The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-07-13
rcnnciu.le.l from First nare J

Cleveland to Pittsburgh. 1t was also
remarkable for the increase of popula-
tion by emigrants from the east. Abra-
ham 5. Honey was the first settler in
=. Portage Co. He settled in Mautua.
Benjamin Tappan, commonly called
Judge Tappan, came to Ravenna in
June, 1899, and in letter to me he
says that on the night before he arriv
ed at Ravenna he staid at the house of
Abraham Honev. AS he had house
there in June, 1899, he probably came
there in 179S. This was the first house
in what is now Portage Co. Benja-
min Tappan, of Northampton, Mass +,
owned about two-thirds of Ravcnna
township, then called Town :, Range
s. He arrived in June, and erected .
cabin in the southeast part of the
township, near Camptellsport. His
was the second house in the county
John Wark arrived in 1902, the third
settler.
Settlers now fiocfed in. In July,
Lewis. Ely, Lewis Day, and Daniel
Diver arrived in Deerfield, in wagon,
which was the first wagon that ever
crossed 1.-the mountains" Caleb At
water, settled i'll Atwater township,
Benjamin Tappan in Ravenna, David
Daniels in Palmyra, and Martin Shell
uOu Ill AuIOIa-
The year 1900 is memorable for the
first organization of a civil government
ON the Western Reserve. Gov. st.
Clair, in July, 1900, issued his procla-
nation, erecting the whole Reserve
east of the Cuyahoga, into county
called Trumbull, with the county seat
at Warren. Warren had become an
important place, having four log cabins
and sixteen inhabitants.
In February, John Campbell (after-
wards known as General CampbelD
AIva Day. afterwards known as Judge
Day and Joel Thrali, left Connecticut
on foot and arrived in Deerfield on the
4th of March. On the 7th of Novem-
ber following Campbell was married
To Sarah Ely, daughter of Lewis Ely.
They were married by Calvin Austin,
of Warren, who, III company with Cal
win Pease, then Il young lawyer. but
afterwards Judge OF the supreme Court
came to the wedding on foot, there be-
ing no roads. This was the first mar
riage in Portage Go. The first white
child born in the county WAS Eunict.
Harmon, q daughter of Judge Elias
Harmon, who was born in July, $500,
in Mantua township. On arriving at
womauhood she married Simon Shell
don, and died in 1919. The next was
Polly Day, a daughter of Judge Alva
Day, of Deeriield-bOrn August I'D,
1900. She was the second white child
born in the county, and the first born
in Deerfield. She afterwards became
the wife of Jedithan FarnhanI, and
died many years ago. Mr.. farnham
still Isurvives=being the oldest resident
of Deerfield. Arner May Hudson,
daughter of Deacon David Hudson,
and now the wife of Harvey Baldwin
of Hudson, next put in an appearance.
She was born on The 10Th of October,
$500. All these Were born in ''the
North. Western Territory" beforeOhio
had an existence.
In 1901 4 brighter future dawned on
the Reserve. Before this the nearest
Post Office was at Pittsburgh. There
the whole Reserve had To go nearly an
hundred miles To deposit or receive
their letters. Not only was it without
the means of information, but the
high officers at Washington seemed to
be ignorant of where il was; for in a
correspondence between Capt. Elijah.
WadswOrth, of Warren and the Gen
eral Postofiice. a letter to him from the
Postmaster General, is directed to
Capt. Elijah Wadsworth, Warren, in
the Connecticut Reserve, near Pitts
burgh, Pa" This is probably the first
and last time that Warren, Trumbull
county, was located Hear Pittsburgh"
In October. 1901, a mail route was
established from Pittsburgh to Warren
the mail to be carried on his back,
once in two weeks, by a man named
Gibson. This was a great relief to the
people of the Reserve. The census of
1900 showed that the eastern division
of the North Western Territory had
population of over 1900, sufficient,
under the ordinance of 1857 to form
State Government. On the 30th of
May Connecticut ceded her political
claim over it, and the President issued
a Patent, or deed in fee in the soil
to that State. In 1902 Congress passed
an act to enable the eastern division of
the Northwestern Territory to form a
Constitution and State Government
the people to vote on the I'd Tuesday
of October, 1902. The members for !,
convention were elected and met ut
Chillicothe On the first day of NOvem-
ber, 1902, and in three weeks formed a
better constitution than, with all the
legal tinkering, we have had since.
Ohio, hitherto an almost unknown
region, now took her place as a free,
sovereign and Independent State
Spanish, French, English, Indian and
all conflicting claims removed. On
this anniversary she stands proudly
erect, the peer and equal of the noblest
States in the Union.
But, although Ohio thus proudly
stood forth, Portage county had not
yet put in an appearance. It was not
till an Act of the Legislature. passed
Feb. 10, 1908, that all that part Of the
tract, or parcel, of Trumbull county
lying west of the 5th Range, was erect
ed into new county, called Portage
In April, OF the same year the town
plat of Rayenna was surveyed into
village lots the corners of the lots
and streets being designated by marks
on the trees. with which il was cover
ed-the whole plat being then a will
derness- John Boosinger, who died
recently in Brimfield, underbrushed
the plat.
In 1893 The first house on the town
plat OF R;ivenna, was erected on the
ground now occupied by WatermaIi's
aud frazer's stores, just east of the
Exchange. 1t was built for William
rappan, a brother of Benjamin. Just
east OF that was considerable pond of
water, SO large that canoes were. on il,
and 1t was agre:tf resort for wild ducks.
1t ~ now converted into pleasant gar
dens.
BY the law creating Portage county,
the first court WAS To lie held ;,t iie
house of benjamin Tapin.u, which
WAS near the southeast corner of r..
VIENNA to-" :.sliiib, in August, 1905 The
night before the court WAS tO mcce the
house took fire and w;iS cpnsInieiI.-
The next morning the Judges. consist
ing of Calvin Pe;Ise, Pr-sI,i,-iiI Judge.
William Wetinorc, .Ala4i Atwat..r,amd
Aaron Norton, As-fssaiIts, asscIni,l. d
around the smoking ruing OF rappiu'-
house, organized liI,; court, and then
adjourned to the house. OF Roirrt F.a-
ton, where isicIiar,I j. TlicnI,son now
lives This term of court commenced
August, :-;I, 1905 At this term the
Commissioners appointed 10y the icgis-
l:ture to locate tie. county seat report