Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-28
LIVES OF PlUADnRS.
PRlvATIoNS OF MEN WHO BLAzED
THE AMERICAN WILDERNESS.

Clearings-PeriIous Journeys.
The hardships, privations and denials
borne by the early settlers were such that
the "hard times" in the modern sense
hardly afford a comparison. 1t required
most heroic courage and fortitude in
the early days" to locate in the unbroken
wilderness, erect q rude cabin and then
commence the removal of the heavy for
ests with ak and fire, thus slowly to bear
back the dense woodland that in time to
come there might be fields of waving grain
and happy smiling homes.
1t was In the year 1902 that John Mel
dig and John Harmon, great-grandsires Of
the writer, loaded their wagons with their
families and household effects, and start
ing from Adams and Franklin counties
in Pennsylvania drove Tower the noun
tains" into what is now Beaver township,
Mahoning county, o. AS state Ohio had
then no organic existence, being simply
federal union then consisted of 16 states,
and the year following Ohio came in as
the seventeenth.
The first mentioned Of these pioneers
reached his destination in the month of
May of the year mentioned, and having
family of six sons, some grown to young
manhood, of herculeah build and giants
In strength, the customary round log cabin
was soon erected, and some acres were in
readiness by fall, to be sown to wheat. In
October of that year Harmon arrived and
located on his section Ga tract of land one
mile square and containing $40 acres) and
which had also been "entcred' some time
previously under the then existing land
laws.
This gentleman was in somewhat better
condition than his neighbor as to means,
but had not such exceptional family help,
and as the former was already in shape
for cold weather the two men and their
help began vigorously to get HarmOn's
cabin into condition for the near by win
ter. He had come with two teams, and
the covered wagons were driven under
two large oak trees that stood near spring
close to tho present pleasant country res
idence now owned by one Daniel Geiger.
In and under these wagons the family
campod until st the end of eight days the
cabin was in readiness for occupation.
In this time every stick had been taken
from the stump, puncheon floor and door,
a clapboard roof, held in position by
heavy poles laid crosswise over the split
boards the building "chinked" in the
spaces between the logs and well daubed
inside and out with common yellow clay
mortar. This was done so soon as the
roof was on, and while the puncheons
were being split and hewed rousing fire
was kept burning in the center of the still
bare ground to dry the mortar and make
the structure habitable. So vigorously
did the women and children replenish the
fire that the bark on the logs was parched,
and as the clay mortar cracked it was
pressed and the cracks closed until finally
dry and hard.
AT one end Of these cabins was a huge
the chimney structure on the
outside, all Of wood and so completely
covered on the inside as to be fire
proof. But it was considered feat in
those primitive days and was long consid-
cred as n notable event that q pioneer had
built and occupied his house within eight
days time from his arrival. The teams
and wagons were now dispatched back
over the mountains to return laden in tho
ensuing spring
Meanwhile there was the constantly re-
sounding stroke of the AK. There were no
sawmills, and timber, though Of the very
finest, had no value whatever Black wal
nut trees and maple and poplars, although
they stood straight and trim as masts,
We're only an incumbrance and had to be
felled, cut or fired through into suitable
lengths, then laboriously logged into huge
piles and slowly burned.
Between times and as a matter Of ncces-
sity was the chase OF bear, deer, SPUR
rels and turkeys there was a.plenty, but
there were no cartridges, no breeChload-
ing arms in those days not even the ham
mer and cap, only the old time "hintlock."
What counted at that time were skill
with the rifle and physical strength. The
Of these pioneers was about five
miles northeast of the old town of Column
biana, which was, as far back as 1902, q
small hamlet, and it was still 40 years
later, in 1851, when the Ohio and Penn
sylvania, now known as the Pittsburg,
Fort Wayne and Chicago railroad, was
built.
In this vicinity, and included in Har-
mons section, was what is still called the
''pine swamp" which is not pine, but
Drainage has reduced its area,
but in early times it covered $50 acres and
was famous pigeon roost.
In those early days the swamp had
depth of guano in many places of eight
inches, and the arrival of the birds in the
evening and departure in the morning
was like that of long continued rolling
thunder. From grandsire and grandane
the writer has listened to tales of pigeon
hunting with torches at night, the pro-
ceeds being q considerable item in the sub
sistence account.
The tamaracks and alders would liter
ally be loaded down with myriads of wild
pigeons, which, blinded and confused by
the glare Of the torches made of hickory
bark, could be dubbed down with light
poles and by bagfuls carried out
But the lives of these people were made
up Of hard labor and close economy. To
make q journey over the mountains was
a matter of considerable peril and involv-
ing at least month of time, and, as a
rule, the wife gave farewell when she
went west to all her old home kindred for
all time to come. Some of the men made
few business return trips, and then all
their future lay in the homes they were
hewing out Of the great western wilder
ness.
There was rivalry as to who should in
crease his clearing the fastest and get
ready for the more imposing hewed log
houses perhaps two stories high, stone
Chimneys and several rooms. Meantime
they had their lows and sOrrOVs their ac-