USA > Ohio > Ashtabula County > New Lyme > Condensed history of New Lyme, Ashtabula county, Ohio > Part 2
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Feeling greatly alarmed on account of the destitution of those left at home, they moved forward with all the speed at their command. After leaving Wayne settlement, eight miles from their homes, which they hoped to reach the same day, but soon finding they must pass another night in the woods they dispatched William Peck. a man of gigantic strength, witht a bag of flour and a piece of fresh pork, with instructions, if possible, to reach the starving women and children beforc lying down to rest, tie started out with a back load that would have been no discredit to a pack mule, or an Ara- bian camel. He put ahead following the marked trees, and reached their cabin in Lebanon, after 12 o'clock at night. The women and children, on hearing the sound of Peck's voice. arose .from their slumbers and joyfully grected his arrival. They had watched till late, and with the keen gnawings of hunger had sunk to sleep: but now, joy resounded in the household, as the women began to cook and iced out, first to the starving little ones, and then to themselves, of the means provided by the almost unheard of perseverance of Mr. Peck,
The teamsters continued to advance as long as they could make headway through the thick woods, Then they took off their teams, and lay down on the cold ground, tired. hungry. faint and weary, haying eaten nothing since morning, and but
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very little then. Vinton B. Way admitted that he got up in the night and by the use of his jack knife made a good meal of raw pork, with raw potatoes for sauce; then he again laid down and slept like a good fellow until morning.
Here we stop to say that we have several bear and wolf stories to relate, and some of them of a hardy character, and as we must have a starting point, will commence with a wolf story, vouched for by our venerable friend, J. Dodge, Esq. When Mr. Dodge was building his first frame barn, near his present residence, in Dodgeville, he had a few sheep and lambs near his barn; having lett the barn for a few moments, he heard a dreadful bleating among his sheer, and running back he saw a monster wolf marching off with a lamb in his mouth. The cry of Mr. Dodge soon brought out a large force of men and dogs, but not a single gun in the company; every dog in. the settlement, hearing the aların, were soon at their posts, but none except the old bear dog of Mr. Dodge dared to close in with the wolf. He, like his master, knew no fear, and sprang at once upon the intruder with such a determination to save his master's lamb that the wolf was forced to drop it and turn upon his assailant, when, after giving him a short lecture on the treatment he was giving a stranger, he again caught up the lamb and proceeded on nis way home. This same scene was continued for more than a mile through the woods, the wolf often dropping his game to give the brag dog of the settlement a sound drubbing. Finally, crossing the line into Colebrook. "Now," says Mr. Wolf, "I am at home, in my own house! walk in if you dare!" Here the dogs and men left the chase, and the wolf trotted off with his well earned supper. -
It was also related to us that in the time of the disaster on the Lake, he (my informant) then a boy, stood on the edge of the cliff in line of all the women and children, and saw wave on wave engulf the party below until they believed them all drowned. The awful scene was so heartrending that they
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all started off, hardly knowing which way or where they were going, until old Mr. Dodge was seen approaching them with his feet all blood, having lost his shoes in the Lake, and man- gled his feet with the sharp stones on the beach.
Something about Coons. Sanford Miner, one of the settlers of 1811, built a log house on the corner where Dr. Fuller's 1811 house now stands; here was Miner's farm, on which he resided for many years. He was a shoemaker by trade, and also a great coon and bee hunter. He was a great story teller, and was particularly fond of relating to those who came here several years later than he did, the remarkable events that had taken place. He was in after years better known as Deacon Miner. Any one who would feel interested in reading Gulliver's Travels, could not fail to be interested in hearing the Deacon relate a history of past events: One dav, as he was in the woods a little south of his house, he noticed a large seam high up in a white ash tree; he noticed also, a constant opening and shutting of the seam, and at once resolved to learn the cause. He cut the tree down, and found' nine coons so closely stowed away that their breathing caused the tree to open and shut. The killing of the coons is well authenticated, but the opening and shutting of tree still rests on Miner's statement alone.
Miner was a man who boasted of his wonderful courage, which the following bear story will put to a severe test. Out on a coon hunt, in a small cornfield half a mile south of the settlement, he found himself closely pursued by a bear. He instantly selected and climbed a staddle, so small that the bear could not follow him; but the bear, to his great disconi- fiture, came and laid down at the foot of the tree. Mine: screamed for dear life until his voice failed bim, and no one came to his relief; so he clung to the tree until daylight when he made the discovery that old bruin was none othe: than Mr. Dodge's old black sow, 1
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The following little incident will show how Miner gained the title of "Deacon Miner." In an early day Lebanon had a farmer, who, for short, we will call Beckwith. He lived a lit- tle south of where Dr. Fuller now lives. He was a man of bad temper, and made use of much profane language; yet he was a good farmer, and a hard worker. As times were hard and wages low, he concluded to try preaching for a living. Thus he started out on his mission, making Gustavus his first point. But he soon saw the need of a Deacon to assist him, and on reflection concluded to try and hire. Miner, who was his nearest neighbor. The thing took well with Miner, who was soon promoted, and started out with Elder Beckwith, on a promised salary of a dollar a day and board. Miner acted well the part of a Deacon, and lived ap to that part of his con- tract, which was to cry and grieve over Elder Beckwith's preaching. The bait took well with the Gustavus folks for awhile; then they stopped nibbling at the hook, having learned something of the character of the fisherman, who soon after retired into private life, having secured but little recompense beyond their titles. Deacon Miner came off first-best, as the Elder, having refused to pay the promised salary, the Deacon brought the matter promptly before our Courts, who, to their credit be it said, held the Elder firmly to his contract.
The colony of 18fr soon had blazed roads made from house to house, and from their settlement to Wayne, south- east; to Lenox, north; Morgan, north-west; Rome, west; and to Bloomfield, south-west. But these roads, always bad. be- came by long usage, to be almost impassable on account of deep mud.
In the years of 1813-14. this settlement was visited by a severe famine: this was during the war of 1812. All of their
1814 young and able bodied men were called inte the army.
'The seasons were wet and cold, and unfavorable for raising crops of any kind. At one time. in the month of July, starvation seemed inevitable; yet they all fared alike. and di.
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vided with each other to the last crumb. Green wheat was cut by shearing off the heads when scarcely out of the milk, the beards were singed off, and the green kernals were rubbed out by the hands, and then boiled in water, forming a sort of paste, or pulp, which was fed to the little ones to keep them alive
Having learned that wheat flour could be bought in Poland, Willian Peck was at once dispatched with a horse and bags, and plenty of money to purchase one barrel. After two days of faithful travel he reached Poland, where · he bought a barrel. of flour, for which he paid the sum of $28. He put the flour into bags, swung them over his horse and started for home, which he reached after winding his way for several days through the then roadless woods. The joy those suffering and starving mothers and little ones must have felt on the return of their deliverer, can better be imagined than reduced to writing. Indeed, how slight the perceptions that the descendants of this noble little band can have of the suf- ferings which their parents endured for their sakes.
As there were no grist mills in reach of the settlers, Sam- uel G. Peck burnt a hole in the top of a hard maple stump. smoothed it out as best he could, and then suspended over the hole a heavy wooden pestle, from the end of a spring pole. Two holes were bored through the pestle at right angles, and by putting sticks through these holes, four nien could take hold and bring down the pestle with such force as to crush the corn into meal, And in this hole, thus made in a stump, the first settlers of New Lyme pounded all their corn for fam- ily use for many years. They fail to tell us of the amount of toll taken at this mill; probably not as much as is taken at the present day.
The bear, the wolf, the wary panther, and all other wild animals combined, were not so much to be dreaded as that deadly and underlurking reptile, the rattlesnake. Though we learn of many hair breadth escapes from their deadly fangs,
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yet but few have suffered from their bite. Of the hundred and one stories related to us, one must suffice: In a hole under the hearth in the log house of old Mr. Dodge, a monster snake was seen by the children, coiled ready for action. Mr. Dodge was speedily called, and soon secured him by running a long sharp iron through his body. It was of the yellow species and of fabulous size.
One of the Indians who encamped near Mr. Owen's, one day drove eight elk into Grand River. It was a cold day in the month of February, 1807. It was in a strong bend in the 1807 river, in the present town of Rome, with a steep bank on the west side, which at that time was so slippery that the elk could not climb it: there was also a large quan- tity of floating ice in the river. The Indian stood on the east bank of the river and shot them all. He then swam in and dragged them out. one at a time. Wishing to get Mr. Owen to haul them into camp, and doubting in his own mind wheth- er Mr. Owen would believe him when he told him what he had done, he cut out their tongues and carried them to Mr. Owen as proof of hi; exploit. The next day Mr. Owen went with his ox team. accompanied by the whole encampment of Indians, and found them as the Indian had represented. But as he could only carry part of the elks, the Indians soon quartered up the rest, and cutting a hole through the ribs, poked their heads through, and triumphantly marched off to their camp, whooping and yelling at the top of their voices; and for many days thereafter they spent their time in cooking, eat- ing, and dancing, until the whole eight elks were nearly dis. posed of. We will now change the subject, and speak upon matters that may be more interesting to the ladies of New Lyme.
In those early days every family was expected to raise u piece of flax; and, as soon as the wolves would allow it, to taise their own sheep and wool. These articles were made up into cloth for their families use; it was all carded and spun by hand. Each girl of the household was early taught the
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use of the cards and the spinning wheel;" as much so as they are at the present day taught the use of the piano. The quill- wheel, the swift, and the loom were considered as indispensi- ble articles of household furniture; and the young ladies were early taught to weave, as well as to card and spin. After the flax had all been worked up into cloth, and a sufficient supply selected for the wear of the family, the girls would mount their horses, and have the heavy rolls mailed on behind them, and ride down to Mr. Hayes' store, in Hartford, only twenty-eight inites, through the woods. where they would sell it for from 25 to 50 cents a yard, according to width and quality. They would take, in exchange, such articles as they most needed for the next year. The return packages contained no ribbons or fancy articles. Everything was selected with due care to its durability.
The young ladies of that day performed much out door labor, such as pulling flax, tending garden, milking cows, feed- ing calves and pigs, and many other things to help along with the out doors work, while their fathers and brothers did the more heavy work of chopping and logging. The girls thus brought up were far healthier than at the present day, and made strong and robust women.
Speaking of girls pulling flax, takes our mind back to our youthful days. Having a call from Lebanon to meet the hands on the Orison Cleveland farm. to pull flax, we arrived at a .: early hour, through the mile and a ha'f of forest. We found a large field of flax, and in looking around for the promised hands, we espied a young lady of sweet sixteen, already engaged in pulling the flax. She at once explained that as her folks were fully engaged on their other farm, she had volunteered to take their place so that we would not have to work alone. We of course expected an easy time, as all the fair damsel required of us was to keep up with her; but in this we were mistaken, for although we kept even with her, it would have been hard to have found a more tired boy than we were when we went to
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roost that night. Girls' wages at that time, and for many years. ranged from fifty to seventy-five cents a week. One lady tells us, that when she was a small girl she carded and spun tow for Captain Flint, of this town, for six cents a run, until she earned enough to buy her a calico dress; it then required seven yards to make a grown person a dress; the price of prints was seventy-five cents a yard.
Mrs. Jeremiah Dodge, in her early days. went out spinning for 6212 cents a week, that being the usual price. The ladies. both young and old, wore plain yet neat and tidy dresses of their own manufacture. They braided their own hats from straw or bull-rushes. And you would see them walking for miles to meeting, barefooted, carrying their shoes (if they were so lucky as to have any,) in their hands, to put on when near the church. But the young, as well as the aged, often appeared at church in their bare feet, as it was no easy task to get shoes at any price. The wife of Joseph Miller, who was well off for those times; was in the habit of wearing a pair of old shoes, and carrying a pair of better ones in her hand. until one Sunday, on returning to the place where she had left the old ones, she found a porcupine just using up the last of them. This so provoked her that she walked hon,e in her bare feet, carrying her Sunday shoes in her hand.
The usual way of going to niceting. when not on foot, was on ox sleds, drawn by one or more yoke of oxen; some- times on a flat-bottomed boat, made in much the shape of a canoe. This would run better through the woods than most any other conveyance. and was used in summer and winter, both for going to mill and to meeting.
The costumes worn by the young men were much in keep- ing with those worn by the ladies. A very common dress was tow frocks, and pants of the same material. Hats, in sum- mer, of straw or bulrushes; in winter, a picked cap of cloth, with a squirrel's tail on top, and one over each car to keep out the frost. The more genteel young men, or dandies. often
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wore deerskin pants and fawn skin vests, from skins of their own tanning; and sometimes they would wear moccasins, made of skins of some animal. such as possum or coon.
The location of the first settlers of this township, was nearly as follows: Eusebius Dodge, Esq., Samuel G. Peck. Zopher Gee, John Gec. Dan Peck, Perry G. Beckwith, and Charles Knowles, all settled along the south bank of Lebanon creek. now the road leading from New Lyme station through Dodgeville and Brownsville to Cherry Valley; and Lemuel Lee. Jr., and Colonel Lemuel Lee, on the north side of the creek. Dan Huntley, Joseph Miller, Joshua Strickland, Vinton B. Way, Peter Chapman, and Dan Chapman all settled on the road leading from Dodgeville to Morgan; Elias Brockway, Sen., and his son Elias, and Henry Roland, who came in still later, settled on the same road. Also the following persons, who
1821 came in about the year 1821: Captain Luther Reeve, a soldier of the Revolution, with his sons, Rumsey, Hannibal, and Benjamin. John Loomis, Albert Latimer, Deacon Joseph Miller, Silas Beckwith. Rumsey Reeve settled on the road east of Albert Latimer's. Sephen and Jonathan Bishop settled a little cast of Brownsville, on the south side of the road. All the above were from Lyme, Connecticut.
Elder Joshua Woodruff, from Otsego county, New York, and Aaron Willey, from Genesee county, New York, and Dan 7. Huntley, all settled on the road leading from Brownsville to Jefferson. These three families lived for many years greatly secluded from the other settlement in this town, for want of any roads to get out Vet they made great improvements, and soon had large farms, surrounded by dense forests, until they were let out to the world by the opening of the road from Warren to Jefferson, which passed by their farms.
Aaron Willey settled on his place in ISI9. It is said that, like most of the rest of us, he commenced with small means.
1819 Hle had oniy money enough left to buy a cow. With no team, and what was worse yet, a sick wife, he sogn
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ound himself in debt for doctor's bill $15; a large sum for any one to owe in those days. But that he was a man of great perseverance will appear from the following little incident: In November, IS20, he went to Jefferson, barefoot, to obtain leath- er for a pair of shoes, which he bought of Mr. Hoskins, the tanner at that place. Before he got ready to return, it was near sundown and freezing fast; he had ten miles to go, through the woods, and a dark night approaching. Under this state of affairs, he called on Deacon Michael Webster, who gave him a friendly reception. Next morning the ground was covered with snow, yet he rose early for a start home. The Deacon detained him until after breakfast, and then urged him to put on his own shoes, which Willey declined, fearing he should not be able to get them back. So he went through the snow, barefooted. He said his feet stood it quite well after he had traveled two or three miles, but were quite sore for a while afterwards. Mr. Willey, by his perseverance. became a large and wealthy farmer.
Colonel Lemuel Lee, Sen .. and his son Samuel, arrived in Lebanon in 1817. The Colonel went to live with his son Lem-
1817 uel, Jun., where he and his wife remained until their death. Colonel Lee was a highly educated man, and in every respect a gentleman. He was often employed to teach the district school. His son Samuel settled a little north of Lemuel Lee, their farms joining. It is the farm now owned by Harvey Hill, at present better known as Maple Grove.
Samuel Beckwith and Orison Cleveland settled in an early day, on what has long been known as the Beckwith place, south of Dr. Fuller's; the Cleveland farm was west from where the road now is. His house stood near where the orchard now stands. On the south side of the creek, he built a large double log barn on the rise of sand north of the creek. It was in this barn that Flalsev and B. F. Phillips threshed, with flails, one hundred and seventy bushels of wheat, in the win- ter of 1820-21, for which they received seventeen bushels of
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1821 wheat, and two hundred bundles of straw. The lat- ter was fed out to the oxen and cow of Halsey Phil- lips, which, together with a little corn and plenty of browse, brought them through the winter in fine order. One of the greatest troubles they had to contend with, was the immense quantity of quails which surrounded the barn in flocks, ready to pounce on to the wheat the moment they left the barn. This barn, like most other log barns of that day, had large door- ways cut out to drive through with teams; but there were no doors, only loose boards set up on end, and the quails would go in and out between the logs, at their pleasure.
Young B. F. boarded with Mr. Cleveland, while his brother went home to his family, then the only family in Colebrook, Mr. Blakeslee having moved his family to Lebanon. The board at Mr. Cleveland's was good, but the lodgings were hard, being on the naked floor in the chamber of a small log house, always filled with smoke. In this chamber they smoked their hams and other meats. We don't know as Mr. Cleveland ever charged young B. F. with stealing, yet it is true that when he left he took bome two as well smoked hams as ever emanated from a smoke-house.
We believe that for many years the nearest physician was Dr. O. K. Hawley, of Austinburg, and later, Dr. Peter Allen, of Kinsman, until the arrival of young Dr. Fuller, in 1829.
who practiced medicine in this town forty-one vears, 1829 when he sold out his ride to Dr. Porter Kee, who had read in the office of Dr. Fuller about three years, and they practiced in company for some time before Dr. Fuller gave up the practice.
Dr. Fuller married Miss Joanna Dodge, daughter of Euse- bius Dodge, Esq., and settled on the farm where he still re- sides, when he is not with his son, (who is Cashier of the Sec- ond National Bank, of Jefferson,) having long since buried his amiable and loving wife, with whom he had lived most happily many years. The Doctor was one of the best read physicians
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of his day, and has passed to old age without a stain upon his character. He has for long years been a member of high standing in the Free Will Baptist Church in this town.
Dr. Fuller related to us one little incident in his early practice, which we will insert, to show that the life of a doc- tor does not always pass without a ripple: In the early part of his practice he was called to visit the family of Elder Joshua Woodworth, then in the dense wilderness, and about three miles north of what is now Brownsville; then nothing but blazed trees to guide the traveler, It was late when he left the Elder's, and he had penetrated but a short distance into the dark woods before a limb of a tree struck his hat, knocking it off his head. He at once dismounted, but in spite of every effort no hat was to be found. Feeling quite sure that he had one when he left the Elder's and knowing full well the sorry appearance a doctor would make in riding out among his pa- tients without a hat, he most wisely concluded to fall back upon the Elder, and make an early search for his hat by day- light. Next morning the hat was found, and the doctor went on his was home, where he arrived all right.
Dr. Kee, after a practice of many years, and building the famous New Lyme Water Cure Establishment, at an immense expense, moved to Hillsdale, Michigan, where he died of a fever" He was a man of great energy and perseverance, and highly respected by the citizens of New Lyme and the aejoin- ing townships, where he had an extensive practice. Early in his practice he took as a partner, a Dr. Ely, who, after prac- ticing some three or four years. quit on a count of failing health, and soon after died of consumption.
New Lyme is again fortunate in having a good physician and surgeon, in the person of Dr. A. Rathbone. He is well- read, and a man of high talent; a good citizen, who has by industry and perseverance already built himself up a practice of which he may well feel proud.
The first school was taught by Mr. John Gee, in the win-
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ter of 1812-13. Number of pupils, eighteen. He was paid for 1813 his services in chopping. He was an excellent teacher and one of New Lyme's best citizens. He taught in a small cabin, built of small round poles by the boys of Perry G. Beckwith, Sen., for a playhouse and workshop. Col. Lemuel Lee and his sons were some of the early school teach- ers of this township. Toel Blakeslee taught one term in the winter of 1820-21. The number of pupils had then increased to nearly sixty. The district, at that time, embraced the towns of New Lyme and Colebrook, as did also the supervision dis. trict. In 1850 Mr. Albert Hall taught a select school at the
1850 Baptist Church, where the district school is now taught. Number of pupils, about twenty-five.
The first white male child born in this town, was Elder Dan. Miller, son of Joseph and Elizabeth Miller. The first death of an adult, took place in ISIS, fourteen years after the first settlement of the town. It was an aged lady, a Mrs. Bailey; she died in the house built by Mr. Owen. It is in- deed remarkable that fourteen years should clapse, in a town- ship as thickly settled as New Lyme then was, without the occurrence of a death; though it is said that a small child had, during that time, died somewhere in the north part of the town.
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