USA > Ohio > Wood County > Commemorative historical and biographical record of Wood County, Ohio : its past and present : early settlement and development biographies and portraits of early settlers and representative citizens, etc. V. 1 > Part 75
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Fostoria now claims a small part of Wood county. Hart's sub-division of part of S. E. } of Section 36, Perry township (south and east of W. M. Skinner's land to the east line of Wood county, adjoing the lands of J. A Bradner and Mrs. D. P. Lloyd, and the south county line and lands of Abraham Overholt) was surveyed by Homer C. White in April and May, 1887, for John O. Hart. Skinner's allotment was surveyed in July, IS88, by G. D. Hersey for William M. Skinner.
The first notice of the locality, other than that by United States surveyors, was made Sep- tember 20, 1825, when Neal McGuffey and oth- ers from Fort Ball camped there while searching for Elijah Brayton's lost child. The survey of Rome was made in August, 1832, and of Risdon in September, 1832. The first town was the property of Crocker & Foster; the second, of John Gorsuch. Henry Welch, Jeremiah Mickey and John P. Gordon were the pioneers of Risdon, while Gorsuch located there in 1832, and invested in lands in its vicinity. In October. 1832, Crocker & Foster opened a store at Rome, sell- ing coffee at 20 cents, tobacco at 25, tea at $1. 24. sugar at 7 cents a pound, sheeting at 13 cents a yard, cotton at 10 cents and calico at 14 cents a yard, whisky at 12 cents a quart, while Ne- herniah Hadley paid the firm 28 shillings for one pair of boots. In 1836, the Crocker sawmill was erected; Samuel Laird opened a tavern opposite Foster's store; while Randall Hale's tavern was in operation prior to that time. Dr. Cossage was here as early as 1829. Dr. Dana and Dr. Lock- wood came in 1834; Dr. Kirkham, in 1836 or 1837; George Patterson, in : 840; Simon Bricker, in 1843; and Drs. Cole, Snyder and Russell. early in the "forties." In 1834, David Ferrier estab- lished a horse-power gristmill near the head of Wolf creek. The sawmills, gristinill and distill- ery were built within a few years.
The first Church society was organized in 1833 by Rev. Chase, but the class did not show many signs of life until the following winter. when Elam Day urged the Methodists to build a log-house for worship. The cabin stood on Sum- init street, near the creek, until 1852, when a frame house took its place. In 1849, the Cath- olic congregation erected a church building. In 1852. a Close Communion Baptist Society was formed; in 1856, the Presbyterians organized; in 1868, the Evangelical Lutherans; and, in 1879. the Reformed Society. The Methodist Protest - ants; the Seventh Day Adventists; the Disciples: the Dunkards: the Spiritualists: the Mormons; and a dozen of other denominations had organi-
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zations here, so that Fostoria was as busy in religious matters as it was and is in commercial affairs.
In 1833-34 Freeman Luce opened a sub- scription school. "Barring" the master was a custom of the time, and once in a while Luce had to treat his pupils to candy, raisins, apples or whisky. Dr. Alonzo Lockwood, later a mein- ber of Congress, succeeded Luce. Times have changed. Now there are three or four large school buildings, an academy, and one or two denominational schools.
The town is an important business and rail- road center. How far the future may extend its limits into Wood county cannot be stated, but it is reasonable to suppose that the same enterprise, which did so much, may do more in the direction of expansion.
Blinn post office was established at Norris Station in 1883, with Omar P. Norris in charge.
Frank Cory was acting postmaster until 1885, when the office was discontinued.
Longley post office was established a few years ago, with T. J. Edgerton postmaster. Thomas Peterson, who was run down by a train in 1895 and killed, was the second incumbent. In September, 1895, the present postmaster was commissioned.
Conclusion .- The majority of the pioneers were successful in their mission. They came to seek and make homes in the wilderness, and leave to their children a rich inheritance. To them a great deal of the present worth of the township is due; but it would not be fair to credit them with all progress. They prepared the way for the modernizer. Their children and the immi- grants of later days, having at their disposal machinery of which the old settlers knew nothing. accomplished more in a decade than their father's did in thirty years, and raised the township to its present high standard.
CHAPTER XL.
PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TOWNSHIP-ITS EARLY HISTORY-JUSTICES OF WAYNESFIELD-PERRYS- BURG TOWNSHIP-OFFICIALS-PIONEER REMINISCENCES-MRS. AMELIA W. PERRIN'S STORY -- MRS. HESTER GREEN'S STORY-REMINISCENCES OF MRS. PHILOTHE CLARK-SOME ACCOUNT OF A FRENCH COLONY FROM THE MAUMEE-MEN OF 1839-THE OLD AND NEW HAMLETS -- SCHOOLS-OLD REMINDERS.
PERRYSBURG VILLAGE-ITS DAYS OF INFANCY, SURVEY, NAMING, ETC .- PIONEERS OF TIIF VIL- LAGE-PRICES OF GOODS, AND LABOR -- THE SETTLEMENT IN 1827-POST OFFICE -- EXCHANGE HOTEL-THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD-FIRST EXECUTION-GERMAN PIONEERS-TRADERS OF 1810-MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS-MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS-FIRE DEPARTMENT AND FIRES- CEMETERIES - CHOLERA VICTIMS - COMMON SCHOOLS - THE WAY LIBRARY - CHURCHES- SOCIETIES-CONCLUSION.
T HIS township was established May 8, 1823, when the commissioners set apart all of the original territory of Waynes- field, within the organized county of Wood, under the new name, and ordered the election to be held at the house of Samuel Spafford, on June 19, 1823. The Congres- sional description of the western and northern boundaries is as follows: "Lying south of the channel of the Maumee river, from the west line of the county to the line between the original surveyed townships, Nos. I and 4, in the United
States Reserve, and thence along the north chan- nel to the State line." That part of the original township, extending from the head to the foot of the Rapids of the Matinee, was then, as it was for years afterward, the only strip of territory in the county where civilized man would dare to make a home. The pioneers of Wood county settled on the south bank of the Maumee, under the shadow of the same heights which Harrison in later years fortified and named Fort Meigs. Some years after the war of 1812 the settlement was re-established, and from it the pioneers made
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clearings in the forest, established their villages and commenced all those industrial enterprises which marked the progress of the county down to 1884-85, when the gas and oil-well driller ap- peared here.
The names of the ante-bellum pioneers are given in the history of Perrysburg, for that village was a part of the township down to 1833.
The records of the township are in a fair state of preservation as far back as 1848. All anterior to that date cannot be found. More fortunate among the county records, the writer is able to give the names of justices of the peace from the beginning of the township, in 1823, to the present time, together with the names of justices for the older township of Waynesfield, from 1820 to 1832.
The justices of Waynesfield were Almon Gibbs, who served from July 22, 1820, to his death, August 18, 1822; John Pray, who served until June 19, 1823; Charles Gunn, from July 22, 1820, to April, 1823, and reappointed: Sain- uel Spafford, from May 1, 1820, to September 8, 1821, when he resigned; John Jay Lovett. from 1821 to May, 1823; Horatio Conant, from No- vember 11, 1822, and reappointed in 1825, 1829, 1832 and in 1835; John Pray, 1823-26; and Jonathan H. Jerome, 1829-1832.
The Perrysburg township justices are named as follows: Paris M. Plumb, from July 7, 1823, to his removal from the township in May, 1824; Thomas W. Powell, September 16, 1823-1830; Thomas R. McKnight, June 30, 1824, and 1826; Elijah Huntington, 1827 to 1856; John C. Spink, 1831; William Fowler, 1834, resigned same year; Henry Bennett, 1834; Willard V. Way, 1837; Henry Darling, 1837; Elijah N. Knight, 1840; Joshua Chappel, 1840 to 1869; D. H. Wheeler, IS47; Rudolph S. Frederick, 1849; Peter Laney, 1849-52; Stephen Williams, 1852; Marshall Key, Jr., 1854; David Ross, 1854 to 1863; Reuben Sawyer, 1857; John H. Reid, 1858; Nelson Darling, 1858 to 1866; Abraham L. Fowler, 1861 to 1879; Valentine Schwind, 1869 to 1875; James J. Parks, 1869; Stephen Merry, 1875 to 1897; George McMonagle, 1875; Syl- vester Curtis, 1878 to 1893; James M. Brown, 1879 to 1897; Isaac P. Thompson, 1890; Timothy Hayes, 1892 to 1898; and George Boetsch, 1893, re-elected in 1896. Hezekiah L. Hosmer ad- ministered justice in this township at one time, of course, prior to his appointment as chief justice of Montana Territory.
The clerks of the township, from 1848 to 1895, are named as follows: William H. Hopkins, 1848; James W. Ross, 1849; George Brown,
1850; James Murray, 1851; William Furrey, 1852; James Hood, 1853; Henry H. Dodge, 1853 and 1854; George S. McKnight, 1855: I. P. Thomp- son, 1855 and 1862-63; F. R. Miller, 1856-57 and 1859; George Strain, 1858; John B. Spaf- ford, 1860-61; J. W. Ross, 1864; John Powers, 1865; Earl W. Merry, 1866; C. Finkbeiner, 1867-68; A. L. Fowler, 1869, and 1871 to 1877; Fred Yeager, 1870; Stephen Merry, 1877; Hiram R. Charles, 1878: Sylvester Curtis, 1879-82; Philip Wetzel, 1882: George Strain. 1883-84; S. D. Westcott, 1885-86; Philip Wetzel, 1887- 96, with exception of a short term filled by George Strain, in 1888; in 1896, Philip Wetzel was re-elected. Among documents found in the auditor's offices are some early "tax levies." showing that Addison Smith was clerk in 1839; H. H. Hall, in 1841, and W. Russell, in 1842.
The treasurers from 1839 to the present time. are named as follows: Elijah Huntington, 1839; Henry Darling, 1840; Nathaniel Dustin, 1843; R. Sawyer, 1846; J. P. Thompson, 1848; Ste- phen T. Hosmer, 1849; James J. Parks, 1850; Jairus Curtis, 1851; Addison Smith, 1852-53; Geo. WV. Clark, 1853; L. M. Hunt, IS54-58; Seth Bruce, 1858-61; Henry Thornton, 1861-63; S. D. Wescott, 1863, and 1865-66, and 1868 to 1877; E. N. Blue, 1864; John G. Knoll, 1867; Fred Yeager, 1877-SI; John H. Rheinfrank, 1881-84; George Wittman, 1884-88, and 18Sg- 93: Jacob Davis, 1888; E. L. Kingsbury. 1893; and H. R. Roether, 1895. The names of treasurers, prior to 1849, were found in docu- ments in the county auditor's office in June, IS95.
The assessors, other than the district asses- sors named in the Transactions of the Com- missioners, were: James Birdsall, 1842; Hiramn Davis, 1844; Elijah Huntington, 1844; E. N. Knight, 1847; J. J. Parks, 1848; John Chollette, 1849; Thomas L. Webb, 1850; Joseph Browns- berger, 1851; John Webb, 1852: James J. Smith, 1853; Eber Wilson, 1854; Stephen Merry. 1855; David Ross, 1856, and 1859; John Bates, 1857; Michael Hayes, 1858; N. D. Blinn, 1860: John Powers, 1861 and 1869; George Mills, 1862: George Eddleman, 1863-64; A. L. Fowler, 186 ;; J. J. Webb, 1866; David D. Bates, 1867-68, and 1874; George Boetsch, 1870 to 1873: Slibnah Spink, 1873; A. L. Scott, 1875; Fred Miller, 1876, and 1881-82: George W. Newton, 1877- 78, and 1880; John Hufford, 1879: Fred Hilla- brand, 1883 and 1886; William Lininger. ISS4- 85; Fred Schwind, 1887: Godfried Schwind. 1888: Joe E. Baird, 1889 and 1892: Daniel Klingler, 1890-91: John Pfisterer and Daniel Klingler, 1893; Charles Zingg and Jolin Pfisterer,
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1894; Jos. . Rossbach (resigned. and George Boetsch appointed), John C. Pfisterer, Levi S. Warner, and Wm. Underhill were elected. The names of assessors prior to 1848 were found in the county auditor's documents.
From documents in the auditor's office, it is learned that Samuel Spafford and Leander Sack- ett were trustees in 1827; Ambrose Rice, Silas Lee and Samuel Spafford, in 1828; James Wilkinson and Jobn Hollister, in 1829; John Hollister and Eber Wilson, and John C. Spink, in 1831; J. W. Scott and G. Crane, 1834; E. Huntington, 1835; James Jones and Rufus D. Keener, 1836; Gilbert Beach and Loomis Brig- ham, 1838; Hiram Davis, Loomis Brigham and Josiah Miller, 1840; J. Birdsall, 1843; N. D. Blinn and Jairus Curtis, 1844; Gilbert Beach and Hiram Davis, 1845; Samuel Hubbell, 1846; David Ladd, Hiram Davis and Aurora Spafford, trustees in 1847.
The trustees of the township from 1848 to 1896, being the period covered by the clerk's records, are named as follows:
1848-John Ziegler, Jairus Curtis, John Webb.
1849-Elijah Huntington, Erasmus D. Peck, S. N. Beach.
1850-Benjamin Brown, James J. Smith, John Bates.
1851-52-James I. Smith, Jarvis Spafford, W. V. Way.
1853-Jarvis Spafford, W. V. Way, William Furry.
1854 --- John Bates, Marshall Key, Henry Thornton.
1855 -- Eber Wilson (rice Key).
1856 -- George W. Brown, E. Wilson, H. Thornton. 1857-W. V. Way (rice Brown).
1858-59 -- Eber Wilson, Henry Thornton, John Bates.
1860 -- John Yeager (cice Thornton).
1861-Eber Wilson, John Bates, John Yeager.
1862 -- S. D. Westcott, John A. Robertson, John Yeager.
1863 -- John Bates, J. G. Knoll, William Crook, Sr.
1864-F. J. Siebert ( rice Crook ).
1865-John Schwind (rice Siebert).
1866-Michael Hayes, A. M. Thompson, J. G. Knoll. 1867-John Yeager, J. Schwind, A. M. Thompson.
1868-72-Michael Hayes, Frank Rohda, H. M. Morse.
1872 --- Henry Thornton, H. M. Morse, F. Rohda.
1873 -- J. W. Ross. J. A. Robertson, James Eddleman.
1874-77-Henry Thornton, Timothy Hayes, George Limmer. 1877 -- Henry Wygant, Isaac Whitson, John Burdo.
1878-79-Casper Horn, John Burdo, C. Snyder. 1880-John Loesch (rice Burdo).
1881-John Ault (rier Snyder).
1882-John Loesch, John Ault, Conrad Sieling. 1883-Frederick Miller ( rice Loesch).
1884 -L. Reitzel, F. H. Thompson, F. Miller.
1885-F. Miller, E. Sawyer, F. H. Thompson.
1886-E. Sawyer, John Ault, John Loesch.
Since 1887 one trustee has been elected annually, to serve three years.
1887-John Loesch.
1888-Ed. A. Underhill. 1889 Joseph Armbruster.
1890 and 1893 -- A. E. Leydorf.
1891 - Fred Miller.
1892 - John Schwind, Henry Buckhouse.
1893 James H. Pierce, Edwin 1. Simmons.
1894 -- Conrad Sieling.
1895-William Diebert.
1896 -- Edwin Simmons.
PIONEER REMINISCENCES.
Mrs. Amelia W. Perrin's Story. -- Mrs. Amelia W. Perrin, a daughter of Capt. Jacob Wilkinson, settled with her parents just above Perrysburg prior to 1812, and shared in the flight from the Maumee after the news of Hull's surrender reached the settlement. The family remained at Cleveland until peace was declared. While there, her father built a schooner, evidently using the same amount of dispatch as did Com- modore Perry in creating the ilcet with which he did such signal service at Put-in-Bay, in 1813. The schooner was of twenty-five tons, and christened the "Black Snake." "In the latter part of May, 1815," says Mrs. Perrin, "father set sail with a load of immigrants, landing part of them at the River Raisin, and the balance at Fort Meigs. He had with him at this time his nephew, David Wilkinson, whom he afterward took to raise (on the death of his father, and who became one of the most distinguished cap- tains on the lakes. Young David was at this time fifteen years of age, having been born in the year 1800. On his return from this trip my father carried a cargo of ordnance and military stores from Fort Meigs to Detroit, whence all the equipments were taken, Fort Meigs having been dismantled soon after the war. He cou- tinued to run this schooner, making occasional trips to the Maumee, until September. 1816, when he took his family back to Fort Meigs. My father's hatred of the British was so intense, and he expressed his sentiments so freely in the presence of his family, that the names British and Indian were synonymous in my young mind. How well I recollect my utter amazement on learning, when about ten years of age, that an agreeable playmate, whose acquaintance I had recently formed, was the daughter of a British officer; I had previously supposed that the British, like the Indians, were entirely uncivil- ized.
" My first clear recollection of the Maumee dates from the time I landed from my father's vessel at the foot of Fort Meigs, in the fall of 1816. The old home had been destroyed. and father went immediately to work to erect another, farther up the river, and we occupied it in the fall of that year. The late Eber Wilson has told me that a portion of the foundation of this old home is still to be seen at the northwest corner of the Mosier farm. The Indians, at this time peaceable, were living in the vicinity in great numbers. I can remember seemg large troops of Indian children playing in the water at
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the foot of Buttonwood Island, opposite our house, that island being their favorite camping ground for many years. In the spring of 1817 father made preparations to build a substantial house, having fully made up his mind to locate permanently upon the Maumee. Employing help, he went into the forest and hewed logs, after the manner of John Alden. £ When com- pleted, the new house was commodious and comfortable, being quite a pretentious residence for the times.
" The battle of Fort Meigs had been fought while we were at Cleveland, and when we re- turned the stronghold had been dismantled, and the equipments'sent to Detroit. Although thus abandoned, the fort presented an entirely differ- ent appearance from what it does now. The lit- tle log building which had been occupied by Gen. Harrison, as his headquarters, still stood where he had left it, and it remained there for many years afterward. The block-houses and the greater portion of the stockade also still remained. There was no green verdure covering the em- bankments. which were gray and bare. The ditches, where the earth had been excavated, were filled with water, and afforded us children a fa- mous sliding place in the winter.
"The school house, where we received our education, stood about half way up the hill, and the fort was our old playground. We never used to hear the word 'recess' at school. The teacher used to say, 'The boys may go out;' at the proper time they would be 'rapped in' by the rat-tat of the ruler on the window sash; then the girls would be allowed to go out, but the boys and girls were never permitted to mingle on the fort together. The boys took great comfort with a large copper camp kettle which the soldiers had left behind them; it was about the size of an ordinary barrel. After filling it with stones, they would roll it down hill, enjoying the noise as only boys can. One day they persuaded a little fellow to get into the kettle in place of the stones, assuring him that it would be capital fun. The little chap could not see it as the others did, after reaching the bottom of the hill, bruised, bewildered and a little out of temper. I notice that the school-boy of to-day is very much as he was seventy years ago, and history thus seems to repeat itself. The best male teachers attainable were always employed by those having charge of the schools. Among those who taught here, who were then highly appre- ciated and now affectionately remembered, are the following: Rev. H. P. Barlow, Seneca Allen, Thomas W. Powell, Mr. Gage ( afterward the
husband of Frances D. Gage, the authoress), Mr. Robinson (a lawyer on his way west ), Mr. Adams and Galen B. Abel. There were others, but their names have faded from my mind. In my earlier years we were taught by lady teachers in the old Fort Meigs school house. One of these -- Miss Mary Keeler, daughter of Major Keeler- who taught for two successive summers, has left the impress of her sweet face and gentle, patient manners indelibly upon my heart. After recita- tions were over she would give lessons in em- broidery and other kinds of needle work. Miss Gilbert, of Cleveland, and Miss Brown, of Per- rysburg, also instructed us. We were taught one summer by Mrs. McElrath, a Presbyterian of the Old School. On one occasion, during the reading of the Testament, I inadvertently laughed at some trifling thing, and she so strongly impressed upon my mind the heinousness of the offense of making light of the Word of God. that I have felt its influence through the sixty years that followed.
"Among the incidents which I have heard my mother often relate is the following: One morn- ing, in the summer of 1811, a man came riding down the river, warning the settlers that a large body of Indians, hideously painted, was forming above, and their appearance and actions indi- cated that they were upon the war-path. The rumor created terrible aların in the vicinity, and the thoughts of each were immediately di- rected to finding a place of safety for themselves and their children. Father took his family to the woods, some distance away, and there left them (mother and her four children) concealed in a brush heap, with the promise to return as soon as he was assured of their safety, and en- joining them to keep quiet and closely concealed. All that long day they remained there, scarcely daring to move for fear of attracting the atten- tion of some lurking savage. In his haste father had forgotten to bring anything to eat, but fear of the Indians kept the little ones quiet and caused them to forget their hunger, except the baby, which nursed until it drew blood. As the dread hours of that long, weary, terrible day passed slowly, one by one, and father failed to comne, mother's anguish grew almost unendurable. for she imagined he had fallen at the hands of Indians. When he finally appeared, just as the darkness of night was closing around us, there was a most joyful reunion. It seems that the uncertainty of the purpose of the Indians had prevented him from returning to us sooner. The savages were inerely ont upon 'a lark,' and had gobbled up a number of white men, father among
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the number, and pestered them, just by way of amusement.
"Very early (probably in 1817) a Presbyterian Church Society was organized by Rev. Burgess and another minister from Columbus, and after the mission was established, nine miles up the river, the clergy often came to Orleans and Mau- mee to administer the ordinance of baptism. About the year 1820, the Genessee Conference sent Rev. John P. Kent to look over the ground, and to form Societies where the people desired. From that time Orleans was embraced in a cir- cuit, and there were regular appointments. My father's house was the most pretentious in the village-built square, with two stories, two rooms above and two below. Connecting the two lower rooms was a wide 'folding door, and between them the staircase was located. When there was an unusual gathering, religious services were always held at our house, as the accommoda- tions were ample. The audience would occupy both rooms, and the minister used the staircase for a pulpit. Religious meetings were also held at other private houses, in the school house, and sometimes in a room over the store of John Hol- lister, until the society was transferred to Perrys- burg. Orleans was never able to boast of a church building. A union Sabbath-school was organized by Seneca Allen, which was kept for many years. The pupils were required to com- mit the Sermon on the Mount as the first lesson, and after that were allowed to select any portion of the Scriptures they chose.
"Orleans was surveyed soon after the war of 1812, by Seneca Allen; and for a period of fifteen years it was the resting place for those who were seeking new homes either in Wood county or farther west. Among those who made their horne here were the following: Jacob Wil- kinson, Seneca Allen, Major Amos Spafford, Samuel Spafford, Aurora Spafford, T. W. Powell, J. Chappel, Robert and Richard Howard, James Patterson, M. Abbott, Elisha Martindale, Thomas R. McKnight, Judge William Pratt, John and B. F. Hollister, John Jay Lovett, David Hull and Francis Charter, On the hill-side and commons a number of houses were built and oc- cupied by our neighbors. Among them the fol- lowing are well remembered: Conrad House, James M. Thomas, Thomas McIlrath, S. H. Ewing, Luther Whitmore, Mr. Wilson and Elijah Huntington. Dr. Colton was the resident phy- sician, but only for a short time. The merchants were Samuel Vance and John Hollister. The greatest drawback to the prosperity of the coun- try was the sickly season. Everybody expected
an attack of fever and ague periodically, and were always prepared for it, and the loss of time and the doctors' long bills conduced to keep the people poor. Notwithstanding their many dis- couragements, however, the early settlers were economical and industrious, and the principal business was farming. The fisheries were a source of wealth to some, and a help to all. Many Eastern people came, and after going through a short season of sickness, returned in disgust, de- claring that they were not constitutionally adapted to the profession of a pioneer in a new country. After a few years, those who remained became - acclimated so that they were able to re- sist the baneful influence of miasma in a great degree. At times, however, during the sickly season, there would not be one left in the family able to care for those helpless from disease. I well recollect being sent by mother on an errand to the house of Mrs. Mack, a neighbor, and I came upon a distressing scene. The husband was absent on a short journey; Mrs. Mack was helplessly sick in bed, and her little children were sitting around the fire waiting and wondering why mamma did not get up and give them some- thing to eat. I informed my mother, and they were soon cared for.
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