History of Portage County, Ohio, Part 49

Author: Warner, Beer & co., pub. [from old catalog]; Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Norris, J. E. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 958

USA > Ohio > Portage County > History of Portage County, Ohio > Part 49

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In the spring of 1806 George Haymaker, brother of John, and their father, Jacob, came in. Jacob built a house on the west side of the river near where Kent's mill now stands. In April of this year Samuel Burnett was employed by Judge Quimby, of Warren, to make a clearing on Lot 65, and to receive as payment eighty acres of land in that vicinity. He made a clearing and put up a cabin with the assistance of the father, Christian Cackler, but he did not remain there long, as Judge Quimby died and Burnett failed to get his eighty acres. During the following fall Frederick Haymaker came in and purchased a tract of land that included most of the upper village. Frederick, also, was a son of Jacob, and was a man of fine educational and natural abili- ties. He had served as private secretary to the brilliant but unprincipled Aaron Burr, on the famous expedition for which he was tried for treason, and is said to have possessed the secret reasons and motives and plans of his superior, but he never divulged a word in regard to them; the facts, known to no one else, dying with the faithful secretary. Frederick was the father of twenty- seven children, having been married three times. The Haymaker family owned about 600 acres on the present site of Kent.

During 1807 the Haymakers built a small mill, the stones used for grind- ing being those known as "hard heads," and were prepared by Bradford Kel- logg, of Hudson. The mill, of course, was a very rude affair, and was used before it was entirely finished. Crotched poles were planted, upon which other poles were placed, and a roof thus formed. A coarse cloth was used by hand

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as a bolting-cloth. This primitive affair was a great convenience, and was used, with very little improvement, for several years. Andrew Kelso was the miller. From the fact that this mill was located here the name, Franklin Mills, as designating the village, originated, for in time the settlement became known through the mill, it receiving patronage from a large section of the surrounding country.

The first white child born in the township was John F., son of John and Sally Haymaker, this event occurring September 11, 1807; Emily, a daughter to the same parents, was born November 26, 1809. The first death was that of Eve Haymaker, the wife of Jacob, and father of the first settler, John, and his brothers George and Frederick. Jacob died in 1819, John in 1827, George in 1838, Frederick in Trumbull County in 1851, and Sally June 15, 1869, at the advanced age of ninety-four years, having lived in the township sixty- four years.

During the summer of 1807, after the organization of the county, there was a very heated competition to secure the county seat for Tappan's town mills. Benjamin Tappan, of course, wanted to gain the prize and brought much influence to bear; but Olmsted, the proprietor of Franklin, and John Campbell, although a resident nearer Ravenna, endeavored to secure it for the Haymaker settlement. Campbell was instructed by Olmsted to offer to the Locating Committee a plat of ground for the public buildings, and to give them the necessary assurance, also, that he would defray the expense of erect- ing a Court House and Jail. A beautiful site was selected by Campbell on a rise just north of where now is Standing Rock Cemetery, and it was deemed certain by all concerned that the county seat was secured, but Olmsted returned to his home in the East and died, leaving all his unsold lands to his grandchildren; so, when the committee came to make the necessary arrange- ments, they had no title to the land. Thus, Kent lost the county seat, but she fully makes up for it in natural advantages, and bids fair to outstrip her rival in population, as she has in manufacturing.

In 1811 Jacob Reed moved into the township from Rootstown, where he and his brothers Charles and Abram had settled in 1804. Reed purchased the little mill from the Haymakers and improved it, roofing and side-boarding it. From this old miller the settlement came to be called for several years Reeds- burg, but, he selling out in 1816 to William Price and George B. DePeyster, the mill was again very materially improved, and the name Reedsburg was dropped, the original designation of Franklin Mills being generally adopted.

The old burying-ground in which Eve Haymaker was buried in 1810 was donated by one of the Haymakers and contained about two acres of land. It was used until Standing Rock Cemetery was laid off, and in that old and hal- lowed ground lie the remains of many of the early settlers.

In 1814 Christian Cackler was married to Theresa Nighman, the ceremony being performed by Frederick Caris, of Rootstown. This was the first wed- ding in Franklin Township, and when we consider that nearly ten years had elapsed since John Haymaker had cut his first tree there, it will be seen how slowly the settlement grew.

In 1814 Elisha Stevens erected a saw-mill, the first in the township, which stood upon the spot where was afterward erected the Lane foundry. Up to this time very little timber was used except in the rough. As soon as Stevens got his mill in operation the settlers actually built frame houses.

The township was organized in 1815, and an election held, at which twelve votes were cast, the voters being Amasa Hamlin, Elisha Stevens, George Haymaker, John Haymaker, David Lilly, Hubbard Hurlbut, Jacob Reed,

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Alexander Stewart, Adam Nighman, William Williams, Christian Cackler, Sr., and Andrew Kelso. This was the entire voting population in 1815. The officers elected were: Trustees, Amasa Hamlin, Elisha Stevens, George Hay- maker; Clerk, Hubbard Hurlbut; Justice of the Peace, John Haymaker; Jacob Reed and John Tucker were the Judges of Election.

Not long after the organization, the first lawsuit in the township occurred. It was a case for damages instituted by Christian Cackler, whose geese had trespassed upon the lands of David Lilly, and was a reversal of the ordinary mode of procedure. Lilly killed several of Cackler's geese while destroying his (Lilly's) oats, and was sued therefor, and forced to pay for them, the Jus- tice holding that there was nothing in the law to prevent a goose from destroy- ing a man's oats, but that there was a penalty for killing the same goose, even if caught.

Some time in the twenties a couple of cases arising from the ultra-religious sentiments of a few of the early settlers, occurred, which created a great deal of feeling. A man named Brown, who was working at one of the mills, went out on Sunday, having no other time through the week to do so, to gather a few chestnuts for his little ones. He was observed by the son of Deacon Andrews, informed upon, as a Sabbath-breaker, and fined $1 and costs. About the same time Jacob Stough and Sylvester Babcock, of Ravenna, drove through the settlement and the next day were arrested at the instance of a fel- low named Russell, who was studying for the ministry. The teamsters were on their way home from having delivered some goods to Zenas Kent. They were also fined, but the good people of Franklin Mills went to Stough, and told him that if he would cowhide Russell they would foot the bill, in order to clear their township of such fanaticism, and Stough did it, yet there was no one to make complaint against him for the act, so just was considered the drubbing he administered to the pious man.

The present officers are named as follows: Justices of the Peace, Isaac Rus- sel, John Bentley, N. L. Barber; Constables, Oliver Newberry, John F. Clark; Trustees, Willard Moody, S. W. Burt, William Bassett.

In 1818 Joshua Woodard moved into the township from Ravenna and commenced erecting, in conjunction with Frederick Haymaker, who had removed to Beaver, Penn., a number of buildings. They put up a woolen factory, dye-house, cabinet shop, turning-lathes, and a number of dwelling houses; also a hotel. Haymaker & Wocdard continued in partnership till about 1826, when they dissolved, the former taking the mill property, and the latter the hotel and other buildings. In 1822 Woodard had formed a part- nership with Benjamin F. Hopkins and David Ladd, who built a glass factory near where the upper mill now stands. They also built a tannery on the east side of the river, near the upper bridge; a woolen factory, saw-mill and ashery one mile east of the village, on the Breakneck Creek, and a woolen factory and abvil-mill in the lower village, and opened a stock of goods in the basement of the house of George B. DePeyster. In addition they erected a number of private dwellings, and did a large business till 1831, when the firm dissolved and divided their property.

The settlers in the township in 1820 were: S. Babcock on Lot 1; S. Shurt- liff, on Lot 2; W. R. Converse, Lot 6; G. Haymaker 10; D. McKim, 11; E. Pimbers, 12; S. Andrews, 13; A. Shurtliff, 16; S. Jennings, 19; R. Shurtliff, 21; A. Loomis, 22; S. Clapp, 23; W. Newberry, 24; C. Newberry, G. B. DePeyster and W. Stewart, 25; T. Wallace, 27; J. Henderson, T. Williard, S. McMillen and J. Woodard, 30; B. Clark, 31; H. Moore, R. Moore and Granger, 32; J. Stewart, 38; E. Dewy, 39; H. Hurlbut, 40; E. Stevens, 42;

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D. Williams, 48; A. Hamlin, 49; W. Bassett, 50; Widow Price, 51; J. Day, 52; John Haymaker, 59; D. Lilly, 69; D. Greer, 73; and A. Stewart, 79. The above named appear on a chart of the town made by Selah S. Clapp.

In 1824 James Edmunds, and Henry Park and his brother, built a glass factory on land now belonging to the Cackler estate, and for about ten years ending in 1831, William H. Price and George B. DePeyster had in operation in the Lower Village a grist-mill, saw-mill, forge and trip-hammer and a hemp factory. They also ran a general store and did a fine business. They manu- factured scythes, axes, forks and many other articles of iron and steel. De- Peyster was at this time appointed Postmaster of Franklin Mills, that being the official name of the office, although the twin settlements were known respectively as Upper Village and Lower Village. The name Carthage was afterward applied to the Upper Village. Postmaster DePeyster kept his mail matter in a cigar box, and 25 cents was the usual moderate fee of Uncle Sam for carrying a letter a reasonable distance.

A sad event dissolved this enterprising firm of Price & DePeyster. In 1831 Mr. Price went to New Lisbon, where he procured a large grindstone to be used in his factory, and was on his way home, having the heavy stone upon a wagon. It was in February, the ground being covered with ice, and through some jolting or jerking of the wagon the stone slipped off and fell upon the unfortunate owner, inflicting such injuries that he died shortly after- ward. Another misfortune in connection with the Price & DePeyster mills came in March, 1833, in the shape of a tremendous freshet that swept every- thing before it, carrying away the entire mill property and inflicting an almost irreparable loss upon the proprietor.

In 1831-32 Frederick Haymaker sold his property, consisting of 100 acres of land and a fine water power in the Upper Village, to Pomeroy & Rhodes, who built a grist-mill, woolen factory and a cabinet shop, and set up turning- lathes, which they operated for several years. About this time J. C. Fairchild purchased the tannery put up by Woodard and others and ran it for some years. Mr. Fairchild erected the first brick house in town, it being a small building south of the John Thompson residence on the west side of the river, and in this building was born the son who became Gov. Fairchild of Wisconsin.

With the enumeration of the above industries, we are brought to what might be termed the end of the first era of Franklin, or rather Kent, although the settlement was not known as yet by that name, it being called Carthage for the upper, and Franklin Mills for the lower settlement. It will be noted that the tastes and enterprise of the original settlers of Kent ran strongly in the direction of manufactories, and it is very remarkable that, with a population so sparse, so many mills and factories should rise, considerable in size, too; yet, what she has since accomplished in this way make her original efforts appear pigmean.

From an address delivered at the seventh annual meeting of the Portage- Summit Pioneer Association, by Rev. W. F. Day, the following facts are gleaned. In 1827 the spot now occupied by Kent contained two villages, hav- ing each about half a dozen families. They were known originally as Upper Village and Lower Village, but, in addition the upper one bore the classic title of Carthage, whilst the lower was Franklin Mills, the postal station. The name Carthage, however, died out, and until the present appropriate name was adopted, the villages were called Upper and Lower respectively, and Franklin Mills, collectively. « The first house built in Upper Village about that time was by Eber Phelps, on the site where now lives S. P. Stinaff.

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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.

Another small house stood a few rods below Phelps, and was occupied by the Frosts. The third, and more pretentious building was erected by Frederick Haymaker, a part of which is still standing. The fourth house, as you come down, was the residence of Rev. William Foljambe. This house was on the street just west of the upper bridge, and has been down many years. He owned a cow that knew when Sunday came as well as her master, and would pack off to where they held services on that day with the human regularity of those early church-goers. The animal, doubtless, knew when Sunday came by connecting the fact of wagons collecting together, all of which contained hay or straw for the use of the horses that hauled them, and to which she would make her way and filch a good feed. The fifth house was the Woodard Tavern, owned and kept by Joshua Woodard, and is the present Dewey place. Another, and the sixth house, stood a few rods west of the tavern. Passing southward through the woods to a point a few rods south of where the Epis- copal Church now stands, you come to the residence of William Stewart, whose daughter Maria became the wife of Hon. Marvin Kent. In the Lower Village was located the Lincoln Tavern, on the opposite side of the way a small house, and to the east was the residence of George B. DePeyster, who was Justice of the Peace for several years, and a Judge under the old county system. Franklin, for many years after the date mentioned, had no lawyer or scribe, and DePeyster drew up all documents requiring the peculiar and non- sensical phraseology of the law-his "hereunto attached," " fetch, bring and convey the body of," and his "for, and in consideration of and by," being deemed absolutely essential to the legality of any paper between man and man. On the opposite side of the street was the residence and store of Capt. Price, and on the brow of the hill above the grist-mill was a small building in which was kept a store by Samuel Foljambe, now of Cleveland. There were two dams to the river, each village having one. The upper dam was nearly against the Woodard Tavern, but was afterward moved a few rods farther down, where a grist-mill was built. The lower dam was across the river, a little above the present location of the flouring-mills, and a flouring-mill, the only one in the two villages, stood near the site of the present mill, whilst on the other side of the river was an oil-mill. In the Lower Village was a saw- mill. There was also a small glass factory, a woolen-mill and a tannery, and these, added to the others, with possibly the addition of two or three small houses, constituted the two villages.

Woodard's Tavern, and Lincoln's Tavern, were great rival hostelries. They were each kept by more than ordinarily shrewd men, and both of the proprie- tors were accommodating and pleasant hosts, coming fully up to the standard of knowing " how to keep a hotel." And they both exerted their powers to obtain custom, using all fair means to divert travel one from the other. There were two roads of travel between Ravenna and Cuyahoga Falls. About one mile west of Ravenna was the Black Horse Tavern. There the road to Cuya- hoga Falls divided. The northern route, starting off where it now does, ran about where the present road does, save that it crossed directly between the lakes, instead of turning to the north as it does. After reaching the Wood- ard Tavern it dropped south a few rods, when it turned west across the woods and came out near John Perkins' place. The other road, after leaving the Black Horse Tavern, crooked around somewhat, though running in the same general direction as the present one, until, within about a mile of the town, it turned off to the southwest, crossing the Cuyahoga on a bridge a little below the grist-mill, then continuing on until it intersected the other. One road, therefore, was the road to Woodard's, and the other to Lincoln's, and the

George Deiry

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strife between the rival tavern-keepers was which should succeed in turning the travel at the Black Horse Tavern, or at the Perkins place. They had handbills and signs eulogizing their respective houses, each showing conclu- sively why his route was the best for general travel, and why the other was a great deal farther, a great deal rougher, and entirely unfit for any sane man to think of taking, unless compelled to do so. The Cleveland & Pittsburgh stage was then running, and the great point was to get the stage route. Some- times Lincoln would induce the stage company to run by his route, and then Woodard would get them to adopt his. The matter was finally compromised by running on the Woodard road from the Black Horse Tavern to Wood- ard's, when the stage would then drive down to Lincoln's, and then on west. About the date 1827 Jairus Cassius Fairchild came into the Upper Village, built a house opposite Woodard's, and opened a tannery on the other side of the river. He then built the brick store which was taken down some years ago, that being the first store in the Upper Village. A Mr. Root was associated with him. There were then two stores in the Lower Village, but shortly after- ward a Mr. Button opened a store in the Upper Village, and Carthage for a time ran ahead of its rival. This store was in the south end of Woodard's Tavern, but the proprietor dying, G. D. Bates, now of Akron, carried on the business.

No doubt it was the fact of there being two distinct dams, that two vil- lages grew up so close together, but when the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal Company destroyed the water-power, and especially when the brick buildings, owned respectively by Zenas Kent and Joy H. and Nelson Pendleton, were erected, all competition ceased, and everything has moved harmoniously since.

Ontside of the villages there were, possibly, about twelve or fifteen fam- ilies, and taking these with those in the villages, gave a population of not very far from 125 souls in the entire township. The following in regard to those outside of the villages is gleaned from a source considered to be as accurate as can be obtained at this late date. There may have been a few oth- ers who afterward passed away and became forgotten. In the northern section Jacob Lilly lived on the east banks of the East Twin Lake; John Haymaker was occupying the Olin place, half a mile or so below, where the roads fork. Edward Farnham had a small clearing on the east side, and Paul Davidson on the west side of the lake; a little further down was the settlement of Amasa Hamlin, whose wife, familiarly called Aunt Sallie, was a " holy terror" to the young men who attended "meeting " where she did, for if the pious old lady would detect any one of them whispering or misbehaving, she would march over to where he sat and take a seat beside him. As everybody knew what Aunt Sallie meant by that, the unfortunate offender became "spotted" forever after. In the northwestern part of the township lived the Cacklers; John Dewey lived where he died some years ago. In the eastern part of the town, Barber Clark, a Moore family, the Busts, the Clapps, Deacons Andrews and McBride, Timothy Wallace, Andrew Kelso, Alexander Stewart, Adam Nigh- man, Hubbard Hurlbut, Elisha Stevens, and a few others also were residents.

KENT.

In May, 1832, Zenas Kent and David Ladd purchased the Price & De Peyster property, the mill on which had been swept away the preceding Feb- ruary, they paying for the entire site $7,000. The property consisted of 300 acres of land, including the fine water-power of the Cuyahoga. In the course of a year Mr. Kent bought his partner's interest, and continued the improve- ments. In 1836 Mr. Kent and Messrs. Pomeroy & Rhodes sold their entire

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HISTORY OF PORTAGE COUNTY.

interests, the first for $75,000, and the latter for $40,000. Kent received in cash $25,000, and P. C. R. $30,000 from the Franklin Land Company. The parties buying were known as the Franklin Land Company, which in the year following transferred its interest to a company incorporated as the Franklin Silk Company, the following gentlemen being the members: Norman C. Baldwin, Truman P. Handy, Alexander Seymour, David H. Beardsley, Sher- lock J. Andrews, John A. Foote, Solomon L. Severance, John S. Potwin, Seth W. Crittenden, Flavel W. Bingham, of Cleveland; Augustus Baldwin, John B. Clark, Van R. Humphrey, of Hudson; Elisha Beach, Nathan Button, of Franklin; Theodore Noble, of Middlebury; Zenas Kent, George Kirkham, George Y. Wallace, of Ravenna; Frederick Wadsworth, of Edinburg; and James W. Wallace, of Boston. This company made great improvements. They erected the fine stone dam and the wooden bridge, where now stands the fine stone bridge, and seemed to lay out a splendid future for Franklin Mills. The company contracted with the canal company to build the dam, but, as the canal people, besides controlling the water at this point, were interested in the then rival town of Akron, they diverted nearly the entire volume of the Cuyahoga to their canal, ostensibly for navigation purposes, but really to furnish water- power to Akron. This was a terrible blow, as well as an outrage on the strug- gling, yet plucky and enterprising people of the twin villages. The property of the Silk Company depreciated, it became embarrassed, their circulating notes were retired, and it finally went into insolvency. But, fortunately, by legal process and purchase, the property fell into the hands of a man whose stamen and ability were equal to the emergencies. This man was Zenas Kent, who did all in his power to revive the flagging interests and to recover from the effects consequent upon the loss of the water-power to the villages. In 1848 the property was sold to Henry A. and Marvin Kent, who for thirty- five years, have been engaged in promoting the interests of the now consoli- dated villages. They erected a large cotton-mill, but through the failure of Eastern parties to fulfill their obligations in the matter, the factory was not stocked. Glass works were erected, and other enterprises inaugurated, but the village languished until the completion of the Franklin & Warren Railroad, now the New York, Lake Erie & Western, lately known as the N. Y., P. & O. R. R. This great road was a conception of the brain of Marvin Kent, who early saw that the future would require a great thoroughfare to run diagonally across Ohio, and he ceased not his labors till he heard the whistle of the first passen- ger train of the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad as it approached Franklin Mills on the 7th day of March, 1863, in which year the name of the duplex villages was changed to Kent, in honor of the projector, executor and Presi- dent of the now colossal railroad system. The location of the principal shops at Kent, and it being the termini of two divisions, gave a marked stimulus to the village, and it being the geographical centre of the road, an elegant depot and dining-rooms, to which H. A. and M. Kent donated grounds valued at about $10,000, were erected.

John Brown, of Harper's Ferry fame, came into the adjoining township of Hudson with his father in 1805, and moved into Franklin Mills in 1835, being then thirty five years of age. He built a house which he intended open- ing as a boarding house, but failed in his venture through some cause or another. The house still stands in Kent, and was used some years ago by a party for the very purpose Brown intended it. Brown & Thompson's addition to Franklin Village was platted by John A. Means, surveyor, in 1838, and record- ed October 22, that year. This embraced twenty-one acres, extending from the bend of the river to the east line of Township Lot 12, and from the north line of Township Lot 12 to the south line of same lot. This plat was vacated. The

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Island tract and extension to Water Street of forty-five acres was purchased by Marvin Kent from Capt. Heman Oviatt, to whom it was conveyed by John Brown. The descriptions on the original plat, now in Marvin Kent's possession, are in John Brown's handwriting.

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History of Portage County, Ohio, Part 49

Author: Warner, Beer & co., pub. [from old catalog]; Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Norris, J. E. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Chicago, Warner, Beers & co. Number of Pages: 958

Author: Warner, Beer & co., pub. [from old catalog]; Brown, R. C. (Robert C.); Norris, J. E. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, Warner, Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 958