USA > Ohio > Medina County > Wadsworth > Wadsworth memorial; an account of the proceedings of the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the first settlement of the township of Wadsworth, Ohio > Part 8
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the turkey shooting took place; and which meeting was about closing when they heard the successively quick, sharp reports of the rifle, and knew it meant game. As they were all in want of meat, they gladly and thankfully accepted twelve out of the sixteen turkeys killed on that occasion.
Let no one infer from this that the pioneers, and men mentioned above, approved the detestable practice of Sun- day hunting and shooting, as now carried on by a lawless class, seeming determined to ruin the morals of this coun- try. On the contrary, the necessity of the time justified the act; for, let me here say, while there were some theo- logical differences of opinion, yet taken as a community together, there never was a more honorable, upright, and conscientious set of people found on this broad continent, than were the early pioneers of Wadsworth.
It would be unfair to draw comparisons of their mental attainments and theological views, for they came from widely separated portions of the Union, and brought the ideas of manhood, civilization, mental attainments, and theological notions which prevailed in the respective re- gions from whence they came. For the first time, per- haps, in the settlement of a new country, New England, Central New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia came together in a new region of country, with adverse ideas about many things ; but in the main harmonizing up- on the great things that go to make up good men and women, and good communities. Hence the pioneers of Wadsworth were as a unit in promoting each other's wel- fare and happiness. Each seeking to move and work in that sphere best calculated to render the most good, and in which he was born and reared.
At first there may have been some distrust, but in a very short time all distrust, if any, that one section had of the other, vanished into thin air as soon as they came to know each other ; and soon, the mass of early pioneers came to
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be like brothers and sisters, promoting each other's wel- fare in all possible ways. Would to God that such a spirit now prevailed among all the people as ruled the mass of pioneers in Wadsworth, fifty to sixty years ago !
Those of the early pioneers who came from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia mostly settled in the south half of the township ; while those from the Eastern States located mainly in the north half of the township ; thus for a short time making the east and west center road a sort of " Mason and Dixon's line." But this, as before remarked, was of very short duration, for a social comity and pure friendship soon cemented them together in a common bond of brotherhood.
The early pioneers of the south part of the township taking the east and west center road as the boundary, were the Deans, Warners, Durhams, Christian Ritter, Daniel Ware, Israel Ritter, Adam Baughman, Lorenzo Baughman, Henry Falconer, Jacob Miller, Samuel Blocker, Christian Everhard, Samuel M. Hayden, Benjamin Simcox, James Reed, Samuel Falconer, Adam Smith, Jacob Smith, John Everhard, Jonathan Everhard (now of Sharon), and their father, Jacob Everhard ; James Gifford, Geo. Rasor, Chris- tian Rasor, "Stofel " Rasor, Win. Rasor, Wm. Simcox, and Henry Ritter.
Most of these pioneers met and held divine worship in the extreme southeast part of the township, where a meet- ing" house had been erected by the joint efforts of the pio- neers of Norton, Chippewa, and Wadsworth townships, in which two, and perhaps three, denominational forms of worship were maintained. But I may be mistaken about this ; neither am I certain whether the first house of reli- gious worship stood on the Wadsworth side, or just across the road in Chippewa ; and it is not material on which side it did stand; neither is it material whether one or more religious creeds were taught and maintained there. It is enough to say, that the pioneers who assembled there for
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divine worship were as pious, as honest, and as good every day Christians as ever assembled in a meeting-house ; and while they were generally unobtrusive in their habits and tastes, and unwilling to thrust themselves forward in the early administrative affairs of the township, yet they did their full part toward its physical and intellectual develop- ments, and are entitled to an award of just and equal praise to everything that went to the rapid and wonderful- ly developed history of the township. No one will ques- tion this. Neither in making up this do I seek to make an invidious distinction, or draw comparisons of the charac- teristics of the early pioneers of the township. I wish in my feeble way to do justice to the memory of those noble men and women, most of whom I can remember; and this article would be entirely incomplete without reference in a more open manner to the women who were the wives of the early pioneers of the township.
They were indeed helpmates, in every sense of that word. They not only discharged their duties in the cabins of their husbands, but bravely went into the woods and fields, and labored with their husbands to subdue the for- est, and convert the grounds into blooming fields. For many years they spun and wove, and made most of the cloth worn by the family ; and they never shrank from as- sisting in-doors and out-doors as was needed, and it is not too much to say that to these mothers belongs most of the praise for the morality and piety of the township, in its early history, and for the impress of those virtues which still cling to some of their descendants.
But I must close. I am loth to do so, for since I com- menced this writing, it has seemed as if my heart would burst while thinking back thirty to forty-five years, in which time I knew these men and women, and knew them only to love and adore them. And these memories of them cling about my heart like sweet clusters of flowers, which I pray may never lose their fragrance or freshness.
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Nearly all of them have yielded up their spirits to Him who gave them, and their mortal remains have been con- signed to mother earth. Blessed be their memory forever ! as I hope and believe that each one is in immortal bliss, in that better state, set apart for all who love the LORD.
Among those that I have mentioned, the following pio- neers are still living : Jonathan Everhard, of Sharon ; George Rasor and wife,* of Wadsworth ; Mrs. Nancy Har- ter, of New Portage, late widow of John Everhard ; Mrs. David Loutzenheiser, of Sharon; George Miller, Esq., of Akron ; Mrs. Lydia Franks, of Doylestown; Henry Rit- ter, and perhaps others unknown to me.
In the early part of the settlement of the township, rat- tlesnakes were plenty ; and in one day, at a den of the snakes, Samuel Blocker and Jacob Miller killed 128 yellow spotted rattlesnakes. At another time, when my father, Samuel Blocker, was reaping wheat, he cut off a monster rattlesnake's head with his sickle, which probably struck at his hand just as he had gathered in the wheat straw to cut it off, for he did not see or know anything of the snake until he had dropped his bunch in its place, and finding the snake headless, looked in his handful of wheat, when lo ! there was his snakeship's head, as handsomely cut off as if done by a surgeon.
At another time, my brother David, in pursuing a wounded bear, encountered one of the largest rattlesnakes ever killed in Medina county. It was in this way : Hc met a buck, jumping and snorting, with his hair bristled up, and his eyes all aglow as if in some great trouble and anger. He jumped and stamped, without moving much out of his place. My brother walked up within two rods of the deer, and as the buck paid no attention to him, but kept on snorting and jumping up and down, he leveled his rifle at him, but stopped a moment to reflect on his sin- gular appearance ; when about half way between him and * Died Jan. 22, 1875.
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the stamping deer, arose up out of the dense growth of wild peavines, the head and neck of the largest snake he had ever seen in all his life, The serpent hissed and darted his fiery eyes and tongue at my brother and then at the deer, as if at a loss which to attack ; for he was ready for fight. Almost in a twinkling the fatal rifle was directed from the deer towards the head of the snake and dis- charged, and when the smoke had cleared away all was still, for the deer only bounded off two or three jumps, and then turned and looked back at the place where the huge serpent lay. My brother loaded his gun, and taking a stick, carefully separating the vines so as to see through them, advanced with fear and trembling to the spot where he had seen its head. Here he found the vines bespattered with blood and bits of bone and flesh, by which he knew he had struck the reptile with a fatal shot. Separating the vines, there, all coiled up nicely, lay the serpent, with his head torn and shattered all to pieces.
As soon as he saw the head, what remained of it, as per- fectly harmless, he reached down to take the rattles, when, as he touched the tail, what remained of the head quick as a flash darted up, serpent like, and struck the back of his hand, covering and besmearing it with its warm blood, which so frightened him that he fainted. When he revived, carefully washing his hand he found no scar or break in the skin and knew that he had not been bitten. He took a string of 21 rattles from that snake ; and the buck walked away in a majestic manner, seemingly satisfied, and was not molested by my brother.
About the year 1818, Samuel Blocker had a valuable mare and colt which were attacked by bears and driven off the point of a rock, on the north fork of the sawmill dam. a few rods west of the house and lot now owned by Wmn. Brouse. It was nearly sixteen feet down perpendicularly, at that time, where the mare and colt lay crushed by the fall, and the indications were that one or more bears had
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gradually driven them closer and closer, until they both pitched off the precipice and perished.
Samuel Blocker was the first tailor in the township, and cut and made pants at from forty-five to sixty cents per pair, and coats and vests in proportion. He learned his trade in Baltimore.
Hiram C. Kingsbury was the first blacksmith in the township, and acquired fame and reputation as an ax- maker for the pioneers of the surrounding townships.
In the pioneer times, produce was wonderfully low in price, as compared with present rates, and all sorts of mer- chandise was very high. Wheat was sold at from twenty- five to thirty cents per bushel, for articles of necessity. Luxuries were not to be thought of. Pork, dressed, was $1.00 to $1.25 per 100 pounds, and as fat beef as was ever offered in market, sold at one and a half to three cents per pound, butter at six to nine cents, eggs at two to three cents per dozen, and all other articles of farm productions at corresponding rates ; and at these prices no money was paid, but merchandise taken at from 100 to 300 per cent. higher prices than prevail at this day. It is a wonder how the pioneers got along as comfortably as they did.
At the time Judge Brown came to the township, he brought a small chest of medicines with him, which were of great value to the pioneers, for "Aunt Chloe" was always ready to distribute the contents of her medicine chest with a lavish hand, as long as she had an article left with which to relieve her sick neighbors. When any of them got sick, Aunt Chloe was sent for, and, all things con- sidered, she was about as successful a practitioner as any, for she would never receive a cent as a fee, and never in- jured her patients with wrong prescriptions.
To these hunting adventures related by Mr. Blocker, it may especially interest our young readers to add one or
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two more, to show what were both the peril and the sport attending not only the hunting expeditions, but the every day life of the hardy pioncer.
In 1819, the settlers of Wadsworth had turned out to chop the road through the unsettled township north, then known as "Hart and Mather's town," to meet a similar company from Granger, half way ; thus making an outlet to Cleveland. While thus engaged, one of the Bruin family put in an appearance, probably to inquire the meaning of this invasion of his ancestral domain. Several dogs, which had accompanied their masters, immediately left off all their petit contentions over minor dogmas, and made com- mon cause against their common enemy. The bear showed desperate fight, rising upon his haunches and beating back the dogs. Orin Loomis ran up, and, to protect the dogs, stuck his ax into the bear's mouth, while Judge Brown, coming immediately behind him, struck his ax into the bear's head, and the other choppers soon dispatched him with their axes ; and each at evening returned home with a large piece of bear meat; no small item, in the general scarcity of provisions at that period.
To this we will add the story of a bear-fight by Orin Loo- mis and Phineas Butler, and of a conflict with a wolf by Leonard Brown, as published by Aaron Pardee, Esq., in the Wadsworth Enterprise, in 1866.
In the fall of 1823, as Butler and Loomis were returning after midnight from one of their hunts, and had arrived : within a mile or two of home, it was noticed that the .. dog's were missing. Presently, a noise was heard, far back in the rear.
" Hark! What was that?" said Loomis. They listened awhile, and agreed it was the dogs, sure. " Orr, let's go back," said Butler. "No." answered Loomis, "it is too late." "But," said Butler, "I'll bet the dogs are after a bear; don't you hear old Beaver? It sounds to me like the bark of old Beaver, when he is after a bear."
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Butler was bound to go back, and so they started. The scene of the disturbance was finally reached, after travel- ing two or three miles. The dogs had found a bear, sure enough ; but it was in the middle of Long Swamp, and the alders were so thick that there was scarcely room for man, dog, or bear to get through. This did not deter Phin But- ler, however. They got near enough to find out that the bear was stationed on a spot a little drier than the main swamp, surrounded by alder bushes, and that she was de- termined not to leave it. The dogs would bay up close, when the old bear would run out after them. They would retreat, and then she would go back to her nest again.
" We can't kill her to-night," said Loomis, "we will have to go home, and come down again in the morning." "No," replied Butler, "I am afraid she will get away. We can kill her to-night, I guess. You can go and hiss on the dogs on one side, and I will come up on the other; and when she runs out after them. I'll cut her back-bone off with the ax." They concluded to try this plan, and came very near succeeding. As the old bear rushed past, Butler put the whole bit of the ax into her back, but failed to cut the back-bone by an inch or so. Enraged and desperate, she sprang upon the dogs, who, emboldened by the presence of the hunters; came too close: 'With one of her enormous paws she came down on old Beaver, making a large wound in his side, which nearly killed him. He was hardly able to crawl out of the swamp.
The fight was then abandoned until the next morning, as without Beaver to lead the other dogs, it was useless to proceed. It was difficult to get the old dog home, but he finally got well. Early in the morning the hunters were on the ground. This time they had their guns with them, but found the old bear was gone. On examining her nest of the night before, her unusual ferocity was explained. She had a litter of cubs, which, however, she had succeeded in removing, and must have carried them off in her mouth.
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In a short time the dogs had tracked her out. She was found half a mile lower down the swamp, where she had made a new nest. Butler's rifle soon dispatched her, but her cubs, four in number, and not more than three or four weeks old, were taken alive, and kept for pets. * * *
The following account of Leonard Brown's wolf-fight is given in his own words :
It was in the month of June, 1827, a full moon and a clear night. I was 17 years old. About eleven o'clock at night I was awakened by the barking of the dog, which was a common occurrence, and we always went to his re- lief, and generally found that he had treed either a raccoon, a wildcat, a porcupine, an opossum, or a fox. (The gray foxes would climb trees as readily as coons). This time his barking was unusually earnest. I got out of bed and put on my pants, but nothing more. Barcheaded and bare- footed, I took my ax and started for the dog. When with- in a few rods of the spot, I found it was in the northeast corner of the field, where stood a sapling about twelve feet high. Supposing the game to be on that sapling, I could get on the fence and dislodge it from the tree, know- ing that the dog would take it as soon as it reached the ground. I therefore laid down the ax and proceeded with- in a rod of the place, when a large animal made an attempt to jump the fence, but the dog caught it by the thigh and brought it back. It then tried to make its escape across the field, but the dog caught it by the neck, when it turned and gave battle. I then discovered that it was a wolf, much larger than the dog, and as they reared upon their hind legs like two dogs in a fight, I caught the wolf by his hind legs, and with the help of the dog laid him on his back; but his jaws flew to the right and left so quick, it was very difficult for the dog to get a safe hold. I thought I had best get my ax as soon as possible, as I had no knife. So I started for the ax, but before I had gone ten feet, the dog cried out in great agony. I knew he was hurt, so I
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picked up a stick and went back. The wolf was on top. I caught him again by the legs and laid him on his back, and by holding his leg with one hand, I jammed the stick into his mouth with the other, and by that means enabled the dog to fasten to him by the throat. After I had care- fully examined the dog's hold and found all right, feeling assured that if he got away he would take the dog along, I hastened for my ax. When I returned, I found the wolf on his feet, and the dog on his back, the dog still keeping his hold. On my approach the wolf made a des- perate effort to escape, which brought the dog to his feet. He then laid the wolf on his back without my help. I then tried to knock the wolf in the head, but dared not strike for fear of hitting the dog; and fearing the dog would give out, as he seemed nearly exhausted, as the wolf lay on his back I aimed a blow between his hind legs, and supposed I had succeeded in cleaving the hips, but it proved I had only wounded him in one thigh.
The wolf then lay still, and I thought him dead. I bade the dog to let go his hold. He refused. I then put one foot on the wolf, and took the dog by the nape of the neck with one hand and struck him with the other. The dog flew back as if there was a snake there, and the wolf jumped up suddenly and attacked me. His jaws came together very near my neck, but the dog instantly caught him by the throat. I then struck him on the head with my ax, breaking the skull ; and the dog released his hold of his own accord.
It was a black wolf of the largest size, measuring from the extremity of the fore to the hind foot, seven fect and nine inches. The dog was bitten through the thick part of the fore leg. I was minus a shirt-some scratched about the breast, with a slight wound on my left arm made by the wolf's teeth. LEONARD BROWN.
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The foregoing pages have been devoted to the early, or pioneer history of the township; and as they were chiefly made up from papers prepared with reference to the pio- meer celebration, by several individuals, each writing inde- pendently of the others, there is necessarily some repeti- tion that at times may have been tiresome to the reader. But as it was intended to be a book of reliable records, for reference in future years, it was thought best to let cach go in just as the writer prepared it, in his own words and style. The reader will perceive that the historical part is thus far confined to the twenty-five years succeeding the first settlement, bringing the annals of the town down to the year 1840.
This closes the pioneer history; designed to give a brief review of the character of the first settlers, of their labor, sacrifices, and suffering done and endured in reclaim- ing what was a vast, unbroken forest, and preparing it for an abode of enterprise, prosperity, refinement, and intelli- gence, with educational, social, and religious institutions, and growing and pleasant villages.
The remainder of the history will be devoted to its sub- sequent growth and prosperity, with a sketch of what it now is, together with a brief view of the carlier and later history of the adjoining townships, making up the coun- try of which Wadsworth is the center,
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WESTERN STAR.
The village bearing this name, situated on the township line, about equally in Wadsworth and Norton, 21% miles east of Wadsworth village, so long a rival to Wadsworth in the competition for the chief center of business for the surrounding country, deserves a notice at this stage of our history.
About 1816-18, five brothers by the name of Richards- Mills, Ezekiel. Henry, William Steward, and William Cul- Jen-came from Norfolk, Connecticut. The two eldest locating just upon the west line of Norton. and the others in Wadsworth. Soon after came their father, Jedediah Richards, and his youngest sons, Julius and George W., and still later, his eldest sons, Jedediah, jr., and Robert Usher.
At the time of the establishment of the mail route from Canton to Norwalk, via Medina, post-offices were estab- lished on the west lines of Norton and Wadsworth. there being offices at New Portage and at Medina. Capt. Mills Richards was appointed post-master at the first named office, and the office called Western Star.
About 1824. Julius Richards erected a dam upon Dean's Brook, for turning and sawing. and built a wagon and cab- inet shop that for that period did a large business. He subsequently built a sawmill, run from the same dam.
About 1825. the Richards brothers having exchanged farms, settled around the same locality and laid out a vil- lage, with the avowed design. by united effort. of making it the chief place of business. The first store of goods and merchandise between New Portage and Harrisville was that of Henry E. Morgan & Co., at Western Star. But not finding the location as good as he anticipated. he soon moved away.
A. and JJ. Pardee about that time set up a store on the hill east of the present limits of Wadsworth village, which
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for a time supplied all the wants of the surrounding coun- trv.
In 1828. Robert U. Richards (known as Usher Richards) came to Western Star. He was a man of inventive gen- ius, and had perfected and patented a process of turning hollow wooden ware, such as pails, firkins, half-bushels and peck measures, and wooden bottles, entire, from a round log. In company with his brother, W. Steward Richards, he built a large factory for the manufacture of such ware, on the Wadsworth side of the village, run by steam. He died from an accident, in Jan., 1830.
The business was for a time carried on quite extensively by his brother, and his son Robert. But the ware proved impracticable, because of its liability to crack in seasoning, it being found impossible to dry a stick of timber uniform- ly through. So the business ran down and was aban- doned. The building was afterwards used as a hat factory by Shaw & Griswold.
In 1829, three brothers, Alfred, Augustus, and Alexander Griswold, under the name of A. and A. Griswold, erected a large store building, and opened an extensive store of goods, and made a clearing of several hundred acres of land on a large tract owned by them near the village, and another in Sharon. But in 1831, failing in business, they made an assignment of their store and lands.
Afterwards, merchantile business was established at Western Star by their brother, Dudly Griswold. Subse- quently by Dudly and William Griswold and San ford D. Clark, under the name of Griswolds and Clark. Another was for a time carried on by Ezekiel Richards and Harry Lucas.
Dr. Samuel Austin, a physician of considerable note. located at Western Star in 1823, and Dr. A. Fisher, now of Chicago, and for a time his partner, Dr. Amos Warner, had an extensive medical practice.
From their first location as villages, Western Star and
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Wadsworth maintained a rivalry for the supremacy as centers of business, with about equal results and equal population, till the location of the railroad depot at Wads- worth caused it to distance its rival. But Western Star has always been a pleasant village, with an enterprising and thriving population, and from the nearness of its location may be considered a part of the same community. It has two well supplied stores, a tannery, a pump factory and other manufactures, and an excellent public school.
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