Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 151

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006

USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I > Part 151

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).

Among the present citizens of Norwalk is

947

HURON COUNTY.

JOHN GARDINER, who has the distinction of being the oldest banker in Northwest Ohio. lle was born in New London county, Conn., September 15, 1816. In 1834 he entered as a clerk in the Bank of Norwalk, which was then the only bank in Northwestern Ohio, and its business embraced what is now all of twenty counties, extending as far south as Mount Vernon and Bucyrus. He has largely been identified with the railroads of this region, and other great publie interests of a developing nature ; has lately ereeted a beauti-

ful business block in Norwalk. GIDEON T. STEWART, a lawyer here, born in Fulton county, N. Y., in 1824, has long been identi- fied with journalism and the temperance re- form ; has been thrice the Prohibition eandi- date for Governor of Ohio. Throughout the war period he owned and edited the Dubuque Daily Times, then the only union daily in the north half of Wisconsin ; later was half owner of the Daily Blade and Daily Commercial of Toledo.

TRAVELLING NOTES.

Mr. C. E. Newman, the librarian of the Firelands Historical Society, an old gentleman, showed me in Norwalk, among the society's possessions, a tin horn which was used, he told me, to summon the people up to church and court ; and as he stated by Mr. Ammi Keeler. He was sexton of the Episcopal church, the first church organized, and which was in the old white court-house, and being also deputy-sheriff he brought it into the service of the law as well as religion. The old white conrt-house was removed about 1835, and now forms part of the Maple City hotel.

Edmonson, Photo. A HISTORIC HORN.

A few months after Mr. Newman had shown me this horn, which I had photo- graphed, I was in Mansfield, and called in one evening upon Rev. Dr. Sherlock A. Bronson, at one time President of Gambier. He was then about eighty years old, the venerable rector of the Episcopal church, who had come from Waterbury, Conn., in 1807 ; age then six months, of course recollections of the journey not vivid.

While showing him my various pictures taken for this work, I brought out this one, saying, "This is a photograph of a tin horn used sixty years ago, in the town of Norwalk, to blow the people up to church and to court." "Yes," he rejoined, and to my great surprise added, "I know it, for I am the man that bought and first blew that horn." He then gave me its history. "In 1827," he said, " I attended an Episcopal Convention at Mt. Vernon, and on my way to Norwalk passed through this town, Mansfield, and here bought this horn. From 1827 to 1829 I was assistant teacher to my cousin in the famous Norwalk Academy. The Episcopal society met in the court-house, where I sometimes read service, and it was my wont to go out upon the court-house steps and blow the horn." I had supposed we were alone in our interview, but as he concluded I was again surprised-surprised to hear from a dark part of the double-room a female voice utter, "I want to see that horn." Thereupon he left me, taking the photograph, but I never saw or knew who it was that had wanted to see that horn. And with so much, I close my story of a horn that was not attached to a dilemma.

The next day I saw in Mansfield another venerable gentleman, Mr. Hiram R. Smith, who sixty years ago was a resident of Sandnsky, and he gave me another item to add to this blast. "At the starting of Sandusky," said he, "the Sanduskyans were called to church by a horn. It was on a Sunday morning of those times that Bishop Philander Chase, the founder of Kenyon, landed at San- dusky with two Chinese youths he had brought from the East to Ohio for educa-

948

HURON COUNTY.

tion. As the trio stepped ashore the horn rang out on the clear morning air, whereupon one of the lads inquired its meaning. "That," replied the bishop, "is to summon the people to church." "Hoo," rejoined the lad : "New York, Sunday, ring bell for church-Buffalo, Sunday, ring bell for church-Sandusky, Sunday, blow horn."

The people of Norwalk have a natural pride in the fact that General M'Pher- son was once a student at their old academy. Mr. Newman told me he boarded with him, and he was a very studious, gentlemanly youth, with the highest repu- tation for capacity. He narrowly escaped failing to get into the Military Acad- emy. He had applied for and was expecting the appointment when Rudolphus Dickerson, the member of Congress through whom it was to come, suddenly sickened and died. M'Pherson was then in an agony of suspense. No one could give him any information whether the cadet warraut for admission into the academy had been granted. He was already twenty years of age; if delayed a year he would be twenty-one, and too old for admission. At the last moment by bare accident the warrant was found among Dickerson's papers. As it was, he had to hurry and narrowly escaped getting there in time for examination.

Norwalk owes its chief attraction to Main street, its principal avenue. It is built upon for about two miles. The centre being the business part, with the court-house, school buildings and churches; the ends for residences, and these lined with maples, planted at the sug- gestion of Elisha Whittlesey, one of the original proprietors. But few streets I know of in the centre of any Ohio town is so dense with foliage as the part of Main street shown in our view.

At Edmondson's photograph gallery I saw a picture here copied that exhibited a singular affection between a horse and a dog. They belonged to the firm of Eastman & Read, grocers. The horse was used for the delivery wagon, and it was the habit of the dog, on the return of the horse from a round of serving customers, to run and give and receive a caress.

The thoughtful Miss Martineau, wrote that although human beings had been living for thousands of years in the companionship of animals, there was between the two an inseparable gulf, preventing the mind of the one. from closely communicating with the mind of the other. Whether it be sc between animals of different kinds or of the same kind is a question.

Edmondson, Photo. LOVING DOG AND HORSE.

BELLEVUE is peculiarly located. It is in Huron and Sandusky counties, part on and part off the Western Reserve, and has a corner also of Erie and Seneca counties. The town is in the midst of a fine agricultural district, which produces large quantities of cereals and fruits, enriching the people of the surrounding country and making the town a prosperous and wealthy centre. It is sixty-five miles west of Cleveland, about ninety-five miles north of Columbus and forty- five miles east of Toledo, and about midway between Buffalo and Chicago on the " Nickel-plate " Railroad, being the terminus of two grand divisions of that line, whose company has here established round-houses and repair-shops. It has three

949

HURON COUNTY.

lines of railways, the L. S. & M. S., W. & L. E. and N. Y. C. & St. L. (or Nickel-plate.) Newspapers : Gazette, neutral, Stoner & Callahan, publishers ; Local News, neutral, Geo. E. Wood, editor and publisher. Churches : 2 Con- gregational, 1 Methodist Episcopal, 1 Reformed, 1 Catholic, 1 Evangelical, 1 Lutheran and 1 Episcopal. Banks : Bellevue, Bourdett Wood, president, E. J. Sheffield, cashier. City Officers, 1888 : Mayor, John U. Mayne ; Clerk, W. H. Dimick ; Marshal, J. P. Kroner ; Treasurer, Abishai Woodward. Population in 1880, 2,169. School census, 1888, 854; E. F. Warner, school super- intendent.

Manufactures and Employees .- Joseph Erdrich, cooperage, 25 hands ; Fremont Cultivator Co., agricultural implements, 61 ; Mclaughlin & Co., flour, etc., 13; Gross and Weber, planing mill, 6 .- Ohio State Report, 1888. Capital invested in industrial establishments, $156,000. Value of annual product, $538,000. -Ohio Labor Statistics, 1887. United States census, 1890, 3,052.

GREENWICH is eighteen miles southeast of Norwalk, on the C. C. C. & I. R. R. Newspaper : Enterprise, local, Speek & MeKee, publishers. Churches: 1 Con- gregational, 1 Methodist and 2 Friends. Bank : Greenwich Banking Co., Wm. A. Knapp, president, W. A. Hossler, cashier. Population in 1880, 647. School census, 1888, 276.

MONROEVILLE is an incorporated town about ninety-five miles north from Columbus, fifty-nine miles west of Cleveland and five miles west of Norwalk. Three railroads have a junction here, viz. : L. S. & M. S., W. & L. E. and B. & O., and the " Nickel-plate " crosses the B. & O. four miles north of the town. It is surrounded by rich farming lands, cereals and fruits being the principal products. Its educational facilities are superior, and it has considerable manu- facturing interests. Newspaper : Spectator, neutral, Simmons Bros., publishers. Churches : 1 Baptist, 1 Episcopal, 1 Lutheran, 1 Methodist Episcopal, 1 Catholie and 1 Presbyterian. Banks : First National, S. D. Fish, president, H. P. Stentz, cashier.

Manufactures and Employees .- Boehm & Yanquell, flour, ete., 3 hands; Hey- mon & Co., flour, etc., 9 ; S. E. Smith, agricultural implements, 6; John Hosford, fanning mills, 2 .- State Report, 1888. Population in 1880, 1,221. School eensus, 1888, 476; W. H. Mitchell, school superintendent. Capital in- vested in industrial establishments, $30,000. Value of annual produet, $60,000. -Ohio Labor Statistics, 1887.

NEW LONDON is ninety miles north of Columbus and forty-seven miles south- west of Cleveland via C. C. C. & I. R. R. Its early settlers were from New York and New England. It has one newspaper : Record, independent, Geo. W. Runyan, editor and proprietor. City Officers, 1888, D. R. Sackett, mayor ; J. L. Young, clerk ; C. Starbird, treasurer ; H. K. Day, marshal. Three churches : 1 Baptist, 1 Methodist Episcopal and 1 Congregational. Principal industries are dairying, manufacture of flour, tile, ehurn and butter boxes, tables, carriages and wagons. Bank : First National, Alfred S. Johnson, president ; John M. Sherman, cashier. Population in 1880, 1,011. School eensus, 1886, 295; Jas. L. Young, superintendent.

CHICAGO is seventy-five miles north of Columbus and fifteen southwest of Norwalk. The first building was ereeted in 1874, and occupied by Samuel L. Boweby as a grocery and hotel. Chicago is an evidence of the rapid growth of a town through the influence of railroads, three divisions of the B. & O. R. R. terminating here and causing the establishment of the town, which has grown to its present proportions notwithstanding serious drawbacks by fire and epidemie. It has one newspaper : Times, independent, S. O. Riggs, editor and publisher. Four churches : 1 United Brethren, 1 Methodist Episcopal, 1 Free Methodist and 1 Catholic. The B. & O. R. R. has machine and repair shops located here. Population in 1880, 662.

95°

HURON COUNTY.

WAKEMAN is ten miles east of Norwalk, on the L. S. & M. S. R. R. News- paper -: Independent Press, Independent, G. H. Mains, editor and publisher.

Manufactures and Employees .- J. J. McMann, wagon felloes, etc., 5 hands ; Geo. Humphrey, wagon felloes, etc., 6; S. T. Gibson, flour, etc., 2; J. R. Griffin, cooperage, 4 .- Ohio State Report, 1887. Capital invested in industrial estab- lishments, $13,300. Value of annual product, $15,200 .- Ohio Labor Statistics, 1887.

JACKSON.

JACKSON COUNTY was organized in March, 1816. Area about 410 square miles. In 1887 the acres cultivated were 43,961; in pasture, 101,544; wood- land, 42,499 ; lying waste, 5,226 ; produced in wheat, 96,726 bushels ; rye, 2,890 ; buckwheat, 137; oats, 66,488 ; corn, 214,006 ; meadow hay, 12,918 tons ; pota- toes, 15,759 bushels ; butter, 262,410 lbs .; cheese, 100 ; sorghum, 4,197 gallons ; maple syrup, 194; honey, 2,833 lbs .; eggs, 307,191 dozen ; grapes, 1,400 lbs .; sweet potatoes, 293 bushels ; apples, 13,571 ; peaches, 9,094; pears, 76 ; wool, 47,491 lbs .; milch cows owned, 4,125. School census, 1888, 10,201 ; teachers, 167. Miles of railroad track, 125.

TOWNSHIPS AND CENSUS.

1840.

1880.

TOWNSHIPS AND CENSUS.

1840

1880.

Bloomfield,

721

1,557

Liberty,

474

1,784

Clinton,

824

Lick,

822

5,213

Franklin,

1,055

1,502

Madison,

724

2,113

Hamilton,

415

819

Milton,

912

3,404

Harrison,

378

Richland,

548

Jackson,

410

1,869

Scioto,

931

1,579

Jefferson,

752

2,443

Washington,

481

1,403

Also Coal township, formed in 1881. Population of Jackson in 1820 was 3,842 ; 1830, 5,941 ; 1840, 9,744; 1860, 17,941 ; 1880, 23,686, of whom 19,598 were born in Obio; 1,003 Virginia, 814 Pennsylvania, 277 Kentucky, 71 In- diana, 55 New York, 770 England and Wales, 319 German Empire, 245 Ire- land, 14 British America, 9 Scotland, and 7 France. U. S. Census, 1890, 28,408.

In our original edition we said : "The early settlers were many of them West- ern Virginians ; and a considerable portion of its present inhabitants are from Wales and Pennsylvania, who are developing its agricultural resources. The sur- face is hilly, but in many parts produces excellent wheat. The exports are cattle, horses, wool, swine, millstones, lumber, tobacco, and iron. The county is rich in minerals, and abonnds in coal and iron ore ; and mining will be extensively pros- ecuted whenever communication is had with navigable waters by railroads."

JACKSON COUNTY.

Well, that prediction is now faet. Jackson is one of the great mining counties of Ohio; in coal it stands second only to Perry. The "Ohio Mining Statistics for 1888" gave these items: "Coal, 1,088,761 tons mined, employing 2,228 miners, and 332 outside employees ; iron ore, 42,206 tons ; fire clay, 9,720 tons ; limestone, 21,125 tons burned for fluxing ; 1,036 cubic feet of dimension stone."

Prof. Orton, in his "Geological Report for 1884," states : " Four seams of coal are mined in shipping banks in Jackson county. They are as follows : the Shaft seam, the Wellston coal, the Cannel coal, the Limestone coal.

" The Shaft scam supports two shipping banks at Jackson, in addition to the several furnace mines. There are also several small shipping mines along the railroad, west of Jackson.

" The Wellston coal is the mainspring of the coal-mining industry of the coun- try. The development of this field has advanced with great rapidity. In 1878 not more than 10,000 tons of coal were shipped from Jackson county. During that year two new lines of railway, built with the special object of reaching this coal, entered the field. The roads are the Ohio Southern (I. B. & W.) and the Toledo, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway (narrow gauge). In 1880 the ship- ments reached nearly 300,000 tons, and in 1883 nearly 400,000 tons." Now, as above stated, it exceeds a million of tons.

THE OLD SCIOTO SALT-WORKS.

The old history of Jackson county is very interesting. The famous "old Scioto Salt-works" are in this region, on the banks of Salt creek, a tributary of the Scioto. The wells were sunk to the depth of about thirty feet, but the water was very weak, requiring ten or fifteen gallons to make a pound of salt. It was first made by the whites about the year 1798, and transferred from the kettles to pack-horses of the salt purchasers, who carried it to the various settlements, and sold it to the inhabitants for three or four dollars per bushel, as late as 1808. This saline was thought to be so important to the country that, when Ohio was formed into a State, a traet of six miles square was set apart by Congress, for the use of the State, embracing this saline. In 1804 an act was passed by the legis- lature regulating its management, and appointing an agent to rent out small lots on the borders of the creek, where the salt water was most abundant to the manu- facturers. As better and more accessible saline springs have been discovered, these were now abandoned.

The expression, very common in this region. "shooting one with a pack-saddle," is said to have originated, in early days, in this way. A person, who had come on horseback, from some distance, to the salt-works to pur- chase salt, had his pack-saddle stolen by the boilers, who were a rough, coarse set, thrown into the salt furnace, and destroyed. He made little or no complaint, but determined

to have revenge tor the trick played upon him. On the next errand of this nature, he partly filled his pack-saddle with gunpowder, and gave the boilers another opportunity to steal and burn it, which they embraced- when, lo ! much to their consternation, a ter- rific explosion ensued, and they narrowly es- caped serious injury.

These old salt-works were among the first worked by the whites in Ohio. They had long been known, and have been indicated on maps published as early as 1755.

The Indians, prior to the settlement of the country, used to come from long distances to make salt at this place; and it was not uncommon for them to be accompanied by whites, whom they had taken captive and adopted. Daniel Boone, when a prisoner, spent some time at these works. Jonathan Alder, a sketch of whom is under the head of Madison county, was taken a prisoner, when a boy, by the Indians, in 1782, in Virginia, and adopted into one of their families, near the head-waters of Mad river. He had been with them about a year, when they took him with them to the salt-works, where he met a Mrs. Martin, likewise

LAMP

POWDER

CARTRIDGE

NEEDLE

3xV

DRILL

SCRAPER

WEOGE

SLEDGE

PICK·

PICK

SHOVEL

MINER'S TOOLS.

Miller & Williams, Photo., Jackson, 1886.

JACKSON.

953

JACKSON COUNTY.

a prisoner. The meeting between them was affecting. We give the particulars in his own simple and artless language :

Mrs. Martin's Story .- It was now better than a year after I was taken prisoner, when the Indians started off to the Scioto salt- springs, near Chillicothe, to make salt, and took me along with them. Here I got to see Mrs. Martin, that was taken prisoner at the same time I was, and this was the first time that I had seen her since we were separated at the council-house. When she saw me, she came smiling, and asked me if it was me. I told her it was. She asked me how I had been. I told her I had been very unwell, for I had had the fever and ague for a long time. So she took me off to a log, and there we sat down ; and she combed my head, and asked me a great many questions about how I lived,

and if I didn't want to see my mother and little brothers. I told her that I should be glad to see them, but never expected to again. She then pulled out some pieces of her daughter's scalp that she said were some trimmings they had trimmed off the night after she was killed, and that she meant to keep them as long as she lived. She then talked and cried about her family, that was all destroyed and gone, except the remaining bits of her daughter's scalp. We stayed here a considerable time, and, meanwhile, took many a cry together ; and when we parted again, took our last and final farewell, for I never saw her again.

CAPTIVITY AND ESCAPE OF SAMUEL DAVIS.

Mr. Samuel Davis, who is now (1846) residing in Franklin county, near Columbus, was taken prisoner by the Indians, and made his escape while within the present limits of this county. He was born in New England, moved to the West, and was employed by the governor of Kentucky as a spy against the Indians on the Ohio. The circumstances of his captivity and escape are from his biography, by Col. John McDonald :

In the fall of 1792, when the spies were discharged, Davis concluded he would make a winter's hunt up the Big Sandy river. He and a Mr. William Campbell prepared them- selves with a light canoe, with traps and am- munition, for a fall hunt. They set off from Massie's station (Manchester), up the Ohio ; thence up Big Sandy some distance. hunting and trapping as they went along. Their suc- cess in hunting and trapping was equal to their expectation. Beaver and otter were plenty. Although they saw no Indian sign, they were very circumspect in concealing their canoe, either by sinking it in deep water, or concealing it in thick willow brush. They generally slept out in the hills, without fire. This constant vigilance and care was habitual to the frontier men of that day. They hunted and trapped till the winter began to set in. They now began to think of returning, before the rivers would freeze up. They accordingly commenced a retro- grade move down the river, trapping as they leisurely went down. They had been several days going down the river ; they landed on a small island covered with willows. Here they observed signs of beaver. They set their traps, dragged their canoe among the willows, and remained quiet till late in the night. They now concluded that any per- sons, white, red, or black, that might happen to be in the neighborhood, would be in their camp. They then made a small fire among the willows, cooked and eat their supper, and lay down to sleep without putting out their fire. They concluded that the light of their small fire could not penetrate through the thick willows. They therefore lay down in

perfect self-security. Some time before day, as they lay fast asleep, they were awakened by some fellows calling in broken English : 'Come, come; get up, get up." Davis awoke from sleep, looked up, and, to his astonishment found himself and companion surrounded y a number of Indians, and two standing over him with uplifted tomahawks. To resist in such a ease would be to throw away their lives in hopeless struggle. They surrendered themselves prisoners.

The party of Indians, consisting of up- wards of thirty warriors, had crossed the Ohio about the mouth of Guyandotte river, and passed through Virginia to a station near the head of Big Sandy. They attacked the station and were repulsed, after continuing their attack two days and nights. Several Indians were killed during the siege and sev- eral wounded. They had taken one white man prisoner from the station, by the name of Daniels, and taken all the horses belonging to the station. The Indians had taken, or made, some canoes, in which they placed their wounded and baggage, and were de- scending the river in their canoes. As they were moving down in the night they discov- ered a glimpse of Davis' fire through the willows. They cautiously landed on the island, found Davis and Campbell fast asleep, and awakened them in the manner above related.

Davis and Campbell were securely fastened with tugs, and placed in their own canoe. Their rifles, traps, and the proceeds of their successful hunt, all fell into the hands of the Indians. The Indians made no delay, hut immediately set off down the river in their

954

JACKSON COUNTY.

canoes with their prisoners, while their main force went by land, keeping along the river bottoms with the horses they had taken from the station-keeping near the canoes, so as to be able to support each other in case of pursuit or attack. Early the next day they reached the Ohio. The wounded and pris- oners were first taken across the Ohio, and placed under a guard. They returned with the canoes (leaving their arms stacked against a tree), to assist in getting the horses across the river. It was very cold, and as soon as the horses would find themselves swimming they would turn round and land on the same shore. The Indians had a great deal of trouble before they got the horses across the Ohio. The guard who watched Davis and his companions were anxious, impatient spec- tators of the restive disposition of the horses to take the water. Upon one occasion the guard left the prisoners twenty or thirty yards, . to have a better view of the difficulty with the horses. Davis and his fellow-prisoners were as near to where the arms were stacked as were the Indian guard. Davis, who pos- sessed courage and presence of mind in an eminent degree, urged his fellow-prisoners to embrace the auspicious moment, seize the arms, and kill the guard. His companions faltered ; they thought the attempt too peril- ous. Should they fail of success, nothing but instant death would be the consequence. While the prisoners were hesitating to adopt the bold plan of Davis, their guard returned to their arms, to the chagrin of Davis. This opportunity of escape was permitted to pass by without being used. Davis ever after affirmed that if the opportunity which then presented itself for their escape had been boldly seized their escape was certain.

He frequently averred to the writer of this narrative, that if Duncan M'Arthur, Nat Beasly, or Sam M'Dowel, had been with him upon this occasion, similarly situated, that he had no doubt they would not only have made their escape, but killed the guard and the wounded Indians. and carried off or destroyed the Indians' arms. He said, if it had not been for the pusillanimity of his fellow- prisoners they might have promptly and boldly snatched themselves from captivity, and done something worth talking about. The opportunity, once let slip, could not again be recalled. The Indians, after a great deal of exertion, at length got the horses across the Ohio, and hastily fixed litters to carry their wounded. They destroyed their canoes, and went ahead for their own country.

This body of Indians was commanded by a Shawnee chief, who called himself Captain Charles Wilkey. After Wayne's treaty, in 1795, when peace blessed our frontiers, the writer of this sketch became well acquainted with this Captain Wilkey. He was a short. thick, strong, active man, with a very agree- able and intelligent countenance. He was communicative and social in his manners. The first three or four years after Chillicothe was settled, this Indian mixed freely with the whites, and upon no occasion did he show

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Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 151

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio Number of Pages: 1006

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006