HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 625 prise than did the grand jury report in Williams County during the May term of court, in the year 1903. At its first sitting this jury rendered indictments against thirty-one well known residents of the county, charging them either directly with arson or with aiding and abetting in the defrauding of insurance companies. With the confession of Jack Page as a guide for their work, the fire marshals were able to collect facts corroborating his story, and these facts when presented to the grand juries of Williams and other counties resulted in the indictments and subsequent convictions which freed the citizens of Williams and adjoining counties from the menace of the firebugs. The vengeance of the law was swift and mighty. Ed Gaudern was the county prose- cutor of Williams County, upon whose shoulders rested the responsibility of the sensational disclosures. He was assisted in the prosecution of the case by John M. Killits, now United States district judge of this district, and Charles A. Bowersox, now judge of the common pleas court, each of whom rendered valuable service. Many of the members of the gang were sent to the penitentiary as a result of the prosecution, and some only escaped that fate by self destruction. A number fled from the county and were not apprehended for a number of years, when they were brought back and forced to trial. A few of those guilty undoubtedly escaped, but the prosecution of those upon whom suspicion fell and the long terms of imprisonment served to rid Northwest Ohio of this great menace. Vol. I-40 CHAPTER XLVII WOOD COUNTY D. K. HOLLENBECK, PERRYSBURG It was on the 12th of February, 1820, that Wood County was born and joined the sisterhood of counties in the growing State of Ohio. The beginning was modest, but the expectations were doubtless great. Because of the swampy ground, which was long a drawback, it may be that the gallant soldier, Captain Wood, who was General Harrison's chief engineer at Fort Meigs, and who helped to defend that post in 1812, and for whom Wood County was named, did not feel very highly complimented at the distinction thus thrust upon him. Were it possible that he could rise up from beside the marble shaft erected to his memory on the Hudson, at West Point, and view this land now touched by the magic wand of three generations, he would not be ashamed of his progressive and prosperous namesake. The act creating Wood County brought into existence fourteen counties. That part of the act relating to Wood reads : "That all that part of the lands lately ceded by the Indians to the United States, which lies within this State, shall be erected into fourteen counties to be bounded and named as follows : No. 11, to include all of ranges nine, ten, eleven and twelve north of the second township north in said ranges, and to run north with the same to the State line, and to be known by the name of Wood." This included the present County of Lucas, with the exception of two small fragments that were taken from the counties of Henry and Ottawa. The two counties remained united until by act of the Legislature, passed June 20, 1835, the County of Lucas was formed with initial county seat at Maumee City (now Maumee). In the formation of Lucas County, all that part of Wood then lying north of the Maumee River was severed from the original County of Wood, the channel of the river thereby becoming the boundary between the two counties. By the act providing for the original organization of Wood County, the counties of Hancock, Henry, Putnam, Paulding, and Williams were attached to it until otherwise provided by law. At their meeting on the 4th day of March, 1822, the county commissioners organized the county and the territory attached to its jurisdiction into two townships, Waynesfield and Auglaize. The Township of Waynesfield was made co-extensive with the counties of Wood and Hancock, and the Township of Auglaize included the counties of Williams, Putnam, Henry, and Paulding. Maumee City remained the seat of justice for Wood County, the courts being held at that place, and the other county business being there transacted, from the organization of the county in the year 1820, until the year 1823. It was at Maumee that the original board of commissioners, consisting of Daniel Hubbell, John Pray, and W. H. Ewing, held their opening meeting, and made the first page of the official records of the county. Because the settlements on the south side of the Maumee River had grown so rapidly, the commissioners passed an act, on the 28th of May, 1823, which ordered that so much of the Town- - 626 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 627 ship of Waynesfield as is included in the County of Wood, and lying on the south side of the Maumee River, be set off and organized into a township by the name of Perrysburg; and that the election of township officers be held on the 19th day of June, 1823, at the house of Samuel Spafford, in said township. This order organizing all of the County of Wood south of the Maumee River into a township rendered the reorganization of a township for Hancock County, which up to this time had been a part of Waynesfield Township, necessary, and accordingly the commissioners organized it into a separate township by the name of Findlay. Henry County, which by a former order had been included within Auglaize Township, was erected into a separate township under the designation of Damascus. In 1816 the United States Government sent out Alexander Bourne to locate a townsite at the foot of the Maumee Rapids. This agent chose the present site of Perrysburg. Joseph Wampter and William Brookfield, deputy United States surveyors, then laid out the town. The act provided that "so much of the tract of land, of twelve miles square, at the British fort, of the Miami of the Lake, at the Foot of the Rapids, ceded by the Wyandots and other Indian tribes, to the United States, by the Treaty of Greenville, August 3, 1795, shall, under the direction of the surveyor-general, be laid off into town lots, streets and avenues, and into out-lots, in such manner and of such dimensions, as he may think proper. The tract so to be laid off shall not exceed the quantity of land contained in two entire sections, nor the town lots, one-quarter of an acre each." Major Spafford gave the town its name upon the suggestion of Josiah Meigs, the land commissioner. The manner of the selection of Perrysburg gave the town considerable prestige. Orleans of the North was platted below Fort Meigs by Dr. J. B. Stewart and J. L. Lovett. It was intended to be the leading port of Lake Erie. In 1818 Maumee arose on the opposite side of the river. In the early days there was a bitter triangular fight among Perrysburg and Orleans and Maumee City. At the session of the Ohio Legislature, in the winter of 1821-22, Charles R. Sherman (father of Senator and General Sherman), Edward Paine, Jr., and Nehemiah King were appointed commissioners to fix the permanent location of the county seat of Wood County. At the May term of court in Maumee, 1822, the report of these commissioners, a copy of which had been placed on file with the clerk, was read in open court, and the language of the journal is as follows: "It appears that the town of Perrysburg in said county of Wood, was selected as the most proper place as a seat of justice for said county of Wood, the said town of Perrysburg being as near the center of said county of Wood, as to situation, extent of population, quality of land and convenience and interest of the inhabitants of said county of Wood, as was possible, the commissioners aforesaid designate in lot No. 387, as the most proper site for the court house of said county of Wood." It must not for a moment be supposed that Maumee surrendered up this coveted prize without a protest, or that Orleans looked on with an approving smile. Both towns opposed the selection with every possible influence, but Perrysburg had a powerful ally. Just at this critical juncture, the United States gave some friendly aid to her protege. In May, 1822, Congress enacted a law vesting the title to all unsold lots and outlots in Perrysburg in the commissioners of Wood County, on condition that the county seat should be permanently located there. The net proceeds of the sale of the lots were to be used in erecting public buildings. There was a considerable number of these lots unsold, and the gift proved of incalculable benefit to the county in its early poverty, in providing a jail and court' house without much expense to the tax payers. 628 - HISTORY OF NORTH W EST OHIO The first meeting of the county commissioners in Perrysburg, as shown by their journal, was on the 3d of March, 1823, nearly ten months after the decision had been made. The commissioners at this time were Hiram P. Barlow, Samuel Spafford, and John Pray. The minutes of the proceedings in Maumee, during almost three years, reveal only a light amount of routine work. They had constructed a log jail, and had taken some steps looking to the establishment of roads. Their record for the entire time covers only about twenty pages. The auditor, Ambrose Rice, received $29.75 for his services for the year ending March 4, 1822. Thomas W. Powell, then prosecuting attorney, was appointed auditor for the year 1823, and filled both offices, receiving an allowance of $30 for his services as auditor, which was 25 cents more than Rice got. The first official act of the first commissioners was to appoint William Pratt as county treasurer. The next was to purchase on credit a record book at a cost of $4.50, an evidence of the poverty of the county. There was not so much as a nickel in the treasury. The entire population of the large county did not exceed 600 or 700 people of all ages. Between the years 1828 and 1840 there was transacted at Perrysburg as large a volume of commercial business as at any port on Lake Erie, excepting Buffalo and Cleveland. This business was transacted chiefly through the forwarding and commission houses of Hollister & Smith, and Bingham & Co. Through these houses nearly all the goods consigned to Northern Indiana, and a large portion of Northwest Ohio and Southern Michigan, were forwarded by teams from Perrysburg to the head of the rapids of the Maumee River, where they were taken on keel boats, pirogues, and flatboats and transported to Fort Wayne, and thence distributed to their several destinations. These boats .on their return carried back furs, skins, and dried meats, which were brought to Perrysburg by the teams which had carried goods to the head of the rapids. From 1835 to 1840, this business, together with the immigration which came to this port by water, afforded a very lucrative business for nearly all the schooners and steamboats in the service. " Spafford's Exchange," established in 1822-23, by Samuel Spafford, was carried on after his death on January 1, 1825, by his widow, and later by Aurora Spafford, and was the most prominent hotel between Buffalo and St. Louis, and the only frame public house between Buffalo and St. Louis. Mr. Spafford continued as landlord of this hotel to the time of his death, in 1854. The old register of "Spafford's Exchange" is filled with the names of many prominent people, but that of Gen. William H. Harrison, the candidate for the presidency in 1840, was not recorded, as he was a guest of John Hollister. On June 11, 1840, no less than 473 guests registered in this house. It was here that James Bloom, of Liberty, shortly after his return from South America, and while on his wedding trip, gave a select party, offering bank bills to his guests to light their cigars with. The reputation of the liquors kept at the "Exchange" was better than that of most any other house. In those days a hotel was not complete without a bell to call the guests to their meals, swung on the top of the building. After considerable inquiry Mr. Spafford heard of a man in Detroit who cast bells. Although Detroit was quite a remote point, as distance was then calculated, Spafford had to have a bell, and he finally made his way thither to have it cast. The bellman was found and the job undertaken, but when the foundry endeavored to make the cast, it was discovered that there was not metal enough. Here was a dilemma, but Spafford was equal to the emergency. He took thirty-six Spanish dollars and threw them into the molten mass, and the bell was his. With his treasure, worth almost its weight in HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 629 gold, Spafford returned to Perrysburg and hung the bell up in a tree in his yard, so that it might be investigated by the curious. The Indians, who were then quite plentiful in and about Perrysburg, were caught by the novel attraction. They climbed the tree where the bell was hung, keeping it ringing day and night until the thing became an intolerable nuisance. Spafford had about concluded to take it down, when the Indians relieved him by stealing the bell and carrying it away. This act made Spafford furious, and he determined to recover it if it cost him his life. Securing the services of Sam Brady, an old scout who had killed a score or more of Indians, and Frank McCallister, they started toward Upper Sandusky. They traveled three days and nights, and on the morning of the fourth day, while they were eating breakfast, they heard the bell in the distance. Hastily finishing their meal they hurried in the direction from whence the sound came, and soon beheld a sight that was laughable in the extreme. The Indians had tied the bell around the neck of a pony, and the whole tribe, bucks, squaws, and youngsters, armed with hickory switches, were running the poor animal around an open space at the top of its speed, meanwhile yelling like demons as an accompaniment to the furious ringing of the bell. Spafford and his companions made a charge on the crowd, and soon succeeded in driving the pony away from the village, where they could secure the bell without trouble. They reached home safely without being pursued or having any fight with the Indians. The bell was taken back to Perrysburg, where it remained for many years, performing the mission for which it was cast. The bell finally found its way into the possession of the landlord of a hotel at Elmore, where it filled its wonted mission for several years. Its next travel was eastward, and it was finally located at Berlin, Maryland. A number of ladies of Perrysburg banded themselves together to secure the return of the historic old bell. After appealing to the civic associations in vain, these ladies purchased the bell and removed it to its former home in time for the centennial celebration of 1916, where it is now peacefully resting from its travels. To Maj. Amos Spafford, who was appointed collector of the Port of Miami in 1810, probably belongs the honor of having been the first permanent occupant and owner of land in what is now Wood County—the original pioneer. Although the collector's office of the Port of Miami and the postoffice were on the north side of the river, the major built his cabin on the south side, just above where Fort Meigs was afterward located. Like the other settlers, he became a squatter. He .was the first civil officer in this part of Ohio. His first quarterly report shows that the exports of skins and furs for that period amounted to $5,610.85, and that $30 worth of bears' grease was also sent out from Miami. The close of the War of 1812 found this locality a scene of desolation. Ashes and charred cinders marked the places where cabins once stood. Fresh mounds of earth showed where the dead, who strove and bled there, now slept. It was not until the spring of 1815 that the scattered fragments of the Maumee settlements began to return. John Carter and John Race led the van and built a cabin near Turkey Foot Rock. Amos Spafford came and constructed a rude cabin out of some old abandoned scows. In that year the fort was formally abandoned. Lieut. Almon Gibbs, who had been in charge, resigned from the army and crossed to the other side of the river, where he opened up a store, taking the postoffice with him. Seneca Allen, who became the first resident justice of the peace, arrived in 1816. On the same vessel there came Jacob Wilkinson and Elijah, Charles, and Christopher Green, each with his family. All of these located on the north side of the river. The first marriage celebrated in the county 630 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO was that of Aurora Spafford and Mrs. Mary Jones by Charles Green, J. P. They had been obliged to wait several weeks for that official to receive his commission. Seneca Allen finally moved to the south side of the Maumee River and settled near Fort Meigs. Jacob Wilkinson also built a cabin there. An incident occurred there which reminded the Wilkinsons that their new home was not above high-water mark. One night the water rose in their cabin, and they had to scramble up the ladder to the loft, from which they were rescued by boatmen. In the confusion the baby, in the cradle, had been forgotten. It was found, fast asleep, floating about on the water. Its "crib," as they are called nowadays, was, luckily, the half of a hollow log, with boards nailed on each end, and nearly water tight. Wilson and Joseph Vance opened up a trader's store in the spring of 1817 for their brother, Joseph Vance, afterwards governor of Ohio. This was the pioneer store in what is now Wood County. The Hollisters opened up a store shortly afterwards. David Hull was the pioneer boniface and his daughter, Almira Hull, has the proud distinction of being the first white child born in the county. Thomas McGrath, Ephraim and Thomas Learning, lived for a time on the present site of Perrysburg. Victor Jennison taught school in the fort settlement in the winter of 1816-17. The first grant made by Congress for lands lying within the present limits of Wood County, was on April 26, 1816, as follows : "That Amos Spafford, collector of the District and Port of Miami, shall have the right of pre-emption to 160 acres of land, to include his improvements, situated within the limits of the reserve of twelve miles square, at the Rapids of Miami of Lake Erie, the boundaries of which shall be designated under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury; which tract of land shall be granted to him, at the same price, and on the same terms and conditions for which the other public lands are sold at private sale." This tract of land lies on the Maumee River, west of the Town of Perrysburg, adjoining "Fort Meigs," and is known as " Spafford's Grant." At this period the only land in Wood County, to which the Indian title had been extinguished, was the twelve-mile-square reserve, ceded to the United States by the Indians at the Treaty of Greenville, but as yet none of this land had been offered at public sale by the Government. Benjamin Cox was the first settler in Center Township. He built a cabin near the Portage River in 1827. His son, Joseph, made the first land entry in that township. Henry Shaw was probably the earliest settler in the neighborhood of North Baltimore. He afterwards removed to Indiana, where he was elected to the Legislature. In 1822 Thomas Howard and his sons, Edward and Robert, together with their wives and children, settled at the Grand Rapids, where they erected three cabins on the north bank of the Maumee. They were the only neighbors until William HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 631 Pratt and Joseph Keith appeared upon the scene. Shibnah Spink, who came to Perrysburg in 1832, was one of the prominent pioneers. Here he conducted a general store for a number of years, and then drifted to the lake. The condition of the roads in those days is well illustrated by his experience in the winter of 1837-38, when he, in company with several others, went to Columbus to further a movement for the macadamizing of the Lower Sandusky road. They made the journey in a carriage. As there had been a fall of snow, and the ground was frozen hard, they found the roads good and made the trip to the state capital in three days. After remaining at Columbus a few days, and being satisfied that the measure proposed would pass, Captain Wilkinson and Mr. Spink decided to return home, leaving their two companions at Columbus to see the measure through. On the day that they started for home, the weather moderated and rain set in, rendering the roads almost impassable. On the evening of the sixth day after leaving Columbus, the two lobbyists reached home in a sadly dilapidated condition, on foot, having abandoned their carriage and baggage eight miles west of Lower Sandusky. Using their blankets for saddles, they mounted the horses and rode until they reached Roussaint Creek, which stream they found so swollen that it was impossible to get their horses to the bridge spanning the channel. The whole country was flooded. They put up for the night, and, as the weather became cold, and there was little or no current in the vast sea of water before them, ice was formed of such thickness that in the morning it would bear a man. They were fully thirteen miles from home, and Captain Wilkinson was a cripple. Nevertheless they decided to make the balance of their journey on foot. After breakfast the two men started, but before proceeding far the captain gave out and they were compelled to hire a boy and pony to bring him in. Mr. Spink walked the remaining distance. Another incident, illustrative of pioneer life in this section of the country, occurred at an earlier date than the foregoing one. In the spring of 1833 Mr. Spink started out in search of his cows, milk being in great demand at Perrysburg. He was absent for three days while wandering through the country, overcoming many obstacles, and making a circuit that now could be accomplished in a few hours. Mr. Spink was elected sheriff of Wood County, and also served as its treasurer. Elisha Martindels, who entered forty acres of land in 1832, was the first person to preempt land within the present limits of Bowling Green. In the following spring he brought his family to their new home. A little cabin 18 by 24 feet in dimensions was erected. His eldest daughter was married to William Hecox by Squire Elijah Huntingdon, of Perrysburg, on April 15, 1833. This was the first marriage solemnized in Bowling Green. The bride mounted a horse behind her husband, and the only wedding journey of the happy couple was to another cabin a few miles away. Here is the way an early pioneer speaks of his experience of the early days: "We had no roads either, we just went zigzag through the woods, around trees, over and around fallen timber, through the water, fighting the mosquitoes, to a neighbor's with a sack of corn on our backs to grind it on a hand mill, to get corn meal to make johnny cake for the family (it was johnny cake, coon and possum fat) and glad to get that. We had no water mills nearer than Perrysburg, and not much to get ground when we got there. And it took us from four to five days to go and come ; the only conveyance was by ox teams and a cart. Old Billy Hill (as he was familiarly known) had a hand mill, and it was kept going from morning until midnight, people coming from miles and miles around. Dozens of men and women have been there at one time waiting 632 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO their turn to get their opportunity to turn the mill and sometimes when so thronged, some would leave their corn and go home to their hungry families, and come again to take their place at the mill. Of course this mill was a rude structure ; four upright posts framed together and the stones set in them, and the propelling power was applied by an upright shaft, with an iron spout placed in a thimble in the upper burr, and the top held by passing through a hole in a board and then two men taking hold of this upright shaft and turning the burr. It was a slow process, but it was the only alternative we had. This was afterward changed, so as to make it more convenient ; it was arranged so four men could take hold of cranks like a grind stone and made to grind much faster. Then we all thought that we had found a paradise." Henry Dubbs was the first settler in the west part of Liberty Township. He came from Ashland County and entered the land upon which he built his home. He had one son, Lewis, and two daughters : Ann, who married Ebenezer Donaldson, of Grand Rapids, and Sarah, who married Daniel Barton, of Milton Township. Mr. Dubbs and his son, Lewis, were tanners by trade, and soon after their arrival built a tannery on their lands, probably the first in the county, and did a large and successful business. Lewis Dubbs was justice of the peace for twenty-seven years. He was prominent in advancing the best interests of the early settlement, and a leader in all public improvements. He was educated, kind, and generous, and his name is remembered with respect by those who know him. Guy Nearing in his early manhood came to the Maumee country from Cayuga County, New York, about the year 1817, and located at Perrysburg. Nearing was a remarkable man in many respects, and kindly remembered and frequently spoken of by the early settlers. In physical make-up he was a man of almost gigantic stature and strength, and his power of endurance was something wonderful. He was a sort of local Hercules of that day, and a terror to the Indians, great and small. Two years after Nearing came, his family, consisting of a wife and three children, followed. There were two sons and a daughter. Neptune Nearing, one of the sons, settled at an early day on the ridge and prairie three miles west of Bowling Green. In the latter part of 1825, Nearing took a contract to build five miles of the Maumee and Western Reserve pike, which he did not complete till 1827. In 1823, when the county seat was moved from Maumee to Perrysburg, there was not much to move except the little log calaboose, but Nearing hauled it over. In 1824 he helped to build for Wood County its first courthouse, a little log structure located on Front Street, Perrysburg. When he and Elisha Martindale built a new log jail, near the courthouse, they took their pay in part in two lots at $12.00 each. He died at an advanced age in 1840. The first court in Wood County was held in the second story of Almon Gibbs' store, in Maumee City. At a meeting of the county commissioners, on March 3, 1823, a contract was awarded to Daniel Hubbell and Guy Nearing for a courthouse to cost $895. In the same month, at a special session, Daniel Hub, bell was awarded $48 for moving the log jail over from Maumee, and the auditor was authorized to spend a sum not to exceed $25 for its repairs. Authority was given to the auditor to advertise and sell 105 lots to pay for the courthouse, at a minimum price of $20 each. In 1837, a second courthouse at Perrysburg was built by the commissioners. This building was in the Roman-Doric style, and was 50 by 70 feet in dimensions. The specifications provided that "the foundation be stone and the roof be similar to that of the Universalist church building with the cupaloe' on the end of the house." This building was constructed of brick, and was HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 633 not completed until 1843. It was used until 1870, and was burned three years later. The city hall was then constructed on the site. The third courthouse was erected at Bowling Green, when the county seat was removed to that town. It was used until 1895, in which year the cornerstone of the splendid new temple of justice was placed on the 4th of July with impressive ceremonies. In 1828 another jail was authorized, which was not completed until, the close of 1848. This building was in use until the seat of justice was removed to Bowling Green. At that time a jail was ordered to be built in that town, with a provision that the stone, iron and other material of the old jail at Perrysburg should be used in the new one. LAW AND MEDICINE The first attorney whose name appears on the court records is C. J. McCurdy, and he was also the initial prosecuting attorney of the county. Among the early attorneys were Thomas W. Powell, John C. Spink, Isaac Stetson, Henry C. Stowell, Hezekiah L. Hosmer, and Willard V. Way. Mr. Hosmer was afterwards named as chief justice of Montana. John C. Spink was known throughout the entire valley as a "good lawyer and the soul of honor." He was the first mayor of Perrysburg. " Count" Coffinberry was a noted character and has been mentioned in several chapters. Asher Cook was the first probate judge of the county. James Murray, afterwards attorney general of Ohio, practiced here for a few years. Francis Hollenback came to Perrysburg in 1847, and practiced there until his death, almost half a century later. One of the best known of the early lawyers, and who became the second prosecuting attorney, was Thomas W. Powell, who was born in South Wales in 1797. In 1802 he came with his parents to America, and settled in Utica, New York. During the war with Great Britain, although then a mere youth, he drove his father's team with the baggage of a regiment to Sacketts Harbor. In 1814 he was appointed by the military authorities to carry dispatches to Plattsburg, and at the close of that battle entered the town with dispatches for General McCombs. In the year 1819 he came to Ohio and studied law in the office of James W. Lathrop, at Canton, and was admitted to the bar in the following year. He removed to Perrysburg, where he filled successively several official positions. In the discharge of his official duties he was noted for his probity and industry, as well as his ability. In 1830 he removed to Delaware, where he resided until his death. Willard V. Way was born in Otsego County, New York, in 1807. After graduating at Union College, he read law for a time, after which he removed to Painesville, Ohio. He finished his law studies there and located in Perrysburg in the year 1834. Though not an eloquent jury lawyer, Mr. Way attained the reputation of being an excellent and safe counselor. He held several county offices, among others that of auditor, and in every position he occupied he showed both care and ability. He was a politician of considerable foresight and sagacity, and did more probably than any other man to build up the democratic party in Wood County. He was of a literary turn of mind, and took a great interest in educational matters- and the pioneer history of the Maumee Valley. He wrote and published a pamphlet giving a history of the "Ohio-Michigan War," which was an amusing and rather interesting account of the state boundary line contest. In his will the Union School of Perrysburg was given $5,000 in perpetuity, the interest of which is to go toward defraying the college expense of some well recommended graduate of said schools. His homestead and six village lots were given to the town for a public park. The balance of the proceeds of the estate were to be used 634 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO in the purchase of a lot and the construction of a suitable building for a library and the purchase of books in such manner as the town council may think best, but for no other purpose. The splendid Way Library stands as a memorial to this public spirited man. Henry. W. Dodge was born February 4, 1830, in Onondaga County, New York. He received his early education in his native town, and at the age of sixteen was sent to the St. John's College, New York City. He came to Perrysburg in 1852 and finished his law studies with the firm of Spink & Murray, being admitted to the bar in 1855. Upon the death of Mr. Spink, Mr. Dodge became a partner of James Murray, which partnership continued until Mr. Murray's election as attorney general of Ohio, in 1859. In 1877 Mr. Dodge was elected judge of the common pleas court, holding this position for a term of ten years with marked distinction. Leaving out of consideration the military surgeons who accompanied General Hull, or those with General Harrison, the honor of being the pioneer physician is accorded to Doctor Barton, who located at, the foot of the rapids about 1814 or 1815. For four or five years he administered to the reds and whites impartially, and with little regard to remuneration. He was still there when Doctor Conant arrived in 1816 and when Dr. J. Thurstin reached there in the following year. Dr. Walter Colton began his practice in the year 1823, and remained for about four years, when he removed to Monroe. Dr. William Wood, who located at Perrysburg in 1828, became the first resident physician within the present county. Dr. Erasmus D. Peck settled.at Perrysburg in 1834, and entered upon the arduous duties of his profession. In addition to his work as physician, he was interested in a number of business enterprises. In 1869 he was elected to the United States Congress, which office he filled with honor to himself and his con stituents. His most sublime work, however, was during the terrible cholera scourge in the summer of 1854. "Between the 20th of July and the middle of August one hundred and twenty persons died. Many of the citizens left, and of those who remained, all who did not die were engaged in taking care of the sick and burying the dead. Stores were closed and business suspended. No one came to the suffering town. Even travelers whose route lay through the town went round it. The reality of death stared everyone in the face. At first the terror and excitement among the citizens were indescribable, and all who could sought safety in flight. The door of his drug store was left open night and day and the people helped themselves * * * At the commencement of the epidemic his partner, Dr. James Robertson, was among its first victims. This left him alone to contend with this incomprehensive destroyer single-handed. But he never faltered, nor for a moment quailed before the death-dealing scourge, that was blindly putting forth its unseen power, which killed where it touched. Wearied and worn down by constant fatigue, he nevertheless rallied his powers, and hurried with unfaltering footsteps to each new demand for his aid. "During those days and night of terrible anxiety and suffering, he was almost constantly on the go, in no instance refusing to obey a call, until threatened with inflammation of the brain from loss of sleep. The citizens placed a guard around his house at night to keep away callers, and allow him a, few hours' rest to prepare him for the labors of the coming day. His answers to those who sought to induce him to abandon his duty, was : 'I came to Perrysburg to minister to the sick, and I shall not abandon them now, when they most need my services. The physicians' place is at the bedside of the sick HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 635 and dying, not by the side of roses in gardens of pleasure.' " THE PRESS The earliest newspaper published in Wood County, and in the Maumee Valley, was the Miami of the Lake, by Jessup W. Scott and Henry Darling. The first number of this paper was issued December 11, 1833, but it was sold a few months later to J. Austin Scott. The paper continued to be published until the 10th of March, when the name was changed to the Perrysburg Star, and later the Perrysburg Journal. It was started as a whig paper and so continued until the fall of 1854, when the republican party drove the old whig party from the field. The Journal became an advocate of the principles of the republican party, which it continues to maintain. It is one of the oldest publications in this section of the state. The next paper issued in Wood County was the Wood County Packet, of Perrysburg. This paper was democratic in politics, and it was said to have been ably conducted during the brief period while it existed. It was started in the year 1838 or 1839, and collapsed in the year 1841, immediately after the memorable hard cider and coon stick campaign. Soon after another democratic paper started at Perrysburg, about the year 1847, called The Democrat, but there remains nothing from which its history can be learned. Albert D. Wright commenced the publication of the Northwestern Democrat, a democratic paper, as its name indicates. The first issue of this paper was on the 22d of May, 1852, and Mr. Wright continued the publication until his death by cholera in the summer of 1854. At the resumption of business after the cholera, the publication of the Northwestern Democrat was resumed. The name was afterwards changed to the Maumee Valley Democrat, with Lewis C. Stumm as publisher. It continued to be published under that name until 1857, when the name was again changed to The Democrat, until for want of support its publication ceased. In the year 1862 The Independent was started at Perrysburg, and continued to be published here until it was removed to Toledo, and the name was changed to the Democratic Record. The Buckeye Granger, a paper sufficiently indicate by its name, was started at Perrysburg on the 10th of November, 1874, for the purpose of advocating the principles and advancing the interests of the " Grangers." It was neutral in politics, but finally became the democratic organ of the county, continuing as such until its collapse. The contest between Perrysburg and Bowling Green in the year 1866, over the removal of the county seat, called into existence the Advocate at Bowling Green, the publication of which was discontinued in a short time after the election in that year. Its motto was "Be Just and Fear Not," and the editor was Frank C. Colley. In January, 1867, the first number of The Sentinel was issued, and subsequently the name was changed to the Wood County Sentinel. This paper from the beginning advocated the principles of the republican party. C. W. Evers was editor for a number of years, as also was the late M. P. Brewer. The Daily Sentinel was first issued in 1874. In the fall of 1874 J. D. Baker commenced the publication of the Wood County Democrat, but discontinued after about four months and sold the press to Bowling Green parties, who began the publication of the Wood County News in May, 1875. This paper had a lively existence until in November, after the election, when the News was merged with the Sentinel, and was numbered among the things that have been. The Wood County Tribune was established in 1889, with C. S. Van Tassel as editor. Three years later The Evening Tribune, a daily, made its appearance. The Sentinel and Tribune are now 636 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO combined as the Sentinel-Tribune. The Wood County Democrat is also published in Bowling Green. The Weston Avalanche was first published on the 3d of June, 1875, and the publication continued for a few months, when it ceased, and shortly after the Weston Free Press was started to take its place. Then followed the Weston Reporter and The Weston Herald, the last named being still published. The New Baltimore Enterprise was commenced in 1875, but it did not last long. In 1884 the North Baltimore Beacon appeared upon the horizon, with A. H. Balsley and Company as the publishers, and still sheds its beacon light. The Times was removed from Bairdstown to North Baltimore, and is still published. The Bloomdale Derrick appeared during the oil excitement in 1888. The Pemberville Independent was first published in 1876, and two years later the Pemberville Brick Block was given to the public. The Pemberville Reporter was established in 1885, and was succeeded by the Wood County Index. This paper in turn yielded the field to the Pemberville Leader, which still appears regularly. Newspapers are also published at Grand Rapids, Cygnet, Tontogany, Prairie Depot, and Bradner. Other papers that have had a brief existence in Bowling Green were the Bowling Green Journal, the Wood County Republican, the Bowling Green News, the Wood County Agitator, The Reporter, the Wood County Gazette, the Daily Gazette, the Wood County, News, and the Wood County Free Press. OIL Many of the residents of this portion of Ohio well remember the intense excitement in the '80s following the discovery of oil in Wood County. Pen cannot describe the wild, feverish unrest and anxiety that prevailed among all citizens. Investors and speculators were attracted to the county by hundreds. It was the day of - the gusher. While oil was struck in different counties in Northwest Ohio, Wood County, in the heart of the Black Swamp, proved to be the greatest oil center on the continent for a time. It was not equaled then even in Pennsylvania. Oil was found in no less than sixteen townships, indicating that hundreds of feet beneath was a vast lake of oil. Prices for land went skyward. Farms that previously could have been purchased for from $10 to $50 an acre could not be had for less than hundreds of dollars per acre. One farmer who had a tract of fifty acres, which he would have gladly disposed of at $50 an acre before that discovery, declared he would not sell under $30,000, and he didn't even care for that. Values went to a high level throughout the county and, although there has been a decline from the high standard of that period, they are maintained today at a high level, when compared with prices before the oil period. More than half of the oil workers in the Wood County field came from Pennsylvania, and were experts in the business. They not only came themselves, but brought their household goods, their families, and all the property that they had. It is because of this fact that the county is dotted everywhere with little and big towns. There are more villages within its borders than any other of the twenty counties in Northwest Ohio. The first oil field to develop within the county was at North Baltimore, in December, 1886. After the drill penetrated the Trenton rock without any signs of oil, the owner and drillers were about to give up the search in despair. It was finally decided to go down another 100 or 200 feet. At last oil answered the drill and an attempt to plug the hole was unsuccessful. Thousands of barrels flowed out over the surrounding land. It was a 600 barrel well and maintained its production for a considerable time. This was the first well of any importance drilled in the county, and HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 637 in 1887 four gushers were completed, yielding 1,200, 4,800, 15,000, and 800 barrels, respectively. Two gushers in 1888 gave 3,000 and 1,250 barrels. Eight gushers in 1889 yielded 27,100 barrels. In 1890 one gusher gave 600 barrels. Nearly a score of wells drilled in 1891 yielded 7,300 barrels. In 1892 twenty gushers yielded 36,600 barrels. In 1893 there were recorded twenty-two gushers yielding 16,000 barrels. In 1894 four gushers produced 3,300 barrels. Several gushers were struck in 1895 that poured forth 4,000 barrels. Other gushers were recorded in the years 1896, 1897, and 1898, with an average production of 500 barrels each. In 1901 a 1,200 barrel producer was drilled in Liberty Township. These figures are taken from the oil reports as given in the newspapers at that time. Hundreds of other gushers too numerous to mention were completed throughout Wood County, making it one of the wealthiest counties in the state. At the present time the production of oil has greatly decreased, but it is still an important industry. The entire county is covered by a network of main and district pipe lines. FORT MEIGS MONUMENT After a long fight the Ohio Legislature was induced, in 1906, to appropriate the sum of $25,000, to erect a shaft on the site of Fort Meigs to commemorate the memory of the brave heroes who died in the defense of that fortress. Especial honor is due to the Maumee Valley Pioneer and Historical Society for its untiring efforts. The members wanted an appropriate monument to mark the limit of British victories, and of her encroachment upon American territory. A commission, consisting of John L. Pray, of Toledo, Charles W. Shoemaker, of Waterville, and J. B. Wilson, of Bowling Green, was appointed. The ground on which the monument stands was then purchased. The 1st of September, 1908, will long be remembered by the citizens of Northwest Ohio. On that day the beautiful granite monument that now surmounts Fort Meigs was dedicated with inspiring ceremonies. The monument rises to the height of 82 feet, and has been erected in memory of the dead of Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, who fell in the battle around Fort Meigs. On two sides of the big shaft are bronze inscriptions, and on the others are phrases in raised granite letters. All four tell of the deeds of these men who fought and bled to save their country from the English, and who were buried on the Fort Meigs grounds, on which the monument stands. There is nothing extravagant about the Fort Meigs Monument, and no carved figures surround it. It is a simple, magnificent stone column. It is symbolic of the patriotic spirit of the people of today, and of their great love and gratitude for the hardy men of the War of 1812, who, by their bravery and death, made it possible to erect a shaft in their memory on United States soil, instead of on 638 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO a possession of Great Britain. The obelisk is 66 feet in height. From the base it tapers from 6 feet square to 4 feet square near the top. At the tip it has been cut to a perfect point. Early on the afternoon of the day of dedication, Governor Harris, of Ohio, and his party arrived, when a salute of seventeen guns was thundered from the field pieces of Battery B, under command of Capt. Grant S. Taylor. When the bunting which draped the newly-completed monument was drawn by the hand of David Robinson, Jr., whose father was a soldier at the siege of Fort Meigs, four guns of the battery belched forth another salute, and the band burst into patriotic music, which was almost drowned by the cheers from the thousands who had assembled. BOWLING GREEN A great deal of speculation has been indulged in as to the origin of the name Bowling Green. It was named after the town of that name in Kentucky, by Joseph Gordon, who carried the mail from Bellefontaine to Perrysburg. At that time there was but one family along the route in Hardin County, and only one postoffice on the way, and that was at Findlay. A move was set on foot to establish a new postoffice at Bowling Green. Jacob Stouffer's cabin here was the central point of the new postoffice movement. Henry Walker, son-in-law of Stouffer, was to be the postmaster. The Walkers and Stouffers occupied a cabin which stood on the high ridge just east of Main Street. Gordon on one of his northward trips had stopped at Stouffer's, as was his usual custom in passing. The petition for the new office was ready, except that the customers had not yet agreed upon a name. The old mail carrier who stood on the cabin steps listening to the discussion, said to Stouffer, half jestingly, "if you will give me a tumbler of cider I'll give you just the name." Stouffer filled a glass, and handed it to Gor don. The latter, briefly explaining how appropriate the name he would suggest was to the landscape about them, said, with a sweep of his arm : "Here's to the new postoffice of Bowling Green." Those present detained him a moment until they could write the name in the petition. The papers were soon on their way to Perrysburg for some additional endorsements, after which they were sent to Washington. The office was established March 12, 1834. In 1835, when Walker sold his place, he and the Stouffers moved over to the west side of Main Street, where the office was kept for a time, since which it has had, many different locations and masters. When the village was incorporated, there seemed no good reason why it should not take the same name as the post-office, under which name it had been going in fact since in the early '50s. There were not many settlers in Bowling Green at this time. Robert Mackey had a store at the Napoleon Road, which he intended as the nucleus of a village to be called Mount Ararat. John Hannon had a tavern in another direction. Then it was that L. C. Locke was sent here to open up a store. He tried to buy the store at Mount Ararat, but failed—then that town disappeared from history. Locke purchased another site and built a building, which answered for both residence and store. This was in what is now the central part of the city. His trade rapidly grew. The Locke store soon passed the primitive stage and drew custom for many miles in each direction. He established an ashery on a large scale, which gave employment to a number of men. He exchanged merchandise for farm products, and thus became a forwarding agent as well as a merchant. To his enterprise and business acumen was due much of the growth of Bowling Green. He also served for a time as postmaster of the village. The attempt to remove the county seat from Perrysburg to Bowling Green caused a HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 639 ten years' struggle. The feeling was intense, and there was bitter denunciation on both sides during the contest. It began in 1865, and was not definitely and permanently settled until in the fall of 1875. The first election on the proposition was held in 1866, and resulted in favor of the removal from Perrysburg to Bowling Green. The citizens of Bowling Green entered into a bond to build as good a courthouse and jail at Bowling Green as those at Perrysburg were at the time they were built, on condition that the material of the old building at Perrysburg, and the lots on which they stood should be given to them. If the conditions were fulfilled, the county seat was not to be taxed for either courthouse or jail. Those interested in the removal proceeded in good faith to carry out their pledge. When they were ready, they made complete arrangements to transport the old material from Perrysburg to Bowling Green. They were then prevented by the court, which had been invoked by those opposed to the removal, and they never received one cent from the sale of the property of the county at Perrysburg. Thus this condition on which the bond hinged was not available. Judge Phelps, probate judge, removed his office from Perrysburg as soon as the courthouse at Bowling Green was ready, transacting business there a year or more before the other offices followed. The year following the completion of the new courthouse, it was destroyed by fire. After considerable litigation an enabling act was secured to give the people another opportunity to vote on the removal question, this time to take the county offices back to Perrysburg. The Perrysburg interests had rebuilt their courthouse most substantially, and in better condition than ever, and the vote on removal was again taken on the 12th of October, 1875. The election resulted in a large vote throughout the county. It was indeed an extraordinarily large vote, but the vote in Perrysburg capped the climax. The ballot box, when opened, revealed the number of ballots cast in favor of removal was 3,016, while 1,000 would have been large. The vote on governor at that election was very close and, when Ezra S. Dodd, of Toledo, heard of Perrysburg's vote, he at once sent a telegram to John G. Thompson, chairman of the Democratic State Executive Committee, asking: "Would 1,000 from Wood be of any good ?" That telegram has now become quite a familiar phrase in politics. The vote of Perrysburg was thrown out without much ceremony, and the vote against removal proved to be a large and unmistakable majority. Thus ended that memorable struggle. Bowling Green was incorporated in the year 1855 as a village. Doctor Lamb was the initial mayor. The records of the first decade have been destroyed, so that it is impossible to give a complete list of the first officials. In 1866 E. H. Hull was clerk, Doctor Cargo treasurer, and A. Walker was marshal. The councilmen were William Calihan, J. V. Owens, A. Ordway, G. J. Rogers, and Lucius Boughton. N. R. Harrington was elected the first city solicitor in 1888, when the office was created. The Bowling Green Railroad Company was organized in 1874 to give the village rail connection with the outside world. Although opinion was divided, it was decided to build a line to Tontogany to connect with the D. & M. Ry. Right of way was donated, as well as much labor. Many subscriptions were made by individuals. Discarded rails were purchased and an aged locomotive, called "Old Huldah," was secured. The road was opened for business in 1875. The engine was not very reliable, but with careful coaxing it answered the needs of the line and managed to make trips fairly regularly. From the start the road met expenses. In 1886 it was consolidated with the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad, now the property of the Baltimore and Ohio system. 640 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO NORTH BALTIMORE. A small settlement existed on the site of the present North Baltimore from early days. A grist-mill had been constructed there in 1834, by Thomas Whitelock, but nothing was done towards the building of a town until the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It was in 1874 that the plat of the village was recorded by B. L. Peters, the owner. The first brick house in the village was erected by John Schatzel, in 1874. About the same time a hotel was conducted by William Witten. The village was at first known as New Baltimore, but had scarcely risen above the dignity of a hamlet until the name was changed to North Baltimore. When the postoffice was established there, Lincoln P. Hudson was named as the postmaster. A petition of eighty-one residents was filed in 1875, asking for incorporation as a village. This petition was granted by the commissioners in the following year. The first mayor of the city was B. L. Peters. The initial clerk was William T. Thomas. PEMBERVILLE The first white settler in the vicinity of Pemberville was Asahel Powers, in the '30s. A saw-mill existed there as early as 1836, which was resorted to by the pioneers for many miles around. It was a simple upright mill, and stood on the banks of the Portage River. This mill was afterwards bought by James Pember, and it was he who caused the original survey of the town to be made in 1854, by S. H. Bell. This little plat was divided into twenty-six lots, and it was named after the owner. Charles Stahier had established a general store here a few years previously, and remained in business for almost a third of a century. The second merchant was Ira Banks, who afterwards removed to Weston. Before the platting of the town, a little settlement was known as "The Forks." The establishment of a stave factory gave employment to a number of men, and the town began to grow. When the postoffice was established there, Hiram Pember was named as the postmaster. A petition for incorporation was presented in 1876, and almost immediately an equally strong remonstrance was submitted to the county commissioners. The petition was granted, however, and the village was ordered to be organized. The first officers elected were George M. Bell, mayor ; O. E. Hyde, clerk ; and Silas Ralston, marshal. The first school building was " raised at The Forks" in 1835 by the neighborhood. Almyra Webster taught the first class during the summer for a salary of $1 a week, and a permit to " board around." PRAIRIE DEPOT The ground on which the Village of Prairie Depot now stands was surveyed in 1836, by John Bailey and Henry Buchtel. In that same year Michael Brackley and T. F. Frisbie built a log cabin in which they placed a stock of general merchandise. About the same time Michael Hanline erected a larger log house, in which he conducted a tavern. As there were other postoffices near the town, an office was not established here for some time, but when established it was given the name of Prairie Depot. This was in spite of the fact that the town was then known as Freeport, and as such it was incorporated in 1836. The first mayor of the town was W. R. Brandt. GRAND RAPIDS One of the old towns in Wood County was Gilead, on the banks of the Maumee. It is now known as Grand Rapids. The original plat of Gilead was made by J. B. Graham in 1831. In 1855 a number of persons met in Toledo and passed a resolution "that the Man- HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 641 mee River and Maumee Bay be hereafter known as the Grand Rapids River and Grand Rapids Bay." The local press of the "Grand Rapids Valley" was requested to publish this action. The chairman of the meeting was S. J. Kuder, and the secretary was W. M. Scott. Public sentiment did not approve the change, and the only action resulting was the substitution of that name for Gilead. In 1832 Guy Nearing built a saw-mill at Bear Rapids, on the Maumee, and, with Joshua Chappel, laid out the Village of Otsego, which for a time bid fair to outstrip its competitors in growth and importance, but, in the progress of human affairs, the village died as did the Village of Benton, which David Hedges laid out, about 11/2 miles below Otsego. In 1828 Alexander Brown and his father-in-law, Jos. North, were the first settlers to move back from the river into the dense forests that lay thick and dark between the river and the broad, grassy swamp known as Keeler's Prairie. Mr. Brown located a heavily timbered tract of land along Beaver Creek, or, as it was also then called, "Minard's Creek," and built the first cabin in a beautiful beech and maple grove. The beautiful bluff banks of Beaver Creek, covered thickly with forests of sugar maple, beech, oak, and hickory timber, rapidly attracted the attention of settlers, and ere long Mr. Brown had neighbors on all sides of him. Grand Rapids (Gilead) was surveyed in 1833 for John A. Graham. The first merchant was Nicholas Gee, who opened a store in a log building in that same year. Mr. Graham built a mill-race and a dam to run a saw and gristmill. The village was incorporated in 1855 as Grand Rapids. Emanuel Arnold was elected to the office of mayor, A. C. Davis was chosen at the same time as clerk. The first postoffice, established in 1832, was known as Weston, with Edward Howard as postmaster. In 1868 it was changed from Gilead to Grand Rapids. Vol. I-41 WESTON Weston Township was created in 1831. The first election ever held in Weston Township was on the 4th day of April, 1831, when all of the voters met at the house of Edward Howard, and proceeded to elect themselves, for at that first election there were barely enough intelligent voters to fill the offices. The first officers were as follows : trustees, Edward Howard, Wm. Pratt and Emanuel Arnold; treasurer, R. M. Howard ; clerk, R. A. Howard ; poor overseers, M. P. Morgan and Jas. Donaldson ; constables, Wm. North and Wm. Wonderly ; fence viewers, Wm. Loughry and Joseph North ; justices of the peace, Alexander Brown and Emanuel Arnold. James Donaldson was also elected road supervisor, and the only road that came under his supervision was the road leading along down the river bank from the settlement to Fort Meigs, which was a poor excuse of a road at that time, being only partially chopped out and not worked at all. For the care of this, the only road in the township, except the Indian trails, Mr. Donaldson received the princely salary of 75 cents. The only other officer who received any salary during the first year was the treasurer, R. M. Howard, who drew 75 cents. So for $1.50 Weston Township was as peacefully governed during its first year as she has ever been since that date. The Village of Weston was not started until in 1854, when the Taylor saw-Mill began operations. Half a century ago the site of the town was all farm land, and used as such. In 1854 Jonathan Cram built his shanty, started a saloon, and kept a few groceries. Benjamin West came in 1854, and located his forge across the street. His shop was a mere shanty. In 1855 Levi Taylor built a building, and, in the fall of that year, put in the first stock of dry goods and groceries. The village received railroad facilities in 1873. Sanford Baldwin was elected mayor in the 642 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO same year, and Frank M. Young was chosen clerk. VILLAGES The original Town of Bradner was surveyed in 1875 by John Bradner and Ross Crocker, of Fostoria, and H. G. Caldwell, of the village. They purchased thirty-four acres, and named the town in honor of Mr. Bradner. After the survey of the village, J. G. and David Stephens established a grocery store, and Mr. Caldwell opened a hotel. The postoffice was established in 1877, with T. H. Peters as the postmaster. With the discovery of oil, the town began to grow. It was incorporated in 1889, upon the petition of forty-one residents, and at the first election the following year, J. E. Furste was elected mayor. The first clerk was Jonathan E. Ladd. The earliest settlement in the neighborhood of Risingsun was in 1834, when Benjamin Wollam built a pole shanty there with the aid of an Indian. George Strause constructed the first frame building there in 1849, and in 1866 William Shoup opened up a small store. The place was first known as St. Elms, and then it was designated by the residents as Coon Town. It was finally given the name of Rising Sun, and is now spelled as one word, Risingsun. The village was surveyed in 1876. It became vested with the dignity of an incorporated village in 1879, and E. F. Day was chosen as the first mayor. The office of clerk was held by Ray Gilmore. Second only to Perrysburg in its beginning as a trading point was the Village of Portage. As early as 1829 Collister Haskins built a log cabin there, in which he installed goods for trading purposes. For a. number of years his dealings were principally with the Indians. The white settlers gradually began to come into the neighborhood, however, and the little settlement increased. For a number of years it was a very primitive settlement. The village was not incorporated until 1857, when a petition signed by thirty persons was presented to the county commissioners. This petition was granted, and an election ordered. At this election James McFadden was chosen as the first mayor, and I. M. VanGorder as the first clerk. Bloomdale arose with the building of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. At that time the old postoffice of Bloom was transferred to the new town, in the year 1877. The village was incorporated in 1887, and A. B. Probert was elected mayor. M. G. Snyder was the first clerk. R. A. Emerson was the initial postmaster. Bairdstown was platted in 1874 by Josiah Baird. It was incorporated in 1881, and Levi Kistler had the distinction of being chosen the mayor. Serving with him were A. B. Frankfathers, marshal, and M. C. Briggs, clerk. Cygnet was surveyed in 1883, and was named Pleasant View. An addition was surveyed for Horace S. Walbridge, which was named Cygnet. Reuben Carey was named postmaster of the town. The first house was erected by Reuben Carey. When the village was incorporated, E. A. Guy was elected mayor. The first meeting of the council was held July 29, 1889. Not far distant is Jerry City, which dates from 1861. It was formerly known as Stulltown, in honor of an early pioneer. It was next called Shiloh, and the present name was bestowed upon it in honor of Jerry Nestlerode, of Fostoria. The village was incorporated in 1875, and T. C. McEwen was the earliest mayor. Hoytville dates from 1873, when G. B. Mills and William Hoyt caused it to be surveyed. It was incorporated in 1886, upon the petition of fifty-six residents. The initial mayor of the village was Miner Wadsworth. Millbury was platted in 1864. A postoffice had earlier been established here and named Millbury, after a Massachusetts village. George Hewitt was the official in charge. The village was duly incorporated in 1874, and A. P. Meng became the first mayor. Hull Prairie HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 643 and Haskins are very close together. The former is the older settlement, but Haskins has proved to be the more vigorous. It was incorporated in 1869, and its first executive was Hezekiah N. Rush. Milton Center was platted by Andrew Hutchinson and Lewis Dubbs, in 1857. It was then surrounded by marsh land. Twelve years later it reached the dignity of an incorporated village, with F. C. Taft as its mayor. Custar was originally known as Lewisburg, when it was surveyed in 1865. The saw-mill of Daniel Scheuren, the largest in the country, drew a large force of workmen here. It was from the start practically a German hamlet. In 1881 it secured incorporation, and G. P. Thompson was the first mayor. West Millgrove was carved out of the wilderness in 1835, and is still today a very quiet little hamlet. Its original name was simply Millgrove, when surveyed for James and Rachel McCormick. It was duly incorporated in 1874. The first mayor was J. H. Moffett, who served for a dozen years. Charles Hollopeter first held the office of village clerk. The settlement of Tontogany is credited to Samuel Hamilton, who came from New York in 1830. The town site was surveyed for Willard V. Way and E. D. Peck in 1855, and named in honor of the Indian chief of that name. It was duly incorporated in 1874, and J. Patchen was chosen mayor at the first election. With him were elected T. Klussman as clerk and William Cram as the peace officer. CHAPTER XLVIII WYANDOT COUNTY CYRUS D. HARE, UPPER SANDUSKY The large reservation which was set off to members of the Wyandot tribe in the treaty at the Foot of the Rapids of the Miami, in 1817, occupied the central portion of Wyandot County. Hence it was that the early white settlements began upon the outskirts of this county, in a direction distant from seven to ten miles from Fort Ferree, which was situated where the Town of Upper Sandusky is now located. There were only a very few real settlers in the county prior to 1820, with the exception of a few "squatters" who had located near the reservation lines. These men were adventurers, who came chiefly for the purpose of trading with the Indians, and gathering into their own coffers the greater portion of the annuity moneys paid by the Government to the red men, giving them in exchange poor whisky, cheap white calicoes, brass trinkets, etc. Wyandot County is indeed historic ground. Both Delawares and Wyandots lived along the streams and hunted freely through the forests and over the prairies. The most noted spot is that where Colonel Crawford was burned in 1782. The exact-site is not known, but it was not far from the Indian village of the Delawares, known as Captain Pipe's town. A monument has been erected to the unfortunate hero near the place where his horrible death was inflicted. It was set up on a high bank, south of the Tymochtee, in 1877. This memorial was made possible through the energetic efforts of the Wyandot Pioneer Association, and was dedicated in the presence of an audi ence of 8,000 persons. Col. M. H. Kirby presided on this occasion, and Curtis Berry, Jr., acted as secretary. Prayer was offered by Rev. R. C. Colmery and Rev. John S. Sherrard, then of Bucyrus, who was a grandson of John Sherrard, a member of the Crawford expedition. A thrilling address was delivered by Gen. William H. Gibson, of Tiffin. The shaft is of Berea sandstone, 81/2 feet in height. One of the inscriptions reads as follows : "In memory of Colonel Crawford, who was burnt by the Indians in this valley June 11, A. D. 1782." The other inscription states that it was "Erected by the Pioneer Association of Wyandot County August 3, 1877." It was indeed a memorable occasion, and many of the old pioneers were present to share in the honors of the occasion and recount their tales of the scenes and hardships of the early days in the wilds of Wyandot. Many of them ranged in ages from seventy to ninety years. The original settlers of the county were chiefly of English and German origin. In the early years the English elements largely predominated, but .at the present time it is probable that the German people and their descendants are in the ascendency. One of the very first white men of whom we have a record in the county was Ebenezer Roseberry, who was a somewhat noted hunter and frontier sportsman. When Anthony Bowsher reached the county in the neighborhood of Little Sandusky, in the spring of 1819, he found Roseberry already there, and said that he had been there for some two or three years, - 644 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 645 and during that time had placed his private mark upon scores of the wild hogs that roamed the forests. Major Bowsher, as he was latterly called, built a small cabin and began to improve his tract of land. About 1828 he erected a large building in which he conducted a hotel and store. He constructed a race track, and for many years Bowsherville was a favorite rendezvous of sportsmen in this and adjoining counties. John Wilson, Walter Woolsey, Ora Bellis, William and Samuel Morral, and Nehamiah Staley were also among the earliest settlers here. Little Sandusky, originally an Indian village, gradually grew into an important settlement. The first house in the settlement was built by John Wilson in 1820. In the same year another cabin was erected by Walter Woolsey, and a store was conducted there by Ora Bellis. The first white child born in the village was Henrietta, daughter of Joseph and Chlorine Wilson, on May 27, 1822. The village was regularly platted in 1830, by Dr. Stephen Fowler, John Wilson, and Walter Woolsey. Doctor Fowler was an unusually able physician for the pioneer days, and he had a large practice over a wide territory. Cornelius Wilson built a large store here in 1830, which he conducted for fifteen years. For a time Little Sandusky was a very prosperous trading settlement. A daily line of stages ran from Columbus to Detroit, and its outlook for future greatness was most flattering. The construction of railroads, none of which touched the village, destroyed its prospects, and so Little Sandusky has remained a small but exceedingly proud village. Another favorite settlement among the early settlers was along the Tymochtee. The first white settler there of whom we have record was Henry Lish, who came about 1816, or the year following. In the earliest days of the settlement, he established a Government ferry across that stream. It was at his home that the first election was held in the county, on the 1st day of April, 1821, when it was still a part of Crawford. Michael Brackley, who sat in both houses of the Legislature, was also a very early settler. Ira Arkens and Joseph Chaffee opened up the very first taverns. Peter Baum, William Combs, Levi Baum, John Taylor, and John Bogart, and a number of others located themselves in what is now Belle Vernon. From 1820 to 1835 very many settlers established themselves in this neighborhood. James Whittaker opened up the first store at Tymochtee, and Samuel Kenan also kept a hotel in that settlement for many years. The first saw and grist-mill was erected by Elijah Brayton. The first white child born was Ralph Lish, son of Henry Lish. The premier schoolhouse was located on the land of Jehu Berry, and its first schoolmaster was John A. Morrison. John Beam was one of the early settlers at McCutchensville. The village began its official existence in 1829, when it was laid out by Dr. G. W. Sampson, for Col. Joseph McCutchen, after whom it was named. Doctor Sampson erected the first building in the village. The first store was established by Aaron Welsh. One of the early names was James Wright, who had spent many years as a captive of the Indians, and for whom he had worked as a silversmith. McCutchensville became an important village in the early days. When this section was a part of Crawford County, it was a strong rival of Bucyrus for the location of the seat of justice of that county. It then actually had more inhabitants than its successful competitor, and the white man's town of Upper Sandusky had not been born. Today it is a prosperous village, but has never attained great proportions. In the year 1821 Samuel Harper settled in the neighborhood of Sycamore, and built the first log cabin in that vicinity. His sons, William, James, Samuel G., and George, and three daughters came with him. The father, a native of the Emerald Isle, had served as 646 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and had been wounded at the battle of Bunker Hill. He died in October, 1821, but his sons remained, and some of their descendants still live there. Alexander Morrow came with Harper, and Peter Baum, Sr., arrived about fifteen days later. With Baum came Daniel Walters, who afterwards married one of his daughters. Ichabod Myron, Rufus Merriman, John Eyestone, George Kisor, and many others came stringing along within a period of two or three years. A little later came Jacob Hershberger, Samuel Caughey, Levi Pennington, Adam Coon, and quite a number of others. The first saw-mill was established by William Griffith in 1830. The first election was held at the home of George Kisor, near Petersburg (Deunquat), in 1822, when a full board of township officers was elected. The first marriage was that of Daniel Walters and Susannah Baum, and they were the parents of twins, Susannah and Barbara, the first white children born in that vicinity. George Harper started the first store to supply the early settlers with merchandise. John Kirby came to the county in 1819, and settled near Wyandot, where he reared a large family of children. Jacob Coon arrived in the same year in that neighborhood. Col. M. H. Kirby reached there in 1820, and became one of the wealthiest and most prominent citizens. John Kirby was the first merchant of Wyandot Village, which was just outside the reservation line. Asa Lake and Nehemiah Early reached the county in 1819, and settled between the Big Spring and Wyandot reservations. They were men of families and took up government land. Daniel Hodges built the first brick house near Crawfordsville in 1821. Christopher Baker followed the old Harrison Trail from Delaware and reached this locality in 1822. John Carey, generally known as Judge Carey, located there a little later, but soon acquired great prominence in the county, and at one time represented the district in Congress. The territory now included within Wyandot County was originally a part of several of the adjoining counties. From the setting aside of the reservation in 1817 until the formation of counties in 1820, there was very little civil administration in the county. A part of it was included in Crawford, Hancock, Hardin, and Marion counties. Although none of the territory was within what is now Seneca County, the northern part was for a time placed within that county for judicial purposes only. When the first election was held in 1821, at the home of Henry Lish, Ira Arnold and Seth Crocker acted as clerks of the election, while John Gordon, James Richards, and James Whitehead served as judges. There were thirteen legal voters present. The result was that Ira Arnold was elected clerk; John Gordon, James Richards and Ichabod Merriman, trustees ; Elijah Brayton and Rufus Merriman, appraisers; Elijah Brayton, lister; Thomas Leeper, treasurer ; Phillip Pier and Henry Lish, supervisors; Myron Merriman and James Whitehead, fence viewers; Isaac Walker, constable ; Syrpien Stephen, justice of the peace. The election must have been a happy one, because everyone of the legal voters was able to secure an office for himself. The county did not settle rapidly until after the Indians were removed in 1843, and the Indian lands were opened up to the white settlers by an act of the Legislature, approved February 3, 1845, and entitled "An act to erect the new county of Wyandott and alter the boundaries of the county of Crawford," was passed. In accordance with this act, on the 7th of April, 1845, the legal voters of the county assembled in their respective townships, at the places designated for holding elections, and proceeded to vote for the various persons named to fill the county offices. There were in the aggregate 1,289 ballots cast. As a HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 647 result of the election, the following officers were declared elected: William Griffith, Stephen Fowler, and Ethan Terry, county commissioners; Abner Jurey, treasurer; Samuel M. Worth, auditor; Lorin A. Pease, sheriff ; John A. Morrison, recorder; Albert Bixby, coroner ; Azaria Root, surveyor ; and Chester R. Mott, prosecuting attorney. Of these newly elected officials, four were classed as Whigs, and the remainder as democrats. These gentlemen at once attached their signatures to the required oath of office, filed their bonds of indemnity, and within two weeks were prepared for the transaction of public business in such apartments as the new and primitive town afforded. For a long time the spelling of the name of the county was uncertain. It was written as Wyandot, Wyandott, and Wyandotte. Soon after the organization the spelling Wyandot was legally adopted and entered upon the records. Among other items of business transacted on the day of the first meeting of the commissioners, on April 16th, was the following : "Resolved, That the proposition of Moses H. Kirby to transfer his possessory right to the Indian Council House at Upper Sandusky, to the county of Wyandot be accepted, and the Auditor authorized to issue an order in favor of Col. Kirby for $30 in full payment of his interest in said house. "Resolved, That the different officers of Wyandot County be authorized to obtain the necessary cheap furniture for the use of their respective offices, and present their bill to the Board of Commissioners at the June session. "Resolved, That the Auditor of Wyandot County is hereby authorized to procure the necessary abstracts from the tax duplicates of Crawford, Marion, Hardin and Hancock Counties, and that he procure, if need be, the services of the Auditors of the said counties respectively to assist him in obtaining the same. "Resolved, That the Auditor cause such repairs to be made upon the upper part of the Council House as will be required for the accommodation of the county officers." A few days later the following proceedings were had: "Upper Sandusky, Wyandot County, Ohio, "April 29, 1845. "The Commissioners of Wyandot County this day met, and after a due consideration of the proposition for the establishment of the seat of justice of Wyandot County at the town of Upper Sandusky, adopted the following preamble and resolutions: "Whereas the Congress of the United States by an act approved the 26th day of February, A. D. 1845, have granted to the Commissioners of Wyandot County, one-third part of the inlots of the said town of Upper Sandusky, upon the condition that the said Commissioners should permanently locate and fix the seat of justice of said county at the said town of Upper Sandusky. "Be It Therefore Resolved, That the seat of justice of said county of Wyandot be and hereby is permanently located and fixed at the town of Upper Sandusky. "Resolved, That the Register and Receiver of the Land Office at Upper Sandusky be requested to advise the Board of Commissioners of Wyandot County what lot or lots in the town of Upper Sandusky embrace valuable improvements made by this Indian agency at Upper Sandusky." As the county seat was now legally located at the Town of Upper Sandusky, it was decided to hold a sale of the lots granted to the county commissioners by the act of Congress. It was therefore ordered that 200 copies of sale bills be printed, and that the notice be published in the Ohio Statesman, The Ohio State Journal, and the Wyandot Telegraph. A copy of the sale bill is as follows: "The Commissioners of Wyandot County will offer the following valuable town prop- 648 - HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO erty for sale at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, upon the 20th, 21st and 22d days of August next, to wit : The in and out lots, in the town of Upper Sandusky vested in the said Commissioners by act of Congress approved February 26, 1845, being every third of the in and out lots selected by alternate and progressive numbers, amounting to 126 inlots and seventy-two outlots. "Upper Sandusky, a town laid out by the General Government, is delightfully situated on the Sandusky River, near the center of the Wyandot Reserve, and the seat of justice of the new county of Wyandot has been permanently fixed at said town. "Terms of Sale : One-fourth of the purchase money required in hand, the balance in three equal annual installments, secured by notes bearing interest." The commissioners then adjourned to the 11th of August, for the purpose of appraising the lots. On this date the board of commissioners met and the lots were priced from $25 to $500, and a little later the terms of sale were agreed upon. The sale commenced at 10 :30 o'clock a. m. on the 20th of August, 1845, and continued for three days. David Bishop, of Seneca County, acted as auctioneer. The total value of the lots sold during these three days amounted to a little over $10,000. Some of the lots were forfeited by the purchasers because of non-payment of the purchase money and were afterwards sold to other parties, a number of them many years later. In all, the officials of the county received in cash for lots sold in Upper Sandusky more than $15,000. In other words, the Government of the United States had donated to the County of Wyandot an amount sufficient to purchase the sites and to construct the first courthouse and jail. The old council house did not long suffice for the needs of the county, nor did the small blockhouse, known as the Indian Jail, long answer the needs of a county bastile. In the autumn of 1845 it was determined to build a county jail for the incarceration of malefactors. Contractors and builders were notified through the press to send in sealed proposals for the construction of this building. On the 30th of October of that year, the commissioners opened the bids, and the contract was awarded to John McCurdy, who was the lowest bidder. His bid was evidently too low, for the commissioners awarded him an additional sum of $500 above the contract price. "Ordered that the north bed-room in the back part of the jail, upstairs, be appropriated for the use of the Recorder for an office. That the Auditor be authorized to purchase stove and pipe for the use of the same and that he engage Judge McCurdy to finish the room in a suitable manner for said purpose." Thus HISTORY OF NORTHWEST OHIO - 649 read the minutes of the commissioners' meeting. On the 4th day of January, 1846, the county commissioners took the first step for the erection of a courthouse. The commissioners were authorized to insert notices in several papers offering $50 for the best draft and specifications for a courthouse building to cost from $6,000 to $9,000. In September of that year the commissioners gave the contract for building the county building to William Young for the sum of $7,000, and to be completed a year later. Because of delays in the contract, it was several years before the building was finally completed by the third contractor engaged. It was not finished until 1850, when the commissioners then authorized the auditor to sell the council house for the sum of $250. The present magnificent courthouse was completed in 1900 at a cost of $200,000, and it is one of the finest in Northwest Ohio. In 1870 the Wyandot County Infirmary was established in its present location. The first directors were A. N. Vanorsdall, Tilman Balliet, and George Harper. Prior to that time the poor were "farmed out" after a heartless form of procedure. A splendid farm was purchased and commodious buildings erected to take care of the county's unfortunates. The first court held in the county was a special term, on April 8, 1845. The members of it were the associate judges, Abel Renick, William Brown, and George W. Leith, and it was held in the office of Moses H. Kirby. Guy C. Worth was appointed clerk of courts pro tem. At another session held a few days later, Moses H. Kirby, Dr. Joseph Mason, and John D. Sears were named as county school examiners for a period of three years. The first regular session of the Court of Common Pleas of Wyandot County began July 1, 1845, in the council house, and was presided over by Judge Ozias Bowen, of Marion. He continued to preside over this court until the change brought about the adoption of the new constitution in 1851. At a meeting of the bar of the county, held at the close of the November term in 1851, resolutions were passed expressive of the esteem in which the members of the bar held the judicial service and character of Judge Bowen. Judge Lawrence W. Hall succeeded Judge Bowen on the bench, and began his first term of court in the county in March, 1852. The first case brought before the court was one brought by Peter B. Beidler against Azariah Root to contest the latter's election to the office of surveyor. The court decided against the contestant. A number of indictments were returned against persons for keeping gaming houses, taverns without licenses, nine-pin alleys, etc. A number of licenses were granted to sell liquors at $2 each. Judge Hall was the first resident attorney at Upper Sandusky of whom we have a record. He established an office for the practice of law in that village as early as the year 1843, and remained some three or four years. The old inhabitants remembered him as a rather eccentric character, but a hard worker in the cause of his clients, and a man who could pour forth in the ears of the judge and jury a stream of persuasive, grandiloquent eloquence. Many interesting incidents in connection with his cases have been related. One of his speeches ended with the following outburst of eloquence, if it may so be called : " The gentlemen may roar like a salamander, but my positions are adamantine and must prevail." In another instance, in which he was attacking the opposing counsel with withering sarcasm, he used the following language : "Why your honor ! He's a mere circumstance, a fabric, and rutabaga." The most striking quotation is the following from an address to a jury in which he referred to the opposing counsel : "Gentlemen of the jury, you may put one foot upon Hercules, and the other upon Jupiter, and lay your telescope astraddle of the sun, and gaze over this wide