218 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

CHAPTER III.

PIONEERS OF SENECA COUNTY.

COULD we evoke the genius of memory, and draw from those who are passing away so rapidly now, the reminiscences of pioneer times, how many stories we should glean of hairbreadth escapes in the wilds or in the waters--how the hunters returned from the hunt laden with spoil, or of the adventures of those who had found some new paradise in their wanderings over the prairie or through the forests. We can imagine how, after the long days had passed in toil, and the semi-occasional mail had come in, that those few old settlers would gather around their respective hearthstones and, with their pipes in their mouths, and after carefully perusing the papers, not more than a month old, review the events of the times, and compare notes as to progress in breaking and clearing the lands. And especially when the shorter days of winter came, and alone in the wilderness a month at a time, removed from communication with friends or relatives at their Eastern homes, how the ties of Western friendship would seem to draw closer, and the gatherings come oftener, and when the shades of evening came, the wagon would be hauled up, the box filled with a generous supply of hay, and the whole family take seats in the bottom and hasten to visit their neighbors, a dozen miles away. And then the sorrow, when some loved one was nearing the grave, and the doctor, hastily summoned from a score of miles away, gave no hope; how the sympathy of all the country around was shown in kindly offers, watchers coming a long distance to give their aid, and the funeral gatherings, comprising the neighbors for miles round. There were many bitter trials and hardships not conceivable in these days, but they had their compensations, too, in the enlargement of the love of humanity, in the earnest and true-hearted sympathy, and in unbounded hospitality. Almost every house was a hotel, but it was a hotel without money and without price, every traveler was welcome to come and go at fine will, and the thought of compensation seldom entered the minds of those free-hearted dwellers in the wild.

The first white man to whom travel in northwestern Ohio is credited, was Pere Rasles. In 1689 Father Rasles came to America as a missionary to the Abenaquis Indians. He was a devout man and a scholar, publishing a dictionary of the Indian language as one of the evidences of his zeal. Later on he became a missionary to the Iroquois, and followed them in their wanderings in the West. In 1691 he returned to the East, settling in Norridgewock, Me., where, on the 12th of August, 1724, he was killed during an attack upon the Indians by Capts. Harmon and Moulton, who ascended the river with a force of 200 men. In August, 1885, a man named Hitchcock, while digging on the site of the old village, unearthed a silver cross about live inches in length, bearing the figure of the Saviour and a skull and cross-bones. From marks upon this relic it is identified as the former property of the slaughtered priest, whose memory is reverently regarded, and whose work is again brought to mind by this singular discovery.

Probably the next white men to pass across this territory were the Moravians, who, as prisoners, were taken from the Moravian towns on the Tusca-

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rawas River to Upper Sandusky, by British emissaries. These peaceable Christian Indians were charged with being spies, and with holding treasonable correspondence with the Americans at Pittsburgh and perhaps other points, and of harboring other Indians friendly to the American cause. Upon these charges they were arrested. by Capt. Matthew Elliott, of the British army, who had under his command about 300 hostile Indians. Making no resistance, they were made captives, September 11, 1781, and by this overpowering force compelled to leave their much-loved homes and take up their line of march for the Sandusky River. Upon this march they followed the Indian trail down the Tuscarawas to the mouth of the Walhonding, in Coshocton County; thence up that stream to the mouth of the Kokosing; thence up the Kokosing, passing over the spot upon which Mount Vernon now stands, and on to the Wyandot town, near the present site of Upper Sandusky. The missionaries thus forcibly removed were Revs. Zeisberger, Senseman and Jungman, of New Schonbrunn; Revs. John Heckewelder and Jung, of Salem, and Rev. William Edwards, of Gnadenhutten. The point at which they were left to take care of themselves, their wives, children and Indian captives, was on the banks of the Sandusky River, not far from where the Broken Sword Creek empties into it, about ten miles from Upper Sandusky. Here they selected a location, and, without delay, built a village of small huts to protect themselves from the inclemency of the weather. This village soon took the name of "Captive's Town," and was situated on the right bank of the Sandusky River, about a mile above the mouth of Broken Sword Creek.

The first French, Irish and Scotch settlers in the district of which Seneca County is the center were distinctly adventurers. Some of them were most treacherous enemies of the young Republic, and all their consciences were elastic when patriotism interfered with their purses or business prospects. Sandusky was the only true pioneer among them all. In reference to this ancient settler in the Sandusky country, Jacob J. Greene, of Tiffin, writing under date, February 28, 1842, to the American Historical Journal, said: " The name, Sandusky, is in such general use in our section of the State, that it has become more extensively known, perhaps, than any other in the Union. The associations connected with it, ever since our State has been known to the whites, with its conquest and settlement, are such as to make anything concerning it interesting. Thinking that the origin of the name is not knownto you, I send it for the Pioneer, if this sketch should fall in with the design of your paper. At the time the French were establishing their line of trading posts on the Wabash and Maumee Rivers, nearly 100 years ago, connecting their operations on the Ohio with their settlements at Detroit, a Polish trader, by the name of Sandusky, or more properly spelt Sanduski, established himself near the present site of Lower Sandusky, at the foot of the rapids of the river. His operations in trading for furs, etc., with the Indians, being entirely confined to the river and bay, they soon became known to Europeans, and afterward to the Indians, as Sanduski's s River and Bay. Sanduski, quarreling with the Indians, was forced to quit the country for the settlements beyond the Ohio for safety. The Indians sometime after, followed and killed him in Virginia. So far as I can learn, there are but two of the name in the country-his grandsons. One lives in Kentucky, the other a few miles from Danville, Vermilion Co., Ill."

Capt. Matthew Elliott, an Irish Tory, who resided in that hot-bed of Toryism, Path Valley, Penn,, remained there until his views led himself with others of like opinions to fly to the West or to the British lines. He came to the Muskingum in 1776, about the time the less prominent enemy of the young Republic settled there. November 13, 1776, he, with his squaw, and it is thought,

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John Leith, started out for the Scioto to trade, but was followed by six Indians, who confiscated his goods and threatened to take his life. He escaped, however, and, going to Detroit, he and the notorious Alex. McKee were commissioned spies and Indian agents; and prior to 1785 were rewarded by Hamilton, the British commandant, for their loyalty to the mother country. Elliott served during the war of 1812 with the British, was afterward appointed agent of Indian affairs, and died in Western Canada about the year 1818, the year Simon Girty died (British Occupation, Longman, London). He it was who brought the Moravians into captivity on the Sandusky and led on the advance guard of Butler's white rangers, in 1782, and directed the maneuvers of the Indians during the battle. There is but little doubt regarding the presence of this British officer at the burning of Col. Crawford.

Thomas Girty, son of the notorious Simon Girty (who fled from Ireland to escape the vengeance of the people, whom he betrayed), was the only one of this really vicious band of Girtys, who failed to continue notorious.

Simon Girty, or Katepa-Comen, son of Simon first, was made a prisoner during Braddock's war, was adopted by the Delawares, and died a drunken brawler. He had time to engage in those disgraceful murders which marked the warfare of those times against the Americans. This white rascal died at Malden in 1815, where he resided, receiving a small pittance.

George Girty, another child of infamy, died without gratifying his murderous inclinations.

James Girty, the fourth son of Old Simon, was an officer in the British service. He was made a prisoner during Braddock's war, was a notorious criminal, as a thousand family histories in Kentucky and Ohio can tell, and died the death becoming so much cruelty.

Michael Girty, another son of Old Simon, born after his father's murder, and after the wife's union with his murderer, was the son of an Indian woman. This cut-throat served the British in Ohio some time, but in 1821 moved to Illinois, where he engaged in wholesale murder and rapine. In 1827 he was interpreter for Gen. Cass, at the treaty of Bureau, subsequently aided BlackHawk, murdered the settlers at Indian Creek, carried off the Hall girls and died in 1836.

William Hazle, whose father was a native of the north of Ireland, of Scotch descent, and an associate of the Girty boys, must be ranked with them in the social record, and hold the same place in the estimation of all good citizens.

Alexander McCormick, one of the traders, who resided at Sandusky for some years following the war of the Revolution, may be classed as an IrishAmerican of the Path Valley Tory type, but not so dangerous as Elliott, McKee, Gamy, and others of that class.

Francis Lavalle, one of the French traders of Lower Sandusky, was a most impartial individual. He wished to see the British whipped, but detested the idea of losing Americans, Indians and Moravians in such numbers. This was the man who disobeyed the orders of Simon Girty, who told him: "Drive the Moravians to Detroit, round the head of Lake Erie, on foot, and don't halt even to let the women give suck to their children." Not only did he occupy four days in taking the Moravians to Lower Sandusky, but sent to Detroit for boats to transport them thither. While waiting Girty returned, threatened to annihilate Lavalle as well as the Moravians, and would at least have made them tramp to Detroit, had not the boats arrived. This same Lavalle visited the Moravians at New Gnadenhutten, Macomb Co., Mich., afterward, and was one of that band of American friends which comprised the Godfreys, Knaggs, etc., of the Detroit country.

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John Leith, a native of Scotland, came to the colonies with his parents, moved to Ohio with an Indian trader, was adopted by the Indians, and about. 1779, married a white captive, named Sallie Lowry, abducted from Big Bone, near Pittsburgh. On the dispersion of the Moravians, he was factor for some British traders at Sandusky, and may be said to have remained in this neighborhood until 1790, when he moved to Pittsburgh. Before the Senecas left this county, Leith returned, and died in 1832. His son, Samuel, was the first white child of English speaking parents born in the Sandusky Valley, his birth taking place about 1779 or 1780. June 3, 1782, he packed his cattle, horses, goods and valuables in readiness to flee from Col. Crawford's army, and set out on the 4th to Lower Sandusky. Late in the forenoon of that day, he met Capt. Matthew Elliott, pushing forward to Upper Sandusky, and, later, encountered Col. Butler's white rangers, who deprived him of his cattle, and then gave him a permit to proceed to Lower Sandusky. That night he camped in the Seneca country, on the west bank of the Sandusky, fourteen miles above the lower village.

Butterfield, in Crawford's Expedition against Sandusky, relates the following incident: "It will be remembered that this man (John Leith) had encamped on the night of June 4, 1782, about fourteen miles above Lower Sandusky, on the river. Just after he had fixed his camp and put his horses out to graze, a Frenchman, an interpreter to the Indians, made his appearance from below. `Well,' said he, `I believe I will stay with you to-night, and take care of you.' Leith informed his visitor that he was welcome for the night, at the same time explaining his intention of making a very early start on the morrow. Next morning, a report was heard which they believed to be a cannon at Upper Sandusky. The interpreter clapped his hands in great glee. 'I shall be there before the battle is begun,' said he, and rode off. This Frenchman joined the Wyandots, disguised as an Indian, and was shot through the heart the same day on which he parted from Leith. The story is told to show that the British regular troops and their artillery were engaged against the Americans, at Battle Island." At this time also, the Delaware and Wyandot women and children, and a negro boy, named Samuel Wells, a captive among them, were placed in a camp constructed in a deep ravine, north of the mouth of Tymochteo Creek, in what is now Seneca County. The negro stated that this camp was about one mile south of the mouth of the Tymochtee, but William Walker assured Butterfield that the young African's compass, or his idea of it, was wrong. Otherwise the Delaware women and children alone camped south of the Tymochtee.

The treaty of the Miami of the Lake, negotiated September 29, 1817, gives some facts of general interest to the reader of pioneer history, because therein are set forth a number of names of white captives, who intermarried with the Indians and became the first white American settlers in Seneca County. In Article VIII of that treaty, the following provisions are made:

" To Robert Armstrong, who was taken prisoner by the Indians about 1786, when four years old, and has ever since lived with them, and has married a Wyandot woman, a daughter of Ebenezer Zane, 640 acres on the west side of the Sandusky; to begin at the place called Camp Ball, and to run up the river with the meanders thereof 160 poles, and from the beginning down the river with the meanders thereof 160 poles, and from the extremity of these lines west for quantity." The name given to him by the Big Turtle band was Onovandoroh. He died at Upper Sandusky in April, 1825. To the children of the late William McCulloch, who was killed in August, 1812, near Manguajon, and who are quarter-blood Wyandot Indians, 640 acres on the west side of the

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Sandusky River, adjoining the lower line of the tract granted to Armstrong, and extending in the same manner, with and from the river.

James Armstrong, or Zee-Shawhan, a chief of the Delawares , and his friend, San-ondoy-our-ay-quay, or Silas Armstrong, another chief of the same tribe, were granted nine square miles of land for their own use, which was laid out at Capt. Pipes' village, at the mouth of the Tymochtee.

The Tequania family, particularly Joseph, Louis, head chief of the Senecas, and the one-eyed medicine woman, twin sister of the chief, possessed a fair knowledge of the first civilization of the period, and imitated the FrenchCanadians as far as it was possible for the Indian to mimic.

South of the Seneca Reservation the Van Meters, Walkers and others, bore a similar relation to the Americans of the thirteen States, and to them were granted large and beautiful tracts of land, within a few miles of the present county seat.

In addition to the grants named, one Elizabeth Whitaker, who was taken prisoner by the Wyandots, was granted 1,280 acres (presumably for herself and her Indian children), on the west side of the Sandusky, just below Croghansville.

Still another grant was made of 160 acres, on the east side of the Sandusky, below Croghansville, at a place called Negro Point, to Sarah Williams, widow of the deceased Isaac Williams, a half-blood Wyandot, and her children, Joseph and Rachel Williams, the latter just then married to a half-breed named Nugent. Sarah Williams was a white captive of the Wyandots, but thoroughly Indian in her habits and manner.

The Cherokee Boy or Horonn, a chief of the Wyandots, and a ; teat friend of the whites, pretending to be a white man himself, was granted a section of land on the Sandusky. His brother, also, was considered in the treaty.

The Walkers, Van Meters and others, mentioned in the Indian Chapter, as well as in the histories of the townships, may be classed among the Indian residents.

Actual. Settlement.-The settlement of the county by Americans may be said to begin in 1817, though, in reality, the actual useful pioneer did not make his presence known here until 1819, when Eden, Clinton and Pleasant Townships received their first quota of American pluck and enterprise. In these townships, and in those times, men cast aside old friends, childhood's home, a thousand endearing scenes, to embrace a life in the forest, with Indians for neighbors and the wilderness for a garden. Then it was that the rail-fence, a time-honored institution, was introduced into northwestern Ohio. In Pleasant and Eden Townships the first fences were erected, and there also were they entwined in shrubs and wild flowers-wild ivy, cinque foil, dewberry, sweet fern, anise, artichoke, sun-flower, gaunt mullens, red-capped sumac, raspberry, and a thousand other weeds and flowers and shrubs, such as the creeping mallow and hazel. Then the frisky squirrel played along his new highway and garnered his winter fare at ease, and the animals of the forest came to its corners and viewed, as man would some novel sight, the first faint gleam of civilization among the trees.

O Time t preserve this picture; photograph it on my mind!

In richest colors print it there; leave no outline undefined!

What care I what foreign tourists tell; 'tis of little consequence-

They can never mar the beauty of the zigzag old rail-fence!

Erastus Bowe, who was, in fact, the first permanent white settler within the present limits of Seneca County, arrived at Fort Bali, November 18, 1817, in company with two other men, who remained just long enough to assist him

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in erecting a log-house. That log-house stood almost in the center of North Washington Street, near the bridge, and within it the first hotel or tavern in Seneca County was established, and the first actual settlement of the county begun.

Erastus G. Bowe, born in Delaware County, Ohio, April 5, 1818, was brought to Tiffin by his parents, June 7,1818, and is the senior old resident of the county. He resides in a brick cottage on the east side of the street, opposite St. Mary's Church, and gives promise of participating in the Centennial of the first settlement of what now constitutes Tiffin City.

Paul D. Butler and others, referred to in the history of Tiffin, were contemporary settlers, coming from Massachusetts to Delaware, Ohio, in 1808, and to Fort Ball in 1817.

Hugh Welch, son of Felix and Margaret (Barnes) Welch, the former of Derry, Ireland, .and a soldier of the Revolutionary war, was born in Beaver County, Penn., February 18, 1801; moved with his parents to Huron County, in 1816, and to Seneca County in February, 1819, making the first American settlement in Eden Township. He married, September 18, 1823, Miss Polly, daughter of John Gibson; was appointed the second postmaster in the county, August 4, 1825; moved to Wyandot County about 1834, and was commissioned associate judge of Crawford County in September of that year; founded the village of Mexico, and resided in that neighborhood until his removal to Green Spring. His wife died June 6, 1869, at the springs, where she was the first patient on their opening, January 1, 1868.

Thomas Welch, brother of Hugh, settled in Eden Township in February, 1819, and dying here soon after, was the first white American buried in the township.

John Welch, another brother, settled in Eden Township in June, 1819. He was the first preacher stationed at Toledo, and was subsequently representative from Seneca County in the Legislature.

Martin Welch, still another brother, moved to Wyandot County about 1834, and died there.

Felix Welch, the father of these pioneers, was also a pioneer of the county, and is buried in Seneca County.

James Montgomery, the first Indian agent for the Senecas, and known to them by the name, Kuckoo-Wassa, or Now Acorn, was born in Westmoreland County, Penn., November 20, 1776, about the time his father died at Johnstown, N. J., while serving in the American army against the British. In 1793 he, with his mother, moved to Kentucky, and located on one of the Tomahawk claims. Thirteen years later, in 1806, he married Miss Keziah Rouse, and the same year settled within eight miles of Urbana, Ohio, where he was a local Methodist preacher. During the war of 1812 he was appointed commissary, officer by the governor. In 1819 he was appointed agent for the Senecas, and, in November of the same year, moved to old Fort Seneca, in Pleasant Township. He resided in one of the block-houses for some time; then moved another block-house close to the first one, which the family occupied, and both houses formed the agency quarters until 1826, when he built the log-house near the old fort, in which he resided to the time of his death, June 1, 1830. Of his eleven children, Mrs. Sally Ingham, of Tiffin, alone survives. This lady was born in Champaign County, February 4, 1811; was married, March 25, 1832, to Milton Frary, who died in 1852. In 1869 she married Alexander Ingham, of Cleveland, Ohio, who died in April, 1870.

The Barneys, Rices, McNutts, and others, reference to whom is made in the history of Pleasant Township, were contemporary settlers.

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Nehemiah Hadley was the first white settler in Bloom Township, having come here from Fairfield County, Ohio, with J. C. Hampton, who brought his goods to this point in 1821. Hampton returned the following year with the Seitzes, Kagys and others. About this time the Hadleys left the township, sailing to Cairo, Ill., by the water courses, and thence by steamer up the Mississippi, to their new hunting grounds in Iowa. Hadley was a most successful hunter and trapper, being accustomed to take down a half dozen of deer, in the Honey Creek country, between sundown and sunrise. The first permanent settlement is credited, however, to Noah Seitz, April 5, 1822.

William Anway, who settled in Scipio Township in 1821, erected the first cabin in the township. His granddaughter, Mary (Anway) Wilcox, was the first white child born there, and her father, John Anway, the first man married in the township.

Michael Arbogast, it is claimed, was the first settler of what is now Seneca Township. Owing to the condition of the old records, and the general character of the history contained in them, it is difficult to credit the township with its first white pioneer. Arbogast settled there in 1820; William Arnold settled south of the base line in 1823; the Aikens, Andersons and Crockers located there about that time.

Joseph Parmenter, at whose house the first township election was held, in May, 1820, and his contemporary settlers, were the first permanent residents of Thompson Township-Trapper Snow, however, must be considered the first white resident.

Cornelius Gilmore, a blacksmith, settled on Honey Creek, where now is the Village of Attica, in 1827. Hiswasthe first cabin erected in Venice Township; Johnson Ford, Ezra Gilbert and Samuel Halsted cut the first road in this township in 1828.

John Chaney and Williard Sprague may be named as the first settlers of Hopewell Township in 1822 or 1823, having made some improvements on the school section. Robert and Nathan Shippey were contemporary settlers.

Neal McGaffey, one of the earliest settlers of Tiffin, was also one of the first to set foot in Loudon Township. Owing to the fact that the first actual settlement of Loudon was effected simultaneously by several families, there is no first settler to be named in connection with this division of the county. Henry Hoffman, who settled in Jackson Township in 1827, came thither from Perry County, Ohio, and entered lands on the southeast quarter of Section 36. His death is noticed in the local history.

George Puffenberger entered land on Section 28, Liberty Township, and settled there in August, 1825, as the pioneer of the township.

The Jenkins brothers, old traders at Big Spring, and Arch Johnson, may be named as the first settlers of Big Spring Township.

Seth Read and George Raymond were contemporary settlers of Reed Township. They came from Steuben County, N. Y., and entered their lands on Section 24 (near Omar), in January, 1825. The township was named Read, but is now known as Reed Township, and Cook's Gate, on Section 12, is known as Reedtown. Hunter Snow was a contemporary settler, after his first settlement in Thompson Township. '

Early Town Builders.-In the foregoing pages brief references are made to the men who first entered each division of the county, and opened the way, as it were, to future settlers. No sooner were the first clearings made in each of the townships, than a continuous stream of immigrants poured in, spreading out from Fort Ball in every direction until almost every section contained a family. Among the new-comers were such men as Josiah Hedges, who founded

HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. - 227

a beautiful city; the Crockers and. Fosters, founders of Rome; T. Gorsuch, founder of Risdon; the Robertses, Butlers, Welches, Benjamin and John Jenkins, Erastus H. Cook, D. C. Henderson, Anthony Schindler, Philip J. Price, Julius and Thomas T. Treat, Case Brown, John Miller, Samuel Waggoner, Isaiah Hollopeter, John Betts, Abraham Ash, Erastus Bowe, Vincent Bell, John Terry, Isaac Catlin, Sidney Smith (Sea), Henry F. Kaestner, William Brinkerhoff, John Campbell, Frederick Harpster, Jacob Korner, George Schock, William Miller, Samuel Miller, Hector Kilbourne, Myron Kilbourne and Cornelius Gilmore-all founders of cities or villages. Then came the Gibsons, Seneys, Nobles and hundreds of others, who settled throughout the county, and bequeathed, so to speak, to their adopted home a number of men who do honor to-day to the professions and trades. It is deemed proper to deal with the pioneers of 1819-40, in the history of the townships wherein they settled; because their lives, as a rule, have been identified with the beginnings and progress of such townships, and, further, for the reason that the part they have taken in building up the county, as a whole, is precisely treated on in the several chapters of the general history of the county-notably the organic, political and military chapters, the courts and bar, physicians and other chapters.

PIONEER ASSOCIATION.

It has ever been a day of rejoicing when pioneers should meet; when the old settlers of the land should come together to renew their memories and cheer up their souls. In the dim past, when, after Babel, the migrations of the people first assumed an extensive form, the idea of periodical reunion was initiated, and soon was rendered practicable. Over 2,000 years ago the spot on which the capital city of the French republic now stands, was hallowed by an assembly of its first settlers, assembled to sacrifice to the gods in thanksgiving for their new and beautiful land. Revert to those olden times, and the conception of those happy gatherings will remind us of their utility. If, then, the barbarians of antiquity observed the custom, and were soothed into peace during the observance of such a festival, how much more is it becoming iii the people of this our day to participate with the old settlers in celebrating their coming and their stay; to meet old and tried friends; to share in the joys of such an occasion? Throughout the length and breadth of this great land, the large-souled pioneers, who contributed in the first instance to make it great, assemble periodically to commune with one another, to interchange thoughts of the past, and express their admiration of the busy activities o'' the present. The pleasures of such meetings are known only to the pioneer;, Their children never can conceive the feelings such meetings awaken, or the happy memories which they summon up. For the old settlers alone these meetings have an undying interest; and though the young may possibly shag o a little in the joys of the old, youth can never summon to its aid the namo endearing thoughts of the past or entertain for the soil they tread that beau.. tiful veneration implanted in the hearts of the old settlers. They alone saw the virgin soil, and linked their fortunes with it; their industry tamed the beautiful wild land until it yielded returns a hundred-fold; their hands decorated the forest farm with a modest yet comfortable cottage; and now, ire. declining years, they have that homestead in which to take a pride, and these happy meetings to yield them pleasure.

The meetings of old residents of Seneca County were carried on for years irregularly without organization, and were consequently sectional in character. During the summer of 1868 and the winter of 1868-69, a determined effort, was made to organize an old settlers' association. Notices of the meetings

228 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

were published in the newspapers, signed by many representative pioneers, and February 22, 1869, a society was organized-Mrs. Anne E. Seney signing the roll first.

The first officers of the association were Henry Kuhn, president; Philip Seewald, vicepresident; William Lang, secretary, and Lyman White treasurer. This organization may be said to have continued intact until October, 1878, when the president died; and since that time there is no record of transactions.

The pioneer society of Crawford, Seneca and Wyandot Counties, has, in fact, taken the place of an old association of this county, and is presided over by Dr. Isaac Kagy, of Eden Township. The last annual meeting was held in Shock's Grove, near Melmore, September 5, 1885. Dr. Kagy, in an address delivered on this occasion, says: " It was the original purpose of the institution of these picnics to show our respect, and to testify our appreciative regard for the boldhearted pioneers of this country. The events of their useful lives, collated and recorded, constitute the history of our country. To locate a home in an American forest inhabited by savage beasts and by a still more savage human race, and unbroken for miles around by the sturdy woodsman's blow, was an act of moral heroism that equals the most daring exploits of the battle-field. His dangers, his privations, his arduous labors and his unflagging courage entitle him to be hailed the hero of the forest. But when dangers threatened and enemies environed his glorious country the hero of the forest became, also, the hero of the field. When we follow his line of march and chronicle his successive achievements, we find his labors combined the matters and facts of history; the expansion of communities; the institution of schools and other educational agencies; the planting of churches, developing the arts and resources of peaceful industry; the processes of manufacture, and the means and methods of commerce." Gen. W. H. Gibson, ex-Gov. Foster and others dwelt on the importance of local history, and related many stories of pioneer days.

Pioneer Reminiscences.-The story of early settlement is filled with stirring reminiscences of olden days, some ranging away up in the sublime, others .lying away down in the regions of the ridiculous, all forming a part in that drama of real life out of which has risen one of the wealthiest counties of rich Ohio. Some of such stories have found a place already in the Indian history, a great number find mention in the histories of the townships; in one or two instances they creep into church history, and even the very dryness of the political chapter could not keep them out. Here, however, a few sketches are introduced in portrayal of pioneer days, so that the younger reader may hear of the manners and customs of the past; the primitive, humble ways in which the county was raised in its infancy, and, reading, learn to appreciate the advantages which the present offers.

Among the first events which mark the beginning of progress in this county, are those referred to in the following memoranda. It could be extended to great length, but, in the history of the townships, the history of those enterprises is fully given.

The first block-houses erected in the county, other than Indian cabins, were at Fort Ball.

The first road was cut from Upper to Lower Sandusky in 1812.

Erastus Bowe was the first American settler, in 1817.

Paul D. Butler erected the first saw-mill, in 1819.

Ezra and Case Brown erected the first grist-mill, :above Melinore, in 1821.

Oakley or Vance's Town was the first surveyed village.

The first postoffice was established at Oakley in 1820, with David Risdon, postmaster.

HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. - 229

The first high water in the Sandusky, within the historic period, was in 1821.

The first township election, that of Thompson Township, was held May 20, 1820.

The first county elections were held in April, 1824, but not till October of that year were the annual elections held.

James Montgomery was the first Indian agent, and took a part also in proselyting the Indians, 1819.

The first United States survey of the county was made in 1820.

Capt. Rice and J. Chapin made the first coffin, in 1820.

The first patent for lands was issued to John Anway for the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 23, Township 2, Range 15.

The first frame house was erected for Josiah Hedges, in 1822.

Dr. Eli Dresbach was the first resident physician, in 1823.

The first orchard was set out by John Keller, in 1824, in Clinton Township. Rudolphus Dickenson was the first lawyer, in 1824.

The first citizen naturalized in the county was William Doyle, in 1824.

The first court of justice was opened April 12, 1824.

The first person lost in the county was a son of Elijah Brayton, in 1825.

The first jail was completed in March, 1826.

The second United States survey of the county was made in 1832.

The first newspaper, The Seneca Patriot, was published in 1832.

Political parties were first regularly organized in the county in 1832.

The first case of cholera in the county resulted in the death of John Rubble, in August, 1834. Sixty-three persons died of this dreadful disease at that time.

The first call for the Seneca County Militia, to take part in the Toledo war, was made April 22, 1835.

The town of Tiffin was incorporated March 7, 1835.

The first village election held in the county was that of Tiffin, in June, 1836. Dr. Henry Kuhn was elected the first mayor of Tiffin, in June, 1836.

The first agricultural society was organized in 1839.

The first railroad entered the county in 1839, being constructed to Republic that year, and to Tiffin in 1841.

The Seneca County Bank opened November 13, 1847.

The first telegraph line was built in 1849.

The first plank and toll roads were begun in 1849.

Jacksonian Days and Manners.-The people, their manners, their customs in their homes and outside their homes, differed materially from the citizens of to-day. in the fact that they were better than the times in which they lived and acted, and, perhaps, superior in many respects to the remarkable cosmopolitan race who came after them to take up their enterprises and complete the first half-century's work.

Looking back over the last half-century a contemporary writer gives the following word-painting of early times, manners and customs: "The United States of to-day is quite another nation from the seven by nine United States of Jackson's time. Then California was almost a myth. Indiana was the `far West.' People traveled by stage coach. Thousands lived and died without ever going beyond the bounds of their native counties. The steamboat paddle-wheels had just begun churning our river water. Washington was a dismal country village. More than suspicion of insanity would have attached to the man who would have announced that his children would `cable' a message from New York to London, or that the people miles apart would talk to each

230 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

other viva voce. Sails alone bore the traveler across the Atlantic. Fortunate was the ship that made the passage in three weeks. Cultured travelers from Europe were shocked at the rawness and provincialism everywhere prevalent. Opera all but unknown. The danseuse was an immoral spectacle. Negro minstrelsy had just commenced its career in the shape of a single burnt cork performer at the circus. His popular melody was `Jump Jim Crow.' Popular sentiment still handed down from the war of 1812 was bitter against England. City landlords sat at the head of their own tables and carved the beef-steak. In religion `liberalism' was heretical. In no pulpit was any compromise allowed in the matter of eternal punishment. The locality for lost souls was then a clearly defined fire and brimstone reality. Preachers of different sects waged .bitter war against each other. Presbyterianism frowned on Methodism. In country towns Catholicism meant the dreaded dominion of the Pope, and the burning of all Protestants at the stake, if possible. ' Stocks' and high shirt collars were then the fashion for gentlemen's neck wear. Beards and mustaches were not respectable. Gentlemen did their own shaving. Pantaloons were strapped under the boots. All boots were `Wellingtons' and had legs. The general school system meant the `district school,' and the academy, a consumptive and irritable Connecticut teacher, a `boa stove' filled with wood, and a Pike's Arithmetic. Party feeling was far more bitter than to-day. The old Federal and colonial families who had held office since Washington's time, and deemed office theirs by a sort of divine right, had just been ousted, and, they never forgave Jackson, the ouster. The militia were armed with flint-lock muskets. A militia-general was then a man of mark. Everybody chewed Mrs. Anderson's or Miller's fine-cut tobacco. The spittoon found its place even in the family pew at church. A visit to New York by the villager resident 200 miles distant was an event to be talked over for months. A man who had seen Europe was a marked man for the remainder of his days. Doctors dosed with `blue mass,' black draughts and the lancet, yet people occasionally recovered in spite of them. Good butter was a shilling a pound, and eggs dear at 18 pence a dozen. Few men took over one daily paper, and this often served more than one household. Democrats were known as `Locofocos,' to whom were opposed the `Whigs.' All the elders stood bolt upright in church during prayer. Deacons with red noses were more common than today. The minister was not averse to a glass of toddy during a parochial call. Pillars of the church and of society sometimes walked home from their business offices rather unsteadily about 5 or 6 o'clock. Such habits were more overlooked than at present. The yearly expenses of the Federal Government was not much over that per annum of the city of New York to-day. Rum was the popular drink; brandy next." To-day the survivors of pioneer times are the most abstemious inhabitants, and all round the country the thinking citizen has abolished the use of alcoholic drinks within his home.

Land-Stunting and Cabin Building.-When the lands of Seneca County were declared open for entry, the land-hunters came in great numbers, so that by the year 1832 there were very few sections in the county but belonged to the actual settler or speculator. Some buyers were guided to the lands, while others relied solely on the United States land map of the district. After many troubles and difficulties in finding the location, they generally succeeded, built the log-house, and actually made a small clearing. This primitive dwelling was constructed of small logs, with a roof of split wood, each rail having a channel or gutter hewed on the flat side. Over the under tier of those rails was another tier, arranged with the semicircular surface exposed, and the ,edges resting on the verge of gutters cut in the center of the flat side of the un

HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. - 231

der tier. The floor was planked with puncheon staves; the door and instruments for dealing with intruding Indians were also made of the same. The fire-place was constructed of clay, which one of the builders pounded into mortar by the use of his bare feet. This was mixed with small twigs, and placed in shape. The chimney, springing from such a foundation, was formed of small sticks and a mortar similar to that just referred to, was generally built outside the log walls, but in some instances, as in Bloom Township, within the cabin. There are a few of the original cabins still standing; while many modern log-cabins, with shingled roofs, plastered and papered interior, and well furnished, are found throughout the county. Even in Tiffin and Fostoria the modern log cabin is still to be seen, but there is little of the romance of the old home in the forest attached to them.

Temperance Raisings.-The construction of a log-cabin in the wilderness generally brought together two parties of men, each party differently constituted. The first were men accustomed to the use of the ax-shanty-men who selected a tree at a glance and as soon had it cut down. Those were the logrollers. The second party ranked as raisers, were ruled by the corner-man, and labored with a will and earnestness which money could not purchase. The chief of the raising-bee was the owner of the proposed cabin, and from him was expected all that pioneer hospitality suggested or his means would allow. Plenty of whisky was the first. actual necessity of such an occasion, and for years the primitive cabins were, so to speak, raised and dedicated in whisky. The evil was too manifest to be tolerated many years, and from each corner of the county came whisperings that Hezekiah and Jonas, and Elijah would have their cabins raised on the temperance plan. When such resolutions were made, they were, as a rule, carried out; but in some instances whisky had to be procured before the !o--rollers would proceed into the forest, or the cornerman lay the first ground-log. In later years, however, men learned to respect the opinions of others, and hundreds of cabins were raised without the presence of alcohol.

Old-Time Grist-Mills.-In the earlier years of the county, and even for two decades after its organization, the corn-grinder and wheat-pounder were grumbling members of the pioneer's family. The difference between the mills now used for the manufacture of flour and those of half a century ago are as marked as those between the modern woolen-mill and the old-fashioned loom in which homespun cloth was manufactured for the purpose of providing stout and serviceable garments to clothe the hard-working farmer and his sons. During the first days of settlement corn was ground in a hollow stump with a huge pounder inserted in it worked by manual labor, and sometimes so arranged as to warrant the application of horse-power. In this county however, the use of this primitive mill was very limited. In ancient times wheaten bread was the exception; the daily bread of the rural household was made of rye and Indian corn. Two or three bushels of wheat were regarded as a sufficient allowance for a moderate family, and that ground into flour was kept for such state occasions as quiltings, weddings, Thanksgiving and other holidays, when the good wife was wont to exercise her culinary skill in compounding shortcake to grace the bountifully-spread table. It was also considered the proper thing to have a loaf or two of wheat bread on hand in the house should the clergyman or other respected visitor come to take tea. The grinding of the wheat was usually a matter of considerable solicitude on the part of the owner of the grist. A bushel or two was measured up in a bag and thrown across the back of a gentle and trusty farm-horse, and the owner would wend his way to the mill, where, while waiting for it to be ground, he would have an opportunity

232 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

to gossip with the dusty-coated miller, if that gruff individual would only condescend to chat with his customer, The miller, however, would satisfy the farmer that the run of stone was perfectly clean, and free from rye flour and corn meal, and this point settled, the wheat was dumped into the hopper and ground. The farmer then wended his way homeward, knowing that the good wife would test the flour, and reward him for his supervision of the mill and miller by short-cake and golden butter.

There are several instances of record where the early settlers had to subsist on a soup made of flour and milk or flour and water, so that the small supply of flour could be extended, so to speak, until the hungry consumers could labor under the delusion that they had a meal. During such times the hunters of the settlements were not idle; so that while the pioneers were denied many, if not all, those various tempting morsels which the house-wife could prepare from flour, they were treated to rich meals of venison and copious draughts of whisky, two staple articles of domestic life in pioneer times.

Wolves.-Wolves were rather troublesome neighbors in early days. They made frequent visits to the early settlers, and would make the very earth tremble with their howlings and complaints to the intruders of their time honored homes. Some parts of the county were unenviable settlements on this account. One occupation of the boys and larger girls of the day used to be to fire the old stumps about the place in the evening, to scare away the wolves. On the east side of the river these animals were particularly vicious, and for years after the organization of the county, hunters and trappers earned large sums of money as bounty for wolf-scalps. There was, however, one old wolf, a wanderer, which made periodical trips along the river bank. The dogs would not molest her, and she seemed to care for neither man nor beast. She had been caught once in a steel trap, and all efforts to entrap her again were, for a long time, unsuccessful. Even the children, in time, seemed to distinguish her voice from other wolves, and were in the habit of listening for her on certain nights. She seldom disappointed them, and made night hideous with her howls. She, however, went the way of all such game, and may be said to be the last of her tribe which made the county a home.

Deer Hunting.-It is said that deer were plentiful in the county up to the fall of 1832, when the noise made by Jackson Democrats caused them to flee to some less demonstrative district. Such hunters as Snow and Hadley had, however, something to say in the matter of the disappearance of this beautiful habitant of the wilderness.

Toledo War.-September 7, 1885, a half-century had elapsed since the closing up of the Toledo war-well styled the arch-squabble of the pioneer days of Ohio and Michigan. This trouble grew out of the claims of Michigan to a strip of land, known as the Six Mile Strip, now belonging to Ohio. It was early in the spring of 1835 that Gov. Mason, acting-governor of Michigan, ordered Gen. Brown to hold the Michigan militia in readiness, and later the militia was called into service.

A large force was marched down from Detroit, and were joined at Monroe by the force raised here, and the army then marched upon Toledo. Capt. Henry Smith, afterward a colonel in the army, and Alpheus Felch were on Gen. Brown's staff, and the late Warner Wing was colonel. One of the most conspicuous figures in that campaign, Capt. Lewis Darrah, who commanded a company, mostly of Frenchmen, with Gabriel and David Bissonette as lieutenants, is still residing in Michigan. Capt. Darrah had a gorgeous uniform, four rows of gilt buttons, chapeau with red feather and white top, and a sword dangling by his side, and was the observed of all. :Many of the soldiers of

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HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. - 235

Michigan and Ohio were armed with broom-sticks, but that did not matter. The former were bound to strike terror to the Buckeyes, Intense excitement reigned and a bloody conflict was thought to be inevitable. The army marched on to Toledo, but Gen! Lucas kept the larger part of his forces on the other side of the Maumee, and the Michigan troops entered Toledo without opposition. The troops remained there three or four days, and were very handsomely treated. Such was the excitement during the summer that at one time an attack was expected from the Ohio troops, but they did not come. Gen. Lucas surreptitiously organized a court at Toledo, in the night time, but the judge fled in fear of the Michigan troops. The militia of Seneca County were all ready for a fight.

Matters finally became so warm that President Jackson recommended Gov. Mason to suspend hostilities, which he refused to do, and consequently was removed, and although the Wolverine and Buckeye armies were disbanded and matters were quieted down, the dispute was not finally settled until Michigan applied for admittance to the Union as a State, when it was made a condition that she should surrender her claim to the disputed territory and take the upper peninsula instead, which she agreed to.

The few remaining participants in that bloodless war remember it as the most exciting event in the early history of the State, and ridiculous as the affair afterward seemed, every man was ready to lay down his life to sustain the honor and maintain the rights of his respective State. Many of the soldiers of Seneca who actually marched forward to guard Judge Higgins in his attempt to hold court of common pleas at Toledo, are still residents of the county.

Indians and Pioneers.--From 1819, until the Indians evacuated the county, both whites and Indians were on friendly terms, each party making an effort to help the other. Dr. B. D. Williams, in his reminiscenses, printed by Stewart in 1874, says: "During the early period of the settlement of the township (Read), the Indians were very numerous, and, as a general thing, lived amicably with the few whites who were there at an early day. Somewhere about the year when the first settlements were made, an accident of a fatal character happened to an Indian maiden, a daughter of the renowned chief and warrior, Seneca John. The Indians made frequent visits to the present village of Reedtown each winter for the purpose of hunting and trapping. On one of these occasions, a party, encamped here, was preparing an evening meal. A large kettle, full of boiling water, was suspended from a pole over the fire, and the unfortunate girl was lying in front of it, when the pole burned through, letting the kettle fall, spilling its heated contents upon the body of the girl. Some of those present immediately enveloped her in a blanket, and conducted her to a house near by, where she was attended by Dr. Williams. On removing the blanket the flesh literally clung to it, leaving her almost a living skeleton. Death, however, soon ended her sufferings. After her death William Williams made a hand-sled, and a number of flee Indian boys, followed by a mournful cortege, conveyed the remains to the Wyandot Cemetery, above Tiffin. Many of the old settlers in Reed, Thompson and Clinton Townships well remember this funeral as one of the saddest scenes of pioneer days.

Pioneer Weddings. -The wedding was an attractive feature of pioneer life. There was no distinction of life and very little of fortune. On these accounts, the first impressions of love generally resulted in marriage. The family establishment cost but little labornothing more. The marriage was always celebrated at the house of the bride, and she was generally left to choose the, officiating clergyman. A wedding, however, engaged the attention of the

236 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

whole neighborhood. It was anticipated by both old and young with eager expectation. In the morning of the wedding day the groom and his intimate friends assembled at the house of his father, and after due preparation, departed, en masse, for the "mansion" of his bride. The journey was sometimes made on horseback, sometimes on foot and sometimes in farm wagons and carts. It was always a merry journey; and, to insure merriment, the bottle was taken along. On reaching the house of the bride, the marriage ceremony took place, and then dinner or supper was served. After the meal the dancing commenced, and generally lasted until the following morning. The figures of the dances were three and four-handed reels, or square sets and jigs. The commencement was always a square four, which was followed by what pioneers called "jigging;" that is, two of the four would single out for a jig, and were followed by the remaining couple. The jigs were often accompanied with what was called " cutting out," that is, when either of the parties became tired of the dance, on intimation, the place was supplied by some one of the company, without interruption of the dance. In this way the reel was often continued until the musician was exhausted. About 9 or 10 o'clock in the evening a deputation of young ladies stole off the bride and put her to bed. In doing this, they had to ascend a ladder from the kitchen to the upper floor, which was composed of loose boards. Here, in this pioneer bridal chamber, the young, simple-hearted girl was put to bed by her enthusiastic friends. This done, a deputation of young men escorted the groom to the same department, and placed him snugly by the side of his bride. The dance still continued, and if seats were scarce, which was generally the case, says a local writer, every young man when not engaged in the dance, was obliged to offer his lap as a seat for one of the girls; and the offer was sure to be accepted. During the night's festivities whisky was freely used, but seldom to great excess. The infair was held on the following evening, when the same order of exercises was observed.

Matrimonial Peculiarities.-On May 14, 1846, Henry M. Stone, of Fort Ball, and Mrs. Eliza Mercer, of Tiffin, were married by Rev. F. Putnam, who caused the following to be published under the notice of marriage:

"Health and prosperity to the first couple joined together by me in Seneca County.

F. P.

A peculiar marriage contract is on record, made. April 16, 1858, in Hopewell Township, between Henry Creeger and Catherine Brendle, and executed in presence of Levi Keller, justice of the peace, April 19, that year. It provided that before the proposed marriage Catherine waives all right to all dower or expectancy of dower in lands of Creeger, on condition that he, by his last will and testament, would provide for the payment to her of $500. This was actually accepted by the prospective bride.

In January, 1865, another marriage contract-a strange agreement was perfected between Catherine (Fridel) Kuemot, widow of Fridel, and her second husband, George Kuemet. After a few disagreements the wife left Mr. Kuemet to look after his own affairs. His repentance soon followed, when he agreed to lodge $400 with the superior of the convent of Maria at the Manger, Wolf Creek, to be paid out only on the following conditions: That the lady return to live with him, the money to go to her in case of his death, or in case of her dying first, then to the children of her first marriage. "But should both parties separate again (which God forbid), then the priest or bishop should investigate whether Ruemet kept his promises to treat his wife dutifully, educate her two children until they receive second confirmation, and to disclaim ail ownership to her property owned before marriage with him, and also whether Catherine has discharged her duty as wife, when the money shall be

HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. - 237

ordered in conformity with such investigation. Should both parties be the cause of such provocations and mischievous conduct, then neither of them shall have the money, and the same shall be appropriated for the reformation of both in the best possible manner." This agreement was made between Kuemet and Joseph Henry Dress, and witnessed by William Lang, May 16, 1866.

Pioneer Women.-There are few sons and daughters, to-day, let us hope, who have not a good idea of the pioneer mother, and entertain toward her a respect born of all that is noble in humanity. She came into the forests with her young husband to make a home for a family, and, by her woman's work and woman's judgment, made that home to which her children look back for their happiest days. She was the cook, tailor, dressmaker, and oftentimes cloth manufacturer, for the whole household, and, with all this, kept the cabin as neat and clean as if such work were her only care. All this was accomplished without any of the modern appliances, without the noise and hurry of modern times, and generally without the grumbling that the modern lady bestows upon almost every little easy task which domestic life now may call upon her to perform. She took a pleasure in this work, and her life was one long stream of usefulness and health, of benevolence and peace. She made herself an actual something which any community would miss, and accomplished all this without drudgery. She read and learned and taught as a consequence of her active life, and in her declining years drew rich rewards from her works, going higher, to the better land, with a consciousness of duty done below. She was the Christian mother, whose example it is now found so hard to imitate.

Tobacco ,Smoking Fashionable.-When the Hall family settled in Bloom Township, over a half century ago, it appears that the women smoked tobacco, and one who did not smoke this weed was the exception. Mrs. Rice, in a recent contribution to pioneer history, says: "Our neighbors were a strange mixture in regard to nationality, and we could never get used to their ways or language, and if you would ask them a question in regard to a given quantity, they would say: `O, yes, we have a right smart chance.' When we had lived there but a few days a girl, called in to see me, and almost the first thing she said was, `Mrs. Rice, do you smoke?' `No, indeed,' said I. `Well,' she said, 'you will have to, or nobody will think anything of you, for everybody smokes around here.' I told her I was sorry, but I neither could nor would smoke to make friends with anybody. But I found lots of friends, and did not smoke either, and when we were sick, and they knew it, they were very kind, and when we had the misfortune to have our house burnt down with all its contents, homes and hearts were opened to us, and, although we would not take pecuniary aid of them for we had plenty of relatives who were both able and willing to assist us, they turned out with men and teams, and in a few days we had a nice home again. And the seven years we lived there, though years of sickness and toil, we look back upon as among the happiest of our lives."

Female Costume.-Among the moral folks a fashionable dress goods was turkey-red calico, with flashy yellow flowers, large as an oak leaf. The great scoop bonnet and smoke-stack leghorn formed the headgear. Shoes were made from cow-hide leather, with the seams on the outside. Many of such curiosities are in possession of Mrs. S. S. Stickney.

It will not be claimed that the pioneers were faultless; perfection would not be expected of them. They were impulsive, too firm in many erroneous ideas to be liberal, too narrow in experiences of the world to be able to applaud virtue in others or decry vice in themselves. With all this, they were men of the period--in fact, in advance of the period-strong in heart and arm, enthusi-

238 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

astic and earnest in the work which they had undertaken, and never equaled in the greatest task of their lives, which raised up the wilderness to a garden, and gave -to Ohio one of her greatest divisions. Looking back some years over a half century ago, all the faults of the pioneer must be credited to the time in which he lived, and all his virtues to himself, so that, with the poet, the writer of this prose will say, with all his heart:

All honor and praise to the old pioneers;

You never may know all their story;

What they found but a desert a garden became,

And their toil and success is their glory.