HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 375 persons who could be procured to act as packhorse drivers were generally the most worthless creatures in society, who took care neither of the horses nor the goods with which they were intrusted. The horses of course were soon broken down, and many of the packs lost. The teams hired to haul were also commonly valued so high on coming into service, that the owners were willing to drive them to debility and death, with a view to get the price." This same land is now made to smile under the skilled hand of the farmer, and the Black Swamp, of which Auglaize County is at the southern end, no longer has terrors for either man or beast. Auglaize County was a great game county, which probably accounts for its popularity with the Indians. William Craft, who came there with his father in 1833, wrote as follows : "Wild game of all kinds was plentiful at that time. I have seen as many as forty deer in a drove. Wild turkeys were so plentiful that they had to be driven from the corn fields to prevent them from destroying the corn shocks. James Coleman, a neighbor of ours, was a great hunter. He used to catch turkeys in rail-pen traps, catching as many as half a dozen at a time. My brother Ed and I used to go after the cattle, and we often found them in the midst of a flock of turkeys. The turkeys were so tame that we frequently tried to drive them into the Indian shanties. Ed used to be a good runner. I remember to have seen him run after a gobler, the fowl keeping just far enough ahead of him to avoid being overtaken." Dr. George W. Holbrook was born in New York, but came to Wapakoneta in 1834, being one of the pioneer physicians. Several years before the county was created he drafted a map of the County of Auglaize, and persisted until it was actually created. To him more than anyone else the success of the movement was due. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives for two terms, and was ever a highly respected citizen. One of the hardy pioneers of the county was Judge John Armstrong, who settled at the army post of St. Marys in 1818. He became the master spirit of the community. His son, David, engaged in the transportation business with his cousin, William Armstrong, and served a term as auditor of Mercer County. He was succeeded in that office by William, who was elected several times. Jacob Ice, who arrived in 1828, also bears witness to the abundance of game : "I have, in my time, killed more than a hundred deer, and of turkeys I decline to make an estimate of the number, as it would appear incredible to the reader of to-day. Wild animals and wild birds were so numerous as to become a great pest to the pioneer. The corn crop was the most important one raised in the new country, and required great care and vigilance to prevent its being consumed by the inhabitants of the forest. As soon as the young corn began to come up, two most acute and active enemies began to pull it up. They were crows and squirrels. The crows would alight on any part of the field ; the squirrels attacked the outside rows. It was my special business to arise at early dawn and patrol the field with dog and gun, and by much noise to frighten away the varmints. The vigilance required for three or four weeks after the corn was planted had to be renewed in August, when the roasting-ears began to develop. At that time the raccoon and opossum would enter the field at night, tear down the stalks, and devour the green corn. Coon and opossum hunts were of nightly occurrence during roasting ear season." The County of Auglaize was established by an act of the Legislature, passed February 14, 1848. It was provided that the seat of justice should be fixed "at the town of Wapaukonnetta, or at the town of St. Marys, as the qualified electors of said county prefer; and said electors were authorized to express that 376 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO preference by indorsing on their tickets at the next annual October election after said noncompliance, the words, `seat of justice Wapaukonnetta' or 'seat of justice St. Marys,' as their choice may be." The county as outlined consists of a little less than 400 square miles, which is about an average size. The greater part of it was taken from Mercer County, of which St. Marys had been the county seat, but portions were taken from Allen, Logan, Darke, Shelby, and Van Wert. It is on the great dividing ridge between the headquarters of the Ohio River and Lake Erie. St. Marys was the oldest town in the county, and had been for a number of years the county seat of Mercer County. The first campaign was a hotly contested one. There were charges of corruption and trickery freely made, all of which seemed to have no foundation. One speaker went so far as to say : "You may rake and scrape hell from one end to the other, and you cannot find a meaner place, or a meaner set of men, than are to be found in Wapakoneta." This statement nearly caused a riot. St. Marys had fully expected the honor of becoming the county capital, because the settlement was more numerous in this vicinity, but some of the citizens of Wapakoneta were very energetic and eager to place the honor in their town. In this they were successful. At the election, George W. Holbrook, David Simpson, and G. Goode were elected associate judges, the latter being the president. Hugh T. Rinehart, John M. Dress, and Shadrach Montgomery were elected to the office of county commissioners. Marmaduke W. Smith was elected to the office of auditor; John Rickley, county treasurer ; Thomas Nichols, county clerk ; John Elliot, sheriff ; Simon Drescher, recorder ; Samuel R. Mott, prosecuting attorney ; A. S. Bennett, coroner ; and Dominicus Flaitz, surveyor. The commissioners held their first meeting on April 10, 1848, at which time the bonds of the newly elected officers were filed and the officers were sworn into their respective offices. A contract was entered into for the use of the Methodist Episcopal Church for the purpose of holding court, in return for which they were to furnish the seats and pulpit at a cost, not to exceed $50. A little delay was experienced in the county business, because the transcripts of records had not yet arrived from Celina. The first bill approved was one of Mr. Mott, the prosecuting attorney, of $10. As this was to compensate the county's legal adviser for two days' work in examining bonds, etc., the practice of law was not very remunerative at that time. John Ferguson was allowed $1.25 for bringing some transcripts over from Mercer County. The first duties of the county commissioners, as shown by the records of their meetings, seems to have been in the creation of townships and the location of roads. The Town of Wapakoneta had bonded itself in the sum of $5,000, to be paid to the commissioners of the county for the erection of the necessary buildings for the business of the county. The first bond was not approved, but a second bond, presented on April 12, 1848, was approved and ordered to be filed. This bond was signed by George W. Holbrook, R. J. Skinner, John Elliot, William Craft, Sr., James Elliott, John C. Bothe, Jeremiah Ayers, Michael Dumbruff, George Emch, and Anthony Roth. This is probably a good list of the responsible citizens of the village in that day. The first payment of $1,000 on the bond was made on that same day. At the regular election in October, political excitement ran high. The democratic and whig candidates were both active in their struggle for offices, and many political meetings were held. Samuel R. Mott was sent as the first representative to the Legislature, and George W. Andrews succeeded him as prosecuting attorney. Otherwise there was no change in the personnel of the county officials. At the lot cast by the commissioners for length of terms, Shad- HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 377 rach Montgomery secured the long term, and Hugh T. Rinehart received the two-year term. John M. Dress had to be content with a single year, because chance had not cast her favors upon him. In 1850 bids were received for the erection of a courthouse, and G. W. Andrews and Company were found to be the lowest bidders. They finally withdrew their bid, however, and the' contract was let to Sabert Scott and James Elliott, who were the next lowest bidders. At the same time the contract for the jail was let to George W. Holbrook. The erection of these buildings was accomplished without incident, and the contractors received their pay promptly. In May, 1851, the first term of court was held in the new courthouse, but the county officials had occupied their offices a few months earlier. This answered the purpose of the county, however, until the year 1893, when a law was passed under which the county was authorized to build a new courthouse. As a result of this action, the present massive courthouse of Berea sandstone was built, and was turned over to the county , in December, 1894. It is a splendid structure and cost $250,000. THE CANAL WAR The building of the Miami and Erie Canal was a great event in Auglaize County. Hundreds of men were employed for several years in the building of the canal and the great St. Marys Reservoir, which was the feeder for this waterway. Boarding shanties were erected at St. Marys and other convenient places along the line, and as many as 1,700 men were engaged on the embankments of the reservoir at one time. Bishop Purcell, of Cincinnati, came up and said mass in two main camps. It was said that each communicant contributed $1 to defray the expenses of the bishop. A highly dramatic incident occurred after the reservoir was completed. All of the land included within its banks had not been purchased, because of a dispute as to price. It was understood that the water would not be turned in until the claims were all settled. In spite of protests, however, the water was turned in and great damage resulted. The history of this trouble is given in the Mercer County Standard, as follows : “When the banks were finished and the water let in, it submerged all but one acre for Mr. Sunday, with thirty-four acres of wheat ; fifteen acres for Mrs. Crockett ; the whole of Thomas Coate's ; sixty acres with several thousand rails for Judge Holt, of Dayton, who owned a farm two miles east of Celina; nineteen acres for Judge Linzee ; nearly forty acres for Abraham Pratt, with all the rails 378 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO thereto belonging; and the whole of Mellinger's except a few acres around the house, besides great damage to others on the south side too numerous to enumerate here. "This outrage on the part of the officers of the State was too much to be borne by the gritty bloods of Mercer County. Wars have been proclaimed on less pretenses. America declared her independence and refused to pay a small tax on her tea, which of itself was not oppressive, but was oppressive in principle, and the people would not be taxed without the consent of their own Legislature. Mercer County followed the example and declared that she would not be imposed upon by the thieving birds of Ohio. "On the 3d of May, 1843, a meeting was held in Celina, Samuel Ruckman, county commissioner, acting as president. It was resolved that Benjamin Linzee, Esq., should go to Piqua, the head of the Board of Public Works, and lay our grievances and an address before them. Spencer and Ransom returned a sneering answer : 'Help yourselves if you can.' On the 12th of May the meeting sent Linzee back with the declaration that if they did not pay us for our lands and let off the water, that we would cut the bank on the 15th. The reply came back : 'The Piqua Guards will be with you and rout you on that day.' The muttering thunder around the reservoir was not only loud, but deep—every person was excited. On the morning of the 15th, by 7 o'clock, more than one hundred people, with shovels, spades and wheelbarrows, were on the spot, ready for work. The place selected was the strongest one on the bank, in the old Beaver channel. Our object was not to damage the State ; and the dirt was wheeled back on the bank on each side. It employed the men one day and a half before the cutting was completed ; it was dug six feet below the level of the water back. When the tools were taken out and all ready, Samuel Ruckman said : 'Who will start the water ? "I,' said John S., 'I', said Henry L., and in a moment the meandering waters were hurling down fifty yards below the bank. It was six weeks before the water subsided. "As soon as this was known at headquarters, warrants were issued for the arrest of all who assisted in the work. Thirty-four of the leaders, comprising all the county officers, judges, sheriff, clerks, auditor, treasurer, his deputy, recorder and surveyor, merchants and farmers, were arrested and bound over to the next term of court. A foolish idea, for the court assisted in the work. But the grand jury refused to find a bill of misdemeanor, and so the matter rested. It cost the State $17,000 to repair the damages." The first term of the Court of Common Pleas, in Auglaize County, was held in the old Methodist Church, at Wapakoneta, in May, 1848. The president judge on this occasion was Patrick G. Goode, and with him on the bench sat the associate judges, George W. Holbrook, David Simpson, and John McLean. The district of the president judge at that period in our state was most extensive. Judge Goode presided over a territory including several counties, and reaching to the Michigan line. He served for two terms, and declined a third. Under the constitution of 1851, a new district was erected, which was much smaller than the former. Benjamin F. Metcalf was elected judge for this district in 1851. He was the first judge to be elected to preside over the courts of this county, as the former incumbents were appointed to that office. Judge Metcalf was succeeded by William Lawrence, who served for a number of years, when he resigned to accept an election to Congress. Judge Metcalf was not only well versed in the intricacies of the law, but also had those social graces, including the gift of conversation, that made him a favorite both with the members of the bar and with his constituents in general. Many stories are told of the quickness of his wit. Among the other distinguished judges who have presided HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 379 over the courts of Auglaize County were James Mackenzie, a Scotchman, who had had quite a. varied career, and Edwin M. Phelps, who arrived in St. Marys on foot in March, 1835, and was one of the earliest lawyers in the county. It was then a town with about twenty log houses. He served two terms in the Ohio Legislature, and filled the office of common pleas judge for ten years. CHURCHES The ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church began their work in Auglaize County long before its organization as a separate county. Rev. Robert Finley, the father of Rev. J. B. Finley, the missionary to the Wyandot Indians, preached in a number of places in the county in the latter part of the '20s. He organized classes at St. Marys, at Fort Amanda, and at other places in the county. The first Methodist Church in St. Marys was organized as early as 1825 by Mr. Finley. The circuit in the early days consisted of classes at Celina, Shane 's Crossing, Wiltshire, St. Marys, Fort Amanda, and Lima. This was known at that time as the Celina Mission Circuit. The first services at St. Marys were held in an old log church located in the southwestern part of the village. After the erection of the courthouse for Mercer County, services were held in the courtroom for a number of years, until a frame building was built for the congregation. The lot for the church at Wapakoneta was donated by a Mr. Perrine, of Dayton, and the largest con. tributor was James Elliott. This plain building served the congregation for thirty years, when a larger and more commodious building was built. Owing to the growth of the congregation, both in members and wealth, a splendid new church edifice was erected a few years ago. The class was organized in 1833, and the members were James Elliott and family, Robert McCullough and wife, Joseph Miller and wife, Abraham Alspaugh and wife, Martin Barr, and a Mr. Gray. Auglaize County is a strong center for those of the Catholic faith. The pioneer residents of St. Marys were nearly all Catholics, for Jesuit traders had established a store there very soon after the treaty at Greenville. Little is positively known about' the history ot. Catholicism in the county prior to 1831, but the first priest who held services in St. Marys was Father Horstman, a German priest, who came here occasionally to celebrate mass in the homes of the pioneer Catholics. In 1833 a church was built at Petersburg and dedicated to S.S. Peter and Paul, at which the Catholics at Wapakoneta attended services, and it was not until 1839 that a frame church was erected in the county seat of Auglaize County. The first resident priest in that parish was Rev. Ansberry Herbrist, who came to Wapakoneta in the early part of 1857. Under his pastorate the present church building was erected by the congregation, and is known as St. Joseph's Church. A small church was erected in St. Marys in 1850, which has since been supplanted by a larger and more imposing edifice. As early as 1833 a mission church was established at Stallotown, as it was then called, and which is now known as Minster. This congregation was also first served by Father Horstman. The services were first held at the home of Mr. Voltke. A log church was built here soon afterwards, 40x60 feet in size, and answered the needs of the congregation for almost a score of years. When the name of the town was changed from Stallotown to Minster, the congregation became known as St. Augustine's Church. Among the early priests that served the/ congregation were Fathers Joseph Brand and H. D. Junker. This church is served by the Fathers of the Order of the Most Precious Blood. The first priest of this order to take charge of the parish was Father Salesius Brunner, and he 380 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO was succeeded by Father John Vandenbroeck, under whose supervision the present church edifice, with the exception of the towers, was built. There are many other religious societies now represented in the county. The Presbyterians organized a church in St. Marys in 1848, and in Wa. pakoneta in 1854. The former was organized by Rev. J. L. Bellville, and the latter by Rev. W. C. Hollyday. St. Paul's German Lutheran Church, of Wapakoneta, was erected in 1848, although it was two years later before the organization was completed. Rev. During was the first pastor in charge. The Evangelical Lutheran Church, of Wapakoneta, was established in 1857 at a meeting held in the old Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. A. F. Hill was the pastor, and Joshua Shawber and George H. Dapper were chosen elders. Immediate steps were taken toward the building of a church. It was dedicated in 1860. The discovery of oil and gas at Lima and Findlay had its reflex influence in Auglaize. There is not a township in the county where experimental wells have not been sunk. The first well was drilled at Wapakoneta in 1885, but it was not completed because of inability to penetrate the rock. This futile effort was followed by a well at St. Marys, where a flow of gas was reached. Oil in small quantities followed. Considerable excitement followed this success, and other wells followed. In 1877 an immense gas gusher was discovered, with a production of more than 2,000,000 cubic feet per day, at a depth of only 1,138 feet. St. Marys and Wapakoneta were both supplied with gas from this and other wells. Great oil pools were found at Cridersville also. Although never reaching the wealth of the Findlay and Lima fields, the wells of the county were very profitable and there is still a considerable production. WAPAKONETA Wa-pa-ko-ne-ta—what a musical name it is! With this example in mind, it seems all the more regrettable that our cities have been named after cities of the old world, most of which are prosaic and absolutely meaningless. There is some doubt as to the real origin of the name which the county seat of Auglaize County bears. John Johnson, who was the Indian agent in this territory for so many years, says that it was named after an Indian chief who was somewhat club footed, to which the name Wapakoneta has reference. Henry Harvey, the Quaker missionary, stated that it was named after an ancient and distinguished woman of the Shawnee Tribe. A number of years' ago the grave of Wapakoneta was opened, and in it were found porcelain and glass beads and other ornaments worn by Indian women. From this fact it may be concluded that the statement of Mr. Harvey is the correct explanation of the word. There were only a few adventurous traders and Government agents who lived at Wapakoneta, prior to 1812. During that year the Indians who professed friendliness toward the Americans, mustering about 6,000, were compelled to assemble around the agency at Piqua, and were there maintained at the expense of the Government until the close of the war in 1814, after which they returned to their former locations. During the war troops were several times encamped on the site of the present town, and General Harrison himself lodged a number of times in a log cabin which was used here as officers' quarters. A small troop was maintained here to intercept British emissaries, and also to keep an eye on the movements of the Shawnees. Shortly afterwards George C. Johnston, who was a licensed trader, built a store on the present site of the Wapakoneta Wheel Factory, and other traders shortly afterwards appeared to trade with the aborigi- HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 381 nes. The mission of the Quakers was established in 1810 by Isaac and Henry Harvey, and their efforts are described elsewhere. Capt. John Elliott was appointed the Government blacksmith, and removed to the village in the following year. The blacksmith was an important personage on an Indian reservation, for it was his duty to repair firearms, make axes, chains, nails, hinges, hoes, and other articles for their use. One of the early traders was Peter Hammel, who came here about 1815, and built a log cabin in which he kept a store. He sold intoxicating liquors, groceries, hardware, and dry goods. He married the daughter of Francis Duchouquet, the interpreter, after whom the township in which Wapakoneta is situated, was named. Francis Duchouquet, a noted Indian interpreter, was the son of a half-blood French trader, who was engaged in trade with the Indians of Northern Ohio and Southern Michigan during the occupancy of that region by the French. He was born near Presque Isle in 1751. After reaching manhood he engaged in the fur trade, in which business he visited nearly all the tribes of Ohio and Indiana territories. In his trips to Central Ohio he wooed and married a beautiful Shawnee maiden. After his marriage he lived on Mad River until the Indians were driven from that locality by General Clark. When the Shawnees moved to Wapakoneta, he accompanied them, and erected a dwelling house and other buildings, on the north bank of the Auglaize River, near what is known at the present day as the Joseph Neff residence. Here he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in the fall of 1831. Duchouquet's time was so engrossed with business that he did not participate in the wars of Western Ohio, further than to act as interpreter on important occasions. While on a trading expedition among the Delaware Indians in 1782, he visited a village near the present site of Crawfordville, and witnessed the torture and death of Colonel Crawford. It has been claimed that Duchouquet joined in the intercession made to save the life of Crawford. Duchouquet's description of the horrible scene agreed in every respect with the one given by Doctor Knight. He was never known, on any occasion, to participate in any of the savage cruelties practiced by the Indians on their captives. Although so closely related by blood to the Indians, his sympathies were always with the captive, and where it was possible he rendered him assistance. At the treaty of Greenville, Duchouquet was summoned to act as interpreter. He again served as interpreter in 1817 in the treaty at the foot of the rapids of the Miami. A third time he served in the treaty held at St. Marys in 1818. His residence became a house of entertainment, where traders and explorers were always sure of a welcome and accommodation. His weakness was a fondness for intoxicating liquor, which grew upon him as age advanced. Under its influence, he 'amused himself by shooting at a mark. The citizens of the village usually gave him a wide berth on these occasions. When the committee was appointed by the Shawnees to proceed to Washington in 1831 to petition the President to order a new treaty, Douchouquet accompanied them as far as Cumberland, where he became sick, and was left in charge of attendants at a hotel, but died and was buried before the return of the committee. As soon as the Indians were removed to the West in 1832, the land in this vicinity was opened up to buyers. Settlers came in very rapidly, as a land office had been opened up in the settlement on the 26th of December, 1832. Several sections of land were immediately taken by prospective settlers. Among these were James B. Gardner, Joseph Barnett, Peter Aughenbaugh, and Jonathan K. Wiles, who jointly entered several hundred acres. Robert Skinner and William Van Horn 382 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO entered 686 acres. The Town of Wapakoneta was surveyed by John Jackson, the county surveyor of Allen County, in 1833, for the above named Gardner, Barnett, Aughenbaugh, and Wiles. Sixty-two lots were staked off on this occasion. One of the earliest settlers to erect a cabin here was Jeremiah Ayers, who had constructed a cabin a couple of years prior to the platting of the town. At that time white settlers were so scarce that Indians were employed to raise the buildings.. He afterwards removed the cabin to the rear of his lot and erected a two-story frame building, which was known as the Wapakoneta House. It was a commodious building for those days, and maintained the leading position among hotels for a. third of a century. He also conducted a distillery, which produced the greater part of the whisky consumed in the county for a quarter of a century. In every way he was one of the town's most active and enterprising citizens. Other early settlers were William Paten, a carpenter, Jonathan Fore, a carpenter, and Jacob Thatcher, a hunter. Isaac Nicholas kept store' there for a number of years in the early days. The Quaker Mission had been removed a few miles from Wapakoneta in 1825, because of the actions of some of the whites. After its abandonment it was occupied by Capt. John Elliott, and afterwards by his son, James. The old Indian council house had been erected in the year 1783 and situated within the village. It was a one-story log building, about 30 by 40 feet in dimensions. It had originally been covered with bark, but was afterwards remodeled with clapboards. After the Indians removed it was re-roofed, and used as a residence by W. A. Van Horn. Mr. Van Horn and James Elliott developed quite a rivalry in appropriating the Indian ponies roaming in the forest. As soon as captured, the pony was branded V or E, according to which one claimed him, There were several Indian cemeteries on the site of the present Town of Wapakoneta. Before the Indians moved they leveled all the graves, and removed all traces of their location. As a result. many skeletons have been unearthed in the digging of the sewers and the making of other excavations even within recent years. As a rule each tribe had its own burial ground, and this accounts for the fact that there were several of these small burial places located so close together. Wapakoneta was incorporated by an act of the Legislature in 1849. The early records have been lost, and the first mayor of which we have record was J. S. Williams, who filled that office in 1853. He was succeeded by I. F. Coples. ST. MARYS The first permanently settled section of Auglaize County was around and about the trading post of St. Marys. Girty's Town, as the trading post of James Girty was khown, was located here. Wayne passed through here on his famous campaign. A score of white persons were dwelling there by 1820, and the township was organized four years later. Prior to that time there is nothing of historic interest to record. In the same year it was selected as the county seat of Mercer County, a position it held until 1840, when it was removed to Celina, the present seat of justice. The first term of court was held there in 1824 by Joseph H. Crane, the president judge. In 1828 a two-story frame courthouse was erected at a cost of less than $300, according to official records. Likewise a jail was provided for the malefactors and those charged with crimes. One of the interesting characters of the early days at St. Marys was "Old Charley Murray," as he was generally called. He arrived a number of years before 1812, but the exact date is unknown. An Irish trader, he brought his goods from Detroit, and gen- HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 383 erally on packhorses. " Old Charley" had an Indian wife but, as prosperity found him, he married a white woman. Then there was trouble in camp. The Indian spouse proposed that each should take a rifle and go out into the woods to hunt and shoot at each other. She went, and he followed for a distance. He then sneaked back. Becoming aware of the trick she immediately went to his cabin and prepared to shoot him, and did wound him in the shoulder. It cost him $300 to purchase peace, and then she bothered him no more. Murray,. together with John McCorkle and William A. Houston, entered several hundred acres of land, and in 1823 laid out the Town of St. Marys. St. Marys is the oldest town in the county, and is situated on the St. Marys River, near the junction of the three streams which unite to form this water. The plat was recorded in the recorder's office at Greenville, on August 26, 1823. It was acknowledged before John Ingraham, a justice of the peace. Among the early purchasers .of lots were James Lord, Leander Houston, James Miller, John Morning, and Christian Benner: It consisted of sixty-eight lots. The town has a splendid location, being surrounded by fertile farming lands. It grew very slowly until the building of the Miami and Erie Canal in 1838. Since the discovery of oil in 1886, it has grown quite rapidly. In 1903, it was advanced to a city of, the second class. Most of the early records of St. Marys are lost, or at least incomplete. Stacy Taylor was mayor in 1836, and Dr. N. T. Noble was the first mayor after St. Marys acquired the dignity of a city. James Lard taught school here for several years after the town was platted, but it was a private school in which the scholars paid. In 1831-2 James Watson Riley performed the three-fold duties of teacher, county clerk, and county surveyor. After the village schools were reorganized, in 1853, A. Rodgers was the first principal. William Sawyer was a noted citizen in the earlier days of St. Marys. Before locating here in 1843, he had already served several terms in the Ohio General Assembly from Montgomery County. The next year after coming here he was elected to Congress, and served in that body during the term of President Polk. He was again elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, and was appointed by President Buchanan as receiver for the land office for the Otter Tail District of Minnesota. During the last seven years of his life he filled the office of mayor and justice of the peace. He died in 1877. St. Marys was the home in later years of August Willich, who died in 1878. He made a notable record as a commanding officer in the German army during the revolution in Germany, in 1849. He commanded a popular assault against the Town Hall in Cologne. When .a republic was declared In Baden, he was tendered the supreme command of the armies of the revolutionists. When defeated, he and his followers sought refuge in France. In 1853 he came to the United States, and was for a time editor of the German Republic, of Cincinnati. On the breaking out of the Civil war, he enlisted in the Ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry which he helped to drill. He distinguished himself in the service in the Army of Cumberland. A memorable exploit at Shiloh won for him a commission as brigadier-general. At Stone River he was taken prisoner ; at Chickamauga he held. Thomas' right ; at Missionary Ridge he was in the forefront in storming the rebel works. As the close of the war he was breveted major-general. "In 1867 he was elected auditor of Hamilton county; after the expiration of his term in 1869 he revisited Germany, and again took up the study of his youth, philosophy, at the University of Berlin. His request to enter the army in the French-German war of 1870 was not granted, and he returned to Ms 384 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO adopted country, making his home in St. Marys, Ohio, with his old friend, Major Charles Hipp, and many other pleasant and congenial friends. "In those few years he was a prominent figure in all social circles, hailed by every child in town, and died January 23, 1878, from paralysis of the heart, followed to his grave in the beautiful Elmwood Cemetery by three companies of State militia, delegations from the Ninth Ohio and Thirty-second Indiana Volunteers, the children of the schools, and a vast concourse of sorrowing friends." VILLAGES Cridersville was platted in 1859 by Ephraim Crider, and named after him. The first dry goods store was opened by John Murdock in 1858, but he has had a number of successors. It is now unimportant as a village. The early records have been lost. The first mayor of which we have a record was David Sharks, who filled that office in 1880. He was succeeded by C. S. Fasig. Cridersville has been quite prosperous since the discovery of oil, as it is situated in the Lima field. Waynesfield was platted in 1848 by E. G. Atkinson. The first building erected was a log house for Mr. Atkinson. The whole tract of ten acres had been purchased by him for a two year old colt, a cow, and a set of harness. The next building was intended for a postoffice which had been established. The mail for this route, extending from Kenton to St. Marys, was carried on foot. Mr. Atkinson was appointed the first postmaster. Doctor Seaman soon afterwards settled in the village with his wife and two children. Henry Payne, a colored man, was quite prominent among the early settlers. Minster is an old town founded by Germans in the '30s. A stock association was formed, and Francis Joseph Statter made agent for the syndicate. He entered the land and platted it, but died before the deeds were given. The town still preserves its .German nationality, and is a strong Catholic community. For a number of years the settlement was known as Stallotown, but, in 1836, it was changed to Minster. John M. Dress was the first mayor, being elected in 1839, and I. H. Gosman served with him as village clerk. The construction of the canal brought prosperity to Minster. Most of the employes there were Germans, and many made enough money in the four years of its construction to purchase farms for themselves. This many of them did in that neighborhood. Buckland Village was platted by Josiah Clawson and John H. Cochenour in 1872, but was at first known as White Feather, after an Indian village in the neighborhood. It was incorporated in 1892, and W. G. Brorein was the first mayor. St. Johns occupies the site of Blackhoof Town. It was platted by Daniel Bitter and John Rogers, in 1835. Other small villages in the county are Unopolis, Moulton, New Knoxville and Geyer. CHAPTER XXXI CRAWFORD COUNTY JOHN E. HOPLEY, BUCYRUS Previous to the War of 1812 there was no white settler in Crawford County. The Indians occupied the entire territory, and they had villages or camps in various parts of the county. There was a village of the Delawares near the present site of Leesville, and there was also a Wyandot village within what is now the corporate limits of Galion. A few of the rude huts or wigwams were still there when the first settlers arrived. There were several other places within the county which had at one time been the site of Indian villages, or camping places, for the early settlers found land cleared in several spots which had been used for the raising of corn, and on which a few fruit trees were growing. There were several sites of temporary camps along the banks of the streams which were occupied during their annual hunts, and near New Washington there were camps that were occupied during the cranberry season.. Where the public square is now located in Bucyrus, there was a maple grove where the Indians camped during the maple sugar season, and the early settlers upon their arrival made use of the little shelters that the Indians had erected at these temporary dwelling places, .until they could construct a log but for themselves. The celebrated Sandusky Plains in Crawford County reached from the southernmost line of the county north almost to what is now the right-of-way of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and extended from about the center of Whetstone Township west to the river. West and north of the river the county was Vol. I-85 practically all forests, where it was necessary to cut 'a way through the trees to make a road. During the War of 1812, many detachments of American troops passed through this county on their way to join the forces of General Harrison at Fort Ferree, which was at Upper Sandusky. From the few accounts that we have, the roads must have been in a terrible condition. It took one supply train two weeks to make the trip from Mansfield to Upper Sandusky, a distance of forty-three miles. The ground had not yet frozen, and it required a desperate effort at times to extricate the heavily laden army wagons from the muck. One early surveyor wrote of the county : "I have traveled the woods for seven years, but never saw so hideous a place as this." In some places he had to use either a log or a boat to make his way about. The Plains, and so they are still called, were also considered very unhealthy, for disease lurked in the swampy ground. Many an early settler abandoned his cabin, leaving behind a few unmarked graves of those of his family who died before he could quit such an unhealthy region. When Abraham Monnett reached Crawford County, in 1833, he said that on the Plains he could count at least' forty abandoned cabins of settlers who had given up the hopeleSs fight. One of the difficulties was to secure good drinking water, for the surface water seemed so strongly impregnated with copperas that it was not only disagreeable to the taste, but 'was also unhealthful. This was Crawford County in its crude state, before the hand of civilization had touched it. - 385 - 386 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO It was not until 1805 that any of Crawford County was opened for settlement. By the treaty signed at Fort Industry, on July 4, .1805, between the United States and the Wyandots and other Indian tribes, the eastern seven miles of Crawford County were thrown open to settlers. On September 2O, 1817, with a supplemental treaty on September 17, 1818, all of Crawford was made available for homesteaders, excepting a strip nearly five miles wide and twelve miles deep, which was a part of a reservation of twelve by seventeen miles still reserved to the Indians. This five-mile strip was purchased from the Wyandots in 1835, and all of the present County of Crawford was then open to the Caucasian. After the treaty of 1805, the four eastern miles were a part of Fairfield County, and west of that it was within Franklin County. In 1808, when Delaware and Knox counties were erected, the eastern part was attached to Knox and the western to Delaware. In 1813 Richland County was set off, and the four-mile eastern strip became a part of the new County of Richland. After purchasing practically all of the Northwestern Ohio from the Indians in 1817, the Legislature, on February 12, 1820, created from this new purchase fourteen counties by enactment, and one of them was Crawford. It was named after Colonel Crawford, who was burned at the stake by the Delaware Indians in the northwestern part of the new county in 1782. It then extended west from the Richland County line for thirty-three miles, and was eighteen miles deep, giving it an area of almost 600 square miles. On March 7, 1842, the whole of the Wyandot reservation yet remaining, consisting of 144 square miles, was purchased of the tribe, and the last foot of soil owned by the aborigines in the State of Ohio became the property of the United States Government. On February 3, 1845, the Ohio Legislature cre ated Wyandot County, and Crawford was reduced to its present size, yielding to Wyandot a tract sixteen miles wide and eighteen deep. It received from Richland a strip four miles wide on the east, and from Marion a strip two miles deep on the south, making the county a trifle over 400 square miles in size. Shortly after the closing of the second war with Great Britain, some adventurers settled in the northeastern section of the present county, and there erected small cabins. The principal occupation of these men was that of hunting and trapping, and they made their living from the skins and furs that they caught. The first white man to build a real cabin for himself in the county was Jedediah Morehead. He came with his wife and a large family of children, and erected his primitive cabin on a narrow neck of land on the bank of Honey Creek, in the northeastern part, of the county, then a part of Richland. This place was convenient to the marshes, where he trapped the beaver and the otter, which were the most valuable furs in those days. Just when Mr. Morehead arrived is not known, but it is certain that he was there in 1815. He was a "squatter," and never entered any land. He was frequently absent for weeks at a time on hunting expeditions, and his business was exclusively that of hunting and trapping. He cleared no land and, when the vanguard of pioneers reached his neighborhood, he moved farther west with his family; but the site of his first cabin is still known as Morehead's Point. The first land owner was John Pettigon, who was a soldier of the War of 1812. He purchased a small tract of land in Auburn Township, on which he constructed a small cabin, probably about 1814, and moved into it with his family. Like Morehead, he devoted his time to hunting and trapping, and his rifle was the support of his family. The sale of furs procured for him the necessaries of life which the forest did not furnish. He would carry his furs on HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 387 his back to Huron, and exchange them there for ammunition, salt, and flour. His principal associates were the Indian hunters, and he likewise left for the more unsettled western regions when the pioneers began to encroach upon his domain. These men would not stand the smoke of another man's cabin within their sight. The first bona fide pioneer reached Crawford in 1815. In the fall of that year William Green came from Massachusetts, and entered a quarter section of land in the northeastern part of the county. He built his little log cabin in the woods and then returned to Licking County, where he had left his wife and children with relatives. The entire family then came to the new home in the spring of 1816. They immediately commenced the work of clearing the land, and gathered their first crop in the fall of that year. Some of his descendants yet live in that same neighborhood, and still own a part of the land he entered. Jacob Coykendall^ settled in the same neighborhood during the year 1816. Mr. Coykendall became active in the affairs of the township, and established a saw and grist-mill on a little stream in that neighborhood, which is still known as Coykendall Run. William Cole and Charles Morrow also arrived in that township only a few months later. Resolved White, a lineal descendant of Peregrine White, the first Pilgrim child (born in New England, December 16, 1620), located near Tiro, in 1819. George Byers was one of the early settlers in the county, and built a cabin near the site of the little Village of West Liberty in 1817 or 1818. He did some farming, but also devoted a great deal of his time to hunting and trapping. In one winter he secured 100 mink, besides many coons and a number of beaver in the swampy regions near his home. When Joseph Russel entered some land about a mile south of the present Town of Crestline, the entire tract was a dense forest. John Doyle soon afterward took up a tract of land near him. In 1816, Jacob Fisher settled on some land within the present Township of Jefferson. He bought the land for $1:25 per acre, and arrived in a two-horse wagon with his wife and eight children. He put up a cabin of unhewn logs, about 18 or 20 feet in length, in which the entire family lived. About the same time Westall Ridgley also arrived in a wagon with his' wife and eight children, foilr sons and four daughters, all of whom were grown. He was well-to-do for those days, and brought a number of cattle and hogs with him. He built a large cabin, and was one of the prominent men in the early affairs of the county. With a grown-up family, he was able to make progress faster than the average pioneer with small children, although his boys are said to have preferred to spend their time hunting with the Indians rather than farm or clear the forest, while the girls were his helpers on the farm. Christian Snyder arrived in 1817 with a family consisting of a wife and eleven children, and purchased a quarter of a section of land. They drove through from Pennsylvania in a two-horse wagon, and Snyder left his family at Mansfield while he came ahead on foot to prepare a habitation. His home was north of Galion, and it took him many days to travel from Mansfield to this new home, because of. the necessity of cutting down the small trees in order to make a road passable for a wagon. The family arrived, before the house was completed, and they were obliged to spend their first night in the open air. Before morning several inches of snow had been added to their covering. The Indians soon made a friendly call and left venison for the newcomers, in order to show that they were welcome. John Adrian arrived in 1818, and was the first Frenchman to make a home in the county.. He did very little in the way of clearing his land, but started the 388 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO first distillery. He was a man of tremendous strength, and it is reported of him that he could pick up a barrel of whisky and take his drink from the bunghole. It was probably because of the frequency of this act that he became his own best' customer, so that the distillery proved unprofitable. At that time whisky was sold for only $7 a barrel. The first homeseekers at Galion were Benjamin Leveridge and his two sons, James and Nathaniel. They reached 'there in 1817. Nathaniel built a cabin on what is now the public square, while the homes of his brother and father were not far distant. Benjamin Sharrock came in 1818, and built himself a temporary cabin in the western part of the City of Galion. Here his family lived for a while, during which time he walked every day to his land a few miles south. There he built a cabin on the banks of the Whetstone, to which he removed his family, and afterwards established a saw and grist mill as well as a distillery. He became one of the prominent men of that section. On the 19th of December, '1819, there walked into what is now Galion a man with his axe and a rifle over his shoulder. This man was Asa Hosford, and he became the father of that city. He was accompanied by his brother Horace, who erected a blacksmith shop, which was of great importance in those days. Asa built a saw and grist-mill southwest of Galion, which is still known as Hosford's Mill. Some of the large logs were of walnut and poplar, and are as solid and substantial today as when first put in. A few of the original fixtures are still in use in this old pioneer mill. Disberry Johnson was one of the noted pioneers of the county: His arrival greatly swelled the population. His wife had died, leaving him a widower with six children, and he prudently married a widow with six children, in order to avoid family controversy. By this marriage there were an even half-dozen more little Johnsons. When Johnson decided to move to Crawford County, one of his daughters had already married, and there were nineteen in the cavalcade which reached here in 1819. He served as justice of the peace for many years, and died in 1868, at the advanced age of 104, leaving many descendants all over the country. Samuel Knisely settled in Sandusky Township in 1819, and since that date the Kniselys have been very prominent in the county. In October, 1819, Samuel Norton was the first settler on what was known as the new purchase, settling on the present site at Bucyrus. With him were his wife and six children, his brother-in-law, with his wife and six children, and an adopted daughter, and Seth Holmes, a soldier of the War of 1812, as guide and teamster. In 1831 Abigail Dunlap, who had recently been left a widow with several children, migrated westward by journeying overland. She settled in the northwestern part of the present county. Her four sons, John, James. Samuel and Daniel, became among the substantial pioneers of the county. Daniel, the grandfather of the editor-in-chief of this work, lived to the matured age of eighty-six, and loved to relate reminiscences of the early days. On three different occasions he walked back to his old home in Southwestern Pennsylvania, a distance of 600 or 700 miles. In his late years he would walk a couple of miles to Benton rather than trouble to have a horse hitched up for him. It was just such determination, a spirit that was never daunted by obstacles or the prospect of toil, that enabled all the pioneers to conquer the forest and its terrors. When the eastern five miles of the Wyandot reservation were purchased from the Indians in 1837, it opened all of the present Crawford County- to settlement. This land was sold at a public sale in Marion by the United States. A syndicate of capitalists was formed which purchased several hundred acres with the intention of founding a town HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 389 that should be the county seat. It was called the Osceola Company, after the. famous Indian chief, Osceola. A village was laid out in this tract, upon the bank of Brokensword Creek, in Tod Township, and named Osceola, since changed to Oceola. It was almost in the center of the Crawford County of that day. With a prospective future before it, the town was planned on an elaborate scale, with broad streets and a large public square. When the lots were sold, they brought gobd prices. Before the village had gained much headway, however; the Legislature created the County of Wyandot, and Osceola was left just a mile from the western boundary of Crawford. One of the first townships erected in Crawford County, by the Delaware County Commissioners, was the Township of Crawford, which embraced a part of what is now Crawford and also a part of Wyandot County. In this township the first election of the new county was held on April 1, 1821, at the home of Henry Lish, who operated a ferry across the Tymochtee. There were just thirteen voters present, and fourteen offices to fill, so that Elijah. Brayton was given two offices. Another early township settled was Bucyrus. One of the last acts of the Delaware commissioners was when they created the Township of Whetstone, almost as it exists today. The first taxes were levied in 1821, when 'the commissioners imposed a tax of 30 cents each upon horses and 10 cents each upon Cattle, which was the limit allowed by law at that time. In 1823 the Legislature passed an act authorizing Marion County to elect officers, and transferred Crawford County to its jurisdiction, while a part of the northwestern part of the county was placed under the legal jurisdiction of Seneca County. In 1824 the first election of officials was held in Marion County, and Crawford was given one of the commissioners. His name was Enoch B. Merriman. At this time the total vote of the two counties for the office of governor was only 380. There were but two townships in Crawford County that cast any votes. As near as can be ascertained, Crawford County cast about 115 of this number, about one-half of whom lived in Bucyrus. Mr. Merriman resigned as commissioner and was succeeded by Zachariah Welsh, who lived in the Wyandot part of Crawford County. In 1825 he was succeeded by Zalmon Rowse, who was elected to this office. The early settlers of Bucyrus made strenuous efforts to have a new county organized, to be called Bucyrus, as the village of Bucyrus was in the eastern part of the new county. Failing in this, they brought pressure to bear upon the Legislature to organize the county, and make Bucyrus the county seat. This act organizing the county was passed on January 31, 1826, but the matter of the county seat was left to the voters. Bucyrus at that time, was far from the center of the county. An election of officers was ordered, with the proviso that the commissioners elected should select a temporary county seat. This made the election of commissioners a very important one to the village of Bucyrus. At this time two-thirds of the population were in the eastern part of the county, and they naturally favored Bucyrus. When the first county election was held, on April 1, 1826, Bucyrus was awake to her interests. The men elected were John H. Magers, Thomas McClure, and George Poe, all of them from the eastern part of the county. Hugh McCracken, sheriff, James Martin, auditor, and John McClure, surveyor, were the other elected officials. John Morrison was appointed the first treasurer of the county, and Zalmon Rowse, clerk of the courts. The newly-elected commissioners held their first meeting at Bucyrus, and promptly selected that town as the county seat. As the early records were destroyed by fire, in 1831, when the.jail was burned, the proceedings of 390 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO these commissioners have been lost. One of the first things transacted, however, was the dividing of the new territory into townships. 'The lines of the townships as selected by them have been changed on several occasions. As the county seat had only been selected temporarily, the people of Bucyrus did not feel disposed to erect a courthouse. It did, however, build a jail, doubtless because it was necessary. It was the only county building at that time. Court was held in the cabin of Abel Carey. Ebenezer Lane, of Norwalk, was the presiding judge, and the associate judges were E. B. Merriman, John Carey, and John B. F.rench. Court was also held in a schoolhouse which had been erected. Court days at that time were &eat days in Bucyrus, and people came in from all over the country to see what might happen. In 1830, the Legislature appointed three commissioners to visit Crawford County, and recommend a site for the permanent county seat. The census of 1830 gave Crawford a population of 4,778, of which two-thirds were in the eastern part. Bucyrus had a population of three hundred and McCutchensville, now in Wyandot County, was a dozen or more larger. The commissioners in pursuance of their duties came to the county, and were entertained by the citizens of Bucyrus in a most hospitable way. Several lots were offered as free sites for the public buildings, and the commissioners, probably under proper stimulation, selected Bucyrus. A contract was soon afterwards let for the erection of a courthouse to Zalmon Rowse. It was built of brick on the site of the present county building. It was painted white, as an emblem of the purity of the justice to be administered there. The old log jail, which was destroyed by fire in 1831, by a lunatic confined there, was replaced at first by a temporary jail, built as cheaply as possible. In 1838 a proposition was submitted to the people for a new jail, which was authorized. This building was constructed of brick, across the street from the present courthouse to the east. It was two stories in height. This, little brick jail did duty for nearly twenty years. It harbored Many an unfortunate debtor, for at that time a man could be imprisoned for debt. The most exciting political campaign in the early days of Crawford County was the one of 1840, when William Henry Harrison and Martin Van Buren were the opposing candidates. It was the first political "tidal wave" that ever swept over the country. During the campaign many passed through Bucyrus on their way to the great demonstration at Fort Meigs. Among these travelers was no less a personage than Harrison himself. He came over the "Pike" from Columbus and stopped at the Union Hotel, then kept by Samuel Norton, and spent the night there. The courthouse was crowded with those who gathered to hear him, and the meeting was presided over by Josiah Scott, who was then a rising young lawyer in Bucyrus. This was the first President who ever visited Crawford County. During this campaign Richard M. Johnson, the democratic candidate for vice president, also visited Bucyrus. Crawford County has not fared especially well with regard to state officials. In 1830 Moses H. Kirby of this county was appointed secretary of state, and held that office for three years. Several decades passed, however, before another man from this county was recognized by the commonwealth. Ebenezer B. Finley served as adjutant-general under appointment of Governor Hoadley from 1884 to 1886. Frank S. Monnett was elected attorney-general, and served in that office from 1896 to 1900. Mr. Monnett achieved a great deal of publicity through his prosecution of the. Standard "Oil 'Company. During that same period Charles W. McCracken held the office of canal commissioner, under appointment of Governor Bushnell. In 1910 Sylvanus Strode was elected to the office HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 391 of dairy and food commissioner. It is only proper to include Josiah Scott, who was elected a judge of the Supreme Court in 1856. Judge Scott oame to Crawford County in 1829, but removed to Butler County in 1850, and was elected from the latter county. At the expiration of his judgeship he returned to Crawford County, and in 1876 was appointed a member of the Supreme Court Commission, serving in that position for three years. Judge Scott is known as one of the ablest representatives who has ever served on the highest court of our state. William Crosby, a newspaper man, was appointed United States consul at Talcahuano, Chili, in 1845, by President Polk. In 1898 President McKinley appointed John E. Hopley United States consul at Southampton, England, and in 1903 he was promoted to the consulate at Montevideo, Uruguay, where he served two years. LAW AND MEDICINE The first presiding judge of court held in Crawford County was Ebenezer Lane, of Norwalk. He was succeeded on the bench of the Common Pleas Court by David Higgins, also of Norwalk, who held this office from 1830 to 1837. In the early days, there were few lawyers in a little town, and a retinue of attorneys followed the judge from town to town. The first court was held in the residence of Louis Cary, and the jury was sent to an upstairs room for its deliberations. Zalmon Rowse served as the first resident clerk of the courts, which, prior to 1850, was an appointive office. As the early records were lost in the fire heretofore mentioned, the first court record in existence is for the July term of 1832, when the Supreme Court held a session in Bucyrus. The judges heard eight cases. The securing of a jury was not an easy matter in those early days, and the records show a number of instances in which men were fined for ignoring the summons. The county was sparsely settled, and the farmers were busy, so that the sheriff's hands were' full. The story is told of one of these early counties, when the judge asked the sheriff on the second day of court whether the jury was full yet. He replied : "Not quite full yet, Judge. I have eleven men locked up in jail, and my dogs and deputies- are after the twelfth man." The court in those early days granted licenses to ministers to solemnize marriages. Harrison Jones, of the Church of Christ, was granted such authority in 1834.. In the following year John David and John Smith, of the United Brethren in Christ, were also authorized to perform marriages. In 1836 Charles Edward Van Voorhis, of the Church of Christ, and Frederick G. Maschkop, of the German Reformed, were likewise granted this authority. Robert Reid and Stephen Brinkman were granted the first naturalization papers in Crawford County, in 1836, of which there is any record. In 1834 we have a record Of David Chute being granted a license to keep a tavern, for the sum of $8. Aaron M. Decker and John Luke were also licensed to keep a tavern, upon the payment of $5 each. Abraham. Hahn, of Bucyrus, received the same permission, but his location must have been considerably more desirable, for he was charged $10. In the July term of 1836, the docket contains the entry : "Franklin Adams admitted to the bar." For seventy years Mr. Adams was a practitioner at the Crawford County bar. The only public office he ever held was that of prosecuting attorney, appointed in 1838 to succeed George Sweeney, elected to Congress, and being elected to the office for three terms. He died in 1908. Isaac H. Allen was one of the earliest, if not the earliest, lawyers who made his home in Bucyrus. He died in Bucyrus in 1828. Josiah Scott, of whom mention has heretofore been made, was an eloquent advocate, as well as 392 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO an able and learned lawyer and jurist. One of his first cases, after his arrival in 1829 was before Squire James Stewart, who lived two miles east of Bucyrus. He walked out and back, and then asked his client, Charles Bacon, whether he thought $1.50 was too much for his services. Bacon thought that it was not, but was several years in liquidating the debt. Scott was a great friend of the Indians, who called him Big Head, for he wore a number eight hat. He used to take part in their sports, and in almost all of their litigation acted as their attorney. One of the Indians named a son Josiah Scott, and this copper colored Josiah Scott accompanied the tribe when they removed to the West. When the Toledo War broke out over the boundary be tween Ohio and Michigan, Mr. Scott raised a company, but it was never called into service. At one time he represented the county in the Legislature. George Sweeney came to Bucyrus in 1830, and practiced law in the Crawford capital for almost half a century. He was elected prosecuting attorney in 1838, and served as a member of Congress from this district from 1839 to 1843. John Smith arrived in 1832, and at first kept a dry goods store. At a later period he was elected justice of the peace, and from that drifted into the practice of the law. John M. Armstrong, who was partly of Indian blood, practiced law here for several years in the early days, but removed west when the Wyandot tribe was transferred. Lawrence W. Hall arrived in the spring of 1844. He was soon afterwards elected prosecuting attorney, and served as a judge of the Common Pleas Court, as well as a member of the National House of Representatives from 1857 to 1859. Josiah S. Plants began his business career as a shoemaker. While at work in that occupation he kept a law book at his side, from which he studied. He was admitted to the bar, and afterwards served as a judge of the Common Pleas Court for five years just prior to his death in 1863. Among the lawyers of more recent years who achieved success and practiced many years at the Crawford County bar, Stephen R. Harris was noted. He opened an office in Bucyrus as a partner of Josiah Scott, in 1849. In. 1895 he was elected to Congress, serving one term, and died in 1905, at the age of eighty-two years. Jacob Scroggs came to Bucyrus with his father in 1839, and was elected mayor for several terms. He was always active in every public affair until the time of his death. Ebenezer B. Finley located in Bucyrus in 1859, but was not admitted to the bar until a couple of years later. He served in Congress from 1877 to 1881, and distinguished himself by several speeches. He served, as adjutant-general of the state under Governor Hoadley, and also was appointed circuit judge to fill a vacancy. Thomas Beer began the practice of law in Bucyrus in 1862. In the following year he was elected a member of the Legislature, and served for two terms. His most distinguished service was on the bench. He was first appointed in 1874 as district judge, and served in that capacity continuously until 1893, and was ever looked upon as a man of fine judicial temperament. The first physician in the county was in all probability a Doctor Rhodes, who came to Bucyrus in 1822; a few months after the platting of the village. Dr. Willis Merriman arrived there in 1827 and practiced medicine for several years, but finally deserted medicine for business. Dr. Andrew Hetich was one of the early physicians, and practiced there for a quarter of a century. Dr. A. M. Jones came to Bucyrus in 1835 and followed medicine for a decade, after which he engaged in manufacturing. Dr. Robert T. Johnson, coming in 1845, finally engaged in the book and drug business. Dr. John Atwood was one of the early physicians in Galion. Among others were J. Steefel, N. E. Hackedorn, and HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 393 Charles L. Coyle. Dr. J. N. Ritchie began the practice of medicine in Oceola as early as 1847, and was known for many miles around. THE PRESS It is claimed that the first printing press was brought to Crawford County by William J. McGill, in the year 1829. He contemplated establishing a Jackson paper, but only one number was issued. The second attempt at journalism was made by William Crosby, who obtained possession of the old McGill press and issued the first number of the Western Journal and ,Bucyrus Advertiser on September 1, 1831, and a copy of the paper dated November 30, 1833, is framed and hanging in the office of the Bucyrus Journal, the oldest paper now published in the county. It was a small four page paper, of four columns to the page, and, was issued for several years. The name was afterwards changed to the Bucyrus Journal. Crosby sold the printing plant to Charles P. West, who published for about a year the People's Press and the People's Advocate, both of which aimed to be neutral in politics. The first number of the Ohio Intelligencer appeared about 1836, and it was also conducted as a neutral newspaper, so far as politics was concerned. The name of the firm publishing it was D. R. Lightner & Company. The Intelligencer was discontinued, and Caldwell and Lightner started the Crawford Republican, a democratic paper. As money was scarce in those days, we find an advertisement in this paper as follows: "Wheat, corn, buckwheat, oats, pork, beef and candles will be received on subscription at this office." In the summer or fall of 1838, a new whig paper, the Bucyrus Democrat, was established by John Shrenk. This paper was continued for several years, but was finally compelled to yield up the ghost. This was the first paper published in Crawford County in opposition to the democratic party. Thomas J. Orr and John White came to Bucyrus in 1840, and began the Democratic Republican. Partnership was soon dissolved, but the business was continued for several years by Mr. Orr. The paper was not issued very regularly, owing to the carelessness of the editor. For this reason, the dissatisfied democrats secured an editor for a new paper, to be called the Peoples Forum, in the spring of 1845, a bound copy of the second volume being owned by the writer of this chapter. This paper was started by J. R. Knapp, Jr., of Marion, and it has been published ever since, although under many different proprietors. The second proprietor was Mordecai P. Bean. Under the ownership of John R. Clymer, this paper was first printed by steam power in 1871, and was issued semi-weekly. Maj.. J. H: Williston purchased the paper in 1878, and published it for a number of years. During this time he served as state senator for this district for two terms. It is now published by the Bucyrus Publishing Company, of which L. M. Smith. is the president and general manager. Major Williston attempted in 1880 to start a daily, but it was discontinued after four months as an unprofitable enterprise. In 1886 the Daily Critic was established by the Holbrook brothers, and published for a few years and discontinued. The Daily Forum was begun by the HolbroOks on March 2, 1891, and it has had a prosperous existence ever since. Near the close of 1852, subscription papers were circulated throughout the county for a whig paper, and the first number of the Bucyrus Journal was issued January 1, 1853. When the republican party was organized, a couple of years later, the editor, J. A. Crevier, warmly espoused the new party. Since then, under its different proprietors, the Journal has always advocated the principles of the republican party, One of the noted editors of this paper was David R. Locke, and it was in the columns of this paper that the first of 294 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO the Nasby satirical articles was published, on December 13, 1860; and the first of the letters signed P. V. Nasby was published in that paper in 1861. In 1867 the Journal was purchased by John Hopley, formerly superintendent of the schools, and it has remained in the Hopley family from that time until the present. John Hopley continued at the head of the Journal until his death, but during the later years several of his sons were associated with him. On October 17, 1887, the Evening Telegraph was started as the "organ of the. Young Men's Republican Club." It was under the management of John E. Hopley, and M. V. Longworth was the city editor. Nevin 0. Winter was at one time a reporter on the paper and, when he made his first trip to foreign lands, his first letters were published in its. columns. After the election that followed its establishment, John E. Hopley decided to make the venture a permanent one, as a daily, because it had met with favor, and it has been published regularly since that date. John Hopley was appointed postmaster at Bucyrus on two different occasions, serving in all during three presidential terms. John E. Hop-ley was appointed United States consul at Southampton, England, in 1888, and was transferred from there to Montevideo. James R. Hopley was appointed postmaster by President Taft, in 1910, and served for four years. John Hopley died in 1904, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. During his connection with the Journal he obtained a national reputation for the soundness of his views on great questions, and often was able to help his political party associates by his contributions of planks in party platforms. In 1881 Thomas P. Hopley started a small paper, which was called the Temperance Ballot. He was an ardent prohibitionist, and began this paper during the campaign. It gained many friends, and he continued to publish it under the name of the Crawford County News. In 1893 he sold it to A. J. Hazlett, who changed it into a democratic paper. He served as the editor for a number .of years, and was elected a member of the Ohio Legislature in 1895, serving two terms. In 1901 the News was consolidated with the Crawford County Forum, as the News-Forum. Two German papers have been published in Bucyrus. The first of these was the Crawford County Demokrat, established in 1855. This was continued for a number of years, but finally ceased publication. The first number of the Deutsche Courier was published in 1875, and it still appears regularly. Several other publications have appeared for short periods at different times. In 1855 John W. Putnam looked upon Galion as a promising field for a newspaper. He removed to Galion and, in connection with Dr. D. Abger, issued the first paper in that city, which was called the Galion Weekly Train. The name was later changed to the Galion Weekly Times. In 1856, when political excitement was high, Jacob Riblet purchased the paper and made it a democratic organ, under the name of the Galion District Democrat. It was not a financial success, however, and he soon disposed of it to Andrew Poe. In 1864 this paper was purchased by the Matthias brothers. H. S. Z. Matthias took the editorial 'charge, and dropped the word District from the title. This paper succumbed, but Mr. Matthias entered the newspaper field again as publisher of the Weekly Review, which was independent in politics. In 1871 the plant was sold, and the title again changed to the Galion Democrat, but issued as a republican paper. The color of politics changed back and forth several times. The Galion Sun was established in 1872, as an independent weekly newspaper. In 1888 the Public Spirit was presented to the public by Ed G. Slough as an independent newspaper. It was issued as a daily, and was the first daily to be published in Galion. The Review and the Sun were combined as the Sun- HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 395 Review, and the daily, which had been changed to the Leader, was also taken over by the same Company. J., W. Cupp was the owner for several years, and, when he was appointed postmaster, it was managed by Charles F. Monroe for a time. The Sun-Review finally ceased publication, but the Leader still flourishes. In 1.876 a campaign paper was established under the name of the Republican Free Press. In less than two years it was purchased by S. G. Cummings & Company, and the name changed to the Galion Inquirer, which has been published ever since as a democratic paper. H. S. Z. Matthias was the editor for many years, and also served as county recorder. Crestline was not platted until 1852, and a newspaper was started about a year later by Adam Billow. The paper was called the Express, but it soon ceased publication. For a number of years the village was without a newspaper, but in 1869 the first number of the Crestline Advocate appeared. It was a success from the start, and has never ceased publication since that date. Several attempts by competing publishers have been failures. Among these were the Crestline Democrat and the Crestline Vidette, which enjoyed popularity for a season, but both were soon compelled to succumb. The New Washington Herald was established many years ago, and is still published. Tiro at one time enjoyed a newspaper, which was called the American, but the population did not seem sufficient to make a newspaper a profitable enterprise and it was discontinued. In 1911, however, W. Z. Davis commenced the publication of the Tiro Word, and it has continued ever since. BUCYRUS Much speculation has been indulged in over the origin of the name of the county seat of Crawford County. That it was named by. Col. James Kilbourne there is no question. The daughters. of Samuel Norton always held that the colonel was a great admirer of Cyrus the Great, and named the place after that distinguished warrior; prefixing the name with the pronunciation of the first syllable of the word "beautiful," as he regarded the country Bucyrus as very beautiful. Judge Josiah Scott and Franklin Adams, his associates during his frequent visits to Bucyrus, were equally positive that he told them the name came from the Egyptian City of Busiris, and was suggested to him by the lines in Book First of Milton's "Paradise Lost" : "When with fierce winds Orion armed, Hath vexed the Red Sea Coast, whose waves o 'erthrew Busiris and his Memphian chivalry." In 1812 the writer of this chapter wrote a history of Crawford County, and searched every record 'possible to solve this long disputed question. He found that in the Gazetteer of Ohio, issued by John Kilbourne in 1825, under a description of the various towns, the name "Busiris" was given, and after it the words "see Bucyrus," and under this latter name the statistics of the village were given. The postoffice department established an office in the village in 1824, and on their records carried the name "Busiris, alias Bucyrus." In 1829 their records were changed to the present spelling. It is hard to conceive how a nephew of the colonel could get the name "Busiris" in his gazetteer, or how the United States Government could get the same "Busiris" on their records if it were not named after the Egyptian city. Another stumbling block to strangers is the pronunciation. It is pronounced almost as the Egyptian town is spelled, with the accent on the second syllable—Bu-si'-ris. Samuel Norton, with a party of seventeen persons besides himself, reached Bucyrus in October, 1819. On arriving here an old wigwam made of small saplings was found 396 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO standing in the woods in what is now the courthouse yard. The pioneers occupied this building for three days, while the three men in the party constructed an humble log cabin on the south bank of the Sandusky. This new cabin and the wigwam, and the wagons which had brought them overland, accommodated the emigrants until each family was able to construct a home for itself. This party consisted of Mary Norton, wife of Samuel ; his three daughters, Louisa, Catherine, and Elizabeth, and his three sons, Rensselaer, Warren, and Waldo; Albigence Bucklin (a brother of Mrs. Norton), with his wife and six children, Esther, Cynthia, Austin, Elizabeth, Almeda, and Pitt, and an adopted daughter, Polly. The eighteenth person was Seth Holmes, who had accompanied the party as teamster and guide. At this time these pioneers were ten miles from the nearest settlement, which was near the present site of Galion. The land about Bucyrus had not yet been entered for sale, but it was soon opened up for settlement. Mr. Norton went to Delaware, on horseback to visit the land office at that place. He entered 400 acres of what is now the central part of the City of Bucyrus. An important event occurred when a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Norton on February 13, 1820. In the spring of 1820 some settlers arrived by the name of Sears, who lived for a time here and then moved away. David Badle and his two sons, Michael and David, Jr., and his son-in-law, John Ens-ley, were the next arrivals. Following these came Daniel McMichael and James Young, with their families. It was during 1820 that Col. James Kilbourne drifted north from Columbus in his work of making a preliminary survey of a road from Columbus to Lake Erie, following the old Scioto trail of the Indians, which had been used by them for a hundred years. At that time a road extended from Columbus to a little beyond Delaware, near the Greenville Treaty Line. When the land north of this line was opened to settlement, arrangements were made to extend the road to the lake. Colonel Kilbourne, with his surveyor's instinct, recognized the excellent location of the Norton land as a site for a town on the new highway. Mr. Norton at first did not favor this move, because he wanted the land for farming purposes, and thought it was too HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 397 good a farm to spoil by being laid out into town lots. Colonel Kilbourne returned the following year, and by that time Mr. Norton had agreed to permit his land to be platted into town lots. To this end he and Norton entered into a solemn covenant, by the terms of which Kilbourne was to receive a one-fourth interest in the new town for his services. The plat was recorded in the recorder's office at Delaware, February 11, 1822. It did not cover a .great extent of area, but occupied what is now the central portion of the city. It contained 176 lots, and ground was then set aside for both a courthouse and jail, as well as for school purposes. The streets were generally named after members of the Norton family, although the owner modestly omitted naming one after himself. A lot sale was held in April, when a large crowd was present, although a few lots had been disposed of earlier. Colonel Kilbourne himself was the auctioneer, and during the sale sang for the first time the "Song of Bucyrus," written by him, of which three verses are as follows : "Ye men of spirit, ardent sauls,, Whose hearts are firm and hands are strong, Whom generous enterprise controls, Attend ! and truth shall. guide my song. I'll tell you how Bucyrus, now Just rising like the star of morn Surrounded stands by fertile lands, On clear Sandusky's rural bourn. "In these wide regions, known to fame Which freedom proudly, calls her own ; Where free-born men the heathen tame, And spurning kings—despise a throne. No lands more blest in all the west, Are seen whichever way you turn, Than those around Bucyrus found On clear Sandusky's rural bourn. "First Norton and the Beadles came, With friends, (an enterprising band), Young and McMichael, men of fame, Soon joined the others, hand in hand; By various plans, t' improve the lands, They early rise with every morn, Near where the town Bucyrus stands, All on Sandusky's rural bourn." This song has been sung many times since. Colonel Kilbourne was a hale fellow well met, and a few brandies and egg nags would never fail to bring this song from him on request.' A part of what is now the public square did not sell for several years afterwards, for it was considered too far from the center of the town. In 1826, the "Ohio Gazetteer" speaks of Bucyrus as " a lively post town," and then says it is "the seat of justice for the county, has two stores and several mechanics." Hence Bucyrus early acquired the reputation of being a "hustling" town. Judge Merriman, as he was generally known, had the monopoly for a time of exchanging goods with both, whites and Indians for deerskins, furs, honey, ginseng, ,cranberries, and other articles. It was not an elaborate establishment, and the business was mostly in trade, for there was very little cash in circulation. The whole stock would not inventory more than $50. Abel Cary built the first grist-mill in the new village, along the Sandusky River, and it was run by water power, for which he constructed a small dam. Ichabod Rogers started a tavern in the village in 1823, and Conrad Rhodes also opened up a hostelry. Joseph McComb was the first physician of whom we have a record. Samuel Norton started a little tannery on the banks of the Sandusky, in order to tan enough leather for the family shoes. William Early was the first real estate dealer, and an early justice of the peace. Lewis Cary, one of the early settlers, was a Quaker, and the Indians were great admirers of him. While they were inveterate 398 - HISTORY OF' NORTHWEST OHIO thieves and laid hands on practically everything lying around loose, they never stole anything from Cary. He tanned leather during the day and made shoes in the evening. Unlike the moderns, the Indians liked Cary's shoes because they squeaked. They always asked for a pair that "talked," as they termed it. When John Moderwell arrived in 1827, he built a carding-mill, the first in the city. It did a large business for many years. In 1830 he was elected county sheriff. James and John McCracken came in 1825, and James was the first mayor of the village in 1833 both were prominent and useful citizens in the community. George Lauck arrived in 1826, and ran a tavern until he was elected county treasurer in 1837, which office he filled for several terms. Bucyrus was a popular place for trade with the Indians, as the Government gave them an annual allowance. Money was plentiful for a few days after pay day, and, as they could' not secure liquor at all places, they were willing to pay any price for it where it could be obtained. There were several places in Bucyrus where they were able to purchase liquor, and the early court records show many instances of fines for selling liquors to the Indians. One of these was the Old Roger's Tavern, which seemed to be a headquarters for this class of business. When the pike road was completed, about 1834, Mr. Norton built a two-story brick building which he used as a hotel. When the hotel was opened, Colonel Kilbourne was present to assist his old friend in the house warming. General Harrison was a guest at this hotel when he was candidate for president, and it was the whig headquarters in the early days, while the democratic headquarters were at the National Hotel. Samuel Picking was also one of the early landlords. His tavern was called the Spread Eagle, but because of the crude painting on the sign, was generally dubbed "The Buzzard." The first marriage of which we have a record was when Mary Inman became the wife of Samuel Carl. The bride herself tacked the necessary notice to a big tree. When the hour for the wedding Arrived, the justice of the peace had tarried too long at the wine to read the service. An accommodating school teacher assisted him, and the knot was legally tied. It is claimed that the first religious services in Bucyrus were held as early as 1821, when a Rev. Mr. Bacon made occasional visits to the village and preached to the settlers in their cabins. Rev. Jacob Hooper also preached occasionally in Bucyrus, and some believe that he delivered the first sermon in the village under a large oak tree, about where the Pennsylvania Station now stands. He was appointed by the Methodist Conference to take charge of the Scioto Circuit, to which Bucyrus was attached. His circuit covered 700 miles, and he managed to get around to each station about once in eight weeks. About 1830 a large revival occurred under the Methodist preachers, which brought many accessions to the society, the services being held in an unfinished hotel which was then under process of erection, now the Deal House. In 1822 Rev. Thomas McCleary had charge of the circuit, and he traveled all the way from Delaware to Bucyrus, to Mansfield, and to Plymouth in his work. As the settlers increased, these circuits were reduced in size. John 0. and William Blowers, brothers, were also two of the early ministers of the Methodist denomination in this county. Samuel Norton sold to the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church a lot in 1831, which was the site of the old church abandoned a number of years ago, but still used in business. Elder Poe, son of the great Indian fighter, preached the dedicatory service. Prior to 1825 the Presbyterians also held services in the homes of the members of the congregation or in the groves. Rev. William Matthew frequently preached to them. Among the early ministers were Shah Jenks and Rob- HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 399 ert Lee. Mr. Lee :'is said to have been the first stated minister to be assigned to Bucyrus. At first the services were very irregular, but a congregation was organized in 1833, and a request was made for admittance to the Columbus Presbytery by thirty-three petitioners. Their first building, a small frame structure, was erected in 1839, on the present site of the church, and on a lot which was deeded to the trustees by Samuel Norton. William Hutchinson was the first pastor in the new church, and served it for nine years. A brick church was erected in 1860. William M. Reid served as superintendent of the Sunday school for a quarter of a century. In. 1829 the Evan. gelical Lutherans met at the little brick schoolhouse and organized a congregation, with David Shuh as minister. He served as pastor for two years, and was succeeded by Rev. John Stough, and he in turn was succeeded by F. I. Erth. In 1835 this congregation bought a lot at the Corner of Walnut and Mansfield streets, and constructed a small church. Both the German and English Lutheran congregations occupied this church as one congregation for a time. In 1842, however, the German members disposed of their interest, but continued to occupy the building with their English brethren until 1857, when they erected a church of their own, and the English also erected a church on their present site. The German Lutheran is now one of the largest congregations in the city. The first meeting to organize a Baptist Church was held at the home of William Kelly in 1838. The first sermon was preached to the new congregation by Elder William Stevens, and at its conclusion all repaired to the Sandusky. River, where the ordinance of baptism was administered to four persons. These persons were William Wagers, his wife and daughter Margaret; and Sovena Norton. Rev. Thomas Stevens was selected as the first pastor, but the financial resources of the congregation were too low to engage him to come once a month. Newton and Samuel Wadsworth were among the early pastors, but the first regular minister was Jacob Thorpe, who-received a call in October, 1841, which he accepted. A one-story frame building was built on a lot on South Walnut Street, which had been purchased for $100. In 1837 the first mass was celebrated for the Roman Catholics by Rev. F. X. Tschenhous. This mass was said at the residence of Dr. Joseph Boehler, and services were continued every month .or two for several years at his residence. In 1849, when Catholic families had become more numerous, Bucyrus was made a regular. mission, and was served by priests from other towns. In 1860 the old frame Presbyterian Church was purchased and the building removed to the present lot. The church was there dedicated by Rt. Rev. Bishop Rappe in 1861, and Father Uerhart Kleck preached the sermon and celebrated the initial mass. A regular parish priest was not assigned until several years later. A number of other churches have since entered the field, and a permanent Young Men's Christian Association was established when Mrs. E. R. Kearsley presented the society with a fine brick residence. Bucyrus was organized as a village in 1833, and James McCracken was elected the first mayor. He was followed by John Moderwell and Peter Worst. In 1886 Bucyrus became a city, and was divided into wards. The post-office was established in 1824, when Lewis Cary was named as its postmaster, which office he filled for five years. At first the settlers received their mail from Delaware. Cary was a victim of Jackson's policy, "to the victors belong the spoils," and he was removed in favor of Henry St. John, who held it for eight years. The first school was taught in Bucyrus in the year 1832, and in a little log cabin on the banks of the river. It was taught by William Blowers, who later became a Methodist minister. It was not a free school, for