USA > Ohio > Seneca County > History of Seneca County, Ohio; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Vo. I > Part 35
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William Lang. who published a history of Seneca county in 1880, was born on the 14th of December, 1815, in the town of Sip- perfeld, Germany. The family came to America, and arrived in
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Tiffin in 1833. In the spring of 1840, he commenced the study of law with Joshua Seney. £ As Mr. Seney gave little attention to practice, Mr. Lang, at Mr. Seney's request, entered the office of Mr. Cowdery, where he completed the course and was admitted to the bar on July 25, 1842. In the fall of 1844 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Seneca county, and was re-elected in 1846. In 1851 he was elected probate judge of Seneca county. In 1861 he was elected to the state senate, and was re-elected in 1863. In 1865, he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, on the ticket with General G. W. Morgan. In 1869, he was elected treasurer of Seneca county, and was re-elected in 1871. He was the first mayor of the city of Tiffin and the first member of its school board. At the Democratic state convention held in Cleveland. in July, 1880, Judge Lang was nominated for secretary of state.
Judge Lang's history of Seneca county filled a long-felt want, and is much appreciated by the people there today.
And speaking of newspaper men, there is the Hon. J. A. Nor- ton, who notwithstanding the numerous high and responsible posi- tions he has held, is yet in the prime of matured manhood. Mr.
Norton is a lawyer. a physician and a politician. He has served his county several terms in the Ohio legislature, and under Gover- nor Campbell's administration was commissioner of railroads and telegraphs of Ohio. He served his district three terms in the house of representatives in the congress of the United States. He now holds a commission with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. When questions of knotty cases are involved. Dr. Norton is always called into consultation. But over and above all, Dr. Norton is a gentleman, and the author of this work is indebted to him for many favors, for which he is grateful and here takes pleasure in making public mention of the courtesies he has received from him. The doctor is a man of much versatility, a charming orator, and a fear- less defender of what he considers right.
Alfred H. Welch was born at Fostoria. in 1850, and died in 1888 when professor of English Literature in the Ohio State Uni- versity, after a short but bright and useful career as teacher and author. Besides a series of school books, he published "The Conflict of the Ages," "The Development of English Literature and Language," and "Man and his Relations." He started as a youth of humble means in the employ of Hon. Charles Foster, who, observing his faithfulness and capacity, assisted him to obtain a college education. He has been said in many respects to resemble Goldsmith. Ile was fond of flowers and children, and it was his delight to organize parties to hunt flowers in the wild woods or gather pond lilies.
O. T. Locke, postmaster at Tiffin, is well known in business
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and newspaper circles. Mr. Locke is a half-brother of the late D. R. Locke, known in newspaper fame as "Petroleum V. Nasby." Upon his appointment as postmaster, O. T. Locke gave the manage- ment of his newspaper to his son. J. P. Locke, who is conducting the same very successfully.
The Myers Brothers have owned and conducted the Tiffin Advertiser for many years. It is the Democratic organ of Seneca county. E. S. Myers is the present manager, and an affable gen- tleman, The Myers family is prominent in Tiffin socially and stands well financially.
Hon. Thomas Corwin, the great Ohio orator who served Ohio as United States senator and governor, was familiarly called "Tom, the Wagon Boy." The sketch explains how he got that sobriquet : Mathias Corwin, in 1798, settled in what is now War- ren county, and which was then as complete a wilderness as Seneca in 1820; and the seliool houses and opportunities for education were also of a like character. He had a son by the name of Thomas, who, in 1812, when the war broke out, was about fifteen years of age. Our unnatural enemies were stimulating the savages all along our nothern frontier to kill, burn and destroy. General
Hull had made his disastrous surrender at Detroit. All plans of the war department in the northwest were thus deranged. Our soldiers, unsupplied with food, were in danger of starvation.
In this emergency, Judge Corwin determined to send a team to the extreme frontier, loaded with supplies for the suffering troops. His son Thomas drove the team. He came by the Dela- ware army road to Fort Seneca, with the load, while General Harri- son was there. This trip attached to him the name of "Tom, the wagon boy," for life. He became highly popular with the people of Ohio in after years, and won honors at the bar, in the legislature of the state and in the national senate. He was governor of Ohio, and secretary of the treasury under the administration of Mr. Fillmore. In 1861, President Lincoln appointed Mr. Corwin minister to Mexico. He died in the city of Washington, on the 18th day of December, 1865.
Mr. Corwin was a fine specimen of a self-made man. IIe was recognized by friend and foe as a man of strict notions of honor, an able lawyer, a great statesman, and an orator of the first order. He could hold a crowd as by magic, and his anecdotes, accompanied with his unsurpassable grimaces and applications, were irrestible in their effect.
The subject of this sketch was the most remarkable character that was ever associated with the Tiffin bar. He was unlike other lawyers in almost everything. and seemed to avoid assimilation on purpose. In 1883 he had his office in the frame building on the south side of Market street, on in-lot No. 71, now occupied as a
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saloon. At first he was known by the name of Sidney Smith. It is said that he was a graduate of the New Haven Law school. and that formerly he was a shoemaker by trade. He was married when he moved from Portage county to Tiffin, in 1832, and very soon secured a very good practice. He bought a farm in Scipio township, and laid out the larger portion of Republic. In June, 1836, he published a notice in the Tiffin Gazette that he would sell his lots in Republic, a valuable farm close by, another farm six miles from Tiffin, and one and one-half lots between the court house and the free bridge, because he wanted to go to some southern latitude.
Two years thereafter he gave notice that he had left his proper ty in the hands of Mr. Chapin to sell for him, and moved to Cin- cinnati, where he opened a law office. It is said that he there wore his pants in his boots. The boots had large red tops, on which was painted in gilt letters, "Sidney Smith, attorney-at-law."
About the latter part of 1840 he came back to Republic and opened a law office again in the name of Smith. He took a very active part in the presidential campaign, and made the first speech when the Whigs' raised their log cabin on the lot where the Com- mercial Bank now stands. In his political harangue on that day he was exceedingly personal and bitter. This was on the 3rd of June, 1840. He made many more speeches throughout Seneca county that summer and fall. but became so boisterous and abusive that the Whig central committee finally refused to make any further appointments for him.
The Whigs carried the day, as is well known, and whatever may have been the moving cause, other than that expressed in the petition itself when the legislature met in Columbus, the following December, Mr. Smith sent a petition to that above body, praying for the passage of a law to change his name from Sidney Smith to Sidney Sea. The petition was all poetry of his own manufacture and being so utterly void of all reason, it was defeated in the senate. On the 15th of January, 1841, on motion of Senator Haslestine, it was reconsidered, laid on the table, and finally passed on the 16th day of March, 1841.
The reason assigned in this poetic petition by Mr. Smith was: "That. when Adam stood up in Paradise in obedience with the com- mand of the Creator, to name all things, and all the living things had passed before him receiving names in order, it got to be late in the afternoon, and poor Adam's vocabulary failed to hold out. Then Adam held his hands up to shade his eyes, and saw in a corner of the garden an infamously looking moh of humanity. He called them up, looked at them awhile and being half angry and half provoked, called them all Smith." He wanted to get away from that crowd, he said, and the general assembly let him out.
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About this time an independent company, called Osceolas, had been organized in Tiffin, and by the kindness of General Nigh- swander, quartermaster general of Ohio, had procured flint lock rifles, with which they appeared on parade from time to time. It seems that General Sea and others had made efforts to procure arms for the several militia companies in this county and failed. Now to see these Osceolas parade the streets in Tiffin with their clea: guns, and General Sea's men attend muster without arms, was too much for the general, and his poetic genius again took possession of him. One morning a lot of posters were stuck up all over Tiffin and copies sent all over the county calling a meeting of the "Grand Militaire" of the county at Tiffin, as follows :
ATTENTION
MILITARY MEN OF SENECA COUNTY ! INJUSTICE IN THE CAMP! EVERY MAN TO HIS POST!
Blow ye the trumpet. blow, and sound the drum,
Send round the hand bills, let the freeman come; For equal rights the standard let us raise.
And let the Tiffin Junto foam and gaze.
Eight companies have we. old, faithful and true, Whose rights are trampled on to bless the new.
Your old and patient prayers thrown in your face, And Osceolas born to partial grace.
The quartermaster deals you pelting storms, But takes the Osceolas to his arms;
He gives them guns, the brightest and the best.
Let your old beards petition and be cursed, llere, you can see, the Tiffin Junto reigns, While you submit to penalties and pains. Shall Osceolas flaunt their glittering steel. And can the older brothers fail to feel ? Behold their sheen displaying to the sun,
And trudge your sober face and wooden gun.
Hear ye, brave spirits of our fathers gone. And let your children put their reason on. High soars the eagle out of mortal sight, But why should justice tower a greater height? The eagles sometimes stoops to mortal kin,
Then why not justice sometimes dwell with man.
If you arise and meet in Tiffin, on Saturday, the 14th inst., at 10 o'clock precisely, and peaceably, with united voice, proclaim your wrongs to the legislature, I think you may procure your rights, and arms enough of different description to make our brigade respectable, and I promise my feeble aid on the side of impartial justice. Why should a miserable faction rule the whole country ? I hope and trust that our well-beloved brethren, the Osceolas, when
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they find that their older brothers are men, too, will be more anxious to give justice than to take wrong.
You've set me as a watchman on the wall. I see the poison hissing in the camp. I blow the horn. Let's peaceably extract the venomous teeth and let the reptiles live.
SIDNEY SEA, Brigadier General.
Let us all come up to the meeting and investigate the whole affair. ASA WAY, Colonel.
G. M. OGDEN, Lieutenant Colonel. HENRY METZGER, Adjutant. JOSIAH ROOP, Quartermaster.
E. T. STICKNEY, Captain,
D. METZGER, Captain. J. S. SPARKS, Captain. PAUL DEWITT, First Lieutenant, W. BURROWS, Second Lieutenant.
REPUBLIC, January 3, 1843.
These indorsers all lived in Republic, or near by, and were easily induced to sign anything against Tiffin. After the burning of the court house, great efforts were made to remove the county seat to Republic, and build a new court house there, but they failed, and the grudge had not died away vet. The Tiffin Junto was noth- ing but the little independent military company, the most of whom lived in the country. These "reptiles" wronged nobody when they secured guns for themselves.
The meeting came off in the little old school house on Market street. The Osceolas were there in full force, and but few of the militia. General Sea came in, and taking the chair, called the meeting to order and administered one of his usual reprimands to the Osceolas for not taking their turbans off. Colonel Gibson, who was invited to attend by Captain Poorman, of the Osceolas, being present, and the writer, who procured the guns, having ex- plained to the meeting the manner of our organization, and the mode of procuring our guns, the meeting adjourned and
"The Duke of Brunswick, with his mighty men,
Marched up the hill-and then marched down again."
It is probable that the quartermaster general of Ohio demanded security for arms that were distributed among the militia.
On one of the September muster-days, the "grand army" was drawn up in line from the river to Madison street, on Washington street, facing the east. General Sea was on his horse, in full uni- form, and in his glory. George W. Black had a bakery and small beer shop, nearly opposite the National hall. While the general
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was up street, a man slipped out of the ranks into Black's, and, securing a section of a ginger cake stepped into line again. Now came the general in full gallop, with his feathers flying in air and the yellow cuffs of his gloves up to his elbow, and noticing the man with the big ginger cake, stopped short, wheeled his horse facing the men, and shouted, "Attention ! Great God! Look at this! A free born American citizen soldier, in the service of his country, eating gingerbread in the ranks!" The man wilted.
About the year 1843 General Sea left Republic and moved to Tiffin again, when he and L. A. Hall became partners in the law firm of Hall & Sea. They soon had a large practice, and while Sea was the better advocate, Hall was the better pleader. Mr. Sea's striking appearance and forceable address gave him great in- fluence with a jury. He was quick and ready to catch a point, and unsparing in pressing it. This partnership lasted only about two years, and both continued in the practice in Tiffin.
General Sea was ambitious and used all the means at his com- mand to get General John Bell, of Lower Sandusky, who was major general of the Seventeenth division Ohio Militia out of office, with a view of filling it himself. General Bell was a most estimable gentleman and highly esteemed citizen, but he sometimes appeared on parade with a straw hat on his head, put on no style, and in 1838, while the Canadian or patriot war was raging a lot of arms were stolen out of his warehouse, in Lower Sandusky. These two circumstances served General Sea's purpose, and he drew up charges against General Bell for the purpose of having him tried and court-martialed. He had his law partner, Mr. Hall, copy the charges, and they were sent to Governor Shannon. Gover- nor Shannon thereupon caused the following order to be issued, which convened the most distinguished, august and talented mili- tary men that ever formed a court-martial in Ohio :
ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE Columbus, Ohio, February 3, 1844
A court-martial. to consist of seven persons, will assemble at the city of Columbus, state of Ohio, on Monday, the 19th inst., at 10 o'clock A. M .. for the hearing and determining of charges preferred against Major General John Bell, of the Seventeenth division of Ohio militia. The court will consist of :
Major General John Snider, of the First division, president.
Major General C. B. Goddard, of the Fifteenth division, judge advocate.
Major General George Rowe, of the Thirteenth division.
Brigadier General M. S. Wade, of the Third brigade First division.
Brigadier General George Gephart, of the Seventh division. Brigadier General Thomas Stockton, of the Second brigade,
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Seventh division.
Brigadier General Sidney Sea, of the Seventeenth division. General W. F. Sanderson, provost marshal. William Lang, Esq., assistant marshal. By order of WILSON SHANNON,
Commander-in-chief Ohio Militia.
E. GALE, Adjutant General.
At the trial, which was held in the old United States court- room, Hon. Gustavus Swan, as counsel for General Bell. objected to General Sea, and alleged that Sea himself had drawn up the charges and was therefore disqualified to sit and try the case. Witnesses were examined and the facts clearly established. L. A. Hall testified that General Sea had drawn the charges, and he (Hall) had copied them. The court, upon deliberation without Sea, decided that he could not sit. On the meeting of the court after dinner, this fact was made known to General Sea by the president and he was politely requested to withdraw, but there he sat and allowed himself to be invited to leave the second time. He still refused to go, when General Goddard ordered the writer to take General Sea out of the room instanter. The order was obeyed, slowly and reluctantly by both of us.
No matter what became of the case. It is referred to here only to show the shrewdness and head-strong. stubborn character of General Sea.
Suffice it to say that General Bell had to pay a fine for allow- ing the arms to be stolen from him.
Now General Sea was alone in the practice, and Jeremiah Carpenter, of Venice township, having an estate coming to him in Kentucky, employed the general to collect it for him. The general went to Kentucky, and after an absence of several months returned with a beautiful horse he called Mazeppa. Mr. Carpenter claimed that he did not get all the estate that was coming to him, and brought suit against General Sea. A long sad. costly and angry litigation followed. Carpenter obtained judgment against Sea, and for want of goods and chattels. a writ of ne exeat was sued out, under which General Sea refused to give security, simply saving that he would not leave the county, and preferred to go to jail. Whether the proceedings were right or wrong will not be dis- cussed; but the case excited general notice and was the theme of gossip a long time.
While here in jail. General Sea, who always was a very voluminous pleader, prepared a petition against Judge Bowen and the associate judges for false imprisonment. It covered about two reams of paper, written on both sides. Judge Bowen offered $100 to any person that would make for him a copy of it. The case was never tried.
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After the general had lain in the stone jail some three months or more, Messrs. R. G. Pennington and Oliver Cowdery, as the attorneys of General Sea, applied to Judge Reuben Wood, of the supreme court, for a writ of habeas corpus to get him out. The writ was issued and Judge Wood came from Cleveland to Tiffin to hear the case on the 5th day of February, 1847. General Sea was discharged. This was the official act of Judge Wood. for his term expired on the next day. The court house was crowded to overflowing during the trial and on the following night the brass band, with a large crowd of citizens, gave General Sea a serenade. Much sympathy was enlisted in his favor by this time.
In 1848 General Sea, with his family, moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since which time the writer has heard but little of him. He was a most wonderful combination of mental force; shrewd, cunning, able, reckless. daring. crouching, vindictive, ambitious ; an able orator, a forcible advocate, but unsocial and cold. He was reckless in his adventures, as well as in the abandonment of a good purpose.
"Pity he loved an adventurous life's variety,
He was so great a loss to good society.''
Among the many distinguished pioneers of Seneca county was John Goodwin. He came to Tiffn in 1828. He was married short- ly before coming to the county and reared a family of six children. Two of his sons became eminent in politics in Kansas. John Goodin took an active part in the development of Tiffin, and in the early time built a brick hotel on Washington street. He was treasurer of Seneca county two years, and later was elected to the state senate. Both of these official positions he filled with credit.
Frederick Shawhan was a native of Kent county, Maryland, but came to Seneca county in the twenties. He was the father of Rezin W. Shawhan, who in his day erected a number of buildings in Tiffin, prominent among which is the Shawhan hotel.
Christopher Snyder learned the trade of a shoemaker in his native town in Germany, prior to coming to the United States. He and his brother came to Tiffin in 1832, and Christopher found em- ployment at the hotel of Richard Sneath, opposite the court house on Washington street. In 1836 he and Mr. Sneath opened a dry goods store in Tiffin.
David Evan Owen was not only a pioneer in Seneca county, but was a man of moral and public worth. He was born in 1775. He graduated at a Philadelphia college and entered the newspaper business in his native state of Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1829, he moved with his family to Tiffin and settled on Rocky creek, on what was later called the Huber farm. He put up a
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cabin and cleared a few acres for corn that spring. Here Mr. Owen lived with his family in the dense forest in a very obscure way, known only to a few of his Pennsylvania relatives and friends. But it became known that he was a very smart man and a great Democrat, and in the fall of 1831 that party nominated him for auditor and elected him. He was the first Democrat elected to any office in Seneca county, and he was the second auditor of the county. In 1836 Mr. Owen was elected state senator from his
district. In 1838, President Van Buren appointed him receiver of the public money for the district of lands subject to sale by the treaty with the Wyandotte Indians to serve for four years. In conformity with this treaty a certain per cent of the proceeds of these sales was to be paid to the Wyandottes, and his receipts for these dividends had the names of the following chiefs attached : Ron-ton-dee or Warpole; Dou-wan-tout; Tay-on-dot-to-hach, Punch; Hon-don-yon-wan or Mathias; Day-on-quot or Half King; Manoncue or Thomas; Tay-arron-tooyea, or Between the Logs; Widow Harrahaat; Widow Big Sinew; Tay-qua-way ; Hays; Black Sheep; Charloe; Summondewat; Tsooshia; Droosrousch; Coon Hawk; Gray Eyes; Bearskin; Touromee; Squeendehtee; Monture ; Old Shawnee; Big Spoon; Cross the Lake; Ronuneay; Big River; Ground Squirrel; Young Cherokee; Tahautohs; Septemess; Gaya- mee; Little Chief; Fighter; Tall Charles; Solomon; Taress; Big Arms; Nooshutoomohs ; Shreaeohhs ; Tauranyehtee; Peacock; Cur- reesaquoh ; Porcupine; Bob Cherokee; Satrahass; Kay-roo-hoo; White Wing; Half John; St. Peter; Ree-wan-dee-nun-toohk; His- son ; Snakehead ; Split-the-logs; Daenundee; John Hicks; Mundea- toe; Soocuhquess; Wasp; Tondee ; Yandeenoo; Summenturoo ; John Baptiste ; Soorontooroo; Racer; Big Kittle Child; White Crow, and many others. One pay roll shows, paid to these and others, $22,212.
Mr. Owen was a great reader and was very interesting in conversation, and he was acquainted with nearly all the political leaders of his time.
Andrew Lugenbeel came from Frederick county, Maryland. to Seneca county shortly after his marriage in 1832. He entered the mercantile business in Tiffin with Jacob Stern. About 1834 he bought the land of Joseph Janay, where in 1836 he built a grist mill on the river bank, a short distance south of town, which was for many years known as the "Lugenbeel Mill." After his appointment as one of the associate judges of Seneca county, he took a very active part in public affairs and was one of the most eminent men in Seneca county. He held a number of township offices, was one of the originators of the county infirmary and one of its first directors. He was a man of clear views and polished manners. He died in 1863, at the age of fifty-eight years.
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John and Benjamin Pittenger were natives of Frederick coun- ty, Maryland, but removed to Ohio, and to Seneca county in 1829. They entered the dry goods business in Tiffin under the firm name of J. & B. Pittenger. In 1832 the two brothers started a tannery on Perry street, which they conducted until 1839, when they sold it to Fleming & Shock. Benjamin Pittenger was one of the first associate judges of Seneca county, holding that position two terms -fourteen years, and was thereafter known as "Judge Pittenger." He was one of the early leaders of the Whig party in Seneca coun- ty. He later moved to his farm on the Melmore road.
Christian Mueller and Valentine Schmidt were brewers and & coopers by trade. They came to Tiffin in 1847 from Bavaria. They produced lager beer in 1848, which is thought to have been the first in Ohio. In 1854 they erected a new brewery on River street. and conducted the business together until 1860, when Mr. Mueller bought Schmidt's interest and turned the brewery into a malt house.
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