USA > Ohio > Fulton County > A standard history of Fulton County, Ohio, an authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and county, Vol. I > Part 9
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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
to Lima, Indiana, twice weekly, had to go to Sylvania for the mail, and he refers to this pioneer railroad thus:
"It was while I was carrying the mail from Sylvania that I saw the greatest event of my boyhood days-the building of a railroad. During the summer of 1838, a company was building the Pontiac & Detroit Railroad, from Toledo to Adrian, and were at work at Sylvania. The rails were flat bars of iron fastened to the ties, and the cars were at first drawn by horses. I recollect seeing the first steam engine pulling three or four cars. The settlers came from miles and miles to see it. Few would believe it possible that an engine on a smooth rail could pull a load as heavy as itself. They scouted at the idea, and declared that the wheels would just slip around on the rails, and that it would be impossible to move such a load. So when it was announced that a steam engine pulling a train of ears woud pass over the road we all turned out to see the wonder. You ean imagine our surprise and amazement when an engine pulling four or five cars
E.& K.R.R.
3
"WE COULD DOUBT NO LONGER, FOR THERE STOOD THE MONSTER, WITH ITS LOAD." (Reminiscences of John Butler, of Chesterfield Township.)
pulled up at the station. We could doubt no longer, for there stood the monster with its load."
Still, neither the railroad, nor the steamboat was responsible for the opening up of Fulton county. There were not even roads when the early pioneers eame. They were the roadmakers. They had to lay their road as they proceeded, in order to proceed. And when they had reached the partieular "spot in the woods" to which they were entitled, they had even to forget roads, in the heavy but vital labor of clearing a few acres upon which to plant eorn for the all-important first harvest. And in some parts of the county, it often took a week to get from their log eabin to the' nearest mill with their harvested corn for grinding, and to return home again. One settler went through dense woods for five miles over Indian trails, carrying on his shoulder a bushel of corn for grinding, and did the return journey with the
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bushel of flour. Of course, in the presence of such difficulties of transportation, progress would have been almost at a standstill; and it is probably safe to assert that prosperity in the new settlement had its beginning in the beginning of road improvement projects. The "Vistula Road" from Toledo west, through the disputed strip of land, was laid out by the Government in 1835, and was a recognized thoroughfare-a main line, as it were. There were no side tracks, or locals, and the main line, at best, was a rough road. Mrs. Wm. McClarren, writing of the early roads stated :
"The oldest established roads in the county were the Toledo and Angola, the Maumee and Angola, both running westward, the most direct immigrant roads leading to the undeveloped. country farther west. The automobilist who glides through our beautiful country in his electric machine, over roads as smooth as a floor, little thinks that not many years ago these delightful highways were miles upon miles of impassable roads over which the pioneer wended his weary way, with white-covered wagons which sank with every turn of the wheel to the hubs. Then for years afterwards came the improvement known as the 'corduroy,' formed of logs laid side by side, which soon left their alignment, and sank into the mud in places, making the road as uneven as before, although somewhat more passable. Afterwards came the improved 'plank road,' which for a number of years was considered sufficient. As the country improved, and the demand for better roads became necessary, it was thought best to call a meeting at the court house in Wauseon (about 1877 or 1882) for the discussion of the subject. The call was answered by a large and enthusiastic gathering of the best and most influential farmers of the county. The discussion was long, heated, and many sided. At last, one of the active farmers. . . . arose quietly, and said: 'Gentlemen, you may not live to see it; I may not live to see it, but your children, and your children's children, will live to see in Fulton county every roadway and every byway graveled, from north to south, and east to west.' "
Few of the early pioneers, in the first days of settlement, were so imaginative, probably, as to even dream of graveled roads, and of those who met in the '70s, or '80s, to discuss the matter of graveling the roadways few perhaps thought the time of asphalted roads would ever come. And of those who came, in jolting springless wagons drawn by slow-moving oxen, in the '30s and '40s, and took a week to cover tlie distance from their home to the mill and back again, few there must have been who thought the time would ever come when it would be possible to travel from one end of the county to the other in a few hours of road travel. Few imagincd the time would come when the mode of travel would so radically change that even the horse would be discarded, and that practically all the prosperous farmers would own mechanically-driven pleasure cars, and powerful swift-moving motor trucks by means of which they would be able to take their dairy product, morning after morning, ten, fifteen or twenty miles to market, without inconvenience; yes, and even do some of their tilling of the soil with mechanical implements. On the other hand, few of the pioneers, who were able to get so little, momentarily, in return for their hardest labor, would ever have imagined the time would come when the hired hand could demand a daily wage of $6, $7, or $8, during harvest time.
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However, although the carly settlers were simple in their lives and requirements, they were stalwart and resolute in purpose, and out of the wilderness they slowly, but surely, made a land of agriculture plenty. Through the throes of the fever and ague, which would prostrate whole families at one time, they conquered the Black Swamp, draining it acre by aere and putting its rich black soil to good use. It was not until 1859 that ditching was undertaken by the county com- missioners, but the draining of land by individual owners must have commenced much earlier, for some parts of the county were actually under water, for acres. It seems almost incredible that men were to be had of sufficient courage to continue the struggle to conquer the disadvantages of the natural conditions present in the Black Swamp country during the first decades of white settlement. The pioneers literally gave their lives to development work. Racked by fever, palsied by the ague, and many suffering constantly from rheumatism contracted in the seemingly chronic dampness of the region, the pioneers still labored; the majority of them hopefully and cheerfully.
Settlers came in ever-increasing numbers during the '40's, and the western part of Lucas county had become so populous that it was felt, by the inhabitants of that section, that they might demand of the state more central and accessible facilities for the processes of judicial and civil government than obtained under the jurisdietion of the County of Lucas. Difficulties of travel in those days made a journey to Maumee City, the county seat, quite an undertaking, and, as the residents in the western and north-western parts of the county thought, quite an unnecessary journey. They felt that they were entitled to demand the erection of another county. Regarding this agitation, Miss Marie A. Hibbard, of Spring Hill, wrote, some years ago, her information being based upon family records, and upon the papers of her ancestor, Rev. Elisha Hibbard, of Dover Township. After re- ferring to the organization of Dover Township, in 1843, she wrote:
"About this time, or a little later, the 'Men of the West', that is, the western part of Lucas county, began to agitate the question of the formation of a new county. Among Rev. Elisha Hibbard's papers are copies of contributions to the 'Maumee River Times', in which he gives reasons for desiring the separation; schools, taxes, better roads, and other improvements.
"The county seat was then at Maumee City, and there seems to have been a fear, apparently well founded, that if Lucas county should be divided, the county seat would be removed to Toledo. There seems to have been quite a lively discussion in the 'Maumee River Times' on the subject. The 'Men of the West' did not despair, however, for, under date of December 15, 1845, is this letter, written by Rev. Mr. Hibbard to his wife, from Columbus, where he had gone as a delegate to see what could be done. He writes: 'Fortune favors the brave. A favorable circumstanee relative to my business here is that my old friend, Tom Irwin, is chairman of the committee on New Counties. I have not yet had an interview with him but expect to see him to- morrow. I have seen Parcher and Wood. Both are favorably in- elined, and as yet I find no opposition. Tell them all not to be discour- aged, everything appears favorable, and I shall do all that I can.'
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"This Parcher may have been Lyman Parcher, and doubtless Wood was his cousin, Reuben Wood, afterward governor of Ohio."
Favorable action, however, was not destined to come in that year. Nevertheless the movement continued to gather strength, and in 1849 a determined effort was made to get the state to take action, many of the most influential residents identifying themselves actively with the movement. Among the principal projectors were:
Nathaniel Leggett, of Swan Creek; A. C. Hough and William Hall, of Chesterfield township; Stephen and Isaac Springer, Samuel Durgin, and others, of Fulton ; Michael Handy, D. W. H. Howard, Robert How- ard, and Lyman Parcher, of Pike; Mortimer B. Hibbard and Reuben Tiffany, of Dover; Ezekiel Masters and Joseph Ely, of Franklin; Wil- liam Sutton, Israel Mattern, W. A. Mace, and Oliver B. Verity, of Gor- ham; James Cornell, John Newcomer and Elisha Huntington, of Clin- ton; Jacob Gasche and Jonathan Barnes, of German; Ben and George Hackett, of Amboy; and Eli Phillips, of Royalton.
Their activities quickly brought result, for the State Legislature on February 28, 1850, saw fit to set off, and erect, a new county, to be known by the name of Fulton, its powers and boundaries defined as follows :
"SEC. 1. Such parts of the counties of Lucas, Henry, and Williams as are embraced in the boundaries hereinafter described, be, and the same are hereby created into a separate and distinct county, which shall be known by the name of Fulton, to wit: Beginning on the State line between the States of Michigan and Ohio, at the northeast corner of township nine, south of range four, east of the Michigan meridian; thence south on the township line to the southeast corner of town ten, south of range four east, on the Fulton line; thence west on said Fulton line to the northeast corner of town eight, north of range eight, east ; thence south to the southeast corner of section number twelve in town- ship six, north of range eight, east; thence west, on section lines, to the southwest corner of section number seven, in township six, range five, east, on the county line between the counties of Henry and Wil- liams; thence north on said line to the southeast corner of town seven, north of range four, east; thence north on section lines to the Fulton line; thence west on said Fulton line to the southwest corner of sec- tion number eleven, in town ten, south of range one, west of the Michi- gan meridian; thence north on section lines to the said state line; thence easterly with said state line, to the place of beginning."
So, the boundaries of Fulton County have since remained. Fulton County, which it is believed was so named in honor of Robert Fulton, the world-famed inventor, and not John A. Fulton, the survivor who ran the Fulton Line, was, it is interesting to note, the eighty-seventh of the eighty-eight counties erected within the present boundaries of the State of Ohio, the eighty-eighth county, Noble, being also created in 1850.
Temporary arrangements were made for continuing the civil and judicial administration under the former regime until such time as the newly created county could be properly brought into full operation, with county officers properly elected by public vote, and men appointed to those offices that were not elective. It was provided that legal cases then pending in the courts of Lucas, Williams, and Henry counties
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should be continued to finality and decision, as though Fulton County had not been erected.
The first Monday of April, in that year, was specified in the act as the day upon which township clections should be held in the new county ; and section six, of the creating act, provided that the county should be attached to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of the State of Ohio, and that the Court of Common Pleas, and Supreme Court of the County of Fulton, should be held at some convenient house in the Town- ship of Pike, until such time as the permanent seat of justice had been established, and the necessary accomodation procured. Laurin Dewey, of Franklin county, Mathias H. Nichols, of Allen county, and John Riley, of Carroll county, were appointed commissioners to locate the seat of justice. Pending such location, the associate judges appointed by the act, namely John Kendall, Alfred C. Hough, and Nathaniel Leggett, his successor, who, one record states, was Socrates II. Catcly, and another record William E. Parmelce, decided to hold the courts at the house of Robert A. Howard, in Pike Township.
Much regarding the important happenings of 1850 are recorded in "A Short History of Fulton County, Ohio," written by James S. Riddle, who was one of the active pioneer county officials. He wrote:
"On, or about, the 20th of March, 1850, the voters of the new county of Fulton met in mass convention, at the residence of Daniel Knowles, of Pike Township, for the purpose of placing before the people suitable candidates for the various offices in the county, to be elected on the 1st Monday of April, 1850, and organized by calling John Kendall, Esq., of Franklin Township, to the chair.
"A motion was made to nominate a union ticket composed of Whigs and Democrats, but the motion was strongly opposed by Samuel Gillis, William Sutton, and other Democrats, saying they would support none but Democrats. So each party filed off by themselves. A motion was then made by the Democrats to send a delegation of two Democrats from each township, to form a Democratic ticket. The delegation was com- posed of: Ben and George Hackett, of Amboy; Jenks Morey and Eli Phillips, of Royalton; William Sutton and Abe Mace, of Gorham ; Dorsey Barnes and James Riddle, of Franklin; Joseph Jewell and John Tiffany, of Dover; M. Handy and Boyd Dunbar, of Pike; Stephen Springer and John Watkins, of Fulton; S. H. Cately and David Wil- liams, of Swan Creek; Henry Fluhart and Samuel Biddle, of York; John Newcomer and Elisha Huntington, of Clinton; Jacob Gasche and Jonathan Barnes, of German. Said committee (delegation) pro- posed the names of Christ Watkins, of Fulton Township, Wm. Sutton, of Gorham Township, and Jonathan Barnes, of German Township, for commissioners; A. C. Hough, for auditor; and Nathaniel Leggett, for treasurer."
A. C. Hough, however, had been appointed associate judge by the Legislature, as had also Nathaniel Leggett, and neither could hold both offices, so, after further consideration the Democrats nominated Morti- mer D. Hibbard, who had also been nominated by the Whigs. for the office of auditor, thus leaving Mr. Hough free to hold his judicial ap- pointment; and as Nathaniel Leggett was also the nominec of the Whig party, and had also been the original choice of the Democrats making his election to the office of treasurer certain, there was no pur-
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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
pose in his taking the temporary judgeship. Therefore he declined the appointment and stood for election as treasurer. Who the Whig can- didates for election as county commissioners were is not on record, but the candidates for sheriff were: G. W. Brown, Democrat; Elijah Her- rick, Whig. Carl Allman, of York, was the Democratic nominee for recorder. The Democratic party was undoubtedly very strong in Ful- ton county at that time, for at the April election, and at the October election of that year, all of the Democratic candidates were elected. Regarding those two elections, Mr. Riddle, in another article, wrote more clearly. He stated :
"As there were but two parties then (March; 1850) Whig and Demo- cratic, a proposition was made to take one from each party, but was opposed by Samuel Gillis, William Sutton, and other Democrats .... So each party filed off by themselves, and the Democrats placed on their tickets for Commissioners, Chris. Watkins, of Fulton; Wm. Sut- ton, of Gorham; and Jonathan Barnes, of German ; for Auditor, M. D. Hibbard, of Dover; for Treasurer, Nathaniel Leggett, of Swan Creek ; for Sheriff, G. W. Brown, of Royalton ; for Recorder, Carl Allman, of York.
The Whigs nominated M. D. Hibbard and Nat. Leggett as their candidates, and the balance Whigs. The Democrats were elected.
As Leggett could not serve as judge and treasurer both, he did not qualify as judge, and the Governor appointed William Parmelee in his place.
In the fall of 1850, the Democrats nominated for Commissioner : for three years, Chris Watkins, of Fulton ; for two years, William Sutton, of Gorham. As Jonathan Barnes had died before the convention, War- ren McCuthcheon, of German, was nominated in his place, for one year. For auditor, A. C. Hough, of Chesterfield; for Treasurer, Nat. Leggett, of Swan Creek; for Sheriff, G. W. Brown, of Royalton; for Recorder, Carl Allman, of York.
All the Democrats nominated at the convention were elected.
As the Judges had the appointing of the Clerk of the Court prior to this time, the Court was organized and Samuel Durgin was appointed Clerk. Judge Hough resigned, and A. M. Flickinger, of Gorham, was appointed in his place. Soon afterwards, Wm. E. Parmelee resigned, and S. H. Cately was appointed in his place."
It would seem that the first court held in Fulton county was in the fall of 1850, probably after the October election. In accordance with the provisions of the act by which Fulton county was created, the associate judges first appointed, or rather those who were the associate judges during the period from the first to the second election of 1850, namely John Kendall, A. C. Hough, and William E. Parmelee, desig- nated the house of Robert A. Howard, in Pike Township as the place at which the judges would hold court until such time as a permanent seat of juctice had been selected, in accordance with the requirements of the act, but these three judges presumably did not sit in the first ses- sion of court.
Mary B. Howard, wife of Col. D. W. H. Howard, wrote, regarding the first court :
"Upon our return from our six months' experience in Iowa (which must have been in the latter half of 1850, for they did not go to Iowa
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until 1850) we were guests of friends of Mr. Howard, in this eounty, and it was while visiting at Robert A. Howard's that I had the honor of attending the first court ever held in this county. The county seat had been located at Ottokee, but the court-house was not completed. His home was a large log building, with a big open fireplace, with a eom- modious sitting room, and it was in this room where court was held. Judge Saddler was present. and presided. .. . It was all very interesting to ine."
Thomas Mikesell states that the associates of Judge Saddler in this first term of court were Soerates H. Cately, Abraham Flickinger, and William Parmelee: which statement seems to support the belief that the first court was held late in 1850, for although the Thomas Mikesell version does not agree with James S. Riddle's record (as a matter of
D
"ROBERT A. HOWARD'S HOME WAS A LARGE LOG BUILDING, WITH A BIG OPEN FIRE-PLACE."
fact. Riddle contradicted himself in a later article, stating that S. H. Cately was appointed judge. in place of Nathaniel Leggett, and W. E. Parmelee, viee Hough). it seems certain that John Fliekinger's ap- pointment resulted from the resignation of Judge Hough, so that the latter might become a candidate for county office in the October election of that year. In reality that session of court was not important, and is only noteworthy in that it was the first to be held in the newly erected county. There do not appear to have been any legal cases, criminal or otherwise, tried at that session. As a matter of fact, the courts of Lucas, Williams, and Henry continued to act in all cases that were pending at the time Fulton county came into existence and apparently no new cases had arisen. Indeed, it is on record that the judges who attended the first court of Fulton county so far departed, for a nonce, from the
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dignity of the judiciary as to participate in a game of baseball, there being no legal business to ponder over and adjudicate.
In April of that year, the locating commissioners appointed by the State Legislature came to the county for the purpose of designating the county seat and, as might be supposed, there was much rivalry, it be- ing generally recognized that the seat of justice wherever located would bring added importance and prosperity to that locality. The com- missioners heard the arguments in favor of the suggested sites, which were: at the center of the county; at or near Robert A. Howard's farm in Pike Township; at Etna, in Pike Township; at Fluhart Corners, in York; at Delta, in York; and at Spring Hill, in Dover Township. They selected the geographical center of the county as the best loca- tion, and on the 1st day of May, 1850, staked the site. Mary Rice Hib- bard, before quoted, made diary entries of all important county events during the early pioneer years, and many historical facts have been authenticated from that record. An entry in her diary under date of May 2, 1850, gives the information that "the county seat was located yesterday, at the Centre."
The "Centre" was given the distinctive and poetical name Ottokee, at the suggestion of Col. D. W. H. Howard, it has been stated. His life had been full of Indian experiences, his early days had been so fully associated with Indian scenes and life, that one would expect him, if asked for a name, to almost instinctively be prompted to perpetuate Indian memories. Ot-to-kee, brother of Wauseon, and both of them chiefs of the Ottawa tribe which had inhabited the Maumee Valley in earlier days, was worthy of remembrance; and Colonel Howard, who knew the real Indian character so well, ever showed himself wishful to defend the memory of the men of red skin, whom, in the main, he found to be innately honorable, and peaceably-minded. It is said that Col. Howard was noticed on the outskirts of the gathering (when stakes were driven, presumably), and was asked by one of the com- missioners to suggest a name for the county seat, and that he im- mediately replied: "Ottokee." The action of the commissioners how- ever did not settle the matter of site; it was still necessary to obtain gen- eral approval in a public vote. And confirmation did not come in the first vote taken; that did not give Ottokee a majority of the votes cast, although it received a greater number than were cast for any other proposed site. At the second clection, Ottokee received a clear ma- jority, and the county officials were then able to proceed with con- sideration of plans for the erection of buildings suitable for the pur- poses of the various offices of the county administration. A. H. Jor- dan, of Royalton Township, secured the contraet for the building of the Court House, and completed it in 1851. It was a frame building, two stories high, with a frontage of about forty feet, and a depth of about eighty feet, a commodious building, made somewhat imposing and pretentious by being surmounted by a large dome. Judge W. H. Handy, wrote reminiscently of Ottokee, and said, regarding the Court House :
"Do you remember the old Court House? To us, it was a massive structure, with its two tall stories and high tower, which we used to climb into and think we could see the whole world. I used to go into the court house and go to sleep listening to the lawyers, when Judge Palmer was on the bench. Remember Judge Palmer, our first judge
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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
under the new constitution? How some of the laywers got mad at him, and got Hank Hollister to draw a picture of him with a jackass' ears, and a certain lawyer addressing him, this lawyer being one who was said to own him.'
Mrs. Mary B. Howard made reference to the opening of the first court house, at Ottokee. She wrote :
"It seems to me but yesterday since the first court house built in this county was dedicated. It was a grand affair, and prominent citizens from different parts of the county were present to take part in the dedication. After listening to a number of addresses, a grand ball was given, which continued until almost the break of day. It was a happy jovons assembly, composed of the early pioneers, the blushing maid and the awkward bashful boy who, at the end of nearly sixty years, have given the present generation one of the finest, most improved and rich- est agricultural counties in the state. Surrounded with all these bless- ings a shadow of sorrow flits aeross my mind, as I think that only one or two of those who were present at that happy event are left to tell of the dedieation of Fulton county's first court house."
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