The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1948-11-25
A Romance of the
Wilderness

made certain that their supply of
provisions, clothing, bed clothes and
cooking utensils was safely packed
and loaded, then mounting the
dozen negroes, parts of three fam
ilies," on the pack-horses, moved
with them out Of Kentucky, across
the Ohio River and into the new
Ohio country. A great drove of
hogs, cows and sheep were ahead of
the little caravan.
That was December l, 1896, and
Rev. Robert W. Finley just had lib
Grated his slaves, placed his young
son in charge Of the group and sent
them to Ohio and freedom. Young
Finley was to see that his colored
people got a good start in life and
became safely located.
For 16 days the group Travelled
through the wilderness and then
stopped and made camp on the bank
of the Scioto River below Chillicothe
After crossing the Ohio River it was
with difficulty some of the negroes
We're kept from freezing in the in
tense cold.
Winter Camp
At the winter camp, near Chilli
cothe, game was plentiful and there
were opossums by the score. The
colored people lived we'll on this
food land were as sleek and black
as ravens" Wild turkeys, ducks, and
johnny-cake, baked on a board be,
fore the fire, helped lot, too.
That was the first migration OF
emancipated slaves into Ohio. Next
were those of Edward Tiffin, first
governor of Ohio, liberated in 1896
Young James Finley passed the
winter of 1800-1801 in hunting anc
became so enamored with it that he
decided to adopt hunting as his life
work. But hunter needed a wife
the youths mother pointed out, anc
she must also be zone fitted for {
| hunter.
Hunter Takes Wife
| James cast about and decided thai
Hannah Strane, living in the Sciotc
bottoms, was just the kind of gir
he most needed So, he naively re
lated, "On the third day of March
1901, | was accordingly married.
Hannah's father didn't see things tht
young couples way and would no
even allow Hannah to take he
clothing.
"That is all right" Finley told tn,
father-in-law, 1--WE viii get her som,
more and better clothes. A goot
woman can make or break a mar
and Hannah certainly is one of tn,
best"
Finley's father had bought som,
land in what now is Highlant
County, then a wilderness with onl!
cabin here and there, and tn,
young couple, with nothing but low,
and hope, moved onto it "to make /;
fortune in the woods" They haC
no horse, cow, bed nor bedding, bas
nor baggage but Finley's brothe,
John went along on the honeymoon
to help build their log cabin.
First they gathered up leaves
dried them in the sun, picked out al
! the sticks and then put them in ;
bed-tick. For bed they drove fork:
into the ground and laid sticks across
| them, over which they placed elm
bark. On it they placed the tick Of
leaves "and thus had comfortable
lodging.
Gets Hen and Chickens
| The next thought was of some
thing to eat. There was abundanc,
of meat because of Finley's rifle. 81
Finley cut and split 100 rails for {
neighbor six miles off, got bushe
of potatoes for it and carried then
home on his shoulders. At the sam,
place he worked another day and /:
half for a hen and three chickens
which he carried home wrapped il
his hunting shirt--a great prize fo
Hannah.
The cabin was covered with bari
and lined and floored with the sam,
material. One end of the hut wa
left open for fire-place-as soon a
one could be built. There the coupl
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