STATEMENT OF CHRISTIAN RUDOLPH, OF
LANCASTER.

Christian Rudolph came to Lancaster in 1815, when it was little more than a log-cabin town. The same fall he hired himself to Richard M. Johnson, who then had the contract for carrying the mail from Pittsburg to Limestone (Maysville), Kentucky. He was then fifteen years of age. He commenced carrying the mail in October of that year on horseback. His route was from Lancaster to Zanesville, and back, over Zane's trace. The route required him often to be out all night, which, over the narrow road, and through the forests, especially in very dark nights, was a lonesome and dreary business. It was often so dark that he could see no part of the road, and was obliged to depend on the better eyes of his horse to follow the path. On one occasion he arrived at Zanesville late in the night, and being behind time, he received his mail and turned back, and came as far as Somerset without feeding or taking a bite to eat. In these mail routes he forded the streams that were fordable, sometimes when they were dangerously high. The rivers were crossed in canoes, and horses changed on each side.

Two or three years after he began to carry the mail, open box-wagons were put upon the road. . I think he said the new contract required the mail to be carried six months in wagons, and six months on horseback. This latter contract was by J. S. Dugan. Stage-coaches were introduced on the route by Mr. Dugan, about the year 1820.

Mr. Rudolph carried the mail in all about five years, when he purchased a four-horse coach and team, which he drove four years as a common carrier, and then opened a livery-stable, in which business he is still engaged, at the age of about seventyseven years.

He spoke of the taverns in Lancaster at the time of his arrival. John Swoyer kept a house of entertainment on what, for many years, has been known as the Shaeffer corner, now

occupied by George Beck's drug store. Frederick Shaeffer succeeded him as hotel-keeper. Mr. Beck, father of the present George and Jacob Beck, kept a tavern on Columbus street, on the grounds now occupied by the dwelling of George Beck. It was known as the Black Horse Tavern. Mr. Beck also had a blacksmith-shop on the same lot. A third tavern was then kept on what is sometimes spoken of as the Latta corner, on Main street, east of the Public Square, by Thomas Sturgeon. Mr. Sturgeon was uncle to Thomas Sturgeon, now of Lancaster. The store-keepers at that time were: John Creed, between McCrackin's alley and Columbus street. Wm. and Christian King, on the corner now occupied by Beecher White as a drug store. Frederick A. Foster kept a store also on the same square; all on the north side. Mr. Rudolph thinks the buildings were either frames, or log-houses weather-boarded. At that time the town was all below the hill. He stated that Sosthenes McCabe had the contract for furnishing the brick for the old Court-house, and that he made them for two dollars and fifty cents a thousand.

RECOLLECTIONS OF MRS. VAN PEARCE.

Mrs. Van Pearce was of the Carpenter family, and was born on what is now the Giesy farm, one mile south of Lancaster, in the year 1800. John Van Pearce, her late husband, was brought across the mountains when a child-part of the way strapped fast to a pack-saddle. He came in 1810.

Mrs. Van Pearce remembers Lancaster when it was a village of log-cabins in the woods. She claims to have been the first white female child born in the county. She was the daughter of John Carpenter, Jr., and her mother was a sister of Emanuel Carpenter, Jr., who was the proprietor of the south part of Lancaster.

She referred to a few incidents of her childhood days. On one occasion, when her mother had gone to visit the family of Rudolph Pitcher, she being as she thinks about four or five years old, she wandered away from home, and can just recall the circumstance of lying in the door of some cabin in the vil

lage and crying for a piece of bread, and that she was eating it when she was found by her scared family.

At another time she went with other children to gather hickory-nuts, over in the vicinity of Kuntz's mill. When she came out of the bushes that were close up to her father's yard-fence, she was greatly surprised at seeing the yard filled with people, all seated on the ground. They were Indians. Her mother came out with all the cold victuals she could find, and divided it among them, giving each one a pittance, which they ate, and then went peacefully away. The had papooses, which Mrs. Pearce says she took and nursed, which pleased the squaws very much.

She said that during the Indian scare in 1812, her father refused to leave his own house, and that he rolled bars of lead round, and then cut them in small pieces, and rolled them in the bottom of a large iron kettle, to be used as shot if the Indians came on him, designing to make his house his fort, and the windows port-holes. She spoke of the Dr. Shawk family, the Pitcher family, and many others then here. Between their house and town all was thick woods and marshy prairie, and the only road was a path.

She remembered going to school in town to two teachers, named Rober and Smith. The first meeting she remembers going to was in a log-cabin below where Mr. Prindle now lives. She spoke of Carpenter's mill, the first built-where Kuntz's mill subsequently stood. Her story of how the people lived, and what they did, and how they did it, was the same given in several places throughout this volume. It was the pioneer age; and pioneer life differed in no essential points throughout all of the great North-west at the same era.

STATEMENT OF F. A. FOSTER, OF LANCASTER.

Mr. Foster came to Lancaster in 1810. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on the 7th of May, 1791, and is therefore at this writing 86 years of age. He was first employed as a clerk, and at about 1816 began business on his own account, and was for many years one of Lancaster's dry

goods merchants. He named the following dry goods men who were in business when he came :

Samuel F. McCraken
Archibald Carnahan

Christian and William King, Nathaniel Cushing, on what is still spoken of as Connell's corner. sold goods on the old Green corner. had a store about where the First National Bank stands. John Creed sold goods near the spot where Bininger's jewelry store stands. Rudolph Pitcher also sold goods, and Andrew Crocket had a store where Giesy's block is, on the south side of Main street.

There were others who came in afterwards and sold dry goods. Jacob Green came from Tarleton at an early day. Then followed John Black, Samuel Rogers, Jesse Beecher, Elenathan Schofield, Thomas Cushing, Latta & Connell, Robt. Smith, and Ainsworth and Willock. All the above were more or less engaged in selling dry goods previous to 1825. There were no groceries, as such. Everything in the grocery line was kept in the dry goods stores, as also iron, hardware, cutlery and all kinds of farmers' goods, such as sythes, sickles, hoes, grubbing-hoes, chopping-axes, pitchforks; all kinds of castings; nails, saddle-stirrups, bridle-bits, log-chains and trace-chains; spades, andirons, smooth-irons, drawing-knives, augurs, gimlets, chisels; a great many things not now in use; and whisky.

He stated that the Lancaster Ohio Bank went into operation in 1816, and closed 'in about 1842. After it resolved to wind up, the officers contracted with Jacob Green to redeem all outstanding notes, for the sum of $4,001. The amounts came out about even. The bank was solvent, and nobody lost anything by it, with the exception of some slight shaves on some of its notes in changing hands after it suspended operations.

The first President of the bank was Philemon Beecher, who, Mr. Foster thinks, remained about one year, when he was succeeded by John Creed, who continued to be its President until it ceased. Michael Garaghty was Cashier throughout the entire course of the bank.

The immediate cause of the close of the bank was the refusal of the Legislature to renew its charter. At that time there was found to be on hand about three-quarters of a million of dollars of unissued bills of all denominations. These

were, by the order of the Directors, delivered over to Fred. erick A. Foster and Jacob Green, to be burned, which they proceeded to do.

Mr. Foster referred to the typhoid epidemic that prevailed in Lancaster in 1823. He remarked, that to the best of his recollection, only two persons in the town escaped its influence entirely, whom he named as Christian Weaver and himself. A great number of leading citizens died.

At the time of Mr. Foster's coming to Lancaster there was but one brick building in the place, and that was the office since known as that of John T. Brazee, on the Schofield corner, Main street. In the fall of the same year, viz.: 1810, Philemon Beecher built his brick office adjoining his residence, on what is at present known as Rising's corner-once Beecher's corner, on Main and Columbus streets. The third brick building was a residence, which is still standing, and at this time occupied by Henry Reindmond, on the north side of Main street going east, up the hill. It was built by Rev. John Wright, first pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Lancaster. The very first tavern in Lancaster was on Wheeling street, south side, a little below Center, or McCracken's alley. It was a log building, and was removed at an early day.

RECOLLECTIONS OF REV. ELIAS VANDEMARK.

Mr. Vandemark, when a boy of five years, came with his father, Gared Vandemark, from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and settled three miles north-west of Lancaster, in the year 1810, and in the autumn of that year. Their first location was on the same spot which was the residence of the late John Levering. Their nearest neighbor was Adam Bear, father of Adam Bear, who at this time resides on the same place of his father. He spoke of the following persons at that time residing within neighboring distance of his father's cabin: Peter Woodring, Joseph Hunter, Mr. McKey, Samuel Grabill, Joseph Work, Jesse Spurgeon and Mr. Stewart, father of the present Levi Stewart, of Lancaster.