The Montgomery family were the first to locate in Conneaut, 1798. Robert Montgomery and wife, his oldest son, James, who had married the sister of Davis Bauldin, his two daughters, Sally, who became the wife of Captain Harper, and Anna, who became the wife of Aaron Wright, with Aaron Wright, then a young man, constituted the first family. They moved into �Stow Castle� at the mouth of Conneaut Creek.
James, Sr., bought the Christopher Ford farm, where he lived for a number of years, then sold to Mr. Ford and removed with is father, Robert Montgomery, to Austinburg, thence to Saybrook, thence to Ashtabula, where he died. Robert Sr., his father, returned to Conneaut to live with his daughter, Mrs. Aaron Wright. Mr. Wright built a house for him on the corner of Main and Mill streets, where now resides Captain C.W. Appleby. At this house of Grandfather Robert Montgomery, the Presbyterian Church was organized in 1819.
James, Jr., son of James, Sr., went to Kansas, and in the army of the Grand Republic, 1861-65, became Colonel of a colored regiment and firmly maintained the Union cause to his last. At the close of the war he returned to his home in Kansas, where he died.
Robert Montgomery, Jr., was preacher in the M.E. Church, and did not come to Ohio much later than his father and brothers.
The brothers of Aaron Wright, Esq., did not come to Ohio until 1815 � 23. There were six in his father�s family, viz., Eli, Smith, Derie, Jonathan, and Ebenezar, the youngest, who never came here. Nor did the four who followed Aaron to Conneaut long remain in the place. Eli went to Sandusky, O., Smith died in Lake Co., O., Derie died in Michigan, Jonathan died in Seneca Co., O.
Aaron Wright first lived in the �Stow Castle,� on the east side of the mouth of Conneaut creek, then in a log cabin on the Ford farm, then at the corner of Main and Mill street, the present location of G.W. Cummins, then in a frame house on Main street, now the site of William D. Jennings� residence, where he remained until his death, which occurred Nov. 9, 1853.
Among the surroundings of our South Ridge settlers there was an other family of whom we had not learned, which deserves an honorable mention for early adventures in the wilderness. It was Daniel Sawtell, Sr., born in Me., and while young removed to N.H. Thence to Susquehanna, Pa., thence to Springfield, Pa., and thence in the spring of 1803, two and one-fourth miles west of the Center road on the Clark Hunt farm, now owned by Geo. W. Howard, about a half a mile south of Shipboy�s Corner. Mr. Sawtell bought lands of the Wadsworths who had purchased large tracts of the Connecticut Land Co., to sell again. Mr. Sawtell;s family at that time consisted of four sons, Daniel, Jr., David, Alpha, Wm. Gould, and two daughters, Esther and Myranda. Obadiah, Zyattu, Marvin M., James M., and Lovisa were born in Ohio. Mr. Sawtell remained on this farm eight and one-half, then bought two hundred acres north, lying on both sides of Conneaut Creek, a part now owned by his grandson, Daniel G. Sawtell. Daniel, Sr., built on the present spot of the D. Cummins Canning factory. In the winter of 1812-13 Mr. Sawtell was employed to take provisions to the soldiers at Cleveland and contracting a fever, died. His remains were buried on the lot where now is Weldon & Babbit�s grocery store, across the street west of the Conneaut Bank Association. Daniel Sawtell, Jr., married and lived many years on the Clark Hunt farm, and was there in 1818. Hence, when Seth Thompson settled on the present John Howard farm, beside Judge King in Conneaut, John Law, east of Bliss� Corners, and David Niles on the Wm. Brydle place, there was Daniel Sawtell on the Geo. W. Howard farm. These being the nearest neighbors, from two or three miles away.
Mrs. Jacobs was born in 1801, and with her father moved to South Ridge in 1803, and has probably resided longest on the Western Reserve living. She is now 79 years old, enjoys good health and retains her mental powers remarkably well.
Abram Bennett of Ct., visited Ohio in 1812 to look at land, and returning he traded his fourty-five in Ct., for four hundred acres lying both sides of Conneaut Creek, east and south of David Niles�, and included lands now owned by Walker S. Bennett, D.W. Hayward, George Colby, George A. Ring, William Hardy, and others, and four hundred and forty-five dollars cash. The next year, 1813, Mr. Bennett sent his two sons, Isaac with his family, and Daniel, not married, to settle on these lands. To Isaac he gave forty acres and a yoke of oxen, and he moved into the Spooner house about twenty rods northwest of Walker S. Bennett�s present residence, and set out an orchard that still remains. In 1819 Daniel married, built his house on the corner where George A. Ring now lives and his father gave him fifty acres and a yoke of oxen. Later, Orvil came and took land east of Daniel, worked a few months and was killed, of whom we have given account elsewhere.
June 18, 1828, Abram Bennett, with others of his family, his son Nathan B. Bennett, and family arrived. Mr. Bennett, two older daughters, Fanny and Anna, married in Connecticut. The two younger ones, Emma and Miriah, came with him. The former soon returned and married in Connecticut, and the later became Mrs. George Barrett, of Kingsville, Nathan B. Bennett moved in to Orvil�s place and the other son, Ezra H., went to Iowa.
John Haviland, from Vermont, came to Conneaut in the Fall of 1816, and stopped during the Winter where now is the Gore road near Amboy. March 1, 1817 he moved onto the farm that now resides Augustus Horton, one and one-fourth miles east of Kent�s Corner, Monroe and about one mile west of Clark�s Corners. He purchased one hundred acres and began to clear a few acres by his house. Mr. Haviland�s nearest neighbor on the east was Jeremiah Bush, three miles in Pennsylvania, and the nearest one on the west was David Niles, two miles and a half, where now resides Wm. Brydle. He could not neighbor with Lemuel Jones because there was no way to get across Conneaut Creek. Mr. Haviland�s oldest and youngest children, who were boys, died in infancy. His five daughters married as follows: Miss Mary Ann married Asa Fuller; Miss Sally, Alvin Huntley; Miss Betsey S., Chas. Brown; Miss Laura M., Lewis A. Thayer; Miss Augusta A., Augustus H. Horton. Mr. Haviland was one of the men employed on the race-way of Eli Sanford�s mill in company with Theophilus Sanborn and John Eaton.
Danville Hayward, of Vermont, came to Amboy in the Fall of 1816, where he remained until the next June, 1817. He bought the lot of land lying east of Mr. Haviland, with whom he exchanged farms, bringing him between Mr. Haviland and Mr. Abbott. Mr. Hayward lived for several years in a log house and then built a two-story house, now the residence of Augustus H. Horton. Later, he sold, and with his son William, who is now the assessor of Conneaut, bought the farm now owned by D.W. Hayward, one mile east of South Ridge post office.
In 1820, Dana Jacobs came to Conneaut and bought of Judge Roger Skinner of York State, the farm now where his widow, Mrs. Esther Jacobs and her son Freedom and daughter Alice now live. Mr. Jacobs paid $3.00 per acre, then a dense forest.
In the Fall of 1826 Mr. Jacob�s brother, Rev. Asa Jacobs and family arrived and settled on the homestead where his son Volney and Olive live.
In the Spring of 1828 Luke Thayer, Se., father of Luke Jr., Lewis, and John came. Mr. Thayer bought the farm now owned by Capt. Goldsmith, two miles west of the post office. Already it had passed through several hands. Leonard Niles, son of David, purchased it of Gen. Wadsworth, and began a clearing. Mr. Niles sold to John Fox, and Mr. Fox to Mr. Thayer. Galen Thayer, another son of Luke Thayer, came some years later, worked at tailoring in Conneaut for sometime, afterward purchased he purchased the farm recently sold by N.W. Bartlett to the Pierce boys.
Joslin Ring moved the same time, 1828, in company, bringing a family of three daughters, Mary A., Lydia, and Angeline, and four sons Almon, John, Eleazer, and Lewis. Mr. Ring bought of Reuben Sanborn the farm now owned by D.H. Hayward. In due time Mr. and Mrs. Ring died and all the children except one, Almon, who remained, making several removals, having his children settled in life not far from his homestead.
Mrs. Patch, one of Luke Thayer�s daughters, with her family came with him. Herman and Truman were boys 12 and 10 years old, grew to manhood, and settled in life. Alsina remained with her mother until she married Earl Pierce.
Daniel Hatch after living at Hatch�s Corners, now Kent�s, twelve years, sold to Garrison Hunt, Mr. Hunt to Samuel Eaton. Mr. Hatch moved to Jonesville, Mich., but being so homesick, he returned without unloading his goods, to Conneaut, where he was variously employed until his death, which occurred March 13, 1867. His three older children, Calvin, Andrew S., and Eliza, died at ages 22, 11, and 53. His surviving sons are Rufus H., John Q.A., who resides in Michigan. Mr. Hatch�s widow still surviving at the advanced age of 87 years. Among the first official duties of which Mr. Hatch, as Justice of the Peace, performed, was to marry Elisha Farnham to Miss Mary A. Ring, Nov. 14, 1833. Some of his funny counsel to the bride was, never set a round piece of butter on the table during cold weather, for starvation would be sure to follow.
INCIDENTS
At the time the Wright families came to Conneaut, Oct. 16, 1811, there were eighty families in town. These at the rate of three persons to each, would make a population of about two hundred and forty.
The first white women who crossed Conneaut creek where is now Farnham�s mill, was Mrs. Ezekial Olds. She went with and oxen team, she riding one ox and her husband the other.
From Dec. 25, 1811 to March 1, 1812, the snow was deep and the Winter severe. While cutting and splitting wood, Sherman Wright cut his foot very badly, and was confined to his house six weeks. During this time his wife gave birth to one of her children and no physician nor help could be called.
In the Fall of 1814 one man in Conneaut made thirty barrels of cider and sold it for $10 per barrel. Salt was sold for $20 per barrel, wheat at $1.50 per bushel, and corn from seventy-five cents to $1.00 per bushel.