USA > Ohio > Licking County > Granville > The history of Granville, Licking County, Ohio > Part 14
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Dr. Bancroft was long one of the most prominent physi- cians of Granville ; always ready to examine new claims in the healing art, and encourage and adopt that which com- mended itself to his judgment. He was also prominent in educational interests and in the temperance and anti-slavery reforms. [See Professional Record.]
1871. About the Ist of May, work on the Atlantic & Erie Railway grade was begun, the citizens giving the right of way and doing the grading.
June 24th, it being Saturday, in the evening, a large com- pany of employes from the rolling inill at Lockport, near Newark, visited our quiet village, going in a body to the house of Mr. Geo. H. Tight, just in the east edge of the village, he being President of the company then running the mill, and by gentle force bore him from the midst of his family back 22
186
OBITUARY.
to the mill. There was a misunderstanding between thein as workmen and him as paymaster. Finding themselves mistaken in Mr. Tight's responsibilities in the matter he was released the next afternoon.
Deaths, Dea. Hosea Cooley, Feb. 14th, aged eighty-eight ; Joshua Linnel, April 20th, aged eighty-four.
At Valley Falls, Kan., June 16th, died Mr. Curtis Howe, aged 98 yrs. 7 mo. He was from old Granville (where he was born, May 10th, 1772, ) but not one of the original settlers. He was a convert of the revival of 1797 & was examined for member- ship. He was exemplary & straightforward. Some one re- marked that though he was so very young no one could doubt his experience. The remark caught his ear & in some way threw a damper over his experience & kept him long out of the church. His wife died in 1843, since which time his home has been with his daughter, Mrs. Pathsheba Hillyer. When an old man he was accustomed to come most punctually to the public & social meetings of the church through rain or shine. Enter- ing the prayer meeting room one rainy evening he heard the remark, "We shall have a thin meeting to night." "Yes," said the old gentleman as he took his dripping hat from his silver locks, "the weather is too bad to expect young people!" In 1864, he went to California. When Mr. Hillyer went to Kansas four years later Mr. Howe having returned, accompanied the family. He returned to Granville once on a visit in his extreme old age. When he entered the Sabbath School in which he had spent so many, many years as a member, the whole school simultaneously rose to their feet in token of respect for the venerable man. He was sensibly affected & addressing the school, he promised to return again, if possible, if he should live to be 100 years old. But he died a few months before he attained that age. His daughter, Mrs. Hillyer, was found one afternoon dead in her house by the hand of violence. Her assailant, though the rash deed was done in daylight and with neighbors not far away, was never discovered.
1872. Mr. Geo. W. Evans began in March to publish a monthly called " The Licking Monitor," at seventy-five cents a year. In June, 1875, it was changed from a folio to a quarto of a little smaller size and called " The Family Monthly."
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DEATH OF DR. TALBOT.
· Mr. Edgar Wright put up a brick store building, adjoining that of Mr. Parsons, with twenty feet front and seventy-two feet depth, having a hall above.
A new bell was mounted in the tower of the Baptist Church, the old one being disabled by a serious fracture.
On Sunday morning, June 29th, died Rev. Samson Talbot, D. D., President of Denison University, being then with his family among their friends in Newton, Massachusetts. The telegram announcing his death closed with the words, " He rests from his labors and his works do follow him." In the afternoon all the bells united iu tolling the sad announce- ment, the Baptist bell striking his age. It was the first use in such a service that had been exacted of the new bell.
Deaths, Mrs. Martha French, March 10th, aged seventy- nine; Mrs. Mary S. Garland, March 17th, aged seventy-six ; Erastus Allyn, December 15th.
1873. Hon William P. Kerr became a member of the State Constitutional Convention.
A Committee of Safety was appointed by the Council, with power to inspect houses, order any needful changes to protect property against fire ; and in case of fire, to direct the efforts of citizens in saving property and extinguishing fire. At such times they are to wear a badge, and have authority to enforce their orders.
Mr. Ebenezer Partridge died November Ist, aged seventy- one years; Rev. Alvah Sanford, September 29th, aged seventy-eight ; Dr. Sylvester Spelman, September 6th.
July 24th, 1874, was enacted an ordinance appointing a Superintendent for the Water Works, and fixing rates, the Council having accepted charge of them on certain con- ditions.
In August, Dr. Little, with his wife, paid a visit to his old parishioners. They were received by their old friends with great tokens of regard. They waited on his feeble steps with alacrity. Mrs. George T. Jones "made them a feast " under the apple trees in the open air, where their old friends gath-
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DR. LITTLE'S VISIT.
ered around the festive board with them to the number of seventy-five. Professor Beach and his wife were also present, so that the people saw all the pastors of the church who were then living, together in the pulpit. On Tuesday evening, the 18th, there was a church gathering, at which a quartette choir sang the following original hymn, to the tune composed by D. C. Holmes, of Pittsburgh, for Mrs. Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic :
O thou man of God, with glowing hearts we welcome thy return; And in filial love and reverence our kindling spirits yearn;
For remembrances of long ago within our bosoms burn; || : May God thy coming bless! ||
We remember scenes cf gladness, when thy presence added cheer; We remember scenes of sadness, when thy sympathy was dear;
And when heart and flesh were failing, then 'twas strength to have thee near; || : May God remember thee! : |
In infant consecration was thy hand upon our brow, And it blessed us at the altar when we took the marriage vow;
With what child-like veneration are we clinging to it now! | : May God thy hand still clasp! : ||
By the hearthstone, by the wayside, thou hast led us to the Lord; From the sacred desk with power thou hast preached to us the word; And thy prayers and thy example have to better purpose stirred; · || : May God thy work still own! : |
When again thy faltering footsteps bear thee from our waiting eyes,
We await until these bodies shall to youthful vigor rise,
And with thee would wish to enter through the portals of the skies; || :May God this favor grant! : |
Deaths, Ralph Parsons, October I, aged sixty-seven; Mrs. Almena R. Bancroft, daughter of Judge Rose, and wife of H. L. Bancroft, November 5th.
November 16th, 1875, an act passed the council making it unlawful to keep a billiard table as a public resort, for games, betting, or gambling.
On the same date, an act making it unlawful to sell .or give away to minors, unless upon written order from parents, guardian, or family physician; or to intoxicated persons, or habitual drunkards; or to keep open after 8:00 o'clock P. M.
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ATTEMPTED BURGLARIES.
[amended in 1879, to 10:00 P. M.] and until daylight; or on Sundays; or to have screens, shades, curtains, painted glass, or anything that will obstruct the public view; or to permit any minor on the premises without consent of parents or guardian.
Died, Mrs. Clarissa Hamlen, August 10th; Harvey Bragg, June 8th, aged seventy-seven; Horace Wolcott, January 11th; Abraliam Belford, January 29th; Rev. Wm. Parry, February 20th; Deacon E. C. Wright, July 11th; Knowles Linnel, July 16th, aged eighty-seven.
1876. E. M. Downer became Presidential Elector ..
The washing of the creek on the Columbus road, just south of town, having occasioned considerable trouble, the County Commissioners authorized a cut through the meadows west of the road, thus straightening the channel and saving further washing.
Deaths, Mrs. Orlena Wright, daughter of Justin Hillyer, Sr., and wife of Deacon Edwin C. Wright, May 28th, aged sixty-nine; Theophilus Little, July 2d, aged seventy-nine; Wm. Case, June Ist; James W. Fosdick, June 25th; Mrs. Adah Clapp, December 27th.
1877. A series of burglarious attempts, beginning with one upon the First National Bank, was perpetrated in the village. [See Our Criminal Record.]
In connection with the railroad disturbances at Pittsburgh, as Columbus and Newark were central points, they would have shared in the great distruction of property had not the State authorities taken prompt precautions. Several com- panies were under arms at Newark for some time. . The miners from Shawnee were threatening to come to the aid of the railroad strikers, who claimed that it was bread for their families that they wanted; and there was a probability that, if reinforced, the rioters might get the upper hand. Trains being interrupted, some necessities, such as coal oil, sugar, etc., were getting scarce at Granville. One night word came that the rioters were coming. A telegram was sent to the
190
SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' REUNION.
Mayor of Granville, from Newark, asking for aid in men and arms. He declined to take official action, but the citizens became alarmed and posted sentinels or guards on every street leading into town, the president of the University, Dr. E. B. Andrews, an old soldier, serving among them. The occasion passed, however, without any violence.
Deaths, Nicholas Handel, who came from Virginia, an excellent miller, who had been in the war of 1812, July 28th; Deacon Timothy Rose, July 29th, aged fifty-six; Mrs. Daniel Howe, February 27th.
July 22, 1878, occurred at Newark, the Grand Reunion of Soldiers and Sailors, many celebrities from abroad being present.
September 25th, the location of the new road to Newark was decided by a final compromise between the parties interested, from Wm. Showman's across the old aqueduct and by the track of the feeder, to the old Hebron road, thus opening a route to the county seat avoiding the midway hills.
Deaths, Gershom Griffith, June 7th, aged seventy-three: Mrs. Julia S. Bushnell, July 29th, aged eighty-two ; Mr. John Rees and wife, an aged couple, were buried in the same grave in the Welsh Hills Cemetery, December 4th, Mrs. Rees having died on the 2d and Mr. Rees on the 3d; Horace Wolcott, January 7th, aged seventy-five; William S. Wright, August 14th ; Hon. Elizur Abbott, October 4th, aged seventy- seven; Mrs. Clarissa Sanford, June 16th, aged eighty-five; Mrs. Mary Wright, May 28th, aged ninety-two; Norton Case, March 23d, aged seventy-six ; Elizabeth, wife of Lemuel Rose, December 28th, aged eighty.
1879. Dr. William H. Sedgwick became postmaster.
Died, Mrs. Amelia E. Bragg, August 22d, aged eighty-one.
Mrs. Bragg was the daughter of Hon. William Gavitt, an original member of the Company, and was seven years old when the colony came to Ohio.
191
SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.
CHAPTER XXXI.
1880 brings us to the period at which we propose to close our record, reporting during the year only the celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the settlement of Granville Town.
Such was the excitement attending the Presidential canvass during the summer and fall, that it was inexpedient to call attention to the coming anniversary until the election was passed. As soon thereafter as possible, a meeting of such as were interested in the matter was called; appointments of speakers and committees were made, and a circular of invi- tation to the pioneers and their descendants, and all others interested, was printed and mailed wherever it was thought it would awaken interest.
The meeting was held on Saturday, the 13th of November, the anniversary of the day of driving upon the town square and beginning operations by cutting down the beech tree. It was in the Presbyterian Church, the pastor, Rev. Dwight B. Hervey, being Chairman of the day. The morning was ushered in with sleet and a promise of snow. The exercises were held as nearly as they could be according to the follow- ing printed programme :
MORNING SESSION.
IO : 30 A. M. MUSIC.
SCRIPTURE READING, REV. W. C. P. RHOADES, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
PRAYER, REV. TIMOTHY HOWE, PATASKALA.
FORMERLY OF THE GRANVILLE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
MUSIC.
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SEVENTY - FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.
ADDRESS OF. WELCOME, REV. D. B. HERVEY, CHAIRMAN OF THE DAY. PASTOR OF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
SETTLEMENTS IN GRANVILLE TOWNSHIP BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF " THE COLONY," ISAAC SMUCKER, NEWARK.
HISTORY OF " THE GRANVILLE COLONY," REV. HENRY . BUSHNELL.
ADDRESS, REV. ALFRED OWEN, D. D. PRESIDENT OF DENISON UNIVERSITY.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
1 : 30 P. M.
PRAYER, REV. S. C. FRAMPTON, PASTOR OF METHODIST CHURCH. MUSIC.
HISTORY OF PIONEER FAMILIES, CHAS. W. BRYANT.
HISTORY OF BUSINESS MEN OF GRANVILLE, PROF. JOHN PRATT, D. D. MUSIC.
HISTORY OF CHURCHES, SCHOOLS AND PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS, E. SINNET, M. D.
HISTORY OF MILITARY AFFAIRS OF THE COLONISTS AND THEIR DESCENDANTS, HON. M. M. MUNSON.
The exercises will be held in the Presbyterian Meeting House.
Relics of Pioneers and portraits of old citizens will be on exhibition in the Lecture Room and Parlors of the Church.
The address of Dr. Owen in the order of the forenoon, and that of Hon. M. M. Munson of the afternoon, were unavoid- ably crowded into the evening session, and Rev. William Whitney took the place of Dr. Pratt in presenting the history
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SEVENTY - FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.
of business men. The music was furnished by a choir of singers from the several church choirs of the village, led by Mrs. Prof. Shepardson of the Young Ladies' Institute; the organ being in charge of Prof. H. H. C. Lowery, of the Con- servatory of Music, of Granville Female College.
The first four verses of the following hymn were sung in the afternoon. It was composed by Timothy Spelman, Sr., and a part of it was sung by the congregation after the deliv- ery of the sermon by Rev. Timothy M. Cooley, D. D., at the formation of the Colony Church, in East Granville, Mass- achusetts, May Ist, 1805.
Oh, fare ye well, my friends, We bid you all adieu! For Providence has called us, And we must surely go.
To yonder fertile land Our steady course we'll steer,
And oh! that blessings rich, divine, Might crown our journey there.
Though now a wilderness, Dear friends, to which we go,
But hark and hear the promises Which from the prophets flow.
The prophet's sacred word, How sweet the promise flows! The fruitful desert sure shall bud And blossom as the rose.
Emmanuel will appear, To verify His word, Free captive souls, make subjects there, And own their sovereign Lord.
Rivers in places high Will open from the springs; Fountains and pools in deserts dry; The wilderness now sings.
* *
Dear friends, remember us, Your brethren far away, In yonder fertile wilderness; Be sure for us to pray.
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SEVENTY - FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.
That Jesus by His grace Amongst us would descend, And rear a standard to His praise, A bulwark to defend.
From Satan's fatal snares May we be well secured; Encircled round with arms of love We'll triumph in the Lord.
The remaining verses were of the nature of a valedictory to pastor, brethren and neighbors, which would be more in- teresting to the participants than to the general reader. There were twenty-five stanzas.
The following hymn was prepared for the anniversary, and the 2d, 3d, 4th, 6th and 8th stanzas were sung in the after- noon :
MEMORIAL HYMN.
O God, Thy purpose planned The home our fathers sought; From wilds to cultured homes, Thy hand The grateful changes wrought.
Great Guardian of our sires, We praise the sovereign grace That kindled here their altar fires, And gave this resting place.
Led by Thy cloud by day, Safe in its sheen by night; Thine ark was with them by the way, Thy presence was their light.
They met, they prayed, they sang; The hills gave back the sound; The wild woods with their axes rang, And homes rose smiling round.
Under the strong nerved arm There answered to their call Successive clearing, field and farm, The cabin, house and hall.
The church, the school, the press, The furrows and the blows, And soon a wide spread wilderness Had blossomed as the rose.
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SEVENTY - FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.
Their labors bless our eyes, And beautify this land; The precious fruits of their emprise Flow freely to our hand.
To Thee our hearts we raise, O, God, this festal day; For mercies past we offer praise, For future good we pray.
The matter presented in the various papers read, so far as apposite, appears elsewhere in these pages.
The Executive Committee for the occasion, consisting of Messrs. D. Shepardson, Chairman, C. W. Bryant, Secretary, T. J. Thomas, C. P. Grimsley and Frank Rose, were made a permanent committee, with request to organize and seek incorporation if necessary, for the purpose of preserving all relics, historical documents, etc., that may be committed to their care.
The following account of the exercises of the day appeared in the Granville Times, a paper begun during the year by H. A. Church, publisher and proprietor.
GRANVILLE CELEBRATES HER SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY, ON
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1880.
The Anniversary Festival of the settlement of Granville, was, we are pleased to say, a success in every way, and was evidently enjoyed by every one-especially by the descendants of the Pioneers. Prof. Lowery contributed two pieces-a fine organ overture and a choral. ** * *
The music contributed by the united choirs was a pleasant feature of the celebration, and reflected credit on the committee in charge.
The various papers presented, in the preparation of which neither time nor pains had been spared, were excellent, well written, well delivered and full of interest to all Granvillians. *
[After the evening exercises], the assembly adjourned to the church parlors to exchange social courtesies and inspect the relics, among which were:
PORTRAITS.
Gen. Augustine Munson, painting; Dr. Sylvester Spellman, photo; Rev. - Jacob Little, photo; Silhouette of Rev. Timothy Harris; Anthony P. Prichard; Spencer Wright, Esq. [Engravings.]
.
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SEVENTY - FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.
BIBLES.
Bible brought from Wales in 1796, by Deacon Theophilus Rees, and to the Welsh Hills in 1802, owned by T. J. Thomas. Ethan Bancroft's Bible, brought with the colony. One brought with the colony by Mrs. Abigail Cook Sweatman, the oldest member of the colony.
OTHER ARTICLES.
Letter written in London, England, in 1796, to Theophilus Rees, the Welsh Hills Pioneer; a silver spoon brought to America in 1630; a collection of dishes, glasses, spoons, etc., one hundred years old; iron kettle brought from Massa- chusetts, in 1805, [in which were cooked the dinners of the "Rose Company," and belonging to Mr. Cornell.]
RECEIPT COPIED BELOW.
GRANVILLE, May 14, 1809.
Received in full of all accounts against Hosea Cooley from the beginning of the world to this date. SPENCER WRIGHT.
The Granger-Spellman account book, dated 1816; a tea pot brought from Wurtemburg, Germany, by one of the Levering family over one hunderd and sixty years ago; a bassoon played in the first Granville band, by Hon. Sam'l Bancroft; a pewter mug brought over in the Mayflower, by the ancestors of the exhibitor, W. W. Carpenter; a boot-jack made by Judge Timothy Rose in 1806; and many more interesting articles.
.
So closed an eventful occasion in Granville. Friend looked on friend, who had not met in thirty years; old ties were renewed; pleasant memories stirred; it was an "Auld Lang Syne" reduced to reality for generous courtesy and hospitality pervaded the whole company. Those who may live to see the centennial anniversary, will look back with memories fraught with tenderness and pleasant retrospect of the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of Gran- ville's settlement.
With heartfelt gratitude, we look back to New England and her noble colony, and then forward to the future, with the prayer that the blessings of the Allwise Guide who directed the hardy pioneer to this spot, may follow their descendants in their various journeys through life.
The following still survive of those who came with the Granville Colony in 1805.
Mr. David Messenger, Utica, Ohio.
Mr. Leveret Butler, Pataskala, Ohio.
Deacon Timothy M. Rose,
Granville, Ohio.
Mr. Truman Hillyer, . Columbus, Ohio.
Mr. Justin Hillyer, . Topeka, Kansas.
Mr. H. Prosper Rose, . Orland, Indiana.
.
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SEVENTY - FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.
Mr. Charles Butler, . Alexandria, Ohio.
Rev. Elnathan Corrington Gavitt, Toledo, Ohio.
Rev. Geo. Ezekiel Gavitt, Ashley, Ohio.
Mrs. Matilda Rose Wheaton,
Wadsworth, Ohio.
Mrs. Alcy Rose Durfee, .
Hartford, Ohio.
Came in 1807:
Mrs. Julia Everett Thurston, . Hartford, Ohio.
Mrs. Marietta Clark Ackley, Granville, Ohio.
Mrs. Corintha Clark Twining, . Granville, Ohio.
Mr. Willis Clark, . Toledo, Illinois.
Rev. Thomas Parker and Mr. Thomas Cramer are supposed to be the only survivors of those who were here before the Granville Company came. Mr. Parker lives in Pataskala, Ohio; and Mr. Cramer at the old homestead on the Welsh Hills.
These are thought to be the only survivors who sustained . relations as above to the original settlement of Granville.
The Ohio Central Railroad from Toledo to the coal fields of Perry county, Ohio, with a branch to Columbus, passing through the village on the grade of the Atlantic and Erie Railway, is running regular trains and doing a promising business ; thus, at last, opening the seclusion of this retreat to the wide world.
Note that this is not the "Central Ohio Railroad " from Wheeling to Columbus. That (now the B. & O. R. R.) runs three miles south of Granville.
The census just taken tells us we have in the township 2180 souls; of whom, 31 males and 22 inales, a total of 53, are over 75 years of age; and 9 inales and 9 females, a total of 18, cannot read. Of these, 1131 are in the village ; of whom 14 inales and 17 females, a total of 31, are over 75 years of age, and 3 males and 2 females, a total of 5, cannot read.
198
REV. TIMOTHY HARRIS.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Rev. Timothy Harris was born at Williamstown, Massa- chusetts, March 15, 1781. He graduated at Middlebury College with the first honors of his class, August 21, 1803.
He studied theology with Rev. Mr. Preston, of Rupert, Vermont. In 1807, having been licensed and received his " Recommendatory Letter," dated August 28th, he came West to visit friends in Southwestern Ohio. Reaching Marietta, he saw Mr. Robbins, who had become so much in- terested in the Granville people that he made Mr. Harris promise to visit them before he returned. Having preached for six months in Montgomery county, he started eastward again ; and remembering his promise to Mr. Robbins, he took Granville on his way. We have seen in the annals that he arrived here the latter part of April, 1808, and the way soon opened for him to remain permanently with this people.
September 4th, 1809, he married Miss Bethia Linnel, a young lady of his own parish, daughter of Joseph Linnel, Sr.
So much concerning Mr. Harris is woven into the events of the colony, that it only remains to speak of his character.
Let it be remembered that he was ever a frail man and of a sensitive nature. In youth he was not strong. While in his course of study he one day entered a damp cave, from which exposure he took a severe and lasting cold. In the end he threw off the incubus and regained his usual strength, but it made an indelible mark upon his constitution. The exposure of his missionary tours, during which he had often to swim swollen streams on horse back, and inake tedious rides all day through mud and rain, was such as to under- mine the strengthi he had. The last years of his pulpit labors were in much weakness, and his salary was always small and precarious.
Mr. Harris' mental endowments were of a high order. None other could bear away the highest honors of Middle-
199
A PURITAN.
bury College. None other could succeed as he succeeded in carrying with him the intellects that had been trained under Dr. Cooley of old Granville. None other could produce the striking papers recorded from his pen in matters of admoni- tion and discipline.
The influences that developed his piety gave it a decided puritanic type. His views on family government were of the strictest, yet his children bless his memory and honor their father's influence. So were they on church government. An offense against the church's purity or good order must be as publicly confessed as the offense was open.
It is to be considered that it was the prominent type of effective Christianity with the people among whom he lived. There was something of set phraseology and of idiom, and possibly sometimes of set tone and look in the expression of their religious sentiments. But it did not degenerate into cant., There was always a sincerity and depth of experience in their religion which demanded respect for the slight man- nerism of its expression. When puritanism is genuine and the life attests the sincerity of the profession, it is grandly worthy. Such it was in Mr. Harris.
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