History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 96

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 96

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In 1821, Van R. Humphreys, a young attor- ney, located in New Portage, thinking, with many others, that it was destined to be the principal city in Northern Ohio. But he soon became satisfied of his mistake and abandoned the new city, finally settling in Hudson. He was at one time Judge of the Court of Com- mon Pleas for this county. One of the first settlers at New Portage was Michael Dixon, who came there in 1814 or 1815. He lived there during the rise and fall of the varying waves of prosperity that came upon this, the only town and capital of the "State of Cov- entry," as this was wont to be called. He

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shared not only its prosperity but also its ad- versity, for he remained long after its star had set and its prospects sunk into insignificance. At a later period, Mr. Viers sought to revive its waning prospects by laying out an addition, which was to grow and swallow up the old town and retrieve its sinking fortunes. One lot was sold to Jacob Brown, after whom it was proposed to name the place Brownville. But Fate did not smile upon the project, for but one house was built in the place, which was afterward for many years used as a match fac- tory. Such is the hard fate of many a beauti- ful prospective city. One other character must be mentioned before we leave the town. Joe Keeler was not only a celebrated Mormon preacher, but also a notorious passer of coun- terfeit money. He built a brick house near the canal bridge, where he lived in the purity of his faith for years, or until "religious perse- cution " threatened to send him to Columbus. Jacob Kepler was one or Coventry's pioneers ; he settled early in the century in the south- western part of the township, and is still living, surrounded by the numerous family of children and grandchildren, who own some of the finest and most profitable farms in the entire town- ship. Many are the stories that this old settler can tell of the hardships and adventures of those early days. Here also came the Harters, another family of pioneers, and the Wagoner family settled in the same corner, west of the Long Lake. In the southeast corner, the earlier settlers were David Lee, Fred Hevener, Henry Billman, John Buchtel, Daniel. Pontius, Dan Rex, and possibly a few others.

One of the events of the season in those days was the periodical coming of the itinerant shoemaker, one of whom-Dan Burns-fre- quented this corner of the township. He car- ried his tools and stock from place to place, and while there he generally shod the entire family, living as one of the family meanwhile ; then he would take the next on the list, and serve them, and so on, until he had finished his list. Those coming late to engage him were often obliged to go barefoot until after mid-winter on account of their negligence.

John Haines, a son of old Daniel Haines, was the first or pioneer preacher in the township. He was of the Baptist faith, though holding the " fore-ordination doctrine " of the Presby- terians. This, however, he afterward renounced,

saying that he had a revelation while hoeing corn, in which he was convinced of the error of that doctrine, and the old man is said to have cried when he thought of the many people to whom he had preached it, and to whom he could not preach the new revelation. He often went off to the neighboring townships to pro- claim the " glad tidings " to the backwoodsmen and their families. On Sunday mornings he could be seen making his way to some log cabin or schoolhouse near home, where he would preach to his friends and acquaintances. Then he would start through the woods, follow- ing some path, crossing streams on fallen logs, until he reached a place where some old settler had promised to meet him with a horse or wagon, when they would journey on together. The waters of Summit Lake seemed to suit his idea of a baptising medium, and many was the young convert to the doctrines which he taught, who came from far and near to go through the ceremony of baptism. Here Cath- arine Buchtel and Nancy Richards came from Green Township in 1824, and were led into the · lake and immersed, both of whom are still liv- ing " to testify to the faith that was in them." Another pioneer preacher of the same faith was Elder Derthick, or, as the impious and irrever- ent young sinners of those days used to call him, "Old Deathhook." He settled ou the Abel Allen place, where he lived and expounded the truth to the residents of the northeast. Many of the old residents remember to have gone to the schoolhouses often to hear him preach. One of his favorite places was the Falor Schoolhouse. Here one of the oldest cemeteries is located, and all the old settlers of the neighborhood were laid here, " to sleep the sleep that knows no waking," until Gabriel shall blow the trump that is to quicken these old bodies with the "life immortal." To these two men the earlier settlers owed a debt of gratitude, at least, for their unselfish devotion to the cause of religion during all these years of trials and hardships. In after years, when the soil had been broken, others came in and carried the banners.

Several churches have been built in different parts of the township. Perhaps the oldest is Wesley Chapel, on the banks of the Tuscarawas at Pleasant Valley, a place which at one time bore the fateful name of "Sodom." Another at Thomastown belongs to the Welsh, who pre-

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HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.

dominated in that place. There is also a church and cemetery just west of the Center, toward New Portage, and also one west of the reser- voir, on the place owned by Benjamin Bowers. In the cemetery back of each one may read much of the history of the early settlers. The moss-covered slab tells the tale of the sweep of old Time's scythe more truly than could be writ- ten by our feeble pen, and the little mounds, with the short records and dates, tell to the wanderer through these silent resting-places of the recklessness with which Death marked as his own the old and the young indiscriminately.

Another character who played a conspicuous part in the very early settlement was Liber- tine Dixon, the Indian hunter and fighter. Be- tween this man and the red men, a deadly ha- tred existed, which often led to the shedding of blood. Dixon lived for many years in Mid- dlebury or near there, but his time was spent largely in the woods with his invariable com- panion, a long, ungainly looking rifle, which he always spoke of with respect, calling it by the peculiar name of "Starling." Many are the stories of wild, reckless disregard of human life, which are told of Libertine Dixon, or rather of his gun "Starling." He seemed to feel as though any Indian who had an oppor- tunity would shoot him as quick as he would a wolf, and acting upon that supposition, he always tried to get the first chance. One inci- dent illustrating both this feeling, and his re- gard for his gun, was told by an old gray- haired man who knew him well and knew of the particular time mentioned. One day in 1815, the narrator of this story was in Middle- bury Mills, to see after some sawing, grinding or something, at any rate, which called him to the mill, when some Indians were seen to come into the town and stop at the grocery, where Dixon was. As they entered at the front door, he came out the back way and hastily went to his cabin, saying that the Indians were after him, and if they wanted to see him they should come for him in the woods. He took his gun, ammunition and some dried beef and was gone, and did not return for some time; when he did, he told this story to our informant : "I went into the woods and kept low until they left, when I followed them, but kept myself so con- cealed that they did not suspect me. They were, however, on the lookout for some one, and scoured the woods, until finally they seemed to

give it up, and started toward Old Portage. One, however, watched the ravine closely where the Big Cuyahoga flows through the chasm near the Big Falls, and once, as he was hanging by one arm over the precipice holding to a hemlock tree on the edge of the rock, and looking closely up and down the valley, I stepped out from behind a big chestnut and 'Starling' spoke to him. But ' Old Starling' spoke so suddenly that it scared the fellow, and he jumped off the bank on to the rocks below some forty feet and killed himself. After awhile, I went up to him and as he didn't seem to want his gun and other things any longer, I took them." At another time, when he was hunting down by Long Lake in Coventry, he stepped to the edge of the lake, when he discovered an Indian fish- ing from a birch canoe. He jumped behind a tree and Old Starling thought he would speak to the fellow. The Indian was so frightened that he uttered a terrific yell and jumped into the lake. The smoke had hardly cleared away when another Indian, a companion probably, who was making a fire on the bank above, came rushing down to see what his companion had shot. While he was looking after his friend, Dixon slipped away and disappeared. He also shot one on a little lake west of East Liberty, whose yell can be heard frequently on moon- light nights even to this day, and many times would the young people of that neighborhood go miles around rather than pass that little lake, from fear of hearing the unearthily yell of the murdered Indian or seeing his shadowy form gliding over the smooth surface of the lake in his birchen canoe, that made "not a ripple as he passed." So goes the story, at least, and no believer in ghosts and hobgoblins has any reason to cast discredit on so well authenticated a story as the above. Many of the Dixons who live in Coventry are descended from this old Indian hunter.

Between 1815 and 1820, Ben Haines, a son of Dan Haines and a brother of the pioneer preacher, built a rude grist-mill on the Tusca- rawas, near the place where the Steese Coal Railroad crosses the river, and on the David Jones farm. The dam crossed the valley where the road now runs. The old race can still be seen on the west side of the road just south of the bridge, and some of the old timbers still remain to mark the place where the first mill of the township was built. Possibly Ben

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Haines might have built up a good business had he attended strictly to it, but it soon run down, and at last, for a number of years, he occupied himself in studying on "perpetual motion," that bane of many inventive geniuses. A story is told of Ben's "machine " which we do not vouch for, but give as we heard it: At one time the builder thought he had succeeded (and perhaps he had, who knows ?) at any rate he agreed to let some parties see it, if they would swear eternal secrecy, which they agreed to do when he conducted them into the old tumble-down mill and started his machine. It was constructed in some odd way by an ar- rangement of iron balls, chains, wheels, etc. It started off in good style, but began soon to go with accelerated speed, until the men who had been called in ran out as if to save their lives, for the " machine " became wild, and made a terrible din. Old Ben himself became fright- ened, and in order to stop it he threw a green handspike into the midst of the flying wheels, which broke it in such a way as to render it harmless at least, and it is said that old Ben never tried it again.

The mill now known as the Steese or Brews- mill, situated on the Tuscarawas River, on the Springfield line, was not built until 1834-35, by John Wyley. Before its construction, the people in this part of Coventry and neighboring townships were obliged to go to Middlebury mills, or to the Emerley mill in Franklin Township, at the foot of Turkey Foot Lake. This latter mill site was destroyed when the reservoir was constructed, but in 1842, or there- about, the State mill was built, utilizing the overflow from the reservoir and furnishing bet- ter accommodations to the farmers of this sec- tion. The first saw-mill was the one built by Abram Falor, on "Falor Run," mentioned before. Another early mill was one built by Daniel Rex, a little west of the feeder dam, which supplies the reservoir on the Tuscarawas River, near Steese's coal bank. Another was in pro- cess of construction at quite an early day a little above this, the old race of which can still be seen near the road that runs east and west past " Wesley Chapel." This was built by John Buchtel, Sr., taking the water from the river just back of "Wesley Chapel" Cemetery. It run west some half a mile, and discharged again into the river near the place where the railroad of Stam- baugh, Tod & Co. crosses the river. But this

was never finished, owing to delays that held it in an unfinished condition until the feeder came in there and their dam was built just below, which backed the water on them and spoiled the site.

The first frame house is said to have been built by one of the Allens, on the road to Mid- dlebury, and it was the wonder and admiration of the young people of several townships; some of whom made trips of a dozen miles to see it.

Of the carly schools very little can be said, except that the houses were rude log struct- ures, with a great fire-place in one end built on the outside, after the fashion of the day. The benches were made of logs split in halves and legs put in on the round side, while the split side was smoothed up with an ax. Not a plane ever touched them, and they were not the most comfortable seats in the world. It was not necessary to resort to bent pins, the school- boy's device, in order to produce a sensation, for all that was required was to pinch some one and get him to slide along the bench. Some of the bad boys are said to have lined the seats of their pantaloons with large pieces of leather for their protection, both from the roughness of the benches and the roughness of the teacher's ferule. There were no fine desks with all the furniture of a modern schoolhouse, but simply these benches, along which the children ranged themselves. and which had to serve the double purpose of seat and desk, cach pupil piling his books and slate on the seat be- side him. These seats of learning were in the midst of the forest, near some road (or path, along which the settlers expected to make a road some time). The pupils gathered from all directions, coming through the woods by paths known only to themselves, crossing the streams on logs or fallen trees. On one occa- sion, in time of high water, a family of some half a dozen children, were crossing on a fallen tree when the youngest, a little girl, becoming dizzy, fell into the rushing water and was be- ing whirled rapidly down stream, when in plunged her older brother, who swam lustily after her, finally capturing her some rods be- low, bringing her safely to shore ; after which they hastened on to school, instead of going home again, and dried their clothes by the fire in the schoolhouse. This shows that even the children thought little of such hardships and paid little heed to mishaps that would produce

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HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.

consternation in a whole neighborhood to-day. One of these pioneer schoolhouses was situated not far from the center of the township, and was known as the " Tamarack Schoolhouse." In this old log building the town meetings and elections were frequently held. During those early times, they were not so precise as they are now, as to the exact place of holding elec- tions, which were held here and there to suit the convenience of the people. There was an early schoolhouse in the woods on what is now the Sol. Renninger place, on the road just west of the Gregg place. These were built, probably, between 1820 and 1825. Then the Falor and the Allen Schoolhouses were also quite early, the dates of which I am unable to learn.

This township was first organized in 1808, as a part of Springfield, which was then a part of Trumbull County. This county was afterward divided and Portage County formed, of which our township continued to form a part until 1840, when Summit County was erected, and Coventry, with nine other townships, was taken from Portage County. Two of the carly officers of this township are still living, viz., Avery Spicer and Talmon Beardsley ; possibly many others, whose modesty forbade them to men- tion it, but who will be remembered by many

who read this sketch, as having rendered gra- tuitous service to their fellows in some of the various capacities. Some years ago, a fine town hall was built near the center, on the hill above the canal, at the famous " Waterloo Gro- cery." Here now the town meetings and elec- tions are held.

When we seek to understand the whole sig- nificance of a recital of the facts and incidents relating to these previous generations, we must bear in mind that we owe to these same people the many advantages we enjoy. They came and conquered the wilderness, and made it to blossom as the rose. It is true that ignorance and superstition prevailed, and a crude, imper- fect civilization took the place of the savage state ; but they were in unison with their sur- roundings, and consistent in all respects. They were neither ahead of, nor yet behind the age in which they lived. It would not become us to belittle their labors ; but rather should we extol them, for they underwent the hardships, while we reap the harvest and enjoy the benefits ; they strove to make tolerable the path in life along which they were to travel, while we strive to enjoy the many advantages which are ours, not as the result of our own exertions, but be- canse our lot was cast in the middle of the nine- teenth century instead of a century before.

CHAPTER XXI .*

BOSTON TOWNSHIP-ORIGINAL PROPRIETORS-TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY-ORGANIZATION AND FIRST SETTLEMENT-COUNTERFEITING AND UNDERGROUND RAILROAD-GROWTHI OF INDUSTRIES - VILLAGES-SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.

TT. is not generally known, even by those living in the northeast corner of the State, how the land of the Western Reserve became parceled out among its various owners, or how it came to pass that citizens in Connecticut sometimes found themselves in possession of tracts separated the entire length of the Re- serve. Accompanying this volume will be found a detailed description of the manner in which this was accomplished. It may be prop- erly stated here that the lands of the Reserve were divided into 400 shares, valued at $3,000 each, and that residents of Connecticut could purchase, if their means were limited, a frac- *Contributed by W. A. Goodspeed.

tion of a share, or, on the other hand, could purchase as many shares as they desired and could buy. It was often the case that several citizens formed themselves into a company, each contributing as much as he could, or as much as he desired, and all together sufficient to purchase one township, or perhaps one share. The members of the company would decide among themselves as to their order of choice out of the tract purchased. Some townships were "equalizing townships." That is, inasmuch as they were inferior to the aver- age township, they were either divided into tracts which were distributed to other inferior townships to make the latter equal to the aver-

BOSTON TOWNSHIP.

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age, or portions in other parts of the Reserve were attached to them to make them equal in value to the average.

Boston was an "equalizing township." It

was divided into three tracts (and perhaps oth- ers) which were attached to other townships. It was decided by a committee appointed for the purpose, that, from the fact that Boston was crossed by the Cuyahoga River, and by ranges of steep bluffs which could never be cultivated, it was unequal to the average, and it was accordingly distributed to others. Tract 1, lying in the northwest corner, was attached to Eaton Township, Lorain County, and was owned by Judge Jared Kirtland, Mr. Blinn and others. Tract 2, in the southwest corner, was attached to Columbia Township, Lorain County, and was owned by a company of five men, as follows : Harmon, Levi and Azor Bronson, Calvin Hoadley and Jared Pritchard. It is not remembered how the land east of the river was divided and owned, except that He- man Ely possessed the greater portion. When Tract 1 was surveyed by its owner, Judge Kirtland, it was found to have a surplus of 200 acres ; whereupon he instructed his surveyor, Alfred Wolcott, to survey Tract 2, and this was found to have an excess of 400 acres. The Judge immediately shouldered the respon- sibility of equalizing the two tracts, by sever- ing 129 acres from Tract 2 and attaching them to Tract 1. This equalizing tract was soon afterward sold to Robert and Thomas Brannan, a barrel of whisky being given in part pay- ment. But, when Harmon Bronson came to the township and found a portion of his land occupied and claimed by the Brannans, he commenced an action of ejectment, and, after considerable annoyance, succeeded in having Kirtland's equalizing act set aside and the Brannans ousted. The Kirtland tract was sur- veyed into nine lots ; the Bronson tract into ten ; and all that portion of the township east of the river into forty-five.

When the first settlers came to the township, the prospect was anything but encouraging. The Cuyahoga River, then a marshy stream that overflowed its banks altogether too often for the happiness or prosperity of the settler, passed northward across the township a short distance west of the center. Along the adja- cent valley were frequent bogs and marshes of decaying vegetable matter, that, under the heat

of the summer sun, threw off noxious vapors to poison and contaminate the air. A large portion of the township was cut by narrow, deep gorges and ravines, that were overhung by precipitous ridges and hills, covered with a heavy forest, and having a heavy, sterile soil that gave no word of encouragement or prom- ise to the backwoodsman. The woods were filled with wild animals, and, what was equally a cause for apprehension of danger, bands of Indians were near that might begin the work of slaughter at any moment. Markets and mills were miles distant, and the journey by team through the woods was rendered so slow and harassing by reason of mud and fallen timber, that the distance was practically doub- led. It became evident-painfully so-that the settler must rely largely upon his rifle to supply his family with, very often, only the bare necessities of life. Thus was the settler surrounded with discouragements, disappoint- ments, and apparently unending future priva- tions. But he fortunately possessed unbend- ing resolution, dauntless courage, and incredi- ble hardihood, and the pleasant homes we have to-day were founded by him.

It is well to notice the topographical and physical features of Boston before proceeding further with its settlement and improvement. It is five miles square, with the exception of about three hundred acres, which a number of years ago, were taken from the center of the northern side and attached to Northfield for school purposes. The Cuyahoga enters the township from the south, about a mile east of the southwest cor- ner, passing in a zigzag course to within about half a mile of the center, thence flowing west of north and leaving the township one mile and a quarter east of the northwest corner. The river valley varies in width from a few rods to a mile, and though now almost wholly cleared and under cultivation, was once heavily timbered and extremely wet. The valley is skirted with precipitous bluffs, which can never be used except as grazing land, and which ex- tend back from the valley more than half a mile. The Waverly group of rocks is exposed throughout the township, more especially along the river, where inexhaustible beds of splendid stone abound. Along the river in the northern part the Erie shale is exposed, while in the eastern part where the Waverly group first comes to the surface, ledges of sandstone con-

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glomerate rise perpendicularly above the sur- rounding country, in some cases sixty or sev- enty feet. These ledges stand isolated and alone, far separated from their kindred strata, monuments to the eroding effects of time. Numerous small streams enter the river from the east, among which are Salt Creek, Richey's Run, Haskell's Run, Peninsula Run and Stan- ford's Run. The principal ones from the west are Oil Run, Slippery Run and Furnace Run. A few small tamarack swamps were to be seen in early days in different parts of the township, but these have been drained, and a few of them are now under cultivation. When the settlers first came to the county, a tract of land comprising thirty or forty acres, lying in the valley on the east side of the river a short distance below the center, was cleared of trees, and was under cultivation. It was an Indian corn-field, and it is stated that in about 1804, settlers living in Hudson went to this field and purchased corn of the natives. How long the field had been under cultivation is not known. A few stone implements, evidently used in till- ing the field, are occasionally turned up by the plow. Long before the whites came into the Northwest Territory, Boston was the site of large Indian villages, the evidences still remain- ing of their humble habitations. Going back still farther-back to an unknown age of the world-that peculiar, mysterious people known as Mound-Builders, whose gigantic earth and stone works excite so much curiosity and spec- ulation, dwelt in the valley of the Cuyahoga, as is shown by the mounds, sacred, military and festival, which are scattered along the bluffs on either side of the river. What these two races had to do with Boston will be found, so far as known, in a separate chapter of this work. One thing is certain, when the whites first came to the county, the Indians under Ponta were stilled encamped about half a mile north of the village of Boston, on the west side of the river. Half a mile south of this camp, on the same side of the river, the chief of the Ottawas-Stigwanish-was also en- camped with a few of his followers. A de- tailed description of these camps, and many interesting incidents connected therewith, will be found in the chapter above referred to. We now come to the first settlement made by whites in Boston Township.

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 96

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