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 78

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 78

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The first frame house was erected in 1822, on the northwest quarter of Section 18, by Flem- ing Wilson ; and the first brick house in 1823, by James Douglas, on the southwest quarter of Section 35. Mr. Douglas made the brick him- self, on his own land ; and it is stated that one morning, when the workmen went out on the brickyard to work, the tracks of a panther were plainly impressed on the soft bricks that had been left on the yard the evening before.

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

The early settlers of Plymouth Township were, perhaps, more than other townships, at a loss about getting their grinding done. There were many brooks and beautiful springs in dif- ferent parts of the township, but none of suffi- cient strength for any considerable period of the year, to furnish especially excellent water power. They were compelled, therefore, to travel great distances for this purpose. This state of things could not last where Yankee ingenuity and wit were not lacking. Mr. John Webber had been a miller by trade. and concluded he could work out a set of buhrs, or millstones, from the native granite bowlders, or "nigger- head " stone, which abounded in the country of almost any size. Selecting two large specimens, he succeeded by great labor in shaping them to suit him. These buhrs, instead of being two flat surfaces working against each other like the French buhr, were made, the nether one in the shape of a cone, and the upper bowl shaped to fit over it. The lower one was made stationary and the upper revolved around it. This mill was run by a little spring stream on Mr. Web- ber's land, and was a success. It was a curios- ity even in that day, and would be much more so to-day. Part of this mill is still in existence-the bowl part being used as as a water trough, at the house of a man named Cline, a short distance south of Shelby Junc- tion. A wheelwright and carpenter named Rouse Bly assisted Mr. Webber in the erection of this mill.

Many horse-mills were erected in different parts of the township. In 1825, Mr. Trux erected a water-mill upon the little stream near his cabin. Steam power was unknown in those days, and this mill could only be used a portion of the year, but it has been in operation from that day to this, having been rebuilt and hav- ing changed hands many times ; steam power being added in the course of time. It is now operated by Snyder & Wolf. Further down this stream, near Plymouth Village, is another

mill owned and operated by Ross Cuykendall. It also uses steam and water power, and has been in operation many years.

The subject of education and religion received the early attention of the settlers here as else- where. The early missionary preachers through here were Rev. Mr. Wolf, a Presbyterian, Mr. Arbuthnot, a Covenanter, Mr. McIntire, a Meth- odist, and John Chapman, a Swedenborgian. Rev. Benjamin Wooley, a Methodist, settled on the northwest quarter of Section 4, in 1817, and became a local preacher. Nearly all the early ministers found in other parts of the county were also well known here. Among them, the well-known names of Bigelow, Benajah Board- man, Harry O. Sheldon, Enoch Congor and others appear. These were excellent men, with clear heads and stout hearts, preaching wherever they could find shelter, and often when they could not. They established church organiza- tions, and assisted in the erection of churches all over the county and adjoining counties, They spent their lives in the wilderness sowing good seed, and unconsciously, perhaps, building their own monuments.

Perhaps as early as 1816 or 1817, a Metho- dist class was formed at the house of John Long. John Murphy was its leader. These were earnest people, and this class continued in existence long after Methodist churches were erected in different parts of the county. The United Presbyterians, the General Assembly Presbyterians and the German Reformed people held meetings generally at the house of John Concklin until 1819, when they organized a church under the care of the Richland Pres- bytery, called the "First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth," with forty-two members ; and the same year erected a large log meeting- house on the corner of Peter Ruckman's land, Section 7. The first Elders of this church were John Concklin, Abraham Vanhouten, Levi Bodley and Daniel Gunsaulus. This society was organized at the house of Abraham Vanhouten.

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

Rev. Mathews was present and aided in the work.

In 1822 or 1823, there was a division in this church, not on account of any difficulty among the members, but the church had grown rapidly, and a number of members desired to withdraw, feeling themselves sufficiently strong in num- bers, and organize a United Presbyterian Church. This they did, and afterward built a house of worship, about two miles southwest of the old log church. Rev. Arbuthnot and Rev. Johnson were among the first members of this church, and the principal movers were Daniel Gunsaulus, William Bodley, Daniel Kirkpat- rick and others. The house was a small frame, located on Section 13, and is not now in use, tlie organization having gone out of existence.

The first two or three years after the first set- tlement here, schools were taught in private houses, and were "select," that is, no public funds were used in their maintenance, there be- ing none to use. The first schoolhouse was erected in 1818, in time for the winter school of 1818-19. It was of logs, and stood upon the land of Daniel Kirkpatrick, Section 8. Robert McKelvey taught here the first winter, and John Webber the second.

This township came very near not having a town within its present limits, the present vil- lage of Plymouth being about equally divided by the northern line of the township and county, the northern part lying in New Haven Town- ship, Huron County.

There is this somewhat remarkable fact about the early history of the place-it was a town before any one thought of laying out or plat- ting it. It seemed to be the natural place for a town, these things being governed by a law which is secret and subtle in its operations, and not generally understood, yet any violation of it brings sure and certain punishment, as has again and again been demonstrated by the defunct villages all over the country. Generally, towns are planted. as it were, nourished and

made to grow; but Plymouth, or Paris, as it was first called, sprang up, grew and developed, like a mushroom in the wilderness. It is lo- cated on Beall's military road. Beall moved very slowly in those days: first, he must cut his way through a dense forest, and, sec- ondly, he desired to keep between the settle- ments and the Indians of the Northwest. His movement was made immediately after Hull's surrender, when it was feared that a Britishi and Indian army would make a raid across the State of Ohio. He took the route that seemed to him best calculated for his purpose, and this happened to be the old Wyandot trail, before mentioned. Gen. Beall moved slowly and camped frequently, and it is not unlikely that after leaving Camp Council (referred to in an- other chapter), he went into camp again upon reaching the headwaters of the Huron River, at this point, and remained in camp here several days. A year after the war, when Abraham Trux and his companions came along this trail, hunting new homes, they came upon this spot, where Beall had camped, and cleared off a few acres of ground, as he would naturally do, and did do at every camping place. They thought this would be a good place to stop and build their cabins. They were hunters and back- woodsmen ; game was plenty and the country beautiful. They were likely soon to have neighbors, for this open military road would soon become a highway for the incoming emi- grants. They were not mistaken ; neighbors came to them rapidly, and, within the next ten years, sixteen log-houses sprang up where the village of Plymouth now stands, and as yet, no town was laid out. Besides, the country was being rapidly settled. The emigrants dropped into the little town one by one as the years went by, and, thinking the country delightful, went into the neighborhood and located lands. Many of these were Connecticut Yankees, with land warrants in their pockets, which called for a certain amount of land on the Connecticut

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

Reservation. These people followed the old military road to Paris, and then went north " blazing " their way to their farms. Thus it was, before Paris was laid out, there were set- tlements in every direction, and " blazed trails " leading from the village to these different set- tlements. It is a remarkable fact, that no less than fourteen or fifteen " blazed trails " led through the woods to as many different settle- ments, all these trails centering in Paris. They were not roads; they were hardly paths, the blazed trees alone directing the traveler to the " Morris, Green and Van Osdell Settlement," the " White Settlement," the "Gypson and Gard- ner Settlement," the "Bodley Settlement," the " Broomback and Swearengen Settlement," the " Bevier Settlement," and "Swan and Smith Settlement," etc.

It seems a little strange that it took ten years of time, and all these settlers and thus cluster of houses, to impress upon the minds of some of the early settlers the necessity of laying out a town ; but such seems to be the case, for the village of Paris was not laid out until the 17th day of May, 1825, at which time, as before stated, there were sixteen log houses on its site, occupied by the following settlers : Abraham Trux, Patrick Lynch, Benjamin Wooley, James Young, Enos Rose, Abner Harkness, A. D. W. Bodley, Haslo, John and Henry Barney, Christian Culp, B. F. Taylor, William C. Enos and Lemuel Powers. These men were generally mechanies, and picked up what work came to the place, by reason of the travel on its great thoroughfare, passing the remainder of their time hunting, trapping and farming.

The town was laid out by Abraham Trux, Lemuel Powers and John Barney, on a high, sandy rolling piece of ground, and consisted, at first, of forty-seven in-lots, all of which were sold in less than two years, and additions made which found a ready sale, and Plymouth prom- ised to be a city.

The first blacksmith was Patrick Lynch ; the first lawyer, William C. Enos ; the first doctor, Lemuel Powers; the first tailor, Mr. Curtis ; the first shoemakers, John Skinner and W. V. B. Moore ; the first tanner. Hugh Long; the first bricklayer and plasterer, Robert Morfoot (yet living) ; the first wheelwright, A. D. W. Bodley ; the first cooper, Anthony Mclaughlin; the first cabinet-maker, James Drennan ; the first carpenters, William Crall, James Dickson and Mr. Gilcrease ; the first merchants, Wilson Brothers, Mathew McKelvey and G. G. Graham.

Very soon after the town was laid out, Abra- ham Trux erected the grist-mill before men- tioned, and also a saw-mill near his house, on a branch of the Huron River. Two distilleries were also erected, one by Lemuel Powers and the other by William McKelvey. These distil- leries purchased the corn, which they made into whisky, and therefore created a market for corn, about the only article of produce the farmer could sell. The whisky was hauled to the lake-except what was consumed at home, which was no small quantity-where it found a ready market.

These distilleries were, however, soon discon- tinued, Mr. MeKelvey receiving an injury which disabled him, and Dr. Powers having been converted to the cause of temperance. The latter turned his distillery into a hat factory. which was conducted by him with success until his death, when it passed into the hands of his son, Volney, who continued it several years.

The travel on the military road brought many strangers to the place, and made. "taverns " a necessity. Before the place was two years old, three of these institutions existed, kept by James Drennan, Jacob Heller and Mr. Linsay, where the "hog, hominy and whisky," wild meats and " corn pone." were plentifully spread before the mud-bespattered stage-drivers and their weary passengers.

The same year in which the village was laid out, the people erected, by subscription

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

and volunteer labor, a comfortable schoolhouse, 22x30 feet square, which was used for a school during week days and a church on Sunday, in which religious people of all denominations gathered for worship. As the Methodists were the most numerous, it was agreed that they should control and take care of the building, but should give way to a reasonable extent to people of other denominations by having two weeks' notice of the wish on the part of others to use it. This singular arrangement was har- moniously and pleasantly carried out, as long as the building lasted, or was needed for that purpose. The Methodists worshiped in this house five or six years, when they erected a frame church on Light street, and, about 1835. they made an addition to this building of twenty feet, and added a belfry, in which was hung the first church bell in this part of the country. In later years, they erected the fine brick building now occupied by them on Sandusky street.

When the town was laid out, the Presbyteri- ans had a large log church (before mentioned), about one and a half miles from town, which they occupied during the summer months, and in the winter shared, with other denominations, the schoolhouse in town, until the Methodist erected their church, when they occasionally used the Methodist Church, until they grew strong enough to build one of their own, which was about the year 1838. They erected a good substantial frame, with stone basement, in a beautiful and commanding spot on Bucyrus street, which, with some alterations and im- provements, they still occupy. This church is strong and well sustained, and for many years has had a large and active Sunday school con- nected with it. Rev. Mr. Barnes has charge at present. The Methodists are, however, the most numerous religions body in this vicinity. Their organization is large and active, and their Sun- day school large and well sustained. Rev. Mr. Ball is the present minister.

About the year 1838 or 1839. the Lutherans erected a substantial church, on Lots 22 and 23, to which some additions have since been made. This church is also active and well sustained, Rev. Miller being Pastor. A large Sunday school is connected with it.

A Congregational church was erected many years ago, on Lots 12 and 13. The society, however, is not numerous, and no services are held in the church at present, neither is there any Sunday school connected with it.

A Catholic society was organized and church erected, in 1873, on Lot 3, in Deringer's Addi- tion. The society is not strong.

The name of the village being Paris, and the name of the post office Plymouth, many mis- takes were made in the mail and freight busi- ness, and to avoid trouble of this kind, a char- ter was procured for the town, with the name of Plymouth. in 1838, and the town has been governed by officers elected under that charter to the present time. The first Mayor was Dan- iel Colckglazer ; the second, Ensign Benscho- ter, and the third, Robert Wilson.

The subject of education has received atten- tion, since the settlement began, and always just and energetic treatment.

The first schoolhouse has been referred to. and was called the " Old Red," the first teacher being Mr. Howe, a gentleman of the "old school," who understood and instructed his pu- pils in that old-fashioned branch of education (now, perhaps unfortunately, gone ont of use), called " manners." The second teacher here was Elisha Brown. About the year 1831, Mr. McKelvey, a prosperous merchant, who had a large family of daughters, erected a frame house with two rooms, which he called a female seminary. The school was taught by a lady of good education, and was well patronized.

In 1834, the town was divided into two dis- tricts, and a brick house erected, which, with the old red, served until 1849, when the two districts were re-united and organized under

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

what was known as the " Akron" law. and a fine house, for the times, was erected. It was a comfortable frame, contained five rooms, and in this, the school was graded. This building served the purpose until 1875, when the pres- ent beautiful and substantial structure was erected, and cost about $25,000. It is of stone and brick, and contains nine recitation-rooms and a hall.

The Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Railroad was finished to this place in May, 1846. Before it was fairly finished to Mansfield, a large number of Plym- outh citizens went down on open cars attached to the con- struction-train, to attend a meeting called for the pur- pose of obtaining volunteers for the Mexican war. The same year, a large grain warehouse was erected at Plymouth, capable of storing 300,000 bushels of wheat, and Plymouth im- mediately became a great wheat market.

PLYMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL.

As much as 8.000 bushels of wheat were received per day at this warehouse, for several days in succession. From the east, west, and for awhile, from the south, people came great distances to the wheat- market. Other railroads, after a time, destroyed this trade.

When the call for troops in 1861 flashed over the wires, the five church-bells of Plym- outh rang for an hour. The citizens came to- gether, and men within the hearing of the bells came in from the country. In less than three hours, a full company of volunteers was organ- ized and tendered to the Governor by telegram,

and were, in two hours. accepted by him. Plymouth Village and Township furnished their full quota of troops to put down the great rebellion.

Plymouth's first burying-ground was at New Haven. and the first person buried in this ground was Mr. Beymer, grandfather of Mrs. Thomas Kinney. The first graveyard in the village was Lot 23. donated by Abraham Trux. It soon became apparent that the town would improve around this lot, and it was vacated ; a lot being purchased near the Presbyterian Church. In 1874, a number of citi- zens formed an association called "The Green Lawn Cemetery Associa- tion," and pur- chased twenty- three acres of land lying near the vil- lage, which was laid out into nine hun- dred and forty lots, with drives and walks. These grounds have been cultivated and beautified, and will. in time, be among the most beautiful in the State.

The first bank was started in 1839, by Messer 1

Barker, who did a banking business in connec- tion with his mercantile business, and continued to do so until his death in 1859 ; after which Robert McDonough and S. M. Robinson did the banking business for Plymouth until 1870, when the former opened a regular bank of discount and deposit, and continued until hisdeath in May, 1873. Soon after, the First National Bank was organized by John Devin- ney, Henry C. Breckenridge, H. P. Steutz, E. Sturges, Sr., of Mansfield, T. B. Tucker, and

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

others. This bank is yet doing a flourishing business.

In 1851, E. H. Sanford started a paper in Plymouth Village, called the Plymouth Journal, in the old "Peninsular" building, which has been for many years occupied as a photograph gallery. In 1853, he sold out to H. M. Woos- ter, who conducted it a short time, and sold out to Robinson & Locke (the latter generally known as Petroleum V. Nasby), who changed the name of the paper to Plymouth Advertiser. In 1859, the concern was pur- FIRST NATIONAL BANK chased by A. H. Balsley, now publisher of a paper in Fremont, Ohio. Balsley conducted it until Janu- ary, 1864, when he sold out to J. M. Beelman, who afterward took his brother, J. Frank Beel- man, into partnership, and together they con- ducted the paper until 1876, when J. M. Beelman retired, and the paper has since been conducted by J. Frank Beelman.

The population of the village is, at present, something more than a thousand. The manu-

FIRST NATIONALBANK

FIRST NATIONAL BANK, PLYMOUTH.

facturing power consists of eleven steam en- gines and one water-wheel. The secret socie- ties are the Masons, Odd Fellows, Good Tem- plars, Knights of Honor and Royal Arcanum. There are two hotels, five dry-goods stores, two clothing and five grocery stores, four millinery establishments, two hard- ware, two stove and tin, three drug, two shoe, and two furniture stores, and the usual number of me- chanies and small trades- men.

Generally considered, Plymouth is a pretty, clean, healthy village. The intelligence of its citizens is of a high order, and the society excellent. There are an unusual number of old people living in and near the village, which speaks well for the healthiness of the locality. It be- longs properly to the Western Reserve, of which the lamented Bayard Taylor, the greatest of American travelers, once said that no other place on the globe of equal extent could equal it in intelligence.

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER LVI.

SANDUSKY TOWNSHIP.

ITS PRIMITIVE CONDITION-CRAWFORD'S MARCH-HUNTING GROUND-EARLY SETTLERS AND SETTLEMENTS-THE " RIBLET HOUSE"-MRS. HIBNER AND THE BEAR-ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWNSHIP-FIRST ELECTION- SCHOOLS-CHURCHES-ORIGIN OF THE NAME.

THE territory now included in Sandusky Township maintained its primitive con- dition until about 1817, before any permanent white settler made his appearance. The first white men to press the soil of the township, so far as is definitely and positively known, were the armed, belted and buekskinned knights under Col. William Crawford, in 1782, as they went silently, swiftly and with grim determina- tion to battle, death and disaster on the San- dusky plains. They halted at Spring Mills over night, and in the morning took a pretty direct course west, crossing the township very near the site of Crestline, but probably a little north of that place, striking the Sandusky River near Leesville. This was a good hunting ground for the Wyandots and Delawares ; a chief of the latter tribe, Wingenund, having his eamp for many years on the river near Leesville. Col. Crawford was captured near the latter place. This was a beautiful home for these red men ; the beautiful sparkling little streams, the plains stretching away for many miles, sur- rounded by deep, dark forests, full of game of every kind, and dotted over by little clumps of trees ; all made a paradise which they were loathe to relinquish. and only relinquished after years of hard fighting and much bloodshed and suffering. The remorseless white man, how- ever, was determined to possess this beautiful country, and, being superior in numerical and intellectual strength, succeeded.

When the first settlers entered Sandusky Township, it was one of the best hunting-

grounds in the State. All kinds of wild game was so plenty that the hunter could supply his table with meat almost without stepping out- side his cabin door ; had it not been for this, they would have suffered greatly for provisions the first two years, as but little could be planted the first year, on account of the difficulty of making an opening in the great woods, and, be- fore the first crop of corn grew to maturity, says Mr. Snyder, one of the earliest settlers, " the squirrels came by hundreds and thousands and took it all."

It is a difficult matter to get the names and locations of the earliest settlers in the town- ship, as nearly all have gone to their long homes or moved away ; but the following per- sons were among the earliest settlers, and. it is believed, were the earliest in the township. Some of these settled in what is now Crawford County, but some are known to have settled within the present limits of Sandusky Town- ship, as at present constituted. The first were Christian Snyder and Jacob Fisher, who came in 1817, and settled about two miles southwest of the present town of Crestline. Following these were John Doyle, 1818 ; Joseph Russell, 1818 ; Louis Lyberger, 1819; Daniel Miller, 1818 ; Henry Hersner, 1819, and John Reed, 1818. Of these, Louis Lyberger and Henry Hersner are known to have settled within the present limits of Sandusky Township. probably on Section 23. The first settlement, therefore, occurred near the center of the township. The others settled in what is now Crawford County ; and

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

564

Mr. Snyder says there was not a white settler in the territory now embraced in that county when he came. The first settlement east of them was the Douglas settlement in Springfield Town- ship, and, when they started west from this set- tlement, on their arrival, they were compelled to cut a road for their teams to the land they had entered. This was the second road cut through the township, the soldiers on their march in 1812 having cut the first through the northern part. This was the only road for many years, but was finally abandoned. A few of these settlers came from Western Pennsyl- vania, and the remainder from near Steubenville, Ohio.

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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