History of Henry and Fulton counties, Ohio : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 50

Author: Aldrich, Lewis Cass, ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 852


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 50
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 50


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Jacob Boynton came to this county in 1835 and bought of Chesterfield Clemons some thirty acres of land, now owned and possessed by Eleazer Clark. Boynton afterward sold out and moved from the county.


Alfred C. Hough was born in Onondaga county, N. Y., and came to Ful- ton county in 1836. He settled upon section twenty-one. Mr. Hough has held the office of county auditor of this county, serving with satisfaction to the people and credit to himself. He was the first school examiner, while the ter- ritory belonged to Lucas county. He has several times been honored by his township to important positions.


James M. Hough was born in Onondaga county, N. Y., and came to this territory when a young man, and finally settled upon section twenty-one, where he raised a fine family, and is now retired from active life.


George Patterson and his family came to this county in September, 1838, and settled upon section thirty-one, where he lived many years. In 1849 he sold out and settled in Dover township, where he died many years ago.


Lyman L. Beebe and his wife, Julia (Clement) Beebe, were born in Onta- rio county, N. Y. They came to Fulton county and settled in the township of Chesterfield in 1840, and purchased six acres of wild land at three dollars per acre, on section twenty-seven. He built the first steam saw-mill in the township in 1844, and ran the same for nearly twelve years. It was located on what is now the Crittenden farm, on the south side. In 1856 he removed his steam-mill and re-erected and remodeled the same and ran it for a num- ber of years, when he abandoned it. It was located upon section thirteen. Mr. Beebe is still living. He is now partially blind. His wife, Julia, died in 1849, in Fulton county. Mr. B. now owns five hundred and eight acres of land, and a fine brick residence.


Jeremiah Sheffield and his wife, Sarah, from Newburg, Orange county, N. Y., were married October 10, 1838, at Newburg, and started the same month for Ohio, landing in Chesterfield November 11, 1838, and, with the aid of John P. Roos and Charles Smith, selected the land upon which they lived, and on which she, as his widow, resides to-day.


Imos # Jorden


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FULTON COUNTY.


Nathaniel Parsons and family came to Chesterfield February, 1835. At one time Mr. Parsons went to mill at Tecumseh, thirty miles away, and the mother divided what bread they had in the house, and lived on fractional ra- tions while he was gone.


In these very first days there were no schools for a year or two, and the children were taught at home by the mother or elder daughter until such time as the population would warrant a school-building.


James S. Dean, sr., came to this township in October, 1838, from Chemung county, N. Y., and settled upon sections twenty-four and twenty-five.


Nehemiah Cone came in 1835, and settled on section twenty-four.


Gersham Livesay came in 1836 from Elmira, Chemung county, N. Y.


David Lee came in 1837. He was the father of Peleg S. Lee, who is, and has been for a long time, engaged in the cheese manufacture, and who, the first year, started with a production of about 4,000 pounds. He now manu- factures from 150,000 to 200,000 pounds of cheese per year.


In 1834, 1835, 1836, and up to 1840, many came to the township of Ches- terfield that have not been heretofore named, who have had much to do in improving the country. Mention of some of these will be made, who have been particularly identified with the township. They are : Nathaniel Butler, Hiram Butler, Darwin Butler, Manley Hawley, Flavel Butler, Daniel Fausey, James Aldrich, Hyson Aldrich, Cicero H. Shaw, James M. Bates, George W. Bates, David L. Beebe, George W. Roos, Thomas Welch, Isaac Stites, Benja- min Stites, William Stites, William Richards, Lothrop Briggs, who first settled what was afterwards known as the Dean farm : James Livesay, Joel Briggs, son of Lothrop Briggs; Warren Beebe, George W. Kellogg, Azariah Shapley Daniel F. Turner, Amaziah Turner, Phillip Whitehead, Joseph Thorpe, father of Washington, Lewis, and Jesse Thorpe, who have always been prominent farmers of the township; Samuel Ranger, who came in 1835 ; Thomas Welch who came from Stark county in 1835, originally, but direct to this place from Grand Rapids, on the Maumee; George W. Kellogg, from Gorham, and who, a few years thereafter, returned ; Elizur B. Clark, Mrs. Amy Welch, Gideon Clark, Marietta Turner, and Adaline Whaley. All of the last five named were children of George P. Clark, and his wife, Elizabeth. The mother, at the ad- vanced age of ninety years, is living with her son, Elizur Clark. They were from Orleans county, N. Y., and settled here in the fall of 1836. Amaziah Turner came in 1835, and settled on section sixteen. He died away many years ago.


From 1840 until 1850 there came to this county and settled in Chesterfield David Marks, who came from Ashland county, O. ; William E. l'ennington, from Somerset county, N. J., in 1847; Ephraim Pennington came with his son, William. The father was a soldier of the Revolution, and died at his son's residence, aged ninety years; Josiah Lee, in 1845, settled on section twenty- 57


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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.


two; Eustice Leggett, on section twenty-eight ; Peter Powers, and his wife, Julia A. (Kennedy) Powers, in 1849, on section nineteen ; Henry L. Smith and his wife, Eunice ; Charles Bowen in 1843; he came from Berkshire county, Mass., and married in this county to Miss Julia A. Baldwin ; William Lee and family, in 1846; they came from Gorham; William A. Williams and his brother, Edward, in 1845; Ezra Mead and William E. Parmalee, in 1840; Thomas Cuff and Asahel Kennedy in 1840; John W. Bradley, James H. Tur- ner, Jesse Thorpe, Washington Thorpe, Chauncey Bulkley, Asahel Scofield, John Moffett, Fletcher Bishop, Lewis A. Lee, Almon M. Lee, Charles Mcken- zie, Clarkson Warne, Lafayette Sherman, Peter Romans, Oliver Todd, Oliver Griffith, John H. Martin, Moses La Rue, Daniel Clock, Samuel Stout, William Holben, William Lee, James Martin, John Smith, Isaac Jones, Peter Jones, Jackson Jones, I. Schoonover, Holloway H. Beatty, and his sons, Sidney S. Beatty, and Whitfield Beatty, who came from Sussex county, N. J., in 1845. Eustice Leggett, John Stites, Samuel Gillis, who under the present constitu- tion, was honored as the first probate judge of the county from this township. He died many years ago.


Martha Turner was the first white child born in Chesterfield township, and the record says she was born July 29, 1835.


The first marriage was Sallie A. Clemens to Elias Salisbury, in 1840.


Alanson Briggs was the only colonel of State militia which mustered for the last time at Etna, in 1843. Lyman L. Beebe was captain of a company from Chesterfield; Hiram Farwell was captain of a company from Gorham, and Charles B. Smith was captain of a company from Royalton. Eli Philips was lieutenant-colonel; Ezra Wilcox, of Fulton, was adjutant, and Michael Handy paymaster ; Charles W. Hill of Toledo was the general. About 1843, time the State militia service declined, as it was held to be a useless encumbrance upon the people, and never again met to drill.


Remembrances. - All the early pioneers witness this fact, that the woods were well filled with game of many kinds, which by means of the trusty rifle, kept the people from hunger. In these very early days not enough white men could be gathered together to raise their log cabins and they had to call for the services of the red men. They were always ready and willing, provided there was whisky on hand. They always drank what they wanted, and saved enough for the next day. You ask the question, how ? They would fill their mouths as full as they could hold, step back from the rest and emit it into a bottle to drink the next day. No Indian ever refused to drink whisky when offered him.


The first attempt of the people to levy a tax for school purposes failed at the first election, but at the next election it was carried by a majority vote of the people. Soon thereafter provision was made for a school. Accordingly, the inhabitants hastily constructed a school-house on section 16, on the north- east corner, just south of the Hawley Cemetery. Flavel Butler taught the first


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FULTON COUNTY.


school in the winter of 1837, and this was the first school ever taught in the township. At this time Chesterfield included the greater part of Gorham, and the northern half of Dover, running to the Fulton line on the south.


The remembrances as related by Mrs. Sarah Sheffield, show that Indians helped to raise their log cabin to the height of three logs, when the whisky was passed, and as soon as they got their drink they left, and other means had to be resorted to, to get up the logs. They got it ready and moved into it in about one month. The only trading point was at Adrian. It required one day to go, and one to get back home. In August, of 1839, the Indians of the vicin- ity, and over four hundred from Illinois, had a war-dance near the house, which at the time boded no good to the whites, yet they were not molested.


Alanson Briggs sold the first goods in the township as early as 1835. He kept a small supply at his place of residence, on section 12 (the place now owned by James II. Turner). Alfred C. Hough sold a few groceries from his residence when he first settled in Chesterfield. Since this time no goods were sold upon Chesterfield soil, until within a few years past a partial supply of goods and groceries have been kept at the cheese factory of Peleg S. Lee, for the benefit of his patrons.


Harlow Butler was the first justice of the peace in the township, as well as the first school examiner of the county. Alfred C. Hough was the second just- ice. Harlow Butler issued the first forty-seven certificates to teachers of the county. He held the first law-suit tried, entitled Simmons vs State of Ohio. John R. Roberts built and run the first cheese factory in the township, which was at a later day with all its appurtenances, transferred to Peleg S. Lee, who is now proprietor.


There is but one church edifice in the township, standing upon the corner of lands now owned by William Onweller. It was built by the " Disciples of Christ." This is the only church organization of the township. The township is the owner of a substantial brick town hall, situated in the center of the town- ship, and which is used for township and other purposes.


During the years 1850 and 1851, a company organized in Toledo, and ob- tained a charter to build a plank road from Toledo to Morenci, Lenawee county, Mich. The grant or right of way was upon the old territorial road, running in this county through the townships of Royalton and Amboy. For the construction of this road, the townships through which it passed, by a vote authorized the bonding thereof for a certain amount per mile. The road was built, and to the people proved to be valueless for their commercial interest, and the payment of the bonds was a severe tax upon the people of the town- ship. The road was never kept in repair, and in a few years entirely rotted away.


There are no railway lines in the township. est outlet by rail over the Canada Southern road.


Morenci, Mich., is their near- Morenci is chiefly their trad-


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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.


ing point, as here the competition afforded makes this town as good to them as any point in the county. Chesterfield contains no village nor very important industry. It has no schools except the common schools of the State, of which the township contains seven in sub-districts, in all of which they have new and improved structures, either brick or wood, and all are in a flourishing condition and the pride of the township.


There are three important cemeteries in the township: The first upon section 9; one located upon a corner of the old homestead of Harlow Butler, on section 28, which has become the resting-place of many of the old pioneers ; the other is on section 24, where others of the old settlers now rest from the toils and hardships of the first days of Chesterfield.


Soils. - The soil of this township is largely " sand openings," excepting a strip along the State line which seems to be of quite stiff clay of the lacustrine order. The Bean Creek valley is chiefly " made " land and contains large de- posits of soil left by the overflow which has continued for a long period of years. When drained, the land is exceedingly productive. In many places sand spurs from the openings reach down to a beach formation, leaving the creek upon its east side as a general rule. The sand lands of the township are as productive as the more level clays, and much easier to work. In the west- ern part of the township it is, if anything, better than in the eastern part, where the surface is not as often filled with the low depression common to the open- ings, and called " prairie lands."


Water Supply .- The water supply of this township is not of the best, ex- cept in the western part, along the Bean Creek valley, where borings have been made, and in many places and where artesian wells are obtained. The sand beds of this as well as some other townships of the county are the great store-house for the rain. falls of the season, and offer abundant assurance of a water supply against extreme drouths. This explains the cause of the frequent springs arising from these sand-drifts, which proves the only support for the wells put down thereon, forming a sufficient basin in the underlying clay de- posit. This supply is only to be determined by the area of the sand deposit. In this water the usual earthy carbonates making it "hard" water, are always present, though not often in great quantity. The discharge of these waters, though at times copious, is, in this day of artificial land drainage, very fortu- nately limited. The lacustrine clays which formerly cut off the discharge from these sand beds, are now opened with deep ditches, and all of them serve as taps to the water supply of these beds, and now afford continual drainage.


Streams .- The main water course for the streams of this township is upon its extreme western boundary, and called Bean Creek, to which the streamlets of the greater part of the township lead in a westerly direction, and empty therein. The waters of the eastern part are discharged mainly into Ten Mile Creek, which is formed in part from the waters of the township of Royalton and Am-


ALBERT DEYO.


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FULTON COUNTY.


boy, and tend generally east. In the township of Chesterfield the streams are principally ditches or drains through the prairies so prominent in the openings of the township, and wherever there is any large area of sand deposits. All the waters of this township find their way to the Maumee Bay by two widely different outlets : Ten Mile Creek running directly east near the State line to the Maumee Bay, and the western waters through Bean Creek, running in a southwesterly course to Defiance, into the Maumee River, and thence to the Maumee Bay, where they discharge into Lake Erie. The waters of the eastern part of the township flow over a very gentle slope in their long run for an outlet as the eastern portion has but a slight inclination eastward toward Lake Erie, while the western part of the township has quite a marked inclination westward towards Bean Creek, with a general but a very slight dip southward. Chester- field has an altitude of about one hundred and fifty-five feet above the water level of Lake Erie. There is no out-cropping of rock, and but few glacial bould- ers in the township. The drift overlying the rock is from one hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty feet in depth, the largest share of which is the Erie or blue clay.


Timber .- The Bean Creek valley of this township supports a very heavy growth of timber, probably the heaviest of any section thereof, elin and burr oak predominating, interspersed with sycamore, whitewood, black walnut and some hickory. Cottonwood is quite abundant in the more moist lands of the bottoms; black ash and basswood may be found in some parts wherever red oak appears, as an accompanying growth ; also an undergrowth of dogwood, ironwood and blue beach (sometimes called hornbeam). The northern portion of the township also supports a heavy forest growth of oak timber of all the varieties, interspersed with much elm and cottonwood in certain areas. The balance of the township, south and east of the foregoing named area, is clearly denominated openings, and was originally sparsely covered with dwarf oaks of the yellow, white and black varieties, with now and then an area of white hick- ory. The more moist lands are densely covered with the quaking asp or asp- en, interspersed with willow. If the fires could be prevented from running over the prairies, and they could remain undisturbed for a few years, a growth of cottonwood would be the result, all of spontaneous production, and a suffi- cient growth to surprise the next generation of men upon its soil. Since the settlement of this township and the withdrawal of cattle from the range, there has sprung up an undergrowth of oak, with some other varieties, and now pre- sents the appearance of a forest growth which, in a few years, will prove suffi- cient to support the building and fuel purposes of the township, if properly cared for. These openings are not to be despised, as once they were, as no better land for mixed agriculture can now be found in this county.


Agricultural .- The agricultural power of this township is not fully devel- oped by at least one-half. The township is, at present, a purely agricultural


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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.


territory, and in its full strength can support double the present population. It has no other profitable industry of any importance within its borders than the farm and its products.


In 1880, the time of taking the last Federal census, this township had a population of 1013, the lowest of any township of the county. It is the ninth township in valuation of personal and real estate.


This township, for a long period of years, had no post-office within the lim- its of its present area ; but in later years one has been established called " Oak Shade," near the geographical center, which is supplied three times each week from a mail route running from Morenci, Mich., to Wauseon, O.


Crops .- In the assessors' report for this township, as returned to the audit- or's office in May, 1887, the crops of 1886 are statistically reported as follows : Wheat, acreage 1422 ; bushels grown 27,009. Rye, acreage 183; bushels grown 3439. Buckwheat, acreage 36; bushels grown 597. Oats, acreage 807 ; bushels grown 35,662. Barley, acreage 3 ; bushels grown 36. Corn, acreage 1324; bushels grown 48,335. Meadow, acreage 1283 ; tons cut 1581. Clover, acreage 313 ; tons cut 327 ; bushels of seed threshed 184. Potatoes, acreage 68 ; bushels raised 9149.


Number of pounds of butter made, 33.220 dairy, and 10,000 pounds of creamery ; one factory produced the gross amount of 100,000 pounds of cheese. There were made 681 gallons of sorghum syrup ; 1310 pounds of grapes and 84 bushels of sweet potatoes were grown. The estimated amount of eggs was 25,445 dozens. The township contains 393 acres of orchard all in good bear- ing condition, the produce of which was 23,035 bushels of apples, 140 bushels of peaches, 161 bushels of pears, 41 bushels of cherries and 9 bushels of plums. The wool product of this year was 23, 192 pounds. The sheep, hog, cattle and horse product will compare favorably with other townships. According to size of territory this township is quite prominent for its cheese industry, having at present one factory, which is a part and parcel of the farm industry.


Official Roster .- Before the organization of Fulton county and while under the municipal control of Lucas county, Harlow Butler served several years as school examiner. Next succeeding Butler was Alfred C. Hough. Both held by appointment. Under the new county organization of Fulton Alfred C. Hough was elected auditor two terms successively, and served four years, and still later served a third term of two years. Under the new constitution Sam- uel Gillis was elected the first probate judge and served three years, retiring in February, 1854. Upon the organization of this county under the old consti- tution Alfred C. Hough was chosen one of the associate judges, but when his election to the office of county auditor was secured he resigned, and William E. Parmelee was appointed, who held the position for a brief period. In later years William A. Williams was appointed county school examiner by Judge Oliver B. Verity, and was continued therein until his death in 1876 or '77,


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FULTON COUNTY.


having served honorably for a period of about eleven years. Albert Deyo was three times called to the office of clerk of the Common Pleas Court, serving a period of nine years, and upon his retirement to his farm was, in 1883, elected to fill the office of representative in the Ohio Legislature, and in 1885 was again returned, and leaves after four years' service with an unstained reputa- tion. In 1850 William E. Parmalee was chosen deputy marshal to take the census of a certain district of the county, including his own township. Soon after the establishment of the county infirmary, in 1874, James H. Turner was elected director for a term of three years, and was twice re-elected, and served in all a period of nine years.


CHAPTER XLIV.


HISTORY OF CLINTON TOWNSHIP.


T HIS territory was originally a part of Wood county, which was organized from old Indian territory, by the Legislature of Ohio, April 1, 1820. In July, 1835, Lucas county was organized by the same body, which county, or territory of land, passed under the control of said Lucas county, and on June 6, 1836, all the territory south of the "Fulton line " (the compromise line of the ordinance of 1787, by which Virginia ceded all this northwest territory to the United States) passed under the control of York township, being described as follows : Town 7, north, ranges 5, 6, 7 and 8, east, and town 8, north, ranges 5, 6, 7 and 8, east. At a commissioners' meeting held at the city of Toledo, March 5, 1838, Clinton township was organized by taking from York township towns 7 and 8, north, ranges 5 and 6, east, and the first election therein was held on the first Monday of April, 1838. This township main- tained municipal control over all of said territory until March 4, 1839, when German township was organized off its western territory-towns 7 and 8, north, range 6, east. Again the said board of commissioners at the city of Maumee, in said county of Lucas, June 3, 1843, organized the township of Dover by taking from Clinton township all of town 8, north, range 6, east, and sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 off the north side of town 7, north, range 6, east ; afterwards, in the winter of 1850, the Legislature of Ohio organized the county of Fulton, taking from the county of Henry a strip of land from its northern border two miles in width, its entire length. Henry county, like Wood, was organized from old Indian territory, April 1, 1820. That part from Henry county lying adjacent, on the south, was attached to and became a part of Clinton township, to wit : Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, II


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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.


and 12; town 6, north, range 6, east, formerly a part of Freedom township in Henry county, leaving its boundaries as they at present exist.


Organisation .- This township as it at present exists has forty-two full sections of 640 acres each, making in total 26,880 acres of land in the town- ship. It was comparatively new territory when organized ; covered with a dense forest, only roamed over by the Indian as his hunting ground, they being at an early period very numerous. It was of easy access from the Mau- mee River, upon which they had large Indian towns in places along its entire length.


Clinton township is now composed of sections 7 to 36, inclusive, of town 7, north, range 6, east, and sections I to 12, inclusive, of town 6, north, range 6, east, taken from Henry county and now consists of parts of two congressional surveyed townships.


Boundaries .- Clinton township is bounded on the north by Dover ; on the east by York ; on the south by Freedom township, Henry county, and on the west by German township. Its area is forty-two square miles, and it lies in nearly a square compact form, and contains within its boundaries one large village, which, since 1872, has been the county seat of Fulton county.


Topography .- Clinton township lies entirely within the broad, shallow val- ley that is drained by the Maumee River. In common with a part of German on the west and York and Swan Creek townships on the east its surface has a general slope to southeast; and the hightest land is in the north and north- west parts of the township. The general surface is at least one hundred and fifty feet above the level of Lake Erie.




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