History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 47

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 47

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State legislature. At that time the national Government had a surplus of money which they turned over to the State and this money in turn was loaned out to farmers and others at 7% interest. The county paying the State 5% for the use of this money. The loans were handled by the county commissioners and Jacob Mollenkopf, at that time one of the commissioners in Crawford county, went to Columbus and brought Crawford's share of the funds to Bucyrus on horseback. The money was carried in his saddle bags and amounted to $7,000. These saddle bags which carried this fund are still in the possession of his descendants. The fund was carried on the books in the auditor's office by both the names of the 2% fund and the 7% fund, so called because 7% was the amount at which it was loaned and 2% was the amount of profit to the county. This fund was origi- nally started in 1837, and shows conclusively that the idea of the Government lending money to the people in time of need is not a new one. The fund itself, the records show, was collected with but little loss to the county and there was a profit arising from the 2% interest, for when the present new jail at the County Seat was built it was a part of the profits arising from this and other funds that was transferred to the construction of the jail so that it was built without the necessity of a tax levy.

There is but one church in Polk township outside of the city of Galion, and that is an old Baptist church which is still standing, a frame structure about a mile east of Galion on the land now owned by L. E. Reed. The first preacher was Rev. Nehemiah Story.

Polk township advanced with educational facilities as fast as the settlement of the county made schools necessary. The earliest settlers were in and around what is now Galion and here the first building was erected as early as 1822. It was built of round logs and was located on West Main street near the present residence of Mrs. Martha Crim, now No. 422 West Main. David Gill was the first school teacher. For the second school the site se- lected was the old graveyard and this building was destroyed by fire in 1844. When the next school house was erected the settlers had advanced a stage and the building was of

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hewn logs, where Lewis W. Riblet's residence now is, 116 North Market. Although the settlers had hewn the logs instead of having them in the rough, as in the two earlier school- houses, slab seats were still used and the bal- ance of the furniture was equally crude. Jim Mann taught in this school.

In the country districts many of the early settlers in the northeastern part of the town- ship attended the school which was established at the Russel schoolhouse. The school in dis- trict No. I now on the farm of A. L. Stevens was originally in Marion county, and only be- came a part of Crawford county in 1845 when the new county was organized. Hence the schoolhouses in districts Nos. 1, 2, and 3 were all on the border line of the county.

One of the earliest populous settlements was in the northwest part of Polk township in what is known as the Beltz neighborhood. Here was Disberry Johnston and the Browns and later Christopher Beltz with his family of seven children, and the first schoolhouse was started on what is now the land of H. E. Mader, just south of the Galion road. There was a little stream there at that time and on the west bank of this stream the log school- house was built on slightly rising ground and beside the creek was a little spring where wa- ter was procured. J. C. Beltz, still living, re- members attending this schoolhouse, and it was in the midst of a dense forest and when a boy he walked a half a mile through the woods to attend the school, seeing an oc- casional deer and being frequently scared by the wild hogs which roamed through the woods. Other settlers arriving, a frame schoolhouse was built on the Beltz farm, a mile west of the first location, and later the school was removed further to the east where it is today, just south of the Galion road on the farm of Lida M. Beck. The other school- houses are those in district No. 5 north of the Galion road a mile west of Galion on the farm of Frank W. Tracht. District No. 6, is a mile north of Galion on the farm of J. M. Tracht while district No. 7 is on the farm of

the Henry Peister heirs in the northeastern section of the township.

Outside of the city of Galion the early pioneers had a burying ground on the farm of Jacob Pletcher, three miles west of Galion. Here, the first known burial was the son of Samuel Pletcher who died March 15, 1830. Several other Pletchers were buried here and also David Reed who was one of the early pioneers of the township and died October 12, 1844. Near here is another burial ground, known as the Snyder graveyard. The first burial being that of George Snyder who died May 26, 1848.

Polk township was a part of Richland county prior to 1845, and among the justices of the peace in the earlier days were Daniel Riblet, John Williams and Thomas Jackson. As in most townships, the people generally had some justice whose office they made as near perpetual as possible. Abraham Under- wood being the justice when the township was formed in 1845, and being elected his last time in 1885, but in the meantime the people started Charles B. Shumaker in as justice in 1878, and he was elected for eight terms of three years each. The following have held the office in Polk township:

Phares Jackson-1845-47-59. Abraham Underwood-1845-47-50-61-65-73-76-79-82-85. John Williams-1850-53.

William C. Parsons-1852,

M. R. Payne-1853-56-63.

Samuel Sillex-1855.

Peter Pfeifer-1856.

Peter Cress-1858-61-63-66-69.

James C. Worden-1860.

Seth G. Cummings-1868.

O. T. Hart-1869-72-75.

Samuel Myers-1870.

H. S. Z. Matthias-1873-1904.

Charles B. Shumaker-1878-81-84-87-90-99-02-05.

Sylvester Price-1888. Jacob Riblet-1891-94.

D. O. Castle-1893-96-98.

Morris Burns-1896. L. C. Barker-1898. George J. Kochenderfer-1901.

Harry R. Schuler-1904. Wendel Helfrich-1907-II.

Carl J. Gugler-1907.

J. R. Rummel-19II.

A. W. Lewis-19II.

CHAPTER XIX

SANDUSKY TOWNSHIP

Sandusky Township-The Township From Which All Others Were Erected-The Pioneers- The Knisely Springs-First Camp Meeting and First Sunday School-"Governor" Fergu- son Deals Out Justice to the Indians-A Woman Missionary.

The mighty oak, proud monarch of the wood, Upon this land in stately grandeur stood; Throughout the wilds did mortal panthers prowl, And oft was heard the wolf's terrific howl. But all these savage beasts have passed away, And the wild Indians, too, where now are they?

Sandusky township contains today only eighteen square miles, one of the smallest townships in the county. Yet the time was when it was the entire county, and from its territory every township was taken. Craw- ford county was secured from the Indians by a treaty signed July 4, 1905, and the four eastern miles were surveyed by Maxfield Lud- low in 1807, and the new territory was at- tached to Franklin county and known as San- dusky township. In 1814, when Richland county was organized the four eastern miles of the present county of Crawford and the two western miles of Richland county were erected into a township which was named Sandusky township, Richland county. This township was six miles wide and eighteen deep. The balance of Crawford county still retained the name of Sandusky township. When the county of Crawford was erected in 1820 it was placed under the jurisdiction of Delaware, and the commissioners of that county erected the first township in Crawford county. The following is the record:

"Dec. 3, 1822 .- Ordered, That all that part of San- dusky township 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."

* The 17th Range alluded to is not taken from the ranges along the base line on the northern border of Crawford county, but is Range 17 on the Greenville

This left Sandusky a narrow strip, three miles wide, extending from the northern to the southern boundary of the county. This was known as the "Three Mile Strip," as it was secured by the treaty of 1805 from the Indians, was not surveyed in 1807, and for a dozen years was unattached territory. It was not on the market until 1820. The east- ern boundary of this three mile strip was Richland county; the western boundary was the commencement of the "New Purchase" secured from the Indians in 1817. Before this three mile strip was open for settlement, adventurous men had "squatted" on the land, in defiance of the law, made improvements in the most desirable locations, with the ulti- mate purpose of perfecting their titles when the land was thrown on the market. Later in 1820 this land was opened for settlement at Delaware, and there was a rush to enter lands, and many found to their sorrow that the land had been legally entered by others; some hon- estly entering the land, while other shrewd men, having visited the section, and discover- ing where the land had been cleared hurried to Delaware, and entered and paid for the claim. Those who filed their entries at Del- aware were the legal owners, and when they came to settle on their land much trouble fol- lowed. The original settlers were "squatters" with no legal rights, and many refused to leave

treaty line. On the base line, ranges were numbered from west to east. On the Greenville treaty line they run from east to west. The present western boundary of Sandusky township is the centre of Range 17, Green- ville treaty line, and the east line of Range 17, on the base line survey.

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the land they had cleared, and in cases vi- olence was resorted to. It took years to set- tle these disputes by courts especially appoint- ed to adjudicate the matter, and in many cases,

the water to the Huron river, by which chan- nel it finds its way into Lake Erie. In Section I in the northeastern corner there is a swampy tract of land known as Bear Marsh, which is after years of litigation, the unfortunate early - noticeably depressed below the surface of the settlers had no recourse but to see the legal purchaser secure his land with all the improve- ments the original settler had placed on it by years of toil in the wilderness.

When the first recorded vote was cast in this county in 1824, there were but two town- ships in the county, Sandusky with 12 votes and Bucyrus with 50.

In 1828 Cranberry township was erected, leaving Sandusky a strip three miles wide, and 12 deep. It was good farming land and be- came settled rapidly, and this long narrow strip was so inconvenient to the people that a petition was presented to the county commis- sioners for a division of the township, and on June 2, 1835, Sandusky township was erected, by the following order :

"This day came David Reed and filed a petition, praying that some relief may be given to the inhabitants of Sandusky township, stating that the township is 12 miles in length and three in breadth, and requesting the commissioners to divide and alter said township and the adjoining townships, so that it may be more con- venient. Whereupon the commissioners ordered that all the original surveyed fractional township 16, Range 21, commonly called the south end of Sandusky Township, and the east tier of fractional sections in Township 3, Range 17 (Whetstone Township), viz: Sections 1, 12, 13, 24, 25 and 36, and Sections 34, 35 and 36, Township 17, Range 21, are hereby organized into a separate town- ship, to be designated and known by the name of Jack- son. And it is further ordered, that all the original sur- veyed fractional township 17, Range 21, except Sections 34, 35 and 36, called the northern end of Sandusky Township, and the east tier of sections of Township 2, Range 17 (Liberty Township), viz: Sections 1, 12, 13, 24, 25, and 36, and Sections 34, 35 and 36, Township 18, Range 21 (Cranberry Township), shall constitute a separate and remain and be known by the name and title of Sandusky Township."

Sandusky township is drained in part by the Sandusky river, from which it takes its name, and which flows in a serpentine course across the southern part. Loss Creek, flowing from Vernon township, enters the Sandusky near the center of Section 26. These streams, with their tributaries, drain the southern half of the township. The northern part is drained chiefly by Broken Sword Creek and its tributaries, this stream, a winding branch of the Sandusky, en- tering from Vernon township. In the extreme northern part branches of Honey Creek convey

surrounding country and was formerly covered with water the year round, though since the re- moval of the forests much of the water has been evaporated or has found its way into Broken- sword Creek. This tract, however, affords good pasture land and has been largely used as such.

The surface aspect of Sandusky township is picturesque and the land generally is of a gentle rolling character, though along the val- ley of the Sandusky the hills are so steep and precipitous as to render cultivation on their sides impossible. The rolling character of the surface is more pronounced along the valley of Brokensword Creek. Considerable coarse gravel is found interspersed with boulders- relics of a former geologic age, when, carried southward by glaciers from their home in the highlands of Canada, north of the Great Lakes, they were released by the melting of the ice on reaching a more southerly latitude and were deposited where they are now found, and where they have been lying since a date far anteceding human history. An abundance of Waverly sandstone may also be found under- lying the heavy beds of drift in the southern part of the township, and some of it has been taken out and used for building purposes. A dark brown slate of shale, of uncertain forma- tion, is also found along the Sandusky river.

In addition to the foregoing geologic fea- tures, Section 26 contains a number of gas and medicinal springs, the latter of which have ap- parently pronounced curative properties, as some remarkable cases of cure from disease have been recorded. Eleven of these springs are on the Knisely farm, and were first dis- covered by Samuel Knisely, the pioneer, who came to the county in 1819, and, foreseeing their value, purchased the land on which they flow. Their waters are found on analysis to contain sulphureted hydrogen gas, carbureted hydrogen gas, sulphur, iron, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, with traces of siliceous and other matter and also of sulphuric and phosphoric acids. These eleven springs, which are all contained within an area of four rods,

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are located in a small basin on a little rill that flows into the Sandusky river. From one of them an unpleasant-smelling gas, probably carbureted hydrogen gas-is constantly bub- bling. This gas is lighter than air, is highly inflamable and burns with a light yellow flame, showing occasionally fine scintillations indi- cative of small particles of carbon. Situated along the creek at no great distance above these springs are twelve others, some of which, strange to say, contain no trace of sulphur. About 40 rods southeast of the Knisely resi- dence is a section of land several rods square, from which large quantities of inflammable gas are constantly escaping into the atmos- phere.

Long before the advent of the white man these springs were a frequent resort of the In- dians on account of their medicinal qualities. Here they camped for days using the waters for their healing properties, and while no trace remains, it is fairly certain that in this section was an old Indian graveyard. Many of these Indians came for miles to plaster themselves with the mud which was considered very healing for their sores, and frequently this mud was taken away on their ponies to re- lieve some Indian who was unable to make the journey to the springs.

James Gwell came to the township in 1819 and began a clearing. He was followed the same year by Matthew Elder and John Shull, who built cabins into which they moved their families. Mr. Shull built a water-power saw- mill on Sandusky river, prior to 1830. In 1821 Samuel Knisely moved his family to the "Spring farm," which he had selected and partially purchased in 1819. Mr. Knisely was noted as a most skillful hunter and woods- man, and it is said that he killed 100 deer each winter for many years. He also destroyed many bears, in which he did the community good service, as these animals were too fond of pork to be convenient neighbors. They would also on occasion make an attempt to seize a baby, though no reports are handed down that they were ever successful. Samuel Knisely Jr. was also a successful hunter, though the larger species of game had mostly disappeared before he was old enough to at- tain name and fame in this direction. He had a trained dog named Lyon, which he made

use of in his hunting expeditions after deer, wild cats and other animals. Mr. Knisely was also a successful bee hunter, and collected large quantities of wild honey, which found a ready sale in Sandusky city or Mansfield. As many as 20 or 30 gallons were sometimes taken from a single tree.

In August, 1821 John B. French, a Vir- ginian, built a hewed-log cabin in Section 23, into which he moved with his family. He was a man of great sociability and intelligence, but was in somewhat impaired health when he came here, and the privations of a life in the wilderness, where he was surrounded by marshes and swamps, were too much for his enfeebled constitution, and he gradually failed until he died in 1830, his death being one of the first in the township. He was one of the first three associate judges in the county ap- pointed when it was organized in 1826. His cabin was quite a resort for travelers, who often went some distance out of their way to reach it. His wife, a woman of superior mind and character, survived her husband 50 years, dying in West Liberty. The French cabin was frequently visited by the Wyandot In- dians, they having a camp near by; they came without warning or invitation, seated them- selves before the fire, and, lighting their pipes, would hand one to Mrs. French-in the ab- sence of her husband-as a token of amity. To return the civility she would take a few puffs and then return it. One of these In- dians, named Blacksnake,* who was looked upon with distrust by the settlers, had quite a number of scalps in his possession, which he claimed to have taken from the heads of white settlers. He said he had ninety-nine and wanted one more to make the number an even hundred. This unabashed savage soon after left the neighborhood, doubtless to the relief of some of the settlers. The latter often re- ceived invitations to attend the peace dances of the Indians or to attend their great feasts, and occasionally friendly contests and games were gotten up and participated in by whites and red men alike, prizes being assigned to the victors. Though the Indians usually ex- celled in running, it is said that the white men

* Probably Tom Lyons, as all historians in this sec- tion, state Tom Lyons was the Indian who boasted of the ninety-nine scalps.

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frequently carried off the prizes for marksman- ship with the rifle, and it is a well known fact that the Indian, though sometimes a fair marksman, never learned to shoot with the same unerring precision and deadly aim as the skilled white scout or frontiersman.

The Indians had a warm regard for Mr. French, and went to him for counsel and ad- vice, and his influence over them was great. He was of an easy, kindly disposition, strictly just, and could do more with them than any other man in the township. But when any really serious case arose they took it before Thomas Ferguson. French was gentle, cour- teous, affable, and not of strong build. Fer- guson was a man of great physical strength which partly accounted for the Indian admira- tion of him. He was also a man of great common sense, and thoroughly understood the Indian character. He was spoken of by them as "Governor" Ferguson, and this title later was given him by his neighbors. He lived near the line between what is now Sandusky and Jefferson townships. Sandusky, Jefferson and Polk had been their favorite hunting grounds, and fifteen years after the land had passed from their hands by treaty, they still lingered in this section with their camps, and roamed through the forests until the advancing civili- zation had driven away the game, and the In- dians reluctantly retired to their own reserva- tion. The Indians had been cowed into sub- mission, and except when under the influence of liquor were fairly harmless. True, any- thing they wanted they took, making no dis- tinction as to whether it belonged to them or some one else, and no household utensil or stock of the farmer was safe. The most serious case that came before "Governor" Ferguson was in the early twenties. Two young men came from the east, brothers named Philip and William Beatty. When they were but children their parents had been murdered by a marauding band of Indians, and the two boys being away in the woods escaped; they returned to the cabin only to find their par- ents cruelly butchered. Naturally they were filled with intense hatred of the entire Indian race, and when they arrived in this section continued their vengeance against the unof- fending Wyandots. One very dark night they crept cautiously toward an Indian camp and

took careful aim on two unsuspecting Indians. Fortunately, both shots missed, but the In- dians sprang to their feet and started in hot pursuit. In the darkness of the wood the young men easily eluded their pursuers. The next day the Indians visited "Governor" Fer- guson, and demanded justice. The "Governor" patiently listened to their story, was justly in- dignant to the intense delight of the Indians; he assured them it was an outrage which should not go unpunished, and they could de- pend upon him to see that the attempted mur- derers received the punishment they so richly deserved. But in the meantime they should find out who it was that committed the coward- ly act, and notify him, and whoever it was should receive the most severe punishment. These children of the forest left supremely happy over the fatherly care the "Governor" was taking of them, but as they never dis- covered who fired the shot the matter was finally dropped, except that the Indians had a greater confidence than ever in the wisdom, impartiality, and strict sense of justice of their good friend, "Governor" Ferguson.

Sandusky township gives the first record of a traveling managerie in the county. In the year 1829 one passed through the township on the way from Mansfield to the northwest, and camped for the night on the farm of John B. French. They had several cages of lions and other wild beasts, and also an elephant and some camels, and people came from miles around to get a glimpse of the strange animals, but tradition states that the roars of the lions, as the caravan was traveling through the coun- ty, startled many a timid pioneer, while the more valiant hurriedly seized their rifles, and started for the noise, only to discover the un- known wild animal was not a beast at large in the forest.

In 1823 the nearest mills-of any note- were eight miles away. In that year, how- ever, there arrived Jacob Dull, Jacob Am- brosier, and Benjamin and William Bowers. The Bowers brothers, soon after their arrival erected a large, hewed-log, two-storied cabin on Loss Creek, not far from its mouth, which they converted into a saw and grist-mill, and this mill, especially the saw-mill department, rendered good service for many years. Saw- mills at this time were greatly needed, for

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there were not enough to supply the home de- mand for lumber, although, besides the one above mentioned, another was established near the settlement now known as Sulphur Springs, and one or two existed in adjoining townships. The finest timber was then wasted with what today would be regarded as reckless prodigal- ity. The Bowers Brothers also built an addi- tion to their mill, designing it for a distillery, but its product at any time was small and not more than sufficient to supply the local de- mand. They started a saloon which became a noted resort for the more convivial spirits in the neighborhood. After running for about ten years both mills and distillery were aban- doned. It was near this mill, as late as 1838, that William Wert killed a large panther, which he found in a tree, and which he at first took to be only a catamount. He had a desperate struggle with the animal, which killed one of his dogs and badly wounded another, but he finally effected its destruction, after cutting down no less than three trees, in which it had taken refuge in succession, and bore home his prize in triumph.

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History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 47

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