USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Annals of the Early Settlers Association of Cuyahoga County, number I > Part 1
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1
OF THE
ARLY
& OF
CUYAHOGA COUNTY
NUMBER I.
Published by order of the Executive Committee.
ANNALS
OF
THE EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION
OF
Cuyahoga County.
NUMBER I.
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE EXECUTIVE COM.
CLEVELAND : MOUNT & CARROLL, PRINTERS AND STATIONERS. 1880.
S. S.
THENEWY
.- -
-
OR, LENOX AND FOUNDAT C
OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION, 1880.
HON. HARVEY RICE, PRESIDENT.
HON. JOHN W. ALLEN,) VICE PRESIDENTS. HON. JESSE P. BISHOP, )
THOMAS JONES, JR., SECRETARY. GEO. C. DODGE, EsQ., TREASURER.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
GEO. F. MARSHALL,
R. T. LYON, DARIUS ADAMS, M. M. SPANGLER, JOHN H. SARGENT.
1
THE EARLY SETTLERS IN CONVENTION.
The convention met on the day appointed, May 20th, 1880 in the afternoon, at 1:30, at the Presbyterian Church, Euclid Avenue, and corner of Brownell street. The public were in- vited. The assemblage was large, and was mostly composed of persons not only venerable for age, but noteworthy for in- telligence. The platform was occupied by President Rice, Vice President Allen, Rev. Thomas Corlett, and orators S. E. Adams and F. J. Dickman. The exercises took place in their order, as follows:
ORDER OF EXERCISES.
1 .- Voluntary on the Organ.
2 .- Prayer by Rev. Thomas Corlett.
O Lord, the giver of all good things, we render thee our unfailing thanks and praise for all thy mercies, and especially for thy good providence in conducting us thus far through the perils and dangers of the present life, and for raising our thoughts and hopes to a holier and happier life above. We desire this day to praise thy holy name for all the great things which thou hast done for us as a people and as a nation, for the
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goodly heritage which thon hast given us, for the civil and religious privileges which we enjoy, and for the multiplied manifestations of thy favor and goodness towards us. Grant us grace to show forth our thankfulness to thee for these thy mercies, and to live in holy obedience to thy righteous laws. We implore thy blessing on our Chief Magistrate and all others in authority, that they may so discharge their several duties as most effectually to promote thy glory, the interests of true religion and virtue, and the peace and honor and welfare of the State and Nation; and to us who are assembled to revive the memories of the past, and to renew old acquaint- ance, grant thy special blessing and grace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
3 .- Song -- "Auld Lang Syne." Arion Quartette.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to min'? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days of o' lang syne?
CHORUS-For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne. We'll tak a cup o' kindness vet. For auld lang syne.
.
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EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATON.
We twa hae ran about the braes, And pu't the gowans fine: But we've wandered mony a weary foot, Sin auld lang syne. ('HO .- For auld, &c.
We twa hae paidl't i' the burn, Frae mornin sun till dine; But seas between us braid hae roared, Sin auld lang syne. CHO .- For auld, &c.
And here's a hand, my trusty fier. And gie's a hand o' thine; And we'll tak a right guid-willie wanght, For auld lang syne. CHO .- For anld, &c.
And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp. And surely I'll be mine; And we'll tak a cup o' kindness vet, For auld lang syne. CHO .- For auld, &c.
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4 .- Inaugural Address, by Harvey Rice, President of the Association.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE ASSOCIATION : The occasion which convenes us is one of unusual interest, especially as it is the first annual convention devoted to public exercises, which we, as an organized fraternity, have attempted to hold.
While we who are early settlers have been busy in our time, time has been busy with us, and has crowned the heads of most of us with the silvery frostwork of age. The crown is one of honor, which honorably connects us with that heroic phalanx of early pioneers who were active in subduing a wil- derness and in transforming it into a civilized land of happy homes-the rich inheritance of the living present and the destined patrimony of the unborn future.
It is the leading object of this association, as expressed in its constitution, "to meet in convention annually, with a view of bringing its members into more intimate social relations, and collecting all such interesting facts, incidents, relics and personal reminiscences relative to the early history and settlement of Cuyahoga county as may be regarded of per- manent value, and transferring the same to the Western Reserve Historical Society' for preservation."
It is in this way, and only in this way, as it seems to ns, that the lessons of pioneer life, with its joys and its sorrows,
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EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION.
its trials and its hardships, can be rescued from oblivion and inscribed, as they should be, on the heart tablet of every child in the land. These are the grand aims of the association. It will be readily inferred, therefore, that the association does not convene for the purpose of celebrating an annual "festival" in the ordinary sense of that word, but rather for the purpose of enjoing "a feast of reason and a flow of soul," with simpli- city of preparation and with a desire to create and leave a record of its work as a bequest to posterity. This it proposes to do by appropriating its funds arising from membership fees to the publication of an annual pamphlet containing its proceedings, with notices of its deceased members, and dis- tributing the pamphlet gratuitously to the members of the association, so that we shall have, in time, a valuable history of the original pioneers and early settlers of our city and county, to which we, and they who follow in our footsteps, can refer, and derive both profit and pleasure. In fact, every generation has its early settlers, in whose life experiences all succeeding generations become interested. Thus time con- secrates character, and embalms it. Hence our Association has the elements of perpetuity, and will, we trust, perpetuate itself.
If we look back into the records of early times, we shall encounter the surprising fact that a little less than a century ago this beautiful region which we now occupy was a part of
.
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ANNALS OF THE
that vast unexplored territory whose western boundary was supposed to be lost in the golden twilight of the setting sun, and whose wild domain seemed destined to remain forever hushed in the silence of its own solitude, save when awakened here and there by the dismal howl of the wolf, and still more dismal warwhoop of the savage.
From time immemorial, a powerful Indian tribe, known as the Eries, occupied the south-eastern shore of Lake Erie, from whom the lake derives its name. They were a warlike race, and as evidence of this, have bequeathed to our times a series of earth mounds, some of which are still visible at different points along the lake coast. The origin and object of these mounds furnish a mystic problem, which our modern anti- quarians have not, as yet, satisfactorily solved. It is quite probable, however, that these mounds were designed to mark not only the battle fields, but the sepulchres of the brave Eries, who lived, flourished, and became extinct at a date which belongs to the pre-historic ages. After their extinction they were succeeded by fragments of various migrating tribes, who continued to occupy the ancient domain of the Eries, especially the Valley of the Cuyahoga, for a long period of years, and in fact became "monarchs of all they surveyed."
Yet this wild region had a much higher destiny-a destiny which its dusky occupants did not comprehend. Their prophets, however, frequently predicted that a superior race
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EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION.
would at no remote period invade their wild domains and appropriate them. In fact there were at that time, though unbeknown to the Indian prophets, great moral forces at work in the civilized world, which ultimately verified their prophetic utterances. Adventurers from the Old World soon began to colonize, at various points, the wilds of the New World. Our Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock. A series of small colonies soon dotted the New England coast. Among these was the colony of New Haven, a colony that grew in strength and in greed, loved land and liberty, and resolved to have more of both. In order to effect this, she sent her favorite Governor, Winthrop, in 1662, to England, with a prepared charter such as she desired, to solicit from Charles II. a grant of additional land and liberty. Though Winthrop accepted the mission he felt doubtful of its success, for the reason that his constituents had sympathized with Cromwell, who had beheaded Charles I., the royal father of the reigning King, and especially as the latter had recently expressed his indignation by ordering the dead body of Cromwell to be disinterred, publicly hanged and buried at the foot of the gallows.
In view of this expression of contempt on the part of the King for the memory of Cromwell and his adherents, Win- throp, when admitted to an audience, became sadly embar- rassed in hitting upon a favorable method of introducing the subject of his mission, but, as luck would have it, he be-
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ANNALS OF THE
thought himself of the sparkling, massive finger-ring which he wore, and which had been bestowed by Charles I. on his father in recognition of valuable public services, and, disen- gaging the ring, related its history, and placed it in the hand of His Majesty, who, at sight of it, was moved even to tears, since it instantly recalled from the past many endeared memories of his royal sire. Availing himself of this golden opportunity, Winthrop delicately alluded to the subject of his mission, and in a reverential manner presented the prepared draft of a charter which he had brought with him, and re- quested His Majesty's seal and signature, which were readily accorded. The Colonial Governor then returned to New Haven, bearing the "glad tidings" of his success, and was re- ceived by his expectant constituents with wild enthusiasm.
The charter thus obtained granted to the New Haven Colony all the territory lying west of her limits and between the same parallels, from "sea to sea." Neither the King nor the colonists at that time had any definite knowledge of the extent of the grant. Soon after this Charles II. died and was succeeded by James II., who did not sympathize with the New Haven colonists or approve the extravagant grant which they had received from his royal predecessor. He therefore demanded a surrender of the charter and directed a military force to march on Hartford, where the Colonial Assembly were in session, to enforce the demand. The Assembly,
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EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION.
though surrounded by royal troops, instead of being intimi- dated, proceeded coolly to discuss the question of surrender, until nightfall overtook them, when candles were sent for; but before lights could be brought some sly colonial patriot seized the charter, which lay on the table, escaped with it through an open window, and hid the prize in the heart of a neighbor- ing oak. When the lights appeared, the charter was nowhere to be found. The commander of the besieging troops appre- ciated the "logie of events" and retired with his troops in disgust, frankly acknowledging that he had been completely outgeneraled. In due time, however, the charter was repro- duced. The old charter oak, while it stood, was revered as the "tree of liberty." The great and glorious principles of that charter still remain embodied in the Constitution of the plucky little State of Connecticut-a State that has produced more eminent men, in proportion to her population, perhaps, than any other State in the Union.
It was in the month of August, 1679, that the first ship that ever sailed on the waters of Lake Erie was seen in the distance approaching the coast of the Western Reserve. This ship was the "Griffin," commanded by La Salle, built by Frenchmen near Buffalo, and sent out to explore the lake regions and secure trade with the aborigines. The Indians of the Reserve beheld the vision with alarm, and believed it to be a white-winged messenger, half walking and half flying
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ANNALS OF THE
on the water, sent by the Great Spirit to chastise them for their neglect of divine observances, and hence they fled, panic- stricken, into the forest and hid themselves in its dark reces- ses until the vision had passed out of sight. This effort to secure the native trade was soon followed by the establish- ment of French and English trading posts and military forts at different points along the great chain of our northwestern lakes. Then came missionary efforts to christianize the natives, followed by the introduction of a more refined race, whose object was to secure wealth and western homes.
Soon after the American Revolution the vast western territory granted by Charles II. to the colony of New Haven became the subject of contention between sundry claimants, which Congress adjusted by awarding to the State of Connec- ticut what is now known as the Western Reserve, because the tract was "reserved " in the adjustment as her share; but, as compared with her original claim, Connecticut thought it an insignificant patch of woodland, though it contained three and a half million of acres. She accepted it, however, as a choice between evils, and soon afterwards sold the entire tract to a land company composed of her own citizens.
This company in 1796 sent out, in charge of General Moses Cleaveland, a party of surveyors to survey this tract into townships and hundred-acre lots, preparatory to placing the land in market. The General with his survey party, accom-
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EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION
panied with a few emigrants, some fifty souls in all, after reaching Buffalo, proceeded by way of the lake in open boats, and landed at Conneaut, on the Fourth of July, and at once resolved to celebrate the day. The party made hasty prepar- ations, flung the "banner of freedom" to the breeze, and pro- vided a sumptuous dinner, consisting of baked pork and beans, rye and corn bread, and other similar luxuries. The General extemporized an oration, and when the party had concluded the dinner, patriotic sentiments were offered, and responses given, crowned with the firing of guns and oft repeated drinks from cups brimming with a beverage dipped from the crystal bowl of Lake Erie, and infused, doubtless, with a liberal share of the "ardent" for the "stomach's sake." This was the first celebration of the Fourth of July that occurred in the Western Reserve.
The next day after the celebration the party proceeded to fell timber and erect a log store house, which they called "Stowe's Castle," in honor of Joshua Stowe, who was their commissary. This strange and uncouth structure attracted the attention of the Indians, who gazed at it with wonder and retired in silence. In a few days the chiefs sent a messenger, demanding to know what were the intentions of the white intruders. This demand resulted in an agreement for holding a council. On the oppointed day the principal chief, Piqua, and his son, Cato, appeared with their attendant warriors,
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ANNALS OF THIE
painted and phimed, and seated themselves in a circle upon the ground in the shadow of "Stowe's Castle," and invited General Cleaveland to a seat in the center of the group. Cato made the opening speech, to which General Cleaveland replied in a manner so conciliatory and pleasing to the Indians that the chief's presented him at once the "pipe of peace" with some silver trinkets of value. He accepted the gifts, and after smoking the "pipe of peace" with the Indian counselors, he returned the compliment by presenting the chiefs with a keg of whisky and a liberal quantity of glass beads for their squaws. This settled at once all objections on the part of the Indians to the further progress of the survey.
General Cleaveland was familiarly called "Moses" by the surveyors, because he led them into the wilderness, and was expected to lead them through it. He remained about two weeks at Conneaut, and then proceeded with a small detach- ment of surveyors on his way up the lake in an open boat, with a view to commence surveys at the confluence of the Cuyahoga river. On the voyage he discovered a river, not traced on his map, which he supposed to be the Cuyahoga. He entered its channel, and after much toil and delay discov- pred that it was a "Mistake of Moses," and retraced his steps so chagrined that he instantly named this unknown river the "('hagrin," a significant designation by which it has ever since been known.
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EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION.
After correcting this Mosaic mistake, he reached the verit- able Cuyahoga river on the 22nd of July, and in attempting to land on its eastern bank near the foot of Union Lane, ran his boat aground. Here "Moses" found himself cradled, like his ancient namesake, among the bulrushes. He and his party, however, succeeded in extricating themselves without serious difficulty, ascended the steep bluff, and were greatly delighted in beholding a beautiful plain of woodland, stretch- ing away to the south, east, and west of them as far as the eye could reach, and seeming like a shoreless sea of waving foliage. While standing on this angular nook of land, formed by the junction of the river with the lake, General Cleaveland pre- dicted that here was the spot where a great commercial city would arise at no distant day, and give tone and character not only to western commerce, but to Western civilization. So impressed was he with this belief that he directed a survey of this angular nook of land into city lots, and while hesitat- ing in the selection of an appropriate name for his predicted city, his associates in the survey came to his relief and named it "Cleaveland," in honor of their respected chief of staff. The General blushed, bowed, and accepted the compliment.
From her baptismal day the infant city of Cleveland grew in strength and in beauty, and with her growth grew the "region round about;" and yet the city, though now possess- ing a population of 170,000, is still in her infancy, or rather
.
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ANNALS OF THE
girlhood, sitting enthroned like a queen on the emerald bank of Lake Erie, looking into the crystal wave, as into a mirror, and admiring her own charms, while she is still more admired by the dazzled eye of every stranger who comes within the charmed circle of her acquaintance.
5 .- Song -- "Hail Columbia." Arion Quartette.
Hail, Columbia, happy land !
Hail, ye heroes, heaven born band! Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause, Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause; And when the storm of war was gone, Enjoy'd the peace your valor won. . Let independence be our boast,
Ever mindful what it cost;
Ever grateful for the prize, Let its altar reach the skies.
CHORUS-Firm-united let us be,
Rallying 'round our Liberty, As a band of brothers joined, Peace and safety we shall find.
Immortal patriots! rise once more; Defend your rights, defend your shore; Let no rude foe with impious hand, Let no rude foe with impions hand,
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EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION.
Invade the shrine where sacred lies Of toil and blood the well-earned prize. While offering peace sincere and just, In Heaven we place a manly trust, That truth and justice will prevail ; And every scheme of bondage fail. CHO .- Firm-united, &c.
6 .--- Historical Address, By S. E. Adams, Esq.
An historical address can be little more than a brief recapit- ulation of human transactions and social events gleaned from historical records and unwritten tradition. Originality in such an address is hardly possible. For my present purpose I have therefore gathered a posy of other men's flowers, and little else than the thread that binds them is mine. An irresistible fascination attaches to the early history of every people. We long to penetrate that mysterious veil which the flight of ages has flung around the cradle of our race. How earnestly we scrutinize the oldest records which may possibly shed a ray of light upon the long-forgotten past. History furnishes but little aid or encouragement to the archæologist in the study of anthropology, and not until recent years could the archeologist trace the memorials of man further back than about the be- ginning of written history. But now he can confidently point us to mementoes of man in this and other lands which date so 2
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far back in the long series of eventful years, and so infinitely beyond the first dim glimmerings of history and tradition, that they know nothing about them, nor do they even mention them-of a time far anterior to the formation and gradual ap- proach of that vast body of ice which scooped and hollowed out the rocky basin in which rests our beautiful Lake Erie; of a time long before the wonderful grottoes and caves of Ken- tucky were formed by the slow percolation of acidulated water through the solid rock. To the archaeologist the massive structures of the Mound Builders, and the races who immedi- ately preceded them, however venerable their antiquity, are but the work of yesterday. He has arranged the memorials of pre-historie man under three groups, and adopted a classifica- tion predicated upon differential features presented by pre- historic weapons, implements and personal ornaments, of stone bronze and iron. But a detailed statement of the evidence which geology and archeology furnish of the great antiquity of man would take me beyond the limits I have prescribed for this address.
Assuming that what has transpired within the last quarter of the century just closed, to enhance the growth and commer- cial prosperity of our city, is familiar to all members of this association, I shall attempt nothing more than a partial and imperfect digest of earlier events in the history of Cleveland.
As far back as 1749, the mouth of the Cuyahoga was
EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION. 19
favorably regarded by explorers and geographers as a point which would ultimately become vastly important in its rela- tions to the commerce of the great West.
As early as 1765, Benjamin Franklin, with his usual sagacity, foresaw, its availability and recommended its occu- pancy as a military post. Washington, while various projects for water communication between the great northern lakes and Chesapeake Bay were being considered, suggested the practic- ability of a route from Lake Erie by way of the Cuyahoga, Tuscarawas and Muskingum into the Ohio, as an outlet to the future inland commerce of the lakes. This route necessitated a portage near Akron of less than seven miles, whereby ship- ments were to be transferred from the lakes to the River Ohio; thence to ascend its upper tributaries into the mountains, from whence by another portage, would be reached the navigable rivers falling into the Atlantic. The commercial importance, of the mouth of the Cuyahoga was thus early perceived by distinguished men; nevertheless history gives no reliable in- formation of its permanent occupancy for trade or commerce anterior to the year 1786; nor is there any evidence that any active measures were taken to carry forward this scheme for opening communication between the lakes and the Atlantic, and nothing more is heard of it until 1793-4, when the State of New York proposed to provide an outlet for lake com- merce, by clearing out and improving the Oswego and
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Mohawk Rivers, when the discussion of the route by the Cuyahoga, and Tuscarawas into the Ohio was revived. We are destitute of further historical facts concerning either of these projects, from the year 1794 until 1807-five years after Ohio was admitted into the Union as a State. In that year the Legislature passed an aet authorizing a lottery for the purpose of raising $12,000 for improving navigation between Lake Erie and the river Ohio. The Commissioners appointed by the act met and organized, published the scheme and sold a few tickets for five dollars each; but no drawing ever occurred, and finally, in after years, the money but without interest was graciously refunded to such of the ticket holders as had retained their tickets; and that was all. May it not be that the failure of this brilliant scheme culminated in the enactment by the Legislature of our earliest statutes against all lotteries and schemes of chance? These several plans of improvements having failed, the great Northern Lakes, whose shores now teem with millions of industrious and intelligent people. remained without water communication with the Atlantic Ocean and the outside world until the final comple- tion of the Erie Canal in the year 1825. Within the memory of many present, how vast the change; how wonderful and almost magical the transition ! Some of you doubtless remem- ber the boding yell of the Indian, and the hoarse growl of wild animals as they reverberated along the lonely shore, or
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