History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 30

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 30

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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

to Bucyrus erecting a house on his 80-acre tract north of the river, on the hill where the residence of Hon. E. B. Finley now stands. He also entered 80 acres east of Norton's land, and 80 acres south of the Norton land, this 80 being south of Middletown and east of Walnut streets. He started a small dis- tillery on the banks of the Sandusky, where the electric works now are, but he only ran it a few months. He died in 1825, and for ten years the settlement of his estate occupied many entries in the court docket. The ruins of the old log house he built remained for many years, until in 1865 they were torn down and the present handsome building erected by John Sims, who a year or two later sold it to Mr. Finley, the present occu- pant.

In 1821 Zalmon Rowse came to Crawford county, and while he settled in Whetstone township came to Bucyrus the same year, settling on the land on the south side of the Galion road, where for so many years Col. Wm. Monnett resided. He promptly took an active hand in the village and county affairs, and when in 1823, Crawford was attached to Marion for judicial purposes, Zalmon was the first justice of the peace, his territory includ- ing the present three townships in range 16 and 17, and in 1825 was elected county com- missioner, a position he held at the time Crawford county was organized, when he was appointed assessor for the entire county. When courts were first held here, he was ap- pointed the first clerk. At the time of the first court, David H. Beardsley came over from Marion as clerk to act until the new court could find a suitable man. They found him instantly and promptly appointed him in Zalmon Rowse. Courts up to 1851 appointed the clerk. Rowse served without any inter- ruption for 14 years. He was also recorder during practically the same time; also justice of the peace, and frequently township clerk, and now, after nearly a century has passed, it is a pleasure for any searcher of the an- cient records, to meet with those kept by Zal- mon Rowse in any of his multitudinous of- fices. They are clear and concise, and above all exact; the writing neat, legible and cor- rectly spelled. They show he was systematic and methodical. He was at the head of ev-

ery movement for the building up of his vil- lage and county. Norton was the founder of Bucyrus, Kilbourne was the sponsor, Enoch Merriman was the capitalist, but Zalmon Rowse was the ceaseless, untiring worker, the first and greatest booster the town ever had, and when some really important public im- provement is made in the future it should be called Zalmon, in remembrance of the man who did more than any other one man for his town. A generation later Stephen, Hor- ace, Quincy, William and Henry Rowse were all active business men in this community, Horace and William building the Rowse Block that still bears their name; Quincy owning the woolen mills, Stephen being a heavy stock-dealer and Henry a rising young attorney, mayor of the village, but called away in his early manhood. In his leisure moments Zalmon Rowse was a farmer, a contractor and builder, and shone resplendent once a year in a gorgeous uniform as colonel of the Ohio militia, having been commis- sioned lieutenant-colonel in 1825. His duties as clerk of the court in those days included those of recorder and probate judge, and for filling these three offices he received $60 a year, and never petitioned the legislature for an increase of salary. When the Columbus and Sandusky turnpike was incorporated, he was a director; when the Pennsylvania and Indiana road was built, he was for a time sec- retary, and when the Masons organized a lodge here, he was a charter member. He built the brick building still standing on the old Monnett farm, and he built the American House in 1831, which stood on the northwest corner of Sandusky and Warren streets. In 1835 he united with the M. E. church, and un- til his death was one of the pillars of that or- ganization. The Rowses, once so prominent here, have all moved away, and the only ones now recalled are Edith Chesney, a great- granddaughter, her mother being Cora Rowse, her grandfather William Rowse, and another great-granddaughter Lucille Lewis, daughter of Lily Rowse, who was a daugh- ter of Stephen D. Rowse; a great-grandson, Allen Campbell, son of Eva Rowse, who was a daughter of Horace Rowse. Zalmon Rowse died in Bucyrus, Aug. 15, 1854.

Heman Rowse, a brother of Zalmon, set-

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tled in Whetstone township in 1822, and the following year moved to Bucyrus township, purchasing 80 acres on the pike just south of Bucyrus. He was killed while assisting at a house raising southwest of the village in 1831.

Seth Holmes, who came with the Nortons, entered some land in Whetstone township, but lived in the town and died here about 1826. He never married. He was Bucyrus' first old bachelor. His brother, Truman came to Bucyrus township in 1823 or 1824, with four sons, Lyman, Henry, Elisha and Zalmon. One of the daughters of Truman Holmes married Rensselaer Norton.

Elisha, Thaddeus, David and John Kent came about 1821, Elisha entering the 80-acre tract on Plymouth street, which was the Kerr farm for so many years and later the Hall farm. Abel Cary came to the township in 1821, and was followed by Lewis Cary in 1822, with a wife and nine children. A year or two later his brother Aaron came. The Carys all settled in Bucyrus village.

Amos Clark settled on 80 acres southwest of Sandusky and Charles, his cabin being near the present residence of E. B. Monnett. He also owned 38 acres north of town and do- nated a portion of it for the burying ground on the Tiffin road.

In 1826 Gen. Samuel Myers came and pur- chased of the Beadles the 80 acres west of Spring street, and also entered a tract south of Bucyrus. Later he received the commis- sion of general in the Ohio militia.

George and John Shroll came in 1830, George having 138 acres, a part of which is now Oakwood cemetery. John had 140 acres west of this, where later Judge Summers re- sided, and still later known as the William Magee farm. He was an elder in the Lu- theran church. About July 1, 1835, business called him to Sandusky City; he arrived to find cholera raging there. He hurriedly trans- acted his business and returned home, but he had exposed himself and he was stricken with the dread disease and died. His faithful brother Daniel hurried to his assistance and tended him to the last. Daniel was a deacon in the church of which his brother was elder, and his soul passed into the presence of his Maker, sustained and soothed by his faithful brother. But family loyalty and brotherly

faithfulness must look for their reward in the world above, for in ministering to his brother, Daniel himself caught the fatal disease and died, and if ever a man received the grand words as he entered the pearly gates of "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joys of the Lord," that man was Dan- iel Shroll. The Crawford County History of 1870 says: "The Lutheran church met on July 12, 1835, and, after showing due respect to their memory, elected successors to fill the vacancy caused by their sad death."

It will be observed that these early settlers all chose the high ground within a mile of Bucyrus. Those now so rich and fertile plains were passed by. Nobody wanted them. As James Nail said he "doubted if this land would ever be occupied"-land now where ev- ery acre is held as high as a town lot in many of the additions to Bucyrus. But some were wise-not Crawford county people, but the outside investors. In the southern half of Bucyrus township, much of the land had been entered by speculators, buying it of the gov- ernment at $1.25 an acre, believing the time would come when land already cleared would find ready sale. The heaviest of these invest- ors was Henry W Delavin, who never lived in the county, but owned several sections in southern Bucyrus. One of these sections was 26, on the Pike, three miles south of Bucyrus, later the Ross farm and the G. H. Wright farm, now owned by John Ross, Lafayette Yeagley, David Rexroth, J. B. Steifel, and Mrs. D. M. Odaffer.

It was Nov. 12, 1829, when William Vance Marquis came to Bucyrus and settled on land two miles south of Bucyrus; he had pre- viously visited the county and entered several tracts of land, and in 1829 took possession of one of them. At that time there were just two families between him and the little vil- lage. William V. Marquis was a Virginian, who moved to Washington county, Pa., where he married Mary Page, whose father was killed by the Indians. The Marquis land was in section 24, the land later owned by David Marshal, then Benjamin Beal and later Ben- jamin Beal's children. Mr. Marquis was an early member of the Presbyterian church, and a prominent one. He died in 1834 and left ten children, one a daughter Ruth, who mar-

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ried James McCracken, who for two genera- tions was prominent in the affairs of this county, and whose children were also active and prominent in the history of Bucyrus.

About 1828 there came into southern Bucy- rus Isaac, William, Thomas and Osborne Monnett. Isaac Monnett owned several farms on the plains prior to 1830. In 1835 Rev. Jeremiah Monnett removed to the township and purchased his land of John Barney, the Rev. Thomas Monnett farm, four miles south of Bucyrus, now occupied by William Mon- nett, son of Rev. Thomas Monnett. Rev. Jere- miah's house stood just south of the present large brick building. It was a cabin of hewed logs. Here he lived until a better house was erected on the east side of the pike. He had three children, Abraham, Thomas J. and Mary, the latter later marrying James Royce. There were several families of negroes settled on what afterward became the Gormly farm, two miles south of Bucyrus, later the Rexroth farm. This gave the name to the woods a quarter of a mile from the pike the "nigger woods." These first colored pioneers were from Virginia, and came in 1828. At that time, under Ohio laws, the poor overseers of each township had the right to demand bond of $500 of any new arrival that he would not become a public charge. The Virginia owner on his death had given them freedom but not enough cash, and they were unable to put up the bond, so all left but one family, known as Old Solomon; he remained with his wife. He did not put up the $500, but one family made no difference and he was allowed to remain. Among those living in the township in 1830, as shown by the tax duplicate, were Thomas Adams, John Black, John Bowman, Isaac Fickle, Joshua Lewis, John Miller, Joseph Pearce, Jane Stephenson and Gottlieb John Schultz. Thomas Adams had 48 acres in sec- tion 9, two miles west of Bucyrus, the Chris Wisman farm along the river; John Black, 80 acres, section 13, a mile south, the Henry Flock farm on the T. & O. C. John Bowman had 80 acres in section II, southwest of Bucy- rus, the William Magee property on the south side of the Little Sandusky road. Isaac Fickle had 160 acres in section 10, a quarter of a mile west of Bowman's, the William Shroll farm, through which the Little Sandusky

road passes; Joshua Lewis had 80 acres in section 15, south of Fickle, the George Gib- son farm; John Miller, 80 acres, section 2, just northwest of Bucyrus, adjoining the Fourth ward, now F. W. Bittikoffer's. Jo- seph S. Morris, 80 acres, section 12, south of the fair ground, the John Wentz addition, Elizabeth Monnett, and the John Wentz land. Joseph Pearce, 80 acres, section 2, west of Miller's, owned by John Wentz. Gottleib John Schultz, 80 acres, south of Miller's, ad- joining the corporation on the west, the Penn- sylvania road passing through the northern portion of his tract. Jane Stephenson, 160 acres, section 4, two miles west of Bucyrus, now owned by L. W. Buck and P A. Beard; also a quarter section of the Wm. Caldwell farm on the Marion road, three miles south of Bucyrus. Other residents in the township as indicated by their paying tax on personal property in 1830 were John Bowman, Jr .; Thomas Bennet, J. Coulter, Isaac Didie, D. and I. Dinwiddie, William and Joshua Fore- acre, William Fraley, Jacob Forney, Jesse Goodell, Jonas Gilson, Peter Hesser, George Hesser, William Hughey and son William, Lewis Heinlen, John Kent, Christopher No- acre, George Aumiller, George Sinn, Daniel Seal, David Tipton, George Welsh, Frederick WVisman.

Until 1835 Bucyrus was a fractional town- ship, on account of the western third being an Indian reservation. The encroachment on the Indian land became so great, that early in the thirties pressure was brought to bear on the Indians to sell, but nothing came of it. Fi- nally, in 1835, the government arranged to buy seven miles of their strip 12 miles deep. This was about two and a third miles of the western part of Bucyrus and Holmes town- ships, the two miles of northern Dallas, all of Tod, and southern Texas and extending nearly three miles into Wyandot county. The sale was set for Marion in 1837, but there were objections by the Indians after about one- third of the land was sold, and the sale was stopped. Later matters were arranged, and the entire seven-mile strip was sold, and all of the present Crawford county was. open to settlement. The land brought about $2 an acre. In the sale a syndicate bought up all the land around Osceola and laid it out into

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town lots, in the hopes that it being the geo- graphical center of the county as it then ex- isted, it might become the county seat. The southeastern part of the county, especially Bucyrus township, recognized this danger, and later acquiesced in the formation of Wyandot county, with Upper Sandusky as the county seat, losing a strip of land 18 miles deep and 16 miles wide, not very well populated, ex- cept around Tymochtee in the northern part, and around Little Sandusky in the southern part. They secured in return a strip two miles wide along the southern border of the county from Marion and four miles wide and 20 deep on the east from Richland, get- ting in that territory the towns of Galion, Leesville, West Liberty, Middletown and De Kalb, at that time the densest settled section of the county, except Bucyrus.

It was Dec. 7, 1824, that the resolution was passed by the Marion commissioners for the organization of Bucyrus township as it ex- ists today. Prior to that it had been a town- ship, which included Holmes and Chatfield. In 1823 Zalmon Rowse was justice of the peace of these townships, his jurisdiction in- cluding Whetstone, Liberty and Cranberry.

The first recorded township election was Oct. 12, 1824, for justice of the peace, when 49 votes were cast : Conrad Roth, 26; Mishael Beadle, 22; Conrad Rhoades, I. The follow- ing were the justices in Bucyrus township, dates being year of election: Zalmon Rowse, 1823-27-30-33-36-39; E. B. Merriman, 1824; Conrad Roth, 1824; Edward Billips, 1827; James McCracken, 1828-31-36-45; William Early, 1834; Peter Worst, 1837; James C. Steen, 1839-42; David Holm, 1840-43; Sam- uel S. Caldwell, 1842-69-72; Jacob Howen- stein, 1844-50-53; James Stough, 1848-51-54; James Marshall, 1849; John Byers, 1856; John Smith, 1856-59; Christopher Elliott, 1859-62; Chapman D. Ward, 1862-75-78-81-84-87- 90-93; William M. Scroggs, 1863-66; Wil- son Stewart, 1863-66; George Donnenwirth, 1869-72; James M. Van Voorhis, 1872-75; John C. Jackson, 1875: Allen Campbell, 1878- 81 ; Caleb B. Foster, 1884-87-90; Horace Hol- brook, 1893; William H. Scheckler, 1896-99; George W. Didie, 1896-99; John A. Meck, 1901-05-09; Frank E. Lamb, 1902; Wallace L. Monnett, 1905; Edward J. Myers, 1907-

og; Cornelius H. Myers, 1908; and Rufus Aurend, 1912, vice Meck, deceased.

There are no records to show who the first officers of the township were, but there are several reasons why the first clerk was Zalmon Rowse. First, he was a fine penman; second, he was the most competent man for the po- sition; third, he had practically every other clerical position; fourth, the records were de- stroyed, and the search for old records show that it was the records of the offices held by Zalmon Rowse that were destroyed when the jail burned in 1831; he kept all his records with the court records in the county jail.

In 1829 a young lawyer came to Bucyrus and opened an office. This lawyer was Josiah Scott, later supreme judge of the state and one of the most able lawyers the state ever pro- duced, so able and so just that later, when su- preme judge of the state, a grave question arose, he gave a decision adverse to the opin- ion of a majority of the people of his state, in opposition to the wishes of his political party and against his own personal views. He sac- rificed popular opinion, party loyalty and pri- vate friendships in the interest of the law and legal right. The coming of Judge Scott was probably more advantageous to the village in those early days than it was to himself. He, too, was a fine penman, highly educated, and the result was that he was early pressed into the service and, at least as early as 1832, was township clerk. He not only was Zalmon Rowse's ally in these matters, but he was also Zalmon's crony and friend, and these men, full of life, strong and healthy, were boon companions in many a village prank and the leaders in every amusement. The judge was a great friend of the Indians, their admiration starting on his fine physique and being contin- ued on account of his sociability and love of athletic exercises, and many a time he headed a band of mounted Indians in a race down Main street, bare-headed and coatless, yelling equal to the loudest Indian. That they had confidence in him and that he retained that confidence is shown from the court records, for when Indians brought suit the books show that the attorney for the Indians was Josiah Scott. The minutes of the annual meeting of the township trustees held March 4, 1833, are signed by Josiah Scott, and show that a full

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board was present. They settled with Samuel Myers, supervisor of road district No. I, and found 1412 days of road labor unperformed in his district; William Early, 3d district, all labor performed; James Coulter and John Marquis, district No. 4, all labor performed. Coulter was paid 75 cents and Marquis $1 for their services as road supervisors. George Hesser in the 5th district, showed all the labor had been performed. They settled with Abra- ham Hahn, the township treasurer, and found in the treasury a note of John and Jacob Staley for $14.56, payable March 12, 1833; a note of James Coulter and Henry St. John for 75 cents; a note of Joseph S. Morris and Zalmon Rowse for $5.31, due June I, 1833, and $3.15 cash, making a total of $23.15. They issued an order to Hahn for 1.48 "for the percentage on moneys collected for the year 1832." They paid William Early 75 cents, his salary as road supervisor during the year 1832. Also order for $1.55 to James McLean "for advertising the township election in the spring of 1831, and notifying the officers of their election." They paid John S. George $3 for services as township trustee, and Henry Minich and Nicholas Failor $1.50 each for services as trustees; Josiah Scott $2.50 for services as clerk of the township, and the last order "in favor of R. W. Musgrave and Company, for 75 cents for a blank book for the use of the township," and thereupon adjourned.

This record shows that the trustees in 1832 were John S. George, Henry Minich and Nich- olas Failor. Why George's services were worth the fabulous salary of $3 it is impos- sible to state. Henry Minich owned a tannery and Nicholas Failor a store, and yet they only received half that amount.

In those early days township elections were called by the constables, so James McLain must have been elected constable in 1830, and he held the office from that time until 1836. He was first a carpenter by trade and made shingles. In 1836 he took the government con- tract to carry mail. He came here in 1828, and his residence was a one-story frame house standing on the site of the present Rowse Block. To run a township election for $1.55, which included the posting or tacking of a written notice on three conspicuous trees, and then notifying the successful candidates after-

ward, at that price he could get the job today and hold it forever. And the treasurer, with $1.48 to squander annually, would be pointed out by the little children and stared at by small boys as the man who positively had in his pos- session $23.77 of public funds, of which $3.15 was actual cash! Mr. Hahn at that time owned what is now the Deal House, a brick hotel erected by him in 1831. It will be ob- served the trustees issued orders for $14.53, with only $3.15 cash. It is probable that Mr. Hahn, being a shrewd business man, made his $1.48 first lien on the treasury and let the oth- ers wait. True, James McLean's bill for $1.55 was allowed in March, 1833, for work done two years previously ; so people were used to waiting. But how McLean ever accumulated sufficient funds to buy a large flouring mill on a salary of $1.55 is a problem. There was certainly no chance for graft on a treasury that only carried $3.15 cash. And the notes! They were all good, as the trustees considered them the same as cash. The 75 cent note was abundantly secured, as James Coulter had 160 acres of land, and Henry St. John had the dry goods "emporium" of the village, and became so prominent and prosperous they later sent him to congress.

A month after this meeting the township election came on, being held April 1, 1833, at the court house, and the high-priced trustee, Mr. George, was either not a candidate or was defeated. Failor was re-elected and with him John Magers and John McCullough. Josiah Scott was re-elected clerk and Jacob Hinman constable; John Nimmon and Enoch B. Mer- riman were elected overseers of the poor. George Shaffer, John Cronebaugh and Lewis Cary were elected fence viewers. Samuel Myers was re-elected road supervisor in his district, notwithstanding his showing of "four- teen and a half days of road labor unper- formed;" the other supervisors were-second district, John Barney; third, Emanuel Dear- dorff; fourth, George Welsh; fifth, George Hesser, re-elected.

The office of overseer of the poor was one of honor, as Enoch B. Merriman was a very prominent citizen, and John Nimmon had rep- resented the county in the legislature in 1830. One of the first acts of the trustees was to ap- point Mr. Hahn as treasurer, and they didn't

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forget the faithful James McLean, for they appointed him as constable. As far as can be seen by the salaries and the names, it was not a question of politics or of office in those days; it was only a question of who would take the position, and most of these men rec- ognized it as an honor and served from a sense of duty and served faithfully, their high- est reward being the consciousness of having performed their full duty as citizens by giving a part of their time for the public good. There is a lesson to be learned from our grand- fathers.

Outside the city of Bucyrus there are three churches in the township. There was no call for any more. Bucyrus being a village with churches, people walked or drove from half a dozen miles around for family worship, while occasionally some traveling minister, on his missionary rounds, held services at the cabin where he was stopping. The first known of these gatherings for religious purposes was held prior to 1830, at the home of Isaac Mon- nett, in the extremne southeastern section of the township No. 36. Services were held in the various cabins at irregular intervals, but in 1835, when Rev. Jeremiah Monnett arrived, after he built his house on the east side of the pike, the old log cabin he had occupied on the west side was fitted up for a school and for school purposes. It was on the Bucyrus cir- cuit, and services averaged perhaps once every two weeks. Rev. John Hazzard was the early minister, whose zeal and work built up the membership to such an extent that a better and larger church was needed. In 1840 the church was erected east of the pike, a short distance north of the Monnett home, on land donated by Rev. Jeremiah Monnett, who was also a large contributor to the building fund. The other contributors were Osborne, Abraham, William, Thomas, John and John Monnett. Jr., Rev. Samuel P. Ely, Charles W. and J. W. Shaw, Jeremiah Morris and David Sayler. The building was a neat frame and cost about $1,500. It was named Monnett Chapel after Rev. Jeremiah Monnett. Among the early ministers of half a century ago were Revs. Stephen Fant and George Moore, who were appointed to the Bucyrus circuit in 1853.

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History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 30

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