History of Sandusky County, Ohio : with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens and pioneers, Part 123

Author: Everett, Homer, 1813-1887
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : H.Z. Williams
Number of Pages: 1040

USA > Ohio > Sandusky County > History of Sandusky County, Ohio : with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens and pioneers > Part 123

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JACOB NYCE.

This early settler and esteemed citizen of Sandusky county was born in Pike county, in the State of Pennsylvania, on the 6th of October, 1783. His means of education were limited, but his strong common sense and his great heart in social life and citizenship put him forward into a prominent position amongst the pioneers of the county where he finally set- tled and died.

At the age of twenty-two years he pur chased a farm in Ross county, Ohio, and came there to live. On the 24th day of September, 1811, he was there married to Miss Margaret Graham by the Rev. James Robinson.

In the spring of the year 1823 he started with his family, consisting of his wife and five children, from Ross county to Lower Sandusky, in Sandusky county. His farm was on what is now known as the Stony Prairie, a little way west of the line of the Reservation of two miles square ; at the lower rapids of the Sandusky River,

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HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

and he arrived in the county on the roth day of May, 1823. He afterwards bought a lot and erected a dwelling house on the southwest corner of Croghan and Main streets, and a little south of the present court-house. While residing at this place he became a prominent citizen of Lower Sandusky, and reared and educated a fam- ily of eight-six daughters and two sons, namely: Jane, Susan, Rachel, William, and Thomas, who were born in Ross county, Ohio; two daughters, who died in infancy, were born in Lower Sandusky, as was also Isabel H. Nyce, who is still alive and a respected lady of Fremont.

Jane Nyce, the eldest daughter, was many years ago married to Isaiah Strawn, son of Joel Strawn, a pioneer of Ballville township. Isaiah Strawn migrated many years ago to La Salle county, Illinois, and became very wealthy, and the descendants of thatfamily are still residing there.

Susan Nyce was married to Jacob Krid- ler, and died in 1848, leaving an infant daughter, who is married to H. I. Salis- bury, and is now residing in Fremont.

Rachel Nyce was married to M. W. Trask. She has three children, and resides at Independence, in the State of Iowa.

Thomas Nyce died at Lower Sandusky in the year 1845 at the age of twenty-two years and unmarried.

William Nyce died at Fremont, Ohio, in August, 1862. William had for many years, and, in fact, all the time after the death of his brother Thomas, in 1845, been the stay and support of his aged mother and the unmarried sisters of the family. In 1862, when the war assumed an earnest form, and the struggle for the life of the Nation became palpable, young William Nyce could no longer be restrain- ed, and notwithstanding his burden of duties to his mother and sisters, he sought their permission to enter the service of his country, and obtained it without a mur-

mur from their patriotic hearts. He en- tered upon the duty of recruiting a com- pany for the One Hundredth Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, and after completing that service was taken sick in camp at Toledo. He came home in the hope of recovering his health, but died in August, 1862, in the dawn of his promising and patriotic services to the great cause of the Union and liberty.

Margaret (Graham) Nyce, the faith- ful wife of Jacob Nyce, and mother of his children, was born in Cumber- land county, State of Pennsylvania, on the 25th day of March, 1791. She came with her father's family to Ohio at the age of sixteen years, or in the year 1807, and was, four years afterwards, married to Jacob Nyce, as above stated. She sur- vived her husband many years, and was all the time revered by our citizens, and especially by her acquaintances until her death, which occurred on the 8th day of February, 1878. at the age of eighty- six years, ten months, and thirteen days, having survived her husband over thirty-five years. During this period the faithful sons, Thomas and William, labored for their mother with cheerful de- votion while they lived, and her daughter, Isabel, after they were taken away,

Here history shouid record that amongst the early settlers in Lower Sandusky none were more prominent for their good works than Jacob Nyce and wife. Was a neigh- bor woman in distress, Mrs. Nyce was there to help at the dead of night, regard- less of weather or comfort to herself. Was a man in want of help to raise a log cabin or barn, Jacob Nyce was foremost there to help him. He won the hearts and respect of his neighbors to such a degree for his honesty and humanity that he was, not- withstanding his defective early education, made one of the Associate Judges of the county, in which position he discharged the

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duties to the satisfaction and approval of all interested, for several years.

Judge Nyce, personally, was a man of magnificent proportions and in full health weighed over two hundred and twenty pounds.

Shortly after Judge Nyce's coming to Lower Sandusky, and during the contest ·between the old fashioned Pennsylvania reapers, and the then new fashion of cradling wheat, Judge Nyce walked into a field of wheat one harvest with his cradle, and put the reapers with the sickle to shame by his stalwart march through the field, in which he demonstrated that the cradle was superior to the sickle in harvest- ing the grain crops of the county.

Jacob Nyce was a monarch in the har- vest field, and also in every other pursuit where muscular power decided the con- test. For good works in all directions, and for that true benevolence and human- ity which distinguished pioneer life in Sandusky county, few could rival Jacob Nyce and his noble wife.

CHARLES ROLLINS McCULLOCH.

As a representative man in the drug and book business of Fremont, as well as a conservator of moral order in society, we make the following mention of Charles Rollins McCulloch, now engaged actively in his business.

Mr. McCulloch is the son of Jonathan and Cynthia (Graves) McCulloch, and was born at Sherburne, Chenango county, in the State of New York, on the 4th day of April, 1825. He was removed by his parents with them to Erie, Pennsylvania, in the year 1827, where they settled. At Erie he received such education as was afforded by the common schools of the State. About the age of thirteen years, in 1838, he became an apprentice to C.

C. Bristol, in Buffalo, to learn the business of druggist. Here he displayed remark- able industry and aptness in acquiring a knowledge of the business, and remained with his employers about three years and a half. Thence he came to Lower San- dusky, and in June, 1842, went into busi- ness with his elder brother, Carlton G. McCulloch, also a druggist, who had pre- ceded him to the place, and who has since located in the city of Chicago.

About six years afterwards, in the year 1848, Charles R. McCulloch bought his brother's interest in their business and set up a drug store for himself. He be- came partner with his brother-in-law, Charles Burt, in the purchase and selling of wheat, which they stored in J. K. Glenn's warehouse, a wooden building then standing on the site of Shomo's Block, on Front street, although the ware- house was in fact on the back part of the lot. The warehouse, with a large quantity of wheat, was destroyed by fire in 1849, and Mr. McCulloch lost largely by the fire, so much so that he was compelled to sell out his drug and book business to S. Buckland & Co. After arranging his busi- ness Mr. McCulloch, in 1851, became a partner in the firm of S. Buckland & Co. in the drug and book business at Fremont, and so remained in business until the year 1858, when he bought out the inter- ests of his partners, namely, Stephen Buckland and Ralph P. Buckland, in the business, and became sole proprietor of the concern. Since that date he has, through all the vicissitudes of business, continued steadily on in the same place without check or failure, and is now prob- ably the head of the longest established drug store in the county, doing business now for thirty-two years in Buckland's old block, where he has remained since purchasing out the Buckland's.

He married Miss Rhoda Gould in the

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HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

month of October, 1848, and about six months before the above-mentioned fire. This marriage has produced seven children, six of whom are now living, namely: Jessie (now Mrs. J. E. Heffner), Fannie, Margaret, Rollin F., Josephine, and Julia. One, Charles Rollin, died at the age of eight months. The living children are all now residing in Fremont. The surviving son, Rollin F., after attend- ing the high school of Fremont and grad- uating and also assisting his father in the store, graduated at the School of Pharma- cy at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and having finished his course there, became a part- ner in business with his father, in March, 1881, which position he now occupies, and is a highly accomplished and popu- lar druggist.

Charles Rollin McCulloch, the subject of this notice, has been a consistent and worthy member of the Presbyterian church for the forty-two years last past, all of which time he was connected with the Sabbath-schools of that denomination, and for thirty years has acted as Sabbath- school superintendent. From his first connection with the church he has been a member of the church choir, and has been leader of it for the term of thirty-two years. He was by nature gifted with a fine tenor voice and his practice and culti- vation of it has made him a desirable help, not only in church music, but in all other proper musical entertainments. This taste and talent for vocal music is mani fested in his children, who are quite talent- ed in that direction. He has also been ruling elder or deacon of the church in Fremont for about sixteen years, and has greatly assisted his church in all its enter- prises. He has been chosen member of the city council of Fremont three terms, in which he did honor to the place. He was president of the council in 1877, when the corner-stone of the City Hall was

laid, and his name is commemorated by that long-to-be-remembered event in the engravings on the corner-stone.

When Mr. McCulloch commenced bus- iness in Fremont (Lower Sandusky), the drug business was comparatively small and hardly supported one man. There are now, however, six establishments, most of them employing numerous clerks, engaged in that business in Fremont, and all seem to be doing a flourishing business.

Mr. McCulloch has always been a firm and steady supporter and conservator of morals and orderly conduct in society, and as a man and citizen he has always been, in honesty and purity of life, a bright example to all who have been favored with his acquaintance. Of him it may be said emphatically, he is a Chris- tian gentleman, and a most worthy citizen.

CAPTAIN JOHN B. BEAUGRAND.

This early settier at Lower Sandusky was born at Detroit, Michigan, January 31, 1813. His father was the John B. Beaugrand mentioned in the history of the Catholics, found in this work. The subject of this notice came with his par- ents to Lower Sandusky about the year 1820, and attended the common schools of the place. But the young, strong, and daring man that he was, could not be con- tented in the school-room with only books and children. His ardent and ventursome disposition impelled him to some other pursuit, and at an early age he was found a sailor on the lakes. For a number of years he was under the tuition of Captain Morris Tyler, a celebrated lake captain whose home was in Lower Sandusky. Under Captain Tyler's instruction he be- came a thoroughly trained sailor, and his personal strength and fearlessness, together with deep enthusiasm in his profession, marked him for something more than a

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HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

common sailor. For a number of years he acted as Captain Tyler's first mate, and often the captain entrusted to him the sole management of his vessel, and never found his confidence misplaced. The result was that Beaugrand became noted for his en- ergy, pluck, and luck, as well for his skill in managing a vessel, as for his complete · and accurate knowledge of all the harbors on the Lakes, and hence he rose rapidly to the position of captain. In his day he commanded some of the finest steamers plying between Buffalo and Chicago. So well acquainted was he with the Lakes, and so prudent, withal, that his services were always in demand. On one occasion, in 1846, he was presented, by the mayor of Cleveland, with a beautiful stand of colors for safely bringing into that harbor, during a terrific storm, the steamer under his command, laden with passengers from Buffalo. The grateful passengers also voted him their thanks, besides making him a very substantial present. Captain Beaugrand was well known in nautical cir- cles as one of the luckiest commanders who ever stepped on board a craft.

Captain John B. Beaugrand was brother to Mrs. L. Q. Rawson, Mrs. Margaret Dickinson, and Dr. P. Beaugrand, of the city of Fremont, Mrs. M. A. Castle, of Cleveland, and James A. Beaugrand, of Racine, Wisconsin. He acted for a time in the employment of the United States as pilot to revenue cutters on the Lakes, and at another time as superintendent of railroad repairing for the Union army in the South during the Rebellion. He was married at Racine, Wisconsin, in 1849. His wife died, leaving him and a daughter surviving her. The daughter subsequently married F. A. Narcott, of Chicago, where she is now living.

Captain Beaugrand, some years ago, on account of rheumatic affections brought on by exposure in his vocation, ceased active

life and died at Toledo on the 6th day of December, 1879.

AMOS R. CARVER

was one of the early settlers of York township, and one of its most worthy citizens for many years. He was born in Cayuga county, New York, July 23, 1802, and came to York township, Sandusky county, Ohio, to live, in the fall of 1837. His family then consisted of his wife and oldest daughter, now Mrs. Johnson. Miss Hattie Hunt, who made her home with the family for a number of years, now living in Topeka, Kansas, came with them. The father of Amos, Dyer Carver, moved out previous to his son, and locat- ed on the place which was afterwards the home of Amos. He died about the year 1866.

Amos Carver and Martha C. Hazletine were married March 6, 1834. She was born in Rutland, Vermont, September 15, 1816, but removed with her parents when five years old to Cayuga county, New York. Mr. Carver died July 6, 1874, and Mrs. Carver January 9, 1879. They had four daughters. Laura E., the oldest, was born July 19, 1835, and became the wife of David Johnson in 1857, who was killed by a railroad accident at Springfield, Illinois, in 1865. His widow, until recent- ly, had resided in Oberlin, Ohio, for a number of years. Adelaide, born August 25, 1841, married, in 1869, Eugene S. Aldrich, of Pleasant Lake, Indiana, where they now live. Julia M., born October 30, 1844, married, in 1865, David H. Foster, of Port Byron, New York, and now resides in Hamilton, that State. Clara S., born April 5, 1848, was married to C. B. Greene, .of Fremont, Ohio, in 1868, and now resides in Toledo.

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HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.

STEPHEN GRISWOLD.

Of this eccentric man there is little in- formation concerning his life except what is found in Mr. Everett's lecture. Gris- wold never married and when he died, many years ago, left no family and no rela- tives in this vicinity surviving him. Hence the impracticability of obtaining informa- tion concerning his early life. We give Mr. Everett's mention of him, which was as follows :

One of the early inhabitants of our town was a strong-minded, giant-framed, and eccentric man. One instance will give an idea of his peculiarity of mind. Trapping in those days was a familiar occupa- tion, and the kind of traps and method of trapping various animals were matters of frequent discussion. Stephen Griswold used to tell about one of his traps, and the conception is so odd and poetic that I choose it for the occasion. Said he, "I once made a trap to catch earthquakes in. I took two large, fine rain- bows, and two smaller ones-the best I could get- so as to have it double-jawed. I had double springs at each end. For these springs I took four streaks best quality double-refined chain lightning. I used a small volcano for bait ; got my trap put together and commenced business in the hilly parts of South America, and was doing pretty well till one day a large bull earthquake got into my trap. It held him for a while, but by and by he took a lunge and a flounder and tore the trap into a thousand fragments. You can see pieces of my trap springs flying among the clouds yet, every time a thunder-shower comes up."

In those times cloth was both scarce and dear, but dressed deer skins were plenty, cheap, and much worn for pants and coats. Griswold, like all of us, followed the fashion and got coat and pants of smoke-dressed deer skin. This leather is a very good dry weather material, but when wet becomes very flabby and susceptible of extension in any direc- tion, to almost any extent, and when dry would shrink to the exact dimensions of any opposing sub- stance. After Griswold got his new suit, of which he was very proud, he started on a three days' exploring tour into the woods, with a traveling companion. Snow lay quite deep upon the ground, and rain set in after they had started. The consequence was that Griswold's new clothes became very wet. The pants began to settle, and soon hung under his heels and over his toes, much to his annoyance and hindrance in traveling. In vain he tried the roll. They would not stay put, and, finally, getting out of patience, he applied the ready knife and cut off the extending nuisance. They continued walking and wetting soon made them too long again, and again Griswold cut

off and reduced them to the proper length, and dur- ing the day he found it necessary to repeat the opera- tion several times.

Night came and the two travellers slept in a vacant log cabin. Like true woodsmen they kindled a good fire, took their supper, and without undressing, laid themselves down wrapped in blankets, with their feet to a good blazing fire. While they slept the fire burned, and the buckskin dried and slırunk, and shrunk and dried, until, except in length, it was a perfect counterpart of Griswold's skin. The pants contracted so that his stalwart walking-beams protruded from the knee. He slept soundly, and was awakened by the loud "ha! ha!" of his companion. The leather, under the influence of the fire, had become not only fitted to the skin, but stiff and hard, and he had to make a second effort before he could rise to his feet, so tightly were his body and limbs bound up. Finally he rose erect and took a deliberate survey of himself. Legs naked below the knee, half his forearm protruding bevond his coat- sleve; every joint, muscle and projection of his per- son perfectly delineated through his garments, there he stood; such a picture! such a figure! such a fit! His perplexity was ludicrous in the extreme. His companion caught his eye and roared with laughter. Griswold could stand it no longer. He opened his mouth, and it is said that a "blue stream " went down from his mouth to the lower regions, to apprise the inhabitants that the science of profanity was well understood on earth. Griswold hurried into town, changed clothes, and never wore leather pants after- wards.

THOMAS VINCENT CURTIS.

This worthy citizen of Lower Sandusky is the representative man of the colored or African citizens of the county. He was born in St. Mary's county, Maryland, in the year 1798, and came to Chillicothe, Ohio, when a boy about twelve years old, in the year 1810. He came with an un- cle and aunt, and was apprenticed to James V. Hill, a colored man, then carry- ing on a small tannery in Chillicothe, and there learned the tanning and currier busi- ness in an apprenticeship of five years. While an apprentice he remembers mak- ing the acquaintance of James Justice, de- ceased, late a resident of Fremont. Mr. Hill failed in business, and his property, tannery, and residence, were sold at sher-

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iff's sale. Young Justice was then learn- ing the same trade with a Mr. McLean, near Circleville, Ohio, and was sent by McLean to attend the sale of Hill's prop- erty, and did bid off a considerable amount of the stock, and this transaction brought on an acquaintance between Cur- tis and Justice. After Hill's failure Curtis .went to Cincinnati, and there worked at his trade eighteen months for a man named Henry Funk. He went back to Chillicothe and helped Hill finish off his stock. Mr. Curtis then went to Piketon, Pike county, Ohio, and worked at his trade for Dennis Hill, a brother of his former employer. He then returned to Chillicothe, worked for Mr. Thomas Jacobs, and there married Miss Jane Bri- son, who was raised by Mr. Galbreath, a lawyer from the State of Pennsylvania. His wife was full half white blood, and a very intelligent, lady-like person. There the couple had two children-Sarah and Orlando-and with these and his wife he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he remained working at his trade about three years, and where his third child-Charles-was born. He returned to Chillicothe and remained about six months, thence went to Clarksburg, where he worked for a man named George King, a tanner, for a time. Mr. King then put Mr. Curtis in charge of a large tannery at Columbus, Ohio, he not being a practical tanner, himself. Here he remained for some time, and then, with his family, re- moved to Tiffin, Ohio. After spending a winter at Tiffin, he removed with his fam- ily to Lower Sandusky. Here he met his old acquaintance, Judge Justice, and al- though Curtis had letters to another tan- nery, that of Isaac Van Doren, he pre- vailed on Curtis to go into his tannery, where he worked for five or six years, when they differed, and Curtis went to work for Mr. Van Doren, where he worked

a number of years at the trade. Here his other children were born-Mary, the wife of Thomas Rees; Ellen, who married Samuel Jones, who died at Norwalk, Ohio, and who afterwards married a Mr. Weth- ers, near Oberlin. Another son, Alexan- der, was born at Chillicothe.

Mr. Curtis, though not rich in lands and money, having suffered loss of property by fire, has always been a well behaved, in- dustrious citizen. Recently, however, his infirmities and age have disqualified him from manual labor.

He has never been known to violate the laws of the land, nor has he failed at any time to observe the proprieties of life, or to observe good manners in society.

J. C. JOHNSON.

This gentleman is the first professor of architecture who settled in Sandusky county, and for that reason, rather than for his early settlement, deserves mention ın this history.

He was born in the town of Went- worth, State of New Hampshire, on the 8th day of December, A. D. 1828. His father was Henry Johnson, who was Jus- tice of the Peace in his native town for more than thirty years, and all the time also a farmer, and reared a large family who left home, especially the sons, in- early maturity. His mother was Rebecca (Brown) Johnson. Henry Johnson's father and the father of his wife were both soldiers in the War of the Revolution, and were with General Washington at Valley Forge, where the army underwent such terrible suffering in the service.

John C. Johnson, the subject of this no- tice, was a graduate of Wentworth Academy and intended to study and practice law, but a strong natural inclination to me- chanics diverted his intentions, and he

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HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY

learned the trade of carpenter and joiner. After learning the trade he worked in the towns of Manchester and Nashua for a period of about two years. He then worked at his trade in many towns and cities in Massachusetts and Connecticut until he felt himself master of the trade and able and qualified to do good work anywhere among men of the same voca- tion. In 1852 he started from New Eng- land for the West there to carve out his future fortune single-handed and alone. Mr. Johnson meantime applied himself to the study of architectural designs and drawings, and made great proficiency and soon was prepared to make accurate and reliable plans and specifications of all buildings in whole and also in the mi- nutest detail.

Mr. Johnson struck the West at Akron, Ohio, in the year last named, 1852, where he worked at his trade about one year. From Akron he went to Warren, in Trum- bull county, Ohio. Warren at that time being without a railroad was quite elated by the acquisition of a down East me- chanic, who could design and display on paper any architectural design in a fine picture in whole and in detail, and who was able to distance at that time all com- petition in talent for architecture. At this place and in its vicinity Mr. Johnson built some of the finest buildings in that section of the State, and gave a new im- petus to taste and convenience in the building of public and private houses.

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History of Sandusky County, Ohio : with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens and pioneers, Part 123

Author: Everett, Homer, 1813-1887 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : H.Z. Williams Number of Pages: 1040

Author: Everett, Homer, 1813-1887
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : H.Z. Williams
Number of Pages: 1040