Clinton Township

Clinton Township

Till1', earl}' scenes described in these narratives, and the incidents attending the dawn of Seneca as a count}', having clustered around places that are1 now covered by Tiffin, and involved the names ot so man}' of the early settlers. who>e biographies are alreadv record ed. there is scarcely anything further left to say about Clinton town ship. This chapter will, theretore. nccessarih be short It is proper, however, to preserve names ot the early pioneers and describe some of those not alreadv talked about.

The location of the land offices in Tiffin tended greatly to give Tiffin a start. It brought many people here from abroad and introduced to them not only our citi/ens but also the main' advantages this conntv promised for the future. No other count}' in Ohio, west of the Sandusky river, settled up as fast as Seneca conntv.

When congress, on the 4th dav ot Mav. iSj.S. granted to ()hio ^oo - ooo acres of land to build the Miami canal, it next became the dutv of the legislature to provide tor the sale ol the land. llv an act of February ij. i.Sj<j. two hind offices were established tor the sale of these half million ot acres, one ol which was located at Titlm. The land office tortlie sale of the land in the Delaware land district was located here in April, iSjS. Small as Tiffin then was. ami tar removed from the canal lands to be sold, it should nevertheless be remembered that there was. at that time, no other town between Tiffin ami Fort Wayne, in Indiana, '['he reader will sec, therefore, that Tiffin was the principal frontier town in northwestern ()i,io at that time and tor some time thereafter, notwithstanding the urgani/ation ol Sandusky count}' prior to Seneca.

These land, offices here, I say. helped verv much to bring Tiffin into notic e and gave it an air of stability and business enterprise. For several years the hotels were frequented by strangers, who bought land or prospected for locations. The old army road was a sort oi thorough tare tor emigrants, manv of whom stopped liere --in fa< t, there was u > other road in < >hio. west of the Sandusky river. I'.v remembering; these things we are eiiaMed to see h»w this \.ist northwest must have looked at that tune.

('linloii township IK-MI.; so closely iilenti.'ied with Tittm, and c\ er\ thin.; '.hat is said o: I'; rim and her people m<Mn:n_: ' 'lint' n\ township .it the same time, may he the reason whv neither Mr. l! :':--- :: -.d. in hi-, histor\. nor Mr. S;--w.ut. in his " Atlas." had an\'.ii;n_ '-- >a\ ahoir. Clinton to\\:ish;p .u;d her pioneers. Hut there were some ,,',d settlers here, and men, too. o: no ordinary _rade. who >h<xiid and .shall be mentioned, t.ir main oi their name- are too dear and \aluablc to be io^t MI soon. Tlie^e pa^e> will preserve thein !of awliiii of fair complexion, had regular, manly features, was well proportioned and good looking, more so in citi/.en's clothes than in uniform. He had deeply set, large ha/.el eyes. He shaved smooth, except small side whisker>. He had a \vell balanced nature a high forehead, and turned bald at middle age. (ieneral Brish was a polished gentleman and his home was the gathering place for many of the elite in the then rustic society. He had a kind word tor everybody, and soon became popular with all classes of people. The Senecas were his pets and they made Rosewood a stopping place whenever they came up the river. 1 )r. ( 'ary was a brother to Mrs. Brish. He and Dr. Dresbach made the (ieneral's house their home. Whenever they could not be found about town, you would almost be sure to find them at Brish's. Some people thought the (ieneral was very high-strung and quick tempered, but they were only those who did not know him int.imately, and judged him only from the several knock-downs he was blamed with. The facts are. the General would bear almost any opposition in business or politics as lonu as his opponent would abstain from reflecting on his honor and calling him names. He struck very quick when that rule was violated, and the si/e of the opponent or his standing in society made no difference. His relation with the business of the count) has been mentioned so often that it is only necessary to say that he was one of the associate judges of the court of common pleas here, and was elected a member of the house of representatives, besides filling many other local offices. When, on the 2<Sth day of February. 1^31, at the treatv of Washington, the Senecas sold their reservation to the I'nited States, as already stated in chapter vm. i and see also chapter xxix.), (ieneral llrish, who had taken care of the chief to Washington and back to Seneca, was kindlv remembered by them. At their own request a section was put into the treaty giving to (ieneral Brish a quarter section of land in the reservation. The section reads as follows:

Sec. 1 ! . The eli icf's of 1 he Senecas lie ing impressed wit li grat it udc towards lleiir> ('. Brish. then sub-agent, for his private advances of money anil provisions and numerous other acts of kindness towards them, as well as extra services in coming with them to Washington, and having expressed a wish that a quarter section of a hundred and sixt> acres of land ceded by them should he granted to him in consideration thereof, the same is hereby granted tohim and his heirs, to lie located under the direction of the president of the I'nited Slates. See vol. 7 Laws I'. S.. p. :;."in.

The (ieneral selected his section and sold it. He then bought the southwest halt ot section eighteen in ('linton. (ieneral Brish cleared up a part and moved onto it. He called it Rosewood, because Mrs.

southwest c}iiarter of section thirty-four, where some of the family still reside. Vanatta bought out a man by the name of Stripe, who moved to Lower Sandusky, where he dealt in fish. He died of cholera in 1834. Joseph Richards came in 1827 or 1820. David 10 Owen came in 1829, and lived on the Huber larm. The Frees and Herin tolks came in 1X28. Reuben William^ entered the C'oe farm and built the saw mill, which is still in running order, in 1824. Daniel Dildine came in the same year. He built a cabin and planted the apple trees that are still to be seen just north of the new cemetery. Daniel Lamberson entered the southeast <|uarter of section thirty-four. James Myers came in 1833 or '34. I .imes \Voll used to work lor Reuben Williams, and when he had earned >ioo, Williams bought for him the eighty acres in the southwest corner of section twenty-six, where lie afterwards lived and died.

Mr. Heard was born in Northampton countv. Pennsylvania, on the i4th of April, i 7<)4- He was married to Hannah Doan in 1817. Thev had eight children, of whom six are still living. He was about five feet, ten inches high : walked very erect; had black hair and whiskers and blue eyes; he was very talkative and full of jokes and was a good neighbor and strictly honest. He died in 1852. and was buried in the old cemetery in Tithn.

()u tin- JMli iif February. ITUi*. m> father, John ('rum. was burn in Frederick count >. in tin- state of Virginia, and in 1 ->!.", lie married Barbara ( 'rum : no blood relat inn . In l^'I lie m<>\ ed to ( Hiio and settled in Columbus. In IM'L! lie bought bin acres of land in Seneca county, three miles uortli of TiHin on the Fremont road, and in lx_!l he moved UJKHI his land. U'e lived in a ealiin f<>r a while, not far from our land, until we could build a house. Our house hail the first >hingle roof between Tillin and Lower Sandusky. We experienced main of the hardships common to new settlements. Father was sick nearly all the tirst winter. \\ e lived in the woods: our neighbors were scattered, none nearer than a mile, but they were very friendly and social. Our t'n>t neighbors were .Moses Abbott. Fliphalet Rogers and Captain Sherwood, but others soon came in.

lion, but there was no money in circulation. Everything was trade and exchange. We arrived at home in safety, and in spite of the gloomy outlook in Ohio. I resolved to emigrate there', and in Mav. l.vy(. I sold out and started for Ohio with a large wagon and four horses. My familv then consisted ol' a \\ i f e and one child, about one vear old. two single sisters and my lirother-in-!a\\ . .John Walker, who wasthen vet unmarried. 1 JichardSneath and his | ami I » came with us. That family consisted of Mr. and M rs. Sneath. two or three -mall children. .Jacob lluss and Ilenrv Zimmerman, who were single men. Thev also iiad a large wagon and three horses. Taking us altogether, we were a joll\ set for such an excursion.

Nothing occurred worth remembering until we readied a place in the A lieu ha n v mountains called -- the Shades of Death." I i was a pinerv through which our road passed, seven miles across, without a single human habitation. There was a tavern and a blacksmith shop just east of the dense forest. One of my horses lost a shoe just before sundown. lie could not travel on the hard pike \\ it ho ut being shod. It was about 1 hue to put up for the night, but the bad reputation of the tavern made us conclude to press on. While mv horse was being shod. Sneath. with his familv and the young men. passed on. leaving me with the women and the child behind. This compelled me to travel these seven miles through the dark alone. It was verv inconsiderate in Sneath and the others to leave us thus. One or two armed men could have had us at their nietvv . for all I had in the world I had with me. ruderakind Providence we passed through in safety. No accident occurred until we crossed the river at Wheeling. Here we were in Ohio. A road leads up a high hill uearlv two miles from the river before it readies the uplands. The national pike here was just in process of construction, and we were often compelled to take side roads that were dangerous at places. My wife became so disgusted with the country that she exclaimed at one lime. " Any man that will bring his wife and child to such a coiintrv as this, ought to be -hot."

The greatest impediment to the prosperity of Ohio w as a general want of market. The canal connect ing the Ohio river with the lake w as laid out . but not constructed. Our first idea was to locate somewhere near its line. At ( i ranville. in Licking county, we found a vacant house, which we rented for the time being, in order that we might explore the coiintrv round about. We w ere not pleased here, and resolv ed to si i ike for Titlin. and see how that coiintrv would please us. Mr. Sneath and I came out here on horseback. leaving our families at ( iranville. We impmed for I-'ort Mall and found it. We -aw a gentleman standing in the road there, and Mr. Sneath. who was given to be mi-diiev ioiis at t i nies. i in pi i red of t he man how far it w a- to Fort I Jail. The man -aid : " You are riuht in the midst of il." '!' lie stranger w as Mr. McNeal. the merchant.

(ieorge and .b>hn XOIHT u-ed to be old neighbor- of ours in Marvlaiid. We iiiipiired i'o]- ,!iein and toiind them. Here we put up forlhe niulit. The Sauduskv coiintrv plea-ed u- better than anv t hin^ we had seen in Ohio. being a ridi. lev el. limestone count rv . slid i as vv e had bt en accustomed to. We reallv did not ki.ow how le w il \\a- until we moved into it. Titlin and 1 'orl I la! i \\» 1 1 ; hen v erv small be^inni ngs. Mi. Sneath found a large frame building in an nnlini-heil condition IJradlev's ('enlral I lot "i aflerw ards.

Jji2 History Of Seneca County

I bought tht' Sherwood place containing nearly 440 acres, mostly in section seven, for SI. "Hit. an 1 got possession on the 1st of July, ISi'ii. We arrived in Fort 15 ill on tli - loth of June that year. Mr. Sherwood was not a very successful in in in business. He kept a barrel of whisky in his house. Whisky an 1 business never run well together.

Win. Montgoni'Ty kept a tavern in a small way on a six-acre lot taken off of a corner of Mie land I bought. These were all the improvements in that neighborhood.

.John Stoner lost his life by a simple accident. In the fall of Js^ii he shot a squirrel and trie 1 to finish it with the butt of his gun. He slipped and fell on the m/./.le of his gun. which injured him internally to such an extent that li ' die I after great suffering, in .January. ls_>7. He was the first person buried in the Stoner graveyard.

(ieorge I'nffeiiherger lived in a cabin some distance west, and .John Flack in now Liberty, lived the farthest westward of any man I could hear of. I was in company with others in view of a new road and we stopped at Flack's. It seemed very lonesome to live so entirely alone in the forest as Flack did.

The Indians were troublesome at times, but never dangerous, except when intoxicated. The Wyandots made their annual trips to Maiden to receive presents from the British government for services rendered in the war against the I'niled States. ()u their way out they bought whisky at Fort Hall and elsewhere, and generally camped in front of our house, where they all got drunk and rested a whole day to sober up. They generally had their whole families with them. They used to come into the house and wanted everthing we had. especially bread. Sometimes they took all the bread we ha I an 1 m> wife had to bake again. They always paid for what they bought . ofti'ii paying twenty-live cents for a loaf of bread. One time a drunken Indian got angry at my wife and dre\\ his knife on her. lie would h ive used it had it not been for a sober Indian close by. The sober Indians often st lyvd all night at our house, sleeping by the lire in the same room we slept. We oft"ii bought venison and cranberries from them. A camp of drunken Indians an 1 squaws is a most disgusting sight: the papooses strapped on a board Bitting against the trees, and the men and women reeling around, t he s<|iiaws si 1 1 ical ing like wild cats. i!ut with all their general degradation, we had some interesting interview with those who had been christ iani/.ed at camp and other meetings.

Mr. Mole]', a very early settler, took up the land where Mr. Maule lived. .John I toraii. another pioneer, was at the raising of Mr. I ledges' mill on the river, and became crippled for life by the falling of a tree in a storm while raising the mill.

eminent at three dollars per acre. In 1824 he sold this land, moved to this county, and purchased land of the government on Rocky creek, from which the new cemetery is taken, and as already described. It took him seven days to move from Pickaway here. He stopped for a few days with Reuben Williams, on the Coo farm, in the log house still standing there, and until he could build a cabin for himself. He arrived here in April, and his cattle were compelled to subsist on brouse until pasture came on. The poor animals were so used to brouse that when they heard a tree fall they would all run and devour the tender branches with avidity. John Searles, Joseph Foncannon and George Stoner. who lived from three to live miles apart, were about all the persons who had corn to sell, and Mr, Dildine had to buy his corn where he could get it, and for the provisions for his family he had to go to Franklin county and to Mansfield, where he obtained them in exchange for salt and fish, which he took with him. The fish were caught here in great abundance in the creeks, the river and the lake. The salt was shipped from Syracuse; both salt and fish selling in the central counties with a handsome profit.

Mr. Dildine cleared a good portion of his farm, and in 1830 sold it to Thomas Coe. He then bought two hundred and forty acres on the South Greenfield road, about three and a half miles east of Tiffin, where he lived the rest of his days. He retained to his last his mental and very much of his physical powers. He was a man of wonderful endurance: quiet in his nature, kind and generous. He lived to a fine old age, and exchanged the scenes of this life for the realities of a higher order of existence at the ripe age of ninety-one years and three days, on the 27th day of September 1872.

Was a soldier in the war of 1812, under General Harrison. He was born in Montgomery county. New York: moved from thereto Franklin county. Ohio, and came to Seneca in 1825, in April. He first located on the North Greenfield road, near Fgbert's. and located on the Portland road in 1835. upon the eight}' acres he had entered. He was about seventy-eight years old when he died, at one ot his son's-in-law in Sanduskv countv. lie had two sons and three daughters.

C I. In I Os Town Sum'

When they settled in Clinton there was no house for seven miles east on the North Creenfield road. Samuel Si othorns, in Reed, lived there. There was no road open to town. They had to underbrush a road to Tiffin, and then followed the bla/ed trees. Hunter's null was built in 1X25.

Mr. ('ramer arrived here on the ;oth da\ ot September. i*^--> being twenty one day- on the road , and bought the northeast >juarter ot section -ixteen, here in Cl.nton. on the i -t da\ of ( )i tober in that year, and wnere he re-ided all the balance ot hi- da\- lie died on the Xth day of August. 1X42. aged sixty two year-, ten month- and fifteen days Six of his < hildren died in infancy, and tour are -till li\ ing. I >enni- F. ('ramer is the oldest son. now living in Tiffin, and the lather ot a large family. Three of hi- -on- are lawyer-, of whom I'pton 1-'. held the ottn e of probate judge many year-. Father ('ramer wa- not verv tall, but corpulent ami large. In hi- dress and general appearam e he was the very embodiment ot a (Quaker, but he wa- an esteemed member of the . (lerman Reformed ('hurcli.

NVas born in Martin-burg. Berkley county, Virginia. February -,}d. iSoo. \\hen about :wo year- old. hi- lather emigrated to the -tate ot ( >hio. then in-! admitted into the I'nion, and settled in the hill- ot Fairfield county, near where I am a-ter now stand-. The country around there was. almo-t an unbroken wilderness ,u that time, there being but a tew pioneer -etller-, who had to battle with the tore-t. wild bea-t- and wild Indian-. Thi-\ were obliged !o ra.-e their own 1;\ ing. and rai-e and makt- their o\s n hi'mi'-j-un garments. |.ime> ua- tlie oldc-t «i loim M\'er-' !.im;l\' ot nine i h;'.dren, and \\a- ot nei e--it\ < ompeilcd to wr'k a- -oon a- he wa- able to i--i-t ;n main'. aim 114 the tain;! \ . I he: r ad', .intake- tor edu catioti \\> '.-'- hnr.'i-d. '.here beiiu no -,( }},<->] hou-e- md \\.-\\ ^. li.Mi.ir>. ami in ! i< : :':.'.: n--i - 'i:d no! allow them urn h t.me :-': ed'n at;on.

married to Sarah (law, a young woman of Newark, Licking county, ( )hio. After marriage lie commenced business for himself, and tried his fortune at raising tobacco among the hills of Fairfield county, which business he followed for several years, until his own family began to increase. When it consisted of himself, wife and four children, he began to think he must own some land in order to be able to raise his family properly, but by that time all the tillable land of Fairfield county was alrcadv occupied, and his scanty means would not allow him to purchase second handed, so he began looking over the territories 01 the far west, as it was then called.

Himself and a friend, Isaac Lepurd, (who settled near Attica, in Venice), started out in search of government land, and as the tide ot emigration hail begun to lead to Seneca county, he and his friend directed their steps thither; I say steps, for they traveled on foot, it being before the days of steamboats and railroads.

In September, 1831, they arrived at a land office, now called Tiffin, which, at that time, was composed of old Fort Hall, and two or three log cabins on the east side of the river. .Alter looking over the country a couple of weeks, they both suited themselves, and entered as much land as their means would allow, and returned home to Fail-field, to collect money enough again to move him and family to his newly acquired possessions.

It was not until in June. 1833. that he left Fairfield county with his family, in a two horse wagon, with all his worldly effects. His family then consisted of his wife and four children. Maria 1 .ouise. Martha, ( ieorge and l)avid. then a babe three months old. They were on the road fifteen days, and traveled a distance of less than a hundred miles, the road most of the way being in the woods, only an Indian trail or a blazed route to guide footmen. They arrived on the 23d of |une, and began immediately to make for themselves a home by clearing off a piece of iand and building a house, with which they took extra pains to have it large and line tor those days, and which is still standing, the same that is occupied by Conrad and (ieorge Cillig as a residence on the old homestead, but for several weeks they slept in their wagon and cooked their meals by a stump-lire.

Four more children were born to them in Seneca county. Ann, lames ('.. Jennie and John. Maria, the eldest, died in the 151!! year of her age. and John, the youngest, died the same year, and are buried in the old K'xknin cemetery, they being the only deaths that have occurred in the family. All the rest are well, and give prospect of long lives. The}' Uved upon the old farm forty-four years.

township. 1 .chilli county, on a farm that has ever since and up to this time been known a-- the " Schwander place." He was married here and raise-.', a tamii\. Alter his death tiie oldest son. lacob, became the owner of the farm on which lie was born.

A Mr. Shriver lived some eight miles away, and had living in his house with him as a sort of quasi slave, a beautiful Swiss girl by the name of Barbara (ierster. He bought her at Philadelphia for her fare across the ocean. The reader should remember here, that it was considered not only right and fair to sell the passengers to America who could not pay 'for their passage, but the act was legali/ed by statute. They were sold at auction for the least number of months or years a person would buy them for and pay the fare. Families were thus often separated, many of them abused and ill-treated, and by people, too. that soon after this system of slavery was abolished, raised a terrible hue and cry against black slavery. After the shipowners of Boston had become rich in the African slave trade, they all became Abolitionists. But to return to the wedding.

Near Mr. Shriver's was a place called Fgvpt. tor it produced great quantities of grain. Jacob Schwander and the Swiss beaut v were lovers. ( )ne day they went to Kgypt, and the young couple were married by a preacher. After the wedding cereinonv was over, the young bride took a seat on Schwander's horse, behind the groom, and they rode back to the farm. After dinner bride and groom look their sickels and went into the harvest field reaping wheat the balance of the day. This was their bridal tour. There were no railroads leading to the fashionable watering place*, and there were no " shoddies" in the country at that time.

When Frederick Schwander came to this country his father and grandfather were still living. Jacob had eight children, five boys and three girls. John Schwander was his oldest son. anil was born on the farm where his father was born, and while his father was serving in the revolutionary army, under Washington, on the 2ist day of June, 1/76. and thirteen days before the Declaration oi Independence. lohn was raised on the same farm, and in the year i.Xoo was married to Miss Fli/abeth (ilick. of I,e*high county. The writer heard the old gentleman say that he voted tor [efferson in the same year he was married. John S< hwander had thirteen children in this union, seven boys and six girls. The sons are all dead but Fdward, who is the youngest son. but the daughters are all living at this writing. The sons were John, fames,

John Si hwander, the lather oi these children, a'ter his marriage in iNo,;. rented larnis in the neighborhood ot (hi- old homestead until 1^07. when he moved to ( Min> and lo. ated in 1 airfield cmintv, but bei inning dissatisiied with the immtrv, returned to I ehuh t minty and boii^li' the old homestead. Here hi- sun. l.dwird. wa- born, and all ot the \ ouiucr .uirls; the homestead »\ llirir urea! urandlather. I- 1 ed crii k, a i iri umstam e \ er\ rare in Amern a. where people are mo\ in^ from j-hi' e to phn e with a uonderlnl Iacilit\ and wher-.- the :o\ e o| home is not i cardinal virtue annuiL; th-.- peop e.

liis knowledge of men and events, and his age put no obstacle in his \vav of relating laughable anecdotes. lie was a gentleman by nature and education: always pleasant, always kind to everybody, anil being possessed of a cheerful nature, enabling him to look upon the sunny side of life, no doubt prolonged his days. lie and the old lady died highly esteemed in the community where they spent the evening of their davs. This family of Schwanders is the only one by that name known in the I'niled States.

During the administration ot the elder Adams. Pennsylvania passed an act taxing the doors and windows of the houses. The law proved exceedingly obnoxious to the people, and on several occasions the collectors were abused. The people in the I.ehigh valley had stood by the I'nited Colonies during the revolutionary war. and contributed men and means in support ot it. When this new form of stamp-tax was inaugurated, some ot them met a ( ollector who came amongst them on horseback, made him get off his horse and told him that they would show him how the stamp-tax operated. ( >ne of the men raised the horse's tail and the others pushed the collector's nose to where the crupper in. ikes a crook. For this rough treatment the men were arrested and placed in the jail in Bethlehem, which was then the county seat of Northampton county, and betore the countv ot Lehigh was organ i/ed. The imprisonment of the men aroused the indignation of the people of I.ehigh valley to such an extent that one time, in open dav light, several hundred men assembled near Bethlehem and marched to the jail. Here they formed two lines in open order when a squad of them demanded the release of the men. and this being refused bv the sheriff, the doors of the jail were forced open and the men released. The sheriff railed out the militia and a regiment of soldiers camped near Bethlehem, ashling the sheriff in making arrests. The whole country was aroused, and many ot the rescuing parties tied into the mountains. Those who were arrested were prosecuted and lined, or acquitted. A warrant was issued aUo against Jacob Schwander, who was. perhaps, as guilty as any of them, but he escaped the vigilance ot the sheriff, his posse and the military by secreting h;m>e!f in a large stone quarry, not lar trom his ;arm - the Schwander place. For three mo;/ - 'd his victuals to him in the night, returning before mori . ibserved. It she had attracted the attention of anv one. even, there was nobody to tell tales out of school. The law had no friends n the 1 ehigh valley. Schwander escaped unpunished.

Mr. Kcllev is the father of Mrs. Dr. Samuel W. Hricker, in Tiffin, now on a visit to his daughter, and the foregoing statement gives his words

William M'Kwkn

M\ father. William McFwen. was born in Pierwick. Pennsylvania. He went to Northampton county. Pennsylvania, to learn the trade of a blacksmith, and was married there to Sarah Johnson. We came here in the fall of 1 si!:! and brought with us one half ton of hay. which we made at New Haven. With this hay we kept four horses ami twocowsall winter. There was plenty of picking ill the woods all winter in lsi!.'!. Father entered the southwest quarter of section twenty-seven, in Clinton, and put up a cabin there and a blacksmith shop.

Feverett liradley settled on the southeast quarter of section twent) -eight. riu'ht west of us. Asa ('rocket built the first barn on that farm.

Cal. Williams lived north of us. on the place where old father Schuander lived and died, on the Morrison road, in section twenty-two. He \\as an old bachelor, had a do^ and cat. and all three took their meals together.

.JoM'ph I lerrin's fat her and mother, witli their families, came in ]siy,; the children were all single then, except Mrs. Hines: the rest were married here.

The first school house was built on the Bradley place, and Jonas I )oan tauirht it. Another log school house was put up northof the road and oppo- >ite the church on Rocks creek.

HiiLch Welsh settled on the Richardson farm and lived there when we came. Kinisides \\ ere al>o here before us and lived on sect ion twenty-eight.

We had to LJO clear to Columbus for lloiir. and cut our wav through the wood>. We li\ei| on milk and potatoes for a .n'ood while until we could do better. I iiM-d to plough \\ith a wooden mold-board and wore buckskin pantaloons.

\\ '.is aUo a C'linton townslnji iiioneer. He settled in the northwest - I'uirter of sertion twenty seven, about the time the M< I, wen family < ame here. He was then a voiin^ man but rec entl\ married. He. his wile and his wile's sister, who came w.tli them, ueic ail three ex (client singers. They all belonged to the l'resb\ teriati (h'irch. and \\ere ver\ ni< e. kind and ipiiet people. Mr. Mar>li USIM! to te.n h sin^ iii'4 si hooi and soon became verv popular in the nei^hlmriiood. lie st irted a >abbat h s< hool and a pra\ er meet in^ in t lu- \ : i ;ti,;\ and took a uri.U interest in < hnrch atlaifs ^eiieralls . NN'lu-n tlie firs! raiiroad from Sandusk\. b\ \\a\ ot Kep'ibla. was b«-in^ b'nil.he took a job of _radin^ a mile. iiKiudin.u the till o\er Willow (reek. 1 he ( oinpan\ tailed in makin.; pa\meiit as it was agreed, and Mr. Marsh broke ;ip. losing nearl\ all he had. lie let: and io< ated in Keiiton. ( >hio. uhere he re< uperated to some extent, and where he and his wile both died.

\fter whom the tort and Spencer's town were named, was present at the Lirc.it \\'lii^ celebration, at 1-ort Me:^s. in iS.jo. where a triend ot mine saw him for the last time. lie was si\ (eel h:^h. well propor tiotu-d his hair was ^ras and bnsh\ ; lie had a llorid complexion and wore side whiskers; he had ^ra\ eyes, thin lips. hea\ y taw. a load. < iear voice, talked sih.ihirly and lived with his fatnilv in Rich l^nd i onnty a! thai time. He was a pouertul man and \\alked \er\ t-rei t, I'.etoie his hair turned u;ra\ it \\as o| auburn < o!or. His entire make ap exhibited _;!eat Ion e ol < har.K ler and eiier_;\.

As already mentioned, the township was organi/.ed in June, 1820, and the first election was held on the 151!) of June, 1822. The population of Clinton, including Tiffin in 1X40, was J.K)^ ; in 1X50 it was 4,330; in

U'as one of the early settlers of Clinton. lie came in 1822, and settled in section thirty-one, where he owned eighty acres, and he also owned another eighty in Kden. These lands lie entered at the Delaware land office, anil immediately thereafter built his cabin in the woods. lie was a small man, less than medium si/.e. and compactly built. He was very industrious and honest, a good hunter and interesting talker. lie verified his hunting stories by his singular habitual expression of " bei der liebens." There was no meaning to it, but it was intended to fix the story beyond all question of doubt. lie spoke (ierman mostly.

Mr. Ditto was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, October 14. 1785. Me told the writer that he voted at the first election in Seneca county: he lived and died a Democrat. His wife's name is Kli/abeth, who is the daughter of Louis Kckhart. She was born June 13, 1795. and is still living, enjoying good health, on the old homestead, near the Mohawk road. They had eleven children, of whom two are still living, vi/: Mrs. Dtiliois and Mrs. Henrv Sheets.