The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-01-28
PUBLISHED BY REQUEST.
Early History of Auburn.

AAASto1 y VI Ii
i One Of his sons lives on the farm
with his mother, the widow two 9th.
ers live in this town, and the rest have
gone West. Roswell Rice was also j
blacksmith by trade, and son-in-l law
OF AmaZiah keyes.l He moved into
town i'll June, 1873 bought four acres
on one OF the corners, now called Au-
burn Corners, built a house and shop,
worked there a few years, sold aud
moved to Mantua, as that was an old
settled town, and better place fol-
his business. He worked at his trade
and remained there considerable
number of years, till his father and
mother Keyes died; then he bought
out the heirs of the estate, and moved
back to Auburn; settled on the old
farm, gave up working at his trade,
and carried on dairying till, he died,
the 11th day of February, 1861. His
wife also died the 31st of December,
1868. l-.4#7i A[s' EaaH5s - -aai
Horny Garfield moved in, 1 think,
with his family. in the fall of the year
1920; built and moved Oh to the land
he had previously bought, and which
| l think is situate on the south-east
corner of the Root Tract, and through
which runs creek called Bridge
Creek, and on which was a mill-seat.
Mr.. Canfield's intention was to build
saw-miIl on his land when he bought
which he did, and got it running. l
| think. late in the fall of the year 1922.
This was the first mill in town. We
were all very thankful to have saw
mill, for we needed one very much.
Mr.. Garfield was good carpenter,
and = very Industrious man. He
built frame house aud barn, made
improvements, and run his mill for
several years, and then sold to his
brother. William Garfield, who lived
in the State of New York but, some
time during the time above stated, he
met with a very bad accident. He was
at log raising, went to step oyer a
log, had got his left foot over and his
right foot up, so that the toe of his
boot was nearly or quite at the center
of the log. At that instant, another
log rolled against his heel, and jam
med his foot up endwise, and injured
his ancle. This hurt was of such a
nature that it could not be cured. His
foot never came in good shape again.
He had a shoe or boot made and
shaped on purpose for it, and used to
walk with a cane. Notwithstanding
this misfortune, some of his boys be-
coming men-grown to help him, and
he being ambitious, he bought mill
seat at the Cuyahoga Rapids, in the
town of Hiram, Portage Co., built'a
dam across the river, and a saw-mill,
and was doing business successfully,
when he was charged with flowing
the marsh lands up the river, and
suit was commenced against him. He
stood the test and came of conquerer,
but, as he was alone to fight so many,
and as there was so much preJudlce
against him on account of his mill
dam being there, he sold and moved
onto the State Road in Mantua. He
lived there number of years, and at
last moved back into Auburn, and set
tied on the Atwater Tract. His house
was burned 10 or II years ago, but he
built again, and lives there to this day.
His foot, ancle and leg growing more
and more affected, and more and more
painful, until the injury terminated i'll
running sore, and affected the whelc
limb to his knee, his sufferinss were
SO great that it seemed as though he
could not live under them. AT length
he sent to Cleveland for surgeon,
who, OH examination, concluded to
amputate it, with this view, that, if he
died under the operation, death would
be preferable to so much suffering,
and he might possibly live; and he
took it off above the knee, dressed it,
and it was a long time getting we'll
but at last it has healed up sound, and
the old gentleman, who has reached
almost so years of age, is out of pain
and patient under his misfortune
His wife, an old lady, died the 10th of
last December, aged so years. Thus
have given you faint description of
the sufferings of this unfortunate man
which afflicted him, think. for more
than thirty years. tvlal 4t
Elijah Garfield, next brother young
er to the above named Garfield. came
into town when, OF soon after, he
bought so acres of land near where
the mill was built went on to it, and
lives Oh it to this day. He has only
one child, VIM. Garfield, who bought
the mill property of his brother Henry
as above stated sold to a man by the
the water out of its natural course
through ditch. which he cut through
the bank on the west side of the creek
anu Ci CStCu u To w -huii o1o AiCe Ahiii3
which are in running order to this
day. fma .-aa.. ,..a
Samuel Moore, of Mantua, was mar
ried to Betsey Keyes, by Eathan Brew
er, Esq, at the brides fathers, in An
burn, about the 25th of November,
1877, they being the first couple mar
ried in town. Morgan Orton, who
sold his farm to Benjamin Woods, as
above stated, bought again West, on
the Kirkland Tract, on the center road.
ca Moore, by the Rev. Elder Humph-
rey, of Burton, at VIM. Crafts, in
Auburn, in the winter of 10. This, l
think, was the second marriage in
town. Mr.. Orton was very indus
trious, hard-laboring man, After
marriage, he moved on to his new
farm of more than two hundred acres,
made good clearing, sold part of hi.
farm to his brother-in-law, Harris,
helped Harris build a saw-mill OH a
branch of Bridge Greek, above mem
toned, which was on his farm built
a frame barn, was getting along well,
when he was taken sick and died
about two years ago. Thus l have
written little of the history of this
hard labOring man, who. perhaps
bought and sold too often for his own
good.
John Crafts and Joseph Keyes, who
came with me, when l moved here,
soon married and settled in this town,
John married East. in New York,
brought his wife here, settled on a
small farm of fifty acres on the Kirt-
land Tract, labored there few years,
and was taken sick and died. He was
the first adult person buried in town.
Willis Woods and Joseph Keyes
married sisters by the name of Colvin.
of this town. Keyes lived here many |
years, but now lives in the town of
Burton; moved there or 10 years
ago has grown old, but he and his
wife are still able to take care, of