630 - HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXII.*

GRANGER TOWNSHIP—ITS CONFIGURATION—A LAND PURCHASE—HUNTING ADVENTURES—THE
-BABES IN THE WOODS"—THE REMSON TRACT—CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS.

GRANGER is one of the first settled townships in Medina County. Its territory, for several years previous to the first permanent settlements that were made in this region. formed part of the " stamping" ground of adventurous hunters who roamed through Northern Ohio in the beginning of the century. Several squatters located in Granger Township prior to the year 1815, but they did not remain long. and their names have escaped the memory of the people who came into this country soon after.

Under the Land Company's survey. Granger was set apart as Township 3. Range 13. For several years. it was attached to Bath Township, which now belongs to Summit County,

*Contributed by Charles Neil.

until it became a distinct and separate civil organization in 1820. In natural beauty, Granger surpasses any of its sister townships by the variety of its surface. At the spring seasons of the year, the scenic effects of the hills and mountain knolls in the eastern part of the township are exceedingly attractive and pleasant to the eye. Several of the knolls attain an elevation of over a hundred feet. On one of the elevations, a half-mile east of Grangerburg, formerly stood an ancient fort. It is now al-most entirely obliterated, and only an indistinct remnant of the original fortification. It once consisted of a circular trench. with embankment. and was perhaps ten rods across. the northern extremity being now cut off by

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a public road. A perpetual spring fed a small stream which flowed along the base of the wall. The origin of the fort is entirely shrouded in mystery, and there is nothing to indicate who were its builders and for what purpose it served. It was probably constructed by some aboriginal tribes, as its location and construction do not contain the military advantages that are sought after in modern warfare.

The conglomerate underlies nearly all of the township. as it lies in the easterly range of Medina County. There are several abrupt ledges in the central part of the township, and several quarries have been opened in these parts. Along the western line of the township, on the farm of Hoel Hatch, is a layer of sand rock. which comes near the surface. and is doubtless referable to the upper layers of Cuyahoga shale.

The surface of the township is divided by a stretch of marsh or swamp land, extending from east to northwest for about five miles, varying in width from fifty rods to three-quarters of a mile. Its composition is mostly what is known as muck " and peat. The waters of several springs gather into these low lands. An artificial ditch extends for some length through the " swamp." and the surplus water is carried into the little stream known as Remson's Brook, which courses through the northwest corner of the township and empties into Rocky River, near Weymouth, in .Medina Township. A complete, oval-shaped mound, measuring over three hundred feet in circumference and attaining a height of over fifteen feet, is found near the center of a meadow on the farm of Franklin Sylvester, one mile north of Grangerburg The owner has put a solid stone wall in its sides, and inclosed the elevated surface with an iron fence, and set the mound apart as a family burial ground. A shaft of blue Quincy granite, twenty feet in height, stands in the center of this remarkable elevation of ground. The knoll was probablythrown up by a tribe of Indians, for burial purposes, according to their custom, at some remote day. The geographical boundaries of Granger Township are marked on the east by Summit County, on the south by Sharon, on the west by Medina, and on the north by Hinckley Townships. Its area. like that of all the townships of Medina County, embraces twenty-five square miles.

William Coggswell and his uncle, Gibson Gates, were perhaps the first white men who trod upon the soil of Granger Township. The former has become famous in the pioneer history of Medina County ; and, in these early years, he, being then quite a young man, was known as one of the most intrepid and successful hunters in all the regions about. The two hunters, who were then living in Bath, put up a little cabin on a spot known as Porter's Pinnacle. in the eastern part of Granger, in the winter of 1810, and, in their hunting excursions through the regions west, would stop here for days at a time. From the memoirs prepared by Mr. William Coggswell, who died in Granger on the 28th of February, 1872, we take the following sketches relating to the early settlements. The first is a history of his ancestors :

" William Coggswell, my great-great-grandfather, was born in Ipswich, England, sixty-two miles northeast of London. He was well educated in navigation. In 1666, he became the owner of a vessel, and, taking in a company. he sailed for America. landing at Boston Harbor. He remained for a number of weeks, and accompanied part of his passengers into the interior to look for a location. When the ground had been selected, it was named Ipswich, after the ship Captain's native place and the name of his vessel. After making several voyages to and from England, he finally settled in Ipswich, in Massachusetts. Edward, his son, was born April 17, 1685, and died April 17, 1773. Samuel. son of Edward, was born March 1, 1710, and died April 11. 1775. William, son of Sam-

632 - HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

uel, and my father, was born November 2, 1748, he died in Granger May 12, 1838. Although my father had been deprived of a regular school education, he made mathematics his choice study, and, by continued application in that branch, became quite famous as au almanac compiler in early life. When near life's close, he gave directions as to his burial, requesting Jehial Porter to preach his funeral sermon from the text ' Blessed are they who die in the Lord.' selected the hymn that he wished to be sung. and uttered the following words : ' I am nearly eighty years old. was never at 50 cents' expense for a doctor bill, never lost by sickness a meal in sixty years, but lost a great many meals on account of having nothing to eat.' My mother was a daughter of Lieutenant Gibson Gates. who served during the Revolutionary war. She was born in Canterbury, Conn.. in 1772. and, during life, passed through many trying scenes and privations. Among these scenes -was the bloody massacre at Fort Wyoming. of which she was one of the survivors. She there witnessed the barbaric spectacle of prisoners sacrificed at the stake. One poor fellow had his body and limbs filled with dry splinters. was then fastened to a tree and burned to death. Another had a portion of his bowels, after his body had been opened with a knife, fastened to a sapling and was then forced to pass around the tree until his bowels had been torn out, and he fell exhausted and dead on the ground. My mother, in fearful anxiety for the lives of her two young children, and to keep them from the gaze of the red devils, was crouching on the ground praying and weeping. An Indian approached her brandishing his bloody tomahawk. To divert his attention from his bloody purpose, she offered him some bread and beef. The offer had the desired effect. The savage asked where her papooses were ; she pointed to where they were hid. The Indian ordered her to take them to a certain corner in the fort and sit down. She did so, and while there thanked God for her deliverance, and of those with her, and devoutly prayed that God would be a protector to her and her children. The prayer was heard and answered. She lived long and happily after witnessing that cruel massacre. She died in Bath at the age of seventy-two, and is there buried. Four of the survivors who witnessed the Wyoming Massacre. after being long separated during life. are buried within four miles of each other. in Bath and Granger.

I was born February 20. 1794. at the great bend of the Susquehanna. N. Y. In 1797. my father. William. sold and removed from New York to Alleghany County. Penn.. near Redstone Fort. iN 1801. he became the owner of 200 acres of land in Beaver County. Penn., by virtue of' a soldiers right. In April. 1802. he moved there. Provisions were then scarce and costly. Often he was forced to leave home and work for means to supply his family. Once. when leaving. my mother made the inquiry. what she should do if provisions were exhausted before his return ? He said : ' There is a half-barrel of bran. sift it and make bread of it ; when that is gone. go to the potato patch. and dig out the old potatoes. without disturbing the roots. boil them and use them with milk ; when they are gone. follow the cows in the woods. see what herbs they eat. pick of the same, boil them and eat that with milk.' Having gone forty miles. secured employment. and received his pay in corn. he joyfully returned with his earnings. A tree was cut down, a hole burned in the stamp. a spring pole erected, by means of which the corn was pounded and made ready for use, and in that way fed seven in the family. When ten years old, I was, in the absence of my father, compelled to chop and prepare fuel. I had no shoes to wear in the winter season. To keep my feet from freezing. I heated a board at the fire, carried it out. and then stood on it when chopping. When it became cold, I brought it in and heated it again, and in that way made

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it answer for shoes and stockings. In progress of time, rights to land were often in dispute. It was discovered that my father was one of the unlucky, and had settled on the wrong piece of land. Though he had made an opening, erected his cabin and settled down. as he supposed, for life, he was forced to give up possession, as another soldier's right claimed the land. Becoming acquainted with Judge Oliver Phelps, then the owner of Granger Township. my father visited that township in 1807. and found it wholly unsettled. Being pleased with the appearance of soil, timber and its other natural advantages, he made a selection of 370 acres in the central part of the township. After he had looked at the land, he returned to Warren, Trumbull County, and contracted with Calvin Austin, agent of Judge Phelps. for the land, and paid the sum asked. Some time thereafter. Phelps became insolvent, his title to lands was seized by creditors and sold. My father. having purchased on contract. was forced to lose what he had paid. and was. for the second time, prevented, through force of circumstances. from being a landholder. He had not yet removed his family to Ohio. and therefore. after losing his purchase. he continued to reside in Pennsylvania until 1815. when he removed to Columbiana County, Ohio. In 1818, he again came to Granger, bought by article, the lot now owned by J. L. Green. and settled thereon, and for six years struggled through the many hardships incident to first settlers. About the time his article expired, he found himself unable to make payment. owing to want of price for produce. He soli his .claim to his sons, William, Samuel and Nathaniel, who continued to reside there and make improvements. In 1824, I became by purchase sole owner ; but soon concluded to select another locality, sold my right to land in Granger Township, and moved into Bath.

"I must now make a break in my history, otherwise the pioneer community will cast meout of their synagogue. In 1810, in company with my uncle Gibson Gates, and Hezekiah Burdick (two of the first settlers in Bath), I left the home of my father, in Pennsylvania, traveled by way of Vannatt's Ford, on the Mahoning River. to the house of Gates. in Bath. I remained there until the August of that year, when. in company with Gates and John Manning, I started for Granger Township. Our course was through Richfield, by way of L. May's place, thence westwardly to Panther Cave, in Hinckley. We visited that cave in search of game, but saw no panthers. From there. we traveled to where an Indian gallows was standing, in the big bend of Rocky River.

" In 1806. a squaw had been hung there, charged with witchcraft. The squaw had said that there would be darkness on the face of the earth in June. which the Indians decided to be undoubted proof of witchcraft. She was hung in May. and on the 13th of June there was an eclipse of the sun. After viewing the gallows, we traveled on southerly, and, at night, encamped under a ledge of rocks in the northern part of Granger. I at that time carved my name on a beech-tree, which can be seen today. After feasting on wild turkey for breakfast, we pursued our course and came on to the Smith road, in the neighborhood where the Squaw Tavern now stands. This was my first visit into and through Granger. It was then truly a wilderness ; the marks of the pioneers were few. We shortly after returned to Bath.

In January, 1813, the War Department found it necessary to build three small gunboats to be used in annoying the larger vessels of the enemy. It had been discovered by Commodore Perry, that small vessels, being more easily and rapidly managed, could do effective service in close contest. The contract for building the boats was awarded to Brimel Robins, of Allegheny, Penn., who selected 'Old Portage,' on the Cuyahoga River, as the place where to build them. The timber and lumber were

634 - HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

furnished by Capts. Rice and Stowe. and sawed in the mill of Francis and Zenas Kelsey; at Old Cuyahoga Village.' Stewart Gaylord was Superintendent of the boatyard. In June, the three boats were launched, and were respectively named Tripp, Tigress and Portage. I was employed with others to float them down to the lake, with instructions that when we got them to the ‘pinery' we should furnish each boat with masts and spars. While floating down the river toward our. destination, we descried a tree that had fallen in the river. and. unless removed. would stop the boats. Being then young and full of life, I attacked the log with an ax, and, when nearly ready to float, I lost my balance and fell into the water. It was about fifteen feet deep. With vigorous efforts, my ax in hand, I swam ashore. At the ' pinery,' we were detained several days in procuring the necessary rigging for the boats. At that place. I killed a porcupine, which was looked upon as an animal of great curiosity by our crew. When we got to Cleveland, the gunboats were examined by many, and the general opinion was that they were the kind needed. When at Cleveland, I became very patriotic, and wished to enlist under Commodore Perry ; but I decided to go home first, and, after making proper arrangements, to return and become a sailor. My mother, having tested in part the scenes and privations of the Revolutionary war, was opposed to my enlistment, and, with pleadings and rehearsals of war incidents she had witnessed, dampened my ardor, and I finally consented to remain on shore, and not brave the storms of Lake Erie on a small gunboat. In the summer of 1814, I was employed in the salt works at Liverpool, working there until December. When winter had fairly set in, I started for Granger, in company with Daniel Mallet, intending to make hunting our main business for some weeks. We killed large quantities of small game. After some days, we found a long-legged bear in an alder swamp.

When he discovered us, he commenced a retreat. As he passed near me, I fired, but without effect. The two dogs next attacked him, which he seized. and commenced hugging and biting. I reloaded and fired a second time, the ball disabling his foreleg, when he immediately let go of the dogs. and commenced biting his maimed limb. After venting his spleen upon the maimed limb, in despite of dogs, he came toward me in a very menacing manner. I retreated rapidly, but reloaded as I ran, and, when fully prepared. wheeled about and fired. The ball took lodgment in the bear's jaw. causing it to hang downward. At this juncture, Mallet came up to the chase from the opposite side of the swamp. and, taking deliberate aim. put a ball in his brain. and ended the race. The next day. we procured a horse, on which we carried to Liverpool the game we had shot during our hunting excursion. In those clays, an ax and rifle constituted my chattel property, and it then seemed to me that I had all that was necessary. After staying at Liverpool for some time to complete a chopping contract. I again started for the residence of my Uncle Gates, near the Cuyahoga. At this early date. there were no lot-lines in Brunswick or Hinckley ; therefore. I traveled a course by guess. I had got into the northwest part of Bath when night came on. Wearied and hungry I halted. struck up a fire, peeled some bark with which to make a bed, arranged it in hunter's style. and. drawing my slouch hat over my face, fell into a pleasant sleep. I slept untroubled until morning. When I awoke. I found my bark coverlet beautifully adorned with a covering of snow about three inches in depth. I arose early and left my bed for the accommodation of any one who might need it. I had designed to reach the cabin of Elijah Hale when I left Liverpool ; still I was not there. On my way in the morning. I killed two deer. Upon arriving at Mr. Hale's, I informed his wife that I stood in much need of dinner, supper, breakfast and dinner, as

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I had not eaten anything since I left Liverpool. She furnished me with eatables to replenish my empty stomach. In going from this cabin to that belonging to his brother Jonathan, a little way further east, I killed a big buck, which I sold to Jonathan for $2. After remaining with the Hales a short time, I again commenced to ramble from place to place, in search of work and game. In 1815, I had an interview with a bear that to this day causes me to shudder when I think of the hazardous adventure. Isaac Sippey. Dan Willey. William Ben and myself were felling a tree for 'coons,' when the barking of our dogs at a distance signalized that they had found game. When we reached the dogs, we found that they were in close combat with a bear. in the hollow of a large tree. I crawled in the length of my body, caught the hind legs of two dogs. and succeeded in dragging them out. I then crawled in a second time, got hold of the leg of the remaining dog, and, by hard pulling, succeeded in rescuing him from the tight grasp of the bear. The dog died soon after being brought out. Soon, the infuriated bear showed his head at the opening, when a blow from an as, .given by Sippey. nearly severed the snout from the head. The bear drew back, but in a very few minutes again poked out his mutilated head, for which Sippey had been watching. A second stroke buried the as in bruin's head, who then ceased to draw back. We drew him out, and estimated his weight, after being dressed, at 400 pounds. During this hunting excursion, we killed twenty-nine raccoons, one ' wooly nig,' and this bear.

" In 1816, in company with Sippey, I roamed over portions of Granger, Bath and Hinckley in order to get a supply of honey, hops and cranberries, on which to trade. During our wandering from place to place, we often shot wild game and occasionally a bear. In the fall. the bears were accustomed to visit wild groves where acorns or chestnuts grew, and very often a bullet from the well-aimed rifle of the huntercaused the bear to fall from oak or chestnut tree on which he had perched himself to feed upon his favorite food.

" In 1818, I became a permanent citizen of Granger. My brother-in-law, Isaac Sippey, and myself, purchased by article the land where C. R. Spencer now lives, on which we paid $160. That summer, we cleared and planted six acres of corn, and a large patch with potatoes. In the fall of that year, I visited the home of my father, and, after a short stay, he and family removed with me to Granger. My father, Sippey and I cut the first opened road from Cuyahoga to Granger at our own expense, and, while thus employed, we camped out many nights. Our only vegetable food was potatoes, roasted, and eaten with the meat of wild game that we occasionally shot.

" Having lost some of our cattle, Sippey and I concluded to make search for the strayed animals. While passing through the woods, the bark of the old dog gave notice that he had found some kind of game. When we came to the spot, we descried an animal perched high in a tree, that looked to be of the panther tribe. We had no guns with us, and, to dislodge the animal, we must have recourse to a different mode of attack. Upon a nearer approach, we discovered our supposed panther to be a wildcat of no common size. I proposed to climb the tree and shake the animal off, but was re-minded by Sippey that ' pussy's claws were not to be easily shaken off the limb.' I determined to make battle and kill the cat. I cut a club of proper weight, and ascended the tree.

When within ten feet of the limb on which ' pussy' squatted, I stopped to take a look at the ' critter.' The green, glaring eyes made me feel uncomfortable, but my position required that I should be courageous. With my left hand, I took firm hold of a limb, and with my right hand I wielded my bludgeon. As I stood watching, the wildcat made first a few quick shakes with her tail, and instantly bounded

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for my face. Instantly I parried off its descent with the club, and sent the animal to the ground.

The dog was on hand, and made ' jaw love' to ' pussy.' A hard fight of scratching and biting ensued, until Sippey, with a blow of a club, ended the cat's life.

"During the early settlement, there was a she bear that annoyed the settlement by frequently carrying off hogs, calves and other domestic animals. She was often threatened. and as often pursued. In the winter of 1822. I was hunting in the northwest part of Granger, when I came on her trail, which was known to all hunters by the unusual length of the strides. She was followed by two cubs. I called on Sippey and told him of my discovery, and proposed that we should go in search, and. if possible, bring the lady to terms. The next morning we were early on the trail. intending. if possible, to rid the neighborhood of the old pest. We followed the trail all day, through Hinckley, and, toward evening, discovered dead bees on the snow. We soon found the tree, which we chopped down, and found over a hundred pounds of honey. We scooped out a trough with the as, and filled it with choice honey-comb, and, night coming on, we encamped there, faring sumptuously on bread (which we always carried with us) and honey. Next morning, we breakfasted early on honey and bread, and then pursued the trail. After pursuing the zigzag tracks for some miles, we came to a large basswood, in which was the bear and her two cubs. Marks about the tree seemed to say that it had been tenanted by the old depredator for years. We concluded we had the ' old gal ' in close quarters, and commenced, by sturdy blows, to fell the tree. The tree fell slowly, being impeded by limbs of other trees, of which occurrence the bear took advantage, and made a leap from the tree before it struck the ground. We supposed the ' old sinner ' would at least tarry till the tree fell, but she was off at full speed. I fired, but the ball took no effect. Sippey soon dispatched the two cubs with his as. The next day, with horses and sled, we hauled home cubs and honey. The next winter, I was hunting in the north part of Granger, and I had killed two turkeys and a deer: and, after traveling-about a mile from where I had hung them up, I came across the same thieving old bear. It seemed as though she knew me, but she did not tarry long. I raised my gun and fired. The ball lodged in her hip, and she made off through the woods. As I pursued, I reloaded, and fired a second time, and broke her foreleg. When the leg was broken. the bear stopped. sat up and bit the maimed limb. and then was off again. I started in pursuit through the southwest part of Hinckley. into Brunswick, then across Plum Creek, then down the creek, then east into Hinckley. and lastly into an alder swamp. She secreted in the mud and water of that swamp, keeping her head up. I went within proper distance, fired and killed her. This chase was about the hardest and longest I ever ran.

"Uncle Gates and I started one clay with the intention of taking a little look for game through the woods. When we were near the north line of Bath, we separated, with the understanding that we would meet at another certain point. I had not gone far when I discovered where a 'coon ' had come off a large oak-tree, and had turned back and gone up the tree again. I knew if there was an Indian there, he would contrive some way to get the game without the trouble of cutting the tree. I looked about to see how this could be done. There was a large limb on the oak. about sixty feet from the ground, and not far from the tree was a small hickory, which, if felled, would lodge in the limb. I chopped the hickory. it lodged and made, as I supposed, a safe bridge by which I could reach Mr. 'Coon.' But I was mistaken, for, when within ten feet of the limb, I discovered that there was very little or the top of the hickory that was above the limb,

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and that it was sliding down further every move I made. This was a perilous situation indeed, and

I saw that something decisive must be done. I first thought of retreating, but I soon found that this would be as bad as advancing, as every move I made, brought the hickory farther off the limb. I, therefore, resolved to reach the tree if possible, and, with several desperate grabs, I did so. I now thought I would make things safe, and I took the top twigs that still held the hickory against the oak, and whipped and tied them around the limb of the oak. I soon discovered the retreat of the 'Coon,' and, chopping in, I pulled him out and threw him down to my dog. I descended safely, and, by the time I had reached the ground. my uncle Gates came up. I showed him what I had done, and he declared that he would not have undertaken it for all the land on the Cuyahoga River. from Old Portage to Cleveland. I did not undertake it for the value of the ' coon,' but because I thought I would not be outdone by the Indians."

Job Isbell. while passing through the woods one day, in the northern part of the township, with his gun looking for game, caught sight of a bear. He crept cautiously near. and, at some distance. fired at Mr. Bruin. He merely inflicted a wound. and the bear, enraged and growling. advanced toward the hunter. With all the agility at his command, Job reloaded his rifle, but. in his haste, throwing in perhaps treble the amount of powder usually. needed. He had his charge made safe and was ready to fire. `when the bear was but a few feet from him. He pointed the muzzle of the gun directly at the head of the beast and fired. There was a terrific explosion. He found himself thrown back, and sprawling on the ground. The gun had exploded. When he recovered, he found the bear dead before him, weltering in his own blood. He picked up the pieces of his gun and departed for his home to get help and haul the carcass into the settlement.

In the month of October, 1817, James Ganyard. Elizur Hills, Anthony Lowe and Burt Codding, four farmers, then located near Bristol, Ontario Co., N. Y., came out to Ohio, in a carriage drawn by two horses, to view the lands of Township 3, Range 13, in the Western Reserve, and, if satisfied with the condition of soil and locality, they would then make a purchase. They remained for several days in the locality, viewing the land and inspecting its natural advantages. They stopped at the cabin of one Ezekiel Mott, who had squatted here several years previous, on the southern line of the township. After being well satisfied of the richness of the land and its adaptability for farming purposes, the four prospectors returned to their homes in New York, and purchased. of Gideon Granger, who was the proprietor, three-fourths of the township, at $4 per acre. They sold their farms in Ontario County to Mr. Granger, in part payment, and together gave a mortgage bond. amounting to over $14,000, on the new lands in Ohio. After the agreement had been made, and before the written contract was signed, James Ganyard transferred his right of proprietorship to John Codding. reserving only to himself so much land as he had paid for. The mortgage given by the purchasers proved of serious difficulty to them in after years. Soon after they had taken possession of the Granger lands, and had commenced making improvements, Congress placed large areas of Government lands, in the counties south of the Reserve, on the market, at less than half the price paid by the Granger settlers. The consequence was that immigration was attracted to these lands, and the Granger people were unable to sell their surplus lands, at even a less price than they had originally paid. In the course of a few years, the mortgages became due. The owners were unable to meet the obligations, and their lands and possessions reverted to the former proprietor. This produced quite a scri-

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ous obstacle to the first purchasers in the way of gaining unincumbered farms and securing for themselves the reward that they had so well merited. by their toilsome labor in clearing and opening up these lands.

In the beginning of the month of February, 1818, the first train of emigrants started in ox sleds from Ontario County, N. Y. The party consisted of Elizur L. Hills, with his sisters, Abigail and Marilla ; Elizur Wolcott. John Codding and wife. and one child ; Festus and James Ganyard. Seth Dye and wife, Richard Paull and wife, and Seth Paull, with his family of two children. They arrived on the new lands in the middle of March. For the first few days after their arrival, they availed themselves of the proffered hospitalities of the cabin of the " Squatter" Mott, and part of them found quarters at the cabin-home of John Turner, over in Copley Township. The men at once set to work. after having placed the stakes for their new possessions, to build cabins for their own use and commenced clearing land. Several cabins were soon erected, and the work for a new and vigorous colony had commenced.

Another party. consisting of Elizur Hills and wife, with seven children ; Anthony Low and family, and Burt Codding, left their homes in Ontario. N. Y., and joined their friends and children who had preceded them, in the following fall. All these families settled close together, on lands along the Smith road, in the southeast part of the township, in the vicinity of what is now known as Coddingville. John and Daniel Burt, and James and Festus, all of them young men, came out from Ontario and located in the township, in the southern and central part. The increase in the number of settlers in the township now continued. Nathan Hatch came with his family of five children and settled on the west line of the township, on the 24th day of October, 1818. The month of February following this date brought Benjamin Burt and his mother, who settled with theirsons and brothers, John and Daniel, who had preceded them the fall before. At the same time came Belia Spencer, with his family ; the Widow Amanda Isbell, with her child, and James and Amos Isbell, two single young men ; James Ganyard, with his wife and two: children—two of his sons had already located here the year before and Mrs. Jahn McCloud, who lived in the Ganyard family, and Hoel Hatch, whose parents had removed into this settlement the year before. He had remained at the old home in Ontario; N. Y., whence all these emigrants had come, on account of breaking his leg a few days previous to the time his parents had started for Ohio.

The young colony now began vigorous efforts to hew out a home in the woods. Cabins were built, land was cleared on every hand, and the same difficulties that settlers in other regions have met, were confronted and overcome. Immense trees covered nearly all of the land—certainly all of what was first opened—and, though this timber was convenient for building their houses and barns, and making rails for their fences, it had to be cleared from the ground to make way for cultivation. First, when upon the ground, a house was made of logs, and covered with thin boards, riven out of oak blocks, and next floored with thick slabs of split oak ; this was called a " puncheon" floor. Then came the clearing, which was done by grubbing out the bushes, and cutting off the smaller trees. The trees were deadened, by chopping a girdle of notches through the bark. The ground was then ready to be plowed, as well as the rough state of it would allow, and planted with Indian corn, potatoes and pumpkins. In the fall, the corn was gathered, and wheat sown where it had stood. The next year, more land was cleared and treated in like manner.

But, as the cattle and pigs lived in the forest, and boarded themselves there the greater part of the year, substantial fences—the zigzag rail fence—had to be built around each field ;

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and this fencing cost nearly as much labor as the clearing. Had they not adopted the plan of deadening the trees, it would have been more than the poor pioneer could have compassed to cut the trees down and remove them from the ground. As it was, the trees stood till they dried up, and the branches dropped off and the trunks fell. The rubbish was cleared up and burned each spring, till it was gone. A man and his wife and daughters would gather and burn brush and build fences on a spring clearing, and they would do it with far better spirits than the ladies of to-day often do their shopping. This was part of the life that befell the Granger settlers. But they bravely encountered all the difficulties that came in their way, as the smiling fields and handsome homes of today attest.

From a paper prepared by the Hon. Myron A. Hills. one of the first settlers of Medina County, read before the Granger Pioneer Society, we take the following few sketches which relate to the history of the township :

" Believing that a biography, however short, of the first settlers of Granger, with an incident here and there of early times, cannot but be of interest to the present as well as future generations of the men and women who redeemed from a wilderness the Granger of today. I shall confine myself in my sketches to those of the pioneers with whom I have been acquainted. * * * I will first speak of my father, Elizur Hills. He was born in East Windsor, Conn., March 22, 17 68. My mother, Abigail Codding, was born October 2, 1772. Of my father's early history, I know but little, save that at nine years of age he lost his father, and in the employ of others he fared hard, and was hard worked. He always loved books and read much. I have heard him say, that, at the age of fourteen, during the war of the Revolution, he was very anxious to stand a draft for the army in place of his brother Norman, who, though older, was not as large, and, thinking that size rather than age might determine the issue, he stretched himself to his utmost height, but he failed and became very much chagrined. He came at an early day, among the first there, to Ontario County, N. Y., and bought land at 50 cents an acre. He married there in 1792. * * * To show how men become attached to one another, let me state an incident : In the summer of 1824, my father and mother made a visit from here to Bristol, N. Y., and among those whom they went to see was Capt. David Doolittle, who had served in the war of 1812, on the frontier, as a Lieutenant in the Bristol Light Infantry, of which my father had been Commandant. They called at his house, but he had gone out in the woods for a load of wood. A messenger was sent out with the information that Capt. Hills and wife had called to see him. He had partially loaded his wagon, but, not knowing what he was doing, he threw out what wood he had loaded, and hastened back to embrace an old friend. * * * I would like, had I time, to give a description of our first journey from Bristol, N. Y., to Granger. After we had journeyed to Buffalo, which was then a small village, we remained there a week, waiting for the new Walk in the Water, the first steamboat that ever plowed the waters of Lake Erie. We embarked at Black Rock, and, after passing up the lake, we landed at Cleveland, which was then not as large as Grangerburg. The boat anchored a mile from shore, and we were taken on land in a small rowboat. Job R. Isbell, one of our neighbors here now, assisted in the lauding. This was the first time that I saw him. He was always cheerful and social, and quite at home where others were afraid and timid. My mother had become sick on the voyage, and she had to be carried ashore on a bed. On the next day after our landing, in the afternoon, my brother Chester, ten years old, Grant Low, nine years and myself eight years, started with Job and Lyman Isbell on foot for the settlement in Granger. After going through the woods for five or

640 - HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

six miles, we boys became very much tired. To cheer us up, Job Isbell proposed that we boys shoot at a mark. We did so, and I think it was the first time we boys had ever fired a gun. It set us up some and gave us new courage. We remained that night near Brecksville, at the house of a Mr. Mach, a little way east of what is now known as Coat's Corners. The next morning we struck through the woods. The first place we came to was the house of old Uncle Farnam. just north of Richfield Center. From there, we passed to Hoadly's Mill. which is now Ghent. and thence across to the Smith road. where Isaac Morse then lived, and from there on to the old homestead in Granger. arriving in the middle of October. 1818. And we were three as tired chaps as ever came into Ohio. I remember well Job Isbell had to keep his brother Lyman in check, that we boys might keep up with them. telling him that we boys were not full-grown Indians, as he was. As we came in sight of Morse's clearing. Grant Low cried. Job told him he must stop. and not go into town bawling. My brother Chester was barefooted."

The new territory was now in a fair way toward colonization. Rapid advances were made in the clearing and cultivation of lands. There were now a dozen or more farms started through the southern and central part of the township. and life among the settlers became quite communal. The manner of life among these people was quite simple. and their habits. socially. as well as their political notions, were exceedingly democratic. From necessity. they supplied themselves with clothing. of all the coarser kind. It was the custom of each farmer to clear a small patch every year for flax, which grew best on the virgin soil. From this, he would obtain all the flax fiber that his family could work up. It was prepared in winter time, and made nearly ready for the spinning by the men and boys, but the women spun and wove it. The linen thus made. furnished comfortable shirting, sheeting and outward clothing. The furniture used by these people also was very plain, and a very little sufficed to furnish their cabins. They had nothing to look at ; all was used, and used every day ; and they were all civilized and pretty fairly cultivated people.

It was a very constant practice with the early settlers to unite their labor for various purposes. and thereby lighten the labor by united strength. Quite generally this was made the occasion of social enjoyment. If a house or a barn was to be raised. there was a gathering of the forces. such as the Yankees call a bee. or. as the Pennsylvanians termed it. a frolic. One of these barn-raising bees, in Granger Township, was attended with very serious consequences and was the cause of death to one of its citizens. The farmers had congregated to help raise a barn on a farm which is occupied by David Sheldon. Among the number was Lyman Isbell. The work progressed finely until it came to lifting up the upper rafters. A heavy log. forty feet in length. was in progress of being pushed on the building. Through want of necessary precaution. one end of the log slipped the pikes used for pushing, and the log rolled down with great force upon the body of Lyman Isbell. crushing his skull and killing him almost instantly. It caused great consternation among the people, but nothing could be done for the injured man. He was placed upon a sled and conveyed to his home, where his sudden and calamitous death brought grief and desolation. A messenger was sent to the Rev. Henry Hudson, who resided in Bath. to come and preach the funeral sermon on the next day. The messenger returned with the minister the next day, and the obsequies took place late in the afternoon. The fatal event cast a gloom over the colony for several days, as Mr. Isbell had been a man highly respected by all.

To keep the record of the township complete,

HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY. - 641

the personal adventure of three of her fair daughters, at a very early day of the settlement, must be related. They are two adventures of a similar kind, and occurred at a time not very far apart. The first was that of Sally T. Hills and Polly Low. The two young ladies had left the house of Elizur Hills to go to Anthony Low's, about a mile distant. There was then no roadway, nor even a beaten footpath to show them the way to go ; " blazed " trees alone would indicate the direction toward a settlement. Darkness grew upon them, and they finally lost their way. The night was dark ; with bewildered minds they walked on irresolutely, and wandered further away from habitation. Their courage did not entirely fail them. and they walked on the whole night, until almost utterly exhausted. When daylight came, they found themselves as completely " at sea" in the wild woods as they had been in the darkness. Fatigued and hungry by their long march, they sank down on the ground and fell to sleep. When they awoke, the sun stood high in the heavens.

They started again, but whither, they knew not. They gave out notes of alarm until their voices failed them, but no responsive greeting reached their anxious ears. On they wandered, until the twilight was again gathering. Knowing well that they could not pass another night on foot walking through the woods, they looked about for a lodging-place. A large, hollow tree soon met their eyes. They cleared the vacant space in the bottom of the trunk, of the refuse that had accumulated, and filled it with dry leaves, gathered on the ground, and then took several large sheets of bark and covered the opening in the tree. Into this they crawled to pass the oncoming night. Their hearts had now almost failed them, and they were losing courage. In hapless despair, they endeavored to sleep, but no sleep would quiet their agitated minds. About this time, they heard the report of a gun not far away, and soon another, still nearer. The girls rushed out and shrieked with all their might. A long-drawn shout came back. The shouting was kept up, a waving light came toward them through the woods, and soon two young pioneers, with guns and a flickering torch, stood by their side. The girls were refreshed with the provisions the pioneer lads had brought with them, and then the homeward journey was commenced. It was midnight before they reached home, as it was about four miles from the nearest settlement where the girls had been found. Great anxiety had been caused in the settlement by the disappearance of the girls. On the second night, all the men and boys had turned out in every direction, with guns and torches and lanterns, to find the missing girls.

A similar event happened to Anna Wolcott (now the wife of Uncle John McCloud) in the summer of 1820. .She was then a young girl of eighteen, and served as a domestic in the family of Samuel McCloud. On a Sunday afternoon she started alone through the woods to visit the family of Belia Spencer, several of whose children were sick. The two families lived about two miles apart. The girl lost the direction and wandered off to the north. Night overtook her alone in the woods, not knowing where she was and whither she was going. After wandering about nearly all night, she sank down exhausted by the side of a hill, giving up in despair. The screech of an owl and the rustle of leaves would start her every little while, intensifying the keen anxiety of her mind. Soon daylight brought encouragement, and she started to find her way out of the wilderness. Soon the tingle of bells attached to cattle, which then ran at large through the woods, arrested her ear. She was soon near them, and, with her approach, the cattle leisurely started off. Following close behind them, she soon reached a place of habitation. The cattle had led her home. Her absence had not caused any excitement, as McCloud sup-

642 - HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

posed that she had stopped at Spencer's. and the latter did not know of her intended visit.

Jesse Perkins, a worthy young man, came into the settlement in the fall of 1818, and was taken sick when living at the house of Mr. John Turner, then in Copley, dying there in April, 1819. His remains were taken back to Granger, and were interred on the farm of Anthony Low, near the " Smith road." His was the first grave dug in the township.

Nathaniel and David Goodwin moved with their families into Granger a few years after the first colonization of the township had been made. They had been living near Strongsville, in Cuyahoga County, for some years, when they purchased tracts in the central part of the new township—lands which are now owned by Franklin Sylvester and J. L. Green—and made permanent locations on them. The two young men soon became conspicuous in the affairs of the settlement by their industry and perseverance in cultivating their land and the interest they displayed in all public matters.

Stephen Woodward, who, with his brother, was located at Old Portage, in Portage County, where they together worked a farm, came into the Granger settlement in 1819, and sought the hand of Abigail, oldest daughter of Elizur Hills, in marriage. He gained the consent of the girl and her parents, and the ceremonies took place in November of that year. The young husband took his wife to his home in Portage County. In September of the following year, he died, leaving his young wife a widow. On the 24th of October, just a month after her husband's death, she gave birth to a child, now S. B. Woodward, a prominent lawyer of Medina. The following year she returned to her parents in Granger, and continued to live with them until she died.

The 2d day of August, 1818, proved a very eventful day in the Granger colony. In the forenoon of that day a son was born in the family of Hiram Low, and he was named Hamilton. In the afternoon of the same day, a daughter was born to Nathaniel Goodwin. These were the first births that occurred in the township.

A resort that became quite famous in its way in the early days of the colony was the Burt house or " lodge," which stood on the spot now covered by the attractive residence of Mr. Ozro Burt, in the little hamlet of Grangerburg. It affords a picturesque illustration of the life that was led by our forefathers, who had come out here from their homes in the East with noble purposes, intent to rear new homes and transform the wood-covered regions of the West into fruitful and productive fields. Some of the pioneers are still in our midst, and they recall, with vivid and joyful recollection, that which to us today must seem like a life of toil and hardship.

But a few years after their arrival and location in Granger Township. the wife of John Burt died and left him a widower. His brother Benjamin, then being still a young man and unmarried, they two together left their first settlement, near the southeast line of the township, and moved into the locality where now stands the village of Grangerburg. They erected a double log cabin, quite pretentious in its way in those days, being somewhat in advance in its architectural makeup of the few cabins that were scattered about the township. The two together kept bachelor's hall, but not just in the sense that we understand it today—a life of indolence and laziness. They followed their occupation of clearing and cultivating the land with industry and perseverance. They were both trim good housekeepers, and, being of a sociable and hospitable turn of mind, their little cabin home soon became the rendezvous of the settlers in the township. There was always cheer and entertainment for man and beast at the Burt cabin. The hunter and trapper, and the journeying emigrant who was looking for lands still further West, stopped here to find

HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY. - 643

comfort and food. And still nobler purposes than giving mere comfort and social entertainment did this little open cabin serve for several years. The building was used for a private day school during the winter of 1821, and Mr. John Burt, an intelligent and enterprising young farmer, taught the young " ideas " of the colony how to shoot. During the same time, Calvin Putnam organized a singing class, which held its session twice a week in the Burt house in the winter months. Itinerant ministers, who were then passing to and fro between the different settlements in Eastern and Southern Ohio, frequently stopped here, and religious services were held, at which most of the settlers attended. A footpath, known in the early days of the Ohio settlements as the Preachers' Path," from the fact that it was used by the ministers in passing from colony to colony, and had been cut through the woods for that purpose, ran a little distance west of the Burt cabin, in Granger Township. It was soon made, after it had become known, a regular stopping-place by the traveling ministers of various denominations who passed through Northeastern Ohio in the pioneer days and dispensed the word of God to all who were willing to listen.

After a few years of bachelor's life with his brother Ben, John Burt remarried, and he brought into the Granger household, to manage and preside over its domestic affairs, his newly acquired wife, whose maiden name had been Lucinda Hammond, and whose home had been in Copley. The good cheer of the household continued, and, if anything, it rather increased with the coming of the. pleasant and sweet-tempered young wife. In 1825, the brother Benjamin returned to the old home in New York, where he remained for several years, and, in 1829, was married to Nancy P. Hatch, of Ontario County. The following year the young couple removed to Ohio, and took up their permanent abode in Granger, among their friends and relatives.

Francis Young, with a family of three children, and Robert Green, with a family of eight, left their home in Columbia County, Penn., in the spring of 1820, and moved into Ohio. They moved in a train of three wagons, drawn by horses. They first stopped at Springfield, which was then in Portage County, where they left their families with their wagons and household goods, and pressed on westward on horseback to prospect the land and find good locations for homes. The two prospectors passed through the southern part of Medina County into Huron and Seneca and Sandusky, but did not find any land suitable to their desires. On their return journey, they stopped overnight at the Burt house, in Granger. They related their travels, and told of their mission in trying to find suitable and well-watered land, on which to locate. Mr. Burt told them that he could, perhaps, accommodate them with just the kind of land they were looking after. He took them out the next morning to show them the tracts of land in the township that were for sale. On the same day the two together made a purchase of 240 acres of land in the eastern part of the township. They then proceeded to Springfield, and, in a few days, returned with their families and goods, and at once set to work to build homesteads on the newly acquired lands.

Harris Reed is another of the settlers, who came with his family into the township at an early day. Like most of the Granger people, he came from Ontario County, N. Y. He had first moved with his family to Sandusky County, further west, and had settled there for several years. In 1825, he bought a tract of land in Granger Township, and settled permanently in a locality in the eastern part of the township, which is now distinguished as Reed's Hill.

During the winter of 1836, a religious revival was in progress at the church near the center of the township, where now stands the town-

644 - HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

hall. It was conducted by the Rev. Francis Green, a Close Communion Baptist Minister, from Geauga County. He was a peculiar character, a sort of Peter Cartwright, crude, direct and forcible in his arguments and exhortations, and he soon wrought public excitement up to a high pitch.

People flocked in from every direction, and the church was crowded daily. During the services on a Sunday afternoon. the floor of the church suddenly gave way, and the people that crowded the church were hurled in a mass into the basement below. A scene of confusion and wild excitement followed. There was at first a vast scramble to get from out of the debris. and when all had got out and the interior had been cleared. it was found that there were a number more or less seriously injured. Chester Ambler, a young man. had one of his legs broken. and an old lady named Elsa Wilder had an arm broken. and received a contusion on the head. No deaths resulted from this accident. The catastrophe took place while the revivalist minister was in the midst of his "fire and brimstone " exhortations. The pulpit was not carried away with the floor, and remained intact. Viewing the mass of scrambling beings below him in the pit. the minister, at first amazed and horrified, shouted out in the might of his voice. " The great day of His wrath is come, and who will be able to stand it ? " and " Such is a fair sample of the burning pit of hell ! " These remarks, and the manner in which he treated the accident, caused an intense feeling against the preacher. The meetings were at once discontinued. Several years later, the church was destroyed by fire.

Eliza Young, a young lady whose parents were residing in Sharon. was teaching school in the fall of 1842, on the Smith road. in Granger. After school-hours on a Friday afternoon. she rode home with Isaac Van Orman. A heavy storm was blowing. Passing along the road, one of the heavy oak trees that had been girdled a number of years previously, suddenly fell before the wind, striking the carriage, killing Mr. Van Orman instantly. and injuring Miss Young so that she died a few days later.

Under virtue of' the military provisions of the Ohio State laws, a militia company was organized in Granger in 1819. At first, the townships of Sharon, Copley, Bath and Granger, joined together and formed one company. forming part of the regiment allotted to Medina County. Annual drills were held, the place of holding them alternating between the different townships. A few years later, the Granger people formed a company of their own. John Burt was elected Captain ; Daniel Burt. Lieutenant. and Nathaniel Goodwin Ensign. The annual drills of these home soldiers formed an event of great interest to all the inhabitants. The exercises generally continued for a number of days. and furnished frolic and excitement for young and old.

The Fourth of July. 1826. the semi-centennial anniversary day of American Independence. forms a red letter day in the history of Granger Township. on account of the observance of this national fete day by its people. The people congregated from far and near ; from Medina. Hinckley, Sharon and Bath. Several military companies from these townships came in full force. and they, together with the Granger company. went through the different military evolutions, making a grand and very impressive display. The housewives had brought provisions along. and a grand banquet was held in the open woods. The Declaration of Independence was read, and a Fourth of July oration delivered by Mr. Moses Bissell.

Remson's tract forms the northwest corner of the township. and contains an exact quarter of its area, being two miles in width and three miles in length. on the northern boundary of the township. This tract had come in possession of one Remson. of New York. shortly after the division of the " Reserve " lands by the

HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY - 645

Connecticut Land Company. He deeded it to the children of one of his daughters, with the proviso that the land was not to be sold until they had attained age. So the lands of this tract remained in a complete state of wilderness, save that now and then a few " squatters " located on it. and endeavored to make an-unsettled and precarious living by hunting and raising small patches of corn and potatoes. until the year 1845, when the entire tract was placed on the market, and, within a few years, the whole area was sold. William Canfield. of Medina, was appointed agent by the owners, and he disposed of the land at an average price of 810 per acre. The first settlers on these lands were Bushnell Seymour and Lucian Perry. A little hamlet had sprung up near the center of the tract. There are several small industrial establishments located here, and it contains a post office.

The political organization of the township took place in February, 1820 and the first election for civil officers occurred at the house of Seth Paull. on the first Monday of April, in the same year.

The Board of Trustees elected at this time consisted of N. A. Goodwin, S. Paull and Festus Ganyard ; John Codding was elected as Clerk. and Burt Codding as Justice of the Peace. In January of 1822, the Trustees appointed Ira Ingraham as Township Constable. The first money paid into the township treasury was a fine of 25 cents, imposed upon one of its inhabitants for swearing. Of that money, one-half was paid out for paper on which to record the township proceedings ; the other half was to William Paull, for bringing the State laws and journals from the county seat. The selection of a name for the new township caused a little strife among the people. The names of Berlin. Ontario. Codding and Granger were suggested. It was finally decided, by vote, that the township should be known as Granger, in honor of the former proprietor. who had become noted and distinguished as a Legislator in the State of Connecticut, and as one of the Postmaster Generals in Washington's administration. In the political affairs of the county and State, Granger occupies a conspicuous place. A number of its citizens have held positions of public honor, as county and State officers.

Two years after the organization of the township, a public town hall was erected a short distance west of Grangerburg. It was a log house, and, aside from the public purposes for which it was used, it also served for a number of years as a meeting-house for the society of Presbyterians that had been started in the colony. On the 10th day of October, 1860, Franklin Sylvester deeded a tract of land near the geographical center of the township to the Board of Trustees and their successors, and, the following spring, the present town hall was erected there.

In commercial and industrial interests, Granger does not compare with some of its neighbor townships. The first mercantile goods were imported by John Burt, and he continued to keep a small country store for a number of years at the locality which is known as Grangerburg. Alva Stimson opened up a store at the cross roads. a few rods north of where the town hall is now located, in the year 1828. Squire Lee, who lived diagonally opposite from him, brought in a limited supply of country merchandise a few years later. Marvin Hopkins was also one of the early storekeepers at the " Burg."

A post office was established at Grangerburg in 1825. John Burt receiving the commission as_ Postmaster. He officiated as such for a number of years. The town was supplied with a weekly mail for many years. A Frenchman by the name of Pierre Dubeau carried the mail, passing from Elyria to Ravenna. He traveled on horseback, arriving and departing at no definite or particular time of the week, and always blowing his horn with great gusto

646 - HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.

to signalize his coming. The town now is supplied with a tri-weekly mail, passing from Sharon to Cleveland and return.

The religious sentiment of the pioneers of this township manifested itself in an outward form as soon as the first cabins had been covered with roofs. Missionaries from Connecticut came among them and preached the word of God. The Rev. Israel was one of the earnest laborers in this field, and he came quite often, passing from settlement to settlement through the Reserve counties. A church society, on the united plan of the Congregational and Presbyterian faith, was organized in the fall of 1819, by the Rev. W. Hanford and Caleb Pilkins. There were ten members at the first organization, and their names are Elizur Hills, Abigail Hills, James and Phebe Ganyard, Ira and Lydia Ingraham, John and Dolly Turner, Lawrence and Mary Moore, Wealthy Dye and Charity and Hannah Turner. Part of these members were residents of Bath Township.

Meetings were, at first, held in private houses, and thereafter in the town hall, near the " Burg," until, in after years, through outward influence, caused by dissensions that had broken out among the United Presbyterians and Congregationalists throughout the county, the Granger society disbanded, and has never been reorganized.

The Methodist Episcopal society was organized by Elder Nunn in the year 1820. The first members were Belia and Amanda Spencer, Jane Griffin, Hannah McCloud, Samuel McCloud, John McCloud, Samuel Griffin and Lydia Spencer. William Peats, of Bath, was the Class leader of the church for a few years, when he was succeeded by John McCloud. James McMahon, Russell Bigelow, Adam Poe, Benjamin Christy and U. S. Yocum were the ministers of this denomination who preached to the Granger people in the early days. A hewed-log house for religiousservices was erected by the society—within a few years after organization. Within recent years, a large church edifice has been erected at Grangerburg, where worship is held every Sunday. The church now numbers about one hundred members. A split was caused in the society in the year 1844, and a new class, called the Wesleyan Methodists, was formed by the dissenters. A small church edifice was built by John McCloud on Liberty Hill," and religious meetings held there for nearly ten years. when this society again disbanded, and most of its members returned to the mother church. Elder Webber and Rev. George McCloud were the officiating ministers in this branch society. during its existence.

The first Baptist Church was formed by the Rev. Henry Hudson. of Royalton, in the fall of 1821, near the east line of the township, and their first meetings were held at Reed's School-house. The incorporators of this society were Whiting Freeman, Jesse H. Smith and Hoel Hatch. This was in the year 1837, and there were then twenty regular members in the church. A Baptist meeting-house was erected near the center of the township, a few years after the civil incorporation of the society. which, in 1865, was removed to Remson's Corners.

The society of the "Disciples of Christ," of Granger, was organized in 1838, with Seth Paull, Clarinda Paull, Harris Reed and wife, William Comstock and wife, Barlow Baker, Conrad Turner and Rebecca Low, as the first members. The Rev. William Hayden was the first officiating minister of this society. Their place of worship for quite a number of years was the Reed Schoolhouse, two and a half miles northeast from the Burg." In 1862, a church edifice was built by the society. It numbers now over 150 members.

The matter of public instruction kept well apace, from the beginning of the colony, with its moral and material progress. William Paull

HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY. - 647

taught a class of seventeen scholars in a little log schoolhouse, in the eastern part of the township, in the fall and winter of 1819 and 1820. This is yet today known as Reed's Schoolhouse. John Codding taught a school at Copley's Corners, for several years in the early days of the colony. John Burt taught at Grangerburg in 1820 and 1821. In 1848, a special schoolhouse was erected near the Burg, and a special and select school taught in it for several years. But it was discontinued until in the winter of 1880, when a select class was taught by C. A. Dustin.

The following abstracts taken from the Public Education Records for 1880, will exhibit the condition of the public schools in Granger

Township. The total enumeration of school children is 247. Of this, 139 are male and 108 female ; the number of school districts in the township is eight. This statement is for the year ending September 1, 1880 :

Balance on hand ........................ ............................$1,691 53

State tax ......................................................................378 00
Township tax for schools and school purposes ........1,516 66

Irreducible tax ................................................................59 75

Fines, licenses, etc ..........................................................21 22

Total .......................................................................$3, 670 16

Whole amount paid teachers ...................................$1,134 00

Amount paid for sites and buildings.............................944 37

Amount paid for fuel, etc .............................................173 08

Total expenses ..........................................................$2,251 45