The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-07-14


practice extended over a great portion
of the country, even into the higher
courts, was, for a brief period of his
childhood a resident of Pike township.
John McSweaney, whose name, during
the years of his practice in the legal
profession was familiar to almost every
person in northern Ohio, was origin
ally from Ireland. His father emf
grated here when the embryo lawyer
was not yet three years old, and set
tied in the southern part of Pike town
ship, on the banks of the Sandy Creek
and close where the Sandy and Beaver
Canal was shortly afterwards construct
ed alongside the road that leads from
Canton to Zoar. Not more than
year or two after coming here Mr..
McSweaney was stricken down with
malaria, and shortly afterward died,
leaving his young widow with two
children, John the oldest and a girl
about two years of age A lawyer from
Canton by the name of Harris, taking
trip on foot through the southern
ness, and also on hunting jaunt,
happened to pass the house near the
creek very shortly after the sad event
occurred, seeing the little boy at play
in the house yard he stopped, spoke to
the child and from his intelligent look
and answers given, Immediately took
wonderful liking to him. and ascertain
ing from the mother that she would
like to place him under the fostering
care and protection of some worthy
person, took him along with him, car
rying him a good part of the way to
Canton on his back. Here he gave
him the best of care, and as he grew
up had him educated, and when capa-
bic of choosing his life work, he
adopted the profession of his benefac-
tor and became in the course of time
a renowned and illustrious legal coun-
sellor and authority. He made his
home at Wooster, Wayne county, o.,
and died some years ago, having an
immense practice in his chosen pro-
fession.
Possibly it may not be out of place,
and we will take the liberty to close
this chapter by giving the reader the
benefit of some notes from Mr.. Yaut's
collection of pioneer incidents etc, in
the early history of Pike township,
which have been published in the "Tus-
carawas Advocate" and also in the his
tory of Stark county.
1T is not an easy matter in this day
of plenty, and of modern improvements
and inventions to realize the great
disadvantages under which the early
settlers labored. In Pike township,
several neighbors would join together
and load a canoe or "dugOut" with
their surplus produce, and float down
the Nimishillen, Sandy and Tuscar-
awas to a place called the station
and exchange their cargo for whiskey,
iron, salt, pepper, coffee, etc.
The return was a more serious affair,
as rowing against the current was lab
Orious work; and when corn was scarce
they would take boat loads of iron
from the "Blomary" at Sparta, down
to Uhrichsyille EGYPT, as it was then
called,) and trade their iron for corn,
which they could bring back to their
settlement In those early days bears,
wolves, deer and a variety of other
game was abundant, from which source
the pioneer settlers supplied them1
selves; the streams also abounded with
fish. James Eaken shot three bears
which were foraging on chestnut trees,
of .he fruit of which they were very
fond. He secured all three before he
left the ground. Eli Miles lived in San
dy township, his wife Mrs. Miles took
her babe and started to make visit
to Edward Jacksons in the south part
Of the township. When she got short
south of Sparta, night over
took her, and the wolves were on her
track. She sought place of safety.
a large tree, upon which
large limb had grown out, forming a
seat, another just in the right position
to rest her feet upon, and still another
to support her back; just as comforta-
BILE a position as it would have been
possible to find under such circum-
been made for the special purpose to
which it was now devoted. The wolves
soon appeared, and one of the hungry
pack stayed all night under the tree,
and did not leave until daylight sent
him to his lair. Mrs. Miles had taken
her apron and tied herself and child
fast to the tree. After the wolf left
she came down from her retreat and
found herself near the neighbor she
was going to visit" Incidents of this
kind, of which there are very many
accounts given, will serve in a very
faint manner to describe the life which
the people lived in this section eighty
and ninety years ago. The wilderness
with all its drawbacks and inconven-
lences was their home, and being poor
in purse were consequently without
the necessary means to secure the COM
forts of life even had they been access
l. Il