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 73
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 73
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Among the other early preachers who are remem- bered in New Haven, were Benajah Boardman, Benjamin Wooley and Harry O. Sheldon, of the Methodist denomination: Revs. Enoch Conger, Wil-
liam Matthews, Alvin Coe, -Wolf, and Lndivicus Robbins, Presbyterians. Conger was a resident, for a time, of New Haven. Coe settled in Greenfield, and Matthews in Ashland county.
Presbyterian meetings were held at John Barney's house soon after the period of Rev. Macintyre's Methodist meetings. These meetings were addressed by Rev. William Matthews, and it is probable that he was the first Presbyterian minister who preached in New Haven. The church of this denomination was organized. however, by Rev. Enoch Conger, who nnited with the presbytery of Huron in 1824, and for a time served in New Haven, Greenfield and Ply- mouth townships. He was installed as pastor. This church had only a short existence. Whether it was organized earlier or later than the first Methodist class, cannot now be determined. No records of these bodies are in existence. and no authentic information can be gleaned in regard to either of them.
The historian presents herewith such sketches of the churches, alive and defunet, as he has been able to glean from records and from interviews with old residents.
M. E. CHURCH.
The Methodists had an organization at a very early day, bnt owing to the disappearance of the records (if any were ever kept), no facts are obtainable except those which relate to the comparatively recent his- tory of the church. The house of worship was built in the season of 1841 and 1842 at New Haven village, at a cost of abont fifteen hundred dollars, and was for that time a commodious structure. Rev. S. M. Allen was the preacher in charge of the Paris circuit, at that time. The trustees or building committee were John Ganung, William Howard, Jacob Loar, Le Roy Reed, and S. R. Parker. The present stew- ards of New Haven circuit (having in charge the churches at New Haven and Plymonth, and one other) are the following: F. M. Chapman. J. L. Young. J. K. Southard, John Emmerson, William Kirkpatrick, Marvin Seaton, George Weaver, Wil- liam Dawson, and Samuel Hook. The class leaders of New Haven Methodist Episcopal church are F. M. Chapman, J. K. Southard. E. Dickinson; trustees. Erastus Dickinson, George Mead, J. L. Young, J. K. Southard, and George Hough. Rev. D. D. T. Mattison is at present the preacher in charge.
FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH.
May 9. 1838, a number of persons assembled at the school house near Josiah Curtiss' honse, and organ- ized themselves into a church bearing the above name. The original members were ten in number: Josiah Curtiss, Ira Selden, Amasa Blanchard, Elial Curtiss, Reuben R. Curtiss, Ephraim Heller, Jere- miah Woodmansie, Julia L. Selden, Ann Heller and Calista Loveland. Elder John Wheeler was modera- tor of the meeting. Reuben R. Curtiss was elected as the first clerk, and Josiah Curtiss and Ira Selden as deacons. Ehal Curtiss, became the first pastor of
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
the church. Meetings were held for a time in the school house; but, in 1843, the present church edifice was built, where it now stands, on the southwest cor- ner of lot thirty-three, in section two, at a cost of eight hundred dollars.
The church has experienced many revivals, and has had numerous accessions to its membership there- from. The first was under the preaching of Kins- man R. Davis, and twenty persons converted by his preaching joined the flock. Other notable revivals were had under the preaching of the Revs. Cyrus Courtland, Oscar Baker, John Chambers, James Ashley, Elder Moore, N. R. George, Ezra Ashley and others. The present pastor is Elder Thomas Dimm; John Loveland, Thos. Clark, deacons; John Love- land and Thos. Clark, trustees of the incorporation; John Loveland, clerk.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH
was at one time a flourishing society, and had up- wards of one hundred and fifty members. A neat church building was erected in 1841, which the Bap- tists still own and allow other denominations to use, though having, at the present writing, but a small membership, they do not themselves have reg- ular services. The church was organized in 1840, at Deacon Stowe's house, and its constituent members were: Elder John Kelley, Horace Hough, Horace Stowe, Wm. Ganung, Seldon Jones, Timothy Aus- tin, Wm. Trembly, George H. Sparks, Esther M. Kelley, Martha Sparks, Rebecca Skinner, Emily Rooks, Freelove Gardner, Louisa Linsey, Sarah Stowe, Freelove Woodworth, Sarah Ann Trembly, Martha Harkness. In 1858, the church having be- come defunct, it was re-organized with following members : Ezra Stewart, W. R. Partello, W. D. Ganung, J. Guyselman, J. J. Shivel, J. J. Knight, Electa Guyselman, Mrs. Woodworth, S. Knight, Polly Ives, Eliza Lisle, Sarah Stewart, Sophia Partello, Ellen Cleland, and George A. Knight.
THE CHURCH OF GOD.
In 1871, an organization was effected, which, re- jecting all other appellations, was termed by its men- bers the Church of God, and by outsiders, the Wine- breunarian Church. The church was organized by D. S. Warner. Joseph Wolf was its first ruling elder, and Solomon Kline the teaching elder; J. C. Colwell and T. S. Charity were deacons. The present officers of the church are: M. A. Artman, ruling, and H. M. Linn, teaching elder. The church when organized had nearly fifty members, but at the present writing, has considerably less than that number.
THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
This church was organized December 15, 1878, with the following members: E. S. Case, Harriet S. Case, Nettie Case, Alinda (ileason, William Graham, Sarah Graham, Newell Curtiss, Mary M. Curtiss, D. H. Young, Angeline Yonng, Hersilia J. Young,
George Strimple, James K. Lowther, L. Courtland Heller, Elizabeth Cusack, George Graham, and J. H. Lowther. Rev. T. S. Rice is pastor; L. Courtland Heller, president; George Strimple, treasurer; E. S. Case, Angeline Young and Sarah Graham, trustees.
SCHOOLS.
The first school taught in the township, was by Sophia Barney, (Latham Coe's second wife). This was as early as 1815, or the year following. The school was held in a small log building, put up by Caleb Palmer, upon lot fifty-seven, section two.
John N. Sloan taught, a little later, in a log build- ing which stood near the present school house on the town plat. Among the pupils were, James, Joseph, John, Alfred and Harrison Skinner, and MacIntyre and Minerva Beymer. Mr. Sloan had an assistant,- Louisa Beymer.
Joseph Dana was for many years the teacher of an excellent school at the village. He was a man of fine scholarship and had a peculiar ability in, and fond- ness for, his profession. He labored, however, against many disadvantages. One of them was the absence of the conveniences for writing, which are now thonght indispensable. The pupils had no paper, slates or blackboards, upon which to exercise their chirographic abilities, and traced their "pothooks" and rude letters in sand strewn upon smooth boards.
A school house was built quite early in the history of the township, which was, for the time, an un- usually good one. It was originally but one story high, but another was added by the Masonic frater- nity. Good schools have been maintained at this building, at the village, almost constantly since the earliest recollection of the oldest residents, and just at present there is one, which under the management of Wm. F. Dimm, is kept fully up to the high standard long ago established. The district schools throughout the township compare favorably with those of other places.
PHYSICIANS.
Unlike most of the early settlements New Haven had a resident physician during the first years of its existence. Dr. Samuel B Carpenter began practice with Royal N. Powers as a partner, about 1814. The population increased very fast np to 1820, and they enjoyed a lucrative practice. Neither of them, how- ever. depended entirely npon success in the profession for a living. Dr. Selden Graves came into the com- munity not long after Doctors Carpenter and Powers, remained a short time, and then removed to Seneca county. Dr. John B. Johnson arrived in 1820, and continued in practice until his death. A Dr. Brown was for a time in partnership with him. Dr. Richard Morton and Dr. Thomas Johnston were next in order of arrival. Dr. Lemnel Powers, a brother of Royal N., practiced for several years, as did also Dr. Dim- mock. Dr. Philo P. Hoy was prominent in the township for some time, professionally and otherwise.
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
Dr. Price followed the profession alone, and also in company with Dr. Johnston. At a later day came Drs. Buck and Myers, E. Lewis, E. L. Austin, of Plymouth; Dr. Cope, Dr. Ormsby, Dr. F. G. Arm- strong. Dr. Nathan Buckingham, Dr. Charles Rich- ards and Dr. John Krehbiel.
The present resident physician of New Haven is Dr. D. W. Vail, of the Allopathie school. He was born in Bronson township, graduated at the Western Reserve Medical College in Cleveland, and has been located here since 1869.
NEW HAVEN LODGE NO. 41, I. O. O. F.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows effected an organization in the township in 1845. The lodge above named was instituted on July 28th of that year, by Thomas Spooner, a special deputy, assisted by several other officers. The charter members were: Thomas Johnston, Abijah Ives, Sumner P. Webber, Jacob W. Cleland, Robert Y. Askin, D. H. Brinker- hoff, J. Graham and William V. B. Moore. Follow- ing is a list of the first officers elected and appointed: N. G., Thomas Johnston; V. G., William V. B. Moore; Secretary. Sumner P. Webber; Treasurer. Abijah Ives; R. S. to N. G., William W. MeVitty; L. S. to N. G., J. W. Cleland; R. S. to V. G., Bro. Jones; L. S. to V. G., Bro. Benson; I S. G., Merritt Clark; O. S. G., Ezra Stewart. William V. B. Moore resigned as V. G., and was appointed con- ductor. Alonzo Powers was made V. G .; Warden. Charles E. Bostwick; Chaplain, Dyer F. Webber. This lodge had a large membership, and was for many years in a very flourishing condition. Many of the lodges in neighboring villages were an outgrowth of New Haven, among them, Plymouth Lodge of Ply- mouth, North Star of Fairfield, Rome, Sharon of Shelby, Venice of Attica, and Centerton of Center- ton. New Haven Lodge began to decline when the business interests of the village waned. It never lapsed, however, from activity, and though its strength has been severely tried, still has an exist- ence and prospects for a perpetual lease of life. Its present membership is twenty-seven. The officers are as follows: N. G., D. W. Vail; V. G., A. Snyder; Re- cording Secretary, O. F. Cole: Permanent Secretary, F. Layer: Treasurer, L. S. Heller; R. S. to N. G., George Strimple; L. S. to N. G., J. L. Miller; R. S. to V. G., Jesse Snyder; L. S. to V. G., S. L. Abbott; Warden, A. H. Smith; Conductor, W. Severance: Chaplain, Rev. J. R. Hall; O. G., J. Williams; I. G., C. Kurtz.
EARLY MAIL CARRIERS-STAGE ROUTES-ROADS.
It is probable that a mail was carried through New Haven as early as 1809 or 1810, and as late as 1813, by a man named Facer. His route was from Mans- field to the mouth of the Huron river. Andrew Brew- baker succeeded Facer as enstodian of the mail, and made trips over the road. or rather trail, for two years. It is said that during the whole of that time
he saw only three or four white persons on the route, though Indians were met very frequently. They made him no trouble, however, and were never so much a cause of fear as were the wolves. The country was full of these disagreeable and dangerous animals, and it is said by old settlers that Brewbaker seldom dis- mounted from his horse, because afraid that he would be molested if he did so. He was accustomed to pour grain into a basin, shaped hollow, which he had chopped in a fallen tree, and sit in the saddle while his horse ate.
It was some time during Brewbaker's period of ser- vice that a post office was established in the township. The first was a box nailed upon a post, and thus lit- terally a post office. Joseph Dana was the first post- master. His duties were not arducus. People who expected mail matter were accustomed to go to the box, open it, examine the contents, and, if they found any letters addressed to themselves, to carry them home-a system which would hardly answer at the present time. Although Darling is generally spoken of as the first postmaster, there is no doubt but that Caleb Palmer was the first man regularly commis- sioned to fill that office. An old receipt addressed to him, and bearing the date May 9, 1816, and the au- tograph of Return J. Meigs, is still in existence. Abijah Ives was postmaster at a later day.
A stage route was laid out through the township, north and south, in the year 1819. It was only a short time anterior to this date that the roads had become worthy of the name. They were at first mere trails, winding through the woods, but the spirit of improvement was abroad, and regular roads were laid out, the timber cut and travel made less tedious.
The first petition ever presented to the commission- ers of Huron county was from New Haven township, and read as follows:
HURON COUNTY, August 15, 1815. To the Commissioners of said County at their September meeting:
Petitioners, of the inhabitants of New Haven, humbly showeth, That there is no laid ont road iu these parts; Therefore. gentlemen, we pray you to appoint viewers to lay out a road from the south boundary of the township to the month of Huron river, beginning at, or near, the house ( f John BR ney, thence northwird to the center of New Haven, thence northward to Middlefield's or Seth Brown's on the west branch of the Huron river, thence near the bank of the river to Charles Parker's, thence north, on the most suitable ground for a road, to the mouth of Huron river.
(Signed) JAMES MCINTYRE, JR., DANIEL PRATT,
S. D. PARMER, JAMES TOOKER, HENRY BARNEY,
JOHN BARNEY.
JOSIAH CURTISS,
DAVID INSCHO,
JNO. MCINTYRE, SR., C'HISIM MAY.
SAMUEL B. CARPENTER, LUTHER C'OE.
SAMUEL KNAPP.
TITU'S BROWN,
DAVID POWERS.
MARTIN MI. KELLOOG.
WILLIAM YORK, MARTIN BURKE.
CALVIN HUTCHINSON,
The second road petitioned for in the county was by Isaac Powers and others, to run from the Great Road to the Prairie. This road was also located. John Concklin, Beldon Kellogg and James MeIntyre were viewers, and Luther Coe, surveyor.
The third and the seventh roads petitioned for were also asked by residents of New Haven township.
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HISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
NEW HAVEN VILLAGE.
The village of New Haven was laid out by David and Royal N. Powers, upon the 8th of April, 1815. The plat was constructed upon the plan of the town plat of New Haven, Connecticut, and the village was as tastefully and conveniently laid out as any in the State of Ohio. This was the second town plat laid out upon the Fire-lands. The center of the plat, an open space, of diamond shape, was just north of the township center. Streets were laid out, north, east, south and west, from the angles of this open common, and these were intersected, at right angles, by other streets, all at an equal distance from the center of the plat. Alleys were laid out, sub-dividing the blocks. There were one hundred and eighteen lots, over sixty of which were sold and improved within the first few years of the existence of the village. In 1820, New Haven was regarded as a rival, in matters of trade and manufacture, of Norwalk and Mansfield. This rivalry was maintained nntil the completion of the Sandusky, Minsfield and Newark railroad, when, from a combination of causes, it began to decline.
INCORPORATION.
New Haven village was incorporated in 1838 or '39, but it is said that officers were not regularly or prop- erly elected until several years later. Wm. V. B. Moore was mayor in 1839. No trace of any official mention can be discovered before that date. The first and second pages of the corporation record are gone, and the first date shown is 1843. Under this date, by reference to various entries, we find that the officers were at that time as follows: P. R. Hoy, mayor; R. L. McEwen, recorder (or clerk); J. K. Partello, J. C. Towne, Wm. John, D. F. Webber, James Gra- ham, trustees (members of council).
The officers during other years are given as taken from the record:
1844-R. L. McEwen, mayor; D. F. Webber, re- corder; William John, Philo R. Hoy, Wm. B. Ames, John D. Loomis, Jacob Guyselman, town council.
1845-Dyer F. Webber, mayor; Thomas Johnston, recorder; Wm. V. B. Moore, Solomon Place, James Graham, Merrit Clark, William McVitty, town council.
1846-Charles E. Bostwick, mayor; Thomas John- ston, recorder; Wm. V. B. Moore, Sumner F. Web- ber, William John, J. K. Partello, John B. Johnson, town council.
1847-Henry Buck, mayor; Thomas Johnston, re- corder; J. K. Partello, Sumner P. Webber, Phillip Green, Francis M. Chapman, Merrit Clark, town council; Cyrus Dow was appointed treasurer; and Ambrose S. Mallory, marshal.
1848-Ralph L. Phelps, mayor; R. H. Tryon, re- corder; James Deaner, Francis M. Chapman, Tru- man W. Crowel, Elias C. MeVitty, Frederick W. Clark, town council; Oscar A. Deaner was appointed treasurer, and George Burns marshal.
1849-James Deaner, mayor; R. H. Tryon, re- corder; Wm. Kelley, Wm. V. B. Moore, Wm. John, David Lewis, John J. Vail, town council; Oscar A. Deaner was appointed treasurer, and Lucins C. Brown, marshal.
Only one or two elections were held after the year above shown, and the record, having been mutilated, it is impossible to ascertain what officers were chosen. The corporation went out of existence with the de- cline of the village, and no further interest seems to have been taken in the matter of town government until 1868, when the village was reincorporated. The officers then elected were: Jesse Williams, mayor; Caleb Palmer, recorder; Joseph Mills, Harvey Me- leck, Alanson Clark, Harrison Skinner, Stephen Page, town council; James K. Sonthard was ap- pointed marshal. This was the only election held under the new incorporation.
NEW HAVEN'S BEST DAYS.
In "old times," no grass grew in the streets of New Haven. The mercantile business, in which Royal N. Powers was a pioneer, fast increased in mag- nitude. Hopkins, Hinman & Williams soon opened a large stock of goods. Ives & Haskins followed. Other merchants, engaged in business at New Haven at the same time and afterwards, were T. W. Crowell, Benjamin Gosling, James Hannan, T. C. McEwen, Sumner Webber, John W. Johnston and Dr. Brown.
Martin M. Kellogg built a two-story hewed log tavern, in 1816, or the following year, and George Beymer became its first proprietor. Soon after, two framed buildings were erected for use as the lodging places of the "wayfarer and the stranger." Royal N. Powers, his brother Lemuel, Caleb Palmer, William D. Mann, Stowe, Fleming, Barlow, Snow, John Lang, Mosher and a Mrs. Henderson, are the best remembered inn-keepers.
Manufacturing was started at an early day. Shoe making was one of the principal industries, and at one time there were from forty to fifty journeymen of this trade in the little village. In those times, ship- ping shoes to New Haven would have been regarded in the same light as sending coals to Newcastle. A Mr. Andrews embarked in the tanning business, and was soon bought out by Steward and Mulford. The business was prosperous. Other trades were estab- lished, and their followers flourished. An iron foundry was established by Towne and Loomis, and a building erected in 1832. It was afterward bought out by John Skinner, and became, successively, the property of a Mr. Frost and of William John. Bost- wick's fanning mill and valve factory, at a later day, added largely to the business of the village. Beside extensive manufacturing interests, there were cabinet shops, a steam mill, an ashery, run upon a large scale, etc. The principal business of the place. however, was the mercantile. There were at one time five dry goods stores, and it was not an uncommon thing for the largest of them to have sales amounting
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IIISTORY OF HURON AND ERIE COUNTIES, OHIO.
to five hundred dollars in a single day. The groceries and other places of business, had their proportion of receipts, and were coining money.
New Haven village was on the direct thoroughfare from the south to the lake, and the merchants had not only a good home trade, but received the liberal patronage of the hundreds of teamsters who drove through with loads of produce from Mansfield and other points in the vicinity. Goods were, in those days, hauled by teams from Baltimore and Philadel- phia to the lake ports north of New Haven, and the teamsters upon their back trip gave the preference to this village, over all others, as a place to purchase those articles they needed for personal use, and goodsf or people living along their line of travel so1+h.
These teamsters were men of considerable character and ability. They transacted their affairs in as busi- ness-like a way as does the captain of a vessel, or the officer of a freight line, taking bills of lading, etc. They drove six-horse teams in front of their immense wagons, called "land schooners," and were thus able to transport heavy loads of produce and merchandise. Sometimes the roads for several miles would be filled with these turnonts, presenting the appearance of an immense procession or caravan. Many a time the diamond, or square common, in the center of the plat, was so filled with these teams, and those of farmers in the vicinity, who came in to trade, that it was impossible, well-nigh, for a pedestrian to cross from one side to the other.
Early in the history of New Haven, when there were few banks in the country, when money was scarce, and the skins of animals, beeswax, and salts or ashes, were the principal articles of traffic, David Powers, Royal N. Powers and Martin M. Kellogg, established a banking house and issued notes, the lowest denomination of which, were valned at twenty- five cents. These notes were put into circulation, but after a short time they were not receivable at par, and finally they were taken in exchange for goods by Royal N. Powers, when he opened a store.
THE DECLINE.
New Haven's prosperity began at an early day, in- creased rapidly and ceased suddenly. Fortune is fickle with communities as well as men. She smiled upon this one in its infancy: withdrew her favor and put the past and present conditions of the village into a forcible and saddening contrast. The San- dusky and Newark railroad was built in the years 1843 and 1844. New Haven lay directly in the way of the proposed road, and its people were called upon to aid the enterprise to the extent of a few thousand dollars. The amount asked for would probably have been subscribed, had it not been for the counsel of Judge Ives. He regarded it as impossible to build the road by any other route than through the village, and advised against extending any financial assistance
to the railroad company. The tavern men, too, fonght the proposition to have the road come through the village, thinking that their business would be damaged, when the teaming was superseded by the iron-horse. The managers of the company became angered at the coolness shown by the New Haven people, and instead of running the road straight through from Sandusky, sonth, as they could have done most easily and cheaply, made a curve to the westward and, leaving New Haven and Greenfield center in the lurch, entered the village of Plymonth, then a smaller place than New Haven, much to its future advantage.
Even after this discrimination against them, the people of New Haven might have secured a greater benefit from the railroad than did Ply- month, had they been able to look a little way into the future. The track was but a short distance west of the village, and had warehouses been built there, New Haven would, doubtless, have led Ply- mouth to-day, for she had the advantage of prestige and of business already established, and the village would have grown toward the railroad. In these days, however, a railroad was thought to be of no ad- vantage to a town or village unless it ran through its principal street. Warehouses were built upon the vlllage plat, and a track laid upon spiles, was run up to them from the main line, cars were run over them a few times, and then the track and the warehouses were abandoned, and then began the decline that has left the village only a shabby vestige of its former superiority.
The decay of villages, as well as the deteriora- tion of men, is always a melancholy sight. New Haven, to-day, has many deserted, dreary, weather- stained and windowless houses, which silently attest that "better days" have been. Many houses were moved away, and are now answering the purpose of farm ont-buildings, some were torn down and others burned. Only a few of the old edifices re- main in use at the village.
New Haven has, however, retained the school and the church, while losing so large an amount of busi- ness, and her people are of the class who, while they deplore the loss of activity which the place has ex- perienced, have social, moral and religious resources, perhaps in a larger degree than in more bustling communities, and make the best of what remains.
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