History of Knox County, Ohio, its past and present, Part 83

Author: Hill, N. N. (Norman Newell), comp; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-; Graham, A.A. & Co., Mt. Vernon, Ohio
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Mt. Vernon, Ohio : A. A. Graham & Co.
Number of Pages: 1096

USA > Ohio > Knox County > History of Knox County, Ohio, its past and present > Part 83

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About the year 1800 a tragedy was enacted on the point of the bluff between Centre run and Owl creek, which ended in the death of two persons, one white, the other a mulatto. Two slaves had run away from their master, one Tomlinson, who lived in Virginia, and coming into this part of the country had taken up with squaws. Their pursu- ers tracked them through Zanesville and up Owl creek, and finally came upon them at Andy Craig's. One of the boys, a mulatto, recognized his mas- ter's son as he approached with two other men, and sprang to the bank into the creek, pursued by the men, who overtook him in the middle of the stream, and a deadly struggle took place, in which he killed his young master, but was then over- powered, taken to the hut, tied, and shortly after placed on the horse his young master had ridden, and the company started for Virginia with him. The second night after leaving Craig's they built a camp fire and left the mulatto tied by it, when they went out for game. On their return he was found to have been shot. It is believed that they had become tired of taking him along, and as he was surly and troublesome, he was killed out of revenge for the loss of young Tomlinson.

Benjamin Butler related that on the occasion of his trip to Owl creek in 1801, Andy Craig told him the particulars of this fight, and that in 1805, when he made a visit to Sandusky plains, he saw the ne- gro that escaped, who was then living with a squaw among the Indians, and talked with him about this affair.

Henry Haines, one of the members of the Penn- sylvania colony, came to Knox county about 1803 or 1804 with his family, and settled in what is gen- erally termed the Ten Mile settlement, the farm now owned by the Hon. Columbus Delano form- ing part of the colony's possessions. The land was first purchased by William Leonard, the patriarch of the settlement. Mr. Haines was one of the best men in the county at its organization in 1808. He was a native of Washington county,

Pennsylvania. He was a man of education and property, and was, at the time of his melancholy death, in easy circumstances. He was a man of great ingenuity, and with a turning-lathe he had in his house, made many useful household articles.

Prior to 1825, the commissioners appointed the county treasurers. Mr. Haines was their first ap- pointment, it having been made in the year 1808, shortly after the organization of the county. Mr. Haines held the office up to 1815, when he was succeeded by Mr. George Downs.

Mr. Haines became deranged on the subject of religion, and was at the time an active and leading member of the Christian denomination at that early day called New Lights. He officiated with James Smith in the first conference held in the county, of which David Young, of Zanesville, was presiding elder.

Mr. Haines became a loud exhorter, and, being deranged, secured a tin horn and rode around the town and county, day and night, notifying the peo- ple to prepare for judgment, as the world was com- ing to an end. He proclaimed the same doctrine in his insane moments as that subsequently pro- mulgated by the Millerites.

When he became ungovernable he was taken to Dr. R. D. Moore, who confined him in a mad shirt, or straight jacket, and treated him for several weeks, until he was restored to reason; but he said if he ever became insane again he would kill Dr. Moore. Shortly after this the doctor removed to Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Haines again be- came deranged, and was soon missed by his relatives and friends. Search was made for him, but with failure. His unexplained absence created considerable alarm. The first information that his family received of his whereabouts was in a letter from Dr. Moore. Haines had made his way to Connellsville for the purpose of killing the doctor, and had stolen the family silver spoons to pay his way. Upon his arrival at Connellsville he had be- come rational again, and he told the doctor what his purpose had been. Dr. Moore took the poor man to his home, cared for his wants, retained him for several weeks, and provided means for his return home. In the summer of 1817 the tin horn had ceased to be heard on the streets of Mt. Vernon for several days and nights. Haines had

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left his home once more. Word was brought to town that Hains was missing, and fears entertained that he had made away with himself. It was on Sunday, and nearly all the population of the village turned out to scour the woods adjacent to his farm. It was not until late in the afternoon that he was found, suspended from the limb of a small tree, about a quarter of a mile south of his resi- dence on the Merritt farm. Thomas Kerr, now of Liberty township, was one of the searchers, and has a vivid recollection of the occurrence.

Robert Thompson, from Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, ascended Owl creek in 1804, and selected a site for a farm two miles west of the public square in Mt. Vernon, now on the old Dela- ware road and occupied by Morgan F. and Gil- man B. Stilley. Mr. Thompson was a surveyor, and was in July, 1805, employed by Butler, Pat- terson & Walker to survey the new town of Mt. Vernon. He spent the greater part of life on his farm, and he and his wife now sleep together on a little knoll east of the old homestead.

Moses Craig married a daughter of Robert Thompson and came to Knox county at the same time.

John Mills was one of the parties who emigrated from Ten Mile, in Washington county, Pennsyl- vania, to the Harris settlement south of Mt. Ver- non, in 1804.

On the fourteenth of February, 1808, the gen- eral assembly of Ohio by joint ballot appointed William W. Farquhar, John Mills and William Gass, associate judges for Knox county, and on the twenty-eighth of March of the same year, the commissioners appointed to locate the seat of jus- tice for Knox county appeared before John Mills, justice of the peace, and were qualified to perform their duties. Mr. Mills held the office of associate judge until May 9, 1814, when he was succeeded by Samuel Kratzer.

Peter Baxter was one of the original settlers in the Haines' settlement, and was a member of the first jury impanelled in the county-the jury that convicted William Hedrick, who was publicly whipped for stealing. Isaac Bonnett came to Clin- ton township in 1805, located north of the old Delaware road and built the first brick house in the township, now occupied by Albert Sharp.

About 1805 or before, the Haines settlement was augmented by the arrival of the Leonard family, and the last will and testament of William Leonard was the first instrument of that kind ad- mitted to probate in the courts of Knox county.

Matthew Merritt came from Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1806, and located on the land now occupied by Hon. Columbus Delano. Mr. Merritt was foreman of the first grand jury impan- elled in Knox county, March 29, 1808, and in Oc- tober of the same year he was elected county com- missioner, for two years. Mr. Merritt was also elected justice of the peace for Clinton township in 1809.

The Beams, Lafevers, Walkers and others were also early settlers of Clinton township, but as their history is more closely identified with that of Mt. Vernon, it will be found in that connection.

Ebenezer and Abner Brown came from Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania, in 1804, and located in the Haines settlement. Here they erected the first grist-mill in Knox county. It was a very primitive structure, and while it bore no outward resemblance to Solomon's temple, it was yet con- structed "without the sound of the hammer upon iron." It was built entirely of wood; a sugar- trough sufficed for a meal-box, and for want of iron the stones, which were about two feet in diameter, were hooped with slippery elm bark. It was pro- pelled by water, and cracked corn very well when copious rains furnished sufficient motive power. The building was about ten feet square, constructed of rough logs, and was located on Delano's run, above the Martinsburgh road. It was principally fed at that time by what was called the Little Lake, but the lake, like the mill, is a thing of the past, having been so drained and altered by ditch- ing as to no longer be entitled to that appellation. This mill, although of the rudest possible construc- tion, was sufficient to "amaze the gazing rustics round" with its wonderful mechanical perfection. The stones are still relics of "ye olden time."

About the year 1815 a man named Wolgamott owned a small saw-mill on Delano's run, just be- low where the Martinsburgh road crosses the same. Later Walter Turner built a saw-mill on Owl creek, above the mouth of Center run, and James Newell erected one on Armstrong's run.

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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.

The Martin steam saw-mill, Mr. George R. Martin being proprietor, is located at the inter- section of the Newark and Granville roads, near the city of Mount Vernon, and is the only manufacturing establishment in Clinton township, outside of the city limits. The first mill was erected on these grounds by the firm of Shipley, Martin & Hart, in 1854, where they manufactured all kinds of hard lumber up to 1856, when the mill was destroyed by fire. The firm soon erected a new and more complete mill on the old site. This mill they operated with entire success until after the close of the late war of the rebellion, the demand for hard lumber being up to the full capacity of the mill. After the war, business being dull, and little or no demand for their lumber, a change in the proprietorship took place, until Mr. George R. Martin became sole owner. The business was continued with more or less success, as the demand increased or decreased, until 1874, when fire again destroyed the mill. With his usual energy and business tact, Mr. Martin soon erected the present mill upon the old site where he con- tinues to manufacture hard lumber of all kinds, fully equal to the demand.

In 1870 Robert Kelly and Byron Welch erected the Mount Vernon flax mills on the west bank of Owl creek, one and a half miles west of Mount Vernon. The main building is forty by seventy feet square. The engine-house is built of brick and is twenty by thirty feet in size. The buildings and machinery when ready to commence the manufacture of bagging for cotton bales, cost twenty-two thousand dollars.

Messrs Kelly & Welch operated the mills about five years, when, owing to the action of Congress in abolishing the tariff on jute, they failed in business, and at the assignees' sale Messrs. F. C. Wolf and Benjamin Martin purchased the mills for four thousand six hundred and seventy dollars. Wolf & Martin ran the mills two years, since which time they have been standing idle.

The first roads laid out through Clinton town- ship were the following: A road from Mt. Vernon to the west line of the county, petitioned for by Samuel Kratzer and others. Ziba Leonard, Na- thaniel Critchfield, and Joseph Coleman, were ap- pointed viewers, and John Dunlap, surveyor, and

they made their return on the fourth day of August, 1808.

The next was the Mt. Vernon and Newark road, petitioned for by John Dunlap and twenty-one others. William Gass, Henry Haines, and James Colville, were appointed viewers, and John Dunlap surveyor. The return to the county commissioners was made September 22, 1808. A road from · Mt. Vernon to Francis Hardesty's was returned June 12, 1810. The State road from Cleveland to Columbus afterwards occupied very nearly the same ground. "John Stilley's road" was laid out in 1814.

The old Delaware road was surveyed by the State in September, 1817, and laid out on very nearly the same ground as the first road from Mt. Vernon to the west line of the county. The new Delaware road was laid out by Frederick Avery, John Storm, and George Lewis, commissioners appointed by the State, and a copy of the survey filed in the office of the commissioners of Knox county, November 30, 1830.

The Ohio Register of May: 7, 1817, contains the following account of an Indian murder which oc- curred in Clinton township the week previous. The murder took place at an Indian encampment a short distance north of where the present White bridge spans the creek at the west end of High street. The encampment was on the west side of the creek :

Some day last week a small party of Indians, principally of the Mohawk tribe, arrived in this town for the purpose of trad- ing off their cranberries, etc., to the white people. They en- camped on the west side of Owl creek, and remained there in apparent harmony until Friday last, when that arch enemy of the civilized and savage (whiskey) made his appearance among them. It appears that two of the Indians having become rather "cockoosey," began scuffling with each other through diversion, when a third (more intoxicated than the others) interfered, and fell upon Jim Wyandott, who took the rough salutations of his adversary in good part, until he became too severe, when he in- formed him that they two had only been diverting themselves; but the murderer, disregarding the protestations of the deceased, fell upon him with the greater fury, armed with a tomahawk, scalping-knife, and club, and finally succeeded in killing Wyan- dott by giving him a blow on the breast with the club. It ap- pears that Wyandott, when he found that forbearance had ceased to be a virtue, made a strong resistance-but in vain! The murderer belongs to the Delaware tribe, and we are in- formed that this is the second homicide he has committed. He decamped the next morning.

We cannot here omit to mention that a gentleman of this town, with a humane generosity which does him much honor,

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presented the friends of the deceased with a coffin for their red brother.

Clinton township-outside of the city limits- has a population of nine hundred and twenty-six, six schools and a convenient number of good roads. Two railroads traverse its territory-the Lake Erie division of the Baltimore & Ohio road, and the Cleveland, Mt. Vernon & Columbus road.

The first election was held in Mt. Vernon, and all subsequent elections until April, 1866, when the voting place was changed to the brick school- house south of the Owl Creek bridge. At the last election Samuel Davis, John Boyd, and William McFadden were chosen trustees; R. N. Kindrick, treasurer ; L. E. Huntsberry, clerk; Edward M. Knight and W. L. Vance, constables; F. M. Shaf- fer, assessor; W. L. King, Norman L. Wall, Ezra Thayer, Thomas Spearman, C. D. Rinehart, Wil- liam L. Morey, and J. B. Steinmetz, board of edu- cation.

The following is a list of justices of the peace in and for Clinton township: John Mills, 1806; T. B. Patterson, 1808; Matthew Merritt, 1809; Samuel Kratzer, Silas Brown, and Allen Scott, 1811; James Smith and Benjamin Barney, 1815; Ben- jamın Martin and Stephen Chapman, 1817; John Roberts, 1818; William Y. Farquhar and Benja- min Martin, 1820 ; John Roberts, 1821; John H. Mefford, 1822; William Y. Farquhar, 1823; John Roberts, 1824; Joseph Brown and James McGib- eny, 1825; John Roberts, 1826; Gideon Mott and William Bevans, 1830; S. W. Hildreth, 1831; Wil- liam Bevans and Thomas Irvine, 1833; S. W. Hil- dreth, Johnson Elliott, and Thomas Irvine, 1836; Timothy Colopy, 1837; B. F. Smith and Robert F. Hickman, 1839; William Welsh, 1840; B. F. Smith, Robert F. Hickman, E. W. Cotton, 1842 ; William H. Cochran, 1843; Benjamin McCracken, 1845; E. W. Cotton, 1845; Nathaniel McGiffin, William H. Cochran, and Truman Ward, 1846; E. W. Cotton, 1848; William H. Cochran, 1849; Joseph S. Davis, 1850; E. W. Cotton, 1851; Wil- liam H. Cochran, 1852; Joseph S. Davis, 1853; Thompson Cooper, 1854; Samuel O. Beach and William H. Cochran, 1855; Thompson Cooper, Thomas V. Parke, and William H. Cochran, 1858; Calton C. Baugh and Thomas Cooper, 1860; Henry Warner, 1861; Henry Phillips, 1863; Ed-

mund V. Brent, 1864; Henry Phillips, 1866; John Y. Reeve, 1867; Thomas V. Parke, 1869; William Dunbar, 1870; Thomas V. Parke, 1872; B. A. F. Greer, 1873; Thomas V. Parke, 1875; John D. Ewing, 1876; Calton C. Baugh, 1878; John D. Ewing, 1879.

CHAPTER XLIX. COLLEGE TOWNSHIP.

TOPOGRAPHY -DISTILLERY -ORGANIZATION -ELECTION - ROADS-THE CONDITION IN 1829-THE MILL RACE-THE VILLAGE AND ITS BUSINESS-JUSTICES OF THE PEACE- THE PRESS OF GAMBIER-THE DWARFS-CHURCHES.

M ORE than ten years prior to the organization of this territory into a separate township, it was in possession of the trustees of Kenyon col- lege; and that famous institution, under the direc- tion of Bishop Chase, was in course of erection. The land was owned by a non-resident, Mr. Wil- liam Hogg, of Brownsville, Pennsylvania. This gentleman owned the northeast quarter of Pleasant (now College) township (four thousand acres), which was purchased by Bishop Chase for the col- lege grounds.

The entire tract was covered with a dense forest. The woods on the hill, where the college now stands, were somewhat open, owing, in part, to a wind-storm having at some period passed over it and prostrated the trees. Much of the history of the first settlement of this township will be found in the chapter following this; also many other mat- ters connected with its early history.

The rich valley lands in this township had been under cultivation since 1812, the inhabitants being known as squatters. They owned no land, were without property or education, and lived mostly by hunting, but had cleared up a few acres of ground around each cabin. As late as 1829, however, it appeared that only a small portion of the bottom land was cleared. From the top of the hill to the east line of the township was a dense forest of sugar, hickory, black walnut, etc. In those very early days a distillery was located near a large spring one hundred rods or more northeast of the

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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.

present site of Milner hall. There were no roads, but many paths and blazed trails through the forest, every one of which led as directly to this distillery as the spokes of a wheel to the hub. This neces- sity of pioneer life was, in 1830, used as a wash- 'house, where the washing for the college students was done. Every vestige of it has long since dis- appeared. As a distillery it was closed upon the advent of Bishop Chase, who was a strict temper- ance man.

The inconvenience of attending the township elections, at a point located some miles away on the Mt. Vernon and Martinsburgh road, induced the citizens living on the college grounds to peti- tion the legislature to have this tract set off and organized into a separate township. The petition was granted, and the first election held December 21, 1838, at the public house in Gambier, kept by Mor- decai W. Vore, and the following officers elected:

O. Lane, J. McMahon, M. W. Vore, trustees; D. L. Forbes, clerk; O. Welchymer and N. Head, constables; J. Kendrick and W. Claytor, overseers of the poor; M. T. C. Wing, treasurer; T. G. Odiorne, G. C. Johnson, N. Weaver, fence viewers; W. M. Lane and A. K. Forbes, supervisors. The voters in the early elections numbered twenty to thirty, and almost all of these were connected with the institution as professors, agents, keepers of boarding-houses, or other establishments depend- ant upon the college for sustenance.

At the spring election, 1859, J. McMahon, T. G. Odiorne and M. W. Vore were elected trustees; A. G. Scott, clerk; and M. T. C. Wing, treasurer. M. T. C. Wing was re-elected again and again, until he declined serving in 1842, when G. W. Meyers was chosen treasurer. Mr. Meyers was one of the earliest settlers of this township; a good practical printer and bookbinder, the first in these two trades on "the hill;" he contributed much to the preserva- tion of works in the libraries of the institution. For many years he was connected with the Acland Press. The printing office was the gift of liberal- minded English Protestants to Bishop Chase in 1825, and received its name in honor of Lady Ac- land, the fair donor who started the subscription. Upon this has been published various literary and religious articles calculated to advance the cause of learning and religion.

Prior to 1829 there were no roads over Gambier hill. The road from Mt. Vernon east passed around the foot of the hill and separating near the present residence of William Wright, one road led south, crossed the river below the present mill-dam and connected with the old Cambridge road, a mile south of Hopewell church. The road east wound through the brush and timber, crossing the river at Troutman's ford. In November, 1829, as Bishop Chase was about departing on a tour east

for the purpose of raising money for the college, he instructed Mr. N. W. Putnam (yet living, an old and much respected resident of Gambier) to get up petitions in proper form, to the county commis- sioners, for four roads, making the public well in Gambier the starting point. One road was to lead north toward Amity; one east toward New Castle; one south toward East Union and Bladensburgh, and one due west to the old Cambridge road in Pleasant township, crossing the river near the pres- ent railroad bridge. The petitions were duly writ- ten out by Mr. Putnam; the requisite number of signatures obtained; the petitions granted, and the four roads duly surveyed and established by the commissioners of Knox county.

Upon the return of Bishop Chase in May fol- lowing, he went immediately to Mr. Putnam with an angry lowering countenance, such as only Bishop Chase could wear, and asked in a stern manner who had been meddling with the road matter. When Mr. Putnam informed him that he was the author of the mischief and that it was by his (the bishop's) directions that the work was done, he was sternly rebuked, and informed that no such orders had ever been issued. It seems that, with the press of greater matters, the bishop had entirely forgotten about ordering the laying out of roads. He informed Mr. Putnam that he never intended to have public roads through Gam- bier; that he designed enclosing the "hill" in a high board fence, and place a keeper's lodge at the foot of the hill, near the road to Mt. Vernon. The road west was to start from the west end of Wiggin street (the main street east and west across the hill). The upsetting of the bishop's arrangements about the road ruffled his temper for some time, and to multiply the bad effects of a public road westward, he caused to be prepared a sign-board, on which

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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.

was painted in large letters the following: "West end of Wiggin street." This board was nailed to a post set on the bank of the creek, on the west side near the Mt. Vernon road. In the course of a few days some waggish fellow took up the post and pitched it, sign and all, into the river. Shortly after, it was discovered standing erect at the mill dam.

The following from the pen of Mr. Putnam, above mentioned, is interesting as giving a picture of the condition of things west of and in the village of Gambier in 1829:

The most prominent building east of Main street, Mount Vernon, at that time (1829) was the somewhat aristocratic resi- dence of the late Judge J. B. Thomas. Judge Thomas was the real author of the Missouri compromise-a measure, it was hoped, would for all time to come, settle the vexed question of slavery. In front of the residence of Judge Thomas now owned by P. H. Updegraff, esq., was a long row of Lombardy poplars -standing as erect as a platoon of French grenadiers at a re- view. In those days the Lombardy poplar was a sure indication of civilization and culture-since then it has been voted a nui- sance, and is now scarcely to be seen in any part of our country. Judge Thomas' place was the extreme eastern improvement on Gambier street. From thence to the top of the Brew house hill was an unbroken forest. Near the top of the hill on the north- east side near the spring, was a small clearing and a cabin occu- pied by a Mr. Thrailkill. A few straggling peach trees were standing there for some years afterwards. From this point to the place now owned by Walter McClelland there was no im- provement. This last named place, known as the half-way house, was owned by a very worthy Frenchman from the island of Guernsey, by the name of Torode. Mr. Torode came to this neighborhood in 1828, for the purpose of locating on the college land-he and his large family being zealous Episcopalians. Bishop Chase adopted, at this early period, the plan of holding all occupants of college lands as tenants at will, whether farm- ers, mechanics, or others, liable to be discharged at any mo- ment when the bishop should feel so disposed. Mr. Torode, having some money, preferred to be his own master, and the best thing he could do under the circumstances, was to pur- chase land of Daniel S. Norton, and open and improve a farın of his own. These lands of Mr. Norton"being the nearest to the college that he could procure. Mr. Torode, having a large family of strong able bodied boys, soon made an opening in the woods, built a large double-log cabin, put out fruit trees, etc. The large cherry trees now standing in front of the house were of his planting. Some years afterwards he sold the property back to Mr. Norton for the purpose of going west to obtain a larger quantity of land for his growing family. He settled in Cock county, near Chicago.

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History of Knox County, Ohio, its past and present, Part 83

Author: Hill, N. N. (Norman Newell), comp; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-; Graham, A.A. & Co., Mt. Vernon, Ohio Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Mt. Vernon, Ohio : A. A. Graham & Co. Number of Pages: 1096

Author: Hill, N. N. (Norman Newell), comp; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-; Graham, A.A. & Co., Mt. Vernon, Ohio
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Mt. Vernon, Ohio : A. A. Graham & Co.
Number of Pages: 1096