History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 1

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

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HISTORY

DELAWARE COUNTY

1880

HIO

$981

A.D

Cornell University Library

The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924050611106

HISTORY

DELAWARE COUNTY

AND

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, stock-growing, railroad interests, etc. ; a History of Delaware County, giving an account of its aboriginal inhabitants, early 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.

ILLUSTRATED.

CHICAGO: O. L. BASKIN & CO., HISTORICAL PUBLISHERS, 186 DEARBORN STREET. * 1885.

olin + F 497 D3 H67 1880 1

₹ ITHAC

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1880, by

O. L. BASKIN & CO.,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

227

CHICAGO: CULVER, PAGE, HOYNE & CO., PRINTERS, 118 AND 120 MONROE STREET.

PREFACE.

URING the past six months we have been engaged in compiling the History of Delaware County, and on these pages our historians, W. H. Perrin and J. H. Battle, have traced the tedious journey of the pioneer from homes of comfort and refinement to the untouched wilds of the West; we have noted the rising cabins, the clearing of the for- ests, the privations of the early settlements, the heroic fortitude with which the pioneer sur- mounted these obstacles, and the patient toil that has " made the wilderness to blossom like the rose ;" we have marked the coming of the schoolmaster, and that greater teacher, the preacher ; the rise of the schoolhouse and church, and their influence in molding society. This work we have undertaken in the belief that there is a proper demand that the events which relate to the early times should find a permanent record, and with what fidelity to facts, and with what patience of research, we have accomplished the task, we shall leave to the judgment of our patrons, in whose keeping the traditions of that day remain, and for whom the work was undertaken. The scope and necessity of this enterprise have, in some respects, entailed less satisfactory duties upon the historians than fall to the lot of writers of more pretentious works, and yet the work has been one of pleasure. We have availed ourselves of such histor- ical manuscripts as were found, but our chief resource for information has been the traditions which have been handed down from one generation to another. These we have generally been able to verify from other sources, but, in some not essential particulars, we have been obliged to depend upon tradition alone, and may thus have sanctioned some errors. These, we trust will be found of trifling importance, and we ground our hope of the favorable judgment of the public upon the essential correctness and completeness of this volume as a history of Del- aware County.

Before laying down the pen we desire to thank the citizens everywhere in the county who have so cordially aided us in gathering the materials for this volume, and to acknowledge our indebtedness to the gentlemen who have been associated with us in the various parts of the work ; to Prof. W. G. WILLIAMS, of the Ohio Wesleyan University, Judge T. W. POWELL, Hon. J. R. HUBBELL, Rev. B. W. CHIDLAW, GEORGE W. CAMPBELL, Esq., Dr. S. W. FOWLER, Mr. H. L. S. VAILE, and others whose names appear in the body of the work.

June, 1880.

PUBLISHERS.

CONTENTS.

PART FIRST.

HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO.

PAGE.

CHAPTER I .- Introductory, Topography, Geology, Primitive Races, Antiquities, Indian Tribes ... 11

CHAPTER II .- Explorations in the Weet ..

O HAPTER III .- English Explorations, Traders, French and Indian War in the West, English Possession .... 37

CHAPTER IV .- Pontiac's Conspiracy, Ite Failure, Bouquet's Expedition, Occupation by the Englich .. 48

CHAPTER V .- American Exploration, Dunmore's War, Cam- paign of George Rogers Clarke, Land Troublee, Spain lu the Revolution, Murder of the Moravian Indiane ... 52

CHAPTER VI .- American Occupation, Indian Claims, Early Land Companies, Compact of 1787, Organization of the Territory, Early American Settlements in the Ohio Valley, First Territorial Officers, Organization of Counties .. 60

CHAPTER VII .- Indian War of 1795, Harmar'e Campaign, St. Clair's Campaign, Wayne's Campaign, Close of the War. 73

CHAPTER VIII .- Jay's Treaty, The Question of State Rights and National Supremacy, Extension of Ohio Settlements, Land Claims, Spanish Boundary Question .. 79

CHAPTER IX .- Firet Territorial Representativee in Congress, Division of the Territory, Formation of Statee, Marietta Settlement, Other Settlements, Settlemente in the Western Reserve, Settlement of the Central Valleye, Further Set- tlemente lo the Beeerve and elsewhere. 85

CHAPTER X .- Formation of the State Government, Ohio A State, The State Capitals, Legislation, The "Sweeping" Resolutions ... 121

CHAPTER XI .- The War of 1812, Growth of the State, Canal, Railroads and Other Improvements, Development of of State Resources. 127

CHAPTER XII .- Mexican War, Continued Growth of the State, War of the Rebellion, Ohio's Part in the Conflict ..... 132 CHAPTER XIII .- Ohio in the Centennial, Address of Edward D. Mansfield, LL. D., Philadelphia, August 9, 1876. 138 ... . CHAPTER XIV .- Education, Early School Laws, Notes, Ineti- tutions and Educational Journals, School System, School Fuode, Colleges and Universities. 148

CHAPTER XV .- Agriculture, Area of the State, Early Agri- culture in the Weet, Markets, Live Stock, Nurseries, Fruits, Etc .; Cereals, Root and Cucurbitaceons Crope, Agricultoral Implements, Agricultural Societies, Pomological and Hor- ticultural Societies. 151

CHAPTER XVI .- Climatology, Outline, Variation io Ohio, Estimate in Degreee, Amount of Variability. 163

PART SECOND. COUNTY HISTORY.

PAGE.

CHAPTER I .- Introduction, Physical Geography of the County, Railroad Elevation, Soll and Timber, Cuyahoga Shale and Sandstone, The Drift, Beres Grit, Huron Shale, Calcareous Concretions, etc ... 165

CHAPTER 11 .- Earliest History, Prehistoric Racee, Their An- tiquity, Relics, Fortifications; The Delawares, Indian Treaties, Withdrawal of the Indiane, Pioneer Settlements, The Carpenter, Byxbe and Pugh Colonies, Other Settle- menta 180

CHAPTER III .- Life in the Wildernese, Pioneer Incidente, Early Improvements, Modern" Innovations, Building of Towns and Villages, Old Settlers' Association ... 197

CHAPTER IV .- Organization of the County, The Courte, For- mation of Townships, Political Parties and Their Effect, Yote of the County from 1861 to 1879, Care of the Poor ...... 206

CHAPTER V .- The Professions, Pioneer Lawyers and the Courts, The Bar of the Present, Medical, Some of the Early Systems, Old Practitionere, Modern Doctors, The Medical Society. 219

CHAPTER VI .- Early Church History, Pioneer, Preachere, First Schools, Statistice, Academies and Seminaries, The University, Reform School, Watering Places, The News- papers. 239

CHAPTER VII .- Reilrcad History, The First Railroads in the World, Railroads in the United States, Internal . Im- provements in Ohio, Her First Railroad, The Railroads of the County, Projected Railroads ... 252

CHAPTER VIII .- Agriculture, Societies, Advancements in Geoponice, Care of Animals, Tiling, Fruit sod Forest Cult- ure, Meteorological .. 259

CHAPTER IX .- War History, The Revolution, Pioneers of. 1812, Mexican Struggle, The Conuty's Part in the Late War, Great Men .. 277

CHAPTER X .- Delaware Township, Introduction, Stratford, Settlement, Founding of the City, The War Period, Growth . of Business, Scciety, The Byxbe Family .. 310

. CHAPTER XI .- Delaware City, Extensiones, Population, Fi- nance, Internal Improvemente, City Organisation, Fire Department, Newspapers, Cemeteries. 331

CHAPTER XII .- Delaware City, Educationsl, High Schools and Seminaries, The Wesleyan, Biographical, Female Col- lege, Commercial Schoole. 362

CHAPTER XIII .- Delaware City, The Churches, Advance of Religion, The Presbyterian, Other Churches, Freemasonry, Other Secret Societies. 389

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

CHAPTER XIV .- Liberty Townahlp, Prahistoric Races, Their Ralics; Early Settlamant, Indians, Pionaar Improvements, Mille, Bridges, atc .; Civilization, Villages .. 412

CHAPTER XV .- Berkshire Township, Its Physical Features, Settlement of the Whitea, Pioneer Industrias, Progress of Civilization, Educational, The Villagea ... 428

CHAPTER XVI .- Berlin Township, Descriptive, Early Settle- mant, The Indiana, Pioneer Journeys, Incidents of Draka's Defeat, Life in the Wooda, Churchea, atc. 451

CHAPTER XVII .- Orange Township, The Morton Colony, Other Settlements, Early Militia, The War of 1812, Frontier Privations, Roads, Educational and Religious ... 468

CHAPTER XVIII .- Scioto Townahip, Daacriptive, The Pio- naars, Early Christianity, Modern Religion, Schoola, War Racord, The Villages 482

CHAPTER XIX .- Concord Township, Physical Featurea, Sat- tlement, Early Industriea, Religion and Education, Sul- phur Springs, The Haunted House, Villagas. .....

491

CHAPTER XX .- Radnor Townahip, The Welsh Pioneers, Their Language, Indiana, Educational, "The Seven Churches" of Radnor, Sunday-School Hiatory, Delhi and . Other Towna ... 502

CHAPTER XXI .- Marlborough Townahip, Its Early Settle- ment, Plonear Days, Facts and Incidenta, Progress of Civilization, Educational, Christianity, Old Forts, Tha Towna. 512

CHAPTER XXII .- Troy Township, Description and Topog- raphy, Early Timas, The Firat Settlers, The Maioa, Early Industries, Churchaa, etc .; Political .. 523

CHAPTER XXIII .- Oxford Township, Topographical and Da- scriptive, Early Settlements, Frontier Privationa, Educa- tion and Religion, Villages. 537

CHAPTER XXIV .- Thompson Township, Description, The Pioneers, Their Settlement, Improvements, Christianity and Education, Political, Hamlets, Etc .. 543

CHAPTER XXV .- Brown Township, Introduction, The Salt Reservation, Indians, Coming of the Palefaces, Privations, Marriages, Deatha, etc .; County Charities, Towns ............. 551

CHAPTER XXVI .- Kingston Township, Description, Sattle- ment, Virginia School District, Raligioua and Sunday- achool History, Education, Politics. 560

CHAPTER XXVII .- Porter Townahip, Introductory, Pioneer Settlements, Frontier Sufferings, Industriea, Schoole, Churchea, etc .... 575

CHAPTER XXVIII .- Trenton Township, A Change of Name, Description, Early Settlement, Improvements, Progress of Civilization, The Railroad ... 587

PAGE. 1

CHAPTER XXIX .- Harlam Township, Topography, Military

Lands, Colonization, Jonathan Thompson, An Incident,

Mills, Roads, atc .; Towns ..

593

CHAPTER XXX .- Genoa Township, Physical Features, Inci-

dents, Settlament, Pionaar Industriea, Church Aunals,

Schools, Maxwell Corners ..

601

PART THIRD.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Berkshire Townahip.

678

Berlin Townahip.

697

Brown Township.

808

Concord Township.

741

Delaware Townahip.

613

Genoa Townahip.

847

Harlem Township.

837

Kingston Township.

817

Liberty Township.

653

Marlborough Towaahip

766

Orange Township.

706

Oxford Townahip.

785

Porter Townahip

819

Radnor Townahip.

750

Scieto Township.

720

Trenton Township

827

Thompson Townahip.

800

Troy Township

770

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PORTRAITS.

Bariholomaw, Major ..

423

Carpenter, James.

171

Hayes, President R. B. 135

Hills, R.

225

Leonard, George.

369

Money, Nicholas.

477

Money, Jamas W.

513

Potter, Israel.

549

Powell, T. W

315

VIEWS.

Delaware County Court House.

207

Delaware County Jail.

243

Missing Page

HISTORY OF OHIO.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY -TOPOGRAPHY - GEOLOGY -PRIMITIVE-RACES - ANTIQUITIES -INDIAN TRIBES.

T present State of Ohio, comprising an extent of country 210 miles north and south, 220 miles east and west, in length and breadth- 25,576,969 acres-is a part of the Old Northwest Territory. This Territory embraced all of the present States of Ohio, Indiana; Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and so much of Minnesota as lies east of the Mississippi River. It became a corporate existence soon after the formation of the Virginia Colony, and when that colony took on the dignity of State government it became a county thereof, whose exact outline was unknown. The county embraced in its limits more territory than is com- prised in all the New England and Middle States, and was the largest county ever known in the United States. It is watered by the finest system of rivers on the globe; while its inland seas are without a parallel. Its entire southern boundary is traversed by the beautiful Ohio, its western by the majestic Mississippi, and its northern and a part of its eastern are bounded by the fresh-water lakes, whose clear waters preserve an even temper- ature over its entire surface. Into these reservoirs of commerce flow innumerable streams of limpid water, which come from glen and dale, from mountain and valley, from forest and prairie-all avenues of health, commerce and prosperity. Ohio is in the best part of this territory-south of its river are tropical hcats; north of Lake Erie are polar snows and a polar climate.

The territory comprised in Ohio has always re- mained the same. Ohio's history differs somewhat from other States, in that it was never under Ter- ritorial government. When it was created, it was made a State, and did not pass through the stage incident to the most of other States, i. e., exist as a Territory before being advanced to the powers of

a State. Such was not the case with the other States of the West; all were Territories, with Terri- torial forms of government, ere they became States.

Ohio's boundaries are, on the north, Lakes Erie and Michigan ; on the west, Indiana; on the south, the Ohio River, separating it from Kentucky; and, on the east, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is situated between 38° 25' and 42º north latitude; and 80° 30' and 84° 50' west longitude from Greenwich, or 3º 30' and 7º 50' west from Washington. Its greatest length, from north to south, is 210 miles; the extreme width, from east to west, 220 miles. Were this an exact out- line, the area of the State would be 46,200 square milcs, or 29,568,000 acres ; as the outlines of the State are, however, rather irregular, the area is estimated at 39,964 square miles, or 25,576,960 acres. In the last census-1870-the total num- ber of acres in Ohio is given as 21,712,420, of which 14,469,132 acres are improved, and 6,883,- 575 acres are woodland. By the last statistical report of the State Auditor, 20,965,3713 acres are reported as taxable lands. This omits many acres untaxable for various reasons, which would make the estimate, 25,576,960, nearly correct.

The face of the country, in Ohio, taken as a whole, presents the appearance of an extensive monotonous plain. It is moderately undulating but not mountainous, and is excavated in places by the streams coursing over its surface, whose waters have forced a way for themselves through cliffs of sandstone rock, leaving abutments of this material in bold outline. There are no mountain ranges, geological uplifts or peaks. A low ridge enters the State, near the northeast corner, and crosses it in a south westerly direction, emerging near the inter- section of the 40th degree of north latitude with

HISTORY OF OHIO.

the western boundary of the State. This " divide" separates the lake and Ohio River waters, and main- tains an elevation of a little more than thirteen hundred feet above the level of the ocean. The highest part is in Richland County, at the south- east corner, where the elevation is 1,390 feet.

North of this ridge the surface is generally level, with a gentle inclination toward the lake, the ine- qualities of the surface being caused by the streams which empty into the lake. The central part of Ohio is almost, in general, a level plain, about one thousand feet above the level of the sea, slightly inclining south ward. The Southern part of the State is rather hilly, the valleys growing deeper as they incline toward the great valley of the Ohio, which is several hundred feet below the general level of the State. In the southern counties, the surface is generally diversified by the inequalities produced by the excavating power of the Ohio River and its tributaries, exercised through long periods of time. There are a few prairies, or plains, in the central and northwestern parts of the State, but over its greater portion originally existed im- mense growths of timber.

The " divide," or water-shed, referred to, between the waters of Lake Erie and the Ohio River, is less elevated in Ohio than in New York and Penn- sylvania, though the difference is small. To a per- son passing over the State in a balloon, its surface presents an unvarying plain, while, to one sailing down the Ohio River, it appears mountainous. On this river are bluffs ranging from two hundred and fifty to six hundred feet in height. As one ascends the tributaries of the river, these bluffs diminish in height until they become gentle uudu- lations, while toward the sources of the streams, in the central part of the State, the banks often become low and marshy.

The principal rivers are the Ohio, Muskingum, Scioto and Miami, on the southern slope, emptying into the Ohio; on the northern, the Maumee, Sandusky, Huron and Cuyahoga, emptying into' Lake Erie, and, all but the first named, entirely in Ohio.

The Ohio, the chief river of the State, and from which it derives its name, with its tributaries, drains a country whose area is over two hundred thousand square miles in extent, and extending from the water-shed to Alabama. The river was first dis- covered by La Salle in 1669, and was by him nav- igated as far as the Falls, at Louisville, Ky. It is formed by the junction of the Alleghany and Monongahela rivers, in Pennsylvania, whose waters

unite at Pittsburgh. The entire length of the river, from its source to its mouth, is 950 miles, though by a straight line from Pittsburgh to Cairo, it is only 615 miles. Its current is very gentle, hardly three miles per hour, the descent being only five inches per mile. At high stages, the rate of the current increases, and at low stages decreases. Sometimes it is barely two miles per hour. The average range between high and low water mark is fifty feet, although several times the river has risen more than sixty feet above low water mark. At the lowest stage of the river, it is fordable many places between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. The river abounds in islands, some of which are exceed- ingly fertile, and noted in the history of the West. Others, known as "tow-heads," are simply deposits of sand.

The Scioto is one of the largest inland streams in the State, and is one of the most beautiful riv- ers. It rises in Hardin County, flows southeast- erly to Columbus, where it receives its largest affluent, the Olentangy or Whetstone, after which its direction is southerly until it enters the Ohio at Portsmouth .. It flows through one of the rich- est valleys in the State, and has for its compan- ion the Ohio and Erie Canal, for a distance of ninety miles. Its tributaries are, besides the Whet- stone, the Darby, Walnut and Paint Creeks.

The Muskingum River is formed by the junc- tion of the Tuscarawas and Waldhoning Rivers, which rise in the northern part of the State and unite at Coshocton. From the junction, the river flows in a southeastern course about one hundred miles, through a rich and populous valley, to the Ohio, at Marietta, the oldest settlement in the State. At its outlet, the. Muskingum is over two hundred yards wide. By improvements, it has been made navigable ninety-five miles above Mari- etta, as far as Dresden, where a side cut, three miles long, unites its waters with those of the Ohio Canal. All along this stream exist, in abundant profusion, the remains of an ancient civiliza- tion, whose history is lost in the twilight of antiq- uity. Extensive mounds, earthworks and various fortifications, are everywhere to be found, inclosing a mute history as silent as the race that dwelt here and left these traces of their evistence. The same may be said of all'the other valleys in Ohio.

The Miami River -. the scenes of many exploits in pioneer days-rises in Hamlin County, near the headwaters of the Scioto, and runs southwesterly, to the Ohio, passing Troy, Dayton and Hamilton. It is a beautiful and rapid stream, flowing through

HISTORY OF OHIO.

a highly productive and populous valley, in which limestone and hard timber are abundant. Its total length is about one hundred and fifty miles.

The Maumee is the largest river in the northern part of Ohio. It rises in Indiana and flows north- easterly, into Lake Erie. About eighty miles of its course are in Ohio. It is navigable as far as Perrysburg, eighteen miles from its mouth. The other rivers north of the divide are all small, rapid-running streams, affording a large amount of good water-power, much ntilized by mills and man- ufactories.

A remarkable feature of the topography of Ohio is its almost total absence of natural lakes or ponds. A few very small ones are found near the water-shed, but all too small to be of any practical value save as watering-places for stoek.

Lake Erie, which forms nearly all the northern boundary of the State, is next to the last or lowest of America's "inland seas." It is 290 miles long, and 57 miles wide at its greatest part. There are no islands, except in the shallow water at the west end, and very few bays. The greatest depth of the lake is off Long Point, where the water is 312 feet deep. The shores are principally drift-clay or hard-pan, upon which the waves are continually eneroaching. At Cleveland, from the first sur- vey, in 1796, to 1842, the eneroachment was 218 feet along the entire eity front. The entire coast is low, seldom rising above fifty feet at the water's edge. .

Lake Erie, like the others, has a variable sur- face, rising and falling with the seasons, like great rivers, called the " annual fluctuation," and a gen- eral one, embracing a series of years, due to mete- orological causes, known as the "secular fluctua- tion." Its lowest known level was in February, 1819, rising more or less each year, until June, 1838, in the extreme, to six feet eight inches.

Lake Erie has several excellent harbors in Ohio, among which are Cleveland, Toledo, Sandusky, Port Clinton and Ashtabula. Valuable improve- ments have been made in some of these, at the expense of the General Government. In 1818, the first steamboat was launched on the lake. Owing to the Falls of Niagara, it could go no farther east than the outlet of Niagara River. Since then, however, the opening of the Welland Canal, in Canada, allows vessels drawing not more than ten feet of water to pass from one lake to the other, greatly facilitating navigation.

As early as 1836, Dr. S. P. Hildreth, Dr. John Locke, Prof. J. H. Riddle and Mr. I. A. Lapham,

were appointed a committee by the Legislature of Ohio to report the "best method of obtaining a complete geological survey of the State, and an estimate of the probable cost of the same." In the preparation of their report, Dr. Hildreth examined the coal-measures in the southeastern part of the State, Prof. Riddle and Mr. Lapham made exam- inations in the western and northern counties, while Dr. Loeke devoted his attention to chemical analyses. These investigations resulted in the presentation of much valuable information con- cerning the mineral resources of the State and in a plan for a geological survey. In accordance with the recommendation of this Committee, the Legislature, in 1837, passed a bill appropriating $12,000 for the prosecution of the work during the next year. The Geological Corps appointed consisted of W. W. Mather, State Geologist, with Dr. Hildreth, Dr. Locke, Prof. J. P. Kirtland, J. W. Foster, Charles Whittlesey and Charles Briggs, Jr., Assistants. The results of the first year's work appeared in 1838, in an octavo volume of 134 pages, with contributions from Mather, Hildreth, Briggs, Kirtland and Whittlesey. In 1838, the Legislature ordered the continuance of the work, and, at the close of the year, a second report, of 286 pages, oetavo, was issued, containing contribu- tions from all the members of the survey.

Succeeding Legislatures failed to provide for a continuance of the work, and, save that done by private means, nothing was accomplished till 1869, when the Legislature again took up the work. In the interim, individual enterprise had done much. In 1841, Prof. James Hall passed through the State, and, by his indentifieation of several of the formations with those of New York, for the first time fixed their geological age. The next year, he issued the first map of the geology of the State, in common with the geological maps of all the region between the Alleghanies and the Mississippi. Similar maps were published by Sir Charles Lyell, in 1845; Prof. Edward Hitchcock, in 1853, and by J. Mareon, in 1856. The first individual map of the geology of Ohio was a very small one, published by Col. Whittlesey, in 1848, in Howe's History. In 1856, he published a larger map, and, in 1865, another was issued by Prof. Nelson Sayler. In 1867, Dr. J. S. Newberry published a geological map and sketch of Ohio in the Atlas of the State issued by H. S. Stebbins. Up to this time, the geological knowledge was very general in its character, and, consequently, errone- ous in many of its details. Other States had been

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History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 1

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818