Wolves and Bears in Trumbull County, Ohio

Warren's location in Trumbull County, Ohio.
Wikipedia image.

My 6th great grandmother Mary (Bretta?) Lane, her husband Henry Lane, and her children from both her marriages, were among the first settlers of Warren in Trumbull County, Ohio. Mary's two sons from her first marriage, Caleb Jones (our ancestor) and Edward Jones,  arrived in 1799. Henry Lane brought Mary and the younger children in the spring of 1800. 

Mary is an ancestor on my father's side of the family. (Note to my kids: You remember that Almus Hill's mother was Mary Ann Jones. Mary Bretta was Mary Ann Jones's great grandmother, and her son Caleb Jones was Mary Ann Jones's grandfather.)

A small book, Early Settlement of Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio,  written in 1876 by Leonard Case, has quite a bit of information about the Lane family and other pioneers of the area. I thought the following description of the wolves was interesting.  This comes from pages 4-5.

   Wolves and bears committed depredations almost continually upon the cattle and hogs, and other smaller vermin upon the domestic fowls. The wolves would approach even within two rods [about 35 feet] of the cabin, seize a pig, run off with it and eat it, and as soon as the flock became still again, would return again and seize another in like manner; pursuing their depredations to such an extent as to render it difficult to raise anything.  The wolves would likewise seize and destroy the weaker cattle. In winter, when quite hungry, they were bold and would come among the settlers' cabins.
   The writer recollects one night in February, 1801, when the weather had been stormy-- the wind then blowing a severe gale-- when the wolves attacked the cattle on the Bottoms, on Lots 35 & 42 in Warren. The cattle gathered together in large numbers; the oxen and stronger ones endeavoring to defend the weaker ones. They ran, bellowing from one place to another and the wolves, trying to seize their prey, howled fearfully. In the morning, it was evident that the oxen had pitched at the wolves, burying their horns up to their sculls [sic] in the mud and earth. Several of the weaker cattle were found badly bitten.
   The bears preyed more upon the larger hogs; frequently carrying off alive some weighing as much as 150 pounds, though they preferred smaller ones.
   The foxes and other vermin so preyed upon the domestic fowls, that for some years it was difficult to keep any. That wolves prey upon sheep is usual wherever they exist in the same vicinity; but they were so bad about Trumbull, in its early settlement, that the settlers were unable to protect the sheep from the ravages of the wolves, for six or seven years.

Related:  I wrote about my 2nd great grandfather Almus Hill some years ago in my Prairie Bluestem blog. See "The Almus Hill-Almus Lentz Legend."

Brave Orpha Baker

I searched in old census records last night for any and all women named Orpha in Columbiana County, Ohio, and adjoining counties. As I was browsing,  I came across the 1840 census record for Orphie Baker and her family. That poor woman -- God rest her soul --was alone that year with eight children under the age of 20 in her home. I can only imagine the challenges she was facing when the census taker recorded this snapshot of her family.

Orphie Baker
Home in 1840:  Elkrun, Columbiana, Ohio
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:   2
Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19:   2
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:   1
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9:   1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14:   2
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49:   1 (Orphie Baker)
Persons Employed in Agriculture:   2  (probably the two oldest boys)
Free White Persons - Under 20:  8
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 1
Total Free White Persons: 9
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves: 9

"Winter Afternoon" by Claude Howell

Orpha's husband, Richard Baker, died in November of 1836, according to family trees that I viewed on Ancestry. What an awful time of the year to be left a widow.

Tax records for 1837 show that Orpha owned 50 acres valued at $101. Other Bakers lived in the same township, so I hope they were her husband's brothers and cousins and that they gave her the support of an extended family. She must have been thankful for her two oldest sons who could do the heaviest work on the farm.

Pondering this lady's situation, I wondered if she might have remarried before long. But I saw in the 1850 census that Orpha Baker was still on the farm alone and still raising her family. Of the eight children, seven were still with her. And in 1860, Orpha Baker was still on her farm with three unmarried adult children and a young child with a different surname. (I'm guessing that the child might have been an orphaned relative or a motherless grandchild.)

On FindAGrave, I learned that Orpha Chamberlain Baker died in 1865. Her tombstone is in rough shape, but I am glad that her family made sure she had one. May she rest in peace. May her descendants respect and honor her. And may she be an inspiration to all of us who think we're entitled to whine every time little things happen.

Published in the Cadiz Sentinel (Cadiz, Ohio), 14 Mar 1834

Vaguely related:
The Sudden Freeze of 1836 

Spring Snow

One of winter's last sputters

Light snow fell in Christian County today and continues this evening. A few minutes ago, I went outside with Sophie and saw that the cars' windshields are covered, but the sidewalks are still clear. The snow will be gone soon after it stops falling, as the temperatures are not quite cold enough to prevent it melting.

A Visit to the Dermotologist

My receipt from the doctor -- and a coal train

Yesterday, I decided I could no longer postpone consulting a dermatologist about a mole on my face. So I called a doctor in Clarksville, and to my surprise, I got an appointment for 11:00 A.M. today. They had a cancellation, and I happened to call at the right moment.

I suppose the pending verdict on the mole was the reason I couldn't sleep last night. I wasn't consciously worrying, but I had extreme insomnia. At 4 AM, I looked at the clock and realized that in about three hours, the alarm was going to ring, sleep or no sleep. Sometime after that, I did drop off, and of course, I was sleeping very well when the alarm rang.

I found the doctor's office in Clarksville with no problem, and after half an hour of paperwork, and an hour of waiting in the reception area and in the examining room, I saw the doctor. She said the mole is a seborrheic keratose which is harmless, Since its itching is bothering me, she froze it with liquid nitrogen. I was thankful to have such a good diagnosis and quick treatment. I'm scheduled to see the doctor in ten weeks for a checkup and more cryosurgery, if necessary.

On the way home, I saw this coal train crossing Highway 181 south of Elkton.  My photograph, through the front window of my car, caught the reflection of my receipt from the doctor's office and superinposed it on the sky. It's sort of a symbol of my day.

Sewist? Not Me!

Strips for a rag rug and my trusty Singer 99-K

I've become aware of the term, "sewist", since joining a couple of sewing groups on Facebook. "Sewists" object to describing themselves with traditional nouns like seamstress or tailor (too limiting and sexist) or sewer (too easily confused with a sewage drain.)

First, let's talk about sewers, the people who sew. Anyone with low-average or better reading skills should know the meaning and pronunciation of "sewer" by its context. If people truly are confusing you, a person who sews, with a sewage drain, it says something about them, not about you. Either they aren't native English speakers, or they're cruel, stupid, and/or ignorant.

Now, on to "sewist." I have an instinctive dislike of  "sewist", based on 66 years of speaking English as my native language. Here's why. In English, most words ending with -ist are built on nouns, like these: 

• Therapy/therapist
• Race/racist
• Botany/botanist
• Atheism/atheist 
• Violin/violinist 
• Bicycle/bicyclist
• Colony/colonist
• Hygiene/hygienist
• Cartoon/cartoonist
• Piano/pianist
• Nutrition/nutritionist
• And so on...

And then we have some words ending with -ist that are built on adjectives. A few examples:

• Environmental/environmentalist
• Real/realist
• Federal/federalist
• General/generalist
• Special/Specialist
• National/nationalist
• And so on...

But English doesn't take verbs like "sew" and make them into nouns by adding "-ist." Every rule has its exceptions, but I can't think of even one example of that construction -- except for "sewist," if you want to call it a word.  (Update: the word typist has occurred to me, but type can be a noun as well as a verb, so it's not a perfect parallel to "sewist." Sew is always a verb.)

To test your instincts for the unwritten rules of the English language, here's a list of some verbs that can be made into nouns by adding a suffix.  Which would you choose? I hope this demonstrates why I think "sewist" is a silly, contrived word.

• Own: owner or ownist? 
• Rent: renter or rentist? 
• Jog: jogger or joggist?
• Make: maker or makist?
• Use:  user or usist?
• Run: runner or  runnist? 
• Bake: baker or bakist? 
• Preach: preacher or preachist? 
• Talk: talker or talkist? 
• Walk: walker or walkist? 
• Write: writer or writist? 
• Drive: driver or drivist? 
• Employ: employer or employist? 
• Clean: cleaner or cleanist? 
• Serve: server or servist? 
• Fight: fighter or fightist?
• Wash: washer or washist? 
• Build: builder or buildist?
• Hate: hater or hatist?
• Kill: killer or killist?
• Dance: dancer or dancist?
• Listen: listener or listenist?
• Think: thinker or thinkist?
• Observe: observer or observist?
• Read: reader or readist?
• Sell: seller or sellist? 
• Teach:  teacher or teachist?  
• Love: lover or lovist?
• Plan: planner or plannist?

Let me be clear.  I don't like the word "sewist."  It looks and sounds unnatural and incorrect. But I'm not opposed to using an inclusive word for people (men or women) who sew as a hobby.  I think of myself as a fabrics crafter, because I like to sew, quilt, make rag rugs, collect fabric, etc. It's an inclusive term. Get some fabric and you can be a fabrics crafter, too.

And if you don't want to be a crafter, quilter, tailor, seamstress, or sewer, why not be a seamster? That's a genuine English word with a long and honorable history.

March Snows Remembered

Last week, we enjoyed some beautiful spring weather. On Thursday, I spent all afternoon transplanting some daylilies that are springing up where they ought not be. On Friday, another pleasantly warm day, I admired my work. (I was too sore to do much else. Apparently I am out of practice at standing with my head in front of my knees.)

Tonight, the weather has reverted to winter. The grass is crusted with snow. The wind is gusting, and the temperature is hovering at the freezing point. The roads are probably a bit slick in places. March is letting us know that it's a tricky month, able to spring a surprise anytime it wants.

In our 25 years in Kentucky, we've seen tornadoes in March. We've endured some terrible March ice storms.  And we've had some significant March snows.

The photo below was taken on March 5, 2015. The high that day was 25°, and the low was 6°. Brrrr! The snow was so deep that Sophie, our Basset Hound, had to stay in our tracks so she wouldn't get high-centered. I wrote on Facebook that day,

We got at least a foot of snow here at the house. It came with wind so it drifted pretty high in some places, but in the level areas, it measures 12 inches or more. Our kids, beside the Mississippi River in the SW corner of KY got more like 15 inches and also in the next county north of here, there are some reports of 20 inches. The bad thing is that under the snow there are a couple inches of sleet and ice.

Sophie, our Basset Hound, and a March snow

Yep, that was a good one, March.  And here's another time you showed us what you can do!  On the evening of  March 7, 2008, our son Isaac and I had a memorable trip  through the snow. I got off work and scraped the snow off my car's windshield, then drove to Kroger and thawed Isaac's car. He got off work at 9 p.m., and we headed home through a swirl of snow. We couldn't tell where the lanes or the edges of the roads were, and when we turned off the highway onto the side roads, we had to bust snowdrifts.

The next morning, Isaac was supposed to be back at work, but he got stuck in our driveway. He called Kroger to let them know he was going to be late, and his manager accused him of inventing an excuse. The roads weren't bad in town, the manager said. I took this photo to help Isaac prove that it was different out in the country.

Snow in March, 2008

Tree Bark Powders at a Bulk Food Store

One of our local Mennonite bulk-food stores was selling these tree powders a few years ago. I don't recall seeing anything like this on their shelves recently. Maybe the tree bark powders did not sell well, or maybe their supplier doesn't carry them anymore.

According to Healthy Focus, white oak bark can be used as for its astringent,  antiseptic, or diuretic properties, for respiratory conditions or oral health, or externally for skin problems and wounds. They caution that white oak should not be taken more than 2 weeks at a time and that dosage recommendations should be followed carefully.

Black walnut powder has medicinal effects as well. Besides being a laxative, and astringent, it is also taken as an alterative (supposedly it alters a disease favorably). It's also used to treat tuberculosis --but please continue the TB treatment your doctor prescribed, and do not rely on black walnut powder! And black walnut can be used to treat a variety of skin conditions. Herbal Supplement Resource gives more information.

Women who are pregnant or nursing should never take an herbal remedy like a tree powder without their doctor's approval. And if you are taking other drugs or supplements, get your doctor's advice before beginning a tree powder treatment.

I don't recommend tree powders as a medicine in any way, shape, or form. I just thought it was interesting to see them for sale in a bulk-food store.

Eleanor Rigby, Rug Making Assistant

Here is little Eleanor Rugby -- umm, Eleanor Rigby, that is -- helping with my crochet project while I attend to other duties. I can count on her.

Eleanor at work with the crochet hook

Eleanor and I are making a second rug for my daughter's kitchen. It's a long runner, and I'm putting the final rows around the outside edge. It's a companion rug (related, but not identical) to this one.

Rag Rugs in a Little Contest

I love making rag rugs!  I do two types -- crocheted and twined -- and I participate in some Facebook groups for those crafts. Last month, Lora of Rags to Rugs by Lora saw a photo of a rug that I had posted on one of those groups and invited me to enter it into her monthly "Made by You" contest.

My February entry won second place

I accepted the invitation, and guess what happened!  I didn't win first place and the prize of $25 of rag rug supplies, but I did win second place and the honor of having my rug displayed in Lora's 2018 hall of fame.

A few days ago, Lora contacted me and asked me if I had another rug to enter this month. I sent her a photo of a twined rug I made recently (photo below.)

I don't think I will win any recognition at all this month, because there are several absolutely gorgeous rugs! They make my little rug look pretty humble. But if you would like, you can visit  Lora's Facebook page and vote for me by clicking the "Like" button under the photo of my rug.

Please  visit this link and vote for my rug by clicking "Like" under the photo.

Blooming Where You Are

One hot day last summer, I went with my daughter and son-in-law to look at a rambling home on an oddly shaped lot. Outside the kitchen, a tall privacy fence separated a small patio from a neighbor's property. This little rose, peeking through the boards, was a sweet surprise.

A rose that reached for the sunshine

It was a flower of unfortunate circumstances: born on the backside of the bush, crowded against a tall fence. But it followed the light, found the sunshine and bloomed. I'm glad I got to see it. I've thought a lot about it.