History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 114

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Ohio > Summit County > History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio > Part 114

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HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.

passage of time, though unnumbered events of vital importance to the human race have been left unrecorded ; yet " line upon line and pre- cept upon precept " of measureless value to man have been written for his perusal and im- provement. History is but an imperfect record of human experience, though, notwithstanding its defects, it is of almost infinite importance to the race, for the probable events of the future can be foreknown only by a knowledge of the past. Men and nations are wise only as they can look into the future and anticipate coming events which cast their shadows before, and this can be done only from analogy with what has taken place in the past. "The proper study of mankind is man," and history in its widest and grandest sense is such a study. This places the historian in the light of a pub- lic benefactor to succeeding generations ; but a prophet-one that can anticipate the future -labors on without the respect or honor of his own country and age. His name will become embalmed in song as the cycles of time sweeps by, will become colossal in the hearts of gen- erations yet unborn, a sublime monument to the departed genins of past ages.

It is not expected that the simple narrative of these pages will be prophecy, for the art of divination is yet in its swaddling clothes. It is difficult enough for ordinary capabilities to acquire a correct and comprehensive knowl- edge of what has taken place in past years, without borrowing trouble by attempting to peer with curiosity into some Pandora's box of the future. Fictions and hopes and idealisms are thrown down, and facts of all hues are taken up to be woven into the gandy fabric of local history. The historian, like the insur- ance agent or the undertaker, has a thankless task, but he takes comfort in knowing that coming generations will fully appreciate the result of his labors. It may appear to some that the historian has an easy time in rummag- ing through dusty memorials, or following some Jack-with-the-lantern tradition that con- stantly eludes him, but knowing as he does that the weight of the responsibility of record- ing the truth. giving to each item of history its appropriate and comparative degree of im- portance, leaving no path partially neglected or wholly unsearched, resisting the demands of the bigots who insist in having their names en- rolled high on the page of honor, rests upon

his shoulder like the sphere of Atlas, he puts forth his greatest powers to encompass the sit- uation and to hand to posterity an accurate and comprehensive record. Nothing but pa- tient, protracted labor brings the desired infor- mation. It thus occurs that, in looking over Franklin Township, much difficulty is experi- enced in accumulating its past history. Tra- ditions are vague and unsatisfactory, and an accurate knowledge of all the facts is out of the question. It often occurs that no two men who are questioned give a similar account of the same event, thus adding much to the per- plexity of the historian, or placing the subject beyond the possibility of a correct solution. A cheerful readiness to tell everything known, and to volunteer much information of events of doubtful occurrence. is met with everywhere. Men yet living, who were in the township at the time of its creation, cannot recall any of the incidents connected therewith. The names of many of the earliest settlers have passed beyond the powers of recollection, and the gloom surrounding many important circum- stances refuses to yield to the historian's re- peated and emphatic injunction, "Let there be light !" It is again necessary to call the at- tention of the reader to the fact that history at best is but a partial narration of events.

In 1854, Lucius V. Bierce wrote : "The portion of Franklin Township lying east of the Tuscarawas was surveyed in February, 1800, by Ebenezer Buckingham. The Tuscarawas was then the boundary between the United States and the Indians, which was the reason why the balance of the township was not sur- veyed at the same time. It will be recollected that the Indian title east of the Cuyahoga, the Tuscarawas and the portage path was extin- guished by the treaty of Fort McIntosh (Beaver) in 1785. Their title to the territory west of those rivers was not extinguished until the treaty of Fort Industry, in 1805. It is a singular feature of these treaties that the In- dians, in the first treaty, ceded the territory east of those rivers, and, in the last treaty, all west of those rivers, but have never ceded the rivers. the fee of which is still in the Indians. This township is No. 2 of Range 10 of the Ohio Land Company's purchase. In forming ranges, the United States began at the east line of the State, on the base of the Western Reserve, and every six miles west was a range,

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numbering from the east toward the west The townships on the east side counted from the Ohio River north to the base line of the Reserve. Thus the north township in the first range in Stark County on the base line of the Reserve is No. 19, Range 16, lying nine- teen townships, or 114 miles north of the Ohio River, and 6 townships or 36 miles west of the east line of the State. The townships contin- ued to be thus numbered until they reached the Ohio Land Company's purchase, when they count from the north line of that purchase. This regularity continues until Range 10 is reached, when the north township (Franklin) is numbered 2 from the following circumstances : In 1800, when the survey was made and the township and ranges numbered, there was but a fraction of Franklin lying east of the Tusca- rawas and within the Government limits-all west of the river belonging to the Indians. In running the west line of Range 10, the survey- ors struck the Tuscarawas in Lawrence Town- ship, next south of Franklin, and, as they could not cross the river to complete the required six miles east and west of those two townships, they named them Fractions 1 and 2 in Range 10. In 1807, two years after the land west of the Tuscarawas became the prop- erty of the Government, it was surveyed by Joseph H. Harwell, and enough was added to the fractional townships on the east to make two full townships each six miles square, but the numbers have never been changed ; so that what originally stood for the numbers of frac- tions now stands for the numbers of the town- ships." Franklin is thus No. 2 instead of No. 1, as it should be to conform with adjoining townships.

In early years the situation of the township was looked upon with favor by the settlers. An abundance of excellent water-power could easily be obtained on almost every stream, es- pecially at places where the smaller ones en- tered the Tuscarawas. The river, then a much larger stream than it is at present, afforded fine communication with the southern portion of the State. Several lakes were in the township, in which an abundance of excellent, though small, fish abounded. The soil, though lying flat and very wet, was rich with decaying vege- table remains, and gave promise of boundless fertility, when the stagnant water could be turned into some of the neighboring streams,

and the action of the sun could be unchecked by the removal of the forests. The township is a fraction over five miles north and south, and exceeds that distance by a little east and west, although not quite six miles. The sur- face like the greater portion of Ohio is irregular, though in some portions is comparatively level. There are thirty-six sections, No. 1 being in the northeast corner, and No. 36 in the southeast. The northern and western tiers of sections are fractional. The Tuscarawas River enters the township on Section 4, thence crossing Sections 9, 16, 20, 29, 32, and leaving from 31. Chip- pewa River joins the Tuscarawas on Section 31. Nimisilla Creek drains the greater portion of the southern part, and finally unites with the Tuscarawas in Stark County. The southeastern part is drained by several small streams which flow into the Tuscarawas. Polecat Run rises in the northwestern part, and flowing southward joins the river about a mile north of Clinton. Mud Lake, a small body of water of about fifty acres, lies in the eastern part of Section 32. Turkey Foot Lake, probably the largest body of water in the county, lies near the northeast- ern corner of the township. It is said to have been named for a noted Indian chief. Its out- line is very irregular. the lake consisting of several distinct bodies of water, joined by straits of different width. It probably covers about a section of land, and its extreme length is about two miles, while the greatest width will not exceed half a mile. An enlargement of the outlet of this lake, in the extreme northeast corner, is used as a reservoir, where large quan- tities of water are stored up during the rainy months, to be gradually used for milling and other purposes in dry portions of the year. The lake is quite deep, though the water is inclined to be "drumlie," as Robert Burns says of the streams about the Castle of Montgomery. However it is a fine lake, and its value will be slowly developed as time passes. There are several small lakes, or rather ponds, scattered over the township, though the number has greatly decreased since the township was first settled. Several have been drained, others have dried up, and a few yet remain to be subjected to the same fate. In traveling over the town- ship, the chief characteristic which meets the eye is the prevalance of depressed tracts of land, or more properly basins, that at an indefi- nite period in the past were undoubtedly small

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lakes. Some of these contain peat, and not a few of them contain a considerable quantity of bog iron ore. The township is rich in that valuable mineral deposit. coal. In 1838, there were three coal mines worked, but at that date a Prussian miner. named Michael Becker. came to the township and opened up several others, giving such impetus to coal mining that about fifteen years later the exports of coal ex- ceeded 60,000 tons annually. There are now twelve or fifteen mines, and the exports are not far from 100,000 tons per annum. Side tracks are laid by the railroad companies to many of the mines, thus favoring extensive and rapid work. The coal deposits are enormous and are practically inexhaustible.

In early years thousands of bushels of cran- berries grew annually in the numerous Franklin swamps. These cranberry fields were called marshes, and the berries were gathered by the Indians before the first settlers arrived, and taken to Pittsburgh and other towns in Pennsyl- vania and Virginia, where they were exchanged for ammunition, clothing, ornaments, etc. The berry is a member of the heath family, and is known to botanists as Orycoccus macrocarpus. The plant is a creeper, or trailer, with slender, hardy, woody stems and small evergreen leaves, more or less white underneath. with single flowers, borne on slender, erect pedicles, and having a pale, rose corolla. The stems are from one to three feet long, and the flowers are lateral, rendering easy the gathering of the berries. The plants require very wet ground, and are often found growing where the soil is covered with several inches of water. The conditions for the possible life of the plant have been removed almost wholly, and cran- berries no longer grow in paying quantities in the township or county. The berries, which get ripe in autumn, are red, with some yellow, and are very acid. The harvest begins in October, and is only closed by cold weather, or perhaps the quantity of berries fails. They are gathered during the spring months also, having remained out all winter. They are less acid when gathered in the spring, as the freezing converts portions of the starchy substance of the berries into sugar compounds, and in this condition the berries are valued more highly, as less sugar is required to fit them for the table. When the township was first settled the berries were almost worthless, as there was no

market for them in the west, and the lack of sugar required to sweeten them prevented their general use in the cabins of the settlers. The settlers were compelled to forego the use of such luxuries, being satisfied often with the bare necessities of life. However, after a few years they were worth 25 cents per bushel, and, in about 1830, had arisen to from 50 cents to $1 per bushel. The cranberry business then became very extensive. Thousands of bushels were purchased annually by the merchants at Clinton, Manchester, and other neighboring vil- lages, and taken by wagon to Pittsburgh, Phila- delphia and New York, the teamsters bringing back loads of dry goods, groceries, salt, notions, etc. Water-tight barrels were filled with the berries, after which the remaining space was filled with water, and the barrel closed. In this condition the berries kept fresh and bright for many months. So great became the quan- tity purchased at one time by Mr. Patterson, an early merchant at Clinton. that he either could not find market for them, or could not procure wagons in which to ship them East, and 300 bushels spoiled on his hands, and were thrown away. Very likely the same thing happened to others. When cranberry picking was at the height of its prosperity many of the settlers were thus engaged, several of whom made no little money. Those gathering the berries- men and women-wore long-legged boots to keep out the water, and as a precaution against snake bites. The berries grew on their short stems, on the under side of long, wiry vines that crept over the mosses and sedges. growing in profusion in the marshes. A section of plank from a foot and a half to two feet long and about a foot wide was taken, and around one end was bound a tough band of hickory bark, forming a sort of box. The other end of the plank was serrated. the teeth being about eight inches long. Two handles were attached. and the rude implement thus completed was used in gathering cranberries. The teeth were placed over one of the long, slender vines, and the implement was held so that when it was pushed along the berries were scooped into the box at the other end. Fifteen or twenty bushels were often gathered in one day with this implement. Whole families turned out during the cranberry season. and the marshes swarmed with settlers, some of whom came many miles and remained several days, eamp-

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ing in their wagons. When a sufficient quan- tity of berries was gathered to fill the wagon- bed, it was taken to some of the villages and sold. The berries when first gathered were full of leaves, moss and grass, and had to be cleaned before they were taken to market. A sort of ladder was made, having the cross pieces about an inch apart. When emptied upon this rude seive, the berries fell through the slits, and the grass, etc., was collected on the slats. Large quantities of berries were eleaned in a few hours by means of this rude screen.

Immediately after the Indian title to the soil west of the river was extinguished, a wealthy Quaker, named Richard Carter, living in Wheeling, purchased the land. and em- ployed John Harris, Esq., and David L. Mc- Clure to lay out a town at the junction of the rivers, Tuscarawas and Chippewa, the latter at that time being known as Indian Creek. This was accomplished in September, 1806, and the village in honor of its founder was named Cartersville. It was located on the low land at the junction of the rivers, and at every freshet its uninhabited lots and unworn streets were overflowed by the murky waters. If any build- ing was erected in this village, or if any im- provement was made other than laying out the streets and lots and platting the same on paper, such improvements are unknown. Very likely the village existed only in name, but the infer- ence is that as soon as it had its origin on paper, its ambitious founder made efforts to have settlers locate there. Like many another man in early years, his hopes were destined to be blasted. His village died out with the plat- ting and christening, and nothing remains to mark the spot where it once was located. It surpasses in loneliness the " deserted village " of Goldsmith :

"Sweet smiling village. loveliest of the lawn. Thy sports are fled and all thy charms withdrawn. Amidst thy bowers the Tyrants hand is seen. And desolation saddens all thy green."

After this event, no permanent improvement or settlement was made until the spring of 1814. Prior to that time, the township was the home of those wandering hunters. who kept moving westward as the tide of settlement ad- vanced, and whose practical training in wood- craft and in the arts of the chase could furnish pleasure only in the depths of the uninhabited

wilderness. The forest was filled with wild game, and the swamps, rivers and lakes were the resort of many valuable fur-bearing animals. that afforded the trappers almost his only means of support. Small cabins were erected in which were domiciled their wives, who, to all appearances, were capable of living without any visible means of support, and who were frequently left alone in the cabins for weeks at a time, while the husband and father was off on a long hunting excursion. The whole family were inured to privation. and if the cabin did not contain the needful supply of food, it was no unusual occurrence for the mother to go out into the surrounding woods and bring down a deer or a squirrel or some other animal that would afford food for the hungry children. This was true, not only of the families of the professional hunters who came to the most remote frontier ; but also of families living in localities where considerable advancement had been made in settlement and civilization. A skillful hunter often made by the sale of flesh and furs. upward of a $1,000 during the hunt- ing and trapping season, a large share of which, instead of being used in purchasing land. or in providing much needed comforts for the family, was squandered at neighboring grog-shops and distilleries. Traditions are in existence, that several of these hunters lived for short periods in rough shanties or wigwams in the vicinity of Turkey Foot Lake and on the Tuscarawas.

In the spring of 1814, Christopher Johnson, or " Yankee Johnson," as he was called by the Dutch, came to the township and settled on the southwest corner of Seetion 24. He built a log cabin and made some improvements in the way of clearing and cultivation, but after a few years he became tired of his home, and. dis- posing of his land, he removed his family to Steubenville. What finally became of him is not known. On the 20th of April, 1814, two men-Thomas Johnson, from the Keystone State, and William Hallowell. from Eastern Ohio-arrived in the township. built their rude dwellings, and began making improvements. Thomas Johnson located on Seetion 27. where he resided with his family several years, after which he moved to Norton Township, settling at what. in his honor, was afterward known as " Johnson's Corners." William Hallowell lo- cated on Section 28, about a mile northeast of Clinton. Here he lived and labored until

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1833, when he sold out and moved to Rich- field. After this, the settlers came in quite rapidly. Among the settlers who came in at this time, or soon after, were Jacob Sour, Jo- seph Mishler, John Hick, Mr. Harter, Jacob Balmer, George Rex, Jacob Hollinger, Michael Bradenburg, David Harvey, Mahlon Stewart, John Snider and others. By 1820, there were as many as thirty families living in the town- ship. Other early settlers were the following, who obtained patents of their land from the Government : Samuel Burgner, Mr. Vander- hof, Mr. Smith, Mr. Himelright, Matthias Da- vis, John Swaisgood, Adam Marsh, and a little later, Mr. Ludwick, Christian Clay, John Spi- del, Mr. Waltenberger, George Righley, Mr. Wholf, Mr. McMurray, William Harvey, John Scott, Ephraim Brown, Mr. Wise, Mr. Green- hoe, Jacob Hook, Gorham Chapin, Mr. Rosse- ter, Jacob Grove, John Stump, John A. Stump, Charles Herring, John Teeple, Mr. Bliler, George Wirt, Mr. Wagner, John Hoy, J. W. Hamm, Dr. Levi Brooks, Dr. Troup, Henry Troup, Mr. Dai- ley, Mr. Wiltrout, Benjamin Bear, Jacob and John Row, John and Adam Sorrick, and many others. The names of some of the most prominent of the early citizens have been unfortunately for- gotten. From 1815 to 1820, the rush into the township was very great, the settlers being largely Dutch from Pennsylvania, with : sprinkling of Yankees from the Reserve and from the East. Improvements were begun in all directions, and waving seas of wheat and corn could be seen where once the monarch of the forest reared his majestic head. Villages sprang up as if by magic ; the forests echoed with the hum of industries; schools and churches began their mission of intellectual and moral improvement, and the aspect of the township became materially altered.

Early in 1817, the Commissioners of Stark County, having been properly petitioned by the citizens then residing in Franklin, ordered the organization of the township by the election of the necessary number of officers. The elec- tion was held in April, 1817, but only part of the officers elected on this important occasion are remembered. Jacob Balmer and David Harvey were elected Justices of the Peace, and Jacob Hollinger, Michael Bradenburg and Mah- lon Stewart, Trustees. From this time onward, the growth of the township was rapid. The set- tlers belonged mostly to that industrious and

sober class of people of whom William Penn was a representative man. Instead of endeav- oring to make a living by their wits, or by hunting and trapping, they went resolutely to work, and their comfortable homes soon proved the wisdom of their course. In 1814, John Johnson, a son of Thomas Johnson, was born, being the first birth in the township. The parties to the first marriage, which oc- curred in 1815, were John Hick and Cath- arine Flickinger. The second was in 1816, between Jacob Sour and Mary Hartner. Dur- ing the summer of 1815, the wife of Jacob Balmer was bitten by a rattlesnake, and before the needed relief could be obtained, she died from the effects, her death being the first.

The rapid settlement of the township be- tween the years above mentioned, led to the immediate erection of mills and other mechan- ical industries. During the winter of 1816-17, George Rex erected a grist-mill at the outlet of Turkey Foot Lake. The mill was a rude af- fair, but was the outgrowth of home demand. Notwithstanding the presence of a good mill at Middlebury and at other neighboring villages, the demand for one in the township resulted in its erection. The distance to Middlebury was practically double that at present, owing to the almost impassable condition of pioneer roads (if they deserve such a dignified title). Rex built a dam across the ontlet of the lake, lo- cating it at a point where he could obtain the advantage of as much fall as possible. He suc- ceeded in furnishing quite a fair article of flour, and was sufficiently well patronized to warrant continuing the pursuit for many years. Finally, when the lake was converted by the State into a resorvoir for feeding the canal, the mill-site was ruined, and Rex was paid for the damage done him. His mill was one of the best in the township in early years. In about the year 1825, or perhaps later, Mr. Caldwell built a saw-mill in the western part, on Polecat Run. He succeeded in obtaining a fair water- power, and continued operating the mill some fifteen or twenty years, when it was abandoned, and a grist-mill built on the same stream a lit- tle below it. After a number of years it was sold at Sheriff's sale. Prior to the erection of Mr. Caldwell's saw-mill, another had been built very early above it, on the same stream. It was located on a low piece of ground, and how it was operated is a mystery, as there is no

Joseph Burgess

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stream passing the site of the old mill, and ap- parently never was one. The location seems to have been a swamp, but this does not explain the nature of the motor. Its owner and oper- ator are forgotten. At a point on the river just east of Clinton, Mr. Harvey built a grist- mill in about the year 1820. He did a paying business until the canal was projected through the township. At that time some understand- ing was entered into between Harvey and the canal authorities as to the surplus water of the canal, in consequence of which Harvey went to work to build a large, strong dam; but the canal, instead of being projected according to agreement, was extended along the opposite side of the river, and his mill-site was ruined. He had conveyed large stones into the river where the dam was to be located, but all this labor was thrown away. Mr. Chapin also built a saw-mill at an early day, on the waste water of the canal. It was located at a point where there was considerable fall, and the result was that the dam was washed away some five times. entailing an additional cost for repairs of nearly $1,000. He then abandoned the en- terprise that had lost him so much money. His mill was a good one, with patented re-action wheels, but was idle a large portion of the time, on account of the frequent breakage of the dam. Mr. Smith also located a saw-mill on the canal, using the waste water. The mill has been operated almost all the time until the present, and has been one of the most valuable in its time ever in the township. Mr. Smith and the members of his family have owned and operated it during the entire period of its con- tinuance. It is impossible to estimate the enormous quantity of native lumber turned out by this mill. John Grill erected a saw- mill on Polecat Run, locating it a short dis- tance above the Caldwell Mill He drove a thriving business for a number of years. On account of the large number of frame build- ings that were going up in early years, the mills, notwithstanding their number, ordinarily did a thriving and paying business. Roughly though strongly built frame buildings soon took the p'ace of the primitive log cabin, though occasionally one of the latter is yet to be seen, standing like a monument over the de- caying habitations of early years. The first cabins were usually built of round logs, but a little later nicely constructed hewed-log build-

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 114

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848- Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104