The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-02-15
and the General Welfare.
.an.n. {VoL. VINO. 47.-sWHoLE NO ..so7.
and Aurora. The land tax of resident own
ers of what is now Hiram, As for that year

ObOu
which we're partially Standardization and
Freedom, which were wholly unsettIed-and
Shalersville, which had but one family, Joel
Baker. At the October election of that
year. there we're forty two vo es given, among
which are those of Delano Mills, of Nelson,
John Redding, of what is now Hiram, Amzi
Atwater, of what is now Mantua, and Joel
Baker, of what is now Shalersville. William
Kennedy. Jr.. of what is now Nelson, was
elected Justice of the Peace, and all set down
as done in Hiram.
Party politics could nothave run very high
at that time, as out of forty two Eote< given,
Thomas Worthington had thirty nine for Gov
ernor; Jeremiah Morrow had forty for Con.
gress; David Abbot forty for Senator, and
Abel Sabin thirty eight for Representative.
The first road IN the north part of Portage
County was laid in 1900. from Warren to
Cleveland through the Center of Hiram to
the east line of lot "a in Mantua. where it
turned south westwardly to the Center of Au
rora. In 1906 the road was laid from War,
rem through Garrettsvile aud the south part
of Hiram.
The first mill in Hiram was built by Lemu-
ell Punderson, at the Cuyahoga Rapids, in
1907, for Esq Lord, of Cheshire, Connecticut.
A food came in the fall aud carried it Off
In 1903 the dam was re. built. and saw mill
PIT in operation. The dam flows the water
back for several miles, submerging a large
tract of low land, and has been productive of
an immense amount of sickness and lawsuits.
1t still holds out favorable opes to the doc
tors and lawyers.
In the early settlement of the township it
was much infested with rattesnakes. On the
fifth of July 1904. Richard Redding was bit
ten by one, but Indians being then as plenty
as snakes, he applied to them, aud was cured
by the application of the wild indigo weed
On getting well, he swore vengeance on rat
tlesnakes and made his oath good by killing
over hundred while be lived in the township.
Indians were very plenty, and their path from
Beaver on the Ohio to the lake, led up the
Mahoning, through Hiram, crossing the Guy.
ahogs at the Rapips. Just above the Rapids
was a village of fourteen huts. Those ire
quentiug this township were mostly WyaHdo ts
under their Chiefs = Wapanung, Big John
Little John. Big Cayuga and Splitn nose Cayu
ga. In June, 1906, party of them were
encamped opposite to the house Of Della nc
Mills in Nelson. at the time of the total eclipse
of the sun Believing the Evil Spirit had go'
on to it, and MAS trying to destroy it. they
commenced shouting at him, and yelling, to
kill or frighteu him off. As the sun began to
appear again, they commenced yelling in
screams of joy that they had driven the EVi
Spirit away In the fall of 1911 they all dis
appeared, and three days afterward news came
of Harrison's battle at Tippecanoe. The In
dians got the news, by their runners, three day
before the whites They mostly joined tht
British. There were no more of them eve
seen in Hiram until 1916, after the war, whel
five of them we're found camped on the Guy
ahoga. at the Rapids, their old home. Georg
G. Redding, L1ther Cole, John Dyson, aht
some say DeIano Mills were at the Rapid
that day, and but one Indian ever left there
While Redding was prisoner, at Maiden, ht
saw many Indians he had known in Hiram, il
the British service. This, perhaps, was {
particular cause of his hostility to them.
In June, 1913, Benjamin Hinckley arrivet
in town, from Wilmington, Tolland County
Connecticut, and settled on lot 80, known a
the HinekIey farm. He came with a yoke o
oxen and span of horses, and was forty day
on the road. When he arrived at Burton, b
put his wagon and goods on to a boat, to b
rowed down to the Rapids, while he cam
down on the bank with his team. He taugh
the first school in the township, commencing
on the 18th of December, 1913. and closing
on the 22d of February, 1914.
The school house stood half a mile south Q
the Center, on the west half of lot SO, nea
the northeast corner. There we're ninctee
schoIars-two Hutchesons, three JohnsonI
six Youngs, two Hughes two Hinckleys, tW
Dysons one Hampton. aud one Judsou. Eigh
of the scholars only are now living - ORR
Hutcheson, James Young, Betsy Young
(nov wife of Abner Harris) Susan H. HincE
ley (now wife of Ariel Proctor) and job
Dyson, living in Hiram; Ann Hinckley, (no,
wife of Moses Bundy, of Farmingten.l an
John Young. of Newberry, Geauga County
In his school book is the following entry:
sFather of light and life Thou God Supreme l
Oh. teach me what is good Teach me Thysefi
Save me from folly, vanity and vice
From every low pursuit-and feed my soul
With hnowledgs-con scious peace-and virtue fine
Sacred substantial, never. fading bliss .s-
He was Surveyor,and for five years befos
his death was Justice of the Peace. He Sc
out row of maple trees,half mile Ia length
beside the road next to bis farna, which vii
be lasting monument Of his good taste. H
died May 3rd, 1885, at the age of So.
In 1919 the first military company was OF
panizsd by the election of Simonds Ride
CAPTAIN, Grin Hutchesou Lieutenant, Sila
RAYMOND Ensign. John 1flden Orderly Ser
geant. Previous TO this, it would appear tha
there was not much military pride in Hiram
except among the Readings, as Hiel Tinker
Eli Case, Grin j. Messenger, and Benoni Mes
senger we're drafted in time of the war-bu
all found they had business in another direc
ton, and did not answer at roll call.
In 1881 Hiram became voted as the chosel
locality of the MOrmons Joe Smith ha'
found the golden plates in Paimyra, New \ ori
translated them into the Book of Mormon
made his exodus to Kirkland, Ohio. whsr'
he had driven one of his stakes, and made
MANY converts. Among the converts wer'