HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 325 that be" to move the seat of jurisdiction to Ashtabula. These occasional uprisings of sentiment have created a feeling of no slight antipathy against Ashtabula, by some of the Jefferson residents. The agitation reached a stage some years ago that seemed to cause alarm and prompt activity on the part of the Jefferson folk. It was at a time when the county business had reached such proportions that it was necessary to enlarge the accommodations of the county building. That looked like an opportunity for Ashtabula to put her project across and, viewing the situation with deep apprehension, it was decided by the authorities in Jefferson to immediately "improve" the old building. Before Anything decisive could be launched by the Ashtabula element the contract had been awarded for the changes in the court house, which "improvements" constituted a practical reconstruction of the building, nothing being left of the old arrangement excepting the court room. By leaving this in the original state, it was possible to keep the job within the legal interpretation of "improvements", which could be made by the commissioners without submitting the proposition to a vote of the people of the county. The "improvements" cost in the neighborhood of $20,000, which at that time would defray the expense of putting up a very respectably sized building. That settled the question of moving the court house for a great many years and saved the life of Jefferson, for, without the county seat, there would be little source of sustenance for Jefferson and the removal of the court house to some other locality would spell financial ruin to some whose homes and business were established in the present capital of the county. The art of promotion, when it comes to land sales, which has been reduced to a science, is nothing new, and the gaudy illustrations and glowing descriptions on paper with which we are so familiar today are but a continuation of methods of a century and more ago. This is shown in the manner in which the postmaster general of the United States, in the year 1800, sold "unsight and unseen" his unbroken forest land in the then far West. The following account of his methods is found in the Williams Brothers History and is interesting, inasmuch as it pertains to local properties : "Mr. Granger prepared a draft of his town site and designated streets which yet had an existence only on paper. Nine large avenues, running east and west and crossing at right angles seven others running north and 326 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY south, with several squares at the crossings of the streets, one of these, in the center of the plat, being 38 rods from east to west by 22 rods from north to south, each street appropriately named, with 'Jefferson' as the central east and west street, and `Market' as the central north and south street, was a sight (upon paper) very pleasant to behold. It required only a vivid imagination, and lo ! here was a magnificent city of palatial residences and churches whose spires pointed heavenward ; but the sober fact is that the town plat was recorded when only a solitary cabin occupied the town site. * * * It is a truth that Mr. Granger's beautiful plat, exhibited to the gaze of Washington city residents, inspired them with the belief that there really was a beautiful, rapidly growing city in the center of the Granger tract, destined to be a western emporium of marvelous size and importance. Mr. Granger, ambitious that his lands should be purchased, and his city populated, made but little effort to dispel the illusion. "In 1805 Jonathan Warner and the Websters, having returned to their purchases and begun their improvements, there came a man from Washington by the name of Samuel Wilson, to take up his residence in the city of Jefferson. Before leaving Washington he had beheld with delight the fair city of the West whose wide streets and ample public squares were to him so pleasing and so admirable that he purchased, with avidity, a portion of the city of the West, and with alacrity removed himself and family hither. His hopes and cherished plans were now transferred to the city of Jefferson, amidst whose busy activities he thought to rapidly amass a fortune and attain a position among its people of prominence and renown. Like the Spaniard, Coronado, bent upon the conquest of the seven cities of Cibola, whose streets he vainly imagined were paved with silver and gold, our hero's expectations were boundless. Unmindful of perils he pressed forward with throbbing pulse and growing confidence. The wilderness overcome, the beautiful city would appear. On a Friday in the cheerless month of November our chivalrous venturer reached his destination. Where is the city ? Where are the wide avenues and the renowned public square ? This Jefferson ! A solid forest, with blazed lines for streets, without inhabitants, the magnificent city of the West ! Impossible ! Our hero would follow one blazed line and exclaim 'Is it possible that this is Jefferson street ?" Then another line and exclaim 'Is it possible ! Is it possible that this is Market street ?"Can it be that this piece of woods is Market HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 327 square ?' The disappointed man's heart sank within him. He was soon taken ill and died." Thus came about the first death of a white man in the village of Jefferson. Wilson's was the first house built on the Jefferson town site. It stood on the corner where, for many years, has been the American House. Edward Friethy was the first postmaster of Jefferson. He came from Washington in 1806 and opened the first store in the community. In this year also the first marriage in the township took place, the contracting parties being Miss Sally Webster of Jefferson and Calvin Stone of Morgan. On July 5, 1806, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Webster, Jr., became parents of the first white child born in Jefferson. The first marriage in the village proper was that which united the daughter of Edward Friethy, Miss Nancy, to Jonathan Warner. Noah Cowles, of Austinburg, a justice of the peace, performed the ceremony, which was attended by about every resident of the township and others round about. Following the taking of the solemn vows came a feast, the principal feature of which was a roast pig, then the newlyweds both mounted one horse and rode to their future home, just outside the village. Mr. Granger, in his efforts to build up and populate his property in the Western Reserve, conceived one idea that proved the undoing of quite a number of persons who entered into his scheme in full confidence that he was opening the way for their future prosperity. The Government treaty with the Indians included a specific agreement relative to furnishing tobacco for the consumption of the tribes that had withdrawn to the western part of the Reserve. On account of the meagre transportation facilities, the transporting of the tobacco proved a very costly item. Realizing this, Mr. Granger decided to make Jefferson and surrounding territory a great tobacco growing section, with the idea that with production so near the source of consumption he would have all the Government trade. To this end, in the spring of 1807, he put the wonderful opportunity before some tobacco growers of Maryland in such a manner that they at once had visions of quick and great wealth in the new country, and the result was that eight families disposed of their possessions and prospects along the Chesapeake and set out for Jefferson. Their disappointment, upon arriving at their destination, to find a wilderness but slightly broken and that the soil and climate were not conducive to the successful growing of the nicotine weed, can hardly be imagined: Most of them got out as soon as 328 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY they could, and none of them stayed very long, excepting one Lysle Asque, who saw other possibilities in the new land and became a permanent resident of the section south of the village. Among the early settlers of the village and immediate surroundings were Daniel and Luman Webster, Michael Webster, Sr., Daniel Squires, Wareham Grant, Timothy Caldwell and John Birth. The last two named had been employed and sent here by Mr. Granger, Caldwell, a contractor, to superintend the construction of the court house which Mr. Granger had promised the county officials, and the latter, a brick layer, to help in the work. If Mr. Granger's methods were questionable, in some respects, there was certainly due him a great amount of credit for the part he played in starting the county of Ashtabula on the road to the prominent place it ultimately took in the affairs of the State and Nation. Mr. Granger's own town could not, of course, be without mail service, and he used his influence toward an early introduction of regular mail transportation through the county, which was a great boon to the early settlers, especially those who had come here at a time when it was necessary to wait for months, often in deep anxiety, for word from the loved relatives back east. Notwithstanding the activities of Jefferson as the county seat began with the organization of the county in 1811, as explained elsewhere, it was not until 1836 that the town was formally incorporated as a village, by virtue of a special act of the State Legislature passed on Feb. 4. The organization took place on April 5, when the following officers were elected : Mayor, Jonathan Warner ; recorder, Harvey R. Gaylord ; trustees, Samuel Hendry, Lindsey Jones, Almon Hawley, Benjamin F. Wade and George Brown. The Original Court House.—It is interesting to note that the bricks for the first court house, built by Gideon Granger, were made on the ground, from clay taken from the ground in the process of excavating for the building. The structure was two stories in height, access to the second story being afforded by an outside stairway. The ground dimensions were 40 x 30 feet. The lower story was one big room, which served as the court of justice. The second story was finished off into four rooms, which were used for the county offices. In lieu of stoves, which had not yet found their way to this wilderness, four large fireplaces furnished heat for the HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 329 court room. There being but a very few buildings in the town at the time the building of the court house was commenced, and most of them individual family residences, some with but one room, it was somewhat of a problem for Mr. Caldwell, the man in charge of the work, to find accommodations for the men whom he employed. It finally became necessary for him to build a shelter for them and he put up a sizable two-story frame building in close proximity to the site of the court house. Therein they were furnished rooms and board. In 1810 Mr. Friethy, who had been postmaster, left Jefferson and went to Warren to reside and the postoffice passed on to Dr. Elijah Coleman, who moved it into roomy quarters which occupied a part of the ground floor of the above described boarding house, or hotel. This building was destroyed by fire in 1811. After the completion of the court house, which was in 1811, the work of constructing a jail, which had been included in the agreement to build a court house for the county, was commenced. This building was made of blocks, was 20 x 36 feet on the ground, and had two stories. Its appointments included a dungeon and a "debtors' cell", it being the custom in that day to incarcerate the chronic debtor. As stated elsewhere, the county of Ashtabula was organized in 1811 and the first court was called in that year, on June 20. The names of the judges and other officers will be found in another portion of this work treating on the county organization. With its "modern" court house and jail, Jefferson stood prominently among the settled sections of the state and the ablest lawyers of the early days came from other sections, from time to time, to participate in the court proceedings. The original court house did service for about 25 years, when it was displaced by a more modern structure, which was nearly destroyed by fire about the middle of the century. What remained of the building was built upon and then arose the building that still serves as the county seat of government. Notwithstanding the prominence and central location of Jefferson, it never passed from the "village" stage. This very fact, coupled with the absence of the bustle of city life, gave it a charm to the visitor, and was quite in line with the wishes of most of the residents, who preferred the "quiet life" and were not ambitious that the town should become a large 330 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY commercial center. The air of quietude, the contentment of the town's people and the physical beauty of the place distinguished it among its neighbors. The town has been famed throughout the country as the home of statesmen, whose words have been heard all over the civilized world. Benjamin F. Wade and Joshua R. Giddings, law partners in Jefferson and known countrywide as staunch anti-slavery advocates, were, perhaps, the most noted of the many prominent men whose homes were in the unpretentious village of Jefferson. About the first necessity of a community, after its settlement, was a saw or grist-mill, or both. Jefferson's first grist-mill was built beside Mill Creek, northwest of the village, in 1809, by John Shook. The power was derived from the creek, which was dammed at that point for that purpose. At first it did a thriving business, grinding grain for residents of neighboring towns, but a. freshet took out the dam and the mill got out of repair and the owner was unable to put it in working order. So essential was it to the needs of the community, however, that the people who depended on its output clubbed together and rebuilt the dam and repaired the mill and it resumed operations. In 1810 the first saw-mill was constructed near the grist-mill by Wareham Grant. That also did a thriving business, as people were fast working toward the use of boards, instead of logs, for the construction of their homes. In 1812 the population of Jefferson Township embraced 16 families, five of whom were Websters and one, a new arrival, that of Durlin Hickok, which particular family alone numbered 16 persons. As an indication of the conditions prevailing hereabouts, when the sturdy and venturesome emigrants arrived on the Western Reserve, the following is given from a story written for the Ashtabula County Historical Society by E. W. Hickok, one of the above named large family : "It was exceedingly gloomy when we moved into Jefferson. Not a bushel of grain could be procured in the whole township. A few bushels of potatoes were all there was to be had. In the winter of 1812-13 my father went to Vernon, Hartford and Brookfield to buy provisions for the family. The first inhabitants suffered severely from the lack of food and clothing. Sheep would die, and it seemed useless to try and raise them. Entire flocks would run out in three years. The wolves destroyed many, but the greatest cause of death was supposed to be occasioned by the sheep HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 331 drinking muddy water from the deer-licks. The early settlers suffered not a little from apprehensions of another sort. They feared the aggression of the British, and even in 1813 they supposed if Perry should be conquered the frontier would be left to the mercy of the enemy. However, when he proved conqueror, as the Yankees always do, there was a general time of rejoicing among us. Then we could pass the winter quite comfortably in linen pants, which many of us were glad to year, in lieu of something warmer." Road Facilities.—The path which Eldrad Smith made from Jefferson to Austinburg in 1804 was adopted as a suitable route between the two towns and widened into a roadway the following year. That connected with the "Old Salt Road" which had previously been constructed from Ashtabula Harbor through Austinburg to the south. That was for some time the only broken route that could be traversed between Ashtabula and Jefferson. After the establishment of the county seat Jefferson became an important center for the surrounding country and there very soon developed a demand for a shorter route from the "Hub" to the lake. This was difficult of attainment because of the extensive swampland lying in the direct path, but, in 1810, the need had become so great that the project was undertaken and T. R. Hawley made a survey of the route, following practically the course of the present direct, paved highway. It was necessary to deviate somewhat in and through the marshes, the survey passing between the two "Little Marshes", instead of through one of them, and then on through the "Big Marsh". This road was laid out and partly cleared of obstructing growths, but it was not opened for general travel till 1817. Meantime it was possible to get through to the eastward, but that way was hazardous and at times impossible of travel. That was also the condition through the marshes during a goodly portion of the year, after the road that way had been adopted, and became a state road through to the south. A contract to construct a passable road through the marshes was given in 1817, and a causeway of logs was laid through the boggy section and covered with limbs and dirt, but this was serviceable but a short time.. As the road thus made sank, in sections, more logs and other material were piled on top of it, but it took ten years to conquor the sink holes. In 1827-28 a pronounced and united attack was made upon the old causeway by all citizens of the vicinity, who turned out en masse and 332 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY conquered the bogland, temporarily, by another layer of timbers, brush and gravel. That lasted through the fall, winter and spring and the following summer the county commissioners appropriated $400, Ashtabula Township gave $600 and Matthew Hubbard, on orders from his brother Nehemiah, made a personal donation to the cause and a very durable crossing over the swamp section was constructed. This served very well the needs of the traveling public until 1850, when a plank roadway was built over this section. Eventually a continuous plank road was laid from Ashtabula Harbor through to Jefferson and on south to Trumbull County. It was built by a stock company, as a commercial enterprise, with consent of state and county authorities. The company constructed toll-gates at intervals along the roadway, at which the travelers over the highway were obliged to stops and pay a toll to entitle them to proceed over to the next tolling point. Heavy gates were constructed that were used to stop the traffic until the pennies were handed over. It was on Feb. 7, 1843, that the jail was destroyed by fire, which started from a stovepipe in the night. Jailer Nye turned the prisoners out to help save the goods and the family of John Prentice, who occupied the upper story. Mr. Prentice was away from home and his wife and children got out in their night clothes, but lost everything they owned. After the prisoners had aided in the work they were loaded into wagons and taken to Warren and locked up in the Trumbull County jail. In 1851 J. A. Giddings and Noah Bartholomew were appointed a committee to supervise the erection of a brick meeting house for the Presbyterian-Congregational Society of Jefferson, the building to be used "for church services only". The town hall was built in 1879 and has since served the village as a place for holding public meetings, and as an opera house, it having an auditorium, and stage accessories. One of the great days in Jefferson was that on which Horace Greely delivered an oration there, during the campaign of 1852, on Oct. 8. Another joyful occasion was when an election was held, in 1842, the result of which was the sending of Joshua R. Giddings back to Congress, from which he had resigned because of severe censure for some of his utterances against the evil of slavery. For several decades the passing years have brought little change in HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 333 the size and activity of the village. It's broad streets and mammoth old shade-trees have always been its chief beauty, and this is enhanced by paving and curbing the principal thoroughfares. First Court Records.—In the probate judge's office may be found a very interesting volume which contains the record of the first session of the Ashtabula County probate court, held in June, 1811. The book covers the court records from that time to 1825. In the years preceding the '50s the work was performed as an annex to the common pleas court. Some extracts are made from the records in which are mentioned names of pioneer families of the county, whose descendants will doubtless read this history. In the record of the June term, 1811, is found the following: "Be it remembered that on the twentieth day of June, A. D. 1811, the Court of Common Pleas, sitting as a court of probate in the county of Ashtabula, and state of Ohio, met for the first time in Jefferson, in and for said county." The first entry is an order for the administration of the estate of John Watrous, late of Ashtabula Township. John B. and Rosanna Watrous were appointed to administer the estate with bond of $4,000. This was signed by Gideon Leet and Manoah Hubbard, after which Nathan Strong, Matthew Hubbard and Samuel Beckwith were appointed appraisers. The only other business of that term of court was the admission to probate of the will of Joseph Bartholomew, late of Harpersfield. Daniel Bartholomew, a son, and Aaron Wheeler, a neighbor, were appointed executors. The will, after providing for the widow, divided the estate among five sons and five daughters, excepting one of the latter, Mary, who is left only five dollars as her full share of her father's estate. The records of the succeeding terms show inventories of the above two estates, in each of which is found the inevitable rifle. Mr. Bartholomew's stock of books, as recorded, consisted of two bibles valued at 25 and 371/2 cents, respectively ; The Prodigal, 371/2 cents ; two testaments, 50 cents ; one psalm-book, 50 cents ; one hymn-book, 31 cents ; American Selection, 31 cents ; Confession of Faith, 621/4 cents. This list of books was typical of the home reading of that period. Entries were made referring to the estates of numerous county residents. Peregrine Beckwith, Usebius Dodge and Zopher Gee were appointed 334 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY appraisers on the estate of Joseph Peepoon. Other names figuring in appointments as appraiserships were John Norton, of Ashtabula ; Stephen Inman, of Wayne ; Elisha W. Martin, Ashtabula ; Comfort Chapman (presumably of same place as Nathan Strong) ; Manoah Hubbard, Ashtabula, and William Perrin. The Hon. Benjamin Ruggles, Esq., is mentioned as "president of the court at Jefferson", in 1813, March term. Other names mentioned in the records of the same session are in connection with the estates of Giles Loomis, of Windsor, and Elisha Wiard and Robert LaMont, of Harpers-field. Robert LaMont was known in the early days far and near as "Uncle Bob Lemon". He gained fame as a great Indian fighter after his son had been butchered by Redskins and he had registered a vow that he would ever wage war upon the aborigines. The inventory of "Uncle Bob's" estate discloses among his possessions "one rifle-gun, $18 ; one sword, $9 ; one military hat, $8 ; one military coat, $5 ; one epaulet, $1 ; fish spear, 50 cents, and elkskin, 621/2 cents". This old book also contains other interesting statistics. We find that during the fourteen years covering its scope there were 650 marriage ceremonies performed within the county. Wild Animals,--In the early days in this county the settlers were constantly menaced by wolves, which destroyed their stock. An interesting experience was related by the Hon. Platt R. Spencer, the famous penman, to a writer later in the '50s : On a still, damp morning in October, 1811, a bull of past two years emerged from the north wood in Jefferson and slowly made his way up Market street towards Market square. His progress was slow and painful and he therefore became an object of curiosity. The Spencer brothers investigated and found that the poor animal was denuded of his tail, ears and other most approachable parts, which were eaten and torn off, fairly into his body ; and from holes through the skin on each side of the back-bone his entire length frothy blood was oozing down his sides. It was evident that he had been attacked by a pack of wolves. The Spencers turned the poor animal into the Caldwell pasture south of the court house and there he died. Putting the quarters on an ox-sled the Spencer brothers and Phillip Cooper took the meat north to Mill Creek to convert it into wolf-bait. A mile north of the square evidences of the struggle began to be found, which continued for . another mile, north, the tall herbage wallowed down, the soft earth torn up HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 335 and frequently the entire print of the animal showing where the bull had been thrown broadside by the furious wolves. A strong pen, cone-shaped, of heavy beech logs, was erected and the remains of the animal placed within it. Next morning the heavy logs were found displaced half-way to the ground, and a grisly old bear had made his escape, after making a good meal of the meat. The pen was rebuilt and destroyed again, presumably by the same bear. A strong, heavy bear-trap was then placed in the pen, but Bruin was too smart to be caught. The same could be said of the wolves. Hunters of today who will plod all day in what woods are left for one or two or mayhap no squirrels, would have been delighted had they lived hereabouts in the middle years of the last century. At that time, when there was still much unbroken forest in this county, squirrels were so numerous as to constitute a nuisance, and it was a common custom to organize hunting parties and scour the woods for the little fellows. A favorite sport was to get up squirrel hunting contests. In perusing the columns of the papers of that day one finds frequent mention of these contests, the award always being a big dinner at some public house, at the expense of the losers. As an illustration of what luck these hunters had, note this match between a team from Ashtabula and one from Jefferson, to decide the hunting capabilities of the nimrods of those towns. On the morning of Aug. 16, 1854, the teams started out from their respective towns at night, besides what of the game they could carry, the tails of the remaining victims. The summing up showed a total of 2,241 squirrels killed by the Jefferson team and 2,016 by Ashtabula. The Ashtabulans served the big feed at Tyler's Hotel, in that place. Another contest was noted between Ashtabula and East Ashtabula, in which each team killed over 2,000 squirrels in a day's roundup. Ye hunters of today, read and reflect. Bank Failure.—The unheralded closing of the doors of the Second National Bank of Jefferson, in 1882, gave the townspeople a distinct shock from which some never recovered. The Hon. Stephen A. Northway was president, and Sylvester T. Fuller the cashier of the institution. Mr. Northway was indicted on seven different counts for misapplication of the funds of the bank, and his trials dragged through a period of five years. Finally he was acquitted on every charge. 336 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY County Fair Grounds.—For more than three-quarters of a century the Ashtabula County Agricultural Society has held annual fairs in Jefferson and the three or four days devoted to the exhibition and attendant entertainment are always like a big family reunion. Many friends of years' standing assemble there to meet each other for an annual visit, then separate to meet again the following year. The "get together" feature is looked forward to as eagerly as is the enjoyment of the good program that the society managers always have arranged. Not so Bad Either.—The Ashtabula Telegraph of Dec. 26, 1874, contained the following paragraph: "One of the merchants of Jefferson who was a captain in the Union Army was taken prisoner by the Rebel general Price and brought before him to answer a few little questions. The prisoner being a tall man, with a keen, decisive look, was taken by the general to be a Kansas volunteer. Upon being asked 'Where are you from?' the prisoner. replied 'I am from Jefferson, Ashtabula County, Ohio'. 'What', said the general, 'Jefferson? Y—e, that is the home of Joshua R. Giddings and old Ben Wade. Did you know them' ? 'Yes', replied the Jeffersonian, 'one of them lived a short distance below me on the same street and the other just around the corner'. 'Well, well', replied the general, 'you were located in a d—d bad neighborhood'." CHAPTER XXV. KINGSVILLE TOWNSHIP. ORGANIZATION-"FOBES DALE"-FIRST OWNERS-EARLY SETTLERS-INDIAN- REMINISCENCES-EARLY DAY SCHOOLS-ANECDOTES BY MISS HOLDEN-- FIRST CENTRALIZED SCHOOLS-CHURCHES-NORTH KINGSVILLE--WHISKEY STILLS- NUMEROUS EVENTS-INFIRMARY HOLOCAUST. The village of Kingsville was organized in the year 1810. It is one of the lake townships, situated east of Ashtabula and Plymouth, north of Sheffield and west of Conneaut and Monroe, being township No. 13, of range 2, in the original map of the county, after it had been divided into townships. Organization followed its detachment from the township of Ashtabula, a part of which it had been in the original assignment of townships. A log cabin on the bank of the Conneaut River, which stream bends in from the east to almost the center of Kingsville Township, then out to the east again, was the scene of holding the first election of the town. On that occasion William Ferguson, Israel Harrington and Roger Nettleton were named the trustees, Alpha Nettleton, clerk ; Silas Tinker, Jr., assessor ; Thomas Kezartee, constable. The first township map made designated this township as "Fobes Dale", that name having been given it by the settlers in honor of the first permanent resident Capt. Walter Fobes, who established his home in the township in the fall of 1805. Some of the later corners scoffed at the name and insisted on calling it "Fobes Tale", which the loyal ones would not stand for, so it became advisable to change the name. This gave rise to many suggestions as to an appropriate title for the town and, by general acquiescence, it was for some time called Norwich. This still indicated the disposition to make it a memorial to Capt. Fobes, who came from Norwich, Conn. This, however, did not hit the fancy of all and, when a (20) - 337 - 338 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY man by the name of King, a transient who had no interest in the place, came along and learned of the controversy he suggested a remedy and said he would give four gallons of whiskey if they would compromise on his name and call the town Kingsville and his proposition was accepted, and that is how it came to be "Kingsville". In the original assignment of the various portions of the county, by the Connecticut Land Company's lottery scheme, Kingsville territory fell to the ownership of John H. Buell, Timothy Burr, Elijah White, Theodore Ely, Enoch Perkins, Royal Taylor and Ephraim Robbins. The total price of the tract was $12,903.23. None of the original owners evinced any personal interest in the opening up and development of their land, but they proceeded to sell it off to whomsoever they could induce to invest and cast their lot with the hardy venturers who wanted a hand in the making of the new annex to the eastern populated section. Capt. Walter Fobes, the first to break into the unopened country at this point, was a man of means and might have continued to live and prosper in the settled states of the East, but he was ambitious to have a hand in the future growth of new country, so he purchased 500 acres in Kingsville, and the same amount in what is now Madison, about 20 miles farther west. This investment was with the idea of locating himself and wife upon the Kingsville tract and his five children on the other, so they might be neighborly, while each worked his own land. Mr. Fobes' purchase included what is now covered by North Kingsville, and also the county infirmary property. He donated an allotment for the village cemetery and, as it happened, his was the first burial therein. Prior to the arrival of Capt. Fobes, for a couple of years, a white man by name of Eldad Harrington had resided in a cabin that he built on the bottom land at the bend of the river in 1803. He had, however, no rights of possession and was merely a "squatter". When this nomadic roamer, who had come into the wilderness with no particular objective as to where he would settle, came to this spot, he was attracted not only by the beauty of surroundings, which to this day is remarked on by strangers who happen to pass that way, but he found a ready-made opening that had been cleared by Indians and used by them for raising corn. When he realized this advantage, and coupled it with the fact that the surroundings afforded excellent hunting and fishing, he decided to stay right there. About the time that the Fobes family entered and established them- HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 339 selves several other men of the irresponsible class came along and "squatted" along the river front. Among them were Andrew Stull, Leonard and Michael Widener, Daniel Tolbert, Elijah Lewis, Israel Harrington, ____ Blackman, and ____ Blackmore. Most of these men came from over the line in Pennsylvania, and nearly all were without possessions or resources, living happy-go-lucky existence, with no aspirations for the fiture, but content to take life as they found it day after day. An exception to this rule, however, was Andrew Stull, who was a blacksmith and, as he proved, a genius. He invented a spur for use in climbing trees. These were so fashioned that, when strapped to the knees and wrists, they rendered tree climbing expeditious and quite safe. As the quest of the men for game very often necessitated tree climbing, Mr. Stull's spurs were in demand, not only at home, but in places far removed to which their fame had spread. It is to the credit of some of these men that Kingsville proved so attractive that it inspired them with a new spirit and a desire to settle down and accomplish something, in pursuance of which they eventually became useful and respected neighbors and took active part in the up-building of the settlement. In later years their descendants were known among the best of Kingsville's people. In 1806 Capt. Roger Nettleton, who had been among the first settlers of Austinburg, decided to leave that place and cast his lot with the pioneers of Kingsville. He purchased 300 acres of land adjoining that of Mr. Fobes on the west, and established his family home thereon. Mr. Nettleton had come from the East in 1800. Previously he had been a soldier of the territorial government forces and had been commissioned a captain by the governor of the Northwestern Territory. He was very religious and was one of the organizers of the first church in the township. Thomas Hamilton also came to Kingsville in 1806 and purchased the North Ridge property on the east of the Fobes land. Other corners in the next succeeding years included Clark Webster, B. L. Noyes, M. Whitney, H. L. Dibell, Jeremiah and A. Luce, F. B. Phelps, Amos Barrett, Alvin Fox, H. P. Newton, F. B. Nettleton, Edwin Dibble, Morris Carter, A. Nettleton, S. J. Wright, L. D. Fox, R. L. Grover, E. O'Harra, Charlotte Brown, A. B. Luce, P. H. Dibble, E. M. Webster, E. 0. Butler, J. V. Welton, Judson A. Knapp, Daniel C. Phelps, Edward and Nathan Blood, William Woodbury, Reuben Heath, Girard Griswold, Reuben Harmon, William and Stutson 340 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY Benson, Charles Brown, Jacob Crater, Exekiel Sheldon, Wheeler Woodbury, Samuel Rugg, Anson Titus, Aaron Lyon, Smith and Elijah Webster, Urial and Stephen Munger, Libeus Hill, Eden Wilcox, Samuel Rice, Jedediah Hibbard, Samuel Newton, Gideon and Reuben Luce, Zacheus Bugbee, Thomas and Roswell Cook, Daniel Noyes, Nathan Russell, David Wood, Ives Morse, William Corwin, Andrew Stanton, Obediah and Samuel Wood, John and Obed Dibble, Andrew and Silas Harvey, Elijah Hill, a Mr. Beardsley and the Rev. Benjamin Barnes. Descendants of many of the above named old-time residents have their homes in Kingsville today. Indians.—Notwithstanding that the Indians of this section were generally friendly in their attitude toward the white settlers, there was occasional evidence of a latent feeling of resentment, because of the encroachment of the strangers from the civilized world, which would be displayed in some despicable little act that was calculated to tantalize the whites. In the treaty which closed the title of the Redmen to the land in this section, there was a stipulation that the Indians might continue to enjoy the privilege of hunting and fishing hereabouts for a stated number of years. The right of some of the friendly ones to continue their sojourn in this vicinity was not questioned by the incoming white men, and there were a few resident Indians living here until as late as 1811. Every winter brought hosts of Indian hunters from their distant wigwam towns. They came in the fall, by land or water, and pitched their camps for the winter, to enjoy the best hunting season. In evidence of their friendly feeling, it was the custom for the hunters when they arrived to make a circuit of the homes of the white settlers and call on each, and on this visiting tour they would be decked out in their most elaborate regalia, including feathers, beads and silver ornamentations. It was the custom for the whites to welcome their visitors and spread a feast for them before their departure. This was expected by the Indians and it would have been considered an evidence of unfriendliness if any settler family had failed to extend to them this courtesy. The settlers realized this and felt it must be done. At the close of the gaming season, before taking their departure for their homes, the hunters would repeat the performance, making farewell calls and enjoying another big feed. HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 341 Notwithstanding this generally friendly attitude of the Indians, the underlying nature would occasionally come to the surface. The late Harvey Nettleton, who spent his earliest years in Kingsville, reminiscing on his boyhood experiences, in an article for one of the papers, gave the following account of incidents that vividly illustrated the "inward cussedness" of the men of the forest : "When a child, I remember being left with two younger sisters in the cabin, while the remainder of the family were in attendance at religious worship, and of receiving a visit from some eight or ten of the natives, who, on finding us alone, exhibited the genuine malignity of the savage by brandishing their weapons and threatening us with instant death. A young chief of the company, by the name of Po-ca-caw, or John Omick, cocked and pointed his rifle at us, moving the muzzle to correspond with our movements to avoid the shot. He likewise raised the tomahawk above our heads, as if about to strike, and then, feeling of the edge, signified that the weapon needed sharpening, and compelled me to turn the grindstone while he gave to the tool the necessary edge. After thus inflicting us for about two hours with, and compelling us to realize, all the horrors of an Indian massacre, he possessed himself of a set of teaspoons, a quantity of salt, with some other trifling articles from the house, and decamped with his party into the woods. Another instance is related in which an Indian by the name of Armstrong made his appearance on a certain day at the only cabin in the center of Kingsville and was observed to be in great ill-humor. He entered the cabin with his rifle in his hand, instead of leaving it at a little distance, a courtesy usually observed by the Indians before entering the houses of the whites. Mr. Webster, the owner of the cabin, observing this circumstance, met him on his entrance, took ,hold of his gun, which he relinquished very unwillingly. Mr. Webster set it aside and invited him to take a seat, but he remained very unsocial and sullen during his stay. The family were all convinced that he was meditating some evil design and were much relieved to see him soon rise from his seat and depart. He then went to one or two more cabins in other parts of the township, repeating his former movements, but did not meet with any favorable opportunity of gratifying his evil intent. At length, calling at the cabin of one of the settlers who happened to be absent from his family, he made his introduction by seizing one of the 342 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY children by the hair, drawing his knife and passing it near the child's throat, then twirling it dextrously above the child's head, representing the manner of cutting and tearing off the scalp. The child uttered violent screams, in which the other children joined. The mother, with great coolness, stood at the window, anxiously looking for the coming of her husband, and exhorting the children not to be alarmed, as their father would soon arrive. Hearing this, the Indian gave a grunt, significant of it being time for him to go, and hastily snatching up his rifle, followed the nearest path into the woods. The father soon arrived. The story made his blood boil. He hurriedly seized his rifle, inquiring which direction the Indian villain took. He was a determined man, fearless of danger, and the outrage to his little ones stirred within him the deepest sense of the wrong of the brutal savage.' The flight of the Indian was swift, but that of the outraged father was swifter. The result can be given in a few words. The Indian paid for his brutal folly by the forfeiture of his life. Another story related by Mr. Nettleton was the experience of one of the settlers along the banks of Conneaut Creek, who owned a valuable drove of hogs, and although he was obliged, in common with his neighbors, to occupy the woods as a place of pasturage, he watched over them with great care, and to prevent the depredations of the bears, built them a bed near his dwelling, to which they were in the habit of returning every night. Notwithstanding his pains he had the mortification frequently on their return of finding one or more of their number missing. His drove was rapidly diminishing. The settler soon perceived that this state of things must not continue, or the dreams of rich supplies of hog and hominy for the winter would soon vanish. Armed with his rifle, he started for the forest, resolved to punish the bears for their depredations. Placing himself at a convenient distance, where he could watch unperceived any disturbance among his swine, he saw an Indian dart suddenly from a thicket upon one of the herd, but missing his hold he again slunk back into the bushes. This maneuver was repeated several times with like result, when the patience of the settler was fully exhausted and a rifle ball was sent through the body of the Indian and the hogs were no more disturbed. Some of the pioneer settlers valued the life of an Indian very lightly indeed. There was a class who entertained a feeling of deadly hostility toward the savages. They had passed the greatest part of their lives upon the frontiers witnessing their cold-blooded massacres, had seen their near- HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 343 est friends fall victim to the deadly tomahawk, and thus had sworn eternal vengeance against the race. Reminiscences.—In the latter part of the last century William C. Phelps, a brother of F. B. Phelps, wrote a historical sketch of Kingsville which was never published, but is still in possession of his great-niece, Miss Frances Holden, by whose courtesy the writer is given access to the article. It appears that North Kingsville is really the parent town, as the earliest settlers, Capt. Walter Fobes and Roger Nettleton, and numerous families of later comers, purchased land along the North Ridge road and there started the town. Excerpts from Mr. Phelps' writings follow : "Mr. Fobes built a double log house on the north side of the North Ridge road about 20 rods east of the four corners. This style of house was made by building two log houses about ten feet apart and standing end to end and in line with each other. The roofs of the two houses were extended so as to cover the space between them, making an open hall in which the family could sit on days or evenings. One of the houses was used for cooking, carding, spinning and tailoring and the other for sleeping apartments and the reception of visitors. The sleeping rooms were generally in the chambers, separated or partitioned from each other by blankets hung between one bed and another. The hall, or open space, was a part common to all ; and I might say to everything from mop and broom to hoe, ax, cycle, harness, buff caps, hats, shoes and stockings (if they had any). Bare feet and heads were much more common those days than shoes and caps. "One of the first things to be provided for, after a shelter for families and cattle secured, was the education of their children. The first schoolhouse was built of logs, on the southwest corner of what are now the four-corners in North Kingsville, in almost the exact site of the brick house which was destroyed by fire a few years since. This log school-house stood with its gable to the east and its door in the east end of the building. The west end was occupied by a large fire-place, on each side of which was a closet—one for the girls and the other for the boys—in which to hang their caps, or make-believe shawls. In each side of the house were two windows, one pane of glass high and six panes wide. On each side of the room from the closets to the door, holes were bored in the logs and pins driven in them to support the tables or desk on which the pupils were to 344 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY imitate the copies set by teachers in the copybooks, made by the pupils or their parents. In front of each of these writing desks was a continuous bench, or seat, made of slabs, for the larger pupils, and in front of these, a row of lower benches for the little folks. A movable stool or chair for the teacher completed the furniture of the schoolroom. The first frame schoolhouse was built in 1821, nearly opposite the burying ground in North Kingsville. "A Methodist minister named Johnson, a man over 70 years of age, was the pedagog during the years 1813-14. He was not only old in years, but old-fashioned. He wore an old blue coat 'all buttoned down before' like old Grimes', called in those days a shad-bellied coat, and rounded out from the collar to the waist and from the waist nearly to the ankles ; white vest and very long ; pants came down to his knees, where they were met by a pair of long stockings, and they were united by tying them together with a ribbon having a tassle at each end so that the tassles were hanging at the outside of each knee. His shoes were low and fastened with silver shoe-buckles. He and his wife lived during the winter in the schoolhouse, sleeping in one of the closets and eating in the other, he managing the school on week days and preaching on Sundays. "The religious needs of the pioneers were not neglected by them. Before the schoolhouses were built, meetings on the Sabbath were held in private houses and conducted by Deacon Webster or Deacon Corwin. "From the very early settlement of the town, the daily consumption of whisky in every family was considered necessary to neutralize the bad effects of unwholesome water, or poisonous air, or as an antidote for every disease or prevailing sickness. If the minister called, he must partake of a drink of whisky with you ; if a child was born, a drink must be given to every caller; at weddings whisky was furnished to the guests. "About 1830 the first building was raised in Kingsville at which there was no whisky. It was finished by Nathan Blood for William Fobes. In 1829 the first meeting for the formation of a society on the pledge of abstainence from ardent spirits was held. Many signed the pledge. Jugs and bottles gradually disappeared, and it was not many years before it was considered an insult by many to be offered a drink of whisky." Early Schools of Kingsville.—It stands to the everlasting credit of the pioneers in all sections of Ashtabula County that they who emigrated here HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 345 from the Eastern states: were of a class that realized the importance of education, and, like its neighboring towns, Kingsville turned early to that important necessity. Little more than a year after the first settler came, the school was introduced and the first class assembled numbered seven children. As was quite fitting, the first school was conducted in the residence of the first settler, Walter Fobes, and the teacher of the young hopefuls was Miss Rebecca Cowles. This school was instituted in 1806, and, although regular sessions were held, the townsfolk did not put up a schoolhouse until 1812. Meantime, the seat of learning had moved around, from house to house, wherever it could get houseroom. The building was constructed of logs, on the Clark Webster clearing, a short distance east of the village square. The first frame schoolhouse was put up in what is now North Kingsville, in 1821. That section of the town had become quite numerously populated at that time and this school enrolled nearly 50 scholars during its first term. The word "scholars" is used advisedly, as the pupils who attended and sought to improve their general knowledge by the best means attainable were not all children. It was not at all uncommon to full-grown men, and of mature years, taking their places in the classes beside the urchins and lassies, and it was not thought strange. One of the children who composed the first class in that school was F. B. Phelps, who died but a few years ago on the old homestead a short distance west of North Kingsville corners, after having spent his whole life, nigh onto a century, on the same farm. Mr. Phelps was much sought after during the sunset years of his life by those who wished to know about early Kingsville. He was the acknowledged historian, as his mind was wonderfully retentive and he took pleasure in relating incidents of the early days. (Of this we shall have more from his memoirs.) Regarding the old school, he said : "If that old schoolhouse could talk, it might tell of the numberless apple cores and paper wads thrown at teachers' heads, and the tunes stepped out at the measure of witch-hazel gads, as the consequence. I stepped many a tune of that character in that old house, in which I thought there were altogether too many beats to the bar. In the winter of 1834-5 active measures were taken looking to the introduction of means for acquiring an education advanced beyond the "Three Rs". In those days academic education was becoming quite popu- 346 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY lar. Ashtabula and other neighboring towns had establishments of that nature, and some of the progressive citizens thought it was time for Kingsville to get into line and, to that end, they expressed a willingness to risk an investment, for the good of the cause. Accordingly, after much discussion, a stock company was formed, several of the leading men of the town taking the entire 60 shares, at $10 a share. They organized, electing D. M. Spencer, president; Nathan Wakefield, secretary ; B. S. Noyes, treasurer; and Artemus Luce, Johnathan Gillette and J. P. Eastman, trustees. Gilbert Webster donated ground for the proposed building, and little time was lost in preliminaries for its construction. The academy building erected during the following year. was 42x28 feet on the ground and two stories high. It was done off into two rooms on each floor. In December, 1847, this building was destroyed by fire, under rather suspicious circumstances. Regarding this misfortune, the Williams history says : "Suspicions were aroused that this unhappy event was the result of incendiarism and the crime was finally fastened upon two students by the names of Kinner and Moore. It is said that both the boys confessed their guilt to Z. C. Graves, the preceptor at that time. Their parents on their knees implored for the pardon of the young men. They escaped punishment. Six or seven years after this Moore was said to have been hung in California for the crime of murder, and to have confessed upon the scaffold that the burning of the Kingsville Academy was his first criminal act, which was followed by the murder of four of his fellow beings during his career." Not discouraged, the company rebuilt, during the next year (1848), and the Kingsville Academy eventually became widely and favorably known, and was a prosperous institution of learning for several years. In the course of time, however, like institutions sprang up more numerously in the vicinity, which had the effect of detracting from the Kingsville school, and the tide of prosperity turned. The owners struggled along a few years longer, then, in 1872, the institution was voluntarily turned over to the township trustees, who turned it into a public school. In 1885 a fine brick structure for a high school was erected, and that eventually became the home of the first centralized school in the state, which is the subject for another story in the Kingsville history. HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 347 Anecdotes by Aged Pioneer.—(By Miss Frances E. Holden.) In the yard of my home, a mile west of North Kingsville center, are still living apple trees that were set out over a hundred years ago by Daniel Calvin. These old trees have outlived all residents who were alive when they were set out. One of the best known men of this section, who, was born and spent his whole life in this place, was my maternal grandfather, F. B. Phelps. Up to the time of his passing away, he was the recognized historian of the community, and when I was a child, I was kept "fed up" on anecdotes of the early years, which he would delight in relating to me, I presume so he could enjoy my youthful wonderment as the tales unfolded. He told me that the first schoolhouse was built in "Northtown", in 1821, and that he attended it, as a child, long enough to learn the alphabet. Among his schoolmates were the Burroughs brothers, who in their manhood years attained much prominence, one as a United States senator and the other as a judge ; also the late Judge Woodbury. As I remember, the first teacher's name was Bowen. Judge Burroughs, it was said, spent his experimental oratory on the "North Woods", to which secluded place he would repair when he wanted to declaim aloud and have none but God and Nature hear his amateur efforts in that line. One of the teachers in this early school, Daniel Bliss, founded a college, in later years, in Beirut, Syria. Albion W. Tourgee, the once popular novelist, was for many years a resident of Kingsville, before his chosen profession took him to other parts. The first Fourth of July celebration in Kingsville was held at the old Heath home, where there was a large and noisy assemblage. I recall the story of the first circus that came to town. The menagerie consisted of a small elephant and a ring-tailed monkey. The exhibition was given in the Walter Fobes big barn, with a man seated on a bundle of straw grinding out music from an ancient cymbal. The populace assembled, with their individual shillings, to see this wonderful caravan of animals, and very few of them had ever seen an elephant before. Grandfather was justice of the peace for the village for 33 years, and he had many amusing cases. He had in his possession a docket covering two years, 1830-32, in which 75 cases were recorded. He explained the numerous cases as not strange, as going to law in those days was cheaper than now, when pettifoggers could be employed for 50 cents a case, and take their pay in labor. 348 - HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY Chandler Welton came here and settled in 1821. He followed 'farming, shoemaking and vessel building for a living, his son working with him. They devoted their spare time for six years to the construction of a 30-ton vessel, which they built in the yard of their home. When it was finished, they made trucks for transporting it, the wheels of which were made from whitewood trees. All the neighbors turned out and a dozen yoke of oxen were hitched to the trucks and the boat was hauled to Ashtabula Harbor, where it was sold. The boat was named "Allen Trimbel". Later he built a 10-ton vessel, hauled it to Ashtabula and used it on July 4, 1836, in running pleasure excursions out onto the lake. The Mormons made a visitation on this place in the spring of 1834 and labored with residents persistently, and not without effect. Joseph Smith's brother, Hiram, and Orson Hyde were the evangelists, and they held meetings in the schoolhouse. They were friendly, good talkers, good singers, and very gifted in scriptural doctrine, and many persons were interested. In June, 1838, 20 families of Mormon converts, emigrating from the East to Kirtland, spent three days in camp on the Nettleton place. Five families of this town, well known to my grandfather, accepted the Mormon faith. Samuel and Burrell Newton came to Kingsville in 1816 and soon made themselves useful and popular. They were assigned as captains, to drill the men, when it was required that, on certain days of the year, every man over 21 and under 45 years must assemble at headquarters for military duty. The feeder for Eastlake was formerly a pretty brook that was filled with speckled trout, and was a favorite resort for anglers. One of the most momentous occasions in the history of Kingsville was the observance of its one hundredth anniversary, in the summer of 1905, on which occasion there was a great celebration in the village proper. First Centralized Schools,—One of the honors to which the township of Kingsville lays claim is that of having been the pioneer in the inauguration of the centralized school system in this country, which has proven such a blessing to children of the rural districts and a great saving to school finances wherever it has been adopted, which is nearly every section of the settled territory of the United States. In 1890, or about that time, C. A. Corbin, then principal of the Kings- HISTORY OF ASHTABULA COUNTY - 349 ville High School, later for many years editor of the Ashtabula Democratic Standard and for two terms postmaster of Ashtabula, laid before the Kingsville Board of Education a plan for elimination of several of the district schools adjacent to Kingsville village, and the bringing of the scholars into town, to attend the village school. The board did not at that time see the advantage of the plan proposed and the suggestion did not meet with favor. However, it was not dead, as was proven by its subsequent revival and fruitful issue. In 1893, during the incumbency of F. E. Morrison as principal of the Kingsville schools, that gentleman succeeded in inducing the board to try out the plan, and that decision put Kingsville "on the map", for, after the system had been put into operation and proven successful beyond question, in many respects, its fame was broadcasted through the press of the country and representatives of educational boards from all over the State of Ohio and the adjoining states came to Kingsville to witness the operation of the centralization system and study its advantages. Thenceforth the system spread abroad, and in many states today the district school is but a memory to the older inhabitants, while to the younger generation it is tradition. The result was the consolidation of educational facilities of various districts, the construction of large schoolhouses, centrally located, the introduction of the school van, or, as it is jocularly termed, "kid-wagon", the saving of much money to the boards affected, thus allowing of the employment of better talent and fewer teachers. Added to these monetary considerations is the advantage the children have of getting into a comfortable rig at their home gate and arriving at the schoolhouse warm and dry, in contrast to the old method of wading through slop or snow, reaching their destination wet and chilled, and having to sit through the study hours with wet feet, perhaps in a poorly heated room, which often resulted in contracting colds that not infrequently proved fatal. The world owes much to the man who conceived the idea of the centralized school, and it is a great honor to the village of Kingsville to have given the plan to the people. Kingsville Churches.—The first church association in Kingsville Township was that of the Congregational denomination, in 1810, the Rev. Samuel Crocker being its minister. It is to be supposed that the question of salary was not to be seriously considered by the ministers of that day,