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Historical Collections of Ohio

By Henry Howe

Vol. I

©1888

 

COLUMBIANA COUNTY

 

PAGE 435

 

COLUMBIANA COUNTY was formed from Jefferson and Washington, March 25, 1803.  KILBOURN, in his “Gazeteer,” says: “Columbiana is a fancy name, taken from the Columbus and Anna.  An anecdote is told pending its adoption in the legislature, that a member jocularly moved that the name Maria should be added thereto, so as to have it read Columbiana-maria.”  The southern part is generally broken and hilly, and the northern level and undulating.  This is an excellent agricultural tract; it is well watered, abounds in fine mineral coal, iron ore, lime and free-stone.  The water limestone of this county is of the best quality.  Salt water abounds on Yellow and Beaver creeks, which also afford a great amount of water power.  Forty years ago it was the greatest wool-growing county in Ohio, and was exceeded by but three or four in the Union.  About one-third of the population are of Germanic origin, and there are many of Scotch-Irish extraction.  In 1885 the acres cultivated were 118,656; in pasture, 90,692; woodland, 45,065; lying waste, 14,603; wheat, 159,241 bushels; corn, 645,329; oats, 580,660; wool, 552,862 pounds; apples, 515,913.  School census, 17,060; teachers, 357.  Area, 540 square miles.  Miles of railroad track, 117.

 

 

The population of Columbiana in 1820 was 22,033; in 1830, 35,508; and in 1840, 40,394, which was greater than any other counties in Ohio, excepting Hamilton and Richland.  The number of inhabitants to a square mile was then 46.  In 1846 the county was reduced by the formation of Mahoning, to which the townships of Beaver, Goshen, Greene, Smith, and Springfield, formerly belonging to it, were added.  The population of the county in 1860 was 32,836, and in 1880, 48,602, of whom 34,945 were Ohio-born; 6,344 Pennsylvania-born; 3,711 English subjects born; 852 German; 44 French; 32 Scandinavians.

 

PAGE 436

 

of Middletown is especially noted for its raspberries and fine quality of peaches, which last is said to be a rarely failing crop.  The fruit finds a near market in Pittsburg.

 

The first paper-mill in Ohio, and the second west of the Alleghenies, was erected in 1805-6 on Little Beaver creek, near its mouth, in this County. It was called the Ohio paper-mill; its proprietors were John BEVER and John COULTER.

 

This county was settled just before the commencement of the present century. In 1797 a few families moved across the Ohio and settled in its limits. One of them, named CARPENTER, made a settlement near West Point. Shortly after, Capt. WHITEYES, a noted Indian chief, stopped at the dwelling of CARPENTER. Being intoxicated, he got into some difficulty with a son of Mr. C., a lad of about seventeen years of age, and threatened to kill him. The young man upon this turned and ran, pursued by the Indian with uplifted tomahawk, ready to bury it in his brain. Finding that the latter was fast gaining upon him the young man turned and shot him, and shortly afterwards he expired. As this was in time of peace, CARPENTER was apprehended and tried at Steubenville, under the territorial laws, under the territorial laws, the courts being then held by justices of the peace, He was cleared, it appearing that he acted in self-defence. The death of WHITE-EYES created great excitement, and fears were entertained that it would provoke hostilities from the Indians. Great exertions were made to reconcile them, and several presents were given to the friends of the late chief. The wife of WHITE-EYES received from three gentlemen the sum of $300; one of these donors was the late Bezaleel WELLS, of Stubenville. This was the last Indian blood shed by white men in this part of Ohio.

 

ADAM AND ANDREW POE, THE INDIAN FIGHTERS.

 

Adam POE, who, with his brother Andrew, had the noted fight with the Indians, once resided in this county, in Wayne township, on the west fork of Little Beaver. The son of Andrew - Deacon Adam POE, was living late as 1846 in the vicinity of Ravenna, Portage county, and had the tomahawk with which the Indian struck his father.  The locality where the struggle occurred, he then told the author, was nearly opposite the mouth of Little Yellow creek. We annex the particulars of this affair from “DODDRIDGE’S Notes,” substituting, however, the name of Andrew for Adam, and vice versa, as he then stated they should be placed:

 

In the summer of 1782 a party of seven Wyandots made an incursion into a settlement some distance below Fort Pitt, and several miles from the Ohio river. Here, finding an old man alone in a cabin, they killed him, packed up what plunder they could find, and commenced their retreat.  Among their party was a celebrated Wyandot chief, who, in addition to his fame as a warrior and counselor, was, as to his size and strength, a real giant.

 

The news of the visit of the Indians soon spread through the neighborhood, and a party of eight good riflemen was collected, in a few hours, for the purpose of pursuing the Indians. In this party were two brothers of the names Andrew and Adam POE.  They were both famous for courage, size and activity.

 

This little party commenced pursuit of the Indians, with a determination, if possible, not to suffer them to escape, as they usually did on such occasions, by making a speedy flight to the river, crossing it, and then dividing into small parties to meet at a distant point in a given time.

 

The pursuit was continued the greater part of the night after the Indians had done the mischief. In the morning the party found themselves on the trail of the Indians, which led to the river. When arrived within a little difference of the river, Andrew POE, fearing an ambuscade, left the party, who followed directly on the trail, to creep along the brink of the river bank, under cover of the weeds and bushes, top fall on the rear of the Indians, should he find them in ambuscade. He had not gone far when he saw the Indian rafts at the water’s edge. Not seeing any Indians, he stepped softly down the bank, with his rifle cocked. When about half-way down, he discovered the large Wyandot chief

 

 

PAGE 437

 

cloths on his breast, and at the same time embracing the neck of the neck of the small one, threw them both down on the ground, himself being upmost. The Indian soon extricated himself, ran to the raft, got his tomahawk, and attempted to dispatch POE, the large Indian holding him fast in his arms with all his might., the better to enable his fellow to effect his purpose. POE, however, so well watched the motions of the Indian that when in the act of aiming his blow at his head, by a vigorous and well-directed kick, with one of his feet he staggered the savage and knocked the tomahawk out of his hand. This failure on the part of the small Indian was reproved by an exclamation of contempt from the large one.

 

In a moment, the Indian caught up his tomahawk again, approached more cautiously, brandishing his tomahawk, and making a number of feigned blows, in defiance and derision. POE, however, still on his guard, averted the real blow from his head by throwing up his arm and receiving it on his wrist, in which he was severely wounded, but not so as to lose entirely the use of his hand.

 

In this perilous moment, POE, by a violent effort, broke loose from the Indian, snatched up one of the Indian’s guns, and shot the small Indian through the breast, as he ran up the third time to tomahawk him.

 

The large Indian was now on his feet, and grasping POE by a shoulder and leg, threw him down on the bank. POE instantly disengaged himself and got on his feet. The Indian then seized him again and a new struggle ensued, which, owing to the slippery state of the bank, ended in the fall of both combatants into the water.

 

In this situation, it was the object of each to drown the other. Their efforts to effect their purpose were continued for some time with alternate success, sometimes one being under the water, and sometimes the other. POE at length seized the tuft of hair on the scalp of the Indian, with which he held his head under the water until he supposed him drowned.

 

Relaxing his hold too soon, POE instantly found his gigantic antagonist on his feet again and ready for another combat. In this, they were carried into the water beyond their depth. In this situation, they were compelled to loose their hold on each other and swim for mutual safety. Both sought the shore to seize a gun and end the contest with bullets. The Indian being the best swimmer reached the land first. POE, seeing this, immediately turned back into the water to escape, if possible, being shot, by diving. Fortunately, the Indian caught up the rifle with which POE had killed the other warrior.

 

At this juncture Adam POE, missing his brother from the party, and supposing, from the report of the gun which he shot, that he was either killed or engaged in conflict with the Indians, hastened to the spot.  On seeing him, Andrew called out to him to “kill the big Indian on shore.” But Adam’s gun like that of the Indian’s was empty. The contest was now between the white man and the Indian, who should load and fire first. Very fortunately for POE, the Indian, in loading, drew the ramrod from the thimbles of the stock of the gun with so much violence, that it slipped out of his hand and fell a little distance from him; he quickly caught it up, and rammed down his bullet. This little delay gave POE the advantage. He shot the Indian as he was raising his gun to take aim at him.

 

As soon as Adam had shot the Indian, he jumped into the river to assist his wounded brother to shore; but Andrew, thinking more of the honor of carrying the big Indian home, as a trophy of victory, than of his own safety, urged Adam to go back, and prevent the struggling savage from rolling into the river, and escaping. Adam’s solicitude for the life of his brother prevented him from complying with this request.

 

In the mean time the Indian, jealous of the honor of his scalp, even in the agonies of death, succeeded in reaching the river and getting into the current, so that his body was never obtained.