The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-06-27


was in having Hon. John Quincy Adams as a
passenger ON his boat. / suppose this honored
and excellent ex-president of the United
States was never in Stark county except on
that trip, Canton was mot in it' at that time.
! In those days ii was no uncommon thing
! to see the farmers with their empty wheat
teams returning from Massilon loaded down
with immigrants from the old world ;and a most
worthy and thrifty class Of people they proved
| to be. Those were the days that brought TO
us our Biecheles, Dannemilers, Pieros Wiki
dals SChaefers, Crevoises BeChels, Doubles
and many others had we time to enumerate
them. The bags well filed with silver dollars
and five frank pieces brought by these new.
comers in those days were very helpful to
those that had them and greatly revived bust.
ness of all kinds. Were such people to land
In our midst now many Of our people would
say that they had come from a country where
they were in favor OF the free coinage of silver.
The Bethlehem or Navarro road turned to
the left from Tuscarawas streets just opposite
from where the Massillon road bore of to the
right and went diagonally across the present
beautiful Dueber grounds and continued in
that direction until Buck hill was reached at
the point then knows as the Jack Stidger
farm, but in later years known as the Lewis
]. Wise farm. have no recollection of there
being single house along said road. at the
early period l refer TO-, after you left Tuscara.
was street until you got to the Stidger farm
house. The Navarro road now running along
from that point parallel with the Fl, Wayne
railroad and into Petersburg was not then
opened out and Petersburg southwest Canton)
and the Ft. Wayne railroad had not then been
as much as thought Of much less built,
! IN thqse early days the best harvesting
machines known were the cradle and some
still adhered to the sickle, but modern reaper
was not then dreamed Of, nor yet moving
machine beyond the aid Dutch scythe; the
English sCythes made their appearance at a
later day and many the fathers Of
those days died before mower Or reaper had
ever been made. The women of this country
and the men and boys generally from Canton
would turn out to delp the farmers of those
days during the time of harvest. l we'll re-
member often going out and helping in said
capacity-there was place for all who felt
| disposed to work.
| Sixty-fve years ago there were but few
grist mills in this country and they were
generally quite small, but within three years
| time three large mills for those times were put
! up and finished, one was John Shorbs brick
Touring mill, known to us now as Blake's mills
| in Canton and Fogle's frame mill at North In
dustry but known later on as Goodwill's mill,
, and still later as BrOwnings. Then there was
| Slanker's mill, kown as the high mills, at
Mud Brook, about nine miles West of Canton,
near the Fulton road. All three mills were
put up under the supervision Of man by the
name of Koch, mill right of wide reputation
in those days. He lived on West TusCaawas
street, Canton, in the same house now occupied
by Mrs. Madison Raynolds and the family of
her son Joshua Reynolds, but the house has
been greatly impro we'd since that day. All
these mills were run for years by water power,
but in later years adopted steam power. The
FOgle mills at North Industry were burned
down few years ago, but the other two still
stand. The Shorb mill had narrow escape
some years ago, when the upper part of the
building was destroyed by fire, but was after
wards rebuilt.
In those days we had no hat stores to go to;
If new hat was wanted the only sure way
to get one, was to go to the hatters and get
your head measured, and wait until one could
be made We had at one time four of these
kinds of shops in Canton. One was on West
TusCarawas street, just east of the present Y.
NJ. c. A. building, conducted by Conner
Sweeney, who was a practical halter, and was
at all times ready to take orders for either
wool or fur made hats, for boys, young men,
or gray haired fathers. Then on East Tus-
carawas street, known at that time as SLEEPY
hollow" was Geo. N. Webb, and Elias d.
Albert Mr.. Albert's shop stood for many
years near where the Geo, D. Harter bank
building now stands After Geo. N. Webb
was elected sheriff of the county I think he
never opened out a hat shop again. At least
have no recollection oft. think E. d. Albert
learned his trade with John Scroggs, who had
carried on the hating business in former
years on the lot now occupied by A. Kat
zenberg's meat market. His son Jacob
Scroggs is still living in Bucysus, an honored
man at the bar in that place. Then there was
old Valentine Bockius, grand father of our
worthy citizen L. " Bockius who was ahatter
| by trade, and in early days had shop on
Walnut street, l am not sure, where it was
| located, but think it was on the lot where
McGinity's blacksmith shop now stands, N. f.
corner Walnut and 9TH street. On S.Market
street was Peter Tofler, who lived in a small
two story brick building the indentical one
now occupied by my neighbor E. j. Rex, as a
residence;this building then set up close to the
edge of the pavement and with the side face
ing the street instead OF the end as now. it
then set quite low down nearly on a level with
the pavement. Mr.. Toher was most excel
lent christian man very devoted member Of
| NJ, L. church, and quite exemplary in all his
business and walks of life. He had several
daughters, who became useful women, in
active christian work, one was the wife of the
late Hon. VIM. Dunbar who died several
years ago in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, at one time he
was one of Canton's best school teachers,
Peter Tofer had but one son, whose name was
George, and quite singular to say, he became
one of the most habitual drunkards of that
day. he was naturally kind
hearted, and tolerably well informed
but he could. not be braken from his inordi-
nate use of intoxicating liquors; his habits
of life doubtless brought his good old father
many achings of the heart. George never was
married, and died in the midst of life, because
of his iutemperate habits. Old father Toher
died at a ripe old age honored and loved by
all who knew him, Old father Toher had
also been a soldier in the revolutionary war
so that he was not only honored as a soldier of
the cross, but true soldier in defence of his
country, in the time of great peril.