USA > Ohio > Summit County > Twinsburg > Twinsburg, Ohio, 1817-1917, Part I History, Part II Genealogies > Part 2
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From another account we learn that Ezra Osborn arrived with his family July 1, 1817, but settled in the western part of the township. Mrs. Osborn has the dis- tinction of being the first woman to be a settler in the town.
It is difficult after these hundred years to even imagine what of dissatisfaction with old conditions, yearnings for change, zest for adventure, sense of duty and other senti- ments prompted the migrations of these pioneers, but it is certain they must have been men and women of strong faith, untiring energy, and a great hope.
THE NEW TOWNSHIP OF TWINSBURG
T HE reader has already learned that the north and northeast portion of "Township 5 "were drawn by Mos- es and Aaron Wilcox. At that time they were merchants in Killingworth, Conn. Born May 11, 1770, at North Killing- worth, Conn., they had been educated in the same school had engaged in business together, had married sisters (Huldah and Mabel Lord of Killingworth) at the same time, and held their property in common. Though they did not personally visit their Ohio property till 1823, in 1819 they made an arrangement with the settlers to name the town. For this privilege they donated six acres of land for a public square and twenty dollars toward the erection of a school- house. As they did not own the land covering the exact center of the township they set aside six acres adjacent to it. In naming the town they evidenced their oneness in feeling and called it TWINSBURG.
At their store in Killingworth they had for inspection by possible purchasers a map of the lots in their tract in Twinsburg, made by Jos. Darrow, also a description of each lot and a plan of the settlement at Millsville. In the spring of 1820 they sent Elijah W. Bronson to Twinsburg to act as their agent. On the east side of the square he erected a log house which was the first building at the center. In the fall of 1820 he brought his wife and Samuel Hull to Twinsburg.
In 1823 the Wilcox twins came to Twinsburg. For a time they lived by themselves in a blacksmith shop that had belonged to Oliver Clark. It stood on the lot where the bank now stands. This was a temporary arrangement as that year they built on the same lot the first frame house erected at the center.
In the spring of 1819 there were enough voters in the town to effect a township organization. The commissioners of Portage county issued a proclamation and the first election was held in April, 1819. Frederick Stanley was elected clerk and other officers were chosen. It appears that Lewis Alling and Frederick Stanley were elected justices of the peace, but later it was learned that it was necessary to have an order from the court to appoint justices. The next fall
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THE NEW TOWNSHIP OF TWINSBURG
T HE reader has already learned that the north and northeast portion of "Township 5 "were drawn by Mos- es and Aaron Wilcox. At that time they were merchants in Killingworth, Conn. Born May II, 1770, at North Killing- worth, Conn., they had been educated in the same school had engaged in business together, had married sisters (Huldah and Mabel Lord of Killingworth) at the same time, and held their property in common. Though they did not personally visit their Ohio property till 1823, in 1819 they made an arrangement with the settlers to name the town. For this privilege they donated six acres of land for a public square and twenty dollars toward the erection of a school- house. As they did not own the land covering the exact center of the township they set aside six acres adjacent to it. In naming the town they evidenced their oneness in feeling and called it TWINSBURG.
At their store in Killingworth they had for inspection by possible purchasers a map of the lots in their tract in Twinsburg, made by Jos. Darrow, also a description of each lot and a plan of the settlement at Millsville. In the spring of 1820 they sent Elijah W. Bronson to Twinsburg to act as their agent. On the east side of the square he erected a log house which was the first building at the center. In the fall of 1820 he brought his wife and Samuel Hull to Twinsburg.
In 1823 the Wilcox twins came to Twinsburg. For a time they lived by themselves in a blacksmith shop that had belonged to Oliver Clark. It stood on the lot where the bank now stands. This was a temporary arrangement as that year they built on the same lot the first frame house erected at the center.
In the spring of 1819 there were enough voters in the town to effect a township organization. The commissioners of Portage county issued a proclamation and the first election was held in April, 1819. Frederick Stanley was elected clerk and other officers were chosen. It appears that Lewis Alling and Frederick Stanley were elected justices of the peace, but later it was learned that it was necessary to have an order from the court to appoint justices. The next fall
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NEW TOWNSHIP OF TWINSBURG
Lewis Alling and Samuel Vail were elected and commissioned as justices of the peace. In 1820 Elisha Loomis was made clerk, in 1821 Elijah W. Bronson, and in 1822 Luman Lane.
In 1819 occurred the first death in the township, that of the infant child of Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Chamberlain. On the 23rd of November, Maria Stanley, afterward the wife of Rev. Mr. Burton, was born, being the first white child born in Twinsburg. There were no weddings till March 19, 1821, when Eliza Dodge was married to Emery Alger by Esquire Alling.
In November, 1820, Luman Lane and Hanford White came to Twinsburg. In 1860 Mr. Lane wrote a historical sketch covering the forty years he had lived in the town. The present generation is under great obligation to Mr. Lane for his work. He recorded the following as being men of 21 years or more when he arrived here: Emery Alger, Samuel Alger, Lewis Alling, William Allin, N. S. Barnet, John Basset, Henry Bennet, E. W. Bronson, Reuben Chamberlain, Oliver Clark, - Darling, -Davis, John Dodge, Cyrus Hodskin, Isaiah Humphrey, Roman Humph- rey, Nester Hurlbut, Leonard Kilborn, Cotton Leech, Levi Leech, Elisha Loomis, Elias W. Mather, Josiah Myric, Noah P. Nichols, Ezra Osborn, N. J. Palmer, - Perkins, Preston Pond, Lyman Richmond, - Sawyer, Frederick Stanley, Amos C. Taylor, Joel W. Thompson, Orrin Tucker, Asa Upson, Edwin B. Vail, Homer G. Vail, Samuel Vail.
Instead of holding their lots about the square at specu- lative prices the Wilcox brothers sold them at very low figures and, as an inducement to tradesmen and mechanics to settle here, actually gave them lots for homes and shops. As a consequence of this wise policy within five or six years there were from twelve to fifteen families living near the square. In 1823 a post office was established with Moses Wilcox as postmaster.
In September, 1827, the Wilcox twins died within a few hours of each other. They were taken ill on the same day, of the same disease, and were buried in the same grave. Their death at this time, when money was becoming ex- ceedingly scarce, caused a cessation of improvements in the northern part of town and this condition continued several years, but was finally relieved.
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TWINSBURG HISTORY
To the present generation there is somewhat of glamour in the life of the pioneers. To be sure, there was freedom from some of the tiresome exactions of today, and some of the strain of the twentieth century was absent, but there were hardships little imagined today. It was a time when the race was to the strong.
There was first the breaking of home ties and then the difficulty in reaching Twinsburg. A few had horses, more had oxen, but many made the trip from Connecticut on foot. Of his trip Luman Lane wrote: "We traveled on foot, bringing our packs upon our backs, from Killingworth, Conn. The last day we traveled forty-six miles. We came in what was called the Wheadon road, and saw no house between Newburgh and Twinsburgh, but was told there was one in Bedford a little way from the road. The small bushes were cut, but it was difficult to keep the road as it was in the evening. The bridge was built across Tinker's creek at the center of Bedford, but it was with difficulty we found it. On arriving at Mr. Bronson's we found Jesse Pratt, who had arrived a few days before with a team of a yoke of oxen and a horse. Joshua Post came in company with him, with an ox team to Northfield. Orin Tucker came with Mr. Post, Mr. Tucker having married Mr. Post's daughter and having been here in the spring and gone back to Saybrook."
When the weary travelers reached Twinsburg the place looked little as it does today. Forests covered most of the ground. They were not well kept groves but dense woods choked with underbrush. The log cabin was usually erected on a little plot of cleared ground and more land cleared as opportunity allowed. Many settlers planned to clear a certain number of acres of timber land each year. Only the very best of the timber was saved. A most casual glance at the sturdy construction of the older buildings in the town shows us something of the lavishness with which good timber was used. What today would be called first class trees were felled and often burned to get them out of the way. Mr. Lane wrote: "The first summer I was in town, after harvest, there was a logging-bee nearly every day, except the Sab- bath, till sowing time. Sometimes it was as much as one could do to carry whiskey and water to the others in the field. Raisings of log houses and log barns were very
2I
NEW TOWNSHIP OF TWINSBURG
frequent. The whiskey bottle always passed freely around. When we began to raise buildings without whiskey there was violent opposition." So thick were the woods that it was not safe for the uninitiated to venture far from home as these incidents related by Mr. Lane prove: "People were frequently lost in the woods and sometimes remained out over night. A man once told me he lay in the woods north- east of my house. He said when night came on he tried to make a fire with his gun, lost his knife, failed to make a fire, and remained there till morning.
"I once, while boiling sap in the woods half a mile from any house, heard a person call. I answered. It was before the setting of the sun. The call advanced nearer and nearer until it began to grow dark. I thought it was not a man and, having heard panther stories, began to be afraid. My fears were increased by its taking a circuitous route after I knew it must have seen the fire. I took my ax, passed cautiously out among the bushes, determined if a panther should spring upon me to give one good blow with the edge. I saw something and spoke. It answered. I found it was Mrs. Bull, the mother of Lorenzo Bull, of Solon. She had gone out to bring in the sheep. I accompanied her to the house and Hanford White went with her to Mr. Bull's. They had just commenced making a search for her.
"Prof. Nutting, of Western Reserve College, when going to Solon to preach once became lost in the woods or swamp southeast of the center of Solon and remained there with his horse till morning. He laid his saddle on his feet to keep them from freezing.
"One time a little before night I heard a person call. I answered. It was the wife of Reuben Henry. She was going directly towards Solon where probably she must have remained over night in the woods as it was six miles to the nearest neighbor in that direction."
Other dangers lurked in the forests. Wild animals were far too prevalent for safety. Again we quote from Mr. Lane: "One evening in Nov., 1821, while living alone in the woods, I went to my nearest neighbor, Aaron Post's house. When I came out to go home we heard a dog bark some way off in the woods. We went to him, cut down a tree and killed a coon. The dog ran off but soon barked again. We
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TWINSBURG HISTORY
went to him, saw a bear upon a tree forty or fifty feet from the ground, the moon shining at that time. A man went for a rifle and shot the bear.
"One day, as I was hunting a few rods west of Aaron Post's house, I heard dogs bark near me, they having treed a bear. I soon heard two guns, went to them and found a number of men and dogs fighting a wounded bear. One gun was then discharged near the head of the bear. It did not hit him, but he was soon killed. Here I had an opportunity to see with what ease and dexterity a bear can use its fore- legs and feet."
Wolves were often heard and their tracks seen near dwellings, and many herds of sheep suffered from their depredations. Rattlesnakes were numerous. The low lands were infested with the small, dark colored massa- sauga. It is told that in 1831 Mr. Luman Lane was bitten on the foot by one, that his hired man opened the wound with his jack knife and sucked the poison out. Mr. Lane suffered the loss of much blood before the nearest physician, Dr. Town of Hudson, could give attention to his wound, and suffered from it more or less during later life.
The very early homes were crude indeed. Made of logs, with one room below and a loft above, they frequently sheltered large families. A huge fireplace generously sup- plied with logs was usually the only attractive feature indoors. Sometimes the entire floor was planked, again only one corner making a place for laying the beds. Doubtless Twinsburg suffered such poor housing a shorter period of time than did the neighboring towns since it was settled later and had a sawmill in operation almost from the first.
Conveniences in the home there were none. A meager supply of heavy cooking utensils and the ubiquitous spin- ning-wheel gave ample employment to the wife and daugh- ters. There was soap to be made in generous quantities, fruits to be dried, candles to be dipped, flax and wool to be spun, woven, sometimes dyed, and made into garments for the family. All sewing was done by hand and long stitches were considered disgraceful.
Good health was usual, but those who settled near Loomis' Mills in 1822-3 suffered severely from "bilious, intermittent and typhus fever," scarcely an adult living
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NEW TOWNSHIP OF TWINSBURG
within a mile of the pond, made by damming the waters of Tinker's creek, escaped an attack, and not more than two of forty or more years recovered. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Alling succumbed and were buried in the same grave, Sept. 7, 1823. The death of Mr. Alling was keenly felt by the community.
It was a time when sickness was greatly to be dreaded. Medical attention was difficult to obtain, Drs. Israel Town and Oliver Mills of Hudson being the chief dependence in times of sickness. Though far apart the people were truly neighborly. Every one had the freedom of his neighbor's house, and when sickness or trouble came the neighbors, as a matter of course, did what was possible to alleviate pain and sorrow, even to the point of frequently transmitting in- fection to their own households. It is true our grandmothers had a considerable knowledge of the medicinal qualities of the common herbs and were skillful in their application in cases of sickness or accident. But it is also true that many and many a home was saddened by the intrusion of the grim reaper when just a little attention from a well-trained physician might have given the forces of life and health the victory. The dangers from infection and contagion were little understood and much absolutely needless sickness and suffering were endured. The mortality among the infants tells its own sad story of the difficulties and the tragedies of pioneer life.
Those were times when men had time and opportunity to make the acquaintance of their real selves; to think long and decide wisely. The work necessary to be done before the early settlers could expect to be comfortable was helpful in preventing them from feeling their loneliness too acutely. Probably the summers were fairly pleasant but the long winter months, before the roads were well defined and social life well established, must surely have tried their souls.
But the greatest hardship to the settlers was the scarcity of supplies and the lack of money. Of course there soon was corn, wheat, vegetables and maple sugar of their own pro- duction. But salt, tea, and, in fact, almost everything else had to be obtained from neighboring towns or points farther away. Transportation was very difficult and money ex- ceedingly scarce. The needs of the people kept in advance
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TWINSBURG HISTORY
of their resources. Coarse three-fourths woolen cloth cost three dollars a yard, lead was twenty-five cents per pound, nails one shilling per pound, and poor at that. Mr. Lane's experience was not so very unusual: "After I got to Twins- burgh I wanted an ax to work with. I went to Hudson through the mud to buy one. I got one by paying two dol- lars and a quarter. I then ground it; in a few hours I broke it. Then I went to Newburgh, bought a piece of steel (the road being mostly through the woods), then to Hudson to get it put on the ax; then ground the ax-it failed again; bought another-that failed; got it fixed again. We used to go to Capt. Alger's to grind; he lived where Nelson Upson now does. I then wrote to my father in Connecticut to send me two axes, which he did by Aaron Post who came to Twinsburgh July 27, 1821. A chopper would chop an acre for an ax which he knew was good. The price of chopping an acre was six dollars."
As produce became more plentiful the price lowered and money became even more difficult to obtain. Notes were given payable in stock or produce, due at some future 'day. A number who had purchased farms and agreed to pay six or seven dollars an acre for them found they could not pay, and left the township. Some of these farms with all the improvements upon them were afterwards sold for three dollars an acre. In 1825 butter made in Twinsburg sold for eight cents per pound, and cheese for five. Of course many failed to meet their obligations at the time agreed upon. It is told of Esq. Hudson that in 1828, when meeting with some disappointment in such a matter, he said, "It would take as many Twinsburgh men to make a reliable man as humming birds to make a tom-turkey." However, most of the obliga- tions were met in full a little later.
We would expect that a town settled largely by Con- necticut folk would not long be content without a church or school. A log schoolhouse was erected on the square in 1822. How the expense, save the twenty dollars from the Wilcox twins, was met we do not know. It was the first public building in the town. About this time the newly formed Congregational Society agreed to build on the square a two story house, the lower to be used for a school and the
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NEW TOWNSHIP OF TWINSBURG
upper for church services. The plan did not meet with general favor as here appears:
"Twinsburgh, Feb. 3d, 1823.
At a meeting legally warned and held at the school- house, in the center of s'd town-voted, that the public square shall remain unoccupied by any public buildings at present.
Luman Lane, Clerk."
Evidently the word present was interpreted literally for after an interval of time a one story house was erected. It was moved twice and then torn down. The first school teacher in town was Lavina Merriam who later married Junia North. It is said that "people frequently went to meeting with ox teams; their clothes not very good, some- times much patched, and in summer the men were sometimes barefoot."
It is a matter of record that the first captain of the military company was Elisha Loomis, the second Joseph Myrick and the third Asa Upson. While Asa Upson was captain, probably about 1823, arrangements were made for the company to march from the center to his father, Saul Upson's place, and take dinner in his new frame barn. With the idea of having some diversion on the way a subordinate officer was given liberty to select a number of men who should go on ahead and act as Indians. After giving the "Indians" time to get well ahead the remainder of the company proceeded on the march. Though they kept a sharp lookout nothing was seen of the enemy. They began to wonder what could have happened to the "redskins" when suddenly the latter sprang from ambush, seized the captain before he could use his sword, and in less than half a minute the well formed company resembled a flock of sheep scared by wolves. By the time the barn was reached the few prisoners had obtained their liberty. Of course, Capt. Upson and his men were the subjects of much raillery from the victorious braves, but we are told that both friend and foe did ample justice to the dinner of roast pig, turkey, chicken pies, and countless other good things.
The later history of the military company is not positively known. It is certain that Horace Norton and
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TWINSBURG HISTORY
James Brown were captains sometime in the early forties. Mr. A. J. Brown has in his possession the commission re- ceived by his father, James Brown, in which he is promoted to the Lieutenant Colonelship of the Ist I. Reg., 3rd Brigade, 20th Division of the Militia of Ohio. It is dated Jan. 4, 1844, and signed by Wilson Shannon, Gov., and W. S. Wane, Sec. of State. The commission was for seven years, but not long after its issuance the militia law was repealed. Another captain was George Dodge. His rifle is now in the possession of his son, Albert Dodge. The captain's dress consisted of a blue suit, with brass buttons and epaulets, and a long white feather in the hat. He wore a sword and Capt. Brown had also a bass drum.
For many years the public square was anything but beautiful, though freely used. The northeastern part was swampy and on the northern portion of the west side there was a spring from which several near-by families obtained water. A goodly number of the present citizens can re- member having drawn water from the well near that spot. The square was not fenced and animals roamed at will over it.
Social privileges were such as were common to all new settlements. A six hundred mile trip into new territory is somewhat of a leveler, since the man with considerable possessions can not well bring them with him and, to a cer- tain degree, must manage much as does the man having little. Most of the heads of families were comparatively young men and their only hope of success here lay in their ability to work. They most certainly had never failing opportunities to exercise that ability. When they were not busy with their crops there were new buildings to be erected, various improvements waiting to be made, and always the forest to be cleared. Knowing they must work or fail, with true Yankee ingenuity and pluck, they managed to take their pleasure and relaxation in performing their work. Hence the logging bees, the husking bees, the paring bees and raisings. Even hunting and fishing combined pleasure with necessity. At these gatherings the women congregated and prepared the necessary viands and, according to all reports, it was no small task. On account of their small homes the women found it necessary to have their quilting bees. With
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NEW TOWNSHIP OF TWINSBURG
a true spirit of adaptability they managed to put much of cheer into their necessary hardships.
Clothing was coarse and made to withstand hard wear rather than for adornment. The men generally wore buck- skin trousers as they were more durable than any other kind when working in the woods. Women's and children's clothes were of home manufacture. It was no little task, in addition to all her other duties, for the housewife to prepare the cloth and garments for the usual good-sized family. It does not seem strange to us that so many mothers laid down their burdens before middle age was reached.
Notwithstanding their privations and hardships the pioneers struggled on, performing their daily tasks with fidelity, planning improvements, ever hoping for better things. It is not at all improbable that they enjoyed life as well as the average person does today. Under difficulties a less sturdy people would have found insuperable they laid the foundation for a superior moral and intellectual life. We of today owe them a debt of gratitude because they kept their ideals through the stress of pioneer life.
NOTE-So many of the settlers of Twinsburg, including the Wilcox brothers, came from Killingworth, Conn., that it may be of interest to know more concerning the place. It is situated in Middlesex Co. and was settled in 1663. It was first called Hammonnasset, then Kenilworth, and finally Killingworth. The township is thirteen miles in length from north to south and about three miles in width. It is about twenty-five miles east of New Haven, and about one thousand acres on Long Island Sound is a salt marsh. There are two parishes, Killingworth and North Killingworth, the latter being rough and stony.
It is possible, but not certain, that Longfellow's poem, "Birds of Killingworth," was based on a crusade once made there against several kinds of birds. There was much slaughter and few birds remained.
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