![]() He also practiced the medical profession, which consisted mainly in bleeding the patient. Morrison, who was a cabinet maker by trade as well as an undertaker. There was a man who lived in that vicinity by the name of William B. John Sperry built the stone jail at Burlington after the log jail burned down. The Bruce’s and Sperry’s were stonemasons and as there was not much stone masonry to do, they had to go long distances from home to get work to do. Our only neighbors were the Bruce’s and Sperry’s. A smart woman was reckoned with the amount of work she could do. Women made most of the clothing, making it through every process from the raw material to the finished product. It was said that they expected to see the big rear wheels catch up with the front ones. There were a few wagons in the county along the river, but a wagon at that time was rather a curiosity and when it was known that one to pass the road, the youngsters would gather at the roadside and follow it at some distance to see its great wheels roll on the ground. There were a few if any wagons and a man with a light running sled was considerably well fixed. ![]() Hay was gathered by hand rakes and forked sticks were used as pitchforks. The farming tools consisted of a shovel, plow, mattock, scythe, cradle, and hoes. People threshed their wheat with a flail or trampled it out by horses on the ground and blew the chaff out with a sheet. ![]() In my memory, things were in a very primitive state. Here we built our log cabin on the public lands and began clearing out the forests, while our flocks and herds roamed in the woods. Here we settled on the middle fork of Ice Creek in Perry Township, Lawrence County, OH. We remained at this place the following Summer, raised a small crop which was disposed of, then we proceeded on our journey down the Kanawha Valley and crossed the Ohio River near the mouth of the Big Sandy.įinding the people along the river all shaking with ague, we moved into the hill country where it was said it was healthier and where the game was more plentiful. When they killed the bear, it was divided into four parts, each family taking a quarter. Bear and game of all kinds were very plentiful, and I had the pleasure of accompanying the men to dig a bear out of his den. We all lived in common and passed the Winter very pleasantly. Ours was the fourth family in that neighborhood and it was several miles to the nearest settlement. Our Edwards Family crossed the Allegheny and Sewell Mountains and stopped at Carnfax’s Ferry, Nicholas County, Va, now WV, for the Winter. He disposed of all his goods and chattels, except some bed clothing and some necessary articles, which he packed on a bay mare, then we started for Ohio, my mother riding the mare, father and I walking accompanied by a dog and father carrying a gun. I was born in Eastern Va in 1812 and when a very small lad, my father decided to move west. Much could be said about the early political situation, the slavery question, and many other interesting incidents, but space at this time forbids, but to give you an insight into living conditions of the early days, I quote from a diary record kept my a grandfather who settled in this county very shortly after it was first settled. Edwards, one of the county’s leading history students, and was presented to the Tribune by him shortly before his death on Feb 19, 1939. ![]() Editor’s Note: This historical sketch of the Edwards Family and Lawrence County, Ohio, was written by the late Attorney H.M. ![]()
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