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 6

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 6

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Settlers knew that civilization and prosperity could not be built without tools. They brought in rough ma- chinery and water power sites. Rufus Edwards had a sort of grist mill in Mantua in 1799. In Garrettsville Col. John Garrett made use of water power there and had a grist and saw mill running before Ohio reached state- hood. In Franklin township, the Hay- maker family constructed mills of var- ious kinds and the name of Franklin Mills was one result. Randolph early had small manufacturing plants. Ra-

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venna had its Boosinger and McWhor- ter mills.

INDUSTRY COMES SLOWLY

So much has been written about the difficulties of the rough pioneer life that its nature seems pretty well known. Still, the newcomers knew what they wanted and were willing to work. More roads had to be cut out and graded, though real grading was a long time coming. This alone was a job big enough to appal, but of course actual road grading was done gradual- ly over a period of years, and even when finally finished, these highways left much to be desired. At first only the steepest grades were cut down and the easiest routes were likely to be fol- lowed. One wonders how the miles and miles of shade trees growing

symmetrically along these roads, ever got there, but at least some of them were set out by the settlers who were anxious to have the shade, or enjoy the beauty of the trees. Bridges had to be built and the old-style covered wooden structures were the accepted type of the day. With a road that was good enough, and bridges that were strong enough, the big, rough, four- horse freight wagons began to bring in goods and heavy machinery like that in operation in the East. Indus- trial and commercial life developed slowly but surely, along with domestic life.

Almost forgotten today is the fact that for more than three decades Port- age County included what is now both Summit and Medina counties. On Feb. 12, 1812, Medina County was erected

Came As Agreed

Elias Harmon was an important man in early Aurora and Mantua history. Why he came here in the first place is explained by an agreement made in Suffield, Hartford County, Conn., dated Jan. 28, 1799. It was between Ebenezer Sheldon, Ebenezer King, Jr., Fidelio King and John Leavitt, parties of the first part; and Elias Harmon and wife, parties of the second part. It reads:

"Witnesseth, that we, the said Ebenezer She'don, etc., all of the first part, have made the following agreement or contract with the said Elias and his wife for the season en- suing, to go on labor on the Western Reserve land, and to furnish them with $10.00 be- fore they start, to be considered as expense money-and to pay him $10.00 per month and his wife $1.00 per week, during the season, for their labour, and to allow them 25 days to get on to the said Reserve-and they are to have wages allowed the same as when in actual service-and at the expiration of the season they are to have their wages in cash unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties-excepting such provisions as shall be judged necessary to last them 'til the next spring, which provision is to be considered part of their wages-and for a further consideration we do agree to give the said Elias and his wife 50 acres of land in the town where we will make our settlement on the said Reserve-and the said Elias etc., on their part agree to go to the said Reserve, into the town where they will be directed by the first part, and to be there by the 15th of May next to labour as above mentioned, during the spring season and become actual settlers in the town where we labour, or to pay all damages that may arise on failure thereof.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands the day above mentioned.

Ebenezer Sheldon, Ebenezer King, Jr., John Leavitt, Fidelio King, Elias Harmon"

The Harmons did not arrive until June 1, 1799.

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by the state legislature, though still attached to Portage County for ju- dicial purposes, Ravenna being the seat of law for this vast district. No doubt the machinery of law was un- able to operate to advantage over all the district.

But just when everything seemed to be going well and growth was un- der way, a chilling wind blew down. The war with England broke sudden- ly. Immigration here stopped and men patriotically joined the national army. The United States was exposed to dan- ger at Detroit and along Lake Erie. Portage County was near at hand and sent all the men she could, to help.

The War of 1812 did not last too long insofar as it affected Portage County. The county suffered very lit- tle direct loss, but the war did exercise a depressing effect on business in general. At the close of this war, things began to move again in earnest. There was a veritable flood of immi- grants and population grew. Portage county learned how to produce crops and goods but there was no good way to get them to market.

SOLDIERS ARM THEMSELVES

A war, of course, is a calamity from any standpoint. The interruption of "business", such as it was, was one thing. Immigration was at a stand- still. Here people were thrown into a state of anxiety and uncertainty.

But the war did bring out some unusual facts. Under the new law all men had been members of the militia and subject to monthly and annual muster days when men were supposed to drill, with or without arms and

uniforms. Ohio was on the border so that the enemy was near and it was necessary to get into a state of defense at once. After war was declared, and a call made for troops, plenty of men offered their services, but they were mostly untrained, without arms. When an already organized company report- ed, the men brought their own arms and equipment. This property was ap- praised so that if lost, the owners could claim pay.

Apparently the organizations con- sisted of both mounted and foot. When the call came for troops the redoubtable Capt. John Campbell was the titular head of the county militia and he organized a volunteer company to report at once at a point near Sandusky. Temporary training grounds for the first company was a- long Barrell Run, near Capt. Camp- bell's home. Others later went to San- dusky under Major Mason. Among the men was Capt. DeLaun Mills, the Nel- son Indian fighter. Later, Major Ma- son was ordered to make a hurry-up drive to Sandusky with 50 mounted men. There were then no newspapers or telegraph so that the state was filled with rumors and reports about the presence of the enemy in various places, usually untrue. Others went later. The first were intended to help defend Detroit but when the men neared the city they learned that it had been surrendered to the British by Gen. Hull.

WAR PROVIDES A LIFT

Few of these soldiers were engaged in formal battle with the enemy, al- though there were some skirmishes, mostly with the Indians who were al-

PORTAGE HERITAGE

lied with the British. But many died from illness and a good sized squad of sick and injured who were captured by the British near the River Raisin in Michigan, were taken to Canada and later paroled but eventually they reached home. Better trained troops from the older settlements of Ohio and Kentucky got into the larger actions, which were not numerous. After Per- ry's Lake Erie victory and the Ameri- can successes at Malden, Ontario, the tension eased and no more soldiers were needed.

The end of the war naturally brought a feeling of relief, but it also gave Ohio people a sort of lift to know that it was a successful war in which Ohio had played an important part. It might be expressed in the words of a campaign jingle attributed to Col. Richard Johnson, the Kentuckian who personally killed Tecumseh. Popular- ized, it was heard for many years. It ran:

Ripsy, rantsy, humpsy dumpsy, I, Dick Johnson, killed Tecumseh.

TIMBER IS BURNED

Today we reflect how unfortunate it was that untold riches went to waste in the destruction of the forests. Mil- lions of dollars worth of fine timber was burned up merely to get it out of the way. Such action was necessary, because there was no market for it, even if there were a way to get it to

market, and until the trees could be gotten out of the way could there be any crops raised. One of the first mar- ketable products of the region was ashes. Few today ever heard of an "ashery", which was a place where selected timber was reduced to ashes. They produced pearl ash and pot ash, from which the word potash. Com- mercially, these ashes were shipped East where they were further treated to make lye, potash, soda, soap and other products. In a simpler way, wood ashes were used at home. They were put in a barrel and leached to make lye, which was further used to produce soft or hard soaps. Soft soap · making was an early art that lasted until the beginning of the present century. In some section it still exists.

At the local ashery the lye solution was treated and run off into wooden vats. It was allowed to cool and harden and cut or broken off in chunks for shipment. Aurora had an ashery in 1810, and also was location of a "pearl" ashery, for a higher grade product. Mantua Center had an ashery in 1818 and Franklin Mills had one in 1820.

DROVERS ARE NECESSARY

After land was cleared it was found that cattle could be raised easily, but there was no market for them at home, or near it. But there was a market for them in the East. The only way to get

For many years, there were no fences in early Portage County. Cattle and other stock ranged the woods unrestrained. In order that each owner could identify his own property, they made use of the "ear mark" on each beast, much as western cattle owners later used the brand. The first township clerk's book of Palmyra, beginning in 1810, had four pages of names of owners and their distinctive ear marks. Many of the animals also wore bells so that they could be located easily.

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cattle to market was by driving them over the mountains. This gave rise to the calling of cattle drover. Acting either for himself or some one else, a a drover assembled a lot of 50 to 100 marketable cattle. With a necessary helper or two he rode herd on the cattle along roads by this time well marked, and the cattle grazed along the road as they went along. It was tedious going over the mountains. They made 10 or 15 miles a day and at night bedded down in an open spot along the road, or perhaps in a field rented cheaply from a landowner. Trouble sometimes arose from "rust- lers" or testy landowners but as a rule the drover got his property through without too much delay. On their ar- rival near some big Eastern city, like Philadelphia, the cattle were thin and to put them in good flesh they found "fattening fields" where they spent a few more days before being marketed.

Less frequently, pigs were driven to market on the hoof, but porkers could not stand too long a journey, though they were of the rangy, half-wild type.

MUCH WHISKEY MADE

But the rich virgin soil could and did produce crops, one of which was corn. This was the basis of another manufactured product. Whiskey was pretty generally used, easy to manu- facture and provided a method of making use of a crop. Whiskey was not only an article of commerce, but in many cases a means of barter, or legal tender. Money was then scarce. Workmen were sometimes paid in part or whole in whiskey. School teachers sometimes contracted to take

part pay in whiskey and some of the ministers were forced to accept such pay. With whiskey in general demand, many people took up its manufacture in a small way, with a still on their premises, such as are seen in the moon- shine districts of today, although whis- key making was still legal. Every lo- cality had its whiskey still or two. Col. John Campbell, founder of Campbell- sport, operated a still for a time. Whis- key making was without restriction and the advantages of sanitation had not yet been heard of.

There was little or no sale for lum- ber until the towns began to grow. Then it had value. The big mansions of wealthier residents for 75 years or more were easily afforded because lumber was cheap and labor was, too. But in buildings these homes they did find what a wealth of beautiful ma- terial was at their door.

Probably the county's first mill was the Cohand grist mill of Rufus Ed- wards in Mantua in 1799.

Other manufacturies that started in a small way had to do with personal equipment for immediate use. If a settler was early forced to wear buck- skin, he soon turned to more comfort- able woolen and cotton goods for clothing. Spinning wheels soon turned out rough cloth for suits for men and dresses for women. Tailors then ap- peared to sew for those who could af- ford them. Others did their own sew- ing. The shoemaker appeared. He needed leather and this required tan- neries. Clay was found and brick mak- ing developed. The hat and cap maker came as did the cooper, and the car- riage and wagon maker.

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But cattle produced milk as well as meat and hides. At first there wasn't much call for milk, as pioneers were not particularly milk drinking folks but milk could be turned into cheese and early in the nineteenth century Portage Countians found a good mar- ket for their cheese in the South, as described elsewhere.

PIGEONS ARE NUMEROUS

In this time probably every little community had visions of some day developing into a manufacturing cent- er and thereby a big town, especially those with water power. Hiram Rap- ids was a busy place at one time, nice- ly laid out, but when steam power came, suffered a relapse. Randolph township also gave promise to being a city. In 1840, its population was largest of any township in the county.

By way of crops first farmers fared quite well when weather permitted. Portage County was one of the main habitats, or roosting places, for the passenger pigeon, whose numbers were so numerous that their flocks often darkened the sun during pas- sage. In their migrations these birds, which were particularly numerous in the midwest, swooped down into low-

land woods to roost for the night, by the hundreds of thousands. Weight of the birds broke branches of trees and these roosting places covered many acres. The droppings of the birds year after year created a rich soil so that great sections received the name, "pig- eon roost places," and were in high favor among farmers, and brought higher prices. There were roosts in Hiram, Mantua, Freedom, Streetsboro, Windham and other townships. The time came when these birds were sought by hunters with guns and nets, and even clubs, to be salted down in barrels and shipped to eastern mark- ets. This and other causes, led to the destruction of the birds and in time they disappeared, just as the buffalo had before them.

SNAKES AND SQUIRRELS

Numerous, also, were squirrels to the extent that they were considered a pest. Crops had to be protected a- gainst them, as well as crows. Crows, too, gathered together in the fall of the year in vast assemblies, or "con- ventions", spending several days in "cawing" and apparent argument be- fore taking off for winter quarters. As late as 1925, a section of the woods

The Useful Squatter

Local historians like to set down the dates of "first" settlements, meaning permanent settlements. Actually, the first white dwellers in each community were usually unrecorded. Although they were merely squatters or birds of passage, they served the purpose of blaz- ing a trail for those who came to stay. As an example, Abel Forcha came to Charlestown Township in 1803 and lived there several years. He made his living by furnishing game for some of the so-called "permanent" settlers near by. But, although he lived in Charles- town for a considerable time, he could not qualify for the title of first settler because he owned no land. The same situation could be found in most of the other townships. Forcha served as a soldier in the war of 1812.

Sometimes squatters sold their "improvements" to later actual land buyers.

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along the Cuyahoga in Streetsboro had these crow assemblies of thousands of black creatures. Organized crow hunts and squirrel hunts were sports fea- tures of an early day.

Another pest unknown here today, was the rattlesnake. When the land was cleared this reptile was found by the thousands. Big ones and mean and dangerous. So numerous they were that "rattlesnake hunts" were organiz- ed for their extermination. Fatal snake bites were common. At Franklin Mills one Sunday, church services had to be delayed until the grounds were cleared of rattlers. But a continuous war on them finally resulted in their exter- mination. Today one is found only occasionally.

Wild animal life was abundant and pretty important to all, not only for supplies of meat and fowl, but skins and pelts had value not only for im- mediate use but for sale. This included everything from squirrels to bear, deer and other large quadrupeds. For quite a few years efforts of settlers to raise hogs, cattle and other domestic an- imals for their own use, meant a con- tinual warfare with wolves and bears. Only by means of mass hunts, describ- ed elsewhere, were flocks and herds finally made safe, after which many people were sorry for the destruction of game that had been wrought. A curious fact is that deer, which disap- pear early, again appeared in the coun- ty about one hundred years later and at this present date, are quite num-

erous. This is partly due to anmial migration and partly a result of game protection laws.

LAWS HELP SCHOOLS

First settlers had been looking for- ward to having education provided for their children. Means of educa- tion came in time, but first schools were not public schools at all. Actual- ly, there was no public school system in Ohio, until about the middle of the nineteenth century. At first, the splen- did educational facilities we enjoy in Portage county today, including high high schools, Hiram College and Kent State University, was not even a dream. As so well described in another chapter, the system of schools here just grew and from a very weak be- ginning. The first schools were really private schools, available for children whose parents could pay a little tui- tion. Their organizers usually intend- ed them to be open to all, but few could attend. There was no provision for levying taxes for school purposes at first and not until 1821 did Ohio authorize such a thing as school dis- tricts and school taxes on a local scale. It was an enabling law and few com- munities paid much attention to it, so that in 1825 the legislature made school taxes compulsory. In 1838 the state set up a common school fund of $200,000.00 to be divided among var- ious school districts. This didn't a- mount to much and in 1853 the state set up a much larger fund which gave

David Daniels, a Palmyra settler, made his own tombstone, then leaned it up against the side of his house until needed later. From this, his children not only learned his history but learned to read as well.

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local schools an impetus. Before 1837 there were very few tax-supported public schools in the state. The idea of public high schools was considered revolutionary, but the need for them was filled by the numerous "academ- ies" established over the state. The very first Ohio academy is said to have been in Burton, in neighboring Geau- ga County. Portage County had one at Windham, in Ravenna, in Brimfield in Streetsboro and other places. After high schools were general, the acad- emies gradually went out of existence though colleges had preparatory courses as late as 1900.

LOG CABIN INSTRUCTORS

Thus schools were first set up early in Portage county, through private effort. Miss Sarah Wright taught a school in Tappan's settlement in 1803. Aurora had a school in 1803 with Sam- uel Forward as teacher, and Robert Campbell presided over a school in Deerfield the same year. Nelson had an early school, with Hannah Baldwin as teacher in 1804. All these were log cabin schools. They had to be so. In- struction was in only a few branches but these schools served the purpose of paving the way for something much better.

In their desire for schooling for children, sometimes parents erected their own private school building. In

1809, David Jennings, Sr., Moses Smith and Erastus Carter of Ravenna put up a small log house as a school for children of the three families and brought Miss Acsah Eggleston of Au- rora to be their teacher.

Apparently, the National Congress was not greatly interested in educa- tion for its own sake, despite the solemn statement in the famous Or- dinance of 1787 which states that "schools and means of Education shall forever be encouraged." According to some observers of the period, bounties, donations of land and promises of help were intended chiefly as an induce- ment for emigration into the new ter- ritories. The state did a little better, slowly, but it was the people of the local districts that finally set up schooling.

FACTORIES ARISE

In Portage County, the personal equation entered into beginnings of business and commerce as often as did chance. Likes and dislikes and person- al feelings were as strong then as now. In 1811 Joshua Woodard (later Gen- eral Woodard came to Ravenna and erected a dam on Breakneck Creek, about two miles from town. This backed up water for quite a distance, and the dam furnished power for a saw-mill, a grist mill and culling mill. But much malaria and other sickness

Capt. Josiah Long, one of the 16 Nantucket sea captains who came to Portage County in 1850 and later, had a remarkable marine history. He shipped on whaling vessels and was at sea for long periods. On one occasion his ship was gone 44 months, arriving home with 2100 barrels of sperm oil. His last voyage was from 1848 to 1852, lasting a little over four years, ranging over the Atlantic to the Pacific around The Horn. Althogether, Capt. Long spent 30 years upon the ocean. As a resident of Ravenna, he wrote a book about his adventures on the deep.

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developed in Ravenna and people de- cided that for this sickness the mill pond was responsible. They protested to Woodard who refused to change. Trouble followed. One night a mob formed and demolished the dam. The embittered Woodard then came to Kent in 1818 and in partnership with Frederick Haymaker established a

large group of mills, including woolen factory, dye house, cabinet shop, turn- ing lathes, together with several dwelling houses and a hotel. The firm of Woodard & Haymaker flourished until 1822 and was dissolved in 1826. In 1822 when their properties were split up Woodard formed a partner- ship with Benjamin Hopkins and Da- vid Ladd. It operated a woolen mill, a saw mill, an ashery, an anvil mill and a store, but the partnership lasted only until 1831. The woollen mills mentioned as Woodard's projects, were the fore-runners of the later Tur- ner Woollen Mills, which later on left Kent because of a disagreement with the Kent family. The Turner Mill then moved to Ravenna and later be- came The Cleveland Worsted Mills, long Ravenna's largest present indus- try.

Physical life on the frontier was rough enough but first law-abiding citizens had other things with which to contend. Not all the newcomers were good people. The whole new frontier state abounded with swind- lers, thieves and outlaws. Many mi- grants were just never-do-wells who never had shown any ability to suc- ceed. They scoffed at moral and spir- itual life. It is to the credit of the better element that they were able to

subdue not only the forest but the evil characters that infested it.

WEATHER DISCOURAGES

First settlers found the soil fertile enough so that good crops could be raised once the land was cleared. Stor- ies about good farm yields spread to the East and this brought more set- tlers. But the current of migration re- ceived a check in 1816 because of a freak of weather. This year was known as "the year without a sum- mer." There was snow and freezing weather as late as May and frosts came in every month so that farm crops were a complete loss. Many were discouraged but normal weather came in the following years and the cold year was gradually forgotten as far as production was concerned, but tales of the calamity were heard among far- mers for many years.

Previous to 1810, virtually all hous- es and buildings were of the log vari- ety. Saw-mills then came and aspira- tions developed for frame houses. For a while few frame houses could be found, but there was an occasional brick or stone habitation. In Ravenna some of the Tappan famliies had frame houses as early as 1808. Franklin Mills had none until 1814. Moses Smith of Ravenna had a frame barn in 1818. There was a frame barn in Randolph in 1806.

When tallow candles were not avail- able in pioneer days, they made a light by filling a saucer or shallow dish with melted lard. In this was placed a cloth strip doubled over, with one end sticking up through a button. This upright end was lighted, burning with a dull glow. It was dimmer than a candle, but young folks used it to "spark" by.

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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 6

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