USA > Ohio > The history of Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 10
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" A year or two after we arrived," writes one of the earlier pioneers, "a visiting party was arranged by the ladies in order to call on a neighbouring family who lived a little out of the common way. The hostess was much pleased to sce us, and immediately commenced preparing the usual treat on such occasions-a cup of tea with its accompaniments. She had only one fire-
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HISTORY OF OHIO. [1796.
proof vessel in the house, an old broken bake- kettle, and it was some time before tea was ready. In the first place, some pork was fried in the kettle to obtain lard; secondly, some cakes were made and fried in it; thirdly, some short cakes were prepared in it ; fourthly, it was used as a bucket to draw water ; fifthly, the water was boiled in it ; and finally, the tea was put in, and a very excellent and sociable dish of tea we had."
The seats in the log house were generally three- legged stools, for owing to the unevenness of the puncheon floor a chair with four legs could not be readily made to stand evenly upon its surface. Some of the wealthier families might have a few split-bottomed chairs, but more frequently stools and benches occupied the place of chairs and sofas.
After the pioneer had completed his log house, the next thing to be done was to effect a "clear- ing" around it for a " corn-patch." When the trees were cut down, the ground was usually ploughed with a shovel-plough, this being the best instrument with which to force a way among the roots. As the clearing expanded, many were the farinaccous delicacies which covered the set- tler's puncheon table. The johnny-cake, made of corn meal, hominy or pounded maize tho- roughly boiled, and other savoury preparations of flour and milk. The forest furnished him
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PIONEER LIFE.
1796.]
with an abundance of venison and wild turkeys, while corn " pone" supplied the place of every variety of pastry. Hogs and sheep were, how- ever, seldom raised, on account of the wolves and bears which infested the woods.
The corn of the first settlers was either pounded in a " hominy block," which was made by burning a hole into the end of a block of wood, or ground in a hand-mill. After the corn was sufficiently pounded it was passed through a sieve, and the finer portion of the meal having been made into bread and mush, the coarse remainder was boiled for hominy. The supper of the pioneer usually consisted of mush and milk. A capacious pot containing this preparation was sometimes placed on the table, and all the guests invited to help themselves. More commonly, however, each person was furnished with a pew- ter spoon, and a tin cup containing milk, into which he infused the pure mush in proportions most agreeable to his taste.
The pioneers had frequently great difficulties to surmount before they could get their corn ground. Notwithstanding the rich harvests of maize yielded by their clearings, meal was a very scarce article in their cabins. To procure it they had to choose between the hominy mortar or & toilsome journey of upward of thirty miles, over an Indian trace, to the nearest mill. In 1791 flour was so scarce and dear, that the little 15*
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
[1796.
which could be afforded in families was laid by to be used only in sickness or for the entertain- ment of friends, for although corn was then abundant there was but one floating mill on the Little Miami. It was built in a small flat boat tied to the bank, its wheel being slowly turned by the force of the current. It was barely suf- ficient to supply the inhabitants of Columbia (the second settlement in Ohio) with meal; and sometimes from low water and other unfavoura- ble circumstances, was of little or no service. At such times the deficiency in flour had to be supplied by hand mills, a most laborious mode of grinding.
About this time each house in Cleveland, Cuy- ahoga county, had its own hand grist-mill in the chimney corner, which has been thus described: " The stones were of the common grindstone grit, about four inches thick, and twenty inches in diameter. The runner was turned by hand, with a pole set in the top of it, near the verge. The upper end of the pole went into another hole inserted into a board, and nailed on the under side of the joist, immediately over the hole in the verge of the runner. One person turned the stone, and another fed the corn into the eye with his hands. It was very hard work to grind, and the operators alternately changed places." It took the hard labour of two hours
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1800.]
to supply flour enough for one person for a single day.
About the year 1800 one or two grist mills, operating by water, were erected. One of these was built at Newbury, in Cuyahoga county. In Miami county, the most popular millers were Patterson, below Dayton, and Owen Davis on Beaver Creek. But the distance of many of the settlements from these mills, and the want of proper roads, often made the expense of grinding a single bushel equal the value of two or three.
It was not an uncommon thing for the pioneer to leave his family in the wilderness with a stinted supply of food, and with his team or pack-horse travel twenty or thirty miles for pro- visions. The necessary appendages of his jour- ney were an axe, a pocket-compass, a blanket, and bells. He had to cut a road through the woods with the axe, wide enough for his team, ford almost impassable streams, and, as the day drew to its close, look out for a suitable place for a night's encampment. Having decided on the spot, he then, by means of flint, steel, and a charge of powder, kindled a fire to dissipate the gloom and damps of night, to drive off the mosquitoes, and to prevent the approach of wild animals. The harness being removed from the cattle, the bells were attached to their necks, and they were driven forth to find such pasturage as the forest afforded. After having
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
- [1800
partaken of his solitary meal, the blanket was spread on the ground in the neighbourhood of the camp-fire, and the wearied backwoodsman, wrapped in its warm folds, slept soundly beneath the trees. In the morning, or, more frequently, long before the break of day, he listened to catch the sound of bells, to him sweet music, for not unfrequently hours were consumed in tedious wanderings before he could recover his stray cattle, harness them to his team, and resume his journey. On reaching his place of destination, if he could only get his grinding done by waiting no longer than one day and a night at the mill, he esteemed himself fortunate. The corn having been ground, the pioneer retraced his steps to his lonely and secluded family, and not unfrequently had scarcely time to rest and refresh himself, before the same journey had to be repeated.
Jacob Foust, one of the Ohio backwoodsmen, when his wife was sick, and could obtain nothing to eat that she relished, procured a bushel of wheat, and throwing it on his shoulders, carried it to Zanesville to get it ground, a distance of more than seventy-five miles from his dwelling, by the tortuous path he had to traverse. His object accomplished, he once more resumed his load, and returned home, fording the streams and camping out at nights.
The animal food which covered the table of
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1800.]
the settler was chiefly obtained from the woods. Hunters, the better to elude the ever-watchful eye of the deer and turkey, wore hunting-shirts of a colour suited to the season of the year. In spring and summer their dress was green ; in the fall of the year it resembled the fallen leaves ; and in winter, as nearly as possible, the bark of the trees. If there was any snow on the ground, the hunters put on a white hunting-shirt. As soon as the leaves had fallen, and the weather became rainy, the hunter began to feel uncasy at home. "Every thing about him became dis- agreeable. The house was too warm, the bed was too soft, and even the good wife for the time was not thought to be a good companion." A party was soon formed, and on the appointed day the little cavalcade, with horses carrying flour, meal, blankets, and other requisites, were on their way to the hunting-camp. This was always formed in some sheltered and sequest- ered spot, and consisted of a rude cabin, with a log fire in the open air in front of it. the interior of the hut being well lined with skins and moss, the only bedding on which these hunt- ers were accustomed to sleep.
It was to the spoils of the chase that the pio- neers and Indians trusted for the skins and furs to barter for the few necessaries they required from the Eastern States. An Indian trail from Sandusky to the Tuscarawas, passed by the
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HISTORY OF OHIO. [1800.
residence of Mr. Harris, who formed the first regular settlement at Harrisville, in Medina county. It was a narrow, hard-trodden bridle- path. In the fall, the Indians traversed it from the west to this region, remained through the winter to hunt, and returned in the spring ; their horses laden with furs, jerked venison, and bear's oil, the last an extensive article of commerce. Their horses were loose, and followed each other in single file, and it was by no means remarkable to see a single hunter returning with as many as twenty horses laden with his winter's work, and usually accompanied by his squaw.
The mode in which business was conducted with: the Indians by the fur traders, was as follows :--- The Indians walked into the merchant's store, and deliberately seated themselves, upon which the latter presented each of his visitors with a sinall piece of tobacco. Having lighted their pipes, they smoked and talked together awhile. One of the Indians then went to the counter of the merchant, and taking up the yard-stick, pointed to the first article he desired to possess, and inquired its price. A muskrat skin was cqual in value to a quarter of a dollar ; a raccoon skin, a third of a dollar ; a doeskin, half a dol- lar ; and a buckskin, one dollar. The questions were asked after this manner- " How many buckskins for a shirt pattern ?" The Indian, learning the price of the first article, paid for it
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1800.]
by selecting the required number of skins, and handing them to the trader, before proceeding to purchase the second, when he repeated the same process, paying for every thing as he went along. While the first Indian was trading the others looked on in silence; and when he was through, another took his place, until all were satisfied. No one desired to trade before his turn, but all observed a proper decorum, and never offered a lower price, but, if dissatisfied, passed on to the next article. They were careful not to trade when intoxicated ; but usually re- served some of their skins with which to buy liquor, and close their business transactions with a frolic.
To such of the pioneers, however, as did not hunt, the long winter evenings were rather tedious. They had no candles, and cared but little about them, except at such seasons. The deficiency in light was, however, partially remedied by torches made of pine-knots, or the bark of the shelly hickory. To relieve the tedium, the pioneer would read aloud to his family from such books as his cabin afforded, or engage in the usual operations of the season, such as shell- ing corn, scraping turnips, stemming and twist- ing tobacco, plaiting straw for hats, or cracking walnuts and hickory nuts, of which the inmates of every cabin usually laid in a good winter's supply.
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
[1800.
CHAPTER XIII.
Wolf-hunting-A hunter caught in his own trap-Bears, pan- thers, and wild cats-Pioneer mode of dressing and making purchases-A cure for drunkenness-Social intercourse of the settlers- Their kindness to the sick-Their hospitality to strangers-An Indian subdued by generous treatment -- A scene in the log cabin of Minor Spicer-Description of a " log rolling," or the raising of a log-cabin-Marriage ceremony in the backwoods-Mode of settling disputes.
THE wolf for a considerable time caused much trouble to the pioneers, and prevented the profit- able raising of sheep and hogs in the neighbour- hood of the " clearing." In order to preserve the hogs from the attacks of these animals, it was necessary to build the walls of the hog.pen so high that the wolf could neither jump nor climb them. Their depredations were so great that the state offered a bounty of from four to six dollars on their scalps. 'This made wolf- hunting rather a lucrative business, and called into action all the talent in the country. Some- times these ferocious animals were taken in traps. The wolf-trap resembled a box in appear. ance, formed of logs, and floored with puncheons. It was usually made about six feet in length, four
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MODE OF DRESS.
1800.]
feet in width, and three feet in depth. A. very heavy puncheon lid was moved by an axle at one end, the trap being set by a figure four, and baited. On one occasion, a hunter went into a wolf-trap to adjust the spring, when the lid sud- denly fell, and hurled him into the pit. Unable to raise the cover, and several miles from the nearest house, he was imprisoned for a day and a night in his own trap, and would have perished but for a passing hunter, who heard his groans and instantly relieved him.
Bears and panthers were at one time com- mon in the north-western territory, but their de- predations on the hog-pen were not so frequent as those of the wolf and the wild-cat, and they were usually more shy in their habits.
Most of the articles of dress worn by the first settlers were of domestic manufacture, Wool was not yet introduced into the country, and all their home-spun garments were made from flax or hemp, or from the skins of the deer, which. when nicely dressed, afforded warm and comfort- able clothing. Such was the settler's every-day and holiday garb. A common American check was considered a superb article for a bridal- dress, and such a thing as silk or satin was never dreamt of. A yard of cotton check, which can: now be obtained for twelve and a half cents, then cost one dollar, and five yards was deemed an ample dress pattern. The coarsest calicoes were
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
- [1800.
one dollar per yard, while whiskey was from one to two dollars per gallon, and as much of this article was sold as of any thing else. The country merchants, however, found it advan- tageous to their business to place a bottle of the liquor on cach end of the counter, for the gratui- tous use of their customers.
In the fall of 1800, Ebenezer Zane laid out a town in Fairfield county, and in compliment to a number of emigrants from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, who had purchased lots, called it New Lancaster. It retained that name until 1805, when, by an act of the legislature, the word " New" was dropped. Shortly after the settlement was made, and while the stumps were yet in the streets, the cheapness of whis- key occasionally led some of the settlers to indulge in drunken frolies, which not unfre- quently ended in a fight. In the absence of law, the better disposed part of the population held a meeting, at which it was resolved that any person 'in the settlement found intoxicated, should for every such offence either dig a stump out of the street, or suffer personal chastisment. The result was, that after several of the offend- ers had expiated their offences, dram-drinking ceased, and sobriety and good conduct marked the character of the people.
For many years the pioneers lived together on a footing of social equality. The rich and the
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1800.] HOSPITALITY TO STRANGERS
poor dressed nearly alike. What little arist. cratic feeling any new settler might bring witit him, was soon dissipated, for all soon found themselves equally dependent. The pioneers knew who were sick for many miles around, and would very cheerfully tender their assist- ance to each other under such circumstances. All sympathized on these occasions, and the log-cabin of the invalid would be visited not only by those in his own immediate neigh- bourhood, but by settlers from a distance, who would keep him well supplied with the best of every thing their primitive habits could afford.
The stranger ever received at the log-cabin of these pioneers a generous welcome. The rough fare on the puncheon table was most cheerfully shared, and any offer of remuneration would offend them. Even the Indian, in times of peace, was no exception, and would be re- ceived and kindly entertained with such fare as the cabin afforded. This pioneer hospitality, to .. gether with its happy effects on one occasion, is well exemplified in the following confession of a converted Wyandot chief, named Rohin-yen-ness. He had been chosen by his tribe to murder Andrew Poc, a woodsman, celebrated in border warfare, who had slain, among others, one of the bravest warriors in the Wyandot nation. This Indian proceeded to Poe's house, where he was received with the utmost kindness and hospitality.
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
[1800.
Poe having no suspicion whatever of his design, furnished him with the very best which his cabin afforded. When bedtime came, a pallet was carefully prepared for their Indian guest, by the hospitable couple, in their own chamber. The unsuspicious hunter and his family having fallen into a deep sleep, the Indian had now a fair op- portunity to accomplish their destruction. He thought of the duty he owed to his nation, of the death of its most valiant warrior, and of the anger of his tribe; but Poe had received him with so much kindness, had treated him so much like a brother, that he could not summon a suf- ficient amount of resolution to kill him, and in this unsettled state of mind he lay till about midnight. Once more he arose from his pallet, and approached his sleeping host. His sinewy arm was uplifted, and the murderous weapon glittered in his hand. Again the kindness of the sleeping pioneer shook the resolution of the Indian, who feeling it to be unworthy the cha- racter of a warrior to kill even an enemy who had reposed in him such a generous confidence, returned to his pallet and slept till morning.
During the war, however, it was necessary to be more guarded in entertaining Indians; and although the following incident is more romantic than tragic, it affords a good general illustration of the danger to which the settlers were exposed.
One night, just before retiring to rest, a back-
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HUMOROUS ADVENTURE.
1800.]
woodsman of the name of Minor Spicer, residing near Akron, in Summit county, heard some one call in front of his log cabin. He went out and saw a large Indian with two rifles in his hand, and a deer quartered and hung across his horse. Spicer asked him what he wanted. The Indian replied in his own dialect, when the other told him he must speak in English or he would un- borse him. He finally gave Spicer to under- stand that he wanted to stay all night, a request which was reluctantly granted. The rifles of the Indian were placed in a corner, his venison hung up, his horse stabled in an out-house, and the Indian invited to enter the dwelling of the settler.
The savage now cut a piece of venison for Mrs. Spicer to cook for him, which she did in the usual way, with a liberal supply of pepper and salt. He drew near the table and only ate sparingly. The family being ready to retire, he placed his scalping-knife and tomahawk in the corner with his rifles, and stretching him- self upon the hearth before the fire, was soon apparently asleep. After a while he was ob- served to raise himself slowly from his recumbent position and sit upright on the hearth, looking stealthily over his shoulder to see if all was still. Having satisfied himself that the family slept, the savage rose to his feet, and stepped lightly across the floor to the corner where lay his im- 16*
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HISTORY OF OHIO. [1800.
plements of death. At this juncture, the feel- ings of Spicer and his wife may be imagined, for they were only feigning sleep, and were intently watching. The Indian stood half a minute, to see if he had awakened any one, and then slowly drew forth from its scabbard the glitter- ing scalping-knife. At the moment when Spicer was about to lay his hand upon the riffe which stood near his bed, the Indian crossed quietly to the venison, cut several steaks from it, and was soon after busily engaged in broiling a supply for himself, freed from the pepper which had previously offended his unsophisticated taste.
The social amusements of the pioneers origi- nated in the peculiarities of their habits, and were especially characteristic. On the arrival of a new settler, every one was expected to per- form a certain amount of gratuitous labour at the "log-rolling," or the raising of the new cabin. Some felled the trees and cut them the proper length; others prepared puncheons for the floor, and clap-boards for the roof, while another neighbour with his team hauled these materials to the site on which the cabin was to be erected. A large number of persons usually assembled at this place on the day appointed for the " raising," by whom the walls of the house were speedily constructed. The labours of the day having ended, the evening was spent in dancing and other innocent amusements. If the company
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MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.
1800.]
had no fiddler, which was not unfrequently the case, some of the party would supply the defi- ciency by singing.
Marriages among the pioneers were generally contracted in early life, and on these truly fes- tive occasions the youth of both sexes in the im- mediate neighbourhood, and for fifteen or twenty miles around, would be gathered together. On
the morning of the wedding-day, the bridegroom and his friends, with their numerous visitors, as- sembled at the house of the bride, and after the ceremony was performed the company were ch- tertained with a most substantial backwoods feast of beef, pork, fowls, with plenty of pota- toes, cabbages, and other vegetables. After din- ner the young people engaged in various rura! sports until dancing commenced, which was kept up for the remainder of the day, and not un- frequently through the whole of the night. The dances most in vogue being ordinarily three and four-hand reels, or square sets and jigs.
The next day the whole party were accustomed to return to the house of the " groom," to par- take of the " infair." On arriving within a mile of the dwelling, two young men would volunteer to race for the bottle. Mounted on ponies, (the rougher the road the better, ) both started with an Indian yell, and away they went over logs, brush, muddy hollows, hills, and glens, the obstacles on the road only serving for a better display of
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HISTORY OF OHIO. [1800.
rival intrepidity and horsemanship. The bottle was always filled and ready to be presented to the first who reached the door. The successful competitor having drank the health of the bride and groom, then returned in triumph to distribute potations among the company.
Although among the pioneers disputes would occasionally arise, but few ever thought of set- tling them by legal proceedings. There were other modes of adjudication. Sometimes a duel would decide all difficulties. At others the pugilistic ring was formed; and after a fight, which often afforded an opportunity of displaying great courage and immense powers of endurance, the conqueror would shake hands with the van- quished, and a perfect good feeling would usually be restored between the contending parties. It is true there were some justices of peace, men generally chosen by the pioneers on account of their strong natural sense, who admirably an- swered all the purposes of their selection.
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ADAMS COUNTY FORMED.
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1798.]
CHAPTER XIV.
Adams county formed-First territorial legislature --- William Henry Harrison-Indiana territory organized-Formation of the state of Ohio-Character of the constitution of Ohio -Provision for establishing and maintaining public schools -- Proceedings of the First General Assembly under the state constitution-Indian title to lands in Ohio gradually extinguished by treaty-First court in Greene county --- Mistake in the administration of an oath-Conspiracy of Aaron Burr-Council at Urbanna.
IN the summer of 1797, a large tract of ter- ritory lying on either bank of the Scioto, and extending northward as far as Wayne county, was erected into a separate county by the namie of Adams. It was so called in honour of John Adams, the second President of the United States. Washington county was the earliest district formed in the state of Ohio, and em- braced within its extensive limits the present counties of Athens, Gallia, Meigs, Morgan, Muskingum, Coshocton, Belmont, Guernsey and Monroe.
Before the end of the year 1798, the north- western territory containing a population of five thousand free male inhabitants, the people were fully entitled, by the ordinance of 1787, to a change in the form of their government. That
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HISTORY OF OHIO. [1799.
instrument provided, that whenever there were five thousand free males of full age in the ter- ritory, the people should be authorized to elect representatives to a territorial legislature. These, when chosen, were to nominate ten freeholders of five hundred acres, of whom the governor was to appoint five, who were to constitute the legis- ive council. Representatives were to serve two, and councilmen five years. Washington county was entitled to two representatives; and by & proclamation of Governor St. Clair this clection took place on the 3d Monday in De- cember, 1798-a memorable day in the annals of the territory, inasmuch as it was the first time the elective franchise was crer exercised north- west of the Ohio River.
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