Watertown Burial Ground

The Marietta Times, November 4, 1869

Two miles and a half to the north west of Watertown village, in the township of Watertown, is one of the oldest burial places in Ohio. It is on the road from Watertown to Waterford. This graveyard is not properly taken care of. The fence is down, and several of the tombstones are broken, most likely by stray cattle. It is said that one of the pioneers was buried here as early as 1795, but no stone or other memorial attests the fact. The earliest inscription, so far as we could ascertain, is this:

"In memory of Giles Ford, who died, Sept. the 5th, 1797, in the 25th year of his age.

"How loved, how valued once, avails thee not,

To whom related, or by whom begot;

A heap of dust alone remains of thee;

'Tis all thou art, and all the proud shall be."

He perished early in the pioneer struggles of this western country. Near his grave is another, inscribed:

"In memory of Catharine Ford, wife of Capt. William Ford, who died Sept. 21, 1802, in the 54th year of her age."

Next, side by side, are the graves of the early settlers who bore that family name:

"Elizabeth Ford, wife of Capt. William Ford, died, August 16, 1819, aged 64."

"William Ford, Senr., died, October 9, 1823, aged 78 years."

"William Ford, Jr., died Sept. 15, 1823, in the 52d year of his age."

"Nancy Ford, wife of Judah Ford, died, March 6, 1809, in the 20th year of her age."

Capt. William Ford must have been nearly or quite fifty years old when he came to the West. He was thirty when the war of the Revolution began. William Ford, Jr., was born in 1770, and was grown up to manhood at the time of the settlement of Waterford. Father and son died within four weeks of each other in that fatal year, 1823. The period from 1821 to 1823 seems to have been remarkable for the mortal sickness, as the dates on the gravestones show.

"In memory of John Waterman, a native of Connecticut and one of the early settlers of Ohio, who departed this life, Sept. 1, 1834, in the 67th year of his age."

The grave of John Waterman is on the northeast side of the burying ground. Below are the graves of his children: Oliver (by his first wife, Margaret) died October 16, 1823, aged 1 year, 10 months; an infant daughter (by his second wife, Rachael) born 1826; one grave with rough and unmarked head an foot stones, that of a child probably; and, "Toulmin (son of John and Margaret Waterman) who died August 5, 1822, aged 3 years, 11 months."

The graves of John Waterman's first wife and second wife are at the end of this row: "Margaret, wife of John Waterman and relict of Stephen Potts, died August 28, 1823, aged 49 years." "Rachael, wife of John Waterman, died Nov. 9, 1833, aged 47 years."

Flavius Waterman was, we conjecture, the head of the first family of the name in the new settlement. There is now no stone over his grave, though one was set up long ago. He perished soon after coming to the West and was buried here, it is thought, as early as 1796 or 1797.

"Lydia Collins, wife of Charles Collins, and formerly wife of Flavius Waterman, died October 3, 1813, aged 70 years."

"Polly, wife of Ferrand Waterman, died July 18, 1852, in the 78th year of her age."

Born in 1774, Mrs. Polly Waterman must have lived through wondrous changes in her protracted life. She felt sorrow, too, for near her grave is that of a daughter, Polly, who died forty-three years before the mother, aged one year and three months.

The tombstone over the remains of David B. Waterman is one "with uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked:

"In Memory of David B. Waterman.

Died Aug the 21 1819

In the 45 year of his Age.

Behold my friends as you pass

By as you are now so once

was I as I am now you must be

Prepare for death and follow me."

Not far from David B. Waterman's grave rest the remains of Joseph Arnold who died on the 21st of August, 1868, at the remarkable age of 89. His wife (the daughter of Captain Reuben Stearns of R.I.) died twenty years before her husband, April 7, 1848, aged 66 years.

We had made other notes of the graves in this old burial ground, but we cannot now lay our hands on them. Of the individuals who rest here, or their families, the writer knows very little, but he supposes that they were of the bold, hardy, adventurous stock which furnishes the pioneers of every settlement.

Historical Sketch of Amos Porter

Marietta Daily Times, June 8, 1909

Subscriptions are now being received for the fund to be used in the erection at Lower Salem of a memorial to Amos Porter, which will be dedicated on July 15 of this year under the auspices of the Washington County Pioneer Association. As it is the desire that many people contribute to this fund, the subscriptions are in the sum of ten cents each.

Subscription books have been placed at various places throughout the county and people desiring to contribute to the fund will have no difficulty in finding them. Among those in Marietta is one at the office of The Times company, where subscriptions are being received. You can leave your dime there and receive a receipt for it, if convenient for you.

Amos Porter was the youngest and last survivor of the forty-eight pioneers who landed at Marietta on April 7, 1788. He was born at Chelsea, Massachusetts, February 20, 1769, and died at Lower Salem, Ohio, November 28, 1861. About two years after the famous landing, he returned to Massachusetts, making the entire journey on foot.

Mr. Porter's first wife was Sabra Toleman, who was the mother of all his children. His second wife was Mrs. Sally Perkins Sutton. His children were Amos, born January 18, 1796; William, November 4, 1797; Samuel, February 24, 1799; Thomas, November 7, 1800; Rufus, April 23, 1802, Hiram, April 4, 1804; Lydia, May 28, 1806; Jerusha, May 25, 1808; Almer, May 10, 1810.

Amos died in early manhood, unmarried. Rufus and Hiram died in childhood. William married three times, his first wife being Mary Sutton, his second Polly Stanley, and his third Mrs. Betsy Fowler Toleman. He had ten children. He and six of his children moved to southern Illinois, where he died. 

Samuel wedded Mary Palmer. He had three children and died at Salem, Ohio. Thomas first married Rhoda Sutton and later Polly Stille, having six children. At the time of the compilation of this history, 1881, all of them were dead with exception of Mrs. Joseph Cox of Lowell and Thomas Porter was then living at Belpre. He was a man of remarkable physical strength and activity and was a noted conductor of the underground railroad in years gone by.

Lydia married S. N. Meriam of Lowell, where they in 1881 resided, a well-preserved couple. Jerusha wedded a Mr. Davis and had three children, and in 1881 was supposed to be still living in the West. Almer, the youngest member of the family, lived on the homestead, where he died some time near 1890. He had six children: Eliza Porter Twiggs, Sally Porter Hall (dead), Meriden Porter Moore, Daniel Porter, Charles Porter and Hosea Porter.

 

Henderson Trust Sale

American Friend & Marietta Gazette, November 7, 1827

Under the authority of a deed of trust made to the subscribers by Alexander Henderson of Wood County and his wife for the benefit of Richard H. Henderson & others, dated the 11th of December 1825 and recorded in the Clerk's office of said County court of Wood, Deed Book No. 6, page 651, will be offered for sale for cash before the front door of the court house in Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia, on the 26th day of January, 1828, the tract of land in said deed described.

This is one of the finest farms in all Western Virginia, & take it altogether, none is known more attractive. It is situated in the county of Wood, immediately on the Ohio, and consists of upwards of 400 acres of rich bottom, beside the hill land adjoining. The bottom is all cleared and in cultivation, and yields the most abundant crops, it is about half a mile wide and never overflows.

The improvements are excellent, a large, new and commodious dwelling, a spacious barn, still-house, &c. &c. extensive orchards of choice fruits, and first rate meadows.

The estate is about 12 miles above Marietta and 24 above Parkersburg. A good market for its small productions is afforded by the boats which continually ply before it, and one of the routes examined for the projected Baltimore Railroad strikes the Ohio at this estate. The islands in front of the tract, as described in the deed, will be sold with it. A farmer, grazier, or active man of business would find this place every way worth his enquiry; and for picturesque beauty of situation and prospect, it is almost unrivaled. The undersigned convey the title vested in them, which is believed to be sound.

Erasmus G. Hamilton

James McIlhany

Sale of the Soap Factory

The Marietta Times, September 9, 1869

Desirable City Property at Auction.

Will be sold to the highest bidder, without reserve, on Saturday, September 11, 1869, at 11 o'clock A.M. on the premises:

Five City Lots,

Numbered 30, 37, 38, 45, and 47, situated in Marietta, west of Montgomery Street and fronting on Fourth and Fifth Streets, together with the buildings and appurtenances thereto attached.

On said lots are one frame dwelling, 1-1/2 story high, in good repair; one frame Soap Factory, 40 by 50 feet, 3-1/2 stories high; one stable, besides three other small buildings.

Also, at the same time and place, one good steam boiler, 20 feet long and 42 inches in diameter, cast iron heads; one cast iron (100 gallon) kettle; one wrought iron (800 gallon) kettle; 8-1/2 barrels of rosin; several large and small tanks suitable for oil; 3,000 lbs. of family Soap, 7 soap frames, 100 soap racks, and a large lot of second hand lumber.

Terms easy, which will be made known at time of sale.

Daniel Murdock.

Charles Jones, Auctioneer.