History of Medina county and Ohio, Part 85

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Battle, J. H; Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Baskin & Battey. Chicago. pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1014

USA > Ohio > Medina County > History of Medina county and Ohio > Part 85

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"Slow and easy, sure to come, Three years at it and just begun."

The toast is too suggestive to need any com- ment. This mill burned in 1879. It was a good mill. The building was a stanch framed one. These two mills gave the name " Spencer Mills" to that part of Spencer. One Buck built a distillery near the Spencer Mills. This was the only distillery in the township. Buck sold out to Sprague, who distilled peas, beans, pumpkins and pumpkin seeds, in fact anything that would foment, into whisky. This distillery changed hands several times, and was then con- verted into a tannery.

A number of "asheries" were built in early days to manufacture potash and pearl-ash from the great amount of ashes left in the piles where they burned the log-heaps. These ashes were taken care of, raked and piled together, and sold by the bushel to the manufacturers.

There were no very well known Indian trails in the township of Speneer. The earliest road in the township was the Smith road, which is the north boundary of Spencer. This road runs east and west, and was cut out in about 1812, by Capt. Smith, who passed through with a foree of men and artillery. Smith eut only enough trees to pass his guns and supply wagons. When the first settlers came to Spen- cer, the brush was thick on this road, and, where it crossed the Black River, was seen the remains of a log bridge, and evidences of their camping there one night, or longer. When the first settler, John P. Marsh, came to Spencer, he came on a blazed road, and was obliged to cut the underbrush before his wagon could pass through. This was called the Elyria road, and was the first passable road after the township was settled. This road is now called the river

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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

road, because it follows the course of Blaek River. The Wooster and Elyria plank road was built in 1851 or 1852, by a large company in Elyria, who thought to seenre the grain trade of Wayne County. Each town along the route subseribed money and received shares as in a joint-stock company. The road was built of oak and elm plauk, laid on oak stringers. It was twelve feet wide, with a pike on the west side. Toll-gates were placed five miles apart. This road eut the township into halves, running along the main north-and-south road. There was an immense amount of travel on this road, and, as expected, great quantities of wheat were brought from Wayne County to Elyria. Besides the pike running alongside of the plank, there were no piked roads in the township. At an early date, a mail route was established which ran from Wooster to Elyria. It was afterward stopped at Lagrange, and then ehanged, several years ago, to run from Wooster to Wellington, by the way of Penfield.

There have been several surveys, at different times, for railways through the township, but until the fall of 1880, there was but little work done on any of them. The line for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad was surveyed through Spencer in 1874 for the first line, and work began shortly after. The road was then abandoned for want of funds, after mueh grad- ing had been done on the southern end of the liue. Along in the summer of 1880, a new company having been chartered, the present contraetor, C. R. Griggs, W. A. Malk, Presi- dent, and several other men connected with the road, eame to Speueer and soon placed the in- terest of the road on its old footing. The re- quired subseription was raised by the town- ship before any other place on the line. The whole subseription of Speneer was $15,000, in shares of $50 each. The work on the road was begun in the fall, and was energetieally prose- euted until eold weather eaused them to desist. A contract was taken by C. W. Aldrieh and W.

D. Orr, both of Speneer, to remove all timber, logs and brush from the line from Wellington to Lodi. This is the only contraet taken by any of the citizens of Speneer.

The first bridge built in the township was by Capt. Smith. This bridged Black River where the Smith road erosses that stream. The first bridge built in the township after it was settled, was framed by C. Tuttle, of Har- risville. This structure bridged the South Creek, where this stream erosses the River road. There were but five men to raise the bents, and, as they were raising one of the heavy ones, it got the advantage of the men, and threatened to come down aud erush them under it; but there were two women standing near, who, at this eritieal moment, dropped the babes which they were holding and assisted the men to raise it to position. The men after- ward declared, that, but for the timely assist- anee of the plueky women, the bent would have eome down and probably erushed some one of their number. The streams of Speneer are now bridged by elegant iron and wooden struetures.

The eolleetion of inhabited houses, generally known as the River Corners, though often spoken of as the River Mills, the Speneer Mills, or Blue Mills, was the first approach to a vil- lage in the township. Here the early town- ship business was transaeted. The first sehool- house was built here, and the first burying- ground laid out. John P. Marsh and Linzey Bennett were the owners of the land about the Corners. They purchased it of Samuel Park- man, of Vermont, the original proprietor of the township. There is not much of a story eon- neeted with its birth, more than it was eom- posed of a few settlers, who desired neighborly intereourse, and was onee the largest eolleetion of dwellings which the township afforded. The superior advantages of the good water in any quantity, and the power derived from the river was what attraeted the miller and sawyer,

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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

whose mills named the place and built it. But later, the settlers gravitated toward the center of the township, and Centerville was formed. Abel Wood and Henry Wood, brothers, owncd the land around the "Center." Abel Wood built the first cabin in 1832 or 1833, a little north of town. Centerville, although the name of the village and post office, is scarcely ever used by the citizens ; they invariable say Spen- ccr. Soon after the township was organized, the Center was rapidly populated. A school- house was built southwest of the square; this was a frame building. A log church followed, and Elijah Banning opened the first store here. This was the first store iu the towuship. The first post office was kept by Dr. Emory, on the River road, west of the River Corners, about three-fourths of a mile. Emory was the first practicing physician in the township. At an early date the settlers were obliged to go to Penfield for their mail. Emory kept the post office for some time, when it was moved to the · center of Spencer, where it has since remained. Charles Daugherty was the Postmaster, after its removal, for a number of years.

The business interests of Spencer were great- ly increased by the Wooster & Elyria Plank Road. J. W. Moore occupies a building south of the square, with the post office and a dry goods and grocery store. John Murray, on the corner, also keeps a dry goods and grocery store. A. T. Vanvalkenburg, opposite Murray, keeps a drug store; in connection he has a large trade in hardware and groceries, etc. All of these merchants occupy good buildings. F. Griessinger has lately built a neat and commo- dious building, in which he carries on an exten- sive business as tinner and hardware dealer. The town hall is a neat and roomy building of two stories high.

The Granger organization in Spencer has been strong and lasting. Their purposes are related to economy and agriculture. Their meetings are held in their storerooms on the

second floor of a fine building, owned by Dr. A. G. Willcy.

The cemetery at the center of Spencer, was originally a private institution, owned by sev- eral men about Spencer, but at last was thrown open to the public. The sexton of the Method- ist Episcopal Church, Samuel Fogle, has bc- stowed much care and taste in laying out aud ornamenting this city of the dead. The Trustees have purchased lately the old school lot, and inclosed it as an addition to the cemetery.

The first religious organizatiou in the town- ship was a class of Methodists in 1827. The Rev. H. O. Sheldon was the organizer of this class, which consisted of seven members : Ruth Bizzard, Z. Harrington, Elizabeth Spacc, John Space, Phebe Goodwin and Mrs. John P. Marsh ; William Goodwin was the first Class-leader. This class held their meetings at the houses of the members until the log schoolhouse was built, where they assembled to hear the Gospel. They had preaching every fourth Sabbath. This class organized aud held their meetings at the River Corners. The Methodist organization was always a flourishing society. In 1839, they mct to consider and consult in regard to build- ing a church at the center of Spencer. After a great amount of consideration and delibera- tion, which occupied the committee until the 27th of August, 1842, they decided to build a church, 35x45 feet, with galleries on two sides and across one end. In 1844 or 1845, the church was built. The dimensions were as de- cided upon two years before.

This church was large and roomy, costing at least $1,500.

In 1876, the society became strong, aud, de- siring a more comely and commodious place of worship, decided to build a new church. Ac- cordingly, a committee was appointed to go and see different contractors, and decide upon the kind of structure and cost to build. They de- cided to build a brick church with two towers. This was in 1877. The building committee

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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

contracted with David Myers, of Wayne County, to build a church upon a foundation which they would provide, for which he was to receive $3,000. The church was built according to specifications, and dedicated in the spring of 1878. The church is brick, with large Gothic windows, supported on each side by sandstone- capped buttresses, which reach to the slate-cov- ered roof. The windows are stained glass, of tasteful coloring. There are two towers, one on each front corner of the church. These towers are square, and present three sides; The other side is entered, at an acute angle, by the corner of the church proper. The tower to the east is the tallest, about one hundred feet in height, and contains a large bell. The ceiling and walls are tastefully frescoed. Two large chan- deliers hang from the arched ceiling. The seat- ing is in three parts, two side slips and double body slips. The seats and wainscoting are pol- ished ash, trimmed with English walnut.

The Ladies' Church Society furnished the church very tastefully. Rev. Andrew McCul- lough was the Pastor, who was in charge of the circuit. This new church is situated on the same site as the old one, a short distance east of the square. The entire cost of the church was over $4,000.

The first sermon preached in Spencer Town- ship was on Universalism, by a minister of that denomination, in the house of John P. Marsh. The first hymn at this meeting ran as follows :

" Hear the royal proclamation,

The glad tidings of salvation," etc.

It is said by some that Rev. Tillison, of Huntington, was the minister spoken of.

The first Sabbath school in the township was kept by Miss Sophia Tubbs, now the wife of the Rev. Abel Wood. Miss Tubbs was keeping school at the River Corners, in the old school- house in about 1831, and, there being no Sabbath school in the township, she opened a Sabbath school at the schoolhouse. Miss Tubbs dis- tributed temperance tracts. A Mr. McCormick,

from Medina, lectured iu the old log church on temperance. As he was speaking, bad eggs were thrown at him; "Throw them up if ye will, but I will not stop !" Though the ill- mannered roughs abused the heroic man, they could not hush his eloquent warning to those treading the paths of drunkenness.

The anti-slavery sentiment was very strong in Spencer. Several times were negroes fleeing from bondage fed and secreted by the people. Rev. O. E. Aldrich, a Free-Will Baptist minis- ter, was ever bitter against the holding of chat- telized humanity, and often from his pulpit were heard eloquent declamations against it.

Rev. Benjamin Taggert and Charles Hol- linger, his assistant, are the Pastors now in charge of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Spencer.

The second church organization of the town- ship was the Baptist Christian Church.

August 24. 1837, a number of people met at Elder Frederick Freeman's house, "to cousider the propriety of uniting together as a church." This meeting adjourned to meet at the same place on September 21. They met as decided upou, and agreed to unite and fellowship as a church. After framing a constitutiou, setting forth their sentiments in a series of articles, it was signed by twenty-oue persons, who con- stituted the origiual members of the church. But one of the original members of this church is now living in Spencer. Their first regular meeting was held December 9, 1837. The church was addressed by Elder F. Freeman, at this first meeting, from Peter, ii, 17, 18. These meetings were held at the residences of the members until the fall of 1843, when they de- termined to build a church. This church was built of hewn logs. It was situated on the main street, south of the square. The first meeting in the new house was held December 23, 1843. The seats were rude benches at first, and it was not plastered until some time in 1844. The records of this church are extant, and show

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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

great care in keeping. They also show how strict and orthodox were the members. Their constitution, while terse and orthodox, was a practical wording of a sound doctrine. The hymns were sung by the congregation, and, when the hymn was not very well known, they "lined it." Though once a strong and vig- orous organization, it became weak in 1850, and in 1852, it broke up and never again or- ganized in Spencer. The remaining members joined with the church in Huntington.

The Frec-Will Baptist Church was organized May 31, 1838. Rev. Cyrus Coulrain was the first Pastor. When this church was first organ- ized, there were five members : John Inman, Stephen Inman, Sophrona Inman, Amanda In- man and Lois Parent. This organization grew in strength very rapidly, under the pastorship of Elders Knight and O. E. Aldrich. Their meetings were held at the houses of the mem- bers, until 1844, when they built a church. This church building is the same one in use now. It is a good, substantial frame building, and was raised on Christmas Day, in 1843, but was not completed until the fall of 1844, when the first Covenant meeting was held September 21. The organization is now existing, though not very strong. The only original members of this church living are Stephen Inman and Sophrona, his wife, who are regular attendants to the church, which is now under the charge of their second son, Rev. C. C. Inman. The Free-Will Baptist Church cost about $700, but has been remodeled several times since it was built. It is now a neat and comfortable place of worship. The interior is much more invit- ing than the exterior suggests.

In the early settlement of the township, we find the school history intimately connected with the general mass of incidents which make up the early history of the township. As the land along the river road became occupied, the "Corners" became a sort of center, and the people hired William Bishop, for $12 per month,

to keep a term of school. The money was raised to pay Bishop by assessing the scholars pro rata. This school was kept in a log cabin belonging to John P. Marsh. Elizabeth Bissett, Phineas Davis, Philip Bizzard, John Space, Orson Marsh and Sally A. Marsh composed his school. After this school broke up, Clarissa, wife of John P. Marsh, told the eager scholars, if they would keep quiet and orderly, she would pronounce words and set copies for them each evening. The interested scholars came each evening, and all thought their time well spent. Shortly after this, the settlers leased a lot of Linzey Bennett, for ninety-nine years, or as long as used for school purposes, and built a log schoolhouse. This house was built of notched logs with a door and two windows. The windows were spaces made by leaving out logs. Some sticks were placed across the open- ing, and paper pasted to them ; this paper was then amply greased with hog's-lard. The door was a large blanket hung over the only way of egress and ingress. The first school kept in this house was by Phoebe Goodwin. In 1833, the schoolhouse was burned. It was supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. Some rather rough fellows made a disturbance at a spelling-school one evening, and, when the Directors dispersed them, they made threats against the house. Hence, it is supposed, that some of them fired the building. But the most unfortunate feature of this cowardly incendi- arism was the burning of the books, which were so hard to procure. When the house was burned, the term of school was not finished, so John P. Marsh made a journey to Elyria and got books, and the term re-opened in his house, and kept there for six weeks.

Soon after the burning of the old log house, the people claimed the lumber promised by Calvin Spencer to build a new frame building. This building was to stand where the old one stood. It was completed some time in 1834. Charles Daugherty and Abel Wood went with

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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

all ox-cart to Elyria after the trimmings, and were gone three days. It was of frequent occur- rence that the small children were sent home, the benches taken up, the violin brought in, and the spelling-school changed into a dance. For nearly one winter, the spelling went on until nearly midnight, and then the spellers gayly danced to the sound of the " fiddle " till the wee hours of the morning.

The first schoolhouse built at the center of Spencer was a framed building. This building was situated on a back street, near where Mrs. David Dickson now lives. This building burned down. It was thought to have been the work of an incendiary. The schools kept at the Cen- ter were generally large. Soon after the burn- ing of the old house, another was built on the same site.

The second time it burned to the ground, it was supposed that it took fire from some ashes which were left near the building. The next schoolhouse was built just east of the cemetery. This house was long used, and has been moved away, and converted into a shop.

The Trustees of the township purchased the lot which it stood on, and made it a part of the cemetery.

The next schoolhouse built was south of the town a short distance. This is the one in use to-day.

The district school system has been one pro- ductive of great good in the township.

There are six districts now in the township, and nearly all of these have a good attendance. Most of these houses are neat, painted and new, with improved furniture. About 1849, Rev. O. E. Aldrich opened a select school in the old log church. There was a good attend- ance. After Aldrich, were several other schools kept by Pierce, Grey and others. This Mr. Grey was a student of medicine, and he was so absorbed in the study that he taught the scliol- ars in a sort of automatic way-never behind time, never too fast, but always just the same.

When he entered the schoolroom with his books in his hand, he walked stiffly up the aisle, looking neither to the right nor to the left. The scholars, becoming curious to know if the thing was alive that walked up the aisle and took its place behind the desk so regular- ly, pulled the primitive chandelier just low enough for the cup of sand which balanced it to hit Grey in the head as he stalked up the aisle. The old clock behind the desk was wound and set so as to strike twelve at 1 o'clock, just after school called. Grey came in as usual, and received a bump from the cup of sand, amid the tittering scholars. School was called, and he took his book and began his study, when the old clock solemnly tolled the hour of 12. Although he took the key away, a jack-knife took its place, and the next day the old clock chimed forth as on the day be- fore. After a few such days, Augustus D. Grey left town; and, when the scholars came to school in the morning, they were as glad that he had gone as he was to get away.

There was a district school teacher kept school at an early date who lisped ; and, one day, he was pronouncing words to be spelled, when he came to the word seam, which he pro- nounced theme, so the scholars spelled theme. "Not theme, but stheme-trowthers leg," he excitedly lisped, rubbing his hand on his thigh amid the uncontrollable laughter of the schol- ars.

William Wallace Ross had a very large select school at the Center, of about one hun- dred and thirty scholars. These scholars came from long distances to attend the Spencer schools, which gained a high reputation. The schools of Spencer have degenerated, but Ross is now one of the most noted educators of the State.

The first literary society was organized at the river mills. They came according to ap- pointment to the schoolhouse, but forgot to bring candles, and adjourned to the house of

HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

569

Phineas Davis, where they debated the follow- ing question, "Resolved that man is more happy in a married state than in a single con- dition." The affirmative won their side (so the

judges said) by setting forth the advantages a married man had in coming home drunk to have some one to take care of him.

CHAPTER XVII .*

CHATHAM TOWNSHIP-A PILGRIM COLONY-PIONEER REMINISCENCES-A FLOURISHING TOWN- SHIP-A GLORIOUS WAR RECORD-ITS CHURCH AND SCHOOL HISTORY.

THE light of freedom and civilization which landed with the Pilgrim Fathers at Plym- outh Rock, and thence spread over New England, has passed into the broad and vast domain west of the Alleghanies, and now sheds its luster far and wide, over country, town and city. Every church bell tolls forth the onward march of the spirit of that Pilgrim band. Cot- tages and hamlets now dot the broad, green land of our country, and happiness and com- fort reign within them. Little do we of to- day know of the hardships, struggles and privations that has made this possible. The trials and sufferings that were experienced by the Pilgrim fathers after their landing on the rocky New England coast, have been met again and again in the unbroken wilds of the West. Many of the first settlers of Chatham Town- ship, tracing their ancestry back to families which came over in the Mayflower, cherish their memory as a priceless heritage. Like their venerable forefathers, these settlers found their lot in many respects similar to that of their Pilgrim ancestors, and how well they accomplished their task, is attested in the pic- turesque farm lands and the thrifty homes that are sprinkled over the township.

Chatham Township was set apart under the Connecticut Land Survey, as Township No. 2, of Range 16. Part of the township lands near its southern limit, was given under the provision of the Connecticut Land Com- *Contributed by Charles Neil.

pany to the settlers of Harrisville Township adjoining on the south, to compensate for the swamp lands that are contained in the latter township. The geographical borders of Chat- ham Township, extend to Litchfield on the north, Spencer on the west, Harrisville on the south, and La Fayette on the east. Its area corresponds with that of the other townships of Medina County. The general level of the township is much below that of the three which lie east of it. There is a rapid fall from the center road to the west, amounting to nearly 200 feet in the three miles to the east branch of Black River. The Cuyahoga shale is exposed on Gray's Creek, which flows along the western border of the township, and emp- ties into Black River near the east-and-west center road in Spencer. The upper stratum is a very hard, shaly sandstone, quarried for foundations. The gray, soft shale is much like that on Rocky River, below Abbeyville, in York Township, and contains similar lenticular concretions of iron, but the limestone concre- tions are here very few. The fossils are not well enough preserved in this shale to be of value as cabinet specimens. The under surface of the thin layers of shaly sandstone, which occur every few inches in these beds, show abundant tracings of fossil forms, but none of them are distinctly marked. A bowlder esti- mated to weigh eleven or twelve tons, can be seen in the bed of Gray's Creek, two miles west of the center of the township.

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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

The first settlement on land which now be- longs to Chatham Township, was made by Moses Parsons in the year 1818. He bought a tract of several hundred acres of land, lo- cated about three miles north of Harrisville Center, and which had gone under the control of Samucl Hinckley, of Massachusetts, and was then known as the Hinkley tract. It was in the month of April, 1818, that Moses Parsons, with his wife and four children-three sons and one daughter-arrived from the East in the Harrisville settlement. Originally from Mas- sachusetts, having been born in the town of Palmer, of that State, he had, shortly after his marriage to Elizabeth Craft, also a native of the Bay State, removed to New York State. His wife was the daughter of Maj. Edward Craft, a soldier in the Revolutionary army, and for a time doing service on the staff of Gen. Washington.

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History of Medina county and Ohio, Part 85

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Battle, J. H; Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Baskin & Battey. Chicago. pub Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago : Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1014

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Battle, J. H; Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852-1926; Baskin & Battey. Chicago. pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1014