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- TIMOTHY SPELMAN (Thomas, Richard) was born in East Granville, MA, 15 Jan 1756 [Granville Town Records]; baptized there by Rev. Jedediah Smith [Granville Church Records]; died in Granville, OH, 21 Apr 1828; married in Hartland, MA, 13 Oct 1779, Hannah Hayes of that town, -”Timothy Spelman of Granville, Mass., and Hannah Hayes of Hartland, Oct. 13, 1779” [Hartland Church Records], —daughter of Seth and Elizabeth Hayes, born 7 Oct 1761 [Granville Town Records], died in Granville, Ohio, 22 Mar 1807.
Timothy Spelman grew up in the midst of the stirring times of the American Revolution, and when he was about nineteen years old we find him enlisting in a Company of seventy-three men raised in Granville for the aid of the Continental Army. He enlisted for three years, his record being as follows. Muster roll; Capt. Lebbeus Ball's Co., Col. Timothy Danielson's Regt.; dated 1 Aug 1775; served 3 months 3 days [Mass. Archives, Vol. 14, p. 40]. Return of Capt. Ball's Co., 6 Oct., 1775; Private; dated from Roxbury [Ibid, Vol. 54, p. 93]. An order for a Bounty Coat, or its equivalent in money; for eight months' service in 1775; Capt. Ball's Co., Col. Danielson's Regt.; dated Roxbury 25 Nov 1777 [Ibid, Vol. 57, file 10]. Return of men enlisted into Continental Army from Capt. Wm. Cooley's Co. of the 3rd Hampshire Regt.; 19 Jan 1778 [Ibid, Vol. 63, p. 8]. He was Fifer of his regiment and was probably present at the battle of White Plains, under Gen. Washington, when Capt. Cooley was wounded.
In the Spring of 1804, a movement was set on foot in East Granville for the purpose of forming a colony in the northwest of Ohio, at that time being opened to settlers. Three men were sent out to gather information as to land and prospects; they returned in the Fall with favorable reports, and the “Licking Land Company” was formed at once. A meeting was held 7 Feb 1805, the members finally adjourning to meet again the first Monday of the following December, at 9 a.m., on the Hardy Section, Ohio. Timothy Spelman was one of the subscribers, and was appointed as one of the Board of Trustees to receive deeds and perform other duties specified. Preparations were at once begun for the exodus from Granville, and by the 2nd of November, 1805, the first arrivals had reached Ohio. They were quickly followed by daily accessions, until forty-five families, consisting of two hundred and thirty-five persons, had arrived.
The long and toilsome journey had been made, of course, by team and wagon, and had taken forty-two days to accomplish. We, of this day of steam and rushing railway cars, can hardly realize what a journey like that one meant. But those were days of hard work and much privation, the present generation reaping the comforts and luxuries sown by the toil of our forefathers. The character of the little colony is well depicted in the fact that about their first act upon their arrival at their new home was to gather together for worship, and to listen again to the sermon being read, which their old pastor in Granville, Rev. Timothy Mather Cooley, had preached to them before leaving, when they had organized as a Presbyterian offshoot of the Congregational Church of which he was the pastor. The text was “If Thy presence go not with us, carry us not hence.”
The land had been resurveyed into hundred acre lots, and were put up to auction. The first choice of 12,000 acres was struck off to Timothy aSpelman, and he bid in four lots more, paying an aggregate price of $736 for the whole. It is said he did not sleep all that night thinking he had paid too much for the land.
The new Colony was named Granville, in affectionate remembrance of the old home in far-away Massachusetts. Mr. S. S. Williams, the Masonic historian of Granville, Ohio, wrote as follows: “Timothy Spelman was Charter Member of the Masonic Lodge of Granville, Ohio, and held the second office in the Lodge, which was organized in 1811. He was well qualified for public office, and filled many important County offices with great acceptance to the community. He was a Baptist in his belief, and although he helped the Presbyterian Church (which was formed in East Granville, Mass., in front of his house, and there consecrated), he never became truly one of them in fellowship, but walked several miles to Welsh Hills, to the Welsh Baptist Church, although he could not understand a word of their language, but sat there listening with dignity. He said, 'It is the true belief, and that is what I worship.'“
Timothy Spelman was connected with the Bank in Granville, Ohio. In those days courtesies were extended from bank to bank. An inspector came at different times and made reports of the financial standing of each bank. One time the Bank of Wooster, Ohio, near Canton, needed funds to save its credit with the Government, and so notified the Granville Bank. After the inspector had visited the Granville Bank. Timothy Spelman put the money in saddle bags, and started alone on horseback for Wooster. He rode across country to enable him to reach Wooster ahead of the inspector, who went by “stage line.” His fearless and intrepid character is shown in the fact that his way led through an unbroken wilderness and through a part of the country where horse thieves, counterfeiters and highwaymen had their rendezvous, the band being then known as “the League of Miami.” The journey there took him three days. He arrived at Wooster in time and returned home by the way the inspector had travelled, the “stage line” route. This feat was talked of for many years.
He was greatly interested in the Presbyterian church at Granville, and formed the first choir and maintained it for many years, his sons furnishing instrumental music with the bass, violin and cornet. He was also quite a poet, writing all the Fourth of July odes and many hymns, as well as verses about settling on the pleasant banks of the Ohio. The following poem was written by him on the departure of the emigrants from Granville, MA, and was sung by the congregation before leaving.
HYMN.
O fare ye well, my friends,
We bid you all adieu;
For Providence has call'd us,
And we must surely go.
To yonder fertile land,
Our steady course we'll steer.
And O that blessings rich, divine,
Might crown our journey there.
Tho' now a wilderness,
Dear friends, to which we go;
But hark and hear the promises
Which from the prophets flow.
The prophets' sacred word
How sweet the promise flows
The fruitful desert sure shall bud
And blossom as the rose.
Emmanuel will appear
To verify His word.
Free captive souls made subject there
And own their sovereign Lord.
O Zion's precious friends
Who love the Saviour dear.
May harmony and peace descend
And reign in triumph there.
Go on with hand in hand
In ways of righteousness,
Till you arrive at Canaan's land
Where perfect pleasure is.
Dear friends, remember us,
Your brethren far away,
In yonder fertile wilderness,
Be sure for us to pray.
That Jesus by His grace
Amongst us would descend,
And rear a standard to
His praise, A bulwark to defend,
From Satan's fatal snares
May we be well secured,
Encircled round with arms of love,
We'll triumph in the Lord.
But O, my precious friends,
It grieves my joyful heart,
We who have long in friendship liv'd
To think that we must part.
Our Servant of the Lord
We've long enjoy'd so dear,
Tis hard to take the parting hand
Without a falling tear.
But since we're call'd to part,
No longer here to dwell,
May grace divine reign in each heart,
Adieu, dear sir, farewell.
And may your prayers and cries
In our behalf ascend
Up to Immanuel in the skies,
That He would be our friend.
To guard us on our way,
And guide us where we move,
And grant us peace from day to day
And bless us with His love.
And you, my brethren dear,
And sisters well belov'd,
Why should we drop a falling tear,
God's purpose cannot move.
We sure must take the lot
Design'd for us while here,
May faith and hope and love unite
To make our friendship dear.
Dear friends and neighbors kind,
With whom we here did dwell,
May friendship still unite our hearts,
Farewell! dear friends, farewell!
We leave you to enjoy
The blessed gospel found,
But O, if you neglect such grace,
And slighters you are found,
Sure you must rue the clay
That you abus'd such light.
When Jesus spurns you far away,
Chain'd down in endless night.
But may we all be wise
And seek the offer'd bliss,
That we may reign above the skies
Where perfect friendship is.
Tho' now we part awhile
We sure must meet again,
When the shrill trumpet rends the skies
Which all the slumberers bring.
When there we're call'd to stand
Before the judgment seat,
May we be found at Christ's right hand,
Cloth'd in long raiment white.
Thence welcom'd far away
In mansions there to dwell,
There reign and sing in endless day
And never bid farewell.
Timothy Spelman's wife died two years after reaching the new home in Ohio, but he survived her twenty-three years, and died leaving a large and prosperous family of nine children and seventy-three grandchildren. His death is recorded in the Rev. T. M. Cooley's Oiurch Records as accidental. He fell into the fire during an attack of epilepsy, from which he did not recover. He was buried in the old cemetery at Granville, Ohio.
By trade Timothy Spelman was a house-builder, and houses erected by him still stand in Granville.
CHILDREN, all but the youngest born in East Granville, Mass. [Town Records]:
1. Rhoda, b. 10 Jan., 1780: m. Nathaniel Saunders.
2. Spencer Timothy, b. 28 April, 1782; d. of hydrophobia 25 July, 1785.
3. Sarah, b. 29 Feb. or 9 March, 1784; m. Hugh Kelley.
4. Spencer, b. 23 Feb., 1787; m. Ruth Oilman.
5. Thomas Herrick, b. 19 Feb., 1789; m. Miriam Clark.
6. Timothy, b. 3 Aug., 1791; m. (1) Abigail Graves, (2) Cynthia Wheeler.
7. Elizabeth, b. 14 Nov., 1793; m. Timothy Case; d. about 1840-45; 7 ch.
8. Hannah, b. 12 Sept., 1796; m. Ralph Granger.
9. Electa, b. 1 May, 1799; m. William Wing.
10. Marietta, b. autumn of 1805; m. John L. Atwood.
Fought in War of 1812; died 21 Apr 1828; buried Union Station or Old Colony Burying Ground at Granville, Licking, Ohio. Grave marked 23 Dec 1940 by Granville Chapter, D A R. 12th, p 112; 14th, p 127; 15th, p162 and 44th N S D A RReports. Taken from Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers from Ohio.
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1756 - 1828 (72 years)