Portage heritage; a history of Portage County, Ohio; its towns and townships and the men and women who have developed them; its life, institutions and biographies, facts and lore, Part 4

Author: Holm, James B
Publication date: 1957
Publisher: [Kent, O., Commercial Press inc.]
Number of Pages: 834

USA > Ohio > Portage County > Portage heritage; a history of Portage County, Ohio; its towns and townships and the men and women who have developed them; its life, institutions and biographies, facts and lore > Part 4

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PORTAGE HERITAGE

west to the Muskingum river and up the Muskingum and Tuscarawas river, to and with the Portage, between the latter and the Cuyahoga river; thence down the Cuyahoga to Lake Erie; thence easterly along the shore of the Lake to the western boundary of the state of Pennsylvania and south with the same to the place of beginning."

This, of course, included our present county.

But in 1800, the county of Trum- bull was set up by the Territory and this county embraced all the land in the Western Reserve, which of course included present Portage. All of pres- ent Portage, together with land bord- ering on the East and West, went un- der the name of Franklin Township of Trumbull county. But other counties were also soon cut from Trumbull so that government was a pretty change- able matter.

NEW COUNTY MADE

Franklin township remained a part of Trumbull county until Feb. 10, 1807, when the state legislature set up the new county of Portage under the following law;

1-"Be it enacted, etc .- That all that part of the county of Trumbull, which lies west of the fifth range of townships, be erected into a separate county by the name of Portage, and shall be vested with all the powers, privileges and immunities of a separate and distinct county. Pro- vided, that it shall be lawful for the Coroners, Sheriffs, Constables and Col- lectors for the County of Trumbull to do and perform all the duties which they are or may be required to do, within the bounds of the said county of Portage be- fore the said division shall take place; and all suits and actions whether of a civil or criminal nature, which shall be

pending, and all crimes which shall have been committed therein at the time of the said division, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and execution in the county of Trumbull, as though no divis- ion had taken place.

2-That the courts of the said County of Portage shall be holden at the house of Benjamin Tappan, until a permanent seat of justice shall be e tablished.

3-All that part of the Connecticut Western Reserve that lies west of the Cuyahoga River and south of the town- ship numbered five, shall be annexed and become a part of the County of Portage. Provided, that the money aris- ing to the county from a tax on land, within the said district, shall be approp- riated by the commissioners of Portage County, and expended in laying out and making roads and erecting bridges, with- in the boundaries of the said district, west of the Cuyahoga."

The act also authorized the appoint- ment of commissioners, under the law establishing seats of justice, to fix up- on the place for the county seat of the county. Robert Simison, Samuel Hunt- er and Rezin Beall were appointed for that purpose, and in August, 1808, they reported to the Common Pleas court that they had selected Ravenna.

First Cuyahoga Bridge

A bridge was constructed over the Cuya- hoga River at Kent in 1803. In his "Recol- lections," Christian Cacker, Jr. writes, "The Hudson and Ravenna people had got to- gether and threw a bridge across at that place (Brady's Leap) in the fall of 1803. This was the first bridge ever thrown across the Cuyahoga River. They ran a road from Ravenna to Hudson that fall, crossing on that bridge and that was the first east- and-west road ever traveled in this section of the country."

Others said that this bridge was built by Frederick Olmsted's surveyors but it is pos- sible that it was a joint arrangement by both settlers and surveyors for convenience of all.

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CHANGE COMES SLOWLY

Ravenna had been laid out as a town by Benjamin Tappan about this time, which no doubt influenced the decision.

The territory of Portage county re- mained as then laid out until, 1840, when a new county was set up to the West-Summit. Two tiers of town- ships, ten in all, were taken from Port- age to help make up the new county. Portage lost Twinsburg, Hudson, Stow, Tallmadge, Springfield, North- field, Northampton, Boston, Portage and Coventry. The territory remaining still stands as Portage County.

In the long years before this, this part of Ohio had been claimed by the French, the English and even by the Spanish, without having any particu- lar control. It belonged to the Indians by natural right but it was to be the operation of fate that took their lands from them.

But though Portage County was leg- ally erected in 1807 more than a year passed before there was any percept- able change in public affairs there.

When Portage County was estab- lished by the Ohio State legislature in 1807, white inhabitants actually could be numbered by the hundreds instead of the thousands. These were well scattered throughout the district, but many of the present townships still had no permanent settlers. In fact, there were but four townships lying within the county as now outlined-

Franklin, Deerfield, Aurora and Hi- ram. The county also included Hud- son and Springfield townships, now in Summit county.

At that time a designated township could be and usually was a pretty large territory of indefinite size, which later was cut up into other districts five or six miles square. In 1807 Brimfield, Edinburg, Freedom, Paris, Streetsboro and Windham still had no permanent residents. The new county's western limits were just beyond the present city of Akron.

ADVENTURERS HERE FIRST

State laws had replaced the old ter- ritorial laws, but not much attention was paid to law at all. People got a- long with each other through good will and mutual respect and helpful- ness for the most part though there were many lawless characters to con- tend with. Only the beginning of first mills and manufacturing plants were in evidence-such as saw mills, grist mills, whiskey stills and asheries. But mainly people did their own work in the primitive, back breaking way.

Though the Connecticut Land Co. opened up the land for sale and re- sale in 1795, there was at first no great rush to acquire land here. Quite a few came to look at the land first, com- pare one location with another, then go back East and report. Others bought land, then came out to find what they had bought and learn whet-

Real estate taxes in Portage County were first levied according to the quality of the land. In 1810 the state tax was $1.25 on each 100 acres of first class land; $1.00 on a similar amount of second class land; and 65 cents on third class land. Local taxes, of course, raised the total.

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her to be pleased or feel dissatisfied. Men, with their women and children, came as single families or in groups gradually. Sometimes men came to ar- range homes and went back later to bring their families.

In 1807 a caravan of emigrants numbering 72 reached Aurora from New England. Benjamin Tappan, Jr., who laid out Ravenna, thought he was getting land in Randolph where the soil was more fertile, but through some mixup found that it was in Ra- venna. But it was located in South Ra- venna, so that he was somewhat bet- ter satisfied. Emigration from the East to New Connecticut did not begin to assume proportions until after the War of 1812 and there had been a couple of bad crop years in the East because of cold weather. They wanted a place where the climate was not quite so severe.

But on the whole, in all this time there wasn't much law except by un- observance.

CARRY-OVER COUNTY

How did Portage County get it's name? It is a singular fact that the name originally chosen was because of a location no longer within the coun- ty. It was so named because of the portage, or carry, between the waters of the Cuyahoga and the Tuscarawas

rivers. This lay within the present limits of the city of Akron and was two to eight miles in length, depend- ing on the depth of water in the creeks, through which canoes could travel. It was the Portage Path used by the Indians, and later by whites. Old writers liked to say it was the route used by the Indians in traveling from Lake Erie locations to the Ohio river. While this could be true, it is also a route that could be used in traveling scores of other places.

And while Portage County lost the specific reason for its name, the title could still be applicable. Because of its elevation it has the headwaters for a number of sizeable streams, such as the Cuyahoga, the Mahoning, the Cha- grin, the Grand and even water courses that lead to the Tuscarawas. These headwater streams are often quite close together and offered ex- cellent carries, or portage for light canoes.

Within the limits of the county lie twenty townships. Garrettsville was once set up as a township but later lost that status. The county has an area of 490 square miles with an acreage of 313,600, less lake and stream areas. The townships today are Atwater, Au- rora, Brimfield, Charlestown, Deer- field, Edinburg, Franklin, Freedom, Hiram, Mantua, Nelson, Palmyra, Par-

Slavery In Portage County?

In 1804 John Garrett brought his family from Maryland to Portage County. The village of Garrettsville was named for him. In his household were two slave children- a 10-year old Negress and a 6-year old mulatto boy. When they became 18 years old they were given their freedom.

In 1806, the Noah Smith family came to Palmyra from Connecticut, bringing with them a Negro girl. For holding this girl Smith was prosecuted but won out in the courts.

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The home was built by Ed- ward Hinman in 1817 and the property has remained in pos- session of the Hinman family from the first. It stands north of Ravenna and is owned by Ralph Hinman. At one time it was used as a tavern.

is, Randolph, Ravenna, Rootstown, Shalersville, Streetsboro, Suffield and Windham. When the first census was taken in 1810, its population was 2,- 995. The 1950 census showed that 63,- 954 people lived in the county. So rapid has been growth since 1950 that it is believed over 75,000 people live in Portage County today.

In disposing of its western lands, Connecticut set apart 500 acres of land in each township for the support of schools as well as 500 acres for church- es plus 240 acres for the minister. It worked out that way to some extent but probably not in the way it first promised to help. Settlers and pur- chasers of land had assumed that this meant a start in public education would be made in the Reserve.

SCHOOL AID IS SMALL

But nobody seemed interested in taking over this "school" land. Dis- satisfaction arose in Connecticut over the set-up and finally Connecticut sold

this school land and added the pro- ceeds to the original $1,200,000.00 it had obtained. This then all went to support schools, but those schools were in Connecticut, not Ohio. West- ern Reserve schools got nothing.

The Western Reserve would have been better off in the first place with- out Connecticut's gesture of help for education for while Congress was pro- viding help for schools elsewhere in Ohio, it passed up the Reserve because it already had "help." But Congress finally did help later. In 1807 it set aside 87.5 square miles in Holmes and Tuscarawas counties for school sup- port in the Reserve, the Virginia Mili- tary District and the U. S. Military Bounty District.

This was followed by other grants from Congress later on, so that event- ually the Western Reserve had 93,760 acres of land for her school support. But this land failed to lease well and in 1852 the state legislature ordered it sold. The Reserve's share was a

PORTAGE HERITAGE

quarter million dollars. The profits from this fund are still divided each year among the Reserve schools and is known as the "Irreducible School Fund." Here it is known as the West- ern Reserve School fund. However the "help" thus received is very small compared with the sums raised other- wise for the schools. Last year it amounted to a little more than $300.00 to be divided among all the county districts.

Undoubtedly Connecticut meant to foster education for its children in Ohio, and let it be known that schools were provided for. But many of the early comers were bitterly disappoint- ed to find that schooling was not to be had. These settlers wanted schools and learning for their children but for the most part they had to set up their own schools. It was many years before any sort of school "system" was in opera- tion.

DREARY OUTLOOK

Intelligent observers who came to this country before it was a state pret- ty well agreed that it was a rough, dreary country, primitive and depress- ing to them.

In 1800, Rev. Joseph Badger, men- tioned elsewhere, came here as a mis- sionary to make inquiry about condi- tions and church needs in the Reserve. He visited settlements, including those in Portage. He was disturbed by the people's attitude toward churches.

"They seem to glory in their infidel- ity," he wrote back. "Infidelity and profaning Sabbath are general in this place. The people bid fair to grow in- to a hardened, corrupt society."

After the county was set up, Samuel Melish came here in 1811 to inspect the country for prospective land buy- ers. His report was not good. He found much sickness, fever and ague. "It is a country of dull people, who look pale and sickly," he reported. The Cuyahoga River stank, he said, and he saw many large pumpkins and that the people "lived much on pumpkin pies." Dr. Zerah Hawley, who came here to practice, reported that most families lived, cooked, ate, slept, dress- ed and undressed in one room. Onc family had a knife and fork for vis- itors, but otherwise all ate from one big dish. People had no manners and preachers were either fanatical or ig- norant. Althogether, there was plenty of room for improvement, even with the standards of those days. But things began to stir.

Even while the Reserve was still in the woods, commerce began to show its head, as trade often paves the way to civilization. In 1786, Col. James Hillman, who later established Youngstown, worked for the mer- cantile firm of Duncan & Wilson, in Pittsburgh. His job was transporting goods from Pittsburgh to "the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, for shipment

The Gunboat, Portage

In the War of 1812, a boat was constructed at Old Portage, now Akron, to be used as a gunboat and was given the name of The Portage. At that time Akron was inside Poratge County, hence the name. Other boats named were The Porcupine, The Hornet, The Trippe and The Tigress. None of the vessels saw combat service.

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This drawing repre- sents the rocky gorge of the Cuyahoga river where Capt. Brady made his famous leap. Rocks were later removed for canal and railroad con- struction.

to Detroit." Cleveland, as a settlement, wasn't yet in existence.

HORSEBACK FREIGHTERS

Hillman's memoirs states that his party made five or six trips a year. His caravan consisted of ten men and 90 horses (pack horses carrying merch- andise). They usually cross the Big Beaver four miles below the mouth of the Shenango; thence up the left bank of the Mahoning, crossing it about three miles above the village of Youngstown; thence by way of Salt Springs (near Niles) in the township of Weathersfield, through Milton, to

Ravenna, crossing the Cuyahoga at the mouth of the Breakneck, and a- gain at the mouth of Tinker's creek, near Bedford, and thence down the river to its mouth, where they erected a log cabin for the safe keeping of goods." Near Tinkers Creek were a few houses erected by Moravians (then vacant). These, and the few cabins at Salt Springs, were the only buildings erected by whites between Ohio River and Lake Erie. Their route was not a road, but a trail.

But better things and an easier way of living were in store for those who came.

A widely known character of early Rootstown was "Mother" Ward. She was a large and muscular woman of great energy and endurance, well able to do a man's work at chopping, logging and taking long journeys afoot. She is said to have come from Pennsyl- vania, having left a husband there, and lived alone near present Crystal Lake which was long known as Mother Ward's Pond on her account. Her maiden name was said to have been Dunfield and her first husband was killed by Indians. She had a son, John, who built a frame house for Benjamin Tappan. But he got into trouble and was tried for wife murder. "Mother Ward" is said to have made annual trips back home to Pennsylvania, going barefoot. She was supposed to have been a native of Ireland.

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Shooting of Daniel Diver

The only serious trouble with the Indians in Portage County occurred in 1806 and is referred to as "the shoot- ing of Daniel Diver" in Deerfield, by an Indian named Mohawk, as the re- sult of bad feeling over a horse trade. Nickshaw, a son-in-law of Chief Big- son, had traded a pony for a horse be- longing to John Diver.

In his "Recollections of An Old Set- tler," Chris Cackler, Jr., gives his ver- sion of the affair. Writing in 1874, Cackler says:

"I have seen in a book of Mr. Bierce's, in Summit County, where the difficulty between Daniel Diver and the Indians is set forth, as regards the abuse offered to the Indians, is not true. I was acquaint- ed with the whole transaction and with Mohawk, who shot Diver. He was a son of the Chief Seneca. The chief was a large, muscular man, a little short of six feet, straight, with a stern look and keen, black eyes. His word was law in his tribe; what he said, must be done. He did not allow his tribe to promise any- thing and not make it good. Honor was their law and you might be sure of their promises, if they lived, for they hated lying. If you told them a lie, they never forgot it.

"The Seneca chief (Bigson) had seven children-four sons and three daughters. There were three in the family-John Bigson, John Amur and John Mohawk. His sons-in-law were George Wilson, Nickshaw and Wobmung. Wobmung was as smart a fellow as you would see in a thousand. You would think his big eyes would look through a man and see all his faults. If he had been educated,

he would have been equal to any white man.

Nickshaw traded off his pony with John Diver for an old horse. Diver had given them whiskey and made them 'cockusa', as they say when they get too much. Nickshaw went off with his horse and in about three days brought him back, saying that he was no good for In- dian because he could not eat sticks; but, he was good for white man. They said Diver had cheated them. Nickshaw left the old horse, went away, and agreed with Mohawk to shoot Diver. Three or four of the Indians came there and asked for whiskey but Mohawk did not come in to drink the whiskey with them. When they went out, they gave a whoop, jump- ed on their ponies and went away. Diver thought this a little strange and put his head out the door, when Mohawk fired at him, mounted his pony and rode away. The shot took out both his eyes. He was not killed but lived at Deerfield at least 30 years after this.

"The Indian camp was about three miles away. The Seneca chief and his family had moved there in the fall, and the greatest friendship existed with the whites until the horse trade. Mohawk thought he had killed Diver and escap- ed. The neighbors rallied under Capt. Rogers and took after the Indians. They went to their camp and none were there but they followed their trail along the great Indian road from the Ohio River to Sandusky. It crossed the Cuyahoga River at 'Standing Stone', near Franklin Mills, now Kent, and the Center road, south of Hudson about a mile, thence across the Cuyahoga River in Boston. My father lived in the southeast part of Hud- son. The trail was about sixty rods from our house and we had a path to the

Probably the first installment buying transaction in Portage occurred in Mantua in 1815. Settlers there needed a blacksmith. Daniel Bidlake came along. He was a blacksmith but had no tools or equipment. Settlers banded together and bought him an outfit, and he paid back the money on the installment plan.

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trail. Rogers and his men followed the Indians in the night.

"It was about the last of December, 1806, and the snow was about four inch- es deep. The night was very cold and the moon was near the full and shining. They came to our house about one o'clock in the morning, some of them nearly frozen, and about half of them stayed there. Rogers got my father, my eldest brother and my brother-in-law, Williams, to go with them. They went to Hudson, got a new recruit, and fol- lowed on to near the west part of Rich- field. Here the Indians had stopped, built a fire, stacked their arms, tied their ponies and lain down, with their feet to the fire. Most of them had pulled off their moccasins. When Rogers and his men saw the fire, they scattered and sur- rounded the Indians, some of whom were in a doze and some asleep.

"As they were closing up, Nickshaw and Mohawk sprang up and ran off bare- footed. They closed in on the rest and, it beginning to be light, Rogers wanted somebody to go after Nickshaw. George Darrow, of Hudson, and Jonathan Wil- liams, my brother-in-law, volunteered to go. They said the Indians' feet began to bleed before they got a mile, when they sat down on a log, tied pieces of their blanket around their feet, and then separated. Darrow and Williams follow- ed one of them who proved to be Nick- shaw, who they overtook at about three miles. He looked back, and seeing them, gave a whoop and increased his speed and they took after him like hounds after a fox. In about a mile they overtook him and asked him to come back, but he would not. Darrow said he thought he could clinch him, but when he made the attempt, Nickshaw would put his hand under his blanket as though he had a knife. Darrow thought he would get a club and knock him down, but Mr. In- dian could get a club and use it, too. They got out of patience and Williams fired his gun over Nickshaw's head to let him know what was coming if he did not yield. This did not make any impression and Williams loaded up and

This old mill at Garrettsville long stood on the site of the original mill of John Garrett, built in 1805.

popped him over. He fell on his face and gave up the ghost. They threw him under a log, covered him with brush and old chunks and came back to Hudson. Heman Oviatt, David Hudson and Owen Brown mounted their horses, took the trail and found the Indian dead. They got out a state warrant against Darrow and Williams for murder.

"All the Reserve was then in Trumbull county, the county seat at Warren. When they got there to be tried for their necks, they refused to go into the little log jail 'til the court could be organized, and they had some fuss about it. Finally, some person said they would be on hand for the trial. When the court was ready they came forward and the witnesses were called. Oviatt, Hudson and Brown swore that they followed the tracks of Darrow and Williams and found where they had shot the Indian. I think J. D. Webb of Warren was counsel for them. He muddled the witnesses 'til they could not tell how the Indian came to his death. Darrow was cleared and brought as a witness against Williams. He swore that there was a controversy with the Indian in order to make a prisoner of him; he heard the crack of a gun and saw the Indian fall but could not tell where it came from. Finally the matter was quash-

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This mill was built in Deerfield in 1803 and served the people of that area for many years.

ed. There was plenty of whiskey and a hoe-down that night. A collection was made for Williams of five dollars for his killing the Indian."

The Chief and his family were brought to Hudson and discharged. They were not abused but went to their old camp in Streetsboro, which was his headquarters. It was on Sam- uel Olin's place, near the river. He lived there until the summer of 1812. He was a man of great intellect and fairness, and had always been a friend of our government.

What Cackler neglects to say that the Diver who was shot by Mohawk,

was not the man who traded horses, but his brother, Daniel. The wrong man was shot.

Also, other historians say that Chief Bigson and his family were taken be- fore Squire Lewis Ely, of Deerfield, for a hearing. The squire bound them over to the Common Pleas Court at Warren, where the Indians were held as prisoners until a trial was held, at which time they were found not guil- ty and released. The Indians claimed that when taken to Deerfield and Warren, they were forced to walk through snow without protection for their feet.

According to scientific surveys made in the past, millions of tons of coal lie be- neath the surface in Portage County. Most of it cannot be taken out in paying quanti- ties. There are four recognized seams, lying at varying depths, which in places show outcroppings. There is hardly a community in the county wherein coal has not been found. The seams vary in depth from a few inches to five feet and only in a few sec- tions does it pay to mine it. Palmyra long was a noted coal producing center. So was Deerfield. Atwater has its mines today. But in all likelihood most of Portage coal po- tential will forever remain unmined.

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Portage heritage; a history of Portage County, Ohio; its towns and townships and the men and women who have developed them; its life, institutions and biographies, facts and lore, Part 4

Author: Holm, James B Publication date: 1957 Publisher: [Kent, O., Commercial Press inc.] Number of Pages: 834

Author: Holm, James B
Publication date: 1957
Publisher: [Kent, O., Commercial Press inc.]
Number of Pages: 834