Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Part 6

Author: Jacob Anthony Kimmell
Publication date: 1910
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1189

USA > Ohio > Hancock County > Findlay > Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens > Part 6

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

A settlement was formed still further down the river than was the McKinnis settlement,

Lewis, and by the Moffitts, and the Downings, and Groves, and Davis. These men, all farm- ers, were fortunate in the selection of their lands. and today there is not a richer or more beautiful farming region in north-western Ohio than is this same Dukes settlement. Todd, and Kalb, and Algire and other families settled at or near the site of the present village of Mc- Comb. At this time no one thought of any law but that of doing to others as they would others should do unto them-of dealing hon- estly with all men, of fulfilling every promise, of redeeming every pledge, of rendering to his neighbor, without hope of fee or reward, that assistance which was necessary-a happy state of society, but which was necessarily succeeded in time by the erection of political divisions and the machinery of organized government.

We present here, an interesting account of early days, the narrative of Mrs. Eberly, the daughter of Benjamin Cox, the pioneer already mentioned. The facts she gives were communicated by her to the late D. B. Beards- ley, in an interview which he had with her in the summer of 1880, at which time she was re- siding with her husband about one mile east of Portage in Wood County.

MRS. EBERLY'S NARRATIVE.

"I am the daughter of Benjamin Cox, and was born in Green County, Ohio, in 1806, and when about nine years old, my father removed his family to Findlay, in Hancok County. Our family was the first white family to settle in that county. My sister Lydia, born in 1817, was the first white child born in that county. We lived in a hewed-log house, located where the brick residence of the late Wilson Vance now stands, on the south bank of the river, and on the east side of Main street. When Mr.

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

Vance came to the place, we had to move into a log cabin a little east of the hewed-log house, into which Mr. Vance took his family.

"My father was engaged in farming -- if the cultivation of a small tract of cleared land sur- rounding our cabin could be called farming- and keeping a public house. Shortly after we came to the place, Hamilton, Moreland and Slight came. Some other families came in, stayed a short time and then left. For to be candid about it, Findlay was but two or three block houses, and some pickets, the remains of Ft. Findlay, were standing when we came. The Ottawa Indians made frequent visits to the place, as it was stated that they were in some way related to the Wyandots.

"Before we left Findlay, the Morelands, Hamiltons, Slights, Chamberlains, Frakes, Mc- Kinnises, Simpsons, Vances and Rileys had moved to the county. Hamilton and some others had started a settlement above the town, and Frakes and the McKinnises, below the town. I was at that time too young and too busy to make the acquaintance of many of these persons. But I shall never forget Susy Frakes-as she was called-the wife of Nathan Frakes. Many a day did I spend with them in their cabin on the river side, and I thought Susy the best woman I ever knew, kind- hearted, almost to a fault, hospitable and intel- ligent.

"Mrs. Riley was perhaps the first white per- son who died in the county. She had been sick with the chills and fever and had called in the services of a Mr. Smith, a Kentuckian, who pretended to be a druggist, and who gave her medicine which was so effective that she was soon a corpse. So sudden was her decease that it was suspected that a mistake had been made, either in the medicine or in its adminis- tering. It was said at the time that Smith had forbidden her to drink water, but such was her intense thirst that she prevailed on two little girls who were left to watch with her, to bring her some, of which she drank freely, and very shortly afterwards was found dead. Of course her sudden death was attributed to the drink of water.

"I was but a girl when Vance came to Find- lay. The first mill in the county was built whilst we were there. Mrs. Vance had gone to Urbana just previous to the birth of their first child, and Mr. Vance's sister, Bridget, came to keep house for him, but had been with him but a short time when she was attacked by the ague. I then went to live with them, and not only cooked for the men who were digging the mill race, and boarded at Vance's, but I even worked in the race. My mother, my sister and myself gathered the stalks of nettles which grew on the river bottoms below the town, from which we stripped fiber enough, that on being dressed like flax was spun and woven into linen to the amount of forty yards, and was made into clothing for the family.

"At one time We-ge-hah, or Tree-top-in- water, son of In-op-qua-nah, a Wyandot chief, became sick, and the Indians believed him to be bewitched by a bad spirit, and sent to Towa-town for Big Medicine to exorcise the spirit. My mother did not like the Indians very well, and never went amongst them much. On this occasion, however, when the Indians sent out their invitations for the great pow- wow, my mother received one. It was after much persuasion on the part of my father, and with the understanding that I should accom- pany her, that she finally consented to attend. When we arrived at the place of meeting, which was a log house a little west of where Judge Cory now lives-Blackford German Block-we found a few Indians assembled. The Big Medicine and his interpreter occupied the center of the room. The lights were ex- tinguished. The tom-tom was beaten and a great noise and hubbub was made. The lights were again set to burning, and after a short silence refreshments were passed around. Dur- ing this time my mother and myself having been seated in the circle which was formed around the room, clung closely together, not a little frightened at the performance.

"The sick man got no better. Big Medicine declared that the young chief was bewitched, and that the witch lived in Browntown, near Detroit, and that the sick man had a bunch of

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

hair in his breast, blown there by the witch, and he must cut it out. He went into a tent alone with the young man, and afterwards produced and exhibited a knot of bloody hair which he pretended to have taken from the breast of the sick man. He said, however, that just as likely as not the old witch would find out that he had taken it out, and blow it back again, and if he did the young chief would die. The witch no doubt did so, for the young man died. The disease of which he died was no doubt the consumption.

"I am now seventy-four years old. I have seen some very hard times, but I have never seen the time that I was not happy and con- tended. I have not visited Findlay but once since I left there in 1825, and that was about twenty years ago. There is but one person now residing in Findlay that I remember to have been there during our stay, and that one is Job Chamberlain. When we first came to Wood County, I lived for some time in the family of Squire Carlin, who then resided there."

The following is a copy of the poll book, and abstract of the election, held April 7, 1828, in Findlay :

FIRST ELECTION.

"Poll book of the election held in the Town- ship of Findlay, County of Hancock, on the seventh day of April in the year of our lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight. Abram Huff, Wilson Vance, Mordica Ham- mond, Judges. John C. Wickham, Edmun S. Jones, Clerks for county officers of this elec- tion were severally sworn as the law directs, previous to their entering on the duties of their respective offices."

NUMBER AND NAMES OF ELECTORS.

I. Ephraim Elder

2. Asher Wickham

3. Samuel Sargent

4. Thomas Slight

5. William Hackney

6. John P. Hamilton 7. Henry George

8. Thomas Thompson

9. Joseph Sargent

10. Abram Huff

II. Peter George

12. Amos Beard

13. Mordica Hammond

14. Blueferd Hambleton

15. Don Alonzo Hamlin

16 John Elder

17. Joseph Slight 18. George W. Simkins

19. Miner T. Wickam

20. Nathan Frakes

21. Thomas Wingate

22. Wilson Vance

23. Joseph Johnson

24. Thomas Chester

25. William Wade

26. John C. Wickham

27. Josiah Elder

28. John Huff

29. Jesse Hewitt

30. John Long

31. Daniel Hamblin

32. Sampson Dildine

33. Asa M. Lake

34. Reuben W. Hamblin

35. George Swagart

36. John Jones

37. William Moreland, Jr.

38. John Taylor

39. John Fishel

40. James Beard

41. Godfrey Wolford

42. Edwin S. Jones

43. Selden Blodget

44. Job Chamberlin

45. John Gardiner

46. Robert Macully

47. Jacob Poe

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

48. Ebenezer Wilson

49. Charles D. Smith

50. Robert McKinnis 51. John Shoemaker

52. John Boid

53. Charles McKinnis

54. James Hendricks

55. Abel Tanner

56. Jacob Moreland

57. George Shaw

58. Asa Lake

59. William Grear

60. Squire Carlin

61. Simeon Ransbottom

62. Benjamin Chandler

63. John Tullis

64. James McKinnis

65. William Moreland

66. David Gitchel

67. John Simpson

68. John Travis

69. Joseph Dewitt

70. Philip McKinnis

71. Mathew Reighly

72. Joshua Hedges

73. Reuben Hale

74. Isaac Johnson

We do hereby certify that Reubin Hale had votes for Sheriff, 34, and Don Alonzo Hamlin for Sheriff 39.

John Boid for Coroner had 3 votes. Isaac Johnson, 34 votes. Thomas Slight, 37 votes. Job Chamberlain had 31 votes for Commis- sioner.

Charles McKinnis had 35 votes. Godfrey Wolford had 74 votes. John P. Hambleton had 41 votes. John Long had 39 votes. Mathew Reighly had 59 votes for Auditor. Joshua Hedges had 57 for Treasurer.

John Long had 35 votes for Assessor. William Hackney had 39 votes. ATTEST :

ABRAHAM HUFF, WILSON VANCE, MORDICA HAMMOND, Judges of Election.

J. C. WICKHAM, E. S. JONES, Clerks.

On examining the Poll book of the election for county officers, we do find that the follow- ing candidates were elected: DON ALONZO HAMLIN, Sheriff.

THOMAS SLIGHT, Coroner.

GODFREY WOLFORD,

JOHN LONG, JOHN P. HAMBLETON, Commissioners.

MATTHEW REIGHLY, Auditor.

JOSHUA HEDGES, Treasurer.

WILLIAM HACKNEY, Assessor.

Clerk and Justices present :

WILSON VANCE, Clerk pro tem.

JOSHUA HEDGES,

WILLIAM HACKNEY, Justices of the Peace. The county was now fully organized and officered and prepared for governmental busi- ness. Doubtless the responsibilities of office sat lightly upon these early officials and inter- fered in but slight degree with their regular avocations. There were no public buildings in the county at that time, but the lack of them was not seriously felt. The people knew where to find their officials, and as the treas- urer, who lived in the country, carried his tax duplicate around with him, it is said, he was always ready to receive moneys of the tax pay- ers wherever he chanced to meet them. In this easy and happy manner did Hancock County -named after John Hancock of Revolution- ary fame-embark on its long and prosperous voyage.

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CHAPTER V.

TOPOGRAPHICAL.

Acreage of the County-Its Boundaries and Surface-The Soil-The River-Jean Jacques Blanchard-"Wild Cat Thicket"-Timber-Marshes-Sand Ridges-Crops-Springs- Benefit of the Limestone Formation-Under Drainage-Fish and Game.

Hancock County originally contained 368,- 640 acres of land, but upon the formation of Wyandot County in 1845, 28,000 acres were struck off of Hancock and became a part of the new county.

Hancock County is in the northwest part of Ohio, and in what is known as the Maumee Valley. It is bounded on the north by Wood County, on the east by Seneca and Wyandot, on the south by Hardin, and on the west by Putnam.

The surface is generally level, and much of it is appropriately called "flat land." The bor- ders of the river and creeks are in many places broken, but in no place can they be said to be hilly. . There is enough declination towards the water courses to make drainage easy and cheap, but there are no hills, no swamps, no lakes and no deserts, the entire county being adapted to agricultural purposes.

The soil is varied, mostly black loam, mixed with sand on a limestone base. It is in general highly fertile and susceptible of cultivation, being adapted to the production of almost any crop known in the temperate zone. It is just

as productive of wheat as of corn, of grass as of vegetables. In most parts of the county it is deep and lasting, and does not require much assistance from fertilizers. The river and creek bottoms, though subject to occasional overflows, are especially productive, whilst the high lands yield scarce less bountiful crops.

Hancock County is watered by the Blanch- ard fork of the Auglaize River, which has its source in Hardin County, and enters this county in the southeastern part, at nearly the center of the south line of Delaware Town- ship, running nearly north through that and Jackson and Amanda, and to near the center of Marion, when from that point it runs in a westerly course through Marion, Findlay, Lib- erty and Blanchard Townships, to the Putnam County line. By the Shawnees this river was called Sho-po-quo-to-kepe, or Tailor River, from the fact that Blanchard, after whom it was named, was by occupation a tailor. The river formerly furnished sufficient water power for running mills almost the entire year, but as the country has improved, lands became drained, creeks cleared of fallen timber and

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

other obstructions, the supply of water is only sufficient for such purposes for a few months in the year.

Jean Jacques Blanchard, after whom the river was named, was French by nationality, "a tailor by trade, adventurer by disposition and non-communicative about himself from choice." He came from Louisiana in 1770, settled among the Shawnees, married a squaw, reared a family of seven children, and resided upon this stream long prior to the cession of the territory, which it forms, to the United States. He died in 1802, it is supposed on the site of old Fort Findlay. "He spoke Parisian French, is said to have had an intimate ac- quaintance with Greek and Latin, and had a liberal education. He was a man of all a Frenchman's culture and refinement, and the wonder is what he was doing out in the for- saken wilds of the Northwest Territory, mar- ried to a squaw, devoted to twelve little half- breed sons and daughters and plying his trade up and down the banks of the little river which soon became known as his especial property." He never gave any account of his wanderings, so the historians have accredited him to a Spanish pirate ship which he is supposed to have tired of. No one seems to know how he got to the point east of Dayton, where he first joined the Shawnees in 1770. It is known that he emigrated to Louisiana in 1760, and was there two years, but the seven years inter- vening is food for his building of historic theo- ries. One theory is that he fled from his home in France for some offense. It is claimed that he was well skilled in carving and with his curiously wrought tools amused the Indians by his work in this art. He lived thirty years with his Shawnee wife, and when the Indians emigrated seven of his children were still liv-

ing. In 1857 part of the tribe with which he identified himself moved to Iowa, Blanchard's son being chief of the division, and to this day there are Indians who trace their genealogy back to the point where Blanchard's sons ap- peared on the stage of Indian life.

In the north part of the county there is a tract of land ranging from one mile to two miles in width, and about ten miles in length from east to west, known as the "wild-cat thicket." It has its beginning in the western part of Portage Township, and crosses Allen and Cass, terminating in the western part of Washington Township. Prior to the settle- ment of that part of the county this tract of land was covered with a dense undergrowth, the larger timber having all been blown down by a hurricane, it is supposed, which passed over it, no one knows when. Indeed, from its then appearance, the entire body of timber, both large and small, must have been pros- trated by the violence of no ordinary storm, and the present growth of timber dates since that period. Many of the older inhabitants well remember the look of desolation which was here presented-trunks of forest trees, decayed and decaying, an almost impenetrable thicket of bushes and wild vines, believed to be inhabited by wild cats, and other dangerous animals. Hence the name of "Wild Cat Thicket." The course of the storm must have been from west to east, as the trunks of the fallen trees lay in that direction, with their tops to the east.

The timber consists of the different varieties of the oak, and ash, walnut, poplar, beech, elm, maple-both hard and soft-buckeye, linn, hackberry, honey locust, wild cherry and mul- berry. There was a very great quantity of walnut, ash and poplar, which woods are now most valuable, but which at the early settle-

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

ment were of little or no value except for mak- ing rails for fencing. Now no timber grows but is of some value, oftentimes of more value than the land is after the timber has been re- moved. At the time of the first settlement of the county, it was an unbroken wilderness, densely covered with rank vegetation. A part of what is now Big Lick Township was a wet prairie, covered with a luxuriant growth of grass, but the ground was so wet and soft that it was almost impassable.

In Orange Township, there was quite an extensive cranberry marsh, which for years after the settlement of the county, was consid- ered valueless for farming purposes. But as the country became settled, and farms were opened up on the borders of this marsh, mak- ing gradual encroachments upon it, the atten- tion of the land owners in the vicinity was called to it, and since then, by a system of drainage under the supervision of the county officials, it has all been reclaimed, and is rich beyond measure.

A narrow sand ridge, upon which the Benton Ridge road is located runs south- west from Findlay through the village of Benton Ridge to the Putnam County line. Two sand ridges enter the northeast corner of the county and passing westward unite as one ridge on Section 5, Washington Township. thence runs in a southwesterly direction across Cass, Allen, Portage, and Pleasant Townships, where it is known as Sugar Ridge, because of the large number of sugar trees that once grew upon it. Fostoria, Van Buren and McComb are lo- cated on this ridge. Another of these nar- row belts enters the northeast corner of Portage Township from Wood County and runs southwest, parallel with and about

two miles north of Sugar Ridge. In the geological report of the state these ridges are called "The ancient beaches of Lake Erie."

"Limestone Ridge" is an elevated belt of sand and clay underlaid with limestone lying south of the prairie in Biglick Town- ship. It was so named on account of the numerous flakes of limestone found scat- tered over its surface, probably the result of a great natural upheaval during the first stages of the earth's formation.

Wheat is one of the principal crops of Hancock County. Indian corn is produced in all parts of the county and has always been regarded as a standard crop. Oats of a good quality are produced in great quan- tities. Barley and rye are cultivated to some extent, but not being so readily marketed as wheat, less attention is paid to their raising. Buckwheat of course com- mands some attention from the farmer, as people could not very well do without their "Buckwheat cakes" for breakfast. Irish and sweet potatoes are easily cultivated, and yield most abundantly. Indeed all kinds of vegetables yield a most bountiful harvest. Fruits of almost all kinds can be found in all parts of the county, especially apples, which are the surest crop. Peaches, although a never failing crop in the early days of the county, may now be considered an almost entire failure. Small fruits are usually a good crop, but occasionally com- plete failures happen.

The county has but few springs, but water of a good quality may be obtained, in most places, by sinking wells from six feet to thirty feet in depth. The water, in consequence of the almost universal pres-

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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY

ence of limestone, is highly impregnated This has been almost entirely eliminated with lime, and is what is called "hard by the system of tiling or under-drainage. water." The river and creeks furnish an abundance of good limestone, used only, however, for making lime, of which article a very fine quality is produced, and used for building foundation and basement walls, not being of a quality suitable for other building purposes. In some parts of the county farmers meet with difficulty in tilling the soil, in consequence of the crop- ping out of the limestone formation. But the perfect adaptation of such lands to wheat raising, and the enormous crops pro- duced fully compensate for the extra trouble. This was commenced by the most enter- prising farmers about 1870 or 1875 and has grown in favor among the agriculturists from the beginning to the present. The lowest lying land of rich alluvial formation was almost useless until this plan was adopted, but since then it is considered as by far the most profitable land to own. Even the high ground is greatly benefited by the uniform system of tiling and now that all the farmers accept the situation and have tiled their land, it has placed them in a position of independence in re- gard to wet and dry seasons.

Statistics in regard to the wealth and prosperity of the county, as a farming and stockraising locality, may be found else- where in this volume.

Formerly one of the worst drawbacks to the farmers in Hancock County as well as to those in other parts of northwestern Ohio, was the liability to damage by hav- ing too much rain drown out their crops. almost entirely disappeared.

The river, formerly supplied the early settlers with an abundance of choice fish, but now by reason of the many obstruc- tions placed in it in the shape of mill-dams, but few fish are caught, and they only of an inferior quality.

Wild game was also very abundant, but since the settlement of the county it has

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CHAPTER VI.

PIONEER DAYS.

Early Records-Population-Settlements-Missionaries and Meeting-Houses-Camp-Meetings -First Sermon-Early Schools and Schoolmasters-The Country Shoemaker-Log Roll- ing-Shooting -Cornhusking-House-Raisings-Threshing-Quilting Bees-Racing and Other Sports-Stores and Taverns-Necessaries of Pioneer Existence-Description of Old Time Tavern General Muster-Malaria and Milksickness-Taxable Property in 1824- Tax Levies-Findlay Selected as County Seat-The First Marriage-A Contested Election -County Printing-Road-Building-Administration of Estates-A Foul Murder-Simon Girty-Johnny Appleseeds-J. N. Free.

Owing to the fact that the early records of Hancock County were kept for the most part in small books, poorly made, or on scraps of paper, poorly preserved, much of our early history is lost beyond hope of re- covery. Much that was recorded has, by the carelessness of those who had the records in charge, been mutilated to such an extent as to be almost unintelligible, and is thus unavailable for the purposes of the historian.

The population of the county in 1828 might be estimated from the vote polled in that year. As we have already seen, the first election held in the county after its separate organization, took place on the first Monday in April, 1828, at which elec- tion there were seventy-four votes cast. Now counting the population at five times the number of voters, we have three hun- dred and seventy as the entire population, which number is no doubt very nearly cor-

rect. At this date there were perhaps not more than a half dozen settlements in the county-one at Mt. Blanchard, one at Findlay, one at McKinnis, and one perhaps in the south part of the county, with one or two small communities elsewhere. Of course, there were a few families residing at various other points in the county, but they were regarded as a part of one or the other of these principal settlements, for all were neighbors then who lived within a day's journey of each other.

In 1830, when the Federal census was taken, there were eight hundred and thir- teen persons in the county. Of that number four hundred and fifty-one were white males, and three hundred and fifty-one were white females, and there were three males and six females colored. Of the total number, only two hundred and fifty-two were above the age of twenty-one and one hundred and fifty-five males, and one hun-

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dred and forty-seven females, about three- fourths of the entire population were under the age of twenty.

In 1880, just fifty years after, the popu- lation of the county was twenty-seven thousand three hundred and forty-three. In 1900 it was 41,993.

The census of 1830 does not give the number of acres of improved lands, and value of buildings in the county .. We may, however, well conclude that but little had been done as yet towards subduing the wilderness, for even a hundred good stal- wart pioneers could make but little head- way against nature, which had been at work for centuries. Farms or clearings were therefore few and far between, and as to buildings, probably there was not a frame or brick building in the county outside of Findlay.

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Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Part 6

Author: Jacob Anthony Kimmell Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1189

Author: Jacob Anthony Kimmell
Publication date: 1910
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1189