LAST OF PIONEERS OF DEFIANCE
"In the death of Reason Wells, we bid adieu to the last of the sturdy pioneers of our beautiful little city and because of his extremely long as well as eventful life among us and his consequent legion of friends and acquaintances, it is deemed fitting and proper to make more than a mere passing notice of his death.
Reason Wells was born in the city of Zanesville, Ohio, May 22d, 1821, and while but a mere boy, his father removed with his little family to Defiance in 1832, believing, as did many another at the time, that the completion of the Miami and Erie Canal, then being agitated in the General Assembly, would cause the wilderness just beyond the Black Swamp to brighten and bloom and prove a region of exceeding richness and that Defiance, the town located at the junction of the canal and the Maumee river, and which at this early day was the only town in the valley of the "Miami of the Lake" between Perrysburg and Maumee and the city of Fort Wayne, would develop into a veritable El Dorado.
At the time of the arrival of the Wells family in Defiance, the town was located in Auglaize township, Williams county, Ohio, Defiance county not being organized for a number of years after. In the entire township at this time, there were but fifty-seven taxpayers and of this number, thirty-five lived in the town of Defiance, all of whom are long since dead, and there remains among us representative of but four of this original number and they are J. B. Weisenburger, a relative of Francis Vizenbarger, as it appears in the early records; Wesley Kniss, a son of Jacob Kniss, Will, Lemuel and Charles Davis, sons of Zephaniah Davis, Oscar Hudson, John Crow, the foster son, and Mrs. Ansberry, the mother of Timothy T. Ansberry, daughter of Timothy Fitzpatrick.
At this time, the entire tract of land on which now stands the Harley & Whitaker store, extending from First street to the river and from Clinton street west as far as Perry street was a large orchard and in the center of the plot was an old tumble-down log house said to be haunted. Mr. Wells told the writer of this that when he came to Defiance, the business of the town was all done on Jefferson street and the first store he remembered was one kept by Isaac Hull, on the north east corner of Front and Jefferson. He afterwards sold it to a man by the name of Benjamin Brubaker. A part of this old store building was used in the residence of Lake Erie Myers. On the corner of Front and Jefferson, the northwest corner, on the river side of Front street, was a building in which a man by the name of Kirk kept store and in the basement, fronting the river, was a grocery kept by Edwin Phelps and W. A. Brown.
On the opposite corner, the southwest corner, was a hotel kept by a Mr. Waterhouse and it was called 'The Waterhouse', afterward 'The Washington' and still later, 'The Pavillion.'
Next to this hotel on the south was Foreman Evans store, and next south Amos Evans store and on the corner, where now stands Richard Sutphen's home, a man by the name of John R. Wilson kept a tailor shop. On the opposite corner, where now stands the Shelly home, was built by Dave Oliver a large two story frame building for William Seamans to be used as a printing office. Next south of the printing office was Doctor John Evans home and office, and in this same building, John Kiser, the grandfather of Mollie Daoust, was married to John Downs daughter. Two Germans, Hoffrichter and Ort, had a bakery next.
Diagonally across the street lived old Peter Bridenbaugh and on the corner where now lives Charles Behringer, lived a man by the name of Walter Davis, the first fiddler I ever saw. In 1832 and until 1840, a man by the name of Straight ran a ferry from the foot of Jefferson street and in 1840, a man by the name of Tower built the first bridge across the Maumee at Clinton street; it was a toll bridge and Adam Wilhelm was the first toll keeper. Between '36 and '40, several new stores were opened, one by the Case brothers, the southeast corner of Wayne and Front street, next east of this store came Francis Weisenberger, with a grocery and bakery, next east came John Kniss, with his residence and shoe shop,about where Wesley Rout now lives; almost directly across from the Kniss building was a blacksmith shop run by a man by the name of Beerup.
In 1836 occurred the greatest flood Defiance ever experienced, the water was so high, the traders and Indians tied their pirogues and canoes to the trees of Clinton street where now stands the Harley & Whitaker store. This same spring, Defiance experienced its hardest times and the father of Mr. Wells and a man by the name of Mason started for Maumee, the nearest grist mill to buy some corn and flour. They went in a pirogue and were gone six weeks, returning with a few bushels of corn for which they paid $2.50 per bushel and one barrel of flour, all they could get for which they paid $16.50.
Johnny-cake, bran pones and hominy, with mush and milk for side dishes, and for company, constituted the diet for all, rich and poor alike, and now and then some fried mush, fried on boards or flat stones, for we did not have stoves when we came to Defiance. It was a wealthy family that could boast of a 'Dutch oven,' a frying pan or 'spider', for these comprised about all the kitchen and cooking utensils. The cooking was done in the fireplace and when the owner could afford it, an iron crane was attached to the side of the fireplace and arranged to swing out to hang on the kettle and swing back over the fire, but when this could not be afforded, forked sticks were stuck up one at each end of the fire place and in the forks was laid another stick and on this, the pots and kettles would be hung over the fire.
Horse racing, running and jumping, wrestling, pitching horse shoes, shooting at mark, driving the nails and snuffing the candle were the sports of men and boys and dancing that of both sexes. We thought nothing of walking six to ten miles and even further to attend a wedding or a dance, a frolic, we used to call it.
From the above, it will be seen the life of this sturdy old pioneer and his associates was one of hardship and privation, though not unattended with its pleasures and joys. Mr. Wells has seen Defiance grow from a population of about seventy-five to a city of about 10,000. In recent conversation with several of what we now call 'old men' of our city, but who were boys when Rese Wells was a young man, I learn he was of a lively, genial disposition, always ready and invariably sought after for merry-making; he was the life of the occasion.
He never accumulated wealth because of his prodigality, his excessive liberality exceeding by far his power of production. He knew nothing of the value of a dollar except that it could and would produce aid and assistance for the needy. He was frugal in personal matters, but would divide his last dollar, even give it entire, to aid and assist a worthy and needy person. His strong characteristic being to help and cheer others irrespective of its cost to him. He was never addicted to the use of intoxicants and seldom saw a sick day. He was an indefatigable worker at whatever he found to do, of the strictest probity and conscientious in regard for the rights of others. His unassuming deportment, his humane and kindly disposition, genial social qualities, comprehensive kindness of heart, endeared him to all and in his death, the community shares with his children a sincere grief.
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| Riverside Cemetery |
Reason Wells died April 4, 1910, aged 88 years, 10 months, 12 days, and is buried in the Old Riverside Cemetery, Defiance, Ohio.
He was one of nine children born to John and Elizabeth (Mason) Wells. He had six sisters and two brothers: Sarah, Jane, Eliza, Nancy, Elizabeth, Sybil, John and Henry.
His first wife was Francis Marie Coleman who died March 16,1871, aged 40 years, 3 months, 13 days. His second wife was Alice Preston of Goshen, Indiana, whom he married July 25, 1875.
Listed, according to the 1870 and 1880 censuses, Reason's children were Charles, Louisa, Almira, Benjamin, Lavinia, William, Clinton and Reason.
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