History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 78

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 seeds which had been so thoughtfully planted by Lovell Caulkins sprang up into a fruit- ful orchard-the only one in the settlement-and proved a boon to the whole community. Venison and turkeys were abundant, and the commoner sorts of vegetables ; but there was a lack of salt, leather, cooking utensils and iron goods, that proved a source of great privation. The markets were at Zanesville and Chillicothe, over a tedious path but imperfectly blazed out. The Alum Creek furnished an easier route that was considerably used by the settlers, though it had the same in- convenience with " sliding down hill "-the neces. sity of walking back. But half the way was a good deal to ride in those days, even at the ex- pense of a canoe. On one occasion, three men made a canoe and went down the river to Chilli- cothe. On their return they walked, one carrying a back-load of salt, another bringing an iron pot, while the third shouldered a roll of leather. A similar undertaking, by David Lewis, Jr., did not result so successfully. Cutting down a large but- ternut on the banks of the creek, at the foot of the hill in front of his house, he fashioned a canoe and launched out for Chillicothe. He had loaded his craft with skins and furs, proposing to buy salt with the proceeds. He was successful so far, and started home, carrying his precious load on his shoulder. It was no small undertaking, and each mile seemed to add weight to his load, but the thought of the comfort it would bring, and his near approach to home, made the burden lighter. This was then the time when the script- ural injunction, "Let him that thinketh he stand- eth take heed lest he fall," would have been most profitable. Crossing a stream on one of the im- promptu bridges of that time-a tree fallen across from bank to bank-he lost his footing, and, with his salt, fell into the water. His perishable load

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dissolved in the stream, and, with his shoulder chafed with the burden, and smarting with the brine, he struggled empty-handed to the shore. His feelings at this loss can better be imagined than described. At another time three men went to Zanesville with three yoke of oxen, drawing a load of beef. They were destitute of money, and camped out, depending upon their flint and tinder for fire. Their hardships and difficulties were almost incredible, but by indomitable pluck and a perseverance that conquers all things, they re- turned with a load of hollow-ware, which was like a glimpse of civilization to the little settle- ment.

Just here let us relieve the stern aspect of frontier life by a glimpse of life in the cabin. In the hurried review of the progress of the early settlements, we are apt to forget the cabin, where the "busy housewife plies her evening care," and so lose sight of the romance that goes hand in hand with sterner facts. We venture to quote a further passage from Mrs Ripley's manuscript, prefacing it with the remark that the " Clara" re- ferred to, is another name for Miss Julia Caulkins. "One of our number found a' devoted lover await- ing her coming. Previous to leaving Connecticut, she had been selected by an aged couple as the companion for a favorite grandson in Ohio, to whom they had willed their large estate, and who was expected to return to cheer and comfort their old age. Clara remembered him only as a noisy schoolboy, who loved play much better than study. She was not a little surprised, therefore, when she found him a tall young man, with an altogether prepossessing appearance. Of a family of six girls and one boy, and he engaged in the care of his own little family, Clara was glad to avail her- self of so useful a companion, and thought it right to take such opportunities as were afforded to judge of his character. Frequent rambles in the woods led to thoughts above the sordid cares of life, but, while she quoted her favorite Thomson-

"'These as they change, Almighty Father, these Are but the varied God. The rolling year Is full of Thee. Forth in the pleasing spring Thy beauty walks, Thy tenderness and love '-

his conversation inclined to such themes as catch- ing ' coons and possums,' and on the probability of their being plenty of 'shack'." Not to pro- long the story, Clara was sent to the Berkshire Academy. A misspelled declaration and proposal soon followed her, which brought in return an expression of thanks, but regrets, etc. William,

not utterly cast down, went East to enter upon his inheritance, and soon wrote back that he had found a lady who was ready and willing to marry him on short notice.

The years of 1811-13 brought to this com- munity, as elsewhere in the Northwest, days of anxiety and nights of fear. After Harrison's brilliant victory over Tecumsch at Tippecanoe, there was a temporary feeling of tranquillity only to be disturbed by the declaration of war with England. The foe was aware of the unprotected nature of the frontier settlements, and knew too well the inflammable material which could easily be kindled into a devastating flame of rapine and massacre in the most vulnerable part of our land. The danger proved in the event to be one of ap- prehension rather than reality, but it was none the less trying to the courage and fortitude of the set- tlers. Other counties have events in their history which loom up out of the past as great landmarks by which their progress is measured. In one it is the " deep snow," another dates before or since the " great epidemic," but Delaware County refers to the " great scare," and shows results only less terrible than death. There is something almost ludicrous in the story of " Drake's defeat," of one man stampeding a county with a joke, but when we note the incidents of men, women, and chil- dren frantic with fear, there is no space for levity. The alarm was not puerile nor unfounded. Hull's surrender had removed the last restraint upon the savages, who needed none of England's emissaries to incite them to deeds of blood. This ignomin- ious surrender had inspired them with a disrespect for the manliness of the American army, and it was but natural to expect that the unprotected set- tlements would offer a tempting prize to the savage mind. The report of Drake's defeat was, there- fore, not entirely unexpected, and with it the set- tlements in Berlin knew their last defense on that line was gone. The report spread like wildfire among the settlers, whose anxious forebodings dis- posed them to accept it without question.

" Ah ! then and there was hurrying to and fro, And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress, And cheeks all white which but an hour ago Blushed at the praise of their own loveliness ; * * * * *

And there was mounting in hot haste."

The creek, unbridged, floating nearly banks high, seemed no impediment in the way of these fear- impelled fugitives. Timid women for the nonce were bold as lions, and fearlessly plunged into the

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

stream only to be .rescued from dangers that re- quired experience not less than bravery to conquer. But when the re-action came, when the report of Drake's defeat was explained, the scene was not less disheartening. Articles of value, of clothing and food, were found indiscriminately jumbled together. One woman, even in the extremity of her fear, did not forget her silk dress, but, wrapping a package of candles in it, carefully, bestowed it in the bottom of the wagon. When it was after- ward found, the difficulty was to discover which was dress and which candles. The wicks were there, but the tallow had been ground into the dress. leaving only an enormous grease spot to account for their absence. Another woman found a bag containing old boots and a confused mass of pies, bread, etc., which she had put up in case of need. Others had no wagons, or did not wait for them, but, making up bundles, put them on their shoulders, and forded the creek. The wife and children of Asa Scott carried so much in this way that it took a wagon to return the goods to the cabin. It was not until the settlers returned to their homes that the full extent of the disaster was realized. The residents had been absent for one, two and three days, and meanwhile the open doors and gates gave stock free access to corn-field and larder. Bed clothing, wearing apparel, fur- niture, dishes, the whole domestic economy of the cabin, was found in inextricable confusion. The loss experienced in various ways added a heavy burden to those already felt to be sufficiently severe, and gave rise to the determination to there- after face the enemy on their own ground. Prep- arations were made at once for a suitable defense. The valuables of each family were buried in deep holes in the ground, care being taken to obliterate any traces of the cache.

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 embrasurcs 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 ammunition, 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

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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,

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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 stanch 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 hought 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 hees 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 honnet 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

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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 12} 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 12} 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 12} 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.

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History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 78

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