HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 225 Two weeks after the bridge disaster, Charles Collins, chief engineer for the railroad company, was found dead in his room in a hotel in Cleveland. The presence of a revolver, and other conditions, led to the general belief that he had committed suicide. It had been stated that Mr. Collins had personally inspected the bridge but a very short time before it went down and the chief engineer had been severely critizised. It was generally believed that he had brooded over this attitude of the public mind until he had become temporarily deranged and in that condition had committed the crime of self-destruction. The absence of the bridge interrupted traffic for several months, pending the clearing away of the debris and the construction of a temporary structure. Meantime, all passengers traveling through, east or west, had the diversion of turning out from their nice, warm cars and taking a two-mile sleigh ride, being conveyed around the break via Mill Hill, day or night, as the case might be, and regardless of weather conditions. To shelter the passengers east of the break, a temporary depot was built, for a transfer station. The excitement gradually wore away and the public mind was eventually turned toward other happenings and business. People ceased to talk about the wreck as a leading topic of conversation, and the tragedy became a matter of history. There were, however, in Ashtabula, persons who thought it was not fitting that the graves of those unfortunates who had been unrecognizable should be left unmarked, eventualy to have their identity lost in the passage of time. Expression was given to this thought and the idea began to grow on the people. Fifteen years had elapsed from the time of the making of the graves, before any action was taken in the direction of a memorial. Then, in the spring of 1891, something was started, and the result was far reaching. This shall be the subject of another caption, as it is a story by itself. It is hard for one who was not on that train to even imagine the chaos that immediately followed the falling of the bridge, but some idea of the panic is given in an account by Miss Marian Shepard, of Ripon, Wis., who was one of the survivors. We give credit for same to the Williams Brothers History. Miss Shepard said : "The passengers were grouped about the car in twos, fours and even larger parties. Some were lunching, some were chatting, and quite a (13) 226 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY number were playing cards. The bell-rope snapped in two, one piece flying against one of the lamp glasses, smashing it and knocking the burning candle to the floor. Then the cars ahead of us went bump, bump, bump, as if the wheels were jumping over ties. Until the bumping sensation was felt, every one thought the glass globe had been broken by an explosion. Several jumped up, and some siezed the tops of seats to steady themselves. Suddenly there was an awful crash. I can not describe the noise. There were all sorts of sounds. I could hear, above all, a sharp, ringing sound, as if all the glass in the train was being shattered in pieces. Some one cried out 'We are going down!' At that moment all the lights in the car went out. It was utter darkness. I stood up in the center of the aisle. I knew that something awful was happening and, having had some experience in railroad accidents, I braced myself as best I knew how. I felt the car floor sinking under my feet. The sensation of falling was very apparent. I thought of a great many things, and I made up my mind I was going to be killed. For the first few seconds we seemed to be dropping in silence. I could hear the other passengers breathing. Then, suddenly, the car was filled with flying splinters and dust, and we seemed to be breathing some heavy substance. For a moment I was almost suffocated. We went down, down. Oh, it was awful ! It seemed to me we had been falling two minutes. The berths were slipping from their fastenings and falling upon the passengers. We heard an awful crash. As the sounds died away, there were heavy groans all around us. It was dark as the grave. I was thrown down. Just how I fell is more than I can say. A gentleman had fallen across me, but we were both on our feet in a moment. Every one alive was scrambling and struggling to get out. I heard some one say, 'Hurry out—the car will be on fire in a minute!' Another man shouted, 'The water is coming and we will be .drowned.' The car seemed lying partly on one side. In the scramble, a man caught hold of me and cried out, 'Help me. Don't leave me.' A woman from one corner of the car cried, 'Help me save my husband.' He was caught under a berth and some seats. I was feeling around in the dark, trying to release him, when some one at the other end of the car said they were all right, and he would help the man out. I groped along to the door, crawling over the heating arrangement in getting to it. While I was getting out at the door, others were crawling out at the windows. On the left the cars were on fire. On the right a pile of rubbish as high as I could see HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 227 barred escape in that direction. In front of me were some cars standing on end, or in a sloping position. I followed a man who was trying to scale the pile of debris. I got up to a coach which was resting on one edge of the roof. The side was so slippery and icy that I could not walk on it, and so I crawled over it. The car was dark inside, and oh, what heartrending cries issued from it ! It seemed filled with people who were dying. Two men, a Mr. White, of Chicago, and a Mr. Tyler, of St. Louis, helped me down from the end of the car. Then I was in the snow up to my knees. Mr. Tyler was badly gashed about the face and was covered with blood. This stain on my sleeve was from his wound. Right under our feet lay a man, his head down in a hole and his legs under the corner of the car. He asked for help, and Mr. White and Mr. Tyler released his legs, somehow, and some other men carried him away. It was storming terribly. The wind was blowing a perfect gale. By this time the scene was lighted up by the burning cars. The abutments looked as high as Niagara. Away above us I could see a crowd of spectators. Down in the wreck there was a perfect panic. Some were so badly frightened and panic stricken that they had to be dragged out of the wreck to keep them from burning up. Before we got out of the chasm the whole train was in a blaze. The locomotive, the cars, the bridge were mixed up in one indistinguishable mass. From the burning heap came shrieks and the most pitiable cries for help. I could hear, far above me, the clanging of bells, alarming the citizens. We climbed up the steep side of the gorge, flounder-. ing in snow two feet deep. They took us to an engine house, where there was a big furnace fire. The wounded were brought in and laid out on the floor. They were injured in every conceivable way. Some had their legs broken; some had gashed and bleeding faces, and some were so horribly crushed they seemed to be dying." Monument to Unknown Dead.—(The editor is indebted to Lucien Seymour, now a resident of Cleveland, for most of the information in the following account of how the memory of the unknown dead of the Ashtabula disaster was perpetuated.) After a lapse of 17 years, prompted by persistent inquiry of friends who came to learn where the unrecognized dead of the Ashtabula bridge disaster of Dec. 29, 1876, had been buried, Thomas W. McCreary, then manager of the Hotel James, proposed the erection of a monument to mark the place where the bodies had been buried. 228 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY McCreary, a member of Unity Lodge, Knights of Pythias, at a meeting of the lodge held in the month of June, 1893, offered a resolution providing for the appointment of a committee of five to undertake the raising of funds to defray the expense of erecting a suitable monument to the memory of the unknown dead. The resolution was unanimously adopted and the following were chosen to serve as such committee: James L. Smith, Thomas W. McCreary, Norris W. Simonds, Clarence E. Richardson and Lucien Seymour. At the first meeting of the committee the following officers were elected : Chairman, James L. Smith ; secretary, Thomas W. McCreary ; treasurer, Lucien Seymour. The committee proceeded to perform their duty by issuing to the public generally, and to the knights of Pythias, an appeal for funds. It was proposed to solicit a contribution of $2 from each lodge in the state, but before this action could be taken, it was necessary to secure the consent of the grand chancellor of the Knights of Pythias of the domain of Ohio. Much to the chagrin of the committee, this consent was refused, thereby precipitating a controversy as to good policy, which ended in the committee proceeding as a committee of citizens. The work of the committee consumed about two years, their correspondence in solicitation of funds from interested parties reaching into nearly every quarter of the globe. Contributions were received from relatives and friends living in England, France, Mexico and other foreign countries, as well as from nearly every state in the Union. In the aggregate, the gifts amounted to $1,180. When a sufficient sum had been received to warrant definite steps looking to the purchase of a suitable monument, the committee began negotiations in that direction. A firm located in the heart of the granite quarries of Vermont was finally awarded the contract, and operations began without delay. The result was a full realization of the hopes of the committee, for the monument was completed and erected in time to be unveiled on Memorial day, in 1895. The attractive shaft is of the oblique style, 8 1/2 feet at the base, and from ground to shaft is 10 feet, making the shaft one solid piece 37 feet high, 26 feet above, fashioned in alternate rough and smooth blocks of gray Vermont granite and pyramidal at apex. On the base stone are carved the names of all persons known to have been on the. ill-fated train who had not been accounted for. The foundation stone also shows the HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 229 names of the committee whose tireless efforts led to the realization of a permanent memorial that has ever been admired by all visitors to Chestnut Grove Cemetery. Its location is a commanding spot on one of the main drives. The work incident to the solicitation of funds was no mean undertaking. The method of getting the project before the people was a matter for careful consideration and it was necessary to make a considerable expenditure for printing, stationery and other essentials to a successful canvass. This preliminary requirement was taken care of by Unity Lodge, which advanced the necessary funds to get the project well on its feet. Almost the first and greatest work was to locate the relatives of those who had perished. It was also desired to get in touch with the survivors, as it was thought that they would feel like donating, through a sense of gratitude that they were not among the number for whom the monument was to be built. The committee sent out over a thousand personal letters (and they did not have the use of a typewriter at that time). The responses to these letters were of varied nature, though generally satisfactory to the committee. One is recalled, from a woman in a Western state, who had lost her husband in the wreck. In response to the solicitation, she said she was not interested in making a donation, as she had married again. The citizens of Ashtabula donated liberally. The Ashtabula Rapid Transit Company, operating the city car line, donated the fares on the cars on a given evening, which resulted in a very respectable donation, as the offer of the company was given widespread advertising and people were urged to take a car ride on that night. The opera house, of which J. L. Smith, of the committee, was owner and manager, gave a benefit performance. Orchestras donated their services for benefit events. The papers were unstinted in giving their space to publicity. As amusing as was the incident above related of the woman who was not interested was the offer of an itinerant dentist who struck town during the campaign. He had no interest in the project, excepting that he was a Knight of Pythias, but it looked like good policy to get aboard, so he advertised that on a certain date he would not only extract teeth without pain, but he would donate the entire proceeds of the day. to the monument fund. He was a tired dentist that night, and the fund was considerably augmented. Among the donors who did not contribute as relatives or friends were Governor William McKinley Jr., who was later made President of the 230 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY United States ; Mrs. James A. Garfield, widow of the former President ; Hon. L. C. Reeve, Erie ; C. A. Coffin, general manager of the T. & H. Electrical Company, Boston ; Samuel Mather and the M. A. Hanna Company, vessel firms of Cleveland ; Evangelist Ira D. Sankey, boon friend and associate of P. P. Bliss ; Unity Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and the general public. The railroad company made a conditional offer of $200 for the fund, but the conditions named were such that the committee declined the donation. In connection with the promotion of the monument project, Unity Lodge members had a rather exciting experience. After defraying the expenses of the committee for some months, it was finally felt that the lodge had done all that it could consistently stand toward the effort, and had to decline to aid further. That put it up to the committee to meet their own expenses, which they did, and the result was a very generous donation from each of them, in addition to all the hard work they did for nothing. The refusal of the grand chancellor to allow solicitation of state lodges was a big disappointment to the committee, but they were not to be daunted so easily, so they conceived the idea of making it a personal matter. Accordingly, they sent a personal letter to one member whose name could be obtained, of each lodge, explaining the situation and asking him to solicit small donations from individual members to the extent of $2 total. By this means they hoped to accomplish their original design, without implicating the lodge. Hearing of this action, the grand chancellor issued a circular to all lodges, stating that the committee in Ashtabula had violated his orders, and demanded that the letters to individuals be recalled. The committee refused to recall the letters, on the grounds that it was a personal matter and one in which the grand chancellor had no concern. This resulted in an order being issued by the grand chancellor, suspending Unity Lodge, and his representative was sent here to take up the charter, pending an investigation. When the matter had been reviewed and explanations made, the grand chancellor reconsidered his action and the lodge was restored to good standing in its domain, but the monument project had to be continued entirely outside of any lodge connection. The ceremonies attending the unveiling of the completed monument were held in conjunction with the Grand Army of the Republic and constituted the most elaborate Decoration day demonstration ever made be- HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 231 fore or since in this city. The exercises of the day began with a procession consisting of relatives, friends and invited guests, mayor and city council, lodges, visitors, fire companies and other organizations, and included the personal appearance of the famous old war horse, "Ned," which animal's presence had been secured for the day. The procession was formed at North Park at 1 p. m. and, headed by Maj. Frank Viets, as marshal for the occasion, and the Citizens' Band, of Painesville, the line of march was through the business section to Chestnut Grove Cemetery, where it rested in a circle surrounding the monument. The Hon. Henry Fassett, as president of the day, assumed charge of the ceremonies at the cemetery, attending the unveiling of the shaft. The program was opened with a prayer, following which Lucien Seymour, of the committee, gave a short address and, at the close of his remarks, pulled the string that unfurled the flag from around the monument. At this instant there occurred a phenomenon which seemed to imply that Dame Nature wished it known that she appreciated the import of the occasion. It was a terrifically hot day, with scarcely a breath of wind to break the monotony of the oppressive heat. As Mr. Seymour pulled the rope, the flag hung limp about the shaft for a few seconds, then, as if to assist in the effectiveness of the occasion, a strong gust of wind came from out of the clear sky, which spread the flag so that it stood straight out from the monument and formed a veritable canopy above the throng of bystanders. The occurrence seemed to impress every witness. The Hon. Harry A. Garfield and the Hon. J. H. Hoyt, of Cleveland, were speakers for the occasion, and the Emerson Male Quartet and the band furnished the music. During the ceremonies at the cemetery, the locomotive "Columbia",, which was the one ahead of the ill-fated train, that poised on the brink of the chasm, occupied a position on a sidetrack near the cemetery, appropriately draped. CHAPTER XIV. AUSTINBURG TOWNSHIP. TORRINGTON LAND COMPANY-JUDGE ELIPHALET AUSTIN - TOWN OF AUSTINBURG-FIRST CHURCH TN RESERVE-FIRST HOTEL-FIRST WOMAN-THE INDIAN'S FAREWELL GRAND RIVER INSTITUTE--EAGLEVILLE. In the lottery apportionment, mentioned elsewhere, Eliphalet Austin, William Battell, Samuel Rockwell and Ephraim Robbins became the joint owners of Township No. 11, Range 4, embracing the acres later named Austinburg, to perpetuate the memory of the first named owner. The holdings of these four men represented an investment of $12,893.15, and their ownership included 15,645 acres. This was all forest land, with a beautiful river skirting it, which promised wonderful facilities for transportation and power for a community, as this river entered Lake Erie, a few miles away. The owners of this land were still back in Connecticut and, after the drawing had been completed, they and the men of the company who had drawn land immediately adjacent to that held by Austin and his partners. held a conference and decided that they would proceed at once to clear and develop their property and make it attractive, in hope of an early colonization. They formed the Torrington Land Company, and immediately set preparations afoot for organizing an initial party, to include some of the owners and others, to set out for the new country, and learn what successes or failures it might hold for them. The early history of Austinburg is very aptly related by the Rev. S. D. Peet, at one time an Ashtabula minister, who prepared it for the historical work published in 1878 by Williams Brothers. Taking up the thread of the story at this point, he writes : "After the purchase, and this singular allotment of the land, the Torrington Land Company resolved to immediately attempt the colonization of their purchase. This first resolution, however, fell short of its purpose.  - 232 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 233 The enterprise was committed to Colonel Blakeslee, as the leader, and preparations were made to set' out at once for the region. It is said that Colonel Blakeslee went so far as to deed his property and receive a title to land in Austinburg in exchange, together with a grant of 70 acres on Grand River (the one skirting the property), including a mill site. It will be discovered from the records of the surveying party that the township now called Austinburg was designated in the field notes as 'Blakeslee'. The undertaking was abandoned, however, as a prospect of a war with the French and some fear of Indian disturbances discouraged the party and broke down the enterprise. Colonel Blakeslee therefore abandoned the property and afterwards took a commission in the army, which had been called by order of President Adams, and served until the' adjustment of difficulties, in 1801. "About the same time a singular incident befell one of the members of the company, which resulted in a way least expected, but which proved almost providential, at least a blessing in disguise. Judge Austin, the leading spirit of the company, was bitten by a mad dog, and symptoms of hydrophobia developed, nearly baffling the skill of the best physicians. He was advised to leave his home and divert his thoughts from his condition by traveling in other parts. This resulted in his resolution to make a tour to his wild lands in the West. "Accordingly, in the spring of 1799, Judge Austin, accompanied by Rosswell Stevens and his bride, and three young men, David Allen, Anson Colt and Samuel Fobes, all of whom he had hired for the purpose ; and George Beckwith, his wife and two children, set out with farming tools and a team on the long journey. "All traveled together until they reached Schenectady. There he put the married men and their wives and children abroad a couple of small boats, and the three single men and himself proceeded by land. The land party having arrived in the vicinity, Judge Austin proceeded at once to Harpersfield, to the home of Alexander Harper, and thence to the landing, hoping to find the boat. Not meeting the party there, he returned to the Harper home and went to bed. "During the night the household was aroused by the voice of a messenger, who had come to tell them of the safe arrival of the boat party, and next day the goods and provisions were transported to Austinburg on sleds. Cabins were soon erected. These were constructed from 234 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY unhewn, rough logs, with bark roofs held in place by poles lying crosswise from end to end of the cabins. The cabin occupied by Judge Austin stood on the spot now (1876) occupied by Irving Knapp's brick building. George Beckwith's cabin stood near where is now Grand River Institute. "As soon as Judge Austin and his company had settled in their new homes, they began the work of leveling the forest and clearing the land for the first crop of wheat. He spent the following summer visiting other holdings in that vicinity and their tenants, and in the fall he returned to his Eastern home. "The names of Deacon Noah Cowles, Capt. Joseph Case and his son, afterward Deacon James M. Case ; Adna, Solomon and Joseph B. Cowles ; Roger Nettleton, Dr. Orestes K. Hawley, John Wright Jr., Jonah Moses, Daniel C. Phelps, Isaac Butterfield, Ephraim Rice, Calvin Stone, David Allen and Sterling Mills, together with Judge Eliphalet Austin and his family, were members of the colony which, under the leadership of Judge Austin, started in the spring of 1800, from Connecticut, and eventually joined the others in Austinburg. "Judge Austin transported from the East, on this trip, the first stock of goods taken into Austinburg, consisting of groceries, clothing, boots and shoes, hardware and various implements which would be necessities in the work he knew to be before his party. "The first crop of wheat gleaned in 1800 was taken by Judge Austin to Newburg to be ground, that town boasting the only mill in the section. "That fall several of the men of the colony returned to their Eastern homes to get their families and belongings. "These first settlers were devout Christians, and from the time of their arrival they observed their devotions as circumstances would permit. For some time they assembled regularly at the home of Judge Austin, for divine worship. These meetings soon became known to settlers far around and many came in each Sunday to share in the devotions. When the attendance had become too large for the Austin home to accommodate, they repaired to the large barn, where meetings were held for a long time. The home of Deacon Mills, who resided in another section of the township, was also the place for holding devotional meetings." Following farther the relation of Rev. Pett, we learn that, according to his statement, the first sermon ever heard in the Western Reserve was delivered by the Rev. Joseph Badger, of Blanford, Mass., who had been HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 235 sent into the new country by the Connecticut Missionary Society as the pioneer missionary and general evangelist. His first sermon was delivered in Austinburg, on October 19, 1801. On Thursday, October 24, 1801, according to Rev. Badger's journal made at that time, "ten males and six females" assembled and instituted the first church organization in the Western Reserve. The town of Austinburg was located on a girdled and partly cleared road, laid out by the first party of surveyors who traversed that territory, in 1798. As immigration from the East continued and family after family settled in other small colonies, a few miles removed in all directions, it soon became necessary to establish means of communication with these settlements, and to that end other roads were laid out. In the winter of 1800 the men of the Austin party cut a road from Austinburg to the Ashtabula Creek. This road intersected the original girdled road at Austinburg, and in following years was gradually extended through Morgan, New Lyme, across a corner of Colebrook, to Wayne, and on through Gustavus, to Kinsman and Poland. This came to be known ;s the "Salt road". Other direct roads were subsequently made to Harpersfield and Jefferson. A story of early utility of the Grand River is related. Finding river transportation much easier than land, the early residents along that stream made "dugouts" from large logs and used them as cargo craft, loading them with salt, lime, household goods, groceries and other commodities, and transporting same from Gregory's Mills, in Harpersfield, to Griswold's Landing, in Windsor. Grand River, which meant so much to the early and later history of Austinburg, rises in Trumbull County and crosses Ashtabula County near its western border, emptying into Lake Erie at Fairport. On this stream, in the township of Austinburg, the first sawmill in the county was erected in 1801, by Judge Austin. Close to it was also built the first grist mill in the county, by Ambrose Humphrey. Previous to the erection of this grist mill, a crude device had been used by those who did not have the means or opportunity to transport their grain to the nearest mill, at Newburg. A horse-power mill of crude construction, having a single buhr and making a very coarse grist, constituted the slow and tedious process by which flour was obtained. The man who had a grist to put through would 236 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY carry the same on his horse to this makeshift mill, and, attaching his horse to the sweep, would do his own, milling. The decision of the Rev. Badger to make Austinburg his future home constituted quite an acquisition to the social life of the colony, as he had a large family. They settled in the south part of town. The result of the first real revival in Ashtabula County, which was held in Austinburg in 1804, was the bringing into the church of 41 new members, and the Lord's Supper was administered to 62 persons. There was not yet any preacher for the church. Rev. Badger supplied the pulpit when he was at home, but much of his time was spent elsewhere in pursuit of his missionary calling. First Church in Reserve.—This organization effected on Oct. 24, 1801, constituted the first church society on the Western Reserve of Connecticut. It was a dozen years after the organization before their regular meeting house was built. It was started in 1812 and finished several years later. Money for its construction was raised on subscription, up to the steeple,. which crowning glory was paid for by the women of the congregation. It was the first building at the raising of which the use of whisky as an essential part of the ceremonies was dispensed with. The women decided it was not fitting to the occasion, but they furnished a substitute in way of home-brewed beer, flavored with sassafras and other herbs. The need for a minister was supplied in a most unusual manner. Judge Austin's wife, one of the staunch members of the society, decided that they must have a pastor, and, as the men were all busy, she started out on horseback, alone, for Connecticut, where she succeeded in engaging a preacher, the Rev. Giles H. Cowles, and returned with him a few weeks later to Austinburg. He was duly installed as the first regular pastor of the Austinburg church and also for the church at Morgan. The installation ceremonies took place in Deacon Mills' barn. The Sabbath of the early settlers began with sunset on Saturday evening and ended with the setting sun on Sunday evening. During that interval no work of any nature was tolerated, and "sparking" was even taboo. First Hotel.—In 1850 Capt. L. B. Austin erected the first "public house" in Austinburg, and, in honor of this progressive step, the citizens called a meeting, which was held in the new tavern, at which they had a HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 237 big celebration and incidentally passed resolutions thanking Mr. Austin for his public spirit and progressiveness. The First Woman.—The first woman in Austinburg is said to have been Mrs. Sterling Mills, who, accompanied by her husband and with a baby in arms, spent a night without cover excepting the dense forest trees en route to the "Austin Camp". The Indians' Farewell.—For a number of years after the white settlers began making their homes in Austinburg, the Chippewa Indians continued to make annual spring visitations to that township, for the purpose of making their year's supply of maple sugar. The white residents became quite familiar with the Indians' language and manners and there was no disturbing element in their coming, as the Redmen were always well behaved and peaceable. On one of these spring pilgrimages of the Redskins, the whites noted with considerable interest and wonderment that the number of visitors was much greater than usual, and upon inquiry learned that this was to be the last coming of these old lords of the forest. When they had completed the object of their visit, they sent several of their number to the "Beaver Meadows" (the big marsh, which is the subject of another article herein) in quest of beavers, and they invited the settlers to join them in the farewell feast, at which beaver meat was the crowning dish, and over which Chief Omich pronounced the valedictory of his race to the newcomers. Grand River Institute.—One of the permanent and worthy establishments of Ashtabula County is the Grand River Institute, in Austinburg, Which was founded in 1831 and still continues a prosperous institution. From a historical sketch written by the Hon. Granville W. Mooney and Edwin F. Moulton in 1912, and loaned the editor by Prof. E. W. Hamblin, the present principal, who has served in that capacity since 1908, the following history of the institution is obtained. The charter for the school that is now Grand River Institute was granted by act of the Legislature on Washington's birthday, 1831, to the Ashtabula County School of Science and Industry, its purpose being stated as for the "founding of a manual labor school to educate pious and worthy young men for the gospel ministry". The incorporators were the Rev. Giles H. Cowles, Jairus Guild, Dr. Orestes K. Hawley, the Rev. Eliphalet Austin, Moses Wilcox, Ward Childs, Joab Austin and Gaius W. St. John. 238 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY It is claimed that this school is the oldest educational foundation on the Western Reserve and among the oldest schools in the State of Ohio. Immediately after the founding of the institution, Dr. Hawley endowed the school with his property at Mechanicsville, which was a valuable one for those days. It embraced a woolen mill, a grist mill and a linseed oil mill and some land. The first building for the institution of learning was erected on this land, near the bank of the river, and it is still in existence, being now used as the boys' dormitory. Lucius M. Austin was then teaching a select school in the cooper shop, and he was made the first principal in the manual labor school. By 1836 this school on the bank of Grand River had attained to one of considerable importance and was attracting students from beyond the borders of the state. During the year 1835 Joab Austin offered to substantially increase the endowment, on condition that the school be moved, to its present site and the name changed to Grand River Institute. This proposition was accepted, and the moving of the building was one of the interesting incidents in the history of the school. The building is a two-story structure, 36 by 50 feet, and constructed with the ponderous framework that was characteristic of that period. It had to be moved about three miles, the route including one heavy hill. Moving machinery was entirely wanting in that pioneer settlement, and it was no small undertaking to construct the necessary trucks and wheels upon which to convey the structure. After many weeks of preliminary planning, the building was raised and placed upon its improvised trucks and the entire populace for miles around was on hand to witness the rare sight of transporting such a mass to a new location. A hundred yoke of oxen were attached to the building, by direct draft, and the caravan progressed finely until the hill was reached, but when the great trucks started up the grade, the chains snapped under the strain like so much twine and all efforts of the blacksmiths to repair them successfully proved futile and the project threatened failure. Finally a sailor, who happened to be in the crowd, suggested that a towline such as were used on the lake vessels would do the work. The farmers and crowd generally were skeptical that any rope would hold a draft that had snapped their chains, but the sailor insisted and an ox cart was sent to Ashtabula Harbor for a "hawser". The sailor was vindicated, for the big rope withstood the strain HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 239 and the building followed the drove of oxen to its present location in Austinburg. In 1840 it was decided to admit young women students, and the institute became a "co-ed" school. This was not accomplished, however, without a great amount of discussion over the wisdom of allowing the young men's prospects to be endangered by the admission of females on equal standing. At this time the "higher education" of women had scarcely reached its experimental stage, and there was not a co-educational school of any importance in existence. Mary Lyons had but just founded Mt. Holyoke. Admission of the young ladies necessitated the erection of the Ladies' Hall. Grand River Institute thus became one of the pioneer schools, not only in advocating co-education, but in working out a successful policy for the administration of such a school, and it is of interest to note that the first lady in charge of this department was one of Mary Lyons' first two graduates, Miss Katherine Snow. She was succeeded by Miss Betsy Cowles, who afterward became so pronounced a leader of the anti-slavery movement in Ashtabula County. The school prospered wonderfully during the decade of 1836-46. There were over 200 students, representing 15 different states and territories. The Ladies' Hall was so crowded that trundle-beds were made to run under the old-fashioned high-posters, so the capacity of the dormitory might be increased. It was certainly not the luxurious surroundings to be found at this school that attracted the students, for, as late as 1846, a catalog announces that "rooms for men are furnished with a bedstead, and those for young ladies have a table and chair in addition". Some of the earliest publications of the school contained descriptions of the best ox cart routes to take for those living within a hundred miles of the institution. Those coming from greater distances were advised to come by the Great Lakes, as they, could most conveniently reach the school by way of the 11-mile route from Ashtabula Harbor. Among the early laws of the school were found curious requirements, among which are said to have been: "The stove and the bedstead belong to the school. Students are not expected to remove them when they depart." "Coals or fire are not to be carried through the halls, or from one building to another, except in vessels designated for that purpose." 240 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY The Ladies' Hall that was erected in 1840 was burned in 1857, but was immediately rebuilt. The next occurrence which seriously influenced the work was the outbreak of the Civil War. The abolition sentiment had always been strong in both school and community and Austinburg had been for many years one of the most important stations on the "Underground Railroad". Joshua R. Giddings and Benjamin F. Wade were both at hand to arouse the sentiment of patriotism to its highest pitch. Many were the runaway Negroes who found their way to liberty through the connivance of the large-hearted but exceedingly shrewd Yankees of Austinburg. A son of John Brown was a student in this institution at the time of his father's famous and disastrous raid at Harper's Ferry. It hardly needed the stirring eloquence of James Monroe, Stephen Foster, Parker Pillsbury, Abbey Kelley and William Lloyd Garrison to create an intense interest in the impending struggle, yet these and other famous abolitionists came here and came to find a community, church and school united in its conviction of right ; a pulpit that dare preach it, and a community that dared make its convictions effective, and wholly able to take care of itself in the act. When the call came, the young men of the institute enlisted almost in a body. Grand River Institute had not recovered from that depletion up to 1868, when Jacob Tuckerman, a rising young educator, was called to the principalship. Under his management, however, the school again grew rapidly in numbers and influence. Prof. Granville W. Mooney was principal from 1897 to 1904. In later years Grand River Institute has kept pace with the constantly enlarging curriculums and become a high-grade, college-fitting school. The present principal, Earl W. Hamblin, has been at the head of the school since 1908, and his good wife has been preceptress during this time. They have more than made good in their positions. Dr. Moulton, who has been intimately acquainted with the conduct of G. R. I. for more than a half century, says : "Mr. and Mrs. Hamblin were both born and made for the high positions they hold today. If Professor Hamblin has a superior, it is his wife—and if Mrs. Hamblin has a superior, it is her husband." Eagleville.—(By Mrs. Laura Peck Dorman.) Eagleville is a settlement that was many years ago established in the south part of Austinburg Township, on Mills Creek. The colonizing of this particular section HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 241 was occasioned because of the exceptional water power afforded by the stream, which, like all other inland waterways of this county, was much more voluminous when the forests prevented the rapid evaporation than it is today. The creek was named after the Mills families, who had settled upon its banks in the early pioneer days. So far as I am able to learn, the first settlement in this section of the township was in 1806. Among the earliest settlers were the families of Maj. Clement Tuttle, and Deacon Constantine Mills, both of whom were soldiers in the war of the Revolution. They were great-grandparents of the writer of this sketch. The Tuttle family came from Connecticut in a very large wagon, drawn by six yokes of oxen, I have been informed. I think 14 persons came in this wagon. I have seen a spinning wheel and an arm chair that were transported to the "New Connecticut" in that wagon. In that chair, with her first baby in her lap, rode Mrs. Ira Tuttle. There were also the twin sons of Major Tuttle, Ira and Ara, and his daughters and others. Of the Mills name, there were two families, the respective heads of whom were Constantine and Sterling. The wife of Constantine Mills; who was Philecta Way, was the daughter of a lady whose maiden name was Hannah Sterling, of the Sterling Castle family, in Scotland. Among the early settlers were the families of Deacon Case, James Stone, Guild, Price, Walcott, Beach, Osborn and Wright, and a little later came the Hills, Austin and Sellick families. Coming down to the fifties and the sixties, there were the families of Howard, Brown, Lee, Peck, Williams, VanWarner, Ensign, Cushman, Smith and others. Eagleville was named because of an eagle that habitually perched upon a mill. I suppose that this was the first mill, for this place soon became a thriving town, with numerous industries. I judge from what has been told me that the most active period of the village was between 1820 and 1840. There was a grist mill that later expanded into a regular flouring mill; a saw mill, tanneries, three blacksmith shops, a three-story cabinet factory, a hattery and other industries ; then there were general stores, a millinery shop and a shoe shop. Students came from some distance to attend the splendid school of the village. A Disciple Church was founded at an early date, and some of the residents centered their interests in the big Congregational Church at Austinburg Center, until a church of that denomination was built at Eagleville. The town also boasted a large hotel at one time. (14) 242 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY It is a matter of no little interest, historically, that the village of Eagleville at one time came within one vote of putting the county seat in Austinburg Township, instead of Jefferson. The two towns, Eagleville and Jefferson, were being considered, and a sharp controversy was waged as to which should have the honor of being the county's seat of authority and possess the forthcoming court house. When it came to a settlement of the question, it was done through a vote of the authorities the matter had been left, and the vote was tied, leaving the deciding ballot to be cast by the chairman of the meeting. He, being a resident of Jefferson, cast his vote in favor of that town. Interest ran high in Eagleville when the Ashtabula & New Lisbon Railroad was projected, and matters went so far that grading was started. But it was abandoned, and farmers' line fences were placed in the middle of the graded roadbed. Eagleville has always been a great dairying section, but the cheese factory that used to take care of the milk has long since given way to the demand of the city, and all the spare milk is now shipped to Pittsburgh. I do not know what became of the larger buildings which had disappeared before my day, but, one after another, the large dwellings and a large general store have been destroyed by fire ; three buildings have been razed ; they were the old hotel, the cheese factory and a large old mercantile building, and the lumber in them shipped to other places for use in building. The old families and most of their descendants are gone. Three children of Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Peck still reside on land once belonging to Ira Tuttle, in whose family Mrs. Peck was the youngest child. A great-granddaughter lives in a house on the spot where Mr. Tuttle first settled. The first house was a large log structure, in which the twin brothers, Ara and Ira, dwelt. The next neighbor on the north was Col. Roswell Austin. I can recall him and his wife as very aged people. He was very eccentric, as was also his son, Henry, who succeeded him in ownership of the farm. When Henry was a well grown boy his father sent him one afternoon to drive up the cows. He left the house and disappeared and was not seen again for years. Exactly seven years, to the day and hour, he was next seen there, driving up the cows from the Mill Creek flats. His father's only remark, as the boy came up to the house, was : "Henry, you've been a long time getting those cows." Grandchildren of Henry Austin still live on land that was once a part of this farm. CHAPTER XV. ANDOVER TOWNSHIP. FIRST SETTLEMENT IN 1805-WEST ANDOVER-EARLY FAMILIES-CHIEF INDUSTRIES- JOHN BROWN'S RENDEZVOUS. Andover, officially recorded as "Township No. 9 of Range 1", was originally included as a part of Vernon Township, in Trumbull County. In 1807 it was brought within the boundaries of Ashtabula County, as a part of Wayne Township. It came into its own in 1819, when it was given its name, and its territory also covered what is now Cherry Valley. In 1827 Cherry Valley was relinquished, leaving the present township boundaries. Epephras Lyman is credited with being the first white man to undertake to establish his permanent home in Andover. That was about 1805. Lyman came to this section unmarried. He proceeded to erect for himself and his meager reguirements a cabin home, wherein he dwelt in solitary fellowship for about five years; then secured a housekeeper and helpmeet in the person of a fair daughter of Stephen Brown, whose home was in Austinburg. The first family that chose Andover for a future habitation was that of Zadock Steele, who came from Connecticut with his wife and son in 1808. Mr. Steele erected the first log house in the township. To this family is also credited the first boy baby born into an Andover family of white parents, in 1809. It appears that this Steele family, though the first permanent settlers, were not the next to arrive after the advent of Epephras Lyman, for it is chronicled that in the year 1804 a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Houghton, during their temporary sojourn within the confines of Andover Township. This child, so far as can now be learned from history, was the first white baby born in the township. An interesting story, in which canine sagacity plays the chief role, is told in connection with the arrival of the Steele family,heir. Mr. Steele - 243 - 244 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY owned a dog which divided its time between the home kennel and the neighboring habitat of Samuel Tuttle, the nearest settler, who lived over the line in Williamsfield Township. This knowing dog had been taught to carry messages and packages between these two families, who were on close friendly terms, and occasion arose in which he doubtless saved a life. When it came near the time for the realization of Mrs. Steele's expectations, in order that she might have proper care through the coming ordeal, she went to the Tuttle home, to remain until after the confinement. Thus it came about that the first boy born to Andover parents was not born in that township, but in Williamsfield. As soon as able to again assume her household responsibilities, Mrs. Steele returned to her home. It developed that she had overestimated her strength, for she was taken suddenly violently ill, and circumstances were such that the husband dared not leave her. Thereupon, he bethought him of the dog, and he wrote a. note to the Tuttles and, tying it to the dog's neck, he started the animal out, and the desired aid came in time to forestall the threatened visit of the Grim Reaper. The first death in Andover occurred at the home of Rufus Houghton, when his wife passed away, on Dec. 4, 1816. Her's was the first body deposited in the new allotment that had been deeded to the township two years previous by Aristarchus Champion, to be used as a burying ground for future generations. In 1812 Francis Lyman and family settled in Andover. About that time Isaac H. Phelps moved in from Harpersfield and built a two-story log grist mill. He had a part of the machinery in when the news of Hull's surrender reached the settlement and threw the whole country into such a state that he gave up his project and returned whence he came. In 1814 Rufus Houghton, whose former sojourn had been but temporary, moved his family from Harpersfield and took up permanent abode in Andover. He bought the mill built by Phelps and established a business in that line. Norman Merrill was the next settler, and descendants of both his and the Houghton family still reside in the vicinity. Among the early families, also, were those of Samuel, Theodore and Charles Wade, who came in 1820, and their father, James Wade, and Benjamin F. Wade came in 1823. The last named later gained fame as a United States senator because of his undaunted stand against slavery. HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 245 They and their descendants have always been prominent residents of the county. The original settlement of the town was near the western boundary, and came to be known as West Andover. That section of the township is hilly and abounds in springs from which are formed small streams, affording abundant water for stock and other requirements. The presence of this water supply was doubtless the cause of that section being chosen as a site for the town, as the eastern part of the township was not so well blessed in that particular. The first postmaster of Andover was Epephras Lyman, who kept the post office in his own home, to which residents from miles around had to come for their mail. This office was established in 1814, as one of the regular stops on the mail route established from Warren to the lake region. The mails were transported on horseback, or on foot, and the carrier visited each post office once a week. The first school in Andover was conducted in Francis Lyman's barn, and Miss Dorothy Houghton was the teacher. That was also in 1814. A church of the Presbyterian denomination was organized in 1818 in the original town, but it was not until 1832 that Andover Center boasted a church organization. This was of the Congregational denomination and its organization was accomplished after a long series of irregular meetings, held at homes of those who afterward became members and supporters of the society. It was eleven years later before the congregation had attained sufficient strength in membership and funds to erect a house of worship. The erection of this church had the effect of starting the population toward the center and West Andover gradually succumbed to the withdrawal of its residents. Then came the railroad and as that hit the center settlement the future was established for that quarter. Milling was the chief industry of the town in its early years, and as the country became cleared and settled thereabouts, Andover gradually became a central market for dairy products and cheese and butter factories were built and in later years it became a great dairy center. That industry flourished in Andover, as it did in several other towns of the county, until a comparatively few years ago, when this county was invaded by representatives of the firms supplying milk to residents of 246 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY Pittsburgh and other cities of the iron center, which had grown in population so rapidly that the question of a milk supply became a serious one. Those whose business it was to furnish the milk to city patrons, found it necessary to reach out and they sent men up into this county who offered milk producers such prices for the output of their dairies that the county factories, which had been taking the entire supply, had to stand back and see the foundation on which their business was based drop from under them to an almost ruinous extent and go to foreign buyers. Best sources of information available indicate that Andover village was organized in 1819. Rufus Houghton was the first recorded justice of the peace, being thus authorized in 1820. The first record obtainable of an election was of one held on April 2, 1824, when Merrick Bates, John Pickett and Lebbeus Marvin were elected trustees ; John Pickett, Jr., clerk ; Nathan C. Johnson and Daniel Marvin, overseers of the poor. That was years before the establishment of a county infirmary for indigent residents of its territory. In those days each township had to take care of its poor, and this work was delegated to a board of officers whose duty it was to attend to all necessary plans and arrangements looking to the feeding, clothing and housing of these unfortunate dependents. It was in 1820 that the first frame building was constructed at Andover Center, and it is to the credit of those early pioneers that this, then modern structure was designed for a place of educational pursuits. Its primary was for a school in which the children of those pioneers might receive their early education, in preparation for the years to come. This building was also used for general public meetings. The dedication was made the occasion for the greatest public demonstration that the town had ever known up to that time. After this building had served the community for many years, it was relegated to use for commercial interests, it being moved to another part of town and converted into a curing room for the first cheese-factory that did business at the Center. It is history that in those early years whiskey was a legal tender, or, if not so recognized, at least was frequently used in place of money. It was considered quite as essential to the needs and welfare of a community as was money. Some of the older residents of today recall how their grandparents used to tell stories related by their ancestors, of how whiskey was used as a medium of exchange. One of the boys of the Wade family HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 247 is said to have taught school in Madison one winter term and to have received six barrels of whiskey as his pay, while his brother taught in Windsor the same winter and was given only five barrels. The coming of the railroad and the junction of two lines in the early '70s gave the town quite an impetus and there were visions of it some day becoming an important terminal point with shops, etc., but that distinction was never realized. However, nature took a hand in the prosperity of the place and endowed with mineral springs that have been a source of considerable prosperity to the town and will make it greater in future years. The sanitarium at Andover is becoming widely known and the place may have a distinguished future as a health resort. The town is keeping pace with the times in having a wide-awake chamber of commerce and a bunch of hustling business men. It has also a social club that a few years ago decided to have a resort of their own, with lake and all. They purchased some property a short distance out of town through which there was a goodly stream running, dammed it and made an artificial lake around which several summer cottages have been erected. In way of churches and schools Andover has also held its own with other towns and has a class of citizens who are interested in the thrift and progress of their own town, to the extent that they are ready to get busy for its good whenever they are needed. John Brown's Rendezvous.—While "John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave" his brave struggle for what he believed to be the right will ever be remembered with reverence and admiration by those who thought as he did. The greatest abolitionist the country ever knew and one who was not afraid to fight and, if need be, die for the cause of freedom of the black race in these United States, marshaled his forces for his last calamitous effort, in Ashtabula County, and his headquarters for several months were in West Andover. Previously this son of Mayflower stock who was born in Torrington, Conn., in 1800, had figured conspicuously in anti-slavery activities in the western country. His ambition as a boy to help do away with fettered humanity grew stronger as he progressed to manhood and finally became his dominating sense. His sons, grown to manhood, had settled in Kansas 248 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY and having inherited the spirit of freedom for all men, they soon found themselves involved in the controversy that was at that time assuming large proportions and threatening to break out in a civil war between neighbors. The father had settled down to the life of a farmer in New York State, but when he learned through letters from his boys of the threatening storm in their state he went out there and got into the strife that soon broke out in open war between the anti- and pro-slavery advocates. That was in 1854. He soon became recognized as a leader in the cause of the anti-slavery side and participated in many skirmish fights. His most noteworthy engagements in this line were the conflict at Black Jack, where, with a comparatively small band of followers, he drove back a large force of Missourians, and the encounter which resulted in giving him the name "Ossawatomie", which is familiar to all students of history of early-day life in the West. In this last fight John Brown and 15 of his faithful adherents held back a body of over 500 men for an hour, and succeeded in getting away and making their escape. In one of the border skirmishes one of Brown's sons was killed and that misfortune strengthened his hatred of the policy that tolerated slavery. He tried to interest the people back east in his cause, but with no success, and his passionate ardor in the cause that he espoused caused him to be regarded as a fanatic. He took the stump in southern and eastern states, declaiming slavery and endeavoring to bring about :a general uprising for the cause of freedom. Failing to create a widespread interest in his cause, he finally determined to marshal what followers he could assemble at a stated point and proceed to attack the slave law on its own ground, notwithstanding it was carried on under the sanction and protection of the government. To this end he went so far as to draw up a constitution of his own, which he hoped would be supported by his followers. He openly flaunted his action, but claimed it was not intended as a movement to overthrow the Government. In 1859, in the early spring, John Brown's personal representative appeared in Andover. He made no secret of the cause of his visit, which was to establish a rendezvous to which all those who were in sympathy with Brown's policy were asked to resort, for the purpose of forming an army to take up actual warfare against the cause of slavery. When Brown arrived on the scene he found that his lieutenant had done effective work. HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 249 The King Brothers' cabinet factory in Cherry Valley had been converted into an arsenal in which were stored guns, ammunition and other essentials of warfare, and quite a number of men had rallied to the cause and were getting impatient to get into action. Conservative men, even though they shared Brown's sentiment for the cause of the black man, endeavored to dissuade him from his purpose, as his proposed effort to pit a small band of men against great odds which had the backing of the Government, was so palpably hopeless that they considered it little short of suicide and murder for him to enter into it. But he would not listen to reason and, assembling and equipping his little band of about a score of men, he set out for the South, his stated objective being Harper's Ferry, Va., where he purposed launching his great drive. The little company stopped at Hagerstown, Md., to perfect their plans and give any who wished a chance to join their forces. Brown's first act in his wild scheme was intended to be the capture of the little city of Harper's Ferry, which had a population of about 5,000. Therein was an arsenal which was known by Brown to contain between 100,000 and 200,000 stand of arms, and his first wish was to get possession of this establishment. With 17 white men and five blacks he made an onslaught on the town, on the night of Oct. 16, 1859, took everybody by surprise and easily gained full possession of the city, incidentally capturing about 50 of its leading inhabitants and holding them. He liberated the slaves of the city, but the hope that they would rally to his support, on which he had placed great reliance for future support, was dispelled when nearly all of them fled for cover and deserted the man and cause that had given them their liberty. The conquest of the city was not without bloodshed. Several citizens were killed and Brown's forces were reduced to a hopeless few. Brown had planned to withdraw, after gaining possession of the arms and munitions, but had figured on the help of the slaves he freed to get away with his booty. Failing in that he took refuge in an engine house, where he barricaded the door, leaving the citizens to recover from their surprise and fright and, the next day, 1,500 soldiers, headed by Robert E. Lee, came to the rescue of the town and, battering down the door, dragged John Brown off to Charlestown, Va. There he was tried and condemned for treason and murder, and he was hanged on Dec. 2 at Harper's Ferry. Succeeding incidents take us back to Ashtabula County, whither two