The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-09-24

The Tenth of September, lS56, n
Day Long 10 be Remembered by
y the Pioneers Of Ohio. 'lt

| ,thc ElOueefS Oh VhlO. .
On that day, the gallant Perry and his
brave associate compatrio;s, met the British
feet on Lake Erie, and on the evening Of
the same day he reported to the government
the emphatic, a,Wo have met the enemy and
they are ourssns That decisive and giorioos
victory saved our region Of Ohio from sack
and pillOge, from British and Indian barbara
ty. Our Portage county was then but thinly
populated. 1t extended far West beyond its
present limits, ard included much Of the then
unsettled region now apart Of Summit. all
Of Medina, end large portion Of Lorain
counties. Northampton, Hudson and Boston
were then our frontier settlements on the
West. From the time of Gen, Hull'ss sur
render OF Detroit, The 10th Of August, 1912,
the Lake Erie settlements west of Cleveland
had been exposed to British and Indian raw
ages, and even Cleveland had been menaced.
| Our citizen soldiers had been frequently call
ed Quito defend that frontier, and the issue
Of thdt naval battle decided our supremacy or
Laf:e Erie and the settlements on its borders.
We ell then felt to rejoice for that victory :.
not with boistr6us mirth, but with heart
felt gadness. No; expressed at boastfu and
far sounding public meetings, but at the fam
lily fireisdes in the cabins of few thousands
Of the pioneers Of those days, about two thou
sand of whom, all counted, occupied the
present limits Of Portoge county. And Cay.
aIioga county was still more sparsey settled.
Even Cleveland City had then but a score or
two Of families, ! remember something of
those days that may, perhaps, in its relation
interest some of the readers of the newspa-
pers OF this region, at this time then re
sided in Mantua, and having been one Of
those volunteers Of Campbell's Company, so
basely surrendered by Hull, at River Raisin,
before we had arrived at his headquarters,
or seen the enemy, it will not seem strange
that felt keenly the wrongs of our country,
and rejuiced sincerely at its success. We
got the news of Perry's victory on the 18th
of September. The time, place and circum-
stances are strongly impressed on my mind
i 1t WAS at public meeting held at the
house of EBBENEzER SHELDON, Esq, in the
East part of Aurora, the place now occupied
by the widow Of his son GERsHoM SHrLDoN
and the widow Of her son, ALBERT SHELDON.
The meeting was called iprlhe purpose Of
forming Society,or branch Of the Society
called /" The Washington Benevolent Soci-
| ety." Some of our neighbors, who, were
federaists, had earnestly represented to us,
a few Democrats; the benevolent designs OF
i,of the society, of which branch was about
to be formed there, and invited our co-opera-
ton. Several Democrats ATTENDED the meet
ing from Mantua, of whom recollect VIM.
Skinner, Joseph Skinner and Seth Harmon,
besides the writer of this. We there found
no other Democrats. but found Federalists
i'm considerable Numbers, from Aurora ard
Hudson, Of whom recollect David Hudson,
Esq, and Owen Brown, from Hudson, and
Rev <Jo John. Seward, some Of the Egglestons,
| and, Lthink, Robert Bissell and Jeremiah
Root, and several others, from Aurora, and
some others from Hudson also, whom can
not now name with certainty. We Demo
Gratis had before had some intimation by
Eastern papers Of the progress of that pre-
tended BENEVOLENT society, in New Eng
land, and Of its political characthr, as
opposed to the Administration Of Madison;
but we wished to know more of it. The
Igreat no ent for the formation of the society
was Jesse Ladd, Esq, a kinsman ofthe Ladds
in Mantua, who had but recently arrived
trunl Massachusetts,, and it appears was ex
teusiveiy engaged in forming those societies
ia Ohio The state Of the roads was such
that he cid not arrive the hour appointed
aut,while waiting for him, reco olect, the
! conversation turned ON the reccDtN Nicto'y on
Luhe Erie, nnd its important bearings on oul
interests. ESQ. Hudson, who was lurge
: land holder, remarke that the value Of wild
land was enhaneedin this county, by Per
ry''S. Victory, at legst one dqllar,an acre.
: aeAs they began 10 grow impatient for th'
arrival of, the agent, Ladd, Mrs sSheldon n wa
disposed to rally them. She was somewha
of u politician, too, ofthe federal school bc'
full Of Ilumor, and shrewd. SIZE said she
supposed they must all wait for Esq. Ladd
there would be no fun till he came
, He arrived at length, and procee ded i'm
} mediutely to business, and read in oper
/. . meeting The Constitution ofthe Washing
ton Benevolent Society of Ohio" which h
said was but little altered from "The Con
j stitution Of the Washington Benevolent So
Q cety Of Massachusetts,. Y Agent Ladd wa
e accompanied by one Or two, perhapa more
= who had been previously admittedas mem
Y berss end they retired 10 the chamber to or
: game in privats< preparatory 10 the, ,admibs
9 sion Of the great number e( new member
who were expecred to apply for admission
and we Democratr left. not liking the object
Of the Society well enough to make applica
ton for admission. Mrs. Sheldon afterward
! remarked that they applied to her for bean
: black and whits-to use as;ballots on th
admissionof or rejection Of members. +'4' .
The constitution professed good share 3
ss