History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 49

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 49

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In 1825 the arrivals were Eli Adams, An- thony Detray, Charles Morrow, Adam Miller, John Nedray, David Palmer, Laban Perdew, Doddridge Paul, Robert Roberts and Alva Trask. In 1826, Lewis Lemert, William Pen- nington, Robert Mays, Ebenezer Culver, Jacob Foy, Andrew Gregg and William Griffiths.

Eli Adams was born in Massachusetts in 1803, and came with his parents to Huron county in 1813. When 22 years of age he came to this county entering 80 acres of land in what is now Texas township. The land was all forest, in the midst of which he erected

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his cabin, and commenced clearing the land. He married Mary Andrews who came to Sen- eca county with her parents in 1823, and later to Crawford county.

Isaac Miller settled on the Sycamore, just below the present village of Benton. Here in 1836 he placed a rude dam across the river, and erected a saw-mill, which he ran about eight years, when dam and mill were washed away by a rising of the stream during a spring freshet, and the mill was never rebuilt; he then devoting his attention to farming.

Laban Perdew settled in the northern part of the township, took an active hand in local matters and was one of the early justices of the peace.

Jacob Miller settled in the northern part of the township. His grandfather Andrew Mueller was the owner of a large mill in Ger- many, but during one of Napoleon's marches into Germany the mill was destroyed by fire, and two of his sons drafted into the army. In order to escape, the entire family secretly left the country for America, but within a year after their arrival the entire family, ex- cept Jacob, died at Hagerstown, Md. Jacob came to Fairfield county, O., and with his son Jacob came to Seneca county in 1830, settling on 80 acres which they purchased for $100; later they came to Texas township, the young- er Jacob marrying Phoebe Pennington, daugh- ter of one of the pioneers.

Daniel Walter was born in July, 1797, and came to this section in March, 1821, with the family of Peter Baum, one of the first pioneers to settle in Sycamore township, Crawford county, now in Wyandot county. He worked thirteen months for Thomas Leeper, a pioneer who came the same year and entered land a few miles west of Baum. Walker received $100 for his services, and with this bought 80 acres of land, on which he erected his own log cabin, with its mud chimney and puncheon floor. He married Susanna Baum, the daugh- ter of the pioneer who came to the county with him. While he lived near to county line, it was not until late in life he moved into Texas township, where he died Aug. 7, 1875, and was buried in the Benton graveyard.

Another settler on the border was Adam Coon. His grandfather, John Coon, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and set-

tled in Pickaway county in 1803, and when the War of 1812 broke out his son John shouldered his musket to fight against the British. John Coon, the father of Adam, was a blacksmith, and made a number of articles for the Indians, among them a tomahawk and pipe combined, which delighted the red man. His son Adam also learned the blacksmith's trade, and in 1821, started out in life for him- self, his father setting him up in business by presenting him with an axe, an iron wedge and a maul. Carrying these, Adam walked to this section where he started just west of Texas township with 80 acres, for which he promised to pay 75 cents an acre. The con- tract was too large for him, and he had to give up forty acres. He followed in the footsteps of his father by making the com- bination pipe and tomahawk, and by degrees ·his land was partly cleared, and in three years he had money enough to buy back the forty acres he had been compelled to relinquish at the start. He married Elizabeth Hackerthom, whose father was also in the War of 1812. Her parents came to this country when she was an infant, and when they came west she was carried in the arms of her mother and aunt the entire seven hundred miles. When they first married, the cabin was one built entirely by the husband; it had only a bark roof and the bare ground for a floor, and here they lived for several years until a better cabin was erected of hewn logs. He died on March 19, 1877.

Doddridge Paul, another pioneer, came here from Huron county (now Erie county) in May, 1825. He had previously married Rox- ana Whitney but left his wife with friends in Seneca county until he could prepare a home for her. He built a cabin in the forest, a neighbor helping him to put on the bark roof. His family arrived before he had fin- ished the cabin, and they had to sit on the stumps outside, with their goods, while he was cutting out a place for a door, when they moved in, his wife building a fire in one cor- ner, where she prepared their first meal in their new home. At the start their only door was a blanket, which they hung across the entrance, and at night their sleep was dis- turbed by the howling of the wolves. Indians made frequent calls for something to eat. Mr.

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Paul cleared three acres the first season, which he put into wheat, and in the next season built a better cabin. He also cleared six acres for corn and set out 100 apple trees, the first or- chard planted in the township.

Lewis Lemert was born in Virginia in 1802. His father, Joshua Lemert, was an officer in the War of 1812. On Jan. 2, 1823, Lewis Lemert married Ruth Perdew in Coshocton county, and in 1826, the young couple came to Texas township entering 80 acres in the northwestern part of the township. On this he built his cabin and cleared away the forest, took an active interest in church work, and assisted in the building of the Ebenezer M. E. Church at Pipetown. He died Aug. 4, 1882, and was buried in the Pipetown graveyard. One of his sons was Col. W. C. Lemert, who worked on the farm in early life, taught school, came to Bucyrus, entered the army, and after the war devoted his attention to rail- road building and manufacturing.

Other of the early settlers were John Mc- Grew who came in 1827; William Gregg and Martin Holman in 1829; Charles Dickens in 1830; James Andrews in 1832; John Ballack in 1834; David Beal, Robert Clark, Wash- ington Duncan, William Jackson and James Longwell in 1835.

James Andrews came to Texas township in 1832, his sons Arthur and John being twins, and 24 years of age when they came to the township. Arthur worked on a farm in Penn- sylvania and having accumulated $113, walked from Steubenville, O., to Texas township, where he invested $100 in an 80-acre tract to which the family moved in 1832.

Jacob Walcutt came to Texas township and entered 80 acres just west of Benton. Before . he removed to the land, he died, and his wife, Elizabeth (Riley) Walcutt, settled on the land with her seven children, between 1835 and 1840, and the farm was cleared and carried on by the mother and children. Jacob Walcutt was a soldier in the War of 1812.

Those who located in the southern part of the township were Anthony Detray, Charles Morrow, Robert Mays, Adam Miller and Robert Roberts. Those in the northern part were Eli Adams, Joseph Nedray, Doddridge Paul, David Palmer, Laban Perdew, Lewis Lemert, and Alva Trask. Nearly all of the

settlers in the northern half of the township came from Seneca county and were of New England origin, some of them having settled in that county about the time of the War of 1812. The same time another wave of col- onization was sweeping westward into Craw- ford from Mansfield and vicinity, coming north from Bucyrus, most of those who came from this direction settling in the southern part of Texas township. Many of these pio- neers started on little or nothing but succeeded by dint of willing hearts and busy hands in building up a good homestead and laying the foundations of prosperity for their descend- ants. When Adam Miller and wife arrived, their combined fortune consisted of an ox, a rifle, a few plain cooking utensils, and about 121/2 cents in money, yet with this they began to clear and improve a farm and prospered.

Owing to the proximity of the Wyandot Reservation the settlers had plenty of oppor- tunity of getting acquainted with the habits and manners of the Indians. Though great beggars, and sometimes thieves, they were on friendly terms with the whites and after the white settlement of the township began no serious trouble ever occurred between the two races. One of the most successful resident hunters was John Hazlett. The Hazlett broth- ers are said to have killed a hundred deer every winter for many years after coming to the township. They had many exciting ad- ventures. One of the humorous incidents is related of Robert Clark, who had just come from the East and was not accustomed to life in the woods. His cabin had no door, but only an opening, which was covered by a blanket suspended from above. One night, soon after their arrival, the family heard strange and bloodcurdling cries issuing from the forest around them, and, thinking that some fero- cious wild animals were meditating an attack upon them, he hurriedly sent his wife and chil- dren into the loft, and valiantly took up his po- sition at the entrance with an axe ready to ex- terminate any intruder or perish in the attempt. He thus kept guard all night and in the morn- ing discovered that the unearthly cries which had so alarmed them were merely the screech- ing of owls. The children of the pioneers fre- quently lost their way in the woods and some- times several days would elapse before they

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were recovered. On such occasions the whole neighborhood would turn out with bells, guns and horns and scour the woods until the wan- derers were found. Occasionaly grown per- sons also lost their way and wandered about in the dense forest for hours or even days be- fore they found their way to a clearing or some settler's cabin, which they did not rec- ognize though it might prove to be their own, so bewildered were their faculties.

In the early days the Sycamore creek, small as it is today, by means of little dams had water sufficient to run several saw-mills about four months in the year. The first mill was that of George Bender about 1827. He had his machinery first, and erected his mill in the woods on the bank of the stream, and in the open air sawed the lumber with which the mill was built. This mill he lost, as it was built on another man's land, who claimed it, so he built another on the same stream, being careful this time to have it on his own land. Isaac Miller also had a saw-mill. These were small affairs but a great convenience to the settlers. In 1837 James Longwell built his saw-mill on the Sycamore, charging 40 cents per hundred feet or sawing the lumber on shares. After he had operated it profitably for a number of years he entered into part- nership with Uriah Wooster, and the first grist mill was erected in the township. It was a three-story building, with all the modern machinery necessary to a mill at that time. It was in this mill that Wooster met his death; one of the stones broke while he was running the mill at high pressure, and a piece of the flying stone struck him in the head, fractur- ing his skull and killing him instantly. The mill was in the possession of several owners, and in 1862 came into the possession of Sam- uel Clapper of Bucyrus, and the following year he sold it to C. S. Miller of Bucyrus. The saw-mill was discontinued but the flouring mill still did a large business being constant- ly improved with the demands of the time, and became one of the leading mills in the county.

Outside of the milling business there were no special industries in the township in the early days, a couple of blacksmith shops being the headquarters of the neighborhood. Most of the trading was done at Sycamore or Mel-

more, and on larger purchases the headquar- ters being at Bucyrus or Tiffin. In 1848 Mar- tin Holman established a tannery, but it was not a profitable venture and was discontinued. Mr. Holman was born in Pennsylvania and came to Texas township in March, 1829.

About a mile and a half northeast of Plank- ton, the old state road from Plymouth to Syc- amore crosses the present boundary line road between Crawford and Wyandot counties. In the early thirties a store was started near this crossing. The owner of the store had no- ticed the joy of the Indians when they be- came the proud possessors of one of the tomahawk pipes of Adam Coon, and saw a fortune in furnishing the Indians, who were inveterate smokers, as well as the settlers, with a cheap pipe. So he bought a large stock of clay pipes, and any one entering the store found pipes to the right of him, pipes to the left of him, pipes in front of him. In fact, it seemed as if there was nothing in the store but pipes; they were so prominent that all the other stock was eclipsed. The pipe ven- ture was not a success, the Indians did not take kindly to them and neither did the set- tlers, but they gave the proprietor of the store the name of "Old Pipes," and the Cor- ners the name of Pipetown, and while the name originated in burlesque the Ebenezer M. E. Church built there was seldom known as Ebenezer, but called the "Pipetown" church, and the little graveyard was known as the Pipetown graveyard, while near the church stands the Pipetown school.

Benton was laid out in August, 1841, by George Bender and John Hazlett, and was named after Senator Thomas Benton of Mis- souri, Hazlett being a great admirer of that statesman. Previous to its being laid out, in 1837, a post office had been established there called Poplar. It has always carried the two names; at the start the name of Benton being the generally accepted one, but in the last few years there is a heavy tendency prevailing toward the Government name. The site of the town was excellent, on a bluff on the north bank of the Sycamore.

When the town was started there was a blacksmith shop at the crossing of the two roads kept by Daniel Beal. This was a great resort for the farmers who gathered there in

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the early days to pitch horse shoes, and after dark and in rainy weather sit around the forge and exchange the latest news and dis- cuss politics. Another blacksmith shop was near the crossing, built by John Leigh about 1837, also a headquarters for political and other discussions. After the village was laid out, John Hazlett built the first frame house there in 1842, now the tavern kept by Ceil Jump. Alvin Williams kept the first store in the village, having as a partner, Amos L. West- over. In 1845, Texas township was organ- ized, and under the law 12 square miles was too small a territory to be erected into a town- ship, unless it contained a village. Benton could hardly then be classed as a village. The commissioners solved the problem by incor- porating the village of Benton, probably at the time the smallest settlement ever burdened with the responsibilities of a village govern- ment. But the citizens stood up to the rack and on Aug. 23, 1845, elected Alvin Williams as the first mayor and Joseph Pietzel as re- corder, and Williams gave bond in the sum of $1,000 for the faithful performance of his duties. In 1846, Williams was again elected, and in 1847 the office was given to Joseph Pietzel, but the next year the people returned to their first choice and again entrusted the responsibilities of government to Williams. The village organization long since gave up its existence, although in its palmiest days the population reached over 200.

The postoffice was first established in 1837, and has always been called Poplar. The fol- lowing have been the postmastsrs:

George Bender, July 3, 1837; George W. Saltsman, Oct. 24, 1849; Joseph Pitezel, Nov. I, 1850; Abraham Eyestone, March 18, 1852: Nathan Hollinshead, July 18, 1854: Daniel Tuttle, Jan. 15, 1855; Fayette Thornton, Sept. 25, 1857; Daniel Tuttle, July II, 1859; A. F. Bender, Jan. 3, 1860; Solomon Feltis, May 24, 1860; W. S. Mulford, April 25, 1861; A. B. Stewart, May 26, 1869; J. P. Temple, Nov. 3, 1871 ; William A. Longwell, Feb. II, 1873; Adam R. Winter, Sept. 14. 1881 : G. B. Valentine, July 30, 1885; William T. Hor- ton, Dec. 15, 1890; James Beistle, April 19, 1899; V. D. Campbell, March 17, 1903. On Nov. 30, 1905, the office was discontinued, the people being supplied by rural route.

When the Northern Ohio road was built a station was located two miles north of Ben- ton, which was called Plankton and a post office established. The first postmaster was Peter J. Thompson, appointed Oct. 13, 1891; he was succeeded by A . H. Miller on May 13, 1899, who still holds the office. On the es- tablishment of the station a grain elevator was built there and a small store for the conven- ience of the people in that neighborhood, but notwithstanding the railroad Benton is still the larger place, having a hotel, a store, two churches, the schoolhouse, and two or three small shops.

The store of Williams & Westover when first started at Benton, carried a stock of about $500, and after being run about four years they retired from business. While run- ning the store Williams conducted an ashery and later a saloon, the first in the township. The next store keeper was G. W. Saltsman, who had a stock of $1,000, with the post office at his store, and after running the busi- ness two or three years he retired.

In 1844 William Sigler purchased the building erected by Hazlett, and opened a tav- ern with a store in connection; and this pros- pered as he continued in business a number of years. In 1850 the town had two stores, An- drew Failor opening up there with a stock of goods from Bucyrus; Robert Martin started a carpenter shop, and in 1845, Daniel Rank estab- lished a tannery, which he ran successfully for a dozen years; there were two shoemakers in the village and the leather they failed to use he sold at Bucyrus and Tiffin. William Jack- son also started a tannery. The first phy- sician in the village was Dr. Pitezel, who set- tled there in 1844, remaining fourteen years. Dr. John Atwood was there from 1846 to 1849. Dr. D. Alvord was there from 1847 to 1853. Dr. Yates and Dr. Bissell were also there prior to 1850, but remained but a short time.

The tavern started by William Sigler he disposed of to Daniel Tuttle who ran it as a hotel and grocery, also selling liquor. Mr. Tuttle in 1849 went to California on the break- ing out of the gold excitement; he went by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and was gone two years, and on his return again went into the hotel business.

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He seems to have been a somewhat original character, as is evidenced in the following notice posted in his hotel, which may indicate his humor, and the improvement in manners and habits that have taken place in the last fifty or sixty years :

Oct. 29, 1852.

TUTTLE AT HOME AGAIN

DANIEL TUTTLE AT TUTTLE HOUSE, BENTON

Meals 1212 to 50 cents, according to the quality and quantity of the "fixings" packed or stowed in.

Lodging 1212 cents.

Every horse in stable one hour, 1212 cents. Every gill of tobacco juice deposited on a clean floor 25 cents.

Ditto on a white wall behind a bed, 50 cents. For every half pint on the floor, 50 cents.

For every old quid of cigar stump thrown in the corner of the room or under the table or bed, 25 cents.

For every time a "loafer" forgets to clean his boots at the "scraper" and brings 100 pounds of mud into the hall or sitting-room and there deposits it, $1.00.

For every bed tumbled by a "loafer" in the day time with his boots on, 50 cents.

"I shall never forget these dear patrons of old, To me they're more precious than mountains of gold."

Mr. Tuttle did much to build up and improve the town. He was, however, an infidel in his religious principles and an open enemy of all christian denominations. Beginning with 1850 he published occasional numbers of a paper, which he called "The Divinity Physi- cian," the object of which was to satirize and burlesque the doctrines held by the various Christian churches. He expended several thousand dollars in the publication of this paper with practically no return to himself, except several prosecutions for libel, together with a good deal of abuse. The last issue was published in 1870.

On account of his anti-religious views he became universally known as "Bishop" Tut- tle. He was liberal and generous, of good education, and outside of his infidelity, very

little criticism could be passed on him as a . citizen. He was a strong advocate of the right of freedom of speech. In 1837 an aboli- tion meeting had been held at the American Hotel at Bucyrus, which was attacked by indig- nant citizens, the windows of the building were broken, and the abolition speaker compelled to flee form the hotel for safety and leave the town. The "Bishop" was a prominent mem- ber of the Democratic party at the time, and he wrote a strong letter to the editor of his party organ, then the Bucyrus Republican, in which he denounced the outrage and those connected with it. The "Bishop" being a subscriber, and a staunch supporter of the "organ," and of such sterling democracy as to be unquestioned, the young editor had no hesitation in printing the communication. But the party rose in their righteous indigna- tion against supporting a paper that dared insinuate that any one had any rights except a Democrat. The editor humbly explained how he had came to publish the communica- tion, but it was useless, and he was summarily bounced, and a new editor installed. In 1853 Daniel Tuttle was a candidate for representa- tive, and issued a characteristic announce- ment, in which he stated frankly that he was a temperance man but opposed to any law founded on the iniquitous Maine liquor law; that he was opposed to taking the people's money to pay for chaplains to pray in the State House, neither was he in favor of their praying there under any circumstances; he was opposed to the modern practice of "treat- ing" by candidates before election, and closed by saying: "As a great many and perhaps all know me in the county, I shall during the canvass stay at home, and mind my own business." He probably did, as the returns showed his overwhelming defeat, his own township of Texas giving him one vote, and his adjoining township of Tod not one. In 1859 he was postmaster at Benton, and saw fit to espouse the candidacy of Stephen A. Douglas for the presidency, as did nearly all the Democrats in this county. This was un- satisfactory to Hon. L. W. Hall, at that time representing this district in Congress, and a Breckenridge man, and he very promptly re- moved Tuttle from office. The "Bishop" was

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then publishing the "Divinity Physician" at ir- Johnson, another revival added largely to regular intervals, and the next number was a sizzler.

The pioneers of Texas township were most- ly from New England and from the East, and the Bible was found in nearly every home. Religious services were held at the cabins of the settlers, any cabin being willingly tendered for this purpose. The road from Bucyrus to Tiffin, laid out soon after the first settler arrived, passed through Texas township, and the itinerant missionaries in passing on horse- back from one town to the other stopped at some cabin, where he was always gladly and hospitably entertained, "without money and without price." The township was so narrow and so small that when it came to churches, the settlers attended in some adjoining town- ship, many in the northern part attending the church in Seneca county, of which they were members. The Methodists held meetings in the cabins and about 1834 those in the northern part decided to build a church. It was on what is now the county line road between Crawford and Wyandot counties, a few rods north of the road that led from Sycamore to Plymouth, one of the important and most traveled east and west roads. When Wyan- dot county was formed in 1845, the church was in that part that went to Wyandot coun- ty, just across the road from the farm now owned by Benjamin W. Moore. The church was of frame, and was 30x40 feet in size, and was built by the settlers, all turning out and contributing their work. The first min- ister was Rev. Thomas Thompson, followed by James Wilson and H. O. Sheldon, and the first trustees were Robert Weeks, William Gregg and Thomas Yates. It was known as the Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal Church. About the time the church was built "Old Pipes" started his clay-pipe store a little south of the church, and it gave the building the name of the "Pipetown" church. The first building, while of frame, was roughly con- structed, all the interior work being done by the settlers themselves. The church pros- pered and in ten years had a membership of about forty-four. In December, 1844, under the pastorate of Rev. Martin Welsh a revival took place and about two dozen new members were added, and in 1854 under Rev. Luke S.

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History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 49

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