The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1866-07-13

(From the Toledo Blade, of July ST.
At the annual meeting of the Maumee
Pioneer Association, yesterday, addresses
were delivered by Hon. Willard V. Way
of Perrysburg, aud NJ. X. Waite, Esq, OF
this city. Mr.. Ways address was intensely
interesting. nude UP, as it was, of reminis.
cences Of the olden time in the valley, and
sketches Of the early settlers. We cannot
afford the space for the address entire, al.
though to the citizens Of tho valley nothing
we could publish would be read with great
er interest.
We condense from the address the fol-
lowing facts regarding the early settlement
of what is now popuious and prosperous
country: .Ir .a!..
June 8, 1910, Amos Spafford was commits
stoned Postmaster at Miami, in Erie Dis.
trict, Ohio, and he Immediately took up his
residence at the foot Of the Rapids near the
site of old Fort Meigs, on the Perrysburg
side of the river. Mr.. SpaifOrd was collec.
tor of the port in lSll.l2, al held the office
until some time after the close of the war.
James Carlin father of Parlee Carlin, of
Findlay, now one of the Senators from this
district,) settled at Maumee in 1907. Parlee
Carlin, now an old man of 20, was then a
small boy. There were. at that time, a few
families Of whites, principally French, liv-
ing at the foot OF the Rapids. tHtt
Hezekiah l.. H0smer, Esl.. well-known
antiquarian, in an article on the historical
collections of Ohio, stated the number of
white families residing within ten miles OF
the foot of the Rapids in 1872, at sixty
seven.
Marietta has enjoyed the honor Of being
the frs. place settled by the whites, in what
is now Ohio, the date Of the settlement be-
ing fixed at 1888. Mr. Carlin says that he
recollects Frenchman named Coutermarsh,
living at Maumee in 1907, who told him he
had been trading with the Indians at differ.
ent places along the river for more than
thirty years, which would carry the date Of
the occupancy of the valley of the Maumee
by the whites, back to l777, eleven years
before the settlement of Marietta. While
it is probable that the first permanent set
Element was made at Marietta, there can be
no doubt as to the exploration of the Mau-
NEE country, aud temporary residence
therein, by white men, long before the set
Element Of Marietta. Canadian French as
cended the river as early as l70l, and COM
menced permanent settlement at Vim
cennes, Indiana, on the Wabash, in l735.
passing up the Maumee and down the Wa.
bash on the route, and established a mF-
sionary station and trading post at Fort
Wayne in 1854. A trading post existed at
Maumee City in l760. A trading post was
established at the mouth of the Huron River,
and fort on Sandusky Bay, near where
Sandusky City now stands, IN 1884, both
places being the fayorite resort of indiana
aud favorable points for missions and trad
ing posts. Monroe, Michigan, was not set
Al, Al 80, 80
were made aud held by the French, until by
the treaty Of 1863 they were relinquished
to the English. The fort and trading post
at the foot of the Rapids were surrendered
by the French at this time.
Mr.. Ways account Of the Indian wars OF
1868 is interesting. Pontiac, the chief of
the Otiawas, was a warm friend of the
French and hearty hater of tie English,
and when these Forts were surrendered, he
succeeded ia uniting all the tribes at en-
nifty with the English, and attempted the
capture Of all the Forts relinquished by the
French. lie succeeded in retakiUg nine,
Fort Miami. one of the nine, surreudering
July I, 1868. 1t is supposed that the occu.
pants were nIassaoreed. The luckless com
manding officer was betrayed by squaw,
who persuaded him by piteous entreaties
to go out with her short distance to the
succor Of a wounded man. The Indians
were lying in wait and shot him. In the
following year General Bradstreet, in con-
mand OF British force, on his way to The
relief Of Detroit beseiged by Pontiac, sailed
up the Maunee and destroyed tho corn
fields and crops of the Indians on the bot
tom lands.
Peter Burdo. FrenchmaD, now living
al Maumee City, came 10 that place in l8l 5,
and has resided there ever since. Hi faith
er, Louis Burdo. resided in Fort Wayne in
1874, removed 20 Detroit and in 1906 re-
moved to the mouth OF the Maumee, at Man
haitian. and in the spring of 1915 he went
to Maumee. Peter Burdo says there were
French people at Maumeo at the time, but