The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-09-10
WHEN OHIO
WAS YOUNG
Buckeyes Listen TO the
Story of a
Pioneer.

The Ohio Society mel last evening at
the residence of DR.. W. G. Rodgers on
Kinau street, and enjoyed an unusual
privilege in listening to the reading of
a manuscript written 80 years ago by
the grandfather Of DIR. Rodgers con-
| corning his boyhood days in Kentucky
| and Ohio while Washington was Presi-
ident of the United States and Daniel
Boone was a neighbor. A guessing on
test, conducted on h lines of the DID
time spelling matches in the backwoods
schools, was conducted at the close of
the exercises under the captaincy Of
Rev. E. S. Muckley and E. S. Gill, with
Rev. w. D. Westervelt acting as mod
orator and D. H. Case as umpire. The
contest was such hat the moderator
declared the umpire was the only one
who had come near enough to the an
swers TO wear h trophy, a
lei. AT the conclusion of the business
meeting and literary exercises, DR.. and
Mrs. Rodgers served their guests with
delicious cream and dainty cake. About
80 Buckeyes were present, with Rev.
w. d. Westervelt in the chair.
The report of the Mckinley fund COM
mittee showed s432 on hand. A social
committee, consisting of DR.. Rodgers,
Mrs. F. w. Smith and D. H. Case, was
appointed to serve until March. Mrs.
NJ. F. Scott of Kona, Mrs. Needham,
Miss Needham and Stanley Livingstone
were admitted as members of the So
ciety.
E. S. Gill read portions of the man
uscript of Thomas Rodgers, GRANDPA
Their of DIR. Rodgers, written in 1871, at
the age of 81. The manuscript dealt
with his memories of life in Kentucky
and Ohio in the last decade of the 18th
century when he was with his father,
William Rodgers. William Rodgers had
settled in Kentucky but became dis
gusted when two or three neighbors
came to his section with slaves. When
the Kentucky constitutional convention
was held and the State voted for slav-
cry by the narrow margin of one vote,
William Rodgers went home and in the
presence of his wife and young boy
said: well, we'll; Kentucky will not
hold me much longer. I will be among
the first to go to the Northwest Terri
tory" And he made good his promise.
Then one Massey told all the back
woodsmen that he would lead a party
into the Scioto section to show them
where they could purchase large
| dtllOOltS VI dS1Co5C ~ CNll Al
were well armed, although no trouble
was anticipated with the Wyandottes.
However, trouble came, and n of the
party was killed. Numbers of the In
dams were slaughtered and their goods
brought back to the homes of the set
tiers. The next year DR.. Rodgers
grandfather, great-grandfather and
other relatives, moved into the Scioto
region, settling near what is now the
city of Chillicothe, and laid out extern
sive farms. It was while on a hunting
trip with his father that they came
across Daniel Boone, and the yours boy
listened eagerly to the tales of the
hunt, battles with Indians and other in
cidents of backwoods craft, related by
Boone. They also slept in Boone's cab
in. In March, 1906, Thomas Rodgers
married and moved with his wife to a
farm of 400 acres which he lar bought
in a wild section near the present city
of Greenfield.
The manuscript tells many interest
ing things about the troubles with the
Wyandottes, of Chief Logan and Wolf,
and many settlers who afterward be-
came famous in Ohio's history.
The guessing contest dealt with such
questions as when Ohio was admitted to
statehood; its population, area, largest
city and population; number of coun-
ties; number of Presidents from the
Buckeye State, and how many more
will she furnish? The last question
ELECTED the following answers: GAS
many as the country needs in an emer-
gency, and as many more as the coun-
try needs"