Wolves have been in the news recently, more specifically, the extinct Dire Wolf. Last year, ancient Dire wolf DNA was used to create three genetically modified wolves that resemble dire wolves. If doing that was a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen. There was a time, here in Ohio, when people were trying to completely rid the state of wolves.
Ohio was once home to many wild animals that are not in our state today, including wolves. In the early 1800s, there were buffalo, elk, bear, panthers, beaver, badgers, otters, wildcats, cougars, porcupines, and wolves. Most of those wild animals died out or left Ohio in the early 1800s. The last buffalo was in Ohio about 1803. But wolves remained in the area longer and were a problem until at least the late 1840s.
As settlers moved into the Ohio area in the early 1800s, wolves became a problem to modernized farming, mainly as a big risk to farm animals.
My Schumm ancestors settled in Van Wert County in 1838 and their early writings mention the danger of wolves. …The first log hut on the Schumm homestead was one story high and had no door, one of the first to be erected in Willshire Township. A fire was kept in the large fireplace all night to keep the wolves away…
Because of their threat to livestock and people, Ohio declared a “War of Extermination” against wolves and bears in 1818 and Bounty Laws were enacted to eradicate wolves. A high bounty was placed on wolf skins. In the beginning, wolf pelts sold for $15 each, about $300 each in today’s currency. By the 1830s, the bounty was much less, a little over $4/pelt.
The planned wolf extermination worked. Most sources today indicate that wolves were fully extinguished from Ohio by 1842, due to these bounty laws and the resulting high number of wolves killed for the reward. These sources state that the last wolf was killed in Ohio in 1842, that by 1842 they were all gone.
That may have been the case in eastern Ohio, but not around here. Much of our area here in western Ohio was still wilderness at that time and there were still wolves here well after 1842.
Mercer and Van Wert Counties also gave bounties for wolf scalps and one of the last recorded wolf scalps was taken in Van Wert County in 1870.
In Van Wert County, “…because the early pioneers had to contend with the annoyances and losses caused by large numbers of wolves that infested the wilds of this and the adjoining counties, the commissioners of Van Wert offered a bounty for the scalp of each wolf killed within the county. The killing had to be proved before the clerk of courts and the official records were written in the “Wolf Book,” showing the date and amounts paid…” [1] Wolf scalps brought $4.25/per scalp in this part of the state at that time.
Each person who brought in one or more wolf scalps was required to subscribe to an oath, which was then entered into the official record. Both Van Wert and Mercer Counties used this oath, hand-written by the clerk, for each person who brought in a scalp:
Personally came ___, who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that the wolf scalp now produced by him is the scalp of a wolf taken and killed by him within the county of Mercer within twenty days last past; and he verily believes the wolf to have been over six months of age, and that he has not spared the life of any she wolf within his power to kill, so as to increase the breed.
Sutton’s 1882 History gives wolf scalp bounty information for both Van Wert and Mercer Counties. The history gives less information for Van Wert County, just giving the total amount paid for scalps per year, beginning in 1837/$17. The largest amount for scalps was paid in 1839/$124. Only one scalp was turned in in 1860/$4.25. The last recorded year was 1870/$15. There was a total of $1273.37 in bounties for years 1837-1870. [1]
Van Wert County likely had a Wolf Book that contained more detailed information, like Mercer County did. Mercer County’s 1840-41 Wolf Book named the individuals who turned in the scalps, the date, and the amount paid, which was recorded in Sutton’s 1882 History.
Mercer County, Ohio, Wolf Scalp orders granted for 1840-41:
H.M. Smith, 27 December 1839, $8.50
D. Harner, 10 January 1840, $4.25
A. Worthington, 6 February 1840, $4.25
J.H. Hennybaker, 26 February 1840, $4.25
Thomas Davis, 2 March 1840, $4.25
James Schoonover, 5 March 1840, $4.25
M. Hamar, 9 March, 1840, $4.25
W. Boyer, 10 March 1840, $4.25
Samuel Johns, 6 April 1840, $8.50
D. Freeman, 17 April, 1840, $4.25
Jos. Harmer, 24 April 1840, $4.25
George Hines, 24 December, 1840, $4.25
A.L. Freeman, 25 December 1840, $4.25
Wm. Brecker, 31 December 1840, $8.50
A. Worthington, 25 April 1840, $4.25
Geo. Picktner, 5 May 1840, $4.25
Thos. Dennison, 7 May 1840, $4.25
Thos. Davis, 12 May 1840, $8.50
D. Freeman Jr, 14 May 1840, $4.25
David Lucas, 28 May 1840, $10.00
Jacob Frysinger, 15 June 1840, $4.25
Thos. M. Harris, 10 August 1840, $5.00
H. Gillespie, 23 September 1840, $4.25
Azariah Trout, 8 October 1840, $4.50
Benj. Rupert, 14 November 1840, $4.25
Wm. Harris, 10 January 1841, $4.25
Benj Cox, 1 February 1841, $4.25
Samuel Wheeler, 5 February 1841, $4.25
Thomas Sheve, 6 February 1841, $4.25
David Freeman, 8 February 1841, $4.25
D. Freeman Jr, 26 February 1841, $4.25
James C. Heath, 15 April 1841, $4.25
Geo. Freshower, 19 May 1841, $4.25
John Culver, 25 May 1841, $15.00 (6 wolves)
D. Lucas, 31 May 1841, $14.25
Amos Dixon, 2 June 1841, $12.50
George Harris, 4 June 1841, $25.00
T. Miller, 8 June 1841, $5.00
John Vangundy, 5 July 1841, $4.25
R. Garmar, 18 July, 1841, $4.25
Totaling $253.50 [2]
Perhaps one of your ancestors turned in a wolf scalp.
Wolves were still in this area well beyond 1842. Next week I will list those in Mercer County who turned in wolf scalps in the mid-1840s.
[1] The 1882 History of Van Wert and Mercer Counties, Ohio, Sutton, p.133.
[2] The 1882 History of Van Wert and Mercer Counties, Ohio, Sutton, p.331.
6 comments
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Hi Karen, your articles are always very interesting. I’m just wondering why there was no door on the Schumm log hut?
It’s possible my Goodwin relatives had killed wolves since they cleared land in the Elgin area in the mid 1800’s.
Thanks for writing.
Author
Your ancestors may have. It was a wilderness back then. I also read that wolves like a more swampy area. It is interesting to speculate, but great when you see their names in the Wolf Order book. Thanks for writing!
Karen,
Fascinating article. I too was wondering about the lack of a door into the first cabin. But as I thought about it I wondered if that was a means to prevent the wolves or bears from gaining easy access into the cabin and threatening them, especially if they had young children? Regardless of the reason the next question becomes then how did they come in and out of the cabin? One would have to assume via a ladder to a high window? The only other thing that I could think of was through an underground cellar much like one would have for a storm cellar. Intriguing. By chance is there any details that you are aware of that would answer this question, how did they gain access to the cabin?
Thanks as always,
Frank McCollister
Author
That’s a good question. I am not sure why the Schumms did not have a door on their first log cabin. I took their writing to mean that there was an opening in the cabin, but there was no door to close the opening. They may have used a skin, maybe a deer skin, to put over the opening. Depending on the time of year they arrived, and how many men there were in the party, a man or two could clear a small area and build a small cabin in a couple weeks with just an ax and saw. I am speculating here, but I wonder if a door would have taken more specific tools to construct and that they used a skin as a door, a simple and easy solution. They were probably killing deer for food anyway. If they arrived late in the year and there was a rush to build something to stay in, they may have built a lean-to shelter, a slanted roof supported by a pole or tree trunk, with one end open and the other closed off, sort of like a 3/4 log cabin, using skins to close the opening. We saw an example of this at Sauder’s Village. I’ll post a photo of the one at Sauder’s sometime. Thanks for writing!
Hi Karen,
Absolutely loved this article and it couldn’t be more timely! Thank you more than I can say!
Best wishes always,
Sharon Schaadt Cowen
Author
Thanks, Sharon.