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Flax.

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     In those primitive times the raising of flax and the manufacturing of the same was an important business.  It could not be exchanged for or supplied by anything else.  The ground needed for cultivation had to  good mellow land, free from weeds, and was sown broadcast.  When grown and seed nearly ripe, it was pulled up by the roots by hand and spread upon the ground where it grew, and where it remained until dry. It was then bound in small bundles, and the seed pounded off with flails, after which it was taken to a meadow or pasture, and spread evenly on the grass to lie until the rail and weather

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had weakened the pith or inside of the steam, or rotted it sufficiently to be easily broken when dry.  It was then taken up and bound ready for the brake.  The brakeman would take a handful of flax and place it under the brake, and with his other hand ply the brake till all the sheaves were mashed fine.  Then the ends of the handfuls were slightly combed by what was called a hatchel, and the broken stems were thrown away as useless.  Then both ends were thoroughly combed, and the tow saved for use.  The flax that remained after these processes was fine, smooth and glossy.  The tow was carded on hand cards into rolls, or bats, and was spun on a "big wheel" like wool; but the flax was spread over a distaff and spun on a little wheel, and operated by the foot on a treadle.  This tread made the warp, and the tow yarn made the filling when woven into cloth which was called "tow and linen cloth," and was commonly worn by men for trousers in summer.  The linen warp was sometimes colored with copperas, a yellow brown, and filled with woolen yarn colored with butternut bark, and was called butternut jeans, and made winter clothing.  For a change, both linen chain and woolen filling were colored with indigo and made blue jeans for men and boys, coats and trousers.
     Experiments were made with other material, as of buckskin, the hide of the deer, when properly tanned was a soft, pliable leather, made into gloves, mittens and moccasins, very rarely into the garments for men or boys.
     Attempts were made to raise cotton, but in such small quantities, and lacking proper machinery to take the seeds out of the cotton, the effort was unsuccessful.
     At a later period a few families entered into silk culture, planted white mulberry trees, and had rooms fitted for feeding the worms, but it was considered an unhealthy business, and was abandoned.
     Perhaps no article of household furnishings was prized more highly than the long pendulum wall clock.  The firm of Reed

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and Watson, of Cleveland, Ohio, made them, and sold to farmers in Rutland, on nine months' time, for twenty dollars per clock.  Abel Larkin, Esq., bought one in December, 1813, and paid for it in flannel at one dollar a yard the next fall,  This clock of Judge Larkin's, bought in 1813, had been in constant use, and always keeping correct time, was still running in December, 1893, after eighty years of service.
     Among the few equipments of a log cabin, and a great convenience for cooking over the fire, was the crane.  It was a bar of iron fastened in staples in one side of the fireplace, and movable, hung with hooks of different lengths for the use of the kettles in cooking.  The teakettle, the pot with boiled dinner and the beans were easily hung over the log fire, while with a long shovel coals were drawn out from under the forestick and put on the hearth for the oven to bake the bread.
     Many a family have enjoyed a supper of mush and milk, sitting around the family table with bowls for the father and mother and tin cups and iron spoons for the children.  The best mush was made from the corn, grated on a tin grater, before the corn was quite hard enough to shell.  This was sifted, and carefully dropped by one hand into the water boiling in the kettle over the fire, while the other hand stirred it in; it had to be stirred all the while the meal was passing from the other hand to avoid lumps, and the boiling continued during the process.  The salt was put in the water first.
     To make bread, mills were necessary, and the pioneers used hand-mills for crushing corn and wheat.  In 1791, a floating mill was built in Marietta.  It required swift water to run this mill, which was operated in the Ohio river not far from the island now known as Blannerhasset, and ground wheat for the inhabitants for many miles distant during in Indian War.  Many canoe loads of grain were brought from Graham's Station, Point Pleasant and Gallipolis.  After Indian hostilities had ceased, the mill broke loose from it moorings and floated down the Ohio river some sixty miles, when the chain cable

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got entangled in a rock and retained it.  Some French settlers from Gallipolis bought it, and it was kept at Letart Falls, as the swift current there could run the mill.  The first name we have been able to obtain as miller at Letart was George Burns, but it is probable he was preceded by some man whose name is not recorded.
     In 1798, a floating mill was built by Col. Devol the second one by Col. Devol and Mr. Greene, which was on the Muskingum river several miles above Marietta, which did all the grinding for the inhabitants on the Ohio and Muskingum rivers for fifty miles above and below the mill.  This mill is referred to by Mr. Lutehr Heacox in his history of Olive township, and also by Mrs. Dolly Knight in her paper giving a history of Chester.
     In 1806, a saw and grist mill was buit on Leading creek by Brewster Higley, James E. Phelps and Joel Higley, Jr.  Asa Daine was the millwright.  The mill was known afterwards by the names of different owners, as Higley's mill, Bingham's mill and others.  Several miles farther up Leading creek was the grist mill built by Samuel Denny in 1803.  A saw mill was added subsequently, and this mill stood about twenty years.  A log mill was built on the middle fork of Shade river by Levi Stedman about 1808, the first mill in that locality, and he used hand millstones obtained from Mr. Trueman Heacox until proper millstones could be provided.
     In 1815, Thomas Rairdon built a grist mill at Long Bottom.  Samuel Grant took charge of the Stedman mill at Chester in 1820, and rebuilt it, although Levi Stedman has supplanted the log mill by a frame one; still it was a water mill, needing new machinery.
     Sloper's mill on Shade river farther down the stream than Chester was noted for making flour that would "raise" salt-rising bread, however dark.

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The First Church in Rutland, 1824.

     Cross' mill on Bowman's run was far in advance of other mills in turning out good flour.  This was a water mill, dating 1839.

     JOSEPH D. PLUMMER and his wife Dorothy came from Newburyport, Massachusetts, to Rutland, Ohio, having spent several months at Marietta, in the spring of 1817.  He bought of Eli Stedman the southwest corner of Congress Section No. 8, where he resided until his death, Oct. 16th, 1852, aged 81 years and 3 months.
    Mrs. Dorothy Plummer died Dec. 9th, 1854, aged 79 years 3 months.
    Their children were two sons and five daughters.  The eldest son Ebenezer took the lead in business.  He was influential in the building of the Presbyterian Church, the first church of that denomination in the township of Rutland, in 1820.  Mr. Eben Plummer was singer and led the singing in that church.  After his marriage he took care of his parents for a few years, when he sold to his brother, Herriman Plummer, and moved to some Western State.
     Herriman Plummer married Lucinda Stout, daughter of Benjamin Stout, who died, leaving quite a family of children, after some years.  For his second wife, Mr. Plummer married Miss Rebecca Mauck, of Gallia county, and spent a few of his last years in that county.  He was a man of great industry, and besides farming, he engaged in building boats, and in the salt business.
     Herriman Plummer was born April 6th, 1802, and died May 31st, 1894, at the age of 92 years and 25 days.
     Hannah Plummer, the oldest daughter of Joseph and Dorothy Plummer, was married to Jacob Rice, of Marrietta.  they had one son, Henry Rice, who lived on a part of the "old Plummer farm," and where he died in 1859, aged 36 years.
     Melinda Plummer was married to John C. Bestow, of Chester, had two sons, Joseph and Henry.  Mr. Bestow married to

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his first wife a daughter of Levi Stedman, who died leaving one son, Levi S. Bestow.
     The second wife died in a few years after marriage.
     Harriet Plummer was married to Robert McElhenney, of Middleport, and died Nov. 18th, 1855.
     Sarah Plummer was the wife of Lewis Nye, of Pomeroy, where he was engaged in the milling business, but after a few years moved to Illinois, where they both died.
     Eliza Plummer, the youngest daughter, never married.  She died Nov. 20th, 1873, aged 26 years.

     JOHN McVEY died in Salem township, Feb. 1st, 1885, aged 94 years.

     ALLEN SAYLES came to Rutland in 1819, and died there in 1838.  Mrs. Sayles died July 18th, 1851.

     MRS. NOAH SMITH had three daughters.  Nancy, married to Capt. Jesse Hubbell, of Rutland.  Jennie became Mrs. Maples, and Theresa Smith was married to Eliazer Barker, who was drowned in Leading creek in June, 1813.  She afterwards married Laundres Grant.
     In the fall of 1816 two brothers, Josiah and Robert Simpson came from Penobscot, Main, to Rutland, Ohio.  Josiah bought the northwest corner of Section No. 8, Congress land, and moved his family into a house on the premises.  They had a large family.  Josiah Simpson, Jr., married Theresa Higley, and had two daughters - Mary, Mrs. Thomas Kirker, and Adaline, Mrs. Samuel Higley.

     JOSIAH SIMPSON, Sr., died Feb. 18th, 1837, in his seventy-seventh year, and his wife died in 1840, aged sixty-four years.
     Josiah Simpson, Jr., died Apr. 12gth, 1874, and his wife Theresa died in 1862.  He had married a second wife in

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December, 1864, a widow, Mrs. Dixon, of Albany, Athens county.  Her first husband was Dr. Joseph Dixon, and they had two daughters, one of whom died unmarried.  The other is Mrs. John Bradford.  Mrs. Simpson died in 1890 (?)
     Nathan Simpson was the second son of Josiah Simpson, Sr., born May 20th, 1812.  He married Miss Liva Nye, daughter of George Nye, of Athens County, Ohio, who died June 11th, 1845, aged thirty-three years and twenty-two days.  Nathan Simpson and his wife Liva had one son and two daughters.  The son, G. Perry Simpson, became a lawyer and married a daughter of Mrs. Kennedy, of Salem township, and settled in Point Pleasant, W. Va., and practiced his profession while he lived.  His daughter, Miss Liva N. Simpson, was proprietor and editor of the Point Pleasant Gazette some years before her marriage.
     Two daughters of Nathan Simpson were Rosantha, who died young, and Mandana, who was married to Alvin Bingham of Rutland.  They lived in Middleport several years, then moved to Missouri, and afterward they went to Ironville, near Toledo, Ohio, where two of their sons were in business.  Mrs. Mandana Bingham died there in 1896.
     The daughters of Josiah Simpson, Sr., were Eliza, Mrs. Ransom Harding; Nancy Simpson, became Mrs. Wheatley, of Indiana; Mary Simpson, Mrs. Simms; Betsy, the second wife of Ethan cowdery, lived on Shade rover; Ruth, Mrs. Dr. Abel Phelps, of Pomeroy, Ohio; Lydia, Mrs. Pullens; Susan Simpson, Mrs. Willis.  There was one son, John Simpson, who died in early manhood.
     Nathan Simpson married for his second wife Miss Nancy Hendry.  He was an associate judge in Meigs county six years; later filled the office of prosecuting attorney with ability and pubic approval.

     ROBERT SIMPSON bought the northeast corner of Congress Section No. 26 in Rutland township, 160 acres.  He sold this farm in a few years and purchased a fine tract of land near

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Harrisonville, in Scipio township, where he and his wife spent their remaining days.  Robert Simpson, Jr., succeeded his father in the possession of the homestead.  The daughters of Robert Simpson, Sr., were: Maria, Mrs. Elisha Hubbell Benedict; they moved to Kansas in 1856, and Mrs. Benedict died there.  Emily Simpson, the wife of Lucius Bingham, of Rutland, Ohio; Sarah Ann Simpson was married to Jeremiah Carpenter, of Columbia township and became the mother of a distinguished family; she died in 1887, aged eighty years and four months.

     AMOS CARPENTER. SR., came from Virginia at an early period and settled in Rutland township.  About 1818 he sold his farm there and bought a valuable tract of land in Columbia township.  Mrs. Carpenter's name was McLaughlin.  They spent their last days on this farm, leaving a fine estate to their children.

     JOHN NEWELL and family came from Massachusetts in 1816 to Fairfield county, Ohio.  He had bought land in Bedford township, Meigs county, four miles from the nearest house, and did not move his family to his land until 1819, after he had cleared it and many families had settled in the neighborhood.  Mr. Newell was a tanner and shoemaker.
     Mr. Newell died suddenly Oct. 14th, 1839.  Mrs. Newell died in 1871.  They had a large family of sons and daughters.  Sally was married to Silas Burnap and was the mother of Silas Asa Burnap, captain of an Ohio battery in the Civil War.  Harriet became the wife of Milton Walker, moved to Illinois; both died.  Dolly Newell married Benjamin Knight, of Chester, who was a justice of the peace for twenty years; he died Feb. 16th, 1872.  Rebecca Newell married Quartus Bridgman, of Syracuse, who died in the forties, leaving a family of six children - four sons and two daughters.

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     The Newell sons: Alonzo, who married Fanny Dyke and moved to Oregon, where they both died.  Franklin Newell moved to the South, married and then died there.  His son, Samuel Newell married Almira Knight, and their son is editor and proprietor of a newspaper in Ravenswood, W. Va.  The third generation of the Newell family were all first class citizens in Meigs county.  Mrs. Rebecca Bridgeman lost two sons in the war for the Union, Emory and Austin Bridgeman, who perished on that ill-fated steamboat, Sultana, at Vicksburg, Miss.  Zelda Bridgeman married John Blair, superintendent of the Syracuse Coal and Salt Works, Meigs county.  They are both dead.
     Lonnis H. Bridgeman married Artemesia Young, of Racine.  He was connected with the Syracuse Coal and Salt Company for many years and superintendent of the works after the resignation of Mr. John Blair.  Mr. Lonnis H. Bridgeman has ever been an earnest and successful superintendent of the Methodist Sunday school in Syracuse and in later years superintendent of the district of the State Sunday School Union.
     Quartus Bridgeman married Jessie McElroy, daughter of Captain J. C. McElroy, and occupied the homestead, his mother remaining there until her death.  He is identified with the best interests of the town and a worker in the Methodist church and Sunday school.
     Melinda Bridgeman died some years ago, the youngest child, unmarried.

     REV. ELI STEDMAN was born in Tunbridge, Vt., Aug. 17th, 1777, and was married to Polly Gates, Dec. 5th, 1798.  She was born Feb. 19th, 1778.  They came to Ohio in 1804, locating in Belpre, Washington county, but removed to Leading creek in 1805.  He was a preacher of the Free Will Baptist denomination.
     Mary Steadman, daughter of Eli Stedman and wife, was born June 16th 1805, and was married to Abner Stout, of Chester,

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Feb. 27th, 1825.  Mr. Abner Stout died Aug. 28th, 1875, and Mrs. Mary Stout died May 30th, 1882.  They were both estimable people and highly respected in the community.
     Auralia Stedman was a daughter of Eli Stedman and wife, and was born June 22d, 1815, in Rutland, Ohio.  She was married to Mr. Branch, of Chester, who died, leaving her a widow with two children.  Afterwards Mrs. Branch was married to Mr. Bartlett Paine, of Rutland.  She died May 27th, 1889, aged nearly seventy-four years.
     Alexander Stedman, son of Eli Stedman, was born in 1800 and died in Minnesota in 1869.
     Elihu Stedman was the youngest child of Eli Stedman and wife.  He married Adaline Elliott, daughter of Simeon Elliott, Esq., and a sister of Rev. Madison Elliott, at one time principal of the Chester Academy.  Elihu Stedman lived in Middleport many years, abut moved to Iowa.  Both are dead.

     CAPTAIN JESSE HUBBELL was born Sept. 25th, 1788, in Cooperstown, N. Y, founded by the father of James Fennimore Cooper, the novelist.  He served an apprenticeship to the tanning business.  In 1808 he came to Rutland, Ohio, where for a long series of years he followed his trade.  he was a soldier in the War of 1812, serving under General W. H. Harrison, and was familiarly called Captain Hubbell on account of the years spent in military service.  He was justice of the peace six years and one of the trustees of Rutland township eighteen years.  He married Nancy Smith, a daughter of Noah Smith, and his wife.  They had two daughters, Lurinda Hubbell was the wife of Curtis Larkin, who died about 1847; Sarah Hubbell, who was married to John Easterday.
     Capt. Jesse Hubbell died Oct. 17th, 1874 aged eighty-six years.

     SENECA HAIGHT was born in Washington, Dutchess county, N. Y.  He came to Rutland, Ohio, in 1835.  He held several offices of trust - as township clerk two years, commissioner

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one term and justice of the peace nine years.  He had two daughters.  Phebe Ann Haight was married to James Williamson, of Buffington Island; died in the eighties.  Mary Haight was the wife of William Skirvin.  Both are dead.
     Mr. Seneca Haight died Nov. 23rd, 1855, aged fifty-nine years.

     STEPHEN TITUS was born in Dutchess county, N. Y., June 20th, 1796, and moved to Meigs county in 1833, and was married to Margarhetta Lois Nye, daughter of Melzar Nye, of Leading creek, Dec. 18th, 1836.  He was an active, energetic citizen.  He represented this county in the Legislature in1840-41.  He was president of the Meigs County Agricultural Society and was president of that society six of the first years of its organization.  He died at his residence in Rutland Sept. 13th, 1871, aged seventy-five years, universally respected and lamented.  They had four children, Samuel, Phebe, Margaret and George.
    Mrs. Stephen Titus was no ordinary woman.  With a perfect physique, fine metal equipment, a thoroughly decided moral attitude for country and for god, she was a "perfect woman, nobly planned."  She was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Rutland for seventy-seven years; also a member of the Pioneer Association of Meigs county.  She died Oct. 31st, 1907, aged ninety-two years and two months.  Her home was with her son, George Titus, in the old homestead.  He is quite a prominent farmer; was sheriff of the county one or two terms.
     Major Samuel Titus was a soldier in the Civil War and lost an arm.  Margaret died in January, 1902.  Phebe, Mrs. Gleason, lives in Kansas.

     MELZAR NYE purchased land from Ebenezer Nye in 1809, situated below the mouth of Leading creek, but did not make a home there until 1826, when he came to Meigs county with his family.  There were five daughters and one son, Melzar Nye, Jr.  The daughters: Sarah became the wife of Lewis Maguet, of Gallipolis.  Margarhetta was married to Stephen Titus and lived in Meigs county.  Mary Nye was married twice; first husband, Nicholas Titus, and after his death the second husband was James Brown.
     Alvira Nye and Almira were twin sisters.  Alvira was Mrs Thomas Fessler and lived on the Nye farm, where Mr. Fessler died.  Almira Nye was married to Mr. Gates, of Gallia county.  Melzar Nye, Jr., moved to Mississippi.  Prominent members of the community while in Meigs county.  All are gone.
     Lewis Nye entered land in 1809.  Nial Nye, Sr., lived at the mouth of Kerr's run, before Meigs county was organized.  He had a family of sons and daughters.  The sons: Lewis, Rodolcue, Milton, Buckingham, Edward and Henry.  He had a store, and a postoffice called Nyesville, of which Mr. Nye was the postmaster; a boat landing for receiving and shipping goods to Chester and other places; a sawmill that was in operation many years.  Lewis Nye and Aaron Murdoch were successors of Haven & Stackpole in the steam flouring mill; later Lewis Nye moved west.  Milton Nye went to a Western State.  Rodolcue lived and died in Meigs county.  Edward Nye died.  His two sons are prosperous business men in Pomeroy.
    Murrain - One of the greatest difficulties with which the early settlers had to contend was a disease affecting cattle, and causing much loss, was known as murrain.  There were two kinds; one called dry murrain was the most prevalent, in which the manifolds became fevery and dry, and stopped all natural passages.  The animal would linger a few days in great distress and die.
     The other form was called bloody murrain and consisted of internal hemorrhages that generally proved fatal.
     Many remedies were tried with little success.  The murrain gradually disappeared after 1820.
     Abel Larkin was unable to raise a yoke of oxen before that time without at least one of them dying with murrain.
     It is said that Daniel Rathburn lost eighteen head of cattle in one season with murrain.

     WILLIAM PARKER came to Rutland in 1804, and built a cabin, and in 1805 moved his family from Marietta, bringing with him three yoke of oxen, and the nigh ox out of each yoke, died of murrain.  Good steers were the only property commanding cash in those days.  Good steers were the only property commanding cash in those days. Drovers would buy them at a low rate and drive them on foot to the eastern markets.  They were not bought by weight, but by the head, according to terms agreed upon by the parties.
     Another singular and disagreeable disease, though not fatal, was that of slabbers in horses.  They would stand, while a copious flow of saliva would issue from the mouth until puddles of water would collect at their feet.  The horse would become thin in flesh, and his strength be greatly diminished.  The disorder came immediately after the introduction of the white clover, and the cultivation of the grape.  Many causes were assigned by different persons as the cause of the disorder, but it is uncertain if any one discovered the real source of the trouble.  It continued many years and affected other kinds of stock, but gradually disappeared from the country.

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