|
T. 2, N. R. 14 E.
THIS township was organized on the 7th day of December, 1824, as already stated. The first election was held
on Christmas day, the same year, at the house of Joseph Pool. Joseph Rosenberger, John Stover and. Nathan Cadwallader
were elected as trustees; James Gordon, clerk; John Stoner, treasurer Robert and John Shippy and John Chaney were
also early settlers.
In 1830 the population was 549; in 1840 it had increased to 918, in 1870 it was 1,477, and in 1880 it is 1,635.
Hopewell is also a wealthy township. The soil is very fertile and the drainage is yearly improving it.
On the first of February, 1837, Mr. John Miller laid out the town of Bascom. George W. Gist was the surveyor. It
is located on section seventeen. Bascom is a station on the Baltimore & Ohio. railroad.
Agreen Ingraham, Jacob S. Jennings, John Sleeper, David Cover, James Mathews, John Baughman, Peter Lonsway, Peter
Young, Aaron Ruse, C. Weikert, Thomas Elder, Philip King, Joseph Ogle, Thomas Rickets and others were also among
the early settlers here.
The Coidwater railroad had also been constructed through this township, and the iron laid. The project was abandoned
and the iron taken up, never to be laid down again (?).
On the 6th day of August, 1836, Samuel Waggoner laid out a town by James Durbin, surveyor, on section sixteen,
which he called Hopewell, but no trace of it can be found. It never flourished.
Among the distinguished men who died in Hopewell was Joseph McClelland, one of the old Seneca county pioneers.
He was born in Muffin county, Pennsylvania, August 25, 1787, and was married in Ross county, Ohio, in or near Chillicothe,
in the early part of 1858. He moved to Shelby county, Kentucky, in the same year. His wife was Jane Boyd, sister
of Thomas Boyd, one of the old county cornmissioners.
Mr. McClelland moved to Bloom township in 1822 and settled on section three. In 1838 he, moved to Silver creek,
settling on section nineteen. In 1854 he moved to Hopewell, where he settled on section thirty five, and there
died at the age of seventy two years, four months and thirteen days.
Mr. McClelland was a stout, active and industrious man, faithful to his promises and prompt in the payment of his
debts. He took a deep interest in all public affairs and held the office of county commissioner six years, having
been elected in 1842 and in 1845: He lived and died in the enjoyment of the love and respect of all his neighbors
and a host of friends.
SAMUEL SMITH
Was born November 8, 1806, in Kent county, Delaware. Soon thereafter his father moved with his family to Ohio
and settled near Rushville, in Fairfield county.
When Samuel was about twenty three years old, he came to Seneca county and entered the west half of the northwest
quarter of section twenty two, in Hopewell. Here he built a cabin and helped to open the road towards Bascom. He
worked out among farmers, drove team for Mr. Hedges, and in 1833 he married Elizabeth Zeis, a daughter of a German
family that lived in Liberty township After he was married he moved upon his land, where he still resides. His
wife died September 11, 1870, the mother of ten children, who are all still living and doing well. Mr. Smith, himself,
is still in the enjoyment of good health, physically and mentally.
When he settled here in Hopewell, Mr. Henry Creeger was already living on his farm near Wolf creek.
Samuel Todd, David Betts, David Cover, John Kune, George Shaull; Joseph Ogle and a few others were in the neighborhood.
There were about twenty five acres cleared on the school section, and Mr. Covel moved onto them in 1834, under
a lease of the trustees. There was also a small clearing on the James Mathews farm, now owned by iMr. Neligh. The
balance of this neighborhood was all woods.
JOHN MAULE.
One of the old settlers of this township was John Maule, who was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, October
21, 1793. When but seven years of age his father died in Baltimore of yellow fever. He learned the trade of a blacksmith,
and in 1827 he married Elizabeth Derr, sister of our old pioneer friend, Ezra Derr, of Clinton township.
In June, 1830, he arrived here with a party consisting of his wife and two children, his father-in-law, Thomas
Derr, his wife's sister, Margaret (who afterwards became the wife of William Baker), and Joseph Heltebrake.
Mr. Maule bought a farm one half mile north of Tiffin, on the state road, where he also worked at his trade for
seven years and then moved one half mile west onto the farm where the family now live.
While at his trade he did much work for the Indians, shoeing their ponies, etc., and they esteemed him very much.
He was well acquainted with Red Jacket, Hard Hickory, George Harriman, the Walkers and Dennis's
His neighbors were Erastus Bowe, John Souder, George Stoner, Henry Rosenberger, David Risdon, Bartholomew Shaull,
David Smith, John Rosenberger, Henry and William Brish.
Mr. Maule was six feet two inches tall; his weight was about two hundred pounds. He had but few gray hairs when
he died, on the 31st of October, 1866. He was a Quaker, and faithful to his creed; was honest, truthful and quiet.
He was the father of six children, four sons and two daughters. Mrs. Maule was born December 14th, 1804, and is
still living.
GEORGE SLOSSER
Was born in Washington county, Maryland, in 1770; in 1800 he bought property in Jefferson county, Virginia.
He was married to Mary Painter, in Washington county, Maryland, in 1805, and then moved onto his land in Virginia,
133 acres. They had nine children in all, four girls and five boys, who are all living but one. Mr. Slosser moved
with his family to Seneca county and located in Hopewell in 1832. Mrs. Slosser died in 1840, aged fifty three years,
and Mr. Slosser died in 1843, aged seventy three years.
PETER SLOSSER
Is the oldest son of George Slosser, and came out here with his father. He was born July 14th, 1806, and was
married to Isabella Mitchell, in Jefferson county, Virginia, March 28th, 1830. He is the father of five living
children
Mr. Slosser tells me that one night in March, 1834, a wolf made an attack on his dog, and when Mr. Slosser came
up to the combatants, the wolf left the dog and made for Mr. Slosser, who picked up a stick of wood and struck
the wolf a heavy blow, which felled him, and was soon dispatched.
In August, the same year, a deer was in his wheat field. Mr. Slosser and his hired man halloed at him, which scared
him, and, jumping over the rail fence into a brush heap, he became entangled and was killed.
David Fox, Peter Wagner, Abraham Miller, Jacob Bogart, William Rickets, Samuel Kime, Joseph Ogle, Henry Creeger,
Jacob Rule, Charles Chaney, John Chaney, Robert Shippy, Elias Kime, William Kime and others were neighbors.
JOHN DAWALT
Came to Hopewell in 1833. One time, while he was walking on the road leading from Tiffin to Fostoria, about
one half mile from Bascom, where Mr. Hall now lives, he met a bear on the road, who made for Dawalt. Having neither
a gun nor an axe, he defended himself with a hickory cane he had for a walking stick. The bear was very close to
him, and Dawalt haying no chance to run, it became a fight for life. He belabored the bear with his club in such
good style that he came down, and Dawalt killed him. Mrs. Dawalt ran up while the fight was going on, but Dawalt
told her to stay away until the danger be over
JOSEPH OGLE.
The road that runs from Tiffin to Fostoria was surveyed along a ridge, and on the highest ground that runs east
and west through this township. Along on this ridge and on the banks of the Wolf creeks the first settlements were
made. The east branch of Wolf creek runs longitudinal with the river in its general course. Near the southwest
corner of section one another branch puts into it from the west. Near the north line of section twenty three another
branch of Wolf creek puts into this east branch
Williard Sprague and Charles and John Chaney had a lease on section sixteen, known as Hopewell Center. These men,
with their families, were probably the first settlers in the township. Mr. Peter Schultz now owns the southeast
quarter of the section. Joseph Ogle came to Tiffin on the 15th of June, 1824, and very soon thereafter bought from
James Aiken the southwest quarter of section twentythree, which has ever since been known as the Ogle farm. When
he landed in Tiffin he rented a cabin from Mr. A. Ingraham, and underbrushed a road to his land on Wolf creek.
Mr. Ogle's family was the third family that landed in Tiffin after the organization of this county. George Park,
Horton Howard and David Bishop were here. Thomas Loyd also, who was then a single man. Mr. Hedges brought on his
family about that time. Eben Mills had about thirty acres cleared on land near Mr. Ogle, which he leased to Ogle
on shares. During this year Ogle built a cabin on his land and moved into it in 1826, in April, and cleared a few
acres that year. Thomas Ogle, the oldest son of Joseph, says he cut the first tree on the land. It was not much
of a tree, and Thomas was not much of a boy then. Mr. Ogle helped to build the first school house in this township.
It was put up on the southeast quarter of the school section, some two and one half miles from the Ogle place.
Sprague and Charles Chaney split the pungeon for the floor Mr. Chenowith and John Chaney built the stick chimney.
Abraham Miller and Joseph Ogle put up the desks and benches. These were none of your patent benches, by any means,
but were constructed in this manner: Two inch auger holes were bored into the logs along the sides and sticks driven
into them about two feet long. Loose clapboards were laid onto these sticks, and the desk was done. The seats were
pungeon benches. Mr. Chenowith was the first schoolmaster in the township, and taught in this school house. Reading,
writing and spelling constituted a full course. Mr. Ogle had a son born to him while he lived.on the Mills place,
and when the family moved into the new cabin, Mrs. Ogle was removed to the house of 'Squire Plane, in Tiffin, with
her babe, to remain there until the cabin was dry enough for her to come home in safety. The youngest child, Benj.
F. Ogle, was born in the new cabin.
When Mr. Ogle came here, two years before the Hart family, Bartholomew Shaull and John A. Rosenberg lived further
down the creek. Nathan Cadwalader lived up the creek, in section thirty four. The Daughertys were also here then.
One of the Daugherty girls was married to George Park, in Tiffin, and another to Samuel Hoaglin.
In the spring of 1825, after Hedges' mill first commenced running, they had a sort of celebration there. Mr. Ogle
and William Stripe hitched up their ox teams, and Mr. Hedges' ox team was also hitched up. The women got into the
wagons, the men drove the teams and walked to the mill. Here they had a lunch and a general good time. Some washed
themselves in corn meal, and threw meal info each other's faces. It was fun of that peculiar kind, but nevertheless
a celebration.
When Mr. Ogle settled on Wolf creek, they lived on corn, which they could get no nearer than Upper Sandusky. He
and his son, Thomas, rode horseback to the plains, and bought two bags full of corn, each rider having a bag before
him The trip took two days. Upon their return the corn was taken to Moore's mill, near Lower Sandusky, to be ground
into meal, which took two days more. Upon their return from the mill they had three bushels of meal, less the toll.
A large family would soon get away with that quantity of meal, especially when it was bread and dinner for them
all.
In the fall of 1826 Thomas Brandt and another Indian came into Ogle's cabin and wanted bread. Brandt was drunk
and drew a tomahawk to strike Mrs. Ogle, but the other Indian stopped him.
The wolves were very plenty, and one evening while Mrs. Ogle was milking the cows near the cabin, a lot of them
came close to her, howling, which scared her very much. One evening as the boys were returning from spelling school,
the wolves got after them and followed them to the house.
Mr. Ogle described to the writer the situation of the brush dam and saw mill of Spencer, and the old fort and stockade
then still in good condition.
Joseph Ogle was born in Frederick city, Maryland, February 7, 1781. His father was one of the proprietors of the
town. He was married October 15, 1809, in Mechanicstown, Frederick county, Maryland. They lived on the old Ogle
farm, in Frederick èounty, a while, when they moved to Hagerstown, where he kept tavern; then returned and
bought the Ogle farm, sold it afterwards and came to Seneca county.
When he died in January, 1864, he was eighty three years and eleven months old.
He cleared 130 acres of land on his farm here, and raised eight chil dren, two having died in childhood.
Mrs. Ogle died in 1876, eighty seven years old. Six of their children are still living.
|