History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 74

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 74

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HUDSON TOWNSHIP.

409

CHAPTER XIII .*

HUDSON TOWNSHIP-ITS PRIMITIVE ATTRACTIONS-THE FIRST START IN THE WOODS-OF MOVING ACCIDENTS BY FLOOD AND FIELD"-ON THE BORDER -THE

EARLY RESOUR' , OF THE SETTLERS.

"The sweet remembrance of the just, Like a green root, revives and bears, A train of blessings for his heirs, When dying nature sleeps in dust."

TO form a correct idea of the early history of the Western Reserve, it is essential that it should be viewed through the con- temporaneous history of the parent State. The Puritan colony which had been planted in Connecticut some one hundred and sixty years before, had grown to the dignity of a State. Its primitive customs, involving a close union of Church and State, had grown with its growth until the church militant had become the church triumphant so far as it concerned municipal governments and communities. Each town had its ministerial fund, schools were everywhere provided, and a patriotic pride in the individuality of its institutions was the dominant influence with every citizen of the State. The Puritan of the last century was no weakling in his least estate, but at this period he was at the summit of his power. Of a robust nature, physically and mentally, he handled the ponderous themes of the time as the mythological deities did thunderbolts, and in the lowest condition of life counted himself "a hero in the strife." Thus equipped, he was aggressive in every fiber of his being, and pushed his conquests with an imperiousness that abated not a tittle of his earthly or heav- enly heritage. It was with something of this spirit that the State maintained her right to the territory embraced by the provisions of her charter, in the midst of conflicting claims and the overwhelming opposition of non-claiming States. But when at last in the interest of harmony, Connecticut surrendered her preten- sions, save to the Reserve, and finally relin- quished her jurisdiction to that, she had surrendered only her feeblest power. Her

conquering spirit laid hold of its civilization, and in the hearts of its citizens she rules the Western Reserve to-day. .

The early settlement of the Reserve was an effort to reproduce in this Western wild the honored institutions of the motherland. This was the beginning of the golden period of the Connecticut churches, a period marked by revivals of religion throughout the State, dis- tinguished for their power, purity and perma- nent influence, greatly enlarging the churches, improving the morals of society, and bringing the people of the State, to a great extent, under the control of religion." It was just at this time also that the Connecticut method of " missions to the new settlements " was com- pleted, which was destined to play so impor- tant a part in the New Connecticut; and these civilizing influences combined to leave an impress upon the plastic civilization of the new land that has been crystallized in the cult- ure of to-day. These influences were early marked, and perhaps nowhere more distinctly than in the region which is now embraced in Summit County. A letter from the Western Reserve to Eastern friends dated 1812, reads as follows: " I like Tallmadge better on sev. eral accounts than any other place I have seen. The settlers in this town are much the most respectable of any on the Reserve. There is provision made for the permanent support of preaching, which is not the case in any other town." Another letter dated from Tall- madge in the same year, speaks in the same strain: "I am persuaded that if any of our friends think of going to a new country, they will find none that they will be so well pleased with, either on account of the quality of the land or of the society. I do not think there is in the State of Connecticut a society where there is that attention paid to the Sab- bath, and to religion generally, that there is

* Contributed by J. Il. Battle.

410

HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.

here. There are very few who do not attend meeting regularly, and very few prayerless families." There is no question but that the early history of Tallmadge was exceptional in some respects, but of Hudson it was scarcely less true. Its founder, the son of a tailor who taught his children as he plied his trade, grew up to advanced manhood embracing skeptical notions. Caught by the sweeping power of the church movement of this period he was converted, and with the characteristic practi- cability of the Puritan mind, he sought an opportunity to prove his faith in work. The missionary spirit that had begun to pervade the religious communities of his native State, and the recent organization of the great Land Company, prepared the way which he adopted without hesitation. Zealous in his new found faith, "he wished to do something to repair the injury he had done, and to advance. to the extent of his ability, the interests of that cause which he had early labored to destroy. These were the views that led him to emigrate. * * * The early efforts and sacrifices of the men who came to Hudson. show that they were actuated by the motives I have ascribed to them. They never suffered the Sabbath to pass by after the settlement was commenced, without religious worship: and by great effort and great pecuniary expendi- ture, they provided for the enjoyment of relig- ious ordinances among themselves, and sought to promote the progress of religion in this part of our country. It was the first desire of Mr. Hudson's heart to see the day when a church should be organized within the town- ship, and he rejoiced in that day. The next object of desire was that this church might enjoy the labors of a settled Pastor, and he lived to see that day and was glad. Then it was in his heart to see a house erected for the worship of God, and that he saw completed to his great satisfaction. 'But,' said he, 'the college-the college: that was a child of my old age. I never expected to live to see that.' Yet the college was in coincidence with his plans and with his missionary spirit. He spent most of his time in visiting Christian families in all parts of the Reserve, and secur- ing the organization of churches and it was with him a matter of painful solicitude, how

the infant churches rising up on the Reserve were to be supplied with able, faithful minis- ters, in sufficient numbers to meet their wants. The college came in as the appropriate instru- ment to supply the deficiency."*

The site chosen for this enterprise-Town- ship 4, Range 10-was centrally located in the land company's purchase, and contained what has since proven to be among the best farm- ing lands in Summit County. It was laid down in the original survey, however, as a swamp township and was "equalized" by the addition of 10,000 acres, situated in the town- ships of Norton and Chester. West of the central line of the township the land was cov- ered by an almost impassable swamp, which, filled with innumerable springs, gave rise to the Brandywine Creek, flowing in a northwest- erly course to the Cuyahoga River and Mud Brook, flowing nearly due south in Hudson but further on in its course, taking a curve to the westward finds an outlet in the Cuya- hoga. A branch of Mud Brook in the south- west part of the township, known as Powers' Brook, and Tinker's Creek, which flows in a northerly course in the northeast part of the township, crossing back and forth from Hud- son to Stratsboro, completes the list of the more important water-courses of the township. None of these, however, were found available in the first years of the settlement for such pioneer industries as the community needed, save the latter stream for a short period. Other water-courses were found which in the changes wrought by the process of clearing and tilling, have become extinct or insigniti- cant, that afforded suitable power for the early attempts at milling and manufacturing. The township is now inhabited by a purely agri- cultural community. The luxuriant growth of heavy timber which once covered every acre, has largely given way to meadow-lands and grain-fields, save where each farmer's woodland gives token of the grandeur of "God's first temple." The soil in the low- lands of the western part is largely a black muck, rich but saturated with moisture and liable to frost. In the eastern part the surface is more rolling with a soil varying from a stiff, stubborn clay to a clay loam. There is

*Address by Rev. G. E Pierce, D. D.

411

but little regularity in the disposition of these varieties, though in the southern and north- eastern parts it is said the clay-loam predom- inates. Eighty years of tillage has wrought great changes in the character of the soil, and the swampy portion of the early township has given place to good farms. and it is estimated that not over one thousand two hundred acres of low wet land remains. Water is every- where easily accessible. Springs abound in the western part. while in other portions of the township there is no special difficulty experienced in securing good wells: some artesian wells, however, have been sunk. The soil is the chief material resource of the town- ship, though there is an abundance of a fair quality of sandstone which has been utilized in the construction of the foundations of the college buildings. most of the residences, rail- road culverts, etc. The chief objection to the stone is its dark color and its lack of weather- ing qualities. These objections would proba bly prove no serious obstacle to its general use, if the more desirable stone was not found in the near vicinity which is placed upon the ground here as cheaply as the product of the home quarries can be got ready for transporta- tion. As in most townships of the Reserve, the social and business center is at the geo- graphical center of the township. An early cluster of houses in the southern part of the township on the central road has given name to the road, and across the line in the adjoin- ing township it is designated. in the nomen- clature of the map. Darrowville. The early jurisdiction of the township embraced what is now known as the townships of Stow, Boston, Twinsburg, Aurora and Mantua, besides its own territory. As the settlement increased in these townships the jurisdiction of Hudson became limited to the lines of the original survey, which now bounds it on the north by Twinsburg. east by Stratsboro. in Portage County, south by Stow and west by Boston.

The original purchasers of this township with its annexes, were Nathaniel Norton, of Bloomfield. N. Y., Birdseye Norton and David Hudson. of Goshen. Conn. There are no means now of ascertaining the arrangement between these partners in relation to this pur- chase. Nathaniel Norton was a well-to-do

farmer in Bloomfield, N. Y., where he had come as an early settler; Birdseye Norton was a wealthy merchant of Goshen, and David Hudson a farmer in comfortable circumstances, but of little cash capital. From such evidence as the old account books of Mr. Hudson afford. it is probable that Birdseye Norton furnished one-half of the capital and each of the others contributing a fourth, Mr. Hudson probably turning in his Connecticut farm to Mr. Birds- eye Norton. The land was purchased at 52 cents per acre. but with the equalizing annexes the average cost per acre was reduced to 34 cents. Nathaniel Norton. some time in 1801, disposed of his share, probably to Stephen Baldwin, Benjamin Oviatt and Theodore Par- mele. The first draft of the Reserve was made in 1798, and early in the following year, Mr. Hudson started out to explore and survey the land for the company in which he was a partner. His preparations for his new advent- ure were carefully made, as the following exhibit taken from an old account-book shows:

DAVID HUDSON, BIRDSEYE NORTON AND NATHAN- IEL NORTON TO NORTON & RICHARDS, DR. :

May 11. 1799.

By 2 sickles, 8s; 2 bells (@ 10s

8 00

By 1 doz. garden seeds (@ 1s 6d .. 16

By 1 1b. allspice, 4s: 2 hoes, (@ 88 6d. 1 00 1

By 1 grindstone, wt. 62 lbs., ( id. 1 16

By 1 pail (@ 5s Gd: 73 lbs lead, 9$ 4d. . 12 10

By 1 comb, 1s 6d; 1 almanack, 1s. .

By 1 ax, 12s; 1 gallon bottle, 5s. 1%

By 1 bed-cord, 8s: 1 clothes-line. 6s

By 9} ths. dried venison,

By 693 lbs. pork. 27

By 25 lbs. gammon (@ 18 4d. 1

By 1 carpenter's adze.

Total. £37 15 10 The above articles were bought of Thadeus Cha- pin.

May 13, 1799:

£. s. d.

To 4 lbs. ginger (a 2s 8: 2 lbs. tea (@ 1386d 1 15 00

To 6 lbs. chocolate @ 3s 6d: to 81 1s.

cheese @@ Is ..

5 00

To 44 lbs, chain ( 25 4d; to 1} ]bs. of

-1 00

To 3 lbs. powder (@ 10s; to 3 lbs. pep-

per ( 4× 8d.

1 00

To 281 lbs, sugar (@ 1s ld; to 50} 1hs. nails ( 25 .. 20

To 93 lbs. leather (a 2s 6d. . 3 1

To 1 small account book. 6 00

To 1 quire of paper, 2s 6d: 1 draw-shave, 5s 8d.

chalk (@ 9d .. 5

HUDSON TOWNSHIP.

412

HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.

£.

To 8 narrow axes 16s

8 00

To 2 bells (@ 17s.

To 1 plowshare, 50s 2d; 1 spider, 7s 6d. .

17 8

To 2 hoes @7s 14; 1 skimmer, 1s; 1 dip- per. 1s 6d ..

To 2 plane-irons @ 18 8d; 2 chisels @@ 3s.

To 1 chisel, 2s 6; 1 doz. awls, 8d; 3 awl- hafts, 1s 6d. .

To 1 spade, 11s; 3 gimlets, 1s 6d; 3 au- gers, 17s.

To jaeknives, 11s, 4d; 1 pincer, 1s 5d. ..

To 1 doz. fish-hooks, 3s; 1 line, 4s (used as chalk-line).

Ł 00

To 1 saw, 18s; 2 set teaspoons, 2s 4d. 1

To 1 carving-knife and fork, 6s 9d ..

To 3 bushel clover seed. .

4 00

To 12 bushels oats @ 2s 6d.

1 10 00

To 1 bushel and } peek herd-grass seed. 1

16 00

To 1 bushel peas, 10s; 2 sets teacups, 5s 8d ..

15 8

To 1 razor, 6s; razor-strop, 2s 6d.

To 1 shaving-box, 2s 10d; 4 cakes soap, 10d ..

To 3 barrels, 24s; 1 hammer, 4s. 1

8 00

To 5 first blankets @ 32s.

00 00

To 3 do @ 16s 8d. 2 10 00

To 3 ax-helves @ 1s ...

To 1 trowel, 4s; 1 hasp, 2s. 6 00

To 100 dollars cash. .. 40

00 00

To 1 set spoons, 38; 2 knives, 1s 8d. May 15, 1799:

To 314 gallons whisky @ 18s. 12

14 00

To 1 barrel.

8 00

Total. £122 4 3

On the same date Nathaniel Norton sup- plied the following items:

1 set harrow-teeth. 5

1 iron kettle .. 3

4 00

3 bushels of salt @ 10s; 1 barrel, 6s. 1

16 00

1 coffee-pot, agreed at 3s.

90 lbs, bread (@ 3d.

1 6

1 hat. .

2 yoke oxen.

34 bushels wheat @ 8s ..

2 yokes and bows, irons, etc.

1 cow, 20 dollars.

2 barels pork @ 18.

1 boat, 33 dollars 13

4 00

¿ bushel peas (@ 5s. 00

1 bushel potatoes @ 2s 6d.

1 bag, 4s.

4 00

1 cow, 13 dollars. 5

4 00

Total. €125 14 4

These articles, involving an outlay of upward of $700, were principally secured at Bloomfield. This point, at that time, was on the frontier, and the overland pioneer to the

far West was forced to depend upon the uncer- tain guidance of Indian trails and the survey- or's marks. The thoroughfare of Western travel was by the lakes, and Mr. Hudson has left a carefully prepared "traveler's guide " over that route as follows: From Black Rock to Buffalo Creek, three miles; Buffalo Creek to Five Mile Creek, five miles; Five Mile Creek to Eighteen Mile Creek, thirteen miles; Eight- een Mile Creek to Cattaraugus, twelve miles; Cattaraugus to Four Mile Creek, four miles; Four Mile Creek to Fifteen Mile Creek, eleven miles; Fifteen Mile Creek to Chataqua, twenty-five miles; Chataqua to Lowry's, six- teen miles; Lowry's to Presque Isle, sixteen miles; Presque Isle to Walnut Creek, twelve miles; Walnut Creek to Elk Creek, eight miles; Elk Creek to Conneaut, ten miles; Conneaut to Ashtabula, fourteen miles; Ashtabula to Grand River, twenty-six miles; Grand River to Cha- grin, ten miles; Chagrin to Cuyahoga, twenty miles; a total of 205 miles. The only public source of information in regard to this country was " Morse's Geography," which represented the latter river as navigable for sloops for forty miles from its mouth.

On the 22d day of April, 1799, in company with Jesse Lindley, William McKinley, whom he had hired as assistants, and Ira, his son of eleven years, Mr. Hudson started for Bloom- field, N. Y. The party was accompanied by a wagon driven by Thaddeus Lacey, who brought his wife and two children. Mr. and Mrs. Lacey were engaged as purveyor and cook for the party, and were in charge of the supplies with which the wagon was loaded. Their route lay toward Albany, where they arrived on the 24th. Here Mr. Hudson hired Joseph Darrow for six months, at $10 per month, to accompany the expedition, terms similar to those on which the others had been engaged. Their course then led through Schenectady, old Fort Schuyler, Onondaga to Bloomfield. Six- teen miles west of Schenectady, Mr. Hudson, leaving his son and Lindley with the wagon, pushed on ahead with Darrow, making his way on foot to Fort Schuyler on the 29th, where he engaged Jonah Meecham; to Onondaga on May 2, where he added Richard H. Blin to his party, reaching Nathaniel Norton's in Bloom- field on the 5th day of May. Here the little

7 barrels @ 4s .. 1

Transportation to Gerundagut.

4 00

8844564 6

To 43 yards tow-cloth @ 3s.

HUDSON TOWNSHIP.

413

party was detained eleven days, which they employed in further providing for their enter- prise in the wilderness. Here Mr. Hudson fell in with Benjamin Tappan, later known as Judge, on his way to his town of Ravenna. Mr. Tappan here bought a yoke of oxen and Mr. Hudson, as will appear in the preceding statement, bought two yoke of oxen and two cows. These animals were confided to the care of Meacham, who assisted by some of Tappan's hired men, brought them safely on the Indian trail through Buffalo. until he found near the lake the west line of the seventh range on the Reserve. This line, the eastern boundary of the present township of Painesville, Concord, Chardon, Monson, Newburg. Auburn, Mantna, Shalersville and Ravenna, they followed due south for more than forty miles, crossing the Grand and Cuyahoga Rivers and striking the Salt Spring Indian trail near the southeastern corner of Ravenna, and thence to their desti- nation. In the meanwhile Hudson had his baggage and supplies transported to Grondi- gut Bay, where, to his great disappointment. he found his boat in no condition for use. He sent back Eliada Lindley and Farr and Straight, whom he had secured at Bloomfield, and obtained passage in one of Tappan's boats for himself and Darrow. He also had the good fortune to find Elias Harmon here, about to start out with his wife for Mantua. In one of his boats he obtained passage for Blin and Mckinley, dividing such of his store as he was able to take between the two boats. This was on the 16th of May, but meeting with bad weather the little fleet did not reach Niagara until the 22d. when to their astonishment they found the river full of floating ice. They proceeded up the river, however, against the united strength of the current and floating ice, and with great effort reached Buffalo Creek on the 26th, where they were blocked up with ice " at least twelve feet high." Happily the ice broke up that night leaving Lake Erie clear, but with so heavy a swell rolling that the expedition was obliged to lay by until the 29th, when for three days the lake was almost at a dead calm. Prompt use was made of these advantageous circumstances, the little party rowing from Buffalo to Elk Creek, a distance of 120 miles in the meantime. On the 1st of June they put out

and attempted to continue their journey and rowed six miles, but they were obliged to beach their boats at Crooked Creek, and lay wind- bound for several days. "On the 5th," says Mr. Hudson, " we put out from Crooked Creek and dined in Conneaut, with a fair wind from the northeast. At 2 o'clock P. M., the wind shifted into the north and blew on the shore with such violence that the boat in which myself and Darrow were, and which was heavily loaded, filled with water before a single article could be got on shore. With most unremitting and violent exertion, we saved our boat and loading. and spent the remainder of the day and part of the next in drying our loading which was much damaged with water. On the 7th and Sth we sailed to Grand River, using the bed blankets as sails. The boat in which Mckinley and Blin had taken passage and which was in our company, fared worse, it being stove. and a part of my potatoes went through her bottom. But after the wind had subsided they got her up, and with the help of my nails they so far repaired the wreck that they got her into Grand River with her loading on the same day we got there."* This was the destination of Mr. Harmon's goods and as there was no way of securing the transportation of the goods on board, he purchased this boat of Mr. Harmon for $1 and proceeded with his boat, leaving Blin and Mckinley to proceed up the river some four miles, discharge Harmon's goods and then to continue the journey to the Cuya- hoga River.

Without waiting for his second boat, Mr. Hudson proceeded, reaching the Cuyahoga River on the 9th. where. on the following day. finding that the other boat had not come up, he left Darrow to assist the men up the river. He also took the precaution to lighten Mr. Tappan's boat of a large part of his stores, leaving them to be brought on by his newly purchased boat, and proceeded up the river. The season previous to their coming having been very dry. they had proceeded but a few miles when they found the water in places only eight or ten inches deep. and were often obliged to get out, join hands and drag their boats over shallow places. In this way they *Diary of David Hudson.

411

HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.

proceeded until the 12th, when they reached such a rapid current that it was impossible to draw the boat any further. Mr. Hudson con- tinnes in his diary as follows: "I. myself, went on the land searching for some survey- or's line whereby we could find our township. In this place my men overtook us, and to my great concern informed me that my boat had been plundered the night before of a consider- able quantity of whisky, pork, flour and some few potatoes. The men suspected of this vil- lainy was an Indian in the Sandusky tribe, and a white man who calls himself Armstrong. They are two villains, famous in this quarter, and their conduct is not allowed of by their chiefs.

" 13th .- We now took a part of Tappan's load into my boat. and by our united strength we got the two boats along slowly up the rapid and shallow water, I still continuing on the land searching for some town line. In this way we proceeded until the 17th, when, as I had not been able to find any land mark, we determined to take a few days' pro- visions and strike our course in a southeast direction till we could find some clew whereby we could tell what part of the world we were in. It was at this time I most heartily re- pented having undertaken the expedition, but I inst now persevere. I proceeded with my men and Tappan with several of his assistants, and to my great joy found the southwest cor- ner of No. 4. Range 10, at about 11 o'clock on the 17th of June. I immediately went about making a road, getting our stores up from the river, and in endeavoring to get a road into the middle of the town. In the lat- ter attempt a new difficulty was met. I tried at many places and could find no pass for a road across a swamp which stretched itself from the south line of the town, about three and a half miles, as I afterward found in a northerly direction about one-half mile from the west line. I afterward went across the swamp and found excellent land beyond. In this dilemma, I determined to set my men at work on the west side of the swamp; until the land could be so far surveyed as to find some pass for a road. We found it a work of time and difficulty to get a road across the gullies which lie in No. 4, Range 11 (Boston), but,

by the 25th of June, we got some of our things on.

By a very happy combination of circum- stances the cattle, of which the explorers were just now beginning to need, arrived at the land- ing on the 18th, just one day after the discov- ery of the township line. The journey of these men over some three hundred and fifty miles, guided by the tortnous trails of the Indian and the township lines of the surveyor, through a totally unknown land, was one of the difficulties of which we are scarcely able to appreciate. Their mode of traveling was to secure firmly upon the backs of the oxen several bags of flour and pork. together with two blankets and an ax. They waded fordable streams and compelled their cattle to swim those that could not be forded, crossing these streams themselves with their provisions on rafts hastily constructed of sticks. The teams thus happily at hand, rude sleds were con- structed and the labor of transporting the goods from the boats to the place where Mr. Hudson had decided to begin operations com- menced. In the meanwhile a road had been cut out and a bark shelter erected. The cattle were greatly tormented by the immense swarms of flies that attacked them at all times, nearly driving them mad. It is said they actually killed one of Mr. Tappan's cattle.

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 74

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