GREEN

This Township is Town 12, Range 9, in what is known on the "Reserve," as "Congress land"—i.e., it lies south of latitude 41 deg.—of course, is not embraced in the Connecticut Reserve. Franklin and Green, in this county, being taken from Congress-land and attached to the Reserve, have broken down the par­tition wall that had so long divided the extreme north from the more southern portions of the State. This was the first instance in which the southern line of the Reserve had been broken in the erection of a county. Before that time it was 'thought, (as ex­pressed by Hon. Mr. Hostetter, Senator from Stark, when the erection of Summit was under consideration,) that "you might as well attempt to make a Dutch horse, and a Yankee broad-horn work together, as the inhabitants on the opposite sides of that line to amalgamate." Experience, however, has shown that such fears were groundless, and such divisions wholly imaginary.

     This Township is six miles square—Congress dividing their lands into Townships of that size, while the Connecticut Co. divided theirs into Townships of five miles.

     The first settler in the township was John Kepler, who came from Center county, Pa., and settled on Section 17, in the fall of 1809. His widow is now living with her son, John Kep­ler, in Coventry. His brother, Andrew, came on in the spring of 1810, and now lives on the section on which his brother John first located.

     Jacob Coleman, Jacob Smith, and Col. Dilman next came into the township. They were all from Center county, Pa. John Kepler was accidentally killed a few years after he came into the township—Coleman and Smith died about 15 years ago, and Dilman 20.

     The first organization of the township was in 1811, two years after the organization of Stark, of which it was then a part. It then embraced Green, Lake, and all of Franklin lying east of the Tuscarawas, and Jackson townships. The first election was held at the house of Nathan Dehaven, l 1/2 miles N. W. of Green town, on the 6th of July, 1811. Abraham Dehaven, Jacob Harsh and Joseph Triplet were judges of the election. Jonathan Potts and William Triplet, (now of Coventry,) clerks. Peter Dickerhoof, of what is now Lake tp.; Christian Bolmer, of what is now Jack­son tp.; and John Yarrick, of what is now Green, were elected first trustees. Samuel Spittler, who resides in what is now Lake tp., was elected clerk; George Knoddle; Treasurer, Wm. Ball, who is now living in Canton, Assessor; and Simeon Harsh and John Kepler, constables. Wm. Triplet and Wm. Ball are believed to be the only survivors of the officers that day elected.

     At the fall election, Oct. 3, 1811, there were sixteen votes in the territory now comprising Green, Lake, Jackson, and all of Franklin east of the Tuscarawas. At the Presidential election, Oct. 20, 1812, there were nine votes.

     Peter Dickerhoof, was the first Justice of the Peace. His commission bore date Aug. 21, 1811.

The commission of John Wise, who was the next Justice of the Peace, bore date June 16, 1814. He resided in what is now Lake township, and died in Green town, January, 1853.

     Green, as it now is, was organized April 7, 1815. At that election there were 17 votes polled. George McCormic, Wm. Ball and Joshua Richards, were elected Trustees; Robert Law­son, Town Clerk; Daniel Wise, Treasurer; David Hartman and Thomas Parker, Constables. Richards now lives in Suffield, Portage, county; Ball, in Canton; Lawson and Wise are dead; and Parker and Hartman are gone to parts unknown.

     The first recorded marriage in the township was Abraham Bair to Elizabeth Harter, who were married by Abraham Dehaven, on the 31st of March, 1812, though tradition shows that previous to that time, Jacob Smith, jr. was married to Miss Dixon; but of which no record was ever made.

(Tradition says the marriage ceremony of this first couple was, 'you bromis' to take te voman you holt py te hant to pe your vfe, and tat you vill shtick to her through hell-fire and dunder, den I bronounce you man and voman, by Cot!”)

     Blair died soon after the marriage, and his widow subsequently married Jehu Grubb, and now resides in Plain township, Stark county. Smith is living with his second wife in Richland county.

Greensburgh, at which the business of the township is trans­acted, was laid out by Abraham Wilhelm in the W. part of the N E quarter of sect on 27. It was surveyed out by David Baer, August 27, 1828, and is now a thriving village of consid­erable wealth and enterprise. It lies considerably south, and a little east of the center of the township.

     East Liberty is also a thriving village in this township; laid out by John Casteter, Esq., Feb. 15,1839, on the N. E quarter of section 8—S. E. quarter of section 8, and S. W. quarter of sec­tion 9. The first settlement in the township was made by John Kepler about one mile S. of this village. On section 7 and 18 in this township, and sections 12 and 13 in Franklin, is Turkey-Foot Lake, about a mile in length from east to west, and varying in its width. At the narrowest point, directly on the line, it is but little over a quarter of a mile in width, but at both ends is from a half, to three-fourths of a mile in width. It is usually called Rex Pond, as George A Rex erected the first mill in the township, at its outlet, in 1816-17.

     The State have since taken possession of it for a Reservoir, and by raising the water, and retaining it for canal purposes, have ruined the mill-site.

     As an agricultural township, Green stands with Springfield and Franklin among the best. Summit county seems naturally to be divided into three parts, which when united, form a complete whole. The north part is a grazing country—the south a grain growing country—the center, lying on the ridge dividing the waters of the Lake from those of the Ohio river, forming an excellent water power by the waters of the Cuyahoga, Tuscarawas and smaller streams.

     The original population of this township was mostly of Ger­man descent, and the cast and tone of morals, and society still retain a decidedly German character. Honest, frugal, indus­trious and wealthy, are characteristics of the inhabitants. Superstitious notions about "spooks," were formerly somewhat common, but education, which is advancing rapidly among the inhabitants, is dispelling those notions of a former age, and creating an enlightened and intelligent race. With the bone and muscle of the German, united with the refinement of Anglo-Saxon, a population is coming up that will rank with the best "bone, muscle, and mind of the county."

     In the early settlement of the township the low grounds were noted for the appearance of the "ignis fatuus," or Will-with-a-­wisp. By the superstitious they were supposed to be the spirits of the Indians, or "spooks," who had come back to visit their hunting grounds. Previous to the war of 1812, Indians were quite plenty, but as they sided with the British they had to leave the country, since which an Indian has rarely been seen in the town. Their principal location was on the head waters of the Nimishilla, on sections 36 and 25 where the remains of their old forts and wigwams are yet to be seen.

     The N. W. quarter of section 25, on land purchased by Cor­nelius Johnson, of the U. S. in 1813, and on which he yet re­sides, appears to have been a favorite hunting ground of the In­dians, as arrow heads, hatches, skinning knives, and other im­plements, have been found there in great abundance.

     From the numerous flint chips found on that quarter of the section, it would seem to have been a place for manufacturing their stone hatchets and arrow heads. Where they found the stone is unknown.

     This spot seems to have been selected on account of its being light timbered, clear from underbrush, and elevated a little above the surrounding lands. Scattered over this elevated plateau, were found piles of stone, varying in size from a man's fist to his head, and arranged in heaps of from 4 xx xxxx to a little larger or smaller.

     Tradition assigns to them the honor of holding the ashes of some warrior or chief, but as no bones or human remains have ever been found in them, I am inclined to think them altars, on

which they sacrificed to their Gods, and the spirits of their de­parted Braves. Among all the tribes sacrifices were common ; and from these small and rude tumuli to the vast sacrificial mound of Cholula, we can trace the Jewish Altai—the tradition of which still lingers among these remnants of the lost tribes on which, in imitation of their ancient brethren, in the palmy days of Judea, they offer tobacco to the god of Peace, and a dog to the god of War*

(* In confirmation of this opinion that these heaps of stones are altars, and that the idea of them is derived from the ancient Jewish custom of erecting a pillar of a single stone, or a heap of stones, on which to sacrifice, to commemorate some remarkable occurrence, I offer the following; :—At the foot of the Rapids of the Maumee, near Wayne's battle ground, is a rock, on or near which the Indian Chief Turkey Foot died, from wounds received in that battle. The Indians have carved a rude resemblance of a Turkey's foot on that rock, and to this day in passing it, they deposit on it a piece of tobacco as an offering to the spirit of Turkey Foot, their favorite chief.

     The Jewish custom was similar, except in the thing offered—as appears from their records :—"And Jacob took of the stones of that place and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar and poured oil upon the top of it. [Gen. 28, v. 11 and 18.

     "Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, gather stones,' and they took stones, and made an heap, and they did cat there, upon the heap. Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount." [Gen. 31, v. 45, 46, and 54. )

     Tradition says that one of the early settlers in Green attempt­ed to desecrate one of these tumuli, but after throwing down three or four feet of it, and when he was, as he supposed, about to accomplish his object, he was seized with a supernatural fear, and abandoned the enterprise. Many of the early settlers dreaded the spirit of the dead Indian far more than they did the living spirit encased in flesh and bones, however well armed. Even the harmless Wili-o'-the-wisp caused the strong man to tremble, as he paced his solitary way through the forest, and his imagination painted it as the spirit of the injured red man, returned to his native haunts to upbraid the pale faces for their fraud and double tongues.

     Among the celebrated Indians who used this township for a hunting ground, was a chief, called by the whites "Beaver Hat." He had a settlement in the south part of the village of Wooster, where the Baptist burying ground now is. His Indian name was Paupellnan and his settlement he called "Apple Chanquecake,” or apple orchard. He was a bitter enemy of the whites, and, when drunk, he would take out a string with 13 white men's tongues on it, dried, and exhibit them with much pride. One day he got out his string of tongues, and began to shake them, when George Harter took his rifle, and starts d after him, saying he would go and kill a buck. The report of a rifle was soon after heard, bat he brought back no game, nor was Beaver Hat ever heard of more.

     One of the greatest curiosities of the Township, in the early settlement, was "Rattle-snake Spring," on section 25, first owned by John Yarrick. It is on the road from Greentown to Greensburg. When. Yarrick first purchased this land, this spring was a great resort for Rattle Snakes. It issues from a crevice in a lime stone rock, overlaid with a bold bank of about 20 feet high. In the fall of the year; the snakes would resort to this spring, and enter the crevice of the rock, where they remained through the winter.

     When the warmth of spring revived them from their torpor, they would emerge, from their winter quarters to bask in the sun. At this season they fed an easy prey to the destroyer. Yarrick and his family would kill hundreds of them, pile them on a log heap, and burn them. By this wholesale butchery, this enemy of God and man was soon extirpated, and nothing now remains of that " representative of the transgression," but his name.