History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 85

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1060

USA > Ohio > Stark County > History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio > Part 85

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In 1865 there came to Waynesburgh a mis- sionary of the Latter Day Saints, or Mormon Church. He made a few converts, and service was held at the house of Daniel Ganger, whose wife was one of the proselytes to the new faith; but they have passed out of existence.

The followers of Alexander Campbell have had a society here ever since that eloquent divine preached his ideas through this part o. Ohio. They have a comfortable church at Waynesburg.

The early preachers had a serious time with their temporal matters. A single instance will illustrate the whole. Joshua Beers' " subscrip- tion list for support " bears record of his pay hav- ing been given almost entirely in the produets of the farms. An ordinary liberal subscription for the head of a family was $4 to $5 per year, and this, if paid in produce, was to be delivered at Hardesty's mill at Troy, now Mal- vern but all these trials seemed only to fire the old man's soul to greater efforts in the cause of his chosen Master, and he died in great peace and full of years, near Hanover, Columbiana County, Ohio.

The first Methodist meeting was hekl at the house of either Morgan Van Meter or Fred Vanoster, the latter being the first class-leader. The first schoolhouse built in Sandy Town- ship was on the farm of W. H. Knotts. west of Magnolia, in 1809 or 1810. The first teacher here was William Lee : the next John Lough- lin. The site of the early temple of learning is still discoverable by a mound where the old chimney stood. The first quarterly meeting was held in James Allerton's new barn, and JJoshua Monroe was the Presiding Elder. The quarterly collection amounted to $1.061. The first Methodist preacher who came regularly to preach was Rev. Weekly, and his sermons are spoken of to- day by those who were converted through their The next schoolhouse was built on the farm now owned by J. J. Welker. It was 20x24 feet in size. of rough. round logs, the spaces between them filled with "chunks " of wood and "daubed" with mortar of yellow clay. One log was left out all around as a window, and the space filled with greased paper to keep out the cold and let in a little light. The school was a subscription school, and Al- influence. as savoring strongly of the fiery ter- rors of the law. The house of Fred Vaney was also an early preaching-place, and here, in 1837, the first regular society was organized. The first Methodist Church was built on land now known as the MeCall farm, within the inclosure of the present cemetery, near the residence of J. J. Walker. Esq. This church was known as Wesley Chapel. It was replaced in 1867 by a , pheus Brown was the first teacher. Ile

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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY.

charged $1.50 per quarter for each pupil, and had from forty to forty-five pupils most of the time. The first schoolhouse in what is now known as Elson's District was built in 1834, of hewed logs, at a total cost of $40. The stove to warm it cost $16 in Canton. The school at Magnolia has always been ac- counted a good one, and from the small begin- ning on the Knott's farm has grown to a re- spectable and nseful Union School, with two teachers and modern apparatus and appliances for teaching.

The Waynesburgh Union School is the out- growth of a small beginning made in 1816 by Alpheus Brown as teacher. The first school- house, a log one, stood on Lot No. 50 of the original plat of the town, not far from the site of Odd Fellows llall. The next house, a frame one, was built near Gibson's Spring, in the southwest corner of lands owned by William F. Boory. The people took only an ordinary interest in educational matters until Mr. S. L. Adams, a genuine Yankee schoolnaster, came and took charge of the school. At his hands the cause of education received an impetus that has been felt ever since, and step by step advances have been made until the school is surpassed by but few of its size any place, and is conducted in a fine two-story brick house with four large rooms. Among those who have served as Principal of this school, in- cluding the teachers who served when only one was required, are the following, given as nearly as possible in the order in which they served :

Alphens Brown, John Alexander, Eliza MeEl- mee, Jolin Divine, - Pierce, Abram Bair, Mary 1. McCall, Charlotte Boegle, Henry Myers, William Freese, Mr. Ready, S. L. Adams, William Unger, James II. Creighton, 1. W. Heldenbrand, Miss Bontrager, Mr.

Carpenter, Mr. Hill, William H. Ray, George W. Yohe, 1. 6. Naragon and Prof. R. C. Faw- cett.

There was an early schoolhouse built on Boyd's farm in the then town of Hamburg in 1818. John Hancock, a Yankee, was the teacher and James and Jolm Hewitt, of Waynesburgh, were pupils. The price was $1.50 per quarter, cash, or ten bushels of wheat, which was worth then only 25 cents per bushel in Canton.

In closing this chapter, the writer has no apology to offer for anything therein which may. in the light of better evidenee than he has been able to command, he found inac- curate. The shadows of almost eighty years rest upon the early history of the township with hardly a written hne to aid in lifting their gloom. What has been previously printed, else- where, is found by careful investigation, to be grossly inaccurate ; this has been corrected so far as possible in this chapter. It is desired to thus publicly acknowledge the valuable assist- ance of Hon. John G. Croxton, of Canal Dover ; Hon. John Beatty, of Carrollton ; Mr. John Shaeffer, William Hewitt and others, of Waynes- burg. Scripta verba manent has been the ac- cepted motto throughout the task.

OSNABURG TOWNSHIP.

453

CHAPTER XXI .*

OSNABURG TOWNSHIP -TOPOGRAPHICAL FEATURES-AN INCIDENT- EARLY SETTLEMENT-HABD TIMES AND ROUGH SCENES -ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES VILLAGES, ETC.

THIS township is one of the hilliest sections of Stark County. there being but very little land within its limits that may be termed perfectly level. Notwithstanding its rolling surface, however, the careful hands and method- ical work of the Pennsylvania Dutch have re- duced it to a fine state of cultivation. Indeed. through their wise husbandry. it may be said, figuratively. that

"Its rocks, and hills, and brooks, and vales, With milk and honey flow."

The character of the land renders it a fine grazing township, though considerable corn and wheat are cultivated, and also some small grain, but stock and grazing is the main busi- ness of the farmer. The land is thoroughly drained by the Little Sandy and Indian Run. and their numerous tributaries, which, though mostly small, traverse the township in all di- rections, and afford ample drainage. Coal is found in many places, and that of a very good article. It is rapidly becoming an important branch of business, and one that is being largely developed, through the means of the Conotton Valley Railway. recently opened for traffic. The township also affords some very fine stone quarries, which supply quantities of good building stone. The timber consists mostly of oak, hickory. maple, beech, with some black walnut and poplar. Osnaburg is bounded on the north by Nimishillen Township, on the east by Paris, on the south by Sandy Township and Carroll County, and on the west by Canton Township.

Long ere the Pale-face dreamed of the fertile lands lying away to the west. these slopes and bluff's, and ravines, and groves of timber, were the hunting grounds of the lordly savage, and the natural birthright of his kindred. Here he roamed as undisputed master, and for years and decades, aye. for centuries, indeed, his war-whoop was the only music that broke upon

the quietude of the forest. save the song of the wild birds, and the sighing of the winds among the trees. But the rays of civilization flashed over the land, and in their effulgence, the council-fires of the Indians went out forever in this section of the country. Slowly the red man was pressed on toward the Far West, there to read his own doom in the setting sun. . 1 sad story is told in Osnaburg Township of an old warrior, who, after the remnant of his tribe had departed for their new home beyond the great " Father of Waters." loth to leave the home of his fathers, remained behind. For hours he would sit in some lonely place, like " Patience on a monument smiling at grief." perchance. dreaming of brighter hopes of former days, when over those hills and valleys he pursued the bounding deer, or howled be- hind his flying prey. One day, when sitting on a log in the forest, quietly smoking his pipe, wholly unconscious of danger, a pale-face foe - ever the red man's oppressor- - stole near unto him, and, without a note of warning. shot him dead, and that. too, for no other cause than that he was an Indian. The poor savage was buried in the midst of the present village of Osnaburg, and the spot where he sleeps is still pointed out to the stranger, by old residents of the place. Thus the red man's title to Osna- burg Township became extinet.

The first settlement in Osnaburg Township was made in the spring of 1806 just three- quarters of a century ago. The pioneers were Jacob Kitt and John Sluss, natives of Penn- sylvania. Their first visit to this section is thus told by a local correspondent of the Can- ton Ih moerat : "On a beautiful morning in the fall of 1805. five horsemen might have been seen emerging from New Lisbon, then a frontier settlement of less than a dozen log cabins, and wending their way westward (the horsemen. not the log cabins). They were a party made up to select land for future homes.

*Contribute'l by W Il. Perrin.

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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY.

Of the number were Jacob Kitt, John Stuss, John Thomas, another whose name has been forgotten, and a surveyor engaged to accompany them as guide, and who had field-notes and knew what quarter-sections were yet open to entry. The land office was then in Steuben- ville, called at that time Sterben for short, with an accent on the last syllable. As there was no settlement between New Lisbon and the Tuscarawas River, the extent of the land oflice district, it was necessary for the explorers to provide themselves with rations-bread and cold meat-in sufficient quantity to last several days, which could easily be packed in their saddle-bags, and a blanket strapped to the sad- (les constituted the outfit. The horses could obtain subsistence by feeding upon grass and the wild pea vine, a succulent growth with which the woods then abounded. The party moved along in single file, following the section line as indicated by blaze-marks on the trees, until they reached Range 7, when they turned south. Pursuing a southwesterly course they came to a spring. Here they all dismounted to take a drink (of water) and allow their horses to graze. While resting and viewing the surroundings, Kitt was the first to say, ' I'll take this quarter.' This was the south- east quarter of Section 18, the same now owned by David Bowman. At that day, for obvious reasons, land that had on it a good spring of water was preferred. At the time Mr. Kitt announced his decision to take the piece, the rest of the company, with the exception of oue, agreed by an audible assent that he should have it, and a memorandum was made accord- ingly. The member of the company who in- terposed no objection, but was silent, was the same whose name could not be procured. Con- tinuing their explorations, the next piree they found that had a spring, was the southwest quarter of Section 17, the same now owned by J. Cellars, and this was first claimed by John Sluss. Again the balance of the company said 'agreed,' except the one who was before silent. This strange conduct on his part excited the suspicion of Kitt. Ruminating over the mat- ter during the night, he was satisfied the stranger intended to enter the same quarter, and to frustrate him, Mr. Kitt concluded to make an exeuse in the morning and return home, which he did with all haste. Providing himself with the necessary funds to make the

first payment, he proceeded to the land oflice in Steubenville, seeured the land. and as he was about leaving town, whom should he meet but the very man whose ominous silence had so disturbed him. His suspicions were true, as the man acknowlenged that he was after the same tract Mr. Kitt had just entered.

" Mr. Sluss, on his return, secured the place be had selected. Both he and Kitt were married, and were living upon land in the neighborhood of New Lisbon. They remained there during the winter of 1806, and came out together early in the following spring. Each had two horses, Mr. Kitt a wagon ; so they joined teams, and in the wagon both couple packed all their worklly goods. Their route was by the . Thom- as road,' then being laid out-the same that passes through Freeburg and Louisville, the first legal highway in the county. They came to the improvement of Philip Slusser, who was then building a grist and saw mill on the Nim- ishillen, the same site now known as Roland's. With the help obtained here, and the assistance of James F. Leonard, a surveyor, who had a camp on the west side of the creek, the two emigrants cut a way to their new homes in Osnaburg Township." This was the actual be- ginning of the settlement in this township. Nearly three generations have passed away since Mr. Kitt erected his pole cabin on the southeast quarter of Section 18. He brought with him to his new possessions a hired man, and with his help logs were soon eut, or poles, rather, for help enough to handle large logs was not to be had, and a cabin was erected of sufficient magnitude to shelter the family from the inclemencies of the weather, and protect them against wild beasts. This primitive cabin was built without any iron, not even a nail was used. It was covered with clapboards or " shakes," which were held to their places by "weight-poles." and the door was hung with wooden hinges and the boards fastened to the rough battens with wooden pins. A chimney, built of " cat and clay," in connection with a fire-place, occupied one end of the cabin, and an opening filled with greased paper served as a window. Mother Earth formed the floor, and a rude frame in one corner constructed with a side and foot board. and a bed-tick filled with leaves and grass, was, by honest toil, rendered " Soft as downy pillows are."

This was the rude style in which the pioneers

W hoodia

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OSNABURG TOWNSHIP.

of Osnaburg began life, and is not in the least exaggerated. There are those still living, who, though children then, remember much of the hardships of the pioneer days. Cooking utensils were scarce ; the modern cook-stove was un- known, and tableware was of the commonest kind. Mrs. Kitt, for a time. it is said. kneaded her dough in a bucket, and afterward in a sugar-trough. The following, related of Kitt, I is an apt illustration of life in the early days of the country : "A few weeks after he had settled in Osnaburg, he was in the woods one morning. when he heard some one chopping with au ax -a quite unusual sound at that day. Suspecting there were Indians in the vicinity. as he had no knowledge of a white settler so near him, he determined to investigate the phenomenon. So he returned to his cabin, pro- cured his rifle and started in the direction of the sound. Ile advanced cautiously, always keeping a large tree in range between himsell and the locality where the chopping was going on. Approaching nearer, he detected that it was not the work of Indians, and emboldened by the discovery, he advanced upon the chop- pers, when he found them to be the Latimers, -three brothers, who, with their hired men, had moved in, and were clearing. in Section 13. Canton Township, about one mile from his (Kitt's) own cabin. This was a welcome dis- covery, and Mr. and Mrs. Kitt were delighted to find that they had white neighbors so near to them." Some five years after Kitt's settle- ment in Osnaburg, his house was destroyed by fire, but his neighbors, who had increased in number, came to his assistance, and soon rebuilt his cabin, and thus repaired his loss.

When Kitt and Sluss moved into Osnaburg Township they brought some stock with them, besides the horses that drew their wagon, among which were a cow, and a hog of the fe- male species. Soon after their arrival, the cow brought forth a calf, and the sow a litter of eight pigs. This welcome addition to their " families." notwithstanding it was a matter of considerable rejoicing, but increased the troub- les and perplexities of the owners. The wolves. which were exceedingly plenty and very troub- lesome, were attracted to the vicinity of the cabins by the smell of cooking meats, and in order to save their young calf and pigs, they found it necessary to take them into the cabins during the night. Mr. Kitt lived many years a

respected citizen of Osnaburg, and finally re- moved to Huntington County, Indiana, where he was still living a year ago, at the advanced age of 101 years. in good health. A daughter -Mrs. Joseph Doll, of the village of Osnaburg, now nearing her fourscore years, is still living, and in good health for one of her years. Her mother, Mrs. JJacob Kitt, was the first pale- face woman to tread the soil of Osnaburg. and Mrs. John Sluss the next. They accompanied their husbands to the township in 1806, and bore their part in all the privations of making a home in the wilderness. Referring to old age in Osnaburg Township, a correspondent gives the following to the Canton Repository in March, 1880 : "There are three families very near each other in the village of Osnaburg, and in the three families can be found three of the oldest couples living in the county to-day. First, there is Jacob Marcker, aged 86, and his wife, aged 87; this couple has lived together as man and wife for 63 years. Next comes Jo- seph Doll, aged 78, and his wife, aged 75; they have been married for 55 years. The third couple is Anthony Rabenstein, aged 75, and his wife, aged 71 years; they have lived to- gether for 53 years. And these remarkably old people are enjoying good health, and to all appearances will enjoy life for many years to come."

Mr. Sluss, who came to Osnaburg with Kitt, was a man who was held in high esteem among his neighbors, and somewhat above the average in education and intelligence. He was elected Justice of the Peace at an early day, an office which he held for many successive terms, as well as that of County Commissioner. Ile raised a family of children, all of whom became highly respected men and women. His sons are all dead ; his daughters married and moved West. Mr. SIuss and his wife both lived to a good old age. When she died, he ordered a coffin for himself at the same time he did hers, remarking to the undertaker, that he should soon need it. He ordered the two, and paid the price $6 apiece -- the price, at that day. for the best wal- nut coffin made. lle died in a few years after- ward, lamented by a large circle of friends.

Other pioneers of Osnaburg Township, in ad- dition to Kitt and Sluss, and who came in prior to the war of 1812, were Frank Ake, Douglas Wilson, Peter Moretz, Michael Engle, James Leeper, William Nailor, John Studebecker, Ja-

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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY.

cob Troxell, David Edwards, James Price. Jacob Bowers, Peter MeCabe, the Bairs, Alex Cam- eron, Henry and Adam Shull, George Poe, B. Augustine, John and George McEnterfer. the Latimers, Daniel Graybill, Henry Bowman, John Crisswell, the Shearers-four brothers- Jacob. John, Adam and Henry, Daniel and John Lichtenwalter, the Floreys and the Camps, Samuel White, Casper Gephart, and others, whose names have passed from the recollection of the few older inhabitants now living. Most, if not all of these, came from Pennsylvania, and were thrifty, hard-working tillers of the soil. The neat and well-kept farms of the township. the comfortable, and even elegant residences, and the spacious barns, plainly denote their energy and industry. Alex. Cameron, who was of Scotch origin, settled near the present village of Mapleton in 1807. and Augustine and Poe settled on farms adjoining. Douglas Wilson and Frank Ake settled on Section 32 in 1811, and opened up farms. Studebeeker was a Dunkard preacher, and brought to his new home his earthly all packed on a horse and a cow. The Floreys and the Camps enjoyed quite a reputation as fighters, and the state of society and of morals, at that early period, afforded them ample opportunities of gratifying their tastes in that direction. Casper Gephart is said to have been a llessian soklier who was cap- tured at the battle of Trenton, and decided to throw off the yoke of his former master and be- I come an American citizen.

The Bairs figured prominently among the early settlers of the township. They were men of considerable intelligence, and became, by i natural right as it were, local leaders in the ať- fairs of the time. There were Abraham, Sto- phel and Rudolph Bair; the latter, who was commonly called "Rudy," was a member of the convention that formed the first State Constitu- tion, and afterward represented Columbiana County-then including Stark-in the Legisla- ture. Rudy and Stophel were brothers, and both entered land in Osnaburg Township, but Rudy settled in what is now Paris Township, though at that time it was embraced in Osna- burg. He was an early Justice of the Peace, and it is said that the first law suit in what is ' now Stark County was tried before him. The particulars of this pioneer trial, as handed down through a long sweep of years, are thus detailed by a local writer : " Thomas and

Bosserman, two early settlers of the neighbor- hood, had traded horses, and as Thomas con- sidered himself cheated in the swap, he brought suit against Bosserman for damages. A man named Hockingsmith, of Pike Township, was Constable, and subpoenaed three witnesses. The parties and the witnesses were present on the day set for trial. When the parties met, Rudy brought out a jug of whisky and proposed a drink all around. At the elose of this prelimi- nary indulgence, he suggested that they settle the case without going to trial ; that each one make his statement, and he would give judg. ment. To this Thomas objected, but after con- siderable talk, and another horn. he agreed. Each told his story, and the Court, after dne deliberation. decided that Bosserman should pay Thomas $3 and the Constable's fees. where- upon all drank again and expressed themselves satisfied. The Squire was rejoiced at his sue cess in settling the case, as his docket, which he kept between the rafters of his cabin, had been carried away by the squirrels, and he had nothing in which to make the entry." This was an easy way of dispensing justice. and alto- gether different from that of the present day, when representatives of the law too often assist in stirring up bad blood, merely for the sake of litigation, instead of trying to nip little disputes in the bud, as Rudy did with his jng of whisky. A son of Stophel Bair. named Adam, had the reputation of being the stoutest man in the township. This championship was eontested by one Jacob Shirley, a native of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and an early settler in Osnaburg. The following incident is related of Shirley: "He was a large man, and of great muscular power. He was a Dunkard, and was once beset by a crowd of seven men, who slapped his face, when he turned the other cheek and was again struck. This, he said, was according to Scripture, and he would now de- fend himself. He accordingly turned upon the erowd and vanquished the seven, literally pil- ing them up on top of each other." These little exhibitions of manly strength were quite fre- quent in the early days of the country. and although considered highly degrading, in this enlightened age, as they truly are. yet it was deemed quite an honor, fifty or seventy-five years ago, to be known as the stoutest man and best fighter in the neighborhood. A story is told of a fight that occurred once at Osnaburg,

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at " muster," between Jacob Sherrick and Rich- ard Elson, in which they fought, and scratched, and gonged, and pounded each other almost beyond recognition, and in a manner that would scarcely be creditable at the present day, even among prize-fighters. But this mode of settling old grudges has given place to the more retined way of unceremoniously pulling out a little gun, and shooting off the top of an enemy's head.

Osnaburg is an old township, and was organ- ized before Stark County was created. It was part of Columbiana County, and its jurisdiction extended over all that part of Stark County now lying east of Canton Township, and to the present western boundary of Columbiana County. Indeed. it is said of Rudolph Bair, who was the first Justice of the Peace, and was commissioned in 1808. that his jurisdiction as such extended from the Ohio River to Lake Erie. The township was first surveyed in 1801. by John Bever, in sections of four miles square. and in 1806 it was subdivided, by James C. McFarland. Says a local writer upon the sub- ject : " As near as can be ascertained from co- temporaneous events, the township was organ- ized in 1806. The records of Columbiana County, however, of that date are lost or de- stroyed, and nothing has been discovered that would enlighten us, from any rescarches made among the archives of that county." At a meeting of the Commissioners. held in March. 1809, the township was named Osnaburg, but why it was so called, or from what source the name was obtained. we are not informed. The next Justice of the Peace, after Bair. was William Nailor, who was commissioned May 1. 1809. The next was Jacob Fulten. whose commission was dated a few days later. John Augustine and John Sluss succeeded them some years afterward. James Price was C'ol- lector of the township in 1809, and the amount of tax collected amounted to the enonnous sum of $19.50.

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History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 85

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1060

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1060