Hancock County OhArchives History - Books .....Chapter XXVIII, Part III 1886
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Book Title: History Of Hancock County

CHAPTER XXVIII.
VILLAGE OF FINDLAY.

BEGINNING OF THE TOWN— SITE OF THE ORIGINAL PLAT ENTERED, AND COMING OK WILSON
VANCE— SURVEY OF THE TOWN PLAT— SELECTION OF FINDLAY AS THE SEAT OF JUSTICE OF
HANCOCK COUNTY— DERIVATION OF ITS NAME, AND CORRECT ORTHOGRAPHY OF THE WORD—
BRIEF SKETCH OF COL. JAMES FINDLAY— THE PLAT AS ACKNOWLEDGED AND RECORDED—
AMBIGUITY IN THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT REGARDING THE PUBLIC SQUARE CLEARED UP— LOTS
DONATED BY THE PROPRIETORS TO ERECT COUNTY BUILDINGS, AND FIRST PUBLIC SALE OF
THK SAME— BUSINESS MEN OF FINDLAY IN 1829-30 AND APPEARANCE OF THE VILLAGE AT
THAT PERIOD-NAMES OF THOSE WHO HAVE LAID OUT ADDITIONS TO THE ORIGINAL PLAT, AND
DATES OF SURVEYS — THE PRESENT STREETS OF THE TOWN— SKETCHES OF ITS PIONERR
BUSINESS MEN— FIRST WHITE MALE CHILD BORN ON THE SITE OF FINDLAY— EARLY
PHYSICIANS OF THE VILLAGE, AND THE DIFFICULTIES OF MEDICAL PRACTICE DURING
PIONEER DAYS.

   THE history of Findlay goes back over a period of sixty-five years, for
though Benjamin Cox, the first white settler in Hancock County, located on its
site in 1815, the town was not contemplated for six years afterward. On the 3d
of July, 1821, Joseph Vance, William Neill and Elnathan Cory entered the east
part of the southeast quarter of Section 13, Township 1 north. Range 10, and on
the following day the same gentlemen entered the south half of Section 18,
Township 1 north, Range 11. These were the first entries made in the county, and
embrace all of the original town plat with which the history of Findlay, as a
village, begins, and upon which most of its earliest settlers located. Joseph
Vance lived in Urbana, William Neill in Columbus, and Elnathan Cory at New
Carlisle, Ohio; but Vance & Cory subsequently purchased Neill's interest in
these lands, and were the original proprietors of the town. In November, 1821,
Wilson Vance, a younger brother of the Governor, took up his residence in the
hewed-log house previously occupied by Benjamin J. Cox, which stood on the south
bank of the Blanchard River, immediately east of the old fort. He came from the
Maumee, as the agent of his brother Joseph, and soon afterward laid out a town
on a part of the land entered the previous summer, which he named Findlay.

   Though the plat was not recorded until nearly eight years afterward there is
no doubt that the town was laid out in 1821, as Mr. Vance always asserted that
was the year the survey was made. Squire Carlin gives the following testimony in
support of this tradition: "Prior to my settlement at Findlay, in November,
1826, a survey had been made, the lots numbered and the streets designated; but
I do not know what year the plat was made, though 1821 has always been claimed
as the date. Mr. Vance had a plat of the town at his tavern, where I boarded for
a time after my coming, from which I and other pioneers of the village selected
our lots. I built my first log store-room in 1826, on the same corner I have
ever since occupied, which I purchased as a corner lot ; but I did not pay for
the lot or receive a deed until November 2, 1831." An impression prevails that
the town was resurveyed in 1829, but Mr. Carlin says he does not remember of a
survey being made at that time, and claims that the plat of the original town,
from which he selected his lot in 1826, is identical with the one recorded by
Vance & Cory three years later. Another strong fact in support of Mr. Carlin's
recollections on this subject is, that Lot 141, on the northwest corner of
Crawford and East Streets, was donated by the proprietors for a school site,
upon which a hewed-log schoolhouse was built in 1827. This lot was occupied by a
school building from that time up to the completion of the large brick
schoolhouse on East Sandusky Street, in the fall of 1868, when it was moved to
the west end of Crawford Street, and the lot sold. This at least proves that no
material change has ever been made in the original town plat as surveyed by
Wilson Vance in 1821; and if it was replatted in 1829, it was done for the
purpose of re-establishing a few lines or corners which had become indistinct or
uncertain through the ravages of time during the eight years that had elapsed
since the town was first laid out.

   In February, 1824, the General Assembly of Ohio appointed John Owens, of
Champaign County, Alexander Long, of Logan County and Forest Meeker, of Delaware
County "commissioners to locate and fix the seat of justice in and for the
county of Hancock." At the following October term of the court of common pleas
of Wood County, these commissioners reported that they had selected "the town of
Findlay, in said county of Hancock, as the most suitable site for the seat of
justice of said county." This of itself shows that Findlay was then recognized
as a town, and being the only one then laid out in the county, and also
centrally located, was readily selected as the seat of justice by the State
Commissioners.

   The town derives its name from a fort erected on its site in 1812, which was
commenced by Col. James Findlay and named in honor of that officer. Considerable
divergence of opinion has existed since pioneer days as to the correct spelling
of the word, "Finley" and "Findley" being the two modes in general use among the
early settlers, the name of the postoffice, established in 1828, being first
spelled "Finley," then Findley, and in 1870 changed to "Findlay." There was no
authority for either of the first two modes of orthography, as the gallant
officer after whom the fort was named always spelled his name "Findlay," which
the official records in Columbus fully attest. This should be conclusive
evidence on the subject, and should satisfy every reasonable person that the old
modes of spelling the word were erroneous. Some of the pioneers, however,
adopted the correct orthography, among whom was Jacob Rosenberg, founder of the
Courier. This paper was established in the fall of 1836, as The Findlay Courier,
and the same orthography was followed by his successor, Henry Bishop, up to
July, 1845, when the Courier passed into the hands of William Mungen, who
changed the title to the Democratic Courier. Feeling that some knowledge of the
man whose name is so prominently associated with the history of the county, but
more especially with its seat of justice and principal town, will be welcome to
a large class of our readers, a brief sketch of him is here appended.

   Col. James Findlay was born in Franklin County, Penn., in 1770. His parents
were Samuel and Jane (Smith) Findlay, who reared a family of six sons, viz.:
John, William, James, Jonathan, Thomas and Nathan, all of whom became prominent
and distinguished men. In politics they were Democrats, and held offices of
distinction under that party, but in after years James became a Whig. John was a
member of Congress from Pennsylvania. William was in Congress from 1803 to 1817;
Governor of Pennsylvania from 1817 to 1820, and United States senator from 1821
to 1827. James married Miss Jane Irwin, and about 1795 removed to Ohio,
traveling on horseback by way of Virginia and Kentucky, and settling in
Cincinnati, then a small village. Here for a number of years he filled the
position of receiver of public moneys in the land office. In 1805-06 he served
as mayor of Cincinnati, and again in 1810-11. When the war of 1812 broke out he
was commissioned as colonel of a regiment, which was the advanced guard of Gen.
William Hull's army on its march from the Scioto River to the Maumee. On this
march he began the erection of Fort Findlay, named in his honor, and from which
the city of Findlay derives its name. For meritorious conduct in the war of
1812, Col. Findlay was afterward promoted to the rank of brigadier-general of
the State militia, in which capacity he served for a considerable period. Col.
Findlay was the member of Congress from Hamilton County from 1825 to 1833. In
1834 he was the Whig and anti-Masonic candidate for Governor of Ohio, but was
defeated by Robert Lucas, and died the following year. Naturally reserved in his
manner, he presented to strangers an air of austerity; but to those who knew him
he was the soul of kindness and geniality. Col. Findlay possessed great decision
of character, was just in all his dealings, and maintained through life an
unsullied reputation.

   September 26, 1829, the original plat of Findlay, containing 156 lots, was
acknowledged before Robert McKinnis, one of the associate judges, by Joseph
Vance and Elnathan Cory, and recorded October 12, following. It embraces that
portion of the town bounded by Front Street on the north, Sandusky (then called
Back Street) on the south, and by East and West Streets on the east and west,
respectively. In the center of the plat a small square was reserved upon which
to erect public buildings, and certain lots donated to the county for that
purpose. No changes have since occurred in the names of the streets as
designated on the original plat except Back Street (now called Sandusky), West
Crawford (then called Putnam), and Broadway, which has been converted into a
park, wherein a handsome monument has been erected to perpetuate the memory of
the patriots who fell in the great Rebellion. Main Street was laid out 100 feet
wide, Broadway, 115 1/2 feet; Main Cross, 82 1/2 feet, and Front, Crawford,
Sandusky, East and West Streets, each 66 feet wide.

   In the acknowledgment of the plat the following language occurs: "And that
the lots, public ground, streets and alleys are to the best of their knowledge
correctly designated by the notes attached, and are to be appropriated as public
ways for the benefit of said town and to no other use whatever." A certain
ambiguity in the wording of the foregoing quotation has led a few persons to
assert that the public square was donated for the use of the town. But applying
a similar construction to the whole quotation, which is here given verbatim,
would also give the lots to the town, and appropriate both square and lots as
"public ways for the benefit of said town and to no other use whatever." The
words "public ways" are italicized to draw the reader's attention to the fact
that the construction of the acknowledgement which gives the public square to
the town also gives every lot in the original plat to the same corporation, and
makes the lots, square, streets and alleys "public ways," which every one will
readily admit the two first mentioned were not intended for. From the fact, too,
that the proprietors gave to the county thirty-nine lots "for the purpose of
erecting public buildings in said town," and that the square was designated as
"public ground," together with the fact that the latter has never been used for
any other purpose than county buildings, and the evidence of Judge D. J. Cory
who says his father told him they gave it for a courthouse site, is unanswerable
proof that the proprietors intended the public square for that purpose only, and
for which it has been used continuously during a period of fifty-six years.

   As already stated, thirty-nine lots of the 156 embraced in the original plat
were given by Vance & Cory, "in trust to the commissioners of said county of
Hancock, for the purpose of erecting public buildings in said town." These lots
were as follows: 2, 8, 9, 13, 17, 20, 26, 29, 32, 39, 43, 46, 51, 56, 61, 64,
69, 72, 73, 79, 86, 89, 92, 95, 98, 100, 104, 105, 108, 111, 116, 123, 127, 135,
137, 142, 146, 148 and 156. On the 10th of October, 1829, the following action
was taken in regard to these lots: "The commissioners of Hancock County met for
the purpose of taking into their care the proportion of the town lots of Findlay
which were deeded to said commissioners by Joseph Vance and Elnathan Cory, and
said Charles McKinnis and John P. Hamilton, present, ordered that the aforesaid
lots be offered at public sale on the 9th of November next. It is further
ordered that the county auditor advertise said sale." The sale took place on the
date designated, and twenty-seven of the thirty-nine lots were sold to the
following purchasers, some of whom, however, did not pay up, and the lots
reverted to the county, and were again sold.

Lot.   Purchaser.           Price paid.
   2   Squire Carlin             42 00
   8   William Taylor           101 00
   9   Josiah Hedges            200 00
  13   Frederick Frutchey        68 00
  17   George Bishop             12 00
  26   Joseph Johnson            35 18
  59   Wilson Vance              50 00
  32   Squire Carlin             35 25
  43   Enoch Thompson            13 00
  46   Don Alonzo Hamlin         11 50
  51   Joseph A. Sargent          6 50
  61   Squire Carlin              5 00
  79   Abel Rawson               70 00
  86   Squire Carlin             82 02
  89   Bass Rawson               78 50
  92   Joshua Hedges             51 50
  95   James Coats               20 00
  98   Philip Strohl             10 00
 104   Don Alonzo Hamlin         16 00
 105   John McIntire             38 25
 108   John C. Wickham           20 00
 111   William Moreland          20 00
 116   Wilson Vance              10 00
 143   Thomas Slight             10 00
 146   Thomas Slight, Jr          8 25
 148   John Mclntire              5 00
 156   William Taylor             6 00
       Total amount of sales $1,025 40

   At this time (1829-30), Findlay was a straggling hamlet, made up mainly of
log cabins, and a large portion of the original town plat was covered with
forest. Wilson Vance was county recorder and clerk of the court of common pleas,
and kept a tavern in a hewed-log building which stood on the east side of Main
Street near the river. This house was built by a man named Thorp, an army sutler
in the war of 1812, and afterward occupied by Benjamin J. Cox till the coming of
Mr. Vance. The latter also had charge of the grist and saw-mills across the
Blanchard, which were completed in 1824. Squire and Parlee Carlin carried on one
of the two stores of the village in a story and a half frame building, on the
southwest corner of Main and Front Streets. William Taylor was county surveyor,
and kept the other store, and also a tavern, in a small log and frame structure
still farther south on the west side of Main Street, where Rothchild's liquor
store now is. His brother, James, lived with him at that time. John C. Wickham,
the second school teacher in Findlay, was then postmaster and also sheriff of
the county. His cabin was on east Main Cross Street, and his son, Minor T.,
lived with him. Edwin S. Jones was county treasurer, and operated a tanyard on
Front Street, east of Main. The cabin and blacksmith shop of Joseph DeWitt stood
on the west side of Broadway (now the Park), north of the site of the old brick
jail. Dr. Bass Rawson was the only physician then living here, and his cabin was
on the alley near East Street, directly east of where he yet lives. It was built
by Joshua Powell, who rented it to the doctor and removed to Marion Township.
William Hackney was county auditor, and lived in the^ southeast part of the
village. William L. Henderson was deputy surveyor under William Taylor, and
lived in a cabin north of the site of the Patterson Block. Thomas F. Johnston
lived on the south bank of the river, west of the old fort, and followed
farming. John Bashore was keeping tavern in a two-story hewed-log building where
the Carnahan Block now stands. His brother-in-law, Philip Strohl, lived with
him. Matthew Reighly was the carpenter of the village; James B. Moore, the
brick-mason; Reuben Hale, the miller of Vance & Cory's grist-mill, and John
George Flenner the village tailor. All of these were then single and boarded at
the taverns. James Peltier worked for the Carlins, and Thomas Chester had been
in the employ of Wilson Vance since 1827. Henry and Peter Shaw came in the fall
of 1829, and lived for a time in the old log schoolhouse on the northwest corner
of Crawforn and East Streets, but soon moved across the river to the farm of
Robert L. Strother, whence, in 1830, Henry returned to the village and followed
carpentering. The foregoing are believed to have constituted the business
interests and population of Findlay during the years 1829 and 1830, though
several other families came soon afterward.

   The town was not then, nor for years afterward, very inviting as a place of
residence, and some families who lived here would have gladly returned to their
previous homes but could not raise the means to do so. At a meeting of the
Pioneer Association held in May, 1876. Jonathan Parker, in detailing the
circumstances of his removal to Findlay in October, 1831, says: "When I came
here I found the first swale at Main Cross Street and I think it extended to
Chamberlin' s Hill without a break. When we landed we wanted to get to the house
of William L. Henderson, who then lived on the lot now occupied by Kunz &
Morrison. We could not get along the street, but had to 'coon it' on logs across
the public square. Old logs were plenty then all over the town plat. I think the
water was at least one foot deep between Main Cross Street and Crawford Street."

   The first addition to the original town was made by William Byal, February
19, 1834, on the southeast corner of Main and Sandusky Streets. Since that time
the following additions (together with the dates of survey) have been made:
Vance & Cory. June 13, 1837; Gist & Morrison, August 19, 1837; John C. Howard,
May 4, 1843; James H. Wilson (East Findlay), August 11, 1847; Vance & Cory,
September 24, 1847; William H. Baldwin, April 15, 1848; Vance & Cory, in May,
1848; Jesse George, April 5, 1849; Squire and Parlee Carlin, April and June,
1849, September 10, 1852 and May 5, 1854; Nathan Miller, June 20, 1854; Wilson
Vance, July 3, 1854; James M. Coffinberry, July 12, 1854; William Taylor (North
Findlay), in July, 1854; western addition by William H. Baldwin, Simon Yerger,
Jonathan Parker, David Patton, Samuel A. Spear, Simon Wilhelm and Jesse Wolf,
August 11, 1854; Amos Nye, August 11, 1854; George Biggs, August 21,1854; Robert
B. Hurd, July 2, 1855; William Detwiler, October 6, 1855; David W. Naill,
October 31, 1855; extension of town limits, September 2, 1856; D. M. & A. F.
Vance (North Findlay), in February, 1857, and in September, 1858; William Vance
(North Findlay), September 14, 1859; Byal's Second Addition, in September, 1859;
D.  J. Cory (North Findlay), March 21, 1860; Wilson Vance, May 29, 1860; Edson
Goit (North Findlay), October 16, 1860; James H. Wilson (East Findlay), November
2, 1860: D. J. Cory, October 15. 1863; D. J. Cory (East Findlay). October 16,
1863; Edson Goit (North Findlay), June 10, 1864; Taylor & Hall (North Findlay),
May 28, 1866; D. J. Cory (East Findlay), June 20. 1866; D. J. Cory, June 20,
1866; Elijah Barnd, April 16 and November 24, 1868; extension of town limits,
September 9, 1869; Jones & Adams, June 6, 1873; D. J. Cory (East Findlay),
November 15, 1873; Alexander Witherill (North Findlay), in January, 1874;
Absalom P. Byal, May 25 and July 20, 1874; D. J. Cory, November 4, 1874; D. J.
Cory (North Findlay), November 4, 1874; Daniel George, November 11, 1874; Louis
Adams, November 16, 1874; Parlee Carlin. April 21. 1875; Samuel Howard (North
Findlay), July 26, 1877; P. & M. Taylor (North Findlay), in February, 1878; Gage
& Carlin, in May, 1878; Parlee Carlin, in May, 1878: Peter Hosier (Barnd's
Addition). May 29, 1879; Davis & Bope, in January, 1881; Gray & Patterson (North
Findlay), September 1, 1881; William L. Carlin (Rawson's Addition), April 15,
1882; Gray & Patterson (North Findlay), in June, 1883; extension of corporation
limits in December, 1884; D. J. Cory (North Findlay), June 15, 1885. Findlay is
now two miles and a quarter from its northern to its southern boundary, and two
miles from east to west, and thus covers an area of about 2,880 acres.

   Main is the principal business street of Findlay, and the only continuous one
from the north to the south limits of the town. Commencing at the bridge
spanning the Blanchard and going south, the streets running east and west are
named Front, Main Cross, Crawford, Sandusky, Hardin, Lincoln and Lima. South of
Lima the east and west streets are not continuous. On the east side of Main are
Hancock, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth; and on the west side are
two short streets, Elm and Locust. Washington and Findlay are two short streets
in the bend of the river west of Main, and north of and parellel with Front
Street; and the continuation of Crawford Street from Liberty westward is called
Putnam. Between Main Street and Eagle Creek the parallel streets are Mechanic's
Alley and East, with Rawson Street, Washington Avenue and Park Street running
south from Lima Street, also a couple of short, unnamed streets parallel with
them. West of Main we find Farmer's Alley, West, Liberty, Western and several
streets south of Sandusky in Carlin' s addition of out-lots with no names given
on the maps. Main Cross, Crawford, Sandusky and Lincoln Streets continue
eastward through East Findlay, which lies east of Eagle Creek. In that part of
the city the east and west streets beginning at the river are Main Cross,
Crawford, Sandusky, South, Lincoln and Walnut; while Blanchard, High and East
run north and south. On the Lima road, in the southwest suburbs of the city, are
Hurd Avenue and Summit Street. North Findlay lies on each side of Main Street
north of the Blanchard. East of Main the parallel streets are Clinton, Taylor
and North, and Cory on the west. From the river northward the east and west
streets east of Main are Center, Cherry, Walnut and two or three unnamed; and on
the west side Fair, High, Donleson, Corwin, Fillmore and Howard, none of which
extend across Main.

   The pioneers of Findlay deserve more than a passing notice, for to them, in a
large measure, the town owes its present prosperity. The first white settler on
the site of Findlay was Benjamin J. Cox, but it has been thought more
appropriate to give a brief sketch of him in the history of the township. He
left the county in 1823, and was never in any way connected with the founding or
growth of the town, the history of which properly begins with the coming of
Wilson Vance in 1821, whose subsequent life was mainly spent within its limits.

  Mr. Vance was born in Mason County, Ky., January 19, 1796, his parents, Joseph
C. and Sarah (Wilson) Vance being natives of Loudoun County, Va., of Irish
ancestry. The family removed from Virginia to Kentucky in 1788, and thence to
Greene County, Ohio, in 1800. Four years later they left Greene County, and took
up their abode in Urbana, Champaign County, and here Wilson grew to maturity. In
1816 he went to Fort Meigs, where his brother Joseph was carrying on a store,
and he remained there till his removal to Fort Findlay. On the 14th of March,
1820, he was married in Champaign County, to Miss Sarah Wilson, by the Rev. John
Thomas. She was a native of Pennyslvania, born June 28, 1801. Mr. Vance returned
with his young wife to the Maumee, where a son, Joseph C., was born December 14,
1820. In November, 1821, with his wife and child he started from Fort Meigs for
Fort Findlay to look after the large landed interests of his brother Joseph at
this point and lay out a town at the fort. He walked the whole distance, his
wife riding on an Indian pony and carrying her babe in her arms. Upon reaching
Fort Findlay Mr. Vance took possession of a story and a half hewed-log house,
then occupied by Benjamin J. Cox, the latter moving into a smaller cabin which
stood a little farther southeast. In the spring of 1822 Mr. Vance opened a
tavern, his license being issued by the court of common pleas of Wood County May
20 of that year, for which he was charged $5. This old log tavern stood on the
site of the present two-story brick (which he erected in after years), on the
east side of Main Street, near the bridge. His second child, Mary L., was born
in Urbana, September 11, 1822, and the third, Miles W., at Findlay, September
27, 1824, the latter being the first white male child born on the site of
Findlay as well as in the county. The first grist and saw-mill was built under
the supervision of Mr. Vance, in 1824. It stood on the site of Carlin's mill and
was a small log structure of primitive construction and the machinery operated
by water-power, but it was a great boon to the first settlers. In 1832 he put up
a one-story frame south of the log structure, and in the south room of this
building, now the residence of G. C. Barnd, on Front Street, Vance & Baldwin
opened a general dry goods store that year. Mr. Baldwin removed to New York in
1837, and Mr. Vance continued in the mercantile trade in Findlay till 1852, when
he sold out and retired from business, though still retaining an interest in his
son's store at Bluffton, Allen County, Besides merchandising he was engaged
quite extensively in farming for many years. Mr. Vance and his wife were the
parents of eight sons and four daughters, all of whom were born in Find! ay,
except the two eldest previously mentioned, and Horace M., of Findlay, is the
sole survivor of the family. The official life of Mr. Vance began May 4, 1820,
when he was appointed surveyor of Wood County, and he filled that office until
his removal to Findlay. He was appointed the first postmaster of Findlay
February 8, 1823, and held that position until July, 1829. At the first election
held in Findlay Township, July 1, 1823, he was chosen one of the two justices of
the peace; and at the second election, April 5, 1824, he was elected township
trustee and lister. In discharging the duties of the latter office he made the
first assessment of taxable property in Hancock County, and has himself assessed
for one horse and four head of cattle. Mr. Vance was clerk of the court of
common pleas from March, 1828, to March, 1835; county recorder from the spring
of 1828 to June, 1835, and from October, 1835, to October, 1838; and county
treasurer from June, 1845, to June, 1847. He was generally recognized as an
upright man and a kind, good neighbor, but like all other men of strong
individuality, sometimes awoke hostility in the hearts of his fellowmen by his
unswerving determination, bluff manner and stubborn adhesion to his own
opinions. He was dignified in character, and possessed a fine personal
appearance. Both he and his wife were life-long adherents of the Presbyterian
faith, and the Findlay Church was organized at their house. Mr. Vance died at
the home of his son in Orange Township September 30, 1862, and his widow
survived him till March 10, 1866, leaving behind them an example in many things
highly worthy of imitation.

   The same fall in which Mr. Vance located at Fort Findlay a Kentuckian named
Smith took possession of an old Indian cabin which stood immediately west of the
fort. He cultivated a small patch of ground in the neighborhood, and spent
considerable time in hunting, while his wife looked after the household duties.
Smith claimed to understand the use of drugs, and kept a small stock of
medicines on hand. When Mrs. Matthew Reighly, who lived on the John P. Hamilton
farm, was taken sick with malarial fever in 1822, Smith was called on to attend
her, but she died so suddenly soon afterward that suspicion fell upon the
medicine Smith had administered as the direct cause of her death. In defense
Smith claimed that he positively forbade the patient the use of cold water, but
she disobeyed his instructions and drank copiously, from the effects of which
she died. As he was the only doctor(?) in the settlement his statement had to be
accepted, as none could dispute its correctness. After a residence in Findlay of
two or three years Smith and his wife left the county, and are supposed to have
returned to Kentucky.

   Matthew Reighly was the next to cast his fortunes with the embryo village. In
the spring of 1822 he and his wife accompanied John P. Hamilton to this county,
and occupied a cabin built the previous year by Jacob Moreland on the southwest
quarter of Section 17, up the river from the fort. Mrs. Reighly died the same
year (being the first white person who died in Hancock County) and was buried in
the old cemetery east of town. After his wife's death Mr. Reighly, who was a
carpenter and possessed a fair education for that day, removed to Findlay and
boarded at Wilson Vance's tavern. He assisted in building the first grist and
saw mill, also most of the first log and frame houses erected in Findlay. He was
one of the clerks at the first two elections held in the township in 1823 and
1824, and was chosen township clerk at the latter. At the first county election
in April, 1828, Mr. Reighly was elected county auditor, and served until the
following October, when his successor was chosen. He subsequently married Betsy,
daughter of Isaac Johnson, and sister of the venerable Joseph Johnson, of
Portage Township, and finally removed to the West.

   Squire Carlin is the oldest continuous resident now living in either the
village or county who had reached the age of manhood before locating within its
limits. He was born near Auburn, N. Y., December 25, 1801, and is a son of James
and Susan (Davis) Carlin, the former a native of New Jersey and his wife of New
York State. They were married near Auburn, and were the parents of four children
ere leaving New York, viz.: Nancy, Squire, Zada and Parlee. In the winter of
1808-07 they left New York in a sled, and traveled westward to Erie, Penn., and
there spent the latter part of the winter. In the spring of 1807 the family left
Erie in a sail-boat, and came up the lake to the mouth of Huron River, settling
on the shore of Lake Erie, a short distance west of that point. The Carlins were
the second white family to locate in what is now Huron County, but they remained
there only one year, removing to the River Raisin in the spring of 1808. They
settled on the opposite side of that stream from Frenchtown, about two miles and
a half east of the site of Monroe, Mich. Here they lived until the summer of
1809, during which time another child, Caroline, was born. They next located on
the site of Maumee City, on the north bank of the Maumee, in what is now Lucas
County, Ohio, and continued peacefully tilling the soil until after Hull's
surrender in August, 1812, when the reported coming of hostile Indians caused
the family to flee southward over Hull's Trace. The mother, with her children,
mounted on two horses and, carrying provisions for the journey and a few
household articles, accompanied a band of refugees to Urbana; her Husband
remaining behind with the hope of saving his stock, etc., but his efforts proved
futile, as they fell a prey to the Indians and their English allies. The family
passed by Fort Findlay on the route, and our subject, who was then in his
eleventh year, says the soldiers were still working on the fort, which was
commenced the previous June. After stopping in Urbana a couple of months the
Carlins located on Buck Creek, east of the village, where a son, James, was soon
afterward born. Here they lived till 1814, when the father and son, Squire,
returned to the Maumee, built a cabin near Fort Meigs, and raised a crop on the
island below the fort. In 1815 the balance of the family joined them, and they
reoccupied the old homestead north of the river, though the buildings had been
burned by the enemy, and new ones had to be erected. The parents spent the
remainder of their lives on the Maumee, and there Squire grew to manhood,
receiving no education whatever, what he now possesses having been acquired
after locating in Findlay. He married Miss Sarah Wolcott, April 17, 1821, and
settled in a cabin on the old homestead. She was born in Toronto, Canada, and
her parents settled on the Maumee after the close of the war of 1812. Mrs.
Carlin was the mother of ten children, only three of whom lived to maturity,
viz.: William D., Elliott and Sarah, the last mentioned being Mrs. George W.
Myers, of Findlay. William D. was for many years one of the county's leading
physicians, and died December 26, 1862, while serving as surgeon of the
Fifty-Seventh Regiment. Mr. Carlin had been to Fort Findlay several times before
and after the settlement of Wilson Vance, and in November, 1826, purchased a lot
on the southwest corner of Main and Front Streets, built a small log house, and
opened the first store in the village. He boarded through the winter of 1826-27
at the tavern of Wilson Vance, but in the latter year his wife and son, William
D., joined him. . In 1828 his brother, Parlee, came from the Maumee, and the
firm became S. & P. Carlin, and in 1831 their brother James obtained an
interest, but remained only about a year. During this period a large part of Mr.
Carlin's time was spent in traveling through the forest buying furs from the
Indians, white hunters and small traders, and in this way he laid the foundation
of his subsequent fortune. While engaged in the fur trade he suffered many
privations and hardships, which he loves to relate. In the winter of 1827-28,
while out on a trip and very hungry, he came to an Indian camp in the forest
where several dressed animals were roasting along a log fire, and jumping from
his horse cut off a large slice of the roasting meat. One of the Indians
present, seeing the avidity with which he ate, said: "You like um fox ?" "Yes,"
said Mr. Carlin, "don't you?" The Indian shook his head. "Then why do you roast
them?" asked his guest. "For my dogs," replied the Indian, who seemed much
amused over the incident. The meat, however, tasted good to the hungry trader,
who first supposed the animals were coons, a much prized dish among the
pioneers. The Carlin Bros, carried on a mercantile business on the old corner
until 1852, when they sold their stock, but still continued to operate the grist
and saw mills on the river, which they had owned since 1837. They were also
largely engaged in the real estate and banking business from 1854 until their
failure in 1878. Mr. Carlin was the third postmaster of Findlay, which position
he held from June, 1831, to March, 1849, a period of nearly eighteen years. He
was also treasurer of the county from June, 1831, to June, 1839. His wife died
in October, 1850, and June 16, 1853, he was married to Mrs. Delia B. Gardner,
nee Briggs, a daughter of James Briggs, Esq., of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Three
children have been born to this union, only one, Frederick P., now living. Few
men in this part of the State have led such an active business life as the now
venerable Squire Carlin, the brothers being at one time among the wealthiest
firms in northwestern Ohio, and the second largest land owners of Hancock
County. The building of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad was the direct cause of
Mr. Carlin's financial misfortune, for, though it has proven a blessing to the
county, it was an unfortunate enterprise for him; yet he takes his reverses
philosophically, and seems as happy as if they had never occurred.

   Joseph White located in Findlay, in 1826, and taught the first school in the
village in the winter of 1826-27. This school was held in a small log-cabin east
of the Sherman House site. White first settled in Liberty Township, in 1823,
whence he removed to Findlay. He left the county in 1827, and Squire Carlin is
doubtless the only man now living in the county who remembers him, as he
attended the school taught by White in Findlay.

   Joseph DeWitt came to Findlay early in the spring of 1827, with his wife and
nine children, and opened a blacksmith shop north of the site of the old brick
jail facing the park. This was the first blacksmith shop opened in the village.
Mr. DeWitt was a native of New Jersey, thence removed to Pennsylvania, where he
married Catherine Hunt, a native of that State. About 1809, with his wife and
two children, Elizabeth and William, he removed to Hamilton County, Ohio,
settling near Cincinnati, where Sarah, the widow of Parlee Carlin, Esq., was
born. He subsequently lived in Fairfield and Pike Counties, whence he came to
Hancock, some of his children being then full grown. Mr. DeWitt carried on
blacksmithing in Findlay till his removal to Wood County, in 1832. In the fall
of 1830 he was elected coroner of the county, being the second incumbent of that
office. From Wood County he went to Indiana, and there died.

   John C. Wickham, his wife, Barbara, son Minor T. and daughter, Lucy, came
from Ross County, Ohio, in the spring of 1827, his son, William, coming out a
few years afterward. Wickham built a cabin on east Main Cross Street, and in the
winter of 1827-28, taught school in the old hewed-log schoolhouse, erected the
former year on the northwest corner of East and Crawford Streets. In October,
1828, he was elected sheriff, and served two years; and he was also postmaster
of Findlay, from July, 1829 to June, 1831, being the second postmaster of the
village. In 1832 his son William located in Blanchard Township, and the next
year the parents and Minor T. also removed to that subdivision. The daughter,
Lucy, married James McKinnis. Mr. Wickham taught school there, and in 1835 was
elected justice of the peace, but died soon after, while on a business trip to
Wayne County, Ohio.

   Reuben Hale was a pioneer of 1827, in which year he was hired by Wilson
Vance, to attend to the Vance & Cory grist-mill. He was a brother of Alfred
Hale, who settled at Ft. McArthur, on the Scioto River, about 1818, where Reuben
also lived till coming to Findlay, nine years afterward. At the first county
election in April, 1828, he ran for sheriff, against Don Alonzo Hamlin, but was
defeated. He married Emeline, daughter of Asher Wickham, and subsequently
removed into Marion Township, thence to Union County, Ohio, where the declining
years of his life were passed.

   Edwin S. Jones, started the first tanyard in the village on East Front
Street. He visited Findlay in May, 1827, and purchased a lot on Front Street,
and the following autumn, erected thereon a hewed-log house with shingle roof,
the first shingles used in the village, the few other cabins then here being
covered with clap boards. He subsequently erected a tannery close to his house.
Mr. Jones was clerk of elections in April, 1828, and in October, 1828, was
elected county treasurer, which office he filled two years. In 1831 he sold his
tannery to Edward Bright, and removed to a farm in Marion Township, whence he
afterward went to Chillicothe, Ill., where he died a few years ago.

   William Taylor was one of the most prominent pioneers of Findlay, where he
settled permanently in June, 1828. He was born in Mifflin County, Penn., May 12,
1798, and there grew to manhood, receiving a very limited education. He was
married, in Bedford County, Penn., April 25, 1826, to Miss Margaret Patterson,
and the following July removed to Richland County, Ohio, where he engaged in
farming about eight miles from Mansfield. In the spring of 1828 Mr. Taylor came
to Findlay and engaged Matthew Reighly to build him a log .house, 18x32 feet in
dimensions, and complete the same for about $350. He then returned for his
family, with whom he arrived June 8, 1828. Mr. Taylor brought along a small
stock of dry goods, groceries, etc., and opened the second store of the village
in one end of the house, which stood on the west side of Main Street, where
Rothchild's liquor store now is. He soon afterward weather-boarded the building,
and put up a frame addition adjoining, and opened a tavern called the "Findlay
Inn." His brother, James, came out soon after and lived with him several years,
subsequently residing in Putnam and Allen Counties, and thence removing to
Oregon, where he is now living. In 1834-35 Mr. Taylor built the front part of
the brick store-room now owned by Frank Karst, Sr., on the northwest corner of
Main and Main Cross Streets, and removed his business and residence to that
building. Besides attending to his store and tavern Mr. Taylor carried on a very
profitable trade in peltry with the hunters and Indians who frequented the
village. By judicious management, good judgment and strict attention to business
he accumulated a large estate, and at the time of his decease he was regarded as
one of the wealthy citizens of the town. He was the first surveyor of Hancock
County, and filled that office from April, 1828, to April, 1832. In 1835 he was
elected county commissioner, and again in 1845. He served in the Ohio
Legislature in 1838-39, and in 1856 was the presidential elector from this
district on the Fremont and Dayton ticket. In December, 1849, he was appointed
postmaster of Findlay, and held the office till April, 1853. Mr. Taylor was one
of the organizers of the Presbyterian Church of Findlay, and a ruling elder of
the society until his death, which occurred September 13, 1867, in the
seventieth year of his age. His widow survived him only eleven months, dying
August 12, 1868, she being also in her seventieth year when called from the
scenes of life. Four children survive the parents, viz.: Patterson, of Missouri;
Milton, of Toledo, and Mrs. Milton Gray and Mrs. J. S. Patterson, of Findlay,
all prominent in the material and social interests of their respective homes.

   Parlee Carlin was a pioneer of the fall of 1828, coming to Findlay from the
Maumee River, and forming a partnership with his brother Squire. He was born in
New York State October 11. 1806, and followed the fortunes of the family, which
have been related in his brother's sketch. July 29, 1830, he married Miss Sarah
De Witt, daughter of Joseph De Witt, the pioneer blacksmith of the village, who
still survives him. Mr. Carlin was prominently associated with his brother in
all his business enterprises, but at the time of their failure he was more
fortunate in saving something from the financial disaster which swept away his
brother's fortune. He served as county recorder from June, 1835, to October,
1835, and served three terms in the State Legislature, viz.: 1837-38, 1856-58
and 1864-66, and also one term in the State Senate, to which body he was elected
in 1866. Mr. Carlin and wife reared a family of nine children, all of whom are
living. He died July 7, 1883, in his seventy-seventh year, and is still kindly
remembered by a large circle of friends.

   James B. Moore and James Peltier came to the village in the summer of 1828,
both being single. The former was a brick-mason and a native of Virginia. After
several years' residence in town he settled in the southeast corner of Findlay
Township, and thence removed to Jackson, where he died in the winter of 1845-46.
Mr. Moore was twice married, and four of his children are living, two of whom
are residents of Findlay. Peltier was a Frenchman, who entered the employ of
Squire Carlin, and traveled over the country buying furs. In 1830 the Carlins
set him up in business in Allen County, where he married and spent the balance
of his life. Moore and Peltier voted at the October election of 1828.

   John George Flenner was the pioneer tailor of Findlay, where he located in
the spring of 1829. He was a native of Frederick County, Md., born in April,
1776, and there grew to maturity. In his twenty-fourth year he enlisted in the
United States Army and served two years. He then entered the navy and did
service under Capt. John Rodgers, crossing the Atlantic four times during his
term of one year. Quitting the navy he repaired to his early home, and was soon
afterward married to Miss Elizabeth Yantiss. After several years spent in
Alleghany and Frederick Counties, Md., he removed to Ohio, and settled near
Cadiz, Harrison County, soon afterward removing to the Pickaway Plains, near the
Scioto River. Here his wife died early in 1826, and three years afterward he
came to Findlay. Mr. Flenner married again and followed his trade from the time
of his settlement up to within a few years of his death, which occurred November
17, 1861, in the eighty-sixth year of his age.

   Joshua Powell and family came in the spring of 1829, and built a log cabin on
the alley north of Crawford Street and near East. He cleared and cultivated a
small patch of ground about where the residence of E. P. Jones now stands, but
the crop of corn which he put in proved a failure, because of the very dry
weather which prevailed that season. In the fall of 1829 he rented his cabin to
Dr. Bass Rawson, and removed to a tract of land in Marion Township, in the
history of which township further mention of him will be found.

   Thomas F. Johnston removed from Crawford County, Ohio, to Findlay in the
spring of 1829, and took possession of a small cabin immediately west of the
fort. He entered 214 acres of land in Sections 11 and 14 the same year, and
during his residence here did some farming. In October, 1830, he was elected
auditor of the county, and served from March, 1831, until June 4, 1832, when he
resigned the office. He owned the lot on which the Humphrey House stands, and
erected a two-story frame upon it, but ere its completion, in 1832, he sold it
to James H. Wilson, who finished the building. Soon after selling this property
he went back to Crawford County.

   John Bashore was the third pioneer tavern-keeper of the village. He came here
early in 1829, and erected a two-story hewed-log building on the northeast
corner of Main and Crawford Streets, and opened "a place of entertainment for
man and beast." His brother-in-law, Philip Strohl, came with him and died a year
or two afterward. Rev. Thomas Thompson preached the funeral sermon, and Strohl
was interred in the old cemetery on Eagle Creek. In May, 1832. Bashore soldout
to Maj. John Patterson, and removed to Lima.

   William L. Henderson was one of the few pioneers of Findlay who possessed
what was then a rare accomplishment, viz.: a good education. At the time of his
settlement, in 1829, he was doubtless the best informed man in the village. He
was a native of the County Donegal, Ireland, born May 12, 1800, and in 1818
immigrated to New Brunswick, soon afterward removing to Mt. Eaton, Wayne Co.,
Ohio, where he married Miss Phoebe Patterson. In 1829 he came to Findlay and
erected a log house on the west side of Main Street immediately north of
Patterson's corner. Mr. Henderson was a practical surveyor, and first served as
deputy under William Taylor, who then held the office of county surveyor. In
April, 1832, he succeeded Mr. Taylor and served until October, 1838. In October,
1831, he was elected justice of the peace of Findlay Township, and re-elected in
1834. In October, 1838, Mr. Henderson was elected auditor of Hancock County, and
re-elected to the same office, but resigned September 29, 1842, to accept the
office of clerk of the court of common pleas, which he filled until July, 1848,
when he resigned. Mr. Henderson was also one of the first, if not the first
notary public appointed in the village. He was an honest, capable official, and
recognized as a man of strong convictions and very decided opinions. He
possessed that combination of pride and generosity so characteristic of the
Irish race, and was ever ready to extend a helping hand in assisting suffering
humanity. In the spring of 1855 Mr. Henderson removed to Guthrie County. Iowa,
and in 1858 located in Linn County, Kas., where he died May 15, 1863, his widow
surviving him about two years. They reared a family of five children, viz.: Mrs.
Sarah A. Whiteley, Mrs. Ellen E. Benedict, Mrs. Clara J. Carson, Mrs. Kate M.
Selkirk and Patterson. Only two of these are now living, Mrs. Benedict and Mrs.
Selkirk, both residents of Dixon County, Neb. Mrs. Whiteley, the deceased wife
of Judge M. C. Whiteley, is, perhaps, the best remembered of any of Mr.
Henderson's children, as she spent more than fifty years of her life in Findlay
and died here only a few years ago.

   Henry and Peter Shaw came to Findlay in September, 1829, the former having a
wife and five children, and the latter a wife only. They were natives of
Pennsylvania, whence they had removed to Richland County, Ohio, in 1812, and
seventeen years afterward to Hancock. They lived for a short tune in the old log
schoolhouse and then took a contract from Robert L. Strother to clear off a
piece of land north of the river, where both families spent the winter of
1829-30, and then returned to the village. Peter subsequently located southeast
of the town on Lye Creek. Henry was something of a carpenter, and in 1830 built
the old log jail that once stood upon the public square. In 1832 he erected a
horse-mill on Front Street, on the south end of the lot now occupied by the
"Church of God," which he operated a few years. This old grist-mill is yet well
remembered by many of the inhabitants of Findlay. In 1836 Henry removed to a
farm near Van Buren, and in 1842 to Marshall County, Ind., where he died in 1872.

   Frederick Henderson was one of the pioneer merchants of Findlay, where he
settled in the fall of 1831. He was a native of Muskingum County, Ohio, and
first visited Findlay in the summer of 1831, at which time he decided to locate
here. Returning to Muskingum County for his family, which then consisted of his
wife, Margaret, and one child, he was there joined, by Jonathan Parker, who
accompanied Mr. Henderson to this village, the trip being made in a wagon drawn
by four horses. Mr. Henderson was a cabinet-maker, and followed his trade in
Findlay for several years after coming, a portion of the time in connection with
Hugh Newell. In 1840 he and Mr. Newell purchased the stock of William Taylor,
and for a short time carried on a store in Mr. Taylor's building, now owned and
occupied by Frank Karst, Sr. They soon afterward erected a frame storeroom on
the east side of Main Street, a little south of Crawford, to which they removed
their stock. This partnership lasted till 184ft, when it was dissolved. Mr.
Henderson retaining possession of the business. In 1849 he took in J. S.
Patterson, who continued as one of the firm until 1857. Mr. Henderson erected
the three-story brick block on the southeast corner of Main and Crawford
Streets, which he occupied at the time of his death. He was a very successful
merchant, and did a large share of the business in his line. Courteous and
affable at all times, he won and retained the good will of all with whom he came
in contact. He was one of the pioneer Presbyterians of Findlay, and died in that
faith August 21, 1866, in his sixty-first year. His widow survived him till
January 13, 1870, leaving a family of four children, none of whom are now
residents of the county.

   Jonathan Parker accompanied Mr. Henderson to Findlay, where they arrived
toward the close of October, 1831. He was born in Loudoun County, Va., in 1808,
and in the spring of 1814 removed with his parents to Morgan County, Ohio, where
he learned the carpenter trade, afterward removing to Muskingum County, whence
he came to Findlay. Mr. Parker followed his trade of carpenter and builder in
this county for many years. He built a steam saw-mill on the north bank of the
river in 1846, which was in successful operation till March 10, 1874, when it
was completely wrecked by its boiler exploding. It was then the property of J.
C. Powell, and has not been rebuilt. In 1857 Mr. Parker erected a steam
planing-mill in the southwest part of the village, to which he added a
grist-mill, which began operations in the spring of 1858. These were known as
the "Hancock Mills," and the flouring-mill is still operated by his son John.
Mr. Parker took for his first wife Miss Elizabeth Hamilton, who died, leaving no
issue. He then married Miss Lucinda Workman, who bore him three children (two of
whom are living), and died May 15, 1844. In 1846 he was married to Miss Nancy A.
Workman, to which union three children were born, two of whom, with the mother,
survive, the father having died September 27, 1879. Mr. Parker was one of the
most enterprising citizens that Findlay has ever possessed. He also took a deep
interest in pioneer matters, and his reminiscences delivered at the meetings of
the Pioneer Association, of which he was a leading member, have been of much
assistance in compiling this history of the village. Upright, straightforward,
industrious and enterprising, he was highly respected by a very wide circle of
the best people of Hancock County. He carried his Christian character into
every-day life, and was a prominent example of practical Christianity.

   Joseph C. Shannon is said to have been a native of Ireland, who at an early
day immigrated to Fairfield County, Ohio, and thence removed to the Tymochtee.
in what is now Wyandot County. His first wife was a sister of George F. Algire,
of Pleasant Township, whom he married in Fairfield County. Upon her death he was
married to Vesta, daughter of Job Chamberlin. Sr., who also died after a brief
married life. In 1831 he came to Findlay, and June 4, 1832, he was appointed
auditor of Hancock County, vice Thomas F. Johnston (resigned). He was elected as
his own successor in October. 1832, and re-elected to the same office. While
holding the auditorship he was married to Miss Malinda V. Strother, sister of
Judge Robert L. Strother, and died in May, 1836, ere the expiration of his
second term.

   E. D. Nightengale located in the village in 1831, and resided here many
years. He was a clock repairer and a sort of "jack of all trades," and never
amounted to much. In fact he was one of those peculiar characters found in every
town, who in some way manage to eke out a living. Nightengale's name appears
among the voters of Findlay in October, 1831, and his card can be found in the
Courier of different years up to 1848, about which time he is believed to have
left the county.

   Christian Barnd, though a pioneer of 1831, did not settle in Findlay until
the following year, his first residence being near Van Buren. He opened a small
tavern and soon afterward a tannery on the site of the old brick jail west of
the park, and earned on business there for several years. In 1884 he was elected
sheriff and re-elected in 1836. About 1839 he started a small grocery store on
Main Street north of Main Cross, which he carried on about eight years. Mr.
Barnd died November 3, 1847. Three of his sons, John, Gamaliel C. and Elijah,
are residents of the county, the last two mentioned having lived in Findlay for
more than half a century.

   John W. Baldwin was a cousin of Dr. William H. Baldwin and came to Findlay
from Champaign County, Ohio, in the spring of 1832. He opened a general store in
partnership with Wilson Vance, which continued some time after he left the
village. In March, 1835, Mr. Baldwin was elected associate judge, but resigned
the office in July of the same year. He soon afterward went to New York, and"
subsequently sold his interest in the store to Mr. Vance. After many years spent
in the great Eastern metropolis Mr. Baldwin returned to Springfield. Ohio, and
there died a few years ago. He is best remembered in Findlay because of his
gigantic size, being the largest man that ever lived in Hancock County.

   James H. Wilson, a native of Pennsylvania, is one of the few pioneer business
men of Findlay who are yet living. He first came to the village in the summer of
1832, and purchased of Thomas F. Johnston the corner on which the "Humphrey
House" now stands, and on which an unfinished two-story frame was in process of
erection. In 1833 Mr. Wilson settled permanently, and being a carpenter worked
at his trade for a short time. He then began clerking for the Carlins and
afterward for B. L. Caples, also one of Findlay's early merchants. Having
finished the building on his lot he rented the property to Jeremiah Case, who
kept a tavern in it one year. In the spring of 1834 he traded it to Maj. John
Patterson for the Carnahan Corner and 160 acres of land, and the following year
put up a frame storeroom on the former. In 1838 he opened a general store in
that building, where he continued in business for ten years, the frame being
replaced in 1848 by a three-story brick known as the "Melodeon Building," then
the most imposing business block in Findlay, as its successor, the Carnahan
Block, also is. Mr. Wilson conducted a mercantile business in his new building
until retiring in 1854. He subsequently engaged in farming and has been a
stockholder and director of the First National Bank of Findlay since 1866. Mr.
Wilson has been a very successful business man, and is now enjoying the fruits
of his early industry, inherent courtesy and business integrity.

   John Ewing was for many years one of the leading merchants of Find-lay. He
came here from Pennsylvania in 1833, and at once engaged in merchandising. At
quite an early day he erected the three-story brick long known as the "White
Corner." and was a man of considerable wealth. In March, 1842, Mr. Ewing was
elected associate judge and served on the bench seven years. He was the member
who represented this senatorial district in the constitutional convention of
1850-51. Judge Ewing was dignified and exclusive in his habits, and not very
popular in the social circles of the village. In 1860 he removed to Springfield,
Ohio, and afterward to Wisconsin, dying in Milwaukee in 1880. He united with the
Presbyterian Church of Findlay in 1885, and remained a member of that
denomination during the balance of his life. The people of Findlay, claim if it
had not been for Judge Ewing's opposition and influence in favor of the Findlay
Branch, the Pittsburgh. Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad would have been located
through the town, which ever since would have been enjoying the advantages of
that great trunk line.

   Abraham Daughenbaugh and wife came to the village in the spring of 1833. He
was born at or near Williamsport, Penn., December 29. 1799, and there grew to
manhood, thence removed to Canton, Ohio, and learned the carpenter trade. In the
spring of 1833 he married Miss Mary Dewalt, of Canton, and soon after marriage
came to Findlay and purchased William Taylor's tavern, which he ran a few years.
He also followed carpentering and building. Three children were born to him,
viz.: Ann, Dewalt and Harriet, the last two mentioned being residents of
Findlay. Mr. Daughenbaugh died in 1866, and his widow the following year.

   Garrett D. and James Teatsorth came from eastern Ohio to Findlay in the fall
of 1833. Their father, Isaac, an old Revolutionary soldier, came with them, and
died December 25, 1834. James Teatsorth ran the old Shaw horse-mill on Front
Street for some years, and in 1849 he went to California, whence in two or three
years he returned to Findlay. He afterward purchased the mills erected by Edson
Goit, in Union Township, where he resided until his death. Garrett D. started a
blacksmith shop soon after coming to Findlay, north of Main Cross Street. In
1837 he purchased the Rising Sun Hotel, built by Mr. Erb, the tailor, on east
Main Cross, and turned over the blacksmith shop to his son-in-law, David
Webster. He carried on the tavern for many years, but finally gave up the
business, and died in Findlay September 8, 1872. The brothers each have a couple
of children living in the county.

   Joseph D. Ford came to the village from Virginia with his mother in 1832, but
was then only a boy of sixteen. He learned the tailors' trade with Mr. Erb after
coming, and about 1836-opened a shop. In 1839 he married Miss Mary Parker,
sister of Jonathan Parker, who survives him. Mr. Ford continued to follow his
business till his death in March, 1875.

   Peter Byal was born in Huntington County, Penn., July 8, 1806, and four years
afterward his parents removed to Stark County, Ohio. In 1821 he went to
Cleveland and learned the hatter's trade, which he followed for twenty-seven
years. He was married in Wooster, Ohio, in 1828, to Eliza McFall, and in
December, 1833, located in Findlay, following his brother, John, and father,
William, to this county. Mr. Byal made the first hat that was manufactured in
Findlay. In October, 1836, he was elected coroner, but served only one year, as
he did not want the office. He removed to a farm south of town, but after
several years came back to the village, and has been janitor of the high school
building for the past sixteen years. Mr. Byal and wife reared a family of ten
children, all of whom are living, but the mother died September 22, 1879.

   Maj. John Patterson, though dead over thirty-three years, is one of the well
remembered pioneers of the town. He was born in Maryland, November 9, 1784, and
removed when quite young with his parents to Pennsylvania, and subsequently to
what is now Jefferson County, Ohio, where they settled soon after the
organization of the Northwest Territory. He there grew to manhood, arid August
17, 1809, was married to Miss Elizabeth Alban. He served in the war of 1812, and
at the close of that struggle removed to Harrison County. In May, 1832, he
visited Findlay and purchased the log tavern of John Bashore, which stood on the
Carnahan corner. He did not settle here, however, till the spring of 1834, when
he brought out his family, consisting of his wife and nine children—four sons
and five daughters. He at once traded the property he had purchased of Bashore
and 160 acres of land to James H. Wilson, for the "Humphrey House" corner, upon
which a two-story frame was standing, and opened the "Findlay Caravansary," then
the only tavern in the village where no intoxicating drink was sold. Whenever a
thirsty traveler would call for something to drink, which of course generally
meant whisky, Mr. Patterson would point to the pump near the door and answer:
"There's plenty of pump-water, sir, I do not sell whisky." He soon got the
nickname of "old pump-water," which stuck to him through life. In September,
1840, he traded the tavern to Samuel Leard for a farm in Washington Township,
upon which he settled and lived about two years, and then returned to Findlay.
In 1843 he was elected justice of the peace of Findlay Township, and served one
term. From that time until his death, March 8, 1853, he lived retired from the
active duties of life. His widow survived him until October, 1877, and of his
children only one son, Milton B., and two daughters are living, all residents of
the county.

   James Robinson was born in Lancaster County, Penn., in 1809, and learned the
carpenter's trade in Maryland. In March, 1834, he located in Findlay, and the
following spring (1835) was married to Miss Delilah Bohart, a native of Carroll
County, Ohio, who came to the village with her brother Jacob the previous fall.
Of this union six children were born, four of whom are yet living, two, with the
mother, being residents of Findlay. Mr. Robinson was elected sheriff in 1852,
and served one term. He died April 8, 1884.

   Price Blackford was also a pioneer of 1834. He was born in Pennsylvania in
1803, whence he removed with his parents to Columbiana County, Ohio, and
subsequently to Stark County. Price learned the hatter's trade of his father,
and upon reaching early manhood married Miss Abigal Slater, also a resident of
Stark. They came to Findlay in 1834. where he engaged in the manufacture of
hats, in which line he did quite a business for that day. In 1837 Mr. Blackford
was elected justice of the peace, and re-elected four times, serving fifteen
consecutive years. He was a man of good judgment and strong common sense, and
his decisions usually gave good satisfaction. He was a member of the Baptist
Church, and assisted in organizing the first society of that faith in the
county, which took place on Ten Mile Creek, about 1836. His wife bore him six
children, four of whom are living, and two, Aaron and Jason, are leading
attorneys of the county. She died in 1845, and on the 6th of April, 1851, he.
too, passed away, leaving a record for sterling honesty that was proverbial.

   N. H. Ward was the second tailor who settled in the town. He was born in the
Keystone State in 1812, and in 1815 his parents removed to Columbiana County,
Ohio. He learned the tailor's trade, and in 1834 came to Findlay and opened a
shop in a little log cabin near the residence of Wilson Vance, where he followed
tailoring several years. In 1844 he moved to his present residence in Big Lick
Township, where he continued to work at his trade for some years afterward.
Though coming to Findlay with less than §100, he has accumulated through the
passing years one of the finest farms in the township where he now lives.

   Paul Sours and John Campbell both located in Findlay in 1834. The former was
a native of Adams County, Penn., and manufactured furniture here for several
years after coming. In 1835 he was married to Miss Leah Guise, and in 1837
united with the Presbyterian Church of Findlay. He served two terms as justice
of the peace, and six years as county recorder. In 1855 he became cashier of the
Citizen's Bank, which position he held until his death, which occurred January
21, 1873, living and dying an upright Christian man. Mr. Campbell purchased the
Vance & Cory grist and saw mills. In the winter of 1834-35 he tore down the old
log structure, and replaced it by a frame. He ran these mills until 1837, when
he sold them to S. & P. Carlin, and subsequently removed to Richland County. In
1836 he was elected justice of the peace, of Findlay Township, but is said to
have left the county before the expiration of his term.

   John Adams was one of the early cabinet and chair-makers of the village,
where he came from Pennsylvania in 1835. Ten years after that date is found his
advertisement in the Courier. He was also a wheelwright, and sometimes did jobs
of painting. Mr. Adams was the first mayor of Findlay, elected in April, 1838,
and in 1844 he was elected recorder of the county, and served one term. He was a
very worthy man and died in Texas, whither he had gone for the purpose of
seeking a new field of labor. His family still reside in Findlay.

  The name of Capt. Hiram Smith is closely interwoven with the early history of
Findlay, where he located in 1835. He was one of the most enterprising,
adventurous and generous men of his time, and was the first to manufacture
fanning-mills in western Ohio, first at Waterville, on the Maumee Eiver, and
afterward at Findlay, where he was subsequently engaged in mercantile business.
In 1651 he removed to Oregon, being one of the pioneers of that State. Capt.
Smith was eminently practical, and was always ready to lend assistance to the
needy. In the summers of 1862-63 he went far out upon the plains to meet and
succor immigrants to Oregon, and no privation or sacrifice was too great in
order to assist and encourage the weary and often disheartened settlers. In
October, 1863. while on a visit to Findlay, he sold a farm which he owned in
Hancock County, and donated $1,000 of the amount received in trust to the town,
the interest to be annually expended in purchasing fuel for the widows, wives or
mothers of volunteers living within the corporation limits. After ten years,
one-third of the interest was to be annually added to the principal and the
remaining two-thirds used in purchasing fuel during thirty years. But in case
all of the said persons, for whose benefit the bequest was made, should die or
move away before the expiration of said thirty years, all of the interest is to
be yearly added to the principal as a permanent fund. At the end of that time
the interest on the whole fund is to be annually distributed among "the indigent
widows and sewing-girls, who keep house or keep shop, and who are under the
necessity of using the needle as a support," within the bounds of the village.
For this bequest alone the memory of Hiram Smith should forever be revered by
the people of Hancock County. He died in San Francisco, Cal., January 17, 1870,
leaving a large estate to his loved and venerated widow, Mrs. Hannah Smith, who
now resides in Portland, Oregon. Her farm of 1,300 acres, a few miles from
Portland, is earned on through a tenant. It is situated near the Columbia Eiver,
and in full view of Mount Hood and much more of the grandest and most
picturesque scenery of the State.

   William Porterfield came here from Knox County, Ohio, in 1835, and in 1839,
in partnership with his brother-in-law, Samuel Honn, began merchandising. The
latter did not remain long in Findlay. but Mr. Porterfield was the second mayor
of Findlay and carried on business in the village a good many years. He then
removed to Williamstown, thence to Dunkirk and Gallion, Ohio, and subsequently
to Council Bluffs, Iowa. He is now a resident of Fremont, Neb.

   A. H. Hyatt located in Findlay in the spring of 1836, coming here from
Brownsville, Penn. He opened a store in a frame building, which he erected on
the east side of Main Street, where Jacob M. Huber' s drug store now is, and
conducted business at that corner until his death, in the spring of 1859. Mr.
Hyatt married a sister of Dr. William H. Baldwin, who bore him two children, one
of whom, Benjamin F., survives and is a post trader in the West, but still calls
Findlay his home. Few men of his day were more highly respected by the people of
the county than A. H. Hyatt. Upright and honest in all his dealings, he was one
of the most successful merchants of the village during his residence here of
twenty-three years.

   B. L. Caples also began business in Findlay in the spring of 1836, coming
from Ashland, Ohio, and establishing a store on the site of Totten's grocery.
He, however, remained here only a few years, and is now a resident of Fostoria.

   John Engelman and Joshua Baldwin were pioneers of 1836. The former was born
in Union County, Penn., September 16, 1810, there grew up and learned the
carpenter's trade. In 1832 he came to Ohio, finally locating in Tiffin, where he
was married to Miss Margaret M. J. Julien, a native of Maryland, in July, 1835.
In August, 1836, he removed to Findlay, where he has ever since resided,
following his trade the greater portion of the time, and assisting in putting up
many of the first buildings in the village. He was one of the builders and first
proprietors of the Eagle Mills. His wife bore him thirteen children, eleven of
whom are living, and died in 1876. Mr. Baldwin came from Zanesville, Ohio, in
October, 1836, with his wife Eleanor and three daughters: Sarah A., Eleanor and
Melinda B. Mrs. Baldwin died in 1837 and he in 1853. His object in coming to
Findlay was to be near his sons, Dr. William H. and A. C. Baldwin, and daughter,
Mrs. Charles W. O'Neal. Mrs. Sarah A. Strother, of Findlay, is the only member
of the family now living in the county.

   Hugh Newell was born in Washington County, Penn., April 8, 1804, and his
early boyhood days were spent on the old homestead. His father was a veteran of
the Revolution, and died in Pennsylvania. In 1814 the family removed to Mount
Vernon, Knox Co., Ohio, where Hugh subsequently learned the trade of a
fanning-mill maker. He afterward clerked in the postoffice and kept a tavern,
and subsequently removed to Belleville, Richland County, where he sold goods.
December 26, 1826, he was married to Miss Sallie Thrift, and in the fall of 1836
brought his family to Findlay. Mr. Newell entered the store of Green & Heed, for
whom he clerked about one year, and then began the manufacture of furniture with
Frederick Henderson. In 1838 he opened a store, and in 1840 he and Mr. Henderson
purchased the stock of William Taylor and for a short time conducted business on
the Karst corner, then the property of Mr. Taylor. They afterward erected a
frame building on the east side of Main Street, south of Crawford, where they
carried on business until 1846, when the partnership was dissolved, and Mr.
Newell removed to a building he put up on the west side of Main, north of
Patterson's corner. Here he continued merchandising till November 1, 1859, when
he sold out to Henry Greer and retired from business. Mr. Newell was an honest,
industrious, economical business man, and by judicious management during his
mercantile career accumulated a handsome estate. He was a life-long Methodist,
and a leading member of the Findlay society until his death April 10, 1883. Mrs.
Newell survived him over two years and died October 16. 1885, leaving three
children, viz.: Mrs. Henry Brown, of Findlay, Mrs. Rev. Samuel Mower, of
Cleveland, Ohio, and Sterling, of Indianapolis, Ind.

   Henry Lamb was also one of the early business men of Findlay. He was born in
Fairfield County, Ohio, August 16, 1807, there grew to manhood, and in 1830
married Miss Mary Lefler. Removing to Hancock County the same year, he settled
on a farm northwest of Findlay; but in 1837 he bought out the stock of the
Carlins and began merchandising. In October, 1837, he was elected coroner and
served one term. He purchased from John McCurdy, in December, 1840, a two-story
frame building, which the latter had just completed on the site of the Joy
House, and opened the "White Hall" tavern. He ran this tavern till March, 1849,
and it was burned down immediately after he moved out. Mr. Lamb next engaged in
farming, and subsequently in the grocery trade for several years. He died May 7,
1882, and his widow December 27 following. Of their six children five are
living, and two of them residents of Findlay.

   Among other early business men of the town whose names might be mentioned in
this connection are Green & Reed, Dewalt & Rappee, Mark Delaney and Burger &
Kling, merchants; John S. Julien. plasterer; Jesse Wheeler, George Plotner and
John McCurdy, carpenters; John Boyd, Peter Cogley, Garnet Whitlock, David
Webster and Z. Surles, blacksmiths; Philip Shockey and John Schneyer, wagon and
plow-makers; M. M. Nigh and Alonzo D. Wing, successive proprietors of the
Findlay House; Daniel Erb, Jacob Bohart, Isaac J. Baldwin and Abraham Younkin,
tailors; Abraham W. Schwab and Elijah Ash, shoe-makers, and Isaac Vail, tanner,
all of whom were here prior to 1840. A few other names might be given, but
little would be gained by extending the list, as Findlay was by this time quite
a bustling little village with a population of between 500 and 600 inhabitants.

   In the general history of the county, the chapter on the judiciary contains
biographies of the pioneer lawyers of Findlay, and it only remains to mention
briefly the early physicians of the village. The now aged and venerable Dr. Bass
Rawson was the first member of the medical profession who settled in Findlay.
The Doctor was born in Orange, Franklin Co., Mass., April 17, 1799, and is now
in his eighty-eighth year. He read medicine in New York State and Massachusetts,
and in the spring of 1828 removed to what is now Summit County, Ohio, where he
began practice with his brother, Secretary. In September, 1829, he came to
Findlay and commenced the practice of his profession in Hancock County, which he
followed until his eightieth anniversary, in April, 1879, a period of nearly
half a century. Findlay, at the time of his coming, was a small hamlet flanked
by forest on every side, while the whole county contained a population of only
about 800. In 1831 he and his brother La Quino were taxed on an income of $250.
With the passing years Dr. Rawson grew into a large and lucrative practice, his
professional circuit embracing a wide scope of country extending for many miles
in every direction. By the judicious management of his annual income derived
from his professional labors, the Doctor has accumulated quite a large fortune.
Though the infirmities of old age are weighing heavily upon him, he nevertheless
enjoys good health and bids fair to turn his four-score years and ten.

   Dr. La Quino Rawson was the second resident physician of Findlay, where he
located in the spring of 1831. He was born on "Irvin's Grant," now the town of
Irvin, Franklin Co., Mass., September 14, 1804, and in 1824 came to Ohio and
began the study of medicine. In July, 1826, he commenced practice on the
Tymochtee, in what is now Wyandot County, and five years afterward joined his
brother Bass in Findlay. Here he remained two years and five months, and then
removed to Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), where he followed his profession until
1855. From 1836 to 1858 he was clerk of the common pleas court of Sandusky
County, and was one of the prime movers in the construction of the Lake Erie &
Western Railroad. He is yet a resident of Fremont.

   Dr. William H. Baldwin located in Findlay in the fall of 1832, coming from
Fort Harmar, opposite Marrietta, Ohio. Dr. Baldwin read medicine with Dr.
Flenner, of Zanesville, Ohio, where he was born January 16, 1810, and was a
graduate of the Cincinnati Medical College. In March, 1835, he was appointed
clerk of the common pleas court, and served in that capacity seven years. Dr.
Baldwin continued in the enjoyment of a large and successful practice up to
within a short time of his death, when failing health compelled him to
relinquish the active duties of his profession. He died December 14, 1868,
mourned by a large circle of friends, who regarded him not only as a good
physician, but a warm and generous companion.

   Dr. Charles Osterlen was the next physician to open an office in the village,
and the first of the homoepathic school of medicine. He was born in Germany,
October 5, 1807, and is a graduate of the University of Stuttgart. Coming to the
United States in 1832, he located in Ashland, Ohio, two years afterward, and in
September, 1836, took up his residence in Findlay. Since that time up to the
present he has continued in active and successful practice. He served one term
in the Legislature, and has always taken a prominent part in furthering the best
interests of his adopted county. To Dr. Osterlen, more than any other man, is
due the credit of the first development of natural gas, which he has believed in
and advocated during the past fifty years.

   Dr. David Patton came to Findlay in October, 1836, and soon succeeded in
obtaining a fair share of patronage. He was born in Steubenville, Ohio, December
14, 1799, of Irish ancestry; read medicine in Cadiz, Ohio, and began practice in
Carrollton, whence he removed to Fairfield County, and then to Hancock. The
Doctor was a good physician, and after several years' residence in Findlay
removed to Delaware, Ohio, but soon returned and resumed practice in this
village. He subsequently went to Iowa, but came back to Ohio and died near
Cleveland, August 30, 1874. During his residence in Findlay he purchased the
Findlay Herald of James M. Coffinberry, but did not publish the paper. Dr.
Patton was a whole-souled, jovial man, possessing considerable mother wit, and
was very popular with the people of the county.

   Dr. William D. Carlin was a son of the venerable Squire Carlin, and was born
on the Maumee River, April 27, 1822. He read medicine with Dr. Bass Rawson,
graduated from the Cincinnati Medical College in March, 1843, and at once began
practice in Findlay. Dr. Carlin served as surgeon in the Mexican war, and at the
close of hostilities resumed his practice in Hancock County. He married Miss
Harriet E. A. Rawson, daughter of his old preceptor, of which union two children
survive. In the spring of 1862 Dr. Carlin was appointed surgeon of the
Fifty-seventh Regiment, in which capacity he served until his death at
Milliken's Bend, December 26, 1862. He was a man of fine education, and a
superior surgeon, and at the time he entered the army he had a large and
well-paying practice.

   Dr. Lorenzo Firmin, who is still a resident of Findlay, came to the village
in 1841, and read medicine with Dr. Bass Rawson. In July, 1845, he opened an
office, but in the spring of 1846 removed to Benton, where he practiced until
July, 1847, and then returned to Findlay. Dr. Firmin continued in practice until
1865, when he finally retired, though for a few years prior to that time he had
been gradually giving up the more active duties of the profession.

   Dr. William Stiles began practice in Findlay in the spring of 1846. He was a
native of Franklin County, Ohio, read medicine in Fairfield, Huron County, and
graduated from Willoughby Medical College and the Eclectic Medical College of
Cincinnati. He commenced practice in Huron County, whence he came to Findlay and
opened a drug store, and formed a professional partnership with Dr. Patton. In
January, 1849, he married Miss Hannah E., daughter of Hugh Newell, a leading
merchant of the village. Dr. Stiles enjoyed a good practice up to the time of
his death, in 1852. His only child, Harry N., resides in Colorado, and his widow
is now the wife of Henry Brown, Esq., a leading member of the Findlay bar.

   Dr. James Spayth located in Findlay in June, 1847, and continued in practice
here until the sickness came on which ended in his death July 28, 1871. Dr.
Spayth was born in Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Penn., April 30, 1824, and when
quite young his parents located on the site of Madison, Penn., which was
afterward laid out by his father. In 1834 the family removed to Columbus, Ohio,
and subsequently to Tiffin. Here James grew to manhood and read medicine, and in
the spring of 1847 graduated at the Philadelphia Medical College, locating in
Findlay soon afterward. Dr. Spayth was a highly educated, respected and
successful physician, and enjoyed a good practice up to his decease. His widow
and family still occupy the same old home where he spent the closing years of
his life.

   Dr. Belizur Beach was one of the old time pioneer physicians of the county,
though he did not locate in Findlay until the spring of 1856. The Doctor was
born in Northford, Conn., April 17, 1798, and read medicine in his native State.
In 1822, with his wife, Rachel, he located near Ravenna, Ohio, and there
practiced until September, 1844, when he removed to Arlington, nine miles south
of Findlay. Here he followed his profession nearly twelve years ere his removal
to Findlay, wliere he died in May, 1869. Dr. Beach was a kind and attentive
physician, and left many warm friends among the families in which he practiced.

   Several other physicians came to the village prior to 1858, among whom were
Drs. Crow, Sprague, Beall, Armstrong, Green, Sorber, Turner, Rogers and F. W.
Entrikin, none of whom remained long except the last one mentioned, who opened
an office in 1855, and is yet one of the leading physicians of the town. Later
comers can not be called pioneer physicians, if indeed, some of those given can
be classed as such, but they were among the earliest and for that reason their
names are mentioned. The practice of the earlier physicians encompassed a wide
scope of country, necessitating long, lonely rides through the forest. In many
places there were no roads, and those that existed were in a very primitive
condition, many of them mere bridle paths. The pioneer medical practitioner was
compelled to ford nearly every stream, as few bridges were built in this county
prior to 1850. The younger physicians of to-day can scarcely realize the
difficulties and ceaseless toil of their predecessors, for their's is a life of
ease in comparison with that led by those veteran fathers of medical practice in
Hancock County.


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