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 42

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, Leggett, Conaway
Number of Pages: 1072

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 42

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Another early settler, in describing the fever now termed malarial, writes as follows: " One of the greatest obstacles to the early settlement and prosperity of the West, was the ague, 'fever and ague,' or ' chills and fever.' as it was variously termed. In the fall almost everybody was afflict. ed with it. It was no respecter of persons. Everybody looked pale and sallow, as though he were frost-bitten. It was not contagious, but was de- rived from impure water and malaria, such as is abundant in a new country. The impurities from them, combined with those which come from had die- tetics, engorged the liver and deranged the whole vital machinery. By and by, the shock would come, and come in the form of a 'shake,' followed by a fever. These would be regular on certain hours every alternate day, sometimes every day, or every third day. When you had the chill you couldn't get warm, and when you had the fever you couldn't get cool. It was exceedingly awkward in this respect, indeed it was! Nor would it stop

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for any sort of contingency; not even a wedding in the family would stop it. It was tyranical. When the appointed time came around, everything else had to be stopped to attend to its demands. It didn't have even any Sundays or holidays."

After the fever went down, you still did not feel much better; you felt as though you had gone through some sort of collision, or threshing ma- chine, or jarring machine, and came out, not killed, but you some times wish you had been. You felt weak, as though you had run too far after some- thing, and then didn't catch it. You felt languid, stupid and sore, and was down in the mouth and heel, and partially raveled out. Your back was out of fix; your head ached, and your appetite was crazy. Your eyes had too much white in them; your ears, especially after taking quinine, had too much roar in them, and your whole body and soul were entirely woe-begone, disconsolate, sad, poor and good-for-nothing. You didn't think much of yourself, and didn't believe that other people did, either ; and you didn't care. You didn't make up your mind to commit suicide, but sometimes wished some accident would happen to knock either the mal- ady or yourself out of existence. You imagined that even the dogs looked at you with a kind of self-complacency. You felt that even the sun had a sickly shine about it.

About this time you came to the conclusion that you would not accept the whole State of Ohio as a gift; and if you had the strength and means, you picked up Hannah and the baby and your traps and went back " yander to Ole Virginny," "Pennsylvany," Maryland, New York or the "Jarseys." You didn't sing, but you felt the following :

" And to-day the swallows flitting Round my cabin, see me sitting Moodily within the sunshine, Just inside my silent door.

" Waiting for the 'ager,'seeming Like a man forever dreaming; And the sunlight on me streaming Throws no shadow on the floor; For I'm too thin and sallow To make shadows on the floor- Nary shadow any more !"

The above is not a mere picture of the imagination. It is simply re- counting, in quaint phrase, what actually occurred in thousands of cases. Whole families would sometimes be sick at one time, and not one member scarcely able to wait upon another. Labor or exercise always aggravated the malady, and it took Gen. Laziness a long time to thrash the enemy out. And those were the days for swallowing all sorts of "roots and yarbs," and whisky, etc., with a faint hope of relief. And finally, when the case wore out, the last remedy taken got the credit of the cure.

We have not learned who could justly claim the honor of being the first resident physician in the territory now known as Wyandot County, but it is altogether probable that Tymochtee Township could boast of the con- tinued presence of one of these disciples of Esculapius as early as 1825. In 1845, however, when the first Board of County Commissioners ordered that a special tax of $1 be levied upon each attorney and physician in the county, the physicians mentioned upon the tax lists were as follows : Crane Township, Joseph Mason and David Watson ; Ridge Township, Noah Wilson ; Richland Township, David Adams ; Jackson Township, William Cope ; Marseilles Township,* Wells Chisney and Orrin Ferris; Crawford

* Dr. Westbrook, the first physician to locate at Marseilles Village, was there in 1835, also Dr. Hall.

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HISTORY OF WYANDOT COUNTY.

Township, Howard Clark and John Foster ; Tymochtee Township, Alvin Bingham, John Free, Ziba A. Letson, Erastus Ranger, George W. Samp- son, and Dr. Dunn; Antrim Township, Augustus W. Munson ; Pitt Town- ship, James H. Drum, Stephen Fowler and James B. McGill.

Among other early physicians at Upper Sandusky, besides Joseph Mason, who died in 1852, and David Watson, were James McConnell, who came in the summer of 1845; Madison Fletcher, who located here in 1846 ; Orrin Ferris and William Kiskadden, druggists and physicians, in 1848, and George T. McDonald, also in 1848.

In the list of later and present physicians, we find the names of R. A. Henderson, * William Irwin, Dr. Ramsey, I. H. Williams, J. W. Smalley, Dr. Thompson, Dr. Sigler, Dr. Kilmer, J. W. Barnes, J. W. White, * N. Hardy .* F. J. Schug, R. N, McConnell,* D. W. Byron,* Rudolph Heym, J. W. Rosenberger, Isaac N. Bowman,* W. K. Byron,* G. O. Masky,* L. P. Walter* and J. W. Davis .*

Dr. Stephen Fowler, one of the first physicians to locate within the limits of the present county of Wyandot, and who also served as one of Wyandot's first, County Commissioners, died near Little Sandusky December 26, 1847, in the fifty-ninth year of his age.

He was born in Berkshire County, Mass., October 4, 1789. When quite young, his father removed his family to Rutland County, Vt., where the sons were trained as farmers. After attaining his majority, Stephen began the study of medicine. Having completed a thorough course of medical studies, be first began to practice, near the close of the war of 1812-15, in a United States army hospital at Burlington, Vt. He there gained great credit for his skill and success in treating patients suffering with an epi- demic fever then prevailing.

Soon after the close of the war referred to, he determined to go South, and, in accordance with his plans, began a journey on horseback from Ver- mont toward New Orleans ; but when he had reached a point in Bradford County, Penn., he became quite ill. The settlers there, who were chiefly natives of New York and the New England States, then persuaded him to remain with them. He there married Miss Leefe Stevens, raised a large family of children, and obtained a large practice. Indeed, it has been related that his ride was so extensive in Pennsylvania that, during the prevalence of an epidemic disease, he was compelled to keep relays of horses posted upon his circuit. In Pennsylvania, he accumulated quite a handsome competency, and remained there until 1827, when he removed to the "Sandusky Plains," and purchased the beautiful property which he occupied until his death.

He had thought to abandon his profession when settling in Ohio, but he found the country new and unhealthful, and, more with the intention of EL Favoring to alleviate the distress of his neighbors than the hope of pecu- niary reward, he again engaged in the practice of medicine and followed it in connection with farming with untiring energy until attacked by a dys- peptic disease which finally terminated his signally industrious and useful life. He represented the district composed of Crawford, Marion and Union Counties in the State Legislature during the sessions of 1837-38 and 1838- 39. When Wyandot County was organized in 1845, he was elected as one of its first County Commissioners, and was re-elected to the same office and served until October, 1847, when he positively declined another nomination. Dr. Fowler was ever courteous, affable, and unassuming to all men, and

* Physicians now in practice.

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was highly respected throughout this quarter of the State. His widow still survives, and now resides in the town of Upper Sandusky.

Dr. George W. Sampson settled in Tymochtee Township in the spring of 1828, and at once commenced the practice of medicine. In January, 1830, he removed to and settled at Mccutchenville, where he has resided ever since. At the time of his arrival, the road from Upper Sandusky to Tiffin was the only one laid out in this part of the county. All traveling was accomplished by following the Indian trails. His practice extended to Melmore on the east, Little Sandusky on the south, ten miles beyond Find lay on the west, and to Tiffin on the north. Owing to the absence of bridges, he was compelled to ford or swim all streams, and often rode seventy and seventy-five miles in a day and night during the sickly seasons. There are now more than fifty physicians in the same territory.

His first patient was a Mr. Crane, who then lived upon lands now occu- pied by the town of Carey. A son, about eighteen years of age, came for him on foot, bareheaded, barefooted, and with only enough clothing to cover about one half of his person. He led the way to where they lived, and it required fast riding, the doctor says, to keep in sight of him.

He practiced a great deal among the Indians, and still has the books on which are the accounts of Hicks, Summundewat, Sarrahos, Warpole, Mo- noncue, Squindecta, Peacock, Washington and Coon, chiefs among the Wyandots, and Steele, Wiping-stick, Half-John and Comstock among the Senecas. He had long experience and great success in treating "milk sickness," or "trembles." This disease prevailed on the prairies and along the streams, but says he never knew a case below the mouth of Ty- mochtee Creek.

The Doctor is still engaged in the practice of medicine, and possesses considerable physical vigor and energy, although having performed bodily toil and endured mental anxiety sufficient to have worn out any ordinary man .*

Dr. James McConnell was born in Huntingdon County, Penn., March 8, 1802. As the name indicates, he was of Scoth-Irish origin, a descendant of a class of intelligent, hardy pioneers, who settled the central counties of Pennsylvania prior to the beginning of the Revolutionary war. During that war they were to a man known as stanch patriots, and as determined, successful Indian fighters. After completing a thorough course of literary and medical studies, Dr. McConnell began the practice of his profession at Lewistown, Penn., where he remained for a number of years. In the sum- mer of 1845, he became a resident of Upper Sandusky. Here he resumed practice, and for about a quarter of a century thereafter, stood at the head

of his profession. His professional services were in great demand, and though known as a genial, honest, large-hearted man, he accumulated a handsome competency. He retired from the toils and anxieties of his call- ing in 1868, yet until within a very recent period his tall, lithe form, was daily one of the most familiar objects to be seen upon the streets of Upper Sandusky. Pleasant in his manners and a fluent conversationalist, he was a gentleman well calculated to win and retain the esteem of the public. He died Saturday, April 12, 1884, after an illness of but seven or eight days' duration.

Sketches of other gentlemen of the medical profession will be found in the respective town and township histories of this work.

*From a sketch written in 1879.

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HISTORY OF WYANDOT COUNTY.

CHAPTER IX

THE PRESS.

THE WYANDOTT TELEGRAPH-EXTRACTS FROM ITS COLUMNS-THE PIONEER- VARIOUS COMMENTS AND EXTRACTS-THE TRIBUNE-THE VINDICATOR- THE HERALD-THE PIONEER CHANGED TO THE REPUBLICAN-THE CHIEF- BIOGRAPHICAL-SKETCHES OF WILLIAM T. GILES, ROBERT D. DUMM, LOUIS A. BRUNNER, PIETRO CUNEO, HENRY A. TRACHT, FRANK T. TRIPP-CAREY PUBLICATIONS-THIE NEVADA ENTERPRISE-THE SYCAMORE NEWS.

UPPER SANDUSKY'S JOURNALS AND JOURNALISTS.

THE following historical account of the newspapers of Upper Sandusky to 1871, are copied almost verbatim from a series of articles which, pre- pared by Hon. John D. Sears, of Upper Sandusky, were published in The Wyandot Democratic Union during the spring of the year above indicated:

It is not designed to make an apology for the order or want of order in these notes; yet, if an excuse is needed for giving precedence to the subject of this chapter, it may be found in the well-known fact that one of the prin- cipal objects of the division of the State into counties is to afford an ade- quate supply of county printing. Our laws have in effect taken care that there shall be no county without its newspaper.

The Act creating the county of Wyandot was passed February 3, 1845, and within two weeks thereafter the Wyandott Telegraph, our first news- paper, was established at Upper Sandusky, the new county seat. The date of its first issue is not known to the writer, as his earliest copy is No. 4, Vol. I, dated March 8, 1845. The editor and proprietor was John Shrenk, who had previously published a paper at Bucyrus, and more recently at Kenton, from which latter place he removed to Upper Sandusky.

The politics of this first publication were Whig. "Terms of subscrip- tion, one dollar and fifty cents per annum, if paid in four weeks from the time of subscription; otherwise, two dollars will be charged." "Advertise- ments will be inserted at the following rates: One dollar for three inser- tions of each square, of twelve lines or less, and twenty-five cents for each subsequent insertion." It was a five-column folio, size, 204x274 inches, and pretty well printed.

Our earliest number of the Telegraph contains the proceedings of the first Whig county convention, held at Upper Sandusky on the 5th of March, 1845, and a call signed " Many Democrats," for a meeting of the Democracy on the 15th of March, to make nominations for county officers. There was also an announcement of Maj. Anthony Bowsher as an Independent candidate for Sheriff, and a communication from "A True Democrat," with some unfa- vorable criticisms of the Major's qualifications for the office, in the course of which the indignant writer says: " When such persons become fit for office, we may look for the end of time." Doubtless we may look for it, but we have elected many worse men, and still Gabriel forbears to blow.

In the editorial columns appeared the following: "We have just received the important news from Washington that Congress has passed a law making

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a donation of town lots to the county of Wyandot. It donates one third of the inlots and one-third of the outlots to the county of Wy- andot, provided the county seat is established here, for the purpose of put- ting up public buildings, and improving the streets, public squares and public grounds. * * The donation is a noble one, and, if rightly managed and justly appropriated, our citizens will never be subjected to an onerous tax for public buildings. Few new counties have been so highly favored as Wyandot, and we predict for her an unexampled tide of pros- perity. * *

* * The number of lots which the county will get by the provisions of this law will be 126 inlots and 72 outlots. The outlots contain two acres each. * "

The only thing in this number of the Telegraph which looks like a local item, is a line at the foot of a column in which it is said, " The Sandusky River is still raising "-and that was not true according to our recollection.

The advertising portion fills a little more than half a column, and is made up of a notice by Moses Dudley & William W. Norton, warn- ing the public against purchasing certain notes made by them, payable to Thomas C. Theaker, and which they say they are determined never to pay, as they were obtained by deception and fraud; the professional card of Benja- min M. Penn, attorney at law, Kenton, Ohio; M. H. Kirby, attorney at law, Upper Sandusky, Ohio: Chester R. Mott, attorney at law, Upper Sandusky, Ohio; J. Lawrence & William K. Wear, attorneys at law, Kenton and Upper Sandusky; Scott (Josiah) & Sears (John D.), attorneys at law, Bucyrus and Upper Sandusky, and Thomas Spybey's advertisement of "Tailoring at Kirby's Hotel, shop upstairs." There were, besides, several prospectuses and a complimentary notice of Wistar's Balsam of Wild Cherry, which in the dearth of other matter, was duplicated and appears on both outside and inside of the paper.

Among the news is an abstract of legislative proceedings as late as March 1, and a statement of the manner in which the new cabinet was to be composed, information of which was said to have been received by the Baltimore American, through the magnetic telegraph.

There is also the following credited to the Urbana Citizen: "The way hungry expectants are crowding into Washington is a caution to honest peo- ple. On Wednesday morning last, sixteen stages, averaging nine passengers each, left Wheeling for the East, and the Times says that the number leav- ing daily for some time past, has varied from five to fifteen, all bound for Washington to see Polk inaugurated and gather up the crumbs that fall from his table."

That would not be thought much of a shower in these modern days, when our great railroad facilities are scarce sufficient to accommodate the crusade of patriots seeking to serve the country for pay.

The Telegraph was published in the Indian Council House until that building was taken possession of for county purposes, at which time Shrenk moved to the lot now occupied by the Methodist Church, and while his new office was getting ready for occupation worked off one number of his paper in the open air under an apple tree.

Besides the number already described, our files contain No. 11, for May 10, No. 12, May 17, No. 16, June 14, No. 23, August 9, and No.29, for October 10, 1845. The missing numbers will probably never be found.

Numbers 11 and 16 do not contain a paragraph of local news or a scrap of editorial. There is very little original matter in either of the other num- bers; the last being pretty well filled with that choice literature supposed to

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be so effective upon a pending election, and which is intended to remedy all deficiencies in the voter's qualifications to exercise the elective franchise. No. 23 contains an original poem, written for the Telegraph, by A. W. B. However, excepting of course the poetry, the most interesting and valua- ble portions of these old papers are the advertising columns.

On the 10th of May, there are two road notices, an administrator's no- tice, a Sheriff's sale, on an execution from Marion County. Harvey & Fouke's advertisement of wool-carding at Little Sandusky, the card of David Watson, physician and surgeon, and timely warning by Samuel M. Worth, Auditor, of the action taken by the County Commissioners in reference to the act to improve the breed of sheep. On the 17th of May, there is a notice in chancery, by Robert McKelly, solicitor for the petitioner. On the 14th of June, Alexander Valentine calls attention to his new establishment for the manufacture of coffins and other cabinet ware; Joseph Mccutchen announces that his new store is now opening in Upper Sandusky; Dr. A. W. Munson gives notice of his permanent location at Wyandot, for the purpose of at- tending all calls in the line of his profession; and Rowe & Tyler (Peter A.) attorneys at law. Marion and Mccutchenville, advertise their readiness to attend to business in Wyandot and surrounding counties.

On the 9th of August, John Rummell advertises his fulling mill, in Tymochtee Township, operated by steam and water power. There is an estray notice from the estray book of Abraham Myers, J. P. of Crawford Township; an attachment notice from Richland Township; a tax notice by Abner Jurey, County Treasurer, giving the levy for 1845, in which the highest rate in any township is 19 mills on the dollar valuation, and a special notice in reference to road taxes, from Samuel M. Worth, County Auditor. This number of the Telegraph also contains a notice by Stephen Fowler, William Griffith and Ethan Terry, County Commissioners, of a public sale of town lots at Upper Sandusky, on the 20th, 21st and 22d days of August, 1845, at which time they will offer the in and outlots in said town, vested in the said Commissioners by Act of Congress approved Feb- ruary 26, 1845, being every third of the in and outlots selected by alter- nate and progressive numbers, amounting to 126 inlots, and 72 outlots. Terms of sale, one-fourth of the purchase money required in hand, the bal- ance in three annual installments, secured by notes bearing interest. Dan- iel Walker also announces to the public that he has commenced the tailor- ing business in Upper Sandusky, at the hotel of Col. A. McElvain.

The last number of the Telegraph contains another Sheriff's sale; the Sheriff's proclamation of the forthcoming election; J. Duly's offer of 23 cents, and no thanks, for the return of a runaway apprentice; a notice signed "Many Carpenters," requesting the carpenters and joiners of Upper Sandusky and vicinity to meet at the court house, to consult on matters of importance to the trade, and a notice from Samuel M. Worth, Auditor, that sealed proposals will be received until the 30th of October, for the erection of a jail in Upper Sandusky. The latter announcement affords indisputable evidence of our rapid advance and great progress in civilization.

We linger lovingly over this number, and part from it with regret, for it was the last issue of the Wyandott Telegraph which ever saw the light. Without warning, it was cut off in the flower of its youth. The Whigs didn't rally strong enough; the Democrats elected their entire county ticket, except one County Commissioner, in the autumn of 1845, and there was no hope of sustenance from the county printing. These misfortunes and the effort of spelling Wyandot with two t's were too much for it, and it went out.

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Shrenk, the publisher and editor, was an industrious, energetic man, who did most of his own work. The mental labor, however, of getting up the paper was not excessive.

In the Democratic Pioneer of November 7, 1845, we find this paragraph, which, with a courtesy belonging to the country editor of the old school, refers to its lately defunct contemporary, and which we insert as the obit- uary notice and epitaph of the Wyandott Telegraph:

"The thing that decamped from this place, and took up his abode in Napoleon, Henry County, and is issuing a little filthy sheet, is said to be doing great service to the Democracy of that county, and the Democrats are returning their thanks to him. Good. We hope our friends in those regions will give him plenty of rope, and the consequence will be seen."

The successful rival of the Telegraph was the Democratic Pioneer, the publication of which was commenced by William T. Giles on the 29th of August, 1845. This was a six-column folio, substantially of the same size as the Telegraph, but with narrower columns and less margin, printed on type that had seen much service, and edited by its publisher, a journeyman printer recently out of his apprinticeship. Giles was a young man of ex- cellent habits, industrious, persevering and frugal; in fact, very much like the late Benjamin Franklin, who made himself famous a hundred years ago by the exercise of qualities which, however common they have since become, were then something of a rarity.

In mechanical execution the Pioneer suffered by contrast with its prede- cessor, and in literary excellence it had nothing to boast of; yet its editorial columns, filled with awkward English and bad grammar, were launched against the enormities of Whiggery with the courage if not the skill of veterans. There was, withal, a spice of independence of party dictation, as well as the rules of grammar, both of which find illustration in a single paragraph which we quote literally from the prospectus for the Pioneer :

"It is the intention of the editor to be perfectly free and uncontrolled by any man or set of men, and always willing to receive the counsel of such as are desirous of promoting the good cause, for which it is published to vindicate, as the advice of many is likely to be more correct than the few."

We wish also to copy another short article which is not only a fair specimen of the editorial style of the early Pioneer, but will recall to our older readers a state of things very characteristic of Upper Sandusky in the fall of 1845.

"REMOVING OUR OFFICE

" While our office is rolling along the streets in Upper Sandusky to its future place of destination, we are sticking up these lines. Hereafter we may be found a little west of Mr. Mccutchen's store, occupying a spot in the orchard, where at all times we will be happy to see and accommodate our friends. Our situation will be on the Wyandot avenue, in our opinion a very beautiful spot.

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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 42

Author: Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago, Leggett, Conaway Number of Pages: 1072

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, Leggett, Conaway
Number of Pages: 1072