USA > Ohio > Trumbull County > Warren > Early settlement of Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio > Part 1
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Gc 977.1 W52p v. la no. 30 1876 1839454
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
EN
7 ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02405 5979
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/earlysettlemento130case
WESTERN RESERVE- ( AND
NORTHERN OHIO
Historical Society
.No. 30.
March, 1876. 0
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF
WARREN, TRUMBULL CO., OHIO.
BY THE LATE
LEONARD CASE.
CLEVELAND : FAIRBANKS, BENEDICT & CO., PRINTERS, HERALD OFFICE. 1876.
1839454
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF TRUMBULL COUNTY, OHIO.
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BY THE LATE LEON ARD CASE, OF CLEVELAND.
The writer of the following notes on the history of Trumbull county, was, on the 10th of April, 1800, a lad thirteen years and nine months old. On that day, he left Fallowfield town- ship, Washington county, Pennsylvania, for the Western Reserve. Passed by land to Beavertown, detained there three days ; passed on crossed the territorial line south-east of Poland, 17th ; and arrived at Mahoning, near the afterward village of Warren, 19th, 4 P. M. He believes on that day there were not more than 20,000 inhabitants (exclusive of French settlements on the Mississippi, Detroit and Mackinaw,) on the old North-west Territory, notwithstanding the census of 1800 gives 45,065.
The usual incidents attended the journey until crossing the south line, on 41° N. L. From there to Yellow Creek, in Poland, was a very muddy road called "The Swamp." In Poland, a settlement was begun, Judge Turhand Kirtland and family living on the east side, and Jonathan Fowler and wife, a sister of the Judge, keeping a tavern on the west side. From thence our way was through woods to where was a family by the name of Stevens, who had been there three years or more. The wife's name was Hannah. With her, our family had been acquainted. She said she had been there three years, without seeing the face of a white woman. There our party and cattle stayed over night. Next morning, we passed up the west side of the river, (for want of means to cross it,) to James Hillman's, and then through woods, on the old road made by the Connecticut
2
EARLY SETTLERS.
Land Company, to the Salt Spring. There were some settlers, Jos. McMahon among the rest, engaged in making salt. From there we passed (through woods,) to the cabin and clearing of Benjamin Davison, on the north half of Lot No. 42, in Warren, town 4, range 4; then on one-quarter of a mile to a path that turned east to the Fusselman place, on the south half of Lot No. 35, and then to the residence of Richard Storer, arriving there about 4 o'clock, P. M., on the 18th day of April, 1800.
After our passage through woods and mud, the leeks on the Indian Field on Mahoning Bottom made a most beautiful appearance.
SETTLERS.
As near as the writer can recollect, the settlers then were, in and about Warren,
EPHRAIM QUINBY, WILLIAM CROOKS,
RICHARD STORER, JONATHAN CHURCH, .
FRANCES CARLTON, JOSHUA CHURCH,
WILLIAM FENTON, EDWARD JONES. In Howland,
JOHN H. ADGATE.
They camethere in 1799 and in the following winter. Their families were,
MRS. QUINBY, Nancy, Samuel and Abrilla.
MRS. STORER, two sons and a daughter.
JOHN CARLTON, William, Margaret and Peter.
MRS. FENTON and two children.
MRS. JONES and one child.
MRS. ADGATE, Sally, Belinda, Caroline, John H., Nancy, Charles, Ulysses, James and one or two more.
CALEB JONES, wife and child.
In May, 1801, GEORGE LOVELACE settled on the north half of Lot No. 27.
On and soon after the 18th of April, 1800, there arrived from Pennsylvania,
3
EARLY SETTLERS-CONTINUED.
MESHACH CASE and MAGDALEN his wife, Elizabeth, Leon- ard, (the writer of this,) Catharine, Mary Reuben and Sarah.
HENRY LANE, SEN. and wife, John, Asa, Benjamin, Catherine and Ann.
HENRY LANE, JR., and his wife ELSIE.
CHARLES DAILEY and wife, JENNY and several children.
ISAAC DAILEY & wife EFFIE, and several children.
JOHN DAILEY, wife and child.
Soon after these, came,
BENJAMIN DAVISON and wife, George, Liberty, Polly, Prudence, Ann, Samuel, William, Walter, James, Betsey and Benjamin
to their cabin erected by the old gentleman in the fall of 1799.
In June, 1800, there arrived, by the south route,
JOHN LEAVITT, Esq. and family.
EBENEZER SHELDON and family.
Sheldon and family passed on to Aurora.
Leavitt and family tarried in Warren, his family :
MRS. SILENCE LEAVITT, Will'm, John, jr., Cynthia, Sally, Henry F., Abiah, Humphrey and some hired men, Elam & Eli Blair, (twin brothers.)
About the same time there came
PHINEAS LEFFINGWELL & wife.
John H. Adgate and family were already on their farm in the south-west corner of Howland, (1600 acres, being 160 chains N. & S. and 100 chains wide,) and had commenced improvements in 1799. Besides the family before mentioned, they had with them some help and old BENONI OCKUM, an Indian of the Stock- bridge tribe. They had resided there during the winter of 1799, 1800. A pleasant family.
In 1799, Benjamin Davison, Esq. purchased the north half of Lots 41 & 42 Warren. The old gentleman had erected a cabin on the old road to Beavertown, on Lot 42, about 40 rods west from the present buildings. In May 1800, the family com- menced their labors for a crop .*
*Wolves and bears committed depredations almost continually upon the cattle and hogs, and other smaller vermin upon the domestic fowls. The wolves would
4
FIRST PREACHERS.
PREACHING.
In June, 1800, HENRY SPEERS, a preacher of the Baptist order, from our former neighborhood in Washington county, Pa., and an old acquaintance, visited the settlers at Warren. Short notice was given, and he preached a sermon in the forenoon in the shade of the trees along the road south of the Mahoning, about 60 rods from the house of Henry Lane, Sr. Perhaps 50 persons assembled. They gave him a very respectful attention. This was the first sermon preached in Warren which has come to the knowledge of the writer.
In the fall of 1800, Rev. Joseph Badger came, by order of the Missionary Society in Connecticut. and for some time preached to us occasionally in the private houses of the settlers.
Either in the fall of 1801, or early in 1802, Rev. Thomas G. Jones, of the Baptist order, who resided on the Shenango east of Brookfield, was engaged for every other Sabbath at Warren. He it is believed, was the first preacher engaged regularly at Warren. He continued until after 1806. Among the members of his society were Isaac Dailey and wife, Samuel Burnett and wife and Will Jackman and wife.
In the meantime, the Presbyterians were supplied with occa- sional preachers ; however, besides the Rev. Mr. Badger, the
approach even within two rods of the cabin, seize a pig, run off with it and eat it, and as soon as the flock became still again, would return again and seize another in like manner; pursuing their depredations to such an extent as to ren- der it difficult to raise anything. The wolves wo :Id likewise seize and destroy the weaker cattle. In winter, when quite hungry, they were bold and would come among the settlers' cabins. The writer recollects one night in February, 1801, when the weather had been stormy-the wind then blowing a severe gale- when the wolves attacked the cattle on the Bottoms, on Lots 35 & 42 in Warren. The cattle gathered together in large numbers ; the oxen and stronger ones en- deavoring to defend the weaker ones. They ran, bellowing, from one place to another and the wolves, trying to seize their prey, howled fearfully. In the morning, it was evident, that the oxen had pitched at the wolves, burying their horns up to their sculls in the mud and earth. Several of the weaker cattie were found badly bitten.
The bears preyed more upon the larger hogs ; frequently carrying off alive some weighing as much as 150 pounds, though they preferred smaller ones.
The foxes and other vermin so preyed upon the domestic fowls, that for some years it was difficult to keep any. That wolves prey upon sheep is usual wherever they exist in the same vicinity ; but they were so bad about Trumbull, in its early settlement, that the settlers were unable to protect the sheep from the ravages of the wolves, for six or seven years.
5
INDEPENDENCE DAY.
writer does not recall their names. In about 1808, the Rev. Mr. Dawes was regularly engaged. Among the Presbyterians, were Benjamin Davison and Anna his wife, Thos. Pryor and Elizabeth his wife, Elsie Lane, - Lane, and John Leavitt and wife.
FOURTH OF JULY.
In 1800 there was a 4th of July celebration at the place of Mr. Quinby. They were much at a loss for musical instruments. - Elam and Eli Blair, the twin young men who came with John Leavitt, Esq .- one a drummer and the other a fifer-surmounted the difficulty. One found a large, strong, stem-elder and soon made a fife. The other cut down a hollow pepperidge tree and with only a hand-axe and jack plane made a drum-cylinder. With the skin of a fawn, killed for him by William Crooks, he made heads for the drum and for the cords used a pair of new plow- lines belonging to M. Case. They discoursed most patriotic music. Of course, all had guns. So, the usual amount of patri- otism was demonstrated in proper style by music and the burning of gunpowder. John Leavitt, Esq. played the militia captain. A good dinner was had in a bowery. Toasts were duly given and honored with the needful amount of stimulus. All went off merrily.
Quite a number of the guests were from abroad, among whom were John Young, Calvin Austin and some others from Youngs- town ; Gen. Edward Paine and Judge Eliphalet Austin from the lake shore, and other gentlemen from other places.
OLD MERRYMAN.
When the first settlers came, they found in the land Merryman, a perfect patriarch of a hunter, of some 60 winters. He had for years been lord of the soil : his "right" there was " none to dispute." But after the white men came-like the natives-there was no place for him. Whence he originally came, or whither he finally went, or how he was descended, the writer hath no knowledge.
6
FIRST MILLS.
FLOUR MILLS.
The first grist-mill, for custom grinding, was on Mill creek in Boardman. It was started (as currently stated) in the last of Nov., 1799, and was the first mill erected on the Reserve, unless the mill erected by W. W. Williams at Newburg had priority .*
It answered a tolerably good purpose for the people about War- ren,t until Henry Lane, jr., and Charles Dailey put their mill in operation in 1802. They commenced building their dam across the Mahoning in 1800; but the winter flood destroyed their work. They then exerted themselves to have their mill going in 1801, and the neighbors assisted, but they did not succeed until the Spring of 1802.
* P. S. MARCH 29, 1862. Saw Allen Gaylord, Esq. of Newburg village, who says he came with David Hudson, Will Wheeler Willlams, etc,, in the spring of the year 1800, removing with their families to the Reserve. He joined them in the State of New York, at or near Ironduquoit, and came with them to Cleveland. Williams stopped at Cleveland. Gaylord went with Hudson to the township of Hudson. Gaylord was well acquainted with them in Connecticut. They were both out in 1799, when Hudson surveyed Hudson and Williams erected the mills on Mill creek, on Lot No. 464, front of now Newburg village. Williams had caused the mill to be started before leaving the Reserve with Hudson in the fall of 1799. They arrived in Con't. in November of 1799, and consequently the mill must have been set agoing in October. The mill was in operation when Gaylord arrived in the spring of 1800. He has known it ever since.
He was informed that Williams was furnished with the materials for building the mill, besides the donation of the lot of land No. 464. The deed of this lot was made by Trustees Conn. Land Co. April 4, 1804, to Samuel Huntington, Re- corded in Trum. Nov. 21, 1804, G. p. 45. This mill in Newburg must have been the first started. Mr. Gaylord says the rock where the stones were quarried he has seen, not long since, near by.
The writer has seen in the accounts of Directors of Conn. Land Co. viz. "1800, April, advanced W. W. Williams to erect mill at Cleveland, 255.83 23 pairs of shoes delivered W. W. Williams 23.00"
The 100 acre lot No. 464 deeded to S. Huntington, is said to have been part of the consideration for the mill,
+ In February 1801, Benj'n. Davison, Esq. the father of the family on the north half of Lot 42, Warren, his son Samuel, a lad about 16 or 17, and Ebenezer Earle (brother of John Earle of Howland) a bachelor about 30, agreed to take a sled load of wheat and corn to the mill on Mill creek in Boardman.
The sled had a new wood rack with two yoke of oxen. There was snow, but rather thin sledding. These three with the team started pretty early in the day for the mill, twelve miles distant. Soon after they started it grew warmer and began to thaw. It was after dark before they got their grain ground, but know- ing that the road (the road which the Connecticut Land Co. caused to be opened from Poland, by the Salt Springs, Warren and to Painesville) would soon break,
7
FIRST MERCHANTS.
The stones were placed in a saw-mill, the bed-stone on the saw- ing platform. Spur-wheels were placed on the flutter-wheel of the saw-mill, one on the lower end of an upright shaft and geared together. The running stone was placed on the upper end of the shaft, and with a hoop and appurtenances, ground tolerably well ; but each customer had to bolt his own flour.
It was said that the builder had a favorable contract for a piece of land, on the conditions that he should have a saw-mill and grist-mill running by the first of December, 1799. He found the time growing short and resorted to the above device in order to comply with the letter of his conditions.
MERCHANTS.
The first supply of merchandise which the writer recollects was under the control of James E. Caldwell who, with an assistant, about once in two weeks poled a canoe up the Mahon- ing-in 1801. When he came in sight of a settler he blew a horn, and those who wanted goods resorted to the canoe for a supply.
Either in the fall of 1801, or early in 1802, George Lovelace opened a small shop in Warren, on the east side of Main street and some rods north of South street.
About the same time, Boyle Erwin set up his nephew, Robert Erwin, with a small assortment of goods in a building nearly opposite Holliday's tavern-stand (lately Walter King's place.)*
and likewise the ice over the Big Meander, they started for home in the night. They had not gone far before the ice over the mud-holes began to give way. Old Mr. Davison went forward to pilot the boys along the muddy places, particu- larly where the brush and logs were turned out and piled up like winrows. He would frequently break through. Then he would call to the boys, "Turn out, boys, turn out !" "a bad place here." When they came to the Meander it had risen so as to be above their sled beams. In order to save their load from the wet, they placed chains crosswise at the top of their rack, laid poles, crosswise with the chains, on them and piled their bags upon the poles. At a little more than half way across, the weight crushed down the rack. They and their load together found the water. It was up to their knees. However, they drove on. It was about four o'clock in the morning when we heard them half a mile off. Soon after, they reached my father's-the first house after leaving the Salt Springs-not much the worse, after they got dry. The water did not penetrate into the meal bags much. This was the first trip to mill by the two families of Case and Davi- son. Previous to that time the hand-mill had been brought into requisition.
*August 1 .- 1860, I saw a notice of the death of Boyle Erwin, near Pittsburgh, a few days since, aged 88 years. He closed Robert's affairs at Warren in 1807.
8
FIRST MAIL ROUTE.
In 1820 or 1803, Zebina Weatherby and James Reed started a rather larger store, (on the site lately occupied by Leicester King,) and for several years did a considerable business, selling merchandise and driving cattle .*
MAILS.
The first post route established to Warren was from Pittsburgh to Warren, upon application to the P. M. G., from Elijah Wads- worth, of Canfield, by letter of 30th April, 1801. It was not carried into effect before 24th October, 1801.+
General Wadsworth was well acquainted with Gideon Granger, the P. M. G., who (Mr. G.) had also a large interest on the Re- serve.
The appointment of Simon Perkins bears date October 24th, 1801. Eleazar Gilson was first engaged as mail-carrier. Gilson probably carried a short time.
The first mail delivered at Warren was October 30, 1801. It seems probable, however, that the mail carrying was not very regular until July, 1802. A letter post-marked at Chillicothe, January 19, 1802, from Hon. George Tod to Col. Samuel Hunt- ington, at Warren, has a note on it requesting Mr. Perkins to procure the letter to be forwarded to Col. Huntington. Major Perkins had a post-office at Youngstown February 10, 1802. Hon. George Tod says in a letter, of that date, to S. Huntington that a letter had lain in that office some time. Elisha Tracy also speaks of it May 15th, 1802. Thus it appears that strict regularity was wanting as late as May 15th, 1802.
Mr. Gilson, soon after his contract to carry the mail, appointed Joseph McInrue as his deputy mail carrier. The writer saw McInrue on the route some two miles southerly from Warren,
*Weatherbee died September 1811 or '12. Reed left for parts unknown in 1815.
+THE ROUTE .- From Pittsburgh, on the south side of the Ohio river, to the mouth of the Beaver, say 27 miles ; over to Ft. McIntosh, John Coulter, Post- master; back to the south side of the Ohio and to Georgetown, 12 miles, John Beaver, P. M. there; direct to Canfield, on the Reserve, 27 miles, Capt. Elijah Wadsworth, P. M. there ; then to Youngstown, 8 miles, Calvin Pease, P. M. there ; thence to Warren, 12 miles, to the termination of the route, Simon Perkins, P. M. there; - and return once a week.
9
ORGANIZATION OF COUNTIES.
with the mail matter tied up in his pocket-handkerchief along with the key for the Warren office, and understood that he had delivered others on the route. The Warren key had attached to it a label of wood on which was the date of its first delivery at Warren-July, 1802-plainly marked. This key was in the office of General Perkins in 1806 and several years after, wher- ever the office was kept, until 1816, when the writer left Warren. The General kept the office at his boarding house, the tavern of John Leavitt, Esq., and [follows copy,] with some aid until 1804-a part of 1805 was kept by the Clerk of the Court, George Phelps, on the lot after owned by Leicester King. Then at the log office of the General, fall 1805-all 1806. Early in 1807 by George Parsons at the Calvin Austin place-and then on the Jackman lot, Liberty street-until the new court house was finished. Then by Samuel Quinby, for a time, and then, as the writer has been informed, by Samuel Chesney for several years.
GOVERNMENT.
The history of the Western Reserve of Connecticut is among the various items of evidence which go to show that a majority of the members of Congress believed that all the waste and western lands belonged to the United States, as a nation, after allowing to the chartered colonies a reasonable territory as occu- pied by each ; and that Congress never did, nor would admit that the claiming colonies, had title to any more lands than had been occupied and used by each to a reasonable extent, until an actual adjustment took place. It was so with the Reserve.
WASHINGTON COUNTY.
After the organization of the N. W. Territory in 1788, the Governor, St. Clair, included the Western Reserve east of the Cuyahoga in Washington county, which was bounded : Beginning on the Pennsylvania line, at its crossing of the Ohio river and by it to Lake Erie; along the southern shore to the Cuyahoga; up it to the Portage; to the Tuscarawas; down that stream to the crossing above Fort Lawrence; then westerly to the Big Miami; south, etc .; to the beginning. (See III Chase, 2,096.) 2
10
ORGANIZATION OF COUNTIES.
WAYNE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
In 1796, Wayne county,* Michigan, included west of the Cuy- ahoga, etc., to the head waters west of Lake Michigan, which drained the country into it; north-to Lakes Superior, Huron and Erie-and the territorial line. (III Ch., 2,096.)
JEFFERSON COUNTY.
Established July 29, 1797, included all of the Reserve east of the Cuyahoga. (III Ch., 2,096.)
TRUMBULL COUNTY.
In the years 1799 and 1800, an arrangement took place between the United States and Connecticut and its purchasers of the Reserve, and deeds were passed May 30, 1800, whereby Connecti- cut ceded to the United states the political jurisdiction, and Congress confirmed to Connecticut the title of the land, for the benefit of its purchasers. This transaction first gave the assent of Congress to the title of Connecticut.
*Howe, in his book, page 518, makes a material mistake in relation to Wayne county, by connecting the Wayne county established by Governor St. Clair, Aug. 15, 1796, with the present Wayne county in Ohio. The Wayne county established by Governor St. Clair was bounded as stated by Howe ; but all that part of it north of the north boundary of Ohio was cut off by organizing Ohio and remained Wayne county in Michigan. All the records, doings, archives, etc., remained in Wayne county. Michigan, in Detroit, and are there still-in 1860. That part of the old Wayne county remaining in Ohio, so much as was included in the Western Reserve, was included in Trumbull county, established July 10, 1800. It is very uncertain what county or counties had jurisdiction over the residue, until, under the State authority, counties were erected covering it. The present county of Wayne is composed of part of the territory of the old county. It was established February 13, 1808, and embraced the land south of the Western Reserve, north of Wayne's Treaty, or U. S. Military District lines, west of 10th range, east of 16th range ; was attached to Stark until organized March 10, 1812 The territory included in the first Wayne, cut off by Ohio south and west of Western Reserve was disposed of after the State was organized. In March, 1803, the Legislature erected :
COLUMBIANA COUNTY-And took from Jefferson county near the Muskingum -but little.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY-Extending on the west and north to the lines of the State.
GREENE COUNTY-East of Montgomery, north to the State line, and east to a line near the Scioto and Sandusky.
The land east of that remaining of the territory of the old Wayne county, east of about Sandusky river, to the west of the Reserve, and south of it as far as Tus- carawas, seems not to have been included in any county until 1820, excepting what was included in Richland, Wayne and Stark, south of the Reserve. (See Chase III from 2,098 to 2,106.)
3 1833 02405 5979
11
CONTEST FOR COUNTY SEAT.
On the 10th of July, 1800, Governor St. Clair erected the whole of the Reserve into Trumbull county, bounded : South by 41º north latitude, and west 120 miles west from Pennsylvania ; north by latitude 42° 2', and east by Pennsylvania. (III Ch., 2,097,)'and forthwith appointed officers and organized it with the county seat at Warren.
The first court was held August 25th, 1800, at 4 o'clock, P. M., between the corn-cribs of E. Quinby, on Main street, fronting the Brooks' House, just south of Liberty street. These cribs had regular clapboard cabin roofs-not as Lane says, covered with boards.
After this the southeast towns became more thickly inhab- ited, and the inhabitants in that quarter wished the county seat removed to Youngstown. A hewn-log jail, which had been erected on the northwest part of the Square, was burned on the 28th* of February, 1804, and thereupon exertions were seriously made to have the county seat removed to Youngstown.
GEAUGA COUNTY
Was set off December 31, 1805, including townst No. 8, west to west of line of range No. 5; then south to the north line of town 5; then west to the Cuyahoga. Geauga was organized March 1, 1806.
ASHTABULA AND PORTAGE COUNTIES
Were erected February 10, 1808, and the towns No. 8 included in Ashtabula. (III Ch., 2,105.) The towns No. 8 were set back to Trumbull county on the 20th of February, 1809. (III Ch., 2,110.)
"TOWNS NUMBER EIGHT."
The inhabitants of the townships No. 8, as far west as to in- clude the 5th range, complained that, during the struggle and contest about the county seat betweeen Warren and
*The date of the burning of the log-jail was found in a letter from Calvin Pease to Samuel Huntington.
tThese "towns No. 8" were a bone of contention, and were several times set back and forth to Trumbull and Ashtabula. Judge Solomon Griswold said they had no privileges in either county, and were sued in all.
12
CONTEST FOR COUNTY SEAT.
Youngstown, from 1804 to 1809, they had no privileges in either of the adjoining counties, and were sued in all of them. How- ever that might have been, the struggle was severe.
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