History of Columbiana County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 49

Author: McCord, William B., b. 1844
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 912

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BROADWAY, SALEM, IN 1887-LOOKING SOUTH.

APPENDIX.

Annual Meeting of the Pioneers-County Fairs-Harvest Home Picnics-Home for Aged Women.

On Thursday, June 29, 1905, at Tolerton's Grove, Salem, the 36th annual meeting of the Columbiana County Pioneer and Historical Association was held. The retiring president, William B. McCord, presided. Hon. James A. Martin, probate judge of the county, made the annual address, which was an eloquent and masterly effort, his subject being "Memories of the Old Home." Hon. J. M. Dickinson, of Lisbon, made a report touching the prospect of securing a permanent home for the society ; and Mrs. J. B. Park read the necrological re- port, giving a list of names, ages and dates of death of members and other aged persons in the county who had crossed the "Dark River" since the last annual meeting. A very unique feature was the proceedings of the recitations of Mrs. Laura Thompson, of Leetonia, she being arrayed in the style of garb worn in the early years of the 19th century. Another very attractive feature was the singing of old-time songs by an old-time quartette of singers pretty well advanced in years, several aged persons, present as guests, volunteering to sing solos and duets. A number of the pioneers present related some of their experiences of 50 years or more gone by, and a very rare collection of relics was displayed and admired by the large number of people present. The following named persons were elected as officers for the ensuing year : President, William G. Bentley, . of Salem ; vice-president, A. R. Sinn, of Salem; secretary, J. B. Park, of Salem (re-elected) ; treasurer, J. W. Cope, of New Waterford; necrologist, Mrs. J. B. Park, of Salem (re-elect- ed) ; historian, Hon. J. M. Dickinson, of Lis-

¿ bon. The invitation of the Salem Business Association, extended to the society to hold its next annual meeting in Salem on Thursday of Salem's centennial week in June of 1906, was. accepted. Some of the ladies of the' society and of Salem served a bountiful dinner in the dining hall of the grove, and altogether this. "rare day in June," in the beautiful grove, proved a very enjoyable one indeed.

A brief historical sketch of the Pioneer society was read at the 32nd annual meeting, at Lisbon, June 13, 1901, by Dr. J. M. Hole, of Salem, one of the original members and pro- moters and always a faithful member up to the time of his death, which occurred July 26, 1901, he being then 79 years of age. As Dr. Hole was the historian of the society almost all of the 32 years during which he was a member, some extracts from his paper on the occasion referred to will avail to give a brief history of the association, with its purposes, etc. The extracts follow :

"Thirty-two years ago last March, Hon. J. K. Rukenbrod, then editor of the Salem Rc- publican, called at the office of Dr. J. M. Hole, Salem, Ohio. These two men then made out a list of some 60 names, pioneers of the county. and arranged a program to call a meeting of these citizens, both men and women, to meet in the City Hall, Salem, the following June (1869). This call and program were pub- lished in the Salem Republican, and brought to that meeting a large and earnest number of pioneers, all anxious to have an organization inaugurated at once in the county. Thereupon a large committee was selected to recommend

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

officers for the organization. The following officers were elected : Gen. Jacob Roller, presi- dent; Hon. J. K. Rukenbrod, secretary; Dr. J. M. Hole, treasurer, and several others were elected vice-presidents. The society was also provided with committees whose duty it was to prepare a dinner for the pioneers, take the names of those in attendance, and collect a small fee of 50 cents from the men who became members; to select a place to hold the meeting the following year ; to make out a program; to receive and care for the relics and other things presented to the society, and all to act as auxiliary committees for the benefit of the society until their successors were chosen. After the transaction of routine business, the presi- dent called on those present to make remarks, and any one who wished to tell of his experi- ence in the settling of the county, and of the dif- ficulties of getting out into the forest as it was then called; the building of cabins and clearing of farms; preparing to raise food for them- selves and their animals; the troubles from In- dians and wild animals, such as bears, wolves, wild-cats, panthers, deer and turkeys, geese, ducks and other wild fowls. There was quite an account of bears and wolves, and as to how ' some families had to depend for a few years for their meat on wild game that was easily obtained by the men folk, if they had guns and ammunition, which, by the way, were at times very scarce and hard to get; how some made traps or pens of logs or rails to capture these animals ; how some of the settlers had to live for weeks on hominy or boiled corn, no mills, to grind the wheat into flour or corn into meal, for miles from where they had fixed their homes; no salt, unless packed on horse-back from the Ohio River; how they had to keep their sheep and pigs in pens at night near the cabins, lest bears or wolves would kill them. Many times these animals would keep up such a howl of disappointment that persons could not sleep. for the noise, so near would they come to the cabins; how they built the cabin, which constituted a kitchen, parlor, sitting-room, din- ing-room, and bed-room, all inside of a 25 by 25 feet square of a house; how they had to walk or go on horse-back, as there were no

wagons, cars or automobiles to travel in in those days. Even the fire had to be kept in at night, for it went out, and the neighbors two or three miles away had kept theirs, they had to go that distance to borrow a faggot from them. As a general rule, however, most of the farmers kept punk and flint and a big knife, and when they wanted a fire would strike the knife quickly against the flint, the friction would make a spark which would set the punk on fire, some- what as lightning does, and they would care- fully apply more punk and thus coax it to burn. All these and hundreds of other reminiscences were related in five to ten minute talks by the pioneers, which would be of great interest and were descriptive of practices that were main- tained by the old settlers. This is a sample of many of the meetings since then, and naturally a large and increasing membership resulted. Later on Prof. W. D. Henkle proposed adding the name historical, to that of pioneer, and thereafter calling the society the Pioneer and Historical Association, so as to admit all per- sons over 21 years of age. The change of name was adopted. The association was incorpo- rated 15 years ago, and its financial standing is good. We have no debts, we collect sufficient money to pay incidental expenses, and our. officers are not paid for their services."

Following are the places and dates of meet- ings of the Columbiana County Pioneer and Historical Association, from the beginning down to the last meeting, in Salem, June, 1905 : New Lisbon, September 8, 1870; Salem, Sep- tember 7, 1871; New Lisbon, September 5, 1872; New Lisbon, September 13, 1873; Salem, September 12, 1874; Columbiana, Sep- tember 14 and 15, 1875; East Liverpool, Sep- tember 5. 1876; Hanover, September 5, 1877; New Lisbon, September 3, 1878; Salem, Sep- tember 17, 1879; New Lisbon, September 9, 1880; Fair Grounds, New Lisbon, September 7, 1881 ; Fair Grounds, New Lisbon, Septem- ber 14, 1882; New Lisbon, August 29, 1883; Wellsville, June 17, 1884; Salem, June 17, 1885; Hanover, June 10, 1886; Salem, June 9, 1887 ; Leetonia, June 14, 1888; East Liverpool, June 13, 1889; East Palestine, June 12, 1890; Salem, June II, 1891 ; East Palestine, June 9,

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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.

1892; East Rochester, June 15, 1893; New Waterford, June 14, 1894; Rogers, June 29, 1895; Columbiana, June 18, 1896; Salem, June 17, 1897; Salem, June 16, 1898; Negley, June 15, 1899; Rogers, June 14, 1900; Lisbon, June 13, 1901; Leetonia, June 19, 1902; Lisbon, June 17, 1903; New Waterford, June 16, 1904; Salem, June 29, 1905.

The Columbiana County Agricultural So- ciety held its 56th annual fair. September 12-14, 1905. The society was organized in 1849, and these fairs had been held annually without a lapse since the beginning, always on the grounds at Lisbon where the first exhibition was given, and always successfully. It is a county institution, and received aid from the State Board of Agriculture in 1905, the appro- priation being $800. The officers for 1905 were: President, William M. Travis; vice- president, J. M. Levan; secretary, E. F. Moore; treasurer, F. G. Bowman ; managers, -- Lee Deemer, J. C. Billingsley, C. F. Lease, Seymore Pottorf, William M. Travis, J. W. Hoopes. F. G. Bowman, L. H. Copeland, J. M. Levan and E. F. Moore.

An annual event of, for the time being, ab- sorbing interest, especially to the rural com- munities of the county, is that of the Colum- biana County Harvest Home Picnic, held an- nually, on the last Saturday of August, at Shelton's Grove; a beautiful resort, five miles east of Salem. At the gathering held on Sat- urday, August 26, 1905, about 8,000 people were present, which was about the average at- tendance. The addresses on that occasion were made by Hon. Philip M. Smith, of Wellsville, and Rev. Earl D. Holtz, D. D., of Allegheny. These officers were elected for, the ensuing year : President, K. D. Bell, Rogers; vice- president, Clark Halverstadt, Salem township; secretary, H. A. Halverstadt, Salem township; treasurer, Watson E. Stewart; executive com- mittee,-Frank Betz, Homer Everett, P. M.

Bowman, Peter, Smith, Orlando Frederick and A. H. Arter.

The Township Line Farmers' Club was another organization which for many years had existed for pleasure and profit. It held annu- ally a harvest home picnic, usually at Smith's Grove, on the farm of Wilson S. Smith, in St. Clair township, and was a great meeting place for local political-aspirants, as well as a social resort for families and friends. The members also clubbed together for the advantageous pur- chase of seeds, fertilizers, agricultural imple- ments, etc.

The Home for Aged Women is a very worthy charitable institution of Salem. The inception of the home was largely due to the active interest, in the class to be benefitted, of Mrs. Joseph Koll, who was instrumental in setting a movement on foot in 1886, which cul- minated in 1887 in the purchase of the Evans Homestead, a large and substantial brick build- ing with spacious grounds, on East Main street, now McKinley avenue. Mrs. Eliza Jennings made the first donation, of $1,000. The home was opened in October, 1888, and had since, up to the summer of 1905, furnished a comfortable abiding place to from eight to. twelve inmates. It was understood that the home would be enlarged and its facilities for usefulness increased commensurately with the demands upon it, and as the revenue would permit. In 1900 the institution was enlarged by the addition of four rooms, and other im- provements were made. The first matron was Phebe Gruell, 'and she was succeeded by Mrs. Lucy Pettit, who served in the capacity for II years, or until August 1, 1905. Her successor was Mrs. Brokenshire. The officer's in 1905 were: President, Mrs. Simeon Sharp; vice- presidents,-Mrs. M. L. Edwards, Elma F. Hayes and Mrs. Mary R. Silver; treasurer, Mrs. Joseph Koll; secretary, Mrs. Anna B. Heaton.

ALEXANDER WELLS

Representative Citizens

LEXANDER WELLS. The venera- ble subject of this review, whose por- trait is shown on the opposite page, is distinguished as the oldest white resi- dent of Columbiana County. He has spent his long and useful life in Wellsville, where he was born June 3, 1808. A very remarkable fact also about Mr. Wells is that he is the younger of twins born to his parents, William and Ann (Clark) Wells, his sister Rachel being some 30 minutes older than him- self. Both children from infancy were un- usually robust and the sister lived to the age of 90 years while our subject is within but a short period of attaining the century mark.

Our subject's grandfather, George Wells, who was of English ancestry, was born in Maryland and settled as a pioneer in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. In Bedford County, William Wells, the father, was born, Feb- ruary 10, 1765, and as his mother died in his infancy he was reared by his grandmother and they lived successively in Summit and Wash- ington counties, Pennsylvania. In the latter county William was mainly reared and there he married and during his residence there five of his children were born. He was a farmer in comfortable circumstances and must have been a man of considerable prominence as he was elected sheriff and filled the office for some years. When he resigned that position. he removed to Steubenville, Ohio, where he lived for one year and then removed to Han- cock County, Virginia (now West Virginia),

just across the river from what is now the city of Wellsville.

At that time the Indians in Columbiana County were still considered dangerous and Mr. Wells settled his family where he did on account of there being a couple of block-houses in which they could be safely housed while he was obliged to leave them without his pro- tection. Just across the river, his father-in- law, James Clark, had cleared several acres of land which Mr. Wells purchased and every day he would swim on horseback across the river to cultivate his land. This continued until his first crop of corn was ripe and conditions had a little improved, when he brought his family to Wellsville where they have lived ever since. He served in the military and our subject has in his possession a very valuable document, this being his father's commission received from Governor Arthur St. Clair, which bears the date of July 15, 1798, the place being Cincinnati, which city it will be remembered was given its name by this same first Gover- nor of the Northwest Territory. It is recorded that William Wells took the oath of office from his cousin, Basil Wells, of Steubenville, on the above date and served in this office until Ohio became a State.

William Wells was a farmer all his life but he was a man of excellent business perceptions and, as his early efforts showed, of resolute nature and great personal courage and per- severance. In 1823 settlers had come in suchi numbers to locate in the favored localities

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

along the river, that Mr. Wells, with great foresight, platted a part of his farm of 304 acres, and named the new place "Wellsville." It soon grew from a farm into a hamlet, a vil- lage, a town and now is a thriving city, one in which the name of its founder is not forgot- ten. Mr. Wells with a man named Heath discovered the possibilities of a salt-spring near Hibbitt's mill on Little Yellow Creek and they were the first white men to ever en- gage in the manufacture of salt in Columbiana County. Mr. Wells was foremost in all edu- cational and religious progress and was not only the founder of the city but was the ori- ginator and promoter of many of its earliest and most important enterprises. He died in 1853. The year previous he had the pleasure and enjoyed the honor of being selected to drive the last spike when the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad was completed to Wells- ville. It was seemly that he should have been selected for this duty and one can but wonder if, when his eye ran along the shining rails which meant so much to this locality, a vis- ion of himself returned, swimming the angry currents of the river. when he worked with his flint-lock musket across his wooden mold- board plow, on the very site of this great en- gineering achievement.

William Wells married Ann Clark, who was born in 1765, and died in 1814. She was a daughter of James Clark, one of the earliest pioneers of Columbiana County, and certainly one of the most remakable. He lived to the age of 103 years and it is related of him that he retained his faculties to the end and his eyesight was so perfect that at the age of 95 years he could read without glasses and even on one occasion, shot a squirrel from the top of a 40-foot tree. William and Ann Wells reared nine of their 10 children, the members of the family bearing these names: Mary. who married David Watts and lived and died in Wellsville: James and George, deceased : Margaret, who married William Pritchard. both now deceased: William and Joseph, de- ceased; Ann, who married O. P. Sherman. both now deceased: Sarah, who married Jo- seph Benson, both now deceased; and Rachel

and Alexander, (twins). the former of whom married A. G. W. Stevens and is deceased, as previously mentioned in this article. The family has been a noted one for longevity.

Among the many interesting recollections of our esteemed subject, one pertaining to his school days is especially interesting. He de- scribes the old log house as being substantially constructed. An opening 14 inches wide ran around two sides and one end of the building, which space was covered with greased paper, in lieu of glass, to let in light and keep out the elements. There was no necessity to provide for ventilation, the interstices between the logs supplying all the air necessary. The name of his first teacher he recalls as Richard Boyce. In 1827 he went to work in a general store, clerk- ing for his board and clothes, according to the custom of the time, but in 1829 he went into business for himself in partnership with his brother George. the firm name being G. & A. Wells, which continued until 1844.

This business was conducted before the completion of the railroad and a main feature was the loading and sending out through the country of wagons full of merchandise. This was a wonderful convenience to the outlying villages and farm houses. In addition the firm did a very large storage and forwarding business. In 1844 George Wells retired from the firm and our subject continued alone, but after the completion of the railroad in 1852 the forwarding feature was dropped. Mr. Wells remained in the mercantile trade, how- ever, until after the close of the Civil War, when he was succeeded by his sons, Alexander R. and Emmett H. Wells, but he remained a silent partner until 1901, when he retired at the age of 93 years, after a business life of 72 years.

Mr. Wells has been concerned more or less with almost all the important movements which have served to promote the commercial pros- perity of Wellsville. From its organization he has been a director of the First National Bank, and he was very active in securing the excell- ent transportation facilities which the city en- joys. His early political sympathies were with the Whig party and then he became a Republi-

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can and continued to be thus identified until 1885, when he became a Prohibitionist. As a member of this party he is a strong advocate, for scarcely could a better example of the value of temperance principles be found than in this hale, hearty, clear-brained nonogenarian, whose life has bridged such a great gulf of history, and who still looks out on life with happy interest, keeping in touch with local, national and world movements. Almost daily he can be seen mingling with his fellow-citi- zens by whom he is regarded with feelings of esteem and veneration.

Mr. Wells was married September 13, 1836, to Esther Kemble, who was born Jan- uary 5, 1819, and died April 29, 1873. She was a daughter of Samuel and Susanna ( Bliz- zard) Kemble, old residents of Elkrun town- ship. They had 10 children, the eldest born on his father's birthday and the second on his mother's birthday. They were: William G., of Lisbon, Ohio; Kemble, who served as a lieutenant in the Civil War; Homer C., of Wellsville; Margaret, widow of E. S. Taylor, of Wellsville; Clark, who died in infancy ; Helen Mar, widow of Clarence R. Arnold, of Wellsville; Alexander R .; Marcellus, of Charleroi, Pennsylvania; and Emmett H., of Wellsville.

Mr. Wells, like his late wife, has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years, his father and mother having been charter members when it was organized in 1807.

ILLIAM CLARK CHAMBERLIN, who enjoys the distinction of be- ing the oldest settler in East Pales- tine in point of time, and the oldest merchant and banker, is a citizen who has been closely identified with the de- velopment of the northeastern section of Columbiana County during the progressive changes wrought by the passage of more than a half century. Mr. Chamberlin was born on the present site of East Palestine, the family estate then being known as the Taggart place, 20

on July 11. 1837, and is a son of Dr. Robert and Rebecca ( Taggart ) Chamberlin.

Within the easy memory of many residents of East Palestine, this section of the country was a large body of rich farming land, com- prising some 640' acres, which had been entered by John Taggart, Mr. Chamberlin's maternal grandfather. The home of R. F. Taggart, cast of the present town, is in the original plat of East Palestine as is another, portion of the homestead to the west. The original name selected for the growing hamlet was Mechanics- burg but the mother of Mr. Chamberlin de- sired a more euphonious appellation and desired it called Palestine, the quiet beauty of the little town and the earnest virtuous, simple life of its people suggesting to her a name recalling holy memories. On account of there being already a Palestine in Ohio, the government, in grant- ing a postoffice, gave the prefix "East" and East Palestine it has been ever since.

Dr. Robert Chamberlin, pioneer physician, first merchant and first postmaster at East Palestine, was born in Lancaster County, Penn- sylvania, December 11, 1798, and died March 22, 1876, aged 77 years, at his home in East Palestine. From Delaware County, Pennsyl- vania, he came in boyhood, to Ohio, and worked at farming in Fairfield County, coming to Columbiana County at the age of 20 years. Here he read medicine under Dr. Towne, and subsequently was graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. Prior to this he had been a student at Mount Airy Academy, near Philadelphia, and for a time he was in- structor in English at this institution, spending some years as an educator. Had he not turned his attention particularly to medicine, he would in all probability have been a distinguished man of letters. He prepared a work on English grammar, which, although never published, re- ceived the approbation of competent critics as an excellent treatise on the English language.

After settling permanently in Ohio, Dr. Robert Chamberlin served several years as surveyor of Columbiana County and he was also the surveyor for the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad, now the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago line, from the Ohio River to Salem,.

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

Ohio. In addition to an extensive medical prac- tice which extended over a period of 30 years, he established the first store and the only one . of importance for many years, and when the Legislature changed the name of the little ham- let to East Palestine and the government es- tablished the post office, he, as the most im- portant man of the place, was chosen post- master. He laid out the first addition to the town and in fact, for years, was one of its .dominating characters.

Our esteemed subject was equally fortunate in having a mother of more than usual intellect and business capacity. Rebecca Taggart was born February 25, 1810, and died January 9, 1895. She not only mothered and reared a family of seven children, but capably met every exigency which arose during her husband's en- forced absences, conducting the affairs of the store with as much discretion as he could have done. To his mother Mr. Chamberlin at- tributes his business success, she having given him his early training. Her children were: John Taggart, deceased, formerly of East Palestine; Rebecca Ann, who married Enos Goble and had two daughters,-Mary Ann, deceased, and Nancy Duira, of New York City; Calvin Forbes, who met death in a railroad ac- ·cident and left a family in East Palestine; Wil- liam Clark, of East Palestine; James Horace, who is now a retired merchant in Philadelphia, where he has a family; Nancy Duira, deceased in 1867, who was the wife of Albert Augustine, -they are survived by one son, Albert, who is a resident of Salem, Ohio; and Robert Syden- ham, deceased, who is survived by a widow and four children, who live in East Palestine.

William Clark Chamberlin assisted in his father's store from boyhood and for a number "of years acted as assistant postmaster while his father was driving over the country attend- ing to his medical practice. When his eldest "brother, John Taggart Chamberlin, started a mercantile business under the firm name of Robert Chamberlin & Sons, he entered into the business. This house still exists, the name be- :ing retained although at different times its part- mers have been changed. The business was that of a general store, of which the stock in the

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History of Columbiana County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 49

Author: McCord, William B., b. 1844 Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 912

Author: McCord, William B., b. 1844
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 912