328 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

CHAPTER, VII.

THE PIONEERS.

THE EMIGRATION-SELECTION OF A HOME - THE CABIN-THE EARLIEST PIONEERS-PREPARING THE SOIL- MILLS- WILD GAME - GINSENG - HUNTING -DOMESTIC ANIMALS AND THEIR ENEMIES - WHISKY - CLOTHING -SOCIAL GATHERINGS- CHURCHES -SCHOOLS- FIRST ROAD -GLEANINGS FROM THE "CHRONICLE "-THE PIONEER ASSOCIATION.

"I hear the tread of pioneers,

Of nations yet to be,

The first low wash of waves, where soon

Shall roll a human sea."- Whittier.

IN every country there is but one generation of pioneers. The history of that generation possesses a value and an interest which belong to no subsequent period. Leaving behind them the comforts and influences of a civilized community, the pioneers came to a new country, densely forested, and applied the energies of sturdy and earnest men to the destruction of the towering timber, and the rearing upon its ruins of a new civilization, Similar to that from which they migrated. The struggles and dangers they must undergo, the habits and customs which their new environment engendered, the gradual approach of their institutions from the inadequacy at their inception to the present stage of efficiency and the self-denying mode of life they were obliged to adopt. present a phase of life that has now departed from the State forever, and can never be here reproduced.

Most of the earliest settlers of Tuscarawas County were of German ancestry, and Pennsylvania birth or residence. A fair proportion. however, hailed from Maryland, Virginia. New Jersey, and a few came from North Carolina, New York, Connecticut and other States, while others emigrated directly from the Emerald Isle, or "der Faderland." The journey was performed in many instances afoot Others crossed the Alleghanies with all their worldly possessions packed in a two or four-horse wagon, in which only the very aged or very young were allowed to ride. The rest trudged uncomplainingly behind, or went in advance to clear the path. Some came with ox teams, some in two-wheeled carts, while others conveyed their effects to the land of promise on a couple of "old critters." Streams had to be forded frequently, roads had to be cut occasionally, and oftentimes a team would give out from drawing its burden through marshy ground, or over rough, steep hills. From fifteen days to several months were consumed in completing the tedious journey, and it was with at sigh of relief or exclamation of joy that the weary traveler at last reached his destination, though his labors had then only begun.

HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. - 329

In the selection of land, the river plains were avoided by many. From the scanty growth of forest trees upon them, the soil was judged to be of inferior quality. Hillside slopes or secluded ravines were preferred. Those lands that were covered with the heaviest growth of timber, and would require the greatest exertion to clear and prepare for the plow, were chosen, where a choice were possible. A spot for the cabin was always selected adjacent to a spring of water. For days the pioneer family were often obliged to camp on the ground or sleep in the covered wagon until a cabin could be erected. It was not uncommon, though, !or the pioneer to first visit his future home alone before the emigration of his family, and. build a little cabin, clear a small patch of ground and make the home ready for its destined occupants. This journey was usually performed afoot or horseback. If settlers were already in the neighborhood, which included a compass of many miles, and they were apprised of the new-comer's arrival. they would congregate at his place, and by their united, hearty labor, raise the cabin in a single day. This service was cheer. fully rendered for the arrival of each additional settler was hailed with delight in the wilderness land, and the kinship, which mutual privation and isolation in a new country produces, changing strangers into friends and brothers, was manifested in various acts of kindness and assistance.

The primitive cabin was made of rough round logs with the bark still adhering, usually about 14x16 feet in size. It was covered by clapboards, which were held on by weight-poles placed on each tier with a ridge-pole in the center. The cracks were chinked and daubed with clay mixed with water; the floor, if floor there was, was made of puncheons, split out of logs, and roughly hewed with a broad-ax. The fire-place occupied one end of the room, and the chimney was built of mud and sticks. The windows were square or long holes, made by sawing out pieces from one or two of the logs. Slats were then nailed across, and pieces of greased paper pasted over, through which a dim light would glimmer and help dissipate the darkness within. The door was an after consideration, and a blanket sometimes served as a temporary substitute. When finished, the door was fastened by a latch, and rarely locked or bolted. With a string or thong passing through an aperture in the door the latch could be raised from the outside, and it was proverbial among the honest, simple-hearted pioneers for the latch-string to be always out. A stranger, whether red, white or black, was rarely turned away. A dozen, or even a score of people, sometimes occupied at night the single apartment of the house, and no complaints were made of lack of room. Genuine hospitality was one of the cardinal virtues. The cabin was often built with a loft overhead, which was usually reached from the outside by a ladder. If, however, the means of ingress was from within, it was generally by a row of stout pins on one side of the room, up which the youngsters could climb with remarkable agility. For a ladder or stairway on the inside there was no room. Occasionally a few pieces of furniture were brought by the pioneer from his Eastern home; but, usually, table, chairs and bedstead, were fashioned from the rough logs, and were in regular keeping with the rudely constructed cabin.

330 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

After a few years had passed away, the settler aspired to a hewed-log cabin, a much better grade of dwelling than the primitive affair. Sawed lumber was used for door, window-frames and floor. Glass took the place of paper-windows, and nails were sparsely used. The first cabins were built without a nail, and when the latter first came into use, a bushel of wheat was exchanged for a pound of them. They were then made by hand on a blacksmith's anvil out of old scraps of iron.

The first settlement made in the county was in the Tuscarawas Valley. When cabin after cabin had been raised in various spots along the river course, its larger tributaries were explored and their banks settled. First came the Moravian missionaries to what is now Clay Township in 1708, and in the following year the Warners, Edmonds, Greers and Peters to the same locality. In 1800 or 1801, the Sowards, Knouses and Demuths, who were Moravians, settled in Warwick Township. About the same time Salem Township was occupied by the Pettycoarts, Williams, Corys and Sells. The settlement of the upper valley of the Tuscarawas was not delayed. Godfrey Huff was probably dwelling in the lower part of Sandy Township in May. 1801. Near by in Fairfield Township, the Jennings, Reeves and Williams soon after settled. Samuel Mosser, or Musher, as he was also known, took possession of Lawrence Township soil in 18113. The Harbaughs, who were squatters at first, settled almost as early above Dover. John Knisely commenced the settlement of Goshen Township in 1804, and Oxford Township was settled as early by John Mulvane. The valleys of Sugar Creek, Sandy. One Leg and Stillwater began to be occupied as early as 1806, and in 1812 possessed many residents; most of the smaller streams were not occupied until a later date, while the hill lands away from the streams were settled last of all. The books of the first merchant in the county, David Peter, at Gnadenhutten, show among many others the following customers whose exact locations are not now known: Abraham Weaker, Abraham Richardson and Thomas and John Carr in 1800; Anthony Beaver, Isaac Burroway and Aaron Cone, in 1801; David Williams, James Watson, James Welch, John Atkinson and Benjamin Bryson in 1802; Jacob Beedley, in 1803; Christian Weiss. Catherine Long, Walter Griffith, Matthew Williams, John Boroway and Joseph Cherryholmes in 1804, and John Fites, James Kelley and Andrew Johnson in 1805.

The pioneers as a rule were strong men and women. The weaklings were left at home. None but the stout-hearted and determined dared to face the hardships and privations essential to success in an undeveloped country. Leveling the forests and clearing the ground was arduous toil, and required a generation of men to accomplish it. Feats were then attempted and successfully carried out which would now be regarded with wonder and astonishment. Noble Cordery, who settled early in Warren Township, near New Cumberland, brought with him a fine team of horses. One morning they were missing, and leaving the boys picking brush, he started in pursuit of them, saving, as he went, that he would follow the tracks and return with the horses. Walking several miles, and remembering that his wife would await his coming for

HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. - 331

breakfast, he called at a house by the roadside and sent word home by a boy that he would continue the hunt till he found his property. On his bare feet, he walked 2!0 miles to his old home near Cumberland, Md., and there found the horses. Food and lodging he obtained on the way by narrating his errand.

Trees had to be felled, the logs and brush rolled in heaps and burned. The rich soil among the stumps and roots could then be worked and planted. Corn was the principal crop raised, and for years was the staple article of food. Every backwoodsman once a year added to his clearing at least a " truck patch," and in its virgin soil was planted corn, beans, melons, potatoes, squashes, pumpkins, turnips, etc. The corn and beans brought roasting ears and succotash; in Angust, when the corn became too hard for roasting ears, and was yet too soft to grind it was reduced to meal by a grater, and, whether stirred into mush or baked into johnny-cake, it made for people with keen appetites and good stomachs, excellent food.

"Next to the grater came the hominy block, an article in common use among the pioneers. It consisted simply of a block of wood-a section of tree, per. hays-with the hole burned or dug into it a foot deep, in which corn was pulverized with a pestle. Sometimes this block was inside the cabin, where it served as a seat for the bashful young buck skinned backwoodsman while "sparking" his girl; sometimes a convenient stump in front of the cabin door was prepared for and made one of the best hominy blocks. Mills soon superseded the hominy blocks; yet these mills were often so far apart that in stormy weather. or for want of transportation, the pioneer was compelled to resort to his hominy block or go without bread. In winter, the mills were frozen up nearly all the time, and when a thaw came and the ice broke, if the mill was not swept away entirely by the floods, it was so thronged with pioneers, each with his sack of corn, that some of them were often compelled to camp out near the mill and wait several days for their turn. When the grist was ground. if they were so fortunate as to possess an ox, a horse or a mule for the purpose of transportation, they were happy. It was not unusual to g0 from ten to twenty miles to mill, through the pathless, unbroken forest. and to be benighted on the journey and chased or treed by wolves. A majority of the pioneers, however, settled in the vicinity of a stream, upon which mills were rapidly erected. These mills were very primitive affairs, were "corn crackers," but they were an improvement on the hominy block. They merely ground the corn; the pioneer must do his own bolting. A wire sieve was thus one of the most important articles of household furniture. It always hung in its place on a wooden peg just under the ladder that reached to the loft. The meal was sifted an the finest used for bread. How delicious was the "Indian pone," baked in a large, deep skillet, which was placed upon coals raked from the fire-place to the hearth. Fresh coals were continually placed under it and upon the iron lid until the loaf, five or six inches thick, was done through. This was a different thing from johnny-cake, it was better, and could not always be had, for to make it good a little wheat flour was needed, and wheat. flour was a very

332 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

precious thing in those very early days." The first mill erected within what is now this county, was a small affair at Gnadenbutten in 1801; it was operated by horse-power. Four or five years later, Isaac Deardorff erected a water mill near the mouth of Sugar Creek, and Michael Uhrich another on Stillwater.

The forests were filled with a wide variety of game when first known to the pioneers. The buffalo had gone., though several were killed in Eastern Ohio as late as 1800. The elk, too, had departed, but the numerous, wide spreading antlers found, indicate that it had been here at no remote period. Panthers, though not numerous, were occasionally seen or heard, and sometimes fell a prized trophy of the hunter's skill. They disappeared not many years after the, first settlement. Bears abounded in greater numbers and remained much longer, an occasional straggler being seen as late as 1845. Wolves were found in great abundance, and proved a great annoyance to the settlers. Deer was perhaps the most precious game tc the pioneer. They were here in large numbers, and for many years supplied the pioneer's table with most of his animal food. They were easily killed, and it was a poor hunter who at the end of an hour could not bring down a fine buck or more palatable doe or fawn. Wild turkeys, too, were very abundant, and often graced the backwoodsman's board. They could often be shot from the cabin door. Of smaller game there was no scarcity. Raccoons and groundhogs are yet found occasionally. Both gray and red foxes were plenty and afforded fine sport to the huntsman. Rabbits and squirrels, if not here before the settlement of the county, came soon after in great numbers, and still remain. Many beavers and otters were here, and they were much sought after by the trapper for their valuable furs. The former has long since disappeared, but the latter has occasionally been seen in later years. Muskrats were numerous, formerly as now. Eagles, vultures, hawks, ravens and owls were very numerous, but have been slowly disappearing. Wild geese and ducks were found along the streams. Pheasants have almost disappeared. Quails, crows, blackbirds, bluebirds and turtle-doves were not natives of the wilderness, but came soon after the settlements began. Cranes, woodcocks, woodpeckers and pigeons were plenty, and yet remain, except the first.

Poisonous serpents were numerous-vipers, copperheads and black rattle. snakes-which often swarmed about the stables and into the cabins. So troublesome and dangerous were the reptiles that in some localities it was customary before retiring to thoroughly examine the bed to see that it was free from these unwelcome intruders. The open cabins gave them easy entrance and the warmth attracted them. Many a time was a pioneer or a member of his family thrilled with horror at finding he had been cherishing a venomous viper. Mr. Roth, one of the earliest pioneers of Dover Township, was awakened one night by the sobbing of his little girl who complained that her finger pained her. Bidding her cease crying, he attempted to regain his former repose, but the moans from the trundle-bed continued. Finally arising, he examined his child's hand, and found it greatly swollen. Further investiga-

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HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. - 335

tion discovered a poisonous snake coiled under her pillow. The reptile was speedily destroyed and the prompt application of remedies saved the child's life. Whisky was the efficacious antidote usually resorted to in such cases.

The streams abounded in n fish of large size.. The pike were from two to five feet in length. It has now almost, if not wholly, disappeared from the waters of the county. Catfish were plenty and of large size as were also the white perch and sucker. The black jack and clear jack were here and grew large, but have long since disappeared. The streams contained many more fish than at present, and contributed largely to the support of the pioneer's family. Bees were plenty and the table of the early settler was usually sup. plied with honey.

"The ginseng plant abounded in most localities in early times, and was an article of extensive traffic both to whites and Indians for many years after the first settlement of the county. Every merchant bought it. Beeswax, tallow, hides, fur, feathers, coon-skins and whisky were not more general articles of trade and barter than ginseng. It disappeared as an article of commerce in the county about 1835, and has not since been known. It was wholly of spontaneous growth and never an article of culture. It was a jointed taper root, as large as a man's finger, and when dry was of a yellowish, white color, with a mucilaginous sweetness of taste, somewhat resembling licorice, accompanied with a very slight bitterness. It was exported to China, where it was in demand for its real or supposed medicinal virtues. Many of the grape vines on the bottom lands were of enormous size, approximating in thickness a man's body. These sometimes spread themselves through the branches of half a score or more of the largest trees, completely shutting out the sunlight, and bearing immense quantities of fruit. The huckleberry, confined principally to the hills, yielded fruit bountifully. The strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, dewberry, and in a few localities the cranberry, grew spontaneously. The latter was in early days an article of traffic for the Indians as well as the pioneers. The early settlers laid up for use during the winter months large quantities of these wild fruits, and also chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, butternuts and hickory nuts. Mayapples and papaws were plenty, and were used to a considerable extent.'"

Hunting occupied a large portion of the pioneer's time. Nearly all were good hunters, and not a few lived almost wholly from the products of the chase. The adventures of these hunters were often exciting and their narration would be interesting, but space forbids. As the valleys became settled, the game disappeared to the upland hills and deep ravines, where it could be found for many years. The fall and early part of winter was the season for hunting deer, and the whole of the winter and part of the spring forbears and fur-bearing animals. As soon as the leaves were pretty well down and the weather became rainy, accompanied by light snow, the pioneer hunter felt uneasy in his cabin home and longed to be off in the great woods. Hunting was not a more ramble in quest of game without skill or calculation, for the hunter must know in what situation he might reasonably expect to find his game

336 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

In stormy weather the deer always sought the most sheltered places and the leeward side of the hills; in rainy weather, when there was not much wind, they kept in the open woods on high ground. In the early morning, if pleasant, they were abroad feeding in edges of the plains; at noon they were hiding in the thickets. In every situation, it was necessary that the hunter ascertain the course of the wind, so as to get to leeward of the game; this he often did by warming his finger in his mouth, then holding it overhead. The first sensation of cold indicated the source of the air current. The trees, the sun and stars supplied the place of the compass. The bark and moss of an aged tree is much thicker and rougher on the north side than on the south; hence the hunter could walk freely and carelessly through the woods and strike the direction intended. From morning to night he was constantly on the alert to gain the wind of his game and make the approach without discovery. If be succeeded in killing a deer, he skinned it, hung it up out of the reach of wolves, and resumed the chase till nightfall, when he bent his course toward the camp, where he cooked and ate his supper with a keen relish, and then, with pipe in mouth, related to his companions the adventures of the day.

With the Indians there was little trouble. The Goshen Moravian Indians hunted over almost the entire county, and were on terms of familiarity with all the foremost pioneers. When on hunting expeditions, they often stayed over night at some settler's cabin, if conveniently close, and were seldom, if ever, refused this privilege. The wild Indians were numerous at first, and except in consequence of their occasional pilfering, occasioned no difficulty with the settlers. Few returned after the war of 1812.

A few domestic animals were brought with the earliest pioneers and served an important part in the economy of life. Cows furnished milk, butter, beef and leather. Hogs were ear-marked and turned into the woods to fatten upon mast. They soon became quite wild and ferocious, and in many instances the ownership of them was lost. Their greatest enemy was the bear, to which a fat young pig was a very toothsome morsel. When a young pig was attacked by bruin, it was often successfully defended by the older hogs, but the bear had no scruples in attacking these older hogs individually and feasting upon their quivering flesh while the animal was still alive. A settler's swine often came home badly bitten and lacerated by the teeth of a bear from which it had escaped. It was not uncommon for a bear to approach a pig-sty near the pioneer's cabin and assault the occupants, but this procedure was often followed by a shot from the rifle, and bruin had to pay the death-penalty for his rashness. Many sheep were not introduced to the new land at first, for the prowling wolves were their inveterate and deadly enemies. To permit the sheep to run at large, or even to range in fields, was certain destruction. They had to be watched at day and closely corralled at night near the cabin door, and even then it was not uncommon for intruding wolves to dispatch them. The premium offered for the scalps of wolves, as well as the need of protection from this pest, contributed to effect their extermination, and they were hunted and killed in large numbers. Wolf hunting was a sport sometimes engaged in.

HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. - 337

The pioneers would turn out generally, inclose a large scope of country and push to the center, usually destroying whatever wild game was found within the circuit. As late as 1842, an organized wolf hunt took place among the Zoar hills, at which seven wolves were killed.

Whisky was the universal beverage. It was believed to be indispensable to health, and was drank in summer to cool the system, and in winter to warm and vivify. But the article was pure. It was used just as it came dripping from the numerous little copper-stills that were operated throughout the forest settlements. Nearly every settler kept it, and treated his acquaintances and strangers when they called. It was excusable perhaps in those days to neglect inviting a visiting neighbor to partake of the hospitality of the board; but to permit him to return without first quaffing the potent liquid was unpardonable. It was regularly used in harvest time, and on occasions of great physical labor; but the ruinous consequences which are now entailed by its consumption, did not then follow, for the article was not poisonous. Whisky was about the only article that could be marketed and exchanged for a coin equivalent in earliest times. Farm products were in little demand, and were too bulky to wagon over the mountains to the East; but whisky was better adapted for mercantile purposes. It was worth from 12 to 15 cents per gallon, and, whatever surplus corn existed after satisfying the needs of the settlements for food, was converted into spirits. This was purchased by traders, who conveyed it by flat boats or pirogues down the Tuscarawas, Muskingum, Ohio and Mississippi, as far as New Orleans, where it was converted into Spanish gold. The trader usually performed the return trip afoot.

There was but one grade of clothing. The rich and the pour dressed alike, the men often wearing hunting-shirts and buckskin pants, and the women course fabrics produced by their own hands. The hunting-shirt, says Doddridge, was a kind of loose frock, reaching half way down the thighs, with large sleeves, open before, and so wide as to lap over a foot or more when belted. The cape was large, and sometimes handsomely fringed with a raveled piece of cloth of a different color from that of the hunting-shirt itself. The bosom of this dress served as a wallet to hold a chunk of bread, cakes, jerk, tow for wiping the barrel of the rifle, or any other necessary for the hunter or warrior. The belt, which was always tied behind, answered several purposes besides that of holding the dress together. In cold weather, the mittens, and sometimes the bullet-bag, occupied the front part of it. To the right side way suspended the tomahawk, and to the left the scalping-knife in its leathern sheath. The hunting-shirt was usually made of linsey, sometimes of coarse linen, and a few of dressed deer-skin. These last were very cold and uncomfortable in wet weather.

Moccasins were the usual covering for the feet. " They were made of dressed deer-skin, and were mostly of a single piece, with a gathering seam at the top of the foot, and another from the bottom of the heel without gathers, as high or a little higher than the ankle joint. Flaps were left on each side to reach some distance up the legs. These were nicely adapted to the ankle

338 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

and lower part of the leg by thongs of deer-skin, so that, no dust, gravel or snow could get within the moccasins. In cold weather, they were stuffed with deer's hair or dry leaves, to keep the feet warm, but in wet weather it was usually said that wearing them was ` a decent way of going barefooted,' on account of the spongy texture of the leather. Owing to this defective covering for the feet, more than to any other circumstance, the greater number of the hunters and warriors were often afflicted with rheumatism in their limbs. Of this disease, they were all apprehensive in cold and wet weather, and therefore always slept with their feet to the fire to prevent or cure it as well as they could."

Linen was usually worn in warm weather. Flax was grown in summer; scutched in the fall, and during the long winter evenings was heard the buzz of the little flax wheel, which had a place in every cabin. From its spindle, the thread was reeled off on a wooden reel, and was then ready for the great loom that occupied the loft. Wool went through about the same operation; it was spun on the large wheel; dyed with butternut bark or other coloring matter, and woven on the loom and made into winter clothing. The clothing which the pioneers brought with them were replaced by these home-made textures. The girls, who wanted something nice for dresses, sought the tall, delicate flax which grew on the side of the patch next to the woods. This was carefully pulled, rotted, broken, scutched, hackled, spun, dyed in divers colors, and carefully woven in cross-barred figures.

"Linen for Sunday clothes was cleansed with copperas and was white, checked or striped, and when bleached was pretty and soft. For very choice wear, it was all flax; for every day or second best, the warp was flax and the filling tow. Linsey-woolsey, or linsey, was wool and cotton, very much the same as water-proof or repellant is now, only that it was harsh and not finished. Dye-stuffs in early times were in reach of all-butternut or walnut hulls colored brown; oak bark with copperas dyed black; hickory bark or the blossom of the golden rod made yellow; madder, red, and indigo blue; green was obtained by first coloring yellow, and then dipping into blue dye. Stocking yarn was dyed black, brown or blue, and for very choice stockings strips of corn husks were lapped tightly in two or three places around a skein of yarn and dyed blue. When the husks were removed, whitish spots were found, and the rare `clouded' yarn was the result. The little tub of blue dye, with its close-fitting cover, stood in the warm corner in every well-regulated household, and it made a very convenient seat and the cover was always worn smooth. Many a lad inclined to matrimony has sneaked slyly along and seated himself on the dye-tub as soon as the old folks retired. When carding machines came and lessened the labor of the toiling women, one of the first indications of anything as fine as `store clothes' was the soft, pressed flannel, called `London brown,' grand enough for any uncommon occasion. The folds lay in it, and it shown to eyes accustomed to looking upon nothing finer than home-made barred flannel, like lustrous satin. It smelt of the shop, however; the odor of dye-stuff and grease and gummy machinery clung to it

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for a long while." When a fair damsel wished an unusually fine dress for her bridal day or some great occasion, her highest aspiration was to obtain a common American cotton check, which now sells at perhaps a shilling a yard, but then cost $1 per yard; five or six yards were deemed an ample pattern.

The social gatherings of the pioneers consisted of cabin-raisings, log-rollings, quilting parties, corn-huskings, etc. Log-rollings were a common occurrence. Every settler would have one or more each year. Settlers for miles around came with their handpikes, axes and oxen; the logs were cut, hauled together and piled in great heaps to be set on fire after drying, while the boys and girls piled the brush and small sticks in immense heaps. Cornhuskings were usually held on bright, moonlight nights. Sometimes it was husked as it stood in the field, but oftener the owner jerked the ears from the stalk and hauled them to some dry spot in the meadow, where they were piled in a hugh circle. "About this circle on the outside, the men would gather in the evening and amid the rattle of husks and the general hilarity, the yellow ears would flow toward the center of the circle in a continual stream. Occasionally the corn was, as nearly as possible, equally divided into two heaps; captains or leaders were chosen by the men, who, choosing their men, arranged themselves in opposition. Each of the opposing captains endeavored to finish his pile first, the bottle being passed frequently, each one helping himself to as much of the contents as he desired. The successful captain was elevated upon the shoulders of his men, amid prolonged cheers, and carried around the pile. Sometimes the beaten party were aggravated until knockdowns ensued, after which they would repair to the house of the host and partake of the good things prepared for the occasion. "Whisky was freely used on all these occasions. As constant work was the necessity of that day, the pioneers varied its monotony, and made it appear lighter by thus combining and performing a large amount of it at one time, at the same time enjoying the social advantages thus offered. During the long winter evenings, neighbors would visit each other, chat about the local happenings, and tell stories of adventure.

The great days were the Fourth of July and those. upon which the militia assembled for muster. These were the holidays when the people turned out en masse with the expectancy of plenty of fun and whisky. The usual place of assembly for militia muster was in an open field near Uhrichsville. On the Fourth the Declaration of Independence was read by some local elocutionist, speeches were made, and general festivity among young and old was the order of the day.

A wedding was the occasion of a gala day. The neighbors for many miles around were invited, and seldom failed to attend. The ceremony often took place just before dinner, which was a substantial one, and sufficient for the throng at hand. Dancing then commenced and often continued until the following morning. After the wedding, the next duty of the neighbors was to erect a cabin for the young couple and dedicate it by a "house warming," which meant a twenty-four hours' dance and carousal in the new cabin. Peo-

340 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

ple generally married young in those days. There was little distinction of rank or fortune, and a family establishment cost little labor and nothing else.

Money was a scarce article, most of the settlers coming into the forest with scarcely the bare necessities of life. A few of the wealthier brought with them a little pouch of silver. Barter was the general system of trade both among the settlers and between them and the early merchants. Money was needed mostly to pay taxes, and it was often only by great effort that the required amount could be obtained. The construction of the Ohio Canal offered the opportunity of converting labor into ready cash at the rate of $10 per month, and most of the settlers or their sons adopted this means of procuring a little money.

The religious advantages of the pioneers were not great; many of them had been connected with a church before their emigration, but for years afterward were without preaching. The Moravians established the first church in Clay Township, and for about six years possessed the only religious organizations in the county. The Methodists were next in the field. Rev. James Watts in 1801 formed Will's Creek Circuit, the circumference of which was computed to be 475 miles. The route of this pioneer preacher's travels commenced at Zanesville, and proceeding east embraced all the settlements on each side of the Wheeling road to Salt Creek, and the Buffalo Fork of Wills' Creek; thence it continued down to Cambridge, and Leatherwood on Stillwater, to Barnsville and Morristown, and down Stillwater, including all the branches on which there were settlements, to the mouth; thence it passed up the Tuscarawas River through New Philadelphia to One Leg and Nimishillen; thence up Sandy to Canton and on to Carter's; returning to Sugar Creek, it passed down that stream to its mouth, and down the Tuscarawas past William Butts' to the mouth of White Woman; thence crossing the river, including all the settlements on Wapatomica to Zanesville. Succeeding Watts, Revs. Holmes and West preached several times in this circuit, and in 1809, Rev. J. B. Finley took charge of the circuit. He says: " The first camp meeting ever held in this region was on the land of Mr. James Clark (Salem Township), on Tuscarawas River. This meeting produced a great excitement among all classes of people, and they came from all parts of the country to attend it. The Moravians who resided a short distance above were prohibited by their good old priest from attending, but notwithstanding all the admonitions to prevent their attendance, when the time arrived for holding the meeting, many were there. Quite a number of these people experienced religion."

It was many years before meeting-houses were built. Not until the country had been well settled and societies had gathered sufficient numerical strength in one locality did the construction of churches become practicable, and they were then of the rudest description, corresponding in kind with the primitive cabins. The seats were merely rough slab or split-log benches, without backs, and the rough walls were chinked with mud. Itinerant preachers of various denominations passed through the settlements and preached as they went along. The Sabbath was not then reserved for religious worship, but preach-

HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. - 341

ing was conducted on any day of the week and at any hour of the day, as best suited the time of the traveling minister. On short notice, a small band of listeners would assemble at some cabin and hear the words of admonition and exhortation that fell from the lips of the preacher; then, when services were over, return to their labors. If an appointment was announced some time ahead, or a large congregation was anticipated, open air services were held, or the audience gathered in the largest building in the neighborhood, usually the barn of one of the most prosperous settlers.

The early schoolhouses resembled the cabins. Throughout the county, they were very much alike; a huge fire-place occupied one end of the building. A substitute for windows was made by cutting out a log on each side and pasting over the openings thus made paper, greased with lard or tallow. Around the walls rough boards were fixed on pins for desks. Long benches, supported by four or five legs on either side, were placed along these desks, and were occupied by those learning arithmetic and writing. Lower benches were placed in front of the fire for the smaller children. All the benches were without backs. The teacher made all the pens for his scholars out of goose quills. There was no uniformity of text books. Each pupil would take with him whatever school books his parents had brought with them from the East, if any, or if not, whatever book was most easily obtained. The New Testament was generally used as a reader by the more advanced pupils. The United States speller was used for orthography, and in arithmetic the Western calculator was the popular guide. Reading, writing and spelling, with a little ciphering, was about all that was attempted in these primitive schools, and the capacity of the teacher to instruct was often no greater than this. The first schools were often held in deserted cabins, but after a little while the settlers of a neighborhood usually on a given day assembled and built a schoolhouse in a convenient locality. It was not uncommon for the children to trudge three or four miles before reaching the school. The teacher was paid by subscription at the usual price of 50 cents per month or $1.50 per term for each pupil. Many settlers could ill afford to pay the required amount, and in consequence their children were deprived of the meager rudiments of an education, which was all that was attainable. It often happened that a pioneer with a number of children of school age could only subscribe for one or two. There was usually but one term of three months per year, and sometimes several years would elapse between terms. There were settlements in the county where little attention was given to education, where the pioneers were genuine backwoodsmen and reared their sons to shoot and trap successfully but not to read or write. Generally, however, the first settlers felt the necessity of education, and gave the rising generation as great advantages as the time and place afforded. Money was a rare commodity, and the subscriptions were often made payable, at least in part, in grain and other commodities, at current prices, delivered at the nearest mill. From $10 to $12 per month was the wages usually received by the teacher. Besides this he "boarded around," remaining a week at each cabin. When Christmas came he was expected to treat the

342 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

school. If the teacher ignored this custom, through stinginess or otherwise, he was " barred out " by the offended pupils. Arriving early of a morning, they took possession, fastened the windows securely, piled the benches high against the door, and when the unlucky pedagogue appeared a struggle for possession and mastery ensued, which generally resulted in the capitulation of the building only after satisfactory arrangements were made for the treat, which at first was often whisky, but in later years candies and raisins. The teachers were sometimes residents in the vicinity, but oftener itinerants, who adopted the profession as a temporary occupation.

The first roads were blazed paths and Indian trails. Within a few years after the first settlements began, the necessity of highways was realized, and wagon roads were established. The first petition for a road in the Muskingum County records was for one from Lawrenceville, which was east of the Tuscarawas River, opposite Bolivar, to Daniel Volgemuth's farm, a point about three miles below New Comerstown. This was the first road petitioned for and laid out within what are now the bounds of Tuscarawas County. The petition was drawn by John Heckewelder, and was accompanied by the following letter:

GNADENHUTTEN, July 22, 1805.

GENTLEMEN-The inclosed petition was drawn at the request of the settlers on this river, who have pressed me long since to draw a petition in their names. The fact is that no public road has been laid out as yet in this extreme township, and whatever has been done in this way was borne by individuals, but particularly by me, who have expended in the course of a seven years' residence in these parts at least between $200 and $300 in cutting and opening roads, especially between this and Georgetown (mouth of Little Beaver). The increase of settlers, and inattention of many, not only neglecting to open or keep open roads passing through or by their lands, but even shutting them up, when they are open and passable, pleads the necessity that we have something done authorized by law. You will, therefore, confer a great obligation on the petitioners and others in direct ing proper measures-but more particularly on, gentlemen,

Your most obedient and humble servant,

JOHN HECKEWELDER.

P. S.-Enclosed is a copy of the advertisement.

The petition reads as follows:

TO THE HONORABLE COMMISSIONERS OF MUSKINGUM COUNTS ASSEMBLED AT ZANESVILLE: The petition of the inhabitants of Salern and the upper part of Tuscarawas Townships humbly showeth: That they labor under great difficulties and inconveniences for want of public roads, and especially at present a road leading from or near Fort Lawrence (otherwise called Tuscarawas) down the river through the settlements, to meet or intersect the road on or near White Eyes Plains, which road has, some time since, been laid out and opened to Waketoneki, etc. They have, therefore, agreeable to law, advertised their intention of petitioning your honorable body, in expectation that the difficulties they labor under will appear to you worthy of consideration, and hoping that such measures will be taken toward obtaining a good road on said route as in your wisdom you may deem proper. Your petitioners shall ever pray, etc.

JOHN HECKEWELDER, ABRAHAM MOSHER, GOTTFRIED HOFF. JOSHUA CARR, NATHANIEL COLVER, JAMES CLARK, LOUIS KNAUS, JOHN RERICK, THOMAS COLVER, JOHN ROMIG, MICHAEL REHMEL, JOHN KNAUSS, ABRAHAM ROMIG.

A glimpse of early times may be obtained from the first volume of the Tuscarawas Chronicle. The first number of this pioneer journal of Tuscarawas

HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. - 343

County bears date August 24, 1819. It is a four-column folio, 11x18 inches in size, with a subscription price of $2 per annum. In his salutatory, the " printer and publisher," James Patrick, calls attention to the prosperity of Tuscarawas County, as evinced by the official idleness of its Sheriff, while those of surrounding counties "are filling their purses from the misfortunes of their fellow citizens." He continues: "It is true the people of this county have not been entirely exempt from embarrassment-they, too, have had their bank, but the lust of money-making never led its proprietors to injure the public by indiscriminate loans, nor was the credit of the institution sunk by committing it to the management of men destitute of integrity. Hence, while the evils arising from this system suspend improvements in other parts of the State, the inhabitants of Tuscarawas are beautifying their county seat with a large public building, and individual enterprise is evinced by the erection of a permanent bridge in our vicinity across the main branch of the Muskingum." A column is devoted to chronicle the suspension of banks, and a variety of foreign and domestic news is given. C. Deardorff & Co., merchants of Dover, advertise groceries, dry goods and hardware; B. H. Warfield, of New Philadelphia, also advertises a general line of goods; Wright Warner gives notice that he has opened a law office in New Philadelphia; William Albert and Peter Williams notify their debtors to settle up; George W. Canfield, agent, announces that the Military and School Lands in this county will be leased; notice is given that a petition for a new county, to be taken from Tuscarawas, Stark, Columbiana and Harrison, will be presented to the Legislature; Dr. Orange Ranney, of New Philadelphia, inserts his professional card; the Republican electors of the county are notified to meet in their respective townships September 4 and choose delegates to form a ticket; John Hall, " taylor and ladies' habit-maker, acquaints the inhabitants of New Phliadelphia and its vicinity that he has commenced the above business in the house formerly occupied by Mr. George Foutz as a store, and next door to Mr. Albert's tavern," and Andrew Wilson cautions the public against trusting his wife, Mary Wilson, on his account, as she had left his bed and board without any just cause or provocation.

In the next number this appears: "Yesterday morning, the citizens of New Philadelphia were notified by the ringing of the old court house bell, to attend and give their aid in raising the heavy timber which forms the interior work of the new building. The summons was generally obeyed. It was ; ratifying to see the harmony and union which prevailed on this occasion. Each seemed zealous to lend a hand toward the completion of a work which, when finished, will be an ornament to our town and a benefit to the county."

The third issue contains the current Cleveland market prices, and among the articles listed are whisky, 62 1/2 cents; Young Hyson tea, $1.62 per pound; salt, per barrel, $7; coffee, 50 cents; wheat, $1; maple sugar, 12 cents; oats, 37 cents; corn, per bushel, 40 cents; butter, for export, 12 to 14 cents; fresh butter, 16 cents.

Other early advertisers in the Chronicle are Joseph Larders and Thomas Sergeant, tanners, both of New Philadelphia; Christian Ritter, tavern-keeper,

344 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

and Whitacre & Laffer, wool carders, Sandyville; Mathias Springer, maker of "ladies' and children's " shoes and bootees of morocco leather, New Philadelphia. September 28, 1819, James Means gives notice that he has sold his store at Shanesville to Abraham Shane; the same date, notice is given by Henry Sliffe and David Seltenright, Sr., that application will be made at the next term of court to vacate the town of Greensburg; S. Johnson, Clerk, requests all those persons who have subscribed toward building a new court house to pay their subscriptions before November 1, or suits will be brought against them. November 2, 1819, the stockholders of the Bank of New Philadelphia are requested, by the Directors of the same, to meet at the office of Sylvester Johnson November 15, to transact business. In the same issue, the shareholders of the New Philadelphia Library Association are required to meet November 6, at the house of George W. Canfield, the Librarian, to elect officers for the ensuing year, by order of Jacob Blickensderfer, President.

November 16, a graphic account is given of the robbery of Dr. C. Espich's store at New Philadelphia, by Charles Rinehart. a German medical student, whom the Doctor had befriended, and an accomplice. The criminals were captured and sentenced to imprisonment at the neat term of court.

November 23, an advertisement appeared headed "Great Sport and Profit," which said: "As there are some uninhabited parts of this county infested with a number of wolves and bears, who, from their ferocious nature, break out into the adjoining farms and do considerable damage, there is a plan in contemplation by which these animals may be destroyed, if carried into effect. Similar means have been practiced in several parts of this State. The method pursued is, that the whole of the inhabitants turn out on a day appointed, and surround a large tract of country, and closing in toward the center collect every animal into a small space, so as to render it impossible for any of them to escape." A meeting for arrangements was called for. The notice was signed by William Albert, Abraham Rickseker. Christ G. Espich, Alexander McConnell, John King and George Sluthour. Agreeably to this notice, a meeting was held and a large Committee of Arrangements appointed. The Committee met December 11, with Henry Laffer in the chair, and Abraham Rickseker, Secretary. A large tract of land, lying northwest of the Tuscarawas, was selected; captains were appointed, and a committee to lay off the lines, and Tuesday, December 21, selected as the day of the hunt. The Committee further resolved " That the proceedings of this meeting be published in the Tuscarawas Chronicle, and that the printer be paid out of the proceeds of the hunt." The editor, in his leading editorial of December 21, cautions the people against " the accidents that often happen on such occasions from carelessness or intoxication," and further says: "If too free a use of spirituous liquors has frequently been attended with broken limbs at ` a raising,' how much more dangerous is it likely to prove in the present instance. We would recommend it to those who, in their tasting bitters, sometimes take too much, not to taste at all."

The constitution and by-laws of the New Philadelphia Library Society,

HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. - 345

regularly incorporated, are published in November and December. The initiation fee was $2; the annual fee, $1.

In January, 1820, the day of publication was changed from Tuesday to Friday, in consequence of a change in the time of the departure of the mails. January 28, 1820, the times of the New Philadelphia mails were published as follows

Zanesville mail, by way of Coshocton, arrives on Saturday at 10 o'clock A. M.; closes the same time for Canton. Canton mail arrives Sunday, 2 o'clock P. M.; closes same time for Zanesville. Wooster mail arrives Friday, 12 o'clock A. M.; closes same time for Steubenville. Steubenville mail, by way of New Salem, arrives Wednesday, 10 o'clock A. M., and closes same time for Wooster. February 4, 1820, the following item is published: "A Curious Stone. A stone was found some time since in the vicinity of this town, about a foot from the surface of the earth, with the inscription cut on the outside, `David Wilson, 1774.' It is of a semi-globular form, and the letters well shaped. The ground on which the stone was found is supposed to have been formerly occupied as an Indian encampment, from the various pieces of warlike instruments that have been found on it. It is well known that this tract of country, at the date of the inscription, was not inhabited by white people, but whether the stone was carved merely for amusement, or as a means to communicate the fate of David Wilson to his friends, is as yet a matter of conjecture."

May 13, 1820.-Among the advertisements of this date are the following: John Sheperd, of Harrison County, offers 6 cents reward, " but no charges nor thanks," for the return of a bound girl, who ran away from him. She is described as being "nearly fifteen years old, dark complexion, black hair, stout made. can tell a pretty straight story true or false;" Henry Pence forewarns all persons not to credit on his account his wife, who had left him; Edward B. and Jonathan Johnson, of Clarksburg, Va., offer $500 reward for the recovery of two runaway negroes, " Martin and Sam;" a theatrical performance at George Ii. Gray's tavern, New Philadelphia, is announced by W. Blanchard, Saturday and Monday evenings, May 13 and 15, the entertainment to consist of Olympic feats of neat and light balancing, legerdemain, sentimental and comic songs, "the much admired farce, How to Die for Love," the whole to conclude with the Dwarf Dance. Doors open at 6, and performances to commence at 7 o'clock. Admittance, 50 cents; children, half price. Notice is given that C. Espich has resigned his commission as Postmaster, and that John Johnson is appointed. The Trustees of the New Philadelphia Bible Society are requested by the President, Jacob Roushenberger, to attend a meeting at the house of Peter Williams. Abraham Shane and George W. Canfield announce that they have opened a land office. Benjamin Gundy forewarns all persons not to purchase several notes of his, for which he claims to have received no value. George Hamilton advertises for a lost sorrel mare. George W. Canfield, County Clerk, announces that he will be in his office for several months only on Saturdays, as his business calls him frequently from

346 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

home George Nashee, of Chillicothe, publishes the prospectus of a compilation of. land laws relating to Ohio, and states that advance subscriptions will be received at the Chronicle office.

June 3, 1820. "New Bridge.-The new bridge lately built across the Tuscarawas, opposite the town of Dover, is now ready for crossing. It is upward of 400 feet in length, and constructed in such a manner as promises durability. The bridge will add much to the convenience of travelers, and be of great advantage to the people of that town and the adjoining country. The proprietor has been at much expense in erecting it, and as it is a public benefit, we hope the profit arising from the bridge may amply repay him for an enterprise so well entitled to reward. "

June 24.-"A large boat passed this town a few days ago, bound down the Ohio. Although the Tuscarawas is extremely low at this season of the year, she came a distance of upward of twenty-five miles without meeting any im pediment in her passage," "Good flour sells at present in New Philadelphia at $2 per hundred weight; corn at 25 cents per bushel; butter, 6 1/4 cents per pound; tallow, 8 cents; Eggs, 3 cents per dozen." "The mills which were partly built last summer in the vicinity of this town and abandoned are about to be recommenced." "Gabriel Cryder and Jacob Blickensderfer offer $5,000 to a mechanic to build for them a grist mill on the Tuscarawas, about one and a half miles from New Philadelphia." "Benjamin and Jacob Ream acquaint the public that they have commenced the manufacture of all kinds of hats at New Philadelphia."

July 8, the editor comments favorably on the season. He says: "The harvest has already been commenced; most of the rye in this neighborhood has been cut down, and several wheat fields are now fit for the hook. The Hessian fly has done some damage to the wheat, but we have not heard of any considerable injury being done by this insect to the crops in our immediate vicinity." "Fishing.-On Tuesday last a number of the inhabitants of this town collected and formed themselves into a fishing party. They made a temporary dam across the river, in the center of which was an opening, so constructed as to retain the fish that might be driven into it this opening is called a basket. They then formed a net of brushwood, and swept the river for about three-quarters of a mile above the dam. When arrived within a short distance of the basket, the jumping of the fish above the water and the huzzas of the party soon proclaimed their good luck. On examining the contents of the haul it was found to contain about four hundred fish, consisting of pike, salmon, bass and suckers; some of them weighed upward of twenty pounds." "A Valuable Spring.-A valuable spring has lately been discovered in Lawrenceville Township, in this county. The water is so strongly impregnated with mineral effluvia as to be similar in smell to the fumes that arise from the barrel of a gun immediately after being discharged. The taste. however, is not disagreeable. Its medicinal qualities is said to have rendered it of much importance to those living in its neighborhood. We are informed that a young woman, daughter of Mr. Casper Fetters, of said township, had

HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. - 347

for a length of time been afflicted with the palsy, and that by using the water of this spring as a bath she was restored to the use of her limbs. To some who drink of the water it operates as a purgative. The spring is a short distance from the road leading from New Philadelphia to Canton, about ten miles from the former and fourteen from the latter. Much pains have been taken by the German emigrants, on whose land the spring is situated, to clean and improve it so as to accommodate visitors who. may be willing to try the efficacy of its properties in curing bodily infirmities."

July 29.-"Phenomenon.-On Monday evening last, about 9 o'clock, a meteor of an extraordinary kind appeared in a northeast direction from this town. It descended with great rapidity through a large space of the firmament and exploded in a blaze, which cast a momentary light almost as brill iant as the sun at noonday." " To show our farmers in this part of the State that they are not without company to console with them in the low prices of country produce, we quote the prices given in Chillicothe on the 12th instant, viz., wheat, 30 to 35 cents per bushel; corn, 20 to 25 cents per bushel; flour, $1.50 to $1.75 . 5 per hundred weight; whisky, 25 to 30 cents per gallon."

August 5.-"New Church.-We understand that the new church lately erected at Gnadenhutten by the United Brethren will be consecrated on Sunday, the 13th instant. Sermons will be preached in the German and English languages." "Fourth of July.-The last anniversary of American independence passed by in this town without any celebration. Whether this indifference to the return of a day which should be hailed by every friend of freedom arose from the pressure of the times or from a want of that spirit of patriotism which formerly distinguished our citizens, we are unable to say-but that the 4th of July passed by neglected and unnoticed is a fact which we record with sorrow. If the sum taken to pay for a dinner and a few glasses of wine would have been attended with inconvenience, a less expensive mode of celebration could have been adopted. Some plan, at least, could have been devised, whereby the people would be reminded by a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, of the principles which actuated the heroes of the Revolution in their struggles for freedom and the evils which arise from a system of government that places at the disposal of a few men the rights and liberties of a people. This might have been done, and not a cent expended. In thus censuring the people of this town for want of public spirit, we do not include those of the county. In several places in the county the 4th of July was observed in manner deserving of praise. At Leesburg, a large assemblage of citizens celebrated the day with every mark of respect. A dinner was served; the social glass went around; toasts and sentiments spoke the feelings and wishes of the party, and the alternate firing of guns enlivened the scene and added variety to the entertainment. The company broke up at an early hour, satisfied that the great event which took place on that day had been commemorated as it deserved. At Sandyville, also, the 4th of July was celebrated with becoming spirit. Similar entertainments were enjoyed. Though the refinements which attend a city festival might have been wanting, yet those

348 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

feelings to which the occasion gave rise could not have been more sensibly expressed than by the inhabitants of this little town, when surrounding their homely table spread in honor of the day which made them freemen."

July 29.-Charles F. Espich, merchant in New Philadelphia, advertises for ginseng; prices paid were 25 cents per pound dried, 10 cents per pound green. All persons indebted for rent or fuel for the schoolhouse are requested to pay.

The last number of Volume 1 contains the first annual report-a lengthy document-of the New Philadelphia Bible Society.

PIONEER ASSOCIATION.

"Within a grove where maples strove

To keep their sweet-tongued goods,

Met, worn with years, some pioneers-

The Old Guard of the Woods:

"Who came once more to linger o'er

The grim work of their primes,

Renewing here the grief and cheer

Of happy, hard old times.

"Rough clad were they-unkempt and gray-

With lack of studied ease

Yet beauty-strown with charms their own,

Like brave old forest trees.

"Their eyes seemed still to flash the will

Of spirits sent to win:

Their hands were marred; their cheeks were scarred

By deep wounds from within."

-Will Carleton.

An old settlers' picnic was held at the fair grounds August 12, 1882, at which an organization of a pioneer associatibn was effected. John Hildt was made President of the day, and J. S. Deardorff, Secretary. The officers nominated and elected for the ensuing year were President, Josiah Walton, of Warwick Township; Secretary, S. Harmount, Goshen Township; Vice Presidents, George Travis, of Auburn; D. H. Troendly, of Bucks; Edward Peter, of Clay; N. C. Deardorfl, of Dover: Rev. George Kollars, of Fairfield; P. A. Garver, of Franklin; J. L. McIlvaine, of Goshen; John Rolli, of Jefferson; David Belknap, of Lawrence; Thomas Forbes, of Mill; Morris Creter, of Oxford; T. J. Murphy, of Perry; Mr. Brainard, of Rush; John Eakin, of Sandy; Aquilla Carr, of Salem; William Rutledge, of Union; Richard McClelland, of Warren; H. H. Woodard, of Washington; M. J. Kohr, of Wayne; Rev. J. G. Zahner, of Sugar Creek; Dr. H. Eckman, of Warwick; Sol Humerickhouse, of York.

The old settlers present were called upon and narrated many personal reminiscences and incidents. The President spoke of pioneer life, and introduced John Eakin, who came to the county in 1807, and has since resided in Sandy Township; he had performed labor on the Ohio Canal. Isaac Beaver was an early settler and a great hunter; he exhibited to the audience the

HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. - 349

evidence of his skill as a marksman at 100 yards. Hon. Henry Weible, of Van Wert County, wag present and addressed his old acquaintances. Hugh Russell, of Sandy, came to Tuscarawas County, in 1809, and had worked on the Ohio Canal. Samuel Zeigler was the first white child born in Dover Township west of the river. D. M. Good, of Ragersville, was the grandson of one of the earliest settlers of Lawrence. Josiah Walton said his father came to the county in 1806, and he himself was born here. William Gray came to Tuscarawas County in 1814; his father was for many years proprietor of the Gray House. Henry Mosher came in 1831, and settled on the farm he now occupies. David Gram was an early settler, and had worn buckskin breeches and lived on deer meat and corn. Frederick Weible had resided in the county fifty-eight years. Gustavus Fog came in 1815. Hon. S. Harmount came in 1835.

The doxology was sung, and the meeting adjourned to meet on the second Saturday of August, 1883.

Agreeably to previous notice, the second annual meeting of the old settlers was held on the Dover Fair Grounds August 11, 1883. Josiah Walton, of Warwick Township, the President of the association, delivered an able and inter esting opening address. After a little business was transacted, the-society adjourned until 1 o'clock, and during the hour of noon the pioneers in groups related many incidents of early times. Squire Hoopingarner gave the origin of "Pinchey," as applied to the village of Winfield. Before the town was laid out, a miserly young man was married, and invited the neighborhood to his cabin raising, "after early breakfast." He gave them a scant dinner, and dismissed them before supper time. In revenge; the place was called "Pinch-gut." afterward softened to Pinchey. In the afternoon, the old people en joyed a rehearsal of the times of their youth. Isaac Beaver, of York Township, gave a practical illustration of the way the pioneers took their tansy and corn juice. His age was over threescore years and ten. Squire Croxton, of Dover Township, spoke next. John Eakin, of Sandy Township, was called for, and stated that he was eighty-one years of age, and had lived in the county for nearly seventy-seven years. He never drank a glass of liquor nor used tobacco in any form. Jonathan Hixson, of Sugar Creek Township, related incidents of family history. Judge W. B. Brown was born in 1805, and came to the county in 1837.

Gustavus Fox, of Gnadenhutten, was next introduced. He was seventy-six years old, and came to the county with his parents in 1.815. William Hamilton, of Clay Township, born there in 1808, followed. Among other recollections, he told that once at school he and his chum, Mr. Fox, had been detected in mischief, and when called up for punishment the forbearing master offered him his choice between the ferule and wearing the bearskin spectacles. In ignorance of its nature, he chose the ferule, which, to his dismay, was well laid on. Dr. Hiram Eckman first came to Tuscarawas County in 1830, with $2.25 in his pocket. Jonas Warner, of Warwick, was born in that township in 1821, and has witnessed marvelous changes wrought in the

350 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

county. Upton Deardorff gave interesting reminiscences of his father's early settlement. Richard McClelland, of Warren Township, who came with his parents to the county in 1838, recounted many customs of pioneer days-the kicking frolics, flax scutchings, etc. Jesse W Winkelpleck, of Sugar Creek Township, was born there sixty-three years ago. His father selected a farm among the hills of that township in 1807. Edward Cunning, now of Trenton, was born in 1804, and came to Ohio in 1812. Michael Hummell, who was born in 1811; Christian Weible, of Dover Township; Joseph Shull, of York; John Andreas and Hugh Russell, of Sandy Township, each made remarks on pioneer times. The officers selected for the ensuing year were John Hildt, of Dover Township, President; S. Harmount, Secretary; and a Vice President from each township. The society adjourned to meet at the same place August 10, 1884.