History of Logan County and Ohio, Part 49

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Battle, J. H; O.L. Baskin & Co
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin
Number of Pages: 798

USA > Ohio > Logan County > History of Logan County and Ohio > Part 49

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The old settlers appear to have no very definite idea of the exact date of its origin, or of the precise moment of its demise. It is known, however, that the first and prob- ably the only tavern built in Belleville was owned by Edwin Mathews. George Kronskop came to this country in 1812

or 1813, and he worked upon that building soon afterwards. It would have been diffi- cult to find a worse place for a town in this township. Water, for a wonder, was difficult to obtain, the wells being deep and the water itself of a poor quality. The whole affair was a matter of eight or ten inferior houses. Mathews kept the first public house, and was followed by Garwood and Ballard. One " Dr." Emanuel Rost, from Cincinnati, a for- eigner by birth, kept a small store, containing a few groceries and notions. Isaac Miller had a saddler shop at the same place. There was no blacksmith shop, nor, so far as recollected, other place of business in the town.

Belleville had a rather hard reputation, upon the whole, and excepting Gunn's it was the only centre of common congregation in the neighborhood. In its latter days, it was the place of hokling county court a few times. There was a great deal of fighting and' quar- reling, as well as dog-fighting, race-running and other rude pastimes indulged in there. This village dwindled away very soon after Bellefontaine was laid out. A small frame house belonging to Isaac Miller was hauled bodily to Bellefontaine, and the other build- ings were deserted and suffered to decay. Belleville was situated about a quarter of a mile south, and a little cast of the floral hall on the county fair grounds.

There was very little to boast of in the way of public roads in the period of time anterior to the settlement of Bellefontaine. There was but one main road in the Township of Lake that was worthy of the name, pre- vions to the organization of the county. There were various paths or trails leading from one Indian settlement to another. These trails were worn deeply by much travel. Some traces of them can even yet be discovered, especially leading east from the region of Gunn's old tavern to Zanesfield. The In- dians would ride usually about forty feet

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HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

apart in strict Indian file. In this way the hindmost Indian would escape the rebound of the bending branches of overhanging trees, after the foremost rider had thrust them forward from him. The principal road came from Urbana, and passed through this county in a northerly direction. Coming into the neighborhood of Lake Township, it crossed McKee's Creek a few feet west of the point where that stream is spanned by the Cincin- nati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad bridge. It continued ahnost directly north till it ap- proached the western side of the Round Prairie. Here it divided. One branch skirted the southern and southeastern edge of that prairie, and continued in a northeasterly di- rection until it reached Gunn's tavern. It then made an abrupt turn to the north, a little west, to the town of Belleville.

The other branch of the road continued up the western side of the Round Prairie, and, after pursuing a northerly direction nearly. a mile, it turned easterly and joined the former road in the village of Belleville. The roads being united, proceeded north across the fair grounds, crossing the Blue Jacket, at the point where Cook's old mill improvement stands. After fairly raising the hill, it turned to the northwest, following the ridge a few yards north of Judge West's house. It con- tinued in that direction until it crossed the C. C. C. & I. R. R., between the houses of John Brunton and John D. Nevin. It then pur- sued a northerly course until it reached the site of the Irwin stone house; thence it skirted the hills until it reached the vicinity of Men- ary's Block House, near the buildings on the old Beal farm. From that point it went a little westward to McPherson's Block House, now the site of the County Infirmary.

The military road, cut by the army of Gen. Hull, in its advance upon Detroit, passed through the southwestern corner of Lake Township. "Hull's Trace," as it is called,

crossed McKee's Creek at the same point that the old road did. It kept nearly north, pass- ing a little east of William Burkhart's house. Continuing in a direction a little west of northi, it crossed Blue Jacket at the farm of Jacob Good; thence pursuing the same course crossed the Sidney road near the house of Mr. Dillon; thence pursuing a course nearly identical with the former. it arrived at Menary's Block House and joined the old road already described. From there it pursued a direct course to the Block House of James McPherson.

About the time of the establishment of Belleville, three men, foreigners by birth, came to the neighborhood of that town, and built a distillery. That establishment was situated on Blue Jacket Creek, a little way from the railroad bridge crossing that stream. It was not very far from the town of Belle- ville. Indeed, the merchant, Rost, above mentioned, had some interest in the distillery, also. These parties came from Cincinnati purposely to engage in the business of dis- tilling. The remains of the dam constructed by them can be seen to this day, a short distance west of the railroad bridge. Charles O. Walpers, one Stein, and Galar (probably one Jolin N. Gluer), were the three parties im- mediately engaged in this still-house business. Walpers is described as a tall, dark man, with brilliant eyes, reticent, and believed to be dangerous. Whispers were sometimes heard of strangers coming into the range of this distillery and never appearing again. One of the sons of Anak, Jerry Stansberry, by name, who had stranded upon the shores of this wilderness, previously to the time under re- view, indulged in a little flirtation with the muses on the occasion of the establishment of the still by Walpers & Co. One of his flights was as follows:

"There's Charlie O. Walpers, so quiet and still, He thinks he'll get rich by building a milt;

With his long pistol shanks, around us he'll pace, And he'll ebeat the poor devils digging his race."

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IHISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

Walpers' mill, grinding corn for the pur- pose of stilling, was useful also in grinding corn for the general public. He did not grind wheat. In fact, there was no wheat raised here at that time. This distillery was car- ried on by different parties for a number of years, when, upon the building of other and better establishments, it was abandoned.

The Stansberry above spoken of was one of several of the same family. They were power- ful men, and were viewed with dislike and sus- picion. It was not thought safe for the Regu- lators to interfere with them. Notwithstand- ing this, they were, no doubt, a good deal re- strained by the presence of that organization. They had a habit of clearing their own skirts, when any depredation was committed, before they were charged with it, which became pro- verbial, and it is not uncommon, even now, for the older citizens to exclaim, " Oh, no ! it wasn't you, Stansherry !" when they hear a person fisclaiming a knowledge of some doubtful transaction with which he is believed to be familiar.

One of the first schoolhouses in Lake Town- ship was located upon the south line of the fair grounds, a little more than a quarter of a mile northwest of Belleville. It was built of logs. The seats were logs hewn square, or at least flat. The fire-place was enormous, There was no Boor but the ground. The chimney was made of sticks and mud. The windows were long open spaces cut between the logs at a suitable height. These spaces were abont eight inches wide from top to bot- tom, and several feet in length. On the in- sile, covering them, was pasted paper that had been greased, and it served for window panes. The school was kept open in the winter time only. It was attended by stu- dents from a considerable distance: not only the children of Belleville, but the Powells, the Me Clouds, and other settlers in the neigh- borhoo I, went to it. Scholars came from

Maj. Reed's place, two miles away, and from Hoyt's, a considerable distance southwest, and even from the Mad River country, three or four miles to the castward. The books used were Webster's Spelling Book, for both road- ing and spelling; Pike's Arithmetic, a geog- raphy, and blank paper for writing exer- eises.

In those days writing paper was not ruled; but, by the aid of a ruler and slim pieces of jead beaten to a point, reasonably good lines were drawn across the blank sheet, upon which to trace the words of the copy. The copy, which the pupil was required to follow with as much exactitude as possible, was writ- ten by the " Master," as he was then called. It consisted of " coarse " or fine hand," ae- cordingly as the scholar was less or more profi- cient. For advanced students, the copy em- bodied some excellent moral precepts or useful truths. The pens were made by the master, out of goose-quills; and it was no small feat of dexterity to make a good pen. The writers frequently wanted their pons mended also. Spelling was especially insisted upon, as containing the elements of all learn- ing. Spelling matches on Saturday nights were common, in which sides would be chosen and words given out to each side alternately until but a single speller was left who had not missed a word. Again, the whole school would stand up in line, and would spell around again and again; every one missing a word being counted out, until some solitary urchin would remain, the proud victor in the contest. There is probably no one living, in his right mind, but might also excel in some depart- ment of life, if he would, like the young speller of oben times, put his whole might into the effort. The first teacher was Isaac Myers, a bachelor, near fifty years old. He was succeeded by George Krouskop, well known subsequently as a prominent and use- ful citizen; these were good instructors.

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HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

There were no tan-yards in the neighbor- borhood before the establishment of the per- manent county-seat. Samuel Taylor, who lived on King's Creek, would come into the settlements two or three times a year, and purchase such hides as were for sale. He took them home, where he had some tan vats, and there dressed them. Blacksmithing is a trade that is almost indispensable to modern civilized life. There being no towns in the present boundaries of Lake Township before the rise of Belleville, the blacksmith would be apt to locate his business on such roads as were most traveled. We find George Blaylock, a blacksmith, pursuing his vocation on the bank of Silver Lake, then called Blaylock's Lake. This place, it is true, would at this time be considered a good deal out of the way, but at that period the beauty of the Lake and surrounding country were elements which afforded reasonable promise of early settlements in that locality. The fact is, that Hull's Trace, and the movement of war mate- rial from Urbana through a region consider- ably to the eastward of the Lake, fixed the first permanent families along the line of that movement; and whatever natural features the Lake might possess of an inviting nature, were overshadowed by the stern exigencies and facts of actual war. And so it has ever been; war makes boundaries, not to hamlets and villages only, but to nations and empires; and so it ever will be. Besides Blaylock, a man named Samuel Tidd carried on the busi- ness of blacksmithing, on a farm in Harrison Township, adjoining that now owned by Thomas McAra, and on the northeastern boundary of it. A road from the southeast, from Belleville and below, ran near his shop, in -the direction of MePherson's block-house. These appear to have been the chief, if not the only, blacksmithing shops near the locality of Bellefontaine previous to the founding of that town.

Nothing is more common than to hear the old pioncer, when in a certain mood, relate the difficulties, hardships, and discomforts of his early trials; without it is to hear the same pioneer, when in a different mood, tell how free, how cheerful, and how glorious were the days of his early pioneer life. Both of his pictures are true. What was pleasant and beautiful, was so in excess; and what of life there was that was fraught with danger and deprivations, and obstacles to be surmounted, was bitter indeed. In a country like this, even in its wildest state, there was not so much of uncompensated hardship for the hun- ter and trapper, considered by himself, pro- vided he had good health. But to men with families, weakly women and helpless children, there were seasons when, in behalf of his family, great suspense and anxiety fell to his lot. He could move from danger; he could seek supplies and shelter, but his family could not. It is unnecessary to go very minutely into the details of pioneer family history. It is an oldl story. But a few salient points of that life will not be unprofitable subjects of notice, both with respect to the men and the women.

Besides his trusty rifle, the principal tools the pioneer had to work with were his ax, his drawing knife and shaving-horse. To these, in a settlement of any extent, would be added probably an auger or two, a broad-ax, and an implement for splitting out clap-boards. The mere enumeration of these things suggest their uses. Of course there was very little land cleared in the times to which we are now confining ourselves. From five to fifteen acres of land was about the quantity farmed by the husbandman. This was far from occu- pying all his time; his duties were not unre- mitting, as are the duties of a farmer of to- day. He had leisure, or he could take leisure, to hunt and trap, and, to a considerable ex- tent, enjoy himself; or, at least, he could do

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HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

2 so, in so far as his farming duties affected his time. He planted a small patch of corn, an- other of flax, a few pumpkins, beans and tur- nips; perhaps, later, a little rye to make into whisky-and that was abont all. Hle spent much of his time in hunting; that business, for a considerable period, being his sole re- source for meat. Venison and various kinds of game, with hominy and corn-bread, were his substantials; although the many products of the forest, already cummerated, added greatly to the richness and variety of his table. The pastimes of the pioneer were fighting, running, wrestling, jumping, shoot- ing at a mark. and various feats of strength, agility and skill. Many, on public days, got drunk, also. After all, these things were merely the overflow and escape of a super- abundance of spirit, energy, and strength, ac- quired and accumulated by a life which was essentially in the open air, with good appe- tites and substantial food.

The labor of the women was much more severe. In addition to the ordinary care and watchfulness of the family, the washing, the cooking, the women not only made their own clothes and garments of the children, but they made up their husband's clothing also. If this were all there would be some idea presented, perhaps, by which an understand- ing of the extent of their work would be obtained. But in fact, the women spun, wove, bleached, and colored all the cloth that was used in the houscholl. Look for a moment at the character and extent of this work. The flax had to be pulled up by the roots and tied in bunches. Men and women often joined in that labor. It had then to be broken, and the onter fiber separated from the brittle in- ner straw. This was done by the men. An implement, called a hatchel, being a piece of board three or four feet long, and seven or eight inches wide, into the middle portion of which were fastened, in an upright position, a

multitude of sharp iron spikes about four or five inches long. These spikes were about the size and appearance of the iron part of a scribing awl. There were about a hundred of them occupying a space on the board ten or twelve inches long, by five or six inches broad. It looked like a huge brush with iron bristles from four to six inches long. These spikes were placed in the board in a series of diagonal rows. The hatchel being firmly fixed, small bunches of the dried flax were taken in the hands, by the men, and brought violently down amongst the spikes, the force of the blow being also used to draw the flax through the spikes towards the person engaged in the work. This was repeated until the brittle straw inside of the fiber was well broken and loosened. After this part of the work was done, the rough flax thus obtained was held in small flowing bunches over the edge of a board, or pole; it was then whipped down with what looks like a wooden knife about eighteen inches or two feet long. By this process, which is called seutching, the re- maining particles of loose straw that were entangled in the flax after hatcheling, were thrown down.

The tow is now given to the women. They spin it into vast quantities of linen thread, then they weave it, for many pioneer houses had looms. Out of this thread is woven cloth for pantaloons and shirts for the men, cloth- ing for the children, as well as househohl linen. But in many instances a process of bleaching precedes the final manufacture. The ladies not infrequently would color ecr- tain portions of their thread to weave into stripes for their own frocks. These were greatly admired by the young gentlemen beaux of the period. The main fashion of the ladies frock was a very short waist which was drawn into a multitude of fine gathers by means of a draw string. This was run en- tirely around the dress at the waist, drawn

John Easton

HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

335

tightly and tied behind in an elaborate man- ner. The young pioneer, although he might figlit the prowling savage with a commendable degree of courage, and even enter with en- thusiasm into a " scrimmage " with a bear, was, to say the truth, often completely humbled and abashed in the presence of one of these tremendous articles of feminine apparel. For winter clothing the wool of the few sheep that could be cared for, was "picked " by hand at wool pickings. It was carded also by liand, with cards made for the purpose. It was then spun and woven into cloth. From this was made the winter clothing. For the children and ladies wool and linen were woven together, making linsey-woolsey. This style of cloth is generally cotton and wool at this day; but originally was linen and woolen threads woven together-hence the name- " linsey-woolsey." A few of the more ancient and prominent pioneers wore buck-skin clothes. If they happened to be a close fit, it was said there was but one way to get them off, if they once got a wetting, and that was to wear them off. Young ladies and gentle- men of this period had the usual amusements of early times; such as dancing, various social games, and songs, which like the tales of the nursery, seem to have descended, at least some of them, from the remotest antiquity.

In the period of time under review, there does not seem to have been within the pres- ent limits of Lake Township any stated place for religious worship. A meeting was called at the house of Samuel Carter to con- cert measures to build a house for that pur- pose in Belleville. But that was a little anterior to the desertion of that town, and the project was abandoned. The citizens opened their own houses to some extent for religious purposes. A very common place of resort for holding meetings of a religious character was at the house of James Hill, a mile west of Bellefontaine.

The limits prescribed for this article pre- cludes a continuation of the kind of descrip- tion preceding. The temptation is great to produce other facts and incidents. There is nothing more interesting or instructive than to consider the human being placed in diffi- cult and adverse circumstances, striving to surmount them. Such a life and such a strife develop the latent power of the human mind and bring to light phases of character that would otherwise never appear. Respecting the reminiscences of the cruel and savage war of 1812, little can now be said. In the midst of dangers and alarms, great actions and grand thoughts become common and are looked upon as matters of course, and like common and usual things they are little noted, and pass from memory. Most of the men whose names have been mentioned, and many others, were variously employed in their country's service during that contest. They were ment- bers of a company of scouts who were on the alert to detect signs of defection or treachery amongst the Indians around them. They were also depended upon to perform the difficult task of penetrating towards the Brit- ish frontier, and gathering and transmitting information to the authorities. Their homes situated here in Lake Township were the first places for the sick and wounded and dying to receive shelter, when the troops, either in bodies or straggling parties, returned from the fight. For at that period there were no white settlements north of the Greenville Treaty Line, only four miles beyond Bellefontaine. That country was all Indian territory accord- ing to the terms of the treaty at Greenville. To give a history of the exploits of the spies and scouts residing in this vicinity, during the war with Great Britain, would occupy a volume; to give a single sketch, or even two or three, would be invidious.

The first election in Lake Township, Logan County, was held in Belleville in the year

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HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY,

1818. It is understood that the township in- chided considerable more territory at that time than it does now. Some of the names will be recognized as those of persons living in what is now Union, Liberty, and Harrison Town- ships. The list of the clectors is appended merely as a matter of record, and is as follows :

James Peach, William Powell, Thomas Baird, William White, Justice Edwards, Dan- iel M. Brown, William Davis, John Cochren, Samuel Carter, Daniel Workman, Martin De- Witt, Ransford Hoyt, Alexander McGarvey, John More, James Hill, Benjamin Vickers, Charles O. Walpers, Abraham Sager, Samuel Covington, John Askren, Samuel Hathaway, Thomas Thompson, Isaac Clemens, Thomas Powell, William Davis, David King, Emanuel Rost, Ross Thomas, Hugh Newell, Almon Hopkins, Jerry Stansberry, John Tullis, Jr., Robert Crockett.

James M. Reed, Isaac Miller, William John- ston, John Colvin, John Tucker, John Tullis, Sr., William Mckinney, Joseph Gordon, James Binley, James McClenaghan, William Mclvain, David Kirkwood, Isaac Southerland, Haines, Thomas Haines, Moses Mellvain, William Carroll, Archibald More, David The plat of the town of B .Hefontaine is re- corded on page 252, Book "21," of the records of Logan county. The record was made on the 12th day of Angust, 1822. This plat con- tains upon its margin (and it is so recorded) the following document : Jones, Henry Shaw, Thomas Newell, James Joseph Wilson, William Kirkwood, Samuel Shields. Joseph Coddingham, O. C. Blalock, Levi D. Tharp, Nathaniel Crutcher, William Coddingham, Sim Ransbottom, Joseph Haines, John N. Ghier, Thomas Colvin, Daniel Vance, Daniel Purdy, George "STATE OF OHIO, LOGAN COUNTY : Blaylock, Mitchell Waggoner, John MeDou- " Personally came before me, an Associate Judge in and for said county, Solomon Me- folloch, director, appointed by the Court of Common Pleas of said county, Leonard Houtz, John Fullis, Sr., William Powell, and John Tullis, Jr., proprietors, who severally acknow- ledge the within town plat to be their act and deed, and desire the same to be admitted of record. ald, James Wall, George Krouskop, Robert Doty, James Wall, Sr., James Kirkwood, James Bowen, Sylvanus Moorehouse, Joseph Cummins, John Holmes, John Tinnis, John Wood, John Ensch, James Sargent, John G. Mellvain, James Mel'herson, William Me- Both, John Wall, John Nowell, David Askren, Stephen Host, William More, Robert More, William Wall, Joseph Mexander, John timm, "Given under my hand and scal, March 18th, 1820. William Adams, Sammel Newell, Samuel Wil- son, Jacob Powell, Licorg . F. Dann, Robert " N. B .- The lots selected by the dire for on the part of Logan county are all even numbers. Nowell, Raphael More, Sammel More, Jr., John Dunn, Joel Smith, Daniel Workman, Sr., Abner Snoddy, Patrick Watson, Jacob " (Signed) JOHN SHELBY, " AAssociate Judge." Foster, James Smith, William Mc Cloud, John Ludwik, John Beach, John Naglee, George Thus the matter was settled, and the several claims and pretensions of different places re- specting the location of the county seat were decided. (' autuer, Thomas Clark, Christopher Hood, Rd, rt Werter, John MeB th, Thomas Gar- 1 . 1. 1 .. . Myers, Merida Blacoch, David MeNas, Joan Crawford, John Hall, James It would be wellenough to stopand inquire by what authority these proceedings were laaper, Wicoon Gray, John Shelby, Oba- diah Howell, J . Cale, Hezekiah Wilcox, Thad. By an Act of the Legislature of the

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History of Logan County and Ohio, Part 49

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Battle, J. H; O.L. Baskin & Co Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin Number of Pages: 798

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Battle, J. H; O.L. Baskin & Co
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin
Number of Pages: 798