USA > Ohio > Erie County > History of Erie County Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 33
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
In the hands of the new proprietors matters were delayed for some time and until the contract had run to its conclusion. About this time Zalmon Wildman died, and in due time thereafter the proprietors came to close the matter and take back the lands ; but numerous sales had been made to pur- chasers in good faith, and the re-taking of the lands meant eviction to them. After a season of argument and negotiation, an extension for time of payment of the contract was made, and the proprietors executed a deed of their inter- ests in the lands to Mr. Follett, in trust, to make the sale of lots, pay the pur- chase price, and, after accomplishing this, to turn the balance of the lands over to his former grantors.
This, in the course of time, was done. The original proprietors were paid in full, the purchasers of lots were protected, the taxes were paid, and all need- ful things accomplished to the entire satisfaction of all parties. And after hav- ing faithfully executed his trust, Mr. Follett deeded back to Messrs. Mills, Neill, Camp and Reece, lands fully worth twenty-five thousand dollars to each of them. "When all these matters had been fully and properly adjusted, it was near the year 1840. Then Erie county had been in existence for some two years.
The lands on the west of Wayne street were, after the sale to Neill, Follett,
296
HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
Camp and Mills, still held and retained by Zalmon Wildman and others, and they, as proprietors, were selling and developing the same, though not without hardships and trials ; but it is not the purpose of this chapter to pursue them in detail.
But while narrating the events of these years it will not be deemed out of - place to make some reference to the action of Lockwood and others versus Wildman and others, involving the title to a large part of the land on which now stands the city, and which was, furthermore, one of the obstacles that re- tarded the city's early growth.
This action grew out of an error in the original survey of the firelands tract, by which the land in this fractional township was underestimated by something more than a thousand acres, and the difficulty arose in making or attempting to make an apportionment or annexation thereof to adjoining sec- tions. A subsequent survey was made, upon which the directors of the fire- lands acted in making their apportionment, while the parties in possession and defendants in the suit relied, apparently, on the first survey in which the error occurred.
The case is digested as follows : "The township of Portland, containing four thousand five hundred acres, was estimated, in making the partition, to contain but 2,783 acres, and was all disposed of in three annexations, each hav- ing a portion of the base line, in the proportion that its quantity of acres bore to the whole supposed quantity of the entire tract."
It is not proposed to go into this case further than to explain that it involved the tract whereon stands the city ; and that because of the uncer- tainty of the result no extensive operations for development of the lands could reasonably be made. The case was finally settled and disposed of about the time that Sandusky became a city.
Notwithstanding these early misfortunes there was a steady gain in popu- lation, and from the natural attractions and advantages of the location it could not well be otherwise.
The loss of the canal, through treachery and fraud, was the first serious blow against the prospects of the town, when by every consideration its north- ern terminus should have been here. This was the nearest point to the nav :- gable waters of the south part of the State, and a thoroughfare for boat travel would have not only been of inestimable value to this location, but its con- struction, by way of the Sandusky and Scioto route, would have been con :- pleted at a far less expense than by the route finally adopted.
This, also, was the most convenient route for the transportation of mer- chandise and passengers across the country to Cincinnati, and almost daily there could be seen in this little town a large number of teams awaiting the ar- rival of goods by boat from the east. One prominent gentleman of the city remembers having seen encamped on the public square, at one time, one hun-
-
PLE
K
297
THE CITY OF SANDUSKY.
dred and fifty teams by actual count, ready to load and start upon the coming of the boat from Buffalo. This kept the little town in a constant state of ac- tivity ; it kept business in an enlivened condition, and impressed all new com- ers with its importance as a commercial center. So it will be seen that the early life of the town was not one of unexceptional adversity and calamity, and there came an occasional ray of sunlight between the clouds of misfortune. In 1830 the population of the town was not far from four hundred souls.
The year 1835 was an eventful one in the annals of Sandusky, for during that year was commenced the construction of the old pioneer Mad River Rail- road, connecting this point by direct and rapid transit with Dayton, and the country to the south of that place. And although it was some few years be- fore the road was completed, an impetus was given to the town growth that made it at once an important point in the then western country. The Mad River road was projected as early as the year 1822 or 1823, and that project was the outgrowth of a bitter feeling created by the defeated canal building project from this place south. A meeting was held at the famous hostelry of Colonel Abner Root, at which attended some of the leading men of the town, and although the plan was thoroughly discussed and commented upon by the worthies present, the work of completing not only the discussion, but of car- rying out the plan and constructing the road became the lot of another set of enterprising citizens. In after years this became known as the Cincinnati, Sandusky and Cleveland road.
The construction of the above road, the pioneer not alone of Sandusky in its kind, but of the State of Ohio as well, was soon followed by another in 1837, in the commencement of the Lake Erie Division of the Baltimore and Ohio road, and it is difficult to determine which was, in fact, first completed, as both were during the same year ; still, the distinction of being the pioneer enterprise is generally and properly accorded the first mentioned. These rail- roads are elsewhere made the subjects of special chapters and need no further mention at this time.
The year 1838 witnessed an event in the life of Sandusky that was of far greater importance than any of previous or after occurrence, in the erection and civil organization of Erie county by which these lands became separated from the mother county-Huron, to which the people of this locality had forni- erly paid allegiance,-likewise tribute.
The framers of the act seem to have assumed beyond the possibility of a question that the city of Sandusky was the only appropriate location for the county seat of the new erection, as, in the act itself, it is declared that the county buildings shall be located there, without resort to the usual proceeding of appointment of three commissioners to view the several suggested localities of the county, hear arguments, and then decide upon the most eligible site for such buildings. This proceeding, however, was afterward resorted to and com-
-
298 *
HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
missioners were appointed in pursuance of an act of the Legislature, by which it was proposed to change the county seat, and this act was passed on account of the neglect of the proprietors of the lands here in providing suitable build. ings for court and county purposes, as they had pledged themselves to do in case Sandusky should be selected for the county seat. And had it not been for the prompt action of the citizens of the town in guaranteeing the necessary buildings to the county commissioners, Huron would have been, unquestion . ably, the county seat of Erie county to-day.
The final determination of this matter in favor of the city of Sandusky was of the greatest importance to her, and from that day her future prospects be- came far brighter, her population rapidly increased, and that increase was steady, healthful and permanent.
With the building of its railroads, the location of the county seat, and the assurance that the people would be undisturbed in their possession of lots, not- withstanding the action still pending and undetermined, the town had acquired a population in 1840 of fifteen hundred persons.
Thus favorably conditioned the subject of a city charter began to be dis- cussed, and as such transformations were not the work of a day, some time was required to bring about this organization, and it was not until the year 1844 that it was finally consummated. By that time the population of the town nun - bered some three thousand or more persons.
But before entering upon that branch of the city's history it will be well to present to the reader the names of those who were identified with the contro: of its governmental affairs up to that time. The first board of city fathers com- prised the following persons:
1824 .- Moors Farwell, mayor; William Kelley, treasurer; William Town- send, recorder; and Cyrus W. Marsh, John Wheeler, Elenetheros Cook, Aaron C. Corbett, Alexander Clemons and George Anderson, councilmen.
1825 .- Moors Farwell, mayor; Francis D. Parish, recorder; Matthew Mc- Kelvey, John Wheeler; Lemuel Robinson, marshal.
1826 .- Moors Farwell, re-elected mayor; Henry H. Wilcoxson, Henry Victor ; Lemuel S. Robinson, marshal.
1827 .- Moors. Farwell, mayor; councilmen elected, George Anderson William Kelley, David Campbell; Charles F. Drake, marshal.
1828 .- Moors Farwell, mayor; councilmen elected, John Wheeler, Elias Hand, Benjamin Gregg. Elias Hand, recorder; David Campbell, treasurer.
1829 .- George Anderson, mayor ; councilmen elected, Henry Victor, En- jah E. Clemens, Charles F. Drake. L. S. Beecher elected in place of Elias Hand resigned ; Solomon C. Moore elected in place of William Kelley ; Ab- ner Root elected treasurer, and Augustus Cooke, marshal.
1830 .- John Wheeler elected mayor ; Solomon C. Moore, Elias Hand. George Anderson, councilmen ; Burr Higgins, treasurer, and Augustus Cooke. marshal.
299
THE CITY OF SANDUSKY.
1831 .- John Turk, mayor; George R. Peck, Joseph M. Root, councilmen ; D. H. Tuttle, recorder, and Elijah E. Clemons, marshal.
1832 .- Joseph M. Root, mayor ; Michael Gill, Thomas White, James S. Blaine, councilmen ; James Hollister, appointed recorder in place of George R. Peck, resigned.
1833 .- Joseph M. Root, mayor; John Wider, Solomon C. Moore, George Anderson, councilmen elected ; Thomas T. White, recorder.
1834 .- John Beatty, mayor; James Hollister, Austin Allen, John Beatty, elected councilmen; R. J. Jennings, marshal.
1835 .- John Beatty, mayor; Zachariah Brown, Thomas T. White, William B. Smith, councilmen elected; John Wheeler, treasurer ; William B. Smith, recorder ; R. J. Jennings, marshal.
1836 .- John. Beatty, mayor ; Solomon C. Moore, James Hollister, William Maraen, councilmen elected; Hollister refused to serve and William M. Hun- ter was appointed but found ineligible, whereupon Charles F. Drake was ap- pointed ; William Maraen was appointed recorder.
1837 .- Samuel B. Caldwell, mayor; S. B. Caldwell, John Wheeler, Rod- erick Williston, councilmen elected.
1838 .- Samuel B. Caldwell, mayor ; A. H. Barber, Zachariah G. Brown, John H. Williams, councilmen elected ; R. J. Jennings, marshal.
1839 .- Samuel B. Caldwell, mayor ; Josiah W. Hollister, Erastus S. Gregg, William Kelley, councilmen elected ; F. M. Follett, recorder.
1840 .- John N. Sloane, mayor; John Wheeler, John G. Camp, Daniel Dib- ble, councilmen elected ; William Kelley, recorder.
1841 .- John N. Sloane, mayor ; A. H. Barber, Jno. M. Sloane, Henry P. Radcliff, councilmen elected ; De Witt C. Henderson appointed to council vice William Kelley resigned. D. C. Henderson, recorder; A. H. Barber, treasurer; Roswell J. Jennings, marshal.
1842 .- John N. Sloane, mayor; Ebenezer B. Sadler, De Witt C. Hender- son, Abner Root, councilmen elected ; Abner Root, recorder ; C. F. Drake, marshal; Roswell J. Jennings, clerk of market.
1843 .- John N. Sloane, mayor ; David Campbell, W. W. Witherell, John Wheeler, councilmen elected; George W. Smith, marshal and clerk of market.
1844 .- Ebenezer B. Sadler, mayor ; A. H. Barber, Henry P. Radcliff, R. B. Hubbard, councilmen elected; W. W. Witherell, treasurer; Earl Bill ap- pointed to council and recorder vice Abner Root resigned ; George W. Smith, marshal and clerk of the market house.
In the above record of town officials there has not been noted the name of every incumbent appointed to fill vacancies that frequently occurred. The board in every case appointed all officers except councilmen, three of whom were elected annually by the people; but still, the council had power to fill any vacancy in their body. Resignations were of frequent occurrence, and it some.
300
HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
times happened that more than one member would resign in the course of a year. This it is believed will explain the presence of some names not found among those regularly elected at the annual meeting at the polls.
This was the last board chosen under the town incorporation. During the legislative session of the winter of 1844-45 an act was passed incorporating the City of Sandusky, and by that act the city became a municipality of a higher grade.
On the 28th of March, 1845, the council met and read act entitled "an act :0 incorporate the city of Sandusky, and for other purposes," after which it pro- ceeded to appoint places for holding elections in the wards, as follows : For the first ward, at the mayor's office, and appointed David Campbell, Henry P. Rad- cliff and John G. Pool, as inspectors. For the second ward, the West Marke: House, and appointed Alexander H. Barber, William W. Witherell and Joh :: Wheeler as inspectors. For the third ward the office of the West Slaughter House, and appointed DeWitt C. Henderson, James M. Davidson and Samuel Eastman as inspectors.
The last meeting of the "town" common council was held on the 31st of March, 1845, at which Earl Bill was paid the sum of $11.20 for services, and this was the last official act of the board under the old administration.
SANDUSKY CITY INCORPORATED.
On the 6th day of March, 1845, by an act of the General Assembly of the · State of Ohio, was incorporated "Sandusky City," and thus did it remain in name until the Legislature, by a subsequent enactment, made it necessary that the "city," should be dropped. From the time of this last mentioned act this city has been known and called " Sandusky."
Of the act of 1845 there is not believed to be more than one or two copies in the city to-day, so that the reader may have a complete knowledge of the various provisions of the act (so far as they appear to be important). They are fully set forth as follows :
"Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, Tha: so much of the township of Portland, in the county of Erie, as is contained within the following bounds, to-wit: beginning in the center of Sandusky Bay at a point half a mile east of the northern corner of the east boundary of the town plat of Sandusky (as now recorded among the records of Huron county). running thence in a direct line parallel with the eastern boundary of said town plat, until said line strikes the shore of Sandusky Bay, thence in a direct line at right angles with the eastern boundary of said town, until a line so drawn shall intersect said eastern boundary, thence along said eastern boundary in a direc: line to the southeast corner of the annexation to Sandusky plat, called South- wark, thence westerly along the south line of Southwark, and on a line in the same direction with said line to a point opposite to the south end of Shelby
F
301
THE CITY OF SANDUSKY.
street, thence in a direct line to the southeast corner of the recorded plat of the Western Liberties, so called, and from thence westerly along the southern boundary of said Western Liberties to the western boundary thereof, thence northerly along said western boundary to the shore of Sandusky Bay, thence on a line parallel with the eastern boundary of the recorded plat of the town of Sandusky to the center of said bay, and from thence easterly along the center of said bay to the place of beginning, shall be, and the same is, hereby declared to be a town corporate, and the inhabitants thereof are hereby created a body politic and corporate, with perpetual succession, by the name and style of San- dusky City, and shall, in all respects, be governed by the provisions of an act entitled 'an act for the regulation of incorporated towns,' passed February sixteenth, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine, except as hereinafter provided."
" Section 2. The said Sandusky city shall be and is hereby divided into three wards or election districts as follows : the first ward or district shall con- sist of all that part of said Sandusky city which lies east of Columbus avenue ; the second ward or district shall consist of all that part of said Sandusky city which lies west of Columbus avenue and east of Lawrence street ; and the third ward or district, shall consist of all that part of said Sandusky city which lies west of Lawrence street, including the Western Liberties."
"Section 3. The government of said Sandusky city shall be vested in a mayor, recorder and nine councilmen, any seven of whom, exclusive of the re- corder, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, each ward to elect three councilmen, who shall be electors, and reside in the wards in which they shall be elected. The said mayor, recorder and councilmen shall be elected annually, on the first Tuesday of April in each and every year, and they shall hold their respective offices until their successors are elected and qualified, and the said mayor, recorder and council shall exercise all the pow- ers and be invested with all the privileges of the mayor, recorder and trustees of incorporated towns, under the general law, in addition to those herein granted and shall be subject to the same duties and liabilities, provided that the mayor shall only be entitled to a casting vote when the council is equally divided, and the recorder shall not be entitled to a vote except to give the casting vote when acting as mayor."
"Section 4. The first election of mayor, recorder and councilmen, under this act, shall be held at such place in the several wards as the present mayor and council of the town of Sandusky may direct, who shall also appoint judges of said election for the several wards, and the judges of said election, so ap- [pointed, shall appoint their own clerks, and in case such appointments shall not be made, then, and in that case, the said election shall be held on the day aforesaid, in the several wards, as nearly in conformity as may be to the pro- visions of the general law in relation to incorporated towns. And annually
39
302
HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
thereafter, the said election shall be held in the several wards at such places .. the mayor, recorder and councilmen may appoint ; and the said councilme shall be judges of election in their respective wards, and shall appoint clerks c: the election. The said several clerks of election, so to be appointed as above shall forthwith, at the first election, and at every subsequent election to be le. under this act, certify the true returns of said election in their respective ward .. to the mayor and recorder of said Sandusky city, which said certificate shall b verified by the judges of election under their seals. And the said mayor an recorder shall forthwith canvass the votes given for mayor and recorder and. notify, in writing, immediately after such canvass, the persons elected to said: offices ; said returns, so to be made as above, shall, at the first election, be made to the present mayor and recorder of Sandusky, who shall have power to ac' in the premises."
Of the other sections of the act number five defines the powers of the con- mon council relating to the streets of the city ; number six relates to real e -. tate, buildings, markets and other places; number seven to tax sales for non- payment of taxes and assessments ; number eight vests in the city all property · acquired through the sales, and section number nine relates to acts already passed, and further provides that this act shall take effect on the first day of April next (1845).
In pursuance of the provisions of the above recited act an election of mu- nicipal officers was held at the places designated by the old council, on the first Tuesday of April, 1845, at which time the following officers were chosen for the year next ensuing : Mayor, William W. Witherell ; recorder, William K Chapman ; councilmen, First ward, Lester S. Hubbard, John J. Schock, John W. Beatty ; Second ward, John Weeden, Erastus S. Gregg, John M. Boalt. Third ward, M. G. Woodbury, Charles Cross, George W. Keller.
These officers were sworn to the faithful discharge of their duties by th retiring mayor, Hon. Ebenezer B. Sadler, and having been duly organized, on the 7th of April, proceeded to elect the subordinate city officers as follows Marshal and clerk of the markets, Alonzo Wade ; treasurer, John Weeden.
After transacting some unimportant business the council passed an ordi- nance for the protection of the streets and public grounds of the city ; also ap - pointed John Weeden, Lester S. Hubbard and John W. Beatty a committee to prepare a set of by-laws and ordinances for the government of the city.
On the 17th of May, Alonzo Wade resigned his office of marshal and cler of the markets, and Francis W. Pomeroy was appointed in his stead.
Thus commenced the municipal history of Sandusky city. Its affairs pro- gressed favorably and were embarrassed by no untoward event until the year 1849, at which time the country suffered greatly from the ravages of the ch !- era epidemic. Especially severe was this visitation felt in the little city of S. dusky where no opportunity was had for the improvement of its sanitary con-
٠
303
THE CITY OF SANDUSKY.
dition. Prior to this and about 1834, this dread disease threatened the town, but, fortunately, it did not manifest its presence at that time, but upon the oc- casion mentioned its ravages were terrible in this locality and many persons were stricken and died. Three years later, in 1852, there came a similar visi- tation upon the people, and again were its medical men taxed to their utmost to stem the tide of disease and death. This subject will be found noticed at greater length in the chapter devoted to the medical profession, in an earlier chapter of this volume.
The year 1852 witnessed a complete revolution in the municipal govern- ment, by reason of an act of the Legislature of the State, passed on the 3d day of May. The new State constitution had then been recently adopted and this enactment was, in a great measure brought about by the provisions of that constitution. But before setting forth the effect of this act upon the municipal- ity of Sandusky city, let us look to the record and see who, up to that time, had been in charge and control of city affairs. The officers of the year 1845 are given on an earlier page, and need no repetition here. From that time until the radical change of 1852 took place, the officers were as follows :
1846 .- Mayor, Zenas W. Barker ; recorder, Henry D. Ward ; councilmen, first ward, John M. Boalt, Lester S. Hubbard and William P. Chapman ; sec- ond ward, John Weeden, William H. Caswell and Page M. Ring; third ward, Manley G. Woodbury, Charles Cross and David Souter ; council appointments, Charles Rice, clerk of markets ; Lester S. Hubbard, treasurer. This year the council elected the following officers under the city ordinances : city attorney, Alonzo W. Hendry ; city surveyor, William Durbin, jr. ; chief engineer, Foster M. Follett ; assistant engineer, Henry P. Radcliff; fire wardens, S. E. Hitchcock and R. Lathrop for first ward; Charles Barney, and Philander Gregg for second ward and Samuel Eastman and William Spaulding for third ward.
1847 .- Mayor, Ebenezer Warner; recorder, Sylvester Ross; councilmen- first ward, Foster M. Follett, David Campbell and Rice Harper ; second ward, John H. Ballard, Erastus Cooke and Smith Peck; third ward, David Souter, George Morris and Jacob Hertel ; council appointments, William Benschoter, marshal, clerk of the markets, and collector ; David Souter, treasurer ; George Reber, city attorney ; Foster M. Follett, chief engineer ; Henry P. Radcliff, assistant engineer.
1848 .- Mayor, Ebenezer Warner ; recorder, Zenas W. Barker ; council- men-first ward, Samuel E. Hitchcock, Charles Cassiday and John G. Pool ; second ward, Smith Peck, Freeland T. Barney and William W. Witherell ; third ward, Jacob Hartel, John Carr and David Souter; council appointments, William Benschoter, marshal, clerk of the markets, and collector ; David Sou- ter, treasurer ; George Reber, city attorney ; Freeland T. Barney, chief en- gineer ; John G. Pool, assistant engineer ; William Durbin, city surveyor.
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.