USA > Ohio > Licking County > Newark > Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County Ohio > Part 44
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Township schools were open three or four months in the year, during the winter season; subscription schools were supported by those who were ambitious for better opportunities for their children and these were often held during the summer for the younger children. The teacher boarded about among the sub- scribers, the more children in the family, the longer the stay of the teacher; he was with us a large portion of the school term. The teacher of that day was stern and relentless; he flogged unsparingly for all classes of offenses. One winter 1 attended school in a log building where now stands the Weiant country home; we were taught by a Mr. Hughes from Hughesville, Virginia, who was a student of Denison College and had accepted the short term of the district school as a means of assisting him in his college course. He was an excellent teacher and the one from whom I am certain I learned the most. Another teacher, who left behind him the kindliest recollections, was a Mr. Westervelt, a theoolgical student from Oberlin, of whom I last heard in Iowa. These two were of irreproachable char- acter, a virtue I can scarcely attribute to every teacher whose school I attended : their Monday morning dispositions testifying to the intemperance of the day before.
The Ohio canal and the boats on it were the never ending source of interest. It must have been between the years 1830 and 1835 that ex-President John Quincy Adams came to Newark to lecture on "Education." He came by stage to Portsmouth and by canal to Hebron, where he was met by a number of Newark citizens, and by them escorted on canal boat to Newark. His lecture was delivered in the First Presbyterian church.
Passenger packets on the canal were lightly built, prettily painted, carpeted and furnished. The horses towing them went at a trot and were changed at a distance of each ten miles. In pleasant weather the passengers rode on deck and as there was no smoke, cinders or dust, it made a very nice, clean way to travel,
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and was at once recognized as having many advantages over stage coach travel. The Zoarite settlement at Zoar, Ohio, was often the objective point of the many people wishing to make a canal trip; comfortable provision could there be made for a stay of several days, so that was an excursion often made.
When I was fourteen, my father talked strongly of apprenticing me to John I. Mooney, an excellent cabinet-maker of Newark. Many splendid pieces of furni- ture of his construction are owned in and about Newark today. However, there was much that a boy of my age could do on a farm, so father kept me with him while-
"He cut, he logged, he cleared his lot, And into many a dismal spot He let the light of day."
I recall very distinctly one day in September, when I was about fifteen, John and I were returning from brother Sam's, at Johnstown, where we had been sent on an errand. They had put something like a half bushel of turnips in the wagon for us to bring home. When we arrived in Newark, school had just been dis- missed in the building which stood in the rear of the First Presbyterian church. As the boys rushed out, we recognized Dan and Will Darlington. We knew them well, as they often had visited us. We therefore gave each a turnip. I've looked upon scraped turnip as well worth eating. With that, the rest of the boys demanded turnips. We knew that we hadn't enough for them and have any left to take home, so we drove off. Then they began to pelt us with stones. That made me mad, so I got down from the wagon and ran every one of them into a yard around the old brick house that stood on the present site of the John Swisher home. I dared any one of them to come out, but they did not venture.
The following spring, brothers Clark, John and I went to the reservoir, now known as Buckeye lake. We drove there in a big wagon hitched to two horses. Two other young fellows joined us at Newark. We reached our destination in the afternoon and at once started to try our luck, the Newark boys for frogs, we for fish. It was not long before we had nearly filled the tub we had brought with us with cleaned fish. We placed it under the wagon and went away some distance to try another place. Upon our return we found, to our dismay, that some hogs had made their appearance and eaten all our fish. We regretted having placed the tub under the wagon rather than in it. I was discouraged, but John, having greater patience, set about catching more, so that we had a few to take home, after all. That happened sixty-four years ago, and I did not again visit the reservoir until within the last four years. Upon my first visit the canal portion only was free from timber.
A great many of the early settlers in the country east of Newark had emi- grated from Virginia. My father came with his brother Henry and their father from Staunton in 1810. Through the third brother, Samuel, who was a circuit preacher of the Baltimore conference, traveling in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, Henry had heard of the Grimes family of Greenbrier, Virginia. Having laid his plans to go west with his father and brother, Henry started in advance of the wagons, his purpose being to visit the Grimes family. He traveled on horse- back, following the emigrant road to the source of the Greenbrier river, where he turned into a mountain bridle path which brought him, after a hundred-mile
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journey, to the home of Felix and Catherine Grimes, where he presented an introductory letter from his brother Samuel, their pastor. They looked upon him favorably and he was able to persuade Mary, the second daughter, to become his wife and journey with him to share the trials and perils of a home on the fron- tier. Both on horseback, her dower of household goods in pack saddles, they returned the way he had come, two of her brothers accompanying them to drive her four cows. They met my father and grandfather, and then together the four took up their journey over the Alleghenies, crossing the Ohio river at Marietta, following the Muskingum to Zanesville, and the Licking to Newark, then but a very small village. They had expected to continue up the North Fork of the Licking to where Utica now stands, as they had friends there who had preceded them from Virginia, but finding the stream swollen and learning that corn was scarce there, they decided for the time to rent a log cabin of Mr. John Channel, on the south side of the Licking.
There we can picture this brave woman in her new home, meeting its dis- comforts and privations with true pioneer spirit. Fortune, however, favored their efforts, and at the end of three years, with the combined accumulation of the father and two sons, a tract of land was purchased on the Bowling Green, four miles east of Newark.
The year preceding war had been declared against the British, and news of it came as regularly as the irregular mail service would permit. The greatest anxiety was felt for fear of Indian raids, as reports had reached them of their depredations at Fort Dearborn. It was my delight, as a small boy, to have father tell how he removed the clapboard on the roof of their cabin and kept his gun by his head, thinking in case the Indians came they could make their escape through the roof.
William Montgomery, my father, enlisted in the war during the summer of 1813. His company toiled through the dense forests of northern Ohio to San- dusky, where they had been but a short time when news of Perry's victory was received, which virtually ended the war. So they saw no active service, but marched back by the way they had gone, to Mount Vernon, where the company disbanded, and those who lived in Newark, not caring to take the circuitous route of the highway, made their way through the woods "straight as the crow flies" and were soon at their homes. It was in October of that year that my father returned to Virginia and presented himself at the Grimes home and found favor with the youngest daughter, Margaret. When his visit was over, and he turned his face to the west again and rode out into the bright October sunshine, he had his life companion at his side.
It is easy to picture the reunion of the sisters and to understand the close friendship that then existed, and always has, between the two families of ten and eleven children, respectively.
Samuel Montgomery, the oldest brother, came to Licking county with the third Grimes sister in 1820. He continued to preach during the forty-seven years that he resided in this community. His eyesight completely failed him fifteen years before he died, but he had been such a student that his mind had been richly stored, and no one drew larger congregations than he.
My father and mother returned to Virginia to visit in 1819, taking with them brother Charlie, a baby of nine months. To make this journey they drove in a
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wagon to the Ohio river, taking their saddles with them, and the remainder of the trip was made on horseback. They returned by the same method.
Again to the subject of the early settlers. Among other Virginians were Solomon and Jonathan Wood. Solomon brought with him his bride, who was said to have been a descendant of Chief Justice Marshall. Their sister, Mary Wood, married Nathan Fleming before leaving Virginia, and they settled at Irville and were the parents of my wife's mother, Margaret Fleming.
Colonel Nathan Fleming was born in Marion county, West Virginia, January, 1783. He was in the mercantile business in Irville, one of the carly shippers to New Orleans, frequently going to that place himself. He was commissioned in the militia of Ohio April 3, 1812, by Governor Return Jonathan Meigs, and pro- moted to major October 29, 1812. He held this rank until October 15, 1818, when he was again promoted, this time to the rank of lieutenant colonel. His daughter, Margaret Fleming, married Beverly Lemert, whose mother, Elizabeth Glasscock, laid out the village of Elizabethtown. Lewis Lemert, father of Bev- erly, had power of attorney from George Washington to collect his rents on certain tracts of Virginia land. The document, made out by General Washington's own hand, is still intact.
Others that I remember well were James Stump and Levi Claypool, Cornelius Sidle and Eliphalet Vandenbark, all men of great integrity, cleverness and hospi- tality. Their homes were built of hewn logs and contained large fireplaces and chimneys. Having brought considerable means with them to this new country, they lived well for that day. They had pieces of furniture made by local cabinet- makers and would also occasionally have china and furniture brought from the east. These articles were spoken of by their less fortunate neighbors as "far sought and dear bought," but the appreciation shown at the present day of these antique articles proves at least that they were a good investment to hand down to their posterity.
Every man in those early days devoted considerable time to hunting. It was not a mere matter of passing the time, but a necessity. The rifle was kept in a convenient place at all times and frequently used. During my boyhood many deer were killed at the salt licks along the Licking river. The hunter would hide all night, as it was in the early morning that the deer would come for their salt.
I recall a story repeatedly told me in my boyhood, of some white men and Indians who were hunting near Black Hand, and their supply of lead having become exhausted, the Indians requested the white men to wait: that they would procure more. After several hours they returned, bearing lead ore. There was much speculation as to where the ore was procured, and repeated search was made for it. One man, Tom Moody by name, with others, devoted days to the search for it, and, failing to find it, they were inclined to the belief that it might have been found in the bed of the creek.
A "husking" was one of the prominent social episodes and, as well, a decided bit of assistance to the host with his work. It was held in the early fall, on a moonlight night. The corn having previously been hauled in and dumped into a large half circle, captains were chosen who alternately chose their side until the crowd was halved. The half circle of corn was divided into two portions equal in quantity, and each lot of participants, under the leadership of their respective captains, proceeded to husk. As the corn was husked it was tossed to the center
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in a pile, and the first side to complete its task proceeded to fall upon the oppo- nents, man for man, in one grand wrestling match. "Bully" men were so called because of their reputation as wrestlers and huskers throughout the neighborhood. Other profitable pleasures were log rollings and quiltings, of which descriptions are numerous.
In 1844 I went into the mercantile business at Elizabethtown. My stock of goods had to be transported from Baltimore, where I went to select it. To go to that city I went by stage from Zanesville to Cumberland, Maryland. The Balti- more & Ohio railroad was completed from Baltimore to that point. and it was not then thought possible to build it further over the mountains. My purchase of goods was brought to Cumberland via the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. It was carried by wagons across the mountains to Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and put aboard a steamboat on the Monongahela river, which went to Pittsburg and from thence down the Ohio river to Marietta, and from that place up the Muskingum to Zanesville, where the goods were again placed on wagons and hauled twenty miles to their destination. The freight rate, now fifty cents per hundred from New York to Newark, was then two dollars and fifty cents per hundred pounds from Baltimore to Zanesville. Calico sold at from twenty-five cents to thirty- seven and one-half cents per yard. On the other hand, we paid but six cents per pound for butter, three cents for ham and from three and one-half cents to five cents per dozen for eggs, and many a dozen of the latter have I relegated to the garbage pile, having been unable to dispose of them at any price.
The country was full of produce for which there was no available market, and as cold storage was then an unheard-of institution, the risk of handling perishables is clearly evident. I attempted to handle butter in quantity, shipping to Cincin- nati by hauling to Zanesville and thence by boat to the larger city. I shipped one hundred kegs of butter, each keg containing one hundred pounds, for which I had paid six cents per pound, to Cincinnati by the route described. The product not selling readily, I went overland, driving over the National road to Springfield, which was the terminal for a railroad out of Cincinnati. All of my efforts to dispose of my stock of butter were without avail. I returned here and it was not until February, four months after having shipped to Cincinnati, that I disposed of the stuff, needless to say at a loss, selling it as grease to be refined into oil for lighting purposes.
The store room occupied by me in Elizabethtown was afterward familiar to the younger children as Aunt 'Dithas' house, one door west of the Methodist church. Notwithstanding such experiences as above related, I conducted this business for a period of five years at a modest profit, but, estimating at the expira- tion of that time, my most valued asset acquired while in business was my wife.
I met my wife after her return from the Granville Female Seminary in the spring of '46. We were married on the 12th day of January, 1847, my mother's birthday. Those who witnessed the ceremony were Ely Beckwith and Rebecca Smith, the latter a sister of William Phillip's wife, who were our attendants; my brothers, Charlie and Clark; a brother-in-law, James Taylor; a sister, Emily; the wives of Abner and Leroy Lemert; Elizabeth, the next younger sister, who came home from the Granville seminary to witness the ceremony, and the younger brothers and sisters. The only surviving witness of the ceremony is Mrs. Julia Lemert Bradfield.
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We had expected to make a trip to Columbus via stage from Newark, but the roads having thawed and then frozen during the week just preceding our marriage, I decided, after driving from Elizabethtown to Newark and return, the Sunday preceding our marriage, that it would not be a comfortable or pleasant journey. We came directly to my mother's house, which was located where Cary Montgomery now lives. At the dinner that day, given in our honor, were present Mr. and Mrs. Thomas O'Bannon, Mr. and Mrs. William Seymour, sister Nancy and husband, brother Sam, wife and daughter, Mary Jane, and Mr. and Mrs. William Moore, the latter a Darlington.
We went to housekeeping opposite the present Methodist Episcopal church in Elizabethtown and lived there while we built on the hill opposite, now the parson- age, and into which house we moved the following October. Our first baby was born there in November. Its life was a short one, dying the following June. In the spring of 1849 we moved to Newark. At this time, had I a better education, it would have been my desire to study medicine. It is a source of satisfaction that our son, Edward, born on the 15th of May of that year, inherited my ambition and has reached a degree of success far beyond the ken of my then limited vision.
At the time we came to Newark there was great excitement concerning the discovery of gold in California. I seriously considered becoming one of a party under the leadership of Ben Brice to go to California to seek my fortune. This project was abandoned, however, though quite a number from this community really did go. Cholera menaced the health and peace of mind of Newark's popu- lation throughout the two years that we resided there, in consequence of which business was much affected, for which reason, together with our own fear of the disease, we returned to our former neighborhood in the eastern part of the county. The physicians of the town, together with the town council, gave directions as to diet, and advised, where possible, moving out on to the hills surrounding the town. Dr. Cooper, who built the house now occupied by Charles Follett, died of cholera, as did Joshua Mathiet, a prominent attorney and former mayor of the city, in whose office Jerome Buckingham had but lately entered for the study of law.
I bought three acres of ground on the Granville road, having a frontage of two hundred feet, later built upon by the late Daniel Wilson. We lived in a house which, strange to say, still stands on Granville street, unchanged in any way, notwithstanding the fifty-eight years that have elapsed. This we rented of Mr. and Mrs. Ells, who lived across the street, and were the grandparents of Mrs. Charles Hempstead. Other neighbors were Mr. and Mrs. Colemen, grandparents of Dr. William Baldwin. I recall the names of still others who moved away, and I know of no connections of theirs now living in Newark at present.
The Sandusky, Newark & Mansfield railroad was completed while we lived here, and I well remember taking my wife to see the first engine in Newark, which I believe was made in New York and brought here by canal boat. It was a great curiosity to the majority of the inhabitants. I have previously spoken of my first railroad ride, which was from Cumberland to Baltimore. I took my wife to Mount Vernon as soon as the road was in running order, that she, too, might have the experience of being carried in this novel manner.
Shortly after this the Morse magnetic telegraph line was put up through the country from New York to St. Louis by way of Newark and Granville. It was
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one of the wonders of the day, and as we were living on the line of its construction, I remember well the curiosity it aroused and the doubts expressed as to the suc- cess of the undertaking.
In June of 1850 P. T. Barnum's Great Renowned Show pitched its tents on the commons where now stands Mrs. Kennedy's home. The parade formed on Granville street, in front of our house. A feature of the show was the famous Tom Thumb, whose beautiful little carriage, drawn by Shetland ponies, the outfit a gift from Queen Victoria, was standing in front of our gate. I had our baby, Edward, in my arms and asked permission of the driver to place him in the little satin-lined cab, which was graciously granted. After a ride of a few yards the baby strenuously objected to being removed therefrom.
When I left Newark I bought a farm one-half mile south of Elizabethtown, which was on the line of the famous underground railroad. From that time until the opening of the Civil war it was no unusual sight to see negroes secretly transported north. The title of this farm was defective, and involved me in a lawsuit and the loss of the greater part of the farm. The case had so many unusual features that it has been placed on the Ohio records of the supreme court.
Granville College, later called Denison, for one of its early contributors, passed through a period of struggle and vicissitude, and as a means of contributing to its support an extensive canvass was made at that time for subscriptions, on payment of which a scholarship was issued which was to extend to the donor's children and grandchildren. My father-in-law, Beverly Lemert, gave the sum of two hundred dollars. Mr. Lemert asked me to go with him to Granville at the time this amount was paid. We drove there from Elizabethtown on a day in October, in a Rockaway buggy drawn by two horses. The twenty-five miles were made in comfort and good time.
The college was then on the Columbus road, two miles from town. We drove directly there, where we were received very cordially by the president, Rev. Jere- miah Hall. After our business was transacted we were urged to stay for supper with him, and I remember especially well the peaches and cream that were served us. A well cultivated faim was then in connection with the school.
We returned to the village and went to the Buxton House to spend the night. We sat through the evening in the bar room and I distinctly recollect that the topic of conversation was the recent encounter of a prominent citizen with a rattlesnake. This particular man had a great antipathy for snakes, and a few days before. coming upon one suddenly and without warning, he exclaimed, "God damn the snake!" The question discussed was, did he sin in saving these words? and after much argument it seemed to be the opinion of the majority that he did not.
We spent a night not altogether undisturbed. Mr. Lemert shook his clothes in the morning, saying that he did not care to take any of "those" home with him.
On the strength of the scholarship mentioned, Thomas and Nathan Lemert attended Denison one and two years, respectively, and my son, Edward, was graduated. As there was no provision preventing these scholarships being trans- ferred, they were in a great many cases rented, which was a violation of the original idea in issuing them. Their recall was asked about 1880, and almost every one was willing to return them to the institution which is now so firmly established.
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In 1858 I purchased the Beverly Lemert farm, one mile and a half northeast of Perryton, from which my children went out and to which they returned with their children and friends for forty-eight years-certainly the scene of many happy gatherings.
In 1864 I went to Illinois to pay for cattle that John Montgomery and I had contracted for by mail. I carried with me seven thousand dollars, four thou- sand dollars in New York drafts and the remainder in bills, all in a case encircling my waist, made for the purpose. I arrived in Columbus about seven o'clock in the evening and was obliged to wait until eleven for a train west. I walked up Iligh street, and, seeing a theatre, I paid my admission and took a rear seat. At the same moment another man took a seat directly across the aisle from my own, and throughout the evening I was annoyed by the consciousness that this man was watching me. I left the theatre in good time to catch my train and hurried down High street, which was then enclosed by a high board fence, while the rail- road station stood in the woods. I took the place allotted me in the sleeper. When I awakened in the morning and sat pulling on my boots I was startled to see in the next berth to my own the very man I had seen in the theatre on High street the night before. I very promptly said to him, "It strikes me very forcibly that I saw you in the theatre, sir." I saw no more of him after we left the train. Perhaps the consciousness of the money upon my person made me more sus- picious than I otherwise would have been, but at the time I was firmly convinced that the man had a design in following me.
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