USA > Ohio > Erie County > History of the Fire lands, comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers > Part 33
USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of the Fire lands, comprising Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers > Part 33
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his men engaged were killed or wounded. His horse was shot from under him at Antietam, Chaneellorsville, and Locust Grove. He was severely wounded at Gettysburg, Morton's Ford, and Spottsylvania, at the latter place the wound dis- abling him from further service and partially paralyzing the left side. During the draft-riots he was sent to the city of New York with his regiment, and occupied a position on Brooklyn Heights until the consummation of the draft.
Promotion was several times tendered him, but he preferred to remain with his "gallant old 8th." His popularity with his men was unbounded, his ability as an officer was con- ceded, and his absolute bravery in battle unquestioned. The rank of brevet brigadier-general was conferred for meritorious conduct during the war.
In the fall of 1864 he visited the Ohio troops on the line of the Mississippi, New Orleans, Kentucky, Tennessee, Northern Alabama, and Georgia, on a special commission from Gov. Brough. He then acted as assistant judge advocate in the office of Judge Advocate Gen. Holt, at Washington, until the elose of the war, and the triumphal return of the Union army to Washington, in June, 1865.
In 1865 he was elected representative to the Legislature for Huron County on the Republican ticket, and served two sessions. Was a member of the committees on finance, schools, and the agricultural college fund. The Cleveland Leader, in a review of this Legislature, said of him: "Few men in the State achieved a brighter reputation in the recent war than Gen. Sawyer, the member for Huron. As a legislator he is chiefly distinguished for his ability in presenting his case and ' dumfounding' his adversary, if anybody has the temerity to oppose him. For real humor, as well as solid argument, he has few superiors. Sometimes his rare blending of humor and argument would convulse with laughter the entire house, and upset the gravity of everybody within hearing."
In May, 1867, he was appointed one of the registers in bankruptcy for the Northern District of Ohio, which office he has held during the existence of the aet, a period of over twelve years, being regarded as a careful and impartial officer. He has also during this period continued successfully in his law practice. Gen. Sawyer has always taken a lively interest in the prosperity of Norwalk. He was a trustee of the Nor- walk Institute for several years, and until it was discontinued on account of the non-popular publie-school system, and was then for fifteen years a member of the board of education of the union schools.
As a lawyer he occupies a prominent position at the Bar, and is regarded as a man of strict integrity ; he is an interest- ing speaker and ready debater, and a thorough student of literature and history.
He was married to Lucinda M. Lathrop, Jan. 30, 1848, who died June 12, 1854. Nov. 29, 1855, he was married to Eliza- beth B. Bostwick, of Delaware Co., N. Y., who died Jan. 6, 1878. He has one son, Frank, who is being educated for the profession of the law.
135
HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
The location having been settled, Mr. Whittlesey proposed to deed the entire town plat, except lots number one, twelve, thirteen and twenty-four, to cer- tain individuals if they would relieve him from his liabitity on the foregoing bond. His proposition was accepted, and on May 30, 1818, they executed to him the following bond of indemnity:
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That we, David Underhill, Peter Tice, Levi Cole, Platt Benedict and Daniel Tilden, of Huron county, are held and stand firmly bound unto Elisha Whittlesey in the penal sum of eight thousand dollars, to the payment of which we bind our- selves. our heirs, executors and administrators, firmly by these presents. Signed with our hands and sealed with our seals this, the thirtieth day of May, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen
The condition of this hond is such that whereas the said Elisha Whit_ tlesey, heretofore at our request, became bound as principal in a certain bond executed by him to Abijah Comstock, treasurer of the county of Huron aforesaid and his successors in said office, in the penal sum of eight thousand dollars, conditioned for the payment of three thousand four hundred and forty dollars, or thereabouts, to certain individuals therein named, beiug the damages assessed to be paid to them by the appraisal of Abraham Tappan and William Wetmore, commissioners appointed to remove the seat of justice in Huron county ; and. also, having this further condition that the donation should be kept good for the benefit of the county aforesaid, reference heing had to said bord returned to the clerk of the court of common pleas, and by him entered on the journal of said court.
Now, therefore, if the said David Underhill, Peter Tice, Levi Cole, Platt Benedict and Daniel Tilden, shall exonerate and save harmless the said Elisha Whittlesey from all suits, legal liabilities and costs of. in and concerning said hond, by performing the conditions therein con. tained, as they severally become due, then this bond to be void and of no effect, otherwise to be and remain in full force and effect.
Signed and sealed the day and year above.
DAVID UNDERHILL, [L.s.]
In presence of
PETER TICE,
[L.s.]
C S. HALE,
PLATT BENEDICT,
[L.S.]
DANIEL TILDEN.
[L.s.]
NOTE .- Copied from the original, now in possession of Miner Cole, Esq.
The foregoing bond having been executed May 30, 1818, on June 8, 1818, Mr. Whittlesey executed, in favor of the parties who signed said bond, a deed of lots from one to forty-eight, being the whole of Nor- walk town plat, except public lots one, twelve, thir- teen and twenty-four, which is recorded in volume II, of Huron county record of deeds, at page 445.
These parties afterwards fulfilled their obligations assumed in the two bonds, and in 1820 partitioned the lots among themselves by a joint deed, which is recorded in volume II, of Huron county record of deeds, at page 884.
At a meeting of the county commissioners on October 21, 1818, the following resolution was passed:
Ordered, By the commissioners, that notice be given that the commis- sioners will, on the first Monday of December next, receive proposals for the building of a court-house, forty by thirty feet, aud a jail.
Previous to that, however, and npon the consuma- tion of the bargain between Mr. Whittlesey and the five who had executed the foregoing bond, the latter had commenced the erection of a court house, under a contract with William Gallup as builder, and had it so far completed that on the third Tuesday of Octo- ber, 1818, the first term of the court at the "new county seat " was held in it.
On Monday, December 7, 1818, the commissioners caused the following entry to be made in their journal:
" Commissioners purchased a building of David
Underhill & Co., for a court house, for the sum of eight hundred and forty-eight dollars, which is to apply on their donations given at the sand ridge, except four hundred and fifty dollars, which is to be allowed to William Gallup."
The original subscription papers for the county- seat fund cannot now be found, and it is therefore impossible to determine whether the three hundred and ninety-eight dollars, above applied "on their donations given at the sand ridge," was the amount, or part of the amount, of the individual subscrip- tions of the five, composing "David Underhill & Co," but as the subscriptions were made for the benefit of the county, it is most probable that the papers were in the hands of the county officers for collection, and that by the above application they collected the whole or a part of the individual donations of Underhill, Tice, Cole, Benedict and Tilden, and paid Gallup his four hundred and fifty dollars, balance due on build- ing, in county orders (which another part of their journal shows), trusting to further collections to meet the orders.
At a meeting of the commissioners, held March 2, 1819, they cansed the following entry to be made in their journal:
"Contracted with Platt Benedict to build a jail, twenty-four by forty-six, two stories, for the sum of twelve hundred and seventy-five dollars."
This contract was sub-let to Hallet Gallup, and on Angust 8, 1819, the commissioners caused the follow- ing entry to be made in their journal:
"Commissioners agreed to accept the jail from Hallet Gallup, and have deducted twenty dollars from the contract, for work which remains unfinished, and have paid the balance, with this proviso: the said Gallup claims that he has done some extra work, which the contract and custom does not require, which question the said Gallup and the commissioners have agreed to submit to some disinterested judges, and abide their decree. Said decision to be submitted to S. Benton, Timothy Baker and Frederick Forsyth."
The contract price of this jail was paid in county orders, the commissioners probably relying upon the collection of donation subscriptions to meet them.
The old court house was removed many years ago, to give place to the present brick structure, and now stands in all its original "beauty" on Whittlesey avenue, and is the present "Central Hotel."
The old jail was removed in 1872. to give place to the present Parker Block, and now stands on Rule street, north side, between Huron and Wooster streets, as a dwelling house. It, however, had not been used as a jail since about 1837.
FIRST POST OFFICE.
Up to August, 1816, the new settlers received and sent their mail from the post office at Huron. This was so inconvenient that Maj. Underhill, meeting Judge Ruggles one day, represented to him the diffi- culty and annoyance of carrying on correspondence
NATHAN STRONG,
LEVI COLE, [L.S.]
136
HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OIIIO.
with the east. Ruggles replied: "Find a postmaster, and I will write to the department and have the appointment made." Dr. Joseph Pearce was selected, Rnggles fulfilled his promise, and the appointment was, in due time, made, and received as a ray of light penetrating into an oppressive darkness. The follow- ing extraet from a letter written by Harriet Underhill, to her sister, Mrs. Horace Morse, in Herkimer, New York, refers to this appointment. The letter is dated "Ridgefield, August 6, 1816."
After referring to family matters, the writer says: "Ma wishes you to write and let us know when you are coming out here. Perhaps you think of taking us by surprise, but do not think of that, for we shall hear all the news that is stirring, for this day a post office has been established here, and Dr. Pearce is postmaster. Please direct your letters to Norwalk Post Office."
This office was kept at the house of Levi Cole (Ben- jamin Newcomb's second house), on the present Miner Cole farm, until, in July, 1818, when Mr. Pearce resigned and his resignation was accepted.
The total business done by the office,, while held by Dr. Pearce, is shown by the following statement of account made out at Washington, at that time, and found among the papers of Platt Benedict, now in possession of the writer:
JOSEPH PEARCE, Esq., late Postmaster, Norwalk, Ohio, in account with the General Post office.
DR. CR.
To bal, due on his post office ac't. FROM
1817
Angust 22 to October 1, 1816, 1.65
January 29, By Cash $ 5.00
October 1 to Dec. 31, "
3.73
January 1 to April 1, 1817, 8.92
April 1 to July 1. 13.98
1819
July 1 to October 1, 4 11.61
January 1, By Draft in favor
October 1 to Dec. 31, 11.09
David Abbott $2.00
January 1 to April 1, 1818. 96
April
1 to July 1, 20,21
Balance 5.85
$28 00
$78.00
FIRST VILLAGE POST OFFICE.
Dr. Pearce having tendered his resignation, the following letter was sent to him from the department, the original of which is now in the writer's possession :
GENERAL POST OFFICE, CITY OF WASHINGTON, 25 July, 1818.
SIR:
Your letter resigning the office of postmaster at Norwalk, Ohio, has been received, and accepted. It has been concluded to appoint Mr. Platt Benedict to fill the vacancy ; a bond for his signature is enclosed and you will oblige me by seeing it done with proper surety, and then return it, with a certificate that he has taken the requisite oaths, to this office. When those papers are received here, R commission will be made out and forwarded to him, and you will then, or as soon as the bond is forwarded, if more convenient, hand over to him all the articles of post office property in your possession, the moneys due to this office excepted. Yours respectfully,
JOSEPH PEARCE, Esq.
At that time, Platt Benedict was living in a log house, which stood on the lot, and in the rear of where the present Gallup block now stands. That log house was built in September. 1817. upon the site of one built by Mr. Benedict in the spring 1817,-
but burned down early in September of that year,- these two being the first houses erected within the present corporate limits of Norwalk.
The office was at once removed by Mr. Benediet to his residence, and the first post office in the village was there opened and kept until 1819; and the first mail brought only one letter and one newspaper. In that year Mr. Benedict erected and moved into his "splendid new brick house," (the first briek structure erected within the present limits of Huron county), now forming part of the present Gallup block, in the rear. In the little room (back of store room number fourteen, East Main street, now used as a fitting room by S. C. Kinsley, fancy goods merchant,) the post office was opened up "in state," and there kept, until Picket Latimer and Harvey G. Morse, some years afterwards, opened a general store, in a building standing about where Harley's grocery now is, (store room number nine, West Main street), when it was removed to that location, and put in charge of Jonas B. Benedict, (son of Platt Benedict, and father of Dr. D. D. Benedict), as deputy. There it was kept at the west front seven by nine glass window, until in 1827, when Latimer & Co. moved to the "Old Red Store," standing where the Norwalk National Bank now is, (Baker & Kimball succeeding Latimer & Co. in the old stand). The post office went with Latimer & Co .. and remained there, in charge of D. A. Baker, (present president of the First Na- tional Bank), as deputy, until the early part of 1828. Asahel W. Howe, that year, leased of Horace Howard the tavern stand that is now the wooden building standing next west of Whittlesey block, so long known as the Mansion house, the sign of which is yet indis- tinctly visible on ths east end of the old brick block next west.
On January 10, 1828, Howe was sworn in as deputy, and the office was moved there. He proved to be unworthy of the trust; robbed the mails, was ar- rested, tried, convicted, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of years, and pardoned ont in about one year.
Daniel A. Baker was sworn in as deputy, on March 29, 1821, before Samuel Preston, justice of the peace, as appear by the official oath of office, now in posses- sion of the writer.
The first official draft by the department upon the Norwalk post office, was drawn against Joseph Pearce, January 1. 1819.
The second was drawn against Platt Benediet, and is as follows:
"Dols. 56 .- Cents. No. 2 GENERAL POSTOFFICE. WASHINOTON CITY, April 1, 1819. 1
SIR-At sight, pay David Abbott, or order, fifty-six dollars- cents and charge to account of this office. ABM. BRADLEY, JR.,
To PLATT BENEDICT, Esquire.
Assistant Postmaster General."
Postmaster at Norwalk, Ohio.
The official list of newspapers, pamphlets, and magazines received at this office from October 1, 1828, to January 1, 1829, shows that seventy-three copies
1818
May 14, By Cash. 1.00
R. J. MEIGS, JR.
137
HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
were received, upon which the postage was twelve dol- lars and twenty-four cents.
An official statement of account made out at Wash- ington, in 1829, shows the total business of the office from July 1, 1818, to September 1, 1829, (a period of eleven years and two months, during which the office was held by Platt Benedict), as having amounted to one thousand four hundred and thirty-five dollars and fifty-seven cents, or an average of one hundred and thirty dollars and fifty cents per year, the last year, however, from July 1. 1828, to July 1, 1829, it was one hundred and ninety-seven dollars and thirteen cents.
The present postmaster, Frederick C. Wickham, grandson of Samuel Preston, who administered the oath of office to D. A. Baker, in 1827, has kindly furnished the writer with the following statement of the business of the office, for the year ending March 31, 1879:
AMOUNT OF STAMPS, STAMPED ENVELOPES, NEWSPAPER WRAPPERS, AND POSTAL CARDS SOLD.
For the quarter ending June 30, 1878.
$ 1,607 51
September 30, 1878
1,492 84
December 31, 1878.
1,815 77
=
March 31, 1879. 1,793 86
Total for one year.
$ 6,509 98
AMOUNT COLLECTED FOR BOX RENT.
For the quarter ending June 30, 1878.
..
September 30, 1878
226 00
December 31, 1878
226 25
March 31, 1879 229 00
Total for one year.
RECEIVED FROM OTHER SOURCES.
For the quarter ending June 39, 1878.
3 26
September 30, 1878 2 86
=
:
December 31, 1878.
3 40
.€ +4
March 31, 1879 .. 5 11
Total for one year
8 14 03
Grand total for year . 87,632 01
MONEY ORDERS ISSUED.
Number of money orders issued during the year ending March 31, 1879.
3,871
Amount issued for the year.
$41,640 05
Amount of fees received for same.
460 65
Number of orders paid during the year
3,100
Amount of orders paid during the year
$41,168 97
Perhaps no single department of business in the town affords a better criterion by which to measure its growth and improvement.
In 1818-19 the office was a log dwelling house with one room,-parlor, sitting-room, bed-room, kitchen and post office in one ; its windows were set with greased paper instead of glass ; it was warmed from a huge stone-built fire-place, by burning logs, so large that a man could only put them in place by the "end over end" process : there was only one mail per week. The total receipts of the office from July 1, 1818 to July 1, 1819, were 8112.68, and postage was then twenty-five cents for each half-ounce letter.
The total population of the the whole township was probably about two hundred, which would make the average contribution of each inhabitant, to the receipts of the office, about fifty-six cents per year, or equal to about two and one-quarter letters sent by
each inhabitant during the year ; equal to about eighteen and two-thirds letters at the present three- cent rate of postage.
Sixty years have rolled by since then, and our fathers and mothers, who were then the actors upon the stage of life, are now sleeping in their quiet, silent graves ; a new and busy generation of men and women, mostly strangers to them, fill, according to their ability, the vacant places.
And to-day, that post office is housed in a commo- dious room, upon the same premises where it was first opened, nearly sixty-one years ago ; its windows are of plate glass, each light of which is five and a half by ten and a half feet square, and it is fitted up with most of the modern appliances for facilitating busi- ness, and ten or twelve mails per day, arrive and de- part.
The receipts of the office, aside from the money order department, from March 1, 1878, to March 31, 1879, having been 82,632.01, and estimating the present population of the township at nine thousand, would average a contribution, by each inhabitant, to those receipts, of about eighty-five cents, or at three cents per half-ounce letter, would equal the annual sending of nearly sixty-five letters by each inhabitant now, as against the two and one-quarter letters sent in 1818-19.
As a conclusion, based upon the foregoing figures, while the population has increased in those sixty years, only about forty-times, the annual receipts of the post office have increased nearly sixty-eight times, notwithstanding the fact that the rate of postage has been reduced from twenty-five, to three cents per half-ounce, or over eight times : taking that fact into consideration, the business of the office has increased about five hundred and forty-four times.
The names and date of commission of each person who has held the office, from its establishment to the present time, have been furnished the writer by the Department at Washington, and are as follows :
Joseph Pearce. .commissioned October 1, 1816
Platt Benedict.
..
October 23, 1818
Cyrus Butler
July 29, 1829
John Buckingham.
September 21, 1830
Obadiah Jenney
May 20, 1841
Daniel Mallery.
May 1, 1849
A. S. Sutton
July 6, 1853
Amos Parks.
April 30, 1857
John V. Vredenburgh.
December 15, 1858
Julius S. Coe.
December 30, 1858
Hiram Rose
=
October 24. 1871
Frederick C. Wickham
December 15, 1875
FIRST MERCHANTS.
TICE & FORSYTH (Peter Tice and Frederick For- syth), commenced business in 1818, in the " Red Store," on the corner of Main and Hester streets, where the Norwalk national bank now stands; dis- continued business about 1821.
CYRUS BUTLER commenced business as successor of Tice & Forsythe, in the " Red Store;" David M. Benedict, clerk. In 1825 built the brick store now
18
.4
226 25
16
907 50
.4
138
HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
occupied by C. H. Wines & Co .. grocers, on the Latimer property. Removed to Birmingham in 1822.
FREDERICK FORSYTH commenced business, about 1821, in a building which stood where Harley's grocery store, number nine, West Main street now is, and discontinued about 1823.
MORSE & LATIMER (Harvey G. Morse and Picket Latimer,) commenced business about 1823, in the store vacated by Forsythe, and continued there until they removed to the " Red-Store," to give place to Baker & Kimball, in 1827.
BAKER & KIMBALL (Timothy Baker and Moses Kimball,) commenced business about 1825, in the building so long used as a store by Shepard Patrick, standing where G. Jacobson's clothing store now is, store number seven. W. Main street, and in 1822 re- moved to store vacated by Morse & Latimer.
JOHN V. VREDENBURGH commenced business about 1825, in the building built by him on the lot corner of Main street and Railroad avenue, where Cline's building now stands.
EARLY MERCHANTS.
A copy of the list of merchants trading in the county of Huron, on the first day of April, A. D. 1826, with the amount of capital.
Cyrus Butler, Norwalk,* $5,000
Enos Gilbert 50
Joseph Strong, Jr.,' 1,500
.l. V. Vredenburgh, 3,000
I certify the above to be a true copy of the list of merchants in said county, doing business on the first day of April, A. D. 1826.
GEO. SHEFFIELD,
County Assessor.
* The list of the other towns Is omitted here, because not connected with the history of Norwalk.
The following are similar lists made by the county assessor for 1828, 1829, 1830 and 1831.
LIST FOR 1828.
Baker & Kimball, Norwalk .$1,500
P. Latimer & Co., .. 2,500
John V. Vredeuburgh, Norwalk 1,500
June 3, 1828.
Assessor.
NOTE-This year the name of Cyrus Butler appears in the list for Florence, capital §500.
LIST FOR 1829.
John V. Vredenburgh, Norwalk $1,000
W'm. C. Spolden, 750
Baker & Kimball, 1,500
Platt Benedict & Co., 1,500
Picket Latimer, 2,000
Tilden & Kittridge, 100
John Whyler. 44
250
June 8, 1829.
PHILO ADAMS, County Assessor.
NOTE-Butler does not appear on the list this year.
LIST FOR 1830.
Cyrus Butler & Co., Norwalk
$1,000
Baker & Kimball,
1,800
P. Latimer & Co.,
1,800
Tilden & Kittridge, ..
150
John Whyler,
500
June 1, 1830.
Assessor, Huron County.
NOTE-The name of Jolin V. Vredenburgh appears in the list for Florence, capital $600.
LIST FOR 1831.
Baker & Kimball, Norwalk £2,000
Buckingham & Sturges, Norwalk 1,500
David H. Fitch,
since April 1. .. 1,500
P. Latimer & Co., 2
.. 2,300
John Whyler, ..
since April 1 1,200
Attest: GEO. SHEFFIELD, Assessor.
NOTE-This year the name of Cyrus Butler appears as a merchant in Florence, with a capital of 8800, and J. V. Vredenburgh, with a capital of $700.
No further lists of this kind have been found, and it is probable that the practice of a general listing of merchants was abandoned after 1831, and the present mode of assessment adopted.
In addition to the list for 1828, S. A. Bronson advertised in the Norwalk Reporter of May 31, 1828:
BOOKS: ROOKS!
SEVERAL thousand volumes of Books are now received in Norwalk, among which are as follows. (Here follows a descriptive list.) Sta- tionery, &c., &c., all o: which will be sold cheap for ready pay, either in cash or produce, at the market price. Enquire of S. A. BRONSON immediately under the printing office.
Norwalk, May 27, 1828.
Also, in the issue of the Reporter of April 5, 1828, Aurelias Mason advertised:
A
JUST RECEIVED
ND for sale, by Aurelius Masou, Dried Peaches, of an excellent quality, and a quantity of Stoneware. Norwalk, April 4, 1828.
In the issue of the Reporter of June 28, 1828, John Whyler announces that he "has just opened his shop in Norwalk, adjoining the public square, where he intends keeping at all times a general assortment of tin ware, which he will sell low for cash, or most kinds of country produce."
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