History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 95

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

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538

HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY.

Board of Education show the present school facilities of the township. They are as follows :

Balance on hand September 1, 1879. . $2,455 95

State tax .. 153 00

Irreducible fund. 169 70

Local tax for school and schoolhouse pur-

poses. 1.783 43

Total. $5.162 08

Amount paid teachers $1,887 75

Sites and buildings. .. 923 56

Fuel and other contingent ex-

penses. 229 26

Total expenditures. $3,040 57

Balance on hand September 1. 1880. .. $3, 121 51 Number of school districts in township. 9 Number of schoolhouses in township. 9

Total value of school property. .$6,000

Average wages paid teachers per month- males. .

Average wages paid teachers per month- females. .

Number of pupils enrolled-males 259

Number of pupils enrolled-females 209

Total.

Daily average attendance-males. 165

Daily average attendance-females, 136

Total. 301

The war record of Pike Township deserves special mention. Although a full chapter in this work is devoted to the war history of the county at large, it is but justice that some ref- erence should be made in this chapter to the patriotism of Pike. It is one of the few town- ships, not only in the county, but in the State, that filled every quota without a draft, and kept ahead of every call for troops. Among those of Pike's loyal sons who laid down their lives in defense of their country, are B. F. Steiner, Captain Company D, One Hundred and Seventh Infantry ; Jeremiah Holm, Orderly Sergeant Company G, same regiment ; William Hickman, Sergeant Company D, same regiment; George Rudy and William Holm, at Chancellorsville ; David Metzker, Seventy-sixth Infantry, at Pilot Knob, Mo. ; J. W. Smith, same regiment, died at home ; Leonard Schroyer, of the Fourth, and Jacob Crawford, of the Twenty-Sixth Bat- tery ; Jacob Au, Moses Darr, David Yant, Ilenry Clarke, Michael Keeper and Aurora Keel-fifteen men in all.

" The muffled drum's sad roll has beat. The soldier's last tattoo ;

No more on life's parade shall meet, The brave and fallen few.

On fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread : And glory guards with solemn round The bivouac of the dead."

The village of Sparta was laid out by Amos Janney, and the plat recorded in the Recorder's office, "third month, twenty-second, 1815," as he put it, in the quaint phraseology of the Friends, to which sect he belonged. He called it Sparta, after the rival of Athens, in the his- tory of ancient Greece, believing that a great name would cause it to flourish, and become as great, perhaps, as its ancient namesake. In the original plat there were but four streets-two each way-crossing at right angles, and desig- nated by the names Buffalo, Elk, Wolf, Bear. A post office was established in 1854. and called Pierce, in honor of Gen. Franklin Pierce, then President of the United States ; John Croft was 15 appointed the first Postmaster. Abraham Cozier opened the first store in Sparta, about the year 1820, but did not continue in the business very 469 ' long. Ilis establishment was a rather small one, and a larger one was opened through the instru- mentality of James Hazlett, of Canton, who owned some property in the place, when Cozier closed ont his store.

About the year 1819, a man named Luther Drury came from Canada, accompanied by his wife, two children and a niece. He erected a " bloomery " and forge for the purpose of making wrought iron from the native ore ob- tained in the vicinity. The experiment did not prove satisfactory, and, in 1823, Mr. Drury sold the establishment to James Ilazlett, of Canton. The bloomery was discontinued, and, under charge of John Laird, the forge made a better quality of iron. Mr. Hazlett sokl the forge to Mr. Janney in 1826, and in 1840 bought it back again, together with Mr. Jan- ney's mill and farm. The forge was soon after discontinued, and the first mill built by Janney had been burnt and a better one built, which is still standing and in operation. The follow- ing extract is from the county papers : " Mrs. Drury was an accomplished lady, of great per- sonal attractions, and did not associate with the plain rustic society of the place. Her su- perior attractions were no safeguard to virtue, but, as is often the case, rather an incentive to viee. A tailor by the name of Robert Lytle made the Drury family a place of frequent re- sort in carrying on his business, and, after a

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more mature acquaintance, the tailor married the niece of Mr. Drury. But, not content with his success, he proceeded to invade the sanetity of Mr. Drury's domicile, succeeding in stealing the affections of the accomplished wife. After a full proof of her infidelity, Mr. Drury ad- ministered a severe castigation to the enemy of his peace, and would have inflicted summary punishment had he not left instantly, and thus escaped his vengeance. Mrs. Lytle, who was much esteemed by Mr. Drury, followed her hus- band. This was in the month of March. in a very inclement state of the weather, with show and slush on the ground, for which the lady was poorly provided, having nothing but a thin pair of slippers to protect her feet. Mr. Drury's sympathies for his niece were deeply moved. Hle tried to follow the fugitive pair through the forests, but his search was fruitless. He could tind no trace of the course taken by them. Years passed, and nothing was heard of the guilty man. until the outbreak of the oil excite- !

ment in Pennsylvania, when a citizen of Stark County came across an old man, in the oil regions, up the Allegheny River, who inquired of some of the old citizens on the Nimishillen, and gave his name as Robert Lytle. His wife was dead. Mr. Drury took his wife and two children to Canada, then returned, sold his property at Sparta, and left the neighborhood forever.'

There are two churches at Sparta. The Disciples' Church was organized about 18-10, and is a strong and healthy society. They have quite a comfortable building, and main- tain a flourishing church and Sunday school. The Methodists have a good church building in the village, and, as a society, are in a prosper- ous condition, with a fair membership and a good Sunday school. Sparta has never attained very large proportions, either in business or in population. A store or two, a few shops, a post office, the churches mentioned, and a small collection of houses, form at present the sum total of its earthly glory.

CHAPTER XXVII .*

JACKSON TOWNSHIP -DESCRIPTIVE-SETTLEMENT BY THE WHITES-INCIDENTS OF PERSONAL NATURE-DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL INDUSTRIES-GROWTH OF VILLAGES -PROGRESS OF EDUCATION AND RELIGION.

"O, the pleasant days of old, which so often people praise!

True. they wanted all the luxuries that grace our modern days;

Bare floor- were strewed with rushes, the walls let in the cold: O, how they must have shivered in those pleasant days of old." - Frances Brown.

THERE is something mournfully sad in contemplating the destruction of old buildings or other objects, which are green in the memory with fond associations. The heart goes out in sorrow when they are gone, as if some beloved friend had been laid at rest in the grassy grave. That old house was our home in childhood, and memory paints the seeme again as it was of yore. We see our mother's kind face, and run to her again to be comforted. We listen to her words, and our childish elonds are dispersed by the sun-

light of her loving smile. We hear our father's voice in patient and repeated admo- nition, and can now realize a parent's earnest solicitation for the welfare of his child. Here are our dear brother and darling sister again, and the childish plays are renewed in the old house that is now in ruin. It is sweet though sad to recall the scene -- sweet, because we see the precious faces of dear ones; sad, because the picture is unreal, and will pass away like the mists of morning. Let us dream on, for our happiness is the fairy offer- ing of imagination- a gossamer veil that lifts anon to let in the sullen tide of sorrow and adversity. Let us build our castles on the highest pinnacle of dreamland, and build them often.

The old landmarks are passing away with those who placed them, and must be noted be- fore they are gone. A few objects, here and

* Contributed by W A Go xl-peed.

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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY.

there along the pathway of life, are preserved and cherished: but the greater number are allowed to perish, to the sorrow of loving 1 descendants. Few people there are who see beyond the narrow circle of their own age, or who, seeing, care for the joy of those who fol- low them. Items of private interest and often of great public utility, are neglected and permitted to disappear. It thus occurs that to the misfortune of the reader. the his- torian has an easy task in gathering the few items which fate has assigned him to record. There are many important facts connected with Jackson Township in early years, which have passed beyond the hope of recovery. A few are remembered. and these will be men- tioned. When the county was organized in 1809, Plain Township was one of the first five created. Jackson was a part of Plain, and remained thus until April, 1811, when it became a part of Green Township. In March. 1815, Jackson and Lawrence Townships were separated from all others under the former name, and remained thus until Lawrence received a separate creation and organization. 1 Jackson is a good township, having an excel- lent soil. It is drained by streams which flow west into the Tuscarawas, and by those which flow east into the West Branch of Nimishillen Creek. The first officers of the 1

township were elected at the house of Jacob Click, on the first Monday in April, 1815; but who they were is a mystery not yet solved.

The following is a list of the land-holders of Jackson Township in 1827: John Arnold, Daniel Brougher. Isaac Boughman, James Black. J. H. Brinton. John Beatty, Jacob Brougher. Richard Breed. Elias Benner, Sam- nel Bachtel. Andrew Bachtel, Jacob Bachtel, Christian Bahner, Jacob Balmer, Jacob Bower, Jacob Click, Jacob Chubb, Samuel Click, Ma- thias Clapper, Aaron Chapman, Isaac Clay. John Cable, Henry Dissler, William Dickin- son, Charles Dinger. David England. George Everhart. Jacob Ettleman, John Fawney, James Gregg, Jacob German, Henry Huffman, William Humbert, James Huston, Abraham Hubler, Jacob Hough, Isaac Hammel, James Jackson, Philip Keller, Henry Keller. Isaac Krytrer, Nicholas Kandel, Jacob Lichtenwal- ter, Solomon Lichtenwalter, Samuel Luter.

John Luter, Mr. Loomis, Freeman Leering, Jacob Livingston. Jacob Mishler, Jacob Mil- ler, Matthew Macy, George Miller, Thomas Marshal, Peter Miller, Peter Moriter, Thomas Nowlin, Jacob Paulus, George Row, Daniel Richmond, Thomas Botch, Thomas Reed, John Shutt, Samuel Spangler, James Speak- man. Daniel Slanker, Nathaniel Skinner, Henry Shoemaker, John Sprankle. Michael Sprankle, Adam Shriver, George Shutt, Sam- nel Spitler. Joseph Saul, Simon Spitler, David Secrist, Jacob Swigart, Simon Stall, Charles K. Skinner, Christian Tresch, Will- iam Tresch, Samuel Tripp, Peter Tresch, David Tresch, Henry Tresch, Henry Troup, Martin Winger, Arvine Wales, Richard Will- iams, Bezaleel Wells. John Wintrode, John Writeham and Frederick Young. This list does not embrace many of those who first settled in the township. Many of those who were most prominent in the organization of the township. and who did a great deal to allure immigration within its limits, left the township before 1820. Indeed, in Jackson, as in all other townships in early days, the first settlers. or rather " squatters," were rov- ing or wandering hunters, who often had large families dependent upon them for support. These men were often old "Indian slayers." who, nothing daunted by the presence of the red man, came into the wilderness with their families without misgivings. It is impossi- ble to describe how the families of some of these hunters subsisted. The husband and father was often absent on long hunting or trapping excursions for weeks at a time, leav- ing his family to shift for themselves. Often the wife and mother became an expert hunt- ress, by obedience to necessity. It is not known that Jackson harbored any of these families; but it is to be presumed that it did, as hundreds of them swept over Ohio in advance of the pioneer settlements, removing farther westward as the tide of colonization advanced. Although Jackson did not have a separate organization until many years after the county was organized, yet a few settlers located within its borders quite early.

The name of the first settler is not remem- bered. This is unfortunate, as it is always a pleasure to know who first visited the land

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where we reside. Plain Township, lying east of Jackson. contained some of the earliest settlers in the county, and very likely. from its proximity to Jackson, controlled immigra- tion into the latter to some extent. Settlers were in Plain as early as IS05. and beyond a doubt, within a year or two. some pioneer's cabin had intruded its way into the sanctuary of Jackson's forests. The following list com- prises almost all the first settlers in the town- ship, and the reader will be politely accorded the privilege of selecting the first settler from the following names: Jacob Ettleman, Nathaniel Skinner. J. C. Balmer. Henry Shoe- maker. Isaac Clay. Isaac Bowman, Richard Williams. Daniel Richmond. George Miller. John Lutz. Samuel Lutz. Henry Friday. Simon Stall. Isaac Hammel. James F. Leon- ard. Michael Sprankle. Jacob Click. John Ganser. Daniel Slanker. Nicholas Kandel. Mr. Capes. a Revolutionary soldier who died at the age of 103 years. Samuel Kandel. Jacob Swigert. Elias Benner. John Fannoy. Mr. Stansberry. Daniel Paulus. Mr. Gleason. Mr. Scott. John Sprankle. William Hill. James Huston. James Black. Sanmel Click. William Backster. John Arnold, John Beatty and oth- ers. Many of these settlers when they arrived in the township had no money. no property. and but few implements of labor. But this did not stagger their resolution. apparently. in the least. as they cheerfully went to work to level the forests. to let in the sunshine and beat. and to introduce to the virgin soil the prodnets of civilized man. The process of clearing land of its timber is not a child's undertaking. After the trees have been out down and removed. the long process has but barely been initiated. There are the stumps and stones to be removed. and time alone can accomplish this task. It is extremely tire- some and vexing to be obliged to skip around a field full of stumps in plowing and cultivat- ing. It is not soothing to the temper. if a person is in ill humor. It is an ample source for outbursts of volcanic wrath. which savor of brimstone. Add a little whisky to this and you have broken the poor camel's back. Why. it was abont all a man was able to do to cul- tivate eight or ten acres, and when he had a family of some fifteen children. each one of

whose consuming powers represented about three acres of productions, you have the dilemma under which many an early settler labored. The only way to provide for this swarm of robust children, was (to use a figur- ativo illustration), to turn them out in the woods like cattle. Those who could obtain a living on their own account did so and lived, the others died. But few deaths oeenrred. and these were mostly caused by accident. Pioneer children seemed to thrive best on a scarcity of food and clothes, and on their capability of resisting privations and disease. They asked for only sufficient clothing to ren- der them decent that was the object. to be decent. not to be comfortable. Their comfort consisted in simpicity, in Dr. Tanner fasts, and in hardihood. They were taught to look upon anything else as effeminate and foolish. This is why so many of the old settlers cling to the more difficult means of accomplishing the duties of life. They were taught thus. and having been guided during their walk in life by the precepts of privation learned in infancy. they refuse, when on the verge of the grave, to alter their mode of life by acquir- ing new knowledge to be applied in place of the time-tried and time-honored old.

Settlers, upon their arrival in the township. usually had a small amount of money, which had been carefully hoarded by the family when it was decided to seek a home in the wilderness. After the log cabin had been erected by the assistance of neighbors, and the family had entered upon their new life. the money began to flow like water from their pockets for this thing and that actual neces- sities until within a year or two nothing remained. Then began the more serious trials: for. dear reader. when you part with your money you part with your most steadfast friend, one that alone stands by you in adver- sity. and one whose companionship is a solace and a supreme satisfaction. If an entire neighborhood was settled within four or five years. during that period what money had been taken there had flowed away. no one know whither. It was gone. and in its place had arisen a system of barter and exchange, that, in a measure, supplied a representative of valne. Money is not a value; it represents

HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY.

542

value, and facilitates exchange by adjusting balances, where values cannot be divided. Money serves to measure value, just as bush- els serve to measure grain or provisions. But the settlers had no money, and they were forced to adopt some measure to expedite and effect commercial transactions, Some article in the neighborhood with an almost permanent value was taken as a standard, by which values were quoted. For instance, a deer skin was worth $1.50. That is, it passed for that value during a series of years at the early settlement of the neighborhood. It thus came to pass that grain or provisions were quoted as worth so many deer skins. Other standards of values were adopted. So many pounds of sugar were worth so many dozen eggs. So many yards of calico or lin- sey-woolsey were worth so many pounds of butter or bushels of potatoes. This condition of things was the outgrowth of a lack of money in the transactions of commerce. It thus was brought about that there were two measures of values-a "cash price " and "trade price." the latter being higher than the former. Calico was worth, say thirty cents per yard in cash, or thirty-five cents per vard in trade. Some few settlers, who hap- pened to have considerable money at their command, took advantage of this condition of the market to make large purchases at a low cash price, and to sell at a high trade price. Perhaps, reader, the fortune you are now en- joying, the fine farm you now own, was ac- quired thus by your father, when the country was yet a wilderness. Settlers soon saw that the lands were rapidly rising in value, and those who made the money, or who had it, in- vested it immediately in large tracts of vahi- able land, which, within fifteen or twenty years, quadrupled in value. Slowly and gradually these hardships for the mass of pioneers were overcome, and money found its way into the frontier settlements. People prosper as commerce prospers. Anything that checks the movements of commercial transactions, seriously infringes upon social prosperity. Our wants are supplied by pur- - chase, or by trade, if money be lacking. Anything that obstructs the satisfaction of our wants, violates the laws which render us

happy. Money is the oil which prevents the wheels of commerce from stopping. Trade is a poor substitute, which largely lacks that lubricating quality, which renders smooth and easy the movements of commerce. And yet, even this poor substitute is better than no oil at all. It effects the desired purpose in a bungling manner. If values be permanent, and the system of striking balances be thor- oughly understood, trade is often more expe- ditious than purchase and sale. This is illustrated in the clearing houses in all the large cities. But, even in these cases, money is required and used in adjusting final bal- ances. It is better to have a nnion of the two, and this was finally secured after money began to flow into the settlements. Long practice had rendered almost perfect the pio- neer system of exchanges; and, when money was brought forward, commercial transactions became so prosperous, that the West made gigantic strides in financial prosperity be- tween 1815 and 1835. This was precisely the condition of things in Jackson Township. Improvements went on slowly at first; but, as soon as values could be controlled, the pros- perity and consequent happiness of the set- tlers were assured. Then were laid the foun- dations of many of the present handsome pri- vate fortunes: and then were the rude wil- derness homes transformed into those of opu- lence and civilizing refinement.

Old settlers do not like to lose altogether the recollection of early years. Then, hun- dreds of deer could be seen in the forests at almost any hour. Sometimes the settler, upon rising in the morning, would see a small herd grazing upon his wheat field. A shot from the door or window would bring down the fattest, and send the others, pell-mell, into the forest. It is stated by old settlers that deer were less afraid of women than of men, and would often approach quite near the for- mer, especially if gaudily colored dresses were worn. This fact was sometimes used as an artifice to secure deer after they had become somewhat scarce. Many of the early settlers were skillful hunters and trappers, devoting much of their time, especially during the winter months, in securing flesh and furs for market. During the hunting season, they

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sometimes made as high as $500. It is related that, on one occasion, one of the Lutzes, who had been hunting in the woods. had shot a deer, which had fallen upon the ground. Mr. Lutz went forward to cut its throat; but, just as he leaned over the pros- trate animal, it leaped to its feet like a flash, knocking the settler to the ground like a bat- tering ram, and bounding off at full speed through the forest. It had only been stunned by the shot. As soon as the hunter could col- leet his scattered senses, he looked around to find his deer; but it had disappeared, nor was it afterward to be found. It is stated that one of the Harters, of Plain Township. went hunting deer in Jackson at a very early late. When night came, he had killed eight of these animals, besides a variety of small game. He caught sight of a bear, and fol- lowed it several hours, but was finally obliged to give up the chase. Many other incidents of a similar nature are related. When the first settlers came into the township, bears were quite numerous, and a few anecdotes regarding them are related. Mr. Friday, who had settled very early in Plain Township, but who, about the year 1810, had moved to a rude log cabin he had erected in Jackson Township, was one day, just at dark, hunting in the woods in the southern part of the town- ship, when, as he was walking along a high ridge toward home, he saw two bears in the ravine below him. The animals were sham- bling along together, and had not perceived the hunter. Mr. Friday was but an indiffer- ent hunter at best, and hesitated a moment before he decided to risk a shot at the bears, which were within about twenty rods of him. But he had plenty of resolution and courage, and, taking a rest in the fork of a small tree, he shot one of the bears through the head. Fearing that he might be attacked by its mate, he ran in the opposite direction with all his might for a short distance, without looking to ascertain the result of his shot. At length he stopped to load his gun and listen. No unns- ual sound was borne to his ears, and gather- ing courage from that fact, he started back to see what had become of the bears. He approached the spot whence he had fired, and, looking cautiously down, saw one of the bears

lying upon the ground apparently dead, but its mate was not to be seen. Mr. Friday walked down, and saw that the bear was indeed dead. This was much more than he had expected, as his rifle was none of the best, and he was a poor shot to boot. The other bear had secured its safety by flight, and Mr. Friday was satisfied to let it go. It is stated that at one time a party of hunters with their dogs, from Plain Township, pur- sned a bear into Jackson, and having wounded it, fought it with dogs and elubs for a long while, and at last finished the sport by shoot- ing it through the head. The dogs at first were very bold, under the encouraging words of their masters; but, after they had been knocked a rod a few times, no coaxing or commanding could induce them to approach within reach of the bear. One of the dogs was so badly injured that it was afterward shot, to the great regret of the owner. It is with dogs as it is with men, the bravest are the ones that suffer. The wolves were very troublesome in early years, killing sheep, calves, swine, etc., without leave or license. Owing to these midnight maranders, it was almost impossible to keep sheep. If sheep were neglected for one night, and this occurred with every settler who tried to keep them, a flock of wolves was sure to kill half of them before morning. When the settler went out to feed them the next morning, and saw the animals, over which he had spent so much time, lying dead upon the ground with their throats cut. maledictions of the bitterest sort came by the dozen from his lips. Aside from the liability of being killed by wild animals, still it was difficult to keep sheep, owing to noxious and poisonous herbs growing in the woods, upon which the sheep fed. Some- times half the flock were carried off at once in this manner. Swing ran wild in large numbers in the woods, feeding upon the "mast" which at all seasons of the year could be found in abundance. They were often killed by bears.

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History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 95

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