Century history of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio, and representative citizens, 20th, Part 24

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W., comp
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1074

USA > Ohio > Mahoning County > Youngstown > Century history of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio, and representative citizens, 20th > Part 24

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"In June of 1875 my college career came

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to an end, and there was 'necessity laid upon me' to do something. Learning through Mrs. Judge Servis that there was likely to be a vacancy in the superintendency of the Canfield schools, I made my first visit there in June of that year.

"It struck me then as a quaint old town. On my way up to the hotel from the station I had the experience, which I afterwards learned was common to newcomers, of being greeted with an unearthly sort of noise from a barefoot, queer-acting individual whom I afterwards learned was Rupright, and of being similarly informed by Sammy Ruggles, who evidently 'caught onto' the fact from my appearance that I was to the country born, that the county seat could not be moved from Canfield to Youngstown because it would be impossible to take the court house through the covered bridge at Lanter- man's Falls. That was substantially my first introduction to the court-house removal con- troversy that was then raging. I put up at the Bostwick Hotel, which looked then much as it did twenty years later. The room that was given to me seemed to partake in its general appearance of the character of the landlord and the building proper. It ought to have been condemned for being unsanitary, and the ex- cuse for a bed which I had precluded the pos- sibility of a good night's sleep.

"The next day I took in the town. Its Broad street, with interlying parks, made a very great impression upon me. Court was then in session. There appeared to be a great many lawyers in town, and it seemed to me as if at least half of the buildings on the street were occupied as law offices-little buildings erected for law offices and used exclusively as such. I remember very well the more impos- ing offices of this character, namely, the one then occupied by Judge Servis, being a more pretentious building of this character than any of the others perhaps, a brick building on the west side of Broad street. I was told that it had been used as a law office for many years, and was formerly occupied as such by Hon. Elisha Whittlesey, who had been a member of con- gress, and that at once invested the building

with unusual importance in my mind. Then across the street from Judge Servis' office was a larger office building then occupied by the firm of Van Hyning & Johnston, which I was told was formerly the office of Judge Newton, who was then still living, active, nearly eighty years old, and one of the most kindly and genial old gentlemen that I ever knew.

"As I say, the town seemed to be a town of lawyers, and I remember seeing upon its streets. not only those named above, but A. W. Jones, Gen. Sanderson, M. H. Burky, L. D. Thomas, and others still whose names after the lapse of these many years do not readily come to me. M. V. B. King was then probate judge.

"The parks then were simply so much naked land, meadows if you please, in the midst of the town. They did not even subserve the or- dinary uses of a park, save as they made fresh air possible for the inhabitants, and as I now remember they were mowed each year for the: grass that grew upon them. The trees that have grown up since so beautifully were not planted until several years after I left Canfield.

"There were at that time three leading ho- tels in the village, the one at which I stopped on. my first arrival in Canfield, the brick hotel, then occupied by Mr. Clark, and the large wooden. structure on the east side of Broad street, a. sort of a companion to the other one, and one. about as desirable as the other to keep out of ..

"I met on this occasion the members of the board of education, and the village board of examiners. I do not now recall the names of the members save two, Judson Canfield and Doctor Truesdale. The village board of ex- aminers was made up of the three ministers of the three leading churches in town, the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational. "Father" Guy, as he was affectionately known, was pastor of the Methodist church, then, Mr. Peterson of the Congregational church and ed- itor and publisher of the newspaper, and Mr. Irwin, pastor of the Presbyterian church. I was not subjected to the ordeal of an examin- ation by this board for the reason that it was ascertained that the board had no legal exis- tence, and I therefore was examined and ob- tained my certificate from the county board of

COUNTY INFIRMARY. CANFIELD

SPARROW TAVERN. POLAND

UNION SCHOOL, POLAND

RESIDENCE OF JOSEPH G. McCARTNEY, COITSVILLE TOWNSHIP

ORIGINAL POLAND UNION SE MINARY, POLAND (Erected in 1850)

OLD M. E. CHURCH, POLAND

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examiners. I afterwards came to know Father Guy, Mr. Peterson and Mr. Irwin very well. They were all most excellent men. Father Guy was an especially kindly man, and I have of him very affectionate memories. Mr. Mc- Lain was then living in Canfield, a retired Methodist preacher of the old school, who fondly imagined that he had reached that stage in Christian experience and life where he was no longer in danger of sin, and his good life warranted his fellow villagers in sympathizing with him in that conviction. I always regard- ed Judson Canfield as a character. He was always my best and stanchest friend. He was the village's handy man, always ready to do anything from surveying a farm to mending a wagon. He had a habit of what I called ridiculous profanity. His swearing was of that peculiar and energetic kind that never suggested wickedness, but always aroused one's risibilities.

"My employment as superintendent of the schools followed shortly after my first visit, and late the following August school opened under my charge. I succeeded Mr. Fording, who had been the deservedly popular superin- tendent for a number of years preceding-so popular, indeed, had he been that it made my position as his successor doubly difficult, but owing to the kindly and firm support of the board I succeeded in getting along after a fash- ion. The school yard was then barren of trees. Many of those that now adorn the yard were planted by myself.

"I was impressed then, as I continued to be during my three years stay in Canfield, with the character of the inhabitants of the village. It seemed to me then, and it seems to me now, as I recall those impressions, that the people of the village were remarkable for their intelligence, character and goodness. Many of them, if not all of them, I recall as my friends, who placed me under lasting obligations for kindnesses shown me, sympathy extended me in my work, and all those thousand and one things that make life in a given community happy and worth living. Your readers I am sure will be interested to know about some of them, and at the risk of omitting some who are

equally worthy of mention with the others, I will recall some. There were Judge Servis and his wife and two daughters; Judson Can- field and family; Judge Newton; Judge Van Hyning; Judge Johnston; Judge King; Mr. Hine, a tall, dignified, elderly gentleman, who lived in a white house on the east side of Broad street, about half way between Church's store and Van Hyning & Johnston's law office; G. F. Lynn and his wife who lived next door; "D'ri" Church, as he was familiarly called, who kept the store on the corner, whose widow is still living; William Clark, who kept the brick hotel then, and with whom I lived for a year, his widow and his eldest daughter, now Mrs. Leet, now living in Warren; Ira Bun- nell, who kept a harness store, whose religious experiences were of that character that they revived at every religious revival and lapsed. between times. Then there was Colonel Nash, always dignified and courteous; Mr. Edwards and his family, who kept a store and lived next the Congregational church; G. W. Shellhorn and family, with whom I lived a year, who did a thriving business in the boot and shoe line on the west side of Broad street; good old Dr. Caldwell and his son and daughter; Charley French and his wife; the Lynn boys, who kept a drug store next to Truesdale & Kirk's store on the west side of Broad street; Charley. Schmick and his father; the Whittleseys, who lived near Judge Servis; the Mygatts, father and son, who kept a store on the corner north. of the Truesdale & Kirk store. And there were others whose names do not readily come to me. These all lived within the village, but just out- side lived many others, whom I knew equally. well and favorably, and among whom I now recall with greatest satisfaction my old friend, H. A. Manchester, now your banker, some of whose children attended school in the village. And then with an ever widening radius I came to know the people for miles about through their children, who were sent to the Canfield school.

"Those whom I have mentioned were but a type of the general character of the inhab- itants of the village and country around- sturdy, intelligent, honest, high-minded, gen-

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erous, Christian men and women, whom it was good to know and good to associate with.

"The preachers were of the old-fashioned type. I remember very well hearing Father Guy direct the attention of his audience to the terrors of hell by depicting to them in very plain and vigorous language the streams of molten lava in which the sinner would meet his final doom. Mr. Irwin of the Presbyte- rian church was equally sure that he who in- dulged in playing with these 'instruments of Satan,' i. e., cards, was in danger of eternal punishment. Good old Dr. Caldwell was a fervent member of the Disciple church, and got a good deal of satisfaction in attending regu- larly upon its services and engaging often in public prayer, in which he was sure to ask the Lord to deliver the individual members of the congregation from 'works of supererogation.'

"It was the next year that the county seat question assumed an acute stage, and upon the issues of its removal Judge Thoman was elected probate judge, and Judge Conant of the common pleas court decided, upon a suit brought for the purpose of contesting the ques- tion, that the law providing for the removal of the county seat to Youngstown was consti- tutional. I remember very well going into the court room one evening on my way home from school when the case was being argued before Judge Conant. It was there that I first saw Judge Tuttle, who is now nearly ninety-two years old and comes daily to the office. He was representing the Canfield peo- ple in their attempt to prevent the removal. When I went in Gen. Sanderson was talking to the court, and Judge Tuttle was walking about in deep reflection, apparently, until his eye fell on me, with my school books, and he came over and looked at them. After Conant's decision the court house officials quietly and secretly arranged to remove the records dur- ing the night to Youngstown, and so one morning the good people of the village awoke to the fact that the county seat had actually been removed, notwithstanding Sammy Rug- gles' early declaration that that would be im- possible owing to the covered bridge.

"That was a sorry day for Canfield. She

mourned like Rachael for her children that were not.

"As I write I am reminded of the wonder- ful changes that have taken place in the last thirty years. In those days we knew nothing about an electric street car, a phonograph- indeed we knew nothing scarcely at all of all the various uses to which electricity is applied now-nothing of arc and incandescent elec- tric lighting, nothing of electric motors and the various kinds of electric power machines. Indeed the text books then in use in our schools told all that was known about elec- tricity in a very short chapter in physics. Great changes have taken place in thirty years."

Of some of these changes we will now let Dr. Truesdale speak :

"In the most conservative or fixed commu- nities changes are constantly occurring by rea- son of death. Neither a death nor a birth in a family can occur without modifying to some extent the social relations of that family. And it often happens that the death of one individ- ual in a community leads to the necessity of a very considerable change of its social and industrial relations. As we shall see, Canfield is no exception to this rule. During the past thirty years no devastating epidemic, plague or disasters have visited us, yet no one year of these thirty has passed without the removal of some of our number to their last resting place. This change by death is made more apparent by getting back by the aid of mem- ory and recalling the names of residents of former years on a few of our streets as an il- lustration for all. To this end we will begin at the lower end of West Main street. There thirty years ago we find Mathias Swank en- gaged in the manufacture of wagons and bug- gies from the raw materials to finished prod- ucts ; employing more men and doing a larger business than any other industrial enterprise in the town. A little community of laborers made their homes near his establishment and the suburb was known by the now forgotten name of Kensington. The business, although profitable at first, became unprofitable, for the reason that machinery driven by steam power

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could construct a wagon or a buggy at a less cost than Mr. Swank could do by hand labor. A part of the buildings remain and are occu- pied by the Kimerle Brothers, whose work is more in the line of repairs than new work. "In our retrospect we move up East Main street and soon come to our village cemetery, and at once notice the great change that has taken place since the late seventies. Thirty years ago the surface was rough and uneven and covered with a thick fleece of ground ivy, and about every species of foul weeds known in this locality. A great amount of labor was necessary and has been accomplished to dig up and remove the entire surface to low parts and fit the ground for a sward of timothy and the use of a lawn mower. Thirty years ago the maple trees were mere saplings. Now they are trees that Virgil could rest under and ad- mire their wide 'spreading branches.' A pub- lic receiving vault, and a private one are use- ful additions. In short, we have a creditable place for the repose of the dear ones we have in the years past placed there for their last rest. Apparently the population of this spot has doubled within the last three decades, judging from the great number of monuments recently erected. Passing up the street we notice the absence of many old dwellings, one church structure, store rooms, and shops that in for- mer years lined the street have been destroyed, moved away, or burned. In all I recall four- teen and am not sure that I have them all. Some of them have been replaced by modern dwellings, and of others the ground remains unoccupied. But few who lived on the street in 1877 remain residents to this dav. I can only recall Martin Kimerle, a part of the Mc- Coy family, Mrs. Mary Nash, Mrs. Sarah Tow, and myself. The general appearance of the street has improved by the erection of mod- ern dwellings, and the remodeling of most of the older ones.

"I have prepared a list of the old familiar residents of thirty years ago, but space forbids their use. In the later seventies, and for some time after the northeast corner retained a large part of the retail business of the village. But repeated fires have done much to change the

locality of trade to where it now exists. At intervals between 1857 and 1887 a succession of destructive fires occurred at the northeast- ern and southwest corners, the last of which destroyed the three-story brick block belonging to the estate of the late John R. Church, and was never rebuilt, which finished that corner as a place of business. Within the period al- lotted for men the old Mygatt store building on the southeast corner had long been a land- mark and was moved away to give place to the indispensable town hall. A sweep of the eye takes in all of the north part of the village. After a long drowsy spell this locality has be- come rejuvinated. Some old offices and dwell- ings have disappeared and a number of modern structures have been erected within the last few years, and other old residences have been so remodeled as to appear new and fresh. But what a change on the part of residents! Not a soul is there found who lived there thirty years ago. What spot can be found within so small limits that has produced more distinguished men? This is apparent when we mention such names as Elisha Whittlesey, Judge Eben Newton and Columbus Lancaster, whose united services as congressmen extended to twenty or more years. Other prominent men in this same locality might be mentioned, but our task relates to other matters. West Main street may be treated much in the same way as East Main. A few old landmarks have ceased to exist, notably, the old Boughton and Cronk homes, and the old red building built by Ensign Church, the old M. E. parsonage and possibly, the old Tryal Tanner homestead. All these places have been replaced by modern dwellings. Some other new structures have been erected on the street within the period mentioned. The old Presbyterian church has been replaced by an elegant, up-to-date mod- ern church, costing $12,000. The new Meth- odist parsonage is a beautiful structure, cost- ing $2,500, so that we are able to say the street has made substantial improvement within the decades mentioned. But when we look for the residents of thirty years ago but few re- main to answer the roll call. The aged ladies, Mrs. Mary Hoover and Mrs. Mary Hartman ;

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to these may be added Mrs. Martha Fowler, C. C. Fowler, then a young man, Miss Myra Smith, Miss Lucy Hartman, Miss Sarah Barnes, Mrs. S. W. Brainerd and son, Fred, George Hollis, son and daughter, Miss Bond, are all that I can recall. But I see plainly that I must abandon minute details. To follow out the plan so far pursued with other streets in the village would practically be a repetition. It will be enough to say that the improvements and buildings beginning at the east end of Lisbon street, have mostly been made since 1877, and the same may be said with reference to Court street.

"But the greatest feature of our industrial improvements centers around the railroad sta- tion. There we find indisputable evidence of growth and prosperity. Thirty years ago the novelty works may have had a small begin- ning. Since then it has swollen to large pro- portion. The buildings have been greatly en- larged and much machinery addded. The out- put of articles manufactured indicates pros- perity and its present outlook promises sta- bility and success. The company gives steady employment to a large force of men and teams, affording a ready market for nearly all kinds of timber, taken from the stump or shipped in by railroads. Thirty years ago the Canfield Lumber Company was a small affair. Under the present management it has grown wonder- fully in the amount of business transacted. Its ·sales during the past year have amounted to between forty and fifty thousand dollars, and the company is now prepared to do a much larger business in the future. They have taken down the old mill and erected a new and capa- cious one with new machinery for sawing and ·dressing lumber. Callahan & Neff, it is said, are doing a business of over one hundred thousand dollars per annum. Recently the company have expended several thousand dol- lars in improvements to their immense ware- houses, and purpose making further improve- ments the present season. They deal exten- sively in hides and tallow, and the purchase ·of pipe and building blocks.

"Recently a new firm has come into exist- ence, John Delfs & Sons. This company also

deals largely in hides and tallow, sewer pipe, building blocks and feed stuffs of every de- scription. I hear good reports of business suc- cess and I know from the character of the men who form the firm they are bound to suc- ceed. These different establishments around the station give employment to a large force of men and teams. We have neither time or space to comment upon our banking institution or the N. E. O. N. C., which we cherish so highly for its past success and for its future prospects.

"There are other changes which have been made in our town during the last three dec- cades, that we cannot pass by without notice. In 1877, our park, as it then existed, was quite different from what it now is. What were twigs then, are trees now, affording a delight- ful shade in the noon-tide or eve of a hot day. The upper part of which was then surrounded by a railing that has since been removed. This leads to another important change that has taken place. Thirty years ago we uniformly thought it essential that our lots and public buildings must be surrounded on all sides by a fence. Now, almost by the same unanimity, we have cast our front fences aside. The old system of fencing was an eye-sore to all ideas of taste and uniformity. Generally, the fences were old, dilapidated and useless. This reform has led to the cultivation of sightly and well- kept lawns. Another marked feature of change are the long stretches of cement sidewalks. Although badly constructed at first, they are much superior to our old plank and cinder walks."

CHURCHES.

The Presbyterian church in Canfield was organized in April, 1804, and consisted at first of nine members. Meetings were first held in a log school house, and for some time, there being no regular pastor, ministers of various orthodox organizations were invited to preach. Lay meetings were also held frequently and were generously attended. A revival of religion in 1831 added some twenty-five members to the church. Among the early ministers were

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Revs. Joseph Badger, Robbins, Wick, Curtis, A. Scott, I. Scott, Dwight, Chapman and others. Rev. Mr. Stratton was installed as the first regular pastor October, 1828.

The church had been originally established on the plan of union adopted by the general assembly of 1801, and remained under that plan of government until 1835, when the pas- tor and fifty members, acting under a special request from the Presbytery of Beaver, sep- arated from the Congregational part of the society, organized themselves into a regular Presbyterian church, and built a house of wor- ship, which was occupied by the society until within the last few years. About the same time Rev. W. O. Stratton severed his connec- tion with the congregation and in April, 1839, Rev. William McCombs was installed as pas- tor. He was succeeded in a few years by Rev. James Price, who was followed by Mr. J. G. Reaser and Rev. J. P. Irwin successively. Since Mr. Irwin, the pastor has been the Rev. William Dickson, who has occupied the pulpit for the long period of twenty-five years. His place will soon be taken by Rev. George V. Reichel, who has recently been elected to the pastorate. The church now has a membership of 200, and occupies a fine new building which was erected in 1904 on the site of the old edi- fice. The Sunday school, with an attendance of 100, is under the charge of Dr. Daniel Campbell.

METHODIST EPISCOPAL.

The first Methodist society was organized in Canfield in 1820, previous to which time the history of Methodism in the township has not been preserved. It is probable, however, that some of the ministers sent to labor on the western circuits preached here occasionally. This first society consisted of Rev. S. Bost- wick, wife and sister, Comfort Starr and wife, Ansel Beeman and wife, and Ezra Hunt. In 1821 Canfield was visited by the circuit preachers Rev. Dennis Goddard and Rev. Charles Elliott. In 1822 it was known as the Youngstown circuit and was visited by differ- ent preachers from that time on. Services were

held in a frame school house that stood a little east of the center. In 1826 it was supplanted by a brick building with galleries that was known as Bethel chapel. In 1836 Canfield be- came a part of the Erie Conference, just then formed. In the following year Dr. Shadrach, one of the early preachers, who was also a phy- sician, died at his home in Canfield.

About 1861 the old Bethel chapel was torn down and a new structure erected, partly with the same material. The new church was ded- icated in June, 1861. In 1869 a comfortable dwelling house was purchased for a parsonage. For a number of years beginning with 1836 Canfield was included at different times in the circuits of Poland, Youngstown, Ellsworth and Canfield, but it is now no longer in the circuit, supporting its own pastor. On the site of the old Congregational church the society is now erecting a new church edifice. The so- ciety has an enrolled membership of 200. The Sunday school enrollment is 170.

CHRISTIAN.

This church had its origin in a Baptist so- ciety that was formed in January, 1828, at the house of David Hays. Thomas Miller was the clergyman, and among the principal mem- bers were Deacon Samuel Hayden, William Hayden, John Lane of Youngstown, and Elijah Canfield of Palmyra. Later William Hayden became a preacher and ministered to the church, the services being held in a small log house. In the winter of 1827-28 Walter Scott, a follower of Alexander Campbell, came into the community and preached a sermon that had the effect of converting most of the Baptists present, who during the winter organ- ized themselves into a Disciples church. Soon after they erected a frame building for public worship in the northwestern part of the town- ship. The church prospered, making converts, and from time to time receiving additions from other sects or denominations. In 1847 about twenty of the members who lived near the center formed a separate organization and erected at the center a neat and commodious 'church, which is still their place of worship.

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Century history of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio, and representative citizens, 20th, Part 24

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W., comp Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1074

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W., comp
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1074