History of Richland County, Ohio : (including the original boundaries) ; its past and present, containing a condensed comprehensive history of Ohio, including an outline history of the Northwest, a complete history of Richland county miscellaneous matter, map of the county, biographies and histories of the most prominent families, &c., &c., Part 34

Author: Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Mansfield, O. : A. A. Graham & co.
Number of Pages: 968

USA > Ohio > Richland County > History of Richland County, Ohio : (including the original boundaries) ; its past and present, containing a condensed comprehensive history of Ohio, including an outline history of the Northwest, a complete history of Richland county miscellaneous matter, map of the county, biographies and histories of the most prominent families, &c., &c. > Part 34

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"The Black or Canesadooharie River," says Dr. Hill, "had always been famous among the aborigines of Northern Ohio for the number and

largeness of its bears. Some of the pioneers yet surviving often visited this country in search of bruin, when they first settled in the country, and can relate astounding stories of their exploits at the time. The habit of these animals was to search out a hollow tree or a warm clump of bushes late in the autumn, where they could remain three or four months, during the extreme cold of the winter, subsist- ing entirely on the fat of their bodies. They would emerge in the spring very lean, and when so were exceedingly ferocious. When searching out their places of winter solitude, they often left the impress of their feet on the bark of the tree they ascended, or on the grass in the lair they had found. These signs were easily discov- ered by Indians and expert bear hunters. They were then very fat, and were eagerly sought by the Indians for their flesh and fat. Some- times they would ascend trees thirty or forty feet high, and find a good wintering place and take possession. Again they would ascend the tree, if hollow, from the inside, and. finding a good place, occupy it. Then the hunters would divide forces, one ascend the tree and with a long pole, sharpened at one end, or wrapped with a rag or dry skin saturated with grease and set on fire, thrust the same down on the bear and compel him to descend, only to meet his death at the foot of the tree from the ar- row or bullet of the hunter below.

The skin of a fat bear was a great prize to an Indian. It made him an excellent couch on which to sleep, or a cloak to wear. His flesh was supposed to impart bravery to those who ate it, hence when dipped in sweetened bear's fat, it was considered an excellent dish and one often offered to friends. Venison, prepared the same way, was also considered a dish fit for the most royal visitors ; a hospitality always ex- tended to all who came to the camp, and if not accepted the donor was sure to be offended.

The domestic life of the Indians was very much the same in all parts of America. Among

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the Northern Ohio tribes, marriage consisted simply of two persons agreeing to live together, which simple agreement, among many tribes. was never broken. Sometimes the young woman courted the young brave. much after the fash- ion of the white people during leap years. This custom was considered quite proper. and favor- ably looked upon by the braves. In some lo- calities the chief gave away the young woman to some brave he considered competent to sup- port her in the chase, a part of the domestic economy always devolving on the man. When the game was killed, the squaw was expected to cut up and prepare the meat for use. and stretch and tan the hide.

The marriage relation among the most of the tribes was held strictly by all, a variation from it on the part of the female meriting certain death. The Wyandots and Delawares prided themselves on their virtue and hospitality, and no authenticated case of the misuse of a female captive, except to treat them as prisoners of war, can now be quoted. They always evinced the utmost modesty toward their female cap- tives. Respect for the aged. for parents and those in authority prevailed. When one among them spoke, all listened, never, under any cir- cumstances. interrupting him. When he was done, then was the time to reply.

In theology, the natives were all believers of one deity, denominated by them the Great Spirit. They firmly believed in his care of the world and of his children, though different theories prevailed among the tribes regarding their creation. Their ideas of a divinity, as expressed by James Smith, a captive many years among them, are well given in the follow- lowing story, preserved in Smith's memoirs.

He and his elder Indian brother, Tecangli- retanego, had been on a hunt for some time, and, meeting with poor success, found them- selves straitened for food. After they had smoked at their camp-fire awhile, Tecaugli- retanego delivered quite a speech, in which he

recounted how Owaneeyo (God) had fed them in times gone by ; how He fed the white people, and why they raised their own meat; how the Great Spirit provided the Indian with food for his use ; and how, that though the prospect was sometimes gloomy, the Great Spirit was only trying them ; that if they would only trust Him and use the means diligently, they would be certain to be provided for. The next morning Smith rose early, according to the Indian's in- structions, and ere long killed a buffalo cow. whose meat kept them in food many days. This was the occasion of another speech from his Indian brother. This trust often led them to habits of prodigality. They seldom pro- vided for the future, almost literally fulfilling the adage: "Let each day provide for its own wants." They hunted, fished and idled away their days. Possessed of a boundless inherit- ance, they allowed the white race to come in and possess their lands and eventually drive them entirely away.

Their manner of feasts may also be noticed. After the county began to settle, and while the Greentown Indians yet remained in Green Town- ship, a number of the early settlers, Andrew Craig, Capt. James Cunningham. James Copus, who preserved the following account of the feast, and a few others, were invited to one of their feasts. "The ceremonies," says Dr. Hill, " took place in the council-house, a building made of clapboards and poles. about thirty feet wide and fifty feet long. When the Indians en- tered the council-house, the squaws seated themselves on one side of the room. while the braves occupied the opposite side. There was a small mound of earth in the center of the room. eight or ten feet in diameter. which seemed to be a sort of sacrificial mound. The ceremonies began with a sort of rude music, made by beating on a small brass kettle, and on dried skins stretched over the mouths of pots, making a kind of a rude drum. The pounding was accompanied by a sort of song, which, as

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near as can be understood, ran: 'Tinny, tinny, tinny, ho, ha, ho, ha, ho,' aecenting the last syl- lables. Then a chief arose and addressed them. During the delivery of his speech a profound si- lence prevailed. The whole audience seemed to be deeply moved by the oration. The speaker seemed to be about seventy years of age, and was very tall and graceful. His eyes had the fire of youth, and shone with emotion while he was speaking. The audience seemed deeply moved, and frequently sobbed while he spoke. Mr. Copus could not understand the language of the speaker, but presumed he was giving a summary history of the Delaware Nation, two tribes of which, the Wolf and the Turtle, were represented at the feast. Mr. Copus learned that the speaker was the famous Capt. Pipe, of Mohican Johnstown, the executioner of Col. Crawford. At the close of the address, daneing commenced. The Indians were clothed in deer- skin leggins and English blankets. Deer hoofs and bear's claws were strung along the seams of their leggins, and. when the dance com- menced, the jingling of the hoofs and claws made a sort of harmony to the rude music of the pots and kettles. The men danced in files or lines by themselves around the central mound, the squaws following in a company by themselves. In the dance there seemed to be a proper modesty between the sexes. In fact, the Greentown Indians were always noted for being extremely sernpulous and modest in the presence of one another. After the dance, the refreshments, made by boiling venison and bear's meat, slightly tainted, together. were handed around. The food was not very pal- atable to the white persons present, and they were compelled to conceal it about their per- sons until they had left the wigwam, when they threw the unsavory morsels away. No greater insult could have been offered the Indians than to have refused the proffered refreshments. Hence a little deception was necessary to evade the censure of these untutored sons of the

forest, whose stomachs could entertain almost anything."

A feast was held by these same Indians in 1811, a short time before the opening of the war of 1812. It is believed to be the last one held in this part of Ohio, as the war took away all the principal Indian characters. It was con- ducted very much as the one described-held in the fall of 1809. John Coulter, an old pioneer, recollects it very well, and, through Dr. Hill, gives a full description of it. Mr. Coulter says that, while the food was cooking, an oceasional morsel was thrown in the fire as as offering to the Great Spirit. Also, while the supper was being prepared, the chief's, a large number of whom from all parts of Northern Ohio were present, commenced to move around the mound in the center of the cabin, some- times singing and sometimes delivering short speeches in their native tongue. While this was going on, the balance of the audience were arranged in lines two or three deep around the inside of the council-house, which Henry Howe estimated, from narratives of pioneers given him in 1849, was sixty feet long. twenty-five feet wide, one story high, and inclosed by clap- boards, or broad pieces of split lumber. The singing of the Indians at this second feast was a low kind of melancholy wail, accompanied by a sort of grunt, contortions of the face and singular gesticulations of the arms. The Indians were dressed as those described in the feast of 1809, and, though Mr. Coulter could not under- stand their language. he thought it was either a recital of their history, or portended war. The ceremonies lasted two or three hours, when the provisions were handed around, and a gen- eral handshaking and congratulations followed, closing the feast. All the white men present at this feast gave it as their opinion that old Capt. Pipe was there. There were three or four hundred Indians present. Dr. Hill thinks, from all the evidence he can gather. Capt. Pipe was at this feast, and that soon

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after he left for the war, which soon fol- lowed.

Concerning the murders committed by the Indians in Richland County, their narration will be deferred to that part giving the history of the pioneer settlements, as they more prop- erly belong there. The Indians did not all disappear from this part of Ohio for many years after the advent of the whites. During the war of 1812 they were rather troublesome, and about that time the murder of the Zimmer family, the militia at the Copus cabin, Mar- tin Ruffner and Levi Jones, occurred. After the war closed, the Indians found their town destroyed, as has been narrated, and from that time until their removal from the country they had no fixed habitation. They often came to Mansfield to trade. Dr. Bushnell says he has often seen them come to town, gather under the forest trees in the public square, and there talk, smoke, trade, or idle away their time as suited their fancy. He says they were sometimes the finest physical specimens of mankind he has ever seen. "Tall, straight as an arrow, unex- ceptional physique, clad only in leggins and

breech-clout, they exhibited a physical body," says the Doctor, "I could not tire contemplat- ing." Sometimes they would get drunk, when they were a little dangerous. They traded peltry for hatchets, powder and ball, and trinkets of various kinds. By practice they became as sharp in bargains as the white traders and peddlers. Experience taught them to rely on their own judgment in all such matters.

By the treaty of September 29, 1817, the Delawares were deeded a reservation on the south of the Wyandot reservation, both in Marion and Wyandot Counties. When this was done, Capt. Pipe, son of "Old Capt. Pipe," was the principal Delaware chief. The Dela- ware Indians remained on their reservation until about 1829, when they ceded their reser- vation to the United States for $3,000, and moved west of the Mississippi. The Wyandots ceded theirs in March, 1842, and left for the Far West in July of the next year. At that date they numbered about seven hundred souls, and were the last Indian tribe to relinquish their claims to the soil of Ohio.

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXI.

FIRST WHITE MEN IN THE COUNTY.

JAMES SMITH AND HIS CAPTIVITY-MAJ. ROBERT ROGERS AND HIS MILITIA-THE OLD SANDUSKY TRAIL-GIRTY AND OTHER WIIITE RENEGADES - MORAVIANS AND THEIR MISSIONARIES -CRAWFORD'S MARCH THROUGH THE COUNTY-CAPTIVITY OF CHRISTIAN FAST-EXPLORERS AND HUNTERS.

" Dressed for travel. armed for hunting."

A S far as is now known, James Smith, a native of Western Pennsylvania, was the first white man to set foot on the land embraced in "Old Richland." He was captured near Bedford, Penn., when about eighteen years of age, by three Indians on a marauding expedi- tion in the spring of 1755, a short time before the defeat of Gen. Braddock. He was taken to the Indian village on the Alleghany opposite Fort Du Quesne, and compelled to run the gantlet, where he nearly lost his life by the blow of a club from a stalwart savage. After his recovery and the defeat of Gen. Braddock, he was taken by his captors on a long journey through the forest to the village of Tullihas, on the west bank of the Muskingum River, about twenty miles above the forks. This vil- lage was occupied by Mohicans, Caryhnewagas and Delawares. Here he was adopted by the Indians into one of their tribes. The ceremony consisted in first plucking all the hair from his head except the sealp lock, which they fixed ac- cording to their fashion; in boring his ears and nose and placing ornaments therein; in putting on a breech-clout and painting his body and face in fantastie colors, and in washing him several times in the river to wash out all the white blood in his veins. This last ceremony was performed by three young squaws, and, as Smith was unacquainted with their usages, he thought they intended to drown him, and re- sisted at first with all his might, to the great amusement of the multitude on the river's

bank. One of the young squaws finally made out to say " Me no hurt you," and he gave them privilege to souse and rub him as they desired. When brought from the river he was allowed other clothes, and in solemn council, in an im- pressive speech, he was admitted to full mem- bership in the nation. He says in his journal, he always fared as they, no exceptions being made.

He remained at this town till the next Octo- ber, when he accompanied his adopted brother, Tontileaugo, who had a Wyandot wife on the shores of Lake Erie, on a visit to that nation. "Their route," says Dr. Hill, " was up the Lake Fork to near the present village of Tylertown, thence up the Jerome Fork, through the town- ships of Mohican, Montgomery and Orange, to the south borders of Sullivan, and across the same to the head branches of the Black River, called by the Indians, Canesadooharie. Then they journeyed across Medina and Lorain Coun- ties, following the Canesadooharie to where it falls into the lake, some distance north of Elyria, where they found a large camp of the Wyan- dots, and the wife of Tontileaugo."

Smith remained among the Wyandots, Otta- was and Mohicans about four years, traversing all parts of Northern Ohio. He undoubtedly hunted over this part of the State, as the streams here afforded good hunting-grounds. He was probably the first white man who saw these valleys in their pristine beauty. At any rate, he is the first one known to have been here. If any preceded him they were French

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

traders, of whom no records or legends exist in this part of Ohio. At the end of four years he escaped, and made his way to Pennsylvania, where he published a memoir from which the above facts are obtained.

About two years after his escape, "Mohican John," a noted chief, with a band of Connecti- cut Mohicans, emigrated to Ohio, and settled on the west side of the Jerome Fork, on the site subsequently covered by the farms of Elijah Yocum and Judge Edmund Ingmand, in Ash- land County. Soon, after Baptiste Jerome and his Wyandot wife came and located. This was, however, just east of the original boundary of Richland County : yet the village was so inti- mately connected with the early history of this locality. that it well deserves a place in the county's history.

The next white men to see Richland County were Maj. Robert Rogers and his band of rang- ers. It is noticed in the history of the North- west in this volume, in the account of his expe- dition to take possession of the post at Detroit, in November, 1760. As the narrative is given there. only that portion relating directly to this county need be noticed here.

After providing for the garrison, he began his return trip by land December 23. for Pitts- burgh. following the Indian trail from San- dusky Bay, where he arrived January 2, 1761. It is not known just how many rangers he had with him on this journey, but good authority places the number at more than one hundred. Dr. Hill thinks there were 120, or more, men. He accounts for the number by the fact that Pontiac's intentions were none of the best, and that, as many of the Indians in Northern Ohio had given only a reluctant consent to the rule of the British after the close of the French and Indian war and the cession of Canada and the Upper Mississippi Valley to the " Red Coats." Maj. Rogers, knowing the dangers that beset the route through the country, would not trust himself, unless a sufficient force accom-

panied him to render safety comparatively sure.

Different opinions concerning his exact route have prevailed, only one of which, however, has stood the test of inquiry. He undoubtedly fol- lowed the old Indian trail from Sandusky Bay to Fort Du Quesne. This trail crossed the northeastern parts of Richland County. It en- tered Richland County on the north. near the division line between Plymouth and Cass Town- ships, probably a little to the east of it ; pro- ceeding thence southeasterly, it passed over the site of Shiloh, on down over the site of the old village of Richland; thence over Blooming Grove Township, over the sites of Rome and Shenandoah, and Olivesburg in Weller Town- ship; through Milton Township, through Mont- gomery. a little south of the site of Ashland, and thence southerly through the northeast corner of Vermillion Township. where it emerged from "old Richland," continuing in a southeasterly direction to the forks of the Ohio. A publie highway follows the old trail over much of the ground above described. Do the people of to-day, as they pass over it in wagon or carriage, know they are traveling a high- way centuries old ?

This little army, the first ever seen on the soil of this county, stopped once or twice by fine springs found here, rested, and secured game for food while on the journey home. They were unmolested while on the way, and reached the forks of the Ohio in safety.

Following Maj. Rogers and his rangers, the next whites to see Richland 'County were the missionaries of the Moravian Indians, who dwelt at their towns on the Muskingum River, whither they had come to escape their enemies in Western New York and Pennsylvania. In the history of Ohio, in this book. the narrative of their persecutions, their removal and their settlement in Ohio, is given. It will only be necessary to notice that part of their history relating to their removal from their prosperous

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

towns on the Muskingum to the Sandusky River. The British were jealous of the power of these missionaries over the Indians; the traders hated them because they stood in their way in selling rum to other Indians, and the Americans feared them because they were neutral, refusing to aid either side. The Brit- ish were the main ones in causing their removal. Through the notorious Girty and Elliott, two renegade whites, well known in border history, the command for their removal was given. They were ordered to leave their peaceful homes, their schools. their churches, their fieldsof vegetables and grain, and repair to a colder part of the territory and there begin anew.

They were commanded to move September 10, 1784, and. abandoning all that was dear on earth to them, they set out on their perilous journey . Their route was up the river, thence up the Waldhoning, and on north by a little west, through the townships of Hanover, Green, and northwesterly through the county, turning west near the western boundary, went on to the site of Bucyrus, where they established their camp. Among the company was Mary Heckewelder, daughter of the missionary, John Heckewelder, supposed to be the first white fe- male child born in Ohio. She thus describes the march :

"Our journey was exceedingly tedious and dangerous ; some of the canoes sunk when on the creeks and rivers, and those that were in then lost all their provisions and everything they had saved. Those that went by land drove the cattle-a pretty large herd. The savages now drove us along, the missionaries with their families usually in the midst. sur- rounded by their Indian converts. The roads were exceedingly had, leading through a con- tinuation of swamps. We went by land through Goseuchguenk [Coshocton] to tlie Waldhoning, and then partly by water and partly along the banks of the river to Sandusky Creek." From

the nature of the ground, Dr. Hill thinks the Black Fork is meant.

Not long after the removal of these Indians occurred the raid by Col. Williamson and the brutal massacre of many of these peaceful sons of the forest as they were gathering their corn. This was the next March, and the act stands unequaled on the annals of war for brutality and wickedness. This is also narrated in the history of Ohio. The act aroused the animos- ity of all other Indians, who, though not agreeing with the Moravian converts in their attitude, yet, because many of them were Delawares and Wyandots, felt called upon to revenge the deep injury done to their rela- tions.

Capt. Pipe and other warlike spirits at once took the war path. determined to revenge the injury. News of the impending uprising of the Indians reached the borders of Pennsyl- vania, and excited great fear. Another expedi- tion was at once raised, to again go against the Moravian Indians, a second time wrongly supposed to be the cause of all the trouble. Nearly five hundred men gathered at the de- serted Mingo town near the site of Steubenville, and, electing Col. William Crawford commander, started across the country for the old Moravian towns on the Muskingum, thinking there might still be Indians there, and also the towns being nearly on a direct route to the new settlements on the Sandusky River.

They found the Indian towns deserted of in- habitants, and, gathering sufficient corn to feed their horses, pushed on for the towns on the Sandusky.

Mr. C. W. Butterfield, of Bucyrus, has made " Crawford's campaign " an especial study. and given the results of his study in an excel- lent and exhaustive work of nearly four hun- dred pages. It is not the intention here to note the campaign any further than it relates to Richland County. As a campaign. its history is given elsewhere.

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

Speaking of the route of the army after it left the Muskingum, Mr. Butterfield says :

" The march was continued on the morning of the 29th, "[May, 1782]." The guides, taking a northwest course through the wilderness from the Muskingum, brought the army to the Kill- buck, some distance above the present town of Millersburg, the county seat of Holmes County. ' Thence, says Dunlevy, in his application for a pension, 'we marched up the Killbuck.' At not a great distance, the army reached a large spring, known at the present time as Butler's or Jones' spring, near the line of Wayne County, ten miles south of Wooster, where, on the evening of May 30, (Thursday), the army halted.

"At this spring one of the men died and was buried. His name was cut on the bark of a tree close by his grave.

" From this point the army moved westward. along the north side of Odell's lake-‘passing between two small lakes, where they found the heads of two large fish, freshly caught, lying on the ground, which awakened a suspicion that Indians were near.'* Thence they passed near the spot where was afterward the Indian village of Greentown."

This brought the army to Richland County. It will be observed they entered near the north- east corner of Green Township, near where old Helltown existed and thence proceeded north- westerly through it. Mr. Butterfield's account continues :

"From this point- Helltown -they struck across to the Rocky Fork of the Mohican, up which stream they traveled until a fine spring was reached. near where the city of Mansfield now stands."

This spring, almost undoubtedly, was what is now known as the "Big Springs," on Fourth street, in the city. Here, then, an army camped nearly one hundred years ago, and white men gazed on these then densely wooded vales and hills. Perchance they thought of the numbers

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Author: Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848- Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Mansfield, O. : A. A. Graham & co. Number of Pages: 968

Author: Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Mansfield, O. : A. A. Graham & co.
Number of Pages: 968