OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 2 ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 January 26, 2005 ************************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Series of Articles; Tid Bits of S.L. Kelly by Darlene E. Kelley. ************************************************************************** The Spirit of Ohio is probably best summed up by the States motto: " With God, all things are possible." Although Ohio didn't become a state until 1803, thousands of people moved to the area from the already crowded Eastern seaboard between 1788 and 1789. They came to this part of the Northwest Territory armed only with optimism and a williness to work hard to make life better for themselves-- and they succeeded. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits -- part 2. Undecided At my college graduation, at a cocktail party for members' parents, Dad walked around talking to members of the party. A woman I had a secret crush on, and who until that moment I had never thought might like me, introduced herself to him and said she had been hoping to meet him. He replied " The world will end in our lifetime," and went on to describe upcoming famines and wars to come, as she backed away. My degree was in General Studies, and he said, on the subject of my prospects, "I just wish you would find something that you love to do!" He had so often made this remark, which I took as criticism, and I replied "That is the last time you will ever say that to me," so nastily that my mother overheard, and got angry. When I got my diploma, he hugged me harder than he ever had. I knew he had a hard time realizing his little boy, had become a young man, with visions of fortunes and freedom of the world to partake. Right after the ceremony I threw my books into the buggy and started back to Ohio. A day or two later the cart overturned, and all my books, scattered all about. I still have a few of these books, with gravel and mud holes that look much like the same. I partied a lot with my friends most of the summer. I had no job lined up. I was told by a stranger that I should apply for a job with a local magazine, so I did. A man there interviewed me, but said they had too many Harvard graduates already. He suggested I take my talents to a local newspaper. In August I applied with local papers and got laughed at. My ambition of wanting to start at the top with writing editorials and such. Finally I found a paper who decided to try out my journalism talents. I was to write small tidbits. These would be proof read and would be paid according to newspaper sales. I was elated, my head spinning with all sorts of ideas. I had no idea what I was going to contribute; but I had finally understood my father's advice. " do something you love to do !" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ My Grief !! " Death hides in hestitation Death springs forth in spurts Death holds fresh pearls beyond price on a string draws into darkness Nothing out of Black No calling back; no Proserpina For winter's cold and gray is all of summer Feel shock Feel grief Feel anger! This should not be! Why must this be! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lake Erie Basin Lake Erie basin is one of the richest ecosystems on earth. The lake's clear, mostly shallow waters produce an abundance of plant and animal life, especially fish. Lake Erie produces ten times more fish per unit of area than any other of the Geat Lakes. Its inflowing rivers, marshes, reefs, and shoals, provide good spawning grounds. Travelers who tried to cross the mouth of the Sandusky river in the early 1800s reported that the fords were so thick with white bass and pickerel they had to be shooed away from the horses' feet. Large sturgeon existed in numbers which made them a nuisance fish; steamboats burned sometimes their oil-rich bodies for fuel. Whitefish and blue walleye were table delicacies. My favorite times at the basin were spent catching the Lake trout, freshwater herring, sauger, pike, black and smallmouth bass. The fish ate smaller fish, frogs and ducklings, turtles, mayflies, and minnows. The insects and minnows ate plankton. Fish-eating birds from Eagles and ospreys down to sanderlings thrived along the shore. Black snakes too, were plentiful, feeding upon the eggs of the land nested birds. Life was complete in its cycle. A place I loved to rest and dream. A paradise! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Unusual Things Learned Growing up in Cleveland a boy takes time to ponder. These things I learned growing intellectually from many observations I found myself and the knowledge of my ever loving parents. ++++++++ A Holstein's spots are like a fingerprint. No two cows have exactly the same pattern or spots. Brown eggs come from hens with red feathers and red ear lobes; white eggs come from hens with white feathers and white ear lobes. Shell color is determined by the breed of hen and has no effect on quality or flavor. Female chickens or hens, need 24 to 26 hours to produce one egg. Thirty minutes later they start the whole process all over again. In addition to half-hour rests, some hens rest every three or five days and others rest every ten days. Certain frogs can be frozen solid and then thawed and continue living. Dragonflies are one of the fastest flying insects. Mockingbirds can imitate any sound from a squeeking door to a cat meowing. Goldfish lose their color if they are kept in dim light or placed in a body of running water, such as a stream. On average, pigs live for about 15 years and can be sunburned. Owls have eyeballs that are tublar in shape, and because of this, they cannot move their eyes. Snakes are immune to their own poison. The blood of mammels is red, the blood of insects is yellow, the blood of lobsters is blue. Infant beavers are called kittens. A 1, 200 pound horse eats about 7 times its own weight each year. A bird requires more food in proportion to its size than a baby or a cat. A female mackerel lays about 500,000 eggs at one time. A polecat is not a cat, but a European weasel. A rat can last longer without water than a camel. A woodpecker can peck twenty times a second. Beaver teeth are so sharp that Native Indians used them as knife blades. The bones of pigeons weigh less than its feathers. The poisonous Copperhead snake smells like a cucumber. When a female horse and a male donkey mate, the offspring is called a mule, but when a male horse and female donkey mate, the offspring is called a hinny. The mouse is the most common mammal in the U.S. The underside of horse's hoof is called a frog. The frog peels off several times a year with new growth. The only domestic animal not mentioned in the bible is the cat. The first house rats recorded in America appeared in Boston in 1755. Almonds and Pistachios are the only nuts mentioned in the bible. The longest name in the bible "Mahershalalbaz" ( Isaiah 8:1 ) Shortest Verse in the bible consists of two words " Jesus wept." ( John 11: 35 ) Salt is mentioned more than 30 times in the bible. We are all related to Cain. Then after the flood to Japeth. A " jiffy " is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. " I am " is the shortest complete sentence and " I do " is the shortest ( long ) sentence. The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is " uncopyrightable. " And last but not least, is the sentence most not wanted to hear is " You are fired ! " +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Clermont County Clemont County was established by proclamation on December 9. 1800, before Ohio itself became a state. The county was named for a French word that described the area in the late 1700s and early 1800s -- " clear mountains and hills." Since all of Clermont County was in the Virginia Military District and the French aided the Americans in the final defeat of the British at the seige of Yorktown in 1781, many Virginians who helped settle the county felt it was appropriate to name it in honor of their French allies. As a territorial county in the early 1800s, Clermont was composed of five townships. Eventually, the five townships were divided into 14. The original county seat was in Williamsburg which was originally spelled Williamsburgh. There the county seat remained until 1823. Then it moved to New Richmond, along the Ohio River, for one year. Clermont's first community was Williamsburg and was located on the eastern edge of the county. At that time it was known as Lytlestown, and was platted in 1796. Early settlements also included Denhamstown, incorporated as Bethel in 1851. Jesse Grant, father of Ulysses S. Grant, was Bethel's first mayor. Other early settlements included; Withamsville ( then called Witham's settlement ), Miami Township, Hageman's Mills ( later Milford ), Stonelick Township, Felicity, Moscow, Point Isabel and Amelia. All date to the early decades after 1800. ++++++++++++++++++ Clermont County, Ohio Townships Batavia was named for the villiage, which was named for the previous home of some of the county's first settlers, Batavia, N.Y. It was established in September of 1815, formed from parts of Williamsburg and Ohio townships. Franklin was named after Benjamin Franklin, one of the United State's founding fathers. It was established in May of 1818, formed from Washington and Lewis ( now part of Brown County ) townships. Goshen was named after some of the community's first settlers, who arrived from Goshen, N.Y. It was established in March of 1819, and formed from Miami Township. Jackson was named after the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson. It was established in June of 1834, from Wayne, Stonelick and Williamsburg townships, Jackson was President at the time the township was established. Miami was named after the Little Miami River and the tribe of Indians who once controlled the area. Originally known as O'Bannon Township -- in honor of the County's first surveyor -- John O'Bannon. Miami was one of the County's original townships, established in February of 1801. Monroe was named after the President of the United States, James Monroe. It was established in June of 1825, and formed from Ohio and Washington townships. Monroe's term of office ended early in the year the township was established. Ohio was named after the State. It was one of the County's original townships, established in February of 1801. Pierce was named after the President of the United States, Franklin Pierce. It was established in December of 1852 and formed from Ohio Township. Pierce was President at the time the township was established. Stonelick was named for a creek that passes through it. It was established in March of 1812, formed from Miami and Williamsburg townships. Tate was probably named for the Tate family, who settled in the area in its early days. Many Tates moved to Clemont County from the Tates Creek area of Kentucky, where they were companions of Simmon Kenton and Daniel Boone. Tate Township was established in June of 1805, formed from Ohio and Williamsburg Townships. Union was probably named after the union of the States that formed the United States. It was established in December of 1811, and formed from Ohio Township. Washington was named after the President of the United States, George Washington, who owned land in Clermont County. It was one of the County's original Townships, establshed in February of 1801. Wayne was named after Gen. " Mad " Anthony Wayne, who was directly responsible for opening Clermont County and the southern two-thirds of Ohio to legal settlement by citizens of the United States after signing of the Treaty of Greenville in August, 1795. Wayne Township was established in March of 1819, formed from Stonelick Township. Williamsburg was named for the village, which was named for its founder, Willam Lytle, also known as the " Father of Clermont County." It is one of the county's original townships, established in February of 1801. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Continued in Tid bits part 3.