New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-12
NeuVork Daily Gribn,re
FROM OHIO.
WESTERN RESERVE.
THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE PIoNEERs-TnE ri II
Lie SCHOOL 81 CONTRAST.

| The Western Reserve includes several counties
in The north east part of the State On the north
| il las Lake Erie and on the east Pennsy l!ania.
Its southern boundary is the 4lst parallel Of north
latitude and extends west 100 miles, and thence
due north TO the lake. This tract included an area
| of $4,000, Of which 800, 600 in the western
par. Of the Reserve given 70 certain sufferers
"Ly FIRE. occasOned by the English during our
evolutionary war. particularly at New London
Fairfield and Norwaik." The entire Reserve in
cudes the present counties of Ashtabula Trunbull
part Of MahOnng, Lake, Geauga, Portage, part Of
Summit, Cuyaboga Medina Loraln, part of Erie
and part OF Huron. The /" fire lands" already al
uded to- were in the western counties of Medina,
LGrain Erie and Huron. The pecuniary benefits
accuIiDg 10 the Connecticut School fund from the
,ae Of lands in the Western Reserve were from the
tiers If townships east Of the Cuyah0ga River which
enter the lake at Cleveland. The first settlement
on the Reserve made in the Summer of 1896,
the colony reaching its destination the ith of
July. Mr.. John Barr has published the names of
tie - persons who made up the first colony in
Guiding Noses Cleveland, the agent OF the company;
Augustus Porter, Survcyor.Genera and SIX Deputy
Surveyors; CUmm,saIy; Theodore Shepherd,
lysician, &c. Among these two women aud
a child. This was at the mouth Of the Conneaut
Creek. In the Autumn of 1896 settlement was
begun at Cleveland. The records Of the Ashta-
TO history as Mr.. Barr, Judge Kingsbury and
others have furnished, prove that the pioneers
Of Northern Ohio met with formidable diff
culties, and that they were men Of sufficient
fOTtude ~ bear or overcome their hardshlps.
James kngsbury is name greatly esteemed
on the Reserve. This gentleman reached COnneaut
soon after the first party. The suferings of the
Kingsbury family form pathetic story They were
left alone at COnneaut, and Mr.. kingsbury COM
PEELED to 90 east on business. This was In the Fall.
On his Journey be was attacked with severe illness,
So that Winter had set in before he could return.
On his way back his horse was disabled and LETT,
lis rider shOuldering small package Of provisions
for his family. Reaching his cabin, he was horri-
fed to find his wife just alive, having nothing to
eat, and her child born during the fathers absence,
just dead for want of nourishment. His other chill
dren were almost persisted of hunger. 1t is stated
that Judge klHgsbtry, with hired man. actually
transported provisions for the family hand sled
from Cleveland To Conneaut, distance of not less
than 60 or 20 miles
Like the first settlers al Marietta the pioneers on
the Reserve were there early enough tn experience
many alarms and assaults from the sayages. The
facts concerning the hostility of the Indians have
been collected, aud they carefully preserved IN
the archives of the Ashtabula Historical Society
The early settlers of Trmbull County had serious
difficulties with the sayagcs growing out of the
abuse which some drunken Indians gave to one OF
the white families. The whites resented this con-
duct and before the difficulty settled several
individuals were killed. The first settlers OF Portage
County had similar difficulties, growing out OF
hOrSe.trade between a white and an lndlan IN
which the latter considered himself cheated. lie
insisted On trading back, but this Diver the white
man, declined. The enragcd savage determined to
have his revenge and one night, after considerable
strataeem, he succeeded in shooting Divers brother
So as hot TO Kill him but to destroy both of bis eyes
This outrage called out the whites, who pursued the
savagcs killing several and taking several others
prisoners
To those who are sitting quietly in their comfort
able homes, it seems quite entertaining to read OF
these encounters with the sayages and Wild beasts;
but to the pioneers themselves these circumstances
could not have seemed romantic. Think, for in-
stance Of two or three men making war on rattle
snakes Of which reptiles there were such numbers
i'm one part Of Trumbull County that two men IN
few hours killed with cudgels four hundred and
eiehty-six In the township of Granville, Licking
County, these poisonous snakes were 50 abundant
that DAYS were set apart by the community to hunt
then 1t is also related that Governor Huntington
of gainesville, in Lake County, was once attacked
BY wolves when only two miles from Cleveland.
The speed of his horse saved his life Ii was no I'M
common occurrence for bear 70 break into the
settlers hog-pens and hurry off with fresh meat.
These animals, when hungry or wounded were dan,
Qerous companions. The Ashtabula historical
records are full Of stirring incidents, drawn from the
mouths Of witnesses who had seen these things.
Among the descendants of the pioneers these ira
dit0ns of threatening famine, of great exposure,
alarms and attacks from the Indians, exposure to
wild beasts and also sickness, with no physician at
hand are related with great cearness and ANNA
tiop Ii is fortunate circumstance that the lntcl-
GENT people of the Reserve have spirit and industry
| enough to put these traditions into permanent
| FORM
In tracing the history of these Yankee settlements
| in Ohio, whether in Washington or Licking eoun-
ties or on the Reserve, We are struck with the at,
tenn paid to laying the foundations OF schools ana
churches In some Ofthese settlements, as soon as
they could shelter their families, the people built
cabins for worship and for schools. Very rarely dld
few families locate themselves i'll one vicinity with
| out some young woman competent to teach the
| school in Summer, and some rsan Ia teach II III
| Winter The sprghtliness and thrift of the New
| England character were thus seen III the furnishing
| an elementary education Ia their young children,
who could not attend the good schools Of Connec-
! ticut and the old Bay State. Very many of the
pioneers were men of deep religious sentiment aud
principle and even in the forests, hundreds of miles
away from churches, they regularly worshiPed
God ntbe Sabbath in Il public manner. In tins
| way the germs of churches were planted long De-
| fore there we're any means of getting preachers.
Some of these faithful were permitted 10 see
the fruit OF their labor in wel,-endOwed public aud
| private schools, and in hOurshing churches Some
Of the best public schools the State of Ohio, or in
| the Western States, on the Reserve. VIII not
state il positively, but from some observation and
also from the opinions of others, am not afraid To
hazard the opinion that no section of the Western
| country will show smaller proportion OF native
| American adults who cannot read nor write than
| the Western Reserve. The public schools, both the
primary aud the high schools, in the larger towns
| such MS Cleveland, Hudson, Rayeaa, Warren,
| Paiuesyillc, &C.. as general thing admirable
| in their buildings plans and management. 4 boy or
4 Il no. tbr.uah tha nrescrIbed