The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1867-02-14
Historical Sketches of
Highland County.
BY THE EDITOR.
BY THE EDITOR.

Thomas BcGls C0JTected-FHifher Incl
dents IN his Life, and that Of his SOn, Dan
teL Beats-A Good Bear i9oyy-Nathaniei
Pope and Family, Settle on Lees creek.
on the Present Site Of LecS6,rg, IN the
Year lSOO-Hugh EUuHs amt his Sons
make the First Settlement on clear Creek,
the Same Yea1'-A Pioneer Corr, lLH, &C.,
&c,
We are indebted to our esteemed friend,
Mr.. Isaac n. Thornburg, of Fairfield town
ship for the following communication, i'm
which he corrects some mistakes in our
last number, in reference to Thomas Beals
and Jacob Horton, and relates several new
and interesting incidents connected with
their history. We hope the writer will
favor us with further material for our
"Sketches," as he promises to do:
Mr.. EDToR:-In your last No. Of the
"Historical Sketches of Highland Couu-
ty," it is stated that y. Pope and Thomas
Beals were in company when they eat their
dogs. This is incorrect. The writer of
this has heard his mother, (who was Beals'
grand daughter) relate the circumstance
frequently. Beals was on foot and by
siderable depth, and the rain forming a
crust on the top, it made such cracking
noise under foot that he could not get near
enough to game to kill any, although he
could see deer in abundance, which fled at
his approach. He was lost, could not
reach any settlement, and wandered in this
way for 10 days, when he was found by
party that went in search of him. He had
killed his dog and eaten about three-fourths
Of it when found, and was very reluctant
to throw the rest away.
He said he thought at first that he would
suffer starvation before he would kill his
faithful dog, but he saw that they would
both die Of hunger, and he killed the one
to save the other. In the course of his
rambles one day, he by chance found
where a ground-squirrel had deposited his
stock of Chestnuts for the winter. He knew
from sad experience the pangs of hunger,
and fearing the squirrel would starve if he
took all his nuts he made an equal divide,
taking half and leaving the other half for
his squirrelship.
The severest trial the family had was at
Bluestone, where Horton was taken by
the Indians. The family came so near
starving there that they took up the pota-
toes that had been planted, and gave them
to the children to eat.
The settlement at Bluestone was then
broken up, and Thomas Beals and family
moved to Salt Creek below Chillicothe,
where Beals died and was buried. The
society Of Friends a few years since sent a
Committee there, jonathan Sanders of
Penn township being one of the numberl
to look after the graves of their dead
Friends. Thomas Beals' grave was found,
and stone wall built around it.
Thomas Beals was never resident of
Highland County-it was his son Daniel.
He moved from Salt Creek to different
places, and settled at the Falls of Paint
Creek, now the Rapid Forge, and from
there to what was known as the "Boiling
Spring" now owned by Ruel Beeson, in
Fairfield township, where he lived when
my father married his daughter, about the
year 1907 or 'Os.
will relate one incident that I have
heard my mother relate that transpired on
the route as they were moving from the
High Bank Prairie to the Falls of Paint
Their progress was slow, as they had to
open "A road in many places. One even
ing her father took his gun and went ahead
Of the wagon in search of game. He soon
saw large bear climb up tree and 60
into a hole. He waited for the wagon to
come up, but it was too late in the even
| ing to kill the bear, so they concluded to
camp by the tree and kill him in the
morning. They hobbled the horses and
turned them out 10 grass, made their fire,
cooked and ate supper, then lying down
slept soundly until morning. In the morn
/ ing they chopped IL tree and felled il against
the tree that the bear was in Then Curtis
| Beals Daniels SOM took pole i'm his hand
and went mp the fallen tree until he was
above the hole i'm which the bear was
then seating himself ON limb Of the fall
len tree, he commenced punching down
into the hole. The bear soon began to
growl and snort, and ran out at him, when
his father shot the boar and it fell dead at
his feet. They then cut down the tree, and
caught a young cub. Resuming their
Journey, they arrived at Chllicothe, where
they sold the young bear for one dollar.
/ The widow of Thomas Beuls and hei
daughter, Mrs. Horton, whose husband
was burned at cold Town" by the Indians,
came to this county, where they resided /
believe until their death. The horse thai
Horton rode when he was taken by the In,
dians, came home in just one year from the
time of the capture. Mrs. Horton after
wards married Daniel HuG a resident o
! this county.
Daniel Beals traded his farm in this coun
ty to Nathaniel Pope, for wild land nea
Martinsville, in Clinton county, but tht
title proved to be defective, and he lost hi
land. He moved to Indiana and died a
an old age in extreme poverty.
Jacob Horton is not living in this town
ship, as stated in your last number IL
went to Iowa to see some Of his ohildrel
there, aud died in or near Frank fort, Mont
gomcry county, So or all of the first set
tiers in this part of the Township there ar