The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-06-27
OLD SETTLERS.
Meet in Canton and Compare
Notes OH the Past.
SOME GOOD PAPERS READ.

SOME GOOD PAPERS READ.
A Proposition TO Dissolve the linton
of the Pioneer and Pennsylvania
Societies Voted Down-Omcers
Elected For Next Year-Happy Re-
euion of Pioneers.
| The pioneers and Pennsylvania society,
which united two years ago held their annual
meeting at the city park Saturday. The at
tendance was very small, smaller than IL has
been for years, because there was some misun.
derstanding as to who was holding the meet.
ing. Some Of the pioneers did not attend
bccause they thought the Pennsylvanians
were holding 1t, while only few Pennsylvan-
ians were present because the impression had
gone forth that only the pioneers were invited.
The meeting was not called to order in the
! forenoon owing to the small attendance.
About $50 the assembly, gathered in the art
hall, was raped to order by president r. A.
Cassidy. Prayer was offered by Mr. John
Danner. Secretary Monroe Herbst being
absent on account Of sickness, Mrs. George
Meyer was selected to fill that position for the
day. report ofthe treasury was made and,
there being a deficit, a collection ofa little
more than 81 was taken UP which was sutti'
cent to liquidate all liabilities.
Then Mr.. Cassidy in a neat little speech
stated the object OF such meetings was to renew
old acquaintanCeships, to go over reminiscence
and to have good time after which he intro
duced Mr.. John Danner who read the follow.
ing paper on
REMIEistENCEs.
! II Is my honesS and deliberate Judgment
that Robert A. Cassidy is a genuine Dutch
yankee" which of III other kinds of yankees
is the hardest to make peace with As an in.
stance will state that on last Monday after.
noon wel;t up town for the first time in five
days having ''esu sick during that time, and
in front of the Eagit block met Bro. Cassidy,
and he at once laid hold upon me and said
must prepare paper upon the olden time for
this occasion. / tried to beg OIL saying the
time was too short and that was not feeling
well. But he would not take no fOr an an
swer Now l ask this intelligent audience II
that was not more cheeky and yankee.like on
the part of Bro. Cassidy to insist under such
circumstances than can be found on the face
of any New England yankee? But as 1 am
the son of honest and industrious Pennsylva-
mia parents, and was always taught to obey my
superiors, had no other alternative than to go
to work.
In my minds eye went out on West Tus-
carawas street as far as the residence of Mrs.
Catherine Meyer, widow of the late Joseph
Meyer, and this, I said, is the old John Harris
mansion that IS years ago stood solitary and
| 4 ar
limits. The west corporate limit at that time
was Wells street. which is the narrow street
l Just west Of the high school building The
Harris mansion was one of the best in its day,
the changes and additions have been few, the
building of the present porticos are probably
the most marked,
Hon. John Harris was a man of great native
ability, having been raised on a farm, but at
tanned great reputation IN his chosen profess
sion of law. When he had an important case
on hand for trial, it was a common thing to see
him walking up home speaking to himself and
making gestures, in the preparation of some
strong plea before the court. l have often seen
him thus do. Mr.. Harris was an honest man
and much respected by all who knew him.
then went ON westward and found no other
house until just on this side of Joseph Dicks
agricultural works stood the modest frame
house occupied by Ignatius Piero, who had
lately come here from Germany. A history
is connected with this house l may refer
to it at this time: 1t had formerly been owned
and occupied by my uncle, John Slusser, fa-
ther of the late DR.. Lewis Slusser, and stood
on the Fulton road where the home of the late
Geo. L. Smith had been until he died. Philip
Dewalt ST., father of George and Daniel De-
walt, built the old Geo. Z. Smith house, which
was brick building; and at that time the
Piero house first spoken Of was sold and re-
moved to West Tuscarawas street. The PierO
house has long since been replaced with other
buildings.
Now we go on across the bridge, but find no
other houses and at the point where Hazlett
avenue now runs north from Tuscarawas street
the Massillon road bore of to the right, and
run along kind of ravine, passing some two
hundred feet north of Charles G. Cooks resi-
dence and in front of the David Smith home,
the same as now; from there the road kept on
westward until just this side of Floom's tavern
at the present site Of Reedurban, it came into
the Massillon road. But at that time the pres
ent road, known as the Massillon road from
Hazlett avenue to Reedurban was not then
opened all at that time was occupied by the
Smith fields or the plains lands.
About two miles west of the creek, along
this old Massillon road, another road branChed
of to the right leading to Canal Fulton via the
Whipple's, Freeman's, SCott's and Clay's, COM
ing out at the Mud brook bridge, making the
distance from Canton to Canal Fulton fully one
mile shorter than any road we now have to
said place; but these old roads have long since
been vacated.
The Whipple farm at one time was entirely
devoted to the raising of tobacco, and hence
was widely known as "The Tobacco FARM"
and the Scott farm was about as well known by
the name of "sheep Farm" as many sheep at
one time were kept and raised there.
About sixty years ago, sad accident oc-
CURED on the old Massillon road not far from
where said road crosses Buck hill. Gardner
Field, an active and much respected young
business man, of Massillon, had been over to
Canton the night before attending a ball at
the old Eagle Hotel, and started home early
the next morning in his "gig"-a common
mode of travel in those days. Some time
thereafter he was found near the above point
dead. 1t was supposed that from the loss of
sleep the night before he had fallen asleep
and fell out of the gig" his feet getting
caught in the lines and his head dragging
along on the frozen ground As that was the
condition he WAS fOnnd in and the morning