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Welcome to
Seneca County, Ohio
History & Genealogy

..

Source:
History of Seneca County :
from the close of the Revolutionary War to July, 1880 :

embracing many personal sketches of pioneers, anecdotes,
and faithful descriptions of events pertaining to the organization of the county and its progress

Published: Springfield, Ohio: Transcript Print. Co., 
1880

CHAPTER XXXIX
REED TOWNSHIP.
Pg 578

T. 2, N. R. 17 E.

 

 

 

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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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