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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
��town, and, in some respects, a remarkable one. They are all now living except Rebecca, who died in November, 1879, and with this excep- tion, and that of the father and mother, no death has occurred in the famih' for seventj'- four years. These children were born very near each other, the youngest being now sixty, and the oldest seventy-one.
Mr. James Purd}-, still living on West Mar- ket street in the eight3'-seventh 3'ear of his age, and in full possession of his mental faculties, came to Mansfield in 1823. He was born in Hopewell, York Co., Penn.. July 24, 1793. The following are a few of his personal recollections. He has always lieen prominent in the town and city, and, in the active period of his life, identi- fied with its material growth and prosperity' : •'When Gren. Hedges laid out the town, he donated a square of ground on each corner of his plat for public purposes. This square was equal to three lots. The one on the southwest corner (where the First Ward Schoolhouse is now located) was donated to the Presl:)yterians for a grave^^ard. This grave^'ard was aban- doned man}' years ago, most of those Ijuried having been removed to, and reburied in, the present cemetery. The square on the southeast corner was donated to the town for a grave- 3'ard ; and those on the northeast and north- west corners, for school purposes. One of the first schoolhouses was erected on one of these — the one on the northeast corner, where the soap works now stand. At that time, Robert McCombs* kept a store on the southwest corner of Third and Main ; Hugh McFall opposite, on the northwest corner ; a Mr. Ewing, opposite the North American, and Sturges and Sherwood on the Sturges corner. There were three hotels — the Wiler House, the Williams House (on the site of the North American) and a small
��♦Robert McOonibs was born February 17, 1797, in Washington Co., Penn., and came to Mansfield in 1817, engaging in the mercan- tile business. Retiring from this business in 1842, he became in- terested in railroads, and was a Director of the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newarlc Railroad until his death, April 20, 1865.
��house kept b}' a widow ladj- one door south of McComb's store.
"In 1816, a bank was started opposite the North American on Main street. It was called a bank, but never had a charter, and closed up in a few months, but lasted long enough to ruin most of its stockholders. The next bank was started in 1846, by Messrs. Patterson & Co., on the west side of the square, on the spot where the Farmer's Bank is now located. It did Inisiness a good many years, Ijut was not permanent. The first permanent Imnk was started by Mr. Purdy himself, in 1847. The lawyers were Ma}', CoflSnljerry, Purdy and Burr. Ma}' had a little 8x10 frame office on the southwest corner of Market street and the public square. There was quite a frog pond in front of his office. It was called Lake ]May. It was occupied extensively by frogs in sum- mer, and used by the boys in the winter for a skating-rink.
"James Moore was Sheriff, and also a Cap- tain of militia. Harry Wilcox was Sherifl[' after Moore. The doctors were Bradley, R. V. Powers, two brothers by the name of Miller, and Dr. Sweney, before the arrival of Dr. William Bushnell in 1828. Ellzey Hedges was Justice of the Peace.
" There were two tanneries, one kept by John Pugh, on Main street just below the site of the City Mill, and the other liy Edward Grant, on the run, west side of South Main street. Three hatters were here — John Mann, the first one, on Main below the Wiler House ; Nattie Bryan, in the hollow on South Main, and Henry Bell, near the southwest corner of the square. The cabinet-makers were James Smart, a little be- low the Wiler House ; Jacob Lindley, on the northwest corner of West Market and Walnut, where the Baptist Church now stands ; and Samuel Wolf, on the southeast corner of West Market and ^luD^erry, where Mr. John Woods dwelling stands. Lindley afterward, about 1830, built a brick tavern on his lot and called
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