Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-04-11
Township correspondence.


EDITOR CHRONICLE:-We will give il
this letter some incidents and anecdotes a
they t%ranspired in the early settlement o
F.. The first death, was that of Miss Pol
ly Wolcott, of whom reference has beer
made, she accidentally fell into the water a:
they were moving in; she d'ed of consump
ton, on the second day of September, 1908
az d l9 years. She was the first one buried
in what is now Pennington cemetery
grounds, on a nice, sandy knoll. a little spot
of the thick forest having been cut away tC
make room for dust to receive its kindred
dust; leaving this cpitaph for her tomb
stone:
Parents and friends a long alden.
l leave this wilderness ~ you:
Ny body lies benealh this stone,
The arrests of death you cannot shun.
The second death, was that of Mr.. John
Young. The forest lad to be cleared away
to make room for his body also. He was
laid on the Fuller farm, now owned BY c.
A. McKay. The first marriage, both parties
living here, was Mr.. Lewis Wolcott, to Miss
Nancy Higgins, December LIST, 1903. She
was daughter of Mrs. DR.. widow Higgins.
then the second wife of Josiah WolcOu, and
sister to Silas Higgins, (now living.) who
came on with Captain John Benton and his
company, in 1914. The second marriage,
one of the parties living in town, WAS Hor-
ace Wolcott. to Miss Sabrina Tracy, daugh-
ter of ESQ. Tracy, of Mesopotamia, December
18th. 1898, her father performing the csr-
emOny. Horace had been helping his father
build a cattle shed of logs and shakes, up to
about four o'clock P. NJ, when he brushed
the mud of his hands, and said, father, l
believe l will not work any more to-day, /
am going up TO MesOpotamis, to get married
n-uiuht. mont IN 90 mn S1 Eatho-- Ill h.
guessed not, it was to far. So Horace wash
ed Up. put on his best suit, (which was not
the fest broadclOth.) and went on foot, to
MesopotamIa, to be married. As far as Is
known, Caroline Wolcott, (now the vile of.
George L. Holmes. was the first child born
in Pennington. Born September 18th, 1908.
The second was Joseph H. Wolcott, both Of
them always have, and still reside here.
Besides Rev's Badger and Cowles, Mr.. Les
lie, or parson Leslie, as he was called, and
Nathan barrow, visited the settlement, in
an early day, as Missionaries. Mr.. barrow
at one time came to preach, and as he got
near Josiah Wolcott's, the men were chop
ping near the road, he called out ''one of
them that turn the world upside down, hath
come hither also"
1t was through the influence and exer-
tons of Dennis Lewis that the name of the
town, Henshaw, was changed to Pennington;
also Bolestown, to Southington, he and Others
wishing these towns, md Mesopotamia and
Bristol to be arranged, as rear as could be. as
they were in Connecticut. By the way,
Dennis was an odd mortal. He used to wear
a black stove-pipe hat, Summer and Winter,
but when palm leafhats first, anne in vogue, he
was pursuaded to buy one, putting it on, he
he had not worn it many bours, till a flaw of
wind took it sailing and ne after 1t, caught.
it, put it on, and soon away It went again,
and Dennis after it; coming up. with it, near
a mud hole, he gave n spring, planted his
foot on it, and drove it into the mud out of
sight; there said he dunder and blixun!
stay there till | call for you: he went bare
headed the. rest of the time till he returned
home, donned the old black hat, and wore
that kind ever afterwards. He was q great
hand with an OK team. Give him SIX or
eight oxen and he could haul off the town.
ship, if he could get hitchdd to one corner
somewhere. Joshua Danford was a great
with cattle too. 1t was 1Uho, hGlg Buck
gee Bright go along. all in the same breath
AT one time when in the woods, las he tells
the stOry,) he was set upon by n bear, and
all the way he could keep him off was this
he found a very large hollow tree, he sprang
upon that and chopped chips in the bears
face, til finally he went away. AT one
time Captain Bento saw some turkeys cross
North of his house, near night fall. He
they would tree soon, aud he could
one of them. So he took his old mu,ket
and started, following them West, then
then East, till he overlook them.
for they had freed, but they saw hIm first,
and flew; when he came TO look around. he
he was lost. As there was a little
and a little light left, he thought he
a his back track; so back he turned
and had gone u few steps when he heard a
pack of wolves howl. they were on his track,
and he had only one charge of ammunition
with him, and that was in his gun. But be
must make the best it, and walked on, till
be could see their eyes shine, then he
he should have to tree, but looking
around a little he found an old log with
punk wood about it; he gathered a few hick-
Dry barks discharged his gun into the old
og. and it set the punk on fire. by which he
it his torch. The report of the gun alarm
ng the wolves, they took French leave"
ind he started on with his torch. and after
and wandering u while he met
Eden Wildman and Erastus Wolcott, with a
lght, coming to hunt him up. Continued
Yours, EARLY SETTLER.