Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-08-30
History of AIayaeId.

him.
History OF MayfeId.
The first settlement Of the township was
commenced in the year 1905, by Abner John
son, Daniel Smith, and Samuel johnson, who
came on with their flmiIies from the Eighth
township in Ontario county, New York They
brought their teams and some few cattle with
them.
In the spring following, QsO6,) Daniel S
judd, Freeman Judd, and Thomas Judd, from
the same place, came into town with their packs
on their backs, guns on their shoulders, and
their dogs by their sides. They had started fer
Portage, where they designed settling but
they had lost their way, and in wandering
about, fell in with their old neighbOrs, Of whom
they had not heard one word since they left,
the year before. They were so taken up with
the beautiful bottom lands on the Chagrin river
that they concluded they would 90 no farther
and the next day they commenced putting up
sAanties (for nobody thought Of building houses
them for their families and when completed,
all hands commenced ehOpPing and burning off
their falows for corn, which was done by cut
ting down the timber and burning the brush
and ground over, then planting their corn among
the logs. This was the first crop put into the
ground by the white settlers.
The winter following, the Judds went back
to their old hume, and returned with their fam |
lilies and what little property they had left be-
hind; consisting of teams and some few head of
cattle.
In the winter of lsO6-7, Abner johnson went |
back, and at Ovid, in Seneca county, n. York,
fell in with James Covert, whom he prevailed |
upon to leave his home there and come with /
him to this county. Covert then had wife and /
one chIId. We will let him tell his own story,
as he is all that is now left Ot the early settlers.
His wife and child are both dead; /; those spoken
of before all dead or have long since left the
country consequently Mr.. Covert has become
that important parsonage, The Oldest ilIaBis-
ant"
JAMES cOvERT's STORY.
/ removed into the township in the sprinp Of
1907, and settled on the spot where now Ie-
side. / was poor l had only about three dol
lars in money, an axe, and good dog. went
clear TO gainesville on foot, and paid one dollar
for one peck Of salt, which was black and so
wet that 1t drained all over my back as brought
it home. With the other two dollars bought
me two pigs. l put me up a shanty and COM
menced operations under difficult circumstances
bought two-year-Od heifer Of judd, and that
was the commencement Of my stock of cattle
Ny cattle and hogs did well with this exception
the cows would calye in the woods, and the
bears would kill the calves and eat them up;
they also destroyed my pigs until was able to
keep a large number of hogs then the hogs
would fight their way with the bears.
After few years / bought four sheep in
Chester, two old ones and two lambs, and paid
81, so per head. The next morning after got
them home went into the field and found that
the wolves had killed both the lambs, and were
then making good breakfast on them. after
wards had TO guard my sheep at night and watch
them little in the day time, and succeeded in
keeping them.
have often taken bushel of corn on my
back and went to Chagrin (now Wiloughby) TO
mill. Every thing we had to buy at the stores
was very high; fulled cloth, common, 81, so
per yard, calico 81, 90 per yard, cotton cloth so
cents per yard. ! went to Euclid and bought
at one time one barrel Of salt for which paid
$500, but the next summer had salt pork to
sell, for which got $500 per barrel.
One very serious difficulty that the early set
tiers had to encounter was this there was no
physician nearer than Austinburg (4O miles)
The year before | came, two OF three of the men
took their wives to Austinburg and left them
there during their sickness; some had to stay
six weeks.
For a number Of years after l came here we
had no laid out roads we (the men, and there
were only eight of us) had to 90 and work our
poll tax on the lake shore road IN Chagrin town
ship. Afterwards there was a road laid out
from Burton to Cleveland, which ran through
this township, and we worked our tax on that
The next road laid out was the river road, run
ming along the west side of the river, and the
next the one running north and south, through
the center of the township. One great difficulty
in those days to get a road laid out, was to find
twelve frceholders to sign petition.
We used to hunt bears on account Of their
skins as well as for their meat, as bearskins
would generally sell for the money, an article
that was not often seen by the early settlers
will tell you just one story.