Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-06-03
THE CHRONICLE.
From SnufhIngrou.


EDITOR CaRoNICLE:-As not much has
been written for SOuthington, l will glvea
brief detail Of some facts that occurred in
its early history. The first settlers were
| james Chalker, Capt. Joy, Luke Vets,
| MI. Hurd, Mr. Mansfield, Mr.. Osborn and
! Joseph Rice. The first named OF these
was a man of great courage. At one time
/ while hunting for deer, he saw something
Z black moving in the wild brakes near a
| swamp. and on a close examination saw
that it was a bear. Then at the first op-
~portunIty he fired the bear Immediately
ran into the swamp wounded. The smal
brush being thick the hunter could not
enter it. Returning home he got his two
oldest sons, his oxen and chain, and a dog,
and went back. Sent his dog into the
swamp, where il soon began to bark. Mr..
Chalkel u a road into it, and seeing the
bears head lying on a log, shot 1t, ne then
drove his oxen in and hauled out n of
the largest bears that he ever killed. AT
another time, while hunting in the fall OF
the wear on a chestnut ridge, he spied a
small bear eating chestnuts. He knew
that the old bear could not be far of, and
wanting TO kill the old one first waited
some time. But as it did not make IFS ap-
peararce, he became impatient and fired
at the cub, it fell and continued its cry for
some ten minutes. Up sprsng the old
bear from behind a large log, and took
the cub in its paws, and placing 1t from
one paw 70 another alternately, then after
this movement laid it down and then look
ed in everS direction. The marksman
being aware of her temper fell immediate
IL behind a tree. and loaded his gun ex-
pecting every moment she would make for
him. She repeatedly took up the cub, and
each time upon laying it down she would
look in every direction and continued her
noise till the cub died. Theold bear then
continued to move about, the marksman,
thinking that she would be of out of sight
gave her a shot when she ran of into q
large swamp, the blood gushing from her
wound. This induced him to think, that
he could get her the the next day. He
dressed the young bea- and returned home.
The next day he had an unsuccessful
search after the old bear
In the early history of this town, Bears,
Wolves, beers, Turkeys, Fox, Wildcats,
coons, and all wild game, were very plenty
perhaps there was no town in the county
where they were more plenty. The loca-
ton seemed to be favorable for them, and
and from the first settlers there were
always plenty of good m~arksman, to Kill
them. In the southwest part OF the town
where the land lays fiat and low it was a
good place for Wild game. The inhabi-
tants OF this town used to meet with the
Inhabitants of Nelson, and formed them
selves into large companies for the pur-
pose of killing wild game; Captain Loan
Mills, of Nelson was the chief commander
of that township. Alta hunt in the south
west part of this town they killed in one
day So deer and Z bears, some wolves, and
a large number of Turkeys. 4 portion
of the early settlers and their successors
used TO stent themselves with killing 40
deers, each successive fall and winter.
They most always killed that number and
sometimes more, Thus it Wa that the
deer and wild game began TO diminish
from year TO year, till at length the last
deer was killed by Daniel Chalker. 1t
was a large male deer, with a huge pair of
horns, and on each horn five prongs. Mr..
q. has them preserved to this day, with
some others. Captain Henry White, one
of the first settlers, used TO drive from five
to nine yoke of Oxen IN one string, with a
load, always having his heaviest be-
hind on the tongue of his wagon, They
sometimes would weigh forty hundred
pounds. He always placed his largest be-
hind and n pair of leaders before and some
unbroke yokes in the middle. He would
start and then get into his wagon and
drive more accurately than the most of
folks of this day could with a span of
The roads in those days were
what we of this day would call almost i'm
passible, the mud in some places was 10 TO
20 inches deep. There is Il great contrast
between those days and the present The
old settlers used TO endure many hard
ships that we know but little about. They
have ali passed away. james Chalker,
the last old resident, died last November,
and had attained the age of ninety-two
years, 8 months and 10 days, leaving be-
hind nine sons and three daughters, sixty
four grand children and thirty seven
great grand children.
There has been a great improvement IN
our town; new buildings have been erect
d, churches repaired, stores set, up mer-
:handise and trade in progress. There
ire four churches, the first Methodist,
is the principal, Baptist, Prsbyte-
ian and Disciple. O.