USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio, containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc., relating to its general and local history : with descriptions of its counties, principal towns, and villages > Part 27
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185
GALLIA COUNTY.
In 1807, Breckenridge again saw Gallipolis.
As we passed Point Pleasant and the island below it, Gallipolis, which I looked for with anxious feelings, hove in sight. I thought of the French inhabitants-I thought of my friend Saugrain ; and I recalled, in the liveliest colors, the incidents of that portion of my life which was passed here. A year is a long time at that period-every day is crowded with new and great and striking events. When the boat landed, I ran up the bank and looked around ; but alas ! how changed ! The Americans had taken the town in hand, and no trace of antiquity, that is, of twelve years ago, remained. I hastened to the spot where I expected to find the abode, the little log house, tavern and labratory of the doctor, but they had vanished like the palace of Aladdin. After some inquiry, I found a little Frenchman, who, like the old woman of Goldsmith's village, was " the sad historian of the deserted plain,"-that is, deserted by one race, to be peopled by another. He led me to where a few logs might be seen, as the only remains of the once happy tenement which had sheltered me-but all around it was a common ; the town had taken a different direction. My heart sickened ; the picture which my imagination had drawn-the scenes which my memory loved to cherish, were blotted out and obliterated. A volume of reminiscen- ces seemed to be annihilated in an instant ! I took a hasty glance at the new town, as I returned to the boat. I saw brick houses, painted frames, fanciful enclosures, ornamental trees ! Even the pond, which had carried off a third of the French population by its mala- ria, had disappeared, and a pretty green had usurped its place, with a neat brick court house in the midst of it. This was too much ; I hastened my pace, and with sorrow, once more pushed into the stream.
Public Square, Gallipolis.
Gallipolis, the county seat, is pleasantly situated on the Ohio river, 102 miles southeasterly from Columbus. It contains 1 Presbyterian, 1 Episcopal and 1 Methodist church, 12 or 14 stores, 2 newspaper printing offices, and by the census of 1840, had 1,221 inhabitants, and now has about 1700. A part of the population is of French descent, but they have in a great measure lost their national charac- teristics. Some few of the original French settlers are yet living. The engraving of the public square, shows the market and court house near the center of the view, with a glimpse of the Ohio river on the left.
The failure of the Gallipolis bank, at this place, a few years since, excited a strong sensation throughout the state. The history of the institution we derive from the communication of one familiar with it.
The charter of the bank of Gallipolis, was passed in the year 1818, but the commis-
24
186
GALLIA COUNTY.
sioners named in it, never judged it advisable to open books for subscription, until the spring of 1839, when they were opened at the solicitation of M. B. Sherwood, of Buffalo, he proposing, on behalf of the Erie County bank in that city, to subscribe to a large amount. Mr. Sherwood brought such strong testimonials of integrity of character, and ability to ac- complish what he proposed, as to satisfy the commissioners, and he was permitted to sub- scribe for $200,000 of the stock, paying thereon $20,000, by a certificate of stock deposit in the Erie County bank ; this certificate was paid at the time, to show that Mr. Sherwood was in earnest, in organizing the bank in good faith. He stated at the time, that those for whom he acted, were men of wealth-had established two banks in New York, the Staten Island and the Erie County banks, and were anxious to connect their business with a west ern bank, as it would much facilitate the transaction of their business, and prove of mutua advantage and profits to both institutions.
When the time came for putting the bank into operation, Mr. Sherwood was presen with about $40,000 in specie and the paper of specie-paying banks ; the bank was exam ined by a commissioner, Geo. House, appointed by the governor, Wilson Shannon, and au thorized to do business as a bank, by the governor's proclamation. The president, Mr. Smith, the cashier, Mr. Scovill, and Whiting, chief clerk, were also from Buffalo. The other directors were among the most respectable men of Gallipolis. The bank failed in January, 1841, when it became apparent, that a most stupendous system of fraud had been carried on by means of this bank and others, all under the management of the same band cf swindlers, Sherwood, Cole and others.
The manner seems to have been this. The directors of the Gallipolis bank had procured bills to be struck by Rawdon, Wright &, Hatch, of New York, engravers, to the amount of $175,000, and this was the entire amount of bills as was supposed by the resident di- rectors ; but it turns out that the president and cashier, under the direction of Sherwood, had in some way procured bills to be struck to the amount of some $1,200,000, without the knowledge of the other directors, and while the books and accounts were kept, and the circulation predicated upon bills to the amount of $175,000, Sherwood was scattering broad-cast over the land, this vast fraudulent circulation, unknown to the resident direc- tors, until it was brought to light by the vast over-issue, coming in after the failure.
There were other banks with which the same company was connected, to wit, the Man- hatten bank, in Lucas county, Ohio, the Circleville bank, at Circleville, Ohio, the West Union bank, at West Union, Ohio, and the Mineral Point bank, in Wisconsin. Sherwood seems to have operated largely in state stocks, paying for them in the paper of these fraud- ulent banks. When the explosion came, he and these banks were indebted to Illinois, near $100,000 ; to Indiana, about $600,000, besides an unredeemed circulation of these banks, of not less than from $300,000 to $400,000.
Before the failure of the bank in January, 1841, a Mr. Farrington appeared in Gallipo- lis, in October of 1840, where he remained until January following, when he presented a transfer of the stock belonging to Kinney & Smith, in whose names it stood for the use of the Erie County bank, as was stated, and became himself president of the bank, under rep- resentations, on his part, of his great wealth. During the months of October, November and December, 1840, several strangers, of the names of Hill, Weed and others, appeared in Gallipolis, talked largely of their wealth, proposed entering into business, but never went beyond talking ; what their business was, no one knew. After the failure of the bank, it became apparent that these men were the associates of Farrington, and that their business at Gallipolis, had been to fill their pockets with the Gallipolis bank paper, and then to go off and pay it out for whatever they could obtain. They bought up property of every de- scription at exorbitant prices, in order to swindle the community.
Farrington, Hill, Weed and some others, the men who had engaged in swindling in the fraudulent bank of Millington, in Maryland, seem to have purchased of Sherwood & Co., the' chance of what could be made by means of the Gallipolis bank, before the explosion should take place. Hill, in a letter to Farrington, received after his arrest, states that Sher- wood had cheated them, as he, Hill, was satisfied that there was a greater over-issue than had been represented.
At the time of the failure of the bank, Farrington was arrested, and, with Scovill, Whi ting and some others, indicted, tried, convicted, and sent to the penitentiary for six years Whiting was arrested at Lowell, in Massachusetts, brought to Gallipolis, and confined to await his trial ; but with the aid of certain persons, he escaped, and has never since been retaken. Sherwood was compelled to run for Texas, to protect himself from justice
The assets of the bank, at the time of the failure, were applied by the resident directors, to the redemption of its liabilities, as far as they would go, having been handed over to those presenting claims against the bank, as fast as the claims were presented. The cir-
187
GEAUGA COUNTY.
culation redeemed was very large, but no one can tell the amount. The whole affair was as stupendous a scheme of swindling, as has ever been carried on in the country, and the whole resting upon the credit of two banks in New York, organized under the free bank- ing law of that state, with stocks, which were probably borrowed of the states of Indiana and Illinois.
Gen. Edward W. Tupper, in July, 1812, raised for a six months' duty, a force of 1000 men, principally from this, Lawrence and Jackson counties. Daniel Womeldorf, of this county, commanded a company of cavalry. They marched to the northwest, and had a skirmish with the enemy at the foot of the Maumee rapids, with un- important results. Gen. Tupper resided in Gallipolis, and died many years since. Capt. Womeldorf, is living in the county.
The following are the names of small villages in this county, with their population, in 1840. Patriot 119, Wilkesville 119, Centerville 84, Porter 75, and Vinton 82. (See Addenda.)
GEAUGA.
GEAUGA was formed from Trumbull, in 1805, since which its orig- inal limits have been much reduced. In March, 1840, the county of Lake was mainly formed from its northern part. The name Geauga, or Sheauga, signifies, in the Indian language, raccoon : it was originally applied to Grand river ; thus, "Sheauga sepe," i. e. Rac- coon river. The surface is rolling and heavily timbered, and the soil generally clay. The principal exports are sheep, cattle, butter and cheese. The following is a list of its townships, in 1840, with their population.
Auburn,
1198
Claridon,
879
Newburgh, 1209
Bainbridge,
988
Hampden,
840
Parkman,
1181
Batavia, 771
Hurtsburgh, 911
Russell,
742
Burton, 1022
Montville,
567
Thompson, 1038
Chardon,
1910
Munson,
1263
Troy, 1208
Chester,
962
The population of Geauga, in 1820, was 7791 ; in 1830, 15,813, and in 1840, 16,299, or 42 inhabitants to a square mile.
This county being at the head waters of Chagrin, Cuyahoga and part of Grand rivers, is high ground, and more subject to deep snows than any other part of the Reserve. It was formerly much subject to very high sweeping winds or tornadoes. In August, 1804, John Miner was killed at Chester. He had lately moved from Burton, with part of his family, into a log house which he had built at that place. A furious storm suddenly arose, and the timber commenced falling on all sides, when he directed his two children to go under the floor, and stepped to the door to see the falling timber : at that instant, three trees fell across the house and killed him instantly. The children remained in the house until the next morning, when
188
GEAUGA COUNTY.
the oldest made her way to a neighbor, about two miles distant, and related the sad tidings .*
The first settlement in Geauga, was at Burton, in the year 1798, when three families settled there from Connecticut. This settlement was in the interior of the country, at a considerable distance from any other. The hardships and privations of the early settlers of the Reserve, are well described in the annexed article from the pen of one who was familiar with them.
The settlement of the Reserve commenced in a manner somewhat peculiar. Instead of beginning on one side of a county, and progressing gradually into the interior, as had usually been done in similar cases, the proprietors of the Reserve, being governed by dif- ferent and separate views, began their improvements wherever their individual interests led them. Hence we find many of the first settlers immured in a dense forest, 15 or 20 miles or more from the abode of any white inhabitants. In consequence of their scattered situ- ation, journeys were some times to be performed of 20 or 50 miles, for the sole purpose of having the staple of an ox-yoke mended, or some other mechanical job, in itself trifling, but absolutely essential for the successful prosecution of business. These journeys had to be performed through the wilderness, at a great expense of time, and, in many cases, the only safe guide to direct their course, were the township lines made by the surveyors.
The want of mills to grind the first harvests, was in itself a great evil. Prior to the year 1800, many families used a small hand-mill, properly called a sweat-mill, which took the hard labor of two hours to supply flour enough for one person a single day. About the year 1800, one or two grist-mills, operating by water power, were erected. One of these was at Newburg, now in Cuyahoga county. But the distance of many of the settlements from the mills, and the want of roads, often rendered the expense of grinding a single bushel, equal the value of two or three.
The difficulties of procuring subsistence for a family, in such circumstances, must be ob- vious. Few, however, can now fully realize circumstances then very common. Often would a man leave his family in the wilderness. with a stinted supply of food, and with his team or pack horse go perhaps some 20 or 30 miles for provision. The necessary appen- dages of his journey would be an axe, a pocket compass, fire works, and blanket and bells. He cut and beat his way through the woods with his axe, and forded almost impassable streams. When the day was spent, he stopped where he was, fastened his bells to his beasts, and set them at liberty to provide for themselves. Then he would strike a fire, not only to dissipate, in some degree, the gloom and damps of night, but to annoy the gnats and musketoes, and prevent the approach of wolves, bears and panthers. Thus the night passed, with the trees for his shelter. At early dawn, or perhaps long before, he is listen- ing to catch the sound of bells, to him sweet music, for often many hours of tedious wan- derings were consumed, ere he could find his team and resume his journey. If prospered, on reaching his place of destination, in obtaining his expected supply, he follows his lonely way back to his anxious and secluded family, and perhaps has scarce time to refresh and rest himself, ere the same journey and errand had to be repeated.
CHARDON is 170 miles NE. of Columbus, and 28 from Cleveland. It was laid out about the year 1808, for the county seat, and named from Peter Chardon Brookes, of Boston, then proprietor of the soil. There are but few villages in Ohio, that stand upon such an elevated, commanding ridge as this, and it can be seen in some directions for several miles : although but about 14 miles from Lake Erie, it is computed to be 600 feet above it. The village is scattered and small. In the center is a handsome green, of about eleven acres, on which stands the public buildings, two of which, the court house and Methodist church, are shown in the engraving. The Baptist church and a classical academy, which are on or face the public
* Judge Amzi Atwater.
189
GEAUGA COUNTY.
square, are not shown in this view. Chardon has 6 stores, a news- paper printing office, and in 1840, had 446 inhabitants.
Geauga suffered much from the "great drouth," in northern Ohio,
View in Chardon.
in the summer of 1845, the following brief description of which was communicated to Dr. S. P. Hildreth, by Seabury Ford, Esq., of Geauga, and published in Silliman's Journal.
The district of country which suffered the most, was about one hundred miles in length, and fifty or sixty in width, extending nearly east and west parallel with the lake, and in some places directly bordering on the shore of this great inland sea. There was no rain from the last of March, or the Ist of April, until the 10th of June, when there fell a little rain for one day, but no more until the 2d of July, when there probably fell half an inch, as it made the roads a little muddy. From this time, no more rain fell until early in Septem- ber. This long-continued drouth reduced the streams of water to mere rills, and many springs and wells heretofore unfailing became dry, or nearly so. The grass crop entirely failed, and through several counties the pasture grounds in places were so dry, that in walking across them the dust would rise under the feet, as in highways. So dry was the grass in meadows, that fires, when accidentally kindled, would run over them as over a stubble-field, and great caution was required to prevent damage from them. The crop of oats and corn was nearly destroyed. Many fields of wheat so perished that no attempt was made to harvest them. Scions set in the nursery, dried up for lack of sap in the stocks, and many of the forest trees withered, and all shed their leaves much earlier than usual. The health of the inhabitants was not materially affected, although much sickness was anticipated. Grasshoppers were multiplied exceedingly in many places, and destroyed every green thing that the drouth had spared, even to the thistles and elder tops by the road side.
The late frosts and cold drying winds of the spring months, cut off nearly all the fruit, and what few apples remained, were defective at the core, and decayed soon after being gathered in the fall. Many of the farmers sowed fields of turnips in August and Septem- ber, hoping to raise winter food for their cattle, but the seed generally failed to vegetate for lack of moisture. So great was the scarcity of food for the domestic animals, that early in the autumn large droves of cattle were sent into the valley of the Scioto, where the crops were more abundant, to pass the winter, while others were sent eastward into the borders of Pennsylvania. This region of country abounds in grasses, and one of the staple commodities is the produce of the dairy. Many stocks of dairy cows were broken up and dispersed, selling for only four or five dollars a head, as the cost of wintering would be more than their worth in the spring. Such great losses and suffering from the effects of drouth, has not been experienced in Ohio for many years, if at all since the settlement of the country. As the lands become more completely cleared of the forest trees, dry sum- mers will doubtless be more frequent. In a region so near a large body of water, we
.90
¿RLENE COUNTY.
should expect more rain than in one at a distance. The sky in that district is, nevertheless, much oftener covered with clouds than in the southern portion of the state, where rains are more abundant ; but the dividing ridge, or height of land between Lake Erie and the waters of the Ohio, lacks a range of high hills to attract the moisture from the clouds and cause it to descend in showers of rain.
Burton, a pleasant village, 8 miles sE. of Chardon, contains 1 Pres- byterian, 1 Methodist and 1 Disciples church, an academy, and about 175 inhabitants. Parkman, on a branch of Grand river, and named from Robert B. Parkman, is 16 miles sE. of Chardon, and contains an academy, 1 Methodist and 1 Universalist church, 1 flour- ing, 1 saw and 1 fulling mill, and about 30 dwellings. Three dams are thrown across the river at this place, having unitedly about 60 feet fall, and furnishing much power. There are other small places in the county, at which are post-offices : they are Auburn, Bundys- burg, East Claridon, Fowler's Mill, Hamden, Huntsburg, Newburg. Thompson, Welshfield and Chester Cross Roads. At Chester, is the Geauga seminary, under the patronage of the Western Reserve Free-Will Baptist society. This flourishing institution has about 200 pupils, Elder Daniel Branch, A. M., principal.
GREENE.
GREENE Was formed from Hamilton and Ross, May 1st, 1803, and named from Gen. Nathaniel Greene, of the revolution. The soil is generally clayey ; the surface on the east is flat and well adapted to grazing, the rest of the county is rolling and productive in wheat and corn. Considerable water power is furnished by the streams. There are some fine limestone quarries, and near Xenia, on Cæsar's creek, is a quarry of beautifully variegated marble. The principal productions are wheat, corn, rye, grass, grass seed, oats, barley, sheep and swine. The following is a list of the townships, in 1840, with their population.
Bath, 1717 Miami, 1230 Sugar Creek, 2379
Beaver Creek, 1762 Ross, 1310 Xenia, 5190
Cæsar's Creek, 1730
Silver Creek, 2435
The population of Greene, in 1820, was 10,509 : in 1830, 15,122; and in 1840, 17,753, or 43 inhabitants to a square mile.
The Shawnee town, " Old Chillicothe," was on the Little Miami, in this county, about 3 miles north of the site of Xenia : it was a place of note, and is frequently mentioned in the annals of the early explorations and settlements of the west.
In the year 1773, Capt. Thomas Bullit, of Virginia, one of the first settlers of Kentucky, was proceeding down the Ohio river, with a party, to make surveys and a settlement there, when he stopped and left his companions on the river, and passed through the wilderness to Oid Chillicothe, to obtain the consent of the Indians to his intended settlement. He entered the town alone, with a flag of truce, before he was discovered. The Indians, astonished at his
191
GREENE COUNTY
boldness flocked around him, when the following dialogue ensued between him and a principal chief.
Indian Chief. What news do you bring ? are you from the Long Knife ? If you are an ambassador, why did you not send a runner ?
Bullit. I have no bad news. The Long Knife and the Red men are at peace, and I have come among my brothers to have a friendly talk with them about settling on the other side of the Ohio.
Indian Chief. Why did you not send a runner ?
Bullit. I had no runner swifter than myself, and as I was in haste, I could not wait the return of a runner. If you were hungry and had killed a deer, would you send your squaw to town to tell the news, and wait her return before you would eat ?
This reply of Bullit put the bystanders in high humor ; they relaxed from their native gravity and laughed heartily. The Indians conducted Bullit into the principal wigwam o! the town, and regaled him with venison, after which, he addressed the chief as follows:
Brothers :- I am sent with my people, whom I left on the Ohio, to settle the country on the other side of that river, as low down as the falls. We came from Virginia. I only want the country to settle and to cultivate the soil. There will be no objection to your hunting and trapping in it, as heretofore. I hope you will live with us in friendship.
To this address, the principal chief made the following reply.
Brother :--- You have come a hard journey through the woods and the grass. We are pleased to find that your people in settling our country, are not to disturb us in our hunt- ing ; for we must hunt to kill meat for our women and children, and to have some- thing to buy powder and lead, and procure blankets and other necessaries. We desire you will be strong in discharging your promises towards us, as we are determined to be strong in advising our young men to be kind, friendly and peaceable towards you. Hav- ing finished his mission, Capt. Bullit returned to his men, and with them descended the river to the falls .*
Some of this party of Bullit's shortly after laid out the town of Louisville, Kentucky.
The celebrated Daniel Boone was taken prisoner, with 27 others, in Kentucky, in February, 1778, in the war of the revolution, and brought to Old Chillicothe. Through the influence of the British Governor, Hamilton, Boone, with 10 others, was taken from thence to Detroit.
The governor took an especial fancy to Boone, and offered considerable sums for his re- lease, but to no purpose, for the Indians also had taken their fancy, and so great was it that they took him back to Old Chillicothe, adopted him into a family, and fondly caressed him. He mingled with their sports, shot, fished, hunted and swam with them, and had become deeply ingratiated in their favor, when on the Ist of June, they took him to assist them in making salt in the Scioto valley, at the old salt wells, near, or at, we believe, the present town of Jackson, Jackson county. They remained a few days, and when returned to Old Chillicothe, his heart was agonized by the sight of 450 warriors, armed, painted and equipped in all the paraphanalia of savage splendor, ready to start on an expedition against Boonesborough. To avert the cruel blow that was about to fall upon his friends, he alone, on the morning of the 16th of June, escaped from his Indian companions, and arrived in time to foil the plans of the enemy, and not only saved the borough, which he himself had founded, but probably all the frontier parts of Kentucky, from devastation.
Boone told an aged pioneer, yet living,* that when taken prisoner on this occasion, the Indians got out of food, and after having killed and eaten their dogs, were ten days with- out any other sustenance than that of a decoction made from the oozings of the inner-bark of the white oak, which after drinking, Boone could travel with the best of them. At length, the Indians shot a deer, and boiled its entrails to a jelly, of which they all drank, and it soon acted freely on their bowels. They gave some to Boone, but his stomach re- fused it. After repeated efforts, they forced him to swallow about half a pint, which he did with wry faces and disagreeable retchings, much to the amusement of the simple sav- ages who laughed heartily. After this medicine had well operated, the Indians told Boone that he might eat ; but that if he had done so before, it would have killed him. They then all fell to, and soon made amends for their long fast. At Detroit, he astonished the governor by making gun-powder, he having been shut up in a room with all the materials.
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