Ashtabula County, Ohio - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 16 of those read), 1878

Statistics County Buildings

General Granger, postmaster-general under President Jefferson's administration, as an inducement to have the county-seat established at the village of Jefferson, - Mr Granger being the original proprietor of Jefferson township, - offered to build at his own expense a brick court-house and a log jail suitable for the uses of the county. This proposition was accepted, and in 1808 he sent from Washington city Timothy Caldwell. Esq., to superintend the erection of these buildings. The court- ouse was completed in 1811. For a description of these first county buildings the reader is referred to the Jefferson history. In 1836 the first courthouse was removed, and another built in its stead at a probable cost of sixteen thousand dollars. Willis Smith, of Kinsman, Trumbull county, was the architect. The building stood upon the site of the present one. In 1850 it was destroyed by fire. The walls were left standing in good condition, and were used in the erection of the present structure, which was built at a cost to the county of about ten thousand dollars. Messrs. Hoskin, Udell, and Wyckham were the contractors. During the summer and fall of 1877 the court-room was refitted and furnished at a cost of about fifteen hundred dollars.

A second jail was built in 1827. It was a frame structure, and the construction was under the management of N. B. Prentis and William Crowell, Mr. Ezekiel Crowell being the master mechanic. It cost the county eleven hundred and eighty-eight dollars. It was destroyed by fire in January, 1843. At the time there were seven prisoners in the jail, but all were released from their cells in time to escape unharmed. During the summer of 1843 another jail - the present substantial stone structure - was erected, Cornelius Udell being the contractor. The stone was brought from the ten-mile quarry, mostly from Hartsgrove township. It was completely renovated and rebuilt in 1876 by John Waters, who also superintended the construction of the neat building occupied by the offices of the probate judge and county recorder.

The poor-house farm comprises a tract of land of about one hundred and forty acres, being a part of lots numbers thirty -two and thirty-three of Kingsville town- history. From the adjutant-general's office at Columbus the records are missing. At the War Department, of what pertained to the volunteer service, but little escaped the conflagration of 1814. The actors are dead.

We have traditionary evidence of the alacrity with which the inhabitants of Ashtabula gathered together for the defense of the frontier settlements, after the northwestern army was sacrificed by the surrender of Hull. The Trump of Fame, published at Warren, dated September 2, 1812, says, "As soon as the news of the fall of Detroit was confirmed every man rushed to arms. Old and young, without distinction of politics, repaired to the post of danger. None waited for the formality of orders ; but every one, whether exempt from military duty or not, put on his armor. Most of the women and children fled to the interior settlements, spreading the appalling news, which was taken up by couriers, riding night and day, calling for help. Those who were able to bear arms prepared to march, in many cases before the general orders were known."

The militia act of 1803 was a very efficient one, enacted by men who had seen service in Indian wars. Under it the executive of the State had war powers, with authority to order a draft, seize supplies, and impress transportation. An order from General Wadsworth, commanding the Fourth division of Ohio militia, was received by Colonel Richard Hayes, of Hartford, directing him to assemble the members of his regiment at Kinsman for military service on the 24th of August, 1812.

The regiment was composed of eight companies. The men were variously equipped, and poorly prepared to meet an army armed and officered as veterans. Some had the common hunting-rifles, with powder-horn and bullet-pouch, and others pikes and stout hay-forks. From Kinsman the regiment marched northward, reaching Williamsfield the first day, and at night the men built their campfires and cooked their rations from the supply-wagons, and slept upon the ground as best they could. The second night was spent in the same manner at Jefferson. At Austinburg the next day the regiment found teams with public supplies for their use. At Harpersfield, on the third day, General Simon Perkins, the brigade commander, who joined the regiment here, received orders from General Wadsworth to send back half of the volunteers. The reason for the order was the general destitution and defenseless condition of the infant settlements left behind. In determining who should go and who should return, some regard was had to home affairs and to the age and condition of different ones. The drafted men were generally retained, and assigned to the company commanded by Captain Joshua Fobes, of Wayne. After the reorganization of the regiment at Harpersfield it moved west on the Ridge road to Cleveland, where supplies were found

In 1810 the population of the county was about 1000. In 1820 it was 7382 ; in 1830, 14,584. The following is the population by townships for and a considerable body of soldiers had been gathered. From Cleveland the regiment marched westward to the township of Avery. The log cabins along the route had been abandoned, as the news of Hull's surrender had brought with it the expectation that the Indians would soon be upon the inhabitants. At Avery a large block -house was built. The troops remained at Abbott's farm on the Huron river until November, when they were ordered to unite with the forces at Fort Stephenson, Lower Sandusky. The exposure and hardships of that campaign were severe, but the loss in action was slight. Some of the soldiers from Ashtabula County were engaged in skirmishes with the Indians upon the Peninsula at Sandusky, in September, 1812, in which the loss upon the side of the Ohio troops was six killed and ten wounded. On the 24th of February, 1813, the period for which enlistments had been made then expired, and the men were discharged and sent home.

The mails failing between Fort Stephenson and Fort Meigs, Colonel Stephenson, commander of the former fort, called for volunteers to carry the mails through the black swamp to Fort Meigs. Titus Hayes, of Wayne, Dr. Coleman, of Ashtabula, and Captain Rurnham, of Kinsman, offered their services. Horses were provided, and they started with the mail on their perilous expedition. The first night they encamped on the bank of Portage river. They were aroused early the next morning by the distant firing of guns, and, as they thought, an occasional Indian whoop. As they drew near the fort the firing of cannon and the Indian yells became louder and more frequent, and it was evident that something unusual was in progress. Hayes was detached to go forward, reconnoitre, and return within an hour. The hour had nearly expired, and the cannonading and firing of guns became louder, when the silence was broken by the crack of a rifle, and