USA > Ohio > Portage County > History of Portage County, Ohio > Part 44
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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
States Colored Regiment, and Second Lieut. D. L. Rockwell in the One Hun- dred and Twenty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was also composed of colored soldiers.
The following summary of the money paid out by Portage County during the war for war purposes furnishes one of the strongest arguments toward demonstrating the earnestness displayed by her citizens in the Union cause: She expended as a " War Fund" in 1862, $3,737.19; 1863, $3,956.48; 1864, $1,239.28; 1865, $1,292.75. Total " War Fund," $10,225.70. The " Relief Fund for Families of Volunteers" paid out was, in 1862, $6,354.79; 1863, $11,278.81; 1864, $24,556.95; 1865, $25,855.06. Total "Relief Fund." $68,045.61. The "Soldiers' Bounty Tax," was, in 1863, $11, 240.65; 1864, $38.13; 1865, $76,878.63. Total "Bounty Tax" $SS, 157.41; making the combined public expenditures for war purposes, from 1861 to 1865 inclusive, reach a grand total of $166, 428.72, or about $6.S5 for every man, woman and child then residing in the county. And this was not all, for from the close of the war up to the present the several townships have continued to levy a tax, when necessary, to pay bounties to soldiers who have not received but are entitled to them.
The closing scenes of the great struggle aroused all over the North much of the same spirit of excitement that characterized its early stages. The people of Portage County manifested no slight interest in the stirring events of each day, and the good news of victories won was welcomed with the most profound sentiments of joy. The fall of Richmond and its occupation by Grant's forces, was duly celebrated by a large gathering at Ravenna on Tues- day evening, April 4, 1865. Speeches were made, patriotic songs were sung, bonfires blazed, cannon belched forth their deep-toned hallelujahs, and the people truly rejoiced over the glorious news. Upon Friday afternoon, April 7, when the news of the deeds of the gallant Phil Sheridan, "On whose bright plume of fame not a spot o' the dark is," was announced at Ravenna, and the brilliant captures his army had made were briefly detailed, the excitement was intense. Bells were rung, drums beaten, minute guns fired, flags flashed out from every available point, business was suspended, and all surrendered to the jubilant spirit of the hour. At Franklin Mills (Kent), Garrettsville, and in nearly every township in the county, as the glad tidings made their way, similar demonstrations took place over the success of the Union armies. The following poem very appropriately illustrates the spirit then uppermost in the hearts of the people:
RICHMOND IS OURS!
Richmond is ours! Richmond is ours! Hark! to the jubilant chorus! Up, through the lips that no longer repress it, Up, from the heart of the people! God bless it! Swelling with loyal emotion, Leapeth our joy, like an ocean !- Richmond is ours! Richmond is ours!
Babylon falls, and her temples and towers Crumble to ashes before us!
Glory to Grant! Glory to Grant! Hark! to the shout of our Nation! Up, from the Irish heart, up from the German- Glory to Sheridan !- Glory to Sherman !- Up, from all peoples uniting- Freedom's high loyalty plighting- Glory to all! Glory to all !-
Heroes who combat, and martyrs who fall! Lift we our joyous ovation!
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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
Fling out the flag! Flash out the flag! Up from each turret and steeple!
Up, from the cottage, and over the mansion, Fling out the symbol of Freedom's expansion ! Victory crowneth endeavor! Liberty seals us forever! Up from each valley, and out from each crag,
Fling out the flag! Flash out the flag! Borne on the breath of the people!
Richmond is ours! Richmond is ours! Hark! how the welkin is riven!
Hark! to the joy that our Nation convulses, Timing all hearts to the cannon's loud pulses; Voices of heroes ascending. Voices of martyred ones blending;
Mingling like watchwords on Liberty's towers,
Richmond is ours! Richmond is ours!
Freedom rejoiceth in Heaven!
A. J. H. DUGANNE.
The masses of the people of Ohio exhibited a grand self-sacrificing devotion and fervor in the support of the Government and the overthrow of the Rebell- ion, and the God of battles and of justice blessed them in their noble efforts and their unselfish sacrifices. With the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865, one of the greatest of modern wars was virtually ended. The news of the surrender was received by the loyal people of the North with the greatest demonstrations of joy. Gov. Brough, of Ohio, in har- mony with President Lincoln's proclamation, recommended that Friday, April 14, the anniversary of the fall of Sumter, be observed in this State as a day of thanksgiving and general rejoicing; that religious assemblages mark the day, the evening to be given up to bonfires, illuminations, firing of salutes, public meetings, and such other manifestations as would appropriately celebrate the heroic deeds of the armies and the general joy of the people over the dawn of a glorious peace. In pursuance to this proclamation the day was observed in Ravenna and many other points in Portage County by the general suspension of business, religious services and evening demonstrations. The Committee of Arrangements of the Ravenna celebration were H. Y. Beebe, L. C. Dodge, H. C. Ranney and J. H. Terry, under whose directions the affair was planned and carried out. As the shadows of evening drew on, the ringing of bells, booming of cannon and music of the band announced the commencement of the programme that was to fittingly close the day. At the conclusion of a salute of fifty guns-the number with which Maj. Robert Anderson saluted his flag as he withdrew from Fort Sumter four years before-a very fine display of fire- works took place. The people then assembled in front of the Court House, where speeches were made and patriotic songs indulged in. An immense bon- fire was lighted on the public square, and amid the cheering of the assembled hundreds, and the stirring notes of the band, the ceremonies of that historic day were concluded.
On the 14th of April, 1861, Maj. Robert Anderson and his patriot band lowered the National flag at Fort Sumter; but on the 14th of April, 1865, he raised over the battered walls of that fort the same identical flag that at the bidding of a rebel foe four years before was trailed in the dust. In 1861 the South asserted the right to throw off her allegiance to the United States Government; but in four short years she lay at the mercy of the victors, shat- tered and bleeding from every pore, thousands of her sons slain, her cities sacked and burned, and her four millions of slaves proclaimed freemen, in all of which may be traced the finger of an Omnipotent God.
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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
The grand operations of the Union armies had brought victories most sig- nal, and the last great battle had been fought and won. The glad tidings multiplied. The brave, the strong, the hopeful, the faint-hearted and indif. ferent, all participated in the inspiration of the great Union triumphs. The sun of the Nation's destiny rode in a cloudless sky.
"But e're our songs had died away, Our triumphs o'er our foes, There comes a knell to every heart, That speaks a Nation's woes."
An appalling sorrow suddenly overshadowed the land, which throughout its length and breadth became as a house of mourners. The beloved Lincoln was dead-assassinated ! The heart that dictated and the hand that penned the immortal proclamation of freedom were pulseless forever. The plain, unassuming man, whose gentle virtues, pure and unselfish patriotism, clear intellect and honest heart, made him emphatically the soul of the Nation, had finished the work which the Master had given him to do. Strong men were stricken speechless. In all the many bitter sorrows of the previous four years, none proved so startling and horrible as this, and every true heart was filled with consternation at the inhuman desperation of the crime.
The succeeding days in Portage County were days of sadness and gloom, and everywhere might be seen the insignia of deep mourning. On Wednes- day, April 19, Ravenna formed one point in the long line of mourners, who, from one end of the country to the other, assembled at the same hour to make public expression of their sorrow over the death of the President. At an early hour in the morning all places of business were closed for the day. The public buildings and business houses were heavily draped, and on every hand was displayed the emblem of sorrow. £ Draped flags were placed at half mast, and though there was no ostentation or parade, the people of this county bore witness to their deep sorrow at the Nation's bereavement. The public exercises of the day at Ravenna took place in front of the Court House, and were attended by one of the largest audiences ever assembled in the town. Rev. J. E. Wilson was chosen by the Committee of Arrangements to preside. The invocation was pronounced by Rev. J. G. Hall, after which the people joined in singing, "God moves in a mysterious way." A prayer was then offered by the Rev. Mason, and Rev. Tribby read selected portions of the Scriptures. Appropriate and touching addresses were next delivered by Rev. J. E. Wilson, Hon. Alphonso Hart, Revs. Mason and Tribby and Hon. Philo B. Conant. After singing and prayer, the benediction was given by Rev. Wilson, and the large audience quietly dispersed to their homes. The occasion was one of deep solemnity, and every breath seemed to whisper, "This is the funeral day of Abraham Lincoln." The events of those days cannot easily be forgotten, and the impression made by the assassination of Lincoln, so closely associated as it was with the great Rebellion, can never be effaced from the memory of the Nation.
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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
CHAPTER XIV .- 34
0.8. Noris.
ATWATER TOWNSHIP.
ARRIVAL OF ATWATER AND OTHERS-EARLY PRIVATIONS-BIRTII OF FIRST CHILD-ANOTHER LONE SETTLER-ORGANIZATION -- MARRIAGES AND DEATHS -SOME OLD AND NEW THINGS-AN ANCIENT MUSKET-EARLY CHURCHES AND PREACHERS-SCHOOLS-NEWSPAPERS-INDUSTRIES, ETC .- OFFICERS AND STATISTICS.
A TWATER is one of the five townships in which a settlement was made as early as June, 1799, and is second only to Mantua, which antedated Atwater only about six months. The township was laid off in the surveys as Town 1, Range 7, which fell to the lot, as well as two or three other town- ships and parts of townships, of Capt. Caleb Atwater, one of the original pro- prietors of the Western Reserve. He gave this township to his only son, Joshua Atwater, who, however, did not visit his land till 1805.
In April, 1799, Capt. Caleb Atwater, in company with Jonathan Merrick, Peter Bunnell, Asahel Blakesley and Asa Hall and his wife, left Wallingford, Conn., and after a long and tedious journey arrived in what is now the town- ship of Atwater. The entire party remained till the following fall, when they all returned to the East with the exception of Asa Hall and wife, who came for permanent settlement, and having put up a cabin during the spring, settled down to make themselves as comfortable as the circumstances would admit, and from that time till the spring of 1801 they were the only white persons living in the township; in fact, there were only six or seven other settlers in the entire county, there being one in Mantua, one in Ravenna, one in Aurora, one or two in Deerfield, and one in Palmyra; his nearest neighbor being Lewis Ely, in Deerfield.
As soon as the party of Capt. Atwater arrived they began surveying the township into lots and laying out roads, and many were the hardships encoun- tered by those hardy old adventurers, but they were made of the material and had the wills to withstand all the privations with which they came in contact. Shortly after their arrival the horses of the party broke loose and ran off into the dense forest. Jonathan Merrick started after them in the morning, but soon became lost in the woods, and wandered around till evening, when he found himself on the banks of the Mahoning, near the southeast corner of the township. The next day he continued his search, but with no luck, and still not knowing exactly where he was, but on the third day had better success, reaching camp in the afternoon. He was almost exhausted with fatigue and hunger, and had been given up by his companions, who thought he must have been devoured by wild beasts, or killed by some roving band of Indians.
An event occurred early in 1800 that enlivened matters considerably in the Hall household. A child was born, and this first little visitor was named Atwater, in honor of the proprietor. This was the first birth in the county.
About the time Hall moved away from the Center, David Baldwin. Jr., came in and settled two miles south of the Center. He came on the 20th of June, 1801. and was from Wallingford, Conn., where his father had removed from Massachusetts. For the next three years Baldwin and Hall and their
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ATWATER TOWNSHIP.
families were the only persons in the township, and they lived five miles apart. During the first few years flour, or rather meal, and provisions were extremely hard to get. They had to go to Smith's Ferry, forty-five miles, to a grist- mill, and as for shoes, the children of those times in this locality never had a pair on their feet till they were nearly grown. Baldwin was the agent of Capt. Atwater, and was a man highly respected by all who came in contact with him. In 1802 a child was born to David Baldwin, and this child is now the hale and hearty old gentleman of eighty-two years, Maj. Ransom Bald- win, he being the second born in the township, and the oldest and only person near his age now living inside the county upon the spot where born. The Major is well preserved in all his faculties, and has filled several honora- ble positions during his long life, notably that of Major of the Independent Rifles.
After a journey of nearly six weeks from Connecticut, there arrived, Novem- ber 1, 1804, a party consisting of David Baldwin, Sr., Moses Baldwin, his son, and Theophilus Anthony, Capt. Joseph Hart arriving soon after. Anthony settled in the southern part of the township, and cleared up a fine farm, the first plow he used being brought from Suffield on his back. Hart settled at the Center, and raised the first frame barn, which was the first frame erected in the township. A frame saw-mill was erected about the same time.
In 1805 the then proprietor of the township, Deacon Joshua Atwater, with Josiah Mix, Jr., came to the township from Connecticut, having ridden all the way on horseback. This was the first visit of Deacon Atwater to the township. Mix returned in the fall to his home in the East, but in the spring following came out again on foot. in company with Jeremiah Jones, the latter gentleman afterward becoming a Magistrate, and the best commentary on whose official course is the fact that but one appeal was taken from his decis- ions to the County Court.
The year 1806 brought several persons into the township who very materi- ally helped to shape the future of the community. In addition to Jeremiah Jones and Josiah Mix, came John H. Whittlesey, Asahel Blakesley, Caleb Mattoon and Ira and Amos Morse. Blakesley, who was one of the party who came out in 1799, was the only one to return to the West, but having married in the meantime, brought his wife and three children.
The year 1807 saw quite a number of new settlers, as at that time came William Strong and family from Durham, Conn., who erected the first frame house in Atwater. He enlisted in the war of 1812, and died at Black Rock. Also came Capt. James Webber, who is now ninety years of age, being brought out when a boy of about twelve years, Jared Scranton and one or two others from the East. At this time a number came in from South Carolina, who set- tied in the southwest part of the township, including Enos Davis, who brought a son about ten years old, Isaac Davis, who is now living at the advanced age of eighty-nine years, William Marshall, John Hutton, John Campbell and some others. William Marshall was a stone mason, and had helped to build Fort Sumter; he brought two mason's picks with him used in that work.
In 1810, the township being attached to Deerfield, which had been organ- ized several years before. David Baldwin, Jr., was elected Justice of the Peace, receiving his commission from Gov. Huntington. The first entry on the docket of the Squire was April 1, 1811, in a case of debt and damage, being Lewis Day vs. Lewis Ely, which was, however, settled by arbitration. The first trial before him occurred the following fall. Petition having been made and granted, the township was organized, and the first election held April 3, 1815, at the store of Elkanah Morse, which resulted in the election of
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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
Ira Morse, Justice of the Peace; Jeremiah Jones, Town Clerk; Gideon Chitten- den, Joseph Marshall, Amos Morse, Trustees; David Baldwin, Jr., Caleb Mattoon, Overseers of the Poor; Ira Mansfield, Charles Chittenden, Fence Viewers; John H. Whittlesey, Josiah Mix. David Baldwin, Jr., Supervisors; Almon Chittenden, Constable; David Baldwin, Jr., Treasurer, which office the latter held for twenty-one years; he died on the 23d of December, 1837, after a long and useful life.
The first marriage that occurred in the township was solemnized January 28, 1807, the parties being Josiah Mix, Jr., and Sally Mattoon; Lewis Day, of Deerfield, officiated. On the 23d of April Jared Scranton and Phoebe Matoon united their fortunes, and Day also officiated. The next fall Moses Baldwin and Nancy Burns were married. In the spring of 1808 Maria Strong, daughter of William Strong, died, at the age of seven years, and her grave was the first in the little cemetery at the southwest corner of the Center. In the fall following, on September 1, 1808, David Baldwin died.
The first sheep brought to the township were procured at Georgetown by John H. Whittlesey and Jeremiah Jones, who on their trip to the point named, while traveling through the dense forest, came upon and captured an immense bear, to which they got close enough to strike with a club on the nose. They brought twelve sheep and the bear back with them, but were in a dilemma how to keep the sheep from wolves, until Mr. Whittlesey thought of fencing off part of his kitchen.
The first mill was put up by Asa Hall, on Yellow Creek, in the northeast part of the township, which was, possibly, the greatest acquisition then made to the township.
John Norton, who lives one mile and one-fourth north of the Center, and whose father, Jerry Norton, came from Durham, Conn., in 1812, has in his possession a musket that no doubt has the history that its possessor gives of it. Mr. Norton says that it belonged to his father's great-grandfather, and that it came over in the Mayflower in 1620. It was five feet, six and one-half inches in length, but has had four or five inches cut from it. No gun of the character of this one has been made later than 250 years, and it is precisely like one or two others that came over in the Mayflower, now owned by New England families, who possess indisputable evidence in regard to them.
Maj. Ransom Baldwin has a powder horn that was carried through the Revolutionary struggle. The first Postmaster in the township was Caleb Atwater, a grandson of the original proprietor. Charles Bradley, Sr., who is ninety-two years of age, is the oldest man in the township.
" The Queen of the Harem," Amelia Folsome, one of the wives of Brigham Young, was born in Buffalo, and settled at Atwater Station with her parents, who were Mormons, previous to leaving for Nauvoo, Ill.
Mrs. Susan Carter (widow of James Carter, who is supposed to have been murdered and his body subsequently placed on the track,) was killed by a pass- ing train in December, 1884, near Atwater.
On January 3, 1885, Dr. Bevington, of Freedom, was killed and Miss Eva Elliott nearly killed by a train on this road just north at Atwater Station.
Early Churches and Preachers .- The first sermon preached by a Presbyterian minister in the township is supposed to have been one delivered by Rev. Leslie, at the house of Maj. Mansfield, in 1808, which may have been in the spring or summer, as Rev. Mr. Scott, a Presbyterian minister, preached the funeral ser- mon of David Baldwin. Sr., in September of the year named. In 1806 a Rev. Mr. Ely visited the settlement and preached regularly that year. A number of ministers visited the township at different times, until 1812, when
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ATWATER TOWNSHIP.
Deacon Ozias Norton came in and began holding services in a small log-house at the Center. About this time an event occurred that gave evidence that those early worshipers had not lost their patriotism, for on one Saturday they received notice that nearly all the able-bodied men would be required to march to the seat of war on Monday, so the son of Deacon Norton mended all their shoes, and the women made their knapsacks on the Sabbath. In 1813 Deacon Norton left, and from that time till 1816, when his place was filled by Deacon Jonathan Baldwin, the spiritual wants of the settlers were sup- plied by missionaries who would visit occasionally. No regular services were held, however, till 1818, when, according to previous notice, on the 20th of March a little band assembled at the house of Sylvester Baldwin, which was organized into a church, Revs. Caleb Pitkin, William Hanford and Joseph Treat officiating. After a sermon by Rev. Treat, eleven persons were formed into a church, namely: Deacon Jonathan Baldwin and wife, Aaron Baldwin and wife, Joseph C. Baldwin and wife, Sylvester Baldwin and wife, John H. Whittlesey and wife, and Mrs. Rachel Norton. Meetings were held in various bouses and in a log-schoolhouse "until 1822, when a small brick church was erected a few rods from where the present church now stands, which was used till the elegant and commodious edifice that now adorns the Center was dedi- cated, that event occurring November 7, 1841, Prof. Hickox preaching the dedicatory sermon. Rev. E. C. Sharp became the regular pastor June 1, 1842, and for upward of a quarter of a century continued in charge of the church, dying in 1867. Rev. John Field preached one year as stated supply in the little brick church about 1824.
The old Methodist Church of the Center, built in 1821 near the Center Square, is now used as a barn by J. M. White, one mile and a fourth south of the Center. The first preaching of the Methodist Episcopal Church was at the Josiah Mix homestead. The next house of worship at the Center was a schoolhouse purchased by the society. Then the building now used as a town hall was erected and used until sold for $800 to the town. With this $800 and subscriptions a new building was erected at Atwater Station, four- teen years ago, and dedicated by Rev. Moses Hill. The preachers since that time were B. F. Wade, Rev. John Brown, George Elliott, Sherwood, James Axell, Mark McCaslin, C. H. Merchant, and Moore, the present pastor. There are about fifty members. The land on which the church stands was donated by J. H. Whittlesey, and Mr. Hillyer donated about $3,000. This building, when finished, was paid for and dedicated.
Holy Teinne Dutch Reformed Lutheran Church, of Atwater, was organized as a society, under State Law. December 7, 1850, and elected Michael Jaiser, C. Reichke, and James Miller, Trustees, and Jacob Rotman, Clerk. This church is two and a half miles south of the Center, and is one of the old reli- gious associations of the county.
The first school is supposed to have been taught by Mrs. Almon Chittenden in 1806-07, at the Center, in a little log-house that is now gone. Another is said to have been taught about 1809 in the southwestern portion of the town- ship, but the exact location and the old pioneer teacher are now numbered among the forgotten things. The condition of the schools of this township in August, 1884, is shown by the following statistics: 214 boys and 193 girls enrolled in primary school. Total revenue, $3,445.09; paid teachers, $2,275.75; number of schoolhouses, 9; valued at $7,000. Average monthly pay of male teachers, $39; of female teachers, $21.
The Sharp Sickle was published at Atwater by William Hicks up to the time of the editor's death in 1879. The press used in the office is now in
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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.
possession of William Stratton. The Atwater News was issued in July, 1884, and ceased after the publication of a few numbers. Owing to the fact that the News was printed at Alliance, full postal rates were collected here. This was one of the main reasons for discontinuing this journal.
The Atwater Choral Union, one of the oldest musical associations in the county has 100 members. E. E. Heiser is Secretary and Dr. O. A. Lyon, President. Prof. R. Griffiths, of Akron, is Conductor.
The first hotel at the Station was opened by Mrs. Massie White, in a house built by Joel Haugh. Mrs. White conducted the house for some years, under the name of the Colonade, now the Atwater House, which is at present oper- ated by Abram Huffman. In 1881 Abram Huffman opened a hotel in a house which he built opposite the present Atwater House. The American House is also conducted as a hotel, with W. A. Loomis, proprietor. Wells Hillyar conducted a hotel at the Center for many years. There was also another house opened there and conducted for a time.
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