The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-01
THE EARLY SETTLERS
LIVES OF THE MEN WHO BLAzED
THE AMERICAN WILDERNESS.
The Hnrdships of Typical Family
Journeys That Were PeriIous.

l IllISpuTS DlSpdtcn.
The hardships, privations and denials
p0rne by the early settlers were such that
the hard times in the modern sense hard
ly afford comparison. 1t required most
heroic courage and fortitude in the ..early
days to locate in the unbroken wilderness
erect a rude cabin and then commence the
removal of the heavy forests 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, smil-
ing homes.
The writer's ancestry, both on the pattern
nal and maternal side. left the kingdom
of Bavaria and settled in the American
colonies, the first mentioned in 1725 and the
latter in 1716. Being himself of the sixth
generation born on American soil he may
be pardoned for alluding to such of his an
cestors as began their work within the
present century. and as being typical of
the hardly and courageous men and wom-
en- who helped to make the stock of the
stout advance guard of pioneer civiliza-
ton.
OF the eighty-four and the seventy-five
years of the other century of which these
people bore part-of the colonial struggles,
warfare with the Indians, of the children
carried into captivity by their red captors,
and of the women that were scalped by the
savage denizens of the woods-it is not the
present purpose to speak The fierce retalla-
Iion that some of the earlier sires inflicted
on their red enemies may also for the pres
ent be passed by, and the account may be-
gin with the very early years of the CEN
fury that is now nearing its close.
1t was in the year 1892 that John Neidig
and John Harmon, great grandsires of the
writer; loaded their wagons With their fam
lies and household effects, and, starting
from Adams and Franklin counties, in Penn
savanna, drove 'over the mountains' into
what is now Beaver township, Mahoning
county, Ohio. AS State Ohio had then no
organic org existence. being simply a part of
the great Northwest Territory. The federal
Union then consisted of sixteen States, and
tne year following ohio came in the sew
The first mentioned of these pioneers
reached his destination in the month OF
May OF the year mentioned and having
IdHiliy OF SIX sons, some grown to young
manhood, of Herculean build and giants
IN strength, the customary round log cabin
readiness by fall, to be sown to wheat In
october of that year Harmon arrived and
located on his section "a tract of land one
mile square and containing $40 acres). and
which had also been entered some time
previous under the then existing land laws.
BUILDING A CABIN
This gentleman was in somewhat better
condition than his neighbor as to means,
but had not such exceptional family help,
and 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 nearby winter.
He had come with two teams and the COW
cred wagons were driven under two large
oak trees that stood near a spring close
to the present pleasant country residence
now owned by Daniel Geiger. In and
under these wagons the family camped until
at the end OF eight days the CABIN Was in
readiness for occupation.
In this time every stick had been taken
from the stump puncneon Eoor and door,
clapbOard root, neld in position by heavy
poles laid crosswise over the split boaros,
the building .'chinked in the spaces be-
tween the logs. and well daubed inside and
out with common yellow clay mortar This
was done as sooE as the roof was on and
while the puncheons were being split and
heWed, rousing ire was kept burning in
the center on the still bare ground to dry
BILE. So vigorous did the women and chill
dren replenlsh the fire that the bark on the
c.aeked. It was pressed and ths eracks
closed until finally dry and hard.
fireplace, the chimney structure on the out
SIDE all of wood and completely mortar
covered on the inside as to be fireproof.
But it was considered feat in those
primitive days, and was long considered
a notable event that a 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 the ensu-
ing spring.
Meanwhile, there was the constantly re-
sounding stroke of the X. There were
SdWmlilS, ana I1mDef, LnOuRl OIL the very
finest had no value whatever. Black walnut
trees and maple and poplars, although they
stood straight and trim masts, were only
an circumference and had to be felled, Cit
fired through into suitable lengths, then
laboriously logged into huge piles and SLOW
ly burned.
ABUNDANCE OF GAME
Between times and as a matter of neces-
sity was the chase. OF bear, deer, squirrels
and turkeys there was plenty but there
mr. no
in those days, not even the hammer and
cap, only the old-time s'fint-lock." What
counted at that time was skill with the rifle
and physical strength. The settlement of
these pioneers was about five miles north
east of the old town of Columbiana, which
was as far back as 1902 a small hamlet, and
it was still forty-nine years later, in 1851,
railroad built.
secfo onls weins a ana i NIL n
swamp which is not pine but tamarack
Drainage has reduced its area, but in early
times 1t covered $50 acres and was famous
charges into yellow creek, which flows
honing river at struthers, o. Southwest
wardly Bull creek carries its reddish waters
past New Waterford and into the Ohio river
through Columb.ana county.
In those early days the swamp had a
depth of guano in many palces of eight
evening and departure in the morning was
like that of long-continued rolling thunder.
From grandsire and granddame the writer
has listened to tales of pigeon hunting with
torches at night. the proceeds being a con-
siderable item in the subsistence account.
The tamaracks and alders would literally
be loaded down with the 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 The
muck in many places was treacherous and
we'll nigh bottomless and much of the
spice of a nocturnal pigeon hunt was when
a. hdpless hunter, in his excitement, got
off the frmer roots and hummocks and
sank to his waist in the mud, from which
his companions had to rescue him, an OBJ
Ject at once laughable. but most unhappy
and pitiable.
But the lives of these people were made
up of hard labor and close economy. To
make journey over the mountains a
matter of considerable peril and involving
at least a month of time and, as a rule,
the wife gave a farewell, when she went
West, to all her old home kindred for all
time to come. Some of the men made a
few business return trips. and then all
their future lay in the homes they We're
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 Jog
houses, perhaps two stories high, stone
chimneys and several rooms. Meantime
they had their joys and sorrows, their