Jonas Joslin :: 1818 Ohio Land Purchase

The first record we have of Jonas Joslin (under the name of Jonas Joshin) in Delaware County, Ohio is his purchase of lot #16 in the third township on October 20, 1818. The lot consisted of 100 acres and was purchased for $1,050 which seems like a lot to me for the time period. The transaction was recorded in Deed Book 4, pages 403 and 404.

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Page 403

Merrit Foote by his Atty Benjamin Bartholomew
To } Deed
Jonas Joshin

This Indenture made and concluded this twentieth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighteen by and between Benjamin Bartholomew of Delaware County in the state of Ohio as attorney in fact for Merrit Foote of the County of Newhaven in the State of Connecticut of the [other is crossed out] first part and Jonas Joshin of said Delaware County in the state of Ohio of the other part. Witneseth that the said Benjamin Bartholomew for and in consideration of the sum of one thousand & fifty dollars and to him in had paid or secured to be paid the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged hath given granted bargained sold released conveyed and confirmed and by these presents give grant bargain sell release convey and confirm unto the said Jonas Joshin and unto his heirs and assigns forever a Lot of land viz lot number sixteen in the east tier of lots in the fourth section of the third township in the nineteenth range of the united States military lands and within the said county of Delaware and being a log of land purchased by the said Merrit Foots of Ralph Richardson & Dorcas his wife by a deed dated 6 day of October 1817 and supposed to contain one hundred acres more or less To have and to hold the above described premises with all the privileges and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining unto him the said Jonas Joshin for and unto his heirs and assigns forever And the said Benjamin as S P atty

Page 404

as attorney as aforesaid for the said Merrit his heirs executors and administrators does convenant and promise to word with the said Jonas Joshin his heirs and assigns that he is lawfully seized of the premises aforesaid that he has foresight and full authority to sell and convey the same in manner aforesaid and that the said premises are free and clear from all incumbrances And further that he the said Benjamin as attorney afforesaid of the said Merrit Foote his heirs executors and administrators will well warrant and truly defend the premises aforesaid unto the said Jonas Joshin and unto his heirs and assigns forever against the lawful claims of any person or persons whomsoever. In testimony whereof the party [of crossed out] to the first part has hereunto set his hand and seal this day and year above written

Signed sealed and delivered in presence of

Benjamin Bartholomew attorney in fact for the said Merrit Foote

{The word convey between the 7th & 8th line from top and the word his between the 11th, 12th and between the 14th and 15th lines were inserted before the signing}

Noah Spalding
Ebenezer Goodrich

The State of Ohio Delaware County
On this day of October 1818 personally came before me the [word illegible] one of the Justus of the peace of said County Benjamin Bartholomew and acknowledged that he signed the within deed for the purposes therein mentioned Given under my hand & seal
John Roberts {seal}
a Justice of the Peace

Received & recorded this deed April 1st 1819
J. L. Hughs. [?] Recorder D. Cty

Social and Solitary

If you look at most cycling blogs today, the discourse tends to stress the social aspects of riding a bicycle. Cycling is presented as an activity that fosters a sense of community- with an emphasis on interaction with other cyclists, neighborhood initiatives, various workshops and co-ops, group rides, community action programmes, and city or state-wide coalitions.

I find this interesting to observe, because to me the bicycle has always been a symbol of solitude - something that brings complete independence and freedom. When I think of "riding a bicycle," I imagine cycling for miles and miles through changing landscapes, alone with my thoughts and at peace with the world; a meditation of sorts. But I can certainly understand that others imagine group rides, bike workshops, and other social activities - they see the bicycle as a shared interest that makes it easy to connect to others.

Often I am asked why I do not participate in group rides, and the reason is simply that for me socialising and cycling are two distinct activities that are best enjoyed separately. It makes me nervous to chat while trying to navigate traffic, so I fully enjoy neither the discussion nor the ride. I also feel that group rides - even slow ones - are more hazardous than cycling alone, because you have to watch out not only for traffic, but for the wheels of other cyclists; I know probably a half dozen people whose only cycling accidents happened during group rides. I can cycle pretty happily with one person at a time (though it depends on their style), but beyond that it starts to get stressful.

This is not to say that I am "against" the socially-oriented portrayal of cycling. I just don't think that the bicycle = community association is universally applicable. And after all, it is rather fascinating that the bicycle can be a symbol of two diametrically opposite things: the social and the solitary.

Grand Canyon :: Bright Angel Trail to Indian Gardens

Prior to our little adventure yesterday we had gone to the Backcountry Permit Office to see what was available for an overnight trip. Somehow, Sue and Fred had talked me into a little backpacking hike and an overnighter. It really didn't take much convincing on their part as I was ready for a little adventure. Sue and Fred have hiked all the way to the river previously, spending a night at Phantom Ranch, then stopping off a second night at the Indian Gardens campground, making the trek to the top the following day. They have also done a lot of hiking and backpacking to various other places. They had also “trained” for this trip. So they were “old pros” at this backpacking thing. Me? Never backpacked. Never slept under the stars. There's a first time for everything!

As it turns out, there was a spot open at the Indian Gardens Campground for the next day, Tuesday. We were warned that there was a chance of precipitation Monday afternoon, possibly even some snow Monday night. We went ahead and made the reservation anyway.

Monday afternoon, after our return from Cedar Ridge, the temperature dropped dramatically. It had started raining in the late afternoon but that rain quickly changed to snow! Big flakes. Wet flakes. Lots of them. At first it didn't stick, but we soon noticed it accumulating on the branches of trees. By the time we went to bed Monday night, there was about two inches of snow on the ground. And it was cold. It got even colder during the night. And the snow was still there on Tuesday morning.

The scene we awoke to on Tuesday morning.

It was pretty, but we really could have done without it! I guess Mother Nature just wanted us to be able to experience all facets of the Grand Canyon.

By the time we had breakfast and double checked to see that we had everything, the sun had come out. It was about 8:30 when we left for the trailhead. Fred dropped Sue and me off, parked the car in the overnight lot, and returned within a few minutes. Then we walked to the trailhead. When we got to the Canyon, another surprise awaited us!

Fog! Filling the Canyon! Yes, snow, we had expected. But fog? One amongst our party, who shall remain nameless (not me), wasn't sure that we should continue. It would be too slippery. We couldn't see. But the other two of us took the positive attitude (or perhaps, were a little crazy) “It will get better. The fog will go away. The snow won't be very far down.” On we went. This picture was taken at 8:42 a.m. just beyond the first turn into the canyon.

Sue and Fred at the first tunnel, just .18 miles from the rim and ten minutes into the hike. The tunnel is visible in the previous photo. It was slow going. It was slippery. We took our time. Others had gone down that path before us, so it had to be okay, right?

The view of the rim from the trail, 20 minutes into the hike.

One of the worst patches of the trail, about 30 minutes into the hike. Beneath that fresh layer of snow was a very thick layer of slippery ice. This section of the trail gets little, if any, sun.

To be continued... part two

CT walking wounded ?

For those that might have missed it Dave Searle, our great new gear reviewer, broke his knee at Grand Montets skiing last week. Not like Dave to be crashing on piste :)







http://searler.com/



Here's hoping for a quick recovery,Dave! New reviews from Davemight be a bit slow in coming though after a full week in the hospital putting his knee back together!



On the other hand, today was the first day of exercise for me that wasn't just puking in months. So writing and climbing can't be far behind.



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//10/what-one-learns-and-second-chances.html

Eagle in a tree

I just get home from work
and what do I see...
An Eagle in a tree
and he's lookin' at me!

Crabfest at Camp Hatteras

Tonight we gathered with our co-workers and had a crabfest with them. I think this might be somewhat of a yearly tradition here, but I'm not sure of that since this is our first year here. Camp Hatteras provided the crabs and other people brought side dishes. I didn't eat any of the side dishes because I stuffed myself with crab instead.



I've never eaten crab like this, meaning crab I had to work for. It was a really neat thing to learn how to do it. It was well worth it because the crab was fabulous!



Jack was the chef and the seasoning he used was just perfect. We have really enjoyed our time here so far. Not only is the location wonderful, the people are really great. The time is flying by and I think it's because we are having so much fun.

Fear and Loathing of the City Bus

As a cyclist, I doubt that I am alone in my strong dislike of city buses. They are enormous. They make frequent stops and wide turns. They have sizable blind spots. And their operators - overwhelmed with countless stimuli and the stress of keeping to a schedule - don't always notice cyclists in their path. All in all, it seems reasonable to be wary of these vehicles, and prudent to keep away from them whenever possible.



But as most fears, mine is not based on such rational ideas. What frightens me are things like the "heavy breathing." I will be riding along, when suddenly there is the sound of a most horrific heaving inches behind me, and I realise that a bus is dreadfully, unacceptably near. What exactly is responsible for the sound that buses make when they are braking I do not know, but it sends shivers through my body and makes me want to jump up on the curb in panic. A couple of times the bus stopped and "heaved" so closely behind me, that I could feel the heat of its terrifying dragon breath against my left calf.



My fear of buses can border on paranoia, and sometimes I am convinced that the driver is playing "chicken" with me. I can tell that they see me - they will sometimes look straight at me - yet they seem to intentionally try to squeeze me out in order to make their stop, or make the green light, or make a high-speed left turn as I am attempting to cycle straight through an intersection - figuring I'll stop out of sheer terror. I've been assured by bike messengers that the driver willyield if I don't give into them. But I lack the courage to play that game,and allow them to win every time.



Over the past two years I've overcome most of my fears about cycling in city traffic. Taxi cabs, large trucks - I am more or less okay with them. But the city bus continues to terrify me. Oh enormous, heaving metal beast... Some day, I will learn how to deal with you and my fears will be conquered.