USA > Ohio > Delaware County > History of Delaware County and Ohio : containing a brief history of the state of Ohio biographical sketches etc. V. 2 > Part 6
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78
The community then determined to erect a block- house to which they could resort in times of special alarm. A site was chosen on the road passing along the west bank of the creek, on a rise of ground just south of where the roads cross near Cheshire, where the old cemetery now is. This structure was forty feet square, with two stories ; the upper story projecting over the lower one some two feet, afforded opportunities of de- fense against close attacks or attempts to fire the structure. It was built of hewed logs, a foot square, the ends securely joined so as not to leave the smallest crevice between the logs. There was no opening in the lower story save that of the door, which was made of a double thickness of
three inch planks, barred and cross barred. The upper story was furnished with rifle embrasures in the side, and convenient apertures in the floor of the projection for purposes of defense in a close attack. When built, the fort was well stocked with provisions and animunition. so as to be ready at a moment's warning, and signals were arranged that the remoter settlements might learn of their danger.
It was about this time that a party of settlers were out in the woods some distance from the "improvements," clearing up a spot to build a cabin for some new arrival. Among the party were Chester and John Lewis, David Lewis, Sr., and Asa Scott, beside some boys who were there to look on or pile brush. As was the custom, each man had his gun near him, leaning against a tree, and David Lewis, Sr., was on duty as scout to note the approach of Indians. It was arranged that if he saw any he was to return and report " bears " in the woods. Sometime after noon, he was ob- served coming rapidly toward the party, and, as soon as he got within hearing, he said, " There are bear tracks in the woods, so fresh that the water has not yet settled in them." The men quietly ceased their work, took up their guns and pre- pared to put things in a state of defense. The boys were sent home, and, not to alarm the settle- ment, all but Chester and John Lewis slowly saun- tered to the settlement. Then the state of the case was explained, and those families which were situated near at hand were escorted by the old men into the block-house. Blankets were hung up to divide off the space for families, guns were carefully scrutinized, and by nightfall everything at the fort was in readiness for an attack. But the cabins of some of the party of choppers were toe far off to make it prudent to try to reach the fort in the dark. Scott's cabin was some distance to the north of the road crossing, and the cabin of Jacob Aye was still further to the north and east of Scott's. There was a large family of boys and girls of the Ayes, and they felt reasonably secure, or had not learned of the discovery. Late that night, after the boys had gone to bed,. one of the sisters, delayed by.some household care, heard the dogs making a disturbance as though the cattle or hogs were prowling about. Soon she heard some one trying to quiet the dogs, and she at once concluded it was Indians. She made every preparation against being taken by surprise, but did not sum- mon the boys, lest in their fool-hardiness they might rush out and be killed. The dogs finally
G
457
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
became quiet, and the Indians, going toward the block-house, came upon Scott's cabin. Here the dogs, who had an instinctive hatred of the savages, commenced rushing out into a corn-field near, and then back again against the cabin, growling, manifesting symptoms of rage and fear. Old Mr. Scott knew what such conduct on the part of the dogs meant, and, calling up his two boys, prepared for defense. The windows were only closed by greased paper, and, stationing one with an ax at each of the two windows, he gave them instruc- tions to split the first head that came through. Putting out the glowing embers on the hearth, he barricaded the door with what movable furniture he could reach, and took a position with his rifle commanding all points of entrance. Here the Indians endeavored to pacify the dogs in vain, and finally passed along. Soon after, the Scott family heard a rifle shot, followed by a rapid succession of lighter guns, and then came, one, two, three in measured succession, the warning guns from the block-house. Meanwhile at the fort another scene was enacting. The little band cooped up in their narrow quarters momentarily expected an attack. After waiting for some time in such suspense, David Lewis, Sr., accompanied by Philo Hoadley, started cautiously out to reconnoiter. The night is described as admirable for this purpose. Clouds heavily veiled the moon so that an object standing out clear could be readily discerned, while one groping in the shadows and along the ground could be discovered only by close scrutiny. The land sinks from all points at the road crossing, forming there a sort of basin. South of the east and west road, a tree had been felled parallel with the road, and, falling down hill, had left some space between the butt of the tree and stump. Across this road was Hoadley's corn-field, divided from other land by a brush fence. Coming down to the crossing, a suspicious noise was heard in the corn-field, and Lewis remarked to Hoadley that there were either hogs, cattle, or Indians in his field. Listening attentively for a moment, he ex- claimed, " There goes another ear; Hoadley, it's Indians !" Lewis, who was an excellent shot, and an intrepid man, told Hoadley to remain at the crossing, and, taking shelter behind the trunk and top of the fallen tree, he would gain the rise of ground by the stump, and scan the corn-field sit- uated across the road and on a little lower ground. Lewis succeeded in reaching the stump, and, ensconc- ing himself among the shadows between the tree and stump, awaited the issue of events. Soon he
saw a dark body jump upon the brush fence and over, and then another, but his practiced eye had seen the second one over the sights of his gun, the report of which was followed by a heavy falling of the body. Lewis immediately made for the fort as fast as his feet could carry him, with Hoadley just in advance. There was a discharge of sev- eral guns in rapid succession from the corn-field, and Lewis, striking his knee against the stump of some sapling that had been cut off, went sprawl- ing to the ground. He imagined himself shot, but, regaining his feet, made for the fort. Within the fort everybody was on the alert, and Roswell Caulkins stood sentinel at the door. As Lewis and Hoadley came rushing up to gain entrance, Caulkins hesitated to unbar the door. David Lewis, Jr., who was celebrated as a keen hunter and woodsman, recognized the steps of their com- rades, and cried to the sentinel, " Roswell, unbar the door, unbar the door! Those are shoes that are coming. It's father and Philo !" and, before the sentinel comprehended the force of what young Lewis was saying, the bars had been taken down by others, and the two men, half out of breath, admitted. The feelings of those within the fort can be better described by one who was there, and we add from Mrs. Ripley's manuscript: " An attack was every moment expected. The alarm guns were fired. The horrid work of the scalp ing knife and uplifted tomahawk was, in imagina- tion, ready to be executed. There was neither shrieking nor fainting, but the women stood at their posts in the upper story, prepared for de- fense." Happily their expectations were not realized. The next morning broke on their anx- ious hearts calm and bright, and, as no traces of Indians could be discovered from the block- house, a party went out to see if the settlers in isolated cabins had been massacred. They were found, as we have related, frightened but not harmed. In the corn-field were found moccasin tracks with considerable traces of blood. The trail led off to the northwest, and indicated that one of their num- ber had been carried. Who they were or what was the reason of their visit, has been the subject of considerable conjecture, but it has never reached a satisfactory explanation.
In recalling the experience of the pioneers, it is necessary to call the attention of the reader to the fact that these men and women, who braved the untried difficulties of the woods, were people not unlike ourselves. It is a common mistake to imagine that they were of a ruder sort of people,
1
458-494
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
akin to the foreign emigration of to-day. There could be no greater misapprehension. They came from the proudest stock of New England, from homes of refinement, sometimes from homes sur- rounded by all the luxuries that culture and wealth could bestow ; and it is one of those mysterious ways in which God moves, " His wonders to perform," -this providential adaptation of means to ends. At that time, our civilization was on a less secure basis than now. The pioneer was not only the architect of his own fortune, but of that of the State which grew out of his pioneer efforts, and the pressing demand was for staneh men, from the lowest rank up. Every man was a hero in the strife, and the result is the civilization of which we boast to-day. With this fact in mind, we get a deeper realization of the privations of the pioneer. The roughest work was to be done, and they did it. The closest economy was to be enforced, and they practiced it. The hidden mys- tery of the woodman's craft was to be learned, and they sounded it to its lowest depth.
In the Berlin settlement there were some who bought as much as 1,000 acres of land, others 250 and 100 acres of land, but all were on the same level of social equality. There was a novelty at first which dispelled discontent, and, later, the pressing duties of the settlement gave it no place. All wore the same kind of home-made clothing, made in the cabin from the flax of their own growing. In their amusements, they accepted the traditions of the settlements, and made no efforts to transplant the effeminate customs of a less hardy community. Weddings, huskings and logging bees afforded occasions for romping games, and the rustic dance,
" When toil remitting lent its turn to play, And all the village train, from labor free, Led up their sports."
.
There was a more serious side to this life in the woods as well. The scarcity of society knit the settlements, for miles around, in a common bond of friendship. Journeys of miles were under- taken through the woods to interchange greetings, and were often the result of experiences that would scarcely be braved now in the path of duty. Mrs. Ripley relates an instance of her going, in company with a girl companion, to visit friends in another settlement. Returning home, they found themselves deep in the forest when the night closed in upon them. With no guide but the blazed trees, they found themselves in a frightful
dilemma and without a resource. They dis- mounted and sought the signs of a habitation far and near, without success. "At length," she writes, " ascending an eminence, we discovered sparks of fire rising above the trees at a distance, and, hastening to this faint light, we found a man piling and burning brush. Amazed at our ap- pearance, he listened to our story, and, taking a torch, found our horses. Lighting another brand, he kindly offered to pilot us home. Galloping rapidly in advance, he held the torch high above his head, and we as rapidly followed, reaching our home in safety. Gratitude to our kind deliverer from a night of terror, was equaled only by our joy on reaching home." But all experiences were, unfortunately, not so happily ended. Mrs. Ripley relates one, which we give in her own words : "Early one morning, a young woman came on horseback to our door, with disheveled hair and torn dress, looking the very personifica- tion of despair. 'Oh, my God!' she cried, "I have been lost all night in the woods !' Riding alone the preceding day, she accidentally lost the path, and rode on without knowing in what direc- tion, until she saw the dark shadows of night closing around her. After tying her horse, she found a tree which she could climb, and ascended it almost to the top. Fearful of falling, she tied her bonnet and long hair to a branch, and. grasping another with both hands, passed the long hours before dawn. During the night a storm came up, and with the drenching rain came the flashing lightning and the thunder's roar, render- ing her nearly frantic with terror. In her despair she saw the glaring eyes of wild beasts, while the pawing of her snorting horse added confirmation to her fears. The shipwrecked mariner never beheld with more joy the coming day, but her limbs were swollen and she found herself unable to mount her horse. She led the animal, and, strik- ing a wagon trail, she came out ten miles from her home, whence she was escorted to her friends." Such experiences were not confined to the women. Men were lost, and, at times, the whole settlement was called out, with guns and horns, to bring them in.
There were one or two hunters in the Berlin settlements who gained considerable local popular- ity. Among these were David Lewis, Jr., Thomas J. Scott, and Hiram and Walter May. Game was abundant, and the hunting adventures of these men were the theme of many an interesting tale. They are all gone save Scott, who lives his life
Y
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
460- 461
anew, in telling of the game that once stalked through the woods.
The period after the war was one of severe hard- ship to the new settlements in Berlin. During the war, though the settlement was in a chronic state of fear, a condition . not calculated to increase the prosperity of the young community, yet the de- mands of the army offered a market which stimu- lated production, and, at the same time, gave them a taste of comforts which soon became necessities. The cessation of hostilities cut off this market, and left the surplus accruing from this over-stimu- lated production on their hands. There was no market for what the settlements had to sell, money ceased to circulate, and a season of privation set in which proved the harder to bear from the fact that they had begun to enjoy some of the commoner comforts of older communities. Farmers now found it almost impossible to secure enough cur- rency to pay their taxes. Wheat, corn, furs, beef and pork, they began to have in abundance, but, no market. Before the war they only thought of living and making their homes comfortable, but, under the stimulating influence of the war, they had largely increased their power of producing, and now the cry was for a market. Trade among themselves had been reduced to the primitive sys- tem of barter, and money -was to be got only from outside parties. An incident related of these times illustrates this money stringency very forci- bly. A traveler passing through the settlement, one May day, stopped at a house for refreshments, for which he paid 123 cents. The host remarked as he received the silver in his hand, "This must be laid by toward paying our taxes in the fall." A woman went to Columbus with produce to trade for household necessities, taking, among other things, sixteen pounds of butter. All she could get for this was a cotton pocket-handkerchief which " could now be bought for a shilling. Another in- stance is related of a man who had a letter in the post office, the postage on which amounted to 123 cents, and was unpaid. Destitute of money, he took a bushel of wheat and offered it to the Post- master for the amount due on the letter, but was refused. Corn was worth 125 cents per bushel in trade, and was not readily disposed of at that. Staple goods rose to a fearful price, which almost drove them out of the market. Salt, a commodity which all must have, cost $18 per barrel, and one man gave 150 bushels of corn for one barrel of this article. Maple sugar could be got in abun- dance, and was a luxury in which the settlers in-
dulged without stint. One woman, at an early date when household utensils were more scarce, made 250 pounds of sugar in one season, in a six- quart kettle and a frying-pan. Its very abundance, however, spoiled any market it might have had, and it proved no source of revenue. About 1830. the influence of the canal which connects the Ohio River with the lake began to be felt, and business began to revive.
During the money stringency succeeding the war, another disaster overtook the frontier homes. Heretofore the community had known but little of sickness. In ten years there had been but six deaths, four children and two adults. Now a miasmatic epidemic spread over the frontier, which visited every cabin, and few families were so for- tunate as to escape without losing a member. The epidemic took on the nature of a plague, many deaths occurring under distressing circumstances.
At the end of the first decade of Berlin's his- tory there were about forty families in the town- ship. About twenty of these had come from Wa- terbury, Conn., and settled on the Constant pur- chase in the southeast part of the township. Among these there had been eight marriages, the first of which, as well as the first occasion of the kind in the township, was that of Elias Adams to Harriet Lewis, by the Rev. Joseph Hughs. On the Byxbe purchase there were some ten families from various places, several of them being from Virginia. In the northwest quarter there were some eight families, the rest of the township being too low and swampy to attract settlers. During this decade there had been but six deaths, four children and two adults. The first event of the kind in the township was the death of Elanson Lewis, who died in 1807, and was buried in the old burying-ground where the block-house once stood. The next adult was Emma Lewis, who died in 1811, and was buried east of the creek.
In the historical sermon delivered by Rev. John W. Thompson, we find the following in regard to the increase of population after this time: "It is," says he, "doubtful whether there are as many inhabitants on the eastern half of the township as there were ten years ago. During the last twenty- five years the southwest part, which hitherto had remained an unbroken forest, has been filled up with inhabitants, thus maintaining the average 10 per cent increase in the population of the town- ship. The present number of families in the township is not far from two hundred and fifty, probably a little over, making an increase of five
-
462
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
families per year from the first settlement. The first vote, which was in the fall of 1820, was 72. The average vote for the succeeding five years was 71, the highest number of ballots cast being 79, and the lowest number 48. From 1825 to 1835, the whole vote was 743, making an average an- nual vote of 74, with the highest number of votes cast 79, and the lowest 66. For the decade end- ing 1845, the highest number of ballots cast at any election was 185, the lowest, 123, making an average of 140. During the last decade the av- erage has been 172, with the highest and lowest number of votes cast at 210 and 109 respectively. Not one man has voted at every State election. Two men have missed only two State elections, Allward Smith and Lovell Caulkins. Of the seventy-two who voted at the first election, only eight are now (1858) living in the township. Of the twenty families who came out during the first decade and settled in the southeast quarter, only nine of the parents remain-Jesse Armstrong and wife, David Lewis and wife, Lovel Caulkins and wife, Mrs. Chloe Scott, Mrs. Lois Dickerman, and Mrs. Betsy Thompson. Of those who came and settled in this quarter (near Cheshire) of the town- ship previous to 1807, only David Lewis and wife remain. Of those who came in 1807, the widow of. Asa Scott is the sole survivor. Of the five families who came in 1809, Lovell Caulkins and wife are all that are left. These stand while all the rest that were twenty years old or upward have passed away."
In 1820, Berlin was organized according to the original survey, and received its name at the sug- gestion of Asa Scott. He was at the time Treas- urer of the section of country known then as Berk- shire, which included Berlin. On looking over the subject he discovered that there were inhab- itants enough to warrant a separate organization, and at once headed a petition to the Commission- ers to that effect. Dr. Loofbourrow was made Township Clerk, and Joseph Eaton Justice of the Peace, while Scott was continued in. his position of Treasurer for Berlin at the first election. The first mechanic in the township was Roswell Caulk- ins, who was skilled in carpentering and joining. While he gave much of his time to clearing up his farm, he still found time to devote to his trade. One of his first pieces of work was a loom made for .Mrs. Chloe Scott. He did also the most of the hewing on the block-house and superintended its construction. The first frame dwellings were erected in 1820, one by James Eaton, and another
by Daniel Nettleby, both east of the creek, near Cheshire, Eaton's being nearer the town line. The first store, or place where goods were offered for sale, was located south of Cheshire, in a cabin, and kept by Nathan Sherwood. Up to the time of the epidemic, about 1815, there had been but little sickness, but the presence of so many swamps hidden from the purifying action of the sun, gave rise to considerable miasmatic fevers. Such ailments the "folk lore " of the pioneers fourd no trouble in curing with sundry decoctions of herbs. Occasionally they had recourse to a Dr. Hanley. who had been formerly a surgeon in the Revolu- tionary army, and had settled in Berkshire.
In the matter of pioneer industries. it was the demand for them which regulated the order of their establishment. First came the mills, saw and grist, both coming close together. The demand for a mill located near the settlement to grind the wheat and corn, was a very pressing one. Almost every settlement sooner or later, had a grist-mill, but, owing to the crudeness of their machinery, and its limited grinding power, there never was any danger of the business being overdone. A few bags of grain stocked the mill, and later comers from a distance were obliged to camp out, while they waited their turn to be served. Closely dis- puting precedence with this came the saw mill. The first home depended principally upon such furniture as could be made in the woods. The way was too long, and transportation too meager, to bring it from the East. Floors, when any were had, were made from puncheons, logs split up into sections, two or three inches thick. Of this material were tables, seats and all this class of fur- niture made. Bedsteads were constructed with one leg, which supported one foot and one side rail, the other ends finding support in holes bored in the logs of the house. This frame, united by a bed-cord brought from the East, or a grapevine which served the same purpose, made the founda- tion for a superstructure of skins, blankets, etc. Under such circumstances the saw-mill would find patronage second, at least, only to the grist-mill. The first of these mills was built in Berlin, by Nathaniel Hall, in 1808, on Alum Creek, near the Delaware and Sunbury pike. In 1814, Joseph Lewis built a grist-mill aud a saw-mill, near Cheshire. The demand for a market for the surplus crop of coru brought in response a dis- tillery in almost every settlement. There were two established at an early date in Berlin. One was built by Hall, near where bis mill stood, and
463
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
another near property owned by E. P. Sanders. The one erected near Cheshire was built by Isaac and Chester Lewis about 1816. The business was conducted by Armstrong and Frost, who made it an attractive resort for those who had time and inclination to loaf there. They did not last long, however ; trade was poor, as the habit of drinking was not as generally practiced here as elsewhere. The tannery was prominent among the established industries of the early settlements. There was an ample demand for leather, but, like the Israelitish brickmakers, they found it difficult to furnish the material without the means of making it. Hides were difficult to obtain. The settlers had no more cattle than they needed for the working of their farms. Hogs were in abundance, and, running wild for six or seven years, had hides of remark- able thick ness. These when killed were skinned, to furnish a sort of tough, coarse leather, which supplied harnesses and horse collars. Later, a murrain got among the cattle, and carried them off in large numbers, furnishing plenty of good leather, but at a serious loss to the pioneers. The first tannery in the township was built by Wilbur Caswell in 1817, on Alum Creek, at Cheshire. The tannery first stood down on the flats, near the stream, for some years. It was then moved on to the hill, near where he now lives, and continued until 1858. A tannery was built at an early date, on the Berkshire road, by the Dun- hams, but the time is uncertain. Berlin is situ- ated away from any direct line of travel, save the Delaware, Berkshire and Sunbury pike, and, con- sequently, had no call for a tavern, though there is said to have been one at Cheshire when it was first laid out.
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.