History of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Part 59

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

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The event of 1805 was the purchase from the In- dians of that part of the Western Reserve west of the Cuyahoga. The facts regarding the treaty and the survey are given in Part One. The result was to open to settlement all that part of the present city lying west of the river. No haste was manifested, however, to take advantage of the opportunity, and for a long time the western bluffs were as densely covered as ever with the frowning forest.

The same year a post office was established at Cleveland, and on the 22d day of October, Elisha Norton was appointed the first postmaster. Judge Huntington, who had bought an interest in the mills on Mill creek, removed thither this year. Owing to the existence of the mills and the healthiness of the surroundings this was a much more flourishing place than Cleveland. It had apparently not yet received the name of Newburg, as it was spoken of in letters as "the mills near Cleveland." Besides Judge llant- ington's, there were the families of W. W. Williams, James llamilton, Mr. Plumb and one or two others. It was a good deal like "getting up one step and

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THE CITY OF CLEVELAND.

falling back two," for the struggling, sickly little vil- lage. Samuel Dodge, who had married a daughter of Timothy Doan, established himself on the Euclid road, built a log house between the sites of the resi- dences of Messrs. Henry and G. C. Dodge, and dug the first well in Cleveland. It was walled up with stone, brought by the Indians into the neighborhood for backs to the fire places of their wigwams.

Notwithstanding the sale of the lands on the west side, many Indians continued to reside more or less of the time on their old ground. Among others was an old man named Omic, and his son Omic, some- times called John Omie by the whites, to distinguish hun from his father. John Omie was afterwards tragically celebrated in the history of the county, as being the subject of the first execution within its borders. He seems to have been from boyhood a youth of evil-disposition and reckless temper. About the period in question, 1805, when he was a strapping fellow of fifteen or sixteen, he one day entered Major Carter's garden (as related by the major's niece, Mrs. Miles, ) and began gathering some vegetables. Mrs. Carter came out and ordered him away, whereupon he drew his knife and chased her three times around the house, and did not desist till a young man in the vicinity came up and drove him away. Perhaps his only intention was to scare her, but it was certainly not a very pleasant experience.

When Major Carter came home and heard his wife's story, he was naturally greatly enraged. Putting a rope in his pocket, he started for the cabin of old Omie on the other side of the river. Arriving there, he told the old man what his son had done, and de- clared that he was going to hunt up the young rascal and hang him-at the same time producing the rope to give emphasis to his words. Carter was renowned as a fighting man among the whites, and had acquired a great influence over the Indians, whose language he spoke fluently. They believed he could and would accomplish almost anything he took a fancy to do, and old Omie was terribly frightened. He begged and implored Carter not to hang his boy, but for a time the major was inexorable. At length yielded he so far as to promise that if the scamp would stay on the west side of the river, and never under any circum- stances cross the stream, his life should be spared. The old man promised zealously that the condition should be faithfully observed.

"Now remember," said Carter, as he flourished his rope, "if I ever catch him on that side again, I'll hang him up to the first tree in five minutes.

"He no come, he no come," earnestly replied the father.

And sure enough, the danger of getting within the grasp of the irate major was so strongly placed before the reprobate by his father, and perhaps by others of the older Indians, that young Omie kept his own side of the stream, and according to Mrs. Miles' recollection he did not again cross it until, several years later, he was on the way to his trial and execution.

We have mentioned in the general history of the county the loss of the boat which started from Cleve- land in the spring of 1806, containing a Mr. Hunter, his family, and two colored persons, and was wrecked a little cast of Rocky river; a colored man called Ben being the only person saved. The incident had a curious sequence, related by A. W. Walworth in his sketch of Major Carter, published in Col. Whittesley's work.

When Ben was brought back to Cleveland, half starved and nearly frozen to death, he was taken to Carter's tavern, which was the general rendezvous, especially for the used-up part of the community, who had no other home. Rheumatism drew Ben's limbs out of shape, some of his toes were so badly frozen that they came off, and he was unable to do any work, but the free-hearted major kept him throughout the summer. In October two Kentneki- ans came to Cleveland, one of whom declared that he was the owner of Ben, who was an escaped slave. The major told them what a hard time Ben had had. and how he, the major, had kept him, gratis, on ac- count of his misfortunes.

"I don't like niggers," said the worthy major, " but I don't believe in slavery, and Ben shan't be taken away unless he chooses to go."

The owner declared that he had always used Ben well, that he had overpersuaded to run away by others, and that he would probably be willing to go back to his old home. He wanted to have a talk with Ben, but the major would not consent to this, unless the negro desired it. Finally, after consulting Ben, it was agreed among all the parties that a parley should take place in the following manner: The owner was to take his station on the east bank of the Cuyahoga, near the end of IIuron street, while Ben was to take his post on the opposite side, and the conversation was to be carried on across the stream. Certainly the major guarded pretty effectually against treachery. This program was faithfully carried out. After salutations back and forth, the master said:

" Ben, haven't I always used you like one of the family?"

" Yes, massa;" rephed Ben. The conversation was carried on for some time, many inquiries being made by Ben. regarding okl acquaintances, and by the Ken- tuckian regarding the adventures of his servant. Great good feeling seemed to be manifested on both sides, though no definite arrangement was made. This, however, was consummated by future negotia- tions, and the next morning, but one, young Walworth saw the Kentnekians starting southward on the river road, Ben riding his master's horse, while the latter walked on foot by his side.

But the most curious part of the affair was still to come. Eight or nine miles from the village a couple of white men, who had been hanging around Carter's tavern all summer, getting their living principally off from the good-natured major, suddenly appeared by

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THE VILLAGE FROM 1800 TO 1815.

the roadside with rifles in their hands. One of them cried out:

"Ben., you d-d fool, jump off from that horse and take to the woods."

This was long before the days of revolvers, and the owner's big horse-pistols were in the holsters on the horse that Ben. was riding. Besides, both the Ken- tuckians were too much surprised to make resistance on the instant. Ben, jumped off the horse and ran off into the woods; the two riflemen immediately fol- lowed, and the Kentuckians were left to digest their disappointment as best they might. They probably thought that the game was not worth any more hunt- ing and did not return to Cleveland, nor make any further attempts to recover their troublesome prop- erty.

The next winter Major Spafford's son and another young Clevelander were hunting on the west side of the river, when they came across a rude hut in the forest, near the line of the present townships of Inde- pendence and Brecksville, where Ben. had domiciled himself. It was supposed that he went from there to Canada. It was never known whether the "rescue " was the result of any settled plan or merely arose from a sudden freak on the part of the two men be- fore mentioned. There seems to have been no reason why a resene should have been planned, as it would have been impossible, in this forest-covered country, to take the negro in the first place without his own consent.

Mr. A. W. Walworth, from whom the above anee- dote is derived, was then a youth of about sixteen, and was the son of Mr. John Walworth, who had moved to Cleveland in April, 1806. The latter was a near relative of Hon. R. Ilyde Walworth, the cele- brated chancellor of New York. He was appointed collector of the district of Erie on the 12th day of Jannary, 1806. In June previous he had been ap- pointed inspector of the port of Cuyahoga, but had continued to reside at Painesville, making occasional visits to the scene of his few official duties. Previ- ous to this there had been practically nothing to pre- vent the smuggling from Canada of whatever any one desired. The loss to the United States government was not probably very large, however, as three years later the amount of imports from Canada, for a year, was only fifty dollars. Mr. Walworth was also ap- pointed associate judge of Geauga county just before his coming to Cleveland and postmaster of that place in May after his arrival, the latter appointment being in place of Elisha Norton, who removed from the vil- lage. After a short residence on Superior street he removed to a farm he had purchased, about two miles up the Pittsburg road, now Broadway, embracing what was commonly known as Walworth point.

We have had frequent occasion to speak of the marshy ground in various parts of Cleveland. A youthful visitor of 1806 speaks of the boys and girls picking whortleberries in the marsh " west of Dolph Edwards';" that is in the vicinity of the present work-

house. At this time the ridge-road from the mills to Doan's Corners was lined with fields almost all the way from the mills to Kingsbury's, and much of the distance from there to the corners. The fields, how- ever, contained many dry, girdled trees, presenting an unsightly appearance to any one fresh from the highly cultivated farms of New England. Several orchards were rapidly approaching maturity, and Mr. Kingsbury's bore a few apples that year.

Mr. Kingsbury's farm being in a prosperous condi- tion, he determined to have a framed house, Ile put up the frame that year, 1806, depending on obtaining his lumber from Williams and Huntington's sawmill. But the dam went off in the spring and the frame re- mained uncovered for over a year. Unwilling to be so dependent on others and having a pretty good mill- privilege on Kingsbury run, the energetie judge went to work and erected a sawmill. The next year, 1802. he covered his house; making the brick for the im- mense stack of chimneys from clay close by. His son still possesses the last brick made, marked with the date, "June 22, 180 ;. "

The house was a large two-story frame, and is still standing in good repair, occupied by a son, James Kingsbury, then unborn, but now an aged man. It is probably the oldest building standing within the limits of the city. Part of the upper story was fin- ished off in a large room, in which dances were held. and also masonic communications, the judge being a zealous member of the mystie order.

One of the visitors to Cleveland mentions attend- ing a meeting at Doan's Corners, where a preacher named Daniel Parker attempted to introduce a new religions sect called the Haleyonites, but apparently with little success, as we hear no more of that sweetly named denomination. The preachers who sometimes visited Cleveland bore pretty general testimony to the wickedness of the inhabitants, but it appears to have related more to matters of opinion and of language than to more violent offenses. Crime of every kind seems to have been very rare, and the settlers were nearly all industrious, honest and enterprising. Prob- ably they drank a good deal of whisky, but that was a common fault in those days and is not yet entirely overcome.

But the reverend gentlemen acensed them of gross infidelity, of terrifie profanity, and what was worse of making a practice of slaughtering their hogs on Sun- day. This was certainly a most objectionable proceed- ing, in taste as well as in morals. Newburg, or "the Mills," was considered a little better, but not much.

An incident of 1807 shows the off-hand way in which things were done in those days. One morning a man who had worked for the Major two or three months suddenly disappeared. He had taken nothing and the major owed him a few dollars; so that his running away was quite inexplicable. Spafford went to his brother major, Carter, and told him about the affair. Carter at once said that no one should run away from Cleveland, shouldered his rifle and started

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in pursuit. Taking the fellow's trail, he overtook him near the present Willson avenne, and ordered his return.

"No," he replied; "I have stolen nothing and don't owe anything; I shall not go back."

"Go or be killed," was the reply of Carter, "and be thrown into this cat tail swamp for the wolves to feed on."

The man sullenly assented, and Carter took him back to Spafford.

" Why did you run away," queried the latter; "I owe you some money."

" Well," replied the man, "I have always been a rover, and when I have worked as long as I want to in one place, I generally run away."

" It's a bad practice," said Spafford, "and you can't do it here."

" I see I can't," admitted the man.

" Well, now, sit down and eat your breakfast, and I will see how much I owe you, and after I pay you, yon can go. and welcome."

" Well, now," said the other; "I have given up going, and I am willing to stay and work a spell longer."

" All right," replied the Major; and accordingly the fellow continued to labor for his former employer two or three months longer. We have heard of a great many cases of men being brought back by force to pay their debts, but this is the first instance, with which our historieal researches have made us acquainted, of a man's being compelled in that manner to receive money which was due him.

In 1807 the fourth draft of the lands of the Western Reserve was made. Samuel P. Lord and others drew the township of Brooklyn, which then came to the river at its mouth.

Another major, Nathan Perry, became a resident of Cleveland in the summer of 1807. ITis son Hor- ace preceded him a few months, and another son, Nathan, Jr., followed in the autumn.

Several incidents occurring at and near Cleveland we have mentioned in the general history of the county. As we have also stated there, Judge Hunt- ington moved to Painesville and was elected governor of the State. While in office (in 1809) he appointed Hon. Stanley Griswold, United States senator to fill out a few months of an unexpired term. Senator Griswold then lived at "Doan's Corners" (now in the east part of the city). A visitor mentions attend- ing a spirited militia election there while the senator was at Washington; at which the late Allen Gaylord, of Newburg, was elected ensign. Senator Griswold remained a resident there but a short time after the expiration of his term in congress.

Mrs. Miles relates an incident of this period (about 1809) when she was the youthful Fanny Hawley of some sixteen summers, which gives an idea of the alarms to which the damsels of that day were subject. They were not so terrible as on some frontiers, where the tomahawk and scalping-knife were in frequent

use, but were sufficiently startling to seriously try the nerves of our modern belles. She was riding to Cleveland on horseback, on a man's saddle impro- vised into a side-saddle, over the road from the Kings- bury settlement, which ran near the line of the present Kinsman street. When in the midst of the woods. about half way to town, her horse suddenly stopped. An Indian came out of the woods, put his hand upon her, and in harsh, broken English, said:

"Give me whisky."

" Why, I haven't any whisky," replied Miss Haw- ley: " not a particle."

"Ugh! damn you-give me money," then said the son of the forest, in a still more angry tone.

At this moment the young lady's horse, which had been fretting at the presence of the red man (for white men's horses were usually much afraid of In- dians), suddenly dashed off through the woods at high speed. Miss Fanny was entirely unable to hold him, and clung to the pommel and crupper as best she could. The animal soon came near the house of a Mr. Dille, lately settled in that locality, who ran out and stopped him, and the young lady received no injury. The runaway was not pleasant, but it at least cleared her of the Indian.

She went on to town, and on returning found that the same Indian had been at her father's house during her absence in company with his squaw. He was con- siderably intoxicated, and soon began to make a dis- turbance. Mrs. Hawley gave him a push which toppled him over on to the fire. Ile got up, very angry, but did not commit any personal violence. His squaw told Mrs. Hawley to carry out of doors everything with which he could hurt any one. Mrs. Hawley and the squaw accordingly slipped out and hid a butcher knife and one or two similar articles. As they were doing so the Indian snatched a loaf of bread from the bake oven and started. Mrs. Hawley met him at the door. He put his hand to his breast as if to draw a knife. Mrs. Hawley dodged, and he ran off into the woods with his loaf of bread. The whole proceeding may not have been dangerons, but it was not at all amusing.

In 1807, (January 5,) the fifth and last division of the lands of the Western Reserve was made at Hart- ford, including the unsold lots at Cleveland. The same year Brooklyn, including the present west part of Cleveland, was surveyed into lots and offered for sale. That year also, the brothers Levi, Samuel and Jonathan Johnson became residents of the still dimin- utive city.

By far the most important event of the year con- nected with Cleveland was the establishment of the county-seat at that place. Cuyahoga county had been set off from Geauga in 1807, but had not been organized, nor had a county-seat been designated. In the spring of 1809 a commission was appointed by the State authorities for that purpose. There was quite a sharp contest between Cleveland and Newburg for the location. The latter place was full as large as the

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former and even more thriving, on account of its su- perior health. Cleveland, however, which had evi- dently a good commercial location, with large pros- pects of becoming an important port, succeeded in the contest.

In 1809 Judge Walworth, then postmaster, em- ployed Levi Johnson to build a small framed office on Superior street. This is said to have been the first framed building erected in the " city," except barns, and except Carter's house, which was burned. At all events, a framed building was enough of a novelty so that people collected in considerable numbers to watch its progress.

Major Carter, however, built a warehouse on Union lane in 1809 and '10, showing that there was certainly some business at the mouth of the Cuyahoga.

In the spring of 1810 Elias Cozad, a young man of twenty-one, settled at " Doan's Corners," where he still resides. He had come to that locality with his father, Samuel Cozad, in 1808, but had returned east to finish learning his trade, that of a tanner. Imme- diately after coming to the corners for the second time, he built and began operating the first tannery in the township of Cleveland. Mr. Cozad was after- wards an officer of the militia in the war of 1812. He has been an active citizen throughout the greater part of his life, and, notwithstanding his great age, is a person of marked intelligence. We had the pleasure of a most interesting conversation with him during the past year on the events of early times. No male resi- deut has spent so long a period of his adult life in what is now the city of Cleveland as Mr. Cozad, though there may be some still surviving who were born here before he came, or who came here as boys before he did.

Samuel and Matthew Williamson set up a tannery in Cleveland proper, that is in the then village of Cleveland, soon after Mr. Cozad started his at Doan's Corners, in the latter part of 1810 or forepart of 1811. Alfred Kelley the first practising lawyer, and David Lang, the first physician, both also made their home in Cleveland in 1810.

Mr. Levi Johnson has left a record of the inhabit- ants of Cleveland in 1810, which we copy entire. According to it the population of the youthful city was then as follows; the figures after cach family rep- resenting the total number of its members: Abram Hiekox and family (5); Dr. David Long; Mrs. Coit; Alfred Kelley; Levi Johnson; Lorenzo Carter and family (2); Elias and Harvey Murray and family (4); Major Perry and wife (2); Benoni Carter; Bold Mc- Conkey and family (3); Jacob Wilkinson and family (5); Samuel Johnson; Charles Gun and two brothers (3); John Walworth and family (?); Samuel Williamson and family (5); Matthew Williamson; Mr. Humiston and family (4); Mr. Simpson and family (5). This made a total of fifty-seven persons then resident in the village of Cleveland, fourteen years after it was first laid out; certainly not a very hopeful indication of future greatness.

Elias and Harvey Murray, above mentioned, owned a store, as did also Major Perry, these being the only storekeepers in the place. These were something like real stores, having taken the place of the cabins partly filled with Indian goods which were called stores a few years earlier. Not, indeed, that these later ones were at all splendid; they were merely rude depositories of the coarse goods of all kinds generally used by farmers and mechanics in a new country.

It was May of this year (1810) that the first Court of record in the county was organized in the store of E. & II. Murray. Mr. Elias Cozad attended it, and mentions the fact that the presiding judge, Hon. Ben- jamin Ruggles, wore a queue-evidently a gentleman of the old school-for qnenes had generally gone out of fashion. There were very few suits, the principal business being the trying of indictments for selling liquor to the Indians.

The next year the Messrs. Murray built a log ware- house near the river, which indicates two things: In connection with the ereetion of Major Carter's ware- house a year or two before it shows that quite a little business was done at this port, and it also shows that the place was still in a very backward state and profits small, or the merchants mentioned would have put up a framed warehouse.

George Wallace came this year and began keeping tavern. ITis and Carter's were the only taverns in the place. Carter died during the war.

The next year saw the first execution in Cleveland and the breaking out of the conflict with Great Brit- ain, commonly called the war of 1812. Both these events have been spoken of at considerable length; the former having been under the control of the county authorities, and the latter a matter of national im- portance. The war did not affect this place very se- riously, though the people were kept in a continuous state of alarm for a large portion of the time, for fear lest an invading force should reach them either by sea or land.

All the events of a warlike character which oc- curred here during the war of 1812, were necessarily narrated in the general history of the county, and few events not of a warlike character occurred here until after the close of the war.

There is extant a list of the families living in Cleveland at the beginning of the war. These were those of George Wallace, Samuel Williamson, Hezekiah King, Elias Murray, Richard Bailey, Amasa Bailey, Hiram Hanchett, Harvey Murray, Abraham Hickox, Levi Johnson, Samuel Jones, David Hickox and Dr. Long. The list of two years before comprised eleven families-that of the present year, thirteen-a gain of one family per year. Besides those named, there were James Root, Alfred Kelley and Matthew Williamson, who were without families, and probably some others.

All the places of business were on Superior street below the present location of the Weddell House, while most of the residences were also on some part of Superior street below the Public Square. A few

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only were on side streets leading off from it. Nearly all the rest of what now constitutes the city was forest or swamp until one reached the extreme outer portion. At Doan's Corners was a thriving farming settlement, consisting of Mr. Doan, Mr. Cozad and one or two others, and the farming tract before men- tioned, which extended south along the ridge, now known as Woodland Hights, to Newburg, was by this time pretty thoroughly cleared up. Rudolphus Ed- wards had a hundred and fifty acres under cultiva- tion, Judge Kingsbury had another large farm, and similar, though perhaps smaller ones were located all along the route.

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History of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Part 59

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