USA > Ohio > Wayne County > History of Wayne County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 13
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It will be observed that Wayne county at first embraced a large scope of territory, including one-third of present Ohio, one-eighth of Indiana, the northeast corner of Illinois, including the site of Chicago, the eastern one- fifth part of Wisconsin, the whole of the state of Michigan, embracing all of Lake Michigan, one-half of the area of Lake Superior, Huron, St. Clair and the northwestern part of Lake Erie, including the battleground on which Perry's victory was achieved.
The county seat of this vast domain, that contained one hundred thirty- three thousand square miles, and was larger than England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, was located at Detroit, which city is still in a county named Wayne. The county seat remained at that point until eight years had gone by, and two years after the state constitution had been adopted and the government of Ohio had been established.
THE CONNECTICUT WESTERN RESERVE.
This was situated in the northeast part of the state and is bounded on the south by the forty-first parallel of north latitude; on the west by the present counties of Sandusky and Seneca; on the north by Lake Erie; on the east by the state line between Ohio and Pennsylvania. It had been grant- ed to the colony of Connecticut in 1662 by Charles II, and reserved by the state of Connecticut, after the American Revolution, in its deed of cession to the government of the United States, with a view to compensate its Revo-
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lutionary soldiers for losses in that war, by granting its warrant to such sufferers for portions of this reserved territory.
In 1803, by acts of the State Legislature, the counties of Montgomery, Greene and Franklin were formed. These three counties extended north to the state line, and it will be seen that they divided the original Wayne county, separating all the territory east of Franklin-it being the furtherest east of the three named counties-south of the Connecticut Western Reserve and north of the old Greenville treaty line, from the balance of the territory of Wayne county, leaving it without any county organization, form or name, and afterwards known as the New Purchase.
For five years this territory, called the New Purchase, remained without government other than as a part of the unorganized territory of the state of Ohio. By act of the General Assembly of Ohio, February 13, 1808, the boundaries of the county of Wayne were clearly defined in the third section of the act to establish the county of Stark. The entire section of this act is here given :
BOUNDARIES OF WAYNE COUNTY IN 1808.
"Section 3. Be it further enacted, that all that tract of country lying west of the tenth range and east of the sixteenth range in the said New Purchase, and south of the Connecticut Reserve, and north of the United States Military District, shall be a separate and distinct county, by the name of Wayne, but with the county of Stark attached to and made a part of Columbiana county, until the said county of Stark shall be organized (Janu- ary I, 1809), and shall thereafter be, and remain a part of the county of Stark until otherwise directed by law."-See Ohio. Leg. Reports, Vol. VI, page 155.
The first boundary of Wayne county, established by legislative enact- ment, may be more specifically defined, as follows: On the east by the present county line between Wayne and Stark counties; on the south by the old Greenville treaty line, including a strip of Holmes county, as now or- ganized, about two and a half miles wide at the west end, which strip of territory compassed all of Washington and Ripley townships in that county, nearly all of Prairie, two-thirds of Salt Creek, half of Paint, and fractions of Knox and Monroe townships; on the west by the west line of Lake, Mo- hican, Perry and Jackson townships, in Ashland county; and on the north by the present county line between Medina and Wayne.
The change of the last description was made by act of the Legislature establishing Holmes county, January 20, 1824, which took from the south
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side of Wayne county the strip of territory above referred to, lying between the old Greenville treaty line and the present southern boundary of Wayne county.
ASHLAND COUNTY TAKEN FROM WAYNE.
February 24, 1846, by act of the Legislature, Ashland county was taken from the territory of Wayne county. There have been no other changes in the territory of this once extensive county of Wayne.
WAYNE COUNTY ORGANIZED IN 1812.
By an act of the Ohio State Legislature, dated January 4, 1812, Wayne county was organized, the same taking effect March 1, 1812. This act reads as follows :
"That the county of Wayne be and the same is hereby organized into a separate county."
The same law provided that the people of the county should elect county officers on the first Monday of April, 1812, to hold their offices until the next annual election. To the year 1810, Wayne county was one entire township, by the name of Killbuck, called after the old Indian chief of that name.
ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS.
Wayne county's townships were organized in the following manner : April 11, 1812, the county was divided into four townships, to-wit: Sugar- creek, Wooster, Mohican and Prairie.
The present territory of Wayne county was surveyed by the United States surveyors in 1807. The ranges were strips of territory, six miles wide, numbered from east to west, and extending from the old Greenville treaty line northward to the south line of the Connecticut Western Reserve-a dis- tance averaging over thirty miles. These ranges were again surveyed into sec- tions of about one mile square, or containing six hundred and forty acres, and numbered from one to thirty-six, beginning at the northeast corner, and each thirty-six sections being designated a township. These townships were again numbered from the south end of each range northwardly.
Range No. II of the original government survey was the eastern and first range in the county, and in 1812 contained the originally surveyed town- ships, numbered 15, 16, 17 and 18 and a small fraction of township 14.
Range No. 12 contained a small fraction of township 14 and all of townships 15, 16, 17 and 18.
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Range No. 13 contained a small fraction of township 13 and all of townships 14, 15, 16 and 17.
Range No. 14 contained a fraction of township 17 and all of town- ships 18, 19, 20 and 21.
Range No. 15 contained a fraction of township 19 and all of town- ships 20, 21, 22 and 23.
The orders of the county commissioners, bearing date April 11, 1812, clearly defined each of the original townships as follows :
Mohican township included all of range 15 in the county, and the west half of range 14.
Prairie township, beginning at the center of range 14 and at the corner of sections 3, 4, 9, 10 in township 18, of range 14; thence east to the eastern boundary of the county ; thence south to the southeast corner of the county ; thence westwardly on the south boundary of the county, to the center of range 14, and thence north to place of beginning.
Wooster township began at the center of range 14, at the corner of sections 3, 4, 9 and 10, in township 18; thence north to the northern boundary of the county ; thence east to the range line between ranges 12 and 13; thence south on said range line to the corner of sections 1, 6, 12 and 7, in township 14 of range 13, and township 15, in range 12, and thence west to place of beginning.
Sugarcreek township contained all of the originally surveyed townships 16, 17 and 18 and the northern tier of sections in township 15, in range II, and all of the originally surveyed townships 16, 17 and 18 and the northern tier of sections in township 15, in range 12.
By order of the county commissioners, September 15, 1814, East Union and Lake townships were formed, the former embracing originally surveyed townships 16, 17 and 18 and the northern tier of sections in township 15, in range 12, the latter embracing the fraction of originally surveyed township 19 and all of township 20, in range 15, and the west half of originally sur- veyed township 18, and the west half of fractional township 17 in range 14.
September 14, 1814, four days after Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie, the county commissioners entered an order of record, changing the name of Mohican township to that of Perry.
On the 5th of June, 1815, the county commissioners formed the town- ship of Springfield, as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner of section 24, township 19 (now Plain), range 14; thence west to the northwest corner of section 20, township 18 (now Clinton) ; thence east to the southeast corner of section 24, the range line: thence north on the range line to the place of beginning.
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September 4, 1815, Chippewa township was formed, beginning at the southeast corner of section 31, of township 18, range II, original survey ; thence north, bearing to the west, to the northwest corner of section 6; thence east to the northeast corner of the county; thence south on the county line to the southeast corner of section 36; thence to the place of beginning.
Baughman township was named the originally surveyed township 17, range II, cn March 5, 1816.
Saltcreek township was established March 5, 1816, its territory includ- ing all of the originally surveyed township 15 and fractional township 14, of range 12.
At the last named session of the county commissioners, Paint township was formed from all of the originally surveyed township No. 15 and frac- tional part of township 14, in range II.
At the last date named. originally surveyed townships 20 and 21, in range 14, were named Chester township, and an order issued to the inhabit- ants to elect officers.
Wayne township was formed by order of the commissioners October 12, 1816, of the following territory: All of the originally surveyed townships 16 and 17, of range 13.
Green township was formed February 5. 1817. of all of the original townships 17 and 18, of range 12.
Congress township was formed October 5, 1818, of the originally sur- veyed township 21, of range 14.
Milton township was formed of the originally surveyed township 18, of range 12, by order of the county commissioners.
Jackson township was formed of the originally surveyed township 23, of range 15, February 1, 1819.
Canaan township was formed May 5, 1819, of the originally surveyed township 17, of range 13.
Plain township was formed as early as 1817 (no definite date now recorded), and it was composed of territory included in the original govern- ment survey of township 19, of range 14. Its formation obliterated the north half of Springfield township, formed on June 5, 1815.
Franklin township is composed of part of the originally surveyed town- ships 14 and 15, of range 13. June 7, 1820, the county commissioners bounded the township as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner of section 24, in township 15; thence south on the range line to the southeast corner of section 13, in township 14; thence west on the south side of sections 13 to 18 inclusive, to the range line on the west side of range 13; thence north
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on the range line to the northwest corner of section 6, township 14; thence east to the northeast corner of section 5; thence north to the northwest corner of section 28, township 15; thence east to the northeast corner of section 28; thence north to the northwest corner of section 22, township 15; thence east to place of beginning.
March 7, 1825, and after the formation of Holmes county, in 1824, by order of the county commissioners the above last-named township was enlarged by the attachment of the southern tiers of sections,-19 to 24 inclu- sive,-since which time no changes have been made in its boundaries.
Pike township was formed in 1817 and was composed of the exact terri- tory which now constitutes Clinton township, and the formation blotted out the south half and all the balance of Springfield left after the formation of Plain township. And thus, after a brief existence of two years, Springfield township disappeared from the records and map of Wayne county.
June 7, 1825, Clinton township, the last of the present sixteen townships of Wayne county, was formed, by an order of the commissioners of that date. Its boundaries then were the same as now, and its formation struck from the map of Wayne county the township of Pike.
Thus it will be observed how the settlement of the county, from time time, produced the organization of the various townships, and established, as the necessities of the people required, their local governments.
ORIGIN OF NAME OF WAYNE COUNTY.
This county was named in honor of Major-General Anthony Wayne, an ardent patriot of the Revolutionary war. He was a native of Waynesborough, Chester county, Pennsylvania, born January 1, 1745. He had a brilliant career and died in 1796 in a cabin at Presque Isle and, at his own request. was buried under a flag staff of the fort. In 1809, his son removed his body to Radnor cemetery, in Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where a monu- ment is erected to his honor.
CHAPTER VII.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
Wayne county was organized, as before related. January 4, 1812, and the machinery of a separate county government set in motion on the 4th of March that year. The first election for county officers was held on the first Monday in April, and such officers were to hold their term only until the next annual election. Up to 1810 what was styled Killbuck township comprised the entire county, but April 12, 1812, the county was divided into four civil townships, Sugarcreek, Wooster, Mohican and Prairie.
The first set of county officers elected were: Josiah Crawford, sheriff ; William Smith, (appointed) treasurer in 1812: Roswell M. Mason, prosecut- ing attorney ; James Morgan. Jacob Foulkes and John Carr, county commis- sioners : William Larwill, clerk of the court of common pleas; Benjamin Ruggles, president judge of the court of common pleas; Christian Smith, David Kimpton and John Cisna, associate judges.
The first work of the county commissioners was to divide the county into the four civil townships named and look after proposed roads in the newly organized county, as well as to provide some suitable place for the county offices to be established.
THE FIRST COUNTY SEAT.
The original seat of justice for Wayne county was that designated by the locating commissioners, and was on the eminence east and south of where Wooster now stands, on lands then owned by Bazaleel Wells and company, and was called Madison. It was not satisfactory to the people, whereupon the Legislature appointed new commissioners, and they selected what is now Wooster as the permanent county seat. But a single cabin was erected in Madison.
The first place of holding court was on the old "Fin" Weed livery stable grounds on East Liberty street, in an old log shanty built by John Bever. The March term, 1813, was held at the house of Josiah Crawford. In 1814 was built the Baptist church, a frame structure, in the rear of the lot where later the Reformed church was built, and in this building, for a time, court was held. The county paid fifty dollars a year rent.
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THE COURT HOUSE HISTORY.
The first court house was built by the proprietors of the town of Wooster, Messrs. Larwill, Bever and Henry, in 1819. It was among the conditions with which they agreed to comply when the county seat was changed from the original seat of justice, Madison, to Wooster, that they should erect a three-story building with a gallery, built of brick, a part of which was occu- pied by the county officers and the Freemasons order. It stood on the site of the present beautiful court house, on the northwest corner of the public square. It was burned in 1828, during a term of court, and some of the papers and public records of the court and county were lost. It was in 1823 that a bell was placed on this building, the same being a donation by John Bever, one of the townsite men.
The next court house was erected in 1831-32 and from the files of the Advocate, dated September, 1833, it is gleaned that "the court house is a noble edifice, only finished this spring, and cost seven thousand, two hundred dollars ($7.200). It is doubtless the handsomest in the state, if not in the United States, and confers much credit on the enterprising architect, Mr. Mc- Curdy. It is covered with lead, and from the cupola may be had an agreeable, variegated view of the village and surrounding country."
Among the novel and attractive features of the superstructure were two large metal balls, made of copper, by John Babb, and these ornamented the spire. They held, of liquid measure, about twenty-five gallons and one and a half gallons, respectively.
Within this court house many an early-day scene in the history of the county was enacted. It stood as a safe and substantial building until time had wrought its inroads on its walls and it finally became a dilapidated, dangerous building, no longer safe for use as a public building. In the sum- mer of 1877 the city council of Wooster condemned it as a public building and later the county commissioners, after fully investigating its condition, confirmed the opinion of the city council. The place for holding court was then transferred to France's Hall, on West Liberty street, where its sessions were held until a new court house could be provided.
February 16 and 18, 1878, meetings of the members of the Wayne county bar and other citizens were held in Wooster to take action, by which the matter of a new court house should be set in motion. Hon. John Mc- Sweeney was chairman of this meeting the first day and Hon. John P. Jeffries on the last day. Col. Benjamin Eason and Capt. A. S. McClure acted in the capacity of secretaries.
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A committee was selected to prepare a memorial to the Legislature, setting forth the need of a new building, and also to draft a bill to be pre- sented to the Legislature for its approval, authorizing the county commis- sioners to issue bonds in an amount not exceeding seventy-five thousand dollars, with which to erect a new court house, the same to be built in the city of Wooster. Such committee was composed of the following named gentlemen : Hon. George Rex, John H. Kauke, Esq., Judge J. H. Downing, Hon. Ben Eason, D. D. Miller, Esq., Capt. A. S. McClure, Col. E. P. Bates, J. K. McBride, John Zimmerman, Esq., Hon. M. Welker, Hon. Aquila Wiley, Hon. John Brinkerhoff, E. Quinby, Jr., Esq., Hon. John P. Jeffries, Hon. E. B. Eshleman, A. T. Thomas, Esq., Hon. John McSweeney, Ohio F. Jones, Esq., Hon. C. C. Parsons, M. C. Rouch, Esq., G. P. Emrich, Esq., Prof. L. Firestone, Hon. J. W. Baughman.
The memorial and bill were duly sent on to the state capital and thus was laid the legal foundation for the construction of the handsome court house that still serves well its purpose. It stands on the site of all previous court houses in Wayne county and is a model of excellence and safety for the valuable records of the county, its courts and officials.
When the court house was finished it was not properly divided, in regard to rooms, and with the passing of years improvements in the floors, etc., were found necessary for the comfort and convenience of those connected with the offices and courts, so, in 1909, the county commissioners wisely decided to expend not to exceed ten thousand dollars in such repairs and changes as were needed. The work is now in progress.
The years have passed, and the minutes and hours that have made up the days and months have been ticked off and truly noted by a "city clock" which hangs in the high tower of this court house, the bell attached thereto being one of unusually clear and musical tone.
WAYNE COUNTY JAILS.
While, as a general rule, the citizens of this section of Ohio have been law-abiding people, yet, in common with all other counties, there has from the first been a pressing demand for some safe place in which to keep offend- ers of the law from escaping before final trials, and hence the jail has always been numbered among the necessities of the county. The first jail built by this county was situated on lot No. 57. and was purchased by the commis- sioners of John Bever for the sum of two hundred dollars. Bids were had for the construction of a jail, July 13, 1816, and the lowest responsible bidder was Benjamin Jones, who contracted with the county to erect one for one
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thousand three hundred and eleven dollars. He furnished the required bond and complied with the following terms :
"The building to be so far completed as to have room No. 2, east of the entrance and hall, finished in every respect on or before the Ist day of January, 1817, and to give the commissioners, Oliver Jones, Samuel Mitchell and Robert McClaran, possession of said room by that day; the balance of the building to be completed before the Ist day of May, 1817. One-third of the amount to be paid on the execution of the contractor's bond; one- third to be paid when room No. 2 is completed, and the remaining installment three months after the completion of the job."
The records show that on August 7, 1817, the commissioners accepted the finished jail as having been constructed according to contract. The building was constructed chiefly of timbers taken from the old block-house, called "Fort Stidger," erected by General Stidger, of Canton. It may not be lacking in interest to more minutely describe this pioneer jail. It was twenty-six feet outside of the walls each way, and was forty feet from the northwest corner of the lot. Its foundations were of "good stone" laid in good lime mortar. The floor was of oak timber, laid on sleepers of sufficient size and number. It was one story high, eleven feet between floor and ceiling, the walls being of hewed timber not less than eight inches square and notched together at the corners, "so as to be strong and close." In some of the rooms the logs were doubled. Over the entire interior was laid a floor eight inches thick, made from hewed logs. The eaves were boxed with plain boxing, the gable ends weather-boarded, and the whole was covered with a shingle roof. It contained four door frames, of good and sufficient size to make it secure, "fitted to the ends of the logs that were cut off," and was "well spiked with at least four good and sufficient spikes," not less than three-quarters of an inch square. It had "four good and sufficient doors, planed and plowed, of . two-inch stuff, or of such stuff as would make the doors four inches thick." The boards were put across each other, and made with at least four "good and sufficient iron straps to run lengthwise of the door, and at the base four straps of the same kind." The doors were hung with three "good and suffi- cient iron straps and hooks to each, of sufficient strength to make it secure." Each door had a good strong lock on the inside and on the outside, "the doors to the entry having a double set of iron bars."
The building contained a hall and three rooms, marked Nos. 1, 2 and 3. The lower floor was laid with oak plank, planed and grooved, well nailed down. The rooms were lined on each side and overhead, with "dry two-inch plank." Rooms 2 and 3 were well covered with a "good coat of coarse sand
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and small gravel well beat in, so as to fill each crevice between the logs and then it had a good coat of lime mortar plastered over it."
Such is the description of the commissioners who entered into contract with the builder, to furnish a good jail for Wayne county, and from the wording, it appears that all was "good and sufficiently" constructed.
It is believed that the first prisoner to be lodged within the oaken walls of the "sufficient" jail was one Thomas Porter, "a prisoner who had escaped from jail and other service," as he was advertised by Joseph Barkdull. He was confined here as early as 1818.
A "jailor's house" was built in 1824, adjoining the jail just mentioned.
The second jail of the county was known as the "Stone Jail" and was built in 1839 by O. Boughton. It was a solid, dungeon-like building, in which were incarcerated many of the Wayne county and Wooster offenders of the laws of the commonwealth. It was burned December 18, 1863, during the Civil war period, Sheriff Wilson, the then official incumbent, occupying it. At the date of the fire there were confined in it a boy (John Bowers), and Isaac Wiler for attempting to kill his wife.
The next jail was built on the northwest corner of North Walnut and North streets, and was counted among the finest jails in Ohio, when it was erected in the early seventies. It was built of both brick and stone, and cost a large sum of money.
OLD AND NEW COUNTY OFFICE BUILDINGS.
Aside from the court house and jail, there have also been other county buildings for the use of the county officials. These are now spoken of as the "old" and the "new" county buildings. The first set of these offices came about in the following manner :
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