OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Manx Settlers of Ohio -- Article 4 *********************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 August 16, 2002 ********************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio And then They Went West S.L Kelly diaries Series of Articles by Darlene E. Kelley Manx Settlers of Ohio -- part 4 *********************************************** Article 4 -- Continuation of letter in previous article. " This village is situated on the grand River Ohio, which empties itself into Lake Erie, 3 miles from here at Fairport there is a good harbour there and a fine trade between Buffaloe, north lat. 42 long west of London 81. Day in summer 1hour 40 minutes shorter; in winter 1 hour and 40 minutes longer; when it is 5 o'clock with you it is 12 with us so that when we eat dinner your ladies drink tea; but they have tea at every meal here. What of this land that is not cleared is all covered with timber, the trees are very large. I have seen trees laying on the ground 45 steps long, and some 7 or 8 feet through. They grow very straight, you can hardly see a crooked tree. The land is very rich and do not manure it at all. Even their gardens -- they let the dung be in heaps and is of no use. I have seen orchards with 5 or 6 hundred apple and peach trees in them. Pears are scarce here. Different kinds of timber, 2 kinds of oak, 2 kinds of ash, 3 kinds of maple or sugar trees, 2 kinds of walnut, 3 kinds of elm, 2 kinds of hickory, sycamour, pine, hemlock, cedar, buttonwood, cucumber, beech, fir, ironwood, whitewood, boxwood, chestnuts, and wild vine which produces excellnt grapes. They make fences of timber, the women here makes their own linen and soap. They spin the wool, and then they dye it, then makes it into waering apperel, they are good for housework but do not work out of doors. A township is just like your parishes but larger; the State of Ohio is divided into 45 counties, then into townships of five miles square, 22 townships to a County. You see by this if your under debt you'd better come here. But those of you that have lands clear of debt stop where you are. Thecost and trouble is great and more than you are aware of; but every poor man that an not find work and yictauls for his children would get plenty of both here The men that promise so much wages to a boy or girl, if they work well, will give them more wages than they did promise them. On the island they give them less if they could. Gristmills, sawmills, furnaces, forges, and fulling mills and dye houses are here.They do so abundance of iron ore in this state and in the township near this place. If any one will come don't go to Cleveland, it is a sticky place; a great many Manx people have died there. I would have you shun that place. If any of you will come be sure that you come here in the later end of September or the beginning of October, then you will have the climate as you had on the island. A different climate brings a change on the body. Mind this if you value your health. I ave been in the Township of Painsville, Perry, Meton, Kirkwood, Concord, Hamem. Leroy, Chardon, looking for a farm. I think that I am hard to please, for there is plenty for sale but at last I pitched upon a farm in Concord containing 72 acres. There is a meadow of 18 acres, good plough land, plenty of timber, well watered, a river is the boundary line on one side, a good sugar orchard and orchard of 100 apple, peach, and 5 pear trees. A barn 4 feet long an 30 broad and a good dwelling house with out offices. There is half of it clear, the purchase money is 800 dollars. I have a credit of six months bought of Spincer Phelps, the said farm on the 1st of January 1828. It lieth 2 miles from the village of Pinesville, 5 miles from Fairport on the lake, there being a saw mill about 300 yards from my timber lot and a dye house and fulling mill 1/4 mile from my house. There is an excellant living springs on said farm. Canals are numerous here and anything can be carried very cheap from place to place. Any joiner that will come, let him bring his tools, except the rip saw and cross cut; saw mills are so plenty here there is no need for this last mentioned tools. Bring a holster full of rye grass seed and a few pounds of red clover seed. " ********************************************************************************************** to be continued.