CHAPTER VIII.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
The Name—The County Organized—First Court-House—How Built.
THE NAME.
SANDUSKY is derived from the language of the Wyandot tribe of Indians, who for a long time possessed the country along the Sandusky River to its source, and along Tymochtee Creek, one of its principal tributaries. The Wyandot pronunciation of the word was Sa-un-dustee; as spoken by the English interpreters, it was compressed and pronounced Sandusky, and thus the word was changed from a word of four syllables to one of three.
The signification of the word has been a matter of some question and dispute. It is, according to the best authority: "water within water pools." In the discussions about the name, it seems to have been claimed that it was derived from "Sowdousky," the name of an early Indian trader among the Wyandots. But the correctness of this claim is put in great doubt, if not entirely overcome, by the explanation of William Walker, the head chief of the Wyandots, and a man of learning and great intelligence, and fully competent to give a correct definition of the word in both languages. In 1835 Mr. Walker was at Columbus, Ohio, and in that year had a conversation with Mr. John H. James on the precise question. In this conversation Mr. James asked Mr. Walker the meaning of the word Sandusky. Mr. Walker replied that it meant "at the cold water, and should be sounded Sandoos-tee; that it carried with it the force of a preposition." The Upper Coldwater (Upper Sandusky) and Lower Coldwater (Lower Sandusky) then were descriptive Indian names, given long before the presence of the trader Sowdousky.
The word, then, taking these statements together, seems to mean a river or water-course, where cold water stands in pools. The name having this peculiar signification, in early times was used to designate the whole country along the Sandusky River and Bay. Hence, in order to give a more specific designation to different localities along the river and bay, we had in the earlier days of the white settlements of the region, Sandusky, now Sandusky City on the bay; Lower Sandusky at the lower rapids of the Sandusky River, now Fremont; Upper Sandusky, Little Sandusky and Big Sandusky, located nearer the sources of the river, and on different branches of it. The county derives its name from the Sandusky River, which runs through it nearly from north to south, but inclining to the east as It approaches the Sandusky Bay, into which it empties its waters.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.
The county was for a number of years within the boundaries of Cuyahoga county,
HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY - 95
which for some time extended over nearly all the north part of the State, and Cleveland was the seat of justice. Afterwards Huron county was organized, and Norwalk was for a time the seat of justice for all the territory west of it. The sale of the lands in the reservation of two miles square at the lower rapids of the Sandusky River, which took place in 1817, induced emigrants to settle at the place, and soon sufficient settlements were made to require a county organization. Accordingly, the county was formed by an act of the General Assembly, dated April 1, 18z0, and then included in its boundaries not only the present county of Sandusky, but also the territory which now forms the counties of Seneca and Ottawa.
At this time (1820) a number of men associated for the purpose, called the Kentucky Company, had purchased that portion of the Reserve, or nearly all of it, west of the river, and had laid out a large part into city lots. The plat denominates this survey as "the town of Sandusky." The United States had before laid out the land upon the hill east of the river into city lots, and called it Croghansville, in honor of Colonel George Croghan, the hero of Fort Stephenson.
In the county auditor's office of this county is an old, rather small record book, faded and worn but quaint and interesting in appearance as well as in the matter it contains. In a few years it may be lost amongst the rubbish of the office, or consumed by fire, and all it contains pass beyond the historian's reach, and all the facts recorded in it be forgotten. This old record is interesting, because it contains the names of men who were pioneers indeed, and who were active in organizing the county; it also gives some idea of the poverty of the early settlers, and their method of transacting public business, and at the same time is so pertinent to thesubject of this chapter that we incorporate in this collection the following extracts from it.
The title of the book is in large, coarse handwriting, entirely covering the first page, and reads as follows:
COMMISSIONERS' BOOK.
The following documents of the Commissioners Record are transcribed from the organization of Sandusky county up to January the 5th, in the year 1822, by Josiah Rumery, auditor of Sandusky county by order of the commissioners.
Test by JOSIAH RUMERY, Auditor.
Such is the title of this record, from the first two pages of which we take the following entries :
At the first meeting of the Commissioners, held at the house of Morris A. Newman, in the town of Croghansville, on Saturday, the 8th day of April, one thousand eight hundred and twenty.
No. 1.-Ordered that Jesse W. Newman be appointed Clerk of the Commissioners.
No. 2.—Ordered, that Nicholas Whitinger be appointed Treasurer of Sandusky County.
No. 3.—Ordered, that there be two blank books purchased for the use of the County.
No. 4.—Ordered that Charles B. Fitch be appointed collector for Sandusky County for the year 1820.
No. 5.—Ordered that this meeting be and is hereby adjourned until Monday, the 10th instant, at four Oclock P. M., on said day, at the house of Israel Harrington, in Sandusky,
No. 6.—Met in pursuant to adjournment at the house of Israel Harrington. on monday, the tenth day of April, 182o, when Jesse W. Newman was qualified and took the oath required by law, as Clerk of the Commissioners.
No. 7.—Be it remembered that this day personally came Jaques Hulburd, County Clerk protern, Willis E. Brown, Sheriff, Nicholas Whitinger Treasurer for the County of Sandusky, and severally gave-bonds conditioned for the faithful discharge of their several duties as required by law.
No. 8.—Ordered that this meeting be and is hereby adjourned until the 25th day of April, 1820, at 1 O'clock P. M., at the house of Morris A. Newman, in the town of Croghansville.
No. 9.—Commissioners met in pursuance to adjournment at the house of Morris A. Newman, on tuesday, the 25th of April, in the year 1820, in the town of Broghansville.
No. 10.—Ordered that Joseph Chafey be paid eleven dollars for Blank Books to be paid out of the county treasury.
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No. 11.—Organization of Thompson Township. Ordered that a township be detached from the township of Croghansville by the name of thompson; boundaries as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner of the Seneca Reservation, thence north from the Cinica Reservation to the present trailed road from Croghansville to Strong's settlement till it shall intersect the Fire-Lands, thence South with said line to the Base Line, thence west along said line till a line due north will strike the place of beginning.
Order to elect officers.—The qualified electors of the township of thompson are ordered to meet on Saturday, the 6th of May next, at the house of Joseph parmeter, for the purpose of electing their township officers, at to O'clock A. M. on said day, and then and there proceed to elect said officers as the law directs.
The foregoing extracts are a complete transcript with figures, capital letters, and spelling found on the first two pages of the old record.
The county commissioners at the time, April 8, 1820, were Moses Nichols, Jeremiah Everett, and Morris A. Newman. They met, it seems, at different places, sometimes in Croghanville, on the east side, and at other times at Sandusky, on the west side of the river.
In 1824 the statutes of the State required merchants and tavern-keepers to pay a license, and this old record shows the revenue of the county from these sources to have been as follows:
A list of treasurer's receipts from tavern and store licenses and permits since March 1, 1882, in my office to wit:
To George. Reynolds, permit to keep tavern, ...........$1 70
To Calvin Leezen, tavern license ..............................10 00
To M. A. Newman, tavern license...............................5 00
To James McCollister, tavern license........................10 00
To Samuel Baker, permit to keep tavern.....................1 50
To Laurence Gynal, permit to keep tavern..................4 00
To Jacob Millions, permit to keep tavern....................1 00
To Jacob Millions, permit to keep tavern....................4 00
To J. S. & G. G. Olmstead, store license...................15 00
To Richard Sears, store license .................................15 00
To Abram Courtright, tavern license...........................5 00
To Samuel Cochran, tavern license.............................5 00
To Bartholomew Rossoms, tavern license...................5 00
To Israel Harrington, tavern license...........................10 00
To Nicholas Whitinger, tavern license.......................10 00
To Speeks, permit to vend merchandise.......................1 00
Full amount.............................................................$103 20
All which is respectfully submitted March 4, 1823
B. F. DRAKE, Clerk C. P.
The exhibit of receipts from March 5, 1822, to June, 1823, on this record is as follows :
Received for store, tavern and ferry licenses.. $152 59
................from county collection of taxes.........166 10
................from fines of fishermen and fighting
................men .....................................................11 70
.........................................................................$330 39
The record of expenditures for the year 1823 shows the following items:
Seth Cochran, for wolf scalps ............................$34 00
Henry Cochran, for wolf scalps............................12 00
J. Spanknoble, for wolf scalps ...............................3 00
S. Baker, for wolf scalps.......................................15 00
Caleb Rice, for wolf scalps.....................................4 00
D. Cochran, for wolf scalps ...................................6 00
W. White, for wolf scalps.......................................3 00
S. Root, for wolf scalps...........................................3 00
T. Wood, for wolf scalps ........................................3 00
J. Parrish, for wolf scalps.........................................3 00
J. Finale, for wolf scalps...........................................3 00
A. Switzer, for wolf scalps........................................6 00
A. Courtright, for wolf scalps..................................12 00
Total.....................................................................$107 00
In 1824 horses and cattle over three years old were listed and taxed by the head. Seneca county had then been organized, but what is now Ottawa county was still a part of Sandusky.
The record above mentioned gives the number of horses and cattle over three years old in the different townships as follows :
....................................................HORSES........CATTLE.
Sandusky township...........................33...................83
Croghan township.............................21...................46
Portage township..............................26..................151
Riley township .................................26..................169
Ballville township ............................35..................122
Green Creek township ......................28..................165
Townsend township...........................10..................123
York township...................................22...................153
Total in the county...........................201.................1012
The total amount of taxes charged on the tax duplicate for the year 1824 was two hundred and ninety-five dollars and eighty-two cents.
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HOW THE FIRST COURT HOUSE WAS BUILT.
October 27, 1817, the proprietors of land on the west side of the river laid out and recorded the plat of the town of Sandusky on the west side of the river. The location of the county-seat became a question of hot contest between Croghansville and the new town of Sandusky. After much discussion, commissioners to settle the question of difference were appointed by the General Assembly of the State. On viewing the ground and hearing the arguments and propositions of each party, these commissioners finally decided in favor of the west side. In platting the town of Sandusky the proprietors had set apart on their plat a square containing about half an acre of land, and dedicated it to the county for a court house, and another square of equal size (marked B) for jail and offices. Sandusky county not then having been organized, the plat of this survey was recorded in Huron county, of which Sandusky then formed a part. The proprietors who signed this plat of the town of Sandusky were: Thomas L. Hawkins, for self and Thomas E. Boswell; Morris A. Newman; William Oliver, for self and company; Israel Harrington, for self and E. P.; Josiah Rumery.
The following extract, from the county commissioners' record in the book above referred to, is interesting for several reasons, among which are : that it shows the manner of doing public business in those days, and also the names of a number of the pioneers who settled at Lower Sandusky and vicinity, and who were leading men in public affairs in 1822:
SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
We, the undersigned, citizens of the county of Sandusky, do hereby bind ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators, firmly, to pay unto the commissioners of said county the following sums set opposite our names respectively, for the purpose of building a courthouse, etc., provided the permanent seat of justice shall be located in the village of Sandusky, the same to be paid as follows, by the first day of April, 1823.
Cyrus Hulburd
Harvey J. Harmon
Benjamin Wheat
Israel Harrington
Calvin Leezen
E. W. Howland
Richard Sears
William Andrews
William McClellan
George and J. S. Olmstead
David Gallagher
Lysander C. Ball
Nicholas Whitinger
Moses Nichols
Thomas L. Hawkins
Jacob Bowlus
Charles B. Fitch
Joseph Loveland
Daniel Brainard
Asa B. Gavit
Ezra Williams
John Drury
John W. Tyler
Morris Tyler
Daniel Tindall
Sylvanus Bixby
John Custard
Martin Baum, of Cincinnati, by M. T. Williams
David Chambers
Ebenezer Granger & Co by C. Hulburd
Now let the reader realize, if possible, the actual surroundings of the few people in it when the county was organized. To do this, it must be remembered that at that time its surface, like that of northwestern Ohio generally, was an almost unbroken wilderness, and with the exception of a few small spots of wet prairie, covered by a dense forest of tall trees,—here and there a lonely, tortuous footpath or bridle-way through the woods made by the Indians in traveling from stream to stream, —no wagon-ways but those through the woods along the river, made for the movement of troops during the wars; no road-beds on these but the soft, wet, earth walled on each side and covered overhead by tall forest trees, among and around which the road was continually winding. As to the means of subsistence, the cornfield
98 - HISTORY OF SANDUSKY COUNTY.
and garden furnished bread and vegetables; fish were very abundant and conveniently procured from the rivers and creeks. Probably half the meat used by the inhabitants was obtained by the use of the rifle among the deer and turkeys in the woods, and ducks and geese along the streams. For a number of years during the early settlement on the Sandusky River, corn bread made of meal of Indian corn, was the only bread, and the meal was made in two ways : One was, by grating the corn before it entirely hardened, on a grater made by punching a sheet of tin full of small holes, and taking the rough side for the grater. The tin was bent into an arch, rough side out, and the sides nailed to a shingle or piece of wood. On this rough surface the fresh ear of corn was rubbed until the corn was grated from the cob. The other method was to dry the shelled corn until it was hard and brittle and then placing it m a wooden mortar pound it to meal with a wooden pestle.
These brief statements may give some idea of the condition of the country and of the people who launched Sandusky county into civil life and power, and laid the foundations of her prosperity, and the happiness of her people.
We place these statements on record here, so that when years shall have rolled past, and the county shall be thickly peopled and all its resources fully developed, the curious may be able to compare the county from the beginning, and reckon the course and distance of her progress.