USA > Ohio > Wyandot County > The History of Wyandot County, Ohio, containing a history of the county, its townships, towns general and local statistics, military record, portraits of early settlers and prominent men etc > Part 33
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By the terms of this treaty, it was stipulated that the chiefs should re- move their people without other expense to the United States than $10,000, one-half payable when the first detachment should start; the remainder, when the whole nation should arrive at its place of destination. Further, that the Wyandots should receive for the lands ceded another tract of land west of the Mississippi. It contained 148,000 acres; a permanent cash annuity of $17,500; a permanent fund of $500 per annum, for educational purposes, and an appropriation of $23,860 to pay the debts of the tribe. They were also to be paid the full value of their improvements in the country ceded, and to be provided in their new home with two blacksmiths and a black- smith shop with necessary steel, iron and tools, and with an agent and an interpreter. However, instead of the 148,000 acres promised, the Wyan- dots received by purchase from the Delaware Indians 24,960 acres, and by a subsequent treaty (which will be referred to in a succeeding paragraph) received in lieu of the balance of the 148,000 acres, $380,000, in three an- nual payments.
In the spring and summer of 1843, in accordance with the stipulations of the treaty concluded the previous year, the Wyandots under the lead of Jacques*, their head chief, completed their arrangements for the removal to the new reserve in the then wild West. The parting scenes at Upper Sandusky were most affecting. Consultations were held in the council house, and religious worship in the church, almost constantly for days be- fore the final departure. Meanwhile, the remains of the chief, Summunde- wat, who was murdered by two white men in Wood County, Ohio, in the fall of 1841, also those of the colored preacher, John Stewart, were brought hither and deposited in the burial ground attached to their church. The last resting· places of other loved ones were likewise tenderly cared for, and
*After the death of Deunquot, some difficulty occurred in making choice of his successor, and as a re- sult of it the Wyandots changed their form of government and mode of choosing their governors. In- stead of being obliged to take their head chief out of the royal tribe, they then agreed to have the head chief and eight counselors chosen by election, on New Year's Day of each year. The first head chief elected according to the new plan was Warpole.
WYANDOT COUNTY COURT HOUSE. COMPLETED A.D. 1849.
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marked with stone or marble tablets. Just before their strange and motley procession unwound its length on the highway leading southerly, Squire Grey-Eyes bade an affectionate farewell to the large number of whites pres- ent. He exhorted them to be good Christians, and to meet him in heaven. In a most sublime and pathetic manner he discoursed upon all the familiar objects of a home-no longer theirs. He bade adieu to the · Sandusky, on whose waters they had paddled the light bark canoe, and in whose pools they had fished, laved and sported. He saluted in his farewell the forests and the plains of Sandusky, where he and his ancestors had hunted, roved and dwelt for many generations. He bade farewell to their habitations, where they had dwelt for many years, and where they would still wish to dwell. With mournful strains and plaintiff voice he bade farewell to the graves of his ancestors, which now they were about to leave forever, prob- ably to be encroached upon, ere the lapse of many years, by the avaricious tillage of some irreverent white man. Here, as a savage, untutored Indian, it is probable Grey-Eyes would have stopped, but as a Christian he closed his valedictory by alluding to an object yet dearer to him; it was the church where they had worshipped, the temple of God, constructed by the good white men for their use, and within whose walls they had so often bowed down in reverence under the ministrations of Finley and his co-laborers.
At last, all being in readiness, all the sad duties having been performed, the train, consisting of horses and wagons hired from settlers living in the vicinity, Indian chiefs upon horseback, and many men and women on foot, began wending its slow way toward Cincinnati, where boats were waiting to take its members to the mouth of the Kansas River. This movement be- gan in the last days of July, and was participated in by nearly 700 of the Wyandot nation. Many ludicrous occurrences took place en route, but we have not space, in a topic already largely drawn out, to recount them. The end of the first day's journey found the Wyandots at Grass Point, in Har- din County; the second, at Bellefontaine; the third, at Urbana: the fourth, at Springfield; the fifth, at Clifton; the sixth, within four miles of Cincin- nati, and the seventh at the wharf of the latter city. The remainder of the distance to the new reservation, as before stated, was accomplished by steamboats via the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The Wyandots left Cincinnati on the eighth day after leaving Upper Sandusky. Among their leading men at that time were Jacques, Bearskin, Blue Jacket, Big Tree, Black Sheep, Big River, Bull Head, Big Town, Curly Head, Caryhoe, Chop- the-logs, Lump-on-the-head, Peacock, Porcupine, Providence, Split- the-log, Stand-in-the-water, White Wing, Mudeater, Warpole, Squire Grey- eyes, William Walker, a quarter-blood, who died in 1874, John Hicks and Washington.
While the main body of the Wyandots was moving toward Cincinnati, Jacques, the head chief, accompanied by a few other leading men of the na- tion, visited Gov. Shannon at the State capital, when very feeling and inter- esting parting addresses were delivered by the chief and the Governor. Jacques' address, as printed in the Ohio State Journal of that date, was as follows:
" We have several objects in view in visiting you, the Governor of the State. First, it was due him, as the chief magistrate of this great State; and, secondly, it was due to the people of Ohio, to whom, through their Governor, we speak, and bid them an affectionate farewell.
"We came here, also, to ask for the extension of executive clemency to
6
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an unfortunate brother of our nation, and we thank you for granting our prayer in their behalf.
" We part with the people of Ohio with feelings the more kind, because there has not been any hostility between your people and ours ever since the treaty of Gen. Wayne, at Greenville. Almost fifty years of profound peace between us have passed away, and have endeared your people to ours; whatever may be our future fate beyond the Mississippi-whither we are bound -- we shall always entertain none but feelings the most kind and grateful toward the people of Ohio. Before Wayne's treaty there had been one long war between our fathers and your ancestors. At that treaty our people promised peace, and they have kept that promise faithfully; we will forever keep that promise as long as the sun shines and the rivers run.
" When we arrive at the place of our destination, surrounded, as we shall be, by red men less acquainted with them than we are with white men, we shall always take great pleasure in telling the Indians of that western region how kind, how peaceful, how true, faithful and honest your people have been to our people. If, at any future day, any of our people should visit this State, we hope that your people will see that they do not suffer for food or any of the necessaries of life; that, when thirsty, you will give him drink; when hungry, you will give him food; or naked, you will give him clothes; or sick, you will heal him. And we, on our part, promise the same kindnesses to any of your people should they visit us in our far western fut- ure home. Our original intention was to have passed through Columbus as a nation on our departing journey from Ohio to the West; but for the purpose of shortening our route on so long a journey, the principal part of our people have passed through Urbana. But although. for the reason stated, our people have passed through Ohio by the shortest route, yet they could not forego the pleasure of sending you their chiefs and addressing you, and through you the people of Ohio, in the language of truth, friend- ship and sincerity.
"Our fathers have ranged this valley with your fathers in peace and friendship, and we wished your people to know that we have the same kind feelings that existed in times past, and we wish you to know that we wish to perpetuate and keep alive the same brotherly feelings. In other States and Territories the Indians have lived, surrounded by white men, with whom they had occasional outbreaks, wars and difficulties; but between us and your people the chain of peace and friendship has always continued to be bright, smooth, and free from rusty or bloody spots. You are the rep- resentative of your people; therefore be so good as to tell your people what we say on this final parting occasion, and say to them to believe us to be always hereafter-what we always have been-the friends of the people of Ohio."
From the report of the United States Commissioner of Indian affairs for the year 1843, we learn that the number of Wyandots who removed to their new reservation in July and August of that year, was 664, and that 50 still remained in Ohio who were expected to emigrate the next spring. The following year (1844), the sub-agent reported only 585 Wyandots on the new reserve. During the year 1855, another treaty was concluded with that nation, wherein it was stipulated that in lieu of the 148,000 acres (less the 24,960 acres purchased for the Wyandots from the Delawares in' 1842), granted by the treaty of Upper Sandusky, the Wyandots were to receive $380,- 000, in three annual payments. By this treaty, also, all provisions of former treaties guaranteeing permanent annuities, etc., were annulled. The Wyan-
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dots who remained in tribal relations and were located in the Indian Terri- tory on the 1st day of January, 1879, numbered 260.
We conclude this chapter, likewise our account of the Indians, by add- ing the following poem, which, whatever its merits or demerits as a literary production, has been widely copied, frequently in works, where its mention of localities obtained for it no special significance. It was written, we be- lieve, by a resident of Wyandot County, and was first published in The Democratic Pioneer, of Upper Sandusky, under date of October 24, 1845.
THE WYANDOT'S FAREWELL SONG.
" Adieu to the graves where my fathers now rest! For I must be going afar to the West. I've sold my possessions; my heart's filled with woe To think I must lose them. Alas! I must go.
"Farewell, ye tall oaks, in whose pleasant green shade In childhood I rambled, in innocence played! My dog and my hatchet, my arrows and bow, Are still in remembrance. Alas! I must go.
" Adieu, ye loved scenes, which bind me like chains! Where on my gay pony, I chased o'er the plains The deer and the turkey I tracked in the snow. But now I must leave them. Alas! I must go.
" Adieu to the trails, which for many a year I have traveled to spy out the turkey and deer! The hills, trees and flowers, that pleased me so, I must leave now forever. Alas! I must go.
" Sandusky, Tymochtee and Broken Sword streams, Never more shall I see you except in my dreams. Adieu to the marshes, where the cranberries grow; O'er the great Mississippi, alas! I must go.
"Adieu to the road, which for many a year, I travel'd each Sabbath, the Gospel to hear; The news was so joyful, and pleased me so, From hence where I heard it, it grieves me to go.
"Farewell, my white friends, who first taught me to pray, And worship my Maker and Savior each day. ' Pray for the poor native, whose eyes overflow With tears at our parting. Alas! I must go."
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HISTORY OF WYANDOT COUNTY.
CHAPTER V.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS-PICTURE OF PIONEER LIFE.
THE UNUSUAL CONDITIONS ATTENDING THE SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY- NAMES OF EARLY PIONEERS, AND DATE OF THEIR ESTABLISHMENT IN THE SEVERAL TOWNSHIPS -CABIN-BUILDING-COOKING UTENSILS AND TA- BLE WARE-FOOD-HABITS OF THE PIONEERS-EMPLOYMENT OF THE MEN- WOMEN'S WORK-DRESS OF THE PIONEERS-THEIR BOOKS -- SENSE OF ISOLA- TION-HOSPITALITY-WHISKY-SCARCITY OF MONEY-OF THE NECESSI- TIES OF LIFE-PRIMITIVE AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS-WILD HOGS- GRADUAL IMPROVEMENTS.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
TN the course of events, over which those who were to become its pioneers exercised little or no control, the region now denominated Wyandot County was settled (as compared with most other districts) in a manner quite anomalous, yet in a way which is very easily comprehended when once explained. As already shown, the Indians, at the treaty held at the foot of the rapids of the Miami of the Lake in 1817, ceded to the United States Government all the lands remaining in their possession in the State of Ohio, except various small reservations then and there designated. Hence when it was agreed that the principal reservation of the Wyandots should have Fort Ferree at Upper Sandusky for its center, the central and greater portion of the present county was reserved to its aboriginal owners. The small Wyandot reserve at the Big Spring, and the Delaware reserve lying southeast of the reservation first mentioned, also encroached upon the limits of the county as now formed. therefore, all of the white settlements began upon the outskirts, so to speak-to the north, east, south and west of the chief Wyandot reservation-and in either direction, distant seven to ten miles from Fort Ferree, the locality now known as the town of Upper Sandusky.
In 1819, Deputy United States Surveyors* Sylvanus Burns and Thomas Worthington ran out the townships and subdivision lines of the county, and the following year the sands not reserved to the Indians were offered for sale at the usual Government price per acre. Prior to the sale of any of these lands, however, quite a number of "squatters " had settled near the reservation lines, chiefly for the purpose of trading with the Indians and to gather in the greater portion of annuity moneys paid the red men exchange for poor whisky, bright calicoes, brass trinkets, etc., etc. From the date last mentioned until 1842, the whites within the present limits of the county, increased but slowly in numbers, yet, on the northern border-in the townships of Crawford, Tymochtee and Sycamore-quite populous communities were to be found, long before the removal of the Wyandots. However, by the purchase of the reservations of that nation, and the disposal of the same to individual owners, the population at once increased with astonishing rapidity. This is shown by the report of Col .. Huber, Receiver of the Land Office at Upper Sandusky, who stated that
*Samuel Holmes, Deputy Surveyor General, performed much work in the county in 1836, and William Brown in 1843.
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HISTORY OF WYANDOT COUNTY.
from the 1st of September, 1845, to January 1, 1846, he received for the sale of lands in Wyandot County the sum of $211,057.06.
Having thus briefly pointed out the rather unusual, conditions under which the county was peopled by the whites, the following conclusions are reached: That a few " squatters " settled in the county, outside of the Indian reservations, about the year 1817; that the first lawful settlers became estab. lished in the same localities not earlier than 1820; that the first white set- tlements were not made within the reservation lines until after the year 1842, and but very few in the territory last referred to until 1845.
The original settlers of the county were chiefly of English and German origin. Forty years ago, the English element largely predominated, but at the present time it is probable that those of German birth or descent, as a class, outnumber all others. The reader will find sketches concerning many of the past and present residents of Wyandot in the township his- tories of this work, hence it is not purposed to enter into a repetition here; yet a small number of the pioneers are named in this connection, merely for the purpose of approximating the time when each township was first occupied by the white men.
FIRST SETTLERS IN THE SEVERAL TOWNSHIPS.
Antrim -- Jacob, John and Adam Coon, John Heckathorn, Jacob Snyder and Valentine Mutchler, all Germans, who came from Pickaway County, Ohio, and squatted on the Delaware Reserve in the spring of 1819, are believed to have been the first white men to attempt a settlement. Their location afterward became known as " Germantown."
Crawford-Daniel Hodges, who settled near the site of the present town of Crawfordsville, in 1821, was one of the first to locate in this township. Hon. John Carey became a resident in 1823, and he was soon followed by Thomas Gale, Jesse Gale, Samuel Ritchie, Jonathan Kear, Asa Lake, Thomas Wallace, Curtis Berry, Sr., and a number of others.
Crane-As this township was embraced by the Wyandot Reservation, its lands were not offered for sale until the latter part of 1845. Prior to that date, its residents were all located at the town of Upper Sandusky. See history of that town for a list of its inhabitants and lot owners in 1845.
Eden-Judge George W. Leith settled in what is now termed Eden Township in 1837. It had but a sparse population for a number of years, but among those who soon followed Mr. Leith to this then wild region were James Winstead, David Kisor, Z. P. Lee, John Horrick, John Leith, Solo- mon Brundige, Isaac Miller and Solomon York.
Jackson-Thomas C. Beaver settled in the township in 1826; John Abbott upon Section 3 in 1833, John Vanorsdall in 1834, John Flower and Jacob Dermiger in 1835, and William Fitch in 1837.
Marseilles-It is claimed that John Heckathorn, before mentioned as a " squatter" in Antrim Township, settled in the present township of Mar- seilles about the year 1828. Charles Merriman located on the site of the village about 1830, and Hugh Long in the same place in 1832.
Mifflin-Samuel M. Stansberry and family located within the present limits of the township in 1832. John Tanner, Daniel Straw, Israel Straw, Abraham Clark, Wesley Davenport, Jabez Halstead and Martin Dickens were also among the early settlers. Dr. Cover was the first resident physi- cian.
Pitt-Ebenezer Roseberry, a noted hunter and frontier sportsman, was the first to settle within the limits of the township, as now forined. An-
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HISTORY OF WYANDOT COUNTY.
thony Bowsher found Roseberry here in the spring of 1819, and informs us that the latter had already been established two or three years, at least long enough to have caught and placed his private mark upon scores of the wild hogs. During the years 1819 and 1820, Anthony Bowsher, Peter Bowsher, William Morral, Walter Woolsey, John Wilson, Jacob Snyder, Jacob Brewer, Alexander Frazier, Samuel Morral, D. H. Bargley, Cornelius Wil- son and John Wilson all settled just south of the reservation Jine in the vicinity of Little Sandusky.
Richland-Hescot Picket, the first settler of this township, established his residence on Section 28, in January, 1832. He came from Athens County, Ohio. Nathan Benjamin, from the same county, also settled here in 1832. The following year, Philip Cole and Charles Smith became resi- dents.
Ridge-It is claimed that Homan and Andrew Bates became the first residents within the present township about 1833. John Salyards, Daniel Spade, T. N. Shepherd, Isaac Wohlgamuth, the Starrs and Grindles were also early pioneers.
Salem-The first settler in this township was Ezra Stewart, a native of Connecticut, who settled upon Section 5 in October, 1831. He was followed by John Stewart in 1834, John Nichols and Arnold B. Inman in 1835, Daniel and Jacob Baughman and John B. Mann, or Mason, in 1836.
Sycamore-Samuel Harper settled in the township as now formed in 1821, and built the first dwelling-a log cabin. His sons who came with him were William, James, Samuel G. and George. Samuel Harper, Sr., had served as a Revolutionary soldier, and was wounded at Bunker Hill. He died in October, 1821. The Eyestones, Luptons, Kisors, Betzers, Pon- tius, Griffiths and Van Gundys were also early settlers.
Tymochtee-Henry Lish, of this township, and Ebenezer Roseberry, of Pitt, were the earliest settlers in the present county of whom any record has been preserved. Lish was a native of the State of New York, and it is claimed that he settled on the site of the village of Tymochtee (where he soon after established a ferry over Tymochtee Creek) in 1816 or 1817. At his house the first election in the county was held on the 1st day of April, 1821. Thomas Leeper and family, from Ross County, Ohio, became resi- dents in 1821, and soon after came Peter Baum, William Combs, Levi Bunu, John Taylor and George Bogart. At an early day this was the most populous district within the limits of the present county. In 1850, its in- habitants numbered 1,817.
A PICTURE OF PIONEER LIFE.
The pioneers of Wyandot as a rule, after long and tedious journeyings over Indian trails or roads rudely improved, brought very little with them with which to begin the battle of life among new surroundings. They had brave hearts and strong arms, however, and possessed invincible determin- ations to hew out for themselves homes which should in time become the abodes of happiness and plenty. Sometimes the men came on without their families to make a beginning, but more often all came together. The first thing to be done, after a rude temporary shelter was provided, was to prepare a little spot of ground for the growth of some kind of crop. This was done by girdling the large trees, clearing away the underbrush, and sweeping the surface with fire. The ground was then broken as thoroughly as possible with the few rude implements which the pioneer possessed. Ten, fifteen, twenty, or even thirty acres of land might be thus prepared
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and planted the first season. In the autumn, the crop would be carefully gathered and garnered with the least possible waste, for it was the chief food supply of the pioneer and his family, and life and comfort depended upon its safe preservation.
While the first crop was maturing, cabin-building occupied much of the attention of the pioneer. He would need a shelter from the storms and cold of the approaching winter, and perhaps a protection from wild beasts. The pioneer who was completely isolated from his fellow-men, occupied a situation truly unenviable, for without assistance he could construct only a poor habitation. In such cases a small and rough cabin was constructed of very light logs or poles, or else a three-sided, sloping-roofed shanty was improvised. In front of the fourth or open side of the shanty or " camp," as it was sometimes called, a hugh fire of logs was kept burning, and this primitive structure was occupied until other settlers should come into the owner's neighborhood, by whose help a more substantial dwelling could be built. Usually a number of families came into the country together, and located within such distance of each other that they were enabled to per- form many friendly and neighborly offices. After the first year or two from the time of the primal settlements, there was no difficulty in cabin- building. Assistance was always readily given a pioneer by all of the scattered residents of the forest within a radius of several miles.
The site of the cabin home was usually selected with reference to a good water supply. It was often near a never-failing spring, or if such could not be found in a location otherwise desirable, it was not uncommon to first dig a well. If water was reached, preparations were made for building near the well; if not, the search for a situation affording it was continued, but there was little trouble on this score in the territory now known as Wyandot County.
When the cabin was to be built, the few men in the neighborhood gathered at the site, and first cut down, within as close proximity as possi- ble, the requisite number of trees, as nearly of a size as could be found, but varying often from ten to fifteen inches in diameter. Logs, generally from fourteen to sixteen feet in length, were chopped from these, and rolled to the common center, where they were to be used in building the home of the pioneer family. Often this preliminary work was performed by the prospective occupants alone. If such was not the case, it would oc- cupy the greater part of the first day. The entire labor of erecting a good substantial cabin, would usually require two or three days. After the ground logs were laid, the others were raised to their places by the use of hand spikes and " skid poles," and men standing at the corners with axes, notched them as fast as they were laid in position. The place of " corner man " was one of honor and distinction, and the persons chosen for these positions were supposed to be particularly skillful in the use of the ax.
Greater difficulty attended the work after the cabin was built a few logs high. It was necessary that the logs in the gables should be beveled, and that each succeeding one should be shorter than that on which it rested. These gable logs were held in place by poles which extended across the cabin overhead, serving also as rafters upon which to lay the rived " clap- board " roof. The so-called clapboards were five or six feet in length, and were split from oak logs, and made as smooth as possible. They were laid side by side, and other pieces of split stuff were laid over the cracks to keep out the rain.
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