ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS - 175 Liberty township was organized on the 5th day of June 1832, within its present limits, upon the petition of John L. Fleck, and an election ordered. Jackson township was organized within its present limits on the 4th day of December, 1832, and an election ordered. Thus every township in the county was organized, the election of township officers ordered, and the government of the county completed. In organizing Clinton township as originally surveyed, adding to it the portion lying west of the river, which, for the sake of convenience, and for want of a bridge across the Sandusky river, had for a time been attached to Hopewell, the proposition met with a strong opposition. Nearly everybody on the west side of the river signed a remonstrance.. The spirit of opposition to Tiffin had spread from Fort Ball clear to and all along the east line of Hopewell, and it seemed to be a sort of luxury when an opportunity offered itself to fight Tiffin and the east side. But the board fixed the boundary as it now is, and the feeling of resentment gradually abated. For want of a court house, the several county officers furnished their own rooms and presented their accounts for the rent to the board of commissioners for allowance. Mr. Rawson, the county recorder, was, allowed office rent for the year ending December 6, 1832, ten dollars. The other officers—clerk, auditor, sheriff, etc., received ab-out the same amount. When the old frame building above described, in which the courts were held for awhile, became too small—for it was very inconvenient —the county commissioners made arrangements with the officers of the M. E. church to have the courts held in their church, for which they paid $9 to $12 a session, as rent. The grand jury and the petit juries were furnished rooms in the hotels. This Methodist church was the largest public building in town. It stood on the lot now occupied by Joseph Harter as a marble shop, with the gable end to the street, one story high, built of brick. The supreme court and the circuit courts were held there up to the time when the new court house was finished, and after the old frame building was, abandoned. For several years the question as to the propriety of building a court house was agitated by the people and by the board of commissioners, and finally, on the 4th day of March, 1828, the board resolved to meet again on the 24th day of the same month, at the present place of hold-ing the court. March 24, 1,828—At this meeting the board ordered that notice be 176 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. given for the reception of proposals to build a court house, and that the commissioners will meet for that purpose on the 14th day of April then next following. April 14, 1828—Board met, etc., and say' in their entry, "not sold." Nothing further was done towards building a court house until in the session of the commissioners on the 5th day of December, 1833, when they appointed John Baugher and Calvin Bradley a committee to proceed to the county seats of Loraine, Portage and Richland, and take a correct description, together with the cost, etc., of each court house in the said counties, and report the same to the board at their meeting, on Friday, the 27th day of December, 1833. This was the first step towards building a court house that looked like business. John Seitz, M. Y. Graff and John Crum were then the commissioners. December 27, 1833—Board met and adjourned to January 3, 1834, when they again met and received the reports of Baugher and Bradley. The expense of the trip, $93.80, was allowed. Adjourned to Friday, January 17, 1834. At this meeting it was ordered that a court house be built of brick, and that notice be published for proposals, etc., up to February 13, 1834. February 13, 1834—Board met and adjourned to next day. February 14, 1834—The board contracted with John Baugher to build the court house for $9,500.00. March 4, 1834—David Campbell was paid $2.00, printer's account for publishing notice for proposals. March 5, 1834—Calvin Bradley was paid $15.00 for draft and specifications. Brown & Magill's printers' account of $3.25, was also paid. Jacob Stem was appointed as agent to negotiate a loan of $6,000.00 to pay for the court house, and a bond was issued to him for that purpose. March 15, 1834—Mr. Stem reported that the amount, $6,000.00, was deposited in the Baltimore Savings Institution, Maryland. Thereupon the board loaned this amount to Mr. Stem until the interest should compensate him for his trouble. June 3, 1834—The board allowed Mr. Stem $8.55 for postage by him expended in procuring the loan. June 7, 1834—The board advanced to John Baugher $250.00 on his contract to build the court house. On the first day of August, 1834, the Commissioners caused the following entry to be made in their journal, viz: The commissioners — John Seitz, John Crum and Nicholas Goetchins, present—paid John Baugher two thousand dollars, and took his receipt on COURT HOUSE COMPLETED - 177 his bond hieing the first payment towards the court house in Tiffin.) Also received Jacob Stem's note for twenty-five dollars, being the interest on his note (which was given him by his paying the two thousand dollars which John Baugher receipted to the commissioners.) The commissioners fixed the spot and staked out the ground for the court house, and adjourned. March 8, 1836—The board of Commissioners made this further entry on their journal, viz: Paid John Baugher seven hundred and eighty-two dollars; also, a county order amounting to two hundred and eighteen dollars, the whole amounting to one thousand dollars. August 19, 1836, the further entry was made on the commissioners' journal, viz: Settled with John Baugher and accepted the court house, and paid him the balance of three thousand, two hundred and seventy-nine dollars and , seventy-six cents in orders on the county treasurer, and an order on Jacob Stem for the balance of said. Stem's note of seven hundred and sixty-eight dollars—making the sum of $4,047.76, which, with the moneys heretofore paid, makes the sum of $9,500.00, the full payment. They then, also, paid Uriah P. Coonrad, for notifying James Gray, 1.50; and James Gray $1.00 for inspecting the court house. On the same day the board made an agreement with John Baugher to furnish the court house with benches, tables, etc.; with. Frederick Kridler to furnish chairs and settees, and with Luther A. Hall to furnish the stoves. On the same day David E. Owen resigned his office of county auditor, and the commissioners appointed Levi Davis to fill the vacancy, who entered into bond, and took the oath of office. The history of the building of the first court house in Tiffin is recorded here for the benefit of those who may be interested in, or desire to know, the steps that were taken from time to time, from the beginning to its completion, and the names of the persons that figured in the work. Of all the men that were engaged in the work, from the commissioners down to the hod-carriers, there are only three still living, viz: Mr. Adam Wilhelm, now living in Seneca township; Mr. Peter Simonis, now living in Carey, Wyandot county, Ohio; and Mr. Engelman, a carpenter, living in Findlay, Ohio. The others have all gone to their long homes. On the 11th day of January, 1836, the: following entry was made on the. journal of the commissioners, viz: The board proceeded to fill a vacancy occasioned by the expiration of the term for which Abel Rawson was appointed recorder for Seneca county, to-wit: On the 10th day of January, 1829, by the court of common pleas, for - 12 - 178 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. seven" years thence next following, which time having expired, the board appoints the said Abel Rawson recorder, as aforesaid, and until the next , annual October election. JOHN SEITZ, LORENZO ABBOTT, Commissioners. The county recorder was first ,elected by the people in October, A. D., 1836. A very curious entry was made on the journal of the commissioners on the 6th day of December, 1838, in the following words and figures, to-wit. Josiah Hedges presented a petition from sundry inhabitants of Adams and Pleasant townships, praying for a new township to be made out of the above named townships, to be called "Sulphur Springs." After taking said petition into consideration, they protest the same, and petitioners go hence from whence they came. The first step taken. for the purchase of a farm, and the erection of a county infirmary for Seneca county, was the entry on the journal of the county commissioners, on the 7th day of June, 1841, upon the petition presented by Jacob W. Miller and others, on the 3d day of March, 1841. The petition was read at this session, and postponed for further consideration. While writing on the subject of this court house, it may be well to state here, in connection with the subject, the circumstances of the burning of the court house, and the rebuilding of the same. The reader must not look for any chronological arrangement in this wcirk, as there is no effort made towards order in time in the relation of subjects. This is not intended as a reference book. Its object is to preserve descriptions of' early,times and scenes; the memories of men and women who first built homes in- this forest, then called Seneca county; recollections of their manner of living; their trials and hard-ships; their pleasures and their griefs; their virtues and their vices; to please, and, if possible, to instruct. The data were so carefully collected that they may be relied upon with confidence. The spring term of the court of common pleas was appointed to commence its session on the morning of Tuesday, the 24th day of May, 1841. The sheriff, on the Saturday' previous, the 22d, cleaned out the court room, and, dusting off the seats, left the Windows open to let the dust escape. They were found in that condition when the people came together after the alarm of fire. The window in the little room of the northeast corner, up stairs, however, was shut. The men who bursted in the door to this roOm were repulsed by the fire and BURNING OF THE COURT HOUSE - 179 smoke, and could save nothing of its contents. The Tzffin Gazette, of May 29, 1841, says in its editorial on that subject: Our village, which has hitherto been exempt from calamity by fire, has at last been robbed of its most splendid ornament by this destructive agent. Our late beautiful court house is now a heap of ruins was discovered to be on fire between two and three o'clock) Sunday morning last, by which time the flames had made such progress that it was impossible to arrest them by any means the citizens had at command. The result was the total destruction of the building. Total, we say, for, although a large portion of the walls are yet standing, it will not, we think, be found expedient to allow them to remain as part of the new edifice. The court house contained the offices of the recorder, treasurer, auditor, sheriff, clerk of court, and grand jury room, which was occupied by Messrs. Cowdery and Wilson. The recorder's office was then in the southwest corner, and the records were easily secured, being the farthest away from the fire. The greater part of, and all the important records in, the clerk's office, were saved. Very little injury was done to the books in the auditor's office. The sheriff, also, saved most of his important papers; but all the papers in the treasurer's office were destroyed. A strong current of wind carried the flames in that direction, and drove the people away. Richard Williams had his law office in the treasurer's room, and lost his entire library. Cowdery and Wilson got out of their office everything of value, as they thought; but when the back stair-case and wooden partition wall attached thereto, took fire and threw a brillidnt light into their room, which was also on the ground floor, Mr. Cowdery came to the writer, while I was helping to save the records in the clerk's office, and said: "William, there is a case of pigeon holes containing valuable papers in our office, yet. I wish you would jump in and save them for us; you are single, and if you get killed, there is neither wife nor child to cry after you." I thought the proposition a very reasonable one, and jumped through the window and saved the papers. The pigeon hole case was just commencing to blaze. The court house was considered: fire-proof. Oak logs, hewed one foot s,quare, were laid close together over the whole lower story. These were covered with sand eighteen inches deep. The idea was this: That if the upper story should ever burn, the sand on these logs would arrest the further progress of the fire, and save the records and papers below. It seemed, however, that when the back stairway caught fire, it communicated with the logs very rapidly. A slight current of wind carried the flames all along the ceiling of the offices; and the office of Cowdery 180 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. and Wilson, being close to the stair case, had the logs burnt nearly through at this time, and the sand had commericed pouring down. One jump brougiht me into the south window of the office, when three logs. with about twenty loads of sand on top, fell down into the office. Another jump ou,t, landed me on my hands and feet on the ground, with the cheers of the crowd on that side; but before I could get up, the whole cornice on the south side fell and nearly covered me; but, as good fortune would have it, a piece of the cornice that fell close,by, end-ways, operated as a prop to the balance, and I was pulled from under the rubbish without injury. After the first alarm of fire, a few bucketfuls of water would have been sufficient to put it out. It was then just breaking through the cornice and roof, at the northeast corner of the house. The're was no way to reach the fire. There was no fire-engine, no hooks, no ladders, no fire company. The people were as helpless as children, and doomed to stand by and see their new and beautiful court house burn down. They did all they could do. They saved the records, some of the furniture, and the neighboring buildings. There was a great difference of opinion as to the cause of the fire. Some laid it to incendiarism; others laid it to Mr. John Elder, who was deputy clerk, for leaving his candle burning in his room in the upper story, immediately below where the fire first. broke through. John was seen, late in the evening, coming down stairs, dressed up, and some time after the roof was all ablaze, came back, being dressed for Sunday. He had a bed, hisclothing, books, and some furniture in the room, and slept there. Be this as it may, Sunday morning, May 23, found the court house in ashes within. its walls. The gable ends had fallen in, and all the chimneys but one. On the Monday following, Mr. David Bishop, a most daring, reckless man, in some way got up on to the north wall and walked eastward towards the only chimney yet standing, and just as he stretched out his hand to touch it, it fell outside to the ground. How Mr. Bishop avoided falling after it, is simply a miracle. The commissioners, at their June session thereafter, paid Mr. Joseph Walker, as trustee of the Methodist Protestant church, $25 for the use of their church in holding the May term of the court for that year. On the 10th day of June, 1841, the county commissioners ordered as follows: That the auditor be required to give public notice by advertisement in the Van Burenite and Tiffin Gazette, of Tiffin; the Ohio Statesman and Ohio State Journal, of Columbus; the Norwalk Experiment, of Norwalk; the REBUILDING THE COURT HOUSE - 181 Sandusky Democrat, of Lower Sandusky; and the Findlay Courier, of Findlay, until the 22d day of July next, for rebuilding and. completing the court house without delay. On the 23d day of July, 1841, the board contracted with John Baugher to build a new house, using the walls of the old house, which were considered all sufficient, and have ever since so proved to be— i. e., the carpenter and joiner work and painting, for $3,080. Jacob Emich contracted for the brick work, furnishing all necessary material, for $800. Allison Phillips contracted for the plastering work, with the material, for $450. At the January session, 1843, of the board of commissioners, the new court house was accepted and occupied. In 1866, an addition was made on the east end of the court house, with a vault and safe for the treasurer, and vaults made to preserve the records and papers in the other offices. The addition constitutes the office of the recorder and treasurer, with grand and petit jury rooms above. On the 9th day of June, 1843, the county commissioners contracted with Ephraim Riker to build the jail and sheriff's residence, on Madison street, for $3,487. In 1877, the new jail on Market street was built. CHAPTER XII. THE WOOD-CHOPPER-HOW TO BUILD A CABIN-THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SETTLERS - THEIR BENEVOLENCE AND HOSPITALITY - PIONEER GIRLS - RUSTIC FURNITURE - THE HOMINY BLOCK - THE HANDMILL-GOING TO MEETING-INDIAN VISITORS-NATURAL FANNING MILL-"THE LIFE IN THE WOODS FOR ME"-HOME-MADE CLOTH-YOUNG AMERICA. "Some love to roam O'er the white sea foam, Where the wild winds whistle free; But a chosen band In a forest land And a life in the woods for me." THE ENEMIES of the country, red and white, had been subdued and driven away by victories and treaties, an the frontier made safe and protected against their atrocities. Now the forest was to be conquered ; diseases incident to frontier life to be met and endured ; swamps to be drained ; roads to be opened and bridges to be built; lands to be cleared and fenced; life to be sustained for several years without any income—without having anything to sell; and, first of all, a cabin to be built—a home to be secured. Money was very scarce. Every dollar the immigrants had was invested in land, as a general thing. Among those Who afterwards were considered the most wealthy were men who cleared lands for others at fifty cents per day, boarding themselves, or for eight to ten dollars per acre, to raise money for indispensable necessaries of life, or to pay, taxes. Many pioneers were compelled to work on the canals, to get a little money, leaving their families alone in the woods for months at a time. (See 'chapter on "Canal System.") 'The "oak openings" in Thompson township, undulating and "fair to look upon," covered with beautiful wild flowers from early spring to late in the fall, attracted the attention of men from Pennsylvania, and of some from New York, who were seeking for places to build homes in the west. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SETTLERS - 183 The settlers along Silver creek, Honey creek, Rocky creek and the river were from Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Kentucky, and from southern Ohio. The German, Irish and French immigrants, a vast majority of whom located west of the river, began the life in the woods here about the year 1829, and continued their coming until about 1850. The larger part of them came hither between 1830 and 1840. The settlers east of the river were principally native Americans, and familiar with the customs, habits, 'planner of living, laws and language of the people—could buy and sell without an interpreter, and transact all kinds of business in their own American way. Not so with the emigrant from a foreign land. Everything was new and strange to him ; the language of the people, their laws, manner of living, even the tools they worked with—all, all was new and strange. There never was a people in the world that could beat the Americans in the use of the axe, and as a wood chopper the American frontiersman never had his equal. Perhaps it did look awkward to see a man raise his axe over his head to chop down a tree, hacking into it all around in some fashion to get it down. But this was no laughing matter; the thing had to be learned by experience. The foreigner had no wood to chop in the land of his birth. A crooked axe-handle, and such an axe, were not in use in his country at that time. An American coming upon a German chopping in the woods, would often stop and show him how to swing, and not raise the axe perpendicularly, etc. The teacher was kind enough in his gratuitous lesson, and while his talk was all "lost upon the desert air," the foreigner saw the. utility in the swing, and soon became an apt scholar. The manner in which the tall timbers along Wolf creek came down to let the sun shine in, upon the ground, was one of the very many testimonials that proved how rapidly the man from western Europe became Americanized, and especially the German. There was another distinguishing feature between the American and foreign frontiersman. The American, familiar with his language and the habits of his, people and having a knowledge of what he was to meet in the west, accustomed to the use of tools, etc., had no ocean to cross to come here. He found his neighbors to be his own countrymen. He could pack his household goods, with his family, into a wagon, drive his cattle before him, and when the spot was selected where he would build his home it did not take him very long to make himself and his loved ones comfortable—at least comparatively so. The' settler from a foreign land was compelled to reduce his household goods to the smallest possible quantity, on account of the vast distance 184 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. he had to travel from his native hills and valleys to find a place to locate, in the the woods of Seneca county. And hither he came without a domestic animal, without any knowledge of the country or the people here, without any preparation to meet the task that his new life demanded of him, often without tools and generally without the knowledge how to use them. Those of you, American neighbors, who were at home here, and had means to help yourselves with, may perhaps imagine, but you never could realize, the heart-aches and hardships this. difference created, and what the man who had paid his last dollar for the piece of land upon which he now came, with his vvife and several small children, to build a cabin--destitute of almost everything except his iron will and industry—had to undergo. When he met his American neighbor he could not tell him what he wanted. Under such circumstances, it was indeed very.hard to fight the battle of life in the forest. But in these trying times there was one great virtue almost universal among all classes of people, without distinction as to nativity, race or religious affiliations—a virtue that towered above their mighty oa,ks, brighter than a beacon light, as warming in its effects as the rays of a 'summer sun, cheering as a mother's smile, and soothing, like a calm from the gardens above. It was that generous, broad, innate, heaven-born hospitality that characterized the settler in the woods. As misery loves company, the man who had himself realized the same scene, was quick, to furnish, the necessary relief. It was not considered a hardship at all, when several of' the neighbors came with their axes, a yoke of oxen and a log chain, cross-cut saw, froe, maul, etc., and often in one day put up a log cabin and covered it with clap boards before night. Another day or two, and the owner had put up a fire-place at one erid and a door in the side. If the new comer could re-pay by working back, all right ; if not, it was all the same. And so with everything else. A favor was not asked in vain; for-it was granted, if possible, as a matter of course. The latch-string was always out, night and day. There were neither castes nor classes in society then. Some, it is very true, were in much better circumstances than others, even then ; but their work, their deprivations, their hardships, their sufferings and mutual dependence upon each other in the hours of distress and need, together with their social gatherings, brought all down to a common level, or elevated all to a higher plane of neighborly love—as you please to have it—thus forming a society that the outside world, away from the frontier, never knew. There was no night so dark or stormy, no swale so deep, no distance so great, but that a call in case of sick- 185 - KINDNESS OF SETTLERS. ness, distress or death, would be promptly responded to. To feed the hungry, to furnish relief in cases of distress and need, and to help each other was the mission of the society. It was only vecessary to.. have one's wants made known; help came of itself And even in after. years, if, by reason of sickness, accident or mishap of any kind, a neighbor could not take care of his harvest or make his hay, neighbors volunteered their services and did the work, without asking or expecting pay. Viewing pioneer life from this standpoint, is it to be wondered at that neighbors would thus share and sympathize with each other? All this mutual help came spontaneously, without reward. or expectation there-of. Woman then, more than ever, proved to be that sweet angel of charity at the bed-side of the sick and dying, ministering to the stIffer-ing, and smoothing the pillow of the departing.. In a case of distress it was no uncommon occurrence for a man and his wife to get out of a warm bed in the dark hours of a cold, winter's night, light a torch made of the bark of shell hickory, and leaving their children alone in the cabin, wind their way through the forest, through snow and water fdr miles, to tender their kind offices to a suffering neighbor. How well the beautiful words of the poet apply to this noble pioneer neighborhood :-- "No precious gem that crested fortune wears, Nor priceless pearl that hangs from beauty's ears, Shine with such lustre as the tear that breaks For others' woes down virtue's manly cheeks." To go three, four or five miles and help a man raise a cabin, was in the order of things. The work had to be done, and the man could not do it alone. That was enough; and there was no dodge or disposition to get away from it, or make an apology. To help, was as imperative as the laws of the Medes and Persians. If a man was notified to help at a "raising," and did not put in an appearance, it was regarded as a failure to perforin a binding obligation, and a repetition of the same had a tendency to injure the man's character in the esteem of his neighbors. To avoid this, a man would often neglect his own affairs and go, rather than. be talked about and blamed for dodging a duty. Nothing would excuse him but sickness or accident. If boulders or other stones could be found handy, they were rolled together and put on top of each other, to form the back and sides of a fire-place. A clay bank would answer as a substitute. The sides and back of a fire-place thus made secure, the next thing was to top out 186 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. and up, a chimney. This was done with sticks split out of an oak log, laid over each other in a square form on the top of -the back and sides ,of the fire-place until a heighth of one or two feet above the comb of the roof was reached, and then it was well plastered on both sides with soft clay. If flag stones could be found for a hearth, very good ; if not, a clay hearth answered nearly as well, and the latter was the most fashionable hearth .in all that part of the country where stones were scarce. In building a cabin, an accomplished "corner man" could, carry up a corner in less than one-half the time it would take an ordinary chopper. To make the notches fit the saddles neatly, required bdth skill and practice; and by looking at the corners of a cabin it was very easy to tell whether the corner man, understood his business or not. The porch, or "stoop," as the Yankees used to call it, was made at the side of the cabin where the road was expected to be made thereafter. On the first or second logs above the door the end logs on that side were allowed to run as far out and over the side, as the porch was to be wide. Upon the ends of tlaese projecting logs a straight log was laid length-wise," and formed the plate of the roof. As the gable end logs were now cut shorter to form the roof, poles were laid on these length-wise also, and in line with the plate. These were called "ribs," and answered the purpose of rafters. The clap-boards were laid on these clap-board was from six to eight inches wide, split out of a white oak llock about four feet long, frorn -One-half .to one inch in thickness, and was laid on these ribs without being shaved: These clap-boards were now laid down, projecting over the plate about six inches. At .each end of the plate a wooden pin held up a long straight pole, which was laid on the top of the clap-boards to hold them down. Then .another layer of clap-boards was put down, and another , long, straight pole placed on these, and so on. To prevent these poles from slipping ,down, sticks, called "kneesi" were put from the,lower pole to the next .one, end-wise. These long poles were very appropriately called "weight Toles," for they. held the clap-boards down and kept them straight. Thus the roof was made, Now the logs were cut off in the side of the cabin where the doors were wanted, down to the lower log. The doors in the sides were generally put opposite each other, for several reasons, viz: for ventilation, to get out at the back way, and very 'often to let the horse or the ox, that had just hauled a back-log, walk out at the other door, without being put to the necessity of turning around. For want of a sawed iplank, a straight piece of puncheon was used to BUILDING A LOG HOUSE - 187 hold up the ends of the logs thus sawed off for the door, and was pinned aaainst these ends very firmly, forming at the same time the door jamb. A. sheet or an old quilt was made to answer for a door until some boards could be procured for that purpose. These were hard to find. Saw mills were scarce, and often far a way; but when the necessary boards were procured, ;they were pinned to two cross pieces split out of a straight block, the larger end of which projected about six inches, and having an inch hole through it. This cross piece was called a batten, and while it served that purpose it was also a hinge. The inch hole in the projecting end of the batten fitted over a wooden pin put into the door jamb, standing upright, and supplied the hook. Next, a wooden latch and catch was fixed to the other edge of the door, with the string by which the latch was raised running through a small hole and hanging down outside, and the door was done. There was no glass to be had for the window, and for the want of it a piece of paper pasted over the hole let light enough through to see by, especially when the paper was greased. It required considerable mechanical skill to make a good puncheon floor. The puncheons were split out of straight oak logs and hewed with a broad-axe on one side, then spotted on the other to fit level on the sleepers below. All this required a knowledge of the use .of the broad-axe, and some help. For want of either of these, a clay floor was made by filling up the bottom, as high as the lower log, with clay; and to make a good one the clay was rnixed with water and an ox or.a horse led through it for hours at a time, to tramp the clay into a paste, and when thus prepared it was, pounded with a piece of plank and lev-eled up to suit. The clay floor was thus even with the lower log, and the door swung nicely over it, and close to it. This kind of floor kept. the wind from blowing under the cabin, added to its warmth, and was easily repaired. For want of boards or slabs the loft was useless until these could be procured; then a ladder, placed.in a corner of the cabin, generally near the fire-place, led "up stairs." The spaces between the logs were filled up with short blocks, called "chinking," which were wedged together in such a manner as to prevent their falling out. The chinking was then covered with a coating of wet clay, inside and but. Now the cabin was completed, and formed a human habitation as good and as comfortable as surrounding circumstances would admit of. There was not a nail in the whole structure. Two wooden hooks pinned against one of the joists held the familiar rifle in its place, ready for use at a moment's warning, and always in reach, for the ceiling of the cabin was never very high. 188 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. The furniture of the cabin was of the same rustic character. There were no large warehouses of ready made cabinet-ware in those days. Pieces of puncheon furnished with legs made good stools, and supplied the want of chairs. A similar piece, orxly larger and with longer legs, made avery good, substantial table. Bedsteads were often made with but one post. "How can that be done ?" you ask. A two inch augur hole was bored into a log as high as the bedstead was to be from the floor, and as far from the corner as the width of the bed; then a similar hole was bored in another log as far from the same corner as the length of the hed. Poles were then driven into th,ese holes, and at the point where these crossed each other they were cut off, and the ends driven into two holes, which were bored in a post at the same heighth from the floor as the holes in the logs. The bottom of the bed was made of basswood bark twisted and run over the poles and logs, the straps crossing each other at right angles. This was not a patent spring bottom, but answered the satne purpose. Small pins driven into the joists held up the bed curtain which had been brought from home. Thus the cabin, with its large fire-place and crackling fire, began to assume an air of rural comfort and coziness that could only be realized in the cabin age. The table furniture was generally of tin or pewter. Queens-ware or china-ware were not only expensive, but heavy and unsafe to take along on the journey. The cooking utensils were equally as simple and practicable. A tea kettle, Dutch oven, coffee pot and skillet; sometimes, a reflector to bake in, constituted the most essential articles. ilio The handle of the skillet had to be very long to enable the cook to use it without getting too close to the fire. Very often, the end of the pan handle was held up by a string suspended from a log in the ceiling, in which was very convenient. Pins driven into the logs, with boards laid on top, formed convenient shelves, and everything was made as handy and convenient as could be. The trees near the cabin were now brought down and burnt up, to start a clearing and open a patch for corn and vegetables. The patch 1 was enclosed with a rail or brush fence, and those who knew the use of roasting ears, lived in clover when they were fit for use. A very excel-lent cake was made from corn that was a little too hard for roasting ears, in about this manner: A piece of tin, perforated from one side, made a grater. The corn in the ear was rubbed over that, and a soft meal secured, which, mixed with an egg and a little salt, made a very good cake. It was baked in a skillet, generally, but often on the back of a shovel, washed clean, and set up before the fire at an angle of BUILDING-INDIAN HABITS-MILLS - 189 about 45 degrees. "Johnny-cake" was baked that way, and made a very good substitute for bread. A piece of fat venison or bear's meat, with corn cake and a glass of milk, made a feast "fit for a king to eat." No conquests celebrated by royalty, no festive night, with royal pomp and circumstance, furnished a meal so free from heart-ache and wrong, so full of true happiness and real enjoyment, as that of the pioneer frontiersman. Afterwards, when people could afford the expense, they built houses of logs hewed on two sides—often one and one-half—sometimes two stories high. When whitewashed on the outside, they looked very cleanly and comfortable. It was no uncommon occurrence with people who. lived near the trails of Indian’s, to have a number of these red men come into the cabin and lay around the fire all night. They would come in at most any hour of the night, without making any noise, and in the morning, when the inmates of the house awoke, they found the Indians sound asleep on the floor, with their feet towards the fire. The cabin door was scarcely ever locked, and the Indians never learned the custom of knocking at a door to be allowed admittance. Parents would often leave their cabin of evenings in the care of their children, to sit up with a sick neighbor some Miles away, when Indians would come in for a night's lodging, stay all. night, and go away without molesting or disturbing anything. Flouring mills were scarce, and often far off. Gradually, some of these useful structures sprung into existence along the river and on Honey creek; but even then, when a man had no team, he continued to experience the trouble of reducing his corn into meal as theretofore. The corn did not get as hard then as it does now. The corn patches were in the woods, in spots here and there around the scattered cabins, and the air was filled with moisture, which kept the corn wet and soft. To prepare it for the hominy block, or the mill; it had to be dried before the fire, for it would not.shal without this preparation. The hominy block was a piece of a log about two feet long, set up on end, with a hole burnt into the upper end, forming a mortar. The end of a hand-spike was split to receive the sharp end of an iron wedge, which was held to the handle by an iron ring driven down tightly upon it. The head of the wedge crushed the corn in the hominy block, and thus they had a mortar and pestel. The corn often required a great deal of pounding before it would become fine enough for meal. The meal was then sifted, and the finer portion used for 190 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. cakes, while the coarser part was the hominy. Fanning the hominy a little while in a tin pan, drove all the shells out of it. A very good hominy was also made without pounding it, by soaking the Corn a day or two in strong lye made of wood ashes. This loosened the shell, and softened the hard part of the. grain. The lye being poured off and the corn soaked again in fresh water for awhile, Would swell very large, and lose the taste of the lye, and when boiled soft made very good hominy. Some of the settlers who had ingenuity enough, and could find flag-stones that answered the purpose, constructed instruments they called "hand mills." Let me describe one of these, for they answered not only the purpose of the family that owned one, but also that of the neighbors round about, who brought their corn already shelled to grind it. When two or three of the neighbors met at the hand mill the same evening, one had to wait until the other was done, and it often took steady work until away beyond midnight, to grind corn enough for bread to last during the next day: It was a very simple affair. Two stones, about twenty inches in diameter, dressed round, formed the real mill. The mill was erected near the chimney corner. The lower stone was made stationary on a block; the upper stone, calledAthe runner, was turned by hand in this wise: A pole was firmly fixed into a square hole on the top, near the edge. The upper end of the pole entered a hole in a board, or a log, over head, loosely. A broad hoop, made of a clap-board shaved thin. was fixed around the stones to keep them to their places and keep in the corn. One person would then turn the stone, while the other fed the mill through a hole in the side called "the eye." It was hard and slow work, and the men took "turn about." While this work would take two men two hours to grind meal enough for the family for the next day, yet it was an improvement on' the hominy block, after all. The old saying that "necessity is the mother of invention," never was applied any where with greater force than in the life of the pioneer. As soon as ground enough was cleared, and wheat could be raised, no time was lost to try it. It was very difficult to stir up loose ground enough between the roots and stumps to receive the seed. Wheat drills would have been of no value then. But small crops were raised in the start. The threshing was done with flails or thin poles, sometimes on the ground, cleared up for that purpose. Now, to get the chaff away from the wheat was another difficulty. When the wind would blow, a sheet was spread on the ground, and a handful of wheat, held high up over the sheet, was allowed to run through the hand, INCONVENIENCES OF PIONEER LIFE - 191 while the wind blew the chaff to one side---a natural fanning mill. They had another way to clean wheat when the wind did not blow. Two men took hold of the four corners of a sheet, and wafted it, with a. strong sweep, towards another man, thus creating a current of air in his. direction, which separated the chaff from the wheat as it fell from his. hands on to a second sheet provided to catch the clean grain. This was cleaning wheat in a calm. A description of the difficulties in getting grinding done at the mills, is given in a former chapter, and it is only necessary to add here, that that inconvenience was a very general one. Excepting cases of sickness, the hardest part of pioneer life was the commencement of it, and more so, especially, with those that came here without a good preparation for the task such scenes would necessarily require. If a man bad money enough to go into the older settlements and buy for himself a yoke of oxen, he was considered a "made man." Those that had no team at all, were doomed to depend upon those that had, to' get their logging done, their milling, their plowing, and other team work. This was attended with great delay, frequent disappointments, and many other inconveniences, as may well be supposed, and necessarily made progress exceedingly slow. Horses, were also a rarity. Oxen did nearly all the work a team had to do, and were, in fact, better adapted for. such use then than horses. People that had oxen and a wagon attended church in style; others had to walk. For want of churches, religious services took place at the cabin of some settler, and it made very little difference what christian denom-ination the preacher belonged to, for the people would attend service any way. The same mutuality of feeling was well sustained when, afterwards, funds were raised to build churches. People would subscribe and pay liberally with labor, material and money to the erection of churches they did not belong to or affiliate with. It was expected of every man that he should patronize religion, and not stand aloof when a call was made upon him for such a purpose. A family was naturally supposed to belong to some church. Atheists, infidels, materialists-and deists were not known, or did not care to be so designated. This-religious feeling, so general, allied with the broad benevolence so usual and common among the pioneers, had a wondprful effect upon society at large, and directly or indirectly compelled men to be sober, honorable, honest, industrious and frugal, in order to be entitled to attention. or respect from anybody. It is to be regretted that that element in frontier society did not live to reach this age and generation. 192 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. It should not be forgotten that there, were no bridges across the streams in those days, and people found their way out to some open road, or to a neighbor, by following blazed trees; that it was then necessary to wade through swamps, climb over, or walk along on logs. Men did not wear polished boots, and with such as they had, .could well make their way to meeting on Sunday. But ladies without horses to ride,- and no team of any kind, had to get to church as best they could—for go, they would. And it was also regarded as perfectly in order to see girls carry their shoes and stockings in their hands, wade through the water, and after walking several miles through the woods, when near the meeting house, sit down in a fence corner, or behind a big tree, and put on their shoes and stockings. After the meeting was over, they took them off again, and walked home barefooted, in the way they came. Sometimes a beau was polite enough to carry the shoes and stockings to the house, and thus embrace the opportunity to see "the old man." The girls were as pretty, in their log cabins, as ours are now in their drawing-rooms, and equally as virtuous, and possessed of as much true womanhood as now, to say the least. The trails of their dresses were not as long as they are worn now, and perhaps the texture was not so fine, but they looked the very picture of health and beauty in their linsey-woolsey, and other home-made flannels; and if you married one of these girls, you had a wife in the fullest sense of the term, and a companion for life that would stand by you, come what would. It was not necessary, then, to hire a German or Irish chamber-maid to fan your frontier bride while she, seated in a rocking-chair, played her guitar, or hold up her trail as she stepped into her carriage. And there was no need of a French cook, chamber-maid, and a laundry girl—making three—to wait upon the bride. These ,hangers-on were all dispensed with. The kitchen, the parlor, the wash-room and the drawing-room were all in the same room, and the fire in the big fire place warmed them all. Courtships among young people had their inconveniences, very true, but daughters were scarcely ever out of their mothers' sight, and at their social gatherings old and young commingled together. While pioneer life had 'its rough sides, and its deprivations, it must not be supposed, for a moment, that it was a dark and gloomy life, and destitute of joys and pleasures. There is a certain peculiar pleasure attached to it that is almost indescribable. Chopping in the woods, burning brush and log heaps, wife and children joining in the work; the quiet and solitude of the forest; fishing and hunting; the relief "THE LIFE IN THE WOODS FOR ME!" - 193 from the restraints and conventionalities of refined society; the hope for future prosperity; of nearer neighbors; of better roads and markets; of bridges, stock-growing, fields enlarging, sons and daughters growing into usefulness—these and a thousand and one other incidents made "the life in the woods" wonderfully fascinating, an created around it a halo of most peculiar happiness and loveliness. Any survivor of that generation of men, will now exclaim, when recurring to those days: "The life in the woods for me!" There was no terror in the howling of the wintry blast when the little clearing had grown large enough to prevent the trees from falling on the cabin. The family, snugly tucked away in their warm beds, in the little cabin, lit up from the big fire-place, were not annoyed by the howling, whistling and whining of the winds in the tree-tops, nor by the crashing of breaking limbs, and the thundering of a big, falling tree. It is very true, that some of us who had to sleep aloft, often found our shoes, stockings, and, in fact, all our clothes, even our bedclothes, covered by a bed of snow, when we waked up in the morning; for these clap-board roofs would let the snow into the cabin with wonderful facility, especially when the wind blew with it. But it was the work of a moment to shake the snow from our clothes, and get down the ladder to the fire-place, where they soon dried. These fire places were generally very spacious, occupying nearly the whole end of the cabin, leaving just room enough for a ladder to go aloft on one side, and for a cupboard on the other. The back-log, about six feet long, and two or three feet in diameter, if green, lasted longer than a dry stick, of course, but it always disorganized the house to put a back-log to its place. It was handled and rolled over With hand-spikes, and when in its place, it was an easy matter to build a good fire in front of it, thus throwing the heat forward into the room. For want of help to get the back-log to its place, it often became necessary to hitch a horse or an ox to it, and thus "snake" it into the house lengthwise. The log-chain was then unhitched, and the "critter" led out of the opposite door.  The wolves passed away gradually, and no longer did their. wretched howling, long drawn out, make the nights hideous about the lonely cabin. Sheep could now be raised with greater safety, and wool and : mutton were both highly valued, Then came into use the large spinning wheel, with its "boy," and peculiar hum. Woolen socks became a luxury. Men and women wore homespun clothing. Weaving looms became plenty, and those Who had no loom could get their cloth woven by a neighbor, very cheap. The hemp and flax well spun on small - 13 - 194 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. wheels. Linen warp and woolen filling made linsey-woolsey. This made dresses for women and children, and wampuses for the men to work in. People now dressed more comfortably. An overcoat of home-made cloth, with a double cape, was very becoming to the back-woodsman in his wolf-skin cap. Many of the long winter evenings were spent in spinning wool and flax, some using the reel, sonie the swift, while the men made hickory brooms or axe-handles. Every one was employed until bed-time. The little cabin looked like a beehive on a large scale. These pages are not intended as a criticism on anybody, or anything. Their object is merely to preserve, from oblivion, scenes and incidents that accompanied the time and the circumstances in and under which this beatiful patch of country, we 'love to call "Old Seneca," commenced to be opened to civilization, and the memory of that noble, heroic class of men and women who devoted their lives to the task, and who are fast passing away. It is questionable, however, whether the present generation is pos-sessed of the gratitude, love and veneration proirrly due to its pioneer friends, for what they did and endured to make Seneca county what it is. Perhaps there is not as much of that filial love, affection, veneration and esteem due from the child to the parent, shed abroad throughout society as there should be. Boys talk of the time when they shall be twenty-one years old and then be their own masters—independent, free to do for themselves, under obligation to nobody. They call the father "the old man," the mother "the old woman." It sounds so cold and so hard, so distant and so void of love, and seems to ignore everything the honored parents did to make "Young America" to be a man. There is no duty that love enjoins upon thc human heart, more sacred, next to the love of God, than the filial love and affection a child owes its parents. If this is a world of cause and effect, it can scarcely be presumed that a violation of this law is not followed by the penalty. A good story is told of "a man who had an old father living with him who was nervous, and trembling with age. His wife was a very cleanly and tidy woman. The old father often spilled his food on the table cloth, and they made him sit at a small table in a corner, by himself. Even there he occasionally broke a dish, being unable to control his nerves. One day the son took an axe and chopped at a block, making a little trough. His little boy, by his side, asked him what he was making, and the man told the child that he was "making a trough for grand-pap "YOUNG AMERICA." - 195 to eat out of." This answer put the little fellow into a deep study, and after awhile he looked up and' said to his father: "Pa, when you be an old man, I will make a trough for you, won't I?" The man dfopped his axe, took the little fellow by the hand, and vvalked into the house. When I see Young America driving his fine horses, hitched to a splendid buggy, with silver-plated harness, nice whip with.a blue ribbon tied half-way up, holding the lines in his kid-gloved hands, going "two-forty on the plank"'over roads that his old father made through a dense forest, chopping down the trees, cutting them into logs, and hauling them away with a yoke of oxen, to enable him to ,drive between the stumps; then wait a long time before the stumps decayed, so that a furrow could be drawn to grade the road and let the water run away,—I would like to tell the young man to sometimes think of these things. When I see "Young America" standing at the corners of streets, with boots nicely polished, fine broadcloth suit, fine silk hat sitting on one ear, walking-cane of the latest style, with a cigar stuck in his face at an angle of forty-five degrees,—though all this may be very nice—I would most kindly whisper into.the ear of my young friend to remember, also, his honored father, who, in his honest home-spun, with his pants in his boots, worked hard all his life, struggling against poverty and want, and all other hardships that belonged to pioneer life. The reading of the history of One's country should tend to create patriotic pride. Why should it not also stimulate a renewed and a higher veneration. for the fathers and mothers that made the history? Pioneer tales and reminiscences may have a charm in them for some, but others do not care to read them—regard them as they would a fish story, and remain undecided whether they shall believe them at all; or not. Well! It is for only the better part of human nature that this book is written, any way. So mote it be. CHAPTER XIII. GOVERNOR EDWARD TIFFIN-A BIOGRAPHY. IT IS SAID that Governor Tiffin, of Chillicothe, was a particular friend of Mr. Josiah Hedges, at the time the latter laid out and platted Tiffin, and for that reason named his town after his friend. There are so many incidents and historic events interwoven with the life and public services of Governor Tiffin, and there is so much beauty in his private life and character, that to withhold them from the reader seemed wrong to the writer, especially after so much research and unex-pected success in securing the material. Some may be glad to preserve a memoir of the distinguished and illustrious pioneer after whom the capital of our county is named.           . The peculiar traits of character of Doctor Tiffin, as a leading man in his day, associated, as he was in his public life, with men of strong minds and remarkable ability, tended largely in starting our noble state on her proud career. The old "Buckeye state" was especially favored in being led into the constellation of this union of states by the hands of such distinguished patriots and statesmen as met in the territorial legislature in Cincinnati, and in the first constitutional convention, in Chillicothe, from 1798 to 1805, and after. They stamped their own individuality upon. their time, directed the first, infantile steps and determined the destiny, of the young and growing state. There are three daughters of Governor Tiffin stills living—two in Chillicothe and one in Cincinnati, a,s the following documents will . show. The letters "annexed prove the kindness thatIthe family of Tiffin seem to have inherited from their honored father, and their readiness to assist in the work of giving to the readers of these pages a faithful memoir of the person and character of Governor Tiffin. Upon the suggestion of Mis. L. R. Dresbach, of Tiffin, and being informed that a Doctor Comegys, living in Cincinnati, was a distant relative of the Governor, the writer addressed a letter to him. Upon this, answers were received, and the material furnished from which the sketch of Governor Tiffin is written: BIOGRAPHY OF GOVERNOR. TIFFIN - 197 MY DEAR SIR :— CINCINNATI, January 21, 1880. Yours of the 17th inst. received. I enclose a memoir of Governor Tiffin written in 1869. The preface explains it. I had intended writing a fuller account of his distinguished career, but seem never to find the time. The Governor was a man of medium stature, dark chestnut hair, deep blue eyes, a pure type of English features and rather florid complexion, very active in movements and quick in his mental actions. I shall be glad to answer any further questions. I am pleased to see your effort to do justice to the noble pioneer race. Very Respectfully, W. LANG, ESQ. C. G. COMEGYS. CINCINNATI, January 24, 1880. DEAR SIR :— Yours of the 22d inst. is received. Gov. Tiffin had no children by his first wife ; by the second five—one son and four daughters. Three of the latter are living, viz: Mrs. M. Scott Cook, (Mr. Cook is the uncle of Mrs. President Hayes), Miss Diathea Madison Tiffin, both residing in Chillicothe, and Mrs. Comegys, wife of Dr. Comegys, of Cincinnati. The oldest daughter is dead. She was the wife of Joseph Reynolds, Esq., of Urbana, Ohio. His only son, Edward, was killed in 1853 by an accident on the Erie Railroad at Yonkers, N. Y. He was a young physician and returning from Paris, where he had been residing for two years for medical observation. I will write to Miss Tiffin, who, I hope, can furnish you with a steel engraving of her father's face. I hope, also, that she will be able to furnish you with a copy of Geneial Washington's letter, introducing young Tiffin to Governor St. Clair. Yours, Respectfully, . W. LANG, ESQ. C. G. COMEGYS. CHILLICOTHE', OHIO, February 2, 1880. DEAR SIR :— At the request of my brother-in-law, Dr. Comegys, of Cincinnati, I send you a copy of General Washington's letter to Gov. St. Clair. Also by ex-press a copy of Johnson's engraved portrait of my father. Yours, Respectfully, WM. LANG, ESQ. DIATHEA M. TIFFIN. Attached to the foregoing letter of Miss Tiffin the letter of General Washington, introducing young Tiffin to Governor St. Clair, who at the time of the writing was governor of the Northwestern Territory. The reader will notice the modesty and delicacy of General Washington, that characterize all his writings. This letter was recently found among old papers in the possession of Dr. St. Clair, and was never published before: SIR :— Mr. Edward Tiffin solicits an appointment in the territory northwest of the dhio. The fairness of his character in private and public life, together 198 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY. with a knowledge of law resulting from close application for a considerable time, will, I hope, justify the liberty I now. take in recommending him to your attention; regarding with due attention the delicacy as well as importance of the character in which I act. I am sure you will do me the justice to believe that nothing but a knowledge of the gentleman's merits, founded upon a long acquaintance, could have induced me to trouble you on this occasion. With sincere wishes for your happiness and welfare, I am, etc., GEORGE WASHINGTON. January 4, 1798. GOV. ST CLAIR There is no doubt but that a knowledge of the fundamental principles of law was a powerful factor in placing young Tiffin among the first statesmen of his time, and the wonderful sagacity of Gen. Washington comprehended the man and the place where he might be utilized. DEAR SIR :— CINCINNATI, February 6, 1880. Since I wrote you I have found a letter addressed to me by the late Col. Allen Latham, of. Chillicothe, written at a time when I thought I would enlarge my memoir of the old Governer. I sent the Colonel a copy of my memoir, and asked him to write me what he could of his recollections. It harmonized.. with my statement, as you will see, and you will get a better description of his person and his gentlemanly manners. He belonged to the old regime of highly cultured men. I have a copy of his first meisage to the Legislature; also his message in regard to the capture of the Blennerhasset-Burr expedition, and President Jefferson's laudation of the Governor's activity, etc., etc; If you desire to use them in your narrative, I will send them to you. One of the most flourishing towns in the state bears Tiffin's name, and as you are about writing a history of the pioneer era, I feel that you ca,n make your work more attractive by such details, as well as honor a distinguished man of his time. Very Respectfully, W. LANG, ESQ. [SEE APPENDIX.] C. G. COMEGYS. Edward Tiffin was born in the city of Carlisle, England, Juhe 19, 1766. His parents were in but moderate circumstances, and his uncle, Edward Parker, after whom he was named, assumed the care of his education. He was fitted for the study of medicine, upon which he entered at an early age ; but before he had completed the course he embarked for this country with his parents and family, when- barely-eighteen years of age, and landed in New York. He proceeded to Philadelphia, where he followed the course of medical lectures in the University of Pennsylvania. He then rejoined his father's family, who BIOGRAPHY OF GOVERNOR TIFFIN - 199 had settled in Charlestown, Berkely county, Virginia, and began the practice of medicine when but twenty years of age. His thorough training brought him speedily into notice, and his suc-cess soon gave him a fine reputation and a lucrative 'practice.' He is described by one who knew him well, as "possessed of such buoyancy of spirit and sprightliness of temperament, pleasing manners and fine conversational powers, as made him the favorite in the gay and fash-ionable circles of Berkely." In 1789 he married Mary, daughter of Robert Worthington, and sister of Governor Worthin'gton. She was a woman of fine culture, and is described by an eminent minister as one of the most conscientious and heavenly-minded women he had ever met. With her he lived happily for nearly twenty years. The manuscript minutes of Mrs. Peters, the venerable.mother of the Hon. Rufus King, of Cincinnati, throw much light on the subject of dates concerning Gov. Tiffin's settlement in Ohio. The issue of land warrants by the state of Virginia to her revolutionary soldiers, to be located in Ohio, or the Northwest Territory, which Virginia, had ceded to the general government, drew largely the attention of Virginians, to ;that region. Thomas Worthington, with other owners of scrip and a party of surveyors, left Virginia in 1797, and arrived at Chillicothe the same month. The town was then called "Massieville," having been laid, out by Gen. Massie a year before. It contained about one hundred cabins, and there were about fifty more scattered about the surrounding conntry. An encampment of one hundred Indians was near at hand. Worthington seledted lots of large size for himself and his brother-in-law, Edward Tiffin, and after constructing two comfortable dwellings—the first that had shingle roofs and glass windows in the settlement—he returned to Virginia. Both Worth-ington and Tiffin were men of marked piety, and being in possession of slaves, and not being able to manumit them under the laws of Virginia, they determined to take them to the new free soil of Ohio and the northwest. In the latter part of March Tiffin, Thomas and Robert Worthington, with their wives and children, and their negroes, left Berkeley county, Virginia, for their new homes. The ladies and children were in carriages, the gentlemen on horses ; the male negroes were on foot, and their women and children on horseback. These, with pack-horses laden with household goods, even mirrors and domestic fowls in cages, made a long train, exciting great local interest on their departure, and attracting unusual attention in all the settlements and hamlets in the