RUGGLES, FORMERLY IN HURON COUNTY
pg. 166
Ruggles township was so called after Judge Almon Ruggles,
the surveyor of the Firelands. In 1815, eight years
before the first settlement in the township, Judge
Ruggles owned five hundred and eighty-two acres in the
second section. Barlow Sturges also one hundred
and twenty acres. This is all the account given of the
land holders at that time. Ruggles belonged to Huron
county until the erection of Ashland county in 1846, to
which county it has since been attached.
The central portions of the township are level, the
eastern and southern slightly undulating, the western and
northern considerably broken and uneven. It was
originally a dense forest, of which the beech constituted
the greater part, though the maple, elm, basswood, hickory,
whitewood and ash were by no means wanting, while the higher
lands abounded with the finest oaks, and along the streams
grew the black walnut, the butternut and the sycamore.
In the central portions of the township the soil is
clayey, while in other parts it is for the most part a
gravelly loam, and well adapted to either grazing or the
raising of grain. There are two stone quarries, one in the
north part on Mr. Charles Curtiss’
farm; the other in the west part, on Wakeman
Beach’s farm. The township is free from
marshes or waste lands, while it is excellently well drained
by the Vermillion river and its tributaries. The main
stream crosses the south line nearly two miles east of the
southwest corner, and flows northwestwardly, leaving the
township just south of the northwest corner. Its
principal tributary, Buck creek, comes from Troy, crosses
the east line three-fourths of a mile south of the center
road, and runs northwestwardly to the north part of the
township, when it receives the waters of another creek,
which drains the southeast corner, and then runs westerly to
join the Vermillion. In the southern part, Whetstone
creek runs west to the Vermillion. Another creek, west
of the river, runs northeast till it joins the main stream.
In 1823, Mr. Daniel Beach and
Bradford Sturtevant came to Ruggles with a view
of purchasing lands, and in June of the year above named,
bought of Messrs. Jesup and Wakeman, of
Connecticut, six hundred and forty acres in the southwest
corner of section three, Mr. Beach taking the
western and smaller part. This pioneer settler of
Ruggles accomplished much towards the rapid settling up of
his township, and his memory is gratefully cherished by the
people of Ruggles.
Benjamin D. Green was the first blacksmith who
settled in Ruggles. He gave up blacksmithing for the
carpenters’ trade. He was a prominent man in the
community, held several important offices, and was a major
in the militia.
The first birth was that of Wakeman J. Beach,
the son of Daniel Beach, born Jan. 11, 1825.
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The
first marriage did not take place until the year 1832, when,
on the 18th day of June, Mr. James Poag, widower, was
united in marriage to Miss Laura C. Smith. The
ceremony was performed by Daniel Beach, Esq.
The first death occurred in 1826, in which year Mr.
Cyrus Sanders, a single man, and a nephew of Mr. B.
Sturtevant, died of bilious fever.
The first saw mill was built by Daniel Beach
in 1824, on the Vermillion river, one hundred rods north of
Ruggles’ Corners. This mill was of great benefit to
the early settlers. Mr. Beach built a
grist mill also, near the site of the saw mill, in 1831 or
'32, to which steam was subsequently attached. The
first store in Ruggles was opened by Josiah
Botsford at Ruggles’ Corners, one and one-half miles
west of the center, in about the year 1831. The first
post-office was established one-half mile south of the
Corners.
Prior to 1826, Ruggles was attached to New London for
civil purposes, but at the date named it was detached and
organized, the first election occurring January 2d of that
year. There were just a dozen residents who
participated in this first election, as follows: Perry
Durfee, Harvey Sackett, Norman
Carter, Truman Bates, Reuben
Fox, B. Sturtevant, Jacob Roorback,
Abraham Ferris, Justice Barnes,
Daniel Beach, Ezra D. Smith, and
Aldrich Carver. Mr. E. D. Smith was chosen
clerk; H. Sackett treasurer; J. Roorback,
D. Beach, and A. Carver, trustees; B.
Sturtevant and H. Sackett, overseers of the poor;
J. Barnes and A. Ferris, fence viewers;
Reuben Fox and Perry Durfee,
appraisers of property; N. Carter, constable, and
T. Bates, supervisor, - thirteen offices filled with
twelve individuals. Mr. Sackett had the
honor of filling two positions. Another election was
held April 3d, when Mr. Ferris was made
treasurer, Mr. Bates constable, and Messrs.
Fox and Sturtevant supervisors, and Harvey
Sackett justice of the peace. The other offices
remained filled as above.
In 1824 a school house was built eighty rods east of
the residence of Daniel Beach, and Betsey
Sackett taught school there during the summer of that
year. The second school was upon the north line of the
township, and was taught by Jacob Roorback.
The only village that ever existed in the township was
at Ruggles corners, upon the Wooster and Norwalk road.
There were several mercantile and mechanical concerns at
this point, as well as a tavern and quite a cluster of
dwelling houses. The place was sustained by the
tanning interests of the Norwalk road, and when the C., C.,
C. & I. R. R. was established, as it destroyed the wagoning
business, the little village soon dwindled away, and
eventually entirely disappeared.
The first religious services were held at Harvey
Sackett’s house soon after the settlement of the
township by Lodovicus Robbins. Not long
after a Methodist class was formed, of which there remains
no record, and in regard to which no authentic information
can be obtained.
The first church organization in the township was that
of the Congregational in 1827.
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