USA > Ohio > Delaware County > History of Delaware County and Ohio : containing a brief history of the state of Ohio biographical sketches etc. V. 2 > Part 1
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M. L
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
SEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02410 4678
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/historyofdelawar02olba
HISTORY
OF
DELAWARE COUNTY
AND
5
OHIO.
Containing a brief History of the State of Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time embrac- ing its topography, geological, physical and climatic features; its agricultural, stork-growing, railroad interests, etc. ; a History of Delaware County, giving an account of its aboriginal inhabitants, carly settlement by the whites, pioneer incidents, its growth, its improvements, organization of the county, its judicial and political history, its business and indus- . tries, churches, schools, etc .; Biographical, Sketches ; Portraits of some of the Early Settlers and Prominent Men, etc., etc.
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1.2
ILLUSTRATED.
CHICAGO: O. L. BASKIN & CO., HISTORICAL PUBLISHERS, 186 DEARBORN STREET. 1
ISSO.
SLW ER M
1620312
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
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was set off to the township of Harlem, which then included the whole of Genoa. September 3,
1816, the east half of Orange Township was set
off to form that township, and on the 8th of Jan- uary, 1820, the east half of Berlin was set off to form that township. These subtractions left Berk- shire in the form of an L, consisting of Sections 2 and 3 of the present Berkshire Township, with Section 3 of Kingston and 4 of Brown. When
Delaware County was set off from Franklin, the
eastern part of this county was set off, at the first session of the Commissioners' Court, into a separate township, with its boundaries as follows: "Begin- ning at the northeast corner of Section No. 2 of Town- ship 5 ( Kingston), Range 17, of the United States
Military Survey; thence south with said line to the south line of county; thence with the south line of county to the east line of said county ; thence
north with said county line to the Indian bound- ary line; thence westerly with said boundary line to the east boundary of Marlborough Township; thence south with said boundary lineto the south- east corner of said township; thence east to the place of beginning." By taking a map of the county and tracing the lines, it will be observed that the
present townships of Harlem, Trenton and Porter, with the east half of the townships of Kingston, Berkshire and Genoa, were included in this town- ship, besides the townships of Bennington, Har- mony, Peru and Lincoln, now in Morrow County.
This geographical "what-not." was called Sunbury, and has succeeded in handing down its title to the thriving village of that name, in Berkshire Town- ship. By the erection of successive townships its territory was gradually diminished, until in 1821 it only included the east half of Berkshire aud Trenton Townships. When Berkshire's loss
of the sections in Kingston and Brown was com- pensated by the addition of Sections 1 and + from Sunbury Township. the absence of the record ren- ders doubtful, but probably about the time of the erection of Trenton into a separate township. The surface is a fine, rolling country, lying high and in admirable shape for tilling, and, with the ex- ception of a small prairie. a little northeast of Berkshire Corners, was originally covered with a dense forest. This prairie was a low piece of ground, about half a mile long, of irregular shape, reaching upward of a half-mile in the widest part. It was a noted deer lick in the early time
and the resort of immense flocks of pigeons. Va- rious opinions were entertained by the early set- tlers as to the origin of the spot, the preponder-
ance being in favor of the theory that at a very early period the place was submerged by water held there by a beaver dam, or natural obstruction of fallen timber, and thus the natural growth of the forest prevented. The first settlers found the timber skirting the lower part of this spot made impassable by the number of fallen trees. There was a small spring here which still exists, and in the wet season the accumulated waters, obstructed by the fallen timber, backed up so that frequently they nearly found an outlet over the river banks into the Little Walnut, which flows across this plat.
This stream, coming from the north, takes a south- west course at this point. but, changing its direc- tion below the Sunbury road, it flows to the south- east, and joins the Big Walnut just below Galena. The latter river intersects the township just east of Sunbury Village, and, taking a southwesterly course, passes Galena and reaches the Ssioto River in the southern part of Franklin County. This river was known by the early settlers near it, as Gehenna, but without any obvious reason. and lower down is still known by the local name of Big Belly. These streams afford Berkshire am- ple drainage, and at an early day afforded by cances a means of communication with the older settle- ments. The high divide between these two streams constitutes nearly one-half of the township, and
was formerly covered almost exclusively with oak. This timber is evidently of a second growth. giv- ing ground for the opinion that at an early period the timber along this elevation was entirely pros- trated by a devastating tornado. Across the Lit- tle Walnut, on the rise of ground beyond. is found. the same quality of oak of immense size, evidently a part of the original forest growth. Here is found also a generous variety of timber, including maple, hickory, walnut, butternut, elm, etc. Oc- casional elm swamps were found on the west side and in the northern part, but they dried up by a natural process when freed from timber and exposed to the influence of the sun. The general character of the soil is that of a light yellow clay, admirably adapted to grass and corn. The prairie and the elm swamps are the exceptions to the gen- eral rule of clay. In these is found a rich, black soil, highly prized by the farming community. Grain raising and feeding stock for market receive the principal attention of the farmers. Four places have at different times aspired to metropoli- tan honors in the townsbio: Berkshire, in the northwest ; Rome, near the middle; Galena, in the southern, and Sunbury, in the eastern middle part.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
The two latter are thriving villages about the same size.
The pioneer of Berkshire was Col. Moses Byxbe, of Lenox, Berkshire County, Mass. He was a man of wealth and standing in his native town: a man of shrewd business ability and of great decision of character. He united the business of " keeping hotel " with that of storekeeper, and in this way had come into possession of a large num- ber of soldiers' land warrants, and located them in Section 2 of what is now Berkshire, and in Sec- tion 1 of the present township of Berlin, 8,000 acres in all. He afterward bought large tracts of land in Brown and Genoa, and was the largest land- holder ever in the county. In June, 1804, he fitted out a four-horse team, in charge of Orlando Barker, a three-horse team, with Witter Stewart as driver, and a single-horse wagon, driven by Solomon Smith, and, loading with goods from his store and his household effects, started them for the West. Mr. Byxbe led the way with his family in a two-horse carriage, in that day an indispu- table evidence of his wealth. He persuaded Azariah Root, a surveyor and resident of Pittsfield, Mass., to accompany him, promising to give him employ- ment to pay for his land. He also brought his nephew, Edward Potter, then a boy of thirteen years of age, to act as clerk in the store he proposed to start. Taking up their line of march, the little colony started on their journey in the track of the Scioto colony, which had gone out the year before. Their course was to Fishkill, thence across the river through Newburgh to Easton, Harrisburg, Carlisle, and Shippenburg. Here the little caravan held council as to the rest of their course, whether to go to Chambersburg or to cross the Three Brothers to Strawsburg and thence on to Bedford. The latter course was decided upon, Root taking the lead some distance in advance on the road to- ward Somerset. When near Bedford, Byxbe con- cluded to go to the left of the usual route, and struck the river at Redstone, now Brownsville. Here he found a Mr. Hutchinson and family bound for Cincinnati, and stayed five days. Deciding to take the river, a flat-boat was built capable of car- rying fourteen horses, with wagons, baggage, and the united families. Thus provided, they started down the river to Pittsburgh. Here Byxbe made con- siderable purchases of iron goods, and, to lighten the boat, which found it difficult to navigate the river in its shallow state of water, sent the horses across the " pan-handle " to Wheeling. On arriv- ing at Wheeling, learning that he was as near
Worthington there as he would be at the mouth of the Scioto, he prepared to start overland to his destination from that point. He unloaded only a part of his goods and arranged that Hutchinson should land the balance at Portsmouth. From Wheeling, Mr. Byxbe came to Zanesville, thence to Lancaster, Franklinton, and Worthington, ar- riving at the last-mentioned place in the latter part of August. They overtook Root and his family at Franklinton, where they had been wait- ing some two or three days. At Worthington they found the colony in a woful condition. The season had been extraordinarily wet, and there was "water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink." The freshets had made the river unfit to use, and the colonists had dug holes a few feet in the ground and used the surface water as it filtered. in. The consequence was that the whole com. munity were sick, shaking with the ague. Their crops had largely failed, and many had nothing but green corn to eat. Here Mr. Byxbe stayed near- ly three months and built a two-story frame house. He sent men in canoes down the river to Chilli- cothe for flour and bacon, and bought a steer. This was killed, and, it is said, was eaten up be- fore the meat lost its natural heat. While here he went to his land in Berkshire, and, choosing a building site on the banks of the Little Walnut, in the prairie, built cabins for his home, and stables. He also built a cabin for Mr. Root about a half- mile south of where the "Corners" now are, on the Berkshire road. Meanwhile he had got his effects from Portsmouth and sold all his store goods to Nathaniel Little, before opening the packages. Early in November, the first load of household goods were sent forward to Berkshire from Worth- ington. It took a whole day to go and another to return, although the road had been chopped out by Col. Byxbe's direction after reaching Worth- ington. Load succeeded load until both families were established in their new homes. After mak- ing the cabins comfortable, Mr. Byxbe began to lay plans for settling up his purchase. Berkshire street was surveyed out through his land, and farms laid out abutting on it, the surveying being done by Mr. Root. Early in January, 1805, Mr. Curtis, a shoemaker, came to the settlement, fol- lowed by John Kilbourn, Ralph Slack, Elem Vining, Sr., a Mr. Harper, and Adonijah Rice. These came in singly, in close succession, during the winter. "Close after these came some negroes, Sarah Brandy and Polly Noko, who went to Ber- lin afterward. Polly Noko's husband was detained
431
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
at Chillicothe, and sent fourteen cows by a negro boy, Jack, to the Salt Reservation, in the present township of Brown, where he was to cut browse for them, but the boy, becoming infatuated with a girl in the settlement, let them go in the woods, and went to work for Col. Byxbe. In the mean- time, Maj. Thomas Brown, who had gone to Detroit looking for land to locate upon, came back by way of the Byxbe settlement. He was per- suaded to cast in his lot with this community, and remained with them until June. Meanwhile the boy Jack, after asking Col. Byzbe to marry him to the girl of his heart (who explained his legal inability to accommodate him), applied to Maj. Brown, who possessed the title of Squire as well. Here the difficulty was not less insurmountable, as he had no jurisdiction. How the poor fellow made out is not known, but the cows starved to death for lack of attention.
In June of 1805, by Mr. Byxbe's directions, Mr. Root surveyed a road out to the present site of Granville, and as soon as this was completed, the Byxbe family, in their carriage, accompanied with a wagon in which rode Potter, Brown, and another man who furnished one of the two horses, started for Lenox, Mass .; Brown for his family, and Byxbe for more settlers. The whole male portion of the settlement escorted them, cutting out the road as far as surveyed, taking three days to accomplish the distance. Each night they built substantial camps of elm bark, which they left standing for those who might pass over the road subsequently. On their journey out they met the colony which settled at Granville, within two days' travel of their destination. In the following year, Maj. Brown returned with his family, accompanied by David Prince and John Patter- sin with their families, Col. Byxbe remaining behind to spread the news of his new-found El Dorado and to sell it. Joseph Prince followed early the next spring. On arriving at the frontier, Maj. Brown found a wagon-track leading toward his destination, the first track to Berkshire over that route. It was subsequently found to be the track of Nathaniel Hall, who afterward built the mill on Alum Creek. About this time came the family of James Gregory-a family of high social position and mental attainments. The names of Solomon Jones, a Mr. Helt, and George Fislier also appear, and, further south, those of John B. : Grist, Joseph Patrick, David Armstrong, Samuel and David Landon, and Gideon and William Oos- i ging in the woods. He had thus secured consider-
Maj. Brown to have the township organized, and it was set off with the name of Berkshire. It was not long before Mr. Byxbe returned and occupied a double log-cabin, which he had built on the "street " just before he went East.
In 1807, Ichabod Plumb, with his family, and Dr. Reuben Lamb, with his wife and child, came to Berkshire Corners. Some years before, Dr. Lamb, then an unmarried man, had started for the Mississippi Valley, but, meeting Col. Byxbe at Pittsburgh, was persuaded to come to Berkshire. He was disappointed with the place, however, and, thinking that Worthington promised to be a pros- perous place, he left Berkshire after remaining a few months and settled in the former place. Here he married his wife and became intimate with Mr. Plumb, who was one of the original members of the Scioto colony, which went out from New Haven County to Worthington in 1803. A little previous to the time of which we write, Messrs. Plamb and Lamb had sold out their property in Worthington, and, on horseback, had made a tour of inspection through the country toward the Wabash River. On their return journey they passed through Urbana, and, attracted by the place, they decided to locate there. Soon after their return to Worth- ington, some member of Col. Byxbe's family fall- ing sick, Dr. Lamb was summoned. Mr. Byxbe, finding, in this interview. that the doctor had not bought land elsewhere, set about securing so valu- able a member for his colony at the Corners. This point, though considerably improved since Dr. Lamb's first visit, was even then not so promising as many other points, but the Colonel made him large inducements in the way of land donations, and, in view of subsequent events, doubtless gave him an insight to his plans which won him over to Mr. Byxbe's project. Nevertheless, he had given his word to join Maj. Plumb, and he did not feel dis- posed to break his pledge to his friend, but he set about bringing Maj. Plumb over to the new pian. When these two old friends met, and Dr. Lamb broached the subject, there was a warm discussion which lasted nearly all day. The result was that they both moved into the settlement, with the un- derstanding that when the county of Delaware should be formed, the county seat should be located at the Corners. In the same year came John B. Grist, a native of Luzerne County, Penn. Mr. Grist depended upon his labor for the support of : his family, and had spent the previous winter log-
terhaus. In 1806, steps were undertaken by | able lumber, and, deciding to go West, he sought
433
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
to accomplish the double object of taking his lum- ber to market, and, at the same time, forward his family toward the destination he had chosen. Placing his family, household goods, his cart, oxen :
taining the remainder firmly to their horses, they plunged into the stream. The issue of the event for some time stood in doubt, but the heroic forti- tude which made the carly settler the fit pioneer of the nineteenth century, carried them safely through. Hurrying to their wigwam, they found their families anxious for their safety, and with the last morsel of food consumed. The meal was found thoroughly mixed up, and, without more ado, was transferred to the bake-kettle, and soon set before the half-famished family.
and horse upon a raft which he had constructed of his lumber, he launched out on the Susquehanna River. On reaching tide water he sold his lumber, and, with the proceeds of the sale as his sole capital, he prepared to strike out into the wilder- ness. At that early day the sale of his raft did not bring a fortune, and he had gone only a little west of Zanesville when his money gave out. In 1808, the Hon. Ezekiel Brown, one of the most distinguished of Delaware County's early settlers, came to Berkshire and settled on land east and a little north of where Galena now is. Mr. Brown was one who would prove a valuable addition to any community. He came from Lycoming Co., Penn., where he had been elected to Congress for one or two terms. His native place, however, was in Orange County, N. Y., where he was born March 13, 1760. In 1776, he enlisted in the Revolutionary army, and, joining the forces under Washington just after the battle of Trenton. he participated in several engagements. Some two years later, while on a furlough to visit his home, then in what is now Lycoming County, Penn , he was unfortunately captured by the Indians. The incident, as related by his daughter, Mrs. Sam- uel Leonard, is as follows: There had been num- erous Indian alarms, and the people had finally betaken themselves to a strong, hewed-log cabin, which was easy of defense. Here they awaited the onset of the savages, but in vain. The In- dians were too wise in their style of warfare to ac- cept such a gage of battle. They kept secreted in the neighborhood for days, until the settlers, lulled into a false feeling of security, sallied forth 1 to their homes. It seems almost incredible at this day that so fatal a mistake could be so easily made. No sooner did the savages see their plans succeeding, than, rushing in upon the unsuspect- . ing and defenseless settlers, they commenced their work of butchery. Brown's father and mother were ruthlessly murdered, and himself and a sis- ter with her seven children were carried off into Indian captivity. It was some mitigation of their situation that they were in the same band, but this was not suffered long to continue. The mother was separated from her children, and the children from each other. Meanwhile Brown was forced to pass through the forms preceding adoption into the tribe. Three times during his Here he was forced to stop for some time, while he earned means to continue the journey. On reaching the Big Walnut he made a short stay, and while here spent his last cent for three bushels of corn, which he bought of a settler. . Here he fell in with David Armstrong, who was, within a few cents, in as poor a financial condition as him- self. Thus barehanded they came into the forests of Berkshire Township, and secured land of Col. Byxbe, a half a mile north of Sunbury. Their families were illy provided for the winter that was fast approaching. There were no cabins in the immedi- ate vicinity, their larder (to adopt the name of a latter-day convenience) was empty, and only the corn which they had purchased a few days before, stood between them and starvation. Hastily setting ยท up some poles in tent fashion, they covered them with bark, and in this rude tabernacle placed their families and household goods. While on the Wal- nut, Armstrong had bought some corn, and, desir- ing to take it all to mill, they each mounted a horse for the purpose of carrying it to Chillicothe. The distance was considerable, but there was a blazed track most of the way, and the knowledge of the destitute state of their families spurred them on. They were soon on the return road and rapidly nearing their destination, when a heavy rain began to fall. Covering the bags containing the meal with deerskins, they experienced no difficulty in making their way across rivers and through the mud until they reached Alum Creek. This stream they found swollen to the brink, the water rushing along its course, threatening to sweep them away with its current, should they attempt to force a passage. The situation was distressing. Beyond the angry flood, their poorly sheltered families were without food, and with them was their only means of present subsistence. They were not long in de- ciding upon their action. Finding a hollow syca- more log in which they carefully bestowed the larger part of their meal, and fixing the bags con- | journey to the main town of the Cayugas, near
:
433
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
where Scipio, N. Y., now stands, was he forced to run the gantlet. The first time he received a severe wound from a tomahawk; the second time, less fortunate, he received a terrible blow from a war club, which felled him to the ground in a fearfully mangled condition. His life seemed ended, but, finally recovering, he proceeded to the destination of his captors, where, after another trial, he passed through the fearful ordeal un- harmed, and was adopted by a family who had lost a son in the war. He was afterward taken to Canada, where he found his sister and got clue of her children. Here he managed to get into the employ of a trader, and soon bought his freedom, but the ties of kindred were too strong for him to leave his sister in captivity. He at once set about securing her release and that of her seven chil- dren. Through his efforts she was enabled to purchase her own ransom, while Mr. Brown bent all his efforts toward the release of the children. One by one they had been secured until all save the second child, a boy of twelve or fourteen years. It was nearing the time when he hoped to return to his friends, that he learned a party of Indians with the boy was about to start for a distant point to hunt. If this should occur, he despaired of ever seeing the child again, and determined to kidnap the boy. Calling the Indians into the trader's cabin, he treated them with the strongest potations at his commad. When they were drunk, he pushed the Indians out and the boy within, and, barring the door, awaited the issue. This sum- mary treatment was not relished by the savage lords of the forest, and they resented it by sundry kicks and more forcible attacks upon the door. There was no sign of yielding, and, as any other more forcible measures were deemed unsafe, they accepted the philosophy of the "fox and the grapes," and left the boy behind. But the diffi- culty was not so easily surmounted. The lad had become enamored with the wild life of the woods, and longed to be with his Indian friends. One day, when let out to play, his boy companion was instructed to watch him. He soon came rushing in saying that Nathan was going after the Indians. Mr. Brown, hastily going to the door, saw the boy a half a mile away, running with all his strength to regain his friends gone days before. With a sinking heart, almost in despair, he threw off his coat, and started in pursuit. The boy was finally recaptured, and, with the whole family, re- turned in 1783 to their friends in Pennsylvania. Seven years later, Mr. Brown came to Ohio, and,
in 1808, came to Berkshire Township, where he died April 24, 1840. His arrival in 1808 was followed very soon by the families of Joseph Cow- gill and Oliver Still. The next most notable acces- sion to the pioneer ranks of this township was that of the Carpenter families. Judge Benjamin Carpenter, with his family, came in about 1811, and settled a little north of Sunbury Village, while Gilbert Carpenter came about a year previ- ous, and settled near Galena. The Carpenters came from Luzerne County, Penn., and were act- ive leaders in the communities which they left. Judge Carpenter had been a member of Congress, as well as Associate Judge, and his brother Gil- bert a prominent Methodist minister. The effect of such additions to the mental and moral forces of this community was soon made apparent. . The whole machinery of society was organized and vigorously in motion, before the other townships about had fully recovered from the retarding shock of transplanting. For some time Berkshire afforded the only church and school privileges of any sort for miles around.
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