USA > Ohio > Trumbull County > A twentieth century history of Trumbull County, Ohio; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 51
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Roderick Norton's sons, Albert and Roderick Jr., were Methodist ministers, while his daughter Hannah married the
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Rev. William S. Pond. Homer, above referred to, the oldest child, was greatly attached to his mother, and from her received his first education. When he was sixteen years old he had a severe illness which affected one of his legs and made him permanently lame and unable to do hard work. Knowing he must have some trade or profession, he learned to make shoes. He worked at this some time in different towns, and finally deter- mined upon having an education. He went to the West Farm- ington Seminary, later took writing lessons of Mr. Spencer, the originator of the Spencerian method, and became so proficient in this art that he taught in several towns in Trumbull County and was one of the first teachers of this system. He not only taught in this vicinity, but in Indiana and other states as well, and one time, when at Fort Wayne. he had saved $100 from his teaching, and with this, together with his horse and some other things, he bought land in DeKalb county and Lagrange. These investments proved profitable. After this he again went to Western Reserve Seminary, and to Allegheny College; was elected justice of the peace, and finally became a lawyer. He married Emma, a daughter of Jonas Bond, of Enidburg, whose brother was at one time mayor of Chicago. They had eight children, and accumulated a goodly property.
The first of the Hurd family, Seth, his wife, Thankful, and nine children, some of whom had the old fashioned names of Joy, Comfort and Freedom, came to Southington in 1808.
Mrs. Hurd took Mrs. Norton's place as town nurse and unprofessional physician. The story is told that the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Hurd, Isaac, married Lucretia Viets and that they supposed of course they could live with the old people through the winter. But the independent Mrs. Hurd said. "When bees swarm they must take another hive," so young Isaac and Lucretia, with the help of neighbors, got together a roughly built cabin, and she went into the woods near at hand and gathered moss with which she filled the crevices. They prospered through their intelligence and industry, and their hospitable home had many guests. Here the Methodist min- isters on their circuit were apt to stop, and those old Methodist ministers, whose hardships were plenty, occasionally stayed a few days over time in such comfortable homes as the Hurds'. They had four sons and one daughter, and their youngest son, Frank, for many years owned the land which his ancestors bought from the Connectient Company.
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It is recorded of Mrs. Comfort Hurd that she had many adventures peculiar to the early pioneer life. Once she and her sister, Mrs. Joy Hurd, were gathering berries, when they came upon a bear. Pretending not to see him, they walked in the opposite direction and were not harmed. Another time, when she was on her way home from school (she was a teacher) she got lost in the woods and had to stay there all night. her only companion being her horse.
In the fall of 1808 Elisha Bronson, Joseph Rice and Henry White came from Connecticut. A daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bronson was the second white girl born in Southington. Her name was Lovisa and she married Henry Joy, and both of them lived to good old age. The Bronsons had a goodly family of children, and so did their children, so they have many descend- ants in this township. One of these, Mrs. Lydia N. Bronson, eighty-five years old, has just celebrated her birthday.
Mary E. Hurd, who prepared the chapter on "Pioneer Women," at the time of the Cleveland centennial says that Wealthy Bronson Fishel had ten children and that while her husband and her oldest son were in the war of the Rebellion she took care of seven younger children, worked one hundred and twenty acres of land, broke and drove colts. hauled wood. went to mill, etc. At the time of the writing she could walk four miles without any fatigne.
Mrs. Hurd is also authority for the statement that one night when Mr. Lewis Viets was away and Mrs. Viets and their little son were alone, a wolf came and stuck its nose under the blanket. Mrs. Viets decided instead of being frightened herself to frighten the wolf, so hurled a fire-brand at it. with the desired effect.
She also says that there were so few dishes and implements in that township, and so many children, that the son of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Norton used a broken knife and a shoemaker's . awl'to eat his meals.
The family of Benjamin Hobart. who came to Southington in 1830, were members of the same family as Vice President Hobart. They had the same great-grandfather.
Among the later responsible families of Southington is that of the Thorpes. Many of their descendants have been pros- perons and well edneated.
There has been a great deal said in the different chapters about people making trips back and forth to Connecticut, but so
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far as we know, Dennis White, of Southington, made a greater number of trips than any of the early settlers. He went seven- teen times to Connectient, traveling nearly every time on foot. His wife, Lydia, of course had unusual cares during his absence, but she had time to study and think, and she was the first tem- perance woman in Southington. The story told here is about the same story as we have told in other townships about the raising of buildings by the first temperance people, who refused whiskey. In most cases the men refused to raise, and old men and young boys took their places. In one case women raised the building. But in this case the men did it themselves, grumbling all the time, however, at having to do without their grog.
It is said that Mr. Rufus Rice attempted to follow the example of Mr. and Mrs. White. but the men in the crowd opposed to temperance held down on the beams instead of up, and it looked for a time as if the building would not be raised Finally the temperance men seemed to be strongest, and when they really showed what they could do, the opposers decided to help.
Southington, like townships in the lower part of the county. liad a goodly number of Pennsylvania Dutch families among the settlers. They arrived early in the '30s and proved to be substantial citizens. Many of their descendants, the Hoffmans. Brobst, Stroup, Stocks, etc., are substantial citizens of the township.
The townships near the county seat have naturally not grown as much as those further away. Southington has been a rural community always. It has one railroad station, and in the years past a great deal of cheese was made here. Just now the best strawberries that are brought to the Warren market come from this township.
The first school in Southington was held in a dwelling about three-quarters of a mile south of the center. James Nutt was the first teacher, beginning his labors about 1814. William Knowlton early taught here. The first building which was erected for school purposes exclusively was east of the center. It was built of logs. Afterwards a brick schoolhouse stood on this spot. This is no longer in existence. In 1824 a sub- scription paper was circulated to obtain money for the erection of a school building. It was then stated that the building must stand at the center, or "at the corner of lots east of Asa Waldron's." Not enough money was raised at that time, and
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another paper was circulated. But even this failed to bring about the desired result. Because of this agitation, the school- house above referred to, having been built in 1825, was erected. As we have seen, at a very early date the schools of Warren were exceedingly good, and also at an early date the West Farmington Seminary was established. At a later date the Garrettsville high school, quite near at hand, and Hiram College but ten miles away, made it unnecessary for Southington people to establish schools of their own, as many isolated townships did. The district schools, however, were well conducted, and the pupils well prepared to enter the schools above named.
About 1805 James Chalker Sr., his wife and son, together with Roderick Norton and Luke Viets, with their wives (these men were his brothers-in-law) located in Sonthington a little west of the center. They had come from Connecticut and stopped en route. They had nine sons and four daughters, most of whom settled in Southington and Nelson. Newton was the third son of James Jr. His mother was Eliza Hyde, of Farm- ington. From his youth he was interested in education. studied and taught by turns, and when he became a lawyer and moved to Akron, he decided to give to Southington what it had never had, a good high school. He therefore erected the building. a sketch of which is here given, the lower room being used for the high school and the upper for the public library and audi- torium. The township of Southington then erected on the same lot another school building for the children of the lower grades. These were completed in 1907. They stand at the center of Sonthington and are the pride of the inhabitants.
The first church building in Southington was used by the Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists. Mr. Ely gave two acres of land in 1817, lying a little north of the center, for a house of publie worship. He not only gave the land, but he gave the glass and the nails. Presbyterian missionaries held services in Southington at a very early date. Deacon Maltbie. his wife, and fourteen children, were much interested in these meetings, and he was the mainstay. Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer and David Hatch and wife were early members. After using the union meeting house a building was erected at the center, but it was abandoned many years ago.
The Baptists in the early days erected a log house, where the Presbyterian house later stood, and held meetings there. Later they had a house a mile and a half north of the center, .
WALKER HIGH SCHOOL
(Loaned by the Tribune. )
CHALKER HIGH SCHOOL.
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which was afterwards moved to the northwestern part of the township. Dennis White, who made the numerous trips to Con- nectient, was an earnest Baptist. After a time this organiza- tion disbanded, some going to the Methodist and some to the Disciples.
About 1820 a small class of Methodists existed in Sonth- ington. Their meetings were held at the homes of Luke Viets and Joseph Rice, and later they held services in the old brick schoolhouse. Among the first members were James Sr., Orin and Joseph Chalker, Sterling Osborne, Joseph Rice, JJames Nntt, Joy, Comfort and Isaac Hurd, and Luke Viets. JJoseph Rice was the class leader. In 1838 the neat and substantial church at the center was built. The circuit riders visited South- ington early and often, and it was largely through their efforts that some of the early Baptists came into this fold.
The Disciple church, in its organization, was not different in this township from other townships. When Thomas Camp- bell and Mr. Seott and Mr. Applegate were in the vicinity they converted Samuel Houghton and he was baptized by Mr. Camp- bell. A number of the former Baptists joined this congrega- tion and it has grown steadily from that time on.
The early Germans of the township organized a church in 1837. There seemed to be less division among the Southington Pennsylvania Dutch than those of other townships. They built a honse the year they were organized, and this served their purpose umtil 1865 or '66, when they erected another one on the site of the old. Peter Mahnenschmidt was the first rector of the Reformed Congregation, and F. C. Becker of the Lutherans. Among the early Lutheran ministers were Revs. Rauhauser, Ruhl and Zink. Among the German Reformed, Revs. Grether, Otting and Enghurst.
The Evangelical church was the last one organized. In 1852 Dr. J. C. Bowman and his wife were members of this church, and about that time Mr. Leonard and Mr. Hampy began preaching. A year later the Rev. Mr. Staley held protracted meetings in a log honse south of the corners, and the church was fully organized. Jonathan Oswold was chosen class leader. In 1854 the first church building was erected, and the new one was built in 1872.
CHAPTER L .- VERNON.
THOMAS GIDDINGS' NARRATIVE .- THE ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST SET- TLERS AND THEIR EXPERIENCES .- " BODILY EXERCISES."_ MYRA K. PELTON'S ARTICLE .- SAD AND ROMANTIC INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE .- VERNON'S NOT- ABLE FAMILIES .- FIRST METHODIST CLASS IN THE RESERVE .- OTHER CHURCHES .- VERNON SCHOOLS.
The author of this work is fortunate in being able to pre- sent to the readers facts in regard to the history of Vernon prepared by three students of three generations.
Hon. Milton Sutliff wrote, many years ago, about a case which depended upon the original survey of the township of Vernon. This case was tried before Benjamin F. Wade, and the main witness was Thomas Giddings, who went to the township of Vernon in 1798 and who for twenty-five years had not been to Warren, the county seat. He walked twenty miles to attend this case, and he was anxious to tell his whole story in order to get through in time to walk back that day. His testimony was so direct that it interested Mr. Sutliff, and later he visited this gentleman, and writes of him as follows:
I was born in Hartland, Hartford county, Connecticut, 27th of January, 1776.
On the 20th day of April, 1798, I had hired to Doctor Jeremiah Wilcox for six months to go to his lands in mm- ber 6, 1st range, in Western Reserved lands of Connecticut, and make some improvements. He agreed to pay me $10 a month and $10 for my expenses. I left Hartland that day with a pack on my back, and went to Litchfield in Litchfield county, and joined in company with Uriel Holmes, Levi Blakesley and Raphael Cook. The next day we went to Millford, and John Duncan, Montgomery Shalard and
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Curtis went from there to Pittsburg. From that place some went by water. Duncan aud I went by land, to drive two rows. The first day we drove the cows down the north bank of the Ohio river almost three miles, to the house of a settler by name of Woods, and stayed there over night. The next day we came to Legionville, as then called, the old cabins before built and occupied by Gen. Wayne's army, but found them empty and nobody living there. We wont on to Beaver, and there we found an Indian hunter by name of Brady, who was living there near the month of a small creek, afterwards called "Brady's Run." There was a block house on the east side of the Beaver below the falls. From there we went to a settler's cabin at the place afterwards called Greersburg, the only cabin there at that time. Between that cabin and the state line we found only one family, of the name of Wright. From Wright's rabin we went Youngstown, passing through the township of Poland, finding no other cabin or family. In the town- ship of Youngstown there were then four families, a Mr. Hillman, the two Shehy families, and Martin Tidd, who afterwards lived and died in Kinsman. We stayed over night at Hilhan's. I slept on his floor. A large number of friendly Indians came to Ililhan's in the morning. Duncan and I left the cows with Martin Tidd.
I had agreed with Hohnes for when we had driven the cows to stay and attend to them until he should get there from Pittsburg, and Duncan, at Youngstown, refused to return alone; and so I went along with him. We followed down the bank of the Mahoning. and about ten miles below Youngstown we came to the cabin of a man by name of Small, who had a boat which he let us have. We then went down the river and down the Shenango in the boat to the falls of the Beaver river. It was after dark when we got near the falls, and hearing the roar of the waterfall. were afraid to go very near, and went to shore and tied the boat. We then followed down the bank of the river as best we could in the dark, and finally discerned a light and got to the cabin and learned of another house below, and making a torch, we followed a footpath there shown ns to the other house, where we found Holmes and all the company, and the hands of Boardman.
The next morning Hohes' company loaded their goods
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on the boat we had brought down and we went up the river and up the Mahoning past Youngstown to the mouth of Mosquito creek. We landed the boat about eight or ten rods from the month, up the Mosquito creek, on the south [east ?] bank. There I tied up the boat and Holmes named the place "Giddings Landing."
We made a camp there and sent back the boat to Mr. Small. Titus Hayes, one of the company, then stayed to keep the camp, and Cook, the surveyor, and Curtis and myself went with Holmes to the southwest corner of the township of Vienna and ran a line to the north and south venter line of that township on the south line. When we found the center point, we ran and marked a line for the north and south center road to the center of that township. From the center as fixed by Cook we then ran and marked a center line west to the west line of the township.
In going west, almost a mile from the center I found a turkey nest of thirteen eggs. The hands wanted to suck the eggs. but having found the nest, I claimed the eggs, giving one to a hand, which was to see if good. I took the others, six in each pocket, and we had them cooked at camp that night for supper. Near the turkey nest, on that line. we found an oak tree, which Cook measured with his chain about as high as would be cut to fell it, and called it eighteen feet in circumference.
The next day we surveyed and marked an angular road from the S. W. corner of Vienna to the center. Afterwards Holmes extended the survey from the center to the N. E. corner of Hartford.
I stayed a week or ten days in Vienna with Holmes' men ; and then insisted on going on to Wilcox's land, No. 6. 1st range. Vienna was then called No. 4, 2nd range. We knew the towns then by the number and range. It was all New Connectient, and such and such number and range. We had no names for county or township for the most part. That day, Saturday, abont noon, Gen. Martin Smith, came to us at Vienna from Sharon, on horseback. He had come up the Brown and Shenango as far as Sharon, six or eight miles east of Vienna, and knowing Holmes had come on with hands, came over to see him and his hands before going to see his lands in No. 6, Vernon. He stayed with us over night. In the night I happened to wake, and by sound of
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the bell found that Smith's horse had gone far off; and waked up Hohnes and Smith ; and got his bridle, and fol- lowed by the sound of the bell ; overtook the horse in Brook- field, and caught him. It was a dark night, but I managed to ride him back, keeping the course through the woods; and we then hobbled him, and so found him near by the next morning.
The next day I went with General Smith to Sharon. the place afterwards named Sharon. There were then three families in that vicinity, Andrew Paterson, Henry Bndd, and Benjamin Budd. General Smith had some supplies to be taken from that place to his land, and we loaded them on the skiff, 3 barrels of flour, 1 of whiskey, some meat and cooking utensils, etc. A man by the name of Ely and I took the skiff. Smith rode his horses. We, Ely and I, rowed and shoved the skiff up the Shenango, the day after getting to Sharon, to the month of the Pymatuning; and then up that creek to the southeast corner of Vernon township. We had a good deal of difficulty in getting up our skiff, had to eut out logs for the skiff to pass along the stream in several places. I had like to have drowned in one place, being no swimmer, and lost my only coat and stockings in the stream. We tied up the skiff at the corner of the township and camped there over night. The next day we went up the sonth line to the northwest corner of the township and with a pole, measured by my hands, nearly correct, measured the line, and found the middle or center of the south line; and from that place, by Smith's pocket compass and my pole, we measured and set stakes, marking the line to the south- east corner of the old Wilcox farm about half a mile south of the center. In looking for water I followed that little run up to the large spring where David Sutliff now lives, then the Wilcox land. We agreed to make an encampment there by the spring, and I out a little white oak there, the first tree ever eut by a white man in the township, in June, 1798. We set up posts eut from that tree and with poles laid across, and peeled bark, made us a very good cabin, which we oceu- pied for some time.
The next day we went down to Smith's skiff and brought it up to his farm, extending from near our cabin to the creek, and landed the skiff and cargo on his land. We then made a dray of two long poles and bark, and put the
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barrel of whiskey on the dray near the horse. I took the further ends of the poles on my shoulders, and Smith, lead- ing the horse, we carried it to the encampment we had pre- pared: and in the same way we brought up the flour, and the other things from the skiff. We hid the whiskey under a heap of brush. An Indian came for whiskey but we re- fused him the whiskey, but gave him a slice of bread and also a slice to another Indian, and two squaws and two papooses. to each a slice of bread. The Indian that wanted the whis- key would after that, for some time, call every noon for his dinner but refused to bring the squaws and children.
After a while General Smith returned to Pittsburgh. and returned, bringing Aaron Brockway and his wife. The two Indians, Isaac and Billy Mohawk, then came each with his squaw and three papooses to our encampment. Aaron Brockway and wife were the first family that came into that township. They lived in the encampment until Smith, Ely, Broekway and myself early in July, 1798, put up a log house for them, the same house afterwards occupied by old Mr. Pelton. We all worked, making an improvement of some twelve or fourteen acres where Daniel Sutliff's orchard now is. Our seed grain we packed on oxen, from Beaver, sixty miles. No roads were ent out, but the path was by blazed trees through the woods.
In Angust, 1798, when Holmes was abont to return, we all wrote letters to send baek by him. I wrote to Ephraim Lilley with whom I had lived. It was asked by someone of our company. "What name of the place shall we date our letters?" and I said Smithfield, to which they all agreed, and we so dated our letters. In my letter to Lilley I made a picture of a stake, after the name Smithfield, and wrote "the place where John Rogers was burned"; and the town- ship continued to be called Smithfield until 1812 or 1815, when. without any good reason, the name was changed to Vernon.
The next year. 1799, Martin Smith came back, bringing his family. Joseph De Wolf came with him and took up the farm on which he settled, the next farm south of mine, which was the farm on which Erastus Chapman now lives. Mr. Palmer and his son, Warren Palmer, also came. The old man took up the farm next south of the center, on which Asa Haynes afterwards lived, and Warren, his son, took up
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the farm south of Joseph DeWolf. They each made im- provements in the summer of 1799, put in crops and built cabins, or log houses.
In the beginning of the next season, 1800, only Brock- way and General Smith had their families. Old Mr. Palmer and his son Warren had returned for their families in the fall before. In June of 1800 Aber Moses came with his children, Abner and John and Polly, who afterwards mar- ried Iosia Merry. His wife had died on the journey. About the same time old Mr. Palmer and his son Warren returned with their families, and Joseph De Wolf with his family, his son Tensard R. driving his team. I went back and married and returned with my wife in June. Abner Moses took up the farm afterwards occupied by Jones King, and Obed Crosby took up the farm next north, and boarded with me and made a clearing that summer. My place was the farm now owned by Erastus Chapman. In 1801 Obed Crosby brought his family. Perry Sheldon came with his wife and one child and took up the farm on which he lived and died; also Plumb Sutliff, who took up the farm south and adjoining his, and Samuel Sutliff, who took up the farm on which he lived, and died in 1840. Wright took up the farm south of Plumb Sutliff, now owned by Ralsa Clark, and Luther Thompson the same year took up the farm on which he lived, and died recently. Thomas Thompson, the same year, took up the farm east of the creek, afterwards owned by Gilbert & Miner.
In 1802 Morgan Banning took up his farm south of Thomas Thompson. Andrew Burns took up the farm east of Joseph De Wolf, afterwards owned by Sterling G. Bush- nell. Samuel Sutliff brought on his family. Doctor Wright married and brought his wife. In the winter of 1802-03 Perry Sheldon and Samuel Sutliff killed thirteen bears. In 1805 or 1806 I killed a young bear on a Sunday with a club, and defended against the old one; drove three cubs up a tree and killed one of them, which provoked the old bear to attack and drive me off, but I returned with Aaron C. Sutliff and Abner Moses, who helped me to fell the tree, and we captured the two cubs, and I gave one of them to the boys for helping me and they kept it for a pet, chained in a hollow stump. Samuel Sutliff and Perry Sheldon had good dogs, Sutliff had a gun, and Sheldon a spear made by
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