USA > Ohio > Medina County > Wadsworth > Wadsworth memorial; an account of the proceedings of the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the first settlement of the township of Wadsworth, Ohio > Part 1
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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00826 9844
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/wadsworthmemoria00brow_0
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL:
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CELE- BRATION OF THE SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWN- SHIP OF WADSWORTH, OHIO.
WITH THE
Addresses, Historical Papers, and Doems
PRESENTED ON THAT OCCASION. ALSO,
A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE HISTORY TO THE PRESENT TIME, WITH SKETCHES OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE ADJOINING TOWNSHIPS.
TO WHICH IS ANNEXED
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE MORE PROMINENT PIONEER SET- TLERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
BY EDWARD BROWN, A.M.
WADSWORTH: STEAM PRINTING HOUSE. 1875.
ENTERED ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS, IN THE YEAR 1875, BY EDWARD BROWN, A.M., IN THE OFFICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, AT WASHINGTON.
ERRATA.
Page 43, for Massiauga, read Massisauga. Page 64, last line, for west, read cast. Page 147, for Peter Mills, read Jedediah Mills. Page 174, line 16, for Jrown. read Brown. Page 182, biography of Cyrus Curtis, jr., time of arrival, for 1828, read 1823 ; for 47, years, read 50 years.
1254247 PREFACE.
The origin of this, as will be perceived, was in the de- sire of the people to perpetuate the memory of the early settlement of the town and its immediate surroundings. With this object in view the sixtieth anniversary of the first settlement was settled upon as the time for a re-union of such of the old pioneers as could be got together, in a general celebration. It was also contemplated that the proceedings of that occasion should be published in pant- phlet form, with brief sketches of some of the more prom- inent of the pioneer settlers. After the close of the anni- versary, the addresses, poems, and papers of the occasion were arranged for publication and left for the work to be completed, while I returned to Minnesota. In the mean- time, I had received a call to the pastorate of the Congre- gational church of Wadsworth, which after my return I decided to accept, and moved here in August. On arrival I found that no steps had been taken towards publication. I then decided to put the whole into a book of larger form, with more extended biographical sketches and a con- tinued history down to the present time, to be bound in substantial form, so as to be preserved for future years, and publishing it at my own expense. I have experi- enced great difficulty in getting authentic records for the genealogical part, and regret to send it out so imper- fect; but enough is preserved to enable those interested to trace out their history, should any future occasion arise for doing so. Such records, of course, are not given as interesting reading, and belong rather to an appendix than to the work itself. Yet occasionally an incident of inter- est in the history of an individual. as it came to my knowl- edge, has been inserted. It has been my especial care in
PREFACE.
RII cases to exclude everything that might wound the feel- ings of any old citizens, or of their children or descend- ants. I can not speak in too strong terms of reprehension of the practice of some who have pretended to give pio- neer histories or anecdotes, of picking up old rumors and irresponsible gossip against men who have for forty or fif- ty years slept in honored graves, against whom in their lifetime the tongue of slander dare not move ; men whose works will follow them in blessings long after the memory of those who, hyena-like, would dig into their graves to feast on their failings, shall have perished.
In preparing this work, I acknowledge my obligations to Mr. Northrop's History of Medina County, the Wads- worth Directory, Whittlesy's History of Cleveland, the sketches published in the Wadsworth Enterprise by Aaron Pardee, George Lyman, Albert Hinsdale and Benjamin Dean; to Judge Allen Pardee, of Wadsworth, Charles Coe, Esq., of Norton, and Judge Henry Hosmer, N. B. Eastman, and Waters Harris, of Guilford, for valuable in- formation. In justice to myself I would further add that in the account of the first appearance of white men in Wads- worth. and the origin of names, the compilers of the Me- dina County Atlas saw fit to avail themselves of my orig- mal discoveries, and copy my language as given in former letters in the Enterprise and repeated in the address, without, as honorable men should have done, giving me credit therefor; and that with the knowledge, on their part. that I was embodying the same in this work ; thus making me appear as a copyist from them of an item of history of which I was the only person living who knew the fact and could give it to the world, and compelling me reluctantly to publish the fact, or lie under the same impu- tation. Hoping my imperfect efforts may perpetuate the memory of the worthy dead, and bless the living, I submit this work to an indulgent public. E. BROWN.
Wadsworth, Ohio, Apr. 20th, 1875.
INTRODUCTORY.
Should any apology be deemed necessary for throwing upon the world another book, in this age when most em- phatically is it true that "of making of books there is no end," especially one on a theme of so little interest to the world at large as the history of a township, or the annals of a country village, when the histories of nations and kingdoms and imperial cities find comparatively few read- ers ; when it is certain of only a limited circulation, never to be reprinted, and but few copies be seen beyond the lifetime of one generation, my answer is: For this very reason. The world is burdened with general histories. We read them, and think we know the people of whom they treat. But we know only the history of those who least represent a people. The few great ones. The top- .most waves of the great ocean of humanity ; and soon the mind wearies with the endless round of wars and revolu- tions, of successions and dynasties. The names of kings and emperors become a tiresome catalogue, and we lay down the volume of general history and take up some work of historic fiction, that deals with some of the every-day scenes, and read it with a zest the dry historic page never afforded, because it comes home to real life. American his- tory has an autonomy differing essentially from that of the "old world. It is not the history of a race, but of commu- nities. Not of chieftains, warriors, and kings, but of the people. It runs not back to mythological fables, like those of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, nor to the semi-fictitious tra- ditions of barbaric races, like those of Northern Europe, itor to invading armies who have driven off or enslaved a former people, and created artificial grades in society, but i's all within the compass of authentic history. No hazy
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
background of uncertainty, but the sharp outlines of facts recorded at the time ; history setting up and stereotyping itself as it passes along.
It is the history of manhood left to develop itself in its normal method. Mind asserting and maintaining its su- premacy over matter. Man taking the dominion of the world, as originally intended by the Creator. Each within himself a lord, walking erect in the conscious dignity of the divine image. Men, no longer mere creatures of cir- cumstances, like the serfs and peasants of the Eastern Hem- isphere, ground into nothingness between the upper and nether millstones of an artificial and false social system, but making their own circumstances. The ground swell of rising humanity breaking up the stagnant sea, and moving forward the rising wave of a new civilization, destined in its course to sweep the whole earth, and prepare a new soil where a new order of things may spring up and grow.
American history begins not with a nation, but with small communities. No invading armies or barbarous hoards overrunning a land, but here and there a shipload of peaceful immigrants, coming to found, not find, a new or- der of things. Not to receive, but to make a country. The primitive settlement grows into the town, the town into the county, the county into the State, and the State into the nation. The social compact signed voluntarily in the cabin of the immigrant ship, grows into the town ordinance, the town ordinance into the county regulation, the county reg- ulation into the State law, and the State laws into the national constitution. Thus a country, a people, and a na- tion form themselves on the Creator's model-the germ. the blade, the developing and matured fruit.
Our true history, then, is the history of settlements, the growth of towns, the enlargement of communities ; and it is becoming a great and advancing nation, that each com- munity of enterprising, intelligent, and moral people should feel a pride in perpetuating its history ; to be able
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INTRODUCTORY.
to show the part they have had in creating and enlarging this grandest domain of the race of kingly men. A peo- ple who have a history preserved, to which they can refer with pleasure to prove their noble birth, not through some heraldic coat of arms, to show the rank in a plundering army that spoiled a country, their ancestors held, but by pointing to what their fathers did to found and develop their institutions. A godlike nobility, founded and per- petuated in the dignity of independent, honest labor, can never be enslaved. The best legacy we can leave to our country, then, is such histories, ennobling honest toil and thrift, and saying to our children : Like your fathers be- fore you, make yourselves and your fortunes, and then you will know that they are made.
Such records are also valuable as way-marks to note the progress of our country, and the march of improvement. To show the toils and privations then undergone to clear up a wilderness, and people a continent with a civilized and enlightened race, while as yet none of the modern im- provements in facilities for trade, or transportation, or communication existed ; when manufactures were in their crude state, when the resources of the people were taxed, often to the utmost, to procure the necessaries of life, fore- going or ignoring its luxuries.
The heroic age of emigration has passed away. With the continent spanned by railroads, by means of which the journey over the same spaces is now counted in hours, that required weeks for the pioneer to accomplish ; when the emigrant can, if he wishes, carry his house ready framed to put up on his arrival (as has already been done on the vast Western plains).' When there is no longer a frontier ; when what was then a vast, but unknown wilder- ness, is now divided up into States containing more inhabi- tants than were then counted in the whole United States, with cities, even, more populous than any city upon the continent at that period ; when church-spires are rising
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
from the Atlantic to the Pacific; when the man not yet at- tained to three-score years, who received the rudiments of his education in the log schoolhouse, upon the very con- fines of civilization, now, a thousand miles beyond, sends. his children to the public school in a grand structure costing upwards of fifty thousand dollars; when indeed, in the lifetime of one generation, "the old has passed away and all things have become new ;" and so great are the changes from the old order of things that we seem to have become antiquarians when we recount what befel in our earlier years. Let the early history of each town and settlement, then, be preserved in enduring records, before the generation that were eye-witnesses of its events have passed away. Before they have become lost. or exaggera- ted by uncertain tradition.
Such records become more and more valuable with each decade; while the old landmarks are fast disappearing, and the receding past has become but a dim background to. the more beautiful picture of the future .. Whether the book is or is not read with interest now, it will be in the future. Some old copy, gathered up, perhaps, from neg- lected rubbish, may gladden the hearts of an unborn gen- eration, when they find the names of their ancestors there, and read the authentic record of their acts, and their worth in society. This thought is itself an inspiration that affords a compensation, whatever may be the present ap- preciation of the work.
WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
To those who have seen the wave of emigration moving forward across the prairies of the interior, the vast plains, and the Rocky Mountains, at the rate of a hundred miles a year, villages, and even cities, springing up through the impatience of speculation, before even the breaking-plow has turned up the virgin soil, the progress of settlements in the first quarter of this century must seem very slow.
The first settlement of the Connecticut Western Reserve commenced about the beginning of the century. A few settlements were formed in what was then Trumbull coun- ty, now Trumbull, Ashtabula, Lake, Geauga, Cuyahoga, Portage, and Summit. But though the eastern part of Summit county had a few sparse settlements as early as 1800, the whole of Medina county, and all west of it except an old French trading post at Sandusky, was an unbroken forest till 1811; and Wadsworth (the third settled town- ship of the county) till the year 1814. This township (No. 1 of range 13 in the Western Reserve) is bounded on the south by the parallel of 41º N. L., and lies about 30 miles south of the city of Cleveland. Its land is said to be in some points the highest in the State. The surface rolling ; the eastern and northern portion originally covered with a heavy growth of oak, chestnut, whitewood, and beech ; abounding in springs and small brooks of clear water ; and in all parts in quarries of sandstone grit, making the best of building material. A large portion of the township is underlain with mines of a superior quality of bituminous coal, a part of which are opened and worked, and probably much more yet unexplored.
The village of Wadsworth, at the center of the township, was first projected by Frederick Brown, who built the first house upon what now constitutes the corporation. The
-
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
second was built by Levi Blakeslee; the third by Harry Richards; the fourth by Sherman Loomis. The village now contains about 275 dwelling houses. But of these improvements, and the growth of the place, we shall speak hereafter.
In November, 1871, the compiler of this, who was reared from infancy to manhood in the place, and left for what was then the far West in 1840, for the first time since his exit made a short visit to his carly home. At the request of surviving friends, on his return to Minnesota he wrote a series of articles for the Wadsworth Enterprise, entitled " Memories of my early home." In the last article, he pro- posed to the present inhabitants that they should observe the sixtieth anniversary of the settlement of the township by a public meeting of the citizens, not only of Wads- worth, but of the adjoining townships that in the olden time made up the community of which Wadsworth was the center, and a re-union of the old pioneers of what was then the settlement. This was heartily responded to, and the compiler, then a resident of Medford, Minnesota, was invited to be present, and deliver a historical address, and on the Sabbath following, to preach a memorial ser- mon giving its religious history, to be published in a book with biographical sketches of the early settlers.
The 17th of March, the true anniversary, being in too cold a season for an out-door meeting to accommodate the crowds anticipated, the celebration was appointed to com- mence on the 28th day of May, and continue till the close of the Sabbath following.
The details of this interesting celebration will be given as prepared and published by Mr. John A. Clark, in the Wadsworth Enterprise. The particulars of the first set- tlement will be found in connection with the proceedings of the pioneer celebration.
In the Enterprise for March 5, 1874, the first preliminary meeting is noted as follows :
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
The primary meeting we suggested to take steps in the pione er movement, was quite largely attended Saturday evening, and was particularly noticeable from the large number of old men present. The meeting effected a tem- porary organization by calling Judge Allen Pardee to the chair, and electing E. G. Loomis Secretary.
Three letters, written by Rev. E. Brown to citizens of this place, were read, and gave the key-note to business. On motion, a committee of three, consisting of E. G. Loo- mis, Orlando Beach, and Frank Mills, was appointed to report officers for a permanent organization, and presented the following :
FOR PRESIDENT: JUDGE ALLEN PARDEE.
VICE PRESIDENTS:
Wadsworth. GEORGE LYMAN, GEORGE RASOR, BENJAMIN TYLER, CYRUS CURTIS, DAVID ETTINGER.
Akron. GEORGE MILLER, SHERMAN BLOCKER, ALMON BROWN, CHAUNCEY HART.
Guilford. DAVID WILSON, HENRY HOSMER, THOMAS COLBURN.
Norton. CHARLES COE, ABRAHAM BETTS, PETER WALTZ.
Medina. T. S. BENNETT, M. Ç. HILLS,
Sharon.
HIRAM HAYDEN.
Weymouth. ERASTUS BROWN.
Hiram. JAMES NEWCOMB.
Coventry. CALEB BATTLES.
Huntington. LORENZO BAUGHMAN.
Rockford, Ill. COL. NORMAN CURTIS.
Bloomington, Ill. ORIN LOOMIS.
Eureka, Ill. AUGUSTUS PARDEE.
Blairstown, Iowa. BENJAMIN DEAN.
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
SECRETARY : AARON PARDEE. COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
ORLANDO BEACH, E. G. LOOMIS,
DR. C. N. LYMAN,
JOHN A. CLARK,
FRANK MILLS, AARON PARDEE, JOHN LYTLE.
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY : AARON PARDEE. FIELD MARSHAL: CAPT. H. A. MILLS.
The report was adopted. It was suggested that a com- mittee of old Wadsworth citizens be appointed to invite back all former citizens, and the following were appointed :
ALLEN PARDEE, W. M. EYLES, O. BEACH,
WM. FREEBORN, SOLOMON EVERHARD, ADAM EVERHARD, A. L. SIMMONS, WM. BROUSE,
GEORGE LYMAN,
GEORGE RASOR,
PHILO MILLS,
GEORGE MILLER,
AARON PARDEE,
JOHN WALL,
L. N. HARD,
LEVI BAUGHMAN,
CYRUS CURTIS,
JOHN HUNT,
ALEXANDER TURNER,
JOHN R. LONG,
BENJAMIN TYLER,
DAVID GUNSAULIS,
ALBERT HINSDALE,
DAVID WALTZ,
WM. C. PHELPS, J. B. CAMPBELL.
JOHN BAUGHMAN,
The committee was instructed to invite the presence of Rev. E. Brown to participate in the proceedings, and pre- pare a history of the township, with biographical sketches of all the pioneers, to be published in book form.
Subscriptions were then called for, and responded to by nearly $200 by those present, showing that the feeling is not merely superficial, but reaches clear down into the pock- et. The committee should not stop much short of $1,000, for we must expect all these visitors to be our guests, and they must be fed on the tat of the land, and conveyed to all points of interest, and among those will be their old farms,
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
in carriages, which, together with the publication of the proposed book, and other necessary expenses, will take money.
The time for the meeting was then discussed, and finally fixed to begin on the 28th day of May (Thursday), and close on Sunday. The interval to be filled by an old folks' concert, visits, a show of the present generation, perhaps by school districts, etc.
The executive committee was instructed to appoint any sub-committees they may deem necessary, and take such steps as they deem proper to make the occasion a grand success. Adjourned to the call of the executive committee amid the best of feeling.
The sub-committees and a general programme will be announced next week. The executive committee will meet at the Town Hall on Saturday evening to make the arrangements.
In the number for March 12 is the further notice :
The committee of arrangements have had several meet- ings the past week, and have appointed some committees and arranged the following outline of a programme :
1ST DAY, THURSDAY, MAY 28.
1. National salute at sunrise.
2. At 9 o'clock A. M. the procession will commence form- ing, and at 10 o'clock march to the grove, with music, flags, etc.
3. Historical oration at grove, by Rev. E. Brown, of Minnesota.
4. Basket dinner.
5. Short speeches, toasts and sentiments, historical inci- dents, etc.
6. Exhibition of historical relics, together with remarks in relation thereto.
7. Re-form and march to village.
In the evening there will be a grand display of fire- works, with music, guns, etc.
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
2D DAY, FRIDAY, MAY 29.
The old pioneers will be waited upon with carriages, and taken to their old farms, and any other points of interest, for the purpose of showing them the Wadsworth of to-day. In the evening, a grand old-folks' concert will be held, at which the old customs of our fathers will be presented by the pioneers of Wadsworth.
3D DAY, SATURDAY, MAY 30.
On Saturday, at 1 o'clock P. M., the old pioneers will give a general reception at one of the churches.
4TH DAY, SUNDAY, MAY 31.
At 1012 o'clock A. M. Rev. Edward Brown, of Minnesota, will deliver a memorial sermon to the old pioneers. At 2 o'clock P. M. an old-fashioned Deacons' meeting will be held at the Congregational church, after which the final good-bye will be spoken.
The committee of invitation issued and sent forth the following circular letter :
GREAT PIONEER MEETING!
SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SETTLEMENT OF WADSWORTH.
The undersigned, acting as a committee for themselves and all the old residents and their descendants now living in Wadsworth, extend to you a cordial invitation to be with us on
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1874,
The sixtieth anniversary of the settlement of Wadsworth, called to revive old recollections, and renew old acquaint- an ces. We hope to see every old pioneer now living, wherever scattered abroad, present on that occasion. Many have already given assurance that they will be pres- ent if alive. We also invite all the Mothers, Wives, Sis- ters, Daughters, Fathers, Husbands, Sons, and descendants of the old pioneers, and all their friends, assuring them of a most cordial welcome. Arrangements will be made for the accommodation of all who will favor us with their presence. Let each one bring with him any interesting
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
relic, heirloom, or memento of old times or old settlers of Wadsworth he may have in his possession.
We desire to add to our present stock of materials for the early history of the township, a biography of each old resident, containing the date and place of his birth, and all such other facts as may be now known. Let each pioneer write out something, or cause it to be done, of history of himself or some other ; also facts, anecdotes, or what may be remembered of " AULD LANG SYNE." In the history we shall publish, we shall embody the names of all our guests, with an account of the proceedings of our Anni- versary Day ; also all such letters as may be received from old settlers unable to attend.
Come, then, old pioneers, and see the Wadsworth of to- day-witness the result of your labors, cheer us by your presence and help us to make it a gala-day. We expect one of the largest meetings of the kind ever held, and hope to have a good time generally. Please write to us on re- ceipt of this, and assure us of your presence if possible ; and if not, write anyway. Address Corresponding Sec- retary.
ALLEN PARDEE, W. M. EYLES, O. BEACH,
GEORGE LYMAN,
GEORGE RASOR,
PHILO MILLS,
WM. FREEBORN, SOLOMON EVERHARD, ADAM EVERHARD, A. L. SIMMONS, WM. BROUSE, GEORGE MILLER,
AARON PARDEE,
JOHN WALL, LEVI BAUGHMAN,
L. N. HARD, CYRUS CURTIS,
JOHN HUNT,
ALEXANDER TURNER,
JOHN R. LONG,
BENJAMIN TYLER, ALBERT HINSDALE,
DAVID GUNSAULIS,
DAVID WALTZ,
WM. C. PHELPS, J. B. CAMPBELL,
JOHN BAUGHMAN,
Committee of Invitation. AARON PARDEE, Corresponding Secretary.
Wadsworth, O., March 2, 1874.
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WADSWORTH MEMORIAL.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE PIONEER MEETING.
For several weeks the people of Wadsworth had been making preparations to receive the carly settlers of the township, and give them a rousing reception. The time slowly approached, and occasionally an old settler came in to look over the scenes of his childhood, before the day ar- rived. The day previous to the celebration, quite a large number arrived, and on the 28th many more came, stran- gers to almost all, yet warmly attached to the old, old home. They looked with astonishment upon the Wadsworth of to- day, and could scarcely realize that here is where they heard the dreary howl of the wolf, and saw the panting deer chased by the early hunter. Here was the scene of their early trials and hardships ; here they spent the prime of their lives, and here to-day they shed the tear of joy.
Thursday, May 28th, opened clear and warm. At an early hour teams began to come in from the country, and by 10 o'clock the streets began to assume a crowded ap- pearance.
The hour having nearly arrived for the grove exercises, Marshal Mills and his assistants formed the procession in the following order :
1. Wadsworth Cornet Band.
2. President, Orator, and Vice Presidents of the day.
3. Pioneers in wagons and on foot.
4. Wadsworth Union school, followed by the various districts in the township.
5. Citizens on foot and in carriages-the latter number- ing 190.
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