History of Ashland County, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 59

Author: Hill, George William, b. 1823; Williams Bros
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: [Cleveland] Williams
Number of Pages: 896

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School-teaching he had chosen as his profession. As a student, his full determination was to know the princi- ples of his studies. All the time he attended the select school he did not lose an hour, sometimes studying until midnight. To be a good and successful school-teacher, was his aim. To that end he spared neither pains por expense. After the close of the last term of the select school, he returned home and attended a graded school taught by Professor Nuland, a graduate of the normal school at Albany, New York. In the autumn of 1845 he made application to Mr. Crosby, town superintend- ent, for a certificate to teach school, and draw public money for his services. He had no difficulty in procur- ing a school, as he had a recommendation from the pro- fessor and superintendent. He taught a term of four months, and, at the close of the term, he received for the services he had rendered, sixty four dollars. He never had so much money at one time before. He states that he would have been weil recompensed if he had not received a dollar, for he never passed a atore agreeable winter. The following summer he attended the district school at home, three months, which was taught by a thorough and practical teacher, and studied the remainder

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HISTORY OF ASHLAND COUNTY, OHIO.

of that summer at home. The winter following he en gaged as assistant teacher in a graded normal school. The following summer, his health being poor, he visited the sulphur springs, at Avon, New York.

In the month of September, 1847, he came to Ash- land, Ohio, on a visit ; and a long one it has proven, for it has lasted thirty three years. He had not been thirty miles from home before. His first night in Ohio was passed in Oberlin. In the coach that carried him from Oberlin to Ashland, he met a tall, elderly gentleman, who was very jovial and communicative. A couple of days after arriving at Ashland, he was informed that there was an interesting lawsuit in progress at the Stone church, then used as a court-room, to decide whether Ashland village should remain the county-seat of Ash- land county. There, to his surprise, stood the tall, spare man, who came in the coach with him, pleading in the interests of Ashland village. Upon enquiry, he found the interesting speaker to be Reuben Wood, the great expounder of law, from Cleveland.

A few days after arriving at Ashland, he became ac- quainted with one of Ohio's most gifted and talented sons-one of the most energetic, generous, scholarly and self-sacrificing of men, and who did everything in his power for the advancement of the rising generation; that man was Lorin Andrews. Being informed where Mr. Whitmore formerly resided, and that he had taught school,and that he was familiar with the methods employed in the common and graded schools in the State of New York, Mr. Andrews strongly urged him to remain in the county and teach school, and help him and other teach- ers in the cause of education. He informed him that he had a district school in view, that wanted to engage a school-teacher, and was willing and able to pay the high- est wages to a teacher who would teach them a good school and give general satisfaction ; he was fully con- vinced it was a difficult school to govern. Mr. Whitmore took Professor Andrews' advice, and made application for the school referred to.

After several interviews with Mr. James Anderson, one of the school directors, Mr. Whitmore engaged to teach school for fifteen dollars per month of twenty-four days, and to receive his board in the honies of his pupils. He was admonished that the school would be a difficult one to manage. He believed that good order was the first . and leading principle in successful school-teaching. He commenced his school on the day agreed upon, and had a much larger number of pupils at the commencement than he expected. He distinctly recollects this, his first day of school-teaching in Ohio. The most of his pupils on this day were from five to fifteen years old, and in ap- pearance robust and healthy, with sparkling eyes and anxious countenances, and in their behavior quiet and mannerly. The second day a few more came, and his school continued to so increase through the winter that his average daily attendance was over forty. His school- room was considered to be one of the best in the town- ship, and was of peculiar structure and greatly in contrast with what he had been accustomed to see and use in the cast. It was constructed of logs, nearly twenty feet

square, about seven feet high to the caves, and roofed with oak shingles. Yet it let in water and snow when the storms were violent. The chimney was built on the outside; the foundation was built of stone, brick and clay mortar. Mr. Whitmore found, after he had taught a few days, that he had the material for a good school, provided he could get the parents and householders to purchase their children suitable school books. This he finally ac- complished after much persistent effort. He persuaded Professor Andrews to visit his school and give the parents of the pupils a lecture upon the subject, which had a wholesome effect. Mr. Whitmore offered to purchase school books for the pupils of such parents as could not afford to buy them then, and wait until they could repay him.

An effort was made, just before holiday time, by some of the older pupils, lead on by yomig men not members of the school, to have Mr. Whitmore agree to treat the scholars, after the usual custom that then prevailed. The teacher refused to agree to anything of the kind, much to the chagrin of some of his pupils; but after the time had passed, and all hope of a treat had been given up, he surprised his school with a most liberal distribu- tion of fruit and palatable delicacies. Mr. Whitmore relates the following:

In one school district, a teacher was barred out, he- cause of his refusing to treat, and wanted possession of his school-room. His scholars were all in, and had the doors and windows well fastened. The teacher, expect- ing to be barred out, had prepared himself for the emergency. Ile got a ladder, and ascending to the top of the house, dropped sulphur down the flue into the stove, where there was a good fire. It ignited so quickly that the room soon became filled with a strong sulphur- ous odor, and the scholars were obliged to open the doors and windows to breathe, putting the teacher in victorious possession.

In another district the case was similar, but the scholars were more shrewd. After the teacher had as- cended the ladder to the cone of the house, and was try- ing to smoke his scholars out, by covering the top of the chimney, one of the boys crawled out of a window, and took the ladder down, leaving the gentleman teacher on the top of the house, with the cutting wind whistling around, to keep him cool and bring him to time He begged to have the ladder replaced, but the boys would not unless he would consent to treat. After a couple of hours of shivering meditation, he came to the conclu- sion that he had better treat than freeze, or kill himself by jumping down. The contract was not considered binding unless it was in writing, so one of the boys too !: a long pole, and, tying the agreement to be signed and a pencil to the end of it, reached them up to him, when he signed the agreement and threw it down. The boys replaced the ladder, and he came down nearly frozen. So they compelled the teacher to treat, and had a jolly good time.

It was not customary for the householders to take part in the treating business, but let the children and teacher fight it out. One of the parties would generally

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back down or give up in a few days, or the school would be entirely closed for that term.

Mr. Whitmore had marked success with his first school; and public funds being lacking, money was raised by subscription, and he was invited to teach a summer school in the same district, and was employed again for the winter session. His further experience as a teacher extended over a number of years, and it is to be regretted that sufficient space cannot be given to re- count the many interesting facts and events connected with his school-teaching days. His contribution to edu- cation in the county of Ashland was very great.

The text-books then used were the elementary spelling- book, McGffeuy's readers, Mitchell's geography, and atlas, Green's grammar and analysis, Adams' new arith- metic, and Colburn's mental arithmetic; and a good deal of writing was done. They had no steel or gold pens, and no writing-books with plated copies. . After arriv- ing at the school-houses in the morning and making a fire and sweeping the room, Mr. Whitmore's next task was to write copies and make pens out of geese quills, and sometimes his pupils would bring turkey quills as a sub- stitute when geese quills could not be conveniently had. Their ink was mostly made by his pupils or their parents out of the water which maple or chestnut bark had been strongly boiled, then putting in .coperas and boiling it with the liquid to its proper thickness, and then strain- ing. It made a very good black ink.

The following principles were a guide to Mr. Whit- more in his educational labors, and he endeavored to have his pupils governed by them: ist. That it is no disgrace to perform manual labor, but an honor, a credit and a benefit to themselves, to the community, and to their country. To be industrious, economical and saving should be the aim of all, and that physical and mental exercise are necessary to fulfill nature's laws; and that they should not forget the old adage, that "idleness is said to be the mother of crime." 2d. The sure way to success was for them to depend upon themselves, and that self-reliance, with proper exertions, would enable them to accomplish whatever they might reasonably un- dertake, and that it is all within their own power to have or not to have the confidence and respect of their fellow- men, and a person without friends is a miserable being. Wirt says, and it is true, that every person is the archi- tect of his own fortune. 3d. That they should be hon- est in all their business transactions. tell the truth on all occasions, and they would be well rewarded for their up- rightness and truthfulness; that they should never forget, but always follow, the precepts of that good old maxim: "Honesty is the best policy." 4th. That they should at all time reverence and treat their parents with respect and kindness ; be civil, quiet and mannerly, and not for- get the golden rule, but practice it: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Much other good advice he gave to his pupits.

Mr. Whitmore had determined to follow farming for a livelihood, but in the spring of 1857 he was elected town. ship treasurer, and the following spring moved back to Milton township, in this county, and in the autumn of

1858 was elected real estate appraiser for the township of Milton, and assessed the value of the realty the fol- lowing summer. In the spring of 1861 he was elected . justice of the peace. At the expiration of thier years he declined a re-election, but was elected again in the spring of 1866, and was re-elected again in the spring of 1869, and in the month of October, 1869, was elected probate judge for Ashland county, and three years thereafter re- elected probate judge for the second term, which expired in February, 1876; since that time he has employed him- self in farming.

JACOB GIBSON

was born in York county, Pennsylvania, March 31, 1797. In 1804 his parents removed to Allegheny county, where his father died, and in 1810 his mother removed to what was then Jefferson county, Ohio, and settled near the village of Cadiz, in what is now Harrison county, where his mother died, in 1814. He then learned the clothier business, serving three years at the trade. He then re- turned to York county, Pennsylvania, and remained there until IS17, and then went to Washington county, where he worked at the trade until 1819, and in 1823 married Miss Mary Gault, removing to Chio county, Virginia. In 1825 he came to Belmont county, Ohio, where he built a fulling-mill, and carried it on until 1836, when he re- moved to Clearcreek township, then Richland, now Ash- land, county, and located one and a quarter miles west of Haneytown, now Savannah, on the Vermillion river, in 1836. Here he built a fulling-mill, a carding-machine, and a saw-mill, and purchased the farm upon which he now resides, one hundred and sixty acres. He carried on his mills about twenty years, in the meantime operat- ing his farm. For the last twenty-eight years, 1851 to 1879, he has devoted his time wholly to his farm. When he came the leading pioneers of his region were the Freeborns, the Fords, the Baileys, Joseph Davis, James Gribben, Jacob Myers, Thomas Cook, John Gault, John Haney, and others. At that time the Indians had all disappeared, though there was much talk about them. The story of the captivity of Christian Fast was often related, and he often met Mr. Fast at his mills. When clearing some ground on the bottom, east of his house, he came upon the remnants of an Indian village, where the Delawares had often encamped and cooked. He found hearths, or pot-holes, of boulders, where fires had been built, and large amounts of charcoal had been burned. The boulders had been so frequently heated that they were much stained and reddened by the fire. After Mr. Fast came, the Indians had a feast at this place. The sugar trees were much hacked, by the In- dians, in tapping to make sugar, before the whites came, all over the bottom. Mr. Gibson died in 1874, of heart disease, aged seventy-six years. The family of Mr. Gib- son consists of John, William, and Robert. William lives in Cleveland, and Robert in the State of Indiana. His daughters were, Malinda, wife of James Chamber.'; Mar. garet Jane, deceased: Lucina, wife of Dr. William Shaw,

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deceased ; Malissa, wife of Levi Shiply, a widow, and Leticia, single. Mr. Gibson has been an exemplary church member for many years. In 1878 he became a member of the Ashland County Pioneer society, in which his name has been enrolled for future reference. He is now, 1879, in his eighty-third year, and possesses a fair share of vigor, for a man of his age. His memory is clear and retains past events, and rehearses pioneer times with much interesting detail.

John Gibson, son of Jacob Gibson, resides on the ad- joining farm in Clearcreek township, which is under a good state of culture, and quite valuable. His family is small, and they own a pleasant home.

MARTIN HENRY MANSFIELD

was born in the city of New York, December 1, 1821, and left an orphan by the death of his father and mother when quite young. There were but two children, Mar- tin H. and William, who by the intervention of friends, succeeded in finding desirable homes in Pennsylvania. Martin found a place at the home of the father of Sena- tor Patterson, at Mifflintown, Juniata county, where he grew to manhood and learned business habits. He early developed a talent for mechanical pursuits, and de- voted his time in perfecting machinery to aid the agricul- turist. He never had any training by practical machin- ists, and his mechanical ideas were all born with him, and of a wonderful cast. About 1846 he began to evince his peculiar talent for invention, and letters patent were granted by the office in Washington for improvements in clover hullers; his object being to enlist the farmers in raising clover for the purpose of saving the seed, and en- hancing the price of both clover and seed, and in mak- ing it a valuable crop as a fertilizer of failing lands, and a good feed for stock. When patented his original hul- ler was visited by many farmers, and looked upon as an effort that would aid in saving the seed, and increase a disposition to raise and save increased erops wherever in- troduced. He visited several States with a view to inter- esting fariners in the enterprise, and selling territory. He met with some encouragement, but not such as the merits of his invention warranted, and finally turned his attention to Ohio, where his invention attracted a good deal of attention, and finally settled in MIfflin township, in Richland county, where he commenced the manufac- ture of his huller in 18448.

His original object was to enlist mechanics who would engage in making this huller. His shop was at first in Mifflin, in Juniata county, Pennsylvania. He procured two horsesanda wagon, and with one of his hullers and cleaners commenced to canvass, hoping to encourage the growing of clover, but met with little success in selling machines and patents. It was then in the fall and winter, when clover could be procured to eshiba the machine by bull- ing and cleaning the seed. The weather was generally storiny, with rain or snow, arresting the hulling and clean- ing. It was not pleasant work exhibiting the machine. The roads became very bad, and he could hardly travel.

In the winter of 1848 he made a trip to Ohio and made an effort to sell the patent, and operated among the farm- ers of Richland and Ashland counties, but without sales. In Ashland he put up at the hotel kept by the late James McNulty. While at his hotel he drove out to the farm of the late Isaac Davis, near the Mifflin line, and states that by that time "he was flat broke " in finances. He remained with Mr. Davis about two weeks, and sold one machine to Isaac Roland and Jacob Hoover, for fifty dollars-about half-price-getting twenty-four dollars cash and a note for the balance. He found that in his travels it would be better to sell machines than patents. So lie determined to come to Ohio and engage in manufactur- ing his hullet and cleaner, and never again offer a patent right for sale. Before leaving he went to Mansfield and partly arranged with Messrs. Hall and Allen, then proprie- tors of the Mansfield Machine Works, toassist in making his huller. Leaving Ashland county, he returned to Juniata county, Pennsylvania, receiving from Roland and Hoo- ver twenty-four dollars, balance due on a machine, which carried him safely through the mountains, there then be- ing no railroad for conveyance to Ohio. About six weeks after, being in December, 1848, he arrived at his old home. It is proper to state that Mr. Saiger, a brother- in-law, accompanied him on his former trip. In a good covered spring wagon, with curtains, and a pair of good horses and about eight hundred pounds of goods and clothing, and in February, 1849, his wife, Mr. Saiger and himself started for Ohio. The roads were then frozen and were smooth, much resembling a plank floor all the way to Mansfield, where he rented a- house from Dr. Tec,ar- den, and lived in it until April, 1849. Having failed to complete a contract with Messrs. Hall & Co., to manu- facture machines, and becoming scarec of money, he con. cluded to settle in Mifflin township, near Mr. Isaac Da- vis, and start a shop of his own, furnished by Mr. Stein- hour, who lived near, and with his assistance, he being a mechanic, made hullers. On the first of April, 18449, he moved near Mr. Davis, and commenced making clover hullers in a small way. He made five that spring and summer, and sold them all in the fall. He remembers that George Stillwagon and Daniel Koogle, near Mifflin, bought machines and gave him a friendly recommend among the farmers, which aided him very much, these gentlemen having done a good deal of hulling during that fall and winter. Mr. Mansfield regarded this act as very kind to the day of his decease, and attributed his success to the aid of such friends. It was the means of selling a number of hullers that fall and winter, and was the cause of many other sales in Ashland county. By this means he had accumulated a small amount of money by April 1, 1850, when he temoved to Ashland and set- tled in an old frame building opposite the house of the late Captain A. Walker, on Third street, in which he lived and used as a shop for two years.

The demand for hullers was very great, and it became necessary to procure more room. So he purchased out- lot number sixteen, of Joseph Wasson, in South Ashland. where he built a shop, where Robert McMurray subase. quently built a residence. The shop was twenty-four by

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sixty feet, two stories high, one of which was converted into a dwelling, where Mr. Mansfield lived, having moved into it, until the spring of 1852. A short time after he attached a foundry, and made plows and other farm in- plements, having a blacksmith shop, with steam engine. The demand for hullers kept increasing from year to year ---- some years running as high as one hundred-until he was compelled to enlarge his facilities, and, in the summer of 1853, Mr. D. Whiting built him a residence, where he resided, which gave him all the room he needed for the hullers. In 1856 he entered into part- nership with D. Whiting, who built a shop on ground formerly owned by the late George Swineford, as a tan- nery and residence, and now occupied by Messrs. Whit- ing & Shearer for the manufacture of agricultural imple- ments. After he and Mr. Whiting formed a partnership they increased their facilities for manufacturing. He sold one-half of the undivided interest in his patents to Mr. Whiting, after having conducted a thriving business four years, being limited to that time. In January, 1860, he sold his interest in the machine works to Mr. Whiting. On the fourth of January, 1861, he purchased lot num- ber thirty-five, on the south side of Main street, in Ash- land, from William Skilling, and commenced again to make hullers, during the year, in an old building on the lot. He seems to have been destined to wear out in im- proving and making clover machinery.

In 1862 be built the brick building that now stands upon the lot opposite the Times office, and in 1866, put up the rear brick. The front part is about twenty-eight by seventy-five feet, two stories high, with a basement. The rear is thirty eight by seventy-five feet, with same number of stories as front. It is now occupied by F. E. Myers & Brother as an agricultural implement store-room. These buildings were built for the manufacture of clover hullers; also with a view to other employments.

Previous to 1864 the clover hullers and cleaners made in Ashland were not like the ones made at the present day. They hulled and cleaned the seed from the clover heads after the straw was first removed by a separate machine, or by a wheat threshing machine, or in some other manner. In 1858 Mr. John Birdsall, then of New York State, obtained a patent for combining in one machine, a cylinder to thresh the heads, from the straw; and a cylinder to hull the seed, with separating and cleaning apparatus. These were called double-cylinder machines. Other manufacturers immediately commenced to make the two-cylinder machines. Mr. Birdsall brought suit in the United States court against several parties for infringements upon his machine. In order to compete with Mr. Birdsall, and not to infringe upon his patents, Mr. Mansfield constructed in the fall of 1863, a machine with only one cylinder to do the same work as that done by the Birdsali two cylinder machine. To the surprise of quite a number of manufacturers he was successful, and succeeded in obtaining a patent for his machine in 186;, 1866, and in 1871, with additional improvements. in 1875 he retired from business, and granted a license to Messrs. Russell & Co., of Massillon, Ohio, and since then retired from the business altogether, in consequence

of ill health, and being affected with a bronchial trouble, brought on by being exposed to the clover dust by ex- perimenting, setting up and starting clover hullers for the past thirty years.

Since the Mansfield machine was invented, and intro- duced among the farmers of this part of Ohio, the production of clover has been largely increased, the acreage being more than five times as great as formerly. The land has been greatly improved by raising the crop, the old adage that "he that causes one blade of grass to grow, where it had not previously grown, must be re- garded a benefactor of his race," is literally true. It was Mr. Mansfield's pride, not only to be a successful inventor, but to aid the farmer in producing a valuable crop. In this respect, his value to the agriculturist can. not easily be determined. He has now done his last work, and been called home to rest. He died April 4, ISSo, and was buried April 6, 18So.

As- a mechanic, he was very successful; in fact, he may be regarded as a genius in invention. He was methodical and unassuming in manner, and deemed a very generous and conscientious manager of his busi- ness. Employes speak of him only in a spirit that evinces true affection. They carried him, with many tears, to his last resting place in the cemetery, accompa- nied by hundreds of citizens, who had learned, by long association, to love and respect him.

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History of Ashland County, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 59

Author: Hill, George William, b. 1823; Williams Bros Publication date: 1880 Publisher: [Cleveland] Williams Number of Pages: 896

Author: Hill, George William, b. 1823; Williams Bros
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: [Cleveland] Williams
Number of Pages: 896