History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, Part 63

Author: Williams, W. W. (William W.)
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : Williams brothers
Number of Pages: 458


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The first roads were Indian trails. The main line of travel was at first along the beach, the fording of the streams being accomplished with difficulty. In 1800 the first road was marked out by Seth Harrington, Aaron Wright, and Nathan King, being the present Ridge road, leading to Ashtabula. Nathan King was the first supervisor, and his district extended from the State line to the ten- mile stone in Kingsville.


The first school was taught in 1802-3 by a MIr. Loomis in one of the build- ings then standing at the mouth of the creck.


The first religious meetings were held at the cabin of Aaron Wright about the same time, Rev. Joseph Badger being the first minister.


The first marriage among the settlers occurred in 1800, Aaron Wright and


Anna Montgomery being the contracting parties. They were married in Harpers- field, Justice Wheeler performing the ceremony.


The first death, with the execption of the little child of Mr. Kingsbury, was the daughter of Samuel Bemus, in 1799. The coffin was made by Aaron Wright, who says he made it from a white-oak tree, from which he cut and split the boards, obtaining the nails in making the eoffin from a boat that had been wrecked and drifted near the mouth of the creek, and was painted by using the ashes from burnt straw.


The first birth was a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Bemus, born in 1801, and named Amelia. She became the wife of Daniel Hewett.


INCIDENTS.


The Indians, for a number of years following the first settlement in the county, frequented this locality during the hunting season for the purpose of killing game, and seemed to take great pleasure in revisiting their old hunting-grounds, where lay buried the dust of their ancestors, and where fromu time immemorial roamed their fathers in chase of the bear and elk.


They realized a considerable profit from the sale of the furs of wild animals, and their canoes annually descended the Conneaut richly laden with the product of the winter's hunt. Oftentimes traders would visit them on their grounds, and give them, in exchange for their furs, goods and money.


Rufus S. Recd, merchant, at Presque Isle, or Erie, was accustomed to traffic with the Indians, and for a number of years in the early settlement of this town- ship visited frequently this locality for the purpose of trading with those red hunters. Ile was in the habit of traversing the woods through snows with a pack of goods on his back, or on the back of a French pony that sometimes accompanied him. Engaged in one of these expeditions, he left Conneaut ou a severe wintry day with his pony, intending to reach the station of old Philip, a Seneca Indian, well known to the carly settlers, encamped at the time referred to somewhere within the limits of the present township of Demark.


As the pony on this occasion had no other incumubrance than a sack of dollars, which was firmly attached to his saddle, it was supposed that he could occasion- ally well afford to endure the weight of his master. Mr. Reed accordingly mounted on his back, and pursued his way very industriously, following a trail which the Indians had made through the snow, until, becoming chilled, he alighted and continued on foot his journey, driving his pony before him. Whether or not there was in the mind of the intelligent animal some conscious- ness as to the value of the sack of money fastened to the saddle we cannot tell, but it is certain that when Mr. Reed desired to remount, the pony peremptorily refused to let him approach near enough to consummate this purpose. The


hitherto docile animal rejected all terms of conciliation, and with provoking cun- ning perseveringly eluded every attempt to entrap him into submission. In the pursuit the trail was soon lost, and Mr. Reed, after wandering many hours, found his strength nearly exhausted. At this juncture he was so fortunate as to fall in with Seth Ilarrington, Esq., a resident of Conneaut, and a hunter rarely excelled, who was just returning from a hunting expedition, having just been at Philip's camp. Ile besought Ilarrington to catch his pony for him, and if he could not sceure him in any other way to shoot him and obtain the money, as he cared more for this than for the pony. Himself tired and cold, took Harrington's track and followed it to the encampment. Harrington soon overtook the pony, and by driving hitu into a narrow point of land in a bend of Ashtabula creek, succeeded in capturing the animal, and brought him and the money in triumph to the owner.


A FALSE ALARM.


General IIull's surrender in 1812 at Detroit, whereby the British obtained possession of that commander's army and of the Territory of Michigan, left the whole northern frontier exposed to the incursions of the English, who also had undisputed control of Lake Eric. The settlements along its shore were, therefore, kept in a continued state of agitation and alarm.


The country had been actually devastated as far cast as the Huron river, and the inhabitants either murdered or driven from their homes before a sufficient force could be collected to arrest their progress. To repel this invasion the whole effective force of the country had been called into the field, leaving the new set- tlements in an exposed and defenseless condition. Knowing the wide-spread con- sternation among the settlers, the British vessels took delight in sailing along the coast, firing cannon, and making other sundry demonstrations of hostility in order to increase the alarm of the inhabitants.


They had in two or three instances effected a landing from their vessels in small parties, killed some cattle, and possessed themselves of some other articles of plun- der of more or less value.


Tidings were frequently arriving from the seat of war, and it was not uncommon for the people to be called out of their beds at the dead of night to hear exagger-


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HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY, OHIO.


ated accounts of the murders and cruelties of the Indians engaged in assisting the enemy.


It was during this period of feverish excitement that the following occurrence took place, the particular time being the night of August 11, 1812 :


Two British vessels of rather suspicious appearance had been observed off shore during the previous day. A guard had been stationed at the mouth of the creek who watched the movements of the vessels with close attention. A larger num- ber of persons was deseried upon board, it was thought, than was consistent with peaceable intentions, and grave suspicions as to the hostile purposes of the vessels were entertained, and it was believed that they were only awaiting the approach of night. when they would land and execute their warlike designs. About dusk some hoats were discovered by the sentinels at a short distance from the shore, steering directly towards the mouth of the creek. One of the guard hailed lustily, fired his musket, threw it upon the beach, mounted his horse, and fled precipi- tately. As he dashed through the settlements, he cried, in >tentorian tones, " Turn out ! Save your lives ! The British and Indians are landing, and will he upon you in fifteen minutes !"


The wildest consternation and direst confusion ensued. Before the fifteen minutes had expired. almost every home in the settlement was deserted, and a large portion of the population had taken refuge in the woods. Such was their haste that in many instances the doors were left standing open, and their lights unextinguished. In one instanee a family commenced their flight in so much trepidation that they left one of their children, a little girl of two or three years of age, asleep in the house. and the mistake was not notieed until they had gone some rods from the dwelling.


The inhabitants of the upper settlement fled aeross the creek, and sought refuge on Fort Hill, where amidst its ancient ruins, then covered with a dense forest, they hoped to find a place of temporary security. Before reaching the spot, however, a variety of disasters. more or less serious, had oceurred, principally occasioned by the necessity of fording the Conneaut.


The younger ehildren. and some of the women. were carried over on the shoulders of men. One rather portly lady was heing thus transported on the back of her husband, who was a small man. and lost his footing on a slippery rock in the centre of the stream, and he and his precious eargo were submerged in the current ; and as the little man occupied the nether position he was nearly drowned before he could shift his hallast, and get his head above it and the water.


Within the dilapidated walls of the old fort, hid among the hushes, they passed a most uneomfortable and tedious night, momentarily expecting to hear the yells of the savages, or to witness from the hill the conflagration of their dwellings.


The people of East Conneaut had found shelter from danger of discovery. as they hoped, in a thick hemlock grove on the banks of Smoke Run. a small tributary of the Conneaut, abont one-fourth of a mile south from the Ridge road. In the recesses of this grove were collected quite a numerous company, consisting prin- cipally of women and children. The locality seemed to promise security, except that its proximity to the main road made it necessary to maintain perfect silence. By the soothing attention which the mother knows so well how to bestow the children were kept reasonably quiet, but the noisy and pugnacious qualities of the eanine species eaused infinite annoyance and vexation. One little dog, in partic- ular. would not keep quiet. In spite of all they could do to keep him silent, he would yelp, yelp, yelp, " without any mitigation or remorse of voice." Finding that they could not quiet him, they unanimously passed upon him the sentence of death, and resolved to hang him without benefit of clergy. The elastics of the ladies served as a cord. and soon the little culprit was dangling in the air, sus- pended from a sapling that was bent down for that purpose.


Thus did the villagers pass the never- to-be-forgotten night. Soon the cheerful morning light began to appear, and seouts were sent out to reeonnoitre. There stood their cottages; no hand had touched them. No enemy could be found. The alarm was a false one, and all eagerly and joyfully returned to their dwellings.


The boats which the heated imagination of the sentry had filled with British and Indians, belonged to a Captain Dobbins, of Erie, who was on his way down the lake, having on board some families bound for Conneaut, whom he was endeavoring to land ; but upon diseovering that his vessel was creating alarm, he turned from the shore and coutinued his voyage.


THE ADVENTURE OF SOLOMON SWEATLAND.


The incident that follows took place in the month of September, 1817, and created no little sensation at the time. As it is prominently connected with the early history of this township, we give a full aeeount of it, substantially as given by Mr. Nettleton :


Sweatland was an active young man, residing with his family on the lake- shore, a short distance below the mouth of Conneaut ereek. He was fondly


attached to the sports of the woods, and made the ehase a source both of profit and amusement.


A favorite method of capturing deer at this time was to chase up a herd of them with hounds, and drive them into the lake, as these animals readily take to the water when hotly pursued. Sweatland kept a canoe for the purpose of going upon the lake in pursuit of the deer, and one of his neighbors, who acted in concert with him, kept a number of hounds. The arrangement between the two men was that while Mr. Cozens, the neighbor, should go into the woods, and with the dogs start the deer towards the lake, Sweatland should be prepared to take his canoe, and pursue and capture the deer as soon as it should take to the water.


His canoe was nothing more than a large whitewood log hollowed out, and formed into the shape of a canoe, about fourteen feet in length, and rather wide for its length.


It was a lovely morning in early autuuin. Sweatland had risen early, in anticipation of enjoying a chase upon the blue waters of the lake, and without putting on his coat or waisteoat, listening, as he went toward his canoe, for the approach of the hounds. He soon heard their deep baying, and by the time he reached the boat he found that a large deer had already taken to the water, and was rapidly moving away from the shore. Throwing his hat upon the beach and boarding his canoe, he was soon engaged in an animated chase. The wind, which had been freshi from the south during the night, began now to gradually increase until it became nearly a gale ; but Sweatland, intent upon capturing his prize, paid little or no heed to this. The deer was a vigorous animal, and stoutly breasting the waves, gave proof that in a race with a log eanoe, managed with a single paddle, he was not to be easily vanquished. Our hero had attained a con- siderable distance from the shore before overtaking the animal. The latter, turning and shooting past the canoe, struck out towards the shore. Sweatland, with alarm, now discovered his danger. Heading his frail bark toward the land, he discovered that with the utmost exertion he could make no headway whatever against the terrible gale that was now blowing against himu, but, in fact, was every moment being carried farther and farther from the shore.


His outward progress had been observed by Mr. Cozens and others on shore, who now beeame alarmed for his safety. They saw at onee the impossibility of liis returning in the face of such a gale, and unless help could be got to him he was doomed to perish at sea. Soon a boat containing Messrs. Gilbert, Cozens, and Belden was launched, with the full determination of making every possible effort for his relief. They soon muet the deer returning toward the shore nearly exhausted, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen. They continued their search until they had gone many miles from the shore, when, meeting with a sea in which they judged it impossible for a canoe to live, they returned, giving Sweatland up for lost.


Our hero meanwhile was manfully battling with the waves of an angry sea. He possessed a cool head and stont heart, which, with a tolerable degree of phys- ieal strength and remarkable powers of endurance, were of immense advantage to him in his emergeney. He kept heading towards the shore, faintly hoping that by and by the wind would abate ; but it did not. As the day wore away he re- ceded farther and farther from the shore. As he followed with his eye the out- line of the distant shore, he could distinguish the spot where his own dear little cabin stood, filled with hearts burning with anxiety and distress upon his behalf. During the day one or two sehooners were seen, which he vainly tried to signal.


Seeing the utter hopelessness of getting back to the American shore, he made up his mind to sail with the wind and strike out for the Canada side. The gale had now arisen until it was indeed furious. He was borne on over the angry waters, utterly powerless to guide his bark. He was obliged to stand erect, moving cau- tiously from one extremity of his vessel to the other, so as to trim it to the waves, fearing that each succeeding plunge would be the last one. He was obliged, too, to bail his boat of water, using his shoes for this purpose.


Hitherto our hero had been blest with the cheerful light of day. Now dark- ness was rapidly approaching. The billows of the sea looked dark and frowning. Thinly elad and destitute of food, our hero passed a terrible night. When morning came he found he was in sight of land, and that he was nearing Long Point, on the Canada shore. After being buffeted by the winds and waves for nearly thirty hours he reached the land in safety, and no mortal was ever more thankful. Still, exhausted with fatigue and faint from hunger, he found himself forty miles from any settlement, while the country that intervened was a desert filled with marshes and tangled thickets.


We will not undertake to deseribe his toilsome journey towards the Canadian settlements. Suffiee it to say, he arrived in the course of twenty or more hours, and was kindly received by the people, who showed him every hospitality. On his way to the settlement he had the good fortune to find a quantity of goods, supposed to have been driven on shore from the wreck of some vessel. Accom- panied by some of the inhabitants, he returned and took possession of the goods,


MRS. CALVIN POOLE


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CALVIN POOLE


RESIDENCE OF CALVIN POOLE, CONNEAUT , ASHTABULA CO., OHIO.


MRS. O SALISBURY


RESIDENCE OF CAPT O. SALISBURY, CONNEAUT TP. ASHTABULA COUNTY, OHIO.


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CAPT O. SALISBURY


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HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY, OHIO.


which he earried to Buffalo, and from the avails of which purchased for himself a new suit of clothes. He then took passage on the sehooner " Fire Fly," bound for Ashtabula Harbor. Arrived at his dwelling, guns were fired from the deck of the schooner, and the erew gave three loud eheers. On landing he found his funeral sermon had been preached, and that his wife was elad in the habiliments of mourning.


SOLOMON SPAULDING, A RESIDENT OF CONNEAUT, THE REPUTED AUTHOR OF THE MORMON BIBLE.


Solomon Spaulding came to Conneaut to live in the year 1809, and shortly after began to write a book, elaimed to be identieal with the Golden Bible of the Mormons. We append the following statement of his brother, John Spaulding, copied from the work entitled " Mormonism Unveiled," written by E. D. Ilowe, of Painesville, Ohio :


" Solomon Spaulding was born in Ashford, Connecticut, in 1761, and in early life contracted a taste for literary pursuits. After he had left sehool, he entered Plainfield academy, where he made great profieieney in study and excelled most of his classmates. He next commenced the study of law in Windham county, in which he made little progress, having in the mean time turned his attention to religious subjeets. He soon after entered Dartmouth college, with the intention of qualifying himself for the ministry, where he obtained the degree of A.M., and was regularly ordained. After preaching three or four years he gave it up, removed to Cherry Valley, New York, and commenced the mercantile business in company with his brother Jonah. In a few years he failed in business, and in 1809 removed to Conneaut, Ohio. In the year following I removed to Ohio, and found him engaged in building a forge. I made him a visit abont threc years after, and found that he had failed, and was considerably in debt. He then told me he had been writing a book, which he intended to have published, the avails of which, he thought, would enable him to pay his debts.


" The book was entitled ' Manuseripts Found,' of which he read to me many passages. It was an historical romance of the first settlers of America, endeavor- ing to show that the American Indians are the descendants of the Jews or lost tribes. It gave a detailed account of their journey from Jerusalem by land and sea, till they arrived in America under the command of Nephi and Lchi. They afterwards had quarrels and contentions, and separated into two distinct nations, one of which he denominated Nephites, and the other Lamonites. Cruel and bloody wars ensued, in which great multitudes were slain. They buried their dead in large heaps, which caused the mounds so common in this country. Their arts, seienees, and civilization were brought into view in order to account for all the eurious antiquities found in various parts of North America.


"I have recently read the Book of Mormon, and to my great surprise find nearly the same historical matter, names, etc., as were in my brother's writings. I well remember that he wrote in the old style, and commenced about every sen- tence with ' and it eame to pass,' or ' now it eame to pass,' the same as the Book of Mormon ; and, according to the best of my recollection and belief, it is the same as my brother Solomon wrote, with the exception of the religions matter. By what means it fell into the hands of Joseph Smith, Jr., I am unable to de- termine.


" JOHN SPAULDING."


Mr. Howe, the author of the work referred to, obtained and published the testi- mony of Aaron Wright, Henry Love and others,-all gentlemen of probity,- confirming the identity of Mr. Spaulding's production with portions of the Mormon Bible. Mr. Howe remarks, " Our inquiries did not terminate here. Our next objeet was to ascertain, if possible, what disposition Spaulding made of his manuseripts. For this purpose a messenger was dispatched to look up the widow of Spaulding, who was found residing in Massachusetts. From her we learned that Spaulding resided in Pittsburgh about two years, when he removed to Amity, Washington county, Pennsylvania, where he lived about two years, and died in 1816. His wife then removed to Onondaga county, New York, married again, and lived in Otsego county, and subsequently removed to Massachusetts. She states that Spaulding had a great variety of manuseripts, and reeolleets that one was entitled 'Manuscripts Found,' but of its contents she has no distinet knowledge. While they lived in Pittsburgh she thinks it was once taken to the printing office of Patterson & Lambdin, but whether it was ever brought baek again to the house she is quite uncertain ; if it were, however, it was there with his other writings, in a trunk which she had left in Otsego county, New York. This is all the information that could be obtained from her, except that Mr. Spaulding while living entertained a strong antipathy to the Masonic institution, which may account for its being so frequently mentioned in the Book of Mormon. The fact also that Spaulding, in the latter part of his life, inclined to infidelity, is established by a letter now in our possession in his handwriting.


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" The trunk referred to by the widow was subsequently examined and found to contain only a single manuseript book in Spaulding's handwriting, containing about one quire of paper. This is a romance, purporting to have been translated from the Latin, found in twenty-four rolls of parchment in a ease on the banks of Conneaut ereck, but written in modern style, and giving a fabulous account of a ship being cast on the American eoast while proceeding from Rome to Britain, a short time previous to the Christian era, this country being inhabited by the Indians.


" The old manuscript has been shown to several witnesses acquainted with Spaulding's writing, aud they identify it as in his handwriting, but, as to the matter it contains, it bears no resemblance to the manuscripts found. Now, as Spaulding's book can nowhere be found, or anything heard of it after being earried to the establishment of Patterson & Lambdin, there is the strongest presumption that it remained there in seelusion till about the year 1823 or 1824, at which time Sidney Rigdon located himself in that eity. We have been eredibly informed that he was on terms of intimacy with Lambdin, being seen frequently at his office.


" Rigdon resided in Pittsburgh about three years, and during the whole of that time, as he has sinee asserted frequently, abandoned preaching and all other employments for the purpose of studying the Bible. Ile left there about the time Lambdin died, and commeneed preaching some new points of doetrine which were found to be inculeated in the Mormon Bible.


" He resided in this vicinity about four years previons to the appearance of the book, during which time he made several long visits to Pittsburgh, and perhaps to Susquehanna, where Smith was then digging for money or pretending to be translating plates.


" It may be observed, also, that about the time Rigdon left Pittsburgh, the Smith family began to tell about finding a book that would contain a history of the first inhabitants of America, and that two years elapsed before they finally got possession of it."


The evidence here given which seeks to fasten upon Spaulding the authorship of the Mormon Bible, or at least a portion of it, although not entirely conclusive, is still of a very strong presumptive nature, and we have thought it best to insert a full account of Mr. Spaulding's supposed connection with the Mormon book.


LOCAL INDUSTRIES.


FURNACES.


The Ohio furnace, located about half a mile north of Clark's Corners, in the southeastern portion of the township, was put in operation in the year 1830 by A. Dart and M. P. Ormsby. A large and extensive business was carried on for many years at this place in the manufacture of cast-iron stoves, and nearly all kinds of eastings. At times as wany as from one hundred to one hundred and fifty men were employed in connection with this furnace.


In 1841, Mr. G. V. Eastman bought Mr. Ormsby's interest in the business. Mr. Dart died soon after, and business was suspended about the year 1845.


A forge and furnace had becu in operation for a number of years, at an earlier date, on the flats of Conneaut ereek, a short distance above the present site of the paper-wills. Wrought-iron was manufactured at this place. Henry Lake, Solomon Spaulding, and Elias Keyes were at different times either proprietors or in some way interested.




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