USA > Ohio > Champaign County > The history of Champaign and Logan counties : from their first settlement > Part 33
USA > Ohio > Logan County > The history of Champaign and Logan counties : from their first settlement > Part 33
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It is correct as far as it goes. Then let me say that I am the man with whom the pioneer Polly Latty twined in the year le26, in whose embraces we lived forty-three and one-half years. on November 30th, 1869, she left these mundane shores for man-ions not made with hands, eternal in the skies (as we verily believe.) While encircled in Hymen's chains she lived a prominent mem- ber of society, a good partner, a kind mother, and benevolent sister. She rejoiced when she was dying that she was passing the gutes to endless joys. We left this county in the year 1539, and settled in Hancock county, Illinois, where she died. She was the mother of nine children and had sixteen grandchildren. Five of her chil- dren are dead, and four of her grandchildren. One of the four died in the service during the late war. One of Polly's daughter- lives in Plymouth, Ill., one in St. Louis, and two of ber sons live in Cass county, Iowa. All are doing well.
Your humble servant settled in Champaign county in April, Io7. was united with the pioneer Polly Latty April 15, 153;, and emigrated to western Illinois, Hancock county, October,
* From the Urbana Citizen and Gazette.
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1839, and was bereft of my partner (the pioneer girl) on the 30th of November, 1869, and to-day, Sept. 14, 1871, am in Urbana, and have this day plucked another angelic bloom from old Cham- paign's fair bowery, and who now stands by my side, and who now promises to sustain, comfort and protect me through the de- cline of life. In a few hours we will be wafting our way toward the western horizon, toward the setting sun, to or beyond the father of waters, to our cozy home. If the second tulip compares with the first, will I not hold old Champaign in grateful remem- brance?
Sept. 14, 1871.
WILLIAM DARNALL.
HIDDEN TREASURE
BY ED. L. MORGAN.
One of the early settlers of Champaign County, was Richard Stanup, a Virginian, and a man of color. When the writer first knew him, he lived on the hill a short distance north of the place where Mr. Saul Clark now lives, in Salem Township, about one mile north of Kings Creek, in sight of that creek and its beautiful valley. A short distance east of the spot where Stanup then lived and on the brow of the hill, which inclines to the south, lie buried the mouldering remains of a number of human beings, white, red and black, without a stone to mark the place of their earthly re- pose. A few short years and they and the place where their ashes lie, will pass from the memory of man.
Richard was a Baptist preacher, known to many of our citiz ns of the present day, for he lived to a great uge, and dieda few years ago at the age of about one hundred and twelve years. Stanup, although comparatively an illiterate colored man, wes in the prime of life, and before the commencement of his sini childhood, one of the ablest preachers of his time. In cumpri. sons and illustrations were mostly drawn from living rature, be it then existed, and could be easily understood by the learned scholar, or the unlettered plow boy. The writer once heard hlin preach the funeral of a young colored woman, at the. grave-yard before mentioned ; after describing the punishment of the wicked in their place of torment in another world, he spoke of the hap-
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piness of the righteous in heaven, and when he came to describe that happy place, he pointed toward the beautiful valley which lay before us, then clothed with wild prairie flowers of every color and variety that was pleasing to the eye, from the "rose of Sharon" to the humblest "Jump up Johnny," and said that to us here was a pretty sight, but only a faint resemblance of the coun- try to be hereafter inherited by the righteous.
Richard was not only a good preacher, but a good hand to dig wells. He and Major Anderson did most of the well digging in this part of the county, (Salem,) in old times. Between forty and fifty years ago Stanup was employed by John McAdams, Esq., to dig a well on his farm. McAdams then lived upon a farm which is now owned by M. Allison Wright, and is situated about one mile south of Kennard, and on the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad. The digging was begun about the 1st of September, and at the depth of about sixty feet the old man "struck water," and immediately informed those above of the good news. As was the custom on such occasions, a bottle was filled with whisky, corked with a corn cob, and placed in a "piggin," which was let down to the bottom of the well in a large tub, which was used to draw up the sand and gravel. At the moment the tub and its contents reached the bottom of the well, it began to cave in, and instantly covered the tub, bottle and piggin. Stanup seized hold of the rope and climbed slowly until he had ascended something more than half way to the top of the well, when the earth gave way and the unfortunate man was covered up with dirt, sand and coarse gravel, at least twenty feet below the surface. All the men and women who were present and able to work, went at it to re- move the earth as soon as possible, and the younger portion of the family were sent in haste to alarm the neighbors. It was lato in the evening when the body of Richard was reached, and all sup- posed that life was extinct. The rubbish having been removed from the upper part of his body, Mrs. McAdams cut a few yards of linen from a web she had in her loom, which was placed around his body, below the arms; to this was fastened the well rope, and the body was drawn up by the men at the windless.
On reaching the surface all supposed that life had fled ; not the slightest symptoms of breath or pulse could be detected; yet as there was some warmth about the body, every known remedy was
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applied, and after a long time there began to be signs of life; breathing could be perceived for a few moments and then erased, when all present said in a loud voice, "Richard is dead !" Thi- appeared to rouse him up; he again rallied, and with a voice au- dible to all he exclaimed, "I is worth two dead niggers yet !"
The "hidden treasure" consists of a mattock, shovel, large tub, piggin and bottle of whisky, at the bottom of the well, where they now are, untouched by human hands, and the whisky un- tasted by mortal lips.
Now, as the question as to the relative merits of old and new whisky is still unsettled, I propose that some gentleman test the matter by unearthing the whisky I have here described, and all I shall ask for giving account of its whereabouts, will be the first swallow from the old bottle, after the cob shall be removed.
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"PIONEER POLLY."
BY ED. L. MORGAN.
On the 7th of September last, * you published an extract from & communication furnished the Bellefontaine Press by Mr. Joshua Antrim, in which he gave a short account of a day's spinning by Polly Latty, many years ago. On the 14th of the same month, Gen. Wm. Darnall, who "twined" with the said Polly in 1826, furnished a communication for the Citizen, for the purpose, as he said, of removing the "gloom submerged" in the narrative of Mr. Antrim. But as the General has not given a full account of the transaction referred to, the matter is still "submerged in gloom," so far as a large majority of your readers are informed. But we must excuse him for his negligence, as his time and attention were wholly given to that "angelic bloom" which he had just "plucked from old Champaign's fair bowery." May their union be a pros- perous and happy one, is the wish of their friend.
I will now endeavor to givea true account, in detail, of the whole transaction, so far as my memory will permit, for I was well ao- quainted with all the parties concerned, and with the details of the circumstances at the time they transpired. It is well known that in the early days of the settlement of the country, each family that was blessed with women, old or young, married or single, possessed also at least one weaver's loom and one small spinning-wheel for each woman, or girl in the family. These "little wheels" were used for spinning flax and tow, and in very early times for spinning
* From the Urbana Citizen and Gazette.
LOGAN COUNTIES.
cotton, which was carded with hand cards after the seed- were picked out by the little boys and girls, and of that thing of pick - ing cotton the youngsters sometimes got very tired, as I well know by experience. How happy they were when the cotton gin was invented ! Each family was also provided with at least one "big wheel." On this they spun the wool, which was also carded by hand until carding-machines were invented. They had reels on which to wind the thread, or yarn, after it was spun. These reels were about three feet in diameter, and had an instrument made of wood, and attached to the front part of the reel, which resembled the minute hand of a clock . This hand would go once around while the reel turned one hundred and twenty times, and every time the hand went round, the reel would "crack," which was evidence that there was a "cut," or one hundred and twenty threads upon the reel. A dozen cuts per day was considered as woman's task; if she spun more she was entitled to additional pay. The common wages paid to a good spinner was fifty cents per week. If she spun less than twelve cuts per day, she was "docked" in proportion to the number of cuts less than it demen. The young men in those days of "old fogyism," when they deter- mined to select a partner to accompany them through the journey of life, would, in the first place, ascertain whether or not hisbest beloved could or would spin her dozen of flax thread per day, birna pancake unbroken, without touching it, and land it in the pump un- soiled, mend her husband's buck-skin hunting over-garments, and knit her own and the baby's woolen stockings. If she pommed all these necessary qualifications, she seldom failed to becomea happy bride and an honored and respected wife. Sach being tho state of affairs, it is but reasonable to suppose that there was, to a certain extent, a rivalry and a laudable desire on the minelnf each young woman (the vulgar name of lady was not they sp plied to them) to out-do all others, not so much in looks, Une, costly dress and painted cheeks, but in useful industry, general good management, and behavior. The most popular qualitechin of a young woman was that of a good spinner, consequently all endeavored to excel in that business, and spinning parties became the order of the day.
Polly Latty was the daughter of Robert Latty, who at an early day settled upon a farm in Salem township, Champaign county, which farm he afterwards sold to Joshua Buffington, who now ro-
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sides at West Liberty, Logan county, having sold the farm to the Stewart brothers, who are sous of Archibald Stewart, deceased. Polly was a fine specimen of a pioneer Buckeye girl, of rather more than medium stature, well formed, healthy and handsome. She was not ashamed nor afraid of work; as a spinner she never was excelled ; at a flax pulling frolic, or a house warming, she had but few equals. Once upon a time, I believe it was in 1824 or 1825, but I am not certain as to the precise time, Polly had concluded to do the greatest day's work that had ever been performed by a single person. A time and place had been selected for the pur- pose-a log barn in the neighborhood was to be the place, and the time from sunrise to sunset on a certain day. At early dawn on the day appointed, the pioneer girl and her mother, with a goodly number of the neighbors, were assembled at the appointed place, and everything having been duly arranged, the first whirr of the spinning-wheel was heard the moment the sun made his appear- ance in the e . stern horizon, and it ceased not for a minute until the sun had disappeared behind the distant hills that border the beautiful valley of Mad river. The mother and another woman waited upon Polly during the day of her trial and hard work, and supplied her with victuals and drink, that she might not be hin- dered on that account. One of them also reeled the thread as fast as the spools were filled. Noon arrived; it was "high twelve;" half the day was gone, but half the promised work was not yet done. Polly must hurry up or surrender the laurels to another. Her attendants now inclosed that part of the barn where she sat, by hanging around her a number of sheets, blankets and quilts, at a proper distance, so as to form a kind of private room in which they should not be exposed to the view of vulgar outsiders nor interrupted and hindered by their annoyance. As evening ap- proached, fears were entertained by the girl and her mother that the task would not be accomplished before sunset; she therefore put forth all her energy, determined to do the utmost in her power. The wheel now hummed and whirled faster than at any time before, and that no expedient should go untried in this crit- al moment, like Burn's Nannie, in times of old,
"She coosed her duddys to the wark, And linket at it in her sark .??
It is said that time, patience and perseverance will accomplish all things. It was so in this case. As the last rays of the setting
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sun were glimmering over the western horizon, and shone faintly upon the round logs of that now extinct barn, the last "crack" of the reel was heard to announce the completion of the forty-eight "cut" and the fourth dozen.
The pioneer girl was victorious, and that triumph shaped her destiny in after life. Soon after the spinning was done, An account of the great feat was published in a newspaper, giving the name and place of residence of the spinner. Gen. Win. Dairnull, who had never before heard the name of Polly Latty, on reuling the story, at the place where he was keeping school, at some distance from here, immediately formed a determination to see, became acquainted with, and, if possible, to enter into a life porlier hip with the best spinner of the time. All this he finally accomplished, although in his case, as in nearly all others, the current of true love did not always run smooth, for Polly had other admirer -; but wisely selected the one of her choice. She had severed brothers and sisters. I know of but one living, her sister Sarah, who mar- ried Benoni Barnes, and lives near Addison, in this county. There may be others, but I know of none.
Gen. Wm. Darnall, at the time he became acquainted with Miss Latty, was, like the writer, a "school-master," an IJJulee Vence, of our Probate Court, was one of his scholars. Soon after the pas- sage of the first school laws by the Ohio Legislature, in 1525, John- athan E. Chaplin, Win. Darnall and myself were appointed the first school examiners in. Champaign County. Mr. Chaplin was an attorney-at-law, but afterwards abandoned the practice of law and became a Methodist preacher. He passed from time to ster- nity many years ago.
Now reader, you have, as I believe, a true history of "Pioneer Polly," given in part by Mr. Antrim, in part by her husband, and in part by your humble servant. Here is an instance ia which a young woman, before unknown to fortune and to fame, by her personal labor and great industry, in a single day laid the foundation of a long, prosperous and happy life. Permit mne to say to the present generation of girls, "Go thou and do likewise."
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PIONEER PRACTICE OF MEDICINE IN LOGAN COUNTY.
BY B. S. BROWN, M. D.
Having been requested to contribute something in regard to the Pioneer Physicians of Logan county, I have thought that it might not be uninteresting to the physicians of the county at the present time, and to others, to be told of the very great difference between the practice of the profession now, and what it was thirty to fifty years ago, especially in regard to the arduous work and fatigue nec- essarily involved then, and now. Now, since the county has be- come thickly settled, there are generally from two to five or six doctors in each of the dozen or more towns and villages through- out the county; consequently, the circuit of their practice is mostly restricted to a few miles, or they encroach upon the circuit of the adjacent village; which is sometimes necessary and very proper for the purpose of cousultation, &c.
But in visiting their patients of late years, how do the doctors travel? They are mounted in an elegant spring buggy, mostly with a fast. horse attached, whether their trip is a few miles in the country or but around the suburbs of the town. And besides, if they have to drive in the country, it is generally upon smooth, ex- cellent turnpike roads, making it seem more like a ride for pleas- are than hard work. This is all in very pleasant contrast with what the practice of medicine in this county was thirty or fifty years ago; then the physicians of the county were "few and far be- tween," and some of the earliest practitioners had to ride to all parts of the county and frequently into the adjoining counties around.
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For several years after there was quite a consilor. bl. settler.d .t along the Miami river ; Cherokee and Racherock in thenorthern part ofthe county. There were no physicians lovat . Inorth o B M/s fontaine within fifty or a hundred miles, and a consi lorable porilen of the practice of the physicians of Zanesfield in 1 B-11-furet din in that direction, particularly in the settlements long tar -foot- above mentioned, and often extending into Hardin an laon Al. joining counties.
In the county spoken of, during the carly - ttlemeht nif il. I think there was much more sickness -- in proportion to thommmler of inhabitants-than there has been for several years prevede to this time ; for in addition to "null-sickness" which pavilion fearful extent in several localities of that region, before The mule were grazed on tame pastures, they had several epidein scrobold fever, which was very tedious and diffienh to mpbize gel win proved fatal, after the most caretul medical an | unr-ingolfodten. . Besides, malarial fevers, such as ague, and bilious fever- Alehits prevalent in the early settlement of the country, then quy the land has been largely cleared an I cultivated. A. I haveoud malere a large portion of the practice of the doctors here, was for acool years, amongst the diseases I have mentioned, and in thog 6-00. at the distance of from six to twee, up to twenty or thing alles. But how did we get there ? Certainly not by rabug is a far buggy over smooth and pleasent roids; bit on Hop boy steve the worst kind of roa la, or no rounds at all, for it patience and we had to be guided along a fost path, or trail, though the less woods for miles together, and sometimes, to make = sen from one road to another, through the wood- where here en ou path at all. There were some wagon ronds in Athens the coas which had been cut out through the woolls ; bat @ mp -u of the year, they were much worse torill. on hop dank oferta ch the path ways, or trails through the woods, won to the 1 mal and ruts in many places along them. Thive, however, fajimily heard it remarked in the spring of the year, that ther violy one mud hole between here and Cherokee, Richland, Rappelle or any other town in that direction, but that one pytanie (the whole distance. It was not uncommon in the winter wn Frans spring, for these mud roads after they bol been traoyo I op tery roughly like brick c'ay, to become so frozen and rough that if was
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very difficult for a horse to pass over them faster than a walk. And sometimes in places where the mud was very deep, it was not frozen quite strong enough to bear up the weight of the horse and his rider, and he would break through, nearly or quite knee deep. These are some of the troubles and difficulties the practitioners of those times had to encounter, both by day and by night, and I used to verily believe that these long trips had to be more often in the night than in the day time; which was accounted for in this way : A person, man, woman or child would be taken sick-not very bad -- but after using some home remedies for a few days, the patient was no better, and but little if any worse. The neighbors would call in at night, to see the sick one, (for they were more sociable, and friendly in that way, then than now ; ) and upon consultation among themselves, would advise that the doctor be sent for forthwith. Then, perhaps, some young inun present would volunteer to go, if some other one would go with him; and, if the roads were not as bad as described above, the two would mount and gallop the whole way, even if the distance was ten or twelve miles, arriving here perhaps about midnight. Ne excuse or proposal to go in the morning would avail, but the doctor must immediately saddle up, and go with the messengers, as they came, and it might be, to find the patient no more in need of medication, than he had been' for days previous, when the doctor might have been called in the day time.
As an illustration of the greater social friendship existing in re- gard to seeing after, and assisting sick neighbors, I recollect of being sent for, and going to see a sick man in the night, about ten or twelve iniles from here, arriving near midnight. The house in which I found the patient was a small log cabin, perhaps about sixteen by twenty feet, having but one room, with a large chim- ney fire-place at the end, and the beds, &c., at the other. It was rather cold weather. When we got about a half a mile from the place, we could see a very large fire in the direction, that it might almost make us think the house was burning up, till we got near enough to see what it was. It was a large "log heap" on fire in the yard, a few rods in front of the door, built and fired by the visiting neighbors, who were collected and warming themselves around it, because there was not room in the house to seat and ac- commodate half of them, without too much disturbing the quiet
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of the patients. Some of these kind neighbors, both men and women, lived miles away ; for the whole neighborhood considered it a duty to "visit the sick," and some of them of course would ro main all night to assist in waiting on and nursing the sich.
When a child was to be born in those times, and the doctor was sent for, either by night or day, cand in cases of this kind It was not uncommon that he had to ride eight to twelve miles, when he would arrive, he would generally find all the number women of the neighborhood had got there before him , herents bering from half a dozen to ten or more ; for it wa - comp et al insult to a woman, if within a few miles, not to be competen occasion of this kind. As soon as the Guld va- og cared for, then commenced the preparation in the tall, and the innocent chickens on the root had as much cause to be horrified, as it was said in old times they were on the arrival of the fireit preacher at his usual stopping place.
And in a short time, no matter what was the hour of das or night, the table was spread and loaded with substantial- and ias. uries sufficient for the appetite of the most intense gourund. In those days it was considered necessary, on such occasione, ccen ay temperance families, to have a quart or two of spirituen figuur for the benefit of the mother, and that she must take pretty in ! of hot, sweetened punch, as a medicine to prevent her from lastig cold : and if the drink was passed around. as it usual's ves, Ri was not considered a breach of the rules of temperance ahr MF & lt- tle." It was a custom in those times, in almost any angator hood remote from a physician, that some man, per.mille afanger or mechanic, would possess himself of a set of thethree lancet for bleeding, and he was resorted to by the parle anmel him to pull their teeth, and bleed them. whenevo ty toacht they needed such operations, the latter of which ve Fors ire quent. In fact, the habit or custom of being bled bo the si IF alent, that many persons, generally women, Faith margaret fond single, got to think it necessary to be bled, sich or wel. if st once every year, and generally in the spring. "Thi- opostien me generally performed by the adepts spoken of above. Bude while it was not uncommon, when a person was first taker och, on matter what the disease, to send for the bleeder, who want per form the operation, and perhaps give a dose of arts, of com alles mild physic, which. if they did not relieve the jelita, Il
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thought to be time to send for the Doctor. This custom was so prevalent, that it was not uncommon for some of these men to ob- tain the reputaion of being first-rate half-doctors.
In addition to the country spoken of as being within the bounds of the Doctors of Bellefontaine, they were sometimes called upon to visit patients of the Indians, who at that time lived on their Lewistown Reservation, which was twelve miles square, and in- eluded the present town of that name and the country around it.
I think the Indians there were partly of two tribes, the Senecas and Shawnees. Judge James McPherson was U. S. Agent for the Indians on the Reservation, but lived on and owned a large body of land about half way from the Reservation. A part of said land is now known and occupied as the Infirmary farm. At one time the Judge called on me to visit a sick Indian woman, the married daughter of one of the chiefs of the tribe. She lived with her husband in the country, about a mile in an easterly direction from Lewistown. Their dwelling was a ne it log cabin, with a narrow porch on the front side, floored with puncheons, open at both ends. The Judge accompanied me to the place to act as interpreter, for but few of them could speak much English. After examining the patient, I told them I could do nothing for her, except perhaps to somewhat ease her suffering during the short time she could live. She was very low, in the last stage of consumption. They however requested me to come and see her every few days, which I did a few times, till one afternoon I found her dead, and laid out on a blanket spread on the floor of the porch. The corpse was splendidly dressed in Indian style, including a robe of fine broad- cloth, an elegant shawl about the head and shoulders, and the nicest kind of beaded moccasins on her feet, and other things to match. 'On the floor, near enough to her right hand to reach, if she could have used it, was a large wooden bowl filled with what appeared to be fried fritters, and by its side was an earthen bowl filled with sugar. I was anxious to see the funeral, and soon after eight or ten Indians returned from the woods with the coffin, where they had been to make it. It was composed of four slabs of green timber, neatly hewed, about three inches thick, and a lit- tle larger than the body ; these were not fastened together, but were for the bottom, top and sides. Two short pieces of the same material and thickness for the ends completed the coffin. The grave was not yet dug, but it was soon done, as it was only about
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