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 62
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
When Mr. Volney asked Little Turtle what prevented him from living among the whites, and if he were not more comfortable in Philadelphia than upon the banks of the Wabash, he said : " Taking all things together you have the advantage over us ; but here I am deaf and dumb. I do not talk your language ; I can neither hear, nor make myself heard. When I walk through the streets, I see every person in his shop employed about something : one makes shoes, another hats, a third sells cloth, and every one lives by his labor. I say to myself, which of all these things can you do ? Not one. I can make a bow or an arrow, catch fish, kill game, and go to war; but none of these is of any use here. To learn what is done here would require a long time." " Old age comes on." " I should be a piece of furniture useless to my nation, useless to the whites, and useless to myself." " I must return to my own country."
Col. John Johnston has given in his "Recollections," published in Cist's Advertiser, some anecdotes of Little Turtle.
Little Turtle was a man of great wit, humor and vivacity, fond of the company of gen- tlemen, and delighted in good eating. When I knew him, he had two wives living with him under the same roof in the greatest harmony ; one, an old woman, about his own age-fifty-the choice of his youth, who performed the drudgery of the house ; the other
54
426
PUTNAM COUNTY.
a young and beautiful creature of eighteen, who was his favorite ; yet it never was dis- covered by any one that the least unkind feeling existed between them. This distinguished chief died at Fort Wayne about twenty-five years ago, of a confirmed case of the gout, brought on by high living, and was buried with military honors by the troops of the United States. The Little Turtle used to entertain us with many of his war adventures, and would laugh immoderately at the recital of the following :- A white man, a prisoner of many years in the tribe, had often solicited permission to go on a war party to Kentucky, and had been refused. It never was the practice with the Indians to ask or encourage white prisoners among them to go to war against their countrymen. This man, however, had so far acquired the confidence of the Indians, and being very importunate to go to war, the Turtle at length consented, and took him on an expedition into Kentucky. As was their practice, they had reconnoitered during the day, and had fixed on a house recently built and occu- pied, as the object to be attacked next morning a little before the dawn of day. The house was surrounded by a clearing, there being much brush and fallen timber on the ground. At the appointed time, the Indians, with the white man, began to move to the attack. At all such times no talking or noise is to be made. They crawl along the ground on hands and feet ; all is done by signs from the leader. The white man all the time was striving to be foremost, the Indians beckoning him to keep back. In spite of all their efforts he would keep foremost, and having at length got within running distance of the house, he jumped to his feet and went with all his speed, shouting, at the top of his voice, Indians! Indians ! The Turtle and his party had to make a precipitate retreat, losing forever their white com- panion, and disappointed in their fancied conquest of the unsuspecting victims of the log cabin. From that day forth this chief would never trust a white man to accompany him again to war.
During the presidency of Washington, the Little Turtle visited that great and just man at Philadelphia, and during his whole life after, often spoke of the pleasure which that visit afforded him. Kosciusko, the Polish chief, was at the time in Philadelphia, confined by sickness to his lodgings, and hearing of the Indians being in the city, he sent for them, and after an interview of some length, he had his favorite brace of pistols brought forth, and addressing the chief, Turtle, said-I have carried and used these in many a hard fought battle in defence of the oppressed, the weak and the wronged of my own race, and I now present them to you with this injunction, that with them you shoot dead the first man that ever comes to subjugate you or despoil you of your country. The pistols were of the best quality and finest manufacture, silver mounted, with gold touch-holes.
New Paris, about 11 miles Nw. of Eaton, on the east fork of White Water river, is a flourishing town : it contains 2 or 3 churches, 4 stores, 1 woollen factory, 3 flouring and some saw mills, and about 600 inhabitants. In the neighborhood are limestone quarries, from which large quantities of excellent lime are made. Camden, a thriving town, 8 miles s. of Eaton, on the Hamilton turnpike, has 2 churches, 3 dry goods stores, 3 flouring and 2 or 3 saw mills, and about 450 inhabitants. West Alexandria, 5 miles E. of E., on the Dayton turnpike, Euphenia, on the national road, 11 NE., Lewisburg, 10 NE., and Winchester, 9 SE., are villages having each more or less churches and stores, and about 50 dwellings. Fair Haven, West- ville, New Florence and Rising Sun are small places.
PUTNAM.
PUTNAM was formed from Old Indian territory, April 1st, 1820 and named from Gen. Israel Putnam, who was born at Salem, Mass. January 7th, 1718, and died at Brooklyn, Conn., May 29th, 1790 The surface is generally level, and much of the land being within the Black Swamp district, is wet, but when cleared and drained, very fertile. The principal productions are corn, wheat, potatoes,
427
PUTNAM COUNTY.
oats and pork. The following is a list of the townships in 1840, with their population.
Blanchard, 670 Monroe, 518
Richland, 387
Greensburgh, 275
Ottawa, 690 Riley,
621
Jennings, 350 Perry, 266 Sugar Creek, 505
Liberty, 125 Pleasant, 325 Union, 400
The population of Putnam, in 1830, was 230, and in 1840, 5132, or 9 inhabitants to a square mile.
A large proportion of the population is from eastern Ohio, and of Pennsylvania extraction. In Ottawa, Greensburgh, Riley and Jennings are many natives of Germany. The site of old Fort Jen- nings is in the southwest part. There were two Indian towns in the county of some note : the upper 'Tawa town was on Blanchard's fork ; two miles below, on the site of the present Ottawa village, was the lower 'Tawa town.
Kalida, the county seat, is on Ottawa river, 114 miles northwest of Columbus. It was laid out in 1834, as the seat of justice, and named from a Greek word, signifying "beautiful." It contains a Methodist church, 4 stores, a newspaper printing office, and 36 dwellings.
In Riley is a settlement of "Aymish or Omish," a sect of the "Memnonites or Harmless Christians." They derive their name from Aymen, their founder, and were originally known as Aymenites. This sect wear long beards, and reject all superfluities in dress, diet and property. They have ever been remarkable for industry, fru- gality, temperance and simplicity. At an early day many of the Omish emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania. When they first came to the country they had neither churches nor grave yards. " A church," said they, "we do not require, for in the depth of the thicket, in the forest, on the water, in the field and in the dwelling, God is always present." Many of their descendants, deviating from the practice of their forefathers, have churches and burial grounds.
The view, " a home in the wilderness," represents a log tavern in the western part of the county, on the road to Charloe. It was built about 30 years since by two men, assisted by a female. It has long been a favorite stopping place for travellers, as many as twenty or thirty having, with their horses, frequently tarried here over night, when journeying through the wilderness. The situation is charm- ing .. It is on the banks of the Auglaize, which flows in a ravine some fifteen or twenty feet below. All around stand massive trees, with foliage luxuriantly developed by the virgin fertility of the soil, while numerous branches lave in the passing waters. We came suddenly upon the place on a pleasant day in June, 1846, and were so much pleased with its primitive simplicity and loveliness, as to stop and make a more familiar acquaintance. We alighted from our faithful " Pomp," turned him loose among the fresh grass, drew our portfolio from our saddle-bags, and while he was rolling amid the clover in full liberty, and the ladies of the house were seated sewing in the open space between the parts of the cabin, fanned by a gentle
428
RICHLAND COUNTY.
breeze, and perhaps listening to the warblings of the birds and mur- murings of the waters,-we took a sketch, as a memorial of a scene we shall never forget, and to present to our readers a view of "a home in the wilderness."
Gilboa, Pendleton, Ottawa, Columbus, Grove, Madeira and Glan- dorff are all small places in this county, the largest of which, Gilboa, contains about 35 dwellings.
RICHLAND.
RICHLAND was organized March 1st, 1813, and named from the character of its soil. About one-half of the county is level, inclining to clay, and adapted to grass. The remainder is rolling, adapted to wheat, and some parts to corn, and well watered. The principal agricultural products are wheat, oats, corn, hay and potatoes ; all of which are raised in great abundance-and rye, hemp, barley, flax- seed, &c. The following is a list of its townships in 1840, with their population : the county was much reduced in 1846, by the creation of Ashland.
Auburn,
1020
Madison,
3206
Sandusky,
1465
Bloomfield,
1294
Mifflin,
1800
Sharon,
1675
Blooming Grove, 1495
Milton,
1861
Springfield,
1685
Clear Creek,
1653
Monroe,
1627
Troy,
1939
Congress,
1248
Montgomery,
2445
Vermilion,
2402
Franklin,
1668
Orange,
1840
Vernon,
1040
Green,
2007
Perry,
1852
Washington,
1915
Hanover,
1485
Plymouth,
1934
Worthington, 1942
Jefferson,
2325
The population of Richland, in 1820, was 9168; in 1830, 24,007; and in 1840, 44,823, or 49 inhabitants to the square mile.
A large proportion of the early settlers of Richland emigrated from Pennsylvania, many of whom were of German origin. It was first settled, about the year 1809, on branches of the Mohiccan. The names of the first settlers, as far as recollected, are, Henry M'Cart, Andrew Craig, James Cunningham, Abm. Baughman, Henry Nail, Samuel Lewis, Peter Kinney, Calvin Hill, John Murphy, Thomas Coulter, Melzer Tannehill, Isaac Martin, Ste- phen Van Schoick, Archibald Gardner and James M'Clure,
In September, 1812, shortly after the breaking out of the late war with Great Britain, two block-houses were built in Mansfield. One stood about six rods west of the site of the court house, and the other a rod or two north. The first was built by a company commanded by Capt. Shaeffer, from Fairfield county, and the other by the company of Col. Chas. Williams, of Coshocton, A garrison was stationed at the place, until after the battle of the Thames.
At the commencement of hostilities, there was a settlement of friendly Indians, of the Delaware tribe, at a place called Greentown, about 12 miles southeast of Mansfield, within the present township of Green. It was a village consisting of some 60 cabins, with a coun- cil-house about 60 feet long, 25 wide, one story in height, and built of posts and clapboarded. The village contained several hundred persons. As a measure of safety, they were col- lected, in August, 1812, and sent to some place in the western part of the state, under pro- tection of the government. They were first brought to Mansfield, and placed under guard, near where the tan-yard now is, on the run. While there, a young Indian and squaw came up to the block-house, with a request to the chaplain, Rev. James Smith of Mount Vernon, to marry them after the manner of the whites. In the absence of the guard, who had come up to witness the ceremony, an old Indian and his daughter, aged about 12 years, who
429
RICHLAND COUNTY.
were from Indiana, took advantage of the circumstance and escaped. Two spies from Coshocton, named Morrison and M'Culloch, met them near the run, about a mile north- west of Mansfield, on what is now the farm of E. P. Sturges. As the commanding offi- cer, Col. Kratzer, had given orders to shoot all Indians found out of the bounds of the place, under an impression that all such must be hostile, Morrison, on discovering them, shot the father through the breast. He fell mortally wounded, then springing up, ran about 200 yards, and fell to rise no more. The girl escaped. The men returned and gave the infor- mation. A party of 12 men were ordered out, half of whom were under Serjeant John C. Gilkison, now of Mansfield. The men flanked on each side of the run. As Gilkison came up, he found the fallen Indian on the north side of the run, and at every breath he drew, blood flowed through the bullet hole in his chest. Morrison next came up, and called to M'Culloch to come and take revenge. Gilkison then asked the Indian who he was: he re- plied, " a friend." M'Culloch, who by this time had joined them, exclaimed as he drew his tomahawk, " d-n you! I'll make a friend of you!" and aimed a blow at his head ; but it glanced, and was not mortal. At this he placed one foot on the neck of the pros- trate Indian, and drawing out his tomahawk, with another blow buried it in his brains. The poor fellow gave one quiver, and then all was over.
Gilkison had in vain endeavored to prevent this inhuman deed, and now requested M'Cul- loch to bury the Indian. " D-n him! no!" was the answer; " they killed two or three brothers of mine, and never buried them." The second day following, the Indian was buried, but it was so slightly done that his ribs were seen projecting above ground for two or three years after.
This M'Culloch continued an Indian fighter until his death. He made it a rule to kill every Indian he met, whether friend or foe. Mr. Gilkison saw him some time after, on his way to Sandusky, dressed as an Indian. To his question, " where are you going ?" he re- plied, " to get more revenge !"
There was living at this time, on the Black Fork of the Mohiccan, about half a mile west of where Petersburgh now is, a Mr. Martin Ruffner. Having removed his family for safety, no person was with him in his cabin, excepting a bound boy. About two miles southeast stood the cabin of the Seymours. This family consisted of the parents -- both very old peo- ple-a maiden daughter Catharine, and her brother Philip, who was a bachelor.
One evening Mr. Ruffner sent out the lad to the creek bottom, to bring home the cows, when he discovered four Indians and ran. They called to him, saying that they would not harm him, but wished to speak to him. Having ascertained from him that the Seymours were at home, they left, and he hurried back and told Ruffner of the circumstance ; upon which he took down his rifle and started for Seymour's. He arrived there, and was advising young Seymour to go to the cabin of a Mr. Copus, and get old Mr. Copus and his son to come up and help take the Indians prisoners, when the latter were seen approaching. Upon this young Seymour passed out of the back door and hurried to Copus's, while the In- dians entered the front door, with their rifles in hand.
The Seymours received them with an apparent cordiality, and the daughter spread the table for them. The Indians, however, did not appear to be inclined to eat, but soon arose and commenced the attack. Ruffner, who was a powerful man, made a desperate resist- ance. He clubbed his rifle, and broke the stock to pieces ; but he fell before superior num- bers, and was afterwards found dead and scalped in the yard, with two rifle balls through him, and several fingers cut off by a tomahawk. The old people and daughter were found tomahawked and scalped in the house.
In an hour or so after dark, young Seymour returned with Mr. Copus and son, making their way through the woods by the light of a hickory bark torch. Approaching the cabin, they found all dark and silent within. Young Seymour attempted to open the door, when it flew back. Reaching forward, he touched the corpse of the old man, and exclaimed in tones of anguish, " here is the blood of my poor father!" Before they reached the place, they heard the Indians whistling on their powder chargers, upon which they put out the light and were not molested .*
These murders, supposed to have been committed by some of the Greentown Indians, spread terror among the settlers, who immediately fortified their cabins and erected several block-houses. Among the block-houses erected was Nail's on the Clear fork of the Mo- hiccan ; Beems's on the Rocky fork ; one on the site of Ganges, and a picketed house on the Black fork, owned by Thomas Coulter.
Shortly after this, a party of 12 or 14 militia from Guernsey county, who were out on a scout, without any authority burnt the Indian village of Greentown, at this time deserted.
* From Mr. Henry Nail.
a
-
430
RICHLAND COUNTY.
At night they stopped at the cabin of Mr. Copus, on the Black fork, about 9 miles from Mansfield. The next morning, as four of them were at a spring washing, a few rods from the cabin, they were fired upon by a party of Indians in ambush. They all ran for the house, except Warnock, who retreated in another direction, and was afterwards found dead in the woods, about half a mile distant. His body was resting against a tree, with his handker- chief stuffed in the wound in his bowels. Two of the others, George Shipley and John Tedrick, were killed and scalped between the spring and the house. The fourth man, Robert ! Dye, in passing between the shed and cabin, suddenly met a warrior with his uplifted toma- hawk. He dodged and escaped into the house, carrying with him a bullet in his thigh.
Mr. Copus at the first alarm had opened the door, and was mortally wounded by a rifle ball in his breast. He was laid on the bed, and the Indians shortly attacked the cabin. " Fight and save my family," exclaimed he, " for I am a dead man." The attack was fiercely made, and several balls came through the door, upon which they pulled up the pun- cheons from the floor and placed against it. Mrs. Copus and her daughter went up into the loft for safety, and the last was slightly wounded in the thigh, from a ball fired from a neighboring hill. One of the soldiers, George Launtz, was in the act of removing a chunk of wood to fire through, when a ball entered the hole and broke his arm. After this, he watched and saw an Indian put his head from behind a stump. He fired, and the fellow's brains were scattered over it. After about an hour, the Indians having suffered severe loss, retreated .* Had they first attacked the house, it is probable an easy victory would have been gained by them.
Mr. Levi Jones was shot by some Greentown Indians in the northern part of Mansfield, in the succeeding autumn, somewhere near the site of Riley's mill. He kept a store in Mansfield, and when the Greentown Indians left, refused to give up some rifles they had left as security for debt. He was waylaid, and shot and scalped. The report of the rifles being heard in town, a party went out and found his body much mutilated, and buried him in the old grave yard.
After the war, some of the Greentown Indians returned to the county to hunt, but their town having been destroyed, they had no fixed residence. Two of them, young men by the names of Seneca John and Quilipetoxe, came to Mansfield one noon, had a frolic in Williams's tavern, on the site of the North American Hotel, and quarreled with some whites. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon they left, partially intoxicated. The others, five in num- ber, went in pursuit, vowing revenge. They overtook them about a mile east of town, shot them down, and buried them at the foot of a large maple on the edge of the swamp, by thrusting their bodies down deep in the mud. The skeletons remain to this day. The place is known as "Spook Hollow."
Mansfield, the county seat, is 68 miles northerly from Columbus, 25 from Mount Vernon, and about 45 from Sandusky City. Its situ- ation is beautiful, upon a commanding elevation, overlooking a country handsomely disposed in hills and valleys. The streets are narrow, and the town is compactly built, giving it a city-like appear- ance. The completion of the railroad through here to Sandusky City has added much to its business facilities, and it is now thriving and increasing rapidly.
It was laid out in 1808, by James Hedges, Jacob Newman and Joseph H. Larwill. The last named gentleman pitched his tent on the rise of ground above the Big Spring, and opened the first sale of lots, on the 8th of October. The country all around was then a wil- derness, with no roads through it. The first purchasers came in from the counties of Knox, Columbiana, Stark, &c. Among the first settlers were George Coffinberry, William Winship, Rollin Wel-
* We have three different accounts of this affair : one from Wyatt Hutchinson, of Guern- sey, then a lieutenant in the Guernsey militfa ; one from Henry Nail, who was with some of the wounded men the night following ; and the last from a gentleman living in Mansfield at the time. Each differs in some essential particulars. Much experience has taught us that it is almost impossible to get perfectly accurate verbal narrations of events that have . taken place years since, and which live only in memory.
431
RICHLAND COUNTY.
don, J. C. Gilkison, John Wallace and Joseph Middleton. In 1817, about 20 dwellings were in the place-all cabins, except the frame tavern of Samuel Williams, which stood on the site of the North American, and is now the private residence of Joseph Hildreth, Esq. The only store at that time was that of E. P. Sturges, a small frame which stood on the northwest corner of the public square, on the spot where the annexed view was taken. The Methodists erected the first church.
Public Square, Mansfield.
Mansfield contains 1 Baptist, 1 Union, 1 Seceder, 1 Disciples', 1 Methodist, 1 Presbyterian and 1 Congregational church-the last of which is one of the most substantial and elegant churches in Ohio- two newspaper printing offices, two hardware, 1 book and 20 dry goods stores, and had, in 1840, 1328 inhabitants, and in 1846, 2330, since which it has much increased.
Mansfield derived its name from Col. JARED MANSFIELD, who was born in New Haven Conn., about the year 1759. He graduated at Yale College in 1777, taught school first at New Haven, and afterwards at Philadelphia. Becoming known to Mr. Jefferson, he received the appointment of Professor of Natural Philosophy at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. The publication of his Mathematical and Physical Essays about this time enhanced his reputation, and he took a high stand among the scientific men of the nation. About the year 1803, he was appointed by President Jefferson, Surveyor General of the United States for the Northwestern Territories, an office before held by Gen. Rufus Putnam. While in this office, he introduced many improvements in the mode of effecting surveys by rectangu- lar co-ordinates, which have been since followed and received the sanction of law. Col. Mansfield subsequently resumed the Professorship of Natural Philosophy at the Military Academy, where he continued until a few years previous to his death, when he retired to Cincinnati, and subsequently died while on a visit to his native city, Feb. 3d, 1830, aged 71 years.
Col. Mansfield was distinguished for extraordinary mathematical genius and rare attain- ments. He was a man of unexceptionable moral character, generous and sincere.
At an early day, there was a very eccentric character who fre- quently was in this region, well remembered by the early settlers. His name was Jonathan Chapman, but he was usually known as
1
432
RICHLAND COUNTY.
Johnny Appleseed. He was originally, it is supposed, from New England.
He had imbibed a remarkable passion for the rearing and cultivation of apple trees from the seed. He first made his appearance in western Pennsylvania, and from thence made his way into Ohio, keeping on the outskirts of the settlements, and following his favorite pursuit. He was accustomed to clear spots in the loamy lands on the banks of the streams, plant his seeds, enclose the ground, and then leave the place until the trees had in a measure grown. When the settlers began to flock in and open their " clearings," Johnny was ready for them with his young trees, which he either gave away or sold for some trifle, as an old coat, or any article of which he could make use. Thus he proceeded for many years, until the whole country was in a measure settled and supplied with apple trees, deriving self-satisfac- tion amounting to almost delight, in the indulgence of his engrossing passion. About 20 years since he removed to the far west, there to enact over again the same career of hum- ble usefulness.
His personal appearance was as singular as his character. He was a small " chunked " man, quick and restless in his motions and conversation ; his beard and hair were long and dark, and his eye black and sparkling. He lived the roughest life, and often slept in the. woods. His clothing was mostly old, being generally given to him in exchange for apple trees. He went bare-footed, and often travelled miles through the snow in that way. In doctrine he was a follower of Swedenbourg, leading a moral, blameless life, likening himself to the primitive Christians, literally taking no thought for the morrow. Wherever he went he circulated Swedenborgian works, and if short of them, would tear a book in two and give each part to different persons. He was careful not to injure any animal, and thought hunting morally wrong. He was welcome every where among the settlers, and treated with great kindness even by the Indians. We give a few anecdotes, illustrative of his character and eccentricities.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.