Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/542

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��village of Windsor, on the northwest quarter of Section 5. He was the first settler in this part of the township. It has been before stated that Gardner built his cabin on the site of the vil- lage, but Dr. William Bushnell, who is good authority on matters of that kind, places it as stated above. Frederick Zimmer, Sr., Fred- erick Zimmer, Jr., Phillip Zimmer and John Lambright also came in 1810, settling in the neighborhood of Mr. Copus. Following these in 1812, were Martin EuflTiier, Michael Kuffner and Richard Hughes, who settled in the same neighborhood, on the east side of Black Fork. The same 3^ear, Samuel Lewis and Christian Hoover settled on Section 8, and John Peter- son who came from Coshocton County, Ohio, settled on the east side of Black Fork. He was originall}' from New Jersey. The larger part of these early pioneers were from Western Pennsylvania. As the Indians now became hostile on account of the breaking-out of the war between the United States and Great Brit- ain, the tide of immigration was checked, and few if any, further settlements were made between the years 1812 and 1815. At the latter date, however, the tide rolled westward again with such volume and power that it swept over the State. The well-remembered Robert Bently came in that year and settled on Section 9 ; Francis Andrews, on Section 3 ; Leonard Cron- inger, Section 2 ; William Gardner, Section 27: William Mathews, Section 16 ; Hugh Hale, Section 7 ; Robert Andrews, Section 5 ; David Ritt, Section 6 ; also about this time, James McDermott, Samuel Simpson, David Newell, John Bell and Thomas Wilson. In 1816, George Rummell, John Vantilburg and John Pettet settled on Section 8 ; and no doubt many others whose names cannot now be ascertained. The hardy pioneers, after fight- ing their way to and through the wilderness, subduing its ragged and rugged places, mold- ing them into beautiful homes ; found them- selves, when ready to live, at the end of life.

��Few are now living. Mrs. Sarah Vail, who was little Sally Copus when her father was mur- dered by the Indians,-is yet among the living. Mr. Daniel Hoover died last winter, a little over eighty-four years old, after a life full of history, much of which had faded from his memory. He was born in Rockingham County, Ya., in 1796. His children are Joseph, John, Mar^-, Harry, Aaron, Christian, Alfred, Elizabeth and Daniel. He often told of meeting a bear one day, when he was hunting his pigs, which he thought was almost as large as a cow. Being unarmed, he did not seek a close acquaintance. At another time, when passing through the woods, he came suddenly upon a bear, which his dog attacked. Mr. Hoover, fearing his dog would get worsted in the fight, seized a club and went to his assist- ance. He succeeded in grasping one of the hind legs of bruin, and, being a powerful man. placed it across his knee and broke it. The struggle was long and desperate, but Mr. Hoo- ver and his dog triumphed in the end. At anotl^er time, being out coon-hunting, his dogs treed something he supposed was a coon ; but on climbing the tree, Mr. Hoover found himself face to face with a huge black bear, which came toward him with savage growls. He concluded that was not the coon he was hunting, and came down much more rapidly than he went up. Hundreds of similar stories linger in the mem- or}' of the old settlers, and are handed down to their children. Thej^ show the condition of the countr}' in early times.

Another pioneer who was prominent in the township and county, and much respected by the early pioneers, was James McDermott, who was born in Cumberland County, Penn., in August, 1758 or 1759. He came to Mifflin in 1815, where he continued to reside until his death, June 25, 1859.

His father, Archibald McDermott, was born in Lancaster, Penn. His grandfather, Daniel McDermott, came from the Highlands of Scot- land. He was a private soldier in the war of

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