History of Columbiana County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 7

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

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The first paper mill in Ohio, and the second west of the Alleghanies, was erected in 1805-06 on Little Beaver Creek, and was called the "Ohio Paper Mill." The proprietors were John Bever and John Coulter. The first grist- mill in the county was built by Joseph Fawcett, on Carpenter's Run, near East Liverpool; the first steam sawmill in what was then Colum- biana County, by Wilson Teeter and Edwin Webb, at New Albany in Goshen township,

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in 1822; the first blast furnace by Gideon Hughes at New Lisbon, in 1808; the first tan- nery probably, at the same place, by John Arter and Daniel Harbaugh, in or prior to 1805; a cotton factory of brick, at Salem, by John Strawn and others, in 1814.

In 1841, there were in the county 83 grist- mills, 167 saw mills, 7 oil-mills, 2 paper-mills, 2 furnaces, 8 iron foundaries, 37 tanneries, 6 salt wells, 2 of which were in operation, turn- ing out 2,800 barrels of salt yearly. The fol- lowing items were returned for taxation in 1840 : Mercantile capital, $108,849; money at interest, $44,265; 215 pleasure carriages, valued at $10,443 ; 8,619 horses, valued at $344,760; 13,657 neat cattle, valued at $109,256.

SOME INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE.

In a description of the great "Starvation Year" the "History of the Upper Ohio Valley" says: "Among the trials and privations to which the early settlers were subjected was the failure of crops, and hence the 'scarcity of wholesome food. In the year 1790 famine stared them in the face.' An early frost in the preceding fall had cut down the corn before it was fairly dried and ready for the gathering. A great deal of it, however, was gathered and put away notwithstanding, and in this state it was used by many for making bread, which, when eaten, invariably reacted on the stomach, producing intense sickness and vomiting. Even the domestic animals were seriously affected from eating it. Consequently wholesome corn at once went up to $1.50 to $2 per bushel, and even at this price it was difficult to obtain. The scarcity was pronounced and generally felt by the following June. There were but few milch cows in the settlements, and no oxen, cattle or hogs which could be spared for meat. The woods to a great extent had been depleted of game 'by the Indians, who had slaughtered or driven away the greater portion of it within any reasonable distance of the settlements. But in the midst of the great scarcity prevail- ing shone out that conspicuous trait of char- acter attaching to the people who readily shared what they had with those who were less

fortunate. Such of them as were the fortunate possessors of a cow, shared their milk with their neighbors, notably in cases where families had young children. There was also a scarcity of sugar and molasses, not because there was not an abundance of the maple trees around them, but simply because they were deficient in not having vessels appropriate in which to boil the sap. If it had not been that the rivers and creeks afforded a reasonable supply of fish very poor families must have suffered from starvation. The green tops of nettles and the tender blades of herbs of various kinds, as soon as they appeared, were gathered, of which they made a palatable dish of soup, which many persons indulged in to satisfy the cravings of hunger. Potato tops were also utilized in the same way. A great scarcity of salt prevailed and sold in small quantities at 50 cents a quart. By one means and another the settlers struggled through this dire period until early vegetables began to appear, and finally the ripened corn, mixed with a small quantity of wheat, furnished them with the luxury of bread. The crop of the year was excellent, and banished all fear of a want of food. This year marked an episode in the lives of the settlers and was known long afterward, and always referred to as the "Starvation Year."

. The well-known old pioneer, Uriah Thomas, who died 12 or 15 years ago at a good old age, related the following incident, which oc- curred in St. Clair township. In the pioneer days of old St. Clair, an old bachelor farmer, living on the north branch of the Little Bear Creek, had in his employ a young woman- quite a young woman, say 13 or 14 years old. The old bachelor had secured the little girl's consent to a marriage union. Notice was given, and when the time arrived for the ceremony, the justice of the peace was promptly on hand at the cabin. When the intended bride saw the justice coming, she ran and hid in the bushes close by. ' After passing the compliments of the day, the justice inquired for the bride elect. The groom-to-be replied that when she saw him coming she ran away and hid. "Hunt her up quick," was the command of the official. The future husband went out, shook the.

HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

bushes and the bird came forth. The ceremony was speedily performed, and the justice received his fee in coon-skins.

A CURIOUS LETTER.

In the early days of the county, when Chilli- cothe was the State capital, a new member of the General Assembly from Columbiana County wrote a letter which was printed in the Ohio Patriot, which was even at that early day pub- lished at New Lisbon. The letter read :

"With the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly im- proper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplication to that Almighty Being Who rules over the universe, Who presides in the councils of nations, and Whose providential aid can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the State of Ohio, a government instituted by themselves, and may enable every instrument employed in this ad- ministration, and likewise wish to execute with success the functions allotted to my charge. . "Having thus imparted to you my senti- ments as they have been awakened by the occa- sion which brings us together, I shall take my present leave, but not without resorting once more to that benign Parent of the human race in humble supplication, that since He has been pleased to favor the American people with opportunity for deliberating in perfect tran- quility and disposition for deciding with un- paralleled equanimity on a form of govern- ment for the security of their union and the advancement of this happiness. So His divine blessing may be equally conspicuous in the en- larged views, the temperate consultations and the wise measures on which the success of this government must depend."

. . If the honorable member, who was the author of the foregoing "hifalutin" effusion, succeeded during the two terms to which he was elected to the legislature, in acquiring some conception of what was expected of him by his constituents, and in mustering his scattered ideas into some sort of working order, he may

possibly have so modified his "enlarged views" as to do and say some things within the com- prehension and for the benefit of common every- day mortals.

THE FIGHT BETWEEN POE AND THE INDIANS.

Says Henry Howe in his "Historical Col- lections of Ohio:" Adam Poe, who, with his brother Andrew, had the noted fight with the Indians, once resided in Columbiana County, in Wayne township, on the west fork of Little' Beaver. The son of Andrew-Deacon Adam Poe-was living as late as 1846 in the vicinity of Ravenna, Portage County, and had the toma- hawk with which the Indian struck his father. The locality where the struggle occurred, he then told the author, was nearly opposite the mouth of Little Yellow Creek. We annex the particulars of this affair from Doddridge's "Notes," substituting, however, the name of Andrew for. Adam, and vice versa, as he then stated they should be placed :

"In the summer of 1782 a party of seven Wyandots made an incursion into a settlement some distance below Fort Pitt, and several miles from the Ohio River. Here, finding an old man alone in a cabin, they killed him, packed up what plunder they could find, and com- menced their retreat. Among their party was a celebrated Wyandot chief, who, in addition to his fame as a warrior and counsellor, was, as to his size and strength, a real giant. The news of the visit of the Indians soon spread through the neighborhood and a party of eight good riflemen was collected, in a few hours, for the purpose of pursuing the Indians. In this party were two brothers of the names of Adam and Andrew Poe. They were both famous for courage, size and activity.

"This little party commenced the pursuit of the Indians, with a determination, if possible, not to suffer them to escape, as they usually did on such occasions, by making a speedy flight to the river, crossing it, and then dividing into small parties to meet at a distant point at a given time. The pursuit was continued the greater part of the night after the Indians had done the mischief. In the morning the party

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found themselves on the trail of the Indians, which led to the river. When arrived within a little distance of the river, Andrew Poe, fearing an ambuscade, left the party, who followed directly on the trail, to creep along the brink of the river bank, under the cover of the weeds and bushes, to fall on the rear of the Indians, should he find them in ambuscade. He had not gone far before he saw the Indian rafts at the water's edge. Not seeing any Indians, he stepped softly down the bank with his rifle cocked. When about half-way down, he dis- covered the large Wyandot chief and a small Indian, within a few steps of him. They were standing with their guns cocked, and looking in the direction of our party, who by this time had gone some distance lower down the bottom. Poe, took aim at the large chief, but his rifle missed fire. The Indians, hearing the snap of the gun-lock, instantly turned round and dis- covered Poe, who, being too near to retreat, instantly sprang from the bank upon them, and seizing the large Indian by the cloths on his breast, and at the same time embracing the neck of the small one, threw them both down on the ground, himself being uppermost. The .small Indian soon extricated himself, ran to the raft, got his tomahawk, and attempted to despatch Poe, the large Indian holding him fast in his arms with all his might, the better to enable his fellow to effect his purpose. Poe, however, so well watched the motions of the Indian that when in the act of aiming his blow at his head, by a vigorous and well-directed kick with one of his feet he staggered the savage and knocked the tomahawk out of his hand. This failure on the part of the small Indian was reproved by an exclamation of con- tempt from the larger one. In a moment the Indian caught up his tomahawk again, ap- proached more cautiously, brandishing his tomahawk, and making a number of feigned Llows, in defiance and derision. Poe, how- ever, still on his guard, averted the real blow from his head by throwing up his arm and receiving it on his wrist, in which he was severely wounded, but not so as to lose entirely the use of his hand. In this perilous moment.

Poe, by a violent effort, broke loose from the Indian, snatched up one of the Indians' guns, and shot the small Indian through the breast, as he ran up the third time to tomahawk him. The large Indian was now on his feet, and grasping Poe by a shoulder and leg, threw him down on the bank. Poe instantly disen- gaged himself and got on his feet. The Indian then seized him again and a new struggle en- sued, which, owing to the slippery state of the bank, ended in the fall of both combatants into the water.

"In this situation it was the object of each to drown the other. Their efforts to effect this purpose were continued for some time with al- ternate success, sometimes one being under the water and sometimes the other. Poe at length seized the tuft of hair on the scalp of the Indian, with which he held his head under water until he supposed him drowned. Relaxing his hold too soon, Poe instantly found his gigantic antagonist on his feet again and ready for an- other combat. In this, they were carried into the water beyond their depth. In this situation, they were compelled to loose their hold on each other and swim for mutual safety. Both sought the . shore to seize a gun and end the contest with bullets. The Indian, being the better swimmer, reached the land first. Poe, seeing this, immediately turned back into the water to escape, if possible, being shot. by diving. Fortunately, the Indian caught up the rifle with which Poe had killed the other warrior.

"At this juncture Adam Poe. missing his brother from the party, and supposing, from the report of the gun which he shot, that he was either killed or engaged in conflict with the Indians, hastened to the spot. On seeing him, Andrew called out to him to 'kill the big Indian on shore.' But Adam's gun, like that of the Indian, was empty. The contest was now be- tween the white man and the Indian, who should load and fire first. Very fortunately for Poe. the Indian, in loading drew the ramrod from the thimbles of the stock of the gun with so much violence, that it slipped out of his hand and fell a little distance from him: he quickly caught it up, and rammed down his bullet.

HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

This little delay gave Poe the advantage. He shot the Indian as he was raising his gun to take aim at him.

"As soon as Adam had shot the Indian, he jumped into the river to assist his wounded brother to shore; but 'Andrew, thinking more of' the honor of carrying the big Indian home, as a trophy of victory, than of his own safety, urged Adam to go back and prevent the struggling savage from rolling into the river and escaping. Adam's solicitude for the life of his brother prevented him from comply- ing with this request. In the meantime the Indian, jealous of the honor of his scalp, even in the agonies of death, succeeded in reaching the river and getting into the current, so that his body was never obtained.

"An unfortunate occurrence took place dur- ing this conflict. Just as Adam arrived at the top of the bank, for the relief of his brother, one of the party who had followed close be- hind him, seeing Andrew in the river, and mistaking him for a wounded Indian, shot at him and wounded him in the shoulder. He, however, recovered from his wound.

"During the contest between Andrew Poe and the Indians, the party had overtaken the remaining six of them. A desperate conflict

ensued, in which five of the Indians were killed. Our loss was three men killed, and Andrew Poe was severely wounded. Thus ended this Spartan conflict, with the loss of three valiant men on our part, and with that of the whole of the Indian party, with the exception of one warrior. Never, on any occasion, was there a greater display of. desperate bravery, and sel- dom did a conflict take place which, in the issue proved fatal to so great a proportion of those engaged in it.

"The fatal issue of this little campaign on the side of the Indians occasioned a universal mourning among the Wyandot nation. The big Indian and his four brothers, all of whom were killed at the same place, were among the most distinguished chiefs and warriors of their nation. The big Indian was magnanimous, as well as brave. He, more than any other indi -: vidual, contributed by his example and in- fluence to the good character of the Wyandots, for lenity toward their prisoners. He would not suffer them to be killed or ill treated. This. mercy to captives was an honorable distinction in the character of the Wyandots, and was 'well understood by our first settlers, who, in case of captivity, thought it a fortunate cir- cumstance to fall into their hands."

CHAPTER VI.

INDIAN TRAIL AND MODERN ROADWAY.

Colonel Bouquet's Expedition-He Tracks the Indians Through Columbiana County-Old Camp Bouquet-Old National and State Highways-Passing of the Stage Coach- Road Improvement in the County-Much Needed Work Which the State Will Help Along.

The pioneers and early settlers found ready for their use highways and byways of travel, made by the buffalo and the Indian. They were not planked, paved or macadamized, but they were as direct and available as the topography of the country would admit of. Such as they were, no modern engineer could improve upon them in these particulars.

COLONEL BOUQUET'S EXPEDITION.

At the opening of this chapter, which will treat somewhat of Indian trails as well as of more modern highways, a partial digression will be made to give an account of the expedi- tion of Col. Henry Bouquet, with his force of about 1,500 men, in pursuit of the hostile Indians, in 1764, which led him through Columbiana County, from north to south. Be- sides giving a vivid account of one of the ex- citing pioneer, incidents of the early history of the county, it is rich in description of the primeval beauty of the country, and reads like a romance. The original source of information concerning this expedition is the work of Dr. William Smith, provost of the College of Phila- delphia, entitled "An Historical, Account of the Expedition against the Ohio Indians in 1764." The original edition was "printed in. Philadel- phia in 1765; reprinted at London in 1766; at Dublin in 1769; at Amsterdam, in French,

with biographical account of Col. Bouquet, in 1769, and at Cincinnati in 1868."

Before entering upon the account propen of the expedition through Columbiana County, the following paragraphs will be found interesting, as giving the reasons for the expedition. It is extracted from a lecture delivered by Charles Whittlesey at Cleveland, December 17, 1846, and is specially valuable as a clear statement of the condition of affairs between the whites and the Indians at the period when the expedition was undertaken :

"The Indians were very much displeased, when they saw the English taking possession of their country, for they preferred the French- men, who had been their friends and traders more than 100 years, and had married Indian women. A noted chief of the Ottawa tribe, known by the name of Pontiac, formed the resolution to destroy all the English frontier posts at one assault, in which he was encour- aged by the French traders.

"He succeeded in forming an alliance with the Ottawas, having 900 warriors; the Potta- watomies, with 350; Miamis of the Lake, 350; Chippewas, 5,000; Wyandots, 300; Delawares, 600; Shawnees, 500; Kickapoos, 300; Outa- tanons of the Wabash, 400, and the Pianke- shaws, 250; in all, able to muster 8,950 war- riors. This may be called the 'First Great Northwestern Confederacy' against the whites.

HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

The second took. place under Brant, or Thayendanegea, during the Revolution, and was continued by Little Turtle ; the third under Tecumseh, in the last war. Pontiac's projects were brought to a focus in the fall of 1763, and the result was nearly equal to the design. The Indians collected at all the northwestern forts, under the pretense of trade and friendly intercourse; and having killed all the English traders who were scattered through their vil- lages, they made a simultaneous attack upon the forts, and were in a great measure successful.

"The inhabitants of Pennsylvania, Virginia and Northern and Eastern Ohio were now sub- ject to great alarm, and frequently robberies and murders were committed upon them by the Indians, and prisoners were captured. General Gage was at this time the commander-in-chief of the British forces in America, and his head- quarters were at Boston. He ordered an expe- dition of 3,000 men for the relief of Detroit, to move early in the year 1764. It was directed to assemble at Fort Niagara, and proceeded up Lake Erie in boats, commanded by General Bradstreet. The other was the expedition I design principally to notice at this time. It was at first composed of the 42nd and 77th regiments, who had been at the siege of Havana, in Cuba, under the command of Col. Henry Bouquet. This force left Philadelphia, for the relief of Fort Pitt, in July, 1763, and after defeating the Indians at Bushy Run, in August, drove them across the Ohio. It wintered at Fort Pitt, where some of the houses built by Colonel Bouquet may still be seen, his name cut in stone upon the wall.

"General Gage directed Colonel Bouquet to' organize a corps of 1,500 men, and to enter the country of the Delawares and the Shawnees, at the same time that General Bradstreet was engaged in chastising the Wyandots and Ottawas, of Lake Erie, who were still invest- ing Detroit. As a part of Colonel Bouquet's force was composed of militia from Pennsyl- vania and Virginia, it was slow to assemble. On the 5th of August, the Pennsylvania quota rendezvoused at Carlisle, where 300 of

them deserted. The Virginia quota ar- rived at Fort Pitt on the 17th of Septem-

ber, and uniting with the provincial militia, a part of the 42d and 60th regiments, the army moved from Fort Pitt on the 3rd of October. General Bradstreet, having dispersed the Indian forces besieging Detroit, passed into the Wyan- dot country, by way of Sandusky Bay. He as- scended the bay and river, as far as it was navigable for boats, and there made a camp. A treaty of peace and friendship was signed by the chiefs and head men, who delivered but very few of their prisoners.

"When Colonel Bouquet was at Fort Lou- don, in Pennsylvania, between Carlisle and Fort Pitt, urging forward the militia levies, he re- ceived a dispatch from General Bradstreet, notifying him of the peace effected at Sandusky. But the Ohio Indians, particularly the Shawn- ees of the Scioto River, and the Delawares of the Muskingum, still continued their robberies and murders along the frontier of Pennsyl- vania ; and so Colonel Bouquet determined to proceed with his division, notwithstanding the- peace of General Bradstreet, which did not in- clude the Shawnees and Delawares. In the march from Philadelphia to Fort Pitt, Colonel Bouquet had shown himself to be a man of decision, courage and military genius. In the engagement at Bushy Run, he displayed that. caution in preparing for emergencies, that high personal influence over his troops, and a facility in changing his plans as circumstances changed during the battle, which marked the good com- mander and the cool-headed officer. He had been with Forbes and Washington when Fort. Pitt was taken from the French. The Indians who were assembled at Fort Pitt left the siege of that place and advanced to meet the force of Bouquet, intending to execute a surprise. and destroy the whole command. These sav- ages remembered how easily they entraped General Braddock a few years before by the same movement, and had no doubt of success against Bouquet. But he moved always in a hollow square, with his provision train and his cattle in the center, impressing his men with the idea that a fire might open upon them at any moment. When the important hour ar- rived, and they were saluted with the discharge of a thousand rifles, accompanied by the ter-

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rific yells of so many savage warriors, arrayed in the livery of demons, the English and pro- vincial troops behaved like veterans, whom nothing could shake. They achieved a com- plete victory, and drove the allied Indian force beyond the Ohio."

The Indians, disheartened by their over- whelming defeat at Bushy Run, and despair- ing of success against Fort Pitt, now it was so heavily reinforced, retired sullenly to their homes beyond the Ohio, leaving the country between it and their settlements free from their ravages. Communication now being rendered safe, the fugutive settlers were en- abled to return to their friends or take pos- session again of their abandoned cabins. By comparing notes they were soon able to make out an accurate list of those who were missing- either killed, or prisoners among the various tribes-when it was found to contain the names of more than 200 men, women and children. Fathers mourned their daughters slain, or subject to a captivity worse than death; husbands, their wives left mangled in the forest, or forced into the embraces of their savage captors-some with babes at their breasts, and some whose offspring would first see the light in the red man's wigwam-and loud were the cries that went up on every side for vengeance.

Boquet wished to follow up his success, and march at once into the heart of the enemy's country, and wring from the hostile tribes by force of arms a treaty of peace which should forever put an end to these scenes of rapine and murder. But his force was too small to at- tempt this, while the season was too far ad- vanced to leave time to organize another ex- pedition before winter. He therefore de- termined to remain at the fort until spring, and then assemble an army sufficiently large to crush all opposition, and finish what he had so successfully begun.

Acting under instructions, he matured during the winter all his plans and as soon as spring opened set on foot measures by which an army strong enough to render resistance hopeless should be placed under his command. In the meantime, the Indians had obtained powder from the French, and as soon as the

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History of Columbiana County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 7

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