USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Annals of the Early Settlers Association of Cuyahoga County, number I > Part 4
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The first vessel, I may say, built here, the vessel that has been referred to, was built by Major Carter on top of the hill between Water and Union streets. It was built at an early date, and was afterwards destroyed by the British in the war of 1812. At the same time Levi Johnson built a smaller vessel just east of the Public Square. He was a common carpenter and had, no experience in building vessels: but he watched the building of Mr. Carter's and succeeded in build-
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ing that. Of course, they had to haul it down to the river to be launched. It was a small vessel. He ran it for a few years until he was able to build a better one, and did build a better one in 1817.
One word in reference to schools. The first school of which I have any recollection was taught in a barn which stood back of the American House, between that and the brow of the hill; and I should not remember that, perhaps, but for one or two circumstances. I know a severe, heavy storm of wind, rain and hail came from the west, and blew through the cracks and knotholes of the barn, and the school was broken up for that day. Of course, it was not a finished building at all, it was merely built of planks, logs, sticks, etc. That was the first school of which I have any recollection. Afterwards there was a shed, so-called, that stood where the Commercial buildings now stand. There was a school also taught by the late Benjamin Carter, in a little old building that stood on Water street. It was kept there, I think, two winters. After- wards we went to the old Court House, and occupied, in the first place, the family room. Afterwards we went up stairs and occupied the room when the court was not in session. It was kept there until the small building was erected on St. Clair street, west of Bank street, which remained there until a very few years ago. From that the school was trans- ferred to the Academy, a brick building erected on the oppo- .
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site side of the street. At the time that little building was erected on St. Clair street, the opposite side of the street was wood. When I say "wood," I mean brush, with occasional trees. Of course, schools in those days were taught but a short time by one person. The first teacher we had was Miss Hickox. There were two Misses Hickox, one at one time and another at another. They were the first teachers in this city of whom I have any recollection. [Applause. ]
HON. JOHN A. FOOTE'S REMARKS.
Somewhere about 1836 a weather-beaten man, with some marks of dissipation came to our office to have us commence a suit for slander against his brother. It seemed that the wife of this man-Captain Renben Turner-had been called as a witness in a suit where his brother-William Turner- was a party, and that she had testified against William. That William at once arose and denounced her to the andience as a bad woman. Upon this the old Captain, probably then under the influence of liquor, advanced to her, and, throwing his arms about her neck, exclaimed: "Now mind, Mima, old Uncle Reuben loves you yet !"' We brought suit and recovered a judgment. The old captain soon came in and reported to ns that his brother William had called on him and complained that he, the captain, would ruin him by collecting that judg- ment. He told ns that he replied to his brother that he did not wish to injure him. That he did not want a cent of his
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money, but that he must sign a writing "that he lied about the old woman," and that then he would give up the judgment. But he told him that if he should refuse to do this that he would collect the judgment. I think William would not sign the papers, and that the old captain collected the judgment. This love for his wife and his odd sailor ways and expressions interested me in him, though he continued his intemperate habits. But at length I met him, and perceiving a great change for the better-with all marks of intemperance gone -- I exclaimed: "What has produced this great improvement ?" He replied that he had become a temperance man-that "the old woman had loved him out of the ditch."
Shortly after this the news reached us here of the announcement of the Washingtonian temperance movement among the drunkards at Baltimore, as well as of the wonder- ful success of Father Matthew in Ireland. Hoping to aid the cause here, we called on the old captain to give us his experi- ence. He responded, and astonished us all. He had drained the cup to its bitter dregs, and like the modern Murphy, he electrified the community, and induced thousands to follow his example. Aristarchus Champion, a wealthy and benevo- lent gent from Rochester, happening here at this period, offered the old captain $500 if he would devote himself to the work for three months. The offer was accepted, but instead of three months he labored in this canse for two years, and
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he told me that he obtained fifty thousand names to the pledge of total abstinence. Among these was Judge Smith, of Medina, who had become a drunkard and had fallen so low that his wife had obtained a divorce from him. His reforma- tion was, however, so thorough that they were remarried. and some years since I read the notice of the Judge's death in Wisconsin at an extreme age and with a flattering obituary.
Captain Turner was remarkable for his great good sense. This was specially seen in one of our county temperance con- ventions. It was in the very white heat of the Washingtonian movement. A. W. Kellogg had denounced the clergy for not taking greater interest in the movement. Dr. Aiken, the then pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of this city, in reply to him said the Washingtonians reminded him of what he had frequently seen in the city of New York in his boyhood. It was the launching of vessels. It was in this fashion: After the vessel had been built by long and persistent labor, a crowd of gentlemen and ladies would come aboard and a single block would be knocked away, and the vessel, with her load, would glide into the water, while the gentlemen and ladies would shout and swing their hats and handkerchiefs, and act just as if they had both built and launched the vessel.
Now, said the Doctor, we built this good temperance ship by careful and strenuous labors. and now you Washingtonians claim all the credit, &c.
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Old Captain Turner sprung to his feet and said: "Father Aiken seems to feel a good deal wamble-cropped at what Brother Kellogg has said, and I am not surprised at it. For it is true that the blackcoats did build this good ship and floated us Washingtonians off as he has said." And then turning to Dr. Aiken, he continued: "Now, Doctor, the ship is built, all things are ready, why not come aboard and 'horah?'
There is one of the old settlers, whose remains now sleep in one of our city cemeteries, whose name and deeds are worthy of remembrance by this society, and we certainly should be grateful for his example, even if it is not proper to be proud of having had in our ranks so great a reformer.
FROM ANOTHER OLD SETTLER.
Mr. John W. Allen said: We are telling stories to-night, and I may as well tell one to show how different things are from what they were once. In the old village corporation there was a president, recorder, and three trustees. The legis- lation was in the hands of the trustees and president. I happened in the year 1828 to be one of them. Dr. Long was another. We thought it expedient to buy a fire engine, and we negotiated with Mr. Seelye for the purpose of purchasing a small engine. It was before the days of steam fire engines. We were about to make a contract with him for the engine, and were to pay him $400, $50 down and $350 in a note of the corporation. There was a set of men here who were
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hostile to the measure. They got up a meeting and talked pretty strongly, intimating that we had joined hands with Seelye to swindle the people here, and that we undoubtedly participated in the plunder. But we bought the engine and paid the $50 like honest men, and gave the note of the cor- poration for the balance. An election intervened the next spring, and we were all turned out, and a new set of men put in who repudiated the note. The note came here for collec- into, judgment was rendered, and those men had to walk up to the captain's office and settle the bill.
Nothing affects me more forcibly than the contrast be- tween that little machine and the array of sometimes a dozen of our great steam fire engines, of immense power and beau- tiful too in their appearance, and that never tire while the coal and water last.
That was in the early days when the population was small and the means and views were small, ten or fifteen years before the application of steam for such purposes was dreamed of.
But the advance in this particular matter of protection against fire only corresponds with that of population and wealth, and the application of inventive genius in a hundred ways to the wants and convenience of mankind, which has marked the progress of the last half century.
Our successors of that day may look back upon us of this
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day as a simple minded people, doing the best we knew how with the little knowledge and means we had, but as not amounting to any particular sum according to their theme standard.
REMARKS OF H. M. ADDISON.
MR. PRESIDENT :-
At this late hour I desire to state only a few facts in a few words, by way of making a close connection between the past and the present.
On my right sits Mr. Wm. H. Warren, the oldest man now living, who was born in Warrensville, in the first log house in that township; and Mr. Elias Cozad, a member of our asso- ciation, helped to build that house.
My father taught the first school in the first log school house in that township. The first singing school was tanght in that school house, and I hold in my hand one of the books used in that school. Simple facts like these call vividly to mind early scenes in my career of life, and the wonderful progress in the condition of our county in a comparatively short period of time; and I hope the early settlers of the various townships will come to our next convention, prepared to give many of the kind, either orally or in writing. They are "Foot-prints in the sands of time," that are very desirable to preserve, and the sooner they are collected and reduced to writing, the more we will have of them, and the more accurate
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they will be, and consequently more interesting to future generations.
The Rev. J. T. Avery was called for, but declined to make any remarks, owing to the lateness of the hour.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.
Mr. R. T. Lyon offered the following resolutions which were unanimously adopted :
Resolved. That the thanks of this association be extended to the officers of this church for the free use of their fine and comfortable building to hokdl this, our first convention; also, to the speakers, organist, and the Arion Quartett Club for their efforts, which have added so much to our enjoyment.
Resolved. That we favor the proposition of Mr. S. E. Adams that a monument be erected in this city to the memory of Moses Cleaveland, and that this association take measures to favor that object.
And thereupon the convention united in singing the dox- ology, and then adjourned to meet next year at the call of the Executive Committee.
Written Statement received from Geo. B. Merwin, Esq. MR. PRESIDENT :
My father came to Cleveland in 1815, the family in February 1816. There were six houses on Superior street, George Wallace's tavern, Dr. Long's office, (he lived in
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a double log house in his garden back of the office on the lot where the American House now stands, ) Ashbel W. Wal- worth's house and office on same lot, Irad Kelley's store and house opposite Bank street, Uncle Abram Heacox's black- smith shop where E. I. Baldwin's store now stands, on one side of his sign were the words " Uncle Abram works here," on the other a gentleman on horseback saying "Can you shoe my horse?" "Yes, sir." And a two story framed building where the Forest City House now stands, called Mowrey's tavern, were on the south side. Nathan Perry's store and house, corner of Water and Superior street, and the Weddell House lot, extending to St. Clair, were fenced in with rails, having a peach orchard in the north half of the lot. Here one morning I picked up sixteen pigeons which my father killed at one shot. An old red building in which the Commercial Bank of Lake Erie was established by Alfred Kelley in 1817, stood on the corner of Bank street; the hay-scales stood where Ogden Crit- tenden's jewelry store now stands, and in the back part of this old red building the Cleveland HERALD was established in 1819.
The letter "a" in the name as spelled by General Moses Cleaveland, was omitted by the printers, who having ordered a new set of type for a new heading, it was found that the size of the type extended the name too far across the paper to make a good job, the letter "a" was therefore omitted. The 5
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paper upon which it was printed came from Pittsburg, once not arriving in time, an edition was issued on foolscap. David Burroughs blacksmith shop was on the opposite corner of Seneca; his large flock of geese occupied a part of Superior street, opposite his shop every time it rained.
The old red court house and log jail stood on the square in front of the late Dr. Aiken's church; the court room was used for religions services-a masonic lodge and general elections; the stumps of the gallows upon which the Indian Omic was hung for the murder of two trappers at Sandusky, were visible in front of it. Omic was anatomized by Dr. Long. I have seen his bones many times.
When the bank was established, a suitable person for cashier was required. Judge Kingsbury, happening to be in town one day, was asked if he knew any one among his acquaintances who could fill the position. He said he knew a young man by the name of Leonard Case, who wrote a good hand and was said to be a good accountant; and he thought he would answer. He was engaged and was the first cashier and Alfred Kelley the first president.
In 1817-18 small change was very scarce and the trustees of the village to relieve the wants of the people, after con- sulting with the business men, concluded best to issue cor- poration serip, called by the people "Corporation Shinplasters," to the amount of one hundred dollars, in denominations from
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six and a quarter cents to fifty cents. I have two of these bills signed by Daniel Kelley, president, Horace Perry, clerk.
There were financiers in those days as well as in modern times; a silver dollar was divided into nine pieces, each pass- ing for a shilling, and a pistareen worth eighteen and three- quarter cents, went for a shilling also.
Judge Samuel Williamson lived on the corner of St. Clair and Water streets. . Alfred Kelley in a brick-house near the bank of the lake, north of his house he had a field of two acres in wheat, north of this was a road leading to the mouth of the river.
Water street was fenced in, the corners of the fence full of elders and stumps. Levi Johnson lived on the corner of Lake and Water. St. Clair street was fenced in on the south side as far as Seneca. Bank street was fenced in on each side with two or three houses upon it. At the foot of Bank street was a stockade fort, erected during the war of 1812, which would hold 250 men, it was constructed of chestnut slabs, pointed with port holes for musquetry, part of the slabs were standing and were cut down for fire wood as occasion required. This work was called Fort "Hungerford" by the boys, from the fact that a widow of that name lived in the bushes near by and was frequently visited by the commanding officer; the boys to show their appreciation of his devotion to the lone- some widow, one night placed a tub of soft soap at the rear
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door, then knocking at the front door, the escaping officer landed in the tub of soap up to his knees. In those days in the spring of the year the bank of the lake used to crack off and fall down several feet below the plain. I remember going along there one spring, the bank had cracked and fallen, exposing about half of a coffin made of Chestnut slabs, pinned together with wooden pins; looking down I discovered the skull and other bones of some poor fellow who had been laid there to take his rest, not with his "martial cloak around him," but in his red flannel shirt and an army blanket.
The first school house, a small frame, was built in the spring of 1817 on a lot adjoining the Kennard House; twenty- four scholars attended the first school; several of the young men in the village contributed to help pay the teacher; in this house religious services were held every sabbath. Judge Daniel Kelley offering prayer, some young man reading a sermon, and my mother leading the singing. The first winter a man by the name of Parsons was the teacher. I have a feeling recollection how very particular he was to warm the chestnut sprouts in the ashes, and how nicely they fitted to the hollow of my back.
On the river, at the foot of Lighthouse street, Levi Jolin- son had a small frame store house; Matthew Williamson a tannery at the foot of Union Lane; my father a log store- house at the foot of Superior street. Christopher Gun kept
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the ferry across the river, using a scow for teams and skiff for footmen, one shilling for teams and six pence for footmen was the charge for ferryage.
My father built the schooner "Minerva" at the foot of Superior street. She was launched in March 1823, and was the first vessel registered in the District of Cuyahoga, under "the United States revenue laws; she was named after my mother; when she was launched I stood upon the heel of the howsprit, as the stern tonched the water and called ont the name and smashed a gallon jug of whisky, as was the enstom at launching in those days. She was the first vessel west of Buffalo that had a chain cable. My father got suit- able iron rods from Pittsburg, and an excellent blacksmith. Washington Jones, who made forty-five fathoms of chain during the winter; to test its strength was of the first im- portance.
At that time there were several butternut trees along the east side of Water street; my father sent out to Judge Kings- bury and Esquire Samuel Dodge at Enclid, to furnish him fifteen yoke of oxen; they were brought in, the chain fastened to one of the trees, the cattle were hitched on, all being ready word was given to surge away, which being done three times without parting it, Capt. Clifford Belden, her master and two or three other masters present, pronounced the trial satis- factory ; the chain would hold the vessel in any gale.
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Office holders in those times were not as numerous as now. Ashbel W. Walworth was custom house collector, postmaster and the pioneer letter carrier, as he usually carried the letters in his hat and delivered them to the persons addressed when he met them.
The famous itinerant preacher, Lorenzo Dow, held forth under one of these trees one Sunday afternoon in July 1827. . His first words were, "well, here you all are, rag, shag and bob tail." He sat flat on the ground during his discourse.
The arrival of Gov. DeWitt Clinton, of New York, to break ground for the commencement of the Ohio Canal on the Lick- ing County summit in 1825, the celebration of the opening of the canal from Cleveland to Akron in June 1827, and many other items relating to early Pioneer times, I will defer to some future meeting of the Association.
Very respectfully,
GEO. B. MERWIN.
LAKE SIDE, ROCKPORT, May 20, 1880.
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Written Remarks received from Mrs. Geo. B. Merwin.
MR. PRESIDENT.
I was brought to Cleveland when a baby, in the first steamer that ever ploughed the waters of Lake Erie, the "Walk-in-the-water" .- A fierce gale blowing, there being no wharves, as docks, the steamer rode out the storm of three days and nights at anchor, in great danger of going on the beach, watched most anxiously by the few inhabitants from the shore, there being no possible means of communicating with her. At that time all freight and passengers were landed by means of lighters and yawl boats. The greatest speed of the Walk-in-the-water was ten miles an hour; her route from Detroit to Black Rock, three miles below Buffalo, and in com- ing up the Niagara, there not being force enough in her engines, she was towed to Buffalo by six yoke of oxen. The price of passage was ten dollars from Detroit to Cleveland, and twenty from Cleveland to Buffalo. The first teacher I remember was Miss Eliza Beard, to whom I went when five years old. Her parents were cultivated Irish people. At the age of nine I was sent to Harvey Rice, a young law student from the East, who taught in a brick building on St. Clair St., an Academy, and used on Sundays for holding church services, An adjoining lot, covered with old stumps, deposited there from various parts of the town, weather-beaten and bleached by storms, was our
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play ground. the stumps our horses and play houses, where we arranged our bits of broken crockery, not a set of dishes intended for children having yet been brought to the village. On the south side of Superior street, nearly opposite the City Hall I should think, there was a spring of soft water, and near it a shelter was built of boughs of trees in summer, and here many of the women used to congregate for washing, hanging there clothes on the surrounding bushes. The wells, what few there were containing only hard water. The only water car rier for a long time, was Benhu Johnson, who with his sister a Mrs. White, lived on Euclid street, about where the Vienna Coffee House is now. Benhu, with his wooden leg, little wagon and old horse, was in great demand on Mondays, when he drew two barrels of water at a time, covered with blankets, up the long, steep hill from the river, now known as Vineyard street. to parties requiring the element. In faney I see him now, with his unpainted vehicle, old white horse, himself stumping along keeping time to the tune "Roving Sailor" which he was fond of singing, occasionally starting "Old Whitey" with a kick from the always ready leg, especially if he had been imbibing freely. At the corner of Bank and Superior streets was the store and dwelling of Peter M. Weddell, a brick build- ing with a piazza in front. Our friend, the present Mrs. Weddell, being then noted, as since, for her love of flowers, and the choice assortment she then possesssed. Judge Kings-
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bury's was a favorite place to visit, for health, pleasure and cherries; the latter being the sour French fruit, brought from Detroit, as delicious to our uncultivated tastes, as the choicest of the present day. A sulphur spring on his farm was sought as a cure for cutaneous diseases.
The completion of the Ohio canal was celebrated by a great ball at the Mansion House kept by James Belden. I attended with my parents and sat awhile in the lap of Gov. Allen Trimble who had honored the occasion by his presence. It took all the men, women and children in the village who danced, to make enough for a set of contra dances, or quad- rilles. A violin player by the name of Hendershot, who lived in Euclid, was the musician for many years. When a ball was held, the managers went for the ladies in a carriage, com- mencing at five in the afternoon, that all might be there in time for business at six o'clock, and I well remember the late Mr. Orlando Cutter, escorting mother and myself to one when I was nine or ten years old. Cows pastured in and around the town at their own sweet will, coming home at night to be milked, mother insuring the return of hers by feeding her now and then slices of bread and sugar. These are a few of my early recollections. The change from the hamlet to the village, from the log house to the frame building, is better remembered, than from the village to the city. After a few good residences are built, the eye becomes accustomed to them, and the
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gradual increase in numbers is not so much noticed. I walk the streets of Cleveland to day unmindful of the changes time and wealth have wrought. Only occasionally I look back and see the scattering houses-the vacant lots-the second growth of oaks on the square as we then called the Park.
MRS. GEO. B. MERWIN.
LAKE SIDE, ROCKPORT, May 30th, 1880.
Written Recollections and Experiences received from J. H. Sargent, Esq.
MR. PRESIDENT:
For forty years all the members of this association, and some of us for a much longer period, have contributed their share towards making history for Cuyahoga County. But where shall we all be forty years hence? Every younger recruit of to-day will then be an octogenarian, at least, or on the other side of Jordan. The venerable men of that day will be telling of the great bridge victory of peace consumated in the Viadnet, as I may refer to-day to the bridge victory of war. They will be telling of fierce contests between gas- lights and petroleum, and electricity, as we now refer to the tallow dips and grease eups, with overhanging lighted rags, of our youthful days.
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