SITUATION, SOIL AND WATER COURSES.

     BOUNDED upon the north by Russia, east by La Grange, south by Wellington, and wet by Camden, lies Pittsfield, township number four, in range eighteen.  Its surface, except in the northwestern part, where it is almost a perfect level, varies from the gently undulating to the moderately uneven.  The soil is principally a soft clay, though a clay loam is found in many places, and occasionally, in the northwestern quarter particularly, there appears sandy and gravely loam.  A very good article of sandstone appears in the bed of a small creek, half a mile west of the center, and the same geological formation is observable in lot twenty-one, in the northeastern portion of the township.  The stone comes to the surface in the latter place, rendering quarrying practicable.  This industry, by the way, has been for some time carried on in a small way, though large enough to meet all demands, by V. McRoberts.
     The principal stream within the limits of the township is the west branch of Black river, which, entering the territory at the southern line, midway between the eastern an western boundaries, winds a tortuous course toward the extreme eastern corner.  Wellington creek flows from south to north along the eastern boundary of the township, and several small brooks diversify the western half of the town.

ORIGINAL OWNERS.

     The original owners of Pittsfield, with the number of lots they possessed, were the following:  Elisha Tracey, seventy-five lots; Lewis Devotion, twenty lots; Joseph Barnham, nine lots; Richard McCurdy, twenty-one lots; Samuel Dorrence, twelve lots, Wm. Perkins, thirteen lots; John McClellan, four lots; and J. Ward, six lots- whole number of lots in the township, one hundred and sixty.
     J. Ward probably sold out to Simon Perkins, and Perkins sold or gave the tract to the Western Reserve College.  Milton Whitney bought the Dorrance tract of one Keeler.

SETTLEMENT.

     The first white men ever known to have been in habitants of this township were a man by the name of Baker, and his two sons.  As early as 1812 or 1813, they cleared a small spot of ground on the northeast corner of lot ninety-six, and built a log cabin.  They remained here for some time, but fear of the Indians and the British soldiers, who were at that time scouring the country, induced them to leave.  The father is known to have gone into the army of the United States, and whether his sons also entered the military service is a matter of conjecture.  They remained in the vicinity some time after his departure.  It is not improbably that these men made the original survey of the township.  A fact pointing to this conclusion was the discovery of a lot of surveyor's instruments in their cabin a number of years after they left.  Their names were also mentioned as surveyors in some of the deeds given the first settlers.
     In 1819, when the township was surveyed into lots and divided between the purchasers, Milton Whitney became a large owner.  He came from the east in the following year, made an examination of his land, and induced a couple of enterprising young men to settle upon it.  Thomas Waite, of New York State, originally settled in Amherst township, but, after a short stay, removed into Russia.  His sons, Jerry and Thomas, were the first men who went into Pittsfield with the intention of permanent residence.  Milton Whitney gave each of them fifty acres of land in lot one hundred and seven, and they took up their abode upon it in the spring of 1821.  Jerry Waite died in early life.  Thomas Waite is in his seventy-eighth year, and resides upon almost the exact site of the rude log cabin which he erected half a century ago.

     Henry and Chauncey Remington came into the township from Southwick, Massachusetts in the fall of 1823, eaach receiving from Mr. Whitney a farm of fifty acres, as remuneration for cutting twenty acres of timber.  Both removed from the township before 1830.  Chauncey died in Henrietta in 1860.  His widow married Lucius Washburn, of Henrietta, with whom she is now living, aged seventy-five years.  Henry is in Amherst.  About the same time, in all probability, though possibly before, came a man named Smith, and his sons, Charles and Joel, from New York.  Joel settled on lot twenty-four with his father, and Charles took up a farm in lot forty-four.

     Following the Smiths came John Norton, who settled on lot one hundred and twenty-eight, and who, it is said, bilt the first frame barn in the township.  Norton died some time previous to 1830.

     L. D. Boynton, father of Judge W. W. Boynton, became a temporary resident of the township soon after the Smiths and Norton came in.  He built a cabin upon lot one hundred and thirty, but made no purchase of land and remained but a short time.

     Israel Cash, who obtained an unenviable notoriety in Amherst, was a resident of the township for a brief period.

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     Samuel Rathburn, and two sons, Daniel and George, came from New York State in 1828, the father and younger son settling upon lot sixty-four and Daniel upon lot fifty-seven.

MORE TO COME...

PHOTO: 
Residence of J. T. Carter, Pittsfield, Lorain Co., O.

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EARLY INCIDENTS.

FIRE AND WATER.

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FUGITIVE SLAVES.

     There was a branch of the "underground railroad" through Pittsfield.  Here, as elsewhere, obstructions were occasionally placed upon the track, for the purpose of stopping trains.  We have not the date, and it makes but little difference in the relation of the incident, but any way, during the days when the road was doing its largest business, two fugitive slaves, - a man and a woman, - were arrested in Pittsfield, by persons of pro-slavery feelings, and brought before the bar of justice, which, in this case, was the bar of Squire Asa W. Whitney, and also, it may be said, the bar of Harmon's small but quite popular tavern.  A question arose as to whether a Justice court was a court of record, the squire having no right to hold the fugitives, if it was not.  Squire Clark, an eccentric character, desiring to have the runaway slaves held, and at the same time to have a little amusement, said in answer to Justice Whitney's anxious query.  "Is my court of record?"  "Why, Squire, you keep a record, don't you?  What more do you want to make a court of record?"  But the proof that he had power to hold the fugitives was not strong enough to thoroughly convince the justice, and the captives were finally, after considerable discussion, sent to Elyria, where they were placed in the jail, from which they soon after made their escape, much to the joy of their abolition friends, and discomfiture of the sympathizers with slavery.  There were in Pittsfield quite a number who held stock in the "underground railroad."

RAISINGS AND WHISKY.

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ORGANIZATION.

RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT.

THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

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strength, though not sufficient at any time to support regular preaching.

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

SCHOOLS

PHYSICIANS.

     Dr. Daniel Howard was the pioneer physician of Pittsfield.  He came into the township in the year 1835, and remained for a number of years, having quite a large practice.  Previous to his taking up his residence here, the people  made Dr. Eber W. Hubbard, of La Grange, their main reliance, in case the services of a physician were needed.  Dr. Evans  had a short experience of practice in the township, and was followed by Dr. D. M. Young, who commenced practice in 1845, and continued until his death, in 1870, winning the very general esteem of the people, alike by professional good qualities and his fine traits as a man and citizen.
     Dr. C. H. Beech, the resident physician in 1878, was born in New Jersey, in 1812, and came to Ohio in 1836, having graduated at the Jefferson medical college of Philadelphia.  He first located in Wellington, where he remained until 1860, when he left, and spent ten yeas in various parts of the United States, and widely removed as New Orleans and Long Island.  In 1870 he returned to Ohio, and began to practice in Pittsfield, which has been very satisfactory both to people and physician.  Nothing further need be said.

INDUSTRIAL PURSUITS.

CHEESE FACTORY

SAW MILLS.

ROADS.

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