Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/629

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY

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��year, and Mrs. Pittenger in her eightieth. There is a cabin that he assisted in building, in the year 1817, still standing on the farm now owned by H. G. Palmer. It is the oldest cabin known in the township. It was built and owned hj a man by the name of Ensign, who was at that time a Swedenborg preacher, but subsequently became a Methodist, as his name appears on the minutes as an exhorterin 1829, in the official records of the M. E. Church, Mansfield Circuit.

Levi Ste^-enson came from Beaver Count}', Penn., in the year 1815, and settled on the sec- tion northwest of the Big Hill. He was a good mathematician, and was employed in the year 1818 to teach school in a little log cabin, built on the southeast corner of his land. It was in the days of " barring out," and a number of the young moai attached to the school gathered be- fore da3dight on Christmas morning and barred " the master" out to make him " treat." Uncle Levi C00II3' surveyed the premises, and think- ing no doubt that it was a long lane that had nO' turn in it, proceeded to climb the corner of the domicile, and without further ceremony jumped down the chimney, although there was a roaring fire of hickory- logs, ten feet long, to receive him. The insurgents " took in the sit- uation," and surrendered at discretion. Uncle Levi could not say that he came out without the smell of fire on him, but no serious damage resulted ; but never was a pair of liuckskin Ijreeches in more serviceable demand than on that memorable occasion. He had four sons, William S., John, Andrew and Samuel. The last named still lives on the old homestead.

John E. Palmer came from the cit}' of Lon- don, England, to this township in the year 1819. He bought half a section of land of William Holson, and commenced making improvements in the fall of the same 3'ear. His brother, Charles Palmer, and himself, brought a small stock of dr\'-goods, chiefly calicoes, with them, which sold for high prices at that da}-. The}' brought

��these goods in a light wagon from Philadelphia, crossing the mountains l)y way of Pittsljurgh.

The following year, the two brothers married the two eldest daughters of Joseph Ward, who accompanied them from England.

Mr. Palmer engaged actively in all the moral enterprises of the day, such as tlie temperance movement, the antislavery question, etc. He assisted in the organization of the first Congre- gational Church in 3Iansfield, of which he was one of the first Deacons. For many years, he was connected with the underground railroad, and never was liappier than when rolling away a wagon load of quivering fugitives by the pale light of the stars toward the Canada shore.

John Crabbs settled half a mile west of Olivesburg in 1817. He came from Jeflferson County. He married Polly Montgomery in 1818, and is now living on the same farm with the same wife ; they celebrated their golden wedding two years ago. A large fatty tumor has been growing on his shoulder for twenty years. In November. 1879, Dr. Craig, of Mans- field, assisted by Dr. Crabbs, of Olivesburg. suc- cessfully removed the tumor. He remained unconscious three weeks after the operation, but is recovering slowl}'. He is now in his eighty-fifth year.

Thomas Robinson emigrated to this town- ship from England in the year 1821. He bought a quarter-section of Isaac Hanly. and afterward sixty acres of Israel Graham. There was a small improvement on each place, situat- ed on the '• Big Hill." Robinson was a man of singular notions and habits of life. He had plenty of money to do what he took in his head, and he conceived the idea of grubljing up all before him, when he cleared land, taking out trees three or four feet over. As a matter of coiirse, it was a losing business financially, but it gave employment to poor men, and scattered his guineas round the neighborhood, where the}' were badly needed at that time. After staying two or three years, he returned to England, as

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