In the autumn of 1815, John Cranston gathered his daughter, five sons, and a band of twenty-four New England souls and set out from Rice City, Rhode Island, for the far West. This account, written by a descendant looking back across more than eighty years, follows them over near-impassable mountains, across a flooded creek they crossed by canoe and rope, and into the rich, wild township of Rush, Ohio—a country of wolves, panthers, and bears, where grass grew tall enough to tie over a rider’s head. Here are Yankees scorned for being Yankees, a daughter who survived her own funeral preparations in Cuba, and a people who carved homes from wilderness. It is a debt of gratitude, the writer insists, equal to what we owe the heroes of 1776.
Also are two “Google Earth” images showing basically where the John Cranston farm was near Woodstock and its geographic relation to Columbus, Ohio.
Here is the text of the entire letter. Images of the actual text are shown below.
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Early in the fall of 1815, John Cranston and his daughter Phebe Ann; sons, Stephen, John Bradford, Ephraim, Christopher and Edwards in company with a number of other families started from Rice City, R.I. to make a home in the then Far West.
The little band numbered twenty-four souls in all, natives of Connecticut and Rhode Island, who gathered at this place as a rallying and starting point. They were just six weeks on the road and experienced the usual vicissitudes of emigrants.
The roads over the mountains were in places almost impassable and, in descending them, they had at times to chain the wheels of their wagons and let them slide along for quite a distance. One among the not least discouraging of their numerous difficulties was met and overcome in the following manner, at what was then called Big Belly Creek, near Columbus, Ohio.
On reaching this stream it was too much swollen to admit of fording, and they at length enlisted the services of a man with a canoe, who first ferried over the people and then their goods. They then swam the horses across, unpacked the bed-cords, tied them to the wagon tongue on the opposite side of the creek, hitched the horses to the cord and then drew them over. Stopping awhile at Worthington acquaintances were made with Col. Kilbourn’s family that were cherished through life; and even yet, the descendants of the Cranstons hold friendly relations.
Columbus was a small place and the —
— readily see with what emphasis would be exclaimed, “Eureka,” for it is surely one of the most beautiful and fertile districts of the West. Its general surface can almost be termed a perfect plain, for the greater portion of the entire township is so level that were a dispute to arise, its settlement would call into question the spirit level. The surface in the north might properly be classed as slightly undulating and hilly, but with this exception, the township is the level plain above described. In the early history of this country the southern part was covered by a dense growth of prairie grass, interspersed here and there with swamps covered with a profusion of rush.
These swamps in later days have been tiled and drained and now form some of the richest farms in the township. The character of the soil is of that rich, black quality generally found in our bottom lands, saving that in the north on the slightly hilly and undulating portions where it is of a sandy and clayey nature. In fertility, it is second to none. The land is well timbered, there yet remaining probably one-fourth of its acreage in forests, and those being pretty equally distributed over the township. The timber of the northern part consists of a variety, such as beech, hickory, oak, maple, linden, ash, elm, sugar, black and white walnut, etc., etc.; while that of the southern portion is mostly oak, with here and there a shell-bark hickory.”
The district is well watered; Big Darby, probably indebted for its name to the Indians, is the largest, flowing across the north-east corner; Pleasant Run, passing from west to east through almost the center, forming the dividing line between North Lewisburg and Woodstock precincts. Spain’s, Proctor and Treacle Creeks with other tributaries of Little and Big Darby add their waters to this fertile region.
The N.Y.P.&O. Railroad passes through N. Lewisburg and the Pan Handle, through Woodstock, furnishing the people with excellent and ample facilities for marketing their products. The name of Rush may have been derived from the swamps covered with rush, but John B. Cranston was impressed with the idea that the name came from Benjamin Rush, member of the Continental Congress and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.”
Among the early reminiscences of frontier life, as related by Mr. Cranston, we quote the following: “It seems that at some place between Mechanicsburg and Springfield, there was a small settlement of people, who either came from Virginia or Pennsylvania, and who evinced a decided horror of Yankees, as they termed all those who came from the New England States.
One day John B. went with his father to the settlement spoken of above, for the purpose of paying for and bringing back with them some cattle which his father had bargained for some days previous. On arriving at their destination, the old gentleman found the cattle as represented, and proceeded to count out the money; but, by some mischance during the operation, disclosed the fact that he was one of the terrible sect called Yankees. Upon hearing this, the man of whom they had purchased the cattle declined to have any dealings with Yankees, and absolutely refused to let them have the cattle under any circumstances, and they were obliged to return without them.
Margin Note: “This country is now traversed in almost every direction by good pikes and they are all free.”
Speaking in regard to the roads that ran through the settlement at an early date, Mr. Cranston said that he once started to Cincinnati in a two-horse wagon with a small load of cheese for market. The roads were very bad, and the end of the first day’s journey found him at the small lake just north of Mechanicsburg, only about ten miles from starting-point. Taking the horses from the wagon, he returned home that evening and went back next morning with a yoke of oxen in addition to his horses; and in this manner made the trip, consuming just two weeks’ time in the journey and sleeping most of the time in his wagon.”
Dairying became a prominent business in connection with agricultural pursuits, the natural grazing facilities favoring it when the cause of milk-sickness could be overcome.
Thus dwelt these early pioneers amidst the wilds of nature, aroused occasionally by the howl of the wolf, that visited and devoured their flocks by night, the screech of the panther, the rapid flight of the timid deer or the whoop of the red man as he prowled about his former hunting grounds.
Riding through the tall grass on horse-back it could be tied over one’s head, and when turning, a bear has been seen following in the path. But the blue-wreathed smoke from the hospitable cabins, the ax resounding through the forest, the scythe laying the swaths of grass and the sickle gathering in the sheaves of grain all gave evidence that civilization had secured a foothold and the work of transformation was going on.
The log-rolling, the house-raising, and mutual exchanges of labor were necessary pastimes; and school houses soon claimed the children and spelling-schools —debates brought out the older ones for neighborhood association and advancement. The preacher and exhorter were not lacking in their midst.
John Cranston gave a division of land to each son who married, thus settling them near him; and at the age of seventy years when he died, Stephen, John Bradford and Ephraim were living on adjoining farms. Christopher and Edwards were with him and shared in the original home until Edwards married when they bought another farm which he occupied.
Phebe Ann had previously married Andrew Savage and gone away, living awhile in Cincinnati, when Christopher was with her attending the Woodward High-School and assisting in their store. In time he returned and Mrs. Savage went to Cuba, whence her husband had preceded her. She there had yellow fever and preparations were made for her funeral which she was wholly cognizant of but for a time powerless to resist. Yet, she survived and often spoke of her joyful convalescence and other pleasant incidents of her life there.
Leaving her husband, she returned to the home of her father, occupied by the two younger brothers, engaging with them in their farm-life, until receiving money equivalent to the property given the sons as willed to her by her father; she went to Columbus and engaged in mercantile business — [interlined: millinery and fancy-goods].
She afterward married Thomas Johnson with a family of sons and daughters; who were, in time, the wagon, he returned home that evening and went back the next morning with a yoke of oxen in addition to his horses; and in this manner made the trip, consuming just two week’s time in the journey and sleeping most of the time in his wagon.” Trips of this kind were taken twice or more times a year to either Columbus or Cincinnati for exchange of produce and supplies.
With brave hearts and stalwart arms the conditions of this new country were nobly met and battled with; until in the language of another, “Glances of retrospection running back over the long distance of more than eighty years bring back to the retentive memory of man the names of Cranston and others; who endured all the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life, and to whom their descendants are under as great a debt of gratitude as are we to the heroes of 1776, who gave us liberty and rights; and the old pioneers — God bless them! gave us homes in which to enjoy these great blessings.
Could our fore-fathers, weary by their tiresome journey from the far-off fields of the classic East and New England’s rock-bound coast have viewed the tract of land now comprising the township of Rush in its present state, we can readily see with what emphasis would be exclaimed, “Eureka,” for it is surely one of the most beautiful and fertile districts of the West.
The pleasant village of Lewisburg in the north with the N.Y.P.&O. Railroad passing through; and Woodstock near the center, on the “Pan Handle” route, furnish the people with excellent and ample facilities for marketing their products. And this country is now traversed in almost every direction, by good pikes and they are all free. No better —
(That’s the end of the letter)
