HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY, OHIO CHAPTER I WILLIAMS COUNTY ANTIQUITIES BEFORE the white man, the Indian; before the Indian—who ? The archaeology of any county forms one of its most interesting chapters. Who the ancient dwellers were, what they did, what lives they led, are all questions of conjecture now. Their history appears only in their silent monuments, as silent as the race, the fact of whose existence they perpetuate. The relics they left are the only key that we possess of their lives, and these give a history whose antiquity seems almost Adamic. The principal remains left consist of earthworks, mounds and parapets, filled with the rude implements of the people who built them, and with the bones of these lost portions of humanity. From their proclivities to build these earthworks, these people are known as " Mound Builders," the only name that now fits their peculiar style of life. The mounds erected by them are of all sizes and shapes, and range in height from three or four feet to sixty or seventy feet. In outline, they are of equal magnitude, though none of great height were ever known to exist within the confines of Williams county. What have been discovered are generally small in size and irregular in outline. They have in nearly all instances been much reduced in height, as the hand of modern man demands them for practical purposes. The more pretentious earthworks are very generally distributed from western New York, along the southern shore of Lake Erie, through Michigan, to Nebraska, thence north from this line to the southern shore of Lake Superior. From this line they extend south to the Gulf of Mexico. Mounds occur in great numbers in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. They are found in less numbers in western New York, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan, Iowa and portions of Mexico. In choos- 2 - 17 - 18 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY ing this vast region, extending from the Alleghanies to the Rocky Mountains, and from the great lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mound Builders took possession of the great system of plains, controlling the long inland water courses of the continent. Along the broad levels drained by this vast river system, the remains of prehistoric man are found. It is authoritatively stated that there are not less than thirteen thousand mounds and inclosures in the State of Ohio. Archaeologists have no difficulty in locating the places which were most densely populated, by reason of the irregular distribution of the works. It is interesting to note that in the selection of sites for these earthworks the Mound Builders were influenced by the same motives apparently, which governed their European successors. It is a well established fact that nearly every town of importance in the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi and their tributaries is located on the ruins left by this ancient people. The sites selected by the Mound Builders for their most pretentious works were on the river terraces, or bottoms, no doubt because of the natural highways thus rendered available, besides the opportunities for fishing and the cultivation of the warm, quick soil, easily tilled. The earth mounds are classified as sepulchral, sacrificial, temple or truncated, mounds of observation, symbolical or animal—also known as emblematic—and mounds of defense. The first named,• sepulchral, are the most common of any. Emblematical or symbolical mounds are not known to have existed in this county. If they ever did exist here, all traces of them have been obliterated by that leveler of savage country, the plow. Sepulchral mounds were devoted to the purpose of burial and were generally pyramidal in form and usually contained layers of clay, ashes, charcoal, various soils and one or more skeletons, often very many. Sacrificial mounds are usually stratified, the strata being convex layers of clay and loam, the layers alternating above a layer of fine sand. They also contain ashes, igneous stones, charcoal, calcined animal bones, beads, implements of stone, pottery and rude sculpture. They also have altars of burned clay or stone, resting in the center of the mound upon the original earth, on which the people offered sacrifice, employing fire for the purpose. Mounds of observation—sometimes termed defensive—are found upon prominent elevations. They were, doubtless, alarm posts, watch-towers, signal stations, or outlooks. They commonly occur in chains or regular systems and still bear traces of the beacon fires that once burned upon them. In addition to the division of mounds already made, some add monumental or memorial mounds, not numerous, supposed to have been erected as memorials to the distinguished dead among the Mound Builders. Scarcely any of the few small mounds in Williams county have been properly opened. The examinations have rarely been systematic, and hence much has been lost. Commonly the plow has been run over the mounds, regardless of the history a careful search would reveal, until almost all traces of their existence have been obliterated. This ruthless leveling of the mounds has not been perpetrated, however, WILLIAMS COUNTY ANTIQUITIES - 19 merely to gratify the iconoclastic propensities of the plowmen, but their cupidity moved them. They wanted the corn the mounds would produce. Running the plow-share through the mounds was not a very successful method of obtaining a knowledge of their contents. Of the works examined in this county, those most worthy of mention are situated at the confluence of Silver Creek and the St. Joseph's river, in Madison township, one mile and a quarter east of Pioneer, on land now owned (1905) by J. F. Dohm. At an early period, these mounds—two or more in number, besides others of smaller dimensions—were discovered by P. W. Norris, G. R. Joy and Owen McCarty, early residents of that township. They dug into the mounds and brought to the surface four or five crumbling skeletons, the skulls and larger bones of which were quite sound, but the greater portion of the remainder soon crumbled to powder. In Northwest township, near Nettle Lake, is found another group of interesting mounds. In fact, encircling the lake are to be found some eight or ten earthworks erected by an unknown race probably more than a thousand years ago. On Section 23, southwest of the lake, are a few of the mounds, two of them being of unusual size for this part of the state. The greater number have been opened in past years by curious and inexperienced persons, who failed to properly notice features which are considered highly important by archaeological students. In almost every instance human bones were unearthed, as was also charcoal, sometimes in considerable quantity. Copper implements, such as arrow and spear heads, were taken from several of the mounds, and in one was found a piece of mica, six or eight inches square and about an inch thick. In several instances it was definitely ascertained that many persons were buried in the same mound. The Indians had no knowledge, traditionary or otherwise, concerning these works, and if the Mound Builders were the ancestors of the Red Men of recent date, such fact was unknown and unsuspected by the latter. The writer recalls that during his boyhood days—when Nettle Lake was a fishing pond for Izaak Waltons, young and old, and the silvery sheen that covered it in winter afforded a skating rink, never excelled—these upheavals of earth were commonly spoken of, among us youthful archaeologists, as "Indian grave-yards ; " but doubtless they have a greater antiquity, and were erected by a different race of beings who lived in ages past, and whose children gamboled o'er those hills, "even as you and I." Indians never buried their dead in mounds like these referred to ; neither did they erect altars, where animals and human beings were immolated to secure the favor of the Great Spirit, and afterward cover such altars with a mound of earth. These; and many other important considerations lead the majority of students of antiquity to the opinion that the Mound Builders were a distinct race of people, and that they inhabited a large portion of America long before the Red Men took possession. On the northeast, corner of the southeast quarter of Section 22, in Brady township, on the land now owned by Frederick Charles, was 20 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY a remarkable group of mounds, uniform in size, about six feet long, three wide, and about two feet high, so arranged as to form half circles, about five hundred feet in diameter. Two of these half circles were complete, one within the other, and another, commencing at the north, was about half finished. Quite a number of these mounds were opened, and about two feet from the original surface fragments of human remains and numerous stone implements were found. At present nothing remains to mark this ancient cemetery, except a fragment of bone or stone implement which occasionally finds its way to the surface. On the south half of the northwest quarter of section 10, in Brady township, on land now owned by James F. Smith, was a solitary mound of considerable magnitude. On opening it, six full developed skeletons were found and one of a child about eight or ten years old. They were lying in a circle with their heads in the center, in close proximity to each other. Dr. Frank O. Hart, of West Unity, now deceased, secured the skulls from this mound and described them in a written article as follows : "They were very thick. The superciliary ridge is very prominent. The orbital processes are profoundly marked. Average distance between temporal ridges of frontal bone, three and a half inches; from temporal ridge of frontal hone to occipital joint, nine inches ; length from beginning of frontal bone to occipital joint, twelve inches; from occipital joint to foramen magnum, three inches." On the southwest quarter of section 27, in Brady township, a skeleton was exhumed that was eight feet long, with which were found part of a gun, fragments of knives, a cup of red paint, about one thousand beads of various colors and sizes, and al braid of black hair around its neck, in which there were thirteen silver brooches. This, however, was undoubtedly the skeleton of an Indian, as the relics which were unearthed with it are of a kind not generally associated with the works of the mound-building race. Dr. Frank O. Hart, mentioned above, was born in Pulaski township, this county, on May 22, 1855, and was the eldest of three children born to Julius C. and Martha M. (Fish) Hart. His father was of New England ancestry, and a direct descendant of John Hart, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Hart was educated at the Shelby high school, in Richland county, O., and in September, 1873, commenced the study of medicine with Dr. J. C. Clay, of Shelby. He graduated at Cincinnati in 1877, and at once began practice at West Unity, where he resided until his death a few years since. In 1880 he was elected coroner of Williams county and served in that capacity two terms. He took great interest in archaeological subjects. and was the possessor of what was at one time said to be one of the rarest collections of relics of the Mound Builders to be found in the United States. A portion of the material for this chapter was gleaned from articles written by him. In a very early day, as we reckon the authentic history of Williams county, Clark Backus and a Mr. Sumner, both early settlers, while hunting in the southern part of Bridgewater township, discovered on WILLIAMS COUNTY ANTIQUITIES - 21 fractional section 12, about two miles north of Montpelier, two large mounds which were six or seven feet in height and fifty or sixty feet in diameter. They afterward vent back and opened one of the mounds, taking therefrom two skeletons, one very large and the other of ordinary size. Mr. Sumner had some conscientious scruples in thus invading the sanctuary of the dead, and refused to assist in the opening of the others. He even insisted on placing the skeletons already exhumed back in their proper resting place, and this was accordingly done. These earthworks have almost, if not entirely, disappeared before the onward march of the civilized plowman, but there is little doubt that they were sepulchral mounds and that the bones belonged to members of the race that is called—for want of a better name—Mound Builders. The principal mounds in this county have now been mentioned, and it will be well to notice the implements made by the extinct race. Very few utensils, made of copper, have been found in this part of Ohio, owing partly to the fact of the unexplored condition of many of the mounds, and to the additional fact that little, if any, copper exists in this part of the United States. What does exist is in loose fragments that have been washed down from the upper lake region. When mounds are explored, great care is necessary lest these small utensils be lost, as they are commonly scattered through the mass, and are not always in close proximity to the skeletons. The copper deposits about Lake Superior furnished the prehistoric man with this metal, and, judging from the number of relics, now found, which were made of this metal, it must have been quite abundant. The population then. must also have been quite numerous, as occasionally copper implements, tempered to an exceeding hardness, are found about the country. These implements are small, generally less than half a pound in weight, and seldom exceeding three pounds. There were millions of these in use during the period of the ancient dwellers, which must have been thousands of years in duration. The copper implements left on the surface soon disappeared by decomposition, to which copper is nearly as subject as iron. Only a, part of the dead Mound Builders were placed in burial mounds, and of these only a part were buried with their copper ornaments on and about them. Of those that were, only a small part have been discovered, and in many instances, the slight layer of earth over them has not prevented the decay and disappearance of the copper relics. Articles of bronze or brass are not found with the remains of the builders of the mounds, and it is evident they knew nothing of these metals in the Ohio Valley ; nor did they possess any of the copper that had been melted and cast in moulds. Stone relics, however, are very numerous and well preserved. Stone axes, stone mauls, stone hammers, stone chisels, etc., are very plentiful yet, and were the common implements of the prehistoric man in this part of the West. None were made with holes or eyes for the insertion of a helve or handle. They were made more perfect by rubbing and polishing, probably done from time to time, after they 22 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY were brought into use. A handle or helve, made of a withe or split stick, was fastened in the groove by thongs of hide. The bit is narrower than the body of the ax, which is generally not well enough balanced to be of much value as a cutting instrument. It is very seldom the material is hard enough to cut green and sound timber. The poll is usually round, but sometimes flat, and, rarely, pointed. It is much better adapted to breaking than cutting, while the smaller ones are better fitted for war clubs than tools. As a maul to break dry limbs they were very efficient, which was probably the use made of them. In weight they range from half a pound to sixteen pounds, but are generally less than three pounds. The very heavy ones must have been kept at the regular camps and villages, as they could not have been carried far, even in canoes. Such axes are occasionally found in the Indian towns on the frontier, as they were found in Ohio, among the aborigines. The Mound Builders apparently did not give them as much prominence among their implements as their savage successors. Double headed hammers have the grooves in the middle. They were made of the same material as the axes, so balanced as to give a blow with equal force at either end. Their mechanical symmetry is often perfect. As a weapon in war, they were indeed formidable, for which purpose they are yet used in the wilds of the far West. Implements known as "fleshers" and "skinners," chisel-formed. commonly called "celts," were probably used as aids in peeling the skins of animals from the meat and bones. For the purpose of cutting tools from wood they were not sufficiently hard, and do not show such use, excepting a few flint chisels. They may have been applied as coal scrapers where wood had been burned but this could not have been a general thing without destroying the perfect edge most of them now exhibit. The grooved axes were much better adapted to this purpose. Fleshers and scrapers of various sizes and shapes are numerous in this county. Pestles to grind maize so as to fit it for cooking have been found in a variety of forms—some cylindrical, some bell-shaped and some cone-like. The materials are also various, consisting of green stone, syenite, quartz, etc., and sometimes sandstone. Most of the pestles are short, with a wide base, tapering toward the top. They were probably used with one hand, and moved about in the mortar in a circle. The long, round instrument, usually called a pestle, does not appear to be fitted for crushing seeds and grain by pounding or turning in the mortar.. It was probably used as a rolling pin, perhaps on a board or leveled log, but not upon stone. It is seldom found smooth or polished, and varies from seven to thirteen inches in length. In outline they taper toward each end, which is generally smooth and circular in form, as though it had been twirled in an upright position. Perforated plates, thread sizers, shuttles, etc., generally made of striped slate, are met with in an almost endless variety of forms, most of which have tapering holes through them flat-wise, the use of which has been much discussed. They are generally symmetrical, the material WILLIAMS COUNTY ANTIQUITIES - 23 fine grained, and their proportions graceful, as though their principal use was that of ornamentation. Many of them may well have been worn suspended as beads or ornaments. Some partake of the character of badges or insignias of authority. Others, if strung together on thongs, or belts, would serve as a coat of mail, protecting the breast or back against the arrows of an enemy. A number of them would serve to size and twist twine or coarse thread made of bark, raw-hide, or sinew. The most common theory regarding their use is, however, lacking one important feature—none of them show signs of use by wearing, the edges of the holes through them being sharp and perfect. This objection applies equally well to their use as suspended ornaments. Some of them are shuttle-form, through which coarse threads might have been passed for weaving rude cloth of bark or of fibrous plants, such as milk-weed or thistles. There are also double-ended and jointed ones, with a cross section, about the middle of which is a circle and through which is a perforation. Badges and wands, in a variety of forms, are frequently found. A perfect specimen of a double crescent was picked up by George Kimbell of Brady township, several years ago, and several single crescents have been found from time to time. Wands and badges are nearly all fabricated from striped and variegated slate, highly finished, very symmetrical and elegant in proportions, evidently designed to be ornamental. If they were stronger and heavier some of them would serve the purpose of hatchets or battle-axes. The material is compact and fine grained ; but the eyes, or holes for handles or staves, are quite small, seldom half an inch in diameter. Their edges are not sharp, but rounded, and the body is thin, usually less than one-fourth of an inch in thickness. The form of badges known as "double-crescents" are the most elegant and expensive of any yet brought to notice. They were probably used to indicate the highest rank or office. The single crescent perhaps signified a rank next below the double. In nearly or quite all the crescents the points turn outward. The finish around the bore of all winged badges and the crescents is the same, and the size of the bore about the same—from two-fifths to three-fifths of an inch. On one side of all is a narrow ridge ; on the other, a flat band, lengthwise, like a ridge that has been ground down to a width of one to two-tenths of an inch. Badges and crescents are invariably made of banded slate, generally of a greenish shade of color. The other forms of wands or badges, such as those with symmetrical wings or blades, are also made of green striped slate, highly polished, with a bore of about one-half inch in diameter, apparently to insert a light wooden rod or staff. They were probably emblems of distinction, and were not ornaments. Nothing like them is known among the modern tribes, in form or use, hence they are attributed to the Mound Builders. In addition to stone ornaments, the prehistoric man seems to have had a penchant, like his savage successors, to bedaub his body with various colors, derived from different minerals. These compounds were mixed in hollowed stones or diminutive mortars—"paint cups"—in which the mineral mass of 24 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY colored clay was reduced to powder and prepared for application to the body. Such paint cups are not common in this county, in fact they are quite rare. A few pipes of special note have been found. Three were found in the south part of Brady township, of which one represented a tortoise, one a frog and one a duck. The comparative rarity of aboriginal smoking pipes is easily explained by the fact that they were not discarded, as were weapons, when those by whom they were fashioned entered upon the iron age. The advance of the whites in no way lessened the demand for pipes, nor did the whites substitute a better implement. The pipes were retained and used until worn out or broken, save the few that were buried with their dead owners. What was the ultimate fate of these can only be conjectured. In very few instances does an Indian grave contain a pipe. If the practice of burying the pipe with its owner was common, it is probable that the graves were opened and robbed of this coveted article by members of the same or some other tribes. It only remains to notice the "flints," in addition to which a few other archaeological relics of minor importance are found about the country, but none of sufficient import to merit mention, or to throw additional light on the lost tribes of America. Arrow and spear heads and other similar pieces of flaked flints are the most abundant of any aboriginal relics in the United States. Stone implements, such as have been heretofore mentioned, have been found in all parts of Williams county, but more frequently along the banks of Tiffin and St. Joseph's rivers. "Indian arrows," on the contrary, are found everywhere ; and there is not a boy living amid pastoral surroundings, who does not treasure among his possessions a few of the flinty weapons. They are chiefly made of hard and brittle siliceous materials; are easily damaged in hitting any object at which they are aimed, hence many of them bear marks of violent use. Perfect specimens are, however, by no means rare. The art of arrow-making survives to the present day among certain Indian tribes, from whom is learned the art practiced that produces them. A classification of arrow-heads is not within the scope of this work ; indeed, it is rarely attempted by archaeologists. The styles are almost as numerous as their makers. In general, they are all the same in outline, mostly leaf-shaped, varying according to the taste of those who construct them. They may have been chipped—probably most of them were—and some may have been ground. Spear heads exhibit as large a variety as arrow-heads. Like arrow-heads, spear-heads were inserted in wooden handles of various lengths, though in many tribes they were fastened by thongs of untanned leather or sinews. Their modes of manufacture were generally the same. Sometimes tribes contained "arrow-makers," whose business it was to make these implements, selling them to or exchanging them with their neighbors for wampum or peltry. When the Indian desired an arrow-head, he could buy one of the "arrow-maker" or make one himself. The common method was to take a chipping implement, generally made of the WILLIAMS COUNTY ANTIQUITIES - 25 pointed rods of a deer horn, from eight to sixteen inches in length, or of slender, short pieces of the same material, bound with sinews to wooden sticks, resembling arrow shafts. The "arrow-maker" held in his left hand the flake of flint or obsidian on which he intended to operate, and pressing the point of the tool against its edge, detached scale after scale until the flake assumed the desired form. The peculiar and distinctive features of these various relics of past ages may be of little interest to some readers ; but the fact of their existence, and that they are the only remains of a race of human beings who passed away, possibly hundreds of years before the advent of the white man on the American continent, urges the effort to solve the mystery of the ancient people and their works. And from the great number and variety of stone implements found in Williams county, one would suppose that this section was a favorite locality of that peculiar race ; and that fact adds a local- interest to what would otherwise be, perhaps, a dry subject. A nation doubtless arose and fell in the same region where now thrives an Anglo-Saxon civilization ; and we, "who tread on the earth that lies over their brow," can obtain information concerning them only by a careful study of the implements and works they have left behind them. But the solution of the problem has baffled the skill, research and learning of the most noted scientists of two continents, since the existence of these "works of human hands" was first determined. True, we have theories, ably supported by argument, and these, in the absence of absolutely established facts, we must accept, weigh, adopt, or discard, and still remain in darkness as to the origin, mission and final destiny of the Mound Builders. Judging by the works which they have left—and that is in accord with scriptural suggestion— they were a powerful race of slightly civilized and industrious people. The earth monuments only remain, these enclosing relics of rude art, together with the last lingering remains of mortality—the crumbling skeletons—which the curious investigators have disturbed in their resting places. But even these have yielded to scientific minds; strongly imaginative, some knowledge of the character and lives of the race. The Twentieth century dawned in almost as great ignorance of the prehistoric race as did the Nineteenth ; yet in the ever restless spirit of modern investigation, efforts have been made to link the Mound Builders with some ancient and far distant race of civilized mankind. As early as 1772, Rev. David Jones publicly noted the existence of the mounds and advanced his views concerning them. In 1784, Arthur Lee wrote a treatise on the lost race and advanced some rather visionary ideas regarding it. But the first general survey of the works was made by Caleb Atwater of Circleville. O., in 1819, under the auspices and at the expense of the Archaeological Society of Worcester, Mass. About 1836, Dr. Edwin Hamilton Davis of Chillicothe, was employed with Col. Charles Whittlesey in explorations and surveys of the Newark antiquities. In this work Dr. Davis became greaty interested and continued his investigations and collec- 26 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY tions ever afterward. Ephraim George Squier of New York, also became greatly interested in archaeological matters, and in 1846, he and Dr. Davis joined in the preparation of a work which formerly stood at the head of the archaeological literature of North America. Recognizing the merit of this work, the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, D. C., assumed a protectorate over it, and in 1848 published the work of Squier and Davis, together with some plans and notes furnished by others, under title of "Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley." This publication constituted the first systematic work with descriptions and figures of the numerous remains of the Mound Builders. From that day to the present, the Smithsonian Institution has continued to publish books and original papers relating to this subject. Stimulated by this national recognition, and in view of the absorbing interest of the subject, many original investigators have published manuscripts and books at private expense, some of which are very elaborate and complete. It is a noticeable feature of all the early publications in this department of archaeology that they attach great antiquity to the Mound Builders. The variations in this regard are also very great. Some assume that thousands of years have elapsed since the building of these ancient relics, and all agree that they are very old. Eminent authorities are as widely at variance regarding their antiquity as they are concerning their origin and purpose. In closing this chapter we present the views of a number of recognized authorities as tending to show that the Mound Builders were, or may have been, the immediate predecessors of the Indians found here on the advent of the white man. The Marquise de Nadaillac, in his admirable work on "Prehistoric America," published in 1895, and edited and verified by W. H. Dalle, sums up a voluminous discussion as follows : "What, it may be asked, are we to believe was the character of the race to which, for the purpose of clearness, we have for the time being applied the term, `Mound Builders ?' The answer must be, they were no more nor less than the immediate predecessors, in blood and culture, of the Indians described by DeSoto's chroniclers and other early explorers, the Indians who inhabited the region of the mounds at the time of their discovery by civilized men. As, in the far north, the Aleuts, up to the time of their discovery, were, by the testimony of the shell heaps as well as their language, the direct successors of the early eskimo-- so in the fertile basin of the Mississippi, the Indians were the builders, or the successors of the builders, of the singular and varied structures attributed to the Mound Builders. It is here that a very drfferent opinion has been widely entertained, chiefly by those who were not aware of the historical evidence. Even Mr. Squier, who, in his famous work on the ancient monuments of the Mississippi valley, makes no distinction in these remains, but speaks of the Mound Builders as an extinct race and contrasts their progress in the arts with the supposed low condition of the modern Indians, in a subsequent publication felt compelled to modify his views and distinguish WILLIAMS COUNTY ANTIQUITIES - 27 between the earthworks of western New York, which he admits to be of purely Indian origin, and those found in southern Ohio. Further researches have shown that no line can be drawn between the two ; the differences are merely of degree. For the most part the objects found in them, from the rude knife to the carved and polished `gorget,' might have been taken from the inmost recesses of a mound or picked up on the surface among the debris of a recent Indian village, and the most experienced archaeologist could not decide which was their origin. Lucian Carr has recently reviewed the whole subject in a manner which cannot but carry conviction to the impatient archaeologist, but the conclusions he arrives at have the weight of other, and, as all will admit, most distinguished authority. It is not asserted that the mounds were built by any particular tribe, or at any particular period, nor that each and every tribe of the Mississippi valley erected such structures, nor that there were not differences of culture and proficiency in the arts between different tribes of Mound Builders, as between the tribes of modern Indians now known. All that can be claimed is that there is nothing in the mounds beyond the power of such people as inhabited the region when discovered; that those people are known to have constructed many of the mounds now, or recently existing, and that there is no evidence that any other, or different people, had any hand in the construction of those mounds in regard to which direct historical evidence is wanting. Summing up the results that have been attained, it may be safely said that, so far from there being any a priori reason why the red Indians could not have erected these works, the evidence shows, conclusively, that in New York and the Gulf states they did build mounds and embankments that are essentially of the same character as those found in Ohio." Lucian Carr says : "In view of the fact that these same Indians are the only people, except the whites, who, so far as we know, have ever held the region over which these works are scattered, it is believed that we are fully justified in claiming that the mounds and enclosures of Ohio, like those in New York and the Gulf states, were the work of the red Indians of historic times, or of their immediate ancestors. To deny this conclusion, and to accept its alternative, ascribing these remains to a mythical people of a different civilization, is to reject a simple and satisfactory explanation of a fact in favor of one that is far-fetched and incomplete, and this is neither science nor logic." We quote a few brief extracts from sayings of other eminent students and scholars, and leave the determination of the question to the patient reader : "The earthworks differ less in kind than in degree from other remains respecting which history has not been entirely silent."—Haven. "There is nothing, indeed, in the magnitude and structure of our western mounds which a semi-hunter and semi-agricultural population, like that which may he ascribed to the ancestors or Indian pre- 28 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY decessors of the existing race, could not have executed."—Schoolcraft. "All these earth-works—and I am inclined to assert the same of the whole of those in the Atlantic states, and the majority in the Mississippi valley—were the production, not of some mythical tribe of high civilization in remote antiquity, but of the identical nations found by the whites residing in these regions."—Brinton. "No doubt that they were erected by the forefathers of the present Indians."—Gen. Lewis Cass. "Nothing in them which may not have been performed by a savage people."—Gallatin. “The old idea that the Mound Builders were peoples distinct from, and other than, the Indians of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth centuries, and their progenitors, appears unfounded in fact and fanciful."—C. C. Jones. "Mound Builders were tribes of American Indians of the same race with the tribes now living."—Judge M. F. Force. "The progress of discovery seems constantly to diminish the distinction between the ancient and modern races ; and it may not be very wide of the track to assert that they were the same people."— Lapham. The preceding pages give the views of well-known scientists and explorers, both early and recent. It is not the purpose of this work to decide controverted questions, but to give both sides and allow the reader to form his own, opinions, based upon authorities cited. In concluding this chapter, we will state, however, that, although Williams county may not be a rich field for archaeological research, yet the evidences in existence that this section was once the abode of these unknown earth workers, are sufficient to create a local interest in any information concerning them. Judging from the mass of published information on the subject, the Mound Builders were a race or races of people, somewhat nomadic in their habits, yet more centralized in habitation than the Indians of historic time. They were semi-agricultural in pursuits, given to hunting and fishing, and schooled in the primitive arts of warfare. They had some knowledge of trade, or a system of rude barter, which brought them into possession of articles from far distant localities, since in Williams county, and particularly in the vicinity of Nettle Lake, mounds have been opened which contained copper that must have come from Lake Superior, and mica that probably had its origin in the old mines of North Carolina. But, after all, our opinions can be but deductions drawn from the mementoes they have left us, and which have withstood the forces of nature that causes less enduring materials to crumble and decay. However carefully we may study and examine these rude and imperfect records, much will doubtless always remain shrouded in dense obscurity. CHAPTER II EARLY JURISDICTION IT WAS not until many years after the close of the American Revolution that the Anglo-Saxon race undertook the project of colonization in the region known as the Maumee Valley, of which Williams county is a component, and as regards population and resources, a very important division. It should not be inferred, however, that the territory contained within the present limits of the county remained unvisited by white men and unknown to them until after the epoch mentioned above. While this portion of North America was under the dominion of the French government an extensive trade with the Indians was carried on, and in pursuit of the returns that came from the traffic with the red men the wiley and skillful French traders traveled extensively over this portion of their mother country's possessions. They continued their relations with the natives, notwithstanding that the result of the French and Indian war transferred the right of dominion to the English government, and even for years following the American Revolution they followed their vocation, undisturbed and without competition, save the rivalry existing among themselves. So it is fair to presume that during their many excursions, in quest of trade, the present limits of Williams county were frequently invaded : and as their much traveled route, connecting Detroit with the Wabash river, was through this region, it can easily be inferred that the natives who then inhabited this section were the beneficiaries or victims, as the case might be. of commercial intercourse with the early French traders. Good traditional authority exists for the belief that at least one Indian and French trail passed through Williams county. Major Suttenfield and wife passed over it on horseback, after Hull's surrender of the Northwestern army in the latter part of the summer of 1812, on their journey from Detroit to Fort Wayne. But railroad tracks and plow-shares have long since destroyed all vestige of this highway, so often trodden by the once powerful tribes and their eager customers. These commercial adventurers were not pioneers in the true sense of that word, and it is doubtful if they could properly be called advance agents of civilization. Their mission in these parts was neither to civilize the denizens of the forest nor to carve out homes in the western wilderness. "The white man's burden" rested not heavily upon their shoulders and gave them little or no concern, the only motive that fetched them hither being a desire to possess, at as little cost as - 29 - 30 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY possible, the wares which the Indians had for sale. This object being attained, they wended their way homeward and the localities which had known them knew them no more. So it remained for the forerunners of Anglo-Saxon civilization, as they led the "march of empire" in a westerly direction, to open this section of country for actual settlement and win from hostile nature—and at times a more hostile foe in human form—homes for themselves and posterity. Before proceeding with an account of the organization and settlement of Williams county, a brief review of the question of title to lands will be necessary, the word title as here used having special reference to racial dominion or civil jurisdiction. As is well known, the French were the first civilized people who laid claim to the territory now embraced within the state of Ohio, and France exercised nominal lordship over the region until the Treaty of Paris, in 1763, which ended the French and Indian war. Prior to this date the French actually occupied isolated places in the vast extent of territory claimed by them (the south shore of Lake Erie, for instance) but it is an open historical question when such occupancy began. It is certain, however, that there was not the semblance of courts or magistrates for the trial of civil or criminal issues, and hence the chief function of civil government was lacking. And even for some years after the Ohio country passed under the control of the officials of the British government, affairs there were managed by army officers, commandants of posts on the frontier. Immediately after the peace of 1763 with the French, the Province of Canada was extended by act of Parliament, southerly to the Allegheny and Ohio rivers. This of course included all of the present state of Ohio, notwithstanding the claims of the colony of Virginia that she had the title to all the land northwest of the Ohio river. This conflict of authority was at its height during the Revolutionary war, and in 1778, soon after the conquest of the British forts on the Mississippi and the Wabash, by Gen. George Rogers Clark, Virginia erected the county of Illinois, with the county seat at Kaskaskia. It practically embraced all the territory in the present states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. But the British held possession of the Ohio country and all the lake region, and in the same year (1778), Lord Dorchester, Governor-General of Canada, divided Upper Canada into four districts for civil purposes, one of which included Detroit and the lake territory. Great Britain had promised the Indian tribes that the whites should not settle north of the Ohio river, and the government of this almost unlimited region was, during English control, exclusively military, with Detroit as the central post. This was the condition during the Revolutionary war, and even after the treaty of peace, in 1783, the same state of affairs continued until after the second, or Jay treaty, in 1795. Early in 1792 the Upper Canadian parliament authorized Governor Simcoe to lay off nineteen counties to embrace that province, and it is presumed that the county of Essex, on the east bank of Detroit river, included Michigan and northern Ohio. While this sup- EARLY JURISDICTION - 31 position is not conclusive, certain it is that some form of British civil authority existed at their forts and settlements until Detroit was given up and all its dependencies in August, 1796. The treaty of 1783, which terminated the war of the Revolution, included Ohio within the boundaries of the United States, and the Seventh article of that treaty stated that the King of Great Britain would, "with all convenient speed, withdraw all his forces, garrisons and fleets from the United States, and from every post, place and harbor, within the same." Military posts were garrisoned, however, by British troops, and continued under the dominion of Great Britain for many years after that date. But preparatory to taking possession of it, and in order to avoid collision with the Indian tribes, who owned the soil, treaties were made with them from time to time (of which more is said on a subsequent page), in which they ceded to the United States their title to their lands. But the territory thus secured by treaties with Great Britain, and with the Indian tribes—and concerning which we had thus established an amicable understanding—was many years sequestered from our possession. The British government urged as an excuse the failure of Americans to fulfill that part of the treaty protecting the claims of British subjects against citizens of the United States ; but, from the "aid and comfort" rendered the Indians in the campaigns of Harmar, St. Clair, and Wayne, the apparent prime cause was to defeat the efforts of the United States to extend their power over the country and tribes north of the Ohio, and continue to the British the advantage of the fur trade, which, from their relations with these tribes they possessed. The ultimate result of this international difficulty was the campaigns of 1790-91-94, ostensibly against the Indians, but substantially against them and their British allies, which bear so intimate a relation to the formal surrender of the country to American control, that they perform an essential part of history and are given in detail in the first volume of this work. Virginia, however, still adhering to her claim of sovereignty over the Northwestern country, on March 1, 1784, ceded the territory to the United States, and immediately congress entered seriously upon the consideration of the problem of providing a government for the vast domain. Its deliberations resulted in the famous "Compact of 1787," which is also fully discussed and explained in the history of Ohio, which accompanies this volume. It might not be out of place here, however, to call attention to the fact that this compact, in two provisions which were inspired by Thomas Jefferson, guaranteed to all the right of religious freedom and prohibited slavery in the territory. Hence the citizens of Williams county, in common with the citizens of Ohio and those of the sister states that were carved from Virginia's grant, can feel a pardonable pride that never, under any American jurisdiction of this domain, has a witch been burned at the stake or a slave been sold on the auction block. All these pretensions of sovereignty and conflictions of authority were aside from the claims of the real inhabitants of the country. The 32 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY Iroquois Indians, or Six Nations, laid claim to the entire extent of territory, bordering on the Ohio river and northward, basing their contention upon the assumption that they had conquered it and held it by right of conquest. In 1722, a treaty had been made at Albany, New York, between the Iroquois and English, by which the lands west of the Alleghany mountains were acknowledged to belong to the Iroquois by reason of their conquests from the Eries, Conoys, Tongarias, etc., but this claim was extinguished by the terms of the treaty of Fort Stanwix, concluded October 22, 1784. The treaty of Fort McIntosh, in 1785, was intended to quiet the claims of the Delawares, Wyandots, Ottawas and Chippewas, in the Ohio valley. The Shawanees relinquished their claims under the provisions of the treaties of Fort Finney, January 31, 1786, treaty of Fort Harmar (held by General St. Clair), January 9, 1789, by the treaty of Greenville, and various other treaties from that date until 1818. It is a notable fact that every foot of Ohio soil was acquired from the Indians through treaty or purchase, and, when compared with methods followed in other sections of America, the means employed were decidedly honorable. True, some of these treaties, as for instance the one concluded at Greenville, were entered into at the close of a long and bloody conflict, when the Indians had been conquered and reduced to a condition of helplessness, thus making them obliged to submit to any terms offered by the victors. But when we consider the fact, demonstrated on every page of the world's history, that the tree of civilization does not grow until the soil has been fertilized by human blood, we can excuse the warfare waged against the Indians, and by comparison at least point to those treaties as just and merciful ones. The Greenville treaty was made by General "Mad Anthony" Wayne, on August 3, 1795, at the close of the Indian war that waged in the Maumee Valley and throughout the state during the years 1790-95. Full particulars of these hostilities, as before stated, are given in the accompanying volume—devoted to the history of Ohio—but the provisions of the treaty comes properly within the scope of the history of Williams county, and will bear repetition. Between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas and the Maumee and Miami, south to the line from Fort Laurens to Laramie's store, the Indians were to retain possession, and besides that they were to hold the title to all the rest of the country, west of a line from Fort Recovery to the mouth of the Kentucky river, and west and northwest of the Maumee. except Clark's grant on the Ohio river and certain reservations about Detroit and the forts in Ohio and other parts of the northwest, with the understanding that when they should sell lands, it should be to the United States alone, whose protection the Indians acknowledged, and that of no other power whatever. There was to be free passage along the Maumee, Auglaize, Sandusky and Wabash rivers and the lake. Twenty thousand dollars worth of goods were at once delivered to the Indians, and a promise was made of $9,500 worth every year forever. EARLY JURISDICTION - 33 The United States senate ratified the Wayne or Greenville treaty in due time, and northwestern Ohio, north of the treaty line and west of the Connecticut Reserve line, remained unorganized practically until 182o. About. the same time (1795) John Jay, as minister to England, concluded his treaty with that country, by the terms of which the British posts were to be abandoned in the neighborhood of the Great Lakes on or before June I, 1796. The terms not being strictly complied with, in July, 1796, the United States demanded a fulfillment of the treaty and the transfer of authority was accordingly made, General Wayne moving his headquarters thither and displacing the English commander. In the absence of General Arthur St. Clair, who was the Governor of, the Northwest Territory, Secretary Winthrop Sargent went to Detroit and proclaimed the county of Wayne, which included, besides what is now parts of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, the Indian country in Ohio, the boundary of which on the south was the Greenville treaty line. The proclamation creating the county of Wayne was issued August 15, 1796, and the boundaries named therein were as follows : "Beginning at the mouth of the Cuyahoga river, upon Lake Erie, and with the said river to the Portage, between it and the Tuscarawas branch of the Muskingum ; thence down the said branch to the forks, at the carrying place above Fort Laurens ; thence by a west line to the western boundary of Hamilton county (which is a due north line from the lower Shawanees town upon the Scioto river) ; thence by a line west-northerly to the southern part of the Portage, between the Miamis of the Ohio and the St. Mary's river ; thence by a line also west-northerly to the most southern part of Lake Michigan ; thence along the western shores of the same to the northwest part thereof (including the lands upon the streams emptying into the said lake) ; thence by a due north line to the territorial boundary in Lake Superior, and with the said boundary through Lakes Huron, Sinclair and Erie, to the mouth of Cuyahoga river, the place of beginning." From the organization of the territory, in 1788, it had had no representative government, owing to the restrictions of the "Ordinance of 1787." A reference to this "Compact" will discover to the reader that the legislative function of the territorial government in its first stage of development, and until there should be five thousand free male inhabitants of full age in the district, was lodged in the Governor of the Territory and the judges of the general (or Territorial) court, or any two of the judges and the Governor. But in 1798, a census was taken, which disclosed more than the necessary "five thousand free male inhabitants" in the Territory, and on October 29, 1798, Governor St. Clair accordingly proclaimed an election, to be held on the third Monday of December, for the choice of a house of representatives in the general assembly. to which the territory was entitled at that stage of development. The gentlemen chosen at this election met at Cincinnati on January 22, 1799, and organized the first elective legislative body that ever convened within the limits of the Northwest Territory. Twenty-two representatives were chosen - 3 - 34 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY by the nine counties then organized, and they constituted the lawmaking power of the territory, when taken in conjunction with a legislative council of five members, who were appointed by the United States congress. Wayne county (of which the territory now embraced in Williams was then a part) was represented iu this assembly by Solomon Sibley, Charles F. Chaubert de Joncaire and Jacob Visger, all residents of Detroit. The first named, Mr. Sibley, was an exceedingly active and influential member of this assembly and was appointed a committee pf one to superintend the printing of the laws of the session. The book as printed is now in possession of the supreme court library in Columbus, and in it Mr. Sibley certifies that he has carefully compared the printed laws with the original enrolled bills, and finds them. to agree. During the interim between the adjournment of the first and the meeting of the second session of this legislature, congress passed the act dividing the NorthWest Territory and creating the new territory of Indiana. This act legislated Henry Vanderburg., of Vincennes, out of the legislative council, and Mr. Sibley was later promoted to that position. At the election for members of the second legislative assembly, Wayne county chose as her representatives Charles F. Chaubert de Joncaire. George McDougal and Jonathan Schiefflin. The election of the latter two was contested, but they were declared to be entitled to their seats. By the above-mentioned act of Congress, which was approved May 7, 1800, the old Northwest Territory was cut in two by setting off Indiana Territory west of the line of Wayne's treaty, running from a point opposite the mouth of the Kentucky river to Fort Recovery, and thence due north to the Canada line. Hence the above date marks the division of the territory embraced in the states of Ohio and Indiana, the line north of Fort Recovery being located about one and one-half miles east of the present state line. The region east of this line remained under the title of "The Territory Northwest of the Ohio river," and while by the provisions of this act the old county of Wayne was considerably reduced in extent, yet its numerical strength as regards population was probably lessened very little. By the United States census of 1800, Wayne county—which it must be remembered included Detroit—contained a population of 3,206. The first, and what proved to be the last, session of the second territorial legislature, convened at Chillicothe, November 23, 1801, and adjourned January 23, 1802 ; and this was the last time that Detroit was represented in an Ohio legislative assembly. In the Congressional enactment providing for a convention to consider the question of statehood, Wayne county was not permitted to elect delegates, owing to the fact that its population was confined chiefly to Detroit and vicinity, which region it was not intended to include in the proposed new state. This separation, and the ensuing admission of Ohio into the Union of States, left the region of which Williams county is now a part—though technically considered a part of Hamilton—practically under no county jurisdiction ; hut as all the EARLY JURISDICTION - 35 vast territory, north of the Greenville treaty line and west of the boundary of the Connecticut Reserve, was as yet the hunting ground of the aborigines, such a condition of affairs entailed no hardship upon anyone. Among the first acts of the first state legislature, however, was the erection of eight new counties, three of which—Montgomery, Green and Franklin—were extended in jurisdiction to the northern boundary of the State, including all the Indian country, formerly a part of Wayne county, except a strip south of the Connecticut Reserve. As the first-named was the most western of these three counties, with seat of government at Dayton, it follows that the territory now comprising Williams county then became an unorganized part of Montgomery. The aforesaid act was passed March 24, 1803, and described the boundaries of the new county of Montgomery as follows : "Beginning on the state line at the northwest corner of the county of Butler; thence east with the lines of Butler and Warren to the east line of section number sixteen in the third township and fifth range; thence north eighteen miles; thence east two miles; thence north to the state line ; thence with the same to the west boundary of the state ; thence south with the said boundary to the beginning, shall compose a third new county, called and known by the name of Montgomery." At this time, 1803, an enumeration of the white males o the state was taken and it was found that the county of Montgomery contained 526 individuals who complied with such description. On January 16, 1807, the county of Miami was formed out of territory taken from Montgomery county, and as its location was such as to place it immediately north of the organized part of the latter county, thus separating it from the Indian country to the north, the legislature amended the act on January 7, 1812, by the following : "Whereas by the act establishing Montgomery county, the limits of said county were extended to the northern boundary of this state, and whereas by the above-recited act, the limits of Miami county were confined to the Indian boundary line [the Greenville treaty line], leaving a tract of country attached to Montgomery county, over which no jurisdiction can be conveniently exercised—therefore, all that part of the county of Montgomery lying north of the county of Miami, shall be, and the same is hereby attached to the said county of Miami." By the above act of the legislature, the territory now comprising Williams and other neighboring counties passed under the jurisdiction of Miami county, and it remained so connected for a period of exactly seven years to the day. Upon January 7, 1819, the legislature erected the county of Shelby by the following enactment : "Be it enacted etc., That so much of the county of Miami as lies north of the line beginning on the line dividing Miami and Darke counties, between sections twenty-seven and thirty-four in township ten, range four, and running east with said line to the Great Miami river ; thence across said river ; thence down said river to the middle of the twelfth range, township one, east of the Miami river, to the section line between sections twenty-one and twenty-two ; thence east with said line 36 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY to Champaign county line ; thence north with said line dividing the counties of Miami, Champaign and Logan, to the Indian boundary line [Greenville Treaty line] ; thence north six miles ; thence west to a point so that a line drawn from said point due north will strike the Indian boundary line at the point where the line between the counties of Miami and Darke strikes said line ; thence south with said line between the counties of Darke and Miami to the place of beginning, and also including the United States reservations at Fort St. Mary's, Amanda and Defiance, which shall be known by the name of Shelby ; provided, that the jurisdiction of said county of Shelby shall extend over all that territory lying north of said county and which at this time is included within the jurisdiction of the county of Miami ; and all crimes that shall be committed within the territory aforesaid shall be considered as having been committed within the said county of Shelby." During all this time, following the Greenville treaty—and during which northwestern Ohio had been placed successively under various jurisdictions—the lands remained in the hands of the Indians with the exception of a very small amount of territory. There were a few United States reservations for military purposes, such as that of twelve miles square at the foot of the Maumee rapids, and of six miles square at the mouth of the river, where Fort Industry, built about 1800, marked the site of the present city of Toledo. But in the main, all of northwestern Ohio was barren of white inhabitants, and so far as the present site of Williams county is concerned, it was, in the language of the young Fourth of July orator, "a howling wilderness." The Indians and what few whites there were in the vicinity of the reservations had continued to live in comparative peace from and after the ending of hostilities by the Greenville treaty. Even during the troublous times, incident to the war of 1812, when Tecumseh was marshalling the men of his race to assist the British forces, there was but little antagonism between the settlers and natives of the region known as Northwestern Ohio. Feelings of security were necessarily absent, however, owing to the scenes of war being enacted at nearby points ; and with the news of the great disaster on Raisin river—where an American force numbering 800 was almost annihilated—came a realization of the danger that menaced the settlers. The region of which we write was then included in Miami county and the communication which follows will afford a view of the state of public opinion therein. following the catastrophe mentioned aboye : Miami County. State of Ohio, Feb. 3, 1813. "To His Excellency, R. J. Meigs, Governor of said State : "The petition of the undersigned humbly showeth : That whereas there are a considerable number of Indians of the Delaware tribe, called in by order of General Harrison, and are now in our county ; that it is but thinly settled on the frontier, distant from a market where provisions can be furnished them, and the people of the neighborhood feel themselves in a dangerous situation in consequence of EARLY JURISDICTION - 37 their being exposed to invasion and depredations from them, they being contiguous to the enemy ; hence every opportunity of conveying information to them of our situation, moving off and joining them, and doing much mischief from their knowledge of our county, etc. This brief petition we would humbly beg your excellency to take into consideration and relieve us from a state of uneasiness and alarm, by having them removed into the interior of the State, where, from its population, they will be awed into submission to the authorities having charge over them, and supported at a much less expense to the government. And we shall as in duty bound, etc. "G. Smith Houston," and 52 others. Occasionally, of course, there were outrages that threatened serious trouble, due to lawless elements in both races and the race hatred entertained by many of the whites ; yet as a rule the Red Men of the Forest pursued their wild and favorite avocations, undisturbed by naught, save what must have been apparent to them—the irresistible and ceaseless march of Anglo-Saxon civilization. The end of his dominion in the State of Ohio was rapidly approaching, and in his thoughtful moments the Indian must have heard, reverberating through the air, in tones that a modern policeman would envy, the laconic and authoritative command—"Move on !" On November 17, 1807, a treaty was made at Detroit between William Hull, Governor of the Territory of Michigan and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, on the part of the United States, and the sachems, chiefs and warriors of the Ottowa, Chippeway, Wyandotte and Pottawatamie nations of Indians on the other part. Under this treaty the following described lands were ceded to the United States : "'Beginning at the mouth of the Miami river of the Lakes [Maumee] and running thence up the middle thereof to the mouth of the Great Au Glaize river; thence running due north until it intersects a parallel of latitude, to be drawn from the outlet of Lake Huron, which forms the river Sinclair ; thence running northeast, the course that may be found will lead in a direct line to White Rock, in Lake Huron ; thence due east until it intersects the boundary line between the United States and Upper Canada, in said lake ; thence southerly, following the said boundary line down said lake, through River Sinclair, Lake St. Clair and the River Detroit into Lake Erie, to a point due east of the aforesaid Miami river; thence west to the place of beginning." The western line of this vast extent of territory, which was by the above treaty granted to the United States, passed through the western part of Fulton county and almost exactly located the present boundary line between Ridgeville township, in Henry, and Springfield in Williams county. Extended north from the Maumee, this cession of land comprised a considerable portion of the lower peninsula of Michigan in addition to the Ohio territory, included. The price paid for these lands was $10,000. The reader, in contemplating this vast "domain—covered then with valuable timber and a fertile soil as yet untouched—will doubtless come to the conclusion that Uncle Sam 38 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY was a shrewd "bargain-driver," and that "Poor Lo" was correspondingly "easy." But when we recall that the Greenville treaty bound the Indians to sell the land to no one but the United States, thereby rendering any possible competitor ineligible, the moralist may consider the transaction not quite up to his ethical standard. As will readily be seen by the Hull treaty given above, all lands in Ohio north of the Maumee river were by said treaty ceded to the United States government—excepting the territory west of a line running . due north from the mouth of the Auglaize river. This exception comprised all of the present county of Williams, the greater part of Defiance and a small portion off the west side of Fulton county. In short, it can be said, with a reasonable degree of accuracy, that the Ohio lands north of the Maumee, which remained in lawful possession of the Indians after the Detroit treaty of 1807, comprised the territory included in the original county of Williams. The only change made in creating the latter division was to straighten the southern boundary line and, cause it to run due east and west, instead of following the course of the river. For ten years longer this status of affairs continued, but on September 29, 1817, a treaty was "made and concluded at the foot of the Rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie," between Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur, commissioners of the United States, on the one part, and the sachems, chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawanees, Pottawatomies, Ottawas, and Chippeway tribes of Indians. By the stipulations of this treaty, contained in the first article, the Wyandots ceded to the United States their lands south of the Maumee river. In Art. 2, "The Pottawatomies, Ottawas and Chippeway tribes of Indians," ceded the land described within the following boundaries : "Beginning where the western line of the State of Ohio crosses the River Miami of Lake Erie, which is about twenty-one miles above the mouth of the Great Auglaize river ; thence down the middle of the said Miami [Maumee] river, to a point north of the mouth of the Great Auglaize river ; thence, with the western line of the land ceded to the United States by the treaty of Detroit, in 1807, north forty-five miles ; thence west so far that a line south will strike the place of beginning; thence south to the place of beginning." The consideration paid for the above was an annuity of $1,300 for fifteen years to the Pottawatomies, $1,000 for fifteen years to the Ottawas, and $1,000 for fifteen years to the Chippewas. These three tribes were then the inhabitants of the Williams county territory and they were to receive their annual stipend at Detroit. It will be noticed that this cession included nearly, if not all, of the present county of Hillsdale, in Michigan, but the northern boundary of Ohio was then in !dispute and destined to be a subject of contention for a score of -years to follow. The subsequent treaties that were made with the Indians provided for the incliase of their lands in the reservations by the United States and their removal west of the Mississippi ; and the fact remains, which is of some historical importance, that Williams was among the EARLY JURISDICTION - 39 last of the present county divisions of the state to pass legally from the control of the Red Man to the dominion of the Anglo-Saxon race. The last Indian title extinguished was that of the Wyandots, whose lands in the reservation at Upper Sandusky, and in the county which bears their name, was offered for sale by the United States in the autumn of 1845. The several Indian tribes were paid various sums of money in annual payments, and were required to vacate the country and migrate west. The last of them to make the journey were the Wyandots, but after the treaty of 1819, the northwestern part of Ohio was open to settlement and the Indians who remained did so as tenants by sufference of their white brothers. Henry Howe, in his admirable work, entitled "Historical Collections of Ohio," says : "The Delawares ceded their reservations to the United States in 1829. The Wyandots ceded theirs by a treaty made at Upper Sandusky, March 17, 1842, they being the only Indians then remaining in the State. The commissioner on the part of the United States was Colonel John Johnston, who had the honor of making the last Indian treaty in Ohio—a State, every foot of whose soil has been fairly purchased by treaties from its original possessors. The Wyandots left for Kansas in July, 1843, and numbered at that time about seven hundred souls." On the admission of Ohio to the Federal Union, the public domain. under the conditions named in the charter, was variously classified. The principal divisions were as follows : 1. Congress Lands; 2. United States Military Lands ; 3. Virginia Military District ; 4. Connecticut Western Reserve; 5. Connecticut Fire Lands ; 6. Ohio Company's Purchase ; 7. Donation Tract ; 8. Symmes Purchase ; 9. Refugee Tract; 10. French Grant ; 11. Dohrman's Grant ; 12. Zane's Grant; 13. Canal Lands ; 14. Turnpike Lands ; 15. Maumee Road Lands ; 16. School Lands ; 17. College Lands ; 18. Ministerial Lands; 19. Moravian Lands ; 20. Salt Sections. It is not necessary to enter into details regarding these various divisions, except so far as the territory embraced within The scope of this work is affected. Congress Lands are so-called because they are sold to purchasers by the immediate officers of the general government, conformably to such laws as are or may be, from time to time, enacted by Congress. They are all regularly surveyed into townships of six miles square each, under authority and at the expense of the National Government. The townships are again subdivided into sections of one mile square, each containing 640 acres, by lines running parallel with the township and range lines. In addition to these divisions, the sections are again subdivided into four equal parts, called the northeast quarter section, southeast quarter section, etc. And again, by a law of Congress which went into effect in July, 1820, these quarter sections are also divided by a north and south line into two equal parts, called the east half quarter section and west half quarter section, containing eighty acres each. It was not until after the war of 1812-15, and the conquest of the Indian territory north of Wayne's treaty line, that surveys were ordered in the northwest section of 40 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY Ohio. For this tract a base line was run on or near the forty-first parallel of latitude, corresponding to the south line of the Connecticut' Reserve. The ranges were numbered east from the first meridian, being the west line of Ohio, and the towns numbered north and south from the base. Williams county, it will be seen, was included in the reservation known as "Congress Lands," and it might be added that the land within its limits was sold by the Federal government at the statutory price of $1.25 per acre. Early provisions were made for the support of free schools, and Congress reserved one thirty-sixth part of all lands lying northwest of the Ohio river for their maintenance. These lands, together with other Congressional reservations for the public welfare, became, in later years, the subject of much political speculation, and in many instances were perverted by designing persons from the real purposes intended. Much fruitless legislation resulted, because of the private or personal interests of individuals, without materially enhancing the interests of education. Passing through the varied experiences of speculation, as the early years of statehood passed, the question of school lands was finally systematized by the appointment of honest and conscientious commissioners, and the lands thus became the nucleus of the present magnificent school fund of the state. We will now return and take up events incidental to the formation, organization and development of Williams county. On February 12, 1820, the General Assembly of the state formed and gave names to fourteen counties, which they carved out of the territory lying north of the Greenville Treaty line and west of the boundary line of the Connecticut Reserve. In selecting names for these counties the legislature evidently referred to the galaxy of Revolutionary patriots, for among them we find such cognomens as Allen, Hancock, Henry, Marion, Putnam, Paulding, Van Wert, Williams and others. The last three were of course chosen in honor of the captors of Major Andre, who by their heroic act prevented the surrender of West Point and defeated a treasonable plot at a critical time during our country's struggle for independence. The statute providing for the formation of these counties was entitled, "An Act for the erection of certain counties therein named," and it read thusly : "Be it enacted, etc., That all that part of the lands lately ceded by the Indians to the United States, which, lies within this State, shall be, and the same is hereby erected into fourteen separate and distinct counties to be bounded and named as follows :" (It here proceeds to give the boundaries and names of thirteen of the counties, and continues) : "Fourteenth, to include all of the first,' second, third and fourth ranges north of the third townships north in said ranges, and to run north with the same to the State line, and to be known by the name of Williams." Williams county, as will be seen by the description, was erected in the extreme northwestern corner of Ohio, having its northern boundary on Michigan and its western on Indiana. The northern boundary of the county then, as well as the northern boundary of the state, EARLY JURISDICTION - 41 was seriously in dispute, owing to the conflicting claims of Ohio and the territory of Michigan, the former claiming the Harris line and the latter the Fulton line as the true boundary which separated them. The strip of land between these lines comprised the present townships of Northwest, Bridgewater, Madison and Millcreek, in Williams county. The western, southern and eastern boundaries, however, were clearly defined, and therefore Williams county as originally carved Out comprised not only all of its present territory (with the four townships named above in dispute), but all of Defiance county, excepting the townships of Adams, Richland, Highland, and a portion of Defiance, and a part of each of three townships—Gorham, Franklin and German—now in Fulton county. Its area then, including the disputed townships, was about 720 square miles, and its population, according to the census of 1820, was 387 ; but, in fact, we would be safe in saying that at that time the present limits of the county possessed not a white inhabitant. Although the county of Williams was created by the above mentioned act of the legislature, in 182o, yet it remained unorganized, so far as governmental functions were concerned, until a few years later. The act creating the fourteen counties provided for the organization of only two of them—Wood and Sandusky—and it provided that "the counties of Hancock, Henry, Putnam, Paulding and Williams shall be attached to the county of Wood" for civil purposes. It provided further, "that the temporary seat of justice for said county of Wood shall be fixed at the town of Maumee, until commissioners shall be appointed by the General Assembly to fix the permanent seat of justice." This legislation by further provision of the same act went into effect on April I, 1820, and from that date the seat of justice of the counties of northwestern Ohio was in the ancient and historical town of Maumee, where it remained for about three years and then crossed the river to Perrysburg. At a session of the Board of Commissioners of Wood county, held March 19, 1823, it was ordered "that so much of the township of Waynesfield as is included in the organized county of Wood, and lying and being on the south of the south channel of Maumee river, from the west line of the county to the line between the original surveyed township, in Nos. 1 and 4, in the United States reserve ; thence, the north channel to the state line, be set off and organized into a township, by the name of Perrysburg." The seat of justice was then established at Perrysburg; but this was of concern to Williams county for only a short time, as in a few months she was destined to blossom forth as a fully organized county, and be given civil jurisdiction over a surface that now embraces portions of six well settled and prosperous counties. Of the Indian tribes inhabiting the Maumee valley when the first definite knowledge of the country was acquired, the Miamis were the most prominent, while the Wyandots and Ottawas were represented in fewer numbers. Later, other tribes made their appearance, particularly in that part which is now Williams county, and it was with the Pottawatamies, Ottawas and Chippewas that the pioneers of this 42 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY immediate section had to deal. These three tribes had possession at the time of the final treaties, and it was with them that negotiations were made providing for the Indian exodus. They were slow to join with the tide of westward emigration, however, and for many years afterwards, wandering bands would annually visit their old hunting grounds in Williams county, and their intercourse with the settlers came to be regarded more as an occasion of pleasant remembrances than of dread or danger. Some pleasant friendships were formed between the pioneer families and the former owners of the land which the pale-face was tilling. CHAPTER III THE FORMATIVE PERIOD ON FEBRUARY 2, 1824, the General Assembly of the State of Ohio passed an act providing as follows : "That the county of Williams shall be organized, and the counties of Henry, Putnam and Paulding shall be attached thereto for judicial purposes. "That on the first Monday of April next the legal electors residing in the counties of Williams, Henry, Paulding and Putnam, shall assemble within their respective townships, at the usual place of holding elections, and shall proceed to elect their several county and township officers, who shall hold their several offices until the next annual election. "That the courts of the above named counties shall be held at Defiance, in the county of Williams, until otherwise provided by law," etc. At that time there were but four official positions in the county, the incumbents of which were required to run the gauntlet of popular approval and have their merits passed upon at the ballot box. These four elective positions were auditor, coroner, sheriff and board of commissioners. The first election to fill these positions was held "on the first Monday of April," as ordered, and the balloting resulted as follows : For auditor, Timothy S. Smith received 37 votes, and H. Jerome, 26 votes ; for coroner, Arthur Burras 6 votes, John Oliver 4o votes, and Thomas Warren 17 votes ; for sheriff, James Shirley 14 votes, and William Preston, 48 votes ; for commissioners, Jesse Hilton 58 votes, Cyrus Hunter 37 votes, Charles Gunn 31 votes, Montgomery Evans 28 votes, Benjamin Leavell 26 votes, William Hunter 4 votes, and John Oliver I vote. So it will be seen that the men who first donned the official garments at the behest of vox populi in Williams county, were : auditor, Timothy S. Smith ; coroner, John Oliver; sheriff, William Preston ; commissioners, Jesse Hilton, Cyrus Hunter and Charles Gunn. The first constitution of the State, which was then in force, provided for the election of only two—sheriff and coroner—but gave to the Legislature power to create other positions and prescribe the mode of filling them. All of the county offices, excepting the four named, were at that time appointive, and the first incumbent of each will be mentioned at the proper place in the course of this narrative ; but as a matter of interest at this time, and for the purpose of showing the number of places provided for those who desired office. we will give the list, which in addition to the foregoing - 43 - 44 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY was as follows : Assessor, Clerk of Courts, Keeper of Standard Measure, Prosecuting Attorney, Recorder, Surveyor, Collector and Treasurer. The first session of the commissioners of the newly organized county convened at Defiance on the 7th day of June, 1824, "which was the first Monday, agreeably to law," as the ancient record of the proceedings puts it. This record is well preserved the county auditor's office at Bryan. The gentlemen who composed first board of commissioners, as stated heretofore, were Charles Gunn, Jesse Hilton and Cyrus Hunter, and the first county auditor, who acted as clerk for the board and recorded the proceedings, was Timothy S. Smith. The first official act of the board was recorded as follows : "A petition being presented, it was hereby ordered by the Board of Commissioners that a township be set off in the county of Henry, now attached to the county of Williams, by the name of Richland township, to include the west half of Henry county aforesaid. An election is ordered by said Board, to be held at Camp No. 3, at the house of Foreman Evans, on Friday, the 18th day of June next, agreeably to law, for township officers." They next set off a township in the Williams county territory and gave it the name of Delaware (now Defiance county) ; following which, they proceeded to appoint William Preston—who also held the office of sheriff—collector of taxes for the county. This gentleman appeared, gave bond, with John Oliver and Moses Rice as sureties, after which he took the oath of office. Thereupon, Moses Rice was appointed County Treasurer and was sworn in—first giving bond, with Cyrus Hunter and Charles Gunn as sureties. Moses Rice, who was thus given the distinction of being the first custodian of the county funds, was in a peculiar situation in regard to the question of his citizenship. Born in the colony of Virginia, September 1, 1780—at a time when the "Old Dominion" was claimed by King George, although in open rebellion—he was taken to Canada before the question of sovereignty was settled. There he grew to manhood, enlisted in the military service and rose to the rank of lieutenant in the British or Canadian army. In 1817 he migrated to the United States and settled in Henry county, Ohio (which became attached to Williams for judicial purposes), and in 1824 was honored by his associates in the manner and form as stated above. Whether political opponents charged him with being an alien or envious mortals sought to oust him from his lucrative ( ?) job, we do not know, but he held the office for exactly one year, and on October 31, 1825, went into court and renounced forever all allegiance to princes, potentates, etc., more especially King George the Fourth. In addition to the transaction of other business, which is of minor importance in a historical sense, the commissioners, at this first session, took up the question of providing for a county jail—a matter that was destined, however, to remain undecided until the establishment of a permanent seat of justice by the proper legal authority. Specifications were drawn for a bastile, which it was thought would meet the modest requirements of that early day, and the contract was let. THE FORMATIVE PERIOD - 46 For some reason not given in the record, this contract was "disanulled" at a special meeting held on October 5, and a new sale was ordered, but on October 26, the commissioners met again and instructed the auditor to discontinue all proceedings in regard to the jail until further orders, and nothing more was done concerning it until the June session of 1825. Several roads were petitioned for at the first meeting of the Commissioners, and, the services of a surveyor being important, John Perkins was appointed and filled that position for years. Thomas Philbrick was appointed Keeper of the Standard Measure. The October election resulted in a slight change in the personnel of the Board of Commissioners—Captain Benjamin Leavell succeeding Jesse Hilton as one of the members. Captain Leavell, prior to his removal to Williams county was a resident of Piqua, Ohio. In company with Horatio G. Phillips, of Dayton, he made his first trip to this section of the state, and in November, 1822, laid out the town of Defiance. This was eighteen months before Williams county was organized, but so favorably impressed was Captain Leavell with its future prospects that he decided to make it his home. He became the owner of considerable real estate in Defiance and vicinity and was a leading spirit in county affairs until 1835, when he disposed of his interests and moved away. The December session of the Commissioners was held at the dwelling of Captain Leavell, on Monday, December 6, 1824. The first act was to cast lots for the long and shorter official terms, and this resulted in the Captain winning the three year term, Mr. Gunn the two and Mr. Hunter the one year term. The other business transacted at this session related only to the establishment of county roads—in fact, projects for new roads chiefly engrossed the time of the sessions held during many years following. At the June session, 1825, William Seemans was "appointed treasurer in and for the county of Williams," succeeding him of the foreign allegiance, and Samuel Vance was appointed collector of the county tax for that year. The treasurer-elect immediately gave bond and took the oath of office June 7, 1825 ; but as Vance had been appointed county assessor at the March term of the court of Common Pleas, and had accordingly made the assessment, we presume that he did not care to meet the property owners a second time in a different though coordinate official capacity. At any rate, "a sale was ordered by the commissioners for the collation of the county tax," and John. Blair was the lucky (or lowest) bidder. The job was taken at 6 per cent, and "said Blair came forward on the 20th day of July and gave bond as law directs." Samuel Vance, who was honored by being the first man selected to make an assessment of the property in Williams county, came from a family of more than local renown, his brother—Joseph Vance—serving many years in Congress, and as Governor of Ohio from 1836 to 1838. Samuel Vance was a pioneer in the Maumee Valley, of a Scotch-Irish strain of blood, and was a native of Pennsylvania. After 46 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY coming to Ohio he had considerable to do with public affairs and at one time was register of the United States Land Office at Fort Wayne. Moses Rice was allowed three dollars as his percentage for acting as treasurer the preceding year, and the listers of the several townships were allowed from $12 to $1.87% for their services in listing and appraising the land. The town of Defiance had been made the temporary seat of justice for Williams county when the latter was organized, but the question of a permanent site agitated the public mind considerably during the years of 1824-25. Owing to this uncertainty no public buildings were erected—court being held in a warehouse—and the construction of a county jail, as mentioned before, was postponed indefinitely. During the session of the State legislature, which convened on the first Monday of December, 1824, a resolution was passed appointing Joseph C. Hawkins of Preble county, Forest Meeker of Delaware county, and Robert Morrison of Miami county, "commissioners to locate and establish the permanent seat of justice for the county of Williams." In pursuance of this resolution, two of the commissioners named—J. C. Hawkins and Robert Morrison—entered upon the work assigned them. A number of localities presented their claims for consideration but after an examination of the different sites, Messrs. Hawkins and Morrison, on October 20, 1825, rendered their decision and selected the town of Defiance as the seat of justice, with the condition that the proprietors—H. G. Phillips and Benjamin Leavell—comply with certain agreements. Messrs. Phillips and Leavell agreed, in consideration of the county seat being permanently established at Defiance, to deed to the corf-. missioners of the county forty town lots. which was one equal third part of all the lots on the plat of said town, and to erect for the county a good substantial jail, of certain dimensions, on the public square. They further agreed to allow the county to use the upper loft of their warehouse for a court room until a better place could be secured. At the June session of the Board of County Commissioners, while the question of the location of the seat of justice was pending, it was ordered that a jail for the county of Williams be erected "as soon as the permanent seat of justice shall be established," the dimensions of the building "to be twenty-six by eighteen feet, nine feet between floors, with a partition of the same dimensions as the walls, and two grate windows, eighteen by ten inches, with fiye iron bars to each window," etc. There appears to have been no disagreement between the county's legislative body and Messrs. Phillips and Leavell on this matter, and at a special meeting, held on July 21, 1826, the Commissioners ordered "that the jail be and is hereby received from Benjamin Leavell & Co., and is completed according to contract in the town of Defiance." Timothy S. Smith was paid, by order of the County Commissioners at their June session in 1825, the sum of $29 for his services as auditor of the county and clerk to the hoard. The emoluments of office THE FORMATIVE PERIOD - 47 in those days were not very attractive in Williams county. Mr. Smith resigned his position a couple of months later, and on August 22, Thomas Philbrick was appointed to serve as auditor until the next election. Benjamin Leavell resigned the office of commissioner, also, and the Court of Common Pleas appointed Isaiah Hughes to fill the vacancy. A spirited contest followed, at the ensuing October election, for the offices of auditor and county commissioner. Isaac Hull, Jr., a relative of Governor Hull—of Detroit surrender fame—George Lantz and William Seemans were the candidates for auditor; and the balloting resulted in Hull receiving 28 votes, Lantz, 26, and Seemans, 20. For commissioners, there were three candidates and two vacancies to be filled—Cyrus Hunter being a candidate to succeed himself. Isaiah Hughes received 62 votes, Cyrus Hunter 60, and Montgomery Evans 31; Hughes and Hunter, of course, being elected. Samuel Philbrick, who had been appointed to succeed Timothy S. Smith as auditor, was unable for some reason to assume the duties of the office, and the record shows that "the Board met and proceeded to appoint George Lantz county auditor pro tem.—in lieu of Thomas Philbrick, in case of his inability—who immediately took the oath of office and gave bond." This session, held October 15, 1825, was a short one, and the account of the business transacted is given as follows: "Commissioners convened and proceeded to settle with Samuel Vance, Esq., county assessor, and ordered that said Vance be allowed for thirteen days' services, and that he receive an order on the county treasury for twenty-six dollars." The next meeting was held on Monday, December 5, 1825. It was ordered that "Clark Philbrick be allowed for his services in making a half bushel measure and brand for the county, the sum of two dollars." The owners of the town of Defiance having donated forty town lots to the county, the Commissioners ordered them offered for sale at public auction on the first Monday in February, 1826. At the meeting of the Board in March "it was ordered that Sheriff Preston be allowed his account of $3.20 for taking charge, discharging prisoners and advertising an election." At the meeting of the Commissioners, on June 5, 1826, Isaac Hull, Jr., appears as county auditor, he having been elected to that position at the October balloting. The Board proceeded to business and ordered that William Seemans be allowed ten dollars and forty-six cents for his services as county treasurer, while for serving in the capacity of county auditor, George Lantz was allowed the munificent sum of twelve dollars. It was "also ordered that James W. Craig be and is hereby appointed standard measurer." With the write-up of this meeting also appears the minutes of the sale of town lots made on February 6, and we find that of the forty lots offered only seven were sold, viz. : Lot No. 4, to William Preston for $80 ; lot No. 12, to Samuel Vance, for $41 ; lot No. 58, to John Perkins, for $40 ; lot No. 64, to Samuel Vance, for $85 ; lot No. 101, to John Perkins, $71 ; lot No. 107, to John Oliver, for $36 ; lot No. 61, to Robert and Nathan Shirley, for $77. It seems that William Seemans had by this time grown tired of the 48 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY arduous labors, incident to the official position of county treasurer, or perhaps in his opinion the annual stipend was not commensurate. At any rate the record of this meeting says that "It is also ordered by the Board of Commissioners that 'Benjamin Leaven be, and he is hereby appointed county treasurer for the county of Williams." Samuel Vance was reimbursed by being "allowed the sum of thirty-four dollars for his services as county assessor, and William Preston was appointed county collector. As an index to the financial transactions of the county the record shows that "The Board of Commissioners compared the treasurer's and auditor's books and find that orders have been issued to the amount of one thousand one hundred twenty-five dollars and twenty-two and one-fourth cents, and orders redeemed amount to four hundred fifty-six dollars four and one-fourth cents, leaving a balance of six hundred and sixty-nine dollars and eighteen cents." Between the close of the June session of the Board of Commissioners, in 1826, and a special session held on July 21, of the same year, Isaiah Hughes mysteriously disappeared—from the records. Neither his death nor resignation is chronicled, nor is the appointment of his successor, Nathan Shirley, whose name appears as commissioner in the record of the July meeting. By what authority Shirley became a member of the Board is not clear, as the Court of Com- mon Pleas, which alone had the appointing power, had no session, of which a record was made, between the dates mentioned. But, like the man confined in jail, he was there ; and it is probably not within the province of the historian "to reason why," when he discovers anomalous records of public affairs. On October 9, 1826, Elias Shirley was appointed by the Court of Common Pleas assessor for the county of Williams. His bond was approved on the _following day by two of the commissioners and he accordingly entered upon the duties of the office. At the autumn election, held October 14, 1826, a sheriff, coroner and two commissioners were elected. For the office of sheriff six aspirants were voted for, William Preston receiving 64 votes, George Lantz 4, Arthur Burrows 13, William Graham 1, Pierce Taylor 1, and William Hunter 1. For coroner John Oliver received 11 votes, Hunter 6, Robert Wasson 18, and Moses Rice 1. For commissioner Montgomery Evans received 76 votes, Nathan Shirley 81, Oliver Crane 40, Charles Gunn 1, and Samuel Vance 28—Shirley and Evans being the winners. Cyrus Hunter resigned as commissioner immediately after election and Jesse Hilton was appointed to succeed him, so that when the commissioners met in their December session an entire new board appeared. They cast lots "to determine their times of services"—Nathan Shirley succeeding Charles Gunn and Montgomery Evans taking the place of Isaiah Hughes. During the preceding month (November 18) the commissioners had met "and proceeded to appoint Geo. Lantz county auditor in room of Isaac Hull. Jr., resigned." At the March meeting, 1827, John Canning, who had taken the oath of allegiance but a few THE FORMATIVE PERIOD - 49 months before, was appointed county assessor, which position he held until the June following, when he resigned, his three months' occupancy of the office increasing his exchequer by the sum of $23.44. Office holding in old Williams county in those days was not very remunerative, and aside from the honor and distinction which attends the holding of an official position there was not enough in it to attract the ordinary mortal. This fact, it seems, was fully realized, and at the June session of 1827, aside from the resignation mentioned above, Benjamin Leavell gave up the office of county treasurer and George Lantz resigned that of county auditor. Robert Wasson was appointed to succeed the former and James W. Craig the latter. On September 10, 1827, the commissioners met for the purpose, as stated in the record, "of making arrangement to procure a lock for the jail of the Co. of Williams." They instructed the auditor to purchase such lock, and further ordered him to "procure the necessary irons to secure criminals in prison, as soon as convenient." In the record of a meeting held on November 17, a new name appears as commissioner—that of Sebastian Sroufe. The name of Jesse Hilton disappears, he having probably "fell outside the breastworks" at the recent October election, while he of the undoubted lineage "marched proudly to victory." At this November meeting the board allowed the bills of Pierce Taylor, amounting to fifty-two dollars, for "finding nails" and repairing the court house. The board also did "sanction the bonds" of the new county assessor, William Preston. At the regular December meeting the board decided that an order be drawn on the treasury for $1.50 to pay for a padlock for the use of the jail. So it appears that a special meeting of the commissioners had been held in September for the sole purpose of ordering the purchase of a dollar-and-a-half padlock. Another peculiar entry in the record of this December meeting is the following : "The bord order the Auditors of Williams County to have a rit of attachment issued against the gods and chatels, moneys, etc., belonging to William Marshal, who broke custody from the jail of Williams county. in order to make money to defray the expencis acrued by detaining the said Marshal in custody." At the June meeting of the board of commissioners, in 1828, a new county auditor was appointed. The record does not state whether the incumbent resigned or was removed, but it is certain that he did not die, for the record of this meeting was written by him, and the following entry, which is given verbatim, concerning the selection of his successor, certainly proves that he deserved removal upon the grounds of incompetency : "The bord appoint Foreman Evans Auduter of Williams County in the rume of James W. Craig, who is here by authorized to receive all the book and papers relative to said office that remains in the hands of Jas. W. Craig." We submit that the "rume" which Mr. Evans was called upon to fill was of decidedly ,mall capacity. The first, last and only entry made by the new auditor was a record of the amount of orders redeemed by the county each year, beginning - 4 -