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 8
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George H. Quinby was a son by the second marriage and has lived all his life in Warren, and until within a few years in the old Quinby home.
The mother of Ephraim Quinby was Miss Rittenhouse. Her people built and operated the first printing press west of the Alleghany mountains. They made telescopes. light-honses, ete. She was interred in the Oakwood cemetery among the first who were laid away there.
The second party to come to Warren was also from Wash- ington county. It consisted of Henry Lane Sr .. two of his grandchildren, the children of Benjamin (Benjamin Lane and Lina Lane Greiner live in Warren now). John Lane. Edward Jones, stepson of John Lane, and Meshack Case (the Misses Mary and Harriet Stevens, the grandanghters of Mr. Case. have resided in Warren all their lives). Of these two parties. Mr. Quinby. Mr. Lane and Mr. Case, afterwards, by themselves and their descendants, figured prominently in the development of Warren. Henry Lane Sr., who died in 1844 at the age of 78. bonght land in the lower part of town, a portion of which has been in the family ever since. The son, John Lane. and Edward Jones, planted corn and lived in the Young cabin. Mr. Case made no selection of land at this time. Ilis decisions and those of his son and grandson were usually judicious and were not arrived at without careful thought. He returned to Washington comty but came back again in August, when he bought 198 acres of Richard Storer. He cleared two acres of land and put up a
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cabin, went back to Washington county in September for his family.
Mr. Ebenezer King Jr., Mr. John Leavitt, and William Crooks and wife, all of Connecticut, the two former owning land in tins new country, came during the summer of 1799. King and Leavitt made only a short stay. These were the first settlers from Connecticut. Crooks raised a cabin, made a clearing, in the western part of the present Warren township, and sowed wheat. This is supposed to have been the first wheat raised in the township, probably within the present limits of Trumbull County. In the fall, Mr. Henry Lane Sr. brought with him his son, Benjamin, a boy of fourteen. On the horse which the lad rode were one hundred little apple trees, which were imme- diately set out. These bore apples for many years, and some are still standing, one in the yard of Mr. Charles Wanamaker on South Main street. Mr. Lane and both his sons went home for the winter. The Young cabin, which was now occupied more or less most of the time, was taken possession of in the fall by Edward Jones, whose wife had joined him. Up to this time all the settlers had been from Washington county, Pennsylvania. In September, Benjamin Davison (the great-grandfather of Mr. S. C. Iddings) of Huntingdon, Huntingdon county, Pennsyl- vania, bought land below the Fusselman farm next to Mr. Case. He put np a cabin and went home when the weather became cold.
Sometime during this year, range minber 4 began to be called Warren in honor of Moses Warren, the surveyor who ran the third range line.
Quinby and Storer in the autumn went to Washington county for their families and as soon as the ground was thor- oughly frozen, returned with them. During the last days of the year of 1799 people living in Warren were, Ephraim Quinby, his wife Ammi, children Naney, Sammel and William ( William six months old, rode with mother) ; Richard Storer, his wife and three children: Francis Carolton, John, William, Margaret and Peter, his children: William Fenton, wife and two children; Edward Jones and wife; William Crooks and wife; Jonathan and Josiah Church. There were two or three workmen who are mentioned as "hands," but when counting all, there were not more than thirty people. Warren is situated so far east in the township that people on the west edge of Howland have been associated from the beginning with Warren people. In 1799 John H. Adgate settled in the southwest corner of Howland
HISTORY OF TRUMBULL COUNTY
township, and from that day to this some of his descendants have lived in that neighborhood. His grandson John is asso- ciated with his son Frank in the greenhouse business. The early Adgates had large families and these descendants married into old families, so that there have been at times over fifty people living in Trumbull County who were connected with the early Adgate family.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Jones bought land on the west side of the river where some of the Dallys lived for many years. Here was born the first child in the township, possibly in the county. Her name was Hannah, and her grandmother was Mrs. Henry Lane, who was a widow when Mr. Lane married her. Some writers say that a son of Mr. Jones was the first white child born in this territory, but this is an error. Hannah mar- ried William Dutchin and died early, 1820.
In the springtime of 1800 came Henry Lane Sr .. his wife, and their children, John, Benjamin, Asa, Catharine, Annie, and Henry Jr., who was one of the older of the children and who was married. At this time came also Charles Dally, Jennie, his wife, and several children; Isaac Dally, Effie, his wife. and sev- eral children ; John Dally, wife and child; Meshack Case, Mag- dalen, his wife, Elizabeth; Leonard, Catherine, Mary, Sarah.
Henry Lane was a remarkable man for his time. He had the respect of his associates, was elected to the legislature, and materially aided in the development of Warren. He was a man of remarkable physical strength. It was said he could whip any man in the county, and that whenever anybody got a little too full of whiskey and offered to "clean out" the crowd, he always excluded Henry Lane. He was present at the Salt Springs tragedy but took no part in it. On several occasions when the Indians were dis- turbing, he was in the party resenting the attack. At one time he had been after the Indians and learning that they were in a very bad mood, he returned to his house (which was nearer to the Salt Spring trail than those of some other settlers) to look after his family. Gathering them together the wife remem- bered that one of the children had been in the garden. She therefore ran, found her asleep, picked her up, and they all pro- ceeded. A little way from the house was a cornfield, and here the family hid, and when they came to realize it one of the little girls was missing. The mother felt sure that she too was in the garden, so the father left the family in the field and went back
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for the little girl. Sure enough she had been sleeping in the garden. but the Indians, as soon as Mr. and Mrs. Lane were out of reach, had sealped her. It does not seem possible to ns of today, as we drive on the old state road over the shallow Mahon- ing, that the time ever was when a gentle little girl, in her father's garden on the bank of that river, could have lost her life at the hands of a red man with his tomahawk. Mr. Lane had to leave the body lying there in order to protect his family and, Inddling them together, he bid them march to the fort (just where this was the writer does not know nor do the mem- bers of the family who tell this tale) between two and three miles distant while he, with his gun in hand, walked backwards in order to keep his eye on the enemy which was following. However, no harm came to the rest of the party.
Of Henry Lane's children, Henry was connected with the early business life of Warren. Facts in regard to him will be found in the chapter on old homes.
Asa returned to Pennsylvania in 1820 and died there.
Catharine married John Tait of Lordstown; Annie mar- ried Samuel Phillips of Anstintown. John married Mary Cald- well of Mansfield, living there a short time and coming back to Weathersfield where he engaged in farming. He spent the last days in Warren.
Benjamin, who came on horseback hearing the apple trees. was not married until he was fifty-six, that is, in 1841. His wife was Hannah Cook, an English woman. They had three children. Henry J., who lived on the old farm, was always interested in family traditions and now lives in Kansas; Benjamin F., who married Mary Ackley of Bloomfield and has three daughters and a son; and Lina, who married Samnel Greiner and resides on Thorn street, this city. She has no children. Mrs. Lane died when Lina was a baby and Miss Tait, of Lordstown, gave her a mother's attention and a mother's love.
Mr. Lane built an addition to the Young cabin. This was standing within the remembrance of people born as late as 1850.
As the family of Meshack Case preserve their records. writers of the history of Trumbull County, from the beginning. have been able to quote from the manuscript of Leonard Case as follows :
"The usual incidents attended the trip until crossing the south line of the Reserve, at 41st north latitude. From
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there to Yellow Creek, in Poland, was a very muddy road, called the swamp. At Poland the settlement had been begun. Judge Turhand Kirtland and family were living on the east side, and Jonathan Fowler and his wife, who was a sister of the judge, kept tavern on the west side. Thence our way was through the woods to the dwelling of a family named Stevens, who had been there three years or more. At their house we stayed over night. The wife's name was Hannah, and with her our family had been previously ac- quainted. She said that during those two years she had not seen the face of a white woman. Two children had been born in this family at the crossing of the river near Youngstown, before April, 1800. Next morning we passed up the west side of the river (for want of means to cross it ) to the place where James Hillman, who lived on the high ground over against Youngstown ; thence through the woods over the road made by the Connecticut Land Company, to the Salt Springs. At that place some settlers, Joseph Me- Mahon among the rest, were engaged in making salt. From there we passed (through woods) to the cabin and clearing which Benjamin Davison had made on the north one-half of Lot 42; then on, one quarter of a mile, to a path that turned east to the Fusselman place, on the south one-half of Lot 35, and thence to the residence of Richard Storer. arriving there at 4:00 p. m. on the 14th of April. After our passage through the woods and mud, the leeks on the Indian field made a most beautiful appearance."
The Case family was of Holland extraction, mixed with Trish blood. Of the family, Elizabeth married James Ellis, removed to Kentucky and when a widow returned here, where she passed the rest of her days. Catherine married Daniel Kerr of Painesville, where they were identified with the early history of that town. Mary married Benjamin Stevens, spent her whole life in Warren, was a teacher, a musician, an excellent mother and citizen. Sarah married Cyrus Bosworth and spent all her life in Warren near the spot which her father chose for the family home. Jane died in childhood; Zophar resided in Cleve- land; Leonard was the best known of the family, probably be- cause of a misfortune which overtook him shortly after he came to Trinnbull County. It was indeed a misfortune, because at that time it was a great thing for men to be able to perform
( The original is the property of Mr. Otting.)
FROM A SKETCH OF MARKET STREET AFTER THE FIRE WHICH DESTROYED THE CORNER OF PARK AND MARKET.
The "banking house" was that of Freeman and Hunt.
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hard physical labor. Leonard Case was lame and soon made up his mind that if he was going to take a place in the world he would have to make unusual effort. He became a clerk in the land office, was associated with General Simon Perkins as clerk. read and studied constantly, prepared himself for survey- ing. The work which he did was so exact that John S. Edwards, the first county recorder, induced him to study law. This he did in addition to his regular work. He soon acquired a great deal of knowledge concerning the Connecticut Land Company, . the Western Reserve, and when he became collector of taxes of non-residents he added to his knowledge. In 1816 when the Commercial Bank of Lake Erie was formed, Mr. Case was elected cashier. James Kingsbury, of whom we read in the first chapters of this history, recommended Mr. Case to this position because he wrote a good hand and was a good account- ant. Cleveland was then a small town and this did not occupy all his attention. He never was a trial lawyer, but he used his knowledge in adjusting business differences, particularly as to land, was frugal, and bought land so that at his death he was one of the rich men of Cleveland. He was at one time mayor of Cleveland, and later an alderman. In 1820 the bank failed, but was afterwards reorganized and Leonard Case was its presi- dent. Among the first frame warehouses that were put up on the river front was one erected by Mr. Case. He had two sons, William, who was a student and somewhat of a rechse. and who died withont marrying, and Leonard Jr., who inherited the property of his father and displayed such business qualities as to add largely to it. He was a genial man, popular with a few friends and left a large amount of money to his relatives, besides endowing the Case School of Applied Sciences, Case Library, and contributing generously to philanthropic work in Cleveland. He never lived in Warren and is therefore not identified with Trumbull County history except through family connections.
In the spring of 1800 Benjamin Davison, with his wife Annie, and a large family, settled in Warren. The names of these children were George Liberty, Mary, Prudence, Ann. Sam- nel, William, Walter, James, Betsey, Benjamin. Mary, the eldest danghter, married Samuel Chesney and they have three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren now living in Warren.
About the same time John Leavitt, with his family settled in Warren, building a house on the west side of Main street.
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which afterwards was a tavern. One of his daughters became Mrs. Robert Irwin, an early Warren merchant, and another mar- ried Wheeler Lewis. Humphrey, afterwards a lawyer. located in Steubenville, and later became United States district judge. Albert, the youngest, lived in Warren, while JJohn. the second son, in 1805, bought a farm about the center of Warren town- ship. He was known as "squire John," and was one of the early county treasurers. He died in 1815. Samuel Leavitt, who was the second of his generation to settle in Warren, came here to investigate in 1800, and purchased land near the farm of his nephew, John, Jr. Two years later Samuel brought his wife, who had been a widow. Abigail Kent Austin. The Leavitt family, the Austin family, the Parsons family and the Freeman family were connected through this marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Samnel Leavitt had one child, Lynda, who married Judge Francis Freeman. Their son, Samuel, who was long a banker and business man in Warren, took his second name, Leavitt. from his mother. The wife of Samuel Leavitt died in 1817, and he married Margaret Kibbee Parsons, the widowed mother of George Parsons Sr. Sammel Leavitt died in 1830, his first wife in 1816, and his second wife in 1861.
On the Leavitt farm was the first race track in Trumbull County. It was on the south side of the road opposite the pres- ent home of Nellie Austin Pendleton. The grandstand stood at the head of the Lovers Lane road and the judges could see down that lane for a long way. A great deal of rare sport was had on this course, Messrs. Harmon, Leavitt and Collins being the most interested. The building of the canal spoiled this course. The judge's stand was left standing, and decaying dropped to pieces little by little. Many of the residents of Warren remember the lower part of this building in its last stages, not knowing what it was. Later, race tracks were located in other parts of the county, but the races were for trotting horses, and not for running. These tracks were a good way from town, and after a while the racing was done on Mahoning avenue. The horses started at a point in the neighborhood of the oldl toll gate and stopped about where the city hall now stands. This was a mile accurately measured. Because of the bend in Mahoning Avenue in front of the present Fitch property it was necessary to station a man there so that the time keeper at the lower end could know when the start was made. When, therefore, the flag was dropped at the start, the man at the bend
HISTORY OF TRUMBULL COUNTY
dropped a flag also. and the timer at the city hall thus knew the raee was on. The first horse making a mile in three minutes was one owned by Mr. Collins, and the race took place on this track. The enlistment of the young men in the army of 1560 put an end to these sports. After a time the Agrienltural Society had a track in connection with the fairs.
Enoch Leavitt was the third of the Leavitts who brought his family to Ohio, and he settled in Leavittsburg. He was buried there in 1815, and Enoch Leavitt Jr. was a substantial citizen of Trumbull County. He accumulated about a thou- sand acres of land in Warren township. He bad six children and died when only fifty-two years old.
In order to keep the information in regard to these early families clear, we mention here Benajab Austin, who was the son of Abigail Kent Austin before her marriage 'to Samuel Leavitt, and a half-brother to Mrs. Judge Francis Freeman. He married Olive Harmon, and after living in the neighborhood of Leavittsburg he moved into the house now ocenpied by Mrs. Nellie Austin Pendleton. Benajah Austin was identified with much of the early history of Trumbull County. Twelve years he was commissioner. He was deputy sheriff one year, and sheriff two years. lle had six children, Hiram, who died at Chardon, Julius, who lived in Brace- ville, Enos, who lived at Youngstown, Amelia, who mar ried S. A. Potter. Benajah, and Harmon. Benajah was one of the early doctors, but practiced only a little time because of ill health. Harmon was the most widely known of all the family. He was born at the old homestead in 1817, lived there until 1870. moved to Warren, where he died a few years ago. He married Minerva Sackett (Jamary 11, 1842). He was inter- ested in polities, in the welfare of the community, a leader in the Disciple church. a prosperous business man, and probably at his home have been entertained more publie visitors than at any honse in town save the Kinsman homestead. Mrs. Austin was a beautiful character. She had the love and respect of everyone who knew her. Her children and intimate friends adored her. She was courageous, conscientious, and capable. She had three children, Nellie, Harmon, and Mary. The two younger live in Cleveland. and Nellie, with her husband, W. C. Pendleton, her son Anstin with his wife and children, now occupy the house built by Benajah and lately remodeled.
Phineas Leffingwell and his family, who came to Warren
HISTORY OF TRUMBULL COUNTY
in 1800. were identified with the early history. There are, how- ever. none of his descendants here at this writing.
The taxpayers of Warren for the year 1804 were:
John Adgate Mennaga, Calvin Austin, Samuel Burnett, Cornelins Barker, Jesse Powell, Joshna Brown, Steven Baldwin, Noah Brockway, William Crooks, Robert Caldwell, Jonathan Crureh, Meshack Case, William Haniday, Topher Carnes, Charles Dailey, James Deimsenmb, Isaae Dailey, Sanmel Donalds, Nathan Dunn, Benjamin Davis, Jacob Earle, John Ewalt, Jessie Ellis, John Earle, William Fenton. Robert Freeman, James Grimes, William Gal- breath. William Hand, Henry Harsh. Renben Harmon, Ezekial Hover, James Eaton, Jesse Holiday, Thomas Jef- ferson. John Kinney, George Loveless, Asa Lane, Henry Lane Sr., Henry Lane, Samuel Leavitt, Enoch Leavitt Sr., John Leavitt, Esq., Phencia Leffingwell, Asehel Mills, Delann Mills. Isaae Mills, William Morman, William Me- Williams, George MeGat, William Netterfield, Joshua Ott, George Phelphs, Samuel Pew, Thomas Prieer, Ephraim and Samuel Quinby, Joshua Quigley, John Reeves, James Stanford, B. Stowe, Nathaniel Stanley, William Vanee, James Ward, Mr. Wetherby, Benjamin Williams, Urial Williams, James Wilson, Francis Windall, Simon Perkins, John S. Edwards, David Robertson, Robert Irwin, Thomas Ross, Henry Wright, Samnel Chesney, James Seott. Franeis Carlton. Walter Brewster. Ebenezer Sheldon. Ephraim Quinby's tax was the heaviest, $7.40; Walter Brewster's the lightest. 7 cents.
From the time the first traet of land was bought by Parsons to 1800. a most nuusual condition had existed in Old Trumbull County. In the beginning it belonged to Conneetient and Con- nectient had jurisdiction over it. After a time Connectient sold it to a company, but naturally as that company was not a govern- ment. it could not transfer its legal jurisdiction. The United States was asked to assume this jurisdiction, but it refused for obvious reasons. So, for nearly five years the people of Old Trumbull County were withont law, or law-makers. This faet was not so strange as was the fact that the settlers proceeded in exactly the same way they would have done had they had law. They bought land, made contracts, got married, and eol-
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lected monies due them, without any sort of officer to authorize the proceedings. Once a tax collector came into this region, but he was laughed at and advised to leave, which he gladly did. The governor of the state had erected several counties including portions of the Western Reserve, but he was not considered to have authority in the matter. So much irregularity and uncer- tainty had there been that finally, in April, 1800, the United States released all its claim to the land of the Western Reserve, provided Connecticut would release all her claim of jurisdiction. The matter was finally settled on the 30th of May, 1800. The niceties of the law question contained in this early history are apparent, and all lovers of law would do well to examine them. It is a temptation to note them here.
On July 10. 1800. the whole tract of the Western Reserve was erected into a county, named Trumbull for the governor of Connecticut. The Trumbull family was a noted one. Jonathan Trumbull was governor of Connectient for fourteen years, begin- ning 1769. It was from him that the term "brother Jonathan" was received. Benjamin Trumbull was a minister of reputation and published a History of Connectient which was not only valu- able as to facts, but to style as well; John Trumbull was a poet, while another Jolm Trumbull was a painter of good repute, his most important works being those in the rotunda of the capitol at Washington. It was the brother of this painter. Gov. Jona- than Trumbull Jr., for whom the citizens of New Connecticut named the county.
At the time of the erection of Trumbull County. Judge Samuel H. Parsons, Judge James M. Varnum, and Judge John Cleves Symmes were the judges, and these men, together with the governor, St. Clair, and the secretary, Winthrop Sargent, decided upon Warren as the county seat, and the governor ap- pointed the necessary officials. The selection of Warren was not made for any other reason than those which prevail in like selec- tions today, namely, that more men of influence lived in Warren than in Youngstown. Judge Young, to be sure, was a strong character, but in things so large as great politics he stood alone. John Leavitt, Ebenezer King, Judge Calvin Pease, and some others, who had land interests in the vicinity of Warren, were not only men of strength, but they came from Suffield. Connecti- cut. the home of Hon. Gideon Granger, then postmaster general of the United States. The same sort of strings were pulled in those days as now, and because of the help of Gideon Granger
HISTORY OF TRUMBULL COUNTY
at this time and because of his family relation (he was a brother- in-law of Calvin Pease). the people of Trumbull county, in the vicinity of Warren, have always thankfully remembered him. There were no telegraphs, no regular mails, and Trumbull County had been established some days before the people knew the fact. or Warren people knew that they were living at the county seat.
John Stark Edwards, the first recorder of Trumbull, was one of the most brilliant men of that day. A sketch of his life is given in Bench and Bar, since he was among the most success- ful if not the most successful of the early attorneys. The fol- lowing refers to his domestic life and is given here, since the facts narrated occurred at this time.
There has come into the possession of the writer a little book printed for private distribution only-"A Sketch of the Life of Lonisa Maria Montgomery," by her granddaughter. Louisa Maria Edwards. It contains letters from the family of John S. Edwards, some of his own letters, letters of his wife and her family, and is one of the most entertaining and interest- ing volumes we have ever read. Mrs. Edwards spent a lifetime and a long one at that in the Mahoning Valley, was a woman of very strong character, and her association with Mrs. Perkins, Mrs. Tod, Mrs. Kinsman and other valiant pioneers showed how well she was thought of in the community. It seems after John Stark Edwards had spent the summer in Mesopotamia, entting down a few trees "to let the sun in," he returned to Connecticut for the winter. In 1800, as we have seen, he was commissioned recorder of Trumbull County, holding the office until 1830.
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