The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-05-10
9istoritaL
[For the DEMooRAT,l
History Of the EARLY Settlement
OF
Plain Township, Stark County
[For the DEMOCRAT !

The first white man who settled in
Plain township was Henry Friday He
was Hessan, taken prisoner at the bat
lie of Trenton and paroled There are
those still living who have personal
knowledge of the reproach attached to
"a Hessian.' 1t was not only because
they sold themselves to an unrighteous
cause, but it was generally believed they
brought with them to this country the
Hessian fly, which so ravaged the wheat
crop for series of years, 1t was, ii pos
sible, to get rid of the prejudice against
him, that Friday determined to leave
Pennsylvania and seek a home in the
wilds of the West. He had wife and
three children. With an old horse and
rickety cart, in which were packed his
traps and calamities, he worked his
way over the Alleghenies, through Pitts
burgh, then about one-third the present
size of Canton) by the scattered settle
ments along Beaver and across an un-
broken wilderness to the southeast quar-
ter of section 80, where he 'squatted.
This was early in the summer OF 1906
He cleared a small patch which he
planted in corn and potatoes, and until
the crop matured the family lived upon
wild meat and berries His special bust
ness was that Of a we'll digger and until
he obtaiued employment in this line he
would cut and cure grass in what was
then known as the Wild Meadows, To-
Gated in the southwestern section OF the
township, for which he found ready sale
to emigrants. Though man of some
natural ability, he was of low instincts,
inclined to drink and horribly profane.
He must have lived like Digger Indian,
for it is said, that in a year in which the
locust appeared, he had pie made OF
them which he eat, and in speaking OF
it would remark; Es ist der besht poy
es mer moche kon." Friday remained
in the township FIVE or SIX years, then
bought piece of land in Jackson town
ship, upon which he moved and there
died. He was the chief man in procur-
ing signers to a petition to the County
Commissioners for road from Canton
to Chippewa, which in after years was
known as Fridays road. The present
road from Canton to Fulton is part of
the same. Aportion of the original road
has been vacated.
Hugh Cunningham. an Irishman, came
the same summer and settled on the
northeastern quarter Of section "a, which
he had previously purchased OF the gov
ernment. These two families were the
only white inhabitants in the township
during the winter of 1866, Mrs. Gun
ningham was confined in the summer of
1906 with a female child, which was the
first birth in the township, The child
lived but few days. Cunningham sold |
out in 1871 and removed to 'Killbuck
Bottoms in Wayne county. When the
war of 1872 broke out he became alarm
ed from fear of an attack by the Indians,
and hastily abandoning his improve
ment, returned with his family to his |
brother David Cunningham, then cit
izen of Plain township. When the draft
followed, he became so terror-stricken,
that to escape it, he shot himself in the
foot.
George Harter left Center county, Pa
in 1906, with a family of seven for Ohio.
On the way out they heard so many hor-
rible stories about Indian atrocities that
when they reached Beaver where Mr..
Harter had an uncle living, Mrs. Harter
was bitterly opposed to going farther.
As the uncle had a vacant cabin on his
place, it was decided that the family re-
main year at Bever. Meanwhile,
George Harter and his brother John,
Henry Myers and George Wertenberger,
came out to Stark county, made selec-
tions of land, and each built cabin
George Harter on section I7S. John Har-
ter on section 10, Henry Myers in Lake
township, and Wertenberger in Mimi
shillen. They assisted each other in the
construction Of the cabins, and on their
all returned to Bever.
Early in the spring Of 1906, the family
of George Harter started from Beaver in
a six.horse covered wagon for their new
home in Ohio. A daughter then in her
ninth year, now Mrs. Jehu Grub, has a
very distinct recollection of the journey
out-of seeing the men at work digging
therace for Slusser's mill, as they crossed
Nimishillen-of her great disappoint-
ment at the size of Canton, expecting to
see it as large as Pittsburgh, when it
contained only three cabins, all told.
From Canton to their home, distance
of four miles, road had to be cut, most
of the way through an unbroken forest.
They brought with them from BeaVertwo
cows and sow with eight pigs. The sow
was kept in a pen for short time, and
then bell put on her and let run to
hunt her food. She had not gone far
from the cabin, when the family heard
her squeal. Suspecting the trouble, Mr..
Harter snatched up his rife which was
always kept loaded, and made haste to-
ward the locality from whence the sound
his way, ramming down sec
ond bullet. He had not proceeded far,
when he discovered huge bear drag
ing the sow by the back ofthe neck thro'
the bushes. The sound OF his approach
the attention of the bear, who
dropped the SOW and stood up onhis hind l
legs and looked directly at Harter. He
took deliberate aim at the chest Of the I
bear and fired. The bear fell over, but
as Karter was suspicious that he might /
not be dead, and knowing that it would {
be dangerous to come within his reach s
ifhe was only wounded, reloaded his !
rife, and approaching the animal within {
a few rods, took deliberate aim, and gave q
him another shot in the head, when he S
turned over, gave a feeble kick, and was
dead.
The family were much annoyed by |
bears and wolves. They carried off all i
of the eight pigs but two, and these were
saved by being kept closely housed. {