Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/627

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

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��glistening and dancing in the morning sun- light. The work of destruction was complete ; everything was frozen stiff. Under the power- ful re-action from the rays of the morning sun, the corn wilted and soon fell to the earth, the ground being frozen down to the roots of the corn. On a farm on the Black Fork, a large ii'on kettle, half filled with water, was so frozen over, that a heavy man got on it with both feet and tried in vain to break it. It is worthy of note here, that there was a fi'ost in every month in the 3'ear of 1850.

There was great sympathy manifested in those days for each other, and when one neighbor became distressed, the others would rush to his assistance with a perfect fervor. ^Ir. Hall died about the year 1832, regretted and respected by all his neighbors. His son Roliert inherited the farm, and married a very amiable lady by the name of Walker, but died in four years after, of consumption, leaving one child.

Abel A. Webster came from the State of Connecticut in the fall of 1814, and settled on the Black Fork, one mile north of the Hall farm. He was the only man from the State of Connecticut in the township. He was a man of means, and was soon able to clear out a fine farm, so that when later settlers came in, about 1819-20, he had produce to sell them at his own figures. He was skeptical in his ^iews, and although the wealthiest man in the neigh- borhood, he never could be induced to con- tribute a dollar to build a church, college, rail- road or any other enterprise of the day. He sold his farm in 1859 to Mr. Minster, who mar- ried his daughter and now resides on the farm. He soon after removed to Cleveland, where he died at the advanced age of eighty-eight ^ears.

John Dickson came to this township in 1815. He entered the quarter of land joining Elijah Charles on the south, and married the oldest daughter of Mr. Charles in 181S. In 1830, he formed a partnership with William Taggart, and built a grist-mill on a spring rising out of

��the Big Hill side, and, two years after, built another grist-mill about forty rods below the other, on the same stream. He was a man of great physical strength and endurance, an ex- cellent workman and hunter ; had very black hair and black eyes. His entire face and bosom were so thickly covered with hair as to hide the skin. He was generous in his impulses, honest in his dealings, and an accommodating neighbor. In the days of '' corn-huskings," he was first choice in a race ; he would become so excited sometimes in an exciting race as to leave marks of blood on the corn-husks from his lacerated fingers. These simple facts are given simply to exhibit faithfully the spirit of the times half a century ago, and the habits of our fathers. The last days of this good citizen were shrouded in melancholy and gloom. A dark shadow had fallen over the threshold of his domestic relations, and the cloud never lifted from his brow, or the load from his heart. He became a wreck, mentally and physically', and never did the weary heart look forward with deeper longings for the grave that should cover it. or the spirit with earnest yearnings for the Ijrighter and lietter land, than did his.

Samuel Pittenger came to this township with his father, Peter, in the year 1815, landing on the 17th day of Febi'uary of that year. The family made the entire journey from Harrison County on sleds. Samuel was the oldest son, and became the "Nimrod" of the famity. sup- pl34ng them with venison for several years, until stock could be raised. He killed his first deer on the 'Big Hill," soon after landing, and has killed as high as twenty-eight deer in four- teen consecutive days. He was married in 1819 to Elizabeth Kent, and settled on the northwest corner of his father's farm, where he lived seven years, and removed to Greene Town- ship, where he resided six years, and then returned to his present location, where he cele- brated the sixtieth anniversary of their wedding, a few months ago. He is now in his eighty-fifth

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