New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-10-11
THE Old COWLES house.

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chuIchyard where thrco generations OF CoTcsS s'cep
and across the street the old Cowes house" 1t OoGs
under its naples Just neat well caredior farm mousse
but there is house in Northern Obo fuller OF bits oil
love stories ghost stories. stories Of self sacrifice anu
fragments of notable lives Its present mis- ress Is Miss
Martha Cowes who las spent seventy OF her more than
eighty wears under lis roof ana is the last o! the nine
brothers and sisters who made its walls ring Nth
their mcrrimcnt Thrcc-lu!rtcrs of century ago
pioneer mother of this little bacSw0o town felt the
Puritan blboI strong within her at the Thought oi her
children growing up under pastoral guidance, AMI of
herself being shut OIL from all meeting privileges
when the Eev. Joseph Badger, or some other tircoNS
missionary, held services IN some not TOO distant clh'
And so the wife of judge Austin mounted her horse ana
rode through wilderness Tor weeks uutl she came to
Bristol Conn, where dwell woman who Was NJ the
same spiritual mould herself This woman was the
wife OF the Cites Hooker Cpwlcs aud when the case
was before her she said her husband wo8d 20 To
minister tho needs OF the tc community; ana 20 he
did year later, in 1871, he returned for his family
and in the old so way with hose teams and eaus
and covered wagons, they made their TO Ausnburg.
Tho pcopc rece, ed them gladly and At went TO
WORK build log meeting house. which also served as
shelter minister's family until !og dwelling
house could erected besi 10 it, The property
made their minister git of eighty OF land aud
promised him a salary Of 500 year for half his time;
for the other half he Was cmI oycd 10y Connecticut
Society ia missionary work. for which he also receive!
5000. -Four hundred dollars year would hardly seem
prlnccy sn for the maintenance OF family Of eleven
persons but the minister's fell TO work with will
and soon loppiaa Of six made, and aH"ns
the stumps fallen raised their grain ana
vegetables.
Bat tie settlement and so did the little Cowlc,e-
and in two houses built; TO take the place
of the log meeting house, the other dwelling FOR Minis
Ter Cowc, the house which to-day well kuOwa in
this rc.on Is the old Cowcs house" The new meeting
house wa. after the New England pattern, plain all
hare as scse OF duty couid make II, and one Of the
cherished % hc Old CoNics hoIs At IS
Painting representing IL" church III All i' rrimct"i
uglucss Bat 1t waa the second church built on the
Western Ecserye ana considered fns niiair And
LET the remarkable fact he recorded walls
raised without the a.s>auco OF whi,Ery! There were
doubts whether lone but done it for the
Tionrer house mother, gathered and hrrWcd homo-mHi"
beer and furnished good cheer that the husbands aI
went home satisfied and so'er
The minister, house wa, for those times, SINE resi-
dence Lettns the dignity OF IL masters cn!aE aud f.
still rather better than most OF tho farnhon'"7 around
anoutl OF course the rnlc vas too Sermons Sunday
so those who came rnn distance brought then DINNERS
T,:sp tue parsonage thrown open TO everyone aud
,rc., .ob; fire, were knd,cl in three TOOni,. Ia lis
atmosphere OF rciOa, a.1.itaty, industry aud rcJj
ness for any chance fan tna came aioI@ iOr to make II
it didn't come the little CoGlc-es up Wien The
father died sisters the unjust custom OF TIC
times. were left dependent upon then brothers Mis-,
Martha. being Older aud Ike her uam"sdhc 81 old cam
/ bered with much serving rcndi""d al home while
Bctscy ana CUrne!ia between whom existed irWtrk.
friendship anG 7ymiatN walked out in'0 the world
4 10 make paths through 10 Tor themselves Miss Ec-cy
went Obcrln. and wAs che bent oyrr the wash tub.
IA, Ing her cheerful self reliant way, sic thought out
more problems than were IN her text BOOKS IN iippcl
as her with all the aidur of strong mind tender
heart and passionate love q" Justice The c brought
Dy the Lane Seminary Icho;,." who. denicl by ~.
Lyman Bcccher the right longer to ashlo ne question
OF avery came Oberin ana brought with them the
% tsr iiif, sHdy and itte traching fonnd her
power to He in her wonderful voice l. gained her
livelihood. for her comfortable independence,
and. ii became her weapon With which to hgt Tor
| tOWIcHCs,
BROTHER Lewis. at one mc H. well known and ~
popular throughout large section OF country the
Alter two years at Oberin Miss Botsey began teaching
earnest she had attempted 1t H tho age Of 'c;cntcen
al had no. lc.. 49,, 9:5Jvo7; In faction ID" :st
oatnidIy her first term she tcd ia;o;;oi'! T., The
nearest way through TIE woods 10 her nome, tnd
declared her liked determination never I" return 20 me
finished the UNDERTAKING Tor hcr lj"t now 10 proved
remarkably successful Her ui'' schools were delight
to her pupils ana wGfder To their parents, anticipating
the mclern kndcrearten And !!o,-lrs'on methods.
Nor ."r older pupils less cn,EnaSnc she taught
ami was the first prc'cptrc3s at Grand River Institute,
Austiuburg whcu that school ioiid Tor the benefit OF
, hHup" Ga,n cn'',rini -. ,,ic ,f her f,r ,r,r
ducine raliSthcrics which Thought t. bc rcruusly
akin dancing but IN the end she hal her own was, as
oIpnrtnniy came TO hear William lloyd Garr- On ,pcal
aud from that time forth tho CowcN house was one q" lo
stronghois OF Carrsouian abolition principles. It,
hosptiitios well known TO travellers Oh the Tn
derQrOund Railway.
TIE first woyfaror who came that road with his back
st, hearing the marks OF Tie RASH was owned b. llnns
Au>.nbursors finding it dincult to ron 81 The slave
safely. pcaccaly cmtIc1cd the miscr held mcctufb 4.
wish him. Irayed at him. ted him Well then subscribed
money enough to his human chatte aid he
about to depart from them in al amy, His horse
Name aud tail had been ccau -h1 en- and the poor beast
lacked most detected ard a-sininr o course Miss
Martha explained NO were much Hu:tlled IL had |
been done hJ some yoang r1"tieS; and some onc cN-
changed WITH the scltnerner s,iIig ll aIcNPect'be-
Besides the pass, niger The Underground Railroad
came other guests: William Lloyd Garrison Parker |
Pil7bury stephen and Abbey Kelly Foster. Pred !
Douglass and sojo'Tner Trntn ON ne question Of |
slavery they agreed; on religion they differed greatly
Tho CowlcSes tho stihc.t 81 defendants Ui the
PnritIu though Mia, Bet ~ drited into sympathy with
To neCer forms oil th0aght> Family worship was
attended twice day and stephen Fosters Quaker spirit
refused - have auchJ t. do with IL 80 when the hZ
I5lc came down from It's fhclI stephen went up to MS
Over the walls Of the sitting Of the old parsonage
hang fac smile cory OF the Emdnrl atiur froc!Hn
ton and hIasrnMT IN oI f,n'2mGd m , 81 o.
beloved friends Of te sisters Ana speaking Of lnercua
tongh shc spoke right tlo1nenily for then mat Miss
Bets@ys voice npliftel "frogidcGce' she sail on
pushed Open for myself and In doing 50 she fonnd
ai the doors lil opnnsH upon roa L. S,c's, Ia ii9
for women wcio lev and dihcnIt 10 open she presided
over the w1InluS rights convention In Jefferson. up,n
which occasion. has often been told. clergyman OF
excited OF the blasplltrous character or tho
hi, st signal Judgment should 1ycrtalc him
for his prcsence there. The tail form Of soourner ul!,
arose the audience and pointing her long iOrrhG,cr at
ihe adated divine. she slowly remarked; ,nat little
man IN black says he's afraid sOmct'ing- going 10
happen to him lie needn't hc aif'-'i don't think the
Lord ever hcard OF him"
I'm 1863 serious trouble Game upon Miss Ecsev. the
loss one of her rOug the form Ing Of cataract
aud she hOJrsfO remain. turning all her cncrgie,
iulo the aLodt her. 50 that In all good works. all social
eutcTainCtnts all projects fol the welfare of the town.
tic first step, to consult her. After the
COOrcd people who settled, did in Austin
burg found IN the oil house kind and firm .rleuds. Fred
Douglass to 10 ~ guest more than ON
these occasions he lec tue John Brown 81
the town church to hastily gathered audience. JOHN
Brown he said. " at that time wOOl-iGcrchaut
John Brown good judge" passing his fingers
through his own rather crnkly locks " Of wool" Life
nassed quietly tnOh with the sisters ut the Old parsOn
until 1863 when CUrnolii died The last work to
which all her iiad giVeG.Was the erection OF the
church In Austinhurc and II completed in time for
her funeral services to be held therein. nephew and
live with Miss Martha and the old house IL
pleasant and hOmciiRe. On the door Of tie best