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 45
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 45
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Samuel Bristol died in Florence, Erie county, at the residence of his son, August 13, 1867, within a week of eighty years of age. He possessed a large, stalwart frame, and corresponding physical strength and capacity for endurance, excelling in this respect any other man in the sectlement. Mrs. Bristol still
survives, having reached the advanced age of ninety years. She is blind, but otherwise retains her facul- ties unimpaired.
The first year of the settlement, wheat was two dol- lars and potatoes one dollar and seventy-five cents per bushel, pork thirty dollars per barrel, and oftener of the "shack" variety than otherwise. Until the land was brought under cultivation provisions were gener- ally obtained in the surrounding earlier settlements.
Erastus French joined the little band in the woods of Wakeman in the fall of 1817. He was then a young man twenty years of age. IIe made the jour- ney with one horse and a light wagon, coming by way of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then called the "southern route." On arriving in Wakeman, he directed his course toward the cabin of Captain Pierce, the bright, cheerful hearth fire of which he could see for some distance through the nnchinked cracks between the logs. When he arrived there he was in a sorrowful condition. Recent rains had so swollen the streams, that, in order to ascertain whether it would be safe to drive into them, he would first wade through them, and thus became wet nearly from head to foot and almost covered with mud. And so the first thing in order after his arrival was to put himself in a condition for association with civil- ized people: but a bath in a mud-puddle near the cabin hardly produced the desired effect. He selected a location on lot thirty-two and began the work of improvement: but what could a man do in the Wake- man wilderness without a wife? For three years the young man worked out the problem in this way: He boarded at Mr. Pierce's for a time at two dollars and fifty cents a week: but afterwards, in order to save expense-an important consideration with him at that time-he bought his own provisions and paid Mrs. Pierce fifty centy per week to cook them for him, eating his simple meal at a separate table. His bill of fare was less varied than wholesome, consisting generally of mush, milk and corn bread.
In May, 1820, he was united in marriage to Ruth Squire, daughter of Joab Squire, an early settler in Florence. A short time afterwards he made a visit to Connecticut to obtain some money, and performed the entire journey-with the exception of eighteen miles by lake, which consumed three days-alone on foot with his knapsack on his back. He averaged nearly forty-five miles per day, a remarkable pedes- trian feat considering the condition of the country, much of his course leading through swamp and dense woods. But nature provided Mr. French with a good pair of walkers and few men could keep up with him in his younger days. During the journey mentioned he fell in with a traveler whose company was very agreeable, but he was unable to keep along with Mr. French. and, after a day or so, was left behind.
His first wife died June 19. 1845, and, in 1851, he married Mrs. William Doughty, with whom he is now living a short distance north of his original location, aged eighty-one.
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
In May, 1818, Dr. Harmon M. Clark and wife moved into town. His father's family came to Ohio at the same time, settling in Medina county. Dr. Clark located on lot twenty-four, where George Mcr- doff now lives. He was a practising physician, and was a valuable acquisition to the settlement. A rela- tion of the hardships attendant upon his practice would be a revelation to some of the younger mem- bers of the profession of the present day. He traveled on foot, with his saddle-bags on his arm, through this and adjacent settlements, wading through streams, and often picking his way through the forest only by means of blazed trees, ministering to the necessities of all, without regard to compensation. If a patient was able to pay, a moderate fee was taken, which was frequently paid in produce, while from others nothing whatever was received or expected. He subsequently went as a missionary among the Indians, on the Maumee, but did not remain long. He and his wife eventually took up their residence with their son-in- law, Dr. Bryant of Amherst, and Mrs. Clark died there in 1863. He afterwards made his home with his son, Dr. Henry Clark of Ashland, and subse- quently died there. They had a family of five chil- dren, four of whom are now living, but none in this township.
Barzilla S. Hendricks, his wife and adopted son, came into the township in the spring of 1819, and settled where George Denton now lives. Mr. Hen- drieks was killed by an accident, February 5, 1830. He and his wife had been to the Centre in attenadnce upon a meeting of some kind, and when near Merritt IIyde's, on their return home, a part of the harness gave way, the sleigh was wrecked, and Mr. Hen- dricks received injuries which caused his death the following day. His first wife died in the early years of their settlement, and he married again a few years afterward. His second wife is yet living.
Abram Bronson, a brother-in-law of Mr. Hendricks, with his wife, a son and hired man, came in with the Hendricks family, and settled where Mr. C. C. Can- field now lives. He died on this place a little more than a year after his arrival-August 29, 1820.
Sheldon Smith and family and Burton French arrived in October, 1820. Mr. Smith took up his residence on the place first occupied by Mr. Hen- dricks. His wife, who was a daughter of Mr. Silas French, died in Wakeman in February, 1831. Mr. Smith subsequently married again, and removed to the township of Berlin, Erie county, where he after- wards died.
Silas. French, the father of Burton and Erastus, with his family, the wife of Burton and Miss Sally Sherman, joined the settlement in June. 1821. Mr. French made his location in the western part of the township, and lived there until his death, in May, 1842, aged sixty-nine.
Erastus French is the only surviving member of the family. Burton French lived with Erastus until the arrival of his wife, when he settled near his father.
In June, 1821, Justus Minor, with his wife and two children, moved into the place. The family found shelter in the log school house near Mr. Can- field's until a honse could be erected on their selected location at the center of the town, on lot forty-six. Mrs. Minor died at the school house a short time after their arrival, and her remains were borne to the center for burial, a path being underbrushed from the school house to the center, a distance of about two miles, for the funeral procession. Mr. Minor's settlement was the first in the township, outside of the third section. He chose the center as being in his view the most natural place, in the township, for a probable future village, and especially for the church, the location of which he had determined to have fixed there. Dis- sension and division had been experienced in the church of which he was a member in Connecticut, occasioned by the location of the church remote from the center of the township, and he resolved to prevent a similar difficulty here. As a preliminary step in the accomplishment of his design he offered to board a settled minister the first year without charge, and the Rev. Mr. Betts. on his arrival a few years after- wards, as pastor of the Congregational church, first took up his abode at his house. He was unable, how- ever, to completely carry out his plan. The mills had been located on the Vermillion, half a mile north of the center, and they formed the nucleus of a settle- ment which grew faster than that at the center, and the meeting houses were eventually located between the rival points.
A few years after his first wife's death, Mr. Minor was united in marriage to Miss Delia Palmer of Fitch- ville, and in 1832 removed to that township and re- sided there a number of years, and then returned to Wakeman, residing here the remainder of his life. He was the father of four children, one of whom (Cyrus Minor), resides at Collins, Townsend township, aged seventy-eight.
Chester Manville came from Litchfield county, Con- necticut, to Wakeman, in May, 1822. He came afoot and Peter Sherman with him, though not for the purpose of settlement at that time. He came to take charge of the remains of a brother who had lost his life a short time before on the Ohio river. Nor. in- deed, did young Manville come out to remain, but rather to see his sweetheart, Miss Dotha Minor, who had emigrated hither with her parents the year pre- vions. Ile naturally protracted his visit, not return- ing to Connectient until the next winter. when Mr. Sherman returned with him, again making the jour- ney on foot. The following spring, Mr. Manville and a sister, who afterwards became the wife of Amos Clark, moved out, with a horse and single wagon. They brought with them a few household goods, and Miss Ruth rode in the wagon and drove the horse, while the brother accompanied her on foot, making for the third time the journey in that manner. IIe married Dotha Minor, March 31, 1824, and settled where he now resides, on lot twelve, section three,
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
paying two dollars and seventy-five cents per acre for his land. His wife died February 8, 1842, in the forty-fifth year of her age. Mrs. Manville was a most excellent woman, loved and honored by her fam- ily, and highly esteemed by all who knew her. Mr. Manville was subsequently twiee married, but death took from him his last companion some years sinee. One son and two daughters are now living, viz: James H. Manville, on the old homestead; Mrs. Pel- let, in New York, and Mrs. Ellis, in Clyde, Ohio. His oldest son, John, when nineteen years of age was kieked by a horse, causing his death forty-eight hours afterwards-June 12, 1847.
Mr. Manville is now living at the residence of his son James, in Wakeman, aged eighty-three. In his younger days, and when the country was new, he often pursued the business of hunting as a pastime. He reports to the writer the killing of nearly one hundred deer and wild turkeys, and smaller game too numerous to mention.
Next in order was Justin Sherman, with his family of wife and five children, in September, 1822. He eame through with a four-horse team, and made an unusually quiek trip. He purchase] of Augustin Canfield the south part of lot twenty-three, and took up his abode in the old log house of Mr. Canfield, which his purchase embraced: this was replaced five years afterward by a substantial frame house, the first in the township. His wife died in 1824, and he sub- sequently married a Mrs. Redding. His own death took place in August, 1865, at the advanced age of eighty. Mr. Sherman established the first store in the township, and was the first postmaster. His surviving children are, N. G. Sherman, living at Norwalk; Mrs. Colonel Gideon Waugh, in Kansas; George B. and John G., in this township. The eldest son, Lewis, was accidentally killed in the spring of 1832. While at work by the side of a burning log-heap in his elearing, he was struek on the head by a fall- ing tree-burned at the root-crushing his skull. He fell into the fire and, when found, he was burned almost beyond recognition. He was twenty-four years of age at the time of his death, and left a young wife to mourn his untimely loss.
Philo Sherman came in at the same time, and set- tled south of his brother Justin. He was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was its first class-leader in Wakeman.
Leveritt Hill eame in about this time. He was then unmarried, but afterward married Miss Esther Strong, a sister of Cyrus Strong, and settled in the western part of the township. His father, Isaae Hill, and his family moved in a few years after, and settled in the same neighborhood. The Hills were from Rootstown, Portage county.
In May, 1823, Merritt Hyde and family arrived and located on the section line west of the eenter. Mr. Hyde was postmaster for a number of years, and a worthy citizen. His widow still resides in Wake- man. A son, Monroe Hyde, was killed September
28, 1834, by being thrown over a horse's head, and breaking his neck. The aeeident occurred in Flor- ence, on the farm now owned by the widow of Simon Sprague.
In the summer of 1823, Amos Clark, a brother of the doctor, came in from Medina county. His land which he received from his father, was embraced in the same lot as that of his brother. May, 1826, he married Ruth Ann Manville, who eame in with her brother Chester, as previously stated, and began housekeeping on the farm ou which he has ever since resided. Mr. Clark is now aged seventy-seven. His wife died April 2, 1878.
Russell Barnes and family arrived in the spring of 1824, and took up his location on lot number twenty- six in the fourth seetion. He finally moved to Ver- million where he died of cancer in 1851.
William Beers settled a short distance west of Can- field's Corners, but subsequently moved to the south part of the township.
In the summer of 1826 Sheldon Barnes and his family, consisting of his wife and one child, eame m. At Buffalo they took a vessel for Huron or Sandusky, but were driven by a storm into the mouth of Blaek River, and from there they came to Wakeman, the mother and child on horseback and the father on foot. After a stay of a few months with his brother-in-law, Johnson Wheeler, in Townsend, Mr. Barnes settled in Wakeman, near the west line of the township. He was a carpenter by trade and frequently changed his location as the prosecution of his work required, and a part of the time lived in other townships. One day, soon after their settlement, Mrs. Barnes was out in the woods, not far distant from the house, with her child in her arms, and met a bear in her path. They parted on good terms, though without an em- brace.
Mr. Barnes died in this township in 1860, aged sixty-seven. Two children are now living in Wake- man-George A., where Peter Sherman formerly lived, and Mrs. A. P. Phillips, on the old homestead.
Rufus J. Bunee and family arrived in Wakeman in September, 1827, and, during the ereetion of his honse near the eenter, took up his abode in a log house near the mills east of the Vermillion river. There were no settlers on that side of the river at that time. During their veenpaney of the house near the mills the Vermillion was swollen by rains to an unusual heighth, and Mr. Bunce was in the habit of ferrying people across, as occasion required, using for this purpose an Indian canoe. On one occasion he eame very near losing his life. He was erossing for Burton French when his oar broke in the middle of the stream. The current was rapid and he was quickly swept over the dam below, in going over which he was thrown out of the boat. For a moment his reseue seemed impossible, but he succeeded in getting away from the angry water under the dam and was carried by the current nearly to the bridge, when, with the timely assistance of Mr. French, he
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
succeeded in reaching the bank. Mr. Bunce's perma- nent location was on the hill, a short distance east of the center. The place is now owned by Mr. Lucius Hall. The house, although not in a very advanced stage of completion, was considered ready for occu- pancy by January. The household goods, with the mother and children, were loaded on a flat-boat, which the father and some of the neighbors, with a rope, pulled up the river to the mouth of Brandy creek, where a landing was made.
Mr. Bunce died in Wakeman ou his original loca- tion in January, 1823. aged sixty-two. His widow is yet living and is seventy-eight. Two daughters- Mrs. Lueins Hall and Mrs. David Pierce-reside in Wakeman. The late Edward J. Bunce, a son, was a man of more than ordinary intelligence and held the offices of justice of the peace and postmaster for a number of years.
In the year 1822, Isaac Todd, then a young man 'eighteen years of age, came into the township, and the" year following bought the farm where he now lives, on lot eighty-seven in section one. There was no improvement east of him at that time. In 1830, he married Fanny Booth, sister of Mrs. Bunce. He felt nnequal to the expenditure necessary to obtain a marriage license, in the absence of which, the law required the publication of the banns from the pulpit. He accordingly requested his pastor, Rev. Mr. Betts, to make the announcement, adding that he didn't think he should be present on the occasion. "Don't let that keep yon away from church," said Mr. Betts, "I can make the announcement at the beginning of the service and you can come in a little late ; but come to church as usual." He followed his pastor's good advice, and when Sunday came, went to church, entering the house at a stage of the service when he was sure the notice had been made. But instead of his pastor, a stranger was in the pulpit, and to the yonng man's surprise and mortification the announce- ment was made immediately after he took his seat, after the preliminary services instead of before, as was intended. This was enough; but when the preacher announced for the text, "Remember Lot's wife," which, in his embarassment, Mr. Todd thought had special reference to him, he was crushed, and retains only an indistinct recollection of the rest of the ser- vice. He thinks Mr. Betts made a blunder in ex- changing pulpits without informing the officiating minister of the previous arrangement.
Mr. Todd seems to have had a hard struggle of it in the Wakeman forest. Prosperity came slowly. For sometime after his marriage he was destitute of a pair of boots or shoes, and in attending church, his wife would wear her every day shoes, carrying her Sun- day's best, until near the church, when she would take them off for her husband to wear, and put on her best ones. Afterwards, when he became able to own a yoke of oxen, they rode to church on a sled, the year round.
Kneeland Todd, a twin-brother of Isaae, came in
soon after. He subsequently married a sister of Isaac's wife, and settled in the same vicinity. It was said that the brothers so closely resembled each other that even their wives were often puzzled to dis- tingnish one from the other. This part of the town- ship took the name of the "Todd Settlement." and is still so-called.
Martin Bell and family, his father, Elias Bell and family, and Simeon Brown and family, were early residents in this portion of the township.
As previously mentioned, Peter Sherman first vis- ited Wakeman in the spring of 1822. In the year 1828, he moved out with his family, wife and one child, and settled on the place now occupied by his son-in-law, George A. Barnes. His frame house was one of the earliest built in the township east of the Vermillion. He died at the residence of his son-in- law, Mr. Barnes, February 22, 1878. at the age of eighty-three years.
Cyrus Strong was also one of the early settlers in this part of the township. His location was the next east of Rufus Bunce. He still occupies his original location.
James Wilson was one of the earliest settlers in the vicinity of the grist mill, which he run in an early day. His house stood on the west bank of the river. A short distance north of Wilson, at the end of the road leading from Dr. Clark's, was Nathan Downs.
Woodward Tood moved in, in 1822, and a year or two after moved to the center of Townsend, and took charge of the store of William Townsend. He re- mained only abont a year, when he returned to Wake- man and resided on the place now occupied by William Wilbur. Mr. Todd is now living a short distance south of Norwalk.
North of Mr. Todd's, a short distance, Lueius Tomlinson and family settled at an early date.
South of the center, on the road to Clarksfield, the earliest settlers were Lewis Beers and Marcellus Booth; and southwest of the center, about a mile, the first settler was Gersham Shelton.
On the west township line, on the center road, a Mr. Parsons settled at an early date. He subse- quently committed suicide.
Bela Coe was an early settler, his location being in the third section, a short distance sonth of Amos Clarks.
Also, comparatively early in different portions of the township: John Brooks, Jabez Hanford, Hiram Rumsey, Henry T. Peck, Isaac Haskins. Dr. Curtis and Captain Bell.
Renben Hall emigrated from Connectient to the Western Reserve in the fall of 1805. settling in Can- field, Mahoning county. He remained there a year, and then removed to Rootstown, Portage county. where he lived eleven years. There he married, March 7, 1810, Betsey Coe, daughter of Israel Coe, formerly of Granville, Massachusetts. In 1816 he moved to Brimfield, in the same county, whence, af- ter a residence of nineteen years, he came with his
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
family to this township, fixing his location on lot twenty-nine in the fourth section. He died on this place November 10, 1861. Mr. Hall was a man of intelligence, earnest religious zeal and a useful mem- ber of society. Mrs. Hall died June 13, 1868. Of the nine children born to them, only two are now living,-Alvan C., on the old homestead, and Lucius S. near the center.
The Irish began to settle in the township about the time of the building of the railroad-in 1852. One of the first was Thomas Conry. He was a native of Galway, Ireland, and emigrated to the United States in 1847. He formerly lived in Camden, Lo- rain county, and moved thence to Wakeman, settling , in the east part of the township, where he con- tinned to reside until his death, March 5, 1879.
There are now about fifty Irish families in the town- ship, and they are, as a general thing, a respectable and industrious class of citizens.
In the returns of the enumeration of the white male inhabitants over the age of twenty-one years in Huron county in 1829, as made by George Sheffield, county assessor, the following persons are given as such inhabitants of Wakeman :
Samuel Bristol.
Asahel Buck. Elisha Shelden.
Ichabod T. Norton. Chester Manvil.
James Wilson.
Woodward Todd. Justin Sherman. Harmon M. Clark. Aaron Parsons. Samuel B. Barnes.
Shelden Smith.
Amos Clark.
Barzilla S, Hendricks. Silas French, Bela Coe.
Isaac Hill.
Merritt Hyde.
Lewis Patterson.
Garry B. Hyde.
Marshal Johnson.
Enoch Johnson.
William Beers.
Justus Minor.
Cyrus Minor.
Gersham Shelton.
Marcellus Booth.
Harry Smith.
EARLY EVENTS.
THE FIRST WEDDING
in Wakeman was that of Marshall Johnson and Marinda Bradley. They were married in October, 1820, at the house of Abram Bronson, Dr. Clark, justice of the peace, performing the nuptial cere- mony. Mr. Johnson came in as a hired man with Captain Pierce, and Miss Bradley was a relative of the Brouson family. They settled a short distance southwest of the center, and raised a family of thir- teen children.
The next couple married was Nathaniel Hine, of Berlin, and Ruth Sherman. They were married in the winter of 1821 at the house of Samuel Bristol, also by Esquire Clark. Mr. Hine was subsequently drowned while crossing the Vermillion, a short dis- tance above Terryville, in Florence. Mrs. Hine afterwards removed to Brownhelm, where she died.
THE FIRST CHILD BORN
of civilized parents, in the township, was Burton M. Canfield. This event occurred April 18, 1818. Mr. Canfield married Louisa Cunningham, and now lives in the village of Wakeman.
The first girl baby was Mary Smith, daughter of Sheldon and Phedima Smith, born in April, 1821.
The birth of Laura French, daughter of Erastus and Ruth French, was the second female birth. She was born May 17, 1821, and died December 9, 1849, unmarried.
Sarah Ann Johnson, daughter of the first couple married, was born the same year. She is now living in Wakeman.
THE FIRST DEATH
was that of Mrs. Hendricks, mother of Mrs. Abram Bronson, which occurred in the year 1820. The death of Mr. Bronson occurred a short time after that of Mrs. Hendricks.
The first burying-ground was on the southwest corner of the cross-roads, across from where Mr. Mordoff now lives. Some of the bodies were after- wards taken up and removed to other places, and the former location was abandoned as a place of burial. The first interment in the cemetery at the center was that of Mrs. Justus Minor before referred to.
THE FIRST FRAME ERECTION
was the barn of Justin Sherman built in 1823. The first completed frame house was also erected by Mr. Sherman in 1822. It is the house now occupied by John G. Sherman. Sheldon Barnes commenced the erection of a frame house previous to that of Mr. Sherman's, but before it was finished, it was taken down, and removed to another location.
THE FIRST PUBLIC HOUSE
was kept by Marcus French, half a mile west of the center, on the section line. The place is now occu- pied by Mr. Rice.
The first regular train of cars ran through the town- ship November 24. 1852.
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