USA > Ohio > Clark County > The history of Clark County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, V. 1 > Part 26
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The wooden-ware of to-day was represented by troughs, or " dug-outs," or by what are called " gums." These latter were obtained, by a little labor, from the trunks of hollow trees.
The sycamore or buttonwood was frequently found of large size, and with the whole inte ior portion rotted away, leaving only a thin rind or shell on the outside. To cut off a length from one of these trunks and scrape away the loose fragments of decayed wood was an easy task, when, with the addition of a bot- tom, sometimes made of a broad sheet of bark, a good substitute for a tub was obtained.
These " gums" were used for bins for storing grain, for vats and tanks, ยท for improving some favorite natural spring of water, and for any purpose which the ingenuity of the pioneer might fit them for, not forgetting the cradle, wherein was rocked some of the future " stalwarts " of public and professional life.
Tinware was not to be obtained in the early days, but gourds of many vari- eties and sizes were raised and used as substitutes.
Wooden trenchers did service as plates and platters; spoons were fre- quently carved from the wood of the sugar maple, which was also used for case- knives, being shaved down into a thin, spatula-shaped blade.
The bark of the ehn and some other wood; was peeled off' the trees in long shreds and used for strings, twisted into cords for beds, etc.
The fire-place was a spacious, cavern-like recess in the end of the cabin, and was the source of light and heat to its inner life, as the sun is to that of the outer world. It was wide and ample, often eight feet or more in width by six or seven feet high, and a yard or so in depth. This structure was composed of the
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most suitable material to be found convenient -- refractory stones, banks of earth, sticks and clay, etc., but most frequently a combination of all these. The chimney, or upper portion, was laid up of small poles or split sticks, and the whole thoroughly plastered, inside and out, with a heavy coating of clay. The fuel, of course, was wood, and the more of it used the better; the fire-place was large enough to take in great bolts of timber, and save the trouble of chopping it into smaller pieces. The cooking was done " before the fire," it being a mat- ter of doubt sometimes which was the nearest " done," the cook or the cookery, so intense was the heat from the crackling bonfire within the cavernous walls of the fire-place.
At night, the whole interior was lighted by the same blazing log heap, lamps or candles being used as movable lights only. A kind of lamp was some- times made by immersing a few strands of twisted tow in a gourd full of any kind of melted fat: when cold, it could be carried about without danger of spill- ing, and was ready for use when wanted. A modification of this was sometimes called a " slut candle."
Every settler owned and used a rifle, the appendages of which were the powder-horn, bullet-pouch, wiping-stick and bullet-molds; powder and lead were bought by the quantity, and each man made his own bullets by filling the molds with melted lead. An iron ladle was part of the outfit of every pioneer, to be used for this purpose, but its absence or loss could be replaced by a gourd filled with clay, out of which a dish-like cavity was scooped; in this cavity was placed the lead, and live coals placed thereon, the lead soon melted and the bullets were run, regardless of the iron ladle. A block of green wood with a hollow in it answered as well as the gourd ladle.
The cooking utensils were few and simple, consisting mainly of one or two iron pots, a bake-kettle with a heavy iron cover, a frying-pan and a skillet. or long-handled spider, to which list was added an iron tea-kettle as soon as one could be procured. The old-fashioned fire " slice " or flat shovel, with its long handle, was a part of the outfit, also a pair of tongs of peculiar fashion. well calculated to produce blood blisters upon the hands of the uninitiated.
The evenings and rainy days were improved by meeting some of the many demands for the little odds and ends of every-day life. There were ax-kelves, neck-yokes, ox-yokes, and other wooden ware to make; corn to be shelled and pounded, or some chore to be done, that would interfere with the regular work if performed at other times.
Iron mongery was beyond the reach of the pioneers. All kinds of hard- ware-nails, bar-iron, tools, etc .- were scarce and high, besides the services of a blacksmith were not to be had on every corner. If an ax failed or was lost. it might cost a journey of fifty miles to reach some one skilled in Vulcan's art who could make it good. The blacksmith was of nearly as much importance as the doctor, and was patronized by a greater number of people. His range of handicraft extended over a wider field than the smith of to-day ventures to occupy. He was gunsmith. farrier. coppersmith. millwright, machinist, and sur geon general to all sorts of broken implements and utensils. His work-shop was the meeting-place of the frontiersmen from every direction. each waiting his turn to be served, as he did at the grist-mill. Sometimes those in waiting were obliged to remain overnight, and the house of the artisan therefore became a sort of a wayside inn.
As a consequence, the man of grime was high authority for all that was new . in regard to the Indian outbreaks, political news, and gossip generally.
The blacksmith's shop was the scene of many a trial of skill in wrestling. lifting, running. rifle-shooting, etc .. and if there chanced to be a bit of "fire- water" in the party, the hard work of every-day life at home was forgotten for
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the hour. With no desire to land the evils of a promiscuous use of liquor, it must be borne in mind that the general custom of the people of those days was to drink any kind of spiritnous liquors that could be obtained. It seems, too. that the practice was in a great measure warranted by the situation. The pio- neer was constantly engaged in the most arduous varieties of physical labor, and was often placed in positions where nothing short of the highest pitch of human endurance would save him or his friends from suffering or death. Under such circumstances, the exhilarating influences of a " drink" was a Godsend indeed.
Then again, the settlements were isolated from the social establishments of the older parts of the country, and often from each other, so that "society," in anything like the sense which the term conveys to our modern understanding. was out of the question. With that, as with everything else, the settler must deal with himself and improvise a substitute. It is then little wonder that he made the most of his hours of recreation by a more or less limited alliance with King Alcohol.
Every settlement, alnost, had its "still," where the various grains were convertrd into whisky, and the apples into cider brandy, or "apple-jack."
Cider was as common as milk, perhaps more so, and was "on tap" from one year's end to the other in many of the early homes.
One of the first things to require attention was the preparation of a patch of ground, wherein was planted the apple-seeds which had been "brought from home," and a nursery started. In due time, the sprouts were transplanted in the lot where the future orchard was to be. These young shoots were encour- aged in their growth by all the means and attention at the command of the pio. neer, until the young orchard began to bear fruit. Then the cider-mill, usually a couple of rude rollers, made from short lengths of the trunk of some hardwood tree was erected, and the liquid encouragement for the raisings, elections, huskings and meetings of the next year began to flow. Cider was used as a remedy for all sorts of ills. A kind of " tea " made of strong hard cider, with a pepper pod sliced into it, was a dose to make rheumatism beat a retreat; willow bark and the heart of an ironwood pickled in cider was good for fever and ague. Wild cherry bark and cider was a "warming " tonic, etc. Some of the good old pio neers were opposed to " drunk'ness " produced by whisky, aud thought " moder- ation in all things " should be the motto of every man, et many of these same men would drink moderately of hard cider so often during the day that when night came they hardly knew whether they were moderate drinkers or otherwise. Hard cider and all that comes of it was as distinctively a feature of the early times of this country as the ax and rifle. During the Presidential campaign of 1840, it, in conjunction with the log cabin, was emblazoned upon the banners of the Whig party as typical of the character of Gen. Harrison. The following is from the " Log Cabin Song Book" of forty years ago:
TUNE -- ROSIN THE BOW.
Come ye who, whatever betide her, To freedom have sworn to be true, Prime up in a mug of hard cider, And drink to old Tippecanoe. t On tap I've a pipe of as good, Sir, As man from the cock ever drew ; No poison to thicken your blood, Sir, But liquor as pure as the dew.
No foreign potation I puff, Sir, In freedom the apple tree grew,
t Gen. Harrison was so called.
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And its juice is exactly the stuff, Sir, To quaff to old Tippecanoe.
Let "Van"# sport his coach and outriders, In liveries flaunting and gay,
And sneer at log cabins and cider- But woe for the reckoning day.
Root beer was a favorite beverage with the early settlers, it being available in all its details of sugar, roots and spring water.
Home-brewed ale was also used to some extent, and, if properly made, was a good substitute for stronger liquor, being both refreshing and stimulating; but these shadows disappeared when the orchard began to furnish fruit for the substance -hard cider.
The early settlers procured their subsistence in all sorts of ways, according to the circumstances surrounding them for the time being. Many who possessed means enough to do so purchased the staple articles until the new farm was in a condition to yield a portion of the bread and meat. But the great mass of settlers were men who possessed nothing but energy, courage, health and hope- a combination of "faith " with " works" that would almost defy censure. Corn was planted as soon as possible, and seems to have been the main dependence as a food-yielding cereal. Potatoes were cultivated with little trouble, and fur- nished an important item in the list. Wheat was not so generally sown at first, on account of the great difficulty in preparing the ground and securing the crop. while the ordinary list of garden vegetables received such limited attention as time would permit.
Of live-stock, the hog headed the list, as furnishing a greater amount and variety of food than any other animal, and with as little trouble to the owner; as the forest was full of nuts, roots and grubs, the hog took care of himself dur- ing the seasons of summer and early autumn; being " at home " there, he some- times " back-slid " and started after the idols of his fathers, making it difficult to find him when wanted, and much more difficult to catch when found.
There was also quite a demand for pork. in its various forms, all along the frontier; this, then, was one source from which money could be obtained by the settlers. The Erst shipment of " goods " or produce from Clark County was a flat-boat load of pork, by David Lowry.i
Cattle and horses were introduced slowly, at first, on account of the absence of forage, yet it must not be understood that the first comers were entirely des- titute of this class of stock, as nearly all of them moved into the country with teams of oxen or horses.
Ox teams were better suited to the wants of the pioneer farmer than horses were. A stout pair of cattle would twist and turn through the woods, over logs, hummocks and fallen timber, without jumping, or snapping some part of a har- ness, and thereby cansing an expensive delay. For "logging." a well-broken team of oxen was necessary. on account of their strength and steadiness.
Did some fallen oak of enormous size and weight lie half buried in the for- est mold, resisting all efforts of the woodman with fire and handspike. it was sentenced to be " snaked" out by the cattle. A little trench was punched through the dirt underneath it. the proper " hitch " made with the log-chains. a
* Martin Van Buren.
f In the year 1800, David Lowry built a Bat-bont upon Mad River, to voyage down to the Miami, thence to the this and Mississippi down to New Orleans, with a load of pickled pork, five hundred venison hams and bacon. The venison was taken on, and this first of that-boats navigated down to Dayton, where, assisted by a man named Ross, Lowry made barrels to hall his park. The boat thated down the Miami to the Ohio, and was rowed ap to Cin- cinnati. Meanwhile, Lowry had his bugs driven from his form to the same place, where they were slaughtered, the Fork salted in barrels, and started for New Orleans. Arriving at the end of his todi us journey, the pork vielded $12 per hundred, and the ventur proved remunerative. Call to mind the stretch of route traversed, the rude craft and uncertain result, and appreciate the pluck which carried Lowry through, and see the same spirit manifested in the manifold industries of Clark to-day.
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" skid" laid in place, the team backed into position, and, everything being ready, the word was given, the chains clinked as the " slack " came out of them. and for an instant there was a balancing of forces that made the result doubtful. A sharp crack of the whip, and a yell from the driver, the faithful team crouch ing almost to the ground, the well-packed earth around the giant trunk begins to crack, and the next moment the worm-eaten and moldy monster is high and dry above ground, where the ax and wedge soon reduce it to a condition for burning. Meanwhile, the oxen are quietly ruminating over the result, with an expression that seems to indicate " next."
Grain of all kinds was sown here and there among roots and stumps, scratched in with a bushy tree-top as a substitute for a harrow, reaped with a sickle, thrashed with a flail, and winnowed in any manner that would remove the chaff.
Mills were rudely constructed and slow in their operation, besides being few in number and at long distances apart. Some of the first settlers of this county were obliged to go to Lebanon, Warren County, for a little grist of corn.
Sugar was made in the woods from the sap of the sugar maple, and was a good substitute for cane sugar. It was prepared in several different forms, such as caked sugar, stirred or dry sugar, tub sugar, etc. As the country grew older and cane sugar came into market at a fair price, the well-to-do housewife dis- covered that maple sugar "wasn't nice for cake," and would " turn tea," so for a period both were kept in stock; but the forests went down to make way for the plow, and maple sugar, as a plain backwoods necessity, disappeared, only to come to the surface again, in after years, as a high-priced and frequently adul- terated luxury, in the crowded markets of the towns and cities, which in some cases now occupy the former sites of pioneer sugar camps.
A recent writer of early history says: " The Indians learned the art of mak- ing sugar from the whites, but how to be cleanly about it they never would learn. It required a strong appetite to eat their sugar. *
* * When their sirup was about ready to granulate, they would have a raccoon ready to cook, which they would put into the sirup, hair, skin, entrails and all. The coon would get ' done' in a short time, when he was removed and allowed to cool. A crust of sugar came away with the hair and skin. The flesh seemed nicely cooked, but the sugar- well!"
Wild honey was sometimes found in what were called bee-trees. Some of these would be found to contain one or two hundred pounds of honey. The tree, of course, would be hollow for a portion of its length; this cavity was usu- ally at or near the upper portion of the tree, and could not well be seen from the ground. The bear has a great love for honey, and a natural instinct for finding it; besides, he can climb, all of which make him the natural enemy of the bees, as well as a pretty good guide to their whereabouts. This state of things made it possible for the hunters to get a " clew" to the location and operations of both, sometimes, that would result in a supply of honey and bear's grease, both of which could be used to good advantage in the household.
The money of those days was confined to the centers of trade more than it now is. To-day, the frontier is reached by rail about as soon as a settlement is made, and with the locomotive comes the result of trade, viz., money. Many of the early pioneers had no money after their arrival on the land, and were dependent on whatever could be turned to advantage for the wants of life. Exchange of labor was a practice engaged in by all: the settler who could swing a broad-ax would " hew " for the one who could not. and he in turn would plow or "log" for the hewer; the shoemaker went from house to house and worked up the leather, and sometimes took leather for pay. The miller and sawyer were paid by a system of tolls, sharing, etc. The money proper consisted of
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Government coin and Spanish milled dollars, or a paper circulation representing it in value. "Cut money " was nothing more nor less than the Spanish dollars cut into halves or quarters, for the purpose of making change, as the fractional currency of the times was vastly inadequate to the demand.
Nearly all the real money the settler could raise was expended in payments on his land, and for taxes. Barter, traffic, " changing work " and "swapping " were the details of business three-fourths of a century ago.
Flour was purchasable at Chillicothe, Zanesville, and at Cincinnati. Goods were high; they were hauled in wagons to Pittsburgh, floated down the Ohio to Cincinnati, and thence hauled or packed up. Tea retailed at $2 to $3 per pound; coffee, at 75 cents; salt brought $10 to $12 per hundred pounds; calico was $1 per yard; whisky was $1 to $2 per gallon, and the Indians were excellent customers. Store-keepers are said to have given liquor free to encourage pur- chasers.
THE AX.
No implement, tool, insignia nor device is more worthy of being wrought in gold, or of receiving the honest regards of mankind, than this emblem of the efficacy of that early ediet which declared that " In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread."
Whether " Baltimore pattern," "Yankee," single or double bitted, concave or ridged, " jumped " or new, patent or home- made, double portioned, light or heavy, the tool was essentially the same. It was the consort of the rifle, and the constant companion of the frontiersman, while its echoing ring through the forest was the herald of the coming of " light and law."
It is the medium through which the mighty force of "God's image " in man was made potential, to the end that the wild kingdoms of nature should become the gardens of Christian civilization. It was the wand in the hands of that great con- jurer called Progress, whereby the haunts of the savage were transformed into the homes of " My chosen people."
THE FIRST WHITE MEN.
About the middle of the eighteenth century, the French Government claimed and held the whole extent of country west of the Alleghany Mountains, from the far north to the Gulf of Mexico on the south, excepting the territory of the Spanish dominion on the extreme southwest.
This vast stretch of empire was penetrated by their bands of armed advent- urers over the watery highways of the St. Lawrence, and the great lakes on the northeast, and through the Mississippi River on the south.
At various points, far distant from each other were " posts" or military establishments, with the " ancient and honorable (?) post trader, as a necessary adjunct in each case.
There is a tradition that there used to be a "trader's" station somewhere near the "forks of Mad River," and that the Indians settled in a little commu- nity around it. Just where this store was located (if it ever existed), is now unknown, as its history is nothing more than the rumor of a tradition that used to be common among the Indians.
"The . Ohio Company' which had been formed in 1748, now dispatched (1753), Christopher Gist as an agent to explore the country and make a report of the result of his discoveries. As a pretext for this dangerous enterprise, he went in the capacity of a trader whose ostensible object was to carry on a friendly traffic with the Indians, but in fact to gain over their good will to the English,
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by presents of arms and trinkets, whereby an alliance might be secured in case of a collision between the English and F'rench colonies."*
From this it will be seen that Gist was nothing more or less than a spy, and as such he explored the country north and west of the Ohio, and found various posts occupied by the French and Indians. Gist's account of this journey, with his report to the Ohio Company, was printed soon after his return, and is one of the earliest records of the state of affairs then existing; this work is now very rare and valuable, only three or four copies of it being known to be in existence in this country; from the language of the writer, it is inferred that he was the first man who explored those portions of the valleys of Mad River and Buck Creek, which are in this county. i
Imlay's America is the title of a book published in the latter part of the eighteenth century, by an officer of the old Continental army, and extensively circulated as standard literature; from this work the following is taken: "Mr. Gist in his explorations in 1753, visited this French fort, a mere trading-post with a stockade. By him the stream was called Mad Creek, and now it is called Mad River." From these accounts, together with many plausible traditions, it may be fairly concluded that one of the early French trading-posts was located within the present limits of this county.
Some of the accounts of Old Piqua mention a trader's store, and many of the relics found in a certain corner of the Indian town are of such a character as to indicate the existence of an establishment of that kind.
From about 1770 to the time of Gen. Clark's expedition, and for many years after this territory was a sort of middle ground between the British lines on the lakes, and the settlements in Kentucky.
That these lands were explored by parties of land-hunters in the interests of Judge Symmes, and those associated with him, and by other bands of pros- pectors, is well known, in fact the territory was open for the inspection of any straggling individuals or parties of adventurers who were willing to take the chances of loosing their scalps for the sake of securing a home and good farm.
JOHN PAUL.
In the his ory of Bethel Township will be found an account of what is thought by many to have been the first settlement in this county.
There is just enough mystery hanging over this circumstance to make it exceedingly interesting, and to prompt us to dig deeper and search further for the missing threads in the fabric; there are details and particulars connected with this case which are not proper materials for use by this generation of writ- ers. Leaving this semi-traditional event to stand in its doubt-enshrowded con- dition, the first undoubted and well-established permanent settlement in this county by David Lowry and Jonathan Dounel is reached, and is thus narrated by the venerable Dr. John Ludlow.
It may be remarked that this is probably the best account of the circum- stance, now in existence, as after four months of close attention to this and kin- dred subjects, nothing new or important has been found to add to this article. Mr. Ludlow knew these men and conversed with them, and that with the view of recording what he heard, and had witnessed:
"It is with the aid of my own recollections of David Lowry, Griffith Foos. Jonah Baldwin. Maddox Fisher and others among the early settlers of the town and vicinity, and the frequent conversations I have had with them, and also
* History of Mississippi Valley.
+" James smith was the first white inan to pass through the valley, accompanying a party of Indians. The journey occurred in 1700, and Smith saw rik and buffalo." From an oll account, this was Col. James Smith, who was captured by the Indians in 1755, and lived with them many years. The statement that he was first is no doubt erroneous.
July, frupoliti
SPRINGFIELD
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with my father, relating to the early settlement of the country, that I am ena- bled to furnish some valuable information relating to the early history thereof. My recollection of the town and country is quite distinct as far back as the year 1818. I have also been aided in this work by the use of a small pamphlet pub- lished here in 1852,* but have been compelled to make several corrections in its statements from information I have gained from persons connected with the incidents related. In giving my own recollections of the men and women con- nected with this history, I beg the indulgence of surviving friends.
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