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Historical Collections of Ohio

By Henry Howe

Vol. II

©1888

 

 

LICKING COUNTY

 

Page 67

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Page 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 18^th 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.