PICTURES OF HIGH SCHOOL VERMILION AND MAIN STREET, LOOKING SOUTH, VERMILION

CHAPTER V

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VERMILLION TOWNSHIP

This township is named after the Vermillion River, which together with La Chapelle and Sugar Creek constitute the three streams passing through the township. The soil varies including gravel, clay, sand and marl. There are some ancient mounds and fortifications and other traces of early Indian occupation. Two of these are in the south part of the township on the farm owned by John Summers, near the Vermillion River. William Haddy came in 1808, William Austin, George and John Sherrarts, Enoch Smith and Horatic Perry in 1809, James Cuddebach, Almon Ruggles, Benjamin Brooks, Solomon Parsons, Barlow Sturgis, and Deacon John Beardsley in 1810.

Almon Ruggles, who was the surveyor of the firelands, settled on the lake shore between the Vermillion and Huron rivers. For many years he acted as land agent for the Firelands Society. When Huron County was organized he was chosen the first recorder in 1809. He was appointed associate judge of Huron County in 1815, became state senator in 1816, and was re-elected in 1818. In 1824 he was made representative.

From the circumstance that in the earliest record extant the earmarks which the earliest settlers in Florence and Vermillion townships had caused to be recorded, are drawn off in the handwriting of Harlow Case, stepson of Almon Ruggles ; and then follow others, for Vermillion, in Ruggles' own hand, as township clerk,, it is probable Judge Ruggles had been township clerk of the two when together, and that the earliest records had been made on loose papers, and that when the record book was obtained he did not transcribe the doings of the township board, but only the ear-marks, which were deemed too important to be lost.

Stephen Meeker, Jeremiah Van Benschoter, Peter Cuddebach, John Beardsley, James Prentiss, William Austin, Almon Ruggles, Rufus Judson and Francis Keyes, are amongst the names most frequently mentioned in the earliest records as holding the most important offices.

The first record of a township meeting is in the handwriting of Judge Ruggles, and was held at his residence on the 6th day of April, 1818, when Almon Ruggles was elected clerk; Peter Cuddebach and Jas. Prentiss, judges of election ; Francis Keyes, John Beardsley and Rufus Judson, trustees ; Jeremiah Van Benschoter and Horatio Perry, overseers of the poor; Peter Cuddebach and Francis Keyes, fence viewers ; Peter Cuddebach, lister and appraiser, and Stephen Meeker, appraiser ; Peter Cuddebach, treasurer ; George Sherrarts, Francis Keyes, Wm. Van Benschoter and James Prentiss, supervisors.

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62 - HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY

The following copy of the records will be interesting, as indicating the relative wealth in cattle, horses and houses, of the citizens in 1818, taken from the township records :

TAX LAID ON THE INHABITANTS OF VERMILLION, ACCORDING TO THE

LIST OF 1818

Job C. Smith - $ 0.30

Solomon Parsons - .20

John Miller - .50

Jesse Ball - .60

Curtiss Hard - .30

Almon Ruggles - 1.50

Isaac Ransom - .28

Benjamin Root - .30

John Beardsley - .60

Abraham Traxel - .30

Jonah Bartow - .10

Samuel Hall - .40

John Bartow - .30

Samuel Washburn - .70

Mark Summers - .20

Stephen Meeker - 1.70.

Eli Winton - .10

Henry Scribner - .10

Enoch Smith - .20

Alexander Duker - .90

Philo Wells - .70

Francis Keyes - .60

Robert Wells - .90

Isaac Tillotson - .40

Levi Platt - .30

Isaac Tillotson, Jr - .30.

Almon Keeler - .50

Jeremiah V. Bensehoter - .70

George Sherarts - .90

Henry Chevoy - .70

Joseph Brooks - .20

Wm. V. Bensehoter - .40

Jonathan Brooks - .80

Reuben Brooks - .10

Horatio Perry - .70

Daniel V. Bensehoter - .50

William Alistin - .70

Martin Judson - .40

James Cuddeback- .40

Verney Judson - .30

Eunice Sturges - .60

Peter Cuddeback - 1.10

Josiah Pelton - .60

James Prentiss - .40

Rufus Judson - .80 

Amount $23.20

This also indicates the number of people subject to taxation and their personal property-as 5 cents here represent one head of cattle, and 20 cents a horse. Meager as it appears, it was as difficult for them to pay it, and much more so, than for us to pay what we do at this day.

The first log house was built in 1808 on the lake shore near the mouth of the river by William Haddy. Peter Cuddebach built the first frame house in 1818. In 1821 William Austin built the first stone house and later the first brick house was built by Horatio Perry. The first, white child was John Sherrarts, born in 1809. The first marriage was that of Bud Martin to Catherine Sherrarts in 1814. Peter Cuddebach 'planted the first orchard in 1812. The first death was that of a stranger at the house of Barlow Sturgis, in the winter of 1810-11. John Ruggles was , the first postmaster, and the mails were carried on foot and a Mr. Leach was the first mail carrier. William Austin opened the first hotel. C. P. Judson was the proprietor of the first store. A Congregational Church was the first church in the township, and was organized in 1818. And the first meeting house was built near the center of the township in 1828, and on May 22 Rev. Harvey Lyon was installed as the first pastor. The second church was a Methodist Church organized in 1831. There are now nine churches in the township.

HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY - 63

Miss Susan Williams taught the first term of school in the township in a school built on the lake shore in 1814. The school building of the Village of Vermillion was finished in 1874, and is a handsome brick structure costing $18,000. It is a graded school of three grades employing four teachers. The first sawmill was erected by Joe Smith on LaChapelle Creek in 1819. Formerly there was a large iron industry in the township which has been abandoned.

According to the Register of August 9. 1871, the following were the business enterprises of the village

Fischer & Company operated a planing mill and sash factory just started in the eastern part of the town on the Black River road. Kahres & Pelton were in the lumber business. The Northern Hotel was run by

WEST LAKE STREET, LINWOOD

W. S. Irish, and had just been repainted and an ice cream parlor added to it. Gaylord & Merrill (who was afterward probate judge) had a general store and Delker & Englebry were about to move into their brick block which had just been built. E. D. DeWitt was the jeweler and Worthington & Sons and O. A. Leonard were engaged in the stone business.

At the time of the writing of this article Vermillion is a thriving village of 1,369 population by the census of 1910. Its mayor is F. W. Wakefield; clerk, L. C. Blattner ; treasurer, L. A. Klaar ; marshal, M. L. Gross ; council, D. J. Miller, M. A. Friday, George B. McConnelly, L. H. McQueen, NI. C. Gugenheimer and P. H. Darley. Its board of education consists of A. E. Beeckel, G. S. Davis, A. H. Leimbach, Geo. H. Nuhn and A. C. Hofrichter. Its postmaster is Edward M. Kane. It has two banks, The Bank of Vermillion and the Erie County Banking Company. It has two summer resorts, Shattuck's Grove and Linwood Park, both of which deservedly receive a large patronage.