History of Sandusky County Ohio with Illustrations 1882, Part 82

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and has practiced that profession twelve years, four years in Indiana and the re- mainder of the time in Fremont.

In 1875 Mr. Creager married Miss Clara Moore, oldest daughter of John and Eliza Moore, of Ballville, this county. Mrs. Creager was born November 9, 1851. They have had three children, only one of whom is living. Edna died February 19, 1880, aged three years, six months, and twenty-seven days. Volta died February 29, 1880, aged one year, nine months, and six days. Both of these deaths resulted from membranous croup. Grace was born December 7, 1879.

W. B. KRIDLER.

William B. Kridler was born in Fremont July 12, 1848. He was educated in the public schools of this city, and at Cornell University, New York, graduating from the scientific department of that institution in 1872 with the first class that graduated after the university was founded.

Mr. Kridler was engaged in the banking business in Fremont from 1872 until 1878. In the spring of that year he was elected city clerk, which office he holds at present. In politics he is a Republican.

Mr. Kridler was married in 1878 to Miss Mattie L. Smith, of Hadley, Massachusetts. They have two children, Helen Lyman and James Huntington.

AUSTIN B. TAYLOR

was born at New Fayne, Vermont, No- vember 14, 1813. His father was Simon Taylor, M. D. His mother's maiden name was Cynthia Birchard, a sister of Sardis Birchard. Left an orphan he was bound out as a saddler's apprentice; learned the trade, but did not work at it after attaining his majority. On that day

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he started for Lower Sandusky to enter the store of his uncle, Sardis Birchard, arriving in Fremont in the fall of 1834. His whole capital at that time consisted of six dollars and an old jack-knife. But he had pluck and business energy, and in course of time became the successor of the firm of Birchard, Dickinson & Grant in the dry goods business, which he carried on until 1850, when he sold out to Eisenhour & Coles. In 1851 he was elected justice of the peace and served one term. April 4, 1853 he was elected mayor, defeating Brice J. Bartlett by four votes. The vote stood: A. B. Taylor, 137; B. J. Bartlett, 134; total vote, 271. He was married to Delia Pettibone, daughter of Hon. Hiram Pettibone, a former lawyer of this city, April 27, 1840. He died October 28, 1859, and was buried by the Masonic fraternity, of which he was a prominent member, holding the office of treasurer for many years. He left a family of seven children-Mary, died the following spring; Sardis B., the doctor; Charles, George, Oscar, Austin B., and Delia. He left a large estate, and his whole life was a marvel of business energy.

JEREMIAH EVERETT AND FAMILY.

Jeremiah Everett was a son of John Everett, and was born in the State of Mas- sachusetts in the year 1783. His father moved from Massachusetts to the State of New York, and settled at Schenectady, where he raised. his family and died. Jeremiah married Elizabeth Emery, and left home soon after attaining his majority, and worked at an early day at the Onondaga salt works. When the war of 1812 broke out he volunteered, and served at Fort Erie for a time. The musket he

carried in that service was preserved in the family, and kept after his death by his oldest son, Lorenzo, and all traces of it are now lost, Lorenzo's family being long since dispersed in various parts of the country, but the writer remembers well using the old musket in boyhood to shoot ,blackbirds away from the oat and corn fields in and about Lower Sandusky.

In the fall of the year 1812, intending to settle on the Connecticut Western Reserve, which was then attracting pioneers in search of land, he settled on the Huron River, in Huron county, at the old county seat, sometimes called the Abbott Place, where Mr. Abbott, afterwards known as Judge Abbott, then resided. There was a settlement of several families in the vicinity, and the fear of Indian attacks caused them to construct a block-house of heavy logs, with port-holes, in which the families lodged at night, or fled to in case of alarm in the day time. The settlement planted corn and potatoes, and such vegetables as they could, along the river. But the frequent alarms of Indians, arising from the capture of Mrs. Snow and the Putnam family, on Pipe Creek, not far away, put them in great fear, and during the summer the settlers tended their crops with loaded guns standing near, to fire in defence of an attack, and give warning of the approach of danger. Here, after the arrival of Jeremiah Everett, and on the 30th of January, 1813, his son Homer was born.

Through the summer of 1813 the in- habitants tended their crops and managed to live without 'any serious demonstration from the lurking savages. On the 2d of August, 1813, Croghan's victory at Fort Stephenson rather diminished the danger from the savages, and yet the settlers at the old county seat did not slack their vigilance.

On the 10th of September, 1813, when

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the writer of this sketch was probably on a blanket, laid upon an earthen floor in a log cabin by the banks of the Huron River, and perhaps trying to put his big toe in his mouth, his anxious parents were listening to the distant roar of the battle on Lake Erie in which the gallant Perry gained such a signal victory over the British fleet. Jeremiah afterwards visited the fleet and saw the evidences of the fight in the shattered hulls, broken spars and rigging, and bloody decks of the vessels which had been engaged. This signal victory lifted a load from the hearts of those pioneers. If the British conquered they must flee, or be scalped; if the Americans should win the battle they could stay. There is no doubt some very earnest praying was done by that handful of settlers while the fight was progressing. But the news of the victory soon brought joy of deliverance from peril, and from that time the little band of pioneers felt safer.

In the spring of the year 1815 Jeremiah Everett, with the help of one Aden Breed, started for the new El Dorado, Lower Sandusky. They moved family and goods by team from the old county seat to Ogontz place, afterwards called Portland and now Sandusky City, on the shore of the Sandusky Bay. The household goods and provisions and the family were there transferred to a pirogue or very large canoe, worked by hand with paddles after the aboriginal fashion. When the wind was fair, they hoisted a common blanket on a pole for a sail and thus made the voyage up the Sandusky Bay and the river to Lower Sandusky, arriving about the middle of April in the year 1815. He found shelter with some hospitable pioneers until he, with the help of generous neighbors and settlers, erected a log house on the ground where the present residence of Isaac E. Amsden stands, then in Lower

Sandusky, now in the city of Fremont. While living in his house, he farmed from the land near the residence to the mill-race, and there raised fine crops of corn. A little north of and near this house stood a mortar for pounding corn into Indian meal, which was used by him and his neighbors, before any grist-mill had been built in the vicinity. While living in this house Jeremiah was, in the year 1818, engaged by the Government to carry the mail from Lower Sandusky to Fort Meigs. This mail was carried both ways once a week, when it was possible to get through, but was often omitted on account of the high streams and impassable swamps. In performing this duty Jeremiah Everett often encountered difficulties and dangers. There were streams to cross and swamps to go through, which were enough to discourage any traveler. Often it was impossible for a horse to go through on account of ice, which, while it would bear a man, would break under the weight of the horse, rider and mail, and the only way to perform the service in such case was to put the mail in saddle-bags and strap that on the back of the man and go on foot. Mr. Everett was often compelled to take this course, especially in the spring and fall of the year. Sometimes he would reach Portage River at night, when he would lodge at the house of Mr. Harris. At other times on his return trip he would be unable to reach their hospitable cabin, and would be compelled to stay in the woods between the Maumee and Portage Rivers. On the narrow blazed way through the woods between these two rivers, he found a large, fallen, hollow, sycamore tree, which had been blown down by the winds which swept over the lonely forest. When he, on the trip, admonished by the approach of darkness, found he could not reach the cabin of Harris on the Portage River, he would make his home in the

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hollow of this upturned monarch of the forest for the night. Besides the mail he carried a large knife, a tomahawk, his pro- visions for the day and a steel, flint and punk with which to strike and kindle fire and a blanket. Reaching his tree he would strike a fire and gather logs and sticks until a good strong fire was blazing in front of his hollow log. Then, after taking a lunch of cornbread and dried venison or fried pork, he would crawl into the log, wrap himself in his blanket for a rest and sleep until the morning would break and reveal his way through the woods. Several times, while lodging in his lonely retreat, he heard the tramp of some wild beasts making a circuit about his resting place. In. such case he kept his fire burning brightly to frighten them away, and it did keep them off. One night while thus camping out, the wolves beat a path on the ground around him, but fled at the approach of day and on seeing the fire blaze up. At another time he heard a soft, steady tread of some animal around his lodging place, when there was a light fall of snow, and on looking around, found what was evidently the track of a panther, which had been reconnoitering around his premises during the night, but was kept at a respectful distance by the fire.

About the year 1825 Jeremiah Everett removed from the log cabin, and settled on the farm now owned by Timothy H. Bush, within the corporate limits of the present city of Fremont. This tract was then owned by David Harrold, of Philadelphia, a wealthy Quaker. Harrold attended the land sale at Wooster, Ohio, and bought this tract. He was wealthy and invested his money with a view of settling on this land for a home.

EVERETT AND HARROLD.

After Harrold purchased the tract of land mentioned, which is now known as out-lot

number thirty-one, in Fremont, he ordered pine lumber from Buffalo for a house, which he built entirely of that wood, excepting the frame, which was mostly of native oak. While Everett was living in the log house mentioned, Harrold was out in the woods, on the premises now owned by ex-President R. B. Hayes, looking for suitable timber for his building. While waiting for his workmen, and having an axe with him, he chopped and felled a choice tree while alone. When the tree fell in a direction contrary to his expectations, he endeavored to escape being injured, and started away but was tripped down in some way and fell, and the tree fell on one of his legs crushing into the ground and holding him fast, without any means of extrication. It so happened that on the same morning Judge Everett was hunting his oxen which had strayed into the woods. The judge was on horse-back and stopped to look around and listen for the cattle, when he heard a faint groan at some distance off, and presently a loud call for help. He hastened to the spot, chopped off the tree with Harrold's. axe and released him, when he found that the stranger's leg was broken. He put the man on his horse and took him home, sent for Dr. Brainard, who set his leg, and Harrold was nursed at Everett's house until he recovered and was able to walk. The men of course became acquainted, and were ever after warm friends. Harrold was quite wealthy and his wife refused to emigrate from Philadelphia to the wilderness in the West. Harrold, after finishing his house, offered the use of the house and farm for a nominal rent, and the judge occupied it for about eight years, and until he moved his family down the river on tract number two of the original survey of the reservation. Here, on tract two, Judge Everett, having purchased it, made a home and kept his family until his

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wife died in December, 1832. About two years after, Judge Everett, to help his sons Joel and Lorenzo, sold this tract and married Mrs. Eunice Wolley, widow of Daniel Wolley, who owned a farm on the Sandusky River about six miles north of Fremont. He settled there and both husband and wife having minor children, devoted their time and care to the farm and the welfare of the children. He lived on this farm until his death, on the 29th day of December, 1842.

The children of Judge Jeremiah Everett were Lorenzo, Joel, Homer, Adelaide, Lodoiska, Zachariah, and Charles by the first wife; by the second, Elizabeth, Helen, Cyrus, and two others, who died young and were buried on the Wolley farm.

Lorenzo Everett, the oldest son, married Catharine Kline, the daughter of a neighboring farmer, and died in the year 1847, leaving one daughter, Harriet, who married a Mr. Fulkinson, and removed to near White Pigeon, Michigan, and died. He also left three sons, Charles Henry Everett, now of Wood county, Ohio; Thomas Hubert Everett, now married and living in Green Creek township, in Sandusky county, a farmer; and Jeremiah Everett, who married a Miss Hutchins, and had one son, who died in infancy. Jeremiah volunteered in the cavalry service in the war for the suppression of the Southern Rebellion, and was shot from his horse and killed in battle. The second son, Joel Everett, married Mariah Grimes, an adopted daughter of Dr. Daniel Brainard, and died of cholera in September, 1834, leaving one child, a daughter, who married Arthur Ellsworth, of York township, and has since died, leaving one child, a son, named Everett Ellsworth, who is still living. Judge Everett's third son, Homer Everett, was married, in 1837 to Hannah

Bates, in Sandusky county. His wife died in June, 1840, leaving an infant daughter, named Hannah Bates Everett. This daughter was married to Henry Hatfield, in the year 1856, and is still living, having two sons, one now in Osborne, Kansas, and one in Denver, Colorado.

Homer Everett married again, Susan Albina Brush, widow of John T. Brush, in December, 1842. By this wife he had two sons and two daughters. George Homer, his first child, born at Fremont, November 4, 1844, was an expert as a telegrapher, and in the war of the Rebellion was employed by General Thomas as telegraph operator about Nashville, while that city was threatened by the rebels, and there in his labors and exposures as field operator contracted the disease of consumption. After working successfully after the war, at Cincinnati, he came home to his father's house, and as he entered the door said, "I have come home to die, father." This was in September, 1873. After living through autumn and winter, he died on the 26th day of March, 1874, at his father's house, the home of his childhood, and peacefully passed out of this mortal life without a murmur. The second child of this marriage was Charles Egbert, born on the 17th day of June, 1846, on his father's farm, about six miles below Fremont. Charles served in the naval service during the Rebellion. On his return from the service he married Miss Hattie Tindall, daughter of Ed- ward Tindall, of Ballville township. He learned, the trade of cabinet-making, is a natural mechanic and expert in his business, and is now engaged as foreman in the manufacturing establishment of H. Bowlus & Co. He has two children, Eddie and Nellie, all living together in Fremont, at the homestead of Homer Everett's family.

Homer Everett's next and third child

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of this second marriage was Albina Elizabeth, born at Fremont April 27, 1850, who went to Kansas as a school-teacher and afterwards married at Osborne City, in that State, Frederick Yoxall, a native of England, with whom she is now happily living there, the mother of two beautiful daughters. The fourth child by Homer's second marriage was Lillie Everett, born at Fremont January 10, 1853, who followed her sister to Osborne, Kansas, about a year after her sister's departure, and after carrying on the millinery business for a time was married to James A. Wilson, then doing a large business as a drug and hardware merchant in Osborne, where she is now living and has one child, a daughter. Susan Albina, wife of Homer Everett, died at Fremont, December 21, 1855, at the age of thirty-four years. In November, 1873, Mr. Homer Everett, having educated and settled his children, was again married and took for his third wife Minerva E. Justice, daughter of James Justice, whose biography will be found in this history. With his third wife he is now comfortably living in the old homestead of the Justice family, at the foot of the hill on the north side of State street in the pleasant city of Fremont.

Few men were ever endowed with better intellectual and conversational powers than those possessed by Judge Jeremiah Everett. Few men possessed the faculty of keeping the respect and confidence and even the love of all his acquaintances in so high a degree. He was too unselfish to get rich, and too industrious to come to want. He was fond of social converse and philosophic thought. Sardis Birchard used to say that he never met a man whom he took as much pleasure in conversing with and listening to as he did with Judge Everett. Jeremiah Everett was appreciated by the early citizens of the county. He early held the

office of justice of the peace, and kept the office as long as he could afford to do so, and until he positively declined to serve longer at the dictates of his own necessities. The first suits about the riparian ownership on the Sandusky River between David Moore and David Chambers, the results of which were given by the lately affirmed decision of the Supreme Court of Ohio and may be found in the Twelfth Ohio Reports, were tried before him; and Judge Lane in deciding the case, of Chambers vs. Gavit announced the same principles as the law which Judge Everett as justice of the peace had declared in his decisions. He was elected Representative to the General Assembly in 1825, and was the first resident of Sandusky county chosen for that place. He was again elected in 1835 and served to the satisfaction of the people, but declined to accept the position again. During his first term of service in the Assembly he was largely influential in passing measures favorable to the construction of the Maumee and Western Reserve turnpike. His remains are buried in the old cemetery in a lot surrounded by a hedge of arbor-vitae, and a plain marble slab marks the resting place of an honest and honorable man who died a Christian.

HOMER EVERETT,

a son of Jeremiah Everett and Elizabeth (Emery) Everett, was born at the old' county seat of Huron county, on the Huron River, below where the village of Milan now stands, now, however, within the bounds of Erie county, on the 30th of January, 1813. The education of Homer Everett was such as he could acquire by attending the schools in Lower Sandusky two summer and four winter terms, and what he afterwards acquired by

Homer Everett

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his own study out of school. His teachers were Justus and Ezia Williams, Edson Goit, and Samuel Crowell at different periods, who are gratefully remembered by their pupil for their efforts to stimulate a desire for study. In December, 1830, his father gave him liberty to leave home if he thought best, and he accordingly procured from Rodolphus Dickinson, then examiner of teachers, a certificate of qualification to teach, and he immediately started on foot for York township, where he had heard a teacher was wanted. The day brought on a terrible snow storm, but he plodded on. When about half way to Hamar's Corners, on the Western Reserve and Maumee road, he met a man with a yoke of oxen and a sled going to mill, of whom he enquired the road to the district where a teacher was wanted. This man turned out to be Oliver Comstock, one of the directors of the very district young Everett was seeking. Mr. Comstock was well acquainted with Judge Everett, the young man's father, and on learning that the applicant was his son, and on seeing Mr. Dickinson's certificate, told young Everett that he could have the school, and might come and begin the following Monday. He then gave him leave to ride back to Lower Sandusky and make ready. Meantime Judge Everett had seen Jesse S. Olmsted and made arrangements for Homer to enter his employ as clerk in his store. On returning home the young man chose to do what his father and mother thought best. Mr. Comstock was seen and the engagement to teach school cancelled. The following Monday young Everett went into the store as clerk. When he left home he took with him two plain cotton shirts, made by his mother, two pairs of woollen socks, knit by her kind hands, one suit, coat, vest, and pants, of linsey cloth, made by her, one pair of shoes, and one wool hat

which cost fifty cents, and nothing more of worldly goods or apparel, but took what was better than gold, a father's and mother's blessing, with an exhortation to be honest and true under all circumstances.

He was boarded in Judge Olmsted's family, and his wages for the first year was, cost price for cloth to make a more stylish suit of clothes, and thirty dollars. His wages was, however, increased the next year to a salary of fifty dollars and a suit of clothes, and afterwards still further increased, until on the close of his engagement, after six years' service, he was boarded and drew a salary of one hundred and fifty dollars. Judge Olmsted held the office of postmaster for several of the latter years of young Everett's service, and Everett, as deputy postmaster, performed the duties of that office in addition to those of salesman and bookkeeper in the store. In 1837 Judge Olmsted resigned the office, and kindly recommended his boy Homer, as he called him, to be appointed in his stead, an appointment which seemed to please the people. He was accordingly appointed and commissioned by President Van Buren in that year. While engaged in this office he was elected sheriff of the county, and then resigned the office of postmaster. He was re- elected sheriff. He commenced reading law in 1834, improving his leisure time in so doing until 1841, when, on the solicitation of Nathaniel B. Eddy, he was admitted to the Bar at Columbus, Ohio, and resigned the sheriff's office to form a law partner-ship with him. He practiced several years successfully with Mr. Eddy, when the latter abandoned practice and engaged in mer- cantile business. Mr. Everett soon after formed a partnership in the practice of his profession. with Hon. Lucius B. Otis, now of Chicago. After several years' practice in association with Judge Otis, Mr. Everett

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retired from practice and removed to his farm on the river, about six miles below Fremont, intending to lead a quiet farmer's life from that time. In 1847, however, he accepted the office of county auditor, to which he was elected by the people of the county. This position he held for nearly four years, when, in 1852, he resigned the remainder of the last term of that office to return to the practice of the law with Ralph P. Buckland. This partnership continued until 1866, when General Buck-land retired from practice, and Everett continued the business about one year alone, when he formed a partnership with James H. Fowler, who had studied law under his instruction. This still continues, and Mr. Everett is still in the active practice of his profession.

During his life Mr. Homer Everett has held, at various times, the following official positions: Deputy postmaster under Jesse S. Olmsted; postmaster under the appointment of Martin Van Buren; township clerk; member of the board of education many years, in which position he was active in bringing about the adoption of the Akron school law; deputy county clerk under, James A. Scranton; mayor of the city of Fremont. Two scenes while mayor, Mr. Everett says he can never for-get. The first was the death of Michael Wegstein at the battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862. Wegstein had been a member of the band of music then organized in Fremont. On receipt of the news of his death while bravely fighting for his country, the whole community of Fremont was. deeply affected. The band of which he had been a member was perhaps affected most of all. When the news of his death was made certain, his brother musicians, numbering among them some of our best citizens, met, draped their instruments in mourning crape, and went along the sidewalks of the principal streets, playing a

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History of Sandusky County Ohio with Illustrations 1882, Part 82

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