Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-01-03
Fragments of History of Newton

township
EDIToR CHRoSICnE-Sir.-I have not
forgotten that over two years ago you
requested me TO write up all that;could
be obtained Of the "reminiscences Of the
early settlem emit Of Newton and its incl
dents, and said that in so doing, I as
writer, and you as publisher, would thus
cooperate in the discharge OF duty to
the memory of a generation now num-
bered with the dead" On receipt of
your suggestion, / was at once ready to
admit that it ought to be done; but how
to accomplish & history or sufficient
connection and incident TO make il
worthy of the press, was the difficulty.
Communities starting on the colonial
plan, or by families mainly from the
same section or State, have been able to
transmit to descendants, by record or
tradition, much more history than our
pioneers coulddo {, Of whom scarcely two
families knew each other prior to set
Ting here, and Of whom very few
amongst US even perpetuated their
names.
Again, as compared with other towns,
we have not that wealth of anecdote,
romance or tragedy, which is their just
inheritance. Even sister Braceville is
justly proud Of her rattlesnake hunt, in
which four hundred and fifty scalps
were taken in one day. Whilst we can
only modestly hint that whilst the brave
hunters were hers, more than half the
snakes were ours-born and brought mp
in our part of the ledge; and further, we
do not hesitate to say that in our own
town, near the present residence of L. P.
Baldwin, in the year A. d. 1911, Jesse
Allen and his brother, with their corn
hoes, killed n snake larger than any
half dozen, and the proof is that it had
thirty-six rattles.
A word farther, Mr.. Editor, by way Of
Introduction and apology. Whilst you
concede that 1 am a busy man, and
have much to do, 1 will only say that I
have not failed to levy contributions
on every person and document within
reach, able to give any light in the pre-
misses. And as a reason why informants
are few las to former years. it is suffi-
cient to say that Of all those who voted on
the second Tuesday Of October, 1888, only
four are now living in this township, to
wit: James Gilmer, Alexander Gilmer,
John Miller and William Porter; and
for this reason sny.recollections we may
reach prior to that date, or tapping upon
subsequent years, may havsnovelty and
interest to many of your readers in 1872.
As I am now advised, the first settle
ment of the township began at three
points-the earliest at Duck Creek, in
1902: next at the river, near Milton line,
in 1904, and last at the present site of
Newton Falls, in 1906 or =.
The township may be said to have
been organized in 1SOs, but not with is
present limits, as at that time, and for
many years afterwards, Newton, Milton
and Lordstown were one election pre-
cinct, and under the same jurisdiction.
In 1914, John Johnson, of Milton, was
Justice Of the Peace, and filed
the date of his commission with the
Clerk Of Newton and as late as 1926 the
road funds and job road work Of Lords
town were under the control OF Newton
Trustees.
For the purpose Of recalling early
names, 1 will say that in 1905 a book was
by the Clerk for the Record of
.armarks Of Cattle, Hogs and Sheep"
and these names are found, each record
ing his earmsrk. viz:
Z. Hover, Robert Caldwell, Nathaniel
George L. Dawson, Jacob Gus
ard, Leonard Miller, George Sheffelton,
John Lane, Benjamin Dawson, James
du~ffsteater. Daniel Dull, Jacob Winsns.
The dates Of Justices commissions are
ound as follows: