USA > Ohio > Fulton County > The County of Fulton: A History of Fulton County, Ohio, from the Earliest Days, with Special Chapters on Various Subjects, Including Each of the Different Townships; Also a Biographical Department. > Part 16
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83
Digitized by Google
140
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
three years later, holding that high and responsible office for six years. He died, January 18, 1888.
William H. Gavitt was born in Franklin county, Ohio, Novem- ber 12, 1844, and was educated at the Ohio Wesleyan University, one of the most prominent educational institutions in the country under the immediate ecclesiastical control of the Methodist Epis- copal church. On Jauuary 12, 1863, be began studying law with Michael Handy at Ottokee, the old county-seat of Fulton county, and completed his studies at Delaware, in the office of James R. Hubble, at that time a leading lawyer of central Ohio. On Novem- ber 25, 1865, Mr. Gavitt was admitted to the bar, and immediately opened an office at Wauseon. Wearying somewhat of the law after a few years, he went to Isabella county, Michigan, where, in connection with Dr. S. T. Norden, he engaged in the drug busi- ness. In 1876 he returned to Fulton county, and again embarked in the legal practice, this time at Delta, and in 1880 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Fulton county, being re-elected two years later.
Mazzini Slusser received his legal education in the office of A. C. Baldwin, at Pontiac, Michigan, and at the Michigan University, graduating in the law department thereof, in 1876. His rudimen- tary and literary training was acquired in the public schools of Bryan, Ohio, and at an academy which flourished there some years ago. After spending two years in public school work, Mr. Slusser located at Wauseon, in 1878, and followed the business of general insurance until 1880, when he formed a partnership with L. M. Murphy and began the active practice of the law. In 1885 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Fulton county, and after serving two terms in that position he removed to Chicago, where he now has a fine practice.
THE PROBATE COURT.
This court was created by the constitution of 1851, with the provision that one judge of the same should be elected in each county. It is an office peculiarly local and intimately associated with the affairs of all the people, and has been filled by some of our best citizens. Samuel Gillis, the first judge elected, was one of the early settlers of Fulton county. He was born in Argyle, Washington county, New York, in 1789, and settled in Victor, Cayuga county, in 1811. He served in the war of 1812, was at Sackett's Harbor, was taken prisoner and held in Canada for sev- eral months, and was present at the burning of Quebec. Mr. Gillis was among the early settlers in Chesterfield township and by occu- pation was a farmer. He was the first probate judge of Fulton county, and filled many township offices. He died, February 9, 1871.
Lucius H. Upham, the immediate successor to Mr. Gillis, held the office only about one month, when he was unseated. The next, Socrates H. Cately, was for about forty-two years one of Swan
Digitized by Google
141
BENCH AND BAR
Creek township's most active and enterprising citizens. He was a native of Cortland county, New York, and was born on January 8, 1815, in the calendar of the Democratic party known as "St. Jackson's Day," being the date of the battle of New Orleans. When he attained his majority he started west, stopping at Maumee City, where he lived for a little less than eight years, and then purchased land in Swan Creek township and established him- self on it. Besides serving as probate judge of the county he was an associate judge under the old Constitution.
Oliver B. Verity was elected in 1857. He was born in Pitts- town, Rensselaer county, New York, January 8, 1815. Like his predecessor in the probate judge's office, he may be called a St. Jackson man, having been born on the day and in the year that Andrew Jackson fought and whipped the British at New Orleans. Mr. Verity grew to manhood in his native State. and in 1843 came to Gorham township, Lucas, afterwards Fulton county, Ohio, where he first settled on section nine and later on section sixteen. In the fall of 1857, he was elected to the office of probate judge and moved to Ottokee, then the county seat of Fulton county, on February 17, 1858, and resided there the remainder of his life. While living in Gorham he held the office of township clerk for nine years in succession, and in 1855, was elcted justice of the peace, but resigned that office to accept the office of probate judge. He was three times re-elected to the latter position and served the people of the county in that capacity twelve years, his last term ending February 9, 1870. In the fall of 1852, he was elected land appraiser for the district composed of the townships of Gorham, Chesterfield and Royalton, and made the tour of said townships the following year and reported to the auditor of the county. In 1846, under the old Constitution, and when this territory was a part of Lucas county, he was appointed a sub-school examiner to examine applicants for teaching in Gorham township alone, which position he held until Fulton county was organized. Then under the new constitution he was appointed by Samuel Gillis to the office of county school examiner, and served as such until he took his seat as probate judge. In 1870, after retiring from the probate office, he was chosen as assistant marshal for the purpose of taking the census of that year, of Dover, Chesterfield, Royalton and Amboy townships. In April, 1874, he was chosen superintend- ent of the newly established county infirmary, and held that posi- tion until March 1, 1880, and excepting those six years, he held the office of justice of the peace of Dover township from April, 1870, the remainder of his active life. He also served two years as clerk and one as trustee of Dover township. He served six times as juror in the United States District Court, and on April 9, 1861, he was chosen as postmaster at Ottokee and held the office until May, 1885, a trifle over twenty-four years. Mr. Verity was for years recognized as the best equipped man in the county in the matter of facts pertaining to local history, and in the compilation
Digitized by Google
142
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
of this volume the writer has drawn extensively from articles penned by him.
The judge of probate in 1870-79 was Caleb M. Keith, who was born in Huron county, Ohio, August 11, 1817, and settled in Ful- ton county, in 1862. He filled the office of justice of the peace, and was elected probate judge in the fall of 1869, which office he held for nine years. He was succeeded by Levi W. Brown, who was born in Fulton county, in 1841, son of Benjamin Brown, who was a native of the Green Mountain State. He was elected probate judge in 1878, 1881 and 1884. He held the judgeship for three terms and after him Adelbert D. Newell was twice elected, but died be- fore the expiration of his second term, and H. L. Moseley served by appointment for a few months until Thomas F. Ham was elected for the unexpired term, in the fall of 1892. Judge Ham was twice re-elected and served from 1892 to 1900, and the present incumbent, Edward E. Williams, entered upon the duties of the office in February of the latter year.
CLERKS OF THE COURTS.
Samuel Durgin, as noted previously, was the first clerk of the court of common pleas in 1850, and continued in the office until January, 1854, when Naman Merrill succeeded him, holding the office until 1861, and Harry B. Bayes was then chosen and began a term that continued until 1864. The successors of Durgin, Mer- rill and Bayes have been the following, all men of ability and prominence: 1863, Samuel Durgin ; 1866, Truman H. Brown; 1869, Daniel W. Poe; 1872, Albert Deyo; 1878, Albert B. Smith; 1887, James C. King; 1893, H. S. Bassett; 1899, Frank W. Wood.
SHERIFFS.
The first executive officer of the courts in Fulton county was George B. Brown, one of the prominent men of this section in the early days. He settled in Royalton township before the organiza- tion of Fulton county, and after serving as the first sheriff and in other positions of trust, he retired to his farm and lived a long and honorable life. The successors to Brown, with the years of their accession to office as near as can be stated with certainty, are as follows : 1851, Charles D. Smith; 1857, Marcus H. Hayes; 1861, Oscar A. Cobb; 1865, Jacob Huffmire; 1869, Joseph H. Brigham; 1873, Sullivan Johnson; 1877, Joseph H. Brigham; 1879, Harvey L. Aldrich; 1883, Frank T. Blair; 1887, Daniel Dowling; 1889, William J. Connell; 1893, Alfred F. Shaffer; 1897, James L. Shin- nabarger; 1901, Henry H. Rittenhouse; 1905, James L. Shinna- barger, present incumbent.
MEMBERS OF THE BAR.
Lucius H. Upham was the first lawyer who permanently estab- lished himself in the practice in Fulton county. He located at Delta, immediately following the formation of the county. By the
Digitized by Google
143
BENCH AND BAR
following year, however, Mr. Upham had two associates, in the persons of Amos Hill and Reuben C. Lemmon, and by 1852, Michael Handy and Nathaniel Leggett had been added to the list. It is useless to attempt to give a complete roster of those who have at different times "swung their signs to the breezes" as resident attorneys in Fulton county, but the following is thought to con- tain the names of the more prominent ones, and the years given represent about the dates of their appearance: 1855, John W. Roseborough; 1856, Octavius Waters; 1857, Moses R. Brailey ; 1860, Elbridge T. Greenough; 1864, William C. Kelley; 1865, Sydenham Shaffer and William H. Gavitt; 1868, William W. Touvelle; 1869, William H. Handy; 1870, Henry H. Ham and Thomas F. Ham; 1872, Charles F. Greenough; 1875, William W. Williams; 1880, L. M. Murphy, Mazzini Slusser and John Q. Files ; 1886, Cicero E. G. Roseborough.
The foregoing names represent the larger number of those who have practiced law in Fulton county. In addition, however, there have been Richard Patterson, Henry H. McElhiney, John "T. Birds- eye, William Welker, Ray McConahey, Rezin Franks, Worling B. Leggett, George Denman, George R. Walker, Henry Hogaboam, Edward Tiffany, S. M. Huyck, Warren Upham, Henry Tiffany and Allen G. Carmichael. These have not all engaged actively in the practice but the majority of them have. In 1905, the fol- lowing resident attorneys have their names printed in the bar docket of the Court of Common Pleas:
A. P. Biddle, J. Q. Files, J. C. Paxson, F. B. Fowler, C. F. Green- ough, Clive C. Handy, Fred. Wolf, U. G. Hahn, H. H. Ham, F. S. Ham, T. F. Ham, G. B. Heise, Ray M. Lance, R. B. Darby, M. B. Cottrell, G. A. Everett, O. O. Rolph, F. B. Geer, and J. W. Rose- borough.
Digitized by
CHAPTER XI
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
D URING the early days in Fulton county the settlers suffered considerably from illness. Especially was this true of the year 1838, which is remembered throughout the entire Lake region and the Ohio valley as "the terrible sickly season;" and for many years thereafter the people suffered more or less in the summer and autumn of every year. The settlers of the county, and particularly those that made their homes in the rich bottoms of the various water-courses, were terribly afflicted with fevers and racked with chills.
The fever was so continuous throughout Ohio in those days, and so frightful were its effects, that it is remarkable that the settlers were heroic enough to remain in the new country. They stayed partly through grim determination, partly through the natural indisposition to move backward, partly through love of the beautiful country, and largely through hope that is said to spring eternal, doubtless with accuracy, for it was necessary for it to spring eternally in the breasts of the pioneers, to cheer them in their toil and suffering.
Rich and productive as the lands were, there was a terrible drawback to their attraction in the shape of chills and fevers. So prevalent was this disease in some localities that not a cabin or a family escaped for a single year; and it sometimes happened that there would not be a single well member of the family to furnish drink to the others. It is told that in such cases buckets would be filled in the morning by those most able and placed in some accessable place so that when the shakes came on each could help himself or herself. Had there been any seemingly possible way of getting back to the old settlements from which these adven- turers had come, most, if not all, would have left the rich Maumee bottoms with their shakes and fevers; but as it was, there were no railroads, or even wagon roads, on which they could convey their disheartened skeletons back to their old homesteads with their fine springs and health-restoring associations. At the time of the year when a tedious land or water trip could be made there were enough in each family sick to prevent any preparatory arrange- ments for such a return ; while in winter there were more obstacles in the way than the sickness of summer. Thus held not only by the charms of the scenery and the productiveness of the soil, but
144
Digitized by Google
145
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
by the sterner realities of shakes and burning fever, few came that ever returned, and every year brought new neighbors.
These fevers are described at some length by Dr. Daniel Drake, of Cincinnati, in his great work on the "Principal Diseases of the Interior Valley of North America," published in 1850. They were called by various names, autumnal, bilious, intermittent, remit- tent, congestive, miasmatic, malarial, marsh, malignant, chill fever, ague, fever'n'ague, dumb ague-and Dr. Drake himself preferred to call them autumnal fevers. He was disposed to ascribe their origin to what he called a "vegeto-animalcular cause," meaning that the people were infected by organisms that were bred in de- caying vegetation, and he pointed out that the disease could not be due to some organism that had a regular period of incubation, because people were not taken with the fevers until some time after the date of supposed infection. This, he stated, not in this language, which is more in the line of modern expression, but to the same effect, demonstrating a remarkable insight into the opera- tions of nature. It is believed now that the malarial infection, whatever its original source, is spread by mosquitoes, but this the doctors and sufferers did not suspect, and if they had, it would have done them little good, so numerous were the insect pests, and so expensive would have been any adequate attempt to sup- press them. At the time when people were exterminating bears, panthers, and vast forests, there was no time to make war on such small and ubiquitous things as mosquitoes.
In combatting the fever and the chills the doctors depended on Peruvian bark, quinine and calomel in heroic doses. Generally the unfortunate victim was first bled, then large doses of calomel were given, and the patient was cautioned to abstain from any acid food or he might lose his teeth, and the calomel was followed by quinine. Dr. Drake reported a case in Southern practice where a patient was given calomel for malarial fever in increasing doses until he took several ounces a day, and in a short time an entire pound of the drug was put in him. The fate of the unfortunate creature is not mentioned. Another patient was given six hundred- grains of compound of aloes, rhubarb and calomel in equal quanti- ties for six days consecutively. There were other remedies. Dr. Joshua Martin, of Xenia, knew of a case where the chills were permanently cured in a small boy by standing him on his head at the access of the fit. "In many cases," said Drake, "the recurrence has been arrested by means which acted entirely on the imagina- tion and feelings. Of this kind are very loathsome potions, which the patients have swallowed with disgust, and different charms or incantations, which rouse powerful emotions that change the innervation and destroy the habit of recurrence." There were some very remarkable cases of recurrence of the disease in various forms. One man was subject to monthly attacks of vertigo and loss of consciousness. When medicine had checked this, the 10
Digitized by Google
146
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
. trouble soon returned with intervals of twenty-one days, and after- ward for five years with periods of sixteen days.
The chills and fever, while not so immediately fatal in ordinary years as yellow fever, from which Ohio has fortunately been spared, was worse in its effects. If a man recovered from yellow fever, he was none the worse for it, sometimes better; but the victim of fever and chills often suffered all the rest of his life with neuralgia, liver or spleen disease, dyspepsia or diarrhoea. At times, however, the malarial fever assumed a malignant form and it was certain death unless the doctor was near at hand, and happened to be able to check the paroxysms.
It was this disease, common in every part of Ohio, that the pioneer doctors had to contend with. They battled nobly, some of them falling victims to their antagonist, and it cannot be doubted that they performed a great work in alleviating the sufferings of humanity, and encouraging the pioneers in the work of overcoming the evils of a new country. In time, with drainage and extensive cultivation of the soil, the dangerous conditions passed away, and Fulton county is now as healthy as any of those older regions to which the settlers longed to return in the days when they were shaking with ague.
In the summer of 1838, the dreadful epidemic broke out among the laborers on the Maumee canal and reached all the isolated settlers in the woods, ten or twelve miles away. During this siege of sickness there were not well persons enough to care for those who were ill, and eight persons died in York township that sum- mer. The first physician in that township was Erastus Lathrop, who settled near Delta and died very soon after the village was located. He was a member of the Baptist church and sometimes preached for that society. The medical practitioners of the town- ship have centered in the village of Delta, from which point they practice over a large area of the surrounding country .. Prominent among them for several years have been William Ramsey, S. P. Bishop, John Odell, John A. Wilkins and O: P. Fletcher.
William Bailey was the first physician in Metamora. He settled near the German church, west some two miles from the town. A physician named Pomeroy used to practice medicine in the vil- lage at a very early day. He was a very old man at the time, and, after a few years of practice, died, and was buried there. Promi- nent physicians of that village at a later day have been Dr. S. M. Clark, Dr. Foster, Dr. Tompkins and Dr. Markham.
Dr. Joshua Youngs was the first and only physician in Royalton township for many years. At one time his practice was extensive. He settled upon section 26. He died in 1873, having previously retired from practice. Later, Ezra B. Mann and H. H. Brown have been prominent as medical practitioners at Lyons. The former was a leading man in public affairs and represented Fulton county in the State legislature. H. H. Brown was born at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, July 8, 1863, and was educated in a literary school
Digitized by Google
1
147
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
at Clinton, Maine, and at the University of Michigan. He took a three years' course in the department of medicine and surgery in the latter institution, entering in the fall of 1883, and graduat- ing, July 1, 1886. He located at Lyons soon after completing his studies, and after a few years there removed to Chicago, where he now resides, practicing his profession. Phillips .Corners, in the same township, has had one physician in the person of Dr. Cunningham.
The first physician in Gorham township was Dr. John Kendall, who settled a few rods north of Fayette, in about 1839 or 1840, but he left and went to Franklin township about two years later. He was born in New York State, June 30, 1793; received his medical education in New York; came to Fulton county in No- vember, 1839, and practiced in all thirty-six years; died January 1, 1873, in Melbern, Williams county. The next physician in Gor- ham was Dr. Joseph O. Allen, who located within the present limits of Fayette in 1851. About this time one Dr. Davis settled at Cottrell's Corners and practiced there for two or three years and then left. This is all of the M. D.'s who settled in Gorham at an early date, before Fayette started its journey for village life, and there are none now practicing outside of Fayette. Dr. J. T. Van Buskirk was an early physician of the village, but he died many years ago, and Dr. Turrell and Dr. Amos Kendall, both of whom have died or left for other parts, formerly practiced there. A later corps of physicians have been Estelle H. Rorick, H. F. Van Bus- kirk, C. B. Herrick, Edson Emerick, all able, energetic, and well qualified in their profession. Dr. Rorick is at present superintend- ent of the Imbecile Asylum at Columbus, and is mentioned at some length in the biographical department of this work. H. F. Van Buskirk was born in Fayette, Ohio, July 25, 1861, and is a son of the late Dr. J. T. Van Buskirk, of the same place. He began the study of medicine in the fall of 1878 and continued under the direction of Drs. McLean and Bachman, of Stanton, Michigan, until September, 1879, when he commenced a six months' course . of lectures at the Detroit College of Medicine. In the spring of 1880, he went to Philadelphia, where he began attending the Jef- ferson Medical College, where he remained until graduating, April 1, 1882. Soon after completing his studies he located in his former home, Fayette, where he remained in the practice of his profes- sion for several years and then moved to Columbus, Ohio.
!
L. K. Carpenter was the first resident physician in German township. He was of the old Thomsonian school, and was of some importance to the early settlers. The next in order was Dr. Blaker; the third was William Winterstein, who ran for clerk of the court and was defeated, and then soon after left the township; the next were Drs. Schnetzler and Murbach. At Gachlingen, Switzerland, on December 15, 1838, Dr. Andrew J. Murbach was born, and in that country his life, up to the age of sixteen, was passed. In the spring of 1855 his parents, with their children,
Digitized by Google
148
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
came to this country and settled in Lucas county. At the age of eighteen years Andrew came to board in the family of Dr. Marcus H. Schnetzler, who was then a practicing physician at Burlington, in this county, and with whom he read medicine, his course of study covering a period of some years. During the later years of his study young Murbach became sufficiently well in- formed and his instructor permitted him to practice in the locality, and, with the means thus acquired, he determined to take a med- ical course at some thorough institution. To this end he entered the Starling Medical College, at Columbus, where he attended lectures during the terms of 1862-3 and 1863-4, and was regularly graduated in the spring of the year last named. Having been graduated from Starling, and received that highly cherished prize, a diploma, more commonly known as "sheepskin," Dr. Murbach located for practice at Archbold, in the fall of the year 1864. There he resided, attending to a large practice, until his death, a year or two ago.
The first physician in Franklin township was Ira Smith, who came in 1840. He practiced some three years and left. In 1841 or 1842, Dr. John Kendall came from Gorham township, and bought and settled on section 35, and was for many years the only physician of general practice in the township. He left the town- ship about 1860, and settled at Melbern, some five miles west of Bryan, Williams county, and died soon after. Dr. Kendall was one of the associate judges in the early days of the county of Ful- ton. A son of Dr. John Kendall, Amos Kendall, in 1846, settled on Bean Creek, near Chatfield's saw-mill, and commenced the prac- tice of medicine. He, however, stayed but a few years and then moved back to Gorham, where in later years he died. In 1860 came Dr. Schmidt, who practiced medicine until 1865, when he left and settled in Edgerton, Williams county, where he died. Lastly was Dr. Wilson, from Stryker, who in 1867 built a log house and office on lands owned by Joseph Ely. His fame soon spread to such an extent as to bring him patients from nearly every State and territory of the Union. He soon had to build a hotel for the ac- commodation of his patients, and a bus line was established from Archbold on the Lake Shore railroad to his office. In 1873 he moved to Archbold, and there soon after died. He was a wonder- ful man, a mystery to all, yet his success was not greater in heal- ing diseases than other physicians; his power was in diagnosing disease, in which capacity he seemed to be unusually expert.
In 1843, Dr. William Holland settled in Pike township. He came from New Hampshire, a physician with age and experience, and soon gained a prominent position in the county. He was born at Oakham, Massachusetts, in the year 1766; came to Fulton county in 1842 and purchased a tract of land in Pike township, returning soon to Massachusetts. His daughter, Louisa Holland, married Alfred A. Shute, September 11, 1843, and soon after de -- cided to come to Fulton county. With Dr. Holland and family,
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.