History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 13

Author: Hopley, John E. (John Edward), 1850-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1302

USA > Ohio > Crawford County > History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 13

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Sometimes and frequently, the angel of death invaded the household, and a parent or child was called away. If a child, it was the father who went sorrowfully to the woods and

selected the straightest tree from which he made the little coffin, lovingly staining the wood with walnut, and tenderly covering his rough work with ferns and flowers, and the neighbors came from miles around, and in some pretty and quiet spot on the little farm the body was placed in its last earthly home, one of the elderly pioneers conducting the services with preaching and with prayer. If it was the husband called away, the duties of caring for the family fell upon the stricken wife, and many a boy of eight or nine became the useful assistant of the widowed mother as the provider for the younger members of the family. If help was needed, the pioneer neigh- bors, after their own hard day's work was done, assembled of an evening at her little clearing, and prepared the land, and planted the seed, and harvested the crop, and kept up their kindly work until the children were old enough to care for the family.

So the pioneers of Crawford settled the county, passing through frequent trials and undergoing many privations, with certainly one redeeming feature in their own experience in the wilderness, and that was that by the time the first settler placed his foot on Craw- ford soil, the Indians had been so thoroughly whipped and cowed into submission that no settler's cabin in this county was ever burned, and no pioneer was ever murdered and scalped by the savage tribes, as was so frequent and so harrowing in the eastern and southern counties in the earlier days.

Slowly but surely the primitive cabins gave way to those of hewn logs and to the double log cabins; and these were in turn followed by a few frame houses, and an occasional brick residence. Each year the acreage of cleared land increased; new roads were laid out and the earlier ones improved; little settlements were started which became villages, grew into towns, and expanded into cities, and the wilderness of a century ago became the rich and fertile fields and farms, and the busy and prosperous villages and cities of today.

On Feb. 12, 1820, the Legislature passed an act erecting a county which they named Craw- ford, after Col. William Crawford, who was burned at the stake in 1782 within the confines of the county then created. In 1820 the pres- ent county of Crawford had within its borders

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

less than a hundred settlers, who with their families numbered about 500 persons. As nearly as can be gathered the principal settlers up to 1820 were as follows :

Auburn Township. 1814-Jedediah More- head, John Pettigon. 1815-William Green, Samuel S. Green, Jacob Coykendall, John Deardorff. 1816-Aaron B. Howe. 1817- William Cole, Charles Morrow. 1818-Levi Bodley, Lester Bodley, Jesse Bodley, John Bodley, David Cummins, Charles DeWitt, William Laugherty, Henry Reif. 1819 -- Adam Aumend, Adam Aumend, Jr., Samuel Hanna, Resolved White. 1820-Rodolphus Morse, Erastus Kellogg, Jacob Snyder, Pal- mer Halse, Daniel Hulse.

Bucyrus Township. 1819-Samuel Nor- ton, Albigence Bucklin, Seth Holmes, Sears. 1820-David Beadle, Michael Beadle, Joseph Ensley, William Young, George Young, John Young, Joseph Young.

Chatfield Township. 1820 -- Jacob Whet- stone.

Cranberry Township. No one.

Dallas Township. 1820-G. H. Busby, Samuel Line, Matthew Mitchell, George Wal- ton, Charles White.

Holmes Township. No one.

Jackson Township. 1820-Joseph Russell, John Doyle.

Jefferson Township. 1816-Jacob Fisher. 1817-Christian Snyder, Westell Ridgley, Peter Beebout, Thomas Ferguson, J. S. Gris- well. 1818-John Adrian, Lewis Leiberger, James Nail.

Liberty Township. 1819-Daniel McMich- ael. 1820-Ralph Bacon, Auer Umberfield.

Lykins Township. No one.

Polk Township. 1817-Benjamin Lever- idge, James Leveridge, Nathaniel Leveridge. 1818-Nehemiah Story, Nathaniel Story, Father Kitteridge, Benjamin Sharrock, George Wood, David Gill. 1819-Samuel Brown, Michael Brown, Asa Hosford, Horace Hos- ford, Disberry Johnson, John Sturgis. 1820- J. Dickerson, David Reid, William Hosford, - Pletcher.

Sandusky Township. 1819-Samuel Knis- ely, James Gwell. 1820-Samuel Shull, Mathew Elder.

Texas Township. No one. Tod Township. No one.

Vernon Township. 1818-George Byers. 1819-David Anderson, Andrew Dixon.

Whetstone Township. 1819-John Kent. 1820-Noble Mckinstry, Joseph S. Young, Martin Shaffner, John Willowby.

CHAPTER V

ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY

First Elections-Boundaries-First Taxes-Early Roads-Location of County Seat-Col. Kil- bourne's Proposition-Settlement of Bucyrus-Crawford County Organized-The Fight on Commissioners-Their First Proceedings-Readjustment of Township Lines, 1831- 1835-Indian Purchase, 1835-The Leiths-Justice Garrett-Formation in 1845 of Craze- ford County as it Now Exists-Later Township Changes-New Roads-The Courts- Contest for County Seat-Donations of Leading Citizens-Erection of Court House- Visit of General Harrison-The County Jail-Population of Crawford County in 1830 and 1850-Construction of Railroads-New Court House-Improvements-The Court House of 1856-The New Jail-Care of the Poor-Abuses of the Old System-The County Infirmary-More Roads-Difficulties of Travel in Early Days-The Mails-Turn- pikes and Stage Routes-Early Stores-Population by Townships-List of Residents in 1826.

Toil swings the axe and forests bow; The fields break out in radiant bloom; Rich harvests smile behind the plow, And cities cluster round the loom .- Anon.

On Feb. 20, 1820, the Legislature passed an act creating fourteen counties out of the ter- ritory purchased from the Indians in 1817- Crawford, Allen, Hardin, Hancock, Henry, Marion, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams and Wood. Later, from these counties, were erected Aug- laize, Defiance, Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa and Wyandot, the latter being formed almost ex- clusively from Crawford in 1845, taking 288 square miles from this county, 47 from Marion, 45 from Hancock and 24 from Hardin. The new county of Crawford as erected in 1820 was 18 miles from north to south and thirty-three from east to west, or 594 square miles. Its northern boundary was the same as today; its southern boundary two miles north of the present county line. On the east it commenced on the present eastern boundary of Cranberry and Sandusky town- ships, and extended west to seven miles beyond Upper Sandusky, the present western bound- aries of Crawford, Salem and Mifflin town-

ships in Wyandot county. As surveyed the territory was townships 1, 2 and 3 in ranges 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 east, and the western half of townships 16, 17 and 18, in range 21 west. The new county of Crawford, not having suf- ficient population, and not having sufficient taxable property to bear the expense of a county government, was placed temporarily, with its sister county of Marion, under the jurisdiction of Delaware county.

The first act of the commissioners of Dela- ware relating to Crawford county was on March 9, 1820, when they passed a resolution creating that part of Crawford county lying west of what is the western boundary of Bu- cyrus township into a township to be known as "Big Rock, and an order issued for the elec- tion of township officers."

On June 5, 1820, another resolution was passed creating the township of Harmony, which was that part of Crawford county, ex- tending from the present western boundary of Bucyrus township to the Richland county line, which was then the present western boundary of Auburn and Vernon townships. Crawford county was now two townships. Harmony township (all of Crawford east of the western

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

boundary of Bucyrus township) is never again mentioned in connection with Crawford county, but later in the Delaware records this territory is referred to as Sandusky township, so it is probable that when the action of the commissioners was referred to the court for approval the name of the township was changed to Sandusky. This is indicated from the fact that the Delaware commissioners on Dec. 23, 1822, passed the following :

"Ordered, that all that part of Sandusky town- ship which lies west of the middle of the seventeenth range of lands be and the same is hereby erected into a separate township by the name of Bucyrus."

Prior to this the Delaware commissioners had erected the township of Crawford, which was six by eighteen miles in size, and embraced what is now Texas township, Crawford county, and Sycamore, Tymochtee and Craw- ford townships in Wyandot county. Here an election was called, the first in the new county of Crawford. It was held on April 1, 1821, at the home of Henry Lish, who ran a ferry across the Tymochtee on the road leading from Upper Sandusky to Little Sandusky (Fre- mont). There were just thirteen voters pres- ent, and fourteen offices to fill, and Elijah Brayton was the man elected to two offices.

One of the last acts of the Delaware com- missioners relating to Crawford County was on March 2, 1824, when they created the town- ship of Whetstone, as it exists today, except that in the rearrangement of Crawford county in 1845, two miles were added to Whetstone on the south from Marion county.

On June 6, 1821, the first taxes were levied in Crawford county, and the commissioners decided to levy the taxes "to the full extent allowed by law, to wit: horses, 30 cents each; cattle, 10 cents each; houses, &c., the one-half of one per cent."

The principal business of the Delaware com- missioners relating to Crawford county was the matter of roads. On Dec. 5, 1821, they granted the position for a road commencing in Marion county and joining the State road from Columbus to Portland (Sandusky) at a point near Sharrock's mills. On this road Conrad Roth was one of the viewers, and James Kilbourne the surveyor. On March 5, 1822, a road was petitioned for through what is now Wyandot county, on which William

Holmes was one of the viewers. On June 3, 1822, John B. French presented a petition for about the present road from Bucyrus to De- Kalb, running east, south of the Sandusky river, and crossing that stream at the old Luke tavern. Michael Beadle, Joseph S. Young and Daniel Palmer were appointed the viewers and John Marshall, the surveyor.

Westell Ridgely presented a petition for the present road from Leesville to Bucyrus, on Dec. 2, 1822.

In May and June of 1822, Col. James Kil- bourne surveyed the present Sandusky pike. His surveyor's notes show that nearly a mile north of where the road crossed the Broken- sword it passed through a pondy swale half a mile wide, and a half a mile further they cut through the "southwest bend of the great marsh."

On Jan. 20, 1823, the commissioners granted the petition for a road from the "Up- per Sandusky fort to the Richland county line.' It passed Crawford on the present boundary line between Bucyrus and Dallas township, and on to Galion. On Dec. 3, 1822, James Kil- bourne presented a petition for a road starting in Marion county, passing through Whetstone and Sandusky, and "crossing the Sandusky river below the mouth of Lost Creek, and then angling northwest to strike the Columbus to Portland road. This road is probably the one that joins the Portland road at West Liberty. Amos Earl and John B. French were two of the viewers.

Dec. 1, 1823, Zalmon Rowse petitioned for a road commencing at Sandusky avenue, Bu- cyrus, and running east along the south line of Norton's property, the present Middletown road. Thomas McClure, Auer Umberfield and John Maxfield were the viewers. There had been some irregularity in the papers for the road from Leesville to Bucyrus, by Westell Ridgely, so on Dec. 2, 1823, it was petitioned for again by Asa Howard, and three of the viewers were John B. French, Amos Earl and Amos Utey, and this time the road was laid out.

In 1821 James Kilbourne had gone through where Bucyrus now is, looking for a location for a road from Columbus to the Lake, a road having already been built from Columbus to Norton, in the northern part of Delaware

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

county. During that year he entered into a contract with Samuel Norton to lay out a town on Norton's land on the south bank of the Sandusky, and the plat of the new town, called Bucyrus, was filed in the office of the recorder of Delaware county on Feb. II, 1822, the first recorded entry of the name Bucyrus.

On Dec. 15, 1823, the Legislature passed an act authorizing Marion county to elect officers, and become an organized county, at the same time transferring Crawford county to the jur- isdiction of Marion county, and Feb. 17, 1824, placing the northwestern part of the county under the jurisdiction of Seneca county. The act went into effect on May 1, 1824, and on May 3, 1824, the first election took place for the new county officials of Marion. The officers elected were Sheriff, Auditor, Coroner and three County Commissioners. There were no candidates from Crawford, except one County Commissioner, and it must have been understood that Crawford was to have one of the Commissioners, as Crawford's candidate headed the list. The vote on Commissioner was Enoch B. Merriman (Crawford county) 247; Matthew Merritt 209, Amos C. Wilson 157, William Cochran 122, John Page 102, Alexander Berry, Jr. 69, Eber Baker 53, David Tipton 47, William Wyatt 26. Merri- man, Merritt and Wilson were elected. At the regular election following, on Oct. 12, Merri- man again led the poll, the vote for commis- sioner being Enoch B. Merriman -297, Amos C. Wilson 256, John Page 226, Matthew Mer- ritt 109; Richard Hopkins 130. Merriman, Wilson and Page elected. At this election C. Roth was a candidate for Auditor. He was the only other candidate besides Merriman from Crawford county, but he was defeated, receiving only 33 votes. His opponent, Hez- ekiah Gorton, receiving 334.

At this election Crawford cast its first vote for Governor, and the vote of Marion and Crawford combined was 380, the Federalist candidate, Allen Trimble, receiving 275, and the Democratic candidate, Jeremiah Morrow, receiving 105. The returns show that at that time there were but two voting townships in Crawford county. The eastern three miles (present width of Sandusky township), was Sandusky township, then three miles wide and 18 deep, and cast 7 votes for Morrow and 5

for Trimble; then came Bucyrus township, twelve miles wide and 18 deep, extending from the present eastern boundary of Whetstone and Liberty to the western boundary of Bu- cyrus, Holmes and Lykens. This township cast 49 for Trimble and I for Morrow. What is now Texas, Tod and western Dallas voted as a part of Grand Prairie, Marion county, while all of Wyandot belonging then to Craw- ford, voted with Seneca county.

In this first vote probably 115 were cast in Crawford county and 265 in Marion county, and of this 115 the present Crawford had 64 of the votes and the present Wyandot 51. The Crawford vote being the 50 in Bucyrus, 12 in Sandusky, and 2 in what is now Texas town- ship, but it is a singular fact that in this first election, Bucyrus township, which included in that election, all of the present townships of Bucyrus, Holmes, Lykins, Chatfield, Liberty. Whetstone, and the western mile of Cranberry gave Trimble 49, and Morrow democrat I. In the more than four-score years that have passed since this first political vote, the demo- cratic vote has very largely increased, but un- fortunately there is no way at this late date to discover who it was that cast that first demo- cratic vote in Bucyrus, from whom so numer- ous a progeny has descended. At the Presi- dential election in 1908, the territory that was then Bucyrus township gave the following vote : Democratic 1859, Republican 1151, scat- tering 97. Any one interested can figure for himself the per cent of increase in the demo- cratic vote in the last 84 years.

Mr. Merriman resigned as commissioner and was succeeded by Zachariah Welsh, whose farm was near where the village of Wyandot now is, the Wyandot part of Crawford county. At the election in October 1825, Zalmon Rowse was elected as the commissioner from Crawford county, taking the place of Welsh.

On Oct. 4, 1821, the first agreement between Samuel Norton and James Kilbourne was signed to lay out a town on Norton's land. Various changes were made, and an amended agreement was signed on Dec. 15, 1822, and in this agreement it is stated the town is "now . named Bucyrus."

The sale of lots of the new town com- menced, and the wisdom of the location was demonstrated by the interest taken in the new

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

village. But the projectors of the new town recognized the fact that it was in the south- eastern part of the county, nine miles being east of them and twenty-four west; six miles south of it and twelve north, so Col. Kilbourne brought pressure to bear on the Legislature for the organization of a new county to be called Bucyrus, so arranging this territory that Bucyrus would be in the centre, and have no opposition as the county seat. To facili- tate this movement, Samuel Norton issued the follow agreement :

"Know ye that I, Samuel Norton, of Bucyrus, in Crawford county and State of Ohio, have agreed, and do agree, as this instrument witnesseth, that in case the county of Bucyrus should be established by law at the approaching session of the Legislature, for which petitions will be presented, and the seat of justice permanently established in the town of Bucy- rus, then, and in that case, I will give, and, by a warranty deed free and clear of all incumbrance, convey unto such agent or agents as may be ap- pointed to the trust, for the use of said new county in defraying the expenses of erecting a court house and offices in said town of Bucyrus, one equal third part in number and value of all the numbered lands and outlots of said town, or that may be numbered within the present year, which remain to me as original proprietor thereof; that is to say, one-third of all the lots numbered on the recorded plat of said town, or that may be numbered as aforesaid, except- ing those which have been bargained and sold, or that may be sold to individuals, by deeds or title bonds prior to the acceptance of this offer and ex- cepting also the fractional parts of said town, origi- nally belonging to Abel Carey and Daniel McMichael. On a plat of said town accompanying this obliga- tion are distinctly marked the lots by their numbers and situations composing the said third part intended to be given for the public uses aforesaid, and the foregoing agreement and the just fulfillment there- of I bind myself, my heirs, executors and adminis- trators, firmly by these presents. In witness where- of, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at said Bucyrus, this 20th day of November, 1823.

SAMUEL NORTON.

In presence of A. L. Shover.

Notwithstanding the influence of Col. Kil- bourne in the State, and the petitions presented by the few but enterprising citizens of Bu- cyrus, the Legislature declined to erect the new county of Bucyrus. In 1823 an enumeration of the voters of the State had been taken, and this count showed that Crawford county had 244 electors and Marion 517, so the Legislat- ure, instead of erecting a new county, passed an act authorizing Marion county to elect of- ficers and organize, placing Crawford county temporarily a part of Marion.

The first road laid out by the Marion com- B

missioners was what is now the Marion road, on June 8, 1824, "commencing at David Tip- ton's farm, thence on nearest and best road to Bucyrus, making Benjamin Salmon's peach orchard, Benjamin Fickle's farm, and David Bryant's points." Tipton's farm was two miles this side of Marion where the road from Upper Sandusky forms a point by joining the Marion road. The same day a road was established "beginning at the east line of Crawford county, at the crossing of the road leading from Wooster to Upper Sandusky, thence on the nearest and best ground to Bu- cyrus, making Daniel Michael's mill a point on said road." This road passed through Liberty, north of the Sandusky, crossing the river at Mc Michael's mill, which was on the south bank of the river but across the road from the pres- ent water works reservoir. The road then joined the Mansfield road and entered Bucyrus. A part of the road has long since been aban- doned, and the balance straightened.

On Dec. 7, 1824, Heman Rowse, Nathaniel Plummer, Benjamin Parcher and John Mc- Clure were appointed viewers for the road from Norton to Portland, first established by the Delaware Commissioners. (Two years later made a state road, the Sandusky Pike. )

Dec. 17, 1824, what is now the Mt. Vernon road was laid out. A part of it was to go west on a road that runs from the Plains to James Nail's mills "until it crosses the bridge through the long swamp, thence running north- westwardly so as to cross the Whetstone about ten or fifteen rods north of Clinger's fields," thence to intersect the Bucyrus road running to Galion. Clinger's fields were about the north- west quarter of section 33, Whetstone, two miles northwest of New Winchester.

The last road the Marion commissioners ordered was the Little Sandusky road, "com- mencing at or near the Little Sandusky bridge, thence by nearest and best ground to Bucyrus, passing Selick Longwell and Thomas Terry." This road and the Leeville road are the two most meandering roads in the county; in the years that have passed they have been straightened in many places.

From 1820 to 1826 there was a constant and steady stream of settlers taking up land along the few roads, and on the best farming lands of the county. The establishing of a town by

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

Norton and Kilbourne had brought many to the new village, and the settlement in and around Bucyrus, had brought business to the village so that it boasted of two taverns, a mill, three stores, two tanneries, and several small shops. It was the only village in the eastern section of Crawford, but in the Wyandot por- tion was Mccutchenville, also a village of per- haps three hundred people, a few larger than Bucyrus. Prior to 1822, the only outlet for a market from Bucyrus was over the crude road constructed by the settlers themselves, through the present Liberty, Sandusky and Auburn townships to New Haven, but roads had soon followed to Mansfield, Sandusky, Mt. Vernon and Delaware, the Sandusky road in 1822, being a better outlet for the lake than the one to New Haven. Having failed in the erection of a new county to be called Bucyrus, the cit- izens of the village and of the county had constantly brought pressure to bear on the Legislature to organize the county, and make the county seat Bucyrus. Finally, on Jan. 31, 1826, the act was passed, but instead of establishing the county seat at Bucyrus, the act referred the matter back to the voters, the location of Bucyrus being too far from the centre of the county to warrant their making it the county seat. Instead they ordered an election of officers in the new county, with the proviso that the commissioners elected should select temporarily the county seat. At that time the population of the county was about as follows, the table being given in a way to show those in the present Crawford part and in the Wyandot part :

Townships

Crawford Wyandot

Total

Antrim

Bucyrus

463

499

Liberty

372

Pitt

Sandusky

346

Sycamore

150

172

Whetstone

375

...

375

Totals

1,578

811

2,389

A total of about 2,389 people in the county when the following act was passed on Jan. 31, 1826:

Section I .- Be it enacted, &c., that the county of Crawford be, and the same is hereby organized into a separate and distinct county.

Section II .- That all Justices of the Peace resid- ing within the county of Crawford, shall continue to

discharge the duties of their respective offices until their commissions shall expire and their successors are chosen and qualified.

Section III .- That the qualified electors residing in the county of Crawford shall meet in their re- spective townships on the first Monday of April next, and elect their several county officers who shall hold their respective offices until the next an- nual election and until others are chosen and qual- ified according to law.

Section IV .- That all suits and actions, whether of a civil or criminal nature, which shall have been commenced, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and execution, and all taxes, fines and penalties which shall have become due shall be collected in the same manner as if this act had not been passed.

Section V .- That Zalmon Rowse is hereby ap- pointed assessor for said county of Crawford, who shall, on or before the first day of April next, give bond as is provided in the fourth section of the "act establishing an equitable mode of taxation," to the acceptance of Enoch B. Merryman, who is hereby authorized to receive said bond, and deposit the same with the county auditor of said county forth- with after such Auditor has been elected and quali- fied; and the assessor herein appointed shall be re- quired to perform the same duties, hold the office for the same time and in the same manner as if he had been appointed by a Court of Common Pleas for said County of Crawford; and the Auditor of State is hereby required to transmit to said Assessor a schedule of all lands subject to taxation within said county, which schedule said Assessor shall return with his other returns to the County Auditor.

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History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 13

Author: Hopley, John E. (John Edward), 1850- Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1302

Author: Hopley, John E. (John Edward), 1850-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1302