Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume II, Part 15

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 916

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MRS. LOUISE KIRBY PIATT, wife of Col. Donn Piatt, was born in Cincinnati, November 25, 1826 ; died at Mac-o-chee, Ohio, October 2, 1864. She was the daughter of Timothy Kirby, a prominent and wealthy banker, and agent of the United States Bank in Cin- cinnati, closed by President Jackson, and a devoted Whig in days when partisan bitter- ness ran at fever height ; but Col. Piatt was an equally zealous young Democrat, and, for this reason, principally, Mr. Kirby strongly opposed his daughter's marriage to him. The circumstances of his courtship and marriage by Col. Piatt were, indeed, highly romantic. The license was quietly procured from his relative, Mr. Jacob W. Piatt, then clerk of Hamilton county, and the marriage ceremony as quietly performed at the Catholic Cathedral by Rev. Fr. Edward Purcell, since Archbishop. Immediately after, the newly made bride left in her mother's carriage for her home, and the husband boarded the train . for Mac-o-chee.

Six weeks after the marriage was discovered, and Mr. Kirby, a man of firm purpose, in his wrath, as he had threatened, turned the young people out to care for themselves. It was years before he softened and forgave them. The reconciliation came none too soon. The life of poverty and privation that fol. lowed the marriage proved too much for the sensitive, delicate organization of the daughter, who, when she did return to the shelter of her father's house, returned to die.

Her brief life was beautiful in the charm of sense and sensibility, that were ever a part

116

LOGAN COUNTY.

of, and about her, like a rose-tinted atmos- phere, heavy with the perfume of flowers. She was not only a brilliant conversationalist, but a fascinating one as well, for she won the sympathy, as well as admiration, of her listeners. There was in her manner a strange mixture of shyness with a frank way that was very winning. A fine linguist she lived in the English classics with a love that made her akin to their genius. Her contributions to literature were not great, but enough to prove the excellence she might have achieved had life been spared. She had to perfection a rare quality in woman, and that was a keen sense of humor. When not encroached upon it was exceedingly delicate and quaint.

Soon after her marriage her linsband was appointed as Secretary of Legation at Paris, and she accompanied him abroad, and in his promotion to charge d'affaires attracted much attention at the court of Louis Napoleon under the second Empire, where she soon became a favorite with the Empress Eugenie. During her residence in Paris her con- tributions to the Ladies' Home Journal were greatly admired and widely read, and these were, in 1856, published under the title of " Belle Smith Abroad." They com- prise one of the most interesting volumes of foreign travel of that period. Her descriptive powers were excellent, and through all she

has written runs a vein of happy wit and merriment highly enjoyable to this day.

The brief story of her life is told in a mon- ument that adorns one of the sweetest scenes at Mac-o-chee. On one side can be read :

To the memory of one Whose voice has charmed And presence graced These solitudes.

On the reverse are engraved :

LOUISE KIRBY PIATT.

She rested on life's dizzy verge So like a being of a better world, Men wondered not, when, as an evening cloud That grows more lovely as it steals near night, Her gentle spirit drifted down The dread abyss of death.

On the reverse side of the shaft of the monument, on which is a well-executed me- dallion of her fair face, is also the touching · epitaph written by her husband and printed on the preceding page.

We conclude here with the poem so widely popular a tribute from him to her while giving the sunshine of her living presence to warm his heart and gladden his home :

" THE BLOOM WAS ON THE ALDER AND THE TASSEL ON THE CORN."

I heard the bob-white whistle in the dewy breath of morn ; The bloom was on the alder and the tassel on the corn. I stood with beating heart beside the babbling Mac-o-chee, To see my love come down the glen to keep her tryst with me.

I saw her pace, with quiet grace, the shaded path along, And pause to pluck a flower, or hear the thrush's song. Denied by her proud father as a suitor to be seen, She came to me with loving trust, my gracious little queen.

Above my station, heaven knows, that gentle maiden shonc, For she was belle and wide-beloved, and I a youth unknown. The rich and great about her thronged, and sought on bended knee For love this gracious princess gave with all her heart to me.

So like a startled fawn, before my longing eyes she stood, With all the freshness of a girl in flush of womanhood. I trembled as I put my arm about her form divine, And stammered as; in awkward speech, I begged her to be mine.

'Tis sweet to hear the pattering rain that lulls a dim-lit dream ; 'Tis sweet to hear the song of birds, and sweet the rippling stream ; 'Tis sweet amid the mountain pines to hear the south wind sigh- More sweet than these and all besides was th' loving, low reply.

The little hand I held in mine held all I had in life, To mould its better destiny and soothe to sleep its strife. 'Tis said that angels watch o'er men commissioned from above ; My angel walked with me on earth and gave to me her love.

Ah ! dearest wife, my heart is stirred, my eyes are dimmed with tears ; I think upon the loving faith of all these by-gone years ; For now we stand upon this spot, as in that dewy morn, With the bloom upon the alder and the tassel on the corn.

117

LOGAN COUNTY.

THE LEWISTOWN RESERVOIR for supplying the Miami canal is in the north- western part of the county ; its area is 7,200 acres, or nearly 12 square miles ; extreme length 5 miles and width 4 miles.

WEST LIBERTY is 8 miles south of Bellefontaine, on the I. B. & W. R. R., and upon Mad River, one of the best mill streams in Ohio, the valley of which is here two or three miles wide, and of unsurpassed fertility and great beauty. The Mac-o-chee Lere joins it. Newspaper : Banner, Republican ; Don C. Bailey, editor and publisher. Churches : Presbyterian, Methodist, Christian, Lutheran. Bank : West Liberty Banking Co., W. Z. Nickerson & Co .; W. Z. Nickerson, cashier. Population, 1880, 715. School census, 1888, 367.

WEST MANSFIELD is 12 miles northeast of Bellefontaine. Population, 1880, 333. School census, 1888, 160.

BELLE CENTRE is 12 miles north of Bellefontaine, on the I. B. & W. R. R. It has 4 churches, viz. : 1 Methodist, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Disciples, 1 Reformed Presbyterian. Newspapers : News-Gazette, also Bulletin. Bank : Belle Centre, J. H. Clark, president ; Wm. Ramsey, cashier. Population, 1880, 434. School census, 1888, 298.

ZANESFIELD is 5 miles east of Bellefontaine. Population in 1880, 307. School census 1888, 128.

HUNTSVILLE is 6 miles north of Bellefontaine, on the I. B. & W. R. R. It has 3 churches. Population, 1880, 429. School census, 1888, 216.

DE GRAFF is 9 miles southwest of Bellefontaine, on the C. C. C. & I. R. R. Newspaper : Buckeye, Independent, D. S. Spellman, editor. Bank : Citizens', Loufbourrow & Williams; I. S. Williams, cashier. Population, 1880, 965. School censns, 1888, 330.

QUINCY is 12 miles southwest of Bellefontaine, on the Great Miami river and the C. C. C. & I. R. R. Population, 1880, 442. School census, 1888, 127.

RUSHSYLVANIA is 9 miles northeast of Bellefontaine, on the C. C. C. & I. R. R. Newspaper : Times, Independent ; Henry M. Daniels, editor and publisher. Bank : Citizens', W. McAdams, president ; O. R. Pegg, cashier. Population, 1880, 445. School census, 1888, 184.

WEST MIDDLEBURG is 10 miles southeast of Bellefontaine. Population, 1880, 272.

118

LORAIN COUNTY

LORAIN.

LORAIN COUNTY was formed December 26, 1822, from Huron, Cuyahoga and Medina. The surface is level, and the soil fertile and generally clayey. Parallel with the lake shore are three sand ridges, which vary from 40 to 150 rods in width ; they are respectively about 3, 7 and 9 miles from the lake, and are fertile. Area about 500 square miles. In 1887 the acres cultivated were 110,032 ; in pasture, 106,403 ; woodland, 37,191 ; lying waste, 2,817 ; produced in wheat, 324,480 bushels ; rye, 1,346; buckwheat, 104; oats, 763,875 ; barley, 6,405 ; corn, 423,270; broom-corn, 500 lbs. brush ; meadow hay, 47,843 tons ; clover hay, 2,434; flax, 34,100 lbs. fibre ; potatoes, 115,446 bushels ; butter, 843,460 lbs. ; cheese, 3,233,589 (the greatest in the State); sorghum, 1,433 gal- lons ; maple sugar, 54,786 lbs. ; honey, 5,020 lbs. ; eggs, 422,855 dozen ; grapes, 1,259,200 lbs .; wine, 334 gallons ; sweet potatoes, 1,009 bushels ; apples, 72,312 ; peaches, 14,308 ; pears, 833 ; wool, 121,809 lbs .; milch cows owned, 15,171, next to Ashtabula county, largest in the State. School census, 1888, 11,418 ; teachers, 345. Miles of railroad track, 179.

TOWNSHIPS AND CENSUS.

1840.

1880.

TOWNSHIPS AND CENSUS.

1840.

1880.

Amherst,

1,186

3,259

Huntington,

743

767

Avon,

1,211

2,067

La Grange,

991

1,429

Black River,

668

1,937

Penfield,

405

735

Brighton,

999

517

Pittsfield,

704

976

Brownhelm,

934

1,497

Ridgeville,

818

1,660

Camden,

504

968

Rochester,

487

733

Carlisle,

1,094

1,329

Russia.

1,302

4,376

Columbia,

876

906

Sheffield,

521

1,046

Eaton,

764

1,161

Sullivan,

782

Elyria,

1,636

5,648

Troy,

289

Grafton,

713

1,237

Wellington,

781

2,384

Henrietta,

743

894

Population of Lorain in 1830, 5,696; 1840, 18,451; 1860, 29,744; 1880, 35,526, of whom 22,448 were born in Ohio; 2,717 New York ; 668 Pennsylva- nia ; 225 Virginia ; 115 Indiana ; 99 Kentucky ; 2,819 German Empire; 1,759 England and Wales; 767 Ireland ; 458 British America; 172 Scotland ; 76 France, and 33 Sweden and Norway. Census, 1890, 40,295.

There was found in this county, a few years since, a curious ancient relic, which is thus described in the Lorain Republican, of June 7, 1843 :

" In connection with our friend, Mr. L. M. Parsons, we have procured two views or sketches of the engravings upon a stone column or idol, found upon the farm of Mr. Alfred Lamb, in Brighton, in this county, in 1838. The following is a side view of the pillar or column.

" It was found about three-fourths of a mile from Mr. Lamb's house, covered with a thick coat of moss. Upon three different places are engraved the figures 1533. The horns represented are now broken off, but their place is easily defined. A flat stone, eight inches in diameter and one and a half inches thick, was found beneath this column, on removing it from its crect position, upon which the figures 1533 were discovered also engraved. Another stone was found about ten feet distant, of like quality. It was about six inches long and three in diameter (six sided), supported by three pillars about three inches long, of pyramidal form. No marks of tools were upon it. Upon the top part of the first mentioned pillars,

LORAIN COUNTY.

1533

Links Vaguine

1533

above shown, was an engraving of a vessel under full sail, in form, as near as now can be ascertained, as herein. The engraving was most unfortunately nearly obliterated by the boys cracking hickory-nuts upon it. These are about all the facts connected with these curious relics which have come to our knowledge."

EARLY HISTORY.

Moravian Mission .- The first actual settle- ment in Lorain county was made by the Mora- vian missionaries who came from Detroit in 1786, with the design of going to their old home on the Tuscarawas, the scene of the massacre of 1782. They had reached a point on the Cuyahoga, as far as Independence township, known as "Pilgrim's Rest," when they received such information that they were fearful of proceeding farther inland. After remaining about a year, they journeyed west- ward until they arrived at the mouth of Black river, where they designed to make a perma- nent settlement. A few days only elapsed, when a chief of the Delawares sent them a message warning them to depart. They then settled on the Huron river, two miles north of Milan, remained five or six years, were persecuted and driven away, and found a · permanent asylum on the river Thames, in Canada.

A trading-post was established in 1807 by Nathan Perry at the mouth of Black river. Actual clearers of the woods, said to have been from Vermont, planted themselves at that point in 1810. In 1808 Columbia re- ceived her first settlers ; Ridgeville, Amherst and Eaton in 1810, all mostly from Water- bury, Conn. Very few settlers came into the county until the close of the war of 1812. The first settlement made in Elyria was in 1816, and by a Mr. Beach, with his family, who settled in the western part near the site of the present Haags Mill.

Col. James Smith, who was taken prisoner by the Indians in 1755 in Pennsylvania, in the narrative of his captivity, gives some of his experiences in this county which are quite interesting. He speaks of the Canesadooharie, the Indian name for Black river, which a party he was with struck near its source, and finally

followed south until they came near the East Falls, now within the corporate limits of Elyria, where they buried their canoe and erected a winter cabin, which is supposed to have been located on Evergreen Point. The narrative then says :

" Indian Hunting .- ' It was some time,' writes Smith, 'in December when we finished our winter cabin ; but then another difficulty arose-we had nothing to eat. While the hunters were all out exerting their utmost ability, the squaws and boys (in which class I was) were scattered in the bottom, hunting red haws and hickory-nuts. We did not suc- ceed in getting many haws, but had tolerable success in scratching up hickory-nuts from under a light snow. The hunters returned with only two small turkeys, which were but little among eight hunters and thirteen squaws, boys and children. But they were divided equally. The next day the liunters turned out again, and succeeded in killing one deer and three bears. One of the bears was remarkably large and fat. All hands turned out the next morning to bring in the meat.

" 'During the winter a party of four went out to the borders of Pennsylvania to procure horses and scalps, leaving the same number in camp to provide meat for the women and children. They returned towards spring with two scalps and four horses. After the depart- ure of the warriors we had hard times, and though not out of provisions, we were brought to short allowance. At length Tontileaugo had fair success, and brought into camp suf- ficient to last ten days. Tontileaugo then took me with him in order to encamp some distance from the winter cabin. We steered south up the creek ten or twelve miles and went into camp.'"

Elyria Founded .- In the spring of 1817

120

LORAIN COUNTY.

Heman Ely, of West Springfield, Mass., becoming the possessor of 12,500 acres of land lying around the falls of Black river, originally the property of the Connecticut Land Company, came out to make prepara- tions for settlement. He had built a dam and erected a grist and saw-mill on the east branch, near the foot of the present Broad street, Elyria. He also had built a log-house where were boarded the men engaged in the construction of the mills.

Returning home, he sent, about the 1st of January, from Massachusetts, three meu with axes in their hands, to commence clear- ing land. They made the entire distance, 600 miles, on foot, and before Mr. Ely ar- rived in March, they made quite a hole in the woods.

The township of Elyria was organized in 1819, and included the present township of Carlisle, aud named by adding to Mr. Ely's name the syllable "ria," suggested by the Greek name Illyria. It was wrongly stated

in our first edition that this termination was from that of the name of his first wife, Maria, an error both in application and in fact, as her name was Celia. In the winter of 1821-2 Mr. Ely visited Columbus to se- cure an act for the organization of the county. He became lost in the woods the first day from home; he finally made his way out, returned home, and on another day made a successful effort. The county took its name from Lorraine, in France, in which province Mr. Ely spent some time while in Europe. The village of Elyria was incorporated in 1833. The township was slow in settling. Mr. Ely was eminently just as a landed pro- prietor : he usually sold his land on four years' time. He was a thorough business man ; was for a while member of the State Board of Equalization, and also Associate Judge of the county.

Early in life he was a shipping merchant in New York, during which period it was he was in France.

Elyria in 1846 .- Elyria, the county-seat, is seven miles from Lake Erie, twenty-four west of Cleveland, and 130 northeast of Columbus. The first settler in the town and township was Mr. Heman Ely, from West Springfield, Mass., who came out here in March, 1817, and built a cabin about twelve rods southeast of his present residence. He brought with him some hired men, to make im- provements on his land, a large tract of which he had purchased at this place and vicinity. The village was soon laid out, and some time in the succeeding year Mr. Ely moved into his present residence, the first frame house erected in the township. Upon the organization of the county, the old court-house was built, which was used as a church by the Presbyterians, until they built a house of wor- ship, the first erected in the village. Elyria is a beautiful and thriving village ; in its centre is a handsome public square, shown in the engraving ; the large building in front is the court-house ; beyond, on the right, is the public square, on which are seen, facing " Beebe's block," the " Mansion House " and the " brick block." The Gothic structure on the left is the Presbyterian church, designed by R. A. Sheldon, of New York, and erected in 1846-7 by H. J. & S. C. Brooks, of Elyria ; it is one of the most elegant churches in Ohio, built of sandstone, and finished throughout in a tasteful and substantial manner, at an expense of about $8,000.

The village stands on a peninsula, formed by the forks of Black river, on which, near the town, are two beautiful falls, of forty feet perpendicular descent, highly valuable for manufacturing purposes. At the falls on the west fork the scenery is wild and picturesque ; the rocks are lofty and overhang the valley for, perhaps, some thirty feet. At that point is a large cavern, of a semi-circular form, about seventy-five feet deep, 100 broad at the entrance, with a level floor, and wall from five to nine feet high, forming a cool and romantic retreat from the heats of summer. The sandstone bounding the valley is of an excellent quality, and is much used for building purposes. Elyria contains one Episcopal, one Methodist, one Baptist, one Disciples, and one or two Congregational churches ; one classical academy, six dry-goods, three grocery and three drug-stores ; one newspaper printing-office, one woollen, one axe, and sash and blind factory ; one furnace, one machine-shop, three flouring-mills and 1,500 inhabitants .- Old Edition.

ELYRIA, county-seat of Lorain, twenty-six miles southwest of Cleveland, 110 miles northeast of Columbus, on the C. L. & W. and L. S. & M. S. Railroads, is the centre of an agricultural district, dairying being the special feature. County officers, 1888 : Auditor, Oscar Herrick ; Clerk, Henry J. Lewis; Commissioners, Alfred Fauver, David Wallace. Tasso D. Phelon : Coroner, Ranson E. Braman ;

I21

LORAIN COUNTY.

Infirmary Directors, Albert Foster, Isaac S. Straw, Daniel M. Hall ; Probate Judge, Edgar H. Hinman ; Prosecuting Attorney, Amos R. Webber ; Recorder, William E. Cahoon ; Sheriff, Melville A. Pounds ; Surveyor, Clemon H. Snow ; Treasurers, Everett E. Williams, Judson E. Williard. City officers, 1888 : N. B. Gates, Mayor ; L. C. Kelsey, Clerk ; T. M. Brush, Treasurer ; C. H. Snow, Civil Engineer ; N. A. Redmond, Marshal ; Daniel Eason, Street Commissioner. Newspapers : Democrat, Democratie, F. S. Reefy, editor and publisher ; Republi- can, Republican, George Washburn, editor and publisher. Churches : one Epis- copalian, one German Reformed, one German Lutheran, one Catholic, one Baptist, one Congregational and one Methodist. Banks: National of Elyria, Heman Ely, president, John W. Hulbert, cashier ; Savings Deposit, T. L. Nelson, president, J. C. Hill, cashier.

Manufactures and Employees .- Ohio Co-operative Shear Co., shears, 60 hands ; Henry Copas, road machines, etc., 4; C. W. Plotcher Bottling Co., bottling works, 6; Thomas Armstrong, general machinery, 3; the Topliff & Ely Co., carriage hardware, etc., 44; C. Parsch, planing-mill, 18; J. W. Hart, planing-mill, 17; Elyria Canning Co., canned goods, 147; Western Antomatic Machine Screw Co., machine screws, 78; G. Reublin, flour and feed, 3; Ross & Ingersoll, general machinery, 8 .- State Report, 1888. Population, 1880, 4,777. School census, 1888, 1,621 ; School Superintendent, H. M. Parker. Census, 1890, 5,611.

TRAVELLING NOTES.

Elyria, in a certain sense, may be regarded as a sort of suburb of Cleveland, it being a ride by cars of only about forty minutes between the two places, and the communication frequent. Hence, many doing business in that city have their homes in Elyria. The situation, on a plain in and around the forks of Black river, is very pleasant. As the depot is but two minutes' walk from the public square, no time is lost by excess of pedestrianism at either end, as the cars at the Cleveland end also stop near its business centre, at the Superior-street station.

The public square at Elyria is an oblong of about four acres. Around or near it are the principal churches, the hotels and business blocks. Upon it is an ele- gant court-house, the floors of which are laid with the noted Zanesville encaustic tile, equal to the English tile. It cost about $175,000, but this does not fully give an idea of its real value, as its material is a home production, the beautiful sandstone on which the town rests. It is this possession that has enabled Elyria to lay down many miles of sandstone pavement with slabs of the full width of the side- walk-in this respect having a valued distinction above most towns of Ohio.

The public square has upon it a soldiers' monument ; a fine grove of maples is orna- mented with a pretty fountain, flower-beds, rustic seats and board placards, "Keep off the grass." A library of 10,000 volumes, open to the public, is close by, founded by the late Charles Arthur Ely, who lived to do good to mankind ; and for a term of years, up to the war period, Elyria had a flourishing Natural History Society ; under its auspices free lectures were weekly given by various gentlemen, residents of Elyria, and their ed- ucating influence was very great upon the citizens.

At Elyria are located the works of the Western Automatic Screw Company, em- ploying about 125 hands. It makes screws of various sizes; some-watch-screws-so small that 200 can be put into a lady's thim- ble. The machine is more than human in its work, as the screws are simply perfect.

Mussey's Quarry .-- The northern part of

Lorain and the western part of Cuyahoga counties are underlaid with sandstone. Mr. Eugene K. Mussey took me to see the grind- stone quarries of H. E. Mussey & Co., on the west fork of Black river, about a mile west of the town. As we neared the place, he told me that a stranger pedestrian, on his way thither, said he discovered he was close by, "for," said he, "I took out my knife, and was enabled to sharpen it on a fence-board, and so found it was grit." On our way thither we passed along the margin of the river. In places it was shallow, and in others there was no water ; but everywhere, instead of earth, its bed was a sandstone floor. The quarries produce some building-stone, but are almost exclusively used in the manufacture of grindstones, varying from twelve pounds to 700 pounds in weight, which are shipped to all parts of this country and Canada.

The sandstone deposit in this vicinity is very deep, being now worked to a depth of

Drawn by Henry Howe in 1846.

PUBLIC SQUARE, ELYRIA.

---

C. F. Lee, Photo., Elyria, 1887.

PUBLIC SQUARE, ELYRIA.

123

LORAIN COUNTY.

about seventy-five feet, while drilling shows the deposit to be one hundred and seventy- two feet deep.

The largest quarry was, perhaps, one hun- dred feet square, a huge box-like hole, and seventy-five feet deep. Standing on the mar- gin and looking down the workmen seemed dwindled in size. Huge blocks were being cut to be hoisted out by derricks and deposited in rail cars, to be taken to the buildings to be modelled by machinery into the requisite form. It was pleasant to look upon the smooth sides and floors of the quarries. The work could not have looked smoother if the material had been cheese instead of rock.

Falls and Caves of Black River .- The forks of the Black river, which unite at Elyria, just north of the centre, have each a perpen- dicular fall of forty feet. Below the falls the river gorge is seventy or eighty feet deep, with a very wild picturesque scenery, in places dense woods with aged hemlocks springing up, their roots finding nurture through the fissures in the rocks. Mr. Geo. E. Washburn took me down into the gorge at the foot of the falls on the west branch, to show me a noted cave. It is formed by a shelving rock. It is in the form of a semi- circle, with a chord of about one hundred and twenty feet : in front, about fourteen feet high, and then the wall, which is massive · and arched, gradually sinks until at a distance of about ninety feet it terminates, the rear wall being only three or four feet high. The floor was rocky, cleared of incumbrances and the place would hold a multitude. It was evidently much visited. Public meetings could be held there, but no speaking had, owing to the roar of the cataract, close upon which it intrudes.

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Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume II, Part 15

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio Number of Pages: 916

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 916