Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/466

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��a certain chair was awarded to Mrs. Cunning- liaiii as the oldest pioneer present at the picnic at their fair."

The following interesting extract, regarding this and other matters, is from the pen of Mrs. Margaret Cunningham, the mother of Matilda, Avritten in 1873 :

" My husband and myself came to 3Iansfield in May, 1809.* August 23, 1809, we had a daughter born to us in the town of Mansfield, when there was Init one log cabin in the place, built by a Mr. Martin for a boarding-house. 3Ir. 3Iartin lived in this calkin ])ut a short time, and left al)ruptly, having sold whisky to the Indians contrary to law. * * * ^g soon as lie left, Mr. Jacob Newman, living near, or at what was more recently called Beam's or Camp- bell's ^lill, came with his team and moved us from where we lived on a piece of land about one or two miles below said mill, lielonging to my uncle. Henry Mj'ers, to the aforesaid house, for the purpose of boarding those that might attend the sale of the school lands and town lots. Winn Winship, Mr. Wallace and a Mr. Pierce boarded with us. Pierce was the crier of the sale. Winn Winship boarded with us until Mr. Cofflnberry came out and built a house, I think, on the angling corner of the square from our house. We used water from the big spring (our house was up the hill from the spring, on or near the corner of the square nearest the spring. * * * Mr. Coflfinberry and a Mr. Bryson built their houses about the same time. These are the three houses said to l>e here at the time the father and mother of IM. H. Gilkison came (as claimed by Mrs. Ciilkison in an interview I had with her at the county fair in 1869) to Mansfield."

That portion of Nancy Shively's letter relat- ing to this matter was quoted in the evidence regarding the first cabin. The venerable Mar- garet Cunningham, above quoted, died on the

liere in October, 18U0.
 * It will be rpmpmbered that the husliand testifies to coming

��13th of December, 1875. at her home in Worthington Township.

In a letter printed in the OJn'o Liberal in July, 1873, M. H. (xilkison says : "I was born on the lot on which now stands the Ijuilding known as the American Hotel, in the year 1811, on the 2d day of February, being the first male child born in the county, so far as known."

It will be seen by the above extract that Mr. Gilkison, in the last letter written b}" him re- garding this matter, does not claim to be the first child, but the first male child, born in the county. There is no dispute as to his being the first male child.

The lot which Mr. Hedges promised him was deeded to him when he was married in 1831.

It is hardly necessary to continue this evi- dence further, the most essential parts on each side having been given. It may not lead the searcher after the truth any nearer to it. and is not likely, in the least, to change the opinions of the friends of the " first child.''

The following extracts regarding the early history of Mansfield were collected and pub- lished many years ago by Gren. E. Brinkcrhoft'. Any history of the town would be incomplete without them. They are believed to be authen- tic, as much of the information was gathered more than twenty j^ears ago, when ver}' many more of the early settlers were living than at the present time. Pioneer life in Mansfield did not differ from the same in other places. It was a rough, hard life, but had its bright and shady sides, the same as that of to-day.

The first marriage in the township was that of John Pugh and Fanu}' Murphy, daughter of Asa ^lurphy, one of the earliest of the pioneers of Richland County, and, proljably, the first hotel-keeper in Mansfield, as he built the first log house, on the site of the Wiler House, and started a '' tavern."

The first school in the townsliip. it is sup- posed, was taught b}' Andrew Cofflnberry, com- monly known as Count Cofflnberry. Schools

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