USA > Ohio > Hardin County > A twentieth century history of Hardin County, Ohio : a narrative account of its historical progress its people and principal interests, Vol. I > Part 9
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY
dark, but finally arrived home the next day. The lady who went with Mr. Kelly that day is still living in Kenton at a good old age.
Even religious meetings had much of a social order mixed up with them, and the daughter of the pioneer minister, Samuel Hagerman, tells of the fun the people had when quarterly meeting filled the cabins to overflowing with guests from a distance. The ministers and their wives were always given the beds and the rest slept on the floor, but all were jolly and content. Big dinners and big meetings, as all called them, were inseparable, and while people came to worship they also were glad of the social features of the occasion. Camp meetings afforded neighbors and friends opportunities to meet and talk over their daily happenings, and in multitudes of ways the pioneers gratified the social instinct of their lives. They had many hardships but they also had many joys, and it is almost impossible to find an aged person who will not contend that the past was better in a social way than the present, no matter what they say of other phases of life then and now.
CHAPTER VII.
NOTABLE PIONEERS.
DATE WHEN HEAD OF THE FAMILY CAME TO HARDIN COUNTY-ALSO DATE OF HIS DEATH.
Alfred and Mary Hale (1817). First white family in county. Settled at Ft. McArthur where Mary Hale died. Their son (Jonas) first white child born in county. Later history of family unknown.
William and Mary McCloud (1828). Settled near Ft. McArthur, probably on farm now owned by Ralph W. Rarey. William McCloud, first associate judge of Hardin county. His son (Robert), first post- master in county and also one of the early county treasurers. Moved West and later history is unknown.
Jonathan and Nancy Carter (1829). Located at Roundhead, Ohio. Was first county treasurer. One of the influential citizens of Roundhead township. Laid out the village of Roundhead. Twice married and the father of eleven children.
Joseph W. and Lucretia Bowdle (1831). Early associate judge of Hardin county. Lived in Roundhead township. Died in 1856.
Charles Cessna (1830). Cessna township was named for him. First white settler in that township. Laid out village of Peru, which was afterward abandoned. Buried in Cessna ecmetery.
Bernard Matthews and Ellen Matthews (1834). Served in many offices connected with schools and township. Died August 10, 1891. One of the prominent pioneers of Cessna township.
Harvey Buckminster and Abigail Buckminster (1828). One of the most noted pioneers of the county. Kept tavern at Grassy Point and later at Buckminster tavern in Buck township. Buck township named for him. Entertained many prominent politicians of his day. Died January 24, 1894.
Miles and Elvira Van Fleet (1832). Prominent pioneers of Dudley township. Mr. Van Fleet was a prominent Democrat politician all his life. Died April 11, 1892.
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Richard and Mary Rutledge (1833). Justice of peace in Round- head township for twenty-one years. Died January 12, 1875.
B. F. Cessna (1833). Prominent pioneer physician. Owner of large tract of land purchased by his own efforts. Donated large and valuable farm just west of Kenton to Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. Resides in Kenton at present.
James E. and Margaret Hueston (1824). Settled on Blanehard river. Served as associate judge of Hardin county. Member of general assembly of Ohio. Died 1835.
Thomas E. and Ann Hueston (1824). Settled on Blanehard river. Served as justice of peace, land appraiser and also as eounty commis- sioner. Killed at Dunkirk, Ohio, March 14, 1872.
Moses Dudley (1830). Named Dudley township and was its first settler. First school was taught in a cabin on his farm, which is now the present Robert Morrison farm. Deceased.
Joshua Cope (1833). Pioneer of Dudley township. One of early county commissioners. Died 1851.
Portus and Jane Wheeler (1834). Erected tavern at Shawnee ford of Scioto river, and kept it more than thirty years. Present farm res- idenee of A. G. Wessling is the "Old Wheeler Tavern" of Stage Road. Associate judge of Hardin county. Died August 28, 1874.
Jacob Houser (1830). Donated part of lands for site of Kenton. One of the earliest settlers of Kenton. Removed to West and later history is unknown.
George H. Houser (1830). One of the first justices of the peace in Pleasant township. Also one of first settlers on site of Kenton. Moved West.
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James and Polly Andrews (1829). First permanent settlers of Hale township. Together with several members of the Dille family and other pioneers Mr. Andrews organized the first temperance society in Hardin county. ,
Abner Snoddy and Hannah Snoddy (1840). Early county treas- urer and township trustee of Hale township. Died October 9, 1865.
Alexander and Mary Given (1830). Served as land appraiser, justice of peace and treasurer. Deceased.
James and Susannalı Candler (1832). First settler of Liberty township. Prominent minister in Disciple Church.
Donald McArthur and Catherine McArthur (1822). Early set- tlers of McDonald township. Donald Me Arthur died January 10, 1835.
Charles W. and Cynthia Stevenson (1827). Mr. Stevenson was first auditor of Hardin county, and held the office for eleven terms. One of the early millers of county. Died in September, 1877.
John R. and Emily Gunn (1843). Mr. Gunn was a civil engineer and held the office of county surveyor. He surveyed much of the land first bought in Hardin county and continued in this work until his
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY
death. Ilis most important work was connected with the draining of the Scioto marsh. He died January 22, 1876.
John and Jane Espy (1838). Mr. Espy was one of the prominent pioneer manufacturers of Hardin county, being interested in flouring and saw mills all his life. Also was a prominent farmer, owning at one time one thousand acres of land. Never held office though interested in all public affairs. Died November 17, 1878.
Thomas Shanks and Susanna Shanks (1832). Early settlers of Goshen township. His sons became prominent citizens in Liberty town- ship, where they have held office and acquired much property. Thomas Shanks dicd in 1872.
Moses and Nancy Kennedy (1844). Pioneer miller of Hale town- ship. Mill located on Panther creek. Died January 26, 1899.
Robert D. Millar and Martha Millar (1836). Mr. Millar served his county as surveyor and auditor, being a prominent civil engineer. His descendants are still prominent in the history of the county. Mr. Millar played a prominent part in the ditching of the county, notably in the Hog creek and Liberty and Blanchard ditches. He died August 25, 1888.
Samuel and Margaret Kelly (1834). Mr. Kelly was one of the first settlers in Goshen township and took an active hand in clearing the land, building roads and all public improvements. His son ( William A.), who still resides in Kenton, is a prominent Grange worker and has held nearly every township office in Goshen township at different periods. Mr. Samuel Kelly died April 10, 1891.
John and Sarah Sloan (1833). Pioneers of Taylor Creek town- ship. Mr. and Mrs. Sloan were the founders of. the Sloan family, noted in this township for stock raising, farming and other enter- prises. John Sloan died in April, 1866.
John S. Ride (born in Taylor Creek township in 1838). Pioneer farmer and merchant. Served as justice and assessor in his township. At present a resident of Kenton where he is president of Commercial Bank.
Lemuel Wilmoth (1831). Donated part of land on which Kenton is located. Assisted in laying out the city. Dicd February 3, 1879. Curtis Wilkin (1846). County treasurer four years. Assisted in organizing a Building and Loan Association. Real estate dealer till death February 23, 1908.
Samuel Wagner (1833). Pleasant township pioneer. Served as land appraiser and justice of the peace. Founder of the Wagner fam- ily in this county, many of whose members are prominent in mercantile and farming industries.
Augustus Trægar (1843). Pioneer merchant of Ridgeway, Ohio. Postmaster of Kenton under President Lincoln. Also had large farm- ing interests until his death. Died March 3, 1897.
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David and Margaret Thompson (1849). Pioneer banker and law- yer. Rose to rank of general in Civil war. Returned to banking after war. Held position in Pension Department at Washington, D. C.
Lewis and Jane Rutledge (1832). Early settler of Roundhead township. Mrs. Rutledge was the first white girl born in county. Mr. Rutledge died in June, 1875. Their son (George W.), was county auditor, and at one time editor of the Hardin County Republican.
Dr. J. A. Rogers (1843). Pioneer physician and druggist of Kenton. Died March 15, 1909.
James S. Robinson (1847). Pioneer editor of Kenton Repub- lican. Rose to rank of general in Civil war. Clerk of Ohio house of representatives 1855-56. Member of national congress two terms, 1880 and 1882. Secretary of first Republican State Convention held in Ohio. Died January 14, 1892.
Dr. A. W. Munson (1844). Pioneer physician. Member of Ohio legislature. Prominent in medical circles. Deceased.
Dr. U. P. Leighton (1836). Pioneer physician of Hardin county. Three times elected county treasurer. Died August 26, 1878.
David Goodin (1836). Pioneer tavern keeper of Kenton. Associate judge seven years. Member of city council. Deceased.
Colonel W. T. Cessna (born in Hardin county in 1836). Son of the pioneer Jonathan Cessna. Rose to rank of colonel in Civil war. Mayor of Kenton 1865-66 and in 1881-82. Member of Ohio legislature in 1869. Resides in Kenton.
Jonathan Cessna and Catherine Cessna (1833). Associate judge two years. Member of general assembly of Ohio seven years. Died in October, 1868.
Paul Castor (1834). Founder of the Castor family in this county. Early infirmary director. One son (George), a widely known local Methodist minister. Paul Castor died in December, 1881.
Benjamin Brunson (1845). Early county commissioner and builder of pikes. Built the Brunson block in Kenton. Moved West. Died May 23, 1886.
William and Christina Furney (1833). Pioneer tavern keeper. Drew plans for city of Kenton. Also conducted pioneer grocery. Mr. Furney died May 20, 1854. His son (Luther), who still resides in Kenton, is one of the few remaining pioneers of county.
Robert Hoppe (1840). Pioneer of Pleasant township. Was present when Napoleon surrendered at Waterloo. Died August 15, 1881, aged 102 years.
Albert Zugschwert (1846). Mexican war veteran. Died Decem- ber 30, 1880.
Anthony Banning, prominent pioneer lawyer and judge. Died October 6, 1889.
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Daniel S. and Priscilla Vermillion. Prominent early settlers of Lynn township. Mr. Vermillion died June 6, 1888.
Wilmot Munson, pioneer school teacher of Hardin county. Died May 9, 1887.
David Thompson, colonel in Civil war. Died February 2, 1893.
James Bain (1848). Probate judge. Member Kenton board of education. Died May 31, 1879.
Joseph and Martha Sloan (1828). Taylor Creek pioneers. Mr. Sloan, who was a prominent farmer, died November 4, 1877.
John and Anna Steiner (1837). Pleasant township pioneers and prominent farmer. John Steiner died in 1860.
Benjamin and Frederick Steiner (1837). Prominent farmers and stock raisers. Frederick Steiner now resides in Pleasant township and Benjamin Steiner in Colorado.
Asa and Nancy Ann Cooney (1841). Farmer and stock raiser of Marion township. Mr. Cooney died October 9, 1876.
Thomas and Margaret Armstrong (1834). Mr. Armstrong died September 7, 1888.
Isaac Draper (1837). Founder of the Draper family. Pleasant township farmer. Died in 1870.
Z. and Mary M. Cessna (1835). Cessna township farmer. Mr. Cessna died October 2, 1893.
Homer P. Stevenson (1840). Taylor Creek farmer and stock raiser.
PART II.
FROM INFANCY TO YOUTH.
Chapter 1-Railroads of Hardin County.
Chapter 2-Banishing the Plagues and Development of Agriculture.
Chapter 3-Hardin County in Two Wars.
Chapter 4-Successors to Pioneers.
Chapter 5-Histories of Hardin County Towns.
Chapter 6-History of Ada and the University.
CHAPTER I.
RAILROADS OF HARDIN COUNTY.
THE PIONEER, MAD RIVER & LAKE ERIE RAILROAD-"I BETTER WALK"-BIG FOUR-PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY-CHICAGO & ATLANTIC-ERIE ROAD-DIRECT LINE BETWEEN TOLEDO AND COLUMBUS.
On the Fourth of July, 1846, one of the most important gather- ings ever held in Kenton took place, when the Mad River and Lakt Erie railroad was completed from Sandusky to this city. At that time Sandusky seemed destined to be the greatest port of the Great Lakes, and was an important market for wheat, hogs and all sorts of produce. It was no wonder the whole county turned out to see the wonderful engine that went rushing along at a furious rate, or so they thought- and to get a free ride. Several models of these old-time engines and the little cars they drew have been exhibited at various industrial expositions in different parts of the country, and excite a great deal of merriment, with their barrels of water and rough wood to run the engine; but the coming of the railroad was a most encouraging thing for the new county .. It forever put a stop to the tedious journeys by wagon and on foot, with produce for the market, and gave the country a boom that filled the forests with enterprising citizens eager for homes and work.
It must not be imagined that this great enterprise went through without opposition. It was talked of for years, and the Mad River and Lake Erie Company was incorporated and the scheme projected as early as 1832. The Little Miami railroad already connected Dayton with Cincinnati, so it was thought that if Dayton could be connected with Sandusky the two great centers of trade would thus be united. However, the chief thing with Hardin county settlers was to get an outlet to Lake Erie. On March 25, 1837 the state voted the company a loan of $270,000 and with this for a foundation they set to work creeping slowly southward from Sandusky. Encouraged by the pros-
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pect, the Hardin county commissioners subscribed $30,000 to the pro- ject in March 1839, and by slow and painful degrees the track was laid through the forest, coming closer and closer until the great day when national and local pride culminated in a glorious celebration. Two years later, on July 30th, the road was completed to Urbana, and finally reached Dayton January 25, 1851.
For years this road had a sort of precarious existence under var- ious names, such as Sandusky and Cincinnati; Sandusky, Cincinnati and Dayton, and Indiana, Bloomington and Western, the latter title winning for it the name, "I Better Walk," on account of poor service and much trouble; but at present under the name Big Four, it is one of the most important roads of the state, and its service is of the best both for freight and passenger traffic. A large number of trains run on each branch located in Hardin county, and the four large cities from which it takes its name are reached quickly and safely by means of its system. This road runs from north to south through Jackson, Pleas- ant, Buck and Taylor Creek townships, and in addition to Kenton has the following stations in the county: Forest, Grant, Patterson, Silver Creek and Yelverton.
The other branch of the Big Four railroad runs through the southern part of Hardin county, through Hale and Dudley townships, and was completed in 1852, making it the second road through the county. This very important road was incorporated January 25, 1848, and ever since it was built it has had a fair share of the patronage of the county, though a little out of the way for most of the settlers. The public spirited citizens of Hale made no mistake in giving the new road $15,000, for it has developed their township wonderfully, and given them the thriving villages of Mt. Victory and Ridgeway, two of the most enterprising towns of the county, both of them drawing trade from Logan county on the south, as well as Hardin. This road was also known under various names until it became a part of the net work connecting Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Indianapolis, and later, St. Louis and Chicago.
The next railroad came only a few years later, and is a part of one of the most famous systems in the country-the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. This road was formerly known as the Ohio and Indiana railroad, and was incorporated March 20, 1850. It was built close to the northern part of the county through Jackson, Liberty, Blanchard and Washington townships in 1854. At first it was only one of a dozen or more important, but small railroads of the state, later being merged into the powerful system that is now noted for speed, safety and attention to all the details of travel. Particularly is this road noted for its fast trains, which thunder through even large cities without pausing, and are so constructed as to take water without stopping. One of the devices for supplying engines with water without
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stopping is located at Dola in Washington township. In the middle of the track is a long trough or ditch filled with water, into which a sort of spout or hose is let down by the engineer, and the force of the train fills the boiler at full speed. These devices are in common use on the great roads of the East, but the one at Dola is the only one in this sec- tion of the country. Forest, Ada and Dola (formerly North Wash- ington) are located on the Pennsylvania road in Hardin county.
Shortly after this came the first signs of the great Civil war, and for a time the business enterprises of the whole country received a decided check. No more railroads were thought of for Hardin county until long after peace was restored, and the plan to build a great line from New York to Chicago was projected by Eastern capitalists. This line was to strike Kenton, and be a great convenience for her citizens in reaching the two greatest cities of the United States speedily and directly. It was to be called the Chicago and Atlantic, and in the summer of 1873 the work of grading was completed from Marion to Kenton running through Dudley and Buck townships near the Scioto river. But the scheme failed, and for a number of years nothing was done. However, some years later a new route was surveyed south of the old line, and in May, 1883, Kenton was connected with Marion and Lima. Later on the road was finished and known as the Chicago and Erie, and later as the Salamanca and Chicago, and now as a part of the Erie system. It is a very important road for Hardin county, bringing as it does the great onion fields, for which the county is noted, into direct communication with the eastern and western markets. East of Kenton, Hepburn is the only station, though for a time the village known as Wheeler's Station and later, as Pfeiffer, was a stopping place for local trains, but west of Kenton are the important marsh towns of Foraker, Alger and McGuffey, where during the onion season bus- iness with the railroad company is exceedingly brisk.
Some years later the scheme for connecting Toledo, which was rapidly becoming one of the first cities of the state, with Columbus, was worked out, and a company formed to build a road through Bowling Green, Findlay, Kenton and Marksville, making a direct route between Toledo and Columbus. It was built as far as Kenton and opened for business February, 1890, and the line was completed to West Columbus three years later. being opened for business in 1893. It is now one of the most important routes through the northwestern part of the state, and of great value to Hardin county. It runs through Blanchard, Pleasant, Buck and IFale townships from north to south, and is noted for its good service and courteous treatment of patrons. Dunkirk and Blanchard are the stations north of Kenton, while south there is but one, Ridgeway, at the crossing of the Toledo, Kenton and Columbus with the Big Four.
CHAPTER II.
BANISHING THE PLAGUES AND DEVELOPING AGRICULTURE
FIRST STEPS TOWARD GETTING RID OF MILK SICKNESS, AGUE AND OTHER DISEASES-BUILDING OF PIKES AND BRIDGES-DISPOSING OF WILD ANIMALS-INTRODUCING BLOODED STOCK-NEW. METHODS IN FARMING TIIE ADVENT OF FARMING MACHINERY.
As soon as the settlers had their first wants supplied and sufficient land cleared to supply their wants in the way of grain and vegetables, they began to plan to make life more comfortable, and their work more profitable. They did not come to the new country merely to get enough to eat and to wear, but to make money; so the first thing to do was to better conditions and make prosperity possible. The pioneer who was reduced to a shaking, sallow, discouraged creature by chills and fever, with perhaps milk sickness in his family, could do little toward making the fortune that had looked so alluring in his old home, and the hope of which lured him to the wilderness. So something had to be done at once to banish the plagues.
About the first step in the right direction was the keeping of the cattle out of the woods. As soon as possible little pastures of cultivated grass were fenced, and the cows kept away from the weeds causing the terrible disease. As late as forty or fifty years ago occasional cases of milk sickness were known in the county, but they were the result of carelessness, or cattle breaking into woods-pastures and getting the disease. With cultivated grass for the cattle to eat, the disease finally disappeared.
Ague was not so easy to conquer. In those days nobody thought of the transmission of disease by insects, and even if the mosquito had been credited with propagating the "shaking ague," there was no way to kill off the millions of insects that came to life in the stagnant pools. However, at a very early day the Scioto river was straightened through Kenton, and the old channel partially filled with dirt, which helped a great deal in that vicinity, and all over the country men were tapping the ponds in order to have more land to cultivate. The first drain tile were made in brick shape, one of the pieces being slightly
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY
hollowed out and the other fitting over the top of it. These were con- sidered wonderful inventions, but were so small as to be worthless except for cellar drains. Cutting off the timber and letting in the sunlight had the effect of drying up many of the swales, but it was not until the ditch laws were put into effect whereby people were made to drain their farms whether willing or unwilling, that the ponds filled with eroaking frogs really began to disappear. Whiskey and quinine were more relied on to cure ague than drainage was to banish it, but by degrees the disease disappeared. In 1859 the first public diteh was construeted, while Hog ereek was drained in 1867, and the Seioto river in 1882.
Although a portion of the Dunkirk pike had been built by sub- seription about 1850, the real work of pike building was not begun until after the Civil war. There was fierce opposition to the plan of taxing the farmers to provide good roads, and the late Benjamin R. Brunson was probably the objeet of more abuse than any man in the eounty, because he advocated the piking of certain roads. David Snodgrass stood by him with the more progressive eitizens of the county, but Samuel Wood, who with Brunson and Snodgrass made up the board of commissioners at that time, opposed the measure. In spite of every- thing the pikes were built, and the very farmers who violently opposed the plan lived to see the wisdom of it, as they quickly and easily took their erops to market in all kinds of weather, and found that settlers from other communities were attracted as mueh by good roads as by fertile lands, and the county took a decided stride forward. Sinee then the county is covered with a perfeet net work of roads well drained, well covered with crushed stone and gravel, and well kept under the local system of supervision. In 1907 the last road leading into Kenton that remained unpiked was graded and covered with stone, making that city the hub from which radiate seven fine turnpikes, most of which branch within the city limits, or just outside, making about fifteen fine roads leading to the county seat; and these are eonneeted in many places by cross pikes penetrating every nook and corner of the county. In all 775 miles were built at a cost of $2,500 per mile.
Building pikes necessitated building bridges across the numerous streams, and in many places eutting new channels. To the credit of the commissioners be it said, that they erected substantial struetures resting on stone foundations, many of which exist at present. Hills were ent down and low plaees filled in so as to make the number of bridges as low as possible, and so well was the work done that in many cases the annual repairs eonsist in putting in a few loads of stone where a washout occurs, or putting new floors in the old bridges. The Seioto river alone which once boasted a ford at the present village of Pfeiffer, and another near the marsh, exeept at low water, when it could be crossed almost anywhere, now is spanned by sixteen iron bridges, exclu-
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