History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 58

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 58

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Henry St. John bought lot 35 northeast cor- ner of the Square, where he erected a two-story frame, and started a store in 1825; this build- ing was also used as a store until in 1890, it was moved away to give place to the present brick building of the Bucyrus City Bank.

In connection with his tannery, Lewis Cary had a work-bench in his house, and made

shoes, of an evening, after working at his tannery all day. The Indians frequently brought skins to him for tanning, which they made into moccasins-or, rather their squaws did. They occasionally had shoes made for them by Cary for they discovered that his shoes "squeaked," and they were always anxious to secure a pair of that kind, insisting with the order that he must make a pair that "talked." And they were also as proud of a shoe that "talked," as boys of a later genera- tion were of red-topped boots.

Cary was a Quaker, and the Indians were great admirers of him, and while they were insatiate thieves, laying their hands on every- thing lying around loose, they never stole from Cary.

Aaron Cary settled in Bucyrus soon after his brother Lewis. He was a saddler and harness maker, and had his cabin and shop near his brother's tannery. It was a two-story log house and on the upper floor his daughter Sarah taught school.

Lewis Cary died on Jan. 9, 1866, at De- fiance, Ohio. Of his nine children, only one re- mained in Bucyrus, his daughter Isabel marry- ing Alexander Caldwell, who had their homes for years three miles southwest of Bucyrus, near the Little Sandusky road.

When the Sandusky Pike was built, Abel Cary kept the toll gate a mile north of Bucy- rus, and later moved to Indiana.

John Bowen had a brick yard near the south- west corner of East and Middletown streets, in 1825 and here he burned the brick, and erected for himself the first brick building in Bucyrus ; it was on the site of the present Blair and Picking Blocks, on Sandusky avenue, and was used as a blacksmith shop by him and later by James Marshall.

The first frame building, was about 15 feet square, and was on Sandusky avenue, about where the Myers harness shop now is. It was later moved to West Mansfield street, and still later to the German M. E. church lot at the junction of Middletown and Galion, then oc- cupied by Hon. A. M. Jackson, and on his property it was used as a woodshed, and torn down when the present M. E. church was built.

In 1825 John Miller came to Bucyrus and worked at his trade of carpenter and cabinet-

376

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

maker, which he had learned in his early home in Pennsylvania. He was followed in 1827 by John Moderwell, in the same business, and Miller soon retired from cabinet-making and built a carding-mill, the first erected in Bucyrus, and his mill was a pronounced success, doing a large business for many years. He kept hotel a few years, and through his carding-mill went into the dry goods business. He became prosperous, pur- chased 80 acres of land of Amos Clark on South Sandusky avenue, and commencing about Narrow street, laid out a part of it, on both sides of Sandusky avenue, in town lots as an addition to Bucyrus. In 1830 he was elected sheriff of the county, serving two years, and singularly enough his successor as sheriff was John Moderwell, the other cabinet-maker of the village.

Besides Miller's carding-mill a similar mill was also built by Jourdan Jones; this was on the present site of the Vollrath Mills, and was run by tramp-wheel power. A man named Kirk also had a carding-mill, and later sold it to Samuel Clapper, who with Dr. A. M. Jones went into the business on a large scale, and their mill later became the Bucyrus Woolen Mills.

Jourdan Jones had a wagon shop, north of Perry street and east of Sandusky avenue, in 1835, after he disposed of his carding-mill.

The earliest tannery was the family affair of Norton, followed by Lewis Cary, but the de- veloping of the country and the plentitude of bark at their doors made the tanning business the industry of Bucyrus. One of the early tanners was Emanuel Deardorff, who came to Bucyrus in 1827 with his brother-in-law, George Myers; they came through in a one- horse wagon from Cumberland County, Penn- sylvania. The farther west they got, the worse became the roads, and at Pittsburg they found the only way to get through with their one horse was to travel light, so they left all their bedding, and whatever they thought they could get along without, and came on to Bucyrus. Here Emanuel Deardorff bought 38 acres of land at $8 per acre, and started a tan yard on the river bank on the north side of West Mans- field street, present home of H. F. Miller. Get- ting the business started during the winter and spring, in 1828 he returned to his former home

in Cumberland county to fill an engagement he had probably made prior to leaving for Ohio, for on March 13, 1828, he married Elizabeth Howenstein, and with a team the two started for their new home, at Pittsburg taking on board the bedding and household goods he had previously left there. The bridal trip took fifteen days, and they took up their residence at their new home on West Mansfield street. He ran the tannery until 1852, when he sold to John Engle. It burned down, was rebuilt and later was abandoned. When Mr. Dear- dorff retired from the tanning business he ran a saw-mill for eight years across the river, where the Sandusky Valley Mills were later, then disposed of it, and took a 200-acre farm in Whetstone, where he remained until 1870, when he came to Bucyrus, retiring from busi- ness.

Other early tanners were David Holm, who had a tannery in 1831, just north of Buffalo Run which crossed Sandusky avenue, through the present lot of C. Roehr. Across the street the creek continued its way, bearing north through the lot of Dr. Arthur McCrory. Here Henry Minich had a tannery. The Wieland tannery was on west Galen street, run by Wie- land and Michael Walters.

In 1826 William Bratton made hats in a little log cabin on the present site of the Quin- by Block.

Lewis Stephenson built the second house in the village on the west side of the Sandusky the centre lot between Perry and Mary, where he ran a hatter shop.

George P. Shultz was the first German in Bucyrus and he built a house on Walnut street north of Perry, where he kept a boarding house for several years; he had an adopted daughter who kept house for him until she married Henry Miller, one of the early cabinet makers of the village.

Dr. J. T. Hobbs came in 1824, and had his office adjoining the hat shop of Lewis Stephen- son. Dr. Joseph McComb came in 1822 and had his office near Stephenson's hat shop, and later purchased a lot on the east side of San- dusky between Mary and Galen, the centre lot in the block, and in April 1825 he married Re- becca Kimble; later he neglected his practice and about 1835 died at the Fitzsimmons tavern in Whetstone township.

377

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

Harry Smith in 1823 built a cabin on the southwest corner of Perry and Walnut. Wil- liam Reeves built a cabin between Perry and Mary on the east side of Sandusky in 1823.

Harris Garton came in 1822, and two years later married Louisa Norton, a daughter of Samuel Norton, and about 1827, bought out Albigence Bucklin, his wife's uncle, and later moved to Chatfield township where he kept a tavern and was postmaster; in 1853 he re- moved to his farm in Tod township where he died.

Adam Bair came in 1823, and a cousin Adam Bair came in 1825; they were distinguished by calling the first Adam the bad Bear, and the second Adam the good Bear; these two built the first brick school house on Middletown street, two stories with a tower and contained three rooms, built about 1850, and torn down in 1868 to make room for the present central building.

Ebenezer Dowd was the first tailor and pur- chased the lot where the Schaber-Volk Block now stands, and here he opened his shop. He had a brother and sister who came with him, as in August, 1825 Elihu Dowd married Polly Ketchum, and in December of the same year Eunice Dowd married James Dorland of Lib- erty township.

Harry Burns came about 1823, a former friend of the Nortons at Elk Hill, Pa., he de- voted his time to hunting and after settlers became so numerous that game became scarce he removed to the west.

John Yost came with his wife, "Aunt Chloe" and three sons, Abraham, Jacob and Jerry ; he bought the lot on the southwest corner of Galen and Sandusky, when he arrived, for which he paid $120, and it remained in the family of the Yosts for over 80 years. On this corner he lived in a log house, which had previously been built by John Deardorff, and from his doorway frequently shot the wild ducks that took advantage of the swamp on the northeast corner opposite.

John Moderwell came in 1827, with his wife, Aunt Betsy, and he purchased the lot on the southwest corner of Perry and Walnut for $40; he was a cabinet maker and millwright; he opened his first shop in a little log house about where the Pickering Block now is on

North Sandusky; later moved to the south side of the Rowse Block lot; here he continued in business until 1833, when he moved to a larger building where the Hotel Royal now stands. He early took an active part in the affairs of the village and county; was sheriff of the county in 1833 and mayor of the village in 1837. To him more than any other man have historians been indebted for the most re- liable information as to the early history of Bucyrus. He was a resident of the county for over fifty years, and then went to Genessee, Il- linois, to make his home with his son, and died there.

George Lauck came in 1826 and later pur- chased the lot on the northwest corner of San- dusky and Mary, where he ran a tavern until he was elected county treasurer in 1837 and again in 1839, later serving two more terms as treasurer from 1843 to 1847. When he dis- posed of his tavern he bought the original Bucklin land of Harris Garton, and the old brick at the crossing of the T. & O. C. and Mansfield street was always known as the Lauck homestead; he owned the land to Mid- dletown street on the south and Whetstone street on the east.

Hugh McCracken and Bailey came in 1825 and in April, 1826, Hugh McCracken became the first sheriff, on the organization of the county.

James and John McCracken, cousins of Hugh, came about 1828 and had a carpenter and wheelwright shop on the square the eastern part of the Quinby Block. This they rented, but they were compelled to move, as John Smith took the site and built a frame build- ing in which he ran a store; this frame was afterward moved to the northeast corner of Mansfield and Lane and used as a residence. The McCrackens bought of Edward Billups the lot where the Mader Block now stands, and here they built another shop. James McCrack- en had a residence on the same lot. With the McCrackens was their sister, Mrs. Phillips, a widow with two daughters, Samantha and Susan, the latter still living, the widow of E. R. Kearsley; the stage in those days from the east only came as far as Mansfield, so James McCracken had to take two days to go to Mansfield with a horse and wagon and bring

378

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

them to Bucyrus. On the same lot was a lit- tle old unused log house; this was fitted up and in it Sallie Davis taught school.

Samuel Myers came in 1826 and bought the lot just south of the J. K. Myers corner for which he paid $60.

Andrew Failor came in 1825, and bought the present J. K. Myers lot on the southeast cor- ner of Sandusky and Mary, for which he paid $40. Here he started his first store, where he remained a few years when he bought the lot on the corner of East Mansfield street and the Square, and built the frame which is still stand- ing, and here moved his store which he ran for many years with his brother and for a time with George Lauck. Mr. Failor took an active interest in the Ohio & Indiana road, devoted all his time to the securing of the road, his busi- ness being a secondary consideration. Bucyrus secured the road, but Mr. Failor, who up to 1850 had been a prosperous merchant, had very little capital left. He started branch stores in many of the smaller towns in the days of his prosperiy; he finally sold out and went to Iowa.

Thomas Johnston came in 1826. He had stopped with his brother-in-law, George Wal- ton, in Dallas township, and was a skillful cabinet maker, and after a short visit with the Waltons, came on to Bucyrus with his family. His wife, Martha Johnston, thus gives her description of Bucyrus at that time, it was in the spring of the year 1826: As they neared the Sandusky river they saw a few log cabins surrounded with water up to the very steps. Wild ducks were running at large within the corporation limits, having no fear of the few settlers. They approached a cabin, looking from its situation very much like a river boat as it was surrounded with water. A large log reached across the ditch in front of the build- ing and over this they went into the store which proved to be Bishop Merriman's. They were from the east and made a humorous remark about the limited stock of goods he carried. and Merriman replied: "If you had to wheel all this stock of goods in a wheelbarrow a dis- tance of forty miles, as I did, and sleep on them at night to keep them from being stolen, you wouldn't think it was so limited." John- ston was offered the use of an abandoned cabin

by Amos Clark on what is now South San- dusky. Into this he moved with his family, and from the cabin door could see the deer and prairie chickens wandering where they pleased. and frequently wolves sneaking through the woods and tall grass. He found plenty of wood for his cabinet work, but there was no way he could dry it suitable for fine work and he decided to go to Columbus, but his friends and relatives induced him to remain by mak- ing him a present of 80 acres in southern Whet- stone.

Babcock & Ranney kept store on the sec- ond lot north of Galen street, now occupied by the Vollmer restaurant; Ranney later built a small brick on the northwest corner of Rens- selaer and Sandusky, which was torn down when the present brick was erected now oc- cupied by the First National Bank. Musgrave & Merriman occupied the present site of the Johnston Pharmacy Company in 1835.

Daniel & Owen Williams had their store on the corner where the Rowse Block now is.

William Reeves in 1823 built ~ log house on the east side of Sandusky avenue between Mary and Perry. This is probably where Mer- riman had his store in 1826, and that year he sold the lot to Dr. Hobbs for $125, throwing in the house.

The Rowse Corner wa's originally bought by Henry Miller of Samuel Norton, and in 1828 he sold it to Jacob Culler of Mt. Vernon, who erected a small frame on the corner, and a store was started. This came into the hands of J. W. Bener and later Nigh & Magers became the proprietors. Josiah Scott bought the store and placed his brother-in-law John Moderwell, in charge. Both these gentlemen had married sisters of James McCracken. While running the store Mr. Moderwell lived a few doors south. Scott sold the store to Daniel and Owen Williams.

The first store started in the village was by E. B. Merriman. Other early storekeepers were French & Bowers, John Nimmons, Henry St. John, Coleman & Kerns, Caldwell & Mc- Farlan, D. S. Norton & Co., Martin Barr, Jones & Butler, B. Meeker, O. & D. Williams, James Quinby, Babcock & Ranney, Smith & Moderwell, J. A. Gormley, Musgrave & Mer- riman, John Beaver, Nye & Majors, Quinby &

379

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

Grant, Phillips & Anderson, Henry Converse, glass. Prior to this liquor was sold at the Loring Converse and others.

Beside the brick yard on the school house grounds, an early brick yard was the southwest corner of Sandusky and Warren, about where the Diller property now is, and just south of this was another brick yard; farther south on Sandusky avenue and across the street, just north of Holm's tannery, was another.

After the flour mill was removed to the north end of Walnut street it was run for a time by Elias Slagle, and when he left the milling business he started a pottery near the mill, at the north end of Walnut street on the east side. This ran for years under various proprietors, making only crocks and jugs and the coarser articles of pottery, and was dis- continued in the early 6os. Elias Slagle also ran an oil mill, the seed being ground with a large circular tramp-wheel.

In 1826 Ebenezer Dowd had a tailor shop just south of the southwest corner of San- dusky and Galen, the present site of Dobbins & Geiger's meat market.

Jesse Quaintance built a mill on the San- dusky, near where the Buffalo run that passed through Bucyrus empties into the Sandusky, south of the extension of Rensselaer street.

The first tavern in Bucyrus was a two-story log building on the Shonert corner, northwest corner of Sandusky and Perry, and when Abel Cary first located on this land he occupied the cabin built by Samuel Norton until he erected a larger structure for himself and family on the same lot. There was no special road in those days, but the old Indian trail going north to the lake was followed by settlers; it crossed the river at Cary's residence. His being the nearest house to the ford, travelers stopped there. No one was turned away in those days, and Cary's place became known as the tavern, even if many of his guests did sleep on the floor or in their wagons. He increased the size of his log house and eventually it was a tavern. In 1824 Robert Moore built a tavern of logs across the street on the brow of the hill, just north of the G. K. Zeigler residence. This was a regular tavern, and in the office he had a bar the first in Bucyrus. The bar con- sisted of a shelf on which he kept the liquor and it was sold to customers at three cents a

stores by the quart or gallon, the price being about 50 cents a gallon. All stores kept a jug at one end of the counter and beside it a tin cup, and customers on entering if they wanted a drink helped themselves. In April, 1825, Hugh McCracken married Martha Moore, a daughter of the landlord. Moore did a good business, until he sold out to Ichabod Rogers. Samuel Roth took charge of the Cary tavern, which had been discontinued when Moore had his tavern completed. He ran it only a short time, but was running it when the first Fourth of July dinner was given in Bucyrus. Ichabod Rogers had bought out Moore and was running the other tavern across the street, and Squire Roth engaged Mrs. Rogers to prepare the Fourth of July meal for a dozen couples, but when the day came there were fifty to sit down to the table. The first Fourth of July oration was delivered by James Martin. He was an Englishman, but his address was patriotic enough to suit the early pioneers, for a year or two later they elected him as the first auditor of the county.

After Roth, Dr. Joseph Pearce took charge. The doctor in January, 1825, had married Mary Cary, and at the same time Charles Merriman married Susan Cary, both licenses being issued on Jan. 10. Licenses had to be procured in Marion, and the early records of that county show the young men about to be married must have made the trip together either on horseback or on foot, as in several instances two licenses were isued for Crawford county couples the same day. Dr. Pearce prac- ticed medicine as well as running the hotel. A part of the practice of all early physicians was the pulling of teeth, but for this no charge was made for many years. When Ichabod Rogers bought out Robert Moore, he enlarged the tavern; later built a large frame on the north- east corner of Main and Perry, and it con- tinued as a tavern for fourteen years, until finally the business drifting south to the Square, and later still farther south the tavern was discontinued and used as a residence.

The Indians received an allowance annually from the Government, which they spent oc- casionally for absolute necessities, but mostly for liquor. After pay day the money was soon

380

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

gone, but in the cranberry season the cran- berries were exchanged for necessaries and liquor ; in the winter racoon and deer skins were the articles of exchange. At one time Mr. Rogers reports fifty bushels of cranberries in the house and hundreds of 'coon and deer skins. The Indian trade was profitable, as at many places they could get no liquor, and naturally, they paid any price asked for it where it could be obtained. Two or three other places later sold to the Indians, as shown by the court records, where they were fined by the Court $5 and costs "for selling liquor to the In- dians," and after paying the fine their tavern licenses were renewed for another year. But Rogers' old tavern was the headquarters for this class of business, and when some of the prominent citizens of the village had occasion- ally imbibed so freely that the taverns up town declined to furnish them any more, they wan- dered down to Rogers' tavern, where their wants were supplied ad lib. The trip to Rogers' tavern was not an easy matter prior to 1835 ; it was over very low ground, sometimes under water, and the sidewalk was only a long stretch of logs, massive fellows 18 inches square, and somtimes so wet and slippery that even a sober man had to walk with care. But our pioneer ancestors were careful, for at times when navigation was difficult, partly on account of the sidewalk and partly on account of their condition, they used to send for Jede- diah Scot, the well digger of the village. He responded promptly with his large wheelbar- row and the over-jubilant distinguished citi- zens, loaded up in a double sense and singing their bacchanalian songs, were wheeled down to Rogers', where they received a cordial wel- come and all the liquor they wanted. There were other citizens who played jokes in those days even as is done today, and they once put up a job on one of these distin- guished citizens. The aforesaid citizen, who had put in an afternoon at the tavern by the riverside, sent for his private wheelbarrow, but the sports had seen the charioteer and arranged with him for a good joke, and on the way up, just in front of where the Vollmer's cafe now is, the accident happened. Jedediah stumbled -- quite accidentally, of course-the wheelbar- row tipped and the citizen was instantly flound- ering in two feet of water. He was not in a

condition to extricate himself ; Jedediah was in almost a similar condition, and the jokers were compelled to cross the muddy street and wade into the swamp, and fish out the unfortunate, and thus was rescued one who a few years later became a pillar of the Methodist church.

The first wedding in Bucyrus, of which any report is handed down, doubtless owes its pres- ervation to the incidents connected with it. In the early days notice of a marriage had to be posted for fifteen days in some conspicuous place prior to the marriage. In this wedding the bride was Mary Inman, and it was she herself who tacked the notice to a tree on what is now North Sandusky avenue, and the report further says that some one through jealousy or from meanness tore the notice down, but the day of the wedding came, and with it the justice to perform the ceremony. The bride was there, and Samuel Carl, the groom, and while the Justice was also there, he had tarried too long with boon companions before the hour for the wedding, and could not read the cere- mony. This difficulty was obviated by an ac- commodating school teacher (either Moses Ar- den or James Martin) who read the ceremony to the Squire, and he with difficulty repeated the words to the couple, who responded prop- erly to the questions, and the ceremony was over.

The people of today should remember that customs change, and it was not so severely criticized in the early days as it is at present if citizens sometimes carried their convivial- ity to excess. This was not alone in the vil- lages but in the country. Attempts were some- times made in early days to raise a cabin or barn without the inevitable whiskey, but if it became known that there would be no liquor, the raising was generally a failure for the lack of attenders. Squirrels were a nuisance to the farmers on account of their depredations on the planted grain, and squirrel hunts were or- ganized, all in that region turning out. In one of these reported on the line between Craw- ford and Marion, it lasted two days and on the afternoon of the second day the scalps were to be counted and the prizes awarded, by a com- mittee. The account states: "This commit- tee, or some other committee, had provided a full supply of whiskey, maple sugar and eggs; whereupon another committee was appointed to

381

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

mix, mingle and commingle those three ingre- dients into a fluid which they called egg-nog. It was a time long to be remembered; and it has often been said that there was but one man who left that place sober, and that was Daniel Parcell, who had never been known to take a dram." This second Daniel was a Marion county man.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 58

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