History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 75

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 75

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About this time David Kellogg with his wife, applied to be taken into Mr. Hudson's employ. He had come out in the service of Mr. Tappan, but for some reason desired to change his service. Judge Tappan afterward took occasion in the public prints to say that Mr. Hudson enticed him away, which is an entirely mistaken idea. The provisions of the Hudson colony were very low, and he had great fears that those already dependent upon him would suffer for lack of supplies. He, how- ever, granted the request. but Mr. Kellogg never became a permanent settler in this col- ony, though staying for a year or two.

As soon as the first most pressing duties were accomplished, Mr. Hudson set about mak- ing a clearing, aided by his four men. The robbing of his boat and the failure of his goods, shipped by wagon, to come on began to give him some uneasiness as to their means of subsistence. He borrowed some

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pork of a Capt. Stoddard, settled in what is now Northampton, and taking his boat as soon as unloaded on the 24th of June, proceeded alone down the river in quest of Lacey. Speaking of this trip in his diary, Mr. Hudson says: "I had the misfortune to lose my fire, and being exceeding wet and the night very cold, I experienced the most uncomfortable night I ever felt. I arrived at Cleveland in twenty- eight hours, and, although several boats had lately arrived, I could not get any information concerning Lacey. I had not heard a word from him since I left him on the Mohawk River near Schenectady in April. I was at a great loss what to do, but, on the whole, I thought best to wait a little longer. In three days an opportunity presented of going down the lake, and, after a quick and dangerous passage, I had the good fortune to find my boy, Lacey and the boat." It appears that Lacey had got as far as Cattaraugus Creek with the boat which Mr. Hudson found unfit for a voyage when he left, and was resting there very much at his ease. He had also quite an addition for the colony in the way of several hired men, which Nathaniel Norton had secured to go to the settlement. But of' what the settlement needed the most they were nearly destitute. "My joy at finding the boat," says Mr. Hud- son, "was turned to sorrow on finding that they had but little more flour than enough to last through the voyage, excepting three bar- rels that belonged to Capt. Austin (Eliphalet Austin, of Austintown). I found myself under the most disagreeable necessity of abandoning my men, who were at work, to their fate. quitting the whole expedition and return- ing home, or else taking Capt. Austin's flour. After a sleepless night deliberating what was my duty in the trying case, I determined as the least of two evils to take Austin's flour, to dismiss my hands, saving barely enough to manage the boat, pay Austin what- ever his damage might be and prosecute my business. Having written my situation and reasons to Capt. Austin and Esquire Norton, I proceeded on my voyage. In a few days, by rowing in the night and crowding our business, I got to Cuyahoga, and without meeting any further disaster we arrived with all our load- ing at the landing on No. 4, Range 11, on

the 19th of July." It must be remembered that these voyages were made in open boats and were propelled by oars save when a light breeze was taken advantage of to raise a sail rudely constructed out of blankets. The courses of these boats were necessarily near the shore and were completely at the mercy of a brisk wind, and were greatly hindered in their voy- ages on this account. The present case was a pressing one, and Mr. Hudson made good some of the delays during the day by rowing nights. Among the crew was one Lindley, who declared that he was hired to work by the day and refused to work nights. Mr. Hudson therefore excused his rowing in night voyages, but when forced to lay by in the day- time put him at "chopping wood." A day or two of this experience caused him to surrender unconditionally.

The supplies came just in time, and after getting them into the shelter (which took one hand and the team several days), three days were spent in cutting over the land begun for a wheat-patch. Hitherto the bark shanty which had been hastily erected, on their first arrival, had been their only shelter. Rain had fallen almost incessantly, and with the recent addi- tions the little colony, swelled to thirteen per- sons, demanded something better for their protection. A log house 16x18 feet was at once erected, and within a week's time the whole party were made comfortable beneath its roof. A day and a half had been spent in the meanwhile in surveying, the only fair weather during the week, but now matters were in a comfortable shape for the time being, Mr. Hudson was anxious to get the township ready for settlement. "I now determined," says he, "to crowd the surveying business to the utmost, and if possible to get time to survey our annex- ation, but, in the last week in July, J. Lindley, Darrow, Meecham and Blin were all taken sick, and, in short, there was none save myself that could be called well. For four weeks our people who kept about did little else than take care of the sick. Rain fell in showers about every other day, and in those four weeks we cut three small stacks of poor hay which was much damaged by the rains, and fired and burnt the brush on about nine acres-the rain being such that we could not burn our brush

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any other way than to pull our heaps to pieces and lay them on the fire. My original design was to sow a large piece to turnips, but not being able to burn the land over, I sowed on the 1st day of August a small piece from which we cut the timber and brush the week preceding.

"On the 22d day of August, our people hav- ing gradually recovered, we resumed surveying and pressed it closely as possible until the 12th of October, when the business and writ- ing was completed." The settlement so far had been confined to the northeast corner of Lot 11, but on the 1st of September Mr. Hud- son brought his men to the center of the town- ship and began to cut brush and timber on Lots No. 55 and 56. Here he designed to make his home, and " twenty-three days' work" were spent in building a temporary hut and making the clearing for the more substantial cabin. "Sixteen days' work " erected a good log-house on the line of these two lots where Baldwin street now abuts on Main in Hudson Village, and two days were spent "in trying to dig a well." While this work was progress- ing the surveying party were finishing their work, while another party connected the two clearings with a road: cut out another to the boat landing in "No. 4, Range 11," now called Boston. About the middle of this month they found their store of provision running very low. Supplies were expected every day from Nathaniel Norton, but at this point Mr. Hudson realized something must be done to avert possible distress. He went immediately to Cleveland and purchased of Lorenzo Car- ter a small field of corn and potatoes for $50, turning in a yoke of oxen as the larger part of the payment. In case of necessity he thought the corn might be pounded up in mortars and sustain the company until relief should come. He hastened back to his station, but having previously heard that Ebenezer Sheldon had made a road through the wilder- ness to Aurora, and that there was a bridle- path thence to Cleveland, he thought it prob- able that he might obtain pork for present necessity from that quarter. He accordingly set out on foot and alone, and regulated his course by the range of his shadow, making allowance for change in the time of day. He

found the Cleveland path near the center of Aurora, in a dense forest. Thence he pro- ceeded two and a half miles to Mr. Sheldon's cabin, but found he could obtain nothing within a reasonable distance. The next morn- ing he returned to his colony to find that his long-expected boat had arrived, and that there was once more plenty in the camp.

Having completed their surveying on the 11th of October, and got affairs well under way to make comfortable his family, and such colonists as he might bring back with him, he started on the following day with his son Ira, Meacham and Darrow for Connecticut. They went down the river in the old Harmon boat, intending to transfer to the strong boat which Lacey had brought when he came, but on arriving at the mouth of the river he found the boat borrowed without leave and gone to Detroit. It was late in the year and any delay would only bring nearer the season of the year when such navigation was impossible or extremely hazardous, and they proceeded on their way in the old wreck. There was no tar at hand with which to " pitch " the seams, and it proved so leaky that it required one hand most of the time to bail out the water, and so weak that it bent considerably in crossing the waves. During their passage the weather was generally cold and boisterous; three different times they narrowly escaped drowning by reason of the darkness of the night or violence of the wind. Referring to one of these nar- row escapes from both the wind and darkness, Mr. Hudson writes in his diary : " This salva- tion has determined me never in future to put into the lake in a dark night." Lying wind- bound at Chataqua for several days, they eked out their scanty stock of provisions by living on boiled chestnuts. They arrived at Gerun- dagut on the 31st of October, whence their journey to Goshen was by land. Mr. Hudson in the middle of November, found his family well and anxious to hear of the land which was to be their new home. No time was spent in idling, however, and by the 1st day of Jan- uary, 1800, he had made his arrangements to leave with his family, his native State with all its tender and endearing associations, for the wilderness where he had known so much anx- iety and hardship. "Thus," says he, "ends

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the eventful year of 1799, filled with many troubles, out of all of which hath the Lord hath delivered me." His stay at his old home had been a busy time for him. He had settled accounts with the Norton brothers; had sought among his old friends and acquaintances for colonists; and had his own affairs in his old home to settle as well as to provide supplies for the one to which he was about to move his family. His accounts for the first year are interesting to read over and vividly illustrate the character of the man and the enterprise. Among the items of expenditures are the fol- lowing: April, 1799, "paid $3 for an excellent dog which we lost in Schenectady:" May, " lent Mr. Bacon $5 for ageeing to pilot us, for which he gave his note, which note I lost with all my minutes and observations on the Cuya- hoga in wading the stream:" "paid Mr. Holly for twelve bushels seed wheat, $18;" October, " Gave Mr. Kellogg as a present to support him- self and family. they being sick. $3;" October 19, "Gave as a gift to Mr. Berion, of Con- neaut. he and his family being sick and in dis- tress, $1;" November 16, " Returned to Goslien, expended in returning $9.75." The whole ac- count reaches some $300, which does not include the unpaid balance of wages due his help, and which was applied on the land which each purchased, nor the supplies which had been brought from the East. On the credit side, Mr. Hudson shows tools and materials still in possession of the proprietors to the amount of $350.90; surveying instruments, $33; "nine acres of wheat on the ground calculated at $20 per acre, $180; sundry other articles not here enumerated. $36.91;" making a grand total of $600 worth of property for little more than an equal expenditure. In raising recruits for the new colony, his efforts had been marked with excellent success. It is said that he offered a bounty of forty acres to the first one to volun- teer, and Ruth Gaylord, whom Rev. John Sew- ard calls "an ancient maiden" received the land, which afterward she gave to her niece, the daughter of Elijah Nobles. Among the party that were prepared to return with Mr. Hudson and his family, were Samuel Bishop with his four sons, David, Reuben, Luman and Joseph, Joel Gaylord, Heman Oviatt, Dr. Moses Thompson, Allen Gaylord, Stephen

Perkins, Joseph and George Darrow, William McKinley and three men from Vermont by the names of Derrick, Williams and Shefford. The women in the company were the wives of Messrs. Hudson, Bishop and Nobles, with Miss Ruth Gaylord and Ruth Bishop. The six children of Mr. Hudson completed the party that started for the New Connecticut. Among these names will be noticed those of some who went out the preceding year. Dar- row returned with his brother, Joel Gaylord and Heman Oviatt went out to view the land with the intention of taking their families thither if the situation proved favorable. Mr. Bishop, with his son-in-law Elijah Nobles, alone hazarded everything on the single cast of the die. The three men from Vermont were evidently acquaintances of Lacey, through whom they had probably learned of this settle- ment, and was desirous of trying their fortune. They probably did not stay long as no men- tion is made of them in any of the old papers of Mr. Hudson.

In January, 1800, Mr. Hudson started, with his family, on sleighs, from Goshen for Bloomfield, N. Y., the place of rendezvous. Here he occupied an empty cabin of Eber Nor- ton's during the winter, employing his time in preparing for his journey by the lakes. He procured four boats, in addition to the Harmon boat, which he thoroughly repaired, and loaded them with supples, including win- dow-glass for his cabin put up the preceding fall, a large quantity of woolen and linen cloth, peach and apple seeds, garden seeds, addi- tional tools, and a supply of groceries in- tended to last his family for a full year-the whole reaching a cost of some $2,000. The balance of the party secured three boats for their transportation, and all was completed on the 29th of April. "The next night," said Mr. Hudson, "while my dear wife and six children, with all my men, lay soundly sleep- ing around me, I could not close my eyes. The reflection that those men and women, with most all that I held dear in life, were now to embark in an expedition in which so many chances appeared against me; and, should we survive the dangers in crossing the boisterous lakes, and the distressing sickness usually attendant on new settlements, it was

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highly probable that we must fall before the tomahawk and scalping-knife. As I knew, at that time, no considerable settlement had been made but what was established in blood, and I was about to place all those who lay around me on the extreme frontier, and, as they would look to me for safety and protection, I almost sank under the immense weight of responsibility resting upon me. Perhaps my feelings on this occasion were a little similar to those of the patriarch, when expecting to meet his hostile brother; but, after presenting my case before Israel's God, and committing all to His care, I cheerfully launched out, the next morning, upon the great deep." The little fleet experienced little difficulty coming up the lakes until they reached the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. The wind on this day was rather high, and Mr. Hudson, in attempt- ing to enter with his boat, missed the channel and stuck fast upon the bar. In this perilous situation, the boat shipped considerable water, and the occupants must have inevitably all been drowned had not a mountain wave struck the boat with such power as to float it clear of the obstruction. On reaching a point within two miles of their destination, darkness com- ing on, they were obliged to stop for the night a little north of Northfield, at a place called the Pinery. They encampod on the banks, which were somewhat low. During the night, a tremendous rain set in, which had so raised the river by daybreak that it overflowed its banks, and was on the point of floating off the very beds on which they were lying. Every- thing was drenched, many finding themselves without a dry thread upon them, and here they were obliged to wait five days before the water had so far subsided as to allow them to force their boats against the current. On the sixth day, May 28, they reached the landing place near the Boston line. Here Mr. Hud- son left his family and the crew to look after the unloading, and hurried to visit the people he had left in the clearing, whom he found in good spirits. Before leaving Bloomfield, Mr. Hudson had secured some hogs, fourteen cows, a bull and a horse, which, with a yoke of oxen belonging to Mr. Bishop, were intrusted to the care of Elijah Nobles to bring through the wilderness by the route by which the cat-

tle had been brought the preceding year. These arrived about the time the boats were unloaded, but Mr. Hudson, busy in arranging for the large accession to the colony, did not take his horse to the landing after his family for several days. When he arrived, he found his family suffering from the persistent attacks of the gnats and mosquitoes that infested the woods at this season, and his wife, who had cheerfully borne all the trials of the jour- ney hitherto, was now very much discouraged. A change to more cheerful surroundings, and a fairly comfortable house, wrought a great change in her feelings, and she nobly seconded the efforts of her husband. The work of transporting the goods from the boats to the settlement on wooden sleds, over eight miles of hilly woods-road, was no slight undertak- ing, and it was several days before it was accomplished. After all the persons belong- ing to the settlement had collected, Mr. Hud- son led them in rendering thanksgiving to the God of mercy, who had brought them safely to their desired haven. Public worship on the Sabbath, which had been discontinued in his absence, was resumed. In relating the fact, Mr. Hudson said: "I felt, in some meas- ure, the responsibility resting on first settlers, and their obligations to commence in that fear of God which is the beginning of wis- dom, and to establish those moral and relig- ious habits on which the temporal and eternal happiness of a people essentially depends."

Once settled in their new quarters, the lit- tle community was at once a scene of bustling activity. Joel Gaylord selected and purchased 640 acres lying in a square piece on the south- west corner of the public square; Dr. Moses Thompson, who had been promised by Mr. Hudson $50, in medicine, if he concluded to settle here, selected for his father and brothers eight and a half lots, of 160 acres each, four of them forming a square mile of land adjoin- ing the southeast part of the public square; Heman Oviatt selected a site south of the vil- lage about a mile, adjoining the Thompson property; a large elm tree standing on the road line to the farm now owned by Philan- der Ellsworth, which sprang from a riding- whip which Mr. Oviatt brought on one of his trips to Pittsburgh, and carelessly stuck in the

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ground there, marks the vicinity where he erected his cabin in this year. Dr. Thompson made some clearings and planted a crop on three lots, and all found plenty of work to do. Darrow bought in the southern tier of lots, near the central road, and in July, Ebenezer Stone, of Boughton, Ontario Co., N. Y., came out and bought Lot 70. Notwithstanding the frequent rains, the season on the whole was very favorable for the crops, and there was an abundant harvest of potatoes and tur- nips and wheat.

On the 28th of October of this year, oc- curred the first native accession to the settle- ment. On this date, a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, and, notwithstanding the lack of professional aid, with the attend- ance of the women of the settlement, mother and child prospered finely. The heroine of this occasion, and the eldest born of the county, was Anna Maria Hudson, later the wife of Harvey Baldwin, who now lives in a vigorous old age, to rejoice in the results of her parents' pioneer labors. Two weeks later, another event occurred which served to viv- idly impress upon these people the stern real- ity of frontier life. Milo and William, two sons of Mr. Hudson, were sent to drive the hogs out where they could find plenty of nuts to feed upon. The path they followed was very rough, and Milo, who was barefooted, experienced a good deal of pain in trying to travel in it. His brother, finding that he did not need his assistance, sent him back and proceeded on alone with his charge. In re- turning, Milo left the path to walk upon the leaves in the wooded part to avoid the "hubs," and inadvertently strayed too far and became lost. A slight snow had fallen, and it was a chilly autumn day. He looked about him for some clew to his whereabouts, and, seeing a clearing at some distance, ran toward it only to find that it marked the site of a swamp. The return of William and the absence of his brother at once excited alarm, and the men rallied out with horns, guns and bells to find the lost boy. He heard the signals of those in search, but, deluded by the appearances of a clearing made by the various swamp lands, he only got farther away, until, night coming on, worn out with the anxiety and exertion of

the day, he prepared to pass the night in the wilderness. Raking a pile of leaves beside a great log, and wrapping his bare feet in his jacket, which he had taken off for the purpose, he burrowed deep into the leaves and fell asleep. The hunters could not thus easily lay aside their cares. The unsuccessful search caused them to redouble their exertions during the night, and Mr. Hudson, with a father's anxiety, offered a reward of $40 to stimulate a search in which the keenest inter- est was already enlisted. The search was con- tinned without avail until 11 o'clock the fol- lowing day, when the boy was found still asleep, his hair fringed with frost and his toes slightly frosted, but otherwise unharmed.

It was some years before the danger of being lost in woods was overcome by the num- ber of settlements. As late as 1809, a little girl of Eben Pease, eight or nine years old, was lost. She was sent on an errand to Ben- jamin Oviatt's, about two miles north of the center. She got there safely, but on her return, mistaking a cow-path for the trail. she wandered off and was lost. Not returning by dark, her parents became alarmed, and, going to Oviatt's, learned she had left there early and was probably lost. The neighbor- hood was rallied out in search. Guns and horns were brought into requisition, but it was 10 o'clock the next day before she was found by Richard Croy. She was found asleep on a log, with her feet wrapped in some aprons which she had taken to bring home.

The following spring brought the families of Joel Gaylord and Heman Oviatt, who came in wagons by the overland route, bringing with them Benjamin Oviatt, John Bridge and James Newton. Their wagons were the first that ever penetrated the wilderness in this part of the Reserve, and these pioneers were obliged to chop their way through the woods for miles. A little later in this year came Eliada Lindley, John Oviatt, William Bough- ton, Aaron Norton, Ezra Wyatt. James Walker, Deacon Stephen Thompson with his sons, Abraham, Stephen, Jr., and Moses, and his sons-in-law, George Pease and Bradford Kel- logg. In the same company came George Kilbourne and William Leach. Dr. Moses Thompson had expended his patrimony in

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prosecuting his medical studies, but his father proposed to give him a lot of land if he would investigate the Hudson settlement and, if fav- orably impressed, move the family out to it. After coming out with Mr. Hudson and select- ing the land, he returned on foot to Goshen, carrying his provisions in a pack at his back. He made the 650 miles in eleven and a half days, helped to do the haying, and, returning with his father's brother's family, as well as his own. He secured some apple seeds from some pumace at a cider-mill in Reading, Penn., and the first apples from this seed, were the admiration of the little folks, who had never seen an apple before.

His land was situated northwest of the village, on what is known as the Northampton road, where he lived until the day of his death. He was the earliest doctor in the township, and had a practice that took him over a terri- tory a hundred miles in extent. He retired from his practice in 1815, to engage in busi- ness. Christian Cackler came here in the spring of 1804, together with his father and eldest brother, settling on a part of Lot 10, in the southeast corner of the township. They came from Pennsylvania, bringing a horse and a yoke of oxen, and such supplies as could be packed on a horse. Coming to Ravenna, they found a few residents, and a road marked out and partly underbrushed to Hudson. Here they came, selected their land, and, going to the site, put up a temporary shelter. Four forks were driven into the ground, and upon them were laid poles. upon which a covering of bark was laid. The same material supplied the floor and the sides of this hastily constructed tabernacle. Beds made of leaves and covered with blankets completed their household arrangements, and they proceeded at once to clear their lands for their spring crops. It was then the 10th of May, but they put in about three acres of corn, and cleared off another piece in time to sow some wheat. Provisions were hard to procure, and were obtained by working for their neighbors. In his published reminis- cences, Mr. Cackler says: "In September, my father and brother went back after the family, and left me in care of the shanty until they should return. I was then only twelve years

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 75

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