Sandy Township (part 2 of 4)

The early settlers of Osnaburg were a Godfearing people, and at an early day religious societies were organized in the township, and religious services held at the people's cabins. Among the earl}' messengers of glad tidings was Rev. William Mitchell, a Methodist circuit rider, who preached in the neighborhood as early as 1812. Rev. Edward Otis was a Baptist minister, and preached once a month at Michael Engle's cabin. A church society was organized in 1820 by Rev. Mr. Weir, a Lutheran minister, and Rev. Mr. Faust, a German Reformed minister, with about twenty-five members. The first sermon by either of these denominations was preached in 1814, by Rev. Mr. Lambrick, a Lutheran, at the house of Mr. Minnich. As early as 1827 a Sunday school was organized in the neighborhood of Mapleton. Alexander Cameron was the first Methodist class-leader, and his class comprised four fiirailies. There are three church edifices in this township outside the villages. On Section 36 a German Lutheran and German Reformed Church are located, not half a dozen rods apart. The two denominations originally occupied the same church, but could not agree very well, and finally the German Reformed congregation sold tlieir interest to the Lutherans and built a new church in the immediate vicinity. It is a frame building and quite a tasty edifice, while the old building is a substantial brick. The Disciples have a church on Section 28, which was built some twenty or twenty-five years ago, and is a handsome frame, beautifullj' located on the brow of a hill, even as Solomon's Temple adorned the brow of Mount Moriah.

teacher of Osnaburg, and '-taught the young idea how to shoot " as early as the winter of 1818. Previous to that year, the few children in the township went to school on the Aultman place, in Canton Township. During the winter of Augustine's school, snow fell to the depth of three feet and lay on the ground for several weeks. A few days later, it rained and froze, forming a hard crust on the snow that would bear up a man. Jlany deer were caught by the school boys which were unable to make their wa}' through the deep snow witli much speed. Among their captives was a large buck, which they kept in a pen at the school house, but as he refused to eat they turned him loose again. William Hutchinson was an earlj' school teacher. Abraham Bair also taught as early as 1822. These were followed by teachers in different parts of the township, and as the country settled up schoolhouses were built in each neighborhood until the final development of the present school sjstem. From the last report of the Board of Education we extract the following statistics for Osnaburg. which are of interest ;

Almost the entire township of Osnaburg seems to be underlaid with coal, and a large number of mines opened, but hitherto, for the lack of facilities for transportation, they have not been developed to any great extent. Now, however, with a railroad passing through the township, a full development of this interest maj- be looked fiir. Sannu-l .Montijomery has recently sold his land at $200 an acre, and measures are being taken for mining coal on it. Several mines are already opened on this land, and every means will be used to facilitate the work of mining and sliipijing.

For the war of 1812, a little unpleasantness that took place some thirty years after the close of the Revolution, between the I'nited States and England, this township furnished a number of men. some of them volunteers, and some drafted men. The names of many of these old heroes have passed away with the heroes themselves. Among the few still remembered, however, are the names of Peter MeOane, Peter Moretz, Edward Strickland. Adam and Jacob Anderson, and Richard Byles, who went as a substitute of Jacob Kitt, the latter having been drafted. In the Indian wars of the earh' period many of them also parlici[>ated. Joseph Anderson, a brother to Adam and Jacob, mentioned above, fell at the battle of Tippecanoe, in 1811. Indeed. Osnaburg has ever been patriotic and true to the Government. In the war of the Rebellion, she did her duty, and turned out volunteers by the score, as will be seen in another chapter on the war historj- of the county, .\fter the close of the war of 1812, under the old militia law of the State, which continued in force for a number of years, all the able-bodied men between eigliteen and forty-live years of age were compelled to attend the regular military trainings, or general muster, as more commonly called, where they had to undergo military drill and inspection. The usual places of meeting of these troops of the " peace establishment," were at Canton, Kendal (now a part of Massillon), Loutzenheiser's (where Louisville now stands), and Osnaburg, These occasions drew out large crowds of the j'oung and old, male and female, for many miles around, and the sceni^s and incidents of the day - the parade, the sham battle, the personal encounters - were long afterward the subject of fireside gossip. As if by common consent, all sectional disputes and neighborhood quarrels were -readjusted" on these training days. Each party to a feud had their friends and backers, who were particularly careful to so engineer matters as to end the business with a tight. If the question was one of great importance (!). others became involved, and more fights followed, U> the great del('<tation of the crowd. It was on an occasion of this kind, that the tight occurred already alluded to in this chapter. But we will not dwell further upon this subject.

The first roads in Osnaburg 'i'ownship were the Indian trails. These were cut out l)v the settlers to suit their convenience, until public highways began to be ordered by the County Commissioners, The first of these was a road from Pekin to Congress Furnace, and was granted by the Commissioners in response to a petition of Samuel Mobley, in 1815. Other roads were made soon after, from different points, as necessity demanded theni for the benefit of the people. The roads of the township at the present day. while as good, in a general way, as those of any part of the county, yet, owing to the hilly nature of the country, are extremely crooked and zigzag in their course. After the settlement of the township by white people. Indians frciiuently made excursions into the neighborhood, hunting, but were friendly, and never known to do anj- harm to their white friends. They would often beg for something to eat, and what was given them they woukl either eat or carr\- awav. Tlieir village, or camping grounds, were west of the Tuscarawas River.

Osnaburg Township has two villages, viz.. the village of Osnaburg and the village of Mapletou. Osnaburg is an old place, and started out in its career with the laudable intention of becoming a great city, and with hopes shining brightly through the expectation of finally win ning the seat of justice of the new county all knew must soon be formed. It was supposed that the county would be formed around it as a natural consequence, and from the incipient city raj-s of W'isdom w'ould diverg(! and penetrate to the uttermost parts of the new district, I'nburdened with the weight of its lofty aspirations, for a time after its birth, it stood proud as Rome upon her seven hills, and serenely awaited its coming greatness. But at length the new county was created, and Osnaburg failed to be made its seat of justice. This was a severe blow to her anticipated greatness. Her aspirations withered prematurel}', and her the owl sings his watch-song in her towers." After three-quarters of a century, she is au insignificant village of a few hundred inhabitants, while Canton, "the beautiful city of the plain," wears the glory Osnahurg once fondly dreamed would l)e her own.

The village of Osnaburg was laid out in the latter part of 1806, bj' James Leeper, a native of Washington County, Pennsylvania, and one of the early settlers of tiie township. It is located on Section 8, and is about six miles east of Canton. Leeper erected a onestory log cabin, and in this limited edifice opened a hotel. His mode of keeping a tavern may he gathered from the persomd experience of one John Larwell, as he told it to a correspondent of the Canton Democrat: '- Larwell's house was at Fawcettstown (now East Liverpool), on the Ohio River. In March, 1807, he was sent with provisions to his brother, Joseph Larwell, then in (iovernment employ, surveying lands west of the Tuscarawas River. He went by an Indian trail leading from the Ohio River, crossing Sandy Creek near the mouth. Having heard of Osnaburg, he concluded to return that way, as the distance was about the same. Leaving the camp of his brother in the morning, he reached Osnaburg in the evening of the same day. Riding up to the most pretentious house of tiie village, Mr. Larwell halloed, and out came Leeper, the landlord. He inquired if he could stop with him overnight, and receiving an affirmative answer, he wished to know what accommodations he had for his horse. Leeper pointed to a beech tree that had just been cut down, saying that the horse could be tied to a top limb and feed upon the twigs. As there was not a stable in town, Mr. Larwell had no alternative but to submit to sucii accommodations for his jaded hor.se. The tavern was a log structure, the whole constituting a single room, wiiich was made to answer the purpose of kitchen, diningroom bed-room and sitting-room. The floor was of puncheons, and the chimney of sticks and mud. It had evidently been on fire at some time, as there was a considerable hole burnt through, near the ground. The supper consisted of a ' pone ' and fresh pork. While the pone was baking on the hearth, a pig came through the hole in the chimney, snatched up the pone and carried it out the same way he came in. Mrs. Leeper gave chase, recovered the pone, replaced it upon the griddle and watched it until the baking was completed. Mr. Larwell remarked that he enjoyed the supper, as it was seasoned with hunger, For a bed, he had his choice of the floor below, or on the loft. As the night was growing cold, he preferred the former, and with his feet toward the tire, his <;lothes on, and a bhinket, he had a tolerably co i fortable night. His breakfast was the same as his supper. Over a foot of snow fell during the night, to which his horse was exposed. For these limited accommodations, his bill was 75 cents."

Leeper is represented by those who knew him as a man of considerable energy and enterprise, and who worked industriously to build up his town. He was a good talker, and as ho kept the only tavern for many miles around, his house was the general stopping-place of those who came west in search of land, and he induced many to select homes in the vicinity of Osnaburg. He also induced many mechanics to settle in the village, and used ever}' exertion to promote the prosperity of the place. But the great evil that has wrecked so many lives was stealing upon him, as a thief in the night. He was of a social disposition, and in his zeal to build up a town, contracted the habit of drinking. His dissipation grew upon him, until in a case of delirium tremens he escaped from his house in the night, and was found the next morning in a pond, where he had drowned himself But for his dissipated habits, which made an unfavorable impression upon strangers, it is still believed by many that Osnaburg would have acquired such a start over Canton, which was not laid out until sometime after, as to have eventually made Osnaburg, and not Canton, the county seat of Stark County upon its organization. But the character of Mr. Wells, the origi-nal proprietor of Canton, and the influence he exerted in behalf of his town, more than overbalanced the start Osnaburg had in the race for the seat of justice.

The first store in Osnaburg was kept by one John McC'onnell, who opened a small stock of goods in 1807. He kept but a few articles, and these were such as were mostly in demand in a new countrj-. McConnell, according to the gossips of the town, was a man not of the highest moral rectitude. Some little indiscretions on his part excited such strong feelings of indignation against him as to necessitate his abrupt departure from the town, between the setting of tlie sun and tiie rising of tliat luminary. The next tavern in Osnal)urg after Leeper's was kept by William Nailor. Jacob Keplinger is note<l in both town and townsliip as a model landlord. The village at present contains two hotels, presenting to the traveling public good accomodations for a town of its size. An early institution in Osnaburg was a hatter shop, kept by Cpdegralf & .Mc(Juggin, who manufactured headpieces for the neighboring gentry. The present business of the village is as follows ; Two general stores ; two grocery stores ; two blacksmith and wagon shops: one harness-shop; one mill ; two hotels ; three churches, and an excellent school building. The mill was built about four years ago by Sheatsley & Stump, and is now owned by Sheatsiiy A; .\lillL'r. They have an excellent building, four run of bulirs, and do a large business. The mill originall}' cost about $15,000, and is still in a good state of preservation. The Connotton Valley IJailroad passes through the village, and has a comfortable depot and freight buildings. The churches are German Lutheran and Reformed, Albrights, or Evangelical, and Methodist. All have good church edifices and are well snpported. The schoolhouse is a spacious building, well furnished and adapted to school purposes. Osnaburg forms a special district, and the school is divided into three departments, but is ungradetl. Prof G. A. Wise is Principal ; Mr. DeHoflf", teacher of the intermediate department, and Miss Joetta Wliiteleather, teacher of the primary- department. The average attendance is about 150 pupils.

One of the most prominent business men ever connected with the historv of Osnaburg village was Christian Kountz. lie was for many years a successful merchant of the place, and an enterprising gentleman, who fostered every good work, and supported every enterprise for the benefit of the town. The following extract from a publication concerning him is appropriate in this connection ; - Mr. Kountz was born in Saxony, where he learned the trade of a lace weaver. He came to this country when a young man, and on hmding in New York, all the money he had was three kreutzers, about two cents of our money. He immediately sought work, but, unable to obtain employment at his trade, he engaged in anything that otlered. Having accumulated a few dollars, he was induced, by a fellow-countryman, to engage in peddling. With his limited means he commenced with a small bundle of notions ; then, with a pack which he carried upon his back, and finally he made a raise of a horse and wagon. He prospered, and in the course of time was advised, by a Pittsburgh merchant, to settle in some town and open a store. He located in Osnaburg about the year 1825. He was a man of strict integrity, would never himself, nor permit an employe to, take advantage of or deceive a customer. His wcjrd was as good as his bond, and he raised his family to the same principles of integrity, and to industry and economy. He accumulated a handsome fortune, and died in 186G, at the age of about seventy years. His sons have added to their inheritance, and are successful business men." Mapleton is a small place, and is located on Section 27, about a mile from the Connotton Valley Railroad. Its business consists of one store, one hotel, one grocery store, two shoeshops, two carpenter-shops, one blacksmith and one wagon shop, one post-oftice with dady mails by Connotton Valley Railroad at " Mapleton Crossing," one physician, a schoolhouse built in the summer of 1880, and two churches, viz.: Lutheran and Immannel's Church of the Evangelical Association. The latter was built in 18()7, and the former in 1855. Both are in a flourishing condition, with Sunday schools and good membership.

PLAIN TOWNSnil' - OUTLINE OF PHYSICAL FEATURES - VALUABLE STATISTICS FROM OLU RECORDS - LIST OF LANDHOLDERS OF 1828 - PIONEER IMPROVEMENTS AND INDUSTRIES - (iROWTH OF VILLA(iES. SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.

PLAIN TOWNSHIP was among the five that were created at the time the county was organized in 1809. It was a common thing, in earlj' years, for the townships to have within their jurisdiction a large scope of country, which, as time passed on, and the land became settled by scattering pioneers, was created, piece-meal, into separate townships. This was the case with Plain Township. On the l(ith of March, 1809, at the first meeting of the Countj' Commissioners, Plain was created, with the following boundaries : " Beginning at the northeast corner of the 12th Township, in the 8th Range ; thence south to the southeast corner of the 11th Township, in the 8th Range ; thence west with the township lines to the west boundary of the county ; thence north and east with the county line to the place of beginning." Whj' the township received the name it now bears in an unsolved question. It is said by .some that in one part was an open tract of land, or a plain, and the township derived its title from this circumstance. Other reports are that some of the first settlers were from a township in the East called Plain, and in remembrance of their old home bestowed that name upon the new township. The next historian may solve this mooted question. When the township was created by the Commissioners, they ordered an election of officers to be held at the residence of George Harter, on the first Monday in April, 1809. Pursuant to the order, the election was held, with the following result, as nearly as can be remembered, in the absence of the early records : James Gaff and George Wyke, Justices of the Peace ; Abraham Van Meter, Clerk ; Jacob Warshler, Treasurer, and Henry Friday, Constable. It must be understood that the territory within what was Plain Township then included the present Lake. Lawrence and Jackson Townships, in Stark County, and Green and Franklin Townships, in Summit County, in all, six townships. But, at that time, only a few settlers had yet located in any part of this territory, except the present Plain Township. The balance was an uninhabited wilderness, filled with fierce animals that attbrded rare and dangerous sport to those who were daring enough to hunt them. This class of men was not wanting among the first settlers. They had come into the forest prepared to bravely meet its dangers and hardships, and the mobile characteristic of human nature to derive pleasure from any and every surrounding asserted itself, and gave to the pioneer a comparatively happy lot. After they became accustomed to the trails of their surroundings, and inured to the loneliness and danger, backwoods life was not so bad after all. Question an old settler on this point and he will tell you that, although he had to work hard and deny himself many comforts, yet, after all, he enjoyed life firstrate. He had descovered the philosopher's stone - contentment.

The following is quoted from the historical sketches of Stark County by Dr. Slusser, of Canton : " The first white man who settled in Plain Township was Henry Friday. He was a Hessian, taken prisoner at the battle of Trenton and paroled. He had a wife and three children, and, in 1805, came in a rickety cart drawn by an old horse, to Section 30, where he " squatted." It being early in the summer, he cleared a small patch, which he planted in corn and potatoes, and until the crop matured, the family lived on wild meat and berries. His special occupation was that of well digging, but until he found employment in this line he cut and cured grass on the " wild meadows " in the southwestern section of the township, for which he found a ready sale to emigrants. He must have lived like a Digger Indian, for it is said that in tiio year in wliioli the locusts appeared, he had a pie made of them, which he ate ; and in speaking of it, he would remark, Es ist der besht poy es mer raaehe kan." After five or six years he moved to Jackson Township, where he died. Hugh Cunningham, an Irisiiinaii, came during the summer of 1805. and located in Section H4. His daughter, whose birth occurred the following year, was tiie first white child born in the township. It is said that when the draft for the war of 1812 oecnrred. he became so much alarmed that, to escape the service, he shot himself through the foot. During the autumn of 1805, (leorge and John Harter built their houses in the township, but the families remained at Be:iver until later, (ieorge Harter, the next year, brought with him two cows and a sow with eight pigs. The sow was kept in a pen for a short time, after which a bell was put on her. and sIk! was permitted to run in search of food. She had not gone far from the cabin when the family heard her ,squeal ; suspecting the trouble. 3Ir, Harter snatched up his rifle, which was always kept loaded, and made haste toward the locality from where the sound came, on his way ramming down a second bullet. He had not proceeded far when he discovered a huge bear dragging the sow by the back of the neck, through the bushes. The sound of his approach attracted the attention of the bear, which dropped the sow, stood up on its hind legs and looked fiercely at the ajjproaching settler. Harter took deliberate aim at the chest of the bear and fired ; the bear fell over, but as Hartiu- was suspicious that it might not be dead, and knowing that it would be dangerous to go within reach of the animal if it was only wounded, he re-loaded his rifle, and, approaching within a few rods, took careful aim and shot it through the head, when it turned over, gave a feelile kick, and was dead. The bears and wolves carried off all his pigs but two. He constructed a trap, in which several were caught, as was also, on one occasion, a large turkey buzzard."

Jacob Loutzenheiser, who afterward became inlluential and prominent in the township, arrived in 180(j, with several i)ack horses, and left his family for a short time with the Cunninghams. During the same year, there came in Valentine Weaver. Peter Dickerhoof Oeorge Bossier. George Hanev. 'leorge Miller. Simon

Essig. Ileni'v Warner, John and David Eby, (-onrad Buffncr. and, [jcrhaps, f)thers. About the same time, or soon afterward, came George, Jacob and Christian Werstler, and their father, Henry Werstler, Christopher Palmer, Jacob Shoniehergcr, Aliraham Van Meter, the Bairs, Spielmans, (iatts. Willemans, Everhards, David Cunningham, Jacob Hosier, and many others, Mr. Weaver's three eldest children were daughters, who went to work felling timber, cutting logs, splitting rails, plowing, sowing, reaping and threshing. It is said that Betsey Dicker hoof when the road between New Berlin and Green town was opened, took a contract to clear ten acres of timber for John W'ise, and completed the contract satisfactorily. What do the damsels of the present day think of that ?

Peter Willeman owned the land where the village of New Berlin now stands. After these dates the settlers came in rapidly, the most of them coming directly from the Keystone State. with but little or no money, but with an alnindance of self-reliance and unswerving determination to create a comfortable home in the wilderness. The land was pretty much all taken b\- 1815, at least all the better portions. In June. 1809, a tax was levied to meet the current expenses of the county. There were no roads, the best being but cut and corduroyed paths through the woods, the routes being established without any regard to section or township lines, but wholly through dry localities, winding around on the upper lands. So much annoyance was occasioned by poor roads, that the tax levied was designed to be used in improving and constructing liighways; and the record of the Commissioners, from beginning to end. especially in early years, is one continuous chain of roads viewed, created and altered, or improved. The tax on horses was 25 cents, but soon afterward other domestic animals were also rated as taxalile property. Jacob Sh(eneberger was the first Collector in Plain, and on the 15th of January. 1810. his tax duplicate showed that he had collected 5i:i2.20. George Miller, Collector for the following year, reported $1)2.05, which sum included his compensation. On the 5th of March, 1810, all the land then in Plain Township, west of the Tuscarawas River, was created, with other land, into a separate township. On the 8th of April, 1811, it was ordered by the Commissioners, that Township 12, Hange 8, Townships 11 and 12. Range fl, an(] all the remaining part of Townships 1 and 2. Range 10, be severed from Plain, and ereated a separate township called Green. Since that date. Plain has retained its present geographical boundaries. It has always been one of the most valuable townships in the county. On the 3d of December, 1810, the Commissioners ordered viewed a road that had been properly petitioned for, extending north from Canton as tar as the county line, and in a direction toward Ravenna. The Viewers were .John Shorb, Abraham (ralloway and William Williams. These men, assisted by (Jeorge Clark, Surveyor, completed the work, and reported favorably the following March, whereupon the Commissioners ordered the road to be laid out " forty feet wide, causewayed and finished so that travelers and carriages could pass. ' Several other roads, extending across the township, were soon afterward surveyed and put in [lassable condition. Henr^' Everliard was one of the early County ('oinmissioners, was County Collector in 1817, and occupied other positions of honor and trust. The citizens were generally industrious and saving, and several of them accumulated large fortunes, and their descendants are now reaping the benefits. The following list of land-hdlders, who were in the township in 182.S, is given to preserve the names of the early settlers, several of whom, however, left the township before that period : Frederick Albright, John Arnst. Joiin Andrews, Abraham Bair. Henry Hiitterliaugli. Daniel Bender, Abraham Barnhart, Jacob Ri'cher. David Brady, John Bair, Jacob Bair, Samuel Bair, Baltzer Bentzel, Jacob Beard, Jacob Bachtel, Samuel Coulter, Andrew Crist, William Coleman, Isaac Cairns, Phillip Duck, Jacob Dissler, Abraham Dissler, John Essig, Simon Essig, Adam Essig, Jacob Essig, George Essig. George Everhard, Henry Everhard, David Eby, Thomas Eby, Joseph Eby, John Past. Nicholas Firestone, John Feather, Jacob Funk, Jacob Gaskin (colored), James Gatt', Jeliu (Jrulil), Peter Grupe, Solomon Grogg, Jacob Hower, George Hower, John Hower, Ferninand Fluckstall, Jacob Hentzel, Michael Holtz, Peter Housel, Abraham Holm, Christopher Haney, George Hanej', William Hanej-, Jacob Hoy, Jacob Harter, Christian Hain, John Hall, Phillip Hollebaugh, James Harry, George A. Ilontz, George Hontz, Phillip Homan. Jacob Homan, William Hill, John Hains, John Harris, John D. Hacken, Thomas Hill, Jacob Kouser, John Kryden, John

The first thing to be done after arriving in the wilderness, was to provide food and shelter for the families. Trees were immediately felled, cut the desired length, and everything got in readiness for the raising, at which time the neighbors would come forward, and the building begun in the morning was often ready for the family the following night. Sometimes it was impossible to get the desired assistance, in which case the owner was obliged to resort to the tedious process of building his log cabin alone. To do this he must have a team, with which to draw the heavy logs, not only to the building, but upon it. The logs for the foundation were properly notched, and rolled to their places, after which strong skids were placed upon this frame-work and the ground, and then by means of long ropes or chains passing over the slowly rising structure, the logs, one 1)3' one, wore drawn up to their <lestiaed positions. This process often consumed more than a week, and often, in the meantime, the family were obliged to live either in the wagon, in tlie cabin of a neighbor, or in temporary buildings or wigwams constructed of poles, bark and blankets. As soon as tlie building was completed, the family were moved therein, and then the clearing mu.st go rapidly on, to prepare suitable lields for the coming crop. Then it was that a life of hard work aiul continuous privation was begun. A section of wooiiland, probably ten acres, sometimes fortj', was leveled with the ground, and the trees were felled in windrows with their tops together. After the desired butt cuts had been rolled out of the way, and the brani'hes had become suf ficiently dry to burn, the lire was lighted from heap to heap much the same waj- that a prairie fire is started. Nights were ollen selected for this work, and then the scene was spirited and grand indeetl. While watching the fire, the settler would split the preserved butt cuts into rails, to be used to inclose the field. Sometimes the settler went to work and leveled twenty or thirty acres with the ground, after which the neighbors were called in to roll the logs into heaps to be burned. These rollings were the principal means of bringing the settlers together, and the merriment always ran high, like the waves of the sea. The man who could do the most work was the hero of the occasion. If some circumstance occurred to interrupt their work, games were projected, wrestling matches were formed, or target practice was indulged in. A rolling without whiskj- was a sorry occasion, and, in fact, the settlers refused to assist unless they were supplied with this essential factor for a hard days work. Often some poor fellow would get too full (or fool) for utterance, when he would retire to some secluded spot to dream of bacchanalian bliss or blizzards, and to sleep ofi' the cHects of King Alcohol. It was usual for the women to assemble to do the cooking for this raft" of men, and their sport was scarcely inferior to that of the men.

The food was an important item to be taken into consideration among the earl}' settlers. There were no F)r. Tanners in those days; neither were there an}- dyspeptics ; l]Ut every person was possessed of a voracious appetite.

The digestive apparatus were equal to those of falcons ; but the possessors were often obliged to go hungry, and to fill themselves like anacondas when they were supplied with an abundance. Hundreds of hogs soon ran wild in the wo(xls, the great majority being without carmarks or any known owner. These were shot down whenever meat was desired, and the cabins were usually' supplied with pork, such as it was, which is saying a great deal. Large numbers of deer were iu the forest, and juicy venison steak was a common dish placed before the hungry settler. Venison, however, is dry and tasteless without plenty of grease, without which the meat is partially unpalatable. The flesh itself does not contain the necessar}' fat. Wild turkeys were numberless, and sometimes were so fat, it is said, that when they struck the ground, after being shot from the top of high trees, the skin upon their backs burst open like a ripe bean pod. Many wolves were in the forest, and were a great pest t(i those who tried to keep sheep. These tender animals had to be housed bv night and guarded by day, and even then the climate and other circumstances combined to kill them. When the county was first organized, the Commissioners offered a bounty of 5(1 cents for wolf and panther scalps of animals under six months old, and SI for those animals above that age. So Irouljlesoine were the animals that a year later the Commissioners doubled the Itouuty, and then it became profitable to hunt them. A skillful hunter would make better wages than a farmer. The streams and lakes abounded in musk-rats, minks, beavers and a few otter, and during the winter seasons large numbers of these were trapped, and the furs sent I'^ast, where there was a growing demand for them. Bears were numerous, and were very troublesome, as they boldly approached the cabins in the night, and somelimes in the day, and carried oti' hogs, calves, sheep, or other small domestic animals. A large one would seize an unfortunate Sits scrafa, and, despite its sipieals and struggles, carry it off into the forest, and the next day its indignant owner would find its partially consumed carcass, JIany interesting stories are told concerning adventures with bears and other fierce animals, a few of which will be narrated. It is related that one of the settlers in the northern part, on one occasion, went to CanUm for a few groceries, and. becoming belated, night over- took him shortly after he started for home. He was afoot and alone, with a bag containing his purchases on his bacli. It was a bitterly cold night in winter, and the snow covered the ground to the depth of some six inches. Tlie moon was shining brightly, and the icy wind sighed through the branches of the trees, and daslied the drifting snow into eddies through the forest glades. The traveler hurried on, anxious to reach the shelter of home. As lie was moving swiftl)' along the obscure path, he suddenlj^ heard a peculiar sniffing .sound at a short distance to one side, and a few moments later a large animal ran out of a clump of bushes, and bounded off at full speed through the woods, uttering a peculiar cry at ever jump. Mr. Willeman had no gun. but he knew that the animal was a pantlier, and althougli he was considerabh' scared, he hallooed at the top of his voice, and was still more scared when he discovered that the cries had ceased, and the panther was coming back toward him. The fierce animal took a circle out to leeward, and after sniffing and following the traveler for aliout half a mile, it finalh' veered off and was soon lost to sight and sound in the depths of the snow-clad forest. At another time, a part\' of settlers living in Osnaburg Township, started a large bear with their dogs, and, having chased it to near the Wise Mill in Plain, succeeded in disabling it. They came up with their dogs, and, knowing that the bear could not escape them, they rfcsolvetl to have some fun. They got long clubs, and circling around the wounded animal, would dash in and deal a severe blow, and tlien retire as suddenly as their safety demanded. The dogs were urged on, but the bear, frantic with pain and rage, soon settled them. One blow from a powerful paw was sufficient to either half-kill a venturesome dog, or prevent its second appearance on the scene. Finally, after the men became tired, tlic bear was dispatched by a bullet through the head. Prior to the war of 1812. bands of Indians wandered throuiih the woods, camping temporarily on the streams for the purpose of hunting and trapping. Many of the arts of the chase were learned from them by the wliite hunters. Within a few years after the township was first settled, industries began to spring up to furnish much needed articles nearer home. The township was supplied with excellent waterpower, for all the streams were about double the present size, although the flow of water is probably swifter at present. Two large streams flow across the township, the West Branch of the Nimishillen and the Middle Branch. The former enters the township from the north, and flows across Sections 5, 4, 9, l(i, 17, 20, 29 and 32, while the latter crosses Sections 1. 2, 11, 12, 14, 13, 23, 26. 27 and 34. The former has quite a large branch entering it from the west, and all these creeks and their branches furnish excellent drainage. The townsliip is not only a first class agricultural section of the county, but it has scarcely a rival for manufacturing facilities. It is underlain with exhaustless beds of fine coal, three or four mines being worked at present, though, from the fact that the railroads have been built within the last few j'ears, this valuable feature of the township is not yet fully developed. Time will bring a vast revenue to the owners of the soil. The soil in dif ferent places discloses fine sandstone and limestone, which have been quarried to a limited extent in past years. A fine article of lime has been burned, and is burned at present. Taking all these things into consideration - the strength of the soil for agricultural purposes, the abundant suppl3-of limestone and sandstone, the inexhaustible beds of bituminous coal, the fair water-power, and the healthfulness of the climatic features - the township is a pleasant and profitable place in which to live.

As earlj' as 1810, A. Van Meter built a saw and chopping mill in the township. The building was built of logs, and was divided into two apai'tments, one in which the sawing apparatus was placed being little better than a shed. A set of rough and coarse " nigger-head " stones was placed in the other, but the miller did not pretend to be able to furnish first-class flour and meal. He could grind the grains, after a fashion, and did for a short time ; but, owing to the weakness of the dam he had constructed, at the end of a year, a sudden freshet swept away his mill, and it was not afterward rebuilt. In the summer of 1811, G. A. Rex built a gristmill on Nimishillen Creek, water-power being secured in the usual manner, by means of a race. IMr. Rex was an enterprising man, and had some property at his command. He brought from Georgetown a set of fine French Ijuhrs, that cost the then very large amount of 1800. This set was placed in the mill, and so excellent was the flour and meal turned out, that the miller soon had all he could do. His mill became known for twenty or thirty miles around ; and as the owner saw his business steadily increase, he improved the water-power as much as possible, and almost doubled the capacity of his mill. Still he found plenty to do. A sawmill was built in connection with the gristmill, and was operated with water from tiie same dam. A few jears after this mill was built, Jacob Holm placed, in a small a[)arlment set ofl' for the purpose, a small stock of goods, the first ever olfered for sale in the township. They were probably not worth more than $2(10. He kept calicoes, a few groceries and notions, and some hardware, including axes. How long he continued is forgotten or unknown. In 1812, Henry Kverhard built a grist-mill on West Branch. This was located at a spot where the dam flooded considerable of the bottom, and where a small quantitj- of cranberries grew in early years. This mill became well patronized, and furnished a fair article of flour. A saw-mill was built and operated on the .same dam. Other mills were built prior to 1814, by David Wise, Conrad Iluflher and John Trump. Adam Wise, as some say, built a gristmill at Middle Branch, as early as 1S15. He also built a saw-mill at the same place. In about the year 1810, he opened a small store in his mill, and for a number of years conducted the combined pursuits. His mills and store became the central point, around which quite a section of country revolved, as it were. He succeeded in getting a post office (juite earl}', but for some reason unknown, did not lay out and plat a village, as he might have done to his pecuniary advantage. Nothing of the kind was done through the long lapse of years until the present. On the 2!tth of January, 1881, John I'onlius, the owner and proprietor of the land, had surveyed and platted the village of Middle Branch. Sixty lots were properh" laid out, by W. H. ^Martin, Count}- Surveyor, on parts of the northeast and southeast quarters of Section 2, Township 11, Range 8. This was done by reason of the presence of the Counotton Valley Railroad. A station was located at that point, whereujwn Mr. Pontius laid out the village, as stated, and ottered the lots for sale. In time, quite a little village will grow up at that point.

was an early tanner. In 1820, Abram Holm opened a tannery that he conducted quite extensively for many 3ears. It was located in the northeast corner of the township. John Bowers collected the tax in 1807, and reported with it to the Commissioners of Columbiana County, of which Stark then formed a part. The tax on (luartersections was then $1.75 ; it is now more than §80. It was customary in early years, when a pauper turned up in the township, to sell the keeping of the same to the lowest bidder ; one was thus sold. It is said that when Beclitcl, an earl}- Constable, was sworn in, he made the following exception to the form of the oath : -' To swear when he pleased, and to hunt on Sunday." Joseph Somcrs built and operated an early saw-mill. The land upon which the village of New Berlin now stands, was originally owned b}' Peter Williman. Who built the first house is as difficult to discover as a needle in a hay-stack ; both remain lost ; somebody, however, was guilty, as there was a first house built. That is a safe conclusion, at least, but that is about as far as conclusions can go and be logical and consistent. Probabilities are much more satisfactory on this point than conclusions, and will be iniUilged in. It is likel}- that a cabin was built there by some one as early as 1815, as the location was pleasant and desirable. At all events, in 1830, several families resided there, and it, about that time, dawned upon the minds of those in that vicinit}', that a village was about to spring up. The question was discussed, and the owners of the land flnall}- came to the conclusion to follow the example set by Romulus and Remus, sons of the war-god, Mars, some two thousand years before. John Hower was the owner and proprietor, and on the ISth of February, 1831, he employed Samuel Bechtel, surveyor, and laid out twentythree lots, the most of them being in the acute angle formed by the junction of .^larket and Portage streets. The lots were ottered for sale, and erelong the population had run up to fortjor fill}'. Long before that, however, the villagers had become clamorous for a store and post office, and a few years later, Josiah Sherrick (or perhaps Peter Schick) was induced to embark on the mercantile sea. He did not venture far from shore, however, as his stock of goods was worth only about $200. A few }-ears later he was succeeded bj' Peter Schick, who continued for quite a number of 3-ears, and kept a good country store, receiving a fair trade from the surrounding eountiy. It was probably through the instrumentality of Mr. Schick that the post otHce was secured, although this is not absolutely certain. Quite a number have, at various times, sold goods at New Berlin, among whom are Peter Brilhart, Emanuel p]nsminger, Samuel Witwer. Bechtol & Pierson, Mr. Young. John Hill, Daniel Holl, Bechtel & Brother, William Schick and George Sponseller, the present merchant, who has on hand nearly $10,000 worth of a general assortment of goods. He has a large and valuable trade, and is the present Postmaster. John Hower was the first blacksmith. Not long after the village was laid out, Peter Schick made considerable of an addition to it, and still later Samuel Schlott made another. These combined, furnished over a hundred excellent building lots. After this the village grew quite rapidly ; various other industries, besides those men tioned, sprang up through the medium of genius and necessity. The latter is the mother of invention, and no sooner is a want felt by the American people, than some means to meet it are devised. The world is filled with men who would be properly classed among the great, were it not for some flaw or blemish in their otherwise fair capabilities. One man will possess transcendent genius in some branch of human endeavor, but, lacking the power to apply it properly, he passes through life comparatively unknown, and his death is unsung by the wise and great of earth, fi. G. Nodle, of New Berlin, is a mechanic of rare powers, gifted with that peculiar cast of mind that can see, through necessity and want, the means of supplying them. He has invented several interesting and valuable mechanical contrivances. A numlier of years ago, he invented a valuable improvement on Lamb's knitting raachme, prepared his model and sent it to the Patent Otflce, but a short time afterward discovered that his patent had been entered by some other person. Whether another man had invented the same improvement a little earlier, is not yet determined, but Mr. Nodle thinks otherwise. He works in any metal, ivory, bone, stone or wood. He has lately invented a combination door-lock, that, for simplicity and value, is without a rival. In proper hands, a fortune could be made with it. Several other valuable inventions have been

In about the year 1807, Joel Stephens erected suitable buildings, and began the manufacture of various sorts of pottery, among which were crocks, jars, jugs, etc. The material was obtained near by, and,^fora number of years Mr. Stephens did extensive work, and under his management the industry was jirofitable to him, and a credit to the tillage. Some two years after starting, he sold out to Isaac Stripe, who dropped the potterj' business, and ventured in that of manufacturing tiles and sewer pipes. He employed one or two steady hands, and, at busy seasons of the year, several others. He discontinued the occupation in a short time. In 1865, William II. Hoover, who owned and conducted a tanner}', began manufactaring horse collars on an extensi\e scale. He had the means at his command for supplying all necessar}- materials at a small cost, and his sales at home and abroad soon placed him in the catalogue of wholesale manufacturers. His sales from tannery and factory reach the satisfactory amount of about $40,000 per annum. He employs from seven to ten laborers. This is, perhaps, the most extensive and important industry ever in the township. It is ecrtainlv a credit to New Berlin. In 1880, Peter Pierson & Son, with a capital of nearly $10,000. opened a lumberyard in the village. The piles of lumber give the place the aspect of a city. This firm keeps on hand an abundance of ready-made doors, windows and other materials necessarj' in the erection of buildings. They have both hard and soft woods, and are operating a saw mill in connection with their lumber yard.

Henry Hoover, as earlj- as 1820, erected a distillery in the township. He had the necessary apparatus for manufacturing considerable liquor. He owned a copper still, which held some twenty-five gallons, and succeeded in distilling about a barrel of whisky per day. He conducted the pursuit for many years, realizing fair pecuniary advantage therefrom ; but, at last, when the demand for strong drink at home had partially subsided, and larger distilleries in the county had captured his distant trade, finding that his time could be more profitably spent in other occupations, he closed his distillery, and retired from the now detested business. Samuel Cossler engaged in the same occupation about the time that Hoover began, erecting his buildings, and placing therein apparatus necessary for ttn'ninu; out wliisky at about the same rale as tlie Hoover distillery. He continued for a nuinher of years. Solomon Miller is distilling at present, and has been for many years, although not continuously. He distills about a barrel of* whisky every day the distillery is eondueti'd. and those in the township, who seem to know whereof tiioy speak, say it is a firstclass article. In the fall, when cider is al)undant, Mr. Miller distills a fine article of eider brandy. He finds a ready sale for his liquor, not only at home, but abroad. No otlier distilleries, so far as known, have ever been conducted in the township.

In the summer of 1880, Friah (iray erected a small building in New Berlin, and began the manufacture of cigars. Although not yet on a veiy extensive scale, his business is gradually assuming shape, and erelong will be a vakiable feature among the industries of the township. He furnishes labor for one employe, and his cigars are said to be superior in fdlings and wrappers. His cigars are greedily consumed by the delighted Berlinites.

Many other interesting items might be mentioned of tills village. The first tavern-keeper was John Howcr. who opened his building to tlie public before the village could be called such. He has been succeeded by Mrs. Shriner, Jacob Wolf. Jacol) Mohler. Cyrus Jlanderback, (ieorgc Wagner. John Cloud, Amos Johnson, Jacoii Hisncr. .Martin Aist. Harry Triesch, Daniel WingiM'. Jacob Bowers, (lerhart Leed, Cyrus Brady, the present landlord, Jacob ^I^lnderbaugh, William Pepple. Samuel Sloat and Michael Bitzer.

The first resident physician w.is |ir. Allen M. Weidler. After him were Drs. Peter Crum, Benbarger, Shancfelt and Young. The latter was succeeded by Dr. George Hollz, who began practicing in 1845, and has continued in the village ever since. It is scarcely necessary to add that he has an extended practice and the confidence of the citizens. If the writer is correcllj- informed, he is a graduate of the Cleveland .Medical College. Other physicians have tried to supplant him, but have signally failed. One day a young doctor went to .^lr. Picrson. and asked him if there was any chance for another doctor to work into a practice at the village. Mr. Pierson eyed the young man a few moments in silence, and then remarked :

" I'll say to you frankly, I don't believe tlierc is any ciiauce for yon whatever, because Dr. Holtz has the unlimited confidence of tlie people, charges veiy low for his work, and never collects what he charges." That commendation is enough to satisfy the most exacting. The Doctor lias served over twenty consecutive years a.s Justice of the Peace, often ngainst his expressed desire, although he never refused to serve when elected. It is said that his judgments are rarely reversed, and but low appeals are taken from his decisions.

The first tanner in the village was Peter Brilhardt. He was followed in the same occupation by Jacob Mohler, John Lind. and tlie present one, W. H. Hoover.

Frank Shields is the villagi^ butcher. lie adopts the now common method of conveying his meat to the residences of his patrons. He buys and ships considerable live stock.

This concludes the brief history of the village of New Berlin, with the exception of noting that a station on the Valley Railroad is located about a mile west, and that the village has a population of about 400.

.\brain Stevens, who had enliisted with Aaron Burr in bis expedition to the Southwest, and had embarked down the Ohio in a flat-boat, became dissatisfied with the prospect ahead, and. abandoning the enterprise at Steubenville. he started westward, and, in ]8f)7, arrived in Stark County. During the summer or fall of th(^ same year, a log .schoolhouse had been built by the settlers in the southern part of the township, and located on the farm of James Caft'. Stevens was employed to teach school in this house either during tlie fall or winter of the year 18(17. This is said to have been the first term of school taught in Stark County. But little is rcinembeied of it. except that quite a number of young men attended, and wen! in the habit of carrying their guns to school with them in ho|)es of being able to bring down a deer or other animal, either going or returning. The hours of intermission were often spent in seeing who were the liest marksmen. Children in the backwoods were extremely backward in their studies. Young men over twenty-one years did not know as much about their books then as children of the present do at the age of ten. What little booklearning the pioneer children received was obtained in the face of extreme discouragement. Dwellings were the first schoolhouses, and fathers were the first teachers. Often one book served the whole family, or perhaps several families. The letters which the small children learned had been pricked through paper with a pin, and to decipher them the child was obliged to hold the paper between himself and the window (if the schoolhouse had such an aperture). It is stated that some of the children in Plain Township went to school all winter during a number of the earlj' j'ears with no covering to their feet, their phalanges became covered with a thick, tough skin, that enabled the children to withstand, in a measure, the snow and cold. When the cold was too severe, the children would take a small piece of hard board, heat it extremely hot at the fire-place, and then, with this in their hand, would start on the run toward the schoolhouse. When their feet could bear the cold no longer, the hot board was placed upon the ground, and upon this the children stood until their feet had, in a measure, been warmed, after which they took up their " portable stove," and again started on the run toward the schoolhouse. This performance was repeated as often as necessar}' until the schoolhouse was reached. It is said that nineteen scholars wei-e in attendance at Mr. Stevens' school. Some state that this building was not a schoolhouse but was a log dwelling that had been abandoned bj' the owner, and converted to the uses of education. Stevens is said to have been a large man, with red face and reddish whiskers, and nose of sutflcient size to answer all requirements. He was in the habit of participating in the games on the playground, and, in wrestling, could throw down any young man who came to school to iiim. His commands in the schoolroom were obeyed without question. He was a kind teacher and competent instructor.

Much of the early school history is forgotten. It is certain that in about the year 1815, there were four on more schools in session in the township, and before this time, several school districts had been created. The entire township was at first divided into two unequal districts. This was due to the fact that two distinct neighborhoods, separated by a distance too great to be traversed by the scholars, had separate schools. As the settlements widened, and the township became more densely populated, these districts were divided and subdivided, until tlie present number was reached. It is doubted whether any other township in the county, except, perhaps. Canton, can show as early and extensive a -division into school districts. A log schoolhouse was built south of New Berlin before the year 1820. In about the year 1835, the first one was built in the village. It was a log building that was afterward weather- boarded, and is now used as the residence of John Kolp. This building was used for school purposes some eight or ten years, when a fratne was erected to take its place. The frame is now used as a blacksmith-shop, by Henry Kloss. lu 18t)7, the present schoolhouse - a brick - was built. The school is graded, two teachers being emylo>ed during the winters, and one during the summers. The country schools are well conducted, and well attended. Log schoolhouses were the first on the programme ; but these, after being used from five to fifteen years, were replaced with small frame structures that have been succeeded by several others since, each an improvement on the one preceding it. The following is a statement of the receipts and disbursements of the school funds of Plain Township for the year ending August 31, 1880:

The following table shows the number of school districts in the township, the sections upon which the houses sbinil, the size of the lots in acres tinil hundredths of an acre, and the total value of the school property, census 1880 :

Number Of

The Lutherans and German Reformers were the first religious sects to organize in the township. In the fall of 1800, Eider Stough held a meeting in the house of Jat;(jb Loutzeuheiser, and here the seed was first sown that has produced so abundantly and well. The first church was built in about the year 1800, by the combined societies, on the land of Henry Warstler, and was named in honor of this man " Henry's Church," a name that yet clings to it like a vine of ivy. Religious services were held here alternately bj- Rev. Benjamin Foust, of the German Reformed society, and Rev. Anthony Weycr, of the Lutheran. A constitution was framed and was signed by the following persons : Christopher Warstler, Michael Holtz, Jacob WarstU^r, Peter Troxel, Abraham Miller, Christopher Hetmig. Nicholas Schneider, Christopher Beard, John Holtz, I'etcr Schneider, Mathias Bauer, John Ringer, John Holm, John Everhard, John Stickler, George Wertenberger, George Smith, Conrad Ruffner, Antonius Weyer, Christian Krum, Adam Werner, Adam Essig, Jacob Schneider, Jacob Essig, Michael Holtz, Jr., George Beard, Henry Warstler, Jacob Lam,

George Greasemor, Philip Hollenback and Adam Schmit. After a number of years, the two sects separating, the Reformers built a church in the norllicrn part, and the Lutherans retained the old church. These societies are yet in existence, and eacli has had one or more churches. Rev. Stough was a missionary, who lived at New Jjisbon, and traveled over large sections of country on his parochial visits. Many of the societies now numerically great and in excellent condition were organized b^' this good man. The " Zion Church " was first built about the 3ear 1812. The building was a rough affair, and never completed. Tlie Catholics of New Berlin built their -' St. Paul's Church '' about forty years ago, at a cost of some $1,200. It is yet in use, and has a membership of some thirty-live families. A Union Church was built in the village not far from the same time. Some twelve years ago, the present brick was erected at a cost of about $1,000. In 1880, the German Reformers built a fine new brick church in the village. It is the largest and costliest church in the township. Its estimated cost is $H,000, over half of which was paid b}- John Sheets, who may be considered its patron and founder. It will thus be seen that the village and township are well supplied with religious institutions. From tlie following table maj- be learned the names of the churches, their location, the number of acres in the church lots or cemeteries and the value of the church property :

PARI8 TOWNSHIP - DESCRIPTIVE AND TOPOGRAPHICAL - SETTLEMENT I!V THE WHITESANIi INriDEXTS - EARLY IMl'ROVEMENTS- ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSniP - EDrr\TIONAL - VILLAGES,

PARIS TOWNSHIP was originally a part of Osiiabiirsf, and so remained until 1818, when it was set off bj' order of the County Commissioners, and became a separate and independent township. Although of more recent organization than Osnaburg. yet its history dates back to a period quite as remote as the latter, and embraces much that is equally as interesting. The first decade of its occupation by the whites, its history and that of Osnaburg were very similar, in fact the same, as both were tnider the same civil organization. The surface features are also much the same. Paris, perhaps, comprising a little more level land than Osnaburg. Tiie larger portion of it. however, is rolling, and in places even hilly. It is a fine agricultural region, notwithstanding the rough surface, the hills, where cultivated, producing excellent crops. Corn and wheat are extensively cultivated, and considerable attention paid to grazing and stock raising. The land is well drained by Black Streain - so-called from the dark color of its waters - Hngle's Run, Sandy Creek and their branches, with a few other little streams that are nameless on the maps. The timber consists of oak, hickory, maple, beech, elm, etc., with a little walnut and poplar. The township is bounded north by Washington Township, east by Columbiana County, .south by Carroll County, west by Osnaburg Township, and by the census of 1880 had 2,720 population. The Connotton Valley narrow-gauge and the Tuscarawas Branch of the Cleveland, Pittsburgh & Wheeling Railroads pass through its territory, also the projected line of the Steubenville, Canton & Cleveland Railroad. Plenty of coal may be found, and that near the surface, costing but little trouble or labor to mine it.

So far as our researches have gone, the first settlement made in what is now Paris Township by a white man was by Rudolph Bair, in the fall of 180(). He is prominently mentioned in the history of Osnaburg Township, as his residence was in that division of the county, until the formation of Paris Township. He was a man of considerable native intelligence, and verv prominent in the early history of the country. He was a native of York County, Penn., and when grown to manhood came to Ohio, and located in Columbiana County, which was then a part of Jefferson, and comprised a large district of country. Ohio was still a Territory, and had but few settlers within its limits. A biographer of Mr. Bair thus speaks of him : "Rudolph Bair, Sr., generally called Rudy' Bair, was a man of more than ordinary ability. Though his education was limited, his natural endowments were above the average. He had a liberal share of good common sense, a qualification not acquired at college. Such confidence had the community in his judgment, and disposition to do right between man and man, that he was a very general referee to settle questions of diflference that will occur between individuals, and from his decision no appeal was taken. He was a member of the (rerraan Reformed Church, and his daily life was consistent with his religious profession. Though known as a farmer, his business was more particularly that of a land speculator. To accommodate emigrants of limited means, he often sold land on long time payments, and though these were not always met when due. he was never known to oppress delinquents."

Mr. Bair was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1802. that framed the first State Constitution. Says a writer, commenting upon the subject : That Convention completed the work for which they had assembled in fucn/i/- iiiur diii/s, an example of industry and faithfulness contrasted with the disposition of many of our officials of the present day." It has been a j subject of Irequent remark in tliese hitter days tiiat the race of men who can dispatch public business as expeditiouslj' as thd the members of the first State Constitutional Convention of Ohio are rapidl}' becoming extinct. The more is the pity! Mr. Bair was an early Justice of the Peace in Stark County, when his jurisdiction extended over half the State of Ohio, and his decisions are said to have been models of justice and equity. He was also a member of the State Legislature when the State Capitol was at Chillicotiie. There arc traditions of great speeches made b}- him before this august bod_v. rivaling, in eloquence and wisdom, Cicero's appeals in the Roman Senate ; but those who knew him best are disposed to be somewhat skcjitical on the subject, and to consider his speeches in the legislative halls of the State about as apocryphal as the story of George Washington and his little hatchet.

A communication published in the Canton Dtinociat has the following of Paidolph Hair, which is of interest, as being a part of the early history of the township: '- Tn the summer of 1800, Rudolph Bair and his brother Christopher made a trip on horseback through the castciii porti(jn of Stark County (what is now Stark;, with the view of selecting land to enter. They confined their explorations along each side of what is now known as State Road, at that time a mere bridle path; They selected a number of quarter-sections in Paris and Osnaburg Townships, which the}- entered in the land office at Steubenville. Among the number was the south half of Section 5, now owned by the Mayer heirs. On this place Rudolph Bair settled in the fall of the same year. He built a cabin into which he moved, with all his household goods, before the floor was laid or a door hung. As a substitute for the latter, a quilt was suspended at the opening from wooden pins. In this rude shanty the wife was left alone, with her voung babe, several days and nights, while her husliand returned to Columbiana County for supplies. There were Indians encamped on the creek a short distance below, just where the State Road crosses the creek ; but there were no white persons nearer than Osnaburg, five miles distant. At night the wolves came howling around the cabin, and, in order to frighten them ofl', she would throw out chunks of fire, which had the eflFect to keep the wolves at a respectful distance. Thus she spent the time until her husband's return. " Mr. Bair died in 1820, and lii-s buried in the graveyard he laid out, and which he donated to the town of Paris. There was a walnut slab placed at the spot to mark his grave, but it has long since raoldered into dust, and there is nothing now by which the place may be identified. No marble column, with its mock dignity-, points to the spot where the old pioneer calmly sleeps. Biquicscat injxia'. The next family to settle in Paris Township was that of George Tliumau, in 180S. He came from Bucks County, I'ennsylvania, and settled upon the northwest quarter of Section PJ, where he opened a farm and lived for mans" years. Mr. Deweese located on Section ](! the same year, and proceeded to clear up a farm. Samuel Deweese, a son of his, used to tell of going to Slusser's to mill, on the Nimishillen. and carrying a bushel of corn on the back of a bull, which served him in the place of a horse. Such a performance would present a rather no\el appearance at the present day. and atlbrd unbounded amusement to the small boys of the community. He used, also, to go to Yellow Creek for a bushel of salt, for which he paid the moderate sum of < ii/hf i/ollon^. It wasn't the day of war prices, either, but the times which " stirred men's souls," or their industry and energy, to enable them to make a living. Jasper Daniels, John Byers, Jacob Thoman and John Augustine came into the township in 1809, and made settlements. Augustine is represented as a prominent citizen, who was well known throughout the county, and one who possessed energy and enterprise, which was zealously used for the improvement and development of the community in which he live<l. He served as SherilT of the county for two terms - from 18:^0 to 182-1 - and State Senator eight years in succession - from 1824 to 1832 Conrad Ilenning came to Paris Township in 1811. He was from Pennsylvania, and upon his removal to this place, he bought of Mr. Bair 100 acres of laud in the southwest quarter of Section 4, for which he paid $200. He and his good wife proved very inqKjrtant personages in tlie little community - he as the first blacksmith, and she as a midwife. In this branch of medical practice she was eminently successful, it is said, as during a period of thirty years or more, in which she attended more than five

In addition to the pioneers of Paris Townsliip already named, the following parties rank among the early settlers : John and Zadock Welker; Peter Musser, who was a great fighter and neighliorhood bully; John and William Mclnderfer. Adam Shiill. John Thomas, George Crowl. two men of tlie name of Fulton and Scovey, Michael Stonehill, Daniel Shively, Samuel Neidigh, John Cameron, Vance, and Pipher, and Jacob Ha3man. The following incident is related of Hayman : He was returning home one evening from a house-raising, when he met with a bear that had been wounded liy a rille shot. His courage, stimulated by the whisky he liad drank at the raising, and armed with an ax, he gave Bruin battle, under the determinatiorf of taking his scalp home, as a trophy to his frau. Advancing upon the bear, with his ax uplifted, intending to cleave his skull, his arm was rather unsteady, and the blow proved ineffectual. Bruin concluded to take a hand in the melee, and grappled with Ha\man, who, before he could extricate himself from the clutches of the bear, had nearly all his clothes torn ofl', and was severely wounded. When he did succeed iu getting away, he discovered that his desire to carry him home as a trophy had vanished, and that he felt like giving him a wide berth. Of the other settlers mentioned, little niaj- be said, beyond the fact that they moved into the township, entered land, and opened up farms. Most, if not all, the settlers mentioned came in previous to the war of 1812. After the close of the war, and the establishment of peace, an influx of immigration set into this section of the State, and people poured into Paris Township so rapidly that it is impossible to keep trace of them, or to notice, individually, the settlement of each family.

The day of the pioneer is gone - the period in which he lived has passed away. A local writer, moralizing on his day and generation, thus speaks of him : " We may now regard him as a soldier in the cause of human advancement, whose battles have been fought and won, and he may well look back in surprise at the wonderful social and material results that have followed in his wake. The shifting sands of time have covered his footsteps, but the solid and substantial foundation laid by the pioneer for the social structure of the West will endure."

Modern inventions have followed the old-time implements and tools used by the pioneer fifty or seventy-five years ago - ux wagons, wooden plows, the '- reap-hook," the scathe and cradle, wooden-tooth harrows, and all such antique utensils, have, in the slang of the period, "played out," and in their stead the farmer has plows that will almost turn the soil without any motive power ; reapers that cut and bind the grain as they go, and in place of the patient ox and lumbering wagon, they have the locomotive engine and the rushing railroad train. As we contemplate these gigantic strides in the march of impi'ovement and progress, what may we not expect in the next fifty years to come? Is it not possible that we shall then fly through the air in our pleasure cars, as we now fly over the country- at the heels of the iron horse ?

During the earh" years of the settlement in Paris Township the inhabitants were compelled to make extensive journeys to get their grain ground. To go twenty or thirty miles through unbroken forests was no small undertaking, and as each grist was ground in the order of its reception at the mill, the trip often consumed days of valuable time. These disadvantages and inconveniences originated many " wajs and means " of providing meal for family use. It is said that -' neeessitj- is the mother of invention," and the straits in which the pioneer often found himself led to manyrude modes and expedients to enable him to get along at all. One of his inventions was the '- stump mortar, ' which was made b3' burning a cavity in the top of a stump. A spring pole was then arranged, to the end of which the pestle was attached, when the mechanism of the primitive - flouring establishment " was complete. The unfortunate individual who furnished the motive power for this rude appliance realized the Scriptural injunction, '- In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." Other modes resorted to were the cofl'ee-mill and the grater. At last, when a little mill was built in Osnaburg by Jacob Kitt, which was operated by oxen on a tread wheel," it was considered a great benefit to the community, and Kitt as a benefactor of his kind. The first grist-mill built in what is now the township of Paris was built by Rudolph Bair, on Black Stream, about the year 1814-15. It was a two-story frame building, with two run of buhrs. The history of this mill is somewhat eventful. It passed int<^) possession of Daniel IJair. upon tlie death of his father, and at his death to Benjamin Koop, who sold it to John P. Myers. The water supply, never verj- strong, finally failed, and the mill was ai)andoned and a steam mill erected near by. which a few years later was sold by Myers to a man named Oreiner, who eventually removed it to Strasburg. Bair also built a saw-mill on Black Stream, a few j-ears before erecting the mill just described. A grist-mill and saw-mill were built in 1.S20, by John Whiteacre, which were for years known as the " Whiteacre Mills." He also kept a distillery in connection, which furnished fighting whisky to the surrounding population. Other mills were built in adjoining neighborhoods, and the troulde of the early settler in this direction was forever removed. Peter Oyster opened a tanyard, the first in the township. It was a small affair, but found of considerable convenience to the community at that early day.

Paris Township has excellent railroad communication, as it is tapped b}' two already completed lines, with a flattering prospect of another. The roads, which are mentioned in the opening of this chapter, have l)een of great benefit to the township, and brings the best markets of the country to the vcrj* doors of the people. The old Sandy and Beaver Canal also passed through Paris. It was built during the great "internal improvement ' fever, and extended from (ilasgow. on the Ohio River, to Bolivar, in Tuscarawas County, and on the Ohio Canal. It was abandoned some thirty years ago, but still remains as a part of the drainage system of the country through which it passes.

Much of the early history of Paris Township is very closelv connected with the little village of Paris, laid out in an early da\', and will be given under that head. The first religious meetings were held then; and the first church organized there, also the first store and first post ottice were kept within its limits, together with many other items of interest that occurred in that immediate vicinity, which will be mentioned in their places.

As stated in the begiiming of this chapter, Paris Township was originally a part of Osnaburg. It was organized into an independent township, on the 1st of April, 1818, At a meeting of the Countv Commissioners, who were then composed of John Sluss, William Alban and John Saxton. held on that day, the records show that '- Rudolph Bair presented a petition for the incorporation of a new township, by the name of - Paris.' now a part of Osnabnrg. signed by himself and otiiers, and that the election of township otlicers be held on the list inst.. at the town of Paris, in said township." At the election referred to. Thomas Dewcese and Samuel Bosserman were elected Justices of the Peace. The following incident is related of Bosserman. one of those early representatives of the law. He accepted his commission with considerable misgiving as to his ability to discharge the duties, and his first case, it is said, so - befuddled ' his mind that he resigned the otlice in disgust. As no one else could be found in the township willing to accept it, Daniel Burgert. a resident of Osnaburg Township, agreed to remove into Paris on condition that thev would elect him, which agreoniPMt was faitlifnlly carried out, and Mr. Burgert clothed formally with the dignity of office. As the early records of the township are destroyed, any further roster of the early officers is not to be obtained. I'revious to the formation of Paris Township, its (Mtizens voted at Osnaburg, but this movement brought the war into Africa, or, in other words, gave them a voting place of their own. The township has furnished its quota of talent for engineering the aflairs of the county. Its first public servant was (ren. John Augustine, who was elected Sherifl'in 1820 and served until 1824, when he was elected, to the State Senate, in which body he served eight years. Rudolplius Martin served as a IJepresentative one term ; Arnold Lynch, RccoriUa- three terms, from 18H7 to 18-13 ; Isaiah Kstep, (Jommissioner one term, and John W, Oreenwood was appointed Associate Judge of Common Pleas Court, in 1812, serving seven years. Thus it will be seen that Paris has furnished some of the brains of the county, as well as a good deal of the l)one and sinew.

Of the first births, deaths and marriages, wc have hut little record or data from which to glean information, Thomas Deweese, Jr., a son of one of the early settlers, was born in Feb ruary, 1808, and is supposed to have been the first-born of what is now Paris Townshi)). The cabin in which his father's family then lived was neither 'chinked" nor "daulicd," noi- had it any floor, except mother Earth. Such were some of the hardships of pioneer lite. The flrst couple to embark in a matrimonial venture was John Bair and Catharine Henning. Since the soleranizatioii of their nuptials, man}' have gone and done likewise. Of the flrst death we were unable to obtain any information.

The flrst physician was Dr. Robert Estep, who came from Pennsylvania, and settled in Paris in 181S. The following is related of him : - He had served an apprenticeship as a silversmith, but soon abandoned the business, for the study of medicine, for which he exhibited more than ordinary aptitude. Thrown upon liis own resources for pecuniary aid. he was uual)le to attend medical lecturer, but, lilce the majority of practitioners of that day, in the West, set up in the business without having obtained the decree of M. D. He very soon aequii-ed quite a reputation, not only as a successful practitioner, but as a bold and skillful operator in surgery. Twice he perfi^rmctl the Cesarean section, the only physician in the county who ever attempted tlie operation. He left in 1834, removing to Canton, and was succeeded by Dr. Preston.

Conrad Henning was the first blacksmith in tlie township, and was here as early as 1811. For several years be did all the work in this line for the entire communitj-.

During the war of 1812, many of the al)lc- Iwdied male citizens of Paris volunteered, or were drafted into the service. Among them were Samuel and Jacob Thoraan, and Jacob Augustine. While Augustine was at Detroit, there was a call for volunteers to go on a perilous expedition to Mackinaw, and he was the first to offer his services. He assisted in building the fort at that place, and was in an engagement with the English forces, August 14, 1814, under Col. (Jolgrove. His immediate commander was Maj. Holler, of Columbiana County.* These citizen soldiers participated in many of the battles of the war. and, in all, acquitted themselves with credit. The township has always lieen patriotic to the core. Tn the great rebellion its record is glorious, and worthy the great State, of which it is a part. During the existence of the old Militia Law of the State all able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, were compelled to turn out on certain days to " muster." Paris supported a fine company of this '- cornstalk " militia, who always participated in the general musters, and received many merited compliments for their fine appearance and excellent discipline. Their officers were John Unkefer, Captain ; David Unkefer, Lieutenant, and John Henning, Ensign.

The cause of education received the attention of the people of Paris in an earl}- period of its history. The first school in the township of which we have any account, was taught in the winter of 1810-11, by Thomas Deweese, in a log house of Jasper Daniel's, his fatherin-law. The next school was taught by Conrad Henning. in a building put up especially for school purposes, and was the flrst temple of learning erected in the township. It stood on Section 4, on land owned by Jacob Motts, and was of the regular pioneer pattern, viz., log structure, clap-board roof, stick chimney, puncheon or slab floor, greased-paper windows, etc., etc. Rapid strides have been made in advancing the cause of learning in the last flfty or sixty years, as the following statistics from the Board of Education will show :

The following incident, which occurred in this township, may be read with some interest, and is from a communication recently published in the Canton Repoaitorij: "A very sin- gular circumstance occurred in Paris Township not man}' years ago. tliat should be mentioned. .Mr. Carr and wife, of Wa3ne County, were traveling in a one-horse buggy, east on the State Koad. It was in summer, and on a still day ; not a breath of air stirring. A short distance beyond the town of Paris, as they were passing a dead tree standing by the roadside, it fell, without warning, directly across the buggy, crushing the vehicle and both occupants lo the earth, killing them instantlj'. The horse l)r<)ke away, was caught by a neighbor who happened to be on the road, taken back, and the couple found as described ; though yet warm, there were no signs of life. A sad ending of an anticipated pleasure trip. The melancholy event created quite a sensation in the neighborhood, and was the subject of comment and speculation for a long time after." In the midst of life we are in death,'' and the ways of Provuience are inscrutable.

The township of I'aris is well supplied with villages, but all of them put together would scarcely make a respectable town in point of population. The village of Paris was the first projected city, and dates its origin back only xi.tty-nglit years. It is located on the northcast corner of Section 8, and is supposed to have been laid out by Rudolph Bair, December 22. 1813. It was surveyed and duly platted b\- Daniel L. McClure, July 1, 18113, and recorded in the Recorder's ollice the September following. The State road passed through it, or by it, which gave it considerable prominence, as that road was then the great thoroughfare of travel through the country. The stages that ran over the State road changed horses here, which further contributed to its notoriety. The first tavern in the place was kept bj'one JohnUnkefer, who is 1 described as a jolly, good fellow, and as belong- I ing to that class of landlords who could spin a I good yarn and furnish a square meal, which gave his house, as well as the town, a widespread reputation. He kept the stage stand, and while the horses were being changed, the passengers were fed by the hospitable landlord. .\bout stage time, everybody- gathered around the door of the old log tavern to see the stage come in, just as the boys of the present day gather at the railroad depot at train time to disgust decent people, in trying to see who can swear the biggest oaths, chew the most tobacco, squirt the greatest quantity of tobacco juice anil use the most ol)sceue language. As the stage rattled up with the " blowing of the horn and the prancing of the steeds, ' the people stood round, open-mouthed, read3' to pick up any stray scrap of news from the outside world. The first store in the town was kept by Samuel Putnam. His stock would, at the present time, be considered rather limited, but the wants of the people were confined to a few actual necessaries. Had their desires extended beyond this, they had not the means to indulge them, as money was scarce and not easily attainable. I'utnam finally sold his stock and good-will to Robert Alexander. A man named Daniel Burgert, mentioned elsewhere as one of the early Justices of the Peace, engaged next in the mercantile business. lie carried on an extensive traile and did a considerable business, dealing largely in horses and cattle. He was the first Postmaster of the town, and as such was commissioned August 12, 1822. The fate of Mr. Burgert was involved in some mystery, and is thus related by those who are familiar with the circumstances: "It was in 1833, that, having some business in Steubenville, he started to go there on horseback. The next morning, after leaving home, he was found dead in a saw-mill race in Jefl'erson County. The supposition of many was, that during the night, which was very dark, he had mistaken the mill for the bridge, and was killed in falling off. By others, he was believed to have been robbed and murderetl, as it was wellknown that he frequently carried large sums of money on his person. The mystery remains unsolved to the present day."

After the laying-out of Paris by Mr. Bair, his next move was to lind a name worthy of the town whose foundation he had just laid. He chose the name of I'aris, but wherefore, we are unable to saj- ; whether it was for Paris, the son of Priam, who.se judgment on Mount Ida, in favor of the beauty of \'enus, obtained for him the promise of Helen, whom he afterward carried oft' from the house of her husband, thereby involving Troy in tlames, or whether for Paris, the beautiful city of the plain, the great metropolis of the fashionable world, or whether in the eternal fitness of things'' all objects must have a name, is now unknown and of little moment to the reader. It was christened Paris, and by that name it is still called. Shortly after the town was jilatted, Bair donated two acres of land within its limits to the German Reformed and Lutheran Congregations for a church and cemetery. Upon this lot a log building was erected at a very early day, and used both as a schoolhouse and a church, and in it John Augustine taught the first school. Among the first ministers who preached in it were the Revs. Mahuesmith and ITewett, who were itinerants. Revs. Weir and Faust, from Canton, were the first regular preachers. A cemetery was laid out adjoining the church, in which a child of Robert Stewart was the first burial. The old log church lias been replaced by one in keeping with the time, and the cemeter}' has become rather densely populated. The Presbyterian denomination occupy the Lutheran Church, and the Methodists have a church of their own, which was built in 1873. The present business outlook of Paris is two dry goods stores, one drug store, one provision store, two hotels, one wagon and carriage factory, one wagon ta< tory, two paint shops, two harness shops, three boot and shoe shops, two blacksmith sliops, one meat market, one planing mill (built in 1880), one saw mill, one grist mill, one vinegar factory, etc., etc.

Minerva is the largest village in the township. It is in the southeast corner, on Section 36, and lies about one-third in Carroll County. It has communication with the outside world by means of the Tuscarawas Branch of the Cleveland ct Pittsburgh Railroad, and the Connotten Valley Narrow-(}auge Railroad ; it also has the benefit (?) of a projected road, known as the " Steubenville, Canton & Cleveland Railroad." The piaee has a fine water-power in the Sandy River or Creek, and the old Sandy & Beaver Canal, which is, to some extent, utilized by mills and other industries of the village. Minerva was laid out about the year 1835, by John Pool and John Whiteacre, who, to give it prominence, perhaps, and to make it a successful competitor of Paris, which had already been booming for several years, called it by the classical name of Minerva, the daughter of Jupiter, who, it is said, sprung from his brain " fully armed and equipped." just after he (Jupiter) had swallowed his frau, Metis. Minerva was the goddess of wisdom and the patron saint of literature ; and in this respect, her namesake on the banks of the raging Sand}' very closelj' resemliles her. as evidenced by their support of the history of Stark County.

The first house erected in the village was built by John Whiteacre, about the time the town was laid out. He erected a grist mill in 1830, which received its motive power from the Sandy Creek, and was the first mill in the village. The first store was kept b3' a man named Tabor, who opened a small stock of goods about 1836. He was followed by John Christmas and John Pool, who managed the mercantile business for some time. Bennett Perdue built a house in 1835, in which he began keeping tavern, and for several years it was the only public house in the place. A post office was established February 8, 1828, and John Pool was commissioned as Postmaster.

The Disciples, or Christians, organized the first church in the village of Minerva, and erected the first churcii building, but at wiiat precise date we were unable to learn. It still retains the strongest membership of either of the four churches in the village. Besides this church, the Presbyterians, Methodists and Lutherans have organized societies, and each have a good, comfortable temple of worship. They are all supplied by able pastors, are well supported, and have large membership and flourishing Sunday schools. The Masons organized a lodge years ago, as Brown Lodge, No. 235, but, from some cause, interest in it waned to such an extent, that in the summer of 1880, it suspended work, and its charter was returned to the Crand Lodge. The Odd Fellows, too, had a lodge here at one time, but it has also become extinct. The school building of Minerva, which is a large and commodious edifice, is located in that part of the town lying in Carroll Count}'. It forms a special district, and the school is graded, a movement which was accomplished in 1879, through the exertions of the present able Principal and Superintendent, Prof. S. D. Cameron. The teachers, besides Prof. Cameron, ^e S. D. Sanor, Eva H. F'erdue an«( Lizzie M. Bforrison.

The Minerv^Tnion Agricultural Fair Association has its founds here. An annual fair is held, and occasionally a horse fair in the early summer. This interest, however, is fully given in the chapter on geology and agriculture. Since the town sprang into existence, it has enjoyed the luxur}- of several newspapers at different periods, which were established and flourished, some of them, but for a brief while, and then passed awaj' "among the things that were." The last venture in the '-art preservative" is the Minerva Mmiitor. which issued its initial number May 20. 1881. and is edited and published by l>. B. Sherwood. It is a four-page paper, with eight coluuius to a page, and is well tilled with reading matter, and a good display of advertisements. It should receive the hearty supjiort of the citizens of .Minerva and the surroiuKling country. The first paper in Minerva, was established by William Morris, but did not last long. This was followed by the Minerva r,mm<',xM. established in 18(i!),'by R. K. Watson. In March, 1872. the Weaver Brothers liecame the proprietors, and in 1^77 the paper was discontinued. From this time the village was without a paper until the recent establishing of the Monitor.

The commercial and social interests of Minerva, as mirrored at present, show the following cast: A large flouring mill, owned and operated by Davis Brothers; a planing mill, by T. D. Yost; car-shops (a private enterprise), carried on by Pennock Brothers, doing a large and profitable business ; general repair shops, by A. B. CUaffey & Co.; four general stores; two millinery stores ; two drug stores ; two hardware stores ; one jewelry store ; one furniture store; one bank ; a schoolhouse ; four churches ; a post office ; one newspaper and four hotels. Mr. (1. F. Yengling, a prominent business man. is putting up quite an elegant little opera house, and several other business

Kobertsville, or Robaidsville, was laid out in 1842. It is situated on Section 19, and has the ath'antage of Black Stream as a " water highway," and the Connotton Valley Railway, which passes through. It was laid out by Joseph Kobard, a Freiiehman, who bought the land upon which it stands, from Samuel Rhodes, an early settler in the vicinity. Samuel Young kept the first tavern in the place. A post otfice was established in December. 1862, and Peter .\dolph commissioned as Postmaster, There are two churches in the village, Catholic and Reformed, The former was built some twenty years ago, and the latter about 1875-76, The business consists of two dr\' goods stores, one gro(^erj' store, and a number of shops, a steam saw mill and a planing mill, a churn manufactory and a schoolhouse, A new schoolhouse will be built during the present summer, 1881,