Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-12-14
rIRsr ,rErHonIsT cHuRcn.

and wife, Ewing Wright anu VIE
and Euniee Brockway. 1t was after
wards removed to the center, and was
the first church Of that denomination
on the Western Reserve.
THE FOURTH OF JULY, lsO5,
Was spent by the pioneers in clearing
the common, and was certainly
practical as well as patriotic way OF
spending the day.
THE DAYS OF SLOW TRAVEL.
Few Of this generation can conceive
OF the amount Of privstion and toll
endured by the early settlers. II requi-
red from six TO seven weeks 70 make
the trip from Connecticut. Goods
and provisions must be brought from
Beaver through the woods, with no
path much Of the way, save mere
marks Of an axe on the trees fording
the streams, and sometimes losing
/ their road and compelled to spend the
night In the forest, with the wolves
making the woods resound with their
hideOus bowling.
PRIMATIvE MILLS.
Some families made mortar IN the
[ top Of q stump, and with pestle anu
spring-pOIe pounding their gram
Others boiling wheat for food When
] the supplies ran low and could not be
( renewed for q time. For only one OF
. two years did the pioneers nave 10 60
/ long distances TO mill. a lew trips
only were made to Beaver and Ne
shamrock, for that purpose: BroeK-
ways. and also Hawn's mill, at Or
anEeville, being erected at an early
day.
DUTCH RIDGE.
The southeastern portion Of the
township was first settled by John
Kepner. Shull, and PfOuts, families
from Pennsylvania, Of German line
ACE and were soon followed by Sny-
/ der OuiggIe, and Others. Since the
settlement, that locality has been
known as the Ridge District or
dutch Ridge"
THE DAwNING OF BETTER DAYS.
Additions were yearly being made
to the settlers by emigration from the
older States, Of friends and neighbors,
who hoped to better their condition
by making q home in the west. Thus
afew wears swiftly passed away, with
little 10 vary the mOnot0nyo OF frontier
life save an occasional foray upon the
sheepfold by wolves, or being awaken
ed az night by the squeals Of luck
less pig, taken from his stye by bruin,
and horne away TO make tOOthsOme
renast for himself, varied by his pur-
sift and capture, to pay him for his
mains. Frame houses and barns were
already beginning to take the place OF
! lIop ones orchards being set out,
feIearings enlarged and roads improy-
ed until the 18th day of June, 1917,
when the war cloud which had for a
long time hung over the nation, cul-
minated in declaration Of war against
Great Britain.
COL. HAYES REGIMENT IN lol2.
After HuITs surrender in August Of
that wear, President Madison having
called for one hundred thousand men,
Col. HAYES regiment, then compri-
sing the militia in Wayne and VIII
Iiamsfield, Ashtabula Co., and hins-
man. Gustavus, Vernon, johnson,
Hartford. Fowler, BrOOkfield, Wen
na and Hubbard, in this county, was
drafted for the number assigned it.
but Immediately and almost before
the completion Of the draft, Gov.
Meigs called out the whole force, every
able bodied man was ordered to be in
readiness to march in three days.
Col. HAYES started on time with his
repiment. from their old parade
ground at Burg Hill, and marched to
WiIiiamsfield and encamped the first
night. The second day they reached
Jefferson. At tAustinburgh they came
up with two loads Of provision which
had been sent ahead from home
ION reaching Harpersfield orders were
received from Mai. Gen. WadswOrth,
through Gen. Perkins, to discharge
loue-bslf of his men. In reducing the
number of officers In proportion to
rank and file, those holding commits
sions OF more recent date were sent
hack. and the older officers retained
in command. Under this rule Capt.
Flower returned home, and the men
of Hartford and Vernon were placed
under the command of Capt. Burn
ham, of Kinsman. On arriving al
Cleveland, the regiment crossed the
CuvahORa near the foot of superior
ST and continued its line Of marehstC
the Huron river. They were only
preceded by a Cleveland company
which had crossed the river two day:
before them. They were without tent:
or shelter Of anY kind, and most oi
the men were without blankets. Be
yond the CuyahOga at this time was
practically Indian territory. A few
settlements had been made but the
inhabitants had left in haste, generally
driving of their cattle with them, bu
leaving other property, such as could
not be buried or easily taken with
them. Some of them not feeling safe
after crossing the river, still kept OF
east. and as my informant said, weni
90 far that they forgot to return.
On arriving at the Huron, a eamI
was made some five miles from the
J mouth Of the river. Previous TO this
Capt. Parker had built a block -hous'
, near this point, to protect himsel
and neighbors from the Indians anC
/ Canadians. At this place the troops
/ received their muskets-previous Z
this they had no arms but such a:
each man happened to possess. II
November, Perkins brigade marched
to Lower Sandusky, now Fremont
leavinga q detachment at the Huron
river, and completed the fortificationi
at that point, which were afterwardi
,, ably defended by Maj. Croghan, o
Pittsburgh. Here they remained IN
til discharged, losing a few men II
, diminishing with the Indians on thu
:, peninsula, but took part in no gener
|. al engagement. The writer is inform
ed by a gentleman of some expert
/ ence in the late war, that he consider
the muster and march of Col. Hayes
regiment a remarkable military feat
There were next TO no roads, many o
I the road lines being mere bride path
: through the woods. The men com
/ prising the regiment were scattere'
D over a territory ten miles wide anC
2 thirty miles long. Teams for trans
: portstion had to be secured, (which
= was done by the colonel taking then
| wherever he could find them,l a sup
piy of rations secured in the sam
manner. Pack saddles manufacture
for the train of pack horses, and ye
. in spite of all these difficulties, tn
regiment marched fairly equipped il
les than three days after the cal
was received by the commanding
officer.
8 Our late war furnished many instan
: ces Of slower work than this, and tn
: whole career OF the regiment provel
z conclusiyely that Col. Hayes was al
!, executive man. The Col, while ol
/ the frontier, was prOstrated by feye
brought on by oyer-exertion, and tn
regiment did not take any very &C