The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1949-11-24
Nohicah Johns Town


Mohicah Johns Town
Jerome fork was a little stream
running off the Mohican River, near
Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio.
There on Jerome fork, near the later
Jeromeyille, eight miles southeast of
Ashland, was the oldest village in
Ohio-the Indian Jeromeville, es-
tablished in 1852 by Mohieah John,
Connecticut Mohican chief, and about
200 of his tribesmen.
During the War of 1912 it was
the only settlement in Ashland
County and its few families built
picket stockades for their safety. At
that time John Baptiste Jerome, an
Indian trader, lived there and it was
his name the town adopted.
| Jerome was a Frenchman and had
taken squaw for a wife. Many of
the early French soldiers and trad
ers did the same because it was the
policy of the French government to
allow no women to accompany them
into the wilderness. Someway the
French got along with and among
| the Indians better than the English
did,
Bark Huts and Wigwams
Jeromeville had about 30 bark
huts and wigwams. Heads of the
! families there, besides Jerome were
Aweepsah, Opetete, Nesolutwa, Cato
tawa, Buckandohee, Shias, Ground
Squirrel, Buckwheat, Philip Canon
icut, Billy Montour, and Thomas
Jelloway. The foregoing is just
about the oldest city directory in
existence-related from memory by
an oldtimer, long gone.
Jerome began trading with the
savages when only II and was with
them through Wayne's campaign. In
1912, when the Indians were remov-
ed, his wife went with them and
Jerome afterward married a German
woman. He later moved to the
mouth of Huron River and died
there.
The Delaware Indians had u
settlement near or at Jeromeville,
which they left at the outbreak OF
the War Of 1912. Their chief was
old Captain Pipe" who lived near
the Mansfield road about a mile
south of Jeromeville. When young
Captain Pipe was a fierce warrior
and a relentless foe Of the white
people. He was among the Indians
in St. Clair's defeat, where he
"tomahawked white men until his
arm gave out"
Captain Pipe"
Captain Pipes Indian name was
"Tauhangecaupeuye." The whites
called him Captain Pipe because he
never was seen without one. He
moved to the little Delaware reserva-
ton in Marion County and when his
.ftrfDe sod out their Ohio lands he
accompanied them to Kansas.
A bit of legendary romance hovers
ground Jeromeville-Captain Pipe
had very beautiful daughter-sc
| beautiful that a noble young chief
fell in love with her and ther
suicided by eating a May-apple, be-
cause of unrequited love.
Jerometown then was on the west
side of Jerome fork.
Two other Indian villages were
neighbors of Jerometown, but were
lower down in Ashland County
Helltown and Greentown. Greentowr
was named after Thomas Green, 6
Connecticut Tory, who sympathizee
with the Indians and British in the
destruction of "the Valley of the
Wyoming" which was responsible
for the early influx of Connecticut
refugees into Ohio. Green fled tc
Ohio and joined the Delawares.
Tom Lyons, an old, ugly and full
blooded savage from New Jersey
also was one of the Greentowr
Indians, but was one of the friendl!
Delawares with the whites in tht
massacre at Wyoming in ITS. Lyon;
Dragged that he had been in man.
battles and had taken many scalps
He admitted many cruelties ant
atrocities against the wives an,
children of early white settlers II
Ohio. He was with the other Green
town, Helltown and Jerometow1
Indians in the Battle of Fallel
Tmbers, August, 1794, when tn
savages We're so badly defeated b,
/ Wayne.
Narrates Battle
! OF that battle, old Tom related
1