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 76
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One morning a singular incident occurred. In the store was William Smith, Hugh Moore, Jesse Richards, J. H. Larwill and five or six Indians. Switzer was in the act of weighing out some pow- der from an eighteen pound keg, while the Indians were quietly smoking their pipes filled with a mixture of tobacco, sumach leaves and kinnickinnick, or yellow willow bark, when a puff of wind coming in at the window, blew a spark from one of their pipes into the powder. A terrific explosion ensued. The roof of the building was blown into four parts, and carried some distance-the sides fell out, the joists came to the floor-and the floor and chimney alone were left of the structure. Switzer died in a few minutes-Smith was blown through the partition into the mill, and badly injured. Richards and the Indians were also hurt, and all somewhat burned. Larwill, who happened to be standing against the chimney, escaped with very little harm, except having, like the rest, his face well blackened, and being knocked down by the shock.
The Indians, fearful that they might be accused of doing it inten- tionally, some days after called a council of citizens for an investi- gation, which was held on the bottom, on Christmas run, west of the town.
In the war of 1812, a block-house was erected in Wooster, on the site of Col. John Sloan's residence. It was built by Captain George Stidger, of Canton, and was intended more particularly for a com- pany he had here and other troops who might be passing through the country.
The following is a list of small villages in the county, with their distances and directions from Wooster, the largest of which may contain 350 inhabitants. Congress 11, and New Pittsburg 9 NW. ; Jefferson 4, and Reedsburg, 8 w .; Blachneyville, 8 NSW. ; Millbrook, 6 sw. ; Moreland, 6 s. ; Edinburgh 6, and Mt. Eaton, 14 SE .; Moscow 10, and Dalton, 13 E .; Smithville 6, Bristol 13, Chip- pewa 15, and Doyleston, 17 NE.
WILLIAMS.
WILLIAMS was formed from old Indian territory, April 1st, 1820, and organized in April, 1824. It was named from David Williams, a native of Tarrytown, N. Y., and one of the three captors of Maj. Andre, in the war of the revolution. The surface is slightly rolling or level. In the west are oak openings with a light sandy soil. In
66
et of y- 1 k d y =
522
WOOD COUNTY.
the north is a rich black soil. The principal crops are corn, pota- toes, oats and wheat. The following is a list of its townships in 1840, with their population.
Brady, 351
Florence, 119
Springfield, 359
Bridewater, 110
Hicksville,
67
St. Joseph, 191
Ca
Centre, 339
Jefferson, 363
Superior, 166
Defiance, 944
Milford,
175
Tiffin, 222
Delaware,
201
Mill Creek, 110
Farmer, 281
Pulaski,
279
Washington,
98
G
The population of Williams in 1830, was 1039, and in 1840, 4464, or 6 inhabitants to the square mile. This county was much. reduced in 1845, by the formation of Defiance, to which the town- ships of Defiance, Delaware, Farmer, Hicksville, Milford, Tiffin and Washington, now belong.
This county is now settling fast. The population are principally from Ohio, New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Germany. Previous to 1835, there were but few families within its present limits.
Bryan, the county seat, is 173 miles Nw. of Columbus and 18 from Defiance. It was laid out in 1840, and named from Hon. John A. Bryan, formerly auditor of the state, and later charge de affairs to Peru. It is a small village, containing perhaps 40 or 50 dwellings.
WOOD.
Woon was formed from old Indian territory, April 1st, 1820, and named from the brave and chivalrous Col. Wood, a distinguished officer of engineers in the war of 1812. The surface is level, and covered by the black swamp, the soil of which is a rich, black loam, and very fertile, and peculiarly well adapted to grazing. The popu- lation are mainly of New England descent, with some Germans The principal crops are corn, hay, potatoes, oats and wheat. The following is a list of the townships in 1840, with their population.
Bloom, 437 Liberty,
215
Perrysburg, 1041
Centre, 97 Middleton,
193 Plain, 272
Freedom, 238 Milton and Weston, 539 Portage, 199
Henry, 213 Montgomery,
609 Troy, 383
Jackson, 26
Perry,
559 Washington, 244
The population of Wood in 1830, was 1096, and in 1840, 5458, or 10 inhabitants to the square mile.
This county lies within the Maumee valley, a country as yet new and thinly settled, but destined to be one of the most highly cul- tivated and densely populated in the west. We annex a sketch of its early history, in a communication from Hezekiah L. Hosmer, Esq., of Perrysburg.
The military expeditions against the Indian tribes in the west, commenced under the colonial governments about the middle of the last century, were finally terminated on this
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WOOD COUNTY.
river, by the decisive victory of Gen. Wayne, in 1794. Previous to that event, no portion of the west was more beloved by the Indians than the valleys of the Maumee and its trib- utaries. In the daily journal of Wayne's campaign, kept by George Will, under date of August 6th, 1794, when the army was encamped 56 miles in advance of Fort Recovery, the writer says: " We are within 6 miles of the Auglaize river, and I expect to eat green corn to-morrow." On the 8th of the same month, after the arrival of the army at the Camp Grand Auglaize, (the site of Fort Defiance,) he continues: " We have marched 4 or 5 miles in corn-fields down the Auglaize, and there is not less than 1000 acres of corn around the town." This journal, kept from that time until the return of the army to Fort Greenville, is full of descriptions of the immense corn-fields, large vegetable patches, and old apple trees, found along the banks of the Maumee, from its mouth to Fort Wayne. It discloses the astonishing fact, that for a period of eight days while building Fort Defiance, the army obtained their bread and vegetables from the corn-fields and potatoe patches sur- rounding the fort. In their march from Fort Defiance to the foot of the rapids, the army passed through a number of Indian towns, composed of huts, constructed of bark and skins-which afforded evidence that the people who had once inhabited them were com- posed, not only of Indians, but of Canadian French and renegade Englishmen.
What the condition of the valley was for some years after Wayne's campaign, may be gathered from the following extracts from one of Judge Burnet's letters, published by the Ohio Historical society. After assigning some reasons for the downfall of the Indians, he says: " My yearly trips to Detroit, from 1796 to 1802, made it necessary to pass through some of their towns, and convenient to visit many of them. Of course, I had frequent op- portunities of seeing thousands of them, in their villages and at their hunting camps, and of forming a personal acquaintance with some of their distinguished chiefs. I have eat and slept in their towns, and partaken of their hospitality, which had no limit but that of their contracted means. In journeying more recently through the state, in discharging my judi- cial duties, I sometimes passed over the ground, on which I had seen towns filled with happy families of that devoted race, without perceiving the smallest trace of what had once been there. All their ancient settlements, on the route to Fort Defiance, and from thence to the foot of the rapids, had been broken up and deserted. The battle-ground of Gen. Wayne, which I had often seen in the rude state, in which it was when the decisive action of 1794 was fought, was so altered and changed that I could not recognize it, and not an indication remained of the very extensive Indian settlements which I had formerly seen there. It seemed almost impossible that in so short a period, such an astonishing change could have taken place." These extracts prove, that even after the battle of Presque Isle, althoughi crushed and humbled, the Indian refused to be divorced from the favorite home and numerous graves of his race. A chain of causes which followed this battle, finally wrested from him the last foothold of his soil. These may be said to have com- menced with the treaty of Greenville, made on the 3d of August, 1795, with the Wyan- dots, Ottawas, and other tribes, located in this region. By this treaty, among various other cessions of territory, a tract of land 12 miles square at the foot of the rapids, and one of 6 miles square at the mouth of the river, were given to the United States. This treaty was followed by the establishment of the boundaries of the county of Wayne, which included a part of the states of Ohio, Indiana, and the whole of Michigan.
Notwithstanding this actual declaration of ownership by the government, few only of the whites of the country, were willing to penetrate and reside in this yet unforsaken abode of the Indian. Col. John Anderson was the first white trader of any notoriety on the Maumee. He settled at Fort Miami as early as 1800. Peter Manor, a Frenchman, was here previous to that time, and was adopted by the chief Fontogany, by the name of Sawendebans, or " the Yellow Hair !" Manor, however, did not come here to reside until 1808. Indeed, I can not learn the names of any of the settlers prior to 1810, except the two above mentioned. We may mention among those who came during the year 1810, Maj. Amos Spafford, An- drew Race, Thomas Leaming, Halsey W. Leaming, James Carlin, Wm. Carter, George Blalock, James Slason, Samuel H. Ewing, Jesse Skinner, David Hull, Thomas Dick, Wm. Peters, Ambrose Hickox, Richard Gifford. All these individuals were settled within a circumference of 10 miles, embracing the ampitheatre at the foot of the rapids, as early as 1810. Maj. Amos Spafford came here to perform the duties of collector of the port of Miami. He was also appointed deputy post-master. A copy of his return to the gov- ernment as collector, for the first quarter of his service, ending on the 30th June, 1810, shows the aggregate amount of exports to have been $5640,85. This was, for skins and furs, $5610,85, and for 20 gallons of bear's oil, $30.
When war broke out in 1812, there were 67 families residing at the foot of the rapids. Manor-or Minard, the Frenchman above alluded to-states that the first intimation that
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ota- sin
524
WOOD COUNTY.
the settlers had of Hull's surrender at Detroit, manifested itself by the appearance of a party of British and Indians at the foot of the rapids, a few days after it took place. The" Indians plundered the settlers on both sides of the river, and departed for Detroit in canoes. Three of their number remained, with the intention of going into the interior of the state. One of these was a Delaware chief by the name of Sac-a-manc. Manor won his con -. fidence, under the pretence of friendship for the British, and was by him informed, that in a few days a grand assemblage of all the northwestern tribes was contemplated at Fort Malden, and that in about two days after that assemblage, a large number of British and Indians would be at the foot of the rapids, on their march to relieve Fort Wayne, then under investment by the American army, as was supposed. He also informed him, that t when they came again, they would massacre all the Yankees found in the valley, Sac-a -. manc left for the interior of the state, after remaining a day at the foot of the rapids. The day after his departure, Minard called upon Maj. Spafford, and warned him of the hostile intentions of the Indians, as he had received them from Sac-a-manc. The major placed ! no confidence in them, and expressed a determination to remain, until our army from the ' interior should reach this frontier. A few days after this conversation, a man by the name of Gordon was seen approaching the residence of Maj. Spafford in great haste. This individ- ual had been reared among the Indians ; but had previous to this time received some fa- vors of a trifling character from Maj. Spafford. The major met him in his corn-field, and was informed that a party of about 50 Pottawatomies on their way to Malden had taken this route, and in less than two hours would be at the foot of the rapids. He also urged the major to make good his escape immediately. Most of the families at the foot of the rapids had left the valley after receiving intelligence of Hull's surrender. The major assem- bled those that were left on the bank of the river, where they put in tolerable sailing con- dition an old barge, in which some officers had descended the river from Fort Wayne, the previous year. They had barely time to get such of their effects as were portable on board, and row down into the bend below the town, before they heard the shouts of the Indians above. Finding no Americans here, the Indians passed on to Malden. The major and his companions sailed in their crazy vessel down the lake, to the Quaker settlement at Milan, on Huron river, where they remained until the close of the war. Sac-a-nianc, on his re- turn from the interior of the state, a few days after the event, showed Manor the scalps of three persons that he had killed during his absence, on Owl creek, near Mount Vernon. At the time mentioned by him, a detachment of the British army, under command of Colonel Elliott, accompanied by about 500 Indians, came to the foot of the rapids. They were anxious to obtain guides. Manor feigned lameness and ignorance of the country, above the head of the rapids, a distance of 18 miles up the river. By this means, he escaped being pressed into their service above that point. He accompanied them that far with his cart and poney, and was then permitted to return. On his return he met Col. Elliott, the commander of the detachment, at the foot of Presque Isle Hill, who stopped him, and after learning the services he had performed, permitted him, with a curse, to go on. A mile be- low him, he met a party of about 40 Pottawotamies, who also desired to know where he was going. Manor escaped being compelled to return, by telling them he was returning to the foot of the rapids, after forage for the army. The British and Indians pursued their march up the river, until they saw the American flag waving over Winchester's encamp- ment at Defiance, when they returned in double quick time to Canada. On their return, they burned the dwellings, stole the horses and destroyed the corn-fields of the settlers at the foot of the rapids. ៛
Manor, soon after his arrival at the foot of the rapids, went down the river to the British fleet, then lying at the mouth of Swan creek, under command of Capt. Mills. Here he reported himself, told what he had done for the army, and desired leave to go to his family at the mouth of the river. Capt. Mills, having no evidence of his loyalty beyond his own word, put him under hatches as a prisoner of war. Through the aid of his friend, Beau- grand, Minard was released in a few days, joined his family, and was afterwards a scout for our army during the remainder of the war. He is now living at the head of the rapids, on a reservation of land granted him by the government, at the request of his Indian father, Ton-tog-sa-ny.
After peace was declared, most of the settlers that had lived here previous to the war, returned to their old possessions. They were partly indemnified by government for their losses. Many of them lived in the block-houses on Fort Meigs, and one or two of the citi- zens of our town were born in one of them. The settlement of the valley was at first slow, but the foot of the rapids and vicinity was settled long before any of the rest. In 1816, government sent an agent to lay out a town, at the point best calculated for com- mercial purposes. That agent sounded the river from its mouth, and fixed upon Perrys-
af
M
525
WOOD COUNTY
burg. The town was laid out that year, and named after Com. Perry, by Hon. Josiah Meigs, then comptroller of the treasury. This county was then embraced in the county limits of Logan county-Bellefontaine, being the county seat. When the limits of Wood county were first determined, there was a great struggle between these three towns at the foot rapids-Orleans, Maumee and Perrysburg, for the county seat. The decision in favor of Perrysburg was the cause of the abandonment of the little town of Orleans, which soon after fell into decay.
The last remnant of the powerful Ottawa tribe of Indians removed from this valley west of the Mississippi in 1838. They numbered some interesting men among them. There was Nawash, Ockquenoxy, Charloe, Ottoca, Petonquet, men of eloquence, remembered by many of our citizens. Their burying-grounds and village-sites, are scattered along both banks of the river, from its mouth to Fort Defiance.
This part of the Maumee valley has been noted for military opera- tions. Wayne's victory over the Indians, (see page 318,) Aug. 20th, 1794, was gained within its borders. It was also the theatre of some important operations in the war of 1812.
About the middle of June, 1812, the army of Hull left Urbana, and passed through the present counties of Logan, Hardin, Hancock and Wood, into Michigan. They cut a road through the forest, and erected Forts M'Arthur and Findlay on the route, and arrived at the Maumee on the 30th of June, which they crossed at or near the foot of the rapids. Hull surrendered at Detroit on the 16th of the August following.
In the same summer, Gen. Edward W. Tupper, of Gallia county, raised about 1000 men for six months' duty, mainly from Gallia, Lawrence and Jackson counties, who, under the orders of Gen. Winchester, marched from Urbana north by the route of Hull, and reached the foot of the Maumee rapids. The Indians appearing in force on the opposite bank, Tup- per endeavored to cross the river with his troops in the night ; but the rapidity of the current, and the feeble, half-starved condition of his men and horses were such, that the attempt failed. The enemy soon after collected a superior force, and attacked Tupper in his camp, but were driven off with considerable loss. They returned to Detroit, and the Americans marched back to Fort M'Arthur.
On the 10th of January, 1813, Gen. Winchester, whose troops had been stationed at Forts Wayne and Defiance, arrived at the rapids, having marched from the latter along the north bank of the Maumee. There they encamped until the 17th, when Winchester resumed his march north, and was defeated with great loss on the 22d, on the River Raisin, near the site of Monroe, Michigan.
On receiving information of Winchester's defeat, Gen. Harrison sent Dr. M'Keehan from Portage river with medicines and money to Malden, for the relief of the wounded and the prisoners. He was accompanied by a Frenchman and a militia man, and was furnished with a letter from Harrison, addressed to any British officer whom he might meet, describ- ing his errand. The night after they left, they halted at the Maumee rapids to take a few hours sleep, in a vacant cabin upon the north bank of the river, about 50 rods north of the present bridge. The cariole in which they travelled was left at the door, with a flag of truce set up in it. They were discovered in the night by a party of Indians, accompanied, it is said, by a British officer; one of the men was killed, and the others taken to Malden, where the doctor was thrown into prison by Proctor and loaded with irons.
After the defeat of Winchester, Gen. Harrison, about the 1st of Feb., established his ad- vanced post at the foot of the rapids. He ordered Capt. WooD, of the engineer corps, to fortify the position, as it was his intention to make this point his grand depot. The fort erected was afterwards named MEIGS, in honor of Governor Meigs.
Harrison ordered all the troops in the rear to join him immediately. He was in hopes, by the middle of February, to advance upon Malden, and strike a blow that should, in some measure, retrieve the misfortunes that had befallen the American arms in this quarter.
On the 9th of February, intelligence was brought of the encampment of about 600 In- dians, about 20 miles down, near the Bay shore. Harrison had with him at this time about 2000 men at the post. The same night, or that following, 600 men left the fort under Harrison, and marched down the river on the ice about 20 miles, when they discovered some fires on the north side of the river, which proved to have been that of the Indians who had fled the day before. Here the detachment, which had been joined by 500 men more from the post, waited a few minutes, without having time to warm themselves, it being in- tensely cold, when the object of the expedition was made known. This was to march after the Indians ; and all those unable by fatigue to continue, were ordered to follow the next day. On resuming the line o march, the army had proceeded only about two miles when
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na ort nd en at he ile ed he of
526
WOOD COUNTY.
their only cannon, with the horses attached, broke through the ice. This was about two hours before morning, and the moon unfortunately was nearly down. In endeavoring to extricate the horses, Lieut. Joseph H. Larwill, who had charge of the piece, with two of his men, broke through the ice and narrowly escaped drowning. The army thereupon halted, and a company ordered to assist in recovering the cannon, which was not accom- plished until daybreak. Some of the men gave out from being wet, cold and fatigued ; but the lieut., with the remainder, proceeded with the cannon after the main army, which they overtook shortly after sunrise, on an island near the mouth of the bay. The spies were then arriving with the intelligence that the Indians had left the river Raisin for Malden. Upon t this the troops, having exhausted their provisions, returned, arriving at Fort Meigs just ass the evening gun had been fired, having performed a march of 45 miles on the ice in less than 24 hours .*
A few days after this, about 250 men volunteered to go on an enterprize of the most des- perate nature. On Friday, the 26th, the volunteer corps destined for this duty were ad- dressed on parade by Gen. Harrison, who informed them, that when they had got a suffi- cient distance from the fort, they were to be informed of the errand they were upon, and that all who then wished could return, but not afterwards. He represented the undertaking as in a high degree one of peril and privation; but he promised that those who deported themselves in a gallant and soldierlike manner should be rewarded, and their names for- warded to the general government.
The corps took up their line of march and concentrated at what is now Lower Sandusky, where was then a block-house, on the site of Fort Stephenson, at that time garrisoned by two companies of militia.
The force which was under the command of Capt. Langham, consisted of 68 regulars, 120 Virginia and Pennsylvania militia, 32 men under Lieut. Madiss, and 22 Indians, making, with their officers, 242 men ; besides these, were 24 drivers of sleds and several pilots.
On the morning of the 2d of March, they left the block-house, with six days' provisions, and had proceeded about half a mile when Capt. Langham ordered a halt. He addressed the soldiers and informed them of the object of the expedition, which was to move down to Lake Erie and cross over the ice to Malden, and, in the darkness of night, to destroy with combustibles the British fleet and the public stores on the bank of the river. This being done, the men were to retreat in their sleighs to the point of the Maumee bay, when their re- treat was to be covered by a large force under Harrison. At this time, independent of the garrison at Malden, in that vicinity was a large body of Indians, and it required a combi- nation of circumstances to render the enterprize successful. Capt. Langham gave liberty for all who judged it to be too hazardous, to withdraw. About 20 of the militia and 6 or 7 of the Indians availed themselves of the liberty. The rest moved down the river in sleighs, and took the land on the west side of the bay, passing through and across the peninsula, and crossed at the bay of Portage river, and soon came in view of the lake and its embosoming islands. Some of the men walking out on the ice of the lake, were alarmed by what was judged to be a body of mnen moving towards them. It was subsequently discovered to be the rays of the sun, reflecting on ice thrown up in ridges.
The party encamped near the lake, and being without any tents, were thoroughly wet by the snow and rain. After the guards were stationed, and all had retired to rest, the report of a musket was heard, and every man sprang to his post, ready for action. It proved to have been a false alarm-an accidental discharge through the carelessness of one of the men. Capt. Langham was almost determined to have the soldier shot for his carelessness, as it now had become particularly necessary for the utmost precaution ; but motives of humanity prevailed, and he was suffered to go unpunished.
On the next morning, March 3d, they proceeded on the ice to Middle Bass island, some 17 miles from their encampment. Just before they left the lake shore, an ensign and 13 of the militia, one of the Indian chiefs and several of the Indians, deserted them. During their progress to the island, the weather was stormy, wind blowing and snowing, and in places it was quite slippery. They arrived at the northwest side of the island early in the afternoon, when the weather moderated.
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