History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 81

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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strengthened, and their confidence in their leader redoubled, by this address. The dramatic utter- ances of a Casar or a Napoleon could do no more.

Preparations for breaking camp having been completed, Capt. Norton at once put his command upon the march for the "boundary line." He reached this point just on the north boundary of what is now called Norton Village. The history of the company at this point seems to have been rather uneventful, or the tradition of their doings has been lost. He afterward proceeded with his command to Sandusky, where he was engaged in building a block-house. He was here when Hull surrendered Detroit, and, in a letter home, gives a brief account of that affair. He also writes that when the block-house is finished he will have the command. In that event, he proposes to bring his family to him, and desires his wife to make the necessary arrangements for renting the farm. Among the papers preserved by his family, relat- ing to this period, are several letters written to Capt. Norton, which present a vivid picture of the situation. One dated Clinton, Knox Co., Ohio, August 4, 1812, reads as follows :

SIR :- By request of Mr. Joseph Rickey's wife, I re- quest you to inform him that his child is in dangerous situation ; has been sick some time, and wishes, if in your power, to give him > furlough to come home for two or three weeks.

1 am, sir, with due respect, yours, etc.,- RICHARD FISHBLACK.

CAPT. NORTON, Sandusky.

SIR :- Be pleased to give my compliments to all your company ; and tell James Miller to treat them with a gallon of whisky, and next mail I will send a bill to pay for it. R. F.

Whatever may be the truth as to the traditional character of ladies' postscripts, the one in the above letter was certainly not less important to the com- pany at large than the body of the communica- tion. Another letter informs the Captain that one who has been furloughed to attend the sick-bed of his wife, is still needed at home. His wife is not expected to live from one day to another, but, if the exigencies of the service demand it, his brother will proceed to the company and take his place. Thus, " will a man lay down his life for his friend." Such were a part of the trials of the frontiersman, whose burden was borne in the cabin as well as in the camp. Eventful careers that bear glory in their wake do not measure the cost of a nation's progress. Like the coral reef whose broad dimensions span only the tombs of countless

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

myriads of minute workers, so the civilization and country of which we are so proud to-day, have been nurtured and protected through the privations and struggles of thousands who never dreamed of a career. Thus the frontier soldier, patiently bear- ing his trials in obscurity, may draw consolation from the same source with England's inspired poet.

" They also serve who only stand and wait."

It seems from subsequent events that Capt. Norton for some reason failed to secure the command of the block-house at Sandusky, and retired with his company to his home. While encamped near the lake the troops and inhabitants were greatly distressed by miasmatic diseases, not thoroughly understood, which rapidly undermined the system. This is probably the reason for his early retirement. Other causes, no doubt, contributed their share. The payment of the troops was very irregular and uncertain, the commissary department was none of the best, and the demands of a frontier farm all tended to make the case a pressing one. On his laying down the sword he addressed himself to the demands of his farm. He was soon induced, how- ever, to go at his trade, and, removing to Delaware, engaged in the tanning business, working for Koes- ter, to whom he had previously sold. He worked here but a short time, when the germs of disease which were implanted in his system while at San- dusky wrought his death. He died July 17, 1813, leaving a wife and four children-Desdemona, now Mrs. Colflesh, living at Lewis Center; Edward, since dead ; Matilda, now Mrs. C. P. Elsbre, and Minerva, now living in Wisconsin. Thus passed away, in his prime, the first settler of Orange Township-a man of deep piety, of cheerful dis- position and large executive ability. He was born in Berlin, Conn., in 1780, and died in Delaware. He was buried with Masonic honors in the first cemetery laid out in the city. In addition to his military honors, he was commissioned January 28, 1812, as Justice of the Peace. His commission was dated at Liberty, and the seal of the State was affixed at Zanesville. After the settlement of the estate but little was left for the family. The war had prevented the development of the farm, and had deranged business, but what affected the result more directly was a circumstance growing out of his position in the army. While in command of his company, a large amount of rations in his hands was in danger of spoiling and proving a dead loss to the Government. Desiring to save this waste,

he sold them, and turned the proceeds over to the proper officer. After his death, however, Col. Meeker, the Quartermaster General, brought suit against the estate and collected the amount, leaving barely the year's support allowed by law. Mrs. Norton lived to see her children in comfortable homes of their own, and passed her declining years in peace and plenty. She was born October 12, 1779, and died November 27, 1855, and was buried in the Liberty Presbyterian Church cem- etery, where a tombstone bears the name of her husband as well as her own. The wedding of C. P. Elsbre and Matilda Norton occurred in 1825. For a year or two he worked upon a rented farm, but soon after bought the farm he now lives upon. In 1826, he, in partnership with one Tripp, started a " still " in the southwest part of the township, off in the woods near a spring; but the water was too strongly impregnated with iron for successful operation, and the business was removed to the Thomas farm, on the Whetstone. Here they con- ducted the business for a year with tolerable suc- cess, manufacturing about two barrels per day. They found their market at home, and, with no revenue officials to molest them, they did a thriv- ing business in pure whisky at low prices. Mr. Elsbre soon sold his interest to a Mr. Thomas, but the business ran along only about six months and was then discontinued. Mr. Elsbre moved to his present farm in 1848, and has been working it ever since. He has had eight children, only three of whom are now living; two near by on farms of their own, and the third, a son, lives with him.

A peculiarity of the early settlement of this township seems to have been that there were two distinct streams of emigration coming in. One passed up where the turnpike now is, in the wake of Norton, and the other following the trail which passes along Alum Creek. The earliest settler on this stream, now in the township, seems to be Mr. Samuel Ferson, who, with his father and family, came from Pennsylvania, and lived in various parts of the State for short periods, finally coming, after the death of his father, to the place where he now lives. This was about 1819. With Mr. Ferson came his brothers, James, Paul and John, his sister Sallie, and a young lady, Margaret Patterson, who afterward became the wife of John; all, at that time, unmarried. They found a Methodist settle- ment on the ground, most of whom had become involved during the panic, which succeeded the war of 1812, and selling out left the country. Among the names which tradition has preserved

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

are those of the Arnolds, Stewarts, Asa and John Gordon. Little more is known of these persons, save the Gardners, whose descendants are now liv- ing in this neighborhood. The rest accomplished but little for the permanent settlement of the town- ship and soon left to be heard of no more. The Ferson family all married and lived here until their death, save James Ferson, who lived here some three years, when he went to Michigan and eu- gaged in teaching the Indians. In 1825, Sam- uel Patterson, with his father and mother, and two sisters, settled on the property where he now lives. These settlements were all on the east side of the creek. In the year preceding, David Patterson, Cyrus Chambers, Thomas McCloud and Nelson Skeels had established their homes on the west side. Lee Hurlbut seems to have preceded them some years on this bank of the Alum Creek. He came here soon after the war, in which he served a short time as substitute for his father, and established himself where he now lives. The marks of the squatter were found here at that time, but there remains now no clew to his identity. Mr. Hurl- but's father came from Pennsylvania and was the · father of twenty-three children, most of whom were living and came into the township with him. Mr. Hurlbut was a good hunter and spent his leisure time with his gun, frequently bringing in five deer as an ordinary day's trophy. He was a man of strong proslavery proclivities and was passively opposed to the operations of his neighbors in for- warding runaway slaves. He gave the name of Africa to the spot properly known as East Orange Post Office, because of its antislavery propensities, a name that is likely to endure as long as any other.

The first mill in this township was a saw-mill, erected and owned by John Nettleton, about the year 1820, in the southeast part of the township. Fifteen years later it was changed to a grist-mill, and at once became noted for the fine quality of its flour. It 1838, it was sold to one Lichter, from whom it came into the family of the present owner, A. L. Tone, in 1845. The same stones do duty now as of old, and they maintain, thanks to the present excellent miller, the old-time prestige of the mill. Later, a saw-mill was built further to the south, by Fancher, but it has long since passed away.

Here, perhaps, the story of the early settlements should properly close, and yet the historian is loath to part company with those who lived so near to nature's heart. Plucked from homes of comfort

and rudely transplanted in the wilderness, they drew from nature the comforts and adornments of a home, and decked their firesides with those social and domestic virtues which so often force from these later times a sigh for "the tender grace of a day that is dead." From the necessities of the situation, the hospitality of the early settlers was as spontaneous as it was generous, and they early became imbued with that spirit of philanthropy which Horace has embalmed in verse,-

"Non ignara mali, miseris succurrere disco."

Every new-comer found a cordial welcome, and willing hands were ready to aid in rolling up a cabin. Neighborhoods for miles about were closely allied by early social customs, which, in the spirit of true democracy, only inquired into the moral worth of their devotees. The lack of markets made food of the plainer sort abundant and cheap. Hospitality was dispensed with a lavish hand, and travelers were not only housed and fed without cost, but, all possessing that touch of nature which makes the whole world kin, he was sent on his journey, bearing with him the kindly benedio- tions of his host and a heart-felt God speed. The very earliest times, however, were not marked with such generous profusion. The first settlers were often driven to the very verge of starvation, and for years were forced to make long, wearisome journeys through an unbroken wilderness, over unbridged streams, frequently on foot, to procure the necessaries of life. For a year Mr. McCum- ber's family lived almost entirely without meat of any kind. Game abounded, but there were po hunters in the family, and the demands of the clearing prevented the development of any possi- ble latent talent in that direction. For weeks the family of Mr. Norton depended solely upon bread made from Indian corn grated up; and all were forced to go as far as Circleville with wheat for flour. Mr. Elsbre relates how his step-father and himself went out to Franklin County, thirteen miles east of Worthington, for the first meat they had. There they bought a hog, killed, dressed it, put it in bags and carried it on their shoulders home.

The difficulty the early settlers met with in ac- quiring stock can hardly be appreciated at this day. Sheep were unknown and horses were only less un- familiar. Cattle and hogs were easily kept, so far as feeding was concerned, but another difficulty involved them. The woods abounded with wolves and bears which soon learned the toothsome qual-

HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

475

ities of beef and pork. No end of devices were invented to protect these valuable adjuncts of the early settlement from these wild marauders, but with limited success. Time and again were the early settlers aroused from their sleep to find the hope of a winter's supply iu the clutches of a bear, or hopelessly destroyed by wolves. Hogs were allowed to breed wild in the woods. Occa- sionally they were brought into a pen for the pur- pose of marking them, by sundry slits in the ears. Such occasions were frequently the scenes of ex- treme personal danger, and called forth all the in- trepid daring inculcated by a life in the woods. The animals, more than half wild, charged upon their tormentors, and then it was expected that the young man would quickly. jump aside, fling himself upon the back of the infuriated beast, and, seizing him by the cars, hold him sufficiently still to perform the necessary marking. These hogs were sold to itinerant buyers who collected them in droves, taking them to Zanesville, swim- ming the Muskingum on their way. The shrewd settler always sold his hogs, the buyer to deliver them himself. This often proved the larger part of the bargain, and the dealer, wearied out and disgusted, would be glad to compromise the matter by leaving the hogs and a good part of the purchase price with the settler. The distance of markets was a great source of discomfort to the early settler. For years, salt, and iron of any sort, could only be procured at the cost of a journey of from twenty to sixty miles, to Zanesville, Cir- cleville or elsewhere. Mr. Samuel Ferson relates that on the event of his marriage, desiring to buy a new hat for the occasion, he went to Worthing- ton, Delaware and Columbus, and could not sell produce enough to buy the hat. He had five dol- lars in silver in his pocket, but the scarcity of that metal made it doubly valuable. There was no other resource, and he reluctantly produced the price of the hat. This scarcity of currency was another very serious obstacle with which the early settler had to contend in this township; and various de- vices were adopted to mitigate the evil. "Sharp shins," or, in more intelligible phrase, divided silver-half and quarter dollars-were largely in local circulation, but, as these were current only in a limited locality, it afforded only a temporary relief. Another device, adopted later, was the issuing of fractional currency by merchants, in denominations as low as six and a quarter cents. Exchange among farmers was simply a system of barter. Notes were given to be paid in neat cat-

tle or hogs. There was also a distinction made whether these were to be estimated at cash or trade price. When the note was due, if the principals could not agree as to the value of the animals the matter was adjusted by arbitrators.

The difficulties of travel in the early day nat- urally suggest themselves, and yet it is impossible at this day to realize the situation. The only roads were a succession of "blazed" trees, while every stream flowed, untrammeled by bridges, to their destination. Gradually the necessities of the case demanded greater facilities, and the road was chopped ont, so that by dint of skillful driv- ing and strong teams, a light load could be brought through ou wagons. The mail was carried on horseback, and this was the only thing that might be called a public conveyance. An incident re- lated by Mr. Ferson gives a vivid picture of some of the difficulties encountered, and of the perse- vering energy by which they were overcome. His brother, William, who had settled at Columbus, had come to Orange to visit his brothers, before he returned to the East not to come back again. He had no team of his own, but if he could get to Zanesville by a certain time, he could get trans- portation with a man who made periodical trips to Baltimore, with a six-horse team and wagon to match. He prolonged his visit till the last mo- ment, and then started with his effects and his family in a neighbor's wagon for Zanesville. On reaching the Big Walnut, the stream presented anything but an inviting appearance to the impa- tient traveler. Swollen by a freshet, the water, banks high, rushed along with a frightful current, bearing upon its surface large trees and masses of drift-wood. Like Cæsar at the Rubicon, there was no way but to go forward. A rough "dug- out" was discovered on the other side of the river, and, by dint of vigorous shouting, attention was secured from the inhabitants of a cabin near by. To the increase of their perplexity, it was learned that the man was away from home, but the woman, nothing daunted, when she learned their position, prepared to ferry them across. The wagon was

completely dismembered, its contents divided in small packages, and this frontier woman, with the nerve and skill of a Grace Darling, landed every article safely on the other side. The horses were swum across, the teamster holding them off as far as possible, to prevent their upsetting the insecure craft. Mr. Ferson describes it as one of the most trying incidents of his life, his standing upon the brink of the stream and witnessing his brother's

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

wife and three children tossed, as it seemed, hither and thither, in the mad current of the river. Another incident, related by Squire Strong, of Lewis Center, illustrates the capabilities of the women of the early settlements, though of a more domestic character. The scene is laid in Norton Village, in 1819. A girl who had been working for Mrs. Wilcox, of that place, had had a very attentive young man, and, coming to the conclusion to accept each other for better or for worse, they decided to go to her home in Knox County to have the marriage ceremony performed. They invited her brother and Squire Strong, then a young man always ready for a frolic, to accompany , them. Each one furnished his own conveyance, as it was done on foot, and on Saturday night they reached her home, having accomplished the twenty-eight miles in some nine hours, the bride being, in the language of Squire Strong, " the best horse of the lot." After the preaching services on the follow- ing day, the ceremony was performed, and the guests sat down to a wedding-feast better suited for men and women of such physique than for the dyspeptics of a later day. Such a ready adapta- tion of means to ends, and such persevering energy in overcoming the natural obstacles of their time, may well cause the octogenarian of to-day to sigh over the degeneracy of our times.

No history of these times seems to be complete without some reference to the Indian, and yet there is but little to be said of him in connection with Orange Township. The treaty of Greenville had removed his habitation above the northern line of the county before the early settlers came. The abundance and variety of game, however, at- tracted numerous hunting parties of the Wyan- dots, but their visits were marked by nothing of any special interest .. Occasionally a party, with skins or sugar to sell, would pitch their camp on some spot about which lingered some Indian tradi- tion, and served as an attraction for the children of the settlers. Sometimes, on a bright night, the children would steal upon them unawares, and watch their uncouth gambols on the moon-lighted sward, but, on being discovered and approached by the braves with threatening gestures, they needed no second bidding to retire .. There is no record of any disagreement with the settlers of this town- ship, nor of their appearance later than 1812.

Beyond the few marks of the surveyor, there were no roads to guide the first settler save the Indian trails. These seem to lead somewhat along the line where the pike now is, and along the

banks of Alum Creek, and on these lines emigra- tion seems to have come in. It was not long before these main routes were blazed out, and this sufficed until the winter of 1812-13. During the war of 1812, these roads became of vast impor- tance in a military point of view. All the stores for Harrison's army, as well as powder and shot from the State capital, had to pass over these two lines of communication, and it was no unfrequent thing to see long lines of pack-horses bearing supplies from Chillicothe to the army. During the winter that Harrison quartered at Del- aware, a detachment of twenty-five men was sent to put up bridges over the streams, and to chop out the road through the Norton settlement. A like work was done for the Alum Creek road, which was, perhaps, more used for the army than the other. The soldiers detailed for this duty obeyed with great reluctance. The axes with which they were provided proved to be poor things made of cast-iron, and broke to pieces at the first trial. They were then forced to borrow of the settlers, and as all could not be supplied a part took their turn each day at hunting, a turn of affairs they seemed to enjoy. The roads thus laid out sufficed, with what work the settlers put upon them each year. In 1820, the State road was laid out, and the citizens of the townships along the line made " bees " and cut it out to the county line. On January 31, 1826, the Legisla- ture passed an act chartering the Columbus & Sandusky Turnpike Company. They were given the right to appropriate land and material very much as they pleased. The road-bed was eighteen feet wide, graded up from the sides where ditches were constructed eighteen inches deep, with toll- gates every ten miles. Mr. C. P. Elsbre contracted and built seven-eighths of a mile of this road, and afterward kept the toll-gate, near Mr. Gooding's farm, until it was removed. This road at once became the main thoroughfare for through travel. The stage line used this pike and all transportation was greatly benefited by its construction. Some years afterward, however, it became a great nuisance. The road was neglected ; the stage line and heavy teaming cut it up and rendered it almost impass- able, at certain times of year, for any but those who could afford to sacrifice horse-flesh in the wholesale style of a stage company. This, natur- ally, gave rise to considerable dissatisfaction, and a movement was inaugurated which dispossessed the monopoly of this road, though not without some resistance from the company. In this town

MARMON

Nicholas Money

(Deceased)

THOMPSON TP.

479

HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

Mr. Elsbre, as gatekeeper, made a vigorous defense of the property put under his protection, even, it is said, to the extent of brandishing his rifle. He, however, succumbed to numbers, and the toll- gate was soon a thing of the past. There seems to be some doubt as to the time when this road reached Orange. It is put in 1835 by those in position best able to know, and other dates seem to agree with this time. It must be remembered, how- ever, that such an enterprise was of greater difficulty at that time than it would be now. Capital was less readily enlisted in such enterprises, and facil- ities for building such a road far less abundant.

In 1835, Anson Williams bought of De Wolf, who owned Section No. 3, a thousand acres covering the site where Williamsville now is. He first established himself in the southeast part of this tract, but, in the following year, came to the site of Williamsville, and, in December of that year, laid out what he promised himself would soon be a thriving village. The first man on the spot was, probably, William Dutcher, who purchased land from Mr. Williams, and settled there the year before. Mr. Williams^ son-in-law, Isaac Bovee, also preceded Mr. Williams some months. Prep- arations were at once began to realize on his san- guine hopes in regard to the village he was found- ing. He built a large frame house for hotel purposes, and opened up, in one apartment, the threefold business of grocer, storekeeper and liquor seller. It is hardly to be expected that his anticipations would have taken so lofty a flight, unassisted by the imagination of others, and it is suggested that a Mr. Saulsbury, who lived near, a carpenter and joiner by trade, with a sharp eye to business, stimulated the natural ambition of Mr. Williams. The event proved that the prospect of the village's future growth was built on a sandy foundation. There was, at this time, a good hotel further north, where the stage changed horses, and which continued to do the bulk of the tavern business. This hotel was built of brick, in 1827, by Mr. George Gooding. Mr. Saulsbury was once or twice elected Justice of the Peace, and added to the importance of the aspiring village, by establishing the first manufactory of the township. In company with Squire Truman Case, he obtained permission of the State Penitentiary authorities, who then monopolized the business, to manufacture grain cradles. It is said that they turned out a superior article, using the artificial bent snath, which was then a novelty. Mr. Saulsbury has been lost sight of, but Messrs. Williams and Case died in the

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History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 81

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