History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 31

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 31

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The church was dedicated by Rev. Adam Poe during the winter of 1840-1. In 1871, un-

der the pastorate of Rev. D. M. Conant, it was repaired and improved, the dedicatory services being conducted by Rev. Dr. A. A. Nelson. In 1853 the Monnett chapel was as- signed to the Caledonia circuit and regularly supplied. A graveyard was attached to the church on the east, and here many of the pio- neers of southern Crawford sleep their last sleep.

The next church in the township was the Mt. Zion U. B. church on the banks of the San- dusky, five miles southwest of Bucyrus. Serv- ices were held at the various homes in the neighborhood and later in the schoolhouse. The ground where the church now stands was purchased of Thomas Newell, and about 1868 the old. Wilson schoolhouse was removed to the lot, and the old frame building giving way to a brick, this served as a church for a few years. In 1871 the present building was erected at a cost of $1,300. The earlier preachers to the congregation were Revs. Mc- Downey and E. Berry. David Parcher built the church, and when it was dedicated, Rev. David Hart was the pastor. Preaching was generally held every other Sunday.

The third church is Scioto Chapel, on the Marion road, six miles southwest of Bucyrus, three miles west of the Monnett chapel, prin- cipally from whose membership the congrega- tion was formed to have services more con- venient in bad weather. The church was erected in 1874 and was built very quickly. In May of that year two meetings were held at the residence of E. B. Monnett; and at the second it was decided to build a church, and E. B. Monnett, F. A. Harvey and George Welsh were appointed a building committee. Chris- tian Walther was the architect, and in October of that year the church was completed at a cost of about $2,000-a very neat and commo- dious one-story frame. It was dedicated by Elder Wilson, of Kenton, O., and when the church started the membership were E. B. Monnett and wife, M. J. Monnett and wife, Isaac Shearer and wife, J. P. Beall, wife and two daughters; Oliver Monnett and wife, Ben- jamin Shearer and wife. E. Monnett and wife, G. H. Welsh and wife, Bishop Scott and wife. The church was attached to Claridon circuit, and the first pastor was Rev. Stephen Fant.

In the early days the parents whose children

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lived outside of walking distance from Bucy- rus had very little school instruction. Many came to Bucyrus, some from as far as four or five miles distant, bringing their dinner, starting from home, after doing a fair morn- ing's work, and returning to do the "chores" in the evening. Thomas Shawke came to Bu- cyrus in 1832, and was a noted hunter, trav- ersing the entire country for miles around in every season of the year, and he is authority for the statement that, certainly prior to 1832, there was not a single school building in the township south of Bucyrus. In some neigh- borhoods a few families joined together and small private schools were occasionally held. The first township schoolhouse built outside the village was in district No. 2, just west of the corporation limits and stood on the north- west corner of Warren and Spring streets. It was built of logs in 1833, and was later re- placed by a one-story frame, the old log school- house being used as a woodshed for the school- house proper.

Previous to 1834 there were but four school districts in the county: on March 12, of that year, the number was increased to five by the formation of the four southeastern sections into district 5. On June 5, 1838, the township was reorganized into eight districts, four of these practically the four northeastern sections of the township, now the city of Bucyrus- these were districts 1. 6, 7 and 8; south of these the four square miles was district 2, and the southeastern four square miles was district 5; district 4 was north of the river, between the Indian reservation and the village of Bucy- rus, a trifle over four square miles; district 3 was two miles wide and four miles deep, ex- tending from the Indian reservation east to districts 2 and 5, what afterward became the Bell or Harvey and the Arbuckle districts.

When Ohio became a state, section 16 of every township was set aside for school pur- poses ; this land could be held, leased or sold. On April 6, 1835, the question of selling this school section was voted on and carried. The vote was light but practically unanimous- sixtv-two for the sale and only one against it. At this time small schoolhouses were being erected. Previous to this the old log cabin of some early squatter was fixed 11D and used for school purposes. In Oct., 1838. an enumera-

tion of the school children of the township was taken. The four Bucyrus districts had 315; No. 1, 82; No. 6, 51; No. 7, 107; No. 8, 75; the other districts-No. 2, 70; No. 3, 72; No. 4, 31; No. 5, 41; or 214 in the country dis- tricts; 529 in the entire township.

After 1837 the Indian reservation became open to settlement and the township was again divided into school districts. There are today nine districts. In the southeastern district a schoolhouse was not erected until 1840, the people along the pike wanting it there, and those in the eastern part of the district wanting it in the center of the four sections. It was finally built on the pike, five miles south of Bu- cyrus. Prior to its erection schools were held in an old log house, which was unoccupied, just south of the Monnett brick residence now oc- cupied by William Monnett. Susan Bovel and Harriet Huntley were the earlier teachers here. Later the old log church on the Monnett home- stead was used, and here Eliza Chapman and a Mr. Canef taught, the latter being like Silas Wegg in "Our Mutual Friend," "a literary man with a wooden leg." The schoolhouse located in 1840 was a constant source of dispute to the residents of the district. It was originally built on the pike, half a mile west of the cen- ter of the district. the residents there predom- inating in numbers and influence. Later the eastern part of the district elected trustees fa- vorable to their section, and the schoolhouse was hauled across the fields half a mile to the east to the center of the district. The pike residents wakened up and at the next election selected their own trustees, and the school- house was hauled back to its original site. There was no east and west road at that time. so transportation of the building was across the fields. This was so inconvenient that a road was petitioned for and laid out, and the next time the eastern section secured control, the schoolhouse had a road to travel on. The little temple of learning became a much trav- eled building, and was known as the "mov- able schoolhouse." Its search for a final rest- ing place might have continued to this day, but for the fact that many years ago the early residents along the pike had moved away, and the schoolhouse was finally placed in the center of the district, half a mile east of the pike. where it still remains with no one to ob-

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ject, as the entire four sections are now large farms, so that it would be considered a ban- ner day in some terms when half a dozen scholars were present.

On March 22, 1834, a number of the resi- dents of school district No. 5 met at the home of David Dinwiddie, two miles south of Bucy- rus and decided to erect a schoolhouse on the southwest corner of Silas Sweney's land; later the building on the farm then owned by Andrew Kerr, on the east side of the pike, two miles south of Bucyrus. It was a small log building, and among the first teachers were Casper Rowse, Harriet Robinson, Abraham Myers and Sarah Butler. In a few years it was replaced by a small frame building and this, in 1877, by the present brick structure. It was known for years as the Beal school- house, and here many a young lawyer of Bucy- rus and many a pupil in the high school at- tended the debating societies and spelling schools held during the winter seasons. Other districts followed with log schoolhouses re- placed by frame, and these gave way to the present brick buildings, the first brick being erected in district No. 8 in 1876.

In 1857 Miss Mary Monnett, a daughter of Abraham Monnett, who was attending the Wesleyan Female College at Delaware, made a donation to that college of $20,000. This liberal donation, occuring as it did, had a very great effect in strengthening that seat of learning and was the first practical effort to- wards making the Ohio Wesleyan University what it is today. The money was used for the erection of a needed building, which was named Monnett Hall-a name it retains to this day, with the donor's picture occupying a prominent place in the building. Even be- fore the donation Miss Monnett's relatives, being Methodists, attended the college; but in the last half century it is probable that a hundred of the Monnetts or their immediate relatives have obtained their instruction at that institution. One among them, the Hon. Frank S. Monnett, was a graduate of the class of '80; he was admitted to the bar and became one of the successful lawyers of Bucyrus and in this section, and in 1895 was elected by the Republicans as attorney gen- eral of the state. For some years the office of attorney general had drifted into minor

importance. The new attorney-general was active, fearless and energetic, and early re- stored the office to its former position as second only to that of the governor. He was ten years in advance of the political parties on the subject of trusts and combinations, and drifted into the Democratic party, removing his home from Bucyrus to Columbus. He had a collegiate education, a strong voice, and be- came one of the national speakers for Mr. Bryan in 1908, and it was generally under- stood that he would be the attorney-general of the United States in Mr. Bryan's cabinet.

Prior to 1830 several roads had been lo- cated in Bucyrus township, the Columbus and Sandusky pike entering the township two miles west of its eastern border and running northeast to Bucyrus. In laying out this road Heman Rowse, Nathaniel Plummer and Ben- jamin Parcher were appointed the viewers in 1824. The same year what is now the Wyan- dot, or Little Sandusky road, was ordered laid out, entering Bucyrus on its western boundary one mile north of the southwest corner of the township and northwest to Bucyrus. The next year, 1825, the Marion road was established, halfway between the pike and the Wyandot road and running northwest to Bucyrus. These roads, all being arteries from the southern and southwestern part of the state to Bucyrus and the north, were soon thronged with travellers, at first with a weekly line of stages, later tri- weekly, and eventually daily. As a result taverns were started all along these roads. Who kept the first it is impossible to state. But in 1836 a license was issued to Peter Hes- ser, on payment of $5, to keep a tavern; also one to Benjamin Warner for $7; his place was on the pike five miles south of Bucyrus and was known as the "Four-mile Tavern." He came to the county in 1826 from Pennsylvania and kept a tavern for about fifteen years. He was a Quaker, one of the Society of Friends, and his tavern was recognized as a synonym for good cheer. He was hospitable and made all welcome, and many a poor and weary trav- eller, without money, found rest and refresh- ment at Benjamin Warner's. Like a Quaker, he said little, but many a weary black, fleeing from slavery, arriving before daylight, found food and shelter during the day and left after

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dark, guided to his next station on the under- ground railroad.

Joshua Bebout in 1838 took out a $5 license to keep a tavern in the township, and some years later it was taken out by John W. Be- bout. Thompson Brown took out a license in 1840 for $7.50. There were taverns on the Marion road, three miles from Bucyrus, and another in Dallas township; on the Little San- dusky road there was one about three miles from Bucyrus and another some six miles out. All did a good business.

Excepting Bucyrus there are no villages or even settlements in the township, and no store ever existed outside the city. A number of saw-mills were erected in the early days. Young ran a horse-power mill, later changed to waterpower on the Sandusky, a mile south- west of Bucyrus, later Sinn's mill, then the Couts mill, then abandoned, and of which only the ruins now remain, the dam being washed away.

Further down the stream was Danser's dam, where once stood a saw-mill run by water- power; and still farther was Athey's dam, with another saw-mill, both long since abandoned, the dams washed away and hardly enough ruins left at either place to mark where they once stood.

The plains from the start were almost en- tirely used for grazing. True, wheat and corn were raised, but the corn mainly for feeding purposes, although fine crops have been produced on the plains. As early as 1852, Linus H. Ross, father of John Ross and grandfather of Linus Ross, reported a yield of 126 bushels to the acre, and the next year E. Barrett reported three acres with an aver- age yield of 129.2 per acre, and the same year Samuel S. Caldwell, three acres, with an aver- age of 124.2 per acre, and in 1859 Joseph Kerr reported one acre yielding 128 bushels. But the bulk of the plains was devoted to cattle raising and cattle grazing, and some flocks of sheep. In 1834 there was a craze for short- horn Durhams in this county, and Robert Kerr brought in some from Pickaway county, and John Ross some from Kentucky. Many farmers devoted their attention to cattle breeding, and also to the fattening and sale of cattle, a thousand head sometimes being held by one man. Abraham Monnett was the cat- tle king of southern Crawford and northern

Marion, and when but a young man E. B. Monnett made several trips to Illinois driving 100 to 300 head through for his father; also from intermediate points. The trip took weeks. Later followed their sale, the seller sending along a man the first day or two to get the cattle "started," for after one or two days' driving, the cattle had a leader and they followed without any trouble, these trips fre- quently extending as far as New York.

The plains being low and marshy in many places and overgrown with tall grass and weeds, decaying each season, it was easy to obliterate traces of the Indian trails. Yet Syl- vester Bourne, in his field notes, made in 1817, finds many distinct traces of these Indian trails across the plains. Hulbert, the authority on Indian trails, gives as one of the most prom- inent a trail commencing west of the mouth of the Scioto, north on the west side of that river, until south of Columbus, where it crosses the river and continues north, passing through or near Bucyrus. This trail is dis- tinctly traced by Bourne's notes, but west of where Hulbert's map would place it. It is marked in sections 35 and 36 in Dallas town- ship, and enters Bucyrus township in section 30, going from section 30 northeast through sections 20, 21, 16, 15, II and I. In section 30, Bucyrus, northwest of the Harvey school- house, perhaps half a mile, the notes show a trail going through the northeast corner of sec- tion 24, Dallas township, crossing the river between sections 24 and 25, Dallas, and con- tinuing on to the Indian village at Upper San- dusky. According to writers on ancient trails, this trail from Upper Sandusky continued through southwestern Bucyrus in a southeast- erly direction through Dallas and toward Owl Creek (Knox Co.) and to the Tuscarawas re- gion. Bourne's notes show it continued east, crossing the Little Scioto in the northwest quarter section of section 28 (farm of Daniel Rexroth) then northeast near the south side of the Little Scioto through the northwest quarter of section 27 (farm of W. H. Miller) the southwest quarter of section 22 ( farm of Wm. Caldwell's heirs) and through sections 23 and 24 into Whetstone township, where one branch went toward Leesville and the other to the Whetstone and followed the north banks of that river into Polk. In the east half of sec-

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ton 28 Bucyrus (between the land of Daniel Rexroth and Jonathan Carmean), the trail it met leading northeast was a man trail, and that continued southwest crossing the little Scioto in the south half, section 28 (Carmean farm) and following the Little Scioto through Dallas into Marion county and south to Co- lumbus. The Bourne field notes show a trail from Bucyrus to Upper Sandusky crossed the river just about at the Mansfield street bridge and followed the present Oceola road one mile, then ran a little south of it, and following through sections 33, 32 and 31 in Holmes it entered Tod, in the northeast corner of sec- tion 36, half a mile south of the Oceola road, passing through sections 25 and 26 in Tod, crossed the Brokensword, half a mile south- west of Oceola, about on the farm of G. E. Sigler, then west to Upper Sandusky.

As to the military road, over which some of the Pennsylvania troops marched in 1812 to Fort Ferree, Benjamin Sears, who came to Crawford county, in 1837, remembers no trace. At the time he arrived, the Mansfield and Bucyrus road had been laid out, and was in use; it had extended west toward Oceola a quarter of a mile past their home, and was in 1837 almost to the Indian reservation line, which was about a mile beyond his father's house. Mr. Sears hunted all over that region, and does not recall a trace of any road. At that time, 1837, he is certain no road was cut through the woods from Bucyrus to Upper Sandusky nor was there any trace of such a road. The road is given on all maps from 1815 to 1825. so it seems it was only used for mili- tary purposes; in the dozen years that elapsed from its use to the first coming of the pioneers, it became overgrown with bushes and grass and small trees, leaving no definite trace behind. It is difficult to figure how a road could be cut through the forest, and a generation later, and even less, leave no trace behind. That a body of Pennsylvania troops did pass from Crestline through Bucyrus and on to Upper Sandusky all records show there is no question. Another military road it appears also existed, entering the county north of Galion, passing through southern Whetstone, and southern Bucyrus through Wyandot to Little Sandusky. Of this faint traces are seen in eastern and central Polk township, but all trace is lost for

about three miles in western Polk and eastern Whetstone townships, just before it reaches the plains, where, of course, the open country and decaying vegetation and overflowing swamps would obliterate everything in a very few seasons.

There was an Indian camp existed at an early day, about four miles west of Bucyrus. The Bucyrus Journal of June 10, 1853, con- tains the following item :

"We were shown the other day a sword, found on May 29, by Jacob Kinsey, about four miles west of this place, at what is called 'Plumb Orchard,' or the 'Old Indian Camp.' The sword bears every appearance of having been made and used by some ancient race, un- known perhaps in this country. The blade is three feet, two inches in length, about one and a quarter inches wide at the hilt, tapering from both sides to the point, which is very sharp. The hilt is covered with a basket of steel, strongly made, and serves as a perfect safe- guard to the hand and wrist. It is very much rusted but if there were letters on it, they could easily be seen; there are, however, none. The following figures are found on the basket of the hilt :

6/56

"It is quite a curiosity and may lead to a more careful examination of matters connected with it. It was found with the point in the ground, with a large root practically grown over the hilt. In the same place, we learn, a musket was found a few years ago, which had every appearance of being very old."

The early grave yards of Bucyrus were out- side the original plat of the town but now in- side the corporation limits. The very first was along Middletown street east of Walnut. Among those known to be buried there were Daniel, Beadle, the infant child of Mishael Beadle, who died Sept. 1, 1822; the next burial was the five-year old child of Jacob Kellogg, died Dec. 30, 1822. The first adult was John Deardorff, who died in 1823, and the same year his daughter Margaret was buried here, and in 1824 his son William. Rachel Kellogg was buried here in 1824, and her father, John Kellogg, in 1825.

In 1824 the Carys had a grave yard across the river, in what was known years ago as the Henry orchard, just south of the present Holy

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Trinity cemetery. The first burial here was in 1824, Rachel Cary, wife of Lewis Cary, and that same year was buried Elizabeth Bucklin, the mother of Albigence Bucklin and Mrs. Samuel Norton. Daniel McMichael was bur- ied here in 1825, and also Seth Holmes the same year; also Timothy Kirk and wife. In this yard was buried in 1827, Peter, the col- ored servant of Lewis Cary, the first colored man ever in Bucyrus.

The next burial ground was the Tiffin grave yard, located on land donated by Amos Clark, and still in existence as a cemetery, but for many years unused as a burial site. The first burial was that of Samuel Yost, the infant son of Abraham Yost, who died May 12, 1827. In these grounds are the last resting place of Samuel Norton, who died April 18, 1856, and his wife Mary Norton, who died April 29, 1859, the first pioneers of Bucyrus. Two other graves there are Thomas Howey, died May 27, 1835, and Joseph Knott, died Nov. 5, 1826, both reported as soldiers who served in the Revolutionary war. Among others buried here of the early pioneers were Isaac H. Allen, the first prosecuting attorney of the county; Elias Cronebaugh who was killed accidentally at the building of the first court house on Dec. 4, 1830: Matthew and Elizabeth Free, Robert Foster, John Heinlen. Abraham, John and Daniel Halm, Elisha Kent, John Kanzleiter. Darius Langdon, Hugh and William Mc- Cullough, Hugh McCracken, Matthew Mc- Michael, William V. Marquis, William Magers, John J. Mollenkopf, John Nimmons, Thomas Parks, William Robinson, Thomas Rogers. Conrad Roth, Christian Sexauer, Henry and James Sell, William F. Schindler, John Stine- man, Benjamin and Joseph Spahr, James and Matthew Tate, Jonathan Timberlin.

In 1830 the Lutheran grave yard was

started, known as the Southern grave yard. It was outside the corporation, and was on the west side of Spring street, between Rensselaer and Warren. When it was abandoned all the bodies were removed to Oakwood cemetery. Among the pioneers originally buried there were George Aumiller, Christopher Boyer, Isaac Ditty, Peter and George Lauck, Peter Miller, Abraham Myers.

There was a grave yard, two miles west of Bucyrus on the Wyandot road, where Joseph Young and many of his family were buried. The first known burial was that of William Young, who died Oct. 25, 1839, aged 77 years.

In the Monnett chapel grave yard the first burial was Margaret Slagle, who died Aug. 22, 1841. John W. Shaw, colonel of the 34tl: O. V. I., is buried here; also Abram Monnett, who died Aug. 12, 1854. Jeremiah Monnett, the founder of the church, died Sept. 1, 1864, and is buried here.

One mile north of the Monnett chapel was the original Monnett grave yard, on the land of Isaac Monnett. The first known burial was John Monnett, who died Nov. 26, 1831, aged 26 years.

Mt. Zion church has a grave yard, and the first recorded interment is the McIlwain twins. who died Sept. 25, 1866. Another grave there is Esther White, who died Oct. 22, 1884, in the 89th year of her age.

Five miles west of Bucyrus is the Streib grave yard, and the first known interment was Mary Zimmerman on Feb. 17, 1867. Many buried here are over seventy vears of age, J. G. Mellenkopp, who died Oct. 18, 1886, being then in his o3d year, and Rev. Michael Streib, who died May 4. 1807, being in his 86th year ; Christopher Spiegle, 84: John Steinhilber. 83. and Michael Snyder. 81.

CHAPTER X

CHATFIELD TOWNSHIP

The Erection of Chatfield Township-Topography and Drainage-The Cranberry Industry -Pioneers and Early Settlers-German Immigration-Early Industries-Rearing Silk- worms-Taverns -- The Mckinley Graves-Justices-North Liberty and Its Founder- Richville-Chatfield P. O. Established-Postmasters-Grove Hill P. O .- Schools and Churches-Cemeteries.

The farmer sat in his easy chair Smoking his pipe of clay, While his hale old wife with busy care Was clearing the dinner away. -Charles G. Eastman.

March 6, 1828, Chatfield township was erected by the Commissioners of Crawford county. Prior to that time it had been a part of Cranberry township, but the building of the pike road from Bucyrus to Sandusky, the large amount of travel over that road, and the tendency of settlers to enter land along the most traveled routes, had made the western part of Cranberry as populous as the eastern, so the citizens in the western portion presented a petition to the commissioners for a division of the township and the request was granted. Cranberry at that time was six miles deep and eight and a half wide, and the four western miles were taken off and the new township was named Chatfield, after Silas and Oliver Chatfield. The division left Cranberry the same as it is at present. At the same time Lykins was erected six miles square-the present Lykins and the western mile of the present Chatfield. When Wyandot county was created by the Legislature in 1845, it necessitated a rearrangement of the western townships of the county, and the eastern mile of Lykins was attached to Chatfield, making both townships five miles square, as they exist today.

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History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 31

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