USA > Ohio > Henry County > History of Henry and Fulton counties, Ohio : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 30
USA > Ohio > Fulton County > History of Henry and Fulton counties, Ohio : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 30
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The fragment of the duplicate which remains of the year 1837, shows that at that time there was but one piece of land listed for taxation-the east half of section one-in the name of Dewald Macklin, valued at $321. Buildings were assessed at $321. There were four horses, forty-six head of cattle. The total value of chattel property was $328, and the aggregate tax $6.70. The
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personal taxpayers were Angel Arnold, Peter Hewit, Joseph Macklin, John Mason, David Murdock, William Piper, John Rowland, Jacob Sowers and John Sturgeon. In 1839, came Silas and Robert Rowland. The duplicate of that year shows 1,281 acres of land valued at $3,042, subject to a tax of $53.23, and chattel property worth $720, taxed with $12.60. A few of these early comers, a few only hunters, left as civilization and cultivation arrived, the majority, however, died on their first settlements, which are now con- verted into fine and valuable farms, and occupied by their descendants. We believe there is not one of the original stock now living.
A contrast will show the rapid growth and improvement of this township. In 1860 its population was only 277 ; this, in 1870, had increased to 396, and in 1880 to 857, and may at present be safely estimated at 1,200. The dupli- cate of 1887 shows 23,003 acres of land, valued at $179,870, and $41,190 worth of personal property subject to a tax of $5, 194.94. The township is divided in eight school districts, and contains in each a good, comfortable school building. There is but one church in the township, and this belongs to the denomination of United Brethren. The township has no railroads and no villages, except in the northwest corner of section six were the "Clover Leaf" nips. At this point Peter Brillhart, on the 19th of May, 1881, laid out an ad- dition to the hamlet of Grelleton, platted into twelve lots and four alleys, and four acres for stave factory grounds. The southeast corner of section sixteen has been named West Hope, and a post-office of that name is established there ; there is also a small country store, but no plat has ever been made, nor any division of lots laid out.
For many years the roads in this township were in a miserable condition, and during the wet seasons of the year ingress and egress were almost impos- sible. This was due mainly to the absence of drainage, the natural facilities for which were not good. Beaver Creek is the principal, in fact the only, natural water course. The west branch of this creek enters the township in the cen- ter of section thirty-four, running northeasterly to the center of the south side of section twenty-four. The east branch enters at the center of section thirty-five, winds through sections thirty-five, thirty-six and twenty- five, uniting with the west branch at twenty-four, and then northeasterly through sections twenty-four, thirteen, twelve and one. The artificial drainage, both surface and sub-soil is now good, and money and labor expended on the roads have made them very fair and passable during the greatest part of the year.
There is yet considerable very good and fertile lands to be obtained in this township at a moderate price. They are, however, being rapidly taken up by actual settlers, and as the valuable timber is about used up, these lands must be converted into farms, and in a few years Richfield will rank among the best agricultural parts of Henry county.
When these lands are once improved and brought under cultivation, as
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many acres already are, the owner and occupant should indeed be a happy, and contented man. There is certainly no happier or more independent life than that lived by the farmer. No worry of business, no fear of bankruptcy, no bills to meet need disturb his sleep when his day's toil is ended. He, too, has the consolation of knowing that he is a producer, adding daily to the ne- cessities and comforts of his fellow man and to the substantial wealth of the world. The soil and the muscle of labor must produce all the wealth that is possessed, and he who cultivates a hill of potatoes, raises a bushel of grain, fashions the product of the mine into a useful implement of husbandry has done more for his fellow than all the millions who ever lived since the accumulation of wealth began.
And think of the improvements which then and since have been made, and the aid they have rendered to agricultural labor. Farming has almost ceased to be labor and has become pleasure. Every day something new is intro- duced into farming and yet old things are not driven out. Every one knows that steam is now used on the farm for plowing and threshing and working ma- chinery, and one would have thought that by this time it would have super- seded all other motive powers. But while new things come the old do not go away. One life is but a summer's day compared with the long cycle of years of agriculture, and yet it seems that a whole storm, as it were, of innovation has burst upon the fields ever since we can recollect.
The sickle was in use in Roman times and no man knows how long before that. With it the reaper cut off the ears of the wheat, only leaving the tall straw standing, much as if it had been a pruning knife. It is the oldest of old implements-very likely it was made of a chip of flint at first, and then of bronze, and then of steel. Then came, in England, the reaping hook, which is still used there on small farms, and to some extent on large ones, to round off the work of the machine. The reaping hook is only an enlarged sickle. The reaper takes the hook in one hand and a bent stick in the other, and in- stead of drawing the hook toward him, the reaper chops at the straw as he might at an enemy. In America we had the cradle; then came the reaping machines, which simply cut the wheat and left it lying on the ground. Now there are the wire and string binders, that not only cut the grain, but gather it together and bind it in sheaves, a vast saving in labor.
On the broad page of some ancient illuminated manuscript, centuries old, you may see the churl, or farmer's hired man, knocking away with his flail at the grain on the threshing floor. The knock, knocking of the flail went on through the reigns of how many kings and queens we do not know (they are all forgotten, God wot), down to the edge of our own times. The good old days when comets were understood as fate; and witches were drowned or burned- those were the times of the flail. The flail is made of two stout staves of wood joined with leather. They had flails of harder make than that in those old
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times - hunger, necessity, fate, to beat them on the back and thresh them on the floor of the earth.
There was an old wagon shown at the Royal Agricultural show in London said to be two hundred years old. Probably it had had so many new wheels and tongues and other parts as to have completely changed its constitution - still there were wagons in those days, and there are wagons now. Express trains go by in a great hurry, slow wagons gather up the warm hay and the yel- low wheat just as they did hundreds of years since. You may see men sowing broadcast just as they did a thousand years ago on the broad England acres. Yet the light iron plow, the heavy drill, the steam plow, are manufactured and cast out into the fields and machinery, machinery, machinery, still increases.
Machinery has not altered the earth, but it has altered the conditions of men's lives. New styles of hats and jackets, but the same old faces. The sweet violets bloom afresh every spring on the mounds, the cowslips come, the wild rose of mid-summer and the golden wheat of August. It is the same beautiful country, always new. Neither the iron engine nor the wooden plow alter it one iota, and the love of it rises as constantly in our hearts as the com- ing of the leaves. The wheat, as it is moved from field to field, like a quarto folded four times, gives us in the mere rotation of crops a fresh garden every year. You have scented the bean field and seen the slender heads of barley droop. The useful products of the field are themselves beautiful, while there are pages of flowers that grow at the edge of the plow.
CHAPTER XXVIII. -
HISTORY OF RIDGEVILLE TOWNSIHP.
T "HIS township is in the northwestern corner of the county, and the only one remaining of range five, being township number six, the balance of this range having been detached and given to Defiance at the time of the organiza- tion of that county.
The area of the township is the same as that of Freedom, the two northern tiers of sections having been taken to form Fulton county.
Of the civil organization of the township little is known, the records having been destroyed in the fire of 1847. However, it is known that it was prior to 1840.
The topography of the township varies slightly from the balance of the county, inasmuch that through the township, from north to south, runs the Belmore Ridge, and from this fact the township derives its name. The Ridge
35
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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.
is first noticeable at or near Lake Ridge, Mich., and then runs in a semi-circu- lar shape, continues through the northwestern part of Henry county, touching Defiance county, then back into Henry county through the southwestern part of the county, and finally emerging into the Black Swamp. The Ridge is well defined, being from three to ten feet higher than the adjoining country. At many places along the upper part of it are found huge bowlders, which, ac- cording to the theory of Dr. Newberry, were deposited there by icebergs, at a very remote period, when this locality was the bed of a lake.
The township is devoid of natural waterways, with the exception of a couple of small creeks, or rather apologies for creeks. The bed of the Coldwater and Mansfield Railroad cuts the farms diagonally in the northeastern part.
The principal thoroughfares are the Bryan and Napoleon pikes, and what is called the Ridge road. The latter runs nearly north and traverses the Bel- more Ridge. The first one is merely a continuation of the second one, which runs from Napoleon to the hamlet of Ridgeville. This is one of the main roads of the county, and is now one of the best, owing to the fact that it is being graveled. It was laid out by one Barton Palmer, at an uncertain but early date. Previous to this time all travel between Napoleon and localities north - west, was done by way of Gilson's Creek (which is about a mile west of Napo- leon). The creek bed was followed up to where the creek branches, in section nine, town five, north, in Napoleon township, then along a bridle path which is now the pike.
From the duplicate of 1847 the following names are found : George and John Tubbs, Joseph Bear, J. Fenton, George Harmon, Adam Rowe, Lorenzo Higby and Barton Palmer. These were the oldest settlers in Ridgeville town- ship. A few of them were here before Defiance county was organized, and when the county was organized, land that originally laid in Henry county was given to it, and thus a few of them live at present in Defiance county, although they never changed their residence. They have, however, sons who are now classed among the best and most thrifty farmers in Ridgeville township.
Near the southeastern corner of the township is situated the hamlet of Ridgeville Corners. The place was originally laid out by Barton Palmer, at a very carly but uncertain date. He was also the projector of the several roads that lead into the hamlet. At a certain point in Ridgeville Mr. Palmer owned and conducted a tavern, and at that time it was the only house of accommoda- tion for miles around. Mine host Palmer conceived the brilliant idea of hav- ing all the roads of this immediate section center at his place of accommoda- tion ; (heretofore bridle paths were the only thoroughfares). He began imme- diately to set his plan into execution, and, as a consequence, Ridgeville Corn- ers is one of the main road centers of Henry county. It is at present a thriv- ing little place of about one hundred and fifty inhabitants, and has a furniture and undertaking store, two dry goods stores, and two groceries, one black-
John Scofield
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smith shop, two saw-mills and a tile yard. Mail is received daily by the some- what antiquated " overland mail." There are two churches, a Methodist and a Congregationalist. The latter was the first church established in the town- ship, and was in the year 1846. Previous to this time services were held semi- occasionally, and at uncertain places. No regular preacher was here, and some minister from an adjoining settlement would make " an appointment " at a certain house, and then the settlers would gather for religious worship and also for a " visit." Visiting was begun at an early period,-in fact in 1836. In this year George Tubbs and wife moved to this township, and, as soon as they were settled, two ladies from near Wauseon, having heard of them, came to see them, riding along what is now the Ridge Road, but then only a bridle path. On the following Sunday Mr. and Mrs. Tubbs,-the former on foot and the latter on horse-back, returned the visit, also expecting to hear a sermon from an itinerant preacher, but who failed to appear, and the people where they visited promised to send him over the following Sunday. He started, but before arriving he ate some cheese made from sour milk, and was com- pelled to turn back, and shortly after reaching the starting place was gathered to his fathers.
The township is distinguished as the home of a large denomination of Mennonists, followers of Simon Menno, their founder in Germany. They have some peculiar notions, and " believe that the New Testament is the only true rule of faith, that the terms Person and Trinity ought not to be applied to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost ; that there is no original sin ; that infants should not be baptized ; and that Christians ought not to take oath, hold office, or use physical force." They do not exercise the elective franchise, and take no part whatever in politics. They are distinguished for their sterling honesty and fair dealing, punctually fill every engagement, respect every promise, and be- lieve in strictly minding their own business. They have many peculiar customs; are simple in dress and manner of living ; abstain from litigation ; deal cau- tiously with those not of themselves; their general business is usually advised and directed by one man selected for that purpose ; they are frugal, industrious and though exclusive, are, as a rule, good citizens.
The township has very strong surface indications of natural gas, sufficient certainly, to justify more extensive investigation than has yet been had. In the summer of 1881 Herman A. Meyerholtz commenced boring a well for water on his farm near the Corners, when reaching the depth of about one hundred feet, a vein of gas was struck powerful enough to expel the drilling tools from the well, and greatly frightened the ignorant and superstitious people employed in the work; and upon light being applied to the combustible, a flame of twenty feet shot into the air. Haste was too slow to enable them to get away in time to escape the perils of what they supposed to result from a trespass upon the domain of the prince of darkness. The terror of the simple and superstitious
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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.
residing in the neighborhood was so great as to compel Mr. Meyerholtz to fill up the well, which he did with considerable difficulty. Several wells have since been bored with similar results.
This township has had some regard for her educational interest. Its graded school is maintained at Ridgeville Corners, and the balance of the territory is divided in six districts, in each of which a first-class common school is con- ducted, and where are taught arithmetic, English grammar, penmanship, geography and American history.
The material condition of the township may be ascertained by the duplicate of 1887. Then we find that there were nineteen thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight acres of land listed for taxation, valued in 1880 at $31,840, but which has greatly increased in value. The chattel property is assessed at $65,- 140, and the total tax paid is $6,441.96. The census of 1860 showed a popu- lation of four hundred and twenty-four souls, which in 1870 amounted to seven hundred and sixty-four, and in 1880 had increased to eleven hundred and nine- teen. A proportionate increase has been made since.
This township is fortunate in the recent discovery of valuable gravel pits, which will enable its citizens to not only get, at a comparatively trifling cost, the best of roads, but to contribute materially to the roads of the whole county, and the township is certainly to be congratulated on the enterpising character of its electors who were the first to follow the example of Napoleon township and vote upon themselves a tax to apply this gravel "where it will do the most good"-on the roads.
Ridgeville is excellently ditched and drained, its farms well improved and under high cultivation; its residences and farm buildings well befitting every agricultural country, and it will ever rank as one of the most prosperous and thrifty townships in Henry county.
In addition to the post-office at the Corners, Uncle Sam has provided an- other office named Tubbsville, on the Pettisville road about half way between the Corners and the latter place. A daily mail is received and the master, William B. Tubbs, keeps the office at his residence.
The population of the township is mixed. Besides the Mennonists already mentioned, there is a large population of Germans, a few English, and the ma- jority of those residing at and in the immediate vicinity of the Corners, have come from the Western Reserve.
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HENRY COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXIX.
HISTORY OF WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
T HIS is the last township in alphabetical order, and possesses more intrin- sic historic interest than any other of the townships of Henry county. It was the hunting ground of the last of the Ottawas, from which three chiefs and a small band of followers were reluctant to retreat from the advancing feet of Caucasian civilization. These three chiefs were Oxinoxica, Wauseon and Myo, the latter ranking third in the Indian degree of power. He was a small, but exceedingly wise, or more properly, cunning Indian. He died on the Maumee and his skull was for a number of years preserved by Dr. L. L. Patrick, one of the pioneer physicians who had the courage to combat with the malaria and bilious fever of the Maumee, and who was an uncle of George Patrick, now residing in Liberty township and well known as one of the most prosperous agriculturists of the Maumee valley, also an uncle of the first wife of O. E. Barnes who is well known to the citizens of Henry county as sheriff and clerk, for many years.
This township was originally named Myo, in honor of the chief so called- " Little Chief"-but possessed of more judgment and distinction than the two who ranked him in authority.
At the time of the organization of the township there were but eleven vot- ers and their names may be recorded among the pioneers. These were Ed- ward Murphy, Noah Holloway, James O'Niel, Michael Connelly, sr., the father of Michael and James Connelly, who still reside on the old homestead, Ed- ward Scribner, whose descendants still reside in the county, William Angle- meyer, some of whose descendants still reside in the township, John Lamphier, now a well-to-do and prosperous farmer residing in Liberty township, on the west line of Washington, David Edwards, whose sole surviving representative, Martha, is now married to Robert Showman and now lives upon the old home- stead, David J. Cory, who was one of the first associate judges of Henry county and who died childless at Findlay at a ripe old age, having a large fortune, and was universally respected.
The first voting place was in an unhewed log school-house, known as Mur- phy's school-house, situated near where the fine brick residence of Michael Connelly, jr., now stands. Abraham Snyder, now of Damascus township, was at that time, (1839) then a hunter in what was then the wilds of northwestern Ohio.
The last known of Myo as a township on the duplicate of the county was in 1847. Then there were 7,975 acres of land valued at $23,016.45, paying a total tax of $518.85, and an additional tax of $112.23 for school-houses.
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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.
At this time John Biggins, still living; Dennis Bresnahan, dead; Peter Donnelly, living; August Groff, dead ; John Grumling, living; Ephraim Hy- ter, living ; Daniel Hartnell, sr., deceased ; John Kettering, now of Harrison township ; Daniel Moore, dead (sons living on homestead), and Nelson Polson, had moved and settled in the township.
Between the making of the duplicates of 1847 and that of 1848 the Mau -. mee river was made the southern boundary of the township, and sections six, and parts of one, two, three, four, five, seven and eight of Damascus attached, and the name changed to Washington.
We then find on the duplicate of 1848 the additional names of Charles. Bucklin, David Mohler, William Anglemeyer, James Durbin, Thomas W. Dur- bin (present recorder), David Edwards, Edward O'Hearn, John Lamphier,. John H. Polson, A. Smith, Michael White, all of whom are still living, or leave descendants.
This township was the last of the hunting grounds of the Indians in Henry county, and in fact in northwestern Ohio; a reservation for the last of the Ottowas having been retained in the possession of that tribe for many years after the whites had obtained a majority of population. The reservation set aside for the Ottowas extended into Henry county at the northeast corner, and was situated as follows: Commencing a little north of the half section line of twenty-four east, running southwest with the west line of the northeast one- fourth of section thirty-four, thence in a southeastern course to the Maumee River in the north half of the southeast one-fourth of section two, in the gov- ernment surveyed township, five north of range eight, east. This is still one of the best sporting fields in the county. Game, however, is limited to the smaller class-pheasants, quail, rabbits and squirrel. The time, however, has certainly come to hang up the rifle and the trap, and the rapidly disappearing forest also suggests putting aside the ax and the saw, and picking up the shovel_and the hoe, and learn that,
" He who by the plow would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive."
The topography of this township differs materially from all others in the county. The southeastern part consists of what is known as "openings," i. e., quick-sand swamps-very wet, where nothing but swamp grasses, shaking asps, and bull-rushes grow, and of sand knolls covered with "scrub oak." A few years ago this part of the township was not considered worth the widow's mite, but by thorough ditching, and at considerable expense, has been con- verted into productive and valuable farms. The balance of the township was more like the other parts of the county- very heavily timbered. But the tim- ber has gone, and it is too late to say, " woodman, spare that tree."
What sad havoc was wrought in the early days when the " clearings " were being made, and when trees had no positive value and no market. It is only in later days that the value of forest or timber lands has been appreciated ..
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HENRY COUNTY.
Think ! The forest lands of the United States, excluding Alaska, embrace 500,000,000 acres, or twenty-eight per cent. of the entire area. The farmers own about thirty-eight per cent. of the forest area, or 185,000,000 acres. The rest is owned by railroad corporations, mine owners, charcoal burners, tanners, lumbermen and speculators. The farmers are the most desirable class of own- ers, and they begin to learn the value of their wood, and devote time and thought to its preservation. Now they begin to cherish their woodlands, and add millions, yearly, of trees for shelter and beautification, and for subsequent profit to those who will come after them. The farmers' area of forest is in- creasing in all the Western States, and groves are plentiful as in the days of the Druids in England, or of the classic deities of Greece and Italy, and are put to much better purpose. One thing is to be noted, that trees will flourish on lands that will not return a remunerative crop. The conifers will thrive under apparently most inhospitable conditions. Forest trees return to the soil the nutriment they take from it, thus maintaining its productive power and en- couraging their own growth. The routes of transportation now render access to market easy, by land or water, and these facilities, with the extension of railroads, grow better every year. The railroads need many hundreds of ties for each mile (60,000,000 a year in all, at an average of two ties to a tree), and these ties must be renewed every seven or ten years. One acre of land may contain and perfect from four to six hundred trees. In a few years these trees will produce a rich harvest of ties, and the surplus wood will give an im- mense supply of fuel and fencing. The farmer, with a big wood lot, may well ask, " What shall the harvest be ?" and then look out for a rich profit. As matters go, the thirty-eight per cent. owned by the farmers now will soon be seventy-five per cent. of the tree area, and forestry is commanding the atten- tion of our most thoughtful and considerate men.
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