USA > Ohio > Butler County > A history and biographical cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio, with illustrations and sketches of its representative men and pioneers. Vol. 1 > Part 69
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Isaac Stanley also kept a tavern in an old log house in the upper part of the town, which stood on lot No. 162, on Front Street. He was a justice of the peace as well as a tavern keeper, and kept his office in the bar- room. (the only room in the house, except a little log hut standing back, occupied as a kitchen). Here he dis- peused justice and whisky for several years.
A store was kept by John Sutherland, on Front Street, between Stable and Dayton Streets.
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Messrs. Joseph Hough and Thomas Blair had a store near the south-west corner of the public square. It was kept in an ohl log house standing ou the lot now owned by the Catholic Church. John Reily, the clerk of the court, kept his office in a log house in the lower part of the town, as mentioned in a previous chapter. Azarias Thorn lived on lot No. 9, in the lower part of the town. After his death the same house was owned and occupied by Oliver Stevens. Mrs. Greer lived in a log house,
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isolated, in the brushy wood near the north-east corner of Second and High Streets.
Widow Davis lived in a very old log house which stood on the corner of the alley and Front Street. Bar- ney MeCarron lived in a cabin in the south part of the town.
Doctor Daniel Millikin, the only physician in the place, lived in a house on the bank of the river, above Major Murray's Tavern. In the same neighborhood also lived James Heaton, Isaac Wiles, George Snyder, Wil- liam Herbert, and George Harlan, with, perhaps, some others.
William Corry, the only lawyer in the place, kept his office in the same building with the clerk of the court. Several other lawyers, however, regularly attended the courts at Hamilton. At that time, nearly all that part of Hamilton lying east of Front Street was an impene- trable thicket, covered with small, serubby oaks, black- jacks, vines, and hazel bushes. True, paths and roads were in some places cut through them, to admit a free passage, but, aside from these, underbrush was so thick that it was only in some places a person could make his way through them, or see a rabbit at the distance of a few paces. This was then the case from: Sutherland's Corner to the Hamilton Hotel, and castwardly to where the canal now is, and southwardly as far as the town lots extend.
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At that time it was common to meet with Indians in the streets of Hamilton almost every day, who came to trade their furs and peltries with the storekeepers. In 1808 a band of seventy or eighty Indians encamped in the lower part of Rossville, and remained more than a week. When they got liquor they frequently became in- toxicated, and were then very troublesome. One night, when a number of them were intoxicated, Mr. McBride took a seat on the bank of the river, concealed from their view, and remained a considerable time, watching the squaws taking the drunken Talians across the river, at the ford opposite the lower part of the town, to their camp, on the other side of the river. Two squaws wonld take hold of an Indian, one on each side, and conduct him across the stream, singing a slow, monotonous song as they waded through the water.
The improvements in Rossville were then still fewer than in Hamilton. There was a log house near where the west end of the bridge now is, occupied as a tavern and ferry-honse. It was kept by Colonel James Mills, afterwards by John Hall, and years afterward by Lewis P. Sayre. Michael Delorac kept a tavern and ferry. The tavern was kept in a house in what was then the upper part of Rossville.
Some years afterward Isaac Falconer built a house ou the corner of Main and Front Streets, where he kept a tavern many years. These, with two or three log honses in the lower part, comprehended the extent of improve- ment. Brashwood, elder bushes, and high weeds ocen-
pied the remaining part of the town. In those days it was customary at court time, and on elcetion and other public days, for great numbers of the people from the country to come to town, business or no business, andl to devote their time to drinking and noisy revelry. There were no temperance societies in those days. Every man who had any pretensions to gentility must be hail-fellow well met with every one-must at least cail for his half- pint of whisky, which, in the taverns, was then mcas- ured out to customers in small half-pint and gill green bottles, like vinegar eruets.
The upper part of the town of Hamilton, north of Dayton Street, was a beautiful natural prairie, unim- proved and uninclosed, except a few straggling cabins near the bank of the river, pastured by the town cows and sheep. The race-course was on this common. Though now fallen into disrepute, horse-racing was, in those times, a favorite amusement, and an affair of all- engrossing interest. Every business or pursuit was neg- lected during its continuance. On public days -- indeed, on almost every Saturday-the streets and commons in the upper part of the town were converted into race- paths. The race-course comprehended the common front Second to Fourth Streets. At Second Strect, a short distance north of where the Roman Catholic Church is now built, was erected a scaffold, elevated a little above the heads of the people, where stood the judges of the race.
On grand occasions the plain within the course and near it was occupied with temporary booths, erected with forks and covered with boughs, just cut and brought from the woods.
Here every thing was said, done, sold. eaten. and drank. Here was Black York, with his fiddle and his votaries, making the dust fly with a four-handed, or otherwise four-footed reel, and every fifteen or twenty minutes was a rush to some part or other to witness a fistieuff.
Amongst the bustling crowd of jockeys were assembled all grades and classes of' people, from the highest to the lowest. Justices of the peace and other civil officers of the county were there. Even judges of the court mingled with the crowd, and sometimes presided at those contests of speed between the ponies of the neighbor- hood. But public opinion has undergone a change. It. now attaches odiam to what in former times were re- garded as only venial errors.
Balls and dancing parties were frequent. Though the inhabitants of the town were few in number on these occasions, the youth and beauty of the county would assemble, and many a long Winter night did they stanse themselves " op the light, fantastic too." measuring time to the sweet strains of Vanzant's fiddle, until broad day- light would warn them that it was time to retire. These balls were generally held at Wingate's or Murray's tav- ern. Sometimes there were social dancing parties at
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the widow Davis's, but in times of sleighing they were always held at Mother Broadbury's, two miles from Hamilton, on the Cincinnati road, where Wilkeson Beaty formerly lived, in Section 35.
POPULATION.
The residents in Hamilton in 1810, according to the census, were 210, and those in Rossville, 84. The follow- ing list, therefore, must embrace all who were here in 1307, when Dr. Daniel Millikin and Samuel Millikin came to Hamilton.
John Reily was clerk of the courts, and agent for the proprietors of the town of Rossville ; John Sutherland was a storekeeper, as were Joseph Hough and Thomas Blair ; William Murray kept a hotel, and so did John Torrence and John Wingate; William McClellan kept a public house ; Lawrence Cavanaugh was a man of some means ; William Hubbert was a proprietor of the town of Rossville; Isaac Stanley kept a hotel ; John Greer was an associate judge, and James Heaton was the county surveyor. The other names from this side of the river were George Suider, Anderson Spencer, Thomas Spencer, Oliver · Stephens, Captain Azarias Thorn, Daniel Hill, Paul Ban- nell, William Riddle, Isaac Wiles, Gardner Vaughn, George Harlan, Mrs. Davis, Barnabas MeCarron, Mr. Hagan, and Hugh Wilson.
In Rossville, there were Michael Delorac, father of Alex- ander Delorac; John Aston, Robert Taylor, John Tay. . lor, John Hall, Isaac Moss, James Ross, Archibald Tal- bert, the ferryman; Moses Connor, Leonard Garver, Samuel Spivey, and Samuel Ayres. This gives twelve names for Rossville, and twenty-eight for Hamilton, which, at the usual rate of computation, would give for the pop- ulation of Rossville sixty persons, and for Hamilton, one hundred and forty.
The first marriage in Butler County, after its erection, was by Celadon Symmes, and the fortunate parties were Jacob Sample and Jane Hueston. This was on the 8th of September, 1803. Marriages had undoubtedly taken place before this, but they were under the jurisdiction of Hamilton County, and are there recorded, if anywhere ..
Mr. Birch came to Hamilton in 1810 or 1811. He first occupied the south room of the house now owned by Mrs. R. Tapscott, and which was built in 1810 by Joseph Hough, deceased. Subsequently, and before. the brew- ery was built, Mr. Birch resided in a small house built by himself on the west side of the road leading to Cin- cinnati, and some two hundred yards north of the pond. The old brewery was built about 1813 or 1814.
TAXATION.
It appears from the earliest tax duplicate that in 1804 fifty-eight lots were taxed in Hamilton. Benjamin F. Randolph had eighteen ; John Reily, Que ; Sutherland & Brown, five; John Sutherland, six; John Torrence, twelve; Azarias Thorn, two; Isane Wiles, thirteen; and
John Wingate, one. The lots of the last nameil four persons were taxed for two years, the total amount bring forty eents and a half. This would be at the rate of three-quarters of a cent a lot per year.
The "duplicate" for 1805 consists of about twelve pages of folio paper without rules, lives, or printed heads. While the paper is yellow from age, the ink is as clear and black as though it was fresh only yesterday from the ink-stand. On the back of the duplicate, in the bold handwriting of John Reily, is this indorsement : " A Du- plicate of Taxes on Land for the year 1805, amount- ing to dollars, 871.64.2."
The duplicate was divided into two parts: the first part containing the registry of non-resident land owners, and the second part the registry of those who were in possession. Of land owners the duplicate shows non- residents 64, owning 27,727 acres. Residents 310, own- ing 87,398 acres. Total 374, owning 117,125 acres. Among the largest non-resident land owners were Elias Boudinot, after whom Boudinot Street, First Ward, is named, who held 1,994 acres in sections 13, 14, 20, 21, and 25, in Lemon Township; Elijah Brush, 1,065, in sections 8, 9, 16, and 17, Lemon Township: John N. Cummins, 1,240 acres in Fairfield ; William H. Harri- . son, afterward President of the United States, 640 acres, all of section 33, Union Township; Henry Ray, 1,895 acres in St. Clair Township; Benjamin Scudder, who held 640 acres in sections 27 and 33 in Liberty Towa- ship, which is still owned in great part by his heirs; John Cleves Symmes, 640 acres in Fairfield Township; Jona- than Dayton, 2,130 acres in Liberty and Fairfield.
Of resident land owners, David Beatty held 885 acres in Fairfield and Hanover : Daniel Doty, 295 in Lemon; Samuel Dickey, of Prairie, 400 acres; and Samuel Diekey, of Elk Creek, 370 acres; Ralph W. Hunt, of Lemon, held 2,600 acres in Lemon ; Matthew Hueston, father-in law of Robert Harper, held 1,543 acres 'in Fair- field; Thomas Kyle held section 28, Lemon Township; Solomon Line hell 934 acres in Fairfield, Enos Potter held 640 aeres in sections 23 and 27, Lemon; Celadon Symmes held 4,631 acres in Fairfield; and Joel Will- iams held 2,505 acres in St. Clair and Ross. Land at that time was divided for taxation into three grades. What was called first quality was taxed $1 per 100 . acres ; second quality, 75 cents per 100 acres ; third quality, 50 cents per 100 aeres. There was of first qual- ity, 21,914 acres; second quality, 78,709 acres; and third quality, 16,502 acres; total, 117,125 acres; and the total taxes assessed on this land amounted to the enormous sum of $871.64.2.
The smallest tax on the duplicate was assessed against Jolin Reily, who held .: few lots in Hamilton, William -- burg, Cincinnati, and Deerfield. His tots in Hamilton embraced one acre of ground, and are now occupied in part by Colone! Campbell as a residence, and the entire tax on all of Mr. Reily's property for 1805 was two cents
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and seven mills! The largest resident tax payer was Cel- adon Symmes, $21.67.9; after him, Joel Williams, $18.54; then Samuel Dick, $18.07, on 3,703 acres in what is now Ross; next, John N. Cummins, $15.81.
CORPORATION AND TOWN COUNCIL.
The town of Hamilton was incorporated by an act of the Legislature, passed in January, 1810, in pursuance of which law a president and three trustees were elected by the citizens, who proceeded to organize themselves and pass ordinances for the government and regulation of the town for four succeeding years. A considerable number of the citizens were opposed to the corporate regulations, and some irregularity occurring in their proceedings, no elcetion was held in the year 1815, in consequence of which the corporation became forfeited and so remained until the year 1827, when the town was again incor- porated, together with Rossville, under the name of "The towns of Hamilton and Rossville." The powers and duties of the corporation were vested in six trustees, to be.elected by the citizens, who should hold their office two years, and appoint out of their own body a president and recorder. The towns were divided into two dis- triets or wards, Hamilton forming one and Rossville the other, the citizens to meet in their respective wards and each eleet their trustees. The corporation were vested with power to levy a tax of not more than one-eighth of one per cent on the amount of the grand levy of the State. In May. 1827, the citizens met at their respective places of holding elections, those of Hamilton electing Doctor Loammi Rigdon and others, and the citizens of Rossville, Israel Gregg and others, as trustees, who after- wards met and appointed Israel Gregg president and Loaremi Rigdon recorder. Under this corporation and manner of organization the towns continued to presper, under a well regulated police, for four years. In Janu- ary, 1830, the Legislature passed a law authorizing the corporation to grant licenses to grocers and retailers of spirituous liquors. In the course of time, jealousies spring- ing up between the two towns, on the petition of the citizens of Rossville, the connection between them was dissolved by the Legislature, in February, 1831, and each erected into a separate corporation. In accordance with this . amendatory law the citizens of Hamilton elected James O'Connor, John Woods, John C. Dunlavy, Jesse Corwin, John M. Millikin, and Henry S. Earhart, trustees, who organized themselves by appointing James O'Connor president and John M. Millikin, recorder, who continued to exercise the duties of their office for the two succeed- ing years.
fu February, 1833, the charter of the town of Ham- ton was modified by an act of the Legislature, by which the government of the town was vested in a mayor and six tinstees, to be elected by the citizens for the term of three years.
By this act the corporation were authorized to levy a
i tax of one-fourth of one per cent for corporation pur- poses. The citizens met in May, 1833, and elected James McBride mayor and John Woods and others trustees, who organized themselves and appointed John Woods recorder. This board drew up and passed an entire new code of laws for the regulation and govern- ment of the town, and commenced grading and improv- ing the streets. On the 14th of February, 1835, the Legislature anthorized the corporation to draw water from the basin, for the purpose of extinguishing fires, on which privilege being granted, the corporation, in 1836, laid pipes from the basin down Basin Street as far as Front Street, with pipes leading from them to fill two cisterns, constructed in the public square.
On the 7th of March, 1835, the Legislature passed a law, further modifying and amending the act of incor- poration. By this law the name of the corporation was changed to that of "The town of Hamilton." They were authorized to levy a tax of one-half of one per cent on the grand levy of the State, for supplying the town with water and improving the streets. The act author- ized them to borrow money, not exceeding fifteen hun- dred dollars; to appoint a wharfmaster; gave them the use of the county jail, and provided for filling the office of mayor, in case of vacancy.
The corporate powers of the town of Hamilton were vested in a mayor and six trustees. The mayor presided at the meetings of the board and was the judicial officer to carry into effect the ordinances passed by the board, and had all the powers vested in a justice of the peace, either in civil or criminal matters, throughout the town. In criminal cases the marshal might serve process in any part of Butler County. The corporation had power to appoint a recorder, a treasurer, marshal, wharfmaster, supervisor of streets and highways, inspector and meas- urer of wood, tanner's bark, lumber, and other articles of domestic growth, and regulate their duties. The cor- poration was vested with power to make ordinances and by-laws for establishing and regulating the market, or- ganize fire companies, and provide for the extinguislı- ment of fire; to regulate the streets, alleys, and highways, and generally to make such ordinances and regulations for the safety, health, cleanliness, and convenience of the citizens, as was usual in like corporations.
GROWTH OF THE TOWN.
The population of Hamilton, as shown by census in 1810, was 242, and of Rossville 84. At. the next de- cennial censns, in 1820, it was all included under the name of Hamilton, and the population numbered 660 souls. In 1830, at the next census, the population of Hamilton had increased to 1,072, and Rossville again appeared with 620 inhabitants. There were 9 colored persons in Hamilton in 1810; in 1820, 33, and in 1830, 80. No colored persons were in Rossville at either date. The Miami Intelligencer, No. 31, of February 23, 1815.
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advertises a new huckster-shop, in which cider, green and dried apples, whisky, beer, tar, and other aeconuno- dations, if called for, could be had. Boots and shoes were made. The advertiser was James T. Morton, corner of Front Street and the Diamond. Elihu Line had lost a large ram, and Paul Sanders had bad a boy, named Briton Wright, an apprentiee at the pottery business, run away from him. He was aged seventeen years, stout made, dark skin and complexion, about five feet high:, "much given to lying, and a little light-fingered." Who- ever would take him up and return him would have six cents reward and no thanks. Those indebted to the late firm of Kelsey & Smith were invited to come forward and settle up. Absalom Goodnough, at- his new shop, on Front Street, sold boots and shoes. R. Bireh, at the Hamilton brewery, refused to pay a due-bill of sixty-one dollars and fifty cents, payable in barley. William Mur- ray needed a hostler. Michael Delorac, "being far ad- vanced in age and unable to traverse the streets and by-roads of Hamilton in search of passengers and freight, but wishing to make an honest and honorable livelihood" by his calling, gave notice that his ferry was in com- plete repair, the flats new, and that good entertainment for man and horse could there be procured. Preliminary articles of peace had just been brought over from Ghent.
MRS. KENNEDY'S RECOLLECTION.
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The oldest resident of Hamilton, at this date, is Mrs. Esther Kennedy. Her husband was a noted builder in his day, and came here to put up a honse on the west side of the river, on the Seven-Mile Pike, near the eor- poration limits, known as the Rhea house. This was in 1812. While doing this, he boarded with William Mur- ray, father of the late William Murray, who kept a tav- ern. Soon after this they built the house now standing on High Street, one door west of F'ye's grocery. At this time, all business was done near the river, and chiefly on Front Street. The Sutherland corner, now occupied by Rothenbush & Ratliff and Dr. S. H. Millikin, was build- ing, and was plastered by Mr. Kennedy. Going ap the street, there were no buildings until the present honse ot L. D. Campbell was reached. John Reily had put up a part of the house three years before, and it was used as his dwelling and office. From that to Third Street was a pasture field. fenced in, in which Mr. Reily pastured his horses and cattle. The third and last house from the river was that built by M :. Kennedy for his own nse. The woods had been eut down, and a clearing made from this site to the river. On the west side of Third Street was a clearing running down to the burying-ground of the town, near the Fourth Ward Park, while on the other side the forest commenced and extended eastward.
On Fye's corner stood a large, magnificent elm, be- neath whose sprending branches divine service was held on Sunday. Half-way down the river, on the west side, was the old jail. The lower part of this was used as a
jail, while justiee was dealt ont in the room above. Preaching was held in this building on the Lord's-day. Part of the palisades of the fort were still standing, near the river. There was no bridge there then. The streamt must be crossed by ferries.
At the time of the war ef 1812 Mr. Kennedy was en- gaged in building the Hamilton House; that, for many years, was the great resort for travelers. He was drafted into the service for six months, but secured a substitute, and finished the building. For nearly two years after their house had been completed, Mrs. Kennedy carried water from Mr. Reily's well. There was then no resi- dent lawyer except David K. Este, afterwards of Cinein- nati. Mr. Kennedy died in 1830.
In 1813 Isaac Paxton, a veteran of Wayne's wars, set up a shop in Hamilton as a silversmith. In 181 2 Pier- son Sayre settled on Lot 120, on Front Street, between Dayton and Stable Streets.
SUICIDE OF JACOB FOREMAN.
In 1814 there came to Hamilton from Canada a fine, handsome man of about fifty years of age, who was a shoemaker. He engaged board at the house of Major Murray, and soon went to work. His name was Jacob Foreman. He talked little, and no one knew any thing of his past history. He seemed brooding over past troubles, In the month of June, 1815, Mr. Murray hav- ing engaged a farmer named Oliver to bring him a load of wood from where the gas works now are, but which was then covered by the original forest, requested Fore- man to go out there and help load the wagon, which he willingly did. When it was loaded, Oliver started baek. imagining the shoemaker was walking in the rear. When the wood was unloaded, however, he was not on hand to render assistance, nor did he conie in soon after. Mr. Murray had noticed that he appeared low spirited, and fearod that some accident had happened to himi. Waiting a reasonable time, they then began a search, and continued it until late that night. The next morning, Sunday, it was again begun, and was joined in by every mian and boy in the village. Placing a man on each rod of ground, they started near where the railroad track now is, and moved forward until they reached the ground just below the infirmary hill. Here Foreman was found, hidden in the top of an old oak, blown down in a recent tempest. He was alive and uninjured, but said he had tried at various times during the night to hang himself with a grape vine, failing in which he went to sleep.
He went home with Mr. Murray, washed and shave.l himself, and dressed himself in his best clothes, and at supper time scemed to be in better spirits than for weeks past. After a night's rest he was up early the next. morning, when he ate a hearty breakfast. Shortly after this meal, however, he went up stairs, and, standing on the landing, deliberately cut his throat from ear to car, almost severing his head from his shoulders. In this con-
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dition he walked down stairs, tried to open the door lead- ing into the dining-room, but failed, and fell in a moment, after trying the latch, dead upon the floor. The noise attracted the attention of the inmates of the house, who opened the door, and were horrified to find the corpse.
There was an immense assembly at the funeral, as the story had been noised abroad through the country. The interment was made in the Sycamore Grove. Shortly after the burial the body was exhumed by the physicians, . the fresh removed, the bones boiled, bleached, and artic- ulated, and the skeleton of the first suicide in Hamilton hung for many years in the residence of one of Hamil- ton's early physicians.
INDEPENDENCE DAY IN 1814.
The Fourth of July, 1814, was celebrated at Hamil- tou. About one o'clock the Declaration of Independence was read, and an oration delivered at the court-house, after which a procession was formed and marched to Wayne's Spring, abont a third of a mile below town, to partake of a dinner, to be provided for the occasion. James Heaton, William Murray, and David Latham were the committee of arrangements. Friends in the country were cordially invited to attend.
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