The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-03-25

yONuS Wllc CGCAcO tu0 DiIuoI OoAO
most likely Johnny cake-and alone
they ate 1t, and no doubt looked into
each ether's eyes and wondered if that
was the fulfillment Of "Love's young
dream" This event gave Mrs. Shell
don the opportunity of saying that she
was the best looking woman in Au-
rora, an opinion that hsd but little
value in the mind of q noble red man
-Sagamaw, who upon being refused
some whisky by Mrs. s., remarked
that "Brodder Sheldon, good man
brodder Sheldon's squaw, heap dam
rascal"
In 1902 stranger called at the Shell
dons and asked for some food for him
self and horse. During the prepera-
ton of the meal the traveller gave his
uame as Bostwick, and said he was an
itinerant preacher of the Methodist
Church. Meetings were rare at that
time in this part of the State, one
never having been held nearer than
Hudson, and but one or two there.
and 50 the guest was asked to preach,
Mrs. S. humorously remarking that
they "would take their bill in preach
ing" The family was gathered, and
the preacher, literally standing on the
verge of civilization, expounded the
word of life to the pioneer and his
family-every resident of the town
as eloquently as surpliced bishop in a
marble edifce, with royalty for an
audience. In 1925 Mr.. Sheldon died,
completing long and useful life,
leaving his son Gershom upon the
homestead. Mrs. Sheldon went to
live with Mrs. Atwater, with whom
she died in 1916.
In the spring of 1904, Samuel Hunt
ington came into town and lived at
Esquire Sheldon's. He located a tract
of land on the west side of the Har-
mon Pond, and built a log house a
few rods north of where is now school
house No. 6. Soon afterwards he
went to the southern part of the State,
engaged in politics, and was in few
years elected Governor of the State.
No history Of the town would be COM
plete without an anecdote of the Gov
erner. who, being city man, and not
fully versed in garden sass" very in
nocently asked Mrs. Sheldon, who was
exhibiting to him some remarkable
sized pumpkins, eff such large sized
pumpkins were not apt to be hollow ?"
Later in the same year no less ina
portant event occurred than the arri-
val of another permanent settler
Samuel Forward and his family ar
rived from CRANKY, Connecticut, and
took, as second choice, a tract of land
at the Center, Il part of which is now
owred by Nelson Egglesten. Samuel
Forward, Jr., and his family moved
into the Huntington house. Another
son, Oliver and his wife, lived with
his father. The following winter
Samuel Jr., opened "Select" schsol
at his house. Festus, Gershom and
Seth Sheldon, Julia, Chauncey, Rens-
selaer and Dryden Forward were his
pupils and no doubt proved apt schol-
ars under his tutorship. One after
noon his sister Julia, who lived with
him that winter, started to 60. to her
The road was scarcely more
than "partri1ge path" and as snow
storm set i'll, she became lost, and
when she reached the trail near r. P.
Cannon's present residence, she turned
and went in a south west direction. On
and on the frightened girl went, and
long after dark she reached Wyatt's
Mill on Tinker's Greek, in the north
west corner of Streetsboro, but it was
now dark, the water was high, the mill
was on the opposite side, nor could
she find plale to cross. Again and
again she cried for assistance, but the
rattle of the machinery, and the roar
of the water drowned her,cries. Final
ly the mill stopped and the little girl
for she was only thirteen-saw the
men leave the mill, and with their
disappear over the hill beyond.
They had not heard her, and fully re-
alizing her danger, she reseiutely
turned her face in the direction in
which she thought home lay, and set
out. Finally she found the trail, and
in the darkness she kept i'll the mud,
knowing that then she was right. The
cold and snow chilled her. and some
times her feet became so numb that
she could not wall, ,and then she would
take off her shoes and gathering her
feet up under her, would thus impart
a little warmth to them, enough to en-
able her to proceed. So on through
the night the girl wandered in the
each family supposing her
safe at the others house, and finally
about four o'clock in the morning she,
more dead than alive, reached her
On the 9th of April, 1904, little
''pioneer" arrived at the cabin of Oil
YER Forward who could not boast of
New England as birthplace. The
delighted parents named him Oliver
This was the first white
child born in the town. A few days
after young Cromwell's mother took a
slight cold, and in temporary fit of
mental alteration slipped out of the
house unobserved and wandered into
the woods. Search was Immediately
but in spite of the most
vigilant pursuit, she eluded them for
nearly three days. During the time
quite fall Of snow occurred and the
weather became cold. On the third
day the marks of her naked feet were
and presently she was
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