History of Sandusky County Ohio with Illustrations 1882, Part 13

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THE OTHER GOVERNMENT LANDS

in the county were all surveyed in 1820, as appears by the recorded surveys and plats, as follows:

The lands composing the townships of Ballville, Sandusky, Rice, Riley, and Green Creek by Sylvanus Bourne; York and Townsend townships by P. F. Kellogg; Woodville by Charles Roberts;

Washington and Jackson by James Worth- ington, and Madison and Scott townships by J. Glasgow.

The reservation of the Seneca Indians forty thousand acres was surveyed into sections by C. W. Christmas, in 1832. All these surveyors were employed by the United States, and are official surveys. The lands, excepting villages and the two miles square at the lower rapids of the Sandusky River, were surveyed by ranges; townships of six miles square and sections of one mile square divided into quarters. Trees were used to designate the corners of these surveys, and the kind of timber, size of tree, and the distance and course 'of them from the corner, accurately measured and recorded with the plat. Perhaps no better plan for the convenient description of land has ever been devised. Each township contained thirty-six sections, and each section contained six hun- dred and forty acres, which can readily be subdivided into any smaller quantities. Sections on lakes and rivers were sometimes not complete; such are denominated fractional sections.

SCHOOL LANDS.

Let the fact be ever remembered with gratitude, that the wise men of the Republic foresaw that our form of government rested on the intelligence of the people. The desire to advance the intelligence of the common people, and thereby better fit them for the maintenance of liberty by perpetuation of a republican form of government, induced our statesmen of an early day to promote the education of the people. To this end, in surveying this part of the State they set apart every sixteenth section of land for the support of common schools. These school lands were entrusted to the State for the purpose of ed- ucation. The State in an early day provided by law for the leasing of these lands

HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

at an interest of six per cent. on the appraisment value, the leases running ninety-nine years, renewable forever, with a provision for a reappraisment every thirty- three years. The subdivision and leasing of these school lands (section sixteen in each surveyed township of thirty-six sections) was given by the State to the county commissioners of counties respectively in which the lands were situated. It is now a matter of interest, and will be still more interesting in the future, to place in this history a brief notice of the renting and final disposition of these school lands. Such a record will serve to show the increase in the value of lands in the county, and thus furnish evidence of the general advancement in wealth since the early settlements.

EARLY LEASING OF SCHOOL LANDS, PRICES, ETC.

In the book containing a record of the leasing of school lands in the county, on the first page, appears the following entry:

SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE, COLUMBUS, OHIO, March 1, 1821.

I certify that Jaques Hulburd, esq., was, on the 3d day of February last, duly appointed by a resolution of the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, Auditor of the county of Sandusky, to continue in office according to law.

JEREMIAH MCLANE, Secretary of State.

Under this authority. Auditor Hulburd proceeded in the performance of his duties.

On the next leaf of the same book appears the record of a lease of great length, made and concluded on the 14th day of April, 1821, between Jaques Hulburd, Auditor of Sandusky county, Ohio, and his successors in office, of the first part, and Joel Chaffin, of the same place, of ' the second part, etc.

This lease demised and let to the said Chaffin fifty-three acres of section sixteen in township No. 1, north of range fif-

teen east, for the term of ninety-nine years- renewable forever, and subject to be reappraised every thirty-three years there, after, and a stipulation to pay as rent six per cent. annually on the amount of such reappraisement. The said Chaffin agreed to pay as rent for the land yearly and every year to the treasurer of the county and his successors in office "the sum of four dollars." This land, if there is no mistake in the description, was located about twenty miles south of Fremont, and is now in Seneca county, which was organized April 1, 1824.

A tract of one hundred and sixty acres, being the southeast quarter of section sixteen in township four, range seventeen, now York township, was in like manner leased by Jaques Hulburd as Auditor, to Jacob Dagget, for the yearly rent of seven dollars and twenty cents for the whole tract. This lease bears date July 14, 1821, and the land is in one of the richest townships in Sandusky county, and is worth now A. D. 1881 not less than one hundred dollars per acre, and each acre of the one hundred and sixty would rent for almost as much as the whole one hundred and sixty acres rented for then.

On the 21st day of July, 1821, a like lease was made by Auditor Hulburd to Morris A. Newman, for a part of section sixteen, in Riley township, being a parcel of prairie land and a woodlot of twenty acres, together containing one hundred and ten acres, for the annual rent of six dollars and eighteen and three-fourth cents for the whole tract.

AN OUT-LOT IN CROGHANSVILLE LEASED.

When the reservation of two miles square at the lower rapids of the Sandusky River was last surveyed by authority of the United States, as mentioned in a former chapter, the town of Croghansville was laid out and surveyed into in-lots and

HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

out-lots. Certain of these lots were set apart as school lands. Among. them were a number of in-lots and out-lots. Out-lot No. 11, containing four acres, was one of them. On the 21st day of July, 1821, Auditor Hulburd leased this out-lot, eleven, to Josiah Rumery, by a lease similar to those above mentioned, for ninety-nine years, for the yearly rent of one dollar and ninety-two cents.

This lot eleven, by the renumbering of lots in Fremont, is now designated as lot No. 52 on the map of the city, and con- stitutes a part of the estate of the late James Park, and is known as the Park tannery property; and the lot, exclusive of improvements, is worth at least two thousand dollars, the simple interest on which sum would under the lease make one hundred and twenty dollars rental value of the lot at this time, against one dollar and ninety-two cents in 1821, and for thirty- three years thereafter.

We give the above facts about the leasing of the school lands in the county, to set before our readers the rental value of lands in 1821.

Although Congress had set apart and reserved these lands for the purpose of supporting common schools, the General Government conferred the trust of managing and disposing of them on the State.

LEGISLATION ABOUT SCHOOL LANDS AND THE SALES OF THEM.

After the law providing for leasing the school lands was passed, various other laws were enacted, and, amongst other things, it was provided that when the lands were appraised those not leased might be sold by the auditors of the respective counties at not less than the appraised value, and that the lessees had the option to either pay six per cent. on the valuation, or pay the appraised value in thirteen annual installments with annual interest, and receive an absolute title from the State on

final payment on or before the expiration of the thirteen years.

As the different townships came to be inhabited by people who appreciated the benefits of education, they desired the aid of the fund to be derived from these lands to support their respective schools. The law, be it remembered, provided that the fund arising from the sale of sections sixteen should be applicable only to the support of schools in that particular surveyed township of thirty-six sections, or the fractional township in which it chanced to be located.

SALES OF SCHOOL LAND PRICES AND DATES OF SALES.

We do not propose to give a full and detailed account of all the sales of school lands in the county, but sufficient speci- mens to enable the reader to judge fairly of the whole, may prove interesting and perhaps valuable information.

SALE OF BALLVILLE, SECTION SIXTEEN.

The first sale of section sixteen was made in 1831, and disposed in fee simple of part of section sixteen in surveyed township No. 4, range 15, in what is now Ballville township.

Lot fifty of that section, containing one hundred and seven acres, was sold to Isaac Prior, June 6, 1831, for one hundred and seven dollars.

Lot fifty-two, containing one hundred and one acres, to Joel Strawn, for one hundred and twenty-six dollars, September 4, 1833.

Lot fifty-one, containing one hundred and thirty acres, to R. Dickinson and Sardis Birchard, for one hundred and sixty-three dollars, October 3, 1833.

SANDUSKY.

Section sixteen, township five, range fifteen, Sandusky township, was sold in 1846 for five dollars per acre, excepting

HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

one lot of eighty acres which sold for six dollars.

TOWNSEND.

The school land, section sixteen, township four, range seventeen, Townsend township, was sold, chiefly in 1847, for five dollars per acre. One lot was sold to Nelson Taylor in January, 1849. The lot contained eighty acres, and was sold for three dollars and fifty cents per acre.

MADISON.

Section sixteen, township five, range thirteen, Madison township, was sold, chiefly in 1847, for prices ranging from five dollars and thirty-seven cents to eight dollars and twenty-five cents per acre.

SCOTT.

The section sixteen in township four, range thirteen, Scott township, was sold in 1854 for prices per lot ranging from five dollars and fifty cents to seven dollars and forty-five cents per acre.

RILEY.

The section sixteen in township five, range sixteen, was sold in May, 1,862, at prices per lot ranging from three to twelve dollars per acre. The average price would be near ten dollars. This section had all been under the ninety-nine year leases from 1821, before it was sold to the lessees for the appraised value.

GREEN CREEK.

Section sixteen, township four, range sixteen was sold in 1850 at prices ranging from ten dollars and fifty cents to five dollars per acre- averaging about eight dollars for the section.

YORK.

Section sixteen, township four, range seventeen, was sold in June, 1849, for an average of eight dollars per acre, and had been in part previously under the ninety-nine years lease.

WOODVILLE.

Section sixteen, township six, range thirteen, was sold in 1856 by lots, the prices ranging from five dollars to seven dollars and fifty cents per acre.

JACKSON.

Section sixteen in township four, range fourteen, Jackson township, was' sold in September, 1837, for an average price of two dollars and sixty cents per acre.

THE SALE OF SCHOOL LOTS IN CROGHANSVILLE

took place in 1850, and produced a fund amounting to eleven hundred and twenty-six dollars and seventy-five cents.

HOW PROCEEDS OF SALES ARE DISPOSED OF.

The proceeds of all these sales are paid into the State Treasury and constitute an irreducible debt or fund on which the State pays six per cent. interest annually to the county; the interest is then credited to the county school fund, and by the county auditor the amount arising from each section sixteen sold is credited to the township school fund of each surveyed township, and then distributed to the sub-school districts according to the respective enumerations of the children entitled to the privileges of the common schools residing therein.

The total amount of the proceeds arising from the sale of school lands, now in the State Treasury to the credit of Sandusky county, is thirty-three thousand two hundred and fifteen dollars and fifty cents, producing annually one thousand nine hundred and ninety-two dollars. and eighty-seven cents to be applied to the support of schools and distributed as above mentioned.

There is yet to be paid over to the State the further sum of three hundred and seventy-five dollars and twenty-two cents, being amounts due from purchasers

HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

who are delinquent in payment for their lands. When this delinquency shall be paid over to the State, as doubtless it soon will be, the total amount on which the county can draw interest will be thirty-three thousand five hundred and eighty-nine dollars and twenty-two cents. The annual interest then to be drawn from the State for the support of schools, as long as the State may exist, will be two thousand and fifteen dollars and thirty-eight cents. This fund, under the law, is applied to the payment of teachers only, and as the law stands cannot be applied to any other purpose. The cost of building schoolhouses and all expenses of public or common schools, excepting wages of teachers, are paid out of money raised by taxation on the localities respectively. A further mention of this subject will fall properly under the chapter on schools, and may be mentioned there.

If these school lands had remained undisposed of until the present time, and were sold at present prices they would have brought not less than an average price of twenty dollars per acre, or an aggregate of seventy thousand four hundred dollars, yielding annually, at six per cent., the sum of four thousand two hundred and four dollars.

Whether the early selling of these lands was wise or unwise is a question useless to discuss at this time, but if any

one should feel inclined to charge impru- dence on the pioneers and early settlers in the disposition of the land, there are some considerations in mitigation of any blame to be charged, if indeed there be not a complete justification.

The early settlers were poor; they desired to have their children educated, and needed the help which 'the interest on these sales afforded, in the support of schools. They were here making the roads, clearing away the forests, and undergoing many hardships not experienced by the present inhabitants. These early inhabitants might be compared to a young man in possession of a little sum of money, which, if invested at good inter- est, would make him an ample fortune in old age, but he has no other means, and is hungry; bread he must have even if it costs all he has, and though he give all and save himself, his money is well spent, even if his anticipation as to a future fortune must be all dissipated. These pioneers did well to begin as they did, to start the cause of education at an early day, though they sacrificed prospective pecuniary gain in doing so. Another fact should be considered, which is, that with the obligation on the part of the State to pay annual interest at six per cent, there is a time coming when, if summed up, the payments will overtake and far surpass any value the land can ever attain.

CHAPTER VIII. COUNTY ORGANIZATION.

The Name-The County Organized-First Court-House-How Built.

THE NAME.

SANDUSKY is derived from the lan-

guage of the Wyandot tribe of Indians, who for a long time possessed the country along the Sandusky River to its source, and along Tymochtee Creek, one of its principal tributaries. The Wyandot pronunciation of the word was Saundustee; as spoken by the English interpreters, it was compressed and pronounced Sandusky, and thus the word was changed from a word of four syllables to one of three.

The signification of the word has been a matter of some question and dispute. It is, according to the best authority: "water within water pools." In the discussions about the name, it seems to have been claimed that it was derived from "Sowdousky," the name of an early Indian trader among the Wyandots. But the correctness of this claim is put in great doubt, if not entirely overcome, by the explanation of William Walker, the head chief of the Wyandots, and a man of learning and great intelligence, and fully competent to give a correct definition of the word in both languages. In 1835 Mr. Walker was at Columbus, Ohio, and in that year had a conversation with Mr. John H. James on the precise question. In this conversation Mr. James asked Mr. Walker the meaning of the, word Sandusky. Mr. Walker re-

plied that it meant "at the cold water, and should be sounded Sandoos-tee; that it carried with it the force of a preposition." The Upper Coldwater (Upper Sandusky) and Lower Coldwater (Lower Sandusky) then were descriptive Indian names, given long before the presence of the trader Sowdousky.

The word, then, taking these statements together, seems to mean a river or watercourse, where cold water stands in pools. The name having this peculiar signification, in early times was used to designate the whole country along the Sandusky River and Bay. Hence, in order to give a more specific designation to different localities along the river and bay, we had in the earlier days of the white settlements of the region, Sandusky, now Sandusky City on the bay; Lower Sandusky at the lower rapids of the Sandusky River, now Fremont; Upper Sandusky, Little Sandusky and Big Sandusky, located nearer the sources of the river, and on different branches of it. The county derives its name from the Sandusky River, which runs through it nearly from north to south, but inclining to the east as It approaches the Sandusky Bay, into which it empties its waters.

ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.

The county was for a number of years within the boundaries of Cuyahoga county,

HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

which for some time extended over nearly all the north part of the State, and Cleveland was the seat of justice. Afterwards Huron county was organized, and Norwalk was for a time the seat of justice for all the territory west of it. The sale of the lands in the reservation of two miles square at the lower rapids of the Sandusky River, which took place in 1817, induced emigrants to settle at the place, and soon sufficient settlements were made to require a county organization. Accordingly, the county was formed by an act of the General Assembly, dated April 1, 1820, and then included in its boundaries-not only the present county of Sandusky, but also the territory which now forms the counties of Seneca and Ottawa.

At this time (1820) a number of men associated for the purpose, called the Kentucky Company, had purchased that portion of the Reserve, or nearly all of it, west of the river, and had laid out a large part into city lots. The plat denominates this survey as "the town of Sandusky." The United States had before laid out the land upon the hill east of the river into city lots, and called it Croghansville, in honor of Colonel George Croghan, the hero of Fort Stephenson.

In the county auditor's office of this county is an old, rather small record book, faded and worn but quaint and interesting in appearance as well as in the matter it contains. In a few years it may be lost amongst the rubbish of the office, or con- sumed by fire, and all it contains pass be- yond the historian's reach, and all the facts recorded in it be forgotten. This old record is interesting, because it contains the names of men who were pioneers indeed, and who were active in organizing the county; it also gives some idea of the poverty of the early settlers, and their method of transacting public business, and at the same time is so pertinent to the

subject of this chapter that we incorporate in this collection the following extracts from it.

The title of the book is in large, coarse handwriting, entirely covering the first page, and reads as follows:

COMMISSIONERS' BOOK.

The following documents of the Commissioners Record are transcribed from the organization of Sandusky county up to January the 5th, in the year 1822, by Josiah Rumery,,auditor of Sandusky county by order of the commissioners.

Test by JOSIAH RUMERY, Auditor.

Such is the title of this record, from the first two pages of which we take the fol- lowing entries:

At the first meeting of the Commissioners, held at the house of Morris A. Newman, in the town of Croghansville, on Saturday, the 8th day of April, one thousand eight hundred and twenty.

No. 1. - Ordered that Jesse W. Newman be appointed Clerk of the Commissioners.

No. 2. - Ordered, that Nicholas Whiringer be ap- pointed Treasurer of Sandusky County.

No. 3. - Ordered, that there be two blank books purchased for the use of the County.

No. 4. - Ordered that Charles B. Fitch be appointed collector for Sandusky County for the year 1820.

No. 5. - Ordered that this meeting be and is hereby adjourned until Monday, the 10th instant, at four o'clock P. M., on said day, at the house of Israel Harrington, in Sandusky,

No. 6. - Met in pursuant to adjournment at the house of Israel Harrington, on Monday, the tenth day of April, 1820, when Jesse W. Newman was qualified and took the oath required by law, as Clerk of the Commissioners.

No. 7. - Be it remembered that this day personally came Jaques Hulburd, County Clerk pro-tem, Willis Brown, Sheriff, Nicholas Whitinger Treasurer for the County of Sandusky, and severally gave bonds conditioned for the faithful discharge of their several duties as required by law.

No. 8. - Ordered that this meeting be and is hereby adjourned until the 25th day of April, 1820, at 1 O'clock P. M., at the house of Morris A. Newman, in the town of Croghansville.

No. 9. - Commissioners met in pursuance to ad- journment at the house of Morris A. Newman, on Tuesday, the 25th of April, in the year 182o, in the town of Broghansville.

No. 10. - Ordered that Joseph Chafey be paid eleven dollars for Blank Books to be paid out of the county treasury.

HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

No. 11. - Organization of Thompson Township- Ordered that a township be detached from the township of Croghansville by the name of Thompson; boundaries as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner of the Seneca Reservation, thence north from the Cinica Reservation to

the present trailed road from Croghansville to Strong's settlement till it shall intersect the FireLands, thence South with said line to the Base Line, thence west along said line till a line due north will strike the place of beginning.

Order to elect officers. - The qualified electors of the township of Thompson are ordered to meet on Saturday, the 6th of May next, at the house of Joseph Parmeter, for the purpose of electing their township officers, at 10 O'clock A.M. on said day, and then and there proceed to elect said officers as the law directs.

The foregoing extracts are a complete transcript with figures, capital letters, and spelling found on the first two pages of the old record.

The county commissioners at the time, April 8, 1820, were Moses Nichols, Jeremiah Everett, and Morris A. Newman. They met, it seems, at different places, sometimes in Croghanville, on the east side, and at other times at Sandusky, on the west side of the river.

In 1824 the statutes of the State required merchants and tavern-keepers to pay a license, and this old record shows the revenue of the county from these sources to have been as follows:

A list of treasurer's receipts from tavern and store licenses and permits since March 1, 1882, in my office to wit:

To George Reynolds, permit to keep tavern $1.70

To Calvin Leezen, tavern license 10.00

To M. A. Newman, tavern license 5.00

To James McCollister, tavern license 10.00

To Samuel Baker, permit to keep tavern

1.50

To Laurence Gynal, permit to keep tavern

4.00

To Jacob Millions, permit to keep tavern 1.00

Jacob Millions, permit to keep tavern 4.00

To J. S. & G. G. Olmstead, store license 15.00

To Richard Sears, store license 15.00

To Abram Courtright, tavern license 5.00

To Samuel Cochran, tavern license 5.00

To Bartholomew Rossoms, tavern license 5.00

To Israel Harrington, tavern license 10.00

To Nicholas Whitinger, tavern license

10.00

To Speeks, permit to vend merchandise 1.00

Full amount $103.20

All which is respectfully submitted March 4, 1823, B. F. DRAKE, Clerk C. P.

The exhibit of receipts from March 5, 1822, to June, 1823, on this record is as follows:

Received for store, tavern and ferry licenses $152.59

“ from county collection of taxes 166.10

“ from fines of fishermen and fighting

men 11.70

$330.39

The record of expenditures for the year 1823 shows the following items:

Seth Cochran, for wolf scalps $34.00

Henry Cochran, for wolf scalps. 12.00

J. Spanknoble, for wolf scalps 3.00

S. Baker, for wolf scalps 15.00

Caleb Rice, for wolf scalps 4.00

D. Cochran, for wolf scalps 6.00

W. White, for wolf scalps 3.00

S. Root, for wolf scalps 3.00

T. Wood, for wolf scalps 3.00

J. Parrish, for wolf scalps 3.00

J. Guinale, for wolf scalps 3.00

A. Switzer, for wolf scalps 6.00

A. Courtright, for wolf scalps 12.00

Total $107.00

In 1824 horses and cattle over three years old were listed and taxed by the head. Seneca county had then been organized, but what is now Ottawa county was still a part of Sandusky.

The record above mentioned gives the number of horses and cattle over three years old in the different townships as follows:

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History of Sandusky County Ohio with Illustrations 1882, Part 13

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