History of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Part 111

Author: Johnson, Crisfield
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott & Co.
Number of Pages: 716

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Immediately afterward the employees held a meet- ing, and arranged by lot who were to begin settle- ments under the contract, respectively, in one, twoand three years, that is in 1792, '98 and 99. Of all who thus planned the allotment of this magnificent tract, (in which each would have had five hundred aeres), not a single one became a permanent resident of the

territory in question, although one of the number, Nathaniel Doan did become a resident at "Doan's Corners" in Cleveland township, now included in Cleveland city.

Yet several attempts were made to carry out the arrangement.

Among the memoranda of the surveys of the fol- lowing year (1:92) we find one which says that on the 10th of August two men started out to do "settling duties " for Seth Pease and Dr. Shepard, two of the leading men employed by the company. Several. other beginnings were made in that year under the contraet, mostly on the flats between the ridge and the lake shore. This part of the township was sur- veyed into small tracts, while the portion farther from the lake was divided into larger ones; the inten- tion being that each man might have a place near the lake and one farther back.

The first considerable improvement of which there is any account was made in 1198 by John Morse, who was not one of the original surveyors of 1496, but may have purchased the right of one of them. Ile built a good log house on the ridge, on the east line of the township, and girdled about twenty acres of timber around it. He also cleared off three or four acres on the flats near the lake shore, and sowed it to wheat and grass seed. In due time the wheat was eut and seenred in the sheaf in a small log barn, covered with black ash bark. Notwithstanding all this labor, Morse seems to have abandoned his land very sud- denly, for the wheat was left to be destroyed by the weather (remaining untouched in the frail barn for several years) while the part sowed to grass for more than ten years furnished the whole township with " timothy " and "red-top " seed, the two kinds sowed by Morse.

The first permanent settler in Euclid township was Joseph Burke, a native of Vermont and a drummer in the Revolutionary army. He was not one of the forty-one employees who made the contract with Gen. Cleaveland, in 1296, though he may have belonged to the survey-corps the next year. He settled in 1498 or '99 on the east line of the township, north of and adjoining the land taken up by Morse. Burke's cabin was on the main road, which had been opened from Cleveland to the Pennsylvania line, at the foot of the ridge, to the extent of girdling the trees on a space two rods wide, and cutting out what little un- derbrush there was. It could not be traveled in a wagon without an axe to remove obstructions,

Mr. Burke soon obtained a little whisky and opened a sort of tavern, not only the first in the township, but the first between Conneaut and Cleve- land. He remained about ten years, when he re- moved to Columbia in the present county of Lorain. IIe afterwards volunteered in the war of 1812, and died in the service.

The next settler in the present township of Euclid, of whom we have any account, was David Dille, a native of New Jersey, who came from western Penn-

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sylvania in November, 1:98, and located himself on the main road half a mile southwest of Euclid creek. Mr. Dille had heen actively engaged in the border wars with the Indians during and subsequent to the Revolution, and was in the expedition of Colonel Crawford when that unfortunate commander was de- feated, captured and burned at the stake, near Upper Sandusky. Hle had five sons, Nehemiah, Lewis B., Calvin, Luther and Asa, who were nearly all grown to manhood when their father came to Euclid, and who either came with him or made their way thither within two or three years afterward. He had also fourteen younger children, mostly natives of Enelid. Mr. Dille Jived the remainder of his long life in Euclid, and died there, having trebly done his duty to the country, as soldier, pioneer and parent.

Although, as before stated, David Dille was the first actual settler after Burke, of whom anything is known, yet in August previous five young men from Washington county, Pennsylvania, came to Euclid to Jook for land, and four of them made selections along the main road: John Shaw and Thomas Mellrath in what is now East Cleveland: John Ruple in Euclid, close to the line between the two townships; and William Coleman at Euclid creek. The fifth man, Garrett Thorp. did not then make a selection.

In April, 1804, Coleman, Shaw and Mellrath he- gan work on their respective locations. In the fall of 1804, Mr. Coleman, having cleared and planted two or three acres, and got out the logs for a cabin, brought on his family to their new home. He was a native of New Jersey, only twenty-three years old, but blessed with a wife and two children, and with little beside: his worldly goods consisting of a yoke of oxen, a wagon, a cow, and seventy-tive cents in money. The wagon cover served as a tent for a short time, the few neighbors (all who lived within ten miles were neighbors) helped roll up the logs for a cabin, and then Mr. and Mrs. Coleman put on the roof without other assistance. When finished there was not a piece of board about the house; the door, the chamber-floor, and so much of an under floor as there was, being all made of stuff split out of logs with an axe.

A series of incidents related by Mr. Coleman in a manuscript preserved by the Historical Society, illus- trates most forcibly the difficulties of pioneer life. The family having by the following March used up all the little stock of corn which had been raised the pre- vious year, Mr. Coleman went to Judge Huntington's wife, at Newburg. (the judge being away on his jndi- cial duties) and endeavored to purchase some on credit. The thrifty housewife hardly felt disposed to sell in that way to a stranger, but being desirous to aid him if practicable, asked him if he could make baskets.

"Yes," promptly replied young Coleman, who felt. that it was true, for he was sure that he could make baskets if a squaw could, although as yet he had never tried.

" Well, what will you ask to make me some?" she then inquired.

" The old Indian price," he replied: "the basket full of shelled corn."

She promptly agreed to the terms, and gave him a list of the number and size of baskets she wanted. Ile then returned home, borrowing thirty pounds of corn-meal on the way, of Captain Timothy Doane, in the present township of East Cleveland, to be repaid on the completion of the basket-contract. The next morning Mr. Coleman looked up some good timber and began to learn the trade of basket-making. It took him several days to acquire the art to his own satisfaction, but at length he succeeded in making a substantial, good-looking basket, and at the end of three weeks he had filled his contract. He then took his oxen, and carried his manufactures and some empty bags to Mrs. Huntington, who was well pleased with his work, and filled the baskets with corn accord- ing to contract: the whole amounting to ten and a half bushels.

Mr. Coleman next went to the mill at Newburg, then owned by Rudolphus Edwards, to get his corn ground, but found that the stones had been taken ont to receive an entirely new "dress." Deacon Burke, an old miller, had been sent for all the way from Hudson, to do the work, which had already occupied several days, and was likely to occupy several more. Coleman was bent on returning home with some meal as soon as possible: so after watching the deacon's op- erations a short time he told Edwards that the best thing for all parties was for him, Edwards, to board him and his oxen while he should help Burke dress the stones. Edwards was willing. if Coleman could do the work properly. The latter had never struck a blow on a mill-stone in his life. but he was accustomed to the use of tools, had plenty of confidence in him- self and was sure he could imitate the pattern set by the deacon. He tried it and succeeded to the entire satisfaction of the okl miller. He accordingly re- mained, and after two or three days work the task was completed and the grist was ground. Mr. Cole- man then made his way home, having expended nearly a month's time and learned two trades in order to get a few hundred pounds of corn meal.

The next move was to go to Rocky river to catch fish for the summer's use, as was the custom with all the pioneers of this section. Mr. Coleman and an- other man went thither in a canoe and soon returned with two barrels of tine pike and pickerel. Curiously enough, down to this time the people had generally supposed that lake-tish could not be preserved in salt or brine. An old Indian, when applied to for infor- mation as to whether it could be done or not. replied: " No-no salt: put him on pole-make little tire- smoke him heap.'

Mr. Coleman's common sense, however, taught him that lake-fish would keep in salt as well as ocean-fish, and as, among his few treasures, he had a supply of salt, for which he had traded his watch before leaving

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Pennsylvania, he determined to try the experiment. It was completely successful, and the example was at once followed by all the people around, and resulted in making an important addition to the comforts of the community. The late Hon. John Barr took some pains to investigate the matter, and has left it on record that he was satisfied that this important discovery was due to Mr. Coleman.

Jacob, Coleman, an uncle of William, and a soldier of the Revolution, who had served for several years in Colonel William A. Washington's celebrated regiment of horse, moved into Euclid in 1805, as did also John Ruple, long known as " Deacon " Ruple, who settled on the ground he had selected two years before, a little cast of Nine Mile creek. He lived there through- out a long life, raising a large and respectable family.

Of course the forest of gigantic trees of which the old settlers speak with great admiration, was well supplied with such game as deer and bears, while an occasional panther gave an additional flavor of danger to the sports of the chase. Coon-hunting occupied a good deal of time, as it not only provided food when larger game was not attainable, but because coon-skins could be traded at some price to the primitive mer- chants of Cleveland and Newburg for articles of indis- pensable necessity.

But the particular pet of Enelid seems to have been the rattlesnake. All the old settlers ment on the great numbers of these reptiles to be found in early times in the ravines of the main ridge and among the rocks farther back. Deacon John Ruple at one time killed thirty-eight, connted them and piled them up in a heap, although the poison which the angry rep- tiles spit forth into the air made him so sick that he had no desire to repeat the work. Luther Dille had a similar experience near Collamer: killing forty-three, and becoming so sick that he had to go home and leave a number of the nest alive. Boys made it their particular business to kill rattlesnakes, and became so fearless in dealing with them that an urchin would frequently hold a live snake down with a forked stick, slip a noose made of bark over its neck, and drag it home to show to his friends before dispatch- ing it. At other times they would shoot them with bows and arrows, and hold them up writhing on the points of their weapons.

The people of Euclid brought with them their olden reverence for religion, and the first church in the present county of Cuyahoga was organized in that township in August, 1807, John Ruple being one of the first deacons: but as the house of worship belong- ing to it was in what is now East Cleveland, a sketch of the church is given in the history of that town- ship.

Andrew Mellrath and his three sons-in-law-Abra- ham Mattox, David Burnett and Abraham L. Norris- settled in 180; near the line between the present townships of Euclid and East Cleveland. Ile re- mained there as long as he lived, but the others, after three years' residence, moved to the West. In 1808

Gad Cranney located himself on an old clearing near the lake shore, where he remained some fifteen years, when he, too, sought a new home in Indiana. The same year John Adams settled on the main road east of Enclid creek, where he remained some ten years, when he sold out to John Wilcox, who stayed there until quite a recent period.

In 1809 Abraham Bishop, of Washington county, New York, settled on the lot on the ridge formerly improved by John Morse. He was a man of some means, and brought with him a large assortment of plow-irons, chains, etc., all of which found a ready sale among the settlers. The next year he built a saw- mill on the east branch of Enclid creek, on the site long occupied by Jonathan and Seth D. Pelton for that purpose: that being the first mill of any kind in the present township of Euclid.

We must not omit, in passing, to mention the first slaughter of a panther (by a white man) in the old township of Enelid, the victor being Deacon John Ruple, and the animal being a very fine specimen, measuring nine feet from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail. We give the deacon the honor of this achievement on the authority of Mr. Coleman's man- nscript before referred to, as he must certainly have known the facts. Mr. Andrew Mellrath is also cred- ited with killing a panther about the same time, his only weapon being an axe. There seems to be some confusion about the two anecdotes; possibly they both relate to the same incident, but on the whole it will probably be the safest to allow each of the gentlemen the glory of killing a panther.

In the forepart of 1810 the civil township of Euclid was organized, embracing the survey town- ship; of that name and also the townships on the Chagrin river, a large unoccupied traet on the south. The first town meeting was held on the 22d day of April, 1810, at the dwelling house of Walter Strong, when Timothy Doan acted as moderator, and David Dille and Abraham Bishop as judges of election. The following officers were elected: Trus- tees, Elisha Graham, David Dille, Thomas Mellrath; elerk, Lewis R. Dille: overseers of the poor, David Hendershot, Ilolley Tanner; fence-viewers, Seth Doan, James Lewis; appraiser, Nehemiah Dille: lister, Holley Tanner; treasurer, Abraham Bishop; constable, Nehemiah Dille; supervisor of highways- eastern district, James Covert; northern district, Holly Tanner; east middle district, Abraham Bishop; western district, John Shaw; southern district, Asa Dille; west middle district, Lewis R. Dille.

Garrett and Benjamin Thorp settled respectively in 1810 and 1811, near the mouth of Enelid creek, though Benjamin soon moved to the western part of the township, now East Cleveland.

When the war of 1812 broke out, the people of Enelid felt themselves to be in a partienlarly danger- ous condition, exposed to assaults from the British armed vessels on the lake, and fearing possible raids from Indians by land. When the news came of Hull's

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surrender, followed swiftly by the report that the British and Indians were making a murderons pro- gress down the lake, the people hitched up their ox- sleds, loaded on their families and provisions and started eastward. They found the Chagrin river so swollen that they could not eross, and were in dire distress over the extremely unpleasant prospeet. William Coleman went twice to Cleveland to learn the latest news. On his second trip he learned that the supposed British-Indian army was only a part of Hull's surrendered forces. Ere long most of the Enelid people returned to their homes, and nearly all of them who were capable of bearing arms served at one time or another in defense of the frontier.

When troops were stationed at Cleveland, a small picket of horsemen was generally maintained at Enelid creek, to give notice of any possible hostile movement from that direction. Just before the battle of Lake Erie, as related in the general history. a detachment landed from the British fleet and killed an ox sup- posed to have belonged to one of the Mellraths; but this was the only occasion of the kind, and the vie- tory won by Perry and his men soon put an end to the alarms of the people.

It was just before, or during the war that Dr. lavilla Farnsworth who had previously practiced at Newport, Rhode Island, settled on what is now known as the Priday farm, on the ridge, being the first phy- sician in the present township. He had a large prac- tice, both as physician and surgeon, for over twenty years: being frequently called on to go fifteen or twenty miles on horseback at night, with a guide, also on horseback, leading the way with a torch.

Notwithstanding the war, occasional emigrants came in. Benjamin Day bought three hundred acres just west of the site of Nottingham, landing with his family the day before Perry's victory. His only sur- viving son, Dr. Robert Day, was then eight years old, and well remembers the dense forests which then covered that part of the township. Where Notting- ham now is, there was only a path designated by marked trees and nearly all the settlers were on the main road, sometimes called the State road, or else down near the lake shore.

Land was still cheap: in 1813 Luther Dille paid only three dollars per acre. In 1814 Jonathan Pelton pur- chased Abraham Bishop's farm and sawmill on Euclid creek (near the present stone quarries) and made his residence there. His son, Seth D. Pelton, now of Euclid creek, was then nineteen years old and his brother Joseph, who died in 18;0, was twenty-one. John Bishop, brother of Abraham, lived at what is now Euclid village.

Shortly afterward Paul P. Condit opened a tavern in a frame house on the main road, half a mile west of the locality last named. This was probably the first tavern kept in a framed house in the township. Abram Farr opened one at Euclid creek, shortly after Condit. By this time there was a small hamlet, called Euclid, situated where Collamer now is,

which was the center of business (of which there was very little) for the township. Two miles northeast. of the main road was a still smaller cluster of houses, known as Euclid Creek, which has now assumed the name formerly assigned to the other village.

Immediately after the war, Euclid began settling up with considerable rapidity, so many clearings mak- ing their appearance both on the flat land and on the ridge. that we cannot any longer attempt to designate the locations of the individual settlers. We give. however, the names, taken from the poll list, of all who voted in October. 1815: doubtless including those of nearly every voter in the old township. They are as follows: Timothy Doan, Wm. Coleman, David Hendershot, Nehemiah Dille, John Shaw, Seth Doan. Jacob Coleman, James Strong, Asa Dille 2d, Ama- ziah Porter, John HI. Strong, Levi Thomas, Thos. Barr. David Dille, Samuel Ruple. Samuel Mellrath, Jedediah Crocker. Samuel Dodge. J. Adams. A. Dille, lavilla Farnsworth, Francis K. Porter, Luther Dille. Enoch Murry, Benjamin Day, Abraham Bishop, Walter Strong. Samuel Melrath, Abraham L. Mor- ris. Jedediah D. Crocker, Parker Pelton, Samuel Crocker, Daniel S. Tyler, Joseph Pelton, Ezra B. Smith. Dennis Cooper, Calvin Dille, Abijah Crosby, Lewis R. Dille, Hugh Hamilton, Wm. Gray, Jas. Ruple-42. William Coleman was made the first postmaster in the township as early as 1815. In 1817 or '18 he built the first gristmill in the township on En-lid ereck, and afterwards a sawmill.

About 1820, or a little before, William Gray, who had been settled ten or twelve years at the mouth of Euclid creek, built works there for making stoneware, such as jugs, jars, ete. In 1823 he sold the works to J. & L. Marsilliott, whose advertisement appears in the Cleveland Herald of that year. They, or at least one of them - Leonard Marsilliott-kept up the works about fifteen years: doing a large business for that era. He brought his clay from Springfield, Ohio, and burned seven or eight kilns every year: keeping five or six hands employed all the time.

Mrs. Cushman, a danghter of William Coleman, who was born in 1819, and whose memory goes back to 1823, remembers that there was then at Euclid creek, a framed Baptist church, a framed school- house and a block-house which had been built by a Mr. Randall.

It was not until 1828, however, as appears by the records, that the trustees divided the township info school districts, forming nine districts which con- tained in all a hundred and eighty-three householders. Fortunately the names of all these are preserved on the township record; so that we are able to show pretty accurately the progress of settlement in the old town- ship of Enclid at that time. They are as follows:

District No. 1 .- Aaron S. Bass, Austin II. Avery, Charles Moses, Nicholas Chinmark, Havilla Farns- worth. Abimel Dodge, William Gray, John Wilcox, Charles Andrews, Ezekiel St. John, AArtemas Pringle. Amaziah Porter, John Sage, Absalom Van, Curtis

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THE TOWNSHIPS OF CUYAHOGA COUNTY.

Gould, William Coleman. Paul P. Condit, Nehemiah Dille, John F. Smith. David Dille, Dennis Cooper, John Young. Benjamin Hamilton, Peter Bower, - Lucas, - Hays. - Childs-28.

District No. 2 .- William Camp, John H. Camp. John West. John Ruple, John Hoagland, Samuel Ruple, Benj. Hoagland, John Stoner. Benj. S. Welch, Enoch Meeker, John Gardner, William Adams, John K. Hall, Nathaniel Woodruff. Myndert Wimple, An- drew MeFarland, Elijah Burton, George R. Whitney, Sargent Currier, Alvin Hollister, Jesse Palmer, Jas. F. Palmer, Dr. Hotchkiss, Joseph King. Polydore King. Thomas Palmer. Peter Rush, Henry King. Mathias Rush. Moses Bond, Cyrus Ruple, Abram lliston, John Shaw, Elihn Rockwell-34.

District No. 3 .- Michael Mellrath, Hosea Blin, James Corbus, Amos Stebbins, Joel Jones, Benjamin Jones, John Doan, Samnel Dodge, Daniel Bronson, Joseph Marshall. Andrew Mellrath, Andrew Mell- rath. Jr., Merritt Lindley, John Burt, Samuel E. Smith, Eli Williams. Seth Doan, Thomas Mellrath, Stephen Peet, Jedediah Crocker, Lewis Stanislaus, Thomas Phillips -- 22.

District No. 4 .- Guy Lee. Thomas Curtis, JJohn Welch, John Handee, Adoniram Peck, Jesse Cross, Jacob S. Dille. Richard Curtis. Clark Currier, Step- hen B. Meeker, Abram Mattox, JJacob Compton, Elias Lee, Reynolds t'ahoon, Asa Dille, Lewis R. Dille, Abel Handee-1 ;.

District No. 5 .- Benjamin Sawtill, Benjamin Saw- till, Jr .. A. D. Slaght, Cyrus Gilbert, Josephus Hen- dershott, John Allaton. Samuel Ruple 2d, Lawrence Ruple, Isaac Husong. Abner Heston, John Gonlden, William Ruple, Samuel W. Dille, John Chowel-14.

District No. 6 .- William Hale, Thomas Mellrath, Jr .. Samuel Mellrath, Samuel Mellrath 20, Thad- Jeus Wright, Aaron Bunnel. James JJohnston, Ben- jamin Day. Abijah Crosby, John Ruple 2d, Ezekiel Adams, John Adams -- 12.

District No. 1 .-- Gad Cranney, Levi Thomas, Asa Dille 2d. Calvin Dille, Luther Dille, Leonard Mar- silliot, Jason Crosier, Wakeman Penfield, Garrett Thorp, Jacob Coleman, Jacob Coleman, Jr., Abijah Coleman, Abraham Voorhees. Abraham Perry, Luther Crosier, - Johnston, Warren Andrews, Joseph Croninger, Peter Thorp, William Wright. Henry Ewers-21.

District No. 8 .- Henry Shipherd, Elihu Richmond, Asa Weston, Samuel Robbins, Omar Spring, William Richmond, Russell Benjamin, Asahel Payne, David Sprague. Virgil Spring, Edmund Richmond, Levi Richmond, George Weston.

District No. 9 .- John Smith, Michael Stewart Esther Aikins, John E. Aikins, Amasa Payne. Ruel House, William Treat. Amasa Babbitt, Thoma. Gray, William Upson, John Cone, Abraham Bis hop, James M. Strong. George Griffith, Stephen White, Seth D. Pelton, Jonathan Pelton, Joseph Pel ton, Tracy Evans. Charles White, Robert Aikins -- 21

District No. 10,-Lawrence O'Connor, Alango

O'Connor, Jos. House, Jeremiah Shumway, Timothy Eddy, Ahaz Merchant, Benjamin Thorp, Andrew Stewart, John Moore, David Bunnel, Luther Wood- worth, Ezra Fairfield, Cornelius Thorp, Isaac Page -- 14.

It will, of course, be seen by this goodly list that Enelid was pretty well advanced in the way of settle- ment in 1828, and doubtless, the rattlesnakes had mostly by this time been frightened out of the local- ity. A stage route had been established along the main road between Cleveland and Buffalo, along which two-horse and four-horse teams went every day and both ways, and when emigration opened in the spring, the lake being still closed, it sometimes seemed as if the whole Eastern World was ponring along the great road to the Far West.

During the next decade the old log houses of the pioneers were generally changed for framed ones, and notwithstanding the " hard times" of 183;, there was a marked improvement in the appearance of the township. About 1840, or a little before, Ruel Ilonse, Charles Moses and Captain Wm. Trist opened a ship-yard at the mouth of Euclid creek, which was maintained some ten years. They first devoted their energies to building canal-boats, the yard being on the west side of the creek. Ten or twelve were built in the course of four or five years. Then the yard was moved to the west side and the work of building schooners was engaged in. Six or seven were put afloat in the course of the next five years; the last and largest having a measurement of about three hun- dred tons.

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History of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Part 111

Author: Johnson, Crisfield Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott & Co. Number of Pages: 716

Author: Johnson, Crisfield
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott & Co.
Number of Pages: 716