Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-05-25
IFrom the Cleveland Herald, May l4.l
DAYS IN TRUMBULL co.
Experiences of the First Settlers of Vernon
EinSman, sc.

PIONEER DAYS IN TRUMBULL co.
Experiences of the First Settlers Of Vernon,
Kinsmsn, sc.
EDS. HERALD Having noticed in
your paper, from time to time, sketch
es respecting the early settlers of the
Reserve, and thinkingit would inter
est some of your readers, l will give a
brief history of my fathers emigra-
ton to this country and the new set
tlement.
In the early spring of 1893, my faith
er, Warren Palmer, with his father,
left Litchfield, Connecticut, for the
dense forests of the Western Reserve,
/ travelling on foot, having one horse on
which they brought their extra cloth
ing and such tools as they would need,
/ and riding alternately, arriving in the
town of Vernon, TTumbull county,
then called No. 6, in about twenty
DAYS. There was then but one family
in the place, that of General Martin
/ Smith, who came all the way from the
! Ohio river with his family, in canoe,
! to Vernon. They selected their farms
near the center, cleared Off piece of
ground and planted it with corn and
potatoes. They built their log cabin
| large enough for two families, and
two stories high, the Indians helping
to raise it. They split logs into slabs
to make their floors and doors, also
their tables and other furniture
There was wild game in abundance,
deer, bear, wild turkeys, &C., which
| gave them a supply of meat, the
woods abounded with bees, and
/ wild honey which gave relish to
| their coarse fare. They chopped and
cleared ten acres of land which they
sowed with wheat, then built an out
door cellar, fattened some hogs with
the corn they raised, and barreled
them up, my grandfather making the
barrels, dug their potatoes, made a
barrel of metheglen with their honey,
| putting all into the cellar, the Indi-
ans helping to secure it. Then they
| took their leave of the Indians, and
started back for old Connecticut, ar
irving home the first of January, not
having had a word of communication
since they left in the early spring.
In The year 1900, about the middle
of April, my father and grandfather
started with their families for their
new home in the wilderness, coming
with three wagons, two spans of hor-
ses, one yoke of oxen and two cows.
They came the south road by the way
of Philadelphia, and over the Allie
| gheny Mountains. 1t was no small
task to cross the mountains in those
! DAYS. Their wagons upset, their OK
en- gave out, and they were obliged to
yoke up their cows to proceed on their
| Journey. They came through Pitts
burgh to the town of Beaver, being
then sixty miles from their destina-
ton and no road
They followed the surveyors line,
cutting their road, building their
bridges across the streams and sleep
ing in their wagons at night. When
about half way the Indians met them
with a hearty shake of the hand, and
s'To CUES no hoo" (me glad to see
you.) These Indians rendered much
assistance. After many days of toll
they reached their log cabin, in the
woods, on the first of June, grateful to
a kind Providence for his protecting
care, through their long and tedious
journey.
The first work was to open the eel
lar, where they found all safe, and in
good condition. They then dug a
deep hole in the top of a stump in the
! shaped of a mortar, and with pestle
attached to a spring pole ground their
! corn to make their bread, there being
no mill within foTty-five miles. In
the course of that season several fami-
| lies moved from Connecticut and were
greeted with a hearty welcome.
In the fall of 1900 l was born, being
| the first white child born in the town
or in the county, as far as was known.
The new corners suffered severe hard
ships and many pTivations. Salt was
from fifteen to twenty dollars barrel,
and hard to be obtained for that. In
the summer of 1901 two young men,
Thomas Ford and Jehial Perkins,
volunteered TO go and get some salt, II
| possible, the neighbOrs uniting in fur
nishing the means. With three yoke
of oxen and sled, with axes and pro-
visions for themselves and oxen, they
started with their guns on their
shoulder, and a large dog by their
side, through an unbroken wilder
ness to the lake, a distance of forty
miles. They followed the surveyors
| line when practicable, often having
to go around swamps and marshy
places that would not admit of their
| team to pass. In the course of their
Journey while cutting their road the
dog was missing. They soon heard
his cry of distress, and ran TO the res
cue, when to their surprise they saw
a huge bear standing erect on his hind
legs, hugging the dog, as only bear
can hug. One of them, quick as thO't,
struck his axe into the bear, and
could not extricate it. Old Bruin
dropped the dog in double quick time,
and bounded off. The last seen of the
| axe was the helve swinging back and
forth keeping time with the flight of
the bear. They arrived at the lake,
at the place now called Connecticut,
then FOrd's Landing, where there
were one or two log cabins, procured
three barrels of salt, and returned
home in safety, to the great relief of
their friends and neighbors, having
been gone nearly three weeks. The
| first death occurred in the summer of
1901. A young man named EN-
monds. was drowned while bathing
i'm the Pymatuning Creek.
| The first wedding in the new settle
ment was in the fall of the same year.
NV fathers sister was married to I'll
tus Brockway, Esq, of Hartford. My
grandfather's death occurred soon
after. His tombstone is said to be
fine oldest in the country. In the
wear 1902 or 1903 Judge Kinsman came
from Connecticut to locate his future
home. and make preparations for his
family. One of my fathers oxen
strayed away and wandered off to
where Kinsman was engaged. He
wished to know who his neighbors
were and how far off they lived, got
astride of the OK and started him, let
ting him take his own course. The
OK brought him safely through the