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 42
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LAWRENCE.
LAWRENCE Was organized March 1st, 1816, and named from Capt. James Lawrence, a native of Burlington, N. J., and a gallant naval officer of the war of 1812. Most of the county consists of high, ab- rupt hills, in which large quantities of sand or free stone exist : soil mostly clay. It is thinly settled, only about half the county having been, as yet, purchased of the general government. There is some rich land on the creek bottoms, and on that of the Ohio river, on which, and at the iron furnaces, are the principal settlements. This county is rich in minerals, and is the greatest iron manufacturing county in Ohio. Coal abounds in the western part, while clay, suit- able for stone ware, is found under the ore, in the whole of the iron region. The agricultural products, which are small in quantity, are wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, hay and apples. The following is a list of the townships in 1840, with their population :
Aid, 610
Lawrence, 425
Symmes, 472
Decatur, 594
Mason,
695
Union,
1036
Elizabeth, 1534
Perry,
663
Upper, 1181
Fayette, 841
Rome, 879
Windsor, 815
The population of Lawrence, in 1820, was 3,499; in 1830, 6,366 ; and in 1840, 9,745, or 23 inhabitants to the square mile.
In the Indian war, prior to the treaty of Greenville, many boats, de- scending the Ohio, were attacked by the Indians, and the whites in them cruelly massacred. After the war had closed, wrecks of boats were frequently seen on the shore, to remind the traveller of the un- happy fate of those who had fallen a prey to the rifle, tomahawk and scalping-knife. Among the unpublished incidents of this nature, is one that belongs to the history of this county, obtained orally from one acquainted with the circumstances.
Among the early settlers of Mason County, Ky., was Mr. James Kelly, who emigrated from Westmoreland, Pa. Shortly after his arriyal, the Indians carried on their murderous incursions with so much energy, as to seriously threaten the annihilation of the infant set- tlements. His father, alarmed for his safety, sent another son, William, to Kentucky, to bring his brother and family back to Pennsylvania. They embarked at Maysville, in a large canoe, with two men as passengers, who were to assist in navigating the boat. When about a mile below the mouth of the Big Guyandotte, and near the Virginia shore, they were suddenly fired upon by a party of Indians, secreted behind the trees on that bank of the river. William, who had risen up in the boat, was shot through the body, when James sprang up to save him from falling into the river, and receiving a death wound, fell for- wards in the boat. The two men, as yet unharmed, steered for the Ohio shore. The in- stant the boat touched land, one of them, panic-stricken, sprang ashore, and running into the recesses of the forest, was never heard of more. The other passenger, however, was a
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LAWRENCE COUNTY.
man of undaunted courage. He determined to protect Mrs. Kelly and her little children, consisting of James, a boy of about 5 years of age, and an infant named Jane. They landed, and turned their course for Gallipolis, about 30 miles distant. In their haste, they had forgotten to get any provisions from the boat, and the prospect of reaching there, through a wilderness swarming with Indians, was gloomy. To add to the horrors of their situation, they had gone but a few miles, when Mrs. Kelly was bitten in the foot by a copper-head, and was unable to make farther progress. As the only resort, her companion told her that he must leave her alone in the woods, and travel to Gallipolis, procure a boat and a party, and come for her. Having secreted them among some pawpaws, he started on his solitary and perilous journey. The Indians were soon on his track, in hot pursuit ; and taking in- land to avoid them, three or four days elapsed ere he arrived at the point of destination. He there obtained a keel boat, and a party of thirty men, and started down the Ohio, with but a faint hope of finding Mrs. Kelly and her little ones alive.
During his absence, Mrs. Kelly had been accustomed, daily, to send her little son to the river's edge, to hail any boats that might pass. Fearing a decoy from the Indians, several went by without paying any attention to his cries. An hour or two before the arrival of the aid from Gallipolis, another boat, from farther up the river, passed down. At first, but lit- tle attention was given to the hailing of little James ; but feelings of humanity prevailed over their fears, and reflecting also upon the improbability of the Indians sending such a mere child as a decoy, they took courage, turned to the shore, and took the sufferers aboard. They were then in a starving and deplorable condition ; but food was soon given them by the kind-hearted boatmen, and their perils were over. Soon the Gallipolis boat hove in sight, and they were taken on board, and eventually to Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Kelly, in the course of a few years, married again. The infant Jane grew up to womanhood, and was remarkable for her beauty. The little boy James finally emigrated to the Muskingum country. From him and his mother our informant derived these facts.
Lawrence was settled about 1797, by people from Pennsylvania and Virginia, who were principally of Dutch and Irish descent. When the iron works were first established, only about one eighth of the land was entered, since which, the workmen have accumulated means to purchase more. At that day, the inhabitants were princi- pally hunters, and for months together, our informant says, he did not see one wear a coat or shoes ; hunting shirts and moccasons being the substitutes.
The iron region is about eight miles wide. It extends through the east part of Scioto, and the west part of this county, and enters Jack- son county on the north, and Greenup county, Ky., on the south. Most of the iron in Lawrence is made into pig metal, which stands high for castings, and is equal to Scotch pig for foundery furnaces : it is also excellent for bar iron. The principal markets are Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. The four counties of Jackson, Lawrence, Scioto, and Greenup, Ky., make about 37,450 tons annually, which, at $30 per ton, the current market price, amounts to $1,123,500. There are 21 furnaces in the iron region, of which the following are in Lawrence, viz., Union, Pine Grove, Lawrence, Center, Mount Vernon, Buckhorn, Etna, Vesuvius, La Grange, Hecla, and Olive. The old- est of these, in this county, is Union, a view of which is given, show- ing on the left, the furnace, in the middle ground, the log huts of the workmen, with the store of the proprietors, while around is wild, hilly scenery, amid which these furnaces are usually embosomed. Each of the 21 furnaces employs, on an average, 70 yoke of oxen, " 100 hands, sustain 500 persons, consume 560 barrels of flour, 1000 bushels of corn meal, 10,000 bushels of corn, 50,000 pounds of ba- con, 20,000 pounds of beef, 1500 bushels of potatoes, beside other provisions, and tea, sugar and coffee in proportion." From this it
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LAWRENCE COUNTY.
will be seen, that their existence is highly important to the agri- culturist. In the winter season, about 500 men come from abroad, to cut wood for the furnaces in Lawrence; some of whom walk distances of hundreds of miles from their cabin homes among the mountains of Virginia and Kentucky.
Union Furnace.
Burlington, the county seat, is on the southernmost point of the Ohio river in the state, 133 miles southeasterly from Columbus. It is a small village, containing 4 stores, an academy, 1 or 2 churches, a newspaper printing office, and from 40 to 60 dwellings.
When Lawrence was first organized, the commissioners neglected to lay a tax, and the expenses of the county were carried on by or- ders, which so depreciated that the clerk had to pay $6, in orders, for a quire of paper. The county was finally sued on an order, and judgment obtained for the plaintiff, but as the public property could not be levied upon, not any thing was then recovered. Eventually, the legislature passed laws compelling the commissioners to lay a tax, by which the orders were paid in full, with interest.
The annexed report of a case, that came before the court of com- mon pleas in this county, is from the pen of a legal gentleman of high standing. It shows that in our day, the belief in witchcraft has not entirely vanished.
ENOCH H. FLEECE. vs. Lawrence Common Pleas. Term 1828. Action on the case, for a false warranty in the sale of a horse. Plea, general issue.
The plaintiff having proved the sale and warranty, called a witness to prove the defendant's knowledge of the unsoundness of the horse at the time of sale. This witness testified, that both he and defendant lived at Union Furnace, in Lawrence county, and that the latter was by trade a tanner ; that he, witness, knew the horse pre- vious to the sale to the plaintiff, and before he was owned by defendant, and was then, and at the time defendant purchased him, in bad health. He saw him daily employed in defend- ant's bark mill, and was fast declining, and when unemployed, drooping in his appearance, and so continued until sold to the plaintiff. Having been present at the sale, and hearing the warranty, the witness afterwards inquired of the defendant why he had done so, know- ing the horse to be unsound. He answered by insisting that the horse was in no way dis- eased, or in unsound health, but that the drooping appearance arose from his being bewitch-
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LAWRENCE COUNTY.
ed, which he did not call unsoundness, and so soon as they could be got out of the horse, he would then be as well as ever. The defendant further stated, that the same witches which were in that horse, had been in one or two persons, and some cows, in the same settlement, and could only be driven out by a witch doctor, living on the head waters of the Little Scioto, in Pike county, or by burning the animal in which they were found ; that this doctor had some time before been sent for to see a young woman who was in a bad way, and on ex- amination found her bewitched. He scon expelled them, and also succeeded in ascertain- ing that an old woman not far off was the witch going about in that way, and she could be got rid of only by killing her. At some subsequent time, when defendant was from home, his wife sent for witness and others, to see and find out what was the matter with her cow, in a lot near the house. They found it frantic, running, and pitching at every thing which came near. It was their opinion, after observing it considerably, that it had the canine madness. The defendant, however, returned before the witness and others left the lot ; he inspected the cow with much attention, and gave it as his opinion that they were mistaken as to the true cause of her conduct,-she was not mad, but bewitched; the same which had been in the horse, had transferred itself to the cow. By this time the animal, from exhaustion or other cause, had lain down. The defendant then went into the lot, and re- quested the persons present to assist in putting a rope about her horns, and then make the other end fast to a tree, where he could burn her. They laughed at the man's notion, but finally assisted him, seeing she remained quiet-still having no belief that he really intended burning her. This being done, the defendant piled up logs, brush and other things around, and finally over the poor cow, and then set fire to them. The defendant continued to add fuel, until she was entirely consumed, and afterwards told the witness he had never seen any creature so hard to die; that she continued to moan after most of the flesh had fallen from her bones, and he felt a pity for her, but die she must ; that nothing but the witches in her kept her alive so long, and it was his belief they would be so burnt before getting out, that they never would come back. Night having set in before the burning was finished, the defendant and his family set up to ascertain if the witches could be seen about the pile of embers. Late at night, some one of the family called the defendant to the window-the house being near the place-and pointed to two witches, hopping around, over and across the pile of embers, and now and then seizing a brand and throwing it into the air, and in a short while disappeared. The next morning, on examination, the defendant saw their tracks through the embers in all directions. At a subsequent time, he told the same wit- ness and others, that from that time the witches had wholly disappeared from the neighbor- hood, and would never return-and to burn the animal alive, in which they were found, was the only way to get clear of them : he had been very fearful they would torment his family.
The writer found, after the above trial, from a conversation with the defendant, that he had a settled belief in such things, and in the truth of the above statement.
Hanging Rock, 17 miles below the county seat, on the Ohio river, contains 1 church, 4 stores, a forge, a rolling mill, and a foundery- where excellent bar iron is made-and about 150 inhabitants. It is the great iron emporium of the county, and nearly all the iron is shipped there. It is contemplated to build a railroad from this place, of about 15 miles in length, to the iron region, connecting it with the various furnaces. The village is named from a noted cliff of sandstone, about 400 feet in height, called the "Hanging Rock," the upper portion of which projects over, like the cornice of a house.
Some years since, a wealthy iron master was buried at Hanging Rock, in compliance with his request, above ground, in an iron coffin. It was raised about two feet from the ground, supported by iron pil- lars, resting on a flat stone. Over all, was placed an octagonal build- ing of wood, about 12 feet diameter and 15 high, painted white, with a cupola-like roof, surmounted by a ball. It was in fact a tomb, but of so novel a description as to attract crowds of strangers, to the no small annoyance of the friends of the deceased, who, in consequence, removed the building, and sunk the coffin into a grave near the spot.
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LICKING COUNTY
LICKING.
LICKING was erected from Fairfield, March 1st, 1808, and named from its principal stream, called by the whites Licking-by the In- dians, Pataskala. The surface is slightly hilly on the east, the west- ern part is level, and the soil generally yellow clay: the vallies are rich alluvion, inclining many of them to gravel. Coal is in the eastern part, and iron ore of a good quality. The soil is generally very fertile, and it is a wealthy agricultural county. The principal crops are wheat, corn, oats and grass. Wool and dairy productions are also important staples. The following is a list of the townships in 1840, with their population.
Bennington,
1244
Harrison,
1049
Mary Anne,
866
Bowling Green, 1464
Hartford,
1355
M'Keane,
1424
Burlington,
1423
Hopewell,
1150
Newark,
4138
Eden,
853
Jersey,
932
Newton, 1247
Etna,
1076
Liberty,
1115
Perry,
994
Fallsbury,
910
Licking,
1215
St. Albans,
1515
Franklin,
1131
Lima,
739
Union,
2219
Granville,
2255
Madison,'
1119
Washington, 1348
Hanover,
943
The population of Licking, in 1820, was 11,861, in 1830, 20,864, and in 1840, 35,096 ; or 53 inhabitants to the square mile.
This county contains a mixed population: its inhabitants origina- ted from Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, New England, Wales and Germany. Among the early settlers were John Channel, Isaac Stadden, John Van Buskirk, Benjamin Green, Samuel Parr, Samuel Elliott, John and Washington Evans, Geo. Archer, John Jones, and many Welsh. It was first settled, shortly after Wayne's treaty of 1795, by John Ratliff and Ellis Hughes, in some old Indian corn- fields, about five miles below Newark, on the Licking. These men were from western Virginia. They lived mainly by hunting, rais- ing, however, a little corn, the cultivation of which was left, in a great measure, to their wives.
Hughes had been bred in the hot-bed of Indian warfare. The Indians having, at an early day, murdered a young woman to whom he was attached, and subsequently his father, the return of peace did not mitigate his hatred of the race. One night, in April, 1800, two Indians stole the horses of Hughes and Ratliff from a little enclosure near their cabins. Missing them in the morning, they started off, well-armed, in pursuit, accompanied by a man named Bland. They followed their trail in a northern direction all day, and at night camped in the woods. At the grey of the morning, they came upon the Indians, who were asleep and unconscious of danger. Concealing themselves behind the trees, they waited until the Indians had awakened, and were commencing preparations for their journey. They drew up their rifles to shoot, and just at that moment one of the Indians discovered them, and instinctively clapping his hand on his breast, as if to ward off the fatal ball, ex- claimed in tones of affright, " me bad Indian !- me no do so more !" The appeal was in vain, the smoke curled from the glistening barrels, the report rang in the morning air, and the poor Indians fell dead. They returned to their cabins with the horses and " plunder" taken from the Indians, and swore mutual secrecy for this violation of law.
One evening, some time after, Hughes was quietly sitting in his cabin, when he was startled by the entrance of two powerful and well-armed savages. Concealing his emo-
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LICKING COUNTY.
tions, he gave them a welcome and offered them seats. His wife, a muscular, squaw -like. looking female, stepped aside and privately sent for Ratliff, whose cabin was near. Pre- sently, Ratliff, who had made a detour, entered, with his rifle, from an opposite direction, as if he had been out hunting. He found Hughes talking with the Indians about the mur- der. Hughes had his tomahawk and scalping-knife, as was his custom, in a belt around his person, but his rifle hung from the cabin wall, which he deemed it imprudent to attempt to obtain. There all the long night sat the parties, mutually fearing each other, and neither summoning sufficient courage to stir. When morning dawned, the Indians left, shaking hands and bidding farewell, but, in their retreat, were very cautious not to be shot in am- bush by the hardy borderers.
Hughes died near Utica, in this county, in March, 1845, at an advanced age, in the hope of a happy future. His early life had been one of much adventure : he was, it is supposed, the last survivor of the bloody battle of Point Pleasant. He was buried with military honors and other demonstrations of respect.
Newark, the county seat, is 37 miles, by the mail route, easterly from Columbus, at the confluence of the three principal branches of the Licking. It is on the line of the Ohio canal, and of the railroad now constructing from Sandusky City to Columbus, a branch from which, of about 24 miles in length, will probably diverge from this place to Zanesville. Newark is a beautiful and well-built town, on a level site, and has the most spacious and elegant public square in the state. It was laid out, with broad streets, in 1801, on the plan of Newark, N. J., by Gen. Wm. C. Schenk, Geo. W. Burnet, Esq., and John M. Cummings, who owned this military section, comprising 4,000 acres. The first hewed log-houses were built in 1802, on the public square, by Samuel Elliott and Samuel Parr. The first tavern, a hewed log structure, with a stone chimney, was opened on the site of the Franklin house, by James Black. In 1804, there were about 15 or 20 families, mostly young married people. Among the early settlers were Morris A. Newman, Adam Hatfield, Jas. Black, John Johnson, Patrick Cunningham, William Claypole, Abraham Miller, Samuel H. Smith, Annaniah Pugh, Jas. Petticord, John and Aquila Belt, Dr. John J. Brice, and widow Pegg. About the year 1808, a log building was erected on or near the site of the court-house, which was used as a court-house and a church, common for all de- nominations. The Presbyterians built the first regular church, about 1817, just west of the court-house, on the public square. The first sermon delivered in Newark, by a Presbyterian, and probably the first by any denomination in the county, was preached under pecu- liar circumstances.
In 1803, Rev. John Wright, missionary of the Western Missionary Society at Pittsburg, arrived on a Saturday afternoon at Newark, which then contained five or six log-cabins and Black's log tavern, at which he put up. On inquiring of the landlady, he found there was but one Presbyterian in the place, and as he was very poor, he concluded to remain at the tavern rather than intrude upon his hospitality. The town was filled with people at- tending a horse-race, which, not proving satisfactory, they determined to try over the next day. Mr. Wright retired to rest at an early hour, but was intruded upon by the horse racers, who swore that he must either join and drink with them, or be ducked under a pump, which last operation was coolly performed upon one of the company in his presence. About midnight, he sought and obtained admittance in the house of the Presbyterian, where he rested on the floor, not without strenuous urging from the worthy couple to occupy their bed. The next morning, which was Sunday when the guests ascertained he was a clergy- man, they sent an apology for their conduct, and requested him to postpone preaching until afternoon, when the race was over. The apology was accepted, but he preached in the morning to a few persons, and in the afternoon to a large congregation. The sermon,
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LICKING COUNTY.
which was upon the sanctification of the Sabbath, was practical and pungent. When he concluded, a person arose and addressed the congregation, telling them that the preacher had told the truth; and although he was at the horse-race, it was wrong, and that they must take up a contribution for Mr. Wright. Over seven dollars were collected. In 1804, Mr. Wright settled in Lancaster, and after great difficulty, as the population was much addicted to vice, succeeded, in about 1807, through the aid of Mr. David Moore, in organ- izing the first Presbyterian church in Newark.
Newark contains 2 Prebyterian, 1 Baptist, 1 Episcopal, 1 Methodist, 1 Welsh Methodist, 1 German Lutheran, 1 Welsh Presbyterian and I Catholic church; 3 newspaper printing offices, 2 grist mills 1 foundery, 1 woolen factory, 6 forwarding houses, 10 groceries, 1 book, 2 hardware and 18 dry goods stores : in 1830, it had 999 in- habitants, and in 1840, 2,705, in 1847, 3,406.
Southwest of Newark, in the forks formed by a branch of Licking river and Raccoon creek, are numerous ancient works, which extend over a space of several miles in length and breadth.
On the 18th of May, 1825, occurred one of the most violent tor- nadoes ever known in Ohio. It has been commonly designated as " the Burlington storm," because in Burlington township, in this county, its effects were more severely felt than in any other part of its track. This event is told in the language of a correspondent.
It commenced between the hours of one and two, P. M., in the southeast part of Delaware county. After passing for a few miles upon the surface of the ground, in an easterly direc- tion, it appeared to rise so high from the earth that the tallest trees were not affected by it, and then again descended to the surface, and with greatly increased violence and force pro- ceeded through the townships of Bennington and Burlington, in Licking county, and then passed into Knox county, and thence to Coshocton county. Its general course was a little north of east. For force and violence of wind, this storm has rarely been surpassed in any country in the same latitude. Forests and orchards were completely uprooted and levelled, buildings blown down, and their parts scattered in every direction and carried by the force of the wind many miles distant. Cattle were taken from the ground and carried one hun- dred rods or more. The creek, which had been swollen by recent rains, had but little water in its bed after the storm had passed. The roads and fields recently plowed, were quite muddy from previous rains ; but after the storm had passed by, both roads and fields were clean and dry. Its track through Licking county was from one-third to three-fifths of a mile wide, but became wider as it advanced farther to the eastward. Those who were so fortunate as to be witnesses of its progress, without being victims of its fury, represent the appearance of the fragments of trees, buildings, &c., high in the air, to resemble large num- bers of birds, such as buzzards, or ravens. The ground, also, seemed to tremble, as it is asserted by many credible persons, who were, at the time, a mile from the tornado itself. The roar of the wind, the trembling of the ground, and the crash of the falling timber and buildings, is represented by all who were witnesses as being peculiarly dreadful.
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