History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 88

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 88

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).

After he had finished the lesson he prayed, and both the words of the prayer and the pathos of his voice made a deep impression upon those present. In the morning he was found in a high state of fever, pneumonia hav- ing developed during the night. A physician who was called gave no hope for his recovery, but said that he had never seen a dying man so perfectly calm, for "upon his wan face there was an expression of happiness and upon his pale lips there was a smile of joy, as though he were communing with loved ones who had come to meet him and to soothe his weary spirit in his dying moments. And as his eye shone with the beautiful light supernal, God touched him with his finger and beckoned him home."

In the Sherman-Heineman park at Mans- field, Ohio, there stands a monument to his memory, which was dedicated in November, 1900, and which bears a simple and appro- priate inscription; yet his best and most en- during monument lies in the memory of his kind and lovable character, his simple faith, his pure and blameless life, and the useful work he accomplished for the good of his fellow- men.

THE BAD INDIANS

Benjamin Sharrock thus describes one of the "bad Indians," and his ultimate death, probably the last one killed by a settler in this county : "About the year 1821 or 1822, there were several Indians who frequently camped and hunted on the waters of the west and middle forks of the Whetstone, to-wit : Capt. Dowdee. his son Tom, and Capt. Dowdee's son-in-law, Nickels, the bad Indian, the subject of this narrative. He was regarded as a dangerous

man among his own companions. He had be- come embittered against Benjamin Sharrock, his brother Everard Sharrock, and Jacob Stateler, who had three sons, Andrew, James and John (the two latter were twins).

The Dowdees had frequently shared the hos- pitalities of our cabin, and we regarded them as peaceful and well-disposed citizens.

Mr. Sharrock says: "This Indian, Nickels, had been skulking around and watching my house, trying to get a chance to shoot me. I have seen him dodge from tree to tree when trying to get a shot at me. He also made threats of killing my stock. About this time, he and the two Dowdees were camped on the boundary north of where Iberia now is. Mr. Catrell, my brother and myself held a consul- tation, whereupon we resolved that this state of things should no longer be tolerated, and the next morning was the time agreed upon to bring this matter to a test. They were to be at my house fully armed for any emergency. They were promptly on time, and as Catrell had no gun he took my tomahawk, sheath- knife, etc.

"In this plight, we went directly to their camp, called Tom Dowdee out, and ordered him to take those coon-skins out of their frames. (They are stretched in frames to keep them dry and in shape. ) We next went to the tent of Tom's father, old Capt. Dowdee, told him how Nickels had been watching my house, and that he threatened to kill me and my stock. I told him to call Nickels out, but he would not leave his hut. We told them we would not endure such treatment any longer, and that we had come to settle it right then and there, and were ready to fight it out. The Dowdees seemed to be peaceably inclined, and as Nickels did not show himself the matter was dropped for a short time. Some time after this, as I was returning from Wooster, where I had been to enter a piece of land, I saw quite a number of moccasin tracks in the snow near Hosfords. I thought there would be trouble, as it ap- peared from the tracks that there were about thirty persons, and by the way they had tum- bled about, concluded they were on a big drunk. I followed the tracks from Hosford's down the road leading to our cabin. They had not pro- ceeded far before they left their tracks in the snow somewhat besprinkled with blood. I

555

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

afterward learned that Tom Dowdee had stabbed another Indian, inflicting two danger- ous wounds. They were camped north of my house on the land now owned by James Dun- lap. The excitement among the settlers now became intense, and soon a number of us re- paired to their camp but we had not been there long before Tom Dowdee rushed upon me and grasped me by the collar perhaps intending to retaliate for the visit we had made to their camp a few days before. I was not slow in returning the compliment by taking him by the throat, and my arms being the longest, I could easily hold him at bay. At this moment we saw an Indian boy loading a gun. I told Dowdee several times to let me alone, but he still persisted in fighting me. I then attempted to give him a severe thrust with my gun bar- rel; he sprang and grasped the gun which the boy had just loaded, when several of the squaws also grasped it to prevent him from shooting me. All this time I kept my rifle up with a steady aim upon the Indian, ready to fire before he should be able to fire at me. At this crisis Joel Leverick* interfered, and the Indians allowed him to take possession of the gun, so the quarrel was then settled without bloodshed. But what grieves me to this day is that Bashford and Leverick both knew that my rifle was not primed all the time and I was aiming it at the Indian, and they did not tell me. The next day I was out in the woods with my gun, and came upon Dowdee before he dis- covered me. He had no gun with him, and he begged and implored me not to kill him, prom- ising over and over that if I would not he would never molest me, but would be my fast friend as long as he lived. I gladly agreed to his proposal, and to his credit be it said, I never saw him after that time but that he met me with the kindest greetings.

"About the same time some of the Indians told Stateler, 'Nickels bad Indian; by and by he go to Stony Creek; before he go he kill Stateler and two Sharrocks, and we 'fraid that big fight. We want white man to kill Nickels, then we say Nickels gone to Stony Creek"

"We never saw Nickels after about that time, but did not know at what moment he would come down upon us. I often asked the Indians

whether they knew where Nickels was, and they usually replied that he had gone to Stony Creek. We had often seen a gun in the set- tlement, first owned by one, then by another, that I believed was Nickels' gun. Jake State- ler often stayed with us several weeks at a time, and many times when he spoke about those In- dians, Jake would say, 'Nickels will never do you any harm, but made no further disclo- sures till a long time afterward; when the sub- ject came up, he said :

"Ben, Nickels will never hurt you nor your brother.'

"How do you know, Uncle Jake?"

"I know very well how I know, Uncle Ben. Did you never know what became of Nickels?"

"No, Jake, I never knew what became of him any more than what the Indians told me, that he had gone to Stony Creek."

"I thought my boys had told you long ago, as they always thought so much of you. I will then tell you what I know of what became of Nickels. After he was about ready to start for Stony Creek, he had only one more job to do before he could leave Pipetown, and that was to kill Stateler, and you and your brother, if possible. No sooner had Nickels left Pipetown than the Indians sent another Indian by a dif- ferent route to give us notice of his coming, and of his intentions, desiring us to kill him and they would say he had gone to Stony Creek. The messenger arrived in time and de- parted. I loaded my rifle, put it in good order, and went up to Coss' cabin to watch the Pipe- town trail, on which I expected him to come. I did not wait long before I saw him coming, and stepping behind a tree, closely watched his movements. After he had come within easy range of my rifle, he stopped and commenced looking all around, which enabled me to take a steady aim at him : I fired, and he sprang sev- eral feet from the ground with a terrific scream and fell dead, and that was the last of 'Bad Indian.' We took his gun, shot-pouch, tomahawk, butcher-knife, etc., and laid them by a log, and buried him under the roots of a large tree that had blown near the foot of the bluff bank of the Whetstone, nearly opposite the old Coss cabin. Now, Uncle Ben, that is the reason why I know Nickels will never do you or me or your brother any harm."

* Leveridge.

556

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

POPULATION FROM 1850 TO 1910

Since the present county was formed in

1845, the population at each succeeding census has been as follows :

1850

1860

1870

1880

1890

1900

1910

Auburn

95I

1,072

910

1,176

1,244

1,174

1,161

Bucyrus

2,315

3,543

4,184

5,073

6,988

7,587

9,032

Chatfield

1,35I

1,430

1,247

1,266

1,20I

1,304

1,129

Cranberry

1,042

1,339

1,28I

1,824

1,662

1,819

Dallas

406

370

500

430

465

469

Holmes

1,238

1,639

1,570

1,660

1,423

1,500

1,233

Jackson

1,7II

3,290

4,02I

3,216

3,248

3,670

4,236

Liberty

1,782

1,788

1,597

1,679

1,59I

1,566

1,342

Lykens

1,185

1,265

1,140

1,225

1,058

930

883

Polk

1,318

2,91I

4,369

6,518

7,200

8,433

8,019

Sandusky

822

792

665

658

615

569

510

Texas

545

566

587

539

516

476

Tod

578

1,093

1,156

1,099

974

882

774

Vernon

1,276

1,224

980

1,038

952

926

722

Whetstone

1,657

1,524

1,490

1,840

1,793

1,66I

1,429

18,177

23,881 25,556

30,583 31,927 33,915 34,036

Bucyrus

1,365

2,180

3,066

3,835

5,974

6,560

8,122

Galion

42I

1,966

3,523

5,635

6,326

7,282

7,214

Crestline

...

1,487

2,279

2,848

2,9II

3,282

3,807

New Washington

22I

273

675

704

824

889

Tiro

293

321

Chatfield

106

198

216

326

298

270

North Robinson

I 57

182

257

200

I55

Leesville

197

235

320

213

203

178

115

THE HERMITS

The Crawford County History of 1880 contains the following account of two hermits in Auburn township :

"Among the early residents of the township were two singular old bachelors named Var- nica and Wadsworth. They were hermits and lived lonely and solitary lives, in rude caves dug by themselves in the side of embankments, the roof being supported by upright posts, standing at intervals within the caves. People called them crazy, and the eccentricity of the two gave abundant credence to the report. They shunned all associates except their faith- ful dogs, and were never seen in the neighbor- ing settlements, unless they were there for sup- plies or to dispose of provisions. Varnica was a German and could handle the glib idioms of his native language with a grace and fluency that proved his education to be of unusual ex- cellence. It became current, and was univers- ally believed, that he had been an officer in one

of the European armies, possibly in that of Napoleon Bonaparte. His language and man- ners indicated that he was familiar with mili- tary tactics, and his inabilty to speak English proved that he had not resided long in America. Although he lived in poverty and went dressed in insufficient and even ragged clothing, he seemed to have an abundance of money, which he kept hid in out-of-the-way places. He en- tered a quarter-section of land, upon which he resided until his death. But little money was found after this event, until a will was found among his papers, bequeathing his land, and a few hundred dollars in money, to a young man named James Wilson, with whom he had lived at the time of his death. The secret of this strange man's life was buried with him. He was always silent and melancholy, and seemed to have a deep-rooted sorrow preying upon his mind, robbing it of joys that make life endurable. By the provisions of the will James Wilson was made executor. and was enjoined

. . .

1,224

1,009

913

802

Jefferson

TRINITY SCHOOL, BUCYRUS, O.

WEST SIDE SCHOOL, BUCYRUS, O.

EAST SIDE SCHOOL, BUCYRUS, O.

NORTH SCHOOL BUILDING, BUCYRUS, O.

HIGII SCHOOL, BUCYRUS, O.

557

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

to distribute the balance of the money among poor and friendless females. This provision was a surprise to some, who had noticed that Varnica shunned the opposite sex as he would the plagues of Egypt, his conduct giving rise to the report that his life had been blighted by a woman. The will disclosed the hiding-place of $2,000 in gold, which had been concealed in a gate-post, into which a hole had been bored and the gold dropped in, after which the hole had been closed with a pin of the same wood as the post . He died in 1840, and Wilson faith- fully executed the provisions of the will. Wadsworth was a graduate of Yale College, and had evidently fitted himself for the min- isterial profession. He lived in a cave on his land and, though bent almost double from un- known circumstances, was possessed of enor- mous strength. He carried his melons, pota- toes, and other provisions, in a sack on his back from house to house, or to some of the sur- rounding villages. He was a recluse and seemed contented only when he could brood without molestation over :his mysterious life. He had rich relatives living in Boston, who occasionally visited him and tried to in- duce him to abandon his life of poverty and loneleiness, but to no avail. A happy smile was never seen upon his sad face, and when he at last died, in about 1838, his property was claimed by his Eastern relatives."

James Wadsworth came to Auburn township in 1817, and Andrew Varnica in 1818. Var- nica died March 23, 1847, and left two execu- tors, both of whom died before the estate was settled. He left notes and money amounting to about $4,000, and under the provisions of the will his executors gave sums of money to over a hundred people who were deserving and needy. Both men were buried in the Hanna graveyard.

AGRICULTURAL FAIRS

In 1846, a law was passed authorizing coun- ties to make donations for Agricultural Fairs, and in 1848 the first fair was held in Crawford county. Among those who organized the first society were the first officers, and Stephen Kelley, Samuel Caldwell, Gen. Samuel Myers, Judge R. W. Musgrave, George and William Cummings, William Cox and Abel Dewalt. The first officers were Col. Zal-

mon Rowse, president; Jacob Mollenkopf, vice president; J. B. Larwill, secretary ; An- drew Failor, treasurer. The first fair was held in the Court House yard, the building itself being used for the domestic articles, which were few. The horses and cattle were tied to the fence; and there were not many of them. There were some sheep and hogs, which were shown in wagons in which they had been hauled in; there were about five exhibits of sheep and the same number of hogs. The Fair was held on Oct. 19, 1848. The award of premiums was published in the People's Forum, of March 24, 1849, five months after the fair was held. In his letter asking for the publication of the premiums awarded, the secretary, J. B. Larwill, writes that he should have furnished the list earlier but he was prevented by other engage- ments. He states further : "I was confined by sickness at the time of the fair, and therefore cannot speak from personal observation; but have understood that the fair was much more numerously attended than was expected, ow- ing to the bad state of the roads, the unfa- vorableness of the weather, and the fact that this was merely an experiment, being the first held in the county; and from the fact that but very little interest has heretofore been mani- fested by the farmers and others in relation to the affairs of the society. Those who were present state that, although but few articles were presented, and in several cases where pre- miums were awarded there was no competition. yet there was much spirit manifested by those present, in reference to the importance of such exhibitions and a determination to have a much more interesting fair next year."

The following were the premiums awarded at the first annual fair :

Horses

To Frederick Wadhams, for best blooded stallion $5.00

To David Decker, for second best blooded stallion . 3.00

To David Decker, for best two year old colt 1.00

To Zalmon Rowse. for best blooded mare (not brood ) 3.00

To John Moderwell, for best gelding .. . Cattle

2.00

To Andrew Worling, for best blooded bull 4.00

558

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

To Zalmon Rowse, for best cow 3.00

To Alfred Magers, for best calf 2.00

Sheep

To Samuel Andrews, for best buck. . . .

3.00

To Samuel Andrews, for second best buck 2.00

To Samuel Andrews, for best lot of ewes Swine 3.00

To John Moderwell, for best sow .. . 2.00

Agricultural Implements

To David P. Norton, for best wind-mill 3.00 Manufactured Articles

To Samuel Andrews, for best flannel. . 2.00

To John Mollenkopf, for best thread .. 1.00

To John Sims, for best single harness. . 2.00

To William Mallory, for best sample of butter 2.00

To William Mallory, for best sample of cheese

Fruits 1.00

To J. B. Larwill, for best grapes 1.00

Total $45.00

The Second Annual Fair was also held in the Court House yard, pens being erected at the east end of the Quinby Block lot for the cattle. Fancy articles are shown in the court room. In the report of the fair to the state board, the officers say : The best mode for the culture of corn "is to plow deep and keep the weeds out;" rye and barley are 35 cents per bushel ; apple crop nearly a failure ; peaches this year in abundance; 10,000 bushels clover- seed exported; amount of timothy unknown, but large ; clover seed $3 a bushel ; timothy seed $I a bushel; 150,000 pounds butter exported; 150,000 pounds wool exported at about 26 cents per pound ; many good sheep have been brought into the county, and lately Gen. S. Myers purchased 10, one buck and nine ewes of the "Bingham" flock lately brought from Vermont; number of hogs assessed 20,922, valued at $17,046, "which is about their true value previous to fattening ;" 12,000 to 13,000 head of cattle exported, value here when sold about $12 to $15; "all threshing is done now by machines; one or more wheat drills have been introduced into the county; much more improvement is wanted;" "no regular system of drainage adopted; nothing more than the

ordinary modes of farming have been tried."

The treasurer's report of the Second Annual Fair was as follows, Nov. 5, 1849 :- Amount on hand from last year ..... $12.00

Amount received from members on subscription 67.00

Amount received from the county treasury 50.00

- $129.00

By amount paid out for premiums Oct. 24, 1849 78.50

Balance remaining in treasury. $50.50

Third fair was held in the Norton Grove be- tween Walnut and Lane streets and north of the Pennsylvania track. The fair was becom- ing a success. The fair this year was adver- tised as a cattle show. Pens were erected in and near the grove for the stock. Tents were erected on Walnut street for the exhibition of the farm products, and domestic articles. The fair was to be held on Oct. 17 and 18, but ow- ing to bad weather it was abandoned on the afternoon of the first day. The report to the state showed wheat that year averaged 25 to 30 bushels to the acre; corn averaged 30 to 35, and sold at 20 to 25 cents ; barley and rye sold at 35 to 40 cents per bushel; oats crop a fail- ure, and price 20 to 25 cents a bushel; tim- othy and clover, the crop short and sold at $4 to $5 per ton ; large yield of apples and peaches a failure; 200,000 pounds of butter exported; an increase in wool, and a better quality, at 28 to 29 cents for common, and 30 to 33 cents for fine; cattle $10 to $35 per head, and large amounts sold to drovers. "There is a steady improvement in the quantity and number of farming implements used. Some wheat drills are in use, also mowing machines; how they answer the purpose is not known as yet."

The following is the report of Treasurer Myers of the third annual fair : Dec. 2, 1850-

On hand from last year $ 50.50

Received from members on subscrip -. tion 58.00

Received from the county treasury .. 50.00

Amount paid for premiums,

Oct. 7, 1850 $54.50 $158.50

559

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

Amount paid for cultivator

for award premium 12.75 67.25

Balance in treasury $ 91.25

On Jan. 4, 1851, the board of managers met at Bucyrus to arrange for the fourth annual fair. The board was Judge R. W. Musgrave, president; Zalmon Rowse, vice president; Andrew Failor, secretary; Gen. Samuel Myers, treasurer; Isaac Rice, Jacob Mollenkopf, William Robinson, Samuel S. Caldwell, John Campbell. The board decided to hold the next fair at Bucyrus provided the citizens would raise $40. The money was raised, and to secure the future fairs at Bucy- rus, grounds were secured at the southwest corner of Kaler avenue and Wise streets. The grounds six to eight acres, were furnished rent free by Henry Minich, but the society were to put a fence around them. There were not sufficient funds to build the fence the first year, but later the entire fence was completed. In front on Kaler avenue was the ring, for the exhibition of stock. At the rear of the ring were the domestic and floral halls, the former being open on the sides, the clapboard roof being supported by poles; the floral hall, con- taining more delicate exhibits, was made of rough boards, and had a canvas which was taken off at the close of the fair and laid carefully away until the next year. Back of the halls was a grove. The track was enlarged to a third of a mile in 1857, and was inclosed during the fair with a rope fence, which was taken down after the fair. In 1859 a third day was added to give opportunity for the races. The last fair was held in 1861, and the next year all arrangements were made for a fair, but about June it was abandoned on account of the war.

At the fair in 1853, one of the curiosities was a pumpkin vine exhibited by Jacob Mollen- kopf. The vine contained nine pumpkins, and they were exhibited all attached to the vine, just as they had grown. The largest pumpkins weighed 110, 92, and 92 pounds. The smallest weighed 48 pounds; the total weight of the nine pumpkins on the one vine was 595 pounds.

In 1867, D. C. Boyer, Josiah Kohler, Barber Robinson, James Robinson, C. S. Crim, Wil-

liam Cox, Adam Klink, John Brehman, E. R. Kearsley, James Orr, H. J. Thompson and Luther Myers organized the Crawford County Agricultural Association with a capital stock of $7,000, and they bought nineteen acres of land, on the Galion Road, east of where the T. & O. C. track now is; this was added to later, until it contained nearly 33 acres. A half mile track was built, and two halls erected with pens for the stock; on the west side of the ground was a grove of about three acres. The total cost of the ground and buildings was about $13,000, and here the first fair was held in October, 1867. It was not a profitable in- vestment, the stock varying from fifty to sev- enty cents on the dollar, and in 1882 the county took charge of the fair.

At these grounds fairs were held annually, the last being in 1911. A part of the land was needed by the T. & O. C. road, so a company 'of citizens organized and bought the Fair Grounds for a thousand dollars an acre, the T. & O. C. being given the nine acres they needed at about $400 an acre, and the balance laid out as an addition to Bucyrus. The Agricultural Society purchased of Edward Yaussey, 70 acres east of the old grounds for $17,500, which were laid out, the buildings moved, a new track built, and the first fair held in Sep- tember, 1912.

The early officers of the Agricultural So- ciety and the dates holding the fair were as follows :

1848, October 19-Zalmon Rowse, presi- dent, Jacob Mollenkoff, vice president, J. B. Larwill, secretary, Andrew Failor, treasurer.

1849, October 24-Abraham Monnett, presi- dent, Jacob Mollenkoff, vice president, J. B. Larwill, secretary, Samuel Myers, treasurer.

1850, October 17, 18-Abraham Monnett, president, Jacob Mollenkoff, vice president, J. B. Larwill, secretary, Samuel Myers, treasurer.

1851, October 23, 24-R. W. Musgrave, president, Zalmon Rowse, vice president, An- drew Failor, secretary, Samuel Myers, treas- urer.

1852, October 14, 15-R. W. Musgrave, president, Samuel S. Caldwell, vice president, Andrew Failor, secretary, Samuel Myers, treasurer.

1853, October 13, 14-R. W. Musgrave,

560

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

president, S. S. Caldwell, vice president, An- drewi Failor, secretary, Samuel Myers, treas- urer.

1854, October 13, 14-Samuel S. Caldwell, president, Samuel Myers, vice president, P. S. Marshall, secretary, H. Failor, treasurer.

1855, October 11, 12-Samuel S. Caldwell, president, James Lewis, vice president, H. Failor, secretary, Henry Minich, treasurer.

1856, October 16, 17-Samuel Myers, presi- dent, James Lewis, vice president, Pinckney Lewis, secretary, P. S. Marshall, treasurer.

1857, October 15, 16-Samuel S. Caldwell, president, Henry Minich, vice president, B. M. Failor, secretary, F. W. Butterfield, treasurer.

1858, September 29, 30-Samuel S. Cald- well, president, Henry Minich, vice president, H. M. Locke, secretary, F. W. Butterfield, treasurer.

1859, October 12, 13, 14-C. K. Ward, president, James Lewis, vice president, Pinck- ney Lewis, secretary, George Quinby, treas- urer.

1860, October 3, 4, 5-C. K. Ward, presi- dent, James Lewis, vice president, Pinckney Lewis, secretary, George Quinby, treasurer.

1861, September 18, 19, 20-Samuel Myers, president, D. C. Boyer, vice president, John Hopley, secretary, George Quinby, treasurer.

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 88

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