USA > Ohio > Champaign County > The history of Champaign and Logan counties : from their first settlement > Part 28
USA > Ohio > Logan County > The history of Champaign and Logan counties : from their first settlement > Part 28
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THE PIONEERS.
REMARKS BY DR. B. S. BROWN AT A MEETING OF THE PIONEER ASSOCIATION OF CHAMPAIGN AND LOGAN COUNTIES, IN 1871.
Although I have been in Logan County more than fifty years, yet it can scarcely be said with propriety, that I am one of the Pi- oneers of this section of the country. My father removed to, and settled in Marmon's Bottom, in this county, in the year 1818; and although the greater part of the county was in its primitive condi- tion, and wild animals of various kinds very plenty in all parts of it, yet several settlements had been established along the southern and central portions of the county, from ten to fifteen years previ- ous to that time. The persons and families who formed those set- tlements, were the true and real pioneers of the county ; and to them (such as are left of them), are we to look for the detail of cir- eumstances, and transactions, which would be of the greatest in- terest to a society of this kind. But changes are continually go- ing on from year to year, all over the country, so much so, that in the space of thirty or forty years, our county, in many particulars, scarcely seems like the same county that length of time ago.
And as these changes have taken place in almost every depart- ment of life, as in the customs and manners of society, the busi- mess transactions of the people generally, and as in the face and ap- pearance of the country itself, it may not be uninteresting to men- tion some of these changes, which have taken place in some things since my first residence in the county.
In the winter of 1820-21, I had made an arrangement to go to one of the lower counties of the State of Mississippi to teach school
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How to get there, seemed to be the difficulty. We had here ne railroads nor stage lines, and there were very few steamboats run- ning on the river. I had been down to Cincinnati the previous fall to try to get a passage to New Orleans. but failed, and had to return back home, a considerable part of the way on foot.
During the forepart of the winter I succeeded in making an ar- rangement with some flat boat flour traders, who were intending to go down out of the Scioto river, as soon as that stream would rise high enough to let them out. We had to wait till about the first of February, when we started from about eight miles above Chillicothe, with two flat boats, loaded with about one thousand barrels of flour. We were on the river within a few days of three months. We sold out the greater part of the flour by retail at dif- ferent towns and trading places along the Ohio and Mississippi be- fore we reached New Orelans, at about $3.00 per barrel. When we arrived at the city we closed out what, was left for $2.62} per bar- rel by wholesale. This is mentioned to show the great change of prices between that time and the present. And the owners made money by the trip, for they had bought the wheat of which the flour was made for 25 cents per bushel. I remained in the South at that time about three years, when I received a letter from Ohio. I had to pay 25 cents postage, and if it could be discovered there were two pieces of paper (no matter how small) the price was 50 cents. It required about three weeks from the time the letter was mailed till I received it.
Now to show the change-the contrast. I left Bellefontaine with my wife on Tuesday, 3rd of January last, staid over one day at Cincinnati, and arrived at our destination on Friday the 6th. Where we stopped was in one of the lowest counties of Mississippi, near the neighborhood where I taught school fifty years ago.
As to the mails, while there this year, I received a letter, post marked at Bellefontaine, February 3rd, which arrived at the Post- office where I received it, before daylight on the 6th.
While on the subject of the change of prices, I will mention a little circumstance as an illustration. In the year 1825 I had an uncle-Moses Brown,-who moved from Louisiana into the neigh- borhood of Zanesfield, and being a farmer he wished to commence raising hogs as the other farmers there did. He was directed to a neighbor who had hogs to sell, and applied to him, to buy a sow
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and pigs ; one was selected which was agreed upon by both, but no price fixed upon till he should come and take her home. After a few days he went to get her and the owner was not at home, but he had left word with his wife, that it my uncle came, for him to take her along and,he would see him at some other time. He took her home; she was young, but had six nice pigs. Some days uf- ter, my uncle saw him, and told him he wished to pay for the pur- chase, and asked him the price. He replied that he did not know exactly what it ought to be, but he thought about seventy-five cents or a dollar would be about right; that seventy-fivescent- woull do; and that was the price paid, and fixed by the owner himself. The very low price so surprised the purchaser that he made some inquiries of the neighbors as to the matter, who told him that was about a common, fair price. Now to show the great difference in price, between the products of our county and imported articles at that time; I will mention that my uncle brought with him st- eral bags of coffee from New Orleans, which he had taken in part payment for what he had sold out in Louisiana. This coffee he re- tailed at 37} cents per pound ; so the price of two pounds of coffee paid for the sow and pigs. The retail price of coffee in the sturis in the county at that time was forty cents a pound. Perhaps as great benefits have been derived to our section of the country. m regard to prices of home and imported articles) from the intro ho- tion of railroads. They have very materially increased the price of our home products and cheapened the prices of imported armidis -especially heavy ones, such as salt, iron, &e. - so much sopl a very material advantage to the country. Notwithstanding this. there are, have been, and will be some non-progressive fairgier, and others in the country who oppose all such improvement smul. roads and free turnpikes as oppressive innovations, espe lally in the land owning farmers. As an illustration I will mention a call- versation I had with a rich farmer of the county, a short time after the completion of the railroad through the county. He conten led that though it might be, and probably was a benefit to the mer- chants, as it gave them a better chance to impose upon their ch- tomers, yet it would be an injury to the farmers, because it would reduce the price of horses so much that they would not be worth raising, as none would be needed to haul our grain, and other mir- plus products to the lake or other places of market. He urgel this and other arguments so strongly that I could only answer them by
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the Yankee plan of asking questions. I ascertained that heat that time had brought in a load of wheat for sale, and that he was to take some barrels of salt in part payment for the wheat. So I asked him, how many bushels of wheat he had to give for a barrel of salt ? He answered in rather a complaining manner, that wheat was a dollar a bushel but they made him give two bushels for a barrel of salt, when he well knew that salt ought to be but $1 872 per barrel. I then asked him if he remembered of ever bringing wheat to Belle- fontaine and trading it for salt before we had any railroads ? Ho replied that he did recollect of doing it once that far back. The next question I asked was :
"How many bushels of wheat did you then have togive for a bar- rel of salt ?"
His answer was short, and to the point,. and ended the subject : it was nine bushels. In fact the time has been here when it would require more than a dozen bushels of wheat to purchase a barrel of salt. As great a change as has taken place in the busi- ness transactions of our part of the country within forty or fifty years, has been in regard to the manner of getting our surplus pro- duce out of the country to market for the purpose of bringing money, and such necessary articles of merchandise as we must have. At an early period, in fact about the only article we had in the country for that purpose (except coon and deer skin), was hogs. These were collected in droves, and driven, generally to Detroit, or some other lake port, or town in Michigan, and there sold for whatever price could be got for thein, which was gener- ally very low. And the prices here, of course had to be somewhat regulated by the prices there. These droves had to be driven the greater part of the way through the woods, with a narrow road cut out through the dense forest, about wide enough for a single wagon track. It generally required from three to five or six weeks to drive and dispose of a drove in this way. At a later period, the farmers having got more ground cleared, began to raise more wheat than was necessary for the consumption of the country. The ques- tion then was to find a market for the surplus. The most of it was hauled in wagons a distance of one hundred and twenty miles to Sandusky on the lake shore. The road was very bad, either mud or corduroy pole bridges a great part of the way, and it required from two to three weeks to make the trip there and back. The wagons
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generally came back loaded with salt, or other heavy articles.
The customary price for hauling the salt in here, was generally regulated by what it cost out there, and persons who had not wheat to sell would often send the money by the teamsters to buy the salt and the price of hauling would be just what was paid for it in money out there and so it would be divided half and half between the persons who sent the money and the one who hanled it in. In hauling their wheat out there it was generally the case that several wagons (half a dozen or more) would go together and they all would have to take their provision with them, both for them- selves and their teams, and to "camp out" in the woods at night, both going and coming ; because if they would get their meals, and horse feed of the few taverns along the way, the cost would be more than they would get for their whole load of wheat. And it was not uncommon for some economical persous to make the "round trip" without paying out a single dime for provisious the whole way.
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AN OLD BURYING GROUND.
On the brow of a hill, about one-half mile north of what was once "Taylor's Mill," (now Beatty's mill) in Salen Township, Champaign County, Ohio, there has lately been discovered an an- cient burying-ground. Some years ago there was a county road lo- cated east and west on the seetion line, between sections fifteen and sixteen, town tive of range twelve, and the workmen, when opening that road discovered a few human bones at the hill, about twenty rods west of the centre of thesection line. There was, how- ever, but little attention given to the circumstance at that time. Two years ago there was a free turnpike constructed from the centre of the line between sections fifteen and sixteen, which road runs from the beginning, south through the village of Kingston. For the purpose of getting ground for the making of this turn- pike, it was necessary to make a large excavation in the hill be- fore mentioned, and in doing so, great quantities of human bones were discovered. These remains appear, very plainly, to have been deposited in trenches, or ditches; and these trenches are sit- nated parallel to each other, at a distance of about ten feet apart, and extend due north and south. Their length is not known, as they have not been explored further than the necessary excava- tions for ground.
The bodies have been placed in these trenches with their heads to the South, and the feet to the North ; in this position they have all been found. They appear to have all been deposited there at the same time, and to have been placed there indiscriminately, the old and the young, great and small, male and female piled on top of each other, without any kind of order or regularity, except their position which is invariably north and south. There has not been found any implements of war, or mechanical tools of any kind. The country here has been settled by the whites seventy years, yet the existence of this burying place was not known until recently, nor did the Indians give the first settlers any information on the subject; they probably knew nothing
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of it. The situation is one of the most beautiful on the face.of the earth ; , for miles on the east, south and west lius the extensive valley of King's-creek, which has no equal for beauty and fertility, and through its centre flows the ererk, a large, never- failing stream of clear, cool, pure water. There is no history, either written or traditional, of the life, manners, customs ur doings of that generation or race of human beings, save thwir mouldering remains. A thousand years hence may not there obscurity rest upon the history of the present generation ?
OUR SOLDIER BROTHERS.
PAPER BY MRS. SALLIE MOORE.
About the time of the war 1812, a company o pung men was organized in Champaign and Logan Counties, by Capt. Alevinder Black.
They were an independent company of Home Guard , or non- ute men, and were called the rifle company, each man armed with a good trusty rifle gun, shot-routh, and powder-bo .. bullet-moulds, gun-flints, &c. Ewh ore fornished their 06 mm- munition, and were expected to hold themselves in reading Th minute's warning for any emergency ; we at that time bomnecho frontier settlement on the north, and expr d to danger from the Indians who might be prowling about in the neighborhood.
THE UNIFORM
of the company consisted of a black hunting shirt, trimmed or fringed with white all round the body, made as a loo- cotter wrapper reaching a little above the knees, and open in front and fringed, then a large circular cape with collar fastening all tog th- er at the neck. They were usually made of home-male linen about one and one-half inches wide, and sewing it on the garment and then raveling it out about half the width. Then a stout
21
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leather belt with large buckle in front, or some have a white belt, white pants and stockings. The hat was like one now in fashion, high crown with Larrow rim. Each man had a white plume fast- ened to the left side (I think) of his hat.
The feather was made by skillfully adjusting the white feath- ers of a goose, around a ratan or a stick long enough to reach to the top of the hat, carefully and firmly wrapping them with thread, and on the top was a tuft of red feathers, a bit of scarlet cloth, or the scalp of the red-headed wood-pecker.
The company were called together three or four times a year for muster or company drill, and you may be assured their mothers and sisters, their wives and sweethearts, were proud of them when they saw them dressed. up in their uniform and marching under their gallant captain. They were never called out to active service however.
But there was a company of men who were called rangers, that were stationed at Manarie's Block-house, whose duty it was to range the country as spies. This fort or block-house was situated on the land of Col. James McPherson, near where the county house now stands.
VANCE'S BLOCK - HOUSE
was situated on an eminence, a short distance north of Logans- ville
Some of our young friends may be ready to inquire, what sort of a thing is a blockhouse ? Well, it was not built of the blocks that fall from the carpenter's bench which our little four-year-olds like to build on mamma's carpet, but they were built with huge logs but so compactly fitted together, as to with and the shots of an enemy without, with port holes for the numnates to shower the deadly bullets from within. Thus lived the pioneer settlers of our now populous and wealthy country. But few, if any remain of the rifle company, to join with us in our pioneer meeting to-day, and we hope they are enjoying a more peaceful home in that better land.
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Sabbath-School at Mt. Tabor.
BY THOMAS COWGILL. M. D.
I attended the Sabbath-school Pienie at Mt. Tabor on the 21 t of July. I am willing to offer some thoughts which occupied my mind during that pleasant day, spent in commemoration of the Sabbath-school cause. It may be of some interest to my friends at Mt. Tabor.
The first Sabbath-school I everattended was at Mt. fabor in the summer of 1821, if I remember right. I was then about will . you old, and the first school I attended, I repeated eight ver-es of the 20 chapter of Acts, which reads as follows: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with our accord in ope place," &e. The order of the school was nearly the same as ut present in Sabbath-school. The scholar- were expatri or em- mit to memory during the week as many verses as they were able. and recite them on the Sabbath, and then read the Testargent in classes, as at present. Asking Scripture questions of the shelf, I believe, was not then practiced.
The pillars of the Church then at Mt. Tabor -come Itlar Griffth Evans, Nathaniel Hunter, Samuel Scott, Thomas Humphreys, William Hopkins, and a number of younger men and perhaps other old men that I do not now remember.
Nathaniel Hunter was then Superintendent of the Sabbath school, assisted by several others in teaching old and young, male And female.
I believe the personsabove named were among the first settlersat
3
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Mt. Tabor and many of the descendants or most of them yet reside in that neighborhood.
The Sabbath-school was very largely attended by the people of the neighborhood, old and young, and was held in a log cabin meet- ing-house, which stood about where the brick church now stands. A few graves were there inclosed by a common rail fence.
Some of the scholars recited very large portions of Scripture. Among others prominent in the school Dr. Samuel A. Latta deceased, late of Cincinnati, his brothers James and William, and his sisters Mary and Sarah, were regular attendants. At the close of the exercises of each school, the Superintendent or some other person would read the number of verses repeated by each scholar. At one time he read -- "Mary Latta, 263 verses." She stated that 100 verses had been omitted, as she had repeated 363 verses; and upon counting it was found that she had repeated 363 verses, or about nine chapters, and all said to have been committed to memory in one week. Her memory was about equal to that of Geo. D. Prentiss.
When I remember all The friends thus linked together, I've seen around me fall Like leaves in wintry weather, I feel like one Who treads alone Some banquet hall deserted.
In all that large assembly at Mt. Tabor on the 21st ult., I believe Wm. Scott and myself were the only representatives of the Sab- bath-school held at that consecrated place forty-nine years ago.
The remains of many members of that school, both teachers and scholars, now lie buried in the grave-yard at Mt. Tabor.
WESTERN PIONEER ASSOCIATION.
Relics Exhibited.
A china cup and saucer exhibited by Mrs. H. J. Cheher, of Middleburg, which General Washington drank from at the house of her great-grandfather, just before the battle of Brandywine. A fac simile of the accounts of George Washington with the United States Government from 1775 to 1783, presented by Mr. Gross, for which the association tendered the doner a vote of thanks. Copy-book of the late Ebenezer MeDonald, 1511, very plainly written. A sugar-breaker imported from Europe 200 years since by N. Merriweather's grandmother. Mrs. S. Taylor exhib- ited a china cream pitcher ninety years old; also a looking-glass brought from Ireland in 1776 by William and Elizabeth Colt. The frame was made twenty-two years ago by the late Isate Wil liams, of Zanesfield ; also a Bible eighty-five years old ; alsosugar tongs forty-one years old; a pocket-book ninety-six veus old made by her grandmother, Mrs. Pim. A paper profile of her grandfather was next exhibited which was out at Richmen I, Va .. . during the trial of Burr; an antique watch one hundred wir old brought from Ireland, formerly the property of Williun at 1 Israel Pim ; also a shoe-shaped black ink-stand, which ww od at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and Idonging to Thomas Savery. It is now the property of Rachel Pun. It has two ink bowls and pen holes; is about four inches live and sharp at the toe. The ancestors of the Pim family qque over with William Penn, and is one of the oldest funilies in the Slate. A mirror from Ireland 150 years old was next shown. The Pred dent here remarked concerning its fine preservation that it .man
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evidence of habitual good looks of the family. A platter was shown by Mrs. MeNay, 100 years old. A map of the hemisphere made with a quill pen in 1832 .ยท Several articles were next exhib- ited by Mrs. B. A. Haines, as follows: A watch bought by the late Dr. Gould Johnson, at Winchester, Va .; a smelling bottle fitty years old ; a curious sugar bowl forty-five years old, a china cup and saucer fifty years old, and a breast pin 150 years old. Mrs. Dr. Ordway exhibited some teaspoons formerly the property of Mrs. McGruder's grandmother. Next were shown some very beautiful linen table-cloths and sheets, the flax for which was pulled, scutched, spun and wove by Mrs. Wm. Woodward and sisters, twenty-eight years ago. A vote of thanks was tendered to the ladies for the display of relies.
After recess Judge N. Z. McColloch read an address, already printed.
The "Old Folks" singing club was called and several soul-stir- ring songs were rendered. "Liberty," beginning with the well- known line,
"No more beneath th'oppressive hand of tyrants," &c.
"Newtopia" and the "Easter Anthem," followed. John Enoch, Sr., came forward, and said that this was his first attempt at public speaking, but as this was a pioneer meeting, he now pro- posed to commence. His father came to the then territory of Ohio, in 1797 and landed at Cincinnati from a flat-boat; and in 1802 he was born on the banks of the Miami. He lived there until the year 1808, and then moved to Franklin, where he resided for two years. He then removed to Clarke County, where he resided at the beginning of the war of 1812.
He then came to Mac-a-cheek in 1813 and built a log hnt in Gen .. Piatt's log-yard. He recalled the reception of the news of the de- feat of Winchester at Raisin and the great gloon which it cast over the community. They daily expected to be attacked by the Indians. On the same day with the reception of the news came the welcome faces of Robert Armstrong and family, He was in Urbana in 1812; in 1815 his father began the West Liberty inill. He had dealt out many a bushel of flour to the Indians, and Col. McPherson had instructed him how to deal with them. He "graduated from college in 1820, never having gone to school but one day." He recognized his preceptor among the audience. He
LOGAN COUNTIES.
then took to the woods, when his father had 'a contriet to ent . road through to Fort Findlay, starting out in leading uptheo store, the principle features of which were three barndenf whi by and bacon. Those days were fraught with the usual okdini until the better days came.
Remarks by Thomas Cowgill, M D.
Dr. Thomas Cowgill read an interesting sketch ca proter Im
About the 20th of October, 18!7, our family had nouly the que- sary preparation and started on our journey wod the 0100 sun, leaving our family home in Columbiana Canty, onto. Op the 30th day of that month, being the seventh day of ton ok. we ate breakfast at the house of Corey Harris, on Biri God six miles south of this place; we travelel up he valley of Purby nearly on the same track of the common read nowy travelet and arrived at the house of Job, Sharp and Joshua Sharp- oleHsing in one house-about noon ; there was then it larr . commekanie the different families of the Sharps, Garwood, Stobene, Biologe Inskeeps, Euanses, and Pallingers, living in this w ighborfiel. most of whom my parents had been aquainted will be Vogbons or in the east part of this state. Theet was Theree Jam father of the late Thomas Jane of Best Libert ; The near this place ; my uncle John Cowgill, Dr. John D. VIER - and John Warner, and Abisha Warner, alssoll Vinh quaintances of my parents. Many of them hearing Aurach a. came to see my parents during the two fliys of co slag at Zos Sharp's. A Friends' meeting was then beld at thesheer te rers yard about one mile north-east of here on the road to Gar Ments, which appeared to be largely attended on the sithaffiano vin stay in this neighborhood. As I remember, I hine WWloon Grubbs lived about on the site where Mid Heber Tie Monde el had a small improvement. There was sent reply ing up Darby Valley and Northwestely, And We from Urbana to "Garwond's Mills " now Fist Lilac 15001 where the public sqare now is in Middleburg, and On 6 were then mere pathways, through the woods, jour bemy ass few small improvements along the road on Thrity And then about five years of age, and I well remember & Mind osde eiable the people appeared to be at Madriver, On 1 _Uhen el
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