History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio, Part 68

Author: Williams Brothers
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 443

USA > Ohio > Lake County > History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio > Part 68
USA > Ohio > Geauga County > History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio > Part 68

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).

Burton D. Armstrong, the oldest of the children, carries on the farm, on which he with his father resides. He enlisted November 2, 1862, in Company G, Forty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the war of the Rebellion, but on account of sickness, which incapacitated him for service, he was honorably dis- charged, July 9 of the following year. He enlisted out of purely patriotic motives, never receiving, and never expecting to receive, a bounty from any source whatever, and yet to his brief military service is traceable one of the greatest misfortunes that can befall a life,-the loss of the voice. This happened

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in January following his enlistment, and was due to the exposure inseparable from military life. About two years subsequently, he recovered his voice, and continued to have the use of it until July, 1876, when he again, during a severe sickness, became unable to speak audibly, and so remains at the present time.

April 3, 1843, he married Melissa Chace, youngest sister of the wife of Mr. Armstrong, Sr., and the following children were born to them : Elizabeth, born October 14, 1844, married H. P. Kile, and resides in Huntsburg; Ashley E., born February 10, 1846, married Miss Ettie Gleason, and resides with his

parents; Ellen, born October 31, 1850, became the wife of R. B. Waters, and lives in Middlefield.

Cheney Armstrong obtained a collegiate education, graduating at Amherst, Massachusetts, in November, 1849 .. He immediately afterwards began the study of law in Boston, but a few months after was taken ill, and died February 14, 1850.

Lavias married Martha Armstrong (deceased). He resides in the city of Painesville.

NEWBURY TOWNSHIP.

THE English Newbury became Newburyport, of Massachusetts, and thence transferred to township seven, range eight, of the Western Reserve. The first mention I find of the name, is in the order of the county commissioners of March, 1817, which speaks of it as then "known by the name of Newbury," given it doubtless by some native of the old Massachusetts port.

It lies south of Chardon, with Munson between them. Beautiful Auburn is next, south of it, with Burton, the oldest, on the east, and Russell, the newest of the townships, on the west.

Two considerable branches of the Chagrin rise in Newbury,-one in the south- west part called Silver creek, and the other, and larger, in the central and north- ern, which used to be called West Silver creek in old times, and which gathering up many streamlets, makes a bend into Munson, returns, traverses the northwest corner, and crosses Russell on its way to the main river. It was on this that Dr. Hudson left his wife in 1811. Bridge creek rises on the southern border, becomes a considerable water-course ere it passes into Auburn.

Newbury is distinguished by its numerous natural ponds, one of which, known as Punderson's pond, or the Big pond, is the most considerable in the county, lying in the southeasterly section, in lot seventeen, tracts two and ten, tract one, embosomed in high hill-like banks, formed mainly of spring water, cold and pure. It is a sheet of singular beauty, and formerly well stocked with fish. The fame of the flavor of its bass and other inhabitants draws sportsmen from a distance, while the attractiveness of its surroundings annually allures numerous parties to its shores. The upper section has some marshy ground around it. It early called Punderson and Hickox to the neighborhood for the water-power furnished by its large outlet. There are three small bodies of water above this, two in lot three, tract two, which discharge their waters through a third, just above and nearest Punderson's, into that pond. From the south end of the last issues a considerable stream, which takes the waters of a fourth small pond, and running southeast empties into Bridge creek, near the Cuyahoga, in Troy. There is still another pond, a fifth of the small ones, on the line between tracts one and two, which discharges into the West Silver creek. Besides these, which find a place on Titus & Co.'s map of 1874, there are two or three more in the township. All of these were orig- inally well stocked with fish, and one known as Houghton's is still visited by anglers. These streams and ponds indicate the general surface of Newbury as high, rolling, and hilly, presenting as much and as attractive variety to the eye as any part of the county. The soil and timber are the average of the county.

On the east side of Punderson's pond the Indians had an encampment, and Mrs. Sybil Punderson, in her later years, thought they remained there till the tide of war was changed by the victory of young Perry, when they decamped in the night. She probably misrecollected the time of their flight.

Newbury was mainly owned by Thorndike, who had a township named after him in Portage county, and John Wilds and others. The township was divided east and west into three tracts; the central one half the width of the others. The north tract was laid in three tiers and divided into thirty-six equal lots, num- bering from the southwest corner of the tract, running across and back, so that the thirty-sixth is the southeast of the tract. The middle formed two tiers, of eighteen equal lots, numbering from the northeast corner lot, west and back. The south and third into four tiers, of forty-four equal lots, numbering from the northwest corner lot, east and back.

After the arrival of the settlers in the county there were three tornadoes, one in 1804, by which Miner was killed, in Chester ; one in 1810; and one in 1812. Hickox mentions one in 1809, which doubtless occurred a year later,-the year Judge Asa Cowles came into Claridon. The last one blew down the house of

Theodore Royce, Punderson's miller, as stated by Dr. Hudson, whom I follow. By some, or all of these, the central and northern forests of Newbury were devas- tated from the northwest southeasterly to Punderson's pond. In 1824, 1825, 1826, a wide region was covered with decaying logs, small trees, and a vigorous growth of red raspberry and blackberry briers, which were often visited. Origen Miner says the mischief was done by the last, in 1812.

SETTLEMENT.

My notes of the arrivals of the pioneers, mainly from Massachusetts, will be fol- lowed by brief sketches of such of them and their families as information permits. I had supposed that Vene Stone was the first settler. In this I was mistaken. He came on in 1802, and bought land in the northwest corner of Burton and northeast corner of Newbury. He built his log house in Burton, boarded with Joseph Hayes till married, and lived in Burton till he built the framed house, which is in Newbury. He was noted as an early settler in Burton, and his name is on the duplicate of personal taxes in Burton as late as 1818. Both his son Frank and Elijah Hays say he became a settler in Newbury in 1802, but he did not live there. E. Hickox says that Lemuel Punderson and himself formed a partnership to sell goods (in Burton), and build mills and a still, at the lower end of the pond (Punderson's), in Newbury, in 1808. Himself and Punderson were both married on the 20th of October, 1808. At that time there was no inhab- itant in that township, Claridon, or Troy .* He says further, " During 1808, Punderson and I cut the first road, west of Beard's mill, to the town line, and to the foot of the pond, where we built a cabin, into which we moved, having pre- viously kept house in my store." This is a pretty clear statement that all this occurred the same year, 1808.

On the inside of the cover of Punderson's account-book, having one date in 1802, in his own hand, is this memorandum : " Moved into town seven, range eight [Newbury], April 1; wife, July 12, 1810." This must be taken as accurate, and is quite conclusive that he did not regard himself as a resident there before; at least, he had not moved there. He distinguishes between his own moving there and that of his wife. After all, he and Hickox were there, had numerous hands at work there, built a dam, which was swept out by a great storm, in 1809, and Hickox says the mill and still were running in 1810, and that at first they lost money by it.

By the most reliable accounts, Eleazar Patchin-" Old Captain Patchin"- came into the country in 1806, looked about, returned East, and moved into the western woods in 1807. Hayes says he purchased next south of Stone, in New- bury, and settled there. Origen Miner, whose memory and information are reli- able, says that he settled in Burton, east of Stone's, on the Tomlinson farm, and is fully sustained by A. B. Carlton and others.

Lemuel Punderson was certainly the first permanent settler, as he and Hickox were the first invaders of the woods there.

The irons for the mill were made at the infant iron-works at Pittsburg. The stones were made at Burton, by Parks, doubtless, and were said to be good. The mill started, as did the still, in 1810, when they commenced feeding cattle and hogs. Thus it would seem that both Punderson and his brother-in-law came to be residents of town seven, range nine, in 1808. Of course they brought many work- men with them, whose names have not reached us, who came with their wives, built cabins, and lived there. We are told that Mrs. Punderson's health fuiled, and that she went back to Burton, where her first child-Elizabeth-was born; that

. Hickox's Life, Geunga Democrat, December 15, 1869.

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LITH. BY L. H. EVERTS, PHILA. PA

"THE RIDDLE HOMESTEAD", RES. OF ROSWELL RIDDLE, NEWBURY T!, GEAUGA CO.O.

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afterwards she returned on horseback to New Haven, where the eldest son- Sam- uel-was born, although the sister thinks he was born in Newbury. The erec- tion of the mill and still was an event, not merely to the unnamed township, but to all the surrounding country. Trails of "blazed trees" were opened to the place from Wooster (Chester), from Mantua, Chardon, Canton (Claridon), and from more remote places.

For his use and that of his workmen Punderson early had at least two log houses, in one of which many new-comers into Newbury and Auburn found shel- ter and a supply of provisions on their arrival, till their own cabins were ready. The still was up the little valley, on a spring-brook which crosses the road just south of the Punderson mansion.

For the five years succeeding the settlement by Punderson I cannot state the dates of arrivals. Rose and Harry Numberfield were living at his house in 1811. Two of his brothers-in-law, Uri and Johnson F. Hickox, had dealings with him two or three years before, and both settled early on the east and west centre road in Newbury, Uri near the Burton line, and Johnson west of him, at an early day. Samuel Davidson was at work for him in 1811. Silas Burk was there earlier. Bildad Bradley must have been in the country before 1811, and for a time lived in Newbury, as was Adonijah, the wheelwright. I cannot determine when either of them came. So were Joseph and John Fisher there. "Old Sam Barker" was buying whisky of him in 1812, and had a cabin up by the " Big pond." Three old apple-trees alone mark its site in 1878. Bodwell, who came into Claridon, was over there in 1812, and had a sort of carriage-shop near by at some time.

Theodore Royce was the miller, and lived there in a log house in 1811, in which year they had a child born-Evelina Royce.

Hamlet Coe was in Newbury as early as 1813, and established a fulling-mill and other works on the little stream where "Nijer" Bradley had his shop and turning-lathe, where he worked two or three years, and went over north of the centre, on a branch of the Chagrin, where he planted his cloth-works.

In 1815, Joshua M. Burnett, accompanied by his eldest son, Henry, and Miss Hannah Wilbur, the affianced bride of the youth, made a journey to Newbury in a sleigh, where he purchased a large tract of land south of Punderson's, made some improvements, built a large double log house, cleared, planted, and returned for his family, which he brought on the same season. He was accompanied by a brother-in-law, John Cobb, wife, and family of nine children. He settled on lot eight, tract three, now the farm of W. A. Jenks. Subsequently he moved over into the southwest corner, and thence west.

With Burnett also came Eliphalet Gay, a young man who subsequently married his daughter Calista, the first bride in Newbury. He took up land on lot six, tract three; thence removed to lot thirty-six, same tract, where he made his farm- home and spent his life.

At the same time, in company with Burnett and Cobb, came W. A. Bullock, and took up land on the present farm of William Munn.

In 1815, Solomon Johnson and his eldest son, Seth, after an adventurous journey through Pennsylvania, down the Ohio, and across the woods from Cin- cinnati to Sandusky, and down the lake to Painesville, thence to Newbury, and took a hundred acres joining Burnett on the west. They chopped and built a cabin near him, and in 1816 the family-Mrs. Johnson, formerly Mrs. Earl; a daughter Didama, who became the wife of Josiah Burnett, second son of Joshua M .; and Solomon Jr., who never had a wife-came on and moved into the cabin. Near this he made the first brick in Newbury, from which the first brick chimneys were built. With the family came Jonah, second son of Solomon, Sr., his wife, Polly, and infant son, Theodore, who settled west of his father, and built near the north line of lot fifteen, tract three. With them came also John Earl, the son of Mrs. Solomon Johnson; his wife, Jemima, and children ; Albert, J. Morton, and daughter, Nabby. These settled and built just west of Jonah Johnson.

Moses Bradley must have come before 1815; Elisha Talcott, a single man, also in 1815 or 1816, and settled on lot nine, tract three, worked hard, married, raised a large family, had a fine farm, died, and his name disappeared from Newbury. John Bacheldor came about the same time, and settled on twenty-six, same tract, where he lived, buried his first wife, married Sarah Russell, and finally died, leaving two sons.

1816 was the awful cold year. Also famous in Newbury for a celebration of the Fourth in the Punderson neighborhood. Sibley's anvil was the gun, and Mr. Bullock the orator. Much milk- and other punch was imbibed, but only a faint echo, the shadow of the occasion, has reached us. This same year, 1816, the State road from Painesville south through Chardon is said to have been laid. I think it must have been earlier, some say in 1812.

Like all State roads, it was established by a special statute, which named the commissioners to locate and open it. Mr. Punderson had the controlling hand in this work, and whoever will trace it on the map will find about as many turns in it, to take it by his mills, as was made in the older Chillicothe to reach Kirtland

Flats. Not only was Sibley, the blacksmith, here in 1816, but Roswell Rice must also have been there or soon after, a smith also; and these names bring that of Thomas Billings, who came later, perhaps with the Lovelands, with whom, by marriage, he was connected. He too was a smith and wheelwright, and later, the postmaster. At an early day there were two or three log houses just east of Dan Punderson's, and an old blacksmith-shop across the road, with which the early lives and names of these men are associated. And here may be mentioned another family of Burnetts,-Sherrybiah, Henry, David, Jonathan, and Elisha. I can't state the year of their arrival nor where they settled first. Jonathan finally went to Munson, on the State road, north of Butternut creek. Uncle Sherry was very early on lot six, tract three, where Hosmore and Terres lived later; from there he went to the town line west. and that property he exchanged for a farm on the "State road," near Auburn, where he died. That region is now called South Newbury. Henry was near this place. One settled on Oak Hill. This brings up the name of Dr. Joel Burnett, a nephew of Joshua M , who probably came in about the time his uncle did, near whom he located, and was the first resident physician, -a man of much promise, and who died young.

Rufus Black, father of Sylvester and Rufus, Jr., must have come in 1815, 1816, or 1817, and settled in the northeast part of the township.

Thomas Manchester came in 1816 or 1817. I do not know where he first settled, but for a time he lived on the old John Cobb place southwest, probably on lot forty-two, tract three ; thence he moved into Russell, where he died.

David Walker came in 1817, took up one hundred acres in forty-two also, made an excellent farm, and lives there at the age of eighty-three, one of the five or six survivors of the pioneers of Newbury. Harmon Bosworth came in 1817, and settled where the Bosworths now live, just east of the centre. Mrs. Lucy Bos- worth, who came in 1820, is, I think, the only woman now living of the early settlers.

Thomas Riddle, with his family, reached Newbury in the autumn of 1817, and moved on to the land where his son, Roswell, now resides ..

Lovel Green came the same year, and took up land on the opposite side of the road-when a road was laid.

Thomas A. Munn, son of Marsena Munn, accompanied by Asa Robinson, also came that fall. His father had already purchased a large tract of land in the southwest part of the town, on which he built a house and made improvements. The family came on the following season, consisting. of the father, mother, the son, and five unmarried daughters. With them came Artemus Robinson, eldest son of Asa, and also Cutter Tyler, both single men. This was the first improve- ment, made in what came to be called the " West-Part." The Robinson family came on a year later, and settled near the Munns. Hamilton Utley and his family accompanied the Riddles. He stopped and taught school that winter in western New York, Mrs. Utley and the three children going on to Newbury. They set- tled on what was called Utley's hill near the Munns.

In 1817 Amos Upham, Jr., came on from Massachusetts, made an extended examination, and bought land a mile and a half west of the centre of it, built a cabin, and his wife and four children, with his father and mother, joined him in Newbury in the autumn of 1818. With them were the Adamses. Mrs. Adams was a sister of Amos. They had with them one or two children and his mother. They settled near the Uphams, remained in Newbury but a few years, and moved to Geneva, Ashtabula county. Their eldest daughter is Mrs. Philo Pease, of Hambden. The Uphams subsequently moved to the western part; thence to Chagrin Falls, where two of the sons reside. Save another son, Phineas, no others of a large family survive.

Justin Alexander and quite a family also came in 1817, and settled on lot two, tract three, below the Robinsons, where they lived till 1827, when they removed to " Fullertown." In the early days, John Fisher and Sam. Davidson also built a house on the south side of the east and west road, below Alexander's. Into that neighborhood also went Benj. Hobart and family. Likewise John Hunt, quite opposite the Alexanders ; and about the same time, Andrew Patterson and family, a little below and on the same side. Also the Taylors,-father, and a row of stout sons,-Bill, Jim, Sam, etc. Meantime, Jonas Ward, in 1817 or 1818, came and settled just east of the Utleys, and J. G. Stockman opposite him; and in 1820 the west part came to be well peopled, early and suddenly. Silver creek runs through the settlement, and made the Munn mill-seat. Mer- rill Squire, brother of Mrs. Utley, and one or two other brothers, also came in 1818 or 1819. W. A. Jencks and Charles Dunham, unmarried, came and settled east of Bosworth ; built and ran a bachelor hall. About that time came Samuel Hodges, his father, Simeon, and family, relatives of Joshua M. Burnett, and settled east of Thomas Riddle, on the same side of the road. After a year or two they removed to Mentor, and Jencks bought the farm where he still lives. This brought him opposite the Jonah Johnson place, with Talcott next on the east, while Seth Johnson and his father, Solomon, had both built on the

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same road east of Jonah's, and on the same side of what was afterwards called " Music street." Merrill Squire finally married Charlotte Smith, bought out the first Gay place, and went there to live,-a fourth of a mile west of Thos. Riddle's.

John Randolph came in 1817 or 1818, and took up land on the " South road," opposite where Gay finally settled, just west of the State road, where he lived and died; and Cutler Tyler, when married, settled west of Randolph's, on the same road.

Meantime, in 1817, came the Mortons,-Joseph and Noah,-relations of the Johnsons. Joe settled in or near what afterwards became the Randolph place ; thence he moved on to the farm west, now owned by his son Perry, near John Bacheldor's. Then came Charles Hewett, and settled on the other side; fol- lowed later by his father, Apollus, who bought the old Cobb-Manchester-Merrill Squire farm, next to David Walker, and so the south road became settled.

In 1818, Abel Fisher, with a family of two sons and four daughters, arrived and took up land on the west bank of Punderson's saw-mill pond, on the north of what I call Music street. He tended the Punderson saw-mill, which started in 1817. In 1819, Jotham Houghton came, and finally took the Jenks and Dun- ham place, east of the centre, and Bullock went over and took up land opposite him. Then came Elijah Soule, who settled on the same side of the east and west centre road, between Bullock and Johnson F. Hickox, and somewhere in there at same time, was found helpless, harmless Melvin, who cut the few trees he felled quite level with the ground, and all the logs of an exact length, and made a museum of all the curious, useless, crooked sticks that grew.

Elihu Mott came early in 1817 or '18,-Dr. Mott, of much quackery. He went to Welshfield. Dudley Loveland and kindly, genial Fred Loveland came early. I can't place them, but over in the northeast part. And the Smiths, Subina, Caleb, John P., and Justin. I used to think that " Uncles ' Bina' and ' Cala'" must always have been there in the woods over north of the Soule place. They went away as soon as roads were opened. Kindly, good men. " Uncle Cala" used to make awful-looking shoes and things.

Winslow Green, father of Ampliss, Erbin, William, Amos, and of Mrs. John Ran- dolph, came before any of these last, in 1816, and died early. He settled on the east side of the State road, south of Uri Hickox. John P. Smith, mentioned above, set- tled north of Uri Hickox, on the east side and beyond him ; his brother-in-law, Alan- son Knox, on the west side. Mrs. Knox was a famous tailoress, and her coats were fits much sought by the gay gallants of that time, who for common wore pants faced and seated with buckskin of. Bullock's tanning. By this time Captain Eleazar Patchin was over, and his sons were married; Levi, to a daughter of Isaac Fowler, and Linson to the eldest daughter of Vene Stone. These on the west side, with their father, north of the Knoxes, and an early settler by the name of Stearns, finished out the State road north. As did the Pundersons, Burnetts, and Bradlys, south, what was later and now called South Newbury. Afterwards came Nathan and George Wilson, who settled on the same road at a point a little south of Winslow Green's, but long after his death. There was a famous white- pine swamp on George's land, now a beautiful meadow, and plenty of tamarack on Nathan's, still there.

I must go back. Ithil Wilber must have come in 1816 or '17, quite a young man. His father came with him, and became the husband of Aunt Sally, an elderly sister of Joshua M. Burnett ; and his sister, Hannah, became the wife of Harry, the eldest of the Burnett boys, as intimated. His brother Joseph also came early; his wife was a sister of Sherry and Jonathan Burnett, and he lived over east of Punderson's, and used to tinker watches and clocks, time out of mind.

Then there were the Savages,-Ebenezer, Levi, Ansel ; and later Isaac; and still later, though not so well as never, Mackitt, a son-in-law. The Elders be- longed out west, though not on any road,-came before roads were invented. 'Neazar was a hunter and a drinker. Levi only drank. Ansel was quite a man, and built a still, using the water of the Patterson spring, not far from the later still of Burnett & Wilbur.

Tract one, as well as much of the north part of the township, including the centre, were settled later than the rest. In 1816, Roswell Manchester built a house on lot two, tract one, in northwest corner of Newbury, but never lived in it. In 1818 or 1819, it is said Fred Rima or Rema was over in the windfall in the northwestern part of the township, and that when Thomas Fuller came over there from Mentor, in 1820, he found him there. Fuller was an English mill- wright and a man of enterprise. He bought a large tract of land, securing a then valuable water-power. Silas, a son, says that he also found Garlic, a black- smith, there. He built a flouring-mill, and had it running as soon as 1821 or 1822, and subsequently a saw-mill ; then a carding-machine, and finally a small woolen-factory. At the corners of four townships, and away from the ordinary route for highways, the place was for years quite inaccessible. Several families settled in the neighborhood, of a rude cast, and the place was vulgarly known by

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History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio, Part 68

Author: Williams Brothers Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Number of Pages: 443

Author: Williams Brothers
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 443