USA > Ohio > Miami County > Troy > Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio > Part 6
USA > Ohio > Miami County > Piqua > Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio > Part 6
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independent and fearless. At an early age they were instructed in the use of the rifle and were taught to imitate the call of bird and beast. Hidden in a thicket or behind a log, they would call like wild tur- keys, drawing whole flocks of these gamey birds within reach of their rifles. Bleat- ing like fawns they would lure the timid mothers to their death. Then, barking like squirrels, the treetops would become alive with the little rodents. And packs of wolves far away in the forest or on the prairie would howl in answer to their calls. They also rivaled the Indian in throwing the tomahawk, and in handling the bow and arrow. They assisted their fathers in opening up the farms and in cultivating the soil. At night in the cabins the wonderful jack-knife would be brought forth and all sorts of things, useful as well as orna- mental, would be fashioned from the pliant wood. They learned how to repair every sort of farm machinery and became adepts at it. There was no idleness in the boys and girls of pioneer days.
Previous to and during the period that witnessed the establishment of the county- seat at Troy-an event which will be treat- ed in a future chapter-the currency of the settlers was poor and peculiar. Coon- skins and other pelts became a circulating medium and were accepted at the early stores in exchange for the simple neces- saries required by the neighborhood. There were no established banks, as the State Bank was not instituted till later. About the only "money" in circulation was a sort of coin known as "sharp-shins." It is said to have come from Kentucky. It was not received in payment for public lands and had little value in business trans- actions outside certain localities. The dol-
lars in circulation were the Spanish milled and in order to have change. the pioneers took them to the nearest blacksmith, who proceeded to cut them into two, four and quite often five pieces, on the anvil, with the assistance of a cold chisel. If eut into five pieces the workman kept one for toll, leaving the owner of the original coin four quarters.
These smaller pieces became "bits" and "flips" and the terms "two-penny bit," "five-penny bit." "two-pence, flip and a bit," were in every day use. The cut pieces were called "sharp-shins" on account of the jagged edges which arose from the cut- ting, and as they wrought havoc with the pockets of their possessors leather bags were called into use to hold them. With this sort of outlandish currency the early settlers seemed to get along pretty well until better came into nse, when the "sharp-shins" were relegated to the rear and eventually disappeared.
One of the most important functions connected with the opening up of the county were the frequent musters. These were great, not to say gorgeous events. The fear of Indian invasion and the protec- tion of the settlements brought the muster into being and it held its place for many years. As early as 1788 a law which was passed for "regulating the militia" was approved by Governor St. Clair. All male citizens between the ages of sixteen and fifty were required to furnish themselves "a musket, bayonet, cartridge-box, pouch and powder-horn and bullet pouch, with one pound of powder and four pounds of lead, priming wire and six flints."
There were company musters once every two months, except December, January, February and March. The rules of the old
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
militia kept the settlers familiar to a cer- tain extent with miltary discipline and they were ready at all times to respond to any call. As a sample of the orders issued for a general muster I append the following :
"Regimental Orders.
"The commissioned officers of the 3rd, R, 2d B, 10th D. O. M. are hereby notified to appear armed and equipped according to law, at the court-house in Troy, on the 29th instant at 10 o'clock A. M. of said day and continue under the command of the Brigadier General of said brigade until three o'clock P. M. of the succeed- ing day, for the purpose of muster, inspection and drill. "By order of the Brigadier General.
"D. Grosvenor, Col."
The regimental and company musters were important events. The occasion was often made a holiday and the whole neigli- borhood flocked to witness the affair. The brigadier general decked in "all the pomp and panoply of war" was a sight worth seeing, and Solomon "arrayed in all his glory" would have cut a sorry figure be- side him. General John Webb, one of the pioneer settlers of Lost Creek Township, was a noted commander of the old militia. The ranking officers in blue coats, glitter- ing with polished brass buttons, waving plumes and gorgeous epaulets were the ob- served of all observers and created much suppressed merriment among the poor pri- vates and the concourse of spectators.
Among the old county musters whose glories long ago departed the following major generals were conspicuous : Robert Young, Hiram Bell and J. W. Frizell. Then came such brigadiers as James Fer- gus, Fielding Loury, John Webb, Dr. Kei- fer, and S. J. Hensley, while a lot of colonels vied with the generals in their brilliant yet grotesque uniforms and "mili- tary discipline." The generals were chosen by a vote of the county and it is natural to suppose that a good deal of "log roll- ing" was indulged in to secure the coveted
places. General John Webb was once elected to this position and afterward, ac- cording to his personal narrative, became acting major general of the Tenth Division of Ohio Militia, which division embraced the counties of Montgomery, Darke, Shel- by, and Miami, and consisted of ten regi- ments of infantry, riflemen, cavalry and artillery. Nearly all of the participants in the old musters had seen service against the Indians and not a few took part in the War of 1812.
When the county became well settled the musters went out of vogue, but their memories remanied for many years. They were excellent things since they taught the manual of arms and prepared the militia for any emergency. Some of the old com- pany rolls are said to be extant to-day, and upon them are to be found the names of many who in later years became prominent citizens of the county, distinguished in various walks of life.
ROSTER OF COUNTY OFFICERS, 1807-1908.
After the formation of the county in 1807 its official life began. Officers were chosen, some by appointment, others by election. After a few years they were chosen at regular elections, a system which has extended to the present day. Follow- ing is a complete list of the officials of Miami County from 1807 to 1908:
Treasurers-Andrew Wallace, William Brown, John G. Telford, Jacob Knoop, William C. Knight, Andrew Patterson, George S. Murray, George C. Clyde, M. D. Mitchell, A. L. MeKinney, S. D. Frank, Theodore Sullivan, John A. MeCurdy, D. W. Sinks, S. N. Todd, George H. Rundle, J. C. Ullery, John Prugh, E. J. Eby, Jesse Burkett, C. W. Kiser, R. N. Burwell. Of the above Wallace and Brown were ap-
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pointed, the latter serving thirty-eight years.
Auditors-H. W. Culbertson, David Grosvenor, Thomas S. Barrett, Jacob Knoop, B. F. Powers, Thomas B. Kyle, James Nesbitt, C. N. Hoagland, J. W. De- frees, R. J. Douglass, George C. Clyde, N. C. Clyde (filled a vacaney), Eli Tenney, W. I. Tenney, C. C. Barnett, Horatio Pear- son, Boyd E. Furnas, Elmer E. Pearson, Albert E. Sinks.
Sheriff's-Stephen Dyc, T. W. Furnas, Levi Hart, Leander Munsell, Robert Cul- bertson, John Shidler, Joseph Defrees, Stephen Johnston, Thomas Jay, Joseph Pearson, James M. Roe, Daniel Ellis, John Hart, C. T. Bear, S. D. Frank, William Ev- ans, David L. Lee, D. C. Miller, John M. Campbell, Alexander M. Heywood, T. M. Ashworth, E. M. Wilbee, F. E. Scobey, W. E. Rogers, Ralph H. Gibson.
Clerks of the Court-Cornelius West- fall, John G. Telford, Thomas J. S. Smith, Benjamin W. Leavell, Barton S. Kyle, Charles V. Royce, Smith Talbott, J. W. Cruikshanks, John B. Latchford, J. B. Fouts, Abbott E. Childs, E. A. Jackson, J. H. Landis, Cloyd Smith.
Prosecuting Attorneys-E. Adams, Will- iam I. Thomas, Thomas S. Barrett, R. S. Hart, Ebenezer Parsons, H. G. Sellers, M. H. Jones, James T. Janvier, Walter S. Thomas, W. F. Ross, H. H. Williams, C. D. Wright, Moses B. Earnhart, Samuel Jones, Thomas B. Kyle, J. Harrison Smith, Alva B. Campbell, William E. Lytle.
Surveyors-Armstrong Brandon, Field- ing Loury, Andrew Wallace, David Hoov- er, B. S. Cox, John Devor, James Cregan, William R. Flinn, J. T. Tullis, Simon Loop, James Hanks, John H. Wolcott,
Jacob Knoop, William Giffin, John B. Fish, J. E. Alexander, John N. Rouzer, A. C. Buchanan, E. P. Kellogg, H. O. Evans, R. F. Walker, John W. Dowler, Harry J. Walker, H. E. Whitlock. .
At the beginning surveyors were ap- pointed, but not until a number of years after the formation of the county were they chosen at the regular elections.
Commissioners-Joseph MeCorkle, Henry Gerard, James Naylor, William Barbee, Alexander Ewing, Thomas Cop- pock, Alexander McNutt, James Fergus, John Wilson, William Mendenhall, James Orr, James Johnston, William Barbee, Oliver Benton, Hugh Scott, William Wiley, Robert Morrison, Michael Williams, James Brown, E. P. Davis, Samuel Pierce, Rich- ard Morrow, Jacob Knoop, Sr., Samuel Kelley, W. C. Knight, William Elliott, D. H. Morris, Isaac Sheets, William Scott, J. N. Wolcot, Jacob Knoop, Thomas B. Rose, Abner Jones, Ralphı Peterson, B. F. Brown, Howard Mitchell, Jeremiah Fen- ner, Jacob Rohrer, J. C. Coate, James Sims, Jr., D. M. Rouzer, Nathan Jackson, James Saylor, D. M. Coate, Isaac Clyne, W. HI. Northcutt, D. C. Branson, William Johnston, Edmund Lewis, John W. Wid- ney, Jolın C. Henderson, John T. Knoop, David C. Statler, B. B. Scarff, S. D. Frank, W. H. Alexander, Robert Martin- dale, Havilah Coppock, Ira T. Jackson, B. F. Smith, J. B. Studebaker, W. G. Wil- son. W. B. Segner, J. E. Anderson, Thomas C. Brown, Joe M. Fink.
Infirmary Directors-There seems to be no official roster of this office prior to 1853, but the following is the roster of the In- firmary Board since that time:
James C. McKaig, Jacob Counts, Asa Coleman, George Throgmorton, David
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
Huston, S. M. Dickson, William H. Ga- hagan. James H. Pea, Jolın D. De Weese, George B. Frye, Jacob Knoop, William Hamilton, S. A. Cairns, Stephen Gens- linger, Joseph Bains, B. N. Langston, Samuel Bowerman, John E. Anderson, Harrison Gear, T. M. Aspinall, E. E. Thompson, E. F. Sayers, L. L. Speagh, William E. Foster, Frank Beck, Havilalı Coppock, J. W. Underwood.
Since 1853 the following citizens of the county have been superintendent of the Infirmary: George A. Murray, Jonathan Batson, Samuel Robinson, James Foster, Price Duncan, Cornelius N. Bowne.
Probate Judges-Joseph Pearson, Sam- uel Davis, W. N. Foster, A. L. Mckinney, William C. Johnston, William J. Clyde, John C. Geyer, William B. Freshour, J. Harrison Smith, Eberhart W. Maier.
Representatives-Arthur Stewart, the county's first representative in the Ohio Legislature, took his seat at the session commencing December 8, 1808.
In the years following, his successors have been : Fielding Loury, Joseph Evans, James Blue, T. W. Furnas, Samuel Kyle, Robert Montgomery, Asa Coleman, James Fergus, John P. Finley, William Menden- hall, Leander Munsell, William Fielding, Jolın McCorkle, William Barbee, Amos Perry, John Wilson, Thomas J. Smith, Stacey Taylor, Hiram Bell, Jolın Briggs, Justin Hamilton, Thomas Shidler, John McClure, David Alexander, James Bry- son, J. W. Riley, David H. Morris, Stephen Johnston, Joseph Potter, W. A. Weston, Tanzy Julian, Joseph Worley, Henry S. Mayo, Augustus Fenner, Levi N. Booher, Eli Tenney, M. H. Jones, W. B. McClung, S. E. Brown, J. H. Randall, David Alex- ander, J. C. Ullery, J. P. Williamson,
George C. Clyde, Joseph E. Pearson, Sam- uel Sullivan, M. W. Hays, D. M. Murry, Noah H. Albangh, James A. Sterrett, Van S. Deaton, Jolm A. MeCurdy, W. I. Ten- ney, H. J. Ritter.
Prominent among the senators elected from the counties comprising the sena- torial district of which Miami has been a part were William I. Thomas, John W. Morris, A. Curtis Cable and George S. Long, citizens of the county.
Common Pleas Judges-The Court of Common Pleas was not instituted till many years after the birth of the county. The following is the roster of the Common Pleas Court to date : R. S. Hart, Ebenezer Pearson, Ichabod Corwin, Robert C. Ful- ton, George D. Burgess, H. H. Williams, Calvin D. Wright, Theodore Sullivan, Wal- ter D. Jones.
Congressional-Below are found the dis- tinguished men by whom the county has been represented in the National Congress to date: William McLean, Joseph H. Crane, Patrick G. Goode, Robert C. Schenk, M. B. Corwin, B. Stanton, M. H. Nichols, William Allen, J. F. Mckinney, William Lawrence, J. Warren Keifer, Benjamin LeFevre, Robert M. Murray, Charles M. Anderson, Eliliu S. Williams, Martin K. Gantz, George W. Wilson, Wal- ter L. Weaver, Thomas B. Kyle.
Coroners-Dr. J. W. Means, Dr. J. W. Calvin, Dr. J. Funderburg, Dr. Charles Gaines, Dr. John Beamer, Dr. Van S. Deaton.
Recorders-Cornelius Westfall, William Barbee, Z. Riley, George D. Burgess, J. Widener, J. P. Williamson, Hiram M. Lukens, George Green, Isaac A. Landis, E. J. Eby, J. O. Davis, J. C. Moore, Clark- son Coate. Perry Moyer.
CHAPTER IV.
THRILLING INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE.
Contrast of Past and Present-Emigrant Trails-Encounters with Wild Animals- Pioneer Reminiscences-England Pays Bounty on Scalps-Indian Murders-Adop- tions into the Tribes-The Moffit Boys-Col. Johnston.
During the settling up of the county and the region adjacent there occurred many thrilling incidents which have come down to us in personal narratives and otherwise. If all were to be described, many pages would be taken up, but some of these events are worthy of telling in a work of this nature. The traveler of to- day, seated in the comfortable railroad coach, speeding away at the rate of fifty miles &m hour, along the banks of broad rivers and the shores of inland seas, upon whose waters float the palatial steamer, and the many white-winged crafts of com- merce ; through a country made up of high- ly cultivated farms and beautiful rural homes, where contentment and thrift pre- vail-a country studded with flourishing towns and populous cities, where the smoke is seen curling from the towering chimney tops of the great workshops and factories, and hundreds of spires gleam in the sunshine-finds it difficult to realize that within the space of one hundred years these ships of trade and pleasure have taken the place of the bark canoe of the red man, and these mansions stand upon
the spot where stood the Indian wigwam; and that where now burns the fires of forge and furnace, blazed the council fires of the painted sachem and his dusky braves, around which they danced the wild war-dance, their tomahawks glittering in the lurid light and their demoniaeal shouts reverberating throughout the silent and unbroken forests; and that here occurred the gigantic struggle of the pioneer, with both the wild beast and the Indian, cul- minating in the successful contest of white man's skill with Indian cunning, civiliza- tion with savagery.
There is nothing to be found in the an- nals of chivalry to equal the acts of hero- ism performed by these people in braving the dangers that beset them on every hand in the accomplishment of the great work they had undertaken. And now before the obliterating hand of time erases from the tablets of our memories the recollec- tion of those perilous times, I shall en- deavor to perpetuate the heroic records of the pioneers. It must be remembered that the first settlers of this region en- tered it poorly equipped for the struggle
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
before them. The lumbering wagon had transported across the mountains their scanty belongings. They were not rich in this world's goods, and theirs were the "annals of the poor." Yet they brought from beyond the barriers of the Allegha- nies healthy bodies and strong wills. They knew what lay before them. They knew that the wilderness of Ohio, vast in extent and practically unknown, a veritable terra incognita, stood ready not only to welcome, but to bury them within its vastness.
Many of these people had left more comforts than they could expect to find in the new land. Babes in arms were trans- ported from the newly formed states into the Miami wilderness, their lullabies often being the long, lone howl of the wolf or the grinding of the wheels of the pioneer Not all the adventures of the pioneer families were had with Indians. Many of them were encounters with wild beasts, wagon against the rocks that fringed the forest trail. No doubt there were adven- tures a-plenty between the old home and . the bear, the wolf and the feroeions wild- the new, but history is silent as to this. The lone watches of the campfires on the way, the attacks by the wolf and wildcat, the battle against the forest storm and many other perils served to keep the im- migrants on the qui vive. The smaller children rode in the wagons, while the larger ones tramped alongside. Thus the long and lonesome journey was made. Not infrequently a child sickened and died on the way.
Then came the saddest and most pa- thetic part of the trip. The little body was habited for the grave by the sorrow- ing mother, a rude coffin of bark was fur- nished by loving hands and a grave made in the forest. Sometimes the grave was made in the trail and after the simple funeral the wagons were driven over it to obliterate all traces from the eye of the
Indian and the seent of the wild beast. Often on these mournful occasions the comforting words of the Burial Service were read: "I am the resurrection and the life," and a hymn sometimes floated heavenward from the grave of the little one. The long trail westward those days was actually dotted with little mounds. The boughs of the forests waved mourn- fully over them, and when spring came wild flowers bloomed profusely over them. One can imagine the grief of the pioneer mother when she turned from the grave of her child, knowing that never again would she drop a tear upon it, for the new home beckoned her on and on, and trials almost as great as the separation lurked among the forests of the Miami.
eat. Bears, panthers and wolves were quite numerous. The latter at times were very troublesome and dangerous. Colleet- ing in large packs, they would at night roam the forests throughout the settle- ments. Stoek of all kinds had to be kept housed at night during the winter sea- son. Bears, when hard pressed for food, would approach the settlements, looking for a stray pig or calf. I trust I may be permitted to quote from the narrative of an early settler who tells in graphic lan- guage an adventure which overtook him when he was a boy within the limits of this county :
"One of the many duties that devolved upon me after the death of my father," he says, "was that of providing meat for the family, which I did with my rifle. I was then about sixteen. I was a good marks-
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man and the country abounded in all kinds of game. I never had to go far to get a deer-have often killed them in sight of the house. I remember of having one morning shot a large buck from the door- step. Wild turkeys were numerous. We often caught them in large numbers, in pens, or traps, made by scooping a large hole in the ground, over which we built a covering by laying rails across each other, as in building a log cabin, or as the boys build their quail traps, then digging a trench or sloping passageway from the surface outside down into the pit. In this passageway and pit grains of corn were scattered, which led them down into the trap. Once in, they were perfectly secure, for a turkey never looks down, only when feeding. Whole flocks were often caught in this way.
"One morning, finding one of the bee- gums overturned and rifled of its contents, I saw at once that a bear had been there and concluded that he would be back the next night for more honey. That night I loaded an old musket with several bullets to make sure work of it. I did not have long to wait, for about ten o'clock bruin made his appearance. I saw him sniffing about the hives, which were only a few yards from the house. It was pretty dark, but I could distinguish him very well from a window, or rather an opening covered with a curtain (we had no glass windows until long after that). While my brother held back the curtain I took deliberate aim and let him have it. When the smoke cleared away we saw a large black ball bouncing up and down on the grass for several minutes, when it became quiet. On approaching we found the bear stretched out at full length, dead. It was the largest
and fattest bear I ever saw. We now had plenty of meat to do us for a long time.
"During the winter following the death of my father an incident occurred which to me proved a thrilling adventure, and came very near winding up my earthly ca- reer. As it will serve to show the dan- gers to which we were exposed, I will tell it. One evening mother informed me that our stoek of corn meal was about ex- hausted. 'I had hoped,' said she 'that it would hold out until the heavy snow had passed away. You and Charley had bet- ter shell enough corn to fill two sacks, which will do us until winter is over. This you can take to mill on horseback.'
". All right,' said I. Brother and my- self went to work, and soon had the corn shelled. Bright and early the next morn- ing, throwing the bag of corn across 'Old Doll's' baek, with a kiss and a 'God pro- teet you,' from mother, I started on my lonesome journey. The mill was one of the few in the Spring Creek region, and not a house on the entire way, the ronte being the usual blazed one. The snow was deep and the weather intensely cold. My clothing was light, being made of linsey- woolsey. As a substitute for an overcoat, mother had wrapped her old woolen shawl about my shoulders.
"So slow was my journey that it was late when I reached the mill, where I found several persons ahead of me, waiting for their grists. It being a horse mill and a poor one at that, I found that I would not be able to get back for two days. This to me was a great disappointment, as I had expected to return the next day. I knew mother was expecting me. After I had looked after the comforts of the old mare and eaten my lunch, I turned in for
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
the night with the others, three of whom were boys near my own age-boys gen- erally had to do the milling. Our bed was the bare earth, the ground floor of the mill, in front of a large fire-place. Whoever awoke in the night was expected to look after the fire. The lunch I had brought with me consisted of corn dodgers and boiled venison, to be washed down with cold water. Having to remain much longer than I had calculated on doing, I ran short of eatables, and might have gone hungry had it not been for a generous-hearted boy who divided his lunch with me. This poor lad had been made an orphan by the last Indian raid. During our stay at the mill, with sobs and tears he told me the heart- rending story of the massacre of his family.
"I did not receive my grist until about four o'clock of my second day at the mill. It was then snowing hard and had been for several hours. I saw it would be far in the night before I could reach home, but nevertheless I was determined to start, contrary to the miller's advice. As lie said, I would have to travel so slow, on ac- count of the great depth of the snow, I might become chilled through and perish on the way. And, then, the country was infested with wolves that by reason of the severity of the long winter were in a fam- ishing condition and had become bold and dangerous. But having made up my mind to see mother that night, I started, making but slow progress through the deep snow.
"The snow had now ceased falling, and the full moon was shining brightly, mak- ing the night as light as day; an oppres- sive stillness prevailed and an unusual feeling of loneliness possessed me. How I wished for the company of our dear old
dog, 'Pomp'; anything to break the deatlı- like silence would be a relief. Just then I heard a sound that sent a chill to my heart. Checking the mare for a moment, I again heard the unmistakable howling of wolves in the distance ahead of me. I knew the sound came from a large prairie or marsh which they always infested, a neck of which I would have to cross two miles from home.
"It would not do to hesitate now, so I urged the mare on and soon reached the prairie. I found that the wolves, with a few exceptions, were a great ways off, in the direction of a red-brush thicket. As I started across the opening one sent out a peculiar howl just ahead of me. On pass- ing it, it did not retreat, but sulked along behind me, stopping frequently to give a howl, as if calling the others, and in a short time was answered by a hundred. As I believe to this day, they understood each other, for they were evidently draw- ing nearer to me; before this they had re- mained stationary.
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