Nettle Lake, Ohio

In September, 1837, James Knight, with his sons, Thomas, Philip, Samuel, James and Joshua, established himself in a rude log cabin, about eighty rods north of Nettle Lake. He was a professional hunter, but soon after his arrival became afflicted with white swelling in the hip, which rendered him almost helpless and from which he never fully recovered. Later in life. Mr. Knight was also stricken with blindness, and the writer plainly recalls frequent visits, in childhood, to the little cabin of the decrepit old hunter. The reception was al- ways cordial - the ok! gentleman being* fond of children - and as a part of the ceremony he always required us to stand at his knee, while with his hands he would examine our face and take our physical dimensions. Then with kindness beaming from his sightless eyes, he would talk encouragingly to us and tell 11s how much we had grown since he had ''seen" us last. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and his army experiences and his hunting exploits afforded entertainment that was equally pleasant to ''Uncle Jimmy" and his juvenile guest.

Passage source: The County of Williams : a History of Williams County, Ohio, from the Earliest Days, with Special Chapters on Various Subjects, Including Each of the Different Townships ; Also a Biographical Department, published 1905.

After the father became afflicted much of. the care of the family fell upon Thomas Knight, the elder son, who became one of the most expert hunters and trappers ever in the township. At that period an experienced hunter and trapper could make five times as much money as the one that turned his attention to farming. Deer skins sold quite readily at one dollar each ; bear skins at from three to eight dollars, and the furs of the mink, otter or raccoon at from fifty cents to five dollars. These facts caused the Knight boys to spend almost their entire time in the wonderfully exciting sport of hunting, trapping and fishing. They carried flint-lock rifles and always went armed with huge knives. Nettle Lake was a great resort for deer, which came there in the night to drink, and the boys spent many a nocturnal hour in their canoe in quest of their antlered prey. From the boat it was an easy matter to shoot a deer, and in this manner five or six were frequently killed in a single evening by Thomas and Philip Knight; and perhaps others of the first settlers did equally as well. One evening, while thus engaged, Thomas shot and wounded a very large buck, which ran up the bank a few yards and stopped. The canoe was darted to the shore and Thomas sprang out and up the bank after the wounded animal. He came to it almost immediately and instantly seized it by the antlers ; but the animal made a lunge and pinioned the hunter fast against a tree. He shouted for help, but ere his brother could arrive the wounded buck fell upon the ground in the agonies of death. The wound had been mortal. This and many other incidents, Thomas Knight was wont to tell to those of a later generation. He lived until 1896 and hence is well remembered by the people of Northwest township. His best days' work at trapping netted him eleven dollars and fifty cents, the particulars of which were given as follows: He used an ingenious wooden trap, which held the animals securely, and upon the day mentioned went out to inspect his traps, which previously he had set for raccoon. He had set many in the woods near his father's cabin and firmly expected to bring in five or six skins that morning. While he was walking along toward his destination, he suddenly heard a noise near by, and looking in that direction, saw what at first glance appeared to he an Indian pony. Nothing hut the back of the pony was visible above an intervening clump of bushes, and without thinking much about the matter, the hunter continued his walk. A moment later he looked again and was astonished and somewhat frightened to see walking directly toward him a larger hear than he had ever before encountered. The animal was some distance away and had not yet observed the hunter, so Mr. Knight instantly concealed himself, and examining the priming of his rifle, he anxiously awaited the approach of the bear. A moment later it came leisurely along, and when it had approached within easy rifle range shot, the hunter took careful aim and pulled the trigger. His aim was perfect and the bear, one of the largest of its kind, fell dead. It weighed almost five hundred pounds, and when alive, stood at least three feet in height. The skin sold for eight dollars, and when the value of the skin of the raccoons caught during the day was added, the total footed up to eleven dollars and fifty cents. The fore paw of this bear was taken to Columbus, Ohio, and for many years could be seen in a museum in that city.

Passage source: The County of Williams : a History of Williams County, Ohio, from the Earliest Days, with Special Chapters on Various Subjects, Including Each of the Different Townships ; Also a Biographical Department, published 1905.

Previous to about the year 1843, members of the Pottawatomie tribe habitually encamped temporarily in the vicinity of Nettle Lake, around which, in the swamps, almost every species of wild game could be found. On the old Knight homestead, just north of the lake, was a spot where the Indians had assembled at certain seasons for many years. Wigwams of bark and poles had been constructed, which survived the intervals of non-occupancy, and were soon made tenantable for the Indians by coverings of skins and fresh supplies of bass-wood bark. Fine fish inhabited the lake and afforded an excellent variation in the limited food for the Indian, while along the shores, finding a home in the swamps, minks and otters and an occasional beaver dwelt.

Passage source: The County of Williams : a History of Williams County, Ohio, from the Earliest Days, with Special Chapters on Various Subjects, Including Each of the Different Townships ; Also a Biographical Department, published 1905.

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 Northwest Township - it names this place 1 more 1 time.