WAYNE COUNTY OHIO - "Arise Wild Land" by Lindsey Williams [Page 8] *************************************************************************** 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. *************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Beverly bevwayne@gte.net May 1, 1999 *************************************************************************** This information is from a copy of "Arise Wild Land" by Lindsey Williams, as related to Rittman and Sterling. Lindsey Williams was the newspaper editor/owner of the Rittman paper and he was President of the Historical Society there as well. All proceeds from the book went to the Historical Society. The publisher is Atkinson Printing in Wooster Oh. *************************************************************************** (PICTURE OF WOODS WITH A WHITE HORSE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE GOES HERE) CHAPTER 3 INDIANS OF CHIPPEWA LAKE Though we can document the order of land purchases by early settlers, their dates of arrival rest on legend and conjecture. Ben Douglass, in his 1878 "History of Wayne County," wrote that "the first settler in the township was Isaac Decourcey, perceptibly possessed of Indian blood, who, with his wife and two children, was living on the Knupp farm as early as 1813, and in seven or eight years removed to Allen County." Recent research proved that Decourcey was a native-born American who lived in Trumbull County, Ohio. He served briefly in the War of 1812 and purchased the southwest quarter of section 3 in Chippewa Township from the Canton land agent on October 10, 1814. A marriage record in the Stark County court house reveals that Decourcey married Sally Helmich, daughter of Nicholas Helmich who was a farmer of Chippewa Township, on January 21, 1815. Census records show that Decourcey was 21 at the time. He and Sally ahd two children, Peter and Mary. Decourcey seemed to be a hunter and leather craftsman, probably of deer skin. He remained on his farm for ten years before moving west, always in the vanguard of the great frontier migration. The Kiefers and their friends took up farms in the southern part of Milton Township in 1814. Early histories accord to William Doyle the distinction of leading settlement north of the center swamp in 1815. These first little bands of pioneers endured hardship and privation with fortitude hard for us to appreciate today. The swamp harbored disease carrying insects. A bout of the "shakes" was an annual occurrence for young and old. Wolves, bears and rattlesnakes were an ever present danger. The township was tightly embraced by an unbroken forest which had to be cleared laboriously before the wild land could arise to fruitfulness. From descriptions furnished by early Rittman settlers, we learn that clearing land was not as arduous as it might seem. Bottom land was covered with shrubby growth easily dispatched. High ground supported a dense growth of timber which two skilled men could cut down at the rate of about 20 acres in 10 days. The technique of clearing forest, called "slashing" was to work in long, narrow areas. Starting from the northwest, men would cut trees half through. Then they would wait for a good wind or storm which most often came from the southwest. With weather cooperating, the men would topple several large trees simultaneously at the west end of their strip. These would fall against adjacent trees, setting off a progressive collapse like a line of dominoes. It is said the noise sounded like rolling thunder. Next spring the dead trees would be set afire with the help of neighbors during a "burning bee." Ashes were collected and hauled to Cleveland and from there shipped to Buffalo, New York, for making soap. It was the first cash crop...and often the most profitable one...for several years. Thw two principal crops for Milton Township farmers in those early years was corn on high ground and tobacco on low ground. Both plants could be sown and harvested by hand amongst tree stumps. Meadows and wheat fields had to wait until the stumps deteriorated. Then they could be cleared by Jack-screw "stump pullers" and teams of strong horses. A vivid picture of frontier life is furnished by a reminiscence of Philip Fritz in the Douglass history: "When my father removed to Milton Township... he had to cut the road to where I now live. Bears, wolves, wildcats, porcupines, wild hogs, deer and turkey were plenty. We often shot the wild hogs, and they made good meat. Porcupines were numerous. The dogs would attack them, and we would pull out their quills with bullet moulds. We made maple sugar by the barrel in our camps, took it to Canton and sold it. The wolves on one occasion chased us all out of the camps. Times looked pretty blue when we came here. We had to go 14 miles to Rex's Mill to Coventry (east of Barberton) to get our grinding done. I helped to grub out and clear up the graveyard and build the school house in 1817 where the Knupp Church now stands. In the early days I hunted a good deal, often with the Indians. They would come to our house to get corn and bring venison to exchange for it. They weighed it themselves, the corn in one hand and the venison in the other. Samuel and John Fritz, Isaac Decourcey, John Huffman and myself went up to Chippewa Lake to hunt, and took our provisions with us. I was left iin charge of the eatables while the balance went to the woods to hunt. While I was watching the provisions, eight Indians approached me. I was terribly frightened. They at once commenced laying off their knives, guns and tomahawks. Advancing to where I had a large fire built, one of them who could speak English said, 'White man foolish, makes big fire and sits away off. Indian makes little fire and sits up close.' They then went to the edge of the lake and began jumping on the muskrat houses. Just as fast as the inmate popped out they popped him. They kept on until out of one of the largest mud-houses sprang a beaver which was instantly killed. Then they whopped and danced and drank. Its hide was worth $16. When our hunting party came in the Indians wanted to buy their dogs. An Indian squaw went into a marsh in Canaan Township to pick cranberries. She had her papoose along with her, and tying it to a board set it down. While she was in the marsh a large hog came along and killed it. She lamented and and yelled fearfully. When we came here there were a good many Indians about ... called themselves Delawares, Shawnees and Wyandots. They had quite a town on the south side of Chippewa Lake, probably 30 families. I used to go to the settlement often, saw the little Indian boys roasting gammons of meat and gnaw at them; saw them shoot pieces of silver out of split sticks with bows and arrows and never miss. The Indians captured a good deal of wild honey and carried it in deer skins turned inside out. They would cut down a tree, carve out the stump and crush their corn in it. Then they put it in pots, boiled it and then put in the meat. An Indian never uses salt. Within about 10 rods of where River Styx... empties into Big Chippewa, and Indian was found in the drift, shot through the waist. About this time the Indians got scared and very suddenly disappeared.