USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of Huron County, Ohio, Its Progress and Development, Volume I > Part 29
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The Indians were not very numerous in this township, but were often seen in hunting parties after the war. At one time they had a camp in the town- ship. Among their number was the noted chief, Seneca John. An Indian trail ran northwest and southeast through the township, and was visible for many years.
TOWNSEND TOWNSHIP.
Townsend township derives its name from Kneeland Townsend, who owned the greater part of the land in the first settlement. He was. prior to coming to Ohio. a merchant in New Haven, Connecticut, and was a man highly respected for his integrity, business habits and general uprightness of character.
The surface of the township is generally level with slight undulations in the second and third sections. The soil is a clay loam, with a mixture of sand in the northern and northwestern portions. The streams are small, the largest being
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Rattlesnake creek, a tributary of the Huron, flowing through the west part of the township. The name originated from the large number of rattlesnakes that were formerly found along the stream. There are two other branches of the Huron in the western part, and La Chapelle, a tributary of the Vermillion, in the eastern part. The stream is said to have derived its name from a French- man who discovered it, and explored it to its source.
Townsend was originally clothed with a magnificent growth of timber, the principal varieties of which were white oak, whitewood. ash, hickory. black wal- nut, butternut, beech and maple. The manufacture of white oak staves was an important industry of this township for many years. The staves were usually marketed at Milan, and so extensive was the business that the product was known as "Townsend wheat."
The first election for township officers was held, in pursuance of an order of the supreme court, October 15. 1820, at the house of Benjamin Bailey. Jasper Miles, Abijah Barber, and Isaac R. Wright were judges, and Frederick Perr- ing and Royal Munger, clerks of election. Township officers were elected as follows: Frederick Perring, clerk : Abijah Barber, David Lee, and Benjamin Bailey, trustees; Thomas E. Fletcher and Isaac R. Wright, overseers of the poor ; Royal Munger and David C. Lewis, fence viewers; Hiram Bailey, ap- praiser of property ; Samuel Sherman, lister : Abijah Barber, treasurer.
The earliest settlements in the township were made in the north part, in section number three, and George Miller is generally accorded the honor of being the first settler. He removed with his family from Pennsylvania to Milan, (then called Avery,) Erie county, Ohio, in 1809, and remained there until 1811. when he came to Townsend, and took up his abode on lot number five. His log cabin was the first habitation for the abode of civilized people in the township. Mr. Miller was a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1765.
Soon after Miller, came William Burdue and family. Burdue was also a native of Pennsylvania, and was born November 26, 1782. March 28, 1809, he married Elizabeth Blazer, who was born September 26, 1791. In 1810 he re- moved with his family, consisting of wife and one child, to the vicinity of Milan, then called Indian Village, but remained there only one year, when he moved into Townsend, making his location on lot number four, in section three.
There was only one mill on the Firelands at that time, and that was situated at the head of Cold creek.
The first postoffice was established in 1833 or 1834, with Daniel Phillips as postmaster, who kept the office in his house, on lot ninety-two, in the first sec- tion. The office was called East Townsend, which name it has retained until the present time, for the reason that there was an office in Sandusky county of the name of Townsend.
The first east and west mail through Townsend was carried, on foot, by a man of the name of Coles, whose trip extended from Akron to Norwalk. At first his mail bag consisted of a large sized pocket book, locked with a padlock of about the size of a silver half dollar, but the first trip he made through Town- send his "mail bag" was entirely empty. An early mail carrier was a man by the name of Waldron, and on one of his trips through the woods he threw the mail bag at a deer, knocking it down, and before the animal could regain his feet he
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jumped upon it and cut its throat with a pocket-knife. A man by the name of De Bow carried the mail from Norwalk to Medina, back in the twenties. His route passed within twenty or thirty rods of Thomas Fletcher's house, on the creek, south of the Medina road. Fletcher cut a mortise in a large white oak tree, on the road, for the reception of his mail, and made an arrangement with the mail carrier to blow his tin horn whenever his "box" contained any mail. The arrangement was faithfully carried out by De Bow, and the sound of his horn became as familiar as the song of the whippoorwill.
The earliest doctors who practiced in the township were doubtless from the surrounding towns. The first resident physician was Dr. G. R. Stanton, who located at the center, and began to practice in 1847.
The different settlements in Townsend were so separated from each other that election days were the only occasions on which they met together. Men and boys attended the election as a holiday, bringing their rifles with them to shoot at target. As but few votes were polled and but little excitement, politically, pre- vailed, they had plenty of time to engage in sports.
At the presidential election, when Jackson was elected president, there was a grand wrestling match between the two political parties. It was a close con- test, but the administration party prevailed, who regarded the result as signifi- cant. and the affair came very near ending in a general fight.
Although the first settlers in Townsend were among the first in the county, the township was nevertheless much more slowly settled than many others. The land was difficult to bring under subjection, being generally wet and very heavily timbered, and the township was generally shunned by the earlier emi- grants. Many who did take up land, and ran in debt for it, were compelled. after years of hard toil and privation, to give up the struggle, thus losing the im- provements they had made. When the land was once cleared and drained, it was found to be very productive, and in the character of its soil the township now ranks among the best in the county.
A substantial, two-story brick town hall was erected in the summer of 1870, at the center, costing four thousand five hundred dollars. The plan was drawn and the building erected by E. Kinney, architect and builder, living at Townsend center.
William Townsend, one of the original proprietors of the township, put up a block house at the center, in which he opened a store in 1822 or 1823. It was furnished from his store in Sandusky, which he established in the winter of 1819-20, bringing his first goods from New Haven, Connecticut, in a sleigh.
A store was subsequently kept here a short time by Kneeland Townsend. brother of William Townsend, and still later by James Arnold, who continued in merchandise for a number of years.
There are two villages in the township, of nearly equal size, called Townsend center and Collins, the latter situated on the railroad, half a mile north of the center. At Townsend center there are two churches, two stores, one millinery shop, one blacksmith shop, one school house, one sawmill, one bee-house, one violin manufacturer and one architect and builder.
At Collins there are one general store one grocery, one tin shop, one millin- ery store. one hotel, two blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, two shoe shops.
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one harness shop, one broom factory, one pump factory, and one sawmill and bending works.
The pioncer mill of Townsend was established by William Burdue. He brought with him from Pennsylvania a pair of small millstones and set up a hand mill for grinding grain. The rude contrivance was a great convenience to the early settlers, who were thus saved many miles of travel, through dense woods to get their milling done.
The first wedding in Townsend was that of Dr. Lyman Fay, of Milan, and Miss Caroline Kellogg, daughter of Orisimus Kellogg, of this township. This event occurred at the house of the bride's father, July 21, 1816, David Abbott, Esq., tying the nuptial knot.
William and Elizabeth Burdue were the parents of the first white children born in the township. They were twins, were born in the year 1816, and lived only a few months. The next birth was that of Roxena Goodell, daughter of David and Electa Goodell. She was born June 19, 1817. married Amherst Ord- way, January 24, 1838, and died in Wood county, Ohio, May 11, 1876. A birth also occurred in one of the Barber families in 1817.
David Sayre, was the first person that died in the township, but the date we are unable to give.
The first tavern was opened by Moses D. Fowler, in the southwest part of town, on the Medina road, about the year 1834. On the southeast corner of the cross roads, where the west line road intersects the Medina road, stands the old "Blue Fly" erected by William Thompson. It was originally painted blue. Some one facetiously dubbed it "the blue fly," and the place has been known by that name. Thompson kept it as a tavern for five or six years when he sold it to Theodore Williams, of Norwalk.
The first school house was built in the Barber settlement, about the year 1818. The first school teacher is not known with certainty, but is generally supposed to have been Jasper Miles, who taught a winter school. Miss Polly Barber kept the first summer school. Lucy Tenant was among the earliest school teachers in the township.
"The Western Reserve Union Institute," was established at Collins, in 1855, chiefly through the efforts of W. S. Hyde. The institution derived its support from the tuition of its pupils, and was not incorporated. It had an existence until about the year 1870, when the building was purchased by the township, and has since been used as a district school.
The first saw mill in this township was built by David Lee, in 1820. It was located on lot seventy-three, in the fourth section, on Rattlesnake creek. There are. at the present time, three saw mills in operation. The mill near the center was erected by James Arnold. in the winter of 1848-49. When completed, he sold it to William Humphrey, who operated it until his death, in 1874, when it passed into the hands of George Bargus, the present owner.
The sawmill of L. V. Mckesson was established by Cyrus Minor, in 1856. He operated it for five or six years, when he sold to James McCullough, who, a year subsequently, moved the machinery away. A man by the name of Funk afterwards bought the building and fitted it up for a grist mill, which he carried on for three years, and then removed the machinery to Mt. Vernon.
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Mrs. Caroline Fay gave the following account of their flight on hearing of Hull's surrender : "The sad news was announced at my father's dwelling at the hour of midnight of the 8th of July. The elder members of our family arose and set themselves to work immediately, making preparations to flee for their lives. At ten o'clock in the morning we were all ready and commenced our flight from the savage foe which we imagined was in close pursuit. We directed our course for Cuyahoga, Portage county. It had been raining quite hard all of the previous night. After traveling four or five miles we fell in company with four families of our acquaintance. We got twelve miles on our journey by dark, and pitched our tents and partook of our evening meal, and were obliged to spread our beds on the wet ground, and in the morning they were nearly covered with water caused by the rain that had fallen during the night. There we were, in an unbroken wilderness, and an unfrequented road of seventy-five miles to our place of destination. We were obliged to ford all the streams that lay in our path or to stop and cut trees and bridge those that were flooded by the recent rain. We were on our journey eight days and seven nights without seeing so much as a log cabin, expecting every night when we lay down to rest to be tomahawked and scalped before morning by the Indians. Many of the youth of our company were so much fatigued by travel that they could not stand alone when they first rose in the morning. One night we camped near a sugar camp where some one had made sugar the previous spring and spread our beds on some bark that was lying on the ground. To my astonishment, when I arose in the morning, I saw a blacksnake peeping out his head from under the bed that I had rested upon. On removing the bed the men killed seven large snakes."
WAKEMAN TOWNSHIP.
Wakeman township was named for Jesup Wakeman, one of the original pro- prietors of the land, and it still retains its original name.
It lies generally rolling, especially the east half, and was heavily timbered with oak, beech, maple, basswood, elm, black walnut, cherry, etc. The soil is clayey with a mixture of sand sufficient to make it easy to till.
Vermillion river enters the township from the south near the center of the town line, and running a wonderfully crooked course, passes about a mile east of the center and leaves the township a short distance west of the section line. Brandy creek enters the south line of the township, in the southwest part. and forms a junction with the Vermillion a short distance northeast of the center of the town. La Chapelle creek rises in Townsend, enters this township south of the center road and leaves it a mile and a quarter east of the northwest corner. The stream is said to have derived its name from a Frenchman by the name of De La Chapelle, who discovered and explored it to its source, long before the country was settled.
Wakeman was attached to Florence for township purposes until February, 1824, at which time, on petition of the inhabitants, it was set off by the county commissioners, and organized independently. The election was held at the log school house near Mr. Canfield's, in April following.
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The first road was that along the west town line, called the "Reed road," a man of that name having opened it. The first road within the township was that along the line of the first settlements, called the New London road. It is a mile cast of the west line road, and runs a generally north and south direction. It was opened by the settlers, being at first merely underbrushed and originally ran a more crooked course than it now does, in order to avoid swales and steep hills. The east and west center road was opened west of the center in 1825 or 1826, and east of the center a few years after.
The first religious meeting in Wakeman was held at the house of Augustin Canfield, Sunday evening, January 10, 1819. Rev. Lot B. Sullivan, a mission- ary, was the preacher. Mr. and Mrs. Canfield, Dr. Clark and wife led the sing- ing. They were the pioneer choir of Wakeman for many years.
The first church organization was formed at the house of Mr. Pierce, October 25. 1822, by Rev. A. H. Betts and Rev. Joseph Treat. The society was of the Congregational order.
The first white child born in the township was Burton M. Canfield, April 18, 1818. The first girl baby born was Mary Smith, April, 1821.
The first wedding in Wakeman was that of Marshall Johnson and Marinda Bradley. They were married in October, 1820, at the house of Abram Bronson, Dr. Clark performing the ceremony. The next couple married was Nathaniel Hine, of Berlin, and Ruth Sherman, in the winter of 1821.
The first death in the township was that of Mrs. Hendricks, mother of Mrs. Abram Bronson, which occurred in 1820. The death of Mr. Bronson occurred a short time after that of Mrs. Hendricks.
The first burial ground was on the southwest corner of the crossroads, near where Mr. Mordoff later lived. Some of the bodies were afterwards taken up and removed to other burial grounds, and the former ground was abandoned for that purpose. The first interment in the cemetery at the center was that of Mrs. Justus Minor.
The first frame building in the township was the barn of Justin Sherman, in 1823. The first completed frame house was built by Mr. Sherman in 1827. The erection of a frame house had previously been commenced by Sheldon Barnes, but before it was finished, it was taken down and removed elsewhere.
The first public house was kept by Marcus French, a half mile west of the center on the section line.
The first regular train of cars ran through the township was on November 24. 1852.
The first and only murder committed in the township was in 1843. The victim was the wife of Alexander Lawtha. She was strangled to death by the hands of her husband, assisted by John Simpson, a neighbor. The body of the woman was thrown into a well, and when found. the prints of the fingers on her neck could be plainly seen. The murderers were convicted of the crime, and Lawtha was sentenced to the penitentiary for life, but before his removal to the county jail, he cut his throat with a razor, but before death he made a confession of his crime. Simpson was sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of ten years, and served out his term.
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The first settlers went to Esquire Merry's mill in Milan township to get their grinding done, a distance of fourteen miles as the road originally ran. Sub- sequently, and until the erection of a gristmill by Burton Canfield in 1824, they obtained their grist at Ruggles' mill in Florence, and at Husted's mill in Clark -- field. In 1823. Burton Canfield built a sawmill on the Vermillion, east of Wake- man village. The next year he added a frame grist mill with one run of stone. The mill stones were made out of the ordinary "hard head" stone by Elder Phillips, a pioneer Baptist preacher of Berlin. He took the job for thirty-five dollars. and realized less than a shilling a day, the stone proving harder than he had estimated.
A sawmill was built on the La Chapelle in 1823 by Justin Sherman. This and the Canfield mill were erected at the same time, but the Sherman mill sawed the first log. On the same stream there were formerly three other sawmills. one built by Esquire Pierce about the year 1833. one by C. C. Canfield in 1840. and one by B. M. Canfield in 1848. That of C. C. Canfield was in operation for thirty years, and did an extensive business.
The first school was opened by Mrs. Dr. Clark in her own house, in the sum- mer of 1818. Her scholars were Calvert C., Royal R. and Sarah Ann Canfield: Lemuel B., Bennett and Minott Pierce. Mrs. Clark taught for one dollar per week, and boarded herself. Her wages were paid, not in money, but in the prod- ucts of the soil, the usual legal tender in those early times. The school was also kept by Mrs. Clark in the log house of Mr. Canfield. The scholars would each carry an ear of corn to school which the teacher would boil for them. this constituting the only dinner they had. School was kept in Wakeman only a few weeks in the year, and the children, or at least the boys, the eldest of whom was not more than ten years of age. attended a school in Florence, traversing an unbroken forest for a distance of three miles. In the year 1820 the first school house was built, of logs of course, on the farm of Augustin Canfield.
The log school house served the double purpose of a place of teaching and a house of worship for about nine years, when it was replaced by a comfortable frame school house, twenty-two by twenty-six feet in size, with a genuine shingle roof. The meeting to consider the question of its erection was held at the old school house, January 29, 1829. Bela Coc was chosen moderator of the meet- ing, and Augustin Canfield, clerk. It was decided to build the house by a tax. the cost of which was to be one hundred and seventy dollars. Among other things it was resolved that "we will have a chimney in said house," that "a writ- ing desk shall be attached to the side of the house," etc. It was also stipulated that the house should be opened on the Sabbath to the Congregational and Methodist churches, each to occupy it one-half of the time, "but if it so happens that one denomination does not want to occupy their half of the time, and the other does more, it shall be their privilege to do so." The house had a kind of dedication by a union service of the two churches on Christmas eve, 1829. the Rev. Xenophon Betts and True Pattee officiating on the occasion. The house was trimmed with evergreens and illuminated. The first teacher in the new school house was J. M. Root.
In the year 1829 the inhabitants of Wakeman attained to the felicity of a weekly mail. Isaac Todd and Cyrus Minor drew up, or caused to be drawn up.
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a petition for the extension of the mail route from Grafton, Lorain county, to Norwalk, and carried it to Grafton to obtain the signatures of the settlers along the proposed route. After the mail was established, the settlers along the line turned out and under-brushed a road from Wakeman to Grafton. The first mail- carrier was one Cole, who carried the mail once a week, making his journeys on foot. The first trip he made through Wakeman he stopped at Isaac Todd's, whose house was the first on his ronte west of La Grange. No mail bag being visible, Mr. Todd inquired about it. "Oh, I've got it," replied the carrier, and he reached in his pocket and drew forth a large-sized pocket-book, on which was a padlock about the size of a silver half dollar. Mr. Todd, naturally taken aback at the apparent unimportance of the enterprise he had labored hard to establish, said : "You don't mean to say you carry the mail in that ?" "Yes," rejoined Cole. "and it's large enough ; there's nothing in it!" The route was established. and the mail-carrier had to make the trip, although there was not an item of mail to carry. It was not long, however, before a more capacious mail bag was substi- tuted for the pocket-book.
A man by the name of Waldron afterwards carried the mail. He frequently stopped at Joseph French's, and on one occasion brought the family a piece of venison. On being asked where he got it he replied that he "shot the deer with the mail bag." He came upon the animal while browsing in the top of a fallen tree, struck it in the head with the bag, which so frightened the deer that he caught it and cut its throat with his knife.
The first postoffice was established January 1, 1833, with Justin Sherman, postmaster, who kept the office in his house. He served for seven years and three months, when he was succeeded by Merritt Hyde, and the office was moved to his dwelling, west of the center.
As already stated, Dr. Harmon M. Clark was the first physician that prac- ticed in the township. He had been engaged in the practice of medicine before he came to this country, and was a surgeon or assistant surgeon in the United States navy in the War of 1812.
The first store in Wakeman was kept by Justin Sherman near the center, on lot forty-five. He erected the building in 1839, and sold the first goods on the third day of July, 1841. His goods were purchased in New York city, and transported by way of Hudson river, Erie canal and Lake Erie to Huron, and thence to Wakeman by team.
The principal species wild animals originally found in the forests of Wake- man, were the bear, deer, wolf, wild-cat and fox. Bears, though not numerous, were occasionally seen. Deer were very numerous, and were frequently captured. They were the settlers' main dependence for meat, while their skins were used as an article of clothing by the male inhabitants. Suits made wholly of buckskin were worn only when absolute necessity required, a single wetting and drying making them very uncomfortable. It was more generally used for facing the ex- posed portion of the pantaloons.
The first election of a school board, of which there is a record, occurred Octo- bert 31, 1828, when Augustin Canfield was elected clerk ; Justin Sherman, Philo Sherman and Samuel Bristol, directors.
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Until 1827, the township constituted one school district. The location of the first school house being determined by the center of the population, it was built in the third section, as previously stated. In the spring of the above year a second school district was erected, embracing nearly three-fourths of the town- ship, and a log school house built at the center of town. A few years after a frame school house was built there.
In regard to the character of her schools and school houses, Wakeman occu- pies a front rank among the townships of the county.
The first year of the settlement, wheat was two dollars and potatoes one dol- lar and seventy-five cents per bushel, pork thirty dollars per barrel, and oftener of the "shack" variety than otherwise. Until the land was brought under culti- vation provisions were generally obtained in the surrounding earlier settlements.
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