USA > Ohio > Ashland County > History of Ashland County, Ohio > Part 17
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HISTORY OF ASHLAND COUNTY
I sat down on a log and waited for the moon to rise. It was still very difficult to follow the trail, and I could only do so by feeling the marked trees. As good fortune would have it, I was not very far from Mr. 'Strong's, of Strongsville; and arriving there, I tarried till morning. In a few days Mr. Baldwin came, and we again prosecuted the survey; he brought another surveyor with him, which expedited our business much, and we accomplished the survey in about a week. During this time, considerable rain fell, and from Wednesday till Friday had to wade in water in some places up to our armpits. On Saturday ~ morning finished the survey ; it was a very rainy day, the water had been so high we could not get to Harrisville for provisions, and were obliged to divide our rations having only one-fourth of a pound of bread a piece for three days, and some beef. We finally succeeded in getting to Harrisville on Saturday night. We went to James Rogers, and, notwithstanding they had a wedding, we were received from the woods with the greatest kindness, and treated with marked attention; and surely wedding supper was never more acceptable to any one or devoured with keener relish-meats, pudding, pies, cakes, and a variety of sauce of wild fruits, cranberries, crab apples, plums, etc., for dessert. Soon after this I returned to Vermont, having finished surveying and selecting three thous- and acres of land for myself and friends.
"On the 6th day of June the following year, (1817) seven families, all living in one neighborhood, namely, John Parmely, Sr., his wife Dorothy and his two youngest children, two married sons, namely, Sylvanus Parmely and Lois Parmely, and four children ; Asahel and Fanny Parmely and two children ; Jesse Chamberlain and his wife Betsey Chamberlain; Abijah and wife; Thomas and Lucinda Rice, with nine children; and James Palmer and his wife and five children, started for Ohio.
"All had ox teams but one-Thomas Rice had a span of horses. Each had one or more cows, which afforded them plenty of milk.
"Soon after our arrival in Sullivan, Mr. James Palmer went out to gather nuts, of which there was a great abundance. It was on the afternoon of one very pleasant day in September; but venturing out of sight of clearing, he got lost. He wandered about till dark, without finding anything from which he could judge of his direction or distance from home. Night overtook him, and in this dilemma he was obliged to give up and laid himself down by a log to rest till morning. He passed a restless, if not a sleepless night. At one time à huge bear came very near him, but fortunately was not hungry enough to attack
him. His friends became quite alarmed at his prolonged absence, and at dark rallied out to find him; but their search was fruitless. Preparations were then made for search next day; two men were dispatched to Harrisville to raise men to assist them. They were fitted out with hickory torches and went this whole distance and returned before daylight-making a journey of twenty miles by torchlight. Mr. Palmer, however, by the aid of the stakes set up by the sur- veyors was enabled to find his way home about nine o'clock in the morning. A messenger was instantly sent to Harrisville with the glad tidings that the lost was found.
"Our cattle grazed in the woods, and we took turns watching them; one of our number following them through the day and bringing them up at night,
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fortunately we did not lose any. Each family selected one hundred and sixty acres of land as near the center as possible, and then decided to draw lots, as being the best way of settling the matter satisfactorily, for all had their preferences. This being amicably disposed of, all immediately built rude huts or shanties upon their land, without chimneys, and with but part of a floor; and around these rude fireplaces clustered their hearts' fondest affection, and the endearments of home in this forest wild rendered them contented and happy; and to this day they will cite you back to those times with delight and affection.
"Truly, what mighty changes have taken place, and how the wilderness has been made to blossom as the rose!
"Thus located in the midst of a dense forest, far from any settlement, and entirely dependent upon their own resources and good luck, they saw no dark side to the picture, but hopefully gazed on the bright sunlight that streamed in upon them as the forest trees fell before the athletic arm of the pioneer, and saw, or thought they saw, in the future many blessings in store for them and their children.
"Our nearest neighbors on the east were at Harrisville, ten miles distant; south, about eight miles; north, Elyria, twenty-five miles; west, New London, fifteen miles; sundry necessary articles of consumption and clothing could not be obtained this side of Cleveland. Salt was nine dollars per barrel, and cotton cloth fifty cents per yard. The nearest store was at Wooster, Wayne county. I walked through the woods to the latter place without any road, to obtain fifteen lights of glass for a window to my log house.
"I recollect at one time I went six miles south, to get my horse shod, through the woods, with only a footpath, which was nearly obscured by the falling leaves. On my return it became so dark that my horse could not follow the path, and I was obliged to dismount and lead him. The only way I could keep the path was by the breaking of sticks under my feet when I got out of it. Twice in my efforts to find the old path, I turned round and went back a quarter of a mile to a certain place I knew I had passed, and you may imagine how difficult it was to get along, when I tell you it took me all night to get home over the distance of two miles. About this time a large body of Indians came from Sandusky into town on a hunting expedition ; making rather too free use of firewater, they were quite quarrelsome, and had frequent disturbances among themselves. At one time they got into a quarrel, and in their affray killed one of their number. This affair shortened their stay, and they left, to the great joy of the inhabitants, who dreaded their presence; indeed, they were rough neighbors, and sent terror to the hearts of every family.
"A child of Mr. Durfee went out just at dusk with his uncle; he sent him back while he went into the woods to hunt some hogs. On his return he found the little boy did not go home. They immediately searched for him, and con- tinued it for several days, but found no trace of the missing child. The next spring his bones were found by the side of a log, where doubtless he had perished the first night.
"On the evening of the day the boy was lost two girls, daughters of a neigh- bor in Sullivan township, on their return home from Thomas Greer's, heard, on their way, what appeared to be the hoarse moans of a child; but fearing that
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it might proceed from a wild animal, they continued on their way. Mr. Durfee's house lay in their path, and calling there, they were for the first time informed of the loss of the child. Their conclusion at once was that the voice they heard proceeded from the lost boy; and the father immediately started for the spot indicated-heard distinctly the sound, but his agitation and bewilder- ment finally traced it to the tree tops, and the voice becoming undistinguishable from the noise of the rain falling upon the dry leaves, he abandoned his search in despair, and returned home."
MILTON TOWNSHIP.
Milton township was surveyed in 1807 and was organized in 1816. Origi- nally, the two western tiers or sections, including the town of Olivesburg, were given to Richland county when Ashland was erected.
The population of the township in 1820 was five hundred and forty-four; in 1830, one thousand one hundred and fifty-six.
Among the pioneers of this township were the Andrews, the Dotys, the Lockharts, the Reeds, the Woodburns, and in addition to the above were Peter Brubaker, Joseph Bechtel, Henry Keever, John Neal, Michael Smeltzer, Jacob Foulks, Robert Nelson, Benjamin Montgomery, James Andrews, Peter Brubaker, John Clay, Frederick Sultzer, John Hazlett, Joseph Charles, Andrew Stevenson, David Markley, James Crawford, David Crabbs, Elijah Charles, David Mckinney, John Ferrell, Abel Montgomery, William Houston, George Burget, and possibly a few others.
The residents of Milton township have always been such a well behaved and orderly people, satisfied with the good things of earth which they have so plenti- fully about them, that there is nothing very eventful to be said about the township.
Prior to 1816, Milton had been under the jurisdiction of Mifflin. The first justice of the peace was Robert McBeth, from what is now Clear Creek, then under the jurisdiction of Milton.
The surveyors not only noted carefully the kind and quality of timber, but also the direction and size of the streams, the Indian trails, villages, and other objects of curiosity. The south boundary of Milton is noted as uneven and hilly land second rate, and timber composed of oak, beech, and hickory. The east boundary is noted as generally level, soil good; timber the same as on the south line, with sugar maple, dogwood, and an occasional wild cherry. The land of the township is described as of gentle ascents and descents, some places level; soil good for farming, and, generally, more or less clayey. It has an abundance of water, flowing from clear, pure, and never-ceasing springs. In the neighbor- hood of the Short farm is to be found one of the strongest springs in the county.
Milton, like other townships in the county, was densely timbered with oak, hickory, beech and other hard wood in the early settlement. No streams of any consequence are found in this township, but there are many fine springs and one of the finest in the county is found here. This is essentially a farming
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community, no town existing within its limits. Its early reminiscences are similar to those of other townships whose history has already been written, and need not be repeated. The same may be said of the struggles and triumph of its early settlers who came to a wilderness and have, after years of hardships, toil and dangers, brought it to a state of cultivation. These pioneers are now gone but their good works remain.
The early settlers of the township worshiped at the Old Hopewell church, which stood near the line between Milton and Montgomery.
Among the early settlers were James Andrews, who came in 1806, and was a justice of the peace for twenty-seven years. He. also served as a captain in the war of 1812. Abraham Doty also came in 1816; William Lockhart, in 1808; John Woodburn, in 1825. Other early settlers were: Peter Brubaker, Joseph Bechtel, Joseph Charles, John Clay, John Hazlett, Henry Keever, John Neal and Michael Smeltzer.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP.
Hanover township has been called the goodly land, with a health-giving climate and a wealth-giving soil; a country of beautiful landscapes, a land of rugged hills and charming valleys; a land where the esthetic and ideal harmonize and blend with the practical and real, forming an earthly elysium.
Hanover is the most southern township in Ashland county; a part of its territory is quite hilly, in fact some of its hills have altitudes almost like moun- tains, but the greater part of the township is adapted to cultivation and is not excelled for fertility by any other township in the county.
The Clearfork of the Mohican enters Hanover from near the northwest corner of the township, and after flowing an average southeasterly course about five miles, unites with the Blackfork and forms the Mohican. There is not the distance of a mile along the Clearfork that does not afford sufficient fall and volume of water sufficient to turn a mill the year round. Its channel is narrow and rapid, and confined within high banks, and the scenery along the stream is magnificently grand.
The Blackfork enters Hanover township at Loudonville, and pursues a southwesterly course about three miles, when it unites with the Clearfork. In the years agone a little town sprang up at the juncture of the forks, and a card- ing machine was built and operated there for a number of years, as also was a sawmill.
Hanover township was surveyed in the year 1807, by General James Hedges, deputy surveyor under General Jarad Mansfield, who was then the surveyor- general of the United States. The township was organized in November, 1818. The population two years later was one hundred and eighteen.
The first election was held on the 7th of November, 1818, fifteen votes being cast. The following are the names of the electors: Thomas Taylor, Robert Dawson, George Davidson, George Snider, Anthony Zeers, William Burwell, George Davidson, Jr., Amos Harbaugh, William Webb, Ransom Clark, Abner Winters, Stephen Butler, John Lisar, Abel Strong, and John Burwell. The
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following are part of the officers elected: Clerk, Abel Strong; trustees, John Hilderbrand, Abner Winters, and George Davidson ; treasurer, Amos Harbaugh.
Loudonville, the only town in Hanover township, was laid out August 16, 1814, by Stephen Butler and James Loudon Priest. The following sketch of Loudonville was written by Miss Mary E. Stewart, in about 1863:
"The town of Loudonville was laid out in 1814, by James Loudon Priest and Stephen Butler. The beauty of the surrounding country, the mildness of the climate and the fertility of the soil, attracted the attention of the pioneer, and, in many cases, induced him to rear his humble dwelling upon some of our beautiful land and make it his future home.
When the town was laid out there was but a single dwelling in the place. It was a log cabin, owned by Stephen Butler, and although it had but one room, it was a hotel as well as the dwelling place of two families.
"Owing to the many hardships which emigrants to the far west (it was then called the far west) had to endure, and the difficulties they were obliged to en- counter, the town improved but little during the first few years of its existence. In the year 1813, Mr. Caleb Chappel immigrated, with his family, to the then far west, and settled, for a short time, in Knox county, a few miles south of Loudon- ville. He assisted in surveying the grounds where the town now lies, and, in the spring of 1814, he entered land adjoining the town. The remainder of the year was spent in clearing the timber off the farm, erecting a log house, and preparing the grounds for use by the next spring. In the spring of 1815 he removed his family to his farm, which joins the northwestern corner of the town. Everything was new; and the many inconveniences with which they had to con- tend, and the dangers to which they were exposed, can only be known to those who have left comfortable homes, and taken up their abode in the wilds of a new country.
"Wild animals roamed at large through the surrounding forests, and the Indians built their fires and held their councils in the neighboring woods. Mr. Chappel's nearest neighbor was Mr. Butler; he was the squire, the tavern keeper, and, in fact, the only man in town. Mr. James Loudon Priest lived some five miles east, and Mr. Oliver three miles to the west. The nearest places for trading were Wooster and Mansfield, then small towns, containing a limited number of buildings and inhabitants. The dress mostly worn by the male portion of the community consisted of a loose hunting shirt, made of homemade linsey, being sometimes red, and sometimes blue. Those made of blue linsey were trimmed with a red fringe, and those made of red were trimmed with blue fringe. A pair of pantaloons made of the same material; a pair of stout moccasins; a cap made frequently of rabbit skin; a broad, black belt, worn around the waist, to which was attached a large knife, and frequently a toma- hawk and gun, completed the dress of the early settler ..
Pantaloons made of deerskin were generally worn by hunters. The female dress was made of either flannel, linen, linsey, or calico-the calico being the most expensive, as the others were manufactured at home. Such was the dress worn by the early settlers of our country, contrasting greatly with the dashing style of the fast young man and modern belle of the present age; and no doubt many a young American would consider it far beneath his dignity to acknowl- edge such was the simple dress worn by his forefathers.
GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH
CATHOLIC CHURCH, LOUDONVILLE
CITIZENS SAVINGS BANK
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"One of the greatest disadvantages with which the early settlers had to contend was, that of educating their children. There was no school for some time after the town was incorporated; and the great cause of education was greatly neglected. At length, the people of the village and the neighboring country, seeing the necessity of establishing a school in their midst, convened together for the purpose of taking the matter into consideration. They soon came to the conclusion to build a schoolhouse and to procure a teacher who was worthy and capable of imparting instruction to the rising generation. A subscription was raised for the purpose of building it, and it was not long before it was entirely completed. It was made of planks, stood upright, and weather- boarded on the outside; it had a shingle roof, then a great rarity. . It occupied a very conspicuous place on the public square and was about eighteen feet long and fourteen feet wide, with a door in front, and three windows on each side of the room. A large fireplace occupied one end of the room and benches were placed along the sides. Taking all things into consideration, it was quite a respectable looking building, and served for many years as a public building for almost every purpose-for holding meetings, both religious and political. The system of public schools not being then established, the schools were all raised by subscription, and was seldom in session more than three months in a year.
"In October, 1834, a printing office was established in Loudonville. The paper was called 'Mohican Advocate and Hanover Journal.' The proprietor was a Mr. Rogers. For want of patronage, the publication was suspended after having reached six numbers.
"The mail in those days was carried on horseback, and when the first stage coach made its appearance, it was an object of wonder to the people in general. The day of the arrival of the stage was always looked forward to with much expectation, and people would gather around the Country Inn to await its ar- rival and to scrutinize the passengers.
"The first sale of lots was made on the 14th day of September, 1814. The proceeds of the sale were small. The first justice of the peace who was elected, living within the town of Loudonville, was Stephen Butler.
"From 1817 untl about 1830, a direct trade, by means of flatboats, was conducted with Louisville and New Orleans-the boats passing down the Black Fork into the Mohican, then into the White Woman, (or Walhonding, as it is now named) thence into the Muskingum, and thence into the Ohio. These boats were generally freighted with flour and whisky, and would carry about forty- five tons. The completion of the Muskingum improvement and Walhonding canal cut off this trade. During the period of this commercial intercourse with New Orleans, flour at Loudonville would command from two dollars and a half to three dollars per barrel, and would sell at the former place for five and six dollars.
"In the legislation connected with the internal improvement system under- taken by the state of Ohio, the town of Loudonville and the Black Fork of the Mohican occupied no inferior space. At a very early day the Black Fork was declared by legislative enactment to be within the purview of the fourth Article of the Ordinance of 1787, which proclaimed the navigable waters leading into the
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Mississippi and St. Lawrence, and the carrying places between the same, as 'common highways, and forever free, as well to the inhabitants of the said territory, as to the citizens of the United States, and those of any other states that may be admitted into the confederacy, without any tax, impost, or duty therefor.'
"The Walhonding canal was commenced with the intention and expectation of extending it up the branches of the river of that name, to Loudonville, on the Black Fork, and to Mt. Vernon, on the 'Vernon river,' or, as it was and is more generally known, the 'Owl creek,' also called the 'Kokosing.'
"On the 10th of March, 1838, a law was passed to provide for the extension of the Walhonding canal to the points named.
"A few days previous to the time designated for advertising the letting of the work, a communication was made to the board of public works by the com- missioners of the canal fund, then in New York, notifying the board that money could not then be borrowed at the rate authorized by law, and urging that the work for a time be suspended.
"The suspension proved to be indefinite; and thus, after a few spasmodic but ineffectual revivals, ended a project which, had it been successful, would, in all probability, have made Loudonville at this day the seat of justice of one of the most flourishing counties in northern Ohio. It was only the protracted period of financial embarrassment that immediately succeeded the year above mentioned, an embarrassment involving all the productive interests of the country as well as corporations and states, that defeated the construction of the improvement of the Black Fork."
One of the most prominent men in Hanover township was Judge George H. Stewart, who was born in Alexandria, Huntington county, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1809. When a boy in his teens he went to Amagh, Pennsylvania, and clerked in a store for two years. It was at the time of the making of the Pennsylvania railroad and the Portage canal over the Allegheny mountains. Judge Stewart came to Loudonville in the summer of 1833, and was one of the early merchants of the town.
He commenced the mercantile business at a time when the people were talk- ing about building a canal up the White Woman and Mohican. Stewart, hav- ing had experience in canaling, took an active part in procuring a law for a state canal to Loudonville, and the law was passed while General William McLaughlin, of Mansfield, was our state senator, and it was through his untiring labor in the legislature that the bill was passed and the canal was located to Loudonville, and advertised for letting, but before it was commenced the legis- lature abolished all state works not commenced, and they failed to get a canal. In 1835-36, when the question of organizing Ashland county was agitated, he took an active part in bringing it about, and was sent to Columbus several times to lobby for the undertaking, spending his time and paying his own expenses.
In 1845-6 his efforts were rewarded, and in 1845 he was appointed associate judge for Ashland county, which office he held seven years. From 1846 to 1850 he took an active part in the construction of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad, for which he secured the right of way through Holmes, Ash- land and a part of Wayne and Richland counties, and in 1851 purchased a tract
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of land of David Foltz in Wayne county, and laid out what is now called Shreve, a station on the railroad above mentioned. He was employed by the railroad company as station agent for ten years.
E. B. Fuller, father of the late Dr. Amos B. Fuller and grandfather of the present Dr. Fuller, was born in New York in 1799, and married Sarah Culver, in Tioga county, Pennsylvania. In 1831 he first settled in Loudonville, and began the practice of medicine; was a doctor of the old school; was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he was a democrat, one of the liberal kind, bitterly opposed to the fugitive slave law. In 1856 two fugitives came to his house early in the morning. He fed them and sent them to Robert Wilson, where they were cared for and taken beyond the reach of United States marshals, bloodhounds, etc.
Andrew J. Scott was born in Ashland county in 1827; attended school at the Ashland academy while Loren Andrews was proprietor, and also at Vermillion institute at Hayesville. For two years he taught in the Loudonville academy, and studied medicine with E. B. Fuller and was also a graduate of Buffalo university. He was a doctor of the old school. He was the father of the present Dr. C. B. Scott.
On June 19, 1899, there was a severe storm and rainfall in the Clearfork valley near Loudonville. The river rose so suddenly that a Mr. Hunter who lived not far from the stream, had no time to escape and nine days after his partly decomposed body was found at a point six miles below where he had lived. The illustrations show some of the work of the flood.
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