USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland, (Vol. 1) > Part 7
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I doubt if we, today, who linger over wastefully expensive banquets,
THE NEW HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE
enjoy so much real pleasure as came with the diversions of those early days of generous thrift.
Certain philosophers of our day teach discontent to those who labor as an essential element of progress. Our fathers, accepting the decree that "by the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread," ate theirs in full compliance with the mandate and in content, mingled their joys and pleasures with the burden of labor.
With all the advantages that we enjoy, having at hand these greater opportunities, accumulated from the mighty progress of more than a century, it may still be to our advantage to read the history of the past, and emulate the virtues of those who built the first fires of this civili- zation, wrought so industriously, and left us so clean a heritage.
James A. Garfield had this to say: "The pioneers were a people who had been trained in the principles and practice of civil order, and these were transplanted to their new home. Those who first broke ground here, accomplished a work unlike that which fell to the lot of any succeeding generation. The hardships they endured, the life they led, the peculiar qualities they needed in their undertaking, and the traits of character developed by their work, stand alone in our history."
So far as the available records will permit, a history of each town- ship, as a component part of Cuyahoga County and its people, will follow in successive chapters.
CHAPTER V
BEDFORD
The settlement of township No. 6, range 11, was typical, in its early history, of all in the county. There was no body of people, coming like an army with banners to possess the land. One by one, family after family, they began the work of building a civilization, where barbarism and savagery had reigned. The home was first established. Around the home was built the state, combined authority to conserve for all, the blessings of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
The Township of Bedford has as its southern boundary Summit County; its eastern, Solon Township; its western, Independence, and its northern Warrensville. The principal stream is Tinker's Creek. This stream, a branch of the Cuyahoga, rises in Portage County and flows through Solon, Bedford and Independence townships. It was given its name to preserve the memory of Joseph Tinker, who was one of the men sent out by the Connecticut Land Company, of whom the settlers bought their land, to survey the Western Reserve or New Connecticut, as it was then called. He was master of transportation for the surveying parties. In the arduous discharge of his duties, he was drowned in Lake Erie off the northern shore of the county. He had much to do with navigating the streams by reason of his official duties and hence the appropriateness of the designation.
It may seem strange to this generation, in these days of steam and electric and gasoline transportation and power, to speak of Bedford as located upon Tinker's Creek, but, in the wilderness, the streams were of great importance, first as lines of transportation through the unbroken forest, and later as furnishing power for infant industries. The overshot wheel was a great factor in the development of these little communities, in the early days, and for many years after the forests had given way to fields of grain, orchards, and comfortable homes. And thus as we write of the early days, even the smaller streams enter into our history as factors of vital interest.
At the present time these minor streams, with their valleys and sur- rounding bluffs, their glens and gorges, are merely interesting scenery. The Bedford Glens on Tinker's Creek at the village are much admired for their native beauty and are visited each summer by thousands.
In 1810 the township was surveyed into 100 lots. The first settler was Elijah Nobles, who came in 1813 and located in the west part of the township, near the Independence line. He later moved to a location in the present limits of the village, and was the first settler there. He was said to be rather shiftless and when he decided to move to the Center, his Independence neighbors, to the number of eighteen, turned out, built his log house and moved him in one day.
Among the well known characters in the very early days of Bedford was Benjamin Fitch. He came in 1813 and "squatted" on land in Inde- pendence and later moved to Bedford, where he located on his own land. He was said to be the greatest hunter in this locality and in harmonious reciprocity. the neighbors gladly exchanged work with him, he to hunt
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for them while they cleared his land and planted and gathered his crops. Among other things Fitch started the chair industry in Bedford, which has grown to such extensive proportions.
This industry of which we will speak later has continued to be the leading industry of the town. Mr. Fitch began making splint bottom
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chairs, the entire office and working force consisting of one man, hin- self. As proving the excellency of his work, chairs that he made were in existence as late as 1885 and some may still be found. His son, Andrew G. Fitch, was the second white child born in the town, a daughter became the wife of W. O. Taylor.
In 1814 came Stephen Comstock. His daughter, Sarah Comstock, born soon after their arrival, had the distinction of being the first white person born in the township. About this time Timothy Washburn set- tled in the township from the East and was the first blacksmith. His
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THE CITY OF CLEVELAND
shop, of course, became the meeting place of settlers, the announcing place of new arrivals, a news exchange, a forum.
We note the arrival of Benoni Brown in 1815, of Moses Gleeson in 1818, of Jason Shepard in 1820, John Dunham in 1821, and two families in 1822, those of Samuel Morton and Nathaniel K. Nye. By 1823, when the township was organized, the following persons were inhabitants of this little new republic and qualified to take part in the town meeting, in addition to those already mentioned: Daniel Benedict, Moses Higley, Jared Bark, Barzilla Burk, William Dunshee, Laban Ingersoll, John Johnson, John Marvin, Peter Comstock, Philo Barnes, Justus Remington, George M. Payne, Luther Willis, Ziba Willis, Daniel Gould, Hiram Spofford, Barney Cobb, Enoch Allen and Nathaniel Haynes.
These names will be suggestive to many of the readers of this history as the heads of families, whose descendants in many walks of life, have contributed to the development of the county and state. They were not old men and if we enter into the spirit of this history, we must think of them in the period of which we write as young, vigorous, per- sistent, and above all industrious to a fault. How else could they conquer the wilderness? Many of the homes could have had truthfully over the doorway the legend, now often seen in connection with various pranks at wedding parties: "Just married." It is an unwritten law of The Early Settlers Association of Cleveland that under no circumstances and on no occasion shall it be called. The Old Settlers Association. The point is obvious.
The first gristmill was built by Adams and Starr in the west part of the township on Tinker's Creek. The water power was "conserved" for its operation. We hear a great deal about the conservation of power. The early settlers taught us our first lesson along those lines and their efforts were a great boon to the community.
The first tavern was opened in the vicinity of the gristmill by Cardee Parker. Parker's tavern became famous and after his death his wife, familiarly called Mother Parker, continued the business. The house lost nothing of its prestige under her management and the Parker House or Parker's Tavern continued to be a popular hostelry. In later years Mrs. Parker continued the same business in Independence.
"We'll have nut cakes fried in b'ars grease in Canaan's happy land," was the opening line of a song that was sung by an eccentric character of pioneer days. Naturally you must first get the bear before this con- summation, given as one of the delights of paradise, could be brought about. Wild honey was often found in quantity and was considered a great luxury. It was particularly sought after when the shortage of sugar visited the cabin home. The wild turkey was abundant and its flesh prized for the table, as now. Venison was, however, the standard meat for the family use until the settlers were able to raise the domestic product.
Jason Shepard, a short distance from his house, discovered a bear in the act of getting honey from a bee tree. He shot the bear, got a large quantity of honey, and before he reached home shot a deer and a number of wild turkeys. For variety and quick action this was con- sidered a very good "bag" even in those days. Shepard moved away from the township in 1830 ..
The pioneers believed in large families and took the injunction to "be fruitful and multiply" as a binding obligation. As examples of this we cite a few of the pioneer families of Bedford.
Moses Gleeson, who settled in 1818 and later moved to Independence, had seven sons and three daughters. The sons were named Edwin,
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Elias, Charles, William, Moses, Sardis and Lafayette. One of the daughters, Nancy, married Dr. Charles Morgan, who was a prominent figure in the pioneer days of Brecksville.
Stephen Robinson had eight sons, Daniel, Nathan, Isaac, Ebenezer, Ezra, Nathaniel, John and Newman.
Daniel Benedict, one of the first trustees of the township, had nine sons, Darius, Ralph, Julius, Sillock, Judson, James, Rodolphus, Phinamber and Allison.
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The selection of a name is among the first things to be done in bringing a town into being. Often the name is selected with little thought and at other times much discussion is involved. The Indian names that figure so largely in the area of the Northwest Territory are not so much in evidence in the township names of the Western Reserve, selected in town meeting. General Bierce relates that at the meeting to organize the township of Bath, Summit County, a heated discussion arose. The town had unofficially been called Hammondsburg, after a Mr. Hammond, who was a large landowner. Mr. Hammond in some manner had offended a number of residents and when this meeting was held and the question
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of the name arose, one man said: "Call it Jericho, Jerusalem, or Bath or anything but Hammondsburg." A motion was made to select the name Bath, which was immediately carried. We might add that Ham- mond's Corners still remains as the unofficial name of a locality in that township.
When the organization of township No. 6, in range 11 of Cuyahoga County was taken up, the name Bedford was chosen at the suggestion of Daniel Benedict, in compliment to his native town in Connecticut of that name. By order of the county commissioners, a meeting was held at the home of Prentice B. Ross, to elect township officers. This meeting was held April 7, 1823. John Dunham, Daniel Benedict, and Aaron Shepard were chosen judges and Laban Ingersoll and A. S. Barnum, clerks.
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MAP OF THE CONNECTICUT WESTERN RESERVE, 1796
The election resulted in the selection of Daniel Benedict, James Orr, and Laban Ingersoll, trustees ; A. S. Barnum, clerk; John Dunham, treas- urer ; Peter Comstock and Darius R. Benedict, constables and listers (assessors) ; Barzilla B. Burk and Stephen Comstock, overseers of the poor ; Daniel Benedict, James Orr and Barzilla B. Burk, road supervisors. No justice of the peace was elected at this time but on the 19th day of July a special election was held and John Dunham elected to that office. He received seventeen votes to eleven for Daniel Benedict and one for A. Shepard. Dunham declined to serve and August 9th of the same year another special election was held and James Orr elected without opposition. Orr qualified and became the first justice of the peace, and the wheels of justice began to turn.
From the organization of the township the growth was regular and constant. In 1830 there were sixty families in the township. The gristmill and sawmill built by Adams and Starr, taken over and improved by Culverson and Boland, was bought by Moses Gleason and did work
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for a large area of inhabitants. At the Center, Daniel Benedict built a sawmill and brush factory, and in 1825, Luther Willis built mills below on Tinker's Creek, thus disproving the statement of the poet that "The mill will not grind with the water that is past."
In 1832, a tannery was operated by Allen Robinett and in 1845 it was purchased by a firm and operated on a large scale. A woolen factory was later operated by Stephen C. Powers and a pail factory by Lee Lord and Enoch Allen. For some years a factory for making blinds was operated. In 1840, the firm of Comstock, Kirkham and Dickey built a foundry. This was burned, rebuilt and burned again. The last fire was in 1868. Daniel Benedict as early as 1821 installed a carding machine in his sawmill, which could do the work of many hands, and save labor for the housewife.
The first postoffice dates from 1826 and Ziba Willis was the first postmaster. The mail was received by stage. Mr. Willis held the position for seven years. In 1833, D. B. Dunham was appointed and served until 1842. Then in the following order J. P. Robinson, R. D. Benedict, Leverett Tarbell, Levi Marble and Charles B. Marble were postmasters, covering the first half century after the organization of the township.
If transportation alone is not wealth, the lack of it is a serious handicap. The first roads were brush paths with corduroy, that is small logs laid crosswise in marshy places. Not until 1830, when the state road was built through the township did relief from lack of adequate transportation facilities begin in earnest. Road supervisors, elected in 1823, at the annual election first held, and thereafter, had built dirt roads, but these were heavy throughout much of the year. About 1850, a plank road was built from Bedford to Twinsburgh in Summit County. In 1852, the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railway came to Bedford. It ran seven miles through the township and had a station at the Center (village). This was a great boost to the growth and prosperity of the town in more ways than one. Besides bringing increased transportation facilities it put a large sum on the tax duplicate to aid in the upbuilding of the schools and the conduct of public affairs. The plank road was abandoned in 1860, but about the same time the Cleveland & Mahoning Railroad was built through the northeastern part of the township.
Cities and villages often grow into being without any definite plan of arrangement. In the development of a new country, if some one with vision does not foresee the future, they just grow. In accounting for the crooked streets of Boston, Massachusetts, it is said the inhabitants built houses on each side of the cow paths, that led in various directions. Cleveland was surveyed for a city, before it was known that a city would be built. As early as 1826, three years after the township organi- zation was perfected in Bedford, Luther Willis made the first effort to start a village. He was the owner of considerable water power. A few houses were built on the village plan.
In 1830, Hezekiah Dunham bought a large tract of land, which he caused to be surveyed for a village, or a portion of it. This was in 1834. The plat was made by John C. Sill. It included land south of the present village square and west of the state road. Certain lots were set aside for town hall and church sites to be given for the purposes named. Lots were sold and the building of the Village of Bedford began.
By an act of the General Assembly passed March 15, 1837, the "Town" of Bedford was established. An election was held the following year and George M. Payne was elected mayor and David B. Dunham recorder. This simple organization was allowed to lapse with the charter, and the
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township remained as before. In 1852 a new charter was granted to the Village of Bedford to include the same territory as the original town, which was lots 45 and 46 and parts of 55 and 36 of the township. The records of the village before 1859 were destroyed by fire, including the record of the organization under the new charter. The mayors, however, during the Civil war period which followed were J. C. Cleveland, L. D. Benedict, T. H. Cannon, B. J. Wheelock and R. C. Smith, given here in the order of their service.
Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of the village over the town- ship organization, in the development of the county, has been the matter of fire protection. The establishment of a fire department, usually a volunteer organization, without men devoting their time exclusively to the work, has been the first protective measure. Frame houses are built up in close proximity and until the village is organized even that was not provided. The volunteer fire department in the Village of Bedford has been brought to a state of high efficiency. Its members are employed quite near the engine house, and they respond quickly at the call of the siren, and their work in action at a fire has been highly commended. These organizations, the only ones really possible in the smaller towns, not able to bear the expense of a full time force, have often been the butt of jokes for their lack of efficiency and for their over efficiency. Mark Twain describes a town where the inhabitants do not insure against fire but against the fire department. The fire department of Bedford deserves a word of praise for its present organization and equipment.
Bedford has suffered much loss by fires and at one time the main business section was burned out. A foundry built by Comstock, Kirkham and Dickey, built in 1840, was shortly afterwards burned. It was rebuilt and again, in 1868, burned to the ground.
The first general store in the township was opened in 1831 by David B. Dunham at the Center (village). Business increased with the growth of the community and a new store was built by Mr. Dunham. This was destroyed by fire in 1878.
The first public house in the village was opened in 1829 by Enoch Allen.
The first physician was Dr. J. M. Turner, who came in 1828 and re- mained five years. Dr. Charles Goodrich came in 1830 and two years later died of cholera. Dr. D. G. Streator was a well known character of the early days. He began practice in the village in 1845 and died in 1878.
The first newspaper published in the town was started in 1838. It was called The Bedford Intelligencer. It was a small sheet devoted to local news and was democratic in politics. It ceased publication in 1843.
Of the schools of Bedford no record remains prior to 1840. The little red schoolhouses located in the various school districts of the township. were the universities supplied for the schooling of the children of the settlers. Like the township, the little red school is passing. With all its faults it had its remarkable qualities. It sent forth into the world many strong characters whose education came from its system of individual training. It was a university. All in the same room, the little tot in the primer was listening to the recitations of the classes above him and absorb- ing bits of history, geography, biography, etc. He heard the reading of choice selections in literature, the comments of the teacher, and noted the inspiring things for future reference. This continued until he finally advanced to be an actor on the stage he had so long reviewed. So it was in other classes. Again, the scholar in the advanced classes was constantly reviewing what he had gone over by hearing, apart from his studying, the mistakes made and corrected in those recitations below. The little red schoolhouse was a great builder.
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Among the known teachers of Bedford in the early days were Miss Barnes, H. L. Sill, C. Ruggles, R. Root, W. Johnson, D. Baldwin, M. Smith, Polly Allen, Betsy Predner, Mary Ann Sill, Laura Gould, Mary McCartney, Mariah Peck and L. Ruggles. In 1848 there were eleven school districts in the township, with a schoolhouse and teacher in each. The total school fund amounted to $665.40. At the present time, exclusive of the Village of Maple Heights, which was formed from the Township of Bedford, there are four school buildings, with a total enrollment of 1,300 pupils and total school expense of $185,000. The district school- houses have been abandoned. Four attractive, rapid and commodious busses bring all pupils who live beyond a certain distance away to the three ward or grade schools and the high school.
The high school building, recently built, is one of the finest in the county. It stands on an eminence with an attractive view all about and around it. It cost, including the site, half a million of dollars. It has a cafeteria, sewing room, a manual training department, etc. The schools of Bedford employ fifty teachers, including the superintendent, two super- visors and the principal of the high school. A. E. Moody, the present capable superintendent, has his office at the new high school building. The principal of the high school is O. C. Irwin.
Leading up to the present complete organization of the schools, from the district school to the present climax, in the new high school with its up to date equipment, we gather some intervening history. The Bedford News Register, edited by Mrs. John Freeman, in its High School Edition of February 2, 1922, and which contains an account of the dedication of the new building, collates a fund of information. Articles by Azora Hub- bell Parker, Amelia Harrington McCaughey, O. K. Wheelock, Margaret Ennis, May Tarbell, Daisy Anderson, Maurice G. Hammond, Mrs. George Flickinger, Helen Palmer Hubbard, Theodore Blake, Edna Gates Handy- side and others are full of interesting reminiscences of the schools.
Between the district schools and the first graded school came a number of private schools. These were held in private houses as a rule. One was conducted in the basement of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The first public school building at the village stood on the square more than seventy years ago. Then came the red schoolhouse on the hill. We quote from the article of Mrs. Parker: "The old red building stood in un-
adorned simplicity 'four square' to every wind that blew.
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spacious ground about the building was alive at noon and recesses with merry boys and girls at play. The favorite games of the girls in summer were Pomp Pomp Pull Away, Crack the Whip and Old Witch. The boys played Two Old Cat, Base Ball (not the present game) and Ante Ante Over. In winter, Fox and Geese was one of the sports and the steep hill at the rear was a fine place for coasting. The fortunate boy with a sled would glide merrily down the hill with his 'best girl' in front, while others found it equally exciting to coast down on a board, and some of the more daring would take the swift slide on their feet.
"There was no grading in the school in those days, but the pupils were incited to strenuous effort by the offer of prizes for scholarship and de- portment. Jimmie Mathews won a Webster's Unabridged Dictionary under the tuition of R. C. Smith. Reading, writing and spelling received special attention. Rienzi's address to the Romans and Patrick Henry's speech before the Virginia Convention were rendered with all the fervor of impassioned orators. 'The Death of Little Nell' would be read with trembling voice and tearful eye. A critic was often appointed to note the errors in deportment and speech during the day and his observations read at the close of school. This was a spur to good behavior and correct
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language. To be called one of the teacher's 'wheel horses' was an honor to make one swell with pride. Likewise a blunder in pronunciation or a
stupid recitation sunk one in the depths of humiliation. *
* De- * bating societies were formed and school papers sparkled with wit and were embellished with poetry. School exhibitions were given which had all the snap and dramatic enthusiasm of the modern plays. Some of the teachers who followed specialized in some particulars. Wahoub will be remembered by the songs he taught in school. 'Fairy Moonlight,' 'Rain on the Roof,' and 'Up with the Lark in the Morning' still ring their re- frain in the memory of the few old boys and girls of 'Ye Olden Time.' Harrison Flick, who afterwards became distinguished in law and politics, was popular not only in being a good teacher but in being a good sport with the boys in all their games on the school ground.
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