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DR. B. D. WILLIAMS
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grave yard. Now large monuments adorn the graves of
both, in sight of each other, as monuments of bad blood in
life.
George Raymond, another old settler here, was
the father of triplets, boys, which he called Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. The last two live in our
town; the former has been dead twenty years.
Mr. Schuyler was also an early settler.
His son is celebrated mathematician at Baldwin University,
at Berea, Ohio.
Elijah Read, another good old pioneer, died
about five years ago.
Samuel and John Cassaty were both poor when they
came here from Steuben county, New York, but by hard labor
and economy, had accumulated quite a fortune, until some
twelve years ago, robbers relieved them of about $12,000.
John had since died.
Willard Whitney, a merchant of our town, closed
his business here with a few hundred dollars left, with
which he went to Michigan, bought land, got wealthy, and
would have been happy, had he not become blind. His
wife had to feed him like a child ten years, when he died at
eighty-five.
Dr. Amos Witter lost his wife here. He
went west, was elected to Congress and got rich.
Loren Knopp, a merchant, was quite well off.
He had the kidney disease. He moved to Attica, where
he soon died. He was to have been married soon, so he
willed much of his fortune to his affianced.
Dr. I. T. Gilbert became involved, sold out, and
went to Bryan, Ohio. There he invested what little
means hehad in real estate, which advanced rapidly.
The small-pox broke out in Bryan, and Dr. Gilbert
having had them once, was allowed to take all the small-pox
cases, which soon built him up, but he was not allowed to
see any other patients during that time. The Doctor
got into very comfortable circumstances, and died there at
the age of eighty-two years. He formerly lived here.
John Zeppermick had some bad luck here, but
after he sold out and moved to Wood county, he accumulated
some property. He owns a good little farm, and seems
to be happy in praising God.
Captain Hanford died of
apoplexy about twenty-five years ago. Edward,
the hotel keeper, died of dropsy, the effects of trying to
look through the bottom of a tumbler. James Hanford
lived a roving life, and finally broke into the Michigan
penitentiary at Jackson for ten years.
Jas. Harrison, whom you also knew, died at his
son's house, at the old place.
To show you how Reed looked in former times, let
me tell you a short incident. I was called one dark
night to visit a sick lady. We had to go through the
woods of course, and before we had proceeded far, the
messenger and I both became entangled in the top of a tree
that had fallen across the road. In the scrabble to
get out, I lost my hat. The messenger said it would ot
do to hunt for it, had no time, was in a hury, could lose no
time, "must bring you in a hurry, Doctor, so come right
along." So I went bare-headed. It was warm
without my hat made a comical show. They said Dr.
Williams must have been tight last night.
The writer heard a good story
told of Dr. Williams, which is too good to be lsot.
Soon after he was married, and before they had gone to
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housekeeping, his wife had her home at her father's, in
Sherman township, still. So one Saturday evening the
young Doctor started, rather late, however, to pay a visit
to his father-in-law, and surprise the young lady. It
was in the fall, and the leaves had covered the road.
Night came on, and the road was no longer discernable.
The Doctor got out of the saddle and felt around for the
road or path, but could not find it. He hitched his
horse to a tree and gave the "bush hallo" several times, but
nobody responded only the owls. The Doctor came to the
conclusion that the troubles of a married life had commenced
in dead earnest. After crowing around through the
woods for two or three hours, a lady accidentally heard him
and answered. She got a man up out of bed, and sent
him after a strange voice. The man was afraid that it
might be a panther, but found the lost Doctor, and took him
to the house. It was the house of a stranger, however,
and two miles away from the house of his bride. In the
morning the horse was found and cared for and a new start
taken for the father-in-law. He took breakfast with
his wife's people, and they all had a good laugh at the
Doctor's night's adventure.
Seneca John, who was executed on the
reservation, as already related, used to hunt through
Reed, and had a wigwam on the knoll where Dr.
William's house now stands, in 1821-2. His visits
continued up to 1830, and he generally brought his whole
family with him. At an evening mean, and while a large
kettle of hot water, was suspended on a pole over the fire,
a daughter of Seneca John was lying on the ground
before the fire. The pole was nearly burnt through,
and broke, spilling the hot water over the child. They
wrapped her in a blanket and took her to the house near by,
where Dr. Williams attended her. In removing
the blanket the flesh of the poor sufferer literally clung
to it, leaving her almost a skeleton. Dr. Williams
did all in his power to relieve her sufferings, but death
assisted him.
After her death William Williams made a sled, to
be drawn by hand, and a number of Indian boys and a mournful
corteg conveyed the corpse to the Seneca burying ground.
Seneca John became a very warm friend to Dr.
Williams.
In the summer of 1834 some
movers passed through Reedtown, who had a son about sixteen
years of age. In the night he was taken sick. It
was a clear case of cholera. He died, and was buried
before morning, and the mournful parents went on.
There are six very good church edifices in Reed.
The township is supplied with excellent school houses and a
good corps of teachers.
When the M. E. church organized northern Ohio in 1830
or 1832,
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There is a noticeable elevation
running north and south through the township, a little east
of the center, but not high enough to be called a ridge, yet
sufficiently so to make a water-shed.
Attica station, on the Baltimore & Ohio road, is
located in this township, on section thirty-five. This
railroad crosses and cuts the entire southern tier of
sections of this township, except section thirty-one.
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