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PAGE 246 - PICTURE OF AMY STARBUCH

PAGE 247 - PICTURE OF JESSE G. STARBUCK

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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTS. - 249

CHAPTER V.

PIONEER INCIDENTS.

(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE)

FIRST SETTLER IN THE COUNTY-CHAIN OF SETTLEMENTS By TOWNSHIPS - EARLY SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES - MODE OF LIVING - WILDERNESS CUSTOMS EIGHTY YEARS AGO.

"Should auld acquaintance be ft forgot,

And never brought to min'?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days o' Yang syne?"

--- BURNS.

MUCH less than a century has passed since the first white settler built his cabin within the present limits of Clinton County. Less than a century has elapsed since, through the magnificent forests of Southern Ohio, the red dwellers in the wilderness strove against the approach of civilization, and hurled themselves against the invaders of their country, as they deemed the white race. Eighty-seven years only have sped since Gen. Anthony Wayne concluded the treaty at Greenville with the chiefs of the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees (or Shawneee), Miamis, Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, and the various tribes dwelling in Indiana and Illinois. This treaty annulled all former ones, and the general boundary, as defined by it, between the United States and the Indian nations, commenced at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, running thence up that stream to the portage to the Tuscarawas Branch of the Muskingum River: thence down that stream to the crossing-place above Fort Laurens; thence westerly to Loramie's store, on the Great Miami; thence westwardly to Fort Recovery, on the head streams of the Wabash River; and thence southwestwardly in a direct line to the mouth of the Kentucky River. The United States Government at the time of the treaty, in consideration of the cessions made by the Indians, delivered to the latter goods valued at $20,000, and agreed to deliver annually thereafter, "at some convenient place northward of the Ohio River," goods to the value of $9,500, to be apportioned as agreed among the several tribes represented. The treaty also "provided that, if either of the said tribes shall hereafter, at an annual delivery of their share of the goods aforesaid, desire that a part of their annuity should be furnished in domestic animals, implements of husbandry, and other utensils convenient for them, and in compensation to useful artificers who may reside with or near them, and be employed for their benefit, the same shall, at the subsequent annual deliveries, be furnished accordingly." *

This treaty was concluded as elsewhere stated, on the 3d of August, 1795, and immediately after the fact became known in the States, there was inaugurated a movement toward the fertile lands north of the Ohio. Fear of the Indians had retarded emigration to that date, and, although the lands had been surveyed to a great extent, and warrants were held for nearly all the land in the Virginia Military District, no steps had yet been taken toward their settlement. In September, 1705, a month after the treaty of Greenville, a block-house was erected and a settlement begun at Bedle's Station (this name is variously spelled, being given Bedell perhaps as often as any other way, but Warren County authority settles upon the spelling as first above),

* Albach's Annals of the West.

250 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

in Warren County, Ohio. The blockhouse was built from distrust that the Indians would not abide by the terms of the treaty. The place was named from its founder, William Bedle, from New Jersey. William Mounts and family, with four other families, are said to have settled in the same month, at a point oil the south side of the Little Miami, two and a half miles below the month of Todd's Fork, at Mounts' Station, n Warren County. where the several cabins were built in a circle around :t spring, as a protection against the Indians. NovemBer 4, 1793, Dayton was laid out, in what is note Montgomery County, Ohio. although permanent settlements were not begun there until April 1, 1 1796. In the spring of the latter year, Waynesville, Franklin and Deerfield, all in Warren County, were settled, and. April 7, 1796, the first cabin in Greene County was raised.

EARLIEST SETTLEMENTS IN CLINTON COUNTY.

The Virginia Military Tract had been explored, in the early part of 1787, by Maj. John O'Bannon and Arthur Fox, two Kentucky surveyors, who wished to obtain a knowledge of the land for the purpose of making entries when the land office for the district should be opened. The latter event occurred on the 1st of August, 1787, and O'Bannon not only entered considerable land, but he became prominent as a surveyor in the district. O'Bannon Creek is named for him.

Concerning the first settler in what is now Clinton County, a dispute arises among those who have made investigations. It has been stated that William Smalley settled within the present limits of Vernon Township, west of Clarksville, in .1797, and that to him should be awarded the honor of having been the pioneer settler of Clinton County; but the fact has been conclusively developed that Mr. Smalley's cabin was built about fifty rods west of the line which divides this county from Warren, in the township of Washington, in the latter county. It is thought, however, that his purchase extended over the line into Clinton.

It will be difficult to decide who was the first actual settler within the territory now comprising Clinton County, as the evidence seems to show that three persona came about the same time, and located at widely separated points. These were Morgan Van Meter, of Green Township; Amos Wilson, of the township bearing his name; and David Sewell, of Vernon Township. There is trouble in ascertaining the date at which each of these men came, but the latest investigations seem to fix them all in the year 1799. Morgan Van Meter* has generally been accorded the honor of being the first arrival, and Judge Harlan prepared the following sketch of him: t

"Morgan Van Meter was the first settler within the limits of Clinton County as it now exists, having come here in 1798 or 1799. He was also the first tavern-keeper within the same limits. His tavern was the first opened on any of the roads, traces or paths leading from Chillicothe to Cincinnati. `Van Meter's' was made a conspicuous point in the road guides published in the Pittsburgh almanacs of seventy years ago, for the information and direction of travelers by land from that town to Cincinnati. Gen. Cass, in a conversation with one of our citizens a few years ago, made inquiries about this early public house, and stated that, having lain out all night in the woods a few miles southwest from Van Meter's, he was glad to find it in the morning in time for a late breakfast. This was in very early days.

* It is said of Morgan Van Meter that when the college township road was being located, about 1803 - 04 he met the surveyors and viewers a short distance west of Snow Hill and by generous donations from his whisky jug induced them to change the route of the road so that it should pass near his cabin, northwest of Snow Hill.

t Esquire C. C. Bowers, In writing the history of Green Township, fixes the date of Van Meter's arrival at about 1800.

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 251

"Morgan was the first of five sons of Joseph Van Meter. His brothers were Joseph, Isaac, Abraham and William. all of whom. except William, were atone time residents of the State of Ohio, laid, we believe, of the old town of Deerfield, on the Little Miami River in what is now Warren County. The Brothers who carne to Deerfield were said to have had families. Morgan lived in the lower part of the little town. not far from the river, in one end of it a double cabin, or a cabin divided into two rooms. the other room being occupied by the family of the late Judge Michael H. Johnson, a well-known resident of the Hopkinsville neighborhood, Warren County. He (Van Meter) removed directly from Deerfield to the head of the East Fork of the Little Miami. near where Snow Hill now is, in Clinton County. The point where he settled is a little cast of south. and distant about two hundred-yards from the present residence of Zephaniah Shears. Here, it is said, he found an unoccupied Indian wigwam. With the exception of this hut, there was not a human habitation within a radius of ten miles. Here he built his cabin and opened it to the public as a tavern. Here Morgantown was afterward laid out. His father, Joseph Van Meter, was a native of the State of Maryland. He was born upon the frontier, and, though frequently changing his residence, died upon the frontier. He seems to have belonged to that class of men, once quite numerous, who keep constantly on the border of civilization, and follow close upon the footsteps of the Indians as they retire further west at the advance of the white man. He had removed from Maryland several years before the Revolutionary war, and was living on the South Branch of the Potomac River, in Virginia. when his son Morgan, his first child. was born. The family record of Morgan Van Meter's family, furnished by Mrs. James Van Meter, of Wiota, La Fayette Co., Wis., shows the year of Morgan's birth to be 1765. Between the birth of Morgan and of Joseph, his second son, he crossed the Allegheny Mountains, descended the Monongahela, and settled at the forks of that river, At this point, Joseph and perhaps others of his family were born.

"In 1770, Joseph Van Meter the elder, in company with three of the Zane brothers, removed with his family to the Ohio River, near where Wheeling now is. The Zanes settled at the mouth of Wheeling Creek. while Mr. Van Meter settled a few miles above, on Short Creek. Other settlements near by were commenced soon after. Block-houses, being works of prime necessity on the frontier at that day, were erected at several places to the settlements, as some protection against the Indians, though seldom adequate when assailed by a strong party. Near to these the settlers built their cabins, as far as convenient, such it plan being considered as some protection against surprise and attacks by small parties of Indians. In 1774, a small military work was erected, under British authority, on the south bank of the Ohio River. not far above the mouth of Wheeling Creek. The plan upon which it was built is said to have been drawn by the celebrated Gen. George Rogers Clark. It was called at first Fort Fincastle, the name of the county in which it was located, hut, two years later (1776), the name was changed to Fort Henry, from the celebrated Patrick Henry. then Governor of the State of Virginia. This was the only fort between Pittsburgh and the mouth of the Great Kanawha, which was in that day considered tenable against a force of any great number. A stockade was in process of erection near West Liberty, on Short Creek, in September, 1777, but was not yet completed when the Indians attacked Fort Henry, late in September of that year. It was intended to serve the double purpose of protecting the lives and property of the settlers. and the county buildings, West Liberty being then the seat of justice for Ohio County. This rude structure was named Van Meter's Fort, from Joseph Van Meter, the elder. Late in September, 1777, notice was given the settlers at and in the neighborhood where

252 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

Wheeling now is that a large Indian army was collecting on the Sandusky River to march against Fort Henry and the settlements in the neighborhood. This friendly warning is said to have been sent by the brother of the Zanes, who had taken up his residence with the Indians, had adopted their dress and mode of living, and had married an Indian woman. The messenger had scarcely brought the direful news to the garrison before the Indians were before the walls of the fort, tinder the leadership of the renegade white man. Simon Girty. The Indians had come to and crossed the Ohio unperceived, though a considerable force of the most capable and experienced scouts and Indian fighters on the frontier had been sent out into the woods on the north side of the Ohio, through which the enemy was expected to tonne, to discover, if possible, the force of the latter, and the time at which they would probably arrive. Girty, however, succeeded in bringing his warriors before the very walls of the fort before his approach was discovered. The force of the Indians was computed at from four hundred to five hundred men. The entire force of the garrison and settlers was forty-two, all told, many of whom were o Id men and boys. In the course of the first night after the arrival of the Indians, the settlers and their families either took shelter in the fort, or were brought in. The nest morning, the Indians succeeded in killing one of the men belonging to the garrison. Fourteen men were sent out in pursuit of a small party of Indians, were surrounded, twelve of them killed and one badly wounded. Twelve volunteers from the fort were sent to the relief of the first party, were surrounded, and eight of them killed. Two or three more were severely wounded, but were able to conceal themselves from the Indians, and came in or were brought in after the Indians withdrew. Not a man was killed or wounded in side the fort. On the third day of the siege, forty mounted men from Short Creek and fourteen from Cross Creek arrived at the fort and were admitted. These timely re-enforcements so discouraged the Indians that they raised the siege and engaged in killing the cattle and burning the cabins and fences of the settlers.

"Two accounts are given of the part acted by Joseph Van Meter and his son Morgan. One is that Joseph and his family took refuge in the fort without loss of time. The other is that father and son, on the second day of the siege, composed a part of the company of forty men, who, on hearing of the dangerous condition of the people and garrison in the fort, left the settlement on Short Creek, went to their relief, and were fortunate enough to be able to enter the fort without the loss of a man. Both accounts agree that both Joseph and his son Morgan were in the fort while it was besieged by the Indians, and participated in its defense. At one time during the siege, it is said, the rifles used by the men in the fort became so heated by the rapid firing as to become to some extent useless, and recourse was then had to a lot of muskets, of which a sufficient number was found in the storehouse of the garrison. If this account be true-and it is credited in the history of the siege - it clearly shows that, if a part of the garrison was composed of old men and mere boys, they were at least acquainted with the use of the rifle.

"Joseph Van Meter, the elder, continued to reside on Short Creek until his death. The manner of his death was never certainly ascertained. He went from home to fish, and never returned, nor was any vestige of him ever found. Some supposed that he had been drowned, while others were of the opinion that he had been taken prisoner by the Indians and burned at the stake

"Morgan Van Meter came to Clinton County as early as 1798 or 1799. It is believed that he was settled at Deerfield, Warren County, with his brothers, Joseph and Isaac, as early as 1796, or at least 1797, having come here from Harrison County, Ky. Joseph could not have remained long at Deer field if he

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 253

came there in 1797, for in that year there is the most satisfactory evidence that he was located at the mouth of Dodson's Creek, on the south side of the East Fork of the Little Miami, a mile or so below Lynchburg, in what is now Highland County. Morgan Van Meter did not leave Deerfield, as is claimed, for a year or two after his brother Joseph did. William Van Meter, a very intelligent gentleman, a distant relative of the Van Meter brothers. who settled, when a boy, on the East Fork, near to Isaac and Joseph, is of the opinion that Morgan settled near where Snow Hill now is in 1798. But Mrs. Leggett, still living (this sketch has been written a number of years), says he made his settlement the year in which she was married. Her family record, being produced, shows that her marriage occurred in 1799. Mrs. Leggett was a Shawhan, a sister of the late John Shawhan, Esq., long a resident near Deerfield, and of Amos Shawhan, of Morrow, and knew the three Van Meter brothers when she was a young woman and they were residing at Deerfield. Deerfield at that time was simply a cluster of houses. It was not laid oft as a town until several years afterward. The houses were of very rude construction, being designed for temporary shelter more than for permanent abode. On the arrival of any new emigrant, if he found an empty house, he took possession of it. If there was no vacant house, one was put up for him. Deerfield was simply a place to stop and stay until a selection for a permanent settlement could be made.

"The farm of Joseph Van Meter was on the southeast side of the East Fork of the Little.Miami, and is now generally known in the neighborhood as the Michael Stroup farm. Mr. Van Meter removed to Illinois many years since, where he died. His brother Isaac settled at an early day in the neighborhood of his brother Joseph, on the northwest side of the East Fork, about one and a half miles north of where Lynchburg now is, in Clinton County. The farm opened by him was the old homestead of the late Hiram Connell, now owned by Mr. Connell's son William. Mr. Van Meter sold it in 1814, and removed to Illinois

"The College Township road, which led from Chillicothe to the College Township, near where Oxford College has since been established, was, as far as where Clarksville now is, the road from Chillicothe to Cincinnati. It is believed that it was surveyed and established in 1799,* and, being blazed through, soon became a road much used by travelers. This road was not cut out or improved, at least in some parts of it, until 1804. Horsemen, guided by blazes made on the trees, followed the line of the road, and were thankful for this help.

"Morgan Van Meter has now lain in his grave more than sixty years. The son of it frontiersman, he had but little, if any, education. So far as we know, he never held an office or aspired to one, civil or military. The house he lived in has disappeared, and his grave is covered by a stable, or is in the public highway, with no stone to mark it. But his name is perhaps more frequently spoken of by our old people than that of any citizen of Clinton County who has been dead fifteen years, with perhaps a few exceptions.

"Morgan Van Meter made his will during his last sickness. It bears date March 28, 1813, and was admitted to record June 21, 1813."

Regarding Amos Wilson, the following is in the language of Judge Haglan: "Amos Wilson, from whom Wilson Township, Clinton County, was named, was one of three soils of John Wilson, a member of the first constitutional convention of Ohio, who was the son of John Wilson, an Irishman. Amos Wilson and his father before him, and several of his brothers and sisters were born in New Jersey. From that State his father removed with his

* Provided for by Legislature of 1802-03.

254 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

family to the Redstone country in Pennsylvania, and from there to Washington County, Ky. He lived for several years in Washington and Greene Counties. His nest removal was to Mill Crook, in Hamilton County, Ohio, near Cincinnati. John Wilson, named for his grandfather, born December 29, 1786, informed the writer, on March 13, 1876, that his grandfather, after he sold his possessions in Kentucky, supposing that he would get his money in silver, took his grandson, then nine years of acre, on a separate horse to Lexington, to bring the money home. He, however, was not paid cash as he expected, but was given a draft on Cincinnati, on which he received his payments when they arrived there. This was in 1795.In 1796, John Wilson, with his family, and his sons and their families, left Kentucky and came to Cincinnati. That year, the party raised a crop on Mill Creek. In the spring of that year, George and Amos went to Middle Run, in what is now Greene County, Ohio, and cleared a few acres of land,, on part of which hemp was sown, and on the residue corn was planted. No fence was put up around the little clearing. The corn made a good crop; the deer took a part of it, but the squirrels seemed shy of it, as if doubtful of its fitness for food. These young men returned to Mill Creek and remained until fall, when each mounted on a horse and returned to their newly opened farm to secure their crops. One night, three Indians came and stole their horses. n discovery of their loss, the Wilsons, each armed with a rifle, started in pursuit. hey traced the Indians by a devious and circuitous way, taken evidently to avoid pursuit, to the old site of the famous town of Chillicothe, on the Little Miami, north of where the town of Xenia now is. ere the Indians, three in number, and all armed, were found encamped for the night. he pursuing party had, up to this time, supposed that there were only two Indians, with no advantage in number on either side; but here were three to two. The Indians watched their adversaries closely, and were constantly ready for action if a fight should be brought on. The Wilsons were not less vigilant, and were ready, but by no means courting a combat. The Indians, after a time, offered them something to eat. This, however, was the only friendly act performed by either side. Sleep on neither side was taken. It is believed that neither party even nodded. At last the light of morning came, and the white men mounted their horses and rode rapidly away without molestation.

"In the spring of 1797, John Wilson commenced a settlement on Middle Run. His improvement was immediately upon the road now leading from Waynesville to the town of Centerville, in Montgomery County, Ohio. His first dwelling, a rude structure, of course, has disappeared, but near its site the house long his residence still stands. It is situate on the south side of the road, and is in Gieene County, though bat a short distance from the line dividing the counties of Greene and Warren.

"The Wilsons came to Cincinnati in 1796, from Kentucky; 1797, they cropped on Mill Creek, near Cincinnati; 1797, George and Amos, sons of John Wilson, raised a small crop of corn and hemp on Middle Run, Greene County; 1797, George and John came tip from :Mill Creek to look after their crops, and had their horses stolen by the Indians; in 1797, John Wilson, in the fall of the year, moved to Middle Run, in Greene County. In 1799, a Baptist Church was organized at Middle Run. About 1803, Amos Wilson began to preach in the Baptist Church.

"It is claimed by some (atlas history, of Clinton County, p. 11) that the first permanent settlement in Clinton County was made by Amos Wilson and James Mills, in what is now Wilson Township. in 1799. They were brothers-in-law, and came to the county together, but it seems to be clearly established that their settlement was not earlier than the fall of 1801 and possibly not

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 255

until the spring of 1802. Amos Wilson, up to 1801, was living upon a preempted right about three miles northwest of where Waynesville now is. This pre-emption right he exchanged with the Rev. Joshua Carman (we find this name also spelled Carmen), well known to many of our citizens, for 100 acres of land in the eastern quarter of the county. Mr. Carman was, at the time of the exchange, living in the State of Kentucky, near Louisville, and had come out into the Miami country on an exploring expedition. Having secured Mr. Wilson's claim, he returned to Kentucky for his family, and, in the fall of the same year, brought them out to the Waynesville neighborhood. On his arrival, Mr. Wilson vacated the house on the pre-emption, and Mr. Carman en tered into possession. Whether Mr. Wilson at once came up to settle on `he land he had thus acquired, or not until the following spring, has not been ascertained with certainty.

"That Timothy Bennet made his settlement as early as March, 1801, is clearly established, and we have the best authority for believing that Morgan Van Meter had made his settlement where Snow Hill now is at least two, and perhaps three, years previous. Mr. Wilson was married four times His first wife was Ann Mills, to whom he was married on the 22d day of June, 1791. In March, 1807, Mrs. Wilson died, and September 27,1807, he married Rachel James, with whom he lived until her death, in May, 1818. On the 12th day of July, 1818, he was married to Mary Coulter, who died in 1839. Mr. Wilson was married the last time in 1843, to Elizabeth Dowden, who survived him twenty years."

From data since obtained, it is evident that Judge Harlan was misled as to the actual time of Mr. Wilson's settlement in his county. The latter's son, Amos Wilson, Jr., furnishes information, which is confirmed by a record in the old family Bible, to the effect that Amos Wilson, Sr., located in Clinton County in 1799. The circumstances were these. He purchased 200 (instead of 100) acres in the northeast corner of W. Taylor's survey, in what is now Wilson Township, and, in order to find it, was directed to go to the locality of the Deserted Camp, and follow the survey line due northeast from there until he should cross Anderson's Fork and Anderson's Prairie, and reach the ridge land, or white oak land, beyond. He followed these directions, and, supposing he had reached his own land, at once began improving it. After two years' labor at this spot, he found that he was upon what is known as the Hinkson farm, in the R. Eggleston survey, No. 886, and, moving south to the adjoining farm, began anew to improve. A year was spent here, when he was chagrined to learn that again he was on the wrong land, it being in W. Lindsay's survey, No. 732, on what is now known as the Reed farm. Being now discouraged, and having wasted three years in improving land not his own, he avowed his determination to return to the older settlements; but Joshua Carman, from whom he had purchased the land, came along and showed him his own, and, to partially compensate him for his pains and induce him to stay, donated to him a strip containing fifty acres, lying on the west side of the original 200 acres. At this time, which was in the early spring of 1802, Mr. Carman was accompanied by Mr. Wilson's brother-in-law, James Mills, who had purchased a farm immediately south of Wilson's, in the same survey. These two men proceeded at once to erect log cabins on their farms, and both structures were raised on the same day. The families occupied them, and on these farms lived Amos Wilson and James Mills until their death. In 1827, Mr. Wilson erected on his place the first brick house in the northeastern part of the county. Of the family of Mr. Wilson, not a representative is now left in the county. The Mills farm is still owned by the descendants of the man who made the first improvements upon it in the spring of 1802.

256 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

David Sewell, the first settler of Vernon Township, is the third man claimed by some, and with perhaps equal evidence, to have been the first settler in Clinton County. Judge Harlan's account of him states that he bought land in the Archibald Campbell survey, No. 2250, early in 1798, and arranged io move upon it, his sons to go at once. One son, Aaron. wai married, in April, 1798, in Frederick County, Va., and, with his wife, brother John and family, and their father and mother, started West. arriving in clue time at Bedle's Station, in Warren County, Ohio. The Judge then states that they could not then find the land which had been purchased. nor a surveyor who could show it to them. The Judge places their arrival in this county in 1801 or later, giving reasons for his conclusions, which appear in another place. Mr. Cyrus L. Sewell, in his history of Vernon Township. makes Statements founded on what seems to be conclusive evidence, showing that the Sewell families settled here in 1799, and that a division of the land was made in 1801. (See history of Vernon Township, in this volume.)

Settlements in the remaining townships of Clinton County were made in the following order:

Clark Township-The first settler was Thomas Johns, who located three miles southeast of Martinsville, on the East Fork of the Little Miami. The date of his arrival is not known, but it must have been as early as 1800 or in the first part of 1801, as Isaac Miller, Joseph McKibben and Gideon McKibben all arrived in the latter year, and Mr. Johns had preceded them.

Union Township-Timothy Bennet is credited with being the first to locate a home within the limits of what is now Union Township, having settled east of the site of Wilmington in the month of March, 1801. No other family arrived for over two years, or until the fall of 1803, when George Haworth became the second settler in the township.

Cheater Township-The first actual settler in this township was Caleb Lucas, originally from New Jersey, and later n resident of Kentucky, who located here in 1802. Asa Jenkins had arrived in 1799, and George Mann in March, 1801, but, although both men owned land in Chester, their dwellings were across the line in what is now Greene County: They subsequently removed, however, to Chester. The first brick house in Clinton County was built near Oakland, in Chester Township, in 1807, by James Birdsall, and is still standing. The bricks in its walls were manufactured on the place, by Mr. Birdsall, and it can readily be imagined the task in that day was not an easy one.

Liberty Township-Stephen Mendenhall, a native of Tennessee, settled on Dutch Creek in the spring of 1803, and was the first to erect his cabin in what is now Liberty Township.

Wayne, Richland and Washington Townships were all settled in 1803. John Jackson, a native of Pennsylvania, located in Wayne in the spring of that year. Some time during the year, Absalom and Samuel Reed, from Bourbon County, Ky., took up their abode in Richland, while Isaac Wilson, from Virginia, settled on Col. Carrington's survey, in Washington, before the close of the year. Jonas Seaman and a man named Armstrong arrived soon after, and in 1805, Armstrong opened, upon the present site of Cuba, the first house for public entertainment in the township, and one of the earliest in the county, probably Morgan Van Meter's, in Greene Township, being the only one to antedate it, if Armtroug's was not opened first.

Adams Township- The first settler in this portion of the county was Samuel Lee, who came in 1804, and made his home near the present site of Springfield Meeting-House.

Jefferson Township--This township was settled considerably later. The

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PAGE 258 - PICTURE OF MRS. POLLY HAINES

PAGE 259 - PICTURE OF SAMUEL L. HAINES

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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 261

first cabin within its limits was built by Samuel Jackson, about 1812. Mr. Jackson came from Tennessee, and was a noted hunter. It is recorded that. during his life-time, he killed two panthers, 360 deer and eighty bears. Joseph Hockett built the first hewed-log house in this township, at a date not given.

Marion Township--The territory which latest received the attention of settlers in Clinton County is included in what is now Marion Township. According to the statements of Esquire J. W. Rice, the township historian, the first settlement was made in 1814, by Jonathan Baldwin, a native of Monongalia County, Va., who had located in Guernsey County, Ohio, in 1804. and in Warren County in 1806. He served under Gen. Harrison in the war of 1812.

ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY WHEN FIRST SETTLED.

Brown-limbed and mighty were the forest trees

That lifted high their giant trunks in air;

Filled with sweet incense was the singing breeze

Which touched, with soft caress, wild flowers fair;

The sunlight glanced among the foliage green,

And vainly strove to pierce the gloom beneath;

Glad swelled the heart of him who viewed the scene

Add breathed the fragrance of the flowery heath.

So often have descriptions been written of the appearance of this region before the white settler had made it his home that those who read must all be familiar with the phraseology commonly employed. Yet there is not enough variety in the terms which can be used to write in a greatly different manner on the subject from those who have told the story during many years. A vast forest wilderness stretched northward from the Ohio River, into the depths of which pushed the bold pioneers from the States of North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and others, most of them coming from Virginia and the Carolinas.

The face of the country at the beginning of the settlements in Clinton County bore a vastly different look from the present. The soil was extremely fertile, and upon it grew, in the utmost luxuriance, the many varieties of trees and shrubs common to this latitude. Nearly the entire surface of the county was covered by massive forest trees and the tangle of shrubs which grow beneath. Spicewood and the wild pea-vine formed a mat through which the feet could push with difficulty. From the leaves of the spicewood was made: a decoction which was used in the place of "store tea," when the latter could not be obtained. Sassafras tea (called "sassafrack " in the vernacular of that day) was also used, and the sap of the sugar maple was a boon which the settlers well appreciated as an almost invaluable article in the economy of their households. Flowers in greatest variety grew and blossomed under the trees, and the rose, the wild lily, the dogwood, the red-bud and a hundred other varieties made a beautiful carpet for the magnificent forest aisles in their season.

Splendid as was the appearance of the country in the days when the "first settler" looked upon it, the fact remained that out of the forest depths his home must be carved. The task promised to be by no means an easy one, but the man who was bold enough to venture far from the older settlements and brave all the difficulties he must of necessity encounter was not disheartened with the prospect before him, and began at once the work he had resolved to accomplish. The ringing strokes of his ax echoed in the thick green wood, and the trees lay prostrate where for hundreds of years they had stood in their glory. The rays of the sun streamed into the little clearing; smoke curled upward from burning logs and brush-heaps; the rude cabin soon stood outlined against the dark and somber forest wall, and the new home was begun where never before had the footsteps of civilization penetrated.

262 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

PIONEER PECULIARITIES.

Sturdy and bold was the pioneer. His characteristics were admirably suited to his situation. He possessed an indomitable will, unlimited energy, and, in many instances in this region, more than ordinary intelligence and education. The remarks of Josiah Espy, author of " Memorandums of a Tour in Ohio and Kentucky in 1805." apply well to this region. He wrote:

"The emigration to the State of Ohio at this time is truly astonishing. From my own personal observations, compared with the opinions of some gentlemen I have consulted, I have good reason to conclude that, during the present year, from twenty thousand to thirty thousand souls have entered that State for the purpose of making it their future residence. These are chiefly from Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Kentucky and Tennessee, but, on inquiry, you will find some from every State in the Union, including many foreigners. The inhabitants of the State of Ohio, being so lately collected from all the States, have as yet obtained no national character. The state of society, however, for some years to come, cannot be very pleasant-the great body of the people being not only poor, but rather illiterate. Their necessities will, however, give them habits of industry and labor, and have a tendency to increase the morals of the rising generation. This, with that respect for the Christian religion which generally prevails among that class of people now emigrating to the State, will lay the best foundation for their future national character. It is to be regretted, however, that, at present, few of them have a rational and expanded view of the beauty, excellency and order of that Christian system, the essence of which is divine wisdom. The great body of the people will, therefore, it is to be feared, be a party for some years to priestcraft, fanaticism and religious enthusiasm." (History of Warren County, Ohio, p. 253.)

Mr. Espy speaks of the great body of the people as being rather illiterate; but the character of the new settlements was largely molded by the influence of those of the pioneers who possessed education and a large measure of refinement. Among the early settlers of Clinton County, especially, there were numerous men who, because of their attainments, were given the reins of the local government, and who, by their labors for good, earned for their respective localities the credit of being to some extent farther advanced toward the state of cultivation found generally in the older settlements than were some of their less fortunate neighbors. Probably the fact that many of the pioneers were members of the society of Friends had much to do with the case. The great majority of the people came from slaveholding States, yet the spirit grew among them that slavery was wrong, and they rebelled against the institution which cast a dark shadow over the land for so many years. It is true there were some among them who could not be led to believe that slavery would ever be abolished, neither that it was right to advocate abolition or assist fugitive slaves to a country where they would no longer be in thralldom. Some who possessed this belief bad a deep-rooted hatred for the colored race, and the possibility of having them for neighbors was extremely repulsive. It is known that one black man was murdered in this county because he bad settled on land which happened, unfortunately, to be near to that owned by over scrupulous white men. This antipathy, however, existed only among the few, and the part taken by the citizens of the county in after years established its identity beyond question concerning slavery.

Among the less-cultivated classes, those who had come into the wilderness, in a great majority of cases, almost empty-handed, sources for intellectual advancement increased but slowly. It was difficult for them to gain a livelihood, and the work to be done upon their farms required all their attention for a

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 263

number of years. Their pleasures, whenever indulged in, were generally of the coarsest kind, and their temperaments were of that nature which does not include patience as one of the greatest elements in its make-up. In many localities, rude stills were constructed, and their products, although said to have been much purer in quality than those now in use, did not assist men in controlling their passions; consequently, the early court records of the county tell mostly of cases of assault and battery and personal encounters. The wonder is not great that morality gained a foothold slowly among such people, for they were far from being able to pay for newspapers or periodicals, even had they been of easy access. Letters from their former homes arrived rarely, and rates of postage were so high that even they could hardly be afforded. One writer has said that " a postage stamp cost as much as a bushel of wheat," and very few could indulge in such a luxury often.

"The labor of opening up a farm in the midst of the wilderness is well de. scribed in numbers of the township histories in this volume, and hardly needs repeating here; but Josiah Morrow has so faithfully delineated the work in his history of Warren County that it is thought best to use his language here without attempting to change it or presuming to improve it. The story applies as well to Clinton as to Warren, and is as follows: The labor of opening a farm in a forest of large oaks, maples and hickories was very great, and the difficulty was increased by the thick-growing spice-bushes. Not only were the trees to be cut down; the branches were to be cut off from the trunk, and, with the undergrowth of bushes, gathered together for burning. The trunks of the large trees were to be divided and rolled into heaps and reduced to ashes. With hard labor, the unaided settler could clear and burn an acre of land in three weeks. It usually required six or seven years for the pioneer to open a small farm and build a better house than his first cabin cf round logs. The boys had work to do in gathering the brush into heaps. A common mode of clearing was to cut down all the trees of the diameter of eighteen inches or less, clear off the undergrowth, and deaden the large trees by girdling them with the ax and allowing them to stand until they decayed and fell. This method delayed the final clearing of the land for eight or ten years, but when the trunks fell, they were usually large ` enough to be burned into such lengths as could be rolled together.

"The first dwellings of the settlers were cabins made of round logs notched at the ends, the spaces between the logs filled in with sticks of wood and daubed with clay. The roof was of clapboards, held to their places by poles reaching across the roof, called weight-poles. The floor was of punch" eons, or planks split from logs, two or three inches in thickness, hewed on the upper side. The fire-place was made of logs lined with clay or with undressed stone, and was at least six feet wide. The chimney was often made of split sticks, plastered with clay. The door was of clapboards, hung on wooden hinge, and fastened with a wooden latch. The opening for the window was ` not unfrequently covered with paper made more translucent with oil or lard. Such a house was built by a neighborhood gathering, with no tools but the ax and the frow, and often was finished in a single day. The raising and the logrolling were the labors of the settlers, in which the assistance of neighbors was considered essential and cheerfully given. When a large cabin was to be raised, preparations would be made before the appointed day; the trees would be cut down, the logs dragged .in and the foundation laid, and the skids and forks made ready. Early in the morning of the day fixed, the neighbors gathered from miles around; the Captain and corner-men were selected, and the work went on with boisterous hilarity until the walls were up and the roof weighted down.

264 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

The cabin of round logs was generally succeeded by a hewed-lob house, more elegant in appearance and more comfortable. Indeed, houses could be made of logs as comfortable as any other kind of building, and were erected in such manner as to conform to the taste and means of all descriptions of her. sons. For large families, a double cabin was common; that is, two houses, ten or twelve feet apart, with one roof covering the whole, the space between serving as a hall for various uses. Henry Clay, in an early speech on the public lands, referred to the different kinds of dwellings sometimes to be seen standing together, as a gratifying evidence of the progress of the new States. `I have,' said he. `often witnessed this gratifying progress. On the same farm you may sometimes behold, standing together, the first rude cabin of round and unhewn logs and wooden chimneys; the hewed-log house, chinked and shingled, with stone or brick chimneys; and lastly, the comfortable stone or brick dwelling, each denoting the different occupants of the farm or the several stages of the condition of the same occupant. What other nation can boast of such an outlet for its increasing population-such bountiful means of promoting their prosperity and securing their independence?'

"The furniture of the first rude dwellings was made of puncheons. Cupboards, seats and tables were thus made by the settler himself. Over the door was placed the trusty flint-lock rifle, next to the ax in usefulness to the pioneer, and near it the powder-horn and bullet-pouch. Almost every family had its little spinning-wheel for flax and big spinning-wheel for wool. The cooking utensils were few and simple, and the cooking was all done at the fireplace. The long winter evenings were spent in contentment, but not in idleness. There was corn to shell and tow to spin at home, and the corn-huskings to at tend at the neighbors'. There were a few books to read, but newspapers were rare. The buckeye log, because of its incombustibility, was valuable as a back-log, and hickory bark cast into the fire throw a pleasing light over a scene of domestic industry and contentment.

"The wearing apparel was chiefly of home manufacture. The flax and wool necessary for clothing were prepared and spun in the family, cotton being comparatively scarce. Carding wool by hand was common. Weaving, spinning, dyeing, tailoring for the family were not unfrequently all carried on in the household. Not a few of the early settlers made their own shoes. Wool dyed with walnut bark received the name of butternut Cloth made of mixed linen and wool, called linsey, or linsey-woolsey, of a light indigo-blue color, was common for men's wear. A full suit of buckskin and moccasins was sometimes worn by a hunter, but it was not common. A uniform much worn in the war of 1812 is described as consisting of a light blue linsey hunting-shirt, with a cape, the whole fringed and coming half way down the thigh, a leather belt, shot-pouch, powder-horn, a large knife and tomahawk, or hatchet, in the belt, and rifle "n the shoulder. The author of the history of Miami County says he has seen Return J. Meigs, Governor of Ohio, and Jeremiah Morrow, United States Senator, and other high officials wear the hunting-shirt while on frontier duty during that war.

"With the early settlers, almost the only modes of locomotion were on foot and on horseback. The farmer took his corn and wheat to mill on horseback; the wife went to market or visited her distant friends on horseback. Salt, hardware and merchandise were brought to the new settlement on packhorses. The immigrant came to his new home not unfrequently with provisions, cooking utensils and beds packed on horses, his wife and small children on another horse Lawyers made the circuit of their courts, doctors visited their patients, and preachers attended their preaching stations on horseback. The want of ferries and bridges made the art of swimming a necessary quality

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 265

in a saddle-horse. Is he a good swimmer? was a common question in buying a horse for the saddle. Francis Dunlavy, as President Judge of a district embracing ten counties, made the circuit of his courts on horseback, never missing a court, and frequently swimming his horse over the Miamis rather than fail of being present."

In the early days, horse-thieves were numerous-first among the Indians, who were so by nature, and afterward among the whiles, the latter being often organized into considerable gangs. It has been found necessary, in various portions of the country, to form bands of "regulators." or "vigilance committees," who effectually disposed of horse-thieves and rid the settlements of fear from such source. In 1809, the Ohio Legislature passed an act inflicting corporal punishment, fines, imprisonment and mutilation upon horse-thieves. One clause of the act was the following: "The person so offending shall, on conviction thereof, for the first offense, be whipped not exceeding one hundred and not less than fifty stripes on his naked back, and on conviction of each succeeding offense of a like nature, shall be whipped not exceeding two hundred nor less than one hundred stripes on his naked back; for the third offense, shall have both ears cropped, and in either case, shall restore to the owner the property stolen or repay him the value thereof, with damages, in either case, and be imprisoned not exceeding two years, and fined not exceeding $1,000, at the discretion of the court; and be ever after the first offense rendered incapable of holding any office of trust, being a juror, or giving testimony in any court in this State."

Rye and corn whisky, manufactured at the little copper stills which have been mentioned as existing in many localities, were commonly used, and the school-teacher, the preacher, the doctor and the lawyer each took his ration of whisky as if it were a matter of course. The article was taken in exchange for goods by merchants, at a stipulated price, and, like flour, was even taken as payment for real estate. The absence of the beverage at a raising was a remarkable exception to the rule, and the visitor to the pioneer family was more than likely to taste the hospitality of his host from the mouth of a bottle. It is said there was less intemperance then than now, but the quantity of liquor used is admitted to have been great, and its intoxicating qualities are not denied. The court records would seem to indicate that there was much drunkenness, and it is certain that men were broken down and brought to poverty by excessive use of liquor in the early part of the century, as well as in the years which have since elapsed. Stories are told of eccentric characters who wore scarcely ever known to be free from the influence of intoxicating drinks, and their bleared eyes and bloated countenances, however pure the liquor may have been, told a tale the import of which could not be mistaken.

WILD ANIMALS.

Inseparably connected with the incidents of pioneer life are the tales relating to the members of the brute creation which abounded in the forests. "The wolves made night hideous with their howlings," says the old settler, "and the younger members of the family crept away from the doors and windows, nearer to their parents and the chimney corner." Wolves, bears, deer, panthers, wild cats, raccoons, otter, beaver, porcupines, were all met with; wild turkeys gobbled within hearing of the cabins; poisonous snakes infested the whole country, and were only exterminated by the droves of hogs of which the farmers became the subsequent owners. So troublesome did wolves, especially, become, that the Territorial and State Legislatures passed acts providing premiums for killing them. The County Commissioners also appropriated varying sums for wolf bounties, and on their old records are found many entries of

266 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

claims allowed upon presentation of the scalps of these pests. Squirrels also existed in almost countless numbers, and committed exasperating depredations upon the corn-fields. Occasionally the settlers organized parties of men and boys and had grand hunts for the purpose of ridding the vicinity of these lively animals. The Legislature passed "An Act to Encourage the Killing of Squirrels," dated December 24, 1807, providing that " Each and every person within this State who is subject to a county tax shall, in addition thereto, produce to the Clerk of the township in which he may reside, such number of squirrel scalps as the Trustees, at their annual meeting. apportion to the currency levies, provided that it does. not exceed one hundred nor less than ten." Other provisions were made by this act, by which each taxpayer, at the time his property was listed for taxation, was furnished with a list of the scalps he would be required to produce; also. that for every scalp below the number required which was not furnished, the taxpayer was required to pay into the township treasury the sum of 3 cents each, while the person who brought in more than his stated number was allowed at the rate of 2 cents each for the ex. cess. The Township Clerk gave a certificate to each person bringing scalps, and these certificates passed as so much money in the payment of taxes. They were also received by the merchant for goods and by the mechanic for work, but the law did not prove a great success, and was, after a short time, repealed.

Bear hunts were occasions of much sport, but occurred only seldom. A. H. Dunlevy, of Lebanon, who is quoted in other places in this volume, and who was as well acquainted with this county, perhaps, as with Warren, thus describes the method of killing a bear, as he had seen it done:

"Of all the sports of hunting in early times, the bear hunt was the most exciting. This usually occurred accidentally. I never knew a bear hunt to be regularly organized. Some one in the neighborhood would accidentally discover a bear, and, if at a time when the animal was fat and worth possessing, he gave the sound of a horn, known in the neighborhood as the signal of the discovery of a bear, and the call for help to capture the prize. Instantly, almost, men on horseback, with rifles and dogs, were on hand. The sound of the horn indicated the course of the bear, and thither the neighbors hastened. For hours, sometimes from morning till nightfall, the Chase would continue. The dogs would keep on the track of the bear, but, unless they could cause him to take to a tree, they could do nothing with him but to keep his trail and enable the hunters to follow. If they ventured to attack him, they were soon repulsed-sometimes killed on the spot. 11t last, after many hours' chase, sometimes embracing an area of five or six miles in circumference, the exhausted bear would take to a tree, around which the dogs quickly gathered, and, by their united noise, gave assurance to the hunters that Bruin was at last treed. The signal-horn was sounded and the hunters were soon on the spot. If it was still light, the bear was soon brought down by the unerring rifle. If too dark to see, the tree was watched until morning, and then he was dispatched. The event ended with skinning the bear and cutting up the carcass into as many pieces as would give each hunter his portion, and usually sending a part to each family in the neighborhood. The flesh, though considered by most people a delicacy, I could never eat; but the sport of the bear hunt had no equal with me at that early day, or at any time since."

"Wild turkeys," say those whose recollection extends backward sixty or seventy years, " were always plenty when beech mast was abundant, and you could almost knock them over with clubs." They were shot and trapped in great numbers at such seasons, but, after some years, they were more shy and scarce, and to-day are probably unknown in this region. The same may be said of the red deer, which were exceedingly plentiful when the county was

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 267

first settled. Great changes have taken place with the flight of years. and a glance over the county in the present year (1882) would hardly reveal the fact that, considerably less than a century ago, the territory comprising it was the home of the wild animal and savage man, and was covered with a forest growth of a luxuriance with which that of this date would scarcely compare.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTY.

During the first three or four years after the arrival of the first settler, the population of the county increased but slowly. Immigrants located oftener in Warren and other counties, and not until 1804 did Clinton receive a very perceptible number of people as permanent residents. In that year, they came in considerable numbers, and the growth of the county was thenceforward in and healthy. When the war of 1812 burst upon the nation, the settlements here had become respectable in size, yet were not sufficiently large to send many men to the army. The county had then been organized two years only, and Wilmington was a village of but two years' growth, with the characteristics of a pioneer settlement not yet worn off. Numbers of the citizens of the county, however, volunteered or were drafted, and saw service with Harrison in various capacities. The census figures will afford a knowledge of the subsequent increase in population.

In the Wilmington Watchman of July 4, 1861, is a long article from a correspondent who signed himself "J. M.," containing, among other things, the following general items, which will recall to those older pioneers of the county, who are now very few, the appearance of this region at the time the article refers to-1814:

"My father moved to this county from the Winchester Country, in Virginia, in the fall of 1814. It was extremely wet the latter part of that fall, so that when he came near to Wilmington, by what was then a newly cut road from Snow Hill, the broad expanse of level woodland for the most part near this road was entirely covered with water, and, being densely covered with timber, presented almost the appearance of a widely extended swamp or shallow lake, with trees standing thick throughout. Along this road there were but very few improvements; occasionally an opening would be seen, unclosed with newly made rails, which fenced in a rough log cabin, while logs, stumps ' and brush were thick over the clearing, with forest trees still standing in dangerous proximity to the dwelling should storm or tempest prostrate them. I think, however, in those days, these trees, of which there seemed to be a goodly number, standing like sentinels in thick array around new premises, actually did protect from the winds and frosts so much that they were not experienced in such severe degree as in later times. In many places, this road seemed almost impassable; through swamp and mud it was splash! splash! with the team with which we moved as it progressed along. I think there were, perhaps, at that time, here and there, in the lowest and most muddy spots, bridges of poles laid close together across the road, which might with propriety be called new-country bridges--and which have been frequently alluded to by the late Mr. Morris, of this place, as the `railroads' of those days. They seemed to possess, for awhile, the strength and compactness adequate to keep teams from sinking entirely. into the deep mire, but eventually became dangerous to life and limb-especially the latter-of animals passing upon them, as they Would be sufficiently far apart to permit their legs to pass down between them. * * * But these were the best the pioneers could do. Such was the condition of our roads at that time; but, by often repairing and trimming around the bridges in the dryest part of the season, they remained our common high ways for many years. * * * The lands in this part of the country, that

268 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

then appeared so wet, remained for the most part unpurchased, even at the low rates at which they might have been obtained, until the drier lands were generally taken up; but they have become, at length, by improvement and a system of drainage, the most fertile and productive. The heavily timbered lands of that day that were level, and of which I have been speaking, peared to contain about these clearings or improvements a large share of the white or gray ash, but in large quantities there were the tall oaks-red, black and white-the walnuts, the hickories, the blue and swamp ash, maple and elm, and in some woods, the sugars and beeches largely predominated, and, indeed, in many sections were almost the entire timber, sometimes interspersed with the tulip, or poplar. The buckeye was seen, flourishing mostly on bottom lands, and perhaps was most frequently found in the western part of the county. In the undergrowth of the woods, generally thick and dense on these rich lands. were the spicewood, papaw, dogwood, grape-vine and sarsaparilla; also the pea-vine, which clothed the forest and afforded a great range for cattle and hogs. Wild game abounded, and deer and turkeys roved in large numbers, and were taken with little trouble. And how many will still remember the rare sport of the bee and coon hunt? Through the forests were also found large numbers of wild plants, many of which, in later times, have been highly appreciated for their medicinal properties. These lands could have been purchased at, say from $2 to $4 per acre; but to people coming from beyond the mountains, and often from hilly districts, they appeared to possess every property except those necessary to their successful settlement and tillage.

"In the spring, our family went over to a residence selected in Chester Township, a few miles from this, where they lived for many years. * * * The early settlers of our country generally prospered-in cultivating the lands, from their productive quality and from the enterprise and capital that soon found their way into their immediate and respective vicinities; but at first the men, and boys, too, had to work hard, until their farms were improved, and, though their products broughtfar less prices than at the present day, yet those who had the foresight to keep their farms and continue the work of agriculture became independent and wealthy, while those who grew tired and went to other trades and professions failed, perhaps, as often as succeeded in acquiring any degree of wealth. The labor of the farmers of these times consisted mainly in building upon and clearing their lands, and this was all heavy work-to cut down the trees and deaden timber in the green, thick woods, to cut away the smaller trees, chop up the old logs and tops, or `laps,' as they were frequently called, of the rail trees, pile and burn the brush, grub and have all ready for the 'logrolling,' which was done by all who were nearly .situated together, ` help and help again.' The rails had to be made and hauled and the fences put tip, and the log piles and trash burnt off. During this process, in favorable weather, those new field illuminations could be seen at night in greater brilliancy, and had their locations on nearly all the premises where cabins stood or other tenements had been erected. This was early work and indispensable, as the season for planting or sowing was the same to each, and the season pressing hard upon time, for neither could be done until after this necessary amount of labor was expended in preparing the new fields for tillage.

"We have thus -lanced at the farmer's early toils. Was there anything to lighten his labors or make cheerful his pathway? Surely, there was. Reader, at this day of light labor, of the powers of machinery and the consequent abridgment of manual labor, you might suppose that this was truly a hard state of existence and oppression upon the enjoyment of life. Not so; as always in union there is strength, the heavy work of rolling was done, and

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sometimes other parts, by the neighbors together, commencing with those first ready and continuing for a week or two until all had their shares completed. It brought the muscular strength of men into play, and made them equal to almost any emergency; whether equal or not in physical power, they were often ught into contact of equipoise at the end of the lever or handspike in heavy lifting, and, if it did not exhaust the strength of the stronger, it gave an ambition, impetus and energy to the weaker, which made him superior to himself for the time and tended much to the development of physical force. All had good appetites and generally on such occasions had plenty that was excellent to eat. There was besides the labor of preparing timber to build houses, and the erection of barns, cribs and outhouses; but to labor was commendable in those days, and if boys or men were idle they were called lazy and trifling, which amounted to such a reproach on their characters that it excluded them from social privileges, for, if a young man was called too lazy to work,' the young ladies and others would shun his company, and hence an ambition generally existed to be above such suspicion. These labors, as stated, hardened the system for endurance, and gave a relish to industry, so that lazy people were very rare. But these labors were often felt to be less exhausting when at the same time the women and girls had a quilting or sewing party; and ambition became naturally inspired among young men in the fields to excel each other in order to get through early with their work and have the evening for fun and frolic--not a boisterous scene of uproar, but of harmless plays. Those who yet live and have enjoyed these amusements will remember them Have you been one of the hands helping your neighbor through the day, with a frolic' in the evening? A husking frolic was generally held late in the fall, about the bracing time of frosts, when pumpkin pies-who does not like them? -were plenty, and afforded, perhaps, as much amusement and mirth, combined with labor, as any other occasion. Exhilaration and hilarity generally prevailed while husking, for the bottle containing `old peach,' or pure extract of rye,. or something equivalent, would frequently go round, but the contents were seldom partaken of in quantity more than exciting a hearty appetite for supper and good spirits. The meal was prepared in abundance and good style, of the best of eatables, by the lady of the house and the girls who would generally be present on such occasions. Supper being over, the festivities of the , evening would be commenced, and frequently be prolonged to a late hour by '' such plays as `Sister Phebe,' 'Come, Philander,' ` Thimble I and others equally popular at the time. There was without doubt more social enjoy. went, less affectation and better feeling in the rural sports of these times than in all the mock parades of modern etiquette."

OLD-TIME AGRICULTURE, IMPROVED STOCK, ETC.

The sketch here given, although carrying the reader back but half way in the history of the settlements of Clinton County, yet depicts customs so greatly different, even then, from those of the present, and, to the younger generation, unknown, that it must be of interest to all who read it. It was written under the title, "Harvesting Forty Years Ago," and printed in 1880:

"The wheat was sown broadcast and covered by dragging over the ground a three-cornered harrow. Huge stumps, troublesome reminders of the giants of the primitive forest, stood at inconvenient intervals in the oldest fields. If, as was frequently the case, the grain was sown among corn, the spaces between the rows served, at harvest-time, as single-handed lands. If sown on fallow, it was customary to take a plow and lay off the field in double lands. This done, the farmer waited for the elements to do their part, and in due time the harvest came. Then were seen the signs of preparation. Harvesters

274 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

were needed and the prudent husbandman had help engaged betimes. Good reapers were in demand and always found employment at fair pay. Shirks were left to the last and hired then as a dernier ressort.

"In making up the force, it was of importance to find one man who was a good 'leader.' This meant, usually, a stalwart farmer, old enough to be steady and yet young enough to endure toil like an engine. It was currently whispered, and sometimes believed. that this important personage was paid an extra quarter per diem for the manifestation of especial zeal in his employer's behalf. Be this as it may, there was usually not much danger that he would allow his men too much time to 'rest and refresh themselves' at the end of the 'through.'

"By sun-up, the force was in the field. The water-bucket was on hand and the little brown jug was considered a necessary adjunct. The grandfather and the small boys of the household were on hand to carry water and to gather sheaves. A trusted neighbor, known to be skilled in the art, was deputized to shock the grain.

"All things were now ready. The leader assigned his men their places, threw his sickle into the standing grain with his right hand, and then, by the aid of a peculiar movement of his left leg, gathered an immense grip of the golden straw. A quick, drawing motion of the crooked blade severed it, and thus the first stroke was made. Soon the stiff stubble showed the path of the reapers. A 'through' was cut. Water and a drain awaited the men at the end of the field. They drank, wiped the sweat from their bronzed brows. hung their serrated blades across their brawny shoulders and started on the return trip 'binding back.'

"Sometimes a reaper was unable to do a full hand's work. In such case, if he had a stout boy, he was fortunate indeed. Sending him some distance into the land, with directions to ' gouge,' the young reaper soon made a perceptible opening in the grain, so that when the jaded father came up he found a smart gap in his through already cut. Straightening his tired back, he could bind the reaped grain as he passed along, and so have an opportunity to rest on his return.

"Through the long, sultry summer days, our fathers thus toilsomely reaped their harvests forty years ago. Of barns, there were few, and so the grain was stacked. This was in some sense the work of an expert, for. on the manner in which it was done depended the preservation of the crop.

"Threshing came next in regular order. The floor properly prepared, on some bright morning a neighbor or two came with their horses, and the getting-out of the grain began. A circular layer of sheaves, with the bands all cut, was placed upon the ground. This done, the horses ridden by boys were brought into use. Not

"`Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching,'

was their motto, but they well might have quoted the sentiment, substituting the word suffering for the last one in the line, for that fitly represents the condition of the lad doomed to ride a raw-boned horse bare-back, under the broiling sun, with the rays reflected from the glittering straw, while tramping out a ' flooring' of wheat. During the time, sturdy men stirred the soft straw in order that the horses' hoofs might beat out all the grain. This operation was kept up until the grain was thoroughly separated from its natural receptacles. Then the straw was raked from the floor. This operation was repeated until the crop was threshed or the floor was too full to work on. Then the grain in the chaff was 'caved up' to await the process of cleaning. This was done with an old fashioned windmill, of which there was usually about one in each neighbor-

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 275

hood. This was hauled from farm to farm, the one of which we have vivid recollection being worse worn by transportation on sled and wagon than all the legitimate work it ever did.

"Later came the cradle, the instrument that marked a treat stop in advance, and then the 'ground-hog' thresher. After the lapse of years, we had the McCormick reaper, then the steam thresher, and now the old tools and the old customs have given place to the new. Hung up in snug places in many Clinton County barns we suspect are still old sickles, flails and other souvenirs of the old days, and the old people know how they were used, but the boys would find them awkward implements-and it is well. They belong to a day that is past. Let them rest."

The varieties of stock first owned by the settlers were of the ordinary breeds common to the country. Not many years elapsed before steps were taken to improve them by numerous men throughout the county. After various improvements had been made by private individuals, mostly through breeds as regards cattle-from Kentucky importations, the Clinton County Importation Company was formed in 1853, to introduce Short Horn cattle generally into the county. Of this company, Judge B. F. Hinkson was the first President; Col. T. L. Carothers, Secretary, and M. Rombach, Nathan Perrill, William Palmer, Benjamin Wight and David Persinger, Directors. A. R. Seymour, of Fayette County, and John G. Coulter and H. H. Hankins, of Wilson Township, Clinton County, were chosen agents to go to Europe and make purchases. They departed on that mission early in 1854. Seymour soon returned, leaving the others to look after most of the purchasing. Twenty-six Short Horns were selected from ten of the best herds of England, and sent over in charge of Edward Lawrence, an experienced herdsman. These cattle were sold at a great advance over their first cost, yet the operations of the company were not financially successful. The herds of H. H. Hankins and John G. Coulter, of Wilson Township, which sprang principally from these imported cattle, acquired a national reputation.

Among men in and around Wilmington who were early interested in the improvement of stock, and with whom that interest never flagged, were Messrs. Haworth, Harlan, Gaskill, Strickle and others, and, through the influence of some or all of them, matters looking to the furtherance of agricultural and stock interests were given great prominence in the county.

EARLY SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.

So far as can now be learned, the first religious meetings held in the county were in Union Township, in the Center neighborhood, probably as early as 1804, by the Friends, but a meeting was not regularly organized until 1807. This society organized the first meetings in a number of the townships, as follows: In Chester, in 1807, when they built a log house on Caesar Creek, over the line, in Warren County; they first erected a building in that township in 1828. In 1809, they organized an indulged meeting in Adams Township, and in 1810, in Clark. In Jefferson, they effected an organization about 1825. Next in order were the Baptists, who held meetings in Wilson Township previous to 1809; in Liberty, some time previous to 1818, and organized a society in Washington Township about 1818. The Methodists followed, organizing in Wilson in 1809; in Richland, previous to 1824, and in Marion in 1842. The Presbyterians were the first to organize a church in Vernon Township, the date being 1812 and the place the house of David Sewell. For Wayne Township, no date has been learned, either for churches or schools. All the denominations mentioned effected various subsequent organizations, the foregoing summary showing the dates of the first religious meetings in the several townships.

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Schools were taught first as shown by the following: Union Township, 1806; Chester and Wayne, no dates given, neither for Washington nor Marion; Adams, 1808; Wilson, 1816 or 1812; Vernon, 1811 or 1812; Liberty 1812; Clark, about 1812; Richland, 1814; Jefferson, 1823. The early school-houses were simple structures of logs, and are accurately described elsewhere. The schools were taught by subscription until about 1835, the rates of tuition being from $.1.25 to $1.50 per quarter for each pupil. At about the date last named, free schools were established, and that magnificent system has done much for the country. Academies and colleges have been founded, and will be described in their proper places.

EARLY MILLS

The following, written by Judge Harlan, treats of the early mills of the region, and their character:

"The first mill built within reach was Highway's. John Highway built a log mill on a small stream which empties into the Little Miami from the west, a short distance below Waynesville. It was built in 1803 and sold to Jonathan Newman, a Quaker and a Justice of the Peace, as early as about 1805. [Judge Harlan said this was the first mill he ever went to. From the history of Warren County, it appears that Samuel (not John) Heighway, as the name appears to have been spelled, built the mill about 1803, and subsequently erected others.] The first mill constructed at Waynesville was erected by John Haynes, a cousin of Noah Haynes, an early and well-known settler at Waynesville. [This was about 1806. The name is given Haines in the Warren County History.) It was erected near the spot now occupied by the brick mill of Oscar J. Wright. A mill was built about five miles west of Xenia, by Owen Davis, near the Dayton road, on Big Beaver Creek, in 1798. It was the first mill built in Greene County. It was afterward owned by Jacob Smith, granduncle of the Linton families here. This mill was frequented by people from a great distance, by my father and Fergus McLean, father of Judge McLean, late of the Supreme Court of the United States, and grandfather to Mrs. Jane Hale, formerly of Wilmington. Atone time when they arrived at it, they found the people of the neighborhood collected in the block-house for protection against the Indians, then numerous in the country. The whites and Indians alike had received a scare, and, for a time, were in great commotion. Not long after, Blue Jacket, the principal chief of the Shawnees, cautiously approached the block-house, making signs of peace and asking a friendly talk. His request was granted and an interview had. It was soon made to appear that there was no real occasion for the fright, and the people were soon on their way to their respective homes.

"Smalley's mill was the first mill in the neighborhood of Clarksville. Sewell's mill was on the Little East Fork, between Clarksville and Cuba. Mordecai Mendenhall's mill, on Todd's Fork, was afterward Jonathan Wright's mill (grandfather of Frank and Benjamin Farquhar).

"Fallis' mill, and later, Stacy Haines', were others. Eachus' mill was on Todd's Fork, a little east of Center Meeting-House. Mahlon Haworth built a mill on Todd's Fork, near his residence, in 1805 or 1806; it was part of the time a water-mill and part of the time a horse-mill. John Unthank built a mill at West Liberty, on Anderson's Fork. Miller's mill was on Anderson's Fork below Untbank's mill; Jennings' mill, on Anderson's Fork, at Port William; Holliday's mill, near Westboro, on West Fork. Among others were Jones' mill, Garrison's water-mill, between Clarksville and Blanchester; Hadley's mill, near Ogden, on Lytle's Creek; Pyle's mill, on Todd's Fork, a short. distance above Clarksville.

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 277

"John Cox had a grist-mill on Cowan's Creek, below where Burtonville now is. Thomas Thatcher, Esq., had a grist and saw-mill on Silver Creek, a branch of_ Cowan's Creek, in 1823. Ezekiel Spurgeon erected a horse-mill at his residence, near where Reeseville now is, quite early. Benjamin B. Bentley built a mill near his residence on Anderson's Fork; it was a hand-mill, but was much used by the neighbors. Bentley lived where Carlisle Williams afterward lived in the Early neighborhood. Henry Cock erected a horse-mill near Centerville, on what is now the Terrell farm, about ----. Israel Nordyke built a horse-mill below Snow Hill. Holley's horse-mill was on Washington road, six miles east of Wilmington; Reese's mill, where Reeseville now is. Bowers had a horse-mill at an early day on the farm adjoining the Snow Hill farm. Benjamin Hockett built a horse-mill on the West Branch of the East Fork. John Jack erected a horse-mill in 1827. John Cock built a horse-mill on his farm, since owned by Robert Hunt, and still later, by John Crouse, Jr. The mill stood about northwest of the dwelling. Vestiges of this useful structure are said to have come down to the present time.

"Joseph Wright erected a building on the ground where the Methodist Episcopal Church now stands in Wilmington. He had a wool-carding machine and also a horse-mill; the lot was bought at the sale of lots in 1810. The wife of Joseph Wright was Susannah West, sister of Peyton West, and others, late of Clinton County. Joseph Wright sold the mill to Jacob Strickle & Sons. It was in this mill that our late fellow-citizen, Abraham E. Strickle, had his fingers, two on each hand, torn off by being caught in the machinery. The mill was sold in 1818 to the Methodist society, and they remodeled and changed it into a house for church purposes.

"Isaac Garretson's horse-mill stood a few rods south of where John Dillon's blacksmith shop lately stood, on Main street. The cog-wheels of the mill were of wood, and were run without being oiled or greased in any way, hence the citizens for a mile or so distant were serenaded by music resembling in part the notes of a guinea fowl, only very much louder. Isaac Garretson was a Pennsylvanian and a mill-wright; he also taught a school here (Wilmington) in 1810. The schoolhouse stood about 250 yards west of the shingle factory now owned by the Gallup Bros. It was afterward burned down.

"The mill on Todd's Fork, west of the Xenia road, was erected at an early day by George Haworth, the pioneer; later it belonged to Mahlon Haworth, then to Dora Fisher, then to Michael Jenkins and the Fallises. It an passed through the hands of another party not remembered; then Peter abb became the owner; it is now the property of Isaac Cline, Esq., and is as originally, by water-power."

MISCELLANEOUS.

"On the road from Wilmington to New. Lexington, Highland County, about two miles southeast of New Antioch, is a tract of land frequently called the 'Indian Lot,' and sometimes the `Downing Lot,' to distinguish it from other tracts or lots in the same survey. This survey was many years since divided up for the purpose of making sales. The number is 855, and is marked on the county map 'C. Biddle' but is better known in the neighborhood as one of the surveys of land which belonged at one time to Hon. John Brown, of Kentucky. The lot particularly referred to is in the northwest corner of the survey, and contains about 150 acres. It is marked on the map `O. Brown.' The lot lies on both sides of the Wilmington & New Lexington road, and joins the farm of Christopher Custis on the northwest. There is also another road running through this lot, one end of which leads in the direction of Centerville, and the other intersects the road from Wilmington to Snow Hill, near

278 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

the residence of Isaac Johnson. These roads divide the lot into four unequal parts. Through the southern part of it, divided as above stated, a small branch comes down from the southeast and runs off in the direction of Cowan's Creek, of which it is a branch Distant from the intersection of these roads about one hundred yards, and about equally distant from each of them, on the southwest side of this little branch, and within three or four rods of it, there is a piece of elevated land still (1870) covered with timber. This is the spot known, or should be known, as the place where Timothy Downing, the uncle of Mrs. James Wherry, of Reesville, killed one Indian and wounded another, thus effecting his escape from Indian captivity, if not from death by Indian tortures. The principal circumstances of the capture and escape of Downing have been published perhaps manv times, but it is not stated in any of the accounts which have come into the hands of the writer of this. where it was that the principal events of the story happened. Mr. and Mrs. Wherry, who claim to have heard Timothy Downing relate the circumstances of the transaction, differ from the published accounts in some particulars and state some additional facts.

"About the 1st of April, 1791, Timothy Downing, residing in the neighborhood of Washington, Mason Co., Ky., went to Lexington to purchase bacon, taking with him two horses for the purpose of conveying it home. On his return, he was waylaid in the neighborhood of the Blue Licks and taken prisoner by a party of Indians, who started with him for their camp. When they had reached the spot above described, they camped for the night, but soon hearing the report of a gun, the Indians all rose and went out to discover whence the sound came, except an old Indian chief and his son, a lad, who were left to guard Downing. The latter had learned from the conversation of the Indians that it was their intention to burn him at the stake the next night, so, when left alone with this guard, he at once began looking about for the means of escape. The old chief becoming thirsty, ordered Downing to bring him a drink, and, for this purpose, unbound his hands. This afforded Downing the desired opportunity, and he struck the old chief a blow on the head which killed him instantly. He had not intended to injure the young Indian, as he had shown him great kindness, but the instant the boy saw his father slain, he seized a squaw ax and sprang upon Downing with the fury of a wild beast, and, in the struggle for liberty, Downing wounded him severely. Downing now fled and succeeded in getting possession of his horses, one of which he mounted; he tried to induce the other to follow him, but, failing in this, was obliged to leave him. The young Indian ran to give the alarm to the rest of his tribe, and Downing made his way as best he could through the woods. He wandered about until near morning, when he heard the barking of dogs and judged that he was still within the neighborhood of the Indian camp. He soon found the creek and followed it some distance, and at length reached the river just as a boat was passing; he hailed this boat, but the men fearing a decoy, refused to land until he had ridden several miles along the river bank and they were convinced that no treachery was intended. They had but just gained the stream when the Indians appeared on the shore.

"Maj. Simon Kenton and a band of Kentuckians immediately went in pursuit of these Indians, but they had abandoned their camp, suspecting that they would be followed, and Maj. Kenton did not overtake them." (Judge Harlan, 1870.)

The subjoined story of John McKibben is also from the pen of Judge Harlan:

"It would seem a little late to write an account of a man in humble life, who has lain in his grave sixty years, and whose name is now probably for the

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 279

first time found in print, if he had not been an early pioneer in what is now Clinton County, and a man of courage and conduct, and withal, an excellent man. John McKibben was a native of the North of Ireland and came of Scotch Irish stock. He was married and was living in Western Pennsylvania during our Revolutionary struggle. Living near him at the time was a man by the name of Miller, a widower with a large family of children, mostly young, and with little for their support. While his wife lived and was in health, he had managed to keep his family together; she being gone, he saw no way left but separate the children among the settlers, many of whom had more children of their own than they could well provide for. But the neighbors were full of patriotism and so was Miller. It was finally settled that McKibben should take a little boy, a year or so old, and other neighbors one of the children each until all were provided with homes. While the war raged between England and the patriots in America, and while a most bloody and cruel war was raging on our Western frontier, McKibben came by boat to Kentucky, bringing his young 'charge with him. His settlement was near Lexington, Ky., at a place known as Bryant's Station, on Licking River, an exposed frontier defense. Here he went to work to prepare for the raising of a crop of corn and vegetables. The land cultivated by him was of small extent and was about half a mile or so from the station. When the crop was sufficiently matured to yield supplies for the table, McKibben, with young Isaac Miller, and a black boy of some seventeen years, accompanied by two scouts or rangers from the station, went out to McKibben's improvement to get such supplies as it afforded. The general service of rangers or spies was to observe the presence and `signs' of Indians, and to guard the settlement against surprise, and, when not employed in general service, they frequently acted as an escort for single individuals and small parties. At the time of which we write, the settlers had been relieved from any incursions of Indians for several weeks. This contributed in great degree to the parties relaxing their usual vigilance and caution against surprise to some extent.

"While the little party was thus engaged in obtaining the supplies for which they had come out, entirely unmindful of danger, the colored boy, happening to turn round, saw an Indian creeping stealthily along toward their gun, intending no doubt to appropriate it to his own use, and most probably in attacking them. The boy sprang forward, seized the gun, and, just as the Indian had mounted the fence to make his escape, shot him, the ball cutting the strap of a camp kettle which he had hung about his neck, so that the Indian fell on one side of the fence and the kettle on the other. This kettle is still in the family of Isaac Miller. These parties were all early residents of Clinton County. Joseph McKibben, the son of John, and Isaac Miller, the adopted son, left their home in Kentucky and came out to the East Fork as early as the spring of 1802. They made their settlement near where Farmer's Station now is, the two young men living alone. About two years later, John McKibben, with his family, came also. The farm settled by John McKibben was that since owned by Benjamin Clark, in Throckmorton's survey, No. 1939, in Clark Township. The colored boy spoken of in this sketch was brought up by John McKibben from infancy in his own family, and was a great favorite with all the sons of McKibben. At the death of Mr. McKibben, he left to his adopted son, Isaac Miller, the second choice of 235 acres of land in his estate.

"The following is another sketch by Judge Harlan:

" The Lucas family was originally from New Jersey, but at an early day settled in Greene County, Penn. From there they came to Limestone, now Maysville, Ky., and, about 1800, to Ohio. Thomas Lucas, the father of the family, settled at about two, or at most, three miles northwest of Lebanon,

280 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

Warren County, where he died a few years later. Mr. Lucas had several sons and daughters. His sons were Thomas, Abram, John. Caleb, Ebenezer and Francis. Thomas was killed at Harmar's defeat, on the Maumee, near where Fort Wayne has been built up, in 1790. Abram lived on the old Hiney farm, on Anderson's Fork, below Port William. John lived on Caesar's Creek, east of the road from Wilmington to Xenia, in Greene County. Caleb was an early settler on Caesar's Creek, near where New Burlington now is. These brothers were all living in what is now Clinton County prior to 1806. Francis, the youngest son, lived in early life north of Lebanon; he sold out his possessions and moved to the neighborhood of Deerfield, where he died May 11, 1845, aged sixty-four years. Ebenezer Lucas was in many respects a remarkable man. He was born at the foot of Laurel Hill, in Greene County, Penn., before 1772; he was married three times and had several children; he was married to Nancy Irving, by Isaac Collett, Justice of the Peace, March 2, 1828. He was to some extent a great hunter, but to a much greater extent a trapper; he is said to have killed the last wolf known to leave been killed in the county, in 1828. On December 2 of that year, the Commissioners of Clinton County Mahlon Haworth, Eli Gaskill and Elijah Lieurance-issued an order in favor of Ebenezer Lucas for $9 for the scalps of nine wolfes over the age of six months. These wolves were caught on the Telfair survey, on Jackson's Run, in what is now Wilson Township. Esquire Hoblett says Mr. Lucas caught the tenth wolf in his trap, but that it escaped with the loss of a hind foot. A large wolf, which had recently lost a hind foot was killed a few days after in Ezekiel Spurgeon's meadow. Thomas Graham, who came to live on Caesar's Creek in 1807, says that at one time as he and Mr. Lucas hunted together on Loramie's Creek, in Shelby County, one evening and the next morning they caught nine young wolves, trapped two old ones and shot a third, but failed to kill it and it escaped. At another time, they went out on the Wabash, about seven miles above Fort Recovery, in Mercer County. They stayed there twenty-six days and caught seventeen wolves and one catamount; the latter was caught in a fox trap. They received for each wolf scalp a bounty from the State, and sold each skin for $1. The catamount skin they sold in Dayton for $1.50. They found fifteen bee-trees one day and two the neat day. From these they took a hogshead of honey and honeycomb of the best quality. Graham killed three deer, one a buck, the Indians said the largest they had ever seen on the Wabash; he caught forty-two raccoons and received 37 1/2 cents per skin for them. Lucas would not bunt raccoons at night. There were no white inhabitants in that part of the country at that time. The old wolf-trap used by Mr. Lucas was shown at one of our pioneer meetings by Harvey H. Hankins, of Wilson Township. He said his father had bought it of the original owner, Ebenezer Lucas, and that it had been used successfully for the same purpose by his father. A deed from Caleb Lucas to Ebenezer Lucas for fifty acres is dated February 13,18116, Book 71, pages 77, 78. David Lucas, a son of Ebenezer, was born November 3, 1802, at the old residence near New Burlington, on the Sergeant Survey, No. 2280. In health, Ebenezer Lucas weighed about 250 pounds; he died about five miles west of Wapakoneta, Auglaize Co., Ohio."

Some years ago, the following article was published in the Clinton Republican, at Wilmington, and is considered of sufficient interest to deserve a place in this history; its title was "Pioneers and Pioneer Life in Clinton County: "

"The year 1805 brought few, if any, emigrants to the neighborhood, but in the fall of 1806, Ezekiel Frazeir, William Shields and their families arrived from the same part of Tennessee, traveling in the same manner and driving their stock before them as the others had done. The only persons now living

PAGE 281 - PICTURE OF JOHN E. BOND

PAGE 282 - BLANK

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of that little colony are Moses Fraizer and Betsey Ballard. (The former of these two is now deceased.) One little incident on their journey or at their arrival is, perhaps, worth relating. They camped the night before they reached the end of their journey on the banks of Caesar's Creek. Centre meeting had been established previous to that time, and their arrival happened to be on meeting day. Rebecca Ballard, mother of Benajah, John and Jordan Ballard, and daughter of Ezekiel Fraizer and his wife, Rebecca Thomas, had preceded the rest of her father's family to the West about three years, and was attending meeting at Centre. While these people were meditating, perhaps, on the goodness of God, and this daughter and sister breathing a silent prayer or a blessing on those loved ones far away, she listened and thought she heard in the distance a familiar sound; she listened again, and, as the sound grew more distinct, she thought she could not be mistaken. She left the meeting and in the distance saw a party of emigrants approaching. and soon discovered that the familiar sound proceeded from the old cow-bell that had many a time gladdened her in her father's herd in Tennessee. She ran and met her father, mother, brothers and sisters, and, with tears of gratitude, welcomed them to her wilderness home. That cow-bell, minus the clapper, is now in possession of Jonathan Bailey, and should be kept as a-relic of those early days. Their arrival proved quite an addition to the neighborhood, for they brought a set of blacksmith's tools and Ezekiel was a blacksmith. Prior to this, if they wanted a horse shod or a plow sharpened, they had to go to Waynesville, a distance of fifteen miles. They made their settlement on part of the farm now occupied by Jonathan Bailey. By close application, the settlers would prepare from four to six acres for corn the first season after their arrival, the women often burning the brush, while the men would chop the trees and roll the logs. The ;woods afforded pasture in abundance for their stock, but wild onions were so plentiful, and the cattle cropped them to such an extent with the grass, that the settlers would often have to gather them for their tables to destroy the onion flavor in the milk and butter. Emigrants now began to arrive from other parts of the country-the Dillons, Hodgsons and Fishers, from North Carolina, others from Pennsylvania and Virginia-until the lands were nearly all occupied, and they began to look around, and found they were destitute of schools and churches. But before I begin to give a few incidents of their more civilized life, I will relate a few of their hunting adventures: Alexander Fraizer, brother to our old and respected fellow-citizen, Moses Fraizer, had, when he arrived in this country, a passion for coon-hunting. One night while engaged in his favorite amusement, his dog came dashing toward him and crouched between his feet; immediately, some other animal came tearing through the bushes after the dog, but, on sight of the human form, stopped, and Fraizer's eyes rested on those of a huge panther. He was unarmed, except an ax, but had presence of mind enough to know that if he looked the monster steadily in the eyes it would not leap upon him; and so, steadily all through the night, he looked that hungry panther in the eyes, with the dog trembling between his feet. When the first gray streaks of morning began to show in the east, the animal bounded away, and the hunter returned to his home, completely cured of his fondness for coon-hunting. Mahlon Haworth and his brother James, although no great hunters, always in passing through the woods took the precaution to carry their guns with them. On one occasion, when in search of their horses that had strayed away, old `Maje,' the trusty dog, treed a bear. James told his brother to stand aside and see him shoot him (the bear) in the head. So he raised his gun, but a film came over his eyes and a tremor seized his hands, and when he fired he missed his game. Now, Mahlon tried his luck; he did better; the game was wounded and came

284 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

tumbling to the ground; the dog rushed upon him, and the bear would soon have dispatched him, but the men advanced, when he turned upon them, and, as he reared to give his hug, they placed the gun against his breast, fired and dispatched him. On the same day, they wounded a deer which came bounding past their dwelling and plunged into Todd's Fork. Mary Haworth, afterward Bailey, happened to be passing near, saw the deer become entangled in some brush, so she waded in, caught it and killed it with a stone. My informant remarked, `Then we had venison and bear fat to cook it in.' Moses Fraizer, whose tottering form we saw on our streets on last election day to vote for President for the fifteenth time, is also the hero of a bear story. On the first spring after his arrival here, and in about his fifteenth year, while he was plowing in the field, a neighbor came by and reported three bears in the woods close at hand. Leaving his plow in the furrow, he ran to the house for his dog and gun, and was soon in hot pursuit of an old bear and two cubs. The old one soon treed; the others dashed on through the woods. Without dreaming of the danger of attacking an old bear when with hpr cubs, he raised his gun and fired and old bruin came tumbling down, but only wounded. Fortunately, she ran from him; the dog pursuing, soon caused the animal to tree again, but when the hunter came up she was foaming with wrath, and gnashing her huge teeth until the sound would echo through the forest; undaunted by fear, he raised his gull and fired again. This time, the trusty rifle had done its work well, and the bear fell dead at the feet of the young hunter. He now returned to his work and soon heard a call in the woods, saying so distinctly, ° come here,' that he thought some neighbor's child must be lost, and was calling for help, but, on going to the spot, he found one of the cubs piteously calling for its mother. He returned for his gun and soon dispatched him.

"One other bear story, and I will quit: A man whose name I have lost, and, for want of a better one, I will call him Snyder, was in the woods hunting, and, by chance, came upon a bear. He raised his gun and fired and the first shot proved fatal. A neighbor was attracted to the spot by the report of the gun, and found him in great complacency viewing the monster he had slain, and soliloquizing thus: ` Well, Snyder did kill a bear, and the people all over the neighborhood will soon say, Snyder killed a bear. And that's not all, for the people way back in North Carolina will soon say, Snyder killed a bear."'

Some time in the fall of 1826 (the reader is referred also to the chapter devoted to the history of the press), the Wilmington Argus published an item upon mammoth fruit, which stated that "an apple was lately picked from the orchard of Nathan Linton, of this vicinity, weighing twenty-nine ounces and a pear weighing twenty-six ounces. A turnip was recently taken from the patch of Moses Hoskin, of this county, which weighed twelve pounds." The Western Star and Lebanon Gazette, of December 2, 1826, commented as follows upon the item: " When we saw the above article and recollected the account of the seven-foot cucumber raised this summer in some of our northern counties, we were ready to exclaim, ° Ohio against the Union!' but soon after noticing the following account of a radish, we concluded that our citizens must make another trial for victory. Our friend Hoskin's turnip is beat all hollow by the Dutchman's radish, whose dimensions will be found below: `Beat This Who Can!-Was raised in the garden of Mr. Jacob Hummel, of Middle Creek, Union Co., Penn., last summer, and is now in the possession of Philip Seebold, Esq., of this place, a radish weighing twenty-seven pounds, measuring twenty-eight inches in circumference and its length thirty inches Times."

Those articles would have made the average committee on premiums at a

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 285

fair of the present day clap its hands in an ecstacy of delight and dream of ,mammoth agricultural wonders for a year afterward. Yet there were truthful people in those days as well as now.

The following interesting old letters, with others from the same person bearing upon different subjects, were published several years ago, and we thought it best to insert them in this work for preservation. The writer became an honored citizen of Clinton County, and the letters came to us from beneath the dust of years as souvenirs of the pioneer days. They are from Samuel Linton to his friends, Abel and Joseph Saterthwaite, of Philadelphia, Penn., and are as here given:

WAYNESVILLE, the 5th of ye 5th mo.,1804.

FRIENDS SATERTHWAITES-I am about to visit you, with another letter, and inform you it is fine growing weather here at this date, after a cold, snowy winter ; the northeast wind, about the 20th of the 1st month, made its way round the north bluff of the mountain, and found us and blowed us up a big snow, about eighteen inches deep-a thing unprecedented in this country-and also that we are in good health and have not as yet become French citizens. The handbill announcing the cession of Louisiana, printed the 1st of last July, at Philadelphia, was reprinted at Cincinnati, and in circulation at Waynesville the 20th of the same month; and now the United States is in the peaceable possession of that vast country (as our President phrases it), so extensive and so fertile, and there don't at present appear anything to interrupt the peace and happiness of these settlements in this part of the world.

There have sundry changes taken place since I have been in this land besides our taking rank among our sister States. Our meeting, some months ago, was organized into a monthly meeting, with full powers to practice the discipline of the church. William Saterthwaite, a valuable friend, and Samuel Cope, another-the one from Redstone, in Pennsylvania, the other from Concord Monthly Meeting, in this State-by the appointment of the quarterly meeting were present at the opening -of our second meeting; and Ann Taylor, she who lately visited your parts, and Chris tian Hall, women Friends, were also present, all of whom I had the happiness to entertain part of the time they were in this neighborhood. We had a sitting in my family, and Ann gave good counsel to my young generation.

As I live in a thick settlement of Friends, they soon found out I understood bow to use the pen pretty well, and, not knowing that John Brown, to please Moses Comfort, gave me a " measurable certificate," they have made much use of my .; pen in the management of meeting business.

Another change is, we now have good land enough of our own. I believe I did not answer the question in my last letter respecting the title of lands in this State; I will now do it : There seems to be three descriptions; first, the greatest. part of the lands are purchased at our land offices for that purpose, at $2 per acre, or otherwise they are put up at public sale at $2 per acre, and such as are not bid higher than $2, during the three weeks of the vendue, are purchased at the laud office for $2 per acre. According to the law, lately new modeled, of the last session ;.of Congress, the purchaser may pay at four different annual payments, and if he will make payment punctually at the stated time, he will be excused from paying interest. When payment is complete, he is by law entitled to a patent, and his title is indisputable. Secondly, the land between the Little Miami and Scioto Rivers, commonly called the military lands, is land that was reserved to reward the soldiers of the Revolutionary war, and is, much of it, very fertile or rich land. There is an office on purpose for the management of said land, called the war office. Said land is obtainable by warrants granted to such as are entitled to them by law. The following fact will illustrate the matter : There were 12,500 acres allotted to Gen. Gates ; said Gates sold his right to Dr. James Murray ; said Murray, according to law, obtained a patent to said land, executed by George Washington, President, with the national seal affixed to it ; the titles to said lands are good. The aforesaid James Murray, the last fall, sent his son Daniel, with full power of attorney, to sell part of said land, and I have bought 500 acres of him at seven quarter-dollars per acre, and paid him the money, and he executed to me a warrantee deed. There is on my tract good Spring water, and above one hundred acres of that sort of land that but little timber grows upon it, and what little there is is chiefly walnut and ash ; the ground is much overrun with pea-vine and spice-wood (sometimes called baby-wood). Such lands are too strong for wheat in their first culture, but excellent for corn, hemp, potatoes, Pumpkins, tobacco, etc. Said Murray has sold various other people land. It several miles from this town, on of the Little Miami, called Todd's Fork. As there is likely to be a large branch settlement of Friends there, Dr. Murray has generously made us a present of fifteen acres of land for meeting and school use for the Society

286 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

of Friends, and made a deed to trustees, of which number Nathan Linton is one, and has got the deed recorded, and has it in keeping. Said Murray, late in the fall, returned to his father's in Maryland, and James Murray has sent Nathan a power of attorney, duly recorded, to survey and sell more of his lands. Daniel Murray is a young officer belonging to the navy department, and he has lately sent its word that he is ordered on board, to sail to the Mediterranean, to help revenge the wrong done to the ship Philadelphia, by the Tripolitans.

Third. John Cleves Symes (commonly called Judge Symes), a number of Years ago, perhaps near fifteen, contracted witli the powers of government for one million of acres lying between the two Miami Rivers at two-thirds of a dollar per acre ; so Symes obtained a patent for about one-third of the million acres before Gen. St. Clair's defeat by the Indians ; but St. Clair's army being destroyed, and the indians very hostile, things carried a very gloomy appearance in this country. At that time Symes gave up the power of his patented lands into the hands of Congress (tire titles of leis patented lands are good), but a new army being raised, and Gen Wayne at their head, and gave; the Indians Battle and totally defeated them, and then field a treaty with them, called the treaty of Greenville, and purchased some hundreds of miles of their lands, as the property of the United States ; and Jay's treaty coming forward, the English garrison (the root of evil), retired to the other side of the lakes, matters here assumed a favorable aspect, Symes resumes his right to the unpatented lands ; as the lands would sell for two or three times as much its they would before these late changes took place, and he actually sold quantities of the unpatented lands before attention was paid to the defect in his title, and those who purchased those unpatented lands of Symes have to purchase it over again at the land office at Cincinnati, and get their money back from Symes as they can. We are not much disturbed with deficient titles this side of the Ohio, except this conduct of Symes ; on the other side of the Ohio, in th State of Kentucky, things have not been so regularly managed ; their title to lands is like their waters-uncertain. But by looking over the laws of the late session, I find Congress has been very indulgent to those who are in the hobble with Symes-they are allowed until the beginning of 1800 before any payment will he demanded, and after 1800, they are allowed six years to pay the remainder, in six annual payments. If they are industrious, and managing, they may make the money off their lands in that time.

There will be henceforward, for those who can raise a little money, great opportunities to buy good plantations. There is at this time much land to be sold in the military tract by those who monopolized by buying solders' rights, and the reserved sections between the Miami Rivers, will be sold next September in quarter sections, and there is some excellent good lands among them ; and when matters can begot in readiness, that vast tract called the Indiana, that temperate and surpassingly fertile country, almost surrounded by the boatable waters of the Wabash, the Ohio, the Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers, will be sold ; such as is not sold it the different vendues may, be bought at the land offices for $2 per acre, and the title as good as any government can make titles.

The emigration into this country is so prodigious that, notwithstanding the fertility of the soil, there is scarce enough raised to supply their immediate wants at this time (without our exporting company sending it away), which makes produce high at the present ; wheat, two-thirds of a dollar ; corn half a dollar ; bacon, 8 cents per pound, etc.

Our crops of wheat, oats and flax, last year (1803), were generally much damaged by being lodged by a shower of rain a little time before harvest ; crops of corn were generally good ; we were allowed to plant about eight or nine acres that lay handy to us, for new setting and extending the fence and putting the ground in better order ; we had above four hundred bushels of corn plenty for our use and some to spare to hungry and starved new-comers.

We have been informed various ways, both verbally and in print, that on your aide of the mountains the drought prevailed in many places last year, and occasioned very scanty crops of grain and grass. The Virginians say in their country many of their springs of water were dried up, and the Late winter many creatures died for want of provender. Newspaper says, at Fiederickstown, Md., there were forty days and no rain, and the herbage withered, and in the Genesee country ninety days and no rain. What disturbs M. Comfort's peace now, that he wants to go to the Genesee I Don't he like his new neighbors as well as his old ones? Perhaps he won't bring so favorable an account of that county as C. Brown did. Perhaps he will like his plantation flue hundred pounds better, like he did when he came from Maryland. Land begins to be dull sale in the old settlements in many places, I hear.

I commiserate you on account of the loss of your preacher, John Comfort, and the damage the hailstorm did you after you had hurried him under ground. Has Charles Brown got his windows repaired yet? If you had lived in as humble houses

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 287

as we do, you would not have lost so much window-glass. The loss of Oliver Hough is a serious loss to the Falls Monthly Meeting. We have three preachers belonging to our monthly meeting, and likely to have the fourth before many years. Our meeting-house is too little for our greatly increasing numbers, and we are about to build new meeting-house, thirty feet square, and that, it appears to me, will be too small before many years. I think I see four monthly meetings here away before a great while the Miami Monthly Meeting ; one at Stillwater, over the Big Miami; one at Todd's Fork, and one at Lee's Creek. It is not unlikely that times to come will see ,as prodigal edifices at the above places as those that constitute Buck's Quarter.

I live a sort of public life at present. I have many visitors, both foreign and omestic, among others, Benjamin White and Benjamin Gillingham, from Buck's Quarter, Tell all whom it may concern, and Benjamin Palmer in particular, I had the honor lately to entertain his son Richard. The matter stands thus: The Little Turtle and other Iudians about Fort Wayne (above a hundred miles to the north of us) nt a message to Baltimore Yearly Meeting, requesting their assistance to instruct them in the arts of civil life, and how to use the husbandry and other tools they had sent them; upon which the Committee on Indian Affairs appointed George Ellicot and Jarrard Hopkins (the yearly meeting's Clerk), to visit them, and give them such `counsel as they should think expedient when among them; and also Philip Thomas, to assist them in their farming the ensuing season; and the War Department sent David Jinkinson, carpenter, and Richard Palmer, blacksmith, to reside and work with ' them; all of which, in a company, came to hey house in the forepart of the day, and stayed with me until about that time next day, to refresh themselves and horses, and then proceeded on their journey. Unfortunately, Nathan and David were not at home; they were at work on our 500-acre plantation, where we propose to raise a crop the ensuing summer-farm some here and some there until we can get ready to move there. George Ellicot gave; as his opinion there is more rich, fertile land in the State of Ohio, than in Vii inia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey all put together. Remember, the State of Ohio is but a small proportion of the land contained between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers; and Richard Palmer says he will never go over the mountains again to live, and that it would be better if some of his brothers would come here, and not stay there getting nothing. He desired I would send word about him in e Fetter to his old acquaintances.

Two Kentuckians. traveled through this neighborhood and made the following remarks: " That the State of Ohio would decidedly have the advantage of Kentucky, for the following reasons: First, the climate is more friendly to the growth of wheat; sand, secondly, the streams of water are constant and steady, not swelled into floods by winter rains, nor dried up by summer droughts, but in many places mills can go constantly all the year;* when, on the other hand, in Kentucky, when they should be manufacturing their wheat for market, their mills can't go for want of water:' The mill before our door-grist and saw-mill with all the fertile land befogging to it, near one hundred acres, has been bought up by a wealthy Quaker, who is able to pay for it. Another wealthy Quaker, near the Big Miami, has a great-mill, a saw-mill and a folding-mill, and many hundred acres of capital land, and a sweet daughter ,about seventeen or eighteen years old, who gains the praises of all who have the happiness to be acquainted with her.

We have four head of horses, old and young, and thirteen head of cattle, old and young. It be ins to be time to enlarge our borders. I have got a weaving shop, and weaving tacking. I have woven a number of pieces, and made out bravely, but the worst difficulty is I am run over with custom.

If Mr. Comfort was to see our lands in this country, I am apprehensive that when he returned to his own plantation he would like it £500 worse, instead of £500 better, as he expressed himself when he returned from Maryland.

A straight-coated Friend (a millwright) is about purchasing some hundreds of ': acres of land adjoining my plantation, and intends to have a grist-mill running in less than a year from now on his land. He has a sweet, pretty daughter, just cleverly merchantable. There is a fine chance for young men in this country-good land, and pretty girls plenty; there were six fair ones passed my door this morning in a troop. But, setting aside nonsense, although true, request that when thee has read this ' letter, to convey it to Joseph Saterthwaite, and Joseph to make the interesting parts of it as public as may be among my old acquaintances for their information.

SAMUEL LINTON.

Tod's SETTLEMENT, WARREN COUNTY, STATE

OF OHIO, YE 10TH OF THE 5TH MO., 1806

RESPECTED FRIEND, ABEL SATERTHWAITE-I received thy letter, dated 10th mo., 1805, from Waynesville Post Office, some time ago, and it is agreeable to me to keep up a correspondence as opportunities may present.

* This condition of affairs, if it existed then, has been subjected to a wonderful change, for the. opposite is certainly true at the present day.

288 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

Thee informs me this is the best country to send people to, as they cannot ascend the river to get back again; the bearer of my letters last year found a way to get back again, as well as sundry others, an 1 return and bring more with them. The immigration to these parts is prodigious; it is supposed that not less than one thousand new members were incorporated in the Miami Monthly Meeting in the year 1805, and that the members of the Miami monthly meeting are more numerous than any other monthly meeting in the United States. As to trade, it is but a short time we have had the command of the Mississippi River, and (to carry on the joke) does thee not observe what a loss your grain monopolies slave already sustained? You may spend thousands after thousands of dollars in improving your roads to Pittsburgh. but ou wagoners cannot afford to transport goods from your cities to Pittsburgh fur tree pence per pound. I have been informed tire boatmen plying between New Orleans and Cincinnati bring goods from New Orleans to Cincinnati for three pence per pound in this early stage of their practice, and when they become snore improved in the use of sails perhaps they can afford to do it cheaper, as the current is in their favor going down, and the wind, three-fourth of the time, in their favor coming up stream. Thee informs me your traders are m better credit at foreign ports ttian New Orleans merchants; but when New Orleans has had time to establish itself under the Goverment of the United States, its credit may appreciate. So advantageous a stand will certainly tempt wealthy merchants there when matters become better regulated and prejudices overcome.

And we have another string to our bow to shoot your cash from you; that is, we can raise vast stocks of cattle and swine. The drovers will already give $3 per hundred for hogs, alive, to supply your markets with, and them that follow such business must bring their cash back to give to us farmers for more cattle and hogs.

Our summer last year was very prosperous, both in wheat and Indian corn. We have had a mild winter, but a backward, dry, cold spring; we had some frost the morning of this, the fifth month.

As to politics, there are contests in this State as well as other States. Our Governor, Tiffin, has submitted to serve us the present three years, but requests to be released at the end thereof, to attend to his private concerns. You may groan under the tyranny of McKain another three years, then he will go out of office triumph, nt, consistent with your State Constitution.

I have received no letters from your quarter, except thine, for a long time. By letters from brother Daniel and Hezekiah Linton, I think likely they will both immigrate here erelong, and David Linton has "past meeting," and married some months ago. To wish much good will, I conclude a scribble.

SAMUEL LINTON.

EATON TOWNSHIP, WARREN COUNTY, STATE

OF OHIO, YE 12TH OF THE 3RD mo., 1808.

RESPECTED FRIEND, JOSEPH SATERTHWAITE-I at length am about to reply to thy letter that I received last spring, and inform thee we are blessed with health and peace at present, and that the summer of 1807 was extremely wet until some tinie after harvest, followed by an extremely dry fall, and our winter has been middling not much snow. The great quantity of rain we had last summer damaged our wh eat much, and our corn suffered with having too much wet. And these may inform thee Nathan Linton has been married more than a twelvemonth, and has a young daughter, and my girls say they are waiting to hear tell of shy getting married.

In regard to negroes: I have seen but two since I crossed the Ohio-one man, that lives many miles up the State., and a black virgin that lives at Waynesville; but I suppose there is a small number in this State, but I have been informed our law enjoins negroes to give freehold security, to the amount of $500, for their good behavior and not becoming chargeable, which law, if put in practice, makes heavy against their becoming numerous.

Thee mentioned in thy letter thee thought we could do but little toward supplying other countries with produce. Thee is not aware of the vast quantities that goes down the Ohio in ships and ark-boats. We, who have been farmers so short a time, sent off above three thousand pounds of pork last fall, and, if the last summer had not been so uncommonly wet, we might have had many bushels of wheat to spare.

David Linton left me near two years ago, and lives on my possessions at Waynesville, and follows merchandising with his wife's father; and Nathan is so much employed in other business, he does but little at farming, so I am slack a man from my family. I follow weaving at times; I have wove about twenty-four hundred yards of different kinds of cloth since t have been in this country, notwithstanding all of which, I expect there will be near sixty acres of corn planted on my farm this coming spring, by tenants mostly, who work the ground to the shares.

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 289

There are thirty-five individuals living on my farm-a great improvement in the space of three years.

Thee eateries in thy letter if there is no curse on this land, as well as other countries. answer, ,yes. In the first lace, there is much labor in improvin a new a country. In the sweat of thy brow salt thou eat bread;" and, secondly, ° horns d thistles shall it bring unto thee." Thorns we have not much reason to complain of, but thistles and nettles we have in abundance. My wheat last summer was, much of it, lodged by rains and a rank soil, and a prodigious crop of thistles and nettles grew up amongst it; but I hope for better times when the ground is subdued by working it. I thus conclude this letter, and subscribe myself

Thy friend,

SAMUEL LINTON.

TO JOSEPH SATERTHWAITE.

Better times came indeed, and the descendants of the most worthy Pioneers are to-day reaping the benefits accruing from the toil of their ancestors.

The following document was found by Jesse H. Kirk, of Liberty, among his old papers, and is a good sample of the forms of marriage certificates in use among the Friends of this region fifty-two years ago:

WHEREAS, Mahlon Kirk, of the county of Clinton and State of Ohio, son of Ezekiel Kirk, deceased, and Hannah, his wife, of the county and State aforesaid, and Sarah Hines, daughter of Anthony Stanley, and Hannah, his wife, of the county of Vermilion, (t) and Mate of Illinois, having declared their intentions of marriage with each other before a monthly meeting of the religious Society of Friends, held at Center, according to the good order used amongst them, and having "concent" of parents, their said "proposial" of marriage was allowed by said meeting. Now these are to certify whom it may concern that for the full accomplishment of their said intentions, this, the first day of the twelfth month, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty, they, the said Mahlon Kirk and Sarah Hines, appeared in a public meeting of the said people, held at Center, and the said Mahlon Kirk, taking the said Sarah Hines by the hand, declared that he took her, the said Sarah Hines, to be his wife, promising, with Divine assistance,to be unto her a loving and faithful husband until death should separate them ; and then, in the same assembly, the said Sarah Hines did, in like manner, declare that she took film, the said Mahlon Kirk, to be her husband. promising, with Divine assistance, to be unto him a loving and faithful wife until death should separate them. And, moreover, they, the said Mahlon Kirk and Sarah Hines, she, according to the custom of marriage, adopting the name of her husband, did, as a further confirmation thereof, then and there, to these presents set their hands.

MAHLON KIRK.

SARAH KIRK.

And we, whose names are also hereunto subscribed, being present at the solemnization of said marriage and subscription, here, as witnesses thereunto, set our hands the day and date above written.

Martha Walker, Daniel Bailey, James Kirk,*

Eliza Doan, Joseph Dillon, John Morris,*

Sarah Kirk, Azariah Wall,* Ezekiel Kirk.

Hannah Lamar, Edith Vestal, William Kirk,

Phebe F. Walker, Rebecca Wall, Samuel Dillon,

Ruth Kinsey, Isabella Adsit, Hannah Kirk,

Daniel Kester Delilah Kirby,* Ruth Morris

Charlotte Lundy,* Sarah Kirby,* Emily Kirk,

Susanna Farquhar, Mary Kinsey, Margaret Smith,

Joseph Doan, Jr., Ann Kirk Alice Green,*

Newton McMillan, Joseph Wickersham, Sarah Wickersham *

David McMillan, Jr., James Wickersham, Susannah Lundy,

Samuel Hollingsworth, Joseph Whinery,* Mary Stanbrough,

Abigail Lundy (?), Robert Wickersham,* Tabitha Stanbrough,

Jacob and Ann Taylor, Richard H. Dillon, Sarah Kirk,

Olive Ballard, Henry Smith, James Wickersham *

William Lundy, James Lundy,

The persons whose names appear as witnesses nearly all resided in the neighborhood of Centre Meeting-House, in Union Township, and it will be

(t) Now Iroquois county, formerly a part of Vermilion.

* Still living.

290 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

seen by the reference marks after certain of the names that but eleven of the number are now living.

The first deed recorded in Clinton County was made April 20, 1810, and was from Conrad Haws and Fanny, his wife, to Conra.d Haws, Jr., all residents of the county. It conveyed 150 acres of land in John Roberts' Survey, No. 2687, consideration, $50. Walter Craig and Abraham Haws were witnesses to the deed, which was recorded in Book A of Deeds, page 5, August 13, 1810, by Robert Eachus, Recorder of Clinton County. The document had been acknowledged before Thomas Hinkson Justice of the Peace.

The first mortgage was from Israel and Catharine Johns, of Clinton County, to Soboston Stingley, of same on Lot No. 100, in the Wilmington town plat, for $448. Acknowledged before Bebee Treusdell, Justice of the Peace, and recorded in Book A of Mortgages, page 1; date, December 31, 1835, by Amos T. Sewell, Recorder of Clinton County.

The following poem was written by Joseph Whinery and printed by Caddis & Abrams, at Wilmington, in 1816. The incident upon which it was written-"The Death of Caleb, Son of Isaac and Phenia Perkins," as the title page has it .occurred in 1809, at which date Mr. Wbinery was not in the place. The occurrence was related to him several years later upon his arrival, and he wrote his "poem" upon it. The production is deemed too good to be lost, and is therefore here reproduced:

THE DEATH OF CALEB PERKINS

"Give ear, fond youth, while I to you repeat

The doleful news which I have heard of late.

Let all draw near and hear a stranger tell

The sad disaster which of late befell

My neighbor-Isaac Perkins is his name-

Who, some years past, from Carolina came

To where Miami rolls its crystal flood,

And near its waters settled in the wood

Where then fierce savages, with hideous yell,

Assumed, in sport; the human blood to spill;

And near his cottage, too, the wolf and bear

The harmless lamb, without reluctance, tear.

But now his flocks can feed without surprise;

Green meads appear and stately structures rise.

With six young children, and a loving wife,

To soothe the cares and share the joys of life,

Two hopeful sons this man did hither bring.

And daughters four like blossoms in the spring.

Here jocund Plenty seemed with him to smile,

And bounteous Ceres recompensed his toil, .

Till eighteen years had marked their nick on time

And brought young Caleb nearly to his prime.

'Twas autumn now, when all the corn-clad fields

Their golden treasure to the farmer yields.

On hunting bent, young Caleb early rose

And waked his brother from his sweet repose

Ere larks with songs lead hailed the sprightly morn,

Or golden Phoebus did the east adorn.

No mourning dove had told her artless tale,

Nor mourned her absent mate along the vale;

The glimmering day-star shining in the east

The approaching morn was near at hand expressed;

The boding owls detest the coming day,

And wolves and bears forsake their mangled prey,

And each to covert takes their wonted way:

With her pale lamp , shining in the west,

Cynthia prepared to give her chariot rest.

They both went forth; each winds his vocal horn;

The hounds all join to answer in return;

PAGE 291 - BLANK

PAGE 292 - PICTURE OF DAVID L. HADLEY

PAGE 293 - PICTURE OF ABIGAIL J. HADLEY

PAGE 294 - BLANK

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 295

Now all convened and by their masters stand,

While they, with joy, did give them strict command.

Like trusty servants they did them obey,

And through the fields all bent their eager way.

Caleb and John somewhat behind remain,

And hand-and-hand they walked the fertile plain

In social converse that to hunting tend,

As they from home their lengthening course did bend.

And soon the hounds with cries "a chase" maintain

The beast for safety scuds across the plain;

The hounds with eager haste their game pursue

Their watchful masters to their succor flew;

The beast, perched on a tree, did listening wait,

While they beneath in council did debate

On means that should complete his destined fate.

They soon agreed that one of them should run

To Richard Henderson's and bring the gun.

With joy, in haste he to his neighbor goes

And waked the household from their sweet repose.

His neighbor, soon equipt, back with him sped,

Each forming plans to lay the plunderer dead.

They soon arrive, and aim with good intent,

But soon they found their ammunition spent.

Quick-sighted Fancy, then, their wish to crown,

Bid them in haste the tree for to cut down.

The task was Henderson's, and when the tree

Assumed to fall the beast prepared to flee;

Caleb, to stop his flight, did ready stand,

And held a weapon in his wavering hand.

Crash went the tree, and spread its branches round

Where Caleb stood-it crushed him to the ground.

My tongue doth fail, nor can I language find

To paint the experience of the neighbor's mind

While John, with screams and cries, did homeward run

To bear the news and tell them what was done.

When he arrived, his faltering tongue did fail

To tell the horrors that did him assail.

He pointed to the place, but could not tell

The sad disaster which had there befell.

"Caleb is gone," he cried; " Caleb is dead! "

The family in great confusion fled.

His father heard the news with mind distressed,

And in great haste did far outstrip the rest;

Came to the place, and almost out of breath,

Where Caleb lay in all the pangs of death,

While Henderson, in sorrow almost drowned,

Aids the fond father t' raise him from the ground,

His mother, now with grief so overcome,

Swooned by the way when hastening to her son.

Resigned like Job, she in her heart did say,

"Tis God that gives and Him that takes away."

No painter sure could e'er with pencil trace

Or mark the color paler than her face.

Sully and Peale can wonders sure design,

But can they paint this melancholy scene ?

Her affrighted daughters raised her from the ground,

While their cries the echoing vales resound.

At length a spark of life in her they found ;

Her they supported to the awful place

Where they some signs of life in Caleb traced.

The news went fort ; the neighbors crowded round ;

Their lamentations made the woods resound.

While they in sympathy did there convene,

Phoebus arose, a witness of the scene.

To see his mangled form and hear him groan

"Twas enough to melt all hearts but those of stone.

The mournful dove sat on the branches near,

Her plaintive notes her sympathy declare ;

296 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

The soaring lark might well forget to sing

And hail the rising morning on the wing.

Now, when the flood of tears was somewhat spent,

They Caleb bore and homeward sorrowing went.

In tears and lamentations all seemed lost ;

Their hope was gone-their joy, their early boast.

Mangled and broke, he yet survived in pain.

And measured back his steps to earth again,

And for near eleven months did thus remain.

While he thus lay beneath affliction's rod,

Most ardent prayers he offered up to God ;

And when the racking pain through him did run,

He, "Gracious Father 'cried, "Thy will be done !"

While his fond parents did extend their care

And wet his pillow with a pearly tear.

His sisters, too, did each with one accord,

His grief t' assuage, their aid to him afford ;

His generous father kept an open gate

At which acceptance many a stranger met,

And servants of the Lord were hither brought

That in this sequestered land the Gospel taught.

They reached the Gospel. souls from sin to save,

And for the sheep that's gone astray a blessing crave.

One matron came whose name was Charity ;

In fervent prayer she bent the humble knee ;

The family likewise, with one accord,

Him to relieve, the God of Heaven implored ;

Caleb, as willing, plied to lend his aid.

In words like these the worthy matron prayed

"Thee, Heavenly Father, we beseech to hear our feeble prayer,

Once more look with pity on Thy servants in despair ;

Be pleased to heal with Gilead's balm their bleeding wounds,

And from affliction's iron bands relieve their son that moans,

Cut short, in mercy, gracious Lord,

Thy works in righteousness ;

Relieve his soul from bondage-free this brother in distress,

And if it be Thy gracious will, to bid his spirit rise,

And leave this fragile house of clay for mansions in the skies."

And when from the house she homeward did depart,

She bid him adieu with sorrow in her heart.

Four weeks from then he lingering did remain,

And bore with fortitude his racking pain.

That time expired, he did resign his breath,

And calmly rested in the arms of Death.

Four years and somewhat more are past and gone,

And yet Phenia mourns her first-born son.

The tyrant Death, with unrelenting knife,

Cut Caleb off in opening scenes of life ;

A lovely youth, just in the bloom of age,

Has fell a victim to the monster's rage.

And when his sisters to the fatal spot repair,

With heavy hearts they shed a willing tear,

And view the branch which laid their brother low,

Through crystal tears that in succession flow.

His aged parents, in the depth of grief,

Bewail their son in tears without relief.

But let a strange's words your sorrows reconcile,

While beams of consolation bid you smile.

The stranger bids you from this mournful theme depart,

Which rends, unnecessarily, your aching hearts.

Why would you wish him back on earth again,

Amidst this scene of sorrow, sin and pain

Where fierce Belona stains with crimson blood

The Maumee's banks and Raisin's crystal flood;

Where blood of Freedom's sons do float the plains,

And rivers swell with blood from heroes' veins ;

Where thirsty savages, with scalping-knife,

Have slain the loving husband and the wife;

Where drums and guns and thund'rous cannons roar,

Assail our ears, and shake the distant shore;

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 297

Where many a mother now laments her sons,

And many a father for his children mourns,

And see their sons and daughters captives led,

Condemned no more their native soil to tread. ,

Some that escaped, returning home have fell;

What I can't witness, Wheeling's turf can tell.

Nay, be ye thankful to the God of heaven,

That you have now this consolation given,

That you to him could aid and comfort be

While he beneath his great affliction lay;

That you have seen him decently interred

In place and manner which you most preferred;

That you can trust he lives in high renown,

For, as he lived to wear the cross, he died, to wear the crown.

As an offering for the Lord is on the altar laid,

He was laid on the humble bier, and to the grave conveyed.

For such an offering, sure the Lord would worlds of sin despise,

Rivers of oil, or bullocks slain, or lambs for sacrifice.

To free his worthy name from black oblivion's deep,

I fain would write an epitaph in memory to keep.

Yon aged beech, although unknown to fame,

Yet bears the initials of young Caleb's name.

EPITAPH.

Here Caleb Perkins lies in moldering dust-

Isaac and Phenia's son, their joy and early boast.

Although his body lies cold in the clay,

We trust his spirit rests in endless day,

Where he no more the pains of death shall feel,

Where moth cannot corrupt, nor thief break through and steal;

But where the Lamb His welcome guests to living waters leads

He wipes the tear from every eye and every cause sball plead.

As relating to early railroad matters in the county, the following article is inserted. It was published some years since under the heading, "An Effort to Secure Railroad:"

" At the session of the Ohio Legislature, which convened on the first Monday of December, 1835, a bill was introduced in the Senate by John W. Allen, a member from Cuyahoga County, to incorporate a company to make and operate a railroad from Cleveland to Cincinnati. The only intermediate point betweew these cities named in the bill, it is believed, was Columbus. Information of this important measure was obtained in some way at Wilmington at an early day, and attracted general attention. It was thought that as the town was in almost a direct line between Columbus and Cincinnati, and, as the route was shorter and the grades easier than upon rival routes, the road could be secured for our town and county, if early and proper effort should be made for that purpose. Some one drew up a call for a meeting to be held on the following Saturday, inviting all railroad men to come together for consultation, which appeared in imposing headlines in the next number of the newspaper. On the day appointed, a large number of our most substantial men were in attendance. The old court house was full of earnest and energetic people, composed of the leading property holders, farmers and business men of the town and country adjacent. A deep interest was manifested in the prospective road. For once the orators stayed away or were silent. At any rate, no speeches wore made, so that the meeting was not long in session. A Chairman and Secretary for the meeting were chosen. There was no division or diversity of opinion in the meeting. It resolved in favor of securing the road if it could be done. A resolution was passed instructing our Representative in the Legislature to use his vote and influence to have the act amended so as to make Wilmington a point in the road. A motion was also adopted to send four delegates to Columbus to act as a sort of lobby and assist, if need be, in procuring

298 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY

the insertion of W ilmington in the charter of the road. The delegates selected were instructed to go at once on their mission. These were Isaiah Morris, Nathan Linton, William Hadley, of Springfield, and the writer of this communication. The three delegates first named were all men of wealth, worth, good sound sense, knowledge of men and business experience, leading men at home and were known by many members of the Legislature from this section of the State. They are all now dead, but hundreds still live who knew them well, and could bear witness to their fitness for the business on which they were sent.

"After the adjournment of the meeting, the delegates conferred together as to the best mode of reaching Columbus, and as to the time of starting. The conclusion was to take a carriage in which all should take seats. Carriages were not at that time as often met with as now, but William Hadley had one, with a capacity for seating four; this, with a horse, was tendered to the delegates for their use, and either Nathan Linton or Mr. Morris offered the use of a second horse. The next Monday morning was agreed upon for starting. On that morning, promptly on time, Nathan Linton and William Hadley were at the appointed place for starting and ready to move; some delay, however, oc curred which was turned to good account. These few minutes of waiting were employed by some of the citizens in calling upon Samuel H. Hale, then a citizen of Wilmington, and soliciting him to accompany the delegation to Columbus and unite his efforts and influence with theirs to secure the proposed improvement to our long-neglected section of the State. In this request, the delegates heartily joined. Mr. Hale in that day was a man of wealth, was of the same politics as the dominant party in both branches of the Legislature, had theretofore served through three sessions in the House and three in the Senate of Ohio, and would be almost as a matter of course acquainted with members then serving in the Legislature. Mr. Hale yielded at once to the general wish, but how was he to travel? Certainly not in the carriage, which would only *seat four, especially when two such large men as Isaiah Morris and William Hadley, both then in fine health and weighing in the aggregate over 500 pounds, held pre-emption claims to seats, and two medium-sized men as were Nathan Linton and the writer. The difficulty was but momentary and soon removed. Mr. Hale, after consenting to go, was not a man likely to be kept at home for want of an easy mode to travel. Though not accustomed to horseback riding, not having been in the saddle twice, it may be, in twenty years, he soon had a famous gray horse, fully rigged out and brought to the door, and a moment later he was in the saddle. By this time, the carriage being ready, and all the passengers seated in it, the entire party took the road together and continued together to the end. In this day, when bands of Irish, English and American rifle-shooters are called teams, our company, united together to promote the making of a railroad, would be called a Clinton County Railroad Team.

"The roads were almost impassable on account of mud, but the weather had now turned cold, and, on the higher lands, the crust on the road would, in general, bear the weight of the carriage and its load; but in the lowlands, and in the deep rats and mud holes the crust would break and the wheels of the carriage and the legs of the horses would find the bottom. The carriage was tossed to and fro. Sometimes it would surge violently to one side, and then with equal violence to the other; the fore wheels would frequently drop into a deep depression, called by the old-style wagoners a ° chuck-hole.' We would be thrown almost against the dash, and then, as they would rise out of the sink to the firm ground, the hind wheels would be thrown into the depression, throwing us with violence against the back of the

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 299

carriage. Then a great deal of the road, especially between here and Washington, was corduro , and in very bad repair. Of course, traveling was slow and, in fact, painful. The blood of the passengers was kept flowing in rapid currents by the surging and tossing of the carriage. Fortunately, no bones were broken. When we arrived at Washington, daylight was about gone, and we had traveled twenty-two miles that day. We all put up at the Stockdale House for the night. On comparing notes, it was found that the traveling experience of the gentleman who rode the gray horse had been far more pleasant than that of the gentlemen who had taken passage in the carriage. The next morning, we took the road early, that we might reach and cross Big Darby (then not bridged) before daylight should be gone. And the road for this day, though by no means good, being better than the day before, we effected our purpose. Ten or twelve miles' travel from Washington brought us to the residence of Gen. Bethuel Harrison. As all were cold, and some of the company acquainted with him, we stopped in part to warm ourselves, but more to pay respects to the old hero himself. We warmed and had quite a pleasant interview with him.. A hero he was in the highest sense of that word. He was in command of a company on our northern border in the war of 1812. In some one of these battles (I think Lundy's Lane), he occupied an exposed and closely contested position in the American line. To the right and left of Harrison, our forces began to break and retire. But he stood his ground so steadily and bravely as to check an advance of the British forces with which he was engaged. * * * We put up for the night at the solitary cabins of a Mr. Haynes, long resident at the crossing. His good wife set before us a liberal supper, consisting chiefly of venison steak and corn bread, with, perhaps, coffee and butter added. Our hotel consisted of two medium-sized cabins joined together by ends, with a door to pass from one room to the other. At time, the family retired to a smaller room, used as a kitchen, leaving our party in possession of the other room, used as a parlor and dining-room by day and a bedroom at night. In this, the best room in the house, a bed, large enough for all, was made on the floor. Bed clothing was spread down as some protection against the hard puncheon floor of the cabin, reserving a rather thin supply of quilts and blankets to be drawn up over at our pleasure. A rousing fire, made of large logs in the ample chimney, kept our feet warm through the night. By a skillfully managed arrangement, William Hadley took one flank of the company in the bed and Mr. Morris the other, and between the two Mr. Linton, Mr. Hale and I lay like sardines in a case. Men accustomed to sleep on soft beds, when forced by circumstances to take a bed upon a hard floor, seldom he abed late in the morning. Our company was no exception to the general rule. We were up early and had an early breakfast, very like the supper of the previous evening. The venison steak, it is believed, was prepared and brought to the table on special request. We had fourteen miles of travel yet to accomplish before Columbus would be reached The country was mostly unimproved, the land and the road without drainage; ten miles of the way was through a dense forest, without a single house or track footstep, except the one, and, as it was very bad, we were compelled to travel slowly, so that it was almost night when we reached a hotel in Columbus."

Esquire Ephraim Kibby and wife, of Wilmington, gave a dinner to the pioneers of the vicinity on the 11th of December, 1869, the published account which was as follows:

" The dinner to the pioneers and old residents in Wilmington and vicinity, given on Saturday, December 11, 1869, by Esquire Ephraim Kibby and wife, of Columbus street, is an event which will be well if not long remembered.

300 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

The principal occasion for the entertainment was that Sunday, the 12th, was the seventy-fourth anniversary of the birthday of Mr. Kibby, a native born citizen of Ohio, but another, and hardly less prominent object. was the bring ing together in a social way of the old residents of the town. In order that the quiet of the Sabbath might not be disturbad, that' determined to celebrate the day on Saturday. The day was quite unfavorable for a meeting of aged people. There was a sort of drizzling rain falling all day, with an occasional shower by way of variety. The pavements were wet and there was mud everywhere, especially in the streets and on the street crossings. But such rain and mud had been encountered many times before by the old folks, and did not in the least arrest the assembling of the guests. About 12 o'clock--the old pioneer dinner hour-groups of venerable men and women were to be seen wending their way toward Columbus street, and by 1 o'clock, all were assembled at the hospitable residence of Esquire Kibby. The number, little less than fifty, of various ages, ranging from sixty to eighty-seven:, sat down to dinner with a sharp relish for the good things spread before them. Those present were Sarah Haworth, born in Wayne County, Ga., July 7, 1802; George D. Haworth, born in Greene County, Tenn., May 29, 1797; Samuel W. Frazer, born in Augusta County, Va., August 15, 1805; Nancy Frazer, born in Hampshire County, Va., April 11, 1808; Henry Kline, Hampshire County, Va., Decem. ber 4, 1801; Sarah Kline, --- County, Ky., June, 1807; Justus Taylor, Hampsbire County, Mass., April 8, 1809; Cynthia Taylor, Hampshire County, Mass., May 9, 1811; Samuel Cromwell, Westchester County, N. Y., November 12, 1793; Sarah Cromwell, Little Falls, N. J., August 25, 1796; Eber Patrick, Albany, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., December 28, 1797; Delilah Patrick, Chillicothe, Ross Co., Ohio, October 6,1802; Eli McGregor, Berkeley County, Va., January 1, 1798; Maria McGregor, born in Hendricks County, Va., May 26, 1797; William Pyle, Chatham County. N. C., Marsh 11, 1788; Lydia Pyle, Dutchess County, N. Y., August 15, 1806; Matilda Foland; Miami County, Ohio, February 11, 1807; Sally Palmer, Sterling County, Conn., April, 1797; Richard Peirce, Wilmington, Del., May, 1783; Mary Peirce, Fayette County, Penn., September 12, 1787; Mary Collett, Loudoun County, Va., December 11, 1789; Nellie Wilson, Scott County, Ky., September 22,1800; Elizabeth Shepherd, Monongahela County, Penn., June 14, 1792; Sarah Livsey, born in Chester County, Penn., September 3,1792; Elizabeth Marble, Clinton County, Ohio, September 21, 1809; Jesse Doan, Chatham County, N. C., July 8, 1796; Rebecca bean, Frederick County, Va., April 1, 1799; David Marble, Fayette County, Penn., January 10, 1806; Daniel Jones, Chatham County, N. C., March 12, 1797; Elizabeth Jones, Clairborn County, Tenn., June 6, 1796; Virgil M. Diboll, Rensselaer County, N. Y., January 31, 1791; Tamson Kibby, Highland County, Ohio, September 23, 1822; Ephraim Kibby, Columbia, Hamilton Co., Ohio, December 12, 1795; William Hale, Randolph County. N. C., Septemder 2, 1790; Maria Hale, Dutchess County, N. Y., March 3, 1797; Dr. Joseph H. Sparks, Newberry District, S. C., July 10, 1790; Abi Sparks, Clinton County, Ohio, November 28, 1808; Jacob Hadley, Chatham County. N. C., March 3, 1801; Lucinda Hadley, Highland County, Ohio, December 26, 1811; Dr. Amos T. Davis, Ross County, Ohio, November 15, 1803; Robert Way, York County, Penn., July 17, 1788; Samuel H. Hale, Randolph County, N. C., February 14, 1787; Mary Hale, Randolph County, N. C., December 27, 1797; Elizabeth Kelly, Fayette County, Penn., November 15, 1802; Margaret Treusdell, Fishkill County, N. Y., December 9, 1795; Rhoda C. Morris, Warren County, Ohio, November 14, 1799."

The following, published in the Clinton Republican of May 6, 1880, is from the pen of Amos Hockett, of Wilmington, and was by him "dedicated to our fathers of 1820."

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 301

A Home IDYL.

Of business cares grown tired and weary,

Upon a day when fling dreary

And longing for a life more cheery,

Free from bustle and din

Out-doors the sun was shining brightly,

The birds were singing gaily, sprightly,

And a southern breezes blowing lightly I left the gloom within.

I stole me out through Clinton's meadows,

And sought her fields and forest shadows,

Where wild bird's note or squirrel's tread is

The soothing only sound.

Ah, have you not here found a pleasure

Which thronging crowds can never measure,

That in your inmost heart you treasure

'Bove all the joys around 7

I strolled o'er brooks and hillock's shoulder,

Where fallen trees decay and molder.

At length upon a moss-grown bowlder sat me down to muse.

A spreading beech was o'er me drooping,.

And maples, hornbeams round me grouping,

And fantasies came to me trooping,

And memories profuse.

The grove spread out in forest tangle,

In native wildness every angle,

While far apart " plantations" spangle

The hill-tops and the vale.

The log-built mansion and the stable,.

With "clapboard" roof and clumsy gable,

Far as the eye to reach was able,

Stretched sylvan hill and dale.

Here Todd's Fork rolled her limpid water

(And Anderson, till Caesar caught her),

Bold Cowan's purling billows brought her.

And East Fork a rippling tide.

Here Rattlesnake went smoothly creeping,

In grassy prairies slyly keeping,

Or m dark pools so soundly sleeping

Some gray old tree beside.

Here Leescreek sprang with current slender,

To call her small I'll not offend her,

But gurglinq on her way I'll send her

With Rattlesnake to Paint.

And as she grows improve in feature.

If rude Miami now should reach her

With his east arm, the modest creature,

I rather think would faint.

West Fork, from out her swamps and sedges,

Comes forth to leap o'er rocky ledges ;

And Stone Lick starts with many pledges

Of making quite a stream ;

And "babbling brooks" of small dimensions

All running on with good intentions,

Branches and creeks, without dissensions,

Their sparkling waters gleam.

302 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

Primeval forests, grand and solemn,

Far reaching bough and stately column,

A roof of leaves in mighty volume

Spread open to the sky.

No thoroughfare, with noise and lumber,

Disturbed the calm of Nature's slumber.

Beast, fowl and fish, in countless number,

Fled not the human eye.

Along the "ridges" were some " traces ;"

The trees there bore upon their faces

The niarks bf hunter's ax in "blazes,"

To mark the lonely way.

Mosquitos, beetles, round were humming ;

A pheasant on a log was drumming,

When to ! I saw some one was coming

"Nearby" tome that day.

The " figure" came on-closer, closer.

To understand it was a poser.

Was I not alarmed? Oh, no, sir,

No cause at all for fear.

The form erect, the step was stately ;

He moved among the shadows greatly.

I have not seen a man " here lately "

With brow and eye so clear.

Dressed in homespun, rough apparel,

And in his hand his" trusty barrel,"

For use in case of sudden quarrel

With wolves or prowling foe

Or in defense of child or woman

And for the rights of any human,

The name be gave me--gave this trueman

Was "Sixty Years Ago."

When he had stood and silence broken

His words were well and fitly spoken,

Which I repeat in feeble token

And awkward rhyme,

Of Clinton's early days and people,

When not a church spire or a steeple,

In all her townships, now grown triple,

Rose in that olden time:

These are the scenes of Eighteen-twenty,

For all our needs we then had plenty

(Not such as in these days content ye);

Our homely fare was plain;

Each cabin was its owner's castle ;

No landlord held his pliant vassal

Truckling, obsequious and facile

His patron's smile to gain.

Wild game and fish supplied his larder;

The corn-field with its "truck patch " border

Where, though compelled to labor harder

From "pilfering crows " to guard

The virgin soil, unused for ages

And cleared by slow, successive stages,

In which the pioneer engages,

Gave bountiful reward.

The "settler," with his ax and rifle,

Had neither time nor taste to " trifle;"

No morbid thoughts had he to stifle,

No selfish schemes to hide;

PAGE 303 - PICTURE OF JACOB THEOBALD

PAGE 304 - BLANK

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. - 305

No ruling, sordid, base ambition

To use his neighbor's "ammunition"

Or"fire him off" in bad condition,

With "powder badly dried"-

But industry and honest dealing,

And neighborly, fraternal feeling.

"Cheating," " going back " and "squealing"

Were scarcely known.

"Careful to entertain the stranger,"

His table and his well-filled manger

He offered to the way-worn ranger,

And helped him on.

Our social joys were then worth praising:

"Log-roliings" now, and now a " raisin,"

And "quilting bees" - it was " amazing"

What jolly times we had.

The county over we were neighbors,

And cheered each other in our labors,

And laughed to see all glad.

Then on the body of a fallen tree,

O'er grown with moss and cushioned well.

He sat down, dream-like, and to me

Of his old comrades he began to tell,

Naming from memory the parent stock,

Whose scions are our men to-day.

Who found not here a"barren Plymouth rock,"

But fields inviting, where they came to stay:

Adams, Austins, Antrams, Atkinsons and Andrews, Bennetts, Bashores, Ballards, Babbs and Bortons, Lintons, Lewises, Leonards, Leekas, Lundys, Millers, McKibbens, McKensies, Mendenhalls and Mortons. Bosworths, Birdsalls, Bettertons, Bentleys, Browns and Barkleys,. Betts, Biggs, Bangham, Burroughs, Buckleys, Brewers, Baileys; Cowgills, Cones, Clevengers, Coulters, Carters, Colletts Dakins, Drakes, Douglass, Dillons, Davis and Daileys. Clines, Castos, Carpenters, Carmans, Conklins, Connells, Crouses, Christys, Conners, Crossons, Casts and Doans; Dwiggins, Evans, Eachus, Elliott and Edwards; Ireland, Johns, Johnson, Jefferis, Jenkins, Jones. Fallis, Frazier, Fuller, Fisher, Fletcher, Furnas, Florea, Floyd, Frye and Farquhar: Vestal, Vandervort, Vantress, Vanderburgh and Villars, Welch, Wire, Woodmansee, Whitaker and Walker. Green, Grffith, Gaskill, Grice, Gilpin, Gaddis; Morris, Mills, McGregor, Mathews, Moon and Mitchell; Thatcher, Taylor, Thomas Trimble, Tribby, Tomlin, West, Wool , White, Woolard, Wright and Whitsell. Haworth, Hues, Hodgson, Haws, Hines, Heater; Noble, Fordyke, Nichols, Nelson, Nickerson ; Sharp, Shields, Stephens, Spray, Stackhouse, Sewell, Whinery, Wilson, Wall, Woodruff and Wickersham. Gallaher, Gallimore, Garrison and Garner; Howell, Hays, Hiatt, Hibben, Horseman, Hankins, Pierce, Patterson, Peelle, Pyle, Perkins, Pendry; Routh, Rannells, Rees, Rulon, Rankins, Polk, Puckett, Pearson, Pennington and Palmer. Dickey, Dever Dixon, Downing, Dale; Huls, Hoskins, Hunt, Harlan. Hockett, Howe. Hadley, Haines, Hunter, Hale. Hoblit, Holiday, Hawkins, Hollingsworth and Haynes, Harvey, Howland, Hinman, Hundley, Harris; Roberds, Rhonemus, Ruse, Ratcliff, Reed, Richards, Roberts, Potter, Peterson, Paris.

306 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

McWhorter, Moore, Millikan, Mann, McMillan; Osborn, Oxley. Oglesbee and Oren; Miars, Martin, McDaniel, McIntire and Maddern ; Stanton, Stout, Sabin, Stratton and Van Doren. Lucas, Lieurance, Lazenby, Ludington and Laymon, Longstreth, Lindsey, Lytle, McCoy and Moorman; Treusdell, Terrell, Yeo, Yeazel, Smith, Spurgeon, And Starbuck, Spencer, Shepherd, Simcox, Sherman.

These mentioned slowly, with a word of praise

To each for virtues sown in rural life,

In toils and travels of those " early days;"

The grace and patience of the frugal wife,

The pranks and frankness of the sturdy boys,

The pretty girls, so modest, blushing and shy,

Give vivid color to the hoes and joys

That blest the " settler' as the years went by.

His voice was hushed- I must have slept,

And seen this vision in a dream.

A sense of terror o'er me crept,

And I awakened at a scream

Of fiery monster whistling by,

In clouds of smoke and blinding steam.

The " car of the progress" I descry

And gone the idyl of my theme.

Sons of those fathers! In your veins

Flows blood as true as ever sword has spilled;

Be proud of Clinton and her fair domains,

And love the fields your fathers' hands have tilled.

Their sterling virtues ever emulate,

And in your memories their names embalm.

When "sixty years" have fallen to your fate,

May retrospection yield a peaceful calm.