Chapter 2: 1826, A cabin in the Ohio woods

“Well, we are going to have to work fast,” Samuel Westlake told his older sons just after they had arrived in Union County. “The snow will be flying soon, and we won’t be able to make it through the winter without shelter,” he explained. “Let’s get started!” Josiah grinned. “I’ve got a wife and a baby waiting for me back at home.”

2 “I remember when it was me and my father,” Samuel thought. After all, it had been just a little over twenty-five years ago that George and Samuel had crossed the Ohio River and entered what was then known as the Northwest Territory. And, like the lands which they had settled then, the primeval forest which had covered Union County for centuries was still largely untouched and presented a major obstacle to movement, farming and construction.

3 “Look at the size of these trees!” Josiah exclaimed when they had reached his father’s land. In fact, every square inch of that original fifty acres was covered with forest. Consequently, the first order of business was clearing a spot to build a cabin. Toward that end, Samuel and his sons immediately set about the task of felling trees.

4 Elizabeth and the younger children watched the progress from a temporary shelter which had been erected between a large red oak and an even larger tulip poplar. It was soon clear, however, that there was no safe place in the area for an audience.

5 “Look out!” Samuel shouted. The ash which they had just been cutting had twisted around as it began to fall and was hurtling toward the shelter. There wasn’t any time to react. Elizabeth pulled the little ones close to her and waited for the impact.

6 Fortunately, the ash caught in one of the forks in the oak tree and just missed crushing the shelter and its occupants. Even so, the crown of the tree covered the roof above it. Elizabeth and the children were still picking twigs and bark out of their hair when Josiah reached them.

7 “Are you hurt?” he demanded. His father and brother were right behind him. “That was close!” Zephaniah exclaimed. “Too close,” Samuel said grimly. “You and the children will have to wait at Andrew’s and Mercy’s cabin,” he told his wife. “It’s too dangerous here.”

8 When Elizabeth and the children were safely out of harm’s way, Samuel and his sons resumed their work felling trees. Within two days, they had created a substantial opening in the forest – a place big enough to build a more permanent cabin and some out buildings.

9 Moreover, they had already begun stripping and shaping the fallen logs for use in the construction of their new home. After dressing the logs, they employed some of them as levers and used their horses, cattle and ropes to help move them into place.

10 Since the cabin would be built directly on the ground and have a dirt floor, Samuel used locust and chestnut for his foundation logs to stave off rot and decay. He carefully notched each log, and his sons helped him to roll and lift them into place. The lower logs were mostly oak, but they stacked ash, cherry, poplar and maple on top of them.

11 Gradually, the walls rose to a height of about six feet. Then they wedged pieces of split wood and rocks between the logs to support them as Samuel cut two openings into the walls – one for the door and the other for a fireplace. There would be no windows (they were a luxury that he couldn’t afford). Next, he fashioned boards to frame the openings for the door and chimney. A hole was bored through the board for each of the logs which faced it (and a similar hole was bored into the end of each log). The board was then secured to the logs by driving wooden pegs into the holes.

12 They saved the smaller logs from the younger trees to serve as rafters for the roof. Once again, Samuel notched each log so that it would rest snuggly on the top log of the wall. The other end was attached to a central ridge pole at a fairly steep angle (which in turn was supported by interior braces and poles). Finally, when all the rafters were in place, Samuel used some of his precious iron nails to secure the lathing to the rafters. The wooden shingles which Zephaniah had been busy splitting for most of the last week were then nailed to the lathing.

13 “We need to go down to the creek and get some stones for the fireplace,” Samuel announced. So, they all loaded into the wagon and headed for the watercourse that would later be known as Mill Creek. There they gathered rocks of all shapes and sizes. And, as they could not make the load too heavy for the horses to pull, they had to make several trips back and forth. “I think we have enough to build a good fireplace,” Samuel finally told them.

14 While Samuel and Josiah worked on the fireplace and chimney, the other boys were busy nailing clapboards to the inside walls to cover the openings between the logs. That completed, they shoved clay into the spaces between the logs on the exterior of the cabin. “Push that all the way into those chinks,” Samuel told them. “And smooth it out good – we want the rain to run down the surface of the wall,” he explained.

15 The door was secured with two iron hinges, and Samuel built the first fire in their new fireplace. At first, there was a great deal of smoke, and he was worried that the chimney would not draw properly. However, after just a few minutes, there was a roaring fire going; and the smoke was flowing up the chimney just as it was intended to do.

16 “Go get your mother and the little ones,” Samuel told Zephaniah. Elizabeth and the children arrived a few hours later and immediately began cleaning and arranging their furnishings. It had taken two weeks of hard work, but the family finally had a place to shelter them from the rapidly approaching winter.

17 “Christenia and the baby will be wondering what happened to me,” Josiah grinned. “Thank you for your help, son,” Elizabeth told him. “You should move your family here,” Samuel added.

18 “I’ve got to be going,” Josiah told them and quickly ducked out of the door before anyone could say anything else. Nevertheless, his father’s last words were still ringing in his ears. “Maybe I can convince Christenia that this would be a good move,” he thought as he hoisted himself onto his horse and started the long journey back to Belmont County.