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Historical Collections of the Mahoning Valley

FIRST ANNUAL REUNION 

OF THE 

PIONEERS OF MAHONING AND TRUMBULL COUNTIES, OHIO

Directors: 

German Lanterman, Youngstown;  James Brown, Lowell;  Madison Powers, Liberty;  Fred Kinsman,

Warren;  Charles Smith, Warren;  T. W. Kennedy, Struthers;  H. B. Wick, Youngstown; Sheldon

Newton, Boardman;  John M. Edwards, Youngstown;  Warren Hine, Canfield.

Committee on Reception: 

Miss Grace Tod, Chairman;  Mrs Richard Brown,  Mrs. Mary Bentley,  Mrs. John Besore,  Mrs. Wm. Breaden,  Mrs. M. T. Jewell,  Mrs. Wm. Barclay,  Mrs. James Ford,  Mrs. W. H. Wick,  Mrs. A. J. Williams,  Miss Lute Van Fleet,  Miss Eliza Powers,  Miss Sarah Reno,  JohnKimmell,  Joseph H. Brown,  R. M'Millan,  W. W. M'Keown,  Wm. Pollock.

    On the 10th day of September, 1875, the pioneers of Mahoning and Trumbull Counties, Ohio, 

assembled in the Opera-house in the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and celebrated their first annual 

reunion, as follows:

Mr. Hugh B. Wick: "Ladies and Gentlemen, You will please come to order; it is now near twelve o'clock, and there is a great deal to be done. The first thing in order, according to the program, is prayer by Benj. Stevens, of Warren, Ohio; but, in consequence of Mr. Stevens's age and of his not feeling very well this morning, we will substitute Robert Montgomery, who will please come forward."

Prayer by Mr. Montgomery 

    "O thou most high and holy God over all the earth, in the beginning and unto the end the same unchangeable God, without variance or shadow of turning, rejoicing in thine immutability, rejoicing that thou art the same yesterday, to-day, and forever, realizing something of thy being and character as the everlasting God, we would come before thee at all times and under all circumstances, and pay our vows and acknowledge our allegiance; but especially now, O God, as we are assembled in this peculiar capacity, a pioneer reunion, we would ask that thou wouldst be with us, and that thy blessing may rest upon us. We look up to thee as the great Creator and sovereign pioneer of all things, and we ask thee to be one amongst us. As we are here reflecting upon the relations of youth and manhood and age, and as we are considering the relations of this life through its various stages, youth, manhood, and age, to the endless life to come, we ask thy blessing. We ask thee to bless our intercourse with each other to-day. May this be a pleasant and profitable reunion and the precursor of the better and holier reunion beyond the grave. Let thy kind hand be over us in mercy, and be with us through all the pleasures of this meeting, and through all its duties be thou on our right hand and on our left; and, as we consider our relations to each other, as we look back to the past, as we look forward to the future, may all our aspirations be to join in that one great reunion in the better life to come through the merits of our elder brother thy son. Hear us in his name, and bless us. Amen."

    "One year ago we assembled in this house, on the call of a number of old citizens inviting all those 

who resided here thirty years since, or prior to that time, and their descendants, to hold a reunion. A 

large number assembled--many from long distances, some to revisit the place of their birth, others to 

greet again old acquaintances, revive old memories, and view old scenes from which they had been 

absent for years. That meeting was a success--far, indeed, beyond our anticipations. All were glad that 

it had been held. Our visitors from abroad were glad that they had come, and a wish was generally 

expressed that future reunions might be held. The invitation, by which we are assembled to-day, is 

broader than that of last year. It was extended to the pioneers of the Mahoning Valley and their 

descendants. In one respect it may be said that the invitation embraces all the inhabitants of the valley, 

for we are all now pioneers. It is true that but few of those brave and hardy men are left among us, who, 

with their brawny arms and sharp axes felled the giant oaks, white woods, hickories, beeches, and 

other vegetation of that dense native forest, which three-quarters of a century since covered this valley 

and all this western country, made the clearings and raised the log cabins; but we, their descendants 

and successors, have been pioneering all through that three-quarters of a century; and there is still 

much pioneering to be done by those who are here now and those who may come after us before this 

will be a finished country.

    "Time would fail me, on this occasion, to recount the history of the pioneering to which I allude. The delving into the depths of the earth and developing and bringing into practical use the vast beds of mineral coal which underlie our valley, the erection of furnaces and rolling-mills, the construction of the once famous but now superseded canal, the building of our railroads, the manufactures, and other business interests of various kinds, in which we are all engaged, and which are fast bringing this valley into prominence as one of the most favored portions of our country. This will form a topic for the future historian, and give him just ground to commend our energy and enterprise as pioneers in building up our valley and in doing our full part in advancing our country to the first place among the nations of the world.

    "In my historical address last year I stated that it was probable that John Young purchased this  

township, by contract, of the Connecticut Land Company before the Reserve was divided, by draft, 

among the stockholders, but that the records did not show the fact. I wrote to Charles C. Young, Esq., 

of Brooklyn, N. Y;  a son of John Young, requesting information, if he could give me any, in regard to 

this matter. He promptly and cheerfully responded to my request, and sent me an ancient document, 

which is presented for your inspection to-day, furnishing the desired information.

    "From this document it appears that a contract was made between the Directors of the Connecticut 

Land Company and John Young, for himself and Philo White, which contract was conditioned for the 

sale and settling of a township of land in the Connecticut Reserve, so called, and which township, by 

agreement between said Directors and said Young, was understood to be township No. 2, in the 2d 

range. The document now spoken of is not the original contract, but it is a map of the township divided 

into lots. On one of these lots, which includes about one-third of the township, on the east side, is this 

entry: '5,500 acres disposed of to Hill, Shehy, and others, by contract with John Young, on which they 

are to settle with seventeen families.'  On the other lots, which are of different sizes, are entered the 

number of acres and names of the then proprietors, Young, White, and Storrs. On the margin of the 

map is the following entry: 'This may certify that we, being equally interested in township No. 2 in the 2d range in the Connecticut Reserve, do agree to the above sale of the 5,500 acres to the actual settlers as above, and do likewise agree to the division of the remainder in the manner to which our names are 

annexed in the above sketch. Middletown, January 30, 1797.'  The names of those signing the 

agreement are cut off. They were, probably, John Young, Philo White, and Lemuel Storrs. On the same 

sheet with the map is a conveyance from Philo White to John Young, for the consideration of one 

thousand and fifty dollars, of all his interest in the original contract, which it recites. This conveyance is 

dated  'February ninth, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven.'   Mr. Charles C. Young has not 

in his possession the original contract. It is probably lost, and therefore we are unable to state its 

precise date.

    "The survey of the Reserve into townships was commenced in the early part of 1796, at the 

Pennsylvania line and at the south-east corner; consequently, this township was one of the first 

surveyed, and it is probable that John Young contracted for its purchase in the latter part of 1796, or in 

January, 1797, and that, early in 1797, he visited the township with Alfred Wolcott, his surveyor, and 

others, and commenced its settlement. The draft or division of the townships of the Reserve among the 

stockholders of the company was made in January, 1798, and settlements were commenced in the 

Spring of that year by the stockholders, their agents, and purchasers from them. Consequently, from 

documentary history as well as from tradition, we learn the fact that this township was the pioneer 

township in the settlement of the Reserve. As its citizens we have invited you to meet here as our 

guests at this reunion.

of many pleasant and happy reunions in the days and years to come."

Mr. William Powers: "Before proceeding further with the regular order of business, permit me to show 

you, ladies and gentlemen, the saddle upon which one of the first white women, Mrs. Hillman, visited 

the valley."

The exhibition of this saddle excited considerable interest.

     Mr. H. B. Wick: "The next thing in order is the Reports in History by the Committee: John M.  Edwards, Youngstown, Ohio,  Jared T. Kirtland, Cleveland, Ohio;  Eben Newton, Canfield, Ohio; Jacob 

H. Baldwin, Kinsman, Ohio;  Frederick Kinsman, Warren, Ohio;  T. Woodbridge, Youngstown, Ohio. 

Will the Hon. Eben Newton report?"

    Judge Newton: " I trust you will excuse me; but absence from home has prevented me from acting 

with the committee. I do not know what they have done or what arrangements they have made."

    Mr. H. B. Wick:  "Mr. Edwards is present and we will be glad to hear from him."

    John M. Edwards : "In my address I spoke of having received a communication from Mr. Charles C. 

Young, of Brooklyn, New York, who is the fourth son of Mr. John Young, the proprietor of this township.  I will now read to you the communication."

"John M. Edwards, Esq.,

    "Dear Sir, There are some points in our family history which I deem it proper to amplify and explain 

more clearly. They were of Scotch origin and settled in the north of Ireland, late in the sixteenth or early 

part of the seventeenth century, in or near Londonderry, famous in Irish history for its magnanimous 

endurance of siege and starvation, in the reign of William the Third, of England. Here in 1623, the first of 

the family whose record is known to us was born. In 1718 he, in his ninety-sixth year, with his son and 

grandson, their brothers and sisters and sisters' husbands, in all fourteen, formed a part of a Scotch-Irish colony, which sailed away from Ireland, and landed in Boston, Massachusetts, the same year. The whole colony moved on to Worcester, where they settled, and nearly all in time died, and were buried.

   "My grandfather, Dr John Young,  was born in Worcester, in 1739; removed to Peterborough, 

Hillsborough County, New Hampshire; practiced medicine, and died there in 1807.

    "My father, John Young, was born in Peterborough, New Hampshire, in 1763, emigrated to    

Whitestown, New York, about 1780, and in June, 1792, was married to his life-long wife, Mary Stone 

White, the youngest daughter of Hugh White, the first settler and original proprietor of a large tract of 

wild land. He was a New Englander, of English descent, who had, after the Revolution, in 1785, 

removed, with his family of a wife and eight children, five sons and three daughters, from Middletown 

Connecticut, to the wilderness, four miles west and north of Utica. Utica had then one shantie with a 

small family in it, but Whitestown none. There he settled alone with his whole family, on the land he had previously purchased, of good quality as it proved, and on a single tract, large enough to provide a farm for each of his eight children, who all settled down upon them directly around him.

    "He gave his name to the town, became in time a judge of the court, and died in 1812. He was a 

brave and sturdy old patriarch, and by great physical strength, sound practical sense, and kindness of 

heart, held even the Indians in wholesome fear, and lived in peace with them all. There our father lived 

until 1796, when his own land interest was removed to Ohio, and in 1797 he began the settlement of 

Youngstown. In 1799 he removed his family, wife and two children, John and George, to Youngstown, 

where two more were born to him, William, in November, 1799, and Mary, in February, 1802, both still 

living. In 1803 our mother, finding the trials of her country life there, with the latch-string always out and 

a table free to all, too great with her young family, for her power of endurance, our father in deference to 

her earnest entreaties, closed up his business as best he could, and returned with his family to 

Whitestown, and to the home and farm which her father had provided and kept for them.

   "Our father's nominal occupation after his return was that of a farmer, but not much given to manual 

labor. He soon became interested in the then great Western Turnpike, from Utica to Canandaigua, and 

for many years was engaged in its construction and superintendency; and still later on other public 

works, such as the Erie canal, which canal ran for miles in plain sight from our house, and upon which 

one of my brothers was then employed as a civil engineer.

    "He was a Mason of a high order, and brought back with him from Ohio the prefix of 'Judge', by which 

he was ever known and addressed. It some incidental way it came to him and remained a fixture for life. 

With great strength of will and force of character, he was yet full of intelligence, courtesy, and kindness, a genial soul who made many friends but few enemies that we ever heard of.

    "Although never a professor of religion, yet he had a profound respect for all its institutions, and 

conformed to all its outward observances. His co-operation, too, with our mother's religious training of 

their children always seemed hearty and sincere. His own Scotch-Irish Protestant training told well upon him in his active, enterprising life, and while he seemed to need a double measure of grace, yet we have good hope that he at last found rest and peace in the smile of the Master.

     "He never used the rod upon his children. That branch of home training came from the other side of 

the house, and always when required, with loving severity. A look and a nod were always enough from 

him. Indeed, family government, training of children meant something then. It seems to have nearly 

disappeared from our world, and may almost be numbered as among the lost arts. He died quietly at his home, after not a long but a severe illness, in April, 1825, aged sixty-two years; twenty-two years after his return from Youngstown.

      "Our mother survived him fourteen years, and died at last full of joyful hope, in September, 1839, in 

the old home of her father, in the village of Whitestown, New York, aged sixty-seven years. 

    "Of the seven children all survived our father, and all our mother, save one. One more, the youngest, died in 1862, aged only fifty-three, and of the five who still survive, three sons and two daughters, the oldest is nearly eighty-two, and the youngest in her seventieth year.    Very truly yours, C. C. Young.

"New York, August 25, 1875."

    Mr. William Powers exhibited some relics, a complete list of which will hereafter appear.

    Mrs. Elizabeth Lanterman, ninety-six years of age, was requested to rise.

     Robert Montgomery then read the following letter from Jacob H. Baldwin, of Kinsman, who first 

settled in this township in the neighborhood of Baldwin's mill:

"Kinsman, September 6, 1875.

"John M., Esq., Chairman Historical Committee Pioneers Reunion, Youngstown, Ohio:

    "In contributing my small portion of the early history of Trumbull and Mahoning Counties, it will be 

necessary for me to give a short history of my own life and experience. I came to this State in 

November, 1811, from Washington County, New York, being then nineteen years of age. I was married 

in 1815, and settled in April, 1816, at Baldwin's mills, township of Youngstown, and commenced 

keeping a dry goods store in company with my uncle, Eli Baldwin. My neighbors and customers were 

Thomas Packard (grandfather of Warren and A. J. Packard),  John Woods (father of Dr Woods), 

Benjamin Ross,  Joshua Kyle,  Robert Kyle,  William Smith,  James Taylor,  Wendle Grove,  Camden 

Cleveland,  Paine Cleveland,  Josiah Robbins,  Hugh Beard,  John Beard,  James Hillman, etc. In 1819   I was appointed County Collector by the Commissioners of Trumbull County (who were James Mackey, of Youngstown; John H. Patch, of Canfield, and William Bushnell, of Hartford). The taxes were collected by a personal demand at the residence of each tax-payer, giving the collector an excellent opportunity of making himself acquainted with the county as well as the people. In 1820 I was again appointed collector, and also received from the Marshal of Ohio (John Hamm, of Zanesville) an appointment to take the census of Trumbull County, then containing thirty-five townships, the population being then only 15,542. In the Winter of 1820-21, while in Columbus, settling with the State Treasurer, the General Assembly had just passed an act creating the office of County Auditor, in which an auditor for one year was to be appointed in each county. Our county was then represented by Eli Baldwin, Senator, and Dan Heaton and Elisha Whittlesey in the lower house. I was asked by them to accept the appointment, which I agreed to after reading the act, after which the County Auditor was elected on the second Monday in October for two years. I was elected eight times, making seventeen years. In the year 1840   I was appointed by the Court of Common Pleas an appraiser of real estate for taxation, the duties of which I commenced in Poland, early in May, and finished in October or November, being constantly on horseback every day (Sunday only excepted). My friend, Joel B. Buttles, was taking the census at this time, and electioneering for Martin Van Buren. I was in the crowd that sang "Tippecanoe and Tyler too", and, of course, we often came in collision. In all those years my acquaintance in and through the county was of necessity greater than men in private life, and the memory of those days is now much more strongly impressed on my mind than more recent events; and during all this long period of time railroads and telegraphs were unknown, yet the population increased rapidly in the rural districts, although the towns and villages remained nearly stationary. In after years it was interesting to observe the rapid increase of population and business in the towns and villages after the canal and the railroads were built.

    "Nothing more clearly indicates the growth of the counties than the increase of the fees of county 

officers. The County Auditor's fees in 1822 was a little over two hundred dollars, increasing gradually as 

business increased, until now they amount to nearly three thousand dollars annually. No year during the seventeen years that I held the office did the fees and emoluments reach one thousand dollars, except the last one, 1838.

                          "Respectfully, yours, Jacob H. Baldwin"

    John M. Edwards read the following letter:

                                                              "Brooklyn, New York, August 25, 1875

"John M. Edwards, Esq.:

    Dear Sir, Your letter and papers were duly received. My delay in replying has been unavoidable.

    "I should take great pleasure in your meeting on the 10th of September, but my health and business 

engagements will prevent my leaving home. I sent your printed call to my brother William, who was born there in 1799, but his age and infirmities are even greater than mine, and so, to my regret, no 

representative of the family will be there. In remembrance and sympathy, however, I shall be with you on that day, and hope to hear a good report of all that is said and done.

   "In reply to your call for old papers, I have to say that after my father's death in 1825, and my  

mother's sale of her home farm a few years later, the old tin case containing the Ohio title, deeds,  surveys, maps, etc., was mislaid and finally lost, but I still continue the search for it. A small package 

has, however, come to me, from which I select a few and send you. The first, and only one of much 

interest, is indorsed, "Philo White's conveyance to John Young". In this you will find all we now know of 

the original contract of purchase; and from this it appears that my mother's brother, Philo White, of 

Whitestown, N. Y., together with Lemuel Storrs, of Middletown, Conn., a lawyer by profession and 

practice there, and from whence the White family emigrated in 1785, were at first equally interested with my father in the purchase; that a private company-article was entered into between them in regard to it, but the contract itself was made by my father alone with the Connecticut Land Company, to whom only they executed their deed for the township, as recorded in 1800; that the date of the contract must have been in 1796, if not 1795, to give time for the survey, inspection, and location of the land, which my father, as a practical surveyor, would hardly have thought of buying without; and then for the sale to Shehy and division of the balance on paper, for which preliminary surveys must have been made, all before January, 1797, and February 9, 1797, the date of White's conveyance, back to my father, of all his interest therein.

    "Mr. Storrs's release must also have been executed at about the same time, for, although I find no 

such instrument in my package, yet the cancellation of the division memorandum on this conveyance, 

followed by the conveyance of White, the absence of all records, and the deed of the whole township to 

my father alone in 1800, would seem to be conclusive on the point, and this corresponds with our family tradition.

    "No. 2 is a specimen release of some seven hundred and forty-five acres from the lien of the 

mortgage given for the purchase money.

    "No. 3. Survey of town plat, Rayne's land and others.

    "No. 4. Town plat of Youngstown, recorded August 19, 1802.

    "No. 5. Memorandum of contracts outstanding in my father's handwriting, as most of his papers were, but without date, for $7,396.

    "Among the others I find a copy of a power of attorney to his agent, T. Kirkland, Esq., dated July, 1804 (the year and month of my birth), with the names of thirty-four persons, whose contracts were still 

outstanding, amounting to $12,000. These were closed up with reasonable dispatch, and my father was 

understood to have done reasonably well with his purchase; but I find no account of his actual payments and receipts.

    "He visited there occasionally after his return in 1803; the last time in his own sleigh in 1814, with his brother John, then of the navy, in company, on his way from the lakes to Washington. My brother 

relates that, in 1800, when he was there, only six and seven years of age, he remembered the black coal laying loose about, and the use they made of it in marking the line of blazed trees to designate the highway.

    "I regret that I can not do more for you in the way of original maps and legal instruments, but have done all I can. As it may be a matter of interest to know more of my father's family, both before and after him, I give you a memorandum of names and dates in another paper. The old papers you will, of course, return to me, but my own communications are left entirely at your discretion.

     "Very respectfully, yours,      C. C. Young"

    Hon. George Mygat:  "I had no expectation when I came here of talking to such an audience as this; 

neither am I accustomed to public speaking. I could not be expected to say much of myself. I am highly gratified to see so many here today of the descendants representing the first, second, third, and 

perhaps the fourth generations. My father brought me to Canfield, then in Trumbull County, Ohio, when I 

was ten years of age; my birthday occurred while I was on the road from Connecticut to Ohio. I went to 

school before coming to Ohio; but after coming to Ohio my educational advantages were limited. I had 

substantially to pick up what little education I received, which was not very much; but I was somewhat 

honored by the people of the old County of Trumbull. I succeeded Mr. Baldwin, I believe in 1821, in 

collecting the taxes of Trumbull County. We were compelled then to go about on horseback; and in 

consequence of that I became acquainted with the older citizens of the county. In 1829 I was elected 

sheriff of Trumbull County, and re-elected in 1831, making four years that I served as sheriff of Trumbull 

County; and happily for me I never did any thing, to my knowledge, to disgrace my good name or that of my father.

    "But these questions I would ask: Our fathers, where are they?  Our mothers, where are they?  Our 

children, many of them, where are they?  St. Paul, in the tenth chapter of Hebrews speaks of many 

worthies who had gone in consequence of their faith. Faith in what?  Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the 

Savior, who had gone to be witnesses of those who still remained. And in the beginning of the eleventh 

chapter of Hebrews, I think it is, he says, ' We are surrounded by a great multitude of witnesses'. Well 

now we are surrounded, friends, by many more witnesses than were then gone to their reward in heaven. Many of our parents are witnesses, of what? Witnesses of us; I have no doubt of it at all. Bless their good memories, in those early days the sons helped their fathers, and the daughters helped their mothers, and none of us felt then it was a disgrace for us to labor, but felt it was an honor, and we still feel it to be an honor. We owe every thing to our fathers who have been in their graves many years. Their characters were such as to make a lasting impression upon us. I can remember very well with what delight I used to come to Youngstown on these flats and attend general muster; I considered it one of the happiest days of the whole year. William Rayen was Colonel; James Mackey was Lieutenant; Louis Williams was aid. Generals Wadsworth and Perkins were there. I remember Dr Dutton, Henry Wick, Dr. Manning, Homer Hines, James Woodbridge, and I guess I could name scores not only in Youngstown but all around, and I honor their memories to this day. Many of you probably are descendants of these men. They were all honorable men, just men, men who left their influence for good. I wish I were capable of talking to you as you deserve to be talked to; but I am not." (Applause.)

                                        "810 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, August 12, 1875

    "My Dear Sir, I send you with this sheet a sketch giving an account of my father moving his family 

from Connecticut to Ohio in 1807, and some other items in regard to Canfield, but do not know that it is 

any thing of the kind that you intended or wished to have sent you, and if not please put it into the fire. It is my present intention to be at Youngstown on the 10th proximo, as I am confident that I shall enjoy 

such a meeting very much. I lived in Trumbull County almost twenty-seven years, and knew very many 

of the principal men in the county and in every township, then comprising thirty-five townships. I collected the taxes of the county in the Fall of 1821, and was sheriff from 1829 to 1833, four years, consequently had a good opportunity of knowing many of its citizens, and although more than forty-one years since I left it, I have ever entertained a love for old Trumbull County and its inhabitants.

                       "Very respectfully,       George Mygatt."

    "Comfort S. Mygatt, from Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut, reached Canfield, then in Trumbull 

County, on the 7th of July, 1807, with his family, consisting of himself and wife, four daughters, two sons and two step-sons, making in all, ten persons, and made Canfield their home. Eight of the ten have been dead for some years. Henry Stiles, of Warren, being the last of the dead. He died in August, 1869, in the seventy-second year of his age. The two surviving members of the family are Mrs. Lucy M. Adams, of Warren, and George Mygatt, of Cleveland.  Mr. Mygatt died in October, 1823, having lived in Canfield sixteen years. Soon after coming to Canfield he entered in partnership with Herman Canfield and Zalmon Fitch, under the firm name of Mygatt, Canfield, and Fitch, and opened a store consisting of dry goods, dry and wet groceries, medicines, salt, etc., and continued together for some two years, when the partner- ship was dissolved and the business continued by Mr. Mygatt during the remainder of his life. The country was very new at that time, but an abundant supply of all the necessaries of life, even at that early day. There are but three persons now living who were living within Two Miles Square, at the Center of Canfield, in 1807, and they are Mrs. Judge Newton,  Mrs. Charles Ruggles, and Dr Lovereign Bostwick. The principal and representative men living in Canfield at that time were General Elijah Wadsworth,  Dr Shadrach Bostwick,  Elisha Whittlesey,  Zalmon Fitch, Cook Fitch,  Herman Canfield,  Ensign Church,  Trial Tanner,  Jonah Scovil,  Wm. Chapman,  Wm. Chidester,  David Hine, John Reed,  Adam Turner, Jonah Turner,  John Harding,  Samuel Blocker,  Henry Ohl,  Martin White, Henry Yager,  George Linn,  Peter Lian,  Isaac Wilcox,  Aaron Collar,  James Doud,  Eleazor Gilson, Samuel Gilson,  Arad Way,  Nathan Landon,  Azariah Wetmore,  Josiah Wetmore,  Simeon Sprague, Wm. Sprague,  Ira Sprague,  Charles Chittender,  Old Father Everett, and others. Religious meetings were held on the Sabbath with much regularity, by the Congregationalists and Methodists, with occasional preaching by ministers of those denominations. Mr. Mygatt started a team, consisting of two pair of oxen and two horses, with a large wagon loaded with household goods, for Ohio, about the first of June, 1807, and one week after, started with his family with four horses, and a fifth horse to hitch on when necessary, which was often the case. The first team was overhauled in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, by Mr. Mygatt and family, and from there over the mountains kept company to Ohio. On the 4th of July all were in Pittsburg together, The first team was just five weeks and the latter four weeks on the journey. In 1811, Mr. and Mrs. Mygatt rode on horseback from Canfield to Danbury, but returned back in a two-wheeled carriage, driving one horse before the other, and were eleven days coming five hundred and thirty miles, being the distance between Danbury and Canfield. In the war of 1812 three of Mr. Mygatt's sons-in-law and one son marched to Cleveland immediately after the surrender of General Hull at Detroit, to wit: Elisha Whittlesey,  Lewis Hoyt,  Zalmon Ftich, and Comfort Mygatt.

    "In 1807 George Tod was presiding Judge of the Court of Common Pleas; Thomas Hughes,  Ephriam 

Quinby,  and Herman Canfield, Associate Judges;  George Parsons, Clerk;  and Trial Tanner, Sheriff. 

The old Western Reserve Bank commenced business with Simon Perkins as President,  and Zalmon 

Fitch as Cashier, in November, 1813."

    "Judge Eben Newton: "Mr. Chairman, Ladies, and Gentlemen,  I am now requested to state some few incidents in connection with the history of this part of the country. I was appointed as a member of the committee on history; and if I had apprehended there would have been so much interest in this matter, I would have written out a partial history of what I know and have seen take place. Perhaps, then, I would have in some way answered the expectation; but I have not done it. You must be aware, friends, that fifty years bring to mind many recollections. When we call to mind what has transpired in that period, and the men who have existed and been foremost in the active duties of life, we find there is very considerable to interest us in meeting together as we have met here today.  I can dwell but a single moment upon these matters, because there is so much to be done. I will mention a very few instances. Perhaps no part of the country is a better illustration of the fact of what has taken place in the last fifty years than this valley, and yet when you come to recur to its early history you will see that the great spirit which led to this vast improvement originated with one single man. That man has now passed away, but the fruits of his enterprise, industry, energy, and his liberality are spread all over this land. When I call to mind some of the incidents connected with the early history of my acquaintance with old Judge Day, it is exceedingly interesting. I remember very well of hearing him make an argument at the bar of Trumbull County. He sat near by myself with his son David. He was in the habit, in his old age, of talking very loud. He was always energetic; but, as he grew old, this propensity increased. He exerted all his strength in making the speech, and he was very much exhausted. When he had finished, he turned around to David, and said: "David, you have always been very kind to me, but your exertions for me are pretty nearly over; it is the last effort I ever shall make". He died not very long after that.

    "There was Judge Rayen.  I knew him very well, and have had very many pleasant interviews with him. There was Dr Manning, with whom I was long acquainted, and had a vast amount of social and business intercourse with him in a public and private capacity. And the old gentleman, in his last sickness, I am told, for I was absent at the time, expressed a desire to live until he could see me, one of his old acquaintances; but he died before I returned home. There are many things crowding upon my mind, and so fast that I am scarcely able to separate and detail them to you. I will not attempt to go on, because there is more that will be important, and I shall, perhaps, have occasion hereafter to refer to a paper that I have partially prepared. I informally address you now as though I were shaking hands with each of you in active life. This is one of the most interesting scenes of my life. When I arose this morning and heard the rain falling, I thought that I was sick and would not come; but I reflected for a while and of the interesting things that would transpire, and I rallied, and I am here before you."   

(Applause.)

    "The recital of personal history and tradition has a wonderful charm about it.... more especially when  

the listener is young. What a deep and absorbing interest centers in the incidents, and with what avidity we listen for every word!  The writer's father was a pioneer, and away back in infancy I, with the rest of the family, gathered around the evening fire, after the older children had returned from school in the short Winter days, and the chores were all done, even to getting in the big back-log, fore-stick, and kindling wood for morning, while he would relate some incidents of his life. Many a time in those quiet, pleasant evenings in the country, have we sat up later than the usual bed-time, eight o'clock, listening to my father, and, occasionally, to neighbor Amos Loveland, a seven years' soldier in the Revolution, relating incidents of their lives.

    "The one I propose to speak of now occurred in the history of my grandfather, Abraham Powers, in 

the month of February, 1778. He lived in Ligoniers Valley, Westmoreland County, Pa. This valley is one 

of those places which a pioneer would select, when the choice is free, to open up a new home, a rich, 

beautiful valley, with Laurel Hill on the east, and Chestnut Ridge on the west. In this had gathered a 

number of families, and, at that time, the most westerly settlement in the State of Pennsylvania. The 

Indians were revengeful, and the massacre of Wyoming occurred the following Summer. The Winter was intensely cold, and the snow lay two feet deep on the ground, here and there. About the first of the 

month a band of Indians entered the settlement and murdered a family, but one child escaping. After 

taking such household goods as they fancied, they set the cabin on fire and left. This murder aroused 

the settlers, and seventy, all the able-bodied men who could find horses to ride, started in pursuit within 

a few hours. They followed the trail down the Loyalhanna to the Kiskiminetis, and down that river to the 

Alleghany, crossing the latter stream on the ice about thirty miles above where Pittsburg now stands. 

They continued the pursuit down the rivers to the mouth of Big Beaver, then up that stream and the 

Mahoning to the first inhabited village they saw, which was in this township and upon land now owned 

by the writer. With their utmost exertion they could travel no faster than the Indians, who were also 

mounted, and usually camped at night-fall where the Indians had camped the night before. Upon their 

discovery of the town they were saluted by the rapid firing of single guns. They returned a round or volley at the only Indian in sight, who fell wounded, but, rising partly on his knee, continued firing, when, at the second round, he fell dead, with seven balls in his body. Captain Pipe was as brave an old man as ever faced an army alone. There was no one with him but his daughter, a girl of thirteen or fourteen years. Concealed behind some logs she loaded the guns, of which they had several, while the old chief did the shooting. They scraped the snow and leaves away the best they could and laid the body close beside a large log near where he fell, and covered it with leaves and such branches of trees and parts of the huts as they could readily get. They found quite a quantity of corn stored in pens and potatoes in holes. After burning the town and the corn, with the squaw as a prisoner, they continued to follow the trail to the Salt Spring, near Mineral Ridge, and there held a council of war, and determined, from information received from their prisoner, that a thousand warriors were collected at Sandusky, returned home, having been absent two weeks. The squaw was released this side of Pittsburg. In 1802 my father, Isaac Powers, and grandfather found the bones of the dead old hero and gave them such Christian burial as they could. The town site, corn-field, and potato holes had become overgrown with a thick growth of underbrush, mostly hickory and black walnut, which he cut away, all but one walnut about the size of a man's wrist, which he allowed to remain to mark the grave of Captain Pipe and the site of Pipstown. That tree stands there today, fresh, sound, and green, loaded with its rich crop of nuts, as it has been every year in my recollection, and little does the mischievous boy dream, when stealing the nuts, why that tree was left to grow. It stands alone near the south bank of the Mahoning, and directly opposite the mouth of Dry Run. I have measured it this week, and find it at one foot from the ground fifteen feet in circumference, or five feet in diameter. At six feet from the ground ten feet and eight inches around, or three feet seven inches in diameter; and at nine feet is larger than the first measurement, where it branches out with eight large limbs, each one fifteen inches or over in diameter; its height I estimate at seventy-five feet, the spread of its branches, from north to south, is seventy-six feet, and from east to west seventy-eight feet.   (Applause.)

                                                                                          "Youngstown, September 10"

    Mr. Powers then exhibited a sea-shell, marked "dinner-horn," brought from the sea one hundred 

years ago by the grandfather of Alex. Stewart.

    Recess until 2 P. M.

    Two O' Clock  P. M. - During the intermission the old people took dinner at the Baptist Church, and at Powers' Coal Company's office. After dinner they witnessed the evolutions of the artillery company, and watched admiringly while the firemen threw water from the steamer and the Water Works, on the Public Square.

                                                                                                "Mayslick, September 8, 1875

    "Last night I wrote a sketch of James Hillman. The first part is verbatim of what I have heard Hillman and wife speak of many times, but from 1807, and up to the time I left Youngstown, I was an eyewitness of what I have stated. All I have seen or heard I never forget.  

    "What I have written has been done in a hurry. You can read what part you may think proper, or all if you see proper to do so. Ten thousand incidents I could relate if present. I fear this may not reach you in time.

"Mayslick, Mason Co; Kentucky, September 7, 1875

    "Some two years after the above there was a party of Indians lived near Ravenna, Deerfield, and Atwater, of about four hundred strong, and of all ages and sizes. John Diven lived in Deerfield; he had traded horses with an Indian. The Indian thought he was cheated. John Diven refused to trade back. On Christmas night there was a ball at the house of Judge Day. John Diven and his brother Daniel was there. John Diven married a Miss Ely, of Deerfield. Daniel Diven was to be married New Years' day; all the parties were at the ball. About dark the Indian came to the door and wanted to see John Diven; he refused to go out. Daniel Diven told John to swap coat and hat and he would go out. They done so. Just as Daniel Diven stepped out of the door the Indian shot Daniel Diven through both eyes, laying both eyeballs on his cheeks. The Indians all left that night. It was twenty-five miles to Youngstown, but two messengers came to James Hillman in the night and told their business. After feeding their horses and eating something themselves, they left for Deerfield before day. 

    "Upon arriving there they found some fifty or sixty men ready to start in pursuit of the Indians. J. Hillman told them if they wanted to go they could do so, but if he went he went by himself. They had to consent, and James Hillman started by himself. There was no snow on the ground, but the ground was very rough. He could track them; as the rough ground had wore out their moccasins, their feet were cut and bleeding. After a hard day's ride he came upon their camp. He fell back out of sight and encamped for the night. Early next morning he went up to their camp. The squaws were getting breakfast. The men were asleep. The Indians had a small fork stuck in the ground, with their guns leaning on it, and their shot-pouch and powder-horns hanging in the fork. The squaws did not see him until he came within fifty yards of them. They gave the alarm; in a moment every Indian was upon his feet. He drew his gun upon the chief; told him to order every man to stack his gun against a certain tree or he would pull the trigger. The chief knew the Colonel so well that he gave the order. So soon as their guns, tomahawks, and knives were stuck against the tree, Colonel Hillman took possession of the tree. He then told them his business; told him one of his men had shot Daniel Diven; that they had to return; that he knew the man that shot Daniel Diven; if they would return peaceably and give up the man that shot Daniel Diven none of the balance would be hurt, and that they all knew him. If they refused he would kill at least twenty before they could recover their arms; that the chief would be the first man to fall. He told them to eat their breakfast, and told them to send him his breakfast; after that he would hear what they had to say. After breakfast the chief told him that they would have to hold a council before they could give him an answer. They went off some two hundred yards, and, after being absent some two hours, they returned in the war paint. So soon as the Colonel saw their decision, and when they came near enough, he raised his gun, ordered the chief to halt or he was a dead man. He then told them to go back and take off that paint. After a parley of half an hour they returned to hold another council, which held for some time. They came back with the emblem of peace. He then told them to send out hunters for meat, and for them to mend their moccasins, and to remain where they were until morning. The fourth day after, he brought the whole party into Warren, where the authority put the chief under guard. They remained there for some time. How it was settled I have forgotten. I have seen Daniel Diven in Youngstown frequently. I was in Deerfield in July, 1824. I called to see him. He appeared very cheerful, and was very pleasant; thanked me for calling upon him. He had not forgotten me.

    "My kindest regards to all my old friends and pioneers.  Hoping to see them soon, I remain, yours, 

truly,        R. M. Grant

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