LICKING COUNTY
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LICKING COUNTY was
erected from Fairfield, March 1, 1808, and named from its principal stream,
called by the whites Licking–by the Indians, Pataskala. The surface
is slightly hilly on the east, the western part is level, and the soil
generally yellow clay; the valleys are rich alluvium, inclining many of them to
gravel. Coal is in the eastern
part, and iron ore of a good quality.
The soil is generally very fertile, and it is a wealthy agricultural
county. Area
about 680 square miles. In
1887 the acres cultivated were 144,092; in pasture, 172,844; woodland, 55,038;
lying waste, 2,868; produced in wheat, 510,655 bushels; rye, 7,490; buckwheat,
1,111; oats, 324,441; barley, 6,045; corn 1,518,435; broom-corn, 18,545 lbs.
brush; meadow hay, 47,277 tons; clover hay, 6,862; flaxseed, 1,752 bushels;
potatoes, 92,930; tobacco, 100 lbs.; butter, 909,118; cheese, 7,052; sorghum,
2,114 gallons; maple syrup, 21,138; honey, 3,399 lbs.; eggs, 908,128 dozen;
grapes, 28,935 lbs.; wine, 20 gallons; sweet potatoes, 152 bushels; apples,
15,794; peaches, 14,448; pears, 1,667; wool, 1,155,992 lbs.; milch cows owned, 8,908; sheep, the largest number of any
county in Ohio, namely, 174,672. School census, 1888, 12,602; teachers, 440. Miles of railroad track, 159.
Townships And Census |
1840. |
1880. |
|
Townships And Census |
1840. |
1880. |
Bennington, |
1,244 |
884 |
|
Liberty, |
1,115 |
752 |
Bowling Green, |
1,464 |
992 |
|
Licking, |
1,215 |
1,256 |
Burlington, |
1,423 |
1,073 |
|
Lima, |
739 |
1,803 |
Eden, |
853 |
767 |
|
Madison |
1,119 |
929 |
Etna, |
1,076 |
1,166 |
|
Mary Anne, |
866 |
951 |
Fallsburg, |
910 |
929 |
|
McKean, |
1,424 |
981 |
Franklin, |
1,131 |
818 |
|
Monroe, |
|
1,339 |
Granville, |
2,255 |
2,114 |
|
Newark, |
4,138 |
10,613 |
Hanover, |
943 |
1,236 |
|
Newton, |
1,247 |
1,332 |
Harrison, |
1,049 |
1,329 |
|
Perry, |
994 |
1,032 |
Hartford, |
1,355 |
1,164 |
|
St. Albans, |
1,515 |
1,187 |
Hopewell, |
1,150 |
1,062 |
|
Union, |
2,219 |
1,872 |
Jersey, |
932 |
1,348 |
|
Washington, |
3,048 |
1,521 |
Population of Licking
in 1820 was 11,861; 1830, 20,864; 1840, 35,096; 1860, 37,011; 1880, 40,050, of
whom 32,736 were born in Ohio; 1,461 Virginia; 1,336 Pennsylvania; 669 New York;
156 Indiana; 51 Kentucky; 782 England and Wales; 611 Ireland; 511 German
Empire; 54 Scotland; 49 British America, and 29 France. Census, 1890, 43,279.
With Butler county, which has 1,000 bridges in use, this county is also
noted for its bridges. The streams
which unite to form the Licking spread over it like the fingers of the
hand. Hence it takes as much
bridging as half-a-dozen of the counties on the dividing ridge of the State.
This
county contains a mixed population; its inhabitants originated from
Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, New England, Wales, and Germany. Among the early settlers were John
CHANNEL, Isaac STADDEN, John VAN BUSKIRK, Benjamin GREEN, Samuel PARR, Samuel
ELLIOTT, John and Washington EVANS, Geo. ARCHER, John JONES, and many
Welsh. It was first settled,
shortly after WAYNE’S treaty of 1795, by John RATLIFF and Ellis HUGHES,
in some old Indian corn-fields, about five miles below Newark, on the Licking. These men were from Western
Virginia. They lived mainly by
hunting, raising, however, a little corn, the cultivation of which was left, in
a great measure, to their wives.
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66
HUGHES had been bred in the
hot-bed of Indian warfare. The
Indians having, at an early day, murdered a young woman to whom he was attached,
and subsequently his father, the return of peace did not mitigate his hatred of
the race. One night, in April,
1800, two Indians stole the horses of HUGHES and RATLIFF from a little
enclosure near their cabins.
Missing them in the morning, they started off, well armed, in pursuit,
accompanied by a man named BLAND.
They followed their trail in a northern direction all day, and at night
camped in the woods. At the gray of
the morning they came upon the Indians, who were asleep and unconscious of
danger. Concealing themselves
behind the trees, they waited until the Indians had awakened, and were
commencing preparations for their journey.
They drew up their rifles to shoot, and just at that moment one of the
Indians discovered them, and instinctively clapping his hand on his breast, as
if to ward off the fatal ball, exclaimed in tones of affright, “me bad
Indian!–me no do so more!”
The appeal was in vain, the smoke curled from the glistening barrels,
the report rang in the morning air, and the poor Indians fell dead. They returned to their cabins with the
horses and “plunder” taken from the Indians, and swore mutual
secrecy for this violation of law.
One evening, some time after,
HUGHES was quietly sitting in his cabin, when he was startled by the entrance
of two powerful and well-armed savages.
Concealing his emotions, he gave them a welcome and offered them
seats. His wife, a muscular,
squaw-like looking female, stepped aside and privately sent for RATLIFF, whose
cabin was near. Presently, RATLIFF,
who had made a detour, entered with his rifle, from an opposite direction, as
if he had been out hunting. He
found HUGHES talking with the Indians about the murder. HUGHES had his tomahawk and
scalping-knife, as was his custom, in a belt around his person, but his rifle
hung from the cabin wall, which he deemed it imprudent to attempt to
obtain. There all the long night
sat the parties, mutually fearing each other, and neither
summoning sufficient courage to stir. When morning dawned, the Indians left,
shaking hands and bidding farewell, but in their retreat, were very cautious
not to be shot in ambush by the hardy borderers.
HUGHES died near Utica, in
this county, in March 1845, at an advanced age, in the hope of a happy
future. His early life had been one
of much adventure; he was, it is supposed, the last survivor of the bloody
battle of Point Pleasant. He was
buried with military honors and other demonstrations of respect.
THE BURLINGTON STORM.
On the 18th
of May, 1825, occurred one of the most violent tornadoes ever known in
Ohio. It has been commonly
designated as “the Burlington storm,”
because in Burlington township, in this county, its
effects were more severely felt than in any other part of its track. This event is told in the language of a
correspondent.
It commenced between the hours
of one and two P. M., in the southeast part of Delaware county. After passing for a few miles upon the
surface of the ground, in an easterly direction, it appeared to rise so high
from the earth that the tallest trees were not affected by it, and then again
descended to the surface, and with greatly increased violence and force
proceeded through the townships of Bennington and Burlington, in Licking
county, and then passed into Knox county, and thence to Coshocton county. Its general course was a little north of
east. For force and violence of
wind this storm has rarely been surpassed in any country in the same latitude. Forests and orchards were completely
uprooted and levelled, buildings blown down, and
their parts scattered in every direction and carried by the force of the wind
many miles distant. Cattle were
taken from the ground and carried one hundred rods or more. The creek, which had been swollen by
recent rains, had but little water in its bed after the storm had passed. The roads and fields, recently plowed,
were quite muddy from previous rains; but after the storm had passed by, both
roads and fields were clean and dry.
Its track through Licking county was from
one-third to three-fifths of a mile wide, but became wider as it advanced
farther to the eastward. Those who
were so fortunate as to be witnesses of its progress, without being victims of
its fury, represent the appearance of the fragments of trees, buildings, etc.,
high in the air, to resemble large numbers of birds, such as buzzards, or
ravens. The ground, also, seemed to
tremble, as it is asserted by many credible persons, who were, at the time, a
mile from the tornado itself. The
roar of the wind, the trembling of the ground, and the crash of the falling
timber and buildings, is represented by all who were witnesses as being
peculiarly dreadful.
Colonel WRIGHT and others, who
witnessed its progress, think it advanced at the rate of a mile per minute, and
did not last more than a minute and a half or two minutes. The cloud was exceedingly black, and
sometimes bore hard upon the ground, and at others seemed to rise a little
above the surface. One peculiarity was, that the fallen timber lay in every direction, so that
the course of the storm could not be determined from the position of the fallen
trees.
Many incidents are related by the
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inhabitants
calculated to illustrate the power, as well as the terror, of the storm, among
which are the following. A chain from
three to four feet long, and of the size of a common plow-chain, was taken from
the ground near the house of John M’CLINTOCK, and carried about half a
mile, and lodged in the top of a sugar-tree stub, about twenty-five feet from
the ground. An ox, belonging to
Col. Wait WRIGHT, was carried about eighty rods and left unhurt, although
surrounded by the fallen timber, so that it required several hours chopping to
release him. A cow, also, was taken
from the same field and carried about forty rods, and lodged in the top of a
tree, which was blown down, and when found was dead and about eight feet from
ground. Whether
the cow was blown against the tree-top before it was blown down, or was lodged
in it after it fell, cannot be determined. A heavy ox-cart was taken from the yard
of Colonel WRIGHT and carried about forty rods, and struck the ground with such
force as to break the axle and entirely to demolish one wheel. A son of Colonel WRIGHT, upwards of
fourteen years of age, was standing in the house holding the door. The house, which was built of logs, was
torn to pieces, and the lad was thrown with such violence across the room as to
kill him instantly. A coat, which
was hanging in the same room, was found, in the following November, in
Coshocton county, more than forty miles distant, and was afterwards brought to
Burlington, and was identified by Colonel WRIGHT’S family. Other articles, such as shingles, pieces
of timber and of furniture, were carried twenty, and even thirty miles. Miss Sarah ROBB, about twelve years of
age, was taken from her father’s house and carried some distance, she
could not tell how far; but when consciousness returned, found herself about
forty rods from the house, and walking towards it. She was much bruised, but not essentially
injured. The family of a Mr. VANCE,
on seeing the storm approach, fled from the house to the orchard
adjoining. The upper part of the
house was blown off and carried through the orchard; the lower part of the
house remained. Two sons of Mr.
VANCE were killed – one immediately, and the other died in a day or two
from his wounds. These, and the son
of Colonel WRIGHT, above mentioned, were all the lives known to be lost by the
storm. A house, built of large
logs, in which was a family, and which a number of workmen had entered for
shelter from the storm, was raised up on one side and rolled off the place on
which it stood without injuring any one.
A yoke of oxen, belonging to Wm. H. COOLEY, were standing in the yoke in
the field, and after the storm were found completely enclosed and covered with
fallen timber, so that they were not released till the next day, but were not
essentially injured. A black walnut
tree, two and a half feet in diameter, which had lain on the ground for many
years, and had become embedded in the earth to nearly one-half its size, was
taken from its bed and carried across the creek, and left as many as thirty
rods from its former location. A
crockery crate, in which several fowls were confined, was carried by the wind
several miles, and, with its contents, set down without injury.
THE REFUGEE TRACT.
Abridged from an article
published in the Newark American, by
Isaac SMUCKER, entitled “A Bit of Important History Appertaining to
Licking County.”
During the
Revolutionary war many of the people of the British provinces so strongly
sympathized with the cause of the American colonies that they were obnoxious to
their neighbors, and were ultimately obliged to abandon their homes and
property, and seek refuge in the colonies, where some entered the Revolutionary
army. The property of such was
confiscated, and they became permanent citizens of the United States.
By resolutions passed by
Congress, April 23, 1783, and April 13, 1785, the refugees were, “on
account of their attachment to the interest of the United States, recommended
to the humanity and particular attention of the several States in which they
reside,” and informed that, “whenever Congress can consistently
reward them by grants of land they will do so, by making such reasonable and
adequate provision for them on our public domain as will amply remunerate
them.”
The realization of these
promises held out to the refugees was a work of time depending upon the passage
of the celebrated ordinance of 1787, which established civil government in the
Northwest Territory, and opened the public lands to survey and settlement. On the 17th of April, 1798,
Congress progressed to the point of inviting all refugees who were claimants of
land to make their claims apparent to the War Department within two years from
the date of said action, by “rendering a full and true account of their
claims to the bounty of Congress.”
The refugees
thereupon made proofs of their respective services, sacrifices and sufferings
in consequence of their attachment to the cause of the colonies against the
mother country, and when the legal limit had expired, within which proof of
claims must be made, the Secretary of War divided the refugees into a number of
classes, awarding to the first class 2,240 acres, and to the lowest 160 acres.
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Top Picture
WILLIAM
BURNAM WOODS
Judge of United States Supreme Court.
Bottom Picture
ANCIENT
WORKS, NEWARK, OHIO
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On February 18, 1801, congress
took action upon the report of the Secretary by appropriating about 100,000
acres, which they deemed sufficient to meet all the awards. This was a tract four and a half miles wide, and extending eastward from the Scioto river towards
the Muskingum, about forty-eight miles, terminating in Muskingum county not far
east of Gratiot.
Two and a half miles of this
four and a half miles strip, as originally surveyed, belonged to the United
States military tract, and the remaining two miles was Congress land.
This line,
dividing the military from the Congress land, running through the refugee
tract, forms the southern boundary of Licking county, and the northern boundary of Fairfield and Perry
counties. Thus all three of these
counties have each a strip of the refugee tract.
Although the refugee tract, as
originally appropriated, extended into Muskingum county, but few, if any,
refugee locations were made there, because it was land in excess of the awards,
and so reverted to the government.
The little
notch on one and a half by two and a half miles, taken out of the south-eastern
corner of Licking county, was also
doubtless part of the refugee tract.
It is supposed that it was at this notch that the refugee locations
terminated, for the reason there were no more refugee claims to satisfy.
The national road runs almost
the entire forty-eight miles from the Scioto river to
Hopewell township, Muskingum county, within the refugee tract. The southern boundary
of Licking county was also the southern boundary of the United States
military tract of 1,500,000 acres.
The following is a list of the
refugees and the quantities awarded to them, to wit:
To the following, 2,240 acres:
Martha WALKER, widow, John EDGAR, Samuel RODGERS, James BOYD’S heirs, P. Francis CAZEAU, John ALLING,
Seth HARDING.
To the following, 1,280 acres:
Jonathan EDDY, Col. James LIVINGTON, Parker CARK, John DODGE’S heirs.
The following, 960 acres:
Nathaniel REYNOLDS’ heirs, Thomas FAULKNER, Edward FAULKNER, David GAY,
Martin BROOKS, Lieutenant-Colonel BRADFORD, Noah MILLER, Joshua LAMB, Atwood
FALES, John STARR, William HOW, Ebenezer GARDNER, Lewis F. DELESDERNIER, John
M’GOWAN, Jonas C. MINOT, Simeon CHESTER’S heirs, Charlotte HASEN,
widow, Chloe SHANNON, widow, Mrs. Obadiah AYER, widow, Israel RUTLAND’S
heirs, Elijah AYER’S heirs, Edward ANTELL’S heirs, Joshua
SPRAGUE’S heirs.
The following, 640 acres:
Jacob VENDERHAYDEN, John LIVINGSTON, Jacob CRAWFORD, Isaac DANKS, Major B. VON
HEER, Benjamin THOMPSON, Joseph BINDEN, Joseph LEVITTRE, Lieutenant Wm.
MAXWELL, John D. MEREER, Seth NOBLE, Martha BOGART, widow, John HALSTEAD,
Robert SHARP, John FULTON, John MORRISON.
The following, 320 acres:
David JENKS, Ambrose COLE, James COLE, Adam JOHNSON, Jeremiah DUGAN’S
widow and heirs, Daniel EARL, Jr., John PASKELL, Edward CHINN, Joseph CONE,
John TORREYRE, Elijah AYER, Jr., Anthony BURK’S heirs, James SPRAGUE,
David DICKEY, John TAYLOR, and Gilbert SEAMAN’S heirs. To Samuel FALES alone was awarded 160
acres.
Thus the land was divided into
sixty-nine parts, amounting to 65,280 acres, to which should be added seven
sections, or nearly 5,000 acres more, awarded to the inhabitants by Congress
for school purposes, making in all about 70,000 acres. The locations were made by law on the 2d
of January, 1802, and patents were promptly issued.
Newark in 1846.–Newark,
the county-seat, is thirty-seven miles, by the mail route, easterly from
Columbus, at the confluence of the three principal branches of the
Licking. It is on the line of the
Ohio canal, and of the railroad now constructing from Sandusky City to
Columbus, a branch from which, of about twenty-four miles in length, will
probably diverge from this place to Zanesville. Newark is a beautiful and will-built
town, on a level site, and it has the most spacious and elegant public square
in the State. It was laid out, with
broad streets, in 1801, on the plan of Newark, N. J., by General William C.
SCHENK, George W. BURNET, Esq., and John M. CUMMINGS, who owned this military
section, comprising 4,000 acres.
The first hewed-log houses
were built in 1802, on the public square, by Samuel ELLIOTT and Samuel
PARR. The first tavern, a hewed-log
structure, with a stone chimney, was opened on the site of the Franklin House,
by James BLACK. In 1804 there were
about fifteen or twenty families, mostly young married people. Among the early settlers were Morris A.
NEWMAN, Adam HATFIELD, Jas. BLACK, John JOHNSON, Patrick CUNNINGHAM, Wm.
CLAYPOLE, Abraham MILLER, Samuel H. SMITH, Annaniah
PUGH, James PETTICORD, John and Aquila BELT, Dr. John
J. BRICE, and widow PEGG. About the
year 1808 a log building was erected on or near the site of the court-house,
which was used as a court-house and a church, common for all denominations. The Presbyterians built the first
regular church, about 1817, just west of the court-house, on the public
square. The first sermon delivered
in Newark, by a Presbyterian, and probably the first by any denomination in the
county, was preached under peculiar circumstances.
In 1803 Rev.
John WRIGHT, missionary of the Western Missionary Society at Pittsburg, arrived
on a Saturday afternoon at Newark, which then contained five or six log-cabins
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and
BLACKS’S log tavern, at which he put up. On inquiring of the landlady, he found
there was but one Presbyterian in the place, and as he was very poor, he
concluded to remain at the tavern rather than intrude upon his
hospitality. The town was filled
with people attending a horse-race, which, not proving satisfactory, they
determined to try over the next day.
Mr. WRIGHT retired to rest at an early hour, but was intruded upon by
the horse-racers, who swore that he must either join and
drink with them or be ducked under a pump, which last operation was coolly
performed upon one of the company in his presence. About midnight he sought and obtained
admittance in the house of the Presbyterian, where he rested on the floor, not
without strenuous urging from the worthy couple to occupy their bed. The next morning, which was Sunday, when
the guests ascertained he was a clergyman, they sent an apology for their
conduct, and requested him to postpone preaching until afternoon, when the race
was over. The apology was accepted,
but he preached in the morning to a few persons, and in the afternoon to a
large congregation. The sermon,
which was upon the sanctification of the Sabbath, was practical and
pungent. When he concluded, a
person arose and addressed the congregation, telling them that the preacher had
told the truth; and although he was at the horse-race, it was wrong, and that
they must take up a contribution for Mr. WRIGHT. Over seven dollars were collected. In 1804 Mr. WRIGHT settled in Lancaster,
and after great difficulty, as the population was much addicted to vice,
succeeded, in about 1807, through the aid of Mr. David MOORE, in organizing the
first Presbyterian church in Newark.
NEWARK contains two
Presbyterian, one Baptist, one Episcopal, one Methodist, one Welsh Methodist,
one German Lutheran, one Welsh Presbyterian and one Catholic church; three
newspaper printing-offices, two grist-mills, one foundry, one woollen-factory, six forwarding-houses, ten groceries, one
book, two hardware, and eighteen dry-goods stores. In 1830 it had 999 inhabitants; in 1840,
2,705; in 1847, 3,406.–Old Edition.
NEWARK, county-seat
of Licking, is on the Licking river, thirty-three miles east of Columbus, on
the P. C. & St. L., C. O., and S. M. & N. Railroads. The Magnetic Springs, a noted health and
pleasure resort, are just at the corporation line. Newark is the centre of a prolific grain
and wool-producing district, and is also a manufacturing centre. County officers: Auditor, Allen B.
COFFMAN; Clerk, Thomas F. LENNOX; Commissioners: Henry SHIPLEY, John TUCKER,
Barclay I. JONES; Coroner, David M. SMITH; Infirmary Directors, Nathaniel RUGG,
Benjamin B. MOATS, Finley STAFFORD; Probate Judge, Jonathan REES; Prosecuting
Attorney, John M. SWARTS; Recorder, Jonathan V. HILLIARD; Sheriff, Andrew J.
CRILLY; Surveyor, George P. WEBB; Treasurer, William H. DAVIS, City officers:
mayor, Moses P. SMITH; Clerk, William Allen VEACH; Solicitor, William D.
FULTON; Street Commissioner, Albert DAUGHERTY; Marshal, H. J. RICKENBAUGH;
Chief of Police, C. L. BROOKE; Treasurer, W. H. DAVIS. Newspapers: Advocate, Democratic, J. H. NEWTON, editor; American, Rupublican, LYON & ICKES,
proprietors; Banner, Republican,
Milton R. SCOTT, editor; Express,
German, F. KOCHENDORTER, proprietor; Licking
County Republican, Republican, M. P. SMITH, editor and publisher. Churches: one Congregational, one Welsh
Congregational, one Lutheran, one German Lutheran, one Advent, one Methodist
Episcopal, one German Methodist, one African Methodist Episcopal, two
Presbyterian, one German Presbyterian, one Catholic, one Baptist, two
Protestant Episcopal. Banks: First
National, J. BUCKINGHAM, president, F. S. WRIGHT, cashier; FRANKLIN, ROBBINS,
WINEGARNER, WING & Co; People’s National, Gibson ATHERTON, president,
J. H. FRANKLIN, Jr., cashier.
Manufactures and Employees.–Charles KIBLER, Jr., & Co., stoves,
45 hands; Newark (Ohio) Wire-Cloth Co., brass and copper wire-cloth, 22; The
Edward H. EVERETT Co., fruit-jars and bottles, 230; MOSES & WEHRLE, stoves
and ranges, 55; Excelsior Rolling Mills, flour and feed; LOUDENSLAGER & ATKINS, brass and
copper wire-cloth; NUTTER & HAINES, mouldings,
etc.; Newark Paper Co., 21; T. H. HOLMAN, carriages, wagons, etc., 15; DORSEY
Bros., flour and feed; John H. MCNANARA, traction engines, etc., 35; BOURNER
& PHILLIPS, doors, sash, etc., 16; GARBER & VANCE, doors, sash, etc.,
25; D. THOMAS & Co., flour and feed; R. SCHEIDLER, traction engines, 25;
Newark Steam Laundry, laundrying, 9; James E. THOMAS,
founders and machinists, 45; LOUDENSLAGER & SITES, flour and feed;
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BALL & WARD, carriages and buggies,
22; Union Iron Works, traction-engines; Newark Wind-Engine Co., wind-engines;
Newark Daily American, printing,
etc., 14; B. & O. Railroad Shops, railroad repairs, 550; Advocate Printing Co., printing and
binding, 22; LANE Bros., structural iron works, 25.–State Report, 1888.
Population in 1880, 9,600. School
census, 1888, 3,857; J. C. HARTZLER, school superintendent. Capital invested in industrial
establishments, $410,300. Value of annual product, $737,200. U. S. Census, 1890, 14,270.
The Newark Earthworks
are the most extensive, numerous and diversified in style and character, of any
within the State. The purpose of
their erection seems as difficult of explanation at the present day as when
first discovered in 1800. The first
impression in viewing them is, that they were constructed for military
purposes; but a closer examination explodes this theory, and fails to
substitute any more rational one.
Suffice it to say, that we must consider these works as one of the
mysteries of the past, unless the science of archaeology, which has made such
wonderful advances in the past few years, shall solve its mysteries for us.
The following
description of these works is extracted from an article by Hon. Isaac SMUCKER,
published in the “American Antiquarian:”
The Raccoon and South Fork
creeks unite on the southern borders of Newark, and these ancient works cover
an area of three or four square miles between these streams and contiguous to
them, extending about two miles up the Raccoon and a less distance up the South
Fork. These works are situated on
an elevated plain, thirty or forty feet above these streams, the Raccoon
forming the northerly boundary of said plain, and the South Fork its
southwestern boundary. The streams
come together nearly at right angles, the three or four square miles of land,
therefore, covered with these ancient works, situated between said creeks, and
extending several miles up both of them from their junction, are, in form, very
nearly an equilateral triangle.
The foregoing works consisted
of earth mounds, both large and small, in considerable numbers, of parallel
walls or embankments, of no great but tolerably uniform height; of small
circles, partial or incompleted circles, semi or open
circles, all of low but well-marked embankments or walls; of enclosures of
various forms and heights, such as large circles–one parallelogram, one
octagon, and, others which may have become partially or wholly obliterated
under the operation of the plow, or through the devastating action of the elements,
their banks having been originally of small elevation, and among them one of
the class designated as “effigy mounds.” This remains in
a good state of preservation, situated within and about the centre of the
largest circular enclosure, know as “The Old Fort.” It is a representation of an immense
bird “on the wing,” and is called “Eagle Mound.”
In the terrible
railroad strike and riot in July, 1877, in the West, by which many lives were
lost in Pittsburg, Chicago and elsewhere, there was great trouble at Newark,
the strikers there resorting to force by side-tracking trains. The acting Governor, Thomas L. YOUNG,
called out and assembled at Newark troops from Cincinnati, Dayton and
elsewhere, and by personal consultation with the leaders of the strike, and by
his cool, judicious management, restored peace and order without bloodshed.
OPENING OF OHIO CANAL.
The opening of the
Ohio Canal was a matter of very great import to the people of Ohio, and
although the canal met with its due share of opposition, the people generally
expected great things through the canal and were determined that it should be
commenced with due pomp and ceremony.
Governor CLINTON had been invited and accepted the invitation to be
present and dig the first shovelful of earth.
The commissioners had
decided on the advice of Judge D. S. BATES, of New York, the chief engineer of
the work, that the opening should take place on the Licking Summit, in Licking
county, about three miles west, on the 4th of July, 1825.
Governor CLINTON’s
Reception at Celveland.–Governor CLINTON entered Ohio on the steamboat
Superior on the last day of June.
Crowds assembled to meet him.
Mr.
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George B. MERWIN, who as a boy witnessed
the ceremonies of the reception at Cleveland, thus describes them.
“It was a heavenly day,
not a cloud in the sky, the lake calm as the river, its glistening bosom
reflecting the fierce rays of an almost tropical sun; the boat soon passed
Water street, dressed with all her flags, and came to
anchor about a mile opposite the mouth of the river and fired her usual signal
gun.
Her commander, Captain FISK,
ordered the steps to be let down and her yawl boat placed along side of them;
then taking Governor CLINTON by the hand seated him in the stern of the boat,
and was followed by his aids, Colonel JONES, Colonel READ and Colonel Solomon
VAN RENSSELAER, who had traversed the State when a wilderness, as an officer
under General WAYNE. Messrs.
RATHBONE and LORD, who had loaned us the money with which to commence the
canal, and Judge CONKLING, United States District Judge, of New York.
They came up the river, the
stars and stripes waving over them, and landed at the foot of Superior street,
where the reception committee with carriages and a large concourse of citizens
awaited them and took them to the Mansion House, then kept by my father, where
Governor CLINTON was addressed by the late Judge Samuel COWLES, who had been
selected by the committee to make the reception address.
Governor CLINTON made a eloquent reply.
In a part of his remarks he made the statement, ‘that when our
canals were made, even if they had cost five million dollars, they would be
worth three times that sum; that the increased price of our productions in
twenty years would be worth five million dollars; that the money saved on the
transportation of goods, to our people, during the same period would be five
millions of dollars, and that the canals would finally by their tolls refund
their entire cost, principal and interest.’”
The First Spadeful of Earth.–The next day the party departed by stage for Licking county. There they were received on behalf of Licking county by
Judge WILSON and Alexander HOMES, and on the part of Fairfield by Judge Elnathan SCOFIELD and Colonel John NOBLE. The latter has described the opening
ceremonies in the Columbus Gazette as
follows:
“The ceremonies
commenced as had been agreed upon.
Governor CLINTON received the spade, thrust it into the rich soil of
Ohio, and raised the first spadeful of earth, amidst
the most enthusiastic shouts of the thousands present. This earth was placed in what they
called a canal wheel-barrow. Then
the spade was passed to Governor MORROW, the then Governor of Ohio, a statesman
and farmer. He soon sunk the spade
its full depth, and raised the second spadeful. Then commenced a hustle for who should
raise the next. Captain Ned KING,
as we familiarly called him, having the command of an infantry company present
from Chillicothe, raised the third; then some of the guests in Governor CLINTON’s company, and finally, the barrow being
full, Captain KING took hold of the handles and wheeled it out to a bank. For me at this time to attempt to
describe the scene is impossible–the most enthusiastic excitement by all
the thousands, and shouts of joy went to the All-Giver. The feeling was so great that tears fell
from manly eyes, the strong expression of the heart. Mr. Thomas EWING, of Lancaster, was
orator of the day. The stand for
speaking was in the woods. The
crowd was so great that one company of cavalry were formed in a hallow square,
around the back and sides of the stand for speaking. The flies, after a three days’
rain, were so troublesome that the horses kept up a constant tramping, which
induced the following remark from my old friend Caleb ATWATER, that evening at
Lancaster: ‘Well,’ says he, ‘I suppose it was all right to
have the horses in front of the speaker’s stand, for they cannot read and
we can.’”
Wages on the Ohio Canal.–Governor
CLINTON and friends, Governor MORROW, Messrs. RATHBURN and LORD, and many
others were invited to visit Lancaster, where they were handsomely entertained
by the citizens. They then passed
north to Columbus. The Lancaster,
Ohio, Bank was the first to make terms with the Fund Commissioners to receive
and disburse the money, in payment of work as estimated every month, on the
Roaring Canal, as the boys on the work were pleased to call it. Boys on the work–only think of it,
ye eight hour men! Their wages were
eight dollars per 26 working dry days, or 30 3/4 cents per day, and from
sunrise to sunset. They were fed
well and lodged in shanties, and had their jiggers of whiskey the first four
months.
Remarkable Increase in Values.–Men came from Fairfield, Hocking, Gallia, and Meigs counties, and all the country around came
forward. Farmers and their sons
wanted to earn this amount of wages, as it was cash, and they must have it to
pay taxes and other cash expenses.
Wheat sold at 25 cents per bushel, corn 12 ½ cents delivered in
Lancaster or at distillery, oats ten cents. But before the canal was finished south
of the Summit, the North End, from Dresden to Cleveland, was in operation. Then wheat sold on the canal at 75 cents
per bushel, and corn rose in proportion, and then the enemies of the canal, all
of whom were large land-holders or large tax-payers, began to have their eyes
opened. One of these I will
name. A Mr. SHOEMAKER, of Pickaway county, below Tariton, was a rich
land-owner, and had opposed the building of the canal, as it would increase his
tax, and then be a failure. This
same gentleman, for such he was, told me his boys had, with one yoke of oxen
and farm-cart, hauled to Circleville potatoes and sold them for forty cents per
bushel, until they had more money than paid all his taxes for the year. This was an article they never had sold
before, and he was now a convert to the improvement.
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Wheat raised
from 25 cents to $1.00 per bushel before the canal was finished. And now let me say, as I have lived to
see all to this time, the Ohio canal was the beginning of the State’s
prosperity.”
TRAVELLING NOTES.
The Drummer boy of Shiloh.–Newark takes pride in her reputation of having supplied the
youngest and smallest recruit to the Union army, and in the person of JOHNNIE CLEM,
sometimes called the Drummer Boy of Shiloh, and sometimes of Chickamauga. Lossing says
he was probably the youngest person who ever bore arms in battle. His full name is John Winton CLEM, but
the family spell the name KLEM and not CLEM. He was born in Newark, August 13, 1851,
and ran away from home when less than ten years of age and enlisted as a
drummer boy in the army; was in many battles and won singular distinction.
Johnnie CLEM’s parents were French-Germans, his mother from
Alsace. His father was a
market-gardener and huckster, and used to send Johnnie, accompanied by his
sister, Lizzie (now Mrs. ADAMS), two years younger, from house to house to sell
vegetables. Johnnie was a universal
favorite with the people, being a bright, sprightly boy, and very small of his
age–only thirty inches high.
The family are now living in garden-like surroundings on the
outskirts, on the Granville road, where I went to have an interview to get the
facts of his history. I knocked at
the side-door of an humble home. A sturdy, erect, compact little woman
answered my knock, and to my query replied, “I am his sister and can tell
you everything. Please take a seat
and I’ll be ready in a few moments.” She was the Lizzie spoken of above. It was the kitchen I was in: two young
children were by her side, and some pies, with their jackets on, on the table
about ready for the oven, and only requiring the trimming off of the
over-hanging dough, which she did dextrously,
twirling them on the tips of her up-lifted fingers during the operation. Placing them in the oven, and then
“tidying up things a little,” she took a seat and thus opened up
her story for my benefit, while the children in silence looked at me with wondering
eyes and listened also:
LIZZIE’S NARRATIVE.
It being Sunday, May 24, 1861,
and the great rebellion in progress, Johnnie said at dinner-table:
“Father, I’d like mighty well to be a drummer boy. Can’t I go into the Union
army?” “Tut, what nonsense, boy!” replied father, “you
are not ten years old.” Yet
when he had disappeared it is strange we had no thoughts that he had gone into
the service.
When dinner was over Johnnie
took charge of us, I being seven years old and our brother, Lewis, five years,
and we started for the Francis de Sales Sunday-school. As it was early he left us at the church
door, saying, “I will go and take a swim and be back in time.” He was a fine swimmer. That was the last we saw of him for two
years.
The distress of our father and
step-mother at Johnnie’s disappearance was beyond measure. Our own mother had met with a shocking
death the year before: had been run over by a yard engine as she was crossing
the track to avoid another train.
No own mother could be more kind to us than was our step-mother. Father, thinking Johnnie must have been
drowned, had the water drawn from the head of the canal. Mother travelled
hither and yon to find him. It was
all in vain. Several weeks elapsed
when we heard of him as having been in Mount Vernon; and then for two years
nothing more was heard and we mourned him as dead, not even dreaming that he
could be in the army, he was so very small, nothing but a child.
It seems he went up on the
train to Mount Vernon and appeared next day at the house of Mrs. Dennis
COCHRANE, an old neighbor of ours.
He told her that his father had sent him there to peddle vegetables
which were to come up from Newark.
None arriving, Mrs. COCHRANE surmised the truth, and at the end of the
week, fearful he would escape, fastened to him a dog chain and put him in
charge of a Newark railroad conductor to deliver to his home, which he could
readily do as it was near the depot.
On his arrival here he worked on the sympathies of the conductor to let
him go free, saying his father would whip him dreadfully if he was delivered to
him. This father wouldn’t
have done–he would have been but too glad to have got him.
The train
carried him to Columbus, where he enlisted as a drummer boy in the 24th
Ohio. Finding an uncle in that
organization he left it and went as a drummer boy in the 22d Michigan. He was an expert drummer, and being a
bright, cheery child, soon made
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his way into the
affections of officers and soldiers.
He was in many battles: at
Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro’, Chattanooga, Chickamauga,
Nashville, Kenesaw, and others, in which the army of
the Cumberland was engaged. He was
at one time taken prisoner down in Georgia. The rebels stripped him of everything,
his clothes, his shoes, his little gun–an
ordinary musket. I suppose, cut
short–and his little cap. He
said he did not care about anything but his cap. He did want to save that, and it hurt
him sorely to part with it, for it had three bullet holes through it.
When he was exchanged as a
prisoner he came home for a week. He
was wasted to a skeleton. He had
been starved almost to death. I was
but a little thing then, but I never shall forget his dreadful corpse-like
aspect when the carriage which brought him stopped at our door. He seemed like as if he was done up in a
mass of rags. There were no soldier
clothes small enough to fit him, and he was so small and wan and not much
larger than a babe, about thirty inches high, and couldn’t have weighed
over sixty pounds.
He returned to the army and
served on the staff of General THOMAS until the close of the war. After it, he studied at West Point, but
could not regularly enter as a cadet on account of his diminutive size. General GRANT, however, commissioned him
as a Lieutenant. He is now (1886)
Captain of the 24th U. S. Infantry, and is stationed at Fort
McHenry, Md. He is still small:
height, only five feet, and weight, 105 pounds. He married, May 24, 1875, Annita, daughter of the late General Wm. H. FRENCH, U. S.
A. Like her husband, she is under
size, short and delicate; can’t weigh over seventy pounds. They have had six children, only one of
whom is living.
I have told you of the
dreadful death of our mother, run over by a yard engine. My brother Louis, five years old on that
noted Sunday, also came to a shocking end.
I think father will never get over mourning for him. He grew to be very tall, full six feet,
but of slender frame and feeble health.
He was off West on a furlough for his health when he went with CUSTER,
as a guest, on his last ill-fated expedition, and was with the others massacred
by the Sioux, under Sitting Bull, in the battle of Little Big Horn, in Montana,
June 25, 1876.
On closing her
narrative Mrs. ADAMS showed me a protrait of her
brother as a captain. He is a
perfect blonde with large blue eyes, large straight nose, and a calm, amiable
expression. Another as a child
standing by the side of General MCCLENNAN, who looks pleased, the natural
result of having such a sweet-looking little fellow by him. He was a great favorite with all the generals,
as GRANT, ROSECRANS and THOMAS, the latter keeping up with him a fatherly
correspondence as long as he lived.
To the foregoing narrative
from Mrs. ADAMS we have some items to add of his war experiences, from an
equally authentic source.
When he joined the 22d
Michigan, being too young to be mustered in, he went with the regiment as a
volunteer, until at length he was beating the long roll in front of
Shiloh. His drum was smashed by a
piece of shell, which occurrence won for him the appellation of “Johnnie
Shiloh,” as a title of distinction for his bravery. He was afterwards regularly mustered in
and served also as a marker, and with his little musket so served on the
battlefield of Chattanooga. At the
close of that bloody day, the brigade in which he was partly surrounded by
rebels and was retreating, when he, being unable to fall back as fast as the
rest of the line, was singled out by a rebel colonel, who rode up to him with
the summons, scoundrel, “Halt!
Surrender, you ____ little Yankee!” By way of order Johnnie halted, brought
his piece to the position of charge bayonet, thus throwing the colonel off his
guard. In another moment the piece
was cocked, fired, and the colonel fell dead from his horse. Simultaneously with this the regiment was
fired into, when Johnnie fell as though he had been shot, and laid there until
darkness closed in, when he arose and made his way toward Chattanooga after the
rest of the army. A few days later
he was taken prisoner with others whilst detailed to bring up the supply trains
from Bridgeport.
When he returned to service,
General THOMAS was in command of the army of the Cumberland. He received him with the warmest
enthusiasm, made him an orderly sergeant, and attached him to his staff. At Chickamauga he was struck with a
fragment of a shell in the hip, and at Atlanta, while he was in the act of
delivering a despatch from General THOMAS to General
LOGAN, when a ball struck his pony obliquely near the top of his head, killing
him and wounding his fearless little atom of a rider in the right ear.
For his heroic conduct he was
made a sergeant by ROSECRANS, who placed him upon the Roll of Honor, and
attached him to the head-quarters of the army of the Cumberland, while a
daughter of Chief-Justice CHASE presented him with a silver medal inscribed,
“Sergeant Johnnie CLEM, Twenty-second Michigan Volunteer Infantry, from
N. M. C., “ which he worthily wears as a
priceless badge of honor upon his left breast, in connection with his Grand
Army medal.
Now (1890)
Captain CLEM is holding the important positions of Depot Quartermaster, Depot
Commissary, ordinance office, Columbus, Ohio.
Page 75
Top Picture
Drawn by Henry Howe, 1846
PUBLIC
SQUARE, NEWARK
Bottom Picture
Frank Henry Howe, 1890
PUBLIC
SQUARE, NEWARK
Page 76
Granville in 1846.–Granville
is six miles west of Newark on Raccoon creek, a branch of the Licking, and is
connected with the Ohio canal by a side cut of six miles in length. It is a neat, well-built town, noted for
the morality and intelligence of its inhabitants and its flourishing and
well-conducted literary institutions.
It contains 6 churches, 6 stores, 3 academies–(beside
a large brick building, which accommodates in each of its stories a distinct
school,–and had, in 1840, 727 inhabitants. The Granville College belongs to the
Baptists, and was chartered in 1832.
It is on a commanding site, one mile southwest of the village; its
faculty consists of a president, two professors and two tutors. The four institutions at Granville have,
unitedly, from 15 to 20 instructors, and enjoy a
generous patronage from all parts of the State. When all the schools and institutions
are in operation, there are, within a mile, usually from 400 to 600 scholars.–Old Edition.
GRANVILLE is six miles
west of Newark, on the T. & O. C. R. R., about thirty-five miles from
Columbus. It is the seat of
Dennison University, Granville Female College and Shepardson’s
Institute for Women. Newspaper: Times, Republican, KUSSMAUL &
SHEPARDSON, editors and publishers.
Churches: 1 Presbyterian, 1 Episcopal, 1 Baptist, 1 Welsh
Congregational, and 1 Welsh Calvinistic.
Bank: Granville (WRIGHT, SINNETT & WRIGHT), Theodore F. WRIGHT,
cashier. Population,
1880, 1,127. School census, 1888, 363. City officers, 1888: T. J. DURANT,
Mayor; H. A. CHURCH, Clerk; W. J. POND, Treasurer; Abner
EVANS, Marshal. Census,
1890, 1,293.
The annexed
historical sketch of Granville township is from the
published sketches of the Rev. Jacob LITTLE.
In 1804 a company was
formed at Granville, Mass., with the intention of making a settlement in
Ohio. This, called “the
Scioto Company,”
was the third of that name which effected settlements in
Ohio. The project met with great
favor, and much enthusiasm was elicited; in illustration of which, a song was
composed and sung to the tune of “Pleasant Ohio,” by the young
people in the house and at labor in the field. We annex two stanzas, which are more
curious than poetical.
When ramling
o’er these mountains And
rocks, where ivies grow Thick as the hairs upon
your head, ‘Mongst which you cannot go; Great storms of snow, cold
winds that blow, We
scarce can undergo; Says I, my boys,
we’ll leave this place For
the pleasant Ohio. Our precious friends that
stay behind, We’re
sorry now to leave: But if they’ll stay
and break their shins, For
them we’ll never grieve; Adieu, my friends! Come on, my dears, This
journey we’ll forego, And settle Licking creek, In
yonder Ohio. |
The Scioto
Company consisted of 114 proprietors, who made a purchase of 28,000
acres. In the autumn of 1805, 234
persons, mostly from East Granville, Mass., came on to the purchase. Although they had been forty-two days on
the road, their first business, on their arrival, having organized a church
before they left the East, was to hear a sermon. The first tree cut was that by which
public worship was held, which stood just front of the site of the Presbyterian
church. On
the first Sabbath, November 16, although only about a dozen trees had been cut,
they held divine worship, both forenoon and afternoon, at that spot. The novelty of worshipping in the woods,
the forest extending hundreds of miles every way, the hardships of the journey,
the winter setting in, the fresh thoughts of home, with all the friends and
privileges left behind, and the impression that such must be the accommodations
of a new country, all rushed on their nerves and made this a day of varied
interest. When they began to sing,
the echo of their voices among the trees was so different from what it was in
the beautiful meeting-house they had left, that they could no longer restrain
their tears. They wept when they remembered Zion. The voices of part of the choir were for
a season suppressed with emotion.
An interesting incident occurred, which some Mrs. SIGOURNEY should put into a poetical
dress. Deacon Theophilas
REESE, a Welsh Baptist, had two or three years before built a cabin a mile and
a half north, and lived all this time without public worship. He had lost his cows, and hearing a
lowing of the oxen belonging to the company, set out towards them. As he ascended the hills overlooking the
town-plot, he heard the singing of the choir. The reverberation of the
Page 77
sound from hill-tops and trees threw the good man into a
serious dilemma. The music at first
seemed to be behind, then in the tops of the trees or the clouds. He stopped, till by accurate listening,
he caught the direction of the sound, and went on, till passing the brow of the
hill, when he saw the audience sitting on the level below. He went home and told his wife that
“the promise of God is a bond;” a Welsh phrase, signifying that we
have security, equal to a bond, that religion will prevail everywhere. He said “These must be good
people. I am not afraid to go among
them.” Though he could not
understand English, he constantly attended the reading meeting. Hearing the music on that occasion made
such an impression on his mind, that when he became old and met the first
settlers, he would always tell over this story. The first cabin built was that in which
they worshipped succeeding Sabbaths, and before the close of winter they had a
school and school-house. That
church, in forty years, has been favored with ten revivals, and received about
one thousand persons.
Morals and Religion.–The first Baptist sermon
was preached in the log church by Elder JONES, in 1806. The Welsh Baptist church was organized
in the cabin of David THOMAS, September 4, 1808. “The Baptist church in Christ and
St. Albans,” was organized June 6, 1819. On the 21st of April, 1827,
the Granville members were organized into “the Granville church,”
and the corner-stone of their church was laid September 21, 1829. In the fall, the first Methodist sermon
was preached under a black walnut; the first class organized in 1810, and first
church erected in 1824. An
Episcopal church was organized May 9, 1827, and a church consecrated in 1838. More recently, the Welsh
Congregationalists and Calvinistic Methodists have built houses of worship,
making seven congregations, of whom, three worship in the Welsh language. There are, in the township, 405
families, of which 214 sustain family worship;
FIRST HOUSE IN GRANVILLE.
1431 persons over 14 years of age, of who nearly 800
belong to these several churches.
The town has 150 families, of which 80 have family worship. Twenty years ago, the township furnished
40 school-teachers, and in 1846 70, of whom 62 prayed in school. In 1846, the township took 621
periodical papers, besides three small monthlies. The first temperance society west of the
mountains was organized July 15, 1828, and in 1831, the Congregational church
adopted a by-law, to accept no member who trafficked
in or used ardent spirits.
Snake Hunt.–There are but six men now living who came on
with families the first fall, viz: Hugh KELLY,
Roswell GRAVES, Elias GILLMAN, William GAVIT, Levi and Hiram ROSE. Other males, who arrived in 1805, then
mostly children, and still surviving, are, Elkannah
LINNEL, Spencer, Thomas and Timothy SPELMAN, Dennis KELLY, William JONES,
Franklin and Ezekiel GAVIT, Cotton, Alexander and William THRALL, Augustine
MUNSON, Amos CARPENTER, Timothy, Samuel, Heland, Lemuel, C. C. and Hiram P. ROSE, Justin and Truman HILLYER,
Silvanus, Gideon, Isaac and Archibald CORNEL, Simeon
and Alfred AVERY, Frederick MORE, Worthy PRATT, Ezekiel, Samuel and Truman
WELLS, Albert, Mitchell, Joshua, Knowles and Benjamin LINNEL, Lester and Hiram
CASE, Harry and Lewis CLEMENS, Leverett, Harry and
Charles BUTLER, and Titus KNOX: which, added to the others, make forty-one
persons.
When Granville was first
settled, it was supposed that Worthington would be the capital of Ohio, between
which and Zanesville, this would make a great half-way town. At this time, snakes, wolves and Indians
abounded in this region. On the
pleasant spring mornings, large numbers of snakes were found running on the
flat stones. Upon prying up the
stones, there was found a singular fact respecting the social nature of
serpents. Dens were found
containing very discordant materials, twenty or thirty rattle-snakes,
black-snakes and copper-heads, all coiled up together. Their liberal terms of