History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 75

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

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the ground, one would seize each arm and leg, and, laying the victim on a barrel face downward, he was rolled until his stomach yielded its con- tents, and he was sobered up. One or two applica- tions of this treatment sufficed to keep the victim off the street when in an intoxicated state. One inveterate old case, who was familiarly known as Uncle Tommy, seemed to defy the correctional force of the old method, and more stringent methods had to be adopted. He was seized one time, thrust into a hogshead, and rolled some fifty yards into the creek. The treatment was severe, but the cure was radical for the time. Next in order came the establishing of tanneries. The distance of markets and the great cost of trans- portation made the tannery of prime importance to the early settler. All the material that entered into the making of shoes or harness, and for a long time a large part of men's clothes, called for a tannery to make it available. As early as 1816, William Myers sunk vats, and began to manufact- ture leather a half a mile southeast of Sunbury Village, across the creek from the saw and grist mill. Three years later, a Mr. Whitehead built a similar building at Galena, and did a thriving business. The business continued through a change of hands, and was discontinued in 1873. The building and tools are still there, near the mill-race, and are owned by Mr. Vanfleet.

Traffic in stock was limited by the necessities of the situation to the breeding and selling of hogs. These easily became acclimated and found a rich support in the nuts with which the woods abounded. Horses could not be raised fast enough to supply the home demand, and cattle were more difficult to keep, and for years were subject to diseases that took them off in herds. The hogs were of a half- wild breed, and were suffered to run at will in the woods. They were sold to dealers, and the whole neighborhood would turn out to drive them to the place of rendezvous. This was no easy task, bnt then the work was only half completed. Each hog had to be caught, his tusks-which frequently grew to the length of several inches-broken off, and then swung by a band to a pair of steelyards for weighing. A hog turning 200 pounds was con- sidered a heavy weight, and a drove averaging this would be the pride of a dealer and the envy of his fellows. Steven Bennett and David and Joseph Prince . followed this business for some years driving them to Baltimore. The task of driving such herds of swine as they took to market can hardly be appreciated at this day. The ani-

HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

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mals were more than half wild, and likely to stam- pede at the first opportunity, and numbers of them were lost on every trip. At an early day, Steven Bennett brought sheep from Kentucky, and traded them for hogs, and it took a good hog of those days to buy a sheep. This was the first introduc- tion of sheep into the township.

There seem to have been two Indian thorough- fares through Berkshire when the red man roamed. unmolested over the country. One led from a place known as Raccoon, in Licking County, north- west through Berkshire toward Sandusky. An- other led from the east through the northeast corner of Berkshire to the salt licks in Brown Township, thence northward and west. The earliest of the settlers used these trails to a con- siderable extent when traveling on foot or on horseback, as the safest and most direct route. Much of the hardware and glass used at the Byxbe settlement was obtained at Sandusky, and these trails were used as the most distinct and plain to follow. The necessity for a wagon road soon caused the blazed roads to give way to more direct and more commodious thoroughfares. The road from Galena to Lancaster was an early one, and that from Columbus to Mount Vernon, pass- ing through Galena and Sunbury, was laid out soon after 1810. The information as to particular dates in this matter is very unsatisfactory. Roads improve so gradually from trails to " cut-out" roads and then to graded thoroughfares, that even those who have seen the change almost forget that they were not always improved. As early as 1820, a line of four-horse coaches ran between the ter- minal points of this road, making the half-way stop at Sunbury. The coaches met daily near Galena, and constituted for that point the great event of the day. This was the main artery that connected the Berkshire settlements with the out- side world, and the appearance of the passengers, the change of mails, and the marvelous stories of the drivers, afforded abundant material for gossip. The coaches were of the regulation pattern, so often seen in old prints. They were painted a fawn color, ornamented with red. The body was swung high above the wheels on heavy leather springs, so that every lurch of the coach seemed to threaten sure destruction to the passengers. Azel and David Ingham were the noted Jehus of that day, and their exploits were the theme of many a thrilling story told about the roaring fireplaces of the settler's cabin. The road was cut up at times so as to be almost impassable, and the theory of the

drivers seemed to be to gain sufficient momentum in rushing into these ruts to carry the coach out of them at the other end. The result of this theory to the passengers can better be imagined than described, and was endured with a patience that has not been handed down to the modern traveler. It was the delight of the young men to be invited by the driver to try their skill at handling a four-horse team. Hon. O. D. Hough relates an experience of this kind, where, just as he was con- gratulating himself on his success, he ran against a post and stuck fast. A tale is told of a driver who was given to drinking, and when in this mood was inclined to give an exhibition of his skill by some foolhardy driving. One moonlight night, having some one on the box with him whom he desired to startle, he whipped his team into a full gallop, and, taking to the woods beside the road, wound in and out among the trees and then to the roadway again without a mishap, enjoying only as such a character can the terrified expression of his com- panion. It is natural that such a road would be greatly prized by the fortunate communities through which it passed, and there was a continual strife between them and less fortunate villages to control the route. Below Galena there was a bad strip of road, which passed through a swampy piece of woods. Effort was made by those living along another and better road to divert the stage line from the old course. This appealed at once to the dearest interests of the people of " Yankee street," and a moonlight " bee " of all interested was made, and the road repaired. La Fayette, when , visiting this country, took this stage line in June, 1825, and it is remembered that his cane, which had been lost, coming on a stage a few days after- ward, attracted as much curious attention as did the distinguished visitor. The Delaware, Sun- bury and Berkshire Pike is a much later corpora- tion. The Company was formed in the county in 1868, and the road fitted up to furnish a good thoroughfare from Sunbury and intermediate points to Delaware. Some $40,000 were sub- scribed, but little, if any, over $35,000 was paid. There are two toll-gates, with receipts amounting to about $2,000 per annum, which just about pays the cost of keeping up the road. No dividends have ever been paid, and none are ever expected. There has been of late some agitation to make it a free road, but the people along the line of road are not disposed to vote a tax upon themselves for that purpose. The Cleveland, Columbus & Mount Vernon Railroad came in 1873, and tapped the

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

trade which the pike was intended to convey to Delaware, leaving no good reason for its existence as a toll road.

The first tavern in the township was kept at Berkshire Corners by Adonijah Rice. He was also the first Postmaster, and kept the office in his hotel. Maj. Brown opened his house for hotel purposes about the same time. The prices charged in these primitive inns have a pleasant sound in these times. Board by the week was only from $1 to $1.50, and single meals from 15 to 20 cents. Rice's "hotel" was the great attraction for the loungers of the neighborhood, and many a tale is told where

"Care, mad to see a man sae happy, E'en drowned himself amang the nappy."

At this time, the people who lived near Galena were obliged to come to the Corners for their mail, and some one of the neighbors would get the mail for the whole neighborhood. Mr. O. D. Hough relates that one cold afternoon he persuaded his father to let him get the mail. He is represented as being a bashful, timid lad when young, and, when he got to Rice's establishment, he found it crowded with a boisterous company of men, drink- ing, shouting and scuffling. This was more than he had counted upon, and the longer he stayed the more frightened he got. Finally, as the fun grew fast and furious, he incontinently broke for the door and made for home as fast as fear could impel his nimble feet, without so much as hinting his errand to any one. When he reached home, his pride returned with his courage, and he informed the expectant neighbors that there was no mail at the office. Other hotels were afterward erected at Sunbury and Galena, which are noticed hereafter.

The information in regard to the organization of the township of Berkshire, is very meager. The name was given by Maj. Thomas Brown from the county of which he and Col. Byxbe were formerly residents. For some years this name in- cluded considerably more territory than now, the community gathering at Joseph Eaton's house, in Berlin, to vote and afterward at Dr. Loufbourrow's. Here was the general muster-ground in the palmy days of the early militia, the townships of Orange, Berlin, and Berkshire, uniting to form a company. Of the first township officers, it is known that Asa Scott, of Berlin was the first Treasurer, before the organization of that township, and Mr. David Prince was one of the Trustees. In 1819 Henry Hodgeson, now known as 'Squire Hodgeson, of

Galena, was Township Clerk, but who his prede- cessors were is not known. Maj. Brown was the first Justice of the Peace, followed by Solomon Jones, David Prince, and James Gregory. As to the first birth, there seems to be a diversity of opinion, but it is pretty well established in the minds of those who have carefully gone over the ground, that Albert Root, born in 1807, was the first white child born in Berkshire Township. A son of Ralph Slack was an early birth, and, when this boy was born, Mr. John Patterson, one of the earliest settlers, told Slack, if he would name the boy for him, he would give him three months' schooling, both parts of which contract were car- ried out. The boy died an old man some few years ago in Berlin Township. The first death was that of Mrs. Viniog, wife of Elem Vining, Sr., in 1806. The incident in regard to her burial illustrates the straitened circumstances of the set- tlers in a very forcible way. Of course, under- takers and cabinet-makers were unknown in the woods, and, what was worse, there was nothing but the standing timber, with an ax and a cross- cut saw to supply their absence. These were made to furnish the burial casket, and Mrs. Vining sleeps, some forty rods south of the "Corners," as peacefully as though above her was reared the "storied urn or animated bust." Doctors and ministers were the only professional men that the earlier settlers had need of in their simple life, greater, perhaps, of ministers than of doctors. The earliest follower of AEsculapius was Dr. Lamb, who came from Worthington to the " Corners," and later to Delaware. Dr. Skeel is another name which appears early in Berkshire's history. The first improvement on log cabins was a brick house built by Maj. Brown. About the first frame house was built some five years later in 1816, by David and Joseph Prince. The work on this house was done by Lovell Caulkins, an early set- tler in Berlin, and now stands on property owned by Hon. O. D. Hough. Two years later David Armstrong put up a frame building. An incident connected with the digging of the well near this house illustrates the fact that all the marvelous stories are not of a latter-day growth. John B. Grist did the digging, and, in going down, struck a six-foot stratum of slate stone. About midway of this layer, Grist found, imbedded in the solid stone, a toad, to all appearances lifeless. He tossed it out upon the ground, where it soon showed signs of animation, and before long høpped off as natural as though it had never

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

been buried. But such dwellings could be afforded only by the well-to-do of the settle- ments. Iron latches and regularly made doors held together with nails were luxuries to be dreamed of by the masses, and to be indulged in only by the rich. The same state of things, in regard to the furniture and the culinary conven- iences of the cabins, existed. The commonest iron utensils were more highly prized than those of silver at this time. The distance from markets and the lack of roads made the transportation more expensive than the original price of the goods, and afforded opportunities for traffic which were not left long unimproved. John B. Grist was among the first to take advantage of this fact, and for years supplied most of the staple articles to his neighbors. He drove to Zanesville, taking out grain and bringing back iron goods, salt, etc. A staple article was a certain make of skillet manufactured at Zanesville, and this article formed in many a family their only dish with which to accomplish the various culinary operations incident to the domestic life of the cabin. It was the only oven; in it the meat was cooked, the potatoes boiled, the tea made, and in it the cow would have been milked if one had been possessed. This state of things existed but a short time, for, as the settler prospered, the iron pot and tea-kettle were added, but, with these additions, many a housewife labored for years under disadvantages that would send a modern housekeeper to the insane asy- lum. Salt, which is such a staple article in the domestic economy, was in large demand and diffi- cult to get. The indications of salt in the town- ship north never proved to be of any considerable valne, and this article was to be procured only at the expense of long, tedious journeys. Grist bought this by the bushel at Zanesville, and sold it in Berkshire at $1.50 for a half-bushel. Even at such prices, it did not prove a very lucrative business. The trip to market and back, under favorable circumstances, took four days. In the mean while he camped out, cooking his meals in the inevitable skillet, frequently obliged to wait for a favorable opportunity to ford streams, and bringing home at last but a mere handful when compared with wagon loads of to-day. Under such disadvantages, it seems almost a marvel that the settlers were ever able to pay for their farms, even at the low price for which land was sold. It was years before any considerable quantity of grain could be sold, and then a market had to be sought so far away that the transportation robbed the

farmer of half the fruits of his toil. The expla- nation is that every settler supplied his necessities by the industry of himself and family. The little patch of flax supplied the coarse fiber which the busy wheel of the housewife prepared for the loom. From the loom it found its way to the dye-trough, where, in a decoction of butternut bark, it took on the fashionable color of that day. This cloth was made up of part wool and part linen, called " linsey-woolsey," and furnished the garments for both men and women. For hats, men wore fur skins fashioned at home, while the women wore such things as they could contrive out of the coarse materials at hand. Leather was procured in the annual trip to Zanesville, or of some nearer establishment where skins were tanned on shares. From this the shoes of the family were made by shoemakers who traveled from house to house, making up the leather in shoes or harness as desired. In the same spirit of economy the house was fitted up and furnished. Doors were put together with wooden pegs, tables were constructed of punch- eons laid upon. pegs driven into the logs, and beds only differed from them in proportions and height from the floor. In the latter article of furniture a corner leg was found necessary, and is remem- bered now as the one-legged bedstead. But, even . with such rigid economy as this; it was often almost impossible to meet the payments upon the little farm. It is related of one of the earlier settlers of Berkshire Corners, that he had failed to meet his payments to Col. Byxbe for his land, After considerable delay, the property was put in the hands of the Sheriff and advertised for sale. The distressed man sought everywhere to borrow money, writing to friends in the East in vain. Coming home disheartened and in despair the night before the sale was to take place, he learned that in the township north was a man who had a little money to lend. He did not wait for his supper, but started out, taking with him a friend to sign with him as security for the payment of the loan. He needed $240, which he succeeded in getting, and paid to the Sheriff the next morn- ing. The note given for this money was not so easily paid. For ten years, this debt, growing gradually smaller, hung over him, and was finally extinguished by turning over to his creditor five sheep, the whole of his flock, and his cow.

The Indian is often met with in the traditions of the earliest settlements of Berkshire. Their I trails took them through this section, and, attracted

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

by curiosity and the results of begging, became frequent visitors at the settlements previous to the war. They seem to have accepted the logic of events with the unquestioning stoicism of their race, and were disposed to be on good terms with the whites without raising the question of pro- prietary rights in land or game. A marked characteristic of the Indian was his entire lack of anything like modesty in his demands. A story is told of one which sounds more like an exploit of a modern tramp than of the poetic red man of the forest. A pioneer, overtaken by night, had rolled himself in a blanket and lost himself in sleep, when he felt some one crawling under his blanket and making himself as comfortable as the sit- uation would permit. There was nothing to do but to await quietly further developments. The Indian soon went to sleep and remained till morning, when he arose, expressed his thanks as best he could, and left the discomfited pioneer to regain his composure at his leisure. He considered it no breach of courtesy to enter a cabin unannounced, and it was no unusual thing for the settler to look up from his breakfast or supper and find in an- other room one or more Indians watching the family repast with greedy eyes. They expected to be fed, and the pioneers soon learned the wisest course to adopt. They supplied these aboriginal tramps with a generous portion of the meal in their hands, which they devoured with sundry grunts expressive of their satisfaction. This done, they departed with the same nonchalance with which they approached. Occasionally one was found who felt that some recompense was due for such favors and who seemed willing to make such remuneration as he was able. Such a one made the acquaintance of Mr. George Fisher in the usual Indian fashion. While busy at his clearing, he became aware of the presence of an Indian who was busily gathering brush aud placing it in piles to be burned. He seemed to pay no attention to Mr. Fisher, nor to care whether he was observed or not. Finally, after doing as much as he thought would pay for a meal, he went up to the proprietor of the patch and made known his desire for some- thing to eat. Mr. Fisher, probably desiring to encourage such industrious habits in his new- found assistant, promptly produced the wished-for meal. This maneuver was frequently repeated with fair satisfaction to both parties. Mr. Fisher had an occasion subsequently to reap the benefit of his wisdom in this case. This Indian absented himself after a little while, and had been entirely

forgotten. Subsequently, when Mr. Fisher was returning from Sandusky with goods, his wagon- axle broke near the Indian camp, on their reserva- tion. The delay was vexatious, but the difficulty was greatly increased by the long distance from any workmen or tools to repair the damage. He learned, however, of an Indian who had a set of tools, but could not prevail on him to lend them. He was about giving up in despair, when he was approached by a native, who made signs expressive of the utmost good will. He turned out to be the Indian of the clearing, and, learning the difficulty, at once secured the tools and assisted him to get his wagon righted up again. There was an Indian camp about two miles north of the Corners, and this furnished almost all the loafers that the earlier settlements had. They were ever ready for sport, challenging the settlers to wrestle, shoot, jump or run. Occasionally, when a pioneer accepted the challenge and threw his antagonist, the vanquished brave jumped up with a laugh as hearty and good natured as that of his successful opponent. They watched the traps of the settlers, and were the first to bring information of the game caught. Those set for wolves were of especial interest to them as providing them with capital sport. These traps were of various plans; but a very common design was to build a log pen, six feet square and about three feet high, with a roof sloping up to a point some two feet higher in the center. The roof was supported so as to leave a hole in the center just large enough to admit the body of a wolf. The bait was fastened to the ground below the aper- ture. When once in, the animal found it impos. sible to jump up straight enough to effect his escape, and thus found himself entrapped. One of the settlers by the name of Helt had such a trap, and the Indians informed him of the capture of a wolf, at the same time asking the privilege of taking the animal out alive for their own sport. This was readily granted, and the braves proceeded to " beard the lion in his den." Cutting forked sticks, two Indians thrust them between the logs and pinned the animal by the neck and body to the opposite side of the trap. A third leaped lightly into the trap and skillfully muzzled the animal with strips of bark. The wolf's legs were then trammeled so that he could run, but threw himself when trotting or walking. He was then turned loose, and the Indians, like overgrown schoolboys, chased and sported with the terrified animal, until, completely exhausted, it refused to furnish further sport, when it was dispatched. The

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

intercourse of the whites with the natives were of a perfectly peaceful nature throughout, until the war of 1812 removed them from this vicinity. They were connted by the pioneers as generally well disposed and faithful to their friends, taking especial pains to manifest their loyalty on every occasion.

Of the villages in this township, Berkshire Corners, though not the most important, came first in point of time, and for a while prom- ised to play an important part in the affairs of the county. Its history was the history of Berkshire Township, and has therefore been re- hearsed somewhat fully in the foregoing pages. Its first settlement was the first settlement of the township, but in its most brilliant days it never approached the dignity of a village. It was dubbed the " Corners," and is that now and noth- ing more, a place where two roads cross. But influence is not measured by geographical bound- aries, and in this respect the " Corners " in its time occupied a place not less desirable than the other villages. From this point went out at an early date the dominating spirit of the township, and to it is largely due the eminent characteristics which marked its early history. After the removal of Col. Byxbe, and with him the hope of its future greatness, the place languished, and its business was diverted to other places. It was never platted, and the suspicion is entertained that Byxbe never intended it should interfere with his further proj- ects. The first store or, rather, the first goods offered for sale, was kept by Maj. Brown. His stock consisted of lead, powder, tea and coffee, with a few pieces of calico and cotton cloth. A quantity of brown earthenware was added, but cost almost as much as the ordinary stone china of to-day. These goods were brought by wagon from Phil- adelphia to Pittsburgh, thence by boats down the Ohio to the Scioto River, and thence on pack animals or in wagons to the consumer. The prices charged for these goods are astounding when the prices received for grain and meat, the farmer's only resource, are remembered. Tea sold at $2 per pound ; coffee at 50 to 75 cents per pound ; salt, at 10 cents per pound, and calico as high as $1 per yard. Maj. Brown died in 1816, and was suc- ceeded in trade by Flavius Fuller. The laying-out of Sunbury about this time began to attract trade and enterprise in that direction, and Fuller's bus- iness was but short-lived. S. S. Bennett was an active business man, and did much for the business growth of the "Corners." In company with a

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History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 75

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818