USA > Ohio > Clinton County > The history of Clinton County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory, Volume 1 > Part 27
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Among the less-cultivated classes, those who had come into the wilderness, in a great majority of cases, almost empty-handed, sources for intellectual ad- vancement increased but slowly. It was difficult for them to gain a livelihood, and the work to be done upon their farms required all their attention for a
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number of years. Their pleasures, whenever indulged in, were generally of the coarsest kind, and their temperaments were of that nature which does not include patience as one of the greatest elements in its make-up. In many lo. calities, rnde stills wore constructed, and their products, although said to have been much purer in quality than those now in use, did not assist men in con- trolling their passions; consequently, the early court records of the county tell mostly of cases of assault and battery and personal encounters. The wonder is not great that morality gained a foothold slowly among such people, for they were far from being able to pay for newspapers or periodicals, even had they been of easy access. Letters from their former homes arrived rarely, and rates of postage were so high that even they could hardly be afforded. - One writer has said that "a postage stamp cost as much as a bushel of wheat," and very few could indulge in such a luxury often.
The labor of opening up a farm in the midst of the wilderness is well de. scribed in numbers of the township histories in this volume, and hardly needs repeating here; but Josiah Morrow has so faithfully delineated the work in his history of Warren County that it is thought best to use his language here without attempting to change it or presuming to improve it. The story ap- plies as well to Clinton as to Warren, and is as follows:
"The labor of opening a farm in 'a forest of large oaks, maples and hick- ories was very great, and the difficulty was increased by the thick-growing spice-bushes. Not only wore the trees to be cut down; the branches were to be cut off' from the trunk, and, with the undergrowth of bushes, gathered to- gether for burning. The trunks of the large trees were to be divided and rolled into heaps and reduced to ashes. With hard labor, the unaided settler could clear and burn an acro of land in three weeks. It usually required six or seven years for the pioneer to open a small farm and build a better house than his first cabin cf round logs. The boys had work to do in gathering tue brush into heaps. A common mode of clearing was to cut down all the trees of the diameter of eighteen inches or less, clear off the undergrowth, and deaden the large trees by girdling them with the ax and allowing them to stand until they decayed and fell. This method delayed the final clearing of the land for eight or ten years, but when the trunks fell, they were usually large enough to be burned into such lengths as could be rolled together.
"The first dwellings of the settlers wore cabins made of round logs notched at the ends, the spaces between the logs filled in with sticks of wood and daubed with clay. The roof was of clapboards, held to their places by poles reaching across the roof, called weight-poles. The floor was of punch- eons, or planks split from logs, two or three inches in thickness, hewed on the upper side. The fire-place was made of logs lined with clay or with undressed stone, and was at least six foet wide. The chimney was often made of split sticks, plastered with clay. The door was of clapboards, hung on wooden hinges and fastened with a wooden latch. The opening for the window was not unfrequently covered with paper made more translucent with oil or lard. Such a house was built by a neighborhood gathering, with no tools but the ax and the frow, and often was finished in a single day. The raising and the log- rolling were the labors of the settlers, in which the assistance of neighbors was considered essential and cheerfully given. When a large cabin was to be raised, preparations would be made before the appointed day; the trees would be cut down, the logs dragged in and the foundation laid, and the skids and forks made ready. Early in the morning of the day fixed, the neighbors gath- ored from miles around; the Captain and corner-men were selected, and the work went on with boisterous hilarity until the walls were up and the roof weighted down.
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"The cabin of round logs was generally succeeded by a hewed-log house, moro elegant in appearance and more comfortable. Indeed, houses could be made of logs as comfortable as any other kind of building, and were erected in sach manner as to conform to the taste and means of all descriptions of per- sons. For large families, a double cabin was common; that is, two houses, ten or twelve feet apart, with one roof covering the whole, the space between serving as a hall for various uses. Henry Clay, in an early speech on the public lands, referred to the different kinds of dwellings sometimes to be seen standing together, as a gratifying evidence of the progress of the new States. ' I have,' said he, 'often witnessed this gratifying progress. On the same farm you may sometimes behold, standing together, the first rude cabin of round and unhewn logs and wooden chimneys; the hewed-log house, chinked and shingled, with stone or brick chimneys; and lastly, the comfortable stone "or brick dwelling, each denoting the different occupants of the farm or the several stages of the condition of the same occupant. What other nation can boast of such an outlet for its increasing population-such bountiful means of promoting their prosperity and securing their independence?'
"The furniture of the first rude dwellings was made of puncheons. Cup- boards, seats and tables were thus made by the settler himself. Over the door was placed the trusty flint-lock rifle, next to the as in usefulness to the pio- neer, and near it the powder-horn and bullet-pouch. Almost every family had its little spinning-wheel for flax and big spinning-wheel for wool. The cook. ing utensils were few and simple, and the cooking was all done at the fireplace. The long winter evenings were spent in contentment, but not in idleness. There was corn to shell and tow to spin at home, and the corn-huskings to at- tend at the neighbors'. There were a few books to read, but newspapers were rare. The buckeye log, because of its incombustibility, was valuable as a back-log, and hickory bark cast into the fire threw a pleasing light over a scene of domestic industry and contentment.
"The wearing apparel was chiefly of home manufacture. The flax and wool necessary for clothing were prepared and spun in the family, cotton be- ing comparatively scarce. Carding wool by hand was common. Weaving, spinning, dyeing, tailoring for the family were not unfrequently all carried on in the household. Not a few of the early settlers made their own shoes. Wool dyed with walnut bark received the name of butternut. Cloth made of mixed linen and wool, called linsey, or linsey-woolsey, of a light indigo-blue color, was common for men's wear. A full suit of buckskin and moccasins was sometimes worn by a hunter, but it was not common. A uniform much worn in the war of 1812 is described as consisting of a light blue linsey hunt- ing-shirt, with a cape, the whole fringed and coming half way down the thigh, a leather belt, shot-pouch, powder-horn, a large knife and tomahawk, or hatchet. in the belt, and rifle on the shoulder. The author of the history of Miami County says he has seen Return J. Meigs, Governor of Ohio, and Jeremiah Morrow, United States Senator, and other high officials wear the hunting-shirt. while on frontier duty during that war.
"With the carly sottlers, almost the only modes of locomotion were on foot and on horseback. The farmer took his corn and wheat to mill on horse- back; the wife went to market or visited her distant friends on horseback. Salt, hardware and merchandise were brought to the new settlement on pack- horses. The immigrant came to his new home not unfrequently with provis- ions, cooking utensils and beds packed on horses, his wife and small children on another horse Lawyers made the circuit of their courts, doctors visited their patients, and preachers attended their preaching stations on horseback. The want of ferries and bridges made the art of swimming a necessary quality
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in a saddle-horse. Is he a good swimmer? was a common question in buying a horse for the saddle. Francis Dunlavy, as President Judge of a district em- bracing ten counties, made the circuit of his courts on horseback, never miss- ing a court, and frequently swimming his horse over the Miamis rather than fail of being prosent."
In the early days, horse-thieves were numerous-first among the Indians, who were so by nature, and afterward among the whites, the latter being often organized into considerable gangs. It has been found necessary, in various por- tions of the country, to form bands of " regulators." or " vigilance commit- tees," who effectually disposed of horse-thieves and rid the settlements of fear from such source. In 1809, the Ohio Legislature passed an act inflicting cor- poral punishment, fines, imprisonment and mutilation upon horse-thieves. One clause of the act was the following: "The person so offending shall, on conviction thereof, for the first offense, bo whipped not exceeding one hundred and not less than fifty stripes on his naked back, and on conviction of each suc- ceeding offense of a like nature, shall be whipped not exceeding two hundred . nor less than one hundred stripes on his naked back; for the third offense, shall have both ears cropped, and in either case, shall restore to the owner the property stolen or ropay him the valno thereof, with damages, in either case, and bo imprisoned not exceeding two years, and finod not exceeding $1,000, at the discretion of the court; and be over after the first offense rendered in- capable of holding any office of trust, being a juror, or giving testimony in any court in this State."
Rye and corn whisky, manufactured at the little copper stills which have been mentioned as existing in many localities, were commonly used, and the school-teacher, the preacher, the doctor and the lawyer each took his ration of whisky as if it were a matter of course. The article was taken in exchange for goods by merchants, at a stipulated price, and, like flour, was even taken as payment for real estate. The absence of the beverage at a raising was a re- markable exception to the rule, and the visitor to the pioneer family was more than likely to taste the hospitality of his host from the mouth of a bottle. It is said there was less intemperance then than now, but the quantity of liquor used is admitted to have been great, and its intoxicating qualities are not denied. The court records would seem to indicate that there was much drunkenness, and it is certain that men were broken down and brought to poverty by excessive use of liquor in the early part of the century, as well as in the years which have since elapsed. Stories are told of eccentric characters who were scarcely ever known to be free from the influence of intoxicating drinks, and their bleared eyes and bloated countenances, however pure the liquor may have been, told a tale the import of which could not be mistaken.
WILD ANIMALS,
Insoparably connected with the incidents of pioneer life are the tales re- lating to the members of the bruto croation which abounded in the forests. "The wolves mado night hideous with their howlings," says the old settler, "and the younger members of the family crept away from the doors and win- dows, nearer to their parents and the chimney corner." Wolves, bears, deer, panthers, wild cats, raccoons, otter,. beaver, porcupines, were all met with; wild turkeys gobbled within hearing of the cabins; poisonous snakes infested the whole country, and were only exterminated by the droves of hogs of which the farmers became the subsequent owners. So troublesome did wolves, espe- cially, become, that the Territorial and State Legislatures passed acts providing , premiums for killing them. The County Commissioners also appropriated vary- ing sums for wolf bounties, and on their old records are found many entries of
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claims allowed upon presentation of the scalps of these pests. Squirrels also existed in almost countless numbers, and committed exasperating depredations upon the corn-fields. Occasionally the settlers organized parties of men and boys and had grand hunts for the purpose of ridding the vicinity of these lively animals. The Legislature passed "An Act to Encourage the Killing of Squirrels," dated December 24, 1807, providing that "Each and every person within this State who is subject to a county tax shall, in addition thereto, produco to the Clerk of the township in which he may reside, such number of squirrel scalps as the Trustees, at their annual meeting, apportion to the cur- rency levies, provided that it does not exceed one hundred nor less than ton." Other provisions wero mado by this act, by which each taxpayer, at the timo his property was listed for taxation, was furnished with a list of the scalps he would bo required to produce; also, that for every scalp below the number required which was not furnished, the taxpayer was required to pay into the township treasury the sum of 3 cents each, while the person who brought in more than his stated number was allowed at the rate of 2 cents each for the ex- cess. The Township Clerk gave a certificate to each person bringing scalps, and these certificates passed as so much money in the payment. of taxes. They were also received by the merchant for goods and by the mechanic for work, but the law did not prove a great success, and was, after a short time, repealed.
Bear hunts were occasions of much sport, but occurred only seldom. . A. H. Dunlevy, of Lebanon, who is quoted in other places in this volume, and who was as well acquainted with this county, perhaps, as with Warren, thus describes the method of killing a bear, as he had seen it done:
" Of all the sports of hunting in early times, the bear hunt was the most exciting. This usually occurred accidentally. I never knew a bear hunt to be regularly organized. Some one in the neighborhood would accidentally dis- cover a bear, and, if at a time when the animal was fat and worth possessing, he gave the sound of a horn, known in the neighborhood as the signal of the discovery of a bear, and the call for help to capture the prize. Instantly, al- most, men on horseback, with rifles and dogs, were on hand. The sound of
the horn indicated the course of the bear, and thither the neighbors hastened. For hours, sometimes from morning till nightfall, the chase would continue. The dogs would keep on the track of the bear, but, unless they could cause him to take to a tree, they could do nothing with him but to keep his trail and on- able the hunters to follow. If they ventured to attack him, they were soon repulsed-sometimes killed on the spot. At last, after many hours' chase, sometimes embracing an area of five or six miles in circumference, the ex- hausted bear would take to a tree, around which the dogs quickly gathered, and, by their united noise, gave assurance to the hunters that Bruin was at last treed. The signal-horn was sounded and the hunters were soon on the spot. If it was still light, the bear was soon brought down by the unerring rifle. If too dark to see, the tree was watched until morning, and then he was dispatched. The event ended with skinning the bear and cutting up the carcass into as many pieces as would give each hunter his portion, and usually sending a part to each family in the neighborhood. The flesh, though considered by most people a delicacy, I could never eat; but the sport of the bear hunt had no equal with me at that early day, or at any time since."
" Wild turkeys," say those whoso recollection extends backward sixty or seventy years, "were always plenty when beech mast was abundant, and you could almost knock them over with clubs." They were shot and trapped in great numbers at such seasons, but, after some years, they were more shy and scarce, and to-day are probably unknown in this region. The same may bo said of the red deer, which were exceedingly plentiful when the county was
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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
first settled. Great changes have taken place with the flight of years, and a glanco over the county in the present year (1882) would hardly reveal the fact that, considerably less than a century ago, the territory comprising it was the home of the wild animal and savage man, and was covered with a forest growth . of a luxuriance with which that of this date would scarcely compare.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTY. '
During the first three or four years after the arrival of the first settler, the population of the county increased but slowly.' Immigrants located oftener in Warren and other counties, and not until 1804 did Clinton receive a very per- ceptible number of people as permanent residents. In that year, they came in considerable numbers, and the growth of the county was thenceforward steady and healthy. When the war of 1812 burst upon the nation, the settle- ments hero had become respectable in size, yet were not sufficiently large to send many men to the army. The county had then been organized two years only, and Wilmington was a village of but two years' growth, with the char- acteristics of a pioneer settlement not yet worn off. Numbers of the citizens of the county, however, volunteered or were drafted, and saw service with Harrison in various capacities. The census figures will afford a knowledge of the subsequent increase in population.
In the Wilmington Watchman of July 4, 1861, is a long article from a correspondent who signed himself "J. M.," containing, among other things, 'the following general items, which will recall to those older pioneers of the county, who are now very few, the appearance of this region at the time the article refers to-1814:
"My father moved to this county from the Winchester Country, in Vir- ginia, in the fall of 1814. It was extremely wet the latter part of that fall, so that when he came near to Wilmington, by what was then a newly cut road from Snow Hill, the broad expanse of level woodland for the most part near this road was entirely covered with water, and, being densely covered with timber, presented almost the appearance of a widely extended swamp or shal- low lake, with trees standing thick throughout. Along this road there were but very few improvements; occasionally an opening would be seen, inclosed with newly made rails, which fenced in a rough log cabin, while logs, stumps and brush were thick over the clearing, with forest trees still standing in dan- gerous proximity to the dwelling should storm or tempest prostrate them. I think, however, in those days, these trees, of which there seemed to be a goodly number, standing like sentinels in thick array around new premises, actually did protect from the winds and frosts so much that they were not experienced in such severe degree as in later times. In many places, this road seemed al- most impassable; through swamp and mud it was splash! splash! with the team with which we moved as it progressed along. I think there were, per- haps, at that time, here and there, in the lowest and most muddy spots, bridges of poles laid close together across the road, which might with propriety be called now-country bridges -- and which have been frequently alluded to by the lato Mr. Morris, of this place, as the 'railroads' of those days. They seemed to possess, for awhile, the strength and compactness adequate to keep teams from sinking entirely into the deep miro, but eventually became dangerous to life and limb-especially the latter-of animals passing upon them, as they would be sufficiently far apart to permit their legs to pass down between them. * But those were the best the pioneers could do. Such was the con- dition of our roads at that time; but, by often repairing and trimming around the bridges in the dryest part of. the season, they remained our common high- ways for many years. * The lands in this part of the country, that
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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.
then appeared so wet, remained for the most part unpurchased, even at the low rates at which they might have been obtained, until the drier lands were generally taken up; but they have become, at length, by improvement and a system of drainage, the most fertile and productive. * The heavily timbered lands of that day that were level, and of which I have been speaking, peared to contain about these clearings or improvements a large share of the white or gray ash, but in large quantities there were the tall oaks-red, black and white-the walnuts, the hickories, the blue and swamp ash, maple and elm, and in some woods, the sugars and beeches largely predominated, and. indeed, in many sections were almost the entire timber, sometimes interspersed with the tulip, or poplar. The buckeye was seen, flourishing mostly on bot- tom lands, and perhaps was most frequently found in the western part of the county. In the undergrowth of the woods, generally thick and dense on these rich lands, were the spicewood, papaw, dogwood, grapo-vine and sarsapa- rilla; also the pea-vine, which clothed the forest and afforded a great range for cattle and hogs. Wild game abounded, and deer and turkeys roved in large numbers, and were taken with little trouble. And how many will still remember the rare sport of the boo and coon hunt? Through the forests were also found large numbers of wild plants, many of which, in later times, have been highly appreciated for their medicinal properties. Those lands could have boon purchased at, say from $2 to $1 por acro; but to people coming from be- yond the mountains, and often from hilly districts, they appeared to possess every property oxcopt those necessary to their successful settlement and tillage. "In the spring, our family went over to a residence selected in Chester Township, a few miles from this, where they lived for many years. *
The early settlers of our country generally prospered-in cultivating the lands, from their productive quality and from the enterprise and capital that soon found their way into their immediate and respective vicinities; but at first the men, and boys, too, had to work hard, until their farms were improved, and, though their products brought far less prices than at the present day, yet those who had the foresight to keep their farms and continue the work of agriculture became independent and wealthy, while those who grew tired and went to other trades and professions failed, perhaps, as often as succeeded in acquiring any degree of wealth. The labor of the farmers of these times consisted mainly in building upon and clearing their lands, and this was all heavy work-to cut down the trees and deaden timber in the green, thick woods, to cut away the smaller trees, chop up the old logs and tops, or . laps,' as they were frequently called, of the rail trees, pile and burn the brush, grub and have all ready for the 'log-rolling,' which was done by all who were nearly situated together, 'help and help again.' The rails had to be made and hauled and the fonces put up, and the log piles and trash burnt off. During this process, in favorable weather, those new field illuminations could be seen at night in greater brilliancy, and had their locations on nearly all the prem- ises where cabins stood or other tenements had been erected. This was early work and indispensable, as the season for planting or sowing was the same to each, and the season pressing hard upon timo, for neither could be done until after this necessary amount of labor was expended in preparing the new fields for tillage.
" We have thus glanced at the farmer's early toils. Was there anything to lighten his labors or make cheerful his pathway? Surely, there was. Reader, at this day of light labor, of the powers of machinery and the conse- quent abridgment of manual labor, you might suppose that this was truly a hard state of existence and oppression upon the enjoyment of life. Not so; as always in union there is strength, the heavy work of rolling was done, and
SETH LINTON
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MRS SARAH ANN LINTON
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sometimes other parts, by the neighbors together, commencing with those first ready and continuing for a week or two until all had their shares completed. It brought the muscular strength of men into play, and made them equal to al- most any emergency; whether equal or not in physical power, they were often brought into contact of equipoise at the end of the lever or handspike in heavy lifting, and, if it did not exhaust the strength of the stronger, it gave an am -. bition; impetus and energy to the weaker, which made him superior to himself for the time and tended much to the development of physical force. All had good appetites and generally on such occasions had plenty that was excellent to eat. There was besides the labor of preparing timber to build houses, and the erection of barns, cribs and outhouses; but to labor was commendable in those days, and if boys or men were idle they were called lazy and trifling, which amounted to such a reproach on their characters that it excluded them from social privileges, for, if a young man was called 'too lazy to work,' the young ladies and others would shun his company, and hence an ambition gen- erally existed to be above such suspicion. These labors, as stated, hardened the system for endurance, and gave a relish to industry, so that lazy people were very rare. But these labors were often felt to be less exhausting when at the same time the women and girls had a quilting or sewing party; and am- bition became naturally inspired among young men in the fields to excel each other in order to get through early with their work and have the evening for fun and frolic-not a boisterous scene of uproar, but of harmless plays. Those who yet live and have enjoyed these amusements will remember them. Have you been one of the hands helping your neighbor through the day, with a ' frolic' in the evening? A husking frolic was generally held late in the fall, about the bracing time of frosts, when pumpkin pies-who does not like them ? -were plenty, and afforded, perhaps, as much amusement and mirth, com- bined with labor, as any other occasion. Exhilaration and hilarity generally prevailed while husking, for the bottle containing 'old peach,' or pure extract of rye, or something equivalent, would frequently go round, but the contents were seldom partaken of in quantity more than exciting a hearty appetite for supper and good spirits. The meal was prepared in abundance and good style, of the best of catables, by the lady of the house and the girls who would gen-
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