Colebrook, Ohio

The first white family who attempted to establish a home in the dense forest fastnesses of Colebrook were by name West, who located on the east side of Mosquito creek, on the present Stroud farm. This was in, probably, the year 1812. Comparatively nothing is known of the history connected with this family, except that they cleared about eight acres of ground, abandoned the same, and removed from the township long before the first permanent settlement. The pioneer permanent settler was Joel Blakeslee, who emigrated from Avon, Genesee county, New York, in the year 1819. Mr. Blakeslee, with a family consisting of wife and two children, made the trip, which was of twenty-nine days' duration, with a team of oxen. Commencing the journey with a sled, but soon finding bare ground, he procured a wagon, with which he continued his travels. Arriving at last at the Mecca of his pilgrimage, he, with the aid of kind friends, erected a log cabin on lot No. 38, and took possession of the same on the 24th day of May, 1819. Mr. Blakeslee was a gentleman of education and refinement, and something of a musician. Being of delicate health, he was ill adapted to endure the toils and hardships incident to the life of a pioneer. He will be remembered as having taken a lively interest in the Historical Association of this county, and, in fact, wrote up many of the townships of the county. Some of his writings are still preserved by the association, but a very large portion was destroyed at the burning of the court-house, August 17, 1850. He was a zealous member of the Masonic fraternity until his death, which occurred on November 27, 1863, and his funeral obsequies were performed by the members of that order. The children of Mr. Blakeslee, nearly all of whom yet reside in this township, were as follows: Phebe, who married James Williams; Harriet, married Lorenzo Sanders (deceased) ; Samuel, married Elizabeth Delano ; Nancy, married Sylvester Perrin ; J. Adams, married Lucinda Gladding ; Lemuel, married Mary Cook (all the foregoing reside in this township) ; and Mary, who married William Adicott, and resides in Orwell. The next settler was Halsey Phillips, from Colebrook, Connecticut, who with a wife and four children, and accompanied by two brothers, - Samuel, Jr., and Benjamin F., - arrived at Austinburg in the fall of 1820. Leaving his family with his wife's sister (Mrs. Joseph B. Cowles), they repaired to this township, and soon, by the aid of the settlers in Lebanon (now New Lyme), erected a log house, - this was on lot No. 22 ; was completed in the early part of November, when the family "moved in." The children of Halsey Phillips were Delinda, who married Edward C. Beckwith, and now resides in this township ; Lucinda, married Ezra Beckwith, also lives in Colebrook ; Martha, married William Foreman (deceased); Jeremiah II., married Sarah Congdon, died in the army ; John H., married Fanny Beckwith, lives about a mile from the " old farm Maria and Ralph, both died young. The winter following, Samuel Phillips married Miss Hannah Woodruff, of Morgan, and began life in this township, on lot No. 21. In the fall of 1821, Roswell Stillman, who afterwards became a resident of Andover, arrived in this township, and began life on lot No. 23. He was accompanied by the wife and three daughters of Samuel Phillips, Sr., who had made the journey from Connecticut the previous spring, and had, during the summer, erected a log house on lot No. 21, into which, though yet unfinished, the family moved. Setting to work, the house was soon finished, with puncheon floor, deer-greased paper windows, etc. The children of this gentleman were Travis A., who married Grace Chapel (deceased) ; Fanny, married Samuel Emmett, also dead ; Halsey, married Sally Hungerford, and now residing near the original location; Harriet, married Eri Tuttle, lives in this township; Samuel, married Harriet Woodworth (deceased) ; Calista, married Nathan Allen (also deceased) ; Cleora, married Asahel Canfield, now residing in Bloomfield, Trumbull county ; Benjamin F., married Emeline Beckwith, at present residing near Dodgeville, in New Lyme (to this gentleman our thanks are due for many items of early history) ; Amelia, married Daniel Loomis (deceased). Cutler, from Vermont, located on lot No. 39 in August, 1821. His family consisted of a wife only, and as he remained in the township but a few years we are unable to obtain further particulars. In 1824, Francis Drake located on lot No. 42. Medad Canfield, from Trumbull county, settled on lot No. 41 about this time. The next settlers were Theodoras Miller, Frederic Jones, Levi Rice, and doubtless others, whose names do not occur to us.

Passage source: History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, published 1878.

In the spring of 1827 the commissioners ordered that this territory be organized as a township to be called Colebrook, and also that an election be held at the usual time. Accordingly, on the 2d of April of that year the following persons were elected : Theodore Miller, Halsey Phillips, and Levi Rice, trustees ; Joel Blakeslee, clerk ; Medad Canfield, treasurer ; Charles Hall and Francis Drake, fence-viewers; Samuel Phillips and Levi Ric-e, overseers of the poor; Benj. F. Phillips, constable, and Ira Kee, supervisor. Halsey Phillips was the first justice of the peace elected, and held the office for over twenty-five years. The present justices of the peace are John Gee and Leonidas Reeve, and the following are the officers for 1877 : M. McCarthy, John H. Phillips, and John Waldorf, trustees ; H. A. Walling, clerk; W. H. Lancaster, treasurer; Thomas Taylor, assessor; S. W. McCarthy and John Ulrich, constables. Eleven supervisors now have charge of the roads in the township. In 1834 the name of this township was changed to Phelps, and in 1S36 the old name was, by special act of legislature, restored to it. " When the first settlement was made in Colebrook by Mr. West, in 1811, our country was in its infancy. A threatening war with a foreign power, and, what was still more to be feared by the pioneers, a war with the savage Indians, made the emigrant's path full of danger. A journey from Connecticut to Ohio at that time was a greater undertaking than a trip around the world would be now. It required men and women of great courage to travel through forests without roads, cross rivers without bridges, live with wild beasts and savages, and exposed to the weather - an event astonishing in its magnitude."

Passage source: History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, published 1878.

One clear, frosty morning in the month of October of about the year 1827-28, as Mr. Joel Blakeslee was out milking his cow, he heard the rumbling of an approaching wagon, which, upon its arrival, contained old Mr. Bailey and his wife, from Greene, Trumbull county. Of course, Mr. Blakeslee was somewhat astonished to see this couple at so early an hour, - for the sun had not yet arisen, - and still more amused by the narration given by Mr. Bailey. They had got so late a start the day before that night overtook them before they had got through the woods, the traveling being necessarily slow, as no road had been opened between Greene and Colebrook, but only a sort of path or trail, which could be followed only by daylight ; consequently, as the darkness began to gather, they found themselves obliged to halt and prepare for a night in the woods. Accordingly, the old horse was unhitched from the wagon, and tied to a tree near by. Then the unfortunate couple lay down in the box to rest, covered with a blanket. But soon the stillness of the night was broken by the distant howling of a wolf, which was immediately answered by another and another, until soon the forest echoed and re-echoed with the music of these animals. This state of things caused Mrs. Bailey to feel the insecurity of her situation. She at once began to look about her for a place of safety, and immediately concluded to " ascend up higher," which she accordingly did, perching herself on a limb of a tree, where she remained until the welcome light of morn broke, dispersing the darkness aud also the serenaders, allowing her to descend and awaken her husband, who had been quietly reposing in the wagon-box. They then pursued their journey, and arrived at Mr. Blakeslee's in time for breakfast, after which they went on their way rejoicing.

Passage source: History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, published 1878.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Colebrook Township - it names this place 3 more 3 times.