Wadsworth City (part 6 of 6)

News had come of the British fleet on Lake Erie, bringing troops to destroy Cleveland and overrun Ohio, and it was expected that, should they land, the Indians would rise and come upon them, to exterminate by indiscriminate butchery.

Kirkum and Judge Wetmore, then living at Stow Lake, had their goods packed and teams ready, to start at the first warning of defeat. Couriers had been stationed from Cleveland to Canton, to give the first news. Sept. 9th, news came that Perry was on his way with his improvised fleet, to meet the enemy. I will give VanHyning's story as told by himself, when nearly 100 years old, to Charles Coe, from whom I have it :

" I was, on the morning of Sept. 10th, plowing upon a high hill, in Northampton township ; and T heard in the northwest a low sound, like a distant cannon-shot. Soon I heard it again. Soon the third. I stopped my team, and climbed a tree to look and listen. In a few minutes the sounds came so frequent that I knew the battle had begun. I unyoked my oxen, and hurried to the house. My wife was weaving. Said I, Woman, the battle has begun. I have heard the cannon. I will take old White and ride to Wallace's tavern (Northfleid, about 12 miles), and get the first news. If word comes to you that we are defeated, have the boys yoke the oxen to the wagon, put on what goods you can, cut your piece from the loom, and start for Canfield, and I will overtake you.

Perry's whipped the British !' We all sprung up. and hurrahed at the top of our voices. I swung my old hat till I tore oft' the brim. At daylight I started for home. I found my wife at the loom. Says I, Weave on, woman, weave on ! we are victorious ! Now, boys, we'll get ready and move to Wolf Creek."

But few remnants of the original families remain in the township. For that reason it has been found impossible to get at many facts and names of its early history. The township is one of excellent land, with extensive mines of coal in the southwestern portion, and quarries of building stone in the northeastern. It has within its area, six small villages : New Portage and Dennison on the railroad, Bates7 Corners, Norton Center, Johnson's Corners, and part of Western Star. In those there are five church edifices, and commodious schoolhouses.

The township of Chippewa, in Wayne county, lies south of Wadsworth, and the line of the Western Reserve. This line in pioneer times was called the " Congress Line," and by those south of it, the " Yankee Line."

The first settlers were mostly from Pennsylvania, and the greater part of German origin, who retained the German language, and maintained German schools for many years. On that account there was only limited acquaintance between them and the New England portion of the people of Wadsworth, while the German portion formed with them one community. The old pioneers are mostly dead, or removed from the locality, and from the facts before stated, it has been almost impossible to get at any certain history of the first settlement.

Among the earliest, from 1814 to 1818, were Peter Waltz* sr., and sons, John and David; Jacob Everhard, Thomas Frederick, Henry Shook ; Henry Franks and sons, John, Michael, Henry, Abraham, and Uriah, and his brothers, John and Jacob; Jacob Hatfield, John Routson ; John, George, and William Halloway; David Johns; Henry, John, and Charles Heckerthorn ; John Mise, John Brown,

Michael Brouse, Joseph Tousley, Bev. Henry Wygant, William Graham, Ebenezer Andrus, Wm. Middleton, Wm. Parks, John Porter. A little later, Peter and William Colbetzer, John Betts, Simon Elliott, John Lee, Jacob Yonker, John and Arnold Heffleman, Adam Shatto, Isaac Montgomery, Wm. Foster, Daniel Doyle, Joseph Springer ; Alexander Woods, Alfred Chidister, Ephraim Chidister, Christian Koplin, Christian Wall, Frederick Galehouse and sons, David, John, Samuel, and Elias; George and W. Wellhouse. Henry Houtz, Thomas Harkins.

About 1818, Daniel Slanker built the mill 4 miles south of Wadsworth village, owned for upwards of 30 years by George Wellhouse, and since by Benjamin Harshv.

About the same time, John Peed built the mill afterwards owned by Alexander Woods. About 1830 or 1831, Ephraim and Alfred Chidister built a sawmill and woolen factory on the same stream (still owned by A. Chidister, son of Alexander), and John Brown a gristmill, still farther down.

In an early day a village was located on the east line of the township, by Messrs. Harvey, and the first store in the township opened by Dr. Porter. The location of Clinton and Fulton, on the canal, destroyed the village.

Two other villages were located in the early times. Slankerville, now Easton Station, on the Tuscarawas Valley R. R., now becoming a place of business. Doylestown, laid out by Daniel Doyle, is now a flourishing village, supporting a weekly paper, having several stores, a large manufactory of reapers and mowers and other agricultural implements. It has a good graded school, and five church edifices; Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Disciple, and Catholic. There is one church building at Slankerville, built as a Union meeting-house.

Source changes here: from The Candee Genealogy: with Notices of Allied Families of Allyn, Catlin, Cooke, Mallery, Newell, Norton, Pynchon, and Wadsworth, by Baldwin, C. C. (Charles Candee), published 1882; 1,835 words in this source stream.

Wadsworth City

he was chairman of the committee to equalize the value of the " several plantations." (towns.) August 7, 1673, when there was "a great appearance of danger by the " approach of the Dutch for our own safety and defence, '' till the general court in October next," the Governor, Deputy Governor, Assistants, and Captain Benjamin Newbury, Mr. Giles Hamlin, Mr. William Wadswortb, Captain William Curtice, Lieutenant William Fowler and Lieutenant Thomas Munson were empowered to act as the "Grand Committee of this Colony in estab- " lishing and commissionating of military officers, in " pressing of men, horses, ships, barques or other vessels, " arms, ammunition, provisions, carriages, or whatever "they judge needful for our defence, and to manage, " order and dispose of the militiae of the Colony in the " best way and manner they can for o' defense and "safety."

He was representative in 1652, and in 1653, when they sent Captain Mason one barrel of powder. In 1672, he vvas one of a committee of three to "hear the " Indian com[>laint8, and to draw the same to an issue " as near as they can, and to present the same for con- " firmation."

8. ^oorplj iUatlOltiartlj,- son of Willam/ born about 1648, in Hartford, Connecticut, became a noted, courageous and leading man. He was a lieutenant, and served in King Philip's war. " But he is most " remembered with gratitude in our times as the pre- " server of the Charter, in opposition to the demand of

" the Royal Governor, by the perilous expedient of "extinction of the lights in the Council Chamber, Oc- " tober 31, 1687, and hiding the parchment in the great " oak/' *

He married Elizabeth, daughter of Bartholomew Barnard, of Hartford. Her father was perhaps, but not known to be, son of Bartholomew Bernard, of Boston in 1651, carpenter, who had perhaps been, a dozen years before, at York, and brought from England a family - Matthew, and perhaps others, of whom no record is found.

Bartholomew Barnard, of Hartford, married, October, 1647, Sarah, daughter of Thomas Birchard, and died in 1698, leaving John, Joseph, and four daughters, Elizabeth Wadsworth, Sarah Steele, born December 3, 1648, Mary Bemis, and Hannah, unmarried at the date of his will, in 1692.

Mr. Bartholomew Barnard had the bad luck to be lined twice by the Council, October 11, 1675, once 2^;. 6d. for " neglect of his standing upon guard," and 55. for ''his son's shooting of his gun;" but that he was still held in respect, is shown by the then honorable title of Mr.

Of Thomas Birchard, it may be said, he was of Roxbury; came in the " Truelove," from London, in 1635, aged 40; with wife Mary, aged 38 ; and probably childreJi : P^lizabeth, aged 13; Mary, 12 ; Sarah, 9 ; Susan, 8 ; John, 7; and Ann, 18 months. He was freeman May

17, 1637, when the spelling is Bircher. In the custom house record, at London, it is Burchard, and he wrote it Birch wood. He removed to Hartford, where he was an original proprietor, though not a tirst settler. He removed again to Say brook, whence he was representative in 1650 and '51, and died in 1684. He may have gone back to Roxbury, where it appears by the Church records tbat '^Goodwife Birchard was buried 24 March, 1655;" but perhaps she was the wife of a Thomas who died October 3, 1657, in the adjoining town of Dorchester.

His V^ wife died October 26, 1710, and he, perhaps, married 2"'^' Elizabeth, V)orn February 21, 1656, daughter of John Talcott, the second. lie married, late in life, Marv, dauirhter of John Blackleach, the vouni^er, who had been 1^' wife of Thomas Wells, the third: next of John Olcutt, and she survived Wadswortli. His fatherin-law, Talcott, was representative, captain, treasurer, and assistant of the colony; commissioner, much in service in King Philip's war; sometimes having command of all the colonv's forces. He died in 1688.

Captain Wadsworth lived in lively times. He was propounded for freeman May 18, 1676, and next follows in the record a direction that soldiers wounded in the country's service " shall have cure and dyet on the "country acc't, and half pay, till they are cured.*' Wadsworth himself is then called '' L"^ Jos. Wadsworth."

At a meeting of the Council, September 6, 1675, as Sergeant, he was ordered to take twenty dragoons and pass up to Westfield, to assist them against the common enemy, " in the defending of the say'^ Westfield." In case he heard any of the Connecticut plantations were assaulted, he was '' forthwith to post away to relieve " the place or plantations assaulted." Should he be assaulted on the wav, he was to use his utmost endeavor '' to defend yourselves, and to destroy the enemie." The 9th of September, the dragoons with Sergeant Wadsworth were ordered to return forthwith. January 14, 1675, he was appointed Lieutenant of the forces belonging to Hartford county.

In 1G89, he is chosen lieutenant for the train band of the north side of Hartford. In October, 1697, he was confirmed captain of the same band.

In 1686, the attempt was made by the King to deprive Connecticut of its charter. Sir Edmund Andros wrote from Boston to the Governor and company, asking them, in obedience to the King, to resign it to his pleasure. In October, 1687, " Sir Edmund, with his suit " and more than sixty reguh^r troops, came to Hartford " when the Assembly were sitting, demanded the Char- " ter, and declared the government under it to be dis- " solved." The well-established tradition is given l>y Trumbull in his liistory."^ The Assembly strongly objected, and Governor Treat seems to have argued the matter at length. " The important matter was debated ^' and kept in suspense until the evening, when the " Charter was brought and laid upon tlie table where " the Assembly were sitting. By this time, great num- '^ hers of people were assembled, and men sufficiently "bold to enterprise whatever might be necessarj' or ex- " pedient. The lights were instantly extinguished, and " Captain Wads worth, in the most silent and secret '' manner, carried off the Charter and secreted it in a " large hollow tree fronting the house of Honorable

" Samuel Wyllys, theu one of the magistrates of the " colony. The candles were officiously relighted, but " the patent was gone, and no discovery could he made '' of it, or of the person who had conveyed it away." *

Sir Edmund assumed the government, and caused the word " Finis" to he put to the records. Secretary Allyn was made hy Andros a member of his Council, and we find him t writing to Andros, October 15, 1688, making "bold to inform your Excellency, that if 3^ou please to " make L"^ Joseph Wadsworth Lieutenant of the com- " pany of the north side of o' towne, and Mr. Xichols " of the South side, it will be most accommodating to " the people, as their habitations are settled.*' ^^hen deputy, in October, 1694, Wadsworth is styled Captain.

In 1693, tbe royal governor, Fletcher, having tried in vain to get control of the militia, resolved to try force. October 26, he came to Hartford and demanded of the assembly the surrender, and commanded that the militia be summoned under arms that he might beat up for volunteers. But when the train bands had gathered with their guns, the Assembly declined. Governor Treat was ofl:ered a commission, but he refused it. As the train bands were ranged, Trumbull says : " The '-tradition is. Captain Wadsworth, the senior officer.

" was walking in front of the companies and exercising " the soldiers. Col. Fletcher ordered his commission and ''instructions to be read. Captain Wadsworth instantly "commanded, 'Beat the drums,' and there was such a " roaring of them that nothing else could be heard. " Col. Fletcher commanded silence ; but no sooner had "Bayard made an attempt to read again than Wads- " worth commands: 'Drum I drum I I say.' The drum- " mers understood their business, and instantly beat up " with all the art and life of which they were masters. '"Silence! Silence!' says the Colonel, l^o sooner was " there a pause than Wadsworth speaks with great " earnestness : ' Drum ! drum ! I say; ' and turning to his "excellency, said: 'If I am interrupted again, I will " make the sun shine through you in a moment!' 'No " further attempts were made to read or to enlist men." So many people collected, and their feelings seemed so strong, that the Governor returned to New York.*

Mr. Hollistery says: "This lively episode, like the " hiding of the Charter, rests upon tradition, but it has " been transmitted through such hands, and with so " little variation, that its accuracy was never for a mo- " ment questioned. Such a tradition is as worthy of " trust as a record. The story is in perfect keeping " with the traits of our people. As usual, the authori- " ties were only passive, while the active resistance came

There is some record coniirmatiou of the Charter story. Wadsworth produced it to the Governor and Council, May 25, 1698 ; and " he affirming that he had " order from the Assembly to be the keeper of it," it was concluded it should remain in his custody. y

It is also very strongly confirmed by a grant of the General Court in May, 1715, '' upon consideration of " of the faithful and good service of Captain Joseph " Wadsworth, of Hartford, especially in securing the " duplicate charter of this Colony in a ver}' troublesome " season when our constitution was struck at, and in " safely keeping and preserving the same ever since ^' unto this day," as a "token of their grateful resent- " ment of such his faithful and good service." %

Mr. Wadsworth was Deputy at General Court in 1685, 1694, 1695, 1699, 1703, 1705, 1706 and 1715. He received other honors; and although so out-spoken that he twice oifended the Assembly by too strong a censure of their

* The course taken here by Captain Wadsworth is the same as that suggested by the Deputy Governor and Councii, per John Allyn, Secretary, Julj- 14, 1675, to Captain Bull, in the very similar attempt of Governor Andros, at Saybrook : '* We wish he had been -' interrupted in doeing ye least thing under pretence of his haveing anything to doe to " me his Maties name in commanding there so usurpingly, wch might have been done by " shouts or sound of drum, &c., wth out violence." These words are underscored in the original. Connecticut Colonial Records, Volume 2, page 584.