The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-01-11
VALUABLE RELICS
]. v. McElhenie Has Many Of Them
In His Collection.
AN old POCKET MAP OF The STATE
Published in the Thirties...Stark
County Then Had Only a
Small Population.
Editor NeMs-Democrat.

Editor Democrat.
Having resided near the city Tor n
year past. and inside its limits for sew
eral weeks have had opportunity to
read a number of Mr.. banners articles
about old landmarks also ether arti-
cles about early times appearing IN poth
city dallies. These articles are the more
interesting by reason of my having
lived here in 1S73-4-5-as telegraphic
student under o. l.. Perry at the old
Ft. Wayne depot and afterward as clerk
In the Aultman office. Referring to
these "old times" articles, l have in my
possession, by inheritance, quite num-
Der of relics, among which are some OF
local interest. One of these is a pocket
map of Ohio, published in Philadelphia
in 1882, giving the census of the coun-
ties in 1880, also profile of the Ohio and
Erie canal. Stark county at that tina
had a population of 265SS, consider
ably less than Canton has now. At that
time Mahoning, Carroll, Summit, Ash
land, Lake, Erie and nine other counties
were not in existence, there being only
73. The entire population of the State
was 937, 1903. Some of the western
counties were very thinly settled. Van
Vert had only 49 people; Paulding, l6l;
Hardin, 210; Henry, 262; Putnam, 230.
I had supposed pocket MAPS to be a
more modern invention until came into
possession of this one. l have also
several old almanacks with a X, two
of which, 1895 and 1914, were printed
here in Canton, by Peter Kaufman.
These contain advertisements of a Ger
a n lief -
in English. THE Patriot"
In those days almanacQk)s published
receipts" and cures" for various ills,
the same as they do now. In the 1914
book is given an account of a case of
cough and threatened consumption be-
ing cured by a method which might
(perhaps) well engage the attention of
physicians of the present day. 1t con-
sisted in inhalng the fumes of nitric
acid. l once told a doctor about 1t. He
laughed and said that II there was any
truth in the germ theory of consum-
ption that certainly would fix 'em"
Well, is not the germ theory" gen.
orally accepted as the true theory in
relation to consumption as in many
other diseases? Another article Uhis
of special interest to farmers) was in re-
gard to soaking seed corn in a solution
Of saltpeter as safeguard against the
ravages of worms, and also as having
a beneficial effect upon the crop.
Though not of local interest, I will
mention an almanac for 1910, issued at
Erie, Pa. Instead of guessing" at the
weather, this almanac man gives a
record of the weather, as it was in 1921,
under the assumption that 10 years con-
stitute a lunar cycle and that, the
moons phases being the same as in 1921,
there was probability that the weather
might be similar, but he wouldn't
guarantee it.
also have a portion of a Canton Re
pository from away back" Not hav-
ing it handy as / write I cannot give
the exact date, but think 1t is 1927. 1t is
wrapped around some old documents
And considerably worn.
/ am a Wayne county product, but
my mother was born near Canal Fulton,
where her father died in 1860. Ny
father and his parents came from Cen
ter comfy, Pa, in 1894 (he same To-
cality from which my jovial friend,
Robert Cassidy, and the Tonner
brothers, John, Daniel and James, all of
whom were we'll known in their time
emigrated. Among my grardfathers
preserved papers found many quaint
and interesting documents and old
books. Among the latter is copy of
Dilworth's Arithmetic, or School
masters Assistant" used by him when
he taught school in 1910. On the back
page Is record of his marriage, Dec.
10, 1872. He was a warlike man in his
young days, and preserved his COM
missions as ensign in the Pennsylvania
Militia, dated 1907 and 1914, and as ad-
3utant in 1921, each for years, If you
shall so long behave yourself we'll" He
also served as Justice of the Peace
several years, and filled the same office
In this State for a number OF years. II
have a large court" chair made for
MIN by his nephew upon his election as
J. p. in this State in 1887. My father
used the same chair for the same pur-
pose for "a years. Among other curious
documents Is report of an inquest over
q farm hand who committed suicide by
hanging himself with "a leather scrap
of the value of six cents" Also,
printed confession ION handmade
paper of James Munks, who was hung
In Bellefonte Jan. 23, 1919, for the mur-
der of Reuben Guild. One of my earli-
est teachers was q lady named Munks,
who, have always understood was his
descendant But that wasn't her fault,
and i'he was good teacher.
J. " McELHENIE,
s1s West Fifth street.