USA > Ohio > Mahoning County > History of Trumbull and Mahoning counties with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Vol. II > Part 36
USA > Ohio > Trumbull County > History of Trumbull and Mahoning counties with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Vol. II > Part 36
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mained ten years. He then came to Petersburgh where he now is, conducting a dry goods and grocery store. He was married in 1857 to Miss Louisa, daughter of Henry Welk, of Springfield township, and has one child, John. Mr. and Mrs. Ernst are members of the Reformed church.
NEW SPRINGFIELD
is located on the southern part of section twenty- nine, and is a pleasant little village of three hun- dred and fifty inhabitants. It was laid out some time before 1825 by Abraham Christ, who platted twenty-eight lots around the present square or "diamond." Additions have since been made by Jacob Fulgerson, Christian Harker, John Wagner, and David Spiltner, until the village spreads over a considerable area. Its moral welfare is watched over by two churches, and it is supplied with a good school-house.
The first store was opened in a building near Shale's distillery by Joseph Davis. On the square, Thomas Knight erected a building for a store about 1828, and conducted business there about twenty years. Nicholas Eckes, Jacob Spaeth, William May, William Phillips, Schillinger and Eckert & Peters, Tobias Elser, George Smith, and George Slutter are among those who have been engaged in active business here.
The village has a daily mail from Columbiana. The postmasters have been Nicholas Eckes, George Smith, S. F. Hadley, John Peters, To- bias Elser, and George Slutter.
Among the keepers of public houses are re- membered John Peters, William May, S. F. Hadley, Joseph Thompson, and a few others who sometimes entertained strangers without having regular inns.
Christian Seidner and John May have oper- ated saw-mills on the brook southeast of the vil- lage ; and below, on the same stream, Solomon Crouse had an early grist-mill. The location is now occupied hy steam and water power grist- and saw-mills. In the village a steam saw-mill put up prior to 1860 by Diser, Shale & Felger is still in operation.
The first distiller was Joseph Davis, many years ago. A grain and fruit distillery are now running in the village.
A tannery was at one time carried on by Conrad & Shawacre.
In 1872 William May and Adam Seidner
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built a foundry in the lower part of the village. In 1878 it was removed to its present location, where, by the aid of steam-power, stoves, plows, and agricultural implements are produced.
The New Springfield Bent works are the out- growth of a small business established by George Felger & Son near the square. In August, 1877, their shop was destroyed by fire, together with the dwellings of J. S: Shearer and S. F. Hadley. A large building was then erected on the out- skirts of the village, in which the business has since been carried on, with the aid of steam- power.
Besides the industries mentioned, the village has carriage shops, tin shop, harness shops, and a half dozen other shops, where the ordinary trades are carried on.
Professional men have not been very numer- ous. The first physician was Dr. Louis Zeigler, followed by A. King, Dustin, Hamilton, Hein- man, William Stafford, and R. E. Warner. Hor- ace Macklin is the only practicing lawyer ever located in the village. Three sons of George Miller, Isaiah, Eli, and Aaron, have become ministers of the Lutheran church.
NEW MIDDLETON,
a bright little village of two hundred and fifty inhabitants, is located on section ten, chiefly on Youngstown street. It was laid out before 1825 by Samuel Moore, and additions have been made by William Brotherton and John Miller. David Shearer put up the first frame house just north of the mill.
A small store was opened about 1830 by Joshua Dixon, in a house now occupied by D. Metz. He was followed in trade by Adam Powers and David Shearer. Later came Brun- gard & Davison, at the stand where was after- wards Tobias Hahn. The store was burned in 1851, and was rebuilt by Hahn. It was after- wards occupied by Henry Miller, Tobias Hahn, and at present contains the store of John F. Smith. South of this building Henry Miller put up and occupied a good business house, which was burned in 1870, when occupied by Brungard & Brother. Seven years later Tobias Hahn opened a large store near by, which, in August, 1878, was robbed and burned by the burglars to prevent detection. Besides the store mentioned, there are in trade J. G. Smith, H. A.
Whelk, and R. L. Floor, the latter having a drug store.
The establishment of the post-office cannot be clearly determined. Among the postmasters have been David Shearer, T. Hahn, David John- son, Henry Miller, and Abraham McCurley. The office has a daily mail from Youngstown.
As physicians are remembered Drs. Elisha Murray, Greble, Connor, Henry, Zimmerman, and Frank, R. L., and John Floor.
The first public house was kept by Samuel Moore, before 1830, in a building which stood on the site of J. G. Bacher's residence. In the old house Adam Powers, John B. Miller, Wil- liam Forbus, and David Johnson were among the keepers. The latter built the present house after the destruction of the old one, in 1851. At this stand Oliver Stanford was the last landlord. South of this place was another public house, in which Shearer, Dixon, Cox, and others, kept entertainment. At one time the village had four taverns.
About the first attempt at manufacturing in the village was made in 1841 by Welker, Pease & Co., who put up a carding-mill which was operated by horse-power. In after years there was a distillery in this building ; and still later machinery was supplied to carry on the manu- facture of linseed oil. Steam-power was then employed. In 1871, while the property of T. Hahn, the building was burned to the ground.
In 1849 Welker & Brungard put up a steam saw-mill. In 1870 a stock company of twenty members was formed to build a steam grist-mill in the village. After the lapse of several years this property passed into the hands of Fred. Fouser, and was destroyed in the conflagration of August 27, 1878. The present mill was soon after built by Mr .- Fouser, and is now success- fully operated. The village has a full comple- ment of the ordinary mechanic-shops.
On section six, Adam Hahn, the original set- tler there, had a saw-mill on Yellow creek before 1805 ; later, his son Andrew had a mill, and at present the Printz family have here in operation a steam saw-mill.
John Ratliff
TOWNSHIPS AND VILLAGES
OF
TRUMBULL COUNTY, OHIO.
CHAPTER I. HOWLAND.
GENERAL FEATURES.
Howland, the fourth township in the third range, lies east of the adjoining township of Warren, between it and Vienna. Bazetta 1s north and Weathersfield south of it. The city limits of Warren encroach slightly upon its west- ern line.
The Mahoning river cuts across a small corner in the southwest of Howland. Mosquito creek, here a stream of considerable size, flows through the township from north to south, dividing its surface into two very nearly equal portions. The land is rolling. On the cast side of the creek a crest of considerable height rises gradually, be- ing two hundred feet above the level of the stream, and on the west side about one hundred and fifty.
East of the creek the soil is somewhat sandy and gravelly; on the west side it contains more or less clay. The improvements in this town- ship are very marked. Good farms, with many costly and beautiful houses, large and convenient barns, well-fenced fields and carefully tilled gar- dens, show that the residents of this township are possessed of wealth, enterprise and good taste.
The towns of Warren and Niles afford con- venient and ready markets, and abundant rail- road privileges for farmers and shippers of pro- duce. Real estate is constantly appreciating in value. No agricultural community in Trumbull county is more fortunate in its location than Howland township.
PIONEER SETTLEMENT.
Excepting one family, the first settlers of How- land were Pennsylvanians.
The honor of making the first settlement in this township belongs to Captain John H. Ad- gate, who penetrated the wilderness of this sec- tion, bringing his family with him in 1799. He owned one thousand six hundred acres of land in the southwest of the township and here he built the first cabin and made the first clearing. Captain Adgate's children were Sally, Belinda, Caroline, John H., Nancy, Charles, Ulysses, and James. Benoni Ockrum, a Stockbridge Indian, also lived with this family. John H., Jr., re- mained some years on the old homestead, then moved away. Several of his sons reside in How- land.
Soon after Captain Adgate came John Earl, Michael Peltz, John Daily, James Ward, John Reeves, Jesse Bowell, John Ewalt, and Joseph Quigley, most of whom made permanent settle- ment in 1802.
John Earl settled on the farm now owned by C. Milliken. Sixteen strong, active, and healthy boys and girls were his children. The sons were Ebenezer, Edward, Moses, John, George, Wash- ington, William, and Charles. There were eight daughters. Our informant remembers the name of seven of them-Rebecca, Susan, Betsey, Nancy, Mary, Sarah, and Olive. The father moved to Lordstown after several years' resi- dence here.
Michael Peltz, a genuine specimen of the genus homo commonly denominated Dutchmen, moved away about 1814, or soon after. He acted as a drummer on several occasions when
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there were military parades. It is related that when the first tidings of the opening movements of the War of 1812 reached Howland Michael got hold of the news. Not knowing what was meant by it he determined to consult the 'squire, who he doubtless supposed held the concen- trated wisdom of the township, and having found 'Squire Heaton he asked : "'Squire, vat dey means by all dis talk, eh ? Have de Prit- ishers done some dinks pad ?" Like every Hea- ton the 'squire was fond of a joke, and answered the Dutchman thus : "Yes, bad enough, think. They have set Lake Erie on fire and burned the whole it." Michael believed the 'squire-who would question a statement from such an authority ?- and with his eyes distended with astonishment went home to his "frau" and narrated to her the wonderful doings of "de Pritishers." "You old fool," said she, "you tinks the Pritishers can purn up a lake ? A lake is wasser ! Go out and feed dem pigs." And crestfallen and humbled he obeyed.
Jesse Bowell moved from Green county, Penn- sylvania, to Howland in 1801 or 1802. He mar- ried Rebecca Hank, and they had the following children : Calvin, David, John, Bazil, Hannah, Rebecca, and Jesse. Mr. Bowell went to the War of 1812, and returned home to die soon after. Mrs. Bowell afterwards married John Cherry, from Washington county, Pennsylvania, a Howland settler of 1807, and had by him two children, Daniel and Margaret. Three members of this family are now living, John Bowell, in Washington county, Pennsylvania ; Daniel Cher- ry, in Howland, and Mrs. Margaret Mason, Weathersfield. David died young ; the others all reached years of maturity. Bazil, Jesse, and Hannah (Luse) died in Niles ; Rebecca (Luse) died in Illinois ; Calvin died in Mahoning coun ty. Mr. Cherry died in 1846, aged sixty-three ; Mrs. Cherry in 1864 at the age of eighty-seven.
John Daily settled on the Kinsman farm, but moved away early. James Ward did not remain later than 1814.
John Reeves, Sr., was a permanent settler, having located on lot twelve in 1803. His son John still lives upon the old farm. Other sons were Jesse, Abner, Ephraim, and Samuel Q. There were three daughters, Sarah, Eugenia, and Nancy.
John Ewalt settled on the farm which is now
the property of his son Harris. He reared a good sized family. Harris, and Z. T., of How- land; Jacob, of Bazetta, and John, who resides near Pittsburg, are his sons. One of the daugh- ters, Mrs. Abigail Wainright, is also living in Pittsburg.
Joseph Quigley settled on the Deacon Smith farm, now the Ratliff farm, but moved away early.
William Kennedy in 1805 settled on the farm now belonging to Ebenezer Brown. He was a miller, and worked in Warren, Liberty, and other parts of the county. His son Samuel M. lived and died in Howland. Another son, Wil- liam A., is still living in the township.
Dr. John W. Seely in 1806 settled where Milo McCombs now lives. This farm was first im- proved by Jesse Bowell about 1802. Among Dr. Seely's sons were Richard L., Dr. Sylvanus, and William.
Isaac Heaton and James, his brother, settled in the southeastern part of Howland in 1805. James sold out to Abraham Drake and went to Weathersfield. Isaac, universally known to the settlers as 'Squire Heaton, lived and died in How- land. He had but two children -- a daughter, Maria, and a son, Dr. Heaton, who practiced in Warren with distinguished success. 'Squire Heaton, being the magistrate of the township, of course had many disputes to settle. But he always strove to adjust matters and have the dis- putants settle their difficulty, if possible, without resorting to legal proceedings. Once a young lawyer from Warren took exception to one of the 'squire's rulings and said to him, " Why, 'squire, that isn't law !" "Law, law? what do I care about law? All the law I want is here," returned the 'squire laying his hand upon his old leather-covered Bible. He was a man of good judgment and sound common sense, though of limited education.
Abraham Drake settled in 1805. His sons were Abraham, Jacob, Aaron, and George, all of whom are dead. Jacob lived on the old home- stead. Abraham and Aaron also resided in the township. George moved to Wooster.
Barber King settled in 1806. He was from Massachusetts and was the only Yankee of the settlement. He had five sons: Jonathan, James, Samuel, William, and David B., and two daugh- ters, Anna and Sarah. The sons all settled,
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lived, and died in this vicinity. Sarah is still living. William lived on the old homestead, where his son James F. now resides.
William Wilson in 1806 settled on land now owned by James F. Kennedy. He moved away about 1812.
Thomas Crooks, another settler of 1806, died early. His widow brought up the family, which was a large one. Thomas, Robert, and John, her sons, remained in Howland, and died here. William died in Bazetta. Henry and Samuel moved away. There were also two daughters.
William Medley, an early settler in the north- east of the township, had a family of sixteen chil- dren. One of his sons still resides in Bazetta, and one in Vienna. Other members of this family are scattered widely.
John and Uriah Williams were settlers of 1803. Uriah lived in the southeast of the township, near the springs. His son John, still living, is one of the oldest residents of Howland. One daughter, Mrs. Drake, is still living in Warren.
John Williams lived on the Perkins farm, west of the creek. His sons were Joseph and Benja- min.
ORGANIZATION.
In 1812 the commissioners of Trumbull coun- ty organized township four, range three, into a separate township and election district. Who the first township officers were cannot be learned, as the early records have been lost. Howland was named from the purchaser, James Howland, who paid $24,000 for Howland and Greene town ships.
FOOD AND CLOTHING OF PIONEERS.
Fortunate indeed was it for the pioneers that they possessed the rare quality, contentment, which the luxurious tastes of modern times have in no small measure destroyed. They were enabled to live up to that sound precept of Horatian philosophy which advises men to "pre- serve an equal mind in adversity," and blessed with such a mind, they were thankful in pros- perity and patient under afflictions. At their rude firesides they ate the bread which their toil had earned, and though it was coarse, it was wholesome, and far ahead of many articles of modern cookery in nutritious qualities. Plenty of exercise rendered digestion healthy, and good appetites made every article of food relish.
Corn-bread was a staple article of food-would that it still were. Johnny-cake, as it was called, was usually baked in this wise : the dough having been spread on a smooth board, kept especially for this purpose, was placed before the hot, roar- ing fire, and some young member of the family directed to watch it. The side next the fire would quickly bake, then the board was turned around and the other side received the heat in turn. Careful tending and a good fire soon finished the job, and the johnny cake, beauti- fully browned and steaming hot, was placed upon the table with good fresh milk in bowls, and big spoons. There was a supper fit for a king.
Potatoes, buckwheat cakes, or biscuits, often venison and sometimes bear-steak, were about the only kinds of food, always excepting the johnny cake. Dutch ovens were perhaps the most use- ful kitchen utensils-excepting the johnny-cake board. The Dutch oven was an iron kettle which was provided with a cover capable of hold- ing a heap of fire coals. The oven was placed upon the coals, and the heat thus applied to both top and bottom usually resulted in what house- keepers called a good bake, while none of the savory odors of the cooking food could escape. Stoves, ranges, and all other modern improve- ments in kitchen utensils are good and useful enough, yet probably as well-tasting dishes were prepared in Dutch ovens as any now produced by masters of the culinary art.
In the matter of clothing, too, eighty years have wrought wonderful changes. During the first years of this settlement every article of clothing worn by men, women, and children was manufactured in the homes of the wearers. Mr. John Ratliff, son of a Howland pioneer, says that until he was sixteen years of age he never saw a dress-coat of broadcloth or similar material upon any man.
Every farmer kept a few sheep, the wool of which was carded, spun, and woven by the hands of the female members of the family. Cotton was bought just as it was taken from the bale, carded with hand cards, and spun into warp. Wool, after undergoing similar processes, made the filling, and the cloth made from these two materials in old-fashioned looms was cut and made into garments for winter wear. Long frocks reaching below the knee were made for men and boys. Butternut bark or the bark of
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some other tree furnished the dye-stuff which was used in coloring the cloth.
Summer clothing was usually made from cloth of tow and linen warp and cotton filling. Why did not women buy calico for dresses? Perhaps it is sufficient answer to this question to state that calico was fifty cents per yard and butter only six cents a pound. These home-made garments were worn to church and all other gatherings. Could a lady in a fashionable suit such as are now worn have been seen among the country maids and matrons of those days, she would have seemed like a creature from another land if not from another world.
Buckskin was considerably worn by men; but as it was usually but imperfectly tanned, after a short season of use and a few wettings it became stiff and hard and had to be laid aside.
EARLY SCHOOLS.
The first school-house was built on the 4th of July near where Ward lived, on lot eighteen. A term of school was taught in it the same year by Ruth Alford. This old building was a sim- ple structure of logs. Its benches were rude and primitive, formed from slabs without backs or other appliances for the rest of the arms and body. Boards upon wooden pins driven into the wall formed the pupil's writing desk. In those days a boy or girl, after a hearty breakfast of johnny-cake and bacon, required no sup- port for an aching back-a thing to them un- known. And as for comfortable heating fur- naces, to dry wet clothing or warm cold fingers and cold feet, these were provided in the shape of a huge fire-place which extended entirely across one side of the house. This was kept in full blast by long, heavy logs, which were rolled into it from time to time. The simplicity of this style of heating apparatus, however, yielded after a while to the aristocratic notions of Mr. Heaton, who supplied the building with a rudely formed cast-iron stove, manufactured at Heaton's furnace.
Other log-houses were built early, among them one in the northwest of the township, and an- other in the King neighborhood. John Ewalt taught in the former about 1812. About 1814 Montgomery Anderson taught in the King dis- trict.
One after another, as they were needed, build- ings for school purposes were erected until ten had been built in the township. Not many years
ago the township was redistricted, and now there are in all but six school-houses, three on each side of Mosquito creek.
CHURCHES.
The first religious meeting in this township, or the first in which a sermon was preached, was held at the house of John Reeves in 1803. A Baptist minister conducted the services.
Rev. Joseph Curtis, pastor of the Warren church, organized a Presbyterian church about 1815, with thirteen members. In 1820 a log building was erected in the northeast of the township, which served both as church and school-house. In this building a Methodist church of about ten members was organized in 1821. After Rev. Curtis left Warren, the Pres- byterian organization ceased to exist. We can- not learn that the Methodists ever had regular preaching here.
The Disciples' church of Howland was organ- ized in 1828. The Drake family, Jacob, Simeon, Aaron, and George, were its mainstay and sup- port. They were devout and sincere Christians of noble character. In 1830 this denomination built a church edifice near the forks of the road on Simeon Drake's farm, at a cost of about $3,000. The only church building in the town- ship at present was erected by the Disciples in 1862, at the center, and cost about $1,700. Among the early and faithful laborers in the Disciples' church were the preachers Campbell, father and son, Scott, Bentley, Hayden, Bent- ley, Henry, Bosworth, Hartzell, and others. The proximity of Howland to Warren accounts for the fewness of churches.
DR. SEELY.
About the year 1806 Dr. John W. Seely set- tled in this township and began the practice of medicine. He was a competent physician, and skilled, especially in surgery. Genial and affable toward every one, he sustained an honorable rep- utation and lived a useful life. For many years he had a large practice throughout this part of the county, and his memory is still revered by those who knew him. Soon after the opening of the canal he was seized with an apoplectic fit, and died at Akron while on a journey. His son, Dr. Sylvanus Seely, continued the practice of his father, residing in Howland, and afterwards in Warren. His death was from the same disease which carried off his father.
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FIRST EVENTS.
The first child born in this township was Sam- uel Q. Reeves, March 10, 1804.
The first marriage was in 1803, when Jack Legg and Conny Ward embarked upon the sea of mat- rimony. 'Squire Loveless performed the cere- mony.
It is not remembered who built the first frame house. The first frame barn was erected by Barber King in 1822 on the farm now owned by his son Franklin. The second frame barn was built in 1826 by John Ratliff. Both are still standing.
Dr. Seely built a stone dwelling house in the southeast of the township at an early date.
The first store was opened about 1831 by John Collins, at the corners.
Isaac Heaton was the first justice of the peace in this township.
PUBLIC OFFICERS.
In its early history, this part of Trumbull coun- ty was represented in the State Legislature by Dr. John W. Seely. Howland has also furnished the following county officers: John Ratliff, associ- ate judge ; John Reeves, treasurer; Z. T. Ewalt, treasurer; and Harris Ewalt, infirmary director.
THE BIG STORM.
Here, as in other portions of the county, the great snow storm of February, 1818, occasioned great inconvenience and some hardships. Houses were rendered almost invisible; travel- ing was almost impossible ; and even for the farmer to get from his cabin to his barn became an undertaking involving no small amount of labor. Fortunately wood was plenty and good fires cost nothing. If people had depended upon stores for their supplies of food in those days, what suffering and famine this storm would have caused.
Perhaps the wild animals suffered more than the inhabitants. Deer could scarcely move through the snow-drifts to their usual haunts, and the prowling wolf became nearly famished while engaged in a fruitless search for prey.
WILD ANIMALS AND HUNTS.
In early times bears and wolves were very plenty, and stock had to be carefully watched to save it from destruction. Sheep had to be kept closely penned at night, for they might as well have been slaughtered by their owners as to
be left in a place where it was possible for bears or wolves to reach them. Mr. Ratliff one morn- ing turned out his sheep, and before they had gone more than a few rods from his house a wolf was among the flock and soon had a sheep down. At night the howling was sometimes frightful. In one part of the forest a wolf would raise a cry, those near him would repeat it at in- tervals, others farther away would answer, and soon the sounds became so loud, so terribly dis- mal, that to the mind of a superstitious person who had never before heard them, they would have suggested that pandemonium must be close at hand.
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