Nathaniel Massie	John Ellison
John Lindsey	Allen Simmeral
William Wade	John X McCutchen
John Black	Andrew X Anderson
Samuel X Smith	Mathew X Hart
Jessie X Wethington	Henry X Nelson
Josiah Wade	John Peter Christopher Shanks
John Clark	James Allison
Robert Ellison	Thomas Stout
Zephaniah Wade,	George Wade

Done in the presence of John Beasley, James Tittle. It has been said that this agreement was drafted and subscribed at Kenton's Station near the town of Washington, Kentucky. It is probable that it was drafted at Limestone and subscribed there. However, the settlement was begun immediately, the town was laid out into lots and named Manchester, after Manchester in England, the home of the ancestors of its founder. The new settlement was known for years as Massie's Station.. "This little confederacy, with Massie at the helm (who was the whole soul of it)," says McDonald, "went to work with spirit. Cabins were raised, and by the middle of March, 1791, the whole town was enclosed with strong pickets, firmly fixed in the ground, with block-houses at each angle for defense. [The situation of the stockade was opposite the lower end of the large island and extended to the river bank.] Al-though this settlement was commenced in the hottest Indian war, it suffered less from depredations and even interruption from the Indians, than any settlement previously made on the Ohio River. This was no doubt owing to the watchful band of brave spirits who guarded the place, men who were reared in the midst of danger and inured to perils, and as watchful as hawks. Here were the Beasleys, the Stouts, the Washburns, the Leedoms, the Edgingtons, the Dinnings, the Ellisons, the Utts, the McKenzies, the Wades and others who were equal to the Indians in all the arts and stratagems of border war. "As soon as Massie had completely prepared his station for defense, the whole population went to work, and cleared the lower of the three islands, and planted it in corn. The island was very rich and produced heavy crops. The woods, THE PIONEERS - 53 with a little industry, supplied a variety of game. Deer, elk, buffalo, bears and turkeys were abundant, while the river furnished a variety of excellent fish. The wants of the inhabitants were few and easily gratified Luxuries were unknown except old Monongahela double distilled. This article was in great demand in those days, and when obtained was freely used. Coffee and tea were rare articles, not much prized nor sought after, and were only used to celebrate the birth of a newcomer. The inhabitants of the Station were as playful as kittens, and as happy in their way as their hearts could wish. The men spent most of their time in hunting and fishing, and almost every evening the boys and girls footed merrily to the tune of the Addle. Thus was their time spent in that happy state of indolence and ease, which none but the hunter or herdsman state can enjoy. They had no civil officers to settle their disputes, nor priests to direct their morals; yet amongst them crimes were of rare occurrence. Should any one who chanced to be amongst them, prove troublesome, or disturb the harmony of the community his expulsion forthwith would be the consequence ; and woe be to him if he again attempted to intrude himself upon them Character of the Pioneers. The pioneers of Adams County as a class, were honorable and moral men and women. They represented some of the best families of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland. New Jersey and the Carolinas.. They were a hardy, industrious, and frugal people, who had come determined to make a home for themselves and their generations in the great Northwest. They were the daring, spirited and brave element of the older settlements east . of the Alleghenies. It is true were in the there were in the early settlements as there is in every community today, a rough, immoral, indolent element ; but look into the history of any of the early settlements in the county, and it will be seen that each was dominated by moral, industrious, and intelligent families. The pioneers were not, as is the popular opinion, giants in stature and of herculean strength, but they were hardy and vigorous as a result of plain living , and an active outdoor life. As a matter of necessity every man and boy devoted a portion of his time to the chase. It afforded the principal subsistence of the early settlers, and "wild meat without salt or bread esd often their only food for weeks." They were a generous-hearted and hospitable people, whose welcome was plain and outspoken. There none of the deceit veiled in hollow formalities that prevails in society today. "Our latch-string is always out" meant a genuine hearty welcome to the humble home of the pioneer. Life in the Backwoods. We make the following extracts from "Life in the Backwoods," by Rev. James B. Finley, a pioneer of Adams County : "The first settlers could not have sustained themselves, had it not been for the wild game that was in the country. This was their principal subsistence ; and this they took at the peril of their lives, and often many of them came near starving to death. Wild meat without bread or salt, was often their food for weeks together. If they obtained bread, the 64 - HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY meal was pounded in a mortar or ground in a handmill. Hominy was a good substitute for bread, or parched corn pounded and sifted, then mixed with a little maple sugar and eaten dry ; or, mixed with water a good beverage. On this coarse fare the people were remarkably healthy and cheerful. No complaints were heard of dyspepsia; I never heard of this fashionable complaint till I was more than thirty years old and if the emigrants had come to these backwoods with dyspepsia, they would not have been troubled long with it; for a few months living on; buffalo meat, venison, and good fat bear meat, with the oil of the raccoon and opossum mixed with plenty of hominy, would soon have effected a cure. "Their children were fat and hearty, not having been tea with plum-pudding, sweetmeats and pound-cake. A more hardy race of men and women grew up in this wilderness than has ever been produced since; with more common sense and enterprise than is common to those who, sleep on beds of down, and feast on jellies and preserves ; and although they had not the same advantages of obtaining learning that the present generation have, yet they had this advantage; they were sooner thrown upon the world, became acquainted with men and things, and entirely, dependent on their own resources for a living. A boy at the age of sixteen was counted a man in labor and hunting, and was ready to go to war; now, one of that age hardly knows the road to mill or market. "Their attire was in perfect keeping with their fare. The men's apparel was mostly made of the deer's skin. This, well dressed, was made into hunting shirts, pantaloons, coats, waistcoats, leggins, and moccasins. The women sometimes wore petticoats of this most common and useful article ; and it supplied almost universally the place of shoes and boots. If a man was blessed with a linsey hunting-shirt, and the ladies with linsey dresses, and the children with the same, it was counted of the first order, even if the linsey was made from the wool of the buffalo. On some occasions the men could purchase a calico shirt; this was thought to be extra, for which they paid one dollar and fifty cents or two dollars in skins or furs. And if a woman had one calico dress to go abroad in, she was considered a finely dressed lady. Deer's hair or oak Ieaves was generally put into the moccasins and worn in place of stockings or socks. The household furniture consisted of stools, and bedsteads made with forks driven into the ground and poles laid on these with the bark of the trees, and on this beds made of oak leaves, or cattail stripped off and dried in the sun. They rocked their children in a sugar trough or pack-saddle. The cooking utensils consisted of a pot, dutch oven, skillet, frying pan, wooden trays and trenchers, and boards made smooth and clean. The table was made of a broad slab. And with these fixtures there never was a heartier, happier, more hospitable or cheerful people. Their interest were one, and their dependence on each other was indispensable, and all things were common. Thus united they lived as one family. "They generally married early in life, the men from eighteen to twenty-one, and the girls from sixteen to twenty. The difficulties of commencing the world were not so great ; and as both parties were contented to begin with nothing, there was no looking out for fortunes, or THE PIONEERS - 55 the expectations of living without labor. Their * affections were personal and sincere, which constituted a chief part of their domestic happiness, and endeared them to home. The sparkling log fire in the backwoods cabin, the gambols of half a dozen cheerful, healthy children, and the smiles of the happy wife and mother, made an earthly paradise. “Nothing could produce more' hilarity than a backwoods wedding. Most generally all the neighborhood, for miles around were invited; and if it was in the winter, there would be a log-heap or two somewhere near the cabin. Around these fires the men assembled with their rifles; the women in the cabin; and if there was a fiddler in the neighborhood he must be present at an hour stated. The parson, if one could be had, if not, the Justice of the Peace, called the assembly together, then the couple to be married. After the ceremony was over, and all had wished the happy pair much joy, then, if it could be had, the bottle passed ; ‘round the men then went, some to shooting at a mark, some. to throwing the tomahawk, others to hopping and jumping, throwing the rail or shoulder stone, others to running foot races ; the women were employed in cooking. When dinner was ready, the guests all partook of the very best bear meat, venison, turkey, etc. This being over the dance commences, and if there is no room in the cabin, the company repair to or near one of the log fires ; there they dance till night, and then they mostly return home ; yet many of the young people stay and perhaps dance all night on a rough puncheon floor, till their moccasins are worn through. The next day is the infare; the same scenes are again enacted, when the newly married pair single off to a cabin built for themselves, without twenty dollars' worth of property to begin the world with, and live more happily than those who roll in wealth and fortune. “I recollect when a boy to have seen a pair of those backwoods folks come to my father's to get married. The groom and bride had a bell on each of their horses' necks, and a horse-collar made of corn-huskson each horse to pay the marriage fee. The groom had a bottle of whiskey in his hunting shirt bosom. When they had entered the house, he asked if the, parson was at home. My father replied that he was the parson. "Then" said the groom, "may it please you, Mary McLain and I have come to get married. Will you do it for us?" "Yes," replied my father. "Well, then," said the groom, "we are in a hurry." So the knot was tied, and the groom pulled out his bottle to treat the company. He then went out, and took the collars of the horses' necks and brought them in as the marriage fee; and soon after they started for home in Indian file, with the bells on their horses open, to keep the younger colts which had followed them together. “The chimneys of the cabins were built on the inside by throwing on an extra log, three feet and a half from the wall. From this it was carried up with sticks and clay to the roof and some two feet above it. The whole width of the cabin was occupied for a fire-place, and wood *The early records of Adams County contain but few divorce cases. In commenting on this fact a Judge in this judicial district once remarked that there not a case of divorce on the records where the courting was done in a flax-patch or sugar camp; at a quilting or apple cutting. And we might add or "while bladin' cane," according to the observation of Judge Mason. 58- HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY ten or twelve feet long could be laid on ; when burned in two in the mid die, the ends could be pushed up, so as to keep a good fire through a long winter's night. "When there was but one bed in the cabin, it was no sign that you could not have a good night's rest, for after supper was over, and the feats of the day about hunting were all talked over, the skins were brought forth, bear, buffalo, or deer and spread down before a sparkling fire, and a blanket or buffalo robe to cover with ; and you could sleep sweetly as the visions of the night roll over the senses, till the morning dawn announced the approach of day. There were no windows, and but one opening for a door; this was generally narrow, and the door was made of two slabs, or a tree split in two and then hewed to the thickness of six or eight inches, then set up endwise and made with a bevel to lap over, The fastings consisted of three large bars fastened to staples on the inside walls. The floor, if not of earth, was of hewn slabs, and covered with clapboards. These cabins, if there was some care taken in putting down the logs close together, and they were scutched, would make the sweetest and healthiest habitations that man can live in. They are much healthier than stone or brick houses ; and I have no doubt there is a great deal more health and happiness enjoyed by the inmates of the former than the latter. "All the mills that the early settlers had was the hominy block, or a hand mill. The horse-mills or water-mills were so far off that it was like going on a pilgrimage to get a grist ; and besides the toll was so enormously high, one-half, that they preferred doing their own milling. "Almost every man and boy were hunters, and some of the women of those times were experts in the chase. The game which was considered the most profitable and useful was the buffalo, the elk, the bear, and the deer. The smaller game consisted of raccoon, turkey, opossum,. and ground-hog. The panther was sometimes used for food, and considered by some as good, The flesh of the wolf and wildcat was only used when nothing else could be obtained. "The backwoodsmen usually wore a hunting shirt and trousers made of buckskin, and moccasins of same material. His cap was made of coon-skin, and sometimes ornamented with a fox's tail. The ladies dressed in linsey-woolsey, and sometimes buckskin. "One great difficulty with the pioneers was to procure salt which sold enormously high, at the rate of four dollars for fifty pounds. In backwoods currency, it would require four buckskins, or a large bear skin, or sixteen coon skins to make the purchase. Often it could not be had at any price, and then the only way we had to procure it, was to pack a load of kettles on our horses to the Scioto salt lick, and boil the water ourselves. Otherwise we had to forego its use entirely. I have known meat cured with strong hickory ashes. "I imagine I hear the reader saying this was hard living and hard times. So they would have been to the present race of men, but those who lived at the time enjoyed life with a greater zest, and were more healthy and happy than the present race. We had not then sickly hysterical wives, with poor, puny, sickly dying children, and no dyspeptic men constantly swallowing the nostrums of quacks. When we became sick unto death, we died at once, and did not keep the neighborhood in a constant state of alarm for several weeks, by daily bulletins of our THE PIONEERS - 57 dying. Our young women were beautiful without rouge or cosmetics, and blithesome without wine. There was then no curvature of the spine, but the lassies were straight and fine-looking, without corsets. They were neat in their appearance, and fresh as the morning in their homespun. "We spun and wove our own fabrics for clothing; the law of kindness governed our social walks ; and if such a disastrous thing as a quarrel broke out, the difficulty was settled by a strong dish of fisticuffs. No man was permitted to insult another without resentment ; and if an It was permitted to pass unrevenged, the insulted party lost his standing and cast in society. It was seldom we had any preaching, but if a traveling minister came along and made an appointment, all would attend, the men in their hunting shirts with their guns." Early Marriage. The first law regulating marriages in the Territory was published the fall of 1788, at Marietta. Section 1. Provided that males .of the age of fourteen, and not prohibited by the laws of God, might be joined in marriages. Section 2. Provided that any of the Judges of the General Court or Common Pleas or ministers of any religious society within the district on which they resided, might solemnize marriages. Section 3. Provided that before being joined in marriage, the parties should give notice of their intentions by having them proclaimed the preceding Sabbath in their congregation ; or notices in writing under the hand and seal of one of the Judges before mentioned, or a Justice of the Peace of the county, and posted in some public place in the town where the parties respectively resided ; or a license might be obtained from the Governor, under his hand and seal, authorizing the marriage without the publication aforesaid. A supplementary act was passed August 1, 1792, empowering every Justice of the Peace to solemnize marriages in their respective counties, after publication aforesaid, or upon license. The following list embraces all the marriages that took place in Adams County down to January 1, 1800. The records are missing am from that date down to May, 1803. We give a partial list of the marriages, for the subsequent ten years : 1798. April 17—James Scott and Elizabeth Kilgore, by James Scott. April 17—Joseph Lane and Mary Hastley, by James Scott. June 5—Thomas Harrod and Esther Templin, by James Scott. June 12—Andrew Edgar and Nancy Brooks, by James Scott. Aug. 7—Turner Davis and Elizabeth Vance, by John Belli. Aug. 7—William Russell and Ruth Heneman, by John Belli. Aug 15—John Stockham and Francis Kahn, by Moses Baird. Oct. 31—James Folsom and Elizabeth Martin, by John Russell. Oct. 31—Jacob Strickley and Martha Cox of Mason County, Kentucky, by John Russell. Nov. 26—Fred Baless and Nancy Erls, by Thomas Kirker. Jan. 10--John Davis and Nancy Aikens, by Moses Baird. 58 - HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY 1799. Jan. 3—David Miller and Catharine Studebaker, by Moses Baird. Jan. 22—Peter Bible and Isabel Morrison, by Thomas Kirker. Jan. 22—George Noleman and Polly Edgington, by Thomas Kirker. March 5—Jesse Nelson and Martha Wilson, by Moses Baird. April 4—Thomas Foster and Jennie McGovney, by Rev. John Dunlavy May 16—William Stout and Margaret Bennett, by John Russell. May 16—Isaac Stout and Ann Snodgrass, by John Russell. June 14-Joseph White and Elizabeth McHenry, by John Russell. July 25—John Smith and Nancy Dennis, by Noble Grimes. Aug. 8—Abraham Thomas and Margaret Baker, by Rev. John Dunlavy Aug. 20—Elijah Shepherd and Hannah Rodgers, by John Belli. Aug. 25—Alexander Barker and Beckey Dennis, by Noble Grimes. Sept. 12—Abraham Shepherd and Peggy Moore, by Rev. John Dunlavy Sept. 17—Jonathan Liming and Jane Liming, by Rev. John Dunlavy. Oct. 23—Joseph Corns and Anna Truesdale, by John Belli. Dec. 20—Alexander Burnside and Margaret Martin, by John Belli. Dec. 30—John Jones and Jane Mitchell; by John Belli. 1803. May 12—Wm. Morrison and Prudence Noleman, by Rev. John Dunlavy May 5—Richard Woodworth and Sarah Roberson, by Rev. John Moore May 26—William McClelland and Margaret Fink, by Israel Donalson. June 2—Robert Taylor and Sarah Palmer, by Mills Stephenson. April 18—Nathan Glaze and Nancy, Creswell, by Mills Stephenson. April 13—William Bayne and Patty Bayne, by Mills Stephenson. June 3—Marcus Tolonge and Sara Bagger, by Mills Stephenson. Sept. 15—Colehnan Asberry and Amy Compton, by Nathan Ellis. Sept. 9—Henry Shaw and Nancy Rogers, by Joseph Newman. Oct. 6—Peter Parker and Mary Fele, by Joseph Newman. Sept. 15—James McIntyre and Ann Roebuck, by John Baldwin. May 14-Michael Sloop and Mary Ann Gilsever, by John Russell. Aug. 3—William Frizel and Nancy Stolcup, by John Russell. Sept. 22—William Coale and Sara Stout, by John Russell. Sept. 15—George Campbell and Caty Noland, by Thos. Odell. Aug. 18—William Taylor and Millie Key, by Jas. Parker. Aug. 30—Daniel Kerr and Sarah Curry, by Jas. Parker. Nov. 21—Alex. Harover and Mary Stevenson, by Nathan Ellis. Oct. 6—John Davidson and Isabel Pence, by William Leedom. Sept. 29—James Hunter and Hannah Gordon, by William Leedom. Oct. 20—John Moore and Nancy Edwards, by Jos. Moore. Nov. 21—John Knots and Catharine Adams, by Rev. Thos. Odell. Oct. 9—Nicholas Washburn and Lily Lacock, by Mills Stephenson. Oct. 20—James King and Elizabeth Larwell, by Mills Stephenson. Dec. 15—John Davidson and Margaret Kincaid, by Rev. John Dunlavy 1804. Jan. 5—Thomas Mullen and Ann Megonigle, by Philip Lewis. Jan. 26—William McCormick and Mary Charlton, by John Ellison. Jan. 16—John Shelton and Sarah Middleton, by Jas. Parker. THE PIONEERS - 59 Jan. 15—Thomas Lewis and Irene Smith, by Rev. T. W. Levimey. Feb. 23—James McComas and Esther Smith, by Noble Grimes. Feb. 23 James Horn and Elizabeth Miller, by Rev. John Dunlavy. Feb. i 5-Gilbert Hiett and Polly Gunnings, by William Leedom. March 1—John Abbott and Hannah Reynolds, by Jos. Newman. Feb. 29—Jonathan Wamsley and Sarah Odell, by Rev. Thomas Odell. May 6—Joseph Reynolds and Jane Abbott, by Joseph Newman. May 23—George Fisher and Hannah Haden, by Joseph Newman. May 17—Solomon Shoemaker and Agnes Kerr, by Paul Kerr. June 26—Aquilla Denham and Harriet Thompson, by Hiram Currey. June 30 - George Roebuck and Ann Bealles, by Jas. Parker. May 23-Adam Morrow and Frankie Barley, by Mills Stephenson. April 19—Samuel Smith and Mary Peyton, by Philip Lewis. Feb. 12—Levi Sparks and Mildred Anderson, by Noble Grimes. July 12 Joseph Lovejoy and Priscilla Anderson, by Noble Grimes. July 12--Stephen Clark and Rebecca Ogle, by Noble Grimes.: Aug. 9-Lewis Coleman and Elizabeth Stalcup, by John Russell. July 15—Cornelius Cain and Elizabeth. Newman, by Jas. Moore. Aug. 14—William King and Peggy Wright, by Samuel Wright. Dec. 26—Mathew Thompson and Mary Simral, by John Baldwin. Dec. 29—John Copas and Betsey -Grooms, by James Carson. Oct. 13—William Dunbar and Rebecca Delaplane, by John Ellison. 1805: Feb. 4, Isaac Edgington and Sarah Bryan,. by William Leedom. Jan. 20—John Philips and Elizabeth Cole, by Paul Kerr. Feb. 7—James Moore and Peggy Wade, by Wm. Leedom. March 25—William Rolland and Sally Crawford, by John Russell. March 25—john Means and Sally Collier, by John Russell. May 23—Thomas Palmer and Ruth Noleman, by William Leedom. July 4—Philip Lewis, Jr., and Nancy Humble, by Rev. T. W. Levinney. June 27—William Wills and Sara Shepherd, by Rev. James Gilleland. Nov. 4—John Baldridge and Lila Cole; by James Scott. Dec. 2—Andrew Elliott and Martha McCreight, by Robt. Elliott. 1806. June 23 - Isaac Edgington and Margaret Palmer, by James Scott. June 20—James Wilson and Sally Horn, by Robt. Dobbins, V. D. M. June 26 - John Grooms and Deborah Sutterfield, by James Moore. July 17—Isaac Aerl and Rebecca Collier, by P. Lewis, Jr. July 21—David Murphy and Catharine Williams, by P. Lewis, Jr. June - 25Hugh Montgomery and Polly Secrist, by Robt. Elliott. June 25—Jesse Stout and Sara Morrison, by John Russell. June 19—John Ailes and Rebecca Vires, by John Russell. July 10—John Bilyue and Grace Dunbar, by James Moore. Oct 11—John Sellman and Nelly Parmer, by Wm. Leedom. Aug. 7—Philip Bourman and Mary Dragoo, by Jas. Parker. Aug. 8--Hezekiah Bellie and Sarah Stephenson, by John Russell. Oct 24—John Hamilton and Isabella Smith, by Wm. Lee. Dec 11--Reuben Pennywitt and Mary Lucas.by Wm.Williamson,V.D.M. 60 - HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY 1806. Dec. 25—George Washington Green Harroll and Sarah Askren, by Stephenson. Aug 3—Robel Butler and Comfort Pettijohn, by Mills Stephenson. 1807. Oct. 9—Henry McGarah and, Sarah Young, by James Moore. May 27—Dr. Joseph Keith and Sarah Beasley (relict Major John Beasley), by Rev. Wm. Williamson. Oct. 22—John West and Barbara Platter, by Curliss Cannon. Dec. 11—Samuel Laremore and Catherine McGate, by Jas. Moore. 1808. Jan. 14—Hamilton Dunbar and Delilah Sparks, by James Scott. Jan. 1—William McClanahan and Nancy Paull, by Adam Kirkpatrick.: Feb. 18—Samuel Finley and Polly Glasgow, by James Scott. Dec. 9—Thomas Lockhart and Marry Grimes; by P. Lewis, Jr. Nov. 10—Davis Reynolds and Milley Dunn, by John Lindsey. 1809. March 10—Jesse Grimes and Polly Meggitt (McGate), by John Ellison Feb. 28—Moses Lockhart and Sarah Aldred, by John Russell. March 23—Cornelius Washburn and Susanna Dunn, by John Lindsey. April 6—John Mannon and Sarah Washburn, by John Lindsey. June 8—James Wikoff and Rachel Ellis, by Rev. Robt. Dobbins. June 8—William Russell and Nancy Wood, by Rev. Abbott Goddard. Aug. 17—James Collier and Sarah Eyler, by Job Dinning. Sept. 14—Thomas Hayslip and Isabel Paul, by Wm. Williamson, V. D. Sept. 13—Robt. Glasgo and Rosanna Finley, by John W. Campbell. Sept. 25—Enos Johnson and Sally Sparks, by John W. Campbell. Nov. 2—Samuel Finley and Milley Sparks, by John W. Campbell. Oct. 24—Horace L. Palmer and "the amiable Miss Margeretia Campbell      of Kentucky," by Mills Stephenson, J. P. Dec. 11—"The Honorable John Ewing to the amiable Mrs. Hannah Cutler, both of the county of Adams," by William Laycock, J. P. 1810. March 2—Mark Pennwitt and Nancy Naylor, by Wm. Williamson, V.D.M March 14—Thomas Dawson and Druzilla Palmer, by James Parker. March 14—Damascus Brooks and Priscilla Palmer, by James Parker. April 3—Angus McCoy and Agnes Horn, by Rev. James Gilliland. April 26—Thomas McGovney and Jenny Graham, by Samuel Young. June 28—Stout Pettit and Martha McDermott, by Jos. Westbrook. 1811. Jan. 14—John Dixon and Polly Middleswart, by Mills Stephenson. Aug. 8—Jacob Edgington and Mary Anne Dobbins, by Rev. Robt. Dobbins. * James Parker certified that " Archibaid Ousler " was married on the 8th day of April, 1808. THE PIONEERS -61 1812. March 26—Joseph McKee to Peggy Eakins, by Joseph Westbrook. 1813. Feb. 11—Zachariah Grooms to Fanny Shanks, by Job Dinning. REMINISCENCES. Diseases of the Pioneers. The first settlers were attacked with a skin disease which produced a terrible itching. All newcomers to the settlement became afflicted with this disease. It was attributed to the water. Sore eyes prevailed to a very great extent, and influenza was a frequent scourge in the early spring of each year. It was then believed to be caused by the melting of the snow in the mountains. Fevers prevailed along the river and the bottom and the valleys of the larger streams . due to the use of creek and river water, there being no wells, and to the decay of vegetable matter in the newly cleared lands. For this reason the highlands were occupied by the pioneers in preference to the rich bottoms which could be purchased at the same at the same price per acre, as the uplands. The bloody flux prevailed at frequent periods in the early settlement of the country, produced by bad water and excessive use of green vegetables, and unripe fruit, especially wild plums which grew in great abundance in the bottoms of all the streams. The poorer classes of women went barefooted most of the year to which was attributed cases of obstruction of calamenia and hysteria. Medicinal Herbs and Moots. There were few, if any physicians in the early settlement. In cases of fractures some one in the neighborhood more skilled than others did the setting and bandaging. Cuts and bruises were simply bound up, and nature did the rest. Cases of childbirth were attended by the elderly women of the vicinity. The ills of children were colds, bowel complaint and worms, and horehound, catnip and the wormwood were the remedial agencies. Among the other standard roots and herbs were senna serpentaria virginia, tormentilla, stellae, valerian, podophillum peltatum (may apple), percoon. sarsaparilla, yellow root, hydrastis canadensis, rattleweed, gentian, ginseng, magnolia (wild cucumber), prickley ash, spikenard, calamint, spearmint, pennyroyal, dogwood, wild ginger (coltsfoot), sumach and beech drop. Whiskey and Tobacco. In the early days of the country all classes used whiskey as a medicine and a beverage. "Old Monongahela double distilled" was a staple article. Old and young, men and women drank it, and there was but little drunkenness. After the settlements were made in the interior there were hundreds of little copper stills set up along the spring branches, and much of the grain grown was consumed in making "Old Monongahela" or something "just as good." The whiskey and brandy in those days had one recommendation—they were not adulterated. But even 62 - HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY then "the appetite" of some overcame their discretion, and they became sots, and eyesores to the community. An early Methodist preacher gave as his reason for not becoming a member of a Seceder congregation, was that he had seen one of the elders carried home drunk and the next Sabbath he again saw him at the communion table. The preachers in those days expected the black bottle with spikenard, dogwood buds, and snakeroot, in the whiskey to be passed as an "appetizer" before meals. Many were not averse to taking it "straight." Of the early prominent families, nearly all got a start in the world in the whiskey business, in either its distillation, or by keeping "tavern" or "grocery" where chief source of profits was from the "liquor" sold. But then it was "fashionable" and fashion rules the world. Floods in the Ohio. The first great flood in the Ohio, over thirty miles of which borders. Adams County, is that of 1765 which swept the Shawnee village " Lower Old Town" from the high bottoms near the old site of Alexandria below the mouth of the Scioto. In 1808 the Ohio in this region again became higher than ever was known before, and the great flood in 1832 was thought to be the limit. In 1847 there was a December flood that almost equalled that of 1832. In 1867 there was a June freshet that caused great damage to crops, and swelled the Ohio to the "great flood" mark. In the winter of 1883 the record was broken in the "great floods" of the Ohio, 66 feet and 4 inches above low water mark at Cincinnati ; which is 2 feet and 6 inches above bed of the channel. The flood of 1832 reached 64 feet and 3 inches at Cincinnati. But the greatest flood came February 14, 1884 when the Ohio reached the height of 71 feet and three-fourths of an inch above low water mark at Cincinnati. At Manchester the waters reached the Hotel Brit, from which skiffs took, and returned guests. Backwater came up Brush Creek to the vicinity of the Sproull bridge. In 1832 the backwater came up Brush Creek of forge dam. Great Gatherings of the People. The first great gathering of the people, and one of the largest considering population and means of travel at that period was at the hanging of Beckett at West Union in 1808, an account of which is recorded in this volume. It had been a noted trial in many respects and the crime committed by Beckett had been discussed throughout southern Ohio, northern Kentucky and western Virginia, from which regions people came in great numbers to witness the execution. Among those from a distance was Capt William Wells, a noted frontiersman and the founder of the town of Wellsville, Ohio. The next great meeting of the people was at the great Vallandigham rally at Locust Grove September 4, 1867. Political excitement was at highest pitch and people from Brown, Highland, Pike and Scioto counties, came in wagons, on horseback and some on foot to attend this great rally. The roads leading to Locust Grove were lined with campers the night before, who had come from a distance to be at the meeting the next day. It is said that fifteen thousand people, men women "and children, attended this meeting. THE PIONEERS - 63 The third and last, and greatest outpouring of the whole people of Adams County, practically, was at the Centennial meeting at West on, Union, July 4, 1876. The crowd has been conservatively estimated at twenty thousand people, while others put it much higher. It took one line two hours and. forty-five minutes to pass the old toll-gate on the Manchester pike. There were present Maj. Joseph McKee, aged 87; William Jackson, aged 85 ; William Brooks, aged 79; James Umble, aged 85; James Little, aged 83; and Andrew B. Ellison, aged 81; survivors the War of 1812. Thomas J. Mullen delivered the address of welcome. W. H. Pennywitt, Rev. I. H. DeBruin, John W. McClung and others addressed the assembled people. The Squirrel Plague. In 1808 the crops of corn were greatly injured and in many places destroyed by myriads of gray squirrels. They seemed to be migrating from the north to the south. Hundreds could be seen crossing the Ohio River where it was nearly a mile wide. In this attempt thousands were drowned. They were greatly emaciated and most of them were covered with running ulcers made by worms of the grub kind. By the first of January they had mostly disappeared. Afterwards woodmen in cutting into hollow trees would find them filled with the bones and skins of squirrels, some trees containing as many as forty or fifty. From this it would seem that they died of disease and not of famine. This was the season that fever and influenza ravaged the country. The Legislature passed an act requiring each male over twenty-one years of age to produce to the County Clerk 100 squirrel scalps or pay three dollars cash. >Flocks of Pigeons. In the early history of the county and as recently as 1865, great flocks of wild pigeons came into the county in the seasons when there was much mast. These would fly in such numbers as to darken the sky overhead, and in lighting in the timber would crash the branches and limbs like the force of a hurricane. The Regulators. After the Civil War, a class of "refugees" came into the eastern portion of Adams County and the western border of Scioto, and committed many petty crimes. Some of them were accused of horse stealing. A number of prominent citizen formed a kind of league, known at the "Regulators" who punished and drove out the most offensive of the "refugees." The "Regulators" held annual public re-unions for years. A Glen on Beasley. Many of the steep hillsides bordering the streams are covered with dense thickets of "red brush" which in the early springtime when the buds are fully blown, appear like clusters of lilacs, or huge bouquets of violets. They have a charm that never tires. On the headwaters of Beasley's Fork, near West Union, is a glen noted for the beauty of its redbud coves and the number of its redbird inhabitants. Years ago 64 - HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY Judge Mason, noting the particular charms of the locality and the number of its scarlet plumed dwellers, named it Redbird, which others (mistaking the name to refer to the thickets of "red brush") called Redbud. Noting this fact, the writer spent a pleasant afternoon in the month of May, in company with the Judge along this charming glen, to determine which name should go down in history. The decision favored borth. And so it shall be "Redbud," "Redbird," and its charms shall be perpetuated in the following lines by an unknown author whose name deserves to be enrolled among the immortals : The Redbud and the Redbird. The redbud thicket by yonder stream, Shines forth with a roseate purple gleam As if from the sky at even. A sunset cloud had deserted the blue To join with the green its brighter hue, Brought down from the azure heaven. And out and in, on his crimson wing, With a note of love that he only can sing, The redbird gaily is flitting; As if a cluster of bloom from the tree Had started to life and minstrelsy Its beauty to melody fitting. Sweet tree—sweet bird! Such a pair I ween, In the month of beauty was never seen Nor heard in so sweet a duetto ; Where blossom and bird have equal part, And where each raptured, listening heart May furnish its own libretto. One sings in color, one blooms in song, Both making sweet harmony all day long In the pleasant vernal weather A charming music, or seen or heard For the redbud and the redbird Ever blossom and sing together. Redbud, ceris canadensis. Redbird, Tanagra aestiva.