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CHAPTER V.
CONNEAUT TOWNSHIP.
pg. 522 - 526
ORGANIZATION - BOUNDARIES - NAME -
PHYSICAL FEATURES - AREA AND POPULATION - LAND COMPANIES -
FIRST PURCHASERS - EARLY SETTLERS - MILLS - SCHOOLS -
FRIENDS - CHURCHES - SUMMIT - PENN LINE - STEAMBURG.
CONNEAUT TOWNSHIP was organized July 9, 1800,
with the following boundaries: "Beginning at the
northeast corner of Shenango Township; thence northwardly
the breadth of eleven full tracts; thence westwardly the
length of eight tracts, together with the breadth of one
tract, to the western boundary of the State; thence by the
same northwardly to the northwest corner of Shenango
Township, thence by the same to the place of beginning."
As thus constituted it was the middle one of the three
original western townships of Crawford County, and included
the south half of present Conneaut, the southwest corner of
Summerhill, the western part of Summit and Sadsbury, all of
Pine and most of North Shenango. By a re-formation of
township lines, in 1829, Conneaut was reduced to its present
limits. It is situated on the western line of the
county, and is bounded on the north by Beaver and Spring
Townships, on the east by Summerhill and Summit, and on the
south by Pine and North Shenango.
Conneaut was the Indian term applied to the lake in
Sadsbury Township. It signifies "The Snow Place," and
was so called, it is supposed, from the fact that the snow
on the frozen lake lingered long after it had disappeared
from the surrounding land. Though the lake was not
within the original bounds of Conneaut Township, the latter
doubtless received its name from this body of water, or from
Conneaut Creek.
The surface is level or gently rolling. Paden
Creek flows southward through the western part, and Mill
Creek through the eastern part, both entering Shenango Creek
in Pine Township. Along the streams the soil is a
gravelly loam, and beyond it is generally a clay. It
produces good grass and grain; and dairying and
stock-raising form the chief vocations of the people.
Red and white oak, beech, hickory and other varieties of
timber densely covered the surface. Hemlock grew in
the southwest part.
Its area is 24, 492 acres. The population in 1850 was
1,807; in 1860, 1,867; in 1870, 1,729, and in 1880, 1,601.
The population of the original township in 1820 was 562.
Except a narrow strip along the western line, which was owned
by the American Land Company, the township was included
within the domain of the Pennsylvania Population Company.
The agent of this latter company was Jabez Colt, who,
in order to stimulate immigration to these lands, in the
summer of 1797, or earlier, engaged the services of a half
dozen or more sturdy, young, unmarried immigrants and made
an improvement called Colt's Station, in the eastern part of
the township, and probably at the south end of the dividing
line, between Tracts 710 and 711, or in Tract 715. For
several years they remained here, but the place did not
flourish and the land agent abandoned the settlement and
made another improvement in what is now Pine Township.
The following statement shows the condition of the
Population tracts in 1812, when the company closed its
business - the number of the tract, name of settler, date of
contract, number of acres, contracted for and its final
disposition
Ezekiel Murdock, Oct. 27, 1797, 200 acres, deed granted
Amos Line, assignee of Murdock;
684, Eliphalet Beebe, Nov. 9, 1797, 200 acres,
deed granted Amos Line, assignee of Beebe;
685, Samuel Hungerford, Nov. 9, 1797, 200
acres, slightly 8improved, then abandoned;
686, David Smith, Nov. 9, 1797, 200 acres, slightly
improved, then abandoned;
same tract, George Cook, Mar. 27, 1805, 100 acres,
abandoned;
687, Caleb Luce, Sept. 23, 1797, 100 acres, settled
under contract and deed granted Alexander Johnson,
assignee of Luce.
All of the above, except the last named, were intruded
upon in 1801, 1802 and 1803, but abandoned after a two or
three years' settlement.
689, David Luce, Sept. 23, 1797, 200 acres,
settlement completed;
690, John Reed, Nov. 7, 1797, 100 acres;
691, Sam Hunt, 200 acres, and 692, Samuel Hunt
Jr., 100 acres, Nov. 9, 1797, settled three or four
years and abandoned, intruded on in 1801, 1802 and 1803, and
since abandoned;
693, Amos Line, Nov. 9, 1797, 200 acres, settled and
deed granted;
694, John Shotwell, Nov. 20, 1797, improved but
abandoned and settled by an intruder;
695, Daniel Casey, Nov. 9, 1797, 200 acres deed
granted Casey Apr. 11, 1804;
696, Isaac Hunt, Nov. 9, 1797, 200 acres, settled and
deed delivered to Amos Line, assignee of Hunt;
697, James Reed, Nov. 7, 1797, 200 acres, settled
under contract, and deed granted Ralph Martin;
698, Isaac Parr, Nov. 9, 1797, 100 acres, settled
under contract;
701, John Parr, Nov. 9, 1807, 200 acres,
settlement completed under contract;
702, small improvement under contract and abandoned;
703, William Burnsides, Aug. 20, 1798, 100 acres,
slightly improved and abandoned, intruded on and again
abandoned;
704, Dennis Hughes, Oct. 7, 1797, 200 acres, settled
by an intruder;
705, Robert Martin, Dec. 2, 1809, 100 acres,
settled under contract;
706 and 707, William Latta, Apr. 27, 1805, 100 acres
each, settled under contract;
708, William Shotwell, Nov. 20, 1797, 200 acres, deed
granted Shotwell, but land settled by an intruder;
709, Joshua Duly, Oct. 4, 1799, 200 acres, settled
three or four years, abandoned, then settled by intruder;
710 and 711, improved by company, cleared and settled by
intruders three or four years, then abandoned by them;
712, Nathaniel Luce, Sept. 23, 1797, 200 acres,
settled under contract;
714, Jabez Colt, Nov. 20, 1797, 200 acres, deed
granted Colt;
715, improved for the company, eight acres cleared;
716, Thomas McGuire, Sept. 28, 1809, 100 acres,
settled under contract;
717, Samuel Fuller, Oct. 23, 1797, 200 acres, settled
under contract;
718, William Shotwell, Nov. 20, 1797, 200 acres, deed
granted Shotwell;
719, John Wilderman, Nov. 7, 1797, 200 acres,
settled, and deed granted Isaac Paden;
720, Samuel Hungerford, Nov. 9, 1797, small
improvement under contract, settled by an intruder;
721, James Elliston, Oct. 27, 1797, 200 acres,
settled under contract and deed granted Isaac Paden;
722, Obed Garwood, Oct. 27, 1797, 200 acres, deed
granted Garwood;
723, Thomas Crocket, Sept. 27, 1809, 100 acres
settled under contract;
724 and 725, Jabez Colt, Nov. 20, 1797, 200 acres
each, deeds granted Colt;
726, Moses McCay, Nov. 20, 1797, 200 acres, deed
delivered McCay;
727, Thomas Graham, Aug. 20, 1798, 100 acres, settled
under contract;
728, John Taylor, Feb. 10, 1810, 100 acres, settled
under contract;
729, George Wilderman, Oct. 19, 1797, 200 acres deed
delivered to William Shanks, assignee of
Wilderman;
730 and 731, wholly unsold;
732, swamp;
735, Jacob Wilderman, Nov. 7, 1797, 100 acres, small
improvement under contract and abandoned, intruded on and
abandoned;
736, Joseph Hayes, Nov. 15, 1797, 200 acres, settled
under contract and deed granted Henry Frey;
739 and 740, settled by intruders;
743, William McKibben, Nov. 20, 1797, 200 acres, deed
granted George Davis, assignee of McKibben.
The large number of abandonments and assignments are
particularly noticeable in this township. Pioneer
privations were severe and continuous. The labor of
clearing the timber was extremely arduous, and the soil was
often found too low and wet to produce crops. In
consequence, most of those who settled here either sold
their claims for the small price they would command or
abandoned them entirely and left the country.
Difficulties with the Land Company also arose, and increased
the discontent and emigration. Many were without
means, but did not remove until they were literally starved
out. In more than one instance planted potatoes were
dug up and greedily devoured by these primitive settlers.
The following were tax-paying residents of the township
in 1810: Alexander Johnston, William and Samuel
Latta, Robert Martin, John Parr, Samuel Potter, William and
Samuel Rankin, Samuel Brooks, Thomas Crockett, Henry Frey,
Obed Garwood, William Hill, Thomas McGuire and
Rebecca Paden. Alexander Johnson was a native of
Ireland, and settled on Tract 687, in the northeast corner
of the township, where he remained till death, leaving five
children: William, John, Mary (Lopeman), Jane
(McDowell) and Esther (Crockett). William
Latta, also a native of the Emerald Isle, was a hatter,
settled near Penn Line and after a few years removed from
the township. His brothers, Samuel, John and
Thomas, were also here, and made improvements, then
departed. Robert Martin, an Irishman, settled
near Steamburg, and resided there till his earthly labors
were ended by death. John Parr afterward
removed from the township. Samuel Potter settled in
the northern part about 1799. He came from
Elizabethtown, N. J., with an ox-team, part of his journey
lying through the woods, with only blazed trees as a guide.
He put out crops, reared a cabin, then at the end of the
season returned to New Jersey, and the following spring came
again to his new home, where he remained till his death, at
the age of ninety-three years. William and Samuel
Rankin hailed from Ireland. The former located at
Penn Line, where he cleared a large farm and remained till
death.
Samuel Brooks came in 1800 from Fayette County,
and settled on a farm of 266 acres in the southeast part of
the township. He brought his goods up French Creek on
a flat boat to Meadville, and thence by land to within a
mile of where he settled. He remained here till death,
and his descendants yet reside in the township.
Thomas Crockett was an Irishman, and settled on Tract
723, where his son now resides. He was a farmer, and
was drowned near Linesville. Henry Frey, of
German extraction, came from York County, in 1800. He
was an ardent Methodist, a shoe-maker by trade, and had
sixteen children, fifteen of whom attained maturity.
He died on the farm he settled on, Tract 736, and his
descendants still reside in the township. Obed
Garwood, brother to Joseph Garwood, formerly of
Summit Township, came from Fayette County. He was a
farmer and mill-wright, and settled on Tract 722, where his
sons now reside. William Hill settled on Tract
731 in the southwest part of the township, where he remained
till death. Thomas McGuire settled on Tract
716, but did not remain long.
Isaac Paden came early from Fayette County, and
located in the southwest part, where he remained through
life. Samuel Patterson, hailing from New
Jersey, settled on the site of Steamburg, where he cleared a
large farm and spent the remainder of his days.
The township settled slowly. As late as 1830
there were still few settlers within its bounds, but as the
lands were cleared the surface became drier and more
tillable; settlers flocked in, and the well stocked and
highly improved farms of to-day afford to the pioneer a
striking contrast with the desolate appearance of the
country fifty years ago.
The first grist and saw-mill was built by Mr. Paden
in the southwest part of Paden's Run prior to 1810.
The grist-mill was a small affair, having but one run of
stone, and operated only at intervals, when a sufficient
head of water had accumulated to run the mill. Obed
Garwood also operated an early grist-mill. A
carding-mill was formerly owned and operated for a number of
years by Thomas Logan.
Thomas McGuire, an Irishman, probably taught the
first school about 1810, in a cabin which stood near the
deserted Colt's Station. A year or two later
Samuel Garwood held a term in the southeast part of the
township. Educational advantages, however, were
extremely meager. A schoolhouse was built in 1818 two
miles south of the center near the Crockett Schoolhouse.
It was a log building 14x16, with stick and mud chimney,
fire place at one side, door on opposite side and hung on
wooden hinges, puncheon floor, windows 20x30 inches, cut
through the logs, with greased paper in place of glass, and
the entire building constructed without iron nails.
Messrs. Smith, Spaulding and Marshall were its
early teachers. The wages average about $8 per month
and payment was made in pork, butter, potatoes and other
commodities. In 1820 a similar house was built at Penn
Line, and the year following another, a mile northeast of
Summit Station.
An early society of Friends or Quakers had existence in
the township. It included in its membership Stephen
and Joseph Fish, Cornelius Lawson, Amos Line, William Hill,
David Ladner, Peter Thorn, Isaac Paden, John Rushmore,
and others to about the number of thirty. Meetings
were held at Mr. Lawson's dwelling until about 1840,
when a log church was erected in the northeast corner of
Tract 724, where hate church burial-ground is still
preserved, A few years later the society disbanded.
Frey's Chapel is a Methodist Episcopal Church
edifice, located in the south part of the township.
The Class that worships here dates its origin back to about
1818, when it was organized with eight members.
Meetings were held for many years at the cabin of Henry
Frey and afterward in the schoolhouse, until 1851, when
the present house of worship was erected at a cost of about
$1,500. The class then belonged to Espyville Circuit.
It is now a part of Linesville. The membership is
about fifty.
The First Congregational Church of Conneaut was
organized with seven members, May 2, 1833, by Rev. Peter
Hassinger. A house of worship was erected at
Conneaut Center in 1841, which was superseded by the present
structure, erected in 1873, at a cost of $2,500. The
first pastor was Rev. Hart; the present one Rev.
H. D. Lowing, who has been in charge many years.
The membership is about twenty-five.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Steamburg was
organized with about twenty members in 1867, by
Rev. R. C. Smith, the first pastor. The frame
church edifice was erected in 1870, at a cost of about
$1,500. The membership is now quite small, not
exceeding twenty. The society formerly was a part of
Linesville Circuit, but in 1883 was attached to Spring.
The Erie & Pittsburgh Railroad passes north and south
through the eastern part of the township. Summit, the
only station in Conneaut, is about midway between the north
and south line of the township. A store and a cheese
factory are found here, the latter owned by Charles
Corey. Center Road Station Postoffice is located
here.
Penn Line Postoffice is a hamlet in the western part of
Conneaut, consisting of about fifteen dwellings scattered
along the road, from the State line eastward, for a distance
of half a mile - a store, hotel, cheese factory, two
blacksmith shops, shoe shop and schoolhouse.
Steamburg Postoffice is a hamlet of a similar size in
the northern part, and contains a Methodist Church,
schoolhouse, store, blacksmith shop and cheese factory.
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