Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-07-14

0 LEI tjmeS. Stimulated this
gencf awakening of hisioFiei inter
est tbsonghout the land, incited, too
Prol ably TO a considerable extent by
The joint resolution Of Congress,
brought into general notice by the
% efatislia9R 6f ne Resid494 Pf
the Z hited Stftes, accommodating
10 the people of the several States
that they assemble in their several
counties or towns, on the approach
ing CenteRHial anniversary of our
national isIl 3 SbehdstIfe, alid4hat they
cause to have delivered on snch day
an historical sketch of such county
or town from It's formation, to be
preserved for fu,nre reference, the
c4El Iift .Aphi ed 10 naI ar
(. al senieuts fdr I'm celebratfon IA se
requested that some sketches of our
township history should be prepared
for the occasion. In compliance
With the expressed wishes of the
committee, the following sketches
have been written, leaving portions
of our history to be prepared by 9th
er and better hands.
Some years siuce, thed RaE.N John
Hall, whose labors and virtues are
still fresh in our memories, wrote an
elaborate history of the township,
more full and complete than could
now be prepared innthe short time
allotted for that P0rpose.
This history was published in at
least two of our county papers, and
seems to render a full history at this
time-unnecessary., There are, how
eSsfg gmahy F8cta ana linGi.l e6Gs5 dot
mentioned by Mr.. Hall, or but brief
ly noticed, which are worthy of men
ton, or of M rtended notice;
AID other have occurred
since IeSS lis ry, was
written. E
s Tie Sfzsf psisi pization,
incInd srritolS chin the
pfesen tof Asi Abula, was
called seised the
whole teri1tofy ncs .luded In the
county of Asbtabula Bhere are no
FsS9ISI [i@l9 sEsits s 4 PsSeRevlf9ss Of
In 1903, the township of Ashtabu-
la was organized, then including the
present townships of Ashtabula,
Plymouth, KIngsyille, and, / think,
stIIi G Western 2 part of .Monroeslss AT
atAe first election under this organic
-stion; held as theioheuse Of Walter
ItFobess on the 4th day Of April,
1903, Roger Nettleton, Isaac aae-
EiRgton and lYm, Perrin were elect
ed Trustees; Roger Nettleten, Clerk;
Zachariah Olmsted, 5TreasUreri Mat
thew Hubbard and Thomas Hamil
Ietoa,i appraisers, laBd sJohnIi Diliing
ham and Joshua Rockwell, Consta-
blesxidia9,u gi l9 - iaasvag = s1f1sf
The following extracts We copy
from the records of the following
year:
''Voted at the annual Town Meeting
held at the house Of Peleg. Sweet, that the
Trustees assess six dollars fer the purpose
Of erecting guide boards.
NJ. HUBBARD, Clerk"
a t.At q meeting Of ths Trustees in ths
housed of Matthew Hubbard, December 'fst
1909, Daniel Coffee was appointed Super
visor instead of Henry Gilman, who ha:
made his holy escape.
M. HUBBARD, Clerk"
cat a meeting held as. above stated, 20
seph xeiraEas appoinfed bN the fQFastee.
| to collect the tax voted by the Township
of six dollars. NJ. HUBBARD, Clerk"
Why Gilman made his escape
the record does not inform us; but il
Mr.. Kerr hadomads ibis escape tC
avoidstke Labor Of LedlIecting sikidol
lars from the scattered inhabitants
of q very, large township, he certain
ny would had a reasonable excuses
VIM. Perrin and Gideon Leet
we're e6EmiSSipned as JustieeS 81
the Peace il 1909, These were The
first Justices of the Peace in the
township. l NoO4
In 1872 Kiagsyille, having beer
-organlzed. as a separate township
Nwasstak4A hon1C AsbtaB aBdIa, leaving
the territory comprising only tn!
present townships Of Ashtabula anI
| Plymouth, and it tLns continued an
til 1885, when the south part ofTit
vas or ganized is the towhshfp b
Plymouth, redudiag Ashtabula town
ship to its present limits. 51sel u .lsts
tssgYhe growth of this township has
in themain, been slow and stead,
from its first permanent, settlement
inial 500, when George Beckwith. and
his small family, composed its Who'll,
pophlA ion 90 the present tims9dd
gTsdAal increase of Popqlati0Ha a
shown BY the ID. y. census is as fol
lows.Eolh lh 1850 Its population wa
1881 Sihidea0, after IS separation
from Plymdtthdit was 1S7ll; of TIL
number, much fGits egedit.bbt on,
person, only, is reported who eoult
not read, aud write; in 1854 ita19m
eefsa 2, III; ID 1850, 4,l69; IN 4s7e
! 1898. -
y y I0NAAduy j ehTa eliE " " 49, ~
rivalry and some asperity Of feeling
between the citizens of the two lit
tIsaviilages 90 the opposite sides -
the eresk, each stTigih g fs4 hths as
cendeleya (Which eontlnHef unit
about 1877, wien, owing 70 seVera
causes, but mainly, perhaps, to thu
death of three of the prominent cit
izens of the East village--JudgI
Thomas Smith, Edwin Wheeler
ESQ, aifd dHofatio WiieoxAa all &C
tive business men, the evenly bal
anced scales Of nfaIiy years yielde'
to The greater, energy and sp99Rpia
tion Of the West side, and ltiaoP
Etaihealthe lsng coveted asceildeney
The 1eIections, however, as before
swere held alternately on theasEas
aud West sides OF the creek 70
several years thereafter.
With one meeting house, one towI
house, now known as EremRn's Hall
aud Occupied, fsr the qnadraple pur
Il pOse9f Maso oAicb ~, ,po@p han schoo
house and church, one tavern on
Il gristmilL one tannery, four stcres
four distiieries, a respectable mum
Der of mechanic'sN shops, two dali.
-.-..s--a-ss-a'-