HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY OHIOBy Aldrich Lewis Cass
Published 1889
HISTORY OF VERMILLION TOWNSHIP
CHAPTER XXIX.
Township number six, range twenty. Of the nine townships that form Erie county, this is the most northeasterly and has the largest amount of land bordering on Lake Erie. It was named from the river that passes to its outlet in the lake through the township.
Vermillion township is bounded on the north by Lake Erie, on the east by Brounhelm township, Loraine county, south by Berlin and Florence, and west by Berlin. The natural appearances are distinctly outlined, the northern portion being level, and the southern alternating in ridges and lowlands. There are but few marshes, and these have been reclaimed and cultivated. The soil is variable, having in different localities different qualities — gravel, clay, sandy, and marl. Iron ore has been found in paying quantities, and numerous stone quarries abound.
Streams are not large, and but three in number. The largest is the Vermillion, rising in Ashland county, running north through Huron and Loraine counties, and emptying into Lake Erie, near the eastern boundary of the township. The Indians gave it a name suggested by the paint they found on its banks, and the smallest stream of the three, known as Sugar Creek, received its name from the same source, because at its mouth was a mound resembling a sugarloaf, as well as the fact that the Indians made sugar from the sugar orchards along the stream. The other stream. La Chapelle, rises in Huron county, and passes through Florence, Wakeman, and Vermillion. Natural trees that formerly abounded, but are now nearly gone, were mostly different varieties of oak, whitewood, black walnut, maple and hickory.
Wild animals, until within a few years, were found here in great abundance. Wolves, deer, wildcats and bears were all at home here, and the wolves became very troublesome to the early settlers by continual depredations on their sheep and swine.
Ancient mounds and fortifications have been discovered that prove this at some time in the distant past to have been a great centre of Indian forces. Two of these fortifications are on the banks of the Vermillion, in the south part of the township, on the farm owned by John Summers, while in different parts of the township are other and smaller ones. Who built them is not known. History gives us no knowledge on this subject, but we do know that the Indians found here by the first white settlers were principally those that belonged to the Sandusky, Tawa, and Chippewa tribes.
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The first settlement of Vermillion found a wide sand beach extending from the mouth of the river west the whole length of the township, from four to fifteen rods in width, and in some places heavily timbered with basswood and other trees. After the building of Black Rock dam for a feeder to the Erie Canal, in 1826, the lake arose two feet or more, and the beach began to disappear until now the wear upon the farms has become so great as to seriously alarm the owners, who see yearly several acres of their best land swallowed up by Lake Erie. When Horatio Perry built his brick house in 1821, he placed it “away out back in the lot,” twenty miles from the road. In the year 1860 this house was washed into the lake. Before this, a stone house, owned by Captain Austin, shared a similar fate, not withstanding the attempts to barricade against the action of the waves, which have been of little avail. The land upon which the first school house was built, and upon which another house was also built, has been carried away, with the road and two rows of the orchard south of the road. Several other buildings have been moved to escape a similar fate, and the question still arises in the minds of the owners of land, how far will this waste proceed? It has been suggested that a law be framed compelling those owning land on the lake front to fortify their fronts againt the action of the lake. Unless all unite in this work the result would be fruitless, as the water would demolish the fortifications by a flank movement.
The first record of a township meeting is in the hands of Judge Ruggles, and was held at his residence on the 6th day of April, 1818. Almon Ruggles was elected clerk; Peter Cuddeback and James Prentiss, judges of election; Francis Keyes, John Beardsley and Rufus Judson, trustees; Jeremiah Van Benschoter and Horatio Perry, overseers of the poor; Peter Cuddeback and Francis Keyes, fence viewers; Peter Cuddeback, lister and appraiser, and Stephen Meeker, appraiser; Peter Cuddeback, treasurer; George Sherarts, Francis Keyes, William Van Benschoter and James Prentiss, supervisors.
Diseases of various kinds visited the new settlement, but the worst visitation took the form of bloody murrain, and ravaged the Firelands for many years. It affected meat stock only, and occasionally an animal would recover, but no remedies helped it. Some thought the animal drank blood suckers from the brook, but the question was never satisfactorily settled. Year after year this disease swept off cattle, until men were sometimes obliged to sell a portion of their land to buy a yoke of oxen, or supply the places of the cows that had died. Those years were a continual record of disappointments and failures, but the men were plucky and had New England perseverance, and in the end were victorious. One man tells of buying a cow that had nine heifer calves, not one of which lived to grow up. Sheep were equally uncertain, and between dogs, wolves, and murrain, there seemed little or no hope of accumulating property. The wolves that troubled the settlers were the large grey variety, that can make night hideous by its howls. It is impossible to give an idea of the noise these creatures made at night, but in the old records we read of romances by burning logs, where these animals figured quite prominently.
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It cost more effort to love a girl in those times than at the present, when a young man can spend the evening with his adored idol, and have him home in safety without long stretches of woods to pass through, surrounded by howling wolves. A story is told of Stephen Smith, a bachelor, rather under the ordinary size, who, in i8i8, wished to go to Squire Barnum’s, in Florence, from Judge Meeker’s residence on the lake shore. The distance was five or six miles, and in order to be sure and be back early enough in the morning to go to work, he procured a horse and started early in the evening. There was only a bridle path through the woods, which, in the darkness, he lost and soon found himself surrounded by a pack of wolves, barking furiously. His horse took fright and ran, and he took refuge in a tree, where he found a branch on which he seated himself, holding on to the trunk with his arms. The wolves surrounded the tree, snapping and growling and howling, until daylight came and gave him release. What was his chagrin, on attempting to stretch his legs downward, to find he had not ascended at all, but was sitting on a projection near the ground.
A true bear story is told of Vermillion, which is worth repeating as a sample of pioneer life. It occurred in the spring of 1819 or 1820, where Deacon John Beardsley’s boys were cutting small brush on the south side of the marsh. As the boys were going to their work they heard a strange noise, and two of them refused to go on, but Clement, the youngest, insisted on searching out the cause of the noise and found an old bear and three cubs lying under a large tree or log. Some one was sent for help, and as the two or three hunters in the neighborhood were not at home, Mr. Washborn, from Connecticut, who had never hunted, with his son Wheeler, a lad of fourteen, and a large dog of his, together with some fifteen or twenty women and children, gathered for the conflict. Mr, Washborn, armed with an ax, stood ready to pitch in after the boy should shoot. The dog joined in the fray, and was soon in the bear’s huge arms. Finally a hunter came up with another dog, which was set on the track, and was also disabled. The old bear was never found. The cubs were all tamed.
Home life among these pioneers was primitive in the extreme. Conveniences for cooking were so scarce that at first they pounded corn, wet it to a batter, and baked it on a chip before the fire. Bear meat, raccoon, turkey and hog were cooked to match, and no suppers ever tasted better than these simple roasts, because those that partook of them were hungry children, hunters and workmen. Then there came the era of bake ovens, with coals on top and coals beneath; and then the better oven or reflector, which enabled them to bake, roast or broil; and this in time gave place to the brick oven that preceded the modern stove, and all these changes in sixty years.
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Dress in those early days was not the subject of as much thought as in these latter times. Men wore pants made of deer skin and home made flannels, with a coon skin cap, and sometimes a fulled cloth suit for dress occasions. When deer skin pantaloons were cast aside to make way for those of cloth, a large patch of buckskin was still worn over the knee and seat. Prices were considered fabulous, when a man must pay $4.50 for common satinet for a pair of pants, for a coat $6.00, and common cotton shirts $2.00 each, and everything else in proportion. As most men had families to support they used it to clear their farms or erect buildings. Ladies (and that they were ladies who can doubt that has read their lives or known their descendants) wore common tow dresses for every day, and on grand occasions indulged in plaid flannels or calico. They found the secret of appearing prettily dressed, even in these materials ; and by a ruffle and some simple ornament, won as much admiration as their children do in satins and laces. Children enjoyed life with fewer restrictions than the children of the present, for they had little or no clothing to interfere with their freedom. They were taught to be useful when young, and were happy because employed. Their mothers were brave and patient, enduring hardships and sufferings, such as we can scarcely imagine. From early records we find that the taxes laid on the inhabitants of Vermillion in 1818 amounted to $23.20, and was borne by forty five men, the largest tax paid by any one man being $1.70, by Stephen Meeker. Five cents represents one head of cattle and twenty cents a horse.
The first literary society was formed in the winter of 1820-21. It began in a debating school that was held in the deserted log cabin on the shore, owned by Rufus Judson. There was a hickory bark fire, some old benches and one or two old chairs. The crowd consisted of Captain Josiah S. Pelton, president; Charles P. Judson and Jonah Bartow, jr., on the affirmative, and Burton Parsons and Benjamin Summers, opposition. The question to be discussed was, “ Which are most useful to mankind, horses or cattle ? ” The eloquence and erudition that was displayed on this occason can be better imagined than described, and after all other subjects had been discussed, from the fall of man to the millenium, it was decided that the cattle won the day.
The first events were not such as nations immortalize, but were of vital interest to the little community. They are summed up in births, marriages, deaths, and organization of different societies.
The first house in the township was erected in 1808, by William Hoddy. It was of logs and stood on the lake shore, near the mouth of the river. The first frame house was built by Peter Cuddeback in 1818. The first stone house was built by Captain Austin. John Ruggles was first postmaster, and the mails were carried on foot. The first orchard was planted in 1812, by Peter Cuddeback. The first public house was opened by William Austin, near the mouth of the river. The first store was located in the village, and C. P. Judson put in the first stock of goods.
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The first church was organized in the township in 1810. There had been a meeting held in 1810 by Rev. Joseph Badger, one of the earliest missionaries in Northeastern Ohio, and identified for twenty five years with the churches The first meeting house was built near the center of the township in 1828, and on the 22d day of May, the same year, the first pastor, Rev. Harvey Lyon, was installed. This was a Congregational Church, and was followed by the formation of a Methodist Episcopal class in the fall of 1831. The members were John Myers and wife, and Miss Zuba Jackson; and later, Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Julia Summers. John Myers was the leader of the class. Rev. Henry O. Sheldon and Edward Thompson were the first ministers.
There have since been added four German churches, and in 1887 a new Congregational church was built and dedicated. The increase of the German population has tended toward the material growth and prosperity of the township. The churches and Sunday schools depend largely on the descendants of the early settlers, and to a large proportion of the inhabitants for their support. It is a noticeable fact that those who just settled in these new countries were men of sterling character, unflinching integrity, and fathers of large families. There are few families at the present time numbering ten and twelve children, and with the loss in numbers there seems to be also a decrease in those plucky characteristics which enabled their parents to endure privation and hardship for the sake of securing a home. Surely, civilization has not been an improvement in genuine quality, and the luxurious tastes of the present generation compare unfavorably with the plain but generous habits of their ancestors. Beside the five churches in the village there are four in the township.
The first school-house was built on the lake shore in the spring of 1814. In all these townships of the Fire-lands, almost immediately upon the settlement of the pioneers, school houses were erected and educational matters attended to. Miss Susan Williams taught a term of school, the first in the township, and among her scholars were J. J. Cuddeback, Joseph Brooks, and Jacob Sherarts.
The village school district was made a special district at the March meeting of the Board of Education in 1851. It was reorganized in 1873, when it was decided to build. Work was begun as soon as practicable and the building finished in 1874. It was a fine brick structure, with modern furniture, and grounds beautifully laid out. It cost eighteen thousand dollars. It is a graded school of three grades, and employs four teachers.
The town hall is a fine brick building, erected in 1883, at a cost of $21,000. The citizens justly regard this with pride, and there seems ample ground for their belief in a more flourishing future than their neighbors. If location is the basis of this hope, there is no reason why it cannot be realized.
In 1868 the charter of the Ely Lodge, No. 424, Free and Accepted Masons, was issued. The building in which they met was burned in 1870, and with it the charter, records, jewels, and furniture. The same year a new charter was obtained and had a membership of eight names.
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Koenig Lodge No. 543, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted November 25, 1872, with fifteen members.
Several temperance societies have been organized in this township, but have never been able to keep alive any length of time. Why this is so, remains to be determined by those who come later, but the culture of grapes and manufacture of wine has doubtless much to do with it.
The first saw-mill was erected by Job Smith, on La Chapelle Creek, in 1819. In 1830 Messrs. Ford, Sandford & Tracy formed an iron company, and there seemed no reason why this should not be of the most enduring and flourshing industries in the country. It continued a quarter of a century, but of late years there has been no iron interests carried on here. This was succeeded by the Vermillion furnace, owned by Philo Tilden. Fifty thousand dollars were invested in the business, and sixty men were afforded a livelihood by it until in 1865, when this, too, was abandoned.
Two cheese factories have been started in this township, and one still exists at Well’s Corners, three and a half miles from Vermillion, and owned by Christopher Bauman. It began in 1877, and has a patronage of one hundred cows.
Edson & Nichols is the only firm engaged in the fish trade. They do a business amounting to $12,000 or $15,000 per annum in fresh, salt, and frozen fish.
There was a time when shipping stone was a large industry, but that day has gone by and it is now entirely abandoned.
A planing mill is in operation at the present time, owned by J. C. Gilchrist.
During the last decade there has been little evidence of new life in the township, and few buildings have been added to those already built. No business enterprises have been started except those mentioned, and the Vermillion of 1888 is to all intents and purposes very similar to that of 1877. The outlying population of the township is a flourishing farming community, that have added acre to acre, and put all in a most excellent state of cultivation, until the entire township is like a garden or agricultural paradise.
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Incidents in the lives of the pioneers were abundant and interesting, and no history would be complete without them. For these and many other facts we are indebted to those who have gone before in arranging and sifting out the wheat from the chaff and saving us a record upon which we can rely. One of the earliest settlers was Captain Austin, who located half a mile west of the mouth of the river. He was in many ways a remarkable man, and his life reads with all the interest of a romance. Not only was he a bold navigator, but he was skilled in the more practical science of building boats, and one of the first boats ever launched by him from these shores was during the war of 1812. His rule aboard was to have everything in its place, and any deviation from this rule found a certain punishment. This arbitrary rule over his inferiors made him slightly despotic in his home, but no man was more genial and social than he. He made nineteen consecutive voyages to the banks of Newfoundland, thence to Spain, and home again to New London, Conn. From this place he came to Ohio. His word was never doubted; he would tolerate no flatteries, and once, when a man tried to secure a favor from him by flattering him that he was clever, he replied, ''Clever! CLEVER! so is the devil, when you please him,” and the man lost his favor. His belief in premonitions was remarkable, and he affirmed that he had never met any unusual danger without being warned in time of its approach. His warnings always was returning to this continent once, and everything was favorable, he went to take an after dinner nap when the white horse came, with mouth wide open, in great fury at him. He bounded from his bunk, sprang on deck and shouted, “About ship, in an instant!” The order was obeyed, and as the ship bore round, the fog lifted and the breakers of Labrador were seen eighty rods ahead. “Ten minutes more in our course, and we should never have been heard of,” were his words. Another story is told of his peculiarity in this respect. It was late in the autumn of 1814, one of the most delightful Indian Summer days that have ever been seen, and with several merchants as passengers, he was on his way from Sandusky to Detroit. On his way to the islands the old white horse paid him another visit, and at noon he tied up in Put-in-Bay. It was a lovely day, with a fine breeze, and the passengers were impatient to go on. But the captain was immovable as a rock, and they could not help themselves. In the early evening a furious gale and snowstorm came up, and in the morning the wind was blowing a hurricane, and the snow lay a foot deep on the deck of the vessel. The next day, under a fair sky, he landed his grateful passengers in Detroit. This brave but singular man boasted that he had held Commodore Perry on his knees when a babe.
Peter Cuddeback came of good Dutch stock in the Mohawk Valley, and brought the Holland thrift to the new settlement, where he and his wife settled on the west side of the river. Although they had a large family, their hospitality was unbounded, and he was honored by the confidence of his neighbors, who bestowed upon him several offices. IBs house was the place where all the town meetings were held, and he was cobbler, carpenter, and general dependence on all lines; and every night, after working all the evening, he made the round of his farm to see that all was in order, and at midnight retired.
One of the most prominent men of that time was Hon. Almon Ruggles, surveyor of the Fire-lands. He was the first recorder in Huron county, in 1809, and was appointed by the Legislature associate judge of Huron county in 1815. In 1816 he was elected State senator, and re-elected in 1818. He was honored by all who knew him, was a genial man among his neighbors, and an excellent conversationalist. He never lost his simple tastes, and had a rare faculty of adapting himself to his companions. He built a mill on Vermillion River, near Florence, in 1809. This was destroyed and swept away by a freshet. In 1811 — 12 he built a mill, long known as Ruggles’s mill, on the Chapelle Creek, which was a great benefit to the settlers for miles around. His family was composed of four sorts of children, yet no neighbor could tell which belonged to his first wife or his second. All were equally well educated, all came to maturity, and what is still more strange, the two branches intermarried.
Vermillion village is situated at the mouth of Vermillion River, and was incorporated by a special act of the Legislature in 1837, the first record of an election bears date April 6, 1839.
It was many years before any steps were taken to improve the harbor at the mouth of the Vermillion River. The early settlers were occupied in making life endurable, and had not the government taken action on the subject in 1841, and sent Major Boms to dredge the channel and build a pier, doubtless many years would have passed before anything had been done. Several years later a lighthouse was constructed, and further dredging performed, giving fourteen feet of water in the channel. After the harbor was improved, ship building was extensively prosecuted. Alva Brady, of Cleveland, constructed many sail and steam crafts, and was the largest builder in the place. The first boat of any kind was named Friendship, and was of thirty tons capacity. This was in 1815.