112
��HISTORY OF OHIO.
��paid for his quart of whisky, and an evening's frolic was the result.
" Hillman remained a few days, when they ac- compuuied him to Beaver Town to celebrate the -tth, and then all returned, and Hillman erected a cabin on the site of Youngstown. It is not cer- tain that they remained here at this time, and hence the priority of actual settlement is generally conceded to Conneaut and Cleveland. The next year, in the fall, a Mr. Brown and one other per- son came to the banks of the Mahoning and made a permanent settlement. The same season Uriah Holmes and Titus Hayes came to the same locality, and before winter quite a settlement was to be seen here. It proceeded quite prosperously until the wanton murder of two Indians occurred, which, for a time, greatly excited the whites, lest the In- dians should retaliate. Through the efforts of Col. Hillman, who had great influence with the natives, they agreed to let the murderers stand a trial. They were acquitted upon some technicality. The trial, however, pacified the Indians, and no trouble came from the unwarranted and unfortu- nate circumstance, and no check in the emigration or prosperity of the colony occurred."*
As soon as an effective settlement had been es- tablished at Youngstown, others were made in the surrounding country. One of these was begun by William Fenton in 1798, on the site of the pres- ent town of Warren, in Trumbull County. He remained here alone one year, when he was joined by Capt. Ephraim Quimby. By the last of Sep- tember, the next year, the colony had increased to sixteen, and from that date on continued prosper- ously. Once or twice they stood in fear of the Indians, as the result of quarrels induced by whisky. Sagacious persons generally saved any serious outbreak and pacified the nativ^es. Mr. Badger, the first missionary on the Reserve, came to the settlement here and on the Mahoning, as soon as each was made, and, by his earnest labors, succeeded in forming churches and schools at an early day. He was one of the most efficient men on the Reserve, and throughout his long and busy life, was well known and greatly respected. He died in 1846, aged eighty-nine years.
The settlements given are about all that were made before the close of 1797. In following the narrative of these settlements, attention is paid to the chronological order, as far as this can be done. Like those settlements already made, many which
��* Recollections of Col. Hillman. — Howe's Annali.
��are given as occurring in the next year, 1798, were actually begun earlier, but were only tem- porary preparations, and were not considered as made until the next year.
Turning again to the southern portion of Ohio, ■the Scioto, Muskingum and Miami Valleys come prominently into notice. Throughout the entire Eastern States they were still attracting attention, and an increased emigration, busily occupying their verdant fields, was the result. All about Chilli- cothe was now well settled, and, up the banks of that stream, prospectors were selecting sites for their future homes.
In 1797, Robert Armstrong, George Skidmore, Lucas Sullivant, William Domigan, James Mar- shall, John Dill, Jacob Grubb, Jacob Overdier, Arthur O'Hara, John Brickell, Col. Culbertson, the Deardorfs, McElvains, Selles and others, came to what is now Franklin County, and, in Augu,vt, Mr. Sullivant and some others laid out the tow/ of Franklinton, on the west bank of the Scioto, oppo- site the site of Columbus. The country about this locality had long been the residence of the Wyan- dots, who had a large town on the city's site, and cultivated extensive fields of corn on the river bot- toms. The locality had been visited by the whites as early as 1780, in some of their expeditions, and the fertility of the land noticed. As soon as peace was assured, the whites came and began a settle- ment, as has been noted. Soon after Franklinton was established, a Mr. Springer and his son-in-law, Osborn, settled on the Big Darby, and, in the sum- mer of 1798, a scattering settlement was made on Alum Creek. About the same time settlers came to the mouth of the Gahannah, and along othi^r water-courses. Franklinton was the point to which emigrants came, and from which they always made their permanent location. For several years there was no mill, nor any such commodity, nearer than Chillicothe. A hand-mill was constructed in Franklinton, which was commonly used, unless the settlers made a trip to Chillicothe in a canoe. Next, a horse-mill was tried ; but not till 1805, when Col. Kilbourne built a mill at Worthington, settled in 1803, could any efficient grinding be done. In 1789, a small store was opened in Frank- linton, by James Scott, but, for seven or eight years, Chillicothe was the nearest post office. Often, when the neighbors wanted mail, one of their number was furnished money to pay the postage on any letters that might be waiting, and sent for the mail. At first, as in all new localities, a great deal of sickness, fever and ague, prevailed.
�� �
