.  Mr.  Seybold  from  October,  1875,  to 
September,  1877;  Rev.  Mr.  Schattle  from  September, 
1877,  to  September,  1878.  Rev.  Mr.  Sputhnlf  took 
charge  September,  1878,  and  is  the  present  minister 
of  the  parish. 

The  following  constitute  the  board  of  trustees: 
Paul  Krause,  president;  George  Dachtler,  secretary; 
and  Fred  Dachtler,  treasurer. 

At  the  organization  of  the  church  there  were 
tweuty-flve  families,  and  the  j)reseut  membership 
embraces  thirty-five  families. 

DISCIl'LE  CHURCH. 

This  church  was  formed  in  1833.  Among  the  early 
preachers  of  the  denomination  were  Sidney  Rigdon, 
Rev.  Mr.  Clapp,  William  Hayden,  and  Rev's  Messrs. 
Green,  Moody,  and  Jones.  It,  at  one  time,  embraced 
forty  members,  among  whom  were  Dr.  John  F. 
Butler,  H.  Redington,  Asahel  Parmely,  Herrick 
Parker,  and  others.  Many  of  the  members  removed 
to  other  localities,  some  died,  and  the  church,  many 
years  ago,  ceased  its  labors. 

ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 

We  are  unable  to  obtain  any  authentic  history  of 
this  church.  It  was  established  in  1852.  Its  first 
priest  was  Father  Haley.  It  iiurchased  a  lot  on 
which  is  erected  a  large  wooden  church  building, 
which  has  a  seating  capacity  of  five  hundred.  It  is 
always  filled  when  there  are  services.  It  has  also,  on 
the  same  lot,  on  Middle  avenue,  a  fine  i)arsonage. 
It  also  purchased  a  large  lot  on  the  east  side  of  the 
avenue,  on  which  is  a  school  house,  and  a  fine  site 
for  a  new  church,  which  will  soon  be  erected.  The 
school  numbers  one  hundred  pupils.  Father  Louis 
L.  Melon  is  the  present  firiest.  He  discourses  both 
in  the  English  and  German  languages. 

We  are  indebted  to  Prof.  H.  M.  Parker,  superin- 
tendent of  the  union  schools  of  Elyria,  for  the  fol- 
lowing 

HISTORY  OP  ELYRIA  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

The  early  settlers  of  Elyria,  Mr.  Heman  Ely  and 
his  associates,  were  from  the  State  of  Massachusetts, 
and  brought  with  them  to  this  western  wilderness, 
the  idea,  which  was  then,  and  ever  has  been  held, 
throughout  New  England,  that  a  good  common 
school  education  is  necessary  to  prepare  boys  and 
girls  for  citizenship  in  a  republic.  Their  descendants, 
and  others  who  have  selected  this  beautiful  place  for 
a  residence,  have  maintained  the  same  opinion,  and 
the  present  eificient  system  of  graded  schools,  may  be 
considered  as  the  outgrowth  of  the  sentiment  of  the 
early  settlers. 


First,  let  us  spend  a  little  time  in  looking  up  the 
buildings  in  which  the  schools  have  been  taught. 

Mr.  Ely,  and  a  few  others,  came  here  in  1817.  As 
soon  as  tliere  were  pupils  enough  to  organize  a  school, 
Mr.  Ely  built  a  log  house  on  the  east  side  of  the  east 
branch  of  the  river,  on  the  corner  of  East  Bridge 
street  and  the  street  leading  to  the  cemetery.  This 
l)uilding  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1819.  Miss  Irene 
Allen,  afterwards  wife  of  Roger  Cooley,  taught  the 
first  school  in  the  log  house.  The  summer  of  1820, 
Miss  Julia  Johnson  taught  in  the  same  place.  Some 
others  who  taught  there  were  Dr.  Howe,  Mrs.  Clark 
Eldred,  Mr.  Bronson,  and  perhaps  a  few  others. 
Miss  Pamelia  Manter,  afterwards  Mrs.  Ransom  Red- 
ington, taught  an  unfinished  term  in  the  log  house, 
in  the  summer  of  1824.  Among  Miss  Manter's  pupils 
was  a  young  man  nineteen  years  old.  The  first  day 
he  was  in  school  he  committed  several  lawless  acts, 
for  which  he  was  reproved  by  his  teacher.  Towards 
the  close  of  the  day,  when  standing  in  spelling  class, 
he  put  his  foot  out  to  prevent  a  small  pupil  from  go- 
ing above  him,  on  a  word  ho  had  misspelled.  When 
told  that  he  must  not  do  so,  he  said:  "What  will 
you  do  with  me?  Will  you  whip  me?  "  Miss  Manter 
immediately  I'eplied  that  she  would  report  him  to  the 
trustees  of  the  school,  and  he  would  be  dismissed. 
lie  gave  no  farther  trouble.  No  school  was  taught  in 
the  log  house  after  the  winter  of  1824-35. 

The  summer  of  1825,  Miss  Manter  taught  a  school 
in  a  house  in  Mr.  Miles'  garden.  The  house  is  still 
standing  in  the  same  place,  and  is  used  as  a  residence. 
It  is  the  house  back  of  Mr.  Monroe's  business  block, 
and  is  near  the  corner  of  East  avenue  and  the  street 
at  the  rear  of  the  railroad  depot.  She  had  about  fifty 
l>upils,  ranging  in  age  from  five  to  twenty.  One 
l)ui)il  2'ursued  the  study  of  history.  Other  studies 
taught  were  such  as  pupils  ordinarily  pursue  in  un- 
graded schools. 

What  was  known  as  the  "  session  room  "  was  erected 
by  Mr.  Ely  in  1823.  It  stood  where  the  building 
now  stands  which  Mr.  Beau  occupies  as  a  grocery,  on 
the  corner  of  Broad  and  East  Court  streets.  The 
"session  room''  is  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Snearer  as  a 
store  room  for  furniture.  After  the  trustees  ceased 
to  use  Mr.  Miles'  house  for  school  purposes,  school 
was  taught  in  the  "session  room"  till  the  completion 
of  the  "yellow  school  house,"  which  stood  where  the 
town  hall  now  is,  on  the  west  side  of  the  public 
square.  This  building  was  erected  for  school  pxxr- 
j)oses  in  the  year  1827,  and  was  used  for  such  for  a 
numljer  of  years.  It  now  stands  on  the  east  side  of 
Middle  avenue,  between  Third  and  Fourth  streets, 
and  is  occupied  by  the  Catholic  parochial  school. 
Mr.  Ely  donated  the  land  upon  which  the  building 
was  erected,  and  contributed  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  dollars  towards  its  erection,  and  built  the  second 
story  at  his  own  expense,  with  the  privilege  of  using 
the  same  in  any  way  which  would  not  injure  the 
school.  The  remaining  expense  of  the  house  was  met 
by  a  tax  on  the  proj^erty  of  district  number  one  of 


118 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Elyria  township,  except  that  Mr.  Ely's  property  was 
exempt  on  account  of  his  liberal  donation  toward  the 
enterprise.  Tliis  was  the  first  school  lioiise  erected  in 
the  district,  »ny  part  of  wliose  exi)ense  was  defrayed 
by  a  tax  upon  the  property  of  the  district. 

From  1837  on  till  1850  several  private  schools  were 
successfully  carried  on  in  Elyria.  Among  these,  the 
one  known  as  the  "Elyria  High  School"  should  be 
mentioned  in  this  connection.  It  was  under  the  man- 
agement of  a  board  of  trustees  known  as  the  "Trus- 
tees of  the  Elyria  High  School."  Mr.  Ely  erected  a 
building  on  laud  at  the  rear  of  the  Methodist  church, 
between  Broad  and  Second  streets,  in  the  year  1831, 
and  leased  the  building  and  land  to  the  trustees  for  a 
term  of  years. 

Rev.  John  Monteith  was  called  to  take  charge  of 
the  first  school  taught  in  tlie  new  building.  He  was 
assisted  by  his  wife  and  Miss  Mary  Eells.  The  pupils 
were  taught  advanced  studies  as  well  as  the  common 
branches.  J.  H.  Fairchiid,  now  president  of  01)erliu 
College,  and  his  brotlier,  E.  H.  Fairciiild,  now  presi- 
dent of  Berea  College,  Kentucky,  were  wholly,  or  in 
part,  prepared  to  enter  college  at  tliis  school. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Branch,  Dr.  A.  B.  Bnjwn  and  wife, 
Rev.  John  P.  Cowles,  afterward  professor  in  Oberlin 
College,  Rev.  Mr.  Mills  and  Luther  M.  Oviatt,  suc- 
cessively had  the  management  of  the  Elyria  high 
school. 

After  retiring  from  this  school,  Mr.  Monteith  estab- 
lished a  school  at  his  own  liouse,  where  Mayor  N.  B. 
Gates  now  lives,  where  he  and  his  wife  taught  for 
several  years. 

Rev.  Mr.  Grosvenor  established  a  girls'  school  in 
what  had  been  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  build- 
ing now  stands  on  East  Third  street,  and  is  occupied 
as  a  dwelling. 

In  the  spring  of  1846  a  meeting  of  the  voters  of 
school  district  number  one  was  called  to  vote  a  tax  of 
one  thousand  dollars,  to  be  used  iu  building  a  school 
house  for  the  use  of  the  common  schools  of  the  dis- 
trict. The  vote  was  unfavoraljle.  Many  of  the  citi- 
zens feeling  dissatisfied  with  the  result  of  the  vote, 
drew  up  a  bill  providing  for  the  division  of  district 
number  one  into  numbers  one  and  niue.  This  bill 
became  a  law  soon  after. 

In  the  winter  of  18-10-47,  meetings  were  held  in 
districts  number  one  and  niue,  and  each  district  voted 
a  tax  of  one  thousand  dollars  for  the  erection  of  a 
school  house  within  its  own  territory.  The  following 
season  the  stoue  school  house  on  the  corner  of  East 
avenue  and  Third  streets  was  erected  in  district  num- 
ber one,  and  a  brick  building  in  the  west  part  of  the 
village  in  number  nine.  Public  schools  are  still 
taught  in  both  these  houses. 

During  these  years  the  sentiment  was  growing 
among  educators  that  the  public  schools  of  the  cities 
and  villages  should  be  greatly  improved.  Much  work 
was  done  by  a  few  men  to  arouse  the  citizens  to  the 
importance  of  improving  their  schools.  The  result 
of  their  labors  is  the  law  which  was  enacted  February 


21,  1849,  entitled  "an  act  to  provide  for  the  better 
regulation  of  public  schools  in  cities  and  towns,  etc." 

On  the  13th  of  May,  1850,  but  a  little  more  than  a 
year  after  the  ]KissHge  of  the  above  act,  a  notice  was 
posted  in  Elyria  calling  upon  the  citizens  to  assemble 
at  the  court  house  on  the  24th  of  Ma}',  to  decide  by 
vote  whether  they  would  reorganize  their  schools 
under  the  law  of  1849.  The  vote  was  favorable  to 
reorganization.  An  election  was  held  on  the  8th  day 
of  June,  1850,  at  which  the  following  persons  were 
chosen  members  of  the  board  of  education:  For 
three  years,  E.  DeWitt  and  0.  Cowles;  for  two  years, 
M.  W.  Pond  and  Tabor  Wood;  for  one  year,  C.  S. 
Goodwin  and  P.  C.  Dolley.  i 

In  October,  1850,  Mr.  Jason  Canfield  was  called  to 
take  charge  of  the  Elyria  union  schools,  which  con- 
sisted, at  that  time,  of  the  two  primary  schools  in 
tlie  stone  and  brick  houses  which  were  erected  in  1847, 
in  the  east  and  west  parts  of  the  village,  an  interme- 
tliate  or  secondary  school  and  a  high  school,  both  of  , 
which  were  taught  in  the  "Elyria  High  School"  build- 
ing before  «ientioned  in  this  article. 

In  Ajiril,  1851,  Mr.  Canfield  was  succeeded  by  Mr. 
M.  J.  Oatman,  who  remained  in  the  schools  for  more 
tlian  thi'ee  years.  The  scholarshi]^  and  exjierience  of 
Mr.  Oatman  were  such  as  to  render  him  a  valuable 
man  in  perfecting  the  organization  upon  which  the  ' 
schools  had  been  started. 

In  1853,  another  department  was  organized,  mak- 
ing three  below  the  high  school.  This  school  was 
taught  in  the  old  "session  room,"  which  had  pre- 
viously been  occupied  for  church,  for  a  court  room, 
and  for  schools. 

The  present  high  school  building,  between  Middle 
Mild  West  avenues,  was  erected  in  jiursuauce  of  a  vote 
of  the  electors  of  the  union  school  district,  at  a  meet- 
ing held  January  2G,  1856,  and  adjourned  to  February 
9,  1856.  The  buihliug  was  commenced  in  185G,  and 
was  completed  in  1857,  and  first  occuj^ied  by  the  high, 
grammar,  and  secondary  departments,  in  the  winter 
term  of  1858.  The  old  "high  school"  house  and  the 
"session  room"  were  now  abandoned  to  other  ixses. 

What  are  now  known  as  the  east  and  west  side 
primary  schools  of  the  Elyria  union  schools,  were 
formerly  sub-districts  number  two  and  number  six  of 
Elyria  township.  These  were  assumed  by  the  Elyria 
school  board  iu  April,  1864. 

Seeing  the  need  of  more  room  for  the  increasing 
number  of  pupils,  iu  1868  the  board  erected  a  two- 
story  wing  on  the  south  side  of  the  high  school  build- 
ing. In  this  wing  are  two  rooms.  The  lower  room 
was  first  occupied  in  September,  1868;  the  upper  room 
was  first  used  in  September,  1870. 

In  1875,  the  board  erected  a  school  building  west 
of  that  occupied  by  the  high  school,  fronting  on  Sixth 
street.  This  house  contains  four  rooms,  two  of  which 
were  occupied  in  January,  1876,  one  in  October,  1877, 
and  one  is  still  unoccupied. 

When  first  organized  there  were  but  four  schools  in 
the  "union  school  district;"  there  ai'e  now  fourteen 


'wm-, 


Photo,  by  Lee,  Elyria,  0. 


^^^^^^^5^^z/ 


The  truth  of  the  law  "  that  like  produces  like"  is 
forcibly  illustrated  in  the  life  of  Elizur  G.  Johnson,  the 
seventh  child  of  Hon.  Nathan  P.  Johnson.  He  was  born 
at  Lagrange,  Lorain  Co.,  Nov.  24,  1836. 

In  those  days  a  boy's  life  devoid  of  labor  was  a  remark- 
able exception.  E.  G.  Johnson's  life  was  not  the  exception. 
His  work  for  twenty-one  years  was  on  the  homestead,  except 
such  time  as  was  devoted  to  school  and  school  teaching. 
The  district  school,  Oberlin,  for  a  time  during  the  winter 
months,  and  an  intelligent  father  were  his  sources  of  edu- 
cation. 

Arriving  at  maturity,  farm  labor,  the  teaching  of  school, 
and  other  employments  occupied  him  for  a  time.  Then  com- 
mencing the  reading  of  the  law  under  Mr.  L.  A.  Sheldon, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  making 
Lagrange  his  residence.  He  there  remained  for  several 
years,  practicing  his  profession  ;  years  more  of  hard  work, 
study,  and  mental  gain  than  pecuniary  profit.  Here,  as 
his  father  had  been  before  him,  was  he  honored  by  his 
fellow-citizens  with  local  offices. 

Elected  as  auditor  of  Lorain  County  in  1868,  Elyria  be- 
came his  residence.  So  strict  was  his  attention  to  duty,  and 
so  courteous  his  treatment  of  all  with  whom  business  brought 
him  into  contact,  that  he  was  successively  re-elected  in 
1870-1872,  and  again  in  1874. 

Leaving  the  auditor's  office  with  a  perfect  record,  Mr. 
Johnson  again  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Elyria,  in 
which  and  where  he  still  remains,  with  a  large  and  ever- 
increasing  practice. 

During  the  years  1875  and  1876,  with  great  ability  he 
conducted  the  Elyria  Republican  as  its  editor.     His  pen 


was  always  found  on  the  side  of  justice,  temperance,  and 
morality,  and  proved  an  efficient  and  ever  active  aid  to  the 
Republican  party,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  since  its 
origin. 

Holding  at  the  present  time,  as  he  has  for  many  years, 
the  office  of  secretary  of  the  Lorain  County  Agricultural 
Society,  none  have  surpassed,  and  but  few  equaled  him  in 
endeavor,  by  word  and  act,  to  make  said  society  the  worthy 
organization  it  is. 

As  a  citizen  of  Elyria  he  has  been  and  is  now  a  member 
of  its  council,  and  noted  for  his  constant  efforts  for  the  im- 
provement of  Elyria. 

On  Jan.  1,  1859,  Miss  Lydia  D.  Gott,  of  Lagrange 
(daughter  of  Peter  Gott,  an  original  settler  in  said  town- 
ship, yet  living,  over  eighty  years  of  age),  became  Mr.  John- 
son's wife. 

To  him  in  early  days  of  toil  and  hardship  she  was  a  true 
companion.  And  now  with  comforts  on  every  side,  a  de- 
voted member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  with  a  fond 
mother's  eye  she  watches  the  growth  and  education  of 
seven  children,  ever  holding  in  the  mother's  heart  the 
memory  of  the  two  little  ones  that  death  took  from  her  in 
childhood. 

Mr.  E.  G.  Johnson,  yet  in  the  vigor  of  manhood,  warm 
in  his  friendships,  generous  to  a  fault,  with  private  and 
public  character  untarnished,  now  reaps  a  glorious  harvest. 
True  it  is,  the  seed  was  sown  under  every  difficulty,  but  he 
was  never  discouraged ;  and  now,  with  a  reputation  fitting 
him  for  any  office  that  his  neighbors  and  fellow-citizens  may 
call  him  to,  he  has  well  and  honestly  earned  the  high 
rank  he  takes  among  Lorain  County's  best  men. 


t 


JUDGE  JOHN   C.   HALE. 


John  C.  Hale  was  born  at  Oxford,  New  Hampshire,  March  3, 
1831.  His  parents  were  Aaron  and  Mary  Hale.  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Kent ;  she  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Kent. 
John  C.  was  born  and  brought  up  upon  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  During 
this  period  he  availed  himself  of  such  advantages  of  educa- 
tion as  the  common  schools  of  that  State  then  provided.  Feel- 
ing the  necessity  of  something  beyond  this,  he  began  fitting 
himself  for  college.  Entering  Dartmouth  College  soon  after, 
he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1857.  At  the  end  of  his  college- 
life  he  found  himself  nearly  a  thousand  dollars  in  debt,  all  of 
which  he  has  since  paid  with  interest.  Immediately  remov- 
ing to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  he  employed  himself  in  teaching  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  city.  In  this  employment  he  re- 
mained three  years,  in  the  mean  time  studying  law  with  Judge 
Prentiss. 

On  the  27th  day  of  December,  1859,  he  married  Miss  Carrie 
A.  Sanborn,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  July,  1801,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and  in  October  of  the  same  year  he  removed 
to  Elyria,  Ohio,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law. 
Here  he  soon  won  a  commanding  position  as  a  lawyer,  and  a 
high  place  in  the  confidence  of  the  people.  This  is  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  in  1863,  but  two  years  after  he  came  to  Elyria, 
an  entire  stranger  to  the  people  of  Lorain  County,  he  was 
elected  to  the  ofiBce  of  prosecuting  attorney,  which  position, 
by  two  successive  re-elections,  he  held  for  six  years. 


During  this  time  he  also  held  the  office  of  register  of  bank- 
ruptcy, the  duties  of  which  he  acceptably  discharged  until  the 
consolidation  of  districts  abolished  the  office. 

In  1873  he  was  elected  to  the  constitutional  convention,  and 
took  an  active  and  influential  part  in  the  deliberations  of  that 
body.  In  1876  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  court  of  Common 
Pleas,  which  position  he  now  holds,  and  tills  with  distinguished 
ability. 

Judge  Hale  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  the  pro- 
motion of  every  enterprise  calculated  to  advance  the  public 
good.  As  a  member  of  the  village  council  and  the  board  of 
education  of  Elyria,  he  rendered  valuable  services  in  behalf 
of  education  and  economical  municipal  government. 

As  a  lawyer  he  had  no  superior  at  the  Lorain  bar,  a  fact 
that  is  attested  by  his  successful  and  lucrative  practice.  His 
clear  perception,  his  candor  and  strict  integrity,  gave  him 
earl\'  in  his  practice  a  strong  hold  upon  the  people,  and  a 
ccmimanding  position  in  his  profes.sion. 

As  a  judge  he  brings  to  his  assistance  a  large  common  sense, 
tempered  by  a  thorough  legal  and  scholastic  education.  Just 
in  the  vigor  of  manhood,  with  mental  and  physical  powers 
undiminished,  deserving  and  possessing  the  full  confidence  of 
the  people,  and  guided  by  a  strict  integrity,  his  career  of  use- 
fulness has  but  just  commenced,  and  he  will  long  hold  the 
liigh  position  he  has  fairly  won  among  the  foremost  men  of 
Lorain  ('ountv  and  the  State  of  Ohio. 


JUDGE  WASHINGTON  W.  BOYNTON. 


Among  the  other  New  England  States  that  sent 
their  hardy  sons  to  mould  the  early  liistory  of 
Lorain  County,  Maine  sent  her  representative  in  the 
Boynton  family. 

Lewis  D.  Boynton,  father  of  Judge  Boynton,  was 
born  in  the  State  of  Maine,  in  August,  1802.  Emi- 
grating to  Ohio  in  1826,  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
Russia  township,  Lorain  Co.,  where  and  in  Elyria 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Sep- 
tember, A.D.  1875. 

Washington  W.  Boynton  was  born  in  Russia  town- 
ship, Jan.  27,  1833,  and  spent  his  early  years  upon 
his  father's  farm.  His  father  being  of  limited 
means,  and  charged  with  the  support  of  a  large 
family,  did  not  think  it  practicable  to  send  young 
Boynton  to  college,  and  he  was  forced  to  content 
himself  with  such  advantages  as  the  common  school 
of  his  district  provided.  Adding  to  this,  constant 
study  and  close  application,  maturity  found  him 
eminent  in  scholarship,  although  no  college  had 
added  a  title  to  his  name.  From  that  time  until  the 
present  he  has  been  a  hard  student.  For  several 
winters  he  taught  school,  in  the  mean  time  pursu- 
ing the  study  of  the  law,  which  he  early  chose  as 
his  profession.  He  was  for  a  number  of  years 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  School  Examiners  of 
Lorain  County. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1856,  and  he  soon 
became  prominent  in  his  profession,  a  position  which 
he  held  until  chosen  Common  Pleas  judge.  In 
1859  he  was  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the 
office  of  prosecuting  attorney,  which  office  he  held 
for  two  successive  re-elections  until  the  fall  of  1863, 
when,  on  account  of  ill  health,  he  resigned.  A  trip 
to  Minnesota,  where  he  remained  during  the  winter 
of  1863-64,  gave  him  necessary  rest,  which,  together 
with  the  change  of  climate,  greatly  improved  his 
health.  Returning  to  Elyria,  he  again  opened  a  law- 
office,  and  soon  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  an 
extensive  and  lucrative  practice. 

In  1865,  Judge  Boynton  was  elected  to  represent 
Lorain  County  in  the  Legislature  for  the  terra  of 
two  years.     In  1867  he  was  the  unanimous  choice 


of  his  party  for  re-election,  but  he  declined  it  and 
continued  in  the  practice  of  law. 

While  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  Mr.  Boynton 
had  the  honor  and  pluck  to  introduce  a  resolution 
proposing  an  amendment  to  the  constitution  of  Ohio 
to  strike  the  word  "  white"  from  the  clause  relating 
to  the  election  franchise.  After  a  stormy  debate  in 
a  House  largely  Republican,  the  resolution  was  de- 
feated, lacking  a  few  votes  of  the  necessary  two-thirds 
majority  required  to  submit  it  to  a  vote  of  the  people. 
This  debate  aroused  such  a  sentiment  throughout  the 
State  that,  in  a  few  weeks  after,  a  similar  resolution 
was  introduced  into  the  Senate  by  Hon.  Abner  Kel- 
logg, of  Ashtabula,  and  having  passed  that  body,  was 
sent  to  the  House,  and  after  a  heated  debate  finally 
adopted  and  the  question  submitted  to  the  people. 
The  proposition  was  lost,  but  it  was  soon  followed 
by  the  amendment  of  the  Federal  constitution  which 
forever  put  the  question  to  rest. 

In  February,  1869,  Mr.  Boynton  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Hayes  a  Common  Pleas  judge  of  Lorain, 
Medina,  and  Summit  Counties,  on  the  resignation  of 
Judge  Burke.  At  the  ensuing  fall  election  he  was 
elected  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  two  years  thereafter 
was  re-elected  for  the  full  term.  As  judge  of  the 
Common  Pleas  Court,  Mr.  Boynton  won  a  fame  as 
wide  as  the  State,  and  at  once  stepped  into  the  front 
rank  of  the  legal  profession  of  Ohio.  In  1876  he 
was  elected  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State,  which  position  he  still  holds. 

Mr.  Boynton  was  married  Dec.  20,  1859,  to  Miss 
Betty  A.  Terrell,  daughter  of  Ichabod  Terrell,  of 
Ridgeville,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Boynton  is  a  man  whom  his  friends  and  fellow- 
citizens  hold  in  the  highest  esteem.  His  record  both 
in  public  and  private  life  is  free  from  blemish.  He 
has  been  honored  by  the  people  with  offices  of  trust 
and  high  responsibility,  and  in  every  capacity  has 
proved  himself  a  competent  and  fearless  officer,  and 
an  upright  and  honest  man. 

As  a  lawyer,  legislator,  and  jurist  he  has  achieved 
a  success  that  reflects  great  credit  upon  himself  and 
honor  upon  Lorain  County,  whose  representative  he  is- 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


119 


different  schools,  with  fifteen  teachers .  besides  the 
superintendent,  and  special  teachers  of  German,  mu- 
sic and  penmanship. 

At  a  meetino;  of  the  board  of  education  held  Novem- 
ber 17,  1859,  a  course'of  study  for  all  the  departments 
Avas  adopted.  In  the  grades  below  the  high  school, 
provision  was  made  for  instruction  in  reading,  spell- 
ing, writing,  drawing,  vocal  music,  arithmetic,  geog- 
raphy, grammar,  composition,  declamation,  physi- 
ology. United  States  history,  and  morals.  For  the 
high  school  a  three  j'ears'  course  of  study  was  laid 
down,  and  provision  was  made  for  a  fourth  year,  which 
was  to  be  optional.  The  board  tlien  declared  that 
pupils  completing  the  full  course  of  four  years  in  the 
high  school  should  receive  a  diploma  from  the  jiresi- 
dent  of  the  board,  signed  by  its  members,  and  also  by 
the  superintendent  and  examining  committee. 

The  first  class  which  graduated  from  the  high 
school  course  was  that  of  1863,  consisting  of  Lydia 
A.  Ball,  Beza  N.  Boynton  and  Henrietta  C.  Schaibly. 
A  class  had  graduated  in  the  year  1861,  having  com- 
pleted some  of  the  studies  contained  in  the  course 
before  its  adoption  by  the  board.  This  class  consisted 
of  Cyrus  Y.  Durand,  Thankful  D.  Boynton,  Frances 
W.  Sanford  and  Louise  Terrell. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board,  held  September  .3,  1867, 
the  course  of  study  was  revised.  At  the  same  meet- 
ing, a  set  of  rules  regulating  the  board  meetings,  and 
specifying  the  duty  of  members  of  board,  of  superin- 
tendent, teachers  and  pupils,  was  adopted. 

After  stating  the  duties  of  members  of  the  board, 
the  minutes  of  the  meeting  above  mentioued  read  as 
follows: 

"  Public  schools  are  expensive.  Tliey  cost  the  young  people  a  great 
deal  of  valuable  time.  They  cost  teachers  and  other  friends  of  educa- 
tion a  great  deal  of  labor  and  care.  They  cost  tax-payers  a  good  deal 
of  money.  But  schools  are  worth  all  they  cost.  No  communitj'  can 
afford  to  do  without  them.  It  is  cheaper  to  support  schools  and 
churches  than  penitentiaries  and  infirmaries.  Free  public  schools  are 
the  palladium  of  liberty.  Universal  edutration  is  the  surety  for  the 
permanency  of  free  institutions.  Every  good  citizen  feels  a  direct 
interest  in  the  prosperity  and  efficiency  of  schools,  and  should  also  feel 
a  personal  responsibility  therefor.  Good  schools  are  not  only  worth 
what  they  cost;  they  are  worth  understanding  and  caring  for.  Tlie 
best  way  to  know  them  is  to  go  and  see  them.  Any  one  may  learn  more 
about  schools  by  visiting  them  a  few  hours,  than  by  much  fault-finding 
with  the  teachers  and  board  of  education." 

The  above  quotation  is  made  to  indicate  the  senti- 
ment which  has  pervaded  the  board  of  education  of 
the  Elyria  union  schools  from  their  organization  to 
the  present  time.  They  have  spared  neither  time 
nor  money  necessary  to  carry  on  their  schools  in  an 
efficient  manner. 

The  course  of  studj-  was  again  revised  Ajjril  1"^, 
1870,  that  for  the  first  eight  years  being  the  same  as 
in  the  Cleveland  schools.  In  1871,  the  board  pub- 
lished a  "manual  of  the  course  of  study,  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  Elyria  union  schools."  Since  that 
time,  the  course  of  study  has  undergone  some  changes 
to  adapt  it  more  fully  to  the  wants  of  the  times. 
More  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  use  of  language. 
I  Also  much  more  time  has  been  devoted  to  the  acijui- 
sition  of  a  knowledge  of  the  best  thoughts  of  the  best 
authors. 


It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  board  to  have  the  chil- 
dren of  Elyria  enjoy  educational  advantages  equal  to 
those  enjoyed  by  the  children  of  any  other  place  in 
Ohio.  They  have  endeavored  to  secure  competent 
teachers,  and  to  retain  them  as  long  as  possible. 

After  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Oatman,  in  1854,  Mr. 
N.W.  Demnnn  acted  as  superintendent  tillJune,  1856; 
Mr.  Frank  Robbing,  from  September,  1856,  to  June, 
1857;  Mr.  J.  U.  Barnum,  from  September,  1857,  to 
June,  1859;  Mr.  W.  C.  Catlin,  from  September,  1859, 
to  June,1862;  Mr.  H.  M.  Parker,  from  September, 
1863,  to  June,  1864;  Mr.  J.  S.  McKee,  from  Sep- 
tember, 1864,  to  June,  1865;  Mr.  Geo.  L.  Mills,  from 
September,  1865,  to  June,  1867;  Mr.  Peter  H.  Kaiser, 
from  September,  1867,  to  June,  1868;  Mr.  Geo.  N. 
Carruthers,  from  September,  1868,  to  June,  1873; 
Mr.  H.  M.  Parker,  from  September,  1873,  to  the 
present  time. 

During  the  twenty-eight  years  of  the  Elyria  high 
school,  forty-one  different  ladies  have  been  connected 
with  it  as  teachers.  Of  these,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Catlin  and 
Miss  L.  F.  Ingram  remained  three  years.  A  few  of 
the  others  remained  two  years,  but  most  of  them  for 
a  shorter  time.  Miss  Beza  N.  Boynton,  now  Mrs. 
Peter  II.  Kaiser,  was  teacher  in  the  high  school  four 
and  two- thirds  years  in  the  aggregate,  but  her  teach- 
ing was  at  three  different  times.  What  has  been  true 
of  the  high  school,  has  been  true  of  the  lower  grades. 
The  want  of  permanency  in  the  ])rofessiou  of  teaching 
is  an  injury  to  the  cause.  Miss  L.  E.  Smith  has  been 
for  many  years  a  teacher  in  some  one  of  the  different 
departments  of  the  .schools  of  Elyria.  Her  work  de- 
serves honorable  mention.  No  adequate  mention  can 
be  made  of  the  good  she  has  done  in  this  community. 

Since  1863,  a  class  has  graduated  from  a  four  years' 
course  of  study  in  the  high  school  each  year,  except 
1866  and  1871.  The  whole  number  of  pupils  who 
have  graduated  is  eighty-eight,  with  a  class  of  fifteen 
to  graduate  in  1879,  making  one  hundred  and  three. 

The  advantages  flowing  from  an  eflficieut  system  of 
schools,  in  a  place  like  Eryria,  are  not  to  be  estimated 
by  the  number  of  graduates  from  the  high  school. 
Many  young  people  have  taken  a  portion  of  the  course 
of  study  to  prepare  themselves  for  admission  to  higher 
institutions  of  learning.  Many  more  have  left  school 
after  completing  half  of  tiie  high  school  course  of 
study  to  enter  various  callings.  These  have  become 
much  more.successful  in  business  and  useful  as  citi- 
zens on  account  of  the  training  received  in  the  last 
two  years  of  their  course.  Many  pupils  have  left  the 
lower  grades  of  school  to  enter  upon  lives  of  idleness 
and  crime.  But  when  pupils  have  spent  two  years 
in  the  high  school,  they  have  formed  habits  of  indus- 
try and  application  to  their  work  which  they  carry 
with  them  into  their  life-work. 

Graduates  from  the  Elyria  high  school  are  filling 
positions  of  responsibility  and  trust  in  large  manu- 
facturing and  business  establishments,  are  practicing 
successfully  the  various  professions,  and  are  the  light 
and  life  of  many  home  circles. 


120 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


MANUFACTURING   INTERESTS. 

We  have  already  shown  the  Elyria  of  "hmg  syno." 
We  will  now  take  a  turn  among  its  present  manufac- 
tories. Just  below  the  depot  of  the  Lake  Shore  and 
Michigan  Southern  railway,  and  connected  with  this 
railway  by  a  spur  track,  stand  the  extensive  brick 
buildings  owned  and  occui^ied  by  the  Messrs.  Topliff 
&  Ely,  in  the  manufacture  of  special  carriage  hard- 
ware. Tiiese  gentlemen,  in  the  year  1805,  erected  a 
wooden  building  near  the  site  of  their  jyresent  manu- 
factory, and  investing  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  began 
the  making  of  hubs,  spokes,  etc.  This  braiK'h  of  the 
business  was  abandoned  in  1874.  In  the  year  1874, 
they  began  the  manufacture  of  tubular  bow  sockets 
for  carriage  bows,  in  a  small  room  on  Broad  street. 
The  rapidly-increasing  business  rendered  additional 
room  necessary,  and  in  1873  they  completed  the  first 
of  the  brick  buildings  they  now  occupy.  This  was 
24x6-4  feet  in  dimension,  and  two  stories  high.  In 
1874,  another  small  building  was  added,  but  these 
were  soon  found  wholly  inadequate  to  accommodate 
the  business,  and  in  1877  extensive  enlargements  were 
begun,  which  are  Just  completed — showing  a  frontage 
of  three  hundred  and  forty  feet,  by  an  average  depth 
of  sixty-five  feet.  They  have  now  invested  in  the 
business  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  They  employ 
on  an  average  forty  workmen,  with  a  monthly  pay- 
roll of  eighteen  hundred  dollars.  The  yearly  sales 
aggregate  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
The  steel  tubular  bow  socket  is  the  principal  article 
manufactured.  It  was  patented  in  1870  by  I.  N. 
Topliff,  a  brother  of  the  senior  partner  of  the  present 
firm.  This  is  the  only  manufactory  of  these  goods 
in  the  world,  and  they  find  a  market  not  only 
in  the  United  States,  where  they  have  an  immense 
sale,  but  in  England,  France,  South  America,  Aus- 
tralia, etc.  These  buildmgs  have  their  foundation 
ui)on  the  solid  rock,  which  at  this  point  crops  out 
and  forms  the  bank  of  Black  river.  The  propelling 
power  is  derived  from  the  waters  of  that  stream,  and 
from  steam  as  a  i-eserve.  Their  elegant  engine  is 
from  the  manufactory  of  0.  11.  Brown  &  Co.,  at 
Fitchburg,  Mass.,  and  is  of  one  hundred  horse  power. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  sets  of  these  sockets  are  made 
each  day,  or  a  complete  set  for  a  buggy  every  foui- 
minutes. 

THE    CLEVELAND    SCREW    AND   TAP    FACTORY. 

This  company  was  organized  and  commenced  busi- 
ness in  Cleveland  in  October,  1873.  On  the  23d  of 
October,  1874,  the  works  were  shut  down,  and,  as 
soon  as  practicable,  the  machinery  was  transferred 
to  the  commodious  brick  building,  which  had  been 
erected  in  Elyria,  this  point  offering  superior  facilities 
in  many  respects.  Tlie  citizens  of  this  town  con- 
tributed liherally  towards  the  erection  of  the  building 
and  to  aid  the  company  in  other  respects.  This  build- 
ing is  fifty  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  size  and 
four  stories  high.     It  is  located  near  the  crossing  of 


the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  and  the  C,  T.  V.  &  W.  railroads. 
The  cost  of  the  building  was  thirty-one  thousand  dol- 
lars; machinery,  tools,  etc.,  forty-seven  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  dollars.  New  articles  of  in- 
corporation were  issued  on  the  20th  of  November, 
1874.  The  following  officers  were  elected  under  the 
new  charter:  S.  II.  Matthews,  president;  F.  B.  Iline, 
vice-president;  C.  H.  Morgan,  superintendent;  W.  F. 
Hulburt,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  above  officers, 
with  E.  W.  Phelps  and  R.  C.  DeWitt,  constituted  the 
board  of  directors.  The  present  officers  are  F.  B. 
Hine,  president  and  treasurer;  R.  C.  DeWitt,  vice- 
president;  M.  H.  Levagood,  secretary  and  sujierin- 
tendent.  The  average  number  of  hands  employed  is 
thirty-three;  average  monthly  pay-roll,  twelve  hun- 
dred dollars;  average  yearly  sales,  twenty-eight  thou- 
sand dollars. 

The  engine  which  drives  the  numerous  ingenious 
machines  of  this  establishment,  is  of  on)  hundred  and 
fifty  horse  power.  In  addition  to  the  manufactures 
imi)lied  by  that  name,  are  set  and  cup  screws,  hand 
and  machine  taps,  cylinder  studs,  finished  and  case- 
hardened  nuts,  etc. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  we  regret  to  add 
that,  owing  to  losses  resulting  from  many  of  its  cus- 
tomers having  gone  into  bankruptcy,  the  general 
depression  of  the  iron  interests  of  the  country,  and 
bad  management,  the  company  has  been  compelled 
to  make  an  assignment.  M.  H.  Levagood,  the  assig- 
nee, still  carries  on  the  business.  The  stockholders 
will,  doubtless,  lose  their  entire  stock,  and  the  pro- 
j)erty  will  pass  into  the  hands  of  the  bond  holders, 
who,  it  is  hoped,  will  reorganize  and  carry  on  the 
business  successfully. 

THE  ELYRIA  SHEAR   COMPANY 

which  occupies  a  portion  of  the  screw  and  tap  com- 
pany's building,  was  incorjmrated  on  the  7th  day  of 
March,  1878,  with  an  authorized  capital  of  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  was  paid  in  soon  after  the  articles 
of  incorporation  were  received.  The  first  and  present 
officers  are:  T.  L.  Nelson,  president;  W.  P.  Hatch, 
vice-president;  M.  A.  Mihills,  secretary;  and  John 
Clause,  treasurer.  This  industry  alone  furnishes  em- 
ployment for  thirty-four  workmen,  who  receive  an 
aggregate  of  one  thousand  dollars,  at  the  end  of  each 
mouth's  labor.  The  monthly  sales  average  thirty-five 
hundred  dollars,  and  are  steadily  increasing.  They 
manufacture  shears  and  scissors  of  every  description, 
and  of  a  superior  quality.  The  company  are  general 
agents  for  the  union  knife  company's  cutlery,  and 
intend  soon  commencing  the  manufacture  of  this 
class  of  goods. 

PLANING  MILLS. 

Dickinson,  Williams  &  Faxon. — In  1853,  Alex- 
ander Smith  came  from  the  east,  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  John  W.  Bullock,  bought  a  lot  north  of 
the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  Ry.  depot,  and  erected  thereon  a 
building,  which   was  fitted  up  witli   the  machinery 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


121 


requisite  for  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  imple- 
ments. In  the  year  1854,  Mr.  Bullock  retired  from 
the  firm.  Henry  Thurston  purchased  his  interest, 
and  put  in  a  planer  and  matcher,  surface  plauer  and 
machinery  for  making  sash,  doors,  and  blinds.  In 
September,  1856,  the  building  and  contents  were  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Levi  A.  Dickin- 
son joined  with  Mr.  Thurston,  purchased  the  site,  and 
erected  a  large,  two-story  building,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1857,  began  the  manufacture  of  sash,  doors,  blinds, 
etc.,  in  connection  with  general  planing  mill  work. 
Th'V  also  engaged  extensively  in  general  jobbing  and 
building.  Clayton  Johnson  having  become  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm,  tlio  business  was  continued  under  the 
firm  name  of  Dickinson,  Johnson  &  Co.,  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1865,  when  Franklin  Dickinson,  (in  conse- 
quence of  failing  health.)  sold  his  interest  to  the  two 
remaining  partners.  The  business  had  grown  to 
such  magnitude  that,  from  twelve  to  fifteen  workmen 
were  kept  in  constant  employment.  In  1871,  exten- 
sive additions  were  made  to  the  buildings,  and  im- 
proved machinery  added.  In  1875,  Mr.  Johnson 
sold  his  interest  to  George  D.  Williams  and  Theodore 
Faxon,  and  the  business  has  been  continued  under 
the  firm  name  of  Dickinson,  Williams  and  Faxon 
until  the  present  time.  The  entire  capital  invested 
is  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  Average  number  of  work- 
men employed,  fifteen.  Average  monthly  pay  roll, 
seven  hundred  dollars.  Engine,  forty  horse  power. 
They  also  manufacture  specialties  in  furniture. 

The  planing  mill  owned  by  JoJiu  W.  Hart  is  situ- 
ated on  Broad  street.  It  was  erected  several  years 
since,  but  of  its  early  history  we  are  unable  to  obtain 
details.  Mr.  Hart  purchased  the  property  in  1873, 
and  has  thoroughly  refitted  it  with  machinery  of  the 
latest  and  most  approved  pattern.  The  engine  is  of 
forty  horse  power.  There  is  a  force  of  eighteen 
workmen  employed,  who  receive  on  the  average  eigbt 
hundred  dollars  pay  monthly.  Mr.  Hart  has  invested 
ill  the  business  the  snug  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
He  does  a  general  planing  mill  work,  including  sash, 
doors,  blinds,  etc.  He  is  also  extensively  engaged  in 
the  stone  trade. 

C.  Parscli's  j)laning  mill  is  located  on  Mill  street, 
near  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  railway.  He  has  five  thousand 
dollars  invested,  and  employs  nine  workmen.  Hi.s 
engine  is  of  twenty-five  horse  power.  He  also  deals 
in  shingles,  lath,  etc. 

James  Hollis'  Foundry  &  Machine  Shop. — Mr. 
Hollis  has  been  engaged  in  this  line  of  business  in 
Elyria  for  about  thirty  years.  He  began  work  in  his 
present  building,  on  Maple  street,  in  1871,  with  a 
capital  of  five  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  He 
manufactures  engines,  horse  powers,  and  does  gene- 
ral repairs,  foundry  and  machine  work. 

E.  F.  Bronsou  manufactures  (also  on  Majile  street) 
the  centennial  lap  board,  and  also  specialties  in  fine 
furniture.  The  business,  which  was  established  in 
November,  1877,  already  represents  a  capital  of  six 
thousand  dollars,   and  may  bo  claimed  among  the 

16 


growing  industries  of  Elyria.  Employment  is  fur- 
nished for  six  workmen.  Average  monthly  sales, 
six  hundred  dollars. 

ELYRIA    VARIETY    WORKS. 

This  business  was  established  in  the  year  1867,  by 
its  present  proprietor,  Mr.  James  A.  Tite.  The 
manufactures  are  of  a  general  nature — -lawn  mowers, 
feed  cutters,  etc.  The  specialty  is  of  making  light- 
ning rod  tips.  Engine  is  of  fourteen  horse  power. 
The  avei'age  number  of  workmen  employed  is  nine. 

CARRIAGE    MANUFACTORY. 

That  of  Crisp  &  Hensen  is  the  only  exclusive 
manufactory  of  fine  carriages  in  Elyria.  These 
gentlemen  commenced  business  in  April,  1873,  in- 
vesting three  thousand  dollars.  Tiiey  employ  an 
average  of  ten  workmen.  This  establishment  turns 
out  a  fine  line  of  carriages,  wagons,  sleighs,  etc. 

FLOUEINR    MILLS. 

We  have  already  given  the  pioneer  grist  and  saw 
mills,  which  were  situated  on  or  near  the  site  of  the 
l^resent  mills. 

Undoubtedly,  the  oldest  flouring  mill  now  in  opera- 
tion in  Elyria  is  the  one  at  the  foot  of  Broad  street, 
on  the  east  branch  of  Black  river,  near  the  bridge. 
The  present  proprietor  is  Mr.  Garret  Reublin,  who 
has  recently  purchased  the  property,  investing  ten 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  This  mill  has  four 
run  of  stones,  and  is  in  fine  condition.  It  does  both 
custom  and  merchant  milling.  The  principal  pro- 
pelling power  is  water,  though  there  is  a  forty  horse 
power  engine,  which  is  used  in  seasons  when  the 
water  is  low.  The  saw-mill  adjoining,  owned  by  the 
same  gentleman,  is  of  more  recent  construction. 

The  flouring  mill  owned  by  I.  S.  Metcalf  is  located 
on  Broad  street,  between  West  and  Middle  avenues, 
and  was  erected  by  Messrs.  Chapman  &  Gibson.  Mr. 
Metcalf  purchased  the  property  in  1874,  paying 
therefor  ten  thousand  dollars.  It  is  driven  by  a 
forty  horse  power  steam  engine.  There  are  two  run 
of  stones,  and  both  custom  and  merchant  milling  are 
done. 

ASHERY    AND    SOAP    MANUFACTORY'. 

The  former  was  put  in  operation  in  the  fall  of 
1843,  by  N.  B.  Gates,  and  is  still  owned  and  operated 
by  him.  At  the  time  it  was  established,  large  quan- 
tities of  ashes  could  be  procured  from  the  settlers, 
wlio  were  clearing  lands  and  burning  log  heaps. 
Black  salts  were  also  brouglit  in  in  large  quantities, 
which  Mr.  Gates  converted  into  pearlash.  Now  tlie 
ashes  are  collected  from  the  citizens,  made  from  wood 
consumed  in  their  dwellings.  The  location  is  on  the 
west  branch  of  the  river  near  the  railroad  bridge. 
The  making  of  pot  and  pearl  ashes  is  still  continued. 
The  soap  works  were  built  in  1862,  by  Messrs.  Clark 
&  Cathcart.  Mr.  Gates  purchased  them  in  Septem- 
ber, 18G9,  and  manufactured  cliemical  erasive  soap, 


122 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


turning  out  ton  tons  per  year,  and  an  equal  quantity 
of  ])ot  and  pearl  aslics.  He  lias  four  tliou-^aml  two 
liunilrecl  dollars  invested,  and  employs  four  workmen. 

EI.YRIA    IJKKAUY. 

This  enduring  monument  to  the  memory  of  its 
generous  founder  was  first  opened  on  the  KHli  <lay  of 
June,  1870.     It  came  into  being  as  follows: 

To  the  will  of  the  lamented  Charles  Arthur  Ely, 
execnted  March  19, 18.56,  was  added  a  codicil,  Decem- 
ber 1,  18.57,  containing  a  bequest,  by  the  provisions 
of  which  the  executor  was  directed  to  convoy  to  five 
well-known  gentlemen  (named  in  the  will),  trustees, 
the  site  of  the  present  Library  Block,  and  the  build- 
ing then  standing  thereon.  The  executor  was  also 
directed  to  pay  to  said  trustees  the  sum  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars,  to  be  invested  in  books  for  immediate 
use,  and  the  further  sum  of  ton  thousand  dollars  to 
be  invested  as  a  permanent  fund,  the  income  only  of 
which  was  applicable  to  the  use  of  the  library.  Mr. 
Ely  died  on  the  30th  of  Soptomber,  18(U;  and  the 
provisions  of  the  will  above  mentioned  were  carried 
into  effect  by  his  administrator. 

The  trustees  named  in  the  will  were:  Dr.  Nortcm 
y.  Townshend,  ILenian  Ely,  Ilarwood  M.  Redington, 
George  Olmstead  and  Prof.  James  Monroe,  of  Ober- 
lin.  Mr.  Monroe  declining  to  act,  Hon.  John  C  Hale 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  They  immediately 
entered  ujiou  their  labors;  the  building  above  referred 
to  was  fitted  up;  two  thousand  volumes  were  pur- 
chased, and  on  April  1,  1870,  the  present  very  able 
librarian.  Miss  Nettie  E.  Wheeler,  began  the  labor  of 
arranging  the  books  and  preparing  a  catalogue;  and 
on  the  10th  of  the  following  June,  the  library  was 
formally  opened  for  the  use  of  the  public.  The  exer- 
cises were  conducted  at  the  court  house,  and  consisted 
of  an  address  by  the  Hon.  Norton  S.  Townshend,  and 
such  other  ceremonies  as  are  usual  on  occasions  of 
this  kind. 

In  the  disastrous  fire  which  occurred  on  the  15th 
day  of  March,  1873,  the  building  and  library  were  con- 
sumed. Only  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  books, 
out  of  four  thousand  volumes  then  in  the  library, 
were  saved.  There  was  a  thousand  dollars  of  insur- 
ance on  the  building,  and  from  the  avails  of  this  and 
a  small  amount  additional  the  present  elegant  build- 
ing was  erected.  This  was  completed,  and  first  occu- 
pied on  May  11,  1874.  It  was  not  opened  to  the 
public  until  the  25th  of  July  following.  There  is 
at  the  present  time  a  very  choice  collection  of  liooks, 
numbering  six  thousand  volumes. 

BANKING    INTERESTS. 

Pursuant  to  an  act  "to  incorporate  the  State  Bank 
of  Ohio  and  other  banking  companies,"  passed  Feb- 
ruary 34,  1845,  the  Lorain  Bank,  in  Elyria,  (the  first 
in  the  county),  was  established  on  the  25th  day  of 
May,  1847,  with  a  capital  stock  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars.  This  was  divided  into  one  thousand 
shares  of  one  hundred  dollars  each.     On  June  23, 


1847,  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders  c(nivoncd;  Henian 
Ely  was  ajjpointed  chairman  and  Elijah  DeW'itt  sec- 
relarv.  'I'he  next  business  was  the  election  of  a  board 
of  directors.  This  was  done  by  ballot,  and  the  fol- 
lowing gentlemen  were  elected:  Hcman  Ely,  Elijah 
DeWitt,  Enoch  Clark,  Artemas  Beebe,  Amasa  Chiqi- 
man,  Conrad  Reid,  John  B.  Wilbor,  Aaron  Root  and 
Homau  Ely,  Jr.  The  followiivg  officers  were  then 
elected:  Henian  Ely,  president;  Artemas  Beebe,  vicc- 
])residont;  Elijah  DeWitt,  secretary;  W.  A.  Adair, 
cashier,  and  Levi  Buriiell,  teller  and  book-keeper. 

Having  effected  an  organization,  a  banking  house 
was  opened  in  Room  No.  3  of  the  Beebe  House 
Block  (now  occujiied  by  L.  Taylor  as  a  crockery 
store),  and  in  this  the  business  of  the  bank  was 
transacted  until  January  1,  1875,  when  it  was  re- 
moved to  its  elegant  rooms  in  the  Ely  Block  (first 
floor  of  the  library  building).  Mr.  Ely  resigned 
his  position  as  prosideut  April  24,  1849,  and  Artemas 
Beebe  was  elected  his  successor,  but  declined  the 
acceptance  of  the  office,  whereupon  Elijah  DeWitt 
was  elected  to  the  position,  and  is  still  the  able  in- 
cumbent of  that  office.  On  the  date  above  given, 
the  office  of  vice-president  was  discontinued. 

The  board  of  directors  has  suffered  few  changes, 
and  remains  substantially  as  at  first  oi-ganized.  Jfr. 
Adair  resigned  his  jiosition  as  cashier,  December  4, 
1849,  which  was  accepted,  and,  on  January  1,  1850, 
John  R.  Finn  was  elected  to  succeed  him.  Mr.  Finn 
was  elected  vice-president  of  the  State  Bank  of  Ohio 
in  1855,  and  he  resigned  his  position  as  cashier. 
Hemau  Ely  was  ap])ointed  cashier  pro  tern,.,  and 
served  nntd  January  7,  185G,  when  the  present  incum- 
bent of  the  office,  Mr.  John  W.  Ilulburt,  was  elected. 
The  bank  continued  to  do  a  highly  prosperous  busi- 
ness until  the  year  1864,  when,  on  April  2d,  a  meeting 
of  the  citizens  was  hehl,  under  the  act  of  Congress  to 
provide  for  a  national  currency,  a])proved  February 
25,  18G3,  to  take  the  preliminary  steps  toward  organ- 
izing the  First  National  Bank  of  Elyria.  The  sub- 
scribers to  the  stock  of  the  new  organization  at  this 
time  were  as  follows: 

Artemas  Beebe 1.54  shares  of  10(1  dollars  each,    %    ir),100 

Seymour  W.  Baldwin Wi  "  "  "  l(i,3lM 

Heman  Ely 14«  "  "  "  H,*10 

George  E.  Starr 143  "  "  "  14,:300 

Henry  E.  Mussey 145  "  "  "  14,500 

Geo.  G.  Washburn 144  "  "  "  14,400 

Elijah  DeWitt 109  "  "  "  10,900 


1,000  $100,000 

The  certificate  of  authorization  was  issued  May  25, 
1804.  Subsequently  directors  wore  elected  as  follows: 
Artemas  Beebe,  Elijah  Do  Witt,  George  G.  Washburn, 
Hem-y  E.  Mussey,  Seymour  W.  Baldwin,  and  George 
R.  Starr.  Elijah  Do  Witt  was  elected  president  and 
John  AV.  Hulbnrt,  cashier.  In  1870  the  oifice  of 
vice  president  was  created  and  Homan  Ely  was  elect t'^l 
to  fill  the  position.  The  directors  for  1878,  are  Arte- 
mas Beebe,  S.  AV.  Baldwin,  William  Jones,  H.  E. 
Mussey,  George  R.  Starr,  James  M.  Chapman,  Elijah 
DeWitt,  George  G.  Washburn,  and  Heman  Ely. 
This  bank  has  been  conducted  in  the  interest  of  the 


Union  Hall  CLorHtNO  ffousE 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


123 


])eoplc  and  not  in  the  interest  of  a  ring  or  individuals. 
It  has,  from  its  inception,  done  an  honorable  and 
prudent  business.  The  Bank  Examiner  spealvS  in 
terms  higlily  commendatory  of  its  management. 

The  Savings  Deposit  Bank  oe  Elyria,  began 
business  in  November,  1873,  witli  T.  L.  Nelson,  pres- 
ident; J.  C.  Hill,  cashier;  Hon.  Sidney  S.  Warner, 
Hon.  John  C.  Hale,  Hon.  R.  A.  Horr,  C.  W.  Horr, 
S.  R.  Lanndon,  Hon.  W.  W.  Boyntoii,  William  A. 
Bniman,  John  W.  Hart,  I.  S.  Metcalf,  and  Lorenzo 
Clark,  directors.  The  board  of  investment,  T.  L. 
Nelson,  J.  C.  Hill,  William  A.  Braman,  John  C.  Hale, 
and  W.  W.  Boynton.  The  responsibility  of  this 
Inuik  aggregates  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  which 
is  ])ledged  and  liable  for  the  payment  of  all  debts  and 
obligations  of  the  bank.  The  business  is  of  a  general 
nature.  The  savings  dei^artment  is  designed  to  afford 
those  who  desire  to  save  their  money  the  means  of 
employing  it  to  advantage  without  incurring  any  risk 
of  losing  it,  as  is  often  the  case  when  loaned  to  indi- 
viduals. 

MERCANTILE    HISTORY    OF    ELYKIA. 

Edmund  West  opened  the  first  store  in  Elyi'ia.  He- 
maii  Ely  (tlie  founder  of  tlie  township)  was  his  part- 
ner, thougli  he  took  no  active  ])art  in  conducting  the 
business.  Theodore  W.  Ely,  from  West  Springfield, 
Mass.,  became  a  partner  of  Mr.  West,  June  1,  183.5. 
Theodore  W.  Ely  died  May  3,  1836,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-tliree  years.  Mr.  West  died  July  15,  1835,  at 
the  age  of  twentj'-nine  years.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Norris  0.  Stow,  who  associated  with  him  Theodore 
W.  Ely  whose  early  death  is  above  stated.  Mr.  Stow 
coiulucted  the  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  the  13th  of  April,  1830.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Addison  Tracy  and  Phineas  Johnson  under  the  firm 
name  of  Tracy  and  Johnson,  who  conducted  the 
business  until  1833,  when  they  became  members  of  the 
Lorain  Iron  Company,  and  their  stock  of  goods  was 
removed  to  tlie  company's  store  as  part  of  its  stock  in 
trade.  When  the  Lorain  Iron  Company  suspended 
business,  Isaac  M.  Johnson  purchased  their  stock  of 
goods,  and  continued  in  business  but  a  year  or  two 
when  lie  sold  out  to  Tlnnnas  Wilcox  and  William  M. 
Becbe,  under  the  firm-name  of  Wilcox  and  Beebe. 
They  in  turn  sold,  in  1840,  to  Baldwin  &  Company. 
2Vt  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  Elyria,  probably 
in  1833  or  '34,  Stanton  Sholes  established  a  store  in 
the  building  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Monroe,  on  the 
north  side  of  Broad  street,  between  Middle  and  East 
avenues.  In  two  or  tliree  years  he  sold  out  to  Thomp- 
son Miles,  who  soon  after  built  a  brick  store  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Broad  .street  and  East  avenue, 
where  he  transacted  business  until  1833,  when,  having 
secured  a  competence,  he  retired  from  business. 
About  the  year  1837,  two  brothers,  Sheldon  and  C.  B. 
Guthrie,  established  a  store  in  a  frame  building  on  the 
north  side  of  Broad  street,  about  midway  lietween 
Middle  and  East  avenues.  They  continued  in  busi- 
ness for  about   three  years.     Sheldon  Guthrie  is  now 


living  in  New  Orleans.  His  brother,  C.  B.  Guthrie, 
died  recently  in  Washington  City.  Raymond  Starr 
commenced  trade  in  Elyria  in  1838,  and  continued  in 
business  until  1835,  when  he  retired.  The  brick 
bu  i  Id  ing  adjoining  the  one  now  occupied  by  the  Elyria 
RcpuhlicaH  printing  office,  was  erected  by  him  and 
occuiiied  for  several  years  as  a  store. 

Horace  K.  Kendall. — This  gentleman  deserves 
more  than  a  passing  notice,  for  he  revolutionized 
trade  not  only  in  Elyria,  but  to  a  great  extent 
throughout  Northern  Ohio.  He  came  from  Suffield, 
Connecticut,  to  Elyria  in  Hie  spring  of  1833,  and 
opened  a  store  in  the  brick  building  erected  by  Cap- 
tain Sylvanus  Parmely,  on  the  comer  where  the 
present  Beebe  House  stands.  The  merchants  of 
Elyria  having  been  accustomed  to  sell  goods  to  the 
farmers  on  credit,  and  as  they  expected  to  lose  from 
thirty  to  fifty  per  cent.,  marked  their  pi-ices  on  that 
basis.  Mr.  Kendall  sold  his  goods  only  ior  cash,  and 
fixed  his  prices  very  much  lower  than  tliey  had  ever 
before  been  offered  in  this  market.  He  soon  had  a 
rush  of  customers,  and  in  a  year  or  two  built  the 
large  brick  store  on  the  north  side  of  Broad  street, 
now  occupied  by  Hannan  &  Obits.  He  jnirchased  all 
kinds  of  farmers'  produce,  paying  cash;  but  most  of 
it  was  left  in  the  store  in  payment  for  goods.  Soon 
trade  flocked  in,  not  only  from  the  extreme  parts  of 
this  county,  but  from  Medina,  AVayne  and  Cuyahoga 
counties,  and  Elyria  became  a  center  of  trade. 

He  possessed  a  great  deal  of  dash  and  enterprise, 
and  was  not  afraid  of  the  liberal  use  of  printer's  ink. 
He,  for  a  considerable  time,  published  a  monthly 
paper  filled  mostly  with  his  advertisements,  but  con- 
taining in  addition  a  great  deal  of  miscellaneous  and 
entertaining  reading  matter.  This  was  distributed 
gratuitously,  and  eagerly  sought  for.  His  advertise- 
ments were  striking,  ingenious  and  amusing. 

In  the  spring  of  1843,  Henry  E.  Mussey,  who  had 
long  been  his  confidential  clerk,  became  associated 
with  him  in  the  business.  Mr.  Kendall  had  been  for 
many  yeai's  an  active  and  inlluential  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  contributed  liberally  towards 
the  erecticm  of  their  fine  brick  church  building, 
whicli  stands  on  the  corner  of  Second  street  and 
Jliddle  avenue. 

Mr.  Kendall  died  on  the  4t]i  of  June,  1850,  at  the 
early  age  of  forty-one  years.  He  left  a  haudsonie 
fortune.  In  his  death,  Elyria  and  Lorain  county 
sustained  a  great  loss.  After  his  death,  Mr.  Mussey, 
who  associated  with  himself  Hiram  Fuller,  conducted 
the  business  successfully  until  1858,  when  they  sold 
out  to  Seymour  W.  Baldwin,  T.  W.  Laundon  and  T. 
L.  Nelson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Baldwin,  Laun- 
don &  Nelson.  Mr.  Mussey  retired  from  mercantile 
business.  Mr.  Fuller  removed  to  Akron,  where  he 
now  resides. 

OziAS  Long. — This  gentleman  obtained  the  con- 
tract to  build  the  court  house,  in  1838,  and  started  a 
store  principally,  it  is  believed,  for  the  payment  of 
his   workmen.      After   completing   his  contract,   he 


12i 


IIISTOllY  OF  LOKAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


coutinueil  mercantile  business  successfully  for  several 
years.  In  1833  or  1834,  John  M.  Gillett,  S.  R. 
Darling  and  S.  B.  Wolcott,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Gillett,  Darling  &  Wolcott,  became  his  successors. 
Mr.  Long  was  for  six  years  one  of  the  associate  judges 
of  the  court  of  common  pleas  for  Lorain  county,  and 
afterwards  served  as  postmaster  for  the  term  of  four 
years.  He  died  February  21,  1859,  aged  sixty  years. 
Gillett,  Darling  &  Wolcott  were  his  successors,  and 
conducted  the  business  for  two  or  three  j'cars,  when 
they  sold  out  to  William  F.  Church.  After  a  year  or 
two,  Mr.  Church  removed  his  goods  to  Sullivan,  when 
our  present  mayor,  ISfahum  B.  Gates,  put  in  a  stock  of 
goods.  He  sold  out  at  the  end  of  a  year  to  Messrs. 
Castle  &  King,  of  Medina,  and  the  goods  were 
removed  to  that  place. 

In  1833,  the  following  merchants  were  doing 
business  in  Elyria: 

A.  Beebe,  afterwards  Beebe  &  Gates;  Horatio  N.  Gates  and  Charles 
Green,  Gates  &  Green;  the  Lorain  Iron  Company,  Isaac  M.  Johnson, 
Thompson  Miles,  H.  Guthrie,  Raymond  Starr  and  Ozias  Long. 

We  are  uuable  to  tell  from  any  data  we  can  obtain 
when  all  these  gentlemen  commenced  or  discontinued 
business. 

Between  the  years  1832  and  1842,  the  following 
merchants  were  doing  business: 

Ransom  Redington,  Erastus  and  Edwin  Hall  (E.  &  E.  Hall),  W.  F. 
Church,  H.  K.  Kendall  &  Co.,  S.  W.  Baldwin,  Enoch  Clark,  Cowles  and 
Ryder,  Sanford  and  Andrews,  Gillett,  Darling  &  Wolcott.  Andrews  and 
Morse,  Cowles,  Merwin  &  Hull,  Nichols  &  Kuowles,  and  Henry  Bush. 

In  1852,  the  merchants  were: 

Orrin  Cowles,  J.  B.  Merwin  &  Co.,  H.  Brush  &  Co.,  Baldwin  &  Co.  and 
H.  E.  Mussey  &  Co. 

Seymour  W.  Baldwin.— In  the  fall  of  1834, 
Orriu  Cowles  opened  a  store,  under  the  firm  of 
Baldwin  &  Cowles.  S.  W.  Baldwin,  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm,  did  not  come  to  Elyria  until  the 
spring  of  1835.  They  conducted  a  successful  busi- 
ness until  1839,  when  the  firm  was  dissolved,  and 
Mr.  Cowles  opened  a  new  store.  Mr.  Baldwin 
associated  with  him  William  M.  Judd,  and  subse- 
quently David  B.  Andrews,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Baldwin  &  Co.  In  1840,  they  bought  out  Wilcox  & 
Beebe  for  the  sake  of  getting  the  corner  store.  Soon 
after,  D.  B.  Andrews  left  him,  and  was  associated 
for  a  few  years  with  F.  B.  Sanford  (Sanford  &  An- 
drews). They  dissolved,  Sanford  continuing  the 
business,  and  Andrews  opened  a  new  store,  associating 
with  himself  Levi  Morse.  Cowles  took  for  a  partner 
Mr.  Erastus  Hall.  Subsequently  they  dissolved,  and 
Cowles  associated  with  himself  Oliver  R.  Ryder 
(Cowles  &  Ryder).  Erastus  Hall  formed  a  co-part- 
nership with  his  brother  Edwin  Hall  (E.  &  E.  Hall). 

In  the  j'ear  1840  or  1841,  Mr.  Baldwin  formed  a 
partnership  with  George  R.  and  Horace  C.  Starr, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Baldwin  &  Co.  Subsequently 
they  gave  Thomas  W.  Laundon  and  Thomas  L. 
Nelson  an  interest  in  the  business,  This  firm  did  a 
very  successful  business  until  1852,  when  Mr.  Bald- 
win, having  secured  a  competence,  retired  from  the 
firm,  and  returned  to  his  former  home,  in  Meriden, 


Connecticut.  After  three  years'  absence,  Mr.  Bald- 
win, having  become  tired  of  a  life  of  inactivity, 
returned  to  Elyria  in  1855,  and  renewed  his  partner- 
ship with  Starr  Brothers  &  Co.  This  continued  for 
the  limited  term  of  three  years,  when  Mr.  Baldwin, 
associating  with  himself  Messrs.  Laundon  and  Nelson, 
purchased  the  stock  of  goods  of  Henry  E.  Mussey, 
and  commenced  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Baldwin,  Laundon  &  Nelson.  This  firm  was  dissolved 
in  1870,  Mr.  Nelson  becoming  president  of  the  Elyria 
Deposit  and  Savings  Bank. 

Mr.  T.  W.  Laundon  lives  a  quiet,  retired  life, 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  many  years  of  industry  and 
enterprise.  Soon  after  the  dissolution  of  the  firm, 
Mr.  Baldwin  made  the  tour  of  Europe  with  his  son. 

In  the  year  1858,  S.  W.  Baldwin,  T.  W.  Laundon, 
S.  K.  Laundon,  and  T.  L.  Nelson,  formed  a  co-part- 
nership and  opened  a  store  in  Wellington  which  has 
done  a  very  successful  business  and  is  still  continued. 
It  is  conducted  by  Mr.  S.  K.  Laundon. 

Of  all  the  young  men  who  were  trained  in  the  store 
of  Mr.  Baldwin  and  his  partners  it  is  believed  not  one 
has  turned  out  badly.  All  of  them  occupy  prominent 
positions  in  business  and  in  society.  This  is  due 
mainly  to  the  fact  that  their  morals  were  carefully 
guarded  and  they  acquired  habits  of  industry  and 
integrity.  Many  of  them  boarded  with  Mr.  Baldwin. 
They  were  furnished  with  the  best  of  reading  matter 
and  had  no  inclination  to  spend  their  evenings  in 
idleness  or  on  the  streets.  Mr.  Baldwin  has  become 
wealthy  and  enjoys  most  fully  the  respect  and  confi- 
dence of  the  people  of  Elyria  and  of  Lorain  county. 

Geroge  R.  Starr  and  Horace  C.  Starr  were  clerks  of 
S.  W.  Baldwin  &  Co.  Their  former  business  connec- 
tion with  him  has  been  already  stated.  After  the 
dissolution  of  the  firm  of  Baldwin,  Starr  &  Co.  they 
associated  with  themselves  Mr.  John  L.  Cole  and 
their  brothers  Frank  and  Alonzo  Starr.  The  latter 
withdrew  from  the  firm  in  three  years,  but  Mr.  Cole 
continued  a  member  until  1872.  They  did  a  large 
Inisiness  and  enjoyed  the  friendship  and  esteem  of  the 
people  to  a  remarkable  degree.  In  the  vear  1873  their 
store  and  its  entire  contents  were  consumed  by  the 
disastrous  fire  which  destroyed  the  entire  block,  con- 
taining some  eigiit  or  ten  business  rooms.  Their  loss 
by  this  fire  was  fifty  thousand  dollars  over  and  altove 
their  insurance.  With  their  usual  pluck  they  at  once 
fitted  up  a  store  in  the  town  hall,  purchased  a  new 
stock  of  goods  and  again  commenced  business.  They 
continued  in  biLsiuess  in  the  town  hall  for  about  a 
year,  when,  the  new  block  being  conii)leted,  they 
returned  to  their  old  (juarters.  Though  greatly  criji- 
pled  by  the  fire  they  continued  until  February,  187s, 
when  they  retired.  Few  men,  if  any,  have  done  as 
much  to  adorn  and  beautify  our  village,  and  none  arc 
more  respected  by  its  citizens  and  the  people  of  the 
county. 

The  firm  of  Cowles  &  Ryder  was  dissolved  in  184;, 
and  Mr.  Cowles  continued  the  business  until  1850, 


niSTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


125 


when  he   removed   to  Fulton,   111.,   where  he  still 
rt'siiles. 

Steplieu  B.  Wolcott  succeeded  Mr.  Cowles  and  con- 
tinued in  business  until  the  present  j-car  when  he  sold 
out  to  John  Murbach. 

DiiUfi  Stores. — In  1832,  Dr.  John  S.  Matson 
ojieued  a  small  drug  store  in  the  front  room  of  his 
dwelling  house.  The  same  room  contained  also  the 
postofBce.  In  a  few  years  he  jmt  up  a  i)retty  large 
wooden  store  and  greatly  enlarged  his  business.  About 
tlie  year  1838  he  added  dry  goods  to  his  stock  of  drugs. 
In  1842  or  ,'43,  he  removed  to  Cleveland,  leaving  his 
store  in  charge  of  his  brother-in-law,  Addison  Tracy. 
He  died  soon  after  his  removal,  and  Drs.  E.  W.  Hub- 
bard and  L.  D.  Griswold  purchased  the  stock  of  drugs, 
and  conducted  the  business  for  a  year  or  two  when 
they  sold  out  to  Mr.  John  F.  Wooster.  Mr.  Wooster 
soon  associated  with  himself  his  brother.  Mr.  William 
F.  Wooster,  and  soon  after  sold  out  to  him.  Mr.  Wil- 
liam F.  Wooster  still  continues  the  business.  He  has 
been  a  very  successful  merchant,  and  has  accumulated 
a  handsome  pi'operty. 

Dr.  Elijah  DeWitt,  in  the  year  1824,  settled  in 
Harrisvile,  Medma  county,  and  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  and  surgery.  Hisride  was  extensive 
and  laborious  at  that  early  day.  In  July,  1835,  he  re- 
moved to  Elyria  and  opened  a  drug  store.  He  did  a 
successful  business  in  that  time  until  1852,  when, 
having  been  a])pointed  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Junction  Rail  Road,  then  being  constructetl,  he  left 
his  drug  store  in  charge  of  his  son,  R.  C.  DeWitt,  who 
had  for  several  years  been  his  .partner.  He  was  for 
six  years  an  associate  Judge  of  the  county.  In  about 
a  year  the  store  was  sold  to  Mr.  Charles  Arthur  Ely, 
who  in  turn  sold  it  to  Messrs.  Bagg  &  Jenkins,  who 
after  two  years  sold  to  Messrs.  Redington  &  .lenkins. 
These  gentlemen  conducted  the  business  for  several 
years,  when  it  again  became  the  property  of  Mr.  Ely, 
who  sold  it  to  Mr.  Jerome  Manville. 

In  the  year  1850,  Dr.  Eber  W.  Hubbard  established 
a  drug  store  in  tlie  Beebe  block.  In  1852,  Dr.  Hub- 
bard being  about  to  remove  to  Staten  Island,  N.  Y., 
sold  his  stock  of  drugs  to  Dr.  L.  D.  Griswold  and  J. 
Manville.  They  continued  in  partnership  about  five 
years,  when  Dr.  Griswold  I'etired  from  the  fii-m.  Mr. 
Manville  still  continues  the  business  and  has  been  very 
successful. 

Dr.  Laselle  and  G.  D.  Hay  ward  kept  a  drug  store 
for  a  time  in  the  Beebe  House  block. 

The  following  were  the  business  houses  in  Elyria 
on  the  first  of  October,  1878. 

Dry  Goods  and  Notions.— D.  C.  Baldwin  &  Co.,  Goldbuig  &  Co. 
H.  C.  Kupfer  &.  Brother. 

Drugs  and  Medicines. — W.  F.  Wooster,  Jerome  Manville,  William  H. 
Park,  and  H.  J.  Eady. 

Groceries  and  Provisions.— H.  Brush,  Hoyle  Brothers,  McCuUum  & 
Lilly,  Henry  Wurst,  W.  H.  Smith,  J.  A.  Bean,  George  M.  Haag,  Frank 
Root,  William  Downing,  Diedrich  &  Wiler.  and  J.  C.  King. 

MiLUNKRY.— Webb  &  Co.,  Mrs.  Olmsted,  Misses  M.  L.  &  A.  Reilly,  Miss 
E.  Lewis,  Mrs.  Dibble  &  Son,  Misses  A.  &  S.  Bancroft. 

Hardware,  Stoves,  etc. — H.  Brush,  Carpenter  &  Brooks,  Hannan  & 
Obitts,  Xenophon  Peck,  J.  Lane,  Wright  &  Semple. 

Aqricultural  Implements. — W.  E.  Brooks  &  Co.,  Beal  &  Halter. 


Jewelry  and  Silver  Ware.— French  &  Fisher,  G.  W.  Smitli,  John 
Murbach,  C.  R.  Bickford. 

Clothing  and  Furnishing  Goods.— Charles  Spitzenburg,  H.  H.  Wini- 
mers,  Baker  <S;  Foster,  and  Frank  D.  Dibble. 

Boots  and  Shoes.— Cogswell  &  Co,,  S.  H.  Bowen,  J.  Burdell,  William 
Oahlke,  Philpot  &  Daniels,  T.  Gray,  James  Collins,  and  W.  Ireland. 

Harness  Shops.— Waterman  Morse,  W.  A.  Morse  &  Co.  (saddlery 
hardware),  J.  W.  Ropp  and  John  Joint. 

Books  and  Stationery.— William  S.  Wilson.  Mr.  Wilson  bought  out 
E.  C.  Griswold,  in  18T7,  who  had  successfully  carried  on  the  business  for 
twenty-two  years. 

Furniture. — Snearer  &  Waldeck. 

Miscellaneous.— Wm.  I.  Hobill,  music  store;  T.  L.  Taylor,  crockery 
and  glass  ware.  Jones  .S  Moshier,  and  Jakob  Stephen,  bakery  and  gro- 
ceries. Clark  &  Faxon,  candy  manufacturers  and  wholesale  dealers, 
W.  F.  Burget,  Upholsterer.  J.  B.  Woolbridge,  Marble  Works.  Geo. 
G.  Washburn,  Printer,  Editor,  and  Publisher  of  the  Elyria  Repub- 
lican. F.  S.  Reefy,  Editor  and  Publisher  of  the  Elyria  Constitntioii. 
Ingersoll  &  Harris,  Job  Printers.  G.  R.  Byford,  Book-binder.  Joseph 
Kelling,  Flour  and  Feed  Store.  H.  E.  Mussej'  &  Co.,  dealers  in  Building 
and  Flagging  Stone.  Charles  F.  Lee,  I.  S.  Haines,  and  H.  S.  Williams, 
Photograi>hers.  John  Mountain  and  W.  Walker,  Merchant  Tailors. 
Miss  A.  Bay  less,  Mrs.  L  E.  Snell,  H.  L.  Underwood,  Mrs.  C.  M.  Dake, 
and  J.  M.  Cook  &  Co.,  Dressmakers.  Snearer  &  Waldeck  and  P.  A. 
Anderson,  Undertakers.    Andrus  and  J.  Burdick,  Livery. 

Cigars  and  Tobacco. — Mussey  &.  Howk,  J.  W.  Massey  &  Sou,  J. 
Micheloon,  A.  E.  Lord. 

Hotels.— Beebe  House,  C.  C.  Briggs,  proprietor;  National  House,  J. 
P.  Perkins;  American  House,  Z.  Bliss;  East  Avenue  House,  H.  Etzel; 
Metropolitan,  Charles  Myers. 

Trades  and  Specialties.— A.  F.  Parsons  and  Paul  Krause,  Carriage 
Painters.  Allen  &  Holcorab,  C.  W.  Goodspeed,  R.  W.  Todd,  Marvin 
Todd,  and  Paul  Dumas,  Sign  and  House  Painters.  C.  W.  Hunt,  Carriage 
Trimmer.  Abel  Goodspeed  and  D.  E.  Dengate,  Wagon  Makers.  Ward 
A  Maple,  F.  Gilbert,  L.  Wait,  Hafner  &  DachUer,  and  N.  Wagoner* 
Sons,  Blacksmiths. 

FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

To  guard  against  the  ravages  of  the  fii-ey  element, 
lias  been  the  aim  of  every  community.  Elyria  village 
lias  been  taught  this  lesson  by  dire  experience.  Two 
extensive  fires  have  prevailed,  destroying,  in  ))oth 
instances,  the  business  part  of  the  town.  AVe  are 
unable  to  give  the  losses,  but  they  were  very  great.  In 
the  year  1839,  a  small  hand  fire  engine  was  purchased, 
and  a  company  of  thirty  men  organized,  under  the 
name  of  the  "^Etna  Fire  Company  No.  1."  S.  W. 
Baldwin  was  foreman,  and  Samuel  C.  Goodwin,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.  This  constituted  the  entire  de- 
partment until  1850,  when  another  hand  engine  was 
purchased,  and  "PhrenixFire  Conii)any  No.  2,"  con- 
sisting also  of  thirty  members,  was  organized.  About 
this  time,  the  hook  and  ladder  company,  of  thirty 
members,  was  also  formed.  The  force  was  now  con- 
sidered an  efficient  one,  until  the  memorable  fifteenth 
of  March,  1873,  when  it  was  demonstrated  that  it  was 
wholly  insufficient  to  cope  with  the  coullagration. 
Immediately  after  this  event,  the  common  council 
l)rocured  a  number  two  steam  fire  engine  from  the 
manufactory  of  the  Messrs.  Silsby,  at  Seneca  Falls, 
New  York,  which,  with  two  hose  carts  and  one  thou- 
sand feet  of  two  and  a  half  inch  rubber  hose  cost  six 
thousand,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The 
officers  of  this  company  are:  John  T.  Houghton, 
chief  engineer;  John  Hufner,  assistant  engineer; 
Charles  S.  Bird,  engineer;  John  M.  Tite  fireman. 
"^Etna  Hose  Comp.any"  has  thirty-five  men;  George 
Kline,  foi'cman;  Frank  Stark,  assistant.  "^Etna  Fire 
Company"  still  maintains  its  organization;  Fred 
Duchtler,  foreman;  Henry  Fairman,  assistant.     The 


12G 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


water  snpj)ly  is  ample,  and  consists  of  twenty  reser- 
voirs and  two  tanks.  There  is  also  a  fancy  hook  and 
ladder  company,  which  has  a  fine  record.  As  at 
jiresent  organized,  the  fire  department  of  Elyria  is 
far  above  the  average  in  ctHciency. 

■rows   HALL. 

This  fine  structure  was  erected  jointly  by  the  town- 
ship and  village  of  Elyria,  in  the  year  18C7,  and  cost, 
when  coni2)leted,  twenty-nine  thousand  dollars.  An 
extensive  addition  was  made  to  it  in  1878,  at  an  in- 
vestment of  seven  thousand  dollars.  The  upper  floor 
is  wholly  occupied  by  an  audience  hall,  stage,  dress- 
ing and  property  rooms.  The  seating  capacity  is 
nearly  one  thousand.  The  first  floor  is  occupied  by 
the  fire  department,  mayor's  office,  lockup,  etc. 

SOCIETIES. 

Free  axd  Accepted  Masons. — King  Solomon's 
Lodge  No.  50,  of  this  order,  Avas  granted  a  dispensa- 
tion on  Monday,  the  13tli  day  of  December,  A.  D. 
1819,  with  Henian  Ely  as  W.  .M.,  Jabez  Burrell,  S. 
W.,  and  John  Reading,  J.  W.  The  charter  was 
granted  Deccm'  er  11,  1821,  and  the  growth  of  this 
lodge  was,  from  that  time,  very  satisfactory,  until  the 
outbreak  growing  out  of  the  Morgan  excitement  ren- 
dered it  advisable  to  cease  labor.  .  Tliis  took  place 
in  182S,  ami  for  twenty  years  there  was  no  lodge  in 
Elyria. 

On  the  36th  of  September,  LS18,  a  new  charter  was 
issued,  bearing  on  its  face  the  names  of  Eber  W. 
Hubbard,  W.  M.,  Ozias  Long,  S.  W.,  and  Ansel 
Keith,  J.  W.,  and  from  that  time  until  the  present, 
the  order  has  been  steadily  gaining  strength,  until  it 
has  now  a  membership  of  one  hundred  and  twelve. 
Their  path  has  not,  however,  been  always  strewn  with 
roses.  Ill  tlie  extensive  conflagration  which  prevailed 
in  Elyria  in  1853,  the  lodge  room  was  consumed,  and 
with  it  everytliing  it  contained.  The  records  were  at 
the  house  of  the  secretary,  and  were  saved,  but  on 
the  occasion  of  the  second  fire,  in  1873,  they  were  not 
so  fortunate.  Everything  was,  we  believe,  this  time 
consumed.  Truly  they  have  been  "tried  by  fire," 
but,  like  tlic  Plio>nix,  they  have  risen  from  the  ashes, 
and  Ijy  the  aid  of  strong  and  willing  hands,  have  now 
the  finest  lodge  room  in  the  county. 

Officers  for  1878  are:  D.  J.  Nye,  W.  M.;  W.  F. 
Rurget,  S.  W.;  John  Holcomb,  J.  W. ;  J.  W.  Hul- 
liurt,  Treas. ;  L.  C.  Kelsey,  Sec;  Charles  A.  Schade, 
S.  I).;  D.  F.  Ward,  J.  D.;  Otto  Martin  and  H.  R. 
Whiteman,  Stewards,  and  Judd  C.  Potter,  Tyler. 

The  stated  communications  are  lield  at  Masonic 
hall,  in  Commercial  block,  on  the  second  and  fourth 
Monday  evenings  of  each  month,  from  October  1  to 
May  1,  and  on  the  second  Monday,  only,  the  re- 
mainder (jf  the  3'ear. 

Marshall  Chapter  No.  47,  was  granted  a  dispen- 
sation on  the  .3d  day  of  October,  1851,  upon  the  peti- 
tion of  companions  A.  Clark,  E.  AV.  Hubbard,  Ozias 
Long,   M.    Chapman,    E.    L.    Warner,    Wm.    Hoyle, 


John  Sherman,  F.  Hubbard,  and  Elijah  Parker.  A. 
Clark  was,  by  this  instrument,  made  High  Priest; 
E.  W.  Hubbard,  King;  and  Ozias  Long,  Scribe.  We 
are  unable  to  give  any  thing  further  of  tiie  early  work. 

The  officers  for  1878  are:  J.  W.  Hulburt,  II.  P.; 
W.  E.  Brooks,  K. ;  James  Allen,  Scribe;  G.  H. 
Mapes,  C.  H.;  D.  J.  Nye,  P.  S.;  G.  M.  Moshier,  R. 
&  C. ;  D.  F.  Ward,  M.  :5rd  V. ;  E.  A.  Brush,  M.  3nd  V. ; 
John  Holcomb,  M.  1st  V.;  M.  W.  Pond,  Treas.;  George 
Cogswell,  Sec;  and  J.  C.  Potter,  Guard.  Tliere  is 
at  present  a  membership  of  ninetj^-six.  The  stated 
convocations  are  held  in  Masonic  hall,  on  the  evening 
of  the  first  Thursday  of  each  month. 

This  body  has  also  passed  through  the  fiery  furnace, 
losing  everything. 

Indepexdest  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. — Elyria 
Lodge  No.  103,  of  this  order,  was  instituted  on  March 

I,  1848,  by  E.  W.  Fitch,  Deputy  Grand  Master,  with 
the  following  charter  members:  N.  B.  Gates,  P. 
Bliss,  Russell  J.  Smith,  Edwin  A.  Covvles,  and  E.  I). 
Moxley.  The  officers  on  organization  were:  N.  B. 
Gates,  N.  G.;  E.  A.  Cowles,  V.  G.:  E.  D.  Moxley,; 
P.  and  R   Sec;  Russell  J.  Smith,  Treas. 

On  the  night  of  its  institution,  the  following  gen- 
tlemen were  admitted:  J.  F.  Manter,  L.  D.  Griswold, 
L.  C.  Leonard,  G.  D.  Hayward,  0.  N.  Owens,  B.  F. 
Tillotson,  B.  F.  Robinson  and  George  E.  Nichols; 
and  on  the  anniversary,  held  thirty  years  subsequent, 
these  persons  were  all  living,  and  nearly  all  in  good 
standing  in  the  fraternity. 

The  officers  for  1878  are:  S.  C.  Cox,  N.  G.;  James 
Lewis,  V.  G. ;  Charles  Cox,  P.  S. ;  Samuel  A.  Raw'son, 
R.  S. ;  Henry  J.  Eady,  Treas.  Present  membership, 
one  hundred  and  eight.  Regular  meeting,  Tuesday 
evening  of  each  week,  in  Odd  Fellows  Hall.  This 
lodge  is  in  a  prosjierous  condition,  with  twenty-five 
hundred  dollars  on  interest. 

Excampmest. — Lorain  Encampment,  No.  81,  was 
instituted  on  the  7th  day  of  May,  1856,  with  tiie 
following  gentlemen  as  charter  members:  N.  B.  Gates, 

II.  M.  Holcoml),  Mozart  Gallup,  M.  A.  Elder,  0.  G.  , 
King,  J.  L.  Hutchinson  and  N.  H.  Underbill.  The 
j)resent  officers  are:  N.  B.  Gates,  C.  P.;  0.  Boweu,  H.  ' 
P.;  Thomas  Baker,  S.  W.;  S.  C.  Cox,  J.  W.;  George 
L).  Williams,  S.;  and  William  W.  Laundon,  Treas. 
Present  membership,  twenty-three.  The  stated  meet- 
ings are  held  at  Odd  Fellows  Hall,  on  the  first  and 
third  Wednesday  evenings  of  each  month. 

Kniciits  of  Pythias. — Star  Lodge,  No.  81,  was 
instituted  on  the  37th  day  of  January,  1875,  with  the 
following  gentlemen  as  charter  members:  John  Gor- 
man, Geo.  D.  Williams,  William  H.  Laundon,  J.  ('. 
Potter,  Otto  Martin,  John  E.  Keuyon,  Samuel  C. 
Cox,  Nelson  B.  Jennings,  W.  S.  Lyons  and  C.  B. 
Spring.  The  first  officers  were:  John  Gorman,  P.  C. ; 
Geo.  D.  Williams,  C.  C;  William  W.  Laundon,  V.  C. ; 
J.  C.  Potter,  P.;  Samuel  C.  Cox,  M.  of  E.;  John  E. 
Kenyou,  M.  of  F. ;  Otto  Martin,  K.  of  R.  and  S. ;  Nel-  j, 
son  B.  Jennings,  M.  at  A.;  W.  S.  Lyon,  I.  G. ;  and 
C.  B.  Spring,  0.  G. 


HISTORY  or  LORAIN  COITNTY,  OHIO. 


127 


This  society  meets  on  Friday  evening  of  each  week, 
!it  Odd  Fellows  Hall.  The  present  mcml)ership  is 
twenty-one.  The  officers  for  1878  were:  Robert  C. 
Gamble,  P.  C. ;  J.  C.  Potter,  C.  C. ;  Richard  T.  Gam- 
ble, V.  C. :  .Tames  Lewis,  P.;  Wm.  M.  Liumdon,  M.  of 
E.;  George  D.  Williams,  M.  of  F. ;  Otto  Martin,  K. 
of  R.  and  S. ;  J.  E.  Lozier,  M.  at  A. ;  0.  K  Spring, 
L  G.;  S.  G.  Gox.  0.  G. 

IxEPENDENT  Order  OF  GooD  Templars. — Elyria 
Lodge,  No.  93,  Independent  Order  of  Good  Temj^lars, 
was  authorized  to  assemble  for  organization,  by  a  char- 
ter bearing  date  March  1, 1877,  which  was  issued  to  the 
following  persons:  A.  0.  Griswold,  F.  W.  Kirchner, 
C.  H.  Williams,  .J.  E.   Cryer,  J.   C.   Biggs,   William 
Davis,   James  L.  Edwards,   Conrad  Fischer,    W.   L. 
Roe,  Dr.  L.  C.  Kelsey,  Charles  Faux,  A.  J.  Hough- 
ton,  George  W.   Rich,   Mrs.   H.  McElwin,   Mrs.  H. 
Brush,  Mrs.  Frances  Crouk,  Miss  S.  K.  Nichols,  Miss 
Anna  Hackett  and   Miss  Lydia   Forbes.      The  first 
officers  were:  A.   0.   Griswold,   W.   C.  T. ;  Mrs.  H. 
McElwin,  W.  V.  T.;  Miss  S.  K.  Nichols,  W.  R.  S.; 
.Airs.  H.  Brush,  W.  T.;  and  W.  L.  Roe,  W.  M.     The 
membership  of  this  society  has  increased  with  such 
rapidity  that  there  are  now  one  hundred  and-  five  in 
good  standing.     The  meetings  are  held  in  Mussey's 
Block,  on  Wednesday  evening  of  each  week.     Officers 
for  1878  are:  Charles  A.  Metcalf,  W.  C.  T.;  Mrs.  H. 
Brush,  W.  V.  T.;  C.  W.  Dickinson,  W.  R.  S. :  E.  L. 
(iriswold,  W.  F.  S. ;  Miss  May  Morse,  W.  T. ;  .James 
Wallace,  W.  M. ;  Miss  Lizzie  Upton,  W.  S.  G. ;  E.  D. 
Afshley,  W.  0.  G. ;  Mrs.   Bacon,  W.  C. ;  Mrs.  M.  11. 
Boyuton,  R.  H.  S. ;  and  Miss  Eliza  Robinson,  R.  H.  S. 
Ancient  Order  of  Good  Fellows. — On  Septem- 
ber 2-i,  1860,  Elyria  Lodge,  No.  17,  A.  0.  of  G.  P.,  was 
instituted.     The  charter  members  were:  M.  Erne,  C. 
Frome,  V.  Seabert,  F.  Schmidt,  A.  Eand,  F.  Beeze, 
G.  Mabius,  J.  Schultz,  S.  Fehr,  H.  Hammer,  F.  Mar- 
tin, F.  Muse,  J.  Steifel,  M.  Morlak,  H.  Reimbach,  C. 
Baase,  W.  Scmidt,  J.  Geii)el  and  E.  Greeshamer.    The 
officers  on  organization  were:  G.  Seibert,  N.  G. ;  W. 
Scmidt,  V.  G.;  M.  Erne,  C;  W.  Morlach,  Sec;  H. 
Reimljach,  R.  S. ;  E.  Greeshamer,  Treas.    Meetings  on 
Thursday  evening  of  each  week.     The  roll  of  initiates 
numbers   seventy,   but  hard  times  and  an  inability 
to  keep  up  the  dues  has  reduced  the  membershij)  to 
eighteen  persons.      The   officers  for  1878   were:    C. 
Scmidt,  N.  G.;    M.   Bucher,  V.   G.;  J.  Stiefel,   C. ; 
P.  Strauss,  Sec;  J.  Stark  R.  S. ;  and  John  Hufner, 
Treas. 

KxiGnTS  OF  Honor. — Anchor  Lodge,  No.  119, 
Knights  of  Honor,  was  instituted  June  3,  1875,  with 
twenty-two  charter  members,  who  were  as  follows: 
W.  H.  Tucker,  W.  L.  Fay,  G.  H.  Tyrrell,  P.  S.  Reefy, 
B.  McNoal,  R.  I.  Jones,  John  E.  Kenyon,  John 
Blanchard,  Zenas  Bliss,  R.  E.  Braman,  Xenophon 
Peck,  Thomas  Tuunington,  H.J.  Eady,  A.H.  Bullock, 
A.  F.  Parsons,  James  E.  Bronson,  F.  M.  Whiteman, 
J.  W.  Ropp,  William  Crisp,  W.  W.  Richardson,  J.  A. 
Tite  and  Thomas  H.  Liunell.  The  first  officers  were: 
Past  Dictator,  William  H.  Tucker;  Dictator,  Geo.  H. 


Tyrrel;  Vice  Dictator,  F.  M.  Reefy;  Assistant  Dictator, 
R.  E.  Braman;  Guide,  John  Kenyon;  Reporter,  W.  L. 
Fay;  Financial  Reporter,  H.  J.  Eady;  and  Treasurer, 
John  Blanchard.  Regular  meetings,  Thursday  even- 
ings of  each  week,  at  Odd  Fellows  Hall.  The  total 
memliersljip  is  sixty-two.  The  officers  for  1878  were: 
A.  H.  Bullock,  P.  D.;  W.  E.  Hubbell,  D.;  M.  H. 
Levagood,  V.  D.;  John  Blanchard,  A.  D. ;  R.  H.  Hill, 
Cihaplain;  J.  W.  Ropp,  Guide;  John  H.  Faxon,  Ji-., 
Rep.;  F.  M.  Whiteman,  F.  R. ;  William  H.  Park, 
Treas.;  P.  S.  Hatter,  (!uard:an(l  George  Butts,  Sen- 
tinel. 

Royal  ARfANUM. — Elyria  Council,  No.  57,  of  this 
brotherhood,  was  organized  February  27,  1878.  The 
charter  members  were:  W.  L.  Fay.  W.  H.  Tucker,  L. 
McLean,  R.  E.  Braman,  0.  Dole,  Wm.  II.  Park,  II. 
C.  Woodruff,  E.  C.  Perry,  George  G.  Washburn,  0. 
Root,  H.  M.  Parker,  J.  E.  Bronson,  T.  S.  Faxon, 
J.  H.  Faxon,  Jr.,  W.  E.  Brooks,  John  Lersch,  J.  L. 
Cole,  D.  J.  Peck,  Ed.  H.  Fisher,  E.  A.  Brush,  J.  I). 
Faxon,  J.  W.  Ropp,  Geo.  C.  Williams,  L.  B.  Smith, 
W.  S.  Wilson,  E.  G.  Johnson,  D.  W.  Fuller,  J.  A. 
Tite,  M.  A.  Levagood,  G.  H.  Mapes  and  C.  B.  Clark. 
The  first  officers  were:  W.  H.  Tucker,  Past  Regent; 
yV.  L.  Fay,  Regent;  W.  H.  Park,  Vice  Regent;  L. 
McLean,  Orator;  W.  E.  Brooks,  Secretary;  George  G. 
Washburn,  Collector;  .1.  H.  Faxon,  .Jr.,  Treasurer; 
W.  II.  Levagood,  Chaplain;  .1.  W.  Ropp,  Guide;  0. 
Dole,  Warden;  and  E.  A.  Brush,  Sentinel.  The  offi- 
cers are  elected  semi-annually,  but  as  the  present 
officers  arc  substantially  the  same  as  those  first  elected, 
it  is  unnecessary  to  give  them.  The  membership  is 
thirty-eight.  The  regular  meetings  are  on  Monday 
evenings  of  each  week,  at  Odd  Fellows  Hall. 

sketches    of    some    OF   THE    EARLY    SETTLERS. 

Syltanus  Parmelt  came  to  Elyria  as  early  as 
1833,  and  was  engaged  for  several  seasons  in  brick- 
making.  He  excavated  a  hole  in  the  rock  at  the  east 
fall,  some  twenty  feet  in  depth,  into  which  a  portion 
of  the  stream  was  turned.  The  water  wheel  was  at 
the  bottom  of  the  excavation,  which  furnished  the 
motive  power  for  running  the  old  red  mill.  Mr.' 
Parmely  built  a  two-story  brick  dwelling  house  on  the 
corner  where  the  Beebe  House  now  stands,  the  corner 
room  of  which  was  used  as  a  store.  He  removed  to 
Sullivan,  now  in  Ashland  county,  in  1833,  where  he 
owned  a  large  farm.  He  spent  much  time  and  money 
in  efforts  to  secure  the  formation  of  a  new  county  of 
which  Sullivan  should  be  the  county  seat,  but  failed 
to  obtain  success.  He  was  at  one  time  a  representa- 
tive to  the  State  legislature  for  Lorain  county.  He 
was  a  man  of  unbounded  energy  and  perseverance. 
He  raised  a  highly  respectable  family,  and  died  some 
ten  years  ago  at  an  advanced  age. 

AsAHEL  Parmely,  from  Somerset,  Vt.,  came  to 
Ohio,  arriving  in  Sullivan  townshiji  August  7,  1817. 
He  came  with  an  ox  team  conveying  his  father, 
mother  and  two  brothers,  his  wife  and  two  children. 
These  were  Amandrin  M.  and  Hannah,  the  latter  of 


128 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


whom  died  on  tlie  road.  The  former  in  due  time 
married  Emily  Thomas,  of  Massachusetts,  and  now 
resides  on  tliirty-four  acres  of  land,  lot  thirty-five, 
Elyria  towiisliip,  it  being  the  old  family  homestead. 
Mr.  Parmcly,  senior,  came  through  without  material 
incident  (driving  tlri  family  cow),  until  he  arrived  at 
Harrisville,  now  Medina  county,  from  which  point  to 
Sullivan  township  there  was  an  unbroken  forest, 
through  which  he  was  obliged  to  cut  a  road  some  ten 
miles  in  length.  Arriving  at  his  destination,  he  made 
a  selection  of  some  four  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
different  sections.  He  located  on  one  hundred  and 
fifty  iicres,  in  lot  forty-seven.  With  the  assistance  of 
his  family  he  prepared  a  cabin  of  puncheons,  placed  on 
stakes  driven  in  the  ground.  In  this  the  family  lived 
for  three  months,  when  a  log  house  was  erected  and 
the  family  moved  in.  lie  remained  in  Sullivan  until 
IHi'J.  On  the  17th  of  April  of  this  year  he  removed 
to  Elyria,  locating  on  the  land  now  occupied  by  his 
son  Amandrin  M.  Here,  after  a  long  and  peaceful 
life,  he  died  .January  -t,  18.59.  Mrs.  Parmoly  died 
October  18,  1875.  The  children  born  in  Ohio  were 
Ashley,  who  lives  on  the  old  homestead  in  Sullivan; 
LoviUa  H.  and  Rexaville  E.,  both  deceased;  Freeman 
and  Stanley  M.  The  last  two  and  their  elder  brother, 
Amandrin  M.,  have  pleasant  homes  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  each  other.  All  are  prosperous  and  valuable 
citizens. 

William  0.  Cahoon  came,  with  his  father  .Joel 
Galloon,  to  Dover,  Cuyahoga  county,  in  1810,  when 
four  years  of  age.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  his  fath- 
er's farm.  He  first  came  to  Elyria  in  1826,  and 
worked  at  chopping,  but  did  not  settle  in  town  with 
his  family  until  1831.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of 
Judge  Moses  Eldred.  He  was  a  stone  nuison  by 
trade,  and  followed  that  business  until  his  death. 
He  owned  a  stone  ipiarry  on  the  east  branch  of  the 
river,  and  a  very  large  portion  of  our  excellent  side- 
walks were  put  down  by  him.  He  was  a  model  of 
industry,  and  worked  until  the  day  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  20th  of  July.  1878.  He  was 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  Mr.  Cahoon  was  for  many 
years  a  leading  memlier  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Harlow  Wells  came  from  Connecticut  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Hezekiah  Kelsey,  to  Elyria  in  1827, 
and  settled  on  the  farm  where  he  now  i-esides.  It 
was  then  an  unbroken  forest,  but  he  cleared  up  the 
land  and  made  himself  a  pleasant  home.  He  has 
lived  a  life  of  (juiet  industry,  and  now,  at  an  advanced 
age,  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labor. 

Jonathan  T.  Parsons  came  also  from  Connecticut 
to  Elyria  in  1828.  He  settled  on  the  farm  on  Lake 
avenue  which  ho  afterwards  sold  to  Arad  Smith.  He 
died  October  31,  1838,  leaving  a  wife  and  two  sous, 
one  a  babe  and  the  other  five  years  of  age. 

Edson  A.  Griswold  was  born  in  Wintonbury,  Con- 
necticut, in  the  year  1805.  He  removed  to  Elyria  in 
1832,  and  bought  the  farm  on  Lake  avenue  on  which 
he  now  resides.     It  was  at  that  time  a  wilderness. 


He  has  served  two  terms  as  a  magistrate,  and  been  a 
prosperous  farmer.  He  has  retired  from  active  labor, 
and  has  transferred  his  farm  to  his  son  Arthur  E. 
He  still  lives,  at  the  age  of  seventy-throe,  in  the  en- 
joyment of  good  health  of  body  and  mind. 

Arad  Smith,  of  Amherst,  Mass.,  married  Miss 
Salome  Elmer,  of  Virginius,  Vt.,  in  1799.  He  re- 
moved to  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
remained  till  1833,  when  he  came  to  Elyria  and 
purchased  the  farm  of  Jonathan  T.  Parsons,  lots 
thirty-seven  and  thirty-three,  west  of  the  river,  sixty- 
six  acres  now  occupied  by  his  son  Stephen  Smith. 
He  died  in  1859,  his  wife  having  died  in  1827.  He 
was  the  father  of  thirteen  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living.  Stephen  Smith  has  added  to  the  old  home- 
stead, and  now  has  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres. 

Col.  William  Gregg,  from  Londonderry,  N.  IL, 
married  Hannah  Jewett,  of  Stratham,  N.  II.  They 
came  to  Elyria  in  1834,  and  settled  on  the  ridge  road 
south  of  Arad  Smith.  Col.  Gregg  died  August  31, 
1874,  at  an  advanced  ago.  He  was  a  valuable  citizen. 
The  children  were  William  B.,  who  married  Mary 
Ann  Bailey;  they  reside  on  the  old  homestead; 
Henry  B.  died  in  1839;  John  died  in  California. 
Mrs.  Gregg,  relict  of  Col.  G-regg,  is  still  living,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five. 

Ebenezee  Whiton  came  to  Elyria  from  Lee,  Mass. 
We  are  unable  to  give  the  time  of  his  arrival.  He 
was  appointed  clerk  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  at 
its  first  session,  which  commenced  August  12,  1824, 
and  held  the  office  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  August  31,  1834.  He  purchased  lots  sixty- 
two  and  sixty-three,  and  built  the  house  nest  west  of 
Mrs.  Haines,  which  is  still  occupied. 

Mrs.  Whiton  removed  with  her  children  to  Wis- 
consin many  years  ago,  and  died  in  December,  1878, 
aged  eighty  j'eai's. 

Ebenezek  Griffith  came  from  Allegany  county, 
N.  Y.,  to  Elyria,  in  1827,  and  in  company  with  his  | 
brother,  Luther  N.  Griffith,  purchased  the  hotel  built 
by  George  Douglas,  then  standing  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Union  Block.  After  a  few  years  the  brothers 
dissolved,  and  Reuben  Nichols  (who  came  with  his 
family  from  Vermont)  became  the  partner  of  Mr. 
Griffith.  They  soon  erected  a  new  brick  hotel  on  the 
same  ground,  called  the  Mansion  House. 

This  was  considered  a  fine  building  for  that  day. 
It  was  two  stories  in  height,  with  a  veranda  occupy- 
ing the  entire  front,  supported  by  massive  columns. 
This  hotel  was  kept  by  the  parties  for  many  years,  and 
was  the  best  in  town  until  the  erection  of  the  Becbe 
House.  Mr.  Griffith  filled  the  office  of  sheriff  for 
one  or  two  terms,  and  other  positions  of  honor  and 
resi)Ousibility.  He  raised  a  family  of  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living.  Of  these,  two  only  reside 
in  Elyria,  viz:  Lomida  M.,  wife  of  S.  Bod  well,  and 
Arvilla  L.,  wife  of  Ira  B.  Sekins.  Mr.  Griffith  died 
in  December,  1866. 

Clark  Eldred. — This  venerable  relic  of  pioneer 
times  has  been  noticed  in   preceding  pages  of  this 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


139 


history.  Ue  was)  the  son  of  Moses  Eldred,  who  settled 
two  miles  east  of  tiie  village  in  1813,  and  for  many 
years  kept  a  hotel.  The  subject  of  this  sketch, 
t  hough  a  boy  of  sixteen,  was  for  a  short  time  a  soldier 
ill  the  warof  1813.  After  Hall's  surrender  of  Detroit, 
tiiore  was  great  alarm  among  the  pioneer  settlers 
along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  They  were  but 
few  in  number,  and  their  dwellings  were  isolated  and 
scattered.  The  British  had  induced  all  or  nearly  all 
of  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  west  to  become  their  allies. 
The  savage  murder  of  defenceless  families  was  a  com- 
mon occurrence. 

The  ])eople  of  Ridgeville,  with  their  wives  and  little 
ones,  fled  through  the  forest,  driving  their  live  stock, 
and  took  refuge  in  a  log  fort  that  had  been  built  in 
Columbia.  Young  Eld  red's  father  had  been  severely 
wounded  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians  on  the  Penin- 
sula, and  was  borne  from  the  field  to  the  late  Joshua 
R.  (liddings.  It  was  under  these  circumstances  that 
the  boy  Eldred  went  to  the  front  and  commenced  the 
life  of  a  soldier.  The  capture  of  the  British  fleet  by 
Commodore  Perry,  on  Ltike  Erie,  soou  after  relieved 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  all  their  fears,  and  those  who 
had  joined  the  army  returned  to  their  homes.   . 

The  first  brick  manufactured  in  Elyria  were  made 
by  Mr.  Eldred.  The  fii'st  land  sold  in  the  townshiji 
was  purchased  by  him;  the  first  clearing  was  made 
by  him;  the  first  frame  building  raised  without  the 
aid  of  whisky  was  his.  He  was  one  of  the  first  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  this  place, 
and  has  continued  a  faithful  member  to  the  present 
time. 

Ransom  Redington  was  the  son  of  Eliphalet  Red- 
iugtou,  who  removed  from  Massachusetts  and  settled 
in  South  Amherst,  in  this  county,  at  an  early  day. 
He  came  to  this  township  as  early  as  1819,  then  a 
young  man.  He  was  for  several  years  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  Thompson  Miles,  and  afterward  a  partner. 
He  was  also  in  partnership  with  Raymond  Starr,  after 
Mr.  Miles  retired  from  business.  In  1833  or  '33,  he 
opened  a  dry  goods  store  in  the  Ely  Block,  and  con- 
tinued in  trade  for  eight  or  ten  years,  when  he  sold 
out.  In  184:3,  he,  in  company  with  Charles  Parsons, 
iiliened  a  book  store — the  first  in  Elyria.  In  1844, 
they  sold  out  to  E.  C.  Oriswold,  who  continued  the 
business  until  1877.  Mr.  Redington,  for  the  rest  of 
his  life,  was  engaged  principally  in  the  law  book 
trade  through  Northern  Ohio.  At  the  same  time,  he 
purchased  of  miscellaneous  books  for  himself  and 
friends  every  book  that  was  rare,  ancient  or  valuable, 
and  many  choice  pictures  and  works  of  art.  There 
is  scarcely  a  pleasant  home  in  this  part  of  the  State 
that  is  not  adorned  with  pictures  of  his  selection. 
He  possessed  remarkable  taste  in  making  such  selec- 
tions. He  was  also  au  amateur  in  the  cultivation  of 
choice  flowers,  and  supplied  himself  and  friends  with 
the  choicest  bulbs  and  flower  seeds.  The  influence 
of  such  a  life  for  good  in  any  community  can  hardly 
be  over-estimated.  He  was  a  profound  thinker,  and 
speculated  much  on  theological  subjects.  He  was 
17 


married  in  1836,  to  Miss  Pamelia  Manter,  sister  of 
Dr.  Manter,  who  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight,  in  full  possession  of  her  faculties  of  mind  and 
memory.  She  is  a  highly  cultured  Christian  lady, 
and,  with  Mr.  A.  Bcebe,  is  the  only  remaining  pioneer 
of  this  township.  Mr.  Redington  died  May  9,  1870, 
aged  seventy  years. 

MEDICAL   HISTORY. 

Dr.  John  P.  Butler  must  have  come  to  Elyria  as 
early  as  1819,  as  he  was  a  voter  at  the  first  election  in 
the  township  in  1830.  We  are  unable  to  state  the 
place  of  his  nativity,  and  only  know  that  he  was  a 
graduate  of  the  Fairfield  Medical  College,  in  Herki- 
mer county,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  man  of  fair  attainments, 
and  a  faithful,  attentive  physician,  thoroughly  devoted 
to  his  calling.  Families  who  employed  him  had  great 
confidence  in  his  skill,  and  cherish  his  memory.  He 
removed  to  his  farm  in  Ridgeville,  where  he  continued 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  for  many  years.  He 
died  in  1858. 

Dr.  Augustus  Wolcott  came  to  Elj'ria,  also,  in 
1819,  and  practiced  his  profession  for  several  years. 
He  too  graduated  at  the  Fairfield  Medical  School. 
He  retired  from  practice  and  settled  on  his  farm  in 
Sheffield  in  1839.  He  was  a  man  of  close  observation 
and  sound  judgment,  and  his  prognosis  in  a  case  of 
disease,  in  the  opinion  of  his  patrons,  settled  the 
question  of  life  or  death.  He  died  of  cancer  of  the 
face  May  17,  1841,  aged  sixty-one  years. 

Dr.  Nathan  Manter  was  born  at  Ashfield,  Mass., 
August  23,  1793.  His  father,  Di-.  Francis  Manter, 
died  eai'ly,  leaving  him  to  the  care  of  a  devoted 
mother,  who  carefully  trained  him  for  a  life  of  useful- 
ness. The  love  and  care  of  this  faithful  mother  were 
met  by  the  filial  affection  of  the  son,  which  was 
strikingly  manifested  during  the  whole  course  of 
her  life.  Dr.  Manter  was  educated  at  the  Fairfield 
Academy,  in  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.  He  pursued 
ills  medical  studies  with  his  uncle.  Dr.  Nathan  Har- 
wood,  of  that  State.  When  he  had  completed  the 
usual  course  of  study,  he  came  to  Ohio,  then  almost 
a  wilderness,  and  settled  in  Euclid,  Cuyahoga  county, 
in  1815.  Here  he  secured  a  successful  practice,  and 
remained  until  1834,  when  he  removed  to  Elyria.  In 
1833,  he  married  Miss  Susan  Miles,  mother  of  his 
four  children,  who  died  November  39,  1836.  She 
was  a  devoted  wife,  a  tender  and  careful  mother,  and 
a  faithful  Christian.  He  afterward  married  Mrs. 
Pamelia  Clapp,  who  died  July  39,  1848.  Dr.  Manter 
was  fortunate  in  both  of  his  marriages;  he  was  happy 
in  his  domestic  relations.  Pure  refinement  and  affec- 
tion characterized  his  home  life. 

He  had  an  extensive  practice,  and  for  many  years 
was  recognized  as  the  leading  physican  in  this  section 
of  the  country.  He  was  a  skillful  surgeon,  and  did 
most  of  the  business  in  that  branch  of  his  profession 
until  younger  men  relieved  him,  by  his  own  request,  in 
the  more  difficult  and  delicate  operations.     We  quote 


130 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


from    an    obituary  notice  written  by  a  professional 
friciul,*  published  after  his  death: 

"After  continuing  in  what  is  called  regular  practice  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  Dr.  Manter  gradually  changed  to  the  system  of  Hanneman. 
Tliis  change,  while  it  deprived  liim  of  the  professional  sympathy  of  his 
former  medical  associates,  did  not  deprive  him  of  the  personal  friend- 
ship or  esteem  of  any  one  of  them;  whatever  reasons  or  motives  others 
may  be  supposed  to  have  for  a  similar  change,  no  one  doubted  the  con- 
scientiousness of  Dr.  Manter.  Two  years  before  his  death  he  was  striclcen 
with  paralysis.  This  attack  was  doubtless  ijrought  on  by  the  death  of 
his  son.  Col.  Franl;  H.  Planter,  in  the  army.  During  his  two  years  of  suf- 
fering he  e-vliiliited  a  remarkable  degree  of  patience  ami  resignation. 
He  was  tenderly  cared  for  by  his  children,  who  witli  devoted  affection 
ministered  to  every  want.  He  died  February  10,  ISiJfJ,  aged  73.  Dr. 
Manter  was  a  close  student  during  his  whole  professional  life,  and  was 
thoroughly  conversant  with  the  medical  literature  of  his  day.  He  was 
a  man  of  close  observation,  and  faithful  in  his  attention  to  his  patients. 
His  mind  was  not  distracted  by  political  ambition  or  disturlied  by  outside 
intluences.  He  was  notouly  "  the  good  physician  "  to  most  of  tlie  early 
inliabitants  of  the  village,  but  their  confidential  friend.  He  was  genial 
and  courteous  in  his  manner,  polite  and  dignified  in  liis  social  intercourse 
with  all.  In  short  he  was  an  accomplished  christian  gentleman  of  the 
old  school.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he  was  an  influential  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  by  his  life  he  ailorned  his  profession.'' 

Dr.  Samuel  Strong  was  educated  at  the  Fairfield 
Medical  School  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  removed 
to  Brownhelm  in  this  county,  about  the  year  1S;JS. 
After  two  years  of  successful  practice  he  changed  liis 
residence  to  Amherst,  where  he  remained  about  two 
years.  In  18.33  he  removed  to  Elyria  and  formed  a 
co-partnership  with  Dr.  N.  II.  Manter.  This  connec- 
tion continued  six  or  eight  years,  wiion  it  was  dis- 
solved. He  continued  in  jiractice  in  Elyri;i  until  his 
decease.  He  died  March  20,  1850,  aged  forty-four 
years. 

Dr.  Strong  was  in  many  respects  a  remarkaljle  man. 
He  was  an  enthusiast  in  his  profession  and  obtained  a 
reputation  for  carrying  tlirougli  safely  apparently 
hopeless  cases  of  disease.  He  iiursiied  tlie  heroic  plan 
of  treatment,  and  would  sit  l)y  the  bedside  of  impor- 
tant and  dangerous  cases  for  wliole  days  and  nigiits 
watching  the  course  of  disease  and  the  effect  of  reme- 
dies, and  in  this  way  would  generally  carry  them 
througii  in  safety.  He  was  a  decided  optimist,  always 
looking  on  the  bright  side.  This  led  him  into  some 
unfortunate  speculations,  but  he  enjoyed  the  respect 
of  the  community  and  tlie  love  of  his  friends  while  he 
lived.  He  was  warm-hearted  and  generous,  and 
seemed  to  enjoy  more  jileasure  in  performing  acts  of 
kindness  for  others  than  in  promoting  his  own  inter- 
ests. He lefta  widow  and  two  children.  Mrs.  Strong 
afterwards  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Otis  Briggs,  and 
is  still  living.  His  daughter,  Carrie,  married  Mr. 
Edwin  Mns.sey,  who  was  for  a  long  time  a  merchant 
in  Amherst.  His  son,  Samuel,  has  for  many  years 
been  at  the  head  of  the  great  wholesale  drug  house 
in  Cleveland  of  the  firm  of  Strong,  Cobb  &  Co. 

Dii.  Asa  B.  Brown,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a 
graduate  of  Berkshire  Medical  Ci)llege,  settled  in 
Elyria,  in  IX'-Vl,  ;inil  soon  Imilt  up  a  respectable  prac- 
tice. In  the  fall  of  183-1.  having  lost  his  young  and 
beautiful  wife  and  feeling  gre;itly  depressed,  he  retired 
from  practice,  and  soon  after  took  charge  of  the 
Elyria  High  School.     He  conducted  this  school  for 

*  Dr.  Norton  S.  Townshend. 


several  }'ears,  when  he  removed  to  the  State  of  Michi- 
gan, where  he  soon  died.  Dr.  Brown  was  a  man  of 
more  than  ordinary  ability.  Had  he  adhered  to  his 
profession  he  would  doubtless  have  ri.sen  to  eminence. 

Dr.  Kiciiard  L.  Howard  was  the  successor  of 
Dr.  Brown  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Elyria. 
lie  was  born  in  Andover,  Vt.,  in  the  year  1809. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  his  father  died,  and  he 
was  left  with  the  care  of  a  widowed  mother.  With 
that  indomitable  energy  which  characterized  his  whole 
life,  he  discharged  the  new  responsibilities  with  \iv\\- 
dence  and  entire  success.  He  began  the  study  of 
medicine  when  ([uite  young,  and  graduated  with  honor 
at  the  Berkshire  Medical  College  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years.  He  moved  to  Windham,  Portage  county, 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  on 
the  retirement  of  Dr.  Brown  from  jiractice  in  1834, 
he  came  to  Elyria  and  took  his  place.  He  soon  gained 
;i  large  practice  both  as  a  physician  and  surgeon,  and 
remained  in  Elyria  until  1844,  when  he  removed  to 
Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  soon  secured  a  leading 
practice.  He  was  mainly  instrumental  in  establishing 
the  Starling  Medical  College  in  that  city,  of  which  he 
became  Professor  of  Surgery.  The  late  Lyne  Starling, 
a  wealthy  citizen,  donated  the  munificent  sum  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars,  which,  with  an  additional  amount, 
mainly  furnished  by  Dr.  Howard,  was  e.Kpended  in 
the  erection  of  that  beautiful  college  building  which 
now  adorns  the  Capital  City. 

During  the  time  he  occupied  the  chair  of  surgery, 
he  visited  France,  and  spent  some  time  in  the  famous 
hospitals  of  Paris.  He  returned,  richly  laden  with 
the  hitest  improvements  in  modern  surgery.  He  died 
in  the  iirime  of  life,  at  Coluniljus,  .January  16,  1854. 
He  was,  for  several  years,  considered  the  leading  sur- 
geon in  Central  Ohio,  and  was  an  excellent  teacher. 
Until  his  health  f:iiled,  he  edited  the  Ohio  Medical 
and  Surf/ii-al  Journal.  Dr.  Howard  w;is.  in  many 
respects,  a  remarkable  man.  Not  naturally  Itrilliant, 
he  made  it  up  by  his  indomitable  energy  and  perse- 
verance, lie  was  ambitious,  but  his  ambition  run 
only  in  the  line  of  his  chosen  ju'ofession.  He  placed  his 
standard  high,  and  turned  neither  to  the  right  nor  left 
until  he  had  reached  the  object  sought.  He  had  ac- 
cumulated a  hiindsome  ]iroperty,  which  he  left  to  his 
widow  and  children. 

A  sketch  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Luther  D.  Griswold  is 
given  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Dr.  Eber  W.  Hubbard  was  a  graduate  of  the 
Fairfield  Medical  College.  He  located  in  La  Grange, 
near  the  time  of  its  first  settlement,  and  had  a  large 
practice  in  that  and  adjacent  townships.  He  re- 
moved to  Elyria,  in  1838,  and  from  that  time  until 
1853,  when  not  in  public  life,  practiced  in  his  ])rofi's- 
sion.  He  was  one  of  the  associate  judges  of  this 
county,  for  six  years,  before  he  settled  in  Elyria.  He 
was  three  times  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  gen- 
eral assembly,  and  was  an  able  and  influential  member. 
He  served  for  three  years  as  bank  commissioner,  ami 
the  same  length  of  time  as  fund  commissioner.     While 


>^"^:^^?§*^?f^  "^ 


Photo,  by  Lee,  Elyria,  0. 


O^^^-zH^^t^  %^  >ZX<z.-a^'^;X' 


The  falsity  of  old  proverbs  or  trite  sayings  are  often 
shown  in  the  history  of  men.  "  A  prophet  is  not  without 
honor  except  in  his  own  country"  is  altogether  wrong,  as 
applied  to  Dr.  Edwin  C.  Perry. 

Abel  R.  Perry  and  Lucy  Ackley  moved  into  Ohio,  from 
Ferrisburg,  Vt.,  in  1833,  settling  at  Ridgeville,  Lorain 
Co.,  Ohio.  Mr.  A.  R.  Perry  removed  to  Elyria  in  1854. 
His  family  embraced  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  dead  ex- 
cept the  fiflli  (whose  genial  face  heads  this  article).  He 
yet  remains,  with  his  wife,  at  Elyria,  a  respected  citizen,  and 
justly  proud  of  the  success  of  his  remaining  child. 

Dr.  E  C.  Perry  was  born  at  Ridgeville,  as  above,  Jan. 
20,  1840.  The  doctor  owes  much  to  the  "New  England 
energy"  that  made  and  moulded  so  much  Lorain  County 
character. 

His  mother,  in  the  early  life  of  her  son,  gave  him  the 
liome  teachings  of  Mrs.  Adelia  Ferris,  who  was  more  com- 
petent than  the  common-school  teacher.  This,  however, 
was  but  limited,  and  not  until  the  removal  of  his  father  did 
he  get  much  educational  privilege. 

Under  the  teachings  of  Mr.  Oatman,  Mills,  and  others, 
at  the  Union  School  of  Elyria,  he  distinguished  himself 
as  a  scholar,  graduating  with  honors.  Soon  looking  the 
"  problem  of  life"  in  the  face,  he  determined  to  become  a 
physician.  Reading  medicine  in  Elyria  the  proper  time,  he 
attended  the  full  course  of  lectures  at  the  Eclectic  Medical 
Institute,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  With  high  standing  he 
graduated  Feb.  6,  1861,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-one. 
Commencing  at  once  the  high  function  of  a  physician, 


in  spite  of  any  and  every  prejudice,  so  often  existing  in 
all  communities  against  the  "  boy"  who  essays  his  marh, 
he  was  not  long  in  gaining  his  reputation  of  a  "  careful 
healer," — one  whose  mere  kindly  presence  ever  brings  re- 
lief to  the  sufferer. 

Dr.  Perry  was  married  May  30,  1871,  to  Eliza  Holbrook, 
daughter  of  Dexter  and  Jerusha  Pomeroy  Holbrook,  both 
of  New  Fane,  Windham  Co.,  Vt.  Mrs.  Perry's  parents, 
at  an  early  day,  moved  into  Pittsfield,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio, 
removing  to  Elyria,  where  they  now  reside. 

Dr.  Perry,  with  justifiable  pride,  remembers  that  his 
wife,  on  the  mother's  side,  was  a  great-grandchild  of  Gen- 
eral Pomeroy,  who,  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  stepped 
into  the  place  of  General  Warren  as  he  was  slain ;  and  on  the 
father's  side,  great-grandchild  of  Mr.  Holbrook,  who  was 
with  General  Ethan  Allen  at  the  surrender  of  Ticonderoga. 

Not  conforming  always  to  the  rule  of  his  particular 
school,  Dr.  Perry  is  everywhere  an  eclectic  in  its  broadest 
sense.  Ever  ready  to  consult  with  the  disciples  of  other 
schools,  he  lives  to  learn  from  all  that  which  shall  enable 
him  to  become  of  greatest  service  to  his  fellow-man  in  his 
profession. 

As  a  citizen,  be  is  notably  charitable.  During  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion  he  procured  a  man  to  fill  his  place  in  the  field. 
He  is  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  all  Elyria's  im- 
provements. He  is  the  medical  examiner  of  Council  No.  57 
of  the  Royal  Arcanus  of  Elyria.  Possessing  a  reputation 
unsullied  by  any  act  as  a  man,  private  or  professional,  he 
is  a  living  example  of  one  of  Elyria's  present  self-made  men. 


Photo,  by  Lee,  Elyria,  O. 

DK.   CHAKLES   P.   GUSHING. 


The  early  annals  of  Scituate,  Mass.,  show  on  their  records 
frequently  the  name  of  Gushing.  Francis  Gushing  was 
born  at  Scituate,  and  was  a  ship-builder.  To  him  was  given 
the  honor  of  being  one  of  the  master-builders  of  the  United 
States  ship  of  war  the  "Old  Gonstitution."  Gharles,  his 
son,  followed  the  calling  of  a  farmer ;  was  born  at  Scituate, 
and  married  Miss  Sally  R.  Thayer,  whose  ancestors  were  of 
the  Turner  family,  a  name  so  common  to  the  antiquarian 
who  studies  the  early  history  of  New  England.  Gharles 
and  his  wife,  Sally  R.,  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
one  of  them.  Dr.  C.  F.  Gushing,  being  born  in  1829. 

His  early  life  was  that  of  the  average  New  England  boy  ; 
work  on  the  farm,  the  common  school,  and  three  months' 
study  in  the  select  school  found  him  seventeen  years  of  age. 
Then  buying  his  time  of  his  father  for  one  hundred  dollars, 
the  next  four  years  were  spent  in  work  as  he  found  it, 
now  on  the  form  and  again  as  a  school  teacher.  Funds 
thus  earned  repaid  the  debt  to  his  father,  and  were  used 
for  better  educational  privileges  at  Lewiston  Falls,  Maine. 

Now  with  the  world  before  him,  the  vocation  of  teacher 
was  pursued  by  him  at  the  South  for  three  years, — years 
of  much  pleasure  and  of  mental  profit  to  him. 

The  spring  of  1854  gave  to  him  a  new  home,  and  greater 
opportunities  of  self-improvement.  With  the  exception  of 
a  short  visit  to  the  East,  the  following  five  years  were  passed 
in  California.  Varied  was  his  experience  there  :  now  in 
the  city,  now  at  the  diggings,  now  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in 
the  mountains  ;  again,  in  connection  with  a  friend,  a  tract 
of  land  is  taken  up,  fenced,  prepared,  and  planted  with  fruit- 
trees  and  the  grape-vine.  This  contract  was  made  between 
the  friends :  "  He  who  first  marries,  to  him  shall  this 
property  belong."  The  friend  gained  the  "  ranche,"  Elyria 
won  her  courteous  physician. 

Mr.  Gushing  commenced  the  reading  of  medicine  with 
Dr.  Norman,  of  Suisun  Valley,  Galifornia.  These  read- 
ings were  completed  with  Dr.  John  Wheeler,  at  Gleveland, 


Ohio.  Entering  the  Western  Homoeopathic  GoUege,  of  the 
same  city,  he  graduated  with  honor  in  the  spring  of  1861. 

Soon  after  taking  up  his  residence  in  Elyria  he  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  ;  his  first  two  winters,  how- 
ever, being  spent  at  Cleveland,  where,  at  his  Alma  Mater, 
he  was  demonstrator  of  anatomy,  virtually  filling  that  chair, 

Commencing  at  Elyria  as  an  exponent  of  the  Hahnemann 
idea  of  medicine, — an  idea  yet  unpopular  with  the  many, — 
slow  but  sure  was  his  steady  progress  in  his  profession,  and 
marked  was  the  esteem  he  daily  gained  as  a  citizen.  This 
esteem  showed  itself  in  this  way.  Requested  in  1862  to 
form  a  company  of  "  squirrel  hunters,"  with  alacrity  did  he 
respond.  Many  a  young  man  of  Elyria  will  ever  remem- 
ber his  departure  from  Elyria ;  the  camp  of  weeks'  duration 
upon  Gen.  W.  H.  Harrison's  old  homestead ;  the  thanks 
with  which  Governor  Tod  sent  them  homa  under  Captain 
Gushing,  who  as  captain,  physician,  and  friend  performed 
those  various  duties  so  well. 

In  1866  he  wedded  Miss  Mary  L.  Hayward,  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.  Thus  did  the  grandson  of  the  builder  of  the  "  Old 
Constitution"  become  the  husband  of  the  granddaughter  of 
Mr.  Lyman  Knowles,  who,  at  the  request  of  "  Boston's  solid 
men,"  built,  at  Amherst,  Mass.,  the  famous  carriage  for 
General  Jackson  from  the  historical  timbers  of  said  "  Old 
Gonstitution."  Of  this  marriage  little  Charlie  alone  re- 
mains to  make  the  parents'  home  gladsome,  two  little  sisters 
having  passed  away. 

Now  in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood,  with  ever-increasing 
practice ;  honored  by  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern 
Railroad  Company  with  the  position  of  surgeon  of  said  road, 
after  the  death  of  the  late  Dr.  E.  P.  Haines,  which  position 
was  filled  by  Dr.  Gushing  until  general  order  abolishing  such 
office ;  with  the  most  courteous  relations  existing  between 
himself  and  brother  physicians,  no  matter  of  how  different 
schools  ;  with  the  respect  of  all,  as  citizen  and  physician, 
he  lives  one  of  Elyria's  prominent  men. 


Photo,  by  Lee,  Elyria,  0. 


FREDERICK   S.   REEFY. 


Frederick  S.  Reefy*  was  liorii  in  the  village  of 
Boezingen,  at  the  foot  of  tlie  Jura,  in  the  Canton  of 
Berne,  Switzerland,  Sept.  1,  1833,  and  the  following 
year  emigrated  with  his  parents  to  the  United  States, 
and  located  on  a  farm  near  Mount  Eaton,  Wayne 
Co.,  Ohio.  Here  he  spent  iiis  early  boyhood,  the 
summers  at  work  upon  the  fields,  and  the  winters  at 
school,  where  he  received  his  rudimentary  education 
in  the  English  language,  and  was  instructed  to  read 
and  write  the  German  by  his  parents.  Being  of  a 
studious  habit,  he  took  at  an  early  age  the  first 
rank  in  his  classes,  and  in  a  few  years  mastered  the 
branches  taught  in  the  district  schools.  In  the  fif- 
teenth year  of  his  age  the  family  moved  to  Tuscarawas 
County,  near  Wilmot.  Here  four  more  years  were 
spent  on  the  farm  and  at  school,  when  he  began  teach- 
ing in  the  winter,  and  during  the  summer  pursued  the 
higher  branches  of  education.  This  course,  alternat- 
ing as  a  teacher  and  student,  continued  seven  years; 
and  having  acquired  his  education  mainly  by  his  own 


*  The  German  spoiling  was  Rifle. 


efforts  and  means,  he  was  thorough  and  practical,  and 
became  a  successful  educator. 

In  the  spring  of  1860,  Mr.  Reefy  went  West,  and 
located  at  Roanoke,  Ind.,  where  he  organized  the 
Roanoke  Educational  Society,  and  by  its  aid  founded 
Roanoke  Seminary.  In  1862  he  married  Miss  Mary 
Shearer.  He  remained  at  the  head  of  the  seminary 
eight  years,  during  which  time  it  was  one  of  the  most 
popular  schools  in  Northern  Indiana.  In  addition 
to  his  educational  labors  at  the  seminary,  he  served 
part  of  this  time  as  superintendent  of  the  sub-district 
.schools  of  Huntington  County.  On  account  of  fail- 
ing health,  in  1868,  he  quit  teaching  for  a  time,  and 
subsequently  moved  to  Bluffion,  Indiana,  and  organ- 
ized the  graded  .schools  of  that  place,  and  remained  in 
charge  as  superintendent  until  1872,  when  he  re- 
signed, and  with  his  family  moved  to  Elyria,  and  be- 
came editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Elyria  Constitution. 

As  a  political  writer  Mr.  Reefy  is  conscientious, 
bold,  and  vigorous.  He  criticises  severely  and 
commends  generously.  In  the  descriptive,  his  pen 
delineates  the  picturesque  and  beautiful  in  nature 
with  happy  effect. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


131 


he  was  acting  in  the  latter  capacity,  the  legislature 
authorized  a  loan  of  three  million  dollars,  at  seven  joer 
cent  interest,  provided  Ohio  bonds  could  be  sold  at 
par.  For  some  time,  the  bonds  of  the  State  had  been 
wortli  but  tifty  cents  on  the  dollar,  in  the  New  Y^ork 
market.  Under  these  discouraging  circumstances. 
Dr.  Hubbard  and  the  late  Governor  Brough  (then 
auilitor  of  State,)  proceeded  to  New  York  and  Boston, 
and  in  six  weeks  negotiated  for  tlie  entire  amount. 
On  reaching  the  city,  they  issued  a  pamphlet,  show- 
ing the  wealth  and  resources  of  Ohio,  and  the  addi- 
tional fact  that,  she  had  never  failed  jjromptly  to 
pay  the  interest  on  her  bonds  when  due. 

In  1851,  Dr.  llubliard  removed  to  Tottenville, 
Staten  Island,  where  he  continued  in  practice  until 
the  time  of  iiis  death,  in  1873,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years. 

Dr.  Hubbard  was  a  man  of  much  more  than 
ordinary  ability.  He  was  not  only  well  versed  in  liis 
jirofession,  but  as  a  scientist,  he  enjoyed,  to  a  consid- 
eraljle  extent,  a  national  reputation.  He  did  not 
commence  tlie  study  of  the  national  sciences  until  he 
was  forty  years  of  age,  and  engaged  in  the  jn-actice  of 
a  laborious  profession,  and  yet  he  became  thoroughly 
familiar  witli  the  liotany  of  this  country,  was  well 
posted  in  geology  and  mineralogy,  and  as  a  conchol- 
ogist  had  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  fresh  water 
and  marine  shells  in  the  country.  His  cabinet  at- 
tracted visitors  from  a  distance,  and  they  were  amply 
repaid  for  their  trouble.  He  was  genial  and  pleasant 
in  the  discharge  of  his  jirofessional  duties,  and  liis 
l)resence  in  the  sick  room  was  cheering,  and  added 
much  to  his  success  in  the  treatment  of  his  patients. 

Dk.  NoKToif  S.  TowNSHENi)  is  still  living  and  in 
the  midst  of  his  usefulness.  AVe  do  not  feel  compe- 
tent to  write  a  sketch  of  his  life  and  do  him  justice. 
We  sliall  briefly  recapitulate  the  important  positions 
he  lias  held,  witliout  much  comment.  His  father 
emigrated  from  England  to  this  country  when  Norton 
— an  only  child — was  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  set- 
tled in  Avon,  in  this  county,  on  the  beautiful  farm 
which  the  doctor  still  owns.  What  advantages  for 
obtaining  an  education  he  enjoyed  before  coming  to 
Oliio,  we  do  not  know;  but,  after  the  family  settled 
in  Avon,  his  labor  was  needed  on  the  farm,  so  that  he 
never  found  time  to  attend  even  the  district  schools 
of  that  day.  Perhaps  he  did  not  need  the  aid  of 
teachers  as  most'  persons  do.  His  mind  was  capable 
of  grasping  and  mastering  any  branch  of  study  that 
lay  in  his  way.  We  first  heard  of  him  as  a  well 
grown  boy  aiding  in  organizing  a  literary  society  and 
then  a  book  club  among  the  young  people  of  his  own 
age,  and  the  influence  for  good,  especially  of  the  read- 
ing club,  is  felt  in  Avon  to  this  day. 

In  1837,  lie  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  R.  L.  Howard, 
in  Elyria,  as  a  student  of  medicine.  He  was  then 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age.  In  the  fall  and  winter 
of  that  year  he  attended  a  course  of  medical  lectures 
in  Cincinnati.     He  returned  to  Elyria  in  the  spring, 


and  continued  his  studies  until  the  fall  of  1839,  and, 
after  attending  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  College  of 
Pliysicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York,  graduated  in 
the  spring  of  1840.  He  immediately  sailed  for  Europe 
and  spent  tiie  succeeding  year  and  a  half  in  attending 
the  hospitals  of  Paris,  London,  Edinburgh  and  Dub- 
lin. At  the  close  of  this  time  he  returned  to  Ohio, 
and,  for  a  short  time,  practiced  medicine  in  Avon. 

In  1843,  he  was  married  to  ]\Iiss  Harriet  Wood,  an 
estimable  lady,  and  moved  to  Elyria.  Here,  as  every- 
wliere,  his  influence  was  felt.  He  took  a  prominent 
part  in  organizing  and  carrying  on  the  Elyria  Natural 
History  Society,  and  delivered  more  and  better  lec- 
tures before  that  society  than  any  other  person. 
Whenever  a  lecturer  failed  to  aj^pear.  Dr.  Townshend 
was  called  on  to  fill  the  place,  and  he  was  always 
ready  to  deliver  a  most  interesting  and  instructive 
lecture.  While  in  practice  he  performed  a  number  of 
cajtital  surgical  operations,  such  as  lithotomy,  ampu- 
tations of  the  thigh,  shoulder,  etc. 

In  1848,  Dr.  Townshend  was  elected  to  the  house 
of  representatives  of  the  State  by  the  free  soil  party. 
It  so  happened  that  he  and  the  Hon.  John  F.  Morse, 
of  Lake  county,  were  the  only  free  soilers  elected,  and 
that  they  held  the  balance  of  power  between  the  whig 
and  democratic  parties.  They  used  this  power  to 
great  advantage,  and,  with  the  aid  of  the  demo- 
cracy, secured  the  repeal  of  the  odious  "black  laws," 
which  had  disgraced  the  statute  book  of  Ohio  for 
many  years.  They  also  secured  the  election  of  Salmon 
P.  Chase  to  the  United  States  senate — which  was  the 
beginning  of  his  public  life — as  well  as  the  ajipoint- 
ment  of  several  other  anti-slavery  men,  to  prominent 
l)ositions  in  the  State.  The  doctor  was  understood 
to  be  the  controlling  spirit  in  bringing  about  these 
results. 

In  1850,  Dr.  Townshend  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  constitutional  convention  which  formed  our  pres- 
ent excellent  constitution,  and  occupied  a  prominent 
position  in  that  body.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  thirty-second  congi-ess. 
Being  a  young  man  and  an  abolitionist,  he  was  cut  by 
the  lordly  slaveholders,  who  then  had  a  controlling 
influence  in  congress.  Mr.  Stanley,  of  North  Caro- 
lina, condescended  to  attack  him  in  a  speech  on  the 
floor,  to  which  the  doctor  replied;  and  it  is  said  that 
after  the  reply  the  gentleman  from  North  Carolina 
was  known  as  "the  late  Mr.  Stanley."  At  the  end  of 
his  congressional  term  he  was  nominated  for  re-elec- 
tion, but  the  democracy  had  so  gerrymandered  his 
district  that  he  was  defeated. 

In  1853,  he  was  elected  to  the  State  senate.  Dur- 
ing the  session,  he  introduced  a  bill  to  establish  an 
asylum  for  imbecile  children  and  youth.  It  passed 
at  the  next  session,  and  he  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  l)oard  of  trustees,  which  position  he  held,  by  re- 
appointment, until  1878. 

In  1858,  while  living  on  his  farm,  in  Avon,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  State  board  of  agriculture, 
and,  by  re-election,  this  office  was  held  by  him  for 


133 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


eight  years,  he  being  twice  elected  president  of  the 
board. 

In  18t)3  lie  was  appoiiitoil,  bj'  President  Lincoln,  a 
medical  ins[)ector  in  llio  army,  with  the  rank  of  col- 
onel of  cavaliy,  which  position  lie  held  until  the  close 
of  the  war. 

In  18G7,  he  accepted  a  professorship  in  the  Iowa 
agricultural  college,  which  position  he  resigned  at  the 
end  of  two  \'ears. 

In  1870,  he  labored  earnestly  and  successfully  to 
secure  the  passage  of  a  law  to  establish  an  agricultural 
and  mechanical  college  for  this  State,  and  when  the 
bill  passed,  he  was  apjiointed  a  trustee. 

In  1873,  when  the  college  buildings  were  comi^leted, 
and  the  institution  ready  to  be  opened,  he  accepted  a 
professorship,  and  removed  with  his  family  to  Co- 
lumbus. He  is  still  an  honored  and  useful  member 
of  the  faculty. 

In  the  winter  of  1854,  his  first  wife  died,  leaving  a 
son  and  daughter.  He  was  subsequently  married  to 
Miss  Margaret  A.  Baily,  of  Clarksburg,  Virginia,  who 
is  a  highly  cultured  and  excellent  lady,  and  makes  the 
doctor's  home  very  pleasant. 

Few  men  in  Ohio  can  show  such  an  honorable 
record,  and  few  have  done  more  to  promote  the  gen- 
eral welfare  of  the  people.  Dr.  Townshend  is  yet  in 
the  prime  of  life,  possesses  a  robust  constitution,  and 
has,  we  trust,  many  years  of  usefulness  before  him. 

Dr.  Edwin  Kellet  came  to  Elyria  in  1840,  and 
soon  secured  a  good  practice.  He  was  thoroughly 
educated  in  his  profession,  was  gentle  and  courteous 
in  his  manners,  warm  in  his  friendships,  and  pure  in 
his  morals.  He  married  a  daughter  of  William  M. 
Beebe,  of  Hudson,  Ohio.  Pulmonary  consumption, 
that  insatiable  messenger  of  death,  soon  made  him  its 
victim.  He  spent  a  winter  in  Florida,  without  any 
permanent  benefit,  and,  in  a  year  or  two,  he  passed 
away,  greatly  lamented  in  this  community,  where  he 
had  many  friends. 

Dk.  Jamin  Strong  w;is  born  in  Parma,  Monroe 
county.  New  York,  November  27,  1825.  From  the 
age  of  five  until  twelve  he  attended  school  in  iiis 
native  village,  most  of  the  time.  After  his  ])areuts 
removed  to  Sheffield,  in  this  county,  in  183S,  he  at- 
tended the  common  schools,  and  was  assisted  in  his 
studies,  during  the  intervals,  by  his  sister,  who  was  a 
teacher.  For  one  year  previous  to  his  entering  upon 
the  study  of  medicine,  he  studied  Latin,  botany  and 
chemistry.  He  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Eber  W. 
Hubl)ard,  in  Elyria,  as  a  student,  in  the  spring  of 
1846.  After  attending  three  courses  of  lectures  at 
the  medical  department  of  the  Western  Reserve  Col- 
lege, he  graduated  at  that  institution,  in  1840.  He 
immediately  thereafter  commenced  practice  in  Elyria, 
and  continued  in  successful  business  until  1870. 

In  18G6,   he  was  appointed    professor  of  Materia 

Medica  and  Therapeutics  in  the  medical  department 

of  the  Wooster  University,  and  resigned  that  position 

in  the  spring  of  1870. 

In  the  fall  of  1860,  he  was  elected  to  the  house  of 


representatives  of  the  general  assembly  of  Ohio,  which 
office  he  resigned  in  June,  1870,  at  which  time  he  was 
appointed  sjiecial  agent  of  tbo  post  office  department, 
and  resigned  the  same  in  September,  1875. 

In  November,  1875,  he  was  appointed  superintend- 
ent of  the  Cleveland  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  which 
position  he  still  holds. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Dr.  Strong  has  filled  many 
positions  of  honor  and  trust,  aiul  in  every  position  he 
has  done  credit  to  himself,  and  greatly  benefited  the 
public.  In  his  present  difficult  and  responsible 
office,  having  the  care  of  nearly  six  hundred  unfor- 
tunates who  are  deprived  of  reason,  he  has  united 
firmness  with  gentleness  and  kindness  in  a  remark- 
able degree,  and  has  manifested  a  high  degree  of  ad- 
ministrative ability. 

The  present  physicians  of  Elyria  are:  G.  R.  Sher- 
wood, P.  D.  Reefy  and  J.  V.  Sampsel,  of  the  regular 
profession. 

P.  W.  Sampsell,  E.  C.  Perry  and  G.  H.  Tyrrell, 
Eclectic. 

C.  F.  Cushing  and  G.  F.  Peckham,  Ilomeopathists. 

SKETCHES  OF  FORMER  RESIDENTS  OF  ELYRIA, 

■WHO  HAVE  ATTAINED  DISTINCTION  HERE  OR  ELSEWHERE. 

In  the  year  1855,  there  were  in  the  Elyria  High 
School  a  class  of  boys  who  will  be  long  remembered 
1)V  our  older  citizens  as  the  brightest  and  most 
intelligent  of  any  who  have  passed  through  our 
union  schools.  Their  names  are:  Charles  C.  Good- 
win, Osceola  Bliss,  Henry  Joy,  Thomas  J.  Boynton 
and  Charles  C.  Parsons.  They  organized  a  school 
lyceum,  and  their  debates  and  other  exercises  attracted 
the  attention  iind  admiration  of  many  of  the  best 
cultured  minds  in  this  community. 

Charles  C.  Goodwin,  after  doing  good  service  as 
an  officer  in  the  Union  army,  during  the  war  of  the 
rebellion,  went  into  business  at  its  close,  in  Jackson, 
Mich.,  where  he  now  resides. 

Osceola  Bliss  opened  a  drug  and  apothecary  store     \ 
also  in  Jackson,  where  he  made  nuiuy  friends,  and 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  regard  of  the  entire  com- 
munity.   He  died  young,  leaving  a  wife  and  daughter, 
greatly  lamented  by  his  friends  and  ac([uaintances. 

Henry  Joy  is  a  distinguished  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcojial  church,  and  resides  in  the  State 
of  Michigan. 

Thomas  J.  Boynton  was  the  son  of  John  H. 
Boynton,  Esq.,  and  was  born  in  Amherst,  August  31, 
1838.  When  twelve  years  of  age,  he  removed  with 
his  father's  family  to  Elyria,  and  was  educated  in  our 
union  schools.  He  studied  law  with  the  Hon.  L.  A. 
Sheldon,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  when  twenty  i 
years  of  age.  He  opened  an  office  in  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  and  during  the  winter  of  1858-50,  was  a 
correspondent  of  the  Missouri  Democrat.  His  letters 
attracted  much  attention  on  account  of  their  ability 
and  brilliancy.  In  March,  1861,  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Lincoln  marshal  of  the  southern  district 
of  Florida.     This  office  he  filled  with  prudence  and 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


133 


ability  for  two  years,  when  in  1863,  on  the  resignation  of 
Judge  Marvin,  he  was  appointed  United  States  jndge 
for  the  above  district.  It  is  believed  that  "he  was 
the  youngest  person  ever  appointed  to  that  position  in 
the  liistory  of  this  country."  He  discharged  liis  duties 
with  eminent  satisfaction  until  1809,  when  failing 
liealth  compelled  him  to  resign.  He  hoped  that  a 
change  of  climate  would  result  in  the  restoration  of 
liis  health.  He  spent  most  of  liis  time,  after  his 
resignation,  among  the  mountains  in  the  western 
territories,  but  without  receiving  any  benefit.  His 
disease — which  was  a  bony  tumor  pressing  upon  the 
brain — steadily  progressed.  He  submitted  to  an  ope- 
ration for  its  removal,  at  the  Bellevue  Hospital,  in 
New  York.  The  operation  was  performed  by  the 
celebrated  surgeon,  Dr.  AVood,  and  for  ten  days  there 
seemed  a  fair  prospect  for  his  recovery;  but  at  the 
end  of  that  time,  inflammation  set  in,  which  soon 
destroyed  his  life.  His  parents  reached  his  bedside 
while  he  was  able  to  recognize  them,  but  was  unable 
to  speak.  He  died  on  tiie  ad  of  May,  1871,  aged 
thirty-two  years.  His  remains  were  brought  to  this 
village  for  interment. 

This  is  a  brief  history  of  the  brief  life  of  an  esti- 
mable young  man,  but  how  precions  is  his  memory  to 
his  family  and  surviving  friends.  Pew  young  men 
liave  left  such  a  record.  Perhaps  none  liave  done 
more  lienor  to  the  town  where  he  was  raised  and  edu- 
cated. The  following  are  the  closing  paragraphs  of 
an  obituary  notice  published  in  the  Missnuri  Dem- 
ocrat : 

"Judge  Boynton  was  a  man  of  remarkable  promise.  He  was  unusu- 
ally talented,  and  if  health  and  the  ability  to  use  his  faculties  had  been 
granted  him,  he  would  doubtless  have  achieved  a  wide  reputation.  He 
was  an  earnest  and  eloquent  speaker  and  a  peciiliarly  facile  and  vig- 
orous writer.  When  but  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  was  employed  as 
a  campaign  speaker  in  New  York,  and  the  same  year  was  appointed  to 
welcome  Governor  Seward  to  St.  Joseph,  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to 
that  city.  He  was  for  several  years  an  able  and  always  interesting 
correspondent  of  the  Misaotiri  Democrat.  His  early  demise  will  be 
deeply  regretted  by  a  very  large  circle  of  warm  friends." 

0H.4.RLES  Carroll  Parsons  was  the  son  of 
Jonathan  Trumbull  and  Mary  C.  Parsons,  wlio 
removed  from  Bloomfield,  Hartford  county,  Connec- 
ticut, to  Elyria,  in  1827,  and  settled  on  tlie  farm 
now  owned  by  Stephen  Smith.  Mr.  Parsons  died 
October  31,  1838,  and  tlie  subject;  of  this  sketch,  tlien 
a  babe  six  months  old,  witli  his  mother  and  a  brotiier 
aged  five  years,  became  members  of  the  family  of  his 
uncle,  Dr.  Griswold.  His  mother  married  the  Rev. 
William  IJutlin,  after  tliree  or  four  years,  but  Char- 
ley, as  we  loved  to  call  him,  remained  most  of  the 
time  in  the  family  of  his  uncle,  who  considered  him 
a  foster  son.  He  was  educated  in  our  public  scliools, 
and  was  distinguished  as  a  briglit,  active  boy,  and  an 
excellent  scholar.  In  1857  he  was  appointed  by 
Judge  Bliss  (who  was  then  in  Congress)  a  cadet  at 
West  Poiut.  He  graduated  in  1861,  and  was  at  once 
commissioned  a  first  lieutenant  and  assigned  to  the 
Fourth  regiment  U.  S.  artillery.  He  served  a  few 
months  in  the  mountains  of  West  Virginia,  and  then 
joined  Gen.  Buell's  troops,  who  by  a  forced  march 


reached  the  battle  field  of  Shiloh  at  the  close  of  the 
first  day's  battle,  when  the  Union  troops  were  defeat- 
ed and  greatly  demoralized.  Gen.  Buell's  troops 
crossed  the  river  as  soon  as  possible,  the  army  was 
rallied  and  before  morning  took  their  position  for 
the  second  day's  battle.  Lieut.  Parsons  commanded 
a  battery  of  U.  S.  troops  in  that  battle,  wliich 
resulted  in  a  victory  for  tlie  Union  army,  and  the 
next  day  a  detail  of  officers  was  a})pointed  to  examine 
as  to  the  execution  of  his  battery,  who  reported  a 
hundred  and  fifty  dead  rebels  on  tlie  field  killed  by 
his  guns.  For  distinguished  lu'avery  in  this  action 
he  was  promoted  and  made  a  captain.  In  the  early 
summer  he  obtained  a  "  leave  of  absence,"  returned 
north  and  was  married  to  Miss  Celia  Lippett,  of 
Brooklyn,  New  York.  Returning  to  duty  he  reached 
Louisville,  where  he  found  communication  with  his 
battery  cut  off  by  the  rebel  General  Bragg.  General 
Terrel,  then  in  command,  made  a  detail  of  two  hun- 
dred men  from  the  raw  troops  of  the  infantry  reg- 
iments, and  ordered  them  to  report  to  Capt.  Parsons 
for  duty.  Out  of  this  material  he  organized  an  eight 
gun  battery.  He  commanded  this  battery  at  Perry- 
ville.  Gen.  Jackson,  his  division  commander,  and 
Gen.  Terrel,  who  commanded  a  brigade,  were  killed 
almost  at  his  side.  His  men,  though  raw,  seem  to 
have  been  brave,  as  forty  of  them  were  killed  or 
wounded.  The  rest,  with  the  regiment  su]iportiiig 
the  battery,  retreated.  His  horses  were  nearly  all 
killed  and  still  Capt.  Parsons  stood  by  his  guns.  It 
was  emphatically  a  one  man  tuittery. 

At  this  juncture  a  column  of  rebel  trooi>s  advanced 
to  take  the  battery,  and  the  Cajitain  with  his  face  to 
the  enemy,  retreated  backwards.  A  hundred  guns 
were  raised  to  shoot  him,  but  the  rebel  officer,  admir- 
ing his  bravery,  ordered  them  not  to  fire,  and  the  two 
officers,  giving  each  other  the  military  salute,  Capt. 
Parsons  walked  deliberately  away.  The  next  morn- 
ing he  re-took  part  of  his  battery.  For  distinguished 
bravery  in  this  battle  he  was  breveted  major.  His 
next  battle  was  that  of  Stone  River.  Gen.  Palmer 
(since  (iovernor  of  Illinois)  says  of  him:  "During 
the  whole  day  I  regarded  the  battery  under  command 
of  Capt.  Parsons  as  my  right  arm.  My  orders  to 
Parsons  were  simple:  'Fight  where  you  can  do  the 
most  good  !'  Never  were  orders  better  obeyed.''  For 
this  battle  he  was  breveted  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
regular  army.  Soon  after  this  battle  he  went  to  New 
York  to  submit  to  a  surgical  operation  and  soon  after 
was  detailed  as  an  instructor  at  the  West  Point  Mili- 
tary Academy,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  at  which  time  he  was  ordered  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas,  where  he  served  for  two  years,  part  of 
the  time  on  the  plains,  when  he  was  again  ordered  to 
to  West  Point  as  a  teacher.  While  there  he  became 
acquainted  with  Bishop  Quintard  of  the  diocese  of 
Tennessee,  under  whose  guidance  he  began  the  study 
of  theology.  He  resigned  his  position  in  the  army 
and  repaired  to  Memphis,  Avhere  he  took  holy  orders 
in  1870.     He  was  for  a  time  I'ector  of  St.   Mary's  in 


134 


HISTOllY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OUIO. 


Memphis,  but  was  soon  called  to  St.  Mary's  in  the 
lliglilaiuls,  at  Cold  Sprinij,  opposite  to  West  Point, 
lie  served  the  ehurcli  faithfully  and  acceptably  for 
about  two  years,  when  he  was  called  to  the  Churcli  of 
the  Holy  Innocents,  at  Hoboken,  N.  J.  He  served 
here  for  three  years,  when  the  death  of  his  l)eioved 
wife  niakinn;  a  residence  at  that  i>laee  i>ainrul  to  him, 
lie  returned  to  Memphis,  and  became  canon  of  SI. 
Mary's  cathedral.  Here  he  labored  witli  the  zeal  and 
earnestness,  which  had  characterized  his  whole  life, 
mil  ill  hat  fatal  scoMr^-e  (yellow  fever)  which  made 
iMem|)liis  a  eharnel  house,  took  possession  of  that 
doomed  city.  At  the  commencement  of  the  disease, 
and  before  it  became  epidemic,  he  sent  his  wife  and 
two  children  (lie  had  re-married  in  Memphis)  to 
friends  in  the  country,  hut  he  remained  faithful  at 
the  [)ost  of  duty,  laboriutj  night  and  day  in  comfort- 
ing the  sick  and  administering  tiie  consolations  of 
religion  to  the  dying.  We  quote  from  an  article  pub- 
lished in  the  Chicago  Trlbiiue,  written  by  a  former 
comrade: 

"  A  man  of  polished  intellect,  of  beautiful  soul,  the  possessor  of  every 
f^race,  Parsons  seemed  to  have  been  created  for  the  sweet  olltiees  of 
charity  and  friendship.  From  the  outbreak  of  the  plague  until  he  be- 
came one  of  its  victims  he  had  been  constantly  l^usied,  {as  he  wrote  me 
a  few  days  aj?<>}  "  in  earing  for  the  dead,  the  dying  and  forsaken,"  He 
has  been  winning  the  useful  victoi-ies  of  peace;  he  has  stood  by  his 
gnus,  hni  alas,  the  invisible  enemy,  less  generous  than  the  visilile,  has 
not  held  his  tire." 

Another  writer,  in  the  Matlisou  (Wis.)  Dniiocnit, 
says : 

"  He  looked  death  calmly  in  the  face,  and  when  his  turn  came,  died 
as  a  true  soldier  of  Christ,  at  his  post  of  duty.  Let  no  one  sorrow  over 
such  a  death.  It  rounds  out  in  full  perfection  the  record  of  a  hero's 
courage  and  a  martyr's  steadfastness." 

The  Mempiiis  Avalanche  says  of  him: 

"  He  died  to  save  those  against  whom  he  fought." 

lie  died  iSe|itember  f),  liSTM,  leaving  a  disconsolate 
widow,  and  a  son  and  daughter,  the  eldest  but  four 
years  of  age. 

Col.  Fr.vniv  II.  Manter  was  the  son  of  the  late 
Dr.  Nathan  H.  Manter,  and  was  born  in  Elyria, 
December  31,  1^34.  lie  spent  his  boyhood  here,  and, 
at  a  suitable  age,  entered  the  Western  Reserve  Col- 
lege, at  Hudson,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He 
then,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  took  charge  of  an  academy 
at  or  near  Natchez,  Miss.,  for  about  two  years,  when 
he  removed  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  soon  obtained  the 
position  of  clerk  of  one  of  the  courts,  and,  while  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  that  office,  studied  law  and 
was  admitted  to  the  btir.  On  retiring  from  otliee,  he 
opened  a  law  office  and  soon  obtained  a  leading  prac- 
tice. He  was  for  a  time  president  of  the  city  council, 
in  which  i)osition  "he  diligently  and  intelligently 
served  his  constituents."  AVe  (piote  from  the  proceed- 
ings of  a  meeting  of  the  "St.  Louis  bar"  convened 
immediately  after  his  death: 

"Wlien  the  clouds  which  have  since  burst  in  storm  over  our  land, 
began  to  gather  and  give  sign  of  the  approaching  tempest,  he  was 
prompt  among  the  foremost  to  promote  the  organization  of  those  bodies 
to  which  the  successful  resistance  of  St.  Louis  to  the  efforts  of  secession 
in  the  spring  of  1S6J.  was  mainly  due." 

We  cannot  better  detail  the  subsequent  career  of 


Col.  Manter  than  by  quoting  the  general  order  of 
Major  General  Steele,  issued  at  the  time  of  his  death: 

hsadtjuarters  department  of  arkansas, 
Little  Rock,  Junk  13,  1864. 
General  ih-clfrs  No.  '19. 

With  feelings  of  sorrow  and  regret  the  general  commanding  an- 
nounces to  the  troops  of  this  department  the  untimely  death  of  Col.  F. 
H.  M  inter,  chief  of  staff.  He  died  at  two  o'clock  this  morning  from  an 
injury  received  try  the  falling  of  his  horse.  He  survived  the  fatal  acci- 
dent but  a  few  hours,  and  breathed  bis  last  suri-oimded  by  his  military 
friends  and  comi>anions.  Col.  Manter's  military  career,  which  com- 
menced at  the  commencement  of  this  rebellir)n,  reflects  great  credit 
upon  his  character  as  an  officer.  He  was  energetic  in  raising  troops  to 
st-ay  the  rebellion  in  Missouri  lmme<liately  after  the  Camp  Jackson 
affair,  and  first  tlistinguished  himself  on  the  battle-field  at  Wilson's 
Creek,  as  first  lieutenant  in  the  First  Missouri  infantry,  having  pre- 
viously participated  in  the  skirmish  at  Boonesville.  After  the  battle  of 
Wilson's  Creek,  his  regiment  was  transferred  to  the  artillery  service, 
and  he  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  Battery  A,  which  served  in 
Gen.  Steele's  division  during  the  first  campaign  into  .\rkansas,  and 
acquired  a  reputation  for  discipline  and  efficiency,  which  no  volunteer 
battery  in  the  west  had  at  that  time  acquired.  In  the  summ  r  of  1862 
he  was  pnimoted  to  the  conunand  of  the  Thirty-.second  Missouri  infantry, 
and  commanded  his  regiment  in  the  a.ssaidt  on  Chickasaw  Ba.vou,  and 
at  Arkansas  Post  in  Blair's  brigade,  Steele's  division.  He  commanded 
one  of  Steele's  brigades  during  Grant's  memorable  campaign  into  Mis- 
sissippi, which  culminated  in  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg.  In  conse- 
iiuence  of  the  arrival  of  a  senior  otticer  at  Vicksburg,  who  was  entitled 
to  the  command  of  the  brigade.  Col.  Manter  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the 
stjitif  of  Major  General  Steele,  then  in  command  of  the  Fifteenth  Army 
Corps,  and  served  in  that  capacit.y  during  Sherman's  siege  of  Jackson, 
and  the  pursuit  of  the  rebel.  Joe  .Tohnson,  beyond  Brandon,  and  in  the 
capacity  of  chief  of  staff  he  accompanied  Gen.  Steele  on  the  Arkansas 
expedition,  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  Little  Rock  and  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  line  of  the  Arkansas.  He  accompanied  the  command  in  the 
recent  operations  south  of  the  Arkansas,  and  had  just  returned  from  an 
important  mission,  when  his  career  of  honor  and  usefulness  was  sud- 
denly terminated  b.v  a  fatal  accident.  Those  who  knew  him  most  inti- 
mately can  but  appreciate  the  great  loss  which  the  government  as  well 
as  themselves  have  sustained.  He  was  brave,  patriotic,  able,  inde- 
pendent in  thought  and  iiction,  a  true  soldier  and  an  honest  friend. 
By  order  of  Major  General  F.  Steele. 

W.  D.  Green,  Assistant  Adjutant  General- 

Col.  Manter  was  mtirried  Sejitember  1,  18.53,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Redington,  daughter  of  the  late 
Ransom  Redington.  She  died  July  2G,  1856,  leaving 
an  infant  son,  who  is  living  and  grown  to  maturity. 
So  tenderly  did  Col.  Manter  cherish  the  memory  of 
his  beloved  wife  that  he  never  again  entered  the  mar- 
riage relation.  Their  remains  sleep  side  by  side  in 
our  Elyria  cemetery. 


Biographical  Sketches. 


CHARLES  A.  ELY. 

Not  long  before  the  division  amongst  three  broth- 
ers of  a  large  estate,  the  youngest  brother  wrote  as 
follows:  "Some  men  are  born  to  business,  others 
achieve  business,  and  some  have  business  thrust  iqion 
them.  Of  this  last  class  am  I,  though  I  shall  remain 
off  duty  as  long  as  Heaven  sends  excuses  ;  and  per- 
haps when  Heaven  withholds,  I  may  make  some  ex- 
cuse for  myself.  Yet  one  thing  is  certain,  when 
action  commences,  even  though  I  may  be  compelled 
to  employ  one  hand  to  keep  both  ends  together,  the 
other  shall  always  be  free  to  grasp  the  beautiful,  to 
seize  the  true,  or  to  return  my  native  town  what  I 
owe  to  a  sense  of  duly." 


I 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


135 


Grandly  did  CHiarles  Arthur  Ely  perfect  the  above 
statement  in  after  life.  Youngest  son  of  Judge  He- 
man  P]ly,  (whose  early  life,  and  whose  connection  with 
the  early  history  of  Elyria  are  already  set  forth  in 
this  volume,)  and  Harriet  M.  Salter  Ely,  lie  was 
born  at  Elyria,  Ohio,  May  3d,  1839.  Of  Puritan 
stock  was  C.  A.  Ely,  on  the  mother's  side.  William 
Salter,  born  in  England  in  1(!3;5,  emigrated  to  Boston, 
Mass.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  first 
church  established  in  Boston,  which  stood  on  State 
street.  As  this  church  grew  strong,  from  it  went 
out  Mr.  Salter  and  others,  who  founded  the  famous 
"Old  South  Church."  Of  such  descent  was  Mrs. 
Harriet  M.  Ely,  in  direct  line.  Of  New  England 
culture,  Mrs.  Ely  trained  her  son  in  that  culture, 
which  means  so  much.  Brought  up  in  habits  of 
strict  economy,  never  did  that  son  in  future  life  lose 
the  distinction  between  the  use  and  abuse  of  wealth 
to  which  he  was  born. 

C.  A.  Ely's  early  yeai's  were  spent  in  Elyria.  After 
usual  ])rimary  education,  he  commenced  the  neces- 
sary training  for  College,  under  the  Rev.  John  Mon- 
teith,  Rev.  John  P.  Cowles  and  others,  who  were 
teachers  in  the  "old  high  school  house,"  or  in  select 
schools.  During  the  year  1S4G  severe  disease  of  the 
eyes  compelled  cessation  from  study.  His  charac- 
teristic energy  allowed  no  idea  of  idleness.  Various 
were  his  employments  for  the  following  two  years. 
At  the  bench  of  Caleb  Goodwin  (cabinet  maker,)  ho 
improved  the  mechanical  skill  with  which  nature 
had  gifted  him.  At  the  woolen  manufactory  of  Her- 
rick  Parker  he  soon  became  expert  at  the  lo(»m. 
Thus  did  he  work  until  the  fall  of  1847,  when  he 
went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  as  a  clerk  for  Clark  &  Mor- 
gan, dry  goods  men.  Returning  to  Elyi'ia,  he  en- 
gaged in  study  under  the  Rev.  C.  1).  B.  Mills. 

March  1st,  1849,  "  The  Elyria  Academical  Institu- 
tion "  gave  its  annual  exhibition.  No.  18  on  the 
programme  was  a  colloquy — C.  A.  Ely  author.  This 
ended  any  study  so  far  as  Elyria  was  concerned.  In 
the  summer  of  1849  Boston  was  visited  for  trcatuKuit 
of  ever  troublesome  eyes.  Entering  the  Scientific 
School  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  the  time  was  passed  un- 
til 1851.  During  this  year  a  few  months'  residence 
in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  gave  to  him  a  full  course  in 
book-keeping.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year 
he  went  to  New  Grenada,  South  America,  his  gen- 
eral residence  being  at  Carthagena.  Returning  thence 
April  3d,  1S53,  after  a  short  stay  in  Elyria  he  again 
visited  C'ambridge,  where  most  of  his  time  was  spent 
until  the  fall  of  18.53.  In  February,  1854,  on  the 
division  of  his  father's  estate,  he  commenced  the  du- 
ties of  life.  His  own  words  can  best  express  his  idea 
of  such  duties.  "No  one  has  more  laborious  posi- 
tion to  Mil  than  the  man  who  finds  liimself  at  matu- 
rity the  ])ossessor  of  wealth,  with  an  earnest  desire  so 
to  use  it  that  he  may  in  the  largest  sense  behefit  him- 
self and  others."  With  this  laudable  desire,  active 
work  commenced  in  the  impi'ovement  of  his  property. 

On  June  19,   1854,   taking  Miss  Louise  C.   Foot, 


daughter  of  the  Hon.  John  A.  Foot,  of  Cleveland,  O., 
as  partner  in  the  joys  or  sorrows  of  his  future — leav- 
ing his  native  land  June  24,  1854,  the  next  five 
months  were  spent  in  travel  over  Great  Britain,  Bel- 
gium, Germany,  Switzerland  and  France.  In  these 
travels,  a  mind,  already  highly  cultivated,  gained 
deeper  insight,  greater  lireadth.  To  his  artistic  eye, 
the  beautiful,  as  he  Tuet  it  in  the  old  countries,  alwavs 
appealed.  'J'he  old  and  ancient,  howevei',  to  him, 
was  only  an  adjunct  to  the  vow.  Everything  was 
made  subservient  to  the  one  idea:  "What  mav  I  here 
learn  of  farming,  of  science,  of  art,  that  I  may  make 
useful  to  my  fellow  men." 

Again  at  home,  in  December,  1854,  he  received  an 
injury,  which,  though  long  after,  caused  his  death. 
The  spring  of  1855  found  him  engaged  in  the  work 
that  lay  very  near  his  heart,  viz:  the  preparation  of 
his  farm;  the  building  a  large  stock  farm;  the  per- 
fecting arrangements  he  had  made  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  a  fine  herd  of  Devon  cattle  into  Lorain  county. 
December,  1855,  Ijrought  to  him  the  first  attack  of 
disease  which  in  the  end  })roved  fatal.  With  indonii- 
tal)le  will  he  struggled  bravely  against  it  until  waning 
health  demanded  rest  and  recreation.  August,  1S5<!, 
saw  his  jileasaut  household  broken  uj).  Some  months 
were  spent  in  travel.  The  winter  of  1850  and  1857 
was  passed  at  Brattleboro,  Vt.  The  summer  and  fall 
of  the  same  year  Klyria  welcomed  him  as  resident, 
with  the  exception  of  a  short  trip  to  the  upper  lakes. 

For  increasing  ill  health  physicians  advised  a  sea 
voyage.  Thus  advised,  Mr.  Pjly  and  wife  sailed  from 
New  York,  February  10, 1858,  for  China.  A  pleasant 
voyage  landed  them  on  its  shores.  Visiting  many  of 
its  leading  cities,  he  entered  Canton  just  after  its  re- 
duction by  the  combined  English  and  Frent^h  forces; 
various  the  experience,  much  was  learned. 

Departing  from  Hong  Kong  in  June,  1858,  August 
Gth  following  gave  to  them  a  new  home  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.  Mr.  Ely  spent  nearly  two  years  in  Cali- 
fornia—  years  of  great  uu'utal  profit  and  physical 
pleasure,  even  though  marred  by  the  ever  haiiuting 
presence  of  fatal  disease.  Here  his  favorite  study  liad 
full  scope  in  the  great  agricultural  resources  of  that 
young  State.  The  result  of  such  studies  was  given 
to  others  in  a  series  of  articles  written  for  and  pub- 
lished in  the  AUa  CkiUfornian. 

Leaving  California  July,  1860,  stopping  at  Valpa- 
rai  o,  Lima  and  other  South  American  cities,  October, 
1860,  he  cheered  Elyria  again  with  his  presence.  Now- 
full  of  happiness  at  the  universal  love  and  respect 
showered  upon  him  by  his  fellow  citizens,  with  hope- 
ful heart  he  again  essayed  the  completion  of  former 
notions,  laying  the  foundations  of  the  beautiful  resi- 
dence (since  so  fully  finished  by  his  widow).  None 
envied  him;  all  loved  him,  and  wished  for  him  every 
good.  Not  such  his  fate:  fell  disease  made  rapid 
inroad.  Unable  to  cany  into  completion  his  wishes 
for  Elyria,  Elyria's  bciicfarlor  died  September  30, 
1864,  leaving  not  only  the  dear  wife  and  only  son, 
but  all  who  had  ever  known  him,  to  mourn  his  loss. 


136 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


"  Wealth  and  social  position  do  not  always  make  the 
man,  but  tlic  two  oombiiied  jjive  their  owner  wonder- 
ful Dpiiurtiinity  for  use  or  al)Uso."  Thus  wrote  C.  A. 
Ely,  in  1853.  It  is  a  great  pleasure  for  a  friend  to 
try,  in  some  feeble  way,  to  show  how  Mr.  Ely,  with 
his  advantages,  so  used  them,  as  to  become  a  man. 
Of  fiTie,  even  commanding  appearance,  he  was,  under 
all  circumstances,  the  well  bred  man — ffeiitleitum. 
Knowing  no  distinction  of  class  or  race,  he  who  re- 
spected himself,  ever  had  C  A.  Ely's  resjiect.  No 
one,  however  humlile  his  place  in  life,  can  say,  ilid  he 
look  u])on  me  witii  liaughty  eye.  lie  endeared  him- 
self to  those  in  liis  employ,  by  courteous  treatment 
and  unvarying  kindness.  Tiie  early  teachings  of  a 
devotedly  j)ious  moMier  only  enhanced  his  innate 
rcligiiius  idea. 

Wiiilst  in  Boston,  attending  and  learning  from  tlie 
teachings  of  clergymen  of  different  views,  he  writes 
as  follows:  "A  church,  whose  religion  shall  be  a  pure 
and  active  humanity,  is  what  I  need.  If  men  can  only 
be  waked  up  and  set  in  motion,  I  care  not  how  eccentric 
their  orbit;  whether  one  run  off  into  spiritualism, 
aniither  into  materialism,  and  still  another  into  blind 
creed  worshij),  the  revolution  is  what  man  needs,  and 
then  following  a  natural  law,  tlie  orl)it  will  eventually 
become  the  perfect  circle  of  truth." 

With  such  thoughts  for  years,  he  writes.  May  4, 
1860,  to  his  wife,  from  San  Francisco,  saying:  "My 
name  has  been  proj)ouuded  and  voted  upon  for  niem- 
bershi])  in  a  cliurch.  I  may  see  my  duty  in  a  light  a 
little  different  from  those  I  join,  still  I  can  labor  with 
them,  and  be  sustained  by  them,  just  as  the  violet 
ray  comes  from  the  same  sun,  and  through  the  same 
atniosi)here  as  the  yellow,  or  red  ray,  yet  it  has  a  dif- 
ferent end  in  the  overruling  providence  of  heaven. 
I  shall  become  a  member  of  a  Congregational  church, 
where  I  find  professions  of  feelings  that  are  expressed 
by  deeds,  prayers  that  live  themselves  out  in  active 
charities." 

Nature  endowed  Mr.  Ely  with  an  intense  love  of 
the  beautiful.  'I'his  love  did  he  express  on  the  mu- 
sical instrument,  by  his  pencil  and  brush,  and  by  the 
adornment  of  his  home  by  works  of  art,  saying: 
"  These  I  may  not  live  to  enjoy,  l)ut  surely  they  will 
make  others  happy." 

As  a  scholar,  he  was  wonderful  in  this.  Ever 
troubled  with  weak  eyes,  it  was  with  uncomplaining 
pain  he  studied.  Devoting  much  attention  to  science, 
he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Cambridge  scientific 
association  at  Harvard  University.  A  member  of  the 
American  scientific  association,  its  annual  meetings 
were  attended  as  health  allowed.  A  personal  friend 
and  student  of  Pi'of.  Agassiz,  and  his  colleagues, 
jileasant  were  his  relations  with  them.  Writing  from 
Cambridge,  in  1849,  he  says:  "Will  it  not  be  curious 
if,  in  the  progress  of  science,  that  an  electric  light  be 
brought  into  common  use.  We  may  soon  hear  the 
student  talk  of  removing  the  oxidized  carbon  from 
the  positive  and  negative  poles  of  his  electro-magnetic 
illuminator,  instead  of  trimming  the  'midnight  oil.'  " 


His  studies  in  science  he  made  of  great  service  to 
others,  while  in  California,  where  he  delivered  a 
course  of  scientific  lectures  at  Oakland,  to  the  stu- 
dents of  California  college.  At  an  earlier  day,  he  had 
been  prominent  at  home  (for  one  so  young),  in  build- 
ing up  the  Natural  History  Society,  of  Elyria,  and  also 
under  the  tutelage  of  Dr.  E.  W.  Hubbard,  of  making 
one  of  the  finest  collections  of  Ohio  shells,  in  the 
State.  As  a  citizen,  in  its  every  sense,  words  will  fail 
to  do  him  justice. 

(Commencing  farming  operations,  but  forced  to 
leave  in  search  of  health,  he  writes  from  the  distant 
water  cure:  "Let  my  ])lans  be  carried  out  as  far  as 
practicable.  I  shall  soon  return.  Kec])  the  men  at 
work,  even  if  they  dig  up  trees  on  my  wood  lands 
and  plant  them  on  the  streets  of  P]lyria."  Returning 
to  Elyria  he  interested  himself  greatly  in  the  Lorain 
county  agricultural  society.  Developing  his  farm  he 
became  a  prominent  breeder  of  Devon  cattle,  and  at 
one  time  had  no  equal  in  the  United  States.  His 
herd  at  the  Ohio,  Illinois.  Missouri,  Indiana,  and 
other  State  fairs,  outstrij)ping  all  competitors  ;  and 
finally,  at  the  United  States  fair,  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
taking  the  highest  premiums. 


I 


In  1851),  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  he 
worked  long  and  hard,  in  securing  the  present  site 
and  erection  of  the  union  school  building.     Again,  in 


€e^ 


s=j^  iySBs.ni.  s^UiBii'day  stur 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


137 


185(i,  he  used  every  exertion  in  liis  power  to  com- 
mence a  public  ibrary.  His  action  proving  of  no 
avail,  tlirough  the  indifference  of  others  who  might 
have  helped  him,  to  him,  then,  it  became  almost  a 
sacred  duty  to  found  such  library.  How  grandly 
this  duty  was  performed,  let  the  "  Elyria  Library," 
lasting  monument  of  the  great  heart  of  C.  A.  Ely, 
bear  witness.  Its  past  history  and  its  present  con- 
dition are  already  fully  described  in  this  volume. 
What  pen,  and  who  so  wise  to  use  it  aright,  as  to 
write  the  future  benefits  that  must  follow  this  noble 
gift. 

After  the  burning  of  the  Willoughby  Female  Semi- 
nary, efforts  were  made  to  start  a  similar  seminary 
at  Elyria.  To  this  enterprise  Mr.  Ely  gave  untiring 
work.  Giving  the  land  so  beautiful,  (upon  which  he 
afterwards  built  his  residence,)  subscribing  not  only 
money  but  material ;  laboring  with  others  he  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  all  that  was  asked  of  Elyria,  and 
although  failing  in  his  endeavor,  he  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  feeling  that  all  that  he  could  do  was  done. 

As  the  rebellion  broke  out  in  18G1,  thronged  was 
the  court  house  at  Elyria  just  after  the  first  call  for 
troops.  Wiiat  should  Elyria  do  ?  Much  was  the 
talk,  various  the  plans  suggested,  whereby  to  raise 
men  and  money.  Speech  followed  speech.  It  was 
left  for  C.  A.  Ely,  trembling  with  excitement,  with 
flashing  eye  to  warn  the  assembled  audience  that  the 
impending  struggle  was  to  be  no  ei^hemeral  affair,  as 
others  had  stated  ;  that  the  situation  meant  men  and 
money — money  to  support  the  families  of  those  who 
answered  their  country's  call.  Mourning  his  feeble 
health  that  prevented  actual  service,  he  moved  tlie 
appointment  of  a  committee  to  raise  funds  for  the 
desired  purpoes.  His  princely  subscription  of  $1,000 
had  its  due  effect,  and  many  a  man  left  that  room  a 
better  man,  in  that  he  had  followed,  so  far  as  he 
could,  Mr.  Ely's  example. 

Such  are  some  of  the  salient  features  in  the  public 
life  of  this  good  man.  Of  his  innumerable  private 
kindnesses,  his  tender  abnegation  of  self  amongst 
personal  friends,  it  were  almost  sacrilege  to  write. 

Charles  Arthur  Ely  fighting  all  the  time  against 
fearful  odds,  viz  :  depressing  ill  health  ;  knowing  the 
short  tenure  of  his  life — was  remarkable  for  his  pa- 
tience. The  writer  can  recall  no  short  look,  cross 
word,  or  complaint,  only  as  it  proceeded  from  tlie 
sadness  of  that  so  grand  heart,  that  ever  looking  at 
death  as  near  neighbor,  yet  wished  so  much  to  live 
for  the  good  of  his  fellow  man.  Dying  in  the  ]n-ime 
of  life,  his  memory  is  so  thoroughly  embalmed  in  the 
hearts  of  his  fellow  townsmen,  that  fathers  and 
mothers  will  make  liis  life  and  actions  an  example 
for  tlieir  children,  and  as  those  children's  children 
visit  the  Elyria  library,  his  memory  will  ever  become 
more  dear. 

In  a  sermon  preached  at  Elyria,  Feb.  8th,  18.53,  by 
the  Rev.  D.  A.  Grosvenor,  on  the  death  of  Hon. 
lleman  Ely,  he  said  as  follows  :  "I  asked  Judge  Ely 
shortly  before  death,  "  How  would  you  wish  to  amend 


your  life  were  you  to  live  it  over  ?"  He  answered^ 
"  Were  I  to  live  my  life  over  again,  I  would  do  more 
in  this  particular  :  I  would  do  more  for  the  commu- 
nity and  the  world."  Deep  must  these  words  have 
sunk  into  Charles  Arthur  Ely's  soul,  for  he  lived  for 
others. 


HON.  PHILEMON  BLISS. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  illustrates,  in  a  forcible 
manner,  what  can  be  accomplished  by  a  person  pos- 
sessing a  well  balanced  and  well  cultivated  mind,  with 
increasing  industry  and  apj)lication.  For  many  years 
his  life  seemed  to  hang  by  a  single  thread,  and  when 
he  went  to  Florida,  in  the  fall  of  1834,  in  the  hope 
that  its  mild  climate  might  prolong  his  life,  his 
friends  hardy  dared  hope  that  he  would  return  alive. 

He  was  born  in  Canton,  Hartford  county,  Con- 
necticut, July  28,  1813.  In  the  summer  of  1821,  he 
removed,  with  his  parents,  (Asahel  and  Lydia  Bliss), 
to  the  west  part  of  Whitestown,  Oneida  county,  New 
York,  where,  as  a  boy,  he  worked  on  a  farm.  From 
fifteen  to  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  was  away  at  school, 
most  of  the  time;  principally  at  the  Oneida  institute, 
at  Whitesboro,  New  York,  and  at  Hamilton  college. 
The  want  of  means  prevented  him  from  graduating 
at  the  latter  institution.  Much  of  the  time  while  at 
school,  he  worked  for  his  board,  or  boarded  himself 
in  liis  room.  In  1833,  after  leaving  college,  lie  en- 
tered the  law  office  of  Theodore  Sill,  (formerly  Gold 
&  Sill),  of  Whitesboro,  where  he  studied  the  law  until 
the  fall  of  18,34,  when,  in  consequence  of  bronchial 
troubles,  which  were  becoming  chronic,  he  went  to 
Florida.  At  this  time  he  was  much  emaciated,  and 
his  cough  was  constant  and  extremely  harassing. 

He  remained  in  Florida  one  year,  without  material 
benefit  to  his  health,  when  he  again  returned  to  the 
north,  and  soon  after  came  to  Elyria,  where  an  older 
brothei-,  the  Hon.  A.  A.  Bliss,  was  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  the  law.  After  reaching  Elyria,  he  was 
disposed  to  give  up  the  study  of  the  law,  on  account 
of  his  health,  but  on  its  imjorovement,  he  completed 
his  studies,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  in  1841. 

In  the  winter  of  1848-9,  he  was  elected  by  the  gen- 
oral  assembly  of  Ohio  presiding  judge  of  the  four- 
teenth judicial  district,  which  embraced  the  counties 
of  Lorain,  Cuyahoga,  Lake,  and  Geauga,  which  re- 
sponsible position  he  filled,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
bar  and  the  public,  until  the  judicial  offices  were 
vacated  by  the  adojjtion  of  the  new  constitution  in 
1851.  The  judges  held  their  positions  until  the  end 
of  t  he  year. 

In  the  fall  of  1854,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
thirty-fourth  congress,  and  re-elected  in  1856  to  the 
thirty-fifth.  He  was  a  quiet,  though  an  industrious, 
member  of  congress,  and  gained  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow  members,  south  as  well  as  north. 
He  made  several  carefully  jirepared  arguments  upon 
the  legal  aspects  of  slavery,  in  its  relations  to  tlie 


18 


138 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


federal  government,  which  Mr.  Sumner  and  other 
leading  anti-slavery  members  pronounced  the  best 
ii[iou  the  subject  made  in  the  house. 

In  1861,  he  was  aiipointed,  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  chief 
justice  of  Dakota  Territory,  but,  after  organizing  the 
courts,  and  putting  them  in  successful  operation,  re- 
signed in  1804,  before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  and 
went  down  the  river  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and 
united  witli  the  republicans  in  making  Missouri  a 
fi-ec  State,  as  that  State  was  not  included  in  the  pres- 
ident's proclamatiou,  and  it  was  feared  that  it  would 
continue  to  sustain  slavery.  He  was  employed  to  edit 
the  St.  Jose])hZ'ff%  Union,  and  had  been  down  from 
Dakota  before  moving  to  St.  Josepli,  and  for  some 
months  had  written  for  the  Daily  Tribune,  both  of 
which  were  republican  papers,  and  eflficient  in  sustain- 
ing the  republican  policy  of  the  State  and  national 
administrations. 

In  the  fall  of  18CS,  he  was  elected  judge  of  the 
Sujireme  court  of  Missouri,  and  served  in  that  capac- 
ity his  term  of  four  years. 

In  1872,  he  was  elected  professor  of  law  in  the 
Missouri  State  university,  and  dean  of  the  law  faculty, 
and  opened  the  law  department,  which  position  he 
now  holds.  He  has  published  one  or  more  hvv  books, 
which  are  considered  standard  authority. 

Such  a  record  as  the  foregoing  needs  no  comment. 
We  may  add  that,  his  oldest  son,  William,  has  been, 
for  several  years.  United  States  district  attorney  for 
the  eastern  district  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  appointed 
))y  President  Grant,  and  has  filled  that  dithcult  i)osi- 
tion  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  government  and  people. 
We  are  proud  of  this  Elyria  boy.  Some  of  his  opin- 
ions are  said  to  1)0  among  the  ablest  in  the  Missouri 
reports. 


DR.  LUTHER  DWIGHT  GRISWOLD 

was  born  February  7,  1809,  in  Bloomfield,  Hartford 
county.  Conn.  His  father,  Elijah  Griswold,  was  a 
soldier  of  the  revolution,  having  entered  the  patriot 
army  when  but  sixteen  years  of  age.  His  mother, 
Lydia  Adams  Griswold,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  of  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  of  whom  five  were  boys  and  si  x  girls. 
All  save  one  grew  to  maturity  and  became  heads  of 
families.     But  three  of  the  number  are  now  living. 

His  father  was  a  farmer  and  horticulturist.  He 
spent  a  long  life  in  collecting  and  cultivating  the 
cluiicest  varieties  of  fruits  of  tliat  day,  and  prolwbly 
had  at  one  tinu'  tjie  liest  collection  in  the  State.  The 
doctor  was  raised  on  the  farm  and  acquired  a  taste 
for  fruitgrowing  and  the  cultivation  of  ilowei-s,  which 
he  has  retained  through  life,  Init  circumstances  have 
prevented  its  gratification  to  any  great  extent.  His 
educational  advantages  were  very  limited.  He  at- 
tended the  common  district  school  summer  and  winter 
until  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  and  in  the  winter  season 
until  he  was  fifteen.     At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  passed 


an  examination,  and  though  poorly  cpialified,  taught 
a  country  school  through  the  winter.  He  had  a  num- 
ber of  scholars  from  eighteen  to  twenty  years  of  age, 
but  had  no  difficulty  in  governing  the  school.  At 
seventeen  he  determined  to  obtain  better  qualifica- 
tions as  a  teacher,  and  attended  a  school  of  a  higher 
grade.  From  that  time  until  twenty-one  years  of  age 
he  taught  every  winter.  While  filling  the  position  of 
a  teacher  he  was  an  earnest  student,  and  most  of  the 
limited  education  he  obtained  was  acquired  by  the  fire- 
side and  by  the  light  of  a  tallow-candle.  He  worked 
on  the  fai'm  summers  until  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
at  which  time,  with  twenty  dollars  in  his  pocket,  he 
started  for  the  west.  He  stopped  at  Ludlowville, 
Tompkins  county,  N.  Y.,  to  visit  a  lirother,  where  he 
remained  and  taught  school  for  one  year.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1831,  he  came  to  Elyria  to  visit  two  sisters 
who  were  at  that  time  residing  in  that  township. 
During  the  winters  of  1831-2,  and  1832-3,  he  taught 
school  in  the  j-ellow  school-house,  it  being  the  only 
school  in  the  place.  In  the  spring  of  1832  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine  with  the  late  Doctor 
Samuel  Strong,  who  was  then  residing  in  North  Am- 
lierst.  He  completed  his  preliminary  studies  under 
the  tuition  of  the  late  Dr.  Asa  B.  Brown.  In  the 
fall  and  winter  of  1834-5,  he  attended  a  course  of 
lectures  at  the  Berkshire  Medical  College,  located  at 
Pittsfield,  Mass.,  and  at  the  close  of  the  term  received 
a  license  from  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society. 
He  was  married  on  the  25th  of  March,  1835,  to  Miss 
Jerusha  H.  Smith,  a  former  resident  of  Elyria.  She 
died  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  on  the  llth  of  March,  1875. 
For  almost  forty  years  she  was  to  him  a  true  and 
faithful  wife  and  a  wise  and  prudent  counsellor. 
Though  a  great  snfl'erer  from  ill  hcaltli  during  nearly 
the  whole  period  of  her  married  life,  by  her  energy 
and  force  of  character,  she  discharged  the  duties  of  a 
wife  and  foster-mother  with  such  prudence  and  sound 
judgement  as  to  win  the  love  and  confidence  of  her 
household  and  of  her  nunu'rous  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. The  memory  of  such  a  wife  and  mother  is 
blessed.  In  the  spring  of  1835,  he  returned  to  Elyria 
and  entered  into  partnership  with  the  late  Dr.  R.  L. 
Howard.  Business  lieing  very  dull  through  the  sum- 
mer, the  partnership  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent 
in  the  fall  and  Dr.  Griswold  removed  to  Grafton,  where 
he  continued  in  practice  for  one  year.  In  the  fall 
of  1830  he  was  elected  auditor  of  Lorain  county,  and 
returned  to  Elyria.  At  the  close  of  his  official  term, 
in  1838  lie  entered  into  ]iartners]iip  with  the  late  Dr. 
Luman  Tenney,  and  removed  to  Amherst  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  In  1840  he  returned  to  Elyria.  He 
continued  in  ]iraptice  most  of  the  tinie  in  connection 
with  the  lat(^  Dr.  Eijcr  W.  Ilubliard  (witli  the  excep- 
tion of  two  years  which  he  spent  in  Cleveland,)  until 
the  sunimer  of  18(!2,  when  he  entered  the  military 
service  as  surgeon  of  the  one  hundred  and  third  I'eg- 
iment  of  Ohio  volunteers.  In  1844  the  Cleveland 
Medical  College  conferred  on  him  the  hoiuirary  degree 
of  M.T>.      In  185G   he  was   appointed  by   Governor 


riiodi  b>  Loi',  Klyn.i,  (» 


^"  ^ffC^^o/^ 


IIISTOKY  OF  LOKAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


139 


Salmon  P.  Cliaso,  a  trustee  of  the  Northern  Oliio  Lu- 
natic Asyhun.  In  1800  he  was  re-appointed  to  the 
same  office  by  Governor  Deunison.  He  lield  that 
position  for  the  period  of  ten  years,  and  became  deeply 
interested  in  that  as  well  as  the  other  benevolent 
institutions  of  the  State.  He  was  one  of  tlie  active 
agents  in  the  organization  of  the  Elyria  Natural  His- 
tory Society,  as  well  as  one  of  the  volunteer  lecturers 
before  that  institution. 

In  reference  to  his  military  services,  the  doctor, 
while  his  regiment  was  stationed  at  Frankfort,  took 
possession  of  a  comfortable  dwelling  house  and  con- 
verted it  into  a  regimental  hospital,  which  wascompli- 
menled  by  tlie  medical  inspector  as  a  model  institu- 
tion. Wliile  here  an  event  occurred  which  may  be 
worth  relating.  It  was  during  theeraof  slavery,  and 
the  troops  were  ordered  to  drive  all  negroes  from  their 
camps,  which  order  was  not  very  rigidly  enforced. 
A  poor  fellow  named  Ben,  who  had  joined  the  regi- 
ment some  forty  miles  in  the  rear,  was  brought  to  the 
lios))ilal  by  the  chaplain,  with  the  request  that  he 
should  be  taken  care  of.  So  the  doctor  set  him  at 
work.  Some  two  weeks  afterwards  Ben  came  trem- 
bling into  the  office  saying  his  master  was  after  him. 
The  surgeon  placed  a  revolver  in  his  breast  pocket, 
with  the  handle  projecting,  so  as  to  bo  i)repared  for 
any  emergency.  Soon  the  owner  came  in,  accom- 
])anied  by  two  city  marshals  and  a  Catholic  priest,  and 
said  very  blandly: 

"  You  have  my  boy  here,  and  I  have  come  after 
him.'' 

"  Your  boy,"  said  the  doctor  ;  "you  may  be  some 
of  the  negro  thieves  that  are  following  the  army,  and 
arresting  colored  men  in  order  to  get  the  reward 
offered.  I  don't  know  you,  sir.  You  must  do  two 
things  before  you  can  have  him.  First,  you  must 
jirove  your  loyalty;  and  second,  you  must  prove  be- 
fore the  court  your  title  to  him,  and  if  you,  or  either 
of  you,  lay  a  hand  on  him  before  you  comply  with 
these  terms,  I  will  shoot  you." 

After  conferring  together  for  a  few  minutes,  the 
owner,  the  priest  and  one  of  the  marshals  retired, 
and  in  about  two  hours  returned  with  two  writs,  one 
commanding  the  doctor  to  appear  before  the  court, 
Rnd,  on  the  owner's  giving  bond  in  the  sum  of  sixteen 
hundred  dollars,  to  appear  before  the  court  at  its  next 
term,  and  prove  his  title  to  Ben,  he  was  to  be  given 
up.  The  other  writ  was  for  the  doctor  to  appear  at  the 
same  term,  and  prove  his  title  to  the  slave.  By  this 
time,  a  mob  of  about  one  thousand  people  had  gath- 
ered in  front  of  the  hospital,  and  a  company  with  the 
regimental  band  had  paraded,  also,  in  front,  for  the 
l)urpose  of  escorting  the  doctor  to  the  court  house. 
He  sent  them  back  to  camp,  mounted  his  horse,  with 
Bon  at  his  side,  surrounded  by  a  howling  mob,  and 
reported  in  court. 

The  officials  were  exceedingly  polite,  and  presented 
a  liond  for  his  approval,  which  probably  rejiresented 
half  a  million  of  dollars,  and  Ben  was  handed  over  to 
his  master.     Had  not  the  doctor  been  backed  by  a 


ren;iment  of  bayonets,  he  would,  doubtless,  have  been 
torn  to  pieces  by  the  mob. 

The  doctor  placed  his  own  law  suit  in  the  hands  of 
John  M.  Harlan — a  brother  of  .Justice  Harlan,  of  the 
supreme  court — who  took  him  liefore  a  notary,  and  he 
subscribed  an  oath  that  he  was  in  the  military  service 
of  the  United  States,  which  put  the  case  off  till  the 
close  of  the  war.  In  about  a  month,  the  doctor  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Ben's  master,  proposing  that,  if 
he  would  pay  the  costs,  he  would  withdraw  the  suit. 
The  surgeon  replied  that,  if  the  court  at  Cleveland 
decided,  after  the  war,  that  he  should  pay  the  costs, 
he  would  do  so.  In  about  a  year,  while  in  East  Tenn- 
essee, he  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Harlan,  stating 
that  the  case  had  been  dismissed  at  the  plaintifE's  cost.' 

So  ended  his  Kentucky  law  suit. 

In  August,  1803,  the  regiment,  (with  the  twenty- 
third  army  corjis,)  crossed  the  Cumberland  moun- 
tains into  East  Tennessee,  the  rebel  army  retiring 
befoi'e  them. 

Early  in  November,  the  Union  army  was  all  con- 
centrated at  Knoxville,  indulging  the  vain  hope  that 
they  were  going  into  winter  quarters.  Before  the 
cabins  for  quarters  were  completed.  General  Long- 
street  a])peared  before  the  city,  with  ten  thousand 
troops,  and  the  seige  of  Knoxville  commenced.  The 
skirmishers,  on  both  sides,  were  under  fire,  day  and 
night,  for  twenty-two  days.  Several  battles  occurred 
during  the  time. 

The  battle  of  Armstrong's  Hill  was  fought  on  the 
the  37th  of  November,  in  which  the  one  hundred  and 
third  bore  a  consjjicuous  part.  The  rebel  assault  was 
repulsed,  with  great  loss  to  them.  The  one  hundred 
and  third  lost,  in  that  engagement,  two  killed  and 
thirty-two  wounded,  many  of  whom  died  of  their 
wounds..  Surgeon  Griswold  made  temporary  dress- 
ings of  their  wounds,  as  they  were  brought  in,  treat- 
ing union  and  rebel  soldiers  alike,  and  sent  them  in 
ambulances  to  a  new  hospital  in  the  city.  He  visited 
the  hospital  the  next  day,  and  found  the  wounded 
lying  on  the  floor,  in  their  bloody  clothing,  without 
even  blankets  to  cover  them.  He  proposed  at  once  to 
take  charge  of  his  own  men,  and  soon  after  was  ap- 
})ointed  surgeon  in  charge  of  the  hospital.  He  soon 
procured,  through  the  (piartermaster,  a  supply  of 
wooden  bunks,  and  the  union  ladies  of  Knoxville,  (of 
whom  Mrs.  Smoyer — a  daughter  of  Parson  Browulow 
and  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Boynton,  late  of  this  place — 
was  a  leading  spirit,)  a  quantity  of  bod-ticks.  He 
also  secured  a  load  of  straw  and  blankets,  and  the 
poor  wounded  soldiers  soon  had  comfortable  beds. 
He  was  also  appointed  surgeon  in  charge  of  hospital 
No.  4,  which  contained  five  hundred  patients,  and, 
for  a  time,  had  charge  of  two  hospitals,  containing, 
in  the  aggregate,  eight  hundred  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers. 

The  men  suffered  greatly  for  want  of  ])roj)er  nour- 
ishment, during  the  siege,  but  after  the  seige  was 
raised,  and  railroad  communication  opened,  by  aid  of 
the  government  and  the  christian  and  sanitary  com- 


140 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


missions,  they  were  supplied  with  eveiything  neces- 
sary for  tlieir  comfort. 

Ou  the  first  of  May,  the  twenty-third  army  corps 
started  on  tiie  Atlanta  campaign.  The  one  hundred 
and  third  regiment  foiiglit  its  first  groat  battle  on  the 
13tli  of  May,  at  llesaca,  Georgia.  It  went  into  the 
fight  tliree  hundred  strong,  and  came  out  witli  a  loss 
of  twelve  killed  and  eighty-two  wounded. 

Surgeon  Griswold  was  ordered  to  the  rear,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  fight,  to  establisli  a  field  hosj)ital  for 
the  third  division.  As  fast  as  hospital  tents  could  be 
put  up,  they  were  filled  with  wounded,  and  in  about 
three  hours  the  hospital  contaiiu'd  throe  hundred  and 
sixty-two  wounded  men.  The  hospital  of  the  second 
division,  near  by,  contained  about  the  same  number. 
The  doctor  being  at  the  time  chief  operator  for  the 
division,  was  engaged  for  thirty-si.\  hours,  with  a 
corps  of  assistants,  in  performing  the  necessary  ope- 
rations and  in  dressing  the  wounds.  He  jierfoi-med 
a  number  of  capital  operations,  including  three  am- 
putations of  the  thigh  and  two  of  the  shoulder.  As 
soon  as  possible,  the  field  hospital  was  broken  uj), 
and  the  patients  sent  to  Chattanooga,  as  the  army 
had  moved  on  in  jmrsuit  of  Joe  Johnson,  the  rebel 
general.  He  was  then  placed  in  charge  of  the  corps 
hospital,  wliich  in  about  two  weeks  was  also  broken 
up,  and  the  patients  sent  to  the  rear.  He  soon  joined 
the  main  army,  which  was  about  forty  miles  in  ad- 
vance. As  a  line  of  skirmishers  was  kept  constantly 
in  advance,  who  were  day  and  night  exchanging  shots 
with  the  rebel  skirmishers,  wounded  men  were  brought 
to  the  rear  for  treatment  evei-y  day,  and  the  surgeons 
were  not  idle.  During  this  campaign,  Dr.  Griswold 
slept  on  the  muddy  ground,  under  a  dog  kennel  tent, 
almost  every  night.  It  rained  twenty-two  days  in 
succession,  and  his  blanket  and  clothing  were  never 
dry  during  that  time. 

At  length,  after  crossing  the  Chattahoochee  river, 
having  arrived  within  eight  miles  of  Atlanta,  the 
objective  point  of  the  campaign,  Dr.  Griswold  found 
himself  so  reduced  in  strength  by  the  diseases  and 
fatigues  of  the  camp  and  field,  that  he  very  reluc- 
tantly resigned  his  position  in  the  army  and  returned 
home.  After  regaining  his  health,  he  again  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

In  1865,  he  was  elected  to  the  Ohio  senate,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1807.  During  his  four  years'  service  as 
.senator,  he  was  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties, 
being  always  in  his  seat,  and  gave  general  satisfaction 
to  his  constituents.  He  was  princijially  instrumental 
in  securing  the  passage  of  a  law  for  the  establishment 
of  the  Reform  and  Industrial  School  for  Girls.  He 
had  felt  for  years  that  the  interests  of  the  people  of 
the  State  demanded  a  home  for  incorrigible  and 
vicious  young  girls,  where  they  could  be  reformed, 
educated  and  fitted  for  lives  of  usefulness.  In  order 
to  carry  these  views  into  effect,  during  the  session  of 
1868,  he  offered  a  resolution  for  the  creation  of  such 
an  institution,  and  for  the  apjiointment  of  a  com- 
mittee to  fix  upon  a  location,  and  to  report  at  the 


adjourned  session.  The  resolution  was  agreed  to, 
and  the  doctor  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee. The  work  of  the  committee  was  thrown 
principally  upon  him,  and  during  the  summer  recess 
lie  corresponded  extensively  with  the  authorities  of 
kindred  institutions  in  this  country  and  England. 
Soon  after  the  general  assembly  re-assembled,  he 
presented  a  report  which  attracted  considerable  atten- 
tian,  and  a  large  number  of  extra  copies  were  ordered 
to  be  printed.  The  bill  accompanying  the  report 
became  a  law,  and  thus  was  established  one  of  the 
most  beneficent  institutions  of  the  State. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  Dr.  Gris- 
wold, with  many  other  members  of  the  grand  army 
of  the  republic,  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  orphans  of  our  dead  soldiers,  many  of  whom  were 
homeless  and  inmates  of  county  infirmaries.  At  a 
meeting  of  the  grand  army  at  Sandusky,  in  the  spring 
of  1869,  measures  were  instituted  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  home  for  soldiers'  orjjhans,  where  they 
could  be  provided  for  and  educated.  The  Rev.  Geo. 
W.  Collier  was  appointed  a  general  agent  of  the 
society,  who  traveled  extensively  thi-ough  the  State, 
addressed  public  meetings,  and  collected  considerable 
money  for  the  establishment  of  such  a  home.  In 
December  following,  the  home  was  opened  in  the  city 
of  Xenia,  and  sustained  for  several  months  by  contri- 
butions of  the  grand  army  of  the  republic.  In  the 
spring  of  1870,  it  was  adopted  by  the  general  assem- 
bly as  a  State  institution,  and  Dr.  Griswold  was 
appointed  its  first  superintendent.  The  people  of 
Xenia  and  the  county  of  Greene  has  donated  to  the 
grand  army  one  hundred  acres  of  excellent  land, 
located  within  half  a  mile  of  the  city,  composed  of 
clear  land  for  cultivation,  and  an  ojien  forest,  and 
commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  city.  They  had  also 
agreed  to  })ut  up  l)uildings  for  the  accommodation  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  children.  The  grand  army 
had  erected  two  brick  cottages,  and  got  out  timber 
for  a  large  liarn.  Xenia  put  up  the  frame,  and  in  a 
very  rough  manner  converted  it  into  school  rooms 
and  a  home  for  the  children.  This  was  the  condition 
of  things  when  the  doctor  took  charge  of  the  home. 
The  grand  army  had  previously  turned  the  entire 
property  over  to  the  State.  The  grounds  required  to 
be  cleared  up;  tree  tops,  brush,  chips  and  stumps 
were  gathered  and  piled  in  large  heaps  by  the  chil- 
dren. The  burning  of  these  piles  at  night  afforded 
tliem  great  delight.  The  doctor  remained  in  charge 
of  the  home  a  little  more  than  four  years,  when  he 
was  superceded  from  political  considerations  only. 

During  his  .administration,  the  number  of  children 
increased  from  one  liundred  and  fifty  to  six  hundred. 
A  large  central  building  was  erected,  with  an  exten- 
sion to  the  rear  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet.  The 
basement  of  this  contained  a  kitchen  and  bakery;  the 
second  story  a  dining  room,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  in  length.  The  third  story  was  used  for  a  store- 
room, sewing  rooms  and  sleeping  rooms  for  the 
employes.     Twenty  brick  cottages  were  erected,  each 


In  1822,  from  Geuesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  came  to  Avou,  Lorain 
Co.,  Ohio,  the  parents  of  Anson  Braman,  who  was  born  in 
said  county  in  1811.  In  the  year  1832,  A.  Braman  re- 
moved from  Avon  to  Carlisle,  where  he  followed  the  voca- 
tion of  farmer  and  nurseryman.  In  1855  he  removed  to 
Elyria,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  started  the  nurseries 
now  owned  by  J.  C.  Hill. 

Remaining  in  Elyria  until  1872,  he  went  to  Northport, 
Mich.,  where  he  now  resides  with  the  faithful  wife  who 
shared  the  struggles  of  his  early  Carlisle  life.  She — of 
maiden  name  Miss  Eraeline  Vincent — was  born  at  Mount 
Washington,  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.j  Oct.  10,  1818  ;  com- 
mencing the  duties  of  a  wife  at  Carlisle  in  1835.  Their 
oldest  child,  William  A.,  was  born  at  Carlisle,  Oct.  4,  1836. 
Twenty-one  years  were  spent  on  the  home  farm.  When 
desirous  of  better  education,  he  worked  by  the  month  on 
other  farms.  Teaching  school  during  the  winter  gave  to 
him  the  necessary  funds  with  which  to  gratify  his  desires. 
Thus  passed  seven  years. 

In  1 864  he  commenced  the  business  of  live-stock  dealing. 
This  he  followed  until  1870,  J.  E.  Boynton  and  J.  C.  Hill 
being  partners. 

The  following  three  years  found  him  in  partnership  with 
J.  E.  Boynton,  engaged  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  cheese. 
During  the  spring  of  1874  the  firm  of  Braman,  Horr  & 
Warner  was  founded,  for  the  manufacture  and  general  deal- 
ing in  cheese  and  butter,  with  which  firm  he  still  remains 
connected. 

This  firm  has  become  one  of  the  largest  in  Northern  Ohio, 
its  business  averaging  during  the  last  four  years  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars  per  year.  Whilst  buying  to  a 
certain  extent  of  others,  the  great  bulk  of  the  butter  and 
cheese  handled  by  them  has  been  and  is  of  their  own  man- 
ufacture through  their  control  of  the  many  factories  of 
Northern  Lorain  County  and  adjacent  territory,  control- 
ling the  past  year  the  products  of  over  four  hundred  dairy- 
men, and  four  thousand  cows. 

Mr.  Braman  was  married,  April  18,  1865,  to  Miss  Sophia 
E.  Patterson,  daughter  of  Hiram  Patterson,  then  of  Eaton, 
Lorain  Co.,  Ohio.  Two  sons  and  one  daughter  make  cheer- 
ful his  pleasant  home  at  Elyria,  to  which  place  he  came, 
as  a  permanent  resident,  from  Carlisle  in  18G9. 

Mr.  Braman  is  distinguished  for  his  untiring  energy  and 
clear  perceptions.  These  ([ualifications  have  made  him  a 
leading  business  man  of  Lorain  County,  and  one  eminently 
fitted  for  official  position.     Various  are  the  places  of  trust 


II.    E.    BRAMAN. 


he  has  filled :  township  trustee  for  four  years ;  president 
of  the  Lorain  County  Agricultural  Society  six  years,  a 
full  record  of  which  is  given  in  the  history  of  said  society 
in  this  history  ;  commissioner  of  Lorain  County.  Ail  were 
filled  with  such  fidelity  that  the  reputation  thus  formed 
makes  him  one  of  the  present  members  of  the  Union 
School  Board,  a  place  held  by  him  since  1873.  He  was 
one  of  the  directors  of  the  Savings  Deposit  Bank  of  Elyria 
from  its  foundation.  This  faithfulness  to  trusts  imposed 
also  gave  to  him  the  treasurership  of  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  in 
1876,  and  again  in  1878  by  acclamation,  no  competitor 
even  appearing  in  the  conventions  that  honored  him  so 
highly. 

Mr.  Braman,  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  every  surrounding 
pleasant,  both  private  and  public,  may  well  take  pride  for 
the  high  rank  he  takes  among  Lorain  County's  "  leading 
men." 

R.  E.  Braman  was  born  at  Carlisle,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio, 
Oct.  20,  1838.  Until  the  age  of  twenty-three  his  life  was 
spent  on  the  father's  farm.  Hard  work  filled  up  his  time, 
with  the  exception  of  the  educational  advantages  of  the 
common  school. 

A  brief  notice  of  the  parents  of  Ranson  E.  Braman  is 
given  in  the  biography  of  bis  brother,  William  A. 

Aug.  9,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  private  in  Company  I,  8th 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry ;  served  the  first  year  in  West 
Virginia,  and  afterwards  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Ad- 
vanced to  the  position  of  sergeant,  he  was,  at  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  4th  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  and  8th  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry  into  the  4th  Battalion,  made  a  first  lieu- 
tenant. He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  North  Anna 
River,  May  24,  1864.  A  return  to  the  comrades  of  three 
years'  noble  work  for  the  Republic  gave  him  honorable  dis- 
charge after  full  term  of  enlistment. 

Returning  to  Elyria,  August,  1864,  he  soon  engaged  in 
whatever  his  hand  might  find.  For  eight  years  he  was 
elected  to  various  offices  in  the  township  of  Elyria,  for 
four  years  being  deputy  marshal  of  the  Northern  District 
of  Ohio.  Mr.  Braman  was  elected  sherifl"  in  1872,  and 
again  in  1874. 

He  was  married,  Sept.  5,  1865,  to  Miss  Helen  M.  Nick- 
erson,  who  gave  to  him  five  children,  three  now  living  and 
two  dead.  Now  in  active  business  as  coal  merchant,  even 
with  a  limb  partially  paralyzed  by  a  "  rebel  bullet ;"  in  easy 
circumstances,  he  forgets  the  early  toil  and  struggles  of  a 
"  pioneer's"  son. 


T^^. 


E.  D.  HOLBROOK. 


-^yC  'W^^^^<^^ 


Photos,  liy  Lee,  Elyria,  0. 


J/<i?> 


-^ 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


141 


two  stories  liigli,  and  a  capacity  for  tliirty  children, 
also  a  commodious  and  well-arranged  hos])itiil,  a 
chapel,  a  lanndry,  and  a  building  for  steam  boilers, 
which  furnished  {)ower  for  the  laundry,  and  warmed 
all  the  buildings  of  the  institution,  except  the  chapel, 
which  was  heated  by  a  furnace.  A  water  tower  was 
also  erected,  eighty  feet  in  height,  which  contained 
tanks  in  the  top,  with  a  capacity  for  one  thousand 
l)arrels  of  water.  From  this  tower  water  was  conveyed 
to  all  the  cottages  and  the  hospital,  as  well  as  to  the 
steam  boilers.  The  water  was  forced  to  the  top  of 
this  tower  from  a  clear  spring  stream  at  the  base  of 
the  hill,  some  sixty  rods  distant,  by  a  steam  force- 
pump.  The  gas  works  were  also  located  at  the  base 
of  the  hill.  The  lawn  in  front  of  the  main  building 
and  cottages  was  ornamented  with  trees,  shrubbery 
and  flowering  plants  from  tiie  green-house.  The 
children  at  the  home  were  bright  and  happy;  many 
of  them  were  beautiful,  and  attracted  the  attention 
of  friends  and  visitors.  They  made  rapid  advances 
in  their  education.  They  looked  upon  the  superin- 
tendent as  their  second  father,  and  will  remember 
him  with  gratitude  and  love  long  after  he  has  passed 
away.     This  was  the  crowning  work  of  his  life. 

He  has  retired  from  business,  and  now  resides  in 
Elyria,  his  home  for  many  years,  and  the  only  place 
which  seems  to  him  like  home. 


DR.  L.  C.  KELSEY 


is  the  fifth  child  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  of 
David  and  Betsey  (Merriam)  Kelsey,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Newport,  New  Hampshire,  No- 
vember 11,  1700,  the  latter  at  Brandon,  Vermont. 

L.  C.  Kelsey  was  born  at  Whiting,  Vermont,  July 
IS,  1834-.  At  the  age  of  three  years,  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Brandon,  Vermont,  where  he  attended 
the  common  schools,  during  the  winter  months,  and  in 
the  summer  season,  worked  ujion  his  father's  farm. 
He  subsequently  entered  the  Brandon  seminary,  re- 
maining there  until  he  reached  his  seventeenth  year, 
when  he  removed  to  Ohio,  and  entered  the  pi'cpara- 
tory  department  of  Oberlin  collegiate  institute;  teach- 
ing school  during  the  winter  vacations.  He  left 
college  in  the  sophomore  year,  and  went  to  Geneva, 
Illinois,  and  there  taught  a  select  school,  with  nuxrked 
success. 

He  subsequently  returned  to  Ohio,  and  located  at 
Mt.  Vernon,  where,  for  two  years,  he  studied  den- 
tistry with  his  brother.  Dr.  C.  M.  Kelsey.  After 
completing  his  studies  in  dentistry,  he  located  and 
practiced  his  profession  at  Gallon,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  about  two  years. 

Not  feeling  entirely  satisfied  with  that  profession, 
and  wishing  for  a  wider  field  of  activity,  in  a  more 
public  way,  he  entered  the  Unitarian  theological 
school,  at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  honorably  graduated,  in  1854,  after 


which  he  moved  to  Dixon,  Illinois,  and  formed  a 
Unitarian  society,  raised  funds  for  tiie  erection  of  a 
fine  church  edifice,  and  remained  its  pastor  for  almost 
three  years. 

On  account  of  failing  health,  he  left  Dixon,  and 
returned  to  Ohio,  and  located  temporarily  at  Newark, 
where,  after  recuperating  his  impaired  health,  he  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  dentistry.  From  Newark,  he 
moved  to  Malta,  Illinois;  and  while  there,  the  war  of 
the  rebellion  broke  out,  and  in  August,  1803,  Dr. 
Kelsey  entered  the  union  service  as  a  private  m  the 
one  hundred  and  twenty-fourth  Illinois  volunteer  in- 
fantry, and  remained  in  the  army  until  after  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  partici])ated  in  several  engagements, 
notably  those  of  Port  Gibson,  Raymond,  Champion 
Hills,  and  the  seige  of  Vicksburg.  After  the  fall  of 
Vicksburg,  he  was  detailed  as  chief  clerk  at  the 
headquarters  of  Gen.  Maltby. 

On  his  discharge,  he  settled  permanently  in  Elyria, 
where  he  has  since  been  a  successful  practitioner  of 
dentistry.  He  is  a  man  of  more  than  oi'dinary  liter- 
ary attainments,  and  is  thoroughly  educated  in  his 
profession.  Two  diplomas  have  been  granted  him; 
one  from  the  Unitarian  theological  school,  at  Mead- 
ville, Pennsylvania,  aud  one  from  the  Ohio  State 
board  of  examiners,  for  the  practice  of  dentistry. 

Dr.  Kelsey  has  been  twice  married;  first,  in  1849, 
to  Miss  l^lizabeth  M.  Avery,  of  Wellington,  0.,  who 
died  at  Dixon,  111.,  in  1857.  By  this  union  were  born 
two  children,  Harriet  J.  and  Frances  Estella,  the  lat- 
ter of  whom  died'  in  infancy.  For  his  second  (and 
present)  wife,  he  married  Cordelia  Webster,  of  Car- 
lisle, 0.,  by  whom  he  has  six  children,  Kate  Isadore, 
Elizabeth  M.,  Charles  S.,  Grace  M.,  Ada  May  and 
Florence  W. 

In  politics  Dr.  Kelsey  is  a  steadfast  and  consistent 
republican.  Since  1871  he  has  held  the  office  of  cor- 
poration clerk  of  Elyria,  which  office  he  has  filled 
with  satisfaction  to  the  people  at  large,  and  to  his  per- 
sonal credit.  The  doctor  is  an  able  exponent  of  the 
Unitarian  faith,  and  an  exemplary  member  of  that 
religious  sect.  His  general  reputation  is  so  wcM 
known  to  the  people  of  Lorain  county,  that  anything 
of  a  laudatory  nature  we  could  say  of  him  would  be 
entirely  superfluous.  His  business  probity  and  tl.e 
general  rectitude  of  his  life  are  proverbial,  while  his 
activity  in  the  various  enterprises  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  best  interests  of  the  community  of  which  he 
is  an  honored  member,  is  a  well  established  fact. 


WILLIAM  W.  ALDRICH. 

William  W.  Aldrich  was  born  in  Dover,  Cuyahoga 
county,  Ohio,  October  17,  1817, — son  of  Aaron  and 
Elizabeth  Aldrich,  who  were  natives  of  Rhode  Island. 
A.  Aldrich  was  horn  April  37,  1793,  and  Elizabeth 
was  born  December  23,  1795,  by  maiden  name,  AVin- 
sor.     Married   September  11,  1814.     In   1816   they 


143 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


removed  to  Dover,  Ohio.  Tlie  journey  there  con- 
siinied  six  weeks  of  toilsome  travel.  Passing  through 
Cleveland,  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio,  only  three  dwell- 
ings greeted  the  eyes  of  Mr.  A.  and  his  companion, 
in  the  place  of  the  so  many  fine  mansions,  that  make 
il  now  soheautiful.  In  the  history  of  Mr.  A.  Aldrich, 
occurs  one  of  the  rare  and  signal  inter]iositions  of 
divine  j)rovidenco,  which  it  is  jjleasurable  to  record. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  amongst  the  woods  of  Dover, 
he  became  disabled  from  excessive  labor.  Having 
been  reared  in  factory  life,  the  labor  of  felling  the 
forest  was  too  much  for  him?  What  should  he  do? 
Disqualified  as  a  woodsman;  a  growing  family  upon 
his  hands,  and  in  a  country  uncultivated,  unex])ected 
as  the  "manna"  descended  for  the  relief  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  came  a  letter  from  a  si  ranger,  author- 
ized by  a  company  of  strangers.  This  proposed  a 
removal  to  Otsego  county,  N,  Y.,  where  he  might 
take  charge  of  a  cotton  factory,  with  a  salary  of  eight 
hundred  dollars  per  year,  with  house  rent  and  tire- 
wood  free.  This  proposal  was  accepted  as  a  godsend. 
For  several  years  he  remaine<l  in  this  employ,  each 
year  increasing  his  compensation,  until  Mr.  Levi 
Heebe,  of  Watertown,  N.  Y.  proposed  higher  wages, 
wishing  Mr.  Aldrich  to  put  a  cotton  factory  in  opera- 
tion at  that  place.  Consenting,  Mr.  Aldrich  remained 
at  Watertown  for  nearly  two  years,  when,  finding 
himself  j)rovided  with  necessary  means  to  found  a 
home  for  himself  and  family,  he  again  moved  to  Ohio, 
lie  re-settled  in  Dover  in  1829.  Habits  of  industry 
and  economy  secured  for  him  a  comfortable  and 
beautiful  home  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  a  few 
miles  west  of  the  romantic  residence  of  Fx-Covernor 
Wood. 

Mr.  A.  Aldrich  affords  a  commendable  example  of 
industry,  frugality,  integrity,  benevolence,  piety  and 
good  will  toward  all  men.  Of  a  sound  and  discrimi- 
nating mind,  ho  was  for  many  years  selected  as  a 
magistrate  in  the  township.  In  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  said  oflBce  he  was  ever  more  anxious  to 
adjust  matters  of  ditference  by  compromise  than  liti- 
gation— never  an  instigator  of  quarrels,  but  a  j)eace 
maker. 

Mr.  Aldrich  and  wife  were  baptized  and  united 
with  the  First  Baptist  church  in  Avon,  Ohio,  in  1832, 
elder  Hanks  officiating.  In  183(3  Mr.  Aldrich  was 
one  of  the  original  five  who  met  and  formed  the  First 
Baptist  church  of  Dover,  Ohio.  For  many  years  he 
maintained  his  christian  profession  with  uniform 
consistency,  and  the  jeer  of  the  infidel  was  put  to 
silence  by  his  godly  life. 

Died,  in  Dover,  on  May  27,  1850,  Deacon  Aaron  A. 
Aldrich,  aged  sixty-three  years  and  one  month.  In 
his  decease  the  Baptist  church  sustained  an  irre- 
parable loss  in  member  and  office  bearer;  community 
mourned  the  loss  of  one  whom  all  joined  in  saying, 
"he  was  truly  a  good  man."  To  his  family  he  was 
ever  dear,  and  liis  memory  is  ever  hallowed  at  the 
family  altar  which  he  so  constantly  visited,  no  matter 
what  the  pressure  might  be  of  worldly  business.     Six 


children  are  now  grown  to  maturity  and  mostly  set- 
tled in  life.  Two  of  these  are  companions  of  Baptist 
ministers  in  this  State. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Aldrich  died  December  21,  1800. 
Slu^  was  a  faithful  christian  worker,  was  always  kind 
to  the  poor  and  needy,  and  ever  ready  and  willing  to 
supply  their  needs. 

William  W.  Aldrich,  son  of  Aaron  Aldrich,  received 
the  advantages  of  a  good  common  district  school  ed- 
ucation until  twelve  years  of  age.  Three  years  after 
that  he  attended  school  during  the  winter  months. 
Will)  this  exeejition,  In^  fi'oui  choice,  worked  I'aitli- 
fully  for  his  father  until  he  was  trwenty-one  years  of 
age.  These  early  years  were  spent  in  clearing  up  the 
forest,  making  roads,  tearing  down  the  old  log  dwell- 
ing, and  re])la,cing  it  with  new  structures.  Often  did 
he  work  until  midnight  to  burn  the  log  heap  rolled 
together  during  the  day.  Homespun  garments  he 
wore,  homespun  tow  and  linen  in  summer,  the  fuller 
cloth  in  winter.  Well  does  he  remember  the  yoke  of 
cattle  and  lumber  wagon  that,  filled  with  father's 
family  and  neighliors,  he  so  often  drove  to  the  old 
town  house  in  Dover,  where  all  denominations  met 
under  one  roof  to  worship  a  common  father. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Mr.  Aldrich  hired  to  his 
father  for  the  term  of  one  year,  at  eleven  dollars  per 
month;  losing  but  a  half  day's  time  once  in  four 
weeks — this  to  attend  covenant  meetings. 

February  5,  1840,  Mr.  Aldrich  was  married  to  Miss 
Martha  Bassett,  daughter  of  Nathan  Bassett,  of  Dover. 
Renting  his  father's  farm,  he  worked  it  for  one  year, 
receiving  one-third  of  its  i)rodncts  for  his  share.  At  | 
this  time,  with  twenty-five  dollars  as  first  payment, 
he  ccmimenced  on  a  farm  of  his  own.  Five  years, 
only,  jiassed,  when  he  was  the  owner  of  seventy-five  ] 
acres  of  land.  From  this  time,  while  he  renuiined  in 
Dover,  he  was  ever  active  in  business.  His  good  wife, 
in  every  sense  of  the  word  a  heljimate,  by  her  wisdom 
and  prudence,  contributed  largely  to  the  success  which 
followed. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Aldrich's  father,  who 
was  killed  by  lightning,  April  0,  1842,  Mr.  Aldrich 
took  possession  of  the  "old  homestead,"  buying  up 
the  othei'  heirs.  To  this  valuable  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-eight  acres,  he  added  many  other  acres. 

Commencing,  in  1844,  in  a  small  way,  the  slaughter- 
ing business,  increasing  trade  led  him  to  build  a 
slaughter  house,  from  which,  for  twenty-five  years,  he 
supplied  Cleveland  markets.  At  the  same  time,  he 
was  engaged  on  Lake  Erie  in  a  general  coastwise 
trade.  Wood  and  ship  i)lauk  from  Black  River  to 
Cleveland,  limestone  from  Kelly's  Island,  and  coal  to 
Detroit,  kept  busy  three  scows — the  "  Mayllower," 
pui'chased  of  Livingstone  &  Pheljis,  of  Black  River; 
the  scow  "  Consuello,"  of  the  same  place;  and  finally, 
the  scow  "Wave,"  of  Fairport,  Ohio.  All  tliese  ven- 
tures added  to  his  capital,  which  he  employed  in  gen- 
eral speculations;  dealing  largely  in  horses,  cattle, 
sheep — in  fact,  in  any  thing  that  could  be  traded  or 
sold. 


V  \^ 


iMRS.    M.  W.    POND. 


Residence  ofMARTIN  W.POND.WestAve^lyria,  0. 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


143 


In  the  spring  of  1870,  Mr.  Aldrich  removed  to 
Elyria,  where  he  purchased  of  Thomas  Ashton  the 
well  known  Charles  Ahbe  farm,  paying  for  tlie  same 
nine  thousand  doUars.  Of  Mr.  Ashton  he  also  bouglit 
a  few  thorough  bred  Hereford  cattle,  since  which 
time  he  has  made  the  breeding  of  that  class  a  success- 
ful specialty,  until  the  present  day.  Mr.  Aldrich, 
wlien  he  first  commenced  the  handling  of  Hcrefords, 
found  it  to  be  an  "  up  hill "  business.  At  town, 
county,  or  State  fair,  public  opinion  was  against  Iiim; 
but  his  energy,  skill,  and  business  courtesy,  soon  set 
men  everywliere  to  thinking.  And  now,  (as  the  old 
Grecians  marked  a  happy  day  with  a  wliite  stone,) 
Mr.  Aldrich.  in  his  travels  through  many  States,  finds 
very  many  white-faced  Herefords  tliat  say  to  him, 
"Your  toil  and  patience  have  made  me  worthy  of 
notice."  The  issiie  of  the  first  cow,  "Florena," 
alone  brought  Mr.  Aldrich  two  thousand,  five  hun- 
dred dollars.  Competing  at  many  of  the  State  fairs, 
his  success  has  been  unequalled,  and  to-day,  Mr.  W. 
W.  Aldrich  is  recognized  as  the  leading  Hereford 
breeder  of  the  United  States,  with  only  one  exception, 
viz:  Mr.  T.  L.  Milhu',  of  Illinois,  who  purchased  liis 
first  stock  of  Ml'.  Aldrich. 

Martha,  the  first  wife  of  Mr.  Aldrich,  died  Novem- 
ber 39,  1875,  leaving  eight  cliildren  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  one,  who,  as  wife,  motlicr,  and  member  of  tlie 
Congregational  cliurch,  filled  well  every  function  of 
the  true  woman. 

On  January  21,  1878,  Mr.  Aldrieli  took  for  his 
second  wife  Mrs.  Lorinda  Hilliard,  of  La  Crosse,  Wis- 
consin, witli  whoui  he  is  happily  living.  In  lier 
younger  days,  slie  was  a  resident  of  Avon,  Lorain 
county,  Ohio.  For  a  time  after  her  marriage  witli 
Mr.  Hilliard,  tliey  resided  in  Avon  and  Dover,  where 
they  formed  many  strong  friendships.  After  an  ab- 
sence of  twenty  years  in  Wisconsin,  ten  years  as  a 
widow,  surrounded  by  a  happy  home,  kind  friends, 
and  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances,  all  of  whom  were 
reluctant  to  part  with  her,  yet  wishing  her  every  joy 
and  all  happiness,  they  bade  her  farewell,  as  with  her 
husband  she  returned  to  the  friends  of  her  youth. 
Mrs.  Aldrich,  in  her  fourteenth  year,  professed  her 
faith  in  Christ,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  and  has  ever  since  lived  a  consistent 
christian  life. 

Mr.  W.  W.  Aldrich,  on  profession  of  his  faith,  was 
baptized  by  Elder  Moses  Ware,  and  united  with  the 
First  Baptist  church,  at  Avon,  Oliio,  A.  D.  183.5, 
which  membership  he  retained  until  .January  37,  18;:!(3. 
At  that  time  tour  brethren,  viz:  A.  A.  Aldrich,  Wm. 
W.  Aldrich,  Jesse  Atwill,  Wm.  Nesbit,  and  Sister 
Alexander  met  in  confei'ence,  and  resolved,  with  the 
I  advice  of  sister  churches,  to  form  a  church  in  Dover. 
Said  conference  met  February  34,  18.36,  and  formed 
j  said  church,  Elder  Ware  giving  the  "right  hand  of 
fellowship."' 

On  the  5th  of  March  following,  this  little  band  met 
for  church  and  covenant  meeting,  and  voted  Mr.  W. 
W.  Aldrich  clerk  of  their  body,  which  office  he  held  for 


nine  years.  To  this  church  did  Mr.  Aldrich  belong 
until  1856,  when,  on  the  death  of  his  father  and  the 
removal  of  many  of  the  members,  the  church  was 
disbanded.  Mr.  Aldrich  has  never  since  united  with 
a  church,  but  has  ever  lived  and  maintained  his  first 
profession,  by  a  well  ordered  life,  and  godly  conver- 
sation. 

Mr.  Aldrich  is  yet  hale  and  hearty,  with  a  pleasant 
home,  dear  wife,  kind  children,  and  stands  out  as  an 
example  of  what  integrity,  temperauco,  and  economy 
may  do  for  a  man. 


MARTIN  WEBSTER  POND 

Was  born  in  Harwinton,  Connecticut,  on  the  12th  of 
March,  A.  D.  1814.  His  father,  Roswell  Pond,  was 
born  July  15,  1772.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Hannah  Webster.  Mr.  Pond  descended  from  revolu- 
tionary stock,  his  grandfather  (who  was  born  at 
Bradford,  Connecticut,  in  1746)  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  under  Washington,  and  died  on  Long 
Island,  July  8,  1776. 

In  April,  1835,  his  sister,  Lydia  Pond,  was  married 
to  Ezra  S.  Adams,  a  son  of  General  Adams,  of  Canton, 
Connecticut;  and  as  they  were  about  to  emigrate  to 
New  Connecticut,  which  was  then  considered  the  far 
west,  she  prevailed  upon  his  father  and  motlier  to 
permit  them  to  take  Martin  (then  but  eleven  j-ears 
old)  with  tlicm.  They  traveled  the  entire  distance 
from  Canton  to  Elyria  with  a  single  horse  and  wagon. 
Mr.  Adams  arrived  at  Elyria,  the  terminus  of  his 
journey,  on  the  1st  of  .July,  and  established  the  first 
saddle  and  harness  manufactory  in  Lorain  county. 
Their  goods  were  shipped  by  the  Erie  Clanal  and  Lake 
Erie,  and  were  landed  at  Cleveland  the  last  of  June. 

Martin  had  attended  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  State,  and  the  first  winter  after  his  arrival  in 
Elyria  attended  the  district  school,  taught  by  Norris 
O.  Stow.  He  afterwards,  until  sixteen  years  of  age, 
attended  the  district  school  in  the  old  yellow  .school 
house,  and  for  a  single  term,  the  select  school  taught 
by  the  late  Schuyler  Putnam. 

He  then  entered  the  shop  of  his  brother-in-law,  the 
late  E.  S.  Adams,  as  an  apprentice,  and  worked  faith- 
fully until  he  had  completed  his  twenty-first  year. 
Soon  after  attaining  his  majority,  he  left  Elyria  for 
the  purpose  of  perfecting  himself  in  the  art  of  saddle- 
making,  in  which  he  took  great  pride.  During  his 
absence,  he  worked  at  Cleveland,  Deti'oit,  Wheeling, 
Va.,  and  other  places.  He  returned  to  Elyria  at  the 
end  of  two  yeais,  w'ith  impaired  health,  but  with  a 
consciousness  that  he  was  capable  of  nuiking  a  good 
saddle.  After  his  health  was  in  a  measure  restored, 
he  again  engaged  in  the  business  of  his  trade,  which 
he  followed  until  the  year  1852.  During  these  years, 
he  formed  various  partnerships,  at  first  with  B.  F. 
Robinson,  secondly  with  Waterman  Morse,  and  after- 
ward with  the  late  William  Doolittle. 

By  the  advice  of  physicians,  in  June,  1852,  Mr. 


144 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Pond  left  Elyria  for  California,  by  the  Nicaragua 
route.  T?einif  delayed  tweuty-one  days  on  the  isth- 
mus, where  he  was  attacked  with  Panama  fever,  he 
finally,  aftei-  a  tedious  voyage  of  sixty-six  days  from 
th(^  t  ime  of  leaving  home,  arrived  at  San  Francisco  in  a 
very  feeble  condition.  He  gradually  recovered  his 
health,  and  engaged  in  mining,  his  head-quarters 
being  at  Nevada  City.  He  returned  to  Elyria,  via 
the  Panama  route  in  June,  1853,  and  again  entered 
into  partnership  witii  Waterman  Morse,  in  carrying 
on  the  saddlery  and  harness  business.  This  connec- 
tion terniiiuited  at  the  end  of  a  year,  and  Mr.  Morse 
conducted  the  business  alone.  In  March,  1858,  the 
fire  that  swept  away  the  old  Mansion  House,  destroyed 
also  the  adjoining  liuilding  l>olonging  to  Mr.  Pond, 
which  he  immediately  rebuilt,  and  in  January,  1859, 
he  engaged  in  his  old  business,  which  he  continued 
until  1870,  when  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
a  harness  pad,  for  which  he  had  obtained  a  patent. 
In  1802,  he  invented  the  first  successful  tug  buckle, 
to  the  sale  and  introduction  of  which  he  gave  much 
attention  until  1870. 

On  the  tenth  of  December,  18-35,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  married  Miss  Eliza  J.  Sayles,  who  was  born  at 
Mayville,  Cliatau([ua  county,  N.  Y.  They  have  been 
blessed  with  a  family  of  five  sons  and  one  daughter. 
One  of  the  sous  died  in  childhood,  another,  Horace, 
from  disease  caused  by  exposure  and  arduous  duties 
in  the  Union  army  during  the  late  rebellion.  Three 
sons  are  living  and  filling  responsible  positions  in 
business.  I'he  daugiiter  is  married  and  i«  a  good  wife 
and  mother. 

Mr.  Pond  has  filled  many  positions  of  honor  and 
trust  conferred  on  him  by  his  fellow  citizens.  An 
ardent  Mason,  he  has  filled  many  offices  in  the  differ- 
ent branches  of  that  order.  lie  has  beeu  treasurer  of 
Marshall  Chapter,  No.  47,  for  fifteen  consecutive  years. 
In  1841,  he  assisted  in  forming  at  Elyria  a  lodge  of 
the  "  Mechanic's  Mutual  Protection,"  an  order 
founded  for  the  benefit  of  practical  mechanics.  It 
held  weekly  meetings,  at  most  of  which  lectures  were 
delivered,  and  the  association  was  supplied  with  books 
and  other  means  of  improvement.  Perhaps  no  insti- 
tution has  exerted  so  permanent  an  inlluence  for  good 
upoi\  the  citizens  of  Elyria  as  the  lodge  above  referred 
to.  The  organization  of  our  present  excellent  system 
of  union  schools,  was  to  a  great  extent  effected 
through  its  influence.  On  the  passage  of  a  bill  by 
the  general  assembly  for  the  founding  of  union  schools, 
this  institution,  through  a  committee,,  ejjrresponded 
with  the  friends  of  education  in  other  ci^ie84n  regard 
to  the  merits  of  such  schools  in  their  midst.  The 
Protection  then  appointed  a  committee  consisting  of 
Mr.  Pond  and  Thomas  Quark  to  obtain  the  signa- 
tures of  six  freeholders  to  a  call  for  a  public  meeting 
none  of  them  to  be  members  of  the  Protection.  After 
three  days  of  hard  labor  they  obtained  the  following 
signatures:  Robbins  Biirrell,  Roswell  Snow,  N.  H. 
Manter,  Ilurriek  Parker,  Tabor  Wood,  and  William 
Olcott,  none  of  them  members  of  the  Protection  but 


Herrick  Parker,  and  he  was  accepted  because  the 
committee  could  not  obtain  the  requisite -number  out- 
side the  order.  The  meeting  was  held  at  the  court 
house  in  Elyria,  on  the  24th  of  May,  1850;  a  favora- 
ble vote  was  secured,  and  thus,  by  the  untiring  and 
persistent  work  of  tlie  protection  our  union  schools 
were  established. 

To  this  protection  is  Elyria  also  indebted  in  a  great 
degree  for  her  present  fine  side-walks,  and  the  intro- 
duction of  fire  cisterns. 

Such  is  a  brief  record  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Pond. 
With  a  competency  won  by  honest  labor,  and  enjoy- 
ing the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens,  he  may  be  classed 
among  the  representative  men  of  Elyi-ia. 


HON.  STEVENSON  BURKE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  St.  Law- 
rence county,  N.  Y.,  November  20,  1820.  In  March, 
1834,  his  father  I'emoved  from  New  York  to  Ohio, 
and  settled  in  North  Ridgeville,  Lorain  county,  where 
he  resided  uj)  to  the  time  of  his  decease,  in  August, 
1875.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  in  early  life 
such  facilities  as  the  common  schools  of  the  time 
afforded,  which  consisted  of  about  ninety  days  of  very 
indifferent  instruction  in  tiie  winter,  and  none  during 
the  rest  of  the  year.  At  about  the  age  of  sixteen,  he 
iuid  the  benefit  of  instruction  in  a  very  good  select 
school  at  Ridgeville  Center;  and  afterwards  he  studied 
several  terms  in  a  private  school,  conducted  by  T.  M. 
Oviatt,  at  Elyria.  Later  still,  he  studied  a  year  or  so 
at  Delaware  University,  where,  in  1846,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  law  with  Messrs.  Powell  &  Buck.  In  the 
spring  of  1848,  he  returned  to  Elyria  and  completed 
his  studies,  preparatory  to  admission  to  the  bar,  under 
the  instruction  of  Hon.  II.  D.  Clark,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  by  the  supreme  court  August  11,  1848, 
and  at  once  commenced  the  practice  at  Elyria.  In 
April,  1840,  Mr.  Clark,  who  was  then  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  successful  lawyers  at  the  bar  in  Lorain 
county,  admitted  him  into  a  copartnership,  whicii 
continued  up  to  May,  1852. 

We  have  thus  in  a  few  lines  sketched  the  career,  uj) 
to  the  time  he  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law 
alone,  of  one  who,  for  more  than  twenty-five  years, 
iuis  occupied  a  very  prominent  jiositiou  at  the  bar  in 
Northern  Ohio.  From  1852  to  February,  1802,  Mr. 
Burke  devoted  himself  to  the  practice  of  his  profession 
with  such  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his 
clients,  a^  to  merit  and  command  success.  There 
were  few  cases  tried  in  the  court  of  common  pleas,  or 
district  court  of  Lorain  county,  or  in  the  supreme 
court  taken  from  Lorain  county,  in  which  he  was  not 
engaged.  His  industry  and  attention  to  business  were 
rare  and  almost  exceptional.  He  spent  no  time  in 
idleness,  and  his  patrons  were  always  sure  to  find 
him  in  his  office  in  business  hours,  unless  engaged  in 
business  elsewhere.     His  close  attention  to  business 


I 


^^^^..-^.^^ 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


145 


iuul  sodeiitiiry  habits  affected  seriously  his  health,  aud 
in  1801  he  found  his  health  so  seriously  impaired  as 
to  render  a  change  of  business  necessary;  and  his 
friends  having  secured  his  election  as  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  of  the  fourth 
judicial  district  of  Oiiio,  he  gave  up  his  practice  and 
entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  judge. 
After  serving  a  term  of  live  years  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  bar  and  tlie  ])eople,  he  was  re-elected  in  1806 
for  a  second  term,  lie  served,  however,  but  two  years 
of  his  second  term,  when,  having  regained  his  health, 
he  resigned  his  position  as  judge,  .January  1,  1809, 
and  at  once  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  Cleve- 
land, in  partnership  with  Hon.  F.  T.  Backus  and 
E.  .J.  Este]),  Esq.  Tlic  copartnership  was  dissolved 
by  the  death  of  xMr.  Backus,  in  May,  1870,  but  was 
continued  with  Mr.  Estep  until  the  winter  or  spring 
of  1875,  since  which  time  he  has  practiced  alone. 
His  practice  in  Cleveland  has  been  a  very  successful 
one.  lie  has  been  constantly  engaged  in  the  courts 
and  in  his  office,  and  during  the  last  ten  years  has 
probably  tried  as  many  cases  of  importance,  involving 
large  amounts  of  money  or  property,  as  any  lawyer  in 
Northern  Ohio.  He  has  during  that  period  argued 
many  cases  in  the  supreme  court  of  the  State  of  Ohio, 
several  in  the  United  States  supreme  court,  and  in 
the  supreme  courts  of  adjoining  States.  The  history 
of  the  profession  in  Northern  Ohio  furnishes  few 
examples  of  a  more  sncoessful  practice. 

In  addition  to  his  professional  business.  Judge 
Burke  has  devoted  much  attention  to  other  business; 
he  is  now,  and  has  been  for  several  years  past,  a 
director  and  chairman  of  the  finance  and  executive 
committee  of  the  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Cincinnati 
and  Indianapolis  Railway  Company,  and  its  general 
connsel.  He  has  held  for  several  years  and  still  holds 
the  position  of  director,  general  counsel  and  chairman 
of  the  finance  and  executive  committee  of  the  Cleve- 
land and  Mahoning  Valley  Railway  Company,  and  he 
is  also  the  representative  in  this  country  of  all  the 
stock  of  the  hist-named  corajjany,  it  being  owned  in 
Europe.  He  is  also  the  representative  of  the  owners 
of  tlie  stock  of  the  Shenango  and  Allegheny  Railroad 
Company,  and  also  of  the  Mercer  Mining  and  Manu- 
facturing Company,  and  a  director  in  both  of  the  last- 
named  comi)a-uies.  He  has  been  for  some  time  a 
director  of  the  Cincinnati,  Springfield  and  Indian- 
apolis and  St.  Louis  railroad  companies.  He  has  also 
for  several  years  been  a  director  of  the  Lake  Shore 
Foundry  and  director  and  president  of  the  Cleveland 
and  Snow  Fork  Coal  Company,  both  large  private 
corporations. 

Tiie  foregoing  is  a  very  brief  outline  of  a  very 
active  professional  and  business  life.  It  is  too  early 
yet  to  compare  the  subject  of  this  brief  sketch  with 
others,  or  go  into  detail  in  regard  to  his  professional, 
judicial  and  business  career;  he  is  still  in  the  prime 
of  Ufe;  time  has  dealt  gently  with  him,  and  his  ap- 
liearance  indicates  that  he  has  many  years  of  active 
life  still  before  him. 

19 


ELWOOD  P.  HAINES. 

A  mother  dying  at  Bordentown,  N.  J.,  left  an  only 
child,  Elwood  P.  Haines,  three  months  of  age,  who 
was  born  March  4,  18.34.  Soon  after  her  death,  Mr. 
Haines,  with  his  mother  and  little  son,  came  to  Ohio, 
where  they  settled,  in  Deerfield,  Portage  county. 
Engaging  in  farming,  this  young  life  had  every  ad- 
vantage of  nature's  kindly  teachings;  and  the  aspira- 
tions which  grew  with  his  years,  had  their  beginning 
here.  He  early  turned  his  attention  toward  a  pro- 
fessional life;  and  to  this  end  he  availed  himself  of 
the  excellent  advantages  afforded  by  an  academy  in  a 
neighboring  town,  where  he  studied  for  years  pre- 
paring for  Western  Reserve  College.  These  prepara- 
tions were  finished  under  the  instructions  of  Rev. 
Elias  C.  Sharp,  a  man  of  blessed  memory  in  Atwater. 
He  went  through  his  college  course  and  received  his 
diploma  at  its  close  with  honor  to  himself — ever  a  joy 
and  delight  to  his  friends.  Having  concluded  to 
study  medicine,  he  went  into  the  office  of  Dr.  Dudley 
Allen,  now  of  Oberlin,  where  he  remained  some  time, 
after  which  he  took  a  course  at  Michigan  University, 
where  he  graduated,  receiving  also  the  degree  of  M.D. 
from  the  Cleveland  Medical  College. 

Then  came  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  He  waited  not 
for  high  position,  but  at  once  enlisted  as  hosjjital 
steward.  The  duties  of  this  office  were  so  well  per- 
formed, that  on  March  2,  1803,  he  was  appointed 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  Twenty-ninth  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry.  A  letter  from  the  surgeon-general  of  Oliio, 
dated  August  2d,  1804,  says  as  follows: 

*'  Enclosed,  please  find  your  commission  as  major  surgeon  of  the 
Twenty -ninth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  a  promotion  conferred  for  long 
and  meritorious  services." 

His  merit  was  recognized  by  Order  No.  4,  Jane 
1805: 

"Surgeon  E.  P.  Haines,  Twenty-ninth  Ohio  Volunteers,  is  hereby  an- 
nounced as  surgeon-in-chief  of  brigade.  General  Wm,  Hawley,  com- 
manding." 

With  such  record  did  Dr.  Haines  leave  the  service 
of  his  country,  June  36,  1865.  His  life  in  the  army 
was  characterized,  as  in  all  other  circumstances,  by 
purity  and  integrity  in  every  particular. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  with  his  wife, 
whom  he  had  married  while  on  furlough,  at  Orwell ^ 
Ashtabula  county.  Here  he  entered  at  once  into  the 
hard  work  of  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  country. 
He  was  so(m  called  to  the  bitter  trial  of  losing  his 
wife,  who  left  him  a  little  daughter,  still  living, 
although  those  who  loved  her  so  fondly  then,  have 
gone  the  way  of  all  the  earth. 

Broken  up  in  his  domestic  matters,  he  bethought 
him  of  an  old  schoolmate  who  had  long  been  a  teacher 
in  Kentucky;  finding  her,  he  soon  realized  "a  sweet 
dream  of  his  boyhood,"  for  she  became  his  wife  in 
March,  1870.  Soon  after  they  came  to  Elyria,  where 
Dr.  Haines  was  the  successor  of  Dr.  Jamin  Strong, 
whose  residence  and  office  he  purcliased.  By  this 
.  marriage  there  were  two  children,  both  daughters. 
One  led  the  way  and  waited  for  "papa"  in  the  better 
land,  and  one  still  cheers  her  mother's  widowed  heart. 


146 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Dr.  Haiiios  dicfl  Oct.oI)cr  34,  1877,  at.  the  age  of 
forty-three  and  a  half  years.  His  work  was  done, 
and  he  rests  from  his  labors.  One  who  trusted  his 
life  with  Dr.  Haines  may  not  be  an  impartial  judge, 
yet  it  is  his  duty,  aye,  pleasure,  to  say  that,  as  a  man, 
he  performed  every  dnty  with  true  manhood;  as  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  chureh,  l)ig()try  was  no 
element  in  his  religious  thought;  as  a  (ntizen,  he  was 
true  to  the  best  interests  of  his  coutitry  and  to  all  the 
relations  of  life;  as  a  pension  surgeon  and  surgeon  of 
the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Souliiern  Kailmad,  he 
was  faithful  and  elH(tient;  as  a  physician,  he  was  ever 
welcome,  with  genial  face  and  kind  attention. 

Let  the  kind  relations  ever  existing  between  him 
and  his  brothers  in  the  practice  of  medicine — let  the 
many  to  whose  ills  he  ministered,  who,  with  weeping 
eyes,  paid  their  respect  to  a  good  and  true  man,  when 
all  joined  in  the  sad  rites  that  gave  him  rest — testify 
to  the  goodness  and  beauty  of  his  cliaracter.  Beloved 
by  all,  Elyria  mourns  the  loss  of  Dr.  Haines. 


EDWIN  DORR  HOLBROOK. 

It  is  but  a  labor  of  love  to  trace  from  the  earliest 
boyhood  days  the  development  of  tiiose  principles 
which  made  prominent  the  brief  but  eventful  life  of 
Edwin  Dorr  Holbrook.  He  was  born  in  Elyria,  Lo- 
rain county,  Ohio,  October  10,  1S3.5,  is  a  son  of  Dex- 
ter and  Jeruslia  Holbrook,  grandson  of  Captain  Hol- 
brook and  Tyler,  Avho  entered  Fort  Ticouderoga  with 
Ethan  Allen;  also  great-grandson  of  Cfeneral  Seth 
Pomeroy,  of  Bunker  Hill  fame. 

Before  scarcely  attaining  to  the  dignity  of  boys' 
apparel,  while  surrounded  by  his  pets  upon  his 
father's  farm,  the  proceeds  of  his  first  sale  was,  "  to 
buy  a  new  dress  for  my  mother."  This  was  the  key- 
note of  an  unselfish  life — "  not  for  myself,  but  tor  my 
mother,  to  whom  I  owe  so  much." 

Here  he  received  his  rudimentary  education,  and 
became  familiar  with  nature  in  its  various  forms; 
studying  the  habits  of  Ijirds,  bees  and  animals;  loving 
flowers;  training  the  woodbine  and  wild  rose  around 
the  farm-house;  skilled  in  huuting,  skating,  l)oating 
and  swimming,  a  knowledge  which  enabled  him  to 
rescue  many  from  watery  graves, — once  returning 
hatless  and  coatless,  after  saving  King  Barton  and 
a  companion.  Again,  hearing  that  Mr.  Snow's  son 
was  drowning  in  the  presence  of  a  crowd  of  anxious 
friends,  he  leaped  into  the  swollen  tide.  For  a  time, 
they  believed  him  lost.  Soon  his  voice  was  heard: 
"Is  this  the  rUjht  dircrtion  ?  "  Again  he  disap])eared; 
again  they  believed  him  drowned,  being  caught  l)y  the 
death  struggles  of  the  boy,  and  drawn  under;  but  by 
almost  superhuman  exertions,  he  bore  the  lifeless  form 
to  the  shore. 

This  unflinching  bravery,  daring  to  face  any  danger 
for  the  accomplishment  of  good,  characterized  the 
boy  as  well  as  the   man.     Fun    and   frolic   entered 


largely  into  his  compositiou,  and  he  was  the  acknowl- 
edged leader  in  boyish  tricks.  He  was  one  of  a  class 
of  boys  who  seemed  moulded  for  future  action  by  that 
ripe  .scholar,  C.  D.  B.  Jlills.  He  ever  cherished  his 
memory,  and,  in  after  years,  expressed  the  wish  that 
he  might  travel  with  him  as  his  companion.  Studied 
law  with  his  brother-in-law.  Judge  T.  S.  Johnson, 
and  with  Judge  Rex,  of  Wooster;  was  admitted  I\Iay 
7,  1857;  opened  an  office  in  Elyria,  and  continued  his 
studies,  including  German.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
constant  reader;  history,  poetry  and  the  writings  of 
our  early  statesmen  were  carefully  studied,  as  his  well 
worn  books  evince.  His  room  at  his  father's  house 
was  filled  with  books,  pa])ers  and  speeches,  which 
were  very  familiar  to  him.  Burn  ami  In-ed  in  the 
democratic  faith,  he  struggled,  even  during  his 
minority,  for  the  success  of  that  party. 

June  .'3,  1801,  he  bade  adieu  to  home  and  friends, 
and  sailed  for  California,  where  he  remained  one  year 
with  his  brother,  practicing  law,  when,  with  thous- 
ands, who  in  conse((uence  of  the  overflow  of  the 
Sacramento  river  and  the  almost  fabulous  tales  of  the 
richness  of  the  Salmon  river  mines,  he  emigrated 
northward  a  distance  of  eight  hundred  miles.  May 
16th,  18G3,  he  wrote  : 

"  I  start  to-morrow  astride  a  mule  which  carries  myself,  bed  and 
provender,  off  into  a  wilderness,  over  mountains  and  dangerous  moun 
tain  streams,  through  a  country  where  the  red  man  lies  in  ambush  to 
bear  my  scalp  to  the  maid  be  loves  But  I  am  young,  have  a  life  be- 
fore me,  and  desire  making  my  fortune  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  to 
see  something  of  this  country.  I  only  care  for  life  that  I  ma^'  make 
you  all  bappy  and  independent.  If  I  succeed  all  isjyuurs— if  I  fail  I 
want  no  mourners." 

During  the  next  three  years, before  the  perfect  system 
of   mail    communication   was  established,    occasional 
letters  and  rumors  reached  his  home-friends,  of  jieril- 
ous  adventure  ;  his  narrow  escape  from  a  snow-slide 
by  leaping  from  his  horse,  which  was  bnried  under  a 
pitiless  .sheet  of  snow  and  ice  ;  his  traveling  over  nar- 
row, precipitous  mountain  trails  to  fulfil  professional 
engagements.     In  December,  ISC'),  he  took  his  seat 
as  the  youngest  memlier  of  the  thirty-ninth  congress. 
As  a  member  of  congress  he  labored  zealously  for  the 
development  of  his  beloved  mountain  home — Idaho ; 
for  appropriations  for   the  perfection  of  mail  routes 
and  roads,  for  the  building  of  the  assay  office  and 
penitentiary  ;  also  was  ever  laboring  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  in  the  inter- 
est of  which  he  addressed  the  caj)italists  of  Boston. 
After  having  faithfully  labored  for  the  development 
of  his  territory  for  two  successive  terms  in  congress, 
bidding  adieu  for  the  last  time  to  his  home  friends. 
May  2Gth,  1809,  he  crossed  for  the  eightli  time  the 
plains  to  his  mountain  home  where  a  demonstration 
awaited  him.     He  at  once  opened  a  law  office  at  Boise 
and  Idaho  City,  and  engaged  actively  in  his  practice. 
Laboring  as  before  for  everything  pertaining  to  the 
advancement  of  Idaho,  which  he  hojied  would   soon 
attain  to  the  dignity  of  a  State,  in  the  midst  of  ;i 
successful  professional  career,  with  light  hopes  of  the 
future,  at  the  close  of  the  summer  day,  June   18th, 
1870,  while  resting  with  his  feet  upon  the  railing  in 


I 


^ V»/,^^   j;,^,/rf  -W'"' 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 


ELYRIA. 


HOUSTON  H.  POPPLETON. 

Houston  H.  Poppleton  w;is  born  near  Bellville, 
Eicliland  county,  Ohio,  March  19,  1830,  and  is  the 
3'Oungest  son  of  Rev.  Samuel  and  Julia  A.  Poppleton. 

Rev.  Samuel  Poppleton  was  born  in  the  State  of 
A'ermont.  July  '2,  1793,  but  while  quite  young  moved 
with  Ins  father  to  Genesee  county.  New  York,  where 
he  lived  until  1820,  when  he  moved  to  Ohio.  He 
lived  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  from  1822,  until 
March,  1853,  when  he  moved  to  Delaware,  Ohio, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  most  of  the  time  until 
his  death,  wliich  occurred  at  Delaware,  September  14, 
1804.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
served  with  honor  and  distinction.  Shortly  after  its 
close  he  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  and  continued  to  preach,  as  his  health 
would  permit,  for  nearly  fifty  years.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Parthenia  Stein- 
back,  of  Genesee  county.  New  York,  and  his  second, 
Miss  Julia  A.  Smith,  of  Richland  county,  Ohio.  By 
the  first  marriage,  four  children  were  born,  to  wit: 
Rowena  L.,  intermarried  with  F.  W.  Strong,  of  Mans- 
field, Ohio:  Samuel  D.,  killed  in  18G4,  at  the  battle 
of  Atlanta,  Georgia;  Mary  Ellen,  intermarried  with 
Daniel  Fisher,  of  Bellville,  and  Andrew  J.,  who 
died  at  West  Unity,  Ohio,  September  25,  1850. 

By  the  second  marriage,  six  children  were  born,  to 
wit:  Emory  E.,  Parthenia  P.,  Damaris  A. ,  Earley  F., 
Houston  H.,  and  Zada  C. 

Emory  E.  has  been  engaged  in  business  in  Detroit 
and  Chicago,  and  is  now  the  seei'etary  of  the  Cleve- 
land and  Mahoning  Valley  Railroad,  residing  at 
Cleveland. 

Parthenia  P.  married  Hon.  S.  Burke,  long  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  Lorain  bar,  and  after  resid- 
ing in  Elyria  for  over  twenty-two  years,'  moved  to 
Cleveland.  She  died  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  Jan- 
uary 7,  1878,  and  is  buried  in  Lake  View  Cemeter}-, 
Cleveland. 

Damaris  A.  was  married  to  Hon.  George  B.  Lake, 
formerly  a  member  of  the  Lorain  bar,  and  now  chief 
justice  of  the  State  of  Nebraska.  She  died  in  April, 
1854,  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Elyria.  ♦ 

Earley  F.  read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Elyria,  and  after  practicing  there  several  years,  moved 
to  Delaware,  Ohio,  where  he  has  ever  since  been  ac- 
tively and  successfully  engaged  in  law  and  politics. 
He  was  elected  State  senator  from  the  counties  of 
Licking  and  Delaware,  and  after  serving  one  term 
was  elected  on  the  democratic  ticket  to  the  forty- 
fourth  congress,  from  the  ninth  Ohio  congressional 
district.  Although  one  of  the  youngest  members  of 
that  body,  he  was  active  and  industrious,  and  served 


'  with  ability,  and  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  his 
party. 

Zada  C.  was  married  to  Thomas  H.  Linnell,  of 
Elyria,  and  resided  there  during  the  whole  of  her 
married  life.  She  died  March  29,  1875,  and  is  buried 
in  the  cemetery  at  Elyria. 

Houston  H.  Poppleton  received  his  early  education 
in  the  common  schools  at  Bellville,  but  entered  the 
Ohio  Weslej-an  University  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  in  the 
spring  of  1853,  and,  although  his  attendance  was  not 
continuous,  he  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
June,  1858.  He  taught  school  several  winters  in  the 
counties  of  Delaware  and  Richland,  while  pursuing 
his  studies  at  the  university,  and  also  had  general 
charge  of  his  father's  mercantile  house  at  Richwood, 
from  April,  1855,  to  February,  1857.     In  September, 

1858,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  S.  Burke,  at 
Elyria,  and  prosecuted  his  studies  there  until  October, 

1859,  when  he  entered  the  Cincinnati  Law  College. 
Completing  the  prescribed  course  there,  he  graduated 
from  it  April  10,  1800,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Cincinnati  the  same  day.  Returning  to  Elyria,  he 
formed  a  law  partnership  with  Judge  Burke,  and 
commenced  practice  May  3,  1800.  After  Judge 
Burke's  election  to  the  bench,  he  formed  a  law  part- 
nership with  Hon.  H.  D.  Clark,  which  continued 
about  two  years.  On  the  10th  of  February,  1804,  at 
Cincinnati,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucina  H.  Cross, 
of  that  city.  He  resided  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Broad  and  Chestnut  streets,  in  Elyria,  until  Septem- 
ber 24,  1875,  when  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
Cleveland. 

From  the  latter  part  of  1804  he  continued  in  act- 
ive general  practice  at  Elyria,  without  a  jiartner, 
until  November,  1873,  when  he  was  a]ii)ointed  gen- 
eral attorney  of  the  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Cincinnati 
and  Indianapolis  railway  company,  with  headquarters 
at  Cleveland,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He  was 
prominent,  active  and  successful  in  his  practice,  as 
the  records  of  the  courts  of  Lorain  and  adjoining 
counties  abundantly  show,  and  in  his  removal  the  bar 
of  Lorain  county  sustained  a  serious  loss.  By  accept- 
ing the  position  of  general  attorney  of  the  Cleveland, 
Columbus,  Cincinnati  and  Indianapolis  railway  he 
became  the  head  of  the  legal  department  of  that  cor- 
poration, and  has  had  entire  charge  of  its  legal  busi- 
ness along  the  whole  line,  as  well  as  elsewhere.  Giv- 
ing his  personal  attention  to  the  details  of  all  the 
litigation  of  the  company — trying  only  causes  that 
should  be  tried,  and  settling  those  that  should  be  set- 
tled— he  has,  by  his  fair,  honorable  and  judicious 
course,  made  many  friends  for  himself,  and  secured 
for  his  company  a  reputation  and  good  will  that  any 
railroad  in  the  country  might  well  envy. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 


CARLISLE. 


DAVID  BENNETT 

was  born  iu  Westmoreland,  Cheshire  county.  New 
Hampshire,  May  2G,  1788.  He  was  tlie  second  sou  of 
David  and  Abigail  Bennett,  and  third  in  a  family  of 
fifteen  children.  When  about  fifteen  years  old,  he 
was  apprenticed  to  a  man  named  Duttou,  living  in 
Dummerstou,  Windham  county.  Vermont.  Becom- 
ing dissatisfied  with  the  treatment  he  received,  he  ran 
away  soon  after  he  was  sixteen,  and  went  to  Homer, 
Cortland  county.  New  York. 

On  the  Gth  of  December,  1810,  he  married  Miss 
Polly  Wheeler,  and  lived  in  Londonderry,  Vermont, 
on  a  farm  on  the  east  slope  of  the  Green  mountains. 
He  came  west,  to  look  for  a  farm,  in  1827,  and 
moved  from  Londonderry,  April  21,  1828,  with  his 
family,  consisting  of  himself  and  wife,  his  wife's 
step-father,  and  his  neice,  Miss  Malvina  F.  Bennett. 
They  came  by  wagon  to  Troy,  New  York,  in  two 
days,  thence  by  canal  boat  to  Buffalo,  by  schooner  to 
Cleveland,  which  took  three  days,  then  by  wagon  to 
Carlisle, — in  all,  a  journey  of  three  weeks. 

On  the  33rd  day  of  August,  1828,  he  purchased  of 
Joseph  and  Mary  Perkins  the  south  one-half  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  twelve,  town  five,  range 
"seventeen,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

His  wife  died  August  10,  1829,  without  children. 


He  married,  the  second  time,  February  C,  1830,  Miss 
Jane  Galpin,  of  Elyria,  daughter  of  Neri  and  Betsey 
Galpin.  They  had  six  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living.  He  held  various  township  offices  from  1830 
to  1860,  being  three  times  elected  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  and  his  word  was 
as  good  as  his  bond.  He  died  July  16,  1SC3,  of  par- 
alysis. 

Jane  Galpin  was  born  in  Woodbury,  Litchfield 
county,  Connecticut,  August  11,  18lo.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Neri  and  Betsey  Galpin,  and  the  eldest  in 
a  familv  of  nine  children.  Her  parents  moved  to  New 
Milford,  Susquehanna  county.  Pennsylvania,  when  she 
was  about  nine  mouths  old.  In  May.  1818  they  moved 
to  Center  township,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania. 
In  November,  1822,  they  left  Center  for  Carlisle,  Ohio, 
then  called  Murraysville,  Hurou  county.  They  moved 
in  a  covered  wagon  drawn  by  a  yoke  of  steers  and  a 
span  of  old  horses.  They  were  three  weeks  on  the 
road  and  had  but  two  pleasant  days  in  the  whole  time. 
In  some  places  the  wagon  hub  would  roll  on  the  mud. 
They  moved  iu  with  Abner  Murray's  family  until  Mr. 
Galpin  built  his  house,  which  stood  just  over  the  line 
in  Elvria  township.  February  6,  1830,  she  married 
David"  Bennett  and  moved  on  to  the  farm  in  Carlisle, 
where  she  still  lives. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


147 


front  of  his  ofiBce,  which  he  had  surrounded  by  for- 
est trees,  dreamiug  his  happy  dreams  of  the  future, 
Charles  H.  Douglas  lurked  behind  him  and  fired  a 
fatal  shot.  The  wounded  man  struggled  to  his  feet, 
attempted  to  raise  his  arm,  but  aimed  too  low.  He 
was  borne  into  his  office,  where  in  intense  pain  he 
calmly  awaited  death,  saying,  "I  am  not  afraid  to 
die,  but  want  to  see  my  brother  before  I  go.  Am 
glad  I  did  not  hit  Douglas  when  I  fired,  on  account 
of  his  wife  and  little  ones."     Asking  again  if  Theo- 


dore had  come,  for  whom  a  messenger  had  been  dis- 
patched, he  fell  into  a  calm  sleep,  and  as  the  Sabbath 
day  dawned  his  spirit  took  its  flight. 

Marks  of  respect  and  tenderness  were  shown  by 
the  warm-hearted  peoj)le,  and  with  aching  hearts  lov- 
ing hands  consigned  him  to  his  resting  place.  And 
while  the  breezes  of  his  mountain  home  chant  the 
requiem  above  his  grave,  loving  hearts  will  entwine 
and  bedew  with  their  tears  an  imperishable  garland 
to  the  memory  of  Edwin  Dorr  Holbrook. 


COLUMBIA.* 


PHYSICAL   FEATURES. 

In  the  western  jiart  of  the  townshii>  the  surface  is 
level.  In  the  central  and  eastern  portions  it  is  undu- 
lating, but  nowhere  rough  and  broken. 

The  soil  is  generally  a  clay  loam,  varied  in  some 
places  by  gravel.  It  is  one  of  the  Ijcst  watered  town- 
sliips  in  the  county.  Rocky  river  flows  northward 
tlirough  the  township,  gathering  up  in  its  course 
many  tributaries.  Plum  creek  flows  in  a  nearly  par- 
allel direction  through  tiie  western  part  of  the  town. 
The  timber  native  to  its  soil  was  beech,  maple,  hick- 
ory, black  and  white  oak,  black  and  white  ash,  bass- 
wood,  elm,  sycamore,  buckeye,  walnut  and  butternut. 

PURCHASE. 

Prior  to  tlie  a]iportioumont  by  draft  of  that  part  of 
the  Reserve  lying  west  of  the  Cuyahoga  river,  Levi 
Bronson,  i\.zor  Bronson,  Harmon  Bronson,  Calvin 
Iloadley,  Jared  Pritchard,  and  some  fifteen  otiiers, 
formed  au  association  called  the  '"  Waterbury  Laud 
Company."  This  company,  togetlier  with  William 
Law,  Benjamin  Doolittle,  Jr,,  and  Samuel  Doolittle, 
drew  at  the  fourth  draft,  April  -1, 1807,  this  township 
as  number  five,  range  fifteen,  with  two  thousand  six 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  the  townshijis  of  Boston 
and  Richfield,  in  Summit  county,  annexed  to  equalize 
it.  The  draft  was  in  the  following  proportions:  to 
the  Waterbury  Land  Company,  twenty  one  tliousaud 
six  hundred  dollars;  William  Law,  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifteen  dollars;  Benjamin  Doolittle, 
Jr.,  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  ninety-two  dol- 
lars; Samuel  Doolittle,  eigiity  dollars.  The  deed  was 
executed  on  the  28th  day  of  May,  181)7,  by  John  Cald- 
well, John  Morgan,  and  Jonathan  Brace,  for  the 
Connecticut  Land  Company,  to  Levi  Bronson,  Calvin 
Uoadley,  Jared  Pritchard,  Azor  Bronson  and  Harmon 
Bronson,  in  trust  for  the  Waterbury  Land  Comijany. 


*Our  thanks  are  due  Ransom  Bronson,  for  information  furnished  in 
i     the  preparation  of  tiiis  history.    He  has  kept  a  record  of  early  events, 
for  the  past  twenty  years,  access  to  which  has  been  of  much  service 
to  us. 


Pending  the  negotiation  for  the  extinguishment  of 
the  Indian  claim  to  the  lauds  west  of  the  Cuyahoga, 
the  conij)any  bouglit  of  William  Edwards  a  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  tract  two,  town  eight,  range  eleven, 
Euclid,  (now  East  Cleveland),  and  a  number  settled 
there  the  summer  previous  to  the  draft. 

SURVEY. 

In  the  summer  of  1807  the  townsliip  was  surveyed. 
A  surveyor  by  the  name  of  Lacey  was  first  employed, 
but  his  cliain  was  found  to  be  of  an  incorrect  length 
and  he  was  discharged.  In  August  of  the  same  year 
Robert  Worden,  a  surveyor  from  Columbiana  county, 
was  engaged,  who,  with  Levi  Bronson,  Daniel  Bron- 
son, Benoni  Adams,  and  Elias  Frost  of  Euclid,  as  ax 
and  chain  men,  set  out  from  Cleveland  taking  a  south- 
west eoui'se  until  the  northeast  corner  of  the  town 
was  I'eachcd.  From  this  point  they  proceeded  west 
two  and  a  half  miles,  thence  south  a  like  distance  to 
the  center  of  the  township.  The  party  made  their 
encampment  here,  on  tlie  west  bank  of  Rocky  river. 
A  daughter  of  Levi  Bronson,  afterwards  Mrs.  Oliver 
Terrell,  accompanied  the  party  to  do  their  cooking, 
to  whom  must  be  accorded  the  lionor  of  being  the 
first  white  woman  tiiat  ever  set  foot  on  the  soil  of 
Columljia. 

SETTLEMENT. 

In  September,  1807,  a  company  numbering  thirty- 
tiiree  persons,  left  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  for  this 
townsliip.  They  wei-e,  Bela  Bronson,  his  wife  and 
one  child;  Calvin  Hoadley,  wife  and  five  children; 
John  Williams,  wife  and  five  children;  Lemuel 
Iloadley,  wife  aud  three  children,  his  father  and  his 
wife's  mother;  Lithrop  Seymour  and  wife;  Mrs. 
Parker  and  four  children;  Silas  Hoadley  and  Chaun- 
cey  Warner.  Two  months  afterwards  the  company 
reached  Buffalo,  west  of  which  place  there  was  then 
no  road,  and  they  were  compelled  to  choose  between 
the  dangers,  at  that  time  of  year,  of  lake  navigation 
and  those  attending  a  journey  along  the  beach.  The 
company   divided,    four  families   embarking  on  the 


148 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


lake,  while  the  remainder  preferred  the  laud  route. 
The  little  Jtarty  set  sail  under  a  bright  sky  and  with 
a  favoring  breeze,  butuot  long  afterward  encountered 
one  of  those  sudden  gales  common  at  that  time  of 
year,  which  carried  them  back  a  distance  of  several 
miles,  where  the  vessel  went  ashore.  A  week  was 
spent  before  another  start  could  be  made.  Arriving 
in  siglit  of  I'resque  Isle  the  vessel  was  again  struck 
by  a  contrary  wind  and  driven  back  to  a  point  on  the 
Canada  shore  under  which  tiu^  voyagers  took  shelter. 
They  remained  here  two  weeks  for  a  favorable  wind, 
when  tlie  journey  was  resumed. 

They  proceeded  without  further  reverses  until  within 
sight  of  Cleveland,  tiien  a  i)retentious  place  of  three 
log  cabins,  when  a  violent  wind  s(ruck  their  craft. 
and  they  were  forced  to  retreat  until  near  the  site  of 
the  present  city  of  Erie,  where  they  went  ashore. 
They  were  now  thoroughly  discouraged  with  their  ex- 
perience by  lake.  The  season  was  growing  late,  and 
whether  to  make  another  attempt  by  water  or  undei'- 
take  the  long  journey  l)y  land  on  foot  was  not  a  pleas- 
ant alternative.  Calvin  Hoadley  determined  to  make 
another  trial,  and,  with  his  family,  arrived  at  Cleve- 
land after  encountering  many  experiences  similar  to 
those  we  have  mentioned.  The  most  of  them,  how- 
ever, determined  ujion  the  land  route.  Beta  Bronson, 
wife  and  child,  were  of  this  party;  Mrs.  Bronson 
carrying  the  child  in  her  arms  fur  a  distance  of  fifty 
miles  west  of  Brie,  where  they  were  met  by  teams 
with  which  friends  had  gone  back  from  Clcvelan<l  in 
search  of  them.  Arriving  at  Cleveland,  the  company 
made  a  location  there,  with  the  exception  of  Bela 
Bronson  and  family,  wiio,  with  ox-team  and  sled, 
jjushed  on  towards  Columbia.  They  were  accom- 
jianicd  by  Levi  Bronson,  Jared  Pritchard,  John  Wil- 
liams, Silas  Hoadley,  Calvin  Hoadley,  and  five  or  six 
others  who  wcut  ahead  and  cut  a  road  for  them. 
The  family  brought  along  in  the  sled  cooking  utensils 
— with  which  Mrs.  Bronson  prepared  the  food  for  the 
company — and  camp  e(pii})age.  Their  progress  was, 
of  course,  slow,  eight  days  being  consumed  in  reach- 
ing Columbia.  Two  days  subsecjuently — on  the  7th 
day  of  December,  1807 — they  arrived  on  lot  twenty- 
seven,  where  Bronson  and  family  made  a  location. 

The  company  divided  into  three  sections,  com- 
mencing simultaneously  the  erection  of  three  cabins, 
one  for  Bela  Bronson,  on  lot  twenty-seven;  one  foj' 
John  Williams,  on  sub-lot  three;  and-oue  for  Calvin 
Hoadley,  on  lot  thirty-four.  During  the  erection  of 
Bronson's  house,  the  box  of  the  sled  was  turned  u]) 
against  a  tree,  and  under  this  the  family  took  shelter 
until  their  cabin  was  built.  The  house  was  ready  for 
occupancy  by  Christmas. 

In  181(1,  Mr.  Bronson  changed  his  location  to  the 
Center,  where  the  cellar  of  the  house  in  which  he 
resided  can  yet  be  seen.  He  died  here  in  October, 
1811.  He  was  one  of  the  ten  sons  of  Seba  Bronson. 
His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Sally  Twitchell.  Mrs. 
Bronson  subsequently  married  Benoni  Adams.  Two 
children  of  this  pioneer  family  are  now  living — Rev. 


Sherlock  A.  Bronson,  D.D.,  who  was  eight  months 
old  at  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  the  family  in 
Columbia,  now  an  Episcopal  clergyman  of  ability  and 
u.sefulness,  resident  in  Manslield,  0.,  and  a  daughter 
Sally,  living  in  Ottawa  county.  In  an  address  deliv- 
ered in  this  township  July  4,  1859,  Rev.  Dr.  Bronson 
gives  the  following  interesting  picture  of  their  situa- 
tion in  the  winter  of  1807: 

"Our  post  office  was  at  Painesville,  fifty  miles  distant;  tlie  nearest 
mill  was  at  Newburgh,  twenty -t'isht  miles  away;  and  but  little  pro- 
vision could  be  obtained  sbort  of  Painesville.  That  winter  my  father 
wrote  back  to  his  fi'iends  that  he  was  the  richest  man  in  town.  He 
might  have  written  himself  dttwn  the  greatest  nabob  of  all  of  0\\\o  that 
lay  west  of  Cleveland  and  north  of  W<joster,  tinfj  there  would  have  been 
none  to  dviimte  his  claim.  For  a  time,  that  winter,  ours  was  the  only 
residence  in  Western  Ohio.  Gloomy,  desolate  and  lonely  as  those  times 
were,  my  mother  kept  up  good  cheer,  and  said  she  always  hoped  for 
better  times.  Taking  into  account  the  time  of  arrival,  late  in  December, 
no  house  ready  for  occupancy,  that  in  the  conijiany  was  a  woman  with 
an  infant  only  eight  nn.inths  old,  and  the  nearest  dwelling  twenty  miles 
distant,  you  have  before  you  a  rare  picture  of  pioneer  life." 

The  second  family  that  settled  in  town  was  that  of 
John  Williams,  wlio  moved  in  from  Cleveland  after 
spending  the  holidays  with  his  friends  there,  arriving 
January  3,  1808.  They  took  up  their  abode  in  the 
cabin  already  j)artially  prepared  for  them  on  sub-lot 
three.  In  1810  he  removed  to  a  farm  a  mile  south  of 
the  Center  on  lot  forty-eight.  Mr.  Williams  died  in 
the  spring  of  18K),  and  his  remains  lie  in  an  un- 
marked grave  in  the  Center  Ijurying  ground.  The 
only  surviving  member  of  the  family  is  Mrs.  Weaver 
Harrington,  now  residing  in  Eaton  county,  Mich. 

Calvin  Hoadley  followed  closely  after  Williams, 
arriving  in  the  tirst  i)art  of  March  of  the  same  year, 
and  commenced  life  in  the  Columbia  woods  in  the 
house  ])reviously  built  on  lot  thirty-four.  In  the 
summer  of  1809,  he  built  a  grist  mill  on  Rocky  river, 
south  of  the  Center,  the  tirst  mill  in  the  county.  He 
afterwaril  built  a  grist  mill  and  also  a  saw  mill,  on 
the  same  river,  on  lot  twenty-one.  Captain  Hoadley 
was  a  man  of  great  energy  of  character,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the  town.  He  was 
a  son  of  Lemuel  Hoadley,  S.'.,  who  raised  a  family  of 
eight  chihlren.  Cahiu  was  the  second  child  and 
oldest  son.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  His  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Marian  Terrell.  They  raised  a 
family  of  five  children.  A  daughter,  the  only  living 
representative  of  the  family,  resides  in  Berea,  0. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1808,  the  following  additions 
were  made  to  the  settlement:  Lemuel  Hoadley,  Sr. , 
and  Lemuel  Hoadley,  Jr,  on  lot  forty-seven;  James 
(ieer,  on  lot  thirty-five,  south  part;  Lathrop  Seymour, 
on  lot  eleven;  Jared  Pritchard,  on  lot  thirty-one; 
Silas  Hoadley,  on  lot  twenty-nine;  Isaac  Frost  and 
his  two  sons,  Elias  and  Lyman,  on  lot  twenty-eight; 
Nathaniel  Doan,  on  the  north  part  of  lot  thirty-five; 
and  Benoni  Adams,  on  lot  fifty. 

The  Hoadleys  were  originally  from  either  Salem  or 
Plymouth,  Conn.  Lemuel  Hoadley,  Sr.,  was  the 
fatiier  of  eight  children.  Mary,  the  eldest,  became 
the  wife  of  Asahel  Osborn.  Of  Calvin  we  have  already 
given  a  brief  history.  The  next  was  Lemuel;  he  was 
a  colonel  in  the  war  of  1813.    Sally  married  Zephauiah 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


149 


Potter.  Lennu'l  was  a  mechanic,  and  nmcli  of  his 
life  was  eupaoed  in  tlic  erectioTi  of  niills;  he  bnilt- 
mos(  of  the  grist  mills  in  this  region  of  country.  He 
removed  to  Brecksville  in  1812,  and  bnilt  tlie  first 
mill  in  that  town;  and  two  years  subsequently  he 
went  to  Bath  and  t'rected  mills  there.  In  1819,  he 
settled  in  Olmsted,  Cuyahoga  county,  and  erected  for 
himself  the  i)ionoer  mill  in  that  township,  and  also 
built  the  first  frame  house  there.  In  1824,  he  ex- 
changed his  farm  and  a  mill  in  Olmsted  for  a  farm  in 
Ridgeville,  west  of  the  center  of  the  town,  and  took 
up  his  abode  there.  In  1833,  he  sold  out  and  moved 
l)ack  to  Olmsted,  and  with  his  son-in-law,  John  Bar- 
num,  built  a  saw-mill  at  the  mouth  of  Plum  Creek, 
and  laid  out  a  village  there.  In  ISliS,  he  removed  to 
Chillicothe.     He  married  Chloe  Tyler. 

He  was  known  everywhere  as  Major  ILwdley,  a 
title  which  he  acquired,  it  is  said,  on  the  journey 
from  Connecticut.  The  company  would  sometimes 
be  obliged  to  construct  a  bridge  across  a  swollen 
stream,  and  Mr.  Iloadley  was  so  perfectly  at  home  at 
such  work  tiiat  his  cf)nipanions  gave  him  the  honorary 
title  of  "major,''  which  he  ever  afterwards  bore. 

Luther  was  also  a  colonel  in  the  war  of  1813,  and 
died  in  the  service.  David,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  died 
in  Connecticnt.  Urania  married  Riley  Whiting,  an 
extensive  clock-maker  of  Winsted,  Conn. 

In  1810,  James  Geer  changed  his  location  to  the 
north  part  of  the  townshij),  exchanging  his  original 
purchase  with  Calvin  Iloadley,  for  land  on  lot  twenty- 
one.  Here  he  established  a  rude  tannery,  using  sap 
troughs  for  vats,  and  an  axe  to  pulverize  the  bark. 
He  also  followed  shoemakiug,  having  learned  the  trade 
of  his  wife,  formerly  Mrs.  Mary  Parker,  whose  first 
husband  was  a  shoenuiker. 

Of  some  of  the  other  settlers  mentioned,  no  knowl- 
edge can  now  be  oljtained  of  their  later  history. 

Nathaniel  Doan  was  a  man  of  more  than  average 
ability,  and  was  a  leading  man  in  tiie  settlement.  He 
was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  township.  He 
subsequently  removed  to  Cleveland. 

Benoni  xidains  was  at  that  time  a  single  man,  l)ut 

in    1810  lie  married  Mrs.   Sally   Bronson,  widow  of 

Bola  Bronson,  and  settled  at  the  Center.     In  1808, 

Mr.  Adams  carried  the  mail  on  foot  from  Cleveland 

to  Maumee.     The  only  habitations  of  white  men  on 

his  route  were  those  of  Nathan  Perry,  at  the  mouth 

of  Black  river,    and  a  Frenchman  at  Milan.     Two 

weeks  wore  usually  consumed   in   making  the   triji. 

He  lost  his  way  on  one  occasion,  and  failed  of  rcacli-- 

ing  the  end  of  his  journey  within  the  required  time, 

and  his  pay  was  withheld  for  that  trip.     Sometimes 

the  streams  were  swollen  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was 

I  icompelled  either  to  travel  a  long  distance  to  lind  a 

place  thntugh  which  he  could  wade,  or  to  construct  a 

,   raft  with  which  to  cross.     His  route  lay  through  the 

1   Black  Swamp,  the  passage  of  which,  from  its  extent, 

'  could  not  be  made  in  a  single  day,  and  he  was  obliged 

to  spend  a  night  in  the  woods,  usually  making  his  bed 

on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree.     Says  Dr.  Bronson, 


whose  mother  subsecpiently  became  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Adams:  "I  have  heard  him  say  he  has  traveled  the 
swamii  wiien  the  water  was  iialf-way  to  liie  knee, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  bri'ak  the  ice  the  whole  forty 
miles." 

During  the  same  year,  Seba  Bronson,  Sr.,  and  his 
two  sons,  Seba  and  Daniel,  moved  in  from  Ashtabula 
county.  The  elder  Bronson  settled  on  sub-lot  four, 
Seba,  Jr.,  living  with  him.  Daniel  located  on  the 
north  part  of  lot  thirty-six. 

In  1813,  Seba  Bronson,  Jr.,  removed  to  Liverj)ool, 
Medina  county,  remained  a  year,  and  then  returned 
to  Columbia.  In  the  s])ring  of  that  year,  it  is  said, 
he  dug  out  a  canoe,  and  journeyed  down  the  river  to 
the  lake,  thence  to  the  mouth  of  Sandusky  river, 
thence  up  that  river,  to  Lower  Sandusky  (now  Fre- 
mont). There,  in  an  opening  in  the  forest,  he 
jilanted  a  piece  of  ground  to  corn,  under  the  protec- 
tion of  Fort  Stephenson.  After  harvesting  his  crop, 
he  returned  to  Columbia,  residing  thei'e  until  his 
death,  in  1851,  aged  seventy-five. 

In  1809,  Roswell  Scovil,  Horace  (Junn,  Timothy 
Doan,  Daniel  Bunnell,  Zephaniah  Potter,  Wm.  Hoad- 
ley,  Noah  Warner,  Marcus  Terrell,  and  Joseph  Burke 
joined  the  settlement.  Scovil  settled  on  lot  thn-ty; 
(lunn  on  lot  — .  The  latter  carried  the  first  mail  west 
of  Cleveland,  in  1808.  In  June,  1809,  he  married  Ann 
Pritchard,  daughter  of  Jared  Pritchard,  which  was  the 
second  marriage  in  Columbia.  Timothy  Doan  located 
on  lot  twenty-nine,  buying  out  Silas  Hoadlev,  who 
returned  to  Connecticut.  Bunnell  drew,  by  draft,  lot 
one,  which  he  exchanged  with  Samuel  Pardee  for  laud 
in  Olmsted.  Potter  settled  on  lot  — .  He  was  a 
doctor — the  first  in  the  township.  Iloadley  settled 
on  lot  thirty-five,  south  part,  but  returned  to  Connec- 
ticut iu  1811.  Marcus  Terrell  settled  ou  the  north- 
west corner  of  lot  tliirl,y-niiie.  Warner,  in  1811, 
removed  to  Liverpool. 

Joseph  Burke  was  the  earliest  settler  in  Euclid. 
He  came  from  New  York,  in  1798,  traveling  from 
Buffalo  to  Grand  river  in  an  ojien  boat.  Leaving  his 
family  there,  he  came  on  to  take  a  look  at  the  wilder- 
ness, in  which  he  thought  of  settling,  and  after  mak- 
ing a  selection  at  Eaolid,  returned  for  his  family. 
He  resided  in  Euclid  eleven  years,  and  then  removed 
to  this  township,  locating  on  lot  twelve.  Ho  died 
July  4th,  1814.  His  widow  removed  to  Michigan, 
and  died  tliere-in  1833.  Of  their  large  family  of  four- 
teen chddren,  only  two  are  living:  Ira  Burke  on  the 
old  homestead,  aged  seventy-five,  and  Mrs.  Sophia 
Louder,  residing  in  Illinois.  A  little  daughter,  four 
years  of  age,  while  in  the  woods  with  her  brother, 
who  was  miking  maple  sugar,  wandered  away  and 
was  never  found.  The  generally  accei)ted  theory  as 
to  her  fate  is,  that  she  was  carried  away  by  Indians 
seen  in  the  vicinity  a  day  on  two  previous. 

Sila-i  Burke  settled  on  the  south  p.irt  of  lot  twelve, 
in  1809. 

Harmon  Bronson,  one  of  the  members  of  the  Water- 
bury  land  company,  visited  the  reserve,  as  early  as 


150 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OUIO. 


1805.  In  that  year  he  came  from  Waterbury,  Con- 
necticut, to  Clevelanil,  on  foot,  bj  way  of  Albany  anil 
RiitTalo,  and  returned  by  way  of  RaUiniorc,  Pbiladel- 
])hia  aud  New  York,  walking  almost  the  entire  dis- 
tance. In  JSOIt,  he  ai,'ain  came  to  Ohio,  also  on  foot, 
this  time  for  the  |>uriiose  of  settlement.  He  was  a 
carjienter  and  joiner,  and  on  iiis  arrival  at  Cleveland, 
engaged  at  work  for  a  Mr.  Murray,  for  whon  lie  Imiil 
a  log  house  near  the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  and  about  where  the  govern- 
ment piers  are  now.  His  family,  then  consisting  of 
a  wife  and  three  daughters,  and  his  mother,  (his 
father,  Seba  Bronson,  Sr.,  having  come  to  Columbia 
three  years  previous),  came  on  soon  afterward  on  a 
little  vessel  called  the  "Ranger,"  Captain  Hathaway, 
landing  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  March  15th.  Other 
members  of  the  coin|>any,  aud  their  families,  came  at 
the  same  time.  Mr.  Bronson  made  a  settlement  in 
Columbia,  erecting  a  house  on  sub-lot  four. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  1812,  when  it 
was  generally  feared  tiiat  this  ]iart  of  tlie  State  would 
be  overrun  by  Indians,  Mrs.  Harmon  Bronson,  with 
her  three  girls, — the  oldest  about  tliirteen, — and  an 
infant  son  less  than  a  year  old,  started  from  (Cleveland 
in  September,  1813,  with  a  horse,  saddle  and  bridle, 
and  took  her  little  family  back  to  Waterbury,  the 
heroic  mother  walking  the  entire  distance.  It  re- 
quired four  weeks  to  make  the  journey. 

She  remained  in  Waterbury  until  late  in  the  fall  of 
1815,  and  then  set  out  in  a  lumber  wagon  for  Oiiio. 
At  Bloomfield,  in  the  State  of  New  Y'ork,  her  funds 
run  out,  and  she  hired  out  her  two  eldest  daughters 
at  fifty  cents  a  week  each,  while  she  worked  for  her 
board  and  that  of  her  two  younger  children.  Abmit- 
the  1st  of  March,  181(3,  the  journey  was  resumed, 
and  the  family  reached  Columbia  in  the  latter  part  of 
that  month. 

Mr.  Bronson  kept  a  store  in  Columhia  from  I81(i 
to  1820.  He  removed  to  East  Cleveland  in  Decem- 
ber, 1821,  aud  lived  there  until  July.  1821,  when  he 
moved  into  Boston  township,  tiien  Portage,  udw 
Summit  county.  He  died  December  18th,  1853. 
He  was  the  seventh  of  the  fourteen  children  of  Seba 
Bi-onson,  Sr. ,  all  of  whom  lived  to  mature  age  and 
were  married.  Azor  and  Rela  died  in  Columbia,  in 
1811,  October  5th  and  13th,  respectively.  Harmon 
was  tJR'  last  survivor  of  the  family.  His  bii'th,  mar- 
riage and  death  occurred  in  the  same  montii  and  on 
the  same  day  of  the  montli — Decemlier  18tli.  He 
was  seventy-nine  years  old  at  his  death.  His  wife 
survived  him  four  years  and  two  months,  and  was 
something  over  eighty.  Two  of  his  family  are  now 
living — his  second  daughter,  now  seventy-eight  years 
old,  and  the  youngest  child,  a  son,  now  sixty-seven — 
both  residing  in  Peninsula,  Summit  county.  From 
the  latter,  Mr.  H.  V.  Bronson,  we  have  obtained  liie 
facts  here  given. 

David  Eddy,  btn-n  in  New  Jersey,  came  to  Ohio 
while  yet  a  single  man,  in  the  year  1804  or  1805.  He 
made   a  location   in   Euclid,   Cuyahoga  county,   and 


erected  a  cabin  there.  The  followmg  year  his  father 
and  mother,  wilii  a  son  named  Timothy,  came  on 
and  took  up  tiieir  abode  in  tiie  jirimitive  hal)itation 
already  prejiared  by  David.  Caleb  Eddy,  the  fathei', 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  here,  but  David  soon 
pushed  on  further  west,  ami  joined  the  infant  colony 
in  Columbia.  He  "  stuck  his  stakes "'  on  lot  forty, 
and  built  liis  log  house  on  the  l)ank  of  Rocky  river. 
In  the  early  winter  of  1811  he  married  Elizabeth 
Shirdine,  of  Washington  county,  Penn.,  and  about 
two  yeai's  subse({uently  began  pioneer  life  in  the  little 
cabin  previously  mentioned.  Eddy  was  a  member  of 
the  militia,  and  was  an  occupant  of  the  block  house. 
His  life  was  one  of  many  hardships  and  of  arduous 
toil.  He  died,  on  the  farm  on  which  he  lirst  located, 
October  31,  1853,  and  his  widow  about  a  year  after- 
ward, Octobei'  6th,  1854.  Their  children  were  four 
in  numbei',  two  boys  and  two  girls,  viz  :  Jesse,  Enos, 
Susannah  and  Eunice.  Jesse  married  Caroline  Cham- 
berlain, daughter  of  John  Chandjerlain,  of  Roches- 
ter, Lorain  county.  He,  Jesse,  is  now  living  there. 
His  wife  died  February  5th,  1855.  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, Mary  E.  (Mrs  Myers,)  and  llattie  E.  (Mrs. 
Mann).  Enos  nuirried  Cynthia  ]5radford,  now  de- 
ceased. Susannah  married  Myron  Bradford,  and 
lioth  are  dead.  Eunice  married,  lirst,  Hiram  Brad- 
ford, and  afterwards  Samuel  Ilanley,  with  whom  she 
is  now  living  in  the  township  of  Rochester. 

In  1810  Levi  Bronson  moved  in  from  Euclid  and 
took  up  his  residence  on  sub-lot  three,  the  first  loca- 
tion of  John  AVilliams.  Of  him  Rev.  Dr.  Bronson 
bears  the  following  testimony: 

"  My  father  became  interested  in  the  laads  of  Colutiiiiia  by  jiurchase 
of  his  brother  Azor,  but  botli  died  before  deeds  were  given  or  paymeut 
fully  made,  and  matters  were  left  in  an  unsettled  state,  and  after  a 
while  became  entangled  with  other  land  matters.  These  have  since 
been  a  prolific  source  of  strife,  and  a  rich  field  for  lawyers.        *        * 

*  *  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  bear  witness  to  the  unyielding  integ- 
rity, public  spirit  and  self-.sacrifice  of  Levi  Bronson.  When  all  the  land 
in  Columbia  would  not  have  sold  for  more  than  enough  to  pay  the  ta.ve.s, 
he  borrowed  money,  worked  on  the  road,  turned  and  twisted  evei-y  way 
to  save  the  property  of  his  father  and  his  deceased  brotlier  for  their 
heirs." 

In  regard  to  other  arrivals  this  year  we  mention  the 
following:  Asahel  Osborn  and  Marshall  Culver,  his 
son-in-law,  the  former  on  the  south  part  and  the  latter 
on  the  north  part  of  lot  thirty-seven.  They  came 
frt)m  Salem,  Connecticut.  Osborn  married  Mary 
Hoadley,  daughter  of  Lemuel  Hoadley,  Sr.  lie  was  a 
man  of  good  natural  al)ility,  and   of  local  intluenee. 

Timothy  Eddy  cleared  a  piece  of  land  on  lot  seven- 
teen, sowed  it  to  wheat,  and  then  returned  to  Euclid 
to  live;  James  and  Walter  Strong  chopped  off  a  piece 
on  lot  fifteen;  Samuel  Hitchcock  settled  on  lot  forty, 
purchasing  of  Calvin  Hoadley. 

Asa  Rol.)ertson  made  a  beginning  on  the  west  part 
of  lot  one,  then  removed  to  Liverpool,  Medina  county, 
whei-e  he  made  a  permanent  location.  Samuel  Hea- 
cock  also  arrived  in  1810,  and  located  on  lot  thirty- 
si.^,  but  returneil  to  Connecticut  the  following  j'ear. 

John  Adams,  father  of  Benoni,  with  his  wife,  five 
sons  and  a  daughter,  left  Waterbury,  Connecticut, 
for  Columbia,  in  the  fall  of  1811,  and  moved  in  with 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


151 


Benoni,  on  lot  fifty.  Adiims  having  sold  his  farm 
for  twenty-five  luindred  dollars,  and  taken  his  pay  in 
clocks  at  five  dollars  a  piece,  nmst  turn  his  property 
into  cattle  and  the  cattle  into  money,  whicli  took  nji 
tlie  time  nntil  Octoher. 

lie  brought  his  wife  and  boys,  with  some  of  the 
household  goods,  with  a  team  and  wagon,  a  young 
man  by  the  name  of  Marshall  Bronson  accompanying 
tlic  family  with  a  team  and  wagon  of  his  own,  with 
wliich  he  brought  a  part  of  their  goods.  The  daugh- 
ter, who  was  a  child  of  it  former  wife  of  Mr.  Adams, 
and  a  cousin  of  Bronson,  rode  with  the  young  man. 
In  consequence  of  a  violent  snow  storm  they  remained 
several  days  at  a  tavern  a  few  miles  west  of  Buffalo. 
Tiie  next  house  on  their  ronte  was  Mack's  tavern, 
eighteen  miles  distant,  the  ro;id  to  which  was  along 
the  beach  nntil  within  four  miles  of  the  tavern,  when 
it  lead  away  from  the  lake  through  a  dense  forest. 
This  is  the  road  the  collector  of  historical  facts  so 
frequently  hears  spoken  of  by  early  settlers  as  the 
"four  mile  woods."' 

It  was  December,  too  late  to  travel  along  the  beach 
with  safety,  as  there  were  many  rocky  cliffs  which 
extended  out  into  the  lake;  and  to  get  by  them,  the 
emigrants  usually  drove  into  the  water.  In  attempt- 
ing to  pass  one  of  tiiese  points,  Adams'  team  became 
frightened  at  the  dashing  of  the  waves,  and  refused 
to  go,  and  he  was  obliged  to  cut  them  loose  from  the 
wagon  in  order  to  save  his  wife  and  children.  After 
much  ditRculty,  they  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shore, 
and  proceeded  in  the  direction  of  the  tavern,  Adams 
evidently  thinking  that  Bronson,  who  was  ahead,  had 
got  through  in  safety.  Not  so,  however:  he  had  be- 
come involved  in  a  situation  more  perilous  than  that 
from  which  Adams  and  his  family  had  escaped.  The 
wlieel  of  his  wagon  caught  fast  in  the  seam  of  a  rock, 
and  the  horses,  in  their  struggle,  became  entangled 
in  the  harness  and  were  tiirown  down;  and  Bronson, 
almost  paralyzed  with  cold  and  fear,  could  not  release 
them.  Ilis  situation  would  have  appalled  the  stout- 
est heart.  The  roar  of  the  angry  waves,  the  horses 
struggling  beneath  them,  and  the  cries  of  his  com- 
panion, coupled  with  his  utter  powcrlessncss  to  aid 
her,  tilled  him  with  frantic  terror.  He  determined 
to  go  for  help.  Reaching  the  shore  with  great  diffi- 
culty, he  liurried  to  the  tavern  and  gave  the  alarm. 
Several  men  started  for  the  scene  of  distress,  meeting 
Mr.  Adams  and  family  on  the  way. 

The  mother  and  children  were  conducted  back  to 
the  house  by  one  of  the  party,  while  the  father 
returned  with  the  rest  to  tlio  relief  of  liis  daugliter. 
But  it  was  too  late — her  lifeless  body  was  found  in 
the  water,  carried  to  f  he  tavern,  and  buried  in  Mack's 
garden.  Some  time  after,  a  passing  missionary,  on 
recpiest  of  the  family,  preached  a  funeral  discourse. 
The  team  of  Bronson  was  drowned,  and  his  wagon  a 
complete  wreck.  Another  was  constructed  out  of  the 
parts  as  they  floated  ashore,  and  then  turned  into 
cash.  The  other  wagon,  which  was  without  serious 
damage,  was  also  sold,  and  a  sled  purchased.     A  few 


articles  were  gathered  up  as  they  floated  ashore,  and 
the  surviving  family  resumed  their  journey.  Arriving 
in  Euclid,  friends  induced  them  to  rcnnain  there  till 
the  following  spring,  when  they  moved  into  (!ohnnbia. 
A  son  of  Mr.  Adams  is  yet  living  in  Olmsted,  nearly 
eighty  years  of  age,  and  jn-eserves  a  clear  recollection 
of  the  painful  disaster. 

Another  prominent  arrival  in  1811,  was  the  family 
of  Azor  Bronson.  They  left  Waterbury,  Conn.,  in 
June  of  that  year.  They  experienced  a  tedious  time 
getting  through  Cattaraugus  swamp.  Night  over- 
took them  in  the  "four  mile  woods,''  while  yet  a  long 
distance  from  Mack's  tavern,  at  Cattaraugus  creek, 
to  which  they  were  making,  and  they  were  unable  to 
[n-oceed.  Leaving  the  mother  and  ciiildren  in  the 
wagon,  whicli  was  Ijuried  to  the  axletree  in  mud,  Mr. 
I?ronson  went  to  tiie  tavern  for  help.  The  ever-accom- 
modating Dr.  Mack,  with  a  lantern  and  accomjianied 
by  a  couple  of  friendly  Indians,  returned  with  Mr. 
Bronson  for  his  family  and  assisted  them  to  the  tav- 
ern. In  Middleburg,  Cuyahoga  county,  their  wagon 
broke  down,  and  wife  and  children  were  thence  car- 
ried to  Columbia  on  the  horses.  They  arrived  at  the 
center  of  town  July  4,  1811.  Mr.  Bronson  died  the 
next  year  after  his  arrival.  Ransom  and  Albert  Bron- 
son, residing  in  Olmsted,  Cuyahoga  county,  aged 
seventy-three  and  seventy-six  respectively,  are  the 
only  surviving  memljers  of  the  family. 

Samuel  Pardee  also  moved  in,  in  1811,  settling  on 
the  south  part  of  lot  thirty-sis,  and  kept  a  tavern, 
the  sign  of  which  was  a  pair  of  deer's  horns. 

Jonathan  Vanghan  became  an  inhabitant  of  the 
township  during  this  same  year.  The  following  year, 
he,  with  his  l)rother  Richard  and  E.  Hickox,  entered 
the  service  of  the  government  and  aided  in  cutting  a 
road  from  Sandusky  to  Maumee.  This  was  in  war 
time,  and  the  men,  some  three  hundred  in  number, 
cut  the  road  under  the  protection  of  a  military  guard. 
Vanghan  was  afterwards  stationed  for  a  time  in  Fort 
Stephenson.  He  subsequently  married  a  daughter  of 
Calvin  Iloadley  and  settled  in  Middleburg,  (Ju3-ahoga 
county,  residing  there  until  1834,  when  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  Iloadley  Mills,  and  returned  to 
Columbia. 

About  this  time  also,  Noah  Terrell  and  Thomas 
Osborn  came  into  town.  Terrell  was  a  valuable  acqui- 
sition to  the  settlement,  being  skillful  in  the  manu- 
facture of  every  kind  of  wooden  dishes,  such  as  milk- 
bowls,  trenchers,  cups  and  saucers,  salt-cellars,  pepper 
boxes,  and  little  kegs  which  took  the  place  of  pails. 
BeiTig  a  Terrell,  he  was  of  course  a  hunter,  and  sup- 
}>orted  his  family  to  a  great  extent  by  his  gun.  He 
subsequently  removed  to  Ridgeville,  where  his  daugh- 
ter Harriet  was  soon  after  bor;,.  She  was  the  first 
child  born  in  that  township. 

Osborn  settled  on  the  farm  first  occupied  by  Bela 
Bronson.  He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  carried  on  his 
trade  in  that  early  day  under  difficulties  whicli  would 
be  thought  insurmountable  in  this.  This  pioneer 
blacksmith  went  on  foot  through  an  unbroken  wilder- 


152 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


ncss  to  New  Lisbon,  Columbiana  county,  a  distance 
of  about  one  liuntlrcd  miles,  to  obtain  liis  material, 
wliicji,  haviufr  paid  for  in  labor,  lie  then  lugged  home 
on  his  back.  His  untiring  industry  was  eventually 
rewarded  by  a  handsome  competency. 

B.  Priteliard  came  into  the  town  in  1S13. 

Reuben  Lewis  moved  in  from  New  York  State  in 
1814.  He  established  in  tliat  year  the  first  tannery 
wortliy  of  the  name  in  the  county.  It  stood  on  lot 
tiiirty-four,  on  wiiich  also  the  first  mill  in  the  county, 
the  grist  mill  of  Captain  Hoadley,  was  built. 

Adna  Warner  bought  out  Benoni  Adams,  on  lot 
fifty,  and  became  a  settler  in  1814. 

Epliraim  Bigelow  became  an  inhaliitaut  of  Colum- 
bia in  1816,  settling  on  lot  twenty -eight,  and  Amos 
Richmond,  the  same  year,  on  lot  twenty-nine. 

Julius  and  Albert  Bronson  settled  on  lot  twenty- 
three,  on  the  north  and  south  parts  respectively,  in 
1817,  and  Thomas  G.  Bronson  on  lot  eighteen  the 
same  year.  Cideon  Richmond  located  in  1818,  and 
Sylvanus,  tlie  following  year,  on  lot  fifty. 

Simeon  Nichols  arrived  with  his  family  in  about 
the  j'car  1830.  He  was  also  a  Waterbury  man.  He 
started  in  the  winter,  and,  when  he  got  into  the  State 
of  New  York,  the  snow  was  so  deep  as  to  make  travel- 
ing with  a  wagon  difficult.  He  therefore  bougiit  a 
sled,  placed  his  wagon  on  the  top  of  it,  and  thus 
resumed  tlie  journey.  All  wa^iit  well  until  he  arrived 
at  wiiat  was  tlien  called  the  "Holland  purchase,"  in 
that  State.  This  was  a  newly  cleared  ])iece  of  land, 
and  he  C(jnld  not  j)ass  among  the  thick  stumps  with 
his  wagon;  he  therefore  cut  off  the  axles.  He  traveled 
without  further  impediment  until  he  arrived  in  the 
eastern  ])art  of  Ohio,  when  tlie  snow  left  and  he  was 
obliged  to  provide  iiiniself  witii  now  axles.  He  arrived 
in  Coliinil)ia  in  early  spring  and  settled  on  lot  forty- 
seven. 

Niciiols  was  an  industrious  and  respected  citizen. 
He  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  was  a  leading  memlier  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church. 

Merritt  Warner  came  in  the  same  year,  and  located 
on  the  same  lot. 

We  can  but  but  briefly  mention  subsequent  settlers. 
Heman  Terrell  on  lot  twenty-eight;  Miles  Seymour 
rented  the  farm  of  Timothy  Doan,  in  1831;  William 
Adams  on  lot  four  hundred  and  ninety-one;  Abner 
Martin  (and  his  distillery)  on  lot  forty-seven.  Solo- 
mon Hancock  on  lot  twenty-seven,  in  1833;  Manly 
Hitchcock  nn  lot  forty-four;  Hiram  Richmond  on  lot 
twenty-six;  Asa  Jewett  on  lot  sixty-four,  in  1833; 
Sterling  Goddard  on  lot  seventy-six;  James  Mattison 
on  the  same  lot;  William  Brown  on  lot  seventy-four, 
in  183it;  Amos  Curtis  on  lot  seventy-seven;  Samuel 
Hoadley  on  lot  twenty-one;  Elihu  Morgan  on  lot 
forty-seven;  Ransom  Bronson  on  lot  thirty-nine,  in 
1835;  Anson  A.  Goddard  on  lot  sixty-three,  in  1830; 
John  Cole  on  lot  eighty-eight;  Simon  and  John 
Crockers  on  lot  ninety,  in  1838;  S.  H.  Friiik  on  lot 
twenty-two,    in    1831;    David    Chamberlain    on    lot 


seventy-nine;  Joliu  McCreery  on  lot  forty;  Wakeman 
Beers  on  lot  sixty;  John  Chamberlain  on  lot  sixty; 
Seth  and  Bina  Wood  on  lot  sixty-one;  Stei)hen  Sabin 
on  lot  forty;  Ezekiel  Olcott  on  lot  fifty-nine,  in  1833; 
Samuel  Gaylord  in  1835. 

Among  the  later  settlers  are:  Abel  Goodwin,  from 
New  London  county,  Connecticut,  who  arrived  in 
1838,  and  located  on  lot  eighty-eight.  He  died  in 
June,  1841.  Elishaand  Richard  Harrington,  origin- 
ally from  Vermont,  came  to  Ohio  in  1815,  settling  in 
Cuyahoga  Falls.  They  came  to  Columbia,  Elisha  in 
1834,  and  located  on  lot  eighty-six,  and  the  latter  in 
1837,  on  lot  fifty-seven.  Elisha  now  lives  on  lot 
seventy-five,  and  Richard  on  his  original  purchase. 
Norman  T.  Beers,  from  the  State  of  New  York, 
located  in  1833,  where  the  widow  of  Marcus  Nichols 
now  resides.  He  died  April,  1878,  and  his  widow 
now  lives  on  lot  fifty-nine.  Joseph  Osborn  became  a 
settler  in  1837,  on  lot  fifty-seven.  He  now  resides 
with  his  son  Andrew,  on  the  old  homestead,  and  is 
eighty-four  years  of  age — the  oldest  m:iii  in  the  town- 
ship.    William  Brown  located  on  Plum  creek,  iu  1837. 

f'HlJRCnES. 

In  regard  to  pioneer  Christianity  in  Columbia.  Rev. 
Dr.  Bronson  says: 

"The  Bronsons  were  Episeopaliaas,  and  when  thej  came  to  Ohio, 
they  brought  their  prayer  booivs  with  thetn.  When  they  reached  here 
they  used  those  books,  tiiough  they  had  no  minister.  My  father  gath- 
ered around  him,  as  soon  as  he  had  neighbors,  as  many  as  he  could 
and  read  the  service  and  a  sermon.  When  the  grave  closed  over  him, 
my  grandfather  took  it  up.  When  he  passed  away,  Levi  Ifronson  con- 
inued  it;  and  after  his  death,  it,  for  a  while,  devolved  on  me." 

The  first  organized  church  society  w'as  of  the  Epis- 
copal faith,  some  time  in  the  year  180'J,  Bishop  Chase 
ofilciating  in  its  organization.  The  following  named 
were  the  constituent  members:  Seba  Bronson  and 
wife,  Bela  Bronson,  Levi  Bronson  and  wife,  and. John 
Williams  and  wife.  A  meeting  house  was  liuilt  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river,  on  sub-lot  three,  as  late  as 
1835  or  '3G. 

METHODISM. 

The  first  Methodist  services  held  iu  town  were  at 
the  house  of  the  widow  of  Joseph  Burke,  in  about 
the  year  1818.  They  were  conducted  by  Rev's  Messrs. 
Goddard  and  Booth.  The  following  year  a  society 
was  formed,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Goddard,  of  the  following 
members:  Calvin  Hoadley,  Julius  Bronson  and  wife, 
Mrs.  .Joseph  Burke  and  her  two  sons,  Allen  and 
Urrin,  and  Mrs.  McConkey.  .Julius  Bronson  was  ap- 
pointed leader  of  the  class.  The  church  building  at  1 
the  Center  was  erected  in  1830,  and  was  the  first  house 
of  worship  iu  Columbia.  This  society  is  at  present 
under  the  charge  of  Rev.  J.  W.  Thomp^im.  It  has  a 
nienibership  of  sixty.  The  Sabbath  school  has  a 
membership  of  some  seventy  scholars.  Frank  Suell 
is  superintendent. 

There  i~  also  a  Methodist  Episcopal  society  at  West 
View,  the  church  having  been  erected  in  1844.  Ser- 
vices are  held  every  alternate  Sabbath  by  Rev.  J.  W. 
Thompson. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


153 


The  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church  of  West 
View. — This  clmrch  was  formed  April  1,  IS-tS,  with 
sixteen  members,  as  follows:  Rausom  Bronsou  and 
wife,  Moses  0.  Baker  and  wife,  Jane  Baker,  Clark 
Iloadloy  and  wife,  Cornelius  Smith  and  wife,  Calvin 
Iloadley,  Calvin  R.  Hoadloy  and  Edwin  Hedgins  (all 
of  whom  seceded  from  the-  Methodist  Episcopal 
cluirch  of  West  View  because  of  its  alleged  indiffer- 
ence with  regard  to  the  question  of  human  slavery) 
and  Jesse  Eddy  and  wife,  Clarissa  and  Jane  Bronson. 
Of  this  number  only  Ransom  Bnmson  remains.  The 
ohurcli  building  was  erected  in  1845,  costing  abont 
one  thousand  dollars.  The  dedicatory  sermon  was 
preached  by  James  Laugdon.  .Jahial  Porter  and  John 
McCloud  were  the  first  regular  preachers.  The  exist- 
ing membership  is  fifty-tive.  William  B.  Moody  is 
jiastor.  The  two  chnrciies  unite  in  a  sabbath  school, 
wiiich  has  a  membership  of  forty-five,  with  J.  M. 
Geer  as  su]>erintendent. 

CONGREGATION.^  LISTS. 

A  Congregational  society  was  organized  aliout  the 
year  1820  liy  Rev.  Mr.  Shaber  of  Richfield  and  was 
composed  of  the  following  members:  Boltis  Ruple, 
Marshall  Culver  and  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Osborn,  Mrs. 
Roxana  Nichols,  Sterling  Coddard  and  wife.  Wdliam 
Brown  and  wife.  Sterling  Goddanl  and  Boltis  Ruple 
were  appointed  deacons.  This  society  never  ei'ected  a 
house  of  worsl'.ip. 

BAPTISTS. 

The  First  Baptist  Chnreh  of  Columbia,  located 
ac  the  Center  was  organized  May  13,  1832,  with 
nineteen  mcmbei's,  as  follows:  John  Stranahan,  .John 
Cole,  Robert  Fuller,  Abel  Goodwin,  from  the  Bap- 
tist church  in  Liverpool,  Medina  county;  Simeon 
Crocker,  .Jeremiah  Chamberlain,  who  had  letters  from 
a,  ciiurch  in  the  east;  Mary  Goodwin,  Amelia  Crocker, 
Clarissa  Crocker,  Nancy  Bigelow,  Margaret  Chamber- 
lain, Prudence  Stranahan,  Olive  Goodwin,  Betsey 
Cole,  Mary  Cole,  Constant  G.  Cole,  William  Cole, 
Robert  N.  Fuller,  and  .lohn  Cole,  Jr.  Elder  James 
Ilovey  otliciated  as  moderator;  Abel  (Joodwin  was 
iliosen  clerk.  Of  the  constituent  members,  two  only. 
William  Cole  and  John  Cole,  remain.  The  erection 
of  the  building  was  commenced  in  1841,  but  was  not 
(•(iinpleted  until  1848.  The  church  has  at  present  a 
membership  of  one  hundred  and  four.  Rev.  L.  Yar- 
mdl  is  pastoi',  N.  N.  Cole,  clerk,  and  .John  Cole  and 
( 'yrus  Ives,  deacons.  A  Sabbath  school  was  organized 
in  184T.  The  officers  and  teachers  at  present  number 
eleven;  scholars,  eighty-three;  superintendent,  N.  N. ' 
Cole. 

schools. 

The  first  school  was  opened  by  Mrs.  Sally  Bronson, 
in  iier  own  house,  in  the  summer  of  1808.  The 
number  of  her  scholars  was  ten.  The  following  win- 
ter her  husband,  Bela  Bronson,  taught  a  school  in 
Lemuel  Hoadley's  blacksmith  shop.     Rev.  Dr.  Bron- 

20 


son,  son  of  these  pioneer  educators,  speaks  as  follows 
in  i-egard  to  the  opportunities  afforded  for  acquiring 
an  education  more  than  rudimentary: 

"  My  own  experience  will  illustrate  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  anything 
beyond  what  the  district  school  afforded.  In  1H:M  I  set  out  to  obtain 
an  education.  An  old  Latin  graniniai'  was  found  and  studied  nn<ler 
the  instruction  of  Rev.  Luke  Bowen  of  Strongrsvitle.  After  a  while 
a  dictionary  was  neeiled  We  sold  a  cow  for  ei^ht  d'>llars  and  with 
this  sum  I  mounted  a  horse  and  rode  more  than  a  hundred  miles 
in  a  fruitless  search  for  a  Latin  dictionary.  This  led  to  my  going  to 
Talimadge  and  studying  with  Elizur  Wright,  Esq.,  where  I  could  have 
the  use  of  a  dictionary.  Thei'e  I  remained  three  months,  working  two 
days  in  the  week  for  Francis  Wright  for  my  board,  and  two  days  in  the 
montli  for  hisfatlaer  to  pay  m3' tuition.  After  this  I  found  the  required 
book  and  a  teaclier  nearer  home." 

A  private  school  was  taught  at  the  house  of  T.  G. 
Bronson  by  Rev.  V.  P.  Bronson,  in  183.5.  The  first 
school  house  in  town  was  erected  in  1817,  on  lot 
thirty-six.  From  the  report  of  the  clerk  of  the  board 
of  education  for  the  year  ending  August  31,  1878,  we 
present  the  following  statistics: 

Number  of  school  houses, 7 

Valued  at $4,500 

Amount  jiaid  teachers $1,388 

Number  of  scholars ^7 

EARLY    EVENTS. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  Columbia  was  Sally 
Hoadley,  daughter  of  Lemuel  Hoadley,  Jr.  This  in- 
teresting event  occurred  September  36,  1808,  She 
became  thi  wife  of  Albert  Terrel,  who  now  lives  in 
Ridgeviile.  On  the  17th  of  October  following  Calvin 
Geer,  son  of  James  Geer,  was  born,  and  his  was  the 
second  birth  in  town.  Mr.  Geer  is  yet  living,  and 
resides  in  Olmsted.  In  the  spring  of  1809,  Marcus 
Terrell  married  Dillie  Doan, — Esquire  Nathaniel 
Doan,  the  bride's  father,  performing  the  ceremony. 
This  was  the  first  marriage.  The  next  was  that  of 
Horace  Gunn  to  Anna  Pritchard,  in  .Tune  of  the  same 
year.  The  first  death  was  that  of  a  child  of  Lathrop 
Seymour,  in  1809.  It  was  buried  on  Nathaniel  Doan's 
farm,  east  of  the  center.  The  first  adult  death  was 
that  of  Mrs.  Ciiloe  Tyler,  mother  of  Mrs.  Lemuel 
Hoadley,  in  August,  1810.  She  was  buried  in  Benoni 
Adams'  orchard.  The  old  burying  ground  was  laid 
out  in  1811.  The  first  interment  was  that  of  Azor 
Bronson;  the  next  that  of  Bela  Bronson. 

The  first  post  office  in  town  was  established  about 
the  year  1817.  The  first  post  master  was  Thomas  G. 
Bronson,  who  kept  the  office  in  his  house.  The 
name  selected  was  the  Indian  name  for  Rocky  river, 
•'Copokah."  In  the  papers  sent  from  Washington 
the  word  was  mis-written  Copojm,  and  the  error  was 
never  corrected.  The  postal  route  extended  from 
Cleveland  to  Liverpool,  a  man  by  tiie  name  of  Mal- 
lett  being  the  first  mail  carrier.  He  received  fifty 
dollars  per  year,  making  the  trip  on  foot  once  a  week. 

Harmon  Bronson,  in  the  fall  of  1816,  built  the 
first  frame  house  in  Columbia,  on  sub-lot  four.  The 
first  frame  barn  was  built  by  Tin  othy  Doan,  in  1836. 
The  first  brick  house  was  that  of  Simeon  Nichols, 
on  lot  forty-seven.  Harmon  Bronson  brought  the 
first  mercantile  goods  into  town  in  1816.  He  kept 
his  "store"  in  his  house  on  the  hill,  half   a  mile 


154 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


east  of  the  center.  He  also,  the  year  following, 
brought  the  first  cast  iron  plow  ever  seen  in  these 
parts.  In  1819  the  first  bridge  tliat  ever  sjianncd 
Rocky  river,  was  built  half  a  mile  south  of  tlio  cen- 
ter. The  first  doctor  was  Zophaniah  Potter,  wlio  be- 
gan to  dispense  jalap  and  calomel  in  1809.  In  1813 
Potter  was  town  clerk,  and  while  his  wife  was  out  in 
the  woods  with  her  servant  one  day,  gathering  grapes, 
his  house  burned  to  the  ground  and  the  town  records 
were  destroyed.  The  deed  was  supposed  to  have  been 
committed  by  Indians,  out  of  revenge.  Dr.  Potter 
iuxving  assisted  Dr.  Long,  of  Cleveland,  in  dissect- 
ing the  body  of  the  Indian  Oniik,  who  was  hung 
there  for  the  murder  of  two  men  in  Huron  county  a 
short  time  before.  The  present  doctor  is  Asahel 
Culver.  The  first  shoemaker  was  Mrs.  James  Geer. 
Slie  was  the  widow  Parker,  mentioned  as  one  of  the 
orginal  party  from  Waterbury,  Conn.  She  remained 
in  Cleveland  the  first  winter,  and  while  there  married 
James  Geer.  Her  former  husband  was  a  shoenuiker, 
and  Mrs.  Parker,  in  emigrating  to  this  country, 
brought  his  outfit  of  tools  with  her.  She  made  slioes 
for  the  women,  but  the  work  of  making  boots,  wliich 
were  entirely  sewed  in  those  days,  was  too  irksome 
for  her,  and  after  tcaeliing  lier  husband  tlie  trade 
she  resigned  the  work  to  liim.  Lemuel  Hoadloy  con- 
structed the  pioneer  fanning-mill  of  Culuinbia. 

The  first  orchard  was  set  out  by  John  Williams  a 
short  distance  north  of  Copopo.  J.  Warner  erected 
in  the  fall  of  1813  the  first  cider-mill,  near  tlie  block 
house.  The  first  tavern  was  kept  by  Samuel  Pardee, 
in  1813,  in  a  log  house  on  lot  thirty-six.  Rev.  Mr. 
Hyde,  a  Presbyterian,  was  the  first  resident  minister. 
The  first  blacksmith  was  Lemuel  Hoadley,  Sr.  His 
shop  was  built  in  1808,  on  lot  forty-seven. 

THE    MILITIA. 

In  the  year  1810,  a  com})any  of  militia,  composed 
of  men  from  tlie  townsliips  of  Columbia,  Ridgeviile, 
Eaton,  and  also  Middleburg  in  Cuyahoga  county,  was 
organized.  Tlie  following  are  the  names  of  tlie  mem- 
bers : 

Calvin  Hoadley,  Lemuel  Hoadley,  Jr.,  Elias  Frost,  Daniel  Bronson, 
Bela  Bronson,  Jared  Pritchard,  Levi  Bronscin,  I.atlirop  Seymour,  Sam- 
uel Potter,  Eli  Hiekox,  Warren  Fassett,  Marcus  Terrell,  Asa  Robertson, 
Joseph  Burke,  llai-shall  Culver,  Zephaniah  Potter,  Eri  Hiekox,  Clark 
Hoadley,  Jared  Hiekox,  Noah  Warner,  Roswell  Scovil.  Ebenezer  Wilmot, 
Ira  B.Morgan,  Oliver  Terrell,  Philander  Terrell,  Tillotson  Terrell,  Leverett 
Terrell,  Wyllis  Terrell,  David  Beebe,  Lonian  Beebe,  Lyman  Root,  Truman 
Walker,  Amos  Wilmot,  Whittlesey  Hill,  Sylvester  Morgan,  Asa  Morgan, 
Richard  Vaughan,  Ephraim  V'aughan,  Jonathan  Vaughan,  Ephraim 
Fowls,  John  Fowls,  Abram  Fowls,  Benoni  Adams,  Samuel  Hitchcock, 
Timothy  lloan,  Allen  Burke,  Silas  Burke,  Chauncey  Warner,  Horace 
Gunn,  James  (ieer,  Thomas  Osborn,  Baird  Pritchard,  Samuel  Pardee, 
David  Bunnell.  David  Eddy,  Lyman  Frost,  Samuel  Beebe,  Sheldon 
Wooster,  Jno.  Hanley.  Sanmel  Hiekox,  Adna  Warner,  Aaron  Warner. 

In  the  election  of  officers,  Calvin  Hoadley  was  cho- 
sen captain;  Lemuel  Hoadley,  lieutenant;  Lathrop 
Seymour,  ensign;  Elias  Frost,  first  sergeant;  Samuel 
Potter,  second  sergeant;  Daniel  Bronson,  third  ser- 
geant; Bela  Bronson,  fourth  sergeant;  Capt.  Levi 
Bronson,  first  corporal;  Capt.  Samuel  Hiekox,  second 
corporal:  and  Jared  Pritch:ird,  third  corporal. 


After  the  selection  of  these  "old  soldiers"  as  cor- 
j)orals,  young  Eli  Hiekox  stepped  up  and  said:  "I'll 
be  the  fourth  to  carry  the  jug  for  the  old  men,"  and 
was  thereujion  elected  fourth  corporal.  Joseph  Burke 
was  drummer;  Marshall  Culver  and  Zephaniah  Potter, 
fifers. 

Captain  Hoadley's  cdmmission,  a  copy  of  which  lies 
before  us,  bears  date  October  35,  1810,  and  is  signed 
by  Samuel  Huntington,  governor. 

The  intelligence  of  Hull's  surrender  produced  a 
feeling  of  the  gravest  apprehension  among  the  inhab- 
itants; and  when,  shortly  afterward,  the  information 
was  circulated  that  a  large  party  of  men,  ragged  ami 
dirty,  and  some  with  blankets  around  them,  and 
handkerchiefs  on  their  heads,  were  seen  landing  at 
Huron,  the  wildest  excitement  jirevai led.  They  were 
believed  to  be  British  and  Indians  overrunning  the 
country,  and  the  people  of  Columbia,  and  those  of 
Ridgeviile  and  Eaton  also,  sought  safety  in  flight. 
Every  wagon,  cart  and  sled  was  loaded,  and  a,  general 
exodus  made  for  Hudson — an  older  settled  town,  then 
under  the  protection  of  the  forces  of  Gen.  Wadswortli. 
who  was  stationed  at  "Old  Portage."  Men,  women 
and  children,  cattle,  slice])  and  hogs,  inarched  along 
in  iiromiscnons  confu.sion. 

Roswell  Scovill,  having  no  other  means  of  convey- 
ance, tied  a  feather-bed  on  to  an  unbroken  pet  colt, 
placed  his  wife  and  babe,  then  three  weeks  old,  upon 
it,  and  thus  took  them  in  safety  to  Hudson,  a  distance 
of  thirty  miles.  Tlie  first  night,  some  of  them  en- 
canijied  on  the  ridge  between  Brunswick  and  Strongs- 
ville;  some  to  the  east  of  that  ridge;  while  others  took 
up  their  cpiarters  in  the  old  log  house  of  Silas  Burke. 
Uncle  Oliver  Terrell  could  not  be  induced  to  enter 
the  house,  but  preferred  the  exposure  of  a  lodgment 
on  the  ground  to  the  more  dangerous  one,  as  he 
believed,  in  the  house.  Sentinels  were  placed  to  ob- 
serve the  approach  of  danger,  and  every  preparation 
made  to  prevent  surprise.  That  same  night,  however, 
Levi  Bronson,  who,  to  obtain  more  definite  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  the  report,  had  gone  to  Cleveland, 
arrived  with  the  cheering  information  that  the  party 
supposed  to  be  British  and  Indians,  were  Hull's  jta- 
roled  iM'isoiiers,  and  the  ])eople  thereupon  returned  to 
tiieir  homes. 

On  their  flight,  believing  their  homes  would  be 
pillaged  and  burned,  they  concealed  many  of  their 
household  goods  in  the  woods,  hiding  them  in  hollow 
logs,  in  the  thick  brush,  and  in  other  places  where 
they  believed  tliem  safe  from  the  suppo.sed  invaders. 
When  they  returned,  many  valued  articles,  which 
they  suppo.sed  were  effectually  concealed,  lay  on  the 
ground  in  plain  sight,  while  others  of  but  little  worth 
(U'  use  were  so  securelv  hid  tliat  it  was  impossible 
again  to  find  them. 

After  the  return  of  the  fugitives,  Capt.  Hoadley, 
to  re-assure  the  people,  called  out  the  militia,  and 
immediately  afterward  received  orders  from  Gen. 
Wadswortli  to  proceed  with  his  comjjany  to  the  defence 
of  Cleveland.    This  the  doughty  captain  ])erein]itorily 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


155 


refused  to  do,  and  thus  leave  the  people  without 
protection  in  time  of  danger,  lie  was  therefore  not 
court-mart  i.iledf  or  di.sobcdieuce  of  orders,  but  directed 
to  establish  "frontier  military  lieadipuirtcrs "  in  Co- 
liunbia,  and  tiie  erection  of 

TUE    BLOCK    HOUSE, 

SO  long  a  historical  landmark  of  this  exciting  period, 
was  accordingly  begun,  under  the  direction  of  David 
Beebe,  of  Ridgeville.  Its  location  was  a  short  dis- 
tance south  of  Copopo,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river. 
The  building  was  some  thirty-five  feet  square,  two 
stories,  the  upper  projecting  over  the  lower  story  two 
feet  on  the  sides,  with  a  row  of  port-holes  in  each 
story.  While  in  course  of  erection  the  militia  occu- 
pied the  house  of  Mrs.  Azor  Bronson  near  by.  The 
fort  was  garrisoned  for  about  three  months.  The  com- 
pany was  furnished,  by  the  United  States  government, 
with  new  rifles,  which  were  brought  by  Sylvester 
Morgan,  and  two  others  on  horseback,  from  Cleve- 
land. About  one-half  of  the  company  afterwards  be- 
came substitutes  for  drafted  men,  and  served  Under 
Gen.  Harrison. 

Until  Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie,  in  September, 
1813,  the  red  coat  and  the  scaljiing  knife  haunted  the 
settlers  in  visions  )jy  day  and  in  dreams  by  night;  and 
a  rumor,  however  improbable,  would  cause  immediate 
flight  to  the  fort. 

In  the  spring  of  1813,  Benoni  Adams,  while  in 
search  of  some  cattle,  spied  Joseph  Burke  as  he  was 
getting  over  a  brush  fence  some  distance  from  him, 
and  it  occurred  to  Adams  to  have  a  little  sport.  Evi- 
dences of  Indians  in  the  immediate  vicinity  had 
recently  been  seen,  and,  when  Adams  gave  a  shout  in 
imitation  of  the  Indian's  warwhoop,  Burke  darted  off 
like  a  deer  for  his  house.  Adams,  seeing  his  fright, 
and  fearing  the  cousequeuces  of  his  Joke,  called  after 
him  to  stop,  but  that  only  frightened  Burke  the  more. 
Arriving  at  his  house,  he  ap[)rised  his  family  of  their 
danger,  and,  with  their  youngest  child  in  his  arms, 
Mrs.  Burke  following  with  the  rest,  set  out  for  the 
fort,  Burke  yelling  "Indians!"  all  the  way.  The 
alarm  spread  rapidly,  and  many  ludicrous  scenes  were 
enacted. 

Mrs.  Azor  Bronson,  then  a  widow,  lived  a  short 
distance  from  the  fort,  and  the  family  of  Noah  War- 
ner lived  with  her.  Mrs.  Bronson,  on  hearing  the 
alarm,  collected  together  a  few  tilings,  and,  seizing 
an  old  musket  that  had  neither  lock  nor  stock,  with 
which  to  defend  herself,  started  for  the  fort;  while 
Jlrs.  Warner  took  a  kettle  of  beans  from  over  the  fire 
and  followed,  in  her  terror  forgetting  her  babe  in  the 
cradle. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  small  bands  of  Indians  oc- 
1  :isionally  returned  to  the  Columbia  hunting  grounds. 
The  last  of  them  was  a  small  party  that  encamped  one 
winter  on  the  bank  of  the  river  opjjosite  the  block 
house,  in  which,  that  same  winter,  Samuel  Potter 
I  aught  school.  In  the  spring  they  went  south,  and 
only  an  occasional  Indian  was  afterwards  seen. 


During  the  first  years  of  the  settlement  there  were 
seasons  of  great  scarcity  of  food.  Such  a  season  oc- 
curred in  1809.  Whole  families  lived  for  many  weeks 
at  a  time  without  bread  and  other  necessaries  of  life. 
This  season  the  peoi;)le  were  reduced  to  such  extremi- 
ties that  provisions  had  to  be  imported.  James  Geer 
and  Seba  Bronson,  Jr.,  dug  out  a  canoe  and  in  it  went 
down  Rocky  river,  thence  to  Cleveland,  where  they 
engaged  a  man  named  Johnson,  with  his  boat,  to  go 
with  them  to  the  river  Raising,  now  Monroe,  Mich., 
after  provisions.  A  terrific  storm  overtook  them 
and  they  came  near  being  lost.  Their  progress  was 
slow,  the  journey  so  prolonged,  and  the  jieople  re- 
duced to  such  a  degiee  of  want  for  food,  that  on  the 
return  of  the  party  with  provisions,  a  day  of  thanks- 
giving to  Almighty  (fod  was  observed. 

The  year  181 1  was  also  a  dismal  one  for  the  pioneers. 
A  fever  jjrevailed  extensively,  resulting  in  the  death  of 
nine  mendiers  of  the  little  community.  Azor  Bron- 
st)n  was  the  first  and  Bela  Bronson  the  next;  soon 
after  followed  Mrs.  Pardee,  three  cliildren  of  Ash;iel 
Osborn,  and  three  of  John  Williams.  Whole  families 
were  sick  at  the  same  time,  and  there  were  not  enough 
left  in  health  to  attend  the  sick.  The  dead  were  in- 
terred in  cofhus  made  by  Captain  Hoadley,  out  of 
planed  whitewood  slabs,  and  blackened  with  a  mix- 
ture of  basswood  charcoal  and  milk. 

CIVIL   ORGAN rZATlON. 

At  the  time  of  its  organization,  this  township  was 
a  part  of  Geauga  county.  At  the  election  of  officers, 
held  at  tlie  house  of  Calvin  Hoadley,  Nathaniel  Hoad- 
ley was  called  to  the  chair,  and  Bela  Bronson  appointed 
secretary.  Township  officers  were  chosen  viva  voce, 
as  follows:  Bela  Bronson,  clerk;  Calvin  Hoadley,  John 
Williams  and  Jared  Pritchard,  trustees;  Lathrop  Sey- 
mour, constable.  In  May  following,  Nathaniel  Doane 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace. 

"All  of  Geauga  county  lying  west  of  Columbia  was 
annexed  to  that  township  for  judicial  and  other  jnir- 
poses.  The  jurisdiction  of  that  judicial  functionary 
covered,  in  territorial  extent,  nearly  an  empire.  The 
plaintiff  in  the  first  action  brought  before  him,  lived 
on  (irand  river,  and  the  defendant  on  the  Vermillion. 
It  was  the  case  of  Skinner  vs.  Hulburt.  The  idaintifiE 
had  judgment,  which  was  paid,  not  in  legal  tender, 
but  in  lalior."*  The  labor  was  performed  by  the 
defendant  for  Calvin  Hoadley  and  Nathaniel  Doane, 
which  paid  the  judgment. 

Mrs.  Sally  Brown,  in  honor  of  being  the  first  white 
woman  that  settled  in  town,  was  accorded  the  jOTvi- 
lege  of  naming  it.  She  selected  that  of  her  native 
townshiji,  "Columbia."  At  the  time  of  the  organi- 
zation, there  were  twenty  voters  in  the  township,  as 
follows:  Lemuel  Hoadley,  Sr.,  Lemuel  Hoadley,  Jr., 
Calvin  Hoadley,  Jared  Pritchard,  Horace  Gunn,  Na- 
thaniel Doane,  Timothy  Doane,  Job  Doane,  Lathroi) 
Seymour,    Isaac  Frost,    Elias  Frost,    Lyman  Frost, 

*  Judge  Boyntou. 


156 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


James  Geer,  John  Williams,  Bela  Bronson,  Seba 
Hroiison,  Sr.,  Seba  Bronson,  Jr.,  Daniel  Bronson, 
James  Strong  and  Walter  Strong. 

The  officers  of  the  township,  in  1878,  were  as  fol- 
lows: B.  H.  Adams,  clerk;  R.  J.  Bastard,  Jr.,  and 
C.  E.  Perlvins,  justice  of  the  peace. 

GRIST    MILL. 

The  fir.st  manufacturing  establishment  ever  built 
in  tiic  county  was  the  rude  log  grist  mill  of  Calvin 
Iloadley,  built  in  the  summer  of  18011.  Its  location 
was  on  tlie  cast  hank  of  Rocky  river,  on  lot  thirty- 
four.  The  captain  built  a  dam  across  the  creek  on 
that  lot,  about  where  the  present  road  intersects  the 
creek,  and  carried  the  water  to  his  mill  by  a  ditch 
some  fifty  rods  in  length.  Tlie  mill-stones  of  this 
pioneer  establishment  were  made  out  of  a  couple  of 
"hard-heads,"'  by  Lemuel  Iloadley.  The  mill  was 
crowded  with  business,  but  it  soon  came  to  an  inglo- 
rious end.  The  great  drawliai'k  was  its  failure  to  run 
in  dry  weather,  and  the  tirst  freshet  carried  away  the 
dam.  The  enterprise  was  abandonetl,  and  a  location 
was  selected  on  the  same  river,  on  the  north  line  of 
the  township,  on  lot  twenty-one.  Here  he  erected, 
in  April,  1811,  another  log  mill,  and  the  same  year  a 
saw  mill.  These  mills,  in  that  early  time,  constituted 
a  center  of  as  much  importance  as  a  great  city  does 
to-day.  "  Iloadley "s  Mills ''  were  known  far  and  wide. 
In  1816,  the  log  grist  mill  gave  way  to  a  frame.  This 
old  mill,  built  over  sixty  years  ago,  is  still  in  opera- 
tion, and  has  undergone  but  little  change,  although 
the  familiar,  smiling  face  of  the  miller  has  long  since 
disappeared. 

Fi»r  sixty  years  tht*  railt  lia-<  stuod, 

For  sixty  years  llie  dasUing  Hoi.d 

Has  turned  tlie  wlieel  with  roai-iiig  sound 

Through  foaming  waters,  round  and  round. 

Sixty  years,  and  overhead 
Tlie  same  broad  root  of  blue  is  sjlread; 
But  in  the  meadows  bright  and  green. 
The  stranger's  children  now  are  seen. 


SAW    MILL. 

A  saw  mill  was  built  by  Reuben  Lewis  in  about  the 
year  1814,  a  half-mile  south  of  the  center.  A  man  by 
the  name  of  Olmsted  made  the  running  gear  and  set  it 
in  operation.  When  the  water  was  let  on,  the  wlieel 
turned  the  wrong  way,  and  before  the  slight  defect 
could  be  remedied,  a  freshet  washed  a  channel  ai'uunil 
the  mill  and  swejit  it  away. 

Tliere  are  at  the  present  time  one  grist  mill — the 
old  mill  of  ('a|it.  Iloadley — now  owned  by  O.  \'aii 
Ilise,  and  two  saw  mills,  those  of  0.  Van  Ilise  and 
Brown  &  Brother. 

TOE  coll'mhi.v  ciikese  factory, 

the  only  one  in  the  township,  waslniill  in  l>S(;;.  It  is 
located  at  the  center,  and  is  owned  by  W.  B.  FoUansbee. 
The  number  of  cows  supplying  the  factory  is  about 
three  hundred.  Average  daily  consumjition  of  milk 
during  the  season  of  1878  was  from. six  to  seven  thou- 
sand ])ounds,  making  twelve  cheese  per  day,  of  forty 
pounds  each,  and  seventy  pounds  of  butter.  B.  B. 
Adams,  of  the  center,  is  at  piv-^enl  conducting  the 
eiiter[irise. 

The  only  store  in  Columbia  is  that  of  R.  .J.  Ba.s- 
tard  &  Son,  who  carry  a  general  stock  of.  merchandise. 
The  post  office  is  in  their  store — R.  Bastard,  P.  M. 

AtiRICl'LTURAL  STATISTICS  POR  1878. 


7,487  bushels. 

ai.lSG 

:ir.,09S 

9,123 

2,025 

2,155  tons. 

Butter 50,575  pounds. 

Cheese las.lOO 

Vote  fob  President  in  187ti. 
Hayes 174  |  Tllden 54 


Wheat,       517  acres. 
Oats,  SiSS      ■'     .. 

Corn,        1,014      " 
Potatoes,      'M      "    .. 
Orchards.  173      "     . 
Meadow,  2081      '*     . . 


At  the  timeof  tlie  .Jackson  canijiaion.  ihrrc  was  lint 
one  Jackson  man  in  the  township,  and  he  did  not 
vote. 


RANSOM  BRONSON. 


Mr.  Bronson  is  a  worthy  descendant  of  an  old  and 
honored  family.  He  wa.«  born  in  Waterlniry,  Conn., 
Sept.  11,  1805.  He  traces  iiis  lineage  back  to  John 
Bronson,  who  emigrated  from  England  to  the  United 
States  in  the  year  1636.  He  settled  in  Hartford, 
Conn.,  but  afterwards  removed  to  Farmington,  where 
he  died  in  the  year  1680. 

His  son  Isaac  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
Waterbury,  Conn.,  whence  came  the  first  settlers  of 
the  township  of  Columbia. 

The  successive  descendants,  in  the  line  of  ancestry, 
were  as  follows:  John  Bronson,  Joseph  Bronson, 
Seba  Bronson,  and  Azor  Bronson,  the  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of 
fourteen  children,  nearly  all  of  whom  emigrated  to 
the  West,  as  did  also  their  parents. 

He  was  one  of  the  five  trustees  of  tlie  Waterbury 
Land  Company,  and  was  therefore  one  of  the  original 
owners  of  the  soil  of  Columbia.  He  emigrated 
to  the  township  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his 
wife  and  four  children,  in  the  summer  of  1811,  ar- 
riving at  the  place  of  destination  on  the  4th  day  of 
July.  He  located  on  sub-lot  11,  but  before  the  com- 
pletion of  his  house  lie  was  stricken  down  by  a 
malignant  disease,  which  was  so  fatally  prevalent  in 
the  infant  settlement  at  that  time. 

The  family  was  left  at  his  death  in  peculiarly 
unfortunate  circumstances.  The  mother  had  four 
voung  boys — the  oldest  only  thirteen — to  care  for  in 
the  uncleared  forest,  with  uo  available  means  to  clear 


the  land  of  the  debt  resting  against  it,  or  even  to  put 
tlie  uncompleted  house  in  a  condition  for  occupancy. 
She  moved  into  a  house  belonging  to  Nathaniel 
Doane,  which  she  occupied  until  her  marriage  to 
Reuben  Lewis,  some  three  years  after  the  death  of 
her  first  husband. 

Instead  of  ameliorating  her  condition  by  this  mar- 
riage, as  she  evidently  expected  to  do,  it  was  rendered 
infinitely  worse  by  the  unkindness  of  her  husband, 
both  to  herself  and  children.  After  an  unharmonious 
union  of  four  years  a  separation  ensued,  Mr.  Lewis 
removing  from  the  township. 

During  this  time  the  boys  worked  out  at  whatever 
they  could  find  to  do,  and  thus  supported  themselves, 
and  for  a  time  were  kept  together  with  theii*  mother. 

Ransom,  at  the  age  of  eleven,  took  up  his  abode, 
under  contract,  with  Marshall  Culver.  One  day  he 
thoughtlessly  cut  down  some  of  the  trees  in  his  em- 
ployer's growing  sugar-bush.  Culver  \vas  greatly 
offended,  and  refused  to  keep  the  boy  longer.  The 
lad  regarded  this  as  a  great  misfortune,  but  it  really 
proved  a  blessing  in  disguise,  for  he  was  immediately 
after  placed  under  the  care  of  Samuel  Hitchcock,  to 
whose  teaching  and  influence  he  attributes  much  of 
his  subsequent  success  in  life.  He  was  trained  by 
him  in  habits  of  industry  and  economy. 

Dec.  4, 1833,  Mr.  Bronson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mrs.  S.  H.  Frink.  His  mother  subsequently 
made  her  home  with  them,  and  died  at  their  residence 
in  Columbia,  in  the  year  1851,  aged  seventy-seven. 


Photo,  by  Lee,  Elyria,  0. 

MRS.  RANSOM   BRONSON. 


Mr.  Branson's  occupation  has  been  that  of  a  farmer, 
and  by  good  management,  untiring  industry,  and  fru- 
gal habits  he  has  accumulated  a  fine  property. 

He  has  held  various  township  offices,  such  as  trus- 
tee, justice  of  the  peace,  etc.  He  was  elected  to  the 
former  office  when  twenty-two  years  of  age.  He  was 
formerly  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  but  at  the  organization  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Church  of  West  View,  which  was  the 
result  of  a  division  of  the  former  church  on  the 
question  of  slavery,  became  one  of  the  charter 
members. 

His  first  wife  died  in  1877,  and  Dec.  25  of  the 
same  year  he  married  the  widow  of  Aaron  J.  Cha- 
pin,  with  whom  he  is  now  living  at  West  View, 
Cuyahoga  Co.,  Ohio. 

Mrs.  Bronson  is  the  daughter  of  Moses  and  Almira 
(Smith)  Adams,  who  were  born  in  Schoharie  Co., 
N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1805 ;  the  father,  Aug.  7,  and 
the  mother,  April  26. 

About  the  year  1849,  Mr.  Adams  removed  with 
his  family  to  Riceville,  Pa.,  where  he  has  continued 
to  reside  up  to  the  present  time. 

They  had  a  family  of  six  children, — two  boys  and 
four  girls.  The  oldest  daughter  died  in  Joliet,  111., 
in  1878,  and  a  son,  John  Q,.  A.  M.,  died  when  young. 

Mary  L.  (Mrs.  Bronson)  was  born  in  Stockton, 


Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  6, 1832.  July  6, 1853, 
she  was  married  to  Aaron  J.  Chapin,  of  Riceville, 
Pa.,  and  became  the  mother  of  four  children,  as 
follows :  Ida  E.,  born  April  20, 1854 ;  John  Q.  A.  M., 
born  July  6,  1856 ;  Olive  M.,  born  Sept.  9,  1857 ; 
Elmer  D.,  born  April  15,  1861. 

Ida  married,  in  the  year  1870,  Lindsey  Anderson, 
and  is  now  residing  at  Harvard,  111.  The  two  sons, 
unmarried,  also  reside  there.  Olive  died  March  19, 
1859. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapin  first  settled  in  Canada, 
where  they  remained  about  a  year,  thence  removing 
to  Iowa.  After  a  residence  there  of  three  years  they 
moved  to  Minnesota,  and  two  years  subsequently, 
back  to  their  former  home  in  Riceville,  Pa. 

He  was  a  cabinet-maker,  and  was  a  skillful  work- 
man. Mr.  Chapin  served  four  years  in  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  being  a  member  of  Company  D, 
Twelfth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry.  He  died  in  Canada, 
in  the  year  1871. 

During  her  widowhood,  Mrs.  Bronson  resided 
mostly  at  Titusville,  Pa.,  but  retained  her  home  in 
Riceville.  Though  encountering  many  difficulties, 
by  industry  and  frugality  she  maintained  herself  and 
children,  whom  she  gave  also  a  good  education. 
She  looks  back  to  that  period  as  one  of  great  use- 
fulness. 


A^-^^rC^    t?c>L^_ 


Jesse  Eddy  was  born  in  Washington  Co.,  Pa.,  Dec.  15, 
1814.  He  was  the  son  of  David  and  Elizabeth  Eddy,  and 
lived  at  the  home  of  his  parents  until  he  became  of  age. 

David  Eddy  came  from  Pennsylvania  about  1806,  and 
erected  a  log  cabin  for  his  father,  Caleb  Eddy,  in  Euclid 
township,  Cuyahoga  Co.,  Ohio.  He  spent  a  part  of  his 
time  in  Columbia  township,  Lorain  Co.,  until  his  marriage 
with  Elizabeth  Sherdine,  of  Pennsylvania,  March  4,  1814. 
The  following  year  (1815)  he  brought  his  wife  and  settled 
in  Columbia  township,  remaining  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  Oct.  21,  1853.  His  wife  survived  him 
about  one  year,  she  dying  Oct.  6,  1854.  They  liad  four 
children,  as  follows,  namely  : 

Jesse,  born  Dec.  15,  1814;  married  Caroline  Chamber- 
lain, Jan.  30,  1837  ;  had  issue — Mary  E.,  who  married 
Cephas  Myers ;  Susan  Josephine,  who  died  in  early  child- 
hood ;  Hattie  E.,  who  married  James  M.  Mann  ;  both  now 
reside  in  Rochester  township. 

Enos  Eddy,  born  Dec.  1,  1816;  married  Cynthia  Brad- 
ford; died  May  11,  1847. 

Susannah  Eddy,  born  March  24,  1820  ;  married  Myron 
Bradford;  died  Aug.  21,  1851. 

Eunice  Eddy,  born  Feb.  22,  1822  ;  married — 1st,  Hiram 
N.  Bradford  ;  2d,  Samuel  Huntley.  Iter  children  were 
Eddy,  Sylva  E.,  Viola  S.,  Henry  0.,  of  whom  A'iola  died 
Oct.  1,  1862;  Sylva  married  Dr.  M.  H.  Miller;  and 
Henry  married  Miss  Ella  Storrow. 

Caleb  Eddy  was  born  in  the  year  1754,  in  Morristown, 
Morris  Co.,  N.  J.  He  married  a  Miss  Brown.  Their 
children  were  Timothy,  born  March  4,  1781  ;  David,  born 
Feb.  1,  1783;  Elizabeth,  born  Dec.  9,  1784,  still  living  in 
New  Jer.sey  in  her  ninety-third  year. 

Caleb  Eddy  married  for  his  second  wife  a  Widow  Jones, 
and  had  by  her  four  sons  and  two  daughters, — Esther,  born 
Aug.  9,  1789  ;  Caleb,  Jr.,  born  Sept.  25,  1791  ;  Sarah, 
born  Sept.  4,  1793  ;  Phebe,  born  Dec.  12,  1797  ;  Samuel, 
born  Nov.  24,  1799,  still  living  in  Bristol  townshii), 
Kenosha  Co.,  Wis. ;  Isabel,  born  Sept.  2(1,  1804. 


About  the  year  1790,  Caleb  Eddy  moved  into  Washington 
Co.,  Pa.,  where  his  last  five  children  were  born.  He  went 
from  Pennsylvania  to  P]uclid,  Ohio,  about  the  year  1807, 
and  was  among  the  pioneers  of  Cuyahoga  County.  He 
died  there  about  the  year  1819.  His  widow  afterwards 
married  a  Mr.  Blinn,  and  died  at  Euclid.  Caleb  Eddy 
followed  his  trade,  that  of  a  black.smith,  most  of  his  liie, 
giving  little  attention  to  forming. 

J&s.^e  Eddy,  as  before  stated,  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-one.  He  was  occupied  as  a  farm  laborer,  rent- 
ing lands  for  a  year  or  two  after  his  marriage,  when  his 
father  gave  him  twenty  acres.  He  subse(|uently  purchased 
ten  acres  more,  making  a  total  of  thirty  acres.  These  he 
exchanged  for  sixty  acres  of  woodland,  and  on  this  he  built 
a  log  cabin,  and  commenced  life  in  real  earnest  by  carving  for 
himself  a  home. 

He  succeeded  in  clearing  up  and  cultivating  these  sixty 
acres,  upon  which  he  lived  until  1870,  when  he  removed 
to  Rochester  township. 

His  wife  died  in  the  old  home,  Feb.  5,  1855.  She  never 
had  a  strong  constitution,  but  was  full  of  energy  and  am- 
bition. Her  death  was  deeply  uuiurned  by  her  husband  and 
friends. 

Mr.  Eddy  has  had  various  offices  of  trust  bestowed  upon 
him  by  his  fellow-citizens.  He  was  postmaster  at  Rochester 
Depot  for  four  and  a  half  years,  and  bears  the  reputation 
of  having  been  its  most  efficient  officer.  During  his  term 
he  registered  nine  hundred  letters ;  the  smallest  amount 
having  been  fifty  cents,  the  largest,  seven  thousand  dol- 
lars, in  bonds,  which  went  to  Fort  Collins,  Col.  He  has 
also  held  other  trusts,  all  of  which  he  filled  faithfully 
and  well. 

He  became  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church 
in  the  year  1843,  and  is  still  in  communion  with  that  de- 
nomination. 

In  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican,  having  affiliated 
with  that  ])aity  in  its  organization,  prior  to  which  he  was 
an  (ild-liiie  Wlii"-. 


WS^**-': 


xv> 


CONQREQATIONAL  CHURCH,  F^idqeville  ,  LofjAiN  Co.O. 


RIDGEVILLE/^- 


This  township,  known  ;is  niinilier  six,  in  the  six- 
teenth ninge,  was  drawn  l)y  Ephraini  Uoiit-,  of  flart- 
fonl,  Conn. 

Tlie  surface;  rises  fron)  the  north  in  successive 
ridges,  parallel  to  the  hike  shore,  the  i)rincii)al  of 
wliich  are  ('enter  ridge,  Chestnut  ridge  and  Butter- 
nut ridge.  The  soil  is  varied  and  fertile,  producing 
abundantly  whatever  the  liand  of  the  husbandman 
entrusts  to  it.  The  township  is  one  of  the  most 
highly  improved  in  (he  county,  })rescnting  to  one 
who  rides  through  it  an  almost  constant  succession  of 
cultivated  lields  and  tasty  homes.  Along  tiie  ridges 
originally  prevailed  the  chestnut,  butternut,  white- 
wood,  white  oak,  beech  and  maple — the  chestnut  being 
especially  abundant.  On  the  lower  laud,  the  elm, 
bassvvood,  black  ash  and  hickory  were  the  leading 
varieties.  The  streams  are  few  and  unimportant,  tlie 
jirincipal  being  East  creek.  Center  creek  and  West 
creek,  so  called  from  their  position  in  the  township. 
The  first  two  tlow  into  Avon,  where  they  unite  and 
form  French  creek,  a  tributary  of  Black  river.  West 
creek  flows  into  the  township  of  Elyria  and  is  also  an 

,   affluent  of  Black  river. 

I  There  are  two  stone  (juarries  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  township,  owned  and  worked  by  Luvel  and  Syd- 
ney L.  Beebe.  The  stone  underlies  a  considerable 
tract  of  land  and  is  sandstone  of  the  newer  formation. 
Some  of  the  finest  building  stone  in  the  country  are 
obtained  at  these  (piarries.  It  is  finished  up  by  the 
owners,  at  the  present  time,  chiefly  for  monumental 
use.  There  is  a  similar  quarry  on  the  farm  of  Wyllis 
Terrell,  though  not  extensively  worked. 

FIRST    AKKIVALS. 

In  the  fall  of  1809,  Oliver  Terrell,  Ichabod  Terrell 
•  and  David  Beebe,  Sr.,  of  Waterbury,  Conn.,  exchanged 
their  New  England  farms,  witli  Mr.  Root  for  some- 
thing over  one-fourth  of  the  township.  Having  the 
privilege  of  selecting  their  land,  they  chose  the  north- 
east quarter,  with  some  additional  territory  on  Butter- 
nut ridge. 

In  April  of  the  next  year,  a  company  of  men,  some 
twelve  or  thirteen  in  number,  on  foot  and  with  their 
knapsacks  on  their  backs,  set  out  from  Waterbury  for 
the  western  purchase.  Their  names  were  David  Beebe 
and  two  sons,  David  and  Loman,  Joel  Terrell,  Oliver 
Terrell,    Philander   Terrell,    Elihu   Terrell,    Lyman 


*  Wyllis  Terrell,  Ichabod  Terrell  autl  Laurel  Beebe  will  please  accept 
tliauks  for  infurmation  furuisLeil  the  writer  in  the  preparation  of  the 
history  of  this  township. 


Root,  Sheldon  Wooster,  Mansfield   Webb,  Amos  and 
Orrin  Ilotchkiss  and  Ira  B.  Morgan. 

At  Bntlalo  they  bought  an  Outfit  consisting  of  axes, 
saws,  planes,  chains,  and  some  other  articles  for  their 
use  in  the  Ridgeville  woods.  A  man  with  a  small 
sail  boat  was  engaged  to  carry  the  tools  to  ('levelaud, 
one  of  the  men,  Lyman  Root,  accoinjianying  to  take 
charge  of  the  valuable  cargo  on  its  arrrival  at  Cleve- 
land. The  rest  of  the  comjiany  resumed  the  journey 
the  next  morning  and  reached  Cleveland  only  a.  <lay 
after  the  arrival  of  the  vessel.  From  this  ])lace,  then 
a  little  settlement  of  only  a  few  cabins,  they  ju'oceeded 
to  Ridgeville,  by  way  of  Columbia,  carrying  in  their 
knapsacks  some  of  the  lighter  implements  and  leaving 
the  rest  to  be  brought  afterwards  on  pack-horses. 
They  reached  the  end  of  their  long  journey  on  Tues- 
day, May  loth.  As  they  approached  the  Ridgeville 
line  David  Beebe,  Jr.,  ([uietly  passed  ahead  of  his  asso- 
ciates, and  arriving  first  on  the  ground,  cut  down  the 
first  tree.  The  first  improvement  was  made  on  lot 
fifteen,  on  land  now  owned  by  .(ohn  Lonsby.  Here 
the  men  erected  a  rude  log  cabin,  tiie  roof  of  which 
consisted  of  bark.  Tiie  structure  was  witliout  even 
the  luxury  of  a  puncheon  floor.  In  this  the  men  kept 
bachelor's  hall,  while  on  their  selected  locations  they 
prosecuted  the  work  of  clearing  and  preparing  for  the 
arrival  of  their  families  later  in  the  season. 

THE    FIRST    SETTLEMENT 

in  the  town  was  made  July  G,  1810.  On  that  day 
Tillotson  Terrell  and  his  family,  consisting  of  his 
wife  and  three  children,  from  Waterbury,  Connecti- 
cut, came  upon  the  ground  and  took  up  their  abode 
in  the  cabin  with  the  men  on  lot  fifteen.  They  all 
lived  here  as  one  family  until  the  following  September. 
Mr.  Terrell  remained  until  October,  when  he  moved 
into  a  house  which,  in  the  meantime,  had  been  erected 
for  him  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  the  residence  of 
the  widow  of  Harry  Terrell.  On  the  arrival,  soon 
afterwards,  of  his  father,  Ichabod  Terrell  and  his 
family,  Mr.  Terrell  changed  his  locati(ni  to  the  east 
bank  of  Center  creek,  and  afterwards  to  a  more  per- 
manent one  two  miles  farther  east,  on  lot  eight.  The 
farm  is  now  occiii)ied  by  his  son  Lovinus.  Here  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  born  in 
Waterbury,  Conn.,  May  1,  17S5.  He  married,  at  the 
age  of  eighteen.  Electa  Wilmot,  (huighter  of  P]lisha 
and  Hannah  Wilmot,  and  lived  in  Waterbury  until 
his  emigration  to  Ohio.  The  life  of  this  pioneer  came 
to  an  untimely  end  December  23,  1838.  While  in  the 
woods  hunting,  about  a  mile  from  his  house,  he  was 


(157) 


158 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


shot  by  one  Sylvester  Powers,  who,  seeing  Mr.  Terrell 
iit  some  distance  from  him  tlirough  intervening  brush 
mistook  hmi  for  a  deer.  He  lived  until  the  following 
morning,  and  although  conscious  from  tlic  first  that 
he  was  mortally  hurt,  exhibited  the  greatest  coolness 
and  self  possession  in  the  midst  of  surrounding  grief 
and  excitement,  and  died  without  a  murmur  at  his 
fate,  or  a  word  of  reproacli  for  the  man  wlm  was  the 
cause  of  it.  His  widow  continued  to  carry  on  the 
farm  until  her  younger  children  were  settled  in  life, 
when  she  made  her  home  with  her  youngest  sou,  on 
the  old  homestead.  She  died  November  23,  18C1, 
aged  seventy-six.  There  were  eleven  children,  and 
all  were  living  at  the  time  of  tlie  father's  death.  Five 
are  now  (.January,  1879.)  living.  Eliza  lives  near 
Grand  Rapids,  ^Michigan.  She  married  Rev.  William 
Peters,  a  Methodist  minister  and  resided  in  Ridgeville 
for  some  years.  Estlier  is  the  wife  of  John  H.  Faxon, 
Esq.,  of  Eiyriii,  and  Harriet  the  wife  of  Dr.  George 
Underiiill,  of  La  Grange.  Two  sons,  Marcus  and 
Lovinus,  are  residents  of  tliis  town.  Lucinda  was 
the  first  wife  of  Laurel  Beebe,  a  well  known  resident 
of   flie  town.     Slie  died  iii  1851. 

LOST    IN    THE    WOODS. 

It  was  during  the  residence  of  the  family  in  their 
first  location  on  the  Ridge  that  the  following  incident 
occurred.  One  morning  while  Mr.  Terrell  was  at 
work  preparing  for  the  erection  of  his  house  on  Center 
creek,  Mrs.  Terrell  went  to  the  stream  at  a  point 
further  east  to  get  a  pail  of  water.  Instead  of  re- 
turning immediately  as  she  liud  intended,  she  con- 
cluded to  go  over  to  her  husband  and  see  how  his 
work  was  progressing  and  started,  as  she  supposed, 
in  the  right  direction.  But  she  soon  became  bewil- 
dered and  lost  in  the  dense  woods,  and  could  neither 
find  her  husband  nor  lier  home,  where  sjie  had  left 
little  children.  After  wandering  about  in  the  woods 
nearly  all  day,  over  logs  and  through  brush  and 
swamp,  she  came  by  accident  upon  the  "Indian  trail" 
which  led  from  Columbia  through  Ridgeville  to  the 
mouth  of  Hlack  river.  This,  liy  chance,  she  ft)llowed 
in  the  right  direction,  and  finally  reached  her  home, 
though  in  a  terribly  worn  and  wretched  conditi(m.  It 
wdl  serve  to  indicate  the  newness  of  the  country  to 
know  that  the  spring  to  which  Mrs.  Terrell  went  for 
the  water  was  only  about  thirty  rods  from  the  house. 

In  the  latter  j)art  of  Octolier,  1810,  the  families  of 
David  Beebe,  Sr.,  David  Beebe,  Jr.,  and  Lyman  Root, 
who  arrived  under  the  care  of  David  Beebe,  Jr.,  and 
Ichabod  Terrell,  his  family  and  liis  aged  father,  Oliver 
Terrell,  were  adiled  to  the  infant  colony.  There  were 
in  the  party  some  twenty-two  persons,  the  oldest 
eighty-two  years  and  the  youngest  five  weeks.  Two 
wagons,  three  yoke  of  oxen  and  one  horse,  brought 
the  emigrants  and  their  effects. 

At  Cleveland,  Ichabod  Terrell  bought  a  barrel  each 
of  Hour  and  salt,  paying  therefor  the  snug  sum  of 
forty  dollars.  Instead  of  going  around  through 
Columbia,  as  their  predecessors  had  done,  they  took 


a  more  direct  course,  and  from  Rocky  river  to  the 
place  of  destination,  had  to  cut  their  own  road.  This 
part  of  the  journey,  only  twelve  miles  in  extent,  con- 
sumed nearly  four  days.  As  tlie  l)arty  approached 
the  house  of  Tillotson  Terrell,  Mrs.  David  Beebe,  Jr., 
who  was  a  near  neighbor  of  Mrs.  Terrell  in  Water- 
bury,  led  the  way  so  as  to  be  the  first  to  greet  her 
friend.  The  two  women  were  so  moved  by  the  meet- 
ing, that  neither  could  utter  a  word  for  some  time, 
during  which  they  stood  with  hands  clasped  across 
the  brush  fence  that  surrounded  the  Terrell  cabin. 
Mrs.  Beebe  was  the  first  white  woman  Mrs.  Terrell 
had  seen  for  over  three  months. 

When  the  party  reached  the  settlement  Lorin  Smith 
who  had  driven  one  of  the  teams  through,  was  told 
that  each  of  the  pioneers  had  done  some  special  act  to 
signalize  the  settlement  of  the  ct)lony  and  tlial  it  was 
his  work  to  do  the  first  plowing.  He  complietl  with 
the  suggestion,  and  thus  he  has  the  honor  of  turning 
the  first  furrow  in  Ridgeville.  Mr.  Smith  afterwards 
settled  in  Delaware  county,  where  he  died  in  March, 
1878. 

The  Beebes  located  on  lot  twenty-one.  David 
Beebe,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Waterbury,  Conn.,  April  23, 
1747.  He  married  Lydia  TerrelC  February  1,  1768, 
who  was  born  in  Waterbury,  .January  10,  1747.  They 
had  eleven  children,  as  follows,  named  in  the  order 
of  their  birth:  Alice,  Ava,  Electa,  Lydia,  Esther, 
Eunice,  David,    Molly,    Chester,  Augustus,    Loman. 

Mr.  Beebe  became  blind  some  years  previous  to  his 
death,  wiiich  occurred  in  the  year  1840,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-four.  Mrs.  Beebe  died  in  1833. 
aged  eighty-eight. 

I'OUK    DAYS    AND  THREE    NIUUTS    IN    THE  WOODS. 

Early  one  nuirning  in  the  fall  of  1811,  Mr.  Beebe 
went  into  the  woods  in  search  of  his  horses,  and  the 
day  being  cloudy,  he  lost  his  way  aiul  wandered  about 
all  day  without  the  least  knowledge  of  the  direction 
in  which  he  was  going.  Night  overtaking  him,  he 
crept  into  a  hollow  tree  and  there  passed  a  sleepless 
night.  The  next  day  he  moved  about  unceasingly 
to  discover  some  olgect  Ijy  which  he  could  deter- 
mine liis  whereabouts,  but  without  success,  and  in 
looking  for  a  lodging  place,  to  his  great  amazement, 
he  found  the  same  hollow  tree  in  which  he  spent  the 
])revious  night.  Convinced  by  this  that  he  had  been 
travelling  in  a  circle,  he  adopted  the  i)lan  the  follow- 
ing day  of  selecting  three  or  more  trees  in  range,  and 
in  this  way  was  enabled  to  travel  in  a  direct  course. 
Another  night,  however,  was  spent  in  the  woods, 
making  his  bed  on  mother  earth  under  one  of  the 
trees  which  he  had  selected  in  line.  In  the  forenoon 
of  the  fourth  day  he  reached  the  lake  shore  in  Avon, 
which  he  followed  westward  until  reaching  the  house 
of  John  S.  Reid  at  the  mouth  of  Black  river.  Here 
he  was  given  a  little  food,  his  famished  condition  not 
permitting  the  quantity  his  wasted  pliysical  condition 
craved,  and  was  then  sent  by  Mr.  Reid  in  the  care  of 
a  guide  to  the  house  of  Asahel  Porter,  on  the  lake 


I 
I 


John  Terrell,  with  two  brothers,  Roger  and  Jesse,  emigrated  from 
England  to  America  about  the  year  1630.  Roger  is  mentioned  in 
history,  in  1639,  as  one  of  the  New  Haven  colonists  whu  settled  Mil- 
ford,  Conn,  ;  he  coming  from  Wetherslield,  and  probably  from  Water- 
town,  Mass.,  to  Wethersfield. 

Jesse  settled  at  Naugatuck.  The  first  mention  of  John,  at  Milford, 
is  on  the  church  record,  as  follows:  John  Terrell  and  his  wife,  Abi- 
gail, baptized  August,  1044;  so  that  probably  became  to  Milford  a  few 
years  later  than  his  brother  Roger.  Subsequently  he  settled  in  New 
York,  and  owned  two  acres  of  land  where  the  city  hall  now  stands. 
John  had  a  son  John,  who  was  born  in  1655.  This  John  had  eight 
children,  among  whom  was  Josiah,  born  in  1095.  Josiah  married 
Mary  Goodwin,  Jan.  1,  1723.  They  had  seven  children,  among  whom 
was  Oliver,  born  in  1730.  Oliver  had  two  children,  Ichabod  and  Lu- 
cinda.  Oliver  came,  with  his  children  and  their  families,  from  Water- 
bury,  Conn.,  to  Ohio  in  ISIO,  when  he  was  eighty  years  old.  He  was 
very  spry  and  active,  and  rode  on  horseback  the  entire  distance.  He 
died  in  Columbia,  this  county,  in  1816,  aged  eighty-six. 

Ichabod,  the  only  son  of  Oliver,  was  born  in  1703.  He  married, 
in  1783,  Rhoda  Williams,  one  of  the  very  few  survivors  of  the  Wyo- 
ming massacre.  To  them  were  born  ten  children,  as  follows, — Tillot- 
son,  born  May  1,  17S5  :  married  Electa  Wilmot  in  1804,  and  died  Dec. 
23,  1836;  they  had  eleven  children.  Lydia,  born  Nov.  1,  17S7;  mar- 
ried James  Emmons  in  1807  ;  they  had  thirteen  cbildren  ;  she  died 
Oct.  25,  1871,  aged  eighty-four.  Philander,  born  Dec.  10,  1789;  mar- 
ried Lora  Reebe  in  1811;  had  fifteen  children,  and  died  iu  April, 
1875.  aged  eighty-six.  Oliver,  born  Sept.  2,  1791;  married,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1815,  Anna  Runnel ;  had  three  cbildren  ;  he  died  Feb.  19.  1865, 
aged  seventy-five.  Lucinda,  born  Nov.  0, 1795;  married  Aiiron  Warner, 
June  29, 1813  ;  had  five  children,  and  died  Sept.  3, 1872,  aged  seventy- 
seven.  Orpha,  born  May  2,  1798;  married  John  Shaffer  in  1817;  had 
twelve  children,  and  died  in  August,  1872,  aged  seventy-four.  Ich- 
abod, born  Ot?t,  1,  1800;  married  Sally  Humphrey,  Oct.  S,  1823;  they 
have  six  children,  and  live  in  Ridgeville,  on  tbe  farm  where  they 
commenced  their  married  life.  Elihu  F..  born  Jan.  3,  1802;  married 
Electa  Marsh  in  1822  ;  he  bad  four  children,  and  died  April  9,  1843, 
aged  forty-one.  Horace,  born  Aug.  10,  1803;  married  Minerva  Mc- 
Neal,  July  4,  1823;  he  has  had  thirteen  children,  and  now  lives  in 
Iowa.  Harry  was  born  at  Waterbury,  Conn.,  April  7,  1806;  he  mar- 
ried, March  2,  1826,  Annis,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Retsey  Hum- 
phrey.    She  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  Jan.  7,  1807. 

Ichabod,  the  father  of  Harry,  exchanged  his  lands  in  Waterbury, 
Conn.,  for  ;vn  undivided  third  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  town- 
ship of  Ridgeville.  On  this  tract  of  land  he  settled  with  his  family 
in  October,  1810,  then  an  unbroken  wilderness.  They  came  from 
Connecticut  with  ox-teams,  and  were  seven  weeks  on  the  way.  They 
cut  their  road  from  Rocky  River,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  camping 
out  three  nights  between  that  and  Ridgeville.  Ichabod  Terrell  was 
a  man  of  sterling  traits  of  character,  holding  different  offices  of 
trust  among  his  people.  He  lived  to  see  a  home  built  up  for  his 
family  ;imid  this  wilderness.  He  died  July  23,  1825,  aged  sixty-one. 
His  wife  survived  him  a  number  of  years,  and  died  in  June,  1851, 
aged  eighty-five.  She  was  pre-eminently  fitted  to  endure  the  priva- 
tions and  hardships  of  frontier  life;  a  woman  of  unfliuehiug courage, 
and  fearless  among  the  Indians  and  wild  beasts  of  the  forest.  She 
was  a  mother  to  each  pioneer  family  as  they  made  their  advent  into 
the  new  settlement,  and  far  and  near  she  was  known  as  **  Aunt  Rhoda." 


Harry,  their  youngest  son,  and  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  but  four 
years  old  when  he  was  brought  into  this  unbroken  wilderness  to  battle 
with  the  stern  realities  of  frontier  life.  He  very  early  learned  to  use 
the  rifle  with  unerring  aim,  and  many  were  the  trophies  of  deer, 
bear,  wolves,  etc.,  of  which  he  and  his  brothers  were  the  victors. 
He  met  with  two  very  narrow  escapes  with  his  life  from  wild  animals 
while  hunting  alone  in  the  woods;  but  these  incidents  were  quite 
common  to  all  the  early  settlers. 

His  early  education  was  such  as  he  could  pick  up  in  this  pioneer 
settlement,  where  every  one  was  battling  to  clear  the  soil  of  its  dense 
forest.  His  arithmetic  was  learned  by  figuring  with  a  coal  on  the 
puncheon  floor,  his  father  being  the  instructor.  Eager  and  quick  to 
learn,  he  soon  mastered  reading,  writing,  etc.,  and  was  much  in 
advance  of  the  other  pioneer  children  of  his  age,  so  that  we  find  him 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  teaching  their  school.  He  was  commissioned 
by  Governor  Allen  Trimble  as  captain  in  the  9th  Company,  2d  Regi- 
ment, 2d  Rrigade,  9th  Division,  in  tbe  Ohio  Militia,  to  rank  as  such 
from  the  7th  day  of  November,  1829.  He  held  various  offices  of  trust, 
both  from  his  town  and  county.  Elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1835, 
he  held  that  office  for  many  years  for  which  he  was  so  well  qualified. 
Several  instances  are  mentioned  in  which  he  adjourned  court  and 
went  with  the  parties  to  their  homes  to  effect  a  settlement  and  recon- 
ciliation. Among  the  German  settlers  he  was  known  as  '•  the  man 
vot  makes  it  all  right." 

He  was  proverbially  neat  in  his  person  and  ajjpearance,  and  correct 
and  exact  in  everything  he  did.  Always  cheerful  and  social,  in  his 
later  years  nothing  pleased  him  better  than  to  have  a  houseful  of 
young  people  "  as  visitors." 

He  died  Sept.  4,  1864.  His  wife  survives  him,  and  still  lives  on 
the  farm  and  in  the  same  house  where  they  commenced  their  mar- 
ried life  fifty- three  years  ago,  and  where  he  had  lived  since  he  was 
four  years  old. 

To  them  were  born  ten  children, — Jay,  born  Feb.  7, 1827  ;  Ann,  born 
Jan.  22,  1829;  Jane,  born  Dec.  10,  1832 ;  Arys  (1st),  born  Feb.  21, 
1834,  and  died  July  25.  1836  :  Arys  (2d),  born  April  25,  1836,  and  died 
Sept.  28,  1878;  Joseph  H.,  born  Oct.  15,  1S3S  ;  Emeline  (1st),  born 
Dec.  28,  1841,  and  died  Oct.  6,  1844;  Orson  J.,  born  Dec.  13,  1844; 
Emeline  (2d),  born  Oct.  25,  1847;  Juline,  born  Aug.  9,  1850,  and  died 
Sept.  25,  1852. 

Jay  married,  Nov.  16,  1848,  Etna  E.,  daughter  of  Hon,  Elah  and 
Elizabeth  Park,  of  Avon.  To  them  have  been  born  seven  children, — 
Clay,  born  Nov.  30,  1849;  married  Mary  Metcalf,  Sept.  30,  1874; 
Elah,  born  Sept.  29,  1851;  Harry,  born  Sept.  22,  1856;  Park,  born 
Aug.  27,  1858  ;  Alice  (1st),  born  Dec.  23, 1861,  and  died  April  16, 1864  ; 
Alice  (2d),  born  Feb.  25,  1866;  Charles  M.,  born  Oct  15,  1870. 

Jane  married  Charles  S.  Mills.  May  1,  1852.  They  have  had  Grace, 
born  April  27,  1854,  and  died  Aug.  18,  1855;  Allie,  born  Dec.  8,  1857, 
and  died  Dec.  1,  1861  ;  Ad;i,  born  June  23,  1859;  Jennie,  born  Sept. 
19,  1803;  and  Harry,  born  Nov.  1,  1869. 

Arys  (2d)  married  F.  B.  Powell,  May  15,  1806  ;  had  three  children, — 
Claud  and  Maud,  born  in  1871;  Madge,  born  in  1875.  Joseph  H. 
married  Irene,  daughter  of  T.  A.  Benham,  May  27,  1864. 

Orson  J.  married  Lucinda  Faxon,  Dec,  16,  1865  ;  and  second,  Nar- 
cissa  C.  Smith,  May  3,  1874.  By  his  first  wife,  George  was  born, 
Jan.  5,  1867.  By  his  second  wife,  Clara  A.,  born  July  7,  1875; 
Grace  E.,  born  Nov.  2,  1876,  and  died  Aug.  17,  1878.  Emeline  mar- 
ried Erwin  J.  Herrick,  Jan,  22,  1869. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


159 


shore  in  Dover,  wlierc  lie  was  again  refreshed  with 
food  and  rest,  and  then  conducted  to  his  home. 
Every  possible  effort  liad  been  made  to  find  the  un- 
fortunate man — men  from  adjoining  towns  assisting 
his  immediate  friends  and  neighbors  in  the  search. 
While  in  the  woods  he  subsisted  on  a  few  hickory  nuts 
which  lie  had  been  carrying  in  his  pocket. 

David  Beebe,  Jr.,  or  Major  Bcebe,  as  he  was  gener- 
ally called,  Iniilt  a  distillery  at  an  early  date  on  Cen- 
ter creek,  opposite  the  Cahoon  grist  mill,  operated  it 
for  a  few  years  and  then  abandoned  the  business.  He 
was  a  mason  by  trade  and  was  much  engaged  in  brick 
and  stone  l.-iying  in  this  region  oi  country,  especially 
in  Elyria.  His  death  took  i)Iace  August  27,  1847, 
aged  seventy-six.  His  wife,  Belinda  Beebe,  survived 
liim  many  years;  her  death  occurred  at  the  age  of 
nearly  eighty-seven.  There  were  seven  children,  two 
of  whom  are  living,  viz:  David,  in  Elyria,  and  Mrs. 
Bennett  Smith,  in  Buffalo. 

Lyman  Root  removed  to  Dover  the  next  spring 
after  his  arrival  in  Ridgeville,  but  returned  in  1815, 
and  settleil  nc^ar  East  creek,  on  what  is  known 
as  the  Mills  farm.  He  manufactured  the  ashes 
of  the  settlers  into  black  salts,  and  also  kept  a 
little  store  in  an  early  day.  He  died  in  Ridgeville  in 
183C;  his  wife  many  years  after,  in  Wood  county, 
Ohio.  Tliey  had  eleven  children,  and  seven  of  them 
are  now  living,  thongh  none  in  town. 

Ichabod  Terrell  moved  into  the  house  then  occupied 
by  his  son  Tillotson,  who  vacated  when  his  house  on 
Center  creek,  then  in  course  of  erection,  was  com- 
pleted. Mr.  Terrell  was  Ijorn  in  Waterbury,  Connec- 
ticut, in  1703.  He  married  Rhoda  Williams,  also  of 
Waterbury,  who  was  a  survivor  of  the  Wyoming  mas- 
sacre. They  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
Tillotson  was  the  oldest.  The  other  children  were 
Lydia,  Philander,  Oliver,  Lncinda,  Oi-])ha,  Ichabod, 
Franklin,  Horace,  and  Harry.  They  all,  with  one 
exception,  settled  and  resided  in  the  town  for  longer 
or  shorter  periods. 

Ichabod,  now  living  in  Ridgeville,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  place  for  ne;irly  sixty-nine  consecutive 
3'ears.  He  is  the  sole  survivor  in  town  of  those  who 
arrived  in  1810.  He  is  now  seventj'-eight,  and  his 
wife,  who  was  Sally  Humphrey,  seventy-seven. 

Ichabod,  the  pioneer,  died  in  1825.  His  wife  died 
in  Columbia,  in  1851,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  her 
age.  She  left,  at  her  death,  ninety-one  grand-children 
and  a  large  number  of  great  grand-children  surviving 
her. 

Noah  Terrell  came  from  Waterbury,  with  his 
biniily,  when  Tillotson  Terrell  came.  He  stopped 
in  Columbia,  for  a'  short  time,  and  then  removed 
til  Ridgeville,  occupying,  for  a  while,  the  first  cabin 
built  in  town.  In  1811,  lie  settled  a  short  distance 
east  of  where  Laurel  Beebe  now  lives.  He  afterwards 
moved  to  Columbia,  and  later,  to  Dover,  but,  event- 
ually returned  to  this  town,  and  died  here.  He  had 
a  turning  lathe,  with  which  he  made  wooden  ware, 
such   ;is  tienibers,  or  plates,  milk  bowls,  and  many 


other  useful  and,  almost  indispensable,  articles  for  the 
inhabitants. 

In  the  fall  of  1810,  Joel  Terrell  returned  to  Water- 
bury, and  in  July,  of  the  next  year,  lie  and  his  wife, 
and  their  son  Wyllis,  and  his  family,  of  wife  and  five 
children,  started  for  their  hcmie  in  the  distant  west. 
They  joined  the  infant  colony  in  September  following. 
They  erected  a  house  on  the  ground  now  occupied 
by  the  frame  tavern  at  the  Center,  and  the  two 
families  jointly  occupied  it,  until  the  elder  Terrell 
built  a  house  where  his  grandson,  Wyllis  Tei-rell,  now 
lives.  He  moved  into  his  cabin  January  13,  1812. 
It  was  a  very  primitive  structure,  when  Mr.  Terrell 
and  wife  began  housekeeping  in  it.  It  was  without 
a  floor,  and  indeed,  bad  not  a  board  in  it,  excejit  two 
planks  used  as  a  foundation  for  the  bedstead,  and 
through  an  opening  in  the  roof,  over  the  fire-place, 
the  tojis  of  three  large  oaks  could  be  seen.  This 
house  was  occupied  for  thirteen  years,  and  then  a 
frame  was  built  on  the  same  spot,  or  nearly  so. 

Mr.  Terrell  being  a  shoemaker,  was  a  valuable  ac- 
quisition to  the  little  settlement.  The  settlei's  paid 
bini,  for  the  shoes  he  made  them,  in  clearing  and 
logging.  He  was  a  very  successful  bee  hunter,  and 
for  years,  now  and  then,  a  tree  was  found  in  Ridge- 
ville forests,  bearing  the  inscrijition  of  bis  name.  He 
was  a  man  of  much  energy  of  character,  and  was  one 
of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  place.  He  was  the 
first  justice  of  the  peace  elected  in  the  township.  His 
death  occurred  in  1825,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight,  and 
his  wife,  Eunice,  in  1842,  aged  eighty-four. 

They  had  but  one  child,  Wyllis.  He,  Wyllis,  soon 
opened  his  log  house  as  a  tavern.  It  was  a  favorite 
place  of  resort  for  tJie  Indians,  both  before  and  after 
the  war.  Major  Terrell  always  treated  them  kindly, 
occasionally  yielding  to  their  importunities  for  liquor, 
but  always  exacting  from  them  the  promise  that 
they  would  not  get  drunk,  a  promise  which,  it  is  said, 
they  always  kejrt.  Major  Terrell  bought  the  Cahoon 
grist  mill,  soon  after  it  was  built,  and  the  Indians 
often  came  to  him  for  their  corn  and  meal.  He 
always  yielded  to  tlieir  requests  to  be  trusted  for  pay- 
ment, and  this  gained  their  further  admiration. 
They  frequently  brought  the  family  presents.  They 
finally  gave  the  tavern  the  name  of 

"the  INDIAN  TAVERN," 

and,  on  one  occasion,  some  twenty  of  the  men  brought 
their  s(|uaws  and  pappooses  to  see  the  wonderful  ]ilaee. 
Some  time  afterwards,  one  of  their  number  bnnight 
a  ])air  of  deers'  horns,  and  fastened  them  uji  to  the 
front  side  of  the  house.  For  a  nunilier  of  years, 
small  bands  of  them  would  ])ass  and  repass  the  i)lace, 
and  would  often  stay  over  night  in  the  house.  In 
1821,  the  old  structure  was  torn  down,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  a  frame  was  built,  and  in  this  Major 
Terrell  kept  tavern  up  to  the  date  of  his  death,  in 
1830.  His  wife  died  in  1857.  There  were  six  chil- 
dren in  this  family,  four  of  whom  are  living,  as  fol- 


160 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


lows:  Albert,  Wyllis,  and  Levi,  in  Ridge ville,  and 
Joel,  in  Cleveland. 

Dnrinj;  thc^  year  1812,  a  few  additions  were  made 
to  the  .settionicnt.  (ieorire  Soxton,  witii  his  family 
of  wife  and  oiR' cliild,  arrixcd  in  llio  spring  of  tliat 
year.  lie  was  orinjiially  from  Bennington  connty, 
Vermont,  Imt  had  resided  for  a  short  time  in  New- 
burgli.  Cnyahoga  eonnty.  He  settled  on  Center  ridge, 
on  lot  thir(y-nine.  The  location  is  now  occupied  by 
the  saw  mill  of  .John  (lahoon.  He  remained  there 
three  years,  and  then  sold  to  fSamnel  Calioon,  and 
moved  fartiier  west  on  the  same  road.  Sexton  married 
a  daugliter  of  Josepli  Cahoon,  and  the  two  families 
emigratcLl  from  Vermont  together,  C!ahoon  settling  in 
Dover,  Cuyalioga  county.  iMr.  Sexton  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1829,  and  his  wife  in  tiie  fall  of  1859.  Of  their 
seven  children,  all  but  two  are  dead.  Ciyrus  S.  lives 
in  Ridgeville,  and  Amos  in  Cuyahoga  (county. 

Jonathan  A.  Sexton,  a  brother  of  George,  arrived 
in  town  in  1813,  and  married  here  and  settled.  His 
wife  was  Betsey  Shellhouse.  .He  lived  on  lot  thirty- 
nine  for  several  years  and  then  moved  to  Cai'lisle,  and 
later  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  died.  Soon  after,  an- 
otiier  brother,  .Tames  Sexton,  came  into  the  township 
with  his  family,  and  settled  on  the  lot  on  which  his 
brother  (ieorge  last  lived.  He  sold  out  in  1834,  and 
eventually  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  died  there.  His 
widow,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Martin  Shellhouse,  is 
now  (January,  1879,)  living  in  ^St.  .loseph.  Mo.,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-seven. 

INCIDEXT. 

One  night,  in  1817,  Mr.  Sexton  was  aroused  by  a 
fracas  in  the  direction  of  his  sheep  pen,  and,  on  going 
out  to  ascertain  the  cause,  found,  in  the  corner  of  the 
fence,  his  large  dog  and  a  wolf  engaged  in  deadly 
conflict.  Sexton  procured  a  club  and  went  to  the 
assistance  of  the  dog.  In  a  few  moments  Mrs.  Sexton 
arrived  with  the  ax,  with  which  her  husband  quickly 
despatched  the  wolf.  The  ground  was  covered  with 
snow  at  the  time,  and  both  husbaiul  and  wife  were 
barefoot.  Mrs.  Sexton,  herself,  with  oidy  a  broom 
for  her  weajion,  once  rescued  a  pig  from  the  jaws  of 
a  beai\ 

II.VRDSrHPS   OF   THK    EARLY    SETTLERS. 

There  were  now  some  ten  families  in  the  township. 
Their  nearest  neighbors  were  in  Columbia,  and  be- 
tween them  lay  the  uiibi-oken  forest.  West  of  them 
the  nearest  settlement  was  at  Florence,  Erie  county, 
twenty-two  miles  away.  But  their  eonii)arative  isola- 
tion was  not  their  greatest  hardship.  F'ood  was  some- 
times very  scarce  and  hard  to  procure.  After  the 
land  was  once  brought  under  cultivation  it  produced 
abundantly,  but  it  was  covered  with  an  extremely 
heavy  growth  of  timber,  which  rendered  the  work  of 
clearing,  .slow  and  difficult.  The  price  of  many  arti- 
cles of  food  which  the  people  of  to-day  would  regard 
as  indispensable,  was  so  high  as  to  render  them 
beyond  the  reacli  of  the  pioneers,  and  their  food  was 
consequently   of   the   plainest  character.      A  mush, 


made  of  "jointed"  corn,  milk  and  stewed  puni})kiu, 
were  some  of  the  dishes  composing  the  meal.  Until 
the  erection  of  the  Cahoon  mill,  in  the  sjjring  of  1813, 
it  was  often  difficult  for  the  settlers  to  get  their  grind- 
ing done.  They  sometimes  carried  their  grain  to  the 
mill  at  Chagrin  Falls,  forty  miles  distant,  and,  at 
others,  depended  on  the  "mortar  and  pestle." 

The  clothing  of  the  early  settlers  was  as  simple  as 
their  food.  For  a  number  of  years  after  settlement, 
every  farmer  whose  land  was  suitable  for  the  growth 
of  flax,  cultivated  more  or  less  of  the  product,  from 
which  most  of  the  clothing  for  summer  wear  was 
made.  In  the  winter  the  men  occasionally  wore  whole 
suits  of  buckskin,  and  their  pantaloons  were  fre- 
quently of  that  material.  It  was  far  more  durable 
than  agreeable.  The  pants  would  often  be  wet  to  the 
knees,  and,  when  dried  in  the  evening  before  the 
Idazing  tire,  sometliing  of  a  struggle  would  be  required 
for  the  wearer,  on  going  to  rest,  to  bring  about  a 
separation;  and  the  experience  of  getting  into  them 
of  a  morning,  with  the  thermometer,  perhaps,  down 
to  zero,  can  be  Ijetter  imagined  than  described. 

While  their  condition  was  one  of  poverty,  it  was 
softened  by  the  fact  that  none  were  exempt  from  it. 
They  all  shared  the  same  lot,  enduix'd  the  same  hard- 
ships, subsisted  on  the  same  food,  and  were  ari'ayed 
in  the  same  rude  garments,  ami  there  was,  therefore, 
no  occasion  for  envy  or  uneasiness  on  the  part  of  any 
one. 

There  were  many  things,  however,  that  tended 
to  discouragement.  The  cattle  died  in  large  num- 
bers of  murrain — a  disease  from  which  they  were  not 
wholly  exempt  for  many  years.  Wolves  attacked 
and  killed  the  sheep,  and  considerable  expense  was 
incurred  in  building  enclosures  to  protect  them  from 
the  carnivorous  designs  of  those  annoying  animals. 
Not  only  were  the  sheep  unsafe  from  them,  but  they 
would  frecjuently  kill  calves  and  young  cattle.  Joel 
Terrell,  one  night,  thus  lost  two  young  cattle  only  a 
short  distance  from  his  house. 

In  the  prosecution  of  the  work  of  clearing,  the 
larger  trees  were  generally  girdled,  and,  when  dead, 
would  frecjuently  in  a  dry  time  take  tire  fnun  burning 
logheai)s,  when  an  arduous  struggle  would  lie  required 
for  the  settlers  to  save  their  homes.  A  tire,  origi- 
nating in  this  manner,  destroyed,  in  the  summer  of 
181.5,  the  log  house  of  the  elder  Beebe,  with  all  its 
contents  except  a  single  bed. 

In  August,  1813,  Hull  surrendered  Detroit,  and  a 
ew  days  after,  a  report  reached  Ridgeville  that  a 
party  of  Biitish  and  Indians  were  seen  landing  at 
Huron.  This  information  created  the  greatest  ex- 
citement among  the  inhaliitants,  and  preparations  for 
flight  were  immediately  commenced.  Household 
goods  were  secreted  in  brush  heaps,  stowed  away  in 
hollow  logs,  and  even  buried  in  the  earth,  wdiile  a  few 
blankets  and  other  camp  equipage  were  jiacked  on 
horses,  or  in  wagons,  a  general  hegira  was  made  for 
Columbia.  There  were  about  ten  famlies  living  in 
Ridgeville  at  this  time.      David    Beebe,  Sr.,  David 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


161 


Beebe,  Jr.,  Joel  Terrell,  Wyllis  Terrell,  and  Loman 
Beebe,  and  their  families,  with  a  wagon  and  two  yoke 
of  cattle  journeyed  along  the  ridge  road,  until  they 
reached  the  old  mud  road  leading  to  Oolnmbia. 
Ichabod  Terrell  and  his  family,  with  a  cart  and  a 
yoke  of  oxen,  took  the  old  Indian  trail  to  Columbia. 
In  preparing  for  the  journey,  Mr.  Terrell  discovered 
that  one  of  his  oxen  was  suffering  intensely  from  tlie 
bite  of  a  rattlesnake,  his  swollen  tongue  hanging  out 
of  his  mouth,  and  the  family  traveled  only  a  mile  and 
a  half  tlie  first  day.  They  camped  in  the  woods  the 
first  night,  and  the  next  day,  the  disabled  ox  having 
partially  recovered,  they  arrived  in  Columbia.  The 
Beebe  party,  after  many  mishaps,  reached  Iloadley's 
Mills,  on  the  nortli  line  of  tlie  township  of  Columbia, 
and  spent  the  night  in  a  deserted  log  cabin.  The 
Columbia  settlement  was  found  to  be  nearly  aban- 
doned. The  next  day,  word  reached  them  that  the 
party,  supposed  to  be  Hull's  victors,  were  the  paroled 
prisoners,  and  the  refugees  returned  to  their  homes, 
all  surviving  their  terrible  fi-ight.  From  this  time 
until  Perry's  victory,  the  settlers  lived  in  almost  con- 
stant fear  of  Indian  massacre. 

All  the  men  in  Eidgeville,  who  were  subject  to 
military  duty,  were  stationed  at  the  block  house,  in 
Columbia,  and  tlius  tlie  women  and  ciiildren  were  left 
to  the  protection  of  a  few  old  men.  Thus  things  con- 
tinned  until  September,  1813.  Ou  the  tenth  day  of 
that  month,  the  roar  of  cannon  was  plainly  heard  in 
Ridgeville,  liooming,  at  first,  so  slowly  that,  it  is  said, 
Mrs.  David  Beebe  distinctly  counted  sixty  guns  when 
the  firing  became  a  confused  sound.  Tlie  inhabitants 
knew  that  a  battle  on  the  lake  was  in  progress,  and 
that  on  its  result,  depended  the  safety  of  their  homes, 
and  perliaps  their  lives,  and  hence  their  minds  were 
intensely  agitated.  Soon  the  joyful  news  arrived  that 
Perry  jiad  won  a  glorious  victory,  and  further  fears 
were  dispelled. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  those  from  Ridge- 
ville who  were  on  duty  at  the  block  house,  viz:  Wyllis 
Terrell,  David  Beebe,  Jr.,  Loman  C.  Beebe,  Samuel 
Beebe,  Leverett  Terrell.  Oliver  Terrell,  Philander 
Terrell,  Tillotson  Terrell,  Noah  Terrell,  John  W. 
Hill,  and  Sheldon  Wooster. 

A  few  additions  were  made  to  the  settlement  during 
the  war.  Stephen  Cables  came  into  the  township  in 
1813,  and  settled  on  lot  thirty-three.  Three  years 
afterward,  he  removed  to  Amherst,  where  he  lived 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

John  Reading  arrived  in  the  same  year.  He  located 
on  the  farm  on  which  Bradford  Race  now  lives.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  .lohn  Barnum. 

Asahel  Morgan  settled  on  center  ridge,  lot  sixteen, 
in  September,  1813.  lie  came  into  the  country  with- 
out his  family  in  the  fall  of  1810,  driving  one  of  the 
teams  of  the  party  that  came  at  that  time — as  far  as 
the  eighteen  mile  woods,  in  New  York.  He  soon 
after  returned  to  Connecticut  for  his  family,  but  was 
dissuaded  from  moving  at  that  time  by  the  prospect 
of  war.     Mr.   Morgan   died   in  1837,  on  his  original 

21 


location.     His  wife  died  in  1832.     They  had  seven 

children,  as  follows:  Asa.  Ira  B.,  Sylvester,  Martin, 

i    Minerva,  Eli  L.  and  Maria.    The  first  three  emigrated 

to  Ohio  a  few  years  before  the  remainder  of  the  family, 

and  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  Eaton  township. 

The  rest  of  the  children,  except  Maria,  who  died  early, 

married  and  settled  in  Ridgeville.     Eli  is  the  only 

surviving  member  of  the  family;  he  lived  in  Ridge- 

I    ville  until   180;i.     He  now  lives  in   Carlisle,  and  is 

I  seventy-four  years  of  age. 

!  Martin  Shellhouse  and  family,  and  his  oldest  son 
Martin  and  his  faniily,  came  into  the  township  in 
1813,  and  located  on  center  ridge.  Tlie  old  gentle- 
man was  in  very  feeble  health  at  the  time  of  arrival, 
and  died  a  week  afterward.  The  wife  of  Martin  Jr. 
also  died  shortly  after  settlement.  The  rest  of  the  two 
families,  except  two  daughters  who  intermarried  with 
the  Sextons,  removed  to  Florence,  Erie  county. 

Amos  and  Samuel  Cahoon  settled  in  1813. 

Moses  Eldred  came  into  the  township  in  December, 
1813.  He  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  whence  he 
removed  to  Dover,  Cuyahoga  county,  in  March,  1811. 
His  location  in  Ridgeville  was  on  center  ridge,  lot 
forty-six.  At  the  time  of  his  settlement  there  was 
not  a  liousc  west  of  hiin  nearer  than  Floronee,  Erie 
county.  He  lived  in  Ridgeville  until  183G,  and  then 
again  took  up  his  residence  in  Cuyahoga  county,  in 
Bedford,  and  later  in  Carlisle,  where  he  died  in  .Tune, 
1857.  Mrs.  Eldred  died  in  1833.  They  had  a  family 
of  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  living.  Clark,  Noah 
and  Melissa  (Mrs.  Wm.  0.  Cahoon)  live  in  Elyria 
township,  and  Francis  in  Ridgeville.  Aaron  lives  in 
Medina  county,  Ohio,  and  Jarvis  in  Michigan. 

Mr.  Eldred  served  in  the  war  of  1813,  and  was 
wounded  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians  on  the  penin- 
sula, near  Sandusky,  in  September,  1813.  Joshua 
R.  Giddings.  tlien  a  young  man,  sixteen  or  seventeen 
years  of  age,  was  in  the  same  engagement,  and  carried 
Mr.  E.  from  the  field  of  battle.  He  was  the  first 
postmaster  in  Ridgeville,  and  at  a  subsequent  period 
was  associate  judge  for  Lorain  county. 

Asahel  and  Sylvester  Powers  settled  on  Stony  ridge 
in  1811  or  1815,  and  Jonah  Hanchett  and  John  Gould 
about  the  same  time. 

Calvin  Smith  and  Zenas  Barnum  came  into  the 
township  in  1815.  The  latter  bought  out  Stephen 
Cables.  His  father,  John  Barnum,  arrived  the  next 
year. 

Chauncey  and  James  Emmons  were  the  first  settlers 
on  Butternut  ridge,  in  this  township,  settling  in  1811. 
In  1818,  Joseph  Cole  planted  himself  lietween  them. 
Buel  Peck,  N.  H.  Hinkley,  N.  Case,  Pliilo  Murray, 
E.  Rice,  Peter  Cole,  Miles  Tyler,  and  a  family  of  the 
name  of  Chanter,  came  about  the  same  time. 

Borden  Beebe,  originally  from  Connecticut,  removed 
from  Canandaigua  to  Ridgeville  in  1813,  and  located 
on  Center  ridge,  lot  twenty-eight.  A  few  years  sub- 
sequent, he  moved  to  Chestnut  ridge,  and  bought  the 
farm  previously  owned  by  his  son-in-law,  Truman 
Walker,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  tliere. 


162 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


A;iron  Sexton,  father  of  the  Sextons  previously 
mentioned,  with  liis  wife  and  three  sons,  arrived  in 
1810,  and  took  np  his  abode  on  the  lot  on  wiiich 
James  and  George  were  then  residing,  they  erecting  a 
house  for  him.  His  son  AViDiam  aflorward  married 
and  settled  in  Carlisle,  and  Piatt  in  Huron  county. 
Tlie  other  son,  Eastus,  was  a  cripple  and  never  mar- 
ried. The  father  died  in  1837  or  1838,  and  liis  wife 
many  years  after,  in  the  uinety-fourtli  yeai-  of  iier 
age. 

Truman  Walker  was  tlie  first  settler  on  Chestnut 
ridge.  He  located  in  the  year  1813  or  1814.  John 
Shaffer  was  an  early  settler  in  this  part  of  the  town. 
Harris  Emmons  and  Seth  R.  Alcott  located  further 
west  on  the  same  road,  in  1818. 

John  Kibby  settled  here  on  lot  fifteen,  in  the 
summer  of  1831.  He  and  his  wife  are  living,  and 
on  their  original  location.  A  little  romance  is  asso- 
ciated with  their  marriage,  which  occurred  on  their 
journey  from  Connecticut.  Having  suddenly  deter- 
mined to  emigrate  witli  Origen  Adams  and  family 
to  the  "far  west,"  a  compliance  witli  the  law,  re- 
quiring the  publication  from  the  pulpit  of  the  mar- 
riage bans  for  three  successive  Sundays  preceding 
the  marriage,  was  impossible.  But  as  soon  as  the 
party  got  out  of  their  native  county,  a  justice  of  tlie 
peace  was  sought,  to  whom  the  young  man  stated  his 
case,  accompanied  liy  a  request  to  unite  him  to  his 
traveling  companion,  "if  he  could  do  so  in  view  of 
the  law."  The  magistrate  expressed  his  contempt  for 
the  law,  tied  the  nuptial  knot,  and  the  young  people 
resumed  the  journey  as  man  and  wife.  ilr.  and  Mrs. 
Kibby  are  now  aged  respectively  eiglity  and  seventy- 
eight.  Mr.  Kibby  has  been  blind  for  the  last  four 
years.  Adams  located  in  the  western  part  of  tlie 
town  on  Center  ridge.  Some  twenty  years  afterward, 
he  removed  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  subse(|uently  die<l. 
A  son,  Elmer,  lives  in  Elyria;  and  a  daughter,  Mrs. 
Jeremiah  Van  Wormer,  in  Ridgeville. 

Ebenezer  Porter  settled  on  Sugar  ridge  in  1833,  aud 
died  here  in  18G7,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninet)'-two. 
Two  of  tiie  cliililren  live  in  the  county,  viz:  Mrs. 
Cyrus  L.  Sexton  in  Ridgeville,  and  Mrs.  Williams  in 
Avon.  Tlie  family  was  from  Massachusetts,  as  was 
also  that  of  Richard  Van  Wormer  and  liis  father, 
Jeremiah,  who  located  on  the  same  road  in  1833. 

Thomas  Phelps  arrived  in  1833,  locating  on  lot 
twenty-eiglit,  wliere  Borden  Beebe  jireviously  lived. 
He  eventually  removed  to  the  townsiiij)  of  Sullivan 
aud  subsequently  died  there. 

Isaac  S.  Terrell  and  a  family  by  the  name  of  Mc- 
Neal  settled  on  Butternut  ridge  in  1833. 

Chester  Beebe,  son  of  David  Beebe,  Sr.,  witli  his 
family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  two  sons,  joined 
the  settlement  in  October,  1818.  He  settled  on  the 
northeast  corner  lot  of  the  township,  known  as  tlie 
"windfall"  lot,  erecting  his  house  on  the  location 
now  occupied  by  his  son,  Sidney  L.  Beebe.  He  raised 
a  family  of  five  cliiklren,  three  sons  aud  two  daughters, 
all  of  whom  are  living.      The   sons.   Laurel,    Lovel, 


Sidney  L.,  are  residents  of  the  town.  Mr.  Beebe's 
death  occurred  October  32,  1862;  and  that  of  his  wife 
in  May,  18C8. 

William  Blain  and  his  family  moved  into  town  in 
the  same  year.  They  were  from  New  Jersey.  Mr. 
Blain  made  his  location  on  Butternut  ridge.  He 
cleared  up  the  farm  now  occupied  by  the  widow  of 
his  son,  Richard,  and  lived  on  it  until  his  death  in 
1849.  Mrs.  Blain  died  in  18G1.  Tliey  had  a  family 
of  seven  children,  two  of  whom,  Mrs.  Lydia  Abbey 
and  Isaac  Biain  reside  in  the  townsliip. 

James  Blakesley  and  liis  family,  consisting  of  his 
wife  and  five  children,  moved  into  town  in  February, 
1820.  They  were  originally  from  Waterbury,  but 
came  from  Trumbull  county  to  Ridgeville,  Mr, 
Blakesley  located  on  Butternut  ridge,  on  lot  fourteen, 
and  lived  there  until  his  death  in  1858,  aged  eighty- 
tvvo.  His  wife  died  in  1840.  Chauncey  Blakesley  is 
the  only  member  of  the  family  now  living  in  tlie 
town.  A  daughter,  Eliza,  married  Elijah  Rigby,  in 
Trumbull  county.  He  came  to  Ridgeville  with  his 
family  in  1819,  settling  on  lot  fourteen.  He  subse- 
quently went  to  Illinois,  where  his  wife  died.  He 
now  lives  in  Wisconsin. 

Joseph  Humphrey  and  family,  consisting  of  wife 
and  four  children,  came  to  Ridgeville  from  Connecti- 
cut, in  1823,  He  settled  at  the  Center,  on  tlie  loca- 
tion of  the  brick  hotel,  which  he  built  in  1830,  His 
tavern  bore  the  name  of  "Farmer's  Inn,"  His  death 
occurred  in  1853  or  1854,  His  widow  died  many 
years  after,  aged  eiglity-six.  Three  children  are  now 
living,  and  in  Ridgeville,  viz  :  Mrs,  Iciiabod  Terrell, 
Mrs,  Harry  Terrell  and  Jlark  Humphrey,  He — 
Mark — continued  the  hotel  for  a  number  of  vears 
after  his  father's  death. 

E,  Byington  settled  in  1832  or  1833,  Oliver 
Lewis  moved  into  town  in  1839,  Otis  Briggs  in 
1830,  settling  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides, 
aged  eighty-one, 

EARLY    EVENTS, 

The  first  coujile  married  in  the  townshiji  was 
Jethro  Butler,  of  Dover,  to  Clarissa  Beebe,  daughter 
of  Borden  Beebe.  They  were  married  in  the  winter 
of  1813,  by  Joel  Terrell,  justice  of  the  peace.  The 
first  child  born  in  Ridgeville  of  civilized  parents,  was 
Harriet  Terrell,  daughter  of  Noah  aud  Esther  Ter- 
rell, This  event  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1811,  and, 
very  appropriately,  in  the  first  house  built  in  the 
township,  Wyllis  Terrell,  in  writing  of  this  event  in 
the  Elyria  Coiisfitiifion,  says  : 

"During  the  winter  fre<iuent  rains  and  heavy  snow-fall  filled  the 
swamps  and  low  places  with  water,  and  at  the  opening  of  Spring,  to 
make  the  matter  still  worse,  there  came  an  unusually  heavy  rain,  and 
Center  creek  swelled  to  the  size  of  a  river.  David  Beebe  becoming 
alarmed  at  t^'e  situation,  started  up  the  creek  to  look  after  his  daughter 
and  famil3%  and  found  her  and  her  babe,  three  weeks  old,  in  bed,  aud 
the  water  four  inches  deep  on  the  floor,  and  a  little  fire  in  a  kettle  near 
the  bed.  He  moved  the  family  to  his  home  on  the  ridge,  and  thus  the 
cabin  was  deserted  after  being  the  home  of  the  first  settlei-s  for  eleven 
months." 

Miss  Terrell  married  Paul  Taylor,  aud  subsequently 
removed  to  Illinois.      The  second  child  born  in  the 


Maria  ^incklev. 


N.l^.fflNCKLElY 


Photos  By  j.  C  potter,  Ely ria.o 


Residence  OF     E..W.  HINCKLEY,    (^iogeiville,  Tp,  LOf^Aii.,- Co ,0 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


163 


townsliij)  was  Nancy  Beebe,  daughter  of  David  and 
Belinda  Beebe.  She  was  born  April  18th,  1813.  She 
became  the  wife  of  Mark  Humphrey,  now  living  in 
Hidgeville.  The  first  male  child  born  in  the  town  was 
(_»\ven  A.  Cable,  son  of  Stejihen  Cable.  He  was  born 
in  1813.  The  first  death  was  that  of  Martin  Shell- 
house,  an  old  gentleman  who  was  brought  from  Ver- 
mont to  Ridgeville  on  a  bed.  He  died  Nov.  27,  1813, 
one  week  after  his  arrival  in  the  township.  The  sec- 
ond death  was  that  of  Lydia  Terrell,  daughter  of  Noah 
Terrell.  She  died  in  August,  1814,  before  coniplet- 
ins  the  first  term  of  school  taught  in  the  town.  The 
first  place  selected  for  the  burial  of  the  dead,  was  on 
the  farm  of  Asahel  Morgan,  on  lot  sixteen.  Only  a 
few  interments  were  made  there,  however,  the  loca- 
tion being  abandoned  a  few  years  after,  and  a  site 
selected  at  the  center  of  town,  the  ground  for  which 
was  given  by  Joel  Terrell.  The  change  of  location 
was  the  cause  of  much  displeasure  to  Mr.  Morgan, 
who  is  credited  with  the  remark,  when  it  was  decided 
upon,  that  he  would  never  be  buried  in  the  Terrell 
burying  ground  as  long  as  he  li  red  and  had  his  senses. 
John  Bariium,  who  died  in  1819,  was  the  first  person 
buried  in  this  cemetery.  Most  of  the  bodies  in  the 
old  graveyard  were  removed  to  the  new.  That  of 
Lydia  Terrell,  however,  was  never  disturbed,  and  the 
precise  spot  in  which  it  rests  is  not  now  known. 
The  first  frame  erection  in  the  township  was  the 
barn  of  Amos  Cahoon,  built  in  1813.  The  old  struc- 
ture was  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  fall  of  1878.  The 
first  frame  house  was  the  tavern  of  Wyllis  Ter- 
rell, Sr.,  built  in  1823.  The  first  blacksmith  was 
Zenas  Barnum.  His  first  shop  was  located  at  the 
center  of  town,  and  consisted  simply  of  a  few  forked 
stakes  and  poles,  with  a  roof  of  shakes.  Afterwards 
he  had  a  better  structure  in  the  west  part  of  town. 
The  first  doctor  that  jiracticed  in  the  town  was 
Zephaniah  Potter,  of  Columbia.  The  earliest  settled 
liiiysician  was  Dr.  John  Butler.  The  first  wolf  killed 
in  the  township  was  shot  by  Garry  Koot,  in  1813, 
then  a  lad  of  fourteen  years.  This  was  quite  an 
event,  as  the  cunning  animal  was  rarely  bagged  by 
the  most  experienced  hunter.     The 

b 

FIRST    CHEESE 

uiaile  in  the  township,  and,  very  probably,  the  first  in 
Lorain  county,  was  made  by  Mrs.  Belinda  Beebe,  in 
1813.  She  }iressed  it  with  a  fence  rail,  one  end  of 
which  was  stuck  in  between  the  logs  of  their  cabin, 
wliilo,  on  the  other  end,  was  hung  a  basket  filled  with 
stones.  The  basket  consisted  simply  of  a  bark  hooj) 
peeled  from  the  body  of  a  tree.  A  forked  stick  con- 
stituted the  cheese  ladder.  Thus  is  necessity  fertile 
in  expedients. 

FIRST    LAW    SUIT. 

The  first  law  suit  was  between  Lonian  C.  Beebe, 
plaintiff,  and  Joseph  Cahoon,  defendant.  It  was  held 
at  the  house  of  David  Beebe,  June  17,  1813,  and  be- 
fore Asahel  Osborn,  a  Justice  of  the  peace  of  Colum- 


bia. It  was  an  action  for  damages,  the  plaintiff 
claiming  unfaithfulness,  wasteago  and  poor  work,  on 
the  part  of  defendant  in  the  grinding  of  a  quantity  of 
wheat  for  plaintiff,  in  May  of  the  above  year.  The 
decision  of  the  court,  rendered  June  18,  1813,  was  in 
the  following  W(.)rds: 

"It  appears,  from  evidence  before  this  court,  that,  from  twenty -eight 
bushels  of  wheat,  which  said  plaintiff  carried  to  said  defendant's  mill, 
said  defendant  made  one  hundred  and  eleven  pounds'  weight  less  flour, 
and  that  not  so  good  as  Cajit.  Calvin  Hoadley  generally  makes  out  of 
similar  wheat.  From  a  mature  consideration  of  the  evidence  and  cir- 
cumstances, it  is  the  opinion  of  this  court  that  the  said  plaintiff,  Loman 
C.  Beebe,  is  entitled  to  receive  of  the  said  defendant,  Joseph  Gaboon, 
the  sum  of  six  dollars  damage,  and  five  dollars  and  seventy -seven  cents 
costs  of  suit,  for  which  judgment  is  rendered  in  favor  of  the  plaintiff 
against  defendant  by  this  court." 

The  first  legal  process  issued  by  a  magistrate  of 
Ridgeville  after  its  organization,  was  a  writ  of  attach- 
ment, taken  out  by  Loman  C.  Beebe,  against  Simeon 
Tylor.  It  was  dated  August  2,  1813,  and  signed  by 
Joel  Terrell,  justice  of  the  peace.  This  was  served 
on  Tylor  by  John  Reading,  constable. 

RELIGIOUS  MATTERS. 

In  emigrating  to  the  new  country,  the  pioneers  of 
Ridgeville  did  not  leave  behind  them  the  New  Eng- 
land habits  in  which  they  had  been  trained.  A 
religious  service  was  held  the  first  Sunday  after  the 
arrival  of  David  Beebe  and  his  associates.  Joel 
Terrell  conducted  the  exercises,  which  consisted  of 
the  reading  of  a  jiortion  of  scripture,  a  prayer,  and 
the  singing  of  a  psalm,  or  two,  to  which  David  Beebe 
"l)itched"  the  tunes.  Very  few  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers were  members  of  the  church,  and  a  church 
organization  was  not  formed  until  twelve  years  after 
settlement;  but  during  all  this  time,  Sabbath  services 
were  regularly  kept  up.  For  this,  much  credit  is  due 
Joel  Terrell,  who  was  by  profession  a  Baptist.  He 
did  more  to  establish  religious  worship,  and  to  regu- 
larly maintain  it,  in  the  absence  of  a  minister  and  a 
church  organization,  than  any  one  else.  He  usually 
conducted  the  meetings,  which  were  at  first  held  at 
the  dwellings  of  the  inhabitants,  and  subsequently  at 
the  school  house  at  the  Center.     The 

FIRST  CHURCH 

was  formed  December  20,  1822,  Rev.  Alfred  H.  Betts. 
of  Brownhelm,  and  Rev.  Lot  R.  Sullivan  officiating 
ill  its  organization.  The  people,  on  the  occasion, 
assembled  at  the  school  house,  but  it  was  found  to  be 
too  small  to  accommodate  the  large  number  that  came 
together,  and  the  congregation  repaired  to  the  barn 
of  Joseph  Humphrey,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road, 
where  a  sermon,  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  was 
delivered  by  Dr.  Betts.  The  organization  was  called 
"  The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Ridgeville,"  and 
was  composed  of  six  members,  as  follows:  Chester 
Beebe,  and  Marcia  Beebe,  his  wife,  Hezekiah  Case, 
Samuel  Eldred,  Seth  R.  Alcott,  and  Lucinda  Cahoon. 
Mr.  Alcott  was  appointed  church  clerk. 

The  next  Sabbath  after  the  organization,  the  fol- 
lowing persons,  who  had  necessarily  been  absent  on 


164 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


that  occasion,  presented  letters  for  admission,  and,  on 
exiiniiiuition,  were  received  into  the  eluirch,  viz:  Mrs. 
Hezckiuh  Case,  Marcns  Case,  Fjunra  Case  his  wife, 
and  Ora  Case.  The  elinreli  never  liad  a  settled  pastor, 
but  dejiended  uj)on  neigboring  towns  for  the  ministry 
of  the  W(ird.  Meetings  were  held  in  the  school 
house,  at  the  center  of  town,  and  in  the  school  house 
at  the  west  part  of  town,  until  the  I'rcctiou  of  a  house 
of  woi'ship  in . 

The  church  was  never  very  ju'osperous.  It  strug- 
gled along,  under  adverse  circumstances,  for  many 
years,  but  gradually  lost  ground,  until  it  practi- 
cally ceased  toexist.  Such  was  the  condition  of  things 
when,  in  February,  1841,  D.  C.  White,  a  lay  member 
of  a  church  in  New  Jersey,  came  into  the  place,  and 
began  to  preach  the  gospel.  "  Under  his  labors,"  (we 
cpiote  from  the  church  records),  "the  church  seemed 
somewhat  i-esuscitated,  and  agreed  to  renounce  its 
creed,  or  articles  of  faith  and  covenant,  and  take  the 
simple  woj'd  of  God,  as  recorded  in  the  Bible,  for 
their  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  They  also 
agreed  to  have  a  communion  season,  and  that  they 
would  covenant  together  anew;  and  although  some 
cases  of  discipline  existed,  the  past  should  be  forgot- 
ten, and  each  member  should  receive  his  brother,  and 
for  the  future  walk  iu  love,  one  with  another." 

On  the  fourth  of  July,  of  this  year,  Mr.  White  was 
invited,  bj-  a  unanimous  vote,  to  become  the  jiastor  of 
the  church.  He  accepted,  and,  on  the  third  of  the 
following  Sej)tcmber,  he  was  ordained  and  installed 
by  a  committee  of  the  "Lorain  County  Association," 
the  sermon,  on  the  occasion,  being  delivered  by  Rev. 
Chas.  G.  Finney,  of  Oberlin.  The  church  embraced, 
at  this  time,  a  membership  of  tifty-flve.  Oliver  H. 
Lewis  was  church  clerk,  succeeding  Ebenezer  Portei- 
who  was  appointed  to  the  otlice  January  31,  18'^.5. 

June  27,  1873,  work  was  commenced  in  the  cree- 
tiou  of  the  fine  brick  church  edifice,  now  occujiying 
the  former  location  of  the  old  church,  which  was 
removed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  now 
stands  a  few  rods  west  of  the  residence  ef  Albert 
Terrell,  and  is  unused.  The  new  church  was  not 
(•omj)leted  until  January,  18T0.  The  first  service  iu 
it  was  held  on  Christmas  immediately  jireceding.  It 
was  dedicated  January  12,  1871),  Rev.  Dr.  VVolcott 
])reacliiug  the  dedicatory  seruKju. 

According  to  the  figures  of  Mr.  Bradford  Race, 
who  was  treasurer  of  the  building  committee,  pre- 
sented on  tiiat  occasion,  the  cost  of  the  church  was 
ten  thousand,  two  hundretl  and  forty-four  dollars  and 
fourteen  cents.  Tlie  churcii  had  jjreviously  been 
named,  at  a  meeting  called  for  the  purpose,  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Ridgeville.  The  number 
of  members  now  (January,  1870,)  belonging  to  the 
church,  is  forty-seven.  Chas.  llerrick  is  clerk,  and 
Henry  D.  Rogers,  T.  T.  Winkles,  Le  Roy  Race, 
Edward  Ames,  deacons.  There  is  no  settled  pastor  at 
present,  but  preaching  is  had  once  every  Sabbath,  by 
ministers  from  Oberlin.     Job  Lickerish  is  superin- 


tendent of  the  Sabbath  school,  which  contains  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  scholars. 

THE  METHODISTS. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  class  was  formed  ou  But- 
ternut ridge  in  182."),  by  Rev.  Harry  0.  Sheldon,  one 
of  the  earliest  circuit  preachers  in  this  region.  There 
were  seven  members  composing  the  organization, 
namely  :  Wilson  Blain  and  wife,  Elijah  Rigby  and 
wife,  and  Harris  Emmons,  wife  and  daughter.  Wil- 
son Blain  was  the  first  leader  of  the  class.  Jolm 
Kibby  and  wife  joined  the  class  the  following  year. 
The  meetings  were  first  held  in  the  log  house  of  Mi'. 
Blain,  and  later  in  the  fra:ne  school  house  then  stand- 
ing on  the  site  of  the  present  brick  school  house  at 
the  cross  roads.  The  circuit  preacher  officiated  once 
in  two  weeks.  According  to  a  class-book  in  the  pos- 
session of  Mrs.  Richard  Blain,  the  class  contained  in 
184:3,  forty-three  members.  Rev.  Adam  Poe  was  the 
presiding  elder  of  the  district.  John  Tibbals  was 
the  pastor  in  charge,  and  Richard  Blain  class-leader. 
The  membei-ship  now  numbers  twenty-eight.  Rev. 
N.  J.  Close,  of  Avon,  is  the  pastor  of  the  church. 
James  Nye  is  the  class-leader.  He  is  also  the  super, 
intendent  of  the  Sabbath  school.  The  church  l)uild- 
ing  was  erected  in  1850. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Uissette,  in  187.5, 
some  eight  or  nine  members  of  the  church,  includ- 
ing among  the  number  some  whose  connection  with 
it  embraced  a  period  of  nearly  fifty  years,  were  ex- 
pelled for  non-attendance  upon  church  service.  The 
expelled  members,  who  absented  themselves  for  the 
alleged  reason  of  dissent  from  the  doctrines  enun- 
ciated by  the  pastor,  with  a  like  number  who  with- 
drew from  the  church,  were  organized  by  a  Rev.  Mr. 
Bell  into  a  class  under  the  name  of  Free  Methodists. 
The  organization  was  effected  in  February,  18713. 
Meetings  were  held  at  the  school  house  and  at  the 
house  of  Henry  Dickson,  until  the  erection  of  a 
house  of  worship  on  Butternut  ridge,  in  the  summer 
of  1876.  Revs.  Hart  and  Bell  officiated  iu  the  ded- 
icatory services.  Rev.  Scott  Marshall  is  the  present 
pastor  of  the  church.  O.'jborne  Hale  is  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sabbath  school. 

ST.  Peter's  (catholic)  church. 

This  church  was  formed  in  February,  1875.  It 
embraced  a  membership  of  some  forty-five  at  its 
organization.  A  church  building  at  the  Center  was 
erected  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  the  same  year.  The 
present  membershiji  is  about  sixty.  The  Sabbath 
school  contains  nearly  fifty  scholars.  Rev.  J.  Heid- 
egger, the  priest  in  charge,  has  been  connected  with 
the  church  in  that  relation  since  its  formation. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  house  in  which  .school  was  kept  was  built 
of  logs,  and  stood  on  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
brick  tavern  at  the  center.     The  seats  consisted  of 


--X 


vzr-,  **r.'A-f^. -■■%■;; ■-T 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


165 


slabs  resting  on  pins,  and  liewed  on  the  upper  side. 
In  one  end  of  the  buikliag  was  a  tire  phiee  witli  stone 
back,  but  without  janiljs,  and  the  logs  would  fre- 
quently catch  tire.  In  tiie  end  opposite  was  the 
window,  made  by  cutting  out,  for  a  distance  of  ten  or 
twelve  feet,  a  single  log  of  the  structure,  and  placing 
glass  in  the  opening.  Along  the  window,  and  for  a 
few  feet  at  each  end  beyond  it,  was  a  rude  desk  at 
which  the  scholars  practiced  their  writing  lessons. 

The  first  teacher  was  Lydia  Terrell,  who  taught  in 
the  summer  of  1814,  but  died  before  completing  the 
term.  The  next  school  was  kei)t  by  Betsy  Shell- 
house.  John  Reading  was  the  first  male  teacher. 
Aliigal  Davis  taught  in  the  summer  of  1817.  She 
has  lived,  until  recently,  in  Cleveland  for  many 
years,  and  is  well  advanced  in  life.  Samuel  Mills 
was  the  last  teacher  in  the  old  school  house,  which 
was  destroyed  in  the  winter  of  1817  by  fire  of  un- 
known origin. 

Another  house,  also  of  logs,  was  built  immediately 
afterwards  ou  the  ojiposite  side  of  the  sti'eet,  and  a 
short  distance  further  east.  Wyllis  Terrell,  Sr.,  was 
an  early  school  teacher  in  tliis  structure,  and  he  is 
thought  by  some  to  have  taught  in  the  old  honse. 

The  town  was  subsequently  divided  into  two  school 
districts,  and  a  house  built  in  the  west  part  of  the 
town  and  one  in  the  east  part.  The  latter  was  the 
first  frame  school  house  in  town,  and,  it  is  believed, 
the  first  in  the  county.  It  was  erected  in  1831.  It 
was  situated  in  what  was  then  called  the  northeast 
district,  on  the  farm  then  owned  by  Philander  Terrell, 
now  owned  by  Oliver  H.  Lewis.  The  uails  used  in 
the  construction  of  this  building  were  made  in 
I'almadge,  then  in  Portage  county,  and  cost  twenty- 
five  cents  per  pound. 

The  first  school  tauglit  in  this  house  was  kept  by 
Peter  Barton,  in  the  winter  of  1821-22.  Merritt 
Osborne  taught  the  following  winter.  His  term 
ended  with  a  school  exhibition,  a  novel  feature  then. 
It  was  held  in  the  bai-n  of  Asahel  Morgan,  old  and 
young  alike  participating  in  the  exercises. 

The  division  of  the  township,  with  the  location  of 
the  two  school  houses,  as  previously  stated,  was  un- 
satisfactory to  the  people  at  the  center  of  town,  and 
they  erected  for  themselves  a  house  at  the  center. 
Subsequently  they  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  school 
district  in  this  portion  of  town. 

The  present  condition  of  the  schools  is  shown  by 
the  report  of  the  clerk  of  the  board  of  education,  for 
the  year  ending  August  31,  1878,  which  gives  the 
following  statistics: 

I       Number  of  school  houses 10 

Value $8,800 
Amount  paid  teachers 2,445 
Number  ot  scholars 410 
A  catholic  school  was  established  at  the  center  in 
October,  1876,  with  about  forty-five  scholars.     The 
number  now  enrolled  is  fifty-five.     The  school  is  held 
in  the  town  hall. 


ORGANIZATION. 

The  township  was  organized  the  first  Monday  in 
April,  1813,  at  the  Terrell  tavern.  There  were 
fifteen  voters,  and  they  were  all  at  the  election,  which 
resulted  as  follows:  Wyllis  T'errell,  clerk;  David 
Beebe,  Sr.,  Ichal)oil  Terrell  and  Joel  Terrell,  trustees; 
David  Beebe,  Jr.,  and  John  Reading,  constables;  Joel 
Terrel,  Justice  of  the  iieace. 

The  township  officers  elected  at  the  spring  election 
of  1ST8  are  the  following:  Alljert  G.  Terrell,  clerk; 
Wm.  D.  Fuller,  Randall  Stetson  and  Lester  C.  Sexton, 
trustees;  Chauncey  Blakcsley  and  James  Healy,  jus- 
tices of  the  peace. 

POST   OFFICE. 

A  i)ost  office  was  established  in  Ridgeville  in  1815. 
Moses  Eldred  was  the  first  postmaster,  who  kept  the 
office  in  his  own  house.  He  held  the  office  until  1828, 
his  successors  being  as  follows: 

Edward  Byington,  until  1830;  Levi  W.  Terrel, 
18-42;  Alonzo  Benliam,  until  184(i;  Joel  Terrel  until 
1851;  Joseph  Humphrey,  until  1854;  David  Beebe, 
now  of  Elyria,  until  18(;0;  Alonzo  Benham,  until 
1864;  Doctor  Palmer,  until  ]8C(i;  John  Browen,  un- 
til 1867;  H.  (}.  Linder,  until  1868;  George  P.  Bur- 
rell,  until  1869;  Bert  Wilmot,  until  1870;  E.  P. 
Smith,  until  1874;  Orson  J.  Teriell,  is  the  present  in- 
cumbent of  the  office,  which  is  located  ar  the  center 
of  the  town. 

There  is  also  a  post  office  at  Shawville,  the  post- 
master being  0.  H.  Ramsdell. 

STOKES. 

The  first  store  in  the  township  was  kept  in  his  own 
house  by  Lyman  Root.  There  are  at  the  [u-esent 
writing  four  stores  in  the  town,  the  name  of  the 
owners  being  as  follows:  Orson  J.  Terrell,  Nicholas 
Diedrich,  11.  Ramsdall,  M.  Bruce. 

MANUFACTURING    INTERESTS. 

In  1812,  and  prior  to  the  partition  of  their  lands, 
Joel,  Oliver  and  Ichabod  Terrell,  and  David  Beebe, 
Sr,,  gave  to  Joseph  Cahoon  sixty  acres  of  land  at  the 
center  of  the  town,  the  consideration  of  the  convey- 
ance being  that  the  grantee  build  a  grist  mill  on  the 
land  so  conveyed.  The  deed  was  excuted  December 
3,  1812.  This  was  the  first  real  estate  transfer  in  the 
townshii).  In  the  spring  of  1813  the  mill  was  erected. 
It  stood  on  the  west  bank  of  Center  creek,  a  few  feet 
north  of  the  bridge  that  now  crosses  the  stream.  The 
mill  was  about  eighteen  by  twenty  fe'^t  in  size,  con- 
structed of  basswood  logs,  hewed  on  the  inside,  and 
was  the  best  mill  in  the  county  in  its  day.  It  had  but 
one  run  of  stone,  which  was  made  out  of  a  common 
"hard  head."  Wyllis  Terrell,  Sr.,  bought  the  mill  a 
few  months  after  its  completion  and  operated  it  until 
1826  or  '27,  when  he  sold  to  Orson  Humphrey.  The 
mill  long  since  ceased  to  exist,  and  there  is  now  none 
of  the  kind  in  the  township. 


IfiO 


HISTORY  OF  LORATN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


THE    RIDGEVILLE    CHAIR    WORKS. 

Tliis  eiitcrpri.si'  has  pi'own  uj)  to  its  present  impor- 
tance from  ji  sninll  l)i'ginniiig.  It  was  established  by 
A.  11.  Mooers,  the  present  proprietor,  in  November, 
1853,  with  a  cai)ital  of  seven  dolhtrx  and  iiftii  cents. 
He  served  his  ajuirenticeship  with  his  father,  wlio  was 
a  chair  maker,  and  had  worked  in  Elyria,  making 
chairs  liy  the  piece,  the  year  jirevious  to  his  location 
in  Ridgeville.  lie  rented  a  room,  eighteen  by  twenty- 
four  feet  in  size,  in  Joel  Terrell's  saw-mill  at  the 
center  of  the  town,  and  with  the  capital  previously 
stated,  a  few  tools  and  a  turning  lathe  which  he  bor- 
rowed, started  in  business  for  himself.  He  was  alone 
for  over  a  year.  He  made  about  one  liundred  cliairs 
a  montli  and  those  of  the  cheapest  character.  For 
these  he  found  a  market,  mostly  at  Elyria.  After 
running  for  three  years  he  sold  out  to  William  Young 
for  two  hundred  dollars,  but  bought  liack  within  two 
weeks,  paying  a  bonus  of  twenty-tive  dollars.  Some 
two  years  and  a  half  afterwards,  during  which  he  en- 
gaged in  other  enterprises,  helionghta  small  building 
near  the  liuslinell  mill,  and  moved  it  to  its  ]>resent 
location,  ill  I  lie  rear  of  his  house.  In  this  building-, 
which  he  now  uses  for  a  barn,  Mr.  Mooers  prosecuted 
his  business  for  about  .six  months,  using  a  horse 
power,  wlieii  he  conimeiiced  tlie  erection  of  the  first 
of  tlie  three  large  buildings  now  comjirising  his  works. 
In  addition  to  liis  factory  jiroper,  Jlr.  Mooers  has  a  saw 
mill  twenty-eight  by  sixty  feet,  two  stories  high,  the 
motive-power  of  which  is  a  forty-horse  power  engine. 
The  goods  nuide  by  these  works  consist  of  every 
variety  of  wood  chairs,  all  kinds  of  double  cane-seated 
chairs,  settees  and  the  round-cornered  cottage  bedstead. 
Mr.  Mooers  finds  a  market  for  his  goods  iiiOlcvcland. 
In  1873  he  employed  nearly  seventy-five  hands.  At 
the  present  time  he  has  forty  employees,  five  of 
whom  are  women. 

These  works  furnished  for  the  Sajngerfest  building 
in  Cleveland,  in  June,  1870,  six  thousand  chairs  in 
nine  days,  all  carried  to  the  city  in  wagons.  The  cap- 
ital invested  in  business  at  the  present  time  is  u})wards 
of  thirty  thousand  dollars. 

Since  this  enterprise  was  started  by  Mr.  Mooers, 
nineteen  similar  establishments,  within  a  radius  of 
twenty  miles,  have  had  an  existence  and  failed  of 
success.  He  attributes  a  great  part  of  his  success  to 
his  strict  temperance  jirinciples,  to  which  he  has  ad- 
hered from  childhood,  never  having  tasted  a  drop  of 
malt  or  spirituous  liquor. 

Just  south  of  the  saw  mill  is  a  building  used  by 
Mr.  Mooers,  exclusively  for  the  manufacture  of  an 
implement  called  the  "  Gritfin  Land  Leveler,"  of 
which  Mr.  Seth  Griffin  of  Elyria,  is  the  patentee.  It 
is  a  combined  roller,  harrow  and  scraper,  and  is  used 
for  leveling  roads  and  tracks,  and  for  the  preparation 
of  land  for  seeding.  It  was  first  patented  in  1874, 
and  its  manufacture  begun  in  1877.  About  thirty 
machines  are  turned  out  yearly,  and  there  is  an  in- 
creasing demand  for  it. 


•  Recognizing  the  necessity  of  means  for  the  greater 
security  of  the  dead  from  the  nefarious  business  of 
grave  robbers,  Mr.  Mooers  ajiplied  his  mechanical 
genius  in  this  direction,  and  patented  in  the  sjiring 
of  1878,  a  ••Metallic  Coffin  Shield"  which  he  is  now 
manufacturing.  It  is  made  of  wrought  sheet  iron, 
and  is  used  in  the  place  of  the  ordinary  box  in  wiiich 
the  coffin  is  enclosed.  Efforts  in  this  direction  are 
most  commendable. 

SAW    MILLS. 

The  first  saw  mill  in  this  township  was  built  by 
Major  Wyllis  Terrell,  on  Center  creek,  near  his  grist 
mill,  in  1811).  It  continued  in  operation  until  1830, 
when  Major  Beebe  and  Joseph  Humphrey,  out  of 
sanitary  considerations,  bought  the  [jroperty  and  tore 
it  away.  It  overflowed  their  lands  with  water  murii 
of  tiie  time,  causing  a  great  deal  of  sickness. 

Capt.  Bush  erected  a  saw  mill  on  West  creek  at  an 
early  day,  but  it  never  went  into  operation.  A  fresiiet 
carried  away  the  dam,  and  tlie  enterpri.se  was  aban- 
doned. 

TiiK  Herrick  Mill,  at  the  Center,  was  built  by 
Jiiel  Terrell,  son  of  Major  Terrell,  in  the  year  1850. 
He  established  at  the  same  place  a  button  factory, 
which  he  oj)erated  in  the  day  time,  and  the  saw 
mill  at  night.  It  ceased  to  exist  some  five  or  six 
years  since.  Successive  owners  of  the  saw  mill  were 
men  by  the  name  of  Viets,  George  Burrell  and  Dr. 
Ilerrick,  of  Cleveland,  the  present  owner. 

The  Roiunson  Mill,  located  on  lot  fourteen,  was 
built  in  1850,  by  Messrs.  Peck  and  Hesten.  The 
former  subse((uently  bought  the  hitter's  interest,  and 
ran  the  mill  until  186G,  when  the  present  proprietor, 
J.  Robinson,  came  into  possession  of  the  property. 
It  is  a  steam  mill,  and  has  facilities  for  sawing  from 
two  thousand  five  hundred  to  three  thousand  feet  of 
lumber  per  day,  but  has  been  idle  much  of  the  time 
of  late  years. 

The  Mooeus  Mill. — This  is  by  far  the  most  im- 
portant mill  of  the  kind  in  the  township,  and,  indeed, 
in  this  section  of  the  country.  It  was  built  and  is 
used  mainly  as  an  adjunct  to  his  chair  works,  but  the 
mill  also  does  a  great  deal  of  custom  work.  It  was 
built  in  1873.  It  is  a  two-story  frame,  thirty  liy 
sixty  feet,  with  a  substantial  brick  boiler  and  engine- 
room  with  an  iron  roof,  making  it  as  nearly  fireproof 
as  possible.  The  engine  is  a  forty-horse  power.  Tlie 
capacity  of  the  mill  is  five  thousand  feet  of  lumber 
per  day.  The  upper  story  is  used  by  Mr.  Mooers  for 
liis  turning  works,  and  is  replete  with  all  the  varied 
machinery  necessary  to  thi'.t  branch  of  his  chair  factory. 

CIDER   illLL. 

The  only  cider  mill  in  the  township  is  ownied  and 
operated  by  W.  II.  Eldred,  who,  with  his  father,  built 
it  in  1856.  The  entire  machinery,  with  the  exception 
of  the  engine,  is  of  Mr.  Eldred's  own  manufacture. 
It  possesses  facilities  for  the  manufacture  of  eighty 
barrels  of  cider  per  day.    With  a  small  force  of  hands 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


167 


the  average  is  about  thirty-five  barrels  per  day.  Mr. 
Eldred  does  a  general  custom  business,  and  also  ships 
largely  to  Cleveland.  In  1874,  he  added  a  feed  mill 
with  one  run  of  stone,  and  run  by  steam,  the  engine 
being  a  twelve-horse  power.  Its  capacity  is  about 
twenty-five  bushels  per  hour. 

CHEESE    FACTORIES. 

The  ExcEr,siOR  Factory. — The  original  factory 
on  this  location,  lot  twenty-four,  was  built  in  1S09 
by  Jackson  &  Roe.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1871, 
when  the  jaresent  factory  was  erected  by  Adams  & 
Eldred.  In  1873,  Jackson  &  Eldred,  the  present 
proprietors  took  charge,  and  have  continued  its  opera- 
tion up  to  the  present  time.  This  factory  makes  a 
specialty  of  the  manufacture  of  what  the  proj)rietors 
call  "Cheshire  cheese,"  the  entire  product  being 
shipi)cd  direct  to  England.  It  consumed  the  milk  of 
about  four  hundred  and  fifty  cows  the  last  season. 

The  Fuller  Factory  was  established  in  1870,  by 
a  stock  company.  W.  D.  Fuller,  the  present  owner, 
has  operated  it  about  three  years.  It  formerly  con- 
sumed the  milk  of  about  two  hundred  cows.  It  was 
supplied  the  last  season  by  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty. 

The  Briogs  Cheese  Factory,  situated  a  short 
distance  south  of  Briags'  CJorners,  was  built  in  the 
spring  of  1871  by  a  stock  company.  Tbe  present 
manager  of  the  factory  is  C.  I.  Mead.  The  directors 
are  Homer  Terrell,  John  McNelley  and  Edward  Hill. 
The  production  for  the  season  of  1878  was  aboul 
sixty  thousand  pounds  of  cheese,  consuming  the  milk 
of  about  two  hundred  cows. 

Agricultural  Statistics. 

Wheat,       925  acres 17,495  bushels 

Oats,        1,431      "      3S,4a] 

Cora,        1,251     "      40,783 

Potatoes,    192     " 25,338 

Oiehaids,  SI'iT     "      3,449 

Meadow,  1,9(14     "      a.a'B  tons. 

Butter 42,760  pounds. 

Cheese 164,000 


Hayes . 


Vote  for  President,  1676. 
194  1  Tildeu 


Biographical  Sketches, 


C.  LESTER  SEXTON. 
Soon  after  the  marriage  of  George  Sexton  and  Miss 
Mary  Cahoon,  at  Vergennes,  Vt.,  in  the  year  1810, 
they  moved  into  Ohio,  stopping  at  Judge  Kingsbury's, 
Newburgh,  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio,  where  they  re- 
mained until  March  1'^,  1812;  tiien,  with  family,  Mr. 
G.  Sexton  moved  into  the  west  part  of  Ridgeville,  Lo- 
rain county,  Ohio,  where  he  resided  until  his  decease, 
November  7,  1829,  aged  forty-two  years,  leaving  a 
widow  and  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  since 
dead.    Mrs.  Mary  Cahoon  died  September  17,  1849. 


The  two  children  living  are  Amos  C.  Sexton,  who 
is  a  farmer  in  Orange,  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio;  the 
other,  C.  Lester  Sexton,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  writ- 
ten, following  the  same  calling  as  his  brother,  resides 
in  Ridgeville,  Lorain  county,  Ohio.  He  was  born  at 
Newburgh,  as  above,  on  April  20,  1810. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Lester  Sexton,  viz:  Ebenezer 
Porter  and  Miss  Eunice  Yale,  were  married  at  Lee, 
Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  in  1800.  They  left  Lee,  in 
1822,  with  a  family  of  eight  cliildren,  for  Ohio. 
Spending  the  winter  in  Dover,  Cuyahoga  county, 
Ohio,  in  the  early  spring  th  y  removed  to  Ridgeville, 
where  they  built  the  first  "log  house"  on  Sugar  Ridge. 
As  a  farmer,  there  he  lived  until  death,  which  occurred 
on  July  G,  18G7,  he  having  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-one  years;  his  more  aged  father  having  died  at 
his  son's  residence,  in  1839.  ninety-four  years  of  age. 
Mrs.  Eunice  Sexton  died  November  19,  1847. 

Mr.  C.  Lester  Sexton  and  Frances  C.  Porter  were 
married  at  Ridgeville,  December  5,  1833.  Soon  after 
they  removed  to  Ashland,  Ashland  county,  Ohio.  Re- 
turning to  Ridgeville  on  the  9th  of  March,  1838,  they 
commenced  in  the  unbroken  woods  to  make  for  them- 
selves and  children  a  home.  How  pleasant  that  iionie 
and  its  surroundings  have  become,  the  artist  shows  in 
the  view  accompanying. 

In  Ridgeville  they  have  since  lived,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  years  in  Elyria,  where  Mr.  Sexton 
engaged  in  brick  making. 

Mr.  Sexton  was  father  of  five  chihli-en.  Lydia 
Louisa,  their  eldest  child,  was  born  in  Ashland  county, 
Ohio,  November  2(j,  1834.  Becoming  the  wife  of  Ilarlo 
C.  Emmons,  of  Elyria,  she  was  left  a  widow  in  March, 
18G9.  In  San  Francisco,  California,  she  was  re-mar- 
ried to  John  Dunbar,  and  has  since  resided  in  Pefa- 
luma,  California.  George  P.  Sexton  and  E.  Porter 
Sexton  were  both  born  in  Ridgeville;  the  one  Novem- 
ber 5,  1838,  the  other  April  15,  1841.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  rebellion,  both  brothers  enlisted 
in  Con)i)any  E,  Forty-second  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. George  died  in  hospital  at  Paiutville,  Ken- 
tucky, February  7,  1862;  aged  twenty-three.  E. 
Porter  serving  his  full  enlistment,  was  honorably 
discharged,  since  which  time  he  has  generally  been 
in  Ridgeville. 

Frances  M.  was  born  August  21,  1847,  and  became 
the  wife,  February  9,  1809,  of  W.  H.  Bastard,  of 
Columbia,  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  where  they  now  live 
with  their  sons,  Robert  Lester  and  George  Harry. 

The  remaining  child,  Elizabeth,  was  born  in  Ridge- 
ville April  21,  1850,  and  is  still  living  with  her 
parents. 

Mr.  Sexton  has  filled,  and  now  holds  the  otfice  of 
township  trustee.  Still  vigorous,  at  a  ripe  age,  loved 
and  respected  by  his  neighbors,  he  remains  one  of  the 
makers  of  Ridgeville.  To  him  belongs  the  credit  of 
being  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  of  using  tile 
drains,  to  any  great  extent,  in  Lorain  county, — he 
at  an  early  day,  laying  over  two  miles  on  his  farm. 

Many  are  the  incidents  he  can  relate  of  early  life. 


lOS 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Soon  after  tlie  arrival  at  Elyria,  of  Judge  Ely's  first 
wife.  Mr.  Sexton's  mother,  and  another  lady,  started 
on  foot  througli  the  woods,  to  make  a  friendly  call  on 
the  new-fomer.  Tlie  visit  heing  made,  the  ladies 
commenced  (heir  journey  home.  Losing  their  way, 
and  night  coining  on,  they  were  forced  to  spend  the 
niglit  under  a  ])artially  fallen  tree.  The  next  morn- 
ing brought  them  kind  neigliliors,  who  had  passed 
the  night  in  vain  search  for  them.  Such  was  "call- 
ing" in  Lorain  county  pioneer  life. 


RICHARD  BLAIN. 

Wilson  Blain  was  born  April  34,  1789,  and  married 
to  Hannah  Van  Natton,  in  May.  1810.  They  moved 
to  Ridgeville,  this  county,  in  Septemljer,  18J8,  where 
he  bought  a  farm  on  tlie  Butternut  ridge,  and  lived 
there  until  his  death.  lie  had  four  children.  Rich- 
ard, the  eldest  son  of  Wilson,  and  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  October  13,  1813,  ami  married  Faiiuv 


M.  Fuller,  November  20, 183G,  who  was  born  October 
18,  1820;  she  was  the  daughter  of  Warren  and  Vesta 
Fuller.  Warren  Fuller  was  born  May  8,  1700,  and 
died  July  1,  1870.  Vesta  Fuller  was  born  January  7, 
1795,  and  died  July  11,  1870. 

To  Richard  Blain  and  his  wife  have  been  born  four 
children:  Warren  W.,  born  November  6,  18.37;  James 
M.,  born  December  30,  1839;  \"esta  II.,  born  Febru- 
ary 11,  1841;  and  Harlan  I.,  born  March  14,  1843, 
and  died  April  5,  185G. 

Warren  W.  married  Elizabeth  Watson,  February 
17,  1801.  They  have  seven  children:  Martin  W., 
born  December  15,  1865;  Arreain  F.,  born  March  38, 
1867;  Elfa  E.,  born  November  30,  1809;  Harlan  W., 
born  January  14,  1871;  Jane  L.,  born  May  33,  1873; 
Fanny  B.,  born  .June  35,1875;  and  Marcia  C,  born 
March  35,  1877. 

.  James  M.  married  Lydia  Percival,  December  39, 
1801;  she  died  January  1,  1800,  and  he  married, 
second,  Emma  Peets,  December  35, 1866.  who  was  born 
June  39,  1850.  To  them  have  been  born:  Gracie  M., 
born  May  17,  1868;  Lucicn  A.,  July  36,  1870;  William 
W.  ,b()rn  August  8,  1871;  Jessie  M..  born  October 
8,  1873,  and  died  July  37,  1873;  Richard,  January  30, 
1875;  and  Baby,  born  July  13,  and  died  Fel»ruary  18, 
1876. 

Vesta  H.  married  Noali  H.  Peck,  February  19.  1860. 
They  have  Edith  F.,  born  January  11,  186i;  EUaC, 
born  .January  13,  1864;  Lydia C,  born  April  39, 1866; 
Eddie  R.,  born  December  16, 1868;  and  Lora  C,  born 
November  18,  1870. 

Ricliard  Blain  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcojial 
Church  in  1839,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old, 
and  remained  a  faithful,  devoted  member  until  the 
close  of  his  life.  In  all  these  years,  after  he  became 
of  age,  he  was  either  class  leader  or  steward,  and 
usually  both.  He  was  always  at  his  post,  and  tilled 
his  place  with  honor  to  himself,  and  great  benefit 
and  credit  to  the  church.  He  was  a  man  of  decided 
and  iinlilemished  character,  one  who  lived  to  do  his 
neighbors  good;  and  was  truly  devoted  to  his  wife, 
his  children  and  the  church  of  liis  adoption. 


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RUSSIA, 


OBERLIN. 

PREFATORY  NOTE. 

The  following  sketch  of  Oberlin  history  is  mainly  a  compilation,  but  it 
may  be  regarded  as  reliable,  anil  is  as  complete  as  the  scope  of  this 
work  ^vill  admit.  The  facts  and  documents  pertaining  to  the  early 
history,  I  have  taken  chiefly  from  the  "  History  of  Oberlin,"  in  manu- 
script, by  President  Fairchild ;  of  which,  availing  myself  of  the  generous 
offer  of  the  author,  I  have  made  free  use.  Other  facts  and  statistics 
have  been  taken  from  the  college  catalogues,  from  articles  in  the 
Oberlin  Evcmtjelisi  and  in  the  Oberlin  Revieir,  and  from  other  sources, 
for  my  indebtedness  to  which,  this  general  acknowledgment  must 
suffice.  For  the  estimates  of  Oberlin,  and  of  a  few  of  its  leading  men, 
the  writer  is  alone  responsible.  H.  M. 

Library  Oberlin  College,  December  30,  1878. 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  history  of  Oberlin  m;iy  be  said  to  be  the  history 
of  an  idea,  first,  as  conceived  in  the  minds  of  indi- 
viduals and  matured  into  a  plan,  which  may  be  called 
its  origin;  then  as  converted  by  them  into  fact,  and 
made  an  outward  reality,  which  constitutes  its  begiti- 
ning;  next,  as  receiving  a  sudden  increase  of  mental 
and  moral  force,  which  gave  it  enlargement,  and  was 
its  second  beginning,  from  which  it  should  proceed 
as  from  a  new  point  of  departure;  and  finally,  as  its 
natural  and  gradual  development,  in  which  is  found, 
amid  strivings  and  conflicts,  its  growth  to  maturity. 
In  this  fact,  that  Oberlin  is  built  on  and  represents  a 
progressive  idea,  or  a  fundamental  principle,  is  found 
its  distinctive  and  representative  character;  and  this 
is  the  true  explanation  of  the  enthusiasm  it  awakened, 
the  oi)position  it  excited,  the  success  it  has  achieved, 
and  the  work  it  has  wrought. 

The  explanation  and  source  of  the  idea  must  be 
sought  in  the  character  of  the  period.  It  was  a  period 
of  revivals,  and  of  the  beginning  of  great  and  radical 
reforms.  Before  Oberlin  had  an  existence,  so  much 
as  in  thought,  extensive  revivals  had  prevailed  in 
various  parts  of  the  land,  by  whicli  whole  commu- 
nities and  towns  were  regenerated,  and  thou.sands  had 
their  conscience  quickened,  and  their  life  renewed. 
Following,  or  accompanying,  these  revivals  were  cer- 
tain special  reforms,  which  were  a  practical  use  of 
christian  principles  for  the  overthrow  of  great,  indi- 
vidual, social,  and  national  evils,  as  intemperance, 
slavery,  and  war.  Of  these,  the  anti-slavery  reform, 
from  the  ardor  with  wliich  it  was  espoused  and  advo- 
cated by  its  friends,  and  the  violence  with  which  it 
was  resisted  by  its  enemies,  gained  especial  promi- 
nence. Now,  Oberlin  was,  from  its  beginning  and  in 
its  very  idea,  the  embodiment  of  this  spirit  of  revival 
and  reform — of  revival  as  first,  and  of  reform  as  pro- 
ceeding from  it.  It  was  this  spirit  of  revival  and 
reform  that  created  it,  that  possessed  and  ruled  it, 
and  that  gives  life  to  its  history. 

22 


The  origin  and  character  of  the  men  who  first  com- 
posed Oberlin,  likewise  show  its  character.  These 
were  all,  either  immediately  or  mediately,  from  New 
England.  They  were  genuine  New  England  men, 
with  the  New  England  mind  and  heart.  Moreover, 
they  were  of  the  best  type  of  the  puritan  character. 
They  were  serious,  earnest,  self-contained,  independ- 
ent in  thought  and  spirit.  God-fearing  and  sincerely 
pious,  with  purity  of  intention  and  singleness  of  aim, 
consecrated  to  the  work  of  doing  good,  courageous 
and  persevering,  and  overflowing  with  an  enthusiasm 
generated  and  sustained  by  an  ardent  devotion  to  a 
lofty  purpose.  Oberlin  is  a  true  child  of  New  Eng- 
land, a  certain  reproduction — not  an  imitation — of 
New  England  ideas,  culture  and  life.  It  was  New 
England  transferred,  for  a  specific  purpose,  to  the 
woods  of  Ohio. 

In  form,  also.  Oberlin  is  peculiar.  This  name, 
Oberlin,  stands  neither  for  the  town  nor  for  the  col- 
lege, separately  and  singly;  it  signifies  both  in  their 
unity.  Town  and  college  are  units  of  a  composite 
idea.  Both  sprang  into  existence  together,  the  town 
for  the  college,  and  the  college  for  the  world;  and, 
therefore,  both  as  one  for  the  world.  Oberlin  was 
not  founded  in  selfishness,  but  in  benevolence;  not 
for  its  own  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  humanity.  It 
was  not  meant  that  the  end  of  the  college  should  be 
the  education  it  should  impart,  but  the  good  it  might 
promote  through  that  education;  neither  was  it  meant 
that  the  end  of  the  town  should  be  its  own  mere  ex- 
istence and  welfare,  but  also  the  good  it  should  aid 
the  college  in  promoting. 

I  have  in  these  words  briefly  sketched  the  ideal 
Oberlin,  as  it  was  first  conceived,  and  as  it  has  been 
actually,  though  imperfectly,  realized  in  its  history. 
In  this  general  and  comprehensive  characterization,  it 
has  been  my  aim  to  throw  light  on  the  history  which 
follows. 

I. — ORKilN. 

The  origin  of  Oberlin  is  due  to  two  men,  John  Jay 
Shipherd  and  Philo  Penfield  Stewart,  the  inventor  of 
the  well-known  Stewart  stove.  Mr.  Shipherd  was  a 
native  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Stewart  of  Connecticut. 
In  1830,  Mr.  Shipherd,  holding  a  commission  from 
the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  found  his 
way  to  Elyria,  where  he  preached  to  the  Presbyterian 
Church  as  their  pastor  for  two  years. 

Mr.  Stewart,  who  was  laboring  as  a  missionary 
among  the  Choctaws,  being  compelled,  on  account  of 
the  ill  health  of  his  wife,  to  return  north,  corres- 
ponded with   Mr.  Shipherd,  who  was  an  old  friend, 

(169) 


170 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


respecting  a  field  of  labor,  and  finally  accepted  an  ir.- 
vitation  to  make  a  liome  for  a  time  at  his  house.  Mr. 
Stewart  thus  became  one  of  Mr.  Shi])!ierd's  family  in 
the  spring  of  1833.  These  men,  thus  thrown  together. 
were  alike  earnest  reformers.  They  had  an  intense 
conviction  that  the  church  needed  to  be  raised  to  a 
higher  plane  of  christian  life  and  activity,  and  that  a 
great  work  must  be  done  in  the  Mississippi  valley. 

In  temj)erament  they  were  opposites.  Mr.  Ship- 
herd  was  ardent  and  sanguine,  while  Mr.  Stewart  was 
cautious  and  slow;  but  even  this  difference  proved  a 
real  advantage,  for,  when  the  time  came  for  action, 
they  complemented  each  other. 

In  the  summer  of  1832  they  talked  and  jirayed 
over  the  themes  which  absorbed  both  their  minds — 
some  scheme  by  which  they  could  realize  their  desire 
and  hope  of  doing  good.  Mr.  Shipherd"s  mind  dwelt 
especially  upon  the  thought  of  a  christian  community 
of  an  unworldly  and  elevated  type,  and  which,  im- 
bued with  an  earnest  missionary  spirit,  should  be  a 
centre  of  beneficent  iniJuence.  Mr.  Stewart's  thought 
dwelt  upon  the  plau  of  a  christian  college,  which 
should  embrace  the  co-education  of  the  sexes,  and 
provide  manual  labor  that  might  at  once  promote  the 
health  of  the  students  and  defray  their  expenses. 

Mrs.  Shiiihcrd  has  given  a  brief  account  of  how 
these  diverse  views  became  united  in  one  plan  : 

**  In  their  deliberations  they  would  exchange  views  ;  one  would  pre- 
sent one  point  of  interest  and  the  other  a  different  one.  Mr.  Stewarl 
proposed  a  college,  of  which  Mr.  Shipherd  could  not  see  the  necessity, 
as  Hudson  college  was  in  its  infancy  and  poorly  sustained  ;  but  Mr. 
Stewart  suggested  the  manual  labor  system,  which  Mr.  Shipherd  fully 
approved.  Thus  they  labored  and  prayed,  and  while  on  their  knee.^ 
asking  guidance  the  whole  plan  developed  itself  to  Mr.  Shipherd's 
mind,  and  before  rising  to  his  feet  he  said,  'Come,  let  us  arise  and  build.' 
He  then  told  Mr.  Stewart  what  had  come  into  his  mind, — to  procure 
a  tract  of  land  and  collect  a  colony  of  christian  families,  who  should 
pledge  themselves  to  sustain  the  school  and  identify  themselves  with 
all  its  interests.  They  came  down  from  the  study,  and  Mr.  Shipherd 
with  a  glowing  face  said,  '  Well,  my  dear,  the  chdd  is  born,  and  what 
shall  its  name  be  ?'  He  then  related  what  had  passed  through  his 
mind." 

Mr.  Shipherd  was  accustomed,  in  after  years,  to 
refer  to  the  plan  as  thus  presented  to  his  miud,  a,^ 
"the  pattern  showed  him  in  the  mount." 

The  name  selected  for  the  contemplated  colonv 
and  school  was  Oberlin,  after  John  Frederic  Oberlin, 
a  pastor  in  eastern  France,  an  interesting  account  of 
whose  self-denying  and  successful  labors  in  elevating 
the  people  of  his  parish  they  had  just  road.  The 
next  thing  was  the  selection  of  a  location.  Judge 
Fly,  of  Elyria,  oifered  to  give  that  part  of  the  village 
known  as  "  the  Point;"  and  a  tract  embracing  two  or 
three  farms  on  the  north  ridge  road  in  Brown  helm, 
was  also  proposed  ;  but  neither  of  these  was  thought 
to  be  large  enough  for  the  full  execution  of  the  pro- 
ject. The  level  tract,  with  a  hard  clay  soil,  forming 
the  southern  part  of  Russia  township,  remained  as 
yet  undisturbed  by  settlers,  who  were  disposed  to 
choose  more  desirable  locations. 

The  day  following  the  season  of  prayer  in  which 
their  plan  had  taken  definite  and  fixed  shape  in  their 
minds,  Mr.  Shipherd  and  Mr.  Stewart  mounted  their 
horses    and    rode    to    this  unoccupied    tract.     Along 


what  is  now  Main  street,  the  line  of  a  road  had  been 
marked  years  before  by  a  party  of  surveyors,  who  had 
cut  down  the  trees  for  a  width  of  about  four  rods, 
but  this  cleared  sjiace  was  at  this  time  overgrown  by 
underbrush.  Having  arrived  at  this  place  they  dis- 
mounted and  secured  their  horses,  and  kneeling 
under  a  tree  asked  divine  guidance.  The  elm  stand- 
ing in  the  south  east  corner  of  the  college  square  is 
pointed  out  as  the  one  under  which  this  first  ])rayer 
was  offered.  They  at  that  time  fixed  npon  this  un- 
occupied tract  as  the  site  for  the  future  Oberlin. 

The  next  thing  was  to  secure  its  possession,  and 
the  next  to  obtain  settlers  ;  and  for  the  attainment  of 
these  objects,  as  well  as  to  raise  funds  for  the  promo- 
tion of  the  enterprise,  and  to  engage  teachers  and 
students  for  the  school,  Mr.  Shipherd  resolved  to 
visit  New  England.  The  owners  of  the  tract.  Street 
and  Hughes,  with  whom  it  seemed  desirable  to  treat 
immediately,  resided  in  New  Haven  ;  and  such  men 
as  were  needed  for  colonists,  and  would  be  willing  to 
enter  upon  the  arduous  undertaking,  must  be  found 
in  New  England. 

After  a  two  weeks'  journey  Mr.  Shipherd  arrived  in 
New  Haven,  and  calling  upon  the  i)roprietors  asked 
of  them  a  gift  of  five  hundred  acres  of  land  for  a 
manual  labor  school,  with  the  understanding  that,  a 
colony  being  collected,  for  the  remaining  five  thou- 
sand acres  they  should  receive  from  the  settlers,  as 
fast  as  sold,  at  the  rate  of  a  dollar  and  a  half  an  acre  ; 
and  this  proposition  he  enforced  with  the  plea  that 
their  acceptance  of  it  would  be  a  mutual  benefit,  by 
aiding  the  school  and  by  bringing  their  lands  into 
market. 

After  calling  upon  them  day  after  day  without  suc- 
cess, as  he  came  down  from  his  room  one  morning  he 
remarked  to  the  lady  of  the  house  where  he  was  stay- 
ing, "I  shall  succeed  to-day."  And  he  did;  for  on 
calling  one  of  the  firm  told  him  that  they  had  con- 
cluded to  accept  his  pro])osition. 

It  was  planned  to  sell  the  five  thousand  acres  to 
the  settlers  at  an  advance  of  one  dollar,  thus  securing 
a  fund  of  five  thousand  dollars  with  which  to  hi}-  the 
foundations  of  the  college,  enough  of  this  fund  being 
appropriated  to  build  a  saw  mill  and  grist  mill,  to  be 
owned  by  the  college. 

The  next  thing  necessary  was  the  securing  of  such 
settlers  as  would  make  a  distinctively  christian  col- 
ony. To  secure  such  as  were  desired,  a  covenant  was 
drawn  up,  which  all  who  jtrojiosed  to  become  mem- 
bers of  the  colony  were  asked  to  sign. 

This  is  a  historic  document,  and  we  give  it  entire  : 

THE   OBERLIN    COVENANT. 

"Lamenting  the  degeneracy  of  the  church,  and  the  deplorable  con- 
dition of  our  ijerishiug  world,  and  ardently  desirous  of  bringing  bolh 
under  the  entire  influence  of  the  blessed  gospel  of  peace;  and  viewing 
with  peculiar  interest  the  influence  which  the  valley  of  the  Mississii)pi 
must  exert  over  our  nation  and  the  nati<>ns  of  the  earth ;  and  having,  as 
we  trust,  in  answer  to  devout  supplications,  been  guided  by  the  counKel 
of  the  Lord:  the  undersigned  covenant  together,  under  the  name  of  the 
Oberlin  Colony,  subject  to  the  following  regulations,  which  may  be 
amended  by  a  concurrence  of  two-thirds  of  the  colonists: 

"  1.  Providence  permitting,  we  engage  as  soon  as  practicable  to 
remove  lo  the  Oberlin   Colony,   iu   Russia,   Lorain  county,   Ohio,  and 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


171 


there  to  fix  our  residence,  for  the  express  purpose  of  glorifying  God 
in  doing  good  to  men  to  the  extent  of  our  ability. 

"2.  We  will  hold  and  manage  our  estates  personally,  but  pledge  as 
perfect  a  community  of  interest  as  though  we  held  a  community  of 
property. 

"3.  We  will  hold  in  possession  no  more  property  than  we  believe  we 
fan  profitably  manage  for  God  as  His  faithful  stewards. 

"4.  We  will,  by  industry,  economy  and  Christian  self-denial,  obtain 
as  much  as  we  can,  above  our  necessary  personal  expenses  or  family 
expenses,  and  faithfully  appropriate  the  same  for  the  spread  of  the 
gosjiel. 

"5.  That  we  may  have  time  and  health  for  the  Lord's  service,  we 
will  eat  only  plain  and  wholesome  food,  renouncing  all  bad  habits,  and 
especially  the  smoking  and  chewing  of  tobacco,  unless  it  is  necessarj-  as 
a  medicine,  and  deny  ourselves  all  strong  and  unnecessary  drinks,  even 
tea  and  coffee,  as  far  as  practicable,  and  everything  expensive,  that  is 
simply  calculated  to  gratify  the  palate. 

"G.  That  we  may  add  to  our  time,  health  and  money  for  the  service 
of  the  Lord,  we  will  renounce  all  the  world's  expensive  and  unwhole- 
some fashions  of  dress,  particularly  tight  dressing  and  ornamental 
attire. 

"7.  And  yet  more  to  increase  our  means  of  serving  Him  who  bought 
us  with  His  blood,  we  will  observe  plainness  and  durability  in  the  con- 
struction of  our  houses,  furniture,  carriages,  and  all  that  appertains 
to  us. 

"S.  We  will  strive  continually  to  show  that  we.  as  the  body  of  Christ, 
are  members  one  of  another;  and  will,  while  living,  provide  for  the 
widows,  orphans  and  families  of  the  sick  and  needy  as  for  ourselves. 

*'  9.  We  will  take  especial  pains  to  educate  all  our  cliildreu  thoroughly 
and  to  train  them  up  in  body,  intellect  and  heart  for  the  service  of  the 
Lord. 

"  10.  We  will  feel  that  the  interests  of  the  Oberhn  Institute  are  iden- 
tified with  ours,  and  do  what  we  can  to  extend  its  influence  to  our  fallen 
race. 

"II.  We  will  make  sp.^cial  efforts  to  sustain  the  institutions  of  the 
gospel  at  home  and  among  our  neighbors. 

"12.  We  will  strive  to  maintain  deep-toned  and  elevated  personal 
piety,  to  '  provoke  each  other  to  love  and  good  works,'  to  live  together 
in  all  things  as  brethren,  and  to  glorify  God  in  our  bodies  and  spirits, 
which  are  His. 

"  In  testimony  of  our  fixed  purpose  thus  to  do,  in  reliance  on  Divine 
grace,  we  hereunto  affix  our  names." 

This  covenant  for  the  colony  expressed  the  purpose 
aiul  s})irit  which  its  founders  meant  should  charac- 
terize it.  In  its  strict  and  particular  application  it 
gave  rise,  for  a  time,  to  some  differences;  but  after  a 
year  or  two  it  was  found  necessary  to  leave  tlie  deter- 
mination of  personal  duty  in  practical  affairs  to  the 
individual  conscience  and  judgment. 

Mr.  Shipherd  endeavored  to  raise  funds  by  the  sale 
of  scholarships.  These  scholarships  were  to  be  per- 
})etual,  and  weie  put  at  one  liundredand  fifty  dollars. 
Each  scholarship  entitled  its  owner  to  keej)  one  per- 
son in  school;  but  it  gave  him  only  the  privileges  of 
the  school,  and  paid  none  of  his  expenses. 


II. 


-THE  BEGIXXING. 


The  first  settler  of  Oberlin  was  Peter  Pindar  Pease 
of  Brownhelm,  who  cut  down  the  first  tree  March  15, 
1833.  On  April  3d  he  came  on  with  two  men,  and 
these  three  cut  an  ox-wagon  road  through  the  dense 
forest.  April  19th,  he  removed  his  family  into  a  log 
house  which  they  had  erected.  These  house  stood  on 
tlie  southeast  corner  of  what  is  now  the  college  square, 
a  little  back  of  the  elm  under  which  Mr.  Shipherd 
and  Mr.  Stewart  had  first  knelt  in  prayer.  Upon  the 
front  door  of  this  first  dwelling  was  written  in  large 
characters,  *'  I  beseech  you,  therefore,  brethren,  by 
the  mercies  of  God,  tliat  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living 
sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your 
reasonable  service;"  and  this  remained  through  the 
season. 


Tlie  first  Sabbath  they  held  their  first  Sabbath  wor- 
ship under  the  trees  on  the  spot  where  the  First 
Church  now  stands.  They  prayed,  and  sang  and 
read  a  sermon,  and  also  began  a  Sabbath  school,  which 
has  been  held  uninterruptedly  every  Sabbath  since. 
A  large  force  of  laborers  was  employed  to  fell  the 
forest.  To  these  no  liquor  was  furnished,  as  was  the 
custom  at  that  time;  yet  there  was  no  difficulty  in 
obtaining  sufficient  help. 

The  only  opening  which  they  found  in  the  forest 
was  a  little  clover  patch  about  twenty  feet  srpiare, 
nearly  opposite  the  place  where  the  Second  Church 
now  stands,  which  had  been  for  many  years  an  Indian 
encampment.  On  this  spot  the  trustees  of  the  school 
held  their  first  session  on  the  soil.  The  names  of  these 
trustees,  the  same  persons  afterward  named  in  the 
charter,  were  Rev.  J.  J.  Shipherd,  P.  P.  Stewart,  and 
P.  P.  Pease,  Addison  Tracy  of  Elyria,  Judge  Henry 
Brown  of  Brownhelm,  Captain  E.  Rediugton  of  Am- 
herst, Rev.  Joel  Talcott  of  Wellington,  J.  L.  Burrell 
of  Sheffield,  and  Rev.  John  Keys  of  Dover. 

These  were  among  the  substantial  men  of  the  sur- 
rounding I'egion,  and  having  imbibed  the  sjnrit  of  Mr. 
Shipherd  were  not  daunted  by  the  difficulties  they 
encountered  and  the  greatness  of  the  undertaking. 

A  letter  from  the  colonists  already  on  the  ground  to 
Mr.  Shipherd,  while  at  the  east,  dated  June  11,  1833, 
shows  that  they  had  also  shared  the  common  enthu- 
siasm. Til  is  letter  was  signed  by  all  the  men  then  on 
the  ground,  as  follows:  Peter  P.  Pease,  Brewster  Pel- 
ton,  Samuel  Daniels,  Philip  James,  Pringle  Hamilton, 
William  Ilosford,  Asahel  Munger,  Harvey  Gibbs, 
Jacob  J.  Safford' Daniel  Morgan.  But  three  or  four 
women  were  here  as  }'et,  several  of  the  men  having 
come  first  to  prepare  places  for  their  families. 

We  give  a  few  extracts  from  this  letter,  to  show 
their  spirit,  and  what  they  were  doing: 

"We  have  had  meetings  every  Sabbath  since  the  commencement.  Had 
a  visit  from  Brother  Betts.  of  Brownhelm.  He  will  preach  for  us  every 
fourth  Sabbath  till  you  return.  Brother  Leavenworth,  also  of  Brown- 
helm, preached  to  us  the  first  Sabbath  after  the  brethren  arrived  from 
Vermont— and  a  blessed  day  it  was.  for  the  Lord  was  here.  The  people 
came  in  from  the  east,  the  west,  and  the  south.  The  number  from 
abroad  was  between  twenty  and  thirty.  We  trust  that  you  cease  not  to 
pray  for  us,  that  we  may  be  guided  in  every  path  of  duty  and  useful- 
ness, and  above  all,  that  we  may  love  one  another  with  pure  hearts 
fervently.  ********* 

"  We  have  commenced  our  clearing,  beginning  at  the  center,  and  run- 
ning soutiiwest.  We  have  about  twenty  acres  now  chopped,  and  four 
cleared  off.  Are  planting  two  of  it  to  corn,  and  more  than  one  we  sow 
to  oats  and  grass,  for  a  little  pasture.  The  remainder  is  occupied  by 
two  log  houses,  and  a  site  for  the  boarding  house  and  school  room. 
The  school  [college]  will  be  in  the  upper  loft.  We  have  the  timber  all 
hewed,  but  one  day's  work. 

"The  brethren  have  mostly  selected  and  procured  their  land,  and  are 
now  chopping  their  village  lots,  which  wiU  make  a  pleasant  opening  on 
the  south  side  of  the  road.  We  have  about  fifty  cords  of  wood  cut  for 
the  engine.  We  can  say,  '  thus  far  the  Lord  hath  helped  us.'  May  we 
ever  acknowledge  him.  Dear  brother,  pray  for  the  peace  of  the  colony. 
We  have  a  special  prayer  meeting  every  Saturday  evening,  in  which  we 
remember  j'ou,  and  hope  to  be  remembered  by  you." 

The  writers  also  speak  of  four  Sabbath  schools  in 
neighboring  settlements,  which  they  had  either  estab- 
lished, or  were  about  to  open. 

Mr.  Shipherd  returned  in  September,  and  moved 
to  Oberlin,  taking  up  his  quarters  with  his  family 
and  another  family,  in  the  basement  of  the  first  col- 


1' 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


lege  building,  afterward  called  Oberlin  Hall.  During 
his  absence,  he  had  secured  a  number  of  families  as 
colonists,  had  enlisted  students  to  come  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  school,  had  engaged  teachers,  and  had 
raised  nearly  fifteen  thousand  dollars  iu  contributions 
and  subscriptions.  The  teachers  expected  from  the 
east  could  not  come  at  the  beginning  of  the  school, 
and  a  student  from  Hudson  college,  Mr.  John  F. 
Scoville,  was  engaged  to  take  temporary  charge,  and 
the  school  was  opened  the  3d  day  of  December,  1833. 
This  Ijeing  an  occasion  of  much  interest,  on  the  even- 
ing preceding  a  meeting  was  hold  to  ask  God's  bless- 
ing upon  the  enterprise.  During  its  progress,  Mr. 
Scoville  reached  the  place,  and  going  into  the  meet- 
ing, after  listening  to  the  prayers  and  remarks,  he  rose 
to  speak,  and  his  first  woi'ds  were,  "  Put  off  thy  shoes 
from  thy  feet,  for  the  place  wheie  thou  standest  is 
holy  ground."" 

The  school,  this  first  term,  was  composed  of  forty- 
four  i)ui)ils,  twenty-nine  young  men  and  fifteen  young 
women;  half  of  whom  were  from  the  east,  the  re- 
mainder from  neighboring  towns.  A  primary  school 
was  also  organized  in  connection  with  the  instution, 
composed  of  the  children  of  the  colonists,  numbering 
about  twenty,  and  taught  by  Miss  Eliza  Branch,  now 
Mrs.  George  Clarke,  of  Oberlin.  After  the  first 
winter,  this  primary  department  was  discontinued, 
and  the  elementary  education  of  the  children  was  left 
to  the  public  schools. 

The  colony  was  composed,  at  this  time,  of  eleven 
families,  sevei'al  of  the  men  who  had  spent  the  sum- 
mer on  the  grounds  having  gone  back  east,  with  the  ex- 
pectation of  returning  in  the  si>ring  with  their  families. 
The  college  building  was  thirty-five  by  forty  feet  in 
its  dimensions,  with  two  i-egular  stories,  and  a  third 
story,  running  up  from  the  central  part,  called  an 
attic.  In  the  rear  was  an  appendage  embracing  tlie 
kitchen  and  apartments  for  the  steward,  in  which  -Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stewart  presided.  Mr.  Shipherd,  with  his 
family,  occupied  the  basement.  Ilis  otlice,  as  corres- 
ponding secretary  and  general  agent,  was  in  the  room 
above,  which  was  also  oceu])ied  by  the  priiu'ipal,  for 
Ilis  study. 

Across  the  hall  was  the  din  inn-room,  and  above, 
the  school-room,  chapel  and  church  all  in  one,  which 
was  about  eighteen  feet  wide  and  thirty-five  long. 

The  young  ladies  occupied  the  second  story  over 
against  the  chapel,  while  the  young  men  were  sent 
into  the  attic,  where  each  pair  found  a  room  eight 
feet  square,  with  a  window  of  six  small  lights  on  the 
side,  above  the  student  as  he  sat.  This  mom  was 
furnished  with  a  stove,  table,  two  chairs,  and  a  turn- 
up bedstead,  these  filling  the  I'oom  when  the  bed- 
stead was  let  down,  but  leaving  a  little  room  when  it 
was  turned  up  during  the  day. 

The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Shi))herd  to  his 
parents,  dated  December  13,  1833,  shows  his  feelings 
at  this  time  : 

"The  Lord  is  to  be  praised  that  we  were  enabled  to  open  our  institu- 
tion at  the  appointed  time,  December  3rd,     We  have  now  thirty-four 


boarding  scholars,  and  expect  forty  for  the  winter.  Applicants  are 
without  number,  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  from  Mich- 
igan to  the  Atlantic.  The  scholars  study  and  work  well.  Five  minutes 
after  the  manual  labor  bell  strikes,  the  hammers,  saws,  etc.,  of  the 
mechanical  students  make  a  noise  all  around  us,  and  the  axe  men  iu 
the  woods  breaking  '  the  ribs  of  Nature,'  make  all  crack.  Nearly  all 
our  visitors— and  the.y  are  not  few— express  suri>rise  that  so  good  a  ■ 
work  has  been  wrought  here  in  so  short  a  time.  God  be  praised!  I 
feel  as  I  said  in  my  sleep  the  other  night,  'Oberlin  will  win,  and  the 
devil  cannot  hinder  it.'  This,  my  sweet  assurance,  I  hope  rests  on 
God,  without  whom  we  can  do  nothing." 

In  February,  1834,  a  charter  was  obtained  for  the 
college  from  the  State  legislature,  with  university 
privileges,  under  the  modest  name  of  "The  Oberlin 
Collegiate  Institute."  This  name  was  retained  till 
1850,  when  it  was  clianged  to  "Oberlin  College." 
A  circular  was  issued  March  8,  which,  so  far  as  is 
known,  was  the  first, — in  which  the  objects  of  the 
institution  are  thus  stated: 

"  The  grand  objects  of  the  Oberlin  Institute  are,  to  give  the  most  use- 
ful edvxcation  at  the  least  exi>ense  of  health,  time  and  money  :  and  to 
extend  the  benefits  of  such  education  to  both  sexes  and  all  classes  of 
the  community  as  far  as  its  means  will  allow.  Its  sj'stem  embraces 
thorough  instruction  in  every  department,  from  the  infant  school  ui» 
through  a  collegiate  and  theological  course.  While  care  will  be  taken 
not  to  lower  the  standard  of  intellectual  culture,  no  pains  will  be  spared 
to  combine  with  it  the  best  physical  and  moral  education.  Prominent 
objects  of  this  seminary  are,  the  thorough  qualification  of  christian 
teachers,  both  for  the  pulpit  and  for  schools  ;  and  the  elevation  of 
female  character,  by  bringing  within  the  reach  of  the  misjudged  and 
neglected  sex  all  the  instructive  privileges  which  hitherto  have  unrea- 
sonably distinguished  the  leading  sex  from  theirs."' 

A  little  farther  on  it  is  added  : 

"  To  some  this  novel  institution  in  the  woods  may  appear  vi.sionary, 
but  theoretic  demonstration  of  its  practicability  might  here  be  given, 
with  some  experimental  proof,  did  the  limits  of  this  paper  permit. 
However,  leaving  the  discussion  of  the  gi'and  principles  upon  which 
this  seminary  rests  till  another  time,  we  here  say,  with  gratitude  to 
God,  that  our  most  sanguine  expectations  have  been  hitherto  more 
than  reahzed." 

In  May  the  expected  teachers  from  the  east  arrived, 
and  the  summer  term  opened  May  7.  These  teachers 
were  Rev.  Seth  II.  Waldo,  a  graduate  of  Amherst  Col- 
lege and  Andover  Seminary,  and  who,  in  comiiliance 
with  an  invitation  from  the  trustees,  had  engaged  to 
tissume  the  superintendence  of  the  institute  till  its 
president  should  take  it  iu  charge,  ;ind  then  w;is  ex- 
pected to  fill  the  professorship  of  langutiges;  James 
Dascomb,  M.  D.,  from  Dartmouth  Medical  College, 
who  had  been  apjiointed  professor  of  cliemistry,  bot- 
any and  physiology;  and  Mr.  Daniel  Branch,  also  a 
graduate  of  Amherst  College,  who  was  made  princi- 
pal of  the  preparatory  department.  Mrs.  Dascomb, 
who  had  been  a  pupil  of  Miss' Grant,  of  Ipswich,  was 
soon  made  principal  of  the  ladies'  department;  and 
Mrs.  Branch  became  the  teacher  of  Latin,  French, 
and  of  other  branches,  as  occasion  required. 

Thus  the  new  school  was  fairly  begun.  Its  organi- 
zation was  effected,  an  efficient  corjis  of  teachers 
jirovided,  and  its  prospects  were  encouraging.  The 
number  of  students  during  this  first  summer  term 
was  one  hundred  and  one — sixty-three  young  men  and 
thirty-eight  young  women;  and  for  these  the  accom- 
modations were  barely  sufficient. 

This  beginning  was  almost  literally  in  the  woods. 
A  considerable  space,  it  is  true,  was  cleared  of  trees, 
but  their  stumps  were  numerous,  and  the  roads  were 
at  times  almost  impassable.     Indeed,  away  from  the 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


173 


town  they  were  but  tracks  through  the  woods,  and 
even  young  ladies  coming  to  the  school  often  walked 
tlic  last  two  or  three  miles. 

A  few  items,  taken  mostly  from  "Camp's  Directory 
of  Oberlin,'"  comjiilcd  and  iniblished  a  few  years  since, 
will  show  the  beginning  of  some  branches  of  business, 
etc.,  about  this  time  and  a  little  later. 

In  1833,  Brewster  Pelton  put  up  a  log  house,  which 
served  as  a  hotel,  a  few  rods  cast  of  the  elm  which  has 
been  mentioned.  In  1834,  he  built  in  front  of  it  a 
comfortable  frame  building,  which  was  burned  in  18GG 
and  the  Park  House  erected  in  its  place. 

The  first  blacksmith  shop  in  Oberlin  was  owned  by 
Bela  Ilall,  and  stood  on  the  site  of  E.  M.  Leonard's 
present  dwelling  house.  At  that  time  the  creek  ran 
just  south  of  his  shop,  though  it  has  since  changed 
its  course  after  crossing  Main  street. 

In  December,  1834,  Anson  Pcnfield  started  a  black- 
smith shop  and  edge-tool  factory  near  the  college  mill 
on  South  Main  street.  His  grindstone  was  placed  in 
the  basement  of  the  mill,  which  furnished  the  power. 
In  1838,  he  was  killed,  while  alone,  using  the  grind- 
stone, by  being  caught  by  the  belt  and  carried  around 
the  wheel.  His  brother,  Isaac  Penfield,  carried  on 
his  shoj)  after  his  death,  afterward  associating  witii 
himself  James  McWade.  At  the  same  time  Hiram 
Pease  had  a  wagon  shop  on  the  corner  now  occupied 
by  I.  Penfield  and  son.  He  afterwards  sold  to  Pen- 
field  and  Avery. 

The  first  store  in  Oberlin  was  opened  in  1834,  by 
Theodore  S.  Ingersoll.  This  store  continued  but  a 
short  time — perhaps  two  years. 

The  first  steam  mill  was  built  by  Oberlin  College, 
in  the  fall  of  1833,  south  of  Plum  creek,  on  South 
Main  street,  near  where  the  residence  of  James 
McWade  now  stands.  It  was  at  first  only  a  saw  mill. 
The  engine  was  constructed  in  Cleveland,  and  was 
brought  on  in  October,  1833,  and  the  saw  mill  was 
soon  in  operation.  The  next  year  a  small  flouring 
mill  was  erected,  to  be  driven  by  the  same  engine; 
also  machines  for  cutting  lath  and  shingles. 

These  machines  furnished  labor  for  several  students, 
and  the  whole  establishment  was  owned  by  the  col- 
lege. This  seemed  at  first  necessary,  but  was  found 
on  the  whole  inexpedient,  and  it  was  afterward  sold 
and  became  the  property  of  individuals. 

Another  college  building  was  found  necessary,  and 
the  building  afterward  known  as  the  "boarding  hall," 
or  the  "ladies'  hall,"'  was  begun  in  the  summer  of 
1834,  and  completed  in  the  summer  of  1835. 

It  was  a  three-story  frame  building,  thirty-eight  by 
eighty,  with  two  wings  projecting  backward,  of  two 
stories  each.  It  stood  west  of  Oberlin  Hall,  in  the 
sj)ace  between  the  Second  Church  and  the  east  side  of 
college  place,  close  upon  the  side  of  the  street,  and 
fronting  the  college  square.  It  served  its  purpose  for 
thirty  years.  After  the  completion  of  the  present 
ladies'  hall,  it  was  divided  into  five  different  por- 
tions, now  occupied  as  dwelling  houses  in  different 
parts  of  the  town,  the  most  conspicuous  of  which  is 


No.  34  West  College  street.  A  considerable  of  the 
work  of  this  building  was  done  by  students.  When 
it  was  raised,  the  students  turned  out  in  a  body,  and 
all  study  was  suspended  for  three  days.  Sometimes 
the  students  were  called  upon  to  assist  a  temperance 
nuni  to  raise  a  liuilding  without  the  bottle,  and  they 
would  cheerfully  sacrifice  a  day's  study  in  the  good 
cause. 

Neither  tea  nor  coffee  was  furnished  at  the  college 
hall,  and  they  were  quite  generally  discarded  in  pri- 
vate families.  Indeed,  in  a  meeting  of  the  colonists, 
the  question  was  raised  whether  it  was  in  accoi  dance 
with  the  principles  of  the  Oberlin  covenant  that  tea 
and  coffee  should  be  furnished  the  guests  at  the  hotel, 
but  it  was  decided  that  not  to  do  it  would  be  imprac- 
ticable. Board  at  the  hall  was  plain,  substantial  and 
cheap.  The  charge  for  board  in  the  hall  was  seventy- 
five  cents  a  week  for  a  strictly  vegetable  diet,  and  a 
dollar  for  the  addition  of  meat  twice  a  day.  The  first 
annual  report,  published  in  November,  1834,  esti- 
mated the  entire  expense  of  the  student  for  all  his 
requirements  excejit  clothing,  during  the  forty  weeks 
of  term  time,  as  ranging  from  fifty-eight  to  eighty- 
nine  dollars.  This  amount  was  in  most  cases  readily 
earned  by  the  required  labor,  four  hours  per  day,  at 
from  four  to  twelve  cents  an  hour.  A  long  winter 
vacation  of  twelve  weeks  for  the  regular  classes  gave 
advanced  students  an  o])portunity  to  teach. 

The  first  college  class  was  organized  in  October, 
1834,  consisting  of  four  young  men,  who  passed  an 
examination  for  the  freshman  class,  and  who  were 
well  fitted  to  enter  any  college  at  that  time.  Two  of 
these  were  brothers,  one  of  whom  is  now  president  of 
the  college,  and  the  other  president  of  Berea  College, 
Kentucky.  The  first  commencement  or  anniversary 
was  held  on  the  29th  of  October.  As  there  were  none 
to  graduate,  the  four  who  were  entering  college,  and 
others  of  the  more  advanced  students,  had  exercises. 
Among  the  exercises  were  Latin  and  Greek  orations, 
and  a  collo([ny  favoring  a  classical  education.  The 
little  chapel  was  crowded.  The  trustees  and  several 
visitors  from  neighboring  towns  were  present. 

Public  worship  was  observed  in  Oberlin  about  a 
year  and  a  half  before  the  organization  of  a  church. 
August  19,  1834,  at  a  meeting  called  for  the  purpose, 
it  was 

''Resolved,  That  a  church  be  formed  as  soon  as  may  be,  and  that  it  be 
called  the  '  First  Congregational  Church  of  Christ  in  Oberlin.'  " 

September  3d,  a  confession  of  faith  having  been 
drawn  up  and  adopted,  sixty-two  persons  were  exam- 
ined; and  on  September  13th,  at  another  meeting,  it 
was 

"Resolved,  That  those  who  have  been  examined  and  accepted  do  now 
consider  themselves  as  members,  and  that  the  church  is  now  legally 
and  completely  organized." 

Mr.  Shipherd  was  to  "preside  as  chairman  of  their 
social  and  religious  meetings  for  the  time  being." 
"  Of  the  original  sixty-two  members,"  says  Rev.  James 
Brand,  in  his  pamphlet  history  of  the  first  Church 
of  Oberlin,  "I  have  been  able  to  find  only  some 
eighteen  or  twenty  who  have  not  crossed  the  river." 


17^ 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Mr.  Shipherd  officiated  as  pastor,  and  in  his  absence 
Mr.  Waldo  usually  jireached. 

Several  new  houses  were  erected  during  this  year, 
on  Main  street  and  around  tiie  scpiare.  At  a  colonial 
meeting  the  question  was  raised  what  color  the  houses 
should  be  painted;  and  it  was  finallv  voted,  some 
strongly  jirotesting,  that  as  red  was  the  cheai)est  and 
most  durable  color,  the  houses  ought  to  he  painted 
this  color.  But  with  the  exception  of  the  Oberlin 
shop,  and  two  or  three  houses,  one  of  them  Mr.  Ship- 
herd's,  this  vote  was  not  carried  out,  and  with  these 
only  for  a  few  years. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  year  after  Mr.  Shipherd 
had  begun  to  put  his  jdan  into  execution,  there  was 
a  community  of  thirty-five  families,  a  church  of  more 
than  eighty  members,  a  college  numbering  over  a 
hundred  students,  with  land  and  buildings  and  other 
property  valued  at  seventeen  thousand  dollars,  and 
such  a  movement  toward  the  school  that  large  num- 
bers of  applicants  had  to  be  turned  away. 

III. — ENLARGEMENT. 

Oberlin  as  an  idea  had  already  become  transformed 
into  Oberlin  as  a  fact  or  reality.  What  its  founders 
had  thought  and  planned  was  now  actual,  a  part  of 
the  living  outward  world.  But  now  an  event  was  to 
take  place  which  was  to  bring  it  a  sudden  and  great 
enlargement,  which  was  to  produce  a  development 
not  only  outwardly,  but  of  its  vital  principles.  Not 
that  these  principles  were  to  be  superseded,  they  must 
still  be  fundamental;  but  they  were  to  be  develojted, 
and  to  receive  a  larger  application.  But  the  founders 
are  themselves  to  be  superseded.  The  work  which 
they  so  wisely  planned  and  so  well  began,  shall  be 
carried  on  by  others,  under  the  inspiration,  indeed,  of 
their  ideas,  but  made  more  emphatic  by  new  devel- 
opments. 

Mr.  Shipherd  iiaviiigbeeu  instructed  by  the  trustees 
to  make  another  tour  through  tiie  east  to  collect  more 
funds  and  to  find  a  president,  and  having,  in  a  season 
of  fasting  and  prayer  as  his  usual  preparation  for  a 
new  movement,  received  a  strong  and  growing  ini- 
jjressioM  that  he  siioiild  go  by  Cincinnati,  set  out  for 
that  city.  Having  arrived  there,  and  calling  on  Rev. 
Asa  Mahan,  jjastor  of  the  Sixth  street  Presbyterian 
church,  he  learned  from  him  an  event  which  cleared 
up  the  enigma  of  his  inijiressiou  that  ho  must  go  by 
Cincinnati. 

It  must  L)e  remembered  that  the  anti-slavery  re- 
form, begun  a  few  years  previously,  was  now  greatly 
agitating  the  country.  January  1,  1831,  William 
Lloyd  Garrison  began,  in  Boston,  the  publication  of 
a  paper,  which  he  called  the  Liberulur,  in  which  he 
strongly  urged  the  immediate  and  unconditional 
abolition  of  slavery.  January  1st,  1832,  the  New 
England  (afterward  the  Massachusetts)  anti-slavery 
society  was  formed,  and  during  the  same  year  the 
American  anti-slavery  society,  both  for  the  agitation 
and  propagation  of  the  same  principle.     General  and 


violent  opposition  was  at  once  aroused.  The  excite- 
ment throughout  the  country  was  intense,  and  the 
holding  of  anti-slavery  meetings  not  unfrecjuently 
provoked  mobs. 

Lane  Theological  Seminary  was  founded  at  Walnut 
Hills,  near  Cincinnati,  in  IK'^9,  and  l)ecame  prosperous, 
having  more  than  a  hundred  students.  These,  how- 
ever, were  not  all  theological  students.  Many  of 
them  formed  a  literary  department,  in  j)reparation 
for  theology,  under  the  charge  of  Professor  John 
Morgan.  The  theological  professors  were  Dr.  Lyman 
Beecher,  Calvin  E.  Stowc,  and  Thomas  Biggs.  The 
anti-slavery  agitation  reached  the  students  of  this 
seminary,  some  of  whom  were  from  the  south,  and 
several  of  whimi  were  young  men  of  uncommon 
ability.  An  anti-slavery  scK'iety  was  formed  soon 
after  the  formation  of  the  American  anti-slavery 
society,  and  auxiliary  to  it;  and  at  the  anniversary  of 
the  parent  society  in  New  York,  in  the  spring  of 
1834,  two  of  the  students,  Henry  B.  Stanton  and 
James  A.  Thome,  of  Kentucky,  made  speeches  which 
excited  much  interest.  The  subject  was  afterward 
debated  eighteen  successive  evenings,  and  as  a  result, 
nearly  all  in  the  seminary  were  won  over  to  the  anti- 
slavery  view. 

They  established  Sabbath  and  day  schools  for  the  col- 
ored children  in  the  city,  and  communications  were 
sent  to  the  papers,  which  elicited  discussion.  Several 
of  the  trustees  were  business  nien,  and  did  not  approve 
this  course  of  the  students.  During  the  summer 
vacation,  while  Professors  Beecher,  Stowe,  and  Mor- 
gan were  absent  at  the  east,  the  students  also  being 
away,  the  trustees  held  a  meeting,  and  passed  a  code 
of  laws,  prohibiting  the  discussion  of  the  subject  of 
slavery  by  the  students,  and  empowering  the  pruden- 
tial committee  to  dismiss  the  students  at  their  pleas- 
ure. Professor  Morgan  being  supposed  to  sympathise 
with  the  students  in  their  views  and  course,  was 
notified  that  he  need  not  return.  When  the  students 
on  their  return,  learned  of  the  action  of  the  trustees, 
all  but  twelve  of  them  left  the  seminary,  and  for  five 
months  pursued  their  studies  together  in  a  building 
provided  for  them  by  James  Ludlow.  Mr.  Mahan 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  protested  in 
vain  against  their  action,  and  resigned  his  place  when 
he  saw  the  obnoxious  code  would  be  passed. 

Such  were  the  facts  which  Mr.  Shipherd  learned  for 
the  first  time  from  Mr.  Mahan.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  tliat  was  before  the  days  of  railroads  and 
telegraphs,  and  the  transmission  of  news  was  slow. 
Mr.  Mahan  and  Mr.  Shipherd  then  devised  the  jdan  j 
of  adding  a  theological  department  to  the  institution  j 
at  Oberlin,  of  which  the  seceding  students  of  Lane 
Seminary  should  constitute  the  first  classes. 

December  12,  1834,  ]\[r.  Shipherd  writes  to  the 
trustees  at  Oberlin,  urging  the  appointment  of  Rev. 
Asa  Mahan,  as  president,  and  Rev.  John  Morgan, 
professor  of  mathematics.  To  this  recommendation 
he  adds: 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


1% 


"  I  desire  you,  at  tne  first  meeting  of  the  trustees,  to  secure  the  pas- 
sage of  the  following  resolution,  to  wit: 

■'  Resolved,  That  students  shall  be  receired  into  this  institution  irre- 
spective of  color. 

"  This  should  be  passed  because  it  is  a  right  principle,  and  God  will 
bless  us  in  doing  right.  Also,  because,  thus  doing  right  we  gain  the  con- 
fidence of  benevolent  and  able  men,  who  probably  will  furnish  us  some 
thousands.  Moreover,  brothers  Mahan  and  Morgan  will  not  accept  our 
invitation  unless  this  principle  rule.  Indeed,  if  our  board  would  violate 
right  so  as  to  reject  youth  of  talent  and  piety  because  they  were  bUick. 
I  should  have  no  heiirt  to  labor  for  the  upbuilding  of  our  Seminary,  be 
lieving  that  the  curse  of  God  would  come  upon  us,  as  it  has  upon  Lane 
Seminary,  for  its  unchristian  abuse  of  the  poor  slave." 

A  proposition  so  new  :ind  unlieard  of,  not  only  the 
trustees,  but  even  the  teachers,  students,  and  the  ])eo- 
ple  of  Oberliii  were  not  yet  prepared  to  accept.  Tliere 
was  much  excitement;  and  the  trustees,  iioping  to 
find  a  calmer  atmosphere,  lield  a  meeting,  on  January 
1,  1835,  at  the  Temperance  House  in  Elyria.  A 
petition  was  presented  to  them,  signed  by  the  principal 
colonists  and  by  several  of  the  students  who  remained 
during  the  vacation,  requesting  that  the  board  meet  at 
Oberlin.  The  petition  expresses  a  feeling  of  uncer- 
tainty respecting  the  question  to  be  decided,  but  also  a 
desire  to  be  led  in  the  path  of  duty.  The  action  was 
conservative  and  non-commital. 

The  result  of  their  deliberations  is  expressed  in  the 
following  preamble  and  resolution: 

"  Whereas,  information  has  been  received  from  Rev.  J.  J.  Shipherd, 
expressing  a  wish  that  students  may  be  received  into  this  institution 
irrespective  of  color;  therefore 

"  Resolved,  That  this  board  do  not  feel  prepared,  until  they  have  mor^- 
definite  information  on  the  subject,  to  give  a  pledge  respecting  the 
course  they  will  pursue  in  regard  to  the  education  of  the  people  of 
color,  wishing  that  this  institution  should  be  on  the  same  ground  in  re 
spect  to  the  admission  of  students  with  other  similar  institutions  of  our 
land." 

The  trustees,  however,  in  accordance  with  Mr.  Ship- 
herd's  request,  appointed  Mr.  Mahan  president  and 
Mr.  Morgan  professor. 

Mr.  Shipherd  heard  of  the  action  of  the  trustees  in 
New  York,  whither  he  had  gone,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Mahan,  to  consult  with  Lewis  and  Arthur  Tappau 
and  other  anti-slavery  men,  in  reference  to  the  plan 
of  adding  a  theological  dcj)artnient  to  Oberlin,  placing 
tlie  students  who  had  left  Lane  Seminary  in  it,  and 
putting  the  institution  on  a  distinctively  anti-slavery 
basis. 

He  wrote  again  to  the  trustees,  and  he  also  sent  a 
pastoral  epistle  to  tlie  peoji^e  of  Oberlin,  in  which  he 
reviews  at  length  the  question  of  greatest  present 
interest.  The  following  extract  shows  his  feeling 
with  respect  to  this: 

"  My  fears  are  excited  by  your  recent  expressions  of  unwillingness  to 
have  youth  of  color  educated  in  our  instituie.  Those  expressions  were  a 
grief  to  me,  such  as  I  have  rarely  suffered.  Although  I  knew  that  with 
some  of  you  the  doctrine  of  expediency  was  against  the  immediate 
abolition  of  slavery  because  the  slaves  were  not  qualified  for  freedom,  I 
supposed  you  thought  it  expedient  and  duty  to  elevate  and  educate 
them  as  fast  as  possible;  that  therefoj-e  you  would  concur  in  receiving 
those  of  promising  talents  and  piety  into  our  institution.  So  confident 
was  X  that  this  would  be  the  prevailing  sentiment  of  Oberlin,  in  the 
colony  and  institution,  Ihat  about  a  year  ago  1  informed  eastern 
inquirers  that  we  received  students  according  to  character,  irrespective 
of  color.  Aud,  beloved,  whatever  the  expediency  or  prejudice  of  some 
may  say,  does  not  duty  require  this?" 

To  this  he  replies,  "most  certainly,"  and  goes  on 
to  give  twenty  reasons  for  this  view.  Under  the  twen- 
tieth head  he  saj's: 


"Such  is  my  conviction  of  dutv  in  the  case,  that  I  cannot  labor  for 
the  enlargement  of  the  Oberlin  C'ollegiate  Institute,  if  our  brethren  In 
Jesus  Christ  must  be  rejected  because  they  differ  from  us  in  color." 

"As  I  have  you,"  he  says,  "as  a.  people  in  my  heart,  to  live  and  die 
with  you,  you  know,  beloved,  that  it  would  be  heart-breaking  to  leave 
you  for  another  field  of  labor;  but  I  have  pondered  the  subject  well, 
with  prayer,  and  believe  that  if  the  injured  brethren  of  color,  and 
consequently  brothers  Finney,  Mahan  and  ^Morgan,  with  eight  pro- 
j  fessorships  and  ten  thousand  dollars,  must  he  rejected,  I  must  join 
[  them;  because  by  so  doing  I  can  labor  more  effectually  for  a  lost  world 
and  the  glory  of  God;  and  believe  me,  dear  brethren  and  sisters,  for  this 
reason  only,^^ 

The  people  of  Oberlin  were  opposed  to  slavery,  but 
■were  not  at  this  time  abolitionists.  In  the  Oberlin 
Lyceum,  which  included  colonists  as  well  as  students, 
the  question  of  slavery  had  been  discussed  the  summer 
previous:  and  it  then  ajqieared  that,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Mr.  Shiplierd  and  two  or  three  students,  the 
entire  community  were  colonizationists,  holding  that 
the  free  people  of  color  and  the  slaves  as  fast  as  they 
were  made  free,  should  be  sent  to  Africa  and  settled 
there. 

In  accordance  witli  the  request  of  Mr.  Shipherd, 
the  trustees  held  another  meeting  at  Oberlin,  February 
9th,  at  Mr.  Shipherd's  house,  which  had  been  erected 
the  summer  previous  on  the  north  side  of  the  college 
square.  Many  had  by  this  time  become  favorable  to 
the  movement,  and  the  result  was  anticipated  with  very 
deep  interest.  The  meeting  was  at  nine  in  the  morn- 
ing, nine  members  being  present.  Rev.  John  Keep, 
pastor  of  a  church  in  Ohio  City  (Cleveland,  west  side), 
was  chairman,  having  been  appointed  in  the  place  of 
Judge  Brown,  who  had  resigned.  The  discussion  was 
warm,  and  the  result  seemed  doubtful.  Mrs.  Ship- 
herd  in  her  anxiety  passing  by  the  door,  which  stood 
ajar,  Mr.  Keep  stepped  out  and  informed  her  how 
matters  stood;  whereupon  she  gathered  her  praying 
sisters  in  the  neighborhood,  and  spent  the  time  in 
prayer  till  the  decision  was  made  known.  When  the 
question  came  to  a  vote,  there  was  a  tie,  aud  Mr. 
Keep,  as  chairman,  gave  the  casting  vote  in  favor  of 
the  resolution.  The  resolution,  as  passed,  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Whereas,  There  does  exist  in  our  country  an  excitement  in  respect 
to  our  colored  population,  and  fears  are  entertained  that,  on  the  one 
hand,  they  will  be  left  unprovided  for  as  to  the  means  of  a  proper 
education,  and,  on  the  other,  that  they  will,  in  unsuitable  numbers,  be 
introduced  into  our  schools,  and  thus  iu  effect  forced  into  the  society  of 
the  whites;  and  the  state  of  public  sentiment  is  sucu  as  to  require  from 
the  board  some  definite  expression  on  the  subject;  tnerefore 

"Kesoiuerf,  That  the  education  of  the  people  of  color  is  a  matter  of 
great  interest,  and  should  be  encouraged  and  sustained  in  this  insti- 
tution." 

In  terms  this  resolution  is  not  clear,  bold  and  posi- 
tive, yet  the  practical  ctfect  of  its  adoption  was  most 
decisive.  As  a  matter  of  fact, .  this  action  of  the 
trustees  committed  the  institution,  unreservedly  and 
forever,  to  an  open  and  practical  rejection  of,  and 
protest  against  the  system  of  castt;  in  respe.  t  to  colored 
jieople.  It  made  the  institution  ami  the  town  hence- 
forth disiinctively  anti-slavery.  Nor  did  they  go  back 
from  this,  but  forward.  Of  all  the  odium  and  honor 
which  have  been  successively  heaped  upon  them,  this 
was  one  of  the  principal  causes.  This  has  brought 
upon  Oberlin,  from  the  jiroud,  contempt  and  scorn; 
from  the  good,  who  knew  and  understood  her,  respect. 


176 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


admiration,  and  tlie  highest  praise.  Tlie  anti-slavery 
idea  was  the  christian  and  American  idea  of  the  nat- 
ural and  inalienable  rights  of  man  as  man. 

Snch,  likewise,  was  the  Oberlin  idea,  in  its  applica- 
tion, esi)ccially  to  education.  And  the  one  first  and 
most  possessed  of  the  Oherlin  idea  in  its  full  compre- 
hension, who  gave  it  birth  and  made  it  a  fact,  was 
quick  to  perceive  this,  its  new  application.  Not  to 
have  accepted  and  acted  upon  this  new  and  imperative 
demand  of  the  idea,  would  have  been  to  despise  its 
authority  and  to  lose  its  inspiring  influence.  Oberlin 
would  have  ceased  to  be  Oberlin  had  she  not  become 
anti-slavery. 

Moreover,  upon  this  decision  de]icnded  her  enlarge- 
ment, not  only  inwardly  but  outwardly.  Not  tlutt 
this  enlargement  was  to  come  immediately,  or  ever, 
from  any  large  accession  of  colored  students.  There 
were  none  at  the  time  seeking  admittance,  and  but 
one  resident  in  the  county.  A  single  one  after  awliile 
came  with  the  students  from  Lane.  The  proportion 
of  colored  students  has  always  been  small.  But  they 
have  been  welcomed  and  treated  as  men — treated  just 
like  the  other  students. 

The  outward  enlargement  nf  which  this  decision 
was  the  condition,  was  the  accession  to  the  faculty  of 
men  of  eminent  ability  and  high  character,  to  the 
number  of  its  students,  the  young  men  who  had  left 
Lane,  and  the  addition  of  a  theological  department. 
At  this  very  meeting  the  trustees,  to  the  appointnieni 
of  Mr.  Mahan  as  president  and  Mr.  Morgan  as  pro- 
fessoj-,  added  that  of  Rev.  Charles  G.  Finney  as  pro- 
fessor of  theology.  Concerning  the  conditions  of  this 
appointment,  Mr.  Finney,  in  his  autobiography,  him- 
self says: 

"  I  had  undei  stood  tliat  the  trustees  of  Lane  Seminary  had  acted  'over 
the  heads'  of  the  faculty;  aud,  in  tlie  absence  of  several  of  them,  had 
passed  the  obnoxious  resolution  that  had  caused  the  students  to  leave. 
[  said,  therefore,  to  Mr.  Shipherd,  that  I  would  not  go  at  any  rate,  unless 
two  points  were  conceded  by  the  trustees.  One  was  that  they  should 
never  interfere  with  the  internal  ref^ulation  of  the  school,  but  should 
leave  that  entirely  to  the  discretion  of  the  faculty.  The  other  was  that 
we  should  be  allowtd  to  receive  colored  people  on  the  same  conditions 
that  we  did  white  people— that  there  should  be  no  discrimlnatious  made 
on  account  of  color." 

Mr.  P'inney  was  at  this  time  jiastor  of  a  Congrega- 
tional church  whicli  had  l)een  formed  in  New  Y'ork. 
Arthur  and  Lewis  Tappan,  and  others  promiuent  in 
tlie  anti-slavery  reform,  were  members  of  his  church, 
and,  becoming  interested  in  the  anti-slavery  move- 
ment in  Lane  Seminary,  they  wore  ready  to  enter  into 
the  proposal  of  .Mr.  Shipherd  and  Mr.  Mahan,  that 
the  excluded  students  sliould  be  provided  for  at  Ober- 
lin by  the  aiipoinlment  of  Mr.  Finney  as  lu'ofe.ssor  of 
theology.  Artliur  Tajijiaii  pledged  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars for  tlie  construction  of  a  building  to  be  used 
chiefly  for  the  theological  department,  and  engaged 
to  secure  the  loan  of  ten  thousand  more  for  other 
buildings  and  necessary  purposes.  Lideed.  Mr.  Fin- 
ney tells  that  jirivately  to  him  he  pledged  his  whole 
income,  amounting  at  that  time  to  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  excepting  enough  to  provide  for  his 
family,  till  the  enterprise  should  prove  a  success. 


The  Oberlin  professorship  association  was  also 
formed,  composed  of  the  Tappans  and  several  others, 
by  which  the  interest  on  eighty  thousand  dollars  was 
pledged  to  be  paid  quarterly,  for  the  support  of  eight 
professors,  at  an  annual  salary  of  si.x  hundred  dollars. 
It  was  understood  that  the  principal  was  ultimately 
to  be  paid,  and  that  this  sum  would  constitute  an  en- 
dowment for  the  college.  Relying  on  this  pecuniary 
provision,  as  also  on  the  decision  of  the  trustees 
resi)acting  the  anti-slavery  character  of  the  college, 
Mr.  Mahan,  Mr.  Finney  and  Mr.  Morgan  accepted 
their  appointments;  Professor  Morgan's  professorshi]) 
being  changed  to  the  New  Testament  Literature  and 
Exegesis. 

President  Mahan  was  born  in  western  New  York, 
jiursued  study  at  Hamilton  Ccjllege  through  the  junior 
year,  and  took  his  theological  course  at  Aulniru  Sem- 
inary. He  was  a  man  of  strongly  metaphysical  bent 
of  mind,  and  had  much  influence  in  promoting  philo- 
sophic study  and  thought  at  Oberlin.  lie  was  pos- 
sessed of  positive  convictions,  a  strong  will,  and  was 
deeply  imbued  with  religion. 

Professor  Morgan  was  brought  to  this  country  from 
Ireland,  at  the  age  of  eleven,  was  brought  uj)  in  Phila- 
del])hia  and  New  York,  prepared  for  college  at  Stock- 
bridge,  Massachusetts,  and  graduated  at  Williams  Col- 
lege. His  theological  studies  he  pursued  privately  in 
New  York.  He  was  a  man  of  varied  culture,  studious 
in  his  habits,  and  scholarly  in  his  tastes;  disposed  to 
take  profound  and  comprehensive  views,  and  when 
aroused  would  exhibit  much  energy  and  enthusiasm  in 
enforcing  them.  He  has  through  his  life  thoroughly 
identified  himself  with  Oberlin,  has  borne  his  full  share 
of  its  work,  and  as  an  expounder  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment scripture  in  respect  to  its  teachings  and  doc- 
trines, has  won  the  admiration  and  respect  of  his 
many  successive  classes.  As  a  preacher  also  he  was 
long  an  efficient  aid  to  Jlr.  Finney  as  assistant  pastor 
of  the  First  Church. 

Mr.  Finney  was  born  in  Connecticut.  In'ought  u|i 
in  central  New  Yoi'k,  wliere  he  studied  law.  was  con- 
verted and  studied  theology  under  his  pastor,  entered 
the  ministry  and  carried  on  a  sei'ies  of  revivals,  chiefly 
in  central  and  western  New  Yoi'k,  hut  also  in  many 
of  the  large  cities  of  the  north,  in  which  large  num- 
bers were  converted  under  liis  pungent  and  powerful 
preaching.  He  was  a  man  of  keen  and  strong  intellect, 
of  a  susceptible  and  ardent  temperament,  of  original 
genius,  of  popular  talents  as  a  speaker,  of  fervid 
spirituality  of  mind,  and  of  intense  and  unwearied 
devotion  to  his  work.  His  great  work  was  unques- 
tionably that  of  preaching.  Such  he  felt  it  to  be;  in 
this  he  was  most  himself,  aud  to  this  he  subordin;ited 
all  else.  Ilis  eonneetion  with  the  college  at  Oberlin 
did  not  prevent  him  from  still  abounding  in  labors  to 
promote  revivals  in  other  places,  and  his  work  at 
Oberlin  was  not  less  that  of  jn-eaching  than  of  teach- 
ing. At  Oberlin,  as  elsewhere,  his  aim  was  the  con- 
version of  sinners  and  the  sanctitication  of  christians; 
aud  he  had  a  great  influence  in  imbuiuK  the  minds  of 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN"  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


177 


botli  the  inliabitants  and  students  witli  this  spirit  of 
earnest  evangelism. 

In  theology  he  was,  from  his  conversion,  strongly 
new  school.  His  mind  revolted  from  the  old  school 
theology  as  nnseriptural  and  irrational,  and  as  hav- 
ing a  hurtful  jiractical  inilnonce.  Ilis  theology  he 
preached,  and  that  with  great  earnestness  and  power, 
and  this  made  it  practical  and  effective. 

In  his  teaching  he  exhibited  the  same  depth  and 
intensity  <if  conviction,  which  gave  him  an  authority 
over  his  i)ut)ils  almost  as  of  one  inspired.  His  theol- 
ogy he  endeavored  to  make  conformable  to  reason  as 
well  as  to  scripture,  for  he  believed  scripture  itself  to 
be  conformable  to  reason. 

Ilis  influence  at  Oberlin,  as  it  liad  been  elsewhere, 
was  to  be  most  commanding  and  beneficent.  He  was 
eminently  fitted  to  promote,  to  increase,  and  to  per- 
petuate the  spirit  in  which  Oberlin  was  founded. 

Tluit  spirit  was  tlie  very  spirit  of  Christianity.  In  its 
ideas,  in  its  principles,  in  its  spirit,  it  was  profoundly 
and  supremely  religious.  It  was  begun  and  built  up  in 
self  denial,  in  faith,  in  love  to  God  and  man,  and  in 
consecration  to  God's  work.  And  there  was  no  man 
better  fitted  than  Mr.  Finney,  as  a  leader,  to  unite 
and  to  guide  the  people  in  the  performance  of  this 
great  work  to  which  God  iiad  called  them. 

Oberlin  therefore  became  what  its  founder  desired 
and  designed  it  to  be,  a  center  of  intelligent  and 
earnest  religious  activity,  to  promote,  in  every  way 
and  everywhere,  the  good  of  man. 

President  Mahan  reached  Oberlin  about  the  first  of 
May,  and  his  family  followed  a  month  later;  and,  till 
the  president's  house  should  be  built,  they  occupied 
the  first  log  house  erected  in  the  place.  Professors 
Finney  and  Morgan  came  in  June,  and  soon  entered 
upon  their  work. 

About  the  first  of  June,  came  also  the  students 
from  Lane  seminary.  For  the  accommodation  of 
tiiese,  special  provision  was  made.  A  rough  building 
was  put  up  for  temporary  use,  and  called  "  Cincinnati 
Hall."  It  was  a  hundred  and  forty-four  feet  long, 
and  twenty-four  wide,  and  but  one  stoi-y  in  height, 
and  extended  from  north  to  south,  on  what  was  then 
the  edge  of  the  forest,  and  now  is  the  east  side  of 
Professor  street,  a  little  west  of  the  laboratory.  The 
whole  structure,  inside  and  out,  was  built  of  new, 
r(jugh  beech  boards.  At  the  south  end  were  a  kitchen 
and  a  dining  room,  the  remainder  of  the  building 
being  divided  into  rooms  twelve  feet  squai-e,  with  a 
single  small  window  and  an  outside  door,  to  each  of 
which  two  students  were  assigned.  This  answei-ed 
its  purpose  till  the  completion  of  Tappan  Hall,  and 
for  a  while  after  was  used  as  a  shop  for  manual 
labor  students. 

Several  of  these  Lane  students  were  from  the  liter- 
ary course,  and  jirejiaring  for  theology,  and  therefore 
entered  a  similar  course  here;  but  fourteen  helped  to 
make  up  the  senior  class  in  theology,  among  whom 
were  William  T.  Allan,  of  Huntsville,  Alabama; 
John    W.    Alvord,   afterwards    connected    with    the 

23 


Frcedman's  Bureau;  George  Clark,  well  known  for 
many  years  as  an  evangelist ;  Sercno  W.  Streator,  a 
pastor  of  reputation  in  Ohio  and  Michigan;  James  A. 
Thome,  of  Augusta,  Kentucky,  for  a  time  professor 
at  Oberlin,  afterward  pastor  in  Cleveland;  and  George 
Whipple,  first  professor  at  Oberlin,  and  for  many  years 
secretary  of  the  American  Missionary  Association. 

Several  buildings  were,  at  this  time,  in  process  of 
erection.  One  of  these  was  a  college  building,  located 
not  far  from  where  the  Second  Church  now  stands, 
three  stories  high  and  eighty  feet  long.  For  this  the 
colonists,  though  burdened  with  the  expense  of  build- 
ing their  own  houses  and  clearing  their  farms,  con- 
tributed twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  about  half  its 
cost,  with  the  understanding  that  the  first  story 
should  be  used  for  a  time  for  a  church,  as  well  as  for 
a  college  chapel.  The  second  and  third  stories  con- 
tained, beside  one  recitation  room,  rooms  for  forty- 
four  students.  This  was  called,  in  consideration  of 
what  the  colonists  had  contributed,  "  Colonial  Hall." 
Having  served  its  purpose  for  many  years,  it  was  di- 
vided into  two  dwelling  houses,  situated  on  Lorain 
street. 

The  other  college  building  erected  at  this  time  was 
Tappan  hall.  The  cost  of  this  was  defrayed  with  the 
ten  thousand  dollars  contributed  by  Arthur  Tappan, 
and  it  was  therefore  named  after  him.  This  was 
intended  first,  as  far  as  needed,  for  the  use  of  the 
theological  department,  and  then  for  the  general  use 
of  the  college.  Mr.  Tappan,  in  a  letter  to  the  trus- 
tees about  this  time,  advised  taste  in  the  construction 
of  the  college  buildings,  and  in  the  laying  out  of  the 
grounds  ;  but  his  advice  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
followed. 

The  brick  house  on  the  corner  of  Professor  and 
West  College  streets  (now  owned  by  Professor  Mor- 
gan,) was  built  for  the  president's  house,  and  the 
house  on  the  corner  of  Professor  and  West  Lorain 
streets  for  Professor  Finney.  It  was  the  original 
intention  to  build  several  houses  between  these  two, 
and  from  this  plan  the  street  took  its  name. 

The  chapel  having  become  too  small  to  accommo- 
date the  congregation  on  the  Sabbath,  the  dining 
room  of  the  new  boarding  hall,  as  yet  unoccupied, 
was  used  for  a  time  until  the  completion  of  Colonial 
hall.  Here  President  Mahan  was  accustomed  to 
])reach  Sabbath  forenoon  and  Professor  Finney  in  the 
afternoon.  The  sermon  was  never  less  than  an  hour 
long,  and  often  an  hour  and  a  half,  yet  it  was  not 
regarded  as  wearisome.  On  the  contrary,  the  preach- 
ing of  those  days  awakened  earnest  attention,  took  a 
sti'ong  hold  of  mind  and  heart,  and  made  a  deep  im- 
pression. 

It  was  ascertained  soon  after  the  arrival  of  Pres- 
ident Mahan,  that  he  was  not  favorable  to  the  study 
of  the  heathen  classics  as  commonly  pursued  ;  and  a 
committee  invited  him  to  present  his  views  to  the 
Lyceum,  which  he  did.  It  appeared  that  he  was  not 
entirely  opposed  to  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek, 
but  of  the  classic  authors  commonly  used  ;  and  he 


178 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


was  also  opposed  to  what  lie  considered  tlie  dispro- 
portionate time  given  to  these  studies.  To  this  view 
Mr.  Waldo  replied,  and  a  discussion  was  thus  begun 
which  lasted  several  days,  exciting  the  attention  of 
the  entire  community.  After  one  of  President  Ma- 
han's  addresses  a  few  of  the  students,  in  the  evening, 
set  fire  to  their  old  Virgils  and  tossed  them  around 
the  square.  This  was  spread  all  over  the  country  as 
"the  burning  of  the  classics  at  Oberlin,"  and  the 
ini]iression  seemed  to  prevail  tliat  tlicy  were  to  be 
discarded.  But  this  was  an  entire  mistaiie.  Tlie 
course  continued  unchanged  and  the  students  pur- 
sued their  studies  as  usual.  Tlie  course  was  sul)stan- 
tially  the  same  as  that  of  other  colleges  at  tliat  time. 
Mr.  Waldo,  however,  was  so  much  disturbed  by  tliis 
discussion  that  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  trustees  he 
resigned  his  position.  He  feared  that  he  miglit  not 
be  able  to  accomplish  in  the  teaching  of  the  languages 
what  he  desired.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Henry 
Cowles,  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  a  graduate  of 
Yale  college.  He  was  a  man  of  learning,  culture  and 
ability,  and  was  destined  to  add  much  to  the  sum  of 
Oberlin  thought.  An  interest  in  the  study  of  He- 
brew, which  it  was  proposed  to  substitute  for  some 
of  the  Latin  in  the  course,  was  awakened  by  the  dis- 
cussion, and  Professor  J.  Seixas,  a  Jew,  from  New 
Y^ork  City,  was  employed  tlie  last  half  of  the  year  to 
introduce  the  study.  He  was  popular  as  a  teacher, 
and  excited  much  enthusiasm  in  the  study,  so  that  at 
one  time  his  class  numbered  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven.  The  study  was  after  awhile  limited  to  the 
four  last  terms  of  the  college  course,  then  to  the 
senior  year,  and  finally  to  the  theological  depart- 
ment. 

The  number  of  ajiplicants  this  year  was  far  in  excess 
of  the  accommodations;  and  in  the  spring  of  1830, 
three  branch  schools  were  established,  one  at  Sheffield, 
fifteen  miles  northeast  of  Oberlin,  occupying  the 
house  and  working  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Robbins  Bur- 
rell;  one  at  Abbeyville,  in  Medina  county;  and  the 
other  constituting  Grand  River  Institute,  in  Austin- 
burg,  Ashtabula  county.  The  first  two  lasted  only  a 
little  more  than  a  year,  while  the  last  became  a  per- 
manent and  separate  school. 

The  commencement  this  year  (1835,)  was  held 
under  the  "big  tent,"  which  was  sent  by  the  friends 
of  Mr.  Finney,  at  the  east,  that  he  might  use  it  for 
holding  meetings  in  the  region  round  about.  It  was 
circular,  was  a  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  and  accom- 
modated three  thousand  persons.  The  students  from 
Lane  having  decided,  in  consequence  of  interrujitions, 
to  take  another  year,  and  there  being  no  class  to 
graduate,  the  exercises  consisted  chiefly  of  inaugural 
addresses  by  President  Mahan,  and  Professors  B'inney 
and  Morgan. 

In  the  catalogue  issued  for  1835,  tlie  whole  number 
of  students  is  given  as  two  hundred  and  seventy-six; 
of  these  there  were,  in  the  theological  deparment, 
thirty-five;  in  the  collegiate,  thirty-eight;  in  the  pre- 
paratory,  one  hundred  and   thirty-one;    and  in  the 


female,  seventy-three.     In  a  note,  it  is  stated  that  as 
many  had  been  sent  away  as  were  received. 

"  Tlius  far  "  the  report  goes  on  to  say,  "  our  course  of  study  and  dis- 
cipline has  exceeded  our  most  Jsanguine  hopes.  Our  students  have 
almost  perfect  health,  and  are  receiving  vigorous  mental  discipline. 
The  society  of  the  sexes,  at  their  meals  and  recitations,  exerts  both  a 
salutarj'  restraint,  and  a  moulding,  refining  inllneuce  upon  social  and 
moral  character.  And,  not  least,  the  tone  of  moral  and  religious  feel- 
ing among  the  students  is  such  as  to  authorize  the  cheering  hope  that 
these  minds  will  yet  act  with  power  and  holy  unction  in  promoting  the 
world's  salvation." 

In  the  catalogue  for  183C,  the  whole  number  of 
students  is  given  as  three  hundred  and  ten.  The 
theological  department  had  increased  to  fifty-eight, 
and  the  collegiate  to  ninety-five.  Thirteen  are  put 
down  in  the  shorter  course,  fifty-two  in  the  male  pre- 
paratory department,  and  ninety-two  in  the  young 
ladies'  department.     A  note  informs  us  that 

"  The  preceding  eatalogiie  does  not  include  about  eighty  preparatoiy 
students  transferred  to  the  high  school  of  Elyria,  and  to  auxiliary  schools 
at  Austinburg,  Sheffield  and  Abbeyville." 

"  Nearly  all  the  young  ladies,"  we  are  told  in  the  report,  "and  a  ma- 
jority of  the  young  gentlemen,  have  paid  their  board  by  their  manual 
labor.  Most  of  the  remainder  have  done  a  good  deal  toward  this;  and 
a  considerable  number  of  those  who  have  thus  paiti  their  board, 
have  earned  more  than  enouph  for  this  purpose.  A  few  have  fully  sup- 
ported themselves  by  their  labor.  The  general  rule  requires  the  stu- 
dents to  work  three  hours  a  day." 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  fall  term  of  1835,  Theo- 
dore D.  Weld,  one  of  the  Lane  students,  who  was 
lecturing  on  anti-slavery  through  the  country,  came 
to  Oberlin  and  delivered  a  series  of  over  twenty  lec- 
tures on  slavery.  These  lectures  excited  gi-eat  interest 
and  had  much  influence  in  deepening,  intensifying 
and  fixing  the  anti-slavery  sentiment.  So  exhaustive 
and  masterly  was  the  exhibition  of  the  subject  that 
Oberlin  became  henceforth  a  positive  and  aggressive 
anti-slavery  power.  From  the  enthusiasm  thus  awak- 
ened twenty  or  more  of  the  students  went  out  during 
the  winter  vacation  that  followed,  and  lectured  under 
the  ausjiiccs  of  the  American  Anti-Slavery  Society, 
through  Ohio  and  apart  of  Pennsylvania.  These  met 
with  the  usual  experience  of  anti-slavery  lecturers  in 
those  days;  they  found  some  warm  friends  and  many 
bitter  enemies.  Their  arguments  and  apjieals  were 
often  met  with  mobbings,  but  their  labor  was  not  in 
vain. 

The  Western  Reserve  especially,  under  these  and 
kindred  iniluenees,  was  thoroughly  leavened  with  the 
anti-slavery  sentiment,  and  became  in  this  a  power  in 
politics,  both  in  respect  to  the  State  and  the  nation. 

Oberlin  was  now  not  only  well  begun  but  estab- 
lished. Its  origin  was  in  the  idea  which  has  charac- 
terized it,  and  by  which  it  must  be  known;  its 
beginning  was  the  first  realization  of  this  idea;  and 
its  speedy  and  2)rovidential  enlargement  was  its  sure 
establishment.  And  in  all — in  its  idea,  beginning  and 
enlargement,  it  was  manifestly  of  God.  The  central 
idea  of  Olierlin,  that  which  best  and  most  compre- 
hensively characterizes  its  nature  and  work  as  a 
beneficent  factor  in  the  world's  progress,  is  that  of  a 
missionary  center.  In  this  idea — not  education,  not 
anti-slavery  or  reform  of  any  kind,  but  religion, 
Christianity,  as  comprehensive,  active,  aggressive  and 
progressive,  is  supreme.     In  it  true  religion  is  first. 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


179 


last  and  all,  from  which  everything  takes  its  begin- 
ning, and  in  which  everything  finds  its  end. 

Such  was  the  idea  of  Oberlin  in  its  origin,  and  in 
its  realization.  The  men  who  conceived  its  plan,  and 
who  were  the  leaders  in  jiutting  it  into  execution, 
were  profoundly  religious.  Men  of  like  character 
they  sought  as  co-laborers,  and  naturally  such  men 
were  attracted  to  the  enterprise.  The  enterprise  called 
for  self-denial,  consecration,  faith  and  love;  and  these 
prime  christian  virtues  it  fostered. 

There  has  always  been  at  Oberlin,  as  elsewhere, 
more  or  less  a  tendency  to  partial  and  extreme  views; 
but  this  tendency  has  never  constituted  its  ruling  idea 
and  spirit,  has  never  formed  its  character.  Moreover, 
Oberlin  for  years,  suffered  the  grossest  misrepresen- 
tations, and  has  been  misunderstood  even  by  many 
good  men. 

Imbibing  fully  the  spirit,  and  entering  ardently 
upon  the  work  of  the  anti-slavery  cause,  it  received 
its  full  measure  of  the  odium  then  heaped  upon  the 
advocates  of  that  most  unpojnilar  reform;  while 
in  the  religious  world  it  was  branded  as  heretical  in 
doctrine.  In  shoi't,  almost  from  the  first,  Oberlin  has 
been  at  once  very  pojiular  and  very  unpopular;  has 
had  devoted  friends  and  bitter  enemies.  But  its  con- 
tinued triumph  and  prosperity  have  been,  not  by 
might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord. 

This  religious  character,  which  was  impressed  upon 
Oberlin  as  a  school  and  town,  was  especially  marked 
in  its  early  history.  When  its'  character  was  being 
formed  and  fixed,  it  was  characterized  by  an  intense 
religious  devotion.  There  was  always  a  revival  spirit, 
and  this  was  often  manifested  in  great  power.  Not 
only  were  sinners  converted,  but  the  hearts  of  Chris- 
tians were  deeply  searched;  more  so  that  not  a  few  gave 
lip  their  old  hopes,  and  embraced  the  gosjiel  more 
intelligently.  The  falls  of  1836,  1837  and  1838  are 
especially  spoken  of  as  seasoas  of  refreshing.  Later, 
in  1811,  a  sudden  and  remarkable  outiJouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  was  exjjerieuced  in  midsummer.  The 
whole  number  of  additions  to  the  church  by  pro- 
fession, from  1835  to  185(i,  was  one  thousand  and 
seventy,  making  an  annual  average  of  fifty. 

The  preaching  of  these  days,  chiefly  by  President 
Mahan  and  Professor  Finney,  was  attended  with  much 
spiritual  power.  It  was  pungent,  close,  heart-seai'ch- 
iug,  and  calculated  earnestly  to  excite  the  whole 
being — both  thought  and  feeling.  For  it  consisted 
not  merely  of  fervid  exhortation;  it  was  rather  a  clear 
and  vivid  in'esentation,  exposition  and  illustration  of 
Christian  doctrine,  enforced  by  intense  conviction, 
and  ))y  a  iiractical  and  personal  application.  The 
fact  of  human  ability  was  especially  emiihasized; 
whence  followed  the  obligation  to  obedience,  and  the 
guilt  of  disobedience.  Such  preaching  was,  more  or 
less,  the  result  of  experience;  and  it  also  produced 
exjjerience,  not  only  in  the  hearers,  but  also  in  the 
preachers  themselves . 

From  a  clearer  view  and  larger  experience  of  the 
gospel  in  its  power  to  save,  arose  the  doctrine  of  sanc- 


fificalion.  This  doctrine  was  afterward  develoj^ed  by 
President  Mahan,  in  a  little  book  entitled  "Christian 
Perfection,"  ])ul)lishcd  in  1839;  by  Professor  Finney, 
in  his  "Systematic  Theology;"  and  by  Profesor  Cowles, 
in  a  series  of  articles  first  published  in  the  Oberlin 
Evangelist,  and  afterward  collected  in  a  book  entitled 
"The  Holiness  of  Christians  in  the  Present  Life." 
It  seems  for  a  time  to  have  been  regarded  as  a  state 
of  christian  experience  distinct  from,  and  following 
conversion,  and  involving  entire  consecration.  But 
Professor  Morgan,  in  an  article  published  in  the 
Oberlin  Quarterly  Review,  entitled  "The  Holiness 
Acceptable  to  God,"  showed  from  scripture  and  ex- 
perience that  the  christian  exj)erience  itself  involves 
entire  consecration,  and  this  view  came  to  be  accepted. 
In  another  article,  entitled  the  "Baptism  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,"  he  gave  his  view  of  the  nature  of  an  advanced 
christian  experience. 

The  doctrine  gradually  ceased  to  be  presented  and 
urged  as  implying  a  distinct  form  of  experience.  In- 
deed, sinlessness  as  actual  and  permanent  Avas  never 
made  prominent;  and  the  view  was  always  carefully 
guarded  against  the  antinomian  view  known  as  "per- 
fectionism." Yet  the  earnest  advocacy  of  this  doc- 
trine brought  upon  Oberlin,  while  it  continued,  much 
odium  from  many  religious  peoj)le,  especially  from 
some  of  the  Presbytei'ian  churches. 

A  system  of  philosophy  was  also  early  developed  at 
Oberlin,  which,  though  the  conception  of  it  may  not 
1)0  claimed  as  altogether  original,  must  still  in  some 
sense  be  regarded  as  a  j)roduct  of  Oberlin  thought. 
This  is  known  in  moral  philosophy  as  the  "Benevo- 
lence Theory,"  and  was  presented  by  President  Ed- 
wards, in  his  treatise  on  "The  Nature  of  Virtue," 
and  afterward  embodied  by  Samuel  Hopkins  in  his 
theological  system.  But  Mr.  Finney,  in  his  "System- 
atic Theology,"  has  thoroughly  discussed  and  fully 
developed  it  as  a  system  of  moral  philosojihy,  com- 
prehensive and  fundamental,  and  which  at  once  dis- 
closes the  errors  and  embraces  the  truths  of  other 
systems.  This  theory  is,  in  brief,  that  the  founda- 
tion of  moral  obligation  is  the  good  of  being,  and 
that  true  virtue  or  righteousness  consists  in  willing 
this  good  of  being,  or  in  such  a  committal  of  the  will 
to  the  good  of  being,  including  one's  oAvn,  that  the 
whole  life  will  be  devoted  to  its  promotion.  This,  it 
is  obvious,  is  the  love  enjoined  in  the  scriptures,  in 
which  consists  "the  fulfilling  of  the  law." 

From  this  follows  another  fundamental  principle 
which  occupies  a  prominent  place  in  Oberlin  philoso- 
phy, called  the  "simplicity  of  moral  action."  This 
view  was  first  publicly  presented  by  William  Cochi-an 
in  an  address  in  1841,  and  afterward  expanded  by 
him  and  published  in  a  series  of  articles  in  the  Ober- 
lin Quarterly  Review.  This  view  is,  substantially, 
that  a  moral  being  can  neither  be  nor  do  both  good 
and  evil  at  the  same  time.  For,  since  the  moral  state 
and  action  of  the  will  consist  in  its  attitude  and  exer- 
cise with  respect  to  good,  it  is  impossible  that  it 
should  occupy  opposite  states  at  the  same  time,  or 


180 


HISTOEY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


that  it  should,  at  the  same  instant,  both  will  and  not 
will  good.  Every  moral  being  is,  therefore,  either 
good  or  bad,  according  to  the  attitude  of  his  will,  and 
never  both  at  once. 

Another  fundamental  principle,  which,  though  not 
original,  gives  character  to  the  theology  of  Oberlin, 
is  that  the  will  alone  is  the  seat  of  all  that  is  dis- 
tinctively moral,  or  that  tlie  state  of  the  will  deter- 
mines the  moral  both  in  character  and  in  action. 

These  fundamental  principles  of  philosophy  lie  at 
the  foundation  of  Mr.  Finney's  theology,  which  has 
become  the  theology  of  Oberlin;  and  they  have  had 
no  small  influence  on  tJie  daily  life  of  the  students 
and  of  the  people.  For  the  practical  ai)plication  of 
this  philosophy  is  expressed  in  the  precept  that  the 
true  end  of  life  is  found  in  doing  good.  But  this  is 
the  very  principle  on  which  Obei'lin  was  founded;  and 
not  less  than  ever  is  it  still  the  vital  principle  of  its 
existence. 

The  Oberlin  Evmigelist,  a  semi-monthly  paper,  was 
begun,  in  1839,  to  serve  as  an  organ  in  which  to  ex- 
press the  religious  views  of  the  leading  Oberlin  men. 
It  was  a  strictly  religious  paper  of  the  most  earnest 
type.  Mr.  Finney's  sermons  were  published  in  it, 
and  he  wrote  more  or  less  for  it  beside.  Professor 
Henry  Cowles  was  its  editor  during  the  greater  part 
of  its  existence,  and  contributed  largely  to  its  matter. 
Most  of  its  matter  was  original,  and  was  of  the  most 
substantial  kind.  It  did  much  to  disseminate  the 
thought  and  spirit  of  Oberlin,  and  to  defend  it  against 
misrepresentations  and  aspersions.  In  1863,  the 
second  year  of  the  war,  it  was  discontinued  because  of 
inadequate  support.  For  a  more  elaborate  exposition 
of  Oberlin  ideas,  the  Oberlin  Quarterli/  Review  was 
started  in  1845,  and  continued  four  years. 

Unfortunately  the  professorship  association,  which 
had  been  formed  in  New  York  to  pay  the  salaries  of 
eight  professors,  continued  but  a  short  time.  The 
great  fire  which  occurred  in  New  York  in  the  fall  of 
18.35,  and  the  tinancial  crash  which  followed  in  1836 
and  '37,  swept  away  this  foundation.  The  salaries 
thus  guaranteed  were  but  six  hundred  dollars  per 
annum,  but  now  even  this  moderate  sum  was  no 
longer  assured.  For  their  necessary  support  the  pro- 
fessors could  only  trust  God.  Eelyiug  upon  the  pro- 
vision made  for  the  payment  of  the  salaries,  tuition 
in  the  college  department  had  been  remitted,  and  it 
was  long  before  it  could  be  re-imposed  ;  and  even 
after  it  was  required  it  was  found  difficult  to  collect 
it,  so  that  several  thousand  dollars  due  for  tuition 
were  never  paid.  Subscriptions  liad  been  taken  uji 
in  1835  and  '36,  jiayable  in  five  annual  installments, 
amounting  to  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  ; 
but  in  consecjuence  of  the  financial  crisis  which  soon 
followed,  only  about  six  thousand  dollars  of  it  was 
ever  paid.  With  their  hearts  fully  committed  to  the 
work,  and  trusting  God  who  they  believed  had  called 
them  to  it,  the  professors  resolved  to  remain  at  their 
posts,  content  with  meagre  and  uncertain  pay.  For 
many  years  the  very  existence  of  the  institution  was 


dependent  upon  the  contributions  of  its  friends.  In 
1838  the  debt  had  accumulated  to  forty  thousand 
dollars,  and  it  was  decided  to  send  a  deputation  to 
England  to  solicit  contributions.  Eev.  John  Keep 
and  Mr.  William  Dawes  undertook  this  work,  and  in 
the  course  of  eighteen  months,  by  unwearied  labor 
they  raised  tliirty  thousand  dollars  clear  of  expenses. 
Many  books  were  also  contributed  to  the  college 
library.  This  gratifying  success  was  made  jjossible 
by  the  sympathy  of  British  christians  with  the  anti- 
slavery  sentiment  of  Oberlin. 

Experience  soon  showed  tliat  the  reipurement  of 
manual  labor  could  not  be  maintained.  In  the  cat- 
alogue for  1838  it  is  said  : 

"  At  present  no  pledge  can  be  given  that  the  institution  will  furnish 
labor  to  all  the  students ;  but  hitherto  nearly  all  have  been  able  to 
obtain  employment  from  either  the  institute  or  the  colonists.  It  is 
thought  that  the  same  facilities  for  available  labor  will  be  continued." 

From  this  time  manual  labor  was  furnished  so  far 
as  possible,  and  was  encouraged.  In  this  modified 
form  it  has  been  more  or  less  a  success. 

As  early  as  1839,  an  agricultural  society  was  formed, 
composed  of  the  colonists,  faculty  and  students. 
Weekly  meetings  were  held,  at  which  there  were 
essays  and  discussions  on  various  subjects  pertaining 
to  agriculture.  Town  fairs  were  also  kept  up  annu- 
ally for  many  years.  In  a  small  sheet  called  People's 
Press,  and  dated  Oberlin,  October,  1845,  a  report  of 
the  fair  for  that  year  is  given.  There  was  an  address 
by  Professor  Kirtland,  of  Cleveland,  and  in  the  eve- 
ning short  addresses  from  several — among  them  Dr. 
Townshend,  Professor  Cowles,  Professor  Fairchild, 
and  President  Mahan.  The  opening  address  by  the 
president  of  the  society,  D.  B.  Kinney,  is  given  entire 
in  the  paper.  It  is  historical,  and  gives  some  interest- 
ing reminiscences.  The  roads  at  an  early  day  being 
almost  impassable,  three  hundred  dollars  were  sub- 
scribed by  the  colonists  and  four  hundred  by  the  fac- 
ulty and  students,  to  improve  them.  On  a  certain 
day,  recitations  being  suspended,  all  turned  out  and 
worked  on  the  road  leading  to  Elyria.  The  young 
ladies,  for  their  jiart,  provided  them  a  bountiful  din- 
ner. 

Another  incident  given  in  the  same  address  illus- 
trates, in  a  somewhat  amusing  way,  the  privations 
incident  to  pioneer  life. 

One  of  the  theological  professors  went  to  a  brother 
out  of  town,  who  had  a  team,  and  told  him  he  wanted 
some  wood  drawn,  but  he  had  no  money,  and  asked 
him  how  he  should  pay  him.  The  good  brother  re- 
plied that  he  would  draw  wood  one  day  for  him  for 
nothing,  and  then  pointing  to  his  bare  feet  said, 
"  But  you  see  I  need  pay  for  my  work."  TJie  pro- 
fessor immediately  jumping  from  his  horse,  and  pull- 
ing off  his  shoes  and  throwing  them  to  him,  said, 
"Here,  take  these;  I  have  another  jiair  at  home,  and 
I  can  ride  home  barefoot." 

The  chapel  in  Colonial  Hall  becoming  too  small  for 
the  meetings  on  the  Sabbath,  the  people,  notwitlistand- 
ing  their  poverty,  encouraged  by  Mr.  Finney,  re- 
solved,  in   18-40,   to  build  a  church.     In  1842,    the 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


181 


foundation  was  laid;  and  tlie  next  year  before  its 
completion,  and  without  a  formal  dedication,  it  was 
occupied.  The  lot  was  given  by  the  original  proprie- 
tors of  the  land;  and  the  inhabitants,  professors,  and 
students,  aided  by  friends  abroad,  by  subscriptions  of 
cash  and  all  sorts  of  commodities,  and  by  work, 
united  in  putting  up  the  building.  It  was  modeled 
after  the  New  York  tabernacle,  which  was  planned 
by  Mr.  Finney.  Its  dimensions  were  ample,  with  the 
design  of  furnishing  room  for  the  annual  commence- 
ment exercises. 

IV.  —  GROWTH. 

The  college,  having  no  permanent  endowment,  was 
wholly  dependent  for  its  support  upon  the  contribu- 
tions of  its  friends.  In  the  fall  of  1850,  it  was  de- 
termined to  make  an  effort  to  raise  a  permanent  fund 
for  the  support  of  instruction,  by  the  sale  of  scholar- 
ships. Scholarships  for  six  3'ears  were  sold  for 
twenty-five  dollars,  and  perpetual  scholarships  for  one 
hundred  dollars.  The  pledges  were  conditional  upon 
the  raising  of  the  whole  amount  desired, — one  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  time  set  for  getting  condi- 
tional pledges  was  limited  to  January  1,  1853,  but  so 
well  did  the  effort  succeed  that,  by  January  20,  1852, 
the  whole  amount  was  pledged,  and  the  new  system 
went  into  operation.  When  it  is  considered  that  to 
the  holders  of  these  scholarships  tuition  was  free  in 
all  the  departments,  it  will  not  be  surprising  that  the 
attendance  was  at  once  largely  increased. 

The  catalogues  for  that  period  show  that  the  num- 
ber of  students  in  the  course  of  the  year  was  soon  more 
than  doubled. 

In  the  catalogue  for  the  year  1851-2,  the  year  before 
the  system  went  into  operation,  the  whole  number  of 
students  is  given  as  five  hundred  and  seventy-one. 

In  the  next  catalogue,  for  the  first  year  of  its  oper- 
ation, the  number  is  one  thousand  and  twenty;  in  the 
next,  one  thousand,  three  hundred  and  five;  in  the 
next,  one  thousand,  one  hundred  and  eighty-eight;  in 
the  next,  one  thousand  and  sixty-two;  and  in  the 
next,  one  thousand,  two  liundred  and  sixteen.  It 
should  be  said  that  the  preparatory  de25artment  was 
increased  much  more  jjrojiortionately  than  any  of  the 
rest. 

This,  however,  in  the  course  of  the  growth  of  the 
college,  may  be  considered  as  its  second  enlargement. 
From  this  time  its  growth  has  consisted  chiefly  in  the 
enlargement  and  perfecting  of  its  course  of  study. 
The  number  then  gained  has  been  maintained;  and 
the  scholarshijj  system,  having  served  its  purpose,  is 
being  gradually  superseded. 

The  sudden  increase  in  the  number  of  students 
made  the  demand  imperative  for  larger  accommoda- 
tions. For  a  time  part  of  the  students  were  obliged 
to  meet  in  the  laboratory  or  music  hall  for  prayers. 
In  1854^5,  a  new  chapel  was  built,  at  a  cost  of  ten 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  and  the  audience  room 
above,  cajjable  of  seating  nine  hundred  persons.  This 
i   has  been  since  entirely  remodeled,  at  a  cost  of  about 


two  thousand  dollars,  chiefly  l>y  contributions  from 
the  students. 

In  1850,  President  Mahan  resigned  his  ))ositi(in  as 
president  of  Oberlin  College,  and  took  charge  of  a 
new  university  established  at  Cleveland,  in  which  it 
was  designed  that  the  classics  should  be  less  promi- 
nent in  the  course  of  study;  and  the  following  year 
Professor  Finney  was  appointed  his  successor. 

Since  it  was  near  the  lake,  and  a  noted  anti-slavery 
place,  Oberlin  Ijccame,  at  an  early  day,  an  im])ortant 
station  of  "the  under-ground  railroad."  Many  fugi- 
tives were  helped  to  escape,  being  sent  to  some  port 
on  the  lake,  to  Cleveland,  Charleston  (now  Lorain), 
Huron  or  Sandusky,  wherever  there  happened  to  be 
a  vessel  whose  captain  would  take  them  to  Canada. 
It  is  the  boast  of  Oberlin  that  no  fugitive  was  ever 
taken  back  from  her  soil  to  slavery;  nor  has  the  pre- 
vention of  such  a  result  ever  been  accompanied  with 
violence  or  bloodshed.  It  is  said  that  in  one  year  as 
many  as  three  hundred  and  sixty  fugitives  from 
slavery  passed  through  Oberlin. 

In  1840,  at  a  house  on  Lorain  street,  about  a  mile 
east  of  the  First  Church,  then  in  the  forest,  two  men 
from  Kentucky  seized  a  colored  man  and  wonum  and 
hurried  away  with  them.  Word  soon  reached  the 
people  of  Oberlin,  who  were  assembled  in  the  chapel 
at  some  meeting,  and  they  immediately  pursued  the 
slave-catchers,  overtaking  them  two  or  three  miles 
from  the  village.  These  men  went  the  next  day  to 
Elyria  to  substantiate  their  claim,  but,  failing  to  pro- 
duce sutticient  evidence,  their  victims  were  imprisoned 
to  await  a  further  trial. 

The  slave-catchers  were  themselves  arrested  on  the 
charges  of  house-breaking  and  threatening  of  life,  but 
were  released  on  bail.  Before  the  trial  one  of  them 
died,  and  the  other  returned  to  the  double  trial  to 
find  that  the  slaves  had  escaped — by  following  a  fel- 
low prisoner,  and  by  no  aid  from  without — and  was 
himself  released. 

At  a  much  later  date  occurred  the  celebrated  Ober- 
lin-Wellington  rescue  case. 

Among  the  compromise  measures  passed  by  Con- 
gress in  1850,  was  the  fugitive  slave  bill,  which, 
signed  by  the  President,  became. a  law,  and  went  into 
operation.  Accepted  and  approved  by  northern  con- 
servatives, but  denounced  and  renounced  by  anti- 
slavery  men,  who  proclaimed  in  its  stead  "the  higher 
law,"  bemg  more  stringent  and  efficient  than  the  old 
law,  tlie  business  of  slave-catching  was  prosecuted 
with  renewed  vigor  and  with  varying  success. 

On  the  1-ith  of  Septemljer,  18.")8,  the  people  of  Ober- 
lin were  startled  from  their  usual  ijuiet  by  the  report 
that  a  colored  man,  by  the  name  of  John  Price,  had 
been  taken  from  their  midst  and  carried  toward  the 
south.  A  considerable  company  of  citizens  and  stu- 
dents followed  in  pursuit  as  far  as  Wellington,  where 
they  found  the  Wadsworth  House,  in  the  garret  of 
which  the  captors  with  their  captive  had  taken  refuge, 
surrounded  by  a  crowd.  The  crowd,  pressing  up  the 
stairs  and  against  the  door  of  the  room  whither  the 


182 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


kidnappers  with  their  victim  had  retreated,  the  door 
at  last  gave  way,  and  tlie  captive  walked  out  and  was 
borne  in  triumph  away. 

A  grand  jury  was  summoned  by  tlie  United  States 
District  Court,  for  Nortliern  Oiiin,  whicli  found  bills 
agjiinst  thirty-seven  citizens  of  Obcrlin  and  Wellington. 
Among  tiiese,  Professor  Henry  E.  Peck,  James  M. 
Fitch,  suiH'rintendent  of  the  Obcrlin  Sunday  School, 
and  Ralph  Plumb,  a  lawyer,  the  most  prominent  of 
the  Oberlin  men,  were  indicted  for  aiding  and  abetting. 
Thirty  only  were  arrested.  These  appeared  at  Cleve- 
land on  the  day  set,  and  were  released  on  their  own  re- 
cognizance till  the  day  of  trial.  Hon.  R.  P.  Spalding, 
Hon.  A.  G.  Riddle,  and  S.  0.  Griswold,  Esq.,  volun- 
teered their  services  for  the  defence,  free  of  charge. 
April  5,  1859,  the  trials  commenced  by  the  arraignment 
of  Seth  M.  Bushnell,  who  was  charged  with  driving 
the  buggy  which  conveyed  the  captive  away  from  his 
captors;  who,  upon  his  trial,  was  found  guilty  by  the 
jury,  and  was  sentenced  to  sixty  days  imprisonment, 
and  to  jiay  a  fine  of  six  hundred  dollars  and  the  costs 
of  prosecution,  estimated  at  two  thousand  dollars. 
Charles  Laugston,  being  next  tried,  was  also  found 
guilty,  and  sentenced  to  twenty  days  imprisonment, 
and  to  pay  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars  and  cf>sts. 
An  application  was  made  to  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio 
for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  in  behalf  of  Bushnell  and 
Langston,  on  the  ground  of  the  unconstitutionality 
of  the  fugitive  slave  law;  l)ut  it  was  denied  to  them, 
the  vote  of  the  judges  standing  three  to  two.  Mean- 
time the  rest  were  confined  in  ])rison  awaiting  their 
trial.  On  two  different  Saliljaths,  Professor  Peck 
preached  to  an  assemblage,  surrounding  the  jail,  esti- 
mated at  from  three  to  four  thousand.  July  2,  a  few 
days  before  the  liberation  of  the  prisoners,  the  Ober- 
lin Sunday  School  went  to  Cleveland  in  a  body,  and 
paid  their  sn])erintendenta  visit  in  jail.  This  was  an 
occasion  of  much  interest. 

In  May  the  faculty  and  resident  trustees  made  a 
public  statement  in  the  Oberlin  Evaiif/clixf.  in  which, 
among  other  things,  they  say: 

"  We  do  not  believe  that  there  was.  in  this  case,  a  design  on  the  part 
of  the  rescuers  to  violate  even  the  fugitive  slave  act,  because  it  was  ap- 
parently believed  that  tlie  man  was  kidnapped,  and  that  the  paper  by 
which  his  captors  held  him  was  illegal.  But  we  wish  it  also  understood 
that  we  do  not  regard  that  enactment  as  of  any  binding  force  whatever. 
WV  think  it  right  and  proper  to  escape  its  penalty  when  we  can  consis- 
tently with  duty;  but  its  precept  we  cannot  regard  witJiout  renouncing 
Christianity  and  offending  God." 

After  the  conviction  of  Langston  further  trials 
were  arrested.  The  captors  had  been  indicted  in  the 
Lorain  county  court  for  kidnapping;  and  these  finally 
]>r()posed  an  arrangement  by  which  nol/es  should  be 
entered  against   the  cases  on  both  sides,  and  they  be 

to,  and  the   prisoners 


dismissed.     This  was  agreed 

were  accordingly  released  on 

three  months'  inij)risoninent. 

and  before  leaving  the  jail, 

resolutions,  of  whic^h  we  ijuote  the  following  one: 

*'  Resolrefl,  That  after  all  the  pains  and  penalties  inflicted  on  us  by 
government  officials  in  the  attempt  toenforce  the  fugitive  slave  act,  we 
feel  it  to  be  our  dnt.y  to  say  that  our  hatred  and  opposition  to  that  un- 
just and  unconstitutional  law  are  more  intense  than  ever  before.    No  fine 


the  iith  of  July,  after 

After  tlieir  discharge, 

they  passed  a  series  of 


or  imprisonment,  however  enforced,  by  whatever  court,  can  induce  us 
to  yield  it  obedience.  We  will  hereafter,  as  we  have  heretofore,  help  the 
panting  fugitive  to  escape  from  those  who  would  enslave  him,  whatever 
may  be  the  authority  under  which  they  may  act." 

On  their  arrival  at  Oberlin,  they  were  received  with 
unbounded  enthusiasm.  In  the  evening,  the  church 
was  crowded,  speeches  were  made  by  the  rescuers  and 
others,  and  the  meeting  did  not  close  till  midnight. 
Near  the  close  of  the  meeting,  a  resolution  was  jiassed 
that  the  town  council  be  requested  to  enter  a  minute 
of  this  whole  affair  upon  the  records  of  the  village  of 
of  Oberlin.  The  following  is  the  conclusion  of  this 
minute: 

"And  finally,  in  view  of  all  the  consequences  attendant  upon  this 
prosecution,  and  all  the  light  shed  upon  the  subject,  we  unanimously 
express  our  greatly  increased  abhorrence  of  the  fugitive  slave  act,  and 
avow  our  determination  that  no  fugitive  slave  shall  be  taken  from 
Oberlin,  either  with  or  without  a  warrant,  if  we  have  power  to  prevent 
it.    Passed  unanimously  July  6,  18.59." 

On  the  nth,  Bushnell  having  served  out  the  sixty 
days  for  which  he  was  sentenced,  returned  to  Oberlin, 
and  another  enthusiastic  meeting  was  held. 

In  less  than  two  years  from  this  manifestation  of 
the  enthusiastic  determination  of  the  people  to  main- 
tain their  principles,  they  were,  by  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  put  to  a  far  severer  test. 
In  the  grand  ujirising  of  the  North,  one  of  the  most 
sublime  and  inspiring  events  of  history,  Oberlin  had 
her  share. 

Ai)ril  13,  18(51,  Fort  Sumter  fell;  and  on  the  14th, 
President  Lincoln  issued  his  jiroclamation  calling 
for  seventy-five  thousand  volunteers.  At  Oberlin,  as 
everywhere  throughout  the  North,  the  excitement 
was  deep,  intense  and  absorbing. 

A  meeting  of  the  students  was  held  at  the  college 
chapel  on  the  evening  of  the  19th,  and  was  addressed 
by  enthusiastic  speakers  from  each  of  the  regular 
classes,  and  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed  to 
obtain  volunteers.  A  meeting  of  citizens  was  also 
held.  On  the  next  evening,  Professor  Monroe,  who 
was  then  a  member  of  the  State  legislature,  having 
arrived  from  Columbus,  a  meeting  was  held  in  the 
church,  and  was  addressed  by  him  and  Colonel  Shel- 
don, of  Elyria.  At  the  close  of  this  meeting,  the  roll 
was  opened  for  enlistments,  and  forty-nine  at  once 
gave  their  names,  and  ten  thousand  dollars  were 
pledged  to  assist  in  sustaining  those  who  should  go. 
By  Monday  morning,  one  hundred  and  thirty  names 
were  enrolled;  and  this  being  in  excess  of  the  number 
required,  and  others  being  ready  to  enlist,  a  second 
company  was  formed.  Nor  was  this  eagerness  to  enlist 
from  mere  excitement;  it  was,  on  the  contrary,  in 
most  cases,  from  sturdy  principle. 

The  first  company  formed  is  known  as  company  C 
of  the  Seventh  regiment  Ohio  volunteer  infantry,  of 
which  Professor  C  W.  Shurtleff,  then  a  tutor  in  the 
college,  was  captain.  The  first  enlistment  was  for 
three  months  ;  but  a  month  later  most  of  the  com- 
pany re-enlisted  for  three  years.  At  Cross  Lanes 
they  were  overjiowered  by  a  superior  force,  two  of 
their  number  were  killed,  and  twenty-nine,  including 
Captain    Shurtleff,  were   made  prisoners.     Notwith- 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


183 


staiidiug  this  serious  blow,  tliis  coii:pauy  aftei'ward 
took  an  active  part  in  niauy  battles,  in  which  its 
members  wore  tlistingnished  for  their  bravery.  They 
were  also  distinguished  for  their  moral  and  religious 
character.  Out  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  stu- 
dents who  were  at  different  times  members  of  this 
company,  but  throe  died  of  disease  ;  and  of  those, 
two  died  of  infection  caught  in  the  filthy  dungeons 
of  New  Orleans.  Twenty-eight  fell  in  battle,  fifteen 
were  discharged  on  account  of  wounds,  and  many 
others  were  wounded  slightly.  Fifteen  were  promoted 
as  commissioned  officers  in  other  regiments.  Its  cap- 
tain, after  a  year  spent  in  southern  prisons,  was  made 
insjR'ctor  general  on  the  staff  of  General  Wilcox  ;  then 
was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel,  and  afterwards 
colonel  of  the  Fifth  United  States  colored  troops, 
and  just  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  made  brevet 
brigadier  general. 

The  second  year  of  the  war  another  company,  com- 
]tosed  of  citizens  and  students,  was  sent  out  and 
Joined  the  one  hundred  and  third  regiment.  The 
same  year,  when  Cincinnati  was  threatened,  almost 
all  the  college  students  capable  of  bearing  arms, 
with  many  of  the  preparatory  students  and  citizens, 
started  on  a  few  honrs'  notice  and  spent  several  weeks 
there  till  the  danger  was  past. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  war  a  second  company.  K, 
was  sent  out,  which  joined  with  Cleveland  to  form 
the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  regiment,  and  helped 
Grant  fight  his  way  to  Richmond. 

"Taking  the  catalogue  of  1861,  the  first  year  of  the  war."  says  Profes- 
sor Ellis,  from  whose  address  entitled  "Oberliu  in  the  War,"  we  take 
most  of  these  facts  and  statistics,  "  we  find  that  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-six  gentlemen  in  the  four  college  classes,  one  hundred,  or  sixty 
per  cent.,  have  been  in  the  army  as  soldiers.  We  doubt  if  any  college 
catalogue  can  show  a  better  record  than  this.  Of  alumni  and  the 
under-graduates  in  the  college  classes,  we  count  one  hundred  and 
ninety-seven  who  have  served  in  the  array.  Among  these,  two  major 
generals,  one  brigadier  general,  ten  colonels,  and  officers  of  lower 
grades  in  larger  proportion.  Of  those  who  have  been  connected  with 
the  preparatory  department,  our  estimate  can  only  approximate  the 
exact  tigures.  Supposing  that  those  of  whom  we  do  not  know  pos- 
itively have  gone  in  the  same  proportion  as  those  of  whom  we  do  know, 
we  have  not  less  than  five  hundred  and  fifty  from  this  department, 
giving  a  total  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  representatives  of 
Oberliu  in  the  army.  The  great  majority  of  the.je  enlisted  without  a 
selfish  consideration.  Even  those  who  were  far  advanced  in  their 
course,  and  many  of  whom  had  been  leading  men  as  teachers  or 
preachers,  entered  the  ranks  side  by  side  with  the  ignorant  and  uncul- 
tivated song  of  toil.  If  the  list  of  officers  should  be  found  dispropor- 
tionately small,  as  I  do  not  think  it  is,  it  would  be  accounted  for  by  this 
fact." 

Of  those  who  went  into  the  army  Professor  Ellis 
estimated  that  not  less  than  ten  per  cent.,  or  from 
seventy-five  to  one  hundred  men,  were  among  the 
slain.  The  number  of  students  was  of  course  much 
reduced  during  the  war,  especially  the  young  men. 

The  year  that  the  war  broke  out  the  number  given 
in  the  catalogue  is  one  thousand,  three  hundred  and 
eleven;  the  next  year  it  was  reduced  to  one  thou.saiid 
and  seventy-one,  and  the  next  to  eight  hundred  and 
fifty-nine;  the  next  year  it  is  nine  hundred  and 
seventeen,  and  the  next,  nine  hundred  and  one — an 
average  decrease  of  about  one-third. 

At  the  commencement  in  ISGO,  an  effort  was  made 
to  raise  funds  to  build  a  new  ladies'  hall,  of  which 


there  was  felt  to  be  a  pressing  need.  The  first  pledge 
was  two  dollars  for  a  corner  stone;  and  after  that, 
pledges  were  given  for  from  one  dollar  to  two  hun- 
dred, till  the  whole  sum  amounted  to  three  thousand, 
one  hundred  and  thirty-six  dollars.  Its  foundations 
were  laid  the  next  spring,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  on  ground  whicii  had  long  been  reserved  for  it. 
Further  work  was  suspended  on  it  for  two  years. 
The  walls  were  erected  and  the  roof  put  on  in  1803, 
and  it  was  not  completed  till  1805.  The  cost  of 
building  and  furnishing  was  about  forty  thousand 
dollars. 

In  1865,  President  Finney,  seeking  relief  in  his 
declining  years,  from  the  cares  and  resjionsibilities  of 
the  presidency  of  the  institution,  resigned  his  posi- 
tion, and  Professor  James  II.  Fairchild  whs  appointed 
his  successor,  and  delivered  his  inaugural  address  at 
the  commencement,  August  23,  1866.  President 
Fairchild  was  one  of  the  four  who  formed  the  first 
college  class,  and  participated  in  the  exercises  of  the 
first  commencement.  After  the  completion  of  his 
seven  years'  course  in  college  and  in  theology,  he  was 
appointed,  in  1841,  professor  of  languages.  This 
position  he  occufiied  till  1847,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  professorship  of  mathematics  and  na- 
tural philosophy;  which  he  filled  till  1859,  when  he 
became  associate  professor  of  theology  and  moral 
philosophy. 

He  had  thus,  as  student  and  professor,  leen  fully 
identified  with  Oberliu  from  its  licginning;  had  im- 
bibed its  idea,  breathed  its  spirit,  and  entered  into  its 
life.  A  clear  and  independent  thinker,  wise  in  coun- 
,sel,  sagacious  and  prudent  in  the  management  of 
affairs,  conscientiously  careful  and  faithful  in  the 
performance  of  duty,  unostentatious  and  unobtrusive 
in  manner,  with  high  aim  and  steadfast  purpose,  a 
man  of  culture  and  refinement,  of  gentleness  and  of 
force,  of  benevolence  and  dignity, — and  inspiring 
universal  respect,  confidence,  and  love, — the  college, 
under  his  management  and  guidance,  with  an  efficient 
corps  of  professors,  of  like  mind,  as  counsellors  and 
helpers,  was  to  have  a  steady  and  symmetrical  growth 
in  the  perfecting  of  its  various  departments,  and  was 
to  receive  a  warmer  and  more  general  acknowledg- 
ment of  its  character  and  work. 

During  the  first  few  years  after  its  establishment 
the  theological  d(^partment  was  large  and  flourishing. 
In  its  first  year,  1835,  it  numbered  thirty-five;  the 
next  year  it  had  increased  to  thirty-eight.  In  1838  it 
numbered  forty-four,  and  the  next  year  it  had  in- 
crea.sed  to  sixty-four.  This  was  the  maximum  of 
attendance,  and  after  this  it  gradually  declined,  until, 
in  1840,  it  numbered  but  twenty-five.  In  1859,  the 
number  had  increased  to  thirty-six,  and  the  next  year 
it  was  thirty-five.  But  during  the  war  the  number 
was  diminished,  until,  in  1864  and  '65,  the  number  was 
but  thirteen,  the  next  year  but  fifteen,  and  the  next  but 
eleven.  This  was  the  minimum;  and  at  this  time  the 
question  was  seriously  raised  whether  this  department 
could  be  maintained.     But  it  was  concluded  that  it 


184 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


was  a  necessity,  nut  only  fur  Olierlin,  bnt  especially 
for  the  furnishing  of  ministers  to  Congregational 
churches  in  Ohio  and  Michigan,  and  even  in  States 
farther  west;  and  it  was  resolved  to  make  a  deter- 
mined effort  to  revive  it,  and  to  put  it  in  every  respect 
on  a  more  substantial  basis.  In  18G9,  Rev.  Hiram 
Mead,  a  graduate  of  Andover,  was  appointed  profes- 
sor of  sacred  rhetoric,  and  proved  a  valuable  accession, 
not  less  by  his  devotion  to  the  several  interests  of  the 
department,  than  by  that  to  the  duties  of  his  own 
professorship.  A  new  building  was  needed,  and  this 
need  it  was  resolved  to  proceed  at  once  to  supply. 

In  November,  1871,  the  first  general  council  of  the 
C!ongregational  churches  of  the  United  States  met  at 
Oberliu,  and  during  their  session  gave  their  voluntary 
and  hearty  endorsement  to  the  seminary;  and  the  cor- 
ner stone  of  the  new  building,  which  was  properly 
called  "Council  Hall,"  was  at  that  tinu' laid.  A  large 
meeting  was  held  at  the  First  Church,  at  which  sev- 
eral addresses  were  made.  In  conclusion.  Rev.  Dr. 
Buddiiigtou,  chairman  of  the  council,  made  a  few 
remarks,  in  the  course  of  which  he  said: 

'*  I  rejoice  to  stand,  tliis  day,  upon  the  grave  of  buried  prejudice.  It 
is  true  that  Oberlin  has  been  a  battle-cry  in  our  ranks  for  a  generation. 
It  is  so  no  longer,  but  a  name  of  peace,  of  inspiration,  and  hope." 

Money  was  given  by  friends  of  the  college  in  New- 
England,  and  by  the  churches  in  Ohio,  by  which  the 
building  was  carried  forward  to  completion;  and  at 
the  coramencement,  August  1,  1874,  it  was  formally 
dedicated.  The  influeuce  of  these  efforts  in  reviving 
the  seminary  is  apparent  in  the  increase  of  numbers. 
In  1871,  the  number  had  increased  to  thirty-six,  the 
next  year  to  thirty-eight,  the  next  to  forty-three,  and 
in  1876  to  fifty-one. 

No  history  of  Oberlin  would  be  complete  without 
some  notice  of  its  music;  to  which,  especially  sacred 
music,  much  attention  has  been  given  from  the  first, 
and  which  has  grown  with  its  growth.  In  18:J5,  Rev. 
Elisha  P.  Ingersoll  was  appointed  professor  of  sacred 
music  in  the  college.  He  resigned  and  left  town  the 
next  year,  and,  in  18.38,  George  N.  Allen  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  same  position,  which,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two  years,  he  held  till  18G4.  Professor  Allen 
was  also  chorister  of  the  church  choir  from  1836  till 
18.50,  with  the  exception  of  two  years.  He  entered 
with  enthusiasm  into  the  work  of  training  the  choir, 
and  organized  an  orchestral  accompaniment. 

The  first  concert  of  note  was  given  at  the  commence- 
ment in  18.53,  at  which  the  "Oratorio  of  Absalom"  was 
performed.  In  18.56,  the  first  organ  was  procured,  the 
expense  of  which  the  choir  helped  much  towards  de- 
fraying with  money  earned  by  their  concerts.  In  this 
way  they  also  paid  for  tiie  gas  fixtures  in  the  First 
Church,  and  furnished  the  bell  of  the  chapel. 

On  the  division  of  the  church  in  I860,  and  the 
formation  of  the  Second  Church,  a  new  association 
was  formed,  called  "The  Musical  Union,"  composed 
of  members  from  both  choirs.  The  musical  union 
paid  most  of  the  cost  of  the  cabinet  organ  used  for  a 
time  by  the  Second  Church;  has  given  toward  the 


large  organ  now  in  the  Second  Church  nearly  a  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  four  hundred  dollars  toward  the  new 
organ  in  the  F'irst  Church. 

In  1867,  the  "Oberlin  Conservatory  of  Music"  was 
brought  into  connection  with  the  college,  and  George 
W.  Steele  was  appointed  professor  of  music,  but  was 
granted  leave  of  absence  to  pursue  his  studies  in  Ger- 
many, whence  he  returned  at  the  close  of  the  fall  term 
of  the  next  year.  In  1871,  Fenelon  B.  Rice,  a  graduate 
of  the  Leipsic  Conservatory  of  Music,  was  appointed 
professor  of  music,  and  was  made  director  of  the  con- 
servatory of  music,  under  whose  efficient  management 
this  department  of  the  college  has  attained  high  rank 
among  the  musical  schools  of  the  country. 

PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

The  following  facts  respecting  the  public  schools 
of  Oberlin,  are  gleaned  from  a  historical  sketch  pre- 
})ared  for  a  centennial  book  in  1876  : 

A  ])rimary  department  was  at  first  organized  in 
connection  with  the  college,  but  was  kept  up  only  one 
year.  The  first  public  school  was  taught  in  one  room 
of  a  house  belonging  to  Deacon  T.  P.  Turner,  by 
Miss  Anna  Moore  ;  afterward  it  was  taught  in  a  shojj 
on  the  corner  of  Main  and  East  College  streets. 

The  first  school  house  was  built  in  1838,  on  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Lorain  streets,  not  far  from  where 
the  first  church  now  stands.  It  was  a  small  frame 
building,  containing  but  one  room,  and  this  furnished 
at  first  with  only  rough  boards  for  seats.  Afterward 
rough  tables  were  ])laced  around  next  to  the  wall, 
with  chairs  before  them.  This  was  the  only  .school 
house  till  1851,  and  as  the  number  of  scholars  doubled 
and  trebled  during  that  time,  it  was  necessary  to 
seek  rooms  wherever  they  could  be  found.  Many 
good  private  schools  were  in  operation  during  this 
period. 

In  1851-52  a  new  brick  building  was  erected  on 
Professor  street,  opposite  the  college  square,  now 
owned  by  the  college  and  known  as  "  Cabinet  hall.'' 
It  was  two  stories  high  and  contained  three  school 
rooms  and  one  recitation  room.  The  building  was, 
however,  not  j'et  ample  enough  to  accommodate  all 
the  pupils,  and  afterward  two  wings  were  added,  so 
that  the  whole  building  then  contained  seven  school 
rooms.  On  entering  the  new  building  the  schools 
were  for  the  first  time  graded. 

In  1854  the  schools  were  re-organized,  and  Joseph 
H.  Barnum  was  elected  superintendent.  Mr.  Bar- 
num  was  an  active  and  efficient  teacher,  and  remained 
in  the  school  tiiree  years,  when  he  left  to  take  charge 
of  the  Elyria  schools. 

The  last  two  terms  of  the  year  following  Mr. 
Barnum's  departure.  Deacon  W.  W.  Wright  had  the 
general  superintendence  of  the  schools,  and  after  this, 
for  two  years,  they  were  without  a  superintendent. 

In  1860,  the  Union  school  was  first  organized, 
under  the  law  of  1849.  The  school  board  appointed 
Samuel  Sedgwick,  a  graduate  of  Oberlin  college, 
superintendent,  at  a  salary  of  six  hundred  dollars, 


Sylvester  ffAF?T 


Homestead    of  fWRS.  R.B.HARr,  Russia,  loj^ain  county.  Ohio. 


MRS.    RELIEF   B.    HART. 


MISS    E.    C.    HART. 


SYLVESTEK   HART. 


Among  the  early  settlers  and  good,  practical  farmers  of 
Carlisle  township  who  have  passed  away,  none  left  a  fairer 
record  for  personal  integrity  and  high  moral  worth  than  he 
whose  life  and  character  forms  the  basis  of  these  lines.  Reared 
amid  the  Green  Mountains  of  Vermont,  and  at  an  early  period 
of  his  existence  being  inculcated  with  the  importance  of  in- 
dustry and  self-reliance,  he  was  admirably  qualified  for  the 
life  of  a  pioneer  in  the  western  country  where  forty-five  years 
ago  he  eifected  a  permanent  settlement. 

Sylvester  Hart  was  born  at  Weston,  Vt.,  on  the  27th  of 
March,  1806.  His  father,  George  Hart,  was  a  native  of 
Massachusetts ;  his  mother,  Polly  Lawrence,  a  Vermonter. 
In  the  days  of  his  youth,  educational  advantages  were  quite 
limited,  and  what  little  of  scholastic  learning  he  obtained  was 
in  the  common  schools  of  the  place  of  his  birth.  By  subse- 
quent self-study,  and  the  application  of  knowledge  gained  by 
experience,  he  became  a  well-read  man,  and  posses.sed  an  in- 
telligence above  the  average  farmer.  It  was  in  the  year  1834, 
when,  imbued  with  a  spirit  of  adventure,  coupled  with  the 
desire  to  make  a  home  for  himself  and  family,  he  came  to 
Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  and  settled  in  Carlisle  township,  upon  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  his  son,  Henry  H.  Some  years  prior 
to  his  removal  from  Vermont,  however,  he  had  become  pretty 
thoroughly  acquainted  witli  and  habituated  in  agricultural 
jiursuits.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  bought  his  "  time'' 
of  his  father,  and  subsequently  purchased  a  small  farm,  which 
he  sold  preparatory  to  his  departure  to  Ohio.  All  went  well 
with  him  in  his  western  home  until  1840,  when  his  residence 
and  barn  were  totally  destroyed  by  fire,  a  calamity  under  which 
a  man  of  less  indomitable  energy  and  perseverance  would  have 
succumbed.  Nothing  daunted  by  this  untoward  event,  he 
rebuilt  on  another  part  of  his  farm  the  house  in  which  Henry 
H.  Hart  now  resides.  In  December,  18.56,  Mr.  Hart  removed 
to  the  village  of  Oberlin,  intending  to  retire  from  the  active, 
incessant  labor  of  the  farm.  Here  he  resided  a  respected  and 
honorable  citizen  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Sept.  26, 
1874. 

On  the  25th  of  January,  1829,  Mr.  Hart  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Relief  Baldwin,  who  was  born  at  Pawlet,  Vt., 
Aug.  31,  1806.  She  survives  him.  They  had  issue  as  follows, 
namely : 


Relief  M.,  born  June  19,  1830;  di,$d  in  infancy. 

Eunice  D.,  born  July  8,  1831  ;  died  in  infancy. 

Jeremiah  B.,  born  Aug.  13,  1832;  married  Sarah  A.  Lyon, 
Jan.  25,  1854.  Married,  second  time,  Julia  A.  Preston,  April 
21,  1875.  Children  by  first  wife,— Carlton  V.,  born  May  26, 
1855;  Alice  Relief,  born  Dec.  22,  1857;  and  Cora  C,  born 
April  11,  18.59.  Child  by  second  wife, — Helen  A.,  born 
March  19,  1876.  Elizabeth  C,  born  May  19,  1834;  Cornelia 
M.,  born  Sept.  21,  1836;  married  John  H.  Eckler,  of  Carlisle, 
Dec.  25,  1862.  Children,— Henry  S.,  born  Oct.  11,  1863; 
George  H.,  born  July  20,  1865;  died  Oct.  9,  1873  :  Bertha  M., 
born  Oct.  14,  1868 ;  Catharine  M.,  born  May  14,  1872 ;  Frank 
R.,  born  Feb.  21,  1875. 

Henry  H.,  born  Aug.  12, 1840;  married  Bertha  B.  Buehring, 
April  26,  1861.  Children,— Alice  L.,  born  Jan.  6,  1862  ;  Cora 
R.,  born  March  26,  1863;  William  H.,  born  July  18,  1864; 
Edith  M.,  born  Nov.  25, 1866 ;  Julia  C,  born  March  7,  1869 : 
Bertha  B.,  born  Feb.  24,  1872;  George  M.,  born  March  5, 
1874;  Edwin  R.,  born  May  14,  1876;  Flavius  A.,  born  Dec. 
2,  1849;  married  Olive  A.,  daughter  of  Simeon  Crane,  of 
Oberlin,  Nov.  7,  1877;  has  one  child.  Burton  S.,  born  Aug. 
30,  1878. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hart  was  formerly  a  Whig,  and  after  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  affiliated  with  the 
latter.  He  was  township  trustee  of  Carlisle  many  years, 
and  was  elected  to  various  other  offices  in  that  township.  He 
was  not  a  professor  of  religion,  but  the  honesty  of  his  life 
compared  favorably  with  many  of  the  most  ardent  church 
members.  After  a  careful  investigation  of  spiritualism,  he 
became  convinced  of  its  genuineness,  and  espoused  its  teach- 
ings with  a  faith  that  lasted  until  his  death.  He  became  one  of 
the  largest  landholders  in  the  county,  and  was  also  extensively 
engaged  in  dairying.  Those  of  his  acquaintances  and  friends 
by  whom  he  was  best  known,  generally  bear  testimony  to  his 
uncompromising,  personal  integrity,  his  business  rectitude, 
and  the  placidity  of  his  domestic  life.  It  was  in  the  home 
circle  where  the  serenity  of  his  disposition  was  so  highly  ap- 
preciated. His  benevolence  was  proverbial.  Taken  all  in  all, 
the  career  of  Mr.  Hart  offers  many  excellent  traits  which 
afford  alike  a  good  example  for  future  generations  to  follow, 
and  an  imperishable  legacy  to  his  estimable  family. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


185 


wliicli,  (luring  the  last  two  years  of  his  term  of  ser- 
vice, was  increased  to  a  thousand  dollars.  A  high 
school  was  organized,  and  all  the  lower  schools  were 
improved.  The  high  school  increased  to  forty,  and 
tlie  whole  number  enrolled  in  all  the  schools,  was  as 
liigh  as  four  hundred  and  fifty. 

In  the  fall  of  1809,  Mr.  Sedgwick  resigned,  and 
Mr.  E.  F.  Moulton,  a  graduate  of  Oberlin  college, 
was  appointed  his  successor, — at  a  salary  of  fifteen 
liundred  dollars,  wliich  was  afterward  raised  to  seven- 
teen hnndred.  Several  additions  were  made  to  the 
course  of  study  in  the  high  school;  and  the  number 
of  pupils  attending  the  high  school,  during  Mr. 
Moulton's  term  of  service,  was  more  tlum  doubled. 
Since  the  inauguration  of  the  new  system  in  1860,  tlie 
nuniljer  enrolled  in  all  the  schools  was  also  doubled. 

In  1873,  the  corner  stone  of  a  new  edifice  was  laid, 
and  it  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  1874.  It  is 
situated  on  South  Main  street,  in  a  central  location, 
and  contains  eleven  school  rooms,  a  superintendent's 
room,  two  smaller  recitation  rooms,  and  a  library 
room.  Its  cost  was  about  forty  tliousand  dollars, 
and  it  is  one  of  the  handsomest  buildings  of  tlie  town. 

In  1870,  Mr.  Moulton  resigned,  and  accepted  a 
position  as  superintendent  of  the  Union  school,  in 
Warren,  Ohio.  Mr.  Chittenden  was  appointed  in  his 
place,  and  has  proved  an  efficient  superintendent,  but 
lias  recently  been  compelled  to  resign,  ou  account  of 
ill  healtli,  and  Mr.  H.  F.  Clark  has  been  chosen  his 
successor. 

THE   CHURCHES. 

A  brief  notice  of  the  organization  of  the  First 
Church,  and  of  tlie  erection  of  the  church  edifice, 
has  been  already  given,  and  we  have  space  here  for 
little  more.  Mr.  Finney  was  called  to  take  charge  of 
the  church  in  May,  1837,  and  continued  its  pastor 
till  May,  1873,  a  period  of  thirty-five  years.  The 
greater  part  of  this  time.  Professor  Morgan  was  also 
associated  with  him,  and  preached  during  Mr.  Fin- 
ney's absence.  Other  members  of  the  faculty  also 
supplied  the  pulpit  at  different  times.  November  13, 
1873,  Rev.  James  Brand,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College 
and  of  Andover  Seminary,  was  installed  as  pastor  of 
the  church,  and  has  since  labored  with  much  accept- 
ance and  with  gratifying  results. 

Of  the  growth  of  the  church,  Mr.  Brand,  al)out  a 
year  since,  said:  ''Beginning  with  sixty-two  commu 
nieants  in  the  solitude  of  the  forest,  it  has  had,  in  the 
space  of  forty-two  years,  about  four  thousand  six 
hundred  and  sixty — an  average  addition  of  a  little 
more  than  one  liundred  and  ten  a  year  during  its 
entire  history."'  It  should,  however,  be  remembered 
that  from  the  changing  character  of  the  population, 
and  from  the  fact  that  many  of  the  students  became 
lonnected  with  the  church,  the  dismissions  were  as 
rontinual,  if  not  so  large,  as  tlie  additions. 

For  many  years  the  First  Church  was  the  only 
church  in  the  place,  and  it  came  to  be  the  general 
and  cherished  desire  that  there  should  be  no  other. 

24 


This  feeling  arose,  not  from  any  exclusiveness,  but 
from  a  desire  of  concentration  and  unity,  rather  than 
division  of  christian  effort.  The  confession  of  faith 
embraced  only  those  vital  points  which  are  accepted 
by  all  evangelical  christians;  and  it  was  common  for 
members  of  other  denominations  to  join  the  church 
without  change  of  views.  But  in  the  growth  of  the 
place,  it  was  inevitable  that  other  churches  should  be 
formed. 

The  second  cliurch  organized  was  the  Protestant 
Episcopal.  Missionary  services  were  begun  by  Rev. 
Anson  Clark,  in  the  year  1853,  and  were  held  regu- 
larly thereafter  once  a  month,  or  once  in  two  weeks, 
in  Mr.  Safford's  house.  The  organization  of  the 
parish  was  effected  April  18,  1855,  by  Rev.  Francis 
Granger,  with  seven  communicants.  Very  soon  after, 
the  work  of  building  the  church  was  commenced, 
the  lot  being  given  by  Mrs.  Saflford.  Rev.  William 
C.  French  came  in  November,  1858.  The  church 
was  then  but  partially  completed,  and  Mr.  French 
did  much  to  secure  its  completion.  The  church  was 
consecrated  in  May,  1859,  by  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  with- 
out any  debt,  and  has  remained  so  to  this  day.  In 
1868,  a  recess  chancel  was  added,  and  also  a  vestibule. 
The  whole  cost  of  the  church  was  about  five  thousand 
dollars. 

On  the  same  lot  with  the  church,  which  comprises 
nearly  an  acre,  beautifully  ornamented  with  shrubs, 
a  fine  rectory — the  only  parsonage  in  the  place — has 
been  erected.  This  was  begun  in  1860,  and  completed 
in  1805.  The  church  embraces  now  about  sixty  com- 
municants, and  like  the  other  churches  of  the  place, 
its  membership  is  more  or  less  fluctuating.  The  fra- 
ternal spirit  of  the  First  Church  toward  this  first 
sister  church,  was  manifested  by  its  invitation,  ex- 
tended to  Bishop  Mcllvaine,  on  a  certain  occasion 
before  they  had  a  church  edifice,  to  hold  service  in 
their  church,  which  he  did,  to  the  gratification  and 
edification  of  all  present. 

The  Second  Congregational  church  of  Oberlin  was 
organized  by  a  council  composed  of  the  representa- 
tives of  several  sister  churches.  May  3,  1860,  one 
hundred  persons,  dismissed  from  the  First  Church  for 
the  purpose,  uniting  in  the  enterprise.  This  step 
seemed  necessary  from  the  fact  that  the  congrega- 
tion had  become  too  large  to  be  accommodated.  The 
October  following,  the  church  became  connected  with 
the  Cleveland  conference,  and  in  April,  1805,  it  was 
duly  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State.  The 
following,  fall  steps  were  taken  to  secure  a  site  for  a 
church  edifice,  work  upon  which  w"as  begun  in  1807 
and  completed  in  1870.  The  whole  cost  of  the  build- 
ing was  about  thirty  thousand  dollars.  The  dedica- 
tory exercises  took  jslace  on  the  30th  of  October,  and 
on  the  following  Sabbath  the  church  transferred  its 
meeting  from  the  college  chapel,  which  it  had  hith- 
erto occupied,  to  the  new  building.  The  next  fall 
an  organ  costing  five  thousand  dollars,  was  purchased. 
Much  of  the  time  since  its  organization  the  church 
has  been  supplied  by  members  of  the  faculty  acting 


186 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


as  pastors.  It  h;is  liad,  however,  two  installed  pas- 
tors—Rev. M.  W.  Fairfield  from  October,  1801,  to 
December,  18G4,  and  its  present  pastor,  Rev.  W. 
Kincaid,  who  began  his  labors  in  February,  1870,  and 
was  installed  tlie  following  April.  The  number  of 
members  given  in  the  manual  of  the  cliurch,  pub- 
lished this  year,  is  six  hundred  and  forty-four,  <  f 
whom  ninety-eight  are  absent.  The  number  of  dil- 
ferent  j^ersous  who  have  united  witli  tiie  church,  is 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty. 

In  the  summer  of  1800  several  Baptist  brcthrei 
and  sisters,  having  held  for  some  time  a  series  ol 
prayer  meetings,  resolved  to  form  a  church  ;  and  foi 
this  purpose  tliey  called  a  council  of  neighboring 
churches  on  the  30th  of  July,  which  recognized  tlu' 
brethren  and  sisters  calling  the  council,  as  a  Baptist 
church.  At  a  subsequent  church  meeting  forty-fix e 
brethren  and  sisters  handed  in  their  letters  of  recon.- 
mendation,  which  were  read  by  tlie  Rev.  J.  II.  Lan- 
gille,  and  tliey  were  organized  into  a  cliurch,  the 
corporate  name  of  which  it  was  voted  should  be 
"the  First  Regular  Baptist  Church  of  Oberlin." 
From  this  time  the  church  held  meetings  in  a  hall  in 
Exchange  block,  in  Watson's  hall,  and  in  Carpenter's 
hall  successively,  and  had  regular  preaching.  The 
corner-stone  of  a  new  house  of  worship  was  laid,  with 
appropriate  ceremonies,  on  a  site  procured  on  East 
Lorain  street,  September  34,  1807,  and  in  Septembei-. 
1871,  the  building  liaving  been  completed,  was  form- 
ally dedicated.  It  is  a  neat  and  commodious  brick 
building,  and  cost  about  fourteen  thousand  dollars. 
The  present  number  of  members  is  about  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty. 

In  1808,  funds  were  collected,  and  a  lot  purchased 
on  South  Main  street,  by  Rev.  Ira  Hitchcock,  then 
on  Amherst  circuit,  for  a  Methodist  Episcopal  churcli, 
and  the  next  year  Rev.  G.  A.  Reeder  was  sent  to  the 
charge,  and  labored  faithfully  to  carry  out  the  project 
of  building  a  church.  But  he  being  removed  from 
the  work  at  the  end  of  the  year,  and  there  being 
other  adverse  causes,  the  enterprise  was  finally  aban- 
doned. A  few  years  later,  the  society  was  disliandcd. 
and  nothing  remained  but  a  lot  and  a  note  of  one 
hundred  dollars  from  the  sale  of  materials. 

In  the  fall  of  1808,  a  society  was  again  organized 
by  Rev.  L.  M.  Pounds,  then  in  charge  of  PittsfieUl 
circuit. 

The  next  year,  Rev.  J.  Evans  being  on  the  charge, 
the  society  decided  to  make  an  other  effort  to  erect  a 
house  of  worship.  About  twelve  hundred  dollins 
were  subscribed  in  and  around  OI)erlin,  and  tlie  work 
was  begun. 

In  1870,  Rev.  A  Holbrook  was  appointed  to  tlie 
charge,  and  the  work  was  carried  forward,  as  fast  as 
tlie  means  on  hand  would  allow.  Contributions  were 
received  from  neigliboring  places,  and  also  from  mem- 
bers of  the  college  faculty,  and  from  many  of  the 
members  of  the  Congregational  churches  of  Oberliii. 

In  1873,  Rev.  J.  R.  Jewett  was  appointed  to  the 
charge,  and  the  building  having  been  completed,  was 


dedicated  December  14th,  but  not  until  subscriptions 
had  been  taken  more  than  enough  to  cover  the  debt. 
The  building  is  a  frame  enclosed  with  brick.  Its 
dimensions  are  seventy-two  by  forty-five  feet;  and  its 
estimated  value  is  about  eight  thousand  dollars.  Rev. 
J.  F.  Brant  is  the  present  ])astor.  The  number  of 
members  is  one  hundred  and  sixty-two,  and  there  is 
in  connection  with  ihe  cliurch,  a  flourishing  Sabbath 
school. 

About  1808,  Rev.  Mathew  Goosland,  who  had  been 
a  slave,  and  had  bought  his  own  freedom,  began  to 
liold  meetings  for  the  colored  people  in  Peck's  hall, 
and  members  of  the  college  faculty  preached  occasion- 
ally to  them. 

Subsequent  to  the  formation  of  tlie  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  a  Second  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  (colored,)  was  organized.  The  members  of 
this  church,  with  persevering  effort,  have  erected  a 
chapel  edifice  on  Soutli  Water  street,  and  furnished 
it  with  a  bell.  Tlieir  building  cost  them  three  or 
four  thousand  dollars.  The  number  of  their  members 
is  about  forty. 

A  division  occurred  in  this  church,  and  in  August, 
1870,  the  seceding  members  organized  an  African 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  This  is  of  about  the 
same  size  as  the  otlier.  They  hold  their  meetings  in 
a  house,  which  they  have  purchased  and  fitted  up.  on 
East  Lorain  street. 

The  first  cemetery  was  on  Morgan  street  between 
Main  and  Professor  streets.  The  first  burials  were 
made  next  to  the  street,  but  afterwards,  when  greater 
retirement  was  found  desiralile,  the  first  graves  were 
removed  back.  When  the  town  became  larger  it  was 
thought  desirable  to  have  a  larger  cemetery,  outside 
of  the  village.  A  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  was 
therefore  called  .July  9,  1801,  to  take  stejis  to  form  a 
cemetery  association.  A  committee  was  appointed  to 
draft  a  constitution  and  by-laws;  which  being  reported 
at  a  subsequent  meeting,  were  adojited,  and  the  offi- 
cers, consisting  of  six  trustees  and  a  clerk,  w'cre 
elected.  During  the  next  year  twenty-seven  and  a 
half  acres  were  purchased  of  Rev.  Henry  Safford,  in 
the  southwest  part  of  the  village,  and  this  lot  was 
converted  into  a  cemetery  and  called  "  Westwood." 
The  grounds  have  since  been  much  improved,  and  it 
has  become  a  favorite  resort.  The  remains  of  be- 
tween two  and  three  hundred  have  been  removed 
from  the  old  to  the  new  cemetery.  Tlie  whole  number 
of  interments,  not  including  removals,  from  1803  to 
January  1,  1878,  was  six  hundred  and  forty,  an  an- 
nual average  of  about  forty-two. 

The  principal  settlements  in  Oberlin  were  first  made 
on  the  east  side  of  Main  street  opposite  the  college 
square,  and  south  on  the  same  street.  Mr.  Shipherd's 
house  was  north  of  the  square,  the  back  part  of  the 
house  now  owned  by  Mr.  Hulburd;  and  he  afterjvard 
built  the  house  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Jewell.  Mr. 
Pringle  Hamilton's  house,  a  mile  south  of  the  village, 
was  built  in  1834,  and  was  then  far  in  the  woods. 
East  College  and   East  Lorain  streets  began  to  be 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


187 


settled  next  in  order.  There  were  bxiildings  there  in 
1834.  In  1835  there  were  two  houses  built  on  Pro- 
fessor street,  Professor  Finney's  and  President  Mahan's, 
and  that  street  was  not  opened  north  of  Lorain  and 
south  of  College  street.  The  house  of  Chauncey  T. 
Canier,  the  college  farmer,  the  one  now  owned  by 
President  Fairchild,  was  built  in  1838  or  '39,  but  was 
then  in  the  lot.  North  Professor  was  not  opened  till 
sometime  later,  and  West  College  was  simjily  a  pocket, 
having  uo  outlet.  Then  West  street  was  laid  out, 
giving  a  passage  across  to  Lorain,  and  it  was  called 
West  street  because  it  was  supposed  it  was  the  last  j 
street  that  would  be  needed  toward  the  west. 

Pleasant  street,  between  Lorain  and  College,  was 
opened  very  early,  liut  its  extension  north  and  south 
has  been  quite  recent.  West  Lorain  was  opened  at 
the  beginning,  but  was  not  built  up  much  till  one  got 
into  the  country.  It  was  the  only  road  opened  to  the 
west  out  of  town,  and  made  its  connections  with  Hen- 
rietta, Brownhelm,  etc.  Thus,  all  there  was  of  the 
town  for  a  great  many  years,  was  found  on  four 
streets.  The  town  did  not  extend  much  south  of  the 
creek,  the  tendency  to  build  in  that  direction  coming 
with  the  advent  of  the  railroad. 

The  first  steam  mill,  owned  by  Oberlin  College, 
was  sold  to  Isaac  Chamberlain.  Mr.  Chamberlain 
sold  the  mill  to  Henry  Wilcox,  who  ran  it  for  some 
time.  It  was  owned  by  Beebe  and  Horton  when  it 
was  burned  in  1810  or  '47. 

In  1841,  a  saw  mill  was  built  on  the  east  side  of 
Water  street  by  Ellis,  Wilder  and  Reed.  It  was  run 
a  short  time  before  it  was  given  uj).  L.  M.  Hall 
built  a  flouring  mill  a  short  distance  north  of  it,  using 
the  old  boiler  to  furnish  steam  for  the  engine.  Be- 
fore there  was  any  mill,  I\[r.  Hall  ran  a  team  to  bring 
flour  from  Ashland.  About  the  year  1846,  Lewis 
Holtslauder  built  a  grist  mill  on  the  west  side  of 
Water  street,  and  south  of  Hall's  mill,  P.  P.  Stewart 
putting  in  the  engine.  This  was  only  run  a  year  or 
two,  and  is  now  owned  by  Hervey  Leonard. 

In  1863-3,  Mr.  Jenkins  built  a  saw  mill  on  the 
south  side  of  Mill  street,  which  Samuel  Plumb  bought 
in  1863,  and  sold  it  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  to 
Reuben  Haynes  and  H.  0.  Swift.  After  the  death  of 
yir.  Haynes,  Reuben  Stone  bought  his  interest. 

The  building  on  South  Main  street  now  occupied 
by  L.  S.  Colburn  as  a  planing  mill,  was  built  in  1838 
by  three  students,  James  A.  Preston  and  William  H. 
Evarts,  who  became  missionaries  to  Jamaica,  and 
Cephas  Foster,  who  settled  in  Cxalena.  President  J. 
II.  Fairchild,  then  a  senior  in  college,  took  the  job  of 
making  the  window  frames  for  fifty  cents  apiece,  and 
made  them,  twenty  in  number,  in  five  days.  The 
building  was  erected  to  aid  students  depending  on 
manual  labor  for  support.  Seth  B.  Ellis,  who  owned 
the  shop  alone,  or  with  others,  for  twenty-five  years, 
purchased  the  first  planer  and  matching  machine  for  it, 
and  the  first  shingle  machine.  About  the  year  1848, 
a  carding  and  cloth-dressing  machine  was  put  in,  and 


for  many  years  there  was  quite  an  extensive  business 
in  this  line. 

In  1834,  before  there  was  any  post-office  in  town, 
Harvey  (iibbs  used  to  carry  the  mail  between  Oberlin 
and  South  Amherst,  in  a  leather  bag  which  would 
hold  about  half  a  peck.  He  was  the  first  post-master, 
the  post-office  then  being  in  the  first  building  north 
of  the  site  of  the  town  hall.  In  1841  T.  Dwight 
Eells  was  appointed  post-master.  Mr.  Eells  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mr.  Munson,  who  kept  the  office  until  1840, 
and  filled  it  again  from  1853  until  1861,  when  G. 
F.  H.  Stevens  was  appointed.  J.  F.  Harmon  was 
appointed  in  1865,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  present 
post-master.  Will.  Allen,  in  1874. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Oberlin  opened  for 
business  at  No.  13,  West  College  street,  in  September, 
1863.  Samuel  Plumb  was  its  president  until  Novem- 
ber, 1869,  then  I.  M.  Johnson  for  two  months,  after 
that  A.  H.  Johnson  until  January,  1873,  when  I. 
M.  Johnson  was  chosen,  and  was  succeeded  in  Jan- 
uary, 1874,  by  Hiram  Hulburd,  the  present  pres- 
ident. The  bank  was  removed  to  its  i^resent  location 
in  Viets's  block,  on  East  College  street,  in  1870. 

Professor  Dascomb  practiced  somewhat  as  a  physi- 
cian for  a  short  time.  In  1835  or  1836,  Dr.  Alexander 
Steele  was  invited  and  came  to  Oberlin,  and  had  all 
the  practice.  Dr.  Otis  Boise  was  afterward  associated 
with  Dr.  Steele  for  a  few  years.  In  1846,  Dr.  Homer 
Johnson  came  from  Birmingham,  where  he  had  been 
practicing  medicine  for  about  ten  years,  to  Oberlin, 
where  he  was  associated  with  Dr.  Steele,  till  1859. 
They  had  a  large  practice,  as  well  in  the  surrounding 
country  as  iu  the  village.  Dr.  Steele  died  in  April, 
1872. 

The  colored  people,  who  now  form  about  one-sixth 
of  the  whole  jiopulation  of  the  place,  did  not  come 
in  much  at  au  early  day.  Some  of  the  first  families 
were  those  of  Mr.  Farris,  Mrs.  Crabbe,  and  Mr. 
Smith. 

Sabram  Cox  came  from  the  west,  in  1839,  as  a  stu- 
dent, and  finally  married  and  settled  down,  and  has 
ever  since  been  one  of  the  most  substantial  colored 
citizens.  Campton,  Copelaud  and  the  Pattersons  came 
from  North  Carolina.  Anson  Jones  also  came  from 
North  Carolina,  and  was  one  of  the  characters  of 
Oberlin.  When  a  slave,  he  hired  his  time,  and  by 
working  at  his  trade  as  a  blacksmith,  bought  himself 
and  family  at  a  cost  of  eight  thousand  dollars,  and 
then  came  to  Oberlin  and  put  his  four  sons  through 
college.  He  worked  away  at  his  anvil  till  he  was  over 
eighty  3'ears  old.  He  took  a  good  deal  of  interest  in 
politics,  and  took  the  A^ational  Intelligencer  and  the 
Charleston  Mercurij.  On  East  College  street,  a  mile 
from  the  center,  Horace  Crosby  settled  at  a  very  early 
day,  and  one  of  the  attractions  of  his  place  was  a 
flower  garden  iu  the  door  yard,  kept  by  Mrs.  Crosby. 
The  students  often  took  walks  in  that  direction  to 
get  a  sight  of  the  flowers. 

An  act  to  incorporate  the  town  of  Oberlin  was 
passed  by  the  general  assembly  of  the  State  of  Ohio, 


188 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


February  17, 1846.  The  first  mayor  elected  was  Lewis 
Holtslander.  By  an  ordinance  ])assed  by  the  town 
council,  in  1853,  the  name  of  the  town,  the  limits 
of  which  were  defined,  was  to  be  the  "Incorporated 
Village  of  Oberlin."  In  1861,  the  limits  of  the  corpo- 
ration were  enlarged,  and  again  in  1870  and  1871. 

The  running  of  the  railroad  through  Oberlin  was 
an  important  event  in  the  history  of  the  town.  The 
trains  began  to  run  in  the  fall  of  1853,  and  the  road 
was  then  called  "  The  Toledo,  Norwalk  and  Cleveland 
Railroad,'*  and  ran  through  Grafton  instead  of  Elyria. 
Before  this,  students  had  gone  on  tlie  railroad  to 
Wellington,  and  had  come  from  there  by  stage.  Be- 
fore the  road  was  built,  students  from  the  east  com- 
monly waited  for  the  lake  to  o])eii  in  the  spring. 
This  coming  of  the  railroad  to  Oberlin  gave  both  the 
town  and  the  school  a  new  start.  It  was  soon  after 
the  inauguration  of  the  scliolarship  endowment,  by 
which  the  school  had  been  so  largely  increased,  and 
furnished  augmented  facilities  to  the  crowds  of  stu 
dents  in  reaching  it. 

In  the  fall  of  1858,  Mr.  W.  Stephenson  undertook 
to  provide  the  town  with  gas,  and  many  of  the  citzens 
took  stock  in  the  enterprise.  After  laying  some  of 
the  jiipes,  he  failed;  and  the  next  year  Samuel  Phimb 
assumed  the  undertaking,  the  citizens  who  had  sub- 
scribed stock  throwing  it  np  to  secure  its  success. 

At  the  spring  election  of  1868,  a  large  majority  of 
the  qualified  electors  of  Russia  township  voted  for  the 
building  of  a  town  hall,  and  soon  after  the  State  leg- 
islature passed  a  special  act  constituting  the  townshi]i 
trustees  and  the  town  council  a  joint  board  to  build 
such  town  hall.  Acting  in  accordance  with  this,  the 
board  made  an  assessment,  and  afterward  issued 
bonds,  and  contracted  for  the  construction  of  the 
proposed  building,  which  was  completed  in  1870,  at  a 
cost  of  eighteen  or  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

FIKE    DEPARTMENT. 

The  first  fire  engine  in  Oberlin  was  a  small  hand 
engine,  which  was  procured  about  1844.  In  1853, 
two  hand  engines  were  bought  in  Rochester,  New 
York,  called  the  "Niagara"  and  "Cataract;"'  the 
latter  costing  five  hundred  dollars,  and  the  former 
two  hundred  dollars.  These  machines  were  used  till 
1865;  and  one  of  them  has  been  fitted  up,  and  is  now 
used  by  a  colored  company.  The  otlier  is  used  in  the 
brickyard  formerly  owned  by  L.  B.  Kinney.  In 
November,  1865,  a  steamer, — -a  third  class  Silsby 
engine, — was  purchased,  costing  four  thousand  dol- 
lars.    About  1873,  a  new  hose  cart  was  bought. 

About  1860,  a  hook  and  ladder  company  was 
formed.  In  1863,  at  a  tournament  held  in  Cleveland, 
this  company  won  a  silver  trumpet,  valued  at  one 
hundred  dollars;  and  the  next  year,  another  at  San- 
dusky, of  the  same  value;  the  latter  being  afterward 
presented  to  M.  T.  Gaston,  as  a  token  of  gratitude 
for  his  services.  This  company  has  won  the  prize  in 
six  tournaments;  the  prizes  being  four  trumpets,  once 
money,  and  the  last  a  buck-horn. 


The  following  are  the  names  of  the  chief  engineers, 
in  the  order  in  which  they  have  served:  H.  C.  Tay- 
lor, Homer  Johnson,  David  Brokaw,  Mr.  Peake,  M. 
T.  Gaston,  H.  M.  Piatt,  M.  T.  Gaston,  again,  and 
now,  Levi  Whitney. 

THE    EARLY    SETTLEMENT    OF    RUSSIA    TOWNSHIP. 

Many  of  the  more  imjiortant  of  the  following  facts 
I  have  copied  from  the  Town  records,  as  they  were 
collected  and  recorded  by  John  L.  Hunter,  in  1855; 
other  interesting  facts  I  have  obtained  from  early 
settlers,  or  from  the  descendants  of  early  settlers. 

The  township  of  Russia  was  owned  by  Street  and 
Hughes  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  having  been 
bought  by  them  of  the  State  of  Connecticut.  The 
first  settlements  in  the  township  were  made  in  the 
northwest  part,  contiguous  to  the  settlements  in  Am- 
herst. This  may  have  been  because  of  the  nearness 
to  settlements  already  made,  and  also  because  of  the 
better  quality  of  the  land.  The  first  settlements  seem 
to  have  been  made  in  1818.  In  that  year  Daniel  Rath- 
burn,  Israel  Cash,  Thomas  Waite,  Jonathan  Buck, 
John  Callum  and  Israel  CJamp  settled  on  lots  iiumlier 
one  and  eleven.  In  1823,  Walter  Buck,  Samuel  T. 
Whiteman  and  Esquire  (rreen  settled  in  the  same 
neighborhood,  but  perhaps  not  on  the  same  lots.  In 
1S3:5,  John  McC'alley  settled  on  lot  twelve,  and  in 
1834,  Daniel  Axtell  bought  him  out.  In  1825,  Rich- 
ard Rice  settled  on  lot  forty-two;  Israel  Smith,  Slan 
Butlangh  and  Abrani  Wellman  on  lot  twelve;  Stephen 
Baker  on  lot  three,  and  Stillman  on  lot  four. 

With  these  inhabitants,  who  constituted  the  voters, 
the  township  was  organized.  Early  m  1825,  a  peti- 
tion was  presented  to  the  commissioners  of  the  county 
for  the  powers  and  i)rivilegesof  an  incorporated  town- 
ship. The  petition  was  granted,  and  Josiah  Harris, 
Es(]uire,  of  Amherst  was  appointed  to  preside  and 
call  the  meeting  to  order  for  the  first  election,  which 
was  held  at  the  house  of  Daniel  Axtell,  on  lot  twelve. 
There  were  sixteen  voters  in  the  township,  all  told, 
and  all  were  present.  Walter  Buck,  Israel  Cash  and 
Stephen  Baker  were  judges  of  the  first  election,  and 
Richard  Rice  one  of  the  clerks,  the  name  of  the  other 
being  unknown. 

In  1836,  Lewis  Boynton  bought  on  lots  tweutj'-two 
and  thirty-two  and  settled;  Rufus  Jloore  on  lot  eighty, 
on  the  road  from  Elyria  to  Wellington;  and  Thomas 
Errin,  Elias  Peabody  and  George  Disbro  on  lot  one. 

Between  1S26  and  1829,  John,  James,  Hezekiah 
and  Ray  Tift,  four  brothers,  with  their  mother,  set- 
tled on  the  north  and  south  center  road,  in  the  north 
part  of  the  township.  This  was  called  "the  Tift 
settlement."  This  settlement  was  soon  afterward  in- 
creased by  the  arrival  of  Robei't  Meeker,  George  ' 
Wilcox,  and  Silas,  Mayuai'd  and  Orson  Allen.  A 
little  south  were  George  Carley  and  Clark  Warner, 
and  east  were  Abram  Van  Houton  and  his  sons,  and 
Jeremiah  Bidwell. 

Mr.  Nathan  Basset  bought  out  Silas  Allen  in  1834. 
He  came  from  New  York,  but  was  originally  from 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


189 


Bridgewater,  Massachusetts.  His  son,  tlien  a  hoy 
and  now  a  respected  citizen,  lives  on  the  old  place. 
Mr.  Orrin  Gibson  came  the  same  year.  He  was 
twenty-six  years  old,  unmarried,  and  rode  all  the  way 
on  horseback  from  Tompkins  county,  New  York.  Ho 
afterward  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Freeman,  whose 
father  settled  in  the  north  part  of  the  township  in 
1829.  Both  are  still  living  in  the  same  house  with 
their  son.  About  the  same  time  Mr.  Lot  Parsons 
bought  the  Tift  i:)lace  and  settled.  This  settlement 
was  about  a  mile  in  length.  There  was  no  wagon  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  no  wagon  track  in  the  road — 
only  a  path  in  the  middle.  When  they  went  to  mill 
they  hitched  two  yoke  of  oxen  on  a  sled. 

On  the  same  road,  farther  south,  Alanson  A.  Piatt, 
settled  in  the  spring  of  1836,  on  the  place  now  owned 
by  Gillett,  Jarvis  and  Bassett.  He  came  originally 
from  Milford,  Connecticut,  but  had  lived  three  years 
in  Genesee  county.  New  York.  He  had  a  family  of 
thirteen  children,  though  all  did  not  come  with  him. 
Henry  M.  Piatt,  who  has  for  many,  years  carried  on  a 
photograph  gallery  in  Oberlin,  is  his  youngest  son, 
and  was  born  the  fall  after  his  father  had  removed  to 
Russia. 

Silas  Gibson  moved  from  Tompkins  county.  New 
York,  to  Henrietta,  in  May,  1831,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing February  removed  into  Russia  township,  and 
settled  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  west  of  the  Tift 
settlement,  where  he  still  lives.  He  bought  his  jilace 
of  the  Thurston  brothers,  who  were  bachelors,  and 
with  his  wife  and  three  children  lived  the  first  year 
in  a  shanty  twelve  by  seventeen.  He  has  raised  a 
family  of  twelve  children,  eight  boys  and  four  girls. 
His  next  neighbor  on  the  south,  who  came  in  soon 
after  he  did,  was  Mr.  Messerole,  from  New  Jersey, 
whose  son  lives  on  the  old  place.  Deer  were  plenty, 
and  they  could  have  as  much  venison  to  eat  as  they 
wanted.  There  were  also  large  flocks  of  wild  tur- 
keys; one  day  he  shot  five  and  shared  them  with  his 
neighbors. 

The  first  school  kejit  in  town  was  in  the  winter  of 
183.5-'26,  in  a  log  school  house  on  lot  eleven.  The 
teacher  was  Albert  Adams,  a  man  from  Wellington, 
and  his  wages  were  twelve  dollars  per  month.  This 
west  part  of  the  town  constituted  district  number 
one.  Afterward  another  district  was  established  east 
of  this,  and  a  log  school  house  was  built  in  the  Tift 
settlement. 

Previous  to  1839,  elections  were  held,  and  the  town- 
ship business  generally  was  done  in  the  west  school 
house.  In  1829,  and  thereafter  till  the  jilace  of  elec- 
tion was  changed  to  the  village  of  Oberlin,  elections 
were  held  at  the  school  house  on  the  center  road. 
Daniel  Axtell  was  the  first  Justice  of  the  peace, 
being  commissioned  April  22,  1826. 

The  first  religious  meeting  in  the  township  was 
held  in  1826  by  a  missionary  from  Connecticut,  who 
preached  in  a  log  school  house  on  lot  thirty-one. 

Alexander  Gaston  was  born  in  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts,  and  went  to  Tompkins  county,  New 


York,  when  he  was  twenty-two,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried and  raised  a  family  of  ten  chihli-en.  He  first 
came  to  Russia  in  1833,  and  bought  the  whole  of  lot 
seventy-two,  of  Street  and  Hughes,  whirii  was  then  a 
dense  forest.  The  next  year,  he  removed  his  family, 
and  purchased  of  Walter  Burk  a  farm  partially  im- 
proved, on  lots  thirty-one  and  thirty-two,  where  he 
resided  till  his  death,  June  23,  1865,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two,  and  where  his  son,  Alonzo  Gaston,  now 
lives.  He  was  a  strictly  temperate  man,  and  was  the 
first  man  in  the  part  of  the  town  where  he  resided  to 
put  up  a  building,  at  the  raising  of  which  intoxi- 
cating liquoi'S  were  not  used  as  a  treat  to  the  hands; 
and  as  a  consequence,  he  was  obliged  to  make  two 
efforts  before  the  raising  was  completed.  He  may  be 
said  to  have  been  the  most  prominent  member  of  the 
Congregational  church  at  South  Amherst,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  deacons  from  its  organization,  in 
about  the  year  183-4:,  until  his  death.  In  1834  or 
1835,  he  was  elected  a  justice  of  the  ])eace  by  a  strictly 
party  vote  on  the  temperance  question,  the  election 
being  held  at  the  school  house  near  his  residence,  and 
the  people  of  Oberlin  going  out  to  vote.  He  served 
several  years  in  that  capacity  to  the  satisfaction  ot  his 
fellow  citizens. 

Samuel  Rossiter  came  to  Russia  from  Richmond, 
Massachusetts,  in  the  fall  of  1834,  and  bought  of 
Street  and  Hughes  lot  eighty-two.  The  following 
February,  he  was  married  to  Maria  Gaston,  daughter 
of  Deacon  A.  Gaston,  and  in  May  they  moved  into  a 
log  cabin  he  had  erected  on  his  place,  thirteen  by  six- 
teen feet  within  walls,  with  single  roof,  and  without 
chamber.  In  the  summer  ho  built  a  frame  barn, 
thirty  by  forty  feet;  and,  not  finding  sufficient  help 
among  his  neighbors  to  raise  it,  without  whisky, 
was  assisted  by  students  and  others  from  Oberlin.  A 
pig-pen  that  he  afterward  liuilt  between  liis  luiuse  and 
the  road,  and  larger  than  his  house,  was  often  mis- 
taken for  his  house,  persons  first  knocking  at  the 
door  of  the  pig-pen.  His  only  vehicle  for  several 
years,  for  use  on  his  farm,  or  for  riding  for  business 
or  pktisvre,  was  a  twn-wheeled  cart,  ])ropelled  by 
oxen.  In  this,  he  and  his  family  attended  cliurch  at 
Oberlin,  riding  over  roads  made  in  the  following 
manner:  A  track  about  ten  feet  wide  was  made 
through  the  dense  forest  two  miles,  from  his  jilace  to 
town,  by  cutting  the  trees  even  with  the  ground 
Rails  were  then  split,  ten  feet  long,  and  a  continuous 
bridge  made  of  them  on  the  above  surface,  then  a 
ditch  was  dug  at  the  sides,  and  the  clay  thrown  upon 
the  rails.  Over  such  roads,  when  the  clay  settled 
through  the  rails,  or  some  of  the  rails  decayed,  as 
they  soon  did,  riding  in  an  ox-cart  was  anything  but 
delightful.  Mr.  Rossiter  has  had  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  of  whom  ten  are  living.  He  himself  now 
resides  in  Tabor,  Iowa. 

The  settlement  two  miles  northeast  of  Oberlin, 
know  as  "New  Oberlin,"  was  begun  by  J.  B.  Hall, 
father  of  Rev.  H.  B.  Hall,  now  a  resident  of  Oberlin. 
In  the  fall  of  18^4,  he  bought  laud,  and  began  to 


190 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


clear.  He  built,  a  barn  in  1836,  and  a  house  in  1839. 
lie  was  !ui  earnest  cliristian  man,  and  carried  on 
nieelings  in  the  neighborliood  for  years. 

Omar  Bailey  built  a  house  in  1837,  in  which  he 
now  lives.  Francis  Spces,  Israel  Mattison,  Stejilieii 
Cole,  and  Talcott  Kinney  were  among  the  early  set- 
tlers in  tiiat  neigliborliood. 


Biographical  Sketches, 


(iHAULESG.  FINNEY 

was  born  in  Warren,  Litchfield  county,  Connecticut, 
August  2'.),  1793.  When  about  two  years  old  his 
father  removed  to  Oneida  county,  New  York,  where, 
the  country  being  new,  the  subject  of  our  sketch 
grew  up  with  scant  religious  i)rivileges,  seldom  hear- 
ing a  sermon.  Here  he  obtained  a  common  school 
education,  and  afterward,  returning  to  Now  England, 
attended  a  high  school.  He  gained  some  knowledge 
of  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew,  and  thought  of  going 
to  Yale  college,  but  did  not. 

In  1818  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  Adams,  Jef- 
ferson county.  New  York,  where,  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life,  he  enjoyed  the  (ijiportunity  of  hearing  reg- 
ularly the  preaching  of  an  educated  minister.  At 
this  time  also  he  for  the  first  time  owned  a  Bible, 
which  he  read  with  interest ;  and  he  frequently 
attended  tjie  weekly  prayer  meeting  of  the  church. 
Coming  tinally,  tiirough  the  working  of  gospel  truth 
on  his  active  mind,  under  deep  conviction,  in  the  fall 
of  1831  he  experienced  a  remarkal)le  change  of  char- 
acter and  of  life,  whieli  led  him  immediately  to  give  up 
the  law  willi  the  view  of  becoming  a  jireacher  of  Ihe 
gospel. 

His  conversion  was  the  beginning  of  a  revival  in 
Adams,  and  he  entered  at  once  upon  christian  work 
with  all  the  zeal  of  his  ardent  nature.  In  his  prep- 
ai'ation  for  the  ministry,  jnirsuing  Ihe  study  of  the- 
ology under  the  instruction  of  his  pastor.  Rev.  George 
W.  Gale,  his  mind  revolted  from  the  old  school  Cal- 
vmistic  doctrines,  which  brought  him  into  frequent 
discussion  with  his  teacher. 

In  March,  18"24,  he  was  licensed  liy  the  iiresbytery 
to  preach,  and  soon  after  began  his  labors  as  a  home 
missionary,  in  Jefferson  county.  New  York. 

•'  Having  had  no  regular  training  for  the  ministry,"' 
he  says,  "  I  did  not  expect  or  desire  to  labor  in  large 
towns  or  cities,  or  to  minister  to  cultivated  congrega- 
tions. I  intended  to  go  into  new  settlements  and 
))reacii  in  school  houses,  and  tiariis,  and  groves,  as 
best  ]  could." 

From  the  llrst  he  engaged  in  his  work  with  an 
intense  yet  intelligent  zeal ;  and  iis  untiring  laJjors 
})roduced,  with  (iod's  blessing,  powerful  revivals. 
He  was  indeed  possessed  of  uncommon  natural  abil- 


ities ;  but  the  real  secret  of  his  success,  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  his  ministry,  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  he  was  a  man  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  of  much  prayer. 

It  soon  a])peared  that  his  great  work  was  to  be,  not 
that  of  a  pastor  of  a  single  church,  but  that  of  an 
evangelist,  going  from  place  to  place  and  laboring  for 
the  awakening  of  the  churches  and  the  conversion 
of  sinners.  To  this  work  the  first  ten  years  of  his 
ministry  were  wholly  given,  during  which  he  preached 
in  the  large  towns  and  cities  of  New  York,  in  Phil- 
adelphia, and  in  the  principal  cities  of  New  England  ; 
and  powerful  revivals  occurred,  resulting  in  the  con- 
version of  large  numbers. 

In  the  sjiring  of  1832  he  went  to  New  York  City 
and  became  pastor  of  a  new  Presbyterian  chun'h. 
Here  he  delivered  a  series  of  lectures  on  revivals, 
which  were  at  the  time  reported  and  published  in  tiie 
New  York  EiunujeUsf,  and  being  afterward  collected 
in  a  book,  have  had  a  very  hirge  circulation,  not  only 
in  this  country,  liut  in  England  and  other  countries 
of  Europe. 

In  the  spring  of  183.5  he  went  to  Oberlin,  and 
entered  upon  the  work  of  his  remaining  life  as  a  pro- 
fessor of  theology.  To  the  formation  of  the  charac- 
acter  of  this  new  enterprise,  in  its  predominant 
religious  and  reformatory  aspect,  lie  was  to  contrib- 
ute a  large  share.  But  he  could  not  be  content  to  be 
a  mere  teacher.  The  gosjiel  message  was  as  a  fire 
shut  up  within,  which  would  continually  burst  forth. 
Neither  could  it  be  confined  to  one  place. 

Till  the  infirmities  of  age  made  it  physically  im])0s- 
sible,  he  preached  at  intervals  in  many  j)laces,  with 
the  same  fervor  and  success  which  had  characterized 
his  earlier  efforts.  Twice  he  visited  England  ;  the 
first  time  in  1819,  the  second  time  in  1858  ;  and  both 
times  extensive  revivals,  in  various  jilaces,  resulted 
from  his  labors. 

From  1830  to  1873,  he  was  pastor  of  the  First  Con- 
<rrei;ational  C'liurch  of  Oberlin,  and  from  1851  to 
ISUti  was  president  of  the  college.  His  sermoi\s  were 
for  many  years  published  in  the  Oberlin  Evamjelist, 
and  since  his  death  a  selection  of  them  has  been  made 
and  published  in  book  form. 

As  a  theologian,  Mr.  Finney  is  perhaps  less  widely 
known  than  as  a  preacher;  yet  in  his  preaching  his  the- 
ology continually  appears.  While  he  was  an  original 
and  independent  thinker,  his  theological  faith  belongs 
to  that  phase  of  the  evangelical  systeni  known  as  the 
new  school.  His  theological  views  are  embodied  in 
his  work  on  "Systematic  Theology,"  a  new  edition 
of  which,  revised  and  slightly  abridged  by  President 
Fairchild,  has  been  recently  pulilished.  The  basis  of 
his  system  is  found  in  his  theory  of  the  foundation  of 
moral  obligation,  which  he  identifies  with  the  good 
of  universal  being,  the  willing  of  .vhich  constitutes 
the  true  righteousness  of  a  moral  agent.  The  first 
part  of  his  work  on  systematic  theology  consists  of  a 
thorough  and  masterly  discussion  of  this  whole  suli- 
ject,  comprising  a  review  of  other  theories. 


HISTORY  OP  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


191 


Mr.  Finney's  prciicbing  was  not  (.■hicfly  an  appeal 
to  the  feelings;  his  sermons  were  always  weighty 
with  thought,  and  produced  first  and  most, — convic- 
tion of  the  Judgment.  His  appeal  to  the  feelings 
was  through  the  intellect.  In  private  he  was  frank 
and  genial.  In  his  preaching,  and  in  personal  inter- 
course, one  of  his  greatest  charms  was  his  unaffected 
sincerity.  In  his  autobiography,  pul)lis]ied  since  his 
death,  he  has  left  a  vivid  and  deeply  impressive  nar- 
rative of  his  revival  labors. 

The  last  two  or  three  years  of  liis  life  were  spent  in 
comparative  rest  and  quiet.  He  retained  his  con- 
nection with  the  theological  seminary,  and  finished  a 
course  of  lectures  to  the  students  but  a  short  time  be- 
fore his  death.  Concerning  this  closing  period  of  his 
life,  I'residcnt  Fair^'hild  writes  as  follows:  "Notwith- 
standing the  abundant  and  exhausting  labors  of  his 
long  public  life,  the  burden  of  years  seemed  to  rest 
lightly  u]wn  him.  He  stood  erect  as  a  young  man, 
retained  his  faculties  to  a  remarkable  degree,  and 
exhibited  to  the  end  the  quickness  of  thought,  and 
feeling,  and  imagination,  which  always  characterized 
hiui.  His  life  and  character  perhaps  never  seemed 
richer  in  the  fruits  and  the  beauty  of  goodness,  than 
in  these  closing  years  and  months."  Taken  suddenly 
ill,  after  a  few  hours  of  suffering,  he  passed  peacefully 
to  his  reward,  August  Ifi,  1875,  within  two  weeks  of 
having  completed  his  eiglity-third  year. 

Mr.  Finney  was  married  three  times.  His  last  wife 
survives  him.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  five  children, 
of  whom  four,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  are  now 
living.  Of  the  two  sons,  one  resides  in  Califoi-nia, 
the  other  in  Wisconsin;  of  the  daughters,  one  is  the 
wife  of  Hon.  J.  D.  Cox,  the  other  of  Hon.  James 
Monroe. 


JAMES  HARRIS  FAIRCHILD. 

James  Harris  Fairchild  was  born  in  Stockbridge, 
Massachusetts,  November  35,  1817.  In  1818  hi 
parents,  with  their  family,  removed  to  Ohio,  and  set- 
tled in  Brownhelm,  which  was  then  a  wilderness. 
Here,  amid  the  influences,  the  stimulus,  as  well  as 
hindrances  of  a  ])ioneer  life,  he  spent  his  boyhood. 
Rut  liis  prevailing  inclinations  were  to  study;  and 
happily  an  academy  was  started  in  his  own  town,  at 
which,  and  at  the  high  school  in  Klyiia,  he  prei)are(l 
for  college.  And  when  he  was  ready  for  college  his 
college  was  ready  for  him.  The  school  at  Oberlin  was 
first  liegun  in  December,  1833.  In  May,  1834,  the 
appointed  teachers  came  on  from  the  east,  and  the 
school  was  then  first  regularly  oi-ganized;  and  it  was 
at  this  time  that  the  subject  of  our  sketch  found  his 
way  to  Olierlin.  The  following  October,  the  first 
freshman  class  was  organized,  comprising  at  that  tinie 
the  two  Fairchilds,  James  and  his  brother  Henry, 
next  older,  now  president  of  Berea  College,  Kentucky, 
and  two  others. 


Pursuing  his  course  steadily,  he  graduated  from 
college  in  183§;  after  which  he  entered  at  once  ujutn 
a  theological  course,  which  he  completed  in  1841.  In 
1839,  while  studying  theology,  he  was  appointed  tutor 
in  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  college;  and  on  the  comple- 
tion of  his  course  in  theology  in  1841,  he  was  elected 
professor  of  Latin  and  Greek.  In  November,  1841, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  F.  Kellogg,  of  Minden, 
Louisiana.  In  1847  he  was  transferred  to  the  chair 
of  mathematics  and  nalural  philosojihy,  and  in  1858 
he  received  the  appointment  of  professor  of  moral 
philosophy  and  systematic  theology.  In  1866  Presi- 
dent Finney  resigned  his  position,  and  Professor  Fair- 
child  was  apiiointed  his  successor,  a  position  he  has 
held  until  the  present  time. 

Thus  it  appears  that  from  its  beginning  President 
Fairchild  has  been  identified  with  Oberlin.  His  con- 
nection with  it,  beginning  in  his  youth,  has  been 
continued  to  the  maturity  of  his  manhood.  This 
connection  has  been  uninterrupted,  save  by  a  single 
year  of  foreign  travel.  Early  fashioned  in  mind  and 
character  by  the  positive  and  potent  ideas, — theolog- 
ical, jihilosophical  and  reformatory, — which  have  given 
Olierlin  its  distinctive  character,  he  has  been  thus  well 
fitted  to  become,  in  his  time,  one  of  Oberlin's  repre- 
sentative men.  His  life  has  not  been  eventful,  but 
it  has  been  a  busy  one.  It  has  been  a  quiet,  yet  a 
progressive  life. 

As  a  public  speaker  he  is  quiet  and  self-contained, 
and  though  impressive,  would  not  be  called  oratorical. 
Yet,  so  fraught  are  his  productions  with  elevated  and 
original  thought,  clothed  in  a  style  clear  and  terse, 
that  corresponding  thoughts  are  awakened  in  his 
auditors,  which  do  not  jiass  away  with  the  hearing. 
His  public  addresses  on  special  occasions  have  uni- 
formly possessed  so  high  a  degree  of  excellence  that, 
almost  without  exception,  they  have  been  requested 
for  publication. 

That  which  best  expresses  and  explains  his  life  is, 
fidelity  to  duty.  He  has  not  been  ambitious,  or  eager 
for  distinction;  but  he  has  risen  to  a  high  position  in 
the  esteem,  respect  and  admiration  of  a  large  number. 
He  has  given  himself  to  his  work  with  a  devotion 
which  has  known  no  abatement. 

There  is  found  in  him,  in  no  ordinary  degree,  both 
the  speculative  and  the  practical.  His  mind  grapples 
resolutely,  and  works  actively  and  intensely  on 
tlie  great  subjects  of  thought;  but  high  thoughts  do 
not  so  absorb  his  attention  as  to  make  him  neglectful 
of  the  necessary  details  of  practical  affairs.  He  is 
wise  in  little  things  as  in  great. 

The  prevailing  bent  of  his  mind  is  unquestionably 
ethical.  Though  his  mind  is  too  comprehensive  to 
allow  him  to  be  a  mere  specialist,  yet  his  favorite 
study  is  ethics.  On  this  summit  of  human  thought 
he  has  long  dwelt;  and  the  result  of  his  thinking  and 
teaching  he  has  embodied  in  his  treatise  on  moral 
philosophy.  This  is  an  admirable  exposition  of  the 
moral  law  of  love  or  benevolence;  first,  in  its  philos- 
ophy or  reason;  and,  secondly,  in  its  practical  appli- 


192 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


ctitioii  to  linniiU)  riglits  aiul  duties.    In  his  tlieological 
tcacliing  he  is  clear,  rational,  and  evangelical. 

Under  his  wise  and  discreet  management,  Oberlin 
college  has  undergone  a  gradual  and  continual  im- 
j)r()vement.  This  improvement  is,  indeed,  its  natural 
growth;  yet  it  is  not  spontaneous,  but  must  be  jn-o- 
moted  by  intelligent  effort,  in  which  many  co-operate. 
This  growth  consists  in  the  enlargement  and  perfect- 
ing of  the  course  of  stndy,  so  as  to  furnish  a  culture 
broader  and  higher;  and,  as  a  necessary  material 
basis  for  this,  an  ade(inate  college  endowment. 


JOHN  KEEP.* 


The  name  of  "Father  Keep"  is  a  bouseliold  word 
in  some  parts  of  the  land,  and  is  not  unfamiliar  in 
others  to  those  who  have  known  little  of  his  work  and 
his  life. 

John  Keep  was  born  in  Longmeadow,  Hampden 
county,  Massachusetts,  April  20,  1781.  His  father, 
Samuel  Keep,  was  of  the  fourth  generation  from 
John  Keep,  who  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of 
Longmeadow,  and  the  ancestor  of  all  of  the  name  of 
Keep  who  have  bad  a  residence  in  New  England. 
His  mother  was  Sabina  Cooley,  daughter  of  Josiab 
Cooley,  of  Longmeadow.  He  was  the  seventh  of  nine 
children,  all  but  one  of  whom  reached  nearly  seventy 
years  of  age.  His  father  died  at  eigbty-fonr,  and  bis 
paternal  grandmother  at  ninety-two. 

The  father,  Samuel  Keep,  was  a  thriving  farmer, 
of  robust  frame  and  vigorous  mind,  a  leading  chris- 
tian man,  much  regarded  in  the  community  for  his 
practical  sagacity,  and  the  wisdom  of  his  counsels  in 
all  matters  of  business. 

John  was  thoroughly  trained  in  farm  work  until 
seventeen  yeai's  of  age,  when  he  entered  Yale  College 
and  passed  regularly  through  the  course,  graduating 
in  1803  with  a  class  of  sixty  members,  all  of  whom  he 
outlived.  A  portion  of  the  time  in  college  he  paid 
his  board  by  dining-room  work  in  the  college  com- 
mons, returning  to  the  farm  in  vacations  to  do  good 
service  there.  After  a  year's  teaching,  he  entered 
upon  special  study,  in  preparation  for  the  ministry, 
under  the  private  instruction  of  Rev.  Asahel  Hooker, 
of  Goshen,  Connecticut.  June  11,  180.5,  he  was  ap- 
proved, by  the  Litchfield  North  Association,  as  a 
candidate  for  the  ministry,  having  already  received 
an  invitation  to  preach  from  the  society  in  Blandford. 
Massachusetts. 

While  pursuing  theological  studies  in  (Josben,  be 
was  a  boarder  in  the  family  of  Judge  Nathan  Hale, 
where  he  became  acquainted  with  Miss  Lydia  Hale, 
whom  he  married  soon  after  entering  upon  his  work 
at  Blandford. 

When  Mr.  Keep  was  about  go  before  the  association 
for  approval,  he  ventured  to  state  his  thoughts  and 

*  By  Eev.  James  H.  Fairchild,  President  of  Oberlin  College. 


wishes  to  Miss  Lydia,  asking  her  to  consider  his  pro- 
posal a  week  and  then  give  him  a  definite  reply. 
Before  the  week  closed,  she  put  into  his  hand  a  pa])er, 
mostly  blank,  with  her  name  near  the  bottom  of  the 
page,  and  the  following  postscript:  "I  accept  your 
proposal,  and,  that  you  may  make  your  arrangements 
unembarrassed,  you  may  put  above  my  name  any 
words  you  may  choose  expressive  of  my  affection  for 
you,  and  I  will  redeem  the  pledge."  That  pledge 
was  redeemed,  by  rare  fidelity  and  devotion,  through 
almost  sixty  years  of  married  life.  Mr.  Keep's  own 
testimony  to  her  worth  will  not  be  regarded,  by  those 
who  knew  her  best,  as  an  overstatement:  "  To  her  I 
owe  much,  yea,  it  verily  seems  to  me  all,  of  what 
success  I  have  had  in  my  ministerial  labors.  In  this 
sphere  she  was  always  a  reliable  guide.  Her  counsels, 
deliberate,  never  obtrusive,  always  given  in  a  kind 
spirit,  yet  clear  and  firm,  became  to  me  laio,  so  fully 
did  they  bear  the  proof  that  she  had  the  mind  of 
Christ.  The  duties  of  her  home  circle  and  pastoral 
life  were  her  pastime;  yet  she  quietly  bore  the  priva- 
tions, often  severe  to  one  of  her  quiet,  retiring  tem- 
perament, inseparable  from  the  itinerancy  of  her 
husband  as  an  agent  and  a  lecturer,  never  holding 
him  back  from  any  consideration  merely  affecting 
herself.  Such  a  helper,  such  a  comi)anion  and  co- 
workt'r,  (iod  gave  mc  for  fifty-nine  years  and  four 
months." 

They  bad  only  one  child,  Rev.  Theodoi'c  .John 
Keep,  of  Oberlin,  Ohio. 

The  church  and  society  at  Blandford,  where  Mr. 
Keep  began  his  ministry,  were  in  a  distracted  condi- 
tion, unable  to  harinoni/.e  in  the  calling  of  a  itastor. 
Tiie  first  .settlers  of  the  ])lace  were  of  Scotch-Irish 
origin,  possessing  much  native  vigor  of  body  and 
mind,  Imt  not  much  of  the  grace  of  gentleness  and 
conciliation.  Conflicts  on  the  affairs  of  the  parish 
had  characterized  the  town  meetings  for  a  generation, 
and,  one  Saljbath  morning,  the  preacher  had  been 
borne  to  the  jiulpit  by  the  triumphant  party,  after  a 
vigorous  fight  at  the  church  door  and  in  the  aisles. 

When  the  invitation  was  extended  to  Mr.  Keep  to 
come  and  preach  as  a  candidate,  the  church  had  be- 
come discouraged  in  the  effort  to  harmonize  with  the 
society,  and  had  ceased  to  co-operate.  Mr.  Keep  was 
invited  by  the  trustees  of  the  society  alone,  and  the 
members  of  the  church  came  to  the  meeting  on  the 
appointed  Sabbath  with  sad  hearts  to  hear  the  society's 
minister,  without  any  expectation  of  being  able  to 
api)rove. 

He  preached  bis  first  sermon  to  this  distracted  con- 
gregation. Both  parties  were  delighted,  but  each 
expected  that  the  other  would  reject  the  candidate. 
The  final  call  for  his  ordination  was  unanimous,  and 
when,  after  sixteen  years  of  labor,  he  decided  to 
leave,  there  was  a  unanimous  vote  urging  him  to 
remain,  and  pledging  continued  and  liberal  supj)ort. 

The  i)arisli  would  not  seem  an  inviting  one  for  a 
young  minister  seeking  ease,  or  opportunity  for  self-    , 
culture.     It  was  a  rough,  mountainous  region,  and    i 


^,^fcCrx. /Z^^r/^  _ 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY.  OHIO. 


193 


f.he  iieoplc  were  nuieli  like  the  conntry,  scattered  over 
an  area  seven  by  nine  miles  in  extent.  Tlio  average 
annual  sale  of  intoxicating  drinks  in  the  town  at 
the  time  of  Mr.  Keep's  ordination,  "is  put  by  one 
authority  at  fifty  hogsheads,  by  another  as  low  as 
twenty-five,''  and  this  in  a  population  of  only  one 
thousand  five  hundred.  Intemperance,  of  course, 
diminished  as  the  people  made  progress  in  intelli- 
gence and  refinement.  In  this  good  work  the  pulpit 
gave  no  uncertain  sound,  but  announced  the  doctrines 
of  the  temperance  reformation  twelve  years  before  the 
general  movement  on  this  subject  in  New  England. 
When  Mr.  Keep  went  to  Blandford,  he  found  a  reso- 
lution on  the  records  of  the  town  meeting  in  these 
words:  "Resolved,  That  wo  will  not  allow  any  preacher 
the  use  of  the  pulpit  to  solicit  money  in  support  of 
missionaries."  When  he  left,  the  cause  of  missions 
was  cherished  with  interest  and  received  a  liberal  sup- 
port. All  this  was  not  effected  without  earnest  and 
thorough  labor.  One  who  was  at  that  time  a  youth 
in  Blandford  writes  of  these  efforts: 

"With  great  plainness  he  unfolded  to  his  people 
their  obligations  to  the  nnevangelized  abroad,  and  to 
the  waste  places  of  our  own  land.  In  different  aspects 
and  with  varying  application,  he  held  up  the  Saviour's 
last  command,  and  showed  the  insufficiency  and  hol- 
lowness  of  a  piety  that  consisted  of  profession  alone 
and  did  not  ii'ork  l)y  love.  These  now  self-evident 
truths  sounded  strangely  then,  and  their  utterance 
excited  great  opposition.  I  distinctly  recall  the  tones 
of  injured  innocence  in  which  one  of  his  parishioners 
complained  of  the  pain  which  those  appeals  occa- 
sioned him:  'Last  Sunday  afternoon,'  said  lie,  'I  sweat 
my  shirt  through  while  Mr.  Keep  was  begging  for  the 
heathen.'  " 

In  May,  1821,  Mr.  Keep,  in  response  to  an  invita- 
tion from  the  Congregational  church  in  Homer,  New 
Yoi-k,  decided  to  "remove  to  the  West."  He  had  at 
the  same  time  a  call  from  the  church  in  Brunswick, 
Maine,  with  the  added  responsibilities  proposed  of 
"  teacher  of  moral  philosophy  and  preacher  in  the 
college.'' 

The  parish  in  Homer  ojiened  a  wider  field  than 
that  from  which  he  retired.  The  church  had  four 
hundred  names  uj)on  its  record,  and  the  Sabliath 
congregation  averaged  six  hundred.  There  was  a 
flourishing  academy  in  the  place,  of  which  Mr.  Keep 
was  elected  a  trustee  soon  after  his  settlement.  He 
entered  upon  this  field  when  ho  was  forty-one  years 
of  age,  in  full  vigor  of  body  and  mind,  with  an 
experience  of  sixteen  years  in  the  pastoral  relation, 
and  all  his  resources  were  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
work  before  him.  An  extract  from  a  written  state- 
ment made  by  one  of  his  parishioners,  will  afford 
some  apprehension  of  his  labors  there. 

"He  was  now  in  the  full  possession  of  his  mental 
and  physical  manhood,  in  the  enjoyment  of  good 
health,  and  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  this  new 
charge  with  all  the  zeal,  industry,  and  energy  of  his 
ardent  temperament.     His  congregation,  mingled  in 

25 


a  population  of  six  thousand  souls,  spread  over  an 
area  of  ten  miles  square,  wore  to  be  full-fed  on  the 
Sabbath,  to  be  nursed  in  their  families,  to  be  bathed 
in  his  sympathies  when  sick,  and  to  be  tenderly  sus- 
tained at  the  burial  of  their  dead,  requiring  religious 
visits,  many  weekly  lectures  and  a  perpetual  suc- 
cession of  funeral  sermons.  His  pulpit  discourses 
were  uniformly  well  prepared  and  attractive  ;  his 
various  and  exceedingly  multiplied  duties  out  of  the 
pulpit  were  punctually  performed,  and  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  community.  Through  his  influence 
as  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  academy, 
a  ladies'  department  was  inaugurated,  more  teachers 
were  employed,  the  attendance  of  pupils  increased, 
and  the  institution  was  at  once  placed  on  a  basis 
which  led  it  on  and  ujjward  to  a  position  of  one  of 
the  most  popular  and  useful  educational  agencies  in 
central  New  York. 

"  Mr.  Keep  was  remarkable  for  the  interest  he 
manifested  in  all  the  business,  social,  and  religious 
affairs  of  the  community.  No  one  knew  so  much  as 
he  of  all  that  was  going  on  in  the  community.  For 
the  aged  he  ever  had  a  pertinent  thought,  a  word  of 
consolation  and  cheerful  advice.  To  the  middle-aged 
business  men,  he  was  ever  ready  to  address  words  of 
encouragement  and  wise  counsels.  For  the  young  he 
invariably  had  a  word  of  cheerful  greeting  and  a 
hearty  welcome.  No  child,  ever  so  young,  escaped 
his  notice.  He  thus  became  a  great  favorite  with  the 
youth  and  children  in  our  vicinity.  The  admission 
to  the  church,  during  his  twelve  years'  labor  among 
us,  of  five  hundred  members,  is  the  reliable  testimony 
that  the  blessing  of  God  attended  his  ministration. 

"  During  the  five  years  before  his  removal  from  us, 
he  maintained  weekly  five  Bible  classes,  in  as  many 
diflierent  districts,  and  such  was  his  punctuality  in 
fulfilling  his  appointments,  that  only  in  one  instance 
did  he  fail  of  being  present  with  his  class.  Many 
members  of  the  church  received  their  first  religious 
impressions  under  his  faithful  j^resentatious  of  truth 
in  these  Bible  recitations. 

"His  ardent  temperament,  with  his  talent  for 
leading  the  community,  placed  him  in  the  front  rank 
in  all  measures  necessary  for  a  healthful  public  senti- 
ment, the  prosperity  of  the  church,  and  the  strength 
and  adornment  of  a  christiaii  commonwealth  ;  yet  in 
all  this  he  was  never  captious  or  dogmatical,  but  at 
all  times  ready  to  listen  to  the  opinions  of  others, 
and  to  profit  by  their  suggestions,  never  allowing 
expediency  to  take  the  precedence  of  principle." 

A  man  so  ardent  and  progressive  would  inevitably 
find  some  tendency  to  reaction  in  his  church,  and  the 
apprehension  that  this  might  at  length  result  in  dis- 
sension and  party  division  induced  him  to  tender  his 
resignation,  and  thus  avert  the  danger.  Many  were 
grieved  at  his  decision,  but  he  never  regretted  the  step. 

Two  calls  were  then  before  him — one  to  an  agency 
in  New  England  in  behalf  of  the  American  Coloniza- 
tion Society,  the  other  to  the  care  of  a  church  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 


194 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Uutil  about  tliis  time,  most  of  the  pnieticul  aiiti- 
slavery  feeling  of  the  country  had  gathered  ahout  the 
colonization  society — an  organization  tlie  design  of 
which  was  to  send  free  colored  people  and  liberated 
slaves  to  Africa,  where  it  was  supposed  they  belonged. 
Mr.  Keep  was  a  colonizationist  ;  and  with  tliis  call 
in  his  pocket  he  came  on  to  Cleveland. 

The  doctrine  of  immediate  emancipation  on  the 
soil  had  just  been  broached  by  Garrison  and  others, 
and  the  colonization  society  had  been  assailed  as 
selfish  and  cruel. 

Pondering  these  questions  on  his  journey,  he  came 
out  an  unconditional  emancipationist,  and  hence  de- 
clined the  call  to  the  agency  ;  not  that  he  was  more 
opposed  to  slavery  than  before,  but  he  had  obtained 
new  light  as  to  the  jiractical  treatment  of  it. 

Cleveland,  in  1833,  was  a  village  of  three  or  four 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  here  Mr.  Keep  spent  a 
year  as  pastor  of  the  Stone  Church, — now  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church.  Then  with  a  colony  from  this 
church  he  organized  a  church  in  Ohio  City, — now  tlic 
First  Congregational  Church,  West  Side. — and  be- 
came its  pastor. 

The  work  at  Oberlin  was  commenced  in  1833.  In 
the  spring  of  1834  the  permanent  teachers  came  upon 
the  ground,  and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  Father 
Keep  was  elected  a  trustee  and  president  of  the  board. 
From  this  time  he  began  to  be  known  as  Father  Keep, 
not  so  much  on  account  of  his  age,  which  was  fifty- 
three  years,  as  for  his  benignant,  fatherl}'  character. 

One  of  the  first  questions  before  the  board  after  his 
election,  was  that  of  opening  the  doors  of  the  college 
to  colored  pupils.  Several  meetings  were  held;  the 
discussions  were  long  and  earnest;  there  was  much 
excitement  in  the  new  "colony;"  and  when  the  vote 
was  taken  in  the  final  meeting,  there  was  a  tie. 
Father  Keep,  as  president,  gave  the  casting  vote,  and 
determined  the  position  of  the  college  and  of  the 
community  on  the  side  of  the  colored  people.  The 
position  was  taken  with  hesitation,  but  courage  grew 
with  the  conflicts  which  followed.  From  tliat  hour 
Father  Keep  took  Oberlin  on  his  heart,  and  never  laid 
it  otf  until  he  laid  off  all  earthly  thought  and  eare. 
During  the  feebleness  of  the  last  day  of  his  life,  lie 
referred  to  a  letter  which  he  was  writing  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  college,  saying  that  he  would  finish  it  to- 
morrow. 

In  1836,  he  resigned  his  pastorate  in  Cleveland, 
and  accepted  a  financial  agency  for  the  college.  This 
work  he  prosecuted  for  a  year  with  excellent  success; 
but  the  financial  crash  of  1837  came  on,  and  only  a 
few  of,  the  pledges  secured  were  redeemed — his  own, 
of  one  thousand  dollars,  being  one  of  the  few.  The 
times  were  unpropitious  for  such  an  effort,  and  he 
resigned  his  agency  to  return  to  pastoral  work. 

But  there  were  few  pulpits,  in  those  days,  open  to 
a  minister  connected  with  the  unpopular  cause  of 
abolitionism,  and  the  unpopular  college  of  Oberlin. 
He  preached  a  few  months  in  Wooster,  Oliio,  and 
afterward  in  Lockjjort  and  Albion,  New  York. 


Then,  in  view  of  the  pressing  wants  of  the  college, 
especially  of  a  debt  which  was  truly  formidable,  and 
the  imjiossihility  of  raising  money  in  this  country,  in 
the  spring  of  1839,  in  connection  with  Mr.  William 
Dawes,  a  trustee  of  the  college,  he  undertook  a  mis- 
sion to  England  for  its  relief.  Mr.  Dawes  was  the 
leader  in  the  enterprise,  and  Father  Keep  was  his 
ardent  supporter  and  co-laborer.  It  was  a  bold  un- 
dertaking, but  successfully  accomplished,  giving  a  net 
result  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  in  aid  of  the  college, 
and  furnishing  relief  which  was  vital  to  the  success  of 
the  enterprise  at  Oberlin.  This  sum  was  collected  by 
personal  ajiplication,  and  in  small  amounts,  mostly 
under  fifty  dollars  each,  involving  a  great  expenditure 
of  labor  and  patience,  continued  through  a  year  and 
a  half.  Mr.  Dawes  and  Father  Keep  gave  themselves 
to  the  work  without  reservation,  not  even  taking  a 
day  for  recreation  or  sight-seeing,  passing  St.  Paul's 
daily,  for  weeks  together,  without  turning  aside  to 
visit  it.  It  was  not  because  Father  Keep  lacked  aj)- 
preciatioii  of  such  objects  of  interest,  or  had  no  desire 
to  see,  but  because  he  had  given  himself  to  a  great 
work,  and  it  engrossed  the  energies  of  his  soul.  This 
arduous  and  self-denying  labor  he  ]ierfi)rmed  almost 
without  compensation. 

For  the  next  ten  years,  he  gave  himself  to  the  work 
of  preaching,  having  charge  of  churches  in  Mansfield 
and  Hartford,  Ohio,  and  preaching  in  Arcade,  New 
York,  and  Litchfield,  Ohio. 

In  1850,  having  nearly  reached  his  th reescore  years 
and  ten,  he  removed  his  family  to  Oberlin,  put  on 
the  harness  again,  and  aided  in  raising  an  endowment 
of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  by  the  sale  of  schol- 
sliips.  Here  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  years; 
but  they  were  not  years  of  idleness,  or  the  quiet  en- 
joyment of  the  fruit  of  his  labors.  He  filled  them 
all  to  the  very  last  with  a  ceaseless  activity;  looking 
after  the  interests  of  the  college  and  the  place;  going 
out  upon  an  occasional  agency;  writing  letters  to 
friends  and  acquaintances  to  enlist  their  sympathy 
and  aid;  preaching  without  compensation  from  place  to 
place  on  the  great  themes  of  the  gospel  and  the  jiressing 
questions  of  the  times,  the  doctrine  of  human  rights, 
and  tlie  true  idea  of  a  ''christian  commonwealth;" 
aiding  in  every  public  enterprise  of  the  town,  as 
church  l)uilding  and  the  schools;  looking  after  the 
poor  and  the  stranger;  showing  an  intense  interest  in 
all  that  concerned  the  welfare  of  the  families  and  the 
place;  attending  diligently  all  meetings  of  the  trus- 
tees of  the  college,  and  cheering  on  every  eilort  for 
improvement,  often  electrifying  the  whole  body  of 
trustees  and  faculty  with  the  impulse  of  his  ardor 
and  his  energy  and  faith.  Others  might  be  discour- 
aged; he  never  was.  His  personal  contributions  to 
the  college  in  money  and  services,  estimated  at  the 
lowest  standard  at  the  time  when  rendered,  exceed 
four  thousand  dollars;  and  all  this  at  great  self-denial, 
most  of  the  time  without  any  income,  shut  out  from 
f)astoral  work  by  his  labors  for  the  college. 

Father  Keep  was  blessed  with  a  remarkably  vigor- 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


195 


ous  constitution,  and  during  his  long  life  enjoyed 
almost  unintcrrujited  health.  He  was  never  confined 
to  his  Ijed  a  single  day,  save  the  last  one  of  his  life. 
Perhaps  the  best  ^xplauation  of  this  fact  is,  that  "a 
cheerful  heart  doeth  good  like  a  medicine."  For  a 
few  weeks  before  liis  death,  he  was  more  feeble  than 
usual,  and  felt  that  his  end  was  near.  He  spoke  of 
liis  decease  and  made  arrangements  for  it  with  as 
much  freedom  and  cheerfulness  as  if  it  had  been  a 
journey  or  a  change  of  residence. 

February  11,  1870,  his  long  journey  was  finished. 
He  died,  not  because  he  was  overcome  by  disease,  But 
because  he  had  lived  life  out.  He  closed  his  eyes  as 
calmly  as  a  child  to  sleep,  holding  the  hands  of  his 
daughter,  and  putting  his  last  breath  into  a  farewell 
kiss.     At  last  he  rested  from  his  labors. 

Some  of  the  prominent  traits  of  Father  Keep's 
character  are  well  exhibited  in  the  following  commu- 
nication from  Rev.  Albert  II.  PUimb,  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, who  knew  him  in  his  best  days: 

"The  visits  of  my  uncle,  Rev.  .John  Keep,  to  my 
father's  house  in  my  cnildhood,  are  remembered  with 
great  interest.  His  cheery  ways,  his  quaint  and  pithy 
sayings,  his  kind  interest  in  each  member  of  the 
family,  made  his  coming  a  breezy,  sunny  time. 

"He  seemed  to  have  a  rare  faculty  of  comprehend- 
ing at  once  the  entire  situation  of  the  jiarties,  of 
discerning  just  the  topics  which  a  wise  regard  for 
the  interests  of  the  families  would  bring  up  for 
conference;  and  passing  quickly  by  all  the  little 
nothings  which  too  often  engross  the  thoughts  when 
friends  meet,  occasioning  regret  afterwards  that  need- 
ful things  were  left  unsaid,  he  promptly  seized  hold 
of  each  important  subject  in  its  order,  so  that  when 
he  left  our  roof  we  all  felt  like  saying,  '  what  a  sat- 
isfactory visit!  how  much  was  accomplished!'  His 
life  often  i-eminded  me  of  one  of  his  own  aphorisms: 
'Duty  done  gilds  the  future.' 

•'He  must  have  early  formed,  for  he  long  main- 
tained, a  habit  of  looking  with  real  interest  ujion 
every  person  he  met,  and  of  giving  to  almost  every 
one  some  inspiring  word  bearing  on  his  vital  inter- 
ests. These  vigorous  sayings  often  carried  so  much 
concentrated  wisdom  that  they  were  treasured  as  mot- 
toes for  life. 

"  He  was  endued  with  remarkable  foresight,  so  that 
his  age  was  not  embittered  by  the  overthrow  of  his 
plans,  and  the  disappointment  of  his  hopes,  through 
the  changes  of  the  times.  On  the  contrary,  he  en- 
joyed, as  few  are  privileged  to  do,  the  realization  of 
his  fondest  hopes,  the  triumphs  of  his  most  sacri- 
ficing toils. 

"As  a  friend,  Mr.  Keep  was  beyond  praise.  How 
quickly  jiersonal  grief  melted  away  in  the  warm  sun- 
light of  his  jiresence;  for,  in  his  high  consecration  to 
great  and  worthy  ends,  he  thought  little  about  him- 
self— his  frames  or  moods,  his  burdens  or  cares.  His 
friendship  was  wise,  far-sighted,  and  it  held  on.  Look 
at  his  married  life — one  long,  peaceful,  cloudless  sum- 
mer day!     And  when,  at  length,  husband  and  wife 


were  tottering  down  the  hill  together,  no  sweeter 
picture  of  wedded  love  ever  met  my  eyes  than  they 
then  presented  to  the  view  of  all." 

In  noticing  further  the  character  exhibited  in  the 
life  of  Father  Keep,  we  are  struck  with  his  permanent 
and  ever  fresh  interest  in  life  and  its  work.  He  was 
never  disposed  to  live  in  the  past,  or  imagine  the 
former  times  better  than  these.  He  congratulated 
those  who  wei'e  younger,  that  they  were  permitted  to 
live  and  act  in  these  better  days,  and  no  admonition 
to  his  younger  brethren  was  more  often  on  his  lips, 
than  that  they  should  appreciate  the  privilege  of 
living  at  such  a  time  as  this,  and  not  fall  behind  the 
age. 

Hence,  he  was  naturally  a  progressive,  and  never  a 
conservative.  He  had  no  veneration  for  anything 
merely  because  it  was  of  long  standing.  He  was 
always  looking  for  something  bettei-,  and  ready  to 
enlist  in  any  reform  that  promised  any  good.  And 
this  trait  was  (juite  as  ^jrominent  when  he  had  passed 
liis  fourscore  years  as  in  his  early  manhood;  out  of 
this,  and  his  abiding  faith  in  God,  sprung  his  great 
hopefulness  and  his  never-failing  confidence  in  re- 
sults. 

This  hopefulness  and  faith  were  perhaps  the  source 
of  atiother  trait — his  courage  and  fidelity  in  maintain- 
ing his  convictions  of  unpopular  truth.  Few,  at  this 
later  day,  can  appreciate  the  courage  which  it  re- 
quired, in  his  early  manhood,  to  esj)ouse  as  he  did 
the  cause  of  the  colored  man,  and  to  identify  himself 
with  the  friends  of  abolitionism  so  thoroughly. 

lie  had  a  plan  for  everything.  Nothing  was  ever 
done  at  random,  or  by  accident.  He  was  not  drifted 
along  by  circumstances,  but  subjected  circumstances 
to  his  purpose.  His  mind  was  fertile  in  devising, 
and  persevering  and  inflexible  in  execution.  This 
appears  in  his  early  pastorates,  and  is  the  secret  of 
the  great  amount  of  work  which  he  was  able  to  ac- 
complish. His  plans  took  in  all  the  interests  of  every 
family  in  his  wide  parish, — and  were  laboriously  and 
faithfully  carried  out  in  all  their  details. 

This  habit  carried  into  his  business,  explains  how 
he  was  able  to  live  upon  his  slender  means,  almost 
without  income,  and  yet  give  to  benevolent  causes 
more  than  most  persons  who  had  tenfold  his  resources. 
Nothing  but  rigid  economy,  and  the  most  systematic 
conduct  of  his  affairs,  could  have  accomplished  such 
results.  Many  a  minister  of  later  daj^s  might  learn 
wisdom  from  him  m  this  particular. 

Finally,  Father  Keep  was  a  man  of  disinterested 
and  abounding  love.  His  self-forgetfulness  was  most 
remarkable,  and  he  manifested  it  everywhere.  He 
lived  to  do  good,  and  his  lovS  embraced  all  classes. 
His  mind  was  occupied  with  plans  for  others,  seldom 
for  himself.  His  reflections  and  private  meditations 
did  not  pertain  to  his  own  state.  He  sometimes  re- 
gretted that  he  had  not  more  of  an  experience,  and 
depreciated  his  own  subjective  life  and  character  in 
comparison  with  what  seemed  to  him  the  higher  ex- 
perience of  his  friends.     But  he  held  on  his  way  in 


196 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


simple  and  transparent  faith  and  obedience,  and  to 
the  end  testified  of  the  sufficiency  of  Christ  and  his 
salvation.  His  faith  was  as  striking  as  his  good-will 
to  men. 

He  never  had  any  sympatiiy  with  the  spirit  of 
reformers  who  showed  disrespect  for  tlie  Bil)le  and 
the  church.  It  was  his  great  aim  to  apply  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  gospel  to  all  the  relations  and  affairs  of 
man.  To  this  agency,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  he 
ascribed  all  iniprovevements  iu  the  condition  of  the 
world.  And  so,  in  quiet  trust  and  earnest  consecra- 
tion, he  waited  the  call  of  his  Master,  ^nd  when  the 
summons  came,  went  home  in  peace. 


SAMUEL  MATTHEWS. 

Wlien  a  truly  good  man  passes  away,  the  commu- 
nity in  which  liis  noble  qualities  were  known  ai]d 
a})preciated  stand  in  awe  at  tlie  divine  disjicnsation, 
and  are  naturally  led  to  wonder  why  Providence 
should  select  one  wlio,  by  the  very  excellence  of  his 
life  and  character,  could  be  so  much  more  benefit  to 
mankind  in  general  than  many  others.  But  His 
ways  are  inscrutable,  lience  tlie  seeming  inconsistency 
of  events,  as  viewed  from  a  mortal's  standpoint.  The 
above  thoughts  are  called  forth  by  reference  to  the 
obiturary  notice  of  the  deatli  of  the  late  Samuel 
Matthews,  who  departed  tliis  life  May  8,  1877,  and  of 
wliom  it  can  be  truly  said,  no  better  man  ever  lived 
within  tlie  limits  of  Russia  townsliip. 

Samuel  Matthews  was  born  in  Addison  county, 
Vermont,  September  19,  1817.  His  ancestors  liad 
been  prominent  citizens  of  tluxt  State  for  many  years, 
and  we  find  his  father,  Lucius  Tuttle  Matthews,  and 
his  grand-fatlicr,  Darius  Matthews,  residents  of  Corn- 
wall, the  latter  living  there  in  1788,  and  the  former 
born  there  in  179.3.  They  were  a  hardy,  honest  and 
practical  class  of  citizens,  just  tlie  kind,  in  fact,  to  be 
the  progenitors  of  pioneers. 

When  Samuel  was  a  boy,  liis  fatiier  emigrated  to 
Ohio,  and  settled  in  Thompson,  Ceauga  county.  In 
tlio  year  1837,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  (Samuel,) 
struck  out  for  liimself,  came  to  Russia  township,  and 
contracted  for  one  liundred  acres  of  land,  upon  wliich 
his  widow  and  daugliters  now  reside.  He  made  his 
home  with  his  uncle,  Deacon  Daniel  B.  Kinney,  while 
making  a  start  upon  his  new  farm.  With  but  little 
capital,  except  a  strong  constitution,  a  brave  lieart  and 
willing  hands,  lie  commenced  making  an  opening  in 
the  wilderness,  got  out  timber  for  a  barn,  erected  a  log 
house,  and  brouglit  liis  father  and  mother  on  to  sliare 
his  home.  Here  they  all  lived  together  until  1849, 
when,  on  the  19th  of  September  of  that  year,  he  mar- 
ried Lomanda,  daughter  of  Enoch  Barnum.  Siie 
was  born  in  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  March  13,  1816. 
Her  father  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  during 
which  he  was  severely  wounded,  and  on  that  account 
was  a  pensioner.  There  were  born  to  them  two 
daughters,  Emma  Augusta,  born  February  1-1,  1851; 


married  Herbert  H.  Barnum,  January  18,  1871;  (has 
two  children,  Maud  Louise,  born  November  18,  1871; 
Roy  David,  l)orn  January  7,  1875;)  Myra  Louisa, 
born  March  25,  1857;  died  December  25,  1861. 

As  showing  how  difficult  a  matter  it  was,  in  early 
days,  to  obtain  money,  and  what  slow  work  it  was  to 
pay  for  his  farm,  he  used  to  raise  oats  and  sell  them 
for  one  shilling  per  bushel,  and  when  he  had  thus 
gathered  a  few  dollars,  he  would  go  to  Amherst,  the 
home  of  the  agent,  on  foot,  after  a  liard  day's  work, 
and  pay  it  on  his  article,  and  so  persevered,  paying 
little  by  little,  until  his  farm  was  all  jiaid  for. 

His  parents  were  christians  of  the  old  puritan  Con- 
gregational school,  and  being  naturally  sober  and 
thoughtful,  lie  early  made  a  profession  of  religion, 
and  soon  after  arriving  in  IJussia  united  with  the 
Congregational  church  of  Oberlin.  At  the  division 
of  the  society,  he  was  one  of  the  number  that  witli- 
drew  from  the  old  church  and  formed  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Second  Cliurcli.  His  heart  was  enlisted 
in  the  work  of  erecting  a  churcli  edifice,  and  he  vol- 
untarily pledged  two  hundred  dollars  to  this  object 
to  be  paid  in  installments,  but  realizing  the  imme- 
diate need  of  funds,  he  borrowed  the  money,  at  ten 
jKu-  cent,  interest,  and  paid  it  all  at  once.  He  and 
his  excellent  wife,  who  joined  him  in  every  good  work, 
afterward  took  one  hundred  dollars  in  the  building 
fund,  which  they  soon  after  paid.  He  was  never  for- 
ward or  ostentations,  never  seeking  notoriety,  but  in 
his  quiet,  retiring  way;  was  ever  a  steady,  earnest, 
consistent  christian.  His  deeds  of  charity  were  nu- 
merous and  constant;  many  were  the  acts  of  kindness 
which  he  performed  without  any  liope  of  reward,  and 
which  will  live  in  the  hearts  of  his  neighbors  long 
after  his  mortal  remains  shall  have  mouldered  to  dust. 
His  home  was  a  constant  hospital  for  the  needy  and 
suffering.  After  his  marriage  liis  fatlier  and  mother 
went  to  Iowa,  to  live  with  children  there,  but  at  the 
death  of  his  mother,  his  father  returned  to  finish  his 
days  with  his  son  Samuel.  The  father  and  mother  of 
Mrs.  Matthews  also  found  a  home  in  his  house,  and 
in  their  declining  years  were  cared  for  with  generous 
kindness  until  removed  by  death. 

Mr.  Matthews  was  a  man  whom  to  know  was  to 
love,  and  whose  name  from  the  first  to  the  last  con- 
tinued a  synonym  for  all  that  w;'.s  benevolent,  gener- 
ous and  good.  His  character  for  personal  integrity 
was  above  reproach.  In  the  exalted  relations  of  hus- 
band and  father  he  was  kind  and  affectionate,  a  good 
jjiovider,  but  reasonably  exacting  iu  family  discipline 
and  obedience.  In  fine,  he  was  a  man  whose  life  in 
general  constituted  a  wortliy  example  of  practical 
usefulness. 


CHARLES  BASSETT. 

Among  the  families  whose  general  worth  has  made 
them  conspicuous  in  the  history,  not  only  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  some  members  of  them  now  reside, 
but  also  in  the  eastern  States  where  for  more  than  two 


LOTT  PAFiSONS 


]K^s.  LoTT  Paf^sons 


^>ri<adas^(^£^i2*J 


or  LOTT    TARSONS,  ffusSiA  .  LOK- 


Ohio  , 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


197 


centuries  their  ancestors  have  resided,  that  of  the 
Bassetts  liold  an  exalted  and  prominent  position. 
The  progenitors  of  him  whose  name  lieads  this  sketcli, 
settled  in  Massachusetts  contemporary  with  the  pil- 
grim fathers,  while  those  of  his  mother  actually  came 
to  America  on  the  ^'Mayflower'"  in  1G20,  she  being  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Miles  Standisli,  the  warrior  pil- 
arim.  Each  successive  generation  from  this  historic 
stock  have  by  industrious  and  straightforward  lives 
done  honor  to  their  exalted  ancestry. 

Charles  Bassett  was  born  in  the  town  of  Chili, 
Monroe  county,  New  York,  March  10,  1820,  and  we 
write  this  sketch  of  him  on  the  fifty-ninth  anniver- 
sary of  his  birth-day.  He  was  the  youngest  child 
and  second  son  of  Nathan  Bassett  and  Sarah  Standish, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  August  13,  17C3,  the 
latter,  December  10, 1775,  both  at  Bridgewater,  Mas- 
sachusetts. They  were  married  April  4,  1793,  and 
lived  together  sixty  years,  the  husband  and  father 
dying  in  1853,  the  wife  and  mother  in  1854.  Tiieir 
children  numbered  nine,  and  were  born  in  the  order 
named:  Thomas,  Phebe,  Sarah,  Naomi,  Betsey,  Free- 
love,  Amanda,  Emily  and  Charles.  In  1813  they 
removed  to  Chili,  Monroe  county.  New  York,  and  to 
Russia  township  in  1834.  They  settled  on  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  their  son,  Charles,  and  for  two  years 
lived  in  a  log  cabin,  14  by  16  feet,  an  illustration  of 
which  appears  in  the  sky  margin  of  the  view  of  the 
homestead  on  another  page  of  this  volume.  In  183G 
he  erected  a  frame  house,  which  is  still  standing  in 
the  rear  of  the  present  residence.  Nathan  Bassett 
was  a  man  of  extraordinary  vitality,  and  possessed 
mental  capabilities  al)ove  the  average.  He  was  of  a 
sunny  temperament,  of  a  jocular  disposition,  and  had 
an  extended  knowledge  of  human  nature.  In  his 
younger  days  he  had  been  a  great  traveler,  having 
spent  seven  years  on  the  ocean,  in  the  service  of  the 
West  India  Company.  As  a  sample  of  his  indomita- 
ble will  and  conrage  we  mention  the  fact  that  he  had 
reached  his  "three  score  years  and  ten"  when  he  pen- 
etrated the  wilderness,  purchasing  sixty-seven  acres 
of  land,  and  made  a  home  for  himself  and  wife  in 
Russia  township. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  vol- 
unteered, and  went  with  his  regiment  to  Rhode  Island, 
where  the  British  were  expected  to  land,  lie  also 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  at  Buffalo,  New  York, 
where  he  was  wounded.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety 
years,  and  to  within  a  few  months  of  his  death  was  as 
active  as  most  men  at  sixty.  On  the  Christmas  day 
preceding  his  decease  he  was  jirostrated  by  a  jiaralytic 
shock,  the  effects  of  which,  four  months  later,  ended 
his  remarkable  life.  He  enjoyed  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  by  whom  he  was  known,  and  his  memory 
to-day  is  green  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  him 
best.  In  politics  he  was  an  old  line  whig.  He  held 
several  offices  in  the  township  government,  notably 
that  of  school  examiner.  His  last  days  were  rendered 
as  comfortable  as  possible,  and  the  filial  affection  of 
his  children,  and  the  long-tried  love  of  his  devoted 


wife  did  much  toward  the  alleviation  of  his  sufferings 
and  in  smoothing  the  entry  into  •' that  bourne  from 
whence  no  traveler  returns.'' 

Charles  Bassett,  son  of  the  above,  follows  in  his 
father's  footsteps,  and  like  him  enjoys  a  deserved  re- 
spectability and  jd'ominenee  iu  the  community  of 
which  for  forty-five  years  he  has  been  an  honored 
citizen.  The  peo])le  of  the  township,  reposing  confi- 
dence in  his  integrity,  elected  him  a  number  of  times 
township  trustee,  and  two  terms  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
besides  to  other  minor  offices,  especially  to  that  of 
school  director,  which  office  he  has  held  nearly  every 
year  since  he  attained  his  majority. 

Ou  the  7th  of  September,  184G,  he  married  Emma, 
daughter  of  John  and  Ann  Parsons,  and  sister  of  Lott 
Parsons  of  Russia  township.  She  was  born  at  Noil, 
England,  July  28,  1819.  They  have  five  children, 
namely:  Emma,  born  April  20,  1847,  married  Fred- 
erick E.  Griffin  of  Amherst;  Charles  Henry,  born 
April  2G,  1850;  Miles  Standish,  born  December  1, 
1851;  Helen,  born  January  20,  1857;  Harvey  Lewis, 
born  July  3,  1859.  All  except  IlnHna  reside  at  home 
with  their  jjarents,  the  sons  conducting  the  business 
of  the  farm  under  the  direction  of  their  father.  Mr. 
Bassett  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and  now  has 
two  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of  well  improved 
land,  including  the  original  sixty-seven  acres  pur- 
chased by  his  father  in  1834.  He  is  a  good  practical 
farmer;  a  man  of  domestic  tastes;  economical  and 
independent  in  the  management  of  his  affairs;  a  good 
husband  and  father,  and  an  honest  trustworthy  citizen. 


LOTT  PARSONS. 


Among  the  self-made  and  self-educated  men  of 
Lorain  county,  whose  personal  exertions  have  led  to 
a  successful  issue,  none  deserve  more  general  credit 
than  he  of  whom  we  write.  Leaving  his  native  land 
when  a  child,  and  soon  after  settling  in  the  then 
wilds  of  Lorain  county,  ]>resently  losing  his  father, 
his  early  career  was  a  peculiarly  difficult  one.  At  his 
father's  death,  a  large  share  of  the  supjioi-t  of  his 
widowed  mother  fell  Uiion  him;  and  though  but  a  lad 
in  his  teens,  he  acce])ted  the  duty  with  a  fortitude 
worthy  of  riper  years,  and  with  a  commendable  de- 
termination, fulfilled  the  same  faithfully  and  well. 
Such  conduct,  and  the  early  developement  of  similar 
good  qualities,  laid  the  foundation  to  his  subsequent 
success  in  life,  as  will  be  set  forth  in  the  subjoined 
brief  narrative  of  the  most  salient  features  of  his  life 
and  character. 

Lott  Parsons  was  born  in  Wilkshire,  England,  on 
the  9th  of  January,  1821.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Ann  (Yetman)  Parsons,  who  were  also  natives  of  the 
same  shire.  In  Mai-ch,  1833,  the  family  embarked  at 
Bristol  for  New  York,  arriving  at  the  latter  i)lace  in 
the  following  May.  They  proceeded  thence  to  Men- 
tor, Lake  county,  Ohio,  where  they  remained  during 
the  ensuing  summer.     In  the  following  fall,  John 


198 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Parsons  ciinie  on  to  Russia  townsliip,  and  in  conjunc- 
tion witli  a  cousin,  purchased,  by  contract,  a  quarter  of 
section  of  land,  but  the  hind  agent  afterward  ignored 
the  stipulated  agreement,  and  the  bargain  fell  througli. 

During  tlio  next  year  (1833),  Jlr.  Parsons  and  his 
family  settled  permanently  in  Russia  township,  upon 
a  part  of  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Lott  Parsons,  his 
son.  .John  Parsons  died  the  same  fall,  his  untimely 
death  casting  a  gloom  over  his  family,  wliicii  it  took 
many  subsequent  years  to  efface.  But  his  widow  and 
her  children  possessed  the  sterling  (jualities  that  have 
nuide  thcii'  native  land  famous  in  the  ages  of  the  ])ast, 
— fortitude  and  a  hardihood  that  defy  reverses. 
They  brought  the  requisite  amount  of  industry  and 
stern  practical  economy  to  bear  upon  their  unfortu- 
nate situation,  and  succeeded  in  establishing  a  com- 
fortable home,  where  the  head  of  the  family  had  cast 
their  lot. 

On  the  18th  of  October,  184-1,  Mrs.  Parsons  died, 
but  not  before  she  had  seen  the  fruits  of  her  own  and 
her  children's  battle  with  adversity,  with  the  appar- 
ent assurance  of  victory. 

On  the  a5th  of  December,  l.s.51,  Lott  Parsons  and 
Catharine  E.  Kendeigh  were  united  in  marriage. 
She  was  born  in  Amherst,  .Tanuary  5,  183(!.  They 
have  had  six  chiidi-en,  nanu'ly:  Fi'ank  S.,  born 
November  1,  is.j^j,  married  Coi'nelia  .Sherman,  of 
Henrietta,  now  resides  in  North  Amherst:  Mary  A., 
born  .)uly  1.  1851,  (deceaseil);  Willie  E.,  l)oi-n  .Janu- 
ary l'.».  1858;  Viola  E..  born  May  1,  1860;  .John  (!., 
born  January  1,  1863;  Henry  C,  born  April  17,  1870. 

It  can  be  truly  said  of  Mr.  Parsons,  that  he  has 
done  as  much  toward  the  nuiterial  devolopmetit  of 
Russia  townshii)  as  any  num  now  residing  therein. 
He  has  cleared  as  much  of  its  wild  land  as  any,  and 
in  the  way  of  scientific  investigation  and  utilization 
of  its  resources,  stands  pre-eminently  ahead  of  all. 
About  ten  years  ago,  he  put  to  practical  uses  the  gas 
that  exists  in  large  quantities  on  his  farm,  particu- 
larly showing  itself  iu  a  well  that  he  sunk  years  ago. 
He  now  has  gas  all  over  his  house,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer, his  good  wil'e  uses  it  for  cooking  and  other 
household  pur])oses.  His  sitting  room  is  heated  by 
it,  through  the  medium  of  an  ingeniously  contrived  ^ 
stove,  of  his  own  invention. 

A  remarkable  feature  about  Mr.  Parsons,  when  we 
consider  the  fact  that  he  never  received  even  the  rudi- 
ments of  au  education,  is  his  general  and  varied 
knowledge,  especially  of  the  science  of  geology.  In 
this  particular  i)raaeh  of  learning,  he  excels  almost 
any  man,  not  of  classical  and  scientific  education. 
While  a  youth,  toiliugfor  his  daily  bread,  and  for  the 
maintenance  of  his  widowed  mother,  at  ten  dollars 
per  month,  he  would  borrow  books,  and  in  the  quiet 
of  the  night,  while  others  slumbered,  ho  would  study. 

His  farm  buildings, — of  which  an  illustration,  to- 
gether with  portraits  of  himself  and  wife,  appears  on 
another  jiage  of  this  volume, — show  how,  little  by  little, 
he  has  added  thereto.  He  now  owns,  in  all,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  laud,  and  is  considered  one 


of  the  substantial  practical  farmers  of  his  township. 
His  i)erseverance  and  industry,  coupled  with  an  nn- 
iliuching  personal  honesty,  are  chief  characteristics, 
and  the  main  factors  to  his  success. 


LUTHER  FREEMAN. 

The  Freeman  family,  father  and  son,  very  fairly 
represents  the  pioneer  element  of  Russia  township, 
and,  indeed,  of  other  parts  of  the  State  as  well.  At 
an  early  day  in  the  history  of  Wayne  county,  Ohio, 
we  find  Luther  Freeman,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
one  of  its  earliest  settlers.  He  was  born  in  Connec- 
ticut, on  the  3d  of  June,  1703.  AVhen  three  years  of 
age,  his  parents  moved  to  Massachusetts,  and,  four 
years  later,  to  Vermont.  In  1817,  they  removed  to 
Ohio  and  settled  in  Wayne  county.  From  there  they 
removed  to  Strongsville,  Cuyahoga  county,  in  1829, 
and,  one  year  afterwards,  in  January,  1830,  to  Russia 
township,  and  located  on  the  farm  at  present  occu- 
pied by  his  son,  Calvin.  Luther  Freeman  married 
Anna  Baird,  who  was  born  at  Granville,  New  York, 
January  11,  1795.  They  had  seven  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Anna  E.,  Phanclia,  Clarissa,  Calvin  L.,  Walter, 
Lucy  0.,  and  Adeline,  all  of  whom  survive  exceirt 
Phanelia,  who  died  in  April,  1875. 

Soon  after  arriving  in  Russia  township,  Mr.  Free- 
man erected  a  log  house,  doing  most  of  the  work 
himself.  An  illustration  of  this  old  home  appears  in 
the  sky  margin  of  the  view  of  the  present  residence, 
on  another  page  of  this  work.  Mr.  Freeman  was  a 
man  who  enjoyed  an  excellent  character  for  industry 
and  probity.  He  was  a  hero  of  the  war  of  1812,  and, 
after  having  been  once  honorably  discharged,  he  vol- 
unteered again,  and  participated  iu  the  battle  of 
Plattsburg,  New  York.  He  died  January  30,  1863, 
and  his  good  wife  followed  him  to  the  grave  on  the 
13th  of  July,  1867.  This  worthy  couple  were  married 
in  1815,  and  lived  together  forty-eight  years. 

Calvin  L.  Freeman  was  born  in  Mohecan  township, 
Wayne  county,  Ohio,  December  3,  1825.  He  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm,  and  has  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  all  his  life.  On  the  19th  of  June,  1850,  he 
was  married  to  Eliza  A.,  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah 
(deceased)  Probert,  of  Grosmont,  Monmouthshire, 
England.  They  emigrated  to  America  in  1833,  and 
first  temporarily  settled  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  The 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freeman  resulted  in  two 
sons,  Franklin  C,  born  October  2,  1858,  and  Marston 
S.,  born  July  13,  1861.  They  both  reside  at  home, 
and  attend  Oberlin  College. 

The  present  residence  of  Mr.  Freeman  was  erected 
in  1845,  and  he  has  occupied  it  ever  since.  He  did 
most  of  the  work  upon  it,  his  father  being  unwell  at 
the  time  of  its  erection.  Himself  and  his  excellent 
wife  are,  in  every  sense,  a  worthy  couple,  enjoying 
very  generally  the  esteem  and  respect  of  a  large  circle 
of  acquaintances  and  friends,  and  of  the  community 
in  which  they  reside. 


RESIDENCE.OF  LEMUEL  ABBEY.  EATON  Tn.  LORAIN  C0..0- 


EATON 


This  is  town  five,  range  sixteen.  The  original  pro- 
prietors were  Daniel  Holbrook,  Caleb  Atwater,  Tur- 
lumd  Kirtland  and  ten  others.  To  equalize  it  with 
the  selected  townsliips  there  was  annexed  tract  one, 
gore  fonr,  in  range  eleven.  Until  December  3,  1823, 
the  date  of  its  organization,  it  was  called  "  Holbrook," 
after  one  of  its  principal  owners,  Daniel  ITolbrook. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The  surface  is  generally  monot(jnously  level,  with 
a  prevailing  clay  soil,  modified  by  sand  and  gravel 
along  Butternut  and  Chestnut  ridges,  which  cross 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  township,  about  half  a 
mile  distant  from,  and  nearly  i)arallel  with  each  other. 
North,  and  for  some  distance  south  of  these  ridges, 
the  soil  is  a  clay  combined  with  a  black  loam,  strong 
and  fertile.  Besides  the  east  branch  of  Black  river, 
which  crosses  merely  the  southwest  corner  of  Eaton, 
two  other  unnamed  tributaries  of  that  stream  com- 
prise the  only  water  courses  of  the  township  worthy 
of  mention.  One  of  these  I'ises  in  Grafton  and  drain- 
the  southern  ludf  of  the  town.  The  other  rising  east 
of  the  center,  with  a  northern  branch  with  which  it 
unites  on  lot  eighty-eight,  and  flows  thence  south- 
westerly into  Black  river  west  of  lot  ninety-four. 
There  were  formerly  several  swamps  in  Katon,  the 
largest  of  which  was  the  llance  swamp,  in  the  south- 
east part,  and  one  embracing  within  its  extent  some 
seventy-five  acres,  in  the  northern  part.  With  culti- 
vation and  drainage  these  formerly  unsightly  marshes 
have  become  the  most  fertile  portions  of  the  town- 
ship— the  soil  a  deep,  black  muck,  rich,  mellow  and 
enduring.  Eaton  was  originally  covered  with  a  mag- 
nificent growth  of  timber,  differing  in  variety  not 
materially  from  that  of  adjoining  towns.  On  Butter- 
nut and  Chestnut  ridges  those  kinds  of  timber  were 
respectively  found  in  abundance,  from  wliich  circum- 
stance the  ridges  derived  their  names.  Whitewood, 
walnut,  beech  and  hard  maple  were  also  native  to 
this  portion  of  the  township.  In  the  less  elevated 
portions,  beech,  hard  and  soft  maple,  hickory,  black- 
ash,  basswood  and  elm  were  among  the  leading  vari- 
eties. 

THE  FIRST  LOCATION 

was  made  in  the  fall  of  1810,  by  Silas  Wilmot,  Asa 
Morgan  and  Ira  B.  Morgan.  Tiiey  were  from  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut,  and  all  unmarried  at  the  time  of 
their  arrival  in  the  township.  They  erected  a  cabin 
on   Butternut   ridge — lot   eighty-nine — which   for   a 


time  they  jointly  occupied.  The  next  summer  Wil- 
mot married  Chloe  Hubbard,  of  Ashtabula  county, 
and  began  married  life  in  the  log  cabin  on  the 
ridge,  which  by  consent  had  become  his  property, 
and  he  has  the  honor  of  being  the  first  settler  in  the 
township.  This  pioneer  cou])le  had,  as  all  pioneers 
ought  to  have,  a  large  family  of  children.  Tlie  num- 
ber was  fourteen,  and  all  lived  to  mature  age.  Eight 
are  now  (fall  of  1878)  living,  and  four  are  residents 
of  the  county,  as  follows  :  Mrs.  J.  L.  Tucker  in  Eaton, 
Artemas  iu  Carlisle,  Jeannette  —  unmarried  —  and 
Norris  in  LaGrauge.  A  son — Don  Carlos — now  resid- 
ing in  the  west,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the 
town.  Wilmot  lived  on  his  original  location  until 
his  death,  in  1855. 

In  the  spring  of  1813,  Ira  B.  Morgan  married 
Louisa  Bronson,  daughter  of  Levi  Bronson  of  Colum- 
bia, and  took  up  his  abode  on  Butternut  ridge,  lot 
seventy-two.  The  land  is  now  owned  by  Barney 
Jackson.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Asahel  Morgan, 
who  settled  in  Ridgeville  in  the  fall  of  1813.  He 
came  to  Columbia  iu  the  spring  of  1810,  with  a  party 
of  some  twelve  or  thirteen  men,  most  of  whom  settled 
in  Ridgeville.  He  was  a  surveyor,  and  surveyed  much 
of  the  territory  through  this  section. 

Asa,  an  older  brother,  came  into  tlie  country  with 
Tillotson  Terrell  and  family,  who  were  the  first  set- 
tlers in  Ridgeville.  He  afterwards  married  a  daughter 
of  David  Beebe  of  Ridgeville,  and  located  just  west  of 
Wilmot. 

Sylvester  Morgan,  another  brother,  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Borden  Beebe  of  Ridgeville,  and  settled,  in 
1817,  on  the  same  lot  on  which  Ira  B.  had  settled. 
He  afterwards  sold  his  place  and  moved  into  Ridge- 
ville, settling  on  Chestnut  ridge,  and  later  on  Center 
ridge.  He  finally  sold  and  removed  to  Portage  county, 
where  he  died. 

Thurot  F.  Chapman,  also  from  Connecticut,  re- 
moved to  Chenango  county.  New  York,  in  1808.  In 
1811,  he  married  Lydia  Andress,  and,  in  1817,  emi- 
grated to  Ohio.  At  Ashtabula  his  money  was  entirely 
gone,  and  he  was  compelled  to  remain  there  two 
weeks.  He  located  first  in  Ridgeville,  where  he 
arrived  July  3d  of  the  above  year.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  he  moved  into  Eaton.  He  erected  his  house 
where  Mr.  Varsey's  now  stands;  but,  on  discovering 
subsequently  that  he  was  on  the  wrong  lot,  he  vacated, 
moving  into  a  house  then  owned  by  Levi  Mills.  In 
March,  1831,  while  the  family  were  absent,  the  house 
burned  to  the  ground  with  its  contents,  leaving  the 
family  very  destitute.    They  received  some  assistance 

(199) 


200 


HISTORY  OV  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


from  friends,  and  were  enabled  to  commeuce  house- 
keeping again,  but,  for  a  long  time  afterward,  were 
without  many  articles  of  household  necessity.  The 
first  }'ear  they  liad  neither  a  table  nor  a  chair  in  the 
house,  and  two  cups  and  saucers,  two  knives  and 
forks  each,  and  two  plates,  comprised  their  entire 
stock  of  crockery. 

Mr.  Chapman  worked  at  chopping  and  clearing  by 
the  job  for  a  number  of  years  after  settlement.  He 
cleared  and  fenced  for  others  over  two  hundred  acres, 
besides  about  seventy-five  acres  for  himself.  He  was 
in  tiie  war  of  1813,  and  was  made  a  prisoner  at 
Queenstown.  He  died,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one, 
December  16, 1800.  Three  children  are  living,  Alonzo 
A.  in  Henry  county,  Emily  in  Oberlin,  and  Harlan  in 
La  Porte. 

INDIAN   INCIDENT. 

For  a  few  years  succeeding  the  war  of  1813,  the 
forests  of  Eaton  were  a  favorite  resort  of  a  band  of 
Indians,  who  came  every  winter  from  Sandusky,  and 
remained  until  spring.  One  winter,  they  had  an  en- 
campment of  fifteen  families  on  Butternut  ridge,  near 
the  swamp.  The  names  of  some  of  them  were  Good 
Flint,  Tobago,  Silver  Heels,  Yellow  Jacket,  Bill  Har- 
ris, Seneca  John,  Joe  Seneca  and  Little  Billy.  Of 
their  suljsequcnt  history,  nothing  is  known  with  the 
exception  of  Seneca  John  and  Bill  Harris,  the  former 
of  whom  was  executed  for  alleged  witchcraft.  Chap- 
man on  one  occasion  saved  the  life  of  the  latter,  and 
the  Indian  always  afterward  manifested  the  warmest 
gratitude  toward  his  deliverer.  When  the  report  of 
the  destruction  by  fire  of  Cliaimian's  house  reached 
Harris,  he  hastened  to  Elyria,  and  incjuired  of  Levi 
Mills,  who  was  then  carrying  on  a  distillery  there,  if 
it  was  true  that  his  "good  friend's  house  was  burned." 
Mills  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  jokingly  added 
that  Chapman  suspected  liiin  of  setting  it  on  fire,  and 
that  he  had  better  keep  out  of  the  way  or  Chapman 
would  shoot  him.  The  Indian  believed  the  cruel  joke 
and  disappeared.  Chapman,  in  endeavoring  to  ascer- 
tain his  whereabouts  that  he  might  undeceive  him. 
learned  that  he  went  to  Sandusky,  crossed  over  into 
Canada,  and  there  died  a  few  months  after.* 

During  the  next  few  years,  the  following  named 
persons  became  settlers  of  Eaton:  Sylvester  Morgan, 
A.  M.  Dowd,  Levi  Mills,  Seneca  Audress,  Merrit  Os- 
born,  Dennis  Palmer,  Erastus  Case,  Borden  Handley, 
James  Field,  Archibald  Harper  and  others.  Of  the 
most  of  these  there  are  at  present  no  descendants  in 
the  township,  and  we  are  unable  to  give  particulars 
as  to  their  settlement.  Mills  took  up  his  residence 
near  the  west  lino  of  the  township,  on  lot  ninety-two. 
The  farm  is  now  owned  by  J.  O.  Humphrey.  He 
subsequently  removed  to  Illinois.  Samuel  Finch 
located  on  lot  seventy,  on  land  now  owned  by  W.  H. 
Phillips.  Fields  settled  on  lot  eighty-eight.  His  son 
Gilbert  now  occupies  the  place.  Jeremiah  Finch 
arrived  a  few  years  after  his   brother  Samuel,  and 


•  A.  A,  Chapman,  in  Eljrria  Democrat. 


settled  east  of  him.  Jeremiah  Hance,  a  shoemaker 
by  trade,  was  the  first  settler  in  the  town  south  of 
Butternut  ridge.  With  his  son  Hiram,  then  a  lad 
some  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  left  Cranberry,  Niagara 
county.  New  York,  for  the  woods  of  Eaton,  February 
1,  1824,  having  previously  exchanged  his  farm  there 
for  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  on  lot  twenty-two 
here.  Tiie  journey  was  made  with  a  single  horse  and 
a  sled,  with  which  some  bedding  and  provisions  were 
brought.  lie  drove  on  the  ice  for  two  days  after 
leaving  Buffalo,  and  with  other  emigrants,  who  sub- 
sequently joined  him,  experienced  many  dangers — 
the  ice  in  many  places  breaking,  at  one  time  when  the 
party  were  several  miles  from  shore.  Afterwards,  the 
snow  disappearing,  the  sled  was  abandoned,  the  bed- 
ding placed  upon  the  horse,  and  father  and  son  footed 
it.  They  arrived  at  their  journey's  end  about  the  1st 
of  March,  having  been  about  a  month  on  the  way. 
A  mere  pole  shanty  was  provided  for  their  imme- 
diate necessities.  This  was  then  the  only  habitation 
between  the  center  of  Columbia  and  La  Porte.  The 
settlers  on  Butternut  ridge  were  five  or  six  miles 
away;  there  were  no  roads,  and  several  swamjis  to 
traverse  in  order  to  reach  them:  consequently  but 
little  intercourse  was  iiad  with  them. 

Mr.  Hance  found  his  nearest  neighbors  in  Grafton, 
one  and  a  half  miles  distant.  The  father  and  son 
kept  bachelors'  hall  through  the  summer,  working 
Samuel  Curtis'  sugar  bush  on  shares.  They  next 
underbrushed  and  cleai-ed  out  a  road  from  North 
street  to  their  land,  after  which  preparations  were 
made  for  the  erection  of  a  log  house,  in  which  their 
Grafton  neighbors  assisted.  Indians  from  Sandusky 
frequently  visited  this  region  at  that  time,  the  same,  / 
probably,  as  previously  mentioned,  having  camjied 
on  Butternut  ridge.  After  clearing  a  piece  of  land 
ready  for  logging,  Mr.  Hance  went  to  Cleveland  and 
worked  at  his  trade  until  the  arrival  of  his  family, 
wlio  had  been  jareviously  sent  for.  They  reached  1 
Eaton  late  in  the  fall.  Many  events  in  the  life  of 
this  hardy  jjioneer  could  be  given,  illustrative  of  the 
hardships  endured  by  early  settler.s,  but  want  of  space 
forbids.  Mr.  Hance  died  a  few  years  ago  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-seven,  and  a  few  years  after 
his  widow  followed,  aged  ninety-four.  The  son 
Hiram  oc(;upies  the  old  homestead,  himself  quite 
advanced  in  life. 

In  182C,  Henry  J.  Phillips  joined  the  settlement, 
locating  on  lot  fifty-one.     He  came  from  Tompkins     ' 
county.  New  York.     Phillips  made  the  first  wheeled 
vehicle  in  town.     His  son,  W.  H.  Phillips,  is  a  well 
known  resident  of  Eaton. 

On  the  township  records  we  find  the  followiiiL; 
persons,  not  previously  mentioned,  elected  as  town- 
ship officers  between  the  years  1833  and  1830,  who 
must  have  settled  prior  to  the  latter  date:  Tyler, 
Day,  Beebe,  Burr,  Pond.  Edson,  Whitconib,  Bough- 
ton,  Blain,  Nichols. 

John  A.  Ferguson  arrived  in  1831,  and  made  his 
location    on  Chestnut    ridge,  lot  seventy-one,  where 


I 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


201 


J.  L.  Tucker  now  resides.  He  subsequently  cliauged 
his  location  to  the  center  of  town,  and  resided  there 
until  his  death  in  1874. 

In  IS'.Vi,  Alva  Brooks  and  Richard  Crowell  moved  in, 
coming  from  Tompkins  counter,  New  York.  The 
former  was  originally  from  Vermont,  and  the  latter 
from  New  Jersey.  Brooks,  who  was  a  widower,  was 
accompanied  by  a  little  daughter,  two  years  old. 
Crowell's  family  consisted  of  his  wife  and  four  chil- 
dren. They  both  settled  at  the  center,  the  former  ou 
the  farm  which  he  still  occupies  with  his  son  James, 
and  the  latter  on  that,  a  part  of  which  is  occupied  by 
his  son  Aaron.  He  built  his  house  immediately  after 
his  arrival,  which  was  the  first  habitation  in  this 
portion  of  the  townshii).  Mr.  Brooks  chopped  off 
twenty  acres  of  his  purchase  and  built  his  cabin  the 
first  year  after  his  arrival.  There  was  at  that  time 
no  road  in  this  part  of  the  town,  except  the  center 
road  to  Columbia,  and  that  was  merely  cut  out.  In 
1S41,  he  assisted  in  cutting  out  the  southern  half  of 
the  north  and  south  center  road.  In  1853,  he  erected 
the  large  frame  house  which  he  now  occupies.  Mr. 
Crowell  died  in  the  fall  of  1875.  His  widow  and  one 
son  reside  in  Grafton:  two  sons  and  a  daughter  are 
residents  of  Eaton. 

Edmund  Holden,  from  Waterbury,  Connecticut, 
arrived  iii  about  the  year  1833,  and  settled  on  lot 
forty-six.  His  house  was  the  first  frame  erection  at 
the  centre.  He  was  a  man  of  much  public  spirit,  and 
did  much  for  the  advancement  of  public  interests. 
He  removed  to  Michigan  many  years  ago,  and  now 
resides  there.  A  daughter  is  the  wife  of  James 
Brooks. 

Benjamin  S.  Brush,  Robert  Moon,  and  Jacob  Tay- 
lor moved  in  about  the  year  1834. 

Oel  Durkee,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  town,  and  who  continues  to 
reside  there  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age, 
moved  in  from  New  York  in  the  spring  of  1834.  He 
located  temporarily  on  Butternut  ridge,  remaining 
there  until  August  following.  He  then  removed  to 
his  purchase  of  one  hundred  and  eleven  aci'es  on  lot 
eighty-three.  A  log  cabin  liad  been  previously 
erected  on  this  farm,  and  was  then  occui>ied  by 
a  tenant,  Forrester  Ijangdon  and  family,  consisting 
of  wife  and  six  children. 

Mr.  Durkee  moved,  with  his  family  of  wife  and 
three  children,  into  the  house  with  Langdon,  which 
was  about  twenty-four  feet  by  eighteen  in  size,  and 
without  a  chimnej'  or  window.  There  was  only  one 
room  for  the  thirteen  occupants;  but  they  continued 
to  live  thus  until  the  following  November,  when 
Langdon  moved  out. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  this  portion  of  the 
town,  some  of  whom  arrived  previous  to  Durkee, 
were  the  following:  Voman  Felt,  William  Burchard, 
James  Johnson,  John  Shadford,  Thomas  Moran, 
Oliver  Terrell,  William  Wallace,  Job  and  William 
Clark,  William  Dobsou,  John  Sayre,  John  Gamble, 
William  Lawson,   William  Wilson,  Peleg  M.  Terry, 

26 


j\Iiehael  Montague  and  others.  Harvey  Coy  came  to 
Eaton  in  1834,  remaining  until  1850,  when  he  removed 
to  Columbia.  J.  I).  Swift  and  Thomas  Sutton  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  on  Chestnut  ridge.  The 
former  now  resides  in  Williams  county,  Ohio. 

Ransom  Tyler  located  on  the  west  part  of  lot  thirty- 
five,  in  1834.  He  afterward  moved  to  lot  fifty-five, 
and  resided  there  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His 
widow  now  resides  in  Elyria. 

Jacob  Tucker,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  removed 
to  Vermont  when  twenty  years  of  age,  was  married 
there  and  aftei-wards  became  a  resident  of  Buffalo. 
There  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1817,  when, 
with  his  family,  which  at  that  time  consisted  of  his 
wife  and  five  children,  he  removed  to  Ohio,  by  boat, 
settling  in  Erie  county  on  land  now  occupied  by  the 
village  of  Vermillion.  In  the  spring  of  1819  he 
moved  to  Windham,  Portage  county.  With  an  ojjen 
row  boat  the  family  jjroceeded  by  way  of  the  lake  to 
Cleveland,  and  then  up  the  Cuyahoga  about  two 
miles.  Here  Mr.  Tucker  left  his  family  while  he  pro- 
ceeded on  foot  to  Windham  and  obtained  an  ox  team 
with  which  he  returned  for  wife  and  children.  They 
resided  in  Windham  until  the  year  1832  or  1833,  when 
they  came  to  Eaton,  ])urchasing  of  John  A.  Ferguson 
the  farm  on  which  his  son,  J.  L.  Tucker,  now  resides. 
He  occupied  this  farm  until  his  death,  whicii  occurred 
in  1803.  His  wife  died  two  years  previous.  Four  of 
the  family  are  residents  of  this  county  and  three  of 
this  township,  as  follows  :  R.  F.  Tucker,  J.  L. 
Tucker,  and  Hannah,  unmarried.  The  first  is  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  in  Eaton.  Wm.  H.  resides  in  Ely- 
ria, where  he  is  engaged  in  insurance  and  real  estate. 

Nicholas  Taylor,  formerly  from  Pennsylvania, 
moved  into  Eaton  from  Carlisle,  in  1832,  and  settled 
east  of  the  center.     He  now  resides  in  Iowa. 

Chilion  Sperry,  now  residing  in  Mansfield,  arrived 
in  1834,  and  settled  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the 
center.  Walter  Giles  came  in  1833,  and  located  north 
of  the  center,  where  he  now  resides. 

Royal  Eaton  was  an  early  settler  in  the  south  part 
of  the  town,  and  Alexander  Cotter  in  the  southeast 
part. 

Thomas  Bennington  was  a  native  of  England.  He 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1839,  landing  at 
Quebec.  From  there  he  went  to  Grafton,  and  a  few 
months  subsequently  to  Eaton  and  purchased  a  farm 
of  fifty  acres  in  the  southern  part  of  the  towushij). 
This  farm  i^  now  owned  by  James  Johnson.  After 
erecting  his  log  house  he  sold  his  farm  and  then 
returned  to  England,  and  while  there  married.  The 
spring  following  he  returned  to  this  country  with  his 
bride,  remained  in  Elyria  through  the  summer,  and 
then  bought  the  farm  on  lot  seventy-six,  on  which 
his  widow  now  resides  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  Mr. 
Bennington  died  in  Sejjtember,  1874. 

Ebenezer  Abbey,  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  re- 
moved from  Windham  county,  Connecticut,  to  New 
York,  where  he  resided  until  the  year  1830.  ki 
December  of  that  year  he  removed  with  his  family, 


202 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


consisting  of  wife  iind  eleven  children,  und  a  grand- 
child, to  tJiis  township,  making  a  tcm})orary  location 
of  about  two  months  on  Butternut  ridge.  lie  then 
moved  to  Carlisle,  settlingon  theeast  line  of  that  town, 
lie  built  an  ashery  the  first  or  second  year  of  his  set- 
tlement, on  the  little  stream  near  his  house,  and  for 
many  years  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  pot- 
ash, pcarlash,  and  saleratus.  He  became  a  settler  in 
Eaton  in  1833,  erecting,  a  short  distance  north  of  the 
present  residence  of  his  son,  Lemuel  Aliltey,  a  house 
which  he  used  jointly  as  a  residence  tiud  coo]ier-shop. 
Five  years  subsequently  he  built  the  frame  house  now 
occupied  by  his  son  Lemuel. 

In  December,  1830,  Mrs.  Susanna  Wiglit-  t.ook  up 
her  residence  on  lot  thirty-five,  purchasing  a  i)ortion 
of  that  lot,  and  now  resides  there  with  lier  sou  Har- 
rison, who  is  uunuirried,  and  a  mathematical  genius, 
hy  tlie  way.  Mrs.  Wight  was  born  in  Saratoga,  New 
York,  April  4,  1793,  and  was  married  to  Reuben 
Wight,  July  17,  1814.  They  removed  in  August, 
1834,  with  their  ten  children,  from  Fowler,  St. 
Lawrence  county.  New  York,  to  llockport,  Cuya- 
hoga county,  Ohio.  Mr.  Wight  died  of  cholera,  the 
twentieth  of  that  month,  and  was  l)uried  at  midniglit 
in  the  Alger  settlement  burying  ground,  a  box  of 
rough  whitewood  boards  containing  the  remains. 
Mrs.  Wight  is  now  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  her 
age,  and  reads  without  the  aid  of  spectacles. 

Samuel  Alexander  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
from  England  in  1835,  and  located  in  St.  Lawrence 
county.  New  York,  reuiained  five  years,  and  then 
removed  to  Elyria.  The  purchaser  of  his  farm  in 
New  York  was  unable  to  pay  him  uutil  long  after  the 
date  stipulated,  and  lie,  and  liis  wife  also,  were  com- 
pelled in  consequence,  to  work  at  wiiatever  they 
could  find  to  do,  after  their  arrival  in  Ohio,  in  order 
to  obtain  the  necessaries  of  life.  Mrs.  Alexander  was 
a  daughter  of  Joliu  Elbro,  an  English  nobleman,  and 
because  of  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Alexander,  was  dis- 
inherited by  her  father. 

After  a  residence  of  a  few  years  in  Elyria,  he  re- 
moved to  Grafton,  locating  two  miles  southeast  of 
that  village.  He  erected  a  log  house,  which  he  occu- 
pied before  it  was  "chinked,"  and  while  yet  without 
a  floor  or  cliininey.  He  subsequently  moved  to  this 
town.  His  first  erection  liere  was  a  log  house,  which, 
in  more  pros]icrous  days,  gave  way  to  a  frame,  wiiicli 
is  yet  standing,  though  unoccupied. 

In  1837,  Timothy  Cooley  located  on  lot  thirty-four. 
He  was  formerly  from  Ham}ishire  county,  Massachu- 
setts. At  the  early  age  of  twelve,  circumstances  com- 
pelled him  to  work  out  for  a  living.  Witli  his  last 
employer  he  remained  seven  years,  according  to  con- 
tract, by  which  lie  was  to  receive,  at  the  end  of  his 
term  of  service,  one  hundred  dollars  in  money.  When 
the  day  of  settlement  came,  his  employer  asked  !iim 
if  he  was  ready  to  receive  his  money.  The  thought 
of  possesing  such  an  immense  sum  in  cash,  appalled 
the  young  man.  Having  determined  to  emigrate  to 
Ohio,  visions  of  robbery  and  murder  haunted  him. 


He  therefore  determined  to  make  his  late  employer 
his  banker,  until  he  should  find  use  for  his  funds; 
and  then,  with  his  bundle  of  clothes  on  his  shoulder, 
he  started  forth  on  foot,  determined  to  go  where  he 
could  obtain  some  land  of  his  own.  This  was  in  the 
fall  of  1817.  Arriving  in  Geauga  county,  he  pro- 
cured work  on  a  farm  near  Wclshfield,  and  jiurchased 
forty  acres  of  land  in  the  township  of  Newlniry,  in  tliat 
county.  He  went,  soon  after,  to  Portage  county,  and 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 
About  two  years  after  his  arrival,  he  sent  for  his 
money,  which  his  employer  promptly  sent  him.  Soon 
after  his  settlement  in  Portage  county,  lie  married 
Sally  Lewis,  whose  brother,  Oliver  H.  Lewis,  has 
long  been  a  resident  of  Ridgeville.  After  a  residence 
of  some  fifteen  years  in  Portage,  he  removed  to 
Ridgeville,  and  located  on  Center  ridge.  Five  years 
afterward,  he  came  to  Eaton,  arriving  in  the  year 
above  stated.  He  ])urchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-one  acres,  and  erected  his  shanty  a  short 
distance  west  of  his  present  residence.  This  farm 
Mr.  Cooley  still  occupies. 

In  November,  1838,  a  little  daughter  of  Mr.  Cooley 
wandered  away  from  home,  and  became  lost  in  the 
dense  woods.  A  few  days  afterward,  a  hunting  party 
found  the  child  just  across  the  Columbia  line,  about 
three  miles  from  home.  She  had  nearly  perished 
from  hunger  and  cold. 

Mr.  Cooley  is  eighty-two  years  of  age,  and  resides 
on  his  original  jiurchase,  with  his  son,  Truman 
Cooley.     His  wife  died  in  the  fall  of  187G. 

Chester  Cooley  was  also  an  early  settler  of  this 
town. 

CIVIL   ORGANIZATION. 

At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  Ridgeville,  in 
1813,  that  township  embraced  Eaton,  then  called  IIol- 
brook,  and  the  union  was  continued  until  December 
3,  1823,  when  number  five,  range  sixteen,  was  detached 
by  order  of  the  commissioners  of  Cuyahoga  county, 
on  jietition  of  the  inhabitants,  and  organized  as  an 
independent  township  under  the  name  of  Eaton. 

The  first  election  of  township  officers  was  held  in 
the  spring  of  1833,  when  the  following  were  chosen: 
Ira  B.  Morgan,  clerk;  Merritt  Osboru,  Archibald  Har- 
per, Asa  Morgan,  trustees;  Silas  Wilmot,  David  M. 
Tyler,  overseers  of  the  jioor;  Eleazer  Day,  appraiser; 
William  Beebe,  Dennis  Palmer,  fence  viewers;  Levi 
Mills,  lister;  Sylvester  Morgan,  treasurer;  Freeman 
Burr,  constable;  A  chibald  Harper,  Jr.,  supervisor  of 
highways.  We  find  no  record  of  a  justice  of  the  peace 
being  chosen  at  this  time. 

Township  officers  for  1878  are  as  follows:  R.  F. 
Tucker,  clerk;  Job  Alexander,  Gilbert  Fields,  Ed. 
Ilance,  trustees;  Wm.  II.  Giles,  treasurer;  Wm.  H. 
Phillips,  assessor;  Wm.  H.  Phillips  and  R.  F.  Tucker, 
justices  of  the  })eace. 

RELIGIOUS. 

The  earliest  meetings  of  this  character  were  held 
at  private  houses,  and  were  attended  by  the  inhabit- 


UISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


203 


ants  generally,  heing  iinsectarian  in  character.  At 
these  meetings  some  missionary  or  Methodist  circuit 
preacher  wonld  usually  officiate.  We  have  been  una- 
ble to  ascertain  when  the  first  class  or  society  was 
formed.  Probably  the  first  church  edifice  erected  in 
town  was  by  the  Roman  Catholics.  It  was  a  small 
frame  building  situated  on  the  west  line  of  the  town- 
ship. The  Methodists  erected  a  frame  building  on 
lot  forty-five,  in  1846,  by  voluntary  contributions  in 
work,  and  was  used  until  the  erection  by  the  Congre- 
gationalists  of  the  present  frame  structure  at  the 
Center  in  1857,  which  the  two  societies  have  since 
used  in  common. 

Stephenson  Burke  was  an  early  Methodist  preacher 
ill  Eaton.  On  one  occasion,  while  preaching  at  the 
house  of  Almond  Loomis,  he  abruptly  finished  his 
discourse,  informed  his  hearers  that  they  were  incapa- 
ble of  appreciating  talent,  closed  his  Bible,  and,  in 
disgust,  <|uit  the  ministry  and  the  town.  He  tried 
the  law  with  success,  and  afterwards  served  as  judge 
of  common  pleas  for  Lorain,  Medina  and  Summit 
counties.  He  is  now  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Cleveland  bar. 

THE    CONGKEGATtONAL    CHURCH 

was  organized  not  far  from  1839,  but  with  what  mem- 
bershi])  we  are  unable  to  state.  The  society,  in  mem- 
bershij),  is  at  present  very  weak,  there  being  at  this 
time  about  a  dozen  members.  Timothy  Cooley  is 
deacon.  Rev.  Mr.  Hyde  of  Grafton,  preaches  every 
alternate  Sabbath.  The  present  church  edifice  was 
built  in  1857,  at  a  cost  of  about  eight  hundred  dollars. 
A  union  Sabbath  school  of  this  and  the  Methodists 
exists,  numbering  some  fifty  or  sixty  scholars.  Tru- 
man Cooley  is  superintendent. 

THE    DISCIl'LES    CHURCH. 

In  regard  to  the  earlier  history  of  this  church  we 
get  the  following  facts  fromllayden's  "History  of  the 
Disciples  on  the  Western  Reserve."  It  was  first 
established  in  North  Eaton.  Mrs.  Chloe  Tucker, 
who  came  to  Eaton  from  Windham,  in  1833,  while 
visiting  her  native  place  in  1840,  entreated  a  young 
preacher  of  the  church,  by  the  name  of  M.  J. 
Streator,  to  come  to  Eaton  and  conduct  a  series  of 
meetings.  He  came  in  October  of  that  year.  Meet- 
ings were  held  at  the  brick  school  house  and  resulted 
in  the  conversion  of  two  sons  of  Mrs.  Tucker. 
Meetings  were  again  held  by  Mr.  Streator  in  March 
following,  and  also  in  October,  1843,  when  an  organ- 
ization was  effected,  with  a  membership  of  twenty- 
five.  J.  D.  Swift  was  api>ointed  overseer,  and  J.  A. 
Fei'guson,  deacon.  In  the  fall  of  1843  the  location  of 
the  church  was  changed  to  the  center,  on  which  occa- 
sion Jared  Patchen  was  chosen  overseer,  and  Chester 
Cooley,  deacon.  In  1845  the  church  building  was 
erected.  J.  D.  Benedict,  formerly  a  Baptist  minister, 
then  a  lawyer  filling  the  position  of  prosecuting  attor- 
ney for  Lorain  county,  officiated  at  the  opening  of  this 


church.  The  congregation  increased  until  a  larger 
house  was  reipiired  and  in  the  fall  of  18G3  a  new  edi- 
fice was  erected  at  the  center.  Brother  J.  H.  Jones, 
chaplain  of  the  Forty-second  regiment  Ohio  volunteers, 
under  Colonel  (iarlield,  condiictud  the  dedicatory 
service.  The  church  continues  to  he  pros})erous,  hav- 
ing at  ]ireseiita  membership  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
five.  Brother  W.  H.  Scott  is  the  resident  preacher. 
S.  M.  Streator,  A.  Rollin,  and  R.  Hinkley  are  over- 
seers, and  A.  Dawloy  and  R.  Haven,  deacons.  It  also 
has  a  Sabbath  school  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
scholars,  of  which  James  Robinson  is  superintendent. 

MORMONIS.M     IN    EATON. 

Eaton  was  for  a  very  brief  period  afflicted  with  this 
religious  fanaticism.  In  1843-'43,  Lyman  Wight 
])reached  the  doctrine  at  La  Porte,  while  his  son, 
Orange,  held  forth  in  Eaton,  in  that  portion  of  the 
town  then  known  as  the  "Island."  Several  other 
Mormons  also  i)reached  there.  Nearly  all  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  "Island"  were  converted  to  Mormon- 
ism  and  ba])tised  by  immersion.  Their  last  assem- 
blage was  at  the  house  of  Almond  Loomis,  at  the 
center,  February  14,  1843,  when  a  doctrinal  discus- 
sion arose  between  their  leaders  and  a  Campbellite 
preacher  who  was  present.  Soon  after  this  they  dis- 
solved, some  of  the  recent  converts  joining  the  Disci- 
ple church,  more  went  back  to  the  world,  while  a  few 
went  to  Nauvoo,  and  subsequently  to  Salt  Lake.  And 
thus  ended  Mormoiii.sm  in  Eaton. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  was  taught  on  Butternut  ridge  by 
Julia  Johnson,  daughter  of  Phineas  Johnson,  of  Car- 
lisle, in  the  summer  of  1819.  A  son  taught  the  suc- 
ceeding winter,  and  another  daughter  the  second 
summer.  Maria  Terrell,  a  inaii  by  the  name  of  Cad- 
well,  D.  C.  Wilmot,  and  Deborah  Phillips,  who  sub- 
,se([uently  became  Wilmot's  wife,  were  also  among  the 
early  school  teachers  in  town.  The  first  frame  school 
building  burned  down  in  February,  1833.  The  pres- 
ent brick  building  was  erected  in  the  summer  of  1859. 

The  school  district  at  the  center  was  organized  Jan- 
uary 10,  1834.  At  a  meeting  convened  for  that  pur- 
pose, Joseph  Fauver,  Horace  J.  Terrell  and  Richard 
Crowell  were  chosen  directors,  N.  H.  Crowell  clerk, 
and  Nicholas  Taylor  treasurer.  It  was  voted  that  a 
tax  be  levied  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  school 
house  on  lot  forty-six.  This  primitive  house  was  a 
log,  twenty  feet  square,  and  was  located  about  twelve 
rods  north  of  the  center,  on  land  belonging  to  Ed- 
mund Holden,  and  was  used  as  a  town  house  also, 
until  1843,  when  it  gave  way  to  a  frame  costing  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  The  present  brick 
structure  at  the  center,  was  erected  in  1808,  at  a  cost 
of  three  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars.  It  is  a  two 
story  building,  thirty  l)y  forty  feet  in  size,  the  upper 
story  being  used  for  a  town  hall,  and  the  lower  for 
school  i)urposes.     The  report  of  the  board  of  educa- 


204 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


tioH  for  1878,  contains  the  following  information  in 
regard  to  the  schools  of  this  township  : 


Number  of  houses,  .     . . 

Value, 

Amount  paid  teachers,. 
Number  of  scholars,  — 


CHEESE    FACTORIES. 


S4,400 
$1,298 


This  industry  is  extensively  carried  on  in  this 
township.  During  the  last  season,  there  have  been 
four,  and  a  part  of  the  time  five,  factories  in  operation. 

THE  EATON  FACTORY, 

located  a  short  distance  south  of  the  center,  is  the 
oldest.  It  was  established  by  Nichols,  Haven  and 
othei's,  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1868,  at  a  cost  of 
about  four  thousand  dollars.  In  the  winter  of  187.3, 
a  feed  mill  was  added,  which  was  destroyed  l)y  fire  in 
the  Jtlarch  following,  but  was  immediately  rebuilt. 
It  was  again  burned  in  November,  1876,  together 
with  the  factory,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
worth  of  cheese,  besides  the  engine  and  boiler,  cost- 
ing eleven  hundred  dollars,  were  ruined.  New  build- 
ings were  erected  the  following  winter,  by  the  enter- 
prising proprietors,  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand,  eight 
luiudred  dollars.  The  following  is  the  report  of  the 
factory  for  the  season  of  1877,  as  made  liy  its  efficient 
secretary,  Harrison  Wight: 

Report  of  Eaton  Cheese  Factory  for  1877. 


MONTHS. 

MILK, 
POUNDS. 

CHEESE 
POUNDS 

RA- 
TIO. 

TOTAL 
CASH 
REC'D. 

PAID 

PATRONS. 

PAID 
FAC- 
TORY. 

DIVI- 
DEND 

INCI- 
DENTAL 
EXPEN- 
SES. 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September 
October... 
November. 

116,920 

202,940 
242,7(¥) 
216,73i; 
1.50,.5O0 
140,4IK) 
112,490 
52,350 

10.407 

19,276 
23,1.57 
20.390 
13.980 
13,987 
11,982 
5,792 

11.23 
10.53 
10.48 
10.63 
10.77 
10  04 
9..39 
9.04 

$1,213  67 
1.779  48 
1 .545  72 
1,736  68 
1,W3  05 
1,678  47 

1,318  or 

593  69 

$1.0Si.'.8 
1,53.8  53 
1,291!  .59 
1,4R1  81 
1,468.30 
1,503  63 
1,168  30 
576  29 

$1.30  09    .9268 
240  95    .7581 
&18  03!  ..5.^42 
2.54  871  .6837 
174  75    .97.56 
174  84  1.071 
149  771.0386 
71  40j  .986 

■■"I'io 



"soo 

Season 

1,235,038 

118,971 

10.38811,508  83 

$10,057  03$1,445  70  .814 

6  10 

WHITE  CLOVER  FACTORY, 

located  on  the  west  line  of  the  township,  was  estalj- 
lished  in  1869,  by  Thomas  Bennington  and  Lemuel 
Abbey.  The  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about 
one  thousand  dollars.  Capital  now  employed  in  the 
business,  about  one  thousand  four  hundred  dollars. 
During  the  past  season  the  consumption  of  milk 
averaged  about  six  thousand  pounds  daily,  making 
fourteen  cheese  of  forty  pouuds  each. 

THE  STREATOK  FACTORY. 

This  is  located  between  the  Center  and  North  Eaton 
station,  and  is  owned  and  operated  by  S.  M.  Streator, 
by  whom  it  was  established  in  the  spring  of  1870, 
witli  a  capital  of  about  two  thousand  dollars.  It  is 
much  less  now,  owing  to  depreciation  of  property. 
The  building  was  erected  in  1871.  The  past  season 
the  business  averaged  about  four  thousand  pounds  of 
milk  daily,  manufacturing  eight  cheese  of  fifty  pounds 
each  i^er  day. 


ORCHARD    FACTORY 

is  situated  on  Butternut  ridge,  and  was  established 
by  Oel  Durkee,  Jr.,  in  the  spring  of  1873.  Two 
j^ears  subsequently  it  was  purchased  by  Charles  Jack- 
son, who,  with  S.  Stephens,  now  owns  it.  It  has 
worked  about  two  thousand  pounds  of  milk  during 
the  season  of  1878.  The  factory  has  done  a  very  lim- 
ited business  during  the  last  few  years,  and  will  prob- 
ably soon  be  discontinued,  there  being  too  many 
cheese  factories  in  this  section  to  render  the  business 
profitable. 

SAW    MILLS. 

The  first  saw  mill  in  town  was  built  by  Rico  and 
Smith  of  Litchfield,  Medina  county,  in  the  fall  of 
1851,  and  was  located  on  lot  forty-three.  This  mill 
is  now  owned  and  run  by  Philo  Bannister.  There 
are  two  other  saw  mills  in  the  township,  that  of 
Angelo  Rawson,  in  the  southwest  jiart  of  town,  and 
one  near  North  Eaton  station,  owned  by  John  Page. 

AGRICULTURAL  STATISTICS   FOR   1878. 

Wheat,     1,000  acres 18,.^39  bushels. 

Corn,        1,389     "      .39,160 

Oats,  809     " 41,766 

Potatoes,    160     "      20,470 

Orchards,  384     "      3,308 

Meadow,  2,492      "      2,421  tons. 

Butter 40,900  pounds. 

Cheese 278,1.5:3       " 


Hayes. 


Vote  for  President,  1876. 
205  I  Tilden 


Biographical  Sketches, 


LEMUEL  ABBEY. 

The  life  of  the  pioneer,  with  its  manifold  struggles 
and  privations,  offers  an  interesting  study,  and  one 
replete  with  instructive  lessons.  It  admirably  illus- 
trates the  old  aphorism  '•'  Industry  is  the  parent  of 
plenty;"  for  we  rarely  find  oue  who  toiled  to  reclaim 
the  wilderness,  and  cultivate  the  soil  in  the  primitive 
days  of  the  settlement,  but  that  accumulated  a  com- 
petence, who,  if  blessed  with  a  ri])e  old  age,  which  is 
generally  tiie  case,  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labors 
and  frugality.  The  subject  proper  of  this  l)rief 
narrative  came  of  a  j)ioneer  race.  His  parents,  Ebea- 
ezer  and  Mary  (Blauehard)  Abbey  were  of  New 
England  origin,  and  possessed  the  requisite  quali- 
fications of  early  settlers.  The  former  was  born  in 
Tolland  county,  Connecticut,  June  9,  1781,  and 
died  March  19,  18G3;  the  latter  in  Rutland,  Ver- 
mont, December  19,  1787,  she  preceding  her  husband 
to  the  grave  by  but  ten  days.  They  lived  together 
nearly  fifty-seven  years,  having  been  united  in  mar- 
riage April  6,  1805.  They  had  a  family  of  fourteen 
children,  of  whom  ten  grew  to  maturity. 


^^::f  V,.  :-3^- ^;  ;^( 


PHOTOS  BY  Lee,  Eltria.  0. 


Del  Durkee. 


f\/lRS  Oel  Durkee: 


(Residence  or  OEL  durkee.  Eaton  Tp.  lorain  Co, Ohio. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


205 


1  Polly  A.  bora  March  10,  ISOD.  8  Nelson,  bora  October  18,  1816. 

2  Ebeaezer,  "    July  17,  18l)r.  i)  Volton,       "  March  311,  1818. 

3  Smyth,        "    July  12,  ISfts.  10  Marimla,    "  .September  8,  181!). 

4  Orsemus,    "    February  21,  1810.  11  Lemuel,     "  January  2.3,  1821. 

5  Lucy  M.      "    April  22,  1812.  12  Alinina,      "  May  2ii,  1822 

6  Alonzo,        "    .\ugust  39,  1813.  13  William,     "  February  15,  1827. 

7  Lyman,       "    June  19,  181.5.  14  Emma  A.    "  August  20.  1884. 

Si-x  of  the  sons  were  teachers  in  common  schools, 
two  heoame  phj'sicians,  one  a  hiwj'cr,  and  four  farmers. 
Mrs.  E.  A.  Abbey  Brush  is  well  known  as  one  of 
Elyria's  most  devoted  women  in  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance. 

Ebenezer  Abbey  was  a  man  of  somewhat  remark- 
able business  ability.  In  17ii4,  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Otsego  county,  New  York,  where  they 
became  respected  and  influential  citizens.  December 
15,  1830,  he  commenced  tlie  then  laborious  journey 
of  removing  to  Ohio.  January  15,  1831,  found  him 
on  Butternut  ridge,  North  Eaton,  Ohio, — his  large 
family  and  worldly  effects  on  two  wagons,  drawn  by 
one  span  of  horses,  and  one  pair  of  oxen, — with  but 
seventy-five  cents  in  bi.s  pocket,  which  he  paid  out 
for  a  bushel  of  wheat.  Then  commenced  the  trial  in 
earnest  with  the  wilderness.  He  selected  a  place  for 
his  future  home,  where  his  son  Lemuel  now  resides. 
It  was  not,  however,  until  April  6,  1831,  that  he  jier- 
inancntly  located  tliereon.  His  purchase  consisted 
of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  acres,  of  which  seventy- 
live  were  located  in  Carlisle  township,  and  tliirty- 
eight  in  Eaton,  lie  is  accredited  with  having  hauled 
the  first  load  of  wheat  from  Wayne  county,  Ohio, 
which  he  distributed  among  the  settlers. 

While  in  New  York  State  he  had  been  exteusivelv 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  pot  and  pearl  ashes, 
and  had  also  learned  the  cooper's  trade,  both  of  which 
industries  he  carried  on  after  settling  in  his  new 
western  home,  llis  father  had  once  been  in  comfort- 
able circumstances,  but  he  sold  his  property  in  the 
east,  taking  in  payment  four  thousand  dollars  of  con- 
tinental money,  just  jirior  to  the  congressional  act 
of  repudiation.  He  lost  everything,  and,  on  return- 
ing to  Otsego  county,  then  an  old  man,  he  never 
recovered  either  his  health  or  his  fortune.  Hence,  it 
fell  upon  Ebenezer  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
which  he  did,  meeting  with  many  reverses,  among 
others,  losing  a  large  number  of  barrels  of  ashes  by 
the  embargo  placed  on  American  products,  during 
the  war  of  1813.  With  a  perseverance  commendable 
of  his  race,  he  moved  to  the  then  "  far  west,"  as  above 
stated,  and  there  resumed  his  old  time  avocations, 
utilizing  the  surplus  timber,  and  bringing  into  the 
then  infant  settlement  considerable  money  for  his 
ashes. 

Noveinlier  9,  1840,  he  commenced  building  a  saw 
mill  on  Black  creek,  sawing  the  first  log  therein  on 
the  day  of  General  Harrison's  inauguration  as  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  March  i,  1841.  Mr. 
Abbey  was  a  man  of  but  little  school  education,  but 
of  native  shrewdness  and  natural  ability.  After 
accumulating  enough  to  make  his  family  comfortable, 
he  apjjlied  his  surplus  to  paying  some  old  debts  from 


his  old  home  in  New  York,  of  more  than  two 
hundred  dollars,  thus  freeing  himself  from  all  old 
obligations,  and  allowing  him  to  enjoy  a  clear  con- 
science for  the  remainder  of  his  days.  His  wife  was 
of  the  same  family  of  Blanchards  as  that  from  which 
sprung  Mrs.  President  Hayes,  and  in  her  humble 
sphere  did  equal  honor  to  her  respectable  ancestry. 

Lemuel  Abbey,  son  of  the  above,  was  born  in 
Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  January  23,  1821.  He  was 
early  tauglit  sound  practical  lessons  of  industry  and 
self-reliance,  which  have  since  been  of  great  benefit  to 
him.  On  the  25th  of  March,  1859,  he  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  William  Lawson,  of  J^aton,  formerly  of 
Yorkshire,  England.  She  was  born  August  29,  1826. 
They  have  had  no  children.  In  early  years,  Mr. 
Abbey  was  taught  to  "follow  the  ]tlow,"  and  has 
most  of  his  life  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  is  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  and  of  an  intelligent 
and  inquiring  nature.  In  political  faith,  he  is  a 
staunch  and  unswerving  republican,  and  in  religious 
belief,  a  liiieral  thinker,  and  not  a  memliur  of  any 
particular  denomination.  His  sterling  integrity  and 
tiio  even  rectitude  of  his  life  require  no  orthodox 
afliliations  to  bring  him  within  the  pale  of  consistent 
Christianity,  nor  do  any  who  as  closely  live  up  to  the 
Golden  Rule  as  does  he. 


OEL  DURKEE. 


The  Durkee  family  in  America  traces  its  ancestry 
to  three  brothers  who  left  Scotland  at  an  early  day 
and  settled  in  New  England.  Prior  to  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  century,  we  find  Joseph 
Durkee,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  settled  in  Con- 
necticut, where  Alba  Durkee,  son  of  the  latter  and 
father  of  Oel,  was  born.  They  were  a  hardy  and 
industrious  race,  and  also  ])ossessed  the  quality  of 
economy,  that  has  become  a  well-known  characteristic 
of  their  race.  The  mother  of  Oel  Durkee  was  Thank- 
ful Whitcomb,  and  she  died  at  Pottsdam,  St.  Law- 
rence county.  New  York,  in  1811,  when  he  was  but 
four  years  of  age.  On  the  death  of  his  wife.  Alba 
Durkee  returned  to  Pittsfield,  Rutland  county,  Ver- 
mont, where  he  had  resided  previous  to  his  removal 
to  New  York  State.  Two  of  his  daughters  rode 
horseback,  and  Mr.  Durkee  carried  on  a  pillow  an 
infant  of  only  four  months  old. 

Oel  Durkee  was  born  in  Pittsfield,  Vermont,  Octo- 
ber 28,  1807.  His  early  boyhood  was  passed  in  Stock- 
bridge,  Windsor  county,  in  the  same  State,  where  he 
lived  until  he  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age.  On 
his  parents'  removal  to  York  State,  he  was  an  infant, 
and,  on  his  father's  return  to  Vermont,  he  rode  be- 
liind  him  on  the  same  horse.  He  then  went  to  live 
with  an  uncle,  Norman  Weber,  and  resided  with  him 
until  he  was  about  fifteen.  His  sisters  made  their 
home  with  Ebbe  Durkee,  an  uncle.  The  father  mar- 
ried again  and  i-eturned   to   Pottsdam,  New  York, 


206 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


where  lie  remained  a  few  years,  returning  temporarily 
to  Pittsfield,  and  subsequently  removing  to  Bethany, 
Genesee  county,  New  York,  where  lie  died.  His 
second  wife's  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Newton.  By 
her  he  had  six  children  ;  by  his  first  wife,  seven, 
namely:  Elizabeth,  Joseph,  Cynthia,  Thomas,  Lucy, 
Oel  and  Nancy,  of  whom  the  first,  thinl,  sixth  and 
seventh  named  survive. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen,  Oel  went  to  Nashua,  New 
Hampshire,  and  worked  on  the  canal  five  years.  He 
met  with  many  reverses.  He  made  his  home,  winters, 
at  Stock  bridge,  Vermont.  He  afterward  removed  to 
Allegany,  now  Wyoming  county.  New  Y'^ork,  where 
he  engaged  as  a  farm  laborer.  He  there  married 
Betsey  Terrey,  in  1830.  Four  years  later,  he  came 
to  Ohio,  and  settled  on  the  farm  where  he  still 
resides,  in  Eaton  township.  Their  children  num- 
bered eleven,  of  whom  six  are  living.  They  were 
Mason  A.,  born  November  12,  ls;jl;  Nancy,  born 
July  l(i,  lSI5:i;  (two  dying  in  infancy  unnained);  Fi- 
delia, liorn  June  20,  1838,  died  July  17,  1871;  Hiram, 
born  January  2,  1840,  killed  at  South  Mountain, 
JIaryland,  Septeml)er  14,  18G"2;  Persis,  born  March 
12,  1841,  died  February  20,  184S;  Oel,  .Jr.,  born  De- 
cendier  2,  1843;  Betsey  Eveline,  born  February  18, 
184.5;  Horace  A,,  born  June  29,  1848;  and  Oscar  A., 
born  August  1,  184'.).  Those  deceased  are  Fidelia, 
Persis  and  Hiram.  Tlu)sc  living  are  all  married,  and 
are  resjiectable  members  of  society.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Durkee  have  three  great-grand  children  and  twenty- 
two  grand-children,  with  fair  prospects  of  having 
these  numbers  largely  augmented.  Mrs.  Durkee  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Pike,  Allegany  C'ounty,  New  Y^ork, 
June  12,  1810.  Her  father  was  Peleg  Mason  Terry; 
her  mother,  Betsey  Swift.  They  were  married  on 
Thanksgiving  day,  1808.  They  had  three  children: 
Lorinda  and  Betsey,  the  other  dying  in  infancy.  The 
Terrys  moved  into  Ohio  in  1836,  settled  in  Eaton 
township,  and  lived  and  died  there — Mrs.  Terrv  dying 
in  1838,  and  her  husband  January  28,  1875.  He 
married  the  widow  of  a  Mr.  Nye,  and  she  survives. 

Mr.  Durkee  can  recall  the  time  when  there  had  not 
besn  a  tree  cut  from  a  half  mile  south  of  15utternut 
ridge  and  Rawsonville,  the  whole  territory  being  cov- 
ered with  a  dense  forest.  On  arriving  in  Eaton,  he 
moved  into  a  log  shanty,  with  eight  others,  all  livino- 
in  one  room,  and  continued  to  live  in  this  way  for 
almost  three  months.  The  shanty  served  as  a  habita- 
\tion  for  almost  two  years,  when  he  built  a  small  frame 


\ 


house,  which  was  succeeded  in  1849,  by  his  present 
residence — an  illustration  of  which  appears  on  another 
page  of  this  volume. 

Mt.  Durkee  and  his  excellent  wife  are  in  every 
sense  a  worthy  couple.  They  have  lived  together  nigh 
unto  half  a  century,  and  we  trust  they  will  both  live 
and  enjoy  g((od  health  and  prosperity  for  many  years 
after  celebrating  their  golden  wedding.  Mr.  Durkee 
is  in  politics  a  staunch  republican;  in  religion,  a  free 
thinker. 


WILLIAM  II.  PHILLIPS,  ESQ. 

Among  the  few  surviving  pioneers  of  Eat(m  town- 
ship, none  ante-date  the  arrival  of  'Si|uire  Phillips. 
It  is  nearly  fifty-three  years  since  he  settled  in  Eaton, 
ami  with  the  exception  of  a  few  yeai's'  absence,  has 
continued  to  reside  where  he  now  lives  during  that 
jieriod.     William    II.    Phillips   was  born    in    Greene 


county.  New  York,  September,  17,  180!i.  IR.  is  the 
son  of  Henry  and  Abigail  (Finch)  Phillips,  the  for- 
mer of  whom  was  born  in  Connecticut,  on  the  !)th  of 
June,  1780,  the  latter  in  the  same  State,  October  12, 
1784.  The  family  is  of  Anglo-German  descent,  and 
combines  the  sturdiness  of  the  former  with  the  fru- 
gality of  the  latter,  in  their  character.  On  the  26th 
of  October,  1826,  William  H.  Phillips  removed  to 
Ohio  and  settled  in  Eaton  township,  Lorain  county, 
ui)ou  the  place  he  now  lives  and  has  almost  ever 
since  occupied.  He  married  Jlaria  Slater,  Novem- 
ber 10,  1839.  She  died  January  16,  1868.  They  had 
six  children,  namely  :  William  A.,  Letitia  (deceased), 
Edgar  A.,  who  was  shot  July  9,  1864,  near  Martins, 
burg,  N'irginia,  while  serving  his  country  as  a  soldier, 
Corda  C,  and  Lena  M.  Phillips.  Mr.  Phillips  is  a 
republican,  and  has  been  honored  with  nearly  every 
townshij)  olHce,  notably  those  of  assessor,  which  he 
held  over  twenty  years,  and  justice  of  the  peace  for 
fifteen  years  at  the  completion  of  his  present  term. 
He  honestly  performs  the  duties  of  his  office,  and 
gives  general  satisfaction  in  the  same. 


JOHN  ROACH, 


was  born  in  Market  Arborough,  Leicestershire,  Eng- 
land, April  20,  1811.  He  embarked  at  Liverpool,  in 
March,  1857,  and  landed  at  Castle  Garden,  New  York, 
in  the  following  May.  The  ship  he  came  over  on  had 
quite  a  tempestuous  passage,  but  arrived  at  its  desti- 
nation safely.  While  waiting  to  move  west,  the  wharf 
on  which  was  stowed   the  baggage  of  the  emigrants 


\ 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


207 


gave  way,  and  nearly  all  the  personal  effects  weie  pre- 
cipitated into  the  ocean,  and  most  of  the  same  were 
lost.  After  a  brief  stay  in  New  York,  Mr.  Roach 
]iroceeded  up  tlie  Hudson  river  to  Albany,  and  took 
tiie  cars  there  for  Amherst,  where  ho  remained  nntil 
tlio  following  fall.  In  the  meanwhile  he  lostJiis  wife, 
Elizabetli  Eames  Roach,  of  tHijisorn,  England,  to 
wiioni  he  was  married  in  ISil.  They  had  seven  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  four  daughters,  namely:  Mary, 
who  married  Samuel  Maddock  of  Henry  county, 
Ohio;  Ann,  who  married  Henry  Townsend  of  Carlisle 
township;  Joseph,  who  married  Eliza  Bonner,  now 
living  in  Nel»raska;  William,  who  was  killed  in  the 
army,  by  tlie  accidental  <lisi'liarge  of  a  comrade's  re- 
volver in  18G'2;  Betsey,  wiio  married  Henry  Montague, 
and  resides  on   the  adjoining  farm  to   her  father;  So- 


phia, who  married  Peter  Watts,  Kingston,  Indiana; 
Thomas,  unmarried,  and  resides  with  his  father. 

In  1800,  Mr.  Roacli  settled  on  Plum  Creek,  in  Car- 
lisle township,  where  he  remained  about  one  year. 
In  18GI  he  permanently  located  on  the  place  where 
he  now  lives,  which  is  a  neatly  kept  and  well  culti- 
vated farm  of  fifty  acres,  having  upon  it  comfortable 
buildings,  an  illustration  of  wiiich  appears  on  another 
page  of  this  work. 

In  politics  Mr.  Roacli  is  a  republican.  He  has  held 
the  offices  of  township  trustee,  and  supervisor  of  the 
road  district  in  winch  he  resides.  In  religious  lielief 
he  is  a  Baptist.  He  is  an  industrious  and  economical 
farmer;  honest  and  fair  in  iiis  dealings  witii  others, 
and  one  of  whom  it  can  be  truly  said  that  he  is  an 
upriglit  man,  a  good  neigiibor  and  citi/en. 


BLACK  RIVER, 


By  the  survey  of  1806,  Black  River  (town  number 
seven  in  the  eighteentli  range)  was  divided  into  tiiree 
parts — gore  number  one,  tract  number  two,  and  gore 
numljer  three.  It  was  not  drawn  as  a  township,  but 
was  used  for  equalizing  2)urposes,  gore  one  being 
annexed  to  Olmsted,  tract  two  to  Amherst,  and  gore 
tliree  to  the  township  of  Medina,  and  the  original 
jiroprietors  of  tliose  townships  became  the  owners  of 
tlie  soil  of  Black  River. 

SURFACE,  STUEAMS,  TIMIiER. 

The  surface  of  the  township  is  reuiarkably  even, 
sloping  gradually  to  the  lake,  with  a  deep,  dark,  gen- 
erally loamy  clay  soil  of  exceeding  fertility.  The 
water  courses  of  tlie  township  are  Black  River, 
Beaver  Creek  and  Martin's  Run,  all  of  which  have 
tlieir  outlets  in  the  lake.  Black  River  divides  a  small 
part  of  the  towusliip  in  the  nortlieast  corner  from 
the  rest  of  its  territory,  and  atfords  excellent  sidvan 
tages  for  tlie  utilization  of  water  power.  Beaver 
creek  drains  the  western  part  of  town,  while  Mar- 
tin's run  courses  through  the  center. 

On  the  lake  shore  the  native  kinds  of  timber  were 
chieHy  hickory,  white  oak,  elm  and  basswood,  while 
farther  inland  the   principal   variety   was   white   oak. 

SETTLEMENT. 

In  regard  to  an  early  attempt  at  settlement.  Judge 
Boyuton  says,  in  his  "  Early  History  of  Lorain 
county  :" 

"The  earliest  attempted  settlement  was  at  the  mouth  of  Black  River. 
In  1787,  a  few  Moravian  ministers,  missionaries  among  the  Delawares 
and  other  tribes,  with  a  band  of  christian  Indians,  undertook  to  make  a    ' 


pennanent  settlement  at  that  point.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  they 
removed  from  ■  Pilgrim's  Rest,'  on  the  Cuyahoga,  to  the  place  contem- 
plated as  tlieir  new  abode.  Here  they  hoped  to  estaljlish  a  center  and 
plant  the  seeds  of  the  christian  civilization  of  the  Indians.  Their  hopes, 
however,  were  not  to  be  realized.  They  had  remained  but  a  few  days 
upon  the  spot  selected,  when  a  message  from  the  chief  of  the  Dela- 
wares, commanding  them  to  depart  from  Black  river  was  received  and  at 
once  obeyed.  This  was  the  first  settlement  in  what  is  now  the  county; 
for  although  temporary  and  of  but  .short  duration,  it  was  a  settlement 
in  fact  coupled  with  an  intent  to  remain." 

In  1807,  Nathan  Perry  came  to  the  mouth  of  Black 
river  and  erected  a  house  a  short  distance  east  of  the 
river,  in  which  he  opened  a  store  for  trade  with  the 
Indians.  Ho  had  in  his  emjiloy  Azariah  Beebe  and 
wife,  who  occupied  his  hou.se.  They  were  the  first 
family  that  settled  in  the  townshij).  They  remained 
only  a  few  yeai's,  however,  when  they  removed  from 
the  township,  settling  on  Huron  river,  wiiere  they 
both  died  a  few  years  after.  Perry,  after  a  few  years, 
removed  to  Cleveland,  where  he  engaged  in  merchan- 
dizing, continuing  his  trade  with  the  Indians,  and 
eventually  ama.ssed  a  large  property.  He  was  a  son 
of  Judge  Nathan  Perry,  of  Rutland,  Vermont,  who 
was  an  early  sjttler  in  Cleveland.  He  was  a  man  of 
more  than  ordinary  ability.  His  son  Horace  was  for 
many  years  clerk  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  of 
Cuyahoga  county.  Horatio,  another  son,  settled  first 
in  Vermillion  and  afterwards  in  Elyria.  Judge 
Perry's  only  daughter  was  the  wife  of  Peter  Weddell, 
of  Cleveland,  who  built  the  Weddell  house  of  that 
city. 

Daniel  Perry,  a  brother  of  the  judge,  was  the  next 
]iernianent  settler  in  the  townshi|).  He,  with  his 
family,  arrived  in  March,  1810,  and  located  a  <iuarter 
of  a  mile  west  of  the  river.     He  afterwards  removed 


208 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


to  his  nephew's  farm  east  of  the  river,  still  retaining 
the  farm  on  which  he  first  settled.  Squire  Perry,  as 
he  was  familiarly  called,  with  his  large  family,  had 
ail  uiiliill  life  of  it  in  Black  River,  and  to  better  his 
condition,  removed  in  an  early  day  to  Brownlielm, 
and  settled  near  the  center  of  the  town.  He  lived  to 
a  good  old  age,  and  reared  a  large  family  of  oliiklren, 
some  of  whom  are  now  living  in  Brownlielm  ((uito 
advanced  in  life. 

This  same  year  the  families  of  Josepli  Quigley, 
Jonathan  Seeley,  ( feorge  and  Andrew  Kelso  and  Ralph 
Lyon  were  added.  Quigley,  at  an  early  date,  removed 
to  number  six,  range  eigiiteen,  Amherst.  He  lived 
to  the  great  ago  of  ninety-four  or  ninty-five  years. 
Seeley  located  on  lot  twenty-one.  Of  his  subsequent 
history,  as  well  as  that  of  some  others  mentioned, 
notiiing  is  Ivuown.  Ralph  Lyon  and  family,  then 
consisting  of  his  wife  and  two  children,  came  to 
Black  River  from  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
the  fall  of  1810.  He  located  about  two  miles  west  of 
the  river  on  the  lake  shore,  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Alanson  Gillmore,  lot  twenty.  After  a  short  stay 
here,  he  removed  to  Beaver  creek,  jiurchasing  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  H.  Kolb.  This  he  afterwards 
sold,  and  he  then  moved  to  the  mouth  of  Black  river, 
wliere  he  died  at  tlie  home  of  his  son-in-law,  Natiiau 
Edson,  in  January,  1833.  His  wife  died  a  few  months 
afterward.  Their  family  consisted  of  six  children, 
all  now  dead.  A  son,  John,  wa.i  born  in  the  spring 
of  1813,  and  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the 
territory  comprised  within  the  present  limits  of  Black 
river.  A  daughter,  Catharine,  married  the  well- 
known  Captain  William  Jdiies,  of  Tjorain.  She  died 
111  October,  1S7.5. 

The  next  family  that  settled  in  Black  River  was  that 
of  John  S.  Reid.  Mr.  Reid,  who  was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  was  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland  at  the 
time  of  his  removal  to  this  township.  He  and  his 
daughter  Elizabeth  came  to  the  mouth  of  Black 
river  in  the  s))ring  of  1810.  His  first  erection  stood 
nearly  opposite  the  present  site  of  the  large  frame 
building,  at  the  foot  of  Elyria  street,  now  owned  by 
Artemas  Beebe,  of  Elyria,  which  was  also  built  by 
Reid.  His  original  cabin  was  a  double  block  house, 
a  stately  structure  for  the  time,  and  was  used  for 
many  years  by  Mr.  Reid  as  a  dwelling,  tavern,  post- 
office  and  justice's  office  combined.  In  the  spring 
of  1811  the  rest  of  the  family  arrived.  This  family 
formed  the  center  around  which  a  little  settlement 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  gathered,  and  which  soon 
came  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  "  Black  River." 

Mr.  Reid  was  a  man  of  strong  points  of  character, 
and  naturally  exercised  considerable  local  influence. 
In  1819,  when  this  township  was  embraced  in  the 
county  of  Huron,  he  was  one  of  the  commissioners  of 
that  county,  and  in  1834  was  one  of  the  first  three 
commissioners  of  Lorain  county.  He  was  also  post- 
master and  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years.  He 
died  in  December,  1831,  and  Mrs.  Reid  in  March, 
1833.     A  son,   Conrad,   is  still  a  resident  of  Black 


Rivei-,  having  resided  at  the  month  of  the  river  for 
sixty-seven  consecutive  years.  Cornelius,  an  older 
son,  was  drowned  on  the  lake,  in  November,  1818. 
Jlis  father  engaged  a  Captain  Brooks,  with  his  vessel, 
to  take  a  load  of  corn,  in  the  ear,  to  Detroit,  and 
Cornelius  was  sent  in  charge  of  the  cargo.  Two 
other  men  were  also  aboard.  When  off  Huron,  a 
terrible  gale  capsized  the  vessel,  and  all  on  board 
were  lost.  Tlie  names  of  the  other  children  were 
So]iliia,  Elizabeth  and  Ann.  The  first  two  became, 
respectively,  the  wives  of  Daniel  T.  Baldwin  and 
Quartus  Gillmore.  Before  we  take  leave  of  Mr.  Reid, 
we  will  relate  an  anecdote  which  we  have  not  before 
seen  in  print. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  the  "extract 
of  corn  "  was  a  universal  beverage,  taken,  of  course, 
to  "keep  off  fever."  No  well  ordered  public  liouse, 
especially,  could  get  along  without  it,  and  the  li(juid 
was  always  within  easy  access  of  the  guests,  who  were 
expected  to  help  themselves  at  will.     On  one  occasion. 

Dr.  ,  of  Conueaut,   stopped  over  niglit   with 

Reid.  The  next  morning,  when  he  came  to  settle 
his  bill,  he  found  among  the  items  charged  that  of 
whiskey.  The  doctor  assured  his  host  that  he  had 
used  no  liquor,  and  demanded  a  consequent  reduction 
in  the  amount  of  the  bill.  "It  don't  make  any  dif- 
ference." replied  Reid,  "whether  yon  used  it  or  not, 
the  whisky  was  before  you,  and  it  is  your  own  fault 
if  you  didn't  have  it."  The  doctor  paid  the  bill  and 
departed.  Some  months  afterwards  ho  stopped  with 
Reid  again,  who,  on  presenting  his  bill,  was  confronted 
with  one  for  a  like  amount  by  the  doctor,  for  medicine. 
"  What  do  you  mean?"  said  Reid,  "I  have  had  no 
medicine.''  "That  doesn't  matter,"  retorted  the 
doctor,  "  it  wiis  ill  my  medicine  haij,  end  it  was  your 
OH'H  fdidl  if  you  (Jidii't."  Reid  tliought  the  cases 
sufficiently  parallel  to  give  the  doctor  a  free  night's 
lodging. 

William  Jlartin,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  with  his 
family  of  wife  and  six  children,  joined  the  settlement 
in  April,  1811,  performing  the  journey  with  an  ox 
team  and  wagon.  Martin  exchanged  his  farm  of 
three  hundred  acres  in  Pennsylvania,  for  nearly  a 
thousand  acres  in  Black  River  and  Amherst,  most  of 
it  in  the  latter  township.  He  took  up  his  residence 
on  lot  twenty-one,  moving  in  a  house  erected  the 
year  previous  by  Jonathan  Seeley.  For  some  un- 
known cause,  he  never  obtained  a  title  to  any  of  his 
western  land,  except  that  comprised  in  lot  twenty- 
one,  in  this  township. 

Martin  came  to  an  untimely  death,  in  October, 
1830,  by  a  singular  accident.  He  had  just  come  out 
of  a  well,  which  he  with  others  was  sinking  on  the 
farm  of  Nathan  Edson,  on  the  Oberlin  road,  when 
Edson  took  hold  of  him  to  engage  in  a  friendly  scuf- 
fle, the  result  of  which  was  that  Martin  fell  into  the 
well,  twenty  feet  deej),  killing  him  almost  instantly. 
His  widow  died  in  1843.  There  were  eight  children 
in  this  family,  two  l)orn  subsequent  to  the  settlement 
in  Black  River.     The  only  surviving  member  of  the 


^^^?-?-^^-?e<^ 


Conrad  Reid  was  born,  Sept.  30,  1802,  in  the 
town  of  Wilkesbarre,  Susquehanna  Co.,  Pa.,  and  was 
the  fourth  child  of  John  S.  and  Anna  Reid.  John 
S.  Reid  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  His  father  and 
mother  spent  their  last  days  in  Janesville,  Ohio,  some 
of  his  descendants  still  living  in  that  vicinity.  John 
S.  and  family  emigrated  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  about 
the  year  1806  or  1807,  during  the  month  of  Febru- 
ary ;  was  a  house  carpenter  by  trade ;  removed  his 
family  from  Cleveland  to  Black  River  in  the  spring 
of  1811,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days; 
died  Dec.  3,  1831.  His  wife  died  March  5,  1832. 
Our  subject  remained  with  his  parents  until  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  when  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Abigail,  daughter  of  Wra.  Murdoch,  of  Connecti- 


cut. By  this  union  were  born  twelve  children, — 
eleven  sons  and  one  daughter, — three  of  whom  are 
living.  His  first  wife  died  April  10,  1861 ;  married 
for  his  second  partner  Catharine  Horn,  a  native  of 
Hesse-Cassel,  Germany,  Dec.  25,  1862.  During 
the  early  part  of  Mr.  Reid's  life  he  followed  sail- 
ing; built  many  vessels  which  he  sold,  followed  the 
business  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  years,  and  thus  de- 
rived the  title  of  captain,  by  which  he  his  familiarly 
known.  After  leaving  Lake  Erie  he  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  at  Black  River,  building  a  hotel  in 
the  year  1835,  of  which  he  is  still  proprietor.  He 
also  remained  in  the  vessel  business  until  a  few  years 
since.  He  acquired  a  fine  property,  and  occupies  a 
high  social  position  in  both  town  and  county. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


209 


family  is  Mrs.  Sleator,  wlio  resides  on  tiie  old  home- 
stead, nearly  ciglity-one  years  of  age.  A  son,  liobert, 
died  by  accident,  on  a  steamboat,  at  Pcrrysbnrg,  Ohio, 
in  1833. 

Next  in  order  is  P^dmuiid  Gillmore,  wlio  came  to 
Black  River  from  Chester,  Hampshire  connty,  Mass- 
aclnisetts,  in  1811.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  son, 
Aretus,  and  a  nephew,  Ashbel  Gillmore,  and  his 
family.  He  selected  a  location  on  lot  twenty-two, 
erected  a  house,  and  leaving  Aretus  in  chai-ge,  re- 
turned to  Massachusetts  for  the  residue  of  his  family, 
with  whom  lie  arrived  in  June  of  the  following  year. 

Ashbel  Gillmore  not  liking  the  level,  wet  lands  of 
Black  River,  had  been  convej'ed  by  his  uncle  to  the 
hills  of  Geauga  county,  where  he  found  in  the  town- 
ship of  Chester,  in  that  county,  a  location  more  to 
his  taste. 

Quartus  Gillmore,  another  son  of  Edmund,  with  a 
cousin,  (brother  of  Ashbel,)  preceded  the  family, 
making  the  entire  journey  on  foot,  the  latter  joining 
his  brother  in  Geauga  county. 

Mr.  Gillmore,  senior,  built  the  first  frame  bai'u  in 
the  connty.  He  was  a  large  owner  of  land,  having, 
at  one  time,  nearly  a  thousand  acres,  most  of  it  in 
this  and  Amherst  townships.  He  had  a  family  of 
nine  children,  three  of  whom  are  yet  living, — Tru- 
man, Alanson,  and  Edmund, — the  first  two  in  Black 
River,  aged  respectively  eighty  and  seventy-four. 
Edmund  resides  in  Minnesota. 

Quartus,  at  the  age  of  thirty- four,  married  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Smith,  nee  Elizabeth  Reid,  daughter  of  John 
S.  Reid.  She  married,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  William 
Smith,  of  Black  River,  who  died  four  years  after  the 
marriage.  After  six  years  of  widowhood,  Mrs.  Smith 
married  Mr.  Gillmore.  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Gillmore  lived 
to  a  hale  old  age,  and  reared  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living,  and  one  of  whom — 
Quincy  A. — rose  to  fame  and  honors  in  the  war  of 
the  rebellion.  Major  General  Gillmore  resides  in  New 
York  City,  and  has  charge  of  the  military  defetices 
between  that  city  and  Florida.  The  other  children 
are  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  William  Prince,  of  Cleve- 
land; Sophia,  wife  of  Daniel  S.  Leslie,  residing  in 
Xorthport,  Michigan;  Roxana,  widow,  in  California 
Edmund,  Alice  (Mrs.  James  Connolly),  Quartus  and 
Cornelius,  are  all  residents  of  Black  River.  Edmund, 
many  years  since,  met  with  an  accident  by  which  he 
was  made  a  crip[)le  for  life.  While  engaged  in  calk- 
ing the  scow,  Couiin  Mary,  in  ISfiO,  it  became 
necessary  for  him,  in  the  prosecution  of  his  work,  to 
get  under  the  center  board,  which  partially  settled 
upon  him.  He  was  quickly  released  from  his  perilous 
situation,  but  it  was  found  that  his  lower  limbs  were 
paralyzed,  and  he  has  been  unable  ever  since  to  use 
them.  He  is  at  jiresent  performing  the  double  ser- 
.  vice  of  township  clei'k  and  justice  of  the  peace. 
1  No  other  additiions  were  made  to  the  settlement 
!  until  after  the  close  of  the  war,  which  almost  com- 
pletely arrested  emigration.  Among  the  later  arrivals 
was  the  family  of  Captain  Augustus  Jones.     He  was 

27 


originally  from  Middlesex  county,  Connecticut;  was 
liy  trade  a  shii>wright,  and  became  a  cajjtain  of  a 
vessel  on  the  Atlantic.  He  came  to  Black  River  in 
company  with  a  brother  of  his  wife,  Enoch  Murdock, 
in  the  spring  of  1818.  He  immediately  commenced 
work  for  Captain  James  Day,  who  was  then  build- 
ing the  General  Huntinyion — Murdock  returning 
to  Connecticut.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  the 
family  of  Captain  Jones,  wife  and  five  children, 
followed.  They  wei-e  brought  by  Elisha  Murdock, 
another  brother  of  Mrs.  Jones,  to  Buffalo,  where  they 
took  passage  for  Cleveland  on  the  boat  Friendship — 
jMurdock,  with  his  horse  and  wagon,  continuing  the 
land  journey  alone.  Captain  Jones  met  his  family  at 
Cleveland,  and  brought  them  to  Black  River.  He  and 
Murdock,  who  was  a  single  man,  made  a  joint  pur- 
chase on  lot  twenty-one.  Captain  Jones  soon  after 
sold  his  interest  to  Murdock,  and  purchased  on  lot 
one,  where  he  made  a  permanent  location  and  cleared 
up  a  fai'm.  He  afterwards  engaged  almost  exclusively 
in  vessel  building,  and  the  Jones  family  have  acquired 
■M\  extensive  reputation  in  this  line.  Perhaps  no 
other  one  family  in  the  nation  have  built  so  many 
vessels  as  Captain  Jones  and  his  five  sons.  He  died 
in  1843 — Mrs.  Jones  previously.  Their  children,  of 
whom  there  were  seven — five  sons  and  two  daughters 
— are  all  living  but  one.  William,  seventy-two  years 
of  age,  younger  in  appearance  by  many  years, — resides 
in  Lorain,  retired  from  active  business,  except  to 
look  after  his  vessel  interests,  which  are  by  no  means 
small.  George  VV.  lives  in  Cleveland,  and  is  a  captain 
on  the  lake.  Frederick,  in  Buffalo,  and  J.  M.,  in 
Detroit,  are  both  engaged  in  ship  building.  Buel  B., 
deceased,  lived  in  Milwaukee.  Maria  lives  in  Kansas, 
and  Antoinette  in  Cleveland. 

Captain  James  Day,  of  whom  mention  has  been 
made,  was  also  a  Connecticut  man,  and  came  to  Black 
River  in  the  fall  of  1817.  Samuel  Gilbert,  E.  Craw- 
ford, Jesse  Cutler,  John  Morrill,  John  Pollard  and 
Amos  Perry  also  came  about  this  time.  The  first 
three  located  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town,  and 
several  years  after  removed  from  the  State.  The 
others  located  on  the  lake  shore. 

Daniel  T.  Baldwin  of  Berkshire  county,  Massachu- 
setts, came  to  Ohio  at  an  early  date.  He  subse((uently 
married  a  daughter  (Sophia)  of  John  S.  Reid,  and 
settled  in  Black  River,  west  of  the  river,  on  the  farm 
known  as  the  Brownell  farm.  Baldwin  was  a  man  of 
superior  ability  and  of  some  prominence.  He  was 
elected  to  the  State  legislature  in  the  fall  of  18-34, 
being  chosen  by  a  majority  of  thirty-four  votes  over 
his  democratic  opponent,  E.  W.  Hubbard  of  La 
Grange.  He  was  also  associate  judge  for  this  county. 
He  died  in  1847. 

Thomas  "H.  Cobli  and  other  unmarried  men  whose 
names  cannot  be  i-emembered,  joined  the  settlement 
at  an  early  date. 

Captain  Judah  W.  Ransom  came  in  the  year  1819. 
He  was  a  sailor-farmer,  spending  his  summers  on  the 
lake  and  his  winters  on  the  farm,  east  of  the  river, 


210 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


known  iis  tlic  E.  firep'g  f;irni.  lie  ni;i(lo  (>\t(>nsivo 
iniin-civciuents  on  Miis  iil;ice,  building  a  l)arn  whicli, 
Mr.  Ivooi  says,  "took  iiU  the  men  within  the  circuit 
of  ten  miles  to  raise,"  the  force  even  tlien  being  un- 
rtble  to  complete  the  work  in  one  day.  This  barn  is 
yet  standing,  though  not  on  its  original  site. 

After  a  residence  of  a  few  years  in  Wack  River, 
Ransom  removed  with  his  family  to  Sandusky.  His 
death  occurred  in  1840,  wlicn  he  and  all  llie  rest  of 
the  crew  of  the  "Helen  Man"  were  drowniMl. 

Two  Irishmen  by  the  name  of  Ray  settled  on  Bea- 
ver creek  at  an  early  date. 

Thomas  Brown,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  fiorain 
county  nearly  half  a  century,  came  to  the  month  of 
Black  river  from  Detroit  in  1829,  an<l  opcnctl  a  tailor 
shop  there.  He  married  Ann  Smith,  danghtor  of 
William  and  Elizabeth  Smith,  (who  was  the  daughter 
of  John  S.  Reid)  and  eontiiuu'(l  his  residence  in  Black 
River  for  twenty-two  years.  Mr.  Brown  snbsec|uently 
engaged  in  the  business  of  hotel  keeping,  and  was  the 
proprietor  ef  the  American  House  in  Elyria  for  many 
years.  He  has  now  (1878)  charge  of  the  I'ark  House 
in  Oherlin.  The  father  of  ]\Irs.  Brown,  (William 
Smith),  settled  in  Black  River  at  an  ea-i-ly  date,  and  a 
son,  Lester  Smith,  now  resides  there. 

As  to  later  settlers,  Mr.  W.  H.  Root  writes:  "Up 
to  the  year  1830  little  or  no  settlement  was  made  in 
this  township  away  from  the  lake  road,  and  but  few 
in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town.  The  unsettled 
portion  was  a  dense  wilderness,  covered  i)rineii)ally 
with  white  oak  timber,  when  the  sturdy  (icrnians  be- 
gan its  settlement  in  tiie  year  1833.  They  did  not 
all  come  in  one  month  or  one  year,  but  their  numbers 
increased  rapidly,  and  wiierever  they  went  they  made 
their  mark,  which  mark  is  j)laiu  to  be  seen  at  the 
present  time.  I  will  name  a  few  of  these  pioneers  as 
I  remember  them  and  am  able  to  wi'ite  out  their 
names:  0.  L.  Faber,  Baiinliaets,  Jacobs,  Friends, 
Barks,  Haulsaure,  Ilagerman,  Hauns,  X'etter,  Har- 
wick,  and  others." 

ORGANIZATION. 

At  the  organization  of  Dover,  Cuyahoga  county,  in 
1811,  that  township  included  the  territory  of  Black 
River  east  of  the  i-iver.  In  March  following,  that 
part  of  Black  River  west  of  the  river  was  also  annexed 
to  Dover.  The  union  thus  continued  until  Vermil- 
lion was  organized  when  the  latter  annexation  was 
changed  to  that  township;  and  in  October,  1818,  on 
the  organization  of  the  township  of  Troy,  Black  Rivtr 
east  of  the  river,  constituted  a  part  of  that  township. 
In  1817  the  commissioners  of  Huron  county,  whofe 
eastern  boundary  extended  for  a  distance  east  of  Black 
River,  ordered,  "that  township,  number  six  (Am- 
herst) and  that  part  of  number  seven  (Black  River) 
in  the  eighteenth  range,  which  lay  in  the  county  of 
Huron,  with  all  the  lands  thereto  attached  in  said 
Huron  county,  be  set  olT  from  the  township  of  Ver- 
million and  organized  into  a  separate  township  by  the 
name  of  Black  River.     Thus  Amherst,   Black  River 


and  Brownhelm  wiM'e  lirst  organized  as  Black  River." 
In  June,  18'^4,  the  corner  of  the  town  east  of  thr 
river  was  annexed  to  Black  River  for  judicial  pur- 
poses. 

The  first  election  for  townshiji  oflicers  was  held  af 
the  house  of  John  S.  Reid,  Ajiril  17,  1817.  John 
S.  Reid  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  Chilial  Smilli 
and  Edmund  Gillmoi-e  ajjpointed  judges  of  election. 
Township  officers  were  elected  as  follows:  Daniel 
Perry,  clerk;  Adoniram  Wel)b,  (^uartus  Gillmore  and 
Joseph  Quigley,  trustees;  Chilial  Smith  and  Edmund 
Gillmore,  overseers  of  the  poor;  George  Kelso  and 
Stephen  Cable,  fence  viewers  :  Orrin  Gillmoi-e  and 
James  Webster,  appraisers  of  pro])erty  ;  William  Mar- 
tin, Ralph  Lyons,  Chilial  Smith  and  Reuben  Webb, 
supervisors  of  highways;  .John  S.  Reid,  tre.-isurei'. 
At  the  election  in  Black  River,  for  State  and  county 
officers,  October  14,  1817,  there  were  cast,  according 
to  the  poll  list  in  the  handwriting  of  Daniel  Perry, 
clerk,  seventeen  votes,  as  follows :  .lohn  S.  Reid, 
Daniel  T.  Baldwin,  Jacob  Shupe,  Joseph  Quigley. 
Quartus  (Fillmore,  A.  Webb,  Reuben  Wel)b,  S.  Cable, 
Daniel  Perry.  John  Morrell,  Chilial  Smith,  Fred  On- 

stine,   Daniel ,    Samuel   Cable,    Henry    Onstine, 

James  O'Neal,  George  Kelso. 

The  relation  as  formed  in  1817,  continued  until 
October,  1818,  when  Brownhelm  was  detached  and 
incorporated  as  an  independent  township.  Russia 
was  detached  in  June,  1825,  leaving  the  territory  now 
embraced  in  the  township  of  Amherst  and  Black 
River  forming  one  township.  These  two  towns  con- 
tinued as  one  until  January  13,  1830,  when  by  a 
special  act  of  the  legislature,  they  were  divided. 
"There  was  an  act  in  force  that  inhibited  the  inc(n- 
poration  of  any  township,  by  the  act  of  the  county 
commissioners,  with  less  than  twenty-two  S(|uare 
miles,  unless  it  included  a  town  corporate ;  and  this 
inhibition  prevented  the  organization  of  Black  River, 
with  its  present  limits,  by  the  commissioners  of  the 
county.  An  aitplication  was  therefore  made  to  the 
legislature  fora  separate  organization,  and  on  the  IxMli 
of  .January,  1830,  an  act  was  passed  incorporating 
the  inhabitants  of  fractional  township  number  seven, 
range  eighteen,  in  the  Connecticut  Western  Reserve, 
by  the  name  of  Black  River.  The  act  directed,  that 
on  the  first  Monday  of  April,  then  next,  an  election 
for  township  officers  should  be  held  at  the  house  of 
John  S.  Reid,  Esq.,  in  manner  and  form  as  provided 
by  law." 

The  book  containing  the  record  of  this  election 
was  rescued  by  Edmund  Gillmore,  the  present  town 
clerk  and  justice  of  the  peace,  from  a  party  of  boys 
in  Lorain,  who  were  about  to  use  it  for  a  mark  in 
their  target  practice.  From  it  we  find  that,  in  pursu- 
ance of  the  act  above  referred  to,  a  meeting  of  the 
electors  of  the  township  of  Black  River  was  held  at 
the  house  of  John  S.  Reid,  on  Monday,  the  5th  day 
of  April,  1830.  Quartus  Gillmore,  Samuel  Gilbert 
and  Barna  Meeker  were  apjiointed  judges,  and  Daniel 
T.  Baldwin  and  John  Myers,  clerks  of  the  election, 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


211 


whicli  resulted  as  follows:  Daniel  T.  Baldwin,  clerk; 
Quartus  Gilniore,  Samuel  Gilbert  and  Barna  Meeker, 
trustees;  John  S.  Keid  and  Eleazer  Crawford,  over- 
seers of  the  poor;  John  S.  Roid  and  Eleazer  Crawford, 
fence  viewers;  Morris  Jackson,  treasurer;  John  8. 
Rcid,  Tiiomas  Wymans,  George  Kelso  and  Eleazer 
Crawford,  supervisors  of  highways;  Sidney  Mitchell, 
constable.  We  find  no  election  of  a  justice  of  the 
peace  until  the  following  year,  April  4,  1831,  when 
Quartns  Gillmore  was  elected  to  that  office. 

The  following  named  are  the  present  incumbents  of 
the  respective  township  offices:  Edmund  Gillmore, 
clerk;  W.  H.  Aiken,  Elias  Baumhart  and  Frederick 
Friend,  trustees;  Thomas  Gawn,  treasurer;  P.  B. 
Delany,  assessor;  Chas.  Friend  and  John  Aschenbach, 
constables;  Edmund  Gillmore  and  S.  C.  McMillen, 
justices  of  the  peace. 

There  were  originally  two  post  offices  in  the  town. 
One  was  located  on  the  South  ridge,  now  South  Am- 
herst, and  called  '-The  Black  River  Post  Office."  The 
other  was  named  "The  Mouth  of  Black  River  Post 
Office,"  and  was  kept  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
Eli]ihalet  Redington  was  the  first  post  master  of  the 
former  office,  and  John  S.  Reid  of  the  lattei".  Henry 
Chapman  is  the  present  incumbent  of  the  Lorain  post 
office. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  in  Black  River  was  opened  at  an 
unascertainable  date  in  an  unoccupied  log  house  of 
Edmund  Gillmore.  The  teacher  was  David  Smith,  of 
Amherst.  The  first  school  house  was  erected  not 
long  after,  on  the  farm  of  William  Martin,  the  first 
school  in  which  was  taught  by  Lucia  Smith,  a  sister 
of  David.  According  to  the  report  of  the  board  of 
education  for  Black  River  for  the  year  ending  August 
31,  1878,  there  are  in  the  townsliip  outside  of  the 
village  of  Lorain,  two  school  houses,  valued,  includ- 
ing the  ground,  at  one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars; 
amount  pn.id  teachers,  five  hundred  and  seventy-four 
dollars;  pupils  enrolled,  sixty-eight. 

The  initiatory  stej)s  in  the  erection  of  the  handsome 
and  commodious  brick  school  building  in  Lorain, 
were  taken  at  a  special  election  held  May  30,  1874, 
when  it  was  voted  almost  unanimously  to  bond  the 
village  to  the  amount  of  fourteen  thousand  dollars,  to 
bo  used  substantially  as  follows:  Two  thousand  dol- 
lars for  the  juirchase  of  a  site,  ten  thousand  dollars 
for  the  building,  and  two  thousand  dollar's  for  main- 
taining the  schools  the  first  year.  The  building  was 
erected  in  1874-5.  The  first  principal  of  the  schools 
in  the  new  building  was  Miss  Hattie  Ayers.  J.  R. 
Rogers  is  at  present  occupying  that  position.  There 
is  also  a  frame  school  building,  recently  repaired. 

From  the  report  above  referred  to  we  learn  the  fol- 
lowing facts  as  to  this,  the  "Lorain  Union  School 
District:"  Number  of  school  houses,  two,  which, 
with  the  grounds,  are  valued  at  thirteen  thousand 
dollars;  number  of  teachers  employed,  six;  number  of 
pupils,    two   hundred   and   sixty-five;    amount  paid 


teachers,  two  thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
dollars.  The  following  named  are  the  present  mem- 
bers of  the  school  board:  E.  C.  Kinney,  T.  W. 
Fancher,  S.  A.  Andrus,  John  Stang,  H.  Hageman, 
C.  S.  Vorwerk. 

CHURCHES. 

METUODIST    EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

We  experienced  much  difficulty  in  o';taining  exact 
information  concerning  the  history  of  this  church, 
and  regret  that  we  cannot  give  it  more  complete. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Lorain  was 
organized  in  the  spring  of  1850,  by  the  Revs.  Hard 
and  Griffin,  and  was  the  result  of  the  remarkable 
revival  meetings  conducted  by  them  the  preceding 
winter.  There  were  ninety-nine  persons  who  united 
at  the  time  of  organization.  In  1864,  during  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  G.  A.  Hughes,  there  were  forty 
additions  made  to  the  membership.  The  present 
membership  is  something  over  one  hundred.  The 
jiresent  pastor  is  Rev.  Uri  Richards,  resident  at  Berea. 
G.  I.  Baldwin  is  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school, 
which  is  large  and  prosperous. 

The  church  Iniilding  was  erected  in  1873,  costing 
(hree  thousand  dollars.  A  parsonage  is  at  the  present 
writing  in  course  of  erection,  to  cost  when  finislied 
aljout  one  thousand  dollars. 

EVANGELICAL   CHURCH. 

There  was  an  organization  of  this  denomination 
many  years  ago,  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town- 
ship. The  society  built  a  meeting  house  on  the  farm 
of  George  Drudy.  The  church  Avas  subsequently 
disbanded  and  the  meeting  house  sold,  most  of  the 
members  uniting  with  a  similar  society  at  North 
Amherst.  'J'he  rest  of  the  members  continued  their 
meetings,  usually  holding  them  at  the  log  house  of 
widow  Brown,  in  Lorain,  and  in  a  few  years  organized 
the  i-resent  church,  and  erected  a  building  which 
cost  six  or  seven  hundred  dollars.  The  members 
were  Jacob  Vedder  and  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Brown,  son 
and  daughter  (John  ami  Elizal)eth),  and  a  few  others 
whoso  names  cannot  now  be  recalled.  The  church 
now  numbers  about  forty  members.  Rev.  Jacob 
llunniker  is  pastor,  and  Henry  Wicgand  and  .lohn 
Horn,  class  leaders.  The  Sabbath  school  numbers 
about  one  hundred  pupils,  with  H.  Wiegand,  super- 
intendent. 

CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH. 

For  the  facts  in  the  following  statement,  we  are 
indebted  to  Rev.  J.  B.  Stocking,  a  former  pastor  of 
the  church : 

The  Congregational  church  of  Lorain,  was  organ- 
ized July  23,  1872,  by  a  council  called  for  the 
purpose,  with  Rev.  Samuel  Wolcott,  D.  D.,  as  mod- 
erator. The  following  churches  were  represented  in 
the  council :  Oberlin  First,  Oberlin  Second,  Amherst, 
and  Ridgevillc.  For  some  time  previous  to  the  call- 
ing of  the  council,  there  had  been  a  growing  feeling 


212 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


in  regard  to  tlic  organization  of  a  new  cluirch  in  tlie 
jilace,  the  Metliodist  being  tlie  only  cliurcli  in  the 
village,  with  tlie  exception  of  a  small  German  church. 
There  were  a  mimlier  of  Presbyterians  and  Congrega- 
tionalists  living  in  Lorain,  and  after  a  careful  consider- 
ation of  the  proposed  movement,  tlie  organization  was 
decided  nixm  and  effected,  as  stated,  largely  through 
the  efforts  of  Mr.  Fitzgerald.  The  church  was  com- 
])osed  of  nine  members,  of  whom  Deacon  Roland 
Osgood  was  the  only  male  member.  The  others 
were  Laura  Osgood,  Cassie  Osgood,  Ruba  Prince, 
Elizabeth  Peachy,  Ann  Gillmore,  Mary  J.  Gillmore, 
Elizabeth  Brown,  and  Margaret  Cunningham.  A 
confession  of  faith,  which  is  still  used  by  the  church, 
and  a  covenant,  which  has  since  been  revised,  were 
drawn  up  by  Dr.  Woloott.  To  these,  assent  was 
given,  and  the  little  band  was  recognized  as  a  church. 

They  found  a  place  of  worship  in  a  little  old  building, 
one  of  the  tirst  frame  houses  built  in  the  place,  which 
bad  once  been  used  as  a  boarding  house, — subsequently 
and  for  many  years  as  a  house  of  worship,  success- 
ively by  the  Bajitists,  Presbyterians  and  Methodists, 
and  still  later  as  a  town  hall.  It  stood  originally  in 
the  hollow,  near  the  foundry,  but  was  aft,rwards 
removed  twice,  in  order  to  better  accommodate  the 
societies  that  worshiped  in  it.  In  IM'i  it  was  moved 
from  its  original  location  to  the  lot  now  occupied 
by  the  i\Iethodist  church,  and  subsequently  to 
the  lot  on  which  the  Congregational  church  now 
stands,  where  it  is  still  standing,  and  affords  a  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  imposing  edifice  that  has  sup- 
planted it. 

For  some  time,  all  the  oflficers  of  the  church,  except 
that  of  deacon,  were  filled  by  individuals  who  were 
not  members  of  the  church,  and  to  whom  great  credit 
is  given  for  their  eflicient  help,  when  it  was  so  greatly 
needed. 

The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  A.  T.  Reed,  miw  the 
successful  pastor  of  the  largest  and  perhaps  the  most 
prosperous  church  in  Medina  county.  He  was  a  very 
faithful  and  efficient  pastor.  During  his  connection 
with  the  church,  there  was  not  a  house,  hotel,  saloon 
or  any  building  in  which  people  lived  or  congregated, 
into  which  he  did  not  go  and  present  the  cause 
wliicii  he  re[)resented,  and  almost  every  communion 
service  witnessed  accessions  to  the  church. 

In  the  winter  of  lSTt-7"^,  there  was  an  extensive 
revival,  and  the  March  following,  thirty-three  addi- 
tions were  made  to  the  church,  nearly  all  of  them  on 
profession  of  faith.  Mr.  Reed's  labors  closed  that, 
spring,  and  for  some  time  the  pulpit  was  sujiplied  by 
different  individuals. 

In  the  fall  of  1873,  Rev.  B.  N.  Chamberlain  was 
called  as  jiastor,  and  was  ordained  and  installed 
Novemlier  Gtli.  He  remained  only  until  the  follow- 
ing May,  the  failure  of  his  health  compelling  him  to 
relinquish  his  work.  He  was  a  man  of  deep,  earnest 
piety,  and  had  the  prosperity  of  the  church  at  heart. 
Soon  after  his  resignation.  Rev.  Mr.  Upton  was  called 
to  supply    the   pulpit,   and    except  a  short  period, 


preached  until  the  spring  of  1875.  During  his  labors 
the  church  was  built  up,  not  so  much  numerically  as 
spiritually.  In  the  midst  of  his  labois,  the  following 
winter,  he  was  called  away  by  the  sickness  of  his 
father,  whose  death,  a  short  time  after,  made  it  neces- 
sary that  he  sever  his  connection  with  the  church, 
which  he  did  the  next  spring.  He  was  followed  by 
Rev.  J.  B.  Stocking,*  who  officiated  as  pastor  for 
two  years  and  a  half.  His  jiastorate  was.  marked  by 
a  rapid  growth  of  the  church,  its  membership  being 
nearly  doubled.  His  labors  were  unremitting  for  the 
temporal  and  spiritual  welfare  of  his  people.  The 
unfitness  of  the  old  building  used  by  the  society  as  a 
house  of  worship,  and  the  growth  of  the  congregation, 
rendered  necessary  the  erection  of  a  new  building, 
and  in  the  summer  of  1876,  on  a  pledge  of  four  hun- 
dred dollars,  the  same  was  begun,  but  for  want  of 
funds,  was  not  completed  sufficiently  to  be  dedicated 
until  November  13,  1878.  Rev.  Dr.  Woleott,  of 
Cleveland,  preached  the  dedication  sermon.  The 
cost  of  the  building  was  about  seven  thousand  dollars, 
three  thousand,  six  hundred  doll.irs  of  which  was 
secured  on  the  day  of  dedication.  The  building  is  a 
handsome  one,  and  reflects  great  credit  upon  those  to 
whose  energy,  perseverance  and  liberality  its  erection 
is  attributable. 

Mr.  Stocking  remained  pastor  until  the  fall  of  1877, 
when  he  resigned,  and  was  immediately  succeeded  by 
Rev.  Frank  McConaughy,  of  t)berl)n,  who  was  or- 
dained pastor,  and  has  continued  until  the  present. 
His  pastorate  has  been  a  very  efficient  one.  The  suc- 
cess which  has  attended  the  building  of  the  present 
house  of  worship,  is  largely  due  to  his  untiring  inter- 
est and  labor.  The  present  membership  is  about  one 
hundred.  The  officers  are:  Roland  Osgood  and 
Beaver  Brown,  deacons;  Edward  C.  Kinney,  Sher- 
man A.  Andrus,  and  Beaver  Brown,  trustees;  Row- 
land Rowley,  clerk;  Beaver  Brown,  treasurer.  The 
Sabbath  school  numbers  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five.     Sherman  A.  Andrus  is  superintendent. 

DISCIPLE    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  December  17,  1870,  with 
the  following  membership:  Alanson  Gillmore  and 
wife,  W.  A.  Wire,  wife  and  daughter  Emily,  V.  H. 
Osgood  and  wife,  F.  F.  Field  and  wife,  D.  S.  Craw- 
ford and  wife,  Mrs.  S.  D.  Porter,  Mrs.  Emma  E. 
James,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Bowles,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Doty,  Mrs. 
Jane  Swartwood,  Mrs.  Ireaa  Ma|)es,  Airs.  Sophia 
Field.  The  meetings  were  held  in  the  second  story 
of  the  Edison  store  building  until  the  fall  of  .1877, 
when  a  house  of  worship  was  built,  at  a  cost  of  about 
one  thousand  dollars,  and  which  was  dedicated  by 
Brother  (iarvin,  of  Columbus.  The  present  member- 
ship numbers  about  sixty,  with  W.  A.  Wirj,  elder, 
and  F.  F.  Field  and  V.  H.  Osgood,  deacons.  There 
is  a  flourishing  Sabbath  school,  of  which  D.  S.  Craw- 
ford is  superintendent. 


♦  Rev's  Messrs.  Reed,  Upton,  and  Stocking,  while  pastors,  were  not 
ordained. 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY.  OHIO. 


213 


THE    VILLAfiE. 

Although  the  village  of  Lorain  is  of  conipiii-iitivcly 
recunt  growth,  its  antecedent  history  dati^s  back  to  an 
early  jjcriod.  Abont  the  year  1830,  the  mouth  of 
Black  river  began  to  assume  importance  as  a  point 
for  the  shipment  of  grain  to  the  east  by  the  lake. 
This  was  before  the  era  of  railroads  and  canals  in 
Ohio,  and  the  harbor  of  Black  river  became  the  outlet 
for  the  cereals  of  a  large  section  of  country,  the  grain 
being  hauled  in  wagons  from  as  far  away  as  Medina 
county.  This  of  itself  ])roduced  no  little  activity,  and 
the  little  settlement  known  as  Black  River  soon  began 
to  assume  the  semblance  of  a  village,  and,  although 
"Charleston,"  under  which  name  the  village  was  sub- 
sei(nently  incorporated,  is  now  chiefly  remembered  as 
only  a  happy  illustration  of  the  glorious  uncertainty 
of  land  speculation,  an  account  of  its  ''rise  and  fall" 
may  properly  have  a  place  in  the  history  of  this  town- 
sh  i  p. 

The  Ohio  Railroad  was  surveyed  in  the  year  1832, 
the  first  attempt  at  railroad  building  ever  made  in  the 
State,  and  the  route  as  surveyed  led  through  the  vil- 
lage. The  following  year  work  was  begun  on  the 
Ohio  canal,  whose  terminus,  it  was  confidently  ex- 
pected, would  be  at  this  point.  The  expected  early 
completion  of  these  two  great  commercial  enterprises 
gave  a  great  impetus  to  the  activity  of  the  place,  and 
especially  as  to  the  [irice  of  real  estate.  A  part  of  the 
John  S.  Reid  farm,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  was 
surveyed  and  laid  olf  into  lots  in  183-t,  by  Edward 
Dnrand,  and  soon  afterwards  land  for  a  considerable 
distance  around  the  Center  was  held  as  high  as  a  thou- 
sand dollars  an  acre,  while  village  lots  were  almost 
beyond  reach.  For  some  inscrutable  reason  the  canal 
went  to  Cleveland,  and,  while  this  was  felt  as  a  loss, 
it  was  not  of  sufficient  im[)ortance  to  chill  the  ardor 
of  the  people  of  Black  River  as  to  the  future  great- 
ness of  their  village.  With  land  adjacent  to  town  at 
a  thousand  dollars  per  acre  and  village  lots  beyond 
the  possession  of  all  of  ordinary  resources,  its  destiny 
was  fixed,  and  the  failure  to  secure  a  canal  was  a  mat- 
ter of  minor  importance;  besides,  the  railroad  was 
sure,  work  upon  which  was  afterwards,  in  1837,  actu- 
ally begun. 

The  mania  for  land  speculation  which  had  seized 
the  citizens  of  Black  Rive"  is  thus  described  by  a 
writer*  then  on  the  spot: 

"In  eai'Iy  spring,  18.36,  State  Engineer  Dodge,  with  his  corps  of  assis- 
tants, came  in  from  Coshocton,  via.  Wooster,  surveying  what  was 
termed  the  Kilbuck  and  Black  River  Canal.  As  the  engineers  came 
down  real  estate  went  up.  About  this  time  Dr.  Samuel  Strong  put  in  an 
appearance.  His  first  purchase  of  real  estate  was  some  five  acres  of 
land  taken  from  the  farm  of  Conrad  Reid.  adjoining  the  village  plat  of 
Black  River.  This  was  mapped  out  on  paper,  with  streets,  lanes,  etc., 
and  sales  commenced.  Every  pei-son  in  Black  River  that  could  write, 
and  had  any  leisure  time,  was  set  tc-  writing  out  articles  of  agreement 
for  the  doctor  and  his  purchasers.  The  five  acres  were  soon  exhausted 
and  the  doctor  bought  six  acres  from  the  same  farm,  adjoining  the  five 
acres.  All  the  Black  River  clerical  force  was  again  employed  writing 
land  contracts.  About  this  time  the  great  patroon,  H.  C.  Stevens,  put 
in  his  appearance  and  gobbled  up  all  that  was  left,  that  was  for  sale. 
He  purchased  the  residue  of  the  C'onriid  Reid  farm,  entering  into  con- 

*N.  B.  Gates  in  Elyria  Repvblican. 


tract  to  pay  for  the  same  seventy -five  thousand  dollars.  He  also  pur- 
chased of  Quartus  Gillmore  a  one-third  interest  in  the  original  plat  of 
Black  River  for  a  liberal  sum.  We  all  dabbled  in  city  lots  more  or  less, 
and  nearly  every  body  in  Black  River,  and  a  good  many  in  Elyria  got 
rich— on  paper— in  a  very  short  time"  H.  C.  Stevens  claiiiieti  to  be  worth 
half  a  million— in  fact  we  were  all  rich." 

In  1835  the  following  were  the  i>rinoipal  business 
men  of  Black  River:  William  .Jones,  merchant;  Cafes 
&  Green,  general  merchandise;  Delos  Phelon  and  0. 
Root,  forwarding  and  commission  merchants;  Daniel 
T,  Baldwin,  farmer;  Barna  Meeker,  proprietor  of  the 
old  Reid  House;  A.  T,  Jones,  blacksmith;  E.  Miller, 
shoemaker;  Thomas  Brown,  tailor;  W.  E,  Fitch, 
stave  dealer;  Quartus  CiUmore,  farmer  and  justice  of 
the  peace;  Conrad  Reid,  postmaster. 

In  183G  the  village  was  honored  by  the  legislature 
with  a  corporation  charter  by  the  name  of  Charleston, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1837  the  first  and  only  charter 
election  under  that  name  was  held.  We  are  unable 
to  give  the  names  of  the  officers  cho.sen,  who,  for 
some  unknown  reason,  never  entered  upon  their  offi- 
cial duties. 

The  Ohio  railroad  scheme  resulted  in  an  ignomin- 
ious failure.  The  funds  of  the  company,  never  bur- 
densome, gave  out,,  an  appeal  to  the  legislature  for  aid 
was  denied,  and  the  city  of  Charleston  had  to  keep 
along  with  its  old  wagon  trade,  the  importance  of 
which  had  almost  been  lost  sight  of  in  the  excite- 
ment over  the  projected  great  enterprise  of  j)i'evious 
mention. 

Its  monopoly  of  the  grain  business  for  this  section 
of  the  State  continued,  and  Charleston  kept  on  grow- 
ing until  it  i-cached  a  population  of  several  hundred, 
with  stores,  grain  warehouses,  hotels,  etc,  and  prop- 
erty was  still  held  at  a  high  figure.  In  18.51  its  grain 
trade  was  seriously  curtailed  by  the  building  of  the 
Cleveland,  Columbus  and  Cincinnati  railroad.  Then 
for  the  first  time  the  village  realized  what  it  had  lost 
in  the  failure  of  the  Ohio  railroad  scheme.  In  18.53 
the  Cleveland  and  Toledo  road  was  begun.  Unable 
to  offer  pecuniary  inducements  for  a  lake  shore  route, 
Charleston  saw  in  her  a.dversity,  only  eight  miles  dis- 
tant, Elyria  with  a  railroad  assured,  wealth  and  many 
natural  advantages,  starting  oft'  in  a-  manner  indicative 
of  a  prosperous  future.  Its  fall  is  thus  referred  to 
by  Major  Hammond,  in  the  Black  River  Cummvcial: 

"  It  died  without  a  struggle.  Its  hotels  were  practically  closed;  its 
merchants  departed;  its  warehouses  were  almost  given  away  to  farm- 
ers for  barns  and  fences,  and  even  its  corp  irate  oi-ganizati.in  was  aban- 
doned ;  its  name  blotted  out  by  common  c  jnseiit,  and  its  memory  placed 
in  the  catagory  of  western  paper-city  failures." 

Some  of  the  owners  of  ])ro])erty  were  unwilling  to 
thus  ingloriously  and  ruinously  end  the  struggle,  be- 
gun under  circumstances  so  favorable,  and  strenuous 
efforts  were  made  to  revive  the  place;  notably  by  II. 
R.  Penfield,  who,  at  almost  his  own  expense,  had  a 
survey  made  from  Rocky  river  to  Vermillion,  through 
Black  River  (as  the  place  again  came  to  be  called)  for 
the  proposed  Cleveland,  Port  Clinton  and  Toledo 
railroad,  but  capitalists  could  not  be  induced  to  foster 
the  scheme.  S.  0.  Edison,  also  a  large  owner  of  land, 
established  a  charcoal  furnace  and  built  a  saw  mill  on 


214 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


the  river  nearly  a  mile  from  its  mouth.  The  furnace 
was  afterwiirils  burnt  down.  It  was  not,  however, 
until  the  commencement  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Tus- 
carawas Valley  railroad  tliat  the  place  began  to  show 
signs  of  returning  life.  When  the  point  was  reached 
that  the  early  completion  of  the  road  was  no  longer  a 
matter  of  speculation,  a  remarkable  revival  of  activity 
immediately  began,  and  since  that  time  thegrowtli  of 
the  place  has  been  steady  and  constant,  until  it  now 
has,  according  to  a  recent  school  census,  a  population 
numbering  fifteen  hundred  and  forty-five. 

At  the  regular  meeting  of  the  county  commission- 
ers, in  the  latter  ]iart  or  January,  1874,  that  body 
unanimously  granted  to  Black  River  a  ciiartcr  of 
incorporation,  under  the  name  of  Charleston,  but  the 
autiiorities  at  Wasiiington  refused  to  give  tiie  town  a 
post-office  with  that  name,  as  there  was  one  or  more 
of  a  similar  name  in  the  State;  and  on  request  of  the 
citizens,  "Lorain  "was  substituted.  The  first  elec- 
tion of  the  re-incorporated  village  was  held  the  0th  of 
April,  ISH,  when  tlio  following  named  persons  were 
chosen  for  the  respective  offices,  viz:  Conrad  Reid, 
mayor;  E.  Gregg,  treasurer;  II.  A.  Fisher,  clerk;  E. 
C.  Kinney,  civil  engineer;  Quartus  Gillmore,  mar- 
shal; R.  J.  Cowley,  street  commissioner;  E.  Gillmore, 
Thomas  Gawn,  E.  T.  Peck,  John  Stang,  James  Por- 
ter and  F.  \V.  Edison,  councilmen;  R.  0.  Rockwood, 
M.  D.,  A.  Beatty,  M.  D.,  James  Connelly,  E.  Swart- 
wood,  \Vm.  Cunningham  and  Beaver  Brown,  board 
of  health.  The  village  officers,  elected  in  the  spring 
of  1878,  are  as  follows:  T.  W.  Fancher,  mayoi ;  Otto 
Braun,  clerk;  John  Staug,  W.  A.  Jones,  F.  Hogan, 
Chas.  B.  Chapman.  Adolph  Braiui  and  C.  S.  Vorwerk, 
councilmen;  Alanson  Bridge,  marshal;  and  Beaver 
Brown,  street  commissioner. 

Bi'si><F.ss  Houses  OP  Lorain.— M.  Z.  Lanipman,  hotel  and  custom  office; 
Reid  Hou^e,  Conrad  Reid,  proprietor;  Lorain  House, ,  proprie- 
tor; Boarding  House,  o£  S.  Pahler;  S.  A.  Andrus,  drugs,  books  and 
stationery;  Gardner  &  Davis,  drugs  and  stationery;  Wiegand  Bros., 
boots  and  shoes;  C.  Shoemaker  &  Co.,  boots  and  shoes;  A.  H.  Babcock, 
groceries;  F.J.King,  groceries;  C.  S.  Vo:\verk,  groceries;  M.  J.  Far- 
well,  groceries;  Lester  Smith,  grocei-ies;  Peter  McBride.  groceries; 
Wm.  M  Cunningham,  merchant  tailoring  and  gents' furnishing  goods; 
Union  Clothing  Store,  Thomas  Bowen,  proprietor;  William  Tulp, 
furniture;  William  A.  Jones,  general  merchandi.se;  J.  B.  Linderman. 
dry  goods:  Root  Bros  ,  feed  store;  Ida  A.  Rolliu.  millinery;  Mrs.  E.  Car- 
ney, millinery;  Marcella  (J'Conner,  fancy  goods;  fdison  &  Fancher, 
hardware;  Davidovitch  &  Capp.  meat  market;  Henry  Short,  meat  mar- 
ket; John  Purcupile,  blacksmith;  J.  H.  Pierce,  wagon  shop:  H.  Chai>- 
man,  wagon  shop;  Harry  Jones,  bakery;  two  barber  shops;  G.  Hogan, 
real  estat«;  L  D.  Lawler,  ■' Loraui  Monitor;  Physicians,  Dre.  Harris, 
Bowman,  Smith  and  Reamer. 

STOVE    JI  AN  UFA  (.'TORY. 

This  enterprise  was  iii:uigiirated  in  the  summer  of 
1875.  A  stock  conii)aMy  was  formed  by  some  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Loi';tin  and  two  manufacturers  of 
stoves  in  Troy,  New  York.  The  association  w;is 
called  the  "Lorain  Stove  Company."  June  3d,  of 
that  year,  a  bo;ird  of  directors  was  chosen,  composed 
of  the  following  stockholders:  J,  C,  Ileuderson  and 
Jacob  Shaver  of  Troy,  New  York,  S.  0.  Edison, 
Francis  Warriner  and  G,  Hogan,  of  Lorain,  Officers 
were  chosen  by  the  board  of  directors  as  follows:  J. 
C.   Henderson,  president;  S.   0.  Edison,   vice  presi- 


dent; G.  Hogan,  secretary;  T,  S,  Nelson,  treasurer. 
Buildings  were  erected,  which,  with  the  ground  and 
machinery,  cost  some  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  The 
enterprise  did  not  prove  a  success,  for  the  reason, 
chiefly,  th,at  the  Troy  parties,  to  whom,  on  account 
of  their  experience  in  the  business,  the  management 
of  the  enterprise  was  resigned  by  the  company,  con- 
ducted the  business  for  the  especial  benefit  of  their 
New  York  factory,  A  change  of  officers  was  made, 
the  New  York  parties  being  ousted;  but  the  enter- 
prise had  begun  badly,  and  could  not  recover  the 
ground  thus  lost.  An  assignment  was  subsequently 
made,  and  the  property  sold.  The  f.ietory  is  now 
owned  by  j)rivate  ptirties,  and  is  being  operated  under 
a  long  term  lease  by  the  Co-operative  Stove  Company 
of  Cleveland.  This  is  an  important  enterprise  for 
Lorain.  The  company  employ  at  present  forty-five 
men,  the  money  paid  to  whom  is  largely  disbursed  in 
the  village.     C.  H.  Baldwin  is  resident  manager. 

PLANING    MILLS. 

The  planing  mill  of  Brown  Bros.  &  Co.  was  built 
in  1873,  It  is  a  large  two-story  building,  and  is  re 
]ilete  with  the  necessary  machinery,  propelled  by  a 
fifty-horse  power  engine,  for  the  manufacture  of  sash, 
doors,  blinds,  molding,  and  for  scroll  sawing.  The 
firm  have,  in  connection  with  the  mill,  an  extensive 
lumber  yard,  and  also  do  a  large  business  as  con- 
tractors anil  builders. 

The  planing  mill  of  E.  Slaight  &  Sons  was 
also  established  in  1873,  The  building  is  a  one  story 
with  iron  roof.  The  machinery  is  run  by  a  fifty-horse 
l)owcr  engine.  Doors,  sash,  blinds,  etc.,  are  manu- 
factured. In  187f),  a  grist  mill  with  two  run  of  stone 
was  added. 

Orrin  Dole  is  erecting  an  ice  hou.se,  near  the  site  of 
the  old  blast  furnace,  one  hundred  by  fifty  feet  in  size. 

THE    HARBOR. 

The  natural  :iil\:intages  of  the  harbor  of  Black 
river  are  not  excelled,  if  indeed,  they  are  equaled,  by 
those  of  any  other  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  For 
three  or  four  miles  up  the  riv(>r  the  stream  is  over 
two  hundred  feet  wide,  witii  an  average  depth  of 
about  fifteen  feet,  and  is  therefore  ntivigable  for  the 
largest  craft  that  sails  on  tiie  lake. 

The  following  figures  taken  from  the  books  of  the 
Deputy  Collector  of  the  port,  M.  Z.  Lam[)mon,  who 
h;is  served  in  that  capacity  since  18.5(i,  shows  a  re- 
in:irkable  increase  in  the  business  of  the  port  since 
the  completion  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Tusctirawas 
Valley  railroad,  in  1873. 

For  the  mouths  of  July,  August  and  September, 
1873,  the  total  receipts  were  thirty-four  dollars  and 
forty  cents.  For  the  same  period  in  1878,  they  were 
four  hundred  and  forty-seven  dollars  and  five  cents. 

SHIP  BinLDING, 

This  has  always  been  an  importtint  industry  of  this 
port.     It  commenced  with  the  building  of  the  sloop 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


215 


"rienoriil  Iluntiiigton,"  in  tlie  ye;ir  1S19,  and  contin- 
ued with  great  activity  until  1873.  In  common  with 
other  hranclies  of  Industry  this  interest  has  been 
greatly  depressed  by  the  liard  times  inaugurated  by 
the  panic  of  that  year,  and  it  will  be  seen  in  the 
api)ended  list  of  vessels  built  here  that  but  relatively 
few  have  been  built  since  that  date. 

The  building  of  the  steanaboats  Bunker  Hill,  and 
Onnslellalioii,  in  IS.'JO-'S?  gave  birth  to  an  associa- 
tion of  tlie  business  men  of  Black  River,  the  following 
winter,  called  the  •'Black  River  Steamboat  Associa- 
tion." Those  boats  were  called  Black  River  boats, 
although  the  controlling  interest  in  them  was  owned 
by  parties  in  Buffalo  and  Cleveland,  and  the  business 
men  of  Black  River,  believing  that  their  interests 
would  be  better  promoted  by  the  building  of  a  vessel 
which  should  be  owned  aud  controlled  exclusively  by 
Iheniselves,  organized  the  above  association  for  the 
jnirjuise  indicated.  The  steamboat  Lexington,  was 
built  l>y  this  company. 

The  ofticers  of  this  association  were  as  follows: 
Daniel  T.  Baldwin,  president;  Barna  Meeker,  vice 
president;  N.  B.  Gates  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  vessels  built 
at  the  port  of  Black  River,  with  the  year  in  which 
they  were  built  and  the  name  of  the  builder. 


BmLDER, 

...F.  Church. 
...F.  Church. 
...F.  Church. 
...William  Wilson. 


General  Huntington 1819 , 

Schooner  Ann — 1821. 

Young  Amaranth 1825 . 

Necleus ISST. 

Sloop  William  Tell 1828 Captain  A.  Jones. 

Schooner  President  No.  1 1S29 Captain  A.  Jones. 

Steamer  General  Gratiot. 1831 Captain  A.  Jones. 

Schooner  White  Pigeon 1832  W.  &  B.  B.  Jones. 

Schooner  Globe 1832 Captain  A.  Jones. 

Brig  John  Henzie 183:3 W.  &  B.  B.  Jones. 

Schooner  Nancy  Dousman 18.3:J Captain  A.  Jones. 

Brig  ludiana 1834 W.  Joues.    A.  Gillmore. 

Schooner  Floriila 1S31  William  &  B.  B.  Jones. 

Schooner  Juliette 1834 William  &  B.  B.  Jones. 

Sloop  Lorain 18.34 Ed.  Gillmore,  Jr. 

Schooner  St.  Joseph IS'tt F.  N.  Noyes. 

Schooner  Texas 183() J.  Hamblin. 

Schooner  Erie 1830  F.  N.  Jones. 

Brig  Ramsey  Crooks lS3i G.  W.  Jones. 

Brig  North' Carolina 1S34 J.  Hamblin. 

Steamer  Bunker  Hill 1837 P.  N  Jones. 

Steamer  Constellation 1837 A.  Gillmore. 

Steamer  Lexington 18-38 F.  N.  Jones. 

Sloop  Rodolph 1837 Captain  A.  Joues. 

Schooner  Algonquin 1839 G.  W.Jones. 

Schooner  Tom  Corwin ...1840  G.  W.  Jones. 

Schooner  Marion 1841 Captai.n  Thomas  Cobb. 

Schooner  President  No.  2 1841 F.  N.  Jones. 

Schooner  George  Watson 1841  G.W.Jones. 

Brig  Rosa 1841 F.  N.  Jones. 

Brig  Hoosier 1842 F.N.Jones. 

Brig  Alert 1842 F.N.Jones. 

Schooner  Equator 1842  F.  N.  Jones. 

Schooner  Acorn 1842 Captain  Thomas  Cobb. 

Schooner  Trenton 184:j W.  S.  Lyons. 

Schooner  Endora 1843 T.Cobb. 

Srhooner  Andover 1844 William  Jones. 

S.  -liooner  Farmer  (rebuilt) 1844 D.  Rogers. 

Schooner  Magnolia 1&45 W.  S.  Lynns. 

Scho<)ner  John  Erwin 1845 Cobb  &  Burnell . 

Schooner  Tuomas  G.  Colt 1816 William  Jones. 

Schooner  W.  A.  .\dair 1845 T.  H.  Cobb, 

Steamer  H.  Hudson 1846 Jones  &  Co. 

Brig  Emerald 1844 Joseph  Keating. 

Brig  Concord..   1846 W.  S.Lyons. 

Schooner  Palestine 1847 J.  Keating.- 

Schooner  T.  L.  Hamer 1847 W.  S.  Lyons. 


S 'Ii  I  >rv'r  Ram'iler T^ir     B  "ni'l'nin  Flin*:. 

Schonner  Sauuel  Stron;,; 1847 Captain  T-  Cobb. 

Propeller  Delaware 1847 Cobb,  Burnell  &  Co. 

Propeller  Ohio ISIS S.  P.  Burnell. 

Schooner  Vincennes 1846 W.  S.  Lyons. 

Brig  E\ireka 1847 S.  D.  Burnell. 

Schooner  -Vsia 1848 Cvptlin  T.  Cobb. 

Brig  A.  R.Cobb 1814 Captain  r.  Cobb. 

Brig  Mahoning 1818  William  Jones- 
Schooner  Florence 1848 W.  S.  Lyons. 

Propeller  Henry  Clay  (rebuilt) 18.51 William  .Tones. 

Schooner  T.  P-  Handy 1849 William  Jones. 

Schooner  Meridian IS  IS William  Jones. 

Schooner  Abigail  1840 Lyons  &  Fox. 

Bark  Buckeye  State 18.52 Mr.  Hubbard. 

Schooner  J.  Reid 18.52 W.  S.  Lyons. 

Schooner  Winfield  Scott 1H52 Williaiu  .lones. 

Schooner  Main  18.52 W,  S- Lyons. 

Schooner  Hamlet 1.S.52 William  Jones. 

Schooner  H.  C.  Win-;low 18,53 William  Jones. 

Schooner  W.  F.  .Vllen  1853 Joues  &  Co. 

Schooner  City 18,53  D.  Rogers. 

Schooner  Cascade 18.5:1 William  Jones. 

Schooner  H.  E.  Mussey 1853 Benjamin  Flint. 

Schooner  Wings  of  the  Morning..  18.54 Jones  &  Co. 

Schooner  Peoria 1854  A- Gillmore. 

Propeller  Dick  Pinto 1854 G.  W,  Jonos. 

Schooner  G.  L,  Newman 18,55 B,  Flint. 

Schooner  Dnike 18,55 Joues  &  Co. 

Bark  Lemuel  Crawford 18,55 Jones. 

Schooner  Kyle  Spangler 18,56  William  Jones. 

Schooner  Leader 18.56 Lyons  &  Gillmore. 

Schooner  W.  H.  Willard 1858 Charles  Hinraan. 

Schooner  John  Webber 1856 Charles  Hinman. 

Schooner  Grace  Murray 18.5*» William  Jones. 

Schooner  Resolute 1856  

Schooner  L.  .1.  Farwell 1856 William  Jones. 

Bark  David  Morris 1857 William  Jones. 

Schooner  Return 1855 D.  Fox. 

Schooner  Herald 1857 Wilham  Jones. 

Schooner  Freeman 1855 William  Jones. 

Schooner  Ogden 18,57 William  Jones. 

Bark  Levi  Rawson 1861 Wilham  Jones. 

Bark  William  Jones 1862. Jones  &  Co. 

Schooner  Alice  Curtis 18.58  Edwards. 

Propeller  Queen  of  the  Lakes 18.55 William  Jones. 

Brig  .\udubon 1854 William  Jones. 

Schooner  John  Fretter 185:J,._  Charles  Hinman. 

Schooner  E.  F.  Allen 1863 A.  GUlmore. 

Bark  Franz  Siegel 1862 G.  W.  Jones. 

Bark  Orphan  Boy 1862 William  Jones. 

Conr.ad  Keid 1862 H.  D,  Root. 

H.  D.  Root 1863 H.  D.  Root. 

Minerva 1863 William  Jones. 

William  H.  Chapman... 1865 H.  D.  Root. 

Schooner  Fostoria 1865 W.  S.  Lyons. 

Pride 1866 H.  D.  Root. 

W.  S.  Lyons 1866 W.  S.  Lyons. 

Bark  Summer  Cloud 1864 Lester  Smith. 

Schooner  LiUie  Fox 1866 D.  Fox. 

Kate  Lj-ons 1866 Wilham  Jones. 

Bark  P.  S.  Marsh  1867 G.  W.  Jones. 

Schooner  H.  C.  Post  (rebuilt) 1866 Thomas  Wilson. 

Gen.  Q.  A.  Gillmore 1867 Thomas  Wilson. 

H.  G.  Cleveland 1-867 William  Jones. 

Clough 1867 D.  Fox. 

Vernie  Blake 1867 H.  D.  Root. 

Thomas  Wilson 1868 Thos.  Wilson. 

Brig  E.  Cohen 1867 H.  D.  Root. 

Thomas  Gawn 1872 John  Squires. 

Barge  Sarah  E.  Sheldon 1872 Quelos  &  Feck. 

MaryGroh 1873 H.  D.  Root. 

Steamer  Charles  Hickox 1873 H.  D.  Root. 

Steam  Barge  Egyptian 1873 Quelos  &  Peck. 

Steamer  C,  Hickox 1873 H.  D.  Root. 

Schooner  Our  Son 1875 H.  Kelley. 

.Schooner  Sumatra 1873 Quelos  &  Peck. 

Schooner  Three  Brothers 1873 H.  D.  Root. 

Schooner  Theodore  Voges 1876 H.  D.  Root. 

Tug  Myrtle 1876 

Scows. 

NAME.  TEAR. 

Amherst 1847.. 

Diana 1848.. 

Sea  Witch 1850 . 


BUILDER. 

D.  Dayton. 

D.  Dayton. 

S.  F.  Drake. 


216 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


NAME. 

YEAR. 

DVII.DER. 

Elinii-a 

185' 

.  T.  More. 

Kocky  Mu(intaiU8.   . 

1852 

.  .Wm.  Jones. 

John  P.  Hale 

1852 

..H.  Sheldon. 

C'cinsiu  Mary 

la'w 

..H.  D.  RootA  Bio. 

Fm-est  Maitl 

18fi3  

..Sheldon. 

Rush ... 

m>'i 

.L.  Smith. 

Home 

lavf 

.L.  Smith. 

flladiator 

1854  

.H.  Adams. 

E.  Mastor 

18.54 

.S.  W.  Buck. 

Blac-k  Swan  

...   1854 

.S.  W.  Buck. 

A.  Fredericks  

1854  

.Edwards. 

Blaek  Rover 

1855 

Planet 

1855 

.  L.  Smith. 

Rnena 

1856... 

H.  S.  Smith. 

Belle 

1856 

.C.  Johnson. 

Free  Mason 

issr 

.D.  Fields. 

Ninirod 

18.57 

.William  Curtis. 

Juno 

18.5.3 

.L.  W.  Buck. 

E.  S.  Taylor 

18.57 

.H.  D.  Root. 

E.  K  Kane ' 

IKBl 

.H.  t).  Root. 

Supplj' 

1861 

.S.  Fields. 

John  F.  Prince 

1864  

.A.  GUlmore. I 

Almira 

1849 

.William  Curtiss. 

Nellie 

1866 

Aunt  Ruth  

1803 

.A.  Gillmore. 

.S.  Fields. 

Elyria    

1867 

.D.  Fox. 

F.  L,  Jones 

; 1867 

.H.  D,  Root. 

Penguin 

1868 

Lester  Smith. 

J.  W   Porter........ 

1868 

.W.  S.  Lyons. 

Ada  J.  Root 

1868 

H.  D.  Root. 

Frank  T.  Church  .. 

1808  

.A.  Bullock 

Growler 

1868...    . 

.S.  Root. 

German 

1868 

.H.  D.  Root. 

Ferret  (rebuilt) 

1868 

M  Tuttle 

1870 

A.  Pelo. 

AciRICDLTURAL  STATISTICS. 

Oats,           50.5     "      . 

..   ...   ..   .'     17  310 

Com,          468     "      . 

35.410 

Patatoes      .58 

4  370        " 

Orehanis,  142      " 

.   ...   .....  ..  2,248 

Butter     

Vote  for  President  in  1876. 

Hayes  

a^  1  Tilden. 

105 

Biographical  Sketches. 


EBENEZER  GREGG 

was  the  youngest  son  of  Kljeiie/.er  and  Betsey  Gregg, 
of  Dorchester,  New  llainiisliire,  and  wiis  born  April 
5,  l.so;5.  He  was  of  Scotch  jiarentage,  liis  ancestors 
liaving  l)ehiiigeil  to  the  noted  Prcsljyterian  colony 
wlu)  settled  Lonchniderry,  New  Ilampsliire.  His 
grandfather  liore  a  distinguisiied  |iart  in  the  revolu- 
tionary war.  Jle  was  colonel  under  General  Stark, 
at  the  nieinorahle  battle  of  Bennington,  and  was  jires- 
ent  when  the  general,  in  rallying  his  troops,  addressed 
to  him  the  words  so  aplly  given  by  the  poet: 

"  We'll  beat  the  British  ere  set  of  sun. 
Or  Molly  Stark  is  a  widow— it  was  done." 

Mr.  Gregg  has  inhciited  in  a  marked  degree  tlie 
peculiarities  of  his  Scotch  ancestors,  having  a  vigorous 
constitution,  great  physical  endnrance,  perseverance 
and  energy  of  cliai-acter.     He  was  married  September 


24,  ls30,  to  Mary  W.  Daufortli,  of  Derry,  New 
Hampshire.  They  emigrated  to  Ohio  in  1835,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother,  the  late  Colonel  William  Gregg, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  two  miles  north  of  the  village 
of  Elyria.  In  1842,  he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  then 
townshiji  of  Shellii'ld,  and  resided  there  for  several 
years;  but  for  the  juirjiose  of  educating  his  children, 
he  removed  to  Elyria  in  1857.  Here  he  and  his  wife 
united  with  the  Methodist  church,  and  here,  in  Au- 
gust 11,  1871,  after  a  residence  of  fourteen  years,  his 
wife  closed  her  earthly  labors. 

They  had  eight  children,  three  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  His  second  son,  Arthur  Livermoi-e,  died  in 
)ShefBeld,  February  28,  1873,  aged  thirty-one  years. 
There  are  now  living,  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  of  wiiom  are  married.  His  three  sons,  Simeon, 
Arthur,  and  Luther,  served  as  brave  and  faithful 
soldiers  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  were  honorably 
discharged,  and  safely  returned  home  at  the  close  of 
the  war.  December  30,  1872,  Mr.  Gregg  was  married 
to  Adaline  W.  Danforth,  of  Adrian,  Michigan.  At 
this  time  he  sold  his  i)roj)erty  in  Elyria,  and  removed 
to  his  farm  for  a  permanent  residence.  Although  he 
is  now  seventy-six  years  old,  he  has  wonderful  health 
and  vigor,  and  still  leads  an  active,  useful  life.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  in  Lorain  and 
is  warmly  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  growing 
town  around  him,  cheerfully  contributing  his  share 
to  its  growth  and  jirosperity.  He  is  strictly  temper- 
ate in  his  habits,  and  is  an  enemy  alike  to  liquor  and 
tobacco,  seldom  neglecting  to  "show  his  colors'"  when 
occasion  offers. 


CAPTAIN  SAMUEL  L.   FLINT 

was  born  at  Plattsburg,  New  York,  February  18, 
1830,  being  the  sixth  child  of  John  and  Amy  (Ham- 
mond) Flint  of  that  place;  all  of  Scotch  descent. 
When  eight  years  of  age  he  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Buffalo,  New  York,  remaining  there  about  two 
years,  when  they  removed  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  his 
parents  spent  the  remainder  of  tlieir  days. 

When  nineteen  years  old  Captain  Flint  commenced 
to  work  for  John  P.  Freeman,  of  Toledo,  at  the  car- 
penter and  joiner  trade.  After  attaining  his  majority 
he  removed  to  Black  River,  this  county,  where  he  be- 
came engaged  as  a  ship  carpenter,  which  he  followed 
winters  for  nearly  twenty  years,  sailing  on  the  lakes 
until  the  close  of  na\igation  every  year,  which  latter 
occupation  he  still  follows.  At  an  early  period  in  his 
business  career,  Caiitain  Flint  became  interested  in 
farming,  and  is  now  considered  a  good,  ])ractical 
farmer,  as  well  as  an  excellent  lunigator.  Eight 
years  ago  he  jiurcliased  the  comfortable  farm  and 
residence,  an  illustration  of  which  ajijiears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume. 

On  the  20tli  of  July,  1850,  he  married  Helen  M., 
daughter  of  Adam  Miller,  of  Black  River.  They  had 
five  ciiildreii,  of  whom  Alice  L.,  Helen  A.  and  Sam- 


I'll 


, |||i|i||||l||j|     III: 

Id  i|j|ii> 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


217 


uel  L.  survive.  Mrs.  Flint  dep;irled  this  life  May  3, 
18G4.  After  mourning  the  loss  of  his  first  wife  just  one 
year,  the  Captain  married  again,  the  subject  of  his 
choice  this  time  being  his  present  excellent  wife,  who 
at  the  time  of  their  marriage  was  Jane  D.  Tracy,  widow 
of  E.  F.  Tracy,  of  Elyria,  and  daughter  of  Captain 
Luther  Dcnnison  and  Agnes  Martin,  the  former  born 
in  Vermont,  the  latter  at  Dykehead,  Scotland.  Mrs. 
Flint  has  two  daughters  by  her  first  husband,  Louisa 
S.,  now  the  wife  of  John  Maxfield,  of  Lamont,  Mich- 
igan, and  Elizabeth  R.,  wife  of  Cajjtain  H.  W.  Stone, 
of  Cleveland. 


Among  other  experiences  of  a  nautical  career,  ex- 
tending over  twenty-eight  years,  the  following  befel 
Captain  Flint.  On  the  26th  of  August,  1874,  the 
propeller  Persian,  then  the  largest  vessel  on  Lake 
Erie,  and  commanded  by  Captain  Flint,  took  fire, 
from  the  ignition  of  gas  in  the  coal  bunkers.  After 
burning  almost  three  hours,  she  sunk,  and  all  hands, 
— nineteen  in  number,  including  Captain  Flint, — 
took  refuge  on  the  hatches,  upon  which  they  floated 
for  two  hours  and  a  half,  when  they  were  ])ickcd  up 
by  the  propeller  Badger,  and  thus  saved  from  a  watery 
grave. 


BROWNHELM 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 

Fallowing  thH  settlement,  is  subjoined  the  greater  part  of  the  address 
of  President  J.  H.  Faircliild,  on  the  "Early  Settlement  and  History  of 
Brownhelni,"  delivered  at  Brownhelm,  on  the  occasion  of  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  its  settlement.  We  make  use  of  this  instead  of  writing 
a  new  sketch,  because  (I)  as  a  history  of  the  townsliip  it  is  quite  full  and 
remarkabl.y  accurate,  as  we  have  verified  by  personal  interviews  with 
the  older  residents  of  the  place;  and  (2)  because  of  its  admirable  treat- 
ment of  some  phases  of  pioneer  life  of  which  they  only,  who  have  ex- 
perienced them,  can  give  an  adequate  portrayal.  President  Fairchild 
was  himself  a  pioneer  of  Bro^mhelm,  and  describes  the  characteristics 
of  life  in  the  new  country  from  the  standpoint  of  experience. 

The  early  settlement  we  have  written  up  more  fully  but  regret  that 
in  regard  to  some  of  the  early  settlers,  but  little  information  could  be 
obtained .  Some  additional  matter  in  regard  to  the  cnurches,  township 
organization,  etc.,  is  likewise  incorporated. 

Town  number  six,  in  range  nineteen,  of  the  Con- 
necticut Western  Reserve  was  drawn  in  the  draft  by 
Asher  jNIiller  and  Nathan  Shalor.  It  originally  ex- 
tended south  to  tract  fourteen  and  fifteen,  in  the 
nineteenth  range,  and  included  nearly  a  third  of  the 
territory  now  embraced  in  the  township  of  Henrietta. 

PHYSICAL  FEATURES. 

The  western  part  of  the  township  is  traversed  by 
the  crooked  Verniillion,  whose  broad  valley,  and  high, 
steep  banks  give  a  pleasing  diversity  to  the  generally 
level  surface.  There  are  several  other  small  streams 
not  designated  by  name  on  the  county  map. 

The  soil  is  more  or  less  clay,  modified  along  the 
ridgis  by  gravel  and  sand,  and,  in  small  areas  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  town,  by  a  deep,  black  muck  of 
great  fertility. 

NAME.* 

"  The  privilege  of  naming  the  place  was  yielded  by 
llie  citizens,  at  a  meeting  called  for  the  purpose,  at 
Mr.  Barnum's,  to  Colonel  Brown.  He  gafre  it  the 
name   of   Brownhelm,    a  name   which,    in  the  early 


*  President  Fairchild. 


days,  was  a  source  of  some  disiileasure,  as  implying 
that  Colonel  Brown  was  to  steer  the  ship,  a  thought 
which  was  probably  not  in  his  mind  in  connection 
with  the  name.  He  doubtless  sought  only  for  an 
agreeable  termination  of  the  name,  and  found  it  in 
the  old  Saxon  word  ham  or  liem,  softened  for  euphony 
to  helm,  and  signifying  'home,' or  dwelling  place, 
and  thus  the  name  means  '  Brown's  home."  To  some 
of  the  early  inhabitants,  it  sounded  like  Brown  at  the 
helm,  and  a  petition  was  at  one  time  circulated  to 
have  the  name  changed  to  Freedom.  We  may  bo 
thankful  that  the  jjopular  disgust  never  reached  such 
a  consummation.  The  good  old  name  is  original, 
euphonious,  and  hapi)y  in  its  signification.  There  is 
no  better  name  in  the  land." 

EAKLY    SETTLEMENT. 

In  181C,  Col.  Henry  Brown  of  Stoekbridge,  Massa- 
chusetts, visited  this  portion  of  the  Western  Reserve, 
with  the  pur])oso  in  view  of  selecting  for  purchase  a 
large  tract  of  land,  and  on  his  return  to  Massachu- 
setts he  entered  into  contract  for  this  township,  then 
known  only  as  number  six,  in  range  nineteen.  In 
the  fall  of  the  same  year,  accompanied  by  several 
young  men,  he  came  on  the  ground,  erected  a  log 
house  on  the  lake  shore,  and  then  returned  to  Massa- 
chusetts, leaving  his  men  to  make  further  preparations 
for  the  reception  of  the  families  the  next  season. 

Early  in  the  following  year,  Levi  Shepard  and  Syl- 
vester Baruum  and  their  families,  and  two  daughters 
of  Stephen  James,  who  came  with  Mr.  Shepard,  left 
Stoekbridge  for  this  township,  where  they  arrived, 
after  a  protracted  and  tedious  journey,  in  the  after- 
noon of  July  4,  1817.  Mr.  James  with  his  two  sons 
(his  wife  having  died  previously)  started  from  Stock- 
bridge  about  the  same  time  as  Deacon  Shepard  and 


2S 


218 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


his  associates,  but  taking  the  boat  at  liuifalo  for 
Black  River,  reached  tlic  jihice  abont  a  week  in  ad- 
vance of  them.  Mr  She]iard  and  family  are  the 
conceded  first  settlers.  "Mr.  She]iard  and  liis  wife, 
without  indicating  their  purpose  to  their  fellow  trav- 
elers, were  careful  to  lead  the  way  as  they  approached 
the  selected  territory,  so  as  to  l)e  first  on  the  ground. 
They  crossed  the  line  between  Black  River  and  Brown- 
helm  some  rods  in  advance  of  their  associates,  and 
thus  they  properly  have  the  honor  of  being  the  first 
settlers."' 

Some  of  the  young  men  who  came  with  Colonel 
Brown  liad  I'eturned  east,  but  four  of  them  remained 
and  were  on  the  ground  when  the  three  families 
arrived.  These  were  Peter  P.  Pease,  William  Alver- 
son,  Charles  Whittlesey  and  William  Lincoln.  They 
wei'c  then  single,  but  they  subsequently  married  and 
settled  in  the  town. 

The  first  occurrence  worthy  of  note  after  the  arri- 
val of  Deacon  Shepard  and  his  party  is  thus  described 
))y  President  Fairchild:  "The  first  work  of  the  as- 
sembled group  was  to  prepare  an  independence  din- 
ner in  honor  of  the  occasion.  This  is  believed  to  have 
been  the  first  meal  ever  spread  in  the  township  by 
white  women.  Some  of  the  young  men,  looking  on 
while  the  women  prepared  the  meal,  were  moved  to 
tears.  It  was  the  first  sight  of  any  thing  like  home 
that  had  mot  their  eyes  for  many  montlis.  The  ma- 
terial for  the  dinner  was  not  over-abundant  or  varied, 
embracing  the  bread  and  pork  which  the  young  men 
contributed,  and  the  relics  of  the  provisions  with 
which  the  travelers  had  been  furnished  for  the  jour- 
ney. But  the  seasoning  of  appetite,  novelty  and  hope 
made  it  a  dinner  long  to  be  remembered,  such  as  one 
enjoys  but  once  in  a  life  time." 

Of  that  party  of  sixteen  persons  that  shared  in  the 
meal,  two  are  yet  living, — Levi  Sliepard  and  Mrs. 
Parkhust,  then  Cordelia  James, —  the  former  having 
reached  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four. 

Shepard,  Barnum,  and  James  took  up  theii-  abode 
on  the  lake  shore,  jointly  occupying,  for  a  time, 
the  log  house  of  Colonel  Brown.  Barnum,  in  a 
few  days,  vacated,  his  family  living  in  a  lumber 
wagon,  on  his  purchase,  for  a  short  time,  until  the 
completion  of  his  house.  lie  remained  but  a  few 
years  in  the  township.  Most  of  his  family  died  of  a 
malignant  disease  called  "milk  sickness,"  or  "  sick 
stomach,"  which  prevailed  so  fatally  in  the  town  in 
an  early  day,  and  he  returned  to  Massachusetts,  where 
he  subseipuMitly  died. 

Shepard  and  James  continued  their  occujiMiicy  of 
the  Brown  house,  until  the  erection,  l)y  the  former, 
of  a  cabin,  on  his  purchase  on  lot  six,  when  the  two 
families  took  up  their  abode  there, — Mr.  James  and 
family  occupying  a  part  of  the  house  for  about  a  year, 
when  he  erected  a  cabin  on  his  farm,  west  of  Colonel 
Brown. 

It  is  rarely  that  wo  find,  in  the  prosecution  of  our 
work,  the  first  settler  of  a  township  still  living. 
Deacon  Shepard  now  lives  in  Brownhelm,  well  along 


in  his  ninety-fifth  year.  He  was  born  near  Sturbridge, 
Worcester  county,  Massachusetts,  December  9,  1T84. 
and  when  a  boy,  removed  with  his  parents  to  Stock- 
bridge,  where  he  resided  until  his  emigration  to  Ohio. 
He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  prosecuted  his  trade  in  con- 
nection with  his  farm  work,  for  several  years  in 
Briiwrdielni,  his  patrons  paying  him  in  work  at  clear- 
ing and  logging  on  his  farm.  Mr.  Shepard  was 
blessed  with  a  remarkably  strong  constitution.  At 
the  age  of  cighty-thice,  ho  could  work  all  day  with 
almost  as  little  conse(pieiit  fatigue  as  in  the  days  of 
his  young  manhood:  and  tlici  summer  immediately 
preceding  his  eighty-fourth  birthday,  he  was  engaged 
in  chopinng  wood,  and  splitting  rails,  almost  the 
entire  season.  In  December,  187G,  he  sustained  a 
jjartial  stroke  of  pai'alysis  in  his  lower  limbs,  and 
since  that  time,  he  has  moved  about  with  ditticulty. 
His  hearing  and  eyesight  are  also  much  impaired. 
But,  notwithstanding  his  bodily  infirmities,  his  mind 
still  remains  comparatively  vigorous,  and  his  memory 
of  early  events  is  remarkably  good.  He  is  small  in 
stature,  and  his  form  is  now  much  bent, — bowed 
down  by  the  weight  of  years.  He  enjoys,  extremely, 
a  chat  about  pioneer  times,  and  relates  with  glee  how 
he  secured  for  himself  and  family  the  honor  of  being 
the  first  settlers.  Deacon  Shei)ard  has  no  descendants 
now  livinging  the  town.  His  third  wife  died  some 
years  ago,  and  of  his  four  children, — two  sons  and 
two  daughtei's, — only  th(>  former  are  living, — ^some- 
where  in  the  west. 

Stephen  James  was  born  in  Middlesex,  Connecti- 
cut, August  8,  1707,  but  removed  to  Stockbridge, 
Massachusetts,  when  young.  He  was  prominently 
identified  with  the  church  for  many  years  in  Brown- 
helm,  and  also  in  Stockbridge,  where  he  was  first 
elected  to  the  office  of  deacon  under  Rev.  Dr.  West. 
This  office  he  filled  witii  cipial  credit  to  himself,  and 
satisfaction  to  the  church.  He  instituted  the  first 
known  religions  services  held  in  this  township,  hold- 
ing a  meeting  at  Judge  Brown's  house  the  Sunday 
immediately  preceding  the  arrival  of  Deacon  Sliepard 
and  his  associates.  Before  the  advent  of  the  minis- 
ter, he  led  the  meetings  of  the  little  band  in  the 
woods  of  Brownhelm,  regularly  sustaining  a  reading 
service  on  the  Sabbath,  in  connection  with  his  breth- 
ren, until  they  were  blessed  with  the  stated  ministry 
of  the  word.  He  frequently  officiated  on  funeral  and 
other  occasions,  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of 
religious  services  in  neighboring  settlements.  He  wa.^ 
well  (jnalilied  for  such  work,  possessing,  it  is  said, 
among  other  (|nalifieations,  considerable  fiuency  of 
speech.  In  all  I  lie  walks  of  life.  Deacon  James  was 
distinguished  for  Ijenevolence,  moral  rectitude,  and 
earnest,  active  piety.  He  married,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven,  Hannah  Schofleld,  of  Stanford,  Con- 
necticut, who  died  in  1811,  leaving  five  children,  three 
sons  and  two  daughters.  One  of  the  sons  being  an 
ajiprentice  in  Massachusetts,  never  emigrated  to  the 
west.  In  the  fall  of  1828,  he  married  Miss  Rhoda 
Buck,  of  Connecticut,  who  was    visiting  friends  in 


C3-EOi?>a-E    a-.   nycoiE^ySE. 


Among  tlie  prominent  citizens  of  the  town  in 
which  he  resides,  the  subject  of  tiiis  sketch  occupies 
a  foremost  position.  He  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  county,  and  also  one  of  its  best  practical  farmers. 
He  is  the  fifth  child  of  Abishua  and  Anna  Morse, 
and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Great  Barriugton, 
Mass.,  Feb.  15,  1819.  Two  years  prior  to  the  time 
when  he  first  saw  the  light,  his  grandfather,  Setli 
Morse,  himself  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  made 
a  visit  to  Ohio  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  lands. 
His  choice  fell  upon  the  place  where  his  son 
(Abishua)  settled  in  the 
fall  of  1821.  It  was  not, 
however,  until  about 
the  year  1826  or  1827 
that  Seth  Morse  came  to 
reside  on  the  land  he  had 
purchased.  After  his 
second  coming,  he  re- 
mained until  his  death. 
Abishua  erected  a  primi- 
tive log  house  near  where 
George  G.  now  resides. 
To  do  this  he  had  to  fell 
some  trees  in  order  to 
effect  a  clearing.  He 
continued  to  improve  his 
farm,  and  a  short  time 
subsequent  to  the  erec- 
tion of  his  log  house,  he 
built  a  frame  barn,  and  a  few  years  preceding  his 
demise  he  erected  the  present  residence  of  his  son,  of 
whom  we  write  more  particularly. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  Dec. 
11,  1835,  he  possessed  from  two  hundred  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  and  had  he  lived 
to  an  old  age  he  would  doubtless  have  been  a  very 
wealthy  man,  as  he  was  a  very  good  one.  He 
enjoyed  the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  who  knew 
him. 

George  G.  Morse  began  life  as  a  farm  laborer,  work- 


■S#\    v^ 


ANNA   RAY   MORSE. 


ing  for  his  brother  and  others  for  some  eight  or  ten 
years.  His  first  start  for  himself  was  the  purchase  of 
forty  acres  of  land,  about  the  year  1845.  From  that 
time  to  the  present  he  has  been  eminently  success- 
ful, and  now  occupies  the  position  of  a  good  citizen 
anil  first-class  agriculturist,  and  an  honest  man. 
This  is  the  natural  result  of  untiring  energy  and 
ceaseless  industry. 

Mr.  Morse  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Purley  Moulton,  of 
Browuhelm,    with    whom    he    united    his    fortunes 

May  15, 1851.  She  died 
August  15,  1861.  His 
second  and  present  wife 
was  Eliza  J.,  daughter 
of  Jesse  Bal  1,  Jr.,  of  Ver- 
milion township.  They 
have  had  five  children 
born  to  them,  namely: 
Henry  G.,  Herbert  J., 
Jennie  E.,  George  B., 
who  died  at  the  age  of 
four  years,  and  Freddie 
Ray.  Mrs.  Morse  is  an 
exemplary  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  Morse  is 
a  liberal  contributor  to 
religious  and  educational 
enterprises,  having  as- 
sisted in  building  nearly  every  church  in  his 
vicinity. 

He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  upon  which  are  good  frame  buildings, 
an  illustration  of  which  appears  in  another  page  of 
this  work. 

Owing  to  general  regular  habits,  he  preserves  the 
hale  and  hearty  appearance  of  a  man  in  the  prime 
of  life,  and  in  his  personal  appearance  resembles 
very  closely  Prof.  Morse,  of  telegraph  fame,  to 
whom  he  is  related. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


219 


Brovvnlielm  at  the  time.  No  children  were  born  of 
this  marriage.  Deacon  James  died  in  1841,  his  wife 
surviving  him  several  years.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Park- 
liurst,  is  still  living  in  the  township,  aged  seventy- 
tlii-ee. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  in  whioh  the  families 
previously  mentioned  arrived,  those  of  Solomon  Whit- 
tlesey, Alva  Curtis,  Ehenezer  Scott  and  Benjamin 
Bacon  moved  in.  Mr.  Whittlesey  located  on  the  farm 
now  occui)ied  by  his  son  Cyrus,  his  original  habitation 
being  situated  a  short  distance  east  of  the  son's  pres- 
ent frame  house.  Mr.  Whittlesey  was  a  great  hunter 
in  his  pioneer  days.  His  death  occurred  in  1871,  aged 
eighty-five. 

Deacon  Curtis  settled  near  the  Vermillion,  on  the 
spot  now  occupied  by  Fred.  Bacon.  He  opened  here, 
in  his  house,  the  first  hotel  in  the  town.  He  has  no 
descendants  living  in  Brownhelm,  and  we  have  but 
little  information  concerning  him.  lie  died  in  181G, 
his  wife  suljsccjuently. 

Mr.  Bacon  made  his  location  where  his  son  William 
now  resides.  He  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in 
the  place.  Mr.  Bacon  was  (pialified  by  nature  to  be  a 
leader,  and  was  probably  a  man  of  as  much  influence 
and  extended  acquaintance  as  any  other  in  the  settle- 
ment. This  weight  of  character  was  used  on  the  side 
of  order,  education  and  sound  morality. 

The  next  year  the  settlement  was  increased  by  the 
arrival  of  a  dozen  families.  One  of  the  first  was  that 
of  Anson  Cooper,  who  moved  in  from  Euclid,  Cuya- 
hoga county,  where  he  had  resided  about  a  year.  He 
took  up  his  residence  on  the  place  now  occupied  by 
his  widow  in  her  eighty-third  year.  Mr.  Cooper  died 
in  184*1.     He  was  the  first  town  clerk  in  Brownhelm. 

The  families  of  Colonel  Brown,  Grandison  Fair- 
child,  Alfred  Avery,  Enos  Cooley,  Elisha  Peck,  George 
Bacon,  John  Graham,  Orrin  Sage,  Chestei'  Seymour, 
Thomas  Ely  and  Dr.  P>rown  moved  in  soon  after. 
'  Colonel  Brown  took  uji  his  abode  in  the  house  on  the 
lake  shore  already  prejiaiT'd  for  him.  A  brief  biogra- 
[ihy  of  Mr.  Brown  may  be  found  at  the  close  of  the 
history  of  this  township. 

Grandison  F'airchild  was  born  in  Sheffield,  Berkshire 
(■(lunty.  Massachusetts,  April  20,  1793.  Novemlier  35, 
1813,  he  married  Nancy  Harris,  daughter  of  William 
Harris,  who  was  an  early  settler  in  Brownhelm.  She 
was  born  October  30,  1795.  Mi-.  Fairchild,  with  his 
family,  then  consisting  of  wife  and  three  children,  re- 
moved from  Stockbridge,  Massachusetts,  to  Brown- 
helm in  September,  1818,  coming  from  Buffalo  to 
Cleveland  on  the  pioneer  steamer,  Walk-in-the-  Water. 
Four  days  were  spent  on  the  water,  the  vessel  lying 
for  two  days  on  a  bar  at  Erie.  From  Cleveland  the 
journey  was  made  with  team  and  wagon.  Mr.  Fair- 
child's  location  was  on  North  ridge,  between  the 
present  residence  of  his  son  Charles  and  the  church. 
He  is  yet  a  resident  of  the  town,  now  living  a  short 
distance  east  of  his  original  location,  in  his  eighty- 
seventh  year,  erect  and  seemingly  as  vigorous  as  ever. 
Mrs.    Fairchild  died  in  August,   1875.     There  were 


ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  yet  living,  two  in  the 
town. 

Orrin  Sage,  originally  from  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
married  Lucy  C!ooper,  of  Stockbridge,  Massachusetts, 
in  June,  1818,  and,  immediately  afterwards,  with 
George  Bacon  and  his  wife,  who  was  a  sister  of  Mrs. 
Sage,  set  out  for  the  distant  west.  The  party  had  a 
wagon  and  two  ox-teams,  and  a  single  horse  and 
wagon  with  which  they  made  the  journey,  and  were 
five  weeks  coming  through.  At  Buffalo  they  shipped 
their  goods  by  the  lake  to  Black  I'iver.  Sage  located 
on  the  farm  adjoining  on  the  north — ^that  on  which 
Mrs.  Bacon  now  lives.  He  died  in  October,  1833, 
and  his  widow  soon  after  exchanged  farms  with  Jona- 
than Uosford,  and  returned  with  her  little  son  to 
Stockbridge.  Bacon  located  on  the  farm,  now  occu- 
pied by  his  widow,  formerly  Mrs.  Sage.  His  first 
wife  died  in  182G,  and  he  returned  to  Stockbridge 
and  a  year  subsequently  married  Mrs.  Sage,  when 
they  removed  to  Brownhelm.  Mrs.  Bacon  died  in 
January,  1875.  Mr.  Bacon  is  now  in  her  eighty- 
sixth  year.  She  says  the  first  barrel  of  meat  the 
family  used  in  Brownhelm,  cost  thirty  dollars,  and 
was  of  the  "shank"'  variety. 

Enos  Cooley  began  life  in  the  wilderness  on  a  cash 
capital  of  six  cents.  He  located  near  the  lake  shore, 
erecting  his  cabin  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the 
residence  of  the  widow  of  Lewis  Braun.  He  subse- 
quently removed  to  a  permanent  location  on  the 
North  ridge,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  in 
1847.  Two  of  his  children  are  now  living  in  this 
townshi]).  They  are  Moses  and  Chester  A.  The 
latter  owns  and  operates  at  Bacon's  Corners  the  only 
cheese  factory  in  the  town. 

Elisha  Peck,  with  wife  and  ten  children,  arrived  in 
Brownhelm,  in  November  of  the  year  previously  men- 
tioned. The  family  stopjied  with  Colonel  Brown  the 
night  after  their  arrival,  and  then  moved  into  the 
house  of  Alfred  Avery,  where  they  remained  some 
three  weeks.  They  then  took  up  their  abode  on  lot 
fifty-four,  a  log  house  having  been  rolled  together. 
It  was  indeed  a  primitive  house  when  the  family 
moved  into  it,  for  it  was  without  a  floor  of  any  kind, 
and  the  first  night,  the  children  made  tlieir  bed  on 
mother  earth.  The  father  and  mother  were  provided 
with  a  bedstead  constructed  of  poles,  and  elm  bark 
was  made  to  answer  in  place  of  a  cord.  Mr.  I'eek 
was  a  shoemaker,  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  over 
sixty  years.  He  also  had  a  rude  tannery  in  Bi-own- 
helm  at  an  early  day.  He  was  born  in  Berlin,  Con- 
necticut, March  7,  1773,  and  died  in  Brownhelm  Jan- 
uary 7,  1858,  aged  eighty-four  years  and  ten  months. 
His  wife  was  Millicent  Byington,  of  Bristol,  Connec- 
ticut.    Four  children  are  now  living. 

Deacon  George  Wells,  now  residing  in  Brownhelm, 
in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age,  arrived  in  1818. 
He  was  :it  the  time  unmarried.  He  bought  a  piece 
of  land  on  the  lake  shore,  felled  a  tree,  and  with  a 
few  poles  and  bark  made  himself  a  rude  shelter,  in 
which  he  lived  the  first  summer.     A  short  time  after- 


230 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


ward  this  was  substituted  by  a  log  house,  in  which 
liis  widowed  mother  and  the  remainder  of  her  family 
took  up  their  abode  in  the  summer  of  1820.  Mr. 
Wells  returned  to  Hartford  in  18'25,  and  married, 
immediati'ly  after  which  he  set  out  with  his  bride  for 
the  far  west.  At  Buffalo  he  engaged  i)assage  on  a 
vessel,  the  captain  of  which  agreed  to  land  him  on 
the  shore  opposite  his  residence  in  Browiilielm.  He 
disregarded  his  promise,  however,  and  carried  Mr. 
AVells  and  wife  to  Johnson's  Island,  thence  to  San- 
dusky, and  finally  landed  them,  with  some  twenty 
other  ])assengcrs,  at  Oedar  I'oint.  Mr.  Wells  and 
wife  started  for  their  Brownhelm  cabin  on  foot,  but 
after  traveling  some  ten  miles,  were  overtaken  by 
Captain  Day,  who  was  returning  to  Black  River  from 
Sandusky,  on  horseback.  He  kindly  offered  his  place 
on  the  horse  to  the  young  wife,  which  was  accei)ted, 
Mr.  Wells  and  the  captain  traveling  on  foot.  The 
end  of  the  Journey  was  duly  reached,  wlien  two  men 
with  a  skiff  were  sent  after  Mrs.  Wells'  baggage, 
which  was  hardly  equal  either  in  value  or  quantity  to 
the  outfit  of  the  modern  bride. 

John  Graham  married  a  sister  of  Deacon  Wells, 
and  removed  to  Brownhelm  soon  after  he  arrived. 
He  located  on  the  same  lot — lot  four — and  lived  there 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Abishai  Morse  came  from  Great  Barrington,  Massa- 
chusetts, to  Bi-ownhelni  in  September,  1820,  with  his 
family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  five  children. 
Eight  were  born  subse([uently.  A  horse  team  and 
wagon  brought  the  family  and  their  effects,  and  they 
were  six  weeks  on  the  journey.  They  lived  with 
Alva  Curtis  until  tlieir  log  house  was  completed. 
This  stood  a  short  distance  east  of  the  present  resi- 
dence of  his  son,  Geo.  G.  Morse,  west  of  the  Vermil- 
lion. The  log  house  was  occupied  until  183.3,  when 
the  j)leasant  frame  house  previously  mentioned  was 
erected.  He  and  George  Hinckley  had  a  saw  mill  on 
the  Vermillion  in  an  early  day,  where  Ileyman's  grist 
and  saw  mill  now  stand;  and  they  afterwards  bought 
the  old  grist  mill  of  Judge  Brown,  which  had  been 
removed  to  the  same  place  from  its  original  location 
near  the  Swift  place.  Mr.  Morse  died  in  December, 
1835.  Five  of  his  children  are  living  and  four  in 
Lorain  county. 

Ira  AVood  came  into  the  township  in  1831.  His 
first  location  was  west  of  the  river,  where  John 
Stevenson  now  lives.  Stephen  Goodrich  came  in  at 
the  same  time,  and  tiioy  together  established  a  tan- 
nery. Mr.  Wood  subse({uently  sold  liis  interest  to 
Goodrich,  and  moved  to  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
where  he  now  resides. 

President  Fairehild,  in  his  history  of  this  township, 
written  in  1867,  locates  generally  the  early  settlers  as 
follows: 

There  were  originally  five  lines  of  settlement  in 
town,  the  lake  shore  and  the  four  ridges  parallel  to 
it.  *  *  *  On  the  lake  shore  there  were  Brown,  Sey- 
mour, James,  Shepard,  Weed,  Dr.  Brown,  Goodrich, 
llart,  Sly,  Wells,  Graham  and  Sheldon  Johnson;  and 


at  a  later  day,  Hawley  Lathrop  and  Leach.  Between 
the  shore  and  the  first  ridge,  Cooley,  Barnum,  Scott; 
and  later,  Perley  Moulton  and  Rankin.  Along  the  first 
ridge,  Whittlesey,  Alversou,  Peter  P.  Pease,  Cooper, 
Orrin  Sage,  Moulton,  Joseph  Scott  and  Ketchum; 
and  later.  Baker,  Ewing,  Lyon,  Culver,  ITirani  Pease, 
Hamilton  Perry,  Parkhurst,  Hastings,  Bartlett,  IIos- 
ford,  Dimmock,  Graves,  Blodgett,  Uemmingway, 
James  Newbury  and  Job  Smith.  On  the  principal 
ridge,  known  as  the  North  ridge,  Andrews,  Avery, 
Baldwin,  Lincoln,  Fairehild,  Betts,  Daniel  Perry,  and 
afterward  his  sons;  the  Bacons,  three  families,  Curtis 
at  the  mill,  Hinkley  and  Waters  Betts;  and  beyond 
the  river,  Abishai  Morse,  Bradley,  Hewett,  Booth, 
Davis  and  his  distillery,  and  Saunders.  At  a  later 
day,  along  the  same  ridge,  we  have  Belden,  Samuel 
Curtis,  Rodney  Andrews,  Henry  Sage,  Samuel  Bacon, 
Leavenworth,  Dr.  Willard,  Bailey,  Kent  Hawley, 
Edward  Morse,  Stephen  Goodrich,  Stephen  Brown, 
John  Newbury,  Fancher,  and  manj'  others  still  later. 
Along  the  middle  ridge  or  near  it,  on  one  side  or 
the  other.  Peck,  George  James,  Seth  Morse,  Wallace, 
Jones;  and  at  a  later  day,  Harris,  Locke,  Van  Dusen, 
Ira  Rngg,  Cable,  Frisbie,  Chapiu,  Bushrod  Perry,  S. 
G.  Morse,  Parsons  and  Ii'a  Wood;*  and  still  further 
south,  Joseph  Swift.  On  the  south  ridge  road,  the 
earliest  families  were  Powers,  Leonard,  Durand,  An- 
drews, Hancock,  Deiiison,  Holcomb,  Abbott  and 
Fuller.  This  road  was  soon  set  off  to  Henrietta.  *  *  * 
Almost  all  of  those  families  came  from  the  east,  most 
from  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  some  from 
Connecticut,  and  a  few  from  other  parts.  A  very 
few,  discouraged  l)y  sickness  and  by  the  hardships  of 
the  new  country,  returned  east."  *  *  *  '-It  was  not 
a  rare  thing  for  young  men  to  walk  the  entire  distance 
from  Massachusetts  to  Ohio,  carrying  a  few  indispen- 
sable articles  upon  their  backs,  in  a  white  canvas 
knapsack.  One  or  more  of  these  kna])sacks  might  be 
found  in  almost  every  neighborhood  during  the  early 
years,  cherished  as  mementoes  of  such  pedestrian 
feats.  One  young  nuin  brought  in  his  'pack,'  from 
Massachusetts  to  this  county,  a  pair  of  iron  wedges, 
implements  more  valual)le  to  him  than  a  wedge  of 
gold.  For  myself,  I  have  moving  reason  for  recalling 
the  knapsack;  for  I  remember  that  in  the  old  school 
house,  my  seat  mate,  I)elia  Peck,  and  I  shared  to- 
gether a  fiagellation  for  smiling  over  the  quaint  won] 
knapsack,  which  we  found  in  Webster's  old  spelling 
book,  held  between  us.  Some  of  my  juvenile  hearers 
will  be  impressed  with  the  Puritan  sternness  of  our 
early  school  discipline,  when  told  that  the  smile  was 
not  audible,  and  that  no  whisper  accomjianied  it. 
Our  rebellious  hearts  even  then  would  (juestion  the 
propriety  of  the  chastisement. 

As  successive  families  came  on,  they  found  shel- 
ter for  a  few  weeks  with  those  who  had  preceded 
them,  until  they  could  roll  up  a  log  house,  roof  it 
with  "  shakes  "  and  cut  an  opening  for  a  door.     Then 

*Also  Colonel  Nathaniel  and  Norman  Crandall. 


*•^~-*'»S$S■-!^~-^^>^     - 


COLONEL   ELISHA   FRANKLIN  PECK. 


Col.  Elisha  Frankliu  Peck,  the  fifth  child  of  Elisha 
Peck  and  Miliccut  Bjiiigton,  was  born  at  Old  Stockbridge, 
Mass.,  May  25,  1806. 

Elisha  Peck,  a  descendant  of  Deacon  Paul  Peck,  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  was  born  at  Berlin,  Conn.,  March  7,  1773. 

In  the  year  1817,  Elisha  Peck  came  to  this  country  and 
made  a  selection  of  lands,  and  erected  a  log  cabin  in  the 
town  of  Brownhelni,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  which  at  that  time 
was  an  unbroken  wilderness,  after  which  he  returned  for 
his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  ten  children  ;  and  the 
year  following  made  a  permanent  settlement,  arriving  Nov. 
12,  1818.  No  furniture  was  in  possession  of  the  family, 
and  a  bedstead  was  improvised  for  the  older  members  of 
the  family  the  first  night  of  their  stay  in  the  then  far  West, 
the  children  sleeping  on  the  floor.  Mr.  Peek's  purchase 
amounted  to  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres. 

Col.  E.  F.  Peck  remained  with  his  fttlier  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  in  the  month  of  August  fol- 
lowing started  out  in  life  for  himself,  with  forty  acres  of 
land  as  a  gift  from  his  father ;  and  the  same  year  started 
for  Old  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  the  old  home,  to  attend  school, 
but  was  taken  sick  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  while  working  on  the 
harbor.  He  went  to  an  uncle's  in  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
remained  four  months.  He  then  returned  to  Brownhelm, 
having  abandoned  the  idea  of  attending  school  in  Massa- 
chusetts, and  purchased  the  interests  of  several  members  of 
the  family  in  the  estate  of  his  father,  and  has  since  added 
materially  to  his  possessions. 

He  was  married,  July  3,  1833,  to  Sally  Ann,  daughter  of 
Abishua  Morse.  This  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  four 
children,  whose  names  are  as  follows :  Ann  Milicent,  Lydia 


Marianne,  Henry  Franklin,  and  William  Elisha,  all  of  whom 
are  living  except  Henry  F.,  who  died  Feb.  4,  1864,  at  his 
father's  house. 

Col.  Peck,  now  seventy-three  years  of  age,  is  still  vigor- 
ous and  active,  and  only  last  fall  (1878)  plowed  and  pre- 
pared the  soil  for  ten  acres  of  wheat.  He  has  cleared  over 
two  hundred  acres  of  heavy  timbered  land.  His  physique 
even  now  proves  the  advantage  of  a  life  of  sobriety,  industry, 
and  uprightness.  His  only  education  was  obtained  by  giv- 
ing one  day  of  labor  for  one  day  of  instruction  in  the 
elementary  branches.  Its  practical  benefits  to  himself  and 
family  are  evinced  by  his  success  in  life,  financially  and 
morally. 

In  politics.  Col.  Peck  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  with 
which  party  he  is  prominently  identified,  and  a  working 
member.  He  is  earnest,  even  zealous  in  the  advocacy  of 
his  convictions,  and  no  matter  what  others  may  think  as  to 
the  facts  at  issue,  HE  is  sincere. 

From  1857  until  1861  he  was  postmaster  at  Brownhelm, 
the  proceeds  of  the  ofiBce  going  to  his  poor  neighbors. 

Prior  to  the  late  civil  war,  and  during  the  old  militia 
days,  Mr.  Peck  joined  an  Ohio  regiment,  in  which  he  be- 
came popular,  both  as  a  genial  comrade  and  an  able  military 
commander,  and  passed  through  the  several  grades,  from 
private  in  the  ranks  to  that  of  colonel,  being  regimental 
commander  when  mustered  out  of  service. 

Ann  M.  Peck,  eldest  daughter  of  Col.  E.  F.  Peck, 
married  H.  0.  Allen,  Jan.  1,  1865.  He  died  Nov.  17, 
1869.  Lydia  iSL,  second  daughter,  married  Geo.  P.  Deyo, 
Sept.  13,  1871.  William  E.  married  Lena  S.  Smith, 
Dec.  28,  1871. 


.^(^^ 


Elisha  Peck 

(Deceased.) 


FjESIDEMCE    OF     E.  F.  PECK  ,  BFJOWNHELM    TR,   LOf?AIN  CO.,0. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


221 


they  would  iiiove  into  tliuir  new  lioiiie  and  finish  it 
:it  leisure.  This  finishing  consisted  in  laying  a  floor 
of  planks  split  from  logs,  jmucheons  as  tliey  were 
called,  putting  up  a  chimney  in  one  end  of  the  house, 
ordinarily  of  sticks  plastered  with  clay,  sonu^times  of 
stone,  with  a  large  open  flre-place,  generally  made 
with  a  hearth  and  hack,  without  jainl)s  or  nuintel, 
adding  at  length  a  door,  when  there  was  leisure  to  go 
to  Shupe's  mill  on  Beaver  creek,  for  a  board,  and  a 
window  of  glass  if  it  could  l)e  had  ;  if  not,  oiled 
pa])er.  A  later  stage  in  the  operation  consisted  in 
"chinking"  the  cracks  between  the  logs  with  pieces 
of  wood"on  the  inside,  and  plastering  them  without 
with  clay  mortar.  As  leisure  and  prosperity  followed, 
loose  hoai'ds  were  laid  above  for  a  chamber  floor,  and 
in  cases  of  unusual  nicety  and  taste,  the  man  dev.oted 
several  evenings  to  hewing  the  logs  on  the  sides 
Avithin,  and  peeling  the  bark  from  the  round  joists 
overhead.  Families  unusually  favored  had  rough 
stairs  to  the  loft  above,  otherwise  a  ladder.  An  exca- 
vation below,  entered  through  a  trap  in  the  floor, 
served  as  a  cellar.  In  rare  cases,  a  family  attained  to 
the  dignity  of  a  sleeping  room,  separated  fi'om  the 
common  living  apartment  by  a  board  partition  ; 
oftener  chint/.  curtains,  or  sheets,  or  quilts,  secured 
the  privacy  of  the  bed.  These  often  disajipeared  as 
the  wants  of  the  fainily  pressed,  and  the  bed  was 
left  shelterless. 

The  furniture  of  this  primitive  home  was  as  simple 
as  the  domicile  itself.  The  bedstead  was  made  of 
round  poles,  shaved  or  peeled,  the  posts  at  the  head 
rising  above  the  bed  and  joined  by  a  bar  in  place  of 
a  headboard.  Elm  bark  often  served  in  place  of  a 
cord.  The  trundle-bed  was  the  same  thing  on  a 
smaller  scale.  A  table  was  extemporized  from  the 
cover  of  a  bo.x;  in  which  the  family  goods  w,ere 
brought  from  the  east,  while  the  box  itself,  with  a 
shelf  introduced,  served  as  a  cupboard  for  provisions. 
A  shelf  on  the  side  of  the  room  sup[)orted  the  crock- 
ery and  tin  ware,  while  a  few  stools,  with  now  and 
then  a  back  added,  according  to  the  mechanical  skill 
or  enterprise  of  the  proprietor,  served  the  place  of 
chairs.  This  simple  house,  with  its  simjiler  furniture, 
furnished  a  home  by  no  means  uncomfortable  where 
health,  and  hope,  and  kindly  feeling  were  the  light  of 
it.  The  skeleton  frame  house  of  the  pioneer  of  mod- 
ern days,  without  paint,  or  ceiling,  or  plaster,  or  tree 
to  shelter  it,  will  by  no  means  compare  with  the 
snug,  well  chinked,  substantial  log  house  of  the  early 
settlers. 

According  to  my  recollection,  the  first  frame  house 
in  town  was  built  by  Benjamin  Bacon,  and  the  next 
by  Dr.  Betts.  I  am  quite  sure  that  Mr.  Bacon's 
was  the  first  painted  one  that  my  eyes  ever  rested  on. 
The  first  brick  house  in  town,  and  indeed  in  the 
county,  was  built  by  m^'  father,  in  1824.  To  this  day 
it  is,  I  believe,  the  only  brick  house  in  the  town.  It 
was  built  with  twenty  thousand  brick,  at  an  aggregate 
cost  of  three  hundred  dollars.  It  has  received  some 
additions  and  improvements,  but  does  not  appear  to 


lie  as  large  as  when  it  was  first  built.  The  first  stylish 
house  in  town  was  .Judge  Brown's,  built  in  182G,  a 
grand  affair  in  its  day,  and  still  a  stately  farm  house. 
The  great  drawback  of  the  country,  and  at  the 
same  time  its  chief  advantage,  was  the  grand  old 
forest  with  which  the  entire  surface  was  covered,  fur- 
nishing everj'  variety  of  tindier  that  could  be  needed 
in  a  new  country,  in  (|uautities  that  seemed  absolutely 
inexhaustible.  Along  tiie  ridges  the  chestnut  pre- 
vailed, tlie  trunk  from  two  to  four  feet  in  diameter, 
and  a  hundred  feet  in  height,  furnishing  the  best 
fencing  material  that  any  new  country  was  ever  blessed 
with.  The  ouly  discount  on  the  chestnut  Avas  in  the 
fact  that  the  stump  would  remain  full  thirty  years,  an 
offense  to  the  farmer,  unless  some  strenuous  means 
were  used  to  eradicate  it.  The  surest  way  was  to  un- 
dermine it,  and  bury  it  ou  the  spot  where  it  grew. 
The  tree  next  in  value  for  timber  was  the  whitewood 
or  tulip  tree,  of  regal  majesty,  and  second  only  to  the 
white  pine  for  finishing  lumber,  and  for  some  uses 
superior  to  it.  The  oak  and  the  hickory,  in  every 
variety  and  of  magnificent  proportions,  were  found 
everywhere;  and,  on  the  lowlands  and  river  bottoms, 
the  black  walnut,  probably  tbe  most  stately  tree  of 
Northern  Ohio  forests,  inferior  in  magnificence  only 
to  the  famous  red  wood  of  California.  A  single  speci- 
men was  standing  on  the  Vermillion  I'iver  bottom  at 
a  recent  date,  which  was  said  to  measure  fifteen  feet 
in  diameter  above  the  swell  of  the  roots.  In  the  early 
years,  this  valuable  fancy  timber  only  ranked  next  to 
the  chestnut,  and  there  are  barns  and  cowsheds  in 
town  roofed  with  clean  black  walnut  boards,  two  feet 
and  more  in  width.  With  the  first  settlers,  these 
magnificent  forests  were  not  held  in  high  apprecia- 
tion. They  were  esteemed  usurpers  of  the  soil,  and 
the  great  endeavor  was  to  exterminate  them.  The 
coming  generation  will  not  be  able  to  comprehend  the 
labor  involved  in  this  enterprise,  or  the  pluck  that 
could  accomplish  it.  "A  man  was  famous  according 
as  he  lifted  up  axes  upon  the  thick  trees."  No  iron- 
sinewed  engina.was  at  hand  to  take  the  brunt  of  the 
work.  The  pioneer  himself,  eipiipped  only  with  his 
axe,  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  log  chain,  must  attack,  lay 
low  and  reduce  to  ashes  the  forests  that  overhung  his 
farm.  The  men  that  accomplished  this  were  sturdy 
in  liml)  and  strong  in  heart.  A  feeble  race  would 
have  retired  from  the  encounter.  'J'he  ])ioneerof  tlie 
present  day,  who  has  only  to  turn  over  the  pi'airie 
sod,  and  wait  for  the  harvest,  can  know  little  of  the 
labor  involved  in  settling  a  heavy-timbered  country. 
Yet,  if  this  had  been  a  prairie  country,  its  settle- 
ment must  have  been  deferred  full  twenty  years. 
The  forests  were  a  vast  store  house  of  material  for 
building  and  fencing,  and  for  fuel.  The  house  in- 
volved no  outlay  of  capital.  Stern  labor  could  accom- 
plish everything.  But  for  these  forests  each  family 
would  have  required  a  capital  of  a  thousand  or  two  of 
dollars,  and  facditiesfor  the  transportation  of  lumber 
and  other  material  would  have  been  required,  and  a 
market  where  the  products  of  the  soil  could  bo  ex- 


222 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


changed  for  tliese  materials.  The  pioneer  found  his 
best  friend  in  the  forest,  but  the  friendship  was  one 
of  stern  conditions,  yielding  its  advantages  only  lo 
tlio  brave  hearted.  It  is  a  little  sad  to  look  back  to 
the  uncounted  thousands  of  splendid  trees  of  white 
wood,  and  oak.  and  ash,  and  hickory,  and  black  wal- 
nut, and  cliestuul.  wliich  by  dint  of  vast  lalior  were 
reduced  to  ashes,  and  recall  the  fact  that  each  one  of 
these  trunks,  if  now  standing  where  it  grew,  ,vonld 
sell  for  ten  to  Hfty  dollars.  Indeed,  it  is  probable 
that  if  the  original  forests  could  bo  replaced,  the 
standing  t  iniber  would  i)ring  more  at  sale  than  the. 
farms  of  the  townshi]i,  with  all  their  improvements, 
are  now  worth.  But  our  case  is  not  peculiar;  at  some 
such  sacj-ilicc  every  new  country  is  settled.  The 
farms  of  New  England  would  to-day  scarce  sell  for 
enough  to  construct  theston(^  walls  that  separate  their 
fields.  The  grain  that  has  rotted  on  the  prairie  farms 
of  Illinois  for  want  of  barns  and  granaries,  sold  in 
the  market  to-day,  would  buy  all  the  farms  of  that 
I'ich  State.  To  regret  such  a  circumstance  is  only  less 
absurd  than  to  mourn  over  the  fact  that  Adam  did 
not  put  out  a  few  dollars  at  compound  interest,  which 
by  endless  reduplications  would  have  furnished  every 
child  of  Adam  with  a  fortune.  There  is  amusement 
in  such  figures,  but  no  instruction.  The  divine  wis- 
dom that  planned  the  continent,  jdaced  the  prairies 
west  of  the  forests,  and  the  gold  still  farther  on  in 
the  direction  of  the  "march  of  empire."  Any  othei- 
arrangement  would  have  obstructed  or  greatly  retarded 
the  occupation  of  the  country. 

The  habit  contracted  in  the  clearing  of  the  lands, 
the  passion  for  destroying  trees,  has  sometimes  sur- 
vived the  necessity,  and  even  to  this  day  needs  a  little 
guarding.  The  men  who  rejoiced  over  the  fall  of 
every  tree,  are  not  likely  to  cherish  with  sufficient 
care  the  I'emuants  of  the  grand  old  forests,  or  to  re- 
jilaiit  on  the  grounds,  cleared  with  so  much  labor, 
the  trees  necessary  for  shade,  and  ornament,  and 
utility.  I  have  seen  a  splendid  elm,  the  delight  of  a 
whole  village,  ruthlessly  cut  down  by  some  border 
ruttian  whose  only  thought  of  trees  is  to  cut  them 
down,  liut  such  was  our  early  training.  The  glad- 
dest sound  of  our  childhood  was  the  crash  of  falling 
trees,  and  mother  and  children  together  rushed  out  of 
the  cabin  as  each  giant  fell,  to  see  how  the  area  of 
vision  was  extended.  Thus,  slowly  and  with  huge 
labor,  the  cleared  circle  expanded  around  each  home. 
When  ground  was  rei(uired  for  cultivation  more  rap- 
idly than  it  could  be  thoroughly  cleared  the  plan  of 
"girdling"  or  deadening"  was  adopted,  which  killed 
the  larger  trees  and  left  them  standing.  The  advan- 
tage was  a  doubtful  one.  The  falling  limbs  of  the 
girdled  trees  destroyed  the  crops  and  sometimes  the 
cattle,  and  often  crushed  the  fences,  and  now  and 
then  the  cabin  itself;  and  a  fire  in  a  girdling  on  a 
windy  autumn  night  was  full  of  terror  to  a  whole 
neighborhood.  The  loss  of  many  a  hay-stack,  and 
barn,  and  house,  wa-;  the  price  of  the  seeming  advan- 
tage.     Then,    too,    the   final  clearing  away   of    the 


branchless  timber,  ease  hardened  in  the  sun,  was  a 
more  discouraging  work  than  the  original  thorough 
clearing  would  have  been.  But  these  facts  were  only 
learned  by  experience,  and  so  every  settlement  had  its 
"girdling." 

It  was  a  stern  work,  the  clearing  u|i  and  subduing 
of  these  beautiful  farms,  snatching  meanwhile  from 
among  the  countless  stumps,  by  hasty  culture,  the 
support  of  the  family,  and  in  many  cases  the  means 
of  jiaying  for  the  farm,  or  at  least  the  interest  on  the 
purchase  jjrice,  until  a  brighter  day  should  bring  the 
princii)al.  He  was  a  fortunate  man  who  brought 
from  the  east  the  jn-ice  of  his  land.  It  many  cases 
it  made  the  difference  between  success  and  failure. 
It  was  very  discouraging,  after  a  straggle  of  years 
with'hard  work  and  sickness,  to  find  the  original  debt 
increasing  instead  of  diminishing;  and  it  is  not 
strange  that  here  and  there  one  sold  his  "  improve- 
ments" fertile  means  of  conveying  his  family  back 
to  the  e:istern  home,  and  retired  from  the  conflict. 
The  great  majority  stood  bravely  to  the  work,  and 
achieved  a.  satisfactory  success. 

It  is  ditlicult  for  the  young  people  of  this  day  to 
appreciate  the  conditions  of  living  in  the  new  settle- 
ment. We  need  to  recall  the  fact  that  northern  Ohio, 
fifty  years  ago,  was  farther  from  the  ai)j)liances  of  civ- 
ilization than  any  portion  of  North  America  reckoned 
halii table,  is  to-day.  The  canal  through  the  State  of 
New  York  was  not  in  existence,  had  scarcely  been 
dreaiiied  of.  Western  New  York  itself  was  mostly 
a  howling  wilderness.  The  articles  needed  in  the 
now  country  could  not  be  brought  from  the  far  east 
except  at  ruinous  cost,  and  for  the  produce  of  the 
new  country  the  only  market  was  that  made  by  the 
wants  of  the  occasional  new  families  that  joined  the 
settlement.  These  generally  brought  a  little  money, 
which  was  soon  divided  amonti;  their  neighbors.  The 
families  in  general  came  well  furnished  with  clothing, 
after  the  New  England  fashion  ;  but  a  year  or  two  of 
wear  and  tear  in  the  woods,  sadly  reduced  the  store. 
The  children  did  not  slop  growing  in  the  woods,  nor 
in  those  days  did  they  cease  to  multiply  and  replenish 
the  earth.  The  outgrown  garments  of  the  older 
children  might  serve  for  the  younger,  but  where  were 
the  new  garments  for  these  older  children  to  grow 
into  r'  Flax  could  be  raised,  and  summer  linen  of 
tow,  and  bleached  linen,  and  copperas  stripe,  could  be 
manufactured,  when  hands  and  health  could  be  found 
to  do  it.  Every  woman  was  a  spinner,  but  only  here 
and  there  was  a  weaver,  and  each  family  had  to  come 
in  for  its  turn.  The  old  garments  often  grew  shabby 
before  the  piece  which  was  to  furnish  the  summer 
wear  of  the  family  could  be  put  through  the  loom. 
In  autumn  the  difficulty  was  increased.  The  mate- 
rial for  winter  clothing  could  not  be  extemporized  in 
the  new  country.  Sheep  came  in  slowly.  At  first 
they  were  not  safe  from  wolves,  and  afterwards  the 
new  lands  proved  unwholesome  to  them,  and  they 
died,  often  suddenly,  without  visible  cause.  But 
when  wool  could  not  be  obtained,  the  process  of  man- 


^  — ^1 


'■'        ^^®5?-  'f!f§^^ 


FjEsiOENCE  OF  CYRUS    L.WHITTLESEY,  Si^OWNHELM  rp.,Loi?AiNCo..O. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


223 


ufacture  was  slow  ami  the  time  unuertuiii.  The  spin- 
ning was  a  matter  that  could  be  managed  ;  tlie 
weaving  involved  uncertainty,  anil  then  the  web  must 
be  sent  to  tlie  ch)th-dress(u-  and  bide  its  time.  It 
might  come  home  long  after  tlianksgiving,  long  after 
winter  school  began.  Thus  an  unreasonable  demand 
was  made  upon  the  summer  clothing,  a  demand  which 
it  conld  bnt  poorly  answer.  It  was  not  rare  to  see  a 
boy  at  school  with  his  summer  pants  drawn  over  the 
remnants  of  his  last  winter's  wear,  a  combination 
which  ])rovided  both  for  warmth  and  decency.  Some 
families  dispensed  altogether  with  the  clothier's  ser- 
vices, and  by  the  aid  of  a  butternut  dye  gave  their 
cloth  a  home  dressing,  avoiding  the  loss  of  time  and 
the  loss  of  surface  by  shrinkage — both  important 
elements  in  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  clotiiing 
tlie  boys.  The  undressed  cloth  was  indeed  rather 
light  for  winter,  especially  when  the  extravagance 
of  underelotliing,  or  of  overcoats  for  the  l)oys  was 
never  dreamed  of;  but  it  was  very  much  better  than 
none. 

Tiie  various  devices  for  making  clothing  serve  its 
|)urpose  as  long  as  jKissible,  were  in  use,  and  some 
ingei  i(jus  ones,  unknown  at  the  ])resent  day.  Pant- 
aloons were  given  a  longer  lease  of  life  by  facing  the 
exposed  portions  with  home-dressed  deerskin.  This 
served  an  admirable  purpose,  as  long  as  there  was 
enough  of  the  original  g.irnunt  left  to  sui^ily  a  skel- 
eton; bnt  at  length  tlis  wiiole  fabric  would  break 
down  together,  like  the  "wonderful  one  horse  shay." 
(iarmcnts  made  wholly  of  buckskin  were  sometimes 
attempted,  but  after  a  single  wetting  and  drying,  they 
were  as  uncomfortable  as  if  made  of  siieet  iron.  Leather 
was  scarce,  and  shoes  as  a  conseipience.  Here  and  there 
was  a  tannery,  after  a  year  or  two;  hut  where  were 
the  hides?  Cattle  were  scarce,  and  too  valuable  to  be 
sacriliced  for  such  small  comforts  as  shoes  and,  tallow 
candles,  and  fresh  beef.  If  some  disease  had  not  ap- 
peared among  them,  now  and  then,  the  case  would 
have  b(*n  still  worse.  But  in  those  simple  times,  a 
hide  could  not  be  tanned  in  a  day.  After  l(.)ng 
months  the  leather  came,  but  shoemakers,  proverb- 
ially slow,  were  indeliuitely  slower,  when  their  out 
door  work  absorbed  their  energies,  and  they  resorted 
ti)  the  bench  only  for  spare  evenings  and  rainy  days. 
The  boy  must  go  for  his  shoes  a  half  score  of  times, 
and  return  with  a  jiromise  for  next  week.  The  snow 
often  came  before  the  shoes,  and  then  the  shoes  them- 
selves would  he  a  curiosity. — made  as  they  were  indis- 
criminately from  the  skins  of  the  hog,  the  d(jg,  the 
deer,  and  the  wolf.  I  remember  to  have  worn  all 
these  myself. 

Sometimes  when  the  household  store  of  clothing 
seemed  nearly  exliausted,  and  every  garment  had 
served  its  generation  in  a  half  dozen  diiferent  forms, 
a  box  would  come  from  the  east,  brought  by  some 
family  moving  into  the  new  country,  well  charged 
with  half  worn  garments  and  new  cloth,  and  a  stray 
string  of  dried  ajiples  to  till  out  a  corner,  enough  to 
make  glad  the  hearts  of  the  recipients  for  a  year. 


■"Mother  says  we  are  rich  now.*' saiil  three  little 
boys  to  a  neighbor's  children,  whum  they  met  in  the 
road,  after  the  arrival  of  a  box  from  Stockliridge. 
"  Well,"  was  the  reply,  "  we  are  not  rich,  we  are 
poor,  and  poor  folks  go  to  heaven,  and  rich  folks 
don't."  This  was  a  new  view  of  the  parable  of  the 
rich  man  and  Lazarus,  and  the  linys  went  home  ipiite 
crest-fallen. 

It  relieved  this  experience  of  povei-ty  that  all  shared 
in  it.  Many  of  our  wants  are  merely  relative.  We 
need  good  things  liecaiise  our  neighbors  have  them. 
But  in  those  days,  there  were  few  contrasts  to  disturb 
even  the  poorest.  Still,  without  any  reference  to 
others,  there  is  some  slight  discomfort  to  a  boy  in 
calling  at  a  neighbor's  house  in  such  a  plight  that  he 
cannot  safely  turn  his  back  to  the  people  as  he  leaves 
the  house;  or  in  crossing  the  meadow  on  a  frosty 
morning  with  bare  feet,  stopping  now  and  then  to 
warm  them  on  a  stone  not  so  cold  as  the  grass. 

In  the  matter  of  necessary  food,  the  new  country 
was  more  generous.  The  soil  yielded  abundantly 
when  once  brought  under  cultivation,  furnishing  the 
substantial  of  life.  The  material  of  bread  was  abund- 
ant, but  in  a  dry  season,  the  wheat  could  not  be 
ground.  Brown's  mill,  on  the  Vermillion,  was  the  first 
to  fail;  then  Shui)e's,  on  Beaver  creek,  or  Starrs,  at 
Birmingham,  and  last,  Ely's,  at  Elyria.  The  grists 
were  ground  in  the  order  of  their  rece])tion,  and  some- 
times a  family  was  obliged  to  wait  weeks  for  its  turn,  as 
the  water  was  sufficient  only  for  an  hour's  work  in  a  day; 
and  sometimes  the  mill  rested  for  days  in  succession. 
Then  it  was  no  small  enterprise  to  go  to  Elyria  to 
mill.  There  was  a,  time  within  my  own  recollection, 
when  there  wei'e  not  a  half  dozen  horses  in  town. 
Mr.  Peck  had  a  sjian.  Mr.  Bacon  one,  and  Judge 
Brown  a  span.  These  horses  were  freely  lent,  but 
they  could  not  meet  the  requirements  of  the  entire 
settlement,  when  the  mill  was  a  dozen  miles  away, 
and  still  be  of  any  use  to  their  owners.  When  one 
went  to  mill  with  a  team,  he  was  expected  to  carry 
the  grists  of  his  neighbors,  or  bring  them  home,  if  he 
found  them  ground.  When  the  mills  were  at  rest,  it 
was  allowable  to  Itoi  row  as  long  as  there  was  any  flour 
in  the  neighboi'hood,  and  when  it  failed,  we  enjoyed 
a  week's  variety  of  '■jointed  corn,"  or  pounded  wheat. 
There  was  a  little  pt-ril  to  young  hands  in  this  work 
of  "jointing"  corn,  and  many  a  thuml),  fifty  jears 
old  or  less,  bears  marks  as  mysterious  to  the  children 
of  this  day,  as  the  fossil  bird  tracks  of  the  Connecticut 
sand  stone. 

Pork  was  the  staple  arti(  le  in  flesh  diet,  an  ox  or 
a  cow  being  too  valuable  to  slaugliter.  For  flesh  meat 
we  had  venison  and  other  wild  game, — so  plenty  at 
times  as  to  become  a  drug.  In  the  view  of  those  who 
lived  here  in  the  early  days,  such  meats  are  likely  to 
be  regarded  as  fancy  adornments  of  a  bill  of  fare,  not 
satisfactory  as  an  every  day  reliance.  A\'hen  an  orig- 
inal Brown heliner  goes  to  the  city,  he  is  not  likely  to 
call  for  venison,  unless  to  recall  the  early  exjierienee, 
as  the  people  of  Israel  used  unleavened   bread  and 


224 


niSTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


bitter  Imrlis  at  tin;  passover.  lie  lui.s  douc  his  diUj  in 
that,  line  of  eating.  Roasted  I'accoon  and  baked  opos- 
sum were  never  popular.  Those  may  enjoy  wiio  have 
never  tasted. 

Our  sup|)ly  of  fruits  was  not  abundant.  Tiirce 
years  sufiiced  to  liring  tlie  i)eacli  into  bearing  from 
the  stone;  hence,  this  was  the  earliest  cultivated  fruit. 
And  we  had  peaches  in  those  times.  Tiie  diseases 
and  insects  that  ruin  the  peach  tree  were  then  un- 
known. A  wagon  load  of  the  finest  peaclics  could  be 
liad  for  the  gathering.  Peach  cider  was  attem|)ted  in 
various  parts  of  the  town,  before  the  advent  of  teeto- 
talisni,  but  the  cause  of  temperunce  never  suffered 
from  it.  Apples  and  pears  came  on  very  slowly.  The 
plan  of  grafting  was  not  much  in  use,  and  the  virgin 
soil  which  stimulated  the  growth  of  wood,  was  not 
favorable  to  early  fruitage.  I  remember  that  I  was 
called  from  bed  one  morning  to  see  an  apple  tree  in 
lilossom,  the  first  I  ever  saw.  In  the  thought  of  tlie 
children  of  that  time,  the  forbidden  fruit  of  Eden 
was  an  ap[ile.  Nothing  else  could  be  such  a  tempta- 
tion. Now  and  then  a  stray  apple  reached  us  from 
the  orchard  of  Horatio  Perry,  or  of  Judge  Ruggles  in 
Vermillion.  And  what  a  Havor  there  was  in  that 
slice  from  a  pippin,  i)rought  by  Mi'.  Alverson.  all  the 
way  from  Stockbridge,  in  his  knapsack!  We  have  no 
apples  now-a-days!  The  first  pear  tliat  the  boy  tasted 
lie  w;is  not  allowed  to  see.  He  was  told  to  shut  his 
eyes  and  opan  liis  miuth.  and  a  bit  of  the  delicious 
mystery  was  placed  iqion  his  tongue. 

Sugar  could  be  obtained  from  the  Uiaple  then,  as 
now,  but  the  maple  tree  was  not  abundant  in  the 
township.  Many  farms  were  entirely  destitute  of  it, 
and  few  families  made  sugar  enough  for  the  year's 
suii[>ly.  It  was  not  a  rare  tiling  for  a  family  to  be 
without  sugar  for  months  in  succession.  Honey  and 
pumpkin  molasses  were  used  as  substitutes  for  sweet- 
ening tea  and  nniking  gingerbread, — noc  quite  equal 
to  refined  sugar;  but  they  served  to  keep  alive  the 
idea  of  sweetness. 

Genuine  tea, — old  or  young  hyson, — was  regarded 
as  a  necessary  of  life,  and  no  well  conditioned  family 
could  be  found  without  it;  but  it  would  astonish  a 
modern  housekeeper  to  hear  how  small  a  (piantity 
would  meet  the  necessity.  Children  never  needed 
it;  it  was  not  good  for  them;  and  a  pound  would 
supply  a  family  for  a  year.  Tea  must  have  been 
a  different  tiling  in  those  times.  A  single  teasjioon- 
ful,  well  steepi'd,  would  furnisli  socialiility  to  a 
half  dozen  ladies  of  an  afteriKx.in:  and  the  same  pot, 
refilled  with  water,  would  charm  away  the  weariness 
of  the  men  folks,  when  they  returnad  from  their 
work.  A  cargo  of  such  tea,  in  these  days,  would 
make  the  fortune  of  the  importer.  Store  coffee  was 
essentially  unknown,  and  therefore  not  needed. 

The  table  furniture  was  simple,  and  the  frugal 
habits  of  New  England  on  this  point,  favored  the 
condition  of  the  peojile.  The  food  was  placed  in  a 
common  dish  in  the  middle  of  the  table,  the  potato 
mashed  and  seasoned  to  the  taste,  and  the  meat  cut 


in  niouthfuls  ready  for  appropriation.  A  knife  and 
fork  at  each  place  sufficed,  or  even  one  of  them  would 
do  for  the  children.  A  drinking-cup  or  tumbler  at 
each  end  of  the  table  was  ample.  If  bread  and  milk 
was  the  bill  of  fare,  a  single  bowl  and  spoon  could  do 
duty  for  the  entire  family,  going  down  from  the  oldest 
to  the  youngest.  This  may  seem  like  imagination — 
it  is  simple  fact.  Commonly  a  tin  basin  or  pewter 
porringer  went  around  among  the  younger  children  ; 
but  as  they  grew  older  they  preferred  to  wait,  for  the 
sake  of  using  the  crockery  ware. 

In  those  dark-walled  log  cabins,  a  single  tallow 
candle  would  not  seem  so  afford  superfluous  light  of 
a  winter  evening  ;  but  only  favored  families  could 
indulge  the  luxury.  The  candle  was  lighted  when 
visitors  came.  At  other  times  the  bright  wood  fire 
was  the  chief  reliance,  and  for  sewing  or  reading  a 
nicked  tea  saucer  filled  with  hog's  fat,  and  a  wick  of 
twisted  rag  projecting  over  the  edge.  This  was 
the  classic  lamji  of  the  log  cabin,  open  to  accident 
indeed,  but  a  dash  of  grease  on  the  puncheon  floor 
was  an  immaterial  circumstance.  Two  dipped  can- 
dles furnished  the  light  for  an  evening  meeting,  the 
hour  for  which  was  very  properly  designated  as 
"early  candle  lighting."  The  out  door  life  of  the 
early  settlers  iiresented  some  peculiar  features.  The 
chief  item  of  farm  work  was  clearing  land.  The 
first,  and  in  some  respects  the  most  valuable  products 
of  this  labor,  was  derived  from  the  ashes  of  the  burnt 
forests.  I'lack  salts,  or  potash,  concentrated  much 
value  in  a  small  bulk  ;  and  hence  would  bear  trans- 
portation to  a  distant  market.  For  years  it  was 
the  only  article  of  farm  produce  which  would  bring 
money.  Some  trader  at  the  mouth  of  Black  river,  or 
at  Elyria,  would  )>ay  one-third  cash  for  this  article, 
and  the  balance  in  goods.  Thus  the  farmer  could 
raise  the  money  to  pay  his  taxes,  and  a  little  more  for 
tea  and  cotton  cloth,  which  were  always  cash  articles. 
Wheat  and  corn  would  not  sell  for  cash,  except  occa- 
sionally a  little  to  an  immigrant,  until  about  the  time 
of  the  completion  of  the  Erie  canal.  It  was  the 
height  of  jirosperity  when  at  length  white  flint  corn 
came  to  sell  at  eighteen  cents  a  bushel,  and  white 
army  beans  at  thirty  to  fifty  cents.  From  tliat  day 
we  were  "out  of  the  woods." 

The  apjiliances  for  farm  culture  were  not  the  most 
efficient.  Horses  and  wagons  came  slowly.  Oxen 
and  carts,  however,  furnished  a  very  good  substitute, 
indeed,  were  best  suited  to  the  work  in  the  midst  of 
logs  and  stumps.  They  were  not  so  convenient  for 
trips  to  mill,  or  to  market,  or  to  meeting  ;  but  they 
were  made  to  answer  all  these  ]iurposes.  Indeed,  a 
single  ox,  fitlv  harnessed,  was  sometimes  made  to  do 
duty  as  a  horse  in  plowing  corn.  The  plow  of  these 
times  was  such  as  each  faryier  possessing  a  little 
mechanical  gumption,  could  make  for  himself.  The 
share,  as  it  was  called  by  coui-tesy,  was  brought  from 
the  east,  made  of  wrought  iron  and  pointed  with 
steel.  The  mould-board  was  split  from  an  oak  log 
and  hewed  into  a  slightly  sjiiral  form,  and  the  whole 


WILLIAM    SAYLES. 


Photos,  by  Lee,  Elyria,  0. 


MRS.  WILLIAM    SAYLES. 


MES.  SARAH  C.  SAYLES. 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


225 


WHS  bound  together  by'a  bolt  which  uxleinlL'd  from  ;t 
block  at  the  base  up  tlirough  the  beam.  The  clear, 
shiuing  furrow  of  the  modern  plowman  could  not 
follow  such  an  implement.  I  remember  well  the  sen- 
sation produced  by  the  first  cast-iron  plow  brought 
into  the  country.  Peojile  came  miles  to  see  it.  The 
only  dniwback  was  that  when  the  point  failed,  it 
could  be  replaced  only  by  sending  to  Massachusetts, 
except  that  the  i)roprietor  chanced  to  be  enough  of  a 
Yankee  to  whittle  out  a  mould  for  himself,  and  thus 
obtained  a  perpetual  supply  from  a  furnace  at  Blyria. 
Mechanics  and  artisans  appeared  slowly.  All  the 
energies  of  the  people  were  concentrated  ujion  clear- 
ing the  land,  and  they  had  no  surplus  means  to 
support  mechanics  who  should  supply  them  with  the 
refinements  of  life.  Shoemakers  were  first  called  for, 
and  some  men  found  themselves  shoemakers  who  had 
never  been  suspected,  either  by  their  friends  or  them- 
selves, of  any  acquaintance  w'ith  the  art.  Among  the 
first  who  wore  recognized  as  accomplished  artists  in 
this  line,  were  Mr.  Peck  and  his  sons,  Mr.  Scott  near 
the  stone  quarry,  Mr.  Wells  on  the  lake,  and  after- 
ward Mr.  Hosford  and  his  sons.  Mr.  Peck  estab- 
lished a  tannery,  and  could  thus  perform  the  whole 
labor  of  transforming  into  shoes  the  few  hides  which 
the  murrain  furnished  to  a  reluctant  community. 
The  shoemaker  often  went  from  house  to  house, 
making  shoes  for  the  entire  family,  an  operation  that 
was  called  "whipi)ing  the  cat." 

The  first  blacksmith  in  town,  and  the  only  one  for 
many  years,  was  Deacon  Shepard.  A  farmer  like  the 
rest,  he  spent  his  mornings  and  evenings  and  rainy 
days  at  his  anvil.  Such  double  service  would  seem 
too  much  for  ordinary  endurance;  but  the  deacon  still 
walks  among  the  people  whom  he  thus  served,  able, 
in  his  eighty-third  year,  to  do  a  good  day's  work. 
Seth  JMorse  made  rakes,  scythe  snaths  and  farm  cra- 
dles. Mr.  Blodgett  manufactured  our  brooms,  and 
Solomon  Whittlesey  converted  the  farmer's  black  salts 
into  pearlash.  Alfred  Avery  was  a  wheelwright,  and 
of  course  a  carpenter,  more  strictly  devoted  to  his 
trade  than  most  of  the  first  mechanics.  Thomas  Sly, 
on  the  lake  shore,  was  a  carpenter,  and  his  son  James 
after  him;  on  the  south  ridge,  Durand  and  Hancock. 
Many  of  the  farmers  had  sufficient  skill  in  the  work- 
ing of  wood  to  construct  their  plows,  sleds,  ox-yokes 
and  ordinary  farming  implements,  and  to  jjut  an  axle 
into  a  cart  or  wagon.  Ezekiel  Goodrich,  on  the  lake 
shore,  was  the  first  cabinet  maker.  There  was  no 
brick  or  stone  mason  in  the  early  settlement.  The 
only  work  in  that  line  was  the  building  of  stick  chim- 
neys, and  now  and  then  one  of  stone  and  brick,  and 
pointing  the  crevices  of  the  log  cabins  every  winter 
with  clay — even  the  boys  learned  to  do  this.  Such 
extempore  mason-work  was  not  always  reliable.  The 
stone  chimney  in  the  house  built  for  Dr.  Betts  buried 
Mr.  Pease  in  its  ruins  one  day,  when  he  was  engaged 
laying  the  hearth.     He  was  bruised,  not  killed. 

The  first  flouring-mill  was  built  by  Judge  Brown, 
in  18'.il,  on  the  Vermillion,  near  the  present  Swift 

29 


place.  After  two  or  three  years,  it  was  removed  down 
the  river  and  placed  by  the  side  of  a  saw  mill,  owned 
by  Hinckley  and  Morse,  and  is  the  same  mill  now 
owned  by  Benjamin  Bacon — the  same  perhaps  in  the 
sense  that  the  boy's  knife  was  the  same  after  having 
a  new  blade  and  a  new  handle.  Its  original  infirmity 
was  want  of  motive  power  in  a  dry  time,  a  weakness 
from  which  it  has  never  fully  recovered — the  failure 
of  the  dam  in  a  wet  time,  and  the  freezing  up  of  the 
wheel  in  winter. 

There  is  now — fall  of  1878 — one  grist  mill  in  the 
township.  This  is  the  mill  of  John  H.  Heyman, 
called  the  "  Brownlielm  Mills,"  situated  in  West 
Brownhelm,  on  the  Vermillion.  The  mill  was  erected 
by  the  present  owner,  in  the  fall  of  1877,  at  a  cost  of 
some  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  There  are  three  run 
of  stones,  beside  a  middlings  stone.  The  mill  is 
usually  run  by  water  power,  but  an  engine  has  been 
added  for  use  in  dry  seasons.  The  new  process,  called 
the  "steaming  process,"  is  adopted  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  flour,  which  consists  simply  of  steaming  the 
wheat  about  six  hours  before  grinding.  About  three 
hundred  barrels  of  fiour  are  now  shii^ped  per  week, 
the  principal  market  for  which  is  Cleveland.  It  is 
one  of  the  best  establishments  of  the  kind  in  this 
section  of  country.  Mr.  Heyman  also  has,  in  con- 
nection with  his  grist  mill,  a  saw  mill,  run  by  the 
same  motive  power. 

The  first  carding  and  cloth-dressing  establishment 
was  built  by  Uriah  Hawley  and  Charles  Whittlesey, 
on  the  Vermillion,  but  a  little  southwest  of  Brown- 
helm  territory.  The  first  hotel  in  town  was  kept  by 
Alva  Curtis,  first  in  his  log  house,  afterwards  in  a 
more  stately  structure.  It  was  always  a  pleasant 
home  for  a  traveler.  The  sign  itself  gave  notice  that 
Sunday  calls  were  not  desired.  Travelers  were  also 
entertained,  for  a  consideration,  at  any  house  at  which 
they  felt  inclined  to  stop. 

Mr.  Curtis  brought  the  first  stock  of  goods  into  the 
town,  and  opened  a  store.  His  assortment  was  not 
extensive,  but  I  remember  buying  there,  one  day,  a 
clay  tobacco  pipe — a  present  for  Aunt  Patty  Andrews, 
whose  favor  was  very  valuable  to  all  boys  who  loved 
kindly  words  and  doughnuts — and  an  illustrated  edi- 
tion of  "Cock  Robin"  for  myself.  Stores  were  after- 
wards opened  at  Black  River,  Elyria,  South  Amherst, 
North  Amherst,  and,  in  1830,  one  by  Ezekiel  Good- 
rich, on  the  lake  shore  in  Brownhelm,  afterwards 
I'emoved  to  the  ridge  road,  near  Mr.  Curtis'. 

The  stores  in  town  at  the  present  time  are  the  fol- 
lowing: F.  M.  McGregor,  Sunshine  and  Stevenson 
in  West  Brownhelm;  W.  H.  Cooley,  at  Bacon's  Cor- 
ners; Gilison  Brothers,  .J.  Clark,  at  the  station,  and 
Chauncey  Peck  on  Middle  ridge. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

The  first  school  in  town  was  opened  by  Mrs.  Alver- 
son,  in  her  own  house,  in  the  summer  of  1819.  In 
the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  the  first  school  house 
was  built,  of  logs  of  course,  on  the  brow  of  the  hill 


326 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


just  west  of  Dr.  Perry's.  The  old  biittoruut  tree, 
which  still  survives,  stood  ne:ir  the  door.  The  site 
was  romantic,  but  it  was  ajjparently  selected  to  give 
the  teachers  the  opportuuity  of  forbidding  sliding 
down  hill  and  wading  in  the  brook.  The  house  was 
of  modest  dimensions,  eighteen  by  twenty-two,  but 
was  still  thought  by  some  to  indicate  too  ambitious  a 
disposition  on  the  part  of  the  people  who  lived  on 
this  road.  Hence  the  street  was  nicknamed  "Street 
street"  by  a  man  who  would  have  the  house  twelve 
feet  square — a  title  it  bore  for  many  years. 

This  school  house  was  finished  with  a  stick  chim- 
ney, and  a  broad  fireplace  without  jambs.  A  board 
around  the  house,  resting  on  pins  projecting  from  the 
walls,  served  for  desks;  and  whitewood  slabs,  sup- 
jiorted  by  pins,  made  the  seats.  Loose  boards  lying 
on  joists  made  a  loft  above,  and  an  excavation  beneatli 
the  floor,  reached  Ijy  raising  a  board,  served  as  a  dun- 
geon for  the  punishment  of  offenders.  In  our  childish 
simplicity,  we  suj>posed  the  excavation  was  made  for 
the  purpose,  with  malice  prepense,  but  I  have  since 
ascertained  that  it  was  an  accidental  result  of  making 
mortar  to  build  the  chimney. 

My  father  taught  the  school  the  first  two  winters, 
and  children  from  every  part  of  the  town  attended. 
There  was  no  public  school  fund  in  those  times,  and 
the  teacher  received  his  compensation  in  work  in  his 
"chopping"  the  next  spring,  day  for  day,  the  work 
being  distributed  among  the  families  according  to  the 
number  of  children  attending  the  school.  For  years 
afterwards  the  teacher  received  his  pay  in  farm  pro- 
duce. Among  the  earlier  teachers  in  that  house  were 
Abby  Harris,  Amelia  Peek  and  Pamelia  Curtis.  Miss 
Pamelia  herself  was  but  a  child,  thirteen  years  of  age; 
and,  although  she  sustained  her  responsibilities  with 
remarkable  dignity,  it  is  not  difficult  to  recall,  in  a 
retrospect,  some  childish  arrangements.  One  sum- 
mer day  she  placed  her  chair  on  the  table,  removed  a 
board  from  the  floor  aliove,  lifted  the  children  up  one 
by  one,  and  kept  school  up  stairs — the  excuse  being 
that  Colonel  Brown's  bull  had  been  seen  loose  around 
the  street  that  day,  and  he  might  be  wild — an  ample 
reason  in  the  imagination  of  both  teacher  and  chil- 
dren. Many  pleasant  memories  gather  about  the  old 
school  house,  in  spite  of  the  strijied  lizards  that  bur- 
roughed  in  its  crevices  to  frighten  nervous  girls,  and 
the  yawning  chasm  below,  in  which  heedless  boys 
were  often  engulfed. 

In  1834  the  "yellow  school  house"  was  built,a  few 
feet  west  of  the  log  one,  and  the  boys  had  the  exquisite 
pleasure  of  rolling  the  old  house  down  the  hill.  This 
yellow  school  house  was  an  elegant  one  in  its  day, 
painted  throughout  and  plastered.  It  was  no  ordi- 
nary school  house,  but  a  genuine  academy,  furnished 
with  unusual  apparatus,  globes,  and  wall  maps,  and 
pantograph,  and  tables  for  map-drawing  and  painting, 
all  under  the  charge  of  accomplished  teachers.  This 
was  the  first  attempt  in  the  county,  and  indeed  in  a 
much  wider  region,  at  a  school  of  anything  more  than 
a  local  character.      The  enterprise  originated   with. 


and  was  carried  forward  almo^  wholly  by  iJr.  Belts. 
It  prospered  for  two  or  three  years,  attracting  young 
ladies  in  the  summer  from  all  the  older  settlements, 
within  a  distance  of  twenty  miles;  from  Milan,  Nor- 
walk,  Florence,  Elyria,  Sheffield,  etc.  Mary  Harris 
of  Florence,  afterward  Mi-s.  IIo])kins  of  Milan,  taught 
the  school  the  first  two  summers;  after  her,  Mary 
Green,  now  Mrs.  Miles  of  Elyria.  The  first  winter 
Mortimer  Strong,  and  the  second  and  third  Mr.  Park- 
hurst,  were  the  teachers.  The  first  summer  the  house 
was  without  fire.  In  cool,  wet  weather  the  boys  kept 
u)i  an  out-door  fire;  and  between  the  damp  plastering 
within,  and  the  rain  without,  some  of  the  children 
took  the  ague  and  shook  the  summer  through.  In 
the  fall  a  stove  was  bought,  probably  the  first  that  was 
ever  brought  into  town,  a  diminutive  box  stove, 
eighteen  inches  in  length,  but  a  wonder  to  the  chil- 
<lren  of  the  woods,  who  had  never  seen  a  stove.  Over 
that  we  shivered  two  or  three  winters,  when  it  was 
succeeded  by  a  larger  stove  cast  in  plates,  but  utterly 
destitute  of  clamping  rods  to  hold  it  together.  No 
man  in  the  community  knew  tiiat  such  a  thing  was 
necessary,  and  it  was  no  rare  occurrence  for  a  long 
stick  to  thrust  out  the  end  plate,  and  occasionally  the 
whole  fabric  collapsed  at  once.  But  such  annoyances 
were  but  trifles,  and  the  Brownhelm  sciiool  main- 
tained a  character  above  that  of  other  schools  in  the 
country  around.  Among  the  earlier  teachers,  besides 
those  mentioned,  were  J.  A.  Harris  now  of  Cleveland; 
his  sister,  Miss  Emeline  Harris,  now  Mrs.  Tenney; 
Miss  Mary  Whittlesey,  and  .John  Curtis.  There  was 
no  other  school  in  town  the  first  dozen  years  or  more. 
After  three  or  four  years  it  ceased  to  be  anything  but 
a  local  school.  The  old  yellow  school  house  went  ofl' 
in  a  blaze  some  years  ago. 

In  the  summer  of  1830,  Rev.  Hervey  Lyon  opened 
an  academy  in  a  small  house  built  for  the  purpose,  a 
little  east  of  Mr.  Pease's.  This  was  kept  up  two 
years,  and  attended  by  small  number  of  pupils,  a  few 
of  whom  commenced  Latin  and  Greek  in  preparation 
for  college.  This  was  the  first  classical  school  in  the 
county,  and  gave  place  to  the  Elyria  high  school,  es- 
tablished in  1832,  of  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mouteith 
were  the  first  teachers.  This  school  enjoyed  two  years 
of  great  prosperity,  until  the  school  at  Oberlin  was 
o])ened  in  1834,  which  at  once  took  the  lead  aud  has 
maintained  it. 

The  report  of  the  clerk  of  the  boai-d  of  education 
for  the  year  ending  August  31,  1878,  gives  the  follow- 
ing   statistics  in   regard  to  schools,   viz: 

Number  of  hi  luses    9 

Araourii  paid  teachers $1,3S8 

Number  of  scholars 247 

RELIGIOUS. 

The  early  settlers  were  in  earnest  in  religions  mat- 
ters, as  well  as  in  education.  They  were  not  all  mem- 
bers of  the  church,  but  they  had  all  been  trained  in 
New  England  habits,  and  prominent  men  like  Alva 
Curtis  aud  Colonel  Brown,  who  did  not  at  first  have 


■.^'■^s^ 


RESIDENCE -:pf-CAPT  SAMUEL  FLINT, /IMHERST  Tp.,LOf^AiN  CO.,  Ohio 


^3  W'/'' 


UUESTKli    A.  COOiiEY. 


MRS.   (J.  A.  UOOLEY. 


CHESTER   A.  COOLEY 


was  born  in  Stockbridge,  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  Aug.  25, 
1812,  and  was  the  seventh  child  in  a  family  of  eight  children 
of  Enos  and  Anna  (Ashley)  Cooley,  both  of  New  England 
ance.stry.  During  the  fall  of  1817,  Enos  Cooley  and 
family  started  west  with  a  span  of  horses  and  wagon,  and 
arriving  at  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  stopped  over  until  the  month 
of  February  following.  He  was  very  poor  in  this  world's 
goods,  and  had  nothing  with  which  to  start  except  a  good 
constitution  and  a  desire  to  succeed  for  the  benefit  of  his 
family.  Young  Chester  had  to  work  hard,  fare  poorly, 
and  all  the  amusement  he  ever  had 
in  youth  was  fishing  and  'cooning. 
They  arrived  at  Brownhelni  towards 
the  last  of  the  year  1818,  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  acres  of  land, 
upon  which  they  erected  a  fine, 
hewed  log  house,  the  corners  being 
squared  by  Mr.  Cooley  himself,  he 
being  a  practical  mechanic.  This 
primitive  residence  stood  about  one 
mile  south  of  the  lake,  and  two 
miles  north  of  the  present  residence 
of  Chester  A.  Cooley.  The  superior 
quality  of  the  log  house,  however, 
did  not  furnish  food  for  the  family,  so 
that  they  traded  one  of  their  horses 
for  a  cow,  which  helped  a  little.  The 
creature  had  to  procure  its  own  fod- 
der in  the  woods,  and  sometimes  the 
family  were  minus  the  diurnal  supply 
of  the  lacteal  fluid  owing  to  the  non- 
appearance of  the  bovine.  Its  absence 
sometimes  extended  over  four  or  five 
days.  Mr.  Cooley, p^jr,  went  to  Elyria 
and  worked  in  Judge  Ely's  mills, 
while  the  children  cleared  the  land. 
Clearing  up  the  forest,  however,  was 

somewhat  detrimental  to  their  clothing,  so  that  one  of  the 
boys  shouldered  his  knapsack  and  proceeded  on  foot  to  Ma.s- 
sachusetts  for  a  fresh  supply  of  cloth,  earning  the  same  in  a 
factory  where  he  had  previously  worked.  These  and  similar 
privations  the  pioneers  had  to  bear,  but  little  by  little  the 
country  bt'gan  to  settle  up,  and  many  of  the  difliculties  of 
their  situation  were  removed.  At  the  age  of  twenty-eight, 
and  on  the  -Ith  of  November,  1840,  Chester  married  Catha- 
rineB.jdaughterof  Grandison  and  Nancy  (Harris)  Fairchild, 


WM.  II.  COOLEY. 


who  settled  in  Brownhelni  in  the  fall  of  1818.  By  this  union 
were  born  two  sons, — James  Francis,  born  Oct.  11,  1841  ; 
was  married,  in  March,  IStJo,  to  P]ffie  Darby,  sLster of  William 
Sayles'  first  wife;  died  Aug.  12,  1863,  ot  diphtheria.  He 
was  a  remarkably  good  son  and  brother,  cheerful,  careful,  and 
conscientious.  He  watched  over  his  younger  brother  with 
tender  solicitude,  and  was  faithful  in  every  duty  both  at 
home  and  at  school.  While  attending  Oberlin  College,  and 
boarding  with  his  uncle.  Professor  (now  President)  Fairchild, 
his  mother  once  inquired  whether  he  was  a  good  boy.  The 
professor  said,  "You  know  you  need 
not  ask.  I  never  saw  such  a  boy  ; 
he  is  always  in  the  right  place  at 
the  right  time."  He  taught  school, 
and  was  also  engaged  at  Sabbath- 
school  teaching.  Although  not  a  pro- 
fes.sor  of  religion  he  was  a  devout 
Christian,  and  his  death,  after  a  pain- 
ful illness  of  onl_y  four  days,  was  a  sore 
bereavement  alike  to  his  parents  and 
to  his  recently  married  wife. 

The  other  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cooley,  William  H.,  was  born  Sept. 
27,  1843  ;  was  married,  July  8, 1865, 
to  Sarah  Butler.  They  have  two 
daughters  and  one  son,  viz.  :  Caroline 
Madora,  born  Nov.  19,  1870  ;  Cath- 
arine Eloise,  born  Feb.  2, 1874;  Wm. 
Butler,  born  June  15,  1878. 

Chester  A.  Cooley  first  purchased 
fifty  acres  of  land,  for  which  he  went 
in  debt.  He  paid  for  it  by  working  for 
Judge  Brown  and  others,  and  making 
staves  from  the  timber  on  his  land. 
In  1846  he  sold  out  and  bought 
one  hundred  acres  where  he  now  re- 
sides. He  cast  his  first  vote,  in  1840, 
for  General  Harrison.  He  afterwards  became  an  anti- 
slavery  man,  and  is  now  a  Democrat.  He  is  an  honest,  con- 
scientious Christian,  a  first-class  fiirmer,  and  a  good  citizen. 
William,  his  only  son,  is  a  merchant  at  Brownhelm,  and  also 
postmaster  and  town  treasurer.  He  follows  in  his  father's 
footsteps,  and  is  generally  esteemed  a  worthy  member  of 
society.  He  was  for  several  years  superintendent  of  the 
Sabbath-school,  himself  and  wife  being  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


227 


!i  standing  in  tlie  clnircli,  still  maintained  family 
prayer  and  aided  in  the  Sabl)aili  services.  A  meeting 
was  held  at  Judge  Urown's  house  by  Deacon  James, 
the  Sabbath  before  July  -i,  1817,  and  from  that  day 
to  this  public  worshi[)  has  l)een  held  on  the  Sabbath, 
unless  for  a  single  day  l-he  violence  of  a  storm  may 
have  prevented  the  gathering.  The  first  meetings 
were  held  at  Judge  Brown's,  afterwards  at  Solomon 
Whittlesey's,  and  then  at  Mr.  Barnum's,  a  little  north 
of  the  stone  qnarry. 

At  this  point  the  first  meeting  house  was  built  in 
1819,  a  neat  and  commodious  structure  for  the  new 
country,  constructed  of  pealed  logs,  with  a  genuine 
shingle  roof,  and  a  stone  chimney  and  fire  place.  The 
infii-mity  of  this  part  of  the  arrangement  was  that 
the  mantle  was  of  wood,  which  often  took  fire  on  a 
winter  day,  and  one  of  the  young  men,  Frederic 
Brown,  or  Chauncey  Peck,  or  Rodney  Andrews,  was 
obliged  to  bring  water  or  snow  to  extinguish  it,  while 
the  rest  of  the  congregation  were  occupied  with  the 
calculation  how  long  it  would  be  before  the  chimney 
would  come  down  upon  them.  The  seats  were  like 
t  hose  of  the  log  school  house,  slates  on  pins.  The 
men  were  ranged  on  one  side  the  house  and  the 
woniui  on  th3  othor,  facing  e:nh  other,  with  a  broad 
aisle  between,  at  one  end  of  which  stood  the  pulpit. 
As  times  improved  and  lumber  became  abundant,  one 
man  made  a  comfortable  settee  for  his  family;  others 
followed  his  example,  and  in  a  few  weeks  the  whole 
congregation  were  provided  for.  The  only  dedication 
of  the  house  of  which  I  ever  heard,  was  by  Deacon 
Beardsley,  of  Vermillion.  Passing  the  building  one  day 
when  it  was  nearly  finished,  he  went  in  to  see  if  the 
house  would  seem  like  the  old  log  meeting  house  that 
he  had  known  in  Connecticut.  The  spirit  of  the 
Jjord  seemed  to  come  upon  him,  and  with  a  solemn 
]U'ayer  he  consecrated  the  house,  and  received  an 
assurance  of  great  spiritual  blessings  to  come  soon  upon 
the  i)eople.  The  ))romised  blessing  was  not  long  de- 
layed. In  the  great  revival  that  followed,  almost  all 
tlie  young  i)eople  were  gathered  into  the  church. 

The  church  was  organized  June  10,  1819,  at  tlie 
house  of  Solomon  Whittlesey,  and  consisted  of  sixteen 
members,  seven  men  and  nine  women.  Four  of  the 
sixteen  are  now  living:  Levi  Shepard  and  Grandison 
Fairchild,  Mrs.  Brown  and  Mrs.  Fairchild;  and  three 
are  present  to-day.  The  ministers  that  officiated  in 
its  organization  were  Messrs.  Treat  and  Seward,  mis- 
.sionai'ies  of  the  Connecticut  Missionary  Society,  and 
members  of  the  Portage  Presbytery.  The  church  was 
congregational,  under  the  care  of  Presbytery,  after 
the  "plan  of  union."  Stephen  James  was  the  first 
deacon,  and  afterward  Levi  Shepard  was  elected; 
Grandison  Fairchild  was  clerk.  Rev.  A.  II.  Betts, 
known  through  the  country  as  Dr.  Betts,  from  the 
fact  that  he  had  studied  medicine,  was  the  first  min- 
ister. He  began  preaching  to  tlie  church  in  the  fall 
of  1820,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  April  5, 
1831.  He  continued  pastor  until,  at  his  own  recpiest, 
he  was  dismissed  in  1833. 


The  practice  of  the  congregation  was  to  meet  for 
service  at  half  past  ten  Sabbath  mornings,  to  take  a 
recess  of  an  hour  for  rest,  and  for  lunch,  which  they 
took  with  them  to  meeting;  visiting  the  spring  under 
the  rocks  for  water,  and  returning  for  afternoon  ser- 
vice. There  were  only  two  or  three  families  tiiat  lived 
near  enough  to  go  home  at  noon.  A  sight  of  the  old 
congregation  would  lie  refreshing  to-day — the  women 
ill  their  Sunday's  best,  the  men  in  their  shirt  sleeves, 
the  boys  and  girls  with  bare  feet.  Mr.  Peck,  at  the 
head  of  the  high  seat  with  his  pitch  pijie,  Judge 
Brown  next,  and  Dr.  Betts  in  the  pulpit.  After  the 
Sabbath  school  was  introduced,  this  was  held  at  noon. 
The  first  Sabbath  school  was  opened  June  1,  1828, 
Sabbath  morning,  in  the  yellow  school  house,  with 
about  a  dozen  children  and  two  teachers — my  father 
and  Pamelia  Curtis.  It  was  afterwards  transferred  to 
the  meeting  house  and  held  at  noon.  The  chief 
feature  of  the  school  at  that  day  was  the  learning  and 
reciting  of  scripture,  each  scholar  having  the  privilege 
of  selecting  his  own  passages  and  learning  as  many  as 
possible.  A  single  scholar  would  sometimes  repeat 
more  than  a  hundred  at  a  lesson.  One  such  in  a 
class  would  nearly  consume  the  hour.  Before  1830, 
the  Sabbath  school  was  reorganized,  under  the  super- 
intendence of  Frederic  Brown,  who  had  been  living 
at  the  east,  and  returned  all  alive  with  interest  in  the 
Sabbath  school  work.  The  plan  of  limited  lessons 
was  adopted,  and  the  Sabbath  school  became  a  re- 
ligious power  in  the  community  of  great  efficiency. 

It  was  the  time  of  a  great  religious  movement  in 
the  land,  in  connection  with  which  protracted  meet- 
ings were  first  extensively  introduced,  commonly 
known  as  "four  days"  meetings."  These  meetings 
gathered  not  merely  the  communities  where  they  were 
held,  but  people  from  neighboring  towns  attended  in 
large  numbers.  They  were  not  like  the  protracted 
meetings  of  the  present  day,  occupying  the  evening 
with  a  single  preaching  service,  proceeded  by  a  prayer- 
meeting,  leaving  the  people  free  during  a  large  part 
of  the  day  for  their  usual  avocations.  At  these  four 
days'  meetings,  the  people  gathered  in  the  morning, 
taking  a  luncheon  for  themselves  and  for  visitors  from 
abroad,  and  the  entire  day  was  devoted  to  preaching, 
prayer  and  inquiry  meetings.  Evening  meetings  fol- 
lowed in  the  different  neighborhoods. 

Such  a  meeting  was  held  at  Browiihelm,  in  the 
summer  of  1831,  under  a  bower,  in  the  forest,  just 
north  of  the  stone  quarry.  The  old  meeting  house 
was  not  large  enough.  The  weather  was  iiropitious, 
and  the  meeting  was  fruitful  of  results.  The  religious 
interest  which  had  been  accumulating  for  many 
months,  in  connection  with  the  Sabbath  school  work, 
reached  its  culmination.  Many  were  greatly  quick- 
ened in  their  religious  life,  and  many  more  were 
induced  to  enter  upon  such  a  life.  It  was  a  season  to 
be  remembered  for  a  generation.  Similar  meetings 
were  held  at  Elyria  and  at  Vermillion  earlier  in  the 
season,  and  the  influence  extended  through  the  region. 
Mr.  Shipherd,  of  Elyria,  Mr.  Bradstreet,  of  Vermil- 


238 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


liou,  Mr.  Jndson,  of  Milan,  and  several  others,  were 
recognized  as  leaders  in  the  work.  Probably  no  other 
siicli  gejieral  movement  lias  been  knoAvn  in  the  his- 
tory of  northern  Ohio. 

The  old  log  meeting  house,  about  this  time,  became 
uncomfortable  for  winters  and  inadequate  for  sum- 
mers, and  the  jjcople  moved  towards  a  better  house. 
It  was  soon  found  dilHcult  to  bring  the  interests  of 
the  lake  shore  and  the  ridge  to  harmonize  upon  a 
location.  An  old  Stockbridge  difficulty  between  the 
Plain  and  the  North  settlement,  found  an  echo  here 
in  the  woods,  and,  perhaps,  predisposed  to  a  repro- 
duction of  the  quarrel.  After  sundry  meetings  and 
conferences,  the  question  was  referred  to  a  committee 
of  discreet  men  from  abroad,  vvliose  decision  was  to  be 
final.  This  committee  consisted  of  Deacon  (h-oeker, 
of  Dover,  Deacon  Clark,  of  Vermillion,  and  Deacon 
Fuller,  of  Berlin.  They  diove  the  stake  in  my  father's 
peach  orchard,  and  there  the  church  was. 

The  first  attempt  at  a  buildiug  was  essentially  a 
failui-e.  Mr.  Culver  was  the  architect,  a  man  of  me- 
chanical genius,  but  deficient  in  practical  judgment; 
and  the  building,  having  no  cross  beams  to  supj)ort 
the  roof,  and  relying  solely  on  braced  and  trussed 
plates,  commenced  life  with  a  broken  back.  After  an 
inglorious  career,  it  gave  place  to  the  present  cheerful 
and  graceful  structni-e  built  by  Alfred  Betts.    *    *    * 

The  church  now — fall  of  1878 — has  a  membership 
of  eighty-five.  Allen  D.  Blakeslee  is  pastor;  John 
Goodrich,  clerk;  0.  H.  Perry,  treasurer;  J.  C.  Cliapin, 
C.  L.  Perry  and  George  Wells,  deacons.  The  Sab- 
bath school,  now  under  the  superintendency  of  C.  B. 
Bacon,  has  a  membership  of  two  hundred  and  ten 
scholars. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  class  was  formed  in  West 
Brownhelm  in  about  the  year  1841,  called  the  Brown- 
helm  class.  The  records  of  the  church  have  not  been 
preserved,  and  we  could  obtain  but  little  information 
concerning  it.  The  erection  of  a  church  building 
was  commenced  not  long  after  the  organization  of  the 
class,  but  was  not  finished,  for  want  of  means,  for 
several  years  after.  It  was  dedicated  by  Elder  Lyon, 
of  Sandusky.  There  is  no  settled  pastor,  but  regular 
preaching  is  had,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Smith,  of  Vermillion, 
officiating.     No  Sabbath  school. 

The  Evangelical  Association  was  organized  by  Rev. 
Lutz  in  the  year  1847.  1  he  earlier  meetings  of  the 
society  were  held  in  the  school  house  in  the  southeast 
part  of  the  town.  A  house  of  worship  was  erected  on 
Middle  ridge  in  1865,  at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  two 
hundred  dollars.  The  church  has  now  a  membership 
of  fifty.  The  pastor  is  Rev.  Jacob  Ilunniker.  A 
Sabbath  school  was  organized  subsequently,  and  now 
numbers  nearly  sixty  scholars. 

The  German  Reformed  Church  was  organized  in 
1848.  Services  were  held  at  first  in  the  school  house 
in  district  number  one,  and,  subsequently,  after  the 
division  of  the  district,  the  society  purchased  the 
school  house  and  occupied  it  as  a  house  of  worship 
until   1870,  when    the   building   at   the  station  was 


erected.  The  cost  of  this  church  was  one  thousand 
six  hundred  dollars.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Meis. 
Rev.  G.  II.  Kulilen,  of  Vermillion,  now  officiates. 
There  is  a  Sunday  school  of  thirty  scholars,  of  which 
(Jhristopher  Leimbach  in  superintendent. 

The  people  of  Brownhelm,  in  the  early  times,  felt 
reasonable  complacency  in  their  social,  literary  and 
religious  jirivileges,  and  in  the  good  order  and  mor- 
ality which  distinguished  the  place.  Crime  was  rare, 
and  rowdyism  almost  unknown.  If  a  boisterous 
company,  now  and  then,  passed  along  the  street-s, 
it  was  assumed  that  they  were  from  Black  River,  a 
township  which  then  embraced  Amherst.  If  my 
recollection  is  not  at  fault,  there  was  only  one  drunk- 
ard in  town,  even  before  the  commencement  of  the 
temperance  movement.  But  the  temperance  move- 
ment came  none  too  soon.  The  habit  of  drinking  at 
raisings  and  trainings,  and  of  having  liquors  in  the 
house  for  social  occasions,  and  for  ]>rivate  use,  was 
universal;  and  the  young  were  forming  a  taste  for  it. 
In  1827,  some  account  reached  us  of  the  growing 
interest  at  the  east  on  the  subject,  and  on  Thanks- 
giving day,  Dr.  Betts  preached  on  temperance.  The 
same  evening,  I  think  it  was,  several  boys  from  the 
neighborhood  were  spending  the  evening  at  our  house, 
the  older  people  having  gathered  at  a  neighbor's 
house.  The  boys,  after  some  conference  on  the  sub- 
ject, drew  up  a  i)ledge,  one  or  two  of  them  having 
learned  to  write,  and  all  signed  it, — a  pledge  to  ab- 
stain from  the  use  of  all  distilled  sjiirits.  This  was 
the  first  temperance  organization  in  the  township, —  , 
the  first,  in  fact,  in  the  county.  This  pledge  was  I 
circulated,  and  led  to  the  formation  of  a  vigorous  ' 
temperance  society.  From  that  time  the  use  of  spirits  \ 
declined,  until  it  was  no  longer  furnished  on  public  ' 
or  social  occasion,  or  kejit  for  private  use.  Davis'  dis- 
tillery went  to  ruin,  and  young  men  were  saved  who 
had  been  exposed  to  great  danger. 

Until  about  this  time,  a  few  Indians  had  lingered 
about  the  region,  some  times  jiassing  by  in  considera- 
ble jiartiesfrom  the  neighlxirhodd  uf  Upper  Sandusky. 
They  were  harmless  after  tlie  war,  and  the  only  annoy- 
ance from  them  was  their  persistent  begging  for 
whiskey.  They  would  stand  an  hour  at  the  door, 
begging  for  "one  little  dram."  One  day  a  party 
stopi)cd  at  our  house,  and  passed  the  bottle  among 
themselves,  the  bottle  being  carried  by  a  white  man, 
who  belonged  to  the  party.  One  young  man,  I 
i-emember,  more  gentle  and  amiable  than  the  rest, 
said,  when  the  bottle  was  offered  to  him,  "No, 
whiskey  wrestle  we  down  once, — never  will  again." 
Poor  Jim!  the  only  Indian  with  whom,  when  a  child, 
I  dared  to  be  familiar, — whiskey  wrestled  him  down 
once  more,  and  his  cabin  burned  down  upon  him. 

TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATION. 

From  February,  1817,  until  October,  1818,  the 
town  was  a  part  of  Black  River.  At  the  latter  date, 
on  petition  of  the  inhabitants  to  the  commissioners  of 
Huron  county,   number  six,   the  nineteenth  range, 


Photu.  by  Lee,  Elyria,  O. 


LEONARD   BRADLEY. 


Leonard  Bradley  was  born  in  the  town  of  El- 
lington, Tolland  Co.,  Conn.,  Nov.  4,  1792.  He 
immigrated  to  Brownhelm,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1817, 
located  lands,  and  remained  two  years,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Connecticut  and  mai'ried  Eoxanna, 
daughter  of  William  Thrall,  of  Tolland  County, 
and  immediately  returned  to  Ohio,  where  he  was 
identified  as  a  pioneer  farmer.  By  this  union  were 
born  four  children,  viz. :  Captain  Alva  Bradley, 
now  a  resident  of  Cleveland,  and  a  large  vessel 
owner  ;  William  Bradley,  a  resident  of  Brownhelm  ; 
Betsey  (deceased) ;  and  Julia.  Mrs.  Leonard  Bradley 
died  Feb.  25,  1858. 

Mr.  Bradley  married  for  his  second  wife  Emily, 
widow  of  William  Nye,  of  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  daughter  of  John  Thompson,  who  was  of  Scotch 


birth  and  ancestry.  Our  subject  was  an  ardent  ad- 
vocate of  Republicanism  during  his  latter  days, 
being  formerly  a  member  of  the  old  Whig  party ; 
served  his  township  as  trustee  and  other  oflSces  from 
time  to  time.  When  a  young  man  he  carried  a  lady 
(who  wished  to  visit  friends,  not  having  seen  any 
white  ladies  in  several  months)  over  the  Vermillion 
River  on  an  ox,  he  riding  one  and  the  lady  the  other 
ox,  the  oxen  having  to  swim  on  account  of  the  depth 
of  the  stream. 

Mr.  Bradley  remained  on  the  old  homestead  until 
the  date  of  his  death,  which  occurred  May  3,  1875. 
His  wife  survives  him,  still  remaining  on  the  old 
homestead,  surrounded  by  many  friends  and  ten- 
derly cared  for  in  her  declining  years  by  her  chil- 
dren. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


229 


togeUior  widi  the  siir])lns  lands  adjoining  west,  and 
all  lands  lying  west  of  Beaver  fi'ock  in  numljcr  seven, 
in  the  eighteenth  range, — Ulaek  iliver, — was  oi'gan- 
i/,ed  into  a  separate  township,  liy  the  name  of  Hrown- 
lieliii,  a  name  selected  l)y  Colonel  lirown,  as  jn'c- 
viously  fully  ex})lained. 

The  first  election  for  township  officers  was  held  at 
the  house  of  George  Bacon,  in  tlio  spring  of  1819. 
The  vote  was  hy  ballot  which  resulted  as  follows: 
Anson  Cooper,  clerk;  William  Alverson,  treasurer; 
Levi  Shepard,  Calvin  Leonard,  and  Alvah  Curtiss, 
trustees;  Levi  Shepard  and  Benjamin  Bacon,  justices 
of  the  peace. 

That  i)art  of  the  present  town  of  Black  Kiver  lying 
west  of  Beaver  creek  was,  iu  June,  1820,  by  order  of 
the  commissioners,  detached  from  Brownhelm,  and 
re-annexed  to  Black  River.  The  townshij)  officers 
elected  in  1878  are  as  follows:  Henry  B.  Lindsley, 
clerk;  J.  M.  Joslin,  .John  H.  Heyuian,  Gnstavus 
Schroeder,  trustees;  Wm.  H.  Cooley,  treasurer;  Ed- 
win Bacon  and  William  Sales,  justices  of  the  peace. 

The  first  justices  of  the  peace  in  the  township  were 
Levi  Shepard  and  Benjamin  Bacon.  The  cases  re- 
ferred to  their  adjudication  were  few  and  simple. 
Sometimes  it  was  found  more  convenient  and  econom- 
ical to  let  an  unusual  rogue  escape  from  the  couutiy, 
than  to  take  him  to  the  jail  at  Norwalk.  It  is  related 
that  a  case  of  horse  stealing  once  came  before  'Sipiire 
Wells,  of  Vermillion.  The  culprit  was  a  wandering 
preacher,  but  the  evidence  was  strong  against  him. 
'Squire  Wells  invited  "Squire  Bacon  to  sit  with  him 
on  the  trial,  to  add  weight  to  the  court.  The  consta- 
bles took  the  liberty  of  advising  the  ])risoner  to  seek 
safety  by  flight,  if  during  the  progress  of  the  trial  a 
fair  opportunity  should  appear.  He  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity with  great  alacrity,  and  was  followed  with  a 
shout,  but  not  overtaken.  The  next  day,  'Squire 
Bacon  started  for  Cleveland,  and  sjjcnt  the  night  at 
Dover.  A  preacher  had  come  into  town,  and  the 
people  were  gathering  to  hear  him.  Mr.  Bacon  went 
with  the  rest,  and  was  surprised  to  see  at  the  desk  his 
horse-stealing  acquaintance  of  the  day  before.  He 
gave  as  his  text  "  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before 
God  and  the  Father  is  this,  to  visit  the  fatherless  and 
the  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself 
unspotted  from  the  world."  .  After  the  sermon,  op- 
portunity was  given  to  any  who  wished  to  ofEera  word 
of  exhortation.  Mr.  Bacon  improved  the  opportunity 
by  relating  the  occurrence  of  the  previous  day.  The 
poor  preacher  started  suddenly  on  his  travels  again, 
and  at  last ;  C--ounts  had  not  stopped. 

The  first  physician  in  town  was  Dr.  AV^eed,  who 
died  in  the  earliest  j'ears.  Then  Dr.  Betts,  as  having 
some  knowledge  of  medicine,  visited  tlie  sick  when 
no  other  physician  could  be  had.  Next,  Dr.  Forbes 
took  up  his  residence  here  for  a  short  time,  occupy- 
ing the  place  now  belonging  to  Samuel  Bacon's  family. 
When  we  had  no  resident  physician,  Dr.  Baker,  of 
Florence,  now  of  Norwalk,  was  chiefly  relied  on,  and 
sometimes   Dr.    Wolcott,    of    Elyria.      Dr.    Samuel 


Strong  commenced  his  practice  here,  and  continued  a 
few  years.  Drs.  Willard,  Wigton,  Page,  and  Chap- 
man have  since  practiced  here. 

In  general,  the  early  faniilicvs  brought  their  medi- 
cine bags  into  the  new  country,  and  administered  to 
afflicted  children  glauber  salts,  calomel  and  jalap, 
rhubarb  and  senna,  with  entire  confidence,  not  to 
speak  of  wormwood,  thoroughwort,  and  other  more 
odious  herbs  and  compounds.  Thus  the  children 
were  taken  through  chicken-pox,  measles,  and  whoop- 
ing cough,  in  comparative  safety.  The  ague  was 
sometimes  "broken"  with  Peruvian  bark,  but  the 
more  popular  treatment  was  to  wear  it  out. 

The  disease  most  dreaded  in  the  new  country  was 
the  milk  sickness,  or,  as  it  was  generally  called,  the 
sick  stomach,  commonly  supjK)sed  to  originate  in 
some  poisonous  herb  eaten  by  the  cattle,  and  to  be 
communicated  by  the  use  of  the  milk.  The  disease 
was  exceedingly  distressing  and  malignant,  and  as  I 
rememl.)er  now,  of  toner  fatal  than  otherwise.  No 
part  of  the  town  was  entin'ly  exempt,  but  the  disease 
was  develojied  especially  in  certain  localities.  The 
Barnnm  place,  near  the  old  meeting  house,  was  re- 
markably afflicted  with  it;  and  three  stones,  side  by 
side  in  the  ])urying  ground,  mark  the  graves  of  three 
Mrs.  Barnnms,  all  of  whom,  if  I  recollect  right,  died 
of  the  disease.  One  autumn,  four  members  of  their 
families  died  within  a  week.  The  place  was  at  length 
deserted,  and  the  precise  locality  has  never  since  been 
occupied  by  a  family.  Those  sickly  seasons  were  sad 
pia'iods  in  the  early  history  of  the  place.  Tiie  little 
community  was  sometimes  gathered  to  a  double  fu- 
neral, as  once  at  Judge  Brown's,  when  Sidney  Brown 
and  Oliver  Cooley  died,  and  afterwards  at  Mr.  Bar- 
nuni's.  The  latest  calamity  of  the  kind  was  in  1838, 
when  the  entire  Campbell  family,  of  five  persons,  died 
in  the  space  of  a  month.  But  in  spite  of  this  scourge, 
the  early  settlers  probably  sutfered  less  from  sickness 
than  is  common  in  a  new  country,  and  the  boon  of 
health  was  gratefully  included  in  the  enuinei'ation  of 
blessings  on  thanksgiving  day.  The  first  liurial  in 
town  was  that  of  a  daughter  of  Alva  Curtis,  Calista, 
who  died  at  Mr.  Onstine's,  in  Black  River,  before  the 
family  reached  the  Brownhelm  line.  She  was  buried 
first  on  Solomon  Whittlesey's  place,  afterwards  in  the 
burying  ground  near  Mr.  Bacon's.  The  small  brown 
stone  that  marks  the  grave  was  the  only  one  in  the 
ground  for  many  years.  The  weeping  willow  has 
long  since  disappeared. 

The  first  birth  was  in  the  Ilolcoml)  family,  on  the 
south  ridge — a  sou,  Henry  Brown  Ilolcomb.  Next, 
Lucy  Cooper,  and  a  month  later,  Enos  Peek.  George 
Cooper  was  born  in  Euclid  fifty  years  ago  to-day,  and 
may  very  projierly  be  considered  the  oldest  Brown- 
helm boy. 

The  first  wedding  was  probably  that  of  Joseph 
Swift  and  Eliza  Root,  who  were  married  on  the  South 
ridge,  August  22,  1818.  Soon  after  my  father's  arri- 
val, in  1818,  one  of  the  Onstiue  young  men  came  to 
borrow  five  dollars,  and  satinet  enough  for  a  pair  of 


230 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


pants,  giving  as  a  reason  tliat  lie  was  going  to  have  a 
little  frolic  over  in  Vermillion.  His  fi'olic  was  his 
wedding.  Among  the  earliest  marriages  was  that  of 
Ezekiel  Goodrich  and  Charlotte  Brown,  on  the  lake 
shore.  .Some  of  the  young  men  had  arrangements 
east  that  tiiey  returned  to  consummate  after  they  had 
"stuck  their  stakes."  These  were  the  earliest  visits 
to  the  east.  At  a  later  day,  the  married  ])eoiile  singly. 
not  in  pairs,  went  back  to  visit  their  old  home,  going 
by  steamer  to  Buffalo,  and  by  canal  to  Albany,  aston- 
ished to  traverse  in  ten  d/iys  the  road  that  it  had 
taken  seven  weeks  to  pass  over  in  coming  into  the 
wilderness.  This  going  back  to  Stockbridge  was  a 
great  event — the  hope  of  the  older,  and  the  dream  of 
the  children.  The  young  man,  putting  on  his  free- 
dom suit,  must  go  to  Stockbridge  to  give  it  an  airing! 
and  to  attain  the  consequence  essential  to  sustain  his 
manhood.  When  he  returned,  his  young  companions 
gathered  around  him  as  a  distinguished  traveler,  to 
hear  all  he  could  tell  of  the  W(nulerful  land.  In  this 
respect,  the  experience  of  children  bronght  up  in  the 
simplicity  of  the  new  country  can  scarcely  be  rejieated 
at  the  present  day.  The  advantages  of  cultivated 
society,  talked  of  by  parents,  but  never  seen  by  the 
children,  made  a  i)o\verful  impression.  The  steepled 
church,  back  in  the  eastern  home,  wrought  upon  the 
imagination  of  the  child,  as  it  could  not  if  an  object 
of  daily  sight.  The  thought  of  the  college,  to  one 
who  had  only  seen  the  log  school  house,  was  material 
for  castle  Ijnilding  by  day,  and  for  di'eams  liy  night. 
From  mountain  summit,  and  towering  monument, 
and  capital  dome,  in  later  years,  my  eyes  have  rested 
on  many  a  goodly  scene  of  nature  and  of  art,  but  the 
thrill  of  surprise  and  satisfaction  which  I  experi- 
enced upon  my  first  view  of  the  village  of  Elyria, 
from  my  father's  wagon,  has  never  been  equaled. 
The  village  at  that  time  consisted  of  perhaps  twenty 
buildings,  gathered  about  the  Ely  and  Beebe  man- 
sions, at  the  east  end  of  Main  street.  No  such  snr- 
prise  awaits  the  children  of  the  present  day. 

One  of  the  features  of  early  life  here  was  familiar- 
ity with  the  wild  animals  that  had  possession  of  the 
country.  The  howl  of  the  wolf  at  night,  was  as 
familiar  as  the  wliip-poor-will's  song — not  the  small 
prairie  wolf  so  well  known  at  the  west,  but  the  pow- 
erful wolf  of  the  forest,  the  black  and  the  gray. 
They  passed  in  droves  by  onr  dwellings  at  night, 
sometimes  when  the  new  comers  had  only  a  blanket 
sns|ieiided  in  the  ojiening  for  the  door  ;  sometimes 
they  crowded  upon  the  footsteps  of  a  belated  settler, 
passing  from  one  part  of  the  settlement  to  another. 
The  boy  crossing  the  pasture  on  a  winter  morning 
Would  often  sec  the  lilind  track  of  a  wolf  that  had 
loped  across  the  night  before.  If  he  had  forgotten 
to  bring  in  his  sheej)  at  evening,  he  might  find  them 
scattered  and  torn  in  the  morning.  A  dog  that  ven- 
tured from  the  house  at  night,  scmietimes  came  in 
with  wounds  more  honorable  than  comfortable.  The 
wolf  was  a  shy  animal,  seldom  showing  itself  by  day- 
light.     Probably  not    one  in  a  dozen  of   the  early   I 


inhabitants  ever  saw  a  wolf  in  the  forest;  yet  these 
animals  roamed  the  woods  around  us  for  years.  Mr. 
Solomon  Whittlesey  once  snatched  his  calf  from  the 
jaws  of  a  wolf,  at  night,  with  many  pairs  of  hungry 
eyes  gleaming  upon  him  through  the  darkness. 

In  1S37,  the  county  commissioners  offered  a  bounty 
for  wolf  scalps — three  dollars  for  a  full-grown  wolf, 
and  half  the  sum  for  a  whelp  of  three  months. 
Whether  any  drafts  were  ever  made  upon  the  treasniy 
does  not  appear.  As  late  as  1832,  my  brother  and 
myself,  returning  on  foot  to  the  high  school  at  Elyria, 
after  a  visit  home,  were  stopjied  on  the  way  at  even- 
ing by  the  howling  of  wolves  in  the  road  before  us, 
and  constrained  to  wait  until  morning.  Now  and 
then  a  wolf  was  taken  in  a  trap  or  shot  by  a  hunter. 
Probably  less  than  a  half-dozen  were  ever  killed  in  the 
township.  About  the  winter  of  1827-'28,  wolf  hunts 
were  organized  in  the  region  on  a  grand  scale,  con- 
ducted by  surrounding  a  tract  of  country  several  miles 
in  extent,  with  a  line  of  men  within  sight  of  each 
other  at  the  start,  and  approaching  each  other  as  they 
moved  toward  the  center.  The  first  of  these  hunts 
centered  in  Henrietta,  and  resulted  in  bagging  large 
quantities  of  game,  but  never  a  wolf.  A  single  wolf 
made  his  ajipea ranee  at  the  center,  and  was  sna]iped 
at  and  shot  at  by  many  a  rifle,  but  my  recollection  is 
that  he  got  off  with  a  whole  skin.  The  sport  involved 
danger  from  the  cross-shooting  as  the  line  drew  near 
the  center,  and  Park  Harris,  of  Amherst,  mounted 
on  a  horse,  received  a  shot  in  the  ankle.  To  avoid 
this  danger,  the  next  hunt  centered  on  the  river  hol- 
low, about  the  mill  in  Brownhelni,  but  the  scale  on 
whicli  it  was  arranged  was  too  grand  to  be  carried 
out.  The  lines  were  too  extended  and  liroke  in  many 
places,  resulting  in  gathering  upon  the  flat  a  small 
herd  of  deer  and  a  solitary  fox,  barely  furnishing  an 
occasion  for  the  hundreds  of  huntsmen  above  to  dis- 
charge their  pieces,  as  the  friglitened  animals  escaped 
into  the  woods  ujj  the  river.  It  was  an  utterly  fruit- 
less chase.  A  more  exciting  chase  was  the  slave-hunt 
of  a  later  day,  in  which  the  people  bewildered  and 
foiled  the  kidnappers. 

Bears  were  less  numerous  than  v.olves,  but  they 
were  perhaps  more  often  seen.  One  was  shot  by  Sol- 
omon Whittlesey,  from  the  ridge,  a  little  east  of  the 
burying  ground.  One  of  the  trials  of  my  childish 
courage,  was  to  pass  the  tree  against  which  tradition 
said  that  he  rested  his  rifle  in  the  shot.  Another 
dangerous  tree  was  the  large  basswood  that  leaned 
over  the  brook,  a  little  to  the  south-east  of  Harvey 
Perry's  orchard.  My  mother  going  over  the  ridge  to 
bring  a  pail  of  water  from  the  siiring.  once  drove  a 
large  black  animal  before  her,  which  she  thought  a 
dog,  until  he  scrambled  up  that  tree,  when  she  re- 
tui-ned  home  without  the  water.  The  tree  stood  close 
by  tlic  track  that  led  to  Mr.  Peck's,  and  it  was  a  test 
of  pluck  for  a  child  to  jiass  that  tree,  as  I  was  often 
obliged  to,  just  as  the  evening  began  to  darken.  One 
day,  one  of  the  half  dozen  sheep  that  I  was  expected 
to  drive  into  pen  at  night,  was  missing.     They  were 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


231 


jiiistured  in  the  tiekl  where  the  oichurd  now  is.  lu 
looking  for  the  lost  animal,  I  found  a  place  where  it 
seemed  to  have  been  dragged  over  tlie  fence,  and  fol- 
lowing the  trail  a  few  rods,  I  came  upon  a  spot,  not 
many  feet  from  where  we  are  now  gathered,  where  a 
hear  had  made  his  feast,  leaving  the  wool  scattered 
about,  and  a  few  large  hones.  The  tracks  were  still 
fresh  in  the  mud.  Such  occurrences  gave  a  smack  of 
adventure  to  child  life  in  the  new  country,  and  it  was 
a  matter  of  every  day  consultation  among  the  hoys, 
what  were  tlie  habits  of  tiie  various  animals  supposed 
to  be  dangerous,  such  as  the  wolf,  the  bear,  the  wild- 
cat, and  the  panther,  and  by  what  tactics  it  was  safest 
to  meet  them.  Similar  discussions  were  had  in  refer- 
ence to  the  Indians,  who  had  i'ei|uiied  a  bad  reputa- 
tion during  tlie  war,  then  recent,  with  England. 
The  prevailing  opinion  was,  that  any  fear  exhibited 
towards  an  Indian,  or  a  wild  beast,  put  one  at  a  great 
disadvantage. 

Deer  were  far  moi"e  plenty  than  cattle,  and  the  sight 
of  them  was  an  everyday  occurrence.  A  good  marks- 
man would  sometimes  shoot  one  from  his  door.  The 
same  was  true  of  wild  turkeys.  Raccoons  worked 
mischief  in  the  unripe  corn,  and  a  favorite  sport  of 
the  boys  was  "coon  hunting"  at  night,  the  time  when 
the  creature  visited  the  corn.  A  dog  traversed  the 
cornfield  to  start  the  game,  and  the  boys  ran  at  the 
first  bark  of  the  dog,  to  be  in  at  the  death.  When 
the  animal  took  to  a  tree,  it  was  cut  down,  or  a  fire 
was  built  and  a  guard  set  to  keep  him  until  morning, 
when  he  was  brought  down  by  a  shot.  The  motive 
for  the  hunt  was  three-fold, — the  sport,  the  protection 
of  the  corn,  and  tlio  value  of  the  skin,  the  raccoon 
being  a  furred  animal.  The  greatest  speculation  in 
this  line  of  which  the  town  can  boast,  was  made  by 
Job  Smith,  whom  many  will  remember,  and  who  is 
mentioned  in  the  county  records,  in  the  description 
of  a  road,  as  "  a  man  of  some  note."  He  is  said  to 
have  bought  a  quantity  of  goods  of  a  New  York 
dealei',  promising  to  pay  "five  hundred  coon  skins 
taken  as  they  run,"  naturally  meaning  an  average  lot. 
The  dealer,  after  waiting  a  reasonable  time  for  his  fur, 
came  oti  to  investigate,  and  inquired  of  his  debtor 
when  the  skins  would  be  delivered.  "Why,"  said 
Mr.  Smith,  "you  were  to  take  them  as  they  run;  the 
woods  are  full  of  them;  take  them  when  you  please." 
The  moral  of  the  story  would  not  be  complete  with- 
out stating  that  the  same  Job  Smith  was  afterwards 
arrested  as  a  manufacturer  of  counterfeit  coin. 

Thrifty  men  pursued  the  b.isiness  of  hunting  as  a 
pastime.  The  only  man  in  town,  perhaps,  to  wliom 
it  afforded  profitable  business,  in  any  sense,  was  Solo- 
mon Whittlesey.  Other  professional  hunters  were 
shiftless  meu,  to  whom  hunting  was  a  mere  passion, 
having  something  of  the  attractions  of  gambling. 
Mr.  Whittlesey  did  not  neglect  his  farm,  but  he  knew 
every  haunt  and  path  of  the  deer  and  the  turkey,  and 
■wus  often  on  their  track  by  day  and  by  night.  He  is 
with  US  to-day,  and  reports  the  killing  of  one  bear, 
two  wolves,  twenty  wild  cats,  about  one  hundred  and 


fifty  deer,  and  smaller  game  too  numerous  to  si)ecify. 
One  branch  of  his  business  was  bee  hunting,  a  pursuit 
which  rerjuired  a  keen  eye,  good  judgnuiut  and  prac- 
tice. The  method  of  the  hunt  was  to  raise  an  odor 
in  the  forest,  by  placing  honey  comb  on  a  hot  stone, 
and  in  the  vicinity  another  piece  of  comb  charged 
with  honey.  The  bees  wei'C  attracted  liy  the  smell, 
and  having  gorged  themselves  with  the  iioney,  they 
took  ii  bct'-li lie  for  their  tree.  Tliis  line  the  hunter 
observed  and  marked  iiy  two  or  more  trees  in  range. 
He  then  took  another  station,  not  on  this  line,  and 
went  through  the  same  operation.  Those  two  lines, 
if  fortunately  selected,  would  converge  u])on  the  bee 
tree,  and  could  be  followed  out  by  a  pocket  compass. 
The  tree,  when  found,  was  marked  by  tiie  hunter 
with  his  initials,  and  could  be  cut  down  at  tlu!  proper 
time. 

Another  form  of  the  sjiort  of  hunting  was  even 
more  classic,  the  hunting  of  the  wild  boar.  For  many 
years  there  was  an  unliroken  forest,  two  miles  in 
breidt.h,  running  through  the  township,  between  the 
North  ridge  and  the  lake  shore  farms.  This  forest 
became  the  haunt  of  fugitive  hogs,  that  fed  on  the 
abundant  mast,  or,  in  Yankee  phrase,  "shack,"  whieh 
the  forest  yielded.  These  animals  were  bred  in  the  for- 
est, and  in  the  third  generation  liecame  as  fierce  as  the 
wild  boar  of  the  Euro])ean  forest.  The  animal  in  this 
condition  was  about  as  worthless,  for  domestic  pur- 
poses, as  a  wolf,  as  gaunt  and  as  savage.  Still  it  was 
customary,  in  the  fall  and  early  winter,  to  organize 
hunts  for  reclaiming  some  valuable  animal  that  had 
become  thus  degenerate.  The  hunt  was  exciting  and 
dangerous.  The  genuine  wild  boar,  exasperated  by 
dogs,  was  the  most  terrible  creature  in  our  forest. 
His  onset  was  too  sudden  and  headlong  to  be  avoided 
or  turned  aside,  and  the  snaj)  of  his  tusks,  as  he 
sharpened  them  in  his  fury,  was  somewhat  terrible. 
Two  at  least  of  our  young  men,  Walter  C'rocker  and 
Truman  Tryon,  were  thrown  down  and  badly  rent  in 
such  encounters,  and  others  had  narrow  escapes. 

The  principal  fishing  ground  of  the  early  years  was 
the  "flood  wood"  of  the  Vermillion.  The  lake  fishing 
is  a  nuidern  discovery.  It  was  not  known  that  the 
lake  contained  fish  that  wei'e  accessible.  Other  sports 
and  recreations  were  few  and  simple,  most  of  them 
presenting  the  utilitarian  element.  There  were  log- 
ging bees  to  hel])  a,  man  who  had  been  sick  or  un- 
fortunate, raisings  to  put  up  a  log  cabin  or  barn,  and 
militia  trainings,  which  were  entered  into  earnestly 
by  men  who  had  smelt  ]>owder  in  the  recent  war. 
Then  there  was  an  occasional  patriot  among  us  of 
the  Revolution  days  who  tired  the  youthful  heart  by 
tales  of  the  times  that  tried  men's  souls.  Chief 
among  these  was  George  Bacon,  Sr. ,  rejjorted  to  have 
been  one  of  the  Boston  tea  party,  who  brought  honor- 
able wounds  from  the  battle  field  and  drew  his  pen- 
sion from  the  government.  Then  there  was  Stephen 
James,  with  a  b;ir  sinister  in  his  escutcheon,  because 
he  chanced  to  be  of  tory  stock,  still  a  true  patriot, 
and  a  bi'ave  and  stately  man.     It  is  not  strange  that 


233 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


the  Browulielm  Rifle  Compauy  should  muku  a  figure 
in  tlio  "oneral  musters  of  those  times. 

The  Fourth  of  .July  was  observed  with  such  humble 
appointments  as  were  at  hand.  An  old  musket  that 
liad  been  throusih  the  wars  was  the  loudest  piece  that 
eonlil  be  found,  and  this  was  brought  into  rerpiisition. 
One  Independence  day,  .John  Curtis,  an  ambitious 
youth,  l)rought  out  a  cannon,  whi(;h  lie  had  manu- 
factured by  boring  a  cylinder  of  oak  and  strapj)ing  it 
with  iron  bauds  from  a  wagon  hub.  Tiie  piece  was 
well  ehai'ged  and  placed  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  near 
his  father's,  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  boys,  and  fired 
witii  a  slow  match.  The  report  was  satisfactory,  but 
the  splinters  flew  in  all  directions  and  the  iron  bauds 
were  a  total  loss — tliey  were  never  found.  What  was 
more  important,  no  one  was  iiurt.  As  the  com- 
munity gained  new  ideas  and  advanced  in  civilization, 
these  Fourtli  of  .July  celebrations  took  on  a  jihilan- 
Ihrojiic  charMcter,  and  re]ireseuted  the  interests  of  the 
iSabbatli  school  and  the  temperance  cause.  For  such 
a  gathering,  held  thirty-five  years  ago  to-day,  the 
work  on  the  first  fraiue  church  was  hastened  forward 
to  furnish  a  place  for  the  meeting.  One  feature  of 
tlie  exercises  brought  out  the  Sabbath  sciiool.  Each 
scholar  and  each  teacher  was  provided  with  a  passage 
of  scripture,  selected  for  tlie  occasion,  to  be  recited  in 
order.  It  was  in  the  days  of  President  Jackson,  who 
was  es|)ecially  olmoxious  to  true  New  Englanders. 
When  Alva  Curtis  was  called  on,  he  startled  us  with 
the  petition,  ''Let  his  days  be  few,  and  let  another 
take  his  olfiee."  Probably  the  whole  congregation 
could  say  amen,  for,  as  I  remember,  only  three  Jack- 
son votes  were  cast  in  the  township. 

If  any  one  should  infer  tliat  early  life  here  was  more 
unsatisfactory  or  less  desirable  than  life  at  the  present 
time,  it  would  be  a  misapproliensiou.  There  were 
difficulties  to  be  encountered,  but  they  had  their  com- 
pensations. Tiiere  was  poverty  to  endure,  but  it  was 
ecpially  disti'ilnited,  and  was  cheered  with  the  iiopo  of 
a  good  time  coming,  a  poverty  that  stimulated  to  ac- 
tivity, and  brougiit  no  degradation.  There  was  want 
of  many  advantages  which  tend  to  the  elevation  and 
refinement  of  character;  but  such  advantages  had 
been  enjoyed  by  tlie  early  settlers  in  tlieir  New  Eng- 
land h(.inies,  and  tlie  results  would  not  be  wholly  lost 
before  they  gathered  about  themselves  those  desirable 
tilings.  T'hei'e  was  iiard  work  to  do,  but  it  was  well 
done;  and  such  woi'k  with  encouragement  to  do  it,  is 
the  best  opportunity.  Few  of  those  who  bore  the 
burden  and  he;it  of  the  day,  ever  regretted  their  call- 
ing; and  most  of  them  have  lived  to  reap  a  good 
harvest.  Yew  cf  tlie  original  families  have  reached 
this  anniversary  (July  4r,  1867,)  without  sad  breaches 
in  their  circle.     This  is  incidental  to  our  mortal  life. 

Anotiior  fifty  years  and  not  one  will  remain  of  all 
that  gathered  among  these  forests.  Some  of  the  fam- 
ilies, prominent  in  the  early  times,  have  now  no  living 
representative  in  the  population  of  the  place.  Among 
these  are  the  families  of  Judge  Brown,  Alva  Curtis, 
William  Aherson  and  the  Peases.     Most  of  the  others 


have  still  a  pt>sterity  and  a  name  among  us.  The 
town  has  sent  out  many  worthy  children  to  help  build 
up  other  communities,  some  to  repeat,  in  a  degree, 
the  achievments  of  their  parents,  as  pioneers  at  the 
west.  The  life  encouraged  here  has  been  of  a  quiet, 
unambitious  ty]ic,  and  tiio  results  in  general  corres- 
])on(l.  We  liave  no  pulilic  men  to  speak  of;  no  poli- 
tician seems  to  have  sjiruug  up  amongus;  few  to  look 
for  public  position  or  office.  But  these  are  not  the 
characters  the  world  most  needs.  We  can  gather  a 
few  ministers  of  tlie  gospel,  a  few  teachers,  and  many 
worthy  and  useful  people,  and  this  is  well. 

There  is  a  little  shadow  upon  our  prosjiect  as  we 
look  forward  to  fifty  years  to  come.  It  is  pleasant  to 
believe  that  the  places  that  are  sacred  to  us  with  all 
pleasant  memories,  will  be  held  by  our  children  to  an 
indefinite  future.  That  another  people  shall  come  in 
to  whom  these  farms,  and  streets,  and  dwellings  are 
sini]>ly  so  much  territmy  to  be  appropriated,  the  life 
that  has  passed  here  ail  unknown  to  them,  is  not  an 
inviting  prospect.  Yet  such  is  the  jirospect  that 
ojiens  to  us  to-day.  Stranger  eyes  have  looked  upon 
tiiese  pleasant  farms  and  will  claim  them  for  them- 
selves, in  all  honesty  and  honor,  with  such  a  claim  as 
an  American  citizen  can  never  dispute,  paying  a  fair 
pi'ice,  and  occupying  them  with  a  thrifty  and  success- 
ful culture.  It  is  thirty  years  or  more  since  the  first 
German  family  obtained  a  footing  here.  Now  the 
splendid  (dd  farms  along  the  lake  and  all  the  northern 
part  of  the  town,  are  in  their  jiossession.  A  similar 
change  is  taking  place  in  the  south,  and  the  movement 
is  towards  the  center.  An  entire  change  in  the  popu- 
lation of  the  town  seems  probable,  and  almost  inevita- 
ble; a  result  whieli  we  object  to,  not  in  our  reason, 
but  in  our  feeling.  Humanity  loses  nothing,  norcven 
the  country  ;it  large;  but  the  sentiment  of  local  inter- 
est which  gathers  us  to-day,  is  less  satisfied  with  the 
outlook.  Fifty  years  hence,  the  faces,  and  the  voices, 
and  the  names  of  strangers  will  be  seen  and  heard  at 
holiday  gatherings  and  along  these  streets.  The 
familiar  names  that  seem  to  us  identified  with  tlie 
very  face  of  nature,  will  be  heard  here  no  more 
forever. 

God  grant  that  these  names  be  written  in  His  "book 
of  ren.embrance,"  securing  a  title  to  "Mn  inheritauco 
inciu'ruptible  and  undeflled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away, 
eternal  in  the  heavens." 


Agricultural  Statistics  for  1878. 


...aa.Oll  bushels 

...2I,2<)1 

...T.i,057 

...   9,325 

...1I),US6 

. ..  I,71.T  tons. 


Wheat,     1,380  acres 

Oats,  54-3     "      

Corn,         1,128     "      

Potatoes,      92     •' 

Oivhai-ils,  3,S7     "       

Meadow,  1,370     "      

Butter 45,488  poilllds 

Cheese ti7,.^(i7 

Majile  Sugar 309 

Vote  for  Preside.nt  in  187G. 

Hayes  Ifi5  |  Tihlen 


I 


v.: 


[The  greater  part  of  this  history  being  that  of  President  FairchiM. 
delivered  in  an  address  July  4,  1867.  the  reader  will  understand  th*' 
meaning  of  certain  phrases  and  sentences,  if  this  fact  is  borne  in  triind.J 


/Kotv-LO-^ 


i3  ITcJA. 


HTSTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


333 


Biographical  Sketches, 


DEACON  GEORGE  WELLS 

was  boni  ill  the  City  of  Hartford,  Connecticnt,  Sep- 
tember 18,  1797,  and  is  tlie  second  son  of  Ashbel 
Wells  and  Mary  Hopkins,  the  former  a  son  of  Ashbel 
Wells,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hopkins,  a 
prominent  sea  captain  of  his  day;  all  of  English 
ancestry.  Thefatiicrof  Deacon  George  Wells  was  a 
clerk  in  the  commissary  department  of  General 
Washington's  army,  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  subsequently  a  well  known  and  extensive  mer- 
cliant  at  liartford.  He  died  September  4,  1819,  aged 
sixty-one  years.  He  was  very  generally  respected,  and 
his  death  looked  upon  as  a  public  calamity,  in  the 
community  in  which  he  had  been  long  engaged  in 
business. 

When  seventeen  years  of  age,  George  Wells  left  his 
native  city,  and  came  as  far  west  as  Albany,  New 
York,  obtaining  employment  there,  at  Little  Falls, 
and  at  Utica,  and  finally  located  at  Canandaigua, 
working  at  his  trade,  which  was  that  of  a  shoemaker. 
He  remained  there  about  one  and  a  half  years,  and 
subsequently,  on  Jun  18,  1818,  arrived  at  Brown- 
helm,  Ohio,  coming  by  way  of  the  hike  from  Buffalo. 
He  took  up  s(nne  fifty  acres  of  land,  on  the  lake  shore, 
which  he  afterward  increased  to  one  hundred  acres. 
His  time  was  occupied  partly  at  farming,  and  partly 
at  his  trade.  He  built  a  log  cabin,  in  which  he  lived 
nineteen  years. 

In  1837,  he  sold  out,  intending  to  move  farther 
west,  but  finally  purchased  the  place  upon  which  he 
now  resides,  containing  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres.     He  cleared  and  improved  both  farms. 

Mr.  Wells  was  married  to  Maria,  daughter  of 
Jouatiian  Butler,  of  Hartford,  March  22,  1825.  They 
had  seven  children, — four  sons  and  three  daughters. 
All  the  sons  have  departed  this  life.  The  youngest 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  during 
the  war  of  the  rebellion.  They  all  attained  to  man- 
hood. On  the  28th  of  June,  1866,  Mrs.  Wells  died, 
aged  sixty-three  years.  The  daughters  all  survive. 
Elizabeth  G.  married  Joseph  Sisson,  of  Hartford,  who 
lost  his  life  by  a  mowing  machine  accident;  Mary  M. 
married  Benjamin  F.  Nye,  who  was  killed  at  the  bat- 
tle 'of  the  Wilderness;  Abigail  S.  married  Frederick 
II.  Bacon,  and  resides  a  short  distance  from  her 
father's  old  home.  Mr.  Wells  married  again,  Decem- 
ber 33,  1866,  Mrs.  Catherine  M.  Gardner.  She  has 
one  daughter,  Marie  Antoinette,  wife  of  Lyman 
Yerkes,  of  Detroit,  Michigan. 

For  more  than  half  a  century.  Deacon  Wells  has 

been   a  memlier   of   the   Congreg.itional    church,   of 

Brownhelm.     His  wife  is  also  a  member  of  the  same 

church.     In  politics  he  is  a  republican,  and  has  been 

j  for  nuiny  years.     Though  now  in  his  eighty-second 

'■■  year,  his  health,  up  to  within  the  past  three  months, 

30 


has  been  remarkably  good.  He  was  always  an  active 
man,  and  last  October,  (1878,)  he  rode  twice  to  Elyria 
and  back,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles.  He  is  one  of 
the  very  oldest  pioneers  of  this  township,  as  well  as 
one  of  its  most  woi-thy  citizens.  (See  illustration  on 
another  page). 


SOLOMON  WHITTLESEY. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  prominent  settlers  of 
Brownhelm,  was  Solomon  Whittlesey.  We  find  him 
frequently  mentioned  in  J.  H.  Fairchild's  "History 
of  Brownhelm."  The  exact  date  of  his  arrival  is  not 
given,  but  his  name  appears  in  connection  with  early 
religious  matters  in  the  year  1819.  It  is  stated  in 
the  work  above  referred  to  that  "  The  church  was 
organized  June  10,  1819,  at  the  house  of  Solomon 
Whittlesey,  and  consisted  of  sixteen  members,  seven  . 
men  and  nine  women."  Again  referring  to  Mr. 
Whittlesey,  President  Fairchild  says  :  "Thrifty  men 
pursued  the  business  of  hunting  as  a  pastime.  The 
only  man  in  town,  perhaps,  to  whom  it  afforded  prof- 
itable business  in  any  sense,  was  Solomon  Whittlesey. 
Other  professional  hunters  were  shiftless  men,  to 
whom  hunting  was  a  mere  passion,  having  something 
of  the  attraction  of  gambling.  Mr.  Whittlesey  did 
not  neglect  his  farm,  but  he  knew  every  haunt  and 
path  of  the  deer  and  the  turkey,  and  was  often  in 
their  track  by  day  and  by  night.  He  is  with  us 
to-day,  (1867)  and  reports  the  killing  of  one  bear, 
two  wolves,  twenty  wild  cats,  almost  one  hundred 
and  fifty  deer,  and  smaller  game  too  numerous  to 
specify.  One  branch  of  his  business  was  bee  hunting, 
a  pursuit  which  required  a  keen  eye,  good  judgment 
and  practice.  The  method  of  the  hunt  was  to  raise 
an  odor  in  the  forest,  by  placing  honey  comb  on  a  hot 
stone,  and  in  the  vicinity  another  piece  of  comb 
charged  with  honey.  The  liees  were  attracted  by  the 
smell,  and  having  gorged  themselves  with  the  honey, 
they  took  a  hec  line  for  their  tree.  This  line  the  hun- 
ter observed  and  marked  by  two  or  more  trees  in 
range.  He  then  took  another  station,  not  on  this 
line,  and  went  through  tiie  same  operation.  These 
two  lines,  if  fortunately  selected,  would  conyerge 
upon  the  bee  tree,  and  could  be  followed  out  by  a 
pocket  compass.  The  tree,  when  found,  was  marked 
by  the  hunter  with  his  initials,  and  could  be  cut  down 
by  him,  at  the  proper  time."  Mr.  Whittlesey  is  also 
accredited  with  having  been  among  the  first  in  Brown- 
helm township  to  manufacture  pearl-ash,  which  he 
did  quite  extensively.  He  seems  to  have  been  one  of 
the  most  industrious  and  energetic  of  the  pioneers, 
and  a  worthy  man  in  every  respect.  He  died  Febru- 
ary 22,  1871,  aged  eighty-four  years,  nine  months  and 
twenty-two  days  ;  his  excellent  widow  survived  him 
about  two  years,  she  departing  this  life  on  the  26th  of 
April,  1873,  aged  seventy-one  years,  one  month  and 
three  days. 


334 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


WILLIAM  SAYLES 

was  Ijoi'ii  at  Milan,  Erie  county,  Oliio,  June  5,  1821, 
and  was  tlie  sixth  child  in  a  family  of  eight  children 
of  Lemuel  Sayles,  who  was  born  March  8,  1783,  and 
Laura  Adams,  who  was  born  February  4,  1789,  she 
being  a  native  of  Utica,  New  York.  Tlie  subject  of 
this  sketch  started  out  in  life  at  the  age  of  fourteen, 
sustaining  the  loss  of  his  excellent  mother  at  a  tender 
a™.  Duriuir  the  winter  months  he  attended  school, 
and  by  being  industrious  and  intlefatigalde  in  the 
pursuit  of  knowledge,  he  became  ([uite  prot:cient  in 
the  English  branches,  and  followed  school  teaching  as 
an  avocation,  commencing  in  the  winter  of  183'J-"40, 
at  New  London  Center,  Huron  county,  Ohio,  and 
continued  for  nineteen  consecutive  winters,  all  but 
the  first  one,  in  the  vicinity  of  his  present  home.  He 
made  his  first  purchase  of  land,  consisting  of  fifty 
acres,  in  the  year  1845,  in  Vermillion  township.  He 
bought  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  the 
spring  of  1851,  and  has  since  added  some  adjoining 
land  to  it. 

Mr.  Sayles  was  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah  C, 
daughter  of  Perry  and  Elizabeth  Darley,  July  3,  1843. 
She  was  from  Frederickstowu,  Maryland.  She  died 
May  G,  1870,  regretted  by  her  friends,  and  deeply 
mourned  by  her  relatives.  .  She  joined  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Vermillion,  in  1845,  and  her  con- 
nection with  that  body  ceased  only  with  her  life.  Ilcr 
husljand  became  a  member  of  the  church  at  the  same 
time,  and  still  retains  his  connection  with  it.  For 
his  second  wife,  Mr.  Sayles  married  Lovina  E., 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Gordon,  of  Paulding 
county,  Ohio,  in  Seiitomber,  1877,  who  is  still  living. 

Mr.  Sayles  is  a  self-made  man  in  the  broadest  sense 
of  that  term.  He  secured  his  education  by  personal 
efforts,  and  the  same  energy  and  determination  to 
succeed  that  characterized  his  endeavors  in  that  direc- 
tion, has  attended  him  in  his  subsecpient  business 
career.  From  .January  18,  18G4,  until  1875,  he  occu- 
pied the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  Antwerp 
Iron  Works,  located  in  Paulding  county,  Ohio,  and 
retains  an  interest  in  the  same  at  present. 

In  early  life  he  was  an  old  line  whig;  and  in  the 
formation  of  the  republican  party  espoused  its  princi- 
ples as  being  best  calculated  to  perpetuate  popular 
government  and  our  American  institutions.  He  was 
elected  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  187(!,  and  still  holds 
that  office.  He  has  also  been  township  treasurer, 
assessor,  etc.,  at  ditfcrent,  times.  A  fine  illustration, 
surmounted  with  the  family  jiortraits,  api)ears  else- 
where in  this  volume,  which  forms  an  approjjriate 
page  in  the  history  of  Brownlielm. 


JOHN  H.  HEYMANN 

was  born  in  Nassau,  Germany,  August  13,  1828.  lie 
was  the  third  son  in  a  family  of  eight  children  of 
(ieorge  Ileymann.     The  whole  fannly  emigrated  t.o 


America  in  1848,  and  settled  in  Lyme  township, 
Huron  county,  Ohio,  where  they  purchased  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres,  upon  which  John  II.  worked 
three  years.  In  1851,  he  went  to  California  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus,  where  he  worked  at  blacksinithing, 
mining  and  teaming.  He  remained  thei'c  until  1855, 
when  ho  returned  to  Lyme  township  and  purchased 
a  farm,  upon  which  he  remained  until  18G8,  when  he 
bought  a  flouring  mill,  a  saw  mill  and  other  buildings 
adjoining,  situated  in  Brownhelm  Hollow,  on  Ver- 
million river,  an  illustration  of  which  mills,  etc.,  is 
given  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  In  1875,  he  obtained 
a  half  interest  in  the  Amherst  flouring  mill,  and  three 
years  later  purchased  the  other  half  and  became  sole 
proprietor  of  it.  The  mill  in  Brownhelm  Hollow  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  October,  1876;  it  was  rebuilt  the 
following  year,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  mills  in  the 
county.  It  contains  all  the  modern  improvements, 
and  is  capable  of  turning  out  as  good  grist  as  any  mill 
within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles. 

In  August,  1855,  Mr.  Hcymann  and  Miss  Katheriiie 
Schied  were  united  in  marriage.  She  was  born  in 
Nassau,  Germany,  January  12,  1832.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  the  same  place.  She  had  three  broth- 
ers and  two  sisters,  all  of  whom  came  to  this  country 
ill  1854,  and  settled  in  Peru,  Huron  county,  Ohio, 
where  Mr.  Schied  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sev(uity-five  acres.  They  all  now  live  in  Huron  and 
Erie  counties,  except  the  father,  who  is  dead. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heymann  have  had  ten  children, 
seven  daughters  and  three  sons,  all  of  whom  are 
living.  The  oldest  son  is  married,  as  is  also  the  old- 
est daughter. 

Mr.  Heymann  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  res- 
pected men  of  his  towiishi]),  and  enjoys  a  good  general 
reputation  for  industry,  honesty  and  economy. 


HENRY  BROWN. 

Judge  Brown  was  born  in  Stockbridge.  Massachu- 
setts, .June  3,  1773.  In  his  youth  he  commenced  a 
course  of  liberal  education  and  entered  Harvard  col- 
lege, l)ut  l:)y  reason  of  the  failure  of  his  health  when 
in  his  sophomore  year  he  was  compelled  to  discontinue 
his  studies.  After  partially  restoring  his  health  by 
travel,  he  engaged  in  merchandise  in  his  native  town 
and  continued  in  the  business  until  his  western  inter- 
ests required  its  abandonment.  In  the  fall  of  181G, 
he  visited  the  tract  of  country,  then  simply  known  as 
iiuml)er  six  in  the  nineteenth  range  (now  Brownhelm) 
and  on  his  return  east  he  entered  into  contract  with  the 
Connecticut  Land  Company  for  the  purchase  of  three- 
fourths  of  the  township,  and  with  the  Messrs.  Rock- 
wells, of  Colebrook,  Connecticut,  for  the  rest.  Under 
his  lead  many  of  his  old  neighbors  in  Stockbridge 
removed  to  his  western  purchase  and  settled.  Col. 
'Brown,  as  he  was  formerly  called,  selected  for  himself 
a  t  ract  of  about  a  mile  s(piare,  in  the  northeast  corner 


John  H.Heymann 


plRS,CATHAfilNEf{EYM/\NN 


Thl  /AMHEJ?Sr    JVIILL 


'Khw§^Ji:,i;jj?';;~o 


1^:.*  V  **.-^:|^  J:  .r:fe 


.^,1 — '^■jjr-^ ,-„.-- '!'-_.:: 


BRQWNHEL^f    HQILOW.    LOPAIN  CQUNTT.   OhIQ. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


235 


of  the  town,  and  sent  out,  in  the  winter  of  1816-17, 
several  young  men  to  ei'ect  him  a  house  and  to  com- 
mence the  improvement  of  his  land.  lie  removed 
with  his  family  in  the  summer  of  1818,  and  took  up 
his  abode  on  the  lake  shore  in  tlie  house  previously 
built. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  county  of  Lorain, 
Col.  Brown  was  ajijiointed  one  of  the  three  associate 
judges  of  the  county,  a  position  which,  both  by  reason 
of  his  business  cx]icriencc  and  the  natural  bent  of  liis 
mind,  he  was  well  (|ualitied  to  fill.  Not  unfrequeutly, 
in  the  absence  of  the  presiding  judge,  he  was  obliged 
to  proceed  with  the  business,  even  to  charging  tlie 
jury.  He  was  always  C((ual  to  these  emergencies. 
Judge  Brown's  record  on  tlio  bench  was  an  exceedingly 
creditable  one. 

He  was  a  man  of  cntoi'prise  and  public  spirit,  lib- 
erally supporting  with  his  means  and  time  every 
object  tending  to  the  improvement  of  society.  Long 
before  his  conversion,  which  occurred  at  a  compara- 
tively late  period  in  his  life,  no  one  was  more  earnest 
in  the  support  of  the  gospel,  and  few  members  of  the 
churcli  more  regular  in  their  attendance  upon  its 
appointed  services.  When  the  people  in  Brownhelm 
began  to  think  of  inviting  a  minister  to  settle  among 
them,  he  proposed  to  pay  one-eighth  of  the  expense. 
After  a  few  years  he  united  with  the  church,  his  wife 
and  some  of  the  children  having  previously  joined. 
^  His  lialiit  of  i)unctuality  in  everytJiing,  especially  in 
his  attendance  at  every  meeting,  directly  or  indirectly 
iitfecting  tlie  church,  was  reniarkalile.  It  is  said  by 
one  who  knew  liini  well  '"that  during  a  whole  winter, 
;  two  evenings  in  a  week,  when  nearly  seventy  years  of 
age,  he  came  through  mud  and  rain,  snow  and  frost, 
(o  attend  a  singing  school;  and  u})  to  his  last  attend- 
ance on  jiublic  worship  he  was  always  to  be  found  in 
his  place  in  the  choir." 

He  was  frequently  a  delegate  from  the  presbytery 
to  tlie  general  assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  in  one  year  spent  not  less  than  five  months,  in- 
cluding his  attendance  at  a  churcli  trial  in  Pbiladel- 
j)hia,  and  the  convention  at  Auburn. 

Judge  Brown  also  took  an  active  part  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  college  in  the  Western  Reserve,  attend- 
ing the  meeting  at  Hudson,  called  for  the  purpose. 
'"Indeed,"  says  a  writer  on  this  subject,  "but  for  him 
and  another  friend  of  the  college,  no  such  charter 
would  have  been  obtained  as  the  friends  of  the  insti- 
tution would  have  accepted.  There  was  deadly  hos- 
tility to  it  in  the  Legislature;  and  the  charter  which 
tliey  asked  was  so  altered  in  its  provisions  as  to 
jtrevent  the  possibility  of  securing  religious  instruc- 
tion, and  as  such  was  passed  through  the  house. 
Intelligence  of  this  was  comnuuiicated  to  the  friends 
of  the  institution.  Judge  Brown  and  the  other  (Rev. 
Caleb  Titkin)  went  with  haste  to  Columbus,  and 
arrived  just  as  the  bill  was  about  to  be  read  for  tlie 
third  time.  They  succeeded,  by  the  aid  of  a  friend, 
in  arresting  this;  and  after  days  and  evenings  of 
patient  waiting  upon   the  opponents  of  the  contem- 


plated institution,  they  succeeded  in  obtaining  the 
charter  as  they  had  asked,  with  the  exception  of  two 
trustees,  against  whom  there  was  such  personal  hos- 
tility as  no  arguments  could  overcome." 

Judge  Brown  Avas  afterwards  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  this  college,  and  continued  in  the 
ollicc  until  the  infirmities  of  age  compelled  him  to 
relinipiisli  it. 

He  was  a  man  of  many  social  <[ualities,  and  of 
much  intelligence.  His  hospitality  was  unljininded. 
His  log  house  on  the  hdvc  shore  was  the  general  ren- 
dezvous of  the  early  emigrants  and  in  many  other 
ways  tliey  were  the  recipients  of  his  practical  benev- 
olence. 

He  died  December  10,  1843,  in  the  seventy-first 
year  of  his  age,  and  the  family  is  now  extinct  in  the 
township. 


REV.  ALFRED  II.  BETTS. 

Rev.  Alfred  H.  Betts  took  up  his  residence  in 
Brownhelm  in  January,  1821.  He  was  born  in  Nor- 
walk,  Connecticut,  September  2,  1786.  November  2, 
1809,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sally  Harris, 
daughter  of  Captain  Luther  Harris,  of  Bridgeport, 
Connecticut.  In  early  life,  he  adopted  the  profession 
of  medicine,  and  ijracticed  for  ten  years  in  Daubury. 
In  the  fall  of  1816,  he  and  his  father-in-law  came  to 
Ohio,  and  selected  a  place  for  settlement  in  Florence, 
Erie  county.  After  the  erection  of  a  cabin.  Captain 
Harris  returned  cast  for  their  families,  with  whom  he 
arrived  the  next  season.  Dr.  Betts  sjjent  the  first 
two  or  three  Sabbaths  with  Deacon  Beardslee  and 
family,  who,  a  short  time  before,  settled  in  Vermil- 
lion. They  had  a  few  religious"  exercises,  such  as 
singing,  prayer,  and  a  sermon,  read  by  Dr.  Betts.  He 
was  soon  invited  by  others  in  their  neighborliood  to 
come  to  their  dwellings,  and  hold  similar  meetings, 
at  which  a  few  families  would  be  invited  to  attend. 
And  thus  began  his  "i-eading  meetings." 

In  a  short  time.  Dr.  Betts  had  regular  appoint- 
ments at  Birmingham,  Florence,  Vermillion,  and 
other  places.  In  consequence  of  the  detention  of  his 
freight  at  Buffalo,  until  the  next  spring  after  his 
arrival.  Dr.  Betts  had  but  one  suit  of  clothes,  which, 
having  to  wear  in  the  woods  through  the  week,  was 
hardly  suitable  for  the  pulpit  on  the  Sabbath.  Long 
before  the  arrival  of  his  goods,  his  old  coat  needed 
repairing,  and  Deacon  Beardslee's  wife  would  mend 
it  as  best  she  could,  with  the  means  she  had.  Some 
rents  were  drawn  up,  and  some  covered  with  patclies 
of  such  cloth  as  she  had,  which  was  not  always  of  the 
same  color.  In  the  spring  his  boots  were  gone,  and  a 
neighbor  made  him  a  pair  of  moccasins.  The  condi- 
tion of  his  apparel  greatly  disturbed  him,  and  he 
began  to  question  whether  he  had  better  continue  in 
his  old  clothes,  or  suspend  the  meetings  until  the 
arrival  of  his  goods.  He  consulted  a  few  of  his  friends 
in  regard  to  the  matter,  who  told  him  that,  as  he  had 


236 


IIISTOKY  OF  LOKAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


gone  on  so  long,  it  was  hardly  woi'th  while  at  this 
stage  to  he  proud. 

After  his  stock  of  printed  sermons  was  exhausted 
ho  prepared  discourses  of  his  own;  yet  he  did  not  call 
them  sermons,  and  he  was  always  careful  to  assure  his 
auditors  that  he  was  not  actually  a  minister.  A  mis- 
sionary hearing  of  Dr.  Betts'  labors  called  upon  him 
for  the  purj)ose  of  satisfying  himself  as  to  the  denom- 
ination to  which  he  belonged.  "I  came  to  Vermil- 
lion," he  said,  'and  asked  a  young  man  if  they  had 
any  preaching:"  He  said  'uo.'  'Have  you  any  meet- 
ings?' 'Yes,  a  num  comes  from  tlie  Uidge  and  holds 
meetings  on  the  Sabbath.'  'What  is  he?'  'Don't 
know;  guess  a  Methodist?'  Of  another  I  made  the 
same  inquiries  wlio  guessed  you  whs  a  Baptist.  An- 
other still,  thought  you  was  a  Univorsalist.  "And 
now,"  said  he,  "I  want  to  i<u(iw  fnun  you,  yourself, 
what  you  arc?'  "  Dr.  Betts  was  al)lc  to  satisfy  him 
and  lie  departed. 

In  the  su)rimer  of  1810.  Dr.  Betts  went  to  Iludsuif, 
Portage  county,  io  prepare  himself  for  the  ministry. 
He  remained  until  April,  1830,  when  he  was  licensed 


by  the  Presljytery.  lie  returned  to  Florence,  where 
his  family  liad  remained,  and  continued  the  meetings 
formerly  held  by  him.  In  tlie  winter  of  1820-'21,  he 
received  a  call  from  the  Congregational  church  in 
Brownlielm,  whicli  he  accepted  and  was  ordained  and 
installed  Ajiril  5,  1821.  He  continued  pastor  of  the 
church  twelve  years,  when  he 'was  dismissed  at  his 
own  request.  Dr.  Betts  was  one  of  the  busiest  and 
best  known  men  in  the  country.  For  years  he  trav- 
eled all  over  this  region,  having  visited  every  township 
on  the  fire  lands,  assisting  in  organizing  churclies 
and  performing  the  duties  of  colporteur  and  Bible 
distributor.  On  the  occasion  of  a  donation  visit  at  a 
late  period  in  his  life,  by  his  friends  from  many  of  the 
towns  comprising  the  field  of  his  early  labors,  it  was 
remarked  by  one  of  the  visitors  that  a  great  many 
people  had  assembled.  "Yes,"  said  Dr.  Betts,  after 
a  moment's'  reflection,  "and  there  is  not  a  family  rep- 
resented that  I  have  not  lodged  with.'' 

His  busy  and  useful  life  came  to  a  close  September 
8,  1860.  Of  his  thirteen  children  ten  lived  to  mature 
vears.    Six  are  now  living;  two  of  them  in  Brownlielm. 


HENRIETTA 


PHYSICAL    FEATURES. 

The  township  is  described  on  the  county  rec- 
ords as  town  number  five,  in  range  nineteen  of 
the  Connecticut  Western  Reserve.  Its  jiosition  in 
the  county  is  in  the  western  tier  of  townships  ; 
to  the  nortli,  Brownhelm  ;  to  the  east  Russia;  to  the 
south,  Camden;  to  the  west,  the  county  line.  The 
surface  in  its  general  features  is  (juite  level,  with 
pleasing  undulations  in  those  portions  through  which 
its  small  streams  run,  particularly  in  tlie  uortliwest 
corner.  The  soil  is  generally  a  clay  loam,  with  a 
more  sandy  soil  in  small  portions.  The  water  courses 
are  Chance  creek  in  the  eastern  part,  Leonard  lirook 
in  tlie  western,  l)oth  tributaries  of  the  Vermillion 
river,  which  makes  a  detour  into  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  township,  from  Erie  county.  The  east  branch 
of  the  Vermillion  traverses  the  southwest  part.  Tliere 
are  a  few  other  smaller  streams,  mere  rivulets,  one  of 
which  is  Division  lirook,  in  the  northern  part.  The 
principal  original  kinds  of  timber  were  whitewood, 
white  oak,  hickory,  walnut,  white  and  black  ash, 
beech,  elm  and  liasswood.  At  an  early  period,  evi- 
dently long  previous  to  settlement,  a  terrific  hurricane 
sweiit  through  the  township,  by  wliich  all  of  the  larger 
timber,  for  over  a  half  a  mile  in  width,  was  blown 
down.     This  district  is  called  "Tlie  Windfall."     It 


is  jihiinly  indicate<l  by  the  younger  and  more  unifoim 
growth  of  the  tiinlier  than  that  of  the  adjoining 
territory,  tlie  varieties  consisting  chiefly  of  wliite  ami 
lilack  ash,  elm,  oak,  liickory,  maple  and  cherry. 

SURVEY. 

Tlie  township  was  surveyed  by  Edward  Duranil  in 
connection  with  other  territory.  The  three  northern 
tiers  of  lots,  constituting  about  one-thii'd  of  tlie  area 
of  the  township,  formed  a  part  of  Brownhelm  until 
tlie  year  1827,  when  they  were  set  off  to  Henrietta; 
and,  on  the  county  map,  it  will  be  noticed  that  those 
lots  arc  numbered  continuously  with  those  of  Brown- 
helm. Tlie  remainder  of  the  township  was  surveyed 
in  connection  with  territoi'y  lying  south  of  it.  The 
survey  began  at  tlie  southern  boundary  of  the  Western 
Reserve,  in  the  township  of  Troy,  then  Lorain  county, 
now  Ashland,  and  the  laiid  divided  int(j  fifteen  ti'ucts, 
nuniljcrs  twelve,  thirteen,  fourteen  and  fifteen  beiug 
in  this  township.  These  were  subdivided  into  lots. 
That  part  of  the  gore  embraced  in  Henrietta  is  divided 
into  lots  twenty-three,  twenty-four  and  twenty-five. 
The  part  detached  from  Brownhelm  was  origin- 
ally owned  by  Col.  Brown,  by  contract  with  the 
Connecticut  Laud  Company,  and  the  rest  of  the  town- 
ship by  difEerent  jjersons. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


237 


SETTLEMENT. 

The  family  that  is  generally  accorded  the  honor  of 
being  tiio  first  settlers  in  the  townshiji  was  that  of 
Simeon  Durand.  Durand  was  a  native  of  France. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he  and  a  brother,  Merari, 
accompanied  La  Fayette  to  Amei-ica,  Simeon  acting 
as  the  generaFs  inlerpi-eter,  and,  in  tliat  caiiacity. 
continned  to  serve  him  until  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  married  soon  after  the  close  of  tlie  war, 
and  settled  iu  Essex  county.  New  York.  He  lived 
there  until  the  winter  of  1817,  when,  with  wife  and 
youngest  child,  the  older  children  coming  subse- 
ijMently,  he  removed  to  Henrietta.  He  settled  on  lot 
ninety-eight,  and  the  family  lived  under  a  shelter 
made  of  poles  and  covered  with  bark  until  a  more 
civilized  habitation  could  be  provided.  His  purchase 
comprised  one  hundred  ai.d  sixty  acres. 

The  life  of  this  hardy  pioneer  came  to  a  close  on 
his  original  farm.  May  35,  1831.  His  wife  survived 
him  many  years,  and  leached  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety.  Her  death  occurred  in  tJie  year  1854,  at  tlie 
house  of  her  son  Merari,  in  the  township  of  Russia. 
She  possessed,  iu  a  marked  degree,  those  rfualities  nec- 
essary to  a  successful  combat  with  the  hardships  of 
pioneer  life.  The  remainder  of  the  children  came  into 
the  township  subsequently.  Lucinda,  the  oldest,  mar- 
ried Joseph  Powers  in  New  York,  with  whom  she 
removed  to  Henrietta  from  the  State  of  Vermont  a 
few  years  after  the  first  settlement.  Deacon  Powers, 
as  he  came  to  be  called,  kept  a  public  house  here  for 
many  years,  and  was  also  a  leading  member  of  the 
Baptist  church.  His  location  was  on  the  same  lot 
on  which  Durand  located.  He  lived  for  a  time  in 
Wisconsin  subsequent  to  his  settlement  in  Henrietta, 
but  returned  and  died  here.  His  widow  died  in  New 
Jersey. 

Hiram  Durand,  the  next  oldest  of  the  children, 
with  his  family,  settled  on  a  part  of  his  father's  farm. 
He  did  not  remain  long  in  the  township,  however, 
removing  to  Illinois  and,  subsequently  to  California. 
Louisa  married  a  cousin  Durand.  They,  many  years 
ago,  removed  to  Michigan.  Edward  was  one  of  the 
most  jn-ominent  citizens  of  Henrietta,  and  was  well 
known  throughout  the  county  for  many  years.  He 
has  held  the  offices  of  county  surveyor  and  county 
auditor,  justice  of  the  peace  and  other  townshij) 
offices.  He  removed  with  his  family  to  Wisconsin, 
and  died  there  soon  after  of  cholera.  He  was  twice 
married;  first  to  a  daughter  of  Thomjison  Blair,  of 
Amherst.  She  died  some  fifteen  years  afterwards, 
and  he  subsequently  married  a  widow  Bnrrell,  of 
Sheffield.  The  next  of  the  children  was  Teressa. 
She  is  now  a  widow,  living  in  Avon.  Betsey  married 
Charles  Wells,  of  Henrietta;  afterwards  removed  to 
Illinois,  and  died  there.  Merari,  the  3-oungest,  mar- 
ried twice  and  was  the  father  of  twelve  children,  ten 
of  whom  are  living,  and  one,  Dorleski,  wife  of  L.  N. 
Higgins,  in  Henrietta. 

The  next  family  that  settled  in  town  was  that  of 


Calvin  Leonard.  He  was  a  native  of  Bennington 
county,  Vermont,  removed  to  Cayuga  county  New 
York,  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  whence,  in  the 
summer  of  ISUI,  on  foot  and  alone  with  his  jiaok  on 
his  back,  he  came  to  Henrietta.  He  purchased  some 
three  hundred  acres  on  the  lot  (ninely-seven)  next 
west  of  Durand,  and  twenty-five  (gore).  Choice  of 
location  with  the  first  settlers  was  determined  not  so 
much  by  the  quality  of  soil  as  by  a  desire  for  new 
neighbors,  and  we  usually  find  them  locating  upon 
land  adjoining,  or  near,  that  on  which  a  settlement 
lia<l  been  made.  Young  Leonard  cleared  a  small 
piece  on  lot  ninety-seven,  built  his  log  cabin,  and,  the 
following  winter,  returned  to  New  York  to  consum- 
mate an  arrangement  previously  made  with  Miss 
Tryphena  Root,  immediately  after  the  fulfillment  of 
which  he  set  out  for  tlie  far  west  with  ox-team  and 
sled  and  a  few  household  goods.  His  wife  came  by 
stage  to  Buffalo,  and  there  joined  her  husband.  The 
weather  was  pro|)itious  for  this  ])rimitive  bridal  jour- 
ney. It  is  authentically  stated  that  the  first  snow, 
that  season,  fell  the  day  before  they  started  and  dis- 
appeared the  day  after  their  arrival  in  Henrietta. 
Where  Elyria  now  is,  a  bear  was  seen  to  cross  their 
path  a  short  distance  in  front  of  them.  That  part  of 
the  county  was  then  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness. 
Mr.  Leonard  was  better  off,  as  regards  ready  means, 
than  perhaps  any  of  the  earlier  jiioneers.  He  had  the 
money  to  pay  for  his  land,  and  that  can  rarely  be  said 
of  the  settler  in  that  early  day.  He  was,  moreover, 
an  enterjirising,  industrious  farmer,  and  eventually 
became  well  off.  Their  family  consisted  of  three  chil- 
dren, Jeannette,  Cnyler  anil  Hervej.  The  daughter 
became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Oliver  VV.  Mather,  a  Pres- 
byterian minister  who  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College. 
At  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  was  located  at  Bir- 
mingham, Erie  county,  but  preached  also  at  other 
points.  He  eventually  returned  to  Connecticut,  and 
died  there.  Mrs.  Mather  died  many  years  previous, 
at  the  residence  of  her  brother  Hervey,  in  Henrietta. 
Cuyler  graduated  at  Hudson  College,  remained  a 
tutor  there  for  two  years,  then  studied  law,  and  was 
for  many  years  a  leading  member  of  the  bar  of  San- 
dusky City.  He  married  a  young  lady  of  high  social 
rank  in  Danbury,  Connecticut.  His  death  took  place 
in  1859.  Hervey  Leonard  resides  in  Oborlin,  having, 
a  few  years  since,  removed  there  from  Henrietta, 
where  he  had  resided  on  the  farm,  on  which  he  was 
boin,  for  forty-nine  consecutive  years.  His  first  wife 
was  Maretta  0.  Wheden,  of  Washington  county,  New 
York,  originally  but  subsequently  of  Oberlin,  where 
she  griiduated.  She  died  in  1868,  and  Mr.  Leonard 
married,  three  years  afterward,  Mrs.  Helen  M.  Dart, 
of  Oberlin,  with  whom  he  is  now  living. 

Next  in  order  came  Ruluff  Andress  and  Jolui  Den- 
ison,  and  their  families,  in  the  fall  of  1817.  They 
were  also  from  New  York,  as  were  nearly  all  of  the 
early  settlers.  The  women  and  children  came  by  boat 
from  Dunkirk  to  the  mouth  of  Black  river,  and  were 
thirteen    days    on    the   water,    and    experienced   an 


238 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


almost  unprecodcntly  rougli  voyage.  Tlieir  store  of 
provisions  was  exliaustetl  on  tlieir  arrival  at  Black 
river,  having  nothing  in  that  line,  except  half  a  bar- 
rel of  salt  beef,  which  Denison  had  put  aboaiil. 
Andress  and  Denison  came  through  with  their 
team.s,  and  ariived  at  the  nioulli  of  Black  river,  where 
they  expected  to  liiid  tlieir  families,  three  days  in  ad- 
vance of  them. 

Andress  located  east  of  Duraiid,  taking  up  a  Inin- 
dred  and  sixty  acres,  lie  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner, 
and  was  much  employed  in  the  iniilding  of  mills, 
bridges,  etc.  He  built  for  Perez  Starr,  of  Birmingham, 
the  first,  dam  across  the  Vermillion.  He  also  built  a 
mill  for  Mr.  Starr.  Andress  .subsequently  removed  to 
Huron  county,  where,  in  a  little  place  called  I'Licker- 
brush,  he  kept  hotel  for  a  tipie.  His  wife  died  while 
there,  and  he  afterwards  returned  to  Henrietta,  where 
he  died  in  about  the  year  1855.  His  was  a  busy,  use- 
ful life.  Of  his  nine  childi-en,  four  are  yet  living. 
The  (ddest  of  these,  Almon,  lives  in  Birmingham, 
who,  although  feeble  in  body,  retains  his  memory 
unimpaired,  and  we  are  indebted  to  him  for  many 
facts  relating  to  the  early  settlement  of  the  townshiji. 
Milo  is  a  Mormon,  living  in  i)olygamy  at  Salt  Lake. 
Charlotte  (Mrs.  Abhott)  and  Harriett  (Mrs.  Lang) 
reside  in  Iowa. 

Mr.  l)enison  made  his  location  just  west  of  Henri- 
etta Hill.  He  was  possessed  of  some  ready  means  on 
his  arrival,  but  instead  of  ])ayingfor  his  land,  he  kept 
his  money  for  possible  contingencies.  A  condjiuation 
of  adverse  events  exhausted  his  resources,  and  he  was 
finally  dispossessed  of  his  land,  by  which  he  lost  all 
that  he  had  exjicnded  in  the  improvement  of  it.  He 
then  rented  land  of  Calvin  Leonard  for  a  nundjer  of 
years,  and  then,  his  wife  having  died,  he  took  nj)  his 
abode  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Bristol,  in  Birming- 
ham, with  whom  he  s])ent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  died  March  11,  ISfiG.  His  wife  died  February  13, 
182C.  She  was  carried  to  the  grave  upon  an  ox  cai-t, 
on  which  the  mourners  also  rode.  Four  of  his  six 
children  are  living,  viz:  Mrs.  Lewis,  in  Ridgeville; 
Mrs.  D.  0.  Marsh  and  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Bristol,  in 
Birmingham;  and  John  S.,  in  Henrietta.  The  latter 
has  lived  in  the  town  longer  than  any  other  present 
resident  of  the  township. 

Joseph  Swift  moved  into  town  this  same  year,  fi'om 
Connecticut,  and  settled  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  township,  then  the  southwest  corner  of  Browu- 
lielni,  on  lot  eighty-one.  He  eventually  owned  a 
large  amount  of  land  on  the  Vermillion  bottom,  on 
which  he  raised  immense  cro})S  of  corn,  and  that 
locality  claimed  to  lie  called  "Egypt."  His  product 
of  this  cereal  one  season  was  live  thousand  bushels, 
which  he  sold  for  one  dollar  per  bushel.  He  was  an 
enterprising,  successful  farmer,  and  acquired  a  large 
property.  He  built  a  house  as  early  as  1840,  which 
cost  some  five  thousand  dollars.  It  was  a  grand  struc- 
ture for  the  time,  with  pillars  which  were  brought  ;ill 
the  way  from  Albany,  New  York.  This  house  is  now 
occupied  by  Nicholas  Wilbur.     Swift  married  a  sister 


of  Mrs.  Calvin  Leonard,  Elizabeth  Root,  and  had  a 
family  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  as 
follows:  Joseph,  in  Iowa;  Elisha  and  Mrs.  Cooley, 
near  Jackson,  Michigan;  and  Mrs.  Griggs,  in  Detroit. 
Mr.  Swift  died  at  (irass  Lake,  Michigan,  about  three 
years  since,  and  his  widow  now  resides  there.  Almon 
and  Jedediah  Holconib  and  their  families  moved  in,  in 
the  sjiring  of  1830.  They  have  now  no  descendants 
in  the  township. 

Uriah  Hancock  joined  the  settlement  in  1830.  He 
was  a  wheelwright,  and  had  a  machine  shop  on  Leon- 
ard brook,  in  an  early  day.  He  subsequently  removed 
to  Illinois,  and  died  there.  His  secoiid  son.  Smith 
Hancock,  was  killed  in  a  somewhat  singular  manner. 
He  was  riding  in  an  ox  cart  loaded  with  hogs,  one  of 
the  wheels  of  which  coming  into  collision  with  a 
stump,  the  cart  was  overturned  upon  him,  killing 
him  almost  instantly. 

S((uire  Abbott  joined  the  settlement  in  June,  1835. 
He  was  originally  from  Massachusetts,  but  removed 
to  New  York  at  an  early  date,  and  thence  to  Kings- 
ville,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  and  subse(|uently  to 
this  townshi]),  as  stated.  He  made  his  location  on 
Henrietta  Hill,  and  struck  the  first  blow  ever  made 
there.  His  habitation  occupied  the  spot  on  which  is 
now  the  residence  of  Ansel  Hales.  Mr.  Abbott  was 
a  Ba])tist  jireacher,  and  was  the  first  settled  minister 
ill  town.  His  wife  was  Annie  Spalford,  also  of  Mass- 
achusetts. His  death  occurred  in  December,  1853, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years  and  six  mouths.  His 
wife  died  in  January,  1845.  Their  daughter  Weal- 
thy, is  the  wife  of  Alnicron  Stedman,  of  Henrietta, 
who  came  into  tlie  townshiji  in  1837.  Mr.  Stedman 
had  ]>reviously  made  a  journey  from  Litchfield,  Con- 
necticut, to  Kingsville,  in  Ashtabula  county,  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  an  uncle,  and  while  there  met 
Miss  Abbott,  whom  he  afterwards  married  in  Henri- 
etta. 

He  took  up  fifty  acres  on  lot  one  hundred  and 
one.  a  short  distance  south  of  the  Hill,  on  the  north 
and  south  center  road,  and  he  still  occupies  his  orig- 
inal jiurchr.se,  which  has  lieen  increased  by  subsequent 
additions.  His  primitive  log  cabin  stood  a  little 
south  of  his  present  neat  frame  house.  Although 
Mr.  Stedman  settled  here  ten  years  after  the  first  set- 
tlement was  made,  there  was  not  even  then  a  stick 
cut  south  of  him  to  Brighton.  Mrs.  Stedman  is  a 
woman  of  much  intelligence,  possesses  a  tenacious 
memory  as  to  early  events,  and  has  given  the  writer 
many  facts  in  the  history  of  this  township.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stedman,  now  well  advanced  in  life,  raised  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to 
adult  life.  Justin  Abbott,  the  oldest  of  Squire 
Abbott's  family,  died  in  Minnesota.  Anna  was  the 
wife  of  Amos  Morse,  one  of  the  early  settlers  in 
Kingsville,  Ashtabula  county,  and  is  now  living  in 
widowhood,  in  Nebraska.  Susan  became  the  wife  of 
Ferris  Webster,  spent  her  married  life  in  Jefferson, 
Ashtabula  county,  and  died  there.  Orlan  is  living 
in  Kansas.     Thirza  married  Orlando  Holconib,  both 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


239 


now  living  iu  Iowa.  Mary  (Mrs.  Williuiu  Ilawkius,) 
lives  in  Camden,  and  Eli  in  Iowa. 

Prominent  among  sul)seqnent  arrivals  was  that  of 
Moses  Fnller,  in  1831,  from  Mount  Morris,  Living- 
ston county,  New  York,  with  his  wife  and  one  child. 
He  located  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Horace  San- 
ders. He  l)uilt  on  Cliancc  creek,  a  sawmill,  the  first 
mill  in  the  township;  and  an  embankment,  the 
remains  of  his  dam,  can  yet  be  seen.  He  ingeniously 
attached  a  .spinning-wheel,  whicli  was  propelled  by 
the  same  motive  ])()wer,  and  his  industrious  wife 
s])ent  many  an  hour  with  it,  liehind  the  roaring  dam. 
He  died  in  Wauseon,  Fulton  county,  Oliio,  in  August, 
],s?7,  luiving  removed  thei'e  some  seven  or  eight  years 
previous.  He  was  a  worthy  member  of  the  Baptist 
churcli  in  Henrietta  for  forty  years,  and  left  at  his 
deatli  many  friends,  who  revered  him  for  his  many 
admirable  traits  of  character.  His  widow  still  sur- 
vives him  in  Wauseon.  He  was  the  father  of  nine 
children,  two  of  whom  i-eside  in  this  townsliip.  Mrs. 
S.  0.  Well  man,  whose  hnsband  died  in  Decemberj 
1875,  and  a  son,  Byron. 

William  Hales  moved  into  the  township  at  about  this 
time,  and  located  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Adam 
Ilensner,  on  lot  eighty-eight.  He  subsequently 
changed  his  location  to  the  hill,  purchasing  the  farm 
now  owned  by  his  son  Ansel.  He  resided  here  until 
1S7"2,  wlieu  he  removed  to  North  Amherst,  where  he 
now  lives  in  his  seventy-sixth  year,  lie  is  the  fatiier 
of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  four  in  this 
township,  three  in  Amlierst,  and  one  in  Brownlielm. 

William  Ferguson,  Clinton  Dunham  and  Nathan 
Bristol  were  also  early  settlers  in  this  part  of  town. 

Simeon  Shepard,  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his 
wife  and  five  children,  came  to  Henrietta  from  Madi- 
son county.  New  York,  in  about  the  year  1830.  He 
settled  on  the  State  road,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  east 
of  Birmingham,  on  lot  ninety-eight.  He  cleared  up 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  and  lived  upon  it  until 
his  death,  in  18G8.  His  widow  survived  him  three 
years.  Three  of  the  five  children  are  living,  viz: 
Jacob,  in  Henrietta  on  a  farm  of  sixty-six  acres,  one- 
half  mile  south  of  the  center,  and  Oliver  and  Sarah,  in 
Iowa.  Simeon,  .Jr.,  died  in  Texas,  September  17, 
1878,  and  Lucy  (Mrs.  Sizer),  many  years  ago,  in 
Henrietta. 

Silas  Wood,  a  native  of  New  York,  removed  from 
Pennsylvania,  to  Ohio  with  his  jiarents  in  1834.  The 
family  settled  in  Greenfield,  Huron  county.  He 
married,  in  1827,  Hannah  Eunes,  whose  parents 
came  to  Birmingham  in  182.1.  He  afterwards  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hawley  &  Whittlesey,  pro- 
prietors of  a  woolen  factory  and  carding  machine 
near  Birmingham,  Erie  county.  Several  years  after- 
ward he  purchased  a  farm  in  Berlin,  in  that  county, 
and  took  up  his  residence  there  for  a  year  or  two,  and 
then  moved  into  this  town,  buying  one  hundred  acres 
of  Calvin  Leonard.  He  eventually  removed  to 
Birmingham,  and  built  a  stone  grist  mill,  and  also 
engaged  in  merchandise,     ftlr.  Wood's  life   was  one 


of  great  activity.  He  possessed  excellent  business 
qualifications,  and  amassed  a  fine  property.  He  died 
of  heart  disease  in  1860,  and  his  wife  died  subse- 
(piently.  Four  of  his  five  children  are  now  living, 
viz:  Mrs.  Althida  Arnold  and  George  S.,  in  Birming- 
ham, and  Mrs.  Hannah  A.  Kline  and  Mr.s.  Sarah  A. 
Strauss,  in  Oberlin. 

A  family  by  the  name  of  Pike  settled  in  the  gore  at 
an  early  date.  A  son,  James,  was  a  military  officer, 
and  fought  at  Lundy's  Lane.  He  was  afterwards 
much  engaged  in  forming  and  drilling  ritle  compa- 
nies. He  was  a  man  of  local  iirouiinence,  and  was 
highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
killed  in  1831  while  at  work  in  the  woods,  a  tree 
which  he  cut  down  falling  on  him. 

The  first  permanent  settler  in  the  south  part  of  the 
township  was  John  Hunter,  who  removed  from 
Cayuga  county.  New  York,  in  about  the  year  1830. 
He  bought  one  hundred  acres  in  the  north  part  of  lot 
ten,  in  tract  twelve,  and  afterwards  added  the  north 
part  of  lot  nine,  erecting  his  cabin  on  tlie  former  lot. 
He  eventually  removed  to  Florence,  Erie  county. 

John  R.  Hawkins  came  in  in  1834,  and  made  his 
purchase  in  lots  ten  and  eleven.  He  rolled  togethei- 
his  log  house  and  cut  out  a  door,  and  with  his  family, 
consisting  of  his  wife  and  five  children,  "moved  in." 
He  added  a  roof  and  floor  afterwards.  Without 
means,  not  even  a  team,  and  with  a  large  family  to 
supijort,  Hawkins  found  life  in  Henrietta  woods  an 
uphill  struggle,  and  after  several  years  of  hard  toil, 
which  was  only  moderately  rewarded,  removed  to  the 
])rairies  of  Illinois,  where  a  farm  could  be  brought 
under  cultivation  with  less  difficulty.  He  died  there 
a  few  years  after,  and  his  widow  eventually  became 
insane. 

Sometime  in  1834,  might  have  been  seen  an  aged 
cou])lo  traveling  on  foot  along  the  angling  road  that 
led  from  Birmingham  to  Camden.  They  were  Wil- 
liam Bates  and  his  wife,  from  New  York  State,  on 
their  way  to  Camden,  to  visit  some  of  their  children 
who  had  settled  there,  and  to  examine  the  country, 
reports  of  the  excellence  of  which  had  been  sent  back 
by  the  children.  After  returning,  Mr.  Bates  being 
pleased  with  the  western  country,  disposed  of  his 
projierty  in  New  York,  and  with  the  residue  of  his 
family,  except  William  Bates,  Jr.,  who  remained  in 
New  York,  emigrated  to  Henrietta,  arriving  in  1830. 
The  family  located  on  lots  thirteen  and  fourteen  in 
tract  twelve,  purchasing  of  Robert  Johnson  and 
.James  Peak,  who  had  made  a  beginning  there.  The 
Bates'  eventually  (jwned  the  whole  of  those  lots,  and 
except  a  small  portion  they  are  still  in  their  pos.ses- 
ion  or  that  of  tlieir  descendants.  The  pioneer  Bates 
was  twice  married  iind  became  the  father  of  fifteen 
children,  ten  boys  and  five  girls.  The  family  was  not 
only  remarkable  for  its  size  numerically,  but  also  for 
the  stature  of  its  members,  their  great  physical 
strength,  and  their  longevity.  The  ten  sons  aggre- 
gated a  hight  of  nearly  sixty-two  feet.  These  char- 
acteristics were  doubtless  inherited  from  the  father, 


I 


240 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


who,  it  is  said,  was  a  powerful  man,  weighing  over 
tlircc  hundred  pounds.  He  died  in  tlie  fall  of  1848, 
in  the  eighty-flftli  year  of  his  age,  and  was  buried  on 
tlie  bank  of  the  Vermillion.  His  remains,  however, 
were  siibse(juently  removed  to  the  SduMi  Henrietta 
burying  ground.  Two  sons  and  three  daughters  are 
yet  living,  all  of  whom  are  well  advanced  in  life.  Two 
of  tlie  daughters  arc  aged  respectively  eighty-eiglit 
and  eighty-four.  Bennett  Bates  and  Thaxter  Bates 
reside  in  Henrietta. 

Henry  Rosa,  with  Ins  family  of  wife  and  four  chil- 
dren, moved  into  Hciii-ietta  in  is:5."),  from  Birming- 
ham, Erie  county,  whither  he  had  come  two  years 
jtri'viously  from  Cayuga  county,  New  York.  He  took 
up  his  residence  on  fifty  acres  of  lot  ten,  tract  twelve, 
which  had  been  ])urchased  by  his  oldest  son,  James  H. 
Rosa.  A  log  house  had  been  built  on  the  place  some 
two  years  jireviously,  by  Alexander  Knnes,  of  New 
York,  who,  on  selling,  removed  to  Birmingham  where 
he  now  resides.  This  farm  is  still  owned  and  occupied 
by  Mr.  Rosa,  Sr.,  who  is  now  eighty-five  years  of  age. 
He  married  Mary  Hawkins,  who  died  about  twenty 
years  ago.  Mr.  Rosa  served  in  tlu'  war  of  1813.  His 
sou,  James  H.  Rosa,  resides  on  one  hundred  and 
foui'teen  acres  in  lot  nine.  He  is  the  present  justice 
of  the  peace  for  the  south  part  of  the  township. 

Moses  R.  Mapes,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  moved 
in  in  the  spring  of  1838,  from  Florence  townshi|i, 
Erie  cjunty,  taking  up  his  residence  on  lot  twelve, 
track  fourteen.  Hi  married  Elizaljetli  Hawkins,  of 
Newburg,  Orange  county.  New  Yoi-k,  and  raised  a 
family  of  ten  childi'en,  six  sons  and  four  daughters. 
She  died  in  the  spring  of  1843,  and  Mr.  Mapes  sub- 
sequently married  a  Mrs.  Tisdel,  of  Vermillion,  where 
he  resided  for  several  years  previous  to  his  death, 
wliich  took  jdace  in  Mai-ch,  18(U.  Three  of  the 
children  now  live  in  the  township.  Harvey,  who 
lives  on  tlie  farm  to  which  he  removed  over  thirty 
years  ago;  Samuel,  who  lives  (Ui  the  farm  first  occu- 
pied by  John  Hunter;  and  Rosella,  now  Mrs.  Barhyte, 
who  resides  on  the  farm  cleared  up  by  John  Hawkins. 
Her  husband,  Uichanl  Barliyte,  was  killed  by  a  kick 
from  his  horse,  December  2o,  1874. 

Robert  JolinsoQ  was  th3  first  settler  on  lot  thirteen. 
Hj  died  S0()n  aftei'  settlemsnt,  and  his  widow  sub- 
setpiently  married  Jacob  Ennes,  of  Birmingham.  She 
finally  became  insuu,  and  hung  herself  to  a  limb  of 
tree  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

Further  east  we  find  as  early  settlers,  John  Balys, 
Medad  Buckley,  Aldridge  and  Roswell  Allen,  Ben- 
jamin Griffin,  Levi  Vincent,  John  Jewel,  Tiiomas 
McCreedy,  Richard  Call,  John  Hemlerson,  and  two 
families  by  tlie  names  of  Lewis  and  Billings.  Balys 
and  Buckley  were  the  first  permanent  settlers  on  lots 
sixteen  and  seventeen,  in  tract  twelve.  Balys  pre- 
ceded bis  family,  who  arrived  in  1834.  After  a  resi- 
dence of  many  years  in  Henrietta,  he  removed  to 
Berlin,  Erie  county,  but  subsequently  returned  to 
this  township,  and  bought  out  John  Hunter.  He 
afterward  sold  to  Samuel  G.  Mapes,  his  son-in-law. 


and  moved   to  Elyria,  and  died  there.     He  was  the 
first  justice  of  the  peace  in  South  Henrietta. 

The  Aliens  located  on  lot  fifteen.  Roswell  built  a 
saw  mill  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Vermillion,  in  an 
early  day,  which,  however,  proved  an  unprofitable 
venture, — the  dam  continually  breaking  away.  He, 
some  ten  years  since,  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  now 
lives.     Aldridge  died  in  1875,  aged  eighty. 

Levi  Vincent  settled  in  1834,  purchasing  fifty  acres 
each  in  lots  four  and  five,  of  Judge  Ely.  He  was 
originally  from  Canada  East,  but  emigrated  to  Lake 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  in  the  township 
eighteen  months,  and  then  came  to  Henrietta.  He 
and  his  aged  wife  are  still  living  on  the  original 
purchase. 

Thomas  McCreedy  was  an  early  settler  in  Brown- 
helm,  whence  he  removed  to  Henrietta.  He  is  a 
native  of  Plattsburgh,  New  York,  and  removed  to 
Cleveland  in  1834.  He  remained  there  three  or  four 
years,  engaged  ]iriucipally  in  chopping  wood,  cutting 
in  eighteen  months  seven  hundred  cords.  His  next 
move  was  to  Brownhelni,  where  he  lived  some  thir- 
teen years,  and  then  moved  to  Henrietta,  and  ]iur- 
chased  forty-nine  acres  on  lot  thirteen,  tract  thirteen. 
To  this  he  has  since  added,  and  now  owns  something 
over  seventy-one  acres.  His  first  wife  died  in  1845, 
while  residing  in  Brownhelm,  and  he  married,  three 
years  subsequently,  the  widow  of  Caleb  Dunham. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCreedy  are  still  living,  aged  respec- 
tively seventy-five  and  seventy-seven. 

Jonathan  Toof,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Mills, 
were  also  early  settlers  on  this  road. 

Still  further  east.  Captain  Elias  Mann  and  Andrew 

Peabody.     Mann  was  perhaps  the  earliest  settler  in 

;  this  ]iart  of  the  township.     All  we  know   of  him   is 

that  he  owned  a  small  patch  of  ground  on  which  he 

had  a  log  cabin. 

Peal:)ody  settled  where  he  still  resides,  on  lot  one 
hundred  and  four.  He  came  to  Henrietta  with  his 
family,  in  1835,  his  native  State  being  New  Hamp- 
shire. His  first  wife  died  many  years  ago.  He  re- 
nuirried,  and  his  second  wife  is  also  dead.  She  lived 
only  a  few  months  after  her  marriage.  Mr.  Peabody 
is  in  his  eighty-third  year. 

Richard  Kelly  and  John  Petty  were  also  early  set- 
tlers in  this  section  of  the  town.  Petty  emigrated  to 
America  from  Yorkshire,  England,  when  a  young 
man,  worked  in  a  coal  mine  in  Pennsylvania,  for  a 
time,  and  then  came  to  the  townshii>  of  Russia,  pur- 
chased fifty  acres  of  land,  married  and  raised  a  fam- 
ily. After  a  residence  there  of  many  years,  he  came 
to  Henrietta.  He  is  still  living  on  the  windfall  road, 
with  his  younger  children,  aged  seventy-six. 

The  most  of  lot  seven,  tract  twelve,  was  originally 
settled  by  Newell,  Jesse  and  Chapman  M.  Cook, 
brothers.  The  former  two  came  to  Henrietta  in  1837, 
and  the  latter  in  1838.  They  were  from  New  York, 
and  all  very  poor  when  they  came  to  Henrietta;  but 
they  were  industrious,  and  cheerfully  eiulured  the 
hardships  of  those  early  times.     The  first  work  of 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


241 


clearing  that  Newell  and  Jesse  did  for  others,  in  order 
lluit  no  time  might  be  wasted  in  going  back  and  forth 
for  their  meals,  they  carried  a  store  of  provisions  with 
them  to  the  woods,  and  kept  bachelors'  hall  in  a  large 
hollow  log.  Newell  was  not  long  to  enjoy  the  fruit 
of  his  toil;  he  died  in  1843.  Jesse  moved  to  Camden 
in  1857;  he  served  the  Bai)tist  Church  in  Henrietta 
for  upward  of  thirty  consecutive  years.  Chapman 
still  lives  on  the  old  homestead,  on  lot  seven. 

riONEKR     HARDSHIPS,    DANGERS    AND    AMUSEMENTS. 

The  pioneers  of  Henrietta,  while  exempt  from  some 
of  the  hardships  by  which  those  of  other  townships, 
which  were  settled  before  the  close  of  the  war  of  1813, 
were  surrounded,  were  nevertheless  subject  to  many 
privations  and  hardships  of  which  it  is  difficult  for 
those  who  have  not  actually  experienced  them,  to 
form  an  adequate  conception.  The  first  settlers  here 
lived  in  almost  complete  isolation.  There  were  other 
settlers  in  Brownhelm,  but  they  lived  on  the  lake 
shore  between  which  and  the  southern  part  of  that 
township  lay  an  unbroken  forest  of  some  five  miles  in 
extent,  and  there  was,  therefore,  but  little  intercourse 
between  the  two  sections.  Provisions  were  sometimes 
scarce  and  difficult  to  obtain.  The  nearest  grist  mill 
was  not  far  away — Col.  Brown's,  on  the  Vermillion — 
but  it  was  not  in  opei'ation  mucli  of  the  time  and  long 
journeys  would  have  to  be  made  to  get  the  grain 
ground  into  flour.  The  earlier  settlers  in  Henrietta 
frequently  carried  their  grain  to  a  mill  at  Cold  creek, 
near  Sandusky,  to  get  their  grinding  done.  Simeon 
Durand  once  carried  on  his  back  a  bushel  of  wheat  to 
Rocky  river  to  get  it  ground. 

Murrain  attacked  the  cattle  with  terribly  fatal 
results,  and  a  disease  among  the  sheep,  of  which  they 
died  in  large  numbers,  while  many  were  killed  by  the 
predatory  wolf.  The  woods  abounded  in  wild  animals 
of  which  the  wolf  was  the  most  annoying  to  the  in- 
habitants, not  only  because  of  his  frequent  incursions 
into  the  farmer's  sheepfold,  but' also  on  account  of  his 
nightly  howls  around  the  lonelj'  cabin.  He  was  a  rav- 
enous animal,  and  even  deer  would  frequently  become 
the  victim  of  his  rapacity.  They  showed  a  great  deal 
of  ingenuity  in  capturing  the  deer,  an  animal  too  fleet 
to  be  overtaken  by  pursuit.  Christopher  Shaffer,  an 
old  hunter  through  this  region,  now  living  in  Flor- 
f  ence,  relates  that  on  a  certain  occasion,  as  he  was 
I  going  to  his  traps  in  Henrietta,  he  came  upon  the 
I  path,  in  the  snow,  of  a  pack  of  wolves,  and  he  fol- 
.  lowed  it  up.  For  some  distance  the  path  showed  that 
they  had  traveled  along  in  single  file,  when  suddenly 
it  disajipeared  from  the  hunter's  sight.  On  looking 
around  liini,  however,  he  found  numerous  tracks  on 
liiith  sides  of  the  path,  indicating  that  from  some 
cause  they  had  suddenly  dispersed.  On  further  ex- 
amination the  skeleton  of  a  large  buck  was  found. 
The  wolves,  on  discerning  the  deer  had  instantly 
broken  ranks,  surrounded  him,  and  thus  secured 
their  prey. 

31 


Occasionally  the  farmers  in  several  adjoining  town- 
ships would  organize  a  grand  hunting  party.  The 
object  was  two-fold — to  enjoy  the  fine  sport  which 
such  a  hunt  furnished,  and  to  rid  the  country  of  the 
wolf,  which,  however,  was  not  frequently  caught. 
The  first  of  these  hunts  was  organized  in  January, 
1828,  under  the  lead  of  Captain  Tracy,  of  Amherst, 
and  centered  in  this  township.  Men  from  Henrietta, 
Brownhelmn,  Amherst,  Russia,  Brighton,  and  Flor- 
ence, Erie  county,  participated.  The  method  of  the 
sport  was  to  surround  a  large  tract  of  country,  the 
line  thus  formed  moving  gradually  toward  the  center. 
The  sport  was  not  without  danger  from  cross-firing 
as  the  hunters  approached  each  other,  and  instances 
of  fatal  accident  are  not  wanting.  On  this  occasion 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Harris,  of  Amherst,  who  was 
on  horseback,  was  shot  in  the  ankle.  A  lai-ge  quan- 
tity of  game  was  killed,  including  a  bear.  Calvin 
Leonard,  John  Denison  and  Almeron  Stedman,  of 
Henrietta,  were  members  of  this  hunting  party. 

Wild  hogs  were  numerous,  and  the  male  often 
dangerous.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Manville,  living 
in  Wakeman,  was  once  attacked,  and  being  without 
means  of  defence,  the  boar  struck  him  in  the  leg, 
terribly  hu crating  the  flesh.  He  ran  to  the  nearest 
stump,  climbed  upon  it,  and  remained  there  until  the 
hog  disajjpeared.  Shaffer  himself  was  thus  once 
attacked,  but  having  his  rifle  with  him,  he  proved 
more  than  a  match  for  his  adversary.  One  night 
while  he  and  his  father  lay  in  their  hut,  at  the  sugar 
bush,  in  the  south  part  of  Henrietta, — -which'  they 
established  long  previous  to  the  advent  of  the  white 
settler  there, — they  were  arroused  by  a  commotion 
outside,  in  which  their  dog  apparently  had  a  jiart. 
On  going  out  to  see,  it  was  found  that  the  dog  had 
seized  a  cub  bear.  The  old  gentleman  ran  into  the 
cabin  for  his  gun,  the  old  bear,  in  the  meantime, 
intent  on  seeing  fair  play,  coming  to  the  assistance  of 
her  cub.  She  rushed  at  Shaffer,  Sr.,  furiously,  but 
he  quietly  brought  the  rifle  to  his  shoulder  and  fired, 
killing  the  brute  on  the  spot.  The  cub  escaped  in 
the  woods,  the  dog  only  too  glad  to  jiart  company 
with  his  embracing  antagonist. 

Indians  annually  visited  Henrietta  foi-  many  years 
after  the  settlement.  They  would  come  in  the  fall,  and 
remain  to  hunt  through  the  winter.  They  had  a  little 
camp,  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  township,  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Ver- 
million, and  one,  of  twelve  or  fifteen  families,  long 
subsequent  on  Chace  creek,  just  east  of  Mr.  Sted- 
man's.  They  wei'c  peaceably  disposed,  and  the  inhab- 
itants experienced  no  annoyance  from  them. 

EARLY  EVENTS. 

The  first  wedding  was  that  of  Joseph  Swift  and 
Elizabeth  Root.  This  interesting  event  took  place 
August  22,  1818.  The  nuptial  knot  was  tied  by  Rev. 
Alvin  Coe.  Among  the  earliest  marriages  was  that 
of  Festus  Powers  and  Sally  Andress,  which  occurred 
sometime  in  1819. 


L 


242 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


The  first  death  was  that  of  Betsey  Holcoinl).  She 
died  August  24,  181S,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 
Tlie  male  inhabitants  mot,  and  selected  a  site  for 
a  burying  ground,  on  land  lielonging  to  Edward 
Duraud.  Smith  Hancock  and  Almon  Andross 
l)rnslied  off  apiece  of  ground,  and  there  dug  tlie  grave. 

Henry  Brown  Ilolconib  was  tiu^  first  ciiild  born. 
It  is  said  that  Colonel  Brown  had  promised  to  give 
the  parents  of  the  first  child  born  in  what  was  then 
Browulielm,  the  sura  of  fifty  dollars,  and  that  that 
amount  was  endorsed  on  the  land  contract  of  Squire 
Holcomh,  who  had  made  his  purchase  of  Colonel 
Brown.  The  births  of  Jeannctte  Leonard  and  Char- 
lotte Andress  were  among  the  earliest. 

Dr.  Forbes  was  the  first  physician.  He  came  into 
the  township  in  about  the  year  1831;  his  family  sub- 
sequently. 

Joseph  Powers'  was  the  first  house  opened  for  the 
accommodation  of  travelers.  Subsecfuently  the  large 
frame  house  on  the  hill,  owned  by  Anson  Hales,  was 
built  by  James  Uurand,  and  kept  by  him  as  a  hotel. 
The  stage  road  was  a  great  thoroughfare  in  those  days, 
and  Durand's  large  hotel  was  almost  constantly  filled. 
General  Winfield  Scott,  accompanied  by  his  staff,  has 
been  a  guest  at  this  house. 

A  post  office  was  established  on  the  hill,  soon  after 
the  organization  of  the  town,  and  Squire  Abbott  was 
appointed  the  first  post  master.  The  office  was  sub- 
sequently held  successively  by  Edward  Durand,  Moses 
Fuller,  Harvey  Page,  Stephen  Jones,  and  Ansel  Hales, 
the  last-named  being  the  present  incumbent. 

Edward  Durand  kept  the  first  store  in  the  town,  in 
the  house  built  by  him,  and  now  occupied  by  Harvey 
Page. 

Thumau  Bodfish,  at  the  present  time,  has  a  store 
on  the  hill,  which  is  the  only  one  in  towu. 

ORGAN'IZATION.* 

Henrietta  was  organized  in  1837.  In  November, 
1836,  the  inhabitants  in  the  south  part  of  Brownhelm 
petitioned  the  commissioners  to  take  off  the  three 
south  tiers  of  lots  and  to  attach  them  to  unsettled 
lands  lying  south,  and  incorporate  the  same  into  a 
township.  The  j)etitioners  look  occasion  to  say  that 
it  was  seven  miles  from  the  lake  shore  to  the  south 
line  of  the  township;  that  there  had  been  but  little 
communication  between  the  north  and  south  settle- 
ments; and  that  it  was  extremely  inconvenient  for 
some  of  the  people  to  attend  on  the  public  business  of 
the  town.  The  prayer  of  the  petition  was  rejected; 
but  at  the  same  session  of  the  commissioners  it  was 
ordered  that  tracts  nine,  ten,  eleven,  twelve,  thirteen, 
fourteen  and  fifteen,  in  range  nineteen,  with  surplus 
lots  lying  west  of  said  tracts,  be  erected  into  a  town- 
ship by  the  name  of  Henrietta,  and  be  attached  to 
Brighton  for  judicial  purposes.  This  township,  as 
thus  formed,  included  a  large  part  of  the  present 
township  of  Camden  and  a  little  more  than  two-thirds 


*  Boynton. 


of  the  present  township  of  Henrietta.  As  organized, 
it  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  inhabitants  in  the  south 
part  of  Brownhelm,  and  in  Februarv,  1837,  upon 
their  petition,  two  tiers  of  lots,  being  over  a  mile  in 
widtii,  wore  detached  from  the  south  part  of  Brown- 
holm  and  annexed  to  Henrietta;  and  tract  number 
nine  was  detached  from  Henrietta  and  annexed  to 
Brighton.  An  election  was  ordered  for  township 
officers,  which  took  jdaee  in  Ajiril,  1837.  Calvin 
Leonard,  Simeon  Durand  and  Smith  Hancock,  were 
elected  trustees;  Justin  Abbott,  clerk;  Joseph  Pow- 
ers, treasurer;  Olied  Holcomh,  overseer  of  the  poor; 
John  E.  Page,  fence  viewer;  Josejdi  Weston,  consta- 
ble; Orlando  llolcomb,  supervisor;  Edward  Durand, 
justice  of  the  peace.  In  March,  1830,  lots  eighty-six, 
eighty-seven  and  eighty-eight  were  detached  from 
Brownhelm  and  annexed  to  Henrietta;  and  in  March, 
1835,  lots  eighty-one,  eighty-two,  eighty-three,  eighty- 
four  and  eighty-five,  the  remainder  of  the  tier,  were 
added. 

The  lu'csent  township  officers  are  as  follows:  C. 
L.  Ferguson,  clerk;  W.  A.  Thomas,  Washington 
Covenhoven,  Sylvester  Petty,  trustees;  L.  A.  Hisrgins, 
treasurer;  Marseiui  Peabody,  assessor;  Henry  Whit- 
ney and  Eugene  Walker,  constables;  G.  L.  Ferguson 
and  James  H.  Rosa,  justices  of  the  peace. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  earliest  schools  were  held  at  ])rivate  houses. 
The  first  teacher  was  Marinda  Morrison,  who  taught 
in  the  summer  of  1819.  Soon  afterward  a  rude  log 
school  house,  with  stick  chimney,  Dutch  back  fire- 
place, and  whitewood  slabs  for  seats,  was  erected  on 
the  farm  of  Simeon  Durand.  Dr.  Forbes  taught  the 
first  school  in  this  structure  in  the  winter  of  1831-3. 
He  was  a  medical  practitioner,  and  was  the  first  doctor 
in  town. 

The  log  school  house  served  its  purj)0se  for  a  few 
j'ears.  and  then  a  frame  was  built.  It  was  the  first 
frame  school  house  in  this  section  of  the  country.  It 
was  years  afterwards  sold  to  Carlo  Andress,  and  is 
now  used  on  his  old  place  as  a  barn.  Sarah  Ann  lug- 
ham,  James  Durand,  Lucinda  Johnson,  and  Wealthy 
Abbott  were  among  the  earliest  teachers.  Durand 
taught  in  the  winter  of  1835,  and  Miss  Abbott  the 
following  summer.  Her  wages  were  seven  shillings 
per  week  which  were  paid  in  merchandise.  The  pat- 
rons of  the  school  paid  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  children  they  sent.  Henrietta  occupies  a  front 
rank  among  the  townships  of  Lorain  county  with 
respect  to  the  character  of  her  school  houses.  They 
are  exceeded  in  their  aggregate  value  by  only  two 
other  of  the  townshiiis  in  the  county  in  which  there 
is  not  an  incorporated  village,  and  in  the  average 
value  takes  the  lead.  The  rejMrt  of  the  clerk  of  the 
board  of  education,  ending  August  31,  1878,  gives  the 
following  statistics : 

Number    f  houses   C 

Aggregate  value $8,000 

Amount  pai  I  teachers $1.M4 

Number  of  scholars 247 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


243 


RELIGIOUS. 

The  pioneers  of  Henrietta  wore  not  behind  their 
neiglibors  in  providing  for  their  religious  wants.  The 
earliest  religious  meetings  were  held  at  the  house  of 
Josejjh  Powers.  This  was  before  the  advent  of  the 
])reacher,  and  these  services  were  very  simple,  and,  of 
course,  undenominational  in  character.  The  first 
preacher  was  Rev.  Alva  C'oe,  from  Boston,  a  mission- 
ary among  the  Indians.  He  preached  the  first  sermon 
in  Henrietta,  at  the  house  of  Calvin  Leonard. 

BAPTIST  CHUKCH. 

The  Baptists  were  the  first  to  move  in  the  matter 
of  a  church  organization.  A  society  was  formed  Oc- 
tol>er  10,  1818,  by  Elder  Goodell,  of  Painesville,  of 
some  fourteen  or  fifteen  members,  of  whom  we  have 
only  the  following  names :  Joseph  Powers  and  wife, 
Mrs.  Simeon  Durand,  Betsey  Duraud,  Jedodiah  Hol- 
comb  and  wife.  Joseph  Powers  was  appointed  dea- 
con. The  church  had  occasional  pi'eaching  by  Elder 
Joseph  Phillips,  of  Berlin,  Erie  county,  and  by  others, 
but  it  was  not  until  1825  that  stated  preaching  was 
had.  In  tliat  year  Elder  Squire  Abbott  moved  into 
town  from  Kingsville,  Ashtabula  county,  and  became 
the  pastor  of  the  church.  The  society  gradually 
increased  in  membership  for  two  years  following, 
when  dissensions  of  a  radical  nature  arose  in  the 
church,  which  continued  for  some  time,  "and  were 
not  healed  until  another  doctrine  was  embraced  by  the 
juistor  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  members,"  who 
withdrew  from  the  church.  "In  this  state  of  things 
trying  scenes  were  experienced  by  those  who  main- 
tained their  allegiance  to  the  church,"  yet  the  church 
kept  up  its  organization,  reported  to  the  Huron  Asso- 
ciation, of  which  it  was  a  member,  and  had  occa- 
sional preaching.  The  records  of  the  church  were 
taken  away  by  the  seceding  members,  and  were  not 
restored  until  February,  18.'i3.  At  that  time  there 
were  ten  memliers.  During  this  and  the  fol- 
lowing year,  Peter  Lattinier  })reached  occasionally. 
After  this,  stated  preaching  was  had.  The  salary 
of  these  early  preachers  was  very  small,  and  not 
always  promptly  paid.  Until  1837,  the  meetings 
of  the  [church  were  held  in  the  school  house,  west 
of  the  Hill,  and  for  a  year  or  tw^o  subsequently, 
in  the  school  house  on  the  Hill.  In  July,  1837,  by 
resolution  of  the  church,  the  following  members  were 
constituted  a  branch  of  the  church  in  Birmingham  : 
James  and  Catharine  Daly,  Henry  and  Mary  Howe, 
John  and  Ann  Blair,  Richard  and  Catharine  Laugh- 
ton,  and  Hannah  Brown,  and  the  church  took  the 
name  of  the  Henrietta  and  Birmingham  Church.  In 
May,  1840,  the  Birmingham  branch  organized  inde- 
pendently. 

In  1838,  Edwaixl  Durand,  Es<(.,  erected  the  house 
on  the  hill,  in  which  Harvey  Page  now  resides.  The 
upjier  part  was  fitted  up  for  an  audience  room  for  the 
use  of  the  church.  It  was  completed  in  August  of 
that  year,  and  the  Huron  Association  held  their  an- 
nual  session   with    the  church   in   its  new  place  of 


worship  on  the  29tli  and  30th  of  that  month.  An 
act  of  incorporation,  on  petition  of  the  church,  was 
granted  by  the  legislature  of  the  State,  February  28, 
1842,  under  the  name  of  the  "First  Regular  Baptist 
Church  and  Society  of  Henrietta."  Chauncey  Rem- 
ington, Philemon  Shepard,  Daniel  Axtell,  Moses 
Fuller  and  Simeon  D.  Powers  were  constituted  trus- 
tees by  said  act.  In  1850,  the  church  edifice  on  the 
hill  was  erected  and  dedicated  to  the  worshiiJ  of  God 
on  the  18th  of  November  of  that  year,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Berton,  of  Elyria,  officiating  on  the  occasion,  assisted 
by  the  pastor.  Elder  Fuller.  Elder  Julius  Beemau 
of  Lagrange,  L.  Wilder  of  Berlin,  Erie  county,  and 
G.  W.  Allen  of  Amherst  were  present  and  took  part 
in  the  exercises.  The  house  cost  about  one  thousand 
six  hundred.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Malcom 
Wood.  William  A.  Thomas  is  clerk.  Pi-esent  mem- 
i)ership,  fifty.  The  salary  of  the  pastor  is  five  hundred 
and  sixteen  dollars.  A  Sabbath  school  was  organized 
on  the  first  Sabbath  in  July,  1832,  of  about  thirty 
scholars;  Philemon  Shcjiard  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent. The  first  teachers  were  Philemon  Shepard, 
Dennis  Powers,  Patience  Shepard,  Venera  Shepard 
and  Jane  Ellis.  There  are  now  eighty-three  scholars 
enrolled,  with  an  average  attendance  of  fifty;  William 
A.  Thomas,  superintendent. 

THE    UNION    CHURCH. 

Sometime  prior  to  1852  a  Methodist  Episcoj^al 
class  and  a  Free  Will  Baptist  society  were  formed. 
The  constituent  members  of  the  Baptist  society  were 
the  following:  Jesse  Cook  and  wife,  George  Couover, 
Mrs.  Austin  and  James  H.  Rosa  and  wife.  We  are 
not  informed  as  to  the  original  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  class.  They  held  their  meetings 
in  the  school  house  in  the  former  school  district  num- 
ber three.  In  the  above  year  they  combined  in  the 
erection  of  a  church  building.  The  organization  was 
effected  under  the  name  of  the  "  Free  Church  Asso- 
ciation,"' and  immediate  steps  taken  to  erect  a  house 
of  worship.  Article  four  of  the  constitution  specifies 
that  the  house  is  to  be  free  to  all  denominations  of 
Christians,  and  to  all  j^ublic  sjieakers  who  have  in 
view  moral,  religious  or  political  reform,  or  the 
advocacy  of  any  benevolent  enterprise.  A  house  was 
accordingly  built  on  lot  six,  tract  twelve,  costing 
about  eight  hundred  dollars,  and  was  dedicated  by 
Elder  Whijjple  of  Oberlin.  The  Methodists  afterward 
withdrew  and  formed  a  class  in  Kipton,  but  were 
subsequently  divided  into  two  sections  by  the  slavery 
agitation,  and  the  more  radical  wing  in  regard  to  the 
([uestion  returned  to  worship  with  the  Baptists  as 
formerly. 

The  church  has  now  a  membership  of  thirty-two. 
J.  B.  Cook  is  clerk,  Jesse  Cook  is  deacon,  and  E.  G. 
Wightmau,  officiating  deacon.  Rev.  G.  H.  Damon 
of  Medina,  and  Rev.  Hushour  of  Pittsficld,  preach 
every  alternate  Sabbath.  The  church  has  accom- 
jilished  much  good.  It  has  a  flourishing  Sabbath 
school  of  some  sixty  scholars,  of  which  Charles 
Buckley  is  the  superintendent. 


Ui 


niSTOllY  OF  LORzVIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


UNITED    BRETHREN. 

Tliere  were  originally  tlirco  classes  of  this  rleiiomi- 
iiatioii — one  at  the  center,  oue  on  the  first  road  oast 
of  tlie  center,  and  another  on  the  second  road  east  of 
the  center,  called  the  "  Windfall"  class.  The  class 
at  the  center  was  formed  in  18.55,  by  Kev.  Alva  Pres- 
cott,  an  itinerant  revivalist  preacher,  engaged  in  the 
organization  of  classes  of  this  denomination.  The 
other  classes  were  formed  a  short  time  previously. 
They  united  in  their  meetings,  which  were  held  in  an 
old  log  school  house  on  the  I'oad  next  east  of  the 
center.  Kev.  Mr.  Prescott  was  their  first  minister. 
He  remained  a  year  and  a  half  with  them.  Tlie 
center  and  middle  classes  subsequently  united  at  the 
center,  and  erected  a  house  of  worsiiij),  wliich  is  still 
used  by  them.  It  was  erected  in  1864,  and  dedicated 
by  Bishop  Glossbenner.  The  present  membership 
is  fourteen  or  fifteen.  It  had,  in  more  prosperous 
days,  a  membership  of  f(jrty.  Uobert  Wliite  is  the 
leader  of  this  class,  and  Charles  McCreedy,  steward. 
After  the  union  of  the  two  classes  at  the  center,  the 
"Windfall"  class  held  their  services  in  jirivate  houses 
in  the  immediate  vicinity,  until  the  erection  of  a 
school  house,  when  they  occupied  that.  Marsena 
Peabody  is  the  present  loader,  and  Thomas  Jolmson, 
steward.  Kev.-  Peter  Ish,  of  Oberlin,  preaclies  for 
both  classes. 

THE    GERMAN    METUODIST   ClIUKCII 

was  organized  in  tlie  year  1868,  with  twenty-five  or 
thirty  members,  by  the  Rev.  George  Berg.  Meetings 
were  held  in  the  school  house  in  disti'ict  number  one, 
until  the  erection,  in  1875,  of  the  present  neat  and 
commodious  house  on  the  State  road.  It  cost  some 
twenty  seven  hundred  dollars,  including  tlie  furni- 
ture, and  was  dedicated  by  Rev.  Paoles,  of  Berea. 
The  church  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  having  some 
fifty  members,  and  has  also  a  prosperous  Sabbath 
school,  of  which  Henry  Haneisen  is  superintendent. 
Rev.  Adam  Weber,  of  Vermillion,  preaches  once 
every  Salfbath. 

THE    GERMAN    PRESHYTERIAN  CHURCH, 

situated  in  the  western  part  of  the  township,  a  mile 
South  of  Birmingham,  was  organized  in  1872,  and  a 
building  erected,  costing  eight  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars. The  first  preacher  of  this  church  was  Rev. 
Kuhler,  of  Vermillion.  Rev.  Mr.  Brown  is  the 
present  pastor.  The  original  membership  was  some 
twelvi'  in  number,  and  is  now  twenty.  The  church 
has  a  prosi)erous  Sabbath  school,  Adam  AlmroHi 
being  the  superintendent. 

ROADS. 

The  first  road  in  Henrietta  was  the  old  State  road, 
now  usually  called  the  telegraph  road,  which  runs 
a  diagonal  course  through  the  three  northern  tiers  of 
lots,  passing  through  lot  eighty-eight  on  the  east 
line,  and  lot  ninety-seven  on  the  west.    It  was  origin- 


ally half  a  mile  south  of  its  present  location.  There 
are  now  two  other  east  and  west  roads  in  the  town- 
ship, and  five  running  north  and  south,  besides  the 
county  line  road;  all  of  which  extend  through  the 
town  e"xcept  the  second  one  east  of  the  county  line, 
known  as  "log  lane;"  presumably  so  named  from  the 
numlier  of  logs  scattered  along  the  street  by  the 
s(juattors  who  made  their  locations  there.  This  road 
is  not  opened  north  of  the  telegraj)h  road. 

rnonucTivE  industries. 

Saw  Mills. — As  previously  stated,  the  first  saw 
mill  was  built  by  Moses  Fuller,  on  Chance  creek. 
Abnor  Hancock  also  had  a  mill  on  this  creek,  and 
Roswell  Allen  oue  at  an  earlier  date  in  the  south  part 
of  the  town,  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Vermillion. 
There  are  now  two  mills  of  this  kind  in  the  townshiji, 
that  of  L).  S.  Davis  at  the  iiill,  and  the  Currier  mill 
at  the  center.  The  Davis  mill  was  built  by  Durand 
in  about  the  year  1847.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1850,  and  rebuilt  since  then — machinery  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  shingles,  a  blacksmith  shop  and  a  wagon 
shop  have  been  added.  The  Carrier  mill  was  built 
originally  by  one  Ousterhout.  It  was  burned  down 
after  the  Currier  brothers  came  into  possession,  and 
by  them  rebuilt. 

The  Maple  Grove  Cheese  Factory — Lees  and 
McDowell,  proprietors — was  by  them  established  in 
the  spring  of  1870.  It  is  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
many  improvements  having  been  added  during  the 
past  year.  There  is  also  a  cheese  factory  in  the 
southwest  part  of  the  town. 

One  of  the  most  flourishing  enterprises  ever  carried 
on  in  the  township,  was  the  ashery  of  Edward  Du- 
rand, and  although  long  since  dead,  deserves  mention. 
It  was  established  as  early  as  1835,  and  perhaps  at  an 
earlier  date.  It  was  originally  located  just  west  of 
the  saw  mill.  Mr.  Durand  made  potash  only,  but  he 
subsequently  removed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  that  article. 
James  Lees,  who  was  foi'merly  in  Duraud's  employ, 
bought  the  factory  in  1853  or  1854,  and  carried  on 
the  business  more  extensively  than  ever  before,  mak- 
ing saleratus  in  addition  to  pearlash.  He  continued 
in  the  business  until  1872,  when,  becoming  unprofit- 
able, it  was  discontinued.  A  large  pile  of  ashes  now 
marks  the  location  of  this  early  industry.  Tliore  were 
at  one  time  also,  in  the  northwest  ]>art  of  the  town- 
ship, near  the  first  settlement,  the  asheries  of  Abner 
Hancock  and  .Tames  Ilosford. 

AORICOLTURAI.  STATISTICS. 

Wheat,       803  acres 12,C2S  bushels. 

Oats,  UOO     "      22,127 

Cora,  860     "      30,942 

Potatoes,     47     **      2,.542       *' 

Orchards,  398     " 10,806 

Meadow,  I,!)85     "      2,451  tons. 

Butter   28,675  pounds. 

Cheese 229.520 

Maple  Sugar 3,575       " 


Hayes . 


Vote  for  President  in  187i 
ISllTilden 


66 


DAVID    BENNETT. 


.lANE    BENNETT. 


Residence  of  the  neirs  or  david   beinnett,  Carlisle  Tr.  loi^ain  co..  Ohio. 


CARLISLE. 


This  township  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Elyria, 
on  tlie  south  by  LaGrange,  on  tlie  east  by  Eaton,  and 
on  the  west  by  Russia.  It  luis  but  two  streams  of 
water,  and  these  are  the  east  and  west  branches  of 
the  Bhick  river,  the  former  of  which  flows  from  the 
southeast  across  tlie  townsliip;  the  otlier  from  the 
southwest,  and  both  cross  the  north  line  of  the 
township  near  the  northeast  corner,  forming  a  junc- 
tion at  Elyria. 

The  surface  of  the  township  is  generally  level;  the 
soil  is  largely  clay, .and  for  the  most  part  well  adapted 
to  agriculture,  the  bottom  lands  being  extremely 
fertile.  The  township  is  described  and  known  on 
the  records  as  number  live  in  the  seventeenth  range, 
and  was  drawn  by  Joseph  Perkins,  John  Richmond, 
Tracy,  Uoyt,  William  Eldridge,  John  McClunnan, 
Daniel  Tildeu  and  Jabez  Adams — (Island  number 
six,  then  Cunningham's,  now  Kelly's,  consisting  of 
two  thousand  seven  hundred  aiul  forty-seven  acres, 
was  annexed  to  number  five  for  the  pur})ose  of 
ciiualization.) 

KAME. 

Before  the  township  was  organized,  the  western 
portion  had  acquired  the  name  Mui-rayvillo  from 
settlers  of  that  name  in  that  locality.  This  was  not 
satisfactory  to  the  residents  of  the  eastern  portion, 
Phinehas  Johnson  wishing  to  name  it  Berlin  after 
his  native  town  in  Connecticut.  Unable  to  agree  on 
either  name,  a  compromise  was  effected  by  calling  it 
Carlisle. 

SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settler  of  Carlisle  township  was  John 
Bacon,  of  Windham  county,  Vermont,  who  made  the 
journey  from  that  ])oint  with  a  team  of  horses  and 
wagon,  arriving  in  Ridgevillein  the  month  of  October, 
1815.  He  remained  there  until  the  early  months  of 
181G,  when  he  came  to  Carlisle  and  made  a  permanent 
settlement  on  what  is  now  known  as  Murray  Ridge. 
lie  brought  with  him  from  the  east  a  few  necessary 
household  goods,  and  his  family  consisting  of  a  wife 
and  the  following  children:  Clarissa,  Hiram  and 
Susan.  The  first  and  last  are  deceased.  Iliram 
married  Louisa  Halford  and  yet  resides  on  the  old 
homestead,  hale  and  hearty,  though  at  the  advanced 
age  of  seventy-eight  years.  .John  Bacon  died  in 
1864;  his  wife  in  1857. 

A  few  months  after  Mr.  Bacon  made  a  commence- 
ment, a  brother-in-law,  Abel  Farr,  came  on  from 
Vermont  and  located  on  the  north  line  and  near  the 
center  east   and  west.     His  family  that  came   with 


him  was  a  wife  and  four  children.  Others  who  were 
married  remained  in  Vermont;  two  came  on  after- 
wards and  settled  near  the  father.  None  of  them 
now  live  in  the  township,  and  the  only  descendants 
are  the  widow  and  children  of  a  son,  Lowell,  who 
was  one  of  the  children  who  came  with  the  family. 

There  was  no  further  settlement  made  in  the  town- 
ship until  the  spring  of  1819,  when  Samuel  Brooks 
and  family  arrived  in  Carlisle.  They  were  of  sturdy 
Connecticut  stock,  and  made  the  journey  to  Ohio  by 
the  substantial  method  of  that  day,  i.  c,  with  an  ox 
team  and  a  stout  wagon.  In  these  later  years  of 
harnessed  lightning  iind  rapid  transit  the  idea  of 
traveling  six  hundred  miles  with  an  ox  team  seems 
prosy  enough;  yet  this  slow  method  had  its  advan- 
tages. There  were  no  collisions  nor  trains  trying  to 
" ]iass  each  other  on  the  same  track."  The  date  of 
the  arrival  of  Mr.  Brooks  in  Carlisle  was  April,  1810. 
His  log  house  was  constructed  near  the  eastern  town- 
ship line,  and  was  the  first  in  that  part  of  the 
township.  Samuel  Brooks  was  born  February  27, 
1780,  and  died  in  Elyria,  December  20,  1874;  his 
wife,  who  was  Sophia  (Johnson)  Brooks,  was  born 
June  22,  1791.  The  children  who  accompanied  the 
parents  to  Ohio  were:  Lydia  K.,  who  died  August 
10,  1851;  Henry  J.,  who  resides  in  Cleveland;  Julia 
L.  (Bishop)  who  resides  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  and  Ira 
K.,  who  died  September  22,  1869. 

On  November  5,  1819,  Hezekiah  Brooks,  and  fam- 
ily, consisting  of  his  wife  and  three  children;  Martin 
L.  (now  Dr.  Brooks,  of  Cleveland);  Ann  H.,  after- 
wards missionary  to  Jamaica,  who  died  in  Memphis, 
Mississippi;  and  Hannah  M.  (Vincent),  now  living  in 
Elyria,  James  Brooks,  (father  of  Samuel  and  Heze- 
kiah,)  his  wife  and  two  sons,  Calvin  and  Ileman,  to- 
gether with  Phinehas  .Joimson  and  faniily,  came  to 
Carlisle,  and  with  Elisha  Brooks  and  Riley  Smith  and 
wife, — who  arrived  two  weeks  earlier, — took  up  their 
abode  with  Samuel  Brooks,  making  a  total  of  thirty 
persons  in  the  little  log  house.  However,  other 
dwellings  were  soon  constructed,  and  ere  long,  ipiite 
a  settlement  had  sprung  uj)  in  the  wilderness.  This 
locality  is  now  designated  as  La  Porte.  There  was, 
at  one  period,  a  flourishing  little  hamlet  here,  with 
numerous  manufacturers  and  minor  industries;  but 
of  late  years,  the  town  has  lost  its  former  presitgc. 

The  rest  of  Mr.  Brooks'  children  are,  Samuel  C, 
of  Cleveland;  Stephen  S.,  of  California;  Edward  W., 
of  Red  Wing,  Minnesota;  Sophia,  now  Mrs.  Dr. 
Briggs,  of  Elyria,  (to  whom  our  gratitude  is  due  for 
assistance  in  the  preparation  of  this  history,  as  well 

(345) 


246 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


as  for  favors  sliowii  us  in  our  labors  at  the  court 
liouse);  Emeline  L.,  now  Mrs.  Foote  of  Tal)or,  Iowa; 
Mary  L.,  who  died  young;  and  William  M.,  who  is 
now  president  of  Tabor  college,  Iowa. 

The  children  of  Hozekiah  and  Ilannah  Brooks,  not 
before  given,  are,  James,  a  physician,  residing  in  New 
York;  Hezekiah,  Jr.,  of  California;  Sophronia  (Hall), 
of  Oberlin;  George,  who  i.s  the  only  descendant  resid- 
ing in  the  township  of  Carlisle;  Harriet,  of  Ncwburgh, 
Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio;  Emily  (West),  living  in 
Wellington,  this  county;  and  Fllen  (Ruggles),  who 
resides  at  Newburgh,  Ohio. 

The  children  of  Phinehas  Johnson,  a  gentleman 
well  and  favorably  known,  in  the  earlier  years  of  the 
settlement  of  Lorain  county,  are,  Sophia,  wife  of 
Samuel  Brooks;  Hannah,  wife  of  Hezekiah  Brooks; 
Cornelia,  wife  of  D.  Griswold,  now  living  in  Wash- 
ington Territory;  Samuel  C,  who  died  before  the 
family  came  to  Ohio;  Julia,  who  married  Edmund 
West  (deceased);  Irene,  who  was  twice  married,  and 
is  now  deceased;  William  II.,  who  married  Alma 
Otis  (deceased);  Lucretia,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years;  Phienhas  M.,  who  married  Orra  Ann 
Collins  (deceased);  Delia  M.,  who  married  H.  N. 
Gates,  and  lives  in  Cleveland;  and  Isaac  M.,  the 
youngest,  who  married  Cornelia  Mussey.  She  died, 
and  he  married  Mary  Hale,  his  present  wife.  He 
resides  at  Oakland,  California.  This  gentleman  is 
the  father  of  tiie  |)resent  deputy  county  treasurer. 

The  Brooks'  and  Johnsons'  were  of  I'uritan  ances- 
try, and  in  the  journey  to  Ohio,  which  was  of  nearly 
seven  weeks"  duration,  tliey  religiously  observed  the 
Sabbath  day,  by  encanijiing  promptly  each  Saturday 
night,  and  not  resuming  the  journey  until  Monday 
morning. 

William  Webster,  in  liis '"reminiscences,"  published 
in  the  Elyria  Rcpiiblkaa,  April  7,  1876,  says  that 
''Asahel  KeKsey  came  from  Connecticut  at  the  same 
time,"  referring  to  the  Brooks'  and  Johnsons',  '"and 
settled  on  the  south  side  of  the  east  branch  of  the 
Biack  rivir." 

Philo  Murray  and  his  family,  a  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren, from  Connecticut,  made  settlement  in  the 
township  in  1820  or  '21.  His  location  was  in  the 
western  part  of  the  township,  on  the  ridge  bearing 
his  name.  As  none  of  the  family  are  now  residents 
of  Carlisle  we  are  unable  to  obtain  further  data  con- 
cerning them. 

Salmon  Sutliff,  of  Erie  county,  Now  York,  came 
to  Lorain  county  in  August,  1820.  He  made  a  tem- 
porary location  in  Avon  township,  coming  to  Carlisle 
the  f(jllowing  January.  The  journey  from  the  east 
■ivas  made  with  a  horse  team,  and  three  cows  and  a 
few  sheep  were  driven  along.  The  family  consisted 
of  a  wife  and  four  boys:  Silas  B.,  William  H.  H., 
Asa  G.,  (who  afterward  became  the  pioneer  settler  in 
Waseca  county,  Minnesota)  and  Oliver  H.  P.  Another 
child,  a  girl,  Lovisa,  was  born  and  died  previous  to 
emigrating  to  Ohio.  Two  months  after  they  reached 
Avon  a  son  was  born,  Charles  B.     The  place  of  their 


location  was  on  one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  section 
ten,  now  occnjiied  by  S.  M.  Mason.  Upon  this  farm 
they  remained  until  1831,  and  during  this  interval 
the  following  children  were  born:  Ralph  0.,  Lucetta, 
Warren  C,  Lucinda,  and  Jesse  S.  In  May,  1831, 
Mr.  Sutliff  removed  to  section  one,  locating  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  the  son,  Oliver  H.  P.,  where  the 
father  and  mother  remained  until  their  decease.  The 
former  died  in  November,  1857;  the  latter  May  18, 
3870.  Of  this  large  family  of  children  ten  are  now 
living,  seven  of  them  in  Ohio.  Warren  C,  (to  whom 
we  are  indebted  for  the  data  of  this  sketch)  married 
Jane  A.  Bennett,  and  resides  on  three  hundred  acres 
of  land  in  section  twelve,  Carlisle  township. 

Channcey  Prindle,  of  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  was 
the  first  settler  at  the  center  of  Carlisle  township. 
In  the  spring  of  1823  he  came  through  with  his 
family,  a  wife  and  two  children.  He  came  overland 
with  a  team  of  horses.  Mr.  Prindle  stopped  at  Capt. 
James  Brooks'  until  he  could  cut  a  road  to  his  farm,  on 
section  number  thirteen,  distant  one  and  one-fourth 
miles,  and  erect  a  log  cabin  thereon.  He  then  moved 
into  the  woods  and  began  in  earnest  to  make  a  farm. 
The  children  above  mentioned  were  Maria,  who  mar- 
ried Aaron  Bacon,  and  resides  in  Oberlin,  and  Henry 
II.,  who  married  Christiana  E.  Spafford,  and  resides 
on  the  old  homestead.  One  child  was  born  toChaun- 
cey  Prindle  and  wife,  subse(juent  to  their  removal  to 
Ohio.  This  was  Mary  J.,  who  became  the  wife  of 
.T  C.  Slaughter,  and  is  now  deceased.  Channcey 
Prindle  died  in  May,  1872.  Mrs.  Prindle  died  on  the 
23d  day  of  the  previous  September. 

Obed  Gibbs,  also  from  Waterbury,  Connecticut, 
settled  in  Carlisle  in  1822,  on  the  farm  now  occupied 
by  his  son  Ransom.  With  him  came  his  wife  and  two 
children.  Ransom,  the  eldest  child,  had  a  wife  and 
one  daughter,  Jane,  who  eventually  married  George 
Boughton,  and  removed  after  a  few  years,  to  Ne- 
braska, where  she  died.  Sally  the  second  child  of 
Obed  Gibbs  married  Merrett  Clark.  They  did  not 
renniin  long  in  the  wilderness,  ere  they  became  home- 
sick, when  they  returned  to  their  native  New  England. 
Obed  Gibbs  died  in  Carlisle  in  1840,  and  his  wife  a 
few  years  later.  The  children  of  Ransom  Gibbs, 
born  subsequent  to  his  removal  to  Ohio,  were:  Har- 
riet, who  married  Alson  Wooster,  and  resides  in  Elyria; 
Lewis,  who  married  Martha  Jackson,  and  lives  in 
Nebraska  City;  and  David,  who  married  Jane  Slaugh- 
ter, and  occupies  the  old  homestead. 

We  find  the  name  of  Akin  Sexton  among  the  early 
settlers  on  Murray  ridge,  but  are  unable  to  learn  any 
thing  further  of  hiin. 

Daniel  Bennett,  from  Londonderry,  Windham 
county,  Vermont,  came  to  Ohio  in  1827,  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  twelve  acres  of  land  in  sec- 
tion twelve,  Carlisle  township  (now  occupied  by  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Sutliff).-  Mr.  Bennett  then 
returned  east,  and,  the  following  spring,  came  to  per- 
manently settle  on  his  farm.  His  family  consisted  of 
a   wife  and  niece.     In   May,  1828,  they  arrived   in 


ffESIDENCE  OF   LORENZO    CLARK  ,  CARLISLE  Tp,  LORAIN  Co  ,0 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COTTNTY,  OHIO. 


247 


Carlisle.  For  a  short  time  the}-  lived  ill  a  sliuill  log 
house  standing  near  where  is  now  the  Hart  Cheese 
Factory.  There  was  at  tliis  time  but  one  family  in 
this  vicinity,  that  of  Lewis  Shumway,  who  had  a  wife 
and  two  cliildren.  He  was  from  the  east,  but  only 
remained  a  year  or  two,  going  still  farther  west.  Mr. 
Bennett  erected,  on  section  twelve,  tiie  first  frame 
house  in  this  part  of  the  township.  Here  he  lived, 
reared  a  family  of  six  children,  brought  the  land  to  a 
jirofitable  state  of  cultivation,  and  died  July  Ifi,  18G3. 
His  first  wife  died  August  10,  1829,  and  February  6, 
1830,  he  married  Jane  Galpin,  of  Elyria,  who  survives 
her  husband  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead.  From 
this  marriage  the  following  children  were  born:  Polly, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years;  Jane,  who  mar- 
ried Warren  C.  Sutliff  and  occupies  the  old  farm; 
Emerett,  who  married  Curtis  Webster  and  lives  in 
Elyria;  Celestia,  who  died  in  infancy;  Melvin  R.  and 
Cassimar  D.,  who  live  with  their  mother.  Daniel 
Bennett  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years, 
and  a  very  worthy  citizen. 

William  Webster,  of  West  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
married  Abigail  Johnson,  of  Berlin,  same  State,  .Jan- 
uary 4,  1800,  and  removed  to  Onondaga  county.  New 
York,  in  1818,  and  to  Carlisle  in  1838;  arriving  there 
on  May  loth  of  that  year,  he  settled  and  cleared  up 
the  farm  cue  mile  north  of  Laporte,  now  owned  by 
William  Brush.  In  1832,  Mr.  Webster  removed  to 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  township,  where  he  died 
October  27,  1844.  Mrs.  Webster  died  August  16, 
1862.  The  children  were  as  follows:  Harriet,  who 
married  Joseph  Weston;  Amanda,  who  married  Cal- 
vin Brooks;  William,  Jr.,  who  married  Catharine 
Phillips  (a  daug'.iter  of  this  couple  is  now  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Kelsey,  of  Elyria);  Abigail,  who  married  Levi 
Lee;  Bethuel,  who  married  Roxa  Andrews;  Louisa, 
who  married  Abram  V.  D.  Bergh;  Nancy,  who  mar- 
ried Harris  R.  Shelden;  and  Henry,  who  married 
Sarah  Johnson. 

The  first  settlers  in  this  corner  of  the  township 
were  John  B.  Andrus,  Paul  Taylor,  John  Randall, 
Thomas  Girard,  Cornelius  V.  D.  Bergh,  Elias  Morgan. 
William  Cook,  James  V.  Baker,  Enoch  Forbinder, 
Stephen  Wiiichell,  and  a  family  named  Shepard.  Of 
these,  but  two  arc  now  residents  of  the  township, 
Stephen  Winchell  and  William  Webster,  Jr. 

Joseph  Patterson  moved  into  Carlisle  from  Berk- 
shire county.  New  York,  in  1834,  locating  on  section 
six.  His  family  were  a  wife  and  nine  children.  Of 
these  but  two  now  live  in  Carlisle:  Hiram,  at  present 
the  superintendent  of  the  County  Infirmary,  and 
William,  who  married  in  the  east  and  came  to  Carlisle 
in  the  spring  of  1837,  locating  on  section  eighteen. 
This  he  cleared.  He  was  elected  sheriff  of  Lorain 
county  by  the  free  soil  party.  While  occupying  the 
position  he  bought  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-four  acres,  on  which  he  now  resides,  in  section 
fourteen. 

Daniel  Tenney  and  family  settled  in  Carlisle  (at 
Laporte)  in  the  fall  of  1835,  and  remained  there  until 


his  death,  February  1,  187  J.  His  wife  was  Miss  Sylvia 
Kent,  of  Dorset,  Vermont.  Mr.  Tenney  was  a  native 
of  Temple,  New  Hampshire.  Mrs.  Tenney  is  living 
with  a  daughter  at  Thayer,  Kansas.  The  children  of 
this  couple  are  Benjamin,  Jewctt,  Emily,  George, 
Myron  and  Ellen  who  are  dead,  and  Horace,  Henry 
W.,  Maria  E.,  Electa  and  Daniel  K.,  now  living,  the 
greater  part  of  them  at  least,  in  Kansas. 

B.  F.  Marlett,  the  "Village  Blacksmith,"  came 
from  Steuben  county.  New  York,  to  Carlisle  in  1844. 
He  was  then  17  years  of  ago.  Two  years  later  he 
began  his  present  vocation.  He  was  for  three  years 
a  soldier  in  Company  K,  Twenty-third  Regiment 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  In  1840  he  married  Cecelia 
Breckenridge,  of  (Jrafton  township,  this  county. 

FIUST    EVENTS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that  of  a  son  to 
William  and  Clarissa  Bacon  Saxton,  which  event  oc- 
curred immediately  after  a  settlement  was  made  on 
Murray  Ridge.  The  child  was  named  James,  eventu- 
ally married  a  Miss  Flint,  and  removed  to  Iowa  where 
he  died.  The  pioneer  birth  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
township  was  that  of  Samuel  C.  to  Samuel  and 
Sophia  Brooks.  Cleveland  is  now  the  home  of  this, 
at  that  early  date,  important  addition  to  the  colony. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Miss  Cornelia, 
daughter  of  Phinehas  .lolinson,  to  Mr.  Dudley  Gris- 
wold.  The  ceremony  was  performed  at  the  residence 
of  the  bride's  father  by  Sherman  Minott,  Esq.,  of 
Elyria  townshijj.  This  happened  in  the  fall  of  1820. 
The  couple  now  reside  in  Washington  Territory. 

In  the  cemetery  at  Laporte  we  find  a  small  sand- 
stone slab  erected  to  the  memory  of  Lucretia  M., 
daughter  of  Phinehas  and  Hannah  Johnson,  who 
died  August  23,  1823;  aged  eighteen  years.  This  is 
presumably  the  first  death  of  a  white  person  in  the 
township. 

In   the    western  portion    of    Carlisle,    lands    were 
donated  for   the   cemetery   in   section  two  by  Philo 
Murray,  and  the  first  interment  therein  was  the  body 
of  Emeline,  daughter   of  J.   D.    Murray,    who   died- 
December  27,   1825. 

The  first  post-otfice  in  the  township,  was  established 
in  about  the  year  1825.  Phinehas  Johnson  was  duly 
commissioned  post-master,  and  the  mails  were  received 
and  distributed  from  his  residonce.  M.  V.  B.  Pitkin 
is  the  jireseiit  jiost-master  at  this  jioint.  Another 
office  was  established  a  few  years  later,  in  the  western 
portion  of  the  township,  at  Murray's  Mills.  This 
office  was  named  "  Murray ville."  Charles  Drake'ly 
was  commissioned  first  jiost-master,  or  at  least  he  was 
among  the  first.  This  office  was  afterwards  removed 
to  the  dwelling  of  Ransom  Gibbs,  who  was  appointed 
post-master,  and  remained  as  such  until  the  office 
was  discontinued,  in  the  spring  of  1853. 

Phinehas  Johnson  kept  a  house  of  entertainment  as 
early  as  the  spring  of  1820,  but  it  was  not  until  about 
1830  that  he  formally  opened  a  hotel.  This  was  at 
LaPorte.     During  the  period  of  stage  coaches,  two 


348 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


large  hotels  were  iu  operation  at  this  place.  There  is 
at  })reseiit  none.  Anotlier  hotel  was  erected  Ijy  Obed 
(libbs,  in  the  west  part  of  the  townsliip  (section 
twelve).  Abiram  Drakely  also  liail  a  iiotel  on  section 
nine.  These  existed  at  an  early  date.  Botli  were 
long  since  closed  as  hotels. 

Tlie  Hrst  store  was  opei  ed  in  about  is;}').  Alonzo 
rha])nian  was  its  pro])i-ietor  and  sole  manager.  The 
building  occupied  by  liini,  stood  on  or  near  tlie  site 
of  M.  V.  B.  Pitkin's  present  mercantile  establishment. 
Mr.  Chapman  followed  mercliandising  some  years. 
There  are  now  at  Lal'orte,  in  addition  to  tlie  store 
given  above,  C.  L.  Hnrlbut,  general  merchandise,  and 
a  tin  store  by  II.  Lake. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The  first  to  locate  in  Carlisle,  was  Milton  Chapman, 
whose  residence  was  on  the  ridge.  Dr.  Chapman  was 
a  gentleman  of  excellent  jirofessional  attainments, 
and  practiced  there  many  years.  Deacon  Turner,  tlie 
builder  of  the  mills  bearing  his  name  in  the  western 
portion  of  the  township,  was  also  a  physician,  but  did 
not,  wo  understand,  practice  his  profession  to  any 
considerable  extent.  Dr.  J.  F.  Butler,  afterwards  a 
j)r()niinent  memlier  of  the  medical  staff  of  Elyria, 
prai'tiecd  at  LaPorte  for  a  time.  Dr.  Hiram  Thomp- 
son, now  of  Grafton  townshi]),  also  practiced  at  La- 
Porte  some  years  before  removing  to  his  present  loca- 
tion. After  he  left,  the  physicians  of  Elyria  were 
employed  to  compound  atid  administer  the  divers  nau- 
seous drugs  by  aid  of  which  dame  nature  is  kept  in 
proper  working  order  over  in  Carlisle.  At  present 
H.  E.  Ilaring  is  the  only  physician  iu  the  township. 

INDUSTRIES. 

The  first  mills  in  the  township  were  built  by  Phin- 
ehas  Johnson  and  Asahel  Kelsey,  in  1820.  The  one 
built  by  the  former  was  a  saw  mill.  It  stood  on  the 
north  side  of  the  east  branch  of  the  Black  river;  and 
that  of  the  latter  was  a  grist  mill,  on  the  ojjjMjsite 
side  of  the  river.  Of  this  mill,  William  Webster  says: 
"The  stones  were  home-made,  and  manufactured  by 
a  citizen  out  of  hard-head  stones  found  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. It  required  a  strong  and  well-braced  build- 
ing to  stand  the  motion  of  the  stone  when  grinding, 
as  they  were  not  very  round  or  true,  but  did  the  work 
well  foi-  those  days.  In  the  spring  of  1838,  the  water 
made  an  ojiening  between  the  mill  and  the  bank,  in 
consequence  of  wliicii  it  became  necessary  to  renidve 
the  mill  to  another  loeation.  This  was  done,  and  for 
some  years  the  old  mill  was  in  operation.  Dr.  Turner 
built  a  second  saw  mill,  in  about  1834,  at  Murray- 
ville.  This  is,  we  believe,  still  in  operation,  and  is 
at  present  owned  by  Henry  Morehouse.  Dr.  Turner 
also  erected  a  grist  mill  soon  after  the  saw  mill  was 
put  iu  operation,  near  the  same  place. 

The  first  clieese  factory  was  constructed  near  the 
center  of  tiie  township,  in  the  spring  of  1869,  by  a 
stock  company,  composed  of  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
persons.     The  patronage   the  first  season   was  two 


hundred  cows.  This  factory  was  burned  in  the  fall 
of  1873.  The  present  factory  was  erected  the  follow- 
ing spring,  by  H.  H.  Prindle,  Clark  and  Eckley. 
This  factory  was  operated  during  the  season  of  '78,  by 
A.  Wilmot,  who  utilized  the  milk  of  two  hundred  cows. 

Walnut  Grove  factory  is  located  on  sectiun  eleven, 
and  was  started  by  H.  H.  Hart  in  tlie  spring  of  1872, 
and  had  four  hundred  cows  the  fii'st  season.  It  was 
conducted  by  Mr.  Hart  until  the  spring  of  1877,  when 
Messrs.  Braman,  Ilorr  and  Warner  became  the  own- 
ers. This  enterprising  firm  established  the  "Cedar 
Grove  Creamery,"  in  connection  with  the  factory. 
In  the  season  of  1878,  four  hundred  and  fifty  cows 
were  in  contribution.  John  T.  Vincent  is  the  maker. 
In  about  1840,  Anson  Braman  planted  the  first  stock 
in  the  Carlisle  Nursery.  This  was  the  first  nursery 
in  Lorain  county,  Mr.  Braman  was  its  proprietor  for 
a  number  of  years. 

In  the  year  1849,  a  stone  quarry  was  opened,  on 
section  twenty-five,  Carlisle  township,  by  Messrs. 
Lockhart  and  J.  W.  Hart.  The  last  named  became 
sole  owner,  and  iu  1870  began  the  manufacture  of 
grindstones,  and  this  has  grown  to  be  the  major  j)art 
of  the  business. 

In  1873,  the  Black  River  Stone  Company  was  or- 
ganized, with  a  capital  of  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  The  following  well  known  capitalists  were 
the  incorpoi'ators:  Selah  Chamberlain,  Dr.  S.  S. 
Steeter,  William  II.  Grout,  George  E.  Dascomb,  John 
Dayton,  and  J.  W.  Hart.  Mr.  Hart  retains  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  thousand  dollars  of  the  stock.  The 
officers  of  the  comptmy  are,  George  E.  Dascom,  pres- 
ident; Dr.  S.  S.  Streeter,  vice-president;  J.  C.  Hills, 
secretary  and  treasurer;  and  J.  W.  Hart,  superin- 
tendent. In  1849  and  '50,  a  spur  track  was  laid  to 
the  quarry  by  the  C.  C.  C.  &  I.  R.  R.,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  the  stone  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
bridges  and  culverts  of  the  above  road,  was  quarried 
here.  The  stone  from  which  the  Forest  City  and 
Arlington  blocks,  and  the  First  Presbj^terian  church, 
of  Cleveland,  were  constructed,  came  from  this  quarry. 
Forty  workmen  are  regularly  employed,  with  a  jiay- 
roll  averaging  fourteen  hundred  dollars  monthly. 
The  company  are  now  making  heavy  shipments  of 
building  stone  to  Toronto,  Canada. 

Just  above  the  quarry  named,  is  another  extensive 
one,  owned  and  operated  by  the  Grafton  Stone  Com- 
l)any,  W.  E.  Miller,  superintendent.  They  employ 
an  average  of  thirty-five  men.  Their  products  are 
princijtally  railroad  and  building  stone.  Both  the 
above  quarries  are  situated  on  the  C.  C.  C.  &  I.  and 
C.  T.  V.  &  W.  railroads. 

The  Elyria  Chair  Company  is  located  in  Carlisle 
township,  on  the  east  branch  of  Black  river,  and  wa> 
established  March  15,  1878,  by  John  Kelley,  Jamo 
Measley,  and  P.  M.  Peabody.  It  employs  seven 
workmen.  The  investment  is  one  thousand  dollars. 
Wood-seat  chairs  are  exclusively  manufactured.  There 
is  also  a  saw  mill  at  the  same  point,  owned  by  Clayton 
Johnson. 


Photu.  by  Lee,  El^ria,  0. 


^^/'^^nf^.zz^^^^i^^^^^^ 


William  Patterson  comes  of  ancestors  noted  f\)r 
longevity.  Ciiarles  Patterson,  his  grandfather,  was 
born  at  Danbury,  Conn.,  where  lie  married  Miss 
Martha  Hall,  born  at  the  same  place.  Moving  into 
Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  Charles  died  there,  ninety- 
two  years  of  age. 

Joseph,  his  son,  being  born  at  Mount  Washington, 
Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  Oct.  17, 1780,  took  for  his  life 
partner  Miss  Elizabeth  Kane,  in  1808.  He  took  up 
his  residence  in  Carlisle,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  in  1834, 
and  engaged  in  farming,  moving  to  Minnesota  in 
1869.  He  there  died  in  1871,  in  his  ninety-first 
year.  His  aged  wife  yet  lives  in  Minnesota  to  mourn 
his  loss. 

William,  son  of  Joseph,  commenced  this  life  at 
Mount  Washington,  as  above,  Feb.  27, 1811.  To  use 
his  own  words,  "  I  lived  on  ray  father's  farm  for  years, 
amongst  the  rocks  that  afforded  no  advantage  for 
either  man  or  beast."  Leaving  such  opportunities 
and  going  to  Green  River,  N.  Y.,  he  there  married 
Miss  Phoebe  Vincent,  March  4,  1833.  Following 
his  father,  he  settled  in  Carlisle,  in  May,  1837,  where 
he  still  resides.  There,  with  little  or  nothing,  a  home 
has  he  wrought  out  by  hard  labor  as  a  farmer. 


In  the  relation  of  father,  by  his  first  wife  one  son 
and  two  daughters  look  back  to  his  efforts  for  their 
welfare,  more  especially  in  the  matter  of  education  : 
Dr.  Patterson,  of  Baltimore;  Mrs.  Camp,  of  Jackson, 
Mich.,  whom  so  many  parents  and  pupils  of  the 
Union  School  of  Elyria  remember  as  the  kind  and 
efficient  teacher ;  and  Mrs.  Harriet  A.  Herdman,  of 
Zanesville,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Patten-son's  first  wife  died  in  1856,  July  14. 
He  was  again  married,  in  1857,  to  Miss  Caroline  A. 
Blanchard,  daughter  of  Dr.  Jas.  C.  Blanchard,  of 
Penfield,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  the  happy  mother  now 
of  an  only  son. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  elected  sheriff  of  Lorain 
County  in  1848,  filling  the  office  with  great 
credit. 

Again  his  fellow-citizens,  knowing  his  fitness, 
made  him  commissioner  of  said  county,  and  his  own 
townshi])  have  expressed  their  respect  for  him  by 
electing  him  to  every  local  office. 

Proud  of  his  children,  with  a  competency,  all  who 
have  to  do  with  Mr.  Patterson,  love  and  respect,  and 
regard  him  as  a  finished  example  of  a  self-made 
man. 


f 


'f, 


nv' 


I'liotii.  by  L«.,  Klyiiii,  0, 


CHAUNCBY   PRINDLE. 


Chauncey  Prindle  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  the 
year  1794,  and  resided  with  his  father  until  the 
death  of  the  latter,  which  occurred  in  1812.  Soon 
after  this  sad  event  he  married  a  daughter  of  Johnson 
Mercy,  a  happy  union,  which  resulted  in  a  ianiily  of 
three  children,— one  son  and  two  daughters.  The 
son,  H.  H.  Prindle,  who  lives  on  the  old  homestead, 
has  this  sketch  of  his  father,  with  the  accompanying- 
portrait,  inserted  in  this  work  as  a  token  of  filial 
regard.  Maria  P.,  a  married  daughter  (wife  of  A. 
W.  Bacon),  now  resides  at  Oberlin.  The  other 
daughter,  Mary  J.,  married  J.  C.  Stanton,  and  re- 
sided on  an  adjoining  farm  until  her  death. 

Chauncey  Prindle  removed  to  Ohio  in  the  fall  of 
1822,  and  first  settled  on  fifty  acres  of  land  located 
in  Carlisle  township,  Lorain  Co.,  which  he  had 
received  in  payment  of  a  debt.  He  started  from 
his  native  place  in  Connecticut  with  fifteen  dollars 
in  money  and  about  the  same  amount  invested  in 
tinware. 

The  journey  occupied  six  weeks,  and  he  Ijartercd 
most  of  his  tinware  with  tavern-keepers  on  the  road 
West,  and  was  glad  to  find  that  he  could  do  so,  and 
thus  save  what   little  cash  he  had  on  hand.     The 


appearance  of  his  land  was  anything  but  flattering 
when  he  arrived  here,  as  it  was  covered  with  several 
inches  of  water,  and  presented  anything  but  a  bril- 
liant prospect  for  the  anxious  pioneer.  By  dint  of  hard 
work,  and  assisted  by  his  excellent  wife,  he  soon  had 
his  land  cleared,  and  added  to  it  from  time  to  time  until 
he  had  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  well  improved, 
and  upon  which  he  erected  comfortable  buildings. 

One  of  the  peculiar  hardships  he  had  to  encounter 
was  the  construction  of  about  a  mile  of  road  through 
the  woods,  in  order  to  get  to  his  land.  He  also  ex- 
perienced great  difiiculty  in  getting  his  wagon 
ihrouoh  the  mud  and  mire. 

Mr.  Prindle  continued  a  farmer  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  May  8,  1872,  his  good  wife  having 
preceded  him  to  the  grave  about  a  year,  Sept.  23, 
1871.  They  were  in  every  sense  a  worthy  couple, 
and  enjoyed  the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  with  whom 
they  came  in  contact,  either  in  business  or  social 
communion. 

Mr.  Prindle  held  several  offices  in  his  township, 
all  of  which  he  filled  with  the  same  honesty  of 
purpose  and  faithfulness  to  duty  that  characterized 
the  management  of  his  personal  affairs. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


249 


OKOAKIZ-ITION. 

Carlisle  and  Elyria  townships,  then  of  Huron 
county,  were  organized  as  one  township,  for  civil 
purposes,  under  the  name  of  Elyria,  on  the  20th  day 
of  October,  1819.  Tliis  connection  was  continued 
until  June  4,  lS-3v',  when  the  present  townsliip  of 
Carlisle  was  organized.  The  first  record  of  an  elec- 
tion we  are  able  to  procure,  bears  date  April  4,  1825, 
when  tlie  following  persons  were  elected:  Lyman  J. 
Frost,  Obed  Gibbs,  and  Samuel  Brooks,  trustees;  I. 
A.  Sexton,  clerk;  Samuel  Brooks,  treasurer;  and 
Ransom  Gibbs,  Barton  Waite,  and  Ilezekiah  Brooks, 
supervisors  of  highways.  Pliinehas  .lohnsou's  bond 
as  justice  of  the  peace, — and  he  was  without  doubt 
the  first  person  to  fill  that  office, — bears  date  February 
19,  1823. 

The  officers  for  1878  are,  William  Patterson,  Julius 
Beuhring,  and  James  McMullin,  trustees;  M.  R. 
Bennett,  clerk;  John  Booth,  treasui'er;  William  H. 
Sutliff,  assessor;  William  L.  Taylor  and  John  Einig, 
constables.     There  are  twenty-six  supervisors. 

Justice  of  the  peace,  Phinehas  Johnson,  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1833  by  Hezekiah  Brooks,  and  following 
are  the  names,  with  date  of  election,  of  each  person 
who  has  filled  the  office  until  the  present  time:  April 
G,  1835,  David  Bennett;  August  22,  1836,  Joseph 
Patterson;  February  25,  1837,  Henry  M.  Warner; 
April  2,  1838,  Solimus  Wakcley;  April  3,  1843,  Dan- 
iel Tenney;  October  23,  1843,  David  Bennett;  1840, 
both  re-elected;  1849,  Nelson  Groat  and  J.  P.  Noble; 
1851,  Joshua  C.  Bassett,  who  resigned  March  7,  1853; 
Adna  Groat,  October  14,  1852;  Daniel  Tenney  from 
1853  to  1850,  Lyman  Rawson,  185G;  1859,  Tenney 
and  Rawson  re-elected;  1862,  Nelson  Groat  and  James 
Carroll;  1805,  I.  S.  Straw  and  Daniel  Tenney;  1808, 
William  Patterson  and  Warren  S.  Sutliff;  1874,  Pat- 
terson and  Sutliff  re-elected;  1877,  Sutliff  and  Elbert 
Haring. 

CHURCHES. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1822,  agreeable  to  previous 
aj)poiutments,  the  jjcople  convened  to  consider  the 
propriety  of  organizing  a  church  in  Carlisle  township. 
The  Revs.  Joseph  Treat  and  Alfred  Belts,  mission- 
aries from  the  missionary  society  of  Connecticut,  and 
members  of  the  Presbytery  of  Portage,  were  present, 
and  the  following  persons  were  duly  constituted  the 
"  Congressional  Church  in  Carlisle,"  viz:  Hannah 
(wife  of  Phinehas  Johnson),  Samuel  Brooks  and 
Sophia  his  wife,  Hezekiah  Brooks  and  Hannah  his 
wife,  Lydia,  wife  of  James  Brooks,  Samuel  Eldred 
aud  Irene  Johnson.  Samuel  Brooks  was  chosen 
clerk.  This  church  was  removed  to  Elyria  and  con- 
solidated with  the  Presbyterian  church  at  that  point, 
upon  its  organization,  November  25,  1824.  It 
remained  thus  until  August  2,  1833,  when  at  the 
request  of  Deacon  Samuel  Brooks,  the  members 
residing  in  Carlisle  were  granted  permission  to  form 
!     themselves  into   a  church  in  that  townshi^J.     For  a 

32 


time  the  cliui'ch  fiourislied.  A  substantial  meeting- 
house was  erected  in  about  1830,  and  a  Sabbath 
school  was  organized.  Gradually,  however,  tlie  ranks 
were  decimated  until  preaching  was  abandoned  and 
the  church  ceased  to  be. 

The  following  sketch  of  the  Methodist  church  is 
prepared  from  data  furnished  us  by  A.  A.  Chapman, 
a  former  member:  Rev.  H.  0.  Sheldon,  it  is  believed, 
was  the  first  minister  of  this  denomination  to  hold 
services  in  Carlisle  township.  This  was  in  1824  or 
1825.  A  class  was  not  formed,  however,  until  1830 
or  1831,  which  consisted  of  the  following  persons: 
A.  A.  Chapman,  Cornelius  Vandebergh,  Nancy, 
Jane  and  Catherine  Vandebergh,  J.  B.  Andrews  and 
wife,  (Andrews  was  local  preacher,)  Henry  Spicer 
and  wife,  Stephen  Winchell  and  wife,  Enoch  Foss- 
fiuder,  Paul  Taylor,  Harriet  Taylor  and  James 
V.  Baker  and  wife.  Cornelius  Vandebergh  was  first 
leader  of  this  class,  and  it  was  formed  in  the 
western  portion  of  the  township.  A  second  class  was 
organized  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township,  now 
called  Laporte,  in  about  1833.  Among  its  members 
were  0.  J.  Humphrey,  leader,  wife  and  two  daughters, 
and  Mrs.  Abigail  Webster  and  a  daughter.  The 
church  edifice  at  this  point  was  erected  some  thirty 
years  since  aud  cost  one  thousand  dollars.  Thei'e  is 
a  present  membership  of  sixty.  The  pastor  is  Chester 
L.  Foote;  class  leader,  William  Brush;  stewards, 
Thomas  Pound  aud  Gilbert  Fields;  superintendent  of 
Sabbath  school,  Gilbert  Fields.  The  attendance  is 
sixty.  The  following  are  some  of  the  early  ministers: 
Elnathan  C.  Gavit,  George  Elliott,  William  Runnells. 
He  that  is  now  Bishop  Harris  was  on  this  circuit  in 
1835  and  1830.  Thomas  Barkdull,  D.  M.  Conant, 
M.  L.  Starr,  W.  M.  Safford,  Wm.  C.  Pierce,  Spafford 

C.  Thomas,    H.    L.    Parrish,    T.    J.     Pope,   

James,  Sawyer,  Guiberson  and  others.     Both 

the  Baptists  and  Universalists  have  bad  an  organiza- 
tion in  Carlisle.     None  now  exists. 

SCHOOLS. 

In  the  summer  of  1821,  Miss  Julia  Johnson  taught 
the  first  term  of  school  in  the  east  part  of  the  town- 
ship. This  was  held  in  a  little  log  school  house 
erected  the  previous  spring,  on  the  hill  east  of  the 
river.  In  the  west  part  a  school  house  was  built  on 
section  ten,  now  the  farm  of  D.  C.  Pember.  This 
was  erected  about  the  same  date  as  the  one  mentioned 
above,  and  the  first  term  taught  therein  was  by  Miss 
Minerva  Murray, — cannot  give  the  exact  year. 

May  29,  1826,  the  township  of  Carlisle  was  divided 
into  two  school  districts.  The  western  half  was 
number  one,  and  contained  the  families  of  Abner,  J. 

D.  and  Philo  Murray,  William  and  loua  A.  Sexton, 
Abiram  Drakeley,  Dr.  Milton  Chapman,  Noah  H. 
Hurd,  Obed  and  Ransom  Gibbs,  Henry  and  Charles 
Smith,  Barton  Waite,  John  Bacon,  Salmon  Sutliff', 
Asahel  Powers,  Anson  Seward,  Chauncey  Prindle, 
Lyman  J.  Frost  and  Moses  C.  Baker.     The  residents 


250 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


iu  district  number  two,  then  comprising  the  entire 
eastern  hiilf  of  the  townsliip,  were,  Samuel,  Hezekiah 
andJames  Brooks,  I'hinohas  Johnson,  Asaliel  Kelsey, 
Thouret  F.  Chapman  and  Dudley  Griswold. 

Carlisle  township  had  in  1878  eight  school  houses, 
whose  valuation,  including  grounds,  was  seven  tlious- 
and  dollars.  The  total  amount  paid  teachers  for  tlie 
same  year  was  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  seven- 
teen dollars,  and  there  were  of  the  requisite  schooj 
age  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  children. 


AoaicnLTURAL  Statistics  fob  18T8. 

Wheat,       700  acres 11,082  bushels. 

Potatoes,    105     "      ii,:M5 

Oats,  riti     "      30.G-J3 

Orchards,  337     "      5,0H0 

Com,        1,05:)     "      01,014 

Meadow,2,05I      "      2,821  tons. 

Butter 52,7.50  pounds. 

Cheese aM.WK) 

Maple  Sugar 4.'i0       " 

Population  in  1870 


1,219 


Hayes 


Vote  for  President  in  1876. 
.^3  I  Tilden 


180 


SHEFFIELD. 


This  township,  known  as  number  seven  in  range 
seventeen,  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lake  Erie, 
south  by  the  shire  township  of  the  county,  Elyria, 
east  by  Avon,  and  west  by  the  township  of  I'dack 
River.  The  soil  through  the  greater  part  of  the 
township  is  clay.  The  ridge  passing  southwesterly 
across  the  extreme  southern  portion  of  the  township, 
presents  a  sandy  soil,  and  along  the  streams  are  flats 
or  bottom  lands,  fertile,  and  of  great  productiveness. 
It  is  an  agricultural  township.  Along  the  shore  of 
the  lake  largo  quantities  of  barley  are  grown,  and  of  a 
very  superior  grade.  Red  clover  seed  is  also  another 
impoi'tant  article  of  production  in  this  region. 

The  streams  are  Black  river,  French  and  Sugar 
creeks.  Black  river,  the  most  im])ortant  water  course 
in  the  township,  crosses  the  southern  boundary  line 
on  lot  seventy-five.  It  flows  a  general  northerly 
course  to  near  the  center  of  the  townsliip,  where  it 
makes  an  abrupt  bend  westward  and  flows  from  the 
townsliip  on  lot  flfty-two,  its  waters  emptying  into 
Lake  Erie  a  short  distance  west,  in  Black  River  town- 
ship. French  creek  enters  the  townsliip  on  its  eastern 
line,  lot  seven,  and  flowing  a  southwest  course,  forms 
a  Junction  with  P>lack  river  on  lot  sixty-four.  Sugar 
creek  rises  in  Ridgcville  township,  flows  across  the 
southwest  corner  of  Avon,  and  enters  Sheffield  near 
the  sonthe.ist  corner,  on  lot  two.  It  empties  into 
French  creek,  on  lot  sixty-four. 

ORIGINAL    OWNERS. 

Town  miniber  seven,  in  range  seventeen,  in  the 
original  partition  by  draft,  was  drawn  by  William 
Hart,  of  Saybrook,  Conn.  Tract  f(nirteen  in  Hen- 
rietta township  was  annexed  to  Sheffield  to  equalize 
it.  In  January,  1815,  Mr.  Hart  sold  the  entire  town- 
ship to  Capt.  Jabez  Burrell  and  Capt.  John  Day,  of 
Sheffield,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.  After  the  pur- 
chase Obadiah  Deland,  of  Sheffield,  Capt.  Joshua 
Smith,  Col.  Joseph  Fitch  and  Solomon  Fitch,  of  New 


M.arlborough,  Berkshire  county,  Isaac  Burrell,  of 
Salisbury,  Herkimer  county.  State  of  New  York,  and 
Henry  Austin,  of  Owasco,  Cayuga  county,  .same  State, 
became  partners, 

SETTLEMENT. 

Previous  to  Hart's  disposition  of  the  lands  now 
comprised  within  the  boundary  lines  of  Sheffield 
township,  and  in  about  1813,  he  agreed  with  Timothy 
Wallace  to  give  him  his  choice  in  lots,  if  sold  by  lot, 
if  he  would  settle  and  occupy  the  same.  Wallace 
acee|)tod.  He  selected  lot  sixty-five,  now  owned  by 
Edward  1'.  Burrell,  improved  a  few  acres,  and  finally 
abandoned  it.  This  was  the  first  attemjit  at  settle- 
ment in  Sheffield  townshiii. 

"The  two  Burrells,  Day,  and  Sinitii,  explored  the 
township  in  June,  1815,  and  selected  lots  for  them- 
selves and  friends.  About  the  first  of  October  follow- 
ing. Captain  Smith,  and  his  oldest  son  Douglas,  then 
a  lad  seven  teen  years  of  age,  left  Massachusetts  with 
a  yoke  of  oxen  and  one  horse,  and  the  necessary  tools 
for  clearing  and  cultivating  a  new  farm."  The  boy 
made  the  greater  part  of  the  tedious  journey  alone. 
His  father  left  him  soon  after  starting,  to  visit  friends 
at  Saekett's  Harbor,  New  York,  and  did  not  rejoin 
him  until  he  had  nearly  reached  the  "Mecca"  of  their 
toilsome  pilgrimage,  Ohio.  On  the  lltli  day  of  No- 
vember, they  arrived  at  the  hospitable  dwelling  of 
Wilber  Cahoon,  in  Avon  township.  This  being  Sat- 
urday, they  remained  here  over  the  Sabbath,  and  on 
Monday  morning,  November  thirteenth,  1815,  they 
followed  down  French  creek,  without  a  trail,  and 
commenced  on  lot  sixty-four,  the  first  permanent  set- 
tlement in  the  township.  This  farm  is  now  owned  by 
Frederic  Krelile.  C'aptain  Smith's  nearest  neighbors 
were  John  S.  Reid  and  Daniel  Perry,  at  the  mouth  of 
Black  river,  some  four  miles  distant,  Wilber  Cahoon, 
of  Avon  township,  five  miles  away,  and  Cajitaiu  Mo- 
ses Eldred,  seven  miles  distant,  at  Ridgeville.     "  In  a 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


251 


few  days  sifter  the  arrival  of  Captain  Smith  and  son, 
they  were  joined  by  two  young  men  from  New  Marl- 
liorough,  Samuel  B.  Fitch  and  Ashar  Cliapman. 
These  four  men  soon  built  a  rude  cabin,  where  they 
spent  tlie  winter  of  1815-lG,  shut  out  from  the  outer 
workl,  and  dependcut  upon  their  own  resources  for 
amusement  and  enjoyment.  Captain  Smith  was  a 
humorous,  jovial  man  ;  enjoyed  a  joke  and  was  fond 
of  a  good  story.  He  was  well  calculated  to  amuse  him- 
self and  companions  in  (heir  seclusion." 

Ill  Febriuxry,  181G,  Freeman  Riclimond  arrived  in 
the  township,  and  settled  on  lot  two,  now  owned  by 
Jose[)h  Townsheud.  Mrs.  Richmond  was  the  first 
white  female  who  became  a  permanent  settler  in  Shef- 
liehl  townsliip.  This  family  afterwai'ds  removed  from 
(he  townsliip,  and  we  believe,  reside  at  present  in 
Amherst,  this  county. 

Ileiiry  and  Mary  (Day)  Root,  and  family  were  the 
next  settlers.  They  left -their  native  town,  Sheflield, 
Berkshire  county,  Massachnsetts,  on  the  15th  day  of 
February,  181 G,  and  came,  at  least  a  greater  j)art  of 
the  way  by  teams,  both  oxen  and  horses,  arriving  at 
the  mouth  of  Black  river  on  the  1st  day  of  the  sub- 
sequent April.  For  perhaps  three  weeks  they  re- 
mained in  the  Smith  cabin;  in  the  interval  preparing 
a  habitation  upon  lot  seventeen  where  they  perma- 
nently located.  Tliis  was  near  where  now  stands  the 
Catholic  cliurch,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township. 
Of  tills  family,  a  son,  William  II.  Root,  Esii-,  says: 
''This  proved  to  be  an  unfortunate  location,  so  far  as 
lauds  about  it  were  concerned;  and,  for  long  years,  was 
one  of  tlie  most  isolated  spots  in  all  that  part  of  the 
county,  no  neighbor  nearer  than  three-fourths  of  a 
mile,  for  eighteen  years."  Following  are  the  children 
of  this  coujile:  Aaron,  who  was  a  sailor,  and  gener- 
ally known  as  Capt.  Root.  He  married  Esther  Buck, 
and  had  nine  children.  He  died  a  few  years  since. 
William  Henry,  the  next  child,  married  Eliza  Case, 
ami  liy  her  had  three  children,  daughters,  two  of 
whom  are  now  living,  Maria  at  home,  and  Mrs.  II. 
Garfield,  now  living  in  Sheffield.  Mrs.  Root  died 
April  29,  1833,  and  on  April  15,  1834,  he  contracted 
a  second  marriage,  taking  for  a  companion  Miss 
Fanny  Day.  The  fruit  of  this  union  was  three  boys. 
Orville,  the  eldest,  is  now  the  obliging  auditor  of 
Lorain  county,  whose  many  courtesies  the  writer  takes 
pleasure  in  acknowledging,  and  Walter  and  William, 
twins,  who  are  living  near  the  paternal  mansion.  The 
next  child  of  lleury  and  Mary  Root  was  Julia  Ann, 
who  married  Norman  Day,  now  deceased.  Jane,  who 
married  llarvy  Austin,  now  lives  at  Monroe,  Michi- 
gan. Francis  died  unmarried.  Mary,  the  youugest 
child,  married  A.  R.  Fitzgerald,  and  is  now  deceased. 
Henry  Day  died  April  9,  1829.  Mrs.  Day  died  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1857. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Root  and  family,  Ol- 
iver Moon,  from  Avon,   State  of  New  York,   located 
on  lot  eleven;  Milton  Garfield  and  John   B.  Garfield, 
I    of  Tyringham,  Massachusetts,  on  lots  seventy-three 
i    and  seventy-four;   A.  R.  Dimmick  on  lots  seventy-five 


and  seventy  six;  William  Richmond  on  lot  two,  with 
his  brother  Freeman,  and   Willis  Potter,  on  lot  one. 

On  the  3Gtli  of  July,  Capt.  Day  and  family  .arrived. 
The  children  were  as  follows:  William,  generally 
known  ;is  "Judge  Day."  He  married  Augusta  Bur- 
rell.  They  have  a  family  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  now  living.  -The  judge  resides  on  tiie  old 
homestead,  lot  sixty-six.  His  son  is  postmaster  at 
Sheliield  post  office.  John,  Jr.,  the  next  child,  mar- 
ried Cornelia  Ann  Sackett,  of  Avon.  They  reside 
on  lot  eighty.  Their  children  number  eight,  four 
of  whom  are  living:  Norman,  married  Julia  Ann 
Root,  and  resides  on  lot  forty-two.  They  were 
blessed  with  seven  children,  all  now  living.  To 
this  gentleman  we  desire  to  express  our  obligations. 
From  his  "anniversary  address,"  on  the  settlement 
of  Sheffield,  we  have  gleaned  much  valuable  data. 
F'aniiy,  the  next  child,  became  the  wife  of  William 
H.  Root,  Esq.,  and  is  now  deceased;  James,  married 
Ann  Eliza  Austin,  and  resides  on  lot  sixty-four.  Of 
their  seven  children,  live  are  now  living..  Lydia,  mar- 
ried Kendrick  K.  Keruey,  Es(p  They  have  but  one 
child,  a  son,  who  resides  with  them  on  lot  seventy- 
one.  Kellogg,  married  Mary  L.  Ingalls,  of  Napoli; 
New  York.  He  was  a  teacher  among  the  Cherokee 
Indians  for  a  term  of  years.  He  is  now  engaged  in 
merchandising  at  Denmark,  Iowa.  His  family  are 
three  daughters,  all  living.  Frederick,  married  Mary 
S.  Sackett.  He  died  August  11,  1810,  leaving  two 
children,  a  son  and  daughter,  who  are  now  living 
in  Michigan.  Edmond,  the  next  child,  was  born 
subse([ueiit  to  the  settlement  in  Sheffield.  He  mar- 
ried Camilla  Austin.  He  was  a  physician  for  many 
years,  but  is  not  now  practicing.  He  resides  in  Cleve- 
land. Of  their  four  children,  three  are  now  living. 
Eleanor,  the  youngest  child,  married  James  Austin, 
and  resides  on  lot  seventy-four;  they  have  but  one 
child,  a  son. 

On  the  11th  of  August,  Captain  Burrell  and  family 
of  eight  children,  and  Solomon  Weeks,  a  young  man 
who  had  been  an  apprentice  to  Captain  Burrell,  arrived 
by  way  of  the  lake,  on  the  schooner  Black  Snake,  and 
came  up  the  river  on  Reid's  ferry  scow.  The  names 
of  the  children  were:  Julia  (Mrs.  Humphrey),  resides 
near  Rochester,  New  York;  Sarah  M.  (Mrs.  Knapp), 
now  of  Knappton,  Oregon;  Robbins,  died  in  Shef- 
field, August  34,  1877;  Lyman  J.  lives  in  California; 
Jabez  L.  lives  in  Oberlin;  and  Eliza  (Mrs  Whittlesey) 
lives  in  Cleveland.  Mary  Ann  (Mrs.  Robert  E.  Gil- 
lett)  died  July  31,  1837.  Solomon  Weeks  lives  in 
Allen  county,  Indiana.  Ariel  Moore  died  February 
10,  1834;  Mrs.  Moore  removed  to  Fredonia,  New 
York;  she  is  now  dead.  Lonieda  (Mrs.  Norman  Be- 
dortha),  and  her  sister  Lovina,  live  at  Saratoga,  N.  Y. 
Abigail  (Mrs.  Burgess)  went  on  a  mission  to  India, 
and  died  there.  Nathan  Stevens  and  wife  died  in 
Michigan.  Henry  Austin  and  wife  returned  to  their 
native  town  in  1830. 

Davis  Heacock  and  Erastus  Heacock  left  their  river 
farms,  and  located  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Davis  died  October  18, 1858.  Erastus  tnarried  Eunice 
Burrell,  and  is  now  dead.  James  Burrell  died  Sep- 
tember 29,  1855.  Mrs.  James  Burrell  died  July  6, 
\SC)2.  Harriet  nun  riod  John  B.  Garfield,  and  is  the 
only  survivor  of  the  family.  Cyla  died  March  20, 
181  .  Almoran  died  December  28,  1841;  and  Alva 
J.  (lied  June  20,  18:5.3.  Arnold  Burrell  and  wife  live 
in  Elyria.  Isaac  Burrell  died  March  12,  1800.  Mrs. 
Burrell,  the  last  of  the  pioneers  who  came  into  the 
township  with  a  family,  died  December  17,  1864. 

"  Messrs.  Burrell  and  Day  shipped  their  heavy 
household  goods  and  farming  utensils  at  Schnectady, 
on  a  small,  half-decked  schooner  of  about  fifteen  tons 
burthen,  called  the  "  Fire  Fly,"  built  iliere  by  Anon 
Harmon  of  New  Marlborough,  Massachusetts.  He 
sailed  up  the  Mohawk,  locked  by  the  Little  Falls, 
and  thence  by  the  Rome  canal  into  Wood  creek, 
down  Wood  creek  into  Oneida  lake,  then  down  the 
outlet  and  Oswego  river  to  Lake  Ontario.  At 
(^)ueenston  he  unloaded  and  drew  her  out,  loaded  her 
on  cart  wheels,  drew  her  by  Niagara  Falls  to  Chippewa 
and  launched;  then  drew  her  cargo  and  reloaded; 
then  proceeded  through  the  lake  and  up  Black  river 
to  the  mouth  of  French  creek,  and  landed  her  cargo 
of  salt  and  goods  on  the  '  Big  Bottom.  ' " 

In  the  fall  of  181G,  Captain  Smith  went  to  Massa- 
chusetts for  his  family,  and  returned  in  March,  1817. 
In  his  family  were  eight  children:  Douglass,  Isaac, 
Rachel,  Elazar,  Harvey,  Warren,  Caleb  and  Reuel. 
Ariel  Moore  came  from  New  Marlborough  with 
Captain  Smith.  His  family  were  a  wife  and  three 
children:  Lorinda,  Lovina  and  Abigail.  He  settled 
on  lot  fifty-six.  In  February  of  this  year  Henry 
Austin  and  wife,  from  Owasco,  State  of  New  York, 
settled  on  lot  eighty-one,  and  Nathan  Stejihens  and 
wife  from  New  ]\Iarlborough,  on  lot  eighty-four.  In 
June,  Davis  and  Erastus  Hecock  selected  lots  eighty- 
five  and  eighty-six,  and  commenced  improving  thenj, 
keeping  bachelor's  hall.  About  the  same  time 
Samuel  Munsou  commenced  on  lot  seventy-two. 

On  the  5th  of  July,  Jamea  Burrell,  from  Bloom- 
field,  New  York,  arrived  and  settled  on  lot  sixty-nine. 
Isaac  Burrell,  one  of  the  proprietors,  from  Salisbury, 
New  York,  arrived  on  the  28th  of  February.  In  his 
family  were  six  children:  Eunice,  Hiram,  Jane, 
Augusta,  Mary  and  Charlotte. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year,  Daniel  Perry,  Esq.,  who 
came  from  Vei-mont  to  the  mouth  of  Black  river  in 
1810,  sold  his  farm  there,  and  moved  into  Sheffield. 
He  had  a  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  nine  chil- 
dren,— I'olly,  Harvey,  So|ihia,  Alexander  Hamilton, 
Royal,  .lulius,  Lester,  Bushrod  and  William.  He 
located  on  lot  twenty-two,  where  he  lived  several 
years,  finally  removing  to  Brownhelm.  Himself  and 
wife  both  died  several  years  since. 

Jonathan  C.  Bennett  came  to  Ohio  in  18.32.  He 
died  in  Sheffield  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his 
sons  John  W.  and  Daniel,  on  the  24th  day  of  April, 
1872,  at  the  remarkable  age  of  one  hundred  and  four 
years. 


Samuel  B.  Fitch,  before  mentioned,  married  Miss 
Dolly  .J.  Smith,  of  Geneva,  Ashtabula  county,  this 
State,  September  18,  1818.  She  was  a  native  of 
Rutland,  Vermont.  From  this  marriage  the  follow- 
ing children  were  born:  Joseph  Wellington,  who 
married  Harriet  Lewis,  lives  in  Sheffield,  (he  is  post- 
master of  the  postoffice  called  "Lake  Breeze");  Mary, 
died  in  infancy;  Martha,  married  Burt  Brett,  and 
lives  in  Geneva,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio;  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, married  Jesse  H.  Lang,  lives  in  Oberlin;  Phebe, 
married  Auren  Kna])i),  Jr.,  lives  at  Kwappa,  Oregon; 
Henry  Martyn,  married  Lydia  A.  Day,  resides  at 
Sheridan,  Montana.  Mrs.  Dolly  J.  Fitch  died  May 
G,  1845.  The  second  wife  of  Mr.  Eitch  was  Nancy 
Willard,  of  Paulet,  Vermont.  She  died  November  4. 
ISCO.     Mr.  Fitch  died  September  10,  1801. 

FIRST  EVENTS. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  the  township  of  Shef- 
field was  Mary  Ann  Austin.  The  date  was  August 
20,  1817.  She  died  in  Skaneateles,  Onondaga  county. 
New  York,  November  15,  1831. 

The  first  marriage  was  consumated  between  Samuel 
Munson  and  MissPhila  Taylor,  liy  Ebenezer  Whiton, 
Esq.,  on  the  17tli  of  December,  1818.  Mr.  Munson 
died  August  6,  1820.  Mrs.  Munson  nuirried  Mr. 
Rooks,  and  died  at  Niles,  Cayuga  county.  New  York, 
July  3,  18G2. 

Captain  Smith,  I  he  first  settler,  was  the  first  to  die. 
The  date  was  Septemljcr  20,  1817.  The  infant  set- 
tlement was  shocked  as  the  sad  news  spread  from 
house  to  house,  "Captain  Smith  is  dead."  Deacon 
James,  of  Brownhelm,  officiated  at  the  funeral.  The 
pieces  sung  on  the  occasion  were,  "  Hark  from  the 
tombs,"  tune  New  Durham,  and  the  nineteenth 
j)salm  "Lord,  what  a  Feeble  Piece,"  tune  Florida. 
It  was  a  solemn  day,  ami  the  death  of  Captain  Smith 
was  deeply  lamented.  A  burying  ground  was  selected 
on  the  bluff  near  French  creek  bridge,  where  he  was 
buried.  This  burial  place  was  afterward  abandoned, 
and  the  bodies  removed  to  the  ridge  cemetery.  The 
widow  of  Captain  Smith  married  General  Isaac  Hull, 
of  Pompey, — now  Li  Fayette, — Onondaga  county, 
New  York,  at  which  place  she  died,  October  18,  1859. 

The  first  post  office  was  established  at  the  center 
of  the  township,  in  about  1818.  Jabez  Burrell,  Es(i., 
was  the  pioneer  jjost  master,  and  remained  as  such 
for  many  years.  William  A.  Day  is  at  present  the 
post  master  of  the  Center. 

Near  the  Catholic  charcli,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  township,  there  is  another  post  office  called  Cran- 
dall.  We  failed  to  get  the  date  it  was  established. 
Nicholas  Kclling  is  the  present  post  nmster. 

On  the  Lake  Shore  road  is  the  third  post  office. 
Edward  Swan  was  the  first  post  master,  and  the  office 
was  first  o[)euod  in  about  1840.  It  has  had  a  variety 
of  names  and  locations.  It  was  given  its  present 
name,  "  Lake  Breeze,"  a  short  time  since.  J.  W. 
Fitcli  is  now  post  master,  the  office  being  kept  at  his 
house,  on  lot  forty-one. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


253 


The  mercantile  interest  has  never  been  represented 
to  any  great  extent  in  Shetliekl  township.  William 
Day  was  the  pioneer  niercliant.  He  erected  a  small 
building  on  lot  sixty-seven,  and  in  1827,  opened  his 
first  stock  of  goods.  Ho  only  reniainoi!  in  the  busi- 
ness a  few  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Alonzo  Park. 
His  stay  was  also  of  short  duration.  Isaac  L.  Case 
sold  goods  a  short  time  on  the  Lake  Shore  road.  In 
the  German  settlement,  a  grocery  store  was  in  o])cra- 
tiou  for  a  short  time. 

A  distillery  was  put  in  operation  in  about  1823,  by 
Cliester  Wrigiit.  It  was  situated  on  the  ridge,  in  the 
south  part  of  tlie  township,  and  continued  for  some 
years  to  convert  grain  into  that  "simmering  coni- 
jjound  of  liquid  devils,"  the  use  of  which  so  soon 
causes  man  to  forget  "his  God,  his  family  and  him- 
self." A  second  distillery  was  erected  in  1824  or  1835, 
on  lot  sixty-one.  S.  B.  Fitch  was  its  proprietor.  It 
was  abandoned  after  some  five  years  of  feeble  exist- 
ence. 

Tiie  pioneer  sawmill  was  built  by  Messrs  Day  and 
Burrcll,  in  1817.  It  was  located  on  French  creek, 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  center  of  the 
township. 

The  first  gristmill  was  built  by  Charles  Ciianey,  in 
1834.  It  was  on  Black  river,  occupying  the  site 
where  now  stands  the  mills  of  W.  and  S.  B.  Day. 

The  largest  steam  sawmill  in  Sheffield,  was  that 
known  as  tlie  GlobeviUe  mills,  on  Black  river.  This 
was  undoubtedly  the  largest  mill  in  Lorain  county. 
Shipping  plank  was  the  principal  lumber  sawed. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  taught  in  Shefiield  township  was 
by  Dr.  Preston  Pond,  of  Keene,  New  Hampshire,  in 
the  winter  of  1817-18.  This  was  in  the  little  log 
building,  before  referred  to  as  standing  near  the  site 
of  the  j)reseut  church.  The  following  winter  a  term 
was  taught  by  the  Hon.  Daniel  T.  Baldwin,  a  Berk- 
shire county  man,  who  settled  at  Black  River  and  be- 
came one  of  the  prominent  men  of  Lorain  county. 
He  was  a  "  worthy  man,"  and  one  of  superior  talent. 
August  cl,  1878,  there  were  eight  school  houses  in 
the  township,  valued  at  seven  thousand  dollars.  The 
amount  paid  teachers  for  the  preceding  year,  was 
fourteen  hundred  and  forty-seven  dolhus,  and  the 
total  number  of  children  in  the  township,  of  school 
age,  was  two  hundred  and  eighty-six. 

ORGANIZATION.* 

"From  the  organization  of  the  county  of  Huron 
until  the  organization  of  Lorain,  Sheffield  owed  a 
divided  allegiance.  Originally  Dover  embraced  Avon, 
and  all  of  Sheffield  and  Black  River  east  of  the  river. 
At  a  later  day,  Avon,  and  the  same  parts  of  Sheffield 
and  Black  River  that  formerly  belonged  to  Dover, 
constituted  the  township  of  Troy,  and  they  were  then 
in    Cuyahoga   county.     From    1815    to    1834,   all   of 

*  Boynton. 


Sheffield,  west  of  Black  river,  was  attached  to  the 
township  of  Black  River,  as  it  existed  befm-e  its  terri- 
tory was  reduced  to  Its  present  limits.  This  part  of 
Sheffield  was  thru  in  Huron  county.  The  township 
was  then  known  as  number  seven,  in  range  seventeen. 
On  the  first  Monday  of  June,  1824,  touche<l  with  a 
little  ambition  for  territorial  expansion,  she  laid  her 
petition  before  the  commissioners  of  the  county  of 
Lorain  at  their  June  session,  in  the  first  year  of  the 
organization  of  the  county,  praying  for  a  township 
organization  that  should  embrace  in  extent,  its  pres- 
ent area,  all  of  Black  River  township  east  of  Black 
river,  and  so  much  of  number  six,  range  seventeen 
(Elyria),  as  was  set  off  to  Enoch  Perkins  in  the  par- 
tition of  the  township.  The  action  before  the  com- 
missioners resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  town- 
ship with  its  present  boundaries.  Sheffield  was  the 
first  township  incorporated  after  the  couid.y  was 
organized.  Its  incorjioration  was  the  first  official  act 
of  the  commissioners  at  their  June  session,  1824.  A 
special  election  was  ordered  for  the  townshij)  officers, 
and  took  place  July  10,  1824.  Tlie  following  persons 
were  elected:  John  Day,  Isaac  Burrcll  and  A.  R. 
Dimmick,  trustees;  Nathan  Stevens,  clerk;  Milton 
Garfield,  treasurer;  Jabez  Burrcll  and  Henry  Root, 
overseers  of  the  poor.  Jabez  Burrell  had  been  elected 
justice  of  the  x^eace  in  1819,  whde  the  town  was  a 
[lart  of  Troy,  and  re-elected  in  1823,  and  was  still 
exercising  the  duties  of  the  office  at  the  date  of  the 
township  organization."  The  following  is  the  official 
roster  for  1878:  Leopold  Miller,  Russell  Walker  and 
S.  B.  Day,  trustees;  Ed.  P.  Burrell,  clerk;  William 
A.  Day,  treasurer;  Isaac  B.  Ilecock,  assessor;  Joseph 
Rothgarry,  constable;  William  H.  Root  and  L.  F. 
Parks,  justices  of  the  peace,  and  nine  supervisors  of 
roads  and  highways. 

CHURCHES. 

In  the  winter  of  18 Hi,  religious  meetings  were 
held  at  the  house  of  Cajjtain  Burrell,  which  consisted 
in  reading  a  sermon,  singing  and  jirayer,  by  Mr. 
H+inchett,  of  Ridgeville,  then  working  for  Captain 
Burrell,  for  there  was  not  at  that  time  a  male  jiro- 
fcssor  in  the  settlement.  Whatever  of  moral  and 
religious  principle  hangs  ab^ut  the  native  population 
of  Sheffield  is  due  to  the  influence  of  pious  ])ioneer 
mothers.  William  H.  Root,  Es({.,  says:  "  We 
cannot  forbear,  in  this  place,  to  single  out  of  these 
mothers  one  whose  n.ime  will  go  down  to  posterity  as 
a  model  Christian  mother — -Mrs.  Jabez  Burrell, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Robbins.  Always 
kind  to  every  one;  with  a  mantle  of  charity  to  throw 
over  the  faults  of  others;  with  a  smile  and  hearty 
greeting  for  rich  and  poor  alike — such  was  this 
mother  in  Israel." 

The  first  sermon  preached  in  the  township  of 
Sheffield  was  by  Rev.  Alvin  Coe,  in  the  spring  of 
1817.  Through  the  summer  following  three  mission- 
aries, Revs.  Ilartwell,  Treat  and  Seward  held  meetings 
in  the  township.     In   the  fall  of  1817,  Rev.  Alvin 


254 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Hyde,  a  young  divine  from  Borksliiro  county, 
Massachusetts,  and  son  of  Dr.  Hyde,  of  Lee,  in  that 
county,  commenced  ])reaching  in  Dover,  Kidgeville 
and  Shcttiehl  alternately.  He  was  sent  out  hy  the 
"Berkshire  Missionary  Association,"  to  visit  the 
new  settlements  on  the  Reserve.  Mr.  Hyde's  efforts 
were   successful,    and    in    the    spring  of    1818    the 

CONfJREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

in  Shefheld  was  formed,  Kev.  Mr.  Williams  assisting 
Mr.  Hyde  on  the  occasion.  The  thirteen  original 
memhers  were  as  follows:  Nathan  Stevens  and  wife, 
i\rrs.  Mary  Hurrell,  wife  of  (-aptain  Jabez  Bui-rell, 
and  her  two  daughters,  Julia  and  Sarah,  Mrs. 
Martha  Smith,  wife  of  Captain  Joshua  Smith,  and 
her  son  Douglas  Smith,  Henry  Root,  Preston  Pond, 
William  Day,  Samuel  B.  Fitch,  William  Smith  and 
Daniel  Perry.  Meetings  were  first  held  in  the  old 
log  school  house,  which  stood  on  the  brow  of  the  hill 
just  north  of  where  the  church  now  stands.  This 
building  for  a  long  time  answered  the  double  purpose 
of  church  and  school  house. 

ME'rnolilST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

In  IS-3-3  Rev.  William  Reynolds  organized  a  class 
at  the  I'itus  scliiml  Imuse  in  Avon  township,  but  a 
large  portion  of  the  members  were  fi'om  Sheffield 
township.  Meetings  were  held  ])revious  to  this  at 
the  house  of  Alexas  Miller.  The  following  persons 
composed  this  class:  Adam  Miller  and  wife  Anna., 
Alexas  Miller  and  wife  Caroline,  Susanah  Parshall, 
Delia  Ann  Case,  now  widow  of  Therou  Moore, 
Norman  i\Ioore,  Anson  Titus  and  Susan  his  daughter. 
This  chui-ch  was  removed  ti>  ShefHehl  in  184:3,  and 
meetings  have  since  that  date  been  held  in  the  school 
house  in  district  number  three.  It  lielongs  to  the 
Avon  charge.  The  membershij)  is  now  (tnly  small; 
Rev.  N.  J.  Chase  present  pastor.  A  Ba])tist  church 
was  formed  in  Sheffield  in  1833,  also  in  the  school 
house  in  district  number  three.  It  was  not  in 
operation  but  a  few  years,  disbanding,  and  the 
members,  a  portion  of  them  uniting  with  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  the  remainder  joining  the 
Baptist  church  in  Avon. 

ST.  THURBSA    CHURCH  (CATHOLKr), 

organized  in  184."),  by  Rev.  Peter  Griesh,  with  the 
following  mendjership:  John  Miller  and  his  wife 
(Jatharinc,  Christian  March  and  his  wife,  John  For- 
ster,  Peter  Loux  and  his  wife  Elizabeth,  Henry 
Swartz  and  his  wife  Magdalene,  Peter  Schneider  and 
his  wife,  Mathias  Shuler  and  his  wife  Mary  Catherine, 
George  Lusbauerand  his  wife  Catharine,  Peter  Urich, 
John  Diedrich  and  his  wife  Gertrude,  Peter  Rothgery 
and  his  wife  Magdalene,  Andrew  Guberna,  Peter 
Young,  Leopold  Miller,  John  Conklin  and  his  wife 
Anna,  John  Marks,  George  Glensherin  and  his  wife 
Theresa,  Antone  Deitsh  and   his  wife  Kunneyunda, 


John  Kelling  and  his  wife  Catharine.  At  the  organ- 
ization of  the  chnrch,  each  member  jiaid  one  dollar, 
with  which  they  bought  one  acre  of  land  upon  which 
they  l)uilt  a  log  church  twenty-four  by  thirty  feet, 
which  was  occupied  nntil  the  new  church  was  built 
in  1847.  The  new  church  was  forty  by  sixty  feet, 
and  cost  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  One  acre  of  land 
was  bought  of  Aaron  Root,  with  the  understanding 
that  if  he  sold  his  farm  he  would  give  them  another 
acre,  which  he  did;  so  they  have  two  acres  in  the 
church  lot.  At  the  organization,  John  Miller,  Chris- 
tian Maich,  Peter  Loux  and  Peter  Schneider  were 
appointed  chui'ch  trustees.  At  present  the  church  is 
represented  by  fifty-five  families.  The  church  prop- 
erty is  valued  at  four  thousand  dollars. 

INCIDENT. 

The  following  we  ijuote  from  Mr.  Day's  address. 
It  is  familiar  to  every  student  of  McGuffey's  series 
of  readers:  In  the  summer  of  18:il,  Peter  Miller, 
a  lad  of  seventeen,  had  been  laboring  near  the 
center  of  Sheffield.  Saturday  afternoon  he  started 
to  go  home  to  his  father's  on  the  lake  shore,  in  Avon. 
It  was  five  miles  through  the  wilderness,  and  much  of 
the  way  his  path  was  near  a  large  swamp  infested 
with  bears.  When  about  one-third  of  the  way 
through,  he  saw  a  bear  and  two  cubs.  He  shouted  to 
scare  them  away,  but  bruin,  feai'ing  her  cubs  would 
be  disturbed,  showed  fight,  and  came  towards  him. 
In  early  pioneer  times  it  was  said  that  a  bear  could 
not  climb  a  snniU  tree;  and  in  au  instant  young 
Jliller  had  selected  a  small,  smooth  elm,  and  began 
to  clind),  but  to  his  surprise  and  consternation  he 
saw  the  bear  following  him  u\)  the  tree.  He  climbed 
as  far  as  he  thought  prudent  to  go,  and  when  she  got 
near  enough,  he  began  to  kick  her  on  the  head.  She 
gra])pled  his  foot,  then  let  go  her  hold  on  the  tree, 
and  fell  to  the  ground,  lacerating  his  foot  terribly 
with  her  teeth.  She  immediately  started  up  the  tree 
again.  Miller  could  only  watch  her  progress,  vainly 
endeavoring  to  frighten  her  back.  When  she  arrived 
within  his  reach,  he  used  the  other  foot,  and  met 
with  the  same  success.  The  bear,  determined  not  to 
lose  her  i)rey,  ascended  the  third  time.  The  boy, 
frightened  and  exhaustcid,  lost  his  hold,  and  both 
tumbled  to  the  ground  together.  The  bear,  evidently 
alarmed  at  being  so  closely  j)ursued  from  the  tree, 
jumped  a  few  paces,  and  turned  to  look  at  her  in- 
tended victim.  The  boy  ran  for  his  life,  casting  anx- 
ious glances  over  his  shoulder  at  his  pursuer.  She, 
however,  gave  uj>  the  chase.  Y'^oung  Miller  arrived 
at  the  settlement  in  a  sorry  plight,  bareheaded;  his 
shoes  gone,  and  his  feet  mangled  in  a  shocking  man- 
ner. The  neighbors  rallied  and  searched  for  the  bear, 
but  without  success. 

The  only  hotel  in  Sheffield  township  is  the  summer 
resort  known  as  "Lake  Breeze."  This  was  opened 
in  the  year  1873,  by  its  jiresent  proprietor,  Mr.  .Jay 
Terrell,  formerly  of  Ridgeville  township,  this  county. 


h  '/-^^c^'i^  J^<^ 


-/-t^-^^-^^^i^  yo^^^i^c-^ 


Ooi/nyr/Z^'e^  ,^:^Z^^<yV  <-^^ 


ERASTUS  HECOCK. 


The  aged  widow  of  Erastus  Hecock,  knowing 
little  of  the  history  of  his  jiarents,  says  he  was  born 
in  Connecticut,  Mareii  27,  1793.  At  an  early  day 
his  parents,  Silas  and  Hannah  J.,  moved  into  the 
town  of  Fairfield,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.  Their  son 
Erastus  soon  removed  from  there  to  Salisbui'v,  Her- 
kimer Co.,  to  learn  the  trade  of  clothier  or  cloth- 
dresser,  and  there  enlisted  in  the  war  of  1812,  at 
the  age  of  eighteen.  Remaining  imtil  discharged,  he 
returned  to  Salisbury,  where  he  spent  a  year. 

In  the  year  1818  lie  moved  into  the  township  of 
Sheffield,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  taking  up  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land  upon  which  nri  improvements 
had  l)een  made.  His  energy  and  strict  integrity 
gained  him  many  friends  at  that  early  day.  At 
an  early  date  he  built  the  mills  at  Sheffield,  which, 
having  changed  ownership  many  times,  yet  retain 
his  name. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Stiitc  militia;  he  became 
captain,  and  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  colonel. 


On  the  6th  of  December,  1827,  Mr.  Hecock 
married  Eunice,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Hnldah 
Burrell.  Resultant  of  this  union  was  a  family  of 
seven  children,  all  liv^ing,  viz.:  Pamelia,  Isaac  B., 
Hannah,  Harry,  Celia,  Hiram,  and  Silas. 

After  a  long  life  of  toil,  by  which  he  had  acquired 
much  property  and  the  respect  of  his  fellow-men, 
having  been  prominently  identified  with  the  early 
history  of  Lorain  County,  he  met  his  death  the 
23d  of  August,  1866,  in  the  following  manner: 
returning  from  Wayne  Co.,  Ohio,  with  a  drove  of 
stock,  whilst  on  foot  driving  the  cattle,  he  was  over- 
taken by  Mr.  Bishop,  an  acquaintance,  who  asked 
him  to  ride.  In  attemjiting  to  cross  the  railroad 
track  in  Lagrange  townshij),  the  horse's  foot  was 
caught,  and  a  jwssing  freight-train  instantly  killed 
them  both.  The  kindly  hands  of  children  and  dear 
old  friends  laid  him  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Shef- 
field, Ohio,  where  his  widow  now  resides  on  the  old 
homestead. 


Ihotos.  by  Lee,  Elyria. 


MRS.   ANN   lEISH. 


ISAAC    BURRELL. 


JONATHAN    C.    BENNETT. 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO, 


255 


It  is  sitiuited  ou  lot  uiimbcr  forty,  upon  the  bauk  of, 
and  overlooking  the  blue  waters  of  Lake  Erie.  Mr. 
Terrell  lias,  in  connection  with  the  hotel,  a  number 
of  cottages,  and  keeps  pleasure  boats  for  the  use  of 
guests. 

White  fishing  is  prosecuted  quite  extensively  by  the 
dwellers  along  the  shore.  Tlie  fish  arc  caught  in  gill 
nets.  We  have  lieen  unalile  to  procure  the  data  in 
relation  to  the  fisliing  interest,  but  many  tons  are 
cauglit  annually. 


Wheat, 

Potatoes, 

Oats, 

Barley, 

Orchards, 

Corn 

Meadow,  ],831 


Agricultural  Statistics  for  1878. 
887  acres 15,4.39  bushels. 


70      "      6,<H)4 

748      "      27,111 

416       "       11,050 

372      "       '.(..MS 

1,039      "       35,.57a 

8,425 

Butter. 28,495  pounds. 

0.30 

S.'iO 


Cheese — 

Maple  Sugar 

Population  in  1870. 


VoTB  fob  President  in  1876. 
R.  B.  Hayes 130  |  S.  J.  Tilden . . . 


973 
9« 


GRAFTON 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


That  portion  of  the  following  history  that  relates  to  the  settlement  of 
the  township,  is  from  the  able  pen  of  Mrs.  Harriet  I.  Nesbett.  It  is  not 
only  an  interesting  narrative,  but  it  is  full  and  authentic. 

This  township,  which  is  described  as  number  four 
in  the  sixteenth  range,  is  bounded  as  follows  :  on  the 
north  by  Eaton  township  ;  south  by  Litchfield  town- 
ship, Medina  county  ;  east  by  Liverpool  township, 
same  county ;  and  west  by  LaGrange  township,  this 
county.  The  surface  is  gently  undulating  for  tiie 
most  part,  the  southern  portion  only  being  broken, 
and  that  simply  along  the  streams.  The  soil  is  prin- 
cipally clay.  As  an  agricultural  townshij)  (trattoii  is 
about  on  an  average  with  those  surrounding  it,  and  its 
soil  about  equally  devoted  to  agricultural  and  dairy 
l>roducts.  The  streams  are  (piito  numerous,  the 
largest  of  them  being  the  west  branch  of  the  Black 
river,  flowing  along  the  western  line,  a  portion  of  the 
way  in  this,  and  the  remainder  in  LaGrange  township. 
The  other  streams  ;ire  tributary,  and  are  Center 
creek,  flowing  as  tiie  name  implies,  through  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  township  ;  Sibley  creek,  in  the  south- 
ern, and  Swamp  creek  in  the  northern  portion.  These 
are  those  that  are  worthy  of  mention,  tiiough  there 
are  numerous  small  creeks  and  spring  stre  .ms  in  the 
township. 

SETTLEMENT. 

In  September,  1810,  Major  William  lugersoll  and 
family,  left  Lee,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  to 
commence  the  first  settlement  in  township  number 
seven,  sixteeuth  range.  New  Connecticut  Western  Re- 
serve. A  brief  account  of  the  moving  train  will  be 
given,  showing  the  gre.it  improveiueuts  in  ways  and 
means  of  traveling,  which  have  evidently  kept  pace 
with  other  advancements.  Taverns  in  tlio.se  days  usu- 
ally provided  movers  with  room  to  prepare  food,  or 
spread  beds  when  needed.  A  daily  enquiry  is  plainly 
remembered,  as  follows:  "  Can  we  have  accommoda- 
tions for  the  night  for  thirteen  persons,  one  span  of 


horses,  four  j'oke  of  oxen  and  three  cows  ?  "  Fruit 
and  vegetables  were  al)undant,  so  with  what  chests, 
baskets  and  bags  afforded,  a  good  meal  was  not  expen- 
sive, though  it  often  cost  the  mother  tears,  who  was 
reluctantly  taking  her  children  from  homes  of  com- 
fort, and  privileges  most  dear,  the  loss  of  which  is 
still  felt  liy  sensitive  hearts.  But  "westward"  is  the 
motto,  and  while  weather  is  fine  and  roads  good  we 
press  forward. 

The  North  river,  at  Albany,  was  crossed  in  a  ferry 
boat,  the  first  craft  of  the  kind  over  seen,  (except  a 
canoe).  Near  the  middle  of  the  State  of  New  York 
we  find  friends  that  had  lived  "westward"  a  number 
of  years.  This  was  a  happy  meeting  on  account  of 
the  great  distance  that  had  separated  ns  a  few  years 
only.  This  year  the  State  prison  at  Auburn  was  be- 
ing liuilt.  A  mother's  earnest  admonition  is  remem- 
bered, showing  the  iinjiortauce  of  right  doing  to 
avoid  incarceration  within  such  massive  walls.  The 
village  of  Syracuse  was  scarcely  seen.  Buffalo  is  just 
rising  from  its  bed  of  ashe.-!,  made  in  1814.  The  first 
sight  of  Lake  Erie  is  calm  and  still;  not  a  .sail  to  be 
seen;  no  steamboat's  keel  had  parted  its  waters;  no 
whistle  as  signal,  to  break  the  awful  stillness. 

We  next  come  to  Ashtabula,  the  first  county  in 
Ohio,  which  was  an  oasis  to  weary,  home-sick  trav- 
elers. Here  friends  from  Berkshire  welcomed  us, 
and  the  joy  was  mutual;  theirs  increased  by  hearing 
from  friends  left  in  native  land.  Again,  in  Mentor 
we  find  friends  who  are  just  beginning,  from  Ohio 
soil,  to  supply  themselves  with  food.  And  here  let 
me  say  that  sweeter  turnips  have  never  been  on  exhi- 
bition at  the  "Northern  Ohio  Fair,"  than  those  grown 
in  Mentor  in  1816.  Another  day's  journey  and  we 
iigain  stop  with  friends,  in  Newburgh,  where  we  rest  a 
day  or  two.  Our  friends  then  come  to  help  us  through 
the  "woods"'  as  far  as  Cleveland,  and  see  us  on  board 
the  "ferry  boat,"  then  in  u.se,  to  cross  the  Cuyahoga 
river. 


250 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Excuse  me  while  I  make  some  truthful  contrasts. 
The  little  village  of  Cleveland,  with  its  less  than  one 
hundred  inhabitants,  was  situated  upon  that  terrible 
hill  wo  bad  just  descended  with  so  much  difficulty. 
Lake  Krie  on  the  north,  scarcely  visited  by  any  craft; 
no,  Walk-i)i-the-Waler  iuul  tbcn  been  built;  no  ap- 
propriation had  been  made  to  render  the  harbor  safe 
or  accessible;  on  the  east  and  south,  oak  trees,  with 
faded  foliage,  seemed  like  a  sable  curtain  drawn 
around  to  meet  the  unbroken  forest  on  the  western 
banks  of  till!  Cuyahoga  river.  Now,  upon  and  around 
that  "terrible  hill"  is  the  beautiful  "Forest  City," 
with  its  vast  po]iulation,  its  great  and  grand  improve- 
ments, with  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants, 
surrounding  a  monument,  commemorating  an  event 
which  made  these  western  wilds  inviting,  and  the 
pioneers'  dwelling  safe  and  peaceful.  This,  indeed 
seems  like  a  fanciful  flight  of  imagination,  rather  than 
truthful  history.  Are  the  voices  all  hushed  that 
made  the  woods  ring  in  honor  of  brave  Perry? 

After  this  we  make  our  way  as  best  we  can,  over  a 
new  road,  made  among  trees  and  logs,  fording  Rocky 
river  with  our  three  covered  wagons;  then  all  that 
can,  are  })icking  their  way  on  foot  to  lessen  the  bur- 
dens of  horses  and  cattle,  until  we  come  to  a  log  house 
in  (Columbia,  Cuyahoga  county.  It  was  nearly  dark, 
but  light  enough  for  the  first  siglit  inside  that  log 
cabin  to  be  remembered.  There  stood  a  good  moth- 
erly-looking woman,  with  short  gray  hair,  making 
hasty  pudding  in  agoo  1  sized  brass  kettle  which  niade 
a  little  pioneer  girl  laugh.  Another  day,  and  we 
come  to  Liverpool;  only  five  miles  more  of  unbroken 
forest,  and  we  arrive  at  the  place  where  our  lioine  was 
to  be. 

In  Liverpoi>l  we  stop  a  few  days,  while  our  strong 
force,  consisting  of  father  and  brothers,  go  forward 
and  })rcpare  a  road.  Tiiis  was  done  through  the  un- 
derbrush, over  logs,  and  around  trees,  whose  roots  in 
some  places  serve  as  a  pavement  for  one  side  of  a 
muddy  swale,  wagon  wheels  sinking  in  mud,  and 
water  on  the  other,  the  inmates  calling  forth,  "  Oh! 
oh!  don't  tip  us  out  in  this  terrible  place!"  "  Drive 
slowly,  there's  no  danger,"  is  the  answer;  and  sure 
euougb,  we  near  the  township  line  in  safety,  and 
make  our  way  as  fast  as  possible,  until  we  reach  our 
shanty  shelter,  to  spend  our  first  November  night  in 
the  woods. 

"Backward,,  turn  liackward,  oh  time,  in  your  flight, 
Make  me  a  child  again,  just  for  to-uight. " 

The  shanty  just  mentioned  was  built  and  occupied 
during  tbe  summer  by  John  Sibley  and  Daniel  Nes- 
bett,  while  making  small  clearings  each  side  the  line, 
between  tiieir  lots  of  wild  land.  They  had  returned 
to  West  Stockbridge,  expecting  to  come  again  in  the 
spring,  wiiicli  tiiey  did.  Here,  in  this  only  shelter 
in  town,  fifteen  persons  are  huddled.  Two  experi- 
enced log  house  builders  bad  been  hii'i'd  to  oversee 
tbe  building  of  the  first  log  house  in  number  four, 
sixteenth  range,  thus  increasing  our  family.  Not  a 
sign  of  civilization  was  found  in  the  twelve  by  twelve 


foot  shanty,  except  an  excuse  for  a  bedstead  made  in 
one  corner,  by  boring  holes  in  the  logs,  putting  in 
strong  poles  for  head  and  foot,  two  posts  supporting 
the  front  side,  while  bark  for  cord  completed  this 
only  piece  of  furniture. 

Next  morning,  every  person  in  town  is  here  before 
breakfast,  and  how  is  my  mother  going  to  prepare  it, 
in  this  awful  looking  place,  this  first  morning  in  the 
woods?  In  due  time,  nine  men  and  boys,  with  broad 
and  narrow  axes,  driving  the  patient  oxen,  with  heavy 
chains  bound  around  their  yoke,  the  two  builders  tak- 
ing the  lead,  start  for  the  spot  never  to  be  forgotten, 
though  the  foundation  marks  have  long  since  passed 
away. 

Selections  of  land  had  been  made  the  previous  sum- 
mer, by  men  from  different  towns  in  Berkshire 
county.  Number  seven  was  owned  by  some  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Connecticut  Land  Company, 
and  through  their  agents,  many  farms  in  Berkshire 
were  exchanged  for  wild  land,  and  for  many  years, 
every  family  in  the  settlement  was  from  Berkshire 
county.  The  dear  "old  hills  "  have  not  faded  from 
memory.  My  father  received  in  exchange  for  his 
farm  one  thousand  and  forty  acres  of  land,  and  a 
tiiousand  dollars  in  money.  The  lots  were  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  township,  but  the  one  nearest  Liver- 
pool is  decided  upon,  and  the  house  must  be  built 
before  the  snows  of  winter  fall  upon  our  homeless 
family.  This  first  house  was  built  on  lot  number 
twenty-six,  where  Daniel  King.sley  now  resides. 

Locating  a  stranger  on  this  once  familiar  spot, 
must  not  prevent  me  from  noticing  an  unpleasant 
affair  that  occurred  during  the  building  of  this  first 
hou.se.  My  brother  Joseph,  then  nineteen  years  of 
age,  full  of  iiope  and  courage,  who  had  been  working 
with  the  rest  during  tlie  day,  started  for  the  shanty, 
a  little  in  advance,  in  order  to  drive  home  the  cows, 
whose  bells  were  heard  in  the  distance,  though  not  in 
tbe  direction  of  the  shanty.  He  started  from  the 
north  side  of  the  blind  path,  and  crossed  it  unper- 
ceived.  Still  traveling,  and  expecting  soon  to  find 
the  way,  he  made  rapid  ste])s  in  the  wrong  direction. 
Before  thinking  himself  lost,  he  espied  a  young  boar 
in  a  small  tree,  and  with  his  shot-gun,  was  about  to 
bring  it  down,  but  thinking  quickly  if  the  old  bear 
would  let  him  alone  be  would  not  disturb  her  cub,  he 
renewed  his  steps, — still  in  the  wrong  direction. 
Darkness  convinces  him  that  he  is  lost,  and  must 
spend  a  night  of  suffering  in  the  lonely  forest,  with- 
out fire  or  extra  clothing.  With  his  shot-gun  he 
could  not  kindle  a  fire,  and  only  by  constant  exertion 
did  he  keep  from  perishing  with  cold, — sometimes 
clasping  trees,  and  running  swiftly  around  them.  In 
this  manner  the  coldest  night,  so  far,  in  that  Novem- 
ber month  was  passed.  Rocky  river  was  frozen  over 
from  shore  to  shore.  He  afterwards  said  he  felt  of 
his  teeth  to  see  if  they  were  not  all  loose.  His  course 
had  taken  him  through  a  wind-fall,  two  miles  south, 
and  nearly  impassable  under  other  circumstances. 
Brambles  formed  a  net  work  from  tree  to  tree,  upon  the 


^:sj=^ 


'(^4:4iyd  ^fy-T-^ 


GRINDALL   RAWSON. 


'4?^^Ar 


Residence  qf   mENRt   B.  RawSOn.  urafton.  lorain  Co.,Ohio. 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


257 


youag  uiiJerbriish,  tlie  sizo  i)f  luitid-spikcs  and  broom- 
sticks. The  marks  upon  liis  face  were  evidence  of 
suffering.  All  this  could  hardly  exceed  the  agony  of 
the  family  during  that  sleepless  night.  My  mother 
thought  surely  that  wild  beasts  would  devour  her  Jo- 
seph. Only  a  few  days  liad  we  been  in  the  woods,  and 
did  not  know  how  numerous  or  ferocious  the  wild  beasts 
of  the  forest  might  be.  The  howling  wolf  had  been 
heard  in  tlie  distance,  the  niml)Ie  deer  had  not  yet 
l)oen  seen.  The  important  tin  horn  had  been  over- 
looked in  the  outfit  for  pioneer  life.  Guns  were  fired, 
hallowing  of  strong  voices  made  a  solemn  echo 
through  the  unbroken  stillness.  Torches  made  of 
hickory  bark  were  lighted  and  carried  quite  a  distance 
from  the  shanty,  while  voices  and  guns  made  the 
starting  point  evident.  At  early  dawn  a  brother  was 
sent  to  Liverpool  for  a  tin  horn  and  men  to  search 
for  the  lost  one.  But  the  lost  one  began  to  find  him- 
self as  soon  as  it  was  light  aiul  safe  to  leave  the  place 
where  he  had  kept  himself  from  freezing  during  the 
night.  He  soon  found  a  ''hub"  or  corner  and  was 
tracing  the  marked  trees,  when  a  hunter  who  had 
gone  in  pursuit  espied  him,  though  each  claimed 
to  see  tlic  other  first;  no  matter,  the  lost  was  found, 
and  on  reaching  the  shanty,  hungry  and  weary,  with 
torn  garments  and  Ijleeding  face  and  hands,  truly 
there  was  rejoicing  before  unknown  in  that  rude 
shelter. 

A  pleasant  incident  occurred  next  day,  which  I 
think  was  the  laying  of  foundation  logs,  at  right 
angles,  by  "Joshua  Henshaw,"  who  was  passing 
through  on  a  surveying  tour,  assuring  us  we  were 
not  out  of  humanity's  reach.  The  size  of  this  house 
being  budt  was  eighteen  by  twenty-four  feet.  A 
window  with  nine  lights  of  seven  by  nine  glass  in  the 
north  side,  stick  chimney  in  the  east,  door  in  the 
south  aud  another  small  window  in  the  west  end. 
The  chimney  proves  (piite  a  sky-light,  sun  aud  moon 
aslant  can  be  seen,  snow,  hail  and  rain  sometimes 
entering  in  quantities  to  nearly  extinguish  fires  built 
upon  the  ground  instead  of  hearth.  The  puncheon 
floor  made  of  split  and  hewn  logs  is  next  laid. 
Webster  does  not  name,  or  place,  puncheon  for  floors, 
but  custom  did,  and  pioneers  continue  to  do  so  in  their 
reminiscences.  The  door  was  made  from  boards  of 
the  largest  wagon  box,  called  the  "Ark"  when 
making  our  journey.  This  door,  with  its  wooden 
trimmings,  had  a  latch-string  outside  and  was 
never  pulled  in,  even  when  Goodhurt  or  Red  Jacket 
wished  to  enter,  and  more  than  once  did  they  find 
the  ample  fire-place  more  comfortable  than  their 
solitary  wigwam,  covered  only  with  bark',  and  no 
squaw  or  pappoose  to  prepare  his  food  or  keep  him 
company.  One,  after  sleeping  by  our  fire,  and  while 
eating  breakfast  by  himself,  discovered  he  was  not 
provided  with  a  cup  of  tea,  which  called  forth  this 
amusing  request,  "  Can"t  Indian  have  a /^/rt/e  of  tea?" 
This  request  was  granted,  and  with  seeming  relish 
enjoyed. 

Our  house  was  made  more  comfortable  than  the 

33  * 


sluuity  in  two  weeks"  time,  when  eight  of  us  take 
possession  and  call  it  home.  We  are  now  iu  the  best 
built  and  furnished  house  in  town,  with  more  cause 
for  gratitude  than  complaint. 

Allow  a  little  nine  }'oar  old  girl  to  place  the  furni- 
ture made  by  unskilled  hands,  and  some  brought 
from  the  best  room  six  hundred  miles  away.  We 
will  furnish  the  first  floor  by  placing  two  bedsteads, 
one  in  each  corner,  at  the  west  end  of  the  ample 
room,  with  a  trundle  bed  under  one.  These  were 
made  by  hands  unused  to  work  with  such  tools  and 
timber,  sometimes  requiring  force  to  make  them 
stand  steady  long  enough  to  be  secured  with  ropes. 
These  Ijecome  places  of  repose  for  tired  nature; 
"balmy  sleep  "  visited  the  occupants,  and  dreams  of 
better  days  were  just  as  reliable  as  under  other  cir- 
cumstances. The  nice  looking  bureau  placed  between 
the  bedsteads,  with  table  and  stand  near  by,  (relics 
of  better  days,)  without  the  aid  of  Nast  made  an 
impressive  picture.  Chairs  were  easily  counted;  two 
chests  made  to  fit  the  wagon  in  which  the  family 
rode,  covered  like  settees,  now  stand  on  either  side  of 
the  broad  fireplace.  Long  wooden  i)ins  firmly  placed 
in  the  logs  on  which  shelves,  made  from  the  remain- 
der of  wagon  box,  serve  as  cupboard  for  crockery, 
besides  bright  pewter  plates  and  platters  of  various 
sizes,  pewter  basins  also,  childrens'  individual  prop- 
erty, oft  filled  to  overflowing  by  the  same  gentle  cows 
from  hillside  pasture,  now  cropping  browse  and 
herbage  in  the  unbroken  forest.  Stoutly  wrought 
andirons,  slice  and  tongs,  long  crane  and  hooks,  take 
their  places  and  prove  as  useful  as  in  a  New  England 
kitchen. 

The  old-fashioned  clock,  made  fast  to  the  logs,  has 
resumed  its  forward  march,  .and  with  extended  hands 
faithfully  nuxrks  the  passing  time,  yet  moi'C  than 
anything  else,  constantly  reminding  of  time,  and 
opportunities  past,  never  to  return.  Only  quite  re- 
cently has  its  time  or  speed,  its  marks  of  comely  face, 
or  perfect  form,  been  questioned;  when  silently  its 
place  of  usefulness  is  yielded,  aud  in  its  stead  a 
more  beautiful  face  and  form,  with  gilded  hands  and 
nimbler  step,  is  measuring  the  flight  of  time.  This 
same  old  clock,  the  first  ever  heard  to  tick  in  native 
land,  the  first  pendulum  swung  in  Grafton  town- 
ship, can  now  be  heard  and  seen  in  Elyria  this  first 
day  of  January,  1879.  Unlike  young  America  is 
its  slow  and  even  step;  its  clear  yet  modest  tick 
sometimes  stopping  entirely,  as  if  asking  "how  much 
longer?"  receiving  in  answer,  "be  patient,  old  settler, 
stand  at  your  post  to  the  last.  Truth  breaks  through 
your  faded  face,  while  your  worn  and  battered  hands 
still  point  in  the  right  direction." 

Log  house  number  second  is  built  where  I  will 
settle  my  eldest  brother,  Seth  C.  Ingersoll,  with  his 
wife  and  three  little  pioneer  boys,  Ardin,  Reuben  and 
Ralph.  This  was  on  the  lot  directly  north  of  my 
father's,  and  now  owned  by  Hobart  Corning.  Seven 
children  were  added  to  their  family  after  coming  to 
Grafton.     The  first  white  child  born  in  number  four 


258 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


was  Niincy,  eldest  danghtor  of  8ot.li  C!.  Ingersdil,  .M;iy 
18,  1817. 

My  brother  contiuueil  to  reside  upon  his  farm  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  February  15,  1859,  aged 
seventy-two  years.  Ilis  wife  died  Ajiril  ;?0,  1X52,  in 
the  sixty-fifth  year  of  her  age. 

I  am  expected  to  be  brief,  but  just  here  I  must 
linger,  while  remembering  these  solitary  houses,  built 
in  Novembei',  1816.  One  only  road  leads  to  our 
nearest  neighbor,  five  miles  distant.  We  hear  of 
families  being  seven  miles  north,  twenty  miles  south, 
and  forty  directly  west.  Our  one  road  must  be  trav- 
eled constantly  to  bring  food  for  thirteen  ]>crsons. 
J5arrels  of  flour  were  brought  from  Canton,  Stark 
connty,  and  other  eatables  that  could  be  found  at 
(lolunil)ia  and  Liverpool,  were  obtained  at  a  dear  rate. 
The  indispensable  bake  kettle  or  oven  was  licfore  the 
iiie,  without  a  hearth  unl il  rcnigh  and  uneven  stone 
were  dug  from  a  creek  near  by,  which  improved  our 
condition  for  cooking.  No  wonder  my  mother  drooped 
like  a  willow,  knowing  her  children  must  obtain  food 
to  keep  the  wolf  from  entering  the  door,  from  this 
frost-bound  soil  and  the  leafless  forest  trees.  Not 
this  alone  causes  sorrow,  but  the  doors  of  church  and 
school  seem  forever  closed  against  us.  The  Sabbath 
was  known  by  the  solemn  stillness.  The  ring  of 
axes  and  the  crash  of  falling  trees  were  hushed, 
telling  the  Sabbath  had  come,  and  that  in  our  dear 
native  land,  friends  were  enjoying  privileges  of  which 
we  were  deprived.  The  fsided,  falling  leaves  had  left 
sure  promise  of  return  in  coming  spring-time.  But 
distant  indeed  seems  the  time  when  advantages  of 
civilization  will  be  enjoyed  in  this  desolate  place. 
Cheering  hope,  with  great  courage  and  fortitude, 
overcomes  formidable  difficulties. 

In  the  month  of  February,  1817,  William  B.  Crit- 
tenden and  family,  from  Pittsfiekl,  Massachusetts, 
come  among  us,  being  the  first  pleasant  company, 
out  of  town  during  the  winter.  Mr.  Crittenden  be- 
comes the  first  settler  at  the  center  of  the  town,  own- 
ing the  southeast  corner  lot.  I  want  to  write  the 
names  in  full  of  every  person  coming  to  our  settlement 
in  1817.  William  B.  Crittenden,  his  wife  Lydia, 
eldest  daughter  Marietta,  four  years  of  age;  the  little 
boy  Henry,  now  a  resident  of  Grafton.  Some  inci- 
dent might  be  given  in  connection  with  every  name 
I  shall  write.  Again  are  we  rejoiced  to  see  covered 
wagons  bringing  settlers  to  join  us.  This  time,  the 
family  of  Mr.  Eliphalet  Jones,  from  Tyringliam, 
Berkshire  county,  is  remembered;  Eliphalet,  and 
Polly,  his  wife,  familiai'ly  called  Uncle  LifE  and  Aunt 
Polly;  their  eldest  son,  Linas,  nearly  nineteen;  Sa- 
nuintha,  sixteen;  Emeline,  twelve  (afterward  Mrs. 
JosiaJi  Taylor);  John  R.,  always  called  Riley,  aged 
nine,  now  living  at  Rawsonville;  Erastus,  seven,  re- 
mained on  the  spot  where  log  house  number  four  was 
l)uilt  until  his  death  in  1877;  Harriet,  then  three 
years  of  age,  now  Mrs.  Ashley  Root.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Root  <ire  the  only  couple  of  pioneers  remaining  in 
Grafton  in  1879— children  in  1817. 


The  next  lot  west,  on  the  same  side  of  the  road, 
was  owned  by  Elder  Robert  Nesbett,  from  West 
Stnckbridge,  Berkshire  county.  This  family  num- 
bered nine,  besides  a  lad  named  Levi  Loomis,  who 
came  with  them.  Their  names  were:  Robert  Nes- 
liett,  and  Mary,  Jiis  wife;  five  daughtei'S,  named 
Calliai-ine,  Nancy,  Mary,  Betsey  and  Sarah;  Daniel, 
who  came  a  few  months  before  the  rest  of  the  family, 
and  took  possession  of  tiie  log  house  built  during  the 
winter,  for  the  sum  of  forty  dollars.  All  tliis  family 
are  buried  in  t  he  cemetery,  near  the  homestead,  where 
they  resided  until  tluir  death,  except  Daniel,  who 
died  in  Elyria. 

We  now  come  to  the  only  diagonal  road  in  town, 
and  settle  the  family  of  Stephen  Sil)ley,  Esq.,  on  lot 
next  west  of  Nesbett's.  This  family,  too,  were  from 
West.  Stockbi'idge,  and  all  adults.  Three  sons  named 
John,  (ieorge  aiid  (files;  two  daughters  named  Nancy 
and  Mary.  John  and  George  soon  afterwai'ds  make 
their  home  two  miles  soutli  of  the  center,  living  in  one 
house;  having  married  twin  sisters,  they  continued  as 
one  family  until  the  death  of  one  of  the  sisters. 
Descendants,  only  a  few  in  number,  are  living  in 
Grafton   by  the  name  of  Sibley. 

Two  more  families  to  be  settled  this  spring  of  1817, 
which  are  from  West  Stockl)ridge,  Mr.  Nathan 
Boughton  and  wife,  two  daughters  and  a  son,  named 
Rhoda,  Electa  and  Guy.  Mr.  Jonathan  Rawson  and 
wife;  Mrs.  Rawson  was  youngest  daughter  of  Mr. 
Nathan  Bt)ughton.  (irindall  Rawson,  brother  of 
.Jonathan  Rawson,  was  a  member  of  their  family 
until  his  marriage.  The  addition  of  these  families 
makes  fortj'-two  persons  in  town,  all  but  four  on  this 
north  street. 

The  first  saw  mill  was  Iniilt  in  the  same  summer 
and  fall  by  David  Ashley,  of  I'ittstield,  Berkshire 
county,  on  the  lot  owned  by  Jonathan  Rawson,  and 
the  only  mill  privilege  on  Black  river  in  the  townshi]!. 

Early  in-  .June  of  that  year,  while  a  number  of 
children  were  picking  wild  flowers,  a  stranger  was 
seen  approaching,  leading  his  horse,  and  evidently 
searcliing  for  something.  It  proved  to  be  the  luib. 
or  corner  he  was  looking  for.  "Children,  can  you  tell 
me  the  number  of  this  lot?''  "No,  sir,"  one  speaks  nj), 
but  we  know  who  is  coming  here.  Capt.  Turner,  from 
Great  Barrington;  he's  got  ten  children;  then  we're 
going  to  have  a  school  house  " — an  appropriate  truth 
as  we  shall  see.  The  stranger's  smile  indicated  his 
acquaintance  with  the  family.  Mr.  Turner  left  his 
family  in  Columbia  until  a  small  clearing  was  made, 
and  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1817,  log  house  numberniiie 
was  raised.  Mr.  Turner  was  the  first  blacksmith  in 
tiie  township,  and  the  cheery  ring  of  the  anvil  was 
heard  early  and  late  for  many  years.  Two  only  of  Mr. 
Turner's  family  now  reside  in  Grafton:  Mrs.  Orville 
Lyndes  and  Mrs.  Benjamin  Corning.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Co]-ning  living  at  the  homestead  near  where  the  old 
house  stood.  Wm.  Turner,  Jr.,  and  family  reside  in 
Elyria.  Four  children  were  added  to  this  family  after 
settling  in  Grafton. 


cn^'U^'^ 


It  has  been  appropriately  asserted  that  the  life  and  services 
of  a  good  man  constitute  an  important  part  of  the  history  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lias  passed  any  considerable  portion 
of  his  time.  The  career  of  a  self-made  man,  with  the  narra- 
tive of  the  principal  events  that  led  to  the  successful  issue  of 
his  various  enterprises,  to  the  fulfillment  of  his  hopes,  the  con- 
summation of  his  aims,  and  the  realization  of  his  aspirations, 
affords  a  record  at  once  interesting  and  instructive.  The  life 
of  him  whose  name  head.s  this  brief  sl<etcli  oflers  many  features 
of  an  excellent  nature,  and  fairly  illu.strates  what  well-directed 
energy,  industry,  and  business  tact  can  and  almost  invariably 
does  accomplish. 

B.  S.  Corning  was  born  in  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  16, 
1812.  He  is  the  grandson  of  Blis.s  Corning,  who  was  born 
in  Massachusetts,  Oct.  30,  1763,  and  at  an  early  day  settled 
in  Columbia  County,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his 
death.  The  name  of  B.  S.  Coming's  father  was  Nathan  S., 
and  he  was  born  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  in  the  year  1788,  and 
moved  with  his  father,  Bliss  Corning,  above  mentinnod,  to 
New  York,  where  he  remained  until  1834,  during  which  year 
he  and  his  family  removed  to  Grafton,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death. 

B.  S.  Corning  was  the  eldest  of  thirteen  children.  As  a 
means  of  perpetuating  their  names  to  posterity,  we  quote  from 
the  family  record  as  follows  : 

The  first  of  the  Comings  in  America  was  Samuel,  who 
was  born  about  IGIG,  and  made  a  freeman  at  Beverlv,  Mass., 
in  1641. 

Nehemiah  Corning,  bom  1717,  .son  of  Josepli  and  great- 
grandson  of  Samuel,  married  Mary,  widow  of  Abner  Pride, 
formerly  Mary  Richards,  Nov.  14,  1745,  and  had  the  follow- 
ing children : 

1.  Josepli,  the  oldest,  born  Oct.  7,  1746;  taken  by  the 
British  during  the  Revolutionary  war  and  put  on  board  of 
the  Jersey  prison-ship  at  New  York,  and  never  was  heard 
from  after. 

2.  Benjamin,  born  Jan.  22,  1748,  a  farmer,  settled  in  Yol- 
untown,  in  Connecticut ;  died  in  1827. 

3.  Amos,  born  April  27,  1751,  and  died  in  1753. 
Nehemiah  Corning  died  Oct.  7,  1797,  aged  eighty-one.    His 

second  wife,  Freeborn  Bliss,  died  Nov.  8,  1809,  aged  eighty- 
six  years. 

The  heads  of  the  successive  generations  down  to  Bliss 
Corning  were  as  follows :  Joseph  ;  Benjamin,  who  had  three 


children, — Lois,  Charles,  and  Jo.seph  ;  Mary  ;  Uriah,  married 
Sophronia  Hall,  and  had  eight  children,  namely,  Elias  Bliss, 
Rebecca  W.,  Betsey  (died  in  infancy),  Betsey  (2d),  Jedediah, 
Amos,  Sally  B.,  and  Klizabeth  Willett. 

Bliss  Corning  was  born  in  1763,  at  Preston,  Conn.,  son  of 
Nehemiah,  who  was  from  Beverly,  Mass.  ;  he  married  Lucinda 
Smith,  of  Preston,  who  was  born  in  1755.  Their  children 
were  Nathan  S.,  born  May  20,  1788;  Elisha,  born  Feb.  17, 
1790;  Clarissa,  born  Dec.  "7,  1792;  Erastus,  of  Albany,  who 
was  a  member  of  Legislature  of  New  York,  also  a  member  of 
Congress,  born  Dec.  14,  1794;  Alexander  B.,  born  Jan.  5, 
1796;  Edwin,  born  March  16,  1798;  Richard  S.,  born  July  8, 
1800;  Eliza,  born  Sept.  13,  1802,  died  Oct.  7.  1803;  Hannah 
T.,  born  Oct.  4,  1804;  Marv  Ann,  born  Sept.  24,  1806;  John 
H.  Corning,  born  March  10,  1809. 

On  settling  in  Ohio,  Mr.  Corning  at  once  assumed  a  promi- 
nent jiosition  in  township  att'airs,  which  jiosition  he  has  ever 
since  retained.  At  an  early  day  he  was  engaged  as  a  builder 
and  contractor,  which  business  he  followed  for  about  twenty 
years.  He  then  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  lives, 
located  about  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  (irafton.  On  the 
10th  of  April,  1836,  he  married  Miss  E.  L.,  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  Turner.  She  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
Feb.  22,  1811.  Fri>m  this  union  four  children  were  born, 
namely,  Dwight,  born  Sept.  23,  1837;  Hobart  E.,  born  April 
19,  1839;  Howard,  born  Aug.  1,  1843;  and  Angelina  G., 
born  March  1,  1847. 

In  1866,  Mr.  Corning  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county 
commissioner,  and  was  twice  re-elected  to  the  same  office, 
serving  in  all  nine  years.  He  gave  very  general  satisfaction 
in  this  important  office,  as  he  had  always  done  in  minor 
jiositions  tu  which  the  peo]ile  called  him.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican, having  joined  them  in  the  organization  of  that  party 
in  1854.  Both  lie  and  his  worthy  wife  are  members  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  (rrafton,  to  which  they  are 
liberal  contributors.  The  portrait  of  Mr.  Corning  appears 
above  this  brief  sketch,  and  that  of  his  wife,  his  companion  for 
more  than  forty-three  years,  on  the  opposite  page,  both  worthy- 
occupants  of  the  places  assigned  them  in  the  history  of  the 
county  in  which  the}'  have  lived  and  labored  for  nigh  half  a 
centur}'.  May  they  live  many  years  to  enjoy  the  esteem  of 
those  who  know  them  as  at  present,  and  dying  at  a  ripe  old 
age,  leave  behind  them 

'*  Footprints  on  the  Bands  of  time." 


MRS.  B.  S.  CORNING. 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


259 


It  is  now  Novembei-,  and  two  families  have  settled 
near  the  center.  I  will  mention  first  Mr.  Aaron 
Root's  family,  already  in  their  log  liouse,  built  by 
their  oldest  son,  Pomeroy,  during  the  summer,  one- 
lialf  mile  west  of  the  center.  Mr.  Eoot  was  from 
Pittstield,  Berkshire  county.  Mr.  Root,  while  a 
wiilower  in  Pittsfiold,  witli  five  children,  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Anna  West  with  five  children;  tiiree  became 
members  of  Mr.  Root's  family.  They  were  called 
Uncle  Aaron  and  Aunt  Anna  during  their  life  time. 
Their  ciiildrcn's  names  were  Pomeroy,  Samuel,  Ashley 
and  Mary  Root,  Caroline,  Albert  and  Clarinda  West. 
Tiie  two  youngest  born  to  this  couple  were  Frederick 
and  Oliver.  Pomeroy  joined  the  family  of  Shakers 
in  Newburgh  more  than  fifty  years  ago,  and  to-day  is 
an  honored  member  of  that  (U'der;  nearly  eigiity  years 
old.  Samuel,  the  next  oldest,  was  drowned  in  1825, 
living  at  that  time  in  Penfield.  Caroline  West,  oldest 
daughter  of  Mrs.  Root,  long  since  passed  from  scenes 
of  earth,  still  lives  in  heart  and  memory  of  surviving 
friends.  She  was  married  to  Mr.  Lathrop  Penfield, 
and  resided  in  Penfield  township  at  the  time  of  her 
death.  Ashley,  third  son  of  Mr.  Eoot,  is  still  a 
resident  of  Grafton,  hale  and  hearty  with  mind  well 
stored  with  historic  lore.  Albert  West,  son  of  Mrs. 
Eoot,  settled  in  Grafton,  and  died  there  more  than 
thii-ty  years  ago.  His  son,  Albert  West,  Jr.,  is  in  a 
soldier  grave  made  on  the  southern  battle  field.  Mary, 
youngest  daugiiter  of  Mr.  Eoot,  married  Wm.  Kin- 
ney, of  Grafton,  fifty-two  years  ago.  After  his  de- 
cease in  18-19,  she  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Joseph 
Tliomj)sun,  of  Grafton,  and  died  quite  receutly.  For 
a  number  of  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  lived  upon 
the  spot  where  her  father's  log  house  stood,  so  ])lainly 
r.inembered  by  all  survivors.  Mr.  Thomjtson  died  in 
1878.     Clarinda    West,   youngest   daughter  of    Mrs. 

'  Eoot,  was  married  to  George  E.  Starr,  of  Penfield. 
Mr.  Starr  has  been  a  resident  of  Eiyria  more  than 
forty  years,  and  prominently  connected  with  the 
mercantile  interest  of  that  place.      Mrs.  Starr  died  in 

[  1876,  sincerely  lamented.  Mr.  George  Starr  resides 
in  Eiyria,  in  the  house  built  by  his  father  on  Broad 
street. 

Mr.  Bildad  Belden  and  family,  from  Hancock, 
Berkshire  county,  came  in  company  with  Mr.  Root, 
and  settled  south  of  the  center  one  half-mile.  His 
father  and  mother  resided  with  him,  making  only  one 
family.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Belden  had  four  children. 
Minerva,  the  oldest,  tiien  ten  years  old,  is  now  Mrs. 
David  Merwin,  residing  in  Oberlin.  Daniel  Belden, 
late  of  Grafton,  was  their  only  son.  Betsey,  their 
si'cond  daughter,  afterwards  Mrs.  Clement  Stebbins, 
will  be  mentioned  in  anotlier  place.  Sarah  is  j'emem- 
bered  as  Mrs.  Ciiauneey  Baldwin.  Mr.  Belden  Ijrought 
two  colored  boys  (after  giving  bonds  then  required), 
who  proved  to  be  honest,  industrious  men.  Tlieir 
names  were  Gabriel  and  Titus  Gnnn. 

One  more  log  house  to  be  built  this  mouth  for 
Jesse  Taylor,  from  Pittsfield,  Berkshire  county.  He 
brings  a  family  of  five  children — oldest  sou,  Franklin, 


twelve  years  old,  oldest  daughter,  Sarah  Ann,  ten, 
James  and  Jesse,  younger  sons,  with  the  baby,  Caro- 
line. Nearly  three  miles  from  any  house  then  built, 
his  lot  was  located;  and,  after  a  lonely  stay  of  eighteen 
months  in  that  place,  wo  find  them  settled  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  south  of  the  center.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Taylor  both  died  in  1835;  Mr.  Taylor  at  the  age  of 
forty-one,  Mrs.  Taylor,  thirty-nine. 

Eeuben  Ingersoll,  a  cousin  from  Lee,  joining  our 
settlement  in  1817,  returned  to  his  native  town,  and, 
in  early  spring  of  1818,  came  again  with  his  wife,  and 
settled  more  than  half  a  mile  west  of  the  center. 

Wm.  Bishop,  with  small  family,  joined  our  settle- 
ment in  early  spring.  He  was  fi-om  West  Stock- 
bridge,  Berkshire  county.    .  Left  Grafton  in  1835. 

The  last  log  house,  built  in  1817,  was  for  Ladowick 
.Jones,  from  Tyringliam,  brother  of  Eliplialet  .Jones, 
before  mentioned.  The  family  of  Mr.  Jones  num- 
bered seven.  His  aged  father  and  mother  are  counted 
with  this  family.  Lorenzo,  Alouzo  and  Adaline  are 
the  names  of  their  children.  Lorenzo  for  many  years 
resided  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  known  as  "Doctor," 
"Prof."  and  "Old  Doc"  Jones.  Drs.  Sampsel  and 
Eeefy,  physicians  in  Eiyria,  were  students  in  his 
office  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Mr.  David  Ashley,  of  Pittsfield,  reached  our  settle- 
ment early  in  March,  1818,  coming  the  whole  distance 
in  sleighs.  His  invalid  wife  and  four  daughters  made 
the  journey  witli  him.  The  names  of  the  daughters 
were  Maria  (afterwards  Mrs.  Grindell  Rawson),  Polly, 
Eliza  and  Sally,  tlie  youngest  then  thirteen  years  of 
age.  The  three  last  named  rode  in  a  two-horse  sleigh, 
driven  by  I)avid  Stevens,  brother  of  Mrs.  Ashley, 
who  afterwards  settled  at  the  center.  His  first  house 
was  built  on  the  nortlieast  corner  lot,  opjiosite  Wm. 
B.  Crittenden. 

Mrs.  Curtis,  a  widow  from  West  Stockbridge,  Berk- 
shire county,  Massachusetts,  came  to  our  settlement 
in  1818,  bringing  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
names,  Samuel,  Harvey  and  Landress,  the  sons; 
Harriet  and  Mary,  eldest  and  youngest,  daughters. 
Three  of  these  children  married  and  settled  in 
Grafton.  Their  first  settlement  was  made  nearly  a 
nule  east  of  log  house  number  one. 

Wm.  T.  Welling  was  an  early  settler  of  Grafton. 
Sir.  Welling  was  among  the  very  first  that  penetrated 
the  woods  of  number  three,  eighteen  range,  and  may 
for  a  time  be  counted  with  the  pioneers  of  Wellington. 
He  was-a  resident  of  Grafton  twenty-five  years,  and 
in  that  time  was  married  to  Harriet  Curtis.  They 
removed  to  Medina,  where  they  lived  twenty  years, 
afterwards  to  Black  Earth,  Wisconsin,  where  the}' 
were  residents  some  twenty  years,  and  where  he 
recently  died,  aged  eighty-three  years. 

Franklin  Wells,  from  Massachusetts,  proved  a  great 
accession  to  our  settlement.  He  was  fitted  for  college 
in  his  native  land,  which  placed  him  in  advance  of 
any  wlio  had  ventured  among  us.  He  taught  school 
in  a  log  school  house  called  the  "Union  School 
House,"  built  in  the  woods,  between  the  north  street 


260 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


and  tlie  center  of  the  town;  so  that  every  scholar  in 
town  of  suitahle  age  might  receive  instruction.  His 
liouso  was  l)urned  before  the  close  of  the  first  term, 
which  terminated  the  school  days  of  many  of  Ins 
scholars.  Contrasts  and  comparisons  of  to-day  only 
seci.i  to  tell  our  loss.  Mr.  Wells  was  our  second 
elected  justice  of  the  peace,  afterwards  associate 
judge  in  Lorain  county.  He  was  married  to  Mary 
Sibiey  in  lS->:i. 

Mr.  Lyman  Peabody  was  an  early  settler.  His 
wife  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  Mr.  Aaron  lioot. 
Their  eldest  daughter  is  Mrs.  George  Pomeroy,  now 
residing  near  the  centre  of  (Irafton. 

Mr.  Orriu  Hurlbut  and  his  brother  William,  from 
Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  were  early  settlers.  Both 
afterwards  married  and  settled  in  Grafton,  and 
resided  thei'e  tlie  renuiinder  of  their  lives.  Orrin 
Hurlbut  married  Mrs.  \Vm.  1?.  Crittenden.  Their 
sou,  .James  Hurlbut,  is  justice  of  the  peace  at  the 
center  of  Grafton  at  this  wi'iting;  very  recently  he 
has  become  a  resident  of  Elyria. 

In  writiug  this  brief  account  of  the  first  settlement 
of  Grafton,  it  is  often  found  to  be  painful  to  pass  so 
lightly  over  families  and  friends,  when  even  the  writ- 
ing of  a  name  brings  the  history  of  joys  and  sorrows 
of  their  life  before  us.  A  stranger  can  step  rapidly 
among  the  graves  of  households  in  Grafton  to-day 
witliout  a  pang;  but  not  so  with  one  who  lived  there 
when  the  first  graves  were  made,  their  loss  then 
settling  like  a  pall  upon  our  young  settlement. 

Seldom  does  a  sister  record  the  settling  of  seven 
brothers  on  uncultivated  farms  in  one  township.  My 
second  brotlior,  Wm.  IngersoU,  Jr.,  came  with  his 
little  family  in  May,  1817,  and  settled  one  and  a  half 
miles  south  of  the  center.  The  eldest  daughter, 
Maria,  three  years  of  age,  and  John,  only  a  few 
months,  in  his  mother's  arms,  make  the  third  family  of 
lugersolls.  Ten  children  were  added  to  these  parents, 
making  six  sons  and  six  daughters,  most  of  whom  re- 
ceived paternal  care  beyond  the  wants  of  childhood. 
Much  labor  and  courage  were  needed  to  pi-ovide  for  a 
family  among  these  thickly  standing  trees.  Theso 
jiarents  lived  to  see  their  wild  surroundings  become 
fiMiitful  fields  of  waving  grain,  and  remained  u2)on  the 
spot  near  wliere  their  first  house  was  built  until  their 
deaths,  wliich  occurred  under  trying  circumstances, 
ily  brother  died  April  29,  1859,  aged  seventy-one 
years;  and  on  May  1,  two  days  afterwards,  his  wife, 
uuconscious  that  her  companion  had  gone  before, 
died  also,  aged  sixty-six  years:  both  died  of  congestive 
fever.  Jolin,  the  babe  before  spoken  of,  with  wife 
and  daughter,  are  living  near,  and  were  tlie  only 
family  of  Ingersolls  in  Grafton  in  January,  1879. 

Thomas,  third  son  of  Major  IngersoU,  commenced 
clearing  hig  wilderness  in  1819.  He  had  learned  to 
manufacture  common  splint  bottom  chairs  before 
coming  to  (Jrafton,  and  by  exchanging  these  for  days" 
work  in  chopping,  had  cpiite  a  clearing  and  a  log 
house  built  before  his  marriage,  which  was  in  1820. 
His  lot  was  one-half  mile  east  of  log  house  number 


one.  When  Elyria  began  to  offer  advantages,  he 
bought  a  house  and  lot  on  the  corner  of  Second  street 
and  East  avenue,  where  he  resided  a  few  years,  still 
owning  his  farm  in  Grafton.  He  returned  to  his 
farm  again,  and  continued  to  make  improvements 
until  1801,  wlien,  finding  years  of  toil  and  hardship, 
with  increasing  age,  were  unfitting  him  for  farm 
life,  his  home  in  Grafton  was  sold,  and  the  one  in 
Elyria  taken  possession  of.  His  wife,  who  had  faith- 
fully shared  privations  during  these  years  of  toil, 
died  in  October,  1870,  my  brother  in  September,  1871. 
Their  golden  wedding  was  celebrated  in  February, 
1870.  Rev.  F.  L.  Kenyon  was  present,  and  made 
appro])riate  remarks  to  a  large  company  of  friends 
assembled. 

My  fourth  brother,  .J(isei)li,  began  clearing  his  new 
farm  at  the  south  part  of  town.  His  outfit  was  a 
yoke  of  oxen  and  a  year's  board,  being  too  far  to 
board  at  home.  Board  could  be  obtained  at  the 
nearest  neighbor's,  one-half  mile  or  more,  for  one 
bushel  of  wlieat  a  week,  or  one  dollar.  After  clear- 
ing some  dozen  or  more  acres  in  this  lonely  place,  he 
became  discouraged,  and  returned  to  his  native  town 
in  Berkshire. 

In  1827  he  came  again  to  Grafton  with  his  wife  and 
little  daughter,  and  did  not  then  see  sufficient  induce- 
ment to  become  a  farmer,  and  plough  and  hoe  among 
the  clay  lands  of  Grafton.  He  made  his  home  in 
Elyria  in  1828,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  in 
1861,  aged  sixty-four  years.  The  first  English  fami- 
lies coming  to  Grafton  in  182.5,  were  Mr.  Crispen  Men- 
nell,  Mr.  Jesse  Welborne,  and  John  Langdale.  Mr. 
Mennell  remained  a  citizen  until  his  death,  in  1857, 
aged  seventy-one.  Mr.  Welborne  died  in  1853,  aged 
fifty-six.  Mr.  Langdale  was  a  resident  of  Elyria  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1870,  aged 
seventy-nine.  A  Mr.  Hance  and  family  came  to 
Grafton,  in  1820,  I  think,  and  afterwards  settled  in 
Eaton.  The  names  of  the  children  are  remembered, 
while  other  items  are  forgotten:  Riley,  Ira,  Hiram 
and  Charles,  may  still  be  residents  of  Eaton.  The 
name  is  often  seen,  and  some  of  the  descendants  of 
these  early  settlers  are  residents  of  Elyria. 

James,  my  fifth  brother,  began  clearing  his  wild 
land  in  1822,  and  continued  to  do  so  under  discour- 
aging circumstances.  His  lot  was  just  a  half-mile  cast 
of  the  center,  where  one  of  the  best  oil  wells  in  Graf- 
ton was  found  some  two  years  ago.  His  boarding 
place  for  some  time  was  at  Mr.  Beldeu's,  the  price  for 
board  being  a  bushel  of  wheat  a  week. 

Here  I  should  like  to  speak  of  the  worthy,  indus- 
trious ])ioneer  women  of  Grafton. 

After  building  a  log  house,  it  was  at  once  occupied 
by  a  family,  with  whom  he  boarded.  In  1826  he  was 
married  and  commenced  housekeeping  and  imjiroving 
his  farm,  until  in  18:i2,  he  began  to  build  quite  a  large 
public  house  for  those  days,  at  the  center,  upon  a  lot 
bought  of  Mr.  David  Ashley,  where  it  is  seen  to-day, 
the  sight  of  which  brings  sad  memories,  while  in 
the   cemetery   near  by  so   many   of    this  once  large 


BlF^TH  -PLACE    OF    DUKEl    ^lNN  ELU->i  HIS  [vIOThER  Eu^AStTH  |\i£NNELL 

FIMBEF^,  YOF^KSHIf?E    ENGLAND 


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.■>L„,„..-,i.E  or    DUKE    fvlENNELL,  GRArxoN.TP,  LOf^AlN  Co.,U 


^■^^.^r.tj^     O^    ^^^^*.^,^^ 


CKISPIN   MENNELL. 


Crispin  Mennell  was  born  in  Norton,  Eng- 
land, in  the  year  1786.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
commenced  working  on  a  farm,  and  continued  in 
that  occupation  uninterruptedly  until  his  marriage, 
in  1809.  He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Wellborn.  By  this  union  were  born  to  them 
one  son  and  one  daughter,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in 
1876;  the  son  is  still  living.  Mr.  Mennell  emigrated 
to  America  in  1817,  and  first  settled  in  what  is  now 
the  city  of  Albany,  where  he  resided  three  years.  He 
then  removed  to  Pittsfielcl,  Mass.,  and  lived  there  six 
years.  In  1826  he  moved  to  Oiiio  and  settled  in 
Grafton  township,  Lorain  Co.,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  until  liis  death.  May  22,  1857.  He  was 
a  good,  i)ractical  farmer,  and  a  man  of  sound  common 
sense.  He  had  no  education  excejit  what  he  obtained 
the  few  years  he  was  able  to  attend  the  national  schools 
of  the  old  country.  He  held  several  offices  of  trust 
in  the  township  of  Grafton,  all  of  which  he  filled 
with  fidelity,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people 
whom  he  served.  He  was  among  the  early  settlers 
of  the  township,  and  his  loss  was  generally  consid- 
ered a  public  calamity. 

Duke  Mennell,  only  son  of  Crispin  Mennell, 
was  born  in  Fimboro',  England,  in  the  year  1810. 
He  lived  with   his  father  until  the  latter  emio-rated 

o 

to  this  country,  when    he  went  to   reside  with  his 


grandfather,  William  Wellborn,  who  would  not  con- 
sent to  his  accompanying  his  father  to  the  United 
States.  In  1823,  however,  Duke  accompanied  his 
uncle  Jesse,  Wm.  Wellborn,  and  Wm.  Mateham 
to  the  New  World,  joining  his  father  in  Massa- 
chusetts. On  the  23d  of  June,  1835,  he  married 
Rachel,  daughter  of  Theodore  Curtis.  Eight  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  all  of  whom,  save  one,  are  living.  Their 
names  are  Elizabeth  (died  April  29,  1854),  Andrew 
J.,  Tlieodore  C,  Mary  G.,  Anna  H.,  Charles  B., 
Flora  A.,  and  Elmer  C.  Mr.  Mennell's  first  wife 
died  Sept.  29,  1858;  and  for  his  second  wife  he 
married  Mary  A,  widow  of  Charles  Johnson,  and 
daughter  of  John  Hardy,  in  1861.  They  had  four 
children, — three  sons  and  one  daughter, — namely  : 
Perry  D.,  J.  D.,  A.  E.,  and  Elizabeth  M.,  all 
living. 

Until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  Rebel- 
lion, Mr.  Mennell  was  a  Democrat ;  but  contemporary 
with  the  firing  of  the  first  gun  on  Fort  Sumter  his 
political  sentiments  changed,  and  he  h;is  since  been  a 
consistent  Republican.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
township  trustee,  performing  the  duties  thereof  faith- 
fully and  well.  He  is  an  industrious  citizen,  a  kind 
and  affectionate  husband  and  father,  ami  a  worthy 
representative  of  his  respectiil)le  parentage  generally. 


s 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


301 


family  rest.  My  brother  died  iu  1803,  in  the  sixty- 
fifth  year  of  his  age,  and  in  Decemher,  1805,  the  wife 
of  his  youth,  wlio  luid  Ijeen  a  faitliful  sliarer  in  all 
the  changing  scones  of  life,  also  died,  in  the  sixty- 
seventh  year  of  her  age.  These  records  conld  not  be 
made  without  many  regrets  unless  a  hope  was  cher- 
ished that  ere  long,  without  restraint  in  words,  or 
limited  space,  these  early  recollections  will  be  care- 
fully revised,  and  the  name  of  every  descendant  of 
my  parents  known  to  be  living,  be  placed  in  proper 
form.  Only  a  few  families,  for  a  time,  settled  in 
(irafton,  except  those  who  from  time  to  time  married 
among  us.  The  families  of  Thomi)son  and  Turner, 
coming  from  New  York  state  in  1833  or  1833  are  re- 
membered. Some  of  Mr.  Thompson's  family  have 
ever  since  resided  iu  Grafton.  Dr.  Hiram  Thompson 
has  for  a  number  of  years  practiced  medicine  in  Raw- 
sonville,  and  (piite  recently  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two. 

In  September,  1835,  my  brother,  Marshall,  was 
married  to  my  early  ])ioneer  friend,  Sarah  Ann  Taylor. 
Soon  after,  they  settled  in  their  log  house,  two  miles 
west  of  the  center,  where  oil  wells  and  derricks  now 
cover  the  ground,  where  big  and  lesser  trees  stood 
thickly  fifty-two  years  ago.  Their  residence  was  in 
Elyria  for  some  twelve  years  before  my  brother's 
death,  which  was  in  September,  1874,  aged  seventy- 
two.     His  widow  is  still  a  resident  of  Elyria. 

During  the  winter  of  1837,  my  youngest  (and  only 
brother  living)  was  nuirried  and  settled  in  a  log  house 
near  the  homestead.  This  was  eleven  years  after  the 
first  log  house  iu  Grafton  was  built,  in  which  time  my 
seven  brothers  have  begun  to  earn  their  bread  on  uncul- 
tivated soil,  by  hand  labor.  There  were  uo  tramps  or 
drones  in  those  days  in  Grafton.  Only  a  few  years  lon- 
ger did  this  bi'other  remain  on  his  farm,  but  purchased 
the  place  in  Elyria  now  occupied  and  owned  by  S.  B. 
Wolcott,  where  he  resided  a  number  of  years.  His 
home  is  now  with  his  son,  C.  0.  Ingersoll,  on  the 
pleasant  street  east  of  the  east  branch  bridge,  within 
tlie  corporation  of  Elyria. 

Mr.  .Jason  Royce  and  wife,  coming  from  Berkshire 
in  18.'33,  obtained  the  farm  just  left  by  my  brother  in 
Grafton,  which  the  family  own  to-day.  Their  only 
son  died  during  the  war,  of  disease  contracted  while 
a  soldier  at  Kelley's  Island.  Their  only  daughter, 
Mrs.  Ilobart  Corning,  is  living  on  the  farm  where  my 
Itrother  Seth  C.  located  in  1810.  Mr.  Royce  died 
some  eight  years  ago,  at  their  home,  where  his  widow 
now  resides.  Mr.  Hobart  Corning  is  now  sheriff  of 
Lorain  county,  which  brings  more  descendants  of 
early  settlers  to  become  residents  of  Elyria. 

Harriet,  the  eleventh  and  youngest  child  of  the  first 
settler  in  Grafton,  was  married  to  Daniel  Nesbett, 
March  39,  1830 — marriage  license  obtained  in  Medina, 
by  the  mail  carrier,  and  ceremony  jierformed  by  Frank- 
lin Wells,  Esq.  Mr.  Nesbett  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  number  four,  and  among  the  first  that  ex- 
changed their  place  of  residence  in  Grafton  for  one 
in  Elyria.     This  was  done  in  1839.     The  lots  twenty- 


four  and  twenty-five,  on  the  east  line  of  Elyria,  on  the 
ridge  road,  were  deeded  to  Daniel  Nesbett  by  Ileman 
Ely  and  Harriet  M.  Ely,  August  10,  1839.  After 
remaining  upon  this  farm  some  twenty  years,  a  homo 
was  purchased  in  the  village,  where  Mr.  Nesbett  and 
family  resided  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred, 
March  16,  1803,  of  apojilcxy,  aged  sixty-six  years. 
Mrs.  Nesbett  is  still  a  resident  of  Elyria. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1839,  the  death  of  Stephen 
Sibley  is  distinctly  remembered.  He  was  seen  to 
leave  his  work  in  the  yard,  and  slowly  enter  the  house 
only  a  short  time  before  his  death  was  announced. 
This  was  the  first  sudden  death  to  be  mentioned 
among  the  first  settlers  in  Grafton,  the  cause  not  defi- 
nitely known,  then  as  now.  There  was  no  i)hysician 
in  town  to  examine  the  case.  Mr.  Sibley  had  shared  the 
ti'ials  of  jiioncer  life  twelve  years,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  seventy  years  of  age.  Before  the  time  of 
Mr.  Sibley's  death,  his  son-in-law,  Franklin  Wells, 
had  assumed  the  cares  of  the  homestead,  and  built  a 
fine  residence  for  early  days.  This  was  sold  to  Mr. 
Isaac  VanDeusen,  from  Berkshire,  father  of  George 
VanDeusen,  who  was  a  resident  of  Grafton  until 
within  a  few  years  ])ast.  His  home  is  now  in  Lowell, 
Massachusetts.  After  Mr.  Isaac  VanDeusen  was  set- 
tled in  this  desirable  place,  his  house  and  many  val- 
uable articles,  were  destroyed  by  fire.  This  was  the 
first  frame  building  burned  in  Grafton.  This  farm 
was  afterwards  sold  to  Justin  Breckenridge,  who  built 
the  ample  brick  house  seen  upon  his  premises  to-day. 

Carlos  Fisher  and  family,  from  Delaware  county. 
New  York,  settled  in  Grafton  in  1838.  They  located 
one  mile  east  of  the  center,  when  first  coming,  but 
afterwards  at  the  center,  where  they  resided  at  the 
time  of  Mr.  Fisher's  death,  in  1855,  in  the  sixty-fifth 
year  of  his  age.  Mrs.  Fisher  died  in  1870,  in  the 
seventy-first  year  of  her  age.  One  son,  Mr.  Isaac  L. 
Fisher,  is  the  only  one  of  nine  children  remaining  in 
Grafton.  Their  second  daughter,  Nancy,  is  Mrs, 
Artemas  Beebe,  Jr.,  of  Elyi'ia.  Mrs.  C.  W.  Johnston, 
of  Elyria.,  is  another  member  of  that  family.  A  son 
is  settled  in  Wellington,  in  this  county.  It  is  readily 
seen  that  quite  a  number  of  the  first  settlers  in  Graf- 
ton, became  residents  of  Elyria,  and  many  of  their 
descendants  are  found  there  to-day,  and  still  they  are 
coming. 

Clement  Stebbins,  from  Granville,  Massachusetts, 
came  to  Grafton  in  April,  1833.  Chauncey  Baldwin 
accompanied  him,  and  soon  after  their  arrival  they 
opened  a  store  at  the  center,  where  Mr.  Stebbins  has 
more  or  less  been  connected  with  the  mercantile  inter- 
ests at  the  center  of  Grafton,  until  a  recent  date.  He 
was  justice  of  the  peace  some  thirty  years  ;  has  seen 
the  rise  and  fall  of  many  business  firms,  until  not  one 
is  left  that  can  with  him  retrace  the  years  and  events 
of  1833.  Mr.  Stebbins  married  Betsey,  daughter  of 
Bildad  and  Polly  Belden,  October  16,  1835.  Mrs. 
Stebbins  died  August  19,  1874.  Their  only  child  liv. 
ing,  is  Mrs.  George  D.  Williams,  of  Elyria,  where 
Mr,  Stebbins  now  resides. 


263 


niSTOKY  OF  LOIJAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


The  families  of  Jadwin  and  Newton  settled  south 
of  the  center  ;  the  exact  dates  cannot  he  given.  Some 
of  the  descendants  of  Mr.  Newton  are  living  in  Graf- 
ton, something  over  a  mile  south  of  the  center.  Mr. 
Jadwin  and  wife  were  residents  of  Elyria  a  number  of 
years  before  his  death,  which  occurred  (juite  recently. 
His  widow's  home  is  still  in  Klyria.  Some  grandchil- 
dren of  Mr.  Jadwin  are  residents  of  Grafton,  in  this, 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1S70. 

In  1834,  Joseph  Hurllnit  and  wife,  from  i>ee, 
Berkshire  county,  settled  ni)on  a  new  forest  farm. 
This  was  situated  two  miles  soutli  and  one  east  of  the 
center  road,  north  and  south.  .Scarcely  has  any  one 
farm  in  Grafton  been  so  largely  cultivated,  commenc- 
ing under  su(!li  disadvantages.  Willi  small  outfit, 
except  industrious  hands,  they  lived  for  over  two 
years  outside  the  sight  of  smoke,  from  other  than 
their  own  oliimney.  Felling  trees,  burning  brush  and 
logs,  were  bravely  kept  up,  together  with  other  inces- 
sant toil  connected  with  farm  life,  until  some  five 
years  since,  his  nearly  three  hundred  acres  of  culti- 
vated fields  were  sold,  and  he  is  now  a  resident  of 
Elyria. 

Much  might  be  said  of  pioneer  women,  who  were 
iiuleed  heli)-meets  for  their  husbands.  Worn  and 
faded  garments  were  kejit  tidy  as  long  as  ])ossible. 
Trowsers  faced  frontand  back  with  deerskins,  required 
more  skill  in  fitting  than  pantaloons  of  to-day.  Daniel 
Belden,  Sr.,  understood  the  art  of  dressing  deer  skins, 
nearly  if  not  quite  equal  to  chamois  of  to-day.  As 
soon  as  flax  could  be  raised,  every  garment,  and  every 
article  of  household  need,  from  straw  bed-tick,  flour 
bag,  and  hand  towel,  to  the  finest  sheet  and  pillow 
case,  then  in  nse,  were  manufactured  by  jiioneer 
women.  A  few  sheep  only  as  yet  had  been  kept  in 
Grafton.  High  pens,  built  of  heavy  rails,  were 
needed  to  protect  them  at  night  from  the  prowling 
wolf,  which  made  it  difiiciilt,  for  a  niinil)er  of  years, 
to  raise  a  flock  of  siieep. 

\Vitliout  market  or  money,  pioneers  passed  year 
after  year,  througli  what  could  ti'iitiifiiliy  be  called 
hard  times.  Thankfuhn'ss  for  money  and  cloth- 
ing, untii  we  could  raise  our  bi-eail  from  among  the 
stumps,  did  not  [irevent  garments  from  growing  tiiin, 
or  feet  going  bare. 

In  1838,  the  family  of  Thomas  Johnston  settled  at 
the  west  pai'tof  the  town.  Five  sons  and  fivedaugh- 
tei's  belonged  to  this  family  when  first  coming  to 
Grafton.  One  only  is  living  in  town  at  this  time, 
which  is  Mrs.  Sanford  Thorp.  (!.  VV.  Johnston,  E.sq., 
of  Klyria,  was  fourth  son  of  this  family.  Dr.  L.  1). 
Griswold  resided  at  the  center  some  over  a  year,  or 
until  he  was  called  to  fill  the  ofiiceof  County  Auditor. 
Much  thrift  is  seen  at  tiie  center  these  days.  The 
common  is  graded  and  improved.  Churches  and 
jilaees  of  business,  besides  tidy  residences,  are  seen  in 
every  direction.  Those  then  living  in  Grafton  shguld 
l)e  better  i)repared  witli  dates  ami  personal  experience 
than  the  writer,  who  has  not  been  a  resident  of  Graf- 
ton since  ISi'J.    At  that  time  seven  families  of  Inger- 


solls  were  living  in  town.  No  loss  by  death,  except  an 
infant,  had  then  been  recorded.  My  father  died  No- 
vember 10,  1837,  aged  seventy-six  years,  just  twenty- 
one  years  since  the  comforts  of  a  New  England  home 
had  been  exchanged  for  privations,  known  only  to 
those  who  first  began  to  make  the  dense  forest  of  Lo- 
rain county  what  it  is  found  to  be  to-day.  My  mother's 
death  occurred  July  17, 1843,  in  the  eightieth  year  of 
her  age.  An  obituary  notice  by  Rev.  D.  W.  Lathrop, 
then  of  Elyria,  was  printed  in  the  "Ohio  Atlas," 
which  might  be  given  if  space  were  allowed.  Taking 
leave  of  Grafton  to-day  is  indeed  sad,  not  only  of  the 
center,  but  the  whole  township.  Only  a  few  persons 
left  to  represent  the  fourteen  families  that  made  their 
homes  in  number  nine,  range  sixteen,  in  1810  and 
1817,  at  which  time  not  one  of  the  twenty-one  town- 
ships then  settled  in  Lorain  county,  or  afterwards, 
could  show  such  improvements  made  in  the  same 
sjiaee  of  time. 

A  visit  made  at  the  center  of  Grafton,  during  the 
winter  of  1839  and  1840,  might  be  mentioned.  A 
marriage  ceremony  was  performed  in  the  Episcopal 
church,  then  an  ornament  to  the  ]ilace.  The  persons 
married  were  Mr.  Erastus  VanDeusen  and  Miss  Sarah 
Fitch.  The  church  was  nicely  decorated  and  well 
filled.  After  the  services,  quite  a  number  of  persons 
were  seen  at  the  hotel,  which  was  noted  for  its 
well  spread  tables.  Among  the  number  were  S.  B. 
Wolcott  and  Miss  Harriet  Cheever,  D.  B.  Andrews 
and  Miss  Susan  Burch,  all  from  Elyria.  Miss  Cheever 
soon  after  became  ih-s.  Wolcott,  and  Miss  Burch 
about  the  same  time  was  married  to  D.  B.  Andrews, 
both  couple  settling  in  Elyria.  This  is  mentioned  to 
show  that  Grafton  was  not  then  behind  neighboring 
towns  as  a  place  for  pleasant  entertainments  of  differ- 
ent kinds.  To-day,  contrasts  too  sad  to  relate  may  be 
seen.  The  Episcopal  church  just  mentioned,  has  long 
since  been  leveled  to  the  last  foundation  stone.  The 
sightly  residence  built  by  Judge  Wells,  and  occupied 
for  many  years  by  Stephen  Brown,  Esc].,  has  passed 
into  stranger  hands.  The  hotel,  without  improve- 
ment in  outside  ai)i>earance,  luis  from  time  to  time 
been  occu])ied  by  strangers.  Not  a  store  or  shelf  iVu- 
goods  of  importance,  is  found  at  (irafton  center 
to-day.  The  iron  rail  is  laid  diagonally  across  the 
once  tidy  "common,"  wliere  freight  cars  stand  on 
either  side  of  the  main  traveled  street,  marring  the 
remains  of  beauty,  though  from  some  points  hiding 
the  ai)()earance  of  rough  saloons,  which  show  increas- 
ing business  in  that  ti'affic,  following  the  "oil  spec- 
ulation" that  gathers  at  the  center  of  Grafton.  i 

The  improvements  made  in  Grafton  since  1840, 
will  be  given  by  the  gentlemanly  historian  who  has 
lately  visited  the  township,  and  is  prepared  with 
dates  and  names  of  important  organizations  formed  in 
Grafton  and  Kawsonvillc  since  that  date.  Only  eight 
or  nine  persons  are  found  in  Grafton  to-day  who  were 
among  the  families  that  became  settlers  in  1810-17. 
Mr.  Ashley  Eoot  and  Mrs.  Orville  Lyndes  are  the 
oldest  remaining  in  Grafton.     Henry  Crittenden  and 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


2fi3 


John  Iiigcrsoll  wore  only  months  in  :igo  wlion  tlicir 
parents  came  to  Grafton  in  1817,  where  they  still 
remain.  Oliver  Root,  a  babe  of  weeks  only  then,  is 
the  youngest  pioneer  that  came  to  Grafton,  riiul  has 
remained  a.  resident  since  November,  1817. 

Wiiile  attempting  to  give  an  account  of  the  first 
settlement  of  Grafton  townshiy),  the  writer  has  found 
difficulties  nearly  insurmountable.  The  thought  that 
young  and  highly  educated  gentlemen  from  distant 
cities,  with  eminent  writers  in  Lorain  county,  were 
writing  history  that  would  be  perpetuated,  well  nigh 
prevents  consent  for  publication  of  wliat  is  so  imper- 
fectly prepared.  Memory  is  called  the  staff  of  age. 
By  ai<l  of  this  mysterious  boon,  some  events  of  more 
than  sixty  years  have  been  retraced.  Rounding  as  by 
a  step  from  the  trackless  forest  to  the  city  full,  we  find 
only  here  and  there  one  who  can  witii  us  retrace 
childhood's  footsteps  among  our  own  beloved  hills, 
or  tluit  gathered  wild  flowers  from  unbroken  forest  in 
Lorain  county,  in  1817.  Not  too.soon  is  the  history 
of  many  towns  in  this  county  being  written.  Valu- 
able items  of  personal  history,  with  many  interesting 
events  have  been  saved  from  oblivion  by  this  effort. 
It  cliills  the  warmest  heart  to  consult  history  chiselled 
on  marble  monument,  or  neglected  headstone.  The 
cemeteries  in  Grafton  have  recently  been  visited,  both 
showing  great  neglect.  Unpleasant  reflections  were 
my  only  company  while  lingering  among  the  graves 
of  relatives  and  frieuds  that  have  been  gathering 
since  1819,  calling  to  mind  this  exclamation  of  an 
unknown  "Ahl  who  will  think  of  ine  in  sixty  years!" 
But  sentiment,  however  strongly  i)rompted,  must  be 
overcome  and  silently  yielil  to  narrative.  Wliile  cull- 
ing thoughts  suitable  only  for  this  history,  an  under 
current  often  surges  througli  memory's  hidden  pos- 
session, stirring  the  very  depths  of  emotion,  as  a  mere 
glance  of  past  experiences,  of  joys  and  sorrows,  of  a 
lengthened  jiathway,  passes  before  us. 

FIRST    EVENTS. 

The  fii'st  marriage  ceremony  in  Grafton  township 
was  performed  by  Henry  Coit,  Es<|.,  of  Liverpool, 
-November  5,  1818.  The  parties  were  Grindell 
Rawson  and  Maria  Asliley.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rawson 
soon  commenced  housekeeping  in  their  log  hou.se, 
already  prepared,  a  half  mile  or  more  from  neiglibors. 

Tiie  first  marriage  ceremony  performed  by  our 
first  justice  of  the  peace  proved  to  be  a  run-away 
match.  The  parties  were  Ezekiel  A.  Turner,  hired 
man  of  the  bride's  father,  and  Electa  Boughton.  Mr. 
;  Turner  was  chopping  in  the  direction  of  Esquire 
Ingersoll's,  waiting  and  watching  for  his  promised 
bride  to  fulfil  iior  j)art  of  the  agreement — to  meet  at 
a  given  hour.  Misg  lioughton,  under  jiretence  of 
going  (piite  a  distance  on  an  errand,  prepared  herself 
by  wearing  a  clean  checked  apron,  to  stay  a  while  at  the 
neighbor's.  But,  instead  of  following  out  this  ruse, 
she  started  u|)on  a  trail  to  find  her  betrothed,  after 
which  Mr.  Turner  left  his  axe,  and  Miss  Boughton 
her  apron  in  tlie  woods,  U)  await  tiieir  return  after 


the  law  by  the  mouth  of  the  justice  had  made  them 
one  instead  of  two,  as  they  commenced  life  in  the 
morning  of  that  eventful  day.  Friends  began  oppo- 
sition and  search  too  late,  and  this  remains  the  p'rsf 
romantic  matrimonial  adventure  in  <irafton. 

The  first  physician  to  loc-itc  in  Grafton  was 

Palmer,  in  1834.  He  was  succeeded  by  L.  D.  Gris- 
wold,  M.D.,  now  of  Elyria.  Then  came  Drs.  Wade 
and  Harrow. 

Dr.  Knowlton  came  to  Grafion  in  1845,  and  con- 
tinued a  ])racticing  physician  for  six  years.  During 
that  time  he  was  mai-ried  to  Caroline  Kinney,  only 
child  of  Wm.  Kinney  and  Mary,  his  wife,  both 
deceased.  Mrs.  Kinney*  was  a  daughter  of  Aaron 
Root,  and  ne;ir  tlie  spot  where  Mr.  Root's  first  house 
was  built,  in  1817,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Knowlton  now 
reside. 

The  ]n-esent  medical  staff  is  composed  of  E.  W. 
.Jewell,  L.  McCune  and  C.  J.  Wolcott. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  the  township  of  Graf- 
ton, was  Nancy,  oldest  daughter  of  Se(h  C.  Ingersoll. 
This  event  occurred  on  (lie  18th  day  of  May,  1817. 

The  first  grave  made  in  (frafton  was  for  Frederick, 
the  oldest  born  of  Aaron  Root's  second  marriage,  who 
died  soon  after  the  family  settled  in  the  township. 
In  their  affliction,  they  sent  to  Brunswick,  Medina 
county,  for  Rev.  Jacob  Ward,  a  Metliodist  minister 
and  former  friend  and  neighbor  in  Pittsfield.  The 
oldest  son  was  sent  for  Mr.  Ward,  and  they  made 
their  way  as  fast  as  possible  through  the  five-mile 
woods  from  Liverpool,  but  night  coming  on,  they 
were  obliged  to  tic  their  horses,  and,  with  saddles  for 
]iillows,  spent  the  cold,  rainy  November  night  in  the 
woods. 

An  incident  connected  with  the  first  convicted  thief 
in  our  new  settlement,  is  distinctly  remembered. 
This  thief  was  a  stranger,  passing  through  our  uncul- 
tivated forest,  and  might  to-day  be  called  a  tramp. 
None  of  the  first  settlers,  to  my  knowledge,  have  ever 
been  convicted  for  wrong  doing.  It  was  in  1819,  I 
think,  when  mv  brother  James  was  constable,  that 
our  first  and  only  magistrate  in  number  four,  six- 
teenth range,  decided  that  this  culprit  must  be  taken 
to  the  nearest  jail,  which  was  in  Medina,  the  county 
seat  for  that  county.  It  was  nearly  night  when  the 
officer  took  charge  of  the  prisoner,  and  onr  log  house, 
for  the  first  and  last  time,  sheltered  a  convict.  My 
mother's  admonitions  to  one  and  all  are  remembered. 
The  idea  that  a  thief  was  to  stay  all  night,  to  unso- 
phisticated children,  was  terrible.  During  the  even- 
ing, a  handful  of  tow  was  brought  forward,  and  the 
prisoner  positively  assisted  in  making  a  sul)stantinl 
string,  to  bo  used  in  tying  the  big  toes  of  constable 
and  criminal  together,  while  darkness  reigned  su- 
preme outside  of  our  dimly-lighted  dwelling.  Un- 
disturbed sleep  soon  bound  them  more  firmly  than 
tow  strings  could  do,  keeping  them  securely  until 
morning  light.  How  diti'erent  the  mode  of  convey- 
ing prisoners  to  jail  then  and  now!  A  rifie  and  pocket 
compass,  for  safety  and  direction,  were  the  outfit  of 


I 


204 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


tlie  officer,  aud  with  the  iirisoiier  by  liis  side,  a  jour- 
ney of  fifteen  miles  through  tlie  traclcless  forest  on 
foot  was  made,  instead  of  the  one  traveled  road.  The 
constable,  as  the  law  required,  gave  his  first  and  last 
jail-bird  to  the  sheriff,  to  be  incarcerated  within  the 
massive  walls,  built  of  hewn  logs.  Thieves  and  bur- 
glers  of  1S79  would  sneer  at  tow  strings  for  manacles 
and  fetters,  and  hewn  logs  for  stone  walls  and  iron 
grates  and  bars.  How  striking  the  change  since  those 
early  days.  Ijiving  now  in  sight  of  the  jail  in  Elyria, 
from  where,  some  two  years  ago,  eleven  i)ris(iners  were 
taken  U>  the  iicnitentiary  at  Cdlunibus,  all  convicted 
at  one  term  of  the  court,  and  when,  with  noisy 
shackles,  this  group  of  young  men  were  conducted 
by  Sheriff  Braman,  turnkey  George  Boyd,  police  offi- 
cers William  Alger  and  II.  C.  DeWitt  to  prison  life 
for  lengthened  years. 

In  November,  1819,  occurred  the  death  of  William 
Crittenden,  and  his  remains  were  the  first  interred  in 
the  cemetery  at  the  center  of  the  township. 

In  1S22,  the  workshop  of  Major  William  Ingersoll 
was  burned,  and  with  it  the  lathe,  tools,  loom,  several 
bags  of  wheat,  etc.  Immediately  afterwards  iVTr. 
Ingersoll  set  about  building  a  frame  house.  This 
was  completed  and  first  taken  possession  of  in  May, 
1824.  David  Ashley  built  the  first  frame  house  in 
Grafton  township.  The  first  postoffice  was  established 
at  the  center  in  aljout  182."),  (there  are  no  records). 
David  Ashley  was  appointed  postmaster,  and  kept  the 
office  at  his  residence.  Those  who  know  only  of 
to-day  can  scarcely  conceive  the  importance  attached 
to  these  pioneer  postoffices.  Then  a  letter  started 
from  the  far  away  east,  and  after  consuming  weeks 
in  its  journey,  was  at  last  deposited  at  its  destination 
by  a  foot  carrier.  It  cost  twenty-five  cents  to  send 
each  letter.  Next  came  the  horseback  carrier.  Then 
the  stage  coach  with  its  four  or  six  horses,  and  its 
wonderful  driver,  the  special  admiration  of  the 
juveniles.  No  stage  coach  with  four  or  six  horses  are 
remembered  until  a  late  day.  Soon  that  was  dis- 
placed by  steam,  and  in  time  we  have  the  fast 
mail,  the  greatest  achievement  of  the  postoffice 
department,  so  far  as  rapid  transit  is  concerned. 
Truly,  time  works  wonders.  The  j)reseut  postmaster 
at  the  center  is  0.  W.  Niciiols.  A  second  office  was 
established  at  Rawsonville,  some  years  since,  but  no 
one  seems  te  kimw  when,  or  who  was  first  j)ostmaster. 
H.  E.  Kelsey  is  the  present  jjostmaster.  This  office 
was  first  named  Rawsonville;  July  1,  187."),  the  name 
was  changed  to  Grafton,  and  the  center  office  to 
Belden. 

The  pioneer  mercantile  establishnieut  in  the  town- 
ship of  Grafton  was  at  the  center  (now  Belden.) 
Messrs.  John  Freese  and  Charles  Hoot  were  the  pro- 
l)rietors;  the  date,  1830.  These  gentlemen  erected 
the  building.  Tliey  were  only  in  trade  a  short  time, 
closing  out  to  Reuben  Smith  and  William  Root,  who 
conducted  the  business  some  two  years.  They  were 
succeeded  by  Messrs.  Wells  &  Johnson.  Clement 
Stebbius  and  C.  R.  Baldwin  opened  another  store  at 


the  same  point  in  18.32.  The  location  was  in  a  small 
building  standing  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the 
depot.  After  perhaps  two  years  this  partnership  was 
dissolved,  and  the  firm  of  Steblnns  &  Wells  formed. 
This  firm  erected  the  building  on  the  northeast 
corner,  now  occupied  by  a  drinking  saloon.  In  this 
they  ojiei'ated  a  store  for  seven  years.  They  put  up 
an  ashery  and  did  an  extensive  business.  They  were 
succeeded  by  A\'illiam  llart,  who  is  still  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  l!;iwsonville.  The  first  store  at 
this  village  came  into  being  the  fall  following  the 
conii)letion  of  the  C.  C.  C.  &  I.  K.  I!.,  Messrs.  Hand 
&  Sawtell,  proprietors.  The  present  business  at  this 
place  is  shown  by  the  following:  Wni.  Hart,  L.  B. 
Daniels  and  Richard  0.  Newton,  general  merchandise; 
W.  T.  Watson  and  James  Artress,  hardware;  H.  E. 
Kelsey,  drugs  and  notions;  Mrs.  Wm.  Hart  aud  Mrs- 
E.  Mayhew,  milliners;  Jones  &  McCune,  and  W.  E. 
Capell,  meat  markets;  Willis  Reichard  and  V.  M. 
Ryan,  boots  and  shoes,  and  George  Beeder,  jeweler. 

William  Crittenden  began  keeping  a  hotel  at  the 
center,  in  1818.  He  had  erected  a  double  log  house, 
with  a  cai)acious  ball  room  in  the  second  story.  In 
this  the  anniversary  of  our  national  independence  was 
-celebrated,  July  4,  1818.  The  address  was  delivered 
by  William  Bishop,  and  it  was  on  this  occasion  that 
the  name  Grafton  was  given  to  the  township  by  Major 
Ingersoll. 

The  hotel  at  this  point,  (Beld^en  House),  owned  by 
II.  Crittenden,  is  at  present  under  the  management  of 
Thomas  Ward,  formerly  of  Massillon,  Ohio.  At  Raw- 
sonville there  are  two  hotels,  the  National,  A.  I>. 
Smith,  i)ro])rietor,  and  the  Railroad  House,  kept  by 
T.  E.  Ray.  There  are  also  two  liveries  at  the  same 
])oint,  owned  by  L.  B.  Daniels  and  F.  McClintock. 

The  first  of  those  modern  industries — cheese  facto- 
ries— was  started  by  Hobart  Corning,  in  1807.  The 
location  was  near  Daniel  Kinsley's.  There  was  a  pat- 
ronage of  over  four  liuudred  cows.  This  was  sold  to 
Messrs.  Robson  &  Tranu,  in  the  winter  of  1877-8, 
and  removed  to  Rawsonville,  where  it  is  now  in  oper- 
ation. In  the  fall  of  1877,  Nahum  Holcomb  erected 
a  cheese  factory  on  Duke  Mennell's  farm,  lot  number 
forty-three.  This  worked  the  j  a^t  season  the  milk 
of  two  huiulred  and  fifty  cows.  Other  factories  have 
been   in  operation  in  (Jrafton.     They  are  now  closed. 

INDr.STRlAL    PUKSUITS. 

In  the  winter  of  1810-17,  an  addition,  or  wing,  was 
constructed  on  tlie  back  ])art  of  the  house  of  Major 
William  Ingersoll,  and  in  this  his  son  Thomas  began 
the  manufacture  of  splint-bottomed  chairs.  This  was 
the  |)ioueer  manufactory  in  Grafton  township.  The 
father  became  (piite  an  ade|)!,  cooper,  making  tubs, 
buckets,  cliurns  and  other  useful  articles.  This  shop 
was  burned,  as  before  stated.  The  first  saw  mill  was 
built  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1S17,  by  David  Asli- 
ley,  of  Pittsfield,  Mas.  achusetts.  In  1818  another 
saw  mill  was  erected  at  Rawsonville,  by  Jonathan  and 
Griudell  Rawson  and  Nathan  Boughton.     This  is  now 


c 


A  if,  ^A;id^X 


VIEW  we:' 


BIF?TH- PLACE, YOR 


-^>Kn.f;::- 


RESIDENCE  or    A. W.  NICHOLS  f^ 


-^-^  ^ 


//NGSTON    CO.,  NY 


fTON  ,  LOf^AIN  C  OUNTV,  OHIO.  1879 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OniO. 


265 


toru  dowu.  Ill  1826  these  same  persons  built  a  grist 
mill  near  the  saw  mill.  The  present  grist  mill  is  at 
this  place,  and  is  a  fine  steam  aifair,  owned  by  0.  F. 
Banmetz.  There  arc  also  two  steam  saw  mills  in  the 
township. 

Prom  the  address  of  Hon.  W.  W.  Boynton,  we 
learn  that  Grafton  towiisliip,  when  first  settled,  be 
longed  to  Medina  county,  which  was  formed  in  1812, 
*  *  *  Prom  its  foundation  to  its  organization,  it 
remained  attached  to  Portage  county,  where  the  deeds 
of  the  early  settlers  were  recorded.  On  the  25tli  day 
of  July,  1818,  on  petition  of  the  inhabitants,  the 
town  was  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Grafton,  by 
the  commissioners  of  Medina  county. 

The  first  election  was  held  at  the  house  of  William 
B.  Crittenden,  on  August  3,  1818,  at  which  time  the 
following  persons  were  elected:  Eliphalet  Jones, 
William  Ingersoll,  and  William  B.  Crittenden,  trus- 
tees; William  Bishop,  clerk;  Reuben  Ingersoll,  treas- 
urer; David  Ashley,  appraiser  of  property;  Seth  C. 
Ingersoll,  lister  of  pi'operty;  William  Turner  and 
Giles  Sibley,  overseers  of  the  poor;  Grindell  Rawson 
and  Reuben  Ingersoll,  fence  viewers;  Jonathan  Raw- 
son,  Seth  C.  Ingersoll,  William  Ingersoll,  Jr.,  and 
David  Ashley,  supervisors  of  highways;  Guy  C. 
Boughton,  constable;  and  Jonathan  Rawson,  justice 
of  the  peace.  Previous  to  this,  the  township  had 
been  attached  to  Liverpool  township,  for  judicial 
purposes,  and  at  the  April  election,  1818,  Reuben 
Ingersoll  had  been  elected  a  justice  of  the  jieace, — 
the  first  in  Grafton  township.  At  the  State  election, 
holden  on  the  13th  of  the  following  October,  there 
were  thirteen  votes  cast. 

Pollowing  are  the  officers  for  1ST8:  J.  C.  Lehman, 
T.  C.  Mennell,  and  W.  S,  Terry,  trustees;  II.  S. 
Williams,  clerk;  Jose^ih  Hudson,  treasurer;  G.  B. 
Chamberlin,  assessor;  Isaac  Root  and  W.  J.  Gibson, 
constables;  James  Hulbert  and  John  R.  Jones,  justices 
of  the  peace,  and  sixteen  supervisors  of  highways. 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  sermon  delivered  in  the  towuship  of  Graf- 
ton, was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Reuben  Jones,  of  the 
Methodist  connection,  then  residing  at  Mantua.  This 
meeting  was  held  at  the  dwelling  of  Eliphalet  Jones, 
in  the  summer  of  1817.  Other  meetings  followed, 
and  during  the  subsequent  fall  a  small  class  was 
formed,  with  Aaron  Root  leader.  We  are  unfortu- 
nately unable  to  give  the  names  of  those  composing 
this  class  at  its  formation,  but  in  1S20,  we  find  that 
the  following  were  members  :  Lydia  Crittenden,  Oli- 
ver, Polly,  and  Eliza  Ashley,  Mary  and  Polly  Jones, 
.lohn  P.  Root,  Daniel  Crittenden,  and  it  is  quite 
probable  there  were  others  whose  names  are  not 
remembered.  Meetings  were  held  at  the  dwellings  of 
Messrs.  Root,  Crittenden,  Ashley  and  others.  In  the 
summer  of  1818,  a  log  school  house  was  built  at  the 
center,  and  in  this  meetings  were  held  with  more  or 
loss  regularity.  In  1827,  quite  a  largo  two  story  frame 
building  was  constructed,  also  at  the  center.     This 

34 


was  for  the  purpose  of  a  town  hall,  school  and  church. 
All  denominations  occupied  it  we  believe,  at  pleasure. 
It  was  afterwards  sold  to  the  Baptist  society,  and 
occupied  by  them  for  a  church  so  long  as  the  organ- 
ization existed,  after  which  it  was  converted  into  a 
dwelling,  and  is  now  occupied  by  William  Moses. 

The  present  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
erected  in  the  year  1850,  but  was  not  fully  completed 
until  the  following  year.  The  first  regular  minister 
was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Smith,  of  Pittsfield.  This  was  in 
about  1820.  The  following  list  of  pastors  in  this 
church  is  given  from  memory  by  Mr.  Ashley  Root 
and  wife,  and  is  substantially  correct:  Ezra  Booth. 
Ezra  Fields,  Zera  Castin,  Taylor,  Adam  Poe,  II.  0. 
Shelden,  H.  Calclizor,  E.  C.  Gavitt,  Geo.  Elliott, 
William  Reynolds,  Carpenter,  .John  T.  Galium,  Cyrus 
Sawyer,  Brewster,  H.  L.  Parish,  A.  P.  Jones,  Break- 
field,  Thomas  Pope,  Peter  Sharp,  Kinnear,  Jacob 
Brown,  George  Phillips,  A.  L.  S.  Bateman,  .John 
Mitchell,  Foote,  Uri  Richards,  Thomas  Thompson, 
William  Thatcher,  Euratas  Bush,  William  Spafford, 
Safford,  Charles  Thomas,  Matthew  L.  Starr,  Asbury 
Cassel,  L.  M.  Pounds,  A.  K.  Owen,  T.  J.  Gard,  Ward, 
John  R.  Jewett,  Hulbrook,  W.  Ben  Taggart,  W.  W. 
Smith,  F.  S.  Wolf,  John  Mitchell  and  George  Hani- 
wault,  the  present  pastor.  The  last  of  these  gentle- 
men, upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  doiled 
their  clerical  robes  for  the  "faded  coat  of  blue,"  and 
served  their  country  valiantly  during  the  entire  war. 
The  present  church  officers  are  Ashley  S.  Root  and 
Henry  S.  Williams,  leaders;  D.  G.  Kinsley,  H.  S. 
Williams  and  — .  Goodsell,  stewards;  Charles  Cragin, 
superintendent  Sabbath  school.  Attendance,  one  hun- 
dred scholars;  the  total  church  membership  is  about 
seventy. 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Rawsonville 
was  formed  in  March,  1871.  Meetings  were  held  in 
Hart's  hall  by  Rev.  Mr.  Isbaugh,  and  a  small  class 
formed,  the  following  persons  constituting  it:  E. 
Robson  (from  whom  we  obtain  valuable  data), 
William  Tranu  and  wife,  Robert  Salisbury  and  wife, 
Theodore  Witbeck  and  wife,  and  A.  J.  Wilson  and 
wife.  Charles  Bolton  was  appointed  class  leader;  ser- 
vices were  held  in  the  above  hall;  a  Sabbath  school 
organized,  and  everything  moving  along  harmoniously 
when  a  fire  destroyed  their  place  of  worship.  The 
members  at  once  set  about  building  a  church  edifice, 
and  on  Januai-y  li,  1875,  it  was  dedicated  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Currier.  The  total  cost  was  twenty-four 
hundred  dollars.  The  ministers  have  been  Revs. 
Brice,  Pope,  Richards,  Brien  and  Foote.  There  are 
at  present  eighty  members.  The  church  officers  are 
John  Dent  and  William  Trann,  class  leaders;  A.  J. 
Williams  and  .Tohn  Dent,  stewards;  E.  Robson,  Wni. 
Trann,  A.  J.  Wilson,  John  Dent,  Henry  Hornby  and 
Fred.  Burgess,  trustees;  Sheldon  Seers,  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sabbath  school.  Total  enrollment  seventy- 
five. 


366 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


THE  PROTESTANT  EriSCOPAL  CHUKCU. 

In  point  of  time  the  Episcopal  Cliurcli  was  the 
next  formed.  Service  was  read  as  early  as  1817  by 
the  Rev.  Roger  Searls,  then  travelling  on  this  portion 
of  the  Reserve  as  a  missionary.  Thischnrcli  grew  to 
respectable  proportions,  and  as  early  as  1834  erected 
a  fine  brick  edifice,  the  first  in  the  township.  This 
was  located  at  the  center  on  the  site  now  occnpicd  by 
tlie  town  hall.  The  causes  leading  to  the  close  of  this 
church  we  are  unable  to  give,  but  certain  it  is  that  in 
1853  meetings  ceased,  and  the  building  was  sold  and 
removed. 

A  BAPTIST  CHURrn 

was  also  formed  at  an  early  period,  but  has  long  since 
ceased  to  hold  meetings  or  keep  up  an  organization. 

THE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURril. 

This  society  was  formed  at  Grafton  Center,  by  Rov. 
Joel  Talcott  and  Rev.  Oliver  Eastman,  on  the  15ch  day 
of  Marcli,  183-1,  and  consisted  of  the  following  mem- 
bers: Philip  P.  Davis,  Barratt  Benjamin,  William 
Davis,  and  Aseneth,  his  wife.  Silo  Thorp  and  Jacob 
Rood.  The  cliurch  was  organized  in  connection  with 
Medina  Presbytery,  on  the  plan  of  union  adopted 
by  the  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  churches  of 
the  Western  Reserve,  and  contiuned  as  a  Congrega- 
tional  church  until  January  13,  1873,  when  it  became 
Presbyterian,  and  the  following  elders  were  elected: 
H.  E.  Bartlett,  I.  L.  Fisher  and  J.  F.  Man  tor;  deacons 
J.  T.  Walker  and  T.  B.  Rogers.  The  present  elders, 
elected  187G,  are:  I.  L.  Fisher,  I.  S.  Thorp  and  W.  N. 
Shoot.  T.  B.  Rogers  is  the  present  superintendent 
of  the  Sabbath  school,  which  has  an  attcudanco  of 
thirty  scholars.  This  church  first  met  in  the  l)uild- 
ing  before  referred  to  in  connection  with  the  Metho- 
dist Episcojial  church.  In  fact,  we  lean  that  this 
churcli  continued  to  hold  services  there  until  the 
erection  of  their  present  churcli  edifice,  in  1844. 
This  was  only  enclosed  and  temporarily  seated  at  the 
time,  and  was  used  in  this  condition  for  four  years, 
when  seats  were  added  and  the  churcli  completed. 
The  Congregational  officers  were:  J.  W.  Rood,  Tru- 
man Bagg  and  Edwin  Rogers,  trustees;  11.  E.  Bartlett, 
secretary;  and  C.  R.  Baldwin,  treasurer.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are:  I.  L.  Fisher,  Cyrenus  Simmons  and 
I.  E.  Tliorp,  trustees;  T.  B.  Rogers,  clerk;  and  I.  T. 
Walker,  treasurer.  J.  W.  Rood  was  the  first  clerk  of 
tlie  cluu-ch,  and  held  the  office  until  1846,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  I.  L.  Fislicr,  who  is  the  present 
incumbent.  The  pulpit  has  been  supplied  by  the 
following  ministers,  in  the  order  in  whicli  they  are 
named:  Reverends  0.  Eastman,  Israel  Shaler,  Wil- 
liam Salisbury,  James  Eals  and  John  P.  Cowles. 
October  37,  1846,  Rev.  G.  C.  Judson  was  ordained 
and  installed  pastor  of  the  church,  and  remained 
until  June  1,  1852.  Rev.  Erastus  Cole  served  the 
church  as  stated  supply  seven  years.  Rev.  H.  Law- 
rence succeeded  him  for  seven  years.  Then  came 
Rev.  Madison  Elliott,  who  remained  the  same  number 


of  years;  Rev.  S.  M.  Burton,  three  years;  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Honnell,  nine  months;  then  Rev.  Owen  Jenkins, 
one  year,  and  he  was  followed  by  the  present  pastor. 
Rev.  n.  Till-all,  of  Litchfield  township. 

RAWSONVILLE    CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  at  the  house  of  Elcazar  Goodman, 
January  8,  1854,  by  Rev.  Ansel  R.  Clark,  who  had 
held  services  at  that  point  since  January  1,  1853. 
The  first  members  were:  Elcazar  Goodman,  Sr.,  and 
wife,  Elcazar  Goodman,  Jr.,  and  wife,  Titus  II.  Hand 
and  wife,  Mrs.  Adaline  P.  Preston,  Harry  Chandler, 
and  daughter  Jeruslia.  The  present  house  of  wor- 
ship was  dedicated  May  30,  1855,  by  Rev.  Henry 
Cowles,  of  Oberlin.  The  following  are  clergymen 
who  liave  had  charge  of  the  church:  Reverends  A.  B. 
CJlark,  Stephens  Cook,  D.  M.  V.  Stewart,  Julius  O. 
Beardloe,  —  Conklin,  S.  M.  Burton,  H.  II.  Honnell, 
—  Cady,  0.  Judkins,  R.  A.  Baird,  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Hyde,  who  is  iit  present  officiating.  The  membershi)i 
is  fifty.  The  officers  are:  A.  A.  Bisbee  and  David 
Stockwell,  deacons;  J.  A.  Berthrong,  clerk;  II.  II. 
Hickok,  Frederick  Smith  and  A.  A.  Bisbee,  trustees; 
Theodore  Belding,  su[)erintendent  of  Sabbath  school. 
Tlie  attendance  is  forty  children. 

ST.  Mary's  church,  (catholic.) 

This  was  the  first  church  of  this  faith  formed 
between  Cleveland  and  Sandusky.  It  was  organ- 
ized in  1840  by  Bishop  Rapp.  of  Cleveland,  and 
began  with  a  small  membership.  A  small  wood 
building  was  erected  in  Carlisle  township,  near  the 
present  cemetery,  on  section  six,  soon  after  the 
church  was  formed.  In  this  meetings  were  held 
until  about  1863,  when  it  was  removed  to  Rawson- 
ville,  Grafton  township.  Four  years  after  the  pres- 
ent massive  stone  church  was  erected.  This  is  in 
size  forty-five  by  eighty  feet,  and  cost  ten  thousand 
dollars.  This  church  has  now  a  total  membership  of 
seven  hundred.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Halley,  of  Norwalk, 
Huron  county,  was  the  first  resident  minister.  Revs. 
R.  A.  and  Alexander  Sibley  held  service  here  prior  to 
Mr.  Halley.  Father  John  Daudet,  the  present  pas- 
tor, assumed  charge  in  1871.  After  the  building  of 
the  present  church  the  old  building  was  enlarged  to 
double  its  former  size,  and  converted  into  a  school 
room.  This  is  now  under  the  management  of  the 
pastor,  and  has  an  eiiroUuient  of  fifty  scholars. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  log  school  house  was  Duilt  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Mr.  Turner's  lot,  in  the  spring  of  the 
year  1818.  The  first  teacher  was  Miss  Mary  Sibley, 
in  age  only  a  few  years  in  advance  of  her  scholars, 
of  whom  there  were  eighteen,  and  it  is  a  somewhat 
remarkable  fact  that  of  this  number  twelve  are  yet 
alive.  The  report  of  the  board  of  education  for 
Grafton  township,  for  the  year  ending  August  31, 
1878,  shows  six  school  houses  valued  at  three  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  dollars.    The  amount  paid  teachers 


f^ESIDENCt  OF     Dr.C,  BKNOWLTON  .qRAFTON,  Loi^aiN  Co,  Ohio. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


2G7 


one  tliousaiid  one  hmidrod  iuid  forty  two  dollars.  The 
number  of  children  of  the  reijuisite  school  ago  is  two 
hundred  and  seven.  This  does  not  include  the  "Raw- 
sonville  Union  School  District,"  which  was  organized 
August  15,  18GS,  and  is  composed  of  school  district 
number  one  in  Grafton,  and  an  adjoining  district  in 
Elton  township.  The  board  of  education  at  that 
time  was  T.  Mattisou,  president  ;  0.  Harper,  clerk  ; 
and  H.  15.  Itawson,  treasurer.  The  present  fine  school 
building  was  erected  in  the  summer  of  1875,  and  cost 
complete,  including  furniture  and  ai)pai'atus,  seven 
thousand  dollars.  The  course  of  study  embraces  two 
grades,  grammar  and  primary. 

The  following  have  been  the  principals  and  assist- 
ants: 1869,  John  Blanchard,  at  present  county  re- 
corder, and  Miss  Lucy  Westover;  1870,  same  principal, 
Miss  .1.  Boughton  assistant;  1871,  E.  S.  Snow,  same 
assistant;  187:i,  M.  G.  Young,  Miss  Mattie  Richard- 
son assistant;  1873,  W.  W.  Richardson,  same  assistant; 
1874,  D.  L.  Hinckley,  same  assistant;  1875,  I.  N. 
Saddler,  who  is  the  present  pi'incipal;  Miss  Mattie 
Richardson  was  his  assistant,  and  continued  to  occupy 
that  position  until  the  spring  of  1878,  when  Mrs. 
Allie  M.  Saddler,  the  wife  of  the  i)rincipal,  succeeded 
as  assistant.  The  board  of  education  for  1878  is:  V. 
M.  Ryan,  president;  Henry  Weedon,  treasurer;  and 
F.  C.  Smith,  secretary.  The  amount  paid  to  teaciiers 
in  1878  was  seven  hundred  and  thirty-four  dollars. 
Tiie  total  attendani^e  is  one  hundred  and  forty-five. 
This  school  is  spoken  of  as  being  in  a  tlourisliing  and 
highly  satisfactory  condition. 

SOCIETIES. 

Grafton  Lodge,  No.  239,  Knights  of  Pythias,  holds 
its  sessions  at  Rawsonville  on  Wednesday  evening  of 
each  week.  The  date  when  this  lodge  was  instituted 
was  October  18,  187G.  The  names  of  the  following 
gentlemen  appear  in  the  chai'ter:  John  Gorman,  J.  G. 
Kinsley,  Daniel  Gray,  W.  T.  Watson,  William  Hart, 
Willis  Reichard,  A.  I*.  Jones,  R.  0.  Newton,  II.  E. 
Kelsey,  and  Daniel  Nesbett.  The  first  officers  were: 
W.  T.  Watson,  C.  C.;  J.  G.  Kinsley,  V.  C.;  John 
Gorman,  P.  C;  Daniel  Gray,  P.;  H.  E.  Kelsey,  K. 
of  R.  and  S.;  William  Hart,  M.  of  F. ;  R.  0.  Newton, 
M.  of  E.;  A.  P.  Jones,  M.  at  A.;  Willis  Reichard, 
I.  G. ;  and  Daniel  Nesbett,  0.  G.  This  body  has  now 
a  membership  of  twenty-six.  The  officers  for  1878 
areas  follows:  R.  0.  Newton,  C.  C.;  Dr.  0.  J.  Wol- 
cott,  V.  G.;  H.  E.  Kelsey,  C.  P.;  F.  Burgess,  P.; 
Frank  Gee,  K.  of  R.  and  S. ;  F.  C.  Smith,  M.  of  F.; 
W.  H.  Weedon,  M.  of  E.;  L.  McClune,  M.  at  E.;  E. 
A.  Blitz,  1.  G.;  and  T.  B.  Belding,  0.  G. 

We  understand  there  is  another  benevolent  society 
at  this  place,  called  the  "Hibernians,"  but  were  una- 
ble to  procure  the  data  necessary  for  a  sketch. 

OIL  INTEREST. 

When  the  hardy  New  England  pioneers  began  to 
explore  the  wooded  fastness  of  number  four,  they 
discovered  along  the  margin^of  the  stream  now  known 


as  Center  creek,  two  marshy  spots  or  springs,  one  on 
the  farm  of  Eliphalet  Jones  and  another  on  lands 
now  owned  by  Ashley  Root,  which  attracted  their 
attention,  from  the  ])rosence,  upon  the  surface  of  the 
water  at  these  locations,  of  a  dark  colored  substance, 
haying  an  oleaginous  appearance  and  a  peculiar  odor. 
In  after  years  small  quantities  of  it  would  be  gathered, 
but  we  have  no  evidence  that  it  was  ever  utilized. 
Finally  samples  of  this  substance  were  examined  by 
experts,  and  it  was  pronounced  iietroleum.  Nothing 
was  done,  however,  towards  boring  for  oil  until 
the  year  1856,  when  a  gentleman  from  Pennsylvania, 
we  are  unfortunately  unable  to  give  his  name,  sunk 
a  well  on  the  farm  of  Erastus  Jones.  At  a  depth  of 
thirty  feet  oil  was  found.  A  jiump  was  applied. 
The  well  yielded  some  forty  barrels,  when  the  supply 
ceased  and  the  business  was  abandoned. 

In  about  18G0  quite  an  oil  excitement  existed  in 
Grafton,  and  perhaps  a  dozen  wells  were  sunk  with 
more  or  less  success.  The  greater  portion  of  them, 
however,  yielded  no  oil.  The  present  revival  of  the 
oil  interest  in  Grafton  began  in  July,  1875,  when  oil 
was  struck  on  the  Card  farm  at  a  depth  of  sixty  feet, 
by  Mr.  Charles  Rupert.  This  well  produced  at  the 
start  sixty  barrels  per  day,  and  continued  to  furnish 
oil  in  paying  quantities  for  some  two  years,  when  it 
ceased  entirely.  This  well  caused  a  great  excitement, 
parties  congregating  in  Grafton  from  the  oil  fields 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  fact  all  parts  of  the  country. 
Land  went  up  to  almost  fabulous  prices  and  the 
owners  of  real  estate  went  wild  over  the  prospect. 
During  tiie  succeeding  six  months  large  quantities 
of  land  were  leased,  and  as  numy  as  fifty  wells  put 
down.  Of  these  only  about  one-third  found  oil  at  all, 
and  but  a  small  proportion  of  these  in  paying  quan- 
tities. In  March,  1876,  J.  C.  Blood  (whose  courtesies 
we  wish  to  acknowledge)  arrived  on  the  scene.  He 
was  from  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  and  imme- 
diately began  operations.  On  August  15th  following 
he  found,  in  his  fourth  trial,  the  greatest  produciiio- 
well  then  on  the  territory.  This  was  on  the  Shafer 
farm.  At  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-two 
feet  from  the  surfjice  ho  struck  the  oil  j^roducino- 
sand  and  begaH  pumping.  Although  he  found  noth- 
ing but  salt  water,  and  by  the  way,  oil  is  never  found 
here  except  when  mixed  with  salt  water,  yet  his 
former  experience  kept  his  courage  from  waning,  and 
at  the  end  of  three  weeks'  incessant  pumpin"-,  his 
efforts  were  crowned  with  success.  The  well  beo-an 
to  pump  one  hundred  and  thirty  barrels  of  nearly 
pure  oil  per  day.  This  well  now  yields  seven  barrels 
l)ei-  day,  and  is  the  second  best  in  the  township.  The 
October  subsequent  Mr.  Blood  sunk  another  well  on 
the  same  farm  that  yielded  by  the  same  process  ninety 
barrels  per  day.     This  now  produces  four. 

The  total  number  of  wells  sunk  on  this  territory 
is  three  hundred  and  fifty.  Of  these,  about  one 
in  four  find  oil,  but  only  alwut  one  in  seven  in 
paying  quantities.  There  are  no  flowing  wells. 
Owing  to  the  absence  of   carbon,    the  oil   produced 


•^68 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


hero  cannot  be  refined  for  burning  purposes;  but  it  is 
one  of  the  best  mineral  lubricating  oils  j'ct  discovered. 
Tlie  following  table  shows  the  condition  of  this 
inij)ortaut  interest  in  Grafton: 


Propbietobs. 


J.  C.  Blood 

Rice  Wells 

Youngs  Wells 

Galpin  &  Highland 

Belden  Lubrieating  Oil  Co 

Davis  Sous 

Bingham 

Black  &  Shater 

Adams 

Card  Co 

John  Strickland 

Smith 

Bannister 

Mclntire 

Geo.  Sbafer 

Frank  Neff 

Bronson  &  Doerfler 

Total 


No. 
Wells. 


FlKST 

Produc- 
tion. 


*  S  o 
u  Q  =: 
0!  0!H 

OhOc 


465 
20 
15 
40 
10 
30 
20 

7 
10 
10 
10 

5 
15 
40 
10 
20 

5 


30 


64 


These  are  scattered  over  an  area  two  and  one-half 
miles  east  and  west  by  one  mile  north  and  south, 
though  there  is,  doubtless,  a  great  fextent  of  sur- 
rounding territory  yet  undeveloi)ed;  in  fact,  from 
general  observation  in  the  eastern  part  of  Ohio,  it  is 
evident  that  this  is  the  outcrop  of  a  petroleum  ruck 
extending  entirely  through  the  State. 

The  surface  is  a  general  level,  with  a  blue  clay 
soil.  At  a  distance  of  from  two  to  fifteen  feet  below 
the  surface  is  found  a  soap  stone  stratum,  varying  in 
thickness  from  forty  feet  at  the  west  end  of  the 
territory,  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  at  its  eastern 
boundary,  the  dip  being  towards  the  southeast.  Im- 
mediately below  this  is  found  the  oil-producing  sand, 
varying  from  two  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in 
thickness.  This  is  broken  and  lying  in  dejiosits,  at 
some  points  breaking  off  nearly  perpendicular,  but 
uniform  at  the  top,  excepting  the  dip,  the  slojie  being 
from  the  bottom.  Tlie  oil  is  found  in  paying  (]uaiiti- 
ties  only  in  the  deep  sand — none  in  less  tiian  forty 
feet.  .This  sand  is  variable — crystals,  flint  and  sand- 
stone grit.  The  oil  is  usually  found  in  the  former 
and  latter.  Below  the  sand  is  a  white  substance, 
known  as  "pulty"  or  fire-clay,  of  from  one  to  ten 
feet  in  thickness;  below  this  is  a  red  clay  from  five  to 
fifty  feet  thick,  and  below  that  the  slate.  It  is  not 
known  whether  there  is  another  stratum  of  oil-jiroduc- 
ing  sand  still  below  this  or  not,  although  a  well  has 
been  drilled  three  hundred  feet  without  finding  it. 


Agricltltural  Statistics. 


Wheat,  540  acr 
Oats,  raij  " 
Cora,  766     " 

Potatoes,  38  " 
Orchards,  175  " 
Meadow,  2,274     " 


10,402  bushels 

25,020 

27,605 

.3,771 

1,398 

2,377 

Butter    29,.3'I0 

Cheese 140,40) 

Maple  Sugar 1_557 

Population  in  1S70 


tons, 
pounds. 


Biographical  Sketches. 


MRS.   HARRIf:T   NESBETT, 

daughter  of  Major  Wm.  Ingersoll,  was  born  in  Lee, 
Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  in  the  year  1807. 
Her  father  removed  to  Grafton,  in  this  county,  in 
1816,   bringing  his  family  witii   him.     Harriet,  the 


Hayes. 


Vote  for  President  in  1876. 
I'llTilden 


a^a/iA.<U^  Qy' i ^ &ty6 criCj  A<<>1^*^^cC 


youngest  of  eleven  children,  was  but  nine  years  of  age, 
and  was  the  first  unmarried  female  who  became  a 
resident  of  tliat  township.  Of  the  trials  and  strug- 
gles of  tlie  jiioneer  settlers  in  the  wilderness,  a  graphic 
description  is  given  in  the  early  recollections  of  the 
settlement  of  Grafton,  written  by  Mrs.  Nesbett.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  she  returned  to  Massachusetts, 
and,  for  a  year  and  a  lialf,  enjoyed  advantages  denied 
to  pioneer  children  of  that  early  date.  She  returned 
to  her  home  in  Ohio,  and,  in  1826,  was  married  to 
Daniel  Nesbett,  of  Grafton.  In  1829,  they  removed 
to  Elyria,  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  the  ridge  road, 
near  the  eastern  line  of  the  township.  Toil  and 
privations  were  expected  of  pioneer  wives,  while  their 
husbands  labored  to  cultivate  their  forest  farms. 
After  remaining  upon  this  farm  some  more  than 
twenty  years,  a  pleasant  home  was  imrchased  in  the 
village,  where  Mrs.  Nesbett  still  resides.  She  has 
been  the  mother  of  seven  children — one  son  and  six 
daughters.  The  son  died  in  infancy,  and  a  daughter 
at  two  years  of  age;  another  daughter,  "Libbie,"  at 
the  age  of  twenty-six.  Libbie  was  a  gentle  and  sweet 
spirited  girl,  and  died  greatly  lamented  by  her  sur- 
viving relatives  and  friends,  who  cherish  her  memory. 
Four  daughters  are  living,  and  all  are  married.  The 
oldest  is  the  wife  of  D.  L.  Harkness,  and  resides  at 
Berlin,  Wisconsin;  the  next  oldest  is  wife  of  Jerome 
Manville,   a  successful  druggist  in  Elyria;   a  third 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


269 


daughter  is  the  wife  of  H.  S.  Howe,  and  resides  in 
Mankato,  Minnesota;  the  remaining  daughter  is  the 
wife  of  A.  D.  Foote,  residing  in  Cliicago.  All  the 
daughters  are  well  settled  in  life.  Mr.  Nesbett  died 
about  the  year  1804.  at  the  age  of  sixty-six. 

In  1830  Mrs.  Nesbett,  united  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  in  Elyria.  when  their  place  of  wor- 
ship was  the  "old  yellow  school  house."'  One  only 
who  was  at  that  time  a  member  of  that  branch  of  the 
church,  is  living  in  Elyria  at  this  date.  During  all 
these  years  she  has  been  a  faithful  and  active  member, 
constant  in  attendance  upon  its  work  aud  ordinauces. 
She  possesses  considerable  ability  as  a  writer.  The 
history  of  the  first  settlement  of  (fraftou,  published 
in  this  volume,  is  from  her  pen.  In  1876  she  wrote  a 
series  of  articles,  which  were  published  iu  the  Elyria 
Republican,  descriptive  of  pioneer  life  in  Grafton  and 
other  townships,  which  attracted  general  attention. 
She  has  ever  been  among  the  foremost  in  carrying  on 
works  of  benevolence  and  charity,  in  the  church  and 
community.  Among  the  regrets  of  her  life  time  are 
the  disadvantages  arising  from  lack  of  early  privi- 
leges at  school.  But  aside  from  this  great  privilege, 
and  a  busy  active  life,  she  found  time  for  reading  and 
the  cultivation  of  her  literary  taste.  She  has  been  a 
faithful  wife,  a  good  uKjther,  and  has  ever  enjoyed  the 
respect  of  the  community.  Siie  is  in  the  enjoj'ment 
of  excellent  healtii,  her  bodily  and  mental  powers 
continuing  in  full  vigor,  and  bids  fair  to  enjoy  life  to 
a  ripe  old  age. 


CIRINDALL  RAWSON. 

This  gentlenuin  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1793.  In  1816,  he  visited  Grafton  town- 
ship, Lorain  county,  Ohio,  selected  a  parcel  of  land, 
and  then  returned  to  Massachusetts,  where  he  re- 
mained long  enough  to  complete  the  necessary  pre- 
parations for  a  permanent  settlement  on  his  new 
purchase,  upon  which  he  located  in  1817,  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  there  until  his  death,  in  1876,  (aged 
eighty-three  years),  a  period  of  nearly  sixty  years. 
One  year  after  his  settlement  in  Grafton,  he  married 
Mariah,  daughter  of  David  Ashley,  which  marriage 
was  blessed  with  eight  children, — five  sons  and  three 
daughters, — ^of  whom  six  are  living.  The  above  was 
the  first  marriage  ceremony  performed  in  Grafton 
townshij).  He  held  several  offices  in  the  township 
government,  which  he  filled  satisfactorily.  Mrs. 
Rawson  survived  her  husband  almost  two  years,  she 
dying  January  9,  1878.  She  was  born  September  2, 
1796,  and  was  consequently  eighty-two  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  an  excellent  and 
worthy  couple,  and  were  so  esteemed  by  all  to  whom 
they  were  known,  or  with  whom  they  came  in  social 
or  business  communion. 

HENRY  B.  RAWSON, 

son  of  Grindall  Rawson,  was  born  upon  the  home 
stead  farm,  where  he  still  resides,  in  1825.    For  fifty- 


four  years  he  has  lived  in  the  same  place,  and  is 
among  the  earliest  and  most  influential  citizens  of  his 
township.  His  farm  consists  of  three  hundred  and 
six  acres,  is  well  ini])r(ived,  and  has  upon  it  substan- 
tial and  comfortable  buildings.  On  the  6tli  of  Octo- 
ber, 1847,  he  married  Cynthia  A.,  daughter  of  Joseph 
arid  Dollie  Phelps,  and  they  had  six  children  born  to 
them, — four  sons  and  two  daugliters, — namely,  Ab- 
bott P.,  Frank  B.,  George  G.,  Kate  C,  Burt  H.,  and 
Dollie  M.  Rawson. 

The  Rawson  family  have  been,  and  continue  to  he, 
noted  for  their  industrious  iiabits,  and  honesty  of  life. 
As  among  tiie  pioneers,  so  are  they  among  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  the  township  in  every  respect. 


ALLEN  W.  NICHOLS 

was  the  son  of  Nathaniel  Nichols  who  was  born  in 
Rodman,  New  York,  May  7,  1806.  He  married, 
September  16,  1827,  Dorcas,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Bailey,  of  Leicester,  New  York.  vShe  was  born 
March  20,  1804,  at  Elniira,  New  York,  and  died  at 
La  Grange.  Ohio,  February  10,  18(i4.  They  had  five 
children,  namely:  Allen  Woolsey,  born  in  Y'ork,  July 
3, 1828;  Martha  Emma,  born  July  2,  1831;  Mary  Ann, 
born  in  Dayton,  December  27,  1834;  Rolla  Alonzo, 
born  in  Nnnda,  New  York,  June  7,  1838;  Ellen  Dor- 
cas, liorn  at  Nunda,  New  York,  September  25,  1843. 
Allen  W.  Nichols  was  raised  by  an  uncle  and  aunt, 
Allison  aud  Esther  Nichols,  bachelor  brother  and 
maiden  sister  of  his  father.  When  the  grandfather 
of  A.  W.  Nichols  became  infirm  from  old  age  and  im- 
jiaired  health,  he  offered  to  his  brother  and  sister 
above  named,  a  deed  of  the  farm  ])rovided  they  would 
come  and  live  with  him  and  his  wife,  and  pay  off 
whatever  of  indebtedness  there  was  on  the  place. 
This  they  agreed  to  do,  and  fulfilled  the  duty  faith- 
fully and  well,  and  also  assisted  any  of  the  other 
brothers  and  sisters  if  they,  or  any  of  them,  needed  a 
helping  hand.  By  the  time  Nathaniel  went  to  house- 
keeping, they  had  moved  into  a  frame  house,  so  he 
commenced  in  the  log  one  in  which  Allen  W.  was 
born.  His  uncle  and  aunt  became  so  much  attached 
to  him,  that  when  his  parents  got  ready  to  move 
away,  they  did  not  wish  to  let  him  accompany  them,  so 
that  he  remained  with  his  uncle  and  aunt  iienceforth. 
except  at  intervals,  when  he  would  pay  brief  visits  to 
his  father  and  mother.  When  he  was  thii-teen  years 
of  age,  his  grandparents  had  both  died,  so  his  uncle 
and  aunt  concluded  to  sell  out  the  old  homestead  in 
York,  Livingston  county,  New  Y'ork,  and  move  to 
Grafton,  Ohio,  where  their  brothers  and  sisters  had 
previously  settled.  So  they  sold  out  and  purchased 
the  farm  where  Allen  W.  now  resides,  thirty-four 
years  ago.  They  redeemed  it  from  a  wild  unculti- 
vated spot,  and  made  of  it  a  fertile  and  highly  pro- 
ductive farm.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church  in  their  younger  days,  but  as  they 
grew  older,  they  preferred  the  retirement  and  sanctity 


270 


UISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


of  tlie  home  circle  and  society  to  public  worship. 
They  were  very  temperate  iu  their  habits,  aud  gener- 
ous and  benevolent  to  all.  Of  Allison  Nichols  it  can 
be  truly  said  he  was  a  christian  iu  the  broadest  sense 
of  tiiat  term,  an  liouest  man,  and  a  good  neighbor 
and  citizen.  Wlien  he  sold  out  iiis  farm  cast,  liegave 
his  brothers  and  sisters  an  amount  ci|ual  to  whattheii' 
father  had  paid  on  the  place  prior  to  his  deeding 
it  to  him.  lie  died  May  8,  1873;  his  faithful  and 
loving  sister  luid  jircceded  him  to  the.grave  a  siiort 
time,  she  having  departed  this  life  in  the  faith  and 
fear  of  God,  December  14, 1873  They  both  sleep  the 
slcej)  of  the  righteous,  and  their  works  do  follow  tiiem. 

During  Allen  W.'s  minority  his  uncle  ujcd  to  allow 
him  to  raise  stock  and  sell  it,  from  the  proceeds  of 
which  he  saved  enough  to  ])urchasc  forry  acres  of 
land.  His  uncle  deeded  him  the  home  fai-m  just  before 
he  died.  Allen  \V.  Nichols  married  Mrs.  Eli/,ai)eth 
Durkee,  daughter  of  Jolui  (Tanible,  a  pioneer  settler 
of  Eaton  township,  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  on  the 
twenty-second  of  February,  1870.  His  uncle  and 
aunt  evinced  a  desire  that  he  should  remain  single, 
and  he  did  so  up  to  within  about  two  years  of  their 
death.  They  were  well  pleased  witii  his  choice  of  a 
wife,  and  never  felt  as  thougli  any  of  their  rigiits 
were  usurped  l)y  her;  aud  learned  to  love  her  and  en- 
joy her  presence. 

The  "Grandfather  ()f  Allen  W.  Nichols  was  a  revolu- 
tionary  hero,  aiul  was  also  in  the  war  of  1812.  His 
uncle  was  also  in  the  war  of  1S12,  and  an  only  brother 
of  Allen's,  KoUa  Alouzo  Nichols,  was  in  the  war  of 
the  rebellion,  and  died  in  the  regular  service  about 
two  years  since.  The  Nichols  family  have  always 
been  conspicuous  fo)' sturdy  honesty  ami  independence. 
Those  of  the  present  are  worthy  re]iresentatives  of  a 
wor.hy  race.     (See  Illustrations  and  Poi traits.) 


DR.  C.  13.  KNOWLTON 

Was  born  in  Charlestown  township.  Portage  county, 
Ohio,  September  19th,  1823.  He  remained  with  his 
father  on  the  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  removed  to  Windham,  in  his  native  county, 
aud  attended  the  academy  of  that  place,  going  through 
a  regular  academic  course  of  studies.  In  the  spring 
of  1813  he  commenced  reading  medicine  with  George 
Conant,  M.  D.,  subseijuently  prosecuting  his  medical 
studies  with  Professor  John  C.  Delamater,  of  Cleve- 
land, in  whose  office  he  remained  as  a  student  until 
tJie  spring  of  184.5,  when  he  was  regularly  graduated 
and  received  his  diploma.  He  soon  thereafter  moved 
to  Grafton,  Lorain  county,  and  entered  upon  the 
l)ractice  of  medicine,  wliich  he  followed  until  the 
winter  of  1851  and  1853.  During  the  latter  year  he 
turned  iiis  attention  to  the  stiuly  of  dentistry  under 
Dr.  Kellogg,  of  Cleveland,  with  whom  he  i-emained 
almost  one  year.  He  then  returned  to  Grafton, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  the  spring  of 
1860,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  Elyria,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  active  practice  of  dentistry,  iu  which  he 
continued  until  1875.  He  then  disposed  of  his  den- 
tal practice  to  Dr.  White,  and  moved  to  Oberlin, 
where  he  practiced  until  Se[)teud3er,  1878,  at  which 
time  he  returned  to  Grafton,  where  he  oversees  the 
Inisiness  of  his  farm,  and  also  practices  his  profession. 

Dr.  Knowlton  married  Caroline  C,  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  Kinney,  who  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Grafton.  They  have  one  son,  William  E. 
Knowlton,  who  resides  at  home  with  his  parents. 

In  politics  Dr.  Knowlton  is  a  republican,  having 
acted  with  that  party  many  years.  He  is  generally 
considered  a  first-class  professional  man,  an  honest 
man,  and  a  good  citizen. 


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MARGARET   R.    BROWN. 


STEPHEN  H.   BROWN. 


Stephen  H.  Brown,  son  of  Stephen  and  Ruth  M. 
Brown,  was  born  May  4,  1803,  in  that  portion  of 
WindiSor,  Hartford  Co.,  Conn.,  now  called  Bloonifield. 
His  father  was  born  at  Windsor,  in  the  same  county,  in 
the  year  1777,  and  was  the  son  of  Stephen  Brown,  who 
came  from  England  early  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
Stephen  Brown  married  Ruth  M.,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Loomis,  whose  ancestors  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Old  Windsor.  He  had  a  family  often  children,  namely, — 
Benjamin,  George,  William,  John,  Joel,  Adin,  James,  Ruth 
M.,  Rhoda,  and  Julia  Ann.  The  grandfather  of  Stephen 
H.  Brown  had  also  ten  children  :  James,  Bradley,  Stephen, 
Jesse,  Oliver,  Eunice,  Patty,  Sally,  Malinda,  and  Rebecca. 

The  fruits  of  the  union  of  Stephen  and  Ruth  M.  Brown 
were  three  children,- — one  son  and  two  daughters:  Stephen 
H.,  born  May  4,  1803  ;  Ruth  Eliza,  born  in  1805  ;  Martha 
E.,  born  in  1807.  The  mother  died  in  1811,  and  the 
father  married  again,  to  Alma  Kelsey,  who  died  three  or 
four  years  after  her  marriage,  leaving  no  issue.  Mr.  Brown 
married  again,  to  Lydia  Bronson,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children  :  Stephen  H.,  who  lived  at  home  and  worked  in 
his  father's  shop,  biacksmithing,  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  old.  He  then  removed  to  Washington,  Litchfield 
Co.,  Conn.,  and  worked  the  first  year  in  the  marble  quarries 
of  Allen,  Batterson  &  Wheaten.  In  the  winter  he  re- 
sumed his  trade  again,  and  followed  it  for  three  or  four 
years,  during  which  time  he  married  Lucy  Reynolds,  Nov. 
17,  1828,  and  had  by  her  three  children,  all  boys,  namely, — 
Edwin  A.,  born  Jan.  8, 1830,  died  Aug.  5,  1845  ;  Albert 
R.,  born  Feb.  12,  1832;  Charles  L.,  born  June  8,  1834, 
died  Aug.  25,  1845.  In  1831  he  moved  to  Norwalk, 
Conn.,  remaining  thei'e  and  at  other  places  until  1842,  when 
he  started  for  Oliio.  Two  years  prior  to  this,  he  lost  his 
wife,  who  died  Sept.  13,  1840.  She  was  buried  in  the  old 
"  Jemima  Burying-Ground,"  so  called  from  an  eccentric 
old  lady  who  used  to  preach  in  that  part  of  the  country. 

May  13,  1841,  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Mary  B.  Shepard,  widow  of  Levi  Shepard,  and 
daughter  of  Oliver  and  Alice  Chapin,  of  Chicopee,  Mass. 
By  this  union  were  born  two  children  :  George  B.,  born 
July  28,  1843,  and  Helen  J.,  born  Feb.  19,  1850. 


In  1841  he  came  to  Ohio,  and  purchased  the  Wells 
farm,  in  Grafton  township.  He  returned  to  Connecticut, 
and  shipped  his  goods  by  water  to  Cleveland,  and  thence 
in  wagons.  Ho  resided  upon  the  farm  until  1875.  His 
second  wife  died  March  1,  1864.  He  was  married  to  Mar- 
garet R.  Rowell,  widow  of  Benjamin  Rowell,  November  16 
of  the  same  year ;  she  survives.  They  live  in  comfortable 
circumstances.  Mr.  Brown  has  three  children  living,  one 
by  his  first  wife  and  two  by  his  second  wife.  Albert  R. 
married  Clorinda  Rickard,  of  La  Grange.  George  B. 
married,  first,  Sarah  A.  Inger.soll,  of  Grafton  ;  second,  Jennie 
Bevier,  of  Plymouth.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, having  been  a  Jackson  Democrat  up  to  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion.  He  is  an  exemplary  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

Margaret  R.  Brown  was  born  June  6, 1812,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Eleanor  Woodworth,  of  Stillwell, 
Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  grandfather  emigrated  from 
England,  and  was  an  early  settler  of  Saratoga  County.  The 
children  born  to  John  and  Eleanor  Woodworth  were  as 
follows:  Patrick,  Allen,  Sally  Ann,  Ephraim,  Rens- 
selaer, Margaret  R.,  Martin,  and  Isaac  ;  of  these,  three 
survive.  John  Woodworth  was  born  in  1767,  and  died 
in  1818.  Margaret  was  married  to  Benjamin  Rowell,  of 
Vermont,  Sept.  5, 1831.  She  had  four  children, — two  sons 
and  two  daughters:  Sarah  A.,  born  Feb.  11,  1833;  mar- 
ried Sly  Odell,  of  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y. ;  now  lives  in 
Minnesota.  Alfred  J.,  born  Dec.  24,  1835 ;  married 
Abbie  IMerrell,  and  resides  at  Cohoes,  N.  Y.  Margaret 
Ann,  born  Sept.  5,  1839 ;  married  Henry  Wilkin,  of 
Grafton.  Charles  E.  B.,  born  March  12,  1843;  married 
Sybil  Smith,  and  resides  in  Minnesota,  same  county  as 
Sarah  A. 

Her  husband  died  Aug.  10,  1862.  He  was  engaged 
in  farming  and  lumbering  ;  in  the  latter,  quite  extensively. 
He  came  to  Ohio  in  1848.  He  was  a  worthy  man,  and  a 
good,  honest  citizen. 

Mrs.  Brown  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Grafton  ;  was  formerly  a  Presbyterian,  but 
joined  the  Methodists  at  the  same  time  her  husband  did, 
in  1848. 


AVON 


Avon,  or  township  number  seven,  in  range  sixteen, 
is  located  in  the  northeast  cornerof  Lorain  county,  and 
is  bounded  as  follows:  on  the  north  liy  Lake  Erie;  on 
the  south  by  the  township  of  Kidgeville;  on  the  east 
by  Dover  township,  in  Cuyahoga  county,  and  on  the 
west  l)y  Shcftield  township. 

The  surface  is  generally  level.  Passing  through 
the  township  from  east  to  west  and  bearing  southward, 
is  what  seems  to  be  a  continuation  of  the  ridge  so 
])r(iininently  marked  in  the  eastern  counties  of  the 
State,  antl  generally  believed  to  have  been,  at  some 
remote  period,  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  The  soil  fi'om 
the  ridge  to  the  Lake  is  varied;  first  sand,  then  a 
ma7"shy  strip  extending  entirely  across  the  township, 
and  north  of  that  clay  and  sand.  South  of  the  ridge 
for  a  short  distance  the  soil  is  sandy,  and  from  tliis 
to  the  southern  boundary  line  of  the  township  clay 
largely  predominates. 

Avon  is  an  agricultural  townsliip,  though  dairying 
finds  some  encouragement,  and  on  the  extreme  shore 
of  tiie  Lake  grape  growing  is  prosecuted  to  quite  an 
extent. 

There  is  but  one  stream  of  water  in  the  township 
of  sufficient  importance  to  deserve  mention.  This  is 
known  as  French  creek.  It  flows  from  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  township  in  a  general  northwesterly 
course,  crossing  the  west  township  line  on  section  four. 
This  stream  was  of  almost  incalculable  service  to  the 
early  settlers,  and  was  of  respectable  size;  but  since 
the  forest  has  disai)peared  along  its  banks,  the  waters 
have  subsided  until  now  it  is  a  diminutive  affair  in- 
deed, except  during  the  fall  and  spring  months. 

ORIOINAL    PROPRIETOR.* 

"  Pierpont  Edwards  became  proprietor  at  the  draft 
in  1807,  of  town  number  seven,  range  seventeen 
(Avon)  togethei-  with  Bass  Island  number  one,  com- 
prising one  thousand  three  hundred  and  twenty-two 
acres;  Bass  Island  number  two,  of  seven  hundred 
acres,  and  Island  number  five,  thirty-two  acres,  in 
Lake  Erie,  west  of  north  of  Sandusky,  annexed  to  the 
town,  for  the  purpose  of  equalization. 

"Previous  to  1818  the  iniiabitants  called  the  town 
Xeuma,  notwithstanding  it  was  a  part  of  Dover.  On 
organization  the  township  was  christened  Troy,  and 
continued  to  be  thus  known,  to  the  great  inconven- 
ience of  the  inhabitants,  until  December,  1834,  when, 
upon  the  jietition  of  forty  citizens,  the  name  was 
changed  to  Avon  by  the  Commissioners  of  Lorain 
County." 

*  Boynton. 


SETTLKMENT. 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  Western  Resevre,  a  road 
was  established  from  Cleveland  westward  along  the 
shore  of  the  lake.  Over  this  the  mail  was  trans- 
ported as  early  as  1807.  (Sec  history  of  Columbia.) 
Through  the  townshiji  of  Avon  this  road  passes  very 
near  the  bank  of  the  lake,  and  here,  where  is  now  a 
succession  of  tasty  cottages  and  beautiful  villas,  Noah 
Davis,  in  the  year  1813,  made  a  settlement,  the  first 
in  the  township.  He  erected  the  first  log  house,  but 
where  it  was  located,  or  who  composed  his  family,  we 
have  been  unable  to  ascertain,  as  he  only  remained  a 
short  time,  removing  from  the  township  in  less  than 
one  year.  Two  years  pass  before  another  attempt  at 
a  settlement  is  made,  this  time  by  men  of  great  cour- 
age and  a  fixed  determination  to  make  themselves  per- 
manent homes  in  the  wilde;ness.  How  well  they 
have  succeeded,  the  finely  kept  farms,  with  their 
substantial  residences,  skirting  the  line  of  the  settle- 
ment (the  ridge  road)  bear  ample  evidence. 

In  the  summer  of  1814,  Wilber  Cahoon  and  family; 
Nicholas  Young  and  son  William;  Lewis  Austin  and 
family;  Ej)hraim  Keyes  and  family,  and  two  brothers, 
Spink  and  Reuben  Cooper,  with  their  wives,  took 
their  departure  from  Montgomery  county.  New  York, 
for  Ohio, —  the  objective  point  being  township  num- 
ber seven,  in  the  sixteenth  range.  The  cavalcade 
consisted  of  five  horses,  four  yoke  of  oxen  and  five 
cows.  Arriving  at  Ashtabula,  Keyes  and  the  brothers 
Cooper  decided  to  remain  there  for  a  time.  The 
other  three  families  came  on,  and  early  in  the  fall 
reached  the  end  of  the  ridge  road,  at  Barney  Hall's, 
in  Dover  township,  Cuyahoga  county.  Here  the 
families  remained  until  a  road  had  been  cut  along  the 
summit  of  the  ridge  to  section  eleven,  in  which  the 
greater  portion  of  the  lands  selected  by  Mr.  Cahoon 
were  situated.  Soon  a  log  house  was  constructed  on 
this  section,  the  first  built  by  a  permanent  settler, 
and  into  this  the  family  of  Mr.  Cahoon  soon  removed. 
This  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  homestead  resi- 
dence, which  was  l)uilt  in  the  year  1836,  and  was  the 
first  frame  house  built  in  the  township  of  Avon. 

Mrs. -Cahoon  was  formerly  Mis.^  Priscilla  Sweet,  of 
Rhode  Island.  The  children  were,  Susan,  who  mar- 
ried Harley  Mason,  and  now  lives  in  Erie  county, 
this  State;  Jessie  S.,  who  married  Marcus  Moore, 
(deceased);  Wilber,  who  married  Theresa  Moore, 
(died  in  California);  Ora  B.,  who  married  Jane  T. 
Jameson.  He  now  resides  on  a  portion  of  the  old 
homestead,  in  section  eleven,  and  to  him  we  wish  to 

(271) 


273 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


acknowledge  our  obligations  for  valnahle  aid  in  col- 
lecting data  for  the  history  of  Avon.  His  family 
numbers  seven,  all  living.  Orra,  the  next  child, 
married  Henry  Titus,  (deceased);  Huldah  died  in 
183fi;  Melissa  M.  married  .loiin  C.  Steele,  (deceased); 
and  Leonard,  who  married  Mary  Titus,  and  lives  in 
Elyria. 

Wilber  Cahoon  jnirehased  his  lands  in  Avon,  of 
Orrin  Ensign,  (who  had  surveyed  the  township,  and 
received  in  payment  certain  tracts,  lying  in  different 
sections  of  the  township),  paying  therefor  in  eastern 
lands.  He  had  in  addition  to  the  three  hundred 
acres  in  section  eleven,  about  two  hundred  acres  in 
section  six.  Mr.  Cahoon  did  not  live  to  witness  the 
completion  of  the  first  frame  house  in  the  township. 
Suddenly  and  swiftly  came  the  pale  messenger;  while 
in  full  health  he  was  stricken  down  with  apoplexy, 
and  in  one  brief  hour  was  dead.  This  was  in  1826. 
The  wife  and  mother  survived  him  many  years;  she 
died  in  1857. 

The  lands  of  Nicholas  Young,  consisted  of  one 
hundred  acres  in  section  tweuty-t-wo;  now  owned  by 
Dr.  N.  8.  Townshend.  Upon  this  a  log  dwelling  was 
constructed  during  the  summer  of  1815,  by  himself 
and  his  son  William.  When  it  was  ready  for  occu- 
pancy, Mr.  Young  returned  east  for  his  family,  with 
whom  he  arrived  in  Avon  in  the  mouth  of  October. 
He  had,  at  this  date,  five  children.  Several  more 
were  added  to  the  family  circle  during  the  years  he 
lived  in  Avon.  He  exchanged  his  farm  in  section 
twenty-two  for  lands  in  section  fifteen,  at  the  center, 
upon  which  he  remained  until  1S35,  when  he  disjiosed 
of  his  property,  and  removed  to  Wisconsin. 

Lewis  Austin  settled  on  fifty  acres  of  land,  in  sec- 
tion twenty-seven,  then  owned  by  Waterman  Sweet, 
and  now  the  property  of  the  heirs  of  William  Hurst. 
Mr.  Austin's  family  were  a  wife  and  seven  children, 
none  of  whom  now  remain  in  the  townshi])  except 
Reuena,  now  Mrs.  Justin  Williams,  and  Elsie,  wife  of 
John  Tomlin. 

The  summer  of  1815,  the  three  families  who  re- 
mained at  Ashtabula  joined  our  little  colony.  Eph- 
raim  Keyes  was  originally  from  Tyringham,  Massa- 
chusetts. He  settled  on  the  west  side  of  section 
eleven.  His  family  were  a  wife  and  three  children, 
none  of  whom  are  now  remaining  iu  the  township. 

The  Messrs.  Coojier  became  the  owners  of  the  en- 
tire lands  contained  in  section  one.  Spink  Cooper 
and  wife  both  died  in  about  18:!3,  leaving  no  children. 
The  wife  of  R('ul)en  Cooper  died  soon  after  settling  iu 
Avon,  and  he  marric-d  a  young  wife,  by  whom  he  had 
two  childi'cu.  In  .Iiiiic,  18-21!,  he  and  Family  were 
returning  from  an  adjoining  township,  and,  while 
attempting  to  cross  Black  river  (then  swollen  to  an 
unusual  height  by  recent  rains)  iu  a  cart  drawn  by 
oxen,  the  conveyance  was  overturned,  and  he  and  one 
child  drowned,  as  was  also  a  young  girl,  Rachel 
Potter,  who  was  with  them.  The  wife  afterward 
married  Levi  Wetmore,  and  finally  removed  to  Michi- 
gan. 


Three  brothers,  Abraliam,  Oliver  and  Lodowick 
Moon,  reached  Avon  at  about  the  same  period  the 
Coopers  did,  and,  a  short  time  after,  Amos  Moon, 
another  brother,  arrived.  Colonel  Abraham  Moon 
married  Gerissa  Durand  in  1819.  She  was  a  native 
of  Essex  county.  New  York,  but  had  located  iu 
Henrietta,  this  county,  prior  to  marriage.  Colonel 
Moon  purchased  three  hundred  acres  of  land,  iu  sec- 
tions one  and  two.  He  erected  a  double  log  house, 
and,  in  time,  ]>lanted  an  orchard  of  five  hundred 
trees,  covering  a  space  of  ten  acres.  He  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1831.  His  family  consisted  of  three  sous  and 
one  daughter.  The  eldest  son,  E.  G.  Moon,  was  born 
iu  1831.  He  married  A.  E.  Wilder  in  1844,  and  still 
resides  on  section  one.  The  other  two  sons  were  D. 
C.  and  S.  Moon.  The  daughter  married  E.  S.  Jack- 
son in  1844. 

Elah  Park,  whose  place  of  nativity  was  Tyrinoham, 
Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  married  Elizabeth 
Moon,  of  the  same  place.  He  settled  on  section  twenty- 
one,  in  Avon  township,  iu  the  fall  of  1815.  Mr. 
Park  was  a  prominent  public  man,  and  held  many 
positions  of  honorable  distinction,  beginning  with  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  to  w'hich  he  was  many 
times  elected.  He  was  recorder  of  Lorain  county 
from  1841  to  1843,  and  State  representative  from  1840 
to  1848.  He  died  in  Avon,  October  23,  180G.  Mrs. 
Park  died  March  14,  18fi9.  The  children  of  this 
couple  are  Etna  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years; 
Plumb  M.  (mute),  who  married  Charlotte  Peck,  re- 
sides at  Columbus,  Ohio;  Theresa  M.  married  James 
S.  Brown,  who  superintended  the  building  of,  and 
was  sujicrintendeut  of  the  institution  for  mutes,  at 
Indianapolis,  Indiana;  he  held  the  same  position  at 
Baton  Rouge  until  public  sentiment  forced  him  north; 
Candace  E.  married  Thomas  E.  Foot,  and  resides  in 
Amherst,  this  county;  Sarah  H.  married  John  Yaryan, 
a  distinguished  lawyer  at  Richmond,  Indiana;  Clarissa 
married  David  Skillman  (deceased);  Etna  E.,  3d, 
married  Jay  Terrell,  proprietor  of  "Lake  Breeze" 
summer  resort,  SheHield  township;  Margaret  married 
Janus  H.  McNeely,  and  resides  at  Evansville,  Indiana; 
Alice  H.  (mute),  married  Martin  M.  Hanson  (de- 
ceased); and  Harriet  C,  who  resides  at  Evansville, 
Indiana. 

Waterman  Sweet  came  from  Norway,  Herkimer 
county.  New  York,  to  Avon,  in  the  year  1817,  arriv- 
ing on  July  18th  of  that  year.  He  located  on  three 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  section  twenty-seven,  and 
built  his  log  house  upon  the  site  where  now  stands  the 
residence  of  a  son  George  W.  With  Mr.  Sweet  came 
his  aged  father  and  mother,  Jesse  and  Huldah  Sweet, 
a  widowed  sister  who  married  Daniel  Wilcox,  and  his 
own  family,  then  a  wife  and  three  children,  William, 
Calvin  and  [jaiira.  Four  children  were  born  subse- 
quently to  his  locating  in  Avon:  Eliza,  Henrietta, 
Cinderella  and  Mary  Ann.  Waterman  Sweet  died 
November  14,  1872,  and  Mrs.  Sweet  July  28,  1843. 
The  following  is  the  record  of  the  children:  William, 
the  eldest,  died  some  two  years  subsequent  to  the 


EDWIN   SNOW. 


Residence  OF   EDWiN   SNOW,  Avon  Tp,  Lor/mn  Co.,  Ohio. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


373 


an-iviil  of  tlie  f;uiiily  in  Avon,  from  the  effect  of 
the  kick  of  an  ox;  and  Calvin,  the  next  child,  mar- 
ried Bricene  Chadwick,  of  Lee,  Massachusetts;  she 
died  May,  29,  18G3.  Tiie  three  eldest  chihlron  of 
this  coujile,  Luther  Alfred,  Tiieodore  Parish  and 
AVilliam  Edward  were  soldiers  in  the  Union  army 
durino-  the  rebellion.  The  eldest  was  a  non-com- 
missioned officer  in  company  E.,  Forty-second  Ohio 
volunteer  infantry,  and  died  at  Memphis,  Tennessee, 
March  37,  180:3.  The  other  children  are  Calvin, 
Melville  (deceased),  Bricene  Etta,  Mary  Malvina, 
Waterman,  George  and  Charles  Denison.  The  next 
cliild  of  Waterman  Sweet  was  Laura,  who  married 
Dr.  Samuel  M.  Hopkins,  now  residing  in  Black  River 
township.  Of  the  children  born  in  Ohio,  Eliza  mar- 
ried James  E.  Brooks,  and  lives  in  Elyria;  Henrietta 
R.  married  Charles  Caryl  (deceased);  Cinderella 
married  James  Towner  and  resides  in  New  York, 
while  Mary  Ann  died  in  infancy. 

John  Steele  was  the  first  settler  on  French  creek. 
He  came  in  1817.  llis  log  house  was  erected  on  the 
site  of  the  present  parscuiage.  He  had  a  family  of 
six  children,  who  now  reside,  the  majority  of  them  at 
least,  in  California. 

Adam  Miller  and  Gaston  Young  were  the  first 
permanent  settlors  on  the  lake  shore.  Mr.  Jliller 
located  on  section  six;  Mr.  Young  moved  into  the 
Davis  cabin.  Of  other  settlers  along  the  shore  we 
find  that  .Joseph  Moore,  from  Middletown,  Connec- 
ticut,   settled    on    section    eighteen.     John  Mascin, 

Edmonds, Colby, Britton  and 

others  were  early  settlers  in  tliis  locality,  but  we 
were  unable  to  learn  anything  further  of  them. 

Lai'kin  Williams  and  family,  of  a  wife  and  eight 
children,  came  from  Berksliire  county,  JMassachusetts, 
in  the  fall  of  1817.  He  settled  on  the  ridge  east  of 
the  center. 

Alljin  Stickney  nuide  the  trip  from  Cornwall, 
Vermont,  to  Ohio,  in  1815,  ti'aveling  the  entire  dis- 
tance on  foot.  He  remained  in  Madison,  Lake 
county,  until  the  year  1817,  when  he  removed  to 
Avon.  He  settled  on  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres 
in  section  twenty-two.  His  wife  was  Miss  Clarissa 
Moon,  of  Avon.  They  died  upon  this  farm — she 
May  3,  186G,  and  he  February  17,  1867.  Three 
children  were  born  of  this  union:  S.  R.,  mari-ied 
Catharine  M.  Crow,  and  lives  on  the  old  farm,  (he 
has  five  children);  Serepta  R.  married  Rev.  L.  D. 
Johnson,  of  Olena,  Huron  county;  and  Sidney  A., 
nuirried  Julia  M.  Goldsmith,  of  Vermillion,  Erie 
county.  He  also  lives  on  the  old  JKjmestead,  and  has 
two  children. 

John  Burlingame  came  from  Rutland,  Vermont,  to 
Ohio  in  the  fall  of  1833,  locating  on  one  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  section  seven,  directly  on  the  bank 
of  the  lake.  Mr.  Burlingame  was  single  when  he 
came  to  Avon,  but  was  married  about  one  year  suljse- 
quently  to  Sophia,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Hannah 
Moore   of   former   mention.      The   children    of   this 

35 


couple  are:  Hannah,  now  Mrs.  Sheldon  Comfort, 
living  in  Wisconsin,  and  Melvin  and  Esther,  deceased. 

Joseph  B.  Jameson,  wife  and  three  children,  from 
New  England,  settled  in  Avon  in  1834.  Their  loca- 
tion was  on  the  ridge,  some  half  a  mile  east  of  French 
creek,  now  occupied  by  Malcom  B.  Jameson.  Of  the 
children,  two  are  deceased;  the  eldest,  Jane  Thankful, 
is  now  the  wife  of  Ora  B.  Cahoon.  Mr.  Jameson 
died  in  Avon  in  .June  18G7. 

John  Schwartz  and  Catharine  his  wife  came  from 
Bavaria,  in  ({ermanj',  <ind  located  in  the  wilderness, 
on  section  twenty-three.  The  family  consisted  of  five 
children,  namely:  Joseph,  who  married,  and  still  re- 
sides on  section  twcuty-tliree;  .Vnna,  Mary,  Catharine 
and  Frederick.  The  date  of  their  settlement  was 
December  34,  1833.  Jacob  Miller  and  Paul  Faber, 
with  their  families,  came  with  Mr.  Schwartz.  Tiiey 
located  near,  and  were  the  only  settlers  direct  from 
Germany  for  some  years.  In  1840,  a  brother,  Peter 
Schwartz,  with  a  family  of  seven,  settled  in  this 
locality,  and  soon  German  settlei's  began  to  locate 
rapidly  in  this  vicinity.  They  are  a  frugal,  thrifty 
people.  .John  Schwartz  died  .January,  1870,  aged 
eighty-four  years,  and  Mrs.  Schwartz  in  .July,  1858, 
aged  sixty-five  years. 

FIRST    EVENTS. 

The  pioneer  baby  in  Avon  township  was  a  son  to 
Wilber  and  Priscilla  Cahoon, — the  date  December 
1,  1814.  This  child  is  Leonard  Cahoon,  who  married 
Mary  Titus,  and  now  resides  in  Elyria  village. 

First  marriage  :  This  highly  interesting  event 
occuri'ed  in  the  fall  of  181 G.  The  parties  most  in- 
terested were  William  Richmond  and  Miss  Rhoda, 
adopted  daughter  of  Reuben  Cooper  ;  Joel  Terrell, 
Esq.,  of  Ridgeville  township,  made  the  twain  one 
fiesh.     This  coujde  are  both  deceased. 

The  first  doctor  to  locate  in  Avon  township  was 
Heman,  son  of  Larkin  Williams.  Dr.  Williams  is 
spoken  of  as  a  gentleman  of  fine  ability  and  sui^erior 
professional  attainments.  The  present  medical  staff 
of  Avon  consists  of  Dr.  Beers,  Daly  and  Smyth. 

The  first  death  was  Lydia  M.,  daughter  of  Larkin 
Williams,  .January  11,  1818.  Her  remains  were  the 
first  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  the  center. 

It  is  believed  that  the  first  post  office  was  established 
in  1835,  and  that  Dr.  Williams  was  the  first  post- 
master. The  present  postmaster  is  James  West,  at 
French  creek. 

The  first  wheat  sown  was  by  Willier  Cahoon,  on 
section  eleven,  in  the  fall  of  1815.  The  previous  sea- 
son a  crop  of  corn  was  raised  on  the  same  ground. 

The  spring  following  his  settlement  in  Avon,  Wil- 
ber Cahoon  planted  an  orchard  of  one  hundred  trees 
on  section  eleven.  The  trees  were  procured  at  New- 
burgh,  Cuyahoga  county.  The  greater  part  of  this 
orchard  is  still  standing. 

Samuel  Carpenter  opened  the  pioneer  store  in  Avon, 
at  French  creek,  in  1834  or  1835.  His  venture  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  a  success,  as  he  soon  closed 


274 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


ouL  and  removed  from  the  township.  The  pruicut 
business  at  tliis  point  is  as  follows  :  General  mer- 
chandise, John  Burgett  and  John  Lansing;  groceries, 
Lewis  Keeler  ;  tinware  and  stoves,  James  West ;  boots 
and  shoes,  George  Fisher.  1'here  is  also  a  harness 
and  tailor  shop.  At  the  center  Peter  Ostcrmann  has 
a  dry  goods  and  grocery  store,  G.  Dingier,  boot  and 
shoe  shop.  There  are  also  a  blacksmith,  a  carriage- 
maker  and  a  painter. 

The  first  blacksmith  in  Avon  township  was  a  man 
named  Cheeney.  He  removed  from  the  township 
prior  to  1818.  Adoljihus  (farlick  succeeded  him  in 
1818  or  1819.  This  was  at  French  creek.  Ciyrns 
Bnel  came  soon  after.  There  are  now  several  of 
these  useful  artisans  at  this  point. 

The  first  hotel  was  kept  by  John  Steel,  at  French 
creek,  soon  after  the  settlement.  The  Avon  house  at 
this  phice  is  kept  by  Lewis  Keeler.  A  distillery  'was 
erected  at  French  creek  quite  early  in  the  settlement, 
by  two  men  from  Dover  township,  Cuyahoga  county. 
This  was  in  operation  only  a  few  years. 

ORGANIZATION. 

On  the  27tli  of  October,  1818,  the  land  a-t  ])resnt 
comprised  within  the  limits  of  Avon  township,  to- 
gether with  the  annexations  before  mentioned,  was 
set  off  fi-om  Dover,  and  organized  a  separate  township 
by  the  name  of  Troy,  by  the  commissioners  of  Ciiya- 
ahoga  county.  At  this  date,  the  river  from  the  point 
where  it  passes  into  Sheffield,  north  to  tbe  lake,  was 
the  boundary  line  between  Huron  and  Cuyalioga 
counties. 

A  special  election  was  ordered  for  township  officers, 
to  be  held  November  '.),  1818,  at  which  time  the  fol- 
lowing persons  were  elected :  Elah  Park,  John  Wil- 
liams and  Lodovick  Moon,  trustees;  Larkin  Wil- 
liams, clerk;  Abraham  Moon,  treasurer;  James  B. 
Fitch  and  Tyler  Williams,  constables.  June  23, 1819, 
Jabez  Burrell  and  Wilbcr  Gaboon  were  elected  justices 
of  the  peace. 

The  officers  for  1878  are,  Ezra  Jackson,  Luther 
Hicks  and  Laurence  Heckle,  trustees;  Horace  Wilcox, 
clerk;  E.  E.  AVilliams,  treasurer;  H.  J.  Gaboon, 
assessor;  Oscar  Wilcox,  Lemuel  Stickney  and  John 
Osterman,  constables;  H.  J.  Gaboon,  .Joseph  Creitzer 
and  A.  W.  Sherbouda,  justices  of  the  peace. 

CHURCHES. 

BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

The  first  religious  service  in  Avon  township  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Nicholas  Young,  immediately 
after  a  settlement  was  commenced,  by  a  local  jireacher 
of  the  Baptist  faith,  named  Jashar  Taylor,  then 
I'esiding  in  Dover  township,  Cuyahoga  county.  A 
church  was  not  formed,  however,  until  the  summer 
of  1817.  In  June  of  that  year  Elder  Hartwell,  from 
the  east,  making  a  missionary  tour  through  this 
portion  of  the  Reserve,  held  meetings  at  the  house  of 
Wilbur  Gaboon  a  few  times,  and  traveled  westward. 
Returning  some  two  or  three  months  later,  he  found 


that  the  seed  sown  on  his  first  visit  had  brought  forth 
fruit,  the  result  of  which  was  that  the  following 
persons  were  formed  into  a  church:  Nicholas  Young 
and   wife  and  Jared   Barr,  of  Avon-  Jashar  Taylor 

and Alwell  aiul   wife,  of  Dover;  Dean 

and  Alexander  and   wife,    of    Rockport.      In 

1818  a  log  school  house  was  built  at  the  center,  and 
in  this  regular  services  were  held.  The  first  ordained 
minister  to  settle  in  Avon  was  the  Rev.  John  Tuttle, 
who  remained  until  his  death,  some  four  years.  He 
was  followed  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Teachout  and  others, 
whose  names  are  forgotten.  In  the  year  1820,  or 
1827,  a  large  block  meeting  house  was  built  by  the 
members  and  friends  of  this  church.  In  it  meetings 
were  held  by  all  denominations,  and  it  was  a  great 
convenience.  This  was  aecidently  burned  in  18.37 
and  again  this  congregation  was  without  a  place  of 
worship.  The  present  church  was  erected  in  18.39 
or  1840,  and  is  thirty  by  forty  feet  in  size.  It  has 
been  repaired,  painted  and  otherwise  improved  at  ;i 
recent  date,  the  cost  of  which  was  twenty-five  hun- 
dred dollars.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  D.  R. 
Owens,  who  has  cared  for  this  flock  for  four  years 
past.  The  church  officers  are  H.  H.  Williams.  J.  B. 
Gaboon  and  Selam  Moon,  trustees;  Burton  G.  Jame- 
son, clerk;  William  Nesbett  and  Milo  Williams, 
deacons;  Everett  Williams  and  D.  L.  Sawyer,  super, 
intendents  of  Sabljath  school,  u]ion  which  there  is  an 
attendance  of  sixty  scholars.  The  foregoing  history 
of  the  Baptist  church  is  furnished  from  memory  b^' 
0.  B.  Gaboon  and  wife. 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

The  first  class  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
was  organized  as  early  as  1820.  Mr.  Calvin  Sweet 
furnishes  the  data  from  which  the  following  brief 
history  is  prepared:  This  class  was  composed  of 
Keyes  Carpenter  and  wife.  Waterman  Sweet  and 
wife,  Ephraim  Keyes  and  wife,  Amasa  Chapman 
and  wife,  Elah  Park  and  wife,  Willis  Potter  and 
wife,  William  Richmond  and  wife,  and  Mrs.  Polly 
and  Mary  Goo])er,  wives  of  David  and  Reuben 
Cooper.  Keyes  Carpenter  was  class  leader.  Rev. 
Mr.  Smith,  a  local  preacher,  organized  this  class 
and  was  the  first  minister  of  this  deuominalion  to 
locate  in  Avon.  In  the  year  1834  the  first  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  was  built.  This  was  in  size 
twenty-six  by  thirty  feet,  cost  five  hundred  dollars, 
and  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  church.  The 
old  church  was  sold  upon  the  completion  of  the 
jiresent  one  in  1855,  and  was  converted  into  a  dwelling. 
The  neat  edifice  now  occupied  by  the  denomination 
cost  two  thousand  dollars.  The  Rev.  Newel  Close  is 
the  present  pastor  ;  the  membership  is  sixty.  The 
stewards  are  Calvin  Sweet,  Ezra  Jackson,  George 
Bliss  and  John  Benham;  ch'.ss  leaders,  George  W. 
Sweet  and  William  Wilder;  superintendent  of  Sabbath 
school,  Glemant  Snow. 

The  following  list  of  ministers  who  have  presided 
over  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  Avon,  is  fur- 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


275 


nished  from  memory  from  1830  to  1830,  the  remiiincler 
is  copied  from  the   records:  Orren   Gilmore,    James 

(roddurd,  Walker  Brothers,  Alesbury, 

Ooners,   Z.    Costin,    Rouark,  Havens, 

Elliott, Berry, Colclasier, 


Elnathaa  Gavitt, 


Taylor, 


Carpenter, 


William  Reynolds,  William  Billings,  James  Wheeler, 
Thomas  Barkdull,  Samuel  Allen,  William  Hudson, 
Daniel  Conant,  William  Harris,  M.  L.  Starr,  Leonard 
Parker,  William  C.  Pierce,  John  L.  Tibbals,  Hugh  L. 
Parrish,  T.  L.  Pope,  Peter  Sharp,  Zara  C.  Norton, 
L.  M.  Pounds,  Orrin  Mitchell,  Joseph  Wykes,  N. 
Worden,  William  Hitchcock,  John  R.  Jewett,  C.  L. 
Foote,  1).  D.  T.  Mattisoii,  Jacob  A.  Brown,  Samuel 
M.  Beatty,  L.  F.  Ward,  William  C.  Huestiss,  J.  W. 
Redding,  John  Sites,  Tracy  L.  Waite,  George  W^, 
Dunn,  Omar  Lawrence,  James  Evans,  Orlando  Pearce, 
Z.  Kauffmau,  0.  Milton  Ashbaugh,  Elijah  H.  Dissell, 
John  McKean,  and  Newell  J.  Close  who  is  the  present 
minister  in  charge. 

THE    HOLY    TRINITY    CHURCH. 

The  first  settlers  at  East  Avon  were  Catholics,  na- 
tives of  Bavaria,  Germany.  Those  who  formed  the 
ehurcli  were  as  follows:  Jacob  Muller,  Paulus  Faber, 
John  Schwarz,  settled  in  1835;  Peter  Schwarz,  John 
Nagel,  and  Peter  Biermacker,  1841;  Simon  and  Adam 
Zeh,  Nicholas  Matsch  and  P.  Kraus,  1843;  John 
Nagel,  second,  Nicholas  Maringer,  and  Peter  Scheit, 
who  came  in  1845,  joined  immediately  afterward. 
The  first  church  was  erected  in  1843,  and  was  a  snb- 
stantial  frame  structure,  thirty  by  forty  feet  in  size, 
and  stood  on  what  is  now  the  cemetery.  Soon  the 
church  became  too  small,  and  under  the  direction  of 
Simon  Zeah  as  treasurer,  and  Peter  Wirsch,  Nicholas 
Maringer  and  Henry  Seibert,  building  committee,  the 
present  church  was  erected.  The  original  dimensions 
were  thirty-five  by  sixty  feet.  The  cost  was  about 
three  thousand  dollars.  I'lie  old  church  was  joined 
to  the  rear  of  the  new  one,  nuAing  a  total  length  of 
one  hundred  feet.  This  now  s-^rves  as  a  sanctuary 
and  sacristy.  The  building  was  finished  in  1863. 
There  is  a  neat  parsonage  in  connection;  and  a  pretty 
brick  school  house,  in  which  school  is  taught  by  the 
pastor.  Rev.  T.  Heidegger,  ten  months  in  the  year. 
The  income  of  the  church  is  thirteen  hundred  dollars 
per  year.  There  is  another  Catholic  church,  at  French 
creek,  but  of  this  we  have  been  unable  to  procure  the 
data  necessary  for  a  history. 

There  was  at  one  time  quite  an  extensive  Congre- 
gational church  in  Avon.  This  has  long  since  ceased 
to  be. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  house  in  Avon  township  was  erected 
in  the  summer  of  1818.  The  material  of  which  it 
was  constructed  was  logs,  and  the  site  was  at  the 
center  of  the  township,  near  the  present  residence  of 
William  Ellison.  The  subsequent  fall,  Larkin  A. 
Williams  began  school  in  this  building.  There  were 
twenty-five  children  in  attendance,  mostly  from  the 


families  of  Cahoon,  Cooper,  Williams  and  Steel. 
From  the  report  of  the  board  of  education  of  Avon 
township,  for  the  year  1878,  we  find  the  present  items 
of  school  interest,  as  follows:  There  are  ten  school 
houses,  which  are  valued,  with  grounds  and  fixtures, 
at  ten  thousand  dollai-s.  The  total  amount  paid  to 
leachers  was  twenty-five  hundred  and  ninety-three 
dollars;  and  the  whole  number  of  youth  of  the  requi- 
site school  age,  four  hundred  and  seventy-seven. 

INDUSTKIAL   PUKSUITS. 

The  first  saw  mill  v/as  erected  on  section  eleven,  in 
the  fall  of  1815,  by  Wilber  Cahoon.  The  waters  of 
French  creek  were  utilized  to  propel  the  rude  ma- 
chinery of  this  mill,  which  was  in  operation  full  fifty 
years;  now  there  is  scarcely  a  vestige  of  it  remaining. 
Another  saw  mill  was  built  on  the  same  stream,  by 
Messrs.  Jameson  &  Hemingway  Brothers,  in  the  year 
1834.     This  is  still  in  operation. 

In  the  summer  of  1818,  Mr.  Cahoon  built  a  srist 
mill  near  the  saw  mill  mentioned  above,  the  water, 
propelling  which,  being  supplied  from  the  same  pond. 
There  were  .two  run  of  stone.  This  mill  was  finally 
abandoned  in  consequence  of  a  scarcity  of  water. 

The  large  steam  flouring  mill  on  French  creek,  now 
in  successful  operation,  was  constructed  by  H.  H. 
Williams  in  1857.  This  is  equipjjed  in  first  class 
style  throughout,  and  has  three  run  of  stone.  The 
engine  is  of  fifty  horse  power.  The  entire  cost  of 
mill,  real  estate  and  machinery  was  eight  thousand 
dollars.  The  steam  saw  mill  adown  Frencii  creek 
was  built  by  Mr.  Williams  the  same  season. 

The  first  cheese  factory  was  erected  on  section 
twenty-eight,  in  about  1865,  by  Messrs.  Jamesons, 
Snow  &  Phelps.  It  was  not  a  success,  and  was  dis- 
continued after  one  season. 

The  "French  Creek  Factory"  was  l)uilt  in  March, 
1875,  by  Wilber  and  Joseph  B.  Cahoon,  on  section 
eleven.  The  first  season  there  were  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  cows  in  contribution.  There  is  at  present 
a  capital  invested  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  Durino- 
the  season  of  1878,  the  milk  of  two  hundred  cows  was 
used. 

C.VERiAGE  Manufactory.— In  the  year  1850, 
John  Benham  came  to  Avon,  and  locating  at  French 
creek,  began  in  a  small  way  the  manufacture  of 
wagons.  This  increased  until  in  1873,  when  the 
business  had  assumed  extensive  proportions.  He 
had  some  twelve  thousand  dollars  invested,  and 
emjiloyed  an  average  of  fourteen  workmen.  He 
manufactures  an  excellent  grade  of  carriages.  The 
depression  of  the  past  few  years  has  materially  effected 
the  business.     He  employs  at  present  six  workmen. 

ancient  fortifications. 

When  the  settlement  was  made  in  Avon,  there  was 
on  the  west  bank  of  French  creek,  on  section  eleven, 
quite  a  remarkable  embankment.  It  was  constructed 
of  stone,  circular  m  form,  of  some  six  or  eight  feet  in 
height,  and  perhaps  four  rods  in  diametei-.     The  stone 


2r(j 


mSTUKY  OF  LOKAIN  COUMTY,  OUIO. 


were  of  small  size,  ami  wure  not  regtilai'ly  laiil,  huf 
wore  ,sini])ly  i)ile(l  up. 

Fai'ther  down  the  crook  was  an  iiniiioiise  mound  of 
st.ono,  tlio  most  romarkablo  foaturo  of  wliioli  was, 
tluit  it  was  composod  of  snuill  sizod  "  oohhlo-hoad  " 
stones,  and  was  located  in  a  jiortion  of  tho  township 
whore  this  kind  o£  stones  do  not  abou<id. 

On  the  ridge,  whore  now  stands  tho  Methodist 
Episco]iaI  church,  were  a  number  of  mounds.  These, 
on  being  opened,  were  found  to  contain  human  bones. 
Those  wore  lovoled  to  the  earth,  and  tho  stones  com- 
prising tho  foi'titications  wore  drawn  away  as  rocpiirod, 
until  nothing  now  remains  to  mark  the  sjiot. 

Agricultural  Statistics  for  1878. 

Wheat,     l.nos  acres a8,a«  bushels. 

Oats,         1,471      "       5U,603 

Corn,         l,.5fi2      "       57,-i55        ■' 

Potatoes.    aOO      "      21.817 

Orchards,  441      "      9,0;« 

Meadow,  .>,51(i      "       2,fl61 

Butter 37,347  pounds. 

Cheese 13,275       " 

Population  in  1870 I,9:i4 

VtjTE  FOR  President  in  1870. 
R.  B.  Hayes KiU  |  .S.  ,1,  Tilden 280 


Biographical  Sketches, 


EDWIN  SNOW. 

Early  tradition  says  throe  brothers  canio  from  Eng- 
land in  the  Mayllowor.  From  them  came  the  ancestor 
of  Edwin  Snow. 

His  grandfather,  Oliver  Snow,  resided  at  Beckett, 
MassachiLsetts;  removing  from  there,  ho  settled  in 
Auburn,  Geauga  county,  Ohio.  About  tlie  year  18'^."), 
he  died  at  Auburn. 

Franklin  Snow,  his  sou,  and  father  of  Edwin  Snow, 
was  born  at  Beckett,  Massachusetts,  January  27,  177!-l. 
His  business  was  farming;  he  married  Miss  Lydia 
Olcott.  Eight  children — five  girls  and  three  sons — 
wore  liorn  to  them.  Mrs.  fjydia  Snow  died  in  1830, 
and  was  Iniried  at  Manilla,,  I'ortage  C(ninty,  Ohio. 

i\Ir.  I''.  Snow  remaining,  had  issue,  one  daughter, 
Hannah  Snow.  Burying  his  second  wife  at  Avon, 
Ohio,  in  ISoO,  he,  respected  by  all,  died  at  Avon, 
Ohio,  in  1803;  aged  eighty-four  years  and  ten  months. 

Edwin  Snow,  son  of  the  above,  was  born  at  Ptirtage 
county,  Ohio,  February  17,  1800.  He  removed  to 
Avon,  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  in  1837.  When  i)urchas- 
iiig  four  hundred  acres  of  laud,  he  commenced  life  as 
a  farmer,  which  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in 
with  great  success;  married,  in  the  year  1843,  to  Julia, 
daughter  of  Trueman  and  Lucy  Lewis,  of  Orango- 
ville,  Wyoming  county.  New  York.  Five  children, 
viz:  Theodore  L.,  Oliver  S.,  Clemon  H.,  Florence 
H.  and  Lucy  L. ,  all  living,  perpetuate  the  many  vir- 
tues of  their  parents. 


Mr.  Snow  has  hoen  honored  by  his  fellow  towns- 
men with  the  oftiee  of  trustee  of  tho  townshij),  and  now 
with  every  comfort  around  him,  ho  looks  back  to  the 
past  with  no  regrets;  to  the  future  for  the  '•All 
Good." 


WILLIAM  HURST. 


William  Hurst  was  born  at  Elkington,  Northamp- 
tonshire, England,  January  7,  180-4.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  June,  1831,  and  was  a  resident  of  Dover, 
Cuyahoga  county,  until  the  year  1834;  he  then  re- 
moved to  Elyria,  and  was  engaged  in  the  townshiii 
Inisiness  for  four  years.  Ho  thence  removed  to  Avon, 
Lorain  county,  whore  he  has  since  resided,  and  was 
engaged  in  farming,  in  which  he  was  enterprising 
and  successful  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  died 
December  G,  1875,  of  paralysis,  aged  seventy-one  years 
and  eleven  months.  He  married  Elizabeth  Town- 
shend  for  his  first  wife;  she  died,  and  he  married 
Lucina  E.  Moon,  September  20,  1837.  She  was  born 
March  33,  1830.  They  had  six  children:  Elizabeth 
S.,  born  August  13,  1838;  she  was  married  to  Edward 
Carter,  August,  1861,  by  whom  she  had  livi'  children; 
she  died  January  34,  1873.  Win.  H.  was  born  April 
33,  1840;  died  October  35,  1844.  Josiah  0.,  born 
May  19,  1843,  died  November  8,  1844.  Lucina  M. 
was  born  November  16,  184.5.  Goo.  W.,  born  Janu- 
ary 30,  1848.  VVm.  0..  born  February  33,  1851, 
was  married  January  19,  187G,  to  Jennie  Hawley,  by 
whom  he  has  one  son,  George  H.,  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 30,  1877.  Mrs.  Lucina  £.,  the  mother,  died 
.lanuarv  35,  1873. 


JOSEPg  SCHWARTZ, 

son  of  the  oldest  German  settler  in  Avon,  Ohio,  tells 
his  own  story  in  the  following  words: 

"My  father,  John  Schwartz,  came  with  my  mother. 
Catliarino,  from  Bavaria,  Germany,  in  1833.  Their 
young  family  consisted  of  five  children,  namely:  Jo- 
se])li,  Anna,  Mary,  Catharine  and  Frederick.  Jly 
father  settled  on  section  thirty-three,  in  Avon,  on  the 
34th  of  December,  1833.  Two  other  persons,  both 
heads  of  families,  accompanied  him,  by  name,  Jacob 
Miller  and  Paul  Faber.  These  were  the  first  and 
only  (Jerman  settlors  that  I  know  of  in  Avon  until 
1840,  when  my  uncle,  Peter  Schwartz,  came  in  with  a 
family  of  seven  persons.  Then  German  settlers  came 
flocking  in.  In  1844,  Trinity  church  was  built  in 
East  Avon."' 

Mr.  Joseph  Schwartz  lived  with  his  father  until  the 
hitter's  death,  in  the  year  1870;  his  mother  having  died 
in  July,  1858.  He  married  Catharine,  daughter  of 
Peter  Kraus.  This  marriage  left  eight  children,  seven 
sous  and  one  daughter,  all  living.     Still  living  on  the 


ALBIN   STICKNEY. 


The  genealogy  of  the  Stickney  family  is  as  follows  : 

Lemuel,  who  is  the  son  of  Solomon,  who  is  the  son  of 
Albin,  who  was  the  son  of  Lemuel,  who  was  the  son  of  Moses, 
who  was  the  son  of  Joseph,  who  was  the  son  of  Benjamin, 
who  was  the  son  of  Benjamin,  who  was  the  son  of  Amos,  who 
was  the  son  of  William,  who  was  the  son  of  William,  who 
was  the  son  of  Robert. 

In  the  county  of  Lincolnshire,  in  England,  is  situated  the 
parish  of  Stickney,  from  which  the  famih-  derives  its  sur- 
name. 

The  first  who  came  to  America  by  this  name  was  William 
Stickney,  who  settled  at  Rowley,  Essex  Co.,  Mass.,  in  1637. 
He  was  born  in  Frampton,  England,  in  l.')92  (the  day  and  date 
not  known),  and  was  baptized  Sept.  6,  1592,  in  St.  Mary's 
Church  at  Frampton.  It  is  not  known  when  he  was  married, 
or  to  whom,  except  that  her  name  was  Elizabeth.  To  them 
were  born  ten  children.  He  died  at  Rowley,  Mass.,  in  1665, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 

His  father,  whose  name  was  also  William,  of  Frampton, 
was  baptized  Dec.  30,  1558,  and  married  Margaret  Pierson, 
June  16,  1585.  His  grandfather's  name  was  Robert.  We 
find  that  he  made  his  will  October  3,  and  was  buried  Oct.  18, 
1.582. 

Amos,  the  second  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Stickney, 
who  emigrated  to  America,  was  born  in  England  about  the 
year  1635,  and  married  Sarah  Morse,  at  Newbury,  Mass., 
June  24,  1663.  He  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  and  set  up  at 
Rowley  the  first  fulling-mill  in  America,  about  the  year  1643. 
To  Amos  Stickney  and  his  wife  Sarah  there  were  born  nine 
children.  He  died  in  Newbury,  Aug.  29,  1678,  at  the  age  of 
forty-three  years. 

Benjamin  Stickney,  the  sixth  son  of  Amos,  was  born  at 
Newbury,  April  4,  1673.  He  married  Mary  Palmer,  June 
16,  1700.  To  him  were  born  eleven  children.  He  died  March 
5,  1756,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

Joseph  Stickney,  the  third  son  of  Benjamin,  was  born  at 
Rowley,  Oct.  8,  1705,  was  baptized  April  1,  1706,  and  was 
married  Dec.  26,  1727,  to  Jane  Pickard,  who  was  born  March 
5,  1704.  She  died,  and  he  was  married  in  Boxford,  Nov.  7, 
1737,  to  Hannah  Goodrich,  who  was  born  in  Newbury,  Feb. 
1,  1712.  By  these  two  wives  he  had  sixteen  children  :  by  his 
first  wife  five,  and  by  his  second  wife  eleven.  He  died  in 
March,  1756,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years. 

Moses,  the  first  son  of  Josepli  and  Jane  Stickney,  was  born 
at  Boxford,  Feb.  11,  1729;  was  married  tliereto  Abigail  Hall, 
Aug,  28,  1750.  He  was  a  private  soldier  in  Captain  William 
Thurlow's  company,  and  served  through  the  Revolutionary 


war.  He  had  eleven  children,  and  died  at  Springfield,  Vt., 
Aug.  11,  1819,  in  the  ninety-first  year  of  his  age. 

Lemuel  Stickney,  the  fifth  son  of  Moses,  was  born  at  Box- 
ford, Feb.  13,  1761 ;  was  married  in  1781  to  Polly  Tomlinson. 
He  settled  in  Cornwall,  Vt.,  where  three  of  his  children  were 
born.  Here  his  wife  died,  and  he  married  for  his  second  wife, 
in  Weybridge,  Addison  Co.,  Vt.,  Martha  Scovill,  who  was 
born  at  Saybrook,  Conn.,  June  14,  1760,  by  whom  he  had 
eight  children,  all  born  at  Weybridge.  He  finally  moved  to 
and  settled  in  Franklin,  Franklin  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died 
May  3,  1842,  at  the  age  of  eight3--one  years. 

Albin  Stickney,  the  second  son  ot  Lemuel,  and  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  at  Cornwall,  Vt,,  Nov.  29,  1786.  He 
served  for  a  time  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  came  to  Madison, 
Ohio,  in  1815,  and  from  there  he  came  to  what  is  now  Avon, 
Lorain  Co.,  Ohio ;  here  he  bought  a  farm  and  settled  in  1817, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death.  He  married  Clarissa  Moon, 
Feb.  1,  1821,  at  Avon.  She  was  born  at  Tyringham,  Mass., 
May  30,  1795,  and  died  at  Avon,  May  3,  1866,  aged  seventy 
years,  Albin  Stickney  was  a  man  of  great  industry  and  per- 
severance, of  moral  integrity,  and  honesty  of  purpose.  He 
accumulated  considerable  property,  and  in  his  later  years 
loaned  money  ;  but  such  were  his  convictions  of  uprightness, 
that  while  money  everywhere  commanded  ten  and  twelve  per 
cent.,  he  never  asked  or  would  receive  but  six  per  cent.,  the 
then  legal  interest.  He  died  Feb.  7,  1867,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
one  years.  They  had  three  children, — Solomon  R.,  born  at 
Avon,  Ohio,  Jan.  22,  1823;  Sarepta  R.,  born  at  Avon,  Ohio, 
June  9,  1826  ;  Sidney  A.,  born  at  Avon,  Ohio,  Oct.  29,  1830. 

Solomon  R.  was  married  to  Catharine  Crow,  Jan  1,  1845. 
To  them  have  been  born  Amos  M.,  Nov.  30,  1846,  who  died 
July  17,  1865;  Clarissa  E.,  born  Aug.  23,  1848,  and  died 
March  1,  1849;  Esther  J.,  born  June  20,  18.50,  and  died  May 
7,  1866  ;  Lemuel  S.,  born  Aug.  2,  1852,  and  married  Josephine 
Mumm,  Oct.  13,  1878;  and  Clarissa  C,  born  July  8,  1864. 
They  now  live  on  the  old  homestead  at  Avon. 

Sarepta  R.,  only  daughter  of  Albin  and  Clarissa  Stickney, 
was  married  at  Avon,  Ohio,  to  Rev.  L.  S.  Johnson,  Aug.  11, 
1844,  by  whom  she  has  five  children, — William  A.,  born 
March  5,  1851;  Albert  W.,  born  Dec.  10,  1854;  Cora  E., 
born  May  7,  1862;  Clarissa  A.,  born  Nov.  25,  1864.  They 
now  live  in  Fairfield,  Huron  Co.,  Ohio. 

Sidney  A.,  youngest  son  of  Albin  and  Clarissa  Stickney,  mar- 
ried Julia  M."  Goldsmith,  July  4,  1852.  To  them  have  been 
born  three  children, — Albin  S.,  born  March  4,  1855;  Eddie 
A.,  born  Feb.  9,  1859,  and  died  July  25,  1860;  Martha  H., 
born  June  17,  1875.     They  live  at  Avon, Lorain  Co.,  Ohio. 


JOSEPH    SCHWARTZ. 


/ 


E.G. MOON. 


Or  TRHMAN    B.  DAILEY 


f*Horos   Bv    Lee.  Ely^ia.Ohio. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


277 


old  homestead,  a  meiuboi-  of  the  Geniian  Catholic 
chureli,  with  liis  dear  old  wife,  always  and  ever 
atteiidin,^-  to  tlie  farm  and  its  interests,  refnsing 
always  any  tender  of  olhee  from  his  fellow  citizens, 
lie  is  a  striking  example  of  what  Gerniau  tlirift  may 
(hi  for  a  man. 


ELBRIDGE  G.  MOON. 

Jacob  Moon,  wlio  lived  at  Lennox,  ]\[ass. ,  was  the 
fatiier  of  Colonel  Abrahani  Moon,  wlio  was  born  ar 
ijennox,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  in  1790.  He  came 
to  Troy  (now  Avon),  this  county,  in  the  spring  of 
1816,  when  he  commenced  the  stern  realities  of  fron- 
tier life.  He  bought  and  cleared  u[)  a,  farm  on  which 
he  lived  until  his  death.  In  1830  he  was  married  to 
Teressa  Durand,  who  was  born  in  1S03.  To  them 
were  born  live  children:  Elbridge  (!.  was  born  March 
5,  1823  ;  Selim  born  in  1824  and  died  in  1838  ;  Dewit 
C.,  born  October  15,  1835,  and  died  January  14,  1861; 
Cordelia  Q.,  born  June,  1837  ;  Stern  W.,  born  No- 
vember 5,  1839.  Col.  Abraham  Moon  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1831.  Elbridge  G.  Moon  was  married  on 
the  29th  day  of  Uecember,  1844,  to  Ann  Eliza  Wilder, 
who  was  born  March  38,  1835,  at  Bristol,  Onta- 
rio county,  N.  Y.  To  them  were  born  Russel  E., 
I)ecember31,  1845;  Durand  D.,  November  5,  1854; 
C.  Bell,  August  11,  1857.  Dewit  C.  married  Mary  J. 
Davis,  October,  1853.  They  had  one  son  and  four 
daughters.  Cordelia  Q.  married  Ezra  Jackson,  Dc- 
ceudjer  39,  1S44.  Theyliavo  had  three  sons  and  foul' 
daughters.  Stern  W.  married  Ann  C.  Hicks,  in  the 
spring  of  1858.  They  have  one  daughter  born  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1861.  Mrs.  Terresa  D.  Moon,  the  mother 
of  Elbridge,  died  at  Avon,  December  3d,  1877,  aged 
74  j'ears.  Russel  E.,  eldest  son  of  Elbridge,  married 
Rachel  Orum,  February  16,  1873.  They  have  Ger- 
trude E.,  born  January  30,  1873;  Myra  B.,  born 
December,  1874;  Morris  R.,  Novendjer,  1876;  May 
S.,  l)orn  April,  1878. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  farmer,  having  in- 
herited the  farm  from  his  father,  it  being  a  part  of 
the  original  homestead.  He  has  constantly  improve<l 
it  until  he  has  built  up  for  himself  and  family  a 
beautiful  home.  He  excels  as  a  horticulturist  and 
stock  raiser,  the  Jerseys  being  his  especial  pets.  As 
a  man,  neighbor,  citizen  and  christian,  he  ranks  high 
in  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 


DR.  TRUMAN  B.  DAILEY. 

Elijah  Dailey,  the  grandfather  of  Dr.  Dailey,  emi- 
grated when  a  boy,  with  his  father's  family,  from  Ire- 
land to  Massachusetts,  about  1750.     He  went  into  the 


revolutiomxry  war  at  its  commencement,  and  con- 
tinued until  its  close.  He  was  at  the  defense  of  Bos- 
ton and  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  died  about 
1837,  at  Potsdam,  New  York.  His  son  Benjamin 
was  born  at  Cambridge,  Massacliusetts,  in  1780.  He 
married  Jane  Moe,  m  Essex,  Essex  county,  Vermont, 
in  1803.  She  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  in  1785, 
and  died  in  1871,  at  the-  age  of  eighty-six  years. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  ; 
one  who  lived  to  do  his  neighbors  good.  He  set  a  just 
value  upon  his  labor,  and  estimated  and  regulated  tlie 
sale  of  his  ])rodncts  accordingly ;  for  instance,  he 
estimated  that  he  could  produce  hay  for  six  dollars 
per  ton.  If  Ihe  [irice  was  below  that  he  would  not 
sell  ;  if  above,  no  matter  how  much,  he  would  only 
ask  that,  and  would  I'eccive  no  more;  so  with  all  his 
other  products.  He  would  not,  however,  sell  to  spec- 
ulators, only  to  those  who  needed  it  for  their  own 
consumption.  He  came  from  Essex,  Vermont,  to 
Potsdam,  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  about  the 
year  1807,  at  which  place  he  bought  and  cleared  up  a 
farm,  on  which  he  lived  until  his  death.  He  served 
as  a  soldier  througli  the  war  of  1813,  and  died  in  1873, 
at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years.     He  had  ten  children. 

Dr.  T.  B.  Dailey,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  lived 
with  his  father  on  the  farm,  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  working  on  the  farm  during  the  sum- 
mer, attending  the  St.  Lawrence  academy  in  the  fall, 
and  teaching  in  the  winter.  He  graduated  at  the  St. 
Lawrence  academy  in  the  twenty-tirst  year  of  his  age, 
at  which  time  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
at  Madrid,  St.  Lawrence  county,  with  Drs.  Pierce 
and  Manley,  with  whom  he  studied  two  years,  teach- 
ing school  winters.  In  the  spring  of  1844  he  came 
to  Dover,  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio.  Here  he  contin 
ued  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Jason  Peab(jdy, 
his  uncle.  He  remained  with  him  two  years,  and 
finally  graduated  at  the  Cleveland  medical  college, 
in  March.  1846. 

In  1847  he  settled  at  Avon.  Lorain  county,  where 
he  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  soon  by 
his  untiring  industry  and  ]ierseverauce,  built  up  a 
large  practice.  He  educated  himself,  and  liy  his  own 
energy  and  integrity,  has  won  an  lionoralilc  name  in 
the  community  in  which  he  lives  and  may  justly  be 
said  to  be  a  sclf-nuide  man. 

He  was  married  to  Laura  A.  Rogers,  at  Avon,  April 
5tli,  1848,  by  whom  he  had  three  chddren  :  Jamin, 
born  January  Cth,  1849  ;  Ezra,  born  September  3d, 
1851,  and  died  April  1st,  1853  ;  Leslie,  born  .January 
39,  185.'5,  and  died  October  8th,  1853.  His  wife, 
Laura  A.,  died  July  3d,  1853.  lie  mari'ied  a  second 
time,  his  choice  being  Martha  Ballon,  March  36, 
1854. 

He  united  with  the  M.  E.  CUiurch  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  vears,  and  has  ever  continued  a  living 
working  member. 

He  still  lives  at  Avon,  this  county,  where  he  has  a 
large  medical  practice  and  a  host  of  friends. 


HUNTINGTON 


TowNsiiii'  number  two,  in  the  eif(litcentli  r;inn;e,  is 
bouiKleil  on  the  north  by  Wellington  townshij),  on 
the  sonth  by  Sullivan  township,  Ashland  county,  on 
the  east  by  Spencer  township.  Medina  county,  and  on 
the  west  by  Rochester.  The  surface  is  generally 
level,  except  along  the  streams,  which  are  of  but 
slight  importance.  They  arc  as  follows:  Wellington 
creek,  which  rises  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  town- 
siiip,  a  short  distance  south  of  the  center  line,  and 
flowing  an  almost  due  north  course,  crossing  the 
township  line  a  short  distance  east  of  the  center,  on 
lot  seven;  Charlemont  creek  has  its  rise  on  or  near 
the  south  line  of  the  township,  and  near  the  south- 
east corner.  The  course  of  this  stream  is  slightly  east 
of  south,  passing  into  Wellington  township  on  lot 
thirty-two.  These  streams  are  tributary  to  the  west 
branch  of  Black  river.  Tlie  soil  is  clay,  Ijut,  when 
suitably  tilled,  ])r<>duces  large  crops  of  all  kinds  of 
grain,  and  is  especially  good  for  grass. 

ORIGINAL    PROPRIETORSHIP. 

The  original  owners  by  deed  from  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut, were  Oliver  Sheldon,  Simeon  (iriswold, 
John  Cowles,  Benjamin  Kent  and  others.  Joseph 
Sage,  Skinner,  Bowles,  and  a  number  of  persons 
whose  names  are  not  in  oui'  possession,  soon  became 
large  proprietors  by  purchase.  Tiie  lands  selected  by 
Joseph  Sage  were  situated  in  the  southwest  (juarter  of 
the  townsliip.  ami  here  was  made  tlie  i)i()neer 

SETTLEMENT. 

In  the  yeai-  1818,  Joseph  Sage  induced  several  fami- 
lies to  emigrate  from  their  old  homes  in  the  cast,  with 
a  view  to  cultivate  for  themselves  farms  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  the  Western  Reserve.  The  first  to  make  the 
venture  was  a  son-in  law  of  Mr.  Sage,  John  Jjaborie. 
The  place  of  his  nativity  was  Huntington,  Fairfield 
county,  Connecticut,  and  the  date  of  leaving  for  Ohio 
was  February  12,  1818.  In  the  company  were  Joseph 
Sage,  Mr.  Laborie,  his  wife  and  two  children,  four 
young  men  and  a  hired  man.  They  started  in  a 
sleigh,  and  found  snow  in  abundance  until  reaching 
Hudson,  tiieu  in  Portage  county,  at  which  point  they 
arrived  four  weeks  after  beginning  the  toilsome  jour- 
ney. The  weather  was  severe;  the  coldest  known. 
At  Buffalo,  the  snow  was  drifted  to  the  chamber  win- 
dows, and  had  not  thawed  a  jiarticle  for  seventeen 
days.  Much  of  the  journey  from  this  point  to  Ohio 
was  made  on  the  ice.  When  they  reached  Hudson, 
Mrs.  Laborie  was  too  unwell  to  proceed  further,  and 
a  halt  was  made  until  she  had  sufficiently  recovered 


to  resume  the  journey.  Tliey  left  Stow  township  on 
Monday,  March  1511),  and  journeyed  on  much  of  the 
way  through  the  dense  forest,  with  nothing  but  an 
occasional  marked  tree  to  guide  them. 

On  arriving  at  Westfield,  they  put  u|)  at  Mr. 
Brainard's,  then  oecupynig  a  small  log  house,  of  l)ut 
one  room,  and  this  was  occupied  by  four  families. 
The  addition  of  the  ten  jiersons  comprising  our  party, 
filled  the  little  cabin  to  overflowing;  but  a  big  heart, 
full  of  hospitality,  made  everything  seem  quite  com- 
fortable. Arriving  in  Sullivan  township,  they  took 
up  their  abode  in  a  little  log  house,  built  by  Henry 
Chase.  This  was  a  distance  of  one  and  one-half  miles 
from  the  lands  selected  in  Huntington  township. 
"They  rested  that  night  as  emigrants  of  to-day  know 
nothing  about."  The  house  was  a  cheerless  affair, 
without  chimney,  door  or  windows;  and  the  wide 
spaces  between  the  logs,  not  being  chinked,  afforded 
easy  access  for  the  clouds  of  snow  which  the  furious 
March  winds  sent  whirling  through  the  air.  Here 
the  family  remained  until  a  log  house  had  been  con- 
structed. This  was  on  lot  nineteen,  tract  two.  The 
family  moved  into  it  on  April  13th.  As  the  weather 
was  fine,  and  the  men  anxious  to  get  a  piece  of  ground 
ready  for  planting,  the  floor  was  not  put  down,  or 
dooi',  windows  and  chimneys  constructed,  until  sev- 
eral weeks  later.  As  it  was  impossible  to  procure 
straw  for  beds,  the  dry  leaves  were  used  instead,  and 
it  is  said  they  made  a  good  substitute.  Provisions 
were  scarce,  especially  meat,  and  although  deer,  tur- 
keys and  other  game  were  plenty,  yet  at  this  season  of 
the  year  they  were  too  poor  to  eat.  About  May  1st, 
Mr.  Sage  went  to  Worthington,  near  Columbus,  to 
purchase  stock;  and  being  gone  longer  than  was  ex- 
pected, the  pi'ovisions  became  exhausted,  except  a 
small  quantity  of  Indian  meal,  and  the  bran  from  a 
bushel  of  wheat;  this  was  mixed  with  water  and  baked 
into  a  loaf,  and  on  this  diet  the  family  subsisted  for 
some  three  weeks,  but  at  length  the  needed  supplies 
arrived.  Wooster,  in  Wayne  county,  was  the  nearest 
village,  and  to  this  point  our  settlers  were  obliged  to 
go  to  find  a  store,  grist  mill,  post  office  or  blacksmith 
shop.  The  family  of  IMr.  Laborie  are:  Sarah,  born 
in  Milford,  Connecticut;  she  came  to  Ohio,  and  died 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  Anthony,  who  was  a 
mere  babe  when  the  family  settled  in  Huntington, 
married  Laura  A.  Darry;  they  have  six  children, 
and  live  on  tract  two.  Jane,  who  was  born  in  Ohio, 
became  the  wife  of  William  Kelsey;  they  live  in 
Williams  county,  this  State,  and  have  five  children. 
Myra  married   William  S.    Preston;  they  have  four 

(278) 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


379 


cliiklrcn,  ;iud  live  on  fcnict  oue.  Charlotte  married 
William  II.  Howard;  they  reside  in  Rochester  town- 
sliiji,  this  county,  and  have  six  children.  Emily 
married  (iideon  Bliss;  they  went  on  a  visit  to  Ver- 
mont, and  died  soon  after.  James  married  Louisa 
Cook,  and  lives  on  tract  three,  they  have  one  child. 
Perry  married  Mary  A.  Cole  (deceased);  and  Alzina, 
the  youngest,  married  Edwin  \V.  Williams;  they  have 
four  children,  and  reside  on  tract  two.  John  Ijaliorie 
is  dead.  The  aged  widow  yet  resides  in  the  township 
of  which  she  was  the  pioneer  white  woman.  She  has 
rendered  us  material  aid  in  mir  laliors,  for  which  our 
thanks  are  tendered. 

The  following  June,  Isaac  Sage  a  hrother  of  Joseph 
arrived,  and  hegan  settlenrent  about  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  south  of  Laborie's.  His  family  consisted  of  a 
wife  and  the  following  children:  Charles  who  mar- 
ried Anna  Rice,  deceased;  Polly  who  married  John 
Mnnson,  deceased;  Lucetta  who  married  John  Cros- 
by, and  lives  in  Huntington;  Alzina  married  M.  Rice, 
deceased;  Isaac  married  LucindaCase,  also  dead,  and 
Jackson  who  is  the  only  living  male  representative 
of  the  family.     He  lives  in  Huntington. 

The  subsequent  September  Benjamin  and  Oliver 
Rising  arrived  from  ('onnecticut,  and  made  a  loca- 
tion about  oue  mile  south  of  tlie  center.  Isaac  Sage 
soon  exchanged  his  first  location  for  hands  near  the 
Rising's. 

A  few  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  Messrs.  Rising, 
Daniel  Tillotson  and  family  put  in  an  appearance  at 
the  settlement.  A  brother,  Ira  and  D.  C.  Hickok 
arrived  early  the  following  winter,  and  were  soon  fol- 
lowed by  Henry  R.  Ferris,  Capt.  Timothy  Culver 
who  settled  one  mile  north  of  the  center;  Captain 
Chauncey  Barker  and  Capt.  Benjamin  Banning.  The 
former  settled  on  lands  some  half  a  mile  south  of 
Isaac  Sage's  son;  Barker  located  near  John  Laborie's. 
Joseph  Sage  returned  East,  and  soon  came  on  with 
his  family,  which  consisted  of  a  wife,  Sarah  Kelsey 
Sage,  and  the  following  children:  Philomela,  wife 
of  Chauncey  Barker,  deceased;  Myra  who  married 
George  Case,  deceased;  Marilla  who  married  John 
Laborie;  her  husband  is  dead,  and  she  now  lives  witb 
a  son,  James,  in  Huntington  township;  JIarlo  P. 
who  married  Jusan  Mallory;  she  died,  and  he  married 
again;  he  is  a  minister  of  the  Univeralist  faith,  and 
lives  on  the  old  homestead.  Two  or  three  gi-and- 
children  also  came  with  Mr.  Sage's  family,  and 
Thomas  H.  Case;  Erastus  Royce  came  about  the  same 
time.  Zenas  Kelsey  and  several  sons  purchased  land 
of  Joseph  Sage,  and  settled  thereon.  The  following 
persons  settled  north  of  the  center:  David  Rogers, 
Zelotus  North,  Dudley  Lewis,  Daniel  Chapman, 
William  Lang  and  John  Chapman. 

Of  Reuel  Lang,  another  pioneer  of  Huntington,  we 
learn  that  the  place  of  his  nativity  was  Epson,  Merri- 
mac  county,  New  Hampshire.  In  1818,  he  began  to 
learn  the  cabinet  maker's  trade,  in  his  native  State, 
and  on  completing  it,  started  with  a  horse  and  wagon 
for  the  west;  stopping  for  a  time  in  Allegheny  county. 


Pennsylvania,  where  he  made  a  set  of  tools  from  a 
beech  tiee,  which  had  been  used  as  a  whipping  post, 
in  the  days  when  Pennsylvania  was  a  slave  state,  and 
by  the  way,  these  tools  are  now,  nearly  all  of  them, 
in  his  possession.  After,  ])erha])S,  two  years,  he  came 
on  horseback  to  Ohio,  bringing  his  effects  with  him. 

At  Springfield,  Portage  comity,  this  State,  he 
engaged  to  make  some  furniture  for  Jesse  llart,  who 
had  just  completed  a  large  brick  house,  and  while 
engaged  in  prosecuting  the  labors  of  his  trade,  he 
became  conscious  of  a  new  sensation.  lie  fVdl  in  love. 
Amy,  the  fair  daughter  of  his  employer,  was  the  ob- 
ject of  his  devotion.  They  were  married  January 
30,  1833.  The  following  spring,  they  settled  in 
Elyria.  Here  he  built  a  house,  and  remained  for  one 
year,  when  he  removed  to  Huntington  township, 
where  he  lived  until  a  few  years  since.  He  now  lives 
in  Wellington  village.  Mr.  Lang  was  for  many  years 
a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  was  always  a  strong  anti-slavery  man,  and  in  con- 
sequence of  the  connection  of  the  church  with  the 
institution  of  slavery,  he  withdrew,  and  assisted  in 
forming  a  Wesleyan  Methodist  church,  of  which  he 
was  an  official  member  until  it  disbanded. 

Their  children  are  as  follows:  Josiah  B.,  who 
married  Losena  M.  Chapman,  and  lives  in  Welling- 
ton; (to  this  gentleman  we  are  under  obligations 
for  much  of  the  matter  contained  in  this  history); 
Jesse  H.,  married  Mary  E.  Fitch,  lives  in  Oberlin; 
Cyrus,  died  in  181:7;  Charles  R.,  died  in  1840; 
Louisa  M.,  married  P.  S.  Wright,  and  lives  in  Michi- 
gan; Esther  A.,  married  C.  W.  Horr,  Esq.,  and  lives 
in  Wellington;  Olive  A.  married  Dr.  M.  B.  Lnkins, 
and  lives  in  Cleveland;  George  L.,  married  Lizzie 
Viles,  and  lives  in  Dennisoii,  Ohio;  and  Merrill  W., 
married  Mary  L.  Cook;  she  died,  and  he  married  Etta 
Root.     He  lives  in  Wellington. 

Abiier  Chapman,  wife,  Olive  Fisher  Chapman,  and 
a  family  of  six  children,  came  from  Montgomery, 
Hamden  county,  Massachusetts,  and  settled  in  Hunt- 
ington township  in  1833.  They  located  ou  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  Lucius  Walker.  Six  children 
remained  at  the  East;  after  a  time,  two  settled  in 
Troy,  Geauga  county,  Ohio.  Those  who  came  with 
the  parents  to  Iluntingtou  were:  Abner,  Jr.,  who 
marled  Eliza  A.  Cone,  and  now  lives  in  Huntington, 
(of  his  six  children,  there  are  now  living:  Paul,  who 
married  Margaret  Case,  lives  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania; 
Lucien  H.,  who  marrried  Deette  G.  Phelon,  lives  in 
Rochester  ou  lot  five,  has  five  children;  and  Agnes  E., 
who  married  J.  T.  Haskell,  and  lives  with  her  par- 
ents); William  F.,  married  Rowena  Babcock, — they 
have  five  children;  one  son  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Antietam;  Eunice,  married  Lyman  West,  and  lives  at 
Lansing,  Michigan;  Huldah,  married  J.  Crosby  Lang 
— she  is  deceased;  J.  Austin,  married  Isabel  Lindsey, 
lives  in  Wellington;  and  Eemline,  married  Edmond 
West,  and  lives  in  Huntington. 

Delos  Phelon,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  came 
to   Huntington   from    Cooperstown,    New   York,    in 


280 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


18.'53.  He  was  tlion  in  tlie  forward iri!^  and  commis- 
sion l)iisiness  at.  Black  River.  He  located  at  the 
center  of  the  township,  where  he  still  resides,  lie 
has  five  children:  D.inii'l  W.,  Joseph,  Deette,  Tasso 
D.  and  Mary. 

The  history  of  the  settlement  has  l)een  gleaned 
from  every  availaljle  source,  and  is  helieved  to  be  sub- 
stantially correct.  Should  there  be  errors  or  omis- 
sions, the  memory  of  man  is  alone  responsible  Tor 
them. 

INDIANS. 

Scattering  mi'mbcrs  of  the  Wyandot  and  Seneca 
Indians  were  frequent  in  (his  vicinity  when  the  settle- 
ment was  made.  'J'liey  came  only  during  the  hunting 
season  and  made  their  linme  further  west.  In  about 
1828  they  look  l.licir  linal  dcpai'turc  fi-oni  the 
township. 

KAIU.Y    EVENTS. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  the  townshiii  of 
Huntington  was  a  son  to  Mr.  and  Mi's.  Daniel 
Tillotson;  the  date  December,  1818.  This  child  was 
named  Enos,  but  of  his  subsequent  cai'eer  we  know 
nothing.  The  following  January,  ]?enjamin  Rising 
was  l)orn.  The  first  death  was  an  infant  son 
of  John  and  Marilla  Laboi'ie,  born  in  March,  1819. 
The  little  stranger  lived  but  sixteen  days. 

The  first  adult  death  was  that  of  lienjaniin 
I'anuing.  The  body  was  intci-rod  in  the  orchard  just 
south  of  his  late  residence. 

The  townshij)  contains  two  cemeteries;  one  on  the 
former  farm  nf  .Joseph  Sage,  which  was  jirivate 
property  until  a  few  years  since,  when  it  was  con- 
veyed; the  other,  just  north  of  the  center,  was  a  gift 
from  Jesse  Johnson  and  afterwards  enlarged  by  a 
gift  from  Captain  Henry  Tracy,  and  a  further  addi- 
tion by  i)urchase  from  Reuel  Lang.  The  first 
interment  in  the  cemetery  at  the  center  was  a  child  of 
11.  M.  Humphrey;  the  first  adult  buried  there  was 
Welcome  Hart,  a  bother  of  Mrs.  Reuel  Lang.  The 
first  coui)le  married  in  Huntington  was  Miss  Polly 
Sage  to  Mr.  John  Mnnson,  of  Harrisonville.  This 
event  occurred  on  .lanuary  fii-st  in  the  year  1S50; 
Henry  H.  Close,  justice  of  the  jjeace.  performed  the 
ceremony.  This  e<mi)le  are  now  both  deceased.  The 
second  marriage  was  a  daughter  of  Captain  Timothy 
'Culver 

The  first  franu^  Imilding  was  put  up  by  Isaac  Sage, 
for  a  barn.  It  sto'id  near  the  present  residence  of 
li.  P.  Sage. 

The  first  frame  house  was  erected  by  Reuel  Lung, 
nearly  opposite  the  present  ivsidenceof  Edmond  West. 

The  first  store  was  put  in  operation  by  Isaac  Sage. 
•Ir.  We  Inive  not  the  date.  Following  are  the  na,mes 
of  all  who  have  represented  the  mercantile  interest  in 
Huntington  township:  Hiram  Rogers,  Allen  Taylor, 
D.  Phelon,  T.  H.  Case,  Nathan  Cone,  B.  G.  Carpen- 
ter, L.  S.  Gibbs,  A.  P.  Parks,  A.  H.  Messenger, 
Messrs.  Gibbs  &  Whiton,  J.  &  P.  Laborie,  R.  A. 
Horr,  J.  B.  Laug,  T.  G.  Haines,  and  A.  J,  Burrell 


who  is  proi»rietor  of  the    p/esent  store.      He  is  also 
postmaster. 

Isaac  Sage,  Jr.,  opened  the  first  jMiblic  house  in  the 
township.  His  sign  read,  "Isaac  Sage  Inn."  He 
was  followed  by  Darius  Perkins,  T.  H.  Case  and  sev- 
eral others.  There  has  never  been  a  saloon  in  the 
townshij),  nor  has  liquor  been  sold  excci)t  at  the  hotels. 
The  Huntington  House  is  the  only  hotel  in  the  town- 
ship.     I).  Wideman  is  the  present  proprietor. 

OKGANIZATION. 

In  August,  1832,  the  commissioners  of  Medina 
county,  to  which  Ifuntinglon  then  belonged,  incorpo- 
rated the  township  by  the  name  it  now  bears.  It  de- 
rived its  name  fr(jm  Huntington,  Connecticut,  the 
former  home  of  John  Ijaborie.  Notice  was  issued  to 
the  (pialified  electors  to  meet  at  the  school  honse  in 
said  township,  on  the  first  Monday  of  September,  and 
then  and  there  proceed  to  organize,  by  electing  the 
necessary  township  ottioers  re([uired  by  law. 

In  accordance  with  said  notice,  they  met,  and  it  was 
agreed  that  Joseph  Sage,  Henry  R.  Ferris,  and  Isaac 
Sage,  should  act  as  judges,  and  Oliver  Rising  and 
David  C.  Hickok,  clerks.  The  result  of  the  election 
was  as  follows:  Josejih  Sage,  Henry  R.  Ferris  and 
Benjamin  Banning,  trustees;  Isaac  Sage,  clerk;  David 
C.  Hickok,  treasurer;  John  Chapman  and  Charles  R. 
Sage,  fence  viewers;  Isaac  Sage  and  John  Chapman, 
supervisors,  John  Laborie  and  Benjamin  Banning, 
overseers  of  the  poor,  Benjamin  Itising  and  John 
Laborie,  listers  and  appraisers.  The  entire  number 
of  electors  at  this  time  numbered  fifteen. 

The  township  oflScers  for  1878,  are,  Edward  West, 
James  Laborie  and  Elbert  F.  Chapman,  tru.stees;  A. 
J.  Burrell,  clerk;  James  A.  Newton,  treasurer;  C. 
W.  Johnson,  assessor;  S.  J.  Perkins  and  Putnam 
Griggs,  constables;  N.  B.  (iriggs  and  J.  F.  Haskell, 
justices  of  the  peace,  and  fifteen  supervisors. 

Jose]ili  Sage  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace; 
electeil  October  14,  182,3.  He  was  succeeded,  in  182(!, 
bj'  Benjamin  l>anning,  who  died  before  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  office,  and  Henry  Ferris  was  elected  to 
fill  the  vacancy.  A  second  justice  of  the  peace  was  au- 
thorized April  15,  183;).  Samuel  Smith  -was  elected, 
butr  not  l)eing  eligible,  .lohn  (r.  CMark  was  elected  in 
his  place. 

CHURCHES. 

THE    JIETIIODIST    EPISCOPAL    ('lU'RCH. 

The  first  religious  meetings  were  helil  in  the  log 
school  house  spoken  of  in  connection  with  the  schools, 
by  tht^  Rev.  Nathan  Smith,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Pittsfield  township.  Frequent  meetings  were  after- 
wards held  in  this  house,  and  for  want  of  a  minister, 
Isaac  Sage  generally  read  a  sermon.  The  first  chureh 
organized  was  that  of  the  Methodist;  we  have  been  un- 
able to  procure  the  date.  This  class  was  composed  of 
the  following  members:  Capt.  Timothy  Culver  and 
wife,  H.  R.  Ferris  and  wife,  and  Amanda  Culver. 
This  church  was  organized  by  the  Rev.  James  Mur- 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


281 


ray.  Tliey  occiqiied  the  school  house  for  many  years. 
In  18-t7  they  purchased  a  lot,  and  soon  afterwards 
erected  thereon  their  present  church  edifice.  This 
church  cost  complete  some  two  tliousaiid  dollars;  the 
l)arsouage  connected  with  this  church  was  purchased 
in  1876  at  a  cost  of  seven  hundred  dollars;  the  present 
membership  is  ninety.  Tlie  churcli  officers  are  Lewis 
Cann,  Lyman  June  and  William  Haskins,  leaders; 
John  Snow,  Carlos  Rogers,  Asel  Nooney  and  Edson 
Clark,  stewards.  The  Sabbath  school  of  this  society 
numbers  eighty  scholars;  Joseph  Haskell,  superintend- 
ent. We  have  been  unable  to  procure  a  complete  list 
of  tiie  ministers  who  have  presided  over  this  church. 
The  following  are  a  portion  of  them:  Rev.  William 
Reynolds,  —  Thompson,  —  Matlock,  Chester  L. 
P^oot,  James  Hartley,  C.  A.  Reeder,  —  Hurd,  Uri 
Richards,  James  Haldeman,  L.  F.  Ward,  G.  W. 
Pepper,  —  Card,  T.  .T.  Guard,  Simeon  Dunbar,  Tracy 
L.  Waite,  Herman  SaUord, — Spafiford,  0.  Pierce  and 
the  present  pastor,  James  F.  Smith. 

THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

was  constituted  by  a  council  convened  December  13, 
A.  D.  Ls;j3.  and  consisted  of  the  following  members: 
Abner  Cliajjman,  Olive  Chapman,  Abner,  Jr.,  Wil- 
liam F.,  Eunice,  and  Huldah  Chapman,  Jonathan 
and  Esther  Niles,  Jesse  Johnson,  and  Reuben  T. 
Pierce.  The  right  hand  of  fellowship  was  extended 
by  Elder  James  Newton.  The  first  year  of  its  exist- 
ence, the  membership  increased  to  twenty.  This  is 
now  a  large  and  flourishing  church.  The  church 
had  no  regular  or  convenient  place  of  worship,  but 
assembled  a  part  of  the  time  at  the  center  school 
house,  which  stood  where  the  Baptist  meeting  house 
now  stands,  and  a  part  of  the  time  at  the  dwelling  of 
Jesse  Johnson;  preaching  one-fourth  or  one-half  of 
tiie  time  by  ministers  living  at  a  distance,  and  some- 
times dependent  upon  ministei's  for  occasional  sup- 
plies. In  the  month  of  January,  1840,  the  church 
and  community  were  greatly  blessed  through  the 
labors  of  Elders  Simmons  and  Matthews,  who  were 
sent  out  by  the  missionary  board  of  the  Lorain  Bap- 
tist Association.  It  has  not,  perhaps,  been  exceeded 
by  any  revival  in  this  township,  before  or  since.  The 
church  strengthened  and  encouraged,  secured  and 
Continued  a  pastor  for  two  years,  one-half  of  the  time. 
The  present  church  edifice  was  erected  during  the 
year  1813.  It  was  not,  however,  fully  completed  un- 
til several  years  later.  Rev.  James  Newton  com- 
menced his  laliors  in  the  spring  of  1834,  and  preached 
one-fourth  of  the  time,  for  fifty  dollars  a  year.  He 
lived  in  Milton,  Wayne  county,  a  distance  of  nearly 
forty  miles.  Rev.  Mr.  Mack  followed  him.  Mr. 
Newton's  successors,  as  far  as  we  have  been  able 
to   trace   them,    are   as    follows :      Rev.    Mr.    Wait, 

Frederick  Freeman,  B.  Hill,  James  Becknell, 

Skinner,  S.  Dimick,  Levi  Farnsworth,  M.  W.  Alfred, 
James  Goodrich,  S.  S.  Woodworth,  J.  T.  Smith,  S. 
D.  Bowker.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Asa  Fox. 
Jonathan  Niles  was  the  first  deacon,  and  Abner  Chap- 

36 


man,  Jr.,  clerk.  The  present  officers  are,  W^.  F. 
Chapman  and  James  Rogers,  deacons;  N.  B.  Griggs, 
clerk  and  treasurer;  (this  gentleman  has  written  a 
sketch  of  the  church,  from  which  we  have  derived 
much  of  interest);  Elbert  F.  Chapman,  A.  J.  Sage, 
and  Jasper  West,  trustees.  Elbert  F.  Chapman  is 
superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school.  The  numlier 
of  children  in  attendance  averages  fifty. 

THE  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

and  society  was  organized  May  1,  1839,  with  the  fol- 
lowing members:  Spencer  Clark,  Julius  C.  Mead, 
Beckford  Lang,  Otis  Boice,  David  L.  Lang,  Allen 
Taylor,  Erastus  Clark,  Darius  Perkins,  and  M.  L. 
Sage,  who  was  the  clerk;  and  Otis  Boice,  deacon. 
Nearly  all  of  the  above  were  married  men,  and  their 
wives  were  also  members  of  the  church. 

The  following  summer,  they  built  a  large  two-story 
frame  building,  at  the  south,  and  facing  the  public 
square  at  the  center  of  the  township.  The  upper 
story  was  finished,  and  used  as  a  place  of  worship 
until  1849,  when  the  present  church  was  erected. 
President  Asa  Mahan  preached  to  this  church  a  short 
time,  in  fact  until  Rev.  Joel  Talcott,  who  was  its  first 
resident  pastor,  was  engaged.  For  many  years  this 
church  flourished  and  increased  in  numbers,  but  the 
summit  of  prosijerity  was  reached,  and  then  came  the 
decline.  Gradually  tlie  ranks  were  decimated  by 
death  and  removal,  until  at  jiresent  the  membership 
is  very  small  and  they  have  no  stated  pastor. 

THE    UNIVERSALIST   CHURCH 

have  held  an  organization  in  the  southwest  portion  of 
the  township  foi'  many  years,  meeting  in  the  school 
house  in  that  locality.  In  1877  they  erected  a  neat 
chapel.  This  cost  twelve  hundred  dollars.  It  was 
dedicated  on  the  17th  day  of  January,  1878,  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Abel.  Rev.  William  P.  Burnell  is  the 
present  minister.  The  membership  is  twenty-five. 
There  is  a  Sabbath  school  in  connection.  Lewis 
Boice,  sujierintendent;  Hiram  Tillotson,  Sylvester 
Boice  and  Madison  Andrews,  trustees  of  the  church. 

THE    WBSLEYAN    METHODIST    CHURCH 

was  organized  in  the  southeast  jiart  of  the  township, 
in  the  year  1844,  and,  soon  after,  l)uilt  a  comfortable 
church.  Among  its  first  members  were  Reuel  Lanof 
and  wife,  John  T.  Chapman  and  wife,  J.  W.  Wilbur, 
Sr.,  and  wife,  Joseph  Ferris  and  wife,  Amos  Foote 
and  wife,  .Jolin  Young  and  wife,  and  a  number  of 
others.  The  church  prospered  for  a  few  years,  but 
finally,  many  of  its  members  having  removed  to  other 
localities,  the  organization  ceased,  and  tlie  church 
edifice  was  converted  into  a  cheese  factory. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The  first  who  settled  in  Huntington  was  John 
Quigley,  now  a  prominent  minister  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  George  E.  Conant  was  the  next 
doctor   to   locate   here.      He  remained   a  few  years 


•^83 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


and  removed  to  Wisoonsiu.  Dr.  Clark  Ciiiiie  uext, 
and  practiced  for  a  short  time.  He  was  succeeded  by 
E.  B.  Pritchard,  who  remained  a  longer  time  than 
any  of  his  predecessors.  Several  others  have,  from 
time  to  time,  occupied  the  field;  among  tliese  were 
Harrington,  Green,  Alfred  Paige,  Stewart,  AVm.  R. 
Elder  and  Bigelow.  The  field  is  now  occupied  liy 
Dr.  Burtch. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  house  in  Huntington  was  Ijuilt  in 
the  winter  of  1831-22.  It  was  of  logs,  and  stood 
near  where  was  subsequently  the  residence  of  John  A. 
Chapman.  The  lands  upon  which  this  rude  institu- 
tion of  learning  was  situated  were  then  the  property 
of  Isaac  Sage.  In  the  spring  following  sufficient 
money  was  raised  by  subscrijition  with  which  to  pay 
a  teacher,  and  Miss  Lovina  Loveland  became  tiie 
pioneer  school  teacher.  This  school  was  composed 
of  the  following  children:  Laura,  Cornelia  and  Syl- 
vester Banning,  Tillotson  and  Eunice  Ilickok, 
Alzina  and  Alonzo  Sage,  Clarissa,  Caroline  and 
Celestia  Rising,  Chauncey  Parker,  Joshua  Culver,  , 
Anthony  and  Sarah  Laborie.  The  teacher  died  soon 
after  the  completion  of  her  school.  In  1878  there 
were  in  the  township  six  school  houses,  valued  at 
twenty-seven  hundred  dollars.  The  total  amount 
})aid  teachers  for  the  school  year  ending  August 
thirty-first  of  that  year  was  ten  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  dollars.  The  number  of  children  of  school  age 
was  one  hundred  and  sixty-three. 

INDUSTRIAL    I'URSriTS. 

The  first  cheese  factory  in  the  township  was  put  in 
operation  in  the  spring  of  1866,  by  Messrs.  J.  C.  and 
C.  W.  Ilorr.  It  was  located  one  and  one-half  miles 
from  the  center.  The  patronage  the  first  year  was  one 
thousand  cows.  The  successors  to  the  above  firm  were 
Messrs.  Horr,  Warner  &  Co.,  who  now  own  or  con- 
trol all  the  factories  iu  this  section.  The  season  of 
1878  there  were  eight  hundred  cows  in  contribution. 
A  creamery  is  also  operated  m  connection  with  the 
factory.  The  total  manufactures  were  thirty-nine 
thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-three  pounds  of 
butter  and  two  hundred  and  twenty-two  thousand 
four  hundred  and  ten  pounds  of  cheese. 

Another  factory  was  established  in  April,  1868,  by 
J.  A.  Snow.  It  was  located  upon  his  farm  one  and 
one-half  miles  northwest  of  the  center.  Messrs. 
Horr,  Warner  &  Co.  purchased  this  factory  in  1869 
or  1870.  The  season  of  1878  the  milk  of  five  hun- 
dred cows  was  utilized.  The  aggregate  make  was 
tliirty-six  thousand  five  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of 
butter  and  two  hundred  and  sixteen  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  two  pounds  of  cheese. 

The  first  manufacturing  was  done  by  Benjamin 
Rising,  who  had  a  lathe,  operated  by  a  spring  pole, 
for  turning  wooden  bowls.  This  was  quite  a  curiosity. 
A  bark  rope  was  attached  to  a  long  spring  pole  over- 
head, then  passed  around  the  mandrel  and  fastened 


to  a  treadle  below.  Pressure  on  this  would  throw  the 
block  around  two  or  three  times,  and  then  the  spring 
of  the  pole  would  turn  the  block  back  again  ready 
for  another  gauge. 

The  first  blacksmithing  was  done  by  William  Lang; 
this  was  quite  early;  his  shop  stood  a  few  rods  north 
of  the  old  Case  hotel.  D.  C.  Hickok  was  the  pioneer 
shoemaker.  Isaac  Sage  put  in  operation  an  ashery 
in  the  settlement;  tliis  continued  several  yeai's. 

Several  saw  mills  have  been  built  in  the  township. 
Urben  Kelsey  erected  the  first  one;  this  was  on  Charle- 
monte  creek,  near  the  west  line  of  the  townsliiji. 
Henry  R.  Ferris  built  the  next  one;  this  was  propelled 
by  the  waters  of  Wellington  creek;  it  stood  one  mile 
north,  and  one-half  mile  east  of  the  center. 

The  first  and  only  grist  mill  in  Huntington  town- 
ship was  built  by  John  Galehouse;  this  was  on  Wel- 
lington creek,  perhaps  half  a  mile  below  the  Ferris 
mill. 

Messrs.  Milton  and  Orlando  Barker  built  a  steam 
saw  mill  one-half  mile  south  of  the  center,  and  Wil- 
liam Boone  built  one  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
township.  The  Barker  mill  was  once  blown  up  and 
once  burned.  Boone's  mill  has  been  three  times  de- 
stroyed by  the  fiery  element. 

Several  railroads  have  been  projected  through  the 
township.  The  Clinton  Line  Extension  came  nearest 
being  a  success;  their  route  was  nearly  east  and  west 
tlirough  the  township;  considerable  work  was  done, 
and  (piito  a  large  amount  of  stock  collected.  This, 
however,  failed,  and  although  several  lines  have  been 
talked  n\)  since,  yet  they  have  elicited  little  or  no 
encouragement. 

TUE    UNION    AGRICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

This  society,  which  has  grown  to  be  a  permanent 
institution  in  the  south  part  of  the  county,  had  its 
origin  in  this  township. 

Some  time  during  the  summer  of  18.5-1,  a  call  was 
issued  for  a  meeting  to  effect  an  organization,  which 
was  signed  by  such  men  in  the  vicinity  as  P.  L.  Goss, 

A.  M.  Parmclee,  J.  H.  Wclcher,  K.  T.  Finn,  W.  B. 
Rudd,  M.  D.  Smith,  A.  S.  Taylor,  A.  1).  Perkins,  J. 

B.  Lang,  Hiram  Woodworth,  S.  I).  Whitney  and 
others,  for  a  meeting  which  was  held  m  the  Metho- 
dist churcli.  An  organization  was  effected,  and  the 
following  officers  elected:  President,  Philip  L.  Goss; 
vice-president,  A.  M.  Parmelee;  treasurer,  .1.  H. 
Welchcr;  secretary,  J.  B.  Lang. 

Its  first  fair  was  held  on  grounds  fitted  nyt  by 
volunteer  labor,  on  the  farm  of  A.  S.  Taylor,  just 
west  of  the  center.  The  address  was  delivered  by 
Hon.  James  Monroe.  The  success  of  this  fair  was 
very  satisfactory  to  its  originators,  who  decided  to 
hold  another  the  following  year,  under  the  same 
management.  This  was  also  a  success,  but,  having 
no  permanent  buildings  or  inclosure,  so  that  gate  fees 
could  be  taken,  its  finances  were  small.  After  this 
year,  a  proposition  was  made  to  remove  the  exhibition 
to   Wellington,  where  grounds  could   be  fenced  and 


MRS.ABRAM  f^OLLAND 


ABRAM  HOLLAND  , 


Residence  OF  ABRAM  [HOLLAND,  |(un 


UISTOUY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


283 


buildings  erected.  A  fiiir  has  been  held  every  year 
since,  except  one,  during  tlio  darkest  days  of  tlie  war. 
It  has  now  fine  grounds  and  permanent  buildings, 
with  a  better  prospect  for  the  future  than  in  tlie  past. 

Aghicdltdbal  Statistics  for  1878. 

Wlieat,       4in  acres 0,219  bushels. 

I'ltaUies,      11     " 4,889 

Oats,  eaj     " 25,402       " 

Orchards,  :ilU     " l,"8e 

Corn,  rai      "      3!),848       " 

Meadotr,  2,137     " 2,379  tons. 

Butter 28,S43  pounds. 

Cheese 698,835       " 

Maple  Sugar  3,740       " 

Population  in  1S70 834 

Vote  for  President  in  1876. 
Hayes  151  |  Tllden 50 


Biographical  Sketches. 


ABRAM   HOLLAND 

wasboi-n  in  Warren,  Worcester  county,  Massachusetts, 
August  20,  1804,  and  was  the  second  son  in  a  family 
of  five  children  of  George  and  Mary  Holland.  His 
father  died  wlien  he  was  four  years  old,  and  his  mother 
soon  thereafter  moved  to  Chester,  Hampden  county, 
Massacliusetts,  where  she  remained  until  1834:.  In 
tlie  latter  year  AUram  Holland  removed  to  Ohio,  and 
settled    in  Huntington   township.      His  educational 


advantages  were  limited,  but  he  attended  the  common 
schools  a  few  years.  He  has  always  followed  the  plow, 
and  has  made  farming  tlie  business  of  his  life. 

On  the  Gth  of  November,  18:33,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  William  and 
Betsey  Henry,  she  being  a  native  of  Chester,  Massa- 
chusetts. She  was  born  April  10, 1811.  Her  mother 
is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-five  years, 
at  North  Adams,  Massachusetts.  Mrs.  Holland  has 
had  five  children:  George  Henry,  born  September  3, 
1833.  He  is  a  farmer  and  lives  in  Huntington. 
Helen  Louisa,  born  July  24,  1840;  now  the  wife  of 
William  Davis  Dimmock,  a  farmer,  of  Huntington 
township.  Adelaide  A.,  born  November  4,  1843; 
died  February  20,  18G3;  Alida,  born  September  H, 
1849;  Walter  Scott,  born  July  1,  1854. 

On  arriving  at  his  new  home  Mr.  Holland  bought 
one  hundred  acres  of  laud,  to  which  by  subsequent 
purchases  he  has  added  one  hundred  acres  more,  mak- 
ing a  total  of  two  hundred  acres.  He  is  a  good  prac- 
tical farmer,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  honest  and 
substantial  farmers  of  his  township.  In  jjolitics  he 
is  a  republican,  but  he  has  never  sought,  nor  would 
he  accept  political  preferment.  He  is  liberal  in  his 
religious  views,  but  a  christian  gentleman  "for  a' 
that."  He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Holland  fam- 
ily, members  of  wliich  have  made  Western  Massachu- 
setts famous;  notably  Drs.  J.  J.  Holland  and  J.  G. 
Holland,  the  latter  of  whom  now  edits  Scribner's 
Magazine,  and  is  an  author  and  poet  of  universal 
celebrity. 


ROCHESTER, 


This  TOWNSHIP  is  silimleil  in  the  oxtrenie  south- 
west corner  of  the  couiitj',  ami  is  boiiiuled  as  follows: 
on  the  north  by  Brighton  township;  south,  \>y  Troy 
township,  Aslilaiid  county;  cast,  by  Huntington  town- 
shiji;  and  west,  by  New  London  township,  Huron 
county.  The  surface  is  generally  of  a  level  nature, 
the  only  exception  being  along  the  streams.  Here 
we  find  bold  bluffs  descending  to  the  water's  edge  on 
the  east,  and  gentle  slopes  on  the  west.  The  soil  is 
clay,  slightly  mixed  with  gravel,  and  excellent  for 
grass  and  grain. 

The  streams  are  the  west  branch  of  the  Black  river 
and  its  triljutarics.  The  former  flovvs  from  near  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  township,  is  joined  by  a  small 
stream  on  lot  ten,  and  continues  a  general  northeast 
direction,  until  it  reaches  lot  sixteen,  tract  five,  when 
it  turns  to  the  northwest  and  flows  across  the  north- 
ern township  line  on  lot  fifteen,  tract  six;  Blair  brook 
enters  the  township  on  lot  twelve,  ti-act  three;  and 
Buck  creek  on  lot  thirteen.  These  streams  flow  nearly 
parallel,  unite  on  lot  nine,  in  tract  five,  and  empty 
into  Black  river,  at  the  point  where  it  makes  the 
curve  westward  on  lot  sixteen.  When  in  a  state  of 
nature,  the  bottom  land  skirting  these  streams  was 
heavily  timbered,  black  walnut  being  found  in  abun- 
dance, also  white  ash  and  oak. 

SETTLEMENT. 

Rochester  townshij)  was  the  latest  settled  of  any  of 
the  townships  now  comprised  within  the  boundary 
lines  of  the  county  of  Lorain.  In  the  year  1837,  a 
man  named  Dodge,  his  wife  Emeline,  and  a  son, 
Newell,  came  into  the  township.  They  were  of  the 
class  known  in  all  new  countries  as  squatters,  and 
soon  erected  a  small  log  cabin  on  lot  number  nine,  in 
tract  three,  now  know  as  the  Minus  fai;m.  This  was 
the  first  white  family  who  dared  to  brave  the  solitude 
hitherto  unliroken,  save  by  an  occasional  hunter  from 
the  surrouiuling  country.  The  history  of  this  family 
is  sad  indeed.  In  the  spring  of  1839,  a  child  was 
l)orn  to  them,  which  death  soon  claimed  for  its  victim. 
The  demise  of  the  mother  occurred  soon  after.  A 
rude  coffin  was  prejKired  by  the  sorrowing  husband 
and  son,  the  funeral  obsequies  were  performed  by 
them,  and  the  body  interred  on  the  brow  of  the  hill 
near  the  river.  Imagination  can  scarcely  conceive 
the  dread  solemnity  of  this  burial:  "no  sable  hearse 
or  nodding  plume"  decked  the  funeral  array;  no 
minister  of  (jod  pronounced  the  solemn  ritual  for  the 
dead;  all  was  dreary,  all  was  desolate.     The  remain- 


ing   members    of    the    family    soon  after  took    their 
departure  from  the  townshi]i. 

In  April,  ls:3I,  Stephen  l?abcoek  came  to  Ohio 
from  Blaudford,  Massachusetts,  lie  selected  a  farni 
about  half  a  mile  west  of  Rochester  center.  He  con- 
tracted with  Elijah  T.  Banning,  living  temporarily  in 
Huntington,  to  cut  the  timber  on  thirty  acres  of  his 
land.  A  log  house  was  put  up,  into  which  Mr.  Ban- 
ning removed  his  family,  and  with  whom  Mr.  Bab- 
cock  remained  during  the  summer,  putting  up  a 
house,  and  making  such  })reparations  as  the  circum- 
stances demanded  for  the  comfort  of  his  family.  He 
returned  east  for  them  the  subsequent  fall,  and  before 
he  arrives  in  Rochester  again  we  shall  have  time  to 
say  something  of  Mr.  Banning  and  others.  lie  was 
born  in  Warren,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio.  His  wife. 
Miss  Patience  Hart,  was  a  native  of  !S[>ringfield, 
Portage  county,  this  State.  'Jhey  were  married  in 
1838,  and  immediately  removed  to  llnntington.  His 
final  location  in  Rochester  was  about  one  and  one- 
fourth  miles  north  of  the  center,  on  lands  now  occu- 
pied by  D.  L.  Mitchell.  Mr.  Banning  was  one  of  the 
hardy,  hard-working  class.  He  cut  the  timber  on 
nearly  two  hundred  acres  of  land.  His  death  occurred 
.July  19,  1855.  The  widow  resides  at  the  station.. 
The  children  of  this  couple  are:  Elmer  Elijah,  who 
married  Mary  Mitchell,  lives  at  the  station;  Amy,  who 
married  Alexander  Dolph  (deceased);  Archie  Hart, 
who  married  Eliza  Smith,  lives  in  Wellington;  and 
Cornelia  Ann,  who  married  Franklin  Peek,  and  now 
lives  in  New  London,  Ihiroii  county. 

Edward  Wheeler,  of  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, married  Catharine  Clino.  lie  came  to  Ohio  in 
I81(i,  locating  in  Richland  county.  They  had  three: 
children  at  this  time:  .John  who  married  Mary  Shaw, 
now  dead;  Jacob  who  married  Emily  C.  Converse; 
he  lives  on  lot  number  two,  Rochester  township;  has 
eight  children,  all  living;  Ann  Lewis  who  married 
Lorinda  Bunce,  lives  in  Rochester.  In  the  spring  of 
1831,  soon  after  Banning's  settlement,  the  three  boys, 
John.  Jacob  and  Lewis,  came  to  Rochester,  and  con- 
tracted for  lands  in  lots  eight,  fourteen  and  seventeen. 
They  soon  constructed  log  cabins  on  their  several 
selections,  and  began  the  work  of  cutting  away  the 
forest.  These  lands  were  pnrchased  of  Orrin  Meach. 
John  was  to  receive  a  deed  for  one  hundred  acres  of 
laud,  in  payment  for  cutting  the  timber  from  an  equal 
number  of  acres.  Jacob  and  Lewis  cut  a  few  acres  on 
lot  fourteen;  on  this  they  planted  some  potatoes,  and 
sowed  turnips.  In  this  clearing  they  built  a  hewed 
log  house  for  the  remainder  of  the  family  who  arrived 

(284) 


MRS.    ROSWELL    BOICE. 


ROSWELL   B.   BOICE 


was  the  elder  son  of  Samuel  S.  Boice,  who  married 
Mary  A.  Blair,  and  had  eight  children,  namely, — 
Roswell  B.,  Sylvester  S.,  Sarah  E.,  James  W., 
Mary  A.,  Lois  M.,  Judson  A.,  and  Elizabeth,  of 
whom  four  survive.  The  Boice  family  were  of 
Scotch  descent,  and  those  now  living  are  prominent 
citizens  of  the  communities  in  which  they  reside 
respectively. 

Roswell  B.  Boice  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
Oct.  12,  1814.  He  resided  in  his  father's  house 
until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  emigrated 
to  Amherst,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  about 
five  years.  He  then  removed  to  Rochester  township, 
in  the  same  county  and  State,  remaining  there  about 
one  year;  subsequently  renting  a  farm  in  Hunting- 
ton township,  upon  which  he  lived  three  years.  At 
the  expiration  of  liis  rental,  he  returned  to  Rochester 
township,  where  he  purchased  the  farm  which  he 
now  occupies. 

On  Christmas  Day,  1833,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Nancy  C,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Anna 
Stillwell,  who  were  early  settlers  of  Lorain  County. 


Of  this  union  were  born  six  cliildren,  four  .sons 
and  two  daughters,  namely, — Mary  Adeline,  James 
W.,  Lois  M.,  Lewis  S.,  Hiram  A.,  and  Dell  R.,  of 
whom  four  ave  living.  James  W.  died  Nov.  15, 
1841,  aged  three  months  and  five  days;  Hiram  A. 
died  Jan.  28,  1848,  aged  two  months  and  twenty- 
eight  days.  Mary  A.  married  G.  Ostrander,  April 
26,  1863;  Lois  M.  married  Francis  M.  Perkins, 
Oct.  26,  1865 ;  Lewis  S.  married  Laura  North. 

Mr.  R.  B.  Boice  and  his  excellent  wife  are  both 
exemplary  members  of  the  Congregational  Church. 
They  formerly  belonged  to  the  Baptist  Church  of 
Huntington  township.  Mr.  Boice  has  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  during  the  whole  of  his  active 
business  life,  and  is  generally  considered  a  good 
practical  farmer.  In  politics  he  is,  and  always  was, 
since  he  attained  his  majority,  a  Republican.  He 
was  elected  trustee  of  Rochester  township,  and 
served  faithfully  and  well  for  three  years.  He  is 
noted  for  the  honesty  and  regularity  of  his  life,  and 
enjoys  a  prominent  place  in  the  estimation  of  his 
fellow-citizens. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


285 


the  following  fall.  The  children  of  Edward  Wheeler 
not  mentioned  above  are:  Betsy,  Martha,  I'olly,  Ed- 
Avard,  Coourodand  Margaret.  John  Jaqiies  Wheeler, 
father  of  Edward,  is  worthy  of  a  passing  notice.  He 
was  an  Englishman,  and  came  to  America  a  short 
time  prior  to  the  Rcvohitionary  War.  He  immedi- 
ately enlisted  in  the  army  of  the  United  States  in 
which  he  fought  the  years,  lie  was  afterwards  en- 
gaged in  tiie  Indian  wars  two  years  moi-e;  he  settled  in 
Ohio  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  killed  by  a  fall- 
ing tree  in  1821. 

Stephen  Babcoek  and  family  first  occupied  the  new 
house  in  Rochester  in  the  early  spring  of  1832.  A 
daughter,  Eliza,  had  married  Charles  Conant  at  the 
East.  They  settled  in  Rochester  prior  to  the  arrival 
of  the  remaining  members  of  the  family.  Mrs. 
Babcoek  was  Patia  Marcy,  of  Otis,  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts.  Of  the  remaining  eight  children,  the 
following  are  dead:  Orliiia,  Watson,  Almira,  Mary 
Ann  and  Philena.  Melissa  married  Oliver  Webster, 
and  lives  ill  Wellington.  Rowena  married  William  F. 
Chapman,  and  resides  in  Huntington.  Smith  mar- 
ried Martha  Meach,  and  lives  in  Rochester. 

Hiram  Wood  worth,  of  Madison  county.  New  York, 
married  Caroline  L.  Wales,  of  the  same  place.  They 
came  to  Ohio  in  1831;  selected  lands  in  Rochester 
township,  then  owned  by  Messrs.  Tillotson  and  Dom- 
ing, of  Rochester,  New  York;  constructed  a  house 
thereon,  and  in  May  of  the  year  1832,  moved  into 
the  township.  He  lived  there  many  years,  and  by 
hard  labor  brought  his  lands  to  a  profitable  state  of 
cnltivation.  He  removed  to  Wellington  where  he 
died  October  8,  1872.  The  widow  still  resides  there. 
The  children  are:  Roxania  S.  who  married  J.  A. 
Braman,  of  Rochester;  Rosenia  who  married  U.  L. 
Wadsworth,  of  Wellington;  Victoria  R.  who  married 
F.  M.  Sheldon,  of  New  York;  Ettie  G.  who  married 
S.  E.  Wilcox,  at  present,  the  host  of  the  American 
Honse  in  Wellington,  and  Warren  Woodworth  who 
now  resides  at  Atlantic  City,  Iowa. 

Erastus  Knajip,  wife  and  two  children,  came  from 
near  Rochester,  New  York,  to  Ohio,  in  May,  1832. 
The  family  remained  in  Huntington  township  until 
he  had  built  a  log  house  on  his  farm  in  Rochester. 
This  was  on  lot  number  live,  now  occupied  by  A.  J. 
Snyder.  The  house  was  finished  and  first  occupied 
by  the  family  in  December  following.  On  this  farm 
they  resided  thirty  years.  In  IS'Il,  they  located  at 
the  station,  where  they  now  reside.  There  were  no 
roads  at  the  date  of  their  settlement  in  the  township, 
their  only  guide  in  traversing  the  wilderness  being 
marked  trees.  The  children  of  this  couple  are: 
Thomas  M.,  who  married  Mary  Lovejoy,  (he  lives  on 
lot  number  one,  Rochester  township);  Mary  E.,  is 
dead;  Sarah  A.,  who  married  John  Conkling,  (they 
live  near  the  center);  Ellen  J.,  who  married  Samuel 
Long,  and  lives  in  Crawford  county,  this  State; 
Elizabeth  A.,  who  married  Theodore  Robbins,  of 
La  Grange;  Caroline,  who  married  John  Bruce, 
and  lives  iu  Sullivan,  Ashland  county;  and  Charley 


M.,  who  married  Adelia  Crebs;  he  resides  in  Hun- 
tington. 

Luther  Blair  and  faiuily,  consisting  of  a  wife  and 
eleven  children,  came  from  Becket,  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts,  to  Rochester  in  1832,  arriving  in  the 
township  on  December  31.  He  settled  on  the  north- 
east corner  lot  at  the  center.  Ilis  log  house,  which 
was  the  first  built  in  tliis  vicinity,  stood  a  few  rods 
east  of  the  present  dwelling  of  Stephen  Richards. 
Mr.  Blair  became  prominent  in  the  church  and  town- 
ship. He  died  in  December,  1852;  his  wife  died  tlie 
September  following.  Two  children,  Marietta  and 
Ralph  E.,  are  dead.  Tlie  remainder  are:  Caroline, 
Martin  L.,  Alonzo  ().,  now  practicing  medicine  at 
Columbus,  Ohio;  Caleb  P.,  David  B.,  Harmony, 
Amanda,  Mary  P.,  and  William  H.,  who  married 
Lucina  Mann,  and  resides  at  Rochester  station. 

Nathan  W.  Fay  and  family,  consisting  of  a  wife 
and  three  children,  settled  in  Rochester,  on  lot  nine, 
in  1832.  Three  children  were  born  in  Ohio.  John, 
the  eldest  of  these,  now  lives  on  the  old  homestead. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fay,  Sr.,  are  both  dead. 

Orrin  Meach,  his  wife  and  six  children  settled  on 
lot  seven.  The  parents  are  dead,  and  the  homestead 
is  now  occupied  by  the  heirs. 

John  G.  Chirk  was  one  of  the  early  settlers.  He 
located  on  lot  fourteen.  John  Slayman  made  settle- 
ment on  lot  four.  John  Johnson  settled  on  the 
center  road,  near  the  south  township  line,  on  lot 
thirteen.  The  Peets,  the  descendants  of  whom  still 
reside  in  this  locality,  were  early  settlers  among  the 
pioneers. 

Israel  Phelps,  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  Roches- 
ter, was  among  the  jiioneers.  He  settled  on  lot  eight. 
The  place  of  his  nativity  was  in  Seneca  county.  New 
York.  He  married  Julia  F.  Phillips,  of  Ontario 
county;  cleared  up  his  wilderness  farm,  erected 
thereon  a  fine  residence,  and  died  October  9,  1869. 
The  widow  still  resides  on  this  farm.  Five  of  the 
children  are  dead — Henrietta  C,  Priscilla,  Israel 
Frank,  Julia  E.,  and  Alice  E.  The  remainder  are: 
Milton,  who  married  Mary  Kelsey,  and  lives  in 
Rochester;  Calvin  R.,  who  married  Elsie  M.  Wilcox, 
also  lives  in  Rochester;  and  Vincent  C,  the  youngest, 
who  lives  with  the  mother. 

William  Carvey  located  on  lot  eleven,  at  an  early 
period,  and  still  lives  there.  William  II.  Marshall 
came  to  Rochester,  from  Trumbull  county,  iu  1833. 
He  purchased  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  in 
lot  number  three,  and  returning  he  married  Sophro- 
nia  Iliukley,  of  Hiram,  Portage  county.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1838,  he  settled  on  his  farm,  and  has  lived  there 
until  the  present.  He  has  now  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  acres  under  profitable  cultivation.  Of  his 
family  numbering  eleven  children,  the  following  are 
living  :  Rachel  A.  ;  Eliza  J.  ;  Benjamin  II.  Holmes  ; 
Maria,  Mary,  Eugene  and  Allie. 

Roswell  B.  Boice  settled  in  Amherst  township,  in 
the  year  1830.  He  removed  to  Rochester  and  located 
ou  lot  seventeen,  in  1833.     He  has  a  family  of  four 


286 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


children — Adaline,  Lois,  Lewis  anil  Adelbert.  His 
wife  was  Nancy  StiUwell. 

Ncliemiali  Tinkei-,  wife  and  twelve  cliildreii,  came 
witli  a  team  of  liorses  from  Wortiiinglon,  IIam|)sliire 
county,  Mass.,  to  Rocliustor,  whither  tliey  arrived  in 
the  latter  i)art  of  September,  1833.  They  located  on 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  lot  number 
twenty-four,  tract  live,  tlieii  attached  to  Huntington. 
Mr.  Tinker  erected  a  log  house  in  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  the  lot.  He  remained  on  this  farm  until  his 
dcaUi.  Himself  and  wife  died  but  a  few  days  apart 
in  1S53.  The  children  were  :  Lydia  U.,  Omri,  Min- 
ei-va,  Laura,  dead  ;  Abigail,  Adelia,  dead  ;  Erasmas 
D.,  who  married  Elizabeth  (Uitsliall,  and  resides  at 
Rochester  station;  Martlia,  dead;  Oscar,  dead;  Aman- 
da, Cynlliaand  Lorinda. 

(histavus,  Orvillc  and  Hiram  Noble  settled  in  the 
townshi]>  in  l!S35.  Their  father  had  contracted  for 
the  greater  part  of  the  land  along  the  east  and  west 
road  in  the  north  part  of  the  township.  The  Messrs. 
Noble  were  single  when  they  began  settlement.  Gus- 
tavus  married  Ilari-iet  Fancher,  at  New  London.  He 
died,  and  bis  widow  became  the  wife  of  DeGrass 
Tiiomas.  William  Peck,  with  a  family  consisting  of 
a  wife  and  eight  children,  arrived  from  Vermont  and 
made  settlement  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the 
township;  this  was  in  lS3.'i. 

John  Cluunbei'lain,  a  former  resident  of  Ontario, 
Wayne  ccuinty.  New  York,  tnade  settlement  in  Co- 
lumbia township,  this  county,  in  1830.  His  family 
were  a  wife  and  six  children.  In  183.5,  they  removed 
to  Rochester  township,  and  first  located  on  the  fai-m 
now  occupied  by  Orrin  Thomas.  Moses,  the  eldest 
of  the  children,  was  a  sort  of  a  moving  jdanet,  and 
finally  died  in  Michigan.  Marshall,  the  next  child, 
settled  at  the  center  in  about  18i.'6;  he  was  the  pioneer 
jihysician;  he  married  Betsey  Odell;  in  1858,  he  re- 
moved to  Oberlin,  and  a  few  years  later  to  Hillsdale, 
Michigan,  where  he  now  resides.  John,  Jr.,  married 
Zephey  Sabin,  of  Liverpool  township;  he  located  on  lot 
fourteen,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  township, 
and  died  January  14,  187.5.  Charles  S.,  the  youngest 
child  of  this  gentleman,  married  Tillie  Kissinger,  of 
Tiffin;  he  is  now  a  successful  jiractitioner  of  medicine 
in  Rochester  township.  Caroline,  now  dead.  Norman 
married  Lifa  StiUwell;  he  is  a  prominent  physician, 
at  (ij-and  Rajiids,  Michigan.  Jeremiah,  who  married 
Cynecia  Reed,  is  also  a  physician;  he  now  resides  at 
Romeo,  Michigan.  John  Chaniberlin,  Sr.,  died  Jan- 
uary 8,  18G0;  his  wife  died  February  11,  18.5G.  John 
Chaniberlin,  Jr.,  was  a  large  hearted,  public  spirited 
man,  ever  ready  to  assist  those  less  fortunate  in  the 
possession  of  this  world's  goods  than  himself;  he  held 
the  office  of  township  trustee  sixteen  years,  and  was 
occupving  the  position  of  infirmary  director  when  he 
died.  " 

John  I.  Masten  was  born  in  Duchess  county.  New 
York;  he  married  Rosalie  Loomis,  of  the  same  county, 
and  came  immediately  to  Ohio,  arriving  in  Rochester 
township  in  June  7,  1836.     Anson  Pierce  had  built  a 


small  log  cabin  on  lot  three,  and  in  this  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Masten  Itegan  life.  There  was  no  road  ojiened  to 
them  until  some  three  years  later.  He  first  purchased 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  lot  ten,  and  on  this  constructed 
a  log  house,  into  which  he  soon  removed.  The  jires- 
ent  residence  now  occupied  by  the  family  was  built 
in  1803.  The  original  farm  has  been  added  to,  until 
he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres,  lying 
in  a  body.  Those  early  years  were  fraught  with  pri- 
vations. Too  poor  to  purchase  a  team,  Mr.  Masten 
procured  an  ox,  for  which  lie  constructed  a  rude 
hai'uess.  From  the  fork  of  a  tree,  a  sled  was  pre- 
])ared,  and  with  this  novel  turn-out,  the  black  salts 
were  transported  to  Wellington,  to  be  exchanged  for 
the  necessities  of  life.  By  the  aid  of  this  faithful 
beast,  some  three  acres  of  land  were  cleared,  plowed 
and  sowed  to  wheat.  The  children  of  this  couple  are: 
Decolia  V.,  who  married  Harriet  Bevins,  of  Welling- 
ton; he  died  at  the  Soldiers'  Home,  in  Dayton,  Ohio, 
from  injuries  received  at  the  battle  of  Antietam; 
Amelia  C.,  who  married  Cordon  L.  Bouncy,  lives  in 
Wellington;  Mortimer  C,  who  married  Harriet  Ames, 
lives  in  Michigan;  Celie,  who  married  I).  W.  Man- 
chester, lives  in  Cleveland;  Delia  M.,  who  married 
.1.  H.  Bessell,  lives  at  Rochester  station;  NinaC,  who 
married  A.  .1.  Irish,  lives  in  Sheffield  township,  this 
county;  .lohn  D.,  who  married  Elmore  Myers,  lives 
in  Michigan;  and  Frank  L.,  who  is  single,  and  re- 
mains at  home. 

Other  early  settlers  in  this  vicinity  were  Ira  Pierce, 
Isaac  Ilumiston,  Horatio  Stevens  and  others.  Morris 
Howard  was  a  native  of  Andover,  W^indsor  county, 
Vermont.  He  married  Hannah  Smith,  and  removed 
to  Ohio  in  the  sjiring  of  1837.  He  remained  in  Ash- 
land county  until  March,  1838,  when  he  removed  to 
Rochester  and  settled  permanently  on  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  lot  number  eleven,  tract  three. 
This  farm  he  partially  cleared.  His  wife  died  in 
184G.  He  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  died  there  in 
1861.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1813,  having 
been  in  the  service  some  eighteen  months;  was  at  the 
battle  of  Plattsburgand  several  others.  His  children 
were  S.  V.  R. ,  who  married  Barbara  Bowman,  and 
lives  on  the  old  iiomestead.  Cyntha  died  young. 
William  II.,  who  married  Charlotte  Laborie.  He 
lives  on  lot  ten,  Rochester  township.  Emily  R.,  a 
daughter  of  this  couple,  married  Solomon  Farnsworth, 
who  also  lives  on  lot  ten.  Nancy,  who  married 
Augusta  E.  Kelsey,  lives  in  Kansas.  David  and 
Louisa  are  dead.  Isadore  is  now  the  wife  of  Wdliam 
Fenton,  who  lives  in   Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Edmond  Thomas  was  born  in  Brattleborough,  Ver- 
mont. He  married  Aseneth  Crapo,  of  Jefferson 
county.  New  York.  In  1835  he  removed  to  Oliio, 
locating  in  Pittsfield  township,  this  county,  where  he 
remained  until  1844,  when  he  removed  to  Rochester, 
locating  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  township,  lot 
number  twenty-eight;  he  yet  resides  where  he  first 
settled.  His  wife  died  May  17,  1877.  The  children 
are:  DeGrass,  who  married  Mrs.  Harriet  Noble;  they. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


287 


have  two  cliildreu  and  reside  on  a  portion  of  the  old 
farm.  Orriii,  who  married  MarciaFancher;  they  have 
three  children — reside  on  lot  thirteen.  Eliza  Manette, 
who  married  Luther  M.  Merrifield;  tiiey  now  live  in 
Michigan;  have  seven  children.  Jenette,  who  married 
Harvey  J.  Hart;  they  have  one  child,  live  in  Char- 
lotte, Michigan.  Maria,  who  lives  at  home;  and 
Jane,  who  married  Isaac  Hart;  she  lives  in  Lenox, 
Iowa;  has  two  children. 

Benjamin  Perkins,  Es(j.,  was  agent  for  mnch  of 
the  lands  in  Rochester  township.  He  was  one  of  the 
pioneers.  He  is  spoken  of  as  the  father  of  tiie 
townsiiip. 

FIRST  EVKNTS. 

The  first  child,  born  of  a  permanent  settler  in 
Rochester  township,  was  Amy,  daughter  of  Elijah  T. 
and  Patience  Banning.  The  date  of  her  birth  was 
June  2-i,  1S3"2.  She  grew  to  womanhood,  married 
Alexander  Doli)h,  removed  to  New  Loudon,  Huron 
county,  and  died  their  October  15,  1873. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  townsiiip  was  doubtless 
that  of  Watson  Babcock  to  Miss  Jane  Hamlin,  of 
Elyria.  We  have  not  the  date.  Mv.  Babcock  is  not 
now  living. 

Tiie  first  adult  death  of  a  permanent  settler  was 
that  of  Stephen  Babcock,  whieii  occurred  on  January 
14,  183.5.  The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Talcott,  of  Wellington.  The  body  was 
the  first  interred  in  the  cemetery  near  tiie  center  of 
the  township. 

The  first  post  office  was  established  in  1837.  Hiram 
Woodworth  was  appointed  postmaster,  and  tlie  office 
located  at  bis  residence  in  tlie  southeast  corner  of  the 
township.  The  office  was  authorized  on  condition  that 
the  government  were  to  be  at  no  expense  in  trans- 
porting the  mails.  John  Clark  volunteered  to  can-y 
the  mail  gratis,  and  did  so  while  the  office  remained 
in  the  locality.  This  office  was  eventually  removed 
to  the  center,  and  Martin  L.  Blair  appointed  post- 
master. It  is  now  located  at  the  station;  George  Gar- 
rison, postmaster. 

The  first  wheat  was  sown  in  the  fall  of  1831,  by 
Elijah  T.  Banning  and  Daniel  Campbell. 

Tiie  pioneer  orcliard  was  [ilanted  on  the  farm  of 
Orrin  Meach,  in  tlie  year  IS'i'Z,  and  consisted  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  trees.  It  is  still  in  a  thriving 
condition. 

The  first  store  was  opened  by  George  G.  Ogden, 
as  was  also  the  first  hotel.  They  were  located  at  the 
center.  This  was  in  about  18-18.  The  only  hotel  in 
the  township  at  present,  is  at  the  station.  This  was 
built  by  Rufus  Norton,  in  1853,  and  is  now  owned  by 
John  Cnrrey,  who  conducts  a  general  store  in  connec- 
tion. 

The  remaining  mercantile  interest  at  this  point  is 
as  follows:  J.  B.  Garrison  &  Son,  general  merchan- 
dise; Peter  Dagnon,  drugs;  Robert  Potter,  groceries; 
M.  Bailey,  tin  shop. 


ORGANIZATION. 

At  the  session  of  the  commissioners  of  Lorain 
county',  held  in  March,  1835,  lots  one  to  fifteen, 
inclusive,  of  tract  three,  with  all  of  tracts  four  and 
five,  and  a  part  of  tract  six,  in  range  nineteen,  to- 
gether with  surplus  lots  nine  to  fourteen,  inclusive, 
lying  west  of  the  range,  with  a  part  of  surplus  lot 
eight,  were  united,  and  formed  into  the  township  of 
Rochester.  An  election  for  town  hip  officers  was 
held  on  the  6th  of  the  April  following,  when  John 
Coiiant,  Joseph  Iladley  and  Nehemiah  Tinker  were 
elected  trustees;  M.  L.  Blair,  clerk;  and  Benjamin 
C.  Perkins,  treasurer.  The  township  offic^ers  for  1878, 
are:  A.  A.  Pond,  Dr.  Charles  L.  Chamberlin,  and  M. 
Phelps,  trustees;  D.  R.  Lnvrie,  clerk;  John  Currey, 
treasurer;  A.  A.  Pond,  assessor;  J.  Martin  Mann 
and  II.  II.  Howard,  constables;  Asa  Mann  and  R. 
M.  Johnson,  justices  of  the  peace  and  nii.e  su))er- 
visors  of  highways. 

CHURCHES. 
MET1I(M>IST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

Erasmus  D.  Tinker  furnishes  the  following  :  In 
the  fall  of  1833,  Rev.  John  Ferris,  a  Methodist,  com- 
menced holding  meetings  in  the  log  house  of  Nehe- 
miah Tinker,  and  soon  after,  in  the  little  log  school 
house  near  there.  The  result  of  these  religious  ser- 
vices was  the  formation,  the  following  spring,  of  the 
first  class,  or  religious  organization  in  the  township 
of  Rochester.  It  was  composed  of  but  four  mem- 
bers— Nehemiah  Tinker  and  Moses  Barnes,  with  their 
respective  wives.  In  1835  another  class  of  the  M.  E. 
tUiurch  was  formed  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
township  by  the  Rev.  John  T.  Kelluni,  with  the  fol- 
lowing members  :  Aaron  Welsher,  Sr.,  and  wife  ; 
Erastus  Kiiapp  and  wife  ;  Aaron  Welsher,  Jr.,  and 
wife;  Mrs.  Hiram  Woodworth  and  John  Clark. 
Aaron  Welsher,  Sr.,  was  first  class  leadei'.  Meetings 
were  held  at  the  dwellings  of  the  settlers,  and  after- 
wards ill  the  Meach  school  house.  This  society  grew 
to  be  large  and  prosperous.  In  1859'  the  church  edi- 
fice at  the  station  was  built,  and  the  societies  consoli- 
dated. The  cost  of  this  building  was  twenty-five 
hundred  dollars.  The  present  membershii)  is  sixty- 
one.  Officei-s:  T.  M.  Knapp,  Peter  Taylor,  and 
Henry  Barnes,  stewards;  Robert  Anderson,  Thomas 
Knajip  and  Miles  Fisher,  class  leaders.  The  present 
minister  is  Rev.  Edwin  L.  Warner.  The  Sabbath 
school  connected  with  this  church  numbers  seventy- 
five  scholars.     George  Hull  is  its  suj)crintendent. 

THE   CONGRE(}ATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  formed  in  the  year  1838,  with  the  following  mem- 
bers: Luther  Blair  and  wife,  Stephen  Babcock  and 
wife,  John  Conant  and  wife,  Jonathan  Ames  and 
wife,  Benjamin  C.  Perkins  and  wife,  Nathan  W.  Fay 
and  wife,  and  C.  W.  Conant  and  wife.  The  meetings 
of  this  denomination  were  begun  at  the  log  house  of 
Luther  Blair,  as  early  as  1833.    There  was  no  preacher. 


288 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


the  service  being  conducted  by  Mr.  Hluir,  \w  reuding 
a  sermon  from  a  volume  in  his  possession.  The  first 
))astor  to  locate  in  the  township  was  the  Rev.  Mr. 
lligbee;  lie  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Mr.  Kellogg,  and 
he  by  Dr.  Palmer.  This  brings  us  up  to  1848,  at 
which  time  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  M.  Elliot, 
assumed  charge  of  the  church.  The  present  meet- 
ing house  at  the  center  was  erected  in  1842,  and  was 
the  tirst  in  the  township.  It  is  a  neat  frame  struc- 
ture, and  cost  twenty-five  hundred  dollars.  The  ofK- 
cers,  on  organization,  were:  Luther  Blair  and  Jona- 
than Ames,  deacons.  The  first  trustees  were  Luther 
Ulair,  Benjamin  C.  Perkins  and  John  Conant.  A 
Sabbath  school  was  soon  organized,  with  William 
Shepard,  of  New  London,  Huron  county,  as  the  first 
superintendent.  The  present  church  officers  arc: 
John  Lang,  William  Squires  and  John  Brandston, 
trustees;  William  Elliot,  William  Squires  and  D.  Curn- 
mings,  deacons;  superintendent  of  Sabljath  school  and 
clerk,  .John  Fay.  Average  attendance  at  Sabbath 
school,  seventy;  present  membership,  forty-five. 

rNITED    BRETHREN. 

The  church  of  the  United  Brethren  was  formed  in 
1853,  under  the  ministerial  efforts  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Waldraff.  The  first  meud)ers  were,  Joseph  Kimball 
and  wife  and  Mrs.  Goodman.  Meetings  were  held  in 
the  school  house,  on  lot  twenty-three.  The  following 
ministers  have   presided   over   the   destinies   of  this 

church:  Rev.  Michael  Bulger,  Charles  Slater, 

Thayer,  D.  F.  Reynolds,  Addison  Hill,  Charles  Price, 
Charles  Kester,  C.  0.  Mclntire,  Isaiah  Dennis,  Ira 
Moody,  John  Excell,  Samuel  P]vans,  David  Kosht, 
IL  J.  Becker,  and  John  Noel  who  is  the  ])resent  \yds- 
tor.  The  church  officers  are:  E.  I).  Tinker,  leader; 
Edwai-d  Clifford,  steward  and  trustee.  The  present 
menil)ership  is  twenty-one;  average  attendance  at 
sabbath  school,  fifty;  Walter  Crandall,  superintend- 
ent. Services  are  conducted  in  the  Union  church  at 
tlie  station. 

THE  BAPTIST  CHURCn 

was  organized  about  1842,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chambers, 
with  the  following  members:  Joseph  Bailey  and  wife, 
John  Chamberlin,  Jr.,  and  wife;  Marcus  Chamber- 
lin  and  wife,  and  jiorhaps  others,  whose  names  are  not 
renienibercd.  .Meetings  were  held  in  private  houses 
until  184.5,  when  a  commodious  log  building  was 
constructed  on  lot  thirteen.  This  was  christened 
"the  alibey,"  and  in  this  tbe  meetings  were  held  for 
many  years.  'J'hey  finally  joined  with  the  United 
Brethren  and  built  the  Union  church  at  the  station. 
The  present  membership  is  small,  (uily  about  twenty. 
Rev.  C.  A.  Gleason  is  the  ])resent  pastor.  (Jooley 
Stevens  and  Cyrus  Coates  are  the  deacons. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  little  log  school  house  spoken  of  in  connection 
with  the  .Methodist  Episcopal  church,  was  first  oceu- 
jiied  for  a  school  in  the  winter  of  18;!3-34.  Miss 
Abigail  Tinker  was  the  teacher.     There  were  some 


twenty  children  in  attendance.  A  school  house  had 
been  erected  in  the  Meach  settlement  at  about  the 
same  date.  The  first  teacher  was  John  Johnson. 
The  report  of  the  board  of  education  for  Rochester 
townshij),  for  the  year  ending  August  31,  1878,  shows 
seven  school  hou.ses,  valued  at  five  thousand  dollars; 
the  total  amount  jiaid  teachers  for  the  year  was  one 
tliousand  three  hundred  dollars;  the  number  of  chil- 
dren in  the  township  of  the  school  age  was  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The  pioneer  disciple  of  Esculaiiius  to  locate  in 
Rochester  township  was  Marshall  Chamberlin,  who 
began  practicing  at  the  center  in  1836.  He  remained 
in  the  township  over  twenty  years.  The  jiresent 
medical  staff  is  composed  of  Charles  S.  Chamberlin, 
a  nephew  of  the  above,  and  T.  S.  Field,  whose 
residence  is  at  the  station. 

INDUSTRIAL    PURSUITS. 

The  earliest  cheese  factory  in  the  township  is  the 
one  on  lot  number  fifteen,  tract  three.  This  was 
built  by  L.  Beckley  in  1870,  and  has  been  extensively 
patronized.  During  the  season  of  1878  this  factory 
utilized  tlie  milk  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  cows. 

The  cheese  factory  on  lot  number  twenty-seven  was 
built  by  DeGrass  Thomas  and  Perry  Noble  in  the 
spring  of  1873.  The  total  amount  invested  was  two 
thousand  dollars.  The  first  season  the  jiatronage 
was  two  hundred  cows.  The  patronage  has  gradually 
increased  until  the  season  of  1878,  when  the  lactial 
wealth  of  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  cows  was 
converted  into  butter  and  cheese.  Mr.  Noble  is  a 
practical  cheese-maker,  and  superintends  that  depart- 
ment of  the  business. 

The  first  saw  and  grist  mill  in  the  township  was 
built  at  the  center  by  Benjamin  S.  Perkins  in  1837; 
this  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

A  water  saw  mill  was  built  by  Frederick  Van 
Tassel  in  1847.  This  was  located  on  lot  number 
fifteen. 

The  present  flouring  and  saw  mil],  located  at  the 
station,  was  buiU  in  1844,  by  Daniel  Franklin.  It 
stood  just  west  of  the  center,  on  the  west  branch  of 
Black  river,  and  was  removed  to  its  present  site  in 
18(;4.  The  jM'csent  proprietors,  Messrs.  D.  Lowrie 
&  Son,  ])urcliased  the  jiroperty  in  Ajiril,  1874,  paying 
for  the  same  ten  thousand  dollars.  A  fifty-horse 
jiower  engine  propels  the  two  run  of  stone,  by  which 
both  custom  and  merchant  work  is  done.  The  saw 
mill  in  connection  is  operated  by  a  twenty-live  horse 
power  engine.  Messrs.  Lowrie  conduct  a  cooper  shop 
at  the  same  point. 

Messrs.  Conant  &  Shepard  had  in  operation,  at  the 
station,  the  most  extensive  manufacturing  establish- 
ment ever  in  Rochester  townshiii.  Their  principal 
work  was  the  making  of  walnut  gun  stocks  for  the 
United  States  government.  Tiie  close  of  the  war 
and  of  this  establishment  was  simultaneous. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


289 


An  ashery  was  built  in  about  1838,  by  Samuel  Ed- 
wards, on  lot  eight.  He  disposed  of  this  proi)erty  to 
Messrs.  Griswold,  Dunn  &  Calkins,  who  conducted 
the  business  for  a  number  of  years.  They  also  sold 
goods  in  connection. 

A  man  named  Beals  erected  another  ashery  a  short 
time  after  the  above.  This  was  located  on  Blair 
brook. 

Hiram  Scoville  built  the  first  blacksmith  shop. 
This  was  located  at  the  center.  James  Earls  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Scoville.  The  present  blacksmiths  are  A. 
Mitchell  and  J.  N.  Kinney.  E.  E.  Banning  and  John 
Hanley  have  wagon  shops;  C.  Curtis,  a  harness  shop; 
W.  M.  Crandall,  boots  and  shoes;  and  M.  Sage,  a  livery 
stable. 

The  roads  are  laid  out  at  right  angles  across  the 
township,  and  one  mile  apart.  They  were  surveyed 
by   Benjamin    Perkins   and    Luther   Blair,    and  the 


settlers  cut    them  out   and  made    them  passable  by 
voluntar}'  subscription. 

In  May,  1871,  a  portion  of  Rochester  township  was 
visited  by  a  genuine  sensation.  It  came  in  the  shape 
of  a  juvenile  hurricane,  from  a  northwest  direction, 
and  carried  devastation  and  ruin  in  its  train,  uproot- 
ing the  giant  trees  of  the  forest,  unroofing  buildings, 
and  generally  demoralizing  the  face  of  dame  nature. 


Wheat, 
Potatoes, 
Oats, 
Orchards, 
Corn, 
Clover, 
Meadow,  1,58:) 
Butter 


AoRicPLTimAi.  Statistics. 
341  acres 5,14,3  bushels. 


26 
449 
202 
573 

143 


Cheese 2O2..'i20 

Maple  Sugar 1,840 

Population  in  1870 


.3,169       " 
19,695 

1,582 
26,920 

271         *' 

8,036  tons. 
40,680  pounds. 


Hayes. 


Vote  fob  President  in  1876. 
143|TiIden 


091 


58 


CAMDEN.^ 


The  township  of  Camden  is  situated  in  the 
western  side  of  the  county,  being  town  number  four, 
in  range  nineteen,  and  was  originally  included  in 
Brighton  and  Henrietta.  The  surface  is  for  the  most 
part  level,  though  in  some  parts  it  is  rolling,  and  the 
land  is  broken  by  small  streams.  The  soil  is  in  some 
places  gravelly  and  sandy,  but  clay  predominates. 
Running  through  the  township,  from  south  to  north, 
entering  at  the  southwest  corner,  and  leaving  at  a 
point  near  the  north  and  south  center  road,  is  the 
eastern  branch  of  the  Vermillion  river.  There  are  no 
otiier  streams  of  any  importance  in  this  territory,  but 
numerous  small  rills  and  rivulets  brighten  the  land- 
scape and  lend  value  to  the  farms. 

Like  all  of  the  other  townships  in  the  nineteenth 
range,  Camden  was  originally  laid  off  in  tracts,  and 
the  territory  included  within  its  present  limits  was 
annexed  to  other  townships  for  purjioses  of  equaliza- 
tion. These  tracts  extended  from  east  to  west  across 
the  range,  and  were  numbered  from  the  south  line 
towai'ds  Lake  Erie.  The  township,  as  at  present 
constituted,  contains  two  tiers  of  lots  (as  subdivided) 
in  the  northern  part  of  tract  number  eight  and  the 
whole  of  tracts  number  nine,  ten  and  eleven,  together 
with  the  surplus  lands  lying  west  of  said  tracts. 

ORIGINAL   OWNERS. 

In  the  original  drawing  of  the  Western  Reserve, 
tract  number  nine,   was  drawn   by    Lemuel  Storrs, 

•  This  liistory  is  written,  largely,  from  information  furnished  by  the 
kindness  of  Reuben  Eddy,  Esq. 

37 


tract  number  ten  by  Nehemiah  Hubbard  and  Joshua 
Storrs,  and  tnact  number  eleven  by  Henry  Champion 
and  Lemuel  Storrs.  When  the  land  was  put  into  the 
market,  tract  number  eight  (or  that  part  of  it  lying 
in  the  present  township  limits)  was  the  projierty  of 
Abagail  Doming,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut.  Philip 
L.  Goss  was  her  agent.  Aristarchus  Champion,  of 
Rochester,  New  York,  became  the  proprietor  of  tract 
number  nine,  and  he  conveyed  it,  in  1835,  to  Ezra  S. 
Allen,  of  Brockport,  New  York.  Cyrus  Butler,  of 
Norwalk,  Huron  county,  became  the  agent  of  Hub- 
bard. Tract  number  eleven  came  into  the  possession 
of  the  heirs  of  Sylvester  Mather,  of  New  York,  whose 
agent  was  John  W.  Allen,  of  Cleveland.  The  sur- 
plus lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  township  were 
owned  by  Hemau  Ely,  of  Elyria,  and  by  Washington 
College- of  Hartford,  Connecticut. 


GAME. 


Game  of  the  smaller  kinds  was  very  abundant  be- 
fore the  hunters  became  too  numerous.  It  cannot  be 
positively  stated  that  any  old  bears  were  killed  in  the 
township  after  the  settlement  was  begun;  but  there 
is  a  vague  tradition  to  the  effect  that  Solomon  Root 
and  Joseph  Ross  once  found  two  in  a  whitewood  tree 
in  the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  and  killed  them. 
Reuben  Eddy  disco.vered  three  cubs  in  a  tree,  and 
fastening  his  cap  and  coat  upon  the  bark  to  keep 
them  from  coming  down,  he  went  after  his  gun  and 
dog,  and  returning,  killed  two  of  them  and  took  the 
third  captive.     Only  one  wolf  was  killed  after  the 


290 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN"  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


settlement  of  the  town.  Wild  lious  were  fn'(|uently 
met  witli  and  killed  by  tlie  hunters.  Jfoscs  Pike  and 
Leonard  Clark  were  aroused  one  night  by  the  outery 
that  their  dog  made,  and  knowing  that  some  animal 
must  be  prowling  a1)out  their  cabin,  they  held  a  short 
diseussioii,  the  object  of  which  was  to  decide  who 
should  go  out  and  make  an  investigation.  Clark 
declined  assuming  the  responsibility,  and  Pike,  seiz- 
ing a  heavy  club,  used  as  a  fire  poker,  threw  the  door 
open  and  stepped  out,  fully  expecting  to  see  a  bear, 
lie  fonnd  instead  a  couple  of  wild  or  shack  hogs. 
Swinging  his  club  with  tremendous  force,  he  sti'uck 
one  of  them  a  blow  which  broke  the  savage  brute's 
back,  and  then  calling  to  Clark  and  informing  him  of 
the  success  of  the  attack,  he  made  an  onslaught  upon 
hog  number  two,  but  did  not  kill  him.  The  tusks 
of  the  animal  killed  by  the  first  well-directed  blow, 
measured  between  thi-ee  and  four  inches. 

The  wild  hogs  were  but  little  valued  for  their  flesh, 
and  as  a  general  thing  the  hunters  killed  them  only 
for  the  reason  that  they  were  savage  and  dangerous 
pests.  Deer,  wild  turkeys  and  raccoons  were  found 
in  abundance,  and  made  much  more  palatal)le  food. 

SETTLEiMENT. 

When  the  first  settlement  of  Camden  was  made, 
the  territory,  at  present  included  in  its  bounds, 
belonged  to  Henrietta  and  Brighton,  the  dividing 
line  between  those  townships  being  what  is  now  the 
east  and  west  center  road  through  Camden.  As  the 
township  was  not  settled  until  several  j'cars  later  than 
those  adjoining,  the  pioneers  had  no  experience  with 
the  Indians.  The  red  man  had  retreated  before  the 
vanguard  of  the  great  advancing  hosts  of  civilization 
and  left  but  faint  traces  of  his  presence  in  the  forest, 
which  Leonard  Cilark  invaded  in  1839.  Clark  might 
be  more  properly  termed  a  pioneer  than  a  settler. 
He  remained  but  two  years  and  then  jiassed  on,  in  all 
probability,  to  some  point  farther  west,  where  he  may 
have  remained  a  longer  time.  He-built  a  small  log 
cabin  on  lot  twenty-five,  tract  eleven,  and  cleared  off 
three  or  four  acres  in  lot  twenty-six.  Clark  brought 
with  him  his  family  and  his  father-in-law,  Moses  Pike. 
The  second  log  cabin  was  built  liy  one  Johnson 
soon  after  Clark's  arrival.  Johnson  had  his  family 
with  him.  He  built  his  house  upon  the  northern 
])n,rt  of  lot  sixteen,  made  a  small  clearing  upon  lot 
fifteen,  sowed  it  with  timothy  seed  and  then  left  the 
country. 

John  White  was  another  settler  who  remained  but 
a  short  time  and  left  no  record  behind  him.  He 
moved  on  to  lot  fourteen,  tract  eleven,  and  chopped 
some  timber  in  1831. 

Herod  Pike,  a  son  of  Moses  Pike,  moved  his 
family  into  a  log  cabin  upon  lot  fifteen,  tract  eleven, 
in  1831.  Moses  Pike  lived  with  his  son  after  the 
departure  of  Leonard  Clark,  and  the  two,  working 
together,  chopjjcd  and  cleared  three  or  four  acres 
which  they  sowed  in  wheat  in  the  year  1832.  Herod 
and  his  wife  Eliza  left  soon  after  this,  but  the  father 


staid  to  harvest  the  wheat  which  he  and  his  son  had 
sown.  When  the  crop  had  been  secured  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1833,  he,  too,  took  his  departure,  going  to 
Henrietta,  where  he  remained  for  several  years.  He 
returned,  however,  to  Camden,  and  lived  there  to  a 
good  old  age. 

m  March,  1833,  William  Scott  and  John  Johnston, 
natives  of  Scotland,  put  up  a  log  cabin  on  lot  five  in 
tract  eleven,  and  moved  their  families  into  it.  They 
were  the  first  families  who  came  into  Camden  after 
the  land  was  put  into  the  market,  and  the  first  per- 
manent settlers  in  the  township,  all  before  them  being 
"squatters." 

The  settlement  increased  rapidly  during  1833,  and 
the  following  year  or  two.  Gideon  Waugh  and  his 
wife  Minerva  came  from  Oswego  county.  New  York, 
in  the  summer  of  1833,  and  settled  upon  lot  twenty- 
three,  in  tract  eleven.  Their  family  consisted  of 
Gideon,  Chapman,  Alanson,  and  James  H.  The 
mother  of  this  family  died  soon  after  coming  into 
the  country,  and  Gideon  Waugh  afterward  married 
Mindwell  Shepherd,  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter, 
(j\L-s.  M.  W.  French).  Gideon  Waugh  removed  to 
Wakeman   in  1853,  where  he  died  in  18f;9. 

Thomas  Lee  and  his  wife,  Ijxieinda  Waugh,  of  Os- 
wego county.  New  York,  settled  in  1833,  upon  lot 
twenty-four,  tract  eleven.  Mrs.  Lee  walked  all  the 
way  from  Birmingham  to  Camden,  and  carried  a  small 
child  in  her  arms.  Thomas  Lee  was  one  of  the  most 
indomitable  spirits  among  the  pioneers  of  Camden. 
He  had  much  to  contend  with,  but  in  spite  of  all 
difficulties,  and  beginning  with  nothing,  achieved  in- 
dependence and  won  respect  from  all.  Soon  after 
■coming  into  the  country  he  lost  the  use  of  one  of  his 
hands  by  erysipelas,  and  was  unable  to  perform  any 
work  with  it  for  many  years.  He  neverthless  accom- 
plished more  than  some  men  who  had  the  use  of  both 
hands.  The  first  season  he  was  in  the  country  he 
sowed  two  acres  of  wheat  upon  the  place  where  his 
wife  at  present  resides.  He  died  in  1877.  The  fam- 
ily consists  of  six  children:  Andrew,  Norman,  Mar- 
garet (Hose),  in  Camden,  two  in  Wisconsin  and  one 
in  Clarksfield. 

Robert  Douglass,  also  of  Oswego  county,  New 
Tork,  came  in  1833,  and  settled  upon  lot  three,  in 
tract  ten. 

William  Hawkins,  of  Auburn,  Cayuga  county, 
settled  in  1833,  on  lot  thirteen,  tract  ten,  where  he  is 
still  living  with  his  wife,  (Mary  Abbott,  of  Henrietta) 
liaving  reared  a  family  of  eight  children. 

Hiram  Smith  came  in  previous  to  1833,  and  took 
land  in  lot  seven,  tract  eleven. 

Thomas  Sigsworth,  a  native  of  England,  was  a 
prominent  arrival  in  1833.  He  came  to  Camden  from 
Binghampton,  New  York,  his  wife,  Mai-y,  accompa- 
nying him.  They  had  two  sons;  one  of  them,  John, 
now  living  on  the  place  taken  up  by  his  father,  lot 
fourteen,  tract  eleven,  and  five  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  living. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


291 


B.  Bayloss  came  from  the  vicinity  of  Auburn, 
Now  York,  during  the  same  year,  and  took  up  land 
on  lot  six,  tract  ten,  though  he  made  his  home 
'  with  Thomas  Lee.  Piatt  Squires,  who  was  also  a  New 
Yorker,  came  about  this  time.  The  Gagers,  of  Bing- 
hampton,  New  York,  came  to  Camden  in  the  fall  of 
1833.  Thomas  Gager  and  wife,  with  Israel,  settled 
upon  lot  twenty-six,  tract  eleven,  and  Aaron  upon  lot 
twenty-five.  Edwin  and  Joseph  came  a  year  or  so 
later.  David  Wells,  of  Connecticut,  was  another  of 
the  settlers  of  1833,  taking  up  land  in  lot  seventeen, 
tract  eleven.  He  was  without  family,  reuiained  but 
a  short  time,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Brownhelm. 

Reuben  Eddy,  in  the  fall  of  1833,  bonglit  lot 
twenty,  tract  ten,  and  in  February,  1834,  moved  on 
to  it  with  his  household,  which  then  consisted  of  his 
father,  Johu,  his  mother.  Experience,  and  one  sister. 
Reuben  Eddy  was  born  in  Rutland,  Jefferson  county, 
New  York,  and  reached  his  seventy-third  year  in 
1878.  He  has  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
influential  men  of  Camden,  and  has  been  honored  by 
being  called  upon  to  fill  offices  of  trust  and  honor. 
He  has  served  eighteen  years  as  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  was  married  in  February,  1835,  to  Hannah  Sigs- 
worth,  who  still  lives  witli  him.  Their  family  con- 
sists of  four  children, — Cliarles,  now  in  Michigan; 
John,  a  resident  of  Camden;  Luther,  in  Michigan; 
an<l  Annette,  at  home. 

Obadiah  HolcomI),  and  his  wife  Rachel,  moved 
iiuo  Camden  in  1834,  from  Henrietta,  and  settled  on 
lot  six,  in  tract  ten,  but  left  in  about  three  years  for  a 
point  near  Columljus,  Ohio.  The  family  consisted  of 
Montgomery,  Almina,  Orlanda  and,  Henrietta,  who 
was  named  after  the  townsiiip  in  which  she  was  born. 

Truman  Holcomband  Phebe,  his  wife,  caine  in  from 
Henrietta  in  1835,  and  settled  upon  lot  six,  tract  ten. 
Truman  died  in  1873,  and  his  wife  in  1 875.  They  had 
seven  children,  Moses,  Mehitable,  (dead);  Harriet, 
(Mrs.  E.  C.  Williams,  of  Camden);  Arvilla,  (in  Iowa); 
Ambrosia,  (dead);  Ann  Janette,  (in  Michigan);  and 
William,  (also  in  Michigan).  Moses  Holcomb  is  a 
resident  of  Camden,  and  has  a  family,  which  con- 
sists of  his  wife,  Hannah  Tenuiint,  and  four  children; 
Olivia,  (Mrs.  D.  R.  Brown);  Truman  T.,  (m  Iowa); 
Fred  and  George,  at  home.  Elida  and  William  are 
dead. 

How  fast  the  settlement  increased  in  size  during 
1834  may  be  inferred  from  a  fact  stated  by  W.  W. 
Cook,  who  came  into  the  townshij)  in  June  of  that 
year,  and  attended  thirty  raisings,  during  the  next 
six  months.  Mr.  Cook  and  his  wife,  Maria  Durfee, 
came  from  Binghampton,  New  York,  and  settled  on 
lot  twelve,  in  tract  ten.  Otis  Bates  came  from  Lewis 
county.  New  York,  in  the  same  year,  and  settled  on 
lot  two,  in  tract  ten. 

Harrison  Hurd  and  wife,  of  Lewis  county,  New 
York,  settled  in  1834,  on  lot  eleven,  tract  ten,  and 
reared  there  a  family  of  ten  children,  who  have  shown 
great  musical  al)ility.  Judson  and  Frances  (Mrs. 
Lee,)  are  now  in  Camden. 


John  F.  Hovey,  a  native  of  Vermont,  settled  upon 
lot  twenty-one,  tract  ten,  early  in  1835.  John  Yos- 
burg  and  Jared  Watkins,  both  of  New  York  State, 
came  during  the  same  year. 

It  was  in  1834  that  Norman  Breckenridge  settled 
on  lot  twenty-six,  tract  ten.  His  descendants  of  the 
first  generation  are:  Abm/.o  L.,  Norman,  Daniel, 
Benjamin,  Justin,  Henry,  Mary  and  Francis.  George 
Arnold  came  during  the  year,  and  his  brother  James 
a  little  later.  Both  settled  on  lot  twenty-seven,  tract 
ten.  E.  Arnold,  of  Saratoga  county,  New  York,  set- 
tled on  lot  nineteen  about  the  time  that  James  came. 

During  the  same  or  the  following  year  came  the 
Wliitneys.  William  W.  and  his  family  settled  on  lot 
fifteen,  tract  eleven;  and  in  the  following  year,  Cal- 
vin, a  brother,  settled  near  the  line.  Hiram,  another 
brother,  came  in  1836,  and  located  on  lot  tweuty-six, 
tract  ten.  John  R.,  the  father,  and  Catharine,  came 
soon  after;  they  were  from  Binghampton,  Broome 
county,  New  York.  William  W.'s  children,  born  be- 
fore he  came  to  Camden,  were:  Catharine,  Mary  and 
William;  afterwards  Hannah,  Jane,  John  F.,  Samuel 
H.  and  Reuben.  Hiram's  children  were:  Henry, 
Hiram  and  Hannibal.  John  R.  married  a  second 
wife,  by  whom  he  had  six  children:  Mary,  Elisha, 
Warren,  Warner,  Lucretia  and  Frank.  Calvin  Whit- 
ney's children,  by  his  wife  Emma  L.  Morse,  were: 
Will  K.,  now  in  Camden;  George,  in  Kansas;  Charles, 
in  Pittsfield;  Caroline,  Olive,  Alice  and  Lizzie.  John 
R.,  William  W.  and  Hiram  Whitney  are  dead. 

Azel  Washburn  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  N.,  came  in 
January,  1835,  and  settled  on  lot  twenty-nine,  tract  ten. 
They  were  formerly  from  Orange,  New  Hampshire, 
but  had  resided  in  Lake  county,  Ohio,  three  years. 
They  had  three  sons:  Azel  D.,  George  G.  and  Fred- 
erick S. ;  and  one  daughter,  Francis  E.  Only  one  of 
the  family  is  now  living.  The  oldest  son,  Azel  D., 
died  in  Camden,  February  10, 1842.  Frances  E.  died 
in  Montgomery,  Alabama,  May  31,  1853.  The  mother 
died  in  Waterloo,  Iowa,  March  9,  1859.  Frederick 
S.  fell  mortally  wounded  in  the  assault  on  Vicksburg, 
May  33,  18G3,  while  leading  his  gallant  Ninth  Iowa 
regiment  in  the  charge,  and  died  the  day  after  he 
reached  his  home  in  Waterloo,  Iowa,  June  16,  1863. 
The  father  died  at  the  home  of  his  son  George,  in 
Elyria,  Dccemljer  30,  1807.  George  G.,  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  the  family,  removed  to  Elyria  in  1847,  where, 
for  twenty-nine  years,  he  has  been  engaged  as  a  jour- 
nalist; he  is  now  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Elyria 
RejnMican. 

Rufus  Washburn  bought  lot  thirty,  tract  ten,  in 
1834,  but  did  not  settle  in  Camden  until  1841.  He 
married  Mrs.  Mary  Allen,  who  survives  him  and  still 
resides  at  the  old  home  on  lot  thirty.  He  was  held  ' 
in  high  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  died  April 
33,  1877. 

John  Farmer  settled  upon  lot  33,  tract  ten,  in 
1834;  he  was  from  Binghampton,  New  York.  Han- 
cock, another  New  Yorker,  who  originally  settled  in 
Henrietta,  came  in  the  same  year,  but  remained  only 


292 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


a  short  time.  John  Cyrenius  and  wife,  from  near 
Oswego,  New  York,  settled  in  1834,  upon  lot  nine- 
teen, in  tract  ton,  but  returned  east  two  years  after. 
Joseph  and  Benjamin  AVilcox,  brothers,  from  Penn- 
sylvania, sometime  during  this  year,  took  up  lots 
thirty-one  and  thirty-two,  in  tract  ten. 

Among  the  settlers  who  ai-rived  in  1835  were  Fran- 
cis Bates,  of  Lewis  county.  New  York,  who  took  up 
land  iu  lot  three,  tract  ten,  and  Johiel  Bailey,  who  set- 
tled upon  the  same  lot,  but  afterward  took  lot  twenty- 
one.  Ncitlier  of  them  is  now  living,  and  neither  has 
any  descendants  in  the  town. 

Daniel,  a  brother  of  Gideon  Waugh,  settled  about 
1835  upon  lot  fourteen,  tract  ten.  He  married  Abi- 
gail Hovey,  and  some  time  afterward  removed  to 
Kansas.  Another  brother,  Lansing,  generally  known 
as  Elder  Waugh,  took  up  lot  five,  tract  ten,  at  a  later 
day,  but  afterward  became  a  resident  of   Wakemai  . 

Solomon  B.  Clark  came  into  the  township  in  1834, 
or  the  following  year,  and  took  lot  twenty-five,  in 
tract  eleven.  He  was  from  near  Binghamptou,  New 
York. 

John  D.  Williams  and  his  wife,  Jane,  from  the 
vicinity  of  Cuyuga  Lake,  New  York,  settled  upon  lots 
twenty-five  and  twenty-six,  tract  eleven,  in  1836. 
Elisha  C.  now  lives  upon  lot  twenty-three,  same  tract. 
S.  B.  is  in  Kipton  village.  John  W.  and  Wilson  are 
also  residents  of  the  township.  Mary  Jane  lives  upon 
the  old  place.  The  only  other  living  member  of  tlie 
family  of  brothers  and  sisters  is  Heman.  Albert  R. 
died  in  1878.     Clarissa  and  Minerva  are  also  dead. 

Samuel  Morgan,  and  Amy,  his  wife,  came  from  Mon- 
roe county.  New  York,  in  1840.  The  family  consists 
of  two  sons  and  two  daughtei-s.  D.  S.  is  in  Brock- 
port,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  mowers  and 
reapers.  David  is  a  farmer  in  Camden  and  Sarah 
(Mrs.  Hill)  and  Celestia,  (Mrs.  Hinman)  are  also 
living  in  the  township.  The  family  of  David  Morgan 
consists  of  Charles  D.,  D.  B.,  (in  Michigan,)  Celes- 
tia, Celia  (dead),  Edna,  Mary  M.,  and  Elmer  Ells- 
worth. Mrs.  Hill  has  two  children,  Emma  and  Nel- 
son Morgan,  and  Mrs.  Hinman,  a  son,  A.  F. 

Jacob  Devener  was  quite  an  early  settler,  coming 
from  Pennsylvania  before  1840,  and  taking  land  in 
lot  three,  tract  ten. 

Tract  number  nine  was  not  put  into  the  market 
until  1835  wlien  it  was  bought  of  Ceristarchus 
Champion  by  PJiilemon  Allen,  who  deeded  it  to  Ezra 
S.  Allen,  of  Brockport,  New  York.  After  the  land 
came  into  market,  it  was  taken  up  by  settlers  quite 
fast.  Some  came  from  the  east,  and  otliers  moved 
into  the  newly  opened  tract  from  the  northern  part 
of  the  township.  Ezra  S.  Allen  removed  to  Camden 
■wliere  he  resided  about  four  years,  and  died  in  1841. 
He  willed  tliis  property  to  Hiram  Allen,  who  settled 
upon  what  has  smce  been  known  as  the  Taylor  farm 
at  the  corners.  H.  H.  Crandall  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  township, — west 
side.  He  removed  to  Birmingham,  but  came  back  to 
his  Camden  home  where  he  now  lives,  one  of  the  in- 


fluential residents  of  the  town.  Among  the  earliest 
settlers  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township  was 
Solomon  Root  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Heath. 
They  occupied  respectively  lots  thirty-four  and  thirty- 
five  in  tract  nine.  Marcus  Bartlett  took  up  lot  thirty- 
nine;  Francis  Bennett  bought  out  Root  about  1840; 
Henry  Bates  took  up  lot  nineteen;  —  Warner  lot 
thirty-eight,  and  Seneca  Andrews  a  part  of  lot  thirty- 
nine,— *11  at  an  early  day.  Charles  Kingsbury,  of 
Brockport,  New  York,  settled  in  1840,  aast  of  the 
Taylor  farm.  Moses  S.  Tennant  and  wife,  Jane  Bill- 
ings, of  Rochester,  Now  York,  came  in  1847,  and 
located  upon  lot  seven  in  tract  nine;  a  son,  William, 
is  now  circuit  judge  in  Saginaw  county,  Michigan. 
Allen  R.  Tennant  and  his  wife,  Nancy  Cook,  settled 
upon  lot  six  in  the  year  1838.  Selden  Tennant,  father 
of  William  and  Allen  came  to  Camden  in  1845, 
bringing  with  him  two  children,  David  R.  and  Mar- 
garet. He  took  up  considerable  land,  including  lots 
nine  and  ten,  where  he  lived.  Ira  Hill  came  in  1839. 
The  Rev.  John  Cannan  and  his  son  by  the  same  name 
came  into  Camden  in  1840,  the  father  purchasing  a 
farm  upon  the  east  part  of  lot  eight,  tract  eight. 
The  elder  Cannan  preached  in  his  own  neighborhood 
for  several  years,  and  in  the  Free  Will  Baptist 
Churches  of  Henrietta  and  La  Grange.  He  was  a 
strong  and  original  thinker,  and  a  man  of  most  con- 
scientious and  practical  piety.  Of  his  son,  Dr.  John 
Cannan,  mention  is  made  in  another  portion  of  this 
chapter.  He  is  still  livin'g  upon  the  old  place  sur- 
rounded by  his  family.  A  sister,  Isabella,  is  the  wife 
of  W.  S.  (titford,  of  Camden.  The  southern  portion 
of  C'amden  is  now  nearly  as  well  settled  as  the 
northern  part.  Its  history  not  extending  back  to 
pioneer  days,   has  few,  if  any,  elements  of  interest. 

OROANIZATION    OF   THE   TOWNSHIP. 

During  the  months  of  .Tanuary  and  February,  1835, 
a  petition  was  circulated  among,  and  numerously 
signed  by,  the  inhabitants  of  what  was  then  the 
southern  half  of  Henrietta  and  the  northern  half  of 
Brighton,  praying  the  county  commissioners  to  set 
off  a  separate  township.  The  petition  was  presented 
to  the  commissioners  at  their  annual  meeting  in 
March,  and  its  prayer  granted,  an  order  being  issued 
for  the  completion  of  the  organization,  by  the  election 
of  officers  on  the  first  Monday  of  April,  in  the  same 
year. 

Pursuant  to  (his  order,  on  the  tith  of  April,  1835, 
was  held  the  first  election  ever  had  in  Camden.  The 
electors  met  at  the  school  house,  and  prepared  for  the 
exercise  of  their  right  of  suffrage  by  choosing  as 
judges,  Piatt  Squii-es,  Solomon  B.  Clark  and  Robert 
Douglass;  and  as  clerks,  Israel  D.  Gager  and  John 
Cyrenius.  Every  person  in  the  township  limits 
entitled  to  a  vote  had  a  ballot  in  the  box,  except  one 
who  was  detained  at  home.  Following  are  the 
officers  who  were  chosen:  Trustees,  Azel  Washburn, 
Robert  Douglass,  Obed  Holcomb;  clerk,  John  Cyre- 
nius; treasurer,  David  Wells;  overseers  of  the  poor, 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


393 


Thomas  Lee  and  .Joscpii  Wilcox;  fence  viewers,  Junios 
Smith,  Joseph  Wilcox  and  Henjamin  Wilcox;  super- 
visors of  highways,  Gideon  Wangh,  James  Smith  and 
Reuben  Eddy;  constable,  Thomas  Lee.  In  October 
iif  the  same  year,  1).  Wangh  was  a|)|ioiiit"e<l  townsliip 
clerk,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  John  Cyrenius' 
departure  from  the  townshiii.  (Jideon  Wangh  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  June,  1835,  with  but 
one  dissenting  vote. 

When  the  township  was  carved  out  of  Briglitonand 
Henrietta,  (rideou  Wangh  suggested  to  the  county 
commissioners  the  name  of  Camden,  and  the  name 
was  accordingly  bestowed. 

The  present  township  officers  are  as  follows:  Trus- 
tees, Wm.  Prince,  Charles  Hardy,  Matthew  Tucker; 
clerk,  John  Eddy;  treasurer,  Alonzo  L.  Breckenridge; 
assessor,  Henry  Sheffield;  justices  of  the  peace,  Joseph 
B.  Flickinger  and  John  Rose;  constables,  Charles 
Bayles  and  William  Eastman. 

FIKST    EVENTS. 

The  first  log  cabin  that  was  built  was  the  handi- 
work of  Leonard  Clark,  and  was  raised  by  him  upon 
lot  number  twenty-five  in  tract  eleven,  in  the  year 
18"-i9.  Tlie  first  framed  dwelling  was  built  in  the  year 
1837  on  lot  nnml)er  twelve  in  tract  ten,  liy  Roswell 
Babcock.  It  was  not  finished  immediately,  however. 
William  Hawkins  moved  it  to  the  adjoining  lot, 
numlier  thirteen,  and  completed  it  soon  after.  About 
the  same  time  Edwin  Gager  put  up  a  small,  rough 
frame  house  on  lot  number  twenty-six,  tract  eleven. 
A  year  or  so  later,  Ezekiel  Arnold  built  a  frame  house 
on  lot  number  nineteen,  tract  ten,  moved  into  it  and 
lived  there  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  in 
1840.  All  three  of  these  early  erected  dwellings  have 
been  destroyed.  The  first  framed  barns  were  built 
in  183(5  by  David  Wells  and  Reuben  Eddy.  There 
'was  only  a  few  days  difference  in  the  date  of  the 
raisings.  The  first  brick  building  was  a  store  erected 
at  Kipton  in  the  year  185(1,  by  H.  McParland.  It  is 
still  used  for  the  purpose  originally  intended. 

The  first  suit  ever  tried  before  'Scjuire  Gideon 
Waugh,  the  earliest  dispenser  of  justice  in  the  town- 
ship, was  the  State  of  Ohio  us.  James  Smith  for 
assault  and  battery,  William  W.  White,  complainant. 
The  defendant  was  discharged.  The  first  civil  suit 
was  Reuben  Eddy  vs.  Piatt  Squires  for  damages  on 
contract  for  chopping  and  clearing  laud.  Jnd^ment 
was  given  for  the  plaintiff.  These  two  suits  are 
given  by  Mr.  Eddy  from  m.emory. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  the  township  was 
Betsey,  daughter  of  Herod  and  Eliza  Pike.  She 
was  born  in  July  or  August  of  the  year  1833.  The 
first  male  child  was  polite  enough  to  keep  out  of  the 
world  until  the  first  female  child  had  come  into  the 
township.  Minerva,  wife  of  Gideon  Waugh,  became 
the  mother  of  a  bi'ight  boy  babe  on  the  24th  of 
August,  1833,  and  gave  him  the  name  of  James  H. 

Moses  Pike  cut  the  first  tree  within  the  limits  of 
the  township  for  the  purpose  of  improvement. 


Four  years  after  the  first  settlement  of  the  town- 
ship, in  1833,  occurred  the  first  death  among  the 
pioneers;  Minerva,  wife  of  Gideon  Waugh,  died  of 
consumption  on  the  second  day  of  October.  The 
funeral  was  attended  by  the  few  persons  then  denizens 
of  the  almost  unbroken  wilderness.  Elder  Call  con- 
ducted a  simple  service,  and  the  mortal  remains  of 
the  deceased  were  buried  in  lot  number  twenty-three, 
tract  eleven,  not  far  from  the  desola(-o  cabin  of  the 
bereaved  husband.  After  a  burying  ground  liiid  been 
laid  out  the  body  was  removed  to  it. 

The  first  cou])le  joined  together  in  the  l)onds  of 
wedlock  were  Reuben  Eddy  and  Hannah  Sigsvvorth. 
The  marriage  was  celebrated  February  13,  1835, 
James  Durand,  Esq.,  of  Henrietta,  officiating.  Reu- 
ben Eddy  was  born  in  Rutland,  Jefferson  county. 
New  York,  and  Hannah  Sigsworth  in  Yorkshire, 
England.  They  are  still  living  together,  and  both 
enjoy  a  degree  of  health  that  makes  the  prospect  good 
of  their  attaining  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  wed- 
ding. 

The  first  tavern  was  a  small  log  structure,  located 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  tiie  center.  It  was 
opened  in  the  year  1845,  by  Levi  Forbes,  who  is  said 
to  have  been  a  very  accommodating  and  obliging 
landlord;  he  was  succeeded  by  .James  Weeks. 

The  first  store  in  Camden  was  opened  in  the  s|)ring 
of  1841,  in  the  woodhouse  of  Samuel  Morgan.  It. 
was  a  branch  of  a  store  at  Brownhelm,  which  was 
owned  by  the  Glendale  and  Goodrich  manufacturing 
ccuupany  of  Stockbridge,  Massachusetts. 

This  company,  at  that  time,  had  in  o[)eration  an 
extensive  ashery,  shipi)ing  large  quantities  of  potash 
to  the  eastern  market.  They  nianufactnred  from 
seven  to  ten  tons  per  week,  and  received  from  one 
hundred  and  thirty  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars 
per  ton.  This  ashery  was  under  the  supervision  of  a 
Mr.  McFall,  and  later  by  one  Hammond.  The  store 
was  started  for  the  purpose  of  exciianging  goods  for 
ashes,  and  was  put  in  operation  by  Ezekiel  Goodrich, 
of  Brownhelm,  with  Obadiah  Prentiss  as  storekeeper. 
Wiuslow  Fay  succeeded  Prentiss  in  tiie  fall  of  1841. 
About  four  months  after  he  had  assumed  charge  of 
the  business,  the  stock  of  goods  was  removed  to 
better  quarters,  in  a  building  erected  expressly  for 
the  mercantile  business,  at  a  place  called  "Sam 
Town,"  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  west  of  Cam- 
den center.  After  an  experience  of  one  year,  Mr. 
Fay  was  called  to  the  Brownhelm  store,  Mr.  G.  D. 
Hinman  succeeding  him  in  Camden.  Dry  goods, 
boots  and  shoes,  groceries  and  hardware  comprised 
the  stock.  It  cannot  be  definitely  ascertained  how 
long  this  store  existed.  The  business  carried  on  by 
this  eastern  firm  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  at 
that  day,  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Wood  was  fur- 
nished for  the  ashery  at  twenty-five  to  thirty-one 
cents  per  cord,  cut  and  piled  up,  showing  but  a  small 
remuneration  isr  labor.  There  is  nothing  left  of  the 
ashery  to  mark  the  place,  unless  it  be  a  huge  pile  of 
old  ashes  that  still  remain  near  the  bank  of  the  river. 


294 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


THE    UNDEUGKOUND    K.V[LUO.VI). 

Samuel  Morgan  was  the  lirst  voter  of  the  abolition 
ticket  in  Camden.  TI(!  was  a  station  agent  on  the 
"undergroiunl  railroad,"  the  long  zigzag  line  of  travel 
which  led  from  slavei-y  to  freedom.  Many  a  poor, 
dazed  darkey  slave  was  spirited  over  this  branch  of 
tiie  i-oad  whicii  ran  through  Camden,  and  many  a 
fugitive,  trembling  between  hope  and  fear,  lias  iiad 
to  come  to  thank  S-amuel  Morgan  for  helping  him 
upon  his  journey  toward  a  place  whore  he  was  safe 
from  llu'  pursuer — a  place  where  he  need  no  more 
stand  in  terror  of  the  lash  and  bloodhoutid.  The 
runaways  were  almost  invariably  ignorant  of  tlio 
names  of  their  friends,  and  it  was  often  the  case  that 
one  man  in  the  long  chain  extending  from  the  Oliio 
border  to  the  lake  did  not  know  who  extended  tiie 
lielping  hand  before  him.  Mr.  Morgan  would  occa- 
sionally find  a  colored  man  at  his  door,  and,  without 
asking  any  rpxestions  as  to  wiiero  ho  came  from  or 
wlio  had  brought  him  thus  far  upon  his  journey,  he 
would  take  him  to  Oijcrlin,  or  some  otber  point  where 
the  fugitive  would  be  quietly  placed  in  charge  of 
some  other  friend.  Sometimes  the  fleeing  slaves 
came  through  in  companies  of  half  a  dozen  or  more. 
One  party,  consisting  of  six  men  and  women,  were 
left  at  .Mr.  Morgan's  house  upon  a  dark,  dreary  night, 
and  bellied  u[)on  their  way  to  01)erlin,  after  being 
properly  cared  for.  At  another  time  four  stopped  at 
this  station,  and,  soon  taking  the  road  again,  went 
traveling  on  to  freedom,  the  place  of  their  destination. 

A    RAISING    INCIDENT. 

Wben  Otis  Bates  got  the  framj  of  his  iiouse  ready 
to  be  raised,  he  notified  his  neighbors,  as  was  custom- 
ary, and  at  the  same  time  signified  his  intention 
to  abstain  from  furnishing  any  whiskey  upon  tiiat 
occasion,  which  was  not  customary.  He  promised  to 
furnish  cider,  iiowever,  and  this  partial  concession  to 
establisheil  prejudice,  was  sufficient  to  bring  togetiier 
f(uite  a  large  number  of  men.  A  Ijai-re!  of  cider  was 
sent  for,  and  tiiat  innocent  a[)plo  juice  would  doubt- 
less have  arrived  in  condition  mild  enough  to  have 
betin  within  the  limit  of  beverages  allowed  a  teetotaler, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  misciiievousnesss  of  two  or 
three  young  men.  The  cider  was  bought,  and  started 
upon  the  road  for  the  scene  of  the  honse  raising,  but 
there  was,  unfortunately,  a  distillery  upon  that  road, 
and  in  tliis  fact  lay  the  secret  of  the  (juite  phenom- 
enal strength  of  the  cider  furnished  at  the  Bates"  rais- 
ing. Two  gallons  of  cider  were  taken  from  the  barrel 
and  replaced  with  an  equal  amount  of  simon-pure 
whiskey.  The  barrel  being  rolled  some  distance  over 
a  rough  road,  the  two  elements  became  thoroughly 
mixed.  The  contents  of  the  cask  was  sampled,  at  first 
quite  gingerly,  but  it  was  noticed  that  after  the  first 
drink  had  been  taken,  many  who  had  formely  ex- 
pressed themselves  as  indifferent  toward  cider  as  a 
beverage,  seemed  suddenly  to  have  acquired  an  intense 
liking  for  it,  and  lingered  about  the  vicinity  of  the 


bung-lioh^  with  a  i)ertinacity  that  was  at  the  time  in- 
ex])licable.  The  secret  of  their  newly  acquired  and 
strong  liking  for  cider,  was  explained  when  the  rais- 
ing was  over,  and  the  joke  was  exposed  by  the  per- 
petrators. There  were  several  men  who  got  decidedly 
well  drunk  at  this  temperance  house-raising. 

FIRST    RELIIilOUS   SEIIVICE. 

The  first  sermon  listened  to  in  the  townsliip  was 
preached  by  Elder  Call  in  the  little  cabin  where  Mrs. 
Johnson  taught  the  first  school.  This  was  sometime 
in  1S;S3.  Religious  services  were  iield  in  July  or 
August  of  the  following  year  at  the  log  school  house, 
by  the  Rev.  Xenophon  Betts,  a  Presbyterian  minister 
from  Wakeman. 

THE    HAl'TIST   OFIURCH. 

The  Baptists  wore  jiioneer-i  in  Camden  in  the  organ- 
ization of  a  church.  The  church  was  formed  Sep- 
tember (1,  1835,  and  there  were  only  seven  constituent 
members,  viz:  Harrison  Hurd  and  Rebecca  his  wife, 
John  F.  Hovey  and  his  wife  Elizabeth,  Margaret, 
wife  of  David  Morgan,  Huldah,  wife  of  Chauncey 
Spencer,  and  Wm.  W.  Cook.  The  church  was  organ- 
ized by  Elder  Mack,  a  home  missionary.  Elder 
Brown  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  church.  In  18-18 
a  good  substantial  meeting  house  was  built  at  the 
center.  This  house  was  unfortunately  completely 
destroyed  by  fire  in  the  following  year.  A  small 
dwelling  house  which  stood  very  close  to  the  church 
took  fire,  and  although  the  alarm  was  immediately 
given  and  a  number  of  people  who  assembled  upon 
the  spot  made  every  effort  within  their  jjower  to  save 
the  church,  it  was  very  quickly  enveloped  in  flames 
and  burned  to  the  ground.  The  members  of  the 
church  and  society  promptly  went  to  work  to  raise 
funds  for  the  building  of  another  church,  and  applied 
themselves  perseveringly  to  the  task  until  success  was 
assured.  The  new  honse,  which  is  still  standing 
and  ill  use,  was  completed  in  the  summer  of  18G0, 
the  contract  having  been  let  to  John  Ames,  the  man 
who  built  the  first  structure.  This  church  is  now  in 
a  flourishing  condition.  At  close  of  1878  it  had  a 
membership  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  persons. 
Pastor,  the  Rev.  J.  II.  Smith.  Officers:  trustees,  W. 
VV.  Cook,  D.  Morgan,  Joseph  Flickinger,  Cyrus 
Robinson,  Wm.  Pomoroy;  clerk,  Selden  Tennant; 
treasurer,  D.  Morgan;  deacons,  C.  M.  Cook,  D. 
Morgan. 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL   CnUKCII. 

In  the  winter  of  183G  and  1837  Elder  Kilburn 
organized  a  Methodist  class  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  township,  and  about  two  years  later  another  was 
organized  in  the  southwest  part.  The  Methodists 
kept  up  their  organization  until  a  few  years  since. 
Some  died,  some  moved  away  from  the  township, 
and  having  but  few  accessions  the  church  passed  out 
of  existence.  No  house  of  worship  was  ever  built  by 
this  denomination. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


295 


FEEE  WILL  BAPTISTS. 

About,  tlio  same  time  or  a  little  before  tlie  Metho- 
dist organization,  the  Free  Will  Bajitists  organized  a 
church  and  kept  up  meetings  for  several  years.  The 
society  never  became  strong  enough -to  build  a  church, 
and  after  a  short  existence  ceased  the  struggle  for  life. 
A  few  jieople  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist  faith  are  still 
resident  in  the  township,  but  they  are  not  sufficiently 
numerous  to  hold  meetings  and  they  have  no  organi- 
zation. 

THE    DISCIPLE    CHURCn 

of  Camden,  came  into  being  in  May,  1843,  the  organ- 
izing members  being  John  Cyrenius,  Norton  Bates, 
.lane  Jf..  iiis  wife,  Henry  Crandalj,  and  Irene  Cyre- 
nius. The  church  soon  increased  iu  numbers,  and 
its  members  began  to  feel  the  need  of  a  place  for 
holding  other  meetings.  To  meet  this  want  a  church 
•was  built  in  1851  at  tiie  center.  This  church  was  tlie 
regular  place  of  worship  for  the  society  until  1871, 
when,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  majority  of 
members,  the  church  took  possession  of  a  new  brick 
meeting  house  at  Kipton.  The  first  person  employed 
to  lill  the  pulpit  of  the  Disciple  church  was  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Miller.  The  desk  is  now  filled  half  of  the  time  by 
the  Rev.  F.  M.  Gibbs,  and  half  of  the  time  by  the  Rev. 
Walter  D.  Close.  The  church,  at  the  close  of  1878, 
had  over  two  hundred  members,  fifty  being  added  in 
December  through  interest  awakeneil  l)y  a  revival. 
Following  are  the  officers  of  this  church  :  Elders, 
William  Anderson,  Hiram  Prentiss;  deacons,  William 
Douglas,  Chauncey  Cloe,  H.  H.  Crandall,  F.  Dauzy; 
clerk,  H.  V.  Hawkins;  treasurer,  Hiram  Prentiss; 
trustees,  H.  H.  Crandall,  James  Van  Deusen,  William 
Anderson,  Chauncey  R.  Close,  Hiram  Prentiss. 

CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

About  the  year  1845,  though  possilily  not  until 
184G  or  1847,  a  Congregational  church  was  organized 
by  Rev.  Dr.  Betts,  of  Brownhelm.  The  names  of  the 
constituent  members  cannot  be  procured.  Meetings 
were  held  wherever  and  whenever  it  was  convenient, 
until  the  year  1849,  when  funds  were  raised  through 
the  efforts  of  Dr.  Betts  and  applied  toward  the  build- 
ing of  a  small  church,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  west 
of  the  center.  The  church  kept  up  its  organization 
until  about  18(14,  when  it  was  dissolved,  the  members 
all  taking  letters  to  other  churches.  Rev.  Dr.  Betts 
was  the  first  pastor.  Otis  Bates  and  wife,  Israel  Gager 
and  wife,  and  Mrs.  Azel  Washburn,  were  probably 
among  the  members,  and  at  no  time  were  there  many. 

SUNDAY    SCHOOLS. 

The  first  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  the  month 
of  July,  in  the  first  log  school  house  built  in  the 
township.  The  officers  were:  John  Cyrenius,  supcrin 
tendeut;  William  W.  Cook,  assistant;  Daniel  Waugh, 
liin-arian.  There  were  but  three  scholars  on  the  first 
Sunday,  but  from  this  small  beginning  grew  a  large 
and  prosperous  school,  which  is  still  in  existence. 


SCHOOLS. 

The  trustees  of  Henrietta,  at  their  March  nu'cting, 
in  1833,  set  ofE  that  portion  of  the  township  now  in 
Camden  as  a  separate  road  and  school  district.  The 
inhabitants  of  this  district  went  to  work  and  put  up 
a  log  school  house,  and  employed  Miss  Laura  Allen  as 
a  teacher  during  the  summer  months.  Her  wages 
were  seventy-five  cents  per  week,  and  she  "boarded 
'round."  She  had  butasnuill  number  of  ijuitc  young 
pu])ils,  and  they  came  from  all  parts  of  the  township 
to  receive  the  first  elements  of  an  edncation.  Other 
school  houses  were  provided  as  the  population  in- 
creased; and  as  the  necesities  of  education  became 
more  apparent,  the  wages  of  teachers  were  advanced, 
and  the  character  of  the  schools  as  well.  The  first 
brick  school  house  was  built  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
west  of  the  center,  in  1803.  There  are  at  present  six 
school  houses  in  the  township,  and  five  of  them  are 
brick.  A  new  sub-district  was  made  in  the  spring  of 
1778,  iu  which  it  is  the  intention  of  the  trustees  to 
build  another  brick  school  house.  The  number  of 
youth  of  school  age,  enrolled  in  1878,  is  two  hundred 
and  twenty-six. 

KIPTON. 

Sometime  during  the  year  1853  the  first  locomo- 
tive and  train  of  cars  came  sweeping  through  the 
northern  part  of  Camden,  upon  the  Lake  Shoi'C  and 
Michigan  Southern  Railroad,  bringing  with  its  rum- 
bling thunder,  a  suggestion  of  stimulated  industry 
and  the  possibility  of  opening  new  enterprises. 

During  the  same  year  that  the  railroad  was  put  in 
operation,  or  perhaps  in  1853,  William  W.  Whitney, 
the  owner  of  the  land  upon  which  the  station  is  now 
located,  laid  out  a  town  which  was  at  first  called 
Binghampton  upon  the  town  plat.  But  not  long 
afterward  the  name  of  the  station  and  of  the  post 
office  being  changed  to  Kipton,  the  little  village  grow- 
ing up  by  the  railroad  became  also  Kipton  by  com- 
mon consent.  Obadiah  Bowen  built  a  hotel  at  the 
station  which  he  conducted  for  some  time.  One  room 
was  finished  off  for  a  store,  and  was  taken  by  Hector 
Taylor,  who  immediately  put  in  a  varied  though  not 
extensive  stock  of  goods.  The  place  has  slowly  but 
steadily  increased  in  jwpulation  until,  at  the  ])resent 
writing,  it  contains  (juite  a  fair  sized  cluster  of  dwell- 
ings. It  has  one  good  country  store,  kept  Ijy  Benja- 
min F.  Breckenridge,  a  grocery  and  drug  store  kept 
l)y  William  Douglass,  a  hotel  of  which  John  Sigsvvorth 
is  "mine  host,"  a  boot  and  shoe  shop,  a  tin  shop, 
two  blacksmith  shops  and  other  provisions  for  the 
needs  of  its  people. 

POST   OFFICE. 

The  first  post  office  in  Camden  was  established  in 
the  year  1835,  its  name  being  Panalize.  James  Ar- 
nold was  the  first  postmaster  deputized.  The  office 
was  located  three-quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  the  cen- 
ter. The  name  of  the  post  office  became,  after  a  time, 
the  same  as  that  of  the  township,  but  it   was  again 


296 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


cli;ingt'd  to  distinguish  it  from  un  office  l)y  the  sanic 
name  in  i'reble  county,  to  A'orth  Camden.  When  the 
railroiid  was  built,  a  jrost  office  was  located  at  the  sta- 
tion, and  James  Weeks  was  commissioned  postmaster. 
A  mail  route  was  established  between  the  office  known 
as  Noi'th  Camden  and  this  office.  Finally,  there  still 
being  much  inconvenience  arising  from  the  similarity 
of  name  between  the  Preble  county  office  and  this  one, 
tlie  name  was  changed  to  Kipton.  Tlie  present  jiost- 
niaster  is   IJenjamin  F.  Breckenridge. 

NORTH  CAMDEN  GRANGE,  NO.    10.58 

was  organized  October  26,  1874.  The  first  officers 
were,  .John  15ddy,  master;  C.  W.  Allen,  overseer; 
Gideon  Lattimcr,  lecturer;  A.  M.  Tennant,  steward; 
1).  C.  Gibson,  assistant  steward;  James  Van  Deuseu, 
chaplain;  Hiram  Prentiss,  treasurer;  A.  Ilovey,  secre- 
tary; A.  J.  Ilediugton,  gate  keeper;  Mrs.  A.  M. 
Tennant,  lady  assistant  steward;  Mrs.  Flora  Gibson, 
ceres;  Mrs.  K.  E.  Allen,  pomona;  Mrs.  U.  B.  Bartlett, 
flora. 

The  present  officers  are  as  follows:  Philip  Ritzen- 
thaler,  master;  Gideon  Lattimer,  overseer;  William 
Jickels,  lecturer;  W.  W.  Ward,  steward;  John  Eddy, 
assistant  steward;  J.  N.  Hurd,  chaplain;  H.  P. 
Draper,  treasurer;  S.  D.  Tennant,  secretary;  A.  J. 
Redington,  gate  keeper;  Mrs.  W.  W.  Ward,  ceres; 
Mrs.  J.  N.  Hnrd,  pomona;  Mrs.  John  Eddy,  flora; 
Mrs.  1).  C.  Gil)S()n,  lady  assistant  steward.  The 
grange  has  about  forty  members. 

TirE  BURIAL  PLACE. 

In  the  year  1837,  the  inhabitants  of  Camden  town- 
ship began  to  feel  the  need  of  having  a  proper  resting 
[ilace  tor  their  dead.  At  a  meeting  called  for  the 
purpose  of  devising  some  place  for  the  establishment 
of  a  cemetery,  it  was  agreed  that  a  committee  should 
be  appointed  to  select  a  suitable  site,  and  that  the 
trustees  of  the  township  should  purchase  it  at  town 
expense.  Ezekiel  Arnold,  Harrison  Hurd,  and  Reuben 
Eddy  were  appointed  said  committee,  and  after  ex- 
amining several  pieces  of  ground,  they  selected  a 
location  on  the  south  side  of  lot  number  twenty-seven, 
in  tract  number  eleven,  on  an  east  and  west  road,  in 
tlie  northeast  part  of  the  township.  The  trustees  of 
the  township  purchased  an  acre  of  ground  of  Thomas 
Sigsworth,  and  cleared  it  of  timl)er,  for  at  this  time, 
the  little  piece  of  ground  which  was  to  become  "God's 
acre,"  like  most  of  the  laud  lying  around  it,  was 
covered  with  trees  of  a  heavy  growth.  It  was  fenced 
in  and  lotted  oft',  one  lot  being  assigned  to  each  resi- 
dent of  the  township,  who  was  the  head  of  a  family. 
.Since  the  first  j)urcha.sc,  iuilf  an  acre  has  been  added 
to  the  l)uryiug  ground,  and  as  the  whole  has  been 
well  cared  for,  it  is  now  one  of  the  best  cemeteries  to 
be  found  in  tiie  rural  townships. 

PHY.SICIANS. 

The  first  physician  in  Camden  was  Dr.  Sterling  W. 
Allen,  who  came  in  the  year  1837,  and  settled  on  lot 


number  four  in  tract  nine,  near  the  center.  He  re- 
mained about  two  years,  during  which  time  he  had  a 
very  successful  practice. 

Dr.  William  Grout  moved  into  the  township  Nov- 
ember 1,  1843,  and  his  family  came  in  February  fol- 
lowing. Ho  settled  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
west  of  the  center  where  he  still  lives.  He  has  been 
a  very  reliable  and  successful  physician  throughout  his 
long  practice,  and  a  useful  memberof  society.  He  is 
no  longer  in  practice. 

Two  physicians  by  the  names  of  Grant  and  .Jackson 
[)racticed  each  a  short  time  in  the  township. 

Dr.  .John  Cannan  came  into  the  township  with  his 
father,  when  a  boy.  After  studying  medicine  and 
surgery,  he  sttled  on  a  farm  in  the  southeast  jiart  of 
the  township,  and  had  quite  an  extensive  practice. 
When  the  rebellion  broke  out,  he  volunteered  his  ser- 
vices to  aid  the  Union,  and  served  as  assistant  surgeon 
during  a  greater  part  of  the  war.  At  the  close  of  the 
rebellion  he  returned  to  Camden,  and  resumed  prac- 
tice. He  is  still  living  upon  his  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  sixteen  acres. 

Another  resident  physician  is  Dr.  G.  W.  Mono- 
smith  who  settled  at  Kipton  in  1877,  and  has  already 
won  a  respectable  share  of  the  patronage  of  the  com- 
munity and  the  unqualified  respect  of  the  people 
among  whom  he  lives. 

INDUSTRIAL    PURSUITS. 

The  first  and  only  grist  mill  ever  built  in  the  town- 
ship was  a  small  steam  mill  built  at  Kii)ton  in  the 
year  1859,  by  H.  McFarland,  and  run  by  different 
parties  for  about  fourteen  years.  Horace  Hoover  was 
its  last  owner,  and  lost  the  mill  by  fire. 

CHEESE    FACTORIES. 

Tlie  first  cheese  factory  in  this  township  was  started 
in  the  spi'iug  of  1867,  by  L.  A.  Parker,  G.  R.  Par- 
ker, D.  B.  Morgan  and  J.  P.  Hovey,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Parker,  Moigan  &  Hovey.  This  was  the 
only  cheese  factory  in  the  township,  until  1874,  when 
A.  L.  Perkins  started  one  about  a  mile  south  of 
the  center  (the  first  was  about  the  same  distance 
north).  Parker,  Morgan  &  Ilovey  owned  and  ran 
their  factory  until  the  s]iring  of  1876,  when  they  sold 
out  to  B.  F.  Morrison.  The  same  season,  Perkins 
and  Morrison  consolidated  their  interests  in  the  busi- 
ness, and  they  have  managed  since  then  both  factories. 
Parker,  Morgan  &  Hovey,  when  they  commenced 
business,  took  the  milk  of  about  three  hundred  cows, 
but  the  industry  gradually  increased  in  nuignitude 
until  the  time  of  the  consolidation  of  the  firms,  when 
nine  hundred  cows  were  milked  for  the  two  factories. 
Perkins  &  Morrison  make  now  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  pounds  of  cheese.  The  Morrison 
factory  is  located  on  lot  four,  tract  ten,  and  the  Per- 
kins factory  upon  lot  twenty-two,  tract  ten. 

SAW    MILLS. 

In  the  summer  of  1830  theGager  brothers,  Edwin, 
Joseph  and  Israel,  jjut  up  a  water  power  mill  on  lot 


\» 


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C^^'i'^CAyvK/yCeA^     /Oi 


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fjESIDENCE    OF    JOHN     ROS  lI.  Kl  PI  ON  .  LOf^AI  N    COUNTY.  OHIO. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


297 


number  twenty-six,  which  proved  a  great  convenience 
to  the  people  in  the  vicinity.  It  was  about  eight 
miles  at  that  time  to  any  other  mill.  There  were  no 
roads — nothing  but  narrow  and  difficult  trails.  After 
the  mill  was  put  in  ojieration  it  was  run  constantly 
whenever  there  was  sufficient  water,  and  even  then 
turned  out  scarcely  enough  lumber  for  house  use. 
Very  little  was  at  any  time  carried  out  of  the  town- 
ship. The  greater  part  of  the  lumber  sawed  was 
whitewood,  and  it  only  brought  an  average  of  five 
dollars  per  thousand  feet.  The  best  black  walnut 
was  worth  but  a  little  more.  The  mill  was  kept 
running  until  it  wore  out,  rotted  down  aud  was 
never  rebuilt. 

In  the  year  1847,  Hiram  Allen,  David  Morgan  aud 
Edwiu  ttager  built  a  steam  saw  mill  on  lot  number 
two  in  tract  nine.  The  mill  was  burned  down  after 
it  had  been  in  operation  about  two  years. 

In  1850,  Messrs.  Prestou  &  lilodgett  built  a  mill 
on  lot  number  thirty,  tract  ten.  The  ownershii)  of 
this  mill  was  several  times  changed,  and  finally  the 
mill  was  moved  into  the  black  swamp,  near  the  farm 
of  Benjamin  Eldridge. 

REVOLVING    HORSE    RAKES,   ETC. 

In  the  year  1862  or  1803,  A.  S.  and  James  P. 
Ilovoy  put  uj)  on  lot  twenty-one,  in  tract  ten,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Kipton  station,  a  shop  in 
wiiicli  they  did  (piite  a  lively  business  for  three  or 
four  years  in  manufacturing  revolving  horse  rakes, 
cultivators  and  other  farm  implements  and  utensils. 

ROADS. 

Tliere  are  five  roads  running  north  and  south 
througli  the  township,  except  tiuit  there  is  about  a 
mile  in  tiiat  upon  the  east  side  of  the  township  which 
has  never  been  opened.  There  are  three  roads  run- 
ning east  and  west  entirely  through  the  township, 
one  in  tiie  soutii  part  extending  oast  from  the  center 
I'oad  to  the  next  road,  and  one  in  the  north  part  of 
tiie  township,  running  from  Kipton  west  to  the  first 
north  and  south  road.  The  north  and  south  and  east 
aiul  west  center  roads  were  the  first  ones  laid  out. 
Tiiey  were  established  before  the  land  came  into  the 
market,  and  the  others  were  opened  soon  after  the 
commencement  of  the  settlement. 

AGRICULTURAL   STATISTICS. 

Following  are  the  statistics  for  1877,  showing  the 
amount  of  the  most  important  productions  of  the 
townsiiip,  also  the  population  in  1870,  and  tlic  vote 
for  president  in  1870: 

Wheat,       448  acres 5,485  bushels. 

Potatoes,     80     "      1,557       ■■ 

Oats,  698      "      3]J400 

Orchards,  378      "      B153       " 

Corn,  717      "      38,780 

Meadow,  3,335      "      0312       " 

Butter. 18,590  pounds. 

Cheese 133,080       " 

Maple  Sugar 873 

Population  in  1870 858 

Vote  for  President  in  187G. 

R.  B.  Hayes 153  |  S.  J.  Tilden 83 

38 


Biographical  Sketches, 


JOHN  ROSE. 

Jesse  Rose,  grandfather  of  the  gentleman  whose 
name  is  found  at  the  head  of  this  sketch,  was  a  native 
of  Virginia.  He  married  Susan  Smith,  (whose  home 
was  not  far  from  the  resort  known  as  tlie  Warm 
Springs,)  aud  six  weeks  subsequent  was  drafted  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States.  Leaving  his  youth- 
ful bride  and  his  pleasant  home  on  the  banks  of  the 
Potomac,  for  the  hardships  aud  dangers  of  soldier 
life,  he  did  not  return  until  the  war  was  over.  He 
was  in  the  last  engagement  at  Yorktown,  and  helped 
to  swell  the  glad  shout  of  victory  at  the  fiual  surren- 
der of  Coruwallis,  October  17,  1783.  A  few  years 
later  Mr.  Rose  removed  to  Ohio,  locating  ia  Poland 
townshi2i,  Mahoning  county.  Here  was  born  to  them 
four  sons  and  three  daughters.  Jesse  Rose,  Jr.,  was 
the  third  son.  He  married  Susan  Everhart  in  the 
year  181G,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Ellsworth  town- 
shi]),  where  he  died.  John  Rose,  the  subject  of  this 
biography,  was  the  eldest  son  of  Jesse,  Jr.  He  was 
born  September  35,  1819.  November  4, 1840,  he  was 
married  to  Lucinda  Parshall,  of  Youngstown,  Ohio, 
by  the  Rev.  Dillon  Prosser  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  denomination  both  were  members. 
In  the  spring  of  1854,  he  settled  in  Camden  township, 
Lorain  county,  where  he  yet  resides.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  his  youngest  brother,  Preston  B.  Rose,  now 
professor  in  the  university  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michio-an. 
The  children  of  John  and  Lucinda  Rose,  are:  Euphra- 
sia, who  died  when  eight  years  of  age;  Eugene,  who 
entered  Oberlin  college,  when  fourteen  years  of  age, 
enlisted  in  the  army  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  served 
until  the  close,  was  honorably  discharged  therefrom, 
and  is  now  in  business  in  New  York  City:  Ezra  Nor- 
ris,  who  married  Mattie  Close,  and  now  lives  in  Ches- 
ter, Eaton  county,  Michigan,  aud  Olin  who  remains 
with  his  parents  on  the  old  homestead.  Of  the  polit- 
ical history  of  Mr.  Rose,  we  learn  that  in  1840  he 
came  out  against  the  party  of  log  cabins,  hard  cider, 
and  coon  skins,  and  his  first  ballot  was  cast  for  Martin 
Van  Buren.  He  continued  with  the  democratic  party 
until  they  nominated  that  arrant  rebel,  Vallaudino-- 
hain,  for  governor,  when  he  became  a  republican,  and 
continues  to  this  time  a  firm  adherent  to  the  sterlino- 
principles  of  that  party.  He  has  served  as  township 
trustee  and  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Rose  has  been  an  earnest,  steadfast  christian 
from  early  life.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he 
helped  to  organize  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Ellsworth,  Mahoning  county,  Ohio,  and  not  only  he 
but  his  worthy  and  estimable  companion  have  ever 
been  foremost  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  cause 
of  Christianity,  and  are  now  engaged  with  others  in 
the  erection  of  a  Union  church  edifice  at  Kipton. 


PENFTELD. 


A  SURVEY  of  Penfield  discloses  to  one,  upon  every 
side,  the  evidences  of  the  truest  and  best  prosj)erity, 
evidences  of  material  wealth  and  of  moral  well  being 
— secured  and  transmitted  to  their  descendants  of 
to-day  by  the  hardy  pioneers  whose  ax  blows  resounded 
in  the  forest  over  half  a  hundred  years  ago.  They 
are  gone  now — nearly  all  of  the  simple,  honest,  hard 
working,  unconsciously  heroic  men  and  women  who 
tooii  up  their  abode  in  the  wilderness;  but  tlie  exam- 
ple of  their  lives  endures;  the  good  that  they  began 
moves  on;  the  institutions  that  they  organized  still 
exist,  increasing  constantly  in  strength.  The  relig- 
ion that  they  planted  is  flourishing  in  fruition,  and 
tlie  solid  substructure  of  social  and  sjjiritual  life 
wliieh  tliey  laid  down  remains  souiul  and  intact,  the 
foundation  of  all  that  is  adniiral)le  in  the  edifice  of 
to-day. 

The  rinsfinff  of  the  church  bells  will  sound  no  more 
forever  upon  the  ears  of  many  who  loved  to  hear  their 
call.  They  have  passed  from  the  church  militant 
to  the  church  triumphant,  but  their  children  and 
their  childrens'  children  obey  the  summons,  and  upon 
Sabbath  mornings,  from  all  directions,  come  to  listen 
to  the  gospel  which  was  the  solace  and  the  consola- 
tion of  their  forefathers  as  it  is  theirs. 

The  inheritance  which  the  present  generation  has 
secured,  is  one  which  included  something  more  than 
the  broad  farms  cleared  and  the  fine  orchards  planted 
by  the  pioneers.  It  is  an  inheritance  of  good  princi- 
ples, morality,  religion,  education,  of  sturdy  inde- 
pendence, of  industry,  of  strong  patriotism  and  of 
tlie  varied  qualities  that  combine  to  make  the  early 
residents  of  the  Reserve  men  of  sterling  worth. 

What  we  have  said  of  Penfield  is  applicable  in  a 
degree  to  almost  any  of  the  farming  townships  in  the 
New  England  of  the  west.  We  have  sim]ily  taken  it 
as  a  type. 

THE   FACE   OF   THE   COUNTKT. 

Penfield  was  first  known  as  town  number  three  in 
the  seventeenth  range  of  the  original  Western  Re- 
serve. It  is  upon  what  is  known  as  the  talde  or  level, 
situated  about  twenty  miles  from  Lake  Erie,  and  ten 
miles  north  of  the  dividing  line  of  the  waters.  The 
Black  river  enters  the  township  at  about  the  center  of 
its  southern  line,  and  flows  northward  and  a  little 
eastward  m  <piite  a  tortuous  course.  It  has  broad 
bottom  lauds,  and  has  made  but  few  bluffs,  and  those 
not  more  than  ten  feet  high.  The  soil  is  a  clay  loam 
with  a  mixture  of  more  or  less  sand.  The  laud  is 
most  rolling  east  of  the  river,  and  there  contains  the 
most  sand.     The  subsoil  is  a  little  heavier  than  the 


top,  and  when  worked  up  and  mixed  with  it,  makes 
an  earth  which  will  boar  as  fine  crops  of  wheat  as 
could  be  produced  fifty  years  ago. 

ORIGINAL    PROPRIETORS. 

Township  number  three  in  range  seventeen  became 
by  the  original  drawing  the  property  of  Caleb  At- 
water.  He  paid  for  it  the  not  extravagant  sum  of 
twenty-five  cents  per  acre,  or  about  four  thousand 
dollars  for  the  entire  township  which  contains  not  far 
from  sixteen  thousand  acres.  He  deeded  this  land  to 
his  six  daughters,  Lucy  Day,  Ruth  Cook,  Abigail 
Andrews,  Mary  Beebe,  Sarah  Merrick,  and  the  wife 
of  Judge  Cook,  dividing  it  into  six  equal  sections. 

Only  tliree  of  these  sections  were  in  the  market 
when  the  first  settlers  came  to  the  township. 

SETTLEMENT. 

Peter  Penfield  and  Calvin  Spencer,  both  from  East- 
ern New  York,  came  into  Penfield,  in  the  fall  of  1818, 
for  the  purpose  of  seeking  lauds  suitable  for  settle- 
ment. They  were  assisted  in  their  examination  by 
James,  a  son  of  Major  Ingersoll,  of  Grafton.  They 
experienced  some  considerable  difficulty  in  finding 
the  townshiij  linos,  so  as  to  know  on  what  lands  they 
were,  or  what  township  they  were  in.  They  finally 
succeeded  in  finding  the  corners  of  the  townships 
tiiat  ai'e  now  known  as  Litchfield,  Grafton,  LaGrange 
and  Penfield,  which  occupied  most  of  the  first  day. 
They  returned  to  Major  IngersolTs  that  night.  This 
was  a  trip  of  about  tliirteen  miles,  almost  entirely 
through  the  wilderness.  The  next  day  they  went  out 
with  another  son  of  Major  Ingersoll's,  Marshall,  and 
when  they  struck  Black  river  they  followed  up  the 
stream  for  some  distance  on  the  river  bottoms,  and 
the  sight  of  the  large  black  walnut  timber  growing, 
and  the  rich  lands,  called  forth  many  expressions  of 
admiration,  especially  from  Mr.  Spencer.  With  this 
short  exploration  they  returned  to  Major  Ingersoll's 
that  night,  and  the  next  morning  they  set  out  to  re- 
turn homo,  making  tlie  round  trip  in  about  six  weeks. 
Ouring  the  following  year  negotiations  were  made 
with  the  proprietors  who  proposed  to  give  to  Peter 
Penfield  the  agency  of  part  of  their  lands  in  the  town- 
ship, and  each  to  give  him  fifty  acres  off  from  each 
section,  in  consideration  that  he  should  move  with  his 
family  into  said  township  witli  a  view  of  remaining 
there.  The  quantity  of  land  was  afterward  reduced 
to  twenty-four  acres  from  each  of  the  six  proprietors. 

In  the  fall  of  tlie  following  year,  1819,  Peter  Pen- 
field   returned   with    his   sou  Alansou    and    selected 


(298) 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


399 


land.  Seth  C.  Ingersoll  being  engaged  to  erect  a 
house  upon  it,  the  father  returned  to  his  New  York 
liouie,  leaving  Alanson  in  Sheffield,  on  the  33ud  of 
February  following,  1830.  Peter  Peufield  and  his 
ncpiicw  Lathrop,  started  from  Ilarpersfield,  Delaware 
county.  New  York,  and  with  backs  turned  upon  their 
old  home  pushed  resolutely  forward  to  the  forest  in 
which  they  were  to  nuike  a  new  home.  After  a 
fatiguing  journey  of  four  weeks  they  arrived  in  Graf- 
ton and  stopped  at  Ingersoll's  headquarters  for  new- 
comers. After  collecting  a  quantity  of  provisions 
tlioy  started  for  the  jjlace  where  they  were  to  begin 
life  as  frontiersmen,  and  had  a  pretty  hard  experience 
upon  the  very  outset.  They  were  literally  obliged  to 
cut  their  way  through  the  woods  to  the  land  that  had 
been  purchased.  When  they  arrived  at  the  cabin  (lot 
four,  section  six,)  they  found  it  unfinished.  They 
were  then  alone  in  the  midst  of  a  wilderness,  which 
stretched  from  Elyria  to  Harrisville,  and  from  Me- 
dina to  Wellington.  Besides  the  work  of  cutting  a 
trail  from  Grafton,  the  Penfields  opened  the  north 
and  south  road  through  the  wilderness  as  far  as  But- 
ternut ridge,  spending  about  thirty  days'  time,  for 
which  they  never  i-eceived  any  remuneration.  They 
were  obliged  while  doing  this  work  to  go  to  Har- 
risville, a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  for  provisions. 
Their  horses  strayed  away,  and  after  ten  days  search 
they  found  them  ujion  Rocky  river,  north  of  Medina. 
The  work  of  preparing  the  ground  for  corn  and  wheat 
was  immediately  undertaken.  Peter  Penfield  returned 
east  in  July,  Lathrop  and  Alanson  remaining  to  en- 
large the  clearing  about  their  log  cal)in,  and  came 
back  to  town  number  three,  as  it  was  then  called, 
bringing  his  family,  in  March,  1831.  Truman  Pen- 
field  came  ont  in  May,  selected  a  site  for  a  home, 
lot  eleven,  section  four,  and  went  back  in  th& follow- 
ing month  for  his  family,  which  consisted  of  his  wife 
and  one  son,  Samuel  S.  He  returned  with  his  house- 
hold, November  5tli,  1830.  His  family  was,  there- 
fore, the  first  that  had  a  home  in  the  township,  and 
that  of  Peter  Penfield  the  second.  Lewis  Penfield 
and  his  son  Amos  moved  in  the  year  1834,  and  Amzi, 
anotlier  son,  came  in  1837.  Ephraim  came  still  after. 
Lewis  located  upon  lot  fourteen,  section  four. 

The  descendants  of  the  Penfields  have  been  numer- 
ous, and  had  even  the  sons  and  daughters  of  those 
who  were  among  the  first  settlers  all  become  residents 
of  the  township  at  one  time,  it  would  have  had  a  fair 
[)opulation.  Some  of  these,  as  has  been  shown,  did 
not  come  into  the  country  until  several  years  after  the 
ari'ival  of  Peter,  Lathrop  and  Truman. 

Peter  Penfield's  family  alone,  from  first  to  last, 
numbered  fifteen  persons.  His  wife  was  Catharine 
Ilawley.  Their  descendants  were:  Alanson,  Marilla, 
Sarah,  all  three  deceased;  Horace,  now  in  California; 
Austin  C.  and  Benjamin,  deceased;  Homer  and  Rus- 
sell H.,  residents  of  Elyiia  and  heads  of  families; 
Maria,  deceased;  Emily  (Mrs.  Walker),  in  Massachu- 
setts; Susan  (Mrs.  Clark),  in  Huntington  township: 
and  Harriet,  deceased. 


Lewis  Penfield,  a  brother  of  Peter,  and  his  wife, 
Ada,  were  the  parents  of  Truman,  Betsey  (Mrs.  Ray- 
mond Starr),  Ephraim,  Amos,  Lathrop,  Atnzi  and 
Gideon,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead  but  Lathrop,  who 
is  a  resident  of  Springfield,  Ohio;  he  married,  in  1834, 
Caroline  West,  and  their  children  were:  Franklin, 
Betsey,  Warren  and  Fletcher. 

Amzi  Penfield  was  also  the  father  of  a  large  family 
of  children,  of  whom  Rosalie,  Henry  and  Euphemia 
are  residents  in  Penfield,  and  James  in  Wellington. 

Truman  Penfield's  children  were:  Samuel  S.  and  W. 
W.,  resident  in  the  township;  Truman  and  Mana 
(Mrs.  Hiram  Smith),  in  Illinois;  and  Jane  (Mrs.  A. 
W.  Hendry),  in  Sandusky,  who  was  the  second  child 
born  in  the  towushi]i.  Truman  Penfield's  first  wife 
was  the  first  white  woman  who  entered  the  wilderness; 
she  endured  many  hardships,  and  died  soon  after 
coming  into  the  settlement,  it  is  said,  from  the  effects 
of  the  pioneer's  life  of  toil,  privation  and  exjwsure. 
Truman  Penfield  married  a  second  wife. 

Again,  taking  up  the  descendants  of  Peter  Penfield, 
it  may  be  stated  that  the  family  of  Austin  C.  is  at 
Saratoga,  and  that  the  children  of  Horace — George, 
Myron  and  Willie — are  at  the  old  homestead,  where 
the  first  cabin  was  built.  Russell  II.  married  Henri- 
etta Virginia  Blanchard;  their  children  are:  Emerson, 
Anna  M.,  Florence  V.  and  Aniia  P.  Homer  Penfield 
and  his  wife,  Martha,  have  two  sous,  Norman  and 
Roderick. 

The  Starrs  were  one  of  the  largest  families  amono- 
the  early  settlers.  Raymond  was  the  first.  He  came 
from  New  Harpersfield,  Delaware  county.  New  York, 
in  1839,  and  settled  on  lot  nine,  section  four  (the 
center).  He  married  Betsey  Peufield,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  Lewis,  who  resides  in  LaGrange; 
George  R.  and  Horace  0.,  of  Elyria;  Russell  (dead); 
Franklin  and  Alonzo,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  and  Betsey 
(Mrs.  Goodwin,  of  Elyria). 

William  Starr  came  into  the  settlement  in  1830, 
and  took  up  land  in  lot  two,  section  four.  His  three 
sons  were,  Orrin  K.,  George  W.  (dead),  and  Gideon 
B.  The  daughters  were,  Polly  Ann  (Smith),  of 
Wellington,  Clarinda,  Orline,  Jane,  and  another. 

Orrin  Starr  came  iu  1834,  and  took  land  in  lots  five 
and  six,  section  five.  His  wife's  name  is  Abigail. 
They  have  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  in  the 
county.  H.  H.  is  iu  Nebraska,  and  Mana  (Taylor), 
in  Michigan.  The  others  are:  Heman  E.,  Clapp  R., 
Minerva  (Smith),  and  Edna  (Dixon). 

Talcott  came  into  the  township  last  of  all,  having 
remained  in  Elyria  sometime  after  coming  into  Ohio. 
He  took  uj)  lot  eight,  section  five.  Two  of  his  des- 
cendants, Matthew  L.  and  Gideon  L.,  are  residents  of 
Penfield.  Alden  is  iu  Cleveland,  Angeline  in  New 
York,  and  Maria  dead. 

The  Starrs  have  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  interests  of  Peufield,  and  have  contributed  much, 
iu  various  ways,  toward  its  prosperity. 

Abner  Beardsley,  a  squatter,  and  his  family,  came 
to  the  township  next  after  Peter  and  Freeman  Pen- 


300 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


field.  Calvin  Spencer  came  again  in  1821,  selected 
liuul,  engaged  Peter  Penfiekl  to  build  a  log  house,  and 
returned  east. 

The  Knapp  family  were  the  first  permanent  set- 
tlers after  tlie  pioneer  Penfields.     They  were  from 
Ilarpersfield,  Delaware  county,  New  York,  and  tlieir 
first  representative,  Samuel,   who  remained   in   the 
township,  carae  to  the  settlement  in   the  spring  of 
1832,  locating  on  lot  fifty-five,  section  three,  east  of 
the  center.     His  wife's  name  was  Mary.     She  died  in 
1842,  and  lie  married  his  second  wife,  Sarah  Hayes. 
Samuel  Knapp  died  in  1874.     William  Knapp  had 
come  out  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year  with  Peter 
Penfield  and  located  land  on  lot  forty-nine,  section 
four.     On  his  way  back  after  his  family  he  was  taken 
si(-k,  and  died  at  Haml)urg,  New  York,  near  Buffalo. 
Stephen  Knapp  and  his  wife,  Grace  Jolinson,  came 
in  October,  1825,  and  settled  on  lot  forty-nine,  section 
four.     They  brought  with  them  two  children,  Lucy 
and  \¥illiam  J.,  aged  respectively  three  years  and  one 
year  and  two  months.     William  J.  is  still  a  resideni 
of  the  township,  and  has  not  ijeen  absent  more  than 
two  years  altogether  since  his  arrival.     He  is  a  car- 
penter  and    joiner    by    trade.      His    wife    is    Eliza 
Lindslcy,    a   native  also   of   Delaware  county.    New 
York.      The   other   children    born   to   Stephen   and 
Grace  Knapp,  were  Charles  S.,  Julius  B,,  Sally,  Har- 
riet,   Van    Buren,   Ephraim,    Helen,    Charlotte   and 
Carrie.     All  are  living  except  one.     Steplien  Kna]i]i 
died   March  22,   1870,  and  his  wife  is  still   living. 
Shubael  Knapp,  a  brother  of  Samuel,  Stephen  and 
William  came  into  the  township  in  1830,  and  took  uj) 
lot  thirty-four,  in  section  four.     He  was  killed,  a  few 
years  later,  by  the  falling  of  a  large  hollow  sycamore 
log,  which  he  was  assisting  in  standing  upon  end  for 
the  purpose  of  making  a  smoke  liouse.     His  skull 
was  crushed  and  he  died  almost  instantly.     His  chil- 
dren were  L.  L.,  Abigail  and  Shubael.     Lewis  Knapf), 
anotlier  brother,  came  in  about  1S34,  bringing  his 
mother   and    settling    upon    lot   thirty-five,    section 
four. 

.Tames  .Job  and  family  resided  for  a  short  time  upon 
lot  two,  section  six,  arriving  in  1828. 

Calvin  Spencer  and  his  family,  and  brother  Ichabod, 
moved  into  the  settlement  from  Durham,  New  York, 
in  the  spring  of  1824.  Calvin  hadpurcliased  land  on 
lots  seventeen,  eighteen,  nineteen  and  twenty,  section 
two.  His  children  were:  Merwin,  Mary,  Harriet, 
Iloyt,  David  and  Julia  (Mrs.  Carman,  the  famous 
singer  of  Norwalk). 

Benjamin  E.  Merwin  and  wife,  of  Durham,  Greene 
county,  New  York,  came  in  May,  1824,  and  located 
on  lot  thirty-seven,  section  five.  Their  children  were: 
David  P.  Ji-.,  Geo.  E.,  Caroline  and  Irene.  David 
P.  Merwin,  Sr.,  arrived  a  year  later.  None  of  the 
family  are  now  resident  in  the  township. 

Elijah  and  Mei'cy  Hawley  came  at  the  same  time 
as  Calvin  Spencer,  and  the  husband  died  in  August 
of  1825.  Tlieir  cliildren  were  Jesse,  Elijah,  Catha- 
rine, Mary  (ilrs.   C.   Spencer)  and  Eunice.      Jesse 


Hawley  is  accredited  with  the  honor  of  having  been 
the  originator  of  the  Erie  canal  scheme. 

Dr.  James  Hall,  of  Cairo,  New  York,  settled  in 
1825,  upon  lot  two,  section  six. 

William,  usually  known  as  Sipiire,  Andrews  settled 
in  1828.  He  was  from  Wallingford,  Connecticut,  and 
was  a  brother  of  Judge  Andrews,  of  Cleveland.  He 
died  in  1876.  Beri  Andrews,  a  cousin  of  tlic  S(|iiire, 
became  a  resident  in  1834. 

William  L.  Hayes,  of  Delaware  county,  New  York, 
arrived  in  1829,  and  .settled  upon  lot  forty  eight,  sec- 
tion four.  His  father,  Andrew  Hayes,  came  two 
years  later.  William  married  Aurilla  Lindslcy,  and 
reared  a  family  of  seven  children. 

H.  G.  Witbeck  and  liis  wife,  Freelove  (Welton), 
came  from  Scholiarie  county.  New  York,  in  1831, 
bringing  with  them  three  cliildren^ Josiah  H., 
Hiram  and  Mahala  (afterwards  Mrs.  R.  Peters). 
Josiah  H.  and  lliram  are  residents  of  Penfield.  The 
other  descendants  of  II.  G.  and  wife  were  James, 
Abel,  Mitchell  and  Lucinda. 

D.  W.  C.  Dixon,  of  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  settled 
in  1832.  upon  lot  fourteen,  section  one,  and  Lewis 
Hart,  of  the  same  State,  came  about  the  same  time. 
In  1833,  J.  B.  Gaylord  and  his  wife  Hannah,  came 
from  Delaware  county.  New  York,  and  settled  upon 
lot  fifty-eight,  in  section  two.  Peter  Bosh,  of  New 
York  State,  settled  the  same  year  upon  a  farm  in  sec- 
tion two. 

Elisha  Sheldon  took  up  land  in  1834,  and  in  1835 
himself  and  wife  settled  upon  it.  Their  homestead 
is  upon  lot  sixty-one,  section  one.  They  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  five  are  still  living:  Sarah  E., 
(Mrs.  C.  E.  Starr),  Daniel  P.,  and  A.  E.  in  Welling- 
ton, William  L.  and  C.  H.  in  Penfield. 

Edward  Palmer,  of  Columbia  county,  Kew  York, 
came  in  183G.  Giles,  Charles,  Randolph  and  Sarali 
were  his  descendants.  The  last  named  is  the  only 
one  now  living. 

Joel  B.  Smitli  was  an  early  settler,  and  a  son,  Levi 
Smith,  is  now  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Penfield. 
Pliny  Jackson  made  the  first  settlement  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  township,  taking  up  the  extreme 
corner  lot,  in  1832.  His  children  were  Jane,  Martha, 
George,  Alonzo,  Melissa,  Harriet,  and  Eliza. 

Dr.  .Tames  Blancliard,  who  had  previously  made  a 
visit  to  the  township,  settled  upon  lot  forty,  section 
six,  in  1835.     He  was  from  Cairo,  New  York. 

Hiram  Norton,  of  Allegany  county.  New  York, 
settled  in  1841,  in  the  southeastern  jiart  of  the  town- 
ship. He  had  three  sons.  George  II.  Norton  is  a  res- 
ident of  Penfield.  Edward  J.  and  Andrew  J.  are  in 
Michigan. 

INDIANS. 

When  the  Penfields  came  into  the  woods  they 
found  a  few  Wyandot  Indians  encamped  there,  pur- 
suing their  only  occupation,  hunting  and  trapping. 
They  were  seen  in  the  vicinity  more  or  less  frequently 
for  ten  or  a  dozen  years  later,  and  then  the  last  brave 
disajipeared  before  the  advancement  of  the  suijerior 


'I 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


301 


race.  Some  of  the  squaws  were  very  handsome  in 
tlieir  swarthy  savage  style  of  beauty,  ami  are  said  to 
liave  known  liow  to  enhance  their  charms  by  many 
rude  arts  of  the  toilet,  but  their  ai)pearance  was 
rendered  less  suggestive  of  wild  woodland  life  than 
tile  imaginative  reader  would  like  to  suppose  by 
tlicir  wearing  calico  dresses;  the  warriors  wore  deer 
skius.  The  Indians  came  sometimes  to  trade  with 
the  whites  and  bartered  baskets,  turkey  wings  and 
other  trinkets,  as  well  as  venison,  for  calico,  blankets, 
and  bread  or  flour. 

Among  the  Indians  who  were  seen  in  early  days  at 
tills  settlement  was  the  famous  Seneca  chieftain,  Red 
Jacket,  a  savage  nobleman  of  symmetrical  figure, 
powerful  and  of  commaiuling  presence.  It  was  evi- 
dently with  great  reluctance  that  he  forsook  the  old 
hunting  ground  of  his  tribe. 

The  Indians  were  in  the  custom  of  going  just  before 
tlie  holidays  to  Sandusky,  where  they  exchanged 
furs  aiul  other  trophies  of  the  chase  with  the  traders 
f(jr  blankets,  trinkets  and  supi)lies  for  the  winter. 
In  the  spring  they  returned  to  the  Black  river 
country  to  hunt  and  make  nuij)le  sugar.  The  mer 
chants  of  Sandusky  would  furnish  them  with  certifi- 
cates in  these  words:  "This  is  to  certifiy  that  the 
bearer  is  of  the  Seneca  tribe  of  Indians,  which  is  an 
entirely  ])eaceful  tribe,  and  desires  that  he  be  per- 
mitted to  hunt  on  the  lands  unmolested,  and  in  no 
case  to  give  him  whiskey."  These  certificates  they 
were  very  forward  to  show. 

Maple  sugar  making  was  very  generally  practiced 
by  the  Indians  in  the  spring,  and  the  same  ones  have 
been  known  to  return  season  after  season  to  localities 
favorable  for  following  this,  the  most  civilized  prac- 
tice they  engaged  in.  They  made  their  saj)  troughs 
of  bark  peeled  from  trees  of  medium  size,  and  taken 
off  in  pieces  about  two  feet  long,  half  cylinders  in 
shape.  The  ends  were  turned  up  and  tied  with 
thongs,  the  rough  outer  bark  being  removed,  and  the 
trough,  when  finished,  was  capable  of  holding  three 
or  four  quarts  of  sap.  The  Ijark,  stripjied  from  a 
huge  tree,  would  make  a  reservoir  of  sufficient  size 
to  contain  half  a  barrel,  and  this  was  used  as  a  recep- 
tacle for  the  collected  contents  of  the  smaller  sap 
troughs.  Kettles  were  hung  above  a  fire,  and  the 
same  process  of  sugar  making  was  pursued,  that  is 
so  commonly  practiced  to-day. 

Nearly  all  of  the  Indians  wiio  encamped  in  Pen- 
field,  were  upon  friendly  terms  with  the  settlers,  and 
many  favors  were  extended  by  each  race  to  the  other. 

W.  J.  Knapp,  who  came  iiito  the  woods  when  a  little 
boy,  with  his  father,  remembers  playing  with  the  In- 
dian children,  particularly  one  bright,  active,  hand- 
some little  fellow,  of  whom  be  learned  how  to  shoot 
witli  bow  and  arrow. 

Spy  Buck,  an  Indian  of  magnificient  physique, 
and  a  great  hunter,  encamped  with  others  of  his  tribe 
in  the  woods  for  some  time  one  season,  and  was  much 
admired  by  many  of  his  pale-faced  brethren.  He  had 
with  him  a  very  beautiful  squaw,  and  the  two  seemed 


to  live  together  in  a  condition  of  sylvan  happiness  al- 
most idylic,  but  one  day  a  party  of  Indians  arrived 
from  the  headquarters  of  tiie  tribe  in  U})per  San- 
dusky, and  compelled  Sj)y  Buck  and  his  band,  includ- 
ing the  handsome  squaw,  to  return  with  them.  The 
settlers  heard  along  time  afterward  that  the  S(iuaw  be- 
longed to  another  Indian,  and  that  in  punishment  for 
their  infidelity,  she  and  Spy  Buck  had  been  put  to 
death  at  the  stake.  The  other  Indians  of  this  tribe 
were  very  reticent  in  regard  to  what  had  become  of 
the  two,  l)ut  it  was  evident  from  their  manner  when 
the  wherealjouts  of  Sjiy  Buck  and  the  squaw  was 
asked,  that  they  knew  perfectly  well  their  fate. 

Among  the  last  of  the  Indians  who  came  into  Pen- 
field,  was  Seneca  Jolin.  In  company  with  sevei'al 
others,  lie  had  l)een  camping  for  some  time  in  the 
favorite  hunting  grounds  of  this  vicinity,  and  finally 
some  of  the  settlers  nuide  up  their  minds  that  Seneca 
John  and  his  untutored  companions  must  leave  tlie 
counti'v.  Thi'ee  of  them  constituted  themselves  a 
kind  of  a  delegation  to  make  known  to  the  Indians 
the  desire  of  their  white  brothers.  They  took  with 
them  a  colored  man,  and  proceeding  to  the  hut  of 
Seneca  John,  informed  that  dignitary  that  he  and 
those  of  his  race  must  depart  from  the  country. 
Seneca  John  listened  to  the  spokesman  of  the  ])arty 
quietly,  until  he  had  ceased  speaking,  and  then  draw- 
ing himself  up  to  his  full  height,  expressed  briefly 
but  forcibly  his  indignation  and  contempt: 

"Ugh!  damn!  four  v/hite  men,  one  of  'em  nigger, 
tell  Indian  he  must  no  more  hunt  on  Black  river! 
ugh!  damn! " 

After  this  brief  extempore  speech,  tlie  "  four  white 
men"  left,  and  notwithstanding  the  force  of  the 
declaration  of  independence  he  had  made,  Seneca 
.lolin  and  his  braves  cleared  the  country  a  few  days 
after. 

WILD  ANIMALS. 

The  territory  lying  along  the  Black  river  formed 
the  favorite  hunting  grounds  of  the  wandering  bands 
of  Indians,  who  had  headquarters  farther  west.  They 
enjoyed  undisputed  jiossession  of  this  forest  before 
the  white  came  in,  and  still  lingered  in  the  vicinity 
when  the  settlement  contained  a  dozen  families.  As 
the  forests  disappeared,  the  Indians  and  the  game 
went  also.  Deer  were  very  numerous.  The  country 
was  full  of  wild  hogs,  opossums,  jiorcupine,  turkeys, 
raccoons,  and  the  smaller  varieties  of  animals.  Be- 
side these,  there  were  wolves  and  wildcats.  Hunting 
was  sufficiently  dangerous  to  be  exciting,  and  those 
who  went  into  tlie  woods  to  secure  material  for  a  din- 
ner, had  to  be  upon  their  guard  lest  they  should  be 
made  a  meal  of.  Lewis  Penfield  provided  himself 
and  family  with  their  first  thanksgiving  dinner,  with 
his  rifle.  He  was  a  pretty  good  siiot,  and  concluding 
that  some  venison  would  lend  attractions  to  thelioard, 
he  went  out  a  short  distance  into  tlie  woods,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  time  brought  down  a  fine  buck.  Stephen 
Knapp  was  a  great  hunter,  and  many  instances  of  his 


302 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


success  ill  woodcraft  might  be  cited.  He  was  very 
fond  of  adveiitui-e,  and  often  made  long  tramps  in 
([uest  of  the  hirger  kinds  of  game.  He  once  shot  a 
wildcat  under  his  dwelling  house,  aud  made  a  huge 
l)antlier  hite  the  dust,  over  in  the  edge  of  Litchfield 
township.  Several  otliers  were  killed  about  the  same 
time.  Wild  turkeys  sometimes  came  very  close  to  the 
dwellings  of  the  early  settlers,  and  quite  a  number  of 
them  were  eiilrai>ped  through  their  temerity,  upon 
one  occasion.  Quite  a  flock  of  them  entered  Mr. 
Knapp's  barn,  to  pick  up  kernels  of  grain  from  the 
floor.  They  were  seen  to  enter,  and  one  of  the  family 
creeping  cautiously  to  the  barn,  (piickly  shut  the  door. 
Afterwards  the  barn  was  several  times  baited  as  a 
trap,  and  once  or  twice  the  family  was  successful  in 
making  a  catch.  There  were  beaver  in  Peiitleld,  but 
they  abandoned  their  dam  very  soon  after  the  first 
sound  of  the  ax  was  heard  in  the  clearing.  The 
writer  was  shown  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Knaiip,  the  dam 
which  still  stands  as  a  monument  to  the  industry  of 
these  strange  animals.  It  extends  across  a  swale 
through  which  a  small  stream  runs,  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  north  of  the  center.  It  is  now  about  six 
feet  high  above  the  bed  of  the  stream,  and  was  prob- 
ably two  feet  higher  wlien  constructed.  Its  form  is 
plainly  visible.  It  is  that  of  an  arch,  with  the  con- 
vex side  up  stream.  It  was  built  in  the  place  where 
the  minimum  of  work  would  secure  the  maximum  of 
result,  aud  had  the  intelligence  of  man  instead  of  the 
instinct  of  animals,  been  exerted  in  its  construction, 
it  could  not  have  been  made  more  perfect.  The 
extent  of  the  overflow  caused  by  the  building  of  the 
dam,  was  from  twelve  to  fifteen  acres. 

FIRST  EVENTS. 

In  the  matters  of  birth,  a  girl  got  a  little  the  start  of 
the  other  sex,  as  girls  usually  do  in  all  the  att'airs  of  life. 
The  first  child  born  was  Harriet,  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Catharine  Penfield.  The  birth  occurred  in  De- 
cember, 1821.  John,  son  of  Amor  and  Altana  Pen- 
field,  was  the  first  boy  born. 

Tiie  first  death  in  the  township  was  that  of  Ruth 
Ann,  wife  of  Truman  Penfield,  the  first  woman  who 
claimecl  a  house  in  the  settkunent. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  township  was  that  of  Car- 
oline, daughter  of  David  Merwin,  Sr.,  to  Dr.  Samuel 
Strong.  It  took  place  in  1826.  The  first  resident  of 
the  township  married,  was  Lathrop  Penfield.  He 
was  married  March  17,  1824,  to  Caroline  West,  of 
(Jraftou,  the  ceremony  being  conducted  by  Franklin 
Wells,  Esq. 

The  first  litigation, was  between  Peter  Penfiidd  and 
Levi  Mills,  in  the  summer  of  1820  or  1827.  It  was 
in  regard  to  work  done  uiiou  a  mill-dam,  and  the  dis- 
pute was  settled  by  referees. 

The  first  log  house  was  that  built  in  the  fall  of 
1811),  for  Peter  Penfield,  by  Seth  C.  Ingersoll.  The 
first  frame  house  was  built  by  Peter  Penfield,  upon 
his  homestead,  in  1822.  The  first  brick  house  was 
built  about  185-1,  near  the  center,  by  Hiram  Smith. 


The  first  tavern  was  a  strictly  temperance  house, 
condncfed  by  Truman  Penfield. 

The  first  store  was  opened  in  1828,  by  Raymond 
Starr. 

The  first  row  of  corn  was  planted  Ijy  Lathrop  Pen- 
field,  ill  1820,  the  small  timlier  lieing  cleared  from  two 
acres  aud  a  half  of  land  for  this  crop.  Some  wheat 
was  sown  the  same  season,  where  now  stands  the  first 
orchard,  i)lanted  by  Peter  Penfield. 

RICHLAND — PENFIELD. 

The  township  was  noted  for  its  fertile  soil  and 
fine  crops.  Corn  and  the  cereals  were  raised  in  larger 
([uantity  and  of  better  quality  than  in  the  adjoining 
townships.  It  was  a  not  uncommon  thing  in  the  first 
decade  of  its  settlement,  for  the  pioneers  of  older 
townships  to  come  here  for  produce,  when,  because  of 
inferior  soil,  and  perhaps  through  want  of  j)roper 
tillage,  their  own  crops  had  proven  insufficient. 

A  farmer  once  drove  into  the  settlement  at  the 
head  of  a  small  procession  of  other  farmers,  each  in  a 
huge  wagon,  and,  addressing  one  of  the  resiilents, 
said:  "We  come  after  that  for  which  the  children  of 
Israel  went  to  Egypt. — corn!"  Tiieir  wagons  went 
back  heavily  laden. 

So  prolific  was  the  soil,  aud  so  rich  the  harvest, 
that,  when  a  name  was  to  be  chosen  for  the  township, 
that  of  Richland  was  popularly  agreed  upon,  and  be- 
fore the  town  was  organized  the  commissioners  of 
Medina  county  were  petitioned  to  bestow  upon  it  that 
name.  They  took  it  into  consideration;  but,  discov- 
ering that  there  were  other  localities  named  Richland, 
rejected  the  petition  and  named  the  township  Pen- 
field,  in  honor  of  the  first  settler.  It  may  be  added 
that  the  productiveness  of  the  soil  has  not  been  de- 
creased by  the  application  of  this  name.  The  town- 
ship is  still  Rlchlaml,  in  fact,  though  Penfield  by 
name;  and  its  farms  and  orchards  fully  attest,  to-day, 
the  truth  of  what  was  said  in  regard  to  the  agricul- 
tural ([ualities  of  the  township  fifty  years  ago,  by  the 
men  who  first  felled  the  forest  and  broke  the  ground. 

ORIiANIZATION. 

The  first  township  election  was  ordered  to  be  held 
upon  the  first  Monday  of  April,  1825,  at  the  house  of 
Trninan  Penfield.  The  following  officers  were  elected 
upon  that  occasion:  clerk,  Truman  Penfield;  trus- 
tees, Samuel  Knapp,  Samuel  Root,  Peter  Penfield; 
treasurer,  Lathrop  Penfield;  overseers  of  the  poor, 
Lewis  Penfield,  Calvin  Spencer.  In  1826,  May  27, 
Benjamin  Merwin  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace, 
the  first  in  the  township.  At  the  close  of  1878  the 
township  officers  were:  clerk,  Andrew  Denliam;  trus- 
tees, W.  C.  Hastings,  Elisha  Sheldon,  M.  E.  Starr; 
treasurer,  A.  D.  Lindsley;  justices  of  the  peace,  W. 
W.  Penfield,  George  H.  Norton;  constables,  W.  J. 
Krebs,  Perry  Best.  School  Board:  David  C.  Bunt, 
president;  Samuel  McCoy,  Calvin  Ensign,  Foster 
Lewis,  Douglass  Goodyear,  Edward  M.  Linder,  D. 
F.  Curtice,  Orrin  K.  Starr. 


C^{aZ  o^ioCi.lMJf 


0^<ru/.,  p/>    cJ(^^t^U>UAf 


■,«•  '■■:Ytf.'\^  '■ 


RESIDENCE    OETHE   LATE    BERI    ANDREWS  ,  Penfield,  LORAIN  CO  .  0, 1879^ 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


303 


RELIGIOUS. 

Tho  ciirliest  religious  service  of  which  any  of  tlio 
])resent  residents  of  Penfield  have  recollection,  was 
held  in  183G. 

Elisha  Fields  preached  the  first  week  of  March  in 
Miat  year  at  David  Merwin's  house.  After  that,  meet- 
ings were  held  every  four  weeks  until  fall,  by  the  same 
preacher,  and  then  the  Rev.  Harry  0.  Siieldon  began 
his  ministrations  in  the  township,  speaking  to  small 
assemblages  at  the  old  log  school  liouse.  Rev.  Mat- 
thew L.  Starr  was  also  an  early  preacher.  He  came 
from  the  east,  and  preached  his  first  sermou  in  an  un- 
finished house,  standing  upon  a  workman's  licnch 
which  had  been  left  in  the  largest  room  of  t]u>  rather 
small  dwelling. 

CONGREGATIONAL   CITURCn. 

The  first  church  formed  in  Penfield  was  of  the 
Presbyterian  denomination.  It  was  organized  .Janu- 
ary 14,  1829,  by  Revs.  A.  H.  Betts,  Xenophon  Betts, 
Joel  Talcott  and  T).  W.  Lathrop.  Following  are  the 
names  of  the  original  members:  Lewis  Penfield  and 
wife,  Peter  Penfield  and  wife,  Truman  Penfield  and 
wife,  Amos  Penfield  and  wife,  Anizi  L.  Penfield  and 
wife,  Dr.  James  Hall  and  wife,  and  Anna  Merwin, 
wife  of  David  Merwin — thii'teen  in  all. 

The  church  had  in  1878  forty-five  members  and  a 
meetinghouse  adequate  to  its  needs.  The  jiastor  was 
tlie  Rev.  O.  V.  Rice  and  the  officers  the  following  : 
trustees,  L.  H.  Penfield,  Peter  Dalilglish,  Ileman 
Starr;  clerk,  Robert  McCoiiaughy;  deacons,  W.  W. 
Penfield  and  Robert  McConaughy;  Sunday  school 
superintendent,  W.  W.  Penfield;  assistant,  L.  H. 
Penfield. 

THE    METHODIST    Ei'ISCOI'AL    CHURCH. 

The  first  class  of  this  church  was  organized  in 
August,  1834,  the  Rev.  A.  Billings  in  ciuirge.  It 
was  composed  of  the  following  members:  Wm.  L. 
Hayes,  AuriJla  L.  Hayes,  Mrs.  Sarah  Hayes,  Esther 
Mary  Hayes,  Russell  H.  Starr,  Henry  G.  Witbeck 
and  Freelove  Witbeck.  But  two  of  the  original 
members  ai-e  still  living — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wm.  L. 
Hayes.  The  society  at  this  date,  December,  1878, 
numbers  one  hundred  and  sixteen  members.  The 
Rev.  'J'homas  (r.  Roberts  is  pastor,  and  the  officers  of 
church  and  society  are  as  follows:  stewards,  Levi 
Smith,  A.  B.  Hayes,  E.  A.  Starr  (recording),  S. 
Long,  Wm.  Knapp;  class  leaders,  James  Webber, 
Wm.  Furze,  Wm.  P.  Boice,  Clapp  Starr  ;  local 
preachers,  P.  C.  Bunt,  George  Norton,  Mathew  L. 
Starr  (superanuated);  Sunday  school  su2ierintendcnt, 
James  Weber;  trustees,  Orrin  Starr;  Mathew  L. 
Starr,  .Joseph  Jones,  Geoi'ge  Norton,  S.  Barton,  Wil- 
hird  Hart,  James  Webber,  Wm.  L.  Hayes.  A  cJiurch 
building  was  erected  in  1842,  half  a  mile  east  of  tlie 
renter,  but  the  society  moved  to  the  center  about 
1855,  and  occupied  tlie  more  commodious  house  at 
present  in  use. 


BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

In  the  year  1830  or  1840,  the  Baptist  church  was 
organized  with  twelve  membeis,  viz:  Rev.  Asa 
Straight  and  wife,  Samuel  Knapp  and  wife,  Wm. 
Rogers  and  wife,  Peter  Bost  and  wife,  Mrs.  Elisha 
Sheldon,  Mrs.  Kellogg  Latham,  Mrs.  Edward  Hart, 
and  the  mother  of  Wm.  Rogers.  Mrs.  Siieldon  is  the 
only  one  of  the  original  members  living.  For  some 
time  this  church  had  no  ri^giilarly  settled  pastor,  but 
was  suj)plied  with  pi-eacliing  by  different  ministers. 
Meetings  were  held  in  school  houses  and  private 
dwellings  for  several  years.  In  1853  efforts  were 
made  to  secure  funds  for  building,  and  in  April  of 
18.5.5  a  house  of  worship  was  dedicated.  Rev.  E.  Tib- 
bals  being  the  pastor  in  chai'ge.  Previous  to  this 
time,  however,  the  church  had  a  settled  minister — 
Elder  George  Edwards.  The  present  pastor  is  the 
Rev.  Michael  Shank;  deacons,  Silas  Rogers,  Elisha 
Sheldon;  trustees,  Elisha  Sheldon,  W.  B.  Andrews, 
Sliubael  Knapp;  clerk,  W.  B.  Andrews;  treasurer, 
Elisha  Sheldon. 

EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

An  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in  1844,  but 
did  not  remain  long  in  existence.  The  following, 
from  the  record  of  tlie  church,  explains  how  it  came 
into  being: 

"We  whose  names  are  hereunto  affixed,  deeply  im- 
pressed with  the  importance  of  the  christian  religion, 
and  earnestly  wishing  to  promote  its  holy  influence  in 
the  hearts  and  the  lives  of  ourselves,  our  families  and  our 
neighbors,  do  hereby  associate  ourselves  together,  un- 
der the  name,  and  style,  and  title  of  the  parish  of  Christ 
Church,  ill  the  township  of  Penfield,  county  of  Lorain, 
and  State  of  Ohio,  and  by  so  doing  do  adopt  the 
constitution  and  canons  of  the  Protestant  Ejiiscopal 
churcli  in  the  diocese  of  Ohio,  in  communion  with 
the  Protestant  EjiLscopal  church  of  the  United  States 
of  America. 

To  the  above  form  the  names  of  twenty  subscribers, 
the  number  required,  were  affixed,  and  a  meeting  was 
iield,  in  conformity  to  notice  given,  upon  the  13th  of 
August,  1844,  at  wiiich  time  Rev.  Messrs.  Davis  and 
Ilolden,  being  present,  the  church  was  organized  and 
the  following  officers  elected:  senior  warden,  Daniel 
.Vndrews;  junior  warden,  Beri  Andrews;  vestrymen, 
Lewis  Jones,  Bishop  Richmond,  William  Andrews; 
clerk,  William  Andrews.  The  church  never  built  a 
house  of  worship. 

S(.'IIOOLS. 

Before  the  usual  facilities  for  teaching  were  jiro- 
\i(leil,  Clarissa  Rising,  of  Huntington,  taught  a 
school  in  Calvin  Spencer's  private  house,  about  a  mile 
south  of  the  center.  This  was  the  first  sciiool  in  the 
township,  and  was  held  in  the  summer  of  1839. 
Among  the  pujiils  were  Samuel  and  Jane  Penfield, 
Horace  Starr  and  Betsey  Ann  Starr,  William  Avery 
Penfield,  and  the  Spencer  children,  Mary  Merwin, 
Harriet   Hoyt  and  David  Hoyt.       George  R.   Starr, 


304 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


now  of  Elyria,  taught  the  second  school  in  the  winter 
of  183!)  and  1830,  and  Lucy  Adams  also  taught  after 
him.  The  first  school  house  was  erected  a  mile  and 
a  half  east  and  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  north 
of  tlie  center.  It  was  a  frame  structure  covered  with 
rough  boards.  Several  log  school  houses  were  built 
aftorwiirds.  The  first  select  scliool  was  taught  in 
185-1,  by  Eleazer  Hale,  an  Oberlin  student.  At  tliis 
writing  the  township  has  eight  district  schools. 

CEMETERY. 

The  burial  place  is  u]>on  a  plat  of  ground,  half  a 
mile  east  of  the  center,  a  portion  of  wliich  was  do- 
nated by  Gideon  Penficld,  in  1840.  Additions  have 
been  made  at  various  times,  as  has  been  made  neces- 
sary by  the  increase  of  the  population,  and  propor- 
tionable increase  of  mortality.  There  is  a  family 
burying  ground  ujjon  the  old  Samuel  Knapp  farm,  one 
of  the  earliest  dedicated  to  those  wiio  luive  have  passed 
over  to  the  silent  majority. 

ROADS. 

It  is  a  notiualdu  fact  tliat,  in  the  soutliorn  part  of 
Loraiu  county,  and  in  territory  lying  contiguous  to 
it,  the  roads  first  laid  out  have  been  those  running 
from  soutli  to  north.  There  is  an  explanation  of  this 
fact.  We  find  tliat  the  settlers  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  fm-tlier  soutli,  had  a  desire  to  perfect 
routes  of  travel  to  the  lake,  for  it  was  there  that  they 
naturally  expected  to  find  a  market,  in  future  years, 
for  the  corn  and  wheat  they  did  not  need  for  home 
consumption. 

The  first  road  tlirough  Penfleld,  was  one  of  these 
roads,  laid  out  as  a  line  of  travel,  l)y  which  the  inland 
farmers  might  take  their  produce  to  the  larger  towns 
near  the  lake  shore,  and  to  the  harbors.  It  is  known 
now  as  the  River  road,  and  was  opened  from  S])encer 
and  Homer,  in  Medina  county,  through  Penficld,  in 
the  early  days  of  the  settlement.  Much  time  was 
spent  in  its  improvement.  But  little  was  done  upon 
tlie  Penficld  and  Wellington  road  for  many  years,  the 
swamp  in  the  latter  township  remaining  a  place  to 
lie  dreaded  at  all  times  of  the  year,  and  nearly,  if  not 
quite,  impassable  during  the  wet  seasons. 

The  north  and  south  center  road  was  laid  out  and 
[ilanked  in  18.30,  or  the  following  year,  and  was  known 
as  one  of  the  best  roads  in  this  part  of  the  country,  as 
long  as  it  was  kept  in  repair.  The  planks  have  Ijeon 
a  thing  of  the  past  for  many  years. 

POST  OFFICE. 

In  the  spring  of  1830,  a  mail  route  was  laid  out 
from  Medina  to  Norwalk,  through  Penfield  center. 
The  first  mail  was  carried  through  in  April,  by  a  man 
named  Laborie,  who  traveled  on  foot.  The  Penfields 
living  a  mile  and  half  from  the  line,  arranged  to  de- 
posit all  of  their  mail  matter  in  a  hollow  tree,  at  the 
river  crossing,  and  to  have  matter  left  there  for  them. 
This  was  the  primitive  post  office  of  the  township. 


In  April,  1821,  Truman  Penfield  moved  on  to  the 
line,  and  took  chavge  of  the  mail,  in  an  informal  way, 
until  1835,  when  he  was  commissioned  postmaster, 
lie  held  the  office  for  many  years,  and  was  not  a 
defaulter.  His  successor  was  D.  W.  C.  Dixon,  and 
he  was  succeeded  by  Lyman  Hayes.  W.  J.  Krebs 
was  commissioned  as  postmaster  upon  the  17th  of 
December,  1878. 

MANUFACTURINfi    INTERESTS. 

The  first  saw  mill  in  the  township  was  built  !)y 
Peter  Penfield  about  1838.  Samuel  Knapp  built  one 
about  two  years  after;  and  Calvin  Sjteneor  and  others 
at  a  still  later  date.  Black  walnut  timber  was  so  com- 
mon that  it  was  used  very  largely  for  fence  rails,  and 
the  lumber  was  sold  for  only  four  dollars  per  thousand. 
In  1850,  a  saw  mill  was  built  and  operated  by  R.  II. 
Penfield,  Horace  Penfield,  Orrin  Starr,  Lyman  Hayes 
and  Almond  Lindsley,  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing 
lumber  for  the  plank  road  leading  north  through 
LaOrange.  This  was  burned  in  1857,  and  subse- 
quently rebuilt.  It  is  now  owned  by  W.  W.  Penfield. 
There  is  also  another  saw  mill,  witii  a  flouring  mill 
in  conjunction,  owned  by  S.  Samson  &  Son,  which 
was  built  in  18(!8,  by  A.  C.  Hitchcock.  Both  of 
these  mills  are  located  near  the  center,  upon  lot 
twelve,  tract  four. 

CHEESE    FACTORIES. 

Hi  ram  Witbcck  and  John  Mcdraw  started  a  cheese 
factory  upon  the  center  road,  west  of  the  center,  in 
the  spring  of  18G9,  and  took  the  milk  of  about  three 
hundred  cows.  McGraw  soon  sold  out  his  interest  to 
Witbeck,  who  contined  to  run  the  factory  until  1877, 
when  he  sold  to  Mr.  Crozier,  of  Wellington.  Christy 
&  Norton  started  a  factory  in  18G9,  in  the  south  part 
of  the  township,  conducted  it  for  several  years,  and 
then  transferred  the  property  to  Baldwin  &  Laundon, 
of  Wellington.  This  firm  also  owns  the  factory 
started  in  1870,  east  of  the  river,  by  a  Mr.  Benedict, 
of  Litchfield.  S.  White  started  a  small  factory  in 
1875,  which  he  still  manages.  There  is  another  fac- 
tory upon  the  river,  in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
township,  which  was  started  in  1875,  by  R,.  Ilolcomb, 
and  is  now  owned  by  George  liozier,  of  Wellington. 

AGRICL'LTURAL   STATISTICS. 

The  following  are  the  statistics  for  1877,  showing 
the  amount  of  the  most  important  productions  of  the 
township;  also  the  population  in  1870,  and  the  vote 
for  President  in  1870: 

Wheat,       6T4  acres 9, T60  bushels. 

Potatoes,     3G     "     3,S65 

Oats,  513     "      82,121 

Orchanls,  376     "        Sas 

Corn,  807     "      31,785       " 

Meadow,  1,935     "      2,358  tons. 

Butter. H7,2r)4  pounds. 

Cheese 3W,5;iO      " 

Maple  Sugar fj,33<) 

Population  in  1S70 74.i 

Vote  for  President  in  187G. 
Hayes  163  |  Tilden 3'.) 


i 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


305 


Biographical  Sketches, 


TRUMAN  PENFIELD. 

Prominently  identified  witli  tlie  material  progress 
and  development  of  Penfield  township,  and  among 
its  most  respectable  citizens,  was  Trnman  Penfield. 
Removing  to  Penfield  nearly  sixty  years  ago,  he  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  township,  and  became  one 
of -its  most  substantial  business  men,  as  well  as  among 
its  best  practical  farmers.  He  not  only  witnessed  the 
transition  of  a  sjjarsely  settled  region  into  a  prosper- 
ous and  flourishing  locality,  from  an  uncultivated 
wilderness  to  a  highly  fertile  and  productive  agricul- 
tural township,  but  by  his  industry,  energy  and  thrift, 
did  much  toward  the  consummation  of  these  various 
and  beneficial  improvements. 

Truman  Penfield  was  born  at  Fairfield,  Connecti- 
cut, October  4,  1789,  and  died  at  Penfield,  Ohio, 
April  20,  1868.  He  was  the  son  of  Lewis  Penfield, 
who  was  born  March  3G,  1705.  He  married  Adah 
Beardslee,  January  32,  1780.  In  1802,  they  removed 
to  Harpersfleld,  Delaware  county.  New  York,  wliere 
they  became  respectable  citizens. 

Truman  Penfield  was  married  to  Ruth  Ann  Sco- 
ville,  May  10,  1814.  The  fruits  of  this  union  were: 
Samuel  S.,  born  -Tnly  13,  1818,  in  Harpersfield,  New 
York;  married  Permelia  Dayton,  September  23,  1839; 
resides  in  Penfield.  Jaue  A.,  born  August  27,  1833, 
in  Penfield,  Ohio;  was  graduated  from  the  Oberlin 
Collegiate  Institute  (ladies'  course  of  1847);  in  the 
following  year,  August  15, 1848,  was  married  to  Judge 
A.  W.  Hendry,  of  Sandusky,  Ohio,  where  they  have 
since  resided. 

Mrs.  Ruth  A.  Penfield  died  Decembers,  1834.  For 
his  second  wife,  Mr.  Penfield  married  Maria  Dayton, 
of  Harpersfield,  New  York,  in  September,  1825.  The 
children  of  this  second  marriage  were:  Maria,  born 
August  22,  1828;  married  Iliram  Smith,  September 
18,  1851;  they  reside  at  Flint,  l\Iichigan. 

William  Wirt  Penfield  was  born  June  29,  1831;  and 
November  32d,  1854,  was  married  to  Martha,  daughter 
of  Jedediah  (iaylord,  of  Penfield.  He  (William  W.) 
has  always  lived  upon  the  homestead  farm  at  Penfield 
center,  where  he  was  born.  In  1873,  he  removed  the 
old  farm  house  and  built  a  new  one,  in  modern  style, 
an  illustration  of  which,  with  portraits,  adorns  an- 
other page  of  our  work.  He  is  extensively  engaged 
in  raising  improved  breeds  of  cattle,  with  which  the 
old  farm  is  well  stocked.  In  addition  to  his  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  he  is  (piite  largely  interested  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber,  he  being  the  owner  of  a  capa- 
cious and  well  furnished  steam  saw  mill  located  at  the 
center.  He  occujiies  a  leading  position  in  liis  town- 
ship, and  in  his  life  and  character  has  admirably 
tyjiified  what  well  directed  energy,  perseverance  and 
industry  will  accomplish. 

38 


Truman  Penfield,  third  and  last  child  of  Truman 
and  Maria  (Dayton)  Penfield,  was  born  August  3, 
1833;  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Levi  Caylord, 
March  20,  1857.  He  now  occupies  the  position  of 
general  ticket  and  passenger  agent  for  the  Hannibal 
&  St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company,  and  resides  at  Han- 
nibal, Missouri.  The  character  for  personal  integrity 
and  high  moral  worth  which  the  Penfield  family  have 
always  maintained,  is  so  well  known  to  the  residents 
of  Lorain  county  that  anything  of  a  laudatory  nature 
from  us,  in  this  respect,  would  be  superfluous.  The 
desire  to  improve  the  locality  where  he  cast  his  lot 
nearly  sixty  years  ago,  was  one  of  the  strongly  marked 
traits  of  Truman  Penfield.  His  son  has  done  much 
toward  beautifying  the  homestead,  and  in  adding 
many  improvements,  which  his  father  would  have 
done  had  he  lived  a  few  years  longer.  They  have  cer- 
tainly, between  them,  made  Penfield  center  a  delight- 
ful as  well  as  a  beautiful  hamlet,  which,  in  future 
years,  shall  remain  a  monument  to  their  enterprise. 


ELISHA  SHELDON. 


Closely  identified  with  affiairs  tending  to  develop 
the  general  interests  of  the  townshiji  of  Penfield,  and 
always  endeavoring,  by  his  life  and  character,  to  exer- 
cise a  beneficial  influence  in  the  community  of  which 
for  many  years  he  has  been  a  prominent  member, 
Elisha  Sheldon  to-day  deservedly  enjoys  a  foremost 
position  among  the  best  citizens  of  that  township. 

Elisha  Sheldon  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kortright, 
Delaware  county.  New  York,  January  16,  1811.  He 
continued  to  reside  in  Kortright  until  the  death  of 
his  father,  Jonathan  Sheldon,  which  occurred  in  1822, 
when  he  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  in  the  adjoining 
town  of  Harpersfield,  where  he  lived  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  He  was  engaged  as  a  team. 
ster  for  Croswell  &  Diekermau,  tanners,  of  Gilboa, 
Schoharie  county.  New  York,  with  whom  he  contin- 
ued almost  one  year.  In  the  spring  of  1834,  he  re- 
moved to  Ohio  and  purchased  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  acres,  located  in  the  town  of  Penfield,  Lorain 
county,  wpon  which  he  worked,  and  also  by  the 
month,  until  the  fall,  when  he  returned  to  New  York, 
and  the  following  year  married  Sallie  Peters,  and 
returned  to  the  new  home  in  Ohio,  May  3,  1835.  He 
then  put  up  a  log  cabin,  in  the  midst  of  an  almost 
unbroken  wilderness,  into  which  he  moved  before  it 
had  windows,  and  lived  therein  six  months  before  it 
had  a  chimney.  In  the  January  following,  he  built 
that  necessary  appendage  to  a  comfortable  dwelling, 
his  young  wife  helping  to  lay  the  brick.  After  the 
elapse  of  forty-five  years,  Mrs.  Sheldon  very  appro- 
priately designates  her  exj)erience  in  the  brick-laying 
line,  as  "the  spice  of  pioneer  life."  The  first  year 
of  his  settlement,  Mr.  Sheldon  cleared  off  some  six 
or  eight  acres  and  sowed  it  to  wheat.  Every  year 
since  has  witnessed  some  improvement  to  his  farm, 


306 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


to  which  he  added  seventy  acres,  subsequent  to  his 
original  purchase,  upon  wliich  he  still  resides.  He 
has  deeded  to  each  of  liis  sons  a  good  farm,  thus  giv- 
ing them  an  infinitely  better  and  easier  start  iu  life 
tlian  he  ever  had. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sheldon  have  had  seven  children, 
namely:  Sarah  E.,  now  the  wife  of  C.  E.  Starr,  resides 
in  Penfleld;  Daniel  P.  lives  at  Wellington;  Addison 
resides  on  a  farm  in  Wcllinglon  township;  William  L. 
lives  on  a  farm  in  Pcuriold;  Charles  II.  lives  at  home 
with  his  parents,  owning  a  part  of  tiie  homestead; 
.James  M.  and  .lohn  L.  are  dead,  the  former  dying  at 
the  age  of  five  years  and  five  months,  and  the  latter 
at  the  age  of  almost  ten  years. 

In  politics  Mr.  Sheldon  is  a  republican.  He  has 
served  his  township  as  assessor  and  ti-ustee  several 
terms.  He  and  his  excellent  wife  are  both  members 
of  the  Penfield  Bai)tist  church,  of  wliich  Mrs.  Shel- 
don is  the  only  one  of  the  constituent  members  now 
living.  This  worthy  coujile  have  pulled  together 
forty-four  years,  and  the  prospects  are  for  them  to 
celebrate  their  golden  wedding. 

Mr.  Sheldon  is  noted  for  his  liberality  in  sustaining 
benevolent  and  charitable  institutions,  aud  for  the 
generous  aid  he  lends  to  worthy  objects  connected  with 
religion  and  education,  lie  is  deservedly  esteemed  as 
an  upright  and  honest  citizen,  a  good  neighbor,  a 
kind  husband  and  an  atfectionate  father.  He  has 
lived  an  industrious  and  busy  life,  and  in  the  man- 
agement of  his  intei'ests  has  been  careful  and  econom- 
ical, so  that  he  and  his  wife,  who  has  largely  assisted 
him  iu  the  accumulation  of  his  property,  can  pass 
tiieir  declining  years  iu  comparative  ease  aud  comfort. 
Having  always  been  temperate  and  regular  in  his 
habits,  he  enjoys  perfect  good  health,  and  bids  fair  to 
exceed  liy  many  years,  the  allotted  span. 


BERI  ANDREWS 


Prominently  connected  witii  the  material  interests  of 
Penfield,  and  among  its  early  and  respected  citizens 
was  the  subject  of  these  lines.  He  was  born  in 
Meriden,  Connecticut,  February  5,  1800.  He  was  the 
son  of  Marvel  aud  Sallie  (Bronson)  Andrews,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Connecticut,  and  among  the 
worthy  citizens  of  that  State.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
three,  Mr.  Andrews  married  Eliza  Hall,  the  union  re- 
sulting in  four  children — two  sous  aud  two  daugh- 
ters, namely:  Bela,  now  married  and  settled  in  Henry 
county,  Illinois;  Hannah  E.,  Sarah  B.  and  William 
B.,  all  living  on  the  homestead  farm.  Mrs.  Andrews 
died  April  31,  1857.  On  the  twenty-ninth  of  April, 
1858,  he  married  Amy,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Shel- 
don.    She  survives  him. 

In  1834  Mr.  Andrews  moved  to  Lorain  county, 
Ohio,  and  settled  on  the  farm  where  his  widow  now 
resides.     The  place  then  contained  over  three  hundred 


and  fifty  acres,  of  which  two  hundred  acres  remains 
in  the  family. 

Mr.  Andrews  held  several  offices,  notably  those  of 
township  clerk  and  justice  of  the  peace,  in  which  he 
served  with  general  satisfaction  to  the  people,  and 
with  jiersonal  credit.  He  was  an  exemplary  member 
of  the  Protestant  Episco])al  Church,  of  which  he 
was  senior  warden  for  many  years.  After  an  emi- 
nently useful  life  Mr.  Andrews  died  October  0,  1868. 
He  was  a  man  who  was  greatly  respected  for  his  many 
excellent  qualities.  A  good  practical  farmer,  and  an 
industrious  and  honest  citizen,  his  death  was  felt  as 
an  irreparable  loss  in  the  community  in  which  he  had 
lived  so  long,  and  in  which  his  worth  was  well 
known  and  so  generally  appreciated. 

A  portrait  of  himself  and  widow,  together  with  a 
view  of  the  old  homestead,  is  inserted  in  this  work,  as 
a  deserved  testimonial  of  a  meritorious  life,  and  as  a 
token  of  regard  from  her  to  whom  his  many  virtues 
wereiis  a  household  word,  and  to  whom  his  death 
was  a  sad  bereavement. 


ORRIN  STARR. 


Among  the  representative  pioneers  of  Penfield  town- 
ship, who  have  materially  assisted  in  the  growth  and 
progress  of  that  town,  none  are  more  worthy  a  place  in 
its  history  than  Orrin  Starr.  Emigrating  to  this  sec- 
tion of  the  country  forty-five  years  ago,  at  a  time 
when  the  territory  now  embraced  within  the  limits 
of  the  township,  contained  but  two  frame  dwellings, 
and  when  the  number  of  families  therein  did  not  ex- 
ceed a  half  score,  he  has  contributed  not  a  little  to  its 
l)resent  prosperity.  Orrin  Starr  was  born  in  Dela- 
ware county,  New  York,  October  30,  1803.  He  is 
the  son  of  Eleazar  and  Rebecca  (Clapp)  Starr,  old 
settlers  of  that  county.  He  received  what  literary 
education  he  ever  obtained  at  the  common  schools  of 
iiis  native  county.  When  seven  years  of  age  his  father 
died,  and  the  duty  of  helping  to  provide  for  his  wid- 
owed mother  devolved  upon  him,  which  duty  he 
cheerfully  preformed,  assisted  by  his  elder  brothers. 
1  lis  early  years  were  spent  on  the  homestead  farm. 
Iu  1834  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  family  estate 
and  emigrated  to  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  and  settled  on 
tlie  farm  now  occupied  by  David  Drake,  aud  located 
about  one  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of  Penfield  ecu  • 
lor  where  Mr.  Starr  now  resides.  On  the  13th  of 
September,  1835,  he  was  married  to  Abigail,  daughter 
of  Heman  and  Lucinda  Ilickok,  of  Schoharie  county. 
New  York. 

Hon.  Heman  Hiekok  was  born  in  Watertown,  Con- 
necticut, and  removed  iu  au  early  day  to  JefEerson, 
Schoharie  county.  New  York,  where  he  was  exten- 
sively engaged  iu  farming  and  milling.  He  was  a 
public  benefactor,  and  for  many  years  a  justice  of  the 
peace  of  his  town,  a  side  judge,  aud  also  a  member 
of  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York.     In  1833 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


307 


Mr.  Ilickok  and  his  wife  removed  to  Ashtjibula  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  wliere  tliree  of  their  sons,  Ambrose,  Homan 
C.  und  Hiniin,  had  preceded  them  some  years. 

Til  is  worthy  couple  have  now  lived  together  har- 
moniously for  fifty-three  years,  having  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  three  years  ago,  suri'ounded  by 
many  relatives  and  friends.  They  had  eleven  children, 
of  whom  six  survive.  The  names  of  the  children  are 
as  follows  :  Melinda,  deceased  ;  Minerva  and  Maria, 
twins  ;  tlie  former  lives  in  Penfield,  the  latter  in 
Michigan;  Elizabeth,  died  in  Kansas,  Alonzo  B.  died 
of  disease  contracted  in  the  army,  at  Mount  Vernon, 
Kentucky  ;  Hiram  H.  resides  in  Nebraska,  Emma  L. 
deceased  ;  Edna,  resides  in  Oberlin  ;  Clapp  R.,  Marian 
A.,  deccixsed.  Those  living  are  all  married  and  set- 
tled in  life  and  are  good  and  respectable  citizens. 

Mr.  Starr  is  a  republican  in  politics,  and  was  for- 
merly an  old  line  whig.  He  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace  in  his  township,  but  resigned  after 
serving  about  a  year,  feeling  as  though  his  time  was 
required  in  the  management  of  his  pei'soual  affairs. 
He  has  also  been  elected  to  other  township  offices. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Starr  are  lioth  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  the  latter  having  joined  it  in  the 
days  of  her  youth.  Mr.  Starr  now  owns  a  fine  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  and  a  half  acres,  lo- 
cated at  the  center,  an  illustration  of  the  buildings  of 
which,  with  portraits  of  himself  and  wife,  appears  on 
another  jwge  of  this  work. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Starr  are  not  only  among  the  pioneers 
of  their  town,  but  are  also  among  its  most  respectable 
and  influential  citizens  ;  and  no  history  of  the  town 
of  Penfield  would  have  been  complete  without  a  rep- 
resentation of  themselves  and  their  home.  Their  en- 
tire career  has  been  characterized  by  an  honest  en- 
deavor to  promote  the  best  interests  of  their  children, 
and  to  leave  a  record  behind  them  worthy  the  emula- 
tion of  those  who  follow.  Industry,  economy  and  a 
determination  to  succeed  have  been  the  prime  factors 
of  llieir  life  work,  and  the  results  have  been  alike  ilat- 
leriutr  and  well  deserved. 


STREET  GOODYEAR  AND  FAMILY. 

Eli  Goodyear,  father  of  Street,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  married  Sally  Hitchcock,  both  residents  of 
Hampden,  Connecticut.  They  had  five  children,  viz: 
Chester,  Wooster,  Ezra,  Lucinda  and  Street. 

Street  Goodyear  was  born  May  19, 1808,  and  unfor- 
liinatoly,  during  his  youthful  days,  he  had  little 
opportunity  of  gaining  even  a  good  common  school 
education;  but  being  possessed  of  a  quick  and  active 
brain,  he,  by  observation,  or  rather  by  intuitive  percep- 
tion, acquired  good  business  qualifications,  enabling 
him  to  make  progress  where  others  might  have  failed. 
At  the  age  of  eight  years  he  was  left  without  a  pro- 
tector to  shield  him  from  the  rough,  thorny  pathway 
of  life;  but  by  rare  good  sense,  and  pleasant  mien,  he 


b 


won  his  way  step  by  steji  uj)  the  rugged  hill  of  for- 
tune. He  was  married  November  25,  ISS-l,  to  Miss 
Susan  A.  Jones,  of  North  Madison,  Connecticut. 

Mr.  Joseph  and  Mrs.  Lucy  (Austin)  Jones  were 
residents  of  North  Madison,  Connecticut.  They  were 
parents  of  twelve  children,  viz:  Sally  M.,  Lewis, 
Austin,  Lucy  Ann,  Nancy,  Polly,  Caroline,  Joseph, 
Emeline,  Henrietta,  George  and  Susan  A.,  all  bora 
in  North  Madison,  Connecticut.  All  are  now  living 
excepting  Polly  and  Lucy  Ann. 

After  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Street  Goodyear  set- 
tled in  Northford,  Connecticut,  where  four  of  their 
children  were  born,  viz:  Jane  Ann,  born  March  27, 
183C;  Gilbert  L.,  born  June  35,  1837;  Francis  R., 
born  October  12,  1841,  died  October  29,  1849;  and 
Edward  S.,  born  August  39,  1843. 

Ill  the  fall  of  1844,  the  family  removed  to  Penfield, 
Lorain  county,  Ohio,  establishing  a  new  home  amid 
the  wilds  of  an  unbroken  forest,  where  wild  beasts 
roamed  at  night  in  search  of  prey.  After  settling  in 
this  pioneer  home,  two  more  jewels  were  added  to  the 
mother's  crown,  viz:  Douglas  J.,  born  June  14, 1840; 
Lucy  Ann,  born  January  4,  1851.  Jane  Ann  mar- 
ried Hiram  Witbeck  and  settled  in  Penfield;  number 
of  children  seven.  Gilbert  L.  married  Nettie  Stew- 
art, of  Hinkley,  Medina  county  — only  one  heir. 
Edward  S.  married  Miss  Mary  Crane,  of  Penfield; 
they  have  two  children.  Douglas  J.  married  Miss 
Mary  E.  Ecker,  of  Rousburg,  Ashland  county,  Ohio, 
three  heirs;  Lucy  Ann  remains  single,  ministering  to 
the  wants  of  the  many.  Like  a  sister  of  merey, 
doing  good  as  opportunities  are  presented. 

Politically  Mr.  Goodyear  is  a  strong  and  earnest 
republican. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodyear,  early  experiencing  a  change 
of  heart,  they  became  members  of  the  Congregational 
church  in  Northford,  Connecticut,  remaining  in  good 
and  regular  standing  until  their  removal  to  Ohio. 

After  a  short  sojourn  in  their  pioneer  home  they 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  becom- 
ing active  and  efficient  members,  and  workers  in  the 
vineyard  of  the  Lord. 

The  toils  and  struggles  consequent  upon  a  pioneer 
life,  and  the  man}'  cares  laid  upon  willing  hands, 
have  (piite  unfitted  Mrs.  Goodyear  for  enjoying  the 
blessing  of  health.  She  being  an  invalid,  is  dependent 
upon  others  to  guide  the  faltering  footsteps  along  the 
shore  of  time.  Of  a  quiet  and  pleasing  address,  and 
social  temperament,  she  wins  affection,  and  binds 
with  cords  of  love  the  hearts  of  her  household. 

Although  Mr.  (Joodyear's  life  has  been  one  of 
almost  constant  toil,  he  has  ever  been  personally  a  ' 
stranger  to  sickness,  and  yet  remains  an  active,  ener- 
getic man  for  one  of  his  years.  His  persevering- 
industry  has  yielded  a  competence  sufficient  for  all 
necessai-y  wants,  and  he  is  wont  to  compare  the  pres- 
ent with  the  past,  when  immediate  wants  compelled 
him  to  work  for  his  more  fortunate  neighbors,  receiv- 
ing his  pay  in  grain,  which  he  was  forced  to  take  upon 
his  back  (for  want  of  an  easier  conveyance)  and  go 


308 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


to  mill  in  order  to  secure  sustenance  for  the  loved 
ones  at  home. 

To  procure  money  necessary  to  pay  taxes,  he  was 
compelled  to  fell  trees,  ])ile  them  in  immense  heaps, 
then  burn  to  ashes,  and  convert  into  black  salts, 
they  being  the  only  article  that  would  command  cash 
on  delivery  in  the  pioneer  days. 


How  little  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  present 
time  know  of  the  toils  and  struggles  endured  to 
secure  the  independence  now  enjoyed  by  them.  If 
they  would  seek  for  enlightenment,  let  them  question 
such  men  as  Mr.  Goodyear,  whose  life  lessons  wore 
learned  in  the  tread-mill  of  experience. 


LA  GRANGE 


La  Grange  is  township  number  four,  range  seven- 
teen. It  presents  to  one  who  drives  through  its  ter- 
ritory an  appearance  of  thrift  and  plenty.  Broad, 
well  tilled  fields,  huge  barns,  almost  bursting  with 
their  store,  snug  farm  houses,  and  beautiful  villas 
moot  the  eye  upon  all  sides,  and  silently  attest  the 
wisdom,  the  energy,  and  the  cultivated  taste  of  their 
owners. 

PHYSICAL  FEATUKES. 

The  township  is  almost  perfectly  level,  except  in 
the  extreme  eastern  and  western  parts,  where  it  is 
traversed  by  small  streams.  Here  the  surface  is  somc- 
wiuit  rolling,  The  east  branch  of  the  Black  river 
flows  from  south  to  north,  through  the  eastern  por- 
tion of  the  township,  and  Wellington  creek,  a  small 
rivulet,  diversifies  the  western  part,  and  adds  a  pleas- 
ing element  to  the  landscape.  The  soil  is.  for  the 
most  part,  clay,  or  a  clay  loam,  though  there  are  small 
areas  in  which  sand  and  gravel  ajtpear.  Deep  down, 
'under  all,  is  the  solid  sandstone,  which,  had  it  lain 
nearer  the  surface,  would  have  proved  a  vast  element 
of  wealth.  It  only  appears  at  the  surface  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  township,  where  it  is  ipiarried 
in  a  small  way. 

THE  OKKHNAL  I'KOPRIETOKS 

of  La  Grange  township  were  Henry  Chamiiion  and 
Lemuel  Storrs,  the  former  having  drawn  two-thirds 
and  the  latter  one  third  of  the  laud.  These  men  also 
had  three  thousand,  seven  hundred  acres  in  tract 
eight,  range  nineteen,  now  in  Brighton  and  Camden. 
In  18:i5,  Champion  conveyed  his  portion  of  the  lands 
to  his  sou-in-law,  Elizur  Goodrich,  of  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut. Goodrich  was  not  long  in  possession  of  his 
western  estate,  for  he  began  exchanging  it,  in  the 
summer  of  the  same  year,  for  New  York  State  prop- 
erty. Nathan  Clark,  Roger  Pheli)S,  Noah  Ilolcomb, 
and  .James  I'elton,  of  Jefferson  county,  were  the  first 
to  obtain  land  of  him,  and  soon  others  followed  their 
example,  the  "westward,  ho!"  fever  extended,  and 
so  it  came  about  that  a  colony  of  New  Y6rkers  was 
located  in  the  wilderness  of -southern  Loraiu  county. 


Phelps,  Ilolcomb,  and  Pelton,  in  the  autumn  of 
182.5,  came  out  to  examine  the  land.  After  a  short 
stay,  they  returned,  and  made  so  favorable  a  report 
that  others,  among  whom  were  David  and  Asa  Rock- 
wood,  Fairchild  Hubbard,  .Joseph  Robbins,  Sylvester 
Merriam,  and  Levi  Johnson  were  induced  to  jjurchase 
farms.     They,  too,  exchanged  lands  with  Goodrich. 

THE    FIRST   SETTLEMENT 

was  made  by  Nathan  Clark,  on  the  14th  day  of  No- 
vember, 1825.  Clark  was  a  native  of  Harlem,  Con- 
necticut, and  was  married  in  ISKi,  to  Ann  Loomis, 
who  came  with  him  to  Ohio.  He  settled  near  the 
cast  branch  of  Black  river,  and  resided  there  for  some 
time,  but  afterward  bought  lot  number  fifty-one,  upon 
which  he  remained  until  1855,  when  he  removed  to 
Michigan,  in  which  State  he  died  in  1860.  His  first 
wife  died  in  1833,  and  he  subse(piently  married  Lucy 
Barnes. 

As  soon  as  the  season  of  1836  opened  so  as  to  allow 
journeying  over  the  rough  roads,  and  through  the 
almost  unbroken  woods,  the  families  of  Noah  Ilol- 
comb, Sylvester  Jlerriam,  James  Disbrow,  Joseph  A. 
Graves,  James  Pelton,  Levi  Johnson,  Curtis  Hastings, 
Charles  Rounds  and  two  sons,  Joseph  Robbins,  David 
and  Asa  Rockwood  and  Henry  Townsend  came  into 
the  township,  and  each  established  a  rude  and  primi- 
tive home.  Fairchild  Hubbard  came  in  November, 
from  Brighton,  where  he  had  been  living  for  severtil 
months. 

There  were,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1826,  sev- 
enty persons  within  the  ])resent  limits  of  LaGrange, 
some  in  the  east,  some  in  the  west,  some  at  the  center 
and  still  others  in  the  northern  and  southern  portions 
of  the  township.  All  however  were  neighbors.  Men 
living  five  miles  apart  in  those  days  knew  more  of  each 
other  than  do  many  uow-a-days  who  occupy  the  same 
city  house,  and  felt  more  truly  friendly  concern  for 
each  other  than  exists  at  present,  in  most  cases,  be- 
tween neighbors  whose  gardens  adjoin.  Half  a  cen- 
tury ago  there  was  a  vast  deal  of  sincerity  in  the  daily 
greetings  of  the  people,  a  sincerity  which  the  Araer- 


t 


/^^w    "S  0  /h. 


f^ESlDENCE   OF     D(^,  E   D.  |V1ERRI  AM  ,   Laoi^ang£  ,  LOK*iN   Co..  0  . 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


309 


ic:ui  of  1879   luis  met  so  seldom  as  scarcely  to  rocog- 
iiize. 

Altlioiigli  there  was  now  quite  a  settlement,  people 
who  had  been  accustomed  to  the  more  advanced  con- 
ditions of  life  upon  the  farms  or  in  the  villages  of 
New  York,  felt  an  almost  unbearable  sense  of  loneli- 
ness. Tlie  comparative  isolation  in  whicii  they  dwelt 
was  new  to  them,  and  their  hearts  turned  fondly  back 
to  the  old  love,  to  the  place  of  their  birth  and  early 
life,  around  which  hung  the  halo  of  the  dearest  asso- 
ciations and  memories.  At  this  period,  there  was 
scarcely  a  man  or  woman  in  the  little  colony  who 
would  not  have  gladly  returned  to  the  old  home,  had 
it  been  feasible  to  leave  the  new  without  sacrificing 
everything.  Several  did  leave.  Those  who  remained 
overcame  more  obstacles,  and  in  the  end  accomplished 
more  than  their  fondest  hope  had  ever  painted.  Tiie 
country,  they  found,  was  not  all  that  the  first  cnthu- 
astic  writers  had  represented  it  to  be.  The  soil  was 
of  a  nature  difficult  to  handle  with  the  rude  imple- 
ments they  had;  teaming  was  difficult,  on  account  of 
llie  wet  condition  of  the  undrained  ground;  and  the 
timljer  was  of  extremely  large  growth,  rendering  the 
clearing  of  the  forest  a  greater  task  than  in  many 
other  portions  of  the  country.  There  were  many 
hardships  to  be  endured.  Food  was  at  certain  seasons 
hard  to  obtain.  Leeks  grew  in  abundance,  and  were 
for  a  time  about  the  only  edible  vegetable  that  the 
settlers  could  procure.  The  cows  fed  upon  them, 
and  their  milk  was  tainted  by  the  pungent  bulbs. 
Cattle  were  too  valuable  to  be  slaughtered  for  food; 
aiul  when  game  failed,  some  of  the  hardy  pioneers 
were  driven  to  expedients  whicli  tlieir  gra.nd-children 
or  great-grand-ehildren  of  to-day  would  fancy  they 
could  not  endure.  It  is  related  of  the  children  in  one 
family,  that  in  a  time  when  the  provision  store  was 
low,  they  obtained  their  principal  sustenance  from 
basswood  buds,  which  they  climbed  the  trees  to  get. 
Murrain  attacked  the  cattle,  and  often  the  pioneer 
was  obliged  to  lose  the  value  of  considerable  time 
expended  in  preparing  the  soil  for  a  crop,  because  his 
oxen  were  suddenly  stricken  with  this  disease,  to  which 
they  generally  succumbed.  Tliere  were  few  vehicles 
of  any  kind  in  the  settlement.  One  man  owned  a 
wagon,  of  which  he  frequently  made  two  carts,  whicli 
he  rented  to  the  neighbors.  The  price  paid  for  the 
loan  of  one  of  them  to  make  a  journey  to  Elyria  was 
a  day's  work  in  logging. 

There  was  every  thing  to  overcome,  and  but  very 
little  at  hand  to  do  it  with.  The  men  who  persevered 
in  the  long,  hard  struggle,  and  hewed  out  homes  for 
themselves  from  tlie  primeval  forest,  made  the  begin- 
ing  of  what  is  now  one  of  the  most  thriving,  wealthy 
and  respectable  communities  in  the  county.  Every 
[iioneer  who  entered  tlie  Reserve,  was  a  hero  wlio 
should  be  reverently  and  thankfully  remembered  by 
those  whom  he  prepared  the  way,  and  as  fully  as  the 
limited  knowledge  of  the  facts  and  the  limited  force 
of  words  will  permit. 

Of  all  who  came  to  La  Grange  in  1836,  Joseph  Rob- 


bins  alone  remains  to  tell  of  the  privation  and  toil  of 
the  early  settlers.  He  is  still  living  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years,  the  father  of  eight  children,  three  of 
whom,  Nicholas  L.,  George  H.  and  Mrs.  Delos  Der- 
nier reside  in  the  township.  Nicholas  L.  lives  upon 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  acres,  a  mile 
or  more  west  of  the  center,  with  his  wife  Harriet 
Lamoure,  daughter  of  an  early  settler,  and  is  prob- 
ably as  well  preserved  a  man  of  three  score  years,  as  the 
county  contains.  George  II.  is  a  merchant,  and  it  is 
under  his  roof  that  his  aged  father's  later  years  have 
been  spent.  Josiali,  or  Deacon  Robbins,  as  he  is 
generally  known,  came  from  Champion,  Jefferson 
county,  New  York,  in  1820,  and  settled  one  mile  west 
of  the  present  village,  ujion  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Allen  Sanders.  He  lived  here  with  his  wife,  Mehit- 
able  Ilurlburt,  for  thirty-flve  years,  and  then  came  to 
the  cornel's.  He  is  a  man  whom  all  revere,  and  his 
long  life  has  been  spent  for  the  good  of  all  who  have 
been  within  the  reach  of  its  influence.  Mehitable, 
his  wife,  died  in  1878. 

Of  tiie  other  settlers  who  came  at  the  same  time 
Deacon  Robbins  entered  the  county,  and  all  of  whom 
are  now  dead,  but  little  can  be  learned.  Noah  Hol- 
comb  settled  u]ion  a  farm  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  township;  Sylvester  Merriam  in  the  eastern  part 
on  what  is  now  the  River  road.  He  died  in  18(i3, 
May  sixth.  .James  Disbrow  settled  on  the  same  road 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  township.  .Joseph  A. 
Graves  located  on  the  east  and  west  road  near  the 
boundary  of  Grafton.  Fairchild  Hubbard  settled 
near  the  center,  led  a  long  and  useful  life,  aiid  was 
widely  known  and  resiiected  for  his  many  good  (piali- 
ties.  He  died  in  1859,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
years. 

ONE    HUNDRED    YEAR.S   OLD. 

David  Rockvvood,  born  in  Manciiester,  New  llani|)- 
shire,  October  4,  1777,  married  Roba,  daughter  of 
Ciiarles  Rounds,  of  C!lianipion,  New  York,  and  came 
to  LaGrange  in  1820,  arriving  on  the  5th  of  -June. 
He  was  the  oldest  mnn  in  thetownsliip  when  lie  died, 
having  reached  tlie  age  of  one  hundred  years  one 
month  and  twenty-five  days.  He  died  November  28, 
1877,  having  been  a  resident  of  LaGrange  for  over 
half  a  century.  The  helpmate  who  came  with  him 
had  an  experience  of  pioneer  life  in  strange  dispro- 
portion to  his.  She  died  the  year  after  coming  into 
her  new  home  and  was  the  first  person  who  passed 
over  to  the  silent  majority  from  the  little  settlement. 
Mr.  Rockwood  married  Polly  or  Patty  Graves  in  1828, 
and  she  died  in  1844.  Two  years  afterwards  he  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Lindsley,  of  Elyria.  David  Rockwood  was 
the  father  of  thirteen  children,  three  of  whom  live 
in  La  Grange.  F.  W.  Rockwood  lives  u]>on  a  farm  in 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  township,  near  tiic  one 
upon  which  his  father  settled.  There  are  also  two 
daughters — Mrs.  Emetine  Gott  and  Mrs.  Palina 
Bussell.  There  are  twenty-two  grandchildren,  de- 
scendants of  David  Rockwood,  and  thirty-eight 
great-grandchildren. 


310 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


The  one  liundi'cdtli  birthday  of  Uiis  patriarch  and 
l)ioneer  was  eelehratod  by  his  friends  and  neighbors, 
and  was  a  memorable  oecasioii. 

The  funeral  was  iieid  Deeeniber  2d,  four  days  after 
the  decease  of  the  centennarian  pioneer,  and  was  one 
of  the  most  impressive  ceivmonies  ever  witnessed  in 
the  vicinity.  The  sermon  was  i)reached  by  tlie  Rev. 
Jolm  Mitchell,  before  a  very  large  audience  conqwsed 
of  the  people  of  LaG range  and  the  aged  friends  of  the 
deceased  from  adjoining  and  distant  to\vnshi|)s. 
After  its  c'onclusion  the  masonic  fraternity,  of  which 
Mr.  Rockwood  had  been  a  meml)er  for  over  seventy 
years,  took  charge  of  the  service  and  conducted  their 
solemn  burial  rite.  David  Rockwood  well  illustrated 
the  truth  of  the  old  saying,  that  the  longest  life  is 
too  short.  He  said  upon  the  one  hundredth  anni- 
versary of  his  birth  that  as  he  looked  back  upon  his 
pilgrimage  it  seemed  bi'ief,  very  brief. 

Asa  Rockwood,  who  came  into  the  country  aboul 
the  same  time  as  his  brother  David,  remained  in 
LaGrange  but  a  short  time  and  then  removed  to 
I'ittsfield.  John  Rockwood,  a  nei)hew,  came  to  the 
townshi]!  in  1S2S,  and  made  the  first  settlement  on 
tJie  street  north  of  the  center,  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  W.  W.  Noble. 

David  Gott  came  also,  either  late  in  1820  or  in  the 
early  part  of  the  following  year. 

In  1837  there  were  a  number  of  additions  to  the 
populiition  of  the  township,  prominent  among  whom 
was  Rev.  Julius  Becman,  of  Otsego  county.  New 
York.  He  was  promised  by  Goodrich  fifty  acres  of 
land  on  condition  that  he  would  move  into  the  town- 
sliip  and  officiate  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  for  ten 
years.  He  accepted,  and  ufter  the  lapse  of  ten  years, 
during  which  he  had  done  good  service  in  the  settle- 
ment for  his  religion,  received  a  deed  of  the  propei'ty. 
He  was  the  first  preacher  who  settled  in  the  neigh- 
borhood and  the  only  one  for  miles  around.  His 
work  Wiis  not  confined  to  LaGrange,  foi'  ho  rode  into 
all  of  the  adjoining  territory  and  held  sei'viees  in  a 
number  of  localities  at  considerable  distance  from  his 
iiome.  He  died  in  1853,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty,  retaining  his  faculties  in  a  marked  degree  of 
excellence  to  tiie  last.  He  was  a  native  of  Warren, 
rvitchfield  county,  Connecticut,  and  was  born  January 
28,  1773.  He  commenced  preaching  when  twenty- 
eight  years  old,  in  IJensselaer  county.  New  York, 
having  been  ordaineil  in  1803. 

Calvin  Wilcox  was  another  of  the  settlers  of  1827. 
He  was  born  November  7,  1790,  in  Charlestown, 
Montgomery  county.  New  York,  and  came  to  Well- 
ington in  1825.  Two  years  later  he  settled  at  La- 
Grange center,  and  married  Harriet,  a  daughter  of 
Fairchild  Hulibard.  Ho  was  a  man  who  held  deserv- 
edly the  high  esteem  of  his  neighbors,  and  through 
their  election  held  various  offices  of  honor  and  trust. 
He  died  in  1871. 

Ephraim  Lewis  and  brother,  and  Noah  and  Marcus 
Kellogg  came  in  the  same  year  as  the  above.  Noah 
Kellogg  settled  ou  lot  number  forty. 


Hewey  Noble  came  in  1828  from  New  York,  and 
made  the  second  settlement  upon  the  road  north  of 
the  center,  on  the  farm  owned  in  1878  by  Mr.  Black- 
well.     He  died  ujion  this  place  in  1871. 

Russell  Loomis,  now  living  aged  ninety-two  years, 
canie  in  1829,  and  took  up  a  farm  lying  next  the  one 
uiion  which  he  now  lives,  which  is  in  lot  fifty.  He 
was  born  in  1780,  in  Coventry,  Connecticut.  He  has 
one  son  living  in  the  same  house  with  him,  R.  N., 
aged  sixty-two  years. 

Jeremiah  Filley  was  a  noteworthy  and  eccentric 
genius,  who  came  into  the  township  in  LS3(i.  It  is 
said  that  ho  cleared  and  caused  to  be  cleared  over  two 
thousand  six  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  re- 
markably shrewd  man  in  bargaining,  an  energetic, 
wide  awake  man  in  the  now  fast  growing  community, 
and  a  great  hunter. 

AN    INDIAN    INCIDENT 

of  curious  character,  in  which  Pilley  played  a  prom- 
inent ])art,  is  always  suggested  to  old  settlers  i)y  the 
mention  of  his  name.  Most  of  the  Indians  had  dis- 
aj)peared  from  the  county  by  the  time  Filley  arrived, 
but  a  few  remained,  and  usually  made  their  place  of 
rendezvous  Indian  Hollow,  in  Carlisle  township. 
They  were  occasionally  to  be  seen  sweeping  through 
the  woods  upon  their  jionies,  in  pursuit  of  deer,  and 
sometimes  camped  within  the  territory  of  La  Grange. 
Filley  had  met  them  more  than  once,  and  had  doubt- 
less resorted  to  various  means  to  get  them  to  leave 
the  country.  At  any  rate,  they  were  known  to  enter- 
tain anything  but  friendly  feelings  toward  him.  One 
day  while  hunting,  he  came  ujion  a  party  of  them,  and 
after  a  short  conversation,  succeeded  in  rousing  the 
rod  men's  ire  to  such  a  point,  that  they  threatened  to 
kill  him.  He  saw  that  there  was  no  lack  of  intention 
on  their  part,  and  resorted  to  a  bold  plan  to  make 
good  his  escape.  The  Indians'  rifics  were  loaning 
against  a  tree,  at  a  little  distance  from  them,  and  in 
this  fortunate  circumstance,  Filley  saw  his  deliverance 
from  danger.  He  drew  his  own  rifie  to  his  face,  sud- 
denly, raised  the  hammer,  and  covering,  with  accurate 
aim,  the  little  party  of  braves,  told  them  that  the  first 
who  moved  would  be  the  first  to  die.  Keeping  the 
gun  to  his  shoulder,  and  his  eye  upon  the  Indians,  he 
slowly  retreated  until  he  had  gained  a  safe  distance, 
when  he  changed  his  tactics,  and  ran  for  dear  life. 
After  that,  he  very  naturally  felt  somewhat  suspicious 
of  Poor  Lo,  and  avoided  his  society.  Several  weeks, 
or  perhaps  months,  after  his  narrow  escape  from  the 
tender  mercies  of  the  Senecas,  the  hunter  had  occa- 
sion to  pass  the  scene  of  the  unpleasant  little  occur- 
rence, and  found  blazed  upon  a  large  tree,  his  own 
portrait,  full  length  and  life  sized,  while  upon  other 
trees  surrounding  this  one,  were  the  figures  of  In- 
dians, all  with  their  guns  pointed  toward  the  central 
figure.  This  hieroglyphic  work,  the  hunter  interpreted 
as  a  threat  to  take  his  life,  should  the  Indians  ever 
have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  him  again.  The  scene 
of  the  occurrence  was  in  the  woods,  only  a  short  dis- 


Photos. et  Lee   Fl*ria,0. 


'e^floM     (zf^A^jT^^tei/ft- 


j-*'Mi^kh-^-:' 


iWUjJj^ 


Residence  OF  BOMAN    FREEWAN,  Ugranoe  ,  Lorain  Co. .Ohio. 


^ORTM  jioe  or  Ro.*n 


;»1RS.E.|^.SANDEP,S 


PHOTOS  SI  LEE  CLrt^lA,  OHIO. 


E  H  SANDEf^S, 


^^^^^^^i^tij^^l^ifej^te^^^k^ifefe^l^^ 


FfESIDENCE   or    E.  H.SANDERS  ,  Laqranoe.  Lot^AiN  Co  ,  Ohio 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


311 


tance  northecast  of  what  is  now  the  village  of  La 
Grange.  Tlie  representations  of  men  cut  or  blazed 
upon  the  trees  have  been  seen  by  many  persons  now 
living,  and  are  said  to  have  been  reniarkaly  natural 
and  suggestive.  Filley  gave  up  the  life  of  a  woodman 
aud  hunter,  became  a  ])reacher,  and  wont  to  Michigan. 
Tlie  settlement  grew  fast  from  the  year  18cO.  In 
1831  there  were  fifty-seven  families  in  tlie  township, 
more  than  twice  as  many  as  in  1828;  in  1835  there 
were  one  hundred  and  seven,  and  in  1840  there  were 
one  hundred  and  thirty-four.  Tlie  amount  of  public 
expenditures  for  the  year  ending  March  2,  1829,  was 
ten  dollars  and  thirty-four  cents. 

Horace  Sanders  came  to  the  township  in  1830  or 
1831,  a,nd  is  now  represented  by  a  son,  Allen  Sanders, 
who  lives  upon  tlio  old  Robbins  farm,  lots  fifty-eight 
and  sixty-tliree. 

H.  C,  or  as  he  is  commonly  called,  Casey  Hastings, 
like  most  of  the  other  settlers,  came  from  New  York. 
He  first  took  a  farm  on  the  road  running  east  from 
the  farm  of  Mr.  Adams,  but  sold  out  and  bought  in 
lots  forty-four  and  forty-seven,  a  mile  west  of  the 
center.  He  is  at  the  present  writing  seventy-two  years 
of  age.  He  is  tlie  father  of  ten  children,  and  they 
form  a  remarkable  family.  His  five  sons  and  himself 
atrgregate  a  weinlit  which  makes  their  average  over 
two  hundred  pounds  apiece.  Mr.  Hastings  has  some 
lively  recollections  of  the  ferocity  of  the  wild  or 
"shack"  hogs,  wiiich  were  ({uite  numerous  when  he 
came  to  tlie  country.  He  went  out  to  hunt  the  next 
nioi'uing  after  his  arrival,  and  was  very  skeptical  when 
told  about  the  savageness  of  the  undomesticated 
porkers.  He  was  soon  convinced,  however,  tiiat  all 
lie  had  been  told  was  true,  for  a  small  herd  charged 
upon  him,  and  he  only  saved  himself  from  their  tusks 
by  climbing  high  up  among  the  roots  of  a  fallen  tree, 
by  which  he  was  fortunately  standing  when  the  hogs 
made  the  onslaught.  One  of  them  fastened  its  jaws 
upon  his  boot-heel  and  bent  it  off.  These  wild  hogs 
were  perhaps  a  greater  cause  of  annoyance  than  the 
wolves  were,  to  the  early  settlers  of  La  Grange  and  its 
vicinity.  They  were  certainly  more  savage,  and  un- 
like wolves,  would  never  hesitate  to  attack  a  man  in 
the  woods.  They  were  occasionally  used  for  food,  but 
the  moat  was  coarse,  spongy  and  ill  flavored. 

The  year  1832  was  a  good  one  for  the  settlement, 
jis  it  witnessed  a  large  increase  in  the  population. 
During  the  year  came  the  families  of  Adolphus  Gott, 
Peter  Gott,  Josepli  Lincoln,  William  Lamoure,  Joiia- 
tluiu  Olmsted,  and  others,  and  in  the  same  or  the 
following  year  I'liineas  and  Harvey  Powers  arrived. 

Adolphus  Gott  bought  a  farm  one  mile  south  and 
two  miles  west  of  the  center  and  Peter  Gott,  a  farm 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  from  the  center 
upon  which  his  son,  William  H.  now  lives.  He  has 
two  other  sons  and  a  daughter  living  in  the  township. 
Jonathan  Olmsted  bought  a  farm  adjoining  Gott's. 
Joseph  Lincoln  bought  two  miles  southwest  of  the 
center.  Lamoure  bought  west  of  the  center.  William 
Ormsby  came  in  the  same  year  as  the  above.     He  is* 


,  still  living,   aged  ninety-six  years,   and  as   Deacon 
Ormsby,  is  widely  known. 

A  silk  enterprise  engaged  the  attention  of  Phineas 
Powers.  He  came  from  Worcester,  New  York,  bought 
land  southwest  of  the  center,  made  a  clearing,  and, 
conceiving  the  idea  of  establishing  himself  in  the 
silk  producing  business,  he  planted  in  1830  upon  six 
acres  of  ground,  twenty  thousand  mulberry  trees. 
He  erected  a  factory,  procured  silk  worm  eggs  from 
Ashland,  and  was  soon  rewarded  for  his  enterprise  by 
having  a  ([uar.tity  of  skeins  ready  fm- the  market.  He 
was  assisted  in  the  manufacture  by  his  sister,  Mrs. 
Sibley,  and  the  two  seem  to  have  brought  a  large  share 
of  good  judgment  and  industry  to  bear  upon  the 
business.  The  county  ])aid  a  premium  of  fifteen 
cents  per  pound  upon  all  silk  manufactured,  and  this, 
with  the  legitimate  profit  of  trade,  led  Mr.  Powers  to 
anticipate  success.  But  unfortunately  the  worms  all 
died  the  second  year,  and  nearly  all  the  money  and 
labor  expended  in  the  enterprise  was  lost.  Powers 
went  to  Ashland,  remained  there  six  years,  returned 
to  La  Grange,  and  after  a  short  time  removed  to 
Cleveland.  Such,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  one 
among  many  failures  in  a  business  which,  forty  years 
ago,  held  out  perhaps  more  inducements  to  the  man 
of  speculative  turn  of  mind  than  any  other. 

The  Freemans — Simeon  and  Olive — with  their  sons 
Bonian,  Glen  J.  and  F.  N.,  came  in  1834,  and  the 
father  settled  upon  lot  forty-eight,  at  present  owned  by 
Bomau,  Sr.  R.  Freeman,  Joshua  E.  Freeman,  F.  R, 
Freeman,  and  Henry  Freeman,  came  about  the  same 
time.  The  heads  of  these  families  have  all  passed 
iway. 

Prominent  among  the  settlers  of  1833  was  Nathan 
P.  Johnson,  of  Hartford,  Washington  county,  New 
York.  He  married  eleven  years  before  coming  into 
Ohio,  Laura  Waite,  of  Champion.  Mr.  Johnson  was 
elected  to  the  legislature,  in  1844  and  1855,  and 
elected  senator  in  184G.  While  serving  in  this  capac- 
ity he  took  a  strong  stand  against  the  repudiation  of 
the  State  debt,  a  position  which  made  him  unpojiular 
with  his  party  at  the  time,  but  won  res])ectforhim  in 
the  end.  His  wife  died  in  184(;,  aud  he  afterward 
married  Mary  Hart,  of  Elyria.  In  18(52  he  moved 
lo  the  center,  and  was  apjiointed  postmaster  by  Pres- 
ident Lincoln.  He  held  this  ottice  until  bis  death  in 
!874.  He  spent  his  life  in  doing  good,  and  he  was 
'lighly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 

David  C.  Peltoii  came  to  the  township  in  the  same 
year.  He  has  been  married  three  times,  and  is  the 
fatlicr  of  twenty-one  children,  two  of  whom,  a  son, 
Floyd,  and  daughter,  Mrs.  Lydia  Crowner,  live  in  the 
township. 

Allen  Sheldon  and  his  wife,  Anna  Mari.a,  settled 
also  in  1833,  on  a  farm  one  and  a  half  miles  west  of 
the  center,  now  owned  by  a  son.  Colonel  L.  A.  Shel- 
ilon.  There  are  two  other  sons,  Wm.  E.  and  F.  Y. 
L.  A.  Sheldon  was  colonel  in  the  Forty-second  regi- 
ment Ohio  volunteer  infantry,  and  was  elected  to 
congress  three  terms — 1868,  '70  and   '72,  from  the 


312 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


sccoihI  Limisiiuui  district.  Allen  Sheldon,  tlie  [)ioneer, 
was  ;i  man  of  un<|uestioned  probity  of  character. 
Elder  Beenian  baptized  him,  niari'ied  him,  and 
preaclied  his  fnneral  sermon. 

IIoratH!  Knowles  came  in  1833,  from  Wellington, 
Massachnsetts.  He  was  until  recently  in  excellent 
health,  and  is  said  to  have  done  as  much  hard  work 
as  any  man  who  ever  lived  in  the  townshi]),  accumu- 
lating thereby  a  snug  fortune  for  himself  and  a  com- 
petency for  his  children.  His  wife,  Catharine,  died 
in  1877.  Mr.  Knowles  is  at  this  writing  eighty-three 
years  of  age. 

Minor  C.  Noble  and  Peter  Crowner  arrived  in  1834, 
and  took  up  lands,  the  former  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  town  and  the  latter  about  a  mile  north  and  a  mile 
west  of  the  center.  Both  are  living.  Mr.  Noble  is 
eighty-one  years  of  age  and  Mr.  Crowner  eighty-three. 
Four  generations  of  the  Crowner  family  are  living. 
INIr.  Noble  had  three  sons  and  three  daughters.  W. 
W.  Noble  and  M.  E.  Noble  own  farms  about  two 
miles  north  of  the  center  ujjon  the  old  plank  road. 

EARLY    EVENTS. 

The  first  cliihl,  born  in  the  township,  was  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Henry  Townsend.  The  date  of  her  birth 
is  in  dispute.  It  is  said  by  some  that  she  was  born 
June  3,  I82G,  but  there  is  a  strong  probal)ility  that 
she  first  opened  her  eyes  upon  this  world  in  November 
of  the  same  year.  Miss  Townsend  went,  when  seven 
years  of  age,  to  Geauga  county. 

An  event  of  considerable  interest  to  the  whole  com- 
munity, and  particularly  to  Curtiss  and  Patty  Has- 
tings, their  parents,  was  the  birth  of  the  twins,  Good- 
rich and  Hubbard  Hastings,  so  named  after  the  origi- 
luil  proprietors  of  the  township.  They  were  born 
June  2G,  1837.  The  twins  were  honored  by  visits 
from  all  the  people  for  miles  around,  and  were  the 
objects  of  much  curiosity  and  admiration.  It  is  re- 
lated that  they  were  rocked  to  sleep  in  a  saj)  trough. 
I'loth  iire  now  living  near  the  place  where  born.  E. 
II.  llastiugs  has  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  acres,  and  E.  G.  Hastings  one  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-two,  ujion  which   his  father  also  has  his  home. 

The  first  marriage  and  the  first  death  occuri'cd  in 
the  year  1837.  A  very  hapjiy  occasion  was  that  of  the 
marriage  of  Calvin  Wilcox,  of  Wellington,  to  Harriet, 
daughter  of  Fairchild  and  Phebe  Hubbard.  The 
liiidegroom  and  a  party  of  friends  rode  upon  horse- 
back from  Wellington,  and  their  horses  stood  tethered 
out  of  doors  all  night,  awaiting  their  return.  The 
(•cromony  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Alfred  Betts,  of 
Hrownhelm,  who  earned  his  fee  by  riding  twenty 
miles  though  the  woods,  to  officiate  at  the  wedding. 
The  bridal  trip  was  by  bridlepath  to  Wellington,  and 
was  performed  upon  the  day  following  the  wedding. 
This  nujitial  knot  was  tied  March  8,  1827. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  November  seventh,  the 
hearts  of  the  pioneer  settlers  were  first  saddened  by 
llie  presence  of  the  great  destroyer  in  their  midst. 
The  family  visited  was  that  of  David  Rockwood,  and 


the  member  taken  was  a  loving  wife  and  mother.  She 
died  after  a  short  illness,  of  bilious  fever,  and  the 
friends  assembled  at  the  bereaved  home  to  attend  the 
funeral,  sad  beyond  the  power  of  words  to  tell,  and 
solemn  in  its  simplicity.  There  was  no  saljle  hearse, 
no  retinue  of  carriages,  no  luxurious  or  conventional 
expression  of  grief,  no  funeral  sermon,  but  tenderly 
and  lovingly  the  inaninnite  body  was  laid  in  earth 
after  a  homely,  earnest  prayer  and  the  singing  of  a 
good  old  hymn.  Hearts  were  left  aching  as  they  ever 
have  since  man  came  upon  the  earth,  and  ever  will 
until  the  race  is  no  more.  That  was  all.  Deacon 
Graves  conducted  what  little  there  was  of  funeral  ser- 
vice, and  when  the  burial  had  been  made,  the  sorrow- 
ing people  disjjcrsed  to  their  homes.  Mrs.  Rockwood 
was  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Lydia  Rounds,  of 
Chamjjion,  New  York. 

A  terrible  fate  befel  two  young  children  of  Josepli 
Lincoln  and  wife.  These  people,  as  has  been  before 
stated,  settled  in  1833  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Reuben  Wright,  two  miles  southwest  of  the  center. 
A  few  years  after,  as  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  wife  were 
returning,  one  winter  evening,  from  a  visit  to  a  friend 
about  three  miles  distant,  they  were  startled  by  find- 
ing their  house  on  fire;  and  when  they  arrived  at  the 
l)lace,  they  made  the  horrifying  discovery  that  two  of 
their  children  liad  been  burned  alive.  Two  older 
children,  girls,  had  escaped  from  the  house  before  it 
was  completely  wrapped  in  flames,  but  were  so  fright- 
ened that  they  lost  their  presence  of  mind,  and  were 
unable  to  render  the  fire-imprisoned  little  ones  any 
assistance.  They  saw  the  children  at  the  windows, 
and  heard  their  agonizing  shrieks  until  they  perished 
in  the  flames.  Speaking  of  the  casualty  in  after  years, 
the  sisters  said  that  the  memory  of  the  horrible  scene 
would  haunt  them  to  their  dying  day. 

The  first  frame  building  in  the  township  was  a  barn 
erected  by  David  Rockwood,  on  his  farm  near  the  east 
branch  of  Black  river;  and  the  first  frame  building 
at  the  center  was  a  store  upon  the  s<nitheast  corner  of 
the  s(piare,  put  up  and  occupied  by  Dr.  Hubbard. 
Calvin  Wilcox  built  for  his  own  occiipaney  the  first 
frame  dwelling  house.  The  first  brick  building  was 
the  store  of  Rol)bins  &  (iott,  at  the  center,  biiill,  in 
1805. 

Curtiss  Hastings  drove  the  first  horse  team  owned 
in  the  townshiji.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  he 
was  three  days  in  making  a  journey  to  pjlyria  and 
back,  such  was  the  state  of  the  road. 

ou(;anization  of  the  tovvmshit. 

The  commissioners  of  L(U-ain  county,  at  the  .June 
session,  in  1824,  attached  La  Grange  townshij)  to 
Carlisle,  for  civil  and  judicial  purposes,  and  it  was 
not  until  1837  that  it  was  separately  organized.  It 
was  detached  in  January,  of  the  year  mentioned,  and 
the  first  election,  at  which  twenty-nine  ballots  were 
cast,  was  held  at  the  house  of  Fairchild  Hubbard,  in 
April  following.  These  are  the  otficers  elected: 
Eber  W.  Hubbard,  township  clerk;  Noah  Holcomb, 


'% 


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tf^'iWT    ^p  •>&  i 


//RS. ALLEN    SANDERS 


fHoros.Sr  Lee,  Zuf(\*-  o. 


Allen  Sanders 


1 


^y&:  #;#*'  M: 


nL-MDtLNI.I^    U^      <^LUEN     JirtnuC-RS   ,    LMU-RanGl  ,   LUPJAI  n     L.Oui'J  I   I  ,  OrMU 


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DELOS   /Vl.SANDEf^S 


jVlRS.DELOS  fJl.  SANDERS 


PHOrOS  ST  J  C  POITER.ELTffU.OHIO 


FtTSIdenGe-.    or     DELOS    jV[,  SANDERS  ,  Pittsfield  Tf,  LOf^AiN  Co  ,  0, 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


313 


Noah  Kellogg,  and  Paircliild  Hubbard,  trustees; 
James  Disbrow,  treasurer;  Joseph  A.  Graves  and 
Natlian  Clark,  overseers  of  the  poor;  James  Disbrow 
and  Henry  Townsend,  fence  viewers;  Henry  Hubbard, 
constable;  Henry  'J'ownsend  and  Nathan  Clark,  super- 
visoi's;  El)er  W.  Hubbard,  justice  of  the  ])cace. 
Faircliild  Hubbard,  Joseph  A.  Graves,  and  Noah 
Holconil)  acted  as  judges  of  election,  and  Eber  W. 
and  Henry  Hulibard  as  clerks. 

Following  are  the  officers  of  1878:  M.  W.  Ingalls, 
clerk;  J.  B.  Gott,  treasurer;  A.  Ryan,  Darius  Nich- 
ols, and  N.  T.  Wilniot,  trustees;  L.  L.  Crane  and  J. 
H.  Brown,  justices  of  the  peace;  P.  Holcomb  and 
Wm.  P.  Woolcott,  constables. 

The  townshij:)  was  given  its  name  by  Dr.  Eljer  W. 
Hubbard,  a  great  admirer  of  General  La  Payette, 
whose  country  home  in  Prance  was  called  La  Grange. 

CHEESE  FACTORIES,  SAW  MILES,  ETC. 

The  first  saw  mill  in  the  township  was  built  on  the 
farm  of  Noah  Holcomb,  by  Andrew  Holcomb,  aiid 
tjie  lirst  grist  mill  was  a  very  weak  one-horse  power 
affair,  in  tlie  north  part  of  the  town,  of  which  one 
Cross  was  the  proud  proprietor.  La  Grange  has  now 
its  full  share  of  manufactories,  of  various  kinds. — 
most  of  tliem  are  in  the  village.  There  is  an  old 
llouring  and  saw  mill  on  the  east  brancli  of  Black 
river,  two  miles  east  of  the  center,  the  property  of 
Bradley  Woodmansee,  and  there  are  three  in  the 
village. 

Of  cheese  factories,  there  are  three  outside  of  the 
.  village,  one  owned  by  L.  G.  Parsons,  half  a  mile  east 
:  of  tlie  old  plank  road,  and  two  miles  and  a  half  north 
from  the  center;  one  owned  by  George  Kelner,  two 
miles  northwest  from  the  center;  and  Crozier  &  Shel- 
don's factory,  two  miles  east,  and  a  mile  and  a  half 
^Duth  of  the  center. 

.Toel  Curtiss  has  a  cliecsebox  factory  a  mile  west  of 
flie  center,  and  two  miles  south,  whicli  su])plies  many 
clieese  factories  in  the  vicinity,  and  some  .at  a  consid- 
erable distance. 

A  small  sfiHie  (|uarry,  in  tbe  northwest  corner  of 
tlir  tiiwnshii),  is  operated  l)y  Charles  Kelner. 


I 


BURIAL    PLACES. 

The  remains  of  Mrs.  David  Rockwood,  the  first  per- 
son who  died  in  La  Grange,  were  interred  in  a  small 
"chopi)ing,"  or  clearing,  upon  the  farm  of  Deacon 
Robbins,  in  the  western  portion  of  the  township,  and 
rested  there  for  seventeen  years,  when  they  were 
removed  and  re-interred  upon  Mr.  Rockwood's  farm. 

Tlie  first  cemetery  laid  out  was  the  one  on  the  north 
side  of  the  road,  just  west  of  the  center.  Here  repose, 
after  toilsome  and  noble  lives,  many  of  the  brave 
pioneers  of  La  Grange.  There  are  two  other  ceme- 
teries, one  upon  the  River  road,  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  township,  and  one  in  the  northwest  corner. 
The  first  burial  in  the  cemetery  at  the  center  was  a 
child  of  Lewis  Rounds,  aged  two  j'ears. 

40 


LA  GRANGE  VILLAGE. 

Lying  exactly  in  the  center  of  tlie  townshij),  ipuir- 
tered  by  the  nortli  and  south  and  the  east  and  west 
roads,  built  up  about  an  open  square,  is  the  well-to-do, 
progressive  little  village  of  La  Grange.  It  has  a  hand- 
some brick  town  hall,  seventy-eight  \>y  thirt^'-eight 
feet,  built  in  1875,  three  churches,  a  hotel,  nearly  a 
dozen  stores,  several  quite  extensive  manufactories, 
and  as  well  educated,  well  behaved  class  of  citizens  as 
any  community  in  the  county. 

INCORPOEATION. 

The  growth  of  "the  corners,"  or  the  center,  had 
liecn  a  slow  and  steady  one  through  many  years,  but 
the  size  of  the  little  village  increased  so  fast  during 
a  few  years  prior  to  1875,  that  the  people  began  to 
think  of  having  a  corporation  government,  and  ac- 
cordingly petitioned  for  a  charter  in  the  year  men- 
tioned. The  first  election  was  held  April  8,  1875,  and 
the  choice  of  officers  resulted  as  follows:  Mayor,  J. 
E.  Willard;  clerk,  D.  D.  Gott;  marshal,  P.  Holcomb; 
councilmen  for  one  year,  A.  Ryan,  G.  H.  Robbins 
and  Wm.  Hopkins;  for  two  years,  D.  Holcomb,  E.  L. 
Gott  and  0.  Dale;  and  treasurer,  D.  L.  Gott.  In 
1870,  the  councilmen  elected  were:  A.  Ryan,  Wm. 
Hopkins  aiul  Chas.  Kelner.  The  officers  elected  in 
1877  were;  Mayor,  E.  W.  Clark;  clerk,  A.  A.  Cragin; 
marshal,  Horace  Knowles,  Jr. ;  councilmen,  0.  Dale, 
.1.  C.  Willard  and  George  Wliitney;  treasurer,  C.  C. 
Manville;  and  street  commissioner  (appointed),  Rufus 
Knowles.  The  office  of  mayor  was  made  vacant  by 
Clarke's  departure  from  town,  and  at  a  special  elec- 
tion, L.  L.  Crane  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacanc}^  In 
1878,  three  councilmen  were  elected;  Chas.  Kelner, 
N.  Marcey  and  J.  B.  Hastings. 

THE    RELIGIOUS    HISTORY 

of  La  Grange  shows  a  stalwart  growth  from  a  small 
beginning.  The  people  of  this  township,  however, 
were  of  good  material  for  the  leaven  of  religious  feel- 
ing to  work  in.  Tlie  efforts  of  the  early  preachers 
were  warmly  seconded  by  the  early  settlers,  who  had 
come  from  a  part  of  the  country  in  which  churches 
had  long  been  estaljlished.  There  was  from  the  first 
a  feeling  favorable  to  the  organization  of  the  institu- 
tions of  I'eligion.  Something  has  already  been  said 
of  the  labors  of  the  first  preachei'.  Rev.  Julius  Beemau, 
and  a  few  facts  in  regai'd  to  his  son-in-law.  Rev.  P.  R. 
Preeman,  who  was  a  strong  and  influential  minister, 
will  not  be  inappropriate  in  this  connection.  He  was 
born  October  ti,  1805,  in  Worcester,  Otsego  county. 
New  York,  and  was  married,  by  her  father,  to  Lucy 
Beeman,  in  October  of  1826.  In  1838,  he  came  to 
La  Grange,  where  he  remained  until  1850.  He  cleared 
two  farms,  set  out  two  orchards,  and  shared  nearly 
all  of  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life.  It  was  while  in 
the  midst  of  these  labors  and  trials  that  he  entered  the 
ministry.  Up  to  the  time  of  his  departure,  Mr.  Pree- 
man ])reached  almost  uninterruptedly  in   La  Grange, 


314 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Pittsficld  anil  iici,i;hVi(iring  t.owiisliii)S.  He  was  ono  of 
tlio  soviMi  men  in  fiii  (Grange  wlio  voted  for  Hirney, 
abolition  caiulidato  for  the  Presidency,  :ind  was  a 
member  of  tlie  Buffalo  Convention  of  1848,  wlicrcat 
was  formed  the  free  soil  party.  Mr.  Freeman  is  the 
only  jierson  living,  of  all  the  iiunibcr  who  were  iqion 
the  deck  of  the  first  steam  packt^t  in  the  world — the 
Clcremont — before,  during,  or  just  after  the  great  (rial 
from  New  York  to  Albany,  lie  was  a  child  two  years 
of  a.ge  at  the  time,  and  was  carried  on  board  of  Kul- 
ton's  famous  steamboat,  upon  her  arrival  at  Albany, 
by  his  father.  Mr.  Truman's  age  is  now  seventy-tour 
years,  and  that  of  liis  wife  seventy.  His  home,  at 
the  present  writing,  is  and  has  been,  since  \s:>i),  in 
Jjlinois. 

TIFE    ]!AI'TIST   CIirr.CH 

was  organized  as  early  as  18'iS,  only  three  years  after 
the  first  settler  came  to  the  township.  It  might, 
l)erhaps,  l)e  called  the  first  fruit  of  Rev.  .Julius  ]5ee- 
man's  labors.  May  13th  there  assembled  eighteen 
persons  who  wei-e  the  constituent  meml)ers  of  the 
church, — Julius  and  Charlotte  Heeinau,  (Miarles  and 
Lydia  Rimnds,  Hannah  Pearce,  Noah  Jlolcomb,  Sr., 
Eunice  Ilolcomb,  Polly  Hastings,  Noah  Holcomb, 
Jr.,  Alice  Holcomb,  \Vm.  Case,  Alfred  Stilwall, 
I'hobe  Stilwall,  Laura  Ilerrick,  Joseph  Itobl)ins, 
Joseph  A.  Graves,  Jerusha  Graves  and  Asenath  Mor- 
gan. Deacon  lloljbias  is  the  only  one  of  the  original 
uuaiibers  now  alive.  The  places  of  worship  were  two 
log  school  hou.ses,  one  in  the  eastern  and  one  in  the 
western  portion  of  the  township.  Services  wei-c  held 
in  them  alternately  for  the  accommodation  of  mem- 
bers living  in  their  neighborhood.  The  present  pastor 
of  the  church  is  the  Hev.  8.  Jones,  and  the  deacons 
are  Thomas  Perkins,  Jose[ih  Itoi)bin  sand  D.  L. 
Gott.  Mrs.  L.  M.  Noble  is  clerk  and  Mrs.  Helen 
Gott,  treasurer.  Tiie  church  huilding  now  m  use  is 
at  the  center;  it  was  built  in  18.j0.  David  L.  Gott, 
W.  W.  Noble  and  Wells  Chamberlain  are  tiie  trustees. 

METHODISM. 

A  Methodist  class  was  organized  in  the  east  part 
of  town  in  18;);5,  the  members  being  Stephen  Cottrell 
and  wife,  Mrs.  Hunt,  her  son  and  his  wife,  Peter 
Gott  and  wife,  and  Mrs.  James  Peltoii.  Peter  Gott 
was  class  leader  from  the  first  and  foi-  many  3-ears. 
After  a  time,  as  the  i)opnlation  in  the  settlement 
increased,  it  was  thought  advisal)le  to  hold  meetings 
at  the  center.  Mr.  Munger's  house  was  most  com- 
monly used,  but  a  log  school  house  across  the  street 
near  wluu'e  the  Woolcott  house  now  stands,  was  some- 
times  the  place  of  meeting.  Uev.  Mr.  Morey,  a  cii-cuit 
jireacher,  occasionally  was  present  and  gave  the  little 
class  encouragement.  The  first  rpiarterly  meeting 
was  held  in  Munger's  barn,  there  being  no  church 
edifice  at  the  time  and  that  being  the  largest  building 
available.  This  meeting,  we  are  told,  was  largely 
attcndeil  and  very  satisfactory.  It  was  conducted  by 
a  Rev.  Mr.  Petty.  The  Methodists  began  building 
iu  1839,  upon  a  lot  donated  by  Mr.  Munger,  a  church, 


which  was  completed  the  following  year.  C.  Noble 
made  and  presented  the  sash.  Peter  Gott,  Carey 
Hastings,  Otis  Hastings  and  Nathaniel  Smith  were  the 
])rincipal  financial  pillars  of  the  church  at  this  time 
and  contributed  most  of  the  means  used  in  the  erec- 
tion of  the  small  building.  The  old  church  is  now 
in  the  rear  of  Robbins  &  Gott's  store,  and  is  used  as 
a  warehouse.  It  gave  place  in  1875  to  a  handsome 
wooden  structure  of  Gothic  architecture,  thirty-eight 
by  seventy-five  feet  in  dimension,  which  cost  about 
seven  thousand  dollars.  The  pastor  in  1878  was  the 
Rev.  G.  L.  Hannawalfc;  stewards,  F.  V.  Sheldon,  (ieo. 

A.  Whitney,  Walter  Dale,  H.  A.  Wilcox;  recording 
steward,  Henry  Wilkins;  trustees,  R.  Knowles,  W.  C. 
P.utler,  E.  R.  Hulburt,  S.  G.  Humphrey,  R.  C.  Hast- 
ings, E.  Blackwell,  H.  A.  Wilcox,  F.  V.  Sheldon, 
George  Smith. 

The  first  protracted  meeting  was  held  at  Elder 
Beenuxn's,  and  continued  two  or  three  weeks.  Services 
were  held  every  morning,  afternoon  and  evening,  and 
a  great  many  conversions  were  made.  Of  the  founders 
of  Methodism  in  La  Grange,  two  only  still  remain  at 
that  place.  Peter  Gott  and  Polly,  his  wife,  live  in  the 
village,  full  of  years,  and  beloved  and  esteemed  by  all. 

THE   CONG  RELATION  A  T.rSTS, 

though  they  were  third  in  tlie  order  of  organizing  a 
(diurch,  built  the  first  church  edifice  in  the  township. 
There  is  now  no  church  of  this  denomination  in  the 
tdwn.  The  constituent  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional ehurch  organized  in  1834,  were  Nathan  P. 
Johnson  and  wife,  Calvin  Wilcox  and  wife,  William 
Dixon  and  wife,  Sylvester  Merriam  and  wife,  William 

B.  Dixon  and  Mehitable  Robbins.  Services  were  held 
at  the  house  of  Calvin  Wilcox,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Talcott, 
of  Wellington,  for  a  time,  supplied  the  pulpit.  Rev. 
Mr.  Eells,  of  Oberlin,  was  the  first  j)astor.  The 
society  Iniilt,  in  183."),  a  house  which  they  used  alter- 
nately with  the  Baptists  until  the  latter  denomination 
erected  a  church  of  their  own  which  they  invited  the 
Congregationalists  to  share  with  them,  neither  church 
being  strong  enough  to  support  weekly  i)reaching. 
This  relation  continued  until  the  Disciples  liuilt,  when 
the  Congregationalists  j>urchased  a  half  interest  in 
their  meeting  house.  The  old  (!ongregational  church 
was  bought  by  the  town  in  18.53,  and  made  into  a 
school  house,  after  which  it  became  a  feed  store,  and 
then  a  hardware  store,  finally  disappearing  in  a  neat 
building  erected  by  Dr.  Merriam.  The  Congrega- 
tional society  lost  some  of  its  niendjers  who  were  best 
able  to  sustain  the  church,  through  their  removal 
from  town,  and  those  remaining  being  unable  to  keep 
up  the  church  oi-ganization  and  work,  it  became  ex- 
tinct. 

TTIE  FIlRE-WrLI,  1!  A  I'TFSTS  ANTI)  THE  UrSCI  IM.ES. 

The  Free-Will  B  iptists  and  the  Disciples  have  had 
churches  in  La  Grange,  but  neither  denomination  is 
now  alive.  The  Disciple  Church  was  organized  by 
Calvin  Smith   in   October,  18.53,  and   the  first  pastor 


1^.  B.fVluNF^O 


Photos  By  Lee.  Elybia  0. 


)V(RS.  R.BJVlUNRO- 


FfEsiDENCE  OF    R.B.MUNRO,  Lagrange;,  Lorain  Co.Ohio. 


I 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


315 


was  Rev.  S.  R.  Willard.  The  society  built,  iu  1854, 
a  house  in  wliicli  the  Uuiversalists  now  worship,  and 
in  wliicli  the  Cougrogatiotialists  still  have  an  interest. 
The  trustees  were  D.  M.  Adams,  O.  Billings,  L). 
(tott,  Jr.,  If.  FuUon  and  11.  Freeman. 

■run    UNIVEIISALIST    CHURCH 

was  organized  May  19, 18G1,  its  first  officers  being  tiie 
following:  Deacons,  Elisha  Saxton,  David  Cott; 
clerk,  .1.  II.  Brown;  trustees,  D.  T.  Parsons,  Horace 
Sanders,  J.  II.  ]?rown.  The  first  pastor  was  the  Rev. 
II.  R.  Nye.  Tlic  officers  for  1878  are:  Trustees, 
Allen  Sanders,  D.  II.  Gott,  J.  L.  Rowell;  clerk,  J. 
II.  Brown;  treasurer,  Maria  Hastings.  The  church 
has,  at  tliis  writing,  no  pastor. 

.SCUOOLS. 

Throughoiil:  the  Western  Reserve  tlic  cluirch  and 
the  schdiil  Jiave  been,  from  the  days  of  the  first  settle- 
ment, almost  inse|iarable,  yet  distinct  in  titutions. 
Thev  iiave  sprung  ii:to  Ijeing  from  one  motlier  and 
one  motive — the  desire  to  perpetuate  in  the  west  the 
good  intluences  of  the  older  eastern  States.  Almost 
invariably  the  j)ioneers  Jiave  taken  measures  for  the 
mental  advancement  of  their  children  at  the  same 
time  they  have  established  the  church  iu  which  tiiey 
siudl  receive  their  moral  education.  It  was  so  in 
La  Grange:  the  same  year  that  witnessed  the  building 
of  the  first  church,  logs  were  hewn  for  two  school 
houses,  one  in  the  eastern  and  one  in  the  western  jiart 
of  the  township.  This  was  in  1828,  only  three  years 
afrer  the  first  settler  came  into  the  county.     The  first 

I  teachers  were  Henry  Hubbard  and  Polly  Greeves. 
After  them  came  numerous  others  of  all  degrees  of 
ability;  most  of  them,  however,  but  jioorly  qualified 
to  teach. 

A  farmer  from  an  adjoining  township,  anxious  to 
get  a  school  for  liis  daughter,  mentioned,  as  a  strong 
iceommendation,  the  fact  that  she  had  been  part  of  a 
term  to  a  high  school.     But,  iu  those  days,  there  was 

'  not  as  much  required  of  a  teacher  as  now,  and  the 
pay  was  considerably  less  than  the  young  men  and 
women  of  to-day  receive  for  "teaching  the  young  idea 
111  shoot."  Male  teachers  received  from  twelve  to  six- 
teen dollars  jier  mouth,  and  young  women  three 
diiUars  per  month. 

There  was  a  steady  advancement  in  the  quality  of 
the  district  schools,  and  it  culminated  at  the  center 
aliout  1808,  in  the  establishment  of  the  union  school 
system,  which  has  since  been  in  vogue.  A  two- 
story  brick  l)uilding  was  erected  in  tliat  year  at  a  cost 
i)f  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  and  a 
small  frame  building  ))ut  up  in  1877.  P.  V.  Sheldon, 
Dr.  (reo.  C.  Underbill  and  Geo.  E.  Freeman  were  the 
members  of  the  school  board  at  that  time,  and  Dr. 
Geo.  N.  Snyder  was  the  first  sujjerintendent.  At 
jiresent  E.  D.  Merriam,  D.  L.  Gott  and  H.  C.  Wilcox, 
constitute  the  board,  and  Dr.  Snyder  is  again  super- 
intendent. His  assistants  are  John  Handyside  and 
Emma  Rawson.     The  school  has  three  de])artments: 


the  i)rimary  with  fifty-five  ))upils,  the  intermediate 
with  twenty-four,  and  the  high  scho(d  with  forty-fonr, 
making  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-three. 

¥.    AND    A.    MASONS. 

La  Gt;ANiii5  Lodge,  No.  3!)!),  was  organized  on 
the  i;3th,  of  November  18(;7,with  the  followiTig  charter 
niendjers:  Harlow  P.  Sage,  ElizurG.  Johnson,  Martin 
Stroup,  Orrin  P.  Rol)berts,  Edson  Hastings,  Elijah 
Hastings  Joseph  E.  Hastings,  Reuben  Curtice,  Har- 
vey Bartholomew,  Silas  Stroup,  David  L.  Gott, 
Louis  L.  Crane,  (Jeorge  0.  Underbill,  Albert  Foster, 
(Jeorgc  Foster,  John  B.  Hastings  and  Edward  L. 
Gott.  The  first  officers  were  :  Elizur  G.  Johnson, 
W.  M  ;  John  B.  Hastings,  S.  W  ;  Martin  Stroup,  J. 
W  ;  Albert  Foster,  Treasurer;  Harvey  Bartholomew, 
secretary  ;  Orrin  P.  Robberts,  S.  D  ;  Elijah  H.  Hast- 
ings, J.  D  ;  (ieorgo  Foster,  steward  ;  Louis  L.  Crane, 
tyler.  In  1878  the  following  were  the  officers:  G.  B. 
Chamberlain,  W.  M  ;  Edson  Hastings,  S.  W  ;  George 
Foster,  J.  W  ;  II.  B.  Crozin,  treasurer  ;  D.  P.  Crow- 
ner,  secretary  ;  II.  J.  Wilkins,  S.  D  ;  J.  E.  Hast- 
ings, J.  D  ;  A.  Foster,  A.  W.  Nichols,  stewards  ;  S. 
Stroup,  tyler;  I).  L.  Gott,  George  C.  Underbill,  F. 
V.  Sheldon,  finance  committee.  The  Lodge  has  a 
handsome  room,  thirty  by  sixty  feet,  in  the  third  story 
of  the  brick  building  erected  in  1805.  Robbins 
&  Gott  occui»y  the  lower  j)ortion  for  a  store. 

I'UYSIOIANS. 

The  pioneer  |iractitioner  of  medicine  was  Dr.  Ebes 
W.  Hubbard,  oldest  son  of  Fairchild  Hubbard.  He 
was  born  in  Steuben,  Oneida  county.  New  York,  in 
the  year  1800,  and  graduated  at  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  at  Fairfield,  Herkimer  county, 
the  same  State.  He  came  to  La  Grange  in  1836.  Dr. 
Hubbard  had  quite  an  extensive  practice  and  enjoyed 
the  thorough  confidence  of  the  people  among  whom 
he  lived,  as  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  was  many 
times  elected  to  impcu'tant  offices.  He  was  the  first 
clerk  of  the  township  ;  was  three  times  elected  justice 
of  the  peace;  became  associate  judge  in  1831  ;  was 
elected  as  representative  three  terms — 1835,  1830  and 
is;)7.  In  the  last  mentioned  year  he  was  appouited 
bank  commissioner  of  the  State,  and  in  1813  was  made 
commissioner  of  the  Ohio  Canal  fund.  Dr.  Hubbard 
married  Honor  Kingsbury  of  Brighton,  and  was  the 
father  of  six  children.  He  resided  for  many  years  in 
Elyria,  and  in  1853  removed  to  Stateii  Island,  where 
be  died  in  1873. 

Dr.  Spencer  was  the  next  ]iliysieian  in  town.  He 
was  followed  by  Dr.  Julins  Beeman,  and  tlien  came 
Dr.  Jonathan  Gibbs.  Other  jjhysicians  who  came  at 
an  early  day,  were  Doctors  George  C.  Underbill,  James 
R.  Pelton  and  E.  D.  Merriam.  Pelton  remained 
until  about  1870.  Doctors  Underbill  and  Merriam 
are  still  in  practice,  as  are  also  Doctors  George  N. 
Snyder,  —  Park,  M.  W.  Ingalls.  Charles  W.  Higgins 
and  —  Green,  each  remained  but  a  shm't  time. 


316 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Dr.  Underliill  is  the  senior  physician  of  the  town. 
He  came  in  1842,  and  has  been  in  constant  practice  in 
the  vilhige  ever  since,  with  theexce])tion  of  two  years, 
wiien  he  was  in  the  army  as  surgeon  of  the  Eleventh 
Cavalry.  He  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a  graduate 
of  Willoughby  (Lake  county)  medical  college.  His 
age  in  1878  was  fifty-eiglit  years.  Dr.  Undcrhill,  it  is 
s:iid,  was  the  tirst  physician  in  this  part  of  the  county 
will)  used  ([uinine  in  cases  of  typhoid  fever  and  in- 
Ibimniation  of  the  lungs.  He  began  to  use  this 
medicine  in  the  first  mentioned  disease  about  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  and  in  the  latter  as  many  as  thirty 
years  ago. 

POST   OFFICE. 

(!alvin  Wilcox  was  the  first  postmaster.  lie;  hud 
the  office  for  about  twenty  years,  and  kt'pt  the  few 
letters  he  received  at  his  house  where  they  were  called 
for  not,  daily,  as  at  present,  but  once  a  week  or  fort- 
night. George  Wilcox  succeeded  his  father.  David 
Gott  was  postmaster  for  a  number  of  years.  Hon. 
Nathan  P.  Johnson  was  postmaster  for  fourteen 
years.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  E.  M.  .J.  Nolile,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  office  when  he  died,  in  1873,  and  is  the 
present  postmistress. 

MANUFACTORIES,    I'.USINESS    HOUSES,    ETC. 

The  first  tavern  was  built  and  kept  by  J.  K.  Pel- 
ton.  It  was  situated  a  few  rods  west  of  the  center, 
upon  the  north  side  of  the  road.  Pelton  also  built  the 
Woolcott  House  in  18-t(i,  and  Daniel  Pelton  built  an- 
other hotel  on  the  north  side  of  the  s(|uare,  still  stand- 
ing but  unoccupied.  The  jn-eseut  ])roprietor  of  the 
Woolcott  House  is  William  F.  Woolcott. 

Among  the  most  important  of  the  industrial  pur- 
suits in  the  village  is  the  cheese  factory  and  creamery 
of  Butler,  Crozier  &  Sheldon,  which  daily  manu- 
factures into  cheese  or  butter,  the  milk  of  about  five 
hundred  cows. 

The  wood  bending  and  grindstone  turning  estab- 
lishment of  Whitney  Bros.,  James  and  George,  is  a 
manufactory  of  considerable  extent. 

A.  Odellhas  a  manufactory  from  which  are  turned 
nut  wasliing  machines  and  clothes  wringers. 

There  are  three  saw-mills,  Sheldon  &  Coleman's,  W. 
C.  Butler's,  and  Behuer  &  Butler's,  the  latter  also  a 
cheese  box  factory.  Ewiug  &  Benschoter  have  a 
planing  mill.  Carriage  making  is  carried  on  by  Beh- 
uer Bros.,  and  by  A.  Ryan;  the  first  named  firm  also 
has  a  foundry'. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  business  houses,  etc: 

Rohbins  &  Gott,  seneral  dealers;  F.  V.  Sheldon,  and  D.  P.  Crowner, 
groceries;  M.  W.  Ingalls.  and  (ieorge  N.  Snyder,  drugs;  Cragin  & 
Knowles,  hardware;:  C.  C.  Manville,  clothing,  boots,  shoes,  and  men's 
furnishing  goods,  etc.;  L.  L.  Crane,  harness;  F.Sweeney,  meat  mar- 
ket; Mrs.  A.  E.  Stewart,  and  Mrs.  Grace  Bartholomew,  millinery; 
Smith  &  Sheldon,  and  A.  Ryan,  blacksmithing. 

STATISTICS. 

The  following  are  the  statistics  for  1877,  showing 
the  amount  of  the  most  important  productions  of  the 


township,  also  the  population  for  1870,  and  the  vote 
for  president  in  1870: 


Wheat,  560  acres. 
Potatoes,  96  "  . 
Oats,  .WI     "      . 

Orchards,  213     " 
Corn,  793     "      .. 

Meadow,  2,:iB     "      . 


111,11")  bushels. 

7,4U8 
23,143        " 

1,1S6 
29,809 

2,611  I 


,  tons. 

Butter 88,130pouuds. 

Cheese 466.065       " 

Mai>le  Sugar 310 

Population  in  isru 13li;i 


Hayes. 


Vote  for  President  in  1876. 
91)1  Tilden 


Biographical  Sketches. 


E.  D.  MERRIAM,  M.D. 

The  pioneer  iiractitioner  of  medicine  had  many 
obstacles  to  surmount  and  diificulties  to  overcome. 
In  the  early  days  of  a  new  settlement  much  sickness, 
particularly  of  a  malarial  form,  was  prevalent;  and 
such  also  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  case  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  years  ago.  Among  those  who  liavebeen 
prominent  in  battling  with  disease  and  in  the  pro- 
fessional care  of  the  sick,  none  enjoy  a  better  rejiuta- 
tiou  than  Dr.  Merriam.  For  nearly  thirty  years  he 
has  stetidily  practiced  the  healing  art,  and  during 
tliat  protracted  period  has  met  with  good  general 
success. 

E.  1).  Alerriam  was  born  in  the  town  of  Champion, 
Jefferson  county.  Now  York,  July  18,  1824.  He  is 
the  son  of  Sylvester  iferriani,  who  moved  to  Ohio, 
accompanied  by  his  family,  including  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  in  the  year  1836.  He  settled  in  the 
eastern  part  of  LaC  range  townslii]i,  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Dean  farm.  There  were  then  but  five 
families  residing  within  the  present  limits  of  tlie 
townshiji.  The  first  few  years  of  Dr.  Merriam's  life 
was  spent  in  agricultural  prusuits,  and  the  accpiisi- 
tiou  of  an  elementary  education  at  the  common 
schools  of  La  (Jrange.  In  1842,  he  entered  the  Ober- 
lin  collegiate  institute,  where  he  received  a  liberal 
literary  education,  completing  whicli,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  medicine  under  Professor  Dascomb,  M.D. 
The  next  few  years  were  spent  in  alternate  teach- 
ing and  professional  study,  and  in  1849  and  '50  he 
finished  his  medical  education  with  Professor  H.  A. 
Ackley,  M.D.,  at  the  old  medical  school  of  Cleve- 
land. Keturning  to  La  Grange,  in  the  spring  of  1851, 
he  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  under  very 
favorable  auspices,  receiving  from  the  first  a  liberal 
share  of  patronage.  At  the  age  of  fifty-four  years, 
we  still  find  Dr.  Merriam  in  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession. 

In  June,  1802,  Dr.  Merriam  was  married  to  Laura 
A.,  daughter  of  Daniel  Bartholomew,  of  Watertown, 


A  man  actuated  in  private  and  public  life  by  motives 
founded  on  the  right  and  good  never  fails  to  leave  his  impress 
on  the  community  in  which  lie  resides.  Few  men  had  more 
to  do  in  the  healthy  moulding  of  Lorain  County  than  the 
Hon.  N.  P.  Johnson,  of  Lagrange.  He  was  of  New  England 
stock,  his  parents  having  been  born  at  Old  Haddam,  Conn. 
The\'  removed  to  Hartford,  Washington  Co,,  N.  Y.,  in  1785. 
April,  1801,  gave  them  a  new  home  at  Champion,  Jefl'erson 
Co.,  N.  Y.     Of  their  early  history  the  writer  knows  little. 

At  Hartford,  as  above,  their  son,  Nathan  P.  Johnson,  was 
born  Jan.  30,  1801 ;  in  Champion  his  early  years  were  spent. 
Of  this  earl}'  life  meagre  are  the  details.  However,  such  op- 
portunities as  he  had  for  education  and  for  self-improvement 
must  have  been  eagerly  embraced  and  worthily  used.  Ere  he 
had  reached  the  age  of  thirty  he  served  his  fellow-citizens  at 
Champion  for  three  years  as  trustee,  and  for  five  years  was 
elected  as  justice  of  the  peace;  commissioned  a  lieutenant 
in  the  TGth  Regiment  of  the  New  York  Militia  in  1823,  1824 
gave  him  commission  as  captain. 

In  the  year  1833,  exchanging  real  estate,  he  moved  into  La- 
grange, Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  where  his  remaining  days  were 
spent;  days  full  of  work, — work  for  self  and  family  ;  work  for 
his  town,  his  county  ;  work  for  the  good  and  the  true  every- 
where. 

On  the  20th  (jf  October,  1822,  Mr.  Johnson  married  Miss 
Laura  Waite,  daughter  of  Dorastus  Waite,  Esq.,  of  Cham- 
pi<in,  N.  Y.,  who  was  to  her  husband  a  companion  in  his  every 
endeavor  in  the  early  Lagrange  life.  She  died  verj'  suddenly, 
on  the  19th  of  January,  1846,  while  her  husband  was  at  Colum- 
bus, Ohio. 

Mrs.  Laura  .lohnson  was  a  woman  of  singular  merit.  With 
gratefulness  do  her  children — now  men  and  women  grown — 
look  back  to  hor  kindly  care,  self-denial,  and  example  that  had 
so  much  to  do  in  forming  the  characters  that  have  made  them 
valuable  citizens. 

On  the  13th  day  of  August,  1846,  Mr.  Johnson  was  again 
a  husband.  May  R.  Hart,  daughter  of  J.  Hart,  formerly  of 
Norwich,  Conn.,  becoming  the  wife.  She  is  yet  living  at  the 
old  home,  hallowed  by  the  memories  of  the  past,  and  mourns 
the  loss  of  the  fond  husband  who  has  gone  before  her. 

N.  P.  Johnson  was  father  of  the  following  children  :  Sarah 
L.,  born  Sept.  14,  1823;  living.  William  H,  born  Sept. 
19,  1825;  died  Oct.  11,  1829.  Cynthia,  born  Sept.  25,  1827; 
living.  Mary  L.,  born  June  29,  1830;  living.  Phoebe  M., 
born' April  24,  1832  ;  died  April  4,  1806.      William   H.,  born 


May  30,  18.34  ;  living.  Elizur  G.,  born  Nov.  24, 1836  ;  living. 
Ellen  M.,  born  Jan.  25,  1840;  living.  Ann  Eliza,  born 
Feb.  11,  1842;  died  Dec.  4,  1869. 

Mr.  Johnson's  early  life  in  Lagrange  was  that  of  all  pio- 
neers— daily  toil.  His  occupation,  farmer.  His  integrity 
and  large  common  sense  .soon  attracted  attention.  Township 
offices  were  showered  upon  him  ;  fidelity  in  the  duties  of  such 
offices  drew  attention  to  his  merits,  local  respect  soon  became 
general,  and  in  the  fall  of  1844  he  was  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
Une  of  Ohio  from  Lorain  County,  and  re-elected  in  184.5. 
So  well  were  the  duties  of  this  position  performed  that  the 
years  1847  and  1848  saw  him  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Senate, 
from  the  district  composed  of  Lorain  and  Medina  Counties. 
Returning  to  Lagrange,  there  the  remainder  of  his  days 
were  passed,  each  and  every  da}'  made  joyous  to  him  by  the 
numerous  trusts  confided  to  him  by  his  fellow-citizens. 

N.  P.  Johnson  was  noted  for  deep  religious  convictions 
and  for  true  manhood.  Strong  and  earnest  in  his  feelings, 
prejudice  was  but  a  flitting  cloud  over  his  grand,  kind  heart. 
An  ardent  Whig  of  the  old  school,  he  was  never  the  mere 
partisan,  looking  ever  for  the  good.  Party  was  no  factor  in 
any  moral  or  political  problem  to  him  presented  for  solution. 
In  1846,  while  running  for  the  State  Senate,  many  prominent 
politicians  took  open  and  decided  grounds  for  the  repudiation 
of  the  State  debt.  Mr.  Johnson  took  just  as  decided  ground 
in  favor  of  sustaining  the  faith  and  credit  of  the  State.  On 
this  issue  the  people  heartilj'  sustained  him. 

Duty  and  right  being  to  him  the  uU,  he  found  no  difficulty 
in  laboring  with  voice  or  pen,  as  a  man  and  a  legislator,  for  the 
repeal  of  the  infamous  Black  Laws  of  Ohio,  although  temporary 
odium  followed  his  eBbrts.  Retiring  from  public  life,  so  far  as 
office  was  concerned,  bis  voice  and  trenchant  pen  were  ever 
found  ready  to  defend  and  aid  that  which  he  considered  the 
right.  This  was  wonderfully  true  during  the  dark  years  of  the 
Rebellion. 

Quick  in  his  decisions,  of  remarkable  mental  equipoise,  Mr. 
Johnson  was  noted  as  a  presiding  officer.  No  one  during  his 
life  was  more  frequently  called  upon  in  Lorain  County  to 
preside  over  conventions,  whether  religious,  moral,  or  political. 

Honored  by  all,  giving  always  with  no  grudging  hand  of 
his  means,  and  of  the  rich  experiences  of  a  well-spent  life,  he 
died  Dec.  29,  1874      True  of  him  is  that  said  of  another  : 

"  This  man,  that  thought  himself  nobody,  is  dead,  is  buried  ; 
his  life  has  been  searched;  and  his  memory  is  hallowed  for- 
ever." 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


317 


New  York.  8ho  was  born  in  that  city  August  23, 
183,5,  and  witli  her  parents  moved  to  Oliio  in  Jlay, 
18,iG. 

It  is  not  only  as  a  professional  man  thai  Dr.  Mer- 
riatn  enjoys  tlie  respect  and  esteem  of  the  eomniunity, 
in  wliieli  lie  has  i)assed  nearly  all  his  life,  hut  also  in 
the  many  other  walks  of  life  in  which  his  general 
intelligence  and  rectitude  carry  him.  As  a  man  and 
citizen,  the  doctor  is  hold  in  high  regard,  and  de- 
servedly occupies  an  exalted  social  position. 


R.  B.  MONRO 


was  born  in  Herkimer  county,  New  York,  January 
31,  1817.  When  he  was  three  years  of  age  bis  father 
removed  with  his  family  to  Jefferson  county,  New 
York,  where   they  remained   until   1833,   when  they 


eniicrated  to  Canada,  residing  there  until  about  1838, 
when  they  returned  to  "^'ork  State,  and  continued  to 
live  there  until  1844,  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
moved  to  Ohio,  and  settled  in  La  Grange,  Lorain 
county,  whither  he  was  followed  by  his  father  in  1S4G. 
lie  was  boi'n  in  Connecticut,  and  during  his  last  siek- 
nes  she  resided  with  and  was  carefully  attended  by 
his  son.     lie  died  in  1870. 

R,  B.  Monro  started  in  Ohio  by  working  on  a  farm 
by  the  month,  whicli  he  did  four  years,  dui-ing  which 
time  he  purchased  lifty  acres  of  land,  paying  for  it 
with  his  earnings.  In  1848  he  was  married  to  Mar- 
garet, daughter  of  John  McGregor.  They  have  one 
son,  James,  who  resides  at  home,  and  also,  an  adopted 
daughter.  Mr.  Monro  has  held  various  township 
offices,  among  others  those  of  road  commissioner  and 
school  director.  In  politics  he  is  a  democrat.  He  is 
a  self  made  man,  and  generally  considered  a  worthy 
citizen,  and  an  upright  and  honest  num. 


BRIGHTON. 


Brigiitun  consists  of  tract  seven,  and  portions  of 
tracts  six  and  eight,  in  range  nineteen  of  the  original 
Western  Reserve.  It  is  uj)on  the  extreme  west  of  the 
county,  and  is  bounded  upon  the  north  by  Camden, 
east  by  Wellington,  south  by  Rochester  and  west  by 
the  township  of  Clarksfield,  Huron  county.  The  soil 
in  the  northern  part  is  clay,  principally,  but  in  the 
southern  portion  a  gravelly  soil  is  found.  The  sur- 
face is  more  uneven  than  that  presented  to  the  eye  in 
must  of  the  southern  townships  of  Lorain  county,  the 
west  branch  of  the  Black  river  having  cut  its  way 
through  the  territory  from  a  point  near  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  township  to  the  eastern  boundary, 
whore  it  emerges  about  one  mile  south  of  the  Camden 
line.  Its  course  is  very  irregular,  and  .its  stream  has 
left  broad  and  very  fertile  bottom  lands,  which  are  as 
i;(i(id  for  the  general  purposes  of  farming  as  any  in 
the  county. 

THE    ORIGINAL    PROPRIETORS 

of  the  lands  now  included  in  Bi'ighton  were  Lemuel 
Storrs,  Ephraim  Root,  James  Ross,  Peter  Brooks, 
.lohn  C!all,  William  Shaw,  George  Black  and  Pennewel 
Cheney.  Tract  seven,  extending  through  the  center 
of  the  township  from  east  to  west,  and  containing 
four  hundred  acres,  was  the  property  of  Root  &  Ross. 
It  was  by  them  sold  to  Harmon  Kingsbury  and  others, 
and  was  the  portion  first  put  into  the  market  for  sale 
to  the  settlers.  Storrs,  the  owner  of  tract  eight  and 
the  several  owners  of  tract  six  sold  to,  or  exchanged 


lands  with,  Tuekerman  Brothers,  of  Boston,  Norton 
and  Stocking  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  Frederick 
Hamlin  of  Berkshire,  Massachusetts,  Deming  and  Al- 
ford.  Levi  Bliss, of  Massachusetts,  bought  out  Tncker- 
num  Brothers.  The  surplus  lands  upon  the  west  side 
of  the  township  were  originally  owned  by  Goodrich  of 
Hartford,  and  several  others.  Brighton  is  what  is 
known  as  an  equalizing  township.  Its  name  was  be- 
stowed by  Abner  Loveland  at  the  time  of  organization. 

INDIANS 

were  quite  numerous  when  tiie  first  sei tiers  came  in 
and  all  accounts  agree  as  to  their  friendliness  to,  and 
fair  treatment,  with  few  exceptions,  of  the  whites. 
They  were  of  the  Seneca  and  Wyandot  tribes.  Befoi'c 
the  time  of  settlement,  these  Indians  were  in  the  cus- 
tom of  camping  upon  what  they  called  the  "big  bot- 
tom," upon  the  farm  which  is  now  the  property  of 
Leonard  H.  Loveland,  but  after  the  first  settlers 
arrived  they  seldom  had  an  encampment  within  the 
territory  now  included  in  the  townshij).  They  traded 
very  frequently  with  their  pale  faced  brothers,  bring- 
ing fine  venison  hams,  which  they  were  always  de- 
lighted "to  exchange  for  bread  or  ]>ork.  Leoiutrd 
Loveland  remembers  seeing  with  them,  upon  one 
occasion,  a  very  old,  though  remarkably  well  preserved 
man,  who  was  said  l)y  the  Indians  to  hiive  seen  the 
sun  of  one  hundred  and  fort_y-five  summers.  It  is 
probable  that  this  was  not  far  from  being  correct,  for 
events  that  the  Indian  sjioke  of  as  occurring  in  the 


318 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


years  of  his  youiio-  iiuinhood  wcix'  kiiiiwu  to  liavo  ;i 
place  more  than  a  liinidrod  years  old  in  the  iiistory  of 
the  couiilry. 

SETTLEMENT. 

'riio  iiioiu'cr  1)1'  Urightoii  was  Alinoi'  Loveland,  Jr. 
He  ciiterecl  tiic  forest  alone  in  the  fall  of  1820,  witii 
the  intention  of  hecoiiiing  a  perni.inent  resident,  and 
built  n|)on  lot  one,  in  tract  seven,  the  first  luiinan 
habitation,  save  the  lints  and  wigwams  of  tlie  Indians, 
in  the  territory  included  a  few  years  later  in  the  limits 
of  Brighton.  He  carried  upon  his  back  the  poles  of 
which  he  built  his  cabin.  In  tlie  spring  of  1831,  he 
started  for  tlie  east,  bnt  a  great  snow  storm  made  it 
impossible  for  liim  to  pursue  his  journey,  and  he 
stop)>ed  in  (irafton,  wliei'e  he  I'emained  until  fall, 
working  for  vai-ious  settJers.  In  the  fall  he  again 
prepared  to  go  to  his  liouie,  but,  receiving  a  letter 
from  his  father,  saying  that  he  had  bought  land  in 
Brighton  and  wanted  him  to  begin  clearing  it,  he  went 
back  to  the  place  which  he  had  originally  selected  ami 
jirepared  for  the  coming  of  his  father  and  the  family 
by  erecting  a  log  house.  In  July  of  18'>1,  came  the 
father,  Abner  Loveland,  Sr. ,  his  wife  Lois,  four 
daughters,  So])hia,  Lovina,  ramelui,  Minerva  and  a 
son  Leonard  H.  with  his  wife  Margaret  Whitlock. 
They  made  this  journey,  with  an  ox  team,  in  six 
weeks.  The  Lovelands  were  natives  of  Otis,  Berk- 
shire county,  Massachusetts,  Aimer,  Jr.,  the  first 
arrival,  ma<le  the  journey  from  liruiiswick.  New 
Jersey,  upon  foot.  His  wife  was  I'aima  DeWolf,  and 
he  had  by  her  five  children,  three  of  whom  arc  now 
living,  Celestia  A.  in  Wellington,  (Jort^lia  J.  (Mrs.  I). 
Reamer)  in  Oberliu,  and  Franklin  in  New  York. 
Abner  Loveland,  Jr.,  renu.)Ved  from  Brighton  to 
Wellington  in  1834,  and,  his  wife  tlying,  ho  married 
some  time  afterwards,  Mrs.  Anna  Kimmel.  He  is 
still  living,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  being  born 
in  1796.  Leonard  H.  Loveland  still  lives  iipoi  lot 
one,  tract  seven,  a  few  rods  from  the  site  of  the  first 
log  house  built  in  the  towiishiji,  and  is  eighty-four 
years  of  ago.  His  children,  lieside  WMiitlock,  who 
died  when  a  babe,  were  (!ordelia,  born  Novemlier  12, 
1S2I3,  and  died  March  ;5,  18.")2,  and  Kineline  Margaret, 
born  March  4,  18.");!.  Mr.  Ijovelaud,  like  his  brother, 
is  living  with  his  second  wife,  and  he  is  lier  second 
husband.  Her  iiiaiilen  name  was  Fanny  Allen.  tSlic 
was  from  Vermont,  and  her  Inisband  facetiously 
claims  that  she  was  a  connection  of  Ethan  Allen, 
"the  Green  mountain  lioy."  Abner  Loveland,  Sr., 
and  his  wife  have  been  dead  for  many  years.  Both 
were  born  in  17f;4._^ 

The  Kingsbiirys'  arrived  after  Abner  Loveland, 
Jr.,  and  before  all  the  others  of  this  family.  Joseph 
Kingsbury  was  the  second  settler.  He  was  the  father 
of  Harmon  Kingsbury,  before  mentioned  as  one  of 
the  original  owners  of  the  land.  He  came  early  in 
1821,  from  Otis,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts, 
bringing  his  wife,  four  daugliters,  one  of  whom  died 
young,  and   two  sons,  Solomon  and  Austin.     One  of 


the  daughters  married  Loren  Wadsworth,  another 
.  Eber  W.  Hubbard,  and  Louisa  A.  married  Calvin 
Roice.  Josei>li  Kingsbury  settled  on  lot  thirteen, 
Solomon  on  lot  ten,  and  Austin  on  lot  nine — all  in 
tract  seven;  which,  as  has  been  heretofore  stated,  was 
the  only  portion  of  the  lands  offered  for  sale.  Har- 
mon Kingbury  was  never  a  resident  of  the  township, 
but  was  a  frequent  visitor.  Austin  Kingsbury  reared 
a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Orrin  Hall 
(Tjouisa  A.)  is  one.  A  sister  resides  in  Wellington. 
William  Harvey  is  in  Oberliu. 

The  next  settlers,  after  the  Kiiigsburys,  were  the 
Halls.  Avery  Hall  and  wife,  and  their  grown-up 
sons,  Alfred  and  Ori'in,  with  Selden,  who  was  of  age 
soon  after  coming  into  the  country,  emigrated  from 
Great  Barrington,  Massachusetts,  in  1822.  Other 
children  in  this  family  were:  Lrastus,  Sarah,  Edwin 
(now  in  Eiyria),  Theophilus  (in  Litchfield),  Julia  (in 
Perrysburg),  John  and  William.  Avery  Hall,  upon 
arriving,  settled  upon  lot  two,  and  his  son  Alfred  on 
lot  six.  Selden  afterward  settled  on  the  same  lot;  he 
married  a  daughter  of  Luke  Whitlock,  and  removed 
some  years  after  to  Wellington,  where  he  died  in 
1878.  Orrin  Hall  settled  on  lot  nine,  where  he  still 
lives.  Alfred  Hall  removed  to  Perth  Amboy,  New 
Jersey.  Soon  aftei'  the  Halls  arrived,  a  man  named 
]5ailey  came  into  the  Bcttlement,  but  made  no  ]>ur- 
cliase  of  land,  and  remained  but  a  short  time.  An- 
other squatter  came  at  the  same  time,  but  like  Bailey 
left  no  mark  upon  the  jieople  among  whom  he  had  a 
brief  residence,  or  upon  the  map  of  Brighton  town- 
ship. 

H(n'ace,  John  and  Joseph  Crosby,  the  latter  not  of 
ago,  and  another  brother  who  died  (juite  young,  came 
with  their  mother  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  Halls, 
from  Tyriiighain,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts, 
and  settled  upon  lot  three.  John  was  married  in 
1825  to  Locitte  Sage. 

Luke  Whitlock  came  in  the  spring  of  1822,  and  his 
brother  John,  at  a  later  date.  They  settled  upon  lot 
seven.  The  Whitlocks  were  from  Soxith  Brunswick, 
New  Jersey.  1'he  family  of  Luke  Whitlock  consisted 
of  his  wife  Elizabeth,  a  son  John,  who  died  eai'ly, 
Ellen,  now  Mrs.  Augustus  Fox,  residing  near  the  cen- 
ter, and  Jane,  who  married  Koswell  Smith,  and  after- 
warils  Selden  Hall,  now  living  in  Wellington.  Luke 
Whitlock  died  suddenly  and  among  strangers.  He 
was  in  Pittsburgh  upon  his  way  home  and  was  stricken 
dead  upon  the  street  and  buried  before  his  relatives, 
who  left  for  that  city  as  soon  as  the  sad  news  reached 
them,  had  arrived. 

Clark  Looniis  settled  about  the  year  182.">  ujion  lot 
twelve,  and  removed  soon  after  to  Chagrin  Falls. 

Justice  Battle,  Sr.,  and  wife,  and  Justice  Battle, 
Jr.,  and  wife  were  among  the  first  settlers,  but  the 
date  of  their  arrival  cannot  be  definitely  ascertained. 
They  came  from  Tyriugham,  Berkshire  county,  Mas- 
sachusetts and  located  upon  lot  sixteen. 

Calvin  Roice  came  into  the  settlement  early  enough 
to  be  properly  classed  among  the  pioneers,  though  he 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


319 


first  settled  in  Wellington.  On  coming  into  Biigli- 
ton  he  lociitoil  u])on  lot  ten.  Ho  married  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Kingsbury,  by  whom  he  had  three  children, 
— Boughton,  now  in  Clarksville,  Eunice,  in  Avon,  and 
Sarah. 

There  wei-e  sevei-al  who  arrived  in  the  townshii) 
soon  after  tlic  lirst  settlement  was  made  but  wlio 
could  not  be  called  settlers.  Among  these  was  Elijah 
Fox,  a  worthy  man  from  Berkshire  county,  Massa- 
chusetts, who  came  in  1833  and  l)oarded  for  some  time 
with  Leonard  H.  Loveland.  He  took  up  land  a  num- 
ber of  years  afterwards.  His  son  E.  S.  Fox  now  re- 
sides upon  lot  eight,  in  tract  seven.  David  Fox,  the 
aged  father  of  Elijah,  was  a  Methodist  exhorter  of 
considerable  ability.  Daniel  Smith  came  to  Brighton 
in  the  latter  part  of  1S31  or  early  m  tiie  following  year 
and  worked  for  Joseph  King«bury. 

Of  tiie  later  settlers  we  can  only  speak  Ijriefly.  After 
the  organization  of  the  township  and  after  the  land 
in  tracts  six  and  eiglit  were  put  into  the  market,  the 
number  of  inhabitants  rapidly  inreascd.  There  being 
no  land  but  that  in  tract  seven, — the  center  tract, ^ 
offered  for  sale  until  183.3,  many  were  deterred  from 
coming  into  Brighton  from  apprehension  that  it  would 
not  for  many  years  become  a  well  settled  township. 
It  wa»s  this  fear  that  led  Abner  Loveland,  the  pioneer, 
to  sell  out  his  land  and  remove  into  Wellington.  It 
was  liought  by  Daniel  Clark,  of  Litchfield,  Connecti- 
cut. Albert  Niles  came  into  tlic  township  between 
the  time  of  organization  and  the  year  1830.  He 
owned  altogether  and  at  different  times  fifteen  farms. 
—  Fisk  settled  about  the  same  time  as  Niles.  Loren 
Lovi^land  a  brother  of  Leonard  H.  and  Abner,  came 
in  a  little  later.  Dr.  Eber  W.  Hubbard  and  his 
father  wlio  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  La  Grange, 
were  residents  of  this  township  for  a  few  years,  and 
resided  on  the  Kingsbury  farm.  James  Whipple,  of 
Whitestown,  New  York,  came  and  locateil  on  lot 
twelve  in  183;5.  Erasmus  ,Tudd  and  wife  settled  as 
early  as  1833  on  lotsix,  and  brought  u]i  a  family  of  five 
children.  They  were  from  Litchfield,  Connecticut. 
Isaac  Everson  settled  in  the  summerof  1833,  upon  lot 
twenty-one.  Henry  Converse,  his  wife  and  five  ehil 
dren  became  residents  in  1833,  settling  upon  lot  ten. 
His  childreu  were  Nelson,  Lucinda,  Harrison,  Maria 
and  Emma  (Mrs.  Jacob  Wheeler,  of  Rochester).  Nel- 
son was  drowned  in  the  Black  river,  Jiaving  been  swept 
over  his  saw  mill  dam  in  a  dug  out.  He  is  said  to 
have  been  a  phenomenal  swimmer,  and  his  drowning 
could  only  be  accounted  for  upon  the  supposition  that 
he  was  hurt  in  some  way  by  his  fall.  Octavus  Gillitt 
settled  upon  lot  sixteen  in  the  gore,  m  1830,  and  his 
brother,  (reo:ge,  near  him  soon  after.  Jolin  Dnnbar, 
his  son,  Simeon,  and  Harriet,  the  wife  of  the  latter, 
came  from  Wayne  county.  New  York  in  August,  1835, 
:ind  located  upon  lot  eight  in  tract  seven,  .lames 
Humphrey,  his  wife  and  three  children  settled  about 
the  same  time  upon  the  same  lot.  They  were  from 
(I real  Barrington,  Massachusetts. 

Philip  L.  Goss,  a  native  of  Winchester,  New  Hamp- 


shire, settled  on  lot  seventeen,  in  1836,  coming  from 
Brecksvillo,  Cluyahoga  county,  where  he  had  resided 
for  a  short  time.  He  was  one  of  the  substantial, 
influential  men  of  the  town,  and  always  prominent 
in  its  institutions  until  his  removal  in  1878,  to  Wel- 
lington, where  he  and  his  wife,  Serena,  at  present 
reside  with  their  married  daughter,  Mrs.  Dr.  Rust. 
He  has  a  son,  Charles  P.,  in  Oberlin,  and  another 
daughter,  Sarah,  who  married  a  son  of  Dr.  Beach,  of 
Pittstield.  David  Goss,  bronher  of  Philip  L.,  arrived 
in  1843.  His  sons,  Maurice  and  Otis,  reside  in 
Brighton,  and  his  daughters  in  Illinois,  and  Huron 
county.  Ohio. 

Smith  Stocking  and  Harry  Haws  came  into  the 
township  in  1837,  the  former  settling  upon  lot  fifteen, 
in  the  gore,  and  the  latter  u])oii  the  same  lot,  a  little 
to  the  north,  where  D.  .Tohnson  located  two  years 
later.  Wm.  Bunee  and  Samuel  Lamb  took  up  farms 
about  the  same  time,  upon  lot  one  in  tract  seven, 
building  houses  u|)on  the  east  and  west  road. 

Cornelius  Seeley  ca.me  into  Avon  in  1831,  and  orig- 
inally emigrated  from  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county. 
New  York.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Rachel 
Smith.  They  had  fourteen  children,  twelve  of  whom 
lived  to  maturity.  H.  S.,  the  eldest,  settled  in 
Brighton,  on  lots  thirty-oue  and  thirty-two,  where  he 
now  resides.  Morrell  E.,  Anna,  and  Dwight,  his 
childreu,  now  live  in  Brighton,  the  first  named  upon 
the  Loveland  farm. 

The  earliest  settlers  of  Brighton  endured  many 
hardships.  Food  was  for  a  time  exceedingly  scarce, 
and  could  only  be  liad  in  small  variety.  When  the 
wheat  was  harvested  it  was  often  found  full  of  smut, 
and  as  there  were  no  machines  in  those  days  for  clean- 
ing it,  the  smut  went  into  the  Ijread,  making  it  so 
black  tliat  the  Indians  often  refused  to  eat  it.  The 
nearest  j)!ace  where  the  pioneers  could  get  a  grist 
ground  was  at  Clarksfield.  Leonard  Loveland  was 
once  pursued  by  wolves  while  returning  from  the  mill 
in  that  place.  These  jiests  of  every  new  country  were 
very  plentiful.  'L'hey  were  not  usually  regarded  as  a 
source  of  danger,  but  of  annoyance.  They  would 
often  surround  a  settler's  cabin  and  make  night  hid- 
eouH  with  their  horrible  howling.  Deer  were  found 
in  the  woods  in  large  numbers,  and  venison  was  so 
common  upon  the  tables  at  which  hard  working,  hun- 
gry men  sat  down,  tliat  it  was  looked  upon  with  no 
more  favor  than  jtork.  As  many  as  fifty  deer  have 
been  seen  in  a  single  herd  in  Brighton.  Enormous 
flocks  of  wild  turkeys  wei'e  often  met  with,  during 
the  first  few  years  after  the  woods  were  invaded  by 
white  men,  and  all  kinds  of  small  game  was  found  in 
abundance,  but  most  of  the  pionee'rs  had  too  much 
work  to  do  with  the  ax  and  plow  to  spend  their  time 
in  hunting.  There  were  few  who  carried  the  rifle 
except  when  the  larder  was  low. 

FIRST  EVENTS. 

The  first  child  born  was  John,  son  of  Avery  and 
Lucy  Hall.     He  came  into  the  world  and  into  Brigli- 


'A-M 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


ton  August  26,  1823,  and  is  now  living  in  Wisconsin. 

The  first  death  was  tliat  of  Whitlock  Loveland,  a 
nine  months  old  chdd  of  Leonard  II.  and  Margaret 
Loveland.  He  was  born  .January  2,  1820,  and  died 
on  the  13tli  of  October.  Tlie  burial  was  upon  the 
clearing  maJe  by  the  Lovelands,  a  few  rods  south  of 
their  log  house,  and  of  Leonard  Loveland's  present 
honu'.  Otiior  nieml)ei's  of  the  family  now  lie  by  tlie 
side  of  the  little  one  for  whom  the  first  grave  was 
made.  The  funeral  was  attended  by  only  two  or 
three  persons  beside  the  family,  among  them  being 
tlie  Rev.  Mr.  Parmele,  a  Baptist  minister  of  Sullivan, 
who  s})oke  the  few  words  of  com  fort,  and  offered  the 
prayer  at  the  grave. 

Sometime  in  ls2o,  Albert  Niles,  then  of  Welling- 
ton, and  a  native  of  Berkshire  county,  Massacliusetts. 
was  married  to  Sophia.,  daughter  of  Leonard  il.  and 
Margaret  Loveland.  The  ceremony  was  performed  at 
jSI'r.  Loveland's  log  cabin,  by  Squire  Ephriani  A. 
Wilcox,  of  Wellington,  and  was  witnessed  by  about 
twenty  or  twenty-five  persons,  or  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  the  township.  In  the  evening,  a  substantial 
suj)per  was  served,  all  present  sitting  down  to  the 
table,  wliicli  was  more  sensibly  set  than  those  which 
gi-oan  under  the  weight  of  modern  marriage  feasts. 
Steaming  moats,  home-made  bread,  and  wholesome 
vogetaljles  were  in  al)uudance,  but  cakes,  confections, 
and  ices,  with  French  names,  did  not  have  a  jjlace 
upon  the  board.  The  young  married  couple  settled 
in  Brighton,  upon  lot  seventeen,  tract  seven,  where 
they  remained  for  a  number  of  years.  Both  have 
been  dead  for  some  time. 

The  first  school  was  tauglit  by  Paima  De  W'olf, 
wife  of  Abner  Loveland,  after  their  marriage,  and  was 
held  in  the  log  house  which  they  occupied.  She  gave 
instruction,  to  the  best  of  her  aliility,  to  about  a  dozen 
children,  an(.l  received  therefor  the  sum  of  six  shil- 
lings per  week.  This  was  previous  to  1827.  In  tliat 
year  a  log  school  house  was  built,  about  three-ijuarters 
of  a  mile  east  of  the  center.  Polly  Warren  was  the 
first  teacher  of  the  school  held  in  this  Ijnilding.  The 
first  frame  school  school  house  was  built  in  183(], — the 
frame  being  erected  l)y  the  free  labor  of  John  Dunbar 
and  his  two  sons,  llosea  and  Simeon,  who  took  the 
timber  from  the  woods.  It  was  completed  through 
repeated  subscriptions  by  the  citizens,  and  for  several 
years  served  as  both  church  and  school  house,  until 
the  Congregational  church  was  built.  Brighton  is 
now  well  abreast  of  her  sister  townships  in  the  ex- 
cellence of  her  schools,  as  well  as  in  general  improve- 
ments. 

In  the  earliest,  days  of  the  settlement,  the  pioneers 
were  obliged  to  go  as  far  as  Liverpool  to  olitain  their 
mail,  or  to  dispat.cli  letters.  Afterwards  they  were 
able  to  got  their  mail  in  Wellington,  and  in  1824,  or 
182.5,  they  had  a.  regular  mail,  carried  liy  one  Bovee. 
A  man  by  the  name  of  Wyatt  carried  the  first  mail 
that  e\er  went  through  the  township.  He  came 
through  on  the  east  ami  west  center  road  on  his  first 
trip,  ilarch  13,  1821. 


Alfred  Hall  went  into  service  as  postmaster  at 
Brighton  about  1830.  He  was  only  nominally  post- 
master however,  for  Ransom  Foote,  the  deputy,  had 
the  real  work  to  do,  and  kept  the  few  letters  and  pa- 
pers that  came  to  tlie  settlers  at  his  house  near  the 
center,  because  Hall  lived  a  mile  and  a  half  away. 
Jefferson  Whip]ile  is  the  present  postmaster.  He  was 
appointed  in  187G. 

The  first  store  was  opened  at  the  center  about  the 
year  1830,  hy  Samuel  .Jones  who  continued  in  busi- 
ness some  time.  A  large  general  store  is  now  kept  by 
Whipple  &  Hall  who  are  the  successors  of  Richmond 
&  Whipple. 

William  Battle  opened  the  first  hotel  in  1850,  and 
kept  a  well  conducted  temperance  house.  (Jeorge 
Peasley  now  offers  food  and  shelter  to  the  wayfarer 
and  tlic  stranger. 

The  first  road  of  travel  tluough  the  township  was 
the  east  and  west  center  road.  This  was  laid  out  in 
1819.  The  north  and  south  center  road  was  opened 
ten  or  twelve  years  later,  and  the  various  roads  par- 
allel to  these  two  were  laid  out  at  different  times  as 
the  number  of  inhabitants  increased,  and  there  was 
demand  for  new  means  of  communication. 

The  township  has  but  one  cemetery,  besides  the 
several  private  burial  places  where  were  laid  the  re- 
mains of  the  first  few  persons  who  died  in  the  .settle- 
ment. The  town  cemetery  is  ujion  the  west  side  of 
the  road,  just  a  few  rods  south  of  the  center.  The 
land  was  donated  by  Austin  Kingsbury  in  184:5. 

The  Lovelands,  father  and  sons  sowed  the  first 
wheat  in  the  fall  of  1821.  They  put  ii  eight  acres, 
and  the  next  summer  harvesteil  a  womlcrful  crop. 
They  also  planted  the  first  orchard,  the  tr'cs  in  which 
were  started  from  seed  brought  by  them  from  Mas- 
sachusetts. Several  apple  trees  were  still  living,  and 
bore  fruit  in  1878. 

OIKiANIZATION. 

"The  township  was  organized  at  the  spring  election 
of  1823.  .Joseph  Kingsbury,  Avory  Hall  and  Calvin 
Roice,  were  elected  trustees;  Leonard  H.  Loveland, 
clerk:  Abner  Loveland,  treasurer;  and  Abner  Love- 
land, Jr.,  justice  of  the  ])eaco.  There  were  twelve 
electors,  just  about  the  number  of  porsons  rei|uired  to 
fill  the  offices  in  those  days.  The  townsliip  belonged 
to  Lorain,  as  then  formed,  but,  with  other  townships, 
remained  attached  to  Medina  county,  until  the  organi- 
zation of  Lorain  was  completed."'* 

The  following  are  the  township  officers  of  1878: 
Clerk,  I).  M.  Hall;  treasurer,  J.  C.  Whijiple;  assessor, 
L.  W.  Hart;  trustees,  E.  Anderson,  C.  D.  Stocking, 
0.  Peabody;  justices  of  the  peace,  D.  M.  Hall,  0.  A. 
.Tohnson;  constable,  0.  E.  Johnson. 

THE    KETJOIOl'S    BEGINNrSTfi. 

In  the  death  of  the  infant  son  of  Leonard  H.  and 
Margaret  Loveland,  we  find  the  cause  of  the  bereaved 

*  Boyuton. 


Residence  or  JAMES  WHIPPLE.  Brighton.  Loi?ain  Co. Ohio. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


321 


parents'  conversion,  and,  were  we  able  to  trace  the 
sequence,  should  doubtless  discover,  iu  this  taking 
away  of  life,  the  initial  impulsion  in  a  long  series  of 
causes  and  effects  resultant  in  great  good.  There  is 
here  an  illustration  of  the  mysterious  means  of  Provi- 
dence. Mr.  Loveland  and  his  wife  were  the  first 
persons  to  experience  religion  in  Brighton.  Wiien 
their  cliild  died  they  liogan  thinking  tliat  they. were- 
not  good  enough  to  follow  him  into  tiie  future  world, 
and  the  result  was  tiiat  they  accepted  the  teachings 
(if  the  Bible  as  their  guide,  and  tried  to  conform 
their  lives  to  its  precepts.  Tiie  first  religious  service 
ever  iield  in  the  towushiit  was  at  the  grave  of  tlie 
little  one  taken  from  these  parents.  Not  very  long 
afterwards  meetings  wore  held  in  the  vicinity,  and,  in 
1S33,  or  the  following  year,  what  was  known  as  the 
Black  River  circuit  was  laid  out  and  a  Rev.  Mr; 
Coston  rode  through  a  number  of  the  townships, 
preaching  wherever  he  could  get  together  a  dozen 
listeners.  As  the  little  clearings  in  the  wilderness 
became  larger  and  moi-o  numerous,  the  need  of  re- 
ligious fellowship  was  felt  by  several,  and  hence,  in 
tlie  fall  of  1S"27,  it  came  about  that  the  class  was 
organized  which  was  the  beginning  of 

THE    jrETHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CIIUECU 

of  Brighton.  The  church  was  organized  by  Rev.  A. 
Brainard,  and  the  preaching  which  its  members  at- 
tended during  the  first  year  of  its  existence  was  by 
Rev.  Henry  0.  Sheldon,  who  was  then  traveling  the 
circnit  which  included  this  point.  Meetings  were 
held  at  Loveland's  and  at  the  center,  though  most 
frequently  at  the  former  place.  The  constituent 
members  of  this  church  were:  Abner  Loveland,  Lois 
his  wife,  Leonard  H.  Loveland,  Margaret  his  wife, 
Pamelia  Loveland,  Minerva  Loveland,  Elizabeth  Whit- 
lock,  Erastus  Hall.  S:ira,h  Hall  and  David  Fox.  Leon- 
ard H.  Loveland  was  class  leader.  As  time  wore  on, 
the  church  received  accessions,  and  it  was  found  that 
the  congregation  had  outgrown  the  capacity  of  a 
dwelling  house,  and  must  have  a  proi)er  place  of 
meeting.  Accordiugly,  a  neat  but  plain  structure, 
the  one  now  iu  use,  was  built  at  the  center.  The 
frame  was  erected  iu  1850,  but  on  accouut  of  sick- 
ness of  the  workmen,  and  for  want  of  means,  it  was 
not  inclosed  until  the  following  spring;  when,  by  the 
earnest  efforts  of  T.  Hall  and  E.  S.  Bidwell  and  oth- 
ers, the  work  was  carried  on  to  completion.  It  was 
dedicated,  free  from  debt,  November  G,  18.53.  The 
present  membership  is  forty-five,  and  would  be  much 
larger,  but  many  residents  of  the  southern  part  of  the 
township,  of  the  Methodist  denomination,  attend  the 
church  at  Rochester  station.  The  present  pastor  is 
Rev.  E.  A.  Warner,  and  the  class  leaders,  0.  Peabody 
and  William  Ward.  The  stewards  are  D.  M.  Hall 
(recording  steward),  Freeman  Green  and  H.  S.  Seeley. 
The  follovviug  are  the  trustees  of  thechureh  property: 
D.  M.  Hall,  Freeman  Green,  Simeon  Dunbar,  Wil- 
liam Ward  and  H.  S.  Seeley. 

41 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  183G,  and  the  first  meetings  were 
held  in  the  school  house  east  of  the  center.  The 
original  members  were:  Justice  Battle,  and  his  wife 
Esther,  his  son's  wife  Bathsheba,  Selden  Hall  and 
wife,  .Joseph  Kingsbury,  Austin  Kingsbury,  W.  R. 
Strong  and  wife,  Philip  L.  Goss,  Serena  S.  Goss  and 
Peter  Dickinson.  The  first  regular  minister  who 
preached  in  this  church  was  Rev.  Mr.  Kellogg,  from 
New  York  state.  Much  of  the  time,  the  pulpit  was 
supplied  by  students  from  Oberlin.  The  first  deacons 
of  the  church  were  Philip  L.  Goss  and  W.  R.  Strong. 
The  society  built  a  church  at  the  center  in  1840.  The 
church  now  has  a  membership  of  thirty-five,  the  only 
ones  upon  the  roll  who  were  among  the  first  members 
being  Philip  L.  Goss  and  his  wife.  Rev.  D.  T.  Wil- 
liams is  pastor;  Lewis  Hart  and  .Tames  S.  Jones,  dea- 
cons. The  trustees  are]  J.  Bennett,  Otis  Goss  and 
Mark  Smith;  clerk  of  the  church,  Lewis  Hart;  clerk 
of  the  society,  Maurice  Goss,  who  is  also  acting  treas- 
urer. 

PHYSIf;iANS. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  Brighton  is  at  pres- 
ent an  unusually  healthful  place.  It  has  no  resident 
physician.  In  the  past  the  men  of  medicine  were  not 
numerons.  The  few  who  came  into  the  township  re- 
mained but  a  short  time  each,  and  none  of  them 
became  so  wealthy  from  their  practice  as  to  be  able  to 
retire.  Dr.  Holcomb  was  the  pioneer  practitioner, 
but  did  not  come  in  until  1848.  He  was  an  excellent 
physician.  After  a  moderately  successful  practice, 
extending  through  five  or  six  years,  he  moved  away, 
and  his  place  was  taken  by  a  Dr.  Gilson,  who,  after  a 
very  short  time,  was  followed  by  Dr.  William  Elder, 
whose  practice  in  the  township  was  concluded  in  abont 
three  years.  Dr.  Cannan,  now  of  Camden,  practiced 
in  Brighton  for  a  few  months. 

INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS. 

Brighton  is  essentially  a  farming  township.  It  has 
no  manufacturing  interests  save  those  which  are  com- 
monly found  in  the  townships  of  Lorain  county,  viz: 

CHEESE    FACTORIES    AND    SAW    MILLS. 

The  Brighton  cheese  factory,  owned  by  Goss  & 
.Jones,  is  located  upon  the  center  road,  a  short  distance, 
perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  from  the  center. 
It  receives  the  milk  of  about  five  hundred  cows, 
which  is  mostly  manufactured  into  cheese.  Only  a 
small  quantity  of  butter  is  made.  The  factory  was 
first  projected  by  Goss  &  Comj^any,  in  18G7,  and  after 
running  a  number  of  years  was  burned  down.  The 
present  factory  building  was  erected  in  the  season  of 
1874-5. 

Horr  &  Warner,  of  Wellington,  have  a  cheese  factory 
on  the  town  line  road,  adjoining  Wellington,  and 
nearly  a  mile  from  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
township,  on  lot  thirty-one.     They  receive  the  milk 


322 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


of  about  four  huiulred  cows.  This  factory  was 
started  in  1S72,  by  William  D.  Miner. 

The  Centennial  cheese  factory,  so  named  fmm  the 
fact  that  it  was  started  in  187G,  is  the  property  of 
Henry  Wood,  who  also  owns  the  farm  upon  which  it 
is  located.  This  is  what  is  known  as  a  "full  cream 
factory,"  and  tiie  proprietor  does  not  manufacture 
any  butter.  Not  far  from  three  hundred  and  fifty 
cows  are  milked  for  this  factory.  Mr.  Wood  is  a  na- 
tive of  CUieshire,  England. 

The  first  saw  mill  was  built  by  a  man  named  Foote, 
some  time  previous  to  1825,  upon  the  western  branch 
of  Black  river,  and  was  washed  away  ijy  a  frcslict.  The 
next  was  upon  the  same  stream  and  was  the  projierty 
of  Solomon  Kingsbury  an<l  Nelson  Converse.  There 
is  now  one  steam  saw  mill  in  the  townsiiip,  owned 
and  rnn  by  Otis  Goss.  It  is  located  south  of  the 
center,  upon  lot  sixteen. 

TEMPERANCE. 

As  early  as  ISoG,  Brighton  organized  a  temperance 
society,  with  the  usual  pledge  of  total  abstinence 
from  all  intoxicating  li<piors  (oxce)it  wine  and  cider). 
Pliilip  L.  Goss  was  president  of  said  society.  A  new 
impulse  was  given  in  the  year  1841,  under  tiie  name 
of  the  Washingtonian  movement.  Refurmed  drunk- 
ards related  tlieii-  experience  in  the  degi'ading  Jiabit 
of  drink,  and  of  tiieir  new  life  in  refornnUidu,  inspir- 
ing with  hope  tiie  fallen,  declaring  total  abstinence 
from  all  intoxicating  drinks  tiie  only  safeguard  of 
sobriety.  First  among  this  class  of  reformers  was 
one  Captain  F.  Turner.  Deacon  Pliilip  Goss  was 
president.  At  tlie  next  annual  meeting  John  V. 
Wliitlock  was  elected  ])resident.  In  the  summer  of 
184:3,  the  county  (puirterly  meeting  was  held  at 
Brigiiton,  Mr.  Cheney,  of  Elyria,  president.  The 
Rev.  Ansel  Clark,  of  Huntington,  and  Mr.  Van  Wag- 
oner, were  the  [inneipal  sjieakers.  At  the  close  of 
tiie  lecture,  Mr.  N'anWagoner  gave  a  description  of 
how  a  jierson  wiiuld  act  in  a  fit  of  delirium  tremens. 
At  the  next  election,  in  the  year  1845,  II.  B.  Dunbar 
was  elected  president  of  said  society.  He  served  five 
years,  and  obtained  four  hundred  and  thirtv-seven 
signatures  to  the  jiledge.  Djacon  Elier  .Jones  was 
next  president  of  (he  society;  and  ever  since,  there  has 
been,  and  is  now,  a  temperance  organization  in  Bright- 
on. Although  it  has  not  been  able  to  entirely  sup- 
press intemperance,  yet  its  inllaence  lias  ke[)t  tiie 
townsiiip  free  from  the  unmitigated  curse  of  a  saloon 
or  place  where  intoxicating  liquors,  witli  the  exi^ep- 
tion  of  cider,  could  be  bought.  The  selling  of  eider 
to  be  drunk,  is  not  reputable  in  Brigiiton. 

Agricultural  Statistics. 

Wheat,        SiH  acres 3,608  bushels. 

Potatoes,      .33     "      2,799       *' 

Oats,  3B0     "      iVtSS 

Orchards,  149     *'       700 

Corn,  46-Z     "      31495       " 

Meadow,  1,470     " 1,480  tons. 

Butter 4(;,5IJ8  pounds. 

Cheese 44(1.717       " 

Maple  Su^ar 1,52,5       " 

Population  in  1870 5()g 

Vote  for  Preside.nt  in  1876. 
Hayes  1S8  |  Tildeu 27 


Biographical  Sketches. 


JAMES  WHIPPLE 

was  born  in  the  town  of  Pomfret,  Windham  county, 
Connecticut,  March  IG,  1811.  His  father,  Charles 
Whiiiple,  was  born  at  North  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
April  28,  1779.  His  mother,  Harriet  Whipple,  was 
born  at  North  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  November 
14,  1786.  In  the  year  1807,  they  moved  to  Pomfret, 
Connecticut;  and  in  1815,  to  Westmoreland,  Oneida 
county.  New  York.,  where  they  resided  until  death. 
Charles  AVhipple  died  January  IG,  18G(),  aged  eiglity- 
six  years.  Hannah  Whipple  died  December  G,  18G.3, 
aged  seventy-eight  years. 

In  the  22d  year  of  his  age.  May  24,  1833,  James 
Whipple  came  to  Brighton,  Lorain  county,  Ohio, 
having  first  bouglit  in  Rrighton  one  hundred  acres  of 
land,  known  as  the  Loomis  farm.  He  has  at  present 
over  two  hundred  acres.  He  was  married  to  Melinda 
Dunbar,  November  13,  1839;  she  was  born  at  Sandy 
Lake,  Rensselaer  county.  New  York,  September  C, 
1819.  Her  father's  name  was  .John  Dunbar,  who  was 
born  at  Bridgewater,  Norfolk  county,  Massachusetts, 
June,  1777;  he  was  of  Scotch  and  English  descent. 
He  lived  with  his  i^arents  at  Bridgewater  until  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age;  then  he  moved  with  tliein 
to  Grantham,  Sullivan  county.  New  Hampshire;  and 
in  1800,  he  married  Sally  Annadown,  daughter  of 
Josepli  and  Dorcas  Annadown,  of  Soiitlibridge,  Massa- 
chusetts; she  was  born  September  29,  177G.  He 
resided  at  Grantham  until  Eebruary,  1818,  and  then 
removed  to  Sandy  Lake.  From  there,  he  removed  to 
Ludlow,  Windsor  county,  Vermont,  in  1820;  and  in 
1831,  he  removed  to  Minerva,  Essex  county.  New 
York.  He  came  from  Mernava  to  Ohio,  the  latter  part 
of  May,  1835,  and  located  in  Brighton,  September, 
18'db,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  January  18, 
1838,  aged  sixty-one  years.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  his 
farm  lay  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  north  of  the 
center.  Sally  Dunbar,  wife  of  John  Dunbar,  died  Sep- 
tember 22,  1854,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  Melinda 
was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  her  parents  removed  into 
Brighton.  Slie  had  a  common  school  education.  Since 
her  marriage  she  has  always  resided  on  the  same  farm 
where  they  now  live  They  have  had  four  children, 
as  follows:  Jefferson  C.  Whipple,  liorn  August  18, 
1841;  Anzonette  Whipple,  born  February  8,  1851; 
Emma  Whipple,  born  April  2, 1857;  Manette  C.  Whip- 
ple, born  October  iil,  18G1.  Emma  died  June  12, 
1859,  aged  two  years,  two  months  and  ten  days; 
Anzonette  died  June  17,  1859,  aged  eight  years,  four 
months  and  nine  days.  The  homestead  is  situated 
one  and  one-half  miles  from  Brighton.  The  owner 
early  identified  himself  with  the  religions  and  politi- 
cal interests  of  the  town,  bearing  his  share  of  the 
common  burdens,  and  sharing  in  its  general  pros- 
perity. 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


323 


''^^'  -  "^W.^V^^^^xxS^^^^^'"^"' 


LEONARD  H.  LOVELAND. 


MRS.  LEONAKD  H.  LOVELAND. 


LEONARD  H.  LOVELAND 

was  born  in  Soutlifiekl,  IJerksliire  county.  Miissaeliu- 
setts,  October:!,  1794,  and livetl  witb  bi.s"fatlier,Abiier 
Lovohmd,  until  he  attained  his  majority.  Ilis  educa- 
tion was  confined  to  that  of  the  common  schools,  but 
by  studing  at  niglit,  wliilo  otliers  slejit,  he  qualified 
iiimself  for  the  honorable  calling  of  teaching,  and  for 
two  years  taught  school,  with  marked  success.  He 
then  married  Margaret  V.,  daughter  of  Luke  and 
Elizabeth  Wliitlock.  She  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
June  25,  1794;  and  died  August  18,  1855.  This  union 
resulted  in  three  children,  one  son  and  two  daughters, 
luunely  :  Abncr,  born  January  2,  1S21,  in  South 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey  ;  died  October  13,  1831. 
Cordelia,  born  November  12,  1833,  in  Lorain  county, 
Ohio  ;  died  March  33, 1853.  Emiline  M.,  born  March 
4,  1833  ;  died  October  30,  1874. 

Abner  Loveland,  father  of  him  of  who  we  write,  was 
born  in  Connecticut,  April  18,  1764.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Lois,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Hodge.  In  1831 
he  removed  with  his  family  to  Ohio.  There  were  si.v 
children,  namely  :  Dolly,  Lovma,  Parmelia,  Minerva, 
TiUman  E.,  Loring,  Luther,  Leonard  11.  and  Abuer. 
At  Buffalo  they  took  a  sister  of  Mr.  Loveland's  in 
their  wagon.  The  brothers  and  sisters  are  all  deceased, 
the  last  brother  dying  at  Wellington,  Ohio,  March  3, 
1879.  Abner  Loveland  died  September  6, 1847.  He  was 
a  man  of  many  excellent  qualities,  and  his  death  was  a 
sad  event  in  the  tlien  rather  thinly  settled  country, 
where  he  settled,  labored  and  died. 

On  the  18th,  of  August,  1855,  L.  H.  Loveland  sus- 
tained the  loss  of  his  wife,  which  was  a  sore  bereave- 
ment to  him  and  the  children.  For  his  second  wife 
he  married  Mrs.  Anna  Rnlison,  widow  of  James 
Rulison,  and  daughter  of  Moses  Allen  ;  a  lady  very 
generally  esteemed  by  her  ac(juaintances  and  friends. 
Mr.  Loveland  has  followed  farming  nearly  all  his  life, 


and  has  attained  tlie  dignity  of  being  ctmsidered  one 
of  the  best  j)ractical  farmers  of  Brighton  township  ; 
as  he  is  also  one  of  its  most  substantial  citizens.  His 
unswerving  personal  integrity,  and  tlio  general  recti- 
tude of  his  life,  have  gained  for  him  an  enviable  re])u- 
tation  in  the  comnumity  where  he  is  best  known,  and 
where  his  many  ([ualities  of  head  and  heart  are  duly 
appreciated. 


SELDEN  HALL,  Su. 

Avery  Hall,  father  of  Selden,  came  to  Brighton, 
Lorain  county,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1833,  being  among 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  town.  He  was  married  in 
Meriden,  Connecticut,  December  34,  1800,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Foster.  She  died  in  1803.  He  was  married 
a  second  time  in  Woodbury,  Connecticut,  September 
1,  1805,  to  Miss  Lucy  Bacon.  She  died  October  38, 
1853.  A  few  years  after,  he  married,  for  his  third 
wife,  Mrs.  Leaeli, — -she  only  living  three  years  after 
this  marriage.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four, 
and  was  buried  in  Brighton.  He  had  two  children 
by  his  first  wife,  viz:  Selden,  born  September  19,  1801; 
Alfred  born  May  31,  1803.  His  second  union  was 
blessed  with  eleven  children,  viz:  Erastus,  born  July 
38,  1806;  S.irah,  born  November  11,  1807;  Edwin, 
born  April  9,  1809;  Avery,  born  Feljruary  38,  1813; 
Lucy,  born  April  13,  1814;  Orrin,  born  April  5,  1816; 
Julia,  born  April  19,  1818;  Theophilus,  born  May  15, 
1831;  John  W.,  born  August  36,  1833;  William,  born 
April  11,  1835;  Clarissa,  born  August  33,  1839. 

Mr.  Selden  Hall  was  born  in  Meriden,  Connecticut, 
September  19,  1801,  and  died  November  38,  1878. 
In  1833  he,  in  company  with  his  brother  Alfred, 
traveled  on  foot  from  Meriden,  Connecticut,  to 
Brighton,  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  preceding  his  father 


I 


324 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


iind  family  hy  a  year.  When  they  reached  their  des- 
tination, they  found  but  four  white  families  in  the 
tovviisliii)  to  bid  them  welcome  to  au  unbroken  wilder- 
ness, where  mariv-ed  trees  were  the  only  guides  to  dis- 
tant thoroiighl:'ares.  He  had  come  for  the  purjjose  of 
fanning,  and  soon  settled  on  a  piece  of  ground  one- 
half  a  mile  west  of  the  center  of  the  town,  built  a 
substantial  log  cabin,  and  in  1828,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Emily  A.  Smith,  who  lived  with  her  widowed 
mother  and  brothers  on  the  old  Smitli  farm,  on  tlie 
town  line  between  Wellington  and  Brighton. 

Under  the  management  of  this  stirring  pioneer, 
and  his  worthy  wife,  this  forest  home  began  to  put  on 
the  look  of  a  thriving  homestead.  They  were  the  pa- 
rents of  five  children,  viz:  Fidelia  N.,  the  eldest,  born 
June  11,  1829,  was  married  December  10,  1840,  to 
Jasou  W.  Gillett,  the  eldest  son  of  Octavus  Gillett. 
He  came  to  Brighton  with  his  father's  family,  when 
a  boy  of  twelve  years.  The  fruit  of  this  union  was 
three  children.  The  eldest,  Anice  M.,  was  born 
September  12,  1847,  and  was  married  on  tlie  twen- 
tietli  anniversary  of  her  mother's  wedding  day,  De- 
cember 10,  18G(i,  to  Howard  H.  Hall,  the  second  son 
of  Avery  Hall.  He  served  his  country  for  more  than 
two  years,  during  the  late  rebellion,  enlisting  m  the 
Twelfth  Ohio  volunteer  cavalry,  October  i;j,  180.3, 
and  mustered  out  witli  tlie  i-egiment  December  15, 
180.5.  'I'hey  have  one  child,  Charlie  M.,  born  October 
21,  IST'O.  Tlie  second  daughter,  ilinda  J.,  was  born 
August  28,  1851,  and  was  married  November  10, 
1875,  to  Robert  D.  La  Dow,  youngest  son  of  Abraham 
La  Dow,  of  Camden.  One  daugliter  came  to  bless 
this  union, — Maude  A.,  born  June  22,  1878.  The 
third  child,  Octavus  M.,  was  born  March  3,  1853,  and 
was  mai'ried  December  10,  1874,  to  Miss  Mary  L. 
Griggs,  youngest  daughter  of  John  S.  Griggs.  One 
daughter  was  the  fruit  of  this  union, — Eda  B.,  born 
August  0,  1870.  The  second  daughter,  Augusta  M., 
was  Ijorn  February  14,  1832,  and  was  married  May  4, 
1858,  to  James  M.  Jones,  formerly  of  I'ennsylvauia. 
She  died  May  14,  1864.  At  the  time  of  her  death, 
her  husband  was  fighting  for  his  country,  being  in  au 


engagement  on  the  day  of  her  death.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  One  Hundred  and  Third  regiment  Ohio 
volunteer  infantry,  served  three  years,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  with  the  regiment  in  June,  1865.  She  left 
two  boys, — Willie  W.,  born  March  3,  1859,  and 
Frank  S.,  born  May  8,  1800.  The  third  child,  Lo- 
renzo J.,  was  born  February  3,  1836,  and  was  married 
November  25,  1862,  to  Miss  Redia  Griggs,  eldest 
daughter  of  John  S.  Griggs.  He  died  December  29, 
1860,  leaving  one  child, — Horace  E.,  born  September 
29,  1864.  The  fourth  child,  Louisa  C,  born  March 
26,  1842,  and  was  married  November  29,  1866,  to 
James  M.  Jones,  the  former  husband  of  her  late  sister 
(Augusta).  They  have  one  child,  Emily  A.,  born 
June  27,  1875.  The  youngest  child,  Selden  S.,  was 
born  March  26,  1S43,  and  was  married  May  9,  ISOO, 
to  Lorinda  ]\I.,  only  daughter  of  Tlieophilus  Hall. 
He  also  was  a  faithful  soldier  of  the  rebellion,  receiv- 
ing a  severe  wound  in  the  shoulder,  at  the  liattle  of 
Resaca.  Notwithstanding  tliis,  he  served  his  three 
years,  and  was  honorably  mustered  out  with  the  regi- 
ment. He  was  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Third  Ohio 
volunteer  infantry,  a  regiment  whose  record  Lorain 
county  may  well  be  proud  of.  Two  sons  blessed  this 
marriage, — Eber  W.,  born  March  21,  1868,  and  Eddie 
E.,  born  February  28,  1871. 

On  April  24,  1807,  Emily,  wife  of  Selden,  Sr., 
died  from  that  dreaded  disease,  cancer,  after  pro- 
tracted suffering  for  more  than  a  year.  April  29, 
1808,  he  married  Mrs.  Roswell  Smith,  of  Wellington. 
From  that  time  until  his  death,  he  resided  at  the 
Smitli  homestead.  He  was  a  faithful  husljand,  a  lov- 
ing father,  a  warm  friend,  and  a  good  neighbor. 
Many  an  orphan  in  need  has  had  reason  to  remember 
him  with  gratitude,  for  his  kindly  deeds  and  fitly 
spoken  words.  Early  in  life  he  made  a  jirofession  of 
Christianity,  and  for  the  past  fifty  years  he  has  tried 
to  be  a  faithful  follower  of  his  Master,  and  died  with 
the  full  assurance  of  a  glorious  immortality,  retaining 
his  consciousness  to  the  last.  The  thanksgiving  he 
had  planned  to  keep  with  dear  ones  at  home,  was 
spent  with  loved  ones  gone  before. 


^. 


Residence   or   C.  BAILLY,  Amherst  Tp.  lorain  Co.,o: 


AMHERST. 


PHYSICAL   FEATURES. 

Amherst  is  township  six  in  range  eighteen;  lies  in 
the  northwestern  section  of  Lorain  county,  a  dis- 
tance of  three  miles  from  the  lake,  and  is  bounded  on 
tlie  north  by  Black  River,  on  the  east  by  Elyria,  on 
tile  soutli  by  Russia,  and  on  the  west  by  Brownhelm. 
Its  surface  is  moderately  uneven,  and  it  is  traversed 
from  east  to  west  by  tliree  ridges  which  run  the  entire 
length  of  the  lake,  the  ancient  beaches  upon  which 
old  Erie's  waves  spent  their  force  in  ages  of  which 
no  man  knows  the  beginning  or  the  end.  It  is  prin- 
cipally in  these  ridges,  the  north,  middle  and  south, 
tljat  the  Ohio  sandstone  which  has  made  the  name  of 
Amherst  world  famous,  is  found  cropping  out  or  com- 
ing so  close  to  the  surface  as  to  make  quarrying  prac- 
ticable. In  some  places  along  the  north  ridge,  the 
rock  rises  in  mounds  or  ledges.  These  elevations, 
undoubtedly,  were  once  bare,  bleak  islands  in  a  vast 
inland  sea — fortresses  of  rock  which  have  withstood 
the  tiei'ce  onslaught  of  the  north  winds'  advancing 
hosts  of  waves,  through  centuries.  In  some  places 
the  effect  of  the  wave  washing  can  bo  clearly 
seen. 

The  only  streams  of  water  in  the  township  are 
]?eaver  and  Little  Beaver  creeks,  so  called,  because 
the  early  settlers  found  in  them  large  numbers  of 
beaver.  Both  streams  are  small.  They  run  a  nortli- 
erly  course  through  the  townshi)),  and  are  nearly  par- 
allel. 

Tlie  soil  upon  the  ridges  is  sandy,  and  between 
them  it  is  jjrincipally  clay  with  a  black  loam  under- 
neath. 

ORIGINAL    PROPRIETORSHIP. 

Amherst  was  drawn  by  Martin  Sheldon,  Calvin 
Austin,  Oliver  L.  Phelps  and  Asahel  Hathaway. 
Tract  number  two  consisting  of  four  thousand  acres 
in  Black  River,  was  annexed  to  equalize  it.  In  con- 
15  nection  with  the  present  townsliips  of  Black  River, 
Brownlielm  and  Russia,  Amherst  was  in  1817  organ- 
ized into  a  township  under  the  name  of  Black  River. 
.  This  was  by  order  of  the  Commissioners  of  Huron 
county,  issued  in  February  of  the  above  year.  The 
organization  was  effected  iu  the  following  February. 
Brownhelm  was  detached  and  incorporated  as  an  in- 
dependent township  iu  1818,  and  seven  years  later  the 
territory,  now  included  in  Russia  township,  was  sep- 
arated. From  that  time  until  1830  the  present 
townships  of  Amherst  and  Black  River  were  included 
in  one  under  the  latter  name. 


INDIANS. 

When  the  first  settlers  came  into  the  township, 
Indians  were  (piite  numerous.  They  looked  upon  the 
whites  as  an  enemy,  but  the  exhibition  of  ill  feeling 
was  not  decided  or  bold.  There  was  never  auy  serious 
trouljle  between  the  ])ioneers,  and  on  the  contrary 
there  was  an  occasional  interchange  of  kind  civility, 
(leorge  Disbrow.  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  South 
Ridge,  says  that  he  often  had  dealings  with  the  Indi- 
ans, and  was  on  very  jileasant  terms  with  some  of 
them.  He  never  drew  a  rifle  upon  an  Indian  but 
once,  and  then  was  not  oliliged  to  fire.  There  was 
among  the  whites  general  a  feeling  of  distrust  to 
ward  their  nomadic  fellow  human  beings,  and  they 
never  felt  perfectly  secure  until  the  last  red  man  had 
removed  from  their  vicinity. 

Ezeliiel  (i.  Barnes,  a  pioneer  and  celebrated  woods- 
num,  relates  an  incident  that  occurred  as  late  as  182(3. 
There  was  at  that  time  a  growing  dislike  for  the  In- 
dians among  the  young  hunters,  caused,  perhaps,  by 
the  fact  that  the  former  killed  too  many  of  the  deer, 
which  the  whites  regarded  as  exclusively  their  own. 
Young  Barnes  came  to  the  conclusion  that  somethino- 
must  be  done  to  cause  the  Indians  to  clear  the  coun- 
try. He  thought  the  matter  over  and  decided  to  go 
to  them,  tell  them  in  a  friendly  way  of  their  unpopu- 
larity among  their  white  brethren,  and  drop  a  hint  as 
to  the  nature  of  what  might  occur  if  they  remained 
longer  in  the  vicinity.  He  accordingly  went  to  their 
encampment  and  advised  the  Indians  to  journey 
toward  hunting  grounds  farther  west,  adding  that 
there  was  such  a  feeling  among  the  whites  that 
they  would  be  in  danger  of  their  lives  if  they  longer 
remained  here.  The  Indians  listened  stoically  to  the 
story,  and  Barnes  went  home  to  await  develcpments. 
A  few  days  afterward,  learning  that  they  still  re- 
mained in  their  camp,  he  got  together  six  or  eight 
young  men  living  within  a  few  miles  of  his  home, 
and,  late  at  night,  the  party  started  into  the  woods, 
following  a  narrow  pathway  to  the  Indian  hut. 
Barnes  was  captain  of  the  attacking  army.  He 
desired  a  bloodless  victory,  consequently  he  had  all, 
except  one  man  in  whom  he  had  plenty  of  confidence, 
load  their  rifles  without  ball.  He  put  lead  as  well  as 
powder  in  his  own  gun,  and  thus  forearmed  against 
the  savage  dogs,  of  which  the  Indians  were  known  to 
have  several,  the  party  silently  approached  their 
enemy's  hut.  Contrary  to  their  expectation,  the  dogs 
were  not  aware  of  their  ap[)roach  and  made  no  sound. 
The  whole  squad  approached  so  close  to  the  little 

(325) 


326 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


bark  structure  that  they  could  almost  touch  it  with 
their  long  rifles.  All  was  as  still  as  death.  The 
Indians  slept  as  soundly  as  only  people  of  clear  con- 
science are  popularly  supposed  to.  Suddenly,  how- 
ever, they  were  aroused  from  oblivion,  and  rudely, 
too.  The  silence  of  the  forest  was  broken  by  the 
sharp  crack  of  eight  guns,  and  eight  flashes  of  fire 
leaped  out  against  the  bark  wall  of  the  hut.  Tiie 
little  party  of  adventurers  then  filed  back  to  their 
starting  place  as  silently  as  they  had  come,  and  dis- 
]iersed  to  their  homes  in  tin-  firin  belief  that  the 
Indians  had  been  so  friglitciied  that  they  would  leave 
the  counti-y;  and  they  judged  correctly,  for.  on  the 
following  day.  the  camp  was  deserted.  The  Indians 
firmly  believed  that  the  attack  iiad  Ijeen  made  by  men 
who  wished  to  take  their  lives,  and  it  was  no  more 
than  natural  they  should  have  thougiit  so,  for  they 
found,  as  they  declared,  holes  in  the  side  of  the  iiut 
made  by  rifle  balls.  They  left  for  Sandusky,  but 
threatened,  before  they  went,  to  return  with  all  of 
their  tribe  they  could  get  together  in  that  vicinity, 
and  scalp  every  man,  woman  and  ciiild  in  the  settle- 
ment. It  was  feared  by  many  that  the  savage  threat 
wc)uld  be  carried  out;  but  tiie  party  never  returned, 
and  but  few  Indians  were  afterward  seen  in  Amherst 
townsiiip.  These  Indians  were  of  the  Seneca  tribe, 
and  belong'ed  to  the  Sandusky  branch.  Some  time 
before  the  occurrence  related,  Mr.  Barnes  and  another 
young  man  drove  out  a  small  luirty  of  Indians,  fol- 
lowing them  several  miles  rifle  in  band. 

SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settler  in  the  territory  now  included  in 
the  bounds  of  Aniiierst  township,  was  Jacoii  Sliupe. 
He  came  into  Black  River  in  the  year  1810,  and  a  year 
later  moved  to  a  iwint  on  Beaver  creek,  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  mnth  of  the  ])resent  village  of  North 
Amherst.  He  was  of  Dutch  or  German  descent;  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  year  1778,  and  conse- 
(piently  was  thirty-three  years  of  age  when,  in  1811, 
he  made  the  first  clearing  in  the  township.  lie  built, 
in  1813,  the  first  mill  in  the  county  i>t  Lorain.  Pre- 
vious to  this  time  the  settlers  in  Black  River  had  been 
compelled  to  carry  their  grist,  either  to  Chagrin  P'alls, 
forty-eight  miles  distant,  or  to  Huron  River,  thirty 
miles  west,  in  either  case  making  a  journey  of  three 
days"  duration  In  1815  Mr.  Shupe  started  the  first 
distillery,  and  was  quickly  followed  by  some  of  the 
other  settlers  who  came  into  the  neighborhood.  Mr. 
Shupe  Avas  the  father  of  eleven  children,  who  were 
born  in  the  order  in  which  their  names  are  here  given: 
George  and  John,  who  died  very  young;  Louis,  also 
dead;  Peggy,  wife  of  Stephen  Gunn,  of  Michigan; 
Polly,  Betsy,  William  and  Catharine,  all  dead;  Ann, 
now  a  resident  of  Grand  Haven,  Michigan;  Harriet 
who  is  still  living  in  Missouri,  and  Isaac,  fifty-four 
years  of  age,  at  the  ])resent  writing  a  resident  of 
Amherst  village,  in  which  (lot  twenty-five)  he  owns  a 
farm  of  forty-five  acres.  Jacob  Shupe,  the  pioneer, 
was   a   somewhat   peculiar  man,   very  active   in   his 


habits,  energetic  and  untiring.  His  life  was  cut  short 
by  accident.  When  he  was  fifty-four  years  of  age,  he 
was  killed,  while  engaged  in  repairing  his  mill,  by  the 
fall  of  a  heavy  stick  of  timber.  This  was  in  1833. 
His  wife  survived  him  until  1870,  dying  in  her  ninety- 
first  year. 

Reuben  Webb  and  family  came  in  the  year  181-1  or 
181.5,  and  settled  in  the  locality  now  known  as  Webb's 
corners,  but  for  some  time  lived  near  Jacob  Shupe's 
for  the  sake  of  society.  Adoniram  Wcbl)  was  a  son 
of  Reuben,  and  he  in  turn  had  a  son  named  Reuben, 
and  a  daughter  who  married  George  Bryant,  a  native 
of  England,  who  came  to  this  country  in  1830.  and, 
settling  in  Amherst,  took  a  farm  upon  the  south  ridge, 
or  what  is  now  known  as  the  telegraph  road.  Reuben 
Weill)  died  in  \S,--liK  and  Adoniram  not  many  years 
later. 

Chiliab  Smith,  of  Tyringham,  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts,  arrived  in  Amherst  in  October,  1815, 
bringing  his  wife  and  five  chddren.  He  had  three 
sons  and  two  daughters,  Warren,  David,  Sylvester, 
Lucia  and  Florinda.  They  are  all  dead  but  Sylvester, 
who  lives  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  and  the  only  de- 
scendants of  the  old  pioneer  living  within  the  county, 
are  three  children  of  David  Smith,  Mrs.  Wm.  Annis, 
of  South  Amherst,  and  L.  P..  Smith  and  Miss.  L.  E. 
Smith,  of  Elyria.  Chiliab  Smith,  on  coming  into  the 
township,  settled  on  the  south  ridge  road,  about  four 
miles  west  of  Elyria,  and  there  kept  the  first  tavern 
in  the  vicinity.  He  died  in  1847,  and  his  wife  in 
18-i4. 

Roswell  Crocker  came  from  Oneida  county.  New 
York,  and  settled  on  lot  number  forty-four.  He  had 
three  sons  and  five  daughtei's,  all  of  whom,  with  the 
exception  of  Eliza  Ann,  afterwards  the  wife  of  0. 
Barney,  were  born  in  the  township.  She  was  born 
while  the  family  were  on  the  road,  in  New  York  State, 
only  one  day's  journey  from  their  starting  place. 
Mr.  Crocker  lived  in  the  township  for  twenty-seven 
years,  and  then  went  to  Lake  county,  where  he  died 
in  1808,  aged  seventy-one.  His  sons,  Alonzo  and 
L  )renzo,  are  now  residents  of  the  township. 

Caleb  Ormsby  came  from  Becket.  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts,  in  1817,  or  the  following  year.  He 
built  a  log  house  at  the  corners,  now  North  Amherst, 
upon  the  exact  spot  where  now  stands  the  residence 
of  J.  M.  "Worthington. 

Jesse  Smith  settled  on  the  north  ridge  in  1815,  and 
cleared  the  first  farm  in  that  part  of  the  townshiji, 
the  one  now  owned  by  Henry  Todd. 

Stephen  Cable  came  also  in  1815.  He  had  been 
living  before  that  in  Ridgeville.  He  took  up  the  land 
lying  about  the  corners,  at  one  time  known  as  IIul- 
bert's  corners,  si.x  miles  west  of  Elyria.  He  kept  a 
log  tavern  which  afforded  a  temporary  home  to  many 
of  the  settlers  who  came  into  the  county  later. 

Ezekiel  Crandall  and  family  settled  near  Cable's. 

The  Oustines, — father  Federick,  and  seven  sons, 
Daniel,  Frederick,  George,  Heuiy,  John,  Michael  and 
Philip, — arrived  at  about  the  same  time  as  the  above 


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(RESIDENCE  or  EMELINE    COOK,  .v 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


iianied  settlers.  Tliey  came  into  Ainlierst  township 
from  15iifTalo.  but  were  origiiiallj'  from  Canada.  Tliey 
left  that  country  to  avoid  impres.sment  into  the  army, 
and  abandoned  a  property  of  considerable  value. 
Several  of  the  sons  went  into  the  Ignited  States' army, 
and  in  consideration  of  their  services  the  family  was 
granted  by  Congress  a  tract  of  laud  lying  in  the 
utn-tlnvest  ]iart  of  the  township,  and  consisting  of 
nine  hundred  acres.  This  action  on  the  jiart  of  the 
government  was  suggested  by  Mr.  Wiiittlesey,  then  a 
congressman. 

The  Oustine  family  Inirying  ground  is  upon  a  sandy 
knoll  at  the  end  of  a  rocky  ridge.  Here  are  buried  a 
numlter  of  the  family  in  surroundings  fit  to  guard  the 
long  last  sleep  of  the  pioneer.  The  place  is  lonely 
and  romantic.  All  about  seems  serene  and  stately. 
and  no  sound  is  heard  but  the  laughing  of  the  wind 
in  the  ancient  trees  that  overshadow  the  little  group 
of  graves. 

Ezekiel  Barnes,  of  Worcester  county,  Massachu- 
setts, came  to  Amherst  township  in  1817,  with  his 
wife,  a  son-in-law,  and  eight  children.  lie  settled  on 
lot  forty-three,  and  afterwards  bought  a  portion  of  lot 
\  forty-four.  He  was  born  in  .January,  1770,  and  died 
in  his  ninety-first  year,  ISIiO.  His  (children  were 
Ezekiel  (}.,  Sardins  D.,  Palina,  Fanny,  Amanda, 
Lovina  D.,  Juliette  and  Charlotte.  Palina  married 
Koswell  fh-ocker,  and  is  still  living.  Fanny  married 
David  Smith,  son  of  Chiliab  Smith.  She  i.s  the 
niother  of  three  children,  L.  B.,  Livonia,  and  Lovira 
E.,  the  latter  now  in  Elyria.  Livonia  married  Wil- 
liam Annis,  a  son  of,Stephen  Annis,  and  is  the  mother 
of  six  children;  Adelbert,  living  on  the  farm  adjoin- 
ing his  fathers',  and  five  daughters,  two  of  whom  are 
married.  Amanda  Barnes  married  Warren  Smith, 
who  afterward  joined  the  Mormons  and  was  killed  in 
the  raid  on  Nauvoo.  She  is  now  living  in  Salt  Lake 
City. 

Ezekiel  G.  Barnes,  born  in  1799,  is  still  living.  He 
has  resided  on  lot  fifty-seven,  on  the  middle  ridge,  for 
forty  years.  Mr.  Barnes  has  four  children  living  in 
Amherst:  Gilbert  H.,  Louisa,  (Mrs.  J.  Gawne),  Gard- 
ner Monroe,  Henry,  and  S.  N.,  the  latter  on  a  fine 
farm  in  lot  forty-five,  middle  ridge  road.  Mr.  Barnes 
was,  in  his  younger  years,  a  great  hunter,  and  was 
known  through  a  wide  stretch  of  country  as  "Nim- 
rod,"  more  people  probably  recognizing  him  by  that 
title  than  by  his  name.  The  first  season  that  he  be- 
gan hunting  he  killed,  beside  small  game,  eight  or 
nine  deer.  The  next  season  he  had  so  improved  in 
woodcraft  and  marksmanship  that  eighty-three  were 
brought  to  earth  by  his  rifle,  and  the  third  season  he 
killed,  incredible  as  it  may  seem,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  of  these  animals. 

The  most  notable  man  who  arrived  in  1818,  was 
Josiah  Harris.  He  was  a  remarkable  and  truly  great 
man — great  not  alone  in  ability,  tact  and  enterprise, 
but  in  justice,  purity  and  honesty.  Much  of  that 
which  is  admirable  in  the  institutions  and  the  people 
of  Amherst,  is  so  from  the  result  of  his  labor  and 


example.  His  history  is  written  upon  the  township, 
and  his  strong  personality  seems  still  to  pervade  the 
scenes  among  which  was  passed  his  busy,  manly  life. 
He  was,  during  a  long  life,  the  object  of  universal 
respect,  and  his  memory  is  revered  by  all  who  know 
him.  No  man  in  the  township  cxertc^d  a  wider  or 
more  ]>otent  influence  for  good;  no  man  was  more 
active  in  promoting  the  best  interests,  niaterial  and 
moral,  of  the  community.  No  man  was  longer  or 
more  closely  identified  with  its  growth  and  improve- 
ment, and  no  man,  living  or  dead,  has  a  larger  share 
of  the  po])ular  appreciation  and  admiration,  than 
.Judge  Josiah  Harris.  He  was  born  in  Becket,  Berk- 
shire county,  Massachusetts,  November  .30,  1783,  and 
died  March  2(i,  18G7,  aged  eighty  four  years.  He 
made  journeys  to  Ohio  in  1814  and  181.5,  purchased 
laud,  and  in  1818  came  to  Amherst,  arriving  July  2, 
and  immediately  began  the  work  of  building  a  log 
hut  upon  Beaver  creek.  Mr.  Harris  was  elected  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  in  1821,  and  served  for  thirty-six 
years.  He  was  the  first  sheriff  of  Lorain  county, 
served  seven  years  as  associate  justice,  being  appointed 
in  ]8'29;  was  a  member  of  the  general  assembly  of 
Ohio  in  18-.'7,  representing  Cuyahoga  county;  repre- 
sented Lorain  and  Medina  counties  in  the  House,  and 
afterwards  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  from  the 
same  district.  .Judge  Harris  was  probably  the  oldest 
postmaster  in  the  United  States.  He  was  appointed 
by  Postmaster-general  Meigs,  back  in  the  twenties, 
and  held  the  office  continuously  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  (over  forty  years)  except  when  in  the  legisla- 
ture. .Judge  Harris  assisted  in  various  ways  the  de- 
velopment of  the  country.  He  was  agent  for  a  num- 
ber of  eastern  land  owners,  and  in  this  capacity  he 
was  enabled  to  do  many  a  kind  turn  for  the  new  com- 
ers. He  gave  them  the  best  terms  that  he  could, 
aided  them  in  selecting  good  locations,  and  was  liked 
by  all,  because  every  purchaser  knew  that  he  was  in 
no  danger  of  any  oppression  in  default  of  payment 
on  account  of  sickness  or  misfortune,  as  Ions-  as 
.Judge  Harris  stood  between  him  and  the  owners. 
'As  a  magistrate  he  urged  the  settlement  of  suits,  and 
through  his  counsel  parties  litigant  often  left  the 
court  with  all  ill  feeling  removed,  and  their  cause 
amicably  adjusted.  The  children  of  the  Judge  were 
four  in  number.  Josiah  A.,  the  eldest,  w'ho  was  for 
many  years  the  editor  of  the  Cleveland  Herald,  is 
now  dead;  Loring  P.  is  in  Texas;  Milo  is  a  leading 
and  influential  citizen  of  North  Amherst,  and  Em- 
eline  0.  is  living  in  Philadelphia.  A  notable  fact  in 
regard  to  the  Harris  family,  is  that  three  of  its  mem- 
bers have  held  the  oflice  of  sheriff  of  Lorain  county. 
Judge  Josiah  Harris  was  the  first  sheriff;  his  son, 
Josiah  A.,  held  the  office  at  a  later  period,  and  Milo 
Harris  was  sheriff  in  1861. 

Eliphalet  Redington,  or  Captain  Redington  as  he  was 
generally  called,  came  to  the  township  in  February, 
1818,  became  widely  known,  took  a  prominent  part 
in  many  public  affairs  ;  led  an  active  life  and  exerted 
a   strong  influence   in   the   community.     He  was   a 


328 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


native  of  Berksliire  county,  Mitssachusctts,  but  came 
to'Amhei-st  from  Trumbull  county,  where  he  had  re- 
sided for  a  short  time.  He  was  one  of  the  committee 
appointed  l)y  the  legislature  to  locate  the  road  leading 
from  the  Miami  of  the  lake  road  to  Elyria.  Eliphalet 
Redington  settled  on  the  South  Ridge  road.  He  had 
four  children,  Myra,  now  dead,  who  married  Thomp- 
son Miles  ;  Ransom,  also  dead,  who  married  Pamela 
Manter  ;  Tcrsa,  who  married  Addison  Tracey,  and  A. 
TI.,  whose  wife  is  Jane  Bryant.  Mr.  A.  11.  Redington's 
home  has  l>een  most  of  the  time  in  South  Amherst, 
though  since  1875  he  has  been  a  citizen  of  Klyria. 

Elijah  Sanderson  came  at  the  same  time  as  (Japtain 
Redington,  worked  for  him  and  soon  after  settled 
near  by. 

Reuben  Allen  settled  about  this  time  at  what  is  now 
Kirkbride's  corners,  and  Jeremiah  Ferris  west  of  him 
upon  the  main  road. 

Stephen  Johnson  and  his  sister  Abbie,  also  came 
into  the  township  and  settled  in  this  locality,  not  far 
from  the  time  of  the  above  named  pioneers.  Among 
others  who  came  in  the  same  or  following  year,  may 
be  named  Israel  Cash,  Thompson  Blair  and  Jesse 
Smith,  Elisha  Foster  and  his  sons  Elisha  and  Leon- 
ard, and  Daniel  Cornwell, 

Elisha  Foster  was  born  in  ]?i'atllet>oro,  ^"ermont, 
'  in  I7ti.j,  and  originally,  upon  coming  to  Ohio  settled 
in  Avon,  then  in  Cuyahoga  county,  in  the  year  1810. 
He  bought  land  in  the  locality  now  known  as  Foster's 
corners.  Elisha,  Jr.,  took  up  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  near  his  fathei-,  and  Leonard  took  the 
farm  now  owned  l)y  Eiihraim  Towne.  Daniel  Corn- 
well  bought  a  farm  now  owned  by  James  Nichol.  He 
was  untloubtedly  the  first  shoemaker  in  the  township. 
Jesse  Smith  ■  remained  but  a  short  time,  and  then 
moved  into  liussia  townshij),  where  his  son  Loren  now 
resides. 

Jonas  Stratton  came  in  1S1'.».  He  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire  in  1791.  He  settled  near  Webb's  corners. 
His  children  were  H.  D wight,  Lemuel  B.,  Amanda 
and  Lucy.  Dwight  married  Pamela  C.  Bryant,  and 
Lucy  became  the  wife  of  11.  B.  Bryant,  and  thus  was 
foi'med  the  association  of  families  which  was  really 
the  beginning  of  a  partnership  which  became  celebrat- 
ed through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  United 
Sates.  Bryant  &  Stratton's  commercial  colleges  and 
their  system  of  book  keeping  are  known  every  where. 

Nathaniel  Bryant,  senior,  was  born  in  Eastingtou, 
Gloucestershire,  England,  in  the  year  171:9.  He 
came  to  America  in  18"29,  and  settled  in  South  Am- 
herst with  his  son,  John  Bryant,  in  1830.  He  died  in 
South  Amherst  in  18:).5.  His  children  were  John, 
born  in  Sussex,  England,  in  1789.  Mary  (Mrs.  Gil- 
man),  born  in  Coventry,  Warwickshire,  England,  in 
1795.  Robert  (Rev.  IK.  Bryant),  born  in  Coventry, 
England,  in  1797.  Nathaniel,  Jr.,  born  in  Coventry, 
England,  in  1799.  John  Bryant  was  married  to 
Pamela  Collins  in  King  Stanley,  Gloucestershire, 
England,  in  1813.  Pamela  Collins,  wife  of  John 
Bryant,  was  born  in  King  Stanley,  England,  in  1787, 


and  was  the  daughter  of  John  Collins.  She  died  in 
Amherst,  August  24,  18G4.  John  Bryant's  children 
were:  George,  born  in  King  Stanley,  England,  No- 
vember 1,  1814;  Jane,  born  June  1,  1816;  Ann, 
born  in  1819;  John  C,  born  in  December,  1821; 
Henry  B.,  born  in  April,  1824;  Pamela  C,  born  in 
1820.  This  family  came  from  England  to  America, 
in  the  fall  of  1829,  and  remained  in  Philadeliihia 
during  the  winter.  Moved  to  Norwalk,  Ohio,  m  the 
spring  of  1830,  and  thence  to  Amherst  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year. 

Elias  Peabody  settled  in  the  extreme  southwestern 
corner  of  the  township  in  the  year  1819.  He  was 
born  ill  1791,  in  Middleton,  Massachusetts,  and  is  still 
living,  being  in  his  eighty-seventh  year  at  this  writ- 
ing.    His  residence  is  now  in  Russia  township. 

Ebenezer,  Joseph  L.  and  Daniel  G.  Whiton  all  came 
to  the  township  before  1820.  Ebenezer  and  Daniel 
settled  in  1817,  and  Joseph  L.,  though  buying  in  1818, 
did  not  come  to  reside  continuously  until  1832.  The 
farm  which  he  i)urchased  was  in  lot  forty-seven,  which 
is  to-day  the  only  undivided  lot  in  the  township,  and 
the  property  of  his  sou,  Joseph  L.  A  daughter,  Mrs. 
M.  W.  Axtell,.  is  also  a  resident  of  Amlnn'st.  Joseph 
Lucas  Whiton  was  born  in  Lee,  Massachusetts,  in  the 
year  1799.  His  wife  was  Lovina  Wright,  of  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts.  Mr.  Whiton  was  one  of  the 
prominent  men  of  the  township  and  county.  He 
served  seven  years  as  an  associate  judge;  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace  for  twelve  years,  and  was  a  memljcr  of 
the  legislature  in  1851  and  1852. 

Ebenezer  Whiton  came  to  Amherst  in  1817,  the 
month  of  June,  and  removed  to  Elyria  in  1824,  in 
which  year  he  was  aj)pointed  clerk  of  the  court.  He 
served  in  this  otlice  and  that  of  recorder  until  his 
death  in  1834.  Mr.  Whiton  and  wife,  Samantha, 
were  both  from  Lee,  Berkshire  county,  Massachus- 
setts.  Mrs.  Whiton  died  December  13,  1878,  aged 
eighty-four  years.  She  died  in  St.  Charles,  Minne- 
sota, of  which  place  she  had  been  a  resident  since 
1855. 

Harvey  Redington  purchased  lot  thirty-two,  of 
Cable,  in  1819,  and  sometime  during  the  following 
year  settled  upon  it.  One  of  his  children  had  a  very 
narrow  escape  from  death  when  the  family  was  cross- 
ing Rocky  river,  on  the  way  to  Amherst.  One  of  the 
wagon  wheels  went  off  the  bridge,  and  the  sudden 
jolting  movement  threw  the  baby  from  the  wagon. 
The  shawl  in  which  it  was  wrapped  fortunately 
caught  upon  some  blackberry  bushes,  and  the  little 
one  was  thus  saved  from  being  dashed  to  pieces  in 
the  bed  of  the  stream  below.  Redington  was  a  jus- 
tice of  tlie  peace  from  1822  to  1845,  and  the  docket 
kept  during  the  early  years  of  his  service  sliows  that 
people  were  not  more  slow  then  than  they  are  now  in 
going  to  law.  Sums  of  less  than  one  dollar  we 
frequently  sued  for.  There  are  some  entries,  how- 
ever, of  a  nature  not  usually  met  with  iijion  justices' 
records  in  late  years.  For_  instance,  the  ancient 
docket  shows  that  complaint  was  made  by  William  D. 


""■-^:^  ^^)|m,|  i|I|^^^<5NSSSS!^ 


SA.MUEL    KENDEKIH 


MRS.  JANE   C.  KENDEIGII. 


rhotus.  by  Lee,  Elyrin,  i\ 


SAMUEL  KENDEIGH 


was  born  in  Westmoreland  Co.,  Pa.,  July  17,  1823, 
and  is  the  second  son  of  John  and  Nancy  Kendeigh, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  as  also 
was  the  grandfather  of  Samuel,  Henry  Kendeigh, 
who  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  in  that  State, 
in  January,  1796,  and  died  Aug.  13,  1836.  The 
name  as  formerly  used  in  Pennsylvania  was  Kentisch 
or  Kintigii,  and  is  of  German  origin. 

In  the  year  1824,  Henry  Kendeigh,  the  father  of 
him  of  whom  we  write,  emigrated  to  Ohio,  and  settled 
in  the  town  of  North  Amherst,  Lorain  Co.,  in  the 
spring  of  that  year.  The  farm  upon  which  he 
located  was  situated  about  four  miles  southwest  of 
Black  River.  He  remained  there  about  three  years, 
and  then  moved  on  to  the  place  now  occupied  by 
the  widow  of  his  eldest  son,  John  J.  Kendeigh, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  in  1835 
or  1836. 

Samuel  Kendeigh  spent  the  early  years  of  his  life 
as  a  mechanic,  aiding  in  tlie  construction  of  build- 
ings in  the  vicinity  of  his  former  home.  On  the 
27th  of  January,  1854,  he  was  married  to  Jane  C, 
daughter  of  Joiin  R.  and  Esther  Striclvler,  of  Fayette 
Co.,  Pa.  Six  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
namely, — Charles  D.,  Milo,  Esther  Ann,  Jennie, 
Lula,  and  Lottie  (the  last  two  being  twins),  all  living. 
Shortly  after  marriage  he  purcliased  a  farm  contain- 


ing one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Henrietta  town- 
ship. Upon  this  he  remained  about  seven  years, 
clearing  the  land  and  making  improvements.  He 
subsequently  exchanged  the  farm  for  mill  property 
in  North  Amherst,  which  he  owned  and  managed 
for  about  eighteen  months  with  reasonable  success, 
and  tlien  traded  it  off  for  the  well-known  Younglove 
farm  in  Elyria  township.  At  the  expiration  of  a 
year  and  a  half  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  North 
Amherst;  and  from  tiience  on  to  the  Peter  Rice 
farm ;  and  from  there  to  his  present  farm,  which 
is  pleasantly  located  about  seven  miles  west  of 
Elyria.  His  place  is  a  very  comfortable  one,  and 
has  commodious  and  well-arranged  outbuildings,  as 
shown  in  the  illustration  of  it  on  another  page  of  this 
volume.  Mr.  Kendeigh  also  owns  a  farm  of  ninety- 
seven  acres  (adjoining  the  famous  quarries  of  Halde- 
man  &  Son),  which,  owing  to  the  superior  quality  of 
grindstone  and  building  rock,  is  very  valuable.  He 
also  possesses  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
acres  in  Russia  township.  Mr.  Kendeigh  is  a  self- 
made  man,  and  the  very  fact  of  his  accumulating  so 
extensive  a  property  as  he  at  present  owns,  speaks 
well  for  his  enterprise  and  business  sagacity.  The 
aggregate  of  his  landed  possessions  foots  up  three 
hundred  and  thirty  acres,  including  some  valuable 
village  building  lots. 


j^^r 


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'vjyT^e,  j.j.'j'i-- 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


329 


Edsoii  against  Asaliel  Craiidall  iind  Mr.  Lambert  for 
])rofauG  swearing.  Anotlier  entry  shows  a  fine  of 
two  dollars  imposed  for  Sabbath-breaking.  The 
family  of  the  Iledingtons  consisted  of  ten  cliildren, 
as  follows  :  Nancy  (Mrs.  Jolin  Frost),  Ransom  N. 
(on  the  old  lionu'stcad),  Lorinda  {Urn.  Wm.  Ilurl- 
liiii't).  Fjoiiisa  (Mrs.  JJiMiudage),  Ilarmonie  (Mrs. 
Noaii  KUlred),  Henry  II.  (in  Cambridge,  Iowa), 
Myra  (who  was  fatally  injured  by  a  fall),  Terris.?a 
(Mrs.  Joshua  Simmons,  of  Iowa),  Mary  Ann  (Mrs. 
Westley  Morris,  of  Illinois),  and  Alfred  J.  (of  Cam- 
den township). 

Jesse  Cutler  came  into  the  township  about  1830 
and  settled  on  lot  forty-two,  but  remained  only  a 
shoi't  time.  Eli  Wallace  and  G.  Gillett  arrived  aliout 
tlie  same  time. 

Joseph  Quigley  came  in  1S23,  purciiased  lanil  in 
lot  four,  taking  a  deed  of  the  pioneer  Shupe,  and 
immediately  erected  a  log  house,  where  the  present 
stone  residence  of  his  son  George  W.  now  stands. 
He  was  from  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  orig- 
inally, but  had  been  for  eleven  years  a  resident  in 
Black  River.  He  was  born  in  1777.  His  son  George 
W.,  and  wife  Anna  W.,  witli  three  children,  are  resi- 
dent at  this  writing  upon  the  old  place. 

Abram  Rice,  of  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania, 
came  into  the  settlement  in  the  fall  of  183:i,  and  took 
up  one  hundred  acres  of  land  now  owned  by  Benja- 
min llildebrandt  and  Conrad  llageman,  but  a  year 
or  two  later  removed  to  a  farm  a  half  mile  north  of 
Weblvs  Corners.  He  had  seven  sons  and  seven 
daughters — Daniel,  Samuel  (dead),  Mary  (Mrs.  0.  P. 
Kdner),  Ann  E.  (Mrs.  Hiram  Wilbur),  'John  S., 
Melissa  (dead),  Adaline  (Mi's.  VVm.  Pearl),  Margaret 
(Mrs.  I.  G.  Hazel;.,  Nancy  (Mrs.  G.  R.  Barney), 
Susan  B.  (Mrs.  J.  K.  Hazel),  Abram  G.  (dead), 
Westley  C,  Ciiarles  C,  and  George  W. 

Induced  by  his  brother-in-law,  Abram  Rice,  John 
Kendeigh,  Sf. ,  and  wife  Mary,  came  from  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsyhania,  in  1822.  He  made  the  jour- 
ney of  three  huiidi-ed  miles  in  fourteen  days,  driving 
a  Hock  of  sheep.  He  [)urchased  north  of  the  corners 
aiu]  east  of  Shape's  mill,  but  afterward  went  to  the 
southern  part  of  the  township,  where  he  purchased 
land  in  lots  ninety-one  and  ninety-two,  upon  wliieh 
he  resided  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

Henry  Kendeigh,  Jr.,  arrived  in  1823,  and  after  a 
short  residence  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township, 
purchased  one  hundred  and  three  acres  of  land  at 
Kendeigh's  corners,  for  which  he  paid  three  dollars 
]ier  acre.  His  son  .lohn  was  three  years  of  age  when 
he  came  into  Amherst.  The  father  died  in  183G, 
leaving  his  widow,  Nancy,  seven  children  to  provide 
for.  She  brought  up  the  family,  and  died,  at  a  rii>e 
old  age,  in  1871.  Samuel  Kendeigh,  liis  wife  Jane 
C,  and  six  children,  now  live  on  lot  sixteen.  His 
father  settled  on  lot  ninety-five. 

George  Disbrow  and  his  wife  Caroline,  came  from 
Greene  county,  New  York,  in  October,  1834,  and  took 
up  their  residence  upon  lot  ten  (South  Amherst). 

42 


Mr.  Disbrow  brought  with  him  two  ox  teams,  and 
though  well  prejiared  to  begin  life  as  a  pioneer  farmer, 
he  chose  to  follow  his  trade,  which  was  that  of  a 
blacksmith.  He  was  one  of  the  first  trustees  of  Rus- 
sia townsliii).  George  Disbrow  and  wife  were  both 
living  in  1878,  aged  respectively  seventy-eight  and 
seventy-three  years. 

Nicholas  Stanton  and  wife,  Jemima  Traverse,  born 
in  Becket,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  were 
among  the  arrivals  of  1824.  They  settled  upon  the 
west  side  of  Beaver  creek,  but  afterward  sold  out  to 
one  of  the  Oustiues,  and  bought  east  of  the  present 
village  of  North  Amherst. 

Freeman  Richmond  settled  in  Black  River  in  1824, 
or  the  succeeding  year,  but  the  date  of  his  settlement 
ill  Amherst  was  considerably  later.  George  Dudley 
and  Roswell  Cune  were  in  the  township  by  this  time, 
or  soon  after. 

Royal  Barney,  wife  and  family,  of  Ellisburgh,  Jef- 
ferson county,  New  York,  settled  on  lot  forty-five  in 
1825,  it  having  been  purchased  the  year  jirevious. 
Upon  their  arrival,  they  were  welcomed  by  Judge 
Harris,  and  the  tanzy  bitters  bottle  was  l)rought  forth 
to  cement  the  newly  formed  friendshij).  The  Barney 
family  lived  in  the  log  school  house,  near  the  corners, 
until  they  could  build  a  house  upon  their  own  land. 
The  sons  were  Orimel,  Edson  and  Royal.  Orimel  is 
still  a  resident,  and  a  respected  one,  of  North  Am- 
herst, where  he  has  been  engaged  in  various  callings 
and  enterprises.  He  was  station  agent  upon  the  Lake 
Shore  and  Michigan  Southern  railroad  for  twenty-one 
years.     In  1834,  he  married  Eliza  A.  Crocker. 

Salmon  Johnson  came  into  the  settlement  in  1827, 
first  taking  up  his  residence  upon  lot  seventeen.  His 
son,  Alvah  T.,  one  of  the  jn'ominent  men  of  the 
township,  now  lives  upon  lot  sixteen.  Addison  Tra- 
cey  settled  upon  the  South  ridge  in  1820  or  1827. 

Captain  Stanton  Sholes,  born  in  Groton,  New  Lon- 
don county,  Connecticut,  in  1770,  also  settled  in  the 
town  in  1827.  He  had  been  a  captain  upon  the  sea 
and  in  the  war  of  1812;  had  kept  hotel  in  Pittsburgh, 
Akron,  Medina,  Elyria  and  Black  River;  and  was 
quite  a  num  of  afFairs,  active  and  somewhat  eccentric. 
He  purchased  fifty  acres  of  land  in  lot  twenty-three, 
and  liecoming  a  citizen,  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
puljlic  and  social  life  of  Amherst  until  1833,  when  he 
removed  to  Rock  Island,  Illinois.  He  died  in  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  in  1805. 

Ephraim  Towne,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  but  for 
twelve  years  a  resident  of  Willoughby,  Lake  county, 
Ohio,  with  his  wife,  Almira  Mitchell,  settled  on  lot 
forty-three,  taking  seventy-five  acres,  in  1838.  The 
Townes,  with  several  of  their  children,  are  still  resi- 
dents of  Amherst  at  this  writing. 

During  the  same  year,  James  Jackson  and  wife 
came  from  Vermont.  Three  of  their  children,  James, 
Michael  and  Louise,  reside  in  the  township,  and 
Michael  is  proprietor  of  the  Henrie  House  at  North 
Amherst. 

J.  J.  Rice  and  wife,  Emily  .J.,  live  upon  a  farm  of 


330 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


about  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  in  lots  ninety-four 
and  ninety-five.  Mr.  Rice  is  a  descendant  of  tlie  old 
stock,  his  parents  coming  into  tlie  town  in  \S2'J. 
John  B.  and  Peter  Rice  were  also  early  setllers.  A 
Mr.  Norton  came  either  in  1828  or  the  following 
year. 

In  1830,  the  setUoment  liegan  to  increase  quite  fast, 
and  so  many  families  came  in  that  it  is  impossiijle  for 
the  historian  to  present  a  record  of  tlicm  all.  Among 
tliose  who  arrived  about  this  time  may  bo  nu'ntioiicd 
Orjum  Winton,  Eli  L.  Seeley,  Willis  Potter,  John 
and  Ilorace  Steele,  Homer  Tyrell,  Wesley  Perkins, 
Benjamin  Bivcns  and  Irad  Aiken.  Tyrell  was  a  na- 
tive of  Massachusetts.  He  settled  on  lot  fifty-six, 
but  afterwards  removed  to  the  village  of  North  Am- 
herst, where  he  remained  until  IS?'),  when  ho  went 
to  Cleveland.  Eli  L.  Soeley  came  from  t!onnectieut. 
Benjamin  Bivens  was  quite  a  prominent  man  in  the 
community.  He  served  for  quite  a  time  as  justice  of 
the  peace  and  in  other  official  capacities.  A  son, 
Lyman,  still  lives  in  the  township.  Wesley  Perkins 
was  born  in  ISO."),  in  Orwell,  Vermont,  and,  upon 
coming  to  Amherst,  opened  a  shop,  in  which  foi'  manv 
years  he  pursued  his  fi-ade  of  wagon  nrikiiig — also 
sjiending  much  time  nursing  the  sick. 

Willis  Potter  was  a  native  of  Pi-ovidence,  Rhode 
Island.  He  took  up  a  farm  adjoining  that  of  E.  Towno, 
in  lot  forty-two.  His  fainily  consisted  of  himself,  wife 
and  fhirtecn  childi-en.  Three  of  the  five  who  arc  still 
living  reside  in  Amherst:  W.  P.,  Sylvestei'.  aud  Kli/.a- 
beth  Moore.  Among  those  who  cam(»  soon  after 
1S:J0,  were  (he  Beklens,  M.  B.  ;iud  Iliram.  They 
were  born  in  Berkshii'c  county,  Massachusetts,  and 
came  west  at  the  solicitation  of  their  uncle.  Captain 
Stanton  Sholes.  Hiram  cauie  to  North  Amherst, 
then  known  as  the  Corners,  in  l!s3'.t,  hut  refuiMied 
home,  and  did  not  come  with  intention  of  permanent 
residents  until  1833.  Ho  purchaseil  lot  foi1v  in 
Brownhelm,  but  Captain  Sholes  made  him  a  ]iresent 
of  fifteen  acres  of  land  in  lot  ninety-seven  (Amherst), 
on  condition  that  he  woulil  Imild  and  live  thereon. 
Later  he  moved  into  the  village  of  North  Amherst. 
His  children  living  are  Lucy,  Mattie  J.,  Ellen  C, 
Hattie  S.,  Hiram  and  Hnlsoy.  M.  B.  Belden  came 
in  1834,  and  took  land  mi  lots  ninety-seven  and 
ninety-eight.  He  has  four  cliildren  living:  Eli/a  A. 
(Robertson),  Prudence  A.,  Rollin  B.  and  Clarissa. 

John  B.  Robertson  was  a  prominent  arrival  in  183-1. 
He  was  born  at  Ballston,  Saratoga  county,  New  York, 
in  17!i7,  and  came  to  Ohio  in  1820.  On  coming  to 
Amherst  he  settled  on  lot  sevenry-sevcii,  on  the  mid- 
dle ridge,  where  he  resided  most  of  the  time  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1875.  He  was  a.  ]iolitieian 
of  (H)nsiderable  influence;  democratic  in  ])rinciple. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  legislature  of  Nebraska, 
in  18.5(i,  and  in  the  following  year  was  appointed  by 
President  Bucliamin  as  agent  ammig  tlie  Oimiha  In- 
dians. In  185!)  he  returned  to  Amherst.  His  family 
consisted  of  his  wife.  Temperance  Foot,  of  Berkshire 
county,  Massachusetts,  and  five   children:  Sarah  M., 


Theodora  IL,  (died  in  1874,  near  Omaha),  John  B. 
Jr.,  who  was  a  farmer  until  18G5,  and  for  the  past 
six  years  has  been  marshal  of  North  Amherst  village, 
Frank  Nelson,  and  M.  L..  now  the  wife  of  Parks 
Foster,  of  Elyria. 

Eli  A.  Turney  came  in  1833,  from  Geauga,  county, 
Ohio. 

Among  those  who  came  at  a  still  later  day  thnn 
those  settlers  wiio  are  named  in  the  foregoing,  we  men- 
tion Elam  Fairchild,  of  C!onnecticut,  who  settled  in 
South  Amherst  in  1841;  E.  P.  Fi-ink,  whose  mother 
came  with  six  children,  in  1832,  from  New  York 
State.  They  owned  laml,  first  in  the  Shupe  farm, 
then  in  the  Onstine  tract,  and  E.  P.  and  his  wife, 
.\urelia,  now  live  on  lot  si\t  v-three. 

Codfrey  and  Sarah  Fowle  were  early  settlers  u])ou 
the  south  ridge,  oi-  telegraph  road,  on  lot  eighty-seven. 
They  had  nine  chililrcu:  Henry,  Eli/.aboth,  Catha- 
I'iuc,  Sarah,  ALirgaret,  Codfrey,  Jacob,  Mary  K., 
Philip  J.,  and  (roorge.  J.icob  now  lives  on  lot  sev- 
enty-tiiree,  and  Philip  J.  on  lot  eighty-eight. 

Henry  Remington  ciimo  in,  in  1840,  having  lived 
the  previous  eighteen  yeai-s  in  Pittsficld,  and  Russia, 
and  in  the  State  of  Indiana. 

Lyman  Cole  took  nj)  his  residence  on  lot  ninety-one 
in  1854,  and  Henry  Robinson  several  years  later,  on 
lot  ninety-two.     Both  were  from  New  York. 

Joseph  Trost,  a  native  of  France,  came  in  1853, 
and  has  been,  since  18G5,  foreman  of  the  Wilson  & 
Hughes  stone  quarry.  We  mention  him  as  a  re]ire- 
sentative  foreigner,  aud  one  of  the  very  few  of  his 
nationality  resident  in  the  townshij). 

Joseph  Duress  is  a  leading  citizen,  of  Irish  nation- 
ality, aud  a  section  master  upon  the  Lake  Shore  and 
Michigan  Southern  railroad. 

OROANIZATION    01'   TltR    TOWXSIiri'. 

An  ap]ilication  was  made  to  the  legislaturf^  for  the 
seiiarate  organization  of  Black  river,  in  1829,  and  on 
the  12th  of  .January,  1830,  an  act  was  passed  incor- 
porating the  townshi]).  aud  the  act  further  ])rovided 
that  township  number  six  in  range  eighteen,  should 
be  detached,  and  remain  separate  from  fractional 
township  numl'er  seven,  aud   be  known  as  Amherst. 

The  name  was  bestowed  by  Jonas  Stratton,  in  honor 
of  the  town  of  Amherst,  in  liis  native  State,  New 
Hampshire. 

In  April,  1830,  the  first  election  was  held  at  Daniel 
Whiton's  house,  on  the  middle  ridge.  Following  are 
the  officers  who  were  at,  that  time  elected:  clerk. 
.Tosiali  Harris;  treasurer,  Stanton  Sholes;  trustees, 
Salmon  Johnson,  Royal  Barney,  David  Smith;  consta- 
Ijles,  Alvali  T.  .Johnson,  Shedrich  Moore;  overseers  of 
the  poor,  Royal  Barney,  Stanton  Sholes. 

The  officers  of  1878  are  the  following:  clerk,  John 
Utile;  treasurer,  William  Brown;  assessor,  Anton 
Stiwald;  trustees,  Joseph  Whiton,  Henry  Clans,  Jo- 
seph Robbins;  justices  of  the  peace,  Jacob  Hildebrand, 
E.  II.  Ilinmai),  William  H.  Plain;  constables,  John 
B.  Robertson,  Orriii  Storv. 


(  PHOTOS    BY  LEE.  EUTRIA.C.  ) 


Caspep^  Dute 


/^RS. Casper  Dute, 


y&i:^;^g^:^;^■g■"■^^■W^^^^^^;afe:^;»^-?!^^^^ 


OLD    f{OME, 


F^ESiDENCE  or    CASPER    DUTE,   North  Amhefist,  Lqf?ain  Co.  Ohio. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


331 


FIRST   EVENTS. 

Tlio  lir.st  iiianiugo,  according  to  tlio  testimony  of 
several  old  settlers,  was  that  of  Aretus  Oillniore  and 
Ora  Weljl),  an  adojited  dangliter  of  Adonii'am  Webb. 
This  conple  wei'o  nnited  by  Jolm  S.  Reid.  The  date 
we  have  been  unable  to  ascertain.  The  service  that 
united  Abel  Garlicli,  a  stone  eutter  of  Cleveland,  and 
Betsy  Ferris,  is  said  by  some  to  have  been  the  first 
ever  celebrated,  but  the  greatest  weight  of  authority 
attests  the  priority  of  the  marriage  of  the  first-men- 
tioned couple.  The  latter-mentioned  marriage  took 
])lace,  according  to  the  best  recollection  of  Exekiel  G. 
Harnes,  in  IS:M  or  18;il. 

The  elements  of  the  pathetic  and  the  grotesqr.e 
were  strangely  mingled  upon  the  occasion  of  the  first 
burial  in  the  township.  A  very  young  child  of  the 
Webbs  sickened  and  died  soon  after  tiiey  settled  in 
tlie  place.  They  were  living  at  the  time  near  Jacob 
8hu|)e's,  in  the  northern  jiart  of  the  township,  but 
owned  land  in  the  southern  part,  upon  which  they 
intended  to  take  up  their  permanent  residence,  and 
naturally  desired  that  the  child  should  be  buried 
tlici'e.  The  distance  to  the  Webb  clearing  was  four 
miles.  Old  man  Shupe  took  the  child  in  its  tinyeof- 
liu,  in  front  of  him,  upon  his  horse,  and  followed  the 
trail  through  the  woods  to  the  jihieeof  burial,  whist- 
ling ;dl  the  way,  and,  it  is  alleged,  to  the  tune  of  Vaii- 
L'cfl  Dijodlv.  The  body  of  tlie  child  was  consigned  to 
mother  earth,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  lit- 
tle burying  ground  lying  upon  a  gentle  slope,  at  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  South  Ridge  road,  as  one  goes 
I  toward  Heiirietta  hill.  Others  of  the  family  have 
long  been  sleeping  by  the  side  of  the  little  one  whose 
rude  burial  occurred  more  than  half  a  century  ago. 

The  first  child  born  in  the  township  was  Betsey, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Shupe.  She  was  born  in  1811, 
was  twice  married,  the  first  time  to  John  T.  Clay, 
and  then  to  one  Musselman;  she  died  in  1878,  in 
Michigan. 

Alon^o  and  Lorenzo,  sons  of  Roswell  Crocker,  were 
the  tirst  twins  born  in  the  township.  They  are  both 
living — the  oldest  men  born  in  Amherst.  They  wore 
liorn  ill  Ajiril,  1819.  Captain  John  S.  Reid,  of  Black 
liiver,  promised  to  name  a  vessel  of  his,  about  to  be 
launched,  after  the  twins,  on  condition  that  tlieir 
mother  would  take  them  on  board  and  remain  there 
with  them  until  the  vessel  was  in  the  water.  Mrs. 
( 'rocker  took  the  babes  to  Black  River  and  accepted 
Captain  Reid's  offer,  but  became  afraid  at  the  last 
moment  and  refused  to  comply  with  the  condition  the 
caiitain  had  imposed. 

The  first  male  child  born  in  the  township  waf  'n 
all  probaliility  a  son  of  Stephen  Cable,  but  this  car  A 
be  alisolutely  afflnned.  The  first  acre  of  tindjer  cut 
in  the  township  fell  under  the  blows  of  Roswell 
Crocker's  axe.  He  was  engaged  to  cut  it  by  Judge 
Harris,  and  the  amount  of  pay  agreed  upon  was  four 
dollars.  The  work  was  performed  so  satisfactorily, 
and  so  (piickly,  that  the  Judge  made  Mr.  Crocker  a 


present  of  half  a  dollar  in  addition  to  the  amount 

earned.     The  North  Amherst  post  office  stands  about 
iqion  the  center  of  the  acre  thus  cleared. 

The  first  saw  mill,  the  first  grist  mill,  and  tlie  first 
distillery  were  luiilt  iiy  .lacob  Shupe.  It  is  ]>robable, 
too,  that  l_)y  his  hand  was  sowed  the  first  wheat  that 
turned  to  gold  under  the  summer's  sun  in  Amherst. 
The  firil  log  house  was  built  liy  .Jacoli  Sliiqie,  and  he 
undoubtedly  built  the  tirst  frame  house.  The  first 
brick  house  was  erected  by  one  of  the  Oustines,  and 
is  still  standing  in  North  Amherst  village,  just  west 
of  Beaver  creek,  dwelt  in  by  Ilalsey  Belden.  Chiliab 
Smith  is  thought  to  have  built  the  second  frame 
house;  and  (laptaiii  Redington  is  generally  accredited 
with  the  erection  of  the  tirst  frame  building  at  South 
Amherst.  'J'he  first  school  house  was  a  small  log 
structure  upon  the  North  ridge.  Caleb  Ormsby 
planted  the  first  orchard,  where  the  house  of  James 
M.  Worthington  now  stands. 

G.\ME. 

(rame  was  not  so  alnindant  in  Amherst,  as  in  s(.)me 
of  her  sister  townships.  Deer  were  very  plenty,  and 
a  few  of  the  early  settlers  killed  largo  nundjers  of 
them.  All  kinds  of  small  game  were  found,  but 
bears  were  not  by  any  means  common.  Several  were 
killed  in  the  early  tlays,  and  one  was  slaughtered  as 
late  as  1830.  by  Theron  Wliite.  It  pursued  .James 
Jackson,  about  half  a  mile,  at  a  somewhat  leisurely 
run,  but  sutficiently  fast  to  nudic  him  exert  all  of  his 
powers  of  pedestrianism. 

Among  the  wild  beasts  to  he  found  in  the  woods, 
the  "shack"  hogs  were  more  feared  than  any  other, 
animals,  except  Bruin.  They  were  very  ugly  cus- 
tomers to  meet  in  droves,  and  if  the  hunter  did  not 
take  gooil  care  of  himself,  he  was  liable  to  receive 
terrible  wounds  from  their  long,  sharp  tusks.  A 
small  herd  of  them  once  drove  Michael  Jackson  and 
two  other  boys,  Isaac  and  Joseph  \V'hel[)ley,  to  take 
refuge  in  a  tree,  and  kejit  them  there  half  of  'the 
night. 

Deer,  as  has  been  before  said,  were  killed  in  great 
niimiiers  during  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  years  after  the 
township  was  settled.  It  has  already  been  I'elated 
that  E/ekiel  G.  Barnes  shot  many  of  them.  Other 
hunters  did  nearly  as  well.  After  1825,  or  1830,  but 
few  were  seen,  though  there  are  several  instances  of 
their  lieing  found  still  later.  Dr.  Samuel  Strong  dis- 
jiatched  one  which,  after  running  along  the  road  for 
some  time  in  front  of  his  house,  finally  got  its  leg 
fastened  in  a.  log  bridge.  Royal  Barney  had  a  terri- 
ble encouutiu-  with  a  s])ike  buck,  upon  the  middle 
ridge,  and  came  very  near  being  worsted  in  the  en- 
counter, the  animal  turning  at  bay.  He  succeeded 
in  getting  hold  of  the  hind  feet  of  the  buck,  iiowever, 
and  kee])iiig  ujion  the  op])osite  side  of  a  small  sapling, 
worried  him  until  he  lost  strength,  and  then  cut  his 
ham  strings  and  killed  him.  Mr.  Barney  came  out 
of  the  struggle  an  almost  completely  used  up  man. 


332 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Sometimes  luiiits  were  engaged  in  with  great  .lutici- 
]);itions,  and  tlie  results  were  very  small;  and  ad- 
ventures jilanned  wliieli  ended  ludicrously  enough. 
Something  of  the  kind  was  within  the  experience  of 
Rosvvcll  Crocker.  He  had  lost  several  sheep,  or  sup- 
jiosed  that  he  had,  and  finally,  with  careful  preparor 
tion  and  all  due  precaution,  a  ti-ap  was  cunningly  set 
to  capture  the  hear  or  wolves  wliicli  had  committed 
the  depredation.  The  next  morning  one  of  his  own 
fine  fat  hogs  was  found  in  the  trap  enduring  the  tor- 
ture as  coolly  as  could  be  expected  of  an  animal  sup- 
posed to  love  ease  and  comfort. 

Rattlesnakes  were  very  numerous  in  tlie  stone 
ridges,  and  were  often  killed  by  hunters  and  others 
who  happened  to  go  near  their  favorite  haunts. 
They  were  much  dreaded  Ijy  the  settlers.  It  is  related 
of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Putnam,  a  brother-in-law 
of  one  of  the  Redingtons,  that  when  he  first  came  to 
the  settlement  he  stepped  upon  a  rattlesnake,  and  was 
so  frightened  that  he  returned  to  New  York,  and 
remained  there  forty  years  before  he  again  ventureil 
into  the  western  wilds. 

LOST  IN  THE  WOODS. 

On  one  occasion  Ezekiel  G.  Barnes,  while  upon  a 
hunting  exhibition,  found  himself  at  night  a  consid- 
erable distance  from  home,  resolved  to  camj)  out  in 
the  woods.  His  doing  so  was  the  cause  of  a  life  being 
saved.  The  silence  of  the  forest  was  broken  by  a  ci'y 
which  sounded  like  a  woman's  voice,  and  evidently 
was  borne  from  a  quite  distant  ])oint.  The  young 
hunter  lighted  a  torch  at  his  little  camp  fire,  and 
started  through  the  dense  wood  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  sound  came.  He  had  ]>rocceded  alioufc 
half  a  mile,  when  he  discovered  a  woman  on  horse- 
back. She  had  lost  the  trail,  and,  afraid  to  descend 
from  her  horse  on  account  of  wolves,  was  in  great 
jjcrplexity  and  distress,  and,  as  may  be  sujiposed,  was 
overjoyed  at  Mr.  Barnes'  appearance.  The  woman 
was  Mrs.  Porter,  of  Elyria,  the  mother  of  Samuel 
Porter,  of  North  Amherst.  She  was  on  her  way, 
when  lost,  to  Jacob  Shupe's,  to  get  one  of  his  daugh- 
ters to  assist  in  caring  for  her  sick  husband.  Barnes 
went  with  Mrs.  Porter  to  Shupe's  house,  and  then 
returned  with  her  to  p]lyria,  acting  in  the  capacity  of 
guide,  ])hilosoi)her  and  friend. 

AN    EARLY    FOUIITII    OF   JULY    CELEMKATION. 

Orimel  Barney  relates  a  pleasant  incident  of  1827, 
the  first  Fourth  of  .July  celebration  held  in  the  settle- 
ment. Preiiarations  were  made  for  an  out-door  meet- 
ing u})on  Independence  I>ay,  and  as  the  weather  was 
fine  the  few  settlers  who  assembled  had  a  very  pleas- 
ant social  time.  The  meeting  was  held  on  the  farm 
of  Daniel  G.  Whiton,  and  there  were  present  nearly 
all  of  the  settlers  then  resident  in  the  township,  with 
their  families.  The  dinner  was  a  substantial  meal  of 
venison,  with  turkey,  wild  grape  puddings,  iron-wo  d 
bark  coffee,  and  was  washed  down  with  occasional 
draughts  of  Ohio  whisky,  which  was  doubtless  neces- 


sary to  take  away  the  taste  of  the  peculiar  variety  of 
coffee  used. 

A    SPIRIT    MEDIUM. 

Whisky  was  in  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  a 
legal  tender  or  a  circulating  medium.  Notes  were 
made  payable  in  whisky  upon  condition  that  the  corn 
crop  pi'oved  good,  and  payable  in  hickory  nuts  if  the 
corn  cro|)  should  be  poor.  Not  long  after  Jacob 
Shupe  started  his  distillery  several  others  were  put  in 
operation,  and  one  locality  had  so  many  at  one  time 
that  it  was  dubbed  "  Whiskyville" — a  name  which  it 
retains  to  this  day.  Nearly  all  of  the  whisky  manu- 
factured was  for  home  consumption,  and  was  often 
given  in  payment  for  a  day's  work  or  in  exchange  for 
various  commodities.  The  liquor  had  at  least  one 
merit.  It  was  an  honest  article.  The  equivalent  in 
money,  for  a  gallon  of  whisky,  was  from  a  shilling 
up  to  twenty  cents,  and  even  two  shillings.  The  dis- 
tillers after  Jacob  Shupe  were  Michael  Oustine,  Ste- 
])hen  Gunn,  Nathan  Edson,  Lewis  Shupe,  Elias 
ilann,  .John  Hildebrand  &  Snider,  and  Ira  Tillotson. 

THE     EAKLY    TEMPERANCE    SOCIETY. 

The  first  temperance  meeting  was  held  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1833.  being  gotten  up  by  Captain  Stanton 
Sholes.  A  society  was  formed  of  which  he  was  made 
president.  Dr.  Samuel  Strong,  vice-president,  and  Di: 
John  Quigley,  secretary  and  treasurer.  There  were 
fifteen  members.  One  of  them — Wesley  Perkins — 
Being  sick  sometime  after  the  organization  of  the 
society,  sent  to  Orlum  Winton's  for  whisky.  Winton 
happened  to  be  out  of  the  required  article,  and  think- 
ing it  would  be  a  g(jod  joke  upon  the  newly  fledged 
total  abstinence  man,  sent  him  a  bottle  of  spring 
water.  Judge  Harris,  on  learning  of  the  trick, 
reproved  Mr.  Winton,  and  getting  his  own  jug  filled, 
took  it  to  Perkins'  house,  where,  soon  after,  another 
friend  arrived  bringing  a  bottle  of  wine  and  other 
delicacies,  intended,  jirobably,  to  counteract  the  effect 
of  the  water,  in  case  the  sick  man  had  I'aslily  drunk 
of  it. 

MORMONISM. 

In  IS.'Sl,  or  []w,  following  year,  Mornionisni  made  its 
api)earance  in  the  community,  and  gained  from  forty 
to  fifty  adherents.  One  of  the  jireachers  was  a  man 
named  Fuller,  and  the  arch-ai>ostle,  Rigdon,  also 
labored  in  this  field.  They  preached  in  ])rivate 
houses;  iield  meetings  quite  frequently,  and  at  one 
time  aroused  a  considerable  excitement.  A  few  of  the 
converts  made  joined  in  the  westward  heigera,  but 
most  of  them  became  lukewarm  in  the  faith,  or  re- 
lapsed altogether  into  the  old  manner  of  life  and  way 
of   tliinking. 

CHURCHES. 

The  church  history  of  Amherst,  could  it  all  be 
produced,  would  make  a  bulky  and  interesting  chaji- 
ter.     The  zeal  of  the  peojile  for  organizing  churches 


.^ 


--  ^*&^i^^^-x 


Photos,  by  Lee,  Elyria. 


^.£^^ 


'^a^      ■y^J^^Z^C^^^^' 


^oLi^Zcry^^  ^    TS^l-^^y^^ 


GEOKGE    BRYANT. 


George  Biyaiit  was  born  at  Stanley,  Gloucester- 
shire, England,  and  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  six 
children  of  John  and  Pamelia  (Collins)  Bryant,  of 
Gloucestershire,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  in 
company  with  his  brother's  family  and  others  in  the 
year  1829,  landing  in  New  York  on  the  29th  day 
of  November  of  that  year.  They  went  from  New 
York  to  Philadelphia,  at  which  latter  place  they  re- 
mained until  April,  1830,  when  they  returned  to 
New  York,  and  proceeded  thence  up  the  Hudsou 
River  to  Albany,  in  a  packet  commanded  by  Captain 
Littk'john.  At  Albany  they  took  passage  on  the 
Erie  Canal,  and  after  a  week's  travel  arrived  at 
Buffalo.  After  a  sojourn  of  a  few  days  in  the  then 
infant  Lake  city,  they  embarked  on  the  schooner 
"  Young  Lion,"  bound  for  Sandusky,  where  they 
landed  in  the  early  days  of  ISIay,  1830.  From  San- 
dusky they  proceeded  to  Norwalk,  and  on  the  8th 
day  of  October,  just  one  year  from  the  time  of  leav- 
ing their  home  in  the  old  country,  they  settled  in  the 
present  town  of  Amherst,  and  one  year  later  pur- 
chased the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  George 
Bryant,  whose  name  heads  these  lines. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1837,  Mr.  Bryant  married 
Adeline  Lodoisk,  daughter  of  Adinirum  Webb  and 
Deidamia  Moore,  of  English  ancestry,  though  Amer- 
icans by  birth.  This  niarria2:e  was  blessed  with  eiglit 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living,  namely:  Mary 
D.,  wife  of  James  Redford,  of  Hays  City,  Kan.sas  ; 
George  W.,  married  Sarah  Howard,  lives  near  the 
old  homestead;  Parniclia  C,  wife  of  George  Caiup, 
of  Laport,   Lorain    Co.,  Oiiio;    Elmer  C,  married 


Hainiali  Kelley,  and  resides  in  South  Amherst; 
Charles  C.  lives  with  his  parents;  Ellen  T.,  wife  of 
Darius  Plumb,  she  died  May  10,  1863  ;  Fernando 
D.,  died  Feb.  18,  1841;  Dorliska,  died  Sept.  11, 
1841. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Bryant  commenced 
clearing  land,  and  cleared  ninety-one  acres  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Lyman  Cole.  On  the  16th  of 
February,  1865,  he  moved  on  to  the  farm  he  at 
present  occupies,  and  has  continued  to  improve  it 
ever  since.  He  now  has  a  well-cultivated  and  pro- 
ductive farm,  upon  which  are  comfortable  buildings. 
He  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Lorain  County,  an<l  a 
good  practical  farmer.  He  is  now  sixty-four  years 
of  age,  and  his  wife  is  sixty-two,  and  they  have  lived 
together  forty-two  years. 

In  the  year  1836,  John  Bryant,  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  erected  u  residence  on  the 
present  site  of  that  in  which  the  latter  now  resides, 
and  while  on  his  way  from  Pittsburgh,  whither  he 
had  gone  to  purchase  windows  and  doors,  the  house 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  He  rebuilt  in  1837  the  hou.se 
now  occujued  by  his  son  George. 

Mrs.  Bryant  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Amherst,  with  which  she  formerly  united 
in  1864.  Mr.  Bryant  is  a  man  of  great  personal 
integrity  and  general  worth,  and  a  firm  believer  in 
moral  manhood.  Himself  and  wife  are  both  liberal 
supporters  of  all  enterprises  tending  to  the  public 
good  or  the  advancement  of  the  community  in  which 
they  have  lived  so  long,  and  in  which  they  are  so 
highly  respected  and  esteemed. 


m^t^'  ^^j^^a^i^^-t-t^  /p£o^^o^i^JL 


JOHN  J.   KENDEIGH. 


The  Kendeigh  family  is  of  Genuan  origin,  the  progeni- 
tors of  the  present  stock  having  settled  in  Lancaster  Co., 
Pa.,  some  years  prior  to  the  commencement  of  the  present 
century.  Henry  Kendeigh,  Sr.,  of  Lancaster,  had  two  sons, 
Henry  and  John  ;  the  former  born  Jan.  20,  1796;  the 
latter,  Jan.  8,  1800.  When  John  was  quite  young,  his 
father  removed  to  Lebanon  Co.,  Pa.,  and  to  Carlisle,  Perry 
Co.,  in  1812.  In  1823,  Henry  and  John  Kendeigh  were 
induced  to  move  to  Ohio  by  their  brother-in-law,  Abram 
Rice,  starting  from  Westmoreland  Co.,  Pa.  They  occupied 
two  weeks  in  making  the  journey.  John  made  the  entire 
distance  of  three  hundred  miles  on  foot,  driving  before  him 
thirty  sheep  and  three  head  of  cattle,  and  keeping  pace  with 
the  team  which  brought  his  family,  and  which  was  driven 
by  his  brother-in-law  above  named.  Henry  drove  a  team 
consisting  of  three  horses  and  a  Pennsylvania  wagon,  in 
which  were  his  wife  and  two  sons,  Daniel  and  John  J., 
together  with  their  goods  and  chattels.  Henry  married 
Nancy  Rice,  and  John  married  Mary  Rice,  sisters  of  Abram 
Rice.  After  coming  to  Ohio,  John  J.  Kendeigh  married 
Cecelia  Tooze,  of  Tiverton,  Devonshire,  England,  March 
18,  18G3.  She  was  born  May  11,  1839,  and  came  to 
Oberlin  in  the  fall  of  1856.  To  them  were  born  three 
children,  namely, — Henry  B.,  born  Feb.  19,  1866;  Jonas 
E.,  born  May  3,  1867  ;  Mary  Emma  A.,  born  March  27, 
1873.  The  two  latter  were  born  in  the  old  homestead  at 
Kendeigh 's  Corners. 

Mrs.  Kendeigh  was  an  old  and  succe.ssful  teacher,  having 
spent  some  time  in  study  at  Oberlin.  She  taught  school  in 
Pittsfield,  Oberlin,  Russia  township,  and  South  Amherst, 
and  also  in  the  district  in  which  she  now  resides. 

John  J.  Kendeigh  was  born  in  Fayette  Co.,  Pa.,  Aug. 
5,  1820.  His  father  died  in  1836,  leaving  a  family  of  five 
sons  and  one  daughter  to  the  care  of  his  widow.  John  J., 
the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch,  being  the  eldest,  though 
only  sixteen,  had  to  take  the  place  of  his  father  to  some 


extent  in  assisting  his  mother  to  care  properly  for  the  other 
children.  The  fidelity  with  which  he  fulfilled  this  mission 
is  best  known  to  his  brothers  and  sister  who  survive  him, 
and  remember  with  grateful  aifection  his  labors  of  love  for 
them.  Through  the  whole  of  his  life,  Mr.  Kendeigh  has 
had  more  than  an  ordinary  share  of  responsibility  on  his 
hands.  For  fifteen  years  his  mother  was  a  great  sufferer 
from  that  painful  disease,  chronic  rheumatism.  For  many 
years  he  cared  for  her  alone,  much  of  the  time  attending  to 
the  farm  and  doing  the  work  of  the  house.  After  his  mar- 
riage, as  above  stated,  his  wife  proved  a  helper  indeed  to 
him,  and  cheerfully  assumed  a  part  of  the  care  of  his  af- 
flicted mother.  Faithfully  and  well  did  each  fulfill  their 
mission  of  love  for  the  dear  one  until  her  sufierings  were 
terminated  by  death,  July  14,  1871,  after  having  been  bed- 
ridden for  four  and  a  half  years. 

]Mr.  Kendeigh  was  a  mechanic  by  nature,  especially  as  a 
carpenter  and  joiner.  At  an  early  day  he  acquired  a  dex- 
terity and  aptness  for  tools  used  in  that  branch  of  business, 
and  buildings  erected  even  in  his  boyhood  arc  among  the 
most  elegant  in  his  neighborhood,  and  are  regarded  as  su- 
perb pieces  of  workmanship.  Mr.  Kendeigh  was  a  man  of 
natural  taste  and  refinement.  He  was  a  genuine  musician  ; 
sang  well  and  played  excellently.  He  had  a  fondness  for 
sacred  music,  and  held  a  place  in  the  choir  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  for  many  years.  His  soul  was  attuned  to 
music,  which  had  a  harmonizing  and  refining  influence  on 
all  the  social  elements  of  his  life. 

After  an  eminently  useful  and  honorable  life,  he  died 
June  2,  1876,  and  his  earthly  remains  repose  in  the  family 
burying-ground  at  Kendeigh's  Corners.  He  left  a  most 
amiable  and  loving  wife  and  three  children  (mentioned 
above)  to  mourn  the  irreparable  loss  of  a  fond  husband  and 
an  affectionate  father.  They  enjoy  the  consolation,  how- 
ever, that,  owing  to  his  blameless  and  meritorious  life,  their 
loss  will  be  his  gain. 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


333 


seems  only  to  luive  been  equalled  by  their  cureless  dis- 
regnrd  of  retaining  records.  Eiohteen  or  twenty 
churcbes  have  been  organized,  and  ten  are  in  exist- 
ence at  the  present  writing,  but  the  older  organizations 
which  have  the  most  interesting  history,  liave  witiiout 
exception  failed  to  preserve  their  early  papei's,  and  in 
two  or  three  instances  have  nothing  whatever  worthy 
of  tiienanicof  record.  The  historian  has,  therefore, 
been  conij)elled  to  rely  solely  upon  the  menioi-y  of 
early  residents.  A  strange  anecdote,  but  one  of  which 
the  truth  is  attested  by  many  persons,  is  related  of  the 
building  of  the  first 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL   (JIIITRIJII. 

A  class  had  been  in  existence  for  some  time,  but  no 
church  building  had  ever  been  erected  up  to  1830,  or 
perliaps  1833.  Some  time  between  the  years  here 
mentioned,  Captain  Stanton  Sholes,  an  eccentric,  but 
honorable  man,  of  whom  mention  has  been  heretofore 
made,  became  the  instrument,  in  the  hand  of  Provi- 
dence, for  the  establishment  of  a  .place  of  worshij). 
He  was  riding  his  horse  along  the  road  one  day,  when 
the  animal,  making  a  vicious  sidelong  movement, 
unseated  him.  His  foot  remained  fastened  in  the 
stirrup,  and  he  was  dragged  along  the  rougli  road  for 
some  distance  at  a  terrible  rate  of  s])eed.  Ilis  life 
was  of  course  in  great  peril.  Captain  Sholes  testified 
afterwards  that  he  was  never  so  thoroughly  frightened 
and  overcome  with  the  fear  of  a  horrible  death  as  at 
this  time,  lie  instinctively,  as  persons  will  when  in 
danger,  prayed  that^  his  life  might  be  spared,  and 
made  a  promise  within  his  heart  that  if  God  delivered 
him  from  death,  he  would  build  llim  a  house  of 
worship.  Almost  instantly  the  horse  stopjjed,  and 
hastily  extricating  himself  from  his  perilous  position, 
he  resumed  his  ride.  Within  three  days  from  this 
occurrence,  the  captain,  true  to  the  sacred  promise  he 
had  made,  began  preparations  for  the  building  of  a 
meeting  house.  Tlie  work  was  soon  pushed  to  com- 
jiletion,  but  some  obstacles  to  its  i)rogress  were  met 
with  and  overcome.  When  the  frame  was  in  readi- 
ness to  be  raised,  a  large  crowd  gathered  to  assist  in 
tlie  work;  but  Captain  Sholes,  who  was  a  staunch 
temperance  man,  refusing  to  furnish  liquor,  tlie  men 
could  not  be  induced  to  exert  themselves.  They  had 
assembled  with  the  expectation  of  having  a  wild 
carouse.  They  could  not  forego  the  pleasure,  and 
they  succeeded  before  they  dispersed  in  having  what 
was  probably  tlie  largest  spree  ever  known  in  Am- 
herst. When  they  found  that  there  was  no  hope  of 
getting  any  li((uor  from  Captain  Sholes,  they  pur- 
chased quite  a  quantity,  procured  miljc  and  sugar, 
and  bringing  a  large  churn  out  on  to  the  village 
green,  made  up  a  collossal  punch,  of  which  all  who 
chose  to,  imbibed,  some  so  freely  tliat  the  effects  of 
the  li(|Uor  were  very  plainly  visible.  There  are  not  a 
few  gray-haired  men  now  in  Amherst  who  i-emember 
the  scene  presented  upon  the  little  park  that  day;  and 
there  are  some  who  look  back  to  the  occasion  as  the 
first  and  only  time  they  were  ever  under  the  influence 


of  the  ardent.  The  church  was  not  raised  until  some 
days  or  weeks  later,  wlien  Captain  Sholes  gathered 
together  the  total  abstinence  men  of  several  adjacent 
townships,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  build- 
ing go  up. 

There  is  no  record  left  to  show  who  was  the  first 
preachei'  in  this  historical  house,  or  who  were  tiio 
early  otlieers  of  thechun^h.  The  building  remained 
in  use  until  it  was  replaced'  in  1875  by  a  more  com- 
modious structure,  at  a  cost  of  three  thousand  dollars. 
The  trustees  in  1878  were  James  .Jackson,  Walter 
Seeley,  E.  C.  Shuler,  V.  A.  Criffin  aud  James  Abel. 
Following  are  the  stewards:  James  Jnckson,  Walter 
Seeley,  E.  CI.  Shulei-,  Alvah  T.  Johnson  (recording 
steward).     Kev.  S.  E.  Breen  became  ])astor  in  1878. 

CONfiREGATIONAL   OnUKCn  OF  NORTH    AMHERST. 

None  of  the  early  records  of  this  church  are  in 
existence,  aud  the  information  which  the  historian 
has  been  able  to  glean  in  regard  to  it,  is  not  of  an  exact 
nature,  as  dates  cannot  be  supplied.  The  church 
came  into  being  soon  after  that  of  the  Methodists,  in 
whose  house  it  was  organized  by  the  assistance  of  Kev. 
Dr.  Betts  and  the  Rev.  Brown,  of  Brownhelm,  Father 
Eells  and  the  Rev.  Goodell,  of  Birmingham.  The 
original  members  were  John  Cliapin  aud  wife,  A.  S. 
Moffatt  and  wife.  Freeman  Nye  and  wife,  Nathan 
King,  Miss  Bassett,  Almond  Chapin,    Homer  Tyrell, 

and  wife, Smith,  (!alvin   Harris  and  wife,  aud 

Miss  Harriet  Chapin.  John  Chapin  and  A.  S.  Moffatt 
were  elected  deacons.  Father  Eells  preached  for  a 
short  time  after  the  organization  of  the  church. 

The  church  split,  in  two  or  three  years,  upon  the 
rock  of  abolitionism,  several  members  who  lived  on 
the  South  Ridge  withdrawing  and  forming  a  separate 
association.  The  church  was  one-half  or  two-thirds 
composed  of  whigs,  with  a  sprinkling  of  democrats 
and  abolitionists.  A.  S.  Moffat,  who  is  mentioned 
as  one  of  the  first  members  cast  the  first  abolition 
vote  in  Amherst.  The  present  church  building  was 
erected  in  1840,  after  a  long  and  tiresome  exertion  on 
the  ]»art  of  a  few  strong  sup[)i)rters  of  Congregation- 
alism. The  lot  was  a  gift  from  Judge  Harris.  There 
were  two  factions  iri  the  church.  One  of  them  strove 
to  keep  the  church  within  the  Congregational  Asso- 
ciation, and  the  other  endeavored  to  achieve  an  inde- 
pendent organization.  The  latter  was  successful,  but 
the  church,  after  several  years'  existence  in  an  inde 
]icndent  state,  went  back  into  the  association.  The 
preaching  for  a  number  of  years  was  almost  entirely 
by  the  professors  from  Oberlin  College.  At  the  close 
of  the  year,  1878,  the  church  makes  a  favorable  show- 
ing as  regards  membership)  and  general  prosperity. 
The  membership  is  sixty-five.  Present  pastor.  Rev. 
H.  C.  Haskell.  Officers  of  the  church  :  clerk,  Mrs. 
George  Bryant  ;  deacons,  E.  P.  Tuttle,  Alexander 
Lambertson.  Officers  of  the  society:  trustees,  John 
B.  Clough,  A.  L.  Spitzer,  A.  Riggs  ;  secretary,  E.  H. 
Hinman;   treasurer,  Charles  E.  Cook. 


334 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


SOUTH  AMIIEUST  METIfOUIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

Tills  chui-cli  was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1824,  and 
meetings  were  held  at  Welilj's  house  and  other  dwell- 
ings until  1838,  when  a  jjhice  of  worship  was  raised 
which  has  since  then  been  In  use.  ifcv.  Charles 
Elliott  was  the  first  minister.  George  Dlsbrow  was 
elected  clerk. 

The  pastor,  in  1878,  was  Rev.  S.  E.  IJreen,  who 
also  has  charge  of  the  M.  E.  Ohuroii  at  North  Am- 
herst. The  trustees  at  present  are  0.  A.  Feleh,  Jolin 
Petty,  Edwin  Durand,  James  Wyatt  and  Jonathan 
Messoll  ;  stewards,  John  Petty,  Edwin  Durand  and 
James  Butson. 

THE    NORTH    AMHERST    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

It  is  probalde  that  ]ireaclinig  was  Ijegun  t)y  the 
Baptists  in  North  Andierst  at  a  very  early  day. 
The  Rev.  Geo.  R.  Bryant  is  known  to  liave  ocea- 
slonallv  preached  there.  The  present  Baptist  church 
was  organized  in  the  winter  of  1854.  The  Rev. 
Geo.  W.  Allen,  having  resigned  his  pastorate  at  Bir- 
mingham, came  to  reside  up.ni  the  south  ridge,  and 
being  disengaged,  was  urged  to  pi-cach  fur  the  few 
Baptists  in  the  vicinity.  Tiie  lirst  meeting  held  Ijy 
him  was  in  the  Metiiodist  ciiurch  in  Decembei'  of 
1853.  In  the  following  winter  a  series  of  meetings 
were  held  and  many  persons  experienced  religion.  A 
strong  desire  for  church  fellowship  being  engendered, 
notice  was  given  of  the  intention  to  organize  a 
church,  and  on  the  8tli  day  of  Feliruary,  ]8.")4,  a 
number  of  persons  holding,  lettei-s  of  dismissal  from 
various  Baptist  churches  assembled  in  the  Methodist 
meeting-house,  where,  after  preaching  by  the  Rev.  S. 
Wadsworth,  the  regular  Baptist  cluireii  in  North 
Amherst  was  organized  with  the  following  mem- 
bers: Rev.  Geo.  W.  Allen,  Lewis  R.  Cook,  Liith;  r 
Owen,  Beujamin  Iirdfeni,  Luther  IJonner,  Ansel  F. 
Wattles,  Reuben  Allen,  Phebe  A.  Bonner,  Emellne 
C'ook,  Rutli  Crocker,  Elizabeth  A.  Blanchett,  Eliza 
Bonner,  Mary  Wilford,  Lucy  A.  Barney,  Nancy 
Owen,  Hannah  0.  Allen  and  Pearly  Allen.  Lewis 
R.  Cook  was  chosen  clerk.  L.  Owen  and  L.  Bonner 
were  made  deacons.  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Allen  was  the 
first  minister  of  the  church.  The  first  persons  ba.]i- 
tlzed  were  Abigail  Wattles,  Bliss  Remington,  William 
Wilkinson,  Anna  Medlnirn,  Anna  Maria  Foster  and 
Emily  G.  Cook,  March  12,  1854.  The  place  of  meet- 
ing was  for  two  years  the  old  school  house  or  town 
hall,  but  In  185G  was  commenced  the  erection  of  I  be 
l)resent  cliurch  edifice.  It  was  dedicated  in  Decem- 
ber of  the  same  year,  the  Rev.  J.  I).  Fulton,  then 
of  Sandusky,  otficlatlng.  The  lot  upon  which  the 
structure  was  raised  was  beught  of  the  Cleveland  and 
Toledo  railroad  company.  Rev.  Anuisa  Heath  became 
pastor  in  1857  and  was  superseded  in  1800,  after  nine 
years  efficient  service,  ])y  the  Rev.  Charles  II.  DeWolf, 
then  of  Seville.  In  Septendjer,  18G7,  Rev.  S.  Jones, 
of  Rldgevllle,  became  pastor,  and  two  years  later  gave 
place  to  the  Rev.  William  U.  Stenger,  of  Zanesville. 


Rev.  C.  C.  Park  entered  upon  his  pastorate  in  Novem- 
ber of  1870.  The  present  deacons  of  the  church  are 
N.  L.  Cotton  and  Frank  Snyder;  and  the  clerk,  Les- 
ter Cook.  Ezra  Straw,  Frank  Snyder  and  Lester 
Cook  are  trustees. 

CllUUcn    OF   THE    EVANOELICAL    ASSOCIATION. 

'J'iils  German  church  was  organized  in  1845.  The 
presiding  elder  was  J.  G.  Zinger,  and  the  constituent 
members  were  J.  G.  Tliouer,  Adam  Iloll,  Phil  Rau, 
John  Berk,  Philip  Beal,  John  Holzhauer,  Jacob  Vet- 
ter,  Geo.  Miller  and  Geo.  Ilosenfplug.  The  new 
church  was  established  in  l.sri4,  and  the  building  was 
brougiit  from  Browiihelm.  Tlie  j)ai'sonage  was  built 
in  1861.  The  jiresent  jiastor  is  the  Rev.  Jacob  llon- 
necker.  Tills  church  Is  in  the  village  of  North  Am- 
herst, but  has  a  lirancli  u]ion  the  south  ridge  road, 
of  which  Rev.  Leonard    Li  ler  was  tiie  first  minister. 

THE    CONCREGATIONAL   CIIURCH    OF    SOI'TII    AMIIEUST 

was  organized  on  "the  second  day  of  December,  1834. 
Addison  Tracy  was  clerk;  Alexander  Gaston  was  aji- 
polnted  deacon  in  January,  1835.  The  church  build- 
ing was  erected  in  the  winter  of  1838  and  1839.  H. 
Tyler  is  the  present  supply  pastor,  and  the  following 
are  the  present  officers  of  the  church:  Deacons, 
Lyman  Cole,  Alonzo  Wright,  Sr. ,  J.  W.  Humphrey; 
clerk  of  the  church,  George  Prince;  clerk  of  the 
society,  Alonzo  Wright;  treasurer,  D.  J.  Dulmage; 
trustees,  D.  J.  Dulmage,  (ieorge  Prince  and  Luther 
Clark. 

ST.    1'AUL's    LUTHERAN    CHURCH 

was  established  in  North  Amherst  in  1874,  and  luis, 
at  the  present  writing,  a  nienibei'siil|i  of  thirty-seven 
persons.  Rev.  Louis  Damuiaiin  is  pastor,  and  has 
held  that  office  for  three  years.  The  trustees  elected 
for  1878  were  L.  Boeslng,  William  Ilintzand  WiUiani 
tirugal. 

ST.  Peter's  EVAN(iELicAL  church 

was  constituted  ir.  October,  1857.  Tiie  lirst  trustees 
were  Adam  Ilargeniann,  B.  Ilililebnuid,  Henry  Young 
and  John  Sehaiier.  'I'he  present  pastor  is  the  Rev. 
Jacol)  Von  Tabel,  and  the  trustees  are  John  G.  Bans, 
(i.  Cotli,  H.  Scliunch,  John  I'reidrlch,  F.  Reffennlg, 
(i.  Roth  and  V.  Fey.  Tlie  cburc-li  is' in  North  Am- 
herst. 

Tin;  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 

of  North  Amherst  originated  in  18G8.  Previous  to 
that  time  Rev.  L.  Molon,  of  Elyria,  had  been  for 
three  years  holding  monthly  services  in  a  room  be- 
longing to  John  Plato,  in  the  old  Reuben  Wooleott 
building.  About  six  families  attended.  The  con- 
gregation having  considerably  increased,  it  was  de- 
cided, in  18G8,  to  have  a  snitablc  place  for  holding 
religious  services,  and  accordingly  a  lot  was  bought  of 
Joseph  Trost,  on  Tenney  Street,  upon  which  was 
erected  a  church  building  thirty  by  forty  feet  m 
dimension,   which   was  consecrated   ou   the   15th  of 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


335 


August.  Ill  1873,  Rev.  R,  Roucliey  was  settled  as 
pastor  of  the  Vermillion  and  North  Amherst  Catholic 
churches,  and,  after  he  hud  been  with  the  society  for 
one  year,  it  was  found  that  it  had  grown  so  as  to 
necessitate  an  enlargement  of  tlie  building.  The 
addition  was  built  in  1873.  Rev.  Roucliey  was  in 
charge  of  the  congregation  up  to  August,  1875,  after 
wliich,  the  present  ])riest.  Rev.  Joseph  Roemer,  was 
sent  liy  Bishop  Gilmour  to  take  charge  of  the  church, 
and  also  that  at  Vermillion. 

SCHOOLS. 

School  houses  wore  built  at  an  early  day  in  the 
north  and  south  parts  of  the  township.  It  is  now 
impossible  to  ascertain  vyhich  jiortion  of  the  settle- 
ment tlie  j^enple  first  did  honor  unto  themselves,  by 
providing  for  the  instruction  of  their  children.  A 
school  house  located  on  lot  forty-eight,  ujton  tlic 
south  ridge,  is  said  to  have  l)een  the  first  in  the  town- 
ship. Sophronia  Rlair  taught  a  small  school  tliere. 
Another  was  built  upon  lot  thirty-eight,  just  east  of 
"the  corners"  n,nd  outside  of  the  present  corporation 
line  of  North  Amiierst.  Miss  Fanney  Barnes  (now 
Mrs.  David  Smitii)  was  teacher  here  in  the  summer 
of  1823,  and  afterward  Miss  Philania  Barney,  (Mrs. 
S.  N.  Moore),  taught  in  the  same  log  building. 
Joseph  Quigley  erected  a  building  near  his  home  for 
the  quaker  Mollenoux  to  preach  in,  and  it  was  also 
used  as  a  school-liouse  until  Henry  Walker  bought  it 
and  converted  it  into  a  dwelling  house.  Miss  Murray 
of  Carlisle,  afterwards  the  wife  of  Clark  Eldred,  of 
Elyria,  was  the  first  teacher  in  this  school-house.  The 
first  male  teacher  was  either  Wm.  H.  Root  of  Shef- 
field, or  J.  A.  Harris.  Both  of  them  taught  at  an 
early  day  in  the  (Quigley  school.  Joseph  L.  and  Daniel 
G.  Wliiton  were  also  teachers. 

The  present  district-schools  of  Amherst,  and  the 
public  schools  of  North  Amherst,  compare  favorabl}' 
with  those  of  otlier  places  of  similar  size.  Passing 
from  the  mention  of  tlie  smaller  district  and  sub-dis- 
trict-schools, we  will  follow  the  growth  that  ha.s  cre- 
ated the  present  school  of  North  Amherst  village.  It 
was  not  long  before  tlie  accommodations  of  tlie  old 
school-houses,  with  their  rough  slab  seats  with  pegs 
driven  in  them  for  legs,  were  found  insufficient  for  the 
growing  needs  of  the  community.  The  old  town-liall, 
a  frame  building  twenty-five  by  thirty-five  feet  in 
dimensions,  was  used  as  a  school-house  until  184!), 
when  it  was  removed  to  its  present  location,  on  Clnirch 
street.  Hereafter  being  made  more  appropriate  for 
the  use  intended,  by  refitting,  it  was  again  made  to 
serve  as  a  jilace  for  the  education  of  the  youth  until 
1856,  when  it  was  found  to  be  too  small  for  the  in- 
creased number  of  pupils.  In  the  year  mentioned 
the  village  of  Amherstville,  as  it  was  tiien  called,  was 
organized  into  a  union  school-district,  with  Josiah 
Harris,  Alvah  T.  Jolinson,  Dr.  A.  A.  Crosse,  Dr.  A. 
C.  Moore,  Daniel  Axtell  and  M.  Wilton  as  directors. 
Judge  Harris  donated  a  piece  of  land  as  a  site  for  a 
school-house,  and  the  directors,  after  some  delay,made 


arrangements  for  the  creation  of  a  brick  building. 
Charles  Tjeach  drew  the  plan,  and  the  contract  for 
Iniilding  was  awarded  to  Daniel  Axtell  and  M.  Du- 
rand.  The  building  was  erected,  two  stories  in  height, 
and  twenty  five  by  forty  feet.  The  brick  were  made 
from  clay  taken  from  the  cellar  and  baked  upon  the 
spot.  'I'hc  cost  of  this  building  was  about  three 
thousand  two  hundred  dollars.  In  1874  the  building 
was  found  inadequate  to  accommodate  the  cliildren  of 
the  village,  and  an  addition  was  built,  which  nearly 
doubled  the  capacity  of  the  school.  Plans  for  the 
addition  were  drawn  by  L.  Dickenson,  and  the  eon- 
tract  was  let  to  Pliilip  SilHe  and  Adam  IIoll.  The 
new  part,  and  rejiairs  ujion  tlie  old,  cost  six  thousand 
dollars.  'I'liis  Iniilding  affords,  at  the  present  writing, 
ample  accommodation  for  over  five  hundred  children. 
The  jtresent  suiierintendent  is  J.  P.  Yarrick,  and  the 
school  board  is  composed  of  John  P.  Jenne,  presi- 
dent; George  E.  Biyant,  secretary;  E.  C.  Shuler, 
Joseph  Barber,  John  G.  Bans  and  Henry  A.  Plato. 
The  first  superintendent  under  the  system  now  in  vo- 
gue was  1j.  a.  Gray. 

PHYSICIANS. 

Prior  to  1830  there  was  no  resident  physician  in 
An;herst.  Dr.  Baker,  of  Florence,  and  Dr.  Chair- 
man, of  Elyria,  administered  to  the  sick  up  to  that 
year.  Dr.  Samuel  Strong  came  in  1830,  and  was  the 
pioneer  of  a  host  of  medical  gentlemen  who  came 
after.  Following  is  a  list  of  the  physicians  in  the 
order  of  their  coming  :  Drs.  Samuel  Strong,  Cook, 
Smith,  Luman  Tenney,  Wright,  L.  D.  Griswold,  B. 
F.  Blackmer,  II.  F.  Hulibard,  A.  A.  Crosse,  Sladiel, 
Tompkins,  Smith  2nd,  Charles  Crosse,  C.  C.  Oran- 
dall,  J.  Bryant,  Woigaud,  Evans,  Price,  A.  C.  Moore, 
Wilsey,  More,  Tuttle,  Leuse,  Gibbs,  Oaks,  Arndt, 
Mrs  Arndt,  Schenck,  Schraeder,  Reitel,  Charles 
Rockwood,  D.  W.  Starkey,  H.  Lilly,  0.  P.  Maynard. 

Of  these  Drs.  Crosse,  Moore,  Rockwood,  Maynard 
and  Mrs.  Arndt  are  resident  in  1878.  Dr.  Crosse 
came  in  1842,  and  Dr.  Moore  in  1851. 

ROADS. 

Tlie  present  Middle  Ridge  road  was  opened  as  a 
trail  at  a  very  early  day,  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
first  mail  was  carried  through  the  township  upon  the 
line  of  this  road.  Roliert  Wolverton  was  the  first 
mail  carrier.  The  Telegraph  or  South  Ridge  road 
was  next  opened  and  put  in  good  shape,  and  the  stage 
coaches  carrying  mail  and  passengers  went  tlirougli 
on  this  road.  The  Cleveland  road  was  next  laid  out, 
Hiram  Belden  doing  much  of  the  surveying. 

BURIAL   I'LAOES. 

The  burying  grounds  in  Amherst  are  more  numer- 
ous than  in  most  townships.  The  first  one  laid  out 
was  that  on  the  Cleveland  road  just  east  of  the  vil- 
lage of  North  Amherst.  There  is  one  upon  the 
Middle  Ridge  (lot  sixty-three),  one  near  Kendeigh's 
corners,  lot  (ninety-four),  one  at  Webb's  corners,  one 


33G 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


at  South  Amherst  (lot  ten,)  and  another  u])ou  the 
North  Ridge,  beside  several  small  burial  places  and 
family  lots. 

TAVEllNS. 

The  first  tavern  kept  at  South  Amherst,  was  that 
of  the  Webbs.  Stephen  Cable  kept  soon  after.  At 
North  Amherst,  when  it  was  known  as  "the  corners," 
Judge  Harris  had  a  log  tavern  very  soon  after  his  arri- 
val in  1818,  and  was  landlord  for  many  years.  The 
Henrie  house,  or  rather  a  small  portion  of  it,  was 
originally  built  by  Dr.  Samuel  Strong.  Following  is 
a  list  of  landlords  at  North  Amherst  down  to  and 
including  thejjresent  proprietor  of  the  Henrie  house: 
Josiah  Harris,  L.  Foster,  Father  Champney  (Old  Pie), 
J.  B.  Whelpley,  Wm.  F.  Ringland,  L.  P.  Harris, 
Thomas  Case,  Ira  B.  Tillotson,  Thomas  Brown, 
.Tames  Allen,  .Joseph  Hamlin,  Franklin  Blackmer, 
Smith  E.  Crandall,  Orimel  Barney,  H.  F.  Hubbard, 
Smith  Steele,  John  Steele,  Horace  Steele,  Samuel 
Ketideigh,  Joseph  Trost,  .James  Jackson,  M.  .Jackson, 
Latliro])  &  Walker,  and  M.  .Jackson. 

INDUSTRIAL    PURSUITS. 
THE  STONE  (JUARIUES. 

The  vast  formation  of  sandstone  underlying  a  j)or- 
tiou  of  the  State,  seems  nowhere  to  be  of  better 
quality  for  purposes  of  architecture,  than  in  the  town- 
ship of  Amherst  and  its  vicinity.  Tlie  quarrying 
business  is  here  most  eminently  practicable,  and  the 
stone  laud  being  near  the  lake,  the  question  of  trans- 
portation was  ready  solved,  as  soon  as  the  work  of 
taking  out  the  treasure  was  commenced.  The  close 
pro.Kimity  of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  offers  another 
great  advantage  to  those  whose  business  it  is  to  delve 
for  a  nation's  building  material. 

Nature  has  formed  here,  and  left  accessible  to  man, 
what  is  practically  an  inexhaustible  sup[)ly  of  the  best 
building  stone  upon  earth.  Estimating  the  thick- 
ness of  tiie  stone  at  an  average  of  only  lifty  feet, — -and 
good  authorities  say  that  it  must  be  nearer  an  hun- 
dred,— the  number  of  cubic  feet  afforded  by  one  acre 
would  be  over  two  million.  One  hundred  men  could 
scarcely  <juarry  out  a  full  aero  from  top  to  bottom  in 
less  than  ten  years"  constant  labor.  Vast  as  has  been 
the  amount  of  stone  taken  from  the  Amherst  quarries, 
it  sinks  into  insignificance  in  comparison  with  that 
remaining.  The  stone  lies  almost  entirely  above  the 
ground,  and  above  the  drainage  level,  and  the  huge 
blocks  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  Canada, 
and  even  Soutii  America,  are  quarried  without  any  of 
the  obstructions  found  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 
A  list  of  hundreds  of  buildings  built  of  the  Amherst 
stone  might  bo  given,  imt  we  have  space  for  only  a 
few  of  the  most  important  as  follows: 

Ooininion  Bank,  British  American  Insnr.ance  Building,  St  James'  Ca- 
thedral, Consumer's  lias  Company  Buildiuij,  of  Toi'onto,  Canada;  the 
Windsor  Hotel,  Montreal,  Canada;  Post  Ofticeand  Custom  House,  Little 
Rock,  Arkansas;  Best  Brewery,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin;  J.a  Fayette 
Siiu-ire  <  'hureh.  and  Central  Presbyterian  Church,  Baltimore,  Maryland; 
Palmer  House,  William;  Block.  Grand  PaciBc  Hotel,  Tremont  House, 
Honore  Block,  Bryan  Block,  Nixon's  Building,   McCormick's  Reaper 


Block,  Henry  Corwitb's  Buddmg,  S.  B.  Cohb's  Building,  Hale  &  Ayer's 
Building,  Bookseller's  Row,  Stewart  &  Busby's  Bu  Idings,  Chicago;  State 
Capitol,  Lansing,  Michigan;  City  Hall,  Detroit,  Michigan;  Boody  House, 
Toledo,  Ohio;  County  Court  House,  Cleveland,  Ohio;  City  Hall,  Colum- 
bus, Ohio;  W.  Ct.  Fargo's  Dwelling,  Buffalo,  New  York;  Powers'  Block, 
Rochester.  New  York;  McCarthy's  Bank,  Sj'racuse,  New  York;  Univer- 
sity Buildings,  Easton,  Pennsylvania;  Jewish  Synagogue,  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  Brooks  Brothers  &  Co's  Store,  W.  B.  Astor's 
Dwellings,  New  York  City;  Prospect  Park,  Brooklyn,  New  York;  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania;  U.  S.  Court 
House  and  Post  Ofiflce,  Trenton,  New  Jersey ;  U.  S.  Custom  House  and 
Post  Office,  Ogdensburg,  New  York;  Princeton  College,  Elizabeth,  New 
Jersey;  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  Philadelphia,  Church,  corner  South  and 
Broad,  Philadelphia,  Agricultural  College,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania ; 
County  Court  House,  SteubenviUe,  Ohio;  County  Court  House,  Zanes- 
ville,  Ohio;  Post  Office  and  Court  House,  London,  Canada;  Post 
Office  and  Court  House,  Hamilton,  Canada;  Custom  House,  University 
of  Toronto,  Normal  School,  Toronto,  Canada;  City  Hall,  Peterboro,  Can- 
ada; Parliament  Buildings.  Ottawa,  Canada;  Moleson's  Bank,  Christ's 
Church,  Montreal,  Canada;  Trmity  College  Buildings,  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut; Rossmore  House,  Roosevelt  Hospital,  New  York;  Gardner 
Brewer's  Building,  Fifty  Associates'  Building,  New  South  Church. 
Young  Men's  Christian  Ass'.ciation,  Boston. 

The  Stone  business  of  Amherst,  like  all  great  indus- 
tries, had  a  small  and  humble  beginning.  Before  the 
great  value  of  the  stone  was  known,  owners  of  the 
best  quarry  land  in  Amherst  and  vicinity  would 
gladly  have  taken  for  an  acre  of  the  so  called  "waste 
land"  what  is  now-a-days  paid  for  fifty  cubic  feet  of 
building  block,  or  its  equivalent  in  grindstones. 

Henry  Warner  first  opened  the  Browniielm  quarry, 
now  owned  by  the  Worthingtons,  in  1847,  and  is  be- 
lieved to  have  shiiqiod  the  first  stone  sent  out  from 
this  section.  The  blocks  were  hauled  on  wagons  to 
Vermillion,  and  from  there  shipped  to  their  destina- 
tion in  Canada,  having  been  jjurchased  by  John  Wor- 
thington,  then  a  contractor.  Mr.  Warner  gave  for 
this  quarry  six  hundred  dollars,  worked  it  six  years, 
and  then  sold  it  for  six  thousand  dollars.  He  was  a 
native  of  Middlesex  county,  Connecticut,  and  had  a 
varied  experience  before  he  became  one  of  the  pioneer 
([uarrymen  of  Lorain  county. 

Grindstones  were  taken  out  of  the  John  Elliott 
quarry,  lots  fifty-nine  and  sixty  in  Amherst,  in  1848, 
by  Sylvester  Silsby.  There  were  no  lathes  then  in 
use,  and  the  work  of  shaping  the  stones  was  done  en- 
tirely with  the  chisel.  This  quarry  was  worked  for 
fifteen  years  by  William  James,  who  finally  bought  it 
of  Elliott.  Parks  and  E.  C.  Foster  were  the  next 
owners,  and  they  sold  to  Ceorge  E.  Hall,  of  Cleveland, 
who,  ill  turn,  sold  to  Worthington  &  Sons.  lilock 
stone  was  furnished  from  this  quarry  for  the  building 
of  the  abutments  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southein  Kailroad  bridge  at  Ashtabula,  when  -the 
road  was  established.  It  was  taken  out  by  Ackley  & 
Smith. 

Henry  Warner  was  associated  with  Mr.  Clark  in  the 
ownership  of  the  middle  quarry,  now  owned  by  the 
Clougli  Company,  in  1854.  Baxter  Clough  bought 
into  this  quarry,  and  soon  became  the  sole  owner. 
Warner  afterwards  became  owner  of  what  is  at  this 
writing  the  Ilaldeman  quarry. 

Nearly  all  of  the  stone  quarries  of  this  townshi2i  have 
l>assed  through  the  ownership  of  many  parties,  and 
been  developed  in  different  degrees  by  each  until  to-day 
they  form  such  a  collossal  interest  as  to  have  brought 


■mDTDLE        QUARRY.     AMHERST. 

VIEW  OF  CLOUGH  STONE  COMPANY'S  Q 


GRINDSTONE      LATHC      AMHERST 


===S^ 


?IES.      OFFICE.  NORTH  AMHERST,  OHIO. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


337 


together  ciiougli  jteople  to  form  a  village  of  one  tliou- 
saiul  and  five  luiiulred  inlnibitaiits.  North  Anilierst 
has  grown  almost  entiri-ly  from  the  stimulus  given  by 
the  development  of  the  stone,  and  as  it  is  lioth  literally 
andfigurativelylniiltuponarock,  its  safety  of  existence 
and  jirosiierity  is  assured.  A  great  change  lias  taken 
place  since  tlie  first  small  opening  was  made  for  tlic 
purpose  of  taking  out  stone.  The  whole  northern 
and  western  part  of  the  township  may  be  said  to  fairly 
liristle  with  heavy  iron  rigged  derricks  which,  worked 
t)y  powerful  engines,  swing  ponderous  blocks  of  stone 
from  the  deep  rugged  walled  caverns  to  the  ground 
above,  and  deposit  tiiem  upon  railroad  cars,  or  swing 
them  to  the  saw  mill  and  turning  lathe.  Hundreds 
of  men,  assisted  by  the  giant  slave,  steam,  are  toiling 
in  the  ledges  and  pits,  taking  out  the  rough  stone, 
which  under  the  chisel  of  the  artizan  shall  be  con- 
formed into  shapes  of  grace  and  beauty  and  strength, 
to  lend  majesty  to  the  Iniildings  in  the  great  marts  of 
trade. 

Most  of  the  growth  of  the  stone  industry  of  Amherst 
and  tlie  adjacent  country  has  Iteen  the  result  of  the 
business,  energy  .■ind  tact  of  the  present  proprietors 
of  the  quarries.  Wo  have  endeavored  to  secure  facts, 
which  briefly  related,  will  convey  to  the  reader  an 
idea  of  what  has  been  acconijilished. 

For  a  description  of  the  Clough  Stone  Company, 
see  biogra]ihical  sketch  of  Baxter  Clough. 

Ti[E  WoKTiiiNfJTON  QuAURiES  are  extensively 
worked  by  James  M.  and  George  H.  Worth  ington. 
The  elder  Wortliington  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and 
business  shrewdness,  a  native  of  Canada,  and  a  large 
contractor  upon  government  buildings.  He  came  to 
Amherst  and  bought  into  the  quarries  in  1853.  The 
business  once  embarked  in,  it  was  not  long  before  he 
became  one  of  the  most  extensive  owners  and  opera- 
tors of  quarry  property,  in  the  country.  His  sons 
carry  on  the  business  in  a  large  way,  at  present. 
They  have  quarries  in  lots  fifty-nine  and  sixty,  Am- 
iierst,  (formerly  known  as  the  Hall),  also  in  Krown- 
helra,  lots  twenty-seven  and  twenty-eight,  also  val- 
uable quarry  projierty  at  Grindstone  City,  Huron 
county,  Michigan,  and  an  extensive  dock  at  Vermil- 
lion harbor,  from  which  point  their  Amherst  and 
Brownhelm  stone  is  shipped.  This  is  supplied  with 
three  heavy  derricks.  They  run  seven  engines,  nine 
lathes,  and  six  gangs  of  saws.  Their  houses  and 
tools  were  valued  in  1876,  at  fifty-eight  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  tlieir  real  estate  at  one  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  dollars.  During  the  years  1871,  1873  and 
1873,  their  sales  of  grindstones  amounted  respectively 
to  fractions  over  seven  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
fift}',  nine  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-six, 
and  nine  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  tons. 
The  sales  of  block  stone  were  in  1871,  one  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  cubic  feet;  in  1873,  two  hundred  and  forty-seven 
thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-nine  cubic  feet,  and 
in  1873,  two  hundred  and  five  thousand  four  hundred 
and  ninety  cubic  feet.     Beside  their  office  in  North 

43 


Amherst,  they  have  branches  in  New  York,  Chicago, 
and  Pittsburgh. 

The  Wilson  &  Hughes  Stone  Company  own 
quarries  in  lots  fifty-nine  and  sixty-two.  Their  office 
is  in  Cleveland.  The  (juarries  were  opened  in  1803, 
and  all  of  the  stone  taken  out  of  them  at  that  time 
had  to  be  hauled  either  to  Black  River,  or  the  village 
of  North  Amherst,  but  in  18(18  a  contract  was  made 
with  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern  Com- 
pany, wherel)y  they  extended  tracks  into  the  quarries 
from  the  main  road,  and  since  then  the  business  has 
been  largely  increased.  The  business  has  been  suc- 
cessful from  the  first,  and  the  average  yearly  sales 
have  amounted  to  from  fifty  thousand  to  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  The  quarry  property  consists 
of  about  thirty-seven  acres,  and  the  company  has  all 
of  the  modern  improvements,  such  as  steam  derricks, 
engines,  saw  mill,  lathe,  shojis  and  dwelling  houses 
for  the  employes.  The  quarries  are  in  good  condition 
and  working  order,  and  among  the  best  in  Amherst. 
A.  Hughes  is  president  of  the  company,  and  William 
and  J.  F.  Wilson  are  superintendents. 

L.  Haldeman  &  Son. — The  quarry  property 
owned  by  this  firm,  having  their  office  in  Cleveland, 
consists  of  about  thirty-five  acres  in  lots  eighteen 
and  nineteen,  and  the  first  stone  was  taken  out  by 
Wilson  &  Cook  in  1808  or  the  following  year. 
Messrs.  Haldeman  &  Son  purchased  from  McDer- 
mott  &  Cromwell,  in  March,  1873.  The  quarry  had 
been  worked  but  little  nntil  the  ju'esent  jiroprio- 
tors  bought  it.  The  valuation  of  the  projierty  is, 
including  machinery,  tools,  etc.,  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars.  Average  sales  for  the  years  187-1:,  1875, 
1876  and  1877,  have  been  in  the  neighborhood  of 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  firm  has  excel- 
lent facilities  for  quarrying  and  shipping  building 
and  grindstone,  and  is  largely  interested  in  the 
manufacture  of  the  latter.  Their  trade  includes  the 
prominent  axe,  edge  tool  and  saw  manufacturers 
throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Block 
stone  has  been  furnished  for  the  construction  of  some 
of  the  largest  buildings  in  the  leading  cities. 

TriE  Amiiekst  Stone  Company  has  for  its  officers: 
president,  Truman  Denham;  vice-president,  J.  E. 
French;  secretary  and  treasurer,  W.  S.  Dodge.  The 
office  of  the  company  is  in  Cleveland.  Their  property 
in  Amherst  is  known  as  the  old  Quigley  jjroperty,  and 
consists  of  twenty-nine  acres  in  lot  four,  and  twenty- 
six  and  a  half  acres  in  lot  ninety-seven.  The  quarry 
was  opened  by  the  company  in  the  fall  of  1872,  and  is 
now  ])rovided  with  seven  derricks,  grindstone  lathes 
and  a  saw  mill.  The  sales  since  the  opening  of  the 
ffuarry  have  aggregated  about  two  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  dollars. 

The  Turkey  Rock  Quarry — so  called  because 
the  tracks  of  turkeys  were  found  at  an  early  day  in 
tiie  rock  near  the  foot  of  some  large  trees — is  the 
]iroiierty  of  W.  H.  Bryant,  who  pui chased  it  in  1874 
from  Nathaniel  Bryant.  The  quarry  was  opened  the 
same  year  that  this  transfer  was  made.     The  projierty 


338 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


lies  in  lot  fourteen,  and  consists  of  about  twelve  or 
thirteen  acres.  Most  of  the  rock  taken  from  this 
quarry  has  been  made  into  grindstones  because  of  its 
peculiar  grit,  and  tliey  rival  the  famous  Wickersley 
stones  of  England.  The  grain  in  the  rock  pitches 
toward  the  north  at  a  uniform  angle,  showing  tliis 
was  once  the  shore  line  of  Lake  Erie.  The  stone 
found  below  the  shore  formation  is  soft,  and  very 
much  more  open  than  any  other  fnund  in  tlic  noigli- 
borhood,  and  this  soft  stone  is  made  a  s})ecialty  by 
Mr.  Bryant  for  tool-grinding.  The  product  from  tlie 
quarry  has  amounted  to  six  or  seven  liiiiidied  tons, 
])riucipally  of  the  variety  known  as  the  American 
Wickersley. 

THE    NICnOL   QUA  UK Y. 

.Tames  Nichol,  a  native  of  Dundee,  Scotland,  came 
to  tliis  country  in  1853.  He  was  a  stoae  cutter  by 
trade,  and  for  the  next  nine  years  after  arrival  in  New 
York  followed  this  occupation  iu  various  cities.  lie 
took  tlie  management  of  the  Messrs.  Wortiiington's 
Urowuholm  ([uarry  until  1870,  when  he  removed  to 
Andierst  and  took  up  his  residence  upon  a  farm  which 
lie  bad  bought  of  llaunab  Hubbard  and  Sally  Owen. 
Adjoining  this  farm,  in  lot  fifty-nine,  was  the  quarry 
which  he  purchased  of  Joseph  Barber  in  18G7,  and 
which  lias  since  been  generally  known  as  the  Nicliol 
i|ii;irry.  Mr.  Nichol  remained  some  time  as  silent 
partner  of  the  Messrs.  Wdrtliington,  acting  as  general 
superintendent  of  all  the  quarries  ()j)erate(l  by  that 
firm.  At  the  expiration  of  that  partnership,  in  187<), 
he  immediately  entered  the  niarket  on  his  own  account, 
operating  his  own  quarry,  and  manufacturing  build- 
ing, grind  and  scythe  stones.  In  February,  1877, 
with  Dudley  Miller,  of  New  York,  he  entered  into  the 
partnership  of  Nichol  &  Miller,  each  owning  one  balf 
of  a  quarry  containing  fifty-tliree  acres,  located  in 
Florence  township,  Erie  county,  Ohio,  with  main 
office  at  North  Amherst,  Ohio.  Tlie  thorough  and 
extended  accpiaintance  that  Mr.  Nichol  had  with  all 
the  details  connected  with  the  stone  Inisiness,  enaliled 
this  comparatively  new  firm  to  at  once  occupy  a 
prominent  jiosition  in  tlie  market.  At  the  pivsent 
time  they  have  a  large  and  constantly  increasing  trade 
in  building,  grind  and  scythe  stones,  in  the  markets  of 
the  United  States,  and  a  large  share  of  the  export 
trade. 

Besides  the  quarries  heretofore  described,  there  are 
a  number  of  others  which  are  small,  and  either  not 
worked  at  all,  or  conducted  u])on  a  plan  iiuich  less 
extensive  than  those  mentioned  in  the  foregoing.  We 
mention  the  names  and  the  location  of  each  by  lot 
number:  Ohio  Stone  Company,  fifty-nine;  James 
Wyatt,  ninety-seven;  Grove  Quarry,  ninety-seven;  J. 
D.  Bothwell,  fifty-nine;  Samuel  Keudeigh,  ninety- 
three;  Joseph  Barber,  ninety-three  (opening);  Butler 
Quarry,  ninety-eight,  owned  by  the  heirs  of  Charles 
Collins.  Besides  these,  again,  there  are  many  still 
smaller  quarries  located  u]ion  farms,  and  used  only 
as  a  mine  from  which  the  owner  may  procure  what 


small  stone  he  may  need  f(U'  his  own,  or  possibly  a 
neighbor's  use. 

MILLS. 

The  first  grist  mill  and  the  first  saw  mill  were  Iniilt 
by  Jacob  Shuiio,  about  1814  or  1815.  A  few  years 
after,  he  moved  iiis  grist  mill  from  Beaver  creek  up 
to  the  corners,  and  connected  with  it  a  carding  ma- 
chine, which  was  at  that  time  the  only  one  in  a  largo 
stretch  of  country.  He  endeavored  to  run  this  mill 
with  a  horse  power,  but  was  not  satisfied,  and  moved 
back  to  the  old  site  and  run  it  again  by  water  power. 
The  second  grist  mill  was  built  at  North  Amherst, 
on  the  site  that  the  brewery  now  occupies,  by  Hilde- 
braud  &  Snider.  A  Mr.  Smith  built  the  third  mill 
in  the  south  part  of  the  village,  upon  the  Elyria  road, 
and  the  same  man,  in  18G1,  built  the  stone  mill  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill  west  of  North  Amherst  park. 
Mr.  Hitchcock  built  a  mill  on  Church  street,  which 
was  taken  jiossession  of,  in  1865,  by  Hazel  &  Thomp- 
son. After  this,  Daniel  Frees  and  Mr.  Boardman  built 
a  mill  on  the  flats  between  the  east  and  west  parts  of 
North  Amherst  village.  At  present,  those  engaged 
in  this  business  are  John  Ueyman  and  Jolui  Uerloek. 

After  Jacob  Shupe's  mill,  built  on  Beaver  creek, 
at  the  north  line  of  the  township,  Eliphalet  lied- 
iiigton  built  a  saw  mill  at  South  Amherst.  A.  T. 
Johnson  limit  one  between  the  North  and  JMiddle 
ridges,  and  a  Mr.  S;i  wtell  built  one  in  S.iuth  Amherst 
just  north  of  IJedington's.  .Tosiah  Harris  ]nit  up  a 
mill  on  Harris  creek,  just  south  of  North  Amherst. 
Royal  Barney,  and  a  man  by  tlie  name  of  Norton, 
built  a  mill  on  Barney  creek  (then  called  Beaver),  in 
1820,  and  sawed  a  great  deal  of  lumber.  Good  whitj^'- 
wood  was  at  that  time  worth  but  four  dollars  jicr 
thousand  feet.  In  1831,  John  T.  Clay  constructed  a 
mill  on  the  same  creek,  and  Ephraim  Tovvne  had  one 
a  few  years  later.  David  Smith  built  a  mill  on  Smith 
creek,  near  the  South  ridge,  about  1S30.  Pliilii> 
Oustine,  the  Graves  Brothers,  and  Harry  anJ  William 
Oustine  also  had  saw  mills  at  an  early  day.  Most  of 
these  were  what  were  known  ns  '•thunder  shower 
mills,"  and  were  only  in  running  order  during  a  small 
part  of  the  year.  Three  steam  saw  mills  have  been 
built  in  the  village  of  North  Amherst,  and  four  more 
in  the  township.  Those  now  in  operation  are  G.  C. 
Prince's,  South  Amherst,  lot  ten;  J.  E.  Keudeigh's 
and  George  Gill's,  in  North  Amherst  village. 

MiscELLAXEous. — J.  J.  Ricc,  Lcck  &  Cook,  have 
an  iron  foundry  ujion  lot  ninety-five,  where  they  carry 
on  the  manufacture  of  plows  and  agricultural  imple- 
ments. It  was  started  in  1843,  or  the  following  year, 
by  members  of  the  Rice  family.  "' 

There  are  two  cheese  factories  in  the  township. 
Eggleston,  Braman  &  Co.  own  one  which  is  located 
upon  lot  ten,  just  off  from  the  south  ridge  road. 
They  take  the  milk  of  about  six  hundred  cows,  and  in 
1878  manufactured  nearly  two  hundred  thousand 
pounds  of  cheese,  and  about  thirty-five  thousand 
pounds  of  butter.  This  cheese  factory  and  creamery 
was  established  in  1874. 


"~^-mSMmm' 


HENRY    WARNER. 


Henry  Warner  was  born  in  Middletown,  Middle- 
sex Co.,  Conn.,  Oct.  16,  1801.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  April  21,  1825,  to  Elizabeth  Whitcoin,  of 
Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.  By  this  union  were  born  eleven 
children,  viz. :  William  H.,  John  V.,  Esther  A., 
Maria  J.,  Malita  A.,  Augustus  A.,  Jerome  B.,  Cyre- 
nius  P.,  Vandalia  S.,  Irving  N.,  and  Valeria  E., 
two  of  whom  are  living.  Augustus  A.  resides  in 
Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio ;  Cyreniiis,  in  Michigan. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  moved  to  Brownhelm, 
Lorain  Co.,  Ohio,  in  1847,  having  previously  pur- 
chased the  stone  quarry  now  owned  by  the  Worth- 
ington  Brothers.     From  this  quarry  he  shijjped,  it 


is  believed,  the  first  stone  that  was  shipped  from 
Lorain  County  ;  this  shipment  was  to  Canada. 

Some  time  in  1854  or  1855  he  was  associated  with 
Baxter  Clough  in  the  quarry  business,  and  was 
owner  of  the  Haldeman  quarry  in  1847.  He  spent 
his  days  on  the  fai'm  where  he  died,  which  is  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  son-in-law,  J.  R.  Miller, 
and  located  about  one  mile  east  of  North  Amherst 
village,  on  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern 
Railway. 

Mr.  Warner  died  Jan.  25,  1876,  in  the  seventy- 
fifth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife  died  Aug.  25, 
1872. 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


339 


Another  factory,  the  property  of  Eggleston,  Horr 
&  Warner,  is  located  upon  lot  cighty-seveu,  a  few 
rods  from  the  Elyria  liuo,  and  near  the  telegraph 
road. 

NORTH  AMHERST  VILLAGE. 

Early  iu  the  history  of  Amherst  township,  the 
nucleus  for  a  village  was  formed  upon  tiie  north  ridge, 
about  a  mile  northwest  of  the  center  of  the  townshii). 
This  settlement, — the  embryo  village  of  North  Am- 
herst,— was  known  for  many  years  as  "the  corners."' 
.Judge  Josiah  Harris  had  (piite  a  tract  of  land  here, 
and  he  laid  out  a  portion  of  it  in  lots,  and  founded 
the  village  of  Andierstville.  Through  the  decades, 
beginning  with  the  years  1830,  1840,  and  1850,  the 
gi-owtli  of  the  village  was  slow,  but  it  received  an  im- 
petus from  the  building  of  the  Lake  Shore  railroad, 
then  called  the  Cleveland  and  Toledo  railroad,  and 
gradually  increased  in  size,  and  built  up  in  business 
importance  until  1870,  when  the  stone  tjuarries  began 
to  lie  worked  upon  a  scale  of  enterprise  much  further 
advanced  than  ever  before,  and  then  for  several  years 
the  population  increased  quite  rapidly. 

About  this  time  Milo  Harris  purchased  the  interest 
of  the  other  heirs  of  his  father's  estate,  laid  out  an 
aildition  to  the  village,  changed  its  name  from  Am- 
herstvillo  to  North  Amherst,  and  in  187.'5  the  jjeople 
secured  a  charter  of  incor])oration  from  the  legislature. 

The  charter  was  gi'anted  in  April,  and  the  cor})or- 
ation  was  organized  by  the  election  of  the  following 
ollicers:  A.  A.  Crosse,  mayor;  J.  W.  (rilbert,  clerk; 
.Joseph  Trost,  treasurer;  John  B.  Robertson,  marshal; 
tieorge  Fuller,  William  Brown,  and  John  Nathan, 
couucilmen  for  one  year;  F.  0.  Barney,  J.  H.  Clouse, 
and  .James  Manning,  councilnien  for  two  years. 

In  1874,  three  couucilmen  were  elected  to  fill 
vacancies  caused  by  the  expiration  of  the  short  term, 
as  follows:  .J.  M.  Worthington,  Daniel  Freese,  and 
Henry  Hirsching. 

In  187-5,  the  following  were  elected:  A.  C.  Moore, 
mayor;  C.  (J.  Hirsching,  clerk;  Joseph  Trost,  treas- 
urer; .John  B.  Robertson,  marshal;  E.  C.  Foster,  M.  C. 
Sieley,  John  G.  Bans,  and  Joseph  Barber,  coiTncilmen. 

In  1870,  the  couucilmen  elected  were  -John  G. 
Bans,  Daniel  Frees,  and  Daniel  Horn. 

The  officers  in  1877  were:  J.  W.  Gilbert,  mayor; 
C.  0.  Hirsching,  clerk;  Josejjh  Trost,  treasurer; 
John  B.  Robertson,  marshal;  Joseph  Robbins,  Henry 
Clouse,  Jacob  Hildebrand,  Joseph  Barber,  and  Con- 
rad Fey,  councilmen. 

In  1878,  the  councilraou  elected  were:  L.  Horn, 
Wni.  Brown,  and  J.  B.  Parker.  Parker  resigning, 
.T.  P.  tMianey  was  elected  to  fill  his  place.  A.  Roth- 
gery  was  elected  street  supervisor. 

SOCIETIES. 

MASONIC. 

Stonington  LoDciE  F.  c&  A.  M.,  No.  503. — The 
charter  for  this  lodge  was  obtained  October  21,  1875. 


Following  are  the  first  officers  elected:  W.  M.,  Geo. 
Bacon;  S.  W.,  J.  M.  Worthington;  J.  W.,  Geo. 
Fuller;  secretary,  Chauncey  Peck;  treasurer,  James 
Nichols;  S.  D.,  E.  C.  Shuler;  J.  D.,  .-Vdam  Hall; 
tyler,  H.  A.  Lewis.  The  officers  for  1878  are  as  fol- 
lows: W.  M.,  James  M.  Worthington;  S.  W.,  W.  W. 
Halstead;  J.  W.,  J.  Basrance;  secretary,  J.  W.  Gil- 
bert; treasurer,  James  Nichols;  S.  D.,  II.  A.  Lathroji; 
.J.  D.,  It.  Patterson;  tyler,  K.  Sinclair. 

INDEPENDENT    UJiDER   OF    ODD    FELLOWS. 

Pl.ito  Lodge,  No.  303,  was  organized  January  31, 
1853.  The  original  members  who  signed  the  petition 
for  a  charter  were  Theodore  J.  Eamcs,  Orimel  Barney, 
Robert  B.  Carhart,  Milo  Harris  and  James  Walker. 
The  present  officers  are  N.  G.,  A.  E.  Stiwall;  V.  G., 
J.  B.  Barrance;  recording  secretary,  Ohas.  M.  Par- 
sons; permanent  secretary,  G.  H.  Barnes;  treasurer, 
Joseph  Robbins. 

Jaeger  Lodge,  No.  440,  was  organized  July  7, 
1870,  by  members  of  the  order,  who,  previous  to  that 
time,  had  been  in  Plato  Lodge.  Following  is  the  list 
of  officers  first  elected:  N.  G.,  Wm.  Jaeger;  V.  G., 
L.  Horn;  corresponding  and  recording  secretary,  John 
G.  Bans;  treasurer,  Wm.  Brown.  The  charter  mem- 
bers were  Henry  Uthe,  Sr.,  William  Jaeger,  Edward 
Biveus,  Adam  Holl,  John  King,  L.  Horn,  John  (}. 
Bans,  Chas.  Jaeger,  Wm.  Brown,  Peter  Meutz,  Geo. 
Ashenbach,  Daniel  Freese,  C.  0.  Hirsching,  Fondine 
Geolach,  Henery  Hagemann,  AVm.  Fullmer,  C.  Fey, 
P.  Fey.  The  officers  for  1878  are:  N.  G.,  John 
Kothe;  V.  G.,  L.  Holzhaner;  corresjjouding  secretary, 
Wm.  Beilor;  recording  secretary,  C.  Fey;  treasurer, 
C.  0.  Hirsching. 

KNIGHTS   OF    PYTHIAS. 

Lodge,  No.  74. — This  lodge  was  organ- 


ized in  May,  1875,  the  charter  members  being  J. 
Stager,  Wm.  Jaeger,  John  G.  Bans,  C.  Fey,  Geo. 
Ashenbach,  Peter  Mentz,  Philip  P.  Sippel,  C.  0. 
Hirsching,  Peter  Fey,  J.  F.  Uthe,  Jo.seph  Trost,  0. 
C.  Jaegej-,  Fondine  Gerlach,  Geo.  Keller.  The  first 
officers  were  the  following:  P.  C,  Jacob  Stoll;  C.  C. 
Wm.  Jaeger;  V.  C,  John  G.  Bans;  prelate,  P.  Sip- 
pel;  secretary,  C.  Fey;  master  of  finance,  Geo.  Ashen- 
bach; master  of  exchequer,  C.  C.  .Jaeger;  D.  D.  G.  C, 
Jacob  Stoll.  Following  are  the  officers  for  1878: 
P.  C,  E.  C.  Shuler;  C.  C,  A.  E.  Stiwall;  V.  C,  J. 
F.  Uthe;  prelate,  C.  Fey;  keeper  of  records  and  seals, 
R.  Patterson;  master  of  finance,  P.  Sippel;  master  of 
excheciuer,  C.  0.  Hirsching;  D.  D.  G.  C,  C.  0. 
Hirsching. 

ANCIENT   ORDER   OF    UIHERNIANS. 

Division  No.  1,  A.  0.  F.,  was  organized  in  A])ril, 
1876.  The  first  i)resident  was  Peter  Brady,  and  the 
other  officers  were  as  follows  :  Vice  President,  James 
Smith;  secretary,  John  Shelly,  Jr.;  assistant  secre- 
tary, Thomas  Kelch  ;  treasurer,  J.  W.  Duress.  The 
officers  elected  in  1878  are  the  following  :  president. 


3W 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Peter  Brady  ;  vice  president,  Michael  Bowden  ;  sec- 
retary, Patrick  Smith  ;  assistant  secretary,  John 
Leonard  ;  treasurer,  J.  W.  Uuross. 

St.  Joseph's  Society  was  founded  in  the  niontli  of 
December,  1871,  by  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
Its  object  is  benevolent.  Members  are  entitled  in 
case  of  sickness  to  tlie  aid  of  the  society,  and  in  case 
of  deatli  assistance  is  extended  to  the  family.  The 
officers  elected  at  tlie  time  of  organization  were : 
jiresident,  liev.  E.  Roucliey ;  vice  president,  Ilerr- 
manu  Kauders ;  secretary,  M.  Z.  Gach  ;  financial 
secretary,  Henry  Plato ;  treasurer,  John  E.  Plato. 
The  present  officers  of  the  society  arc:  president. 
Rev.  Josej)!!  Roomer;  vice  president,  Henry  A.  Plato; 
secretary,  M.  H.  Fehreubacli  ;  financial  secretary, 
John  H.  Plato;  treasurer,  .loiin  E.  Plato;  Marslial, 
Joseph  Wesbecher. 

TEMPERANCE. 

The  Amherst  branch  of  the  National  Christian 
Temjjerance  Union  was  organized  May  2'J,  1877,  at 
the  Metliodist  Episcopal  church,  and  the  following 
officers  elected  for  six  months:  president,  Milo  Harris; 
first  vice  president,  W.  H.  Clougli;  second  vice  pres- 
ident, E.  C.  Slmler;  secretary,  A.  M.  Hazel,  corres- 
ponding secretary,  C.  S.  Aiken;  treasurer,  E.  C. 
Foster;  executive  committee,  M.  W.  Axtell,  chairman, 
James  Duress,  L.  Horn,  J.  R.  Miller,  M.  C.  Seeley, 
Mrs.  E.  E.  Mussey,  Mrs.  G.  E.  Bryant.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  officers  of  1878:  president,  E.  C.  Foster; 
first  vice  president,  T.  M.  Lewis;  second  vice  presi- 
dent, E.  C.  Shuler;  secretary,  S.  Crocker;  treasurer, 
H.  C.  Haskell;  executive  committee,  A.  L.  Spitzer, 
chairman,  Thomas  Milford,  C.  M.  Parsons,  A.  C. 
Moore,  M.  C.  Seeley.  The  society,  though  but  a 
short  time  has  elapsed  from  the  date  of  its  organiza- 
tion to  the  present  writing,  has  accomplished  consid- 
erable in  the  line  of  its  intention.  ITpwards  of  one 
tliousand  persons  have  signed  the  i)ledge. 

FIRE    riEPARTMENT. 

A  volunteer  fire  department  was  organized  in  tlie 
sjn-ing  of  1S7G,  and  a  good  hand  engine  purchased 
for  tlie  protection  of  the  village  from  fire.  H.  C. 
Smith  was  twice  elected  foreman,  and  then  chief  of 
the  department.  The  first  chief  was  one  Steele,  and 
the  second  Josejjh  Trost.  He  resigned  and  John 
Northam  was  elected  ti)  fill  the  vac;incy. 

I'OST  OFFICE. 

Tlie  first  post  office  at  North  Amherst  was  kejit  in 
a  frame  dwelling  house  on  Main  street.  Judge  Josiali 
Harris  was  the  first  postmaster,  and  his  term  of  office 
extended  through  forty-one  years.  He  was  followed 
by  Dr.  A.  A.  Crosse,  who  held  the  position  but  eight 
months,  and  he  by  Homer  Terrell,  who  occupied  the 
office  four  months.  Tlie  present  postmaster,  A.  M. 
Crocker,  has  held  the  office  for  eleven  years,  and  given 
universal  satisfaction.  North  Amherst  post  office  was 
originally  known  as  Plato.  The  name  was  changed 
in  186U. 


The  first  store  in  the  village  was  built  by  a  Mr. 
Mills,  and  now  stands  on  Elyria  street.  William 
Walker  built  a  store  on  tliis  street  in  18o7.  John 
Goodell,  the  first  blacksmith,  settled  at  the  corners 
in  1828.  The  following  is  believed  to  be  a  com- 
plete list  of  the  merchants,  (firms  and  individuals)  of 
North  Amherst,  down  to  the  year  1878,  and  not  in- 
cluding those  in  business  during  that  year:  Mr. 
Mills,  Stanton  Sholes,  Orlum  Winton,  Harris  &  Dyer, 
Fury  &  Harris,  Lewis  Shupe,  William  Walker,  E.  L. 
Goodrich,  Landon  Rood,  Mr.  Prime,  Hall  &  Mof- 
fatt,  Hall  &  Carliart,  Hall  &  Woolcott,  Jackson  & 
Baunnister,  W.  Parsons,  L.  Rood  &  Barney,  0.  Bar- 
ney &  Rood,  M.  Belden,  J.  B.  Whelpley  &  Blackmer, 
J.  B.  Whelpley,  L.  P.  Harris,  M.  Winton  &  Co.,  W. 
Norton  &  Brother,  E.  Norton,  L.  Sherman,  Wilson 
&  Houghton,  H.  Houghton,  Houghton  &  Boyer,  H. 
Osborne,  Steele  &  Brother,  Luther  Rood  &  Brother, 
Luther  Rood,  Milo  Harris,  E.  E.  Mussey  &  Harris, 
Mussey  &  King,  Mussey,  Mussey  &  Steele,  Hirsching 
&  Harris,  Hirsching,  Clough  &  Sons,  Hurst,  Hirsch- 
ing &  Son,  A.  A.  Crosse,  J.  B.  Robertson,  Huehire 
&  Hirsching,  William  Jaeger  &  Son,  Charles  Jaeger, 
Jaeger  &  Huessner,  R.  Kelch,  M.  Jackson,  A.  Kline. 

MANUFACTORIES,  BUSINESS  HOUSES,  ETC.,   1878. 

Brewery,  Wm.  Braun;  steam  gristmills,  John  Hey  man,  JohnGeiioek; 
foundry,  J.  E.  Kendeigh;  cooper  shop,  Lewis  Hanchett;  chair  factorj^ 
John  Toffenton.  Hotels— Henrie  house,  M.  Jackson;  Sherman  house, 
H.  Boardman.  Groceries— Charles  Hirsching  &  Bro.,  Henry  Uthe, 
Plato  Brothers,  Jacob  Hildebrand,  Mears  &  Kelley.  Groceries  and  Dry 
Goods— Johnson  A:  Whitney,  E.  R.  Huene,  Thomas  Randall.  Drugs — 
John  F.  Uthe,  John  H.  Haniau.  Hardware— Cook  <S:  Wesbecher.  E.  S. 
Smith.  Boots  and  Shoes— J.  Ct.  Bans,  A.  L.  Spitzer,  John  Sippel,  C. 
Humes,  John  Huefed.  Bankers— Spitzer  Bros.  Musical  Instruments^ 
J  W.  Gilbert.  Furniture— Undertakers— Fey  &  Horn.  Jewelry — H.  C. 
Smith.  Livery— S.  Porter,  Geo.  McNeil.  Merchant  Tailoring— G.  Moe- 
bius.  MiUiuei-y- Mrs.  Ci.  Morse,  Mrs.  Barney,  Mrs.  C.  Frederick,  Mrs. 
Bartlett.  Painters— Fey  &  Fredeiick,  John  Raemer,  O.  Story,  Perkins 
Bros.,  Lorenzo  Crocker.  Meat  Markets— J.  Jackson  &  Son.,  E.  C.  Shu- 
ler, Charles  Parsons.  Harness  Shops— R.  I.  Wolcott,  L.  F.  Dubroy. 
Dentist^A.  W.  Hazel.  Photographer— Wni.  Bellows.  Barbers— J.  A. 
Bodine,  Conrad  Kraoht.  Blacksmiths — Henry  Claus,  Wm.  Hartniau, 
Chas.  Bodfish,  Mr.  Frank.  Cigar  Makers— A.  E.  Stiwald,  Mr.  Scha- 
viusky. 

SOUTH  AMHERST. 

The  little  village  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town- 
ship, is  known  as  South  Amherst,  though  the  post 
office  is  Amherst.  Its  early  settlers  have  been  noticed  | 
in  the  first  part  of  this  chapter,  and  as  the  village  is 
not  incorporated,  and  in  fact  consists  of  only  a  few 
people  and  a  small  cluster  of  houses,  there  remains 
but  little  to  be  said  about  it.  The  place  was  known 
many  years  ago  by  the  uupoetical  title  of  "Podunk." 
It  was  also  known  as  the  "  Little  Whig  hole,"'  for 
nearly  all  of  its  residents  were  whigs.  All  of  the 
j)ost masters  up  to  the  time  the  party  died,  were  of 
this  political  persuasion.  Eliphalet  Redington  was 
the  first.  He  was  followed  by  A.  H.  Redington,  his 
son,  and  he  by  Peter  Lunt.  Joseph  Reynolds  was 
the  next  jiostmaster,  and  then  came  J.  C.  Jackson. 
The  present  incumbent,  Heiii-y  Jackson,  followed  him. 

The  first  store  at  South  Amherst  was  kept  by  Ad- 
dison Tracey.     Stores  were  kept  later  by  R.  E.  Gil-      i 
lett,  Elijjhalet  Redington,   George  S.  Everett,  J.  C,      ! 


./■ 


/ 


^  c 


^^/^'^'^ 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


341 


and  H.  S.  Jacksou.  Roswell  Cune  had  a  tannery 
tliere  as  early  as  1835.  The  only  business  and  indus- 
trial interests  reprcsente'i  in  1878,  are  Henry  Jaokson, 
keeper  of  a  general  store;  Stephen  Barnes,  harness 
maker;  (}.  (Iriffiu,  shoe  maker;  and  Wni.  Biggs, 
wagon  maker. 

AGRICULTURAL   STATISTU'S. 

Following  are  the  statistics  for  1878,  showing  the 
amount  of  the  most  important  productions  of  the 
townshii),  also  the  poi)ulatiou  in  187i>,  and  tlie  vote 
for  president  in  1876: 

Wheat,     l.OfS  acrps 18,630  bushels. 

Potatoes,    lOr      "      13.872 

Oats,  758      "      *^,1W       " 

Orchards,  415      "       1*.*15 

Corn,         1,042      "       3'>,-l''S 

Meadow,  l,9:iO      "      2,4S2  tons. 

Butter. 29,(i90  pounds. 

Cheese 132,080       - 

Maple  Sugar 193 

Populationm  1870 2,482 

Vote  for  President  in  1870. 
R.  B.  Hayes 2S0  |  S.  J,  Tilden 337 


Biographical  Sketches. 


BAXTER  C LOUGH 

was  l)orn  in  Canterbury,  New  Hampshire,  September 
15,  1807.  He  was  the  fourth  child  of  a  family  of 
fifteen,  of  Deacon  John  and  Judith  (Gerrish)  C'lough. 
His  mother  was  granddaughter  of  Joanna  Hale,  who 
was  a  near  relative  of  fJaptain  Nathan  Hale,  the  martyr 
spy  of  revolutionary  fame,  also  a  descendant  of  Sir 
Matthew  Hale,  of  England.  In  childhood  and  Ciirly 
manhood  he  did  not  enjoy  firm  health;  he  attended 
the  district  school  (wliich  was  two  miles  from  his 
home),  a  limited  time;  and  it  may  1-ie  said  tiiat  his 
only  education  was  obtained  \>y  observation  and  read- 
ing, which  his  vigorous,  thougiitfnl  mind  digested  to 
good  purpose.  He  vvas  naturally  inquisitive  and  in- 
ventive. Many  incidents  illustrating  this  are  related; 
among  the  rest  he  discovered  a  living  spring  of  the 
purest  water  near  his  father's  residence,  and  brought 
it  to  the  house  and  barn,  which  was  of  incalculable 
l)euefit.  His  father  and  grandfather  before  him  had 
lived  on  the  farm,  and  not  suspected  the  existence  of 
such  a  spring.  Another  time  his  father  had  his 
orchard  grafted.  Ba.xter  did  not  think  it  was  done 
in  the  best  way,  and  thought  he  could  do  it  better. 
In  his  father's  absence  he  did  it  as  he  thought  best. 
His  father,  on  his  return,  very  sorrowfully  said, 
"Baxter,  you  have  ruined  my  orciiard;"  but  he  saw 
his  mistake  when,  in  a  few  years,  it  sap]>lied  him 
bountifully  with  choice  fruit,  and  it  was  an  original 
idea  with  Baxter.  His  ancestors  were  eminent  chris- 
tians, and  he  was  naturally  serious  and  thoughtful;  and 


at   the   age  of  fifteen   made   a   public   profession  of 
religion,  and  united  witli  the  (.Congregational  church. 
He  had  a  musical  bass  voice  of  great  power,  and  was 
of  great  assistance  in  the  cliurch  choir;  was  also  quite 
a  proficient  on   the  flute.     He  assisted  his  father  in 
the  cultivation   of  his  farm,  and   in  his  seventeenth 
year,  his  fatlicr,  while  overseeing  the  building  of  a 
church,  left  the   management  of  the  farm   to  Baxter, 
who  emiiloyed  men,  and  did  the  haying  and  harvest- 
ing without  the  use  of  rum,  a  thing  considered  im- 
])ossiiile  at  that  time.     Much  against  his  parents'  and 
friends'  wishes,  who  did  not  give  him  any  pecuniary 
aid,  in  1830  he  came  to  Ohio.     Tlie  journey  was  made 
by  stage  as  far  as  Albany,  and  from  there  by  Erie  Canal 
to  Buffalo.   Cleveland  being  his  destined  point,  he  took 
a  sailing  vessel  from  Buffalo,  but  the  wind  not  being 
favorable  for  landing,  passed  by,  up  as  far  as  Black 
River  (now  Lorain),  and  then  returned  to  Cleveland. 
Soon  after  arriving  there  he  was  taken  sick,  when  his  " 
clothes  and   the  small  amount  of  money  he  had  were 
stolen  from  him.     He  recovered,  and  with   courage 
undaunted  sought  employment,  and  found  an  ojipor- 
tunity  to  peddle  tin  ware,   which  suited  him,  as  he 
wished  to  look  over  the  country  before  locating.     He 
finally  bought  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in 
Solon  township,  in  Cuyahoga  county,  then  an  unbroken 
wilderness,  to  go  into  the  dairy  business.     A  cousin 
from  New  Hampshire,  and  himself,  cleared  a  small 
place,  and  erected  a  log  cabin,  and  commenced  clear- 
ing the  land  of   its  heavy  timber,  keeping  bachelor's 
hall  in  the  mean  time.     July  10,  1833,  he  was  united 
in    marriage    to    Miss    Hannah    Gerrish,  formerly  of 
Boscawan,  New  Hampshire,  at  that  time  residing  with 
her  brother  in  Solon.     It  was   the  first  wedding  in 
that  town,  and  their  sufferings  and  enjoyments   were 
many  and   ]ieeuliar  to  ]iioneer   life.     He  was  active, 
public  spirited  and  enterprising  in  all  that  related  to 
the  future  welfare  of  the  town,  such  as  making  roads, 
arranging  for  schools,  etc.     He  went  into  the  work  of 
l)romoting  the   worship  of  God   and  Sunday  schools 
with  all  his  heart.     His  feelings,  however,  were  deeply 
injured  by  the   lack  of  sympathy  and  hard  criticisms 
of  those  less  zealous  than  himself,  so  that  for   many 
years  afterwards  he  did    not  take  an   active  part   in 
church  matters,  but  was  always  a  firm  believer  and 
friend  of  the  cause.     He  owned  and  worked  this  farm 
with  success  for  seven  years,  but  during  the  time  his 
health  not  being  firm  and  strong,  commenced  travel- 
ing through  Pennsylvania  and  other  States,  building 
hay  scales,  the  e.xercise  of  horseback  riding  being  bene- 
ficial to  him.     In  1839  he  disposed  of  his  farm,    and 
moved  to  Cleveland;  and  commenced  making  scales  of 
different  kinds,  and  during  this  time  was  appointed 
city  weigher.     As  he  was  unable  to  get  such  castings 
as  he  needed  in  the  maiuifacturing  of  scales,  he  added 
a  foundry  to  his  business. 

And  now  his  ingenuity  and  inventive  mind  came 
into  play,  and  enabled  him  to  make  many  improve- 
ments. During  this  time  he  invented  a  stove  called 
the  Regulator,  which  was  considered  the  best  extant 


342 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


at  that  time.  In  18-10  lie  moved  to  Berea,  and  engaged 
in  the  business  of  nianufai'luring  pig  iron.  U'his 
venture  was  disastrous  to  him,  as  a  change  in  (he 
tariff  caused  a  decline  in  the  price  of  pig  iron  from 
fifty  dollars  to  twenty  dollars  per  ton.  Here  he  was 
taken  sick  with  typhus  fever,  and  his  life  was  des- 
paired of  for  a  time,  but  he  recovered,  and  he  always 
said  and  felt  sure  his  life  was  spared  in  answer  to 
prayer,  that  he  might  provide  for  his  family.  After 
his  recovery  h(^  manufactured  small  grindstones  for  a 
short  time,  when  his  attention  was  called  to  the 
qnarries  at  North  Auilierst,  Ohio,  where  he  moved  in 
18.52,  and  formed  a  jiarinership  with  P.  &  Tv.  Dean, 
which  was  of  short  duration,  he  having  jnirchased  the 
interests  of  the  Mes^^rs.  Dean,  when  he  commenced 
alone  themanufactureof  grindstones,  which  amounted 
to  from  two  to  four  hundred  tons  a  year.  'I'hcy  were 
hauled  by  teams  to  Hlack  River,  and  sliii)ped  by  water 
to  Cleveland,  and  exchanged  for  goods  of  various 
kinds.  ITp  to  this  time,  his  career  had  not  lieen 
specially  notalile,  but.  peaceful  and  useful,  winning  for 
him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  a  wide  circle.  He 
conceived  the  idea  of  obtaining  for  them  a  more  ex- 
tensive sale  throughout  the  east,  and  in  order  to  do 
that,  went  east,  and  introduced  them  successfully 
among  the  large  manufacturers  of  edge  tools,  and  to 
increase  the  supply  as  was  needed,  invented  machinery 
and  applied  steam  for  turning  large  grindstones, 
and  from  this  time  was  continually  inventing  and 
applying  dilferent  kinds  of  machinery  to  facilitate 
the  working  of  the  ipiarries.  The  trade  increased 
raiiidly  from  year  to  year  until  1860,  when  the  annual 
manufacture  amounted  to  three  thousand  tons. 
Aljout  this  time  there  sprung  up  a  demand  for  block 
stone  for  l)uil(ling  jiurposes,  and  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion more  particularly  to  tluit  branch  of  the  business, 
which  increased  I'apidly  until  the  year  1871.  During 
the  next  four  years  there  were  manufactured  and  de- 
livered the  amount  of  nine  hundred  and  sixty-one 
thousand  eight  biindred  and  sixty-eight  cubic  feet, 
the  greatest  amount  being  shi])iied  in  1872 — two 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  thousand  seven  hundi'ed 
and  eighty  cubic  feet.  During  these  years  he  built  a 
dock  at  the  lake  so  as  to  ship  by  water,  hauling  his 
])roducts  there  some  two  and  one-half  miles  with  mule 
teams;  but  always  progressive,  went  to  work,  and 
built  a  railroad,  and  eijuipped  the  same  with  steam 
engine  and  Hats,  having  then  what  no  other  <piari'y 
owner  possessed,  a  direct  outlet  of  his  own  to  ship  by 
water.  He  was  always  making  experiments  witli 
machinery  to  cheai)en  the  manufacture  of  stone,  the 
majority  of  which  proved  successful;  other  (|ua.rry 
owners  waiting  the  results,  thus  reajiing  the  benefit 
of  his  experience.  He  also  purchased  and  developed 
what  is  known  as  the  Independence  and  Columbia 
(piarries;  manufactured  large  amounts  of  both  block 
and  grindstones  which  found  a  I'eady  market  at  re- 
munerative prices.  He  was  loved  and  respected  by 
all,  especially  the  men  in  his  employ.  He  always 
used  his  iiersoiial  inlluence  to  hel])  them  to  be  indus- 


trious, steady  and  frugal,  to  save  their  wages  and 
secure  homes,  which  a  large  number  have  done.  lie 
died  very  peacefully,  in  November,  1872.  A  short 
time  before  his  death  he  united  with  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  of  which  for  many  years  he  had  been  a 
zealous  friend,  and  liberal  supporter.  He  was  a  man 
of  fine  person,  good  address,  pleasing  manners,  strict 
integrity,  faithful  to  the  duties  and  requirements  of 
a  varied  life.  His  wife  survives  him,  and  this  biog- 
raphy would  be  incomplete  if  we  did  not  add  that 
through  his  married  life,  she  was  a  true  heli)meet, 
always  labor  ng  and  economizing  to  jiromote  his  intei- 
ests  and  the  welfare  of  their  hii'ge  family.  Their 
eldest  son  died  in  infancy;  their  youngest  daughtci', 
Ella  J.,  died  eight  months  ])revions  to  the  time  of 
their  father's  death,  and  Mai-y  E. ,  wife  of  0.  P.  Mc- 
Millan, live  months  later.  The  son.s,  J.  I>.  and  JI. 
H.,  continue  the  large  and  ])ros])erous  business  left 
by  their  father.  Mattie  A.,  wife  of  N.  C.  Gibson, 
resides  in  Hamilton,  Missouri.  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  J. 
K.  Hunt,  resides  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Ilattie  II. 
remains  at  home,  and  cares  for  the  mother  who,  though 
now  growing  feeble,  has  always  labored  faithfully  and 
clieerfully  for  the  best  interests  of  the  society  in  which 
she  moved. 


ASAHEL  ALLEN  C^KOSSE. 

Asahel  Allen  Crosse,  physician  and  surgeon,  was 
born  in  Cincinnatus,  Cortland  county.  New  York,  on 
the  23d  of  August,  1824.  His  parents  were  in  mod-  / 
crate  circumstances,  and  he  early  learned  the  lesson 
of  self-dependence  and  self-help.  At  the  age  of  thir- 
teen years  he  left  home  to  make  his  own  way  m  the 
world,  and  henc-eforth  relied  entirely  upon  his  own 
resources.  He  went  to  work  on  a  farm,  and  such 
school  education  as  he  obtained  was  by  going  to  a 
district  school  during  the  winter  months,  his  sum- 
mers being  too  much  occupied  in  farm  labor  to  give  | 
him  any  o])i:ortuuity  for  summer  study.  Not  long 
after  leaving  home  he  went  to  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  and 
there,  in  addition  to  the  oppirtunities  afforded  by  the 
district  schools,  he  for  a  time  enjoyed  the  advantage 
of  attending  tiie  Ashtabula  academy.  From  thence  | 
he  removed  to  Mentor,  Lake  county,  Ohio,  where  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  commenced  the  study  of  medi- 
cine. After  having  attended  three  full  courses  of 
medical  lectures  he  graduated  at  the  Willoughby 
university,  in  Lake  county,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1842, 
and  went  at  once  to  Amherst,  Lorain  county,  Ohio. 
He  had,  when  he  arrived  in  Amherst,  fifty  dollars, 
and  on  the  day  after  his  arrival  he  made  the  uncom- 
fortable discovery  that  forty-six  dollars  of  his  little 
fortune  consisted  of  bills  of  a  bank  known  a-^  the  Ohio 
Railroad  Bank,  lotated  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  which  had 
failed  the  day  before,  and  were  perfectly  worthless,  so 
that  his  available  assets  amounted  to  just  four  dollars. 
Fortune  was  not  stubborn  against  him,  however,  for 
almost  immediately  he  formed  a  jJartuership  with  Dr. 


A.  A.  CRUSSE,  JI.D. 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


343 


Luman  Teniiey,  an  old  physician  of  the  place,  and  so 
was  introduced  to  a  practice  that  speedily  became 
large  and  lucrative.  His  partner  died  at  the  end  of 
tlirce  years,  and  tlien  he  took  the  entire  charge  of  the 
jiractico.  Ilis  diligence,  ability  and  skill,  added  to 
the  liigh  reputation  he  had  already  earned,  made  him 
well  known  as  one  of  the  most  successful  physicians 
in  tlie  county.  As  a  citizen,  no  less  tlian  a  piiysiciau, 
is  he  appreciated  in  the  community,  and  from  time  to 
time  that  appreciation  has  been  shown  by  placing  him 
in  several  of  the  elective  offices  of  tlie  township  of 
Amherst.  He  has  successively  held  the  offices  of 
township  assessor,  township  clerk,  justice  of  l:he])caco, 
and  was  the  first  mayor  of  the  incorporated  village  of 
Nortli  Amlicrst.  Ho  was  postmaster  of  Amherst 
during  President  Jolmson's  administration.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  democrat,  and,  although  the  renuire- 
nients  of  liis  profession  do  not  leave  him  much  leisure 
to  devote  to  politics,  he  is  nevertheless  one  of  the  lead- 
ing spirits  of  his  party  in  the  community  where  he 
lives.  Althougli  lie  has  acquired  a  fair  competence, 
liis  experience  lias  not  been  one  of  unmingled  pros- 
perity. On  the  1st  of  March,  1858,  he  was  thrown 
from  his  carriage,  and  his  right  leg  was  broken  at  tlie 
ankle.  Being  a  heavy  man,  the  ends  of  the  broken 
Ijones  were  forced  througli  the  skin  and  boot-leg,  and 
were  driven  three  or  four  inclies  into  the  ground  liy 
the  violence  of  his  fall.  It  was  found  impossible  to 
save  the  limb,  antl  it  was  amputated  bejovv  the  knee 
by  Professor  Horace  A.  Ackh^y,  his  former  preceptor. 
He  has  been  three  times  married.  His  first  wife, 
Diantha  Walker,  he  married  in  1844,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children,  three  daughters  and  one  son,  one  of 
whom,  Mrs.  II.  W.  Barnard,  is  now  living.  His  wife, 
Diantha,  dieil  in  185.5.  On  the  IGth  of  September, 
1859,  he  married  Sarah  E.  Post,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis- 
consin, by  whom  he  had  one  son,  now  living.  His 
second  wife  died  in  18G6,  and  on  the  18th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1875,  he  married  Ella  G.  Pelton,  of  Vermillion, 
Ohio.  The  doctor  has  a  vigorous  constitution,  and 
from  present  appearances  he  will  feel  of  pulses,  look 
at.  tongues,  and  deal  poisons  for  many  years  to  come; 
that  is,  he  is  hale  and  hearty,  and  the  youngest  in  the 
community  always  find  him  a  pleasant  social  com- 
panion. 


CURTIS  BAILEY 


was  born  in  Potton  Township,  Canada  East,  February 
17,  1830.  He  was  the  fifth  child  in  a  family  of  ten 
children  :  his  father  was  Jonathan  B.  Bailey,  who 
was  born  at  Peacham,  Vermont,  October  31,  1794, 
and  died  October  6,  1875. 

He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  his  father 
bcfoi-e  him,  Abijah  Bailey,  had  been  a  soldier  in  the 
revolutionary  war,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years. 

Jonathan  B.  Bailey  spent  the  earlier  part  of  his  life. 


and  up  to  1844,  in  Orleans  county,  Vermont.  His  oc- 
cupation was  farming,  at  which  he  was  engaged  nearly 
all  his  life.  In  the  fall  of  1844  he  removed  to  Lorain 
county,  first  stopping  at  Brownlielm,  where  he  remain- 
ed four  years.  The  next  four  or  five  years  of  his  life 
were  passed  in  Henrietta  township,  from  whence  he 
removed  to  Ransom,  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  always  lived 
an  honest  and  industrious  life,  and  at  the  same  time 
an  humble  and  unostentatious  one.  His  friends  and 
ac(piaintances  will  bear  us  out  in  the  assertion  that 
he  was  a  man  of  irroproachalile  personal  integrity 
and  general  worth.  He  married  Hannah  Dufur,  who 
was  born  in  New  llampsliire,  May  15,  1797,  and  died 
in  Ransom,  Michigan,  .January  3,  1879.  They  were 
both  exemplary  and  consistent  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational ciliircli.  They  had  a  large  family,  to  the 
bringing  up  of  whom,  in  a  jiroper  manner,  was  ex- 
pended almost  all  he  could  accumulate.  He  was 
never  very  successful  in  the  acquisition  of  wealth, 
but  was  always  generous,  according  to  his  means. 

Curtis  Bailey's  early  life  was  confined  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  which  he  followed  until  lie  attained  his 
twenty-fifth  year.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he  removed, 
with  his  family,  tti  Amherst  township,  and  entered 
the  employ  of  Baxter  Clough,  to  work  in  his  stone 
quarries.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  he  became 
foreman,  and  has  continued  in  his  and  the  employ  of 
the  Clough  Stone  Company,  as  superintendent  of 
tiieir  stone  (juarries,  ever  since,  with  the  exception  of 
one  and  one-half  years,  in  1804-05,  at  which  time 
they  lived  in  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan,  one  year, 
and  at  Wellington,  six  months.  At  tlie  age  of  twenty- 
two  years,  and  on  the  30th  of  March,  1852.  he  was 
married  to  Lovina,  daughter  of  Arvy  Whitney,  and 
Lucinda  Remington,  of  Camden  township,  who  was 
born  in  Sherbouriie,  Chenango  county.  New  York, 
March  10,  1802.  She  was  born  in  Clarendon.  Mon- 
roe county.  New  York,  April  1,  1832.  They  have 
four  children,  namely  :  Ida  J.,  born  January  10, 
1853,  married  Horace  Seeley,  of  Amherst  township, 
March  30,  1872;  Edna  C,  born  December  11,  1857, 
married  F.  M.  Lewis,  editor  of  the  Amherst  Free 
/'/■ess.  May  9,  1878;  Florence  H.,  born  January  27, 
1800;  Warren  C,  born  August  7,  1872. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bailey  are  both  members  of  the  Free 
Will  Baptist  church,  having  joined  that  denomina- 
tion in  Henrietta,  in  the  year  1854. 

The  ancestors  of  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bailey  were  of 
New  England  origin.  The  i)aternal  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Bailey  was  Elisha  Whitney,  who  was  born  in 
Vermont,  August  25,  1707,  and  died  August  27,  1822. 
His  wife  was  born  in  Connecticut.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Mariam  Eaton.  She  was  twice  married,  first  to 
Ezra  Taylor,  January  10,  1780  ;  second,  to  Elisha 
Whitney,  March  24.  1791.  Mr.  Bailey's  maternal 
grandfather  was  William  Remington,  who  was  born 
in  Stephentown,  New  York,  January  25,  1775;  died 
in  Sweden,  New  York,  September  13,  1827.  He 
married  Lovina  Hill,  who  was  born  in  Steplienson, 


344 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


Now  York,  February  20,  1781;  died  in  Sweden,  New 
York,  October  2,  1828. 

Mr.  Bailey  i.s  quite  exten.sively  known  in  tlie  coni- 
iniinity  in  wliicli  be  resides,  and  bis  general  good 
cbaraeter,  faitbfulness  and  industrious  luiltits  bave 
o-ained  for  biin  an  cnvinMo  r('|mlation.  He  obtained 
tlie  res))octof  bis  eni))loyi'i's  a-iul  olliers  by  close  atten- 
tion to  dntv,  and  bas  retained  tbe  same  by  bis  con- 
tinued fiiitbful  discbarge  of  tbe  same.  lie  possesses 
aliility  and  ai)i)lies  it ;  be  is  iionest  and  practices  tbai^ 
(piality  always  ;  bence  bis  success  in  life. 


JOSEPH  AND  ,1.  J.   RICE. 

A  balf  century  ago,  wbcn  tbe  territory  embraced 
witbiu  tbe  present  limits  of  Lorain  county  was  mostly 
an  uidiroken  wilderness,  witb  berc  and  tbere,  at  con- 
siderable distances,  a  solitary  clearing,  Josepb  Rice, 
witb  bis  wife  and  four  sons,  arrived  and  effected  a 
pernnment  settlement  in  wbat  is  now  the  town  of 
Amberst.  We  quote  from  a  series  of  bistorical  rem- 
iniscences, by  "Squib," publisbed  in  tbe  Amberst  Free 
Press,  tbe  following  information  relative  to  these 
pioneer  settlers: 

"Joseph  Rice,  son  of  John  and  Ann  Rice,  was  born 
in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  MayG,  1788.  After 
arriving  at  mature  age,  be  married  Betsey  E.  Fiery. 
In  tbe  spring  of  1829,  he  came  to  Amberst,  bringing 
with  him  bis  family,  consisting  of  bis  wife  and  four 
sons.  He  ]iurcbased  a  farm,  a  little  west  of  Kcn- 
deigb's  cornel  s,  and  began  clearing  and  improving  it 
for  bis  future  borne.  But  in  1835  bis  health  failed, 
which  resulted  in  bis  death,  September  30  of  that 
year,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven.  His  widow  continued 
to  live  on  the  ftirm,  surviving  ber  husband  thirty 
years,  and  died  October  3,  18(1.5,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years. 

Tbe  four  sons  who  accompanied  their  father  to 
Amiierst,  we  judge,  were  all  tbe  children  born  to  Mr. 
Rice.  Tbeir  names  were  as  follows:  Henry,  born 
July  13,  1810;  be  moved  to  Crawford  county,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  died  March  5,  184!);  bis  family 
came  to  Amberst.  Peter  J.,  born  February  U),  1818, 
who  lives  at  this  date  of  writing  (September,  1870,) 
about  two  miles  west  of  Oberliu.  Samuel  B.,  born 
February  1,  1825;  he  went  to  Wisconsin  in  1846,  and 
from  tbence  went  to  California  in  1852,  and  died 
September  23,  of  tbe  same  year.  Josepb  J.,  born 
September  17,  1828,  aiul  is  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead, which  bis  father  first  purchased  in  Amberst. 

J.    .).    KICE, 

son  of  Josepb  and  Betsey  E.  Rice,  was  born,  as  above 
stated,  Septemlier  17,  1828,  in  Fayette  county,  Penn- 
sylviLiiia.  He  remained  with  bis  father  until  the 
death  of  tbe  latter.  On  tbe  29th  of  October.  1857, 
he  married  Emily  .).,  daughter  of  L.  R.  Cook,  of 
Amherst.  By  this  uni(jn  were  born  three  children, 
namely,   Arthur  J.,  Virgil  K.  and  Tracy  J.,  all  of 


whom  are  living,  and  reside  at  home.  Mr.  Rice  en- 
gaged early  with  his  brothers,  Henry  and  Peter  J., 
in  tbeir  foundry,  first  as  a  laborer,  and  subsequently 
as  a  partner;  and  finally,  in  1857,  be  became  sole 
jiroprietor  of  tbe  business  by  purchase,  and  has  con- 
tinued to  conduct  the  same  ever  since.  He  is  also 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  owning  about  one 
buudred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  being  tbe  old  home- 
stead, which  be  has  continued  to  improve  from  time 
to  time,  until  it  is  quite  a  pleasant  home  and  a  highly 
cultivated  farm.  A  neat  and  natural  illustration  of 
bis  place,  together  with  the  portraits  of  himself  and 
wife,  appears  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Rice  is  a  republican,  and  has  been 
since  tlie  organization  of  that  party,  having  been  a 
whig  prior  to  that  event.  He  is  a  liberal  minded 
gentleman,  and  bas  always  contributed  bis  full  share 
to  all  public  enterprises  tending  to  jiromote  social 
])rooress.  To  religious  and  educational  interests  he 
is  ever  a  cheerful  giver.  He  is  now  one  of  the  oldest 
living  settlers,  having  resided  in  the  place  where  he 
now  lives  for  fifty  years.  He  is  a  deservedly  i)opular 
and  nuieb  respected  citizen. 


LEWIS  RODMAN  COOK. 

For  upwards  of  thirty  years,  the  gentleman  whose 
name  beads  these  lines,  was  a  prominent  and  well 
known  citi/.en  of  Amberst  township.  He  was  born  in 
Franklin,  Delaware  county.  New  Y'ork,  August  5, 
181-1,  and  was  tbe  youngest  of  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren. His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  . 
and  died  when  Lewis  was  three  months  old,  leaving 
bis  family  in  a  poor  condition,  financially.  At  the 
age  of  nine,  therefore,  it  became  necessary  for  Lewis 
to  work  for  himself,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  be 
learned  the  carpenter  and  joiner's  trade. 

In  tbe  year  1835,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emeline 
Remington,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Nancy  Reming- 
ton, who  are  of  New  England  origin;  berfatiicr  having 
been  born  in  Vermont  February  15, 1785;  ber  mother, 
Nancy  Rich,  at  Bristol,  Connecticut,  December  17, 
1795.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  had  three  children,  all 
living  and  married,  as  follows:  Emily  J-,  now  tbe 
wife  of  J.  J.  Rice,  of  North  Amberst;  Arniina  J., 
wife  of  John  S.  Perry,  of  Browubelm;  and  Newel, 
who  married  Miss  Eliza  Ilarley,  of  Camden  township. 
Lorain  county.  After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Cook  con- 
tinued to  work  at  bis  trade,  making  Franklin  bis 
headquarters,  until  tbe  fall  of  1843,  when  he  moved 
to  Norwalk,  Huron  county,  Ohio,  remaining  tbere 
three  years.  In  1840,  he  moved  to  Amherst  town- 
ship, and  purchased  the  fiirin  on  which  he  spent  the 
remaining  days  of  bis  life. 

At  the  age  of  twenty,  he  became  a  zealous  chris- 
tian worker,  was  baptized  in  the  Baptist  faith,  and 
lived  a  consistent  member  of  that  body  to  tbe  end  of 
bis  days.     Mr.  Cook  was  a  man  of  some  faults;  who 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


345 


is  not?  but  his  good  qualities  greatly  predominated, 
charity  Ijeing  a  leading  trait  in  his  character,  and  all 
who  knew  him  can  testify  to  his  willingness  ever  to 
help  tiiose  in  sorrow,  sickness,  or  distress.  He  was  a 
scrupulously  honest  and  economical  person,  and  dur- 
ing his  lifetime  accumulated  a  comfortable  compe- 
tence; liut  lilierality,  in  deserved  cases  of  poverty  or 
trouble,  was  a  leading  feature  of  his  disposition. 

He  was  a  faithful  husband,  a  kind  and  indulgent 
father,  a  liberal  provider,  and  a  highly  respected 
member  of  society.  His  loss  is  not  only  felt  in  the 
church,  where  iiis  zeal  and  activity  were  greatly  ben- 
eficial, but  his  family,  and  a  large  circle  of  friends, 
will  sorely  miss  his  kindly  presence  and  genial  worth. 

On  Sunday,  Septembers,  1878,  he  was  taken  sick 
with  jaundice,  but  was  not  confined  to  his  bed  en- 
tirely till  six  weeks  later.  From  the  commencement 
of  his  indisposition  he  seemed  to  have  a  premonition 
that  his  disease  would  terminate  fatally.  He  sank 
slowly  but  surely,  ever  bearing  up  under  his  affliction 
with  christian  fortitude,  and  a  longing  to  be  with 
his  God.  At  last,  on  Sunday  evening,  November 
10,  1878,  the  soul  returned  to  the  God  who  gave  it, 
and  Lewis  Rodman  Cook  passed  quietly  into  eternity. 

His  widow  and  three  children  survive  him.  Mrs. 
Cook  is  a  devoted  and  earnest  member  of  the  Baptist 
church,  with  which  she  formally  united,  at  Franklin, 
thirty-eight  years  ago.  She  is  an  eminently  christian 
woman,  and  a  worthy  relict  of  the  good  man  whose 
faithful  wife  she  was. 


CASPER  BUTE 


was  born  in  Rutt.inburg,  (Jermany,  on  the  38th  of 
January,  1837.  He  was  the  tnily  child  of  George  and 
Ann  Catharine  (Miller)  Dute.  Tlie  latter  (George) 
had  one  brother  and  four  sisters;  the  brother  died  in 
Germany  and  two  of  the  sisters  emigrated  to  this 
country,  whither  George  Dute  also  came  in  18:54, 
landing  at  Hlack  river  on  the  18th  of  September  of 
that  year,  and  located  in  Black  River  townsiiip,  aiwut 
one  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the  i^resent  residence  of 
his  son  Casper,  and  half  a  mile  from  the  lake  shore. 
A  rude  log  cabin,  floorless  and  generally  dilapidated, 
was  then  standing  on  the  farm,  which,  with  slight 
repairs,  was  used  by  the  family  for  a  dwelling  for 
nine  years.  Tiiey  then  sold  the  place  and  purchased 
the  one  upon  which  Casper  Dute  now  resides.  An 
opening  had  to  be  made  in  the  then  unbi'oken  forest, 
and  a  log  house  was  erected  for  the  use  of  the  family. 
The  farm  contained  fifty-one  acres.  The  parents  of 
tiie  subject  of  this  Ijrief  sketch  are  both  dead.  His 
mother  died  December  22,  18(i8,  and  his  father  Au- 
gust 9,  1875.  Tiiey  were  a  worthy  and  highly 
respected  couple,  and  were  among  the  pioneers  of  tiie 
town  in  which  they  passed  so  many  years  of  their 
lives.  Casper  Dute  married  Mary  Ileidenreich  March 
1,  1850.     By  this  union  were  born  fifteen  children,  of 

41 


whom  fourteen  are  living,  namely:  J.  George,  Cath- 
arine, Elizabeth,  .John  A.,  Anton,  Ann  Martha,  J. 
Henry,  Valentine,  .Julius,  Annie  Dora,  A'nton  Au- 
gust, Mary  Orelia,  John  Harvey,  Henry  .Jacob,  Cas- 
per Cleine,  Orlie  Ferdinand  (deceased).  Of  these, 
two  are  married — J.  George  and  Catharine;  tiie  for- 
mer to  M;irv  Shupe,  the  latter  to  Ferdinand  Jisch- 
truth. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dute  is  a  democrat,  and  h;is  always 
acted  with  that  party.  He  has  been  a  liberal  con- 
trilnitor  to  religiou;^  as  well  as  to  educational  inter- 
ests. By  unremitting  industry  and  careful  manage- 
ment of  ills  affairs,  he  has  become  possessed  of  quite 
an  extensive  property,  consisting  of  over  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  A  sketch  of  his  farm  ami  build- 
ings is  inserted  in  this  work,  as  one  of  the  finest  in 
the  town.  Mr.  Dute  has  always  held  a  prominent 
position  among  his  own  countrymen. 


CAPTAIN  E.   P.   FRINK. 

Among  the  prominent  navigators  and  sliip  owners 
on  Lake  Erie,  none  have  had  greater  general  success 
or  enjoy  a  fairer  record  than  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  was  the  son  of  Eli  and  Hannah  (Squires) 
Frink,  both  natives  of  Massachusetts.  They  had  eight 
sous  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  six  sous  and  the 
daughter  survive.  At  an  early  day  they  removed  to 
Rochester,  New  York,  where  Mr.  Frink  erected  the 
Strong's  flouring  mills.  He  died  there  about  1829, 
one  of  the  most  respected  citizens  of  the  then  com- 
paratively small  place.  Two  or  three  years  after  the 
death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Frink  removed,  with  her 
family  of  seven  children,  to  Elyria,  ai'riving  there  m 
1832.  They  came  from  Buffalo  to  Cleveland  on  the 
steamer  Superior,  the  second  steamer  sailing  on  Lake 
Erie. 

Captain  E.  P.  Frink  was  born  at  Rochester,  Monroe 
county.  New  York,  December  27,  1822.  He  accom- 
panied his  widowed  mother  to  El^'ria  when  about  ten 
years  of  age.  From  1832  to  1831  he  worked  for  a 
half  sister  in  Carlisle  township,  and  also  for  an  uncle 
in  Elyria  township.  During,  or  about  that  time,  he 
was  apprenticed  to  a  tailor,  but,  not  liking  the  trade, 
he  only  remained  about  four  weeks,  concluding  to 
move  and  do  for  himself.  He  proceeded  to  Black 
River  township,  where  he  remained  until  about  1839, 
during  which  year  he  first  went  on  the  lake,  busying 
iiimself  in  the  meanwhile  as  best  he  could.  He 
learned  the  caulkers  trade  about  1839.  From  that 
time  until  the  present  he  has  been  interested  in  sail- 
ing and  maritime  matters,  having  an  interest  in  four 
sailing  vessels.  He  has  been  quite  successful,  never 
having  lost  but  one  vessel.  He  has  bought  and  sold 
several  farms,  mostly  at  a  pecuniary  advantage. 

In  October,  184(3,  Captain  Frink  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Aurilla  Gillmore,  of  Amherst  town- 
ship.    Her  parents  were  of  New  England  ancestry. 


346 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


She  hiid  eight  sisters  and  five  brothers,  of  whom  five 
of  the  former  and  fonr  of  tlie  latter  are  living.  Her 
mother  used  to  relate  how  she  rode  all  the  way 
through  the  woods  to  Elyria  to  get  married.  They 
were  among  the  pioneers  of  Amherst,  and  all  their 
family  were  born  in  that  township.  The  father  was  a 
farmer,  and  a  good  practical  business  man. 

Captain  Frink  stayed  ashore  during  the  season  of 
187S,  for  the  first  time  since  he  commenced  sailing, 
about  forty  years  ago.  In  politics  he  is  a  republica)!, 
and  liberally  supported  the  government  during  the 
war  of  the  rebellion,  being  true  to  the  iirincijtles  of 
his  party  and  the  best  interests  of  the  country.     He 


neveraffiliated  with  any  religious  organization;  neither 
did  Mrs.  Frink,  although  both  are  true  christians  in 
the  broadest  and  best  sense.  He  has  generally  sup- 
ported all  religious  enterju-iscs,  donating  one  hundred 
dollars  toward  the  building  fund  of  the  Methodist 
house  of  worship  at  Black  River,  among  other  similar 
acts  of  generosity.  He  is  noted  for  his  boundless 
charity,  particularly  to  tlie  poor  and  needy.  In  his 
business  career  his  motto  has  been  S(juare  dealing, 
and  the  triteness  of  the  phrase  is  significant  of  a  broad 
interpretation;  for  personal  honor  and  a  regard  for 
righteous  dealing  have  characterized  all  the  acti(uis 
of  his  business  life. 


N\,\V^^        ^'^XW""'    ^/^V^ 


Jacob  Hildebrand, 


Mrs,  Jacob  Hildebrand. 


WELLINGTON. 


In  the  thirty-ciglith  draft  by  the  members  of  the 
Coiincctieiit  hind  comiiany,  April  4,  1807,  Ephraim 
Root  and  James  Ross  drew  township  number  three  in 
ranL,'e  eighteen,  witli  other  hmd.s,  and  in  tiie  division, 
Ei)hraini  Root  heeunie  the  original  proprietor  of  Wel- 
lington. 

The  township  contains  an  area  of  twenty-two  and 
otie-halF  miles  and  a  fraction  over — by  tlie  original 
snrvey,  thirteen  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twelve 
acres  of  land.  It  was  divided  into  forty-eight  oi'iginal 
lots.  It  was  six  lots  deej),  running  from  south  to 
iiortii,  and  thence  from  north  to  south,  and  num- 
liered  in  tliis  order  consecutively.  It  is  eight  lots  in 
length  east  and  west.  They  are  of  uue((ual  size;  tlie 
lots  west  of  the  center  road  are  the  larger.  The  first 
tier  of  lots  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  township.  The 
s(uitheast  corner  lot  is  number  onl^  numbei'ing  thence 
north  consecutively;  number  six  is  the  northeast  cor- 
ner lot,  returning  thence  on  the  second  tier  of  lots  to 
the  south  line;  so  back  and  forth,  ending  with  lot 
forty-eight,  in  the  south-west  corner. 

February  18,  1812,  the  general  assembly  of  the 
State  of  Ohio  fixed  the  territorial  limits  of  the  county 
of  Medina  by  an  act  of  that  date,  wherein  it  was  pro- 
vided that  all  tliat  part  of  the  (Jonnecticut  Western 
Reserve  lying  west  of  the  eleventh  range,  south  of 
number  five  and  east  of  the  twentieth  range,  shall  be 
attached   to  and  be  a  i)art  of  the  county  of  Portage. 

The  territory  thus  set  to  Medina  embraced  town- 
shiii  number  three,  range  eighteen — Wellington.  On 
the  organization  of  Medina  county  in  Januai'y,  1818, 
it  was  a  part  thereof,  and  so  remained  until  the  organ- 
ization of  Lorain  county,  January  31,  1834. 

At  the  organization  of  Medina  county,  the  sound  of 
the  woodman's  axe  had  never  been  heard  within  the 
township.  The  only  works  of  civilization  were  the 
blazed  trees  indicating  the  lot  lines  made  by  the 
surveyor's  hatchet.  The  wilderness  was  unbroken. 
The  Wyandots  were  still  here,  and  here  remained  for 
several  years  after  the  arrival  of  the  first  settlers. 
Remains  of  their  old  wigwams,  near  an  orchard  of 
wild  plums  in  Penfield  township,  were  seen  as  late  as 
1840. 

The  township  is  traversed  by  several  affluents  of 
Black  river,  Wellington  creek  in  the  eastern,  Charle- 
mout  creek  and  the  west  branch  of  Black  river  in  the 
western  and  northern  parts.  It  is  therefore  well 
watered,  and  has  a  diversified  soil  of  alluvium  and 
upland.  The  surface  is  level,  and  much  of  it  back 
from  the  streams  was  originally  regarded  as  swale 
lands,  but  their  adaptation  for  meadow  and  grazing 


purposes  is  unsurpassed.  There  is  not  an  acre  of 
waste  laud  in  the  township.  In  the  eastern  jjart  are 
still  seen  the  remains  of  an  old  beaver  dam,  which  in 
an  early  day  served  to  Hood  an  extent  of  fifty  or 
seventy-five  acres,  and  was  known  as  Wellington 
swain|i.  It  ali'orded  a  secure  retreat  for  wild  ani- 
mals. It  was  the  haunt  of  the  bear  and  the  wolf. 
Its  impenetrable  thickets  afforded  an  effectual  screen 
from  the  hunter's  vigilance.  The  wolf,  for  miles 
away,  when  closely  pursued,  headed  for  Wellington 
swamp,  and  it  was  a  struggle  of  skill  and  endurance 
on  the  part  of  the  hunter  to  cut  him  off'  from  that 
retreat.  The  east  and  west  center  road,  when  con- 
structed, crossed  it  in  the  middle.  The  road  was 
made  by  felling  the  brush  upon  the  surface  of  the 
morass,  upon  which  stringers  were  placed  lengthwise 
upo;i  cross  i)ieces  placed  on  the  brush;  over  these 
stringers  the  corduroy  covering  was  laid.  The  road 
was  literally  a  bridge,  which,  as  used,  would  gradu- 
ally settle  below  the  surface,  when  other  stringers 
were  jilaced  aud  more  corduroy  was  laid.  It  was  too 
narrow  for  teams  to  meet  and  pass  thereon.  If  two 
met,  the  lightest  loaded  was  unhitched,  load  removed, 
wagon  uncoupled  and  crowded  to  one  side,  team 
backed  to  terra  finiin,  while  the  other  jnished  on. 
Such  hindrances  rarely  occurred,  however,  for  the 
noise  of  the  jolting  wagon  ujion  the  rough  corduroy 
gave  timely  notice  that  the  road  was  occupied. 

To-day  the  site  of  that  swamp  is  occupied  by  well 
cultivated  fields  of  unsurpassed  and  exhaustless  fer- 
tility. 

The  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Cincinnati  and  Indian- 
apolis railway  traverses  the  townshi])  diagonally,  from 
the  northeast  to  the  southwest  corner.  It  is  crossed 
by  five  roads  running  north  and  south,  and  by  three 
east  and  west.  It  is  about  midway  between  Elyria 
on  the  north,  Ashland  on  the  south,  Medina  on  the 
east,  and  Norwalk  on  the  west,  and  on  the  most  direct 
road  to  each.  This  fact,  at  an  early  day,  gave  Wel- 
lington importance  as  the  center  of  local  trade,  and 
rendezvous  for  land  owners  and  settlers. 

Ei)hraim  Root,  the  original  proprietor  of  Welling- 
ton, sold  the  township  to  Colonel  Francis  Herrick, 
Harmon  Kingsbury,  P'rederick  Hamlin,  and  Norton 
and  Stocking,  of  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts. 
In  the  record  of  transfers  of  Medina  county,  for  the 
year  1819,  the  first  transfer  from  Ei)hraim  Root  to 
Francis  Herrick  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  township  three,  range  eighteen,  is  entered. 
From  the  same  to  Joseph  Kingshury,  two  thousand 
two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres.     In  1820,  the 

(347) 


348 


UISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


same  to  Amos  Adams,  six  hundred  and  fifty  acres;  to 
Adams,  Norton  and  Stocking,  tiiree  tlionsaud  four 
hundred  and  seven ty-eiglit  acres;  to  Lyniau  and  Saa- 
ford  Brown  and  Frederick  Hamlin,  two  thousand 
acres;  to  John  ('Htford,  tliree  hundred  and  fifty  acres; 
to  .liilin  (Milford,  Ji'.,  seventy-five  acres;  to  John 
llowk,  seven  liundred  and  thirty-four  and  three- 
fourths  acres.  Tliese  transfers  were  nuide  to  actual 
settlers.  And  it  was  a  happy  thing  for  Wellington  that 
theso  lands  did  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  speculators, 

FIRST   SETTLEMENT    AND    SETTLERS. 

in  >[arch,  181S,  the  first  settlers  arrived.  They 
were:  E])hraini  Wilcox  and  (Jharles  Sweet,  who  came 
out  in  the  employ  of  Frederick  Hamlin;  John  Clif- 
ford and  Joseph  Wilson,  of  Berkshire  county,  Massa- 
chusetts; and  William  T.  Welling,  of  Montgomery 
county.  New  York.  The  first  four  left  Berkshire 
county  in  February,  with  i)acks  and  tools  loaded  upon 
a  cutter,  drawn  by  one  old  mare.  One  drove  while 
the  others  walked.  Welling  joined  them  en  route. 
In  M:irch,  they  reached  Grafton,  the  most  advanced 
out-j)()st  in  the  direction  of  their  lands.  They  at 
once  commenced  cutting  a  "  trail  "  to  townshi]i  num- 
ber three,  of  range  eighteen,  and  entered  the  townshijt 
at  the  northeast  corner  thereof,  and  thence  to  the 
center  lots. 

They  reached  their  destination  in  the  latter  part  of 
March,  at  night-fall.  They  camped  for  the  night,  and 
the  next  day  commenced  and  nearly  comjileted  a 
temporary  cabin,  which  was  to  be  their  home  for 
■weary  months.  It  was  erected  near  the  corner  of  lots 
twenty-one,  twenty-two,  twenty-seven  and  twenty- 
eight,  upon  the  ground  where  the  house  of  Mrs.  J.  P. 
Nickles  now  stands.  They  made  benches  for  chairs; 
matresses  of  dried  leaves  for  beds,  placed  upon  bed- 
steads made  by  driving  four  crotched  stakes  into  the 
ground,  with  stringers  stretching  from  stake  to 
stake,  and  white  oak  shakes  crossing  from  strinoor  to 
stringer,  upon  which  the  leaf  matresses  were  laid. 
These  rude  beds  soon  gave  place  to  more  luxurious 
couches,  made  by  the  pioneer  with  axe  and  auger, 
consisting  of  four  posts,  four  straight  ])oles  for  the 
side  and  foot  rails,  extending  from  post  to  post,  of 
requisite  length  and  width,  inserted  in  auger  holes 
and  interwoven  with  liasswood  bark,  which,  until  the 
bark  got  too  dry  and  brittle,  made  a  bed  a  kins 
might  envy,  if  invparcd  for  its  enjoyment  by  the 
toils  of  pioneer  life. 

Their  temporary  cabin  completed,  they  at  once 
commenced  work  upon  their  lands,  finding  them  liy 
the  surveyor's  plat,  and  the  marks  upon  the  corner 
stakes  of  the  lots,  Ephriam  Wilcox  u])on  lot  twenty- 
eight;  John  Clifford  upon  lot  sixteen;  Joseph  Wilson 
upon  lot  fourteen;  and  Charles  Sweet,  for  Frederick 
Ilamlin,  upon  lot  twenty-seven.  By  the  1st  of  Ajiril 
the  ringing  of  the  woodman's  ax,  the  crash  of  falling 
trees,  gave  token  of  the  advent  of  civilization,  of  the 
dawn  of  that  struggle  to  plant  the  institutions  of  New 
England  in  the  forest,  which  it  took  a  generation  to 
complete. 


On  the  4th  day  of  July,  of  that  year,  they  wei-e 
joined  by  the  family  of  Ephraiin  Wilcox,  consisting 
of  wife  and  child,  Theodore  Wilcox  and  sister,  Miss 
Caroline  Wilcox,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Daniel  J. 
Johns,  Frederick  Hamlin,  and  Austin  Kingsbury. 
The  log  house  was  ready  for  their  reception,  into 
which  they  were  received  on  this  glad  fourth  of  July, 
after  a  sejjaration  of  live  months,  passed  by  the  hus- 
band and  father  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  far  from 
the  sound  of  woman's  voice,  or  children's  )irattle. 

These  women  were  the  first  white  women  in  Wel- 
lington. The  site  of  their  first  home, — that  first  log 
cabin, — is  still  seen,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
northwest  of  the  center  of  the  townshiji.  An  old 
peach  tree,  an  apple  tree,  a  hop  vine,  the  rums  of 
the  old  stone  and  clay  cliimney  still  mark  the  place 
in  a  field  now  owned  by  Daniel  J.  Johns.  It  is  remote 
from  any  road,  for  it  j)receded  roads.  No  lovelier 
place  for  a  home  could  have  been  chosen,  facing  the 
east,  upon  a  gentle  declivity,  at  the  foot  of  which  a 
bubbling  brook  sent  up,  in  those  days,  the  music  of 
its  unceasing  murmur,  and  near  by,  an  unfailing 
spring  sent  forth  an  abundant  su])ply  of  the  purest 
water.  To  such  a  home  and  such  sceneiy  were  these 
women  welcomed.  The  welcome  and  lovely  scene 
was  not  unappreciated  by  them,  which  appreciation 
wiis  manifested  by  Mrs.  Wilcox  in  the  most  timely 
and  fitting  manner  possible,  to  wit:  by  the  j)resenta- 
tion  to  her  husband  and  infant  colony  of  a  num  child, 
John  W.  Wilcox,  born  on  the  twenty-fifth  day  of 
Se])tember,  A.  D.  1818,  the  first  white  child  born  in 
the  township.  He  grew  to  manhood,  and  died  heii\ 
leaving  a  widow  and  two  sons,  Stanley  and  Arthur. 

The  journey  of  these  last  arrivals  was  performed 
from  Massachusetts,  in  just  four  weeks'  time.  They 
came  with  horses  and  wagons,  bringing  such  house- 
hold goods  as  were  absolutely  necessary.  Dr.  Johns 
was  then  just  twenty-one  years  old,  and  fi-om  that 
day  to  this  has  been  closely  identified  with  every  inter- 
est of  Wellington  and  the  surrounding  townsiiips. 
He  was  for  years  the  only  jihysician  in  a  circuit  of 
fifteen  miles.  Here  he  j)urchased  and  cleared  a  farm, 
built  a  home,  married  and  reared  a  family  of  chil- 
dren. He  helped  to  organize  the  township  and  the 
county,  filled  various  township  offices,  and  was  an 
associate  judge  of  the  Lorain  court  of  common  pleas 
from  February,  18;i8,  to  February,  1845,  inclusive. 
No  further  accessions  were  made  to  the  settlement 
until  in  the  late  fall  of  that  year.  One  morning  the 
tinkle  of  a  strange  cowbell  was  heard  from  the  direc- 
tion of  the  center.  Curious  to  see  from  what  it  pro- 
ceeded, the  sound  was  followed,  and  an  emigrant's 
team  was  found  grazing,  and  the  first  shanty  ei'octed 
was  found  occupied,  not  by  strangers,  hut  by  friends 
from  their  old  Massachusetts  home,  Josiah  Bradley 
and  wife,  John  and  Alauson  Ilowk,  and  their  mother. 
Miss  Electa  Ilowk,  and  a  sister  and  "Dean,"  a  female 
servant,  a  relic  of  Massachusetts  slavery,  who  had 
continued  to  live  with  her  old  mistress  after  the 
adoption  of  the  constitution  of    1780,  and  had  fol- 


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5 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


349 


lowed  her  into  the  wiklenicss.  They  had  reached 
tlie  center  of  the  township  after  dark  tlie  night  be- 
fore. Their  trail  ended  tliero.  Tlie  deserted  slianty 
was  found  and  occiii)iea  until  morning  slioiikl  reveal 
the  whereabouts  of  the  settlei-s.  They  were  never 
accorded  a  more  joyful  welcome  than  that  which  then 
was  given  tlicm.  The  meeting  of  those  pioneer 
women  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  months  having 
intervened  since  two  of  them  iiad  looked  upon  any  of 
their  own  sex  save  themselves,  was  one  of  intense 
emotion.  Encircling  arms,  tear-dimmed  eyes  were 
the  exi)ression  of  a  joy  too  great  for  utterance. 
Alauson  Howk  sedled  upon  lot  twenty-two  ;  .lolin 
llowk  upon  lot  fifteen,  and  .losiah  Bradley  upon  lot 
number  forty. 

Frederick  Hamlin,  having  conii)leted  his  log-house 
on  lot  twenty-seven,  that  fall  returned  to  Massachu- 
setts for  his  family.  The  next  year  he  returned  with 
his  wife,  Mrs.  Nancy  Hamlin,  and  four  children,  viz: 
Frederick  M.,  Lucius,  Homer  and  Jane. 

The  providence  that  sent  this  family  into  the  wil- 
derness was  beneficent  to  Wellington.  Active  in  the 
organization  of  schools,  earnest  in  promoting  the 
interests  of  society,  prominent  in  the  civil  affairs  of 
the  township  and  county,  filling  some  of  the  most 
important  places  of  jiublic  trust  in  both,  the  name 
of  Frederick  Hamlin,  and  after  hiui  of  his  son  Fred- 
erick M.,  ajipears  on  every  ]iage  of  its  history  for  the 
first  forty  years.  ,  The  father  was  one  of  the  tirst 
common  pleas  judges  of  the  county,  sat  u]iou  the 
bench  at  the  first  term  of  court  ever  held  in  the 
county.  May  term,  182-t,  and  continued  to  serve 
until  the  March  term,  1831.  In  after  years,  when 
the  county  had  become  populous  and  wealthy,  the 
son,  Frederick  M.,  wa,^  chosen  treasurer  Of  the 
county  for  two  successive  terms.  He  entered  into  the 
office  in  September,  A.  D.,  1865,  and  retired  Septem- 
ber, 1869,  and  no  man  ever  served  the  iniblic  tlu-rein 
more  acceptably. 

Homer  Hamlin  removed  to  Iowa  after  seeing  the 
township  all  settled  and  a  large  village  springing  up 
around  the  very  spot  where  the  old  log  house,  the 
home  of  his  childhood,  stood.  They  have  all  passed 
away  now,  the  work  of  their  hands,  and  a  fragrant 
memory  are  all  that  remain  to  speak  for  them. 

On  the  13tli  of  November,  1819,  Ahner  Loveland, 
from  Otis,  Massachusetts,  came.  He  journeyed  the 
entire  distance  on  foot,  reached  the  settlement  on 
Friday,  hired  to  Judge  Hamlin  (mi  Saturday  as  a  wood- 
chiipper,  and  commenced  his  job  on  Monday.  He 
linally  settled  in  Brighton,  but  returned  to  Welling- 
ton in  after  years,  where  ho  lived  until  his  death,  in 
March,  1879.  At  a  very  early  period  of  the  anti-sla- 
very movement  he  identified  himself  therewith,  and 
suffered  bonds  and  imprisonment  because  of  his  de- 
votion to  the  cause  of  hunuin  liberty.  This  same 
year  came  Lyman  Howk,  who  located  upon  lot  ten, 
where  he  continued  to  live  until  his  death. 

In  May,  1820,  John  Clifford,  who  had  returned 
east  in  the  fall  of  1818,  after  making  a  small  clearing. 


returned  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and 
ten  children,  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  viz:  John 
Clifford,  Jr.,  Daniel,  Luther  L.,  Flijali  M.,  (ieorge 
W.,  Benjamin  F.,  Hannah,  Theodosia,  Harriet  and 
Polly,  a  noble  force  for  the  woi-k  in  hand.  They  at 
once  commenced  the  erection  of  a  log  house,  and  in 
one  week  their  luuise  was  ready.  Shortly  after,  an 
addition  was  built  to  it,  and  here  was  taught  the  first 
school,  by  Miss  Caroline  Wilcox,  Mr.  Clifford  furnish- 
ing not  only  the  house  but  over  half  the  pupils.  In 
this  house  was  preached  the  first  sermon,  by  Rev.  Mr. 
McMalioii,  pi-i'siding  elder  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  And  here  Kev.  Adam  Foe  jircached  his  first 
sermon.  The  old  log  house,  in  a  few  years,  gave 
place  to  a  substantial  frame  house,  in  which  Mr.  Clif- 
ford lived  from  thence  to  the  day  of  his  death,  Sep- 
tember 17,  18()9,  aged  ninety-two  years,  surviving  his 
sons,  Luther  L.  and  George  W.  This  was  the  first 
frame  house  built. 

This  year  Mr.  Hamlin  opened  a  small  store  in  a  log 
house  at  the  center,  and  here  the  first  post  office  was 
kept  by  him,  the  first  postmaster. 

In  1847,  Rev.  Ansel  R.  Clark  delivered  an  historical 
sermon  to  the  First  Congregational  church  of  Wel- 
lington. Speaking  of  the  progress  of  the  settlement, 
he  said  tluit  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1821,  there 
were  thirty-seven  inhabitants  in  the  township.  That 
year  came  Amos  Adams,  Milton  Adams,  and  their 
sister.  Miss  xVtlurnira  Adams,  who  married  Austin 
Kingsbury,  Russell  B.  Webster,  Ithel  Battle.  Whit- 
man De  Wolf,  Loren  Wadswor;  li,  Judson  Wadsworth, 
William  Foote,  Daniel  Smith  and  .Insiah  B.  Miinlev. 
The  latter,  with  his  wife  and  three  chihiren,  journeyed 
from  Massachusetts  with  an  ox  team,  and  was  forty 
days  in  making  the  journey,  the  last  night  of  whii'h 
was  spent  in  the  woods  within  four  miles  of  the  set- 
tlement, without  food  for  themselves  or  team;  sur- 
ivuiuded  from  dark  till  dawn  by  legions  of  howling 
Wolves.  They  arrived  at  the  settlement  at  early  dawn, 
aud  found  every  man  absent. 

LOST    IN    THE    WOODS. 

The  wonl  had  been  sent  the  night  before  from  Sul- 
livan, that  a  child  was  lost  in  the  forest,  and  lielp  was 
wanted  to  search  for  the  wanderer.  These  tidings 
liy  faithful  messengers,  were  for\varded  to  adjacent 
settlements  in  Brighton  and  Pittslield,  with  a  recpiest 
that  all  should  engage  in  the  search  and  they  assembled 
at  Sullivan  at  sunrise  on  the  next  morning  to  organ- 
ize. Many  had  come  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles.  It 
was  a  bleak  November  day,  Init  that  morning  beheld 
a  column  of  men  three  miles  long,  asseudded  at  the 
l)lace  of  designation.  As  the  child  had  last  l.iecn  seen 
east  of  the  dwelling  of  its  iiarents,  the  commander  of 
the  forces  conceived  the  idea  that  the  little  wanderer 
was  to  be  found  east.  The  order  to  march  was  given, 
and  the  line  moved  forwai'd  into  the  dejjths  of  the 
wilderness.  They  crossed  Black  riverand  penetrated 
into  the  wilds  beyond,  where  no  child  could  [lossibly 
go.     In  the  afternoon  a  violent  snow  storm  came  on. 


350 


HISTOEY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


It  was  thouglit  the  child  must  perisli;  :i  backward 
inarcli  was  made  and  the  chiki  was  left  to  his  fate. 
The  next  spring  its  remains  were  found,  partially  eaten 
by  the  Avolves.  The  child  had  crawled  under  the 
body  and  upturned  roots  of  a  fallen  tree;,  evidently 
for  shelter,  and  thei'e  had  perished,  west  of  the  house 
and  within  half  a  mile  thereof.  Among  those  from 
Wellington  was  Ifiissell  B.  Webster,  a  young  man  of 
stalwart  frame,  with  great  jiowei-s  of  endurance,  and 
possessed  of  mental  force  to  malch.  Exhausted  with 
the  long  tram])  to  Sullivan  in  the  night,  the  fruitless 
march,  and  the  ri'turn  tramp  home,  some  (jf  tliecom- 
l)any  sank  down  exhausted  by  the  way.  Wel)stei' 
lifted,  led  or  carried  these  to  places  of  safety,  where 
rest  could  be  had.  Webster  besought  the  leader  to  let 
the  company  search  the  woods  around  the  house  on 
all  sides  first,  but  was  unfortunately  overruled. 

To  get  lost  in  the  woods  was  no  uucom?non  occur- 
rence to  the  pioneers  themselves,  but  over  children 
such  careful  watch  was  kept  that  it  was  rare,  and  but 
ftnv  instances  of  the  kind  happened.  If  a  man  at  night- 
fall did  not  return  it  was  surmised  he  was  lost.  Tin 
horns  were  blown  and  guns  were  fired  to  direct  his 
course,  should  the  sound  reach  him,  while  the  man 
himself  would  climb  a  tree  the  better  to  catch  the 
sound  he  know  his  friends  would  make,  and  if  no 
sound  reached  him  the  Ijranches  of  the  tree  were  his 
resting  place  till  morning,  unless  the  rigors  of  the 
season  demanded  constant  walking  to  i)revent  freez- 
ing. The  craft  of  the  experienced  w(jodmen  soon 
taught  them  when  the  sun  was  hidden  to  follow  the 
wafer  courses;  sooner  oi'  later  these  would  lead  to  a 
settler's  path.  Every  nuin's  house  was  a  home,  the 
latch  string  always  hung  out,  the  wanderers,  the  weai'y 
aiul  the  hungry  always  were  welcomed  with  a  hospi- 
tality that  ]nits  to  shame  the  cold  civilities  of  nu)re 
modern  life — the  hospitality  of  the  heart. 

Wolves  were  numerous,  their  nightly  howls  were 
hideous,  their  havoc  among  sheep  and  domestic  aiii- 
nuils  ruinous.  The  sheep,  for  better  j)rotcction  from 
them,  were  nightly  housed  in  folds,  and  woe  to  the 
flock  if  this  precaution  was  neglected.  They  often  fol- 
lowed at  a  safe  distance  the  pioneer's  footsteps,  rarely, 
if  ever,  attacking  him.  Their  attitude  was  one  of  per- 
petual threatening,  but  like  all  cowards,  never  execut- 
ing, ready  and  willing  to  make  an  attack,  ojjportunitv 
presenting,  and  hunger  pressing.  At  last  the  legis- 
latui-e  of  the  State  legistated  the  wolves  to  that  land 
from  whose  bourne  net  wolf  returns.  A  state  bounty 
of  four  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents  for  the  scaJ]i  of 
every  wolf  over  six  months  old,  was  offered  and  paid, 
and  for  those  under  six  months,  two  dollai's  and  fifty 
cents.  As  this  was  about  the  only  way  of  getting 
money,  except  counterfeiting,  which  latter  method 
was  confined  to  Akron,  mainly,  every  man,  theoret- 
ically or  practically,  became  a  wolf-hunter.  Old  worn 
out  horses  and  diseased  cattle  were  conveyed  or  driven 
into  the  loneliest  depths  of  the  forest  and  slaughtered, 
and  their  carcasses  surrounded  with  wolf  traps,  hid- 
den among  the  leaves,  chained  to  heavy  clogs,  that 


would  prevent  escape,  but  not  hold  the  animal  so  fast 
he  could  not  drag  it  after  him.  If  caught  by  the  leg 
and  held  immovable  the  wolf  would  escape  by  gnaw- 
ing off  the  leg.  The  other  way  he  could  barely  crawl, 
leaving  a  broad  trail  behind  him  made  by  himself, 
t  rap  and  clog,  to  some  thicket  where  he  could  be  easily 
found.  Wolf  scalps,  black  salts,  for  pearls  were  the 
only  products  the  settlers  had  to  sell,  these  afforded 
theiroiily  means  for  getting  money  to  pay  their  taxes, 
which  was  about  the  only  use  they  had  for  money. 

CLOTHING    AND    I'UOU. 

They  made  their  own  cloth  from  yarn  sjiun  from 
wool  raised  from  their  own  slice]),  or  fiax  raised 
themselves  and  dressed  by  themselves;  carded  and 
sj)un  by  the  women.  They  wore  hats  home  made 
from  braided  straw,  orca])sfrom  the  skins  of  animals, 
with  a  well  preserved  suit,  brought  from  New  Eng- 
land, for  Sundays.  The  njek  ma])le  afforded  an  abun- 
dant suijjily  of  sa]),  which  in  March  was  gathered  and 
boiled  into  sugar  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  a  year. 
For  the  first  few  years  their  wants,  outside  of  home 
lirodnctions,  were  few  indeed.  The  forest  snpjilied 
them  with  the  choicest  venison  for  substantial  meat, 
while  for  delicacies,  they  had  wild  turkey,  duck  and 
l)heasant.  The  woods  furnished  grazing  for  cattle, 
and  though  the  butter  and  milk  had  a  flavor  of  gar- 
lic from  the  locks  with  which  the  woods  abounded, 
111)011  which  the  cows  fed,  yet  they  learned  to  make 
that  "do  with  an  onion."  For  early  vegetables  the 
streams  afforded  water  cresses,  the  marshes,  cowsb'iis 
for  greens.  Fox  grapes,  wild  gooseberries,  and  wild 
])lunis  were  abundant.  The  curculio  was  unknown. 
Hogs  fattened  ui)on  hickory  nuts,  beech  nuts  and 
acorns,  without  cost  or  trouble  to  the  owner,  and  of 
all  the  domestic  animals  thrived  the  best. 

Ijarge  numbers  of  cattle  were  annually  lost  from 
murrain,  taking  often  the  settler's  only  cow  or  team, 
and  he  without  the  means  of  rei)lacing  the  loss.  Such 
misfortunes  were  common  to  every  neighborhood  and 
were  at  that  time  a  real  calamity,  the  extent  of  which 
can  not  now  be  ai)i)rehended.  This  disease  gradiuiUy 
disaii])eared  as  the  country  became  older,  and  is  now 
nearly  or  (juite  extinct. 

TRAVEL  AXD  ITS  DANGERS. 

The  new  roads  for  the  larger  portion  of  the  year 
were  almost  imjiassable;  nearly  all  travel  was  with 
ox-tcauis  hauling  loads,  and  on  horseback  for  Journey- 
ing. 

The  streams  were  not  bridged,  and  crossing  was 
dangerous  in  high  water,  even  after  bridges  were  con- 
structed; for  the  overflow  of  the  flats  obscured  the 
track,  and  washed  it  away.  The  crossing  of  Black 
river,  on  the  northern  boundary  of  the  township,  was 
])articularly  hazardous  in  high  water,  and  iinniorous 
anecdotes  are  told  of  accidents  and  hairbreadth  escajjes 
here.  Here  President  Fairchild  came  near  losing  his 
life  by  flood.  Here  Russell  B.  Webster,  in  mid- 
winter, saved   his,  by  the  vigorous  exercise  of  the 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


351 


great  strength  with  which  nature  had  endowed  liini, 
iind  that  reniavkahlc  fortitude  and  self  command 
tlirougli  wliicli  liis  presence  of  mind  never  forsook 
liini.  ITnder  the  floating  ice,  and  on  the  ice,  unable 
to  swim,  he  succeeded  in  drawing  himself  out  of  the 
jaws  of  death  into  the  hranches  of  a  tree,  there  to 
remain,  chilled  to  the  bono,  until  help  came.  lie 
saved  liiniself,  Ijut  lost  his  team. 

Ague  and  bilious  fever  were  the  prevailing  diseases, 
before  which  many  a  hardy  pioneer  succumbed,  and 
moss-grown  tombstones  mark  their  early  graves,  cut 
off  in  the  prime  of  their  manhood  in  their  stern  bat- 
tle with  nature's  forces. 

DEATH  ROLL. 

The  first  death  occurred  on  August  31,  1824.  Jo- 
siah  B.  Munloy,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-two,  died 
of  disease  incident  to  the  new  country.  It  was  a 
great  shock  to  the  infant  settlement,  and  a  grevious 
loss  to  the  community,  and  irreparalile  to  his  family, 
consisting  of  a  wife  and  three  children. 

Charles  W.  Sweet  died  next,  August  23,  1820,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-two  years. 

Miss  Caroline  Wilcox  married  Dr.  Iliram  Hamlin, 
and  lived  at  Wellington  most  of  her  life.  She  died 
December  -1,  1801,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 

Ephraim  A.  Wilcox,  after  filling  various  responsi- 
ble township  positions,  died  August  28,  1835,  aged 
forty-four  years.  His  widow  survived  him  ten  years. 
One  marble  slab  marks  their  resting  place,  on  which 
are  incribed  their  names  and  dale  of  deatii,  and  these 
words,  "The  first  family  of  Wellington  settlement. 
Erected  by  early  settlers  of  Wellington." 

John  Uowk  lived  until  December  24,  1809.  He 
died  aged  seventy-eight  years.  On  the  headstone  to 
bis  grave  is  inscribed,  "Here  lies  an  honest  man," 
and  in  his  case  it  was  no  unmeaning  comiiliment,  but 
a  deserved  tribute  to  worth. 

John  S.  Reed,  one  of  the  earliest  merchants,  died 
in  .June,  18,55,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  He  was 
drowned  wliile  bathing  in  Black  river,  and  his  loss 
was  a  grevious  one  to  Wellington.  He  was  active  in 
all  matters  of  puljlic  interest,  and  a  friend  to  progress. 
His  early  taking  off,  his  untimely  fate,  his  prom- 
inence, all  conspired  to  make  the  event  one  of  especial 
significance  in  the  histor3'of  Wellington. 

Colonel  Francis  Herrick  lived  until  1855.  He  died 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  Though  one 
of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  town,  he  did  not  re- 
move here  until  several  years  after  the  arrival  of  the 
first  comers. 

Loring  Wadsworth  died  in  1871,  seventy-two  years 
of  age.  His  father,  Benjamin  Wadsworth,  died  De- 
cember 30,  1814,  aged  seventy  years;  Amos  Adams, 
June  19,  1830;  Josiah  Bradley,  September  1,  1809; 
David  Webster,  October  14,  1807;  Alanson  Howk, 
April  9,  1850. 

Lawton  Wadsworth,  who  erected  the  first  hotel, — 
the  American  house, — as  early  as  1833,  died  February 
21,  1807. 


ORGANIZATION,    NAME,    ETC. 

The  township  was  organized  in  the  year  1821. 
The  records  of  the  first  years  are  lost.  They  were 
kept  upon  slips  of  paper  at  first,  and  when  a  record 
book  was  opened  in  1824,  the  transcribing  was  neg- 
lected. The  first  township  officers  were  John  Howk, 
Josiah  Bradley  and  Austin  Kingsbury,  trustees; 
Ephraim  Wilcox,  justice  of  the  peace,  and  Amos 
Adams,  township  clerk. 

In  selecting  a  name  for  the  township,  tlie  honor 
of  naming  it  was  put  up  and  struck  off  to  the  high- 
est bidder.  The  bid  being  an  offer  to  chop  out 
roadway,  the  highest  offer  to  chop,  linear  measure- 
ment, to  win.  Charles  Sweet  bid  eighty  rods,  and 
the  naming  of  the  township  was  accorded  to  him. 
He  named  it  Charlemont,  which  was  not  acceptable 
to  the  rest.  They  offered  to  do  Sweet's  job  for 
him,  he  surrendering  his  right  to  name.  He  con- 
sented, and  Wellington  was  the  name  agreed  upon, 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  some  favoring 
that  name  through  admiration  of  the  Iron  Duke, 
others  through  a  desire  to  honor  their  compatriot, 
William  T.  Welling,  one  of  the  first  five  who  came, 
so  that  all  were  gratified. 

The  first  election  of  which  any  record  is  preserved 
was  a  special  election  held  July  5,  1824,  for  electing 
a  justice  of  the  peace.  The  record  certifies  that 
the  result  was  a  tie  between  E.  Wilcox  and  R.  B. 
Webster.  It  seems  a  second  balloting  was  had,  which 
resulted  in  ten  votes  for  Wilcox,  seven  for  Web- 
ster, and  two  scattering.  This  election  was  declared 
irregular,  another  was  called  and  resulted '  in  the 
election  of  Mr.  Wilcox.  At  the  annual  State  elec- 
tion, on  the  12th  of  October,  A.  D.  1824,  Benjamin 
Wadsworth,  Judson  Wadsworth  and  James  Wilson 
acted  as  judges  of  election,  and  D.  Z.  Johns  and  E.  A. 
Wilcox  clerks.  There  were  but  ten  votes  cast  at  this 
election.  A  cojiy  of  the  poll  list  shows  that  thei'c 
were  ten  electors,  as  follows:  Loring  Wadsworth, 
Whitman  DeWolf,  .Tames  Wilson,  Frederick  Hamlin, 
.Judson  Wadsworth,  E.  A.  Wilcox,  D.  J.  .Johns,  Beiij. 
Wadsworth,  Silas  Boly  and  Amos  Adams.  Allen 
Trimble  had  ten  votes  for  governor  and  Alfi'cd  Kelly 
ten  votes  for  representative  in  congress.  As  these 
were  the  candidates  of  the  federal  party,  it  is  inferred 
that  these  electors  were  all  federalists.  The  demo- 
crats did  not  vote;  they  perhaps  forgot  the  day,  for  it 
was  before  the  times  when  electors  were  kept  from 
the  polls  by  bulldozing.  The  next  election  of  which 
a  record  is  kept  in  the  township  records,  was  held 
October  14,  1828,  and  Allen  Trimble,  out  of  the 
whole  number  of  votes  cast,  which  were  thirty,  had 
thirty  votes.  Again  Wellington  patriots  all  voted 
one  way.  But  at  the  presidential  election,  on  the 
31st  of  October  of  that  year,  there  were  forty-five 
votes  cast,  of  which  the  federal  candidates  for  elect- 
ors had  thirty-eight  votes  and  the  democratic  electors 
had  seven  votes. 

In  1829,  there  were  twenty-one  liouseholders  in  the 
school  district  number  one,  the  center  district.     lu 


352 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


district  number  two,  tlic  western  district,  tliere  were 
eleven  liouseholders.  Those  two  districts  embraced 
t,he  entire  townsliiji. 

At  tlie  Octol)er  election,  1S;50,  there  were  thirty- 
six  votes  east,  of  which  l>uncan  McArtluirhad  thirty- 
live  votes  for  <>ov('rnoi-,  and  Hobert  Lucas  had  one 
vote.  At  an  election  for  justice  of  the  ])eace,  in  183;5, 
there  were  fifty-five  votes  cast.  At  the  October  elec- 
tion, in  is:u;,  the  total  iiuniiicr  of  votes  polled  was 
one  liiindnMl  and  thirty,  of  which  Eli  Baldwin  liad 
sixty-nine,  and  .Josejih  \'ance  sixty-one  foi-  governor. 
.Tosei)h  ViMice  was  the  whii;'  candidate.  At  the  presi- 
denlial  election  that  year,  there  were  one  hundred 
;ind  sixty-three  votes  polled,  of  which  number  the 
whin'  electors  received  eiglity-seven  votes,  and  the 
democratic  seventy-seven,  making  one  more  than  the 
whole  number  of  votes  cast.  At  the  election,  in 
1837,  Eber  W.  Ilubliard,  democrat,  and  Daniel  T. 
Baldwin,  whig,  had  each  sixty-seven  votes  for  repre- 
sentative in  the  State  legislature.  At  the  Sfate  elec- 
tion, in  1838,  Joseph  Vance,  whig,  had  seventy-four 
votes,  and  Wilson  Shannon,  democrat,  had  seventy- 
three.  At  the  State  election,  in  1840,  the  total  vote 
was  one  hundred  and  fifty-six,  of  which  Thomas  Cor- 
win,  whig  candidate,  had  ninety-five,  and  Wilson 
Shannon,  democratic,  fifty-nine  votes  for  governor. 
Sherlock  J.  Andrews,  whig  candidarte  for  representa- 
tive in  congress,  had  ninety-six  votes,  the  highest 
nundjer  cast  for  any  candidate  at  that  election.  At 
the  president:ial  election  of  that  year,  the  Harrison 
electors  received  eighty-nine  votes,  the  Van  Buren 
electors  sixty-live  votes,  and  the  electoral  ticket  for 
James  G.  Birney,  the  candidate  of  the  anti-slavery 
party,  called  the  liberty  party,  for  president,  received 
three  votes. 

WELLINGTON  VILLAGE. 

On  the  14th  of  March,  A. I).,  1830,  the  legislature 
chartci'ed  the  Cleveland,  Columbus  &  Cincinnati 
Rail  Hoiid  Company,  l>ut  the  charter  became  dormant 
liy  11(1)1  iisfr,  and  an  act  of  revival  was  i)assed  in  1845, 
March  I'Z.  After  this,  active  steps  were  taken  to 
push  the  enterpiMse.  Several  routes  were  contemplated 
liy  the  company,  among  which  was  one  via  Elyria 
and  west  of  Wellington;  one  via  Ashland  and  east  of 
Wellington,  through  I'enfield;  another  through  Wel- 
lington, touching  no  large  towns,  en  route  to  Colum- 
bus, even  leaving  Delaware  to  the  west  about  two 
miles.  The  struggle  to  secure  the  location  was 
spirited.  There  is  but  little  doubt  that  Elyria  was  a 
dangerous  competitor  to  Wellington,  had  she  seen  fit 
to  exert  herself.  The  latter  place  did  her  best.  Dr. 
D.  Z.  Johns,  in  its  behalf,  was  instant  in  season  and 
out  of  season.  He  was  untiring  in  exertions  to  arouse 
the  energies  of  the  lown.  He  called  meetings,  he 
gave  tinu'  and  money,  he  secured  the  right  of  way  by 
donation  wlierever  possible.  He  gave  valuable  lands 
himself,  and  all  the  people  who  had  means  sub- 
scribed liberally  to  the  stock  of  the  comiiany.  They 
succeeded  in  securing  the  location  through  the  center 


of  the  township,  within  twenty  rods  of  the  stone  that 
marks  the  center.  The  credit  of  this  achievement 
belongs  to  Dr.  Joiins  more  than  to  any  other.  It  was 
the  turning  point  to  the  fortunes  of  the  place.  The 
road  on  either  side  would  have  lilasted  all  village 
prospects,  and  where  the  village  now  is  would  have 
been  four  farms  and  nothing  more.  As  soon  as  the 
location  was  secured  and  the  line  of  the  road  estab- 
lished, the  company  began  the  work  of  construction 
and  pushed  it  most  vigorously.  One  of  the  deepest 
fills  on  the  road  is  in  Wellington,  at  the  crossing  of 
('harlomont  creek,  nnd  was  quite  an  obstacle  that  had 
to  be  overcome,  in  securing  the  location  of  the  line. 
Clouds  of  workmen,  in  the  summer  of  1840,  with 
shovel  and  pick  entered  the  township,  and  the  work 
of  grading  went  forward  with  vigor.  From  the  hour 
of  location  the  growth  of  the  village  has  been  most 
healthful:  not  rajiid,  but  steadily  increasing  from 
year  to  year. 

Two  disastrous  fires,  as  regarded  at  the  time,  have 
visited  the  place — one  on  the  13th  of  Septendjcr,  18.")8, 
which  consumed  the  entire  business  portion  of  the 
town  on  the  west  side  of  Main  street,  burning  five 
stores  and  much  of  their  contents.  The  other  fire 
occurred  on  the  1st  of  May,  1865,  and  burned  the 
store  of  Foot  &  ^'an  Deusen,  on  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Liberty  sti'cets,  with  adjoining  Imildings. 

The  corporate  limits  embrace  about  one  thousand 
two  hundred  aci'esof  land,  being  original  lots  numbers 
twenty-one,  twenty-two,  twenty-seven  and  twenty- 
eight.  The  organization  of  the  village  as  a  munici- 
pality was  effected  August  G,  1855.  The  first  corjiorate 
election  was  held  the  3d  of  December,  1855.  John 
M.  Swift  was  chosen  Mayor.  The  following  is  a  list 
of  the  incund)ents  of  that  office  from  that  date  to 
1879,  inclusive,  to  wit: 

E.  S.  Tripp,  term  of  offloo,  from  April,  IMJIi,  to  April,  1858. 

F.  M.  Hamlin.  "  •'  '■  1&59  "  18S0. 
Loring  Wadsworth,  "  "  "  18«0  "  1861, 
Henry  Phelps,           "  "         "  ISIil         "         1862. 

F.  M.  Hamlin.  "  "  "  1863  "  1865. 
E.  S.  Tripp.  '■  "  ■'  1865  "  1867. 
.1.  H.  Dickson,  "                   "         "  186"          "  1868. 

G.  \V.  Bnrte,  "  "  ■'  186S  "  1869. 
A.  H.  Palmer,  "  "  "  1H69  "  1870. 
J.  B.  Lang,  "  "  "  ISTO  "  187i. 
N.  Huokins,  "  "  "  1873,  to  Sept.,  1873. 
J.  W.  Hoiightou,  "  from  Sept.,  1N73,  to  April,  1874. 
A  W.  Palmer,  "  from  April,  1874  "  1876. 
A.  W.  Palmer,  "  "  "  1876  "  1878. 
A.  W.  Palmer  was  re-elected  in  1878. 

The  population  of  the  village  at  the  census  of  1860, 
was  one  thousand  and  twenty-nine;  in  1870,  it  was 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-one;  in  the 
census  of  1850,  covering  both  tow-nship  and  village, 
the  population  was  one  thousand  five  hundred  and 
fifty-six;  in  1860,  it  was  one  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  twenty;  in  1870,  one  thous.and  eight  hundred 
and  ninety-one.  The  vilkige,  in  187'.»,  estim;ifed  by 
the  vote,  two  thons;ind  two  hundred:  the  township 
and  village,  three  thousand. 

The  business  of  tlie  place  is  mainly  commercial— 
lart^e  ouantities  of  merchandise  are  annually  retailed. 
At  the  time  of  the  incorporation  of  the  village,  the 


HON.  JOSEPH   H.  DICKSON. 


Hon.  Joseph  H.  Dickson,  one  of 
Wellington's  pnmiinent  and  honored 
citizens,  located  there  in  December, 
1855. 

Tli.s  attention  was  directed  early 
in  lii'e  to  the  possibilities  embraced 
within  the  scope  of  high  legal  attain- 
ments, and  entering  accordingly  upon 
a  course  of  study,  he  found  that  his 
earnestly  directed  and  energetic  ambi- 
tion urged  him  rapidly  forward  ujion 
his  chosen  path,  and  graduating  event- 
ually with  conspicuous  honors,  he  was, 
in  August,  1852,  admitted  to  the 
bar. 


Photo.  \>s  W.  F.  Saw  tell,  Wullingtoli,  0. 


Directly  upon  his  settlement  in  Wel- 
lington he  began  to  win  popular  rec- 
ognition, and  to  make  his  influence 
felt  in  a  more  than  ordinary  measure. 

He  was  chosen  to  represent  Lorain 
County  in  tbe  Fifty-eighth  and  Fil'ty- 
ninth  General  Assemblies  of  the  State 
of  Ohio,  whereby  he  was  enabled  to 
contribute  something  toward  the  legal 
recognition  of  the  equality  of  all  men 
before  the  law  by  voting  for  the  adop- 
tion of  the  joint  resolution  ratifying, 
on  the  part  of  Ohio,  the  adoption  of 
the  fifteenth  amendment  to  the  con- 
stitution of  the  United  States. 


RESIDENCE   OF    J.  H.  DICKSON  ,  WELLINGTON  ,    OHIO  . 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


353 


principal  merchants  were  0.  S.  Foote  and  I.  S.  Van 
Dcuseii,  uiuler  the  tinn  name  of  Foote  &  Van  Deusen; 
J.  11.  Woolcy  and  D.  Reamer,  niuler  the  iirm  name 
Wooley  &  Reamer;  William  Runnells,  W.  F.  Herrick 
and  S.  F.  Wolcott,  under  the  fii-m  name  of  Herrick  & 
Wolcott. 

There  wai'e  several  manufacturing  establishments, 
among  which  were  the  following:  Mills  of  the  Wel- 
lington Manufacturing  Company;  carriage  factory  of 
E.  S.  Tripp;  Bennett,  Kirk  &  C!o.,  wood  work  and 
agricultural  implements;  cabinet  work  and  furniture 
store  of  A.  G.  Couch. 

In  18.")3,  a  newspaper  was  established  here,  under 
the  management  of  George  Brewster,  elsewhere  in 
this  work  referred  to;  afterward  it  was  discontinued, 
and  in  ISOG,  the  Wellington  Enferprisn  was  estab- 
lished. 

THE  DAIRY  INTEREST. 

Soon  after  the  completion  of  the  Cleveland  and 
Columbus  railroad  the  business  of  buying  and  ship- 
ping cheese  at  Wellington  was  opened  by  R.  A.  Horr, 
then  residing  in  Huntington.  Mr.  Horr  built  up  a 
large  order  trade.  Others  soon  went  into  the  busi- 
ness, which  rapidly  grew.  The  first  cheese  ware 
house  or  shipping  house  was  opened  by  B.  G.  Car- 
penter. Others  were  speedily  established  until,  in 
1878,  there  was  a  number  of  different  houses  and 
firm.f  engaged  in  the  business  of  manufacturing,  buy- 
ing and  selling  cheese  and  butter.  Among  the  prin- 
cipal ones  in  that  year  were  Messrs.  Horr,  Warner  & 
Co.,  Baldwin,  Laundou  &  Co.;  George  W.  Crosier  & 
Co.;  Palmer  &  Lewis.  The  first-named  firm  that 
year  sent  Mr.  Horr  to  Europe,  where  he  formed  busi- 
ness arrangements  whereby  this  firm  have  since  been 
making  large  shipments  of  butter  and  cheese  to  Liv- 
erpool and  Glasgow.  The  amount  of  cheese  shipped 
from  Wellington  in  1878  was  six  million  four  hundred 
and  sixty-five  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-four 
pounds;  butter,  one  million  one  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty-one  pounds. 

The  total  valuation  of  these  products  for  that  year 
at  a  fair  average  estimate  was  not  less  than  eight 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  first  cheese  factory,  erected  in  Lorain  county, 
was  built  by  C.  W.  Horr,  of  the  present  firm  of  Horr, 
Warner  &  Co.,  in  1866.  It  was  located  in  a  fine  dairy 
section  in  Huntington  township,  and  from  the  start 
proved  a  successful  undertaking.  In  the  year  1878, 
from  that  beginning  there  were  over  forty  cheese  and 
butter  factories  owned  by  Wellington  dealers,  the  pro- 
ducts of  which  were  all  delivered  at  Wellington  for 
market.  This  interest  has  built  up  a  large  business 
in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  dairy  implements  and 
utensils.  Tiie  dealers  in  cows  in  February,  March 
and  April  do  an  extensive  business  in  buying  and 
selling  to  supply  the  demand  for  dairy  purposes. 
The  number  of  men  in  and  around  Wellington,  en- 
gaged in  this  business  directly  or  indirectly,  is  num- 
bered by  thousands,  so  that  at  this  day  there  is 
scarcely  a  town    in   the    non-dairy   sections  of    the 

45 


United  States,  where  Wellington  cheese  is  not  found. 
The  industry  shows  no  signs  of  decline  as  yet,  but  the 
promise  of  enlarged  demand  and  increase  in  the  pro- 
duct is  good. 

BANKING. 

On  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1864,  tlie 
charter  for  a  national  liank  to  be  called  Tiie  National 
Bank  of  Wellington  was  issued.  It  was  organized 
with  a  ca))ital  stock  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Hon. 
S.  S.  Warner  was  chosen  its  first  president,  andR.  A. 
Horr,  Es(j.,  its  first  cashier,  which  positions  they  have 
continued  to  fill  from  that  time  to  this.  On  the 
twenty-ninth  of  November,  A.  D.  1871,  the  capital 
stock  was  increased  to  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  second  year  of  its  existence  the  safe  of  the 
bank  was  burglarized  and  i-obbed  of  sixty  thousand 
dollars  in  government  bonds  and  currency.  A  large 
reward  was  offered  for  the  apprehension  of  the  robbers. 
The  police  of  the  cities,  stimulated  by  the  reward 
offered,  became  vigilant;  finally  trace  was  found,  so 
that  one  of  the  robbers  was  caught  in  New  York,  one 
in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  whither  an  agent  of 
the  bank  followed  and  apprehended  him,  armed  with 
a  requisition  from  the  Governor  of  Ohio  upon  the 
Governor  of  South  Carolina,  which  was  the  first  made, 
and  recognized  after  the  close  of  the  war  upon  that 
State.  Nearly  forty  thousand  dollars  of  the  stolen 
bonds  were  recovered. 

The  first  board  of  directors  were  S.  S.  Warner,  R. 
A.  Horr,  B.  G.  Carpenter,  Samuel  K.  Laundon,  F. 
M.  Hamlin,  of  Wellington,  T.  W.  Laundon  and  R. 
G.  Horr,  of  Elyria. 

LIFE   INSURANCE. 

In  1874  there  was  organized  a  life  insurance  associa- 
tion on  the  co-operative  plan.  The  charter  members 
were  S.  S.  Warner,  W.  R.  Wean,  R.  A.  Horr,  A.  K. 
Hand,  J.  H.  Hood,  Alfred  Elwell,  A.  Y.  Waters,  W. 
W.  Boynton,  J.  H.  Dickson.  The  growth  of  the  as- 
sociation has  been  rapid,  and  at  the  close  of  the  cor- 
porate year,  A.  D.  1819,  there  were  five  thousand 
members  thereof.  It  had  paid  about  sixty  thousand 
dollars  to  the  families  and  heirs  of  deceased  members. 
Hon.  S.  S.  Warner  was  chosen  the  first  president  of 
tiie  association,  and  W.  R.  Wean,  secretary,  which 
positions  they  still  fill.  The  association  has  agencies 
in  almost  or  quite  every  county  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State  extending  south  to  the  central.  It  con- 
fines its  operations  to  the  State  of  Ohio  entirely,  and 
mainly  the  northern  part. 

BENEVOLENT   SOCIETIES. 

The  order  of  F.  and  A.  Masons  established  a  lodge 
September  27,  1844,  called  Wellington  Lodge  No. 
127.  The  first  master  was  Jabez  L.  Wadsworth; 
Daniel  TiJlottsou,  the  first  secretary.  A  Masonic 
Chapter  was  subsequently  organized.  O.  Herrick 
was  the  (irst  high  priest.  The  lodge  now  numbers 
eighty  members;    the  chapter  forty-five.     W.  S.  Ste-- 


354 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


jjlicnson  is  now  maslor  of  t-lic  loilgp,  iiml  J.  IT.  Rowl- 
Ijy,  the  sc'crotai'}'.  High  priest  of  the  cliaijtor,  Oscir 
HeiTick. 

The  order  of  Odd  Fellows  organized  a  lodge  known 
as  Lorain  Lodge  No.  381,  May  25,  IS.'ir).  The  lirst. 
noble  grand  was  R.  II.  Holcomli.  Tlic  pi-csent. 
officers  are  Ransom  Peabody,  N.  (i.;  Henry  Wood,  V^ 
0.;  C.  N.  Christy,  secretary;  Levi  Bowman,  treas- 
urer. 

sriiO()i,s. 

In  1840,  Gideon  Adams  erected  a  building  for 
school  jnirposes.  It  was  designed  for  an  academical 
school.  The  school  was  oi)ened  that  year  by  Miss 
Mary  Ann  Adams,  an  accomplished  instructor,  who 
had  been  for  a  number  of  years  at  the  head  of  the 
female  department  of  Oberlin  College.  Under  the 
management  and  charge  of  Miss  Adams,  the  school 
prospered  and  acquired  a  liberal  patronage,  and  was 
highly  serviceable  to  those  desiring  an  academical 
course  of  instruction.  Under  other  management 
this  school  was  continued  a  number  of  years  after  the 
incorporation  of  the  village,  after  which  the  schools 
wei-e  organized  on  the  graded  plan  of  the  Ohio  union 
school  system.  Much  effort  was  put  forth  to  concen- 
trate all  interests  in  the  public  schools. 

The  present  school  buildings  east  of  Main  street 
were  erected  in  1807  and  'G8,  at  a  cost  of  thirty  thou- 
sand dollars. 

W.  S.  Eversole  was  the  first  sujierintendent,  and, 
under  his  advice,  a  most  complete  course  of  study  was 
prescribed,  the  different  grades  estaiblished,  and  the 
schools  well  started. 

In  September,  1870,  W.  R.  Wean  became  super- 
intendent, under  whose  efficient  management  and 
thorough  instruction  the  schools  have  acipiired  :i  just 
celebri  ty. 

The  marked  progress  of  the  Wellington  schools, 
nnder  Mr.  Wean's  administration,  has  afi'orded  a 
practical  illustration  of  the  beiiotits  of  the  graded 
system,  that  has  greatly  endeared  it  to  the  peojde. 
They  have  become  the  pride  of  every  patron,  and 
have  been  the  source  of  inspiration  to  many  young 
men  and  women  who  to-day  are  nninfully  fighting 
life's  battles.  The  healthy  ambition  infused  into  the 
minds  of  the  students  is  evinced  by  the  number  of  the 
graduates  of  the  Wellington  high  school,  who  are 
found  in  the  higher  universities  of  learning  through- 
out the  country. 

The  growth  of  the  village  is  quite  fa.irly  illustrated 
by  the  growth  of  the  schools.  The  superintendent's 
report  for  each  successive  year,  fmm  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1871,  showing  the  wlmlc  number  of  |)npils 
enrolled,  is  as  follows: 


1871,   wliolp  luiiiibt'i 

1873, 

1873, 

1874, 

1875, 

18711, 

1877, 

1S78, 


A7Z 


■102 
41  a 
421 
421 
473 
483 


CHURCHES. 

FIRST    fONGUEfiATIONAL    CnURCH    OF    WELLINOTON. 

On  the  20th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1824,  the  Rev.  Lot 
B.  Sullivan   and   Rev.  Alfred  Betts,  being  commis- 
sioned by  presbytery,  organized  a  church,  which  they 
styled  the  church  of  Wellington.     The  names  of  the 
members  were  Joseph  Kingsbury  and  wife,  ]\rartha 
Kingsbury;  Amos  Adams  and  wife,  Huldah  Adams; 
David  Webster  and   Harmon  Kingsbury,  from   Otis. 
Massachusetts;    Nancy   Hamlin,    Sarah    Wilcox    and 
Sarah  Battle,  from  Tyringham,  Massachusetts;   and 
Lydia  Sullivan,   from    Lyme,  Ohio.      Letters  nf  dis- 
missal   and    rec(mimendation    were  granted    to   Mrs. 
Sullivan  December  20,  to  Joseph   llunnon  and   Mar- 
tha  Kingsbury  June    13,   182.'>,  leaving  the  church 
composed    of    seven    members  —  two   men   and    five 
women.     In  October,  1825,  there  was  an  accession  of 
four  members,  one  of  whom,   Mrs.   Orpba  Webster, 
still    survives  —  April    1,    1870.     The    first   place   of 
meeting  was  a  log  school  house  at  the  center,  where 
the  brick  block  on  the  northeast  corner  now  stands. 
In  June,  182G,  Austin  Kingsbury  and  Milton  Adams 
joined,  the  latter  of  whom,  through  all  the  changes 
and  vicissitudes  of  fifty-four  years,  has  continued  his 
church  membership,  and  at  this  date  is  still  a  con- 
sistent member  thereof.     In  1827  the  accessions  were 
six  by  letter;  in  1828,  six;  in  1820,  five,  in  1830,  thir- 
teen, of  whom  Deacon  John  L.  Case  still  continues; 
in  1831,  forty-two,  mostly  by  profession'  of  faith;   in 
1832,  eight,  among  whom  were  Russell  B.  Webster; 
in  1833,  four;  in  1834,  twenty-four.     In  the  first  ten 
years  there  were  one  hundred  and   twenty-four  mem- 
bers added  to  the  rolls.     On  the  20th  of  Novemlier, 
A.  D.  1828,  Rev.  Joel  Talcott  was  settled  as  pastor 
over  the  church.     He  was  the  first  settled  minister, 
and   remained  as  such  until   September  4,  1837.     It 
was  during   his   ministry  that   the  above  exhibit  of 
growth  mainly  occurred.     During  the   nine  years  of 
his  pastorate  there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty-two 
accessions    to    the    church;    in    whicdi    connection  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  number  of  inhabit- 
ants in   the   township  was  but  small  from  whom  to 
recruit  its  ranks.     On  the  5th  of  October,  1838,  the 
church  and  society  extended  a  call   to  Rev.    li.   W. 
Fairfield  to  become  its  pastor,  the  pul])it  having  lieen 
filled,  during  the  interval  since  Mr.  Talcott  resigned, 
by  temporary  supplies  from  Oberlin,  mainly  by  Pro- 
fessor Henry  Cowles.     On  the  1st  of  April,  1830,  Mr. 
Fairfield   requested  the  church  to  release  him  from 
his  engagement,  which  was  not  acceded  to,  but  ]\h-. 
Fairfield's  name,  as  minister,  does  not  appear  but  a 
few  times  thereafter.     In  1841,  Horace  A.  Taylor,  of 
unenviable  subsequent  notoriety,  preached,  residing 
in  Oberlin,  and  on  the  8th  of   December,  A.D.  1841, 
the  church  voted  to  settle  him  as  its  minister  by  a 
light  vote  of  thirteen  to  one,  Imt  in  those  days  only 
men   voted    in  church  and  society  meetings.     They, 
the  same  year,  voted  to  raise  four  hundred  bushels  of 
wheat  for  the  support  of  the  gospel;  whether  to  be 


T.  DO  I. AX  I), 

MAN  UFACTURERo-CARRI  AGES, WAGONS, 8c  SLEIGHS, 

NORTH  MAIM  ST.,  WELLI  N  &T0  N,  OHIO. 


HISTOKY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


355 


niised  liy  sowing  and  tilling  or  by  sub.scrijitions  pjiy- 
;ible  in  wlioat,  tiie  record  fails  to  disclose. 

l\Ir.  Taylor  never  became  a  settled  minister  to  this 
cliurcli.  In  accepting  the  call  lie  imposed  certain 
conditions,  which  were  rejected  by  the  cluirch,  and 
bis  ministrations  being  soon  after  interrnpted  by  con- 
lineinent-  in  jail  for  a  year,  no  more  is  heard  of  him 
as  a  preacher.  The  next  settled  minister  was  Kev.  I). 
W.  Lathroj).  He  came  in  April,  1843,  and  was 
settled  in  8ei)tembor  of  that  year.  During  liis  min- 
istry certain  radical  differences  among  the  member- 
shiji,  njion  doctrines  and  church  polity  which  had 
been  for  a  number  of  years  growing  to  a  head,  culmi- 
nated in  what  seemed  a  hopeless  estrangement  and 
division. 

The  incejition  of  the  dillicnlty  was  probably  first 
in  tlie  dilference  of  views  respecting  Presbyterianism 
and  Congregationalism.  The  ciiurch  was  organized 
by  agreeing  to  adopt  tlie  congregational  mode  of 
discipline,  but  yet  was  connected  with  ju'esbytery, 
in  accordance  with  the  very  general  usage  among  the 
churches  of  that  day  iu  the  new  communities. 

On  the  oOtli  of  August,  184;^,  Harvey  Grant  offered 
in  church  meeting  a  preamble  and  resolution,  as  fol- 
lows: "Whereas,  it  has  come  to  the  knowledge  of  this 
church  that  there  are  persons  who  wish  to  join  this 
church  who  cannot  fully  subscribe  to  the  fourth, 
s.^venth  and  thirteentli  articles  thereof;  therefore, 
resolved,  that  we  will  not  require  an  assent  to  these 
articles asacpuditication."'  The  resolution  was  adopted 
by  a  vote  of  fifteen  yeas  to  nine  nays.  After  the  adop- 
tion of  the  same,  ou  the  -1th  day  of  September,  1842, 
Matliew  Allyn,  Clara  Allyn,  Lawton  Wadsworth, 
Nancy  1\.  Wadsworth,  and  Benjamin  Warien  were 
received  into  the  church,  assent  to  the  said  articles 
being  waived  in  their  behalf.  The  fourth  article  was 
a  doctrinal  belief  in  (iod"s  sovereignty.  The  seventh 
was  the  enunciation  of  a  belief  "that  God  did,  from 
eternity,  choose  some  of  the  human  race  to  salvation 
through  yanctilication  of  the  spirit  and  belief  of 
the  truth;  and  that  all  of  those  whom  he  has  thus 
chosen  he  will  renew  and  sanctify  in  this  life,  and 
keep  them  by  his  power  through  faith  unto  salvation." 
The  thirteenth  article  was  a  formulation  of  the  doc- 
trine of  infant  baptism. 

On  the  14th  of  December,  1842,  Philo  llerrick  of- 
fered the  following  preamble  and  resolution  iu  church 
meeting:  '•Whereas,  we  are  a  Congregational  church 
and  believe  in  true  congregational  principles;  resolved, 
therefore,  that  we  take  the  lirst  op|)ortunity  to  ask 
leave  of  i)resbytery  to  withdraw  and  unite  with  Lorain 
association,  and  that  we  appoint  delegates  for  that 
purjiose,  and  tiiat  a  committee  be  chosen  to  recom- 
mend the  best  coui'se  to  be  pursued  in  the  prem- 
ises." 

This  resolution  was  adojited,  and  on  the  3nd  day  of 
.January  following,  a  most  vigorous  protest  was  spread 
upon  the  church  records,  signed  by  eighteen  mem- 
bers, all  loading  and  influential  men  iu  the  chui'ch. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  presbytery,  the  action 


of  the  church  in  the  foregoing  particulars  was  dis- 
approved, and  the  protestants  were  sustained. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  church  a  reply  to  the 
[)rotest  and  to  the  presbyteiy  was  made,  and  also 
S[)read  u[)on  the  records.  Out  of  this  difference  a 
tierce  controversy  arose,  and  was  most  vigorously  sus- 
tained on  either  side.  Strong  int,clleets  and  iron 
wills  gra[)|)led  in  a  manner  more  creilitable  to  brains 
than  to  ])iety. 

On  the  27th  of  Mai-ch.  1843,  thirty-nine  members 
withdrew  in  :i  body,  and  organized  a  new  church, 
called  the  Independent  church.  This  body  took 
advanced  ground  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  and  were 
foMowed  by  othei's  from  the  First  church,  until  some 
|fifty-seven  members  had  withdrawn.  They  built  a 
meeting  iiouse  of  their  own,  settled  and  sustained 
Ipastors,  and  kejit  up  a  stated  preaching,  and  all  the 
'institutions  of  the  church. 

In  1840  Rev.  Ansel  R.  Clark  became  the  i)astor  of 
the  First  Congregational  church,  and  was  continued 
from  that  time  to  18-58. 

In  that  year,  through  the  efforts  of  Rev.  II.  E. 
Peck  and  others,  a  union  of  the  two  churches  was 
effected.  Rev.  Mr.  Bartlett  was  chosen  the  first 
pastor  of  the  re-united  church.  He  was  followed  by 
Rev.  Fayette  Shii)herd.  On  the  1st  of  April,  A.  D. 
isi;.").  Rev.  L.  B.  Stone  was  settled  as  its  pastor,  and 
remaiueil  with  the  church  as  such  until  A[um1,  1877. 

This  cliui'ch,  since  its  organization,  has  erected 
three  houses  of  worshiji, — four,  including  the  house 
erected  by  the  Independent  church.  The  latter,  after 
the  re-union,  was  sold  to  the  township  for  a  town 
hall,  and  served  for  that  purpose  the  wants  of  the 
township  for  some  fifteen  years,  or  over. 

The  first  meeting  house  was  erected  in  the  year 
183'.J.  It  was  comi)leted,  and  accepted  by  the  society 
in  November  of  that  year.  A  series  of  revival  meet- 
ings was  being  held  the  winter  following.  A  iVIr. 
Ingersoll,  fi'om  Ashtabula,  was  preaching,  when  the 
house  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire.  As  the  congrega- 
tion began  to  raise  the  alarm  of  fire,  the  preacher 
cried  out,  "  Never  mind  the  fire  that  water  will 
([uench,  the  fires  of  hell  are  what  you  need  to  fear," 
which  admonition  had  but  little  effect  upon  the  mov- 
ing congregation  that  seemed  intent  upon  escaping 
the  fire  the  most  imminent.*  The  house  was  burned 
to  the  ground,  and  the  loss  seemed  irreparable.  The 
cost  of  the  house  was  about  three  thousand  dollars. 

The  next  season  the  church  and  society  entered 
u}ion  the  work  of  rebuilding,  and  put  up  and  finished 
a  new  one,  upon  the  same  site,  and  upon  the  same 
jilan  as  that  destroyed,  at  about  the  same  cost. 

In  May,  1877,  the  Rev.  James  A.  Daily  came  to 
this  church  and  was  engaged  as  its  pastor  in  August 
of  that  year.  Under  his  ministrations  a  new  imjie- 
tus  was  given  to  the  church  and  society.  The  old 
wood  structure  of  almost  forty  years'  standing  was 
seen   to   be   insufHcient    for   its    congregation.     The 


*  This  Ingersoll  was  the  father  of  Colonel  Robert  Ingersoll,  whoso 
distaste  for  theology  may  be  thus  accounted  for. 


350 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


work  of  building  a  new  one  on  a  new  site  was  entered 
upon.  Tlio  first  blow  was  struck  in  March,  A.  D., 
1878.  The  I'difice  was  completed,  and  the  church 
di'dic-atud  Ajiril  ;J,  187!).  Rev.  Thomas  K.  I5eecher, 
of  Elniiia,  New  York,  dolivei'ed  tlie  dedication  ser- 
mmi.  Tiie  total  cost  of  the  structure,  exclusive  of  the 
site,  was  twenty-four  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
eighteen  dollars  and  live  cents,  the  whole  of  whicli 
was  provided  for  before  dedication. 

Tlie  erection  of  this  beautiful  church  was  the  re- 
sult of  Mr.  Daily's  efforts.  A  live  man,  earnest,  en- 
ergetic and  persistent,  he  gave  himself  to  it  with  an 
ardor  that  no  obstacle  could  daunt,  no  discourage- 
ments could  Hag. 

MORAL   QIIESTI0N8. 

This  church  very  early  took  advanced  grounds  upon 
the  subject  of  temperance  and  slavery.  In  1833,  on 
the  subject  of  temperance  the  following  preamble  and 
resolution  were  adopted  :  "Whereas,  the  use  of  dis- 
tilled spirits  as  an  article  (if  drink  has  been  the  occa- 
sion of  great  trouble  to  the  church,  and  is  destructive 
to  vital  godliness:  therefore,  resolved,  that  this  church 
will  rerpiire  a  pledge  of  entire  abstinence  in  tlie  use 
and  traffic  of  this  article  for  the  above  purpose,  of  all 
members  which  are  received  in  future.  And  we  who 
vote  for  this  resolution  pledge  ourselves  to  abide  by 
the  same  rule  which  we  prescribe  to  others. 

It  was  adopted  unanimously.  This  action  anti- 
dated  the  Washingtonian  movement  by  seven  years. 

In  1836,  the  following  resolutions  on  the  subject  of 
American  slavery  were  adopted  :  Resolved,  1st,  that 
slavery,  as  it  exists  iu  the  United  States,  is  a  heinous 
sin  against  God,  and  ought  immediately  to  be  abol- 
ished. 

2d.  That  inasmuch  as  the  church  is  deeply  involved 
in  the  sin  and  guilt  of  slavery,  it  becomes  tlie  duty  of 
all  who  love  the  christian  name  publicly  to  bear  testi- 
mony against  this  heinous  sin,  and  to  use  all  scrip- 
tural means  to  eradicate  it  from  the  church." 

When  consideration  is  had  of  the  very  early  day  in 
the  anti-slavery  movement  at  which  this  action  was 
had,  the  record  is  one  of  which  the  church  may  take 
just  pride.  There  were  twenty-five  male  members 
whose  names  are  recorded  as  voting  upon  these  reso- 
lutions and  iu  favor  thereof.  To-day  it  may  well  be 
said  of  them:  Stalwart  men  !  in  tiie  van  of  human 
progress  ! 

DISCIPLINE. 

They  were  strict  disciplinarians  and  the  names  of 
male  members  are  few  against  whom,  at  one  time  or 
another,  charges  were  not  preferred,  truils  had  there- 
on, and  confessions  extorted  from  recusants.  There 
are  many  incidents  that  at  this  day  provoke  a  broad 
smile  in  the  contemplation  thereof.  One  case  sliould 
])e  preserved.  In  1834,  the  standing  committee  pre- 
ferred a  charge  against  B for  "making  use  of 

ardent  spirits  to  intoxication,"  on  tlie  last  of  July  or 
first  of  August  1833,  also  about  the  same  time  of  year 


1834,  and  for  using  profane  language  at  those  times. 
The  defendant  was  cited  to  appear.  He  sent  word  to 
the  church  "to  jjroceed  without  delay  in  this  case 
of  discipline"  but  remained  absent  himself,  neither 
confessing  or  denying  the  charge.  So  the  ehuch 
gave  him  the  benefit  of  the  legal  presumption  of  in- 
nocence, assigned  him  counsel,  and  proceeded  with 
the  trial.  Witnesses  were  examined,  and  the  evidence 
seemed  (|nife  clear  that  on  these  occasions,  which  it 
will  be  perceived  was  just  at  the  close  of  haying  and 
harvesting  on  each  of  these  years,  the  old  gentleman 
"if  not  full,  just  Jiad  plenty,"  and  duly,  or  unduly, 
celebrated  "harvest  home,"  and  recklessly  said  "damn 
it,"  and  "I  swear."  So  they  voted  him  guilty,  and 
after  reasonable  expostulation  and  duo  delay,  to  give 
an  opportunity  for  repentance,  they  ]iroceeded  to  j)ro- 
nounce  the  sentence  of  expulsion,  wliich  is  recorded 
in    these   words:     "On    motion,  voted    unanimously, 

that  B be,  and  he  is  hereby,  excommunicated 

from  this  church,  and  is  heuceforth  to  be  regarded 
l)y  us  as  a  heathen  man  and  a  publican." 

This  pretty  effectually  "got  him  out."  While  he 
might  not  have  been  "cut  out"  for  a  very  good  ehurcli 
member,  all  who  knew  him  will  unite  in  saying  he 
was  a  good  neighbor,  citizen,  and  friend.  He  was 
genial,  kind-hearted,  and  generous.  His  love  of  fun 
led  him  doubtless  to  the  "  celebration  "that  scan- 
dalized his  brethren. 

Of  the  early  members  but  few  remain.  Among  the 
few  who  are  left  are  Jlilfon  Adams,  Russel  B.  Web- 
ster and  wife,  Mrs.  Orpha  Webster;  of  those  whose 
names  are  upon  the  rolls  some  have  moved  away,  but 
most  have  gone  to  their  rest. 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL   CHUECH. 

It  is  said  that  as  early  as  1823  Rev.  Zarah  (Ezra?) 
Costin  came  to  Wellington,  as  he  was  traveling  tlie 
Black  River  circuit,  and  preaciiod  in  the  log  school 
house  then  standing  on  the  corner,  north-eact  of  the 
center  of  the  town.  In  18'^4  the  circuit  was  traveled 
by  J.  C.  Taylor,  and  in  1825  Elijah  Field  succeeded 
to  the  work.  It  seems  that  at  Rev.  Costin's  first  visit 
a  class-meeting  was  held,  but  a  regular  organization 
of  the  church  seems  not  to  have  taken  place  till  1825. 
In  1820  Rev.  Ansel  Brainard  and  H.  0.  Sheldon  were 
the  preachers,  and  during  this  year  the  log  church 
was  built,  about  twenty  rods  west  of  Mr.  Case's  tan- 
nery, three-fourths  of  a  mile  west  of  the  center.  At 
this  time,  among  the  members  were  John  Clifford, 
Sen.,  and  wife,  Charles  Sweet  (who  brought  a  letter 
from  Alassachusetts),  John  Clifford,  Jr.,  and  wife, 
Daniel  Clifford  and  wife,  a  daughter  of  John  Clif- 
ford, Sen.  (who  married  a  Mr.  Knox),  Theodosia 
Clifford,  Lyman  Ilowk,  .Tosiah  Bradley  and  wife,  and 
Asa  Hamilton  and  wife.  The  j)reachers  afterward 
were:  1827,  Orrin  Gilmore;  1828,  Shadrack  Ruiick; 
1829,   Cyrus  Carpenter;   1830,   Cyrus  Carjienter  and 

E.  C.  Gavitt;  1831,  Wm.  Runnels  and  Elliott; 

1832,  Wm.  Runnels  and  Jno.  Canular;  1833,  A.  Bil- 
lings and  Barry;   1834,  Jno.   Morey  aud  Jas. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


357 


Kellani;   1835,  Juliii  Moroy  iiiiil 


Frc't'.son;   LS30, 


Jno.  T.  Kt'llaiu  aud  Peter  noweiisteiii. 

The  old  brick  cliuroh  was  erected  in  18;5."i,  ;i(  I  ho 
center,  tlioiiiili  not  linislied  for  nearly  two  yearj  there- 
after. It  was  huilt  where  tlie  jirescnt  clmrch  stands, 
on  groLMiil  houi;ht  of  Lyman  Howk.  At  tiie  time,  it 
was  considered  the  liest  JEetiiodist  chnrcli  in  Oliio. 

In  1837  tlie  i)reaciiers  were  .Ino.  T.  Kellani  and 
Cyrus  Sawyer;  1838,  11.  L.  Pai-rish  and  Jas.  Brew- 
ster; 1S39,  .Tohn  Mitchell  and  Philip  Wareham;  18-10, 
Jolm  Mitchell  and  Myron  T.  llnrd;  1841,  M.  L.  Starr 
and  Joseph  Jones;  1843,  M.  L.  Starr  and  Jno.  S. 
Ferris;  1843,  Wesley  J.  Wells  and  C.  C.  Graves;  1844, 
Wesley  J.  Wells  and  Jos.  Sanlley;  184G,  Wesley  Broch 
and  Wm.  Goodfellow;  1848,  Wm.  Thatcher  and  J.  M. 
Morrow;  1840,  Wm.  Runnels  and  H.  Safford;  1850, 
Wm.  Runnels  and  H.  Chapman;  1851,  T.  Thompson 
and  J.  Matlack;  1853,  H.  Humphrey  and  L.  F.  Ward; 
1853,  II.  Humphrey  and  S.  Fairchild;  1854,  C.  L. 
Foote  and  W.  C.  Huestiss;  1855,  C.  L.  Foote  and 
N.  B.  Wilson;  1856,  C.  Hartley  and  R.  H.  Chubb; 
1857-58,  A.  K.  Owen  and  C.  Thomas;  1859,  H.  Saf- 
ford and  T.  L.  Waite;  1860,  H.  Safford  and  D.  Strat- 
ton;  1801,  G.  A.  Ruder  and  A.  C.  Hurd;  1803.  L.  F. 
Ward  and  W.  M.  Spafford;  1863,  L.  F.  Ward  and 
J.  H.  Close;  lS04-'65,  Uri  Richards  and  S.  D.  Sey- 
mour; 1866,  Wellington,  made  a  station,  and  Q.  AV. 
Pepper,  pastor.  New  brick  church  built  in  1867. 
First  subscriptions  by  Miss  Armenia  Herrick  and 
J.  II.  Woolley,  five  hundred  dollars  each.  The  dedi- 
cation sermon  was  preached  by  Bisho))  Kingsley, 
July,  1868.  1867,  Rev.  E.  H.  Bush,  pastor;  1868-70, 
F.  M.  Searles;  1871-73,  E.  Y.  Warner;  1873,  J.  W. 
Mendenhall;  1874-'75,  Geo.  Mather;  1876-'77,  A. 
Pollock;  1879,  Rev.  Albright.  The  church  has— 
beginning  of  1879 — two  hundred  and  seventy  mem- 
bers and  an  average  attendance  iu  its  Sunday  school 
of  two  hundred  and  thirty-five. 

DISCIPLE  rnt-RCH. 

This  church  was  organized  October  5,  1853,  with 
•eleven  members.  In  1861,  they  built  their  first  meet- 
inghouse. It  was  dedicated  in  October,  1861.  James 
A.  Garfield,  who  at  that  time  was  a  Disciple  preacher, 
delivered  the  dedicatory  sermon.  The  number  of  the 
present  membership  is  eighty.  Rev.  Mr.  Thompson 
came  to  this  society  as  its  preacher  in  1877.  Rev. 
Mr.  Allen  preceded  him  and  preceded  Atwater  also. 

The  growth  of  the  church  has  been  gratifying  to 
its  friends.  It  is  established  ujjon  a  firm  basis,  and 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  permanent  institutions  of 
the  place.  Its  liberality  towards  others  has  been  one 
of  its  marked  characteristics.  John  Pierpont,  when 
other  churches  were  closed  against  him,  preached 
from  the  Disciple  pulpit.  Mr.Forbush,  Liberal  Uni- 
tarian, delivered  a  series  of  discourses  from  the  same 
pulpit;  so  that,  while  it  retains  its  standing  among 
sister  churches  of  the  ])lace,  it  has  obtained  a  broad 
sympathy  iu  the  community  among  those  outside  of 
all  churches. 


ward's    mail   CATCnKR.* 

"The  fii'st  catcher  made  and  |iut  in  operation  was 
made  at  Wellington,  this  county.  The  wants  of  the 
post  office  department  were  communicated  to  nie  by 
G.  B.  Hamilton,  Esq.,  then  a  route  agent  on  the 
Cleveland,  Columbus  and  Cincinnati  railroad.  Ham- 
ilton invited  me  to  go  with  him,  in  hojie  that  I  could 
devise  some  machine  or  way  in  which  the  mail  could 
be  caught  by  the  agent  when  the  train  w;is  in  ra]iid 
motion.  After  going  to  Columbus  and  back  with 
him,  I  saw  my  way  to  the  invention,  and  immediately 
made  a  catcher  and  went  to  Cleveland  and  ajiplied  it 
to  the  car.  It  worked  well  from  the  first.  I  made, 
or  caused  to  be  made,  several  catchers,  each  of  which 
was  an  ini]irovement.  They  have  been  in  constant 
use  on  the  Cleveland,  Columbus  and  Cincinnati  I'ail- 
road  to  the  present  time.  This  was  late  in  the  year 
1864.  It  was  a  desideratum  with  the  post  office  de- 
]iartment  to  obtain  a  catcher  that  could  lie  used. 
Numerous  trunk  lines  of  railroads  had  built  postal 
cars  (traveling  distributing  offices),  but  as  they  could 
do  no  local  work,  they  stood  idle  in  the  shed,  or  were 
made  into  liaggage  cars.  This  was  on  the  Erie  rail 
way,  on  the  New  York  and  New  Haven,  on  the  old 
Michigan  Southern  and  Northern  Indiana,  as  well  as 
on  the  Michigan  Central  and  other  roads.  Special 
agents  were  sent  to  this  road,  from  Washington,  to 
try  this  new  catcher;  and  after  repeated  tests  by 
different  parties,  in  December,  1866,  the  post  office 
department  definitely  agreed  to  adopt  it  so  far  as  a 
full  trial  was  concerned.  G.  B.  Hamilton  was  ap- 
pointed special  agent  to  put  the  catcher  in  operation, 
which  office  he  held  until  the  1st  of  .June,  1867.  In 
January,  1807,  and  after  the  department  had  adopted 
the  catcher,  I  obtained  a  patent  for  the  same.  Mr. 
Hamilton  started  the  catcher  on  the  Washington 
branch  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad,  and  on 
the  Erie  railway,  which  was  completed  about  the  1st 
of  .June,  1867.  The  October  following,  I  was  detailed 
to  superintend  the  catching  service,  started  it  iu  Octo- 
ber on  the  Lake  Shore,  and  Cleveland  and  Toledo 
railroads;  on  the  Vermont  Central,  Northern  New 
Hampshire,  Concord,  Boston  and  Lowell  railroads; 
and  during  the  winter  on  the  Boston  and  Alljaiiy, 
Hartford  and  New  Haven,  and  New  York  and  New 
Haven  railroads;  since  which  time  over  sixty-one 
thousand  miles  of  railroads  are  using  the  catcher — 
catching  thousands  of  mails  daily,  and  at  the  high- 
est rates  of  sjiecd. 

"Before  starting  the  'Fast  Mail,"  Mr.  Geo.  S.  Bangs, 
Genera'  Superintendent  of  the  I'ailway  mail  service, 
sent  for  me  to  come  to  Washington,  and  asked  me  to 
get  u]>  an  improved  heavy  catcher  for  that  sjiecial 
service.  I  devised  and  brought  out  Ward's  iniiuoved 
heavy  catcher,  with  cast  head,  which  works  so  finely 
as  to  have  superseded  all  the  lighter  and  earlier  ones. 

"The  catcher  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the 
vast  improvement  made  in  the  last  few  years  in  the 

*  By  L.  F.  Ward. 


358 


HISTORY  OF  LOEAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


mail  service.  To  briefly  show  the  lulvanlages  of  tliis 
invention,  I  may  say,  before  its  inlrdiiiietiun,  mails 
were  carrit'd  on  local  or  accoininodation  trains,  and 
at  short  distances.  For  instance,  to  bej;iii  at  ISiew 
York,  the  tirst  day,  the  local  service  was  done  to 
-Mbany,  New  York;  tJu'  next  to  Syracuse;  the  next 
to  liulfalo.  New  York;  tlie  day  following,  fi-oni  Buf- 
falo to  Cleveland;  the  day  following,  from  Cleveland 
to  Toledo;  the  next  day,  from  Toledo,  Ohio,  to  Chi- 
cago, Illinois — six  days  for  the  local  woi'k  froin  New 
York  to  Chicago.  By  the  use  of  the  catcher,  the 
work  is  now  done  in  less  than  thirty-six  hours;  and 
the  rural  districts  are  favored  with  all  tlie  facilities  of 
lapid  mail  exchanges,  as  well  as  the  larger  cities." 

KESCUE    CASE. 

No  ])roi)er  history  of  Wellington  could  be  written 
without  reference  to  the  so-called  and  ever  memora- 
ble Wellington  rescue  case,  which  seemed  the  begin- 
ning here  of  those  troublous  times  that  ci'nwdeil  so 
rapidly  upon  it.  On  the  morning  of  the  loth  of  Sep- 
tember, 1S.5S,  the  burning  of  a  large  portion  of  the 
business  part  of  the  town,  heretofore  nicntinned,  had 
called  together  a  large  crowd  of  }ieople  from  the  sur- 
rounding country.  It  was  nearly  noon  before  the 
flames  were  extinguished.  The  flames  being  seen  to 
a  great  distance,  the  ci'owd  was  continually  aug- 
mented. Shortly  after  noon  it  was  rumored  that  a 
negro  had  Ijcen  kidnap]ied  at  Obei'lin,  under  the 
charge  of  being  a  fugitive  slave,  and  that  his  captors 
had  him  confined  in  the  Wellington  House.  This 
rumor  received  confirmation,  aiul  it  was  soon  known 
that  Mr.  Jennings  and  Mr.  Mitchell,  of  Kentucky, 
and  U.  S.  Marshal  Lowe  and  Samuel  Davis,  of  Colum- 
bus, were  at  the  hotel  then  kept  by  0.  S.  Wadsworth, 
having  in  custody  a  negro  named  John,  wliom  they 
claimed  to  be  a  fugitive  from  Kentucky  arrested  by 
them  at  Oberlin,  and  that  they  awaited  ihe  train  for 
Columbus  to  jjroceed  on  their  way  to  Kentuckv.  The 
marshal  and  assistants  were  (juickly  followed  by  num- 
bers of  men  from  Oberlin,  who  mixed  in  with  the 
excited  crowd  already  assembled,  and  soon  made  it 
the  most  remarkable  day  Wellington  ever  saw.  The 
crowd  rajjidly  grew  Ijy  constant  accessions  from  Ober- 
lin. Men  on  horstbick,  men  on  foot,  armed  and 
unarmed,  were  seen  coming  from  the  north  as  far  as 
eye  could  reach. 

The  hotel  was  surroiiiuled;  \n>  avenue  of  escai)e  was 
left  unguarded;  its  halls  and  rooms  were  filled  with 
men  eager  and  determined.  The  slave-catchers  were 
alarmed,  and  fled  with  their  charge  to  the  attic, 
which  was  difficult  of  access,  while  the  public  stpuire 
and  streets  on  either  side  were  filled  with  men.  The 
marshal  attempted  to  speak  to  the  people,  to  ex)ilain 
to  them,  as  he  said,  the  situation.  Magistrates  were 
sent  for,  law  officers  went  Inisily  through  the  crowd, 
which  they  cautioned  and  urged  to  do  no  violence, 
assured  none  was  needed  to  rescue  the  man. 

Judging  of  Ohio  from  what  they  knew  of  Ken- 
tucky,  these  men   were   in  an  awful  fright.     They 


were  told  that  no  hurt  was  designed  them  personally 
— that  till!  captive  was  all  the  crowd  demandetl,  and 
that  it  was  useless  to  try  to  get  him  away.  The  cap- 
tors tried  to  make  John  make  a  s|)eech,  and  say  he 
wanted  to  go  back — was  tii'ed  of  staying  away  from 
his  old  master.  So  John  came  upon  the  hotel  bal- 
cony, with  marshal  and  assistants  on  either  side,  and 
made  his  memorable  siieech;  "I  want  to  go  back, 
because — because,  I  'spose  I  must,"  and  was  hurried 
back  to  the  room  in  the  attic.  The  door  was  barri- 
caded, and,  treniljling  with  fear,  they  awaited  behind 
it  what  fate  had  for  them. 

Such  was  the  forbearance  of  the  crowd,  that  the 
afternoon  wore  away  in  parleying  on  one  side,  and 
demanding  the  man  on  the  other.  There  was  a  stern 
determination  that  the  visiting  Kentuckians  should 
not  be  injured,  and  that  the  negro  should  not  go 
south  with  them.  The  train  south  came  in  at  its 
time  and  departed,  but  they  were  not  on  board. 
Towards  evening  a  rumor  was  circulated  that  a  tele- 
gram for  troops  had  been  sent  to  Cleveland.  This 
seemed  to  decide  the  course  of  procedure.  A  long 
ladder  was  thrown  u[)  to  the  attic  window,  and  two 
stalwart  men, — one  of  them  John  Mandeville, — as- 
cended it.  Others  forced  the  door  on  the  inside, 
these,  the  window  on  the  outside,  and  in  an  instant 
the  negro  man  was  seen  borne  high  upon  hands  uj)- 
lifted,  with  arms  and  legs  sprawling  over  the  heads  of 
the  crowd,  into  a  buggy  driven  by  Simeon  Bushnell, 
and  conveyed  away  upon  a  rapid  run.  To  the  credit 
of  all  concerned,  but  especially  to  the  cool  men  of 
Wellington,  who  exerted  all  their  influence  in  that 
direction,  no  man  was  in  the  slightest  manner  hurt. 
No  insult  was  offered  to  the  marshal  or  assistants. 
Not  a  hair  of  their  heads  suffered,  other  than  that 
occasioned  by  standing  on  end,  which  was  inconven- 
ient to  each  hair  and  owner.  It  was  a  mob  of  princi- 
ple. It  was  a  mob  obedient  to  all  law,  except  the 
fugitive  slave  law,  and  in  resisting  this,  it  did  not 
propose  to  do  murder,  or  even  to  commit  an  unneces- 
sary assault.  As  soon  as  tiie  man  was  rescued,  the 
terrified  slaveholders  saw  the  crowd  disperse,  and 
greatly  astonished  at  the  forbearance  manifested, 
walked  to  the  next  train  of  cars,  and  wended  their 
way  home  again. 

In  December  of  that  year,  the  grand  jury  of  the 
United  States  district  court  for  the  northern  district 
of  Ohio,  found  bills  of  indictment  against  thirty- 
seven  persons,  for  rescuing,  or  aiding  in  rescuing,  the 
fugitive.  Of  the  number,  Abner  Loveland,  Matthew 
Gillett,  Matthew  De  Wolf,  Loring  Wadsworth,  Eli 
Boise,  John  Mandeville,  Henry  Niles,  Walter  Soules, 
Lewis  Hines,  and  William  Siples  were  citizens  of 
Wellington,  all  of  whom  were  immediately  arrested. 
The  government  not  being  ready  for  trial,  they  en- 
tered into  their  individual  recognizances  to  apjiear 
when  called  for. 

On  the  5th  day  of  April,  1859,  their  cases  were 
called,  and  all  of  the  above  named  were  present  in 
court.    The  government  finally  dismissed  all  proceed- 


MR.    LAWTON    WADSWORTH. 


MRS.    LAWTON    WADSWORTH. 


LAWTON    WADSWORTH. 


"  A  fair  ship  Bails  on  the  sea  of  time ; 
Prosperous  gales  befriend  her. 
Yet  storm  may  wreck — the  ship  go  down  ; 
Watch  well  thy  pilot,  mariner." 

Lawton  Wailsworth  was  the  third  son  of  Jonathan  and  Deidama 
(Snow)  Wadsworth,  and  first  saw  the  light  June  24,  17S5,  in  Becket, 
Berkshire  Co.,  Mass. 

Oct.  15,  1S06,  he  was  married  to  Nancy  R.,  daughter  of  Elijah 
Lawton,  of  Otis,  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wadsworth  settled  in  Bceket,  and  became  the  parents 
of  seven  children.  In  1833  they  migrated  to  Wellington,  Ohio,  where 
the  ensuing  year  Mr.  Wadsworth  built  the  first  brick  house  seen  in 
the  town,  their  first  residence  in  Wellington  having  been  a  log  cabin. 

In  common  with  the  pioneers  of  the  West  they  battled  bravely  for 
existence  amid  the  hardships  of  frontier  life.  and,su]iported  by  strength 
of  will  and  earnest  purpose,  prospered  as  time  passed  on,  and  lived 
to  see  fertile  farms  and  blooming  gardens  where  once  a  wilderness 
covered  the  vast  expanse. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wadsworth  passed  the  declining  years  of  their  lives 
at  the  home  of  their  son  Francis,  and  when  they  were  at  last  called 
upon  to  leave  the  scenes  of  their  earthly  labors  the  record  of  their 
lives  bore  upon  it  the  satisfactory  assurance  that  the  duties  of  exist- 
ence had  been  faithfully  performed. 

Mrs.  Lawton  Wadsworth  died  May  1,  1S73,  and  her  husband  Feb. 
21,  1876. 

Their  children,  as  already  observed,  were  seven  in  number,  as  fol- 
lows: Milo  H.,  born  Oct.  2,  1S07,  and  married  July  6,  1836,  to  Miss 
Huldah  Andrews,  of  Winchester,  Litchfield  Co.,  Conn. ;  Oliver  S.,  born 
May  22,  1809,  and  married  to  Miss  Alma  Van  Deusen ;  Lorenzo  Q., 
born  Aug.  27,  1813,  and  married  July  6, 1835,  to  Miss  W.  A.  Whitney, 
of  Pittsfield,  Ohio;  Elijah  M.,  born  Feb.  9,  1815,  and  married  Feb.  9, 
1840,  to  Miss  Clarissa  Batclle,  of  Wellington  ;  Albert  0.,  born  Aug. 
27,  1819,  and  married  in  1S40  to  Miss  .Sarah  Mason.  Their  other 
children  were  Francis  S.  and  David  L. 

David  L.  Wadsworth,  seventh  son  of  Lawton  and  Nancy  R.  Wads- 
worth, was  born  in  Becket,  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  June  1,  1S25,  and 
in  1833  removed  with  his  parents  to  Wellington,  Ohio.  Favored  in 
early  life  with  a  good  common-school  education,  he  passed  also  a  few 
terms  at  Oberlin  preparing  for  duty  as  a  teacher.  Teaching  school 
for  about  seven  years,  he  also,  in  1S40,  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Hall, 
of  Orange;  but  soon  acquiring  a  tlistaste  for  the  pursuits  of  medieal 
science,  he  retired  to  the  homestead,  where  he  busied  himself  with 
farming  and  trading  in  stock,  and  developed  to  a  considerable  extent 
an  inherent  speculative  and  enterprising  spirit. 


Oct.  20,  1S50,  he  was  married  to  Miss  R.  C.  Woodworth,  of  Roches- 
ter, Lorain  Co.,  Ohio.  She  was  born  in  Bristol,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  5,  1831, 
and  was  the  second  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Caroline  (Wales)  Wood- 
worth,  who  were  married  in  Fenner,  Madison  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept  20, 1828. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiram  Woodworth  moved  to  Rochester  in  1832,  and 
were  closely  identified  with  the  first  settlement  of  the  township.  He 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land,/elled  the  first  trees,  built  the  first 
log  cabin,  and  accumulated  in  the  course  of  time  a  handsome  com- 
petency. After  Mr.  Wadsworth's  marriage  he  purchased  the  old 
homestead,  and  devoted  himself  largely  to  farming  and  stock-dealing. 

In  1856,  May  20,  the  Wadsworth  household  was  cheered  by  the 
presence  of  the  first-born, — Kitty  May, — who  remaining  but  briefly 
upon  earth,  jiassed  away  April  6,  1858,  in  which  year  Mr.  Wadsworth 
leased  his  farm,  and  with  his  family  removeil  to  the  village. 

They  have  two  living  children, — George  M.,  born  Sept.  25,  1861  ; 
and  Leon  H.,  born  Oct.  13,  1863. 

In  1865  and  1866  the  present  homestead  was  erected.  In  1869,  Mr. 
Wadsworth  purchased  a  planing-mill,  and  began  the  manufacture  of 
doors,  sash,  blinds,  etc.,  dealing  also  largely  in  lumber,  shingles, 
laths,  etc.  Since  then  he  has  added  to  the  mill  an  extensive  cheese- 
box  and  butter-box  factory.  Among  his  other  real  estate  possessions 
may  be  enumerated  twenty-five  or  thirty  dwelling  and  business  houses 
which  he  erected  in  various  parts  of  the  city. 

Mr,  Wadsworth's  present  political  faith  was  established  upon  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  in  1861,  ^vhen  he  became 
a  zealous  War  Democrat,  and  materially  aided  at  all  times  the  work 
of  enlistment  by  furnishing  liberally  of  his  means. 

Since  assuming  a  prominent  part  in  local  political  history  he  has 
participated  in  all  Democratic  State  and  county  conventions,  and 
before  the  Democratic  State  Convention  of  1875  he  was  a  defeated 
nominee  for  the  office  of  State  treasurer,  but  by  only  a  vote  or  two. 
Not  long  thereafter  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Bishop  to  be  one 
of  the  trustees  of  the  Clevelaml  Asylum  for  the  Insane. 

Mr.  Wadsworth  was  one  of  the  early  members  of  Masonic  lodge 
No.  127,  of  Wellington,  and  filled  in  succession  all  of  the  official 
positions  of  the  lodge.  He  is  now  a  member  of  Oriental  Commandery, 
No.  12,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Wadsworth's  public  spirit  takes  a  wide  scope  of  action,  and 
towards  the  building  of  churches  always  reaches  out  an  assisting 
arm  irrespective  of  creed. 

In  1875,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wailsworth  celebrated  their  silver  wedding 
with  a  regal  entertainment,  in  which  upwards  of  three  hundred  guests 
participated,  and  presented  a  multitude  of  costly  silver  offerings, 
precious  mementos  of  a  joyous  occasion. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


350 


ings  against  Wellington  defendants,  except  Mattliew 
Gillett.  Matthew  De  Wolf,  Abner  Lovelaud,  and 
Loring  Wadswortli,  all  of  whom  were  men  of  means, 
and  able  to  jiay  their  fines.  All  of  tlumi,  except  Mat- 
thew Gillett,  entered  a  plea  of  nolle  rtmiendrc.  Judge 
Andrews,  of  Cleveland,  on  entering  this  plea,  ad- 
dressed the  eonrt  in  their  behalf  in  coneiliatory  re- 
marks. The  court  fined  them  twenty  dollars  and 
costs  of  prosecution,  which  were  high,  and  sent  tliem 
to  jail  for  twenty-four  hours. 

Matthew  Gillett  refused  to  plead  augiit  hut  "not 
guilty."  The  government  was  exceedingly  anxious 
to  get  rid  of  the  case  as  to  him.  The  odium  of  the 
prosecution  had  aroused  tiie  indignation  of  the  peo- 
ple. Tlie  old  man  Gillett,  over  seventy  years  of  age, 
kept  in  jail,  was  a  buruiug  rebuke  to  the  crime  of 
human  slavery,  which  demanded  for  its  support 
fugitive  slave  laws,  that  transformed  every  citizen 
into  a  slave  catchei',  at  the  beck  of  any  slave-holder 
whose  chattels  had  lied.  The  old  man  refused  to 
plead  inillr  roii/rnilre;  he  refused  to  give  bail;  he  re- 
fused to  go  home  on  his  own  recognizance.  "  If  you 
are  turned  out  of  jail,  will  you  go?"  asked  the  gov- 
ernment attorney.  "  If  the  choice  lies  between  sleep- 
ing in  the  street  and  going  home,  I  shall  go  home," 
answei'cd  the  inllexiblo  old  man.  "  Go,  then,"  was 
the  response,  and  the  venerable  man  came  home  in 
triumph. 

The  remarks  of  .Judge  Andrews  were  published  in 
the  Herald  of  the  same  evening.  Mr.  Loveland,  on 
reading  them,  instantly  addressed  the  following  card 
to  that  paper: 

"J/('.<.s-'r.«.  Editors: — After  reading  your  remarks  in 
last,  evening's  Herald  in  reference  to  me,  I  deem  it 
due  to  myself  to  ask  you  to  state  that  I  did  not  author- 
ize my  counsel  yesterday  to  give  my  views  on  Govern- 
ment to  the  Court,  and  disclaim  holding  to  many  of 
the  doctrines  exjjressed  by  him.  I  simply  authorized 
him  to  enter  for  me  the  plea  of  tiolk  r  nfendre,  pro- 
testing, at  the  same  time  that  I  am  not  guilty  of  vio- 
lating any  law,  and  re(|uiring  the  protest  to  Ije  entered 
on  the  T'ceords  of  this  court. 

AiiNER  Loveland." 

Of  these  men,  who  thus  suffered  for  a  cause,  and 
who  eontriliuted  to  the  upbuilding  of  that  public 
sentiment  that  finally,  by  its  ii'resistible  force,  made 
human  slavery  impossible  in  this  country,  none  are 
now  left.  Two  of  them  died  without  seeing  the  fru- 
ition of  their  hopes  for  freedom.  Matthew  Gillett 
died  September  5,  1863,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 
Loring  Wadsworth  died  Novembers,  1863,  aged  sixty- 
two  years  Matthew  DeWolf  and  Abner  Loveland. 
survived  the  war,  and  saw  the  emancipation  of  the 
slave,  and  tiie  death,  eonsefpiently,  of  the  fugitive 
slave  law.  Abner  Loveland  was  the  last  to  go.  lie 
lived  to  give  to  the  writer  many  of  the  facts  which 
are  here  recorded,  and  ]iassed  away  in  March,  ISli). 
Of  him  and  his  compatriots  it  may  be«said:  "They 
did  something  for  mankind  and  for  their  country." 


WELI,IN(iTON    IN    THE    WAK. 

In  this  work  are  already  given  the  names  of  her  sol- 
diers and  the  history  of  her  service,  of  her  dead,  and 
of  her  part  in  that  fiei'ce  conllicl,  and  il-  may  be  said 
in  a,  bi'ief  word,  she  did  her  i)art  well. 

Of  those  who  died,  and  who  now  sleej)  in  her 
cemetery,  there  are  twenty-six  transferred  from  fields 
where  they  fell  by  loving  hands  to  sleep  their  long 
sleep  in  the  home  they  loved  so  well.  Eleven  more 
are  in  nameless  graves  on  the  hills  of  Virginia,  at 
(ihattanooga,  at  South  Mountain  and  elsewhere, 
"where  men  men  died  to  make  man  free." 

Every  May.  day,  garlands  of  flowers  are  strewn  upon 
their  graves,  or  offered  upon  the  shrine  of  their 
memory  by  gentle  hands,  and  moistened  by  tear- 
dimmed  eyes.     And  so  it  shall  be  for  ages  hence. 

"When  spring,  with  dewy  fingers  cold. 
Returns  to  deck  their  hallowed  mould, 
She  then  shall  dress  a  sweeter  sod 
Than  fancy's  feet  have  ever  trod." 

FINALE. 

In  this  brief  and  iini)crfect  record  of  Wellington 
there  is  but  little  to  regret,  and  much  to  awaken  just 
])ride.  On  all  the  stirring  questions  of  her  time  she 
has  occupied  advanced  ground  in  the  van  of  progress. 
Her  people  were  the  early  friends  of  the  temperance 
cause,  and  zealous  advocates  of  the  anti-slavery 
movement  from  the  start.  Knowing  that  good  society 
is  the  outgrowth  of  a  sound  morality  as  taught  in 
the  church,  she  established  churches,  and  liberally 
maintained  them.  Knowing  that  the  sum  of  human 
hai)piness  is  increased  by  culture,  she  early  estab- 
lished schools,  and  has  generously  sustained  them. 
Knowing  that  prosperity  is  the  reward  of  enterprise, 
she  has  evinced  a  stirring  activity  in  the  pursuits  of 
the  various  industi'ics,  and  has  ju-ospered.  Knowing 
that  intellectual  vigor  is  begotten  by  intellectual  ac- 
tivity, her  jieople  have  always  been  upon  the  alert, 
and  she  has  no  inmates  in  the  asylums  for  the  insane 
or  idiotic.  Knowing  that  a  manly  independence  is 
what  makes  the  free  man,  her  people  have  carved 
their  own  way,  and  are  not  place-seekers.  Knowing 
that  worth  makes  the  man,  her  people  do  no  homage 
to  place  or  station  and  court  no  man  for  patronage. 
Her  history  is  not  yet  made;  the  first  half  century  of 
her  existence  was  laying  the  ground  work,  from  which 
history  is  hereafter  to  be  constructed. 


Biographical  Sketches. 


FRANCIS  S.  WADSWOKTH. 

Francis  S.  Wadswortli  was  born  in  Beckct,  F.erk- 
shire  county,  Ma.ss.,  April  27,  1821,  and  was  the  sixth 
son  of   Law  ton  and  Nancy  II.  Wadswortli. 

In  lS:i3  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Wellington, 
Lorain  county,  Ohio,  where  a  new  home  was  located 


300 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


in  tlie  then  almost  iiiihroken  wiklorness,  situufed  one 
and  one-lialf  miles  north  of  the  center. 

He  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time  on  the  home 
farm  until  his  majority,  gaining  in  the  meantime  a 
irood  common  sciiool  education,  witii  several  terms  at 
the  select  schools.  For  the  next  ten  years  his  t.ime 
was  ofcupied  in  working  at  the  trade  of  a  builder  and 
l)aiiiter,  excepting  two  years,  spent  as  a  student  in 
Oberlin  College. 

September  20,  ]8.">4,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Saraii  A.  Leonard,  of  Akron,  Summit  county, 
Ohio.  Siic  was  l)orn  January  G,  18;);5,  in  Middle- 
sex, Ontario  co\inty,  New  York,  and  Wi^s  the  young- 
est child  of  Truman  and  Uoxana  (Allis)  Leonard. 

In  18o5,  tiie  family  removed  to  Chatham,  Medina 
county,  Oiiio,  settling  on  a  farm  when  the  country 
was  new. 

Her  father  died  February  U,  1846.  In  July  fol- 
lowing she  removed  with  her  mother  to  Akron  to  live 
with  a  brother  and  complete  her  schooling.  Sep- 
tember 12,  184(i,  her  mother  died. 

For  the  next  two  years  she  was  a  student  in  the 
first  graded  school  of  Ohio,  located  at  Akron,  Summit 
county.  Ohio. 

Two  weeks  id'ter  the  marriage  this  couple  settled 
upon  the  farm  where  they  now  reside,  in  Wellington 
township. 

lu  the  (lavs  that  followed,  two  children  came  to  bless 
this  union,  a  daugiiter  and  a  son.  Etta  R.  Wads- 
worth,  born  Ai)ril  'Ih,  iK.iiS,  graduated  at  the  Wel- 
lington High  School,  with  the  class  of  ISTT.  She  was 
married  to  H.  ]?.  Ilerrick,  son  of  Hon.  Lucius  Her- 
rick,  December  27,  1877.  Franklin  L.  O.  Wadsworth 
was  born  October  24,  186(!,  and  early  developed  a 
genius  for  mathematical  and  mechanical  pursuits. 

Mr.  Wadsworth  is  an  earnest  worker,  ever  seeking 
to  elevate  the  standard  of  agriculture,  often  contrib- 
uting articles  of  \vi>rtli  to  the  leading  jnurnals  of  the 
day. 

For  the  past  twenty  years  he  has  been  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Union  agricultural  society,  located 
in  Wellington,  holding  the  office  of  president,  vice 
president,  &c.,  and  executing  the  duties  of  said  offices 
with  commendable  satisfaction.  The  brighter  side  of 
his  character  is  l>est  known  in  the  home  circle  where 
peace  sits  a  daily  guest. 

lu  addition  to  the  many  duties  devolving  upon  a 
farmer's  w'ife,  Mrs.  Wadsworth  tinds  time  to  contrib- 
ute many  articles  to  the  press,  corresponding  regu- 
larly for  two  weekli'^s  and  occasionally  for  others. 
We  judge  the  articles  are  not  without  merit,  as  they 
are  nearly  all  |ii-iimiitly  |inblislu'd.  and  others  solicited 
by  the  editors  to  whom  they  are  sent. 

The  homestead  has  been  christened  "Evergreen 
llill,""and  the  hosiiitality  of  the  farm  house  is  pro- 
vi'rbial. 

Mr.  Wadsworth  is  an  earnest,  practical,  thorough 
business  man,  carrying  into  daily  practice  the  pre- 
cepts and  examples  taught  in  youth  by  most  worthy 
parents.     His    reputation    for   personal    honesty  and 


rectitude  is  above  reproach,  and  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact  esteem  him  a  worthy  citizen  in  every 
respect. 


SERENO  I).  BACON. 


Joseph  Bacon  was  born  in  (Jardner,  Worcester 
county,  Massachusetts,  Afarch  2,  1787,  was  educated 
in  the  common  school;  learned  the  carpenter  ti'ade, 
and  was  esteemed  a  most  excellent  young  man.  He 
married  Miss  Lucy  Wood,   August  26,   1813. 

Miss  Lucy  Wood,  wife  of  .Joseph  Bacon,  was  born 
September  30,  1782,  in  Gardner,  Massachusetts.  Af- 
ter marriage  this  couple  settled  at  housekeeping  in 
Grafton,  Windham  county,  Vermont;  Mr.  Bacon  car- 
rying on  the  business  of  farming,  as  well  as  keeping  up 
the  practice  of  his  trade  as  the  opportunity  presented. 

During  their  residence  in  said  locality,  live  childi'en 
were  born  to  bless  their  union,  viz:  Francis  S.,  born 
March  28.  1817.  Aaron  Wood,  born  December  28, 
1818.  Sereno  D.,  third  son, — see  biographical  sketcli. 
Lucy  Almira,  born  April  16,  1827.  Mary  M.,  born 
June  25,  1835.  Francis  S.  married  Miss  Jane  Ann 
Lee,  of  Burlington,  Vermont,  December  20,  1840, 
now  resides  in  tbe  city  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and 
is  tbe  father  of  two  daughters,  EJleii  and  Marion. 

Aaron  Wood  married  Miss  Mariali  P.  Prindle,  of 
Carlisle,  Lorain  county,  F'ebruary  16,  1848,  who  now 
lives  in  Oberlin,  and  who  left  no  heirs. 

Lucy  Elmira  was  married  Novemljer  22,  1847,  to 
Elijah  Rose;  settled  in  Carlisle,  and  has  three  sons, 
viz:  Dr.  F.  A.  Rose,  who  settled  at  Olmstead  Falls, 
Ohio;  George  E.  and  Charlie  E.,  who  are  both  single. 
Jlary  M.  was  married  July  9,  1864,  to  Howard  Fisher, 
and  settled  in  Adrian,  Michigan;  died  November  22, 
1876,  leaving  three  little  boys:  Carl,  aged  twelve  years; 
Rcibbie,  aged  ten  years;  and  Elwin  C,  aged  two  years. 

Joseph  Bacon  died  in  Carlisle,  August  29,  1865. 
Lucy  (Wood)  Bacon  died  in  the  same  place,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1871.  Their  record  through  life  Wiis  bright- 
ened by  good  deeds,  and  '"their  works  do  follow 
them." 

S.  1).  Bacon,  third  son  of  .loseph  and  Lucy  (Wood) 
Bacon,  was  born  in  Grafton,  Windham  county,  Ver- 
mont, June  23,  1825.  Seventeen  years  of  his  boy- 
hood were  spent  in  this  home  among  the  hills,  receiv- 
ing in  the  mean  time  a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion, as  well  as  acquii'ing  a  knowledge  of  farming. 

In  the  year  1842  the  family  removed  to  Carlisle, 
Lorain  county,  Ohio;  founding  a  new  home  in  the 
then  most  settled  portion  of  the  township,  and  as  be- 
fore following  the  business  of  farming. 

Mv.  Bacon  was  married  to  Mary  Ann  Bailey  of  Car- 
lisle, F'ebruary  26,  1846.  She  was  born  April  19, 
1827,  in  Gowanda,  Cattaraugus  county.  New  York. 
She  was  the  youngest  child  of  Asa  and  Mary  (Cox) 
Bailey.  Her  mother  dying  soon  after  her  birth  she 
was  adopted  J)y  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aaron  Morehouse,  re- 
siding in  Hanover,  Chautauqua  county.  New  York. 


^^^^  -^^^^^ 


M'.NER    LOVELAND. 


SELDEN    HALL. 


MRS.    SELDEN    HALL. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


361 


At  the  age  of  twelve  years  she  came  with  her  adopted 
parents  to  Medina,  Medina  county,  Ohio.  In  1843 
tlie  family  removed  from  Medina  to  Carlisle,  wliore 
they  made  a  permanent  home.  After  niai-riage  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bacon  rented  a  farm  in  Carlisle  and  went  to 
house  keeping,  making  dairying  their  principal  busi- 
ness. In  1S51  they  removed  to  Pittsfield,  Lorain 
county,  stoj)ping  for  a  few  months  on  a  rented  farm. 
In  December  1851  they  again  moved,  this  time  to 
Wellington,  bujnng  a  farm  on  which  they  now  reside. 
The  fruit  of  this  union  was  one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters. The  dates  of  births  were  as  follows:  George  Ba- 
con, I>orn  June  13,  IS.")!.  Enphame  Bacon,  born 
August  22,  1853.  Ada.  Bacon,  born  November  13, 
18G3.  George  Bacon  married  Miss  Ida  Peck  of  Pitts- 
field,  Lorain  county.  Their  present  home  is  in  Pen- 
field,  this  county.  Enphame  Bacon  was  married  to 
Charles  Findley,  January  13,  1874;  both  living  at 
home  till  her  death,  January  19,  1875.  Siie  left  an  in- 
fant son  five  days  old.  The  child  lived  a  few  months 
only,  dying  Marcii  17,  1875.  The  two  were  buried  in 
one  grave,  and  slept  in  the  silent  city  of  the  dead. 
Miss  Ada  Bacon,  now  in  her  teens,  resides  at  home, 
the  light  and  Joy  of  the  household.  At  school  she 
has  ever  stood  at  the  head  of  her  classes,  and  bids  fair 
for  a  bright  record  in  the  future. 

By  industry,  economy  and  jjerseverance  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bacon  have  accumulated  a  nice  property,  and 
their  residence  (see  engraving)  is  fair  to  look  upon. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bacon  is  a  staunch  republican;  stand- 
ing by  his  party  with  firmness  and  fidelity.  He  was 
elected  to  the  oflBce  of  town  trustee  in  1870,  and  has 
retained  the  same  office  ever  since.  He  was  also  elect- 
ed infirnui-ry  director,  in  October,  1875.  This  office 
also,  is  still  in  his  keeping.  In  reputation,  he.  stands 
a  representative  man. 


ABNER  LOVELAND,  Jr. 

Abner  Loveland,  Jr.,  was  born  November  5,  1796, 
in  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools,  and  followed  the  avocation  of  a 
farmer.  In  1819,  when  the  frosts  of  autumn  were 
tinging  the  foliage  of  the  wide-spreading  forests  with 
golden  gleams,  Mr.  Loveland  came  to  Lorain  county, 
Oiiio.  In  1830,  he  purchased  land  in  Brighton  town- 
ship, and  commenced  the  toil  of  a  hardy  pioneer,  in 
full  faith  that  the  future  would  yield  a  rich  return. 
March  28,  1826,  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss 
Pamelia  DeWolf,  of  Otis,  Massachusetts.  Pamelia  was 
the  oldest  daughter  of  Captain  James  and  Naomi 
(Ames)  DeWolf,  born  July  10,  1794.  Soon  after  mar- 
riage they  commenced  housekeeping  in  Brighton, 
and,  eight  years  thereafter,  purchased  a  farm  in  Wel- 
lington, one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  the  center, 
where  he  pursued  his  avocation  according  to  the  most 
approved  methods  in  use,  making  it  their  home  for 
eighteen  years,  and  rearing  their  children,  four  in 
number,  two   sons  and  two  daughters.     In  1850  he 

46 


erected  a  nice  brick  dwelling  house  in  the  village  of 
Wellington,  removing  thither  in  1852,  where  be  might 
secure  the  best  advantages  for  completing  the  educa- 
tion of  his  children. 

For  integrity,  honor  and  sterling  worth,  Mr.  Love- 
land had  no  superior.  He  was  of  a  quiet,  retiring 
disposition,  never  seeking  notoriety;  yet,  when  duty 
called,  he  wavered  not,  but  was  firm  in  defense  of 
right,  however  great  the  sacrifice.  Politically,  Mr. 
Loveland  (in  his  younger  days)  was  an  old  line  whig; 
later,  a  zealous  and  devoted  abolitionist,  or  friend  of 
bondmen;  later,  a  staunch  and  faithful  republican. 
Offices  of  trust  were  given  him  l)y  butli  county  and 
town,  and  were  always  administei'ed  with  fidelity  and 
zeal.  Though  honor  and  distinction  were  sought  not, 
yet  the  people  award  liiin  a  record  of  worth}'  merit. 

Mrs.  Pamelia,  wife  of  Abner  Loveland,  Jr.,  died 
June  5,  1802.  Before  marriage.  Miss  P.  DeWolf 
spent  her  time  in  tenching.  Edwin  died  November 
4,  1800.  Mr.  Loveland  died  March  3,  1879,  and  the 
people  mourned  his  loss.  By  loving  hands  this 
tribute  of  respect  is  dedicated  to  loved  ones  gone  be- 
fore: "Blessed  are  they  who  die  in  the  Lord,  for 
their  works  do  follow  them.'' 


ROSWELL  SMITH. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  son  of  .Joel  and 
Nancy  Smith;  was  born  in  Sandisfield,  Berkshire 
county,  Massachusetts,  June  1.  1797.  Very  little  is 
known  of  his  early  life,  aside  from  the  fact  that  his 
parents  lived  upon  rented  land,  and  were  in  indigent 
circumstances.  There  was  a  large  family  of  children, 
which  made  it  necessary  for  Roswell  to  shift  for  him- 
self at  an  early  age.  Record  of  family:  Joel  Smith, 
born  1767,  died  February  4,  1824;  Nancy  Smith,  born 
1773,  died  August  39,  1829.  Children:  Catharine, 
born  November  7,  1793,  died  18—;  Phebe,  born 
June  1,  1795,  living;  Roswell,  born  .June  1,  1797, 
died  October  36,  1866;  Daniel,  born  February  27, 
1799,  living;  Lovisa,  born  September  19,  1800,  died 
July  1,  1870;  Lois,  born  March  7,  1803,  died  April 
30,  1840;  Martha,  born  September  13,  1803,  died  Au- 
gust 13,  1877;  Eunice,  born  Aiu'il  4,  1806,  died  May 
7,  1859;  Emily,  born  July  18,  1807,  died  April  24, 
1807;  Lucinda,  born  May  10,  1810,  died  February  8, 
1854.  Roswell,  soon  after  becoming  of  age,  left 
home,  and  for  about  three  years  was  employed  in  the 
salt  works  near  Syracuse,  New  York.  Here  he  con- 
tracted chills  and  fever,  and  becoming  rather  reduced 
in  circumstances,  he  resolved  to  push  on  farther  west, 
arriving  in  Wellington,  Decem'ber  35,  1833,  with  very 
little  capital  to  begin  life  with,  and  in  a  half  dead  con- 
dition from  the  effects  of  the  ague.  For  the  next  five 
years  he  made  it  his  home  with  his  brother  Daniel. 
At  that  time  it  was  one  unbroken  wilderness,  with 
few,  if  any,  thoroughfares.  The  red  men  were  far 
more  numerous  than  the  white,  were  friendly,  and 
often  came  to  the  house  for  the  purpose  of  exchang- 


362 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


ingyenison,  etc.,  for  salt,  bread,  and  other  commodi- 
ties of  civilization.  Game  was  plentiful,  including 
deer,  bear,  wild  cat,  wolves,  etc.  Tlie  latter  were  very 
bold,  coming  uninvited  many  times  to  the  settler's 
home,  making  it  necessary  to  confine  stock  nights  in 
enclosures  built  of  logs.  In  May,  1823,  Roswell  bought 
seventy-five  acres  of  land  of  Frederick  Hamlin,  for 
the  consideration  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  dol- 
lars, being  part  of  lot  forty-one,  in  Wellington  town- 
ship. Several  years  after,  he  bought  seventy-five 
acres  adjoining,  on  the  south  of  said  lot,  of  Milton 
Hamlin.  He  married,  November  7,  1837,  Jane  G., 
youngest  daughter  of  Luke  and  Elizal)eth  Whitlock. 
He  moved  on  his  farm  in  1828,  erecting  a  log  cabin 
in  the  northeast  corner.  They  lived  here  ten  years. 
In  1837  he  built  a  more  commodious  dwelling,  in  a 
more  central  location.  At  this  time,  he  took  corn  to 
Captain  Remington  on  the  ridge,  exchanging  a  bushel 
of  corn,  even,  for  a  pound  of  nails;  the  price  of  a 
yard  of  factory  muslin,  being  the  same.  In  IS'l-i,  his 
fatherdying,  hisbrother  Daniel  returned  east,  bringing 
back  with  him  the  widowed  niotlior  and  five  sisters, 
leaving  three  sisters  there,  viz:  Catharine,  Lovisaand 
Lois.  The  mother  lived  with  Roswell  after  his  mar- 
riage. She  died  in  1829,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  cem- 
etery, in  Wellington.  Although  the  pioneers  did,  of 
necessity,  see  many  hard  times,  there  were  also  bright 
sides  to  their  lives.  During  one  year  there  were  five 
marriages  out  of  the  Smith  household,  viz:  Roswell,  to 
Jane  Whitlock,  November  7,  1837;  Daniel,  to  Marie 
Humphrey,  in  1828.  She  dying,  he  married  for  his 
second  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Bell.  Eunice  married  Calvin 
Adams,  October  7,  1838,  Rev.  Joel  Talcott  officiating. 
Mr.  Adams  died,  March  1,  1SG4.  Martha  married 
Ransom  Foote,  March  19, 1838.  Emily  married  Selden 
Hall  in  1838.  Mr.  Hall  died  November  38,  1878. 
The  other  children  married  as  follows:  Lucinda  to 
Almond  Green;  Phebe  to Josiah  Arnold;  Lovisa mar- 
ried Elisha  Smith,  January  22,  182-1:.  Mr.  Smith 
died  east,  September  7,  1844.  About  ISriO  his  widow 
moved  to  Ohio,  where  she   resided   until    her  death. 

Catharine  married  Morgan,    and    died   east. 

Lois  was  the  only  one  who  led  a  single  life.  She  died 
in  Colebi'ook,  Connecticut. 

To  return  to  Roswell:  In  politics,  he  was  first  a 
whig,  then  a  freesoiler,  and  afterward  a  republican. 
He  was  a  strong  anti-slavery  man,  and  when  the  war 
broke  out,  himself  and  sons  contributed  over  one 
thousand  dollars  in  money  toward  suppressing  the 
rebellion.  Hisbrother,  Daniel,  took  a  prominent  part 
in  the  underground  railway  system,  and  many  a  slave 
has  cause  to  be  grateful  to  him  for  food  and  shelter, 
and  a  free  passage  to  Oberlin.  He  came  to  Welling- 
ton in  the  spring  of  1821,  his  labor  for  three  years  be- 
ing compensation  for  one  hundred  acres  of  land. 
Roswell,  when  but  eighteen  years  of  age,  embraced 
Christianity,  and  soon  after  reaching  Ohio,  united 
with  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  original  members.  lie  afterward  Ijecame  a  Con- 
gregationalist.     He   paid  freely  toward  building  the 


different  churches  of  the  place.  He  not  only  believed 
it  to  be  his  duty  to  support  the  church,  but  nothing 
but  sickness  prevented  his  regular  attendance  at  pub- 
lic worship.  He  died  October  26,  1866,  beloved  by 
all  as  an  upright,  conscientious,  christian  man,  a  man 
who  was  a  peace-maker  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the 
term.  He  left  two  sons.  Philander  W.,  born  April 
30, 1830;  Orlando  E.,  born  November  27,  1839.  His 
widow,  April  29,  18G8,  married  Selden  Hall,  but  con- 
tinued to  reside  at  the  old  homestead.  Mr.  Hall  died 
November  28,  1878,  leaving  her  a  widow  the  second 
time.  Jennie  E.  Whitlock,  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Smith, 
came  to  live  in  the  Smith  family  in  185*;,  and  has  had 
a  home  there  since.  She  was  born  in  Brighton,  Lo- 
rain county,  November  23,  1853. 

Jane  G.,  wife  of  Roswell  Sniitii,  was  the  youngest 
daughter  of  Luke  and  Elizabetli  Whitlock,  was  born 
May  15,  1813,  in  South  Brunswick,  Middlesex  county, 
New  Jersey.  Luke  Whitlock  was  of  French  descent. 
He  was  married  November  2,  1799,  to  Elizabeth 
Griggs,  in  South  Brunswick,  Middlesex  county.  New 
Jersey.  Luke  Whitlock  was  born  July  38,  1779;  he 
died  May  K!,  1847.  Elizabeth  Whitlock,  born  Janu- 
ary 38,  1783;  she  died  March  15,  1845.  Children: 
John  v.,  born  December  30,  1800;  died  January  31, 
1877.  Margaret  V.,  born  Seiitember  10,  1802;  died 
October  3,  1860.  James  G.,  born  May  23,  1806;  died 
November  30,  1807.  Ellen  S.,  born  November  37, 
1808;  living.  Sarah,  born  September  39,  1811;  died 
November  10,  1811.  Jane  G.,  born  May  15,  1813; 
living.  In  April,  1844,  John  was  married  to  Hannah 
Jones.  She  died  December  25,  1846.  In  April,  1847, 
he  married  Eliza  Jones,  a  sister  of  his  former  wife. 
She  died  April  33,  1856,  leaving  three  children,  the 
youngest  of  wiiom,  Jennie  E.,  was  taken  and  cared 
for  l)y  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Smith.  Margaret  was  married 
to  Leonard  Loveland  in  1830.  Ellen  S.  was  married 
to  Elijah  S.  Fox,  in  1835.  Mr.  Fox  died  February 
38,  1875.  Jane  G.  married  Roswell  Smith,  Novem- 
ber 7,  1827.  The  family  arrived  in  Brighton,  Lorain 
county,  April  13,  1822.  The  father's  occupation  was 
teaching.  While  on  his  way  homo  from  a  school  he 
was  taken  ill,  died,  and  was  buried  at  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania.  The  mother  died,  and  was  buried 
in  Brighton. 

Philander  W.,  eldest  son  of  Roswell  an<l  Jane  G. 
Smith,  was  born  April  30,  1830,  in  the  log  cabin.  He 
remained  at  home  during  his  boyhood,  working  on  the 
farm.  He  was  married  January  13,  1853,  to  Miss 
Laura  J.,  only  daughter  of  George  and  Eunice  Cowles. 
She  was  born  in  Colebrook,  Connecticut,  January  39, 
1833.  George  Cowles  and  family  came  to  Wellington 
in  October,  1836,  and  have  since  resided  on  their 
farm  known  as  "Maple  Hill."'  For  nearly  ten  years 
after  his  marriage  Piiilander  W.  lived  at  the  old  home- 
stead. In  the  summer  of  1801  he  erected  a  house  on 
the  corner  of  the  old  farm,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
They  had  two  children,  Arthur  G.,  born  May  8,  1853. 
Clara  M.,  born  October  10,  1867.  In  November, 
1875,  the  family  left  their  home,  and  went  to  Florida, 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY.  OHIO. 


363 


to  try  the  effect  of  the  climate  upon  members  of  the 
family.  After  spending  eighteen  months  there,  with 
little  or  no  material  benelit,  they  returned  to  their  old 
liomc.  In  politics,  Mr.  Smith  has  always  been  a  rc- 
])ublican  since  that  party  had  an  existence.  He  con- 
t  ributed  freely  towards  carrying  on  the  war.  Although 
never  taking  an  active  part  in  politics,  he  was  ever  in 
full  sympathy  with  the  Union  army.  la  180C  he 
purchased  what  is  known  as  the  James  Spellman 
farm,  adjoining  the  homestead  on  the  south.  He  has 
always  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
1873,  himself,  wife  and  son  united  with  the  First  Con- 
gregational church,  of  Wellington,  Dr.  L.  B.  Lane 
being  pastor  at  that  time. 

Orlando  E.,  youngest  son  of  Roswell  and  Jane 
Smith,  was  born  November  27, 1830,  at  the  old  home- 
stead. During  his  boyhood  he  did  not  enjoy  good 
health,  but  as  he  approached  man's  estate  he  became 
more  healthful.  He  was  married  December  23, 1862, 
to  Lydia  J.,  youngest  daughter  of  William  and  Polly 

A.  Hall.  She  was  born  in  Brighton,  Lorain  county, 
December  23,  1842.  After  living  with  his  father's 
family  three  years,  he  purchased  fifteen  acres  of  what 
was  known  as  the  Lyman  Marshall  farm,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  In  1873  he  thoroughly  remodeled  his 
dwelling  house,  and  in  1876  he  purchased  the  remain- 
der of  the  Marshall  farm.  Two  children  were  born 
to  them:  Roswell,  born  September  20,  1871;  Ralph 
W.,  born  January  10,  1875.  Little  Roswell  bright- 
ened their  home  only  four  days;  he  died  Sej>teniber 
24, 1871.  In  1803,  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  Mr. 
Smith  was  drafted.  His  health  unfitting  him  for 
active  service  and  the  exposure  of  camp  life,  he  hired 
a  substitute.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  repub- 
lican, casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln,  in  1864.  Of  late  years  his  occujiation  has 
been  dairy  farming.  In  1873  himself  and  wife  were 
converted,  and  received  into  the  First  Congregational 
church  of  Wellington,  during  the  ministry  of  Dr.  L. 

B.  Lane. 


HOMER  MASON  AND  FAMILY. 

-Sampson  Mason,  father  of  Homer,  and  twelfth  son 
of  Samjjson  and  Mercy  (Baker)  Mason,  was  born  in 
South  Adams,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  April 
15,  17!)!).  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  received 
a  common  school  education  equal  to  the  times.  The 
first  of  May,  1822,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah 
Childs,  and  commenced  farming  in  the  town  of  his 
liirth. 

Miss  Hannah  Childs,  fourth  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Zilpa  (Brooks)  Childs,  was  born  June  20,  1792. 
The  births  of  children  were  as  follows:  Nancy,  born 
March  4,  1823;  Stephen  C,  born  March  28,  1826; 
Angeline,  born  August  13,  1827;  Minerva,  born  De- 
cember 15,  1831;  and  Homer,  born  September  18, 
1833. 

In  1835,  Mr.  Mason  and  family  came  to  Welling- 


ton, Ohio,  and  settled  upon  land  where  the  homestead 
now  is.     (See  engraving.) 

Nancy  married  Henry  Allyn;  she  now  resides  in 
Ilirain,  Portage  county,  Ohio.  There  have  been  five 
heirs,  three  now  living.  Henry  Allyn  died  December 
11,  1878. 

Stephen  C.  married  Mary  Barge;  he  settled  in  Wel- 
lington. They  had  three  children.  Stei)hen  C.  died 
June  20,  1872. 

Angeline  married  I.  S.  Van  Deuscn;  they  now  re- 
side in  Passaic,  New  Jersey.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, and  one  grandchild. 

Minerva  died  June  4,  1848. 

Horace  married  Ellen  Lyon,  of  Wellington,  August 
22,  1858,  continuing  to  reside  at  the  old  homestead, 
where  their  children  were  born  as  follows:  Harry  B., 
born  November  20,  1860;  Hattie  M.,  born  October  1, 
1867;  Willis  L.,  born  November  21, 1869;  Annah  E., 
born  July  16,  1876;  and  Arthur  D.,  born  April  18, 
1878.  These  children  are  receiving  the  advantages 
of  a  good  education,  as  age  permits,  and  bid  fair  to 
become  an  honor  to  their  parents. 

Hannah,  wife  of  Sampson  Mason,  died  May  16, 
1858.  Mr.  S.  Mason  still  resides  at  the  old  home- 
stead, bearing  the  honorable  title  of  grandfather  and 
great-grandfather — a  venerable  man,  whom  the  chil- 
dren delight  to  honor. 

Air.  and  Mrs.  Homer  Mason  received  a  good  com- 
mon school  education,  and  their  home  is  one  of 
culture  and  refinement,  where  many  people  are  hos- 
pitably entertained.  Mr.  Mason's  politics  is  republi- 
can. He  has  been  a  prominent  member  of  the  Union 
agricultural  society  of  Wellington.  He  is  an  excel- 
lent farmer,  a  good  citizen,  and  held  in  high  esteem 
by  all  acquaintances. 


JAMES  SHELDEN  AND  FAMILY. 

Benjamin,  father  of  James  Shelden,  was  born  in 
Delaware  county.  New  York,  July  7,  1791;  married 
Lovisa  Rice,  January  22,  1815.  Miss  Lovisa  Rice, 
born  in  Delaware  county,  July  6,  1790,  settled  in 
Lock,  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  and  engaged  in 
millinery  quite  extensively. 

Birth  of  children,  as  follows:  Nelson,  born  March 
26,  1816,  and  died  in  infancy;  Salvinia  M.,  born 
October  2,  1817;  George  W.,  born  August  4,  1819; 
Benjamin,  born  December  6,  1821;  Anna  S.,  born 
April  15,  1824;  David  F.,  born  May  14,  1829;  James, 
born  March  11,  1831. 

Benjamin,  Sr.,  died  in  LaGrange,  Lorain  county, 
July  17,  1870;  Lovisa,  wife  of  Benjamin  Shelden, 
Sr.,  died  September  9,  1870;  united  in  life,  they 
were  not  long  separated,  and  their  children  rise  up 
and  call  them  blessed. 

James  Shelden  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
learned  the  joiner's  trade,  and  in  1857,  February 
eleventh,  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Adeline  West, 


364 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


eldest  child  of  Amasa  H.  and  Maria  West;  Amasa  H. 
West  was  born  in  Hartwick,  Orange  county.  New 
York,  May  'H,  1810.  Miss  iMaria  West,  born  iu  the 
same  place.  May  27, 1809.  They  wure  married  Febru- 
ary 24:,  18o4,  and  moved  to  Ohio,  soon  after,  where  the 
children  were  born,  as  follows:  Adeline,  born  October 
19,  18:311;  Henry,  born  October  2i,  1838;  Franklin, 
born  Septcndjer  8,  18-40;  Charles,  born  June  5,  1853. 

lleni-y  West  enlisted  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion; 
was  wounded  in  battle  April  seventh;  died  May  2, 
1862,  at  St.  Louis.  Remains  brought  to  Wellington 
for  burial. 

Franklin  West  was  married  February  12,  18G8,  to 
Miss  Viola  Burlingame,  of  Centerville,  Allegany 
county,  New  York.     He  died  March  23,  1878. 

Charles  West  married  AUie  Dibble,  of  Pittsfield, 
Lorain  county,  Ohio;  have  three  children. 

Amasa  H.  West,  father  of  Adeline,  died  June  24, 
1872.  Mrs.  Maria  West,  mother  of  Mrs.  Shelden, 
married  again  0.  J.  West,  November  11,  1873,  and 
settled  in  Wellington  village. 

After  marriage  Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Shelden  commenced 
dairying  on  a  farm  in  Wellington.  In  1860  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  continued 
dairying.  In  1867  he  built  liis  present  residence. 
(See  engraving).  Two  years  later  he  erected  suitable 
buildings,  andconnuenced  the  manufacture  of  cheese, 
according  to  tlie  factory  system,  extending  and  en- 
larging his  conveniences  and  facilities  until  three 
millions  of  pounds  and  over  were  manufactured  at,  the 
home  factory  in  1878. 

Mr.  Shelden,  at  the  present  time,  owns  an  interest 
iu  five  other  factories,  and  has  in  his  employ  seventeen 
men.  As  a  factoryman  Mr.  Shelden  stands  at  the 
front,  giving  as  good,  or  better  satisfaction  to 
patrons,  than  others  engaged  in  the  same  business: 
and  as  dairying  is  the  principal  business  of  the  farmers 
of  Wellington  and  vicinity,  the  rivalry  with  which 
Mr.  Shelden  has  to  compete,  may  readily  be  seen. 
Children — Jessie,  born  January  5,  1862;  Lettie,  born 
June  5,  1867;  Charles,  born  April  3,  1869.  Mr. 
Shelden's  children  are  receiving  excellent  advantages 
for  education,  and  bid  fair  to  become  ornaments  to 
society,  aud  are  true  blessings  in  the  household. 

The  family  are  most  hosiiitably  inclined;  there 
seems  always  room  for  one  more,  and  guests  are  wont 
to  enjoy  their  visits  there  most  heartily,  as  the  host 
and  hostess  are  merry-hearted  and  desirous  of  minis- 
tering to  the  pleasure  of  their  friends. 

In  politics  Mr.  Shelden  is  a  republican.  lie  is  a 
generous,  free-hearted,  liiieral  man,  keeping  u})  with 
the  progress  of  the  age. 


SILAS  MILLER  AND  FAMILY. 

Ephraim,  second  son  of  Ephraim  Miller,  was  born 
in  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  June  8,  1774,  and  mar- 
ried Rachel  Buttolph  March  13,  1800.     Rachel  Rut- 


tolph  was  born  in  Stonington,  Connecticut,  October 
2,  1773.  After  the  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  set- 
tled in  Chester,  Massachusetts,  pursuing  the  avocation 
of  farming,  the  same  as  his  ancestors.  In  Chester  all 
their  children  were  born,  to  wit:  Silas,  born  April 
13,  1802:  Emily,  born  February  5.  1804:  George, 
born  February  28, 1806;  Moses,  born  .l:iiiu;iry  8, 1809; 
Ephraim,  born  October  36,  1811;  Edmund,  born 
January  27,  1S14;  Fordis,  born  Aprd  12,  1816;  died 
August  18,  1829. 

Ejihraim  Miller  died,  at  his  son  Silas'  house,  in 
Wellington,  March  30,  1868,  aud  had  reached  the  re- 
markable age  of  ninety-four  years.  Rachel  his  wife 
died  in  Mindon,  Michigan,  September  27,  1869,  the 
year  following  her  husband's  death.  This  couple 
lived  together  sixty-eight  years,  never  being  se])arated 
over  a  week  at  a  time,  their  affection  being  like  that 
of  Ruth  for  Naomi. 

Silas  Miller  was  born,  as  stated  above,  April  13, 
1802.  He  received  a  good  corjimon  school  education, 
and  beside  the  knowledge  of  farm  life,  acquired  at 
at  home,  he  learned  the  trade  of  tanning  leather,  of 
William  Hubbard,  Cummington,  Massachusetts.  Be- 
ing a  youtli  of  mnch  enterprise  and  true  grit,  he  was 
bound  to  get  on  in  the  world,  his  motto  being:  "'  If 
I  fall,  I  will  get  up  again."' 

He  married  Miss  Cynthia  Holcomb,  in  West  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  December  2."),  1828.  flynthia  IL, 
daugher  of  Asel  and  Martha  (Flagg)  Holcomb,  was 
born  in  Cranliy,  Connecticut,  .July  29,  1799.  They 
settled  at  housekeeping  and  farming  in  Chester,  Mas- 
sachusetts. The  record  of  births  in  the  family  are  as 
follows:  Caroline  S.,  born  October  2,  1832;  Fordis 
N.,  born  Ajiril  3,  183.");  and  Sarah  E.,  born  May  26, 
1838,  Cynthia,  wife  of  Silas  Miller,  died  February 
16,  1840.  The  family  having  moved  to  York,  Medina 
county,  Ohio,  the  year  previous,  May  26, 1839. 

August  20,  1840,  Silas  Miller  married  Miss  Lydia 
Branch,  of  York,  Medinacounty,  Ohio.  Lydia  Branch, 
third  child  of  Nathan  and  Polly  (Capron)  Branch, 
was  born  in  Gratten,  Tompkins  county,  New  York, 
January  16,  1810.  The  birth  of  children  are  as  fol- 
lows: Silas  F.,  born  June  23,  1842;  Herman,  born 
November  9,  1843;  Lucinda,  born  February  18.  1847; 
Nathan,  born  .lune  18,  1849;  George,  born  October 
8,  18.52. 

Sarah  E. ,  daughter  of  Silas  and  Cynthia  Miller, 
married  and  settled  on  the  Cumberland  mountains, 
Tennessee. 

('aroline  was  well  cducatiMl,  and  followed  the  occu- 
jiation  of  teaching  for  a  goodly  number  of  years, 
making  a  record  of  worth. 

Fordis  N.  married  Augusta  Howe,  and  settled  in 
Noble  county,  Indiana,  and  carries  on  a  mercantile 
trade.  The  fruits  of  this  union  are  four  daughters 
aud  one  sou,  viz:  Cynthia,  Carrie,  Laurie,  Emily 
and  Silas.  Augusta,  wife  of  Fordis  N.  Miller,  died 
March  3,  1877. 

Silas  F.,  son  of  Silas  and  Lydia  Miller,  died  in  the 
army,  May  8,  1863.     He  belonged  to  the  One  Hun- 


% 


'\V'». 


Silas  Miller 


Lydia  I^Iiller 


Pfloros   Br  KM   run".  OSERLIN  0 


f^EsiDENCE  or  SILAS  MILLER  .Wellington  Tp,  Lof^AiN  Co,0- 


HISTORY  OP  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


365 


di-ed  and  Twenty-fourth  Ohio  vohiuteer  infantry, — a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  the  great  rebellion. 

Heruiau,  also  a  soldier,  served  three  years  in  the 
United  States  artillery,  suffered  as  many  other  sol- 
diers suffered,  and  contracted  a  disease  (chronic  diar- 
rluea),  of  which  he  has  never  fully  recovered,  and 
which  will,  no  doubt,  be  the  means  of  shortening  his 
life.  Herman  married  Mrs.  Mary  Knapp,  of  Welling- 
ton, Februarys,  1868.  Evelyn  L.,  only  daughter  of 
Herman  and  Mary  Miller,  was  born  July  23,  1871. 

Lueinda  married  Jerry  Whitehead,  of  Wellington. 
December  28,  1875,  settled  in  Ogden,  Michigan,  and 
iier  husband  follows  the  avocation  of  farming. 

Nathan  (the  bachelor,)  resides  with  his  parents;  a 
youth  of  enterprise,  spirit,  and  ability,  well  (|ualitied 
to  keep  up  with  the  jjrogress  of  the  age. 

George  died  December  'i,  1871, — a  youth  of  fair 
]iromise,  just  merging  into  manhood.  His  death  was 
a  severe  affliction  to  the  family. 

From  York  the  family  moved  to  Lorain  county, 
settling  in  AVellington  April  0,  1861,  where  they  now 
reside,  on  the  farm  formerly  owned  by  0.  >S.  Wads- 
worth,  engaged  quite  extensively  in  dairying  as  well 
as  farming. 

Mr.  Miller  has  been  an  active,  stirring  man,  pos- 
sessed of  a  remarkable  memory,  retains  events,  dates, 
names,  and  places  in  mind,  as  the  famed  Napoleon. 
He  is  known  far  and  near,  as  his  journeyings  have 
taken  him  into  many  States.  In  politics  he  is  a  re- 
publican, and  his  general  character  is  good,  as  his 
code  of  morals,  as  well  as  those  of  his  family,  is  most 
excellent. 


BERT  B.  HEKIHCK  AND  FAMILY. 

riiilo  Herrick,  secontl  son  of  Amasa  and  Polly 
(Robison)  Herrick,  and  fatiier  of  Hon.  Lucius  Her- 
rick, and  grandfather  of  Bert  B.,  was  born  in  Tyring- 
ham,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  January  15, 
17'.*4:.  He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
seiiools,  and  developed  tlie  character  of  a  model 
young  man.  January  1,  181G,  he  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage to  Sophia  Blodgett.  Sophia  Blodgett,  sixth 
child  of  Caleb  and  Ruth  (Lombard)  Blodgett,  was 
born  in  Brimfield,  Massachusetts,  September  27,  1788. 
After  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Philo  Herrick  went  to 
live  in  Watertown,  New  York,  where  he  jiursued  the 
business  of  tanner,  currier  and  shoemaker.  From 
there  he  i-emoved  to  Hounsfleld,  same  State.  Rec- 
ord of  birth  of  children  as  follows:  Loring,  born 
October  5,  1816,  in  Watertown,  Jefferson  county; 
Amasa  B.,  born  April  20,  1818,  in  Hounsfleld;  Lu- 
cius, born  Novembers,  1820,  iu  Hounsfleld;  George 
F.,  born  November  11,  1824,  in  Hounsfleld.  In  the 
year  1835  the  family  moved  to  Wellington,  Ohio 
(then  denominated  the  far  west),  and  settled  on  the 
homestead  (see  engraving),  where  a  few  years  were 
spent  in  active  service  to  secure  the  comforts  of  a 
home  in  a  pioneer  settlement,  the  children  in  the 


meantime  securing  the  best  advantages  for  education 
provided  in  the  township,  ere  they  separated  to  work 
out  their  future  fortunes  and  establisii  homes  for 
themselves.  .June  3,  18-14,  Loring  married  Miss  M. 
Bronson,  a  teacher  among  the  Winnebago  Indians, 
Iowa.  April  23,  1846,  Amasa  married  Lydia  Ann 
Young,  in  Uockton,  Winnebago  county,  Illinois.  A 
record  of  ten  birtiis  graces  this  union,  (ieorge  F. 
Herrick  left  home  for  Wisconsin,  June  9,  1845;  died, 
Se|>tember  15,  the  same  year.  Lucius  Herrick, 
remaining  at  home,  married,  April  15,  1844,  Miss 
Mary  E.  Griffith.  Mrs.  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Lucius 
Herrick,  died  January  15,  1845,  leaving  an  infant 
son,  Luther  G.,  born  January  11.  April  8,  1851, 
Lucius  Herrick  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Har- 
riet E.  Bidwell,  of  Brighton,  Lorain  county,  Ohio. 
Miss  Harriet  E.  Bidwell,  daughter  of  Truman  and 
Eveline  (Doty)  Bidwell,  was  born  October  26,  1827. 
Truman  E.  Bidwell  was  born  September  20,  1806; 
died  March  31,  1876.  Eveline  (Doty)  Bidwell,  born 
1802;  died  October  27,  1848.  Harriet  E.,  wife  of 
Lucius  Herrick,  died  February  28,  1854;  Bert  B.,  son 
of  Lucius  and  Harriet  Herrick,  was  born  December 
27,  1851.  July  3,  18:j2,  Mr.  Lucius  Herrick  married 
Miss  Sarah  West,  of  Elyria,  third  child  of  Francis 
and  P\inny  West,  born  in  Elyi-ia  and  educated  in 
ililan  and  flnishing  in  the  academy  at  Stockbridge, 
Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts;  is  a  lady  of  cul- 
ture and  reflnement.  July  8,  18G2,  Luther  G.  Her- 
rick died.  He  was  a  young  man  universally  beloved, 
possessed  of  rare  talents,  and  was  pursuing  a  course 
of  study  at  Oberlin  when  the  fatal  hand  of  disease 
sai)ped  the  current,  of  life.  Philo  Herrick  died 
March  15,  1866.  Mrs.  Philo  Herrick  is  still  residing 
at  the  old  homestead — the  oldest  person  in  town;  is 
active,  wonderfully  well  preserved  for  a  lady  of  her 
years,  retaining  her  memory  remarkably  well;  and  it 
is  to  her  the  writer  of  this  sketch  is  indebted  for 
the  principal  dates  found  in  this  biography. 

Since  the  family  of  Philo  Herrick  came  to  Wel- 
lington, Lucius  has  been  identified  with  the  con- 
tinued progress  of  the  townshij).  Being  a  represent- 
ative man,  active  in  business,  he  has  held  important 
offices  by  the  gift  of  the  people  of  Lorain  county. 
For  several  years  ho  was  county  commissioner,  and 
is  now  representing  the  county  of  Lorain  in  the  State 
legislature. 

Bert  B.  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Etta  R. 
Wadsworth,  December  27,  1877.  Miss  Etta  R.  was 
born  in  Wellington,  April  25,  1858;  and  is  the  only 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  S.  Wadsworth;  is  a 
graduate  of  the  class  of  1877  of  Wellington  high 
school;  average  school  report,  for  five  years,  ninety- 
seven  and  one-half — first  grade;  motto,  excelsior; 
aim,  to  do  well.  After  a  short  wedding  tour,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  B.  B.  Herrick  commenced  housekeeping 
on  the  home  farm,  March  28,  1878.  His  father  pur- 
chasing and  removing  to  a  new  residence  near  by,  the 
farm  and  its  belongings  fell  to  the  care  of  B.  B.  In 
connection  with  other  business  matters  in  the  line  of 


366 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


t'jiriiiing,  u  d;iiry  "f  tliirty  or  more  cows  is  kept,  and 
the  milk  iimiiufuetured  iii(,o  biittor  and  cheese,  at 
home,  and  maiketed  l)y  Mr.  Herrick.  Tiic  excellent 
advantages  for  an  edncation,  and  the  opportunities 
for  travel  bestowed  by  a  fonil  parent,  have  fitted  him 
for  an  active  bnsincss  life,  fjiving  a  fair  ontlook  for 
fiitui'e  j)ros|ierity  and  renown.  March  39,  1879,  a 
daughter  was  born  to  Mr.  Ilerriuk — Ella  R.  Herrick; 
christened  l)y  grandma,  "the  light  of  the  lionse- 
liold" — by  its  parents,  Sarah  Ethel. 

The  genealogy  of  the  Herrick  family  can  be  traced 
in  a  direct  line  back  to  one  Eric,  a  Danish  chief  who 
invaded  Britain  during  the  reign  of  Alfred.  For 
farticulars,  see  genealogical  liistory,  published  by 
Zedekiali  Herrick,  giving  statistics  from  1029  to 
1840. 


DR.  .lOHN  W.  HOUGHTON. 

Dr.  John  W.  Houghton,  of  the  Wellington  Eiiter- 
prise,  is  the  son  of  Asa  llougldon,  deceased,  and 
Clara  Cole  Houghton.  He  was  born  in  Eatavia,  New 
York,  and  is  now  in  his  forty-fifth  year.  He  studied 
two  yeai's  at  the  l^niversity  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  taught 
several  terms,  j)rotracted  his  classical  coui'se  so  as  to 
keep  uj)  his  musical  studies  parallel  with  it,  gradu- 
ating at  Haldwin  University  in  1800,  and  fi'om  a  Cin- 
cinnati Medical  College  the  same  year.  In  lSO:i  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  in  course  was  conferi-ed  Ijy  his  AIiiki, 
Mater. 

Soon  after  graduation  he  commenced  tlie  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Wellington,  continuing  for  ten 
years  when  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  it  from  im- 
paired health.  He  has  since  devoted  his  time  princi- 
])ally  to  the  drug  and  book  trade,  established  some 
years  previously,  until  in  1870  he  took  the  additional 
care  and  labor  involved  in  the  j)ulilishing  and  editing 
a,  weekly  newspaper,  in  connection   with  a  job  ottice. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON  SUTLIFF. 

This  gentleman  was  Itorn  in  Erie  county,  New  York, 
in  July,  1815.  His  father's  name  was  Solomon,  his 
l)laco  of  nativity  being  New  York  State,  Genesee 
county. 

'J'he  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  good  common 
s(!hool  education.  At  the  age  of  twenty  ho  left  his 
father's  home  and  came  to  Oberlin,  Ohio,  where  he 
resided  for  three  years.  In  1838  he  went  to  Michi- 
gan, where  he  remained  thirteen  years,  except  an  in- 
terval of  nearly  a  year  in  1840,  which  he  i^assed  in 


Ohio.  While  in  the  former  State  he  entered  govern- 
ment land.  Returning  to  Ohio  in  1853  he  made  his 
residence  ill  Carlisle  township  for  two  years,  when  he 
removed  to  Wellington,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
In  1840,  he  married  Miss  Pho'be  D.  Gott,  of  La 
Grange.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutlilf  have  been  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living, 
viz:  AVilliam  II.,  Charles  E.,  George  AV.,  Jam^s 
Alfred,  Frederick  M.,  Emily  Jane  and  Franklin  P. 
Mr.  SutlitI  has  held  a  number  of  township  offices, 
both  here  and  in  Michigan,  and  is  a  worthy  and 
highly  esteemed  citizen. 


R.  J.   ROBINSON 


tells  the  story  of  his  life  as  follows: 

I  was  born  in  Winchester,  Virginia,  March  18, 
1818,  of  free  ]iarents.  My  father  was  the  grandson 
of  Lord  Fairfax,  and  my  mother  the  daughter  of 
Colonel  Novel,  of  revolutionary  fame.  Myself,  with 
my  jiarents  and  other  children,  was  allowed  the  priv- 
ilege of  common  schools,  although  denied  to  other 
colored  people.  My  father  died  in  1836,  and  in  the 
same  year,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  I  removed  with  my 
mother  and  the  rest  of  the  children,  six  in  number, 
to  Illinois,  settling  iu  Springfield,  where  I  ajjcned  a 
barber  shop.  ATiiong  my  customers  were  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  Edward  Baker. 
Novendjcr  31,  1837,  I  was  married  to  Sarah  Ann 
Wigins,  of  Macdonough  county,  Illinois,  the  first 
colored  marriage  west  of  the  Illinois  river.  In  1840, 
I  moved  to  St.  Louis,  ^lissouri,  but  was  arrested  for 
coming  into  the  State  without  license,  and  returned 
to  Illinois  and  liccauie  a  citizen  of  Alton,  where  I 
reniaine<l  until  1800,  when  I  removed  to  Wellington, 
taking  up  my  residence  here  in  April  of  1861.  I  have 
eight  children,  five  boys  and  three  girls.  My  oldest 
son  Jonathan  was  captured  by  the  rebels  in  1801  and 
kept  a  prisoner  two  years.  My  son  .loseph  enlisted 
in  company  F  of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-third 
regiment,  but  was  killed  at  Frankfort,  Kentucky. 
My  son  James  enlisted  in  Company  G,  third  regi- 
ment U.  S.  colored  heavy  artillery,  and  was  dis- 
charged March  9,  1805,  by  reason  of  expiration  of 
time  of  service.  My  children  have  all  received  a 
practical  education.  My  oldest  daughter  is  a  gradu. 
ate  of  Oberlin  College,  is  married,  and  lives  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

I  was  forty-three  years  old  when  I  was  permitted  to 
cast  my  first  vote.  It  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln. 
I  can  say  that  I  have  only  been  free  since  I  came  to 
this  place.  Here,  thank  God,  I  am  in  an  open  field, 
in  pursuit  of  life,  liberty  and  happiness,  and  where  I 
intend  to  spend  the  remainder  of  my  days. 


'x, 


X 


4v 


-»«' 


H>-   : 


WmH  H   SUTLIFF. 


MRSWm  H.H  SUTLirr. 


Residence  of  Wm.  H.H.  SUTUFF,  Wellington  Tr.Lohain  Co.,  Ohio. 


PITTSFIELD 


SITUATION,  son.    ANn    WATER  TOURSKS. 

BouNBED  upon  the  iiortli  by  Russia,  east  by  La 
Grange,  soiitb  by  Wellington,  and  west  by  Cam- 
den, lies  Pittsfield,  township  number  four,  in  range 
eighteen.  Its  surface,  except  in  the  northwestern 
part,  where  it  is  almost  a  perfect  level,  varies  from 
the  gently  undulating  to  the  moderately  uneven.  The 
soil  is  jirincipally  a  soft  clay,  though  a  clay  loam  is 
found  in  many  places,  and  occasionally,  in  the  north- 
western quarter  particularly,  there  a]ipears  sandy  and 
gravely  loam.  A  very  good  article  of  sandstone  ap- 
pears in  the  Ited  of  a  small  creek,  half  a  mile  west  of 
the  center,  and  the  same  geological  formation  is  ob- 
servable in  lot  twenty-one,  in  the  northeastern  portion 
of  the  township.  The  stoue  comes  to  the  surface  in 
tiie  latter  place,  rendering  quarrying  practicable. 
This  industry,  by  the  way,  has  been  for  some  time 
carried  on  in  a  small  way,  though  large  enough  to 
meet  all  demands,  by  V.  McRoberts. 

The  principal  stream  within  the  limits  of  the  town- 
ship is  the  west  branch  of  Black  river,  which,  entering 
the  territory  at  the  southern  line,  midway  between 
tiie  eastern  and  western  boundaries,  winds  a  tortuous 
course  toward  the  extreme  eastern  corner.  Welling- 
ton creek  flows  from  south  to  north  along  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  township,  and  several  small  brooks 
diversify  the  western  half  of  the  town. 

ORIGINAL   OWNERS. 

The  original  owners  of  Pittsfield,  with  the  number 
of  lots  they  possessed,  were  the  following:  Elisha 
Tracey,  seventy-five  lots;  Lewis  Devotion,  twenty 
lots;  Joseph  Barnham,  nine  lots;  Richard  MeCurdy, 
twenty-one  lots;  Samuel  Dorrence,  twelve  lots,  Wm. 
Perkins,  thirteen  lots;  John  McClellan,  four  lots;  and 
J.  Ward,  six  lots — whole  number  of  lots  in  the  town- 
ship, one  hundred  and  sixty. 

J.  Ward  probably  sold  out  to  Simon  Perkins,  and 
Perkins  sold  or  gave  the  tract  to  the  Western  Reserve 
College.  Milton  Whitney  bought  the  Dorrance  tract 
of  one  Keeler. 

SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  white  men  ever  known  to  have  been  in- 
habitants of  this  township  were  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Baker,  and  his  two  sons.  As  early  as  1812  or  181.3, 
they  cleared  a  small  spot  of  ground  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  lot  ninety-six,  and  built  a  log  cabin.  They 
)emained  here  for  some  time,  but  fear  of  the  Indians 
and  the  British  soldiers,  who  were  at  that  time  scour- 
ing the  country,  induced  them  to  leave.     The  father 


is  known  to  have  gone  into  the  army  of  the  United 
States,  and  whether  his  sons  also  entered  the  militai-y 
service  is  a  matter  of  conjecture.  They  remained  in 
the  vicinity  some  time  after  his  departure.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  these  men  made  the  original  survey 
of  tiie  township.  A  fact  pointing  to  this  conclusion 
was  the  discovery  of  a  lot  of  surveyor's  instruments  in 
their  cabin  a  number  of  years  after  they  left.  Their 
names  were  also  mt'ntioned  as  surveyors  in  some  of 
the  deeds  given  the  first  settlers. 

In  1819,  when  the  townshi])  was  surveyed  into  lots 
and  divided  between  the  purciiasers,  Milton  Whitney 
became  a  large  owner.  He  came  from  the  east  in  the 
following  year,  made  an  examination  of  his  land,  and 
induced  a  couple  of  enterprising  young  men  to  settle 
upon  it.  Tiiomas  Waite,  of  New  York  State,  origi- 
nally settled  in  Amherst  township,  but,  after  a  short 
sta}',  removed  into  Russia.  His  sons,  Jerry  and 
Thomas,  were  the  first  men  who  went  into  Pittsfield 
with  the  intention  of  permanent  residence.  Milton 
Whitnev  gave  each  of  them  fifty  acres  of  land  in  lot 
one  hundred  and  seven,  and  they  took  up  their  abode 
upon  it  in  the  spring  of  1821.  Jerry  Waite  died  iu 
early  life.  Thomas  Waite  is  in  his  seventy-eiglith 
year,  and  resides  upon  almost  the  exact  site  of  the 
rude  log  cabin  which  he  erected  half  a  century  ago. 

Henry  and  Chauncey  Remington  came  into  the 
township  from  Soutiiwick,  Massaeimsetts,  in  the  fall 
of  1833,  each  receiving  from  Mr.  AVhitney  a  farm  of 
fifty  acres,  as  remuneration  for  cutting  twenty  acres 
of  timber.  Both  removed  from  the  township  before 
1830.  Chauncey  died  in  Henrietta  in  18(J0.  His 
widow  married  Lucius  Washburn,  of  Henrietta,  with 
whom  she  is  now  living,  aged  seventy-five  years. 
Henry  is  in  Amherst.  About  the  same  time,  in  all 
probability,  though  possibly  before,  came  a  man  named 
Smith,  and  his  sons,  Charles  and  Joel,  from  New 
York.  Joel  settled  on  lot  twenty-four  with  his  father, 
and  Charles  took  up  a  farm  in  lot  forty-four. 

Following  tiie  Smiths  came  John  Norton,  who  set- 
tled on  lot  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight,  and  who, 
it  is  said,  built  the  first  frame  bara  in  the  townsiiip. 
Norton  died  some  time  previous  to  1830. 

L.  D.  Boynton,  father  of  Judge  W.  W.  Boynton, 
became  a  temporary  resident  of  the  township  soon 
after  the  Smiths  and  Norton  came  in.  He  built  a 
cabin  upon  lot  one  hundred  and  thirty,  but  made  no 
purchase  of  land  and  remained  but  a  short  time. 

Israel  Cash,  who  obtained  an  unenviable  notoriety 
in  Amherst,  was  a  resident  of  the  township  for  a 
brief  period. 

(367) 


3fi8 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


John  and  Jacob  Munsinger  came  into  the  township 
about  the  year  1827,  buying  of  Cash  tlie  old  Reming- 
ton farm,  lot  one  hundred  and  eleven. 

Samuel  Ratliburn  and  two  sons,  Daniel  and  George, 
came  from  New  York  State  in  1838,  the  father  and 
younger  son  settling  upon  lot  sixty-four  and  Daniel 
upon  lot  fifty-seven. 

Aljout  the  year  1830,  ^\'nl.  I'liillrr  and  live  sons 
from  the  Em[iire  State,  settled  on  lot  thirty-seven, 
and,  in  the  same  year,  came  Samuel  Wightman,  who 
located  on  lot  seventeen,  and  Petcu-  Beam  and  his  son 
Joseph,  who  took  up  their  residence  on  hit  twonty-five. 

William  Mat.cham  and  his  son-in-law,  Levi  L. 
WowcU,  came  to  the  township  in  1831.  Sullivan 
h'dwcll  a,nil  his  sons,  .lohu  fj.,  James,  C.  B.  and  Levi, 
came  later  from  Granville,  Massachusetts,  and  settled 
on  lot  one  hundred  and  nine.  'I'lie  Matchams  were 
fi-iim  I'ittsfleld,  in  the  same  State.  Edward  came  the 
year  before  his  fatlier,  and  settled  njion  lot  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-tive,  on  the  old  State  road,  about  one 
mile  south  di  the  center,  where  he  still  resides.  He 
married  Abigail  'I'inker,  of  Rochester  townsliip,  April 
8,  1835. 

Teter  McRoberts  was  the  first  arrival  after  the 
organization  of  the  town.  About  this  time  settlers 
came  in  quite  fiist,  and  it  is  impossible  even  to  name 
them  all.  There  arc  in  Pittsfield  three  families  of 
Whitneys,  and  a  circumstance  that  seems  somewhat 
singular,  is  that  they  bear  no  relationslii[)  to  each 
other.  Milton  Whitney  came  from  Pittsfield,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  18"^(t,  the  year  after  the  survey  had  been 
made,  and,  after  making  arrangements  for  the  Waites 
to  settle,  as  has  previously  been  related,  returned  to 
his  home  in  tiie  east,  lie  took  uj)  his  permanent 
residence  in  this  townshiji  in  1834.  He  had  five  sons, 
S.  D.,  Oliver  W.,  Asa  W.,  Jlenry  and  Frederick,  and 
two  daughters;  the  first-named  son  now  lives  upon 
lot  one  hundred  and  sixteen.  Josepii  Whitney,  the 
head  of  another  distinct  family,  came  about  the  year 
1833.  His  sons,  Ira  E.,  Cepha,  Mark  and  Augustine, 
live  in  Pittsfield,  and  Loren  and  Aaron  T.  in  Oberlin, 
and  Norman  iu  Florida.  Nathan  Whitney,  the  third 
original  settler  bearing  the  same  name,  but  no  relation 
to  the  other  two,  came  into  the  township  about  the 
same  time,  and  is  represented  by  his  son  Ira,  who 
lives  upon  lot  seventy-two;  another  son,  Abram,  is  in 
Olierlin. 

(Cornelius  Gilford  and  sons,  John  Nye,  Cornelius 
F.  and  Sidney,  came  about  the  year  183.5.  .John  Nye 
had  one  son  and  three  daughters  by  his  wife,  Roxy 
Messenger,  of  Windham.  Cornelius  Gitford  had  also 
foui-  (laughtei's,  the  youngest  of  whom  is  the  wife  of 
JMark  Whitney.  Daniel  and  Sally  Wilder  came  in 
1835  from  Vermont.  Jesse  Bradley  came  about  the 
same  time,  and  settled  upon  the  center  road  to- 
ward the  southern  part  of  the  township,  afterwards 
selling  out  to  Bethuel  Phelps  who  is  the  oldest  man  in 
the  township  at  this  writing,  (1878)  being  in  his 
ninety-second  year.  William  Lucas  and  sons,  William, 
Ira  and  David,  and  his  son-in-law,  Hiram  Welch,  came 


about  the  same  time  as  the  above.  David  W.  Davis 
came  in  about  the  year  1834,  and  in  the  following 
year  John  Ives  moved  from  Portage  county,  where  he 
had  emigrated  in  1815,  and  settled  upon  lot  fifty- 
eight.  James  R.  Ward  came  iu  183G  from  Vermont, 
and  settled  upon  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  lot 
one  hundred  and  three.  His  wife  is  Lucinda,  daugh- 
ter of  Ira  Smith.  The  Worcestors,  Samuel,  his  sons 
.John,  James,  Frank,  Joseph,  David  and  Emerson, 
were  early  settlers.  Henry  is  now  living  on  lot 
seventy-eight,  and  Horace  II.,  a  son  of  John,  on  lot 
seventy-seven.  Samuel  A.  Root  came  in  1837  with 
liis  father,  mother  and  one  brother  from  Massachu- 
setts. He  settled  upon  lot  seventy-nine  where  he  still 
resides,  but  owns  land,  also,  in  lots  eighty-two  and 
eighty-three.  Jared  Watkins  and  wife  came  from 
Morristown,  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  in  1835, 
and  settled  on  the  State  road  north  of  the  center.  In 
1843  came  R.  S.  Sheffield.  He  lived  in  Camden  a 
number  of  years,  but  has  been  longest  and  most  prom- 
inently identified  with  Pittsfield  township.  He 
married  Delia  II.,  a  daughter  of  Jared  Watkins. 
Denis  Horton  and  wife,  F.  S.  Horton,  settled,  several 
years  later,  upon  lot  ninety-one.  Thej'  were  from 
Rutland,  Vermont.  Gaylord  Ferris  came  in  1834. 
Orlando  Hall  came  in  1835  from  Vermont,  and  settled 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  township.  His 
wife.  Lucetta  Hall,  is  still  living.  The  Proberts, 
James  and  Sarah,  were  from  England.  Their  de- 
scendants were  Eliza,  .lohn,  George  W.,  James  W., 
David  G.,  Albert  B.  find  Sarah  A.  (Mrs.  Wat-kins,  of 
Pittsfield).  (feorge  W.  Probert  also  lives  in  this  town 
ship,  lot  seventy-three,  and  owns  a  farm  of  about  two 
hundred  acres.  .James  W.  is  dead,  and  the  other 
descendants  of  Jamcj  and  Sarah  live  in  Oberlin. 
Lewis  Shaw  came  into  the  township  in  1847,  and  set- 
tled on  lot  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  or  one  hundred 
and  fifty-three,  but  now  resides  near  the  center.  Ed- 
ward Rogers,  a  native  of  England,  sixty-two  years  of 
age,  settled  first  (1845),  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
town,  on  lot  fifty-nine,  but  removed,  several  years 
since,  to  a  comfortable  home  near  the  junction  of  the 
north  and  south  center  and  State  roads.  In  1845 
came,  also,  Joshua  West  and  his  sons,  Oliver,  Wash- 
ington and  Amasa,  from  Massachusetts.  They  settled 
jn  Wellington  in  1833,  but  did  not  remove  to  Pitts- 
field until  the  year  first  mentioned.  Oliver  West  lives 
at  the  center;  Mrs.  Polly,  the  widow  of  Washing- 
ton, with  her  son,  W.  West,  on  the  center  road,  half 
a  mile  west  of  the  center,  and  Amasa  is  in  Henrietta. 
Carlos  Avery  came  in  1843,  and  settled  on  the  State 
niad  (lot  one  hundred  and  forty  five)  soutli  of  the 
center.  Ephraim  K.  Avery,  a  Methodist  minister, 
came  from  Connecticut  in  1851,  and  from  the  time  of 
his  settlement  uj)  to  his  death  had  much  to  do  with 
the  Methodist  church  of  Pittsfield.  His  son,  Edwin 
K.,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  R.  T.  Worden,  now  live  in 
the  township,  the  former  upon  lot  ninety-five,  on  the 
north  and  south  road,  a  short  distance  south  of  the 
center.     E.  R.  Bement,  sou  of  Nathaniel  Bement,  of 


Residence   of  J. T.  CARTER  ,  Pittsfield  ,  Lorain  Co..  0. 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


369 


LaGrange,  came  into  the  township  about  1840.  Wm. 
Billings  came  in  183G:  also  L.  D.  Glynn  and  F.  E. 
Parsons.  Erastus  Campbell  settled  on  lot  one  hund- 
red and  eleven,  the  old  Remington  farm,  in  1857,  and 
though  not  as  old  a  resident  as  many  others,  is  deserv- 
ing of  mention,  because  a  representative  man  of  the 
township. 

Of  the  settlers  who  may  properly  be  called  pioneers, 
those  who  came  into  the  township  before  its  organiza- 
tion, only  two  remain  to  relate  the  incidents  of  their 
early  days — Thomas  Waite  and  Edward  Matcham. 
Death  has  been,  for  the  past  few  years,  fast  thinning 
the  ranks,  and  a  very  large  number  have  moved 
away.  Mr.  Edward  Matcham  counts  upwards  of  a 
hundred  and  fifty  heads  of  families  who  were  in  Pitts- 
field  prior  to  18-10,  and  who  are  now  either  dead  or 
removed  to  other  parts  of  the  country. 

EARLY    IXCIDENTS. 

"The  annals  of  a  'quiet  neighborhood'  would  not 
be  an  inappropriate  title  for  the  history  of  Pittsfield 
township.  It  has  been  said  that  'all  of  history,  which 
is  not  biography,  is  the  recital  of  deeds  of  violence 
and  wrong  doing,  of  rapine  and  ruin,  of  bloodshed 
and  of  war.'  Pittsfield  truly  has  no  such  history  as 
this.  He  who  asks  the  oldest  inhabitant  for  thrilling 
anecdotes  of  adventure  with  wild  man  or  wild  beast, 
asks  in  vain.  No  romance  but  the  everywhere  exist- 
ing romance  of  live  and  love,  no  tragedy  but  the  oft 
and  ever  recurring  tragedy  of  death,  has  been  the 
cause  of  sensation  or  of  horror.  The  dramatic  is  not 
here.  The  history  savors  only  of  the  honest  home- 
spun, of  simple,  sincere,  strong  characters,  who  began 
bravely  in  the  heart  of  the  forest  a  hard  fight  for  the 
comforts  and  conveniences  of  life.  How  well  the 
fight  was  fought  is  shown  by  the  condition  of  the 
community  to-day.  One  has  only  to  think  for  a  mo- 
ment, to  see  that  a  really  vast  victory  has  been  won 
wherever  city  or  village  has  been  made,  or  where 
the  earth  has  been  dotted  with  human  habitations. 
Every  such  place  has  a  history  which  cannot  be  put 
into  words — the  history  of  man's  efl^orts  and  achieve- 
ments, and  more  than  all,  of  his  joys  and  sorrows, 
glad  realizations  and  bitter  disajjpointments  —  the 
hidden  history  of  heart  and  soul. 

We  have  already  given  the  names  of  those  early  set- 
tlers who  bore  the  brunt  of  the  struggle  against  the 
stubborn  obstacles  to  progress  which  a  new  country 
always  presents.  The  duty  now  remaining  to  the 
historian  is  the  presentation  of  whatever  he  has  been 
able  to  glean  in  regard  to  early  occurrences,  and  the 
building  up  of  the  social  fabric.  The  pioneers  of 
Pittsfield  had  but  little  experience  with  the  Indians, 
and  industrious  interviewing  fails  to  elicit  descrip- 
tion of  bear  hunt  or  tale  of  dangerous  adventure  with 
fierce  animals. 

A  few  Wyandot  and  Seneca  Indians  roamed  through 
the  woods,  but  they  had  no  extensive  encampment  in 
the  vicinity,  and  seldom  appeared  in  bands  of  more 
than  half  a  dozen. 

47 


Mrs.  George  Rathburn  had  quite  a  scare  soon  after 
she  became  a  resident  of  this  small  community.  She 
was  all  alone  in  the  cabin,  one  day,  when  suddenly 
the  doorway  was  darkened  by  the  form  of  an  Indian 
who  demanded  bread,  brandishing  a  large  knife  fiercely 
as  he  did  so,  and  pointing  to  the  bake-kettle  which 
was  upon  the  fire.  The  woman  made  her  unwelcome 
visitor  understand  that  he  could  have  some  bread  as 
soon  as  was  it  done,  and  he  waited  in  stoical  silence 
until  the  steaming  loaf  was  turned  oixt;  then  cutting 
off  a  large  portion,  he  gave  utterance  to  the  customary 
grunt  of  satisfaction,  and  strode  away  into  the  forest 
as  silently  as  he  came. 

Thomas  Waite  once  killed  a  full-grown  elk  upon 
the  farm  of  Edward  Matcham,  which,  so  far  as  can 
be  learned,  was  the  only  animal  of  the  kind  that  ever 
fell  victim  to  an  early  settler's  rifle.  He  shot  the 
stag  several  times  before  he  brought  him  down,  and 
finally  drove  him  into  the  bed  of  a  small  creek,  where 
a  well-directed  shot  finished  his  life.  Mr.  Waite, 
otherwise  known  as'  "Uncle Tommy,"  had  the  antlers 
in  his  possession  many  years,  and  was  very  fond  of  the 
trophy. 

FIKE  AXD  WATER. 

The  great  ordinance  of  earth  and  heaven  that  makes 
man  and  woman  one,  was  first  celebrated  in  the  year 
1823  or  1824.  The  bridegroom  was  Jeremiah  Waite, 
and  the  bride  Clara  Smith.  The  ofliciating  clergy- 
man was  the  bride's  father,  the  Rev.  Nathan  Smith. 
A  hapi^y  party  assembled  upon  this  occasion  and  a 
feast  was  served,  of  which  potatoes  are  said  to  have 
formed  the  leading  luxury.  The  wedded  life  began 
by  this  couple,  was  not  of  the  character  that  fond 
lovers  are  wont  to  picture  as  their  future,  for  if  popu- 
lar report  is  to  be  accredited,  the  young  wife,  when  the 
blissful  honeymoon  had  become  only  a  recollection, 
applied  verbal  blister  to  the  soul  of  Jeremiah.  He 
sought  advice  and  consolation  from  his  father-in-law, 
who  briefly  and  quietly  replied  to  the  husband's  com- 
plaint: "When  your  wife  throws  fire,  you  must  throw 
water."  It  was  not  very  long  before  the  practical 
minded  man  had  an  opportunity  to  act  upon  the  sug- 
gestion given  him,  and  as  he  had  interpreted  it  liter- 
ally, the  result  was  somewhat  startling  to  the  wife. 
She  began  one  day  to  pour  forth  "thoughts  that 
breathe,  and  words  that  burn,"  and  the  husband  im- 
mediately seizing  two  buckets,  started  for  the  brook, 
back  of  the  house,  and  filled  them.  As  soon  as  he  re- 
turned to  the  cabin,  he  dashed  the  ice  cold  contents  of 
one  i^ail  over  the  astonished  woman,  and  then  explain- 
ing that  her  father  told  him  he  must  throw  water 
whenever  she  threw  fire,  applied  the  second  bucket- 
ful to  thoroughly  quench  the  eml^ers  of  her  wrath. 
Cotemporary  chroniclers  have  failed  to  note,  carefully, 
the  result  of  this  phase  of  the  water  cure  treatment, 
and  so  the  value  of  the  experiment  is,  in  a  measure, 
lost  to  the  world. 

The  first  life  given,  and  the  first  life  taken  away, 
must  in  any  household,  be  incidents  fraught  with  the 
fullest  intensity  of  joy  and  grief,  respectiveh",  that  the 


370 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


humiin  heart  cau  appreciate.  And  these  events  oc- 
curing  in  tlie  midst  of  a  small  community,  newly 
grown,  in  a  strange  and  lonely  forest  country,  where 
iiulividual  lines  are  more  closely  knit  together  by  the 
chords  of  sympathy,  than  they  are  in  the  bustling, 
selfish,  sordid  city,  Ining  hapi)iness  and  sorrow  to  all, 
friend,  neighbor  and  kindred.  When  we  mention 
hero  the  date  of  the  first  death  tiiat  occured  in  Pitts- 
field,  we  place  our  finger  upon  a  day  in  a  calender 
more  than  lialf  a  century  old,  which  brought  a  vast 
burden  of  sad  and  solemn  feeling  to  every  person 
then  in  tlie  scattered  little  settlement.  Mary,  wife  of 
Chauncey  Remington,  died  August  18,  182-2.  Her  re- 
mains were  laid  in  lot  one  hundred  and  eleven,  the 
second  farm  cleared  in  the  townshiii,  and  had  their 
resting  place  there  for  many  years,  but  were  finally 
removed. 

The  first  child  born  in  I'ittsfield  was  Henry  H. 
Remington,  and  the  date  of  birth  was  August  12, 
1823. 

The  first  log  house  was  the  cabin  built  by  the 
Bakers, — father  and  sons, — spoken  of  as  the  first 
white  men  ever  known  to  have  come  into  the  town- 
ship. Thomas  Waite  built  the  second.  The  first 
framed  house  was  built  by  a  man  named  Terry,  in 
1833,  on  lot  ninety-five,  and  is  still  standing.  The 
present  residence  of  Edward  Matcham  is  the  second 
framed  house  still  remaining.  The  first  brick  house 
was  built  in  1851,  by  Harris  R.  Sheldon. 

The  first  tavern  was  presided  over  by  John  Sibley. 
It  was  upon  lot  forty-four,  upon  the  old  State  road. 
The  date  of  its  erection  was  probably  1832.  Horatio 
Harmon  built  a  tavern  not  long  after,  on  lot  thirty- 
seven.  David  H.  Ranney  kept  the  first  store,  in  con- 
nection with  a  hotel,  south  of  the  center. 

Lewis  Barnard  received  the  first  postmaster's  com- 
mission, and  kept  the  post  office  half  a  mile  east  of 
the  center.  The  present  postmistress  is  Mrs.  Olimena 
Kingsbury. 

The  first  cemetery  laid  out  is  now  the  resting  ]ilace 
of  many  of  the  early  settlers  of  tlie  township.  It  is  a 
well  fenced  and  well  kept  enclosure,  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  east  of  the  center,  and  belongs  to  tlie  town. 
There  is  a  small  cemetery  at  the  junction  of  the  north 
and  south  center  and  State  roads,  owned  by  a  private 
corporation,  and  still  another  in  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  townsjiiji. 

FUfilTIVE  SLAVES. 

There  was  a  branch  of  the  ■•  underground  railroad  " 
through  Pittsfield.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  obstructions 
were  occasionally  placed  upon  the  track,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  stopping  trains.  We  liave  not  the  date,  and 
it  makes  but  little  difference  in  the  relation  of  the 
incident,  but  any  way,  during  the  days  when  the  road 
was  doing  its  largest  business,  two  fugitive  slaves,— 
a  man  and  a  woman, — were  arrested  in  Pittsfield,  by 
persons  of  pro-slavery  feelings,  and  bronght  before 
the  bar  of  justice,  which,  in  this  case,  was  the  bar  of 
Squire  Asa  W.  Whitney,  and  also,  it  may  be  said,  the 


bar  of  Harmon's  small  but  quite  popular  tavern.  A 
question  arose  as  to  whether  a  justice  court  was  :t 
court  of  record,  the  squire  having  no  right  to  hold 
the  fugitives,  if  it  was  not.  Squire  Clark,  an  eccen- 
tric character,  desiring  to  have  the  runaway  slaves 
held,  and  at  the  same  time  to  have  a  little  amuse- 
ment, said  in  answer  to  Justice  Whitney's  anxious; 
query,  "Is  my  court  a  court  of  record?"  "Why, 
Squire,  you  keep  a  record,  don't  you?  What  more  da 
you  want  to  make  a  court  of  record?  "'  But  the  proof 
that  he  had  power  to  hold  the  fugitives  was  not  strong; 
enough  to  thoroughly  convince  the  justice,  and  the 
captives  were  finally,  after  considerable  discussion, 
sent  to  Elyria,  where  they  were  placed  in  the  jail, 
from  which  they  soon  after  made  their  escape,  much 
to  the  joy  of  their  abolition  friends,  and  discomfiture 
of  the  sympathizers  with  slavery.  There  were  in  Pitts- 
field (piite  a  nunil)cr  who  held  stock  in  the  "under- 
ground railroad." 

KAISIXGS    AXD    WHISKY. 

About  the  only  thing  that  the  earlv  settlers  of  the 
Western  Reserve  regarded  as  impossible,  was  raising^ 
a  barn  or  building  of  any  kind  without  whisky  enough 
to  more  or  less  stimulate  the  muscles  that  managed  to 
do  all  other  kinds  of  work  without  its  aid.  So  general 
was  the  belief  that  a  man  must  drink  liquor  when 
engaged  in  a  "rasin'  bee,"  and  sonearly  universal  was 
the  custom  of  providing  it  on  such  occasions  that  it 
was  almost  a  literal  impossibility  to  get  a  building 
erected  without  conforming  to  the  popular  prejudice 
and  throwing  away  principle  for  policy's  sake.  There 
was  only  one  among  fifty  men,  perhaps,  upon  the 
average,  who  had  any  decided  aversion  to  whisky  thirty 
or  forty  years  ago,  but  when  the  majority  tried  te 
bend  down  that  man's  will,  they  generally  found  it  too 
stiff  to  yield  a  hair's  breadth,  though  the  refusal 
might  cause  him  a  large  inconvenience.  Edward 
Matcham  was,  and  is  a  strong  temperance  man,  and 
when  he  built  his  barn,  there  were  not  enough  tem- 
perance or  total  absistence  men  in  the  crowd  which 
assembled,  to  raise  the  frame.  He  refused  to  furnish 
the  necessary  spirits,  and  finding  him  resolute  in  his 
refusal,  the  men  dispersed,  after  partaking  of  other 
refreslunents.  Soon  after  a  neighbor — Ebenezer  Par- 
sons— had  a  raising,  the  liquor  being  duly  brought 
forth.  The  building  went  up  quickly,  and  then  the 
owner  standing  upon  a  beam,  made  a  brief  address  to 
his  assistants,  of  which  (as  the  newspapers  say)  the 
following  is  a  verbatim  report:  "Men,  I  tell  you  what 
it  is;  we  all  acted  like  a  lot  of  fools  over  at  Matcham's 
the  other  day,  and  now  I'm  going  over  there  for  one, 
and  I  want  all  of  you  that's  willing  to  raise  that  barn 
whisky  or  no  whisky  to  follow  me."  He  started,  and 
one  by  one  the  good-natuved  farmers  followed  after, 
strung  out  in  a  procession  ten  rods  long.  They 
started  slowly,  then  walked  faster  to  keep  up  witli 
their  leader,  and  arrived  at  Mr.  Matcham's  upon  a 
double-ijuick,  took  hold  of  the  work  with  a  will,  tug- 
ged and  i)ushed,  and  pulled  and  lifted  with  all  of  their 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


371 


strength;  and  the  building  went  up  as  i|uickly  as  barn 
was  ever  raised  in  Pittsliehl. 

Just  here  it  is  not  inaiiju-oiu-iate  to  say  that  I'itts- 
tiekl  is  to-day  the  equal  of  any  of  its  sister  to\vnshii)s 
in  point  of  tenii)erance  and  general  morality.  U'here 
is  not  at  present,  nor  has  there  been  for  the  past  thirty 
years  any  saloon  or  place  for  the  sale  of  lifjunrs.  ale 
or  beer  within  the  town  limits. 

ORGANIZATIOX. 

The  town  was  early  annexed  to  Wellington  for  town- 
siiip  purposes,  and  later  to  other  townships  for  mili- 
tary purposes.  In  1831  it  was  detached  upon  the 
petition  of  its  inhabitants,  and  incorporated  as  a  sep- 
arate and  independent  township,  the  name  of  Pitts- 
field  being  bestowed  by  Asa  Whitney,  who,  with 
many  other  settlers,  was  from  the  town  of  Pittstield, 
Massachusetts. 

Judges  and  clerks  were  appointed  or  chosen  m  De- 
cember, 1831 — so  the  record  states — and  in  April. 
1833,  the  organization  of  the  township  was  completed 
by  the  election  of  officers.  Thirteen  ballots  were  cast, 
and  ten  officers  elected.  Neither  of  the  clerks  was 
qualified  for  his  position.  One  was  a  legal  non- 
resident of  the  State  ;  the  other  not  arrived  at  his 
majority.  Their  names  were  Asa  W.  Whitney  and 
Edward  Matcham.  The  Judges  were  George  Rath- 
burn,  Lewis  Barnard  and  Charles  Smith.  Following 
are  the  officers  elected  :  clerk,  George  Rathburn  : 
trustees,  Joseph  Terry,  Samuel  Wightman,  John  Sib- 
ley; supervisors,  Charles  Smith,  Thomas  Waite:  over- 
seer of  the  poor,  Charles  Smith;  constable,  Isaac 
Butler;  fence  viewer,  George  Rathburn;  treasurer, 
Peter  Beam.  The  officers  elected  in  1878  are  the 
following:  clerk,  C.  A.  West;  treasurer,  Lewis  Shaw; 
trustees,  Mark  Whitney,  E.  Campbell,  Delos  Sanders; 
assessor,  James  C.  Clarke;  justices  of  the  peace,  Rich- 
ard Mills,  Henry  McRoberts  ;  constables,  Adam  Han- 
mer,  William  J.  Rogers. 

A  very  neat  little  town  hall  was  built  in  1877.  It 
is  of  brick,  and  cost  between  fifteen  and  sixteen  hun- 
dred dollars. 

RELIGIOUS    DEVELOPMENT. 

A  Methodist  class  was  formed  in  Pittsfield  as  early 
as  182-1  or  the  succeeding  year,  through  the  efforts  of 
the  Rev.  Nathan  Smith.  Meetings  were  held  regu- 
larly and  irregularly,  and  the  interest  so  increased 
that  in  the  winter  of  1831  two  services  were  held 
once  a  month  by  a  circuit  preacher — the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Runnels.  Rev.  Mr.  Smith  left  property,  which, 
upon  certain  prescribed  conditions,  was  to  aid  in  the 
erection  of  a  church  edifice,  but  the  society  did  not 
comply  with  the  conditions,  and  so  lost  the  benefit 
of  the  funds.  It  was  not  until  many  years  afterward 
that  this  denomination  had  a  house  of  worship  in 
the  town  of  Pittsfield,  and  in  fact  it  was  not  until 
184.5  that  the  present  Methodist  church  was  ushered 
into  organic  being  and  entered  the  arena  as  a  part  of 
the  sacramental  host  of  God.     To  the  Congregation- 


alists  belongs  the  credit  of  founding  the  first  of  the 
two  churches  at  present  existing. 

THE    i'OS(;i,-EG.\TIOXAL   CHUIiCH 

was  organized  April  25,  1830,  under  the  name  of  the 
Evangelical  Union  Church  of  Christ.  This  church 
owes  its  being  to  Deacon  William  Lucas,  a  goodly  and 
godly  man,  who,  from  the  first,  was  unsparing  in  his 
efforts  to  promote  the  interests  of  morality  and  relig- 
ion, lie  rode  tljrough  the  then  sparsely  settled  town- 
ship and  personally  interviewed  the  j)eople,  to  dis- 
cover how  many  were  favorable  to  the  establishment 
of  the  church,  and  influenced,  at  one  time  and 
another,  many  men  and  women  to  identify  them- 
selves with  the  organization  after  it  had  been  com- 
pleted. The  Rev.  John  J.  Shi])herd,  the  founder  of 
Oberlin,  officiated  at  the  organization  of  this  church, 
assisted  by  the  Rev.  John  Ingersoll.  There  were  only 
nine  constituent  members,  as  follows:  William  Lucas, 
William  W.  Lucas,  Sarah  Lucas,  Ann  Lucas,  Daniel 
Wilder,  Sally  Wilder,  Joel  Wilder,  Mary  Matcham 
and  Mary  Welch.  William  Lucas  was  the  first  dea- 
con of  the  church,  and  Joel  Wilder  was  clerk.  The 
Eev.  Ira  Smith  became  pastor  in  1842  or  1843,  and 
three  or  four  years  after  the  present  church  building 
was  erected.  Previous  to  that  time  the  society  wor- 
shipped in  various  private  houses,  in  school  houses 
and  in  new  barns.  Barns  were  preferred  to  dwell- 
ings or  school  houses,  because  larger,  and  nearly 
every  barn  built  in  the  township,  prior  to  cne  con- 
struction of  the  first  church,  has,  at  some  time,  shel- 
tered a  devout  but  small  congregation,  and  echoed 
the  earnest  voice  of  the  itinerant  preacher  as  it  rose 
in  praise  or  was  lowered  in  supplication.  During 
most  of  the  years  intervening  between  the  organiza- 
tion and  the  time  when  the  first  pastor  was  settled, 
there  was  stated  preaching,  and  though  the  roads 
were  often  in  an  almost  impassable  condition,  and 
the  farmers  had  a  long  distance  to  come,  the  congre- 
gations were  almost  alw'ays  larger  in  proportion  to 
the  population  than  those  that  now-a-days  assemble 
to  hear  popular  preaching.  The  Congregational 
church  has,  at  this  writing,  a  membership  of  sixty- 
eight  persons.  The  pastor  is  Rev.  C.  C.  Baldwin; 
the  deacons,  Oliver  West  and  R.  T.  Werden;  Miss 
Franc  E.  Y'oung  is  the  clerk  and  treasurer.  Of  the 
nine  original  members  of  this  church,  only  three  or 
four  are  now  living,  and  only  one  resides  in  the  town- 
ship— Miss  Sally  Wilder,  nearly  ninety-nine  years  old, 
but  still  retaining  her  faculties  to  a  remarkable  de- 
gree— as  bright  and  cheerful  an  old  lady  as  can  be 
found  in  the  county,  or,  for  that  matter,  in  the 
State. 

About  the  same  time  that  the  Congregational 
chm'ch  was  organized,  the  close-communion  Baptist 
and  the  free-will  Baptist  churches  came  into  being. 
The  former  had  a  very  small  membership,  and  the 
latter  numbered  nearly  as  many  members  as  the  Con- 
gregational church.  Both  are  now  e.xtinct.  The 
U^niversalists  also  had,  for  some  time,  a  considerable 


372 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIN  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


streugth,  tliough  not  sufficient  at  any  time  to  support 
regular  preaching. 

THE    METHODIST    EPISCOl'AL    CHrRCH. 

The  present  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1845,  Rev.  Hugh  L.  Parrish  officiating.  The 
original  members  were  R.  Mills.  Edward  Rogers,  Ann 
Rogers,  John  Wilton,  Eunice  Staples,  Cynthia  Shel- 
don, Susanna  Stone,  Abigail  Avery,  Eliza  McRoberts, 
Mary  Brandyburg,  J.  Whetan,  Jo]in  Wright.  Ann 
Wilton  and  Mary  A.  McClelland.  R.  ilills  was  class 
leader.  The  first  four  mentioned  in  the  foregoing 
list,  and  also  Cynthia  Sheldon,  are  still  living  and 
members  of  the  church.  The  church  received  several 
accessions  in  1820,  and  there  was  a  general  revival  in 
the  winter  of  1859,  under  the  preaching  of  Rev.  G.  A. 
Reeder,  the  then  pastor.  Many  young  people,  together 
with  the  heads  of  families,  were  converted.  Over 
sixty  persons  united  with  the  churcli  at  one  time, 
upon  a  beautiful  Sunday  morning,  the  service  being 
held  in  the  maple  grove  upon  the  farm  of  R.  T. 
Werden.  Of  the  old  members,  some  ha\'e  removed 
to  distant  states,  some  lost  their  lives  in  the  service 
of  their  country,  and  some — man}' — have  died  in  the 
service  of  their  chosen  Master,  and  gone  to  receive 
the  promised  welcome,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faith- 
ful servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.'"  At 
present  the  church  has  fifty-four  members.  Follow- 
ing is  a  list  of  the  officers  of  18T8:  trustees  of  the 
church,  R.  Mills,  E.  Rogers,  H.  A.  Cole.  G.  D. 
Matcham,  Wm.  Daniels,  J.  Newcomb,  S.  Jordan; 
class  leaders,  R.  Mills,  H.  A.  Cole;  stewards,  D.  G. 
Matcham  (recording  steward).  J.  Jordan,  E.  Rogers. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  in  Pittsfield  was  located  ou  lot  one 
hundred  and  thirteen,  and  was  held  in  a  small  log 
cabin  built  for  tke  purpose.  Miss  Minerva  Lovelaud 
was  the  first  teacher.  Edward  Matcham  began  teach- 
ing in  1831  or  1832  and  continued  ten  seasons,  passing 
at  thi.<!  vocation,  as  he  says,  some  of  the  most  pleasant 
and  profitable  years  of  his  life.  His  wife,  Abigail 
Tinker,  taught  in  1833,  receiving  for  her  services,  the 
then  very  fair  sum  of  one  dollar  per  week.  Mr. 
Matcham  had  ten  dollars  per  month. 

There  are  at  present  eighi  regular  school  districts, 
and  a  special  district  at  the  center.  A  handsome 
brick  house  was  built  here  in  the  fall  of  1878,  and 
furnished  with  the  latest  and  most  approved  styles  of 
desks  and  seats.  The  directors  who  constitute  the 
board  in  this  special  district,  are  David  W.  Davis. 
]\Iark  Whitney,  and  Bradford  Blackmer.  Mark 
Whitney  is  president:  David  W.  Davis,  clerk:  and 
Richard  ^lills,  treasurer.  The  teacher  emjiloyed  in 
1878  was  Miss  Mary  Whitney. 

PHYSICI.VXS. 

Dr.  Daniel  Howard  was  the  pioneer  physician  of 
Pittsfield.  He  came  into  the  township  in  the  year 
1835,  and  remained  for  a  number  of  years,  having 


quite  a  large  practice.  Previous  to  his  taking  up  his 
residence  here,  the  people  made  Dr.  Eber  W.  Hub- 
bard, of  La  Grange,  their  main  reliance,  in  case  the 
services  of  a  physician  were  needed.  Dr.  Evans  had 
a  short  experience  of  practice  in  the  township,  and 
was  followed  by  Dr.  D.  M.  Young,  wlio  commenced 
practice  in  1845,  and  continued  until  his  death,  in 
1870,  winning  the  very  general  esteem  of  the  peoi)le, 
alike  by  professional  good  qualities  and  his  fine  traits 
as  a  man  and  citizen. 

Dr.  C.  H.  Beech,  the  resident  physician  in  1878, 
was  born  in  New  Jersey,  in  1812,  and  came  to  Ohio 
in  183(5,  having  graduated  at  the  Jefferson  medical 
college  of  Philadelphia.  He  first  located  in  Welling- 
ton, where  he  remained  until  1860,  when  he  left,  and 
spent  ten  years  in  various  parts  of  the  L^nited  States, 
as  widely  removed  as  New  Orleans  and  Long  Island. 
In  1870  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  began  to  practice  in 
Pittsfield,  which  has  been  very  satisfactory  both  to 
people  and  physician.    Nothing  further  need  he  said. 

INDUSTRIAL    PURSUITS. 
CHEESE  FArxORY. 

The  cheese  factory  and  creamery  now  owned  by  Wil- 
liam Crozier,  was  built  in  18fi9.  by  J.  W.  Worcester. 
It  is  located  upon  lot  number  eighty-three,  about  one 
and  one-third  miles  east  of  the  center.  It  was  first 
operated  by  E.  L.  Tucker,  and  afterward  by  W.  D. 
Fuller,  of  whom  Mr.  Crosier  purchased  in  the  latter 
part  of  July  1877.  The  factory  has  taken,  most  of 
the  time,  the  milk  of  about  four  hundred  cows,  and 
has  turned  out  from  five  to  thirty  cheeses  per  diem, 
beside  a  large  quantity  of  butter.  The  amount  of 
milk  received  per  day  has  varied  from  fifteen  hundred 
to  ten  thousand  pounds.  The  cheese  is  manufactured 
for  the  farmers  who  furnish  the  milk,  and  is  sold  for 
them  by  Crosier  &  Sheldon,  of  Wellington. 

SAW  MILLS. 

The  first  saw  mill  was  built  by  Parsons  &  Whitney, 
on  lot  number  one  hnndred  and  thirty-five,  as  early 
as  1835  or  183C,  and  continued  in  operation  for  some 
time.  su]iplying  the  neighborhood  with  lumber. 
There  are  at  present  two  mills:  one,  the  property  of 
Ira  Whitney,  on  the  center  road,  two  miles  west,  and 
the  other,  owned  by  Ebenezer  Parsons,  on  lot  one 
hundred  and  twenty-four.  Whitney's  mill  has  been 
running  for  about  twenty-five  years. 

ROADS. 

According  to  the  statement  of  an  old  resident,  the 
earliest  roads  in  the  township  were  railroads.  It 
should  be  explained  that  by  railroad  is  here  meant 
the  old  fashioned  necessary  evil  of  corduroy  road, 
made  of  split  rails  and  small  logs  laid  side  by  side, 
like  the  ties  of  a  railway,  but  close  together.  These 
roadways  were  anything  but  pleasant  to  travel  over, 
but  were  made  because  travel  in  any  kind  of  vehicle 
would  have  been  almost,  if  not  cjuite,  an  absolute 
impossil)ility  without  them.     In  1832,  there  were  but 


HISTORY  OF  LORAIK  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


373 


three  roads  in  the  township.  The  State  road,  from 
Elyria  to  Wellington,  crossed  the  township  almost 
directly  from  north  to  south,  and  was  the  road  most 
iu  use.  There  was  a  rude,  rough  road  from  Russia 
township,  down  through  Pittsfield,  al)out  jialf  a  mile 
from  the  western  boundary:  and  a  roadway  was  eho]iped 
out,  but  unfinished,  from  this  to  the  State  road,  about 
a  mile  south  of  the  center.  It  was  upon  this  road  that 
most  of  the  early  comers  to  the  township  toiled,  to 
j)ay  their  property  and  poll  taxes. 


AORICDLTPHAL  STATISTICS. 

Wheat,       fiacres 

Potatoes,      74     *' 

Oats,  626     "     [[ 

Orchards,  321     "      

Corn,  902     "      

Meadow,  2,402     "      

Butter 

Cheese 

Maple  Sugar ['"     I'^m 

Population  in  1870 ,jj^ 

Vote  for  President  in  :876. 
Hayes  165|Tilden 72 


7,718  bushels. 

.'■-,«.58 
27,488 

4,i>ll 
32,69.'; 

3,2,55  tons. 
28,860  pounds. 
10,81)0 


ERRATA. 

On  page  103.  second  column,  thirtieth  line  from  the  bottom,  read  Fort  London  for  -  Fort  Loudon  " 

On  page  103,  in  the  second  column,  twenty-eighth  line,  read  Yolwyhania  tor  "  Yohoguiua  " 

On  page  103,  in  the  second  column,  fourteenth  line  from  the  bottom,  read  Canasauga  for  '•  Cunasataugee  " 

On  page  10.5,  where  the  name  "  Brace  "  occurs,  read  Brute. 

In  the  second  line  from  the  bottom  of  the  second  column,  page  106,  for  "  Gulpin  "  read  Galpi7i 

In  the  twentieth  hne  from  the  bottom  of  the  first  column,  page  110,  read  Parviely  for  "  Purnley  " 

In  the  second  hue  from  the  bottom  of  the  first  column,  page  111,  read  John  F.  Butler  for  "  John  M  Butler 

On  page  131,  first  colunui,  twenty-second  line  from  the  top,  read  Natural  for  "  national  " 

On  page  246.  first  column,  twelfth  line  from  the  bottom,  read  Congregational  for  '•  congressional  " 


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