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Gc 977.101 N66m 1555094
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02484 0867
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/countyofnoblehis00mart
THE
COUNTY OF NOBLE
A History of Noble County, Ohio, from the Earliest Days, with Special Chapter on Military Affairs, and Special Attention Given to Resources
HON. FRANK M. MARTIN
GC 977.101 N66 m
EDITOR
MADISON, WIS. SELWYN A. BRANT 1904
1555094
Table of Contents.
CHAPTER I.
FIRST WHITE MEN-MISSIONS-TRADING POSTS-A LEADEN PLATE- FRENCH AND ENGLISH CLAIMS-OHIO LAND COMPANY-EXPLORA- TIONS-FRENCH FORTS-WASHINGTON'S MISSION-FRENCH AND IN- DIAN WAR-ENGLISH GAIN POSSESSION -- FIRST SURVEY-SQUAT- TERS-INDIAN TREATIES-LAND BOUNTIES TO REVOLUTIONARY SOL- DIERS-THE OHIO COMPANY FORMED-GETS A GRANT OF LAND FROM CONGRESS-RULES FOR SETTLEMENTS-MARIETTA SETTLED- FIRST COURT-FIRST LAND PATENTS-PROGRESS OF THE SETTLE- MENTS
PAGES
17-23
CHAPTER II.
FIRST WHITE MEN IN NOBLE COUNTY-JOSEPH REEVES-JOHN VOR- ITIES-CONFLICTING STORIES-THE ENOCHS SETTLEMENT-THE DYE SETTLEMENT-SECTION LINES-BUFFALO TOWNSHIP-FIRST SCHOOL HOUSE-LAND ENTRIES-WHERE CALDWELL NOW STANDS- SALT KETTLES-EARLY MILLS-AARON HUGHS IN JACKSON TOWN- SHIP-HIS STRENUOUS CAREER-REASONER THE TRAPPER-ALES' TAVERN-ENGLISH IMMIGRANTS-BELL MAKING-THE IRISHI SET- TLEMENT-HUGH O'NEILL'S SCHOOL-SCOTCH PIONEERS-SQUAT- TERS' RIGHTS-FIRST GRAVE IN SHARON CEMETERY-GERMAN FAM- ILIES-PIONEER LIFE-THE LOG CABIN-FRONTIER ADVANTAGES- AMUSEMENTS-EARLY SCHOOLS-THE ITINERANT PREACHIER ...... 24-34
CHAPTER III.
INDIAN RELATIONS-LAST ACT OF HOSTILITY-EARLY ROADS-THE FED- ERAL TRAIL-ROAD TO THOMPSON'S MILL-THE CENTER ROAD- FIRST ROAD TO CALDWELL-STATE ROADS-POST OFFICES-OLIVE- WHARTON-BATES' MILL-SUMMERFIELD-SHARON-HOSKINSVILLE -EARLY MAIL CARRIERS-SARAHISVILLLE-HIRAMSBURG-CARLISLE -MOUNT EPHRAIM-"MOSS TAVERN"-BATESVILLE-HARRIETTS- VILLE-ROCHESTER-MIDDLEBURG-WHIGVILLE-MATROM OR SOCUM -LEXINGTON-A NOVEL MARRIAGE CEREMONY-A HARVESTING IN- CIDENT 35-45
CHAPTER IV.
FIRST COUNTIES IN OHIO-ADMISSION INTO THE UNION-FORMATION OF GUERNSEY COUNTY-MONROE-MORGAN-EARLY TOWNSHIP ORGAN-
12
CONTENTS.
PAGES
IZATIONS-A COUNTY SEAT WAR-AGITATION FOR A NEW COUNTY BEGUN-WHIG SENTIMENT-FIRST PETITION TO THE LEGISLATURE- HOW THE COUNTY WAS NAMED-MEMORIAL OF 1849 - PASSAGE OF THIE ORGANIC ACT-FIRST ELECTION-LOCATION OF THE COUNTY SEAT-SARAHISVILLE SELECTED BY THE COMMISSIONERS - FIRST MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
46-56
CHAPTER V.
EARLY CIVIL INSTITUTIONS -- FIRST COURTS-NEW OFFICERS INSTALLED -REORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS-ELECTION FOR JUSTICES OF THE PEACE-SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES-FIRST NEWSPAPERS-AN ECHO OF THE LOCATION OF THE COUNTY SEAT-A JAIL ORDERED-TROUBLE WITH THE CONTRACTOR-A COUNTY SEAT WAR INAUGURATED-SEC- TIONAL DIFFERENCES IN POLITICS-ACT OF 1854-PLAT OF CALDWELL SURVEYED-TOWN NAMED-CONTRACT FOR COURT HOUSE-TEM- PORARY QUARTERS-FIRST SALE OF LOTS-FIRST NEWSPAPER IN CALDWELL-ORDER TO REMOVE COUNTY OFFICES-NEW JAIL-AN- OTHER NEWSPAPER-EARLY CHURCHES-COUNTY- INFIRMARY ESTAB- LISHED 57-70
CHAPTER VI.
FIRST TROOPS FROM NOBLE-MUSTER ROLL OF COMPANIES-NAMES OF VOLUNTEERS-ENGAGEMENTS-MOVEMENTS OF THE REGIMENTS-IN VIRGINIA-PART OF NATIONAL GUARD-ONE BATTALION FROM NOBLE -MUSTER ROLLS-LAST CALL FOR TROOPS-NOBLE RESPONDS- MISCELLANEOUS ENLISTMENTS-THE HOSKINSVILLE REBELLION 71-92
CHAPTER VII.
PROGRESS SINCE TIIE WAR-THE OIL FIELDS-A CONFIDENCE GAME- RAILROAD AGITATION-THE OLD CALICO ROAD-MARIETTA & PITTS- BURG COMPANY INCORPORATED-THE NARROW GAUGE-ZANESVILLE & SOUTHEASTERN-TWO COMPANIES CONSOLIDATED - NEW TOWNS IN NOBLE COUNTY-DEXTER CITY-SOUTH OLIVE-DUDLEY-AVA- BELLE VALLEY-EAST UNION-MOUNDSVILLE-FULDA-GROWTH OF CALDWELL-NEWSPAPERS-VILLAGE OF TIIE SECOND CLASS-LIST OF CITY OFFICIALS-BANKS-FAIR ASSOCIATION-BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION - WATER-WORKS - SOLDIERS' REUNIONS - MOUND BUILDERS RELICS-AUSTRALIAN BALLOT LAW-NEW JUDICIAL CIR- CUIT-SPANISII-AMERICAN WAR-MILITIA-MEDICAL SOCIETY OR- GANIZED-THE GREAT SNOW STORM-CENTENNIAL ODE. .... 93-113
CHAPTER VIII.
BOUNDARIES OF THE COUNTY-AREA-SURFACE-SOIL-CROPS-MIN- ERAL PRODUCTS-SANDSTONE-COAL-IRON-SALT-NATURAL GAS- MORTGAGES-CHURCHES-EDUCATIONAL GROWTH-SCHOOL STATIS- TICS-FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS-CIVIL GOVERNMENT-LIST OF OFFICIALS SINCE THE ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY-POLITICS- ELECTION STATISTICS-CENSUS REPORTS-GENERAL REFLECTIONS. 114-128
13
CONTENTS.
Biography
Page
Page
Cornelius Aduddell
236
Andrew J. Brown. 161
Francis Aduddell
236
Arthur E. Brown. 185
John K. Anderson. 157
Dexter Brown 161
Aaron Archer
149
Edward C. Brown 243
Absolom Archer
149
George W. Brown. 152
Arthur O. Archer
149
James Brown 243
Bell Archer
166
James D. Brown
172
Daniel Archer
211
James N. Brown ..
152
James Archer
131
Nicholas C. Brown
185
John S. Archer
211
Samuel G. Brown. 173
158
J. W. Archer.
181
George S. Buckey 158
Martin B. Archer
131
John V. Buckey. 158
Nathan Archer
166
R. A. Buckey 158
159
Stephen M. Archer 132
C. V, Cain. 245
Roderick C. Archer
164
James Cain
191
William C. Archer.
166
Leander F. Cain 191
Harvey Barnhouse
161
Archibald Campbell 218
218
Isaac H. Bass
168
Erwin G. Chamberlin
206
Barna Bates
170
Judah M. Chamberlin.
206
Bethel Bates
159
Benjamin O. Chesshir
241
Daniel W. Bates
163
Lemuel B. Chesshir.
241
Dighton M. Bates
170
Asa Coburn 220
Ephraim Bates
159
Edward E. Coburn 219
159
Leonidas J. Coburn 219
Isaac Bates
163
Wallace H. Cooley
194
Isaac Bates
169
William N. Corns
160
Jacob Bates
169
Hugh Cox 173
Jacob Bates, Jr.
171
Campbell Craft 145
166
Ebenezer Cunningham 153
154
Simeon Bates
166
Sylvester Cunningham 153
Timothy Bates
159
Levi Davis, Sr. 154
John W. Beebout
220
William W. Davis
154
Leander J. Beebout
220
Amos A. Day 199
Taylor Bivens 138
Amos Day 199
Thomas E. Bivens
138
Adolph Dengler
253
Robert A. Bowron.
205
Solomon .J. Donaldson
226
Walter H. Bowron
205
David L. Downey 174
George W. Boyd.
148
Doctor Downey
134
John Boyd 148 Edward Downey 174
Thomas Boyd
148 | Merriman Downey
175
John W. Archer
164
Daniel M. Buckey .
Simon Archer
166
William Bridgeman
Jacob Barnhouse 161
John M. Campbell.
Herman Bates
James Bates
Nathaniel Bates
169
George Cunningham
14
CONTENTS.
Page
Page
Robert C. Downey
134 |
Baston Harmon
203
Thomas Downey
133
Conrad Harmon
203
Abraham Dudley
181
George W. Harper 244
Homer F. Dudley
181
Thomas R. Harper.
244
Henry Dudley
181
| George Harris 249
Samuel Dudley 181
Jesse S. Harris. 187
Francis R. Dutton.
155
Sampson Harris 248
Cassius O. Dye
129
Hiram Hastings
202
Ezekiel Dye 129
Homer L. Hastings
202
Furman Dye
129
John Hastings 202
Gustavus C. Ehlerman. 239
Samuel Hastings
202
Frederick Ehlerman 239
J. W. Headley 240
George Eichhorn
247
Levi D. Headley 240
George W. Eichhorn.
247
James Hinton 234
230
Miley Family
176
Ellis Hoopes
230
John Finley
209
Joseph H. Hoopes
230
Levi W. Finley
224
Daniel Hupp
198
William Finley
210
Herman C. Hupp.
198
William Finley
224
John Hutchins
141
Elijah Fogle
165
John W. Hutchinson
155
Jacob Fogle
165
John K. Johnson
217
Easton W. Foster
236
William J. Johnson 217
Henry C. Foster
234
James Keenan. 132
John Foster
234
James R. Keenan. 132
George Frazier
184
Thomas Keenan 133
156
William H. Frazier
183
Timothy B. Kent.
156
David Friedman
195
William Kent
156
Christian Garrett
173
Edgar E. Lee.
246
Clyde D. Garrett.
174
Henry Lee
246
Joseph G. Garrett.
173
John Lee 246
Dennis Gibbs
206
William A. Long 227
Dennis S. Gibbs
157
William M. Long. 227
James W. Gibson
175
William M. Long. 229
David A. Lorenz 141
160
John Glidden
155
Robert F. Lowe 160
182
David Gorby
172
Alonzo Mallett
253
James Gordon
242
William R. Mallett
253
John L. Gray.
205
Anarew Matheny
244
William Gordon 242
Cyrus Matheny
172
Francis M. Haga 152
Martin Matheny 171
John Haga 152
Theodore Matheny 244
Milo Haga
152
1. S. McCowan.
248
William Haga 152
James A. McCowan 248
Valisso E. Harkins. 207
W. L. McCowan. 248
Lewis B. Frazier.
183
Josiah Kent
Samuel Gibson
175
Frank Glidden
155
James Lowe
Clark Gray
205
Frank M. Martin.
John W. Emmons
186
Daniel Hoopes
15
CONTENTS.
Page
Page
Charles S. McFerren 200
David Radcliff 152
D. M. McFerren
200
David Radcliff 150
Calvin McGlashan
215
David H. Radcliff 151
James McGlashan
215
William Radcliff 151
Andrew C. McKee.
John Radcliff 151
Chris McKee
163
Abraham Rich
179
Ezra McKee
163
Jacob Rich 180
William McKee
213
John Rich
180
John Mclaughlin 201
Lewis W. Rich 180
Joseph Mclaughlin 201
William H. Rich 179
John McWilliams
167
Edward Richcreek 198
198
William McWilliams
167
William E. Robey
145
Ambrose Merry
168
William H. Robey
145
Calton Merry
168
John W. Robinson 144
Levi D. Merry
168
Samuel F. Ross 216
William D. Merry
166
John W. Rouse 146
Henry Miller
250
James M. Rownd 221
James H. Mills.
138
John W. Ruby 176
176
Joseph Miller
250
Henry Schafer
209
Oscar Miller
142
John H. Shankland
221
Lorenzo D. Milner
235
James W. Shankland.
221
Stephen Milner
235
George P. Shirley
239
William Miller
142
Joseph Shirley 239
Alfred M. Morris.
130
John W. Simons.
188
Isaac Morris
130
David S. Spriggs
196
James Morris
130
Morris D. Spriggs 196
188
William L. Moseley
250
Jacob Springer 150
Andrew Murphy
178
Urich Springer 150
James Murphy
179
Fulton N. Swank 233
James M. Murphy.
178
Jacob W. Swank. 231
Thomas H. Morris
142
William Swank 231
147
Wesley Neptune
245 | Richmond B. Taylor 147
Alverson C. Okey
139
| Henry Teener 191
157
James Okey. 135
Hebron Tilton
157
William C. Okey 134
Orin G. Tilton.
157
Joseph Patterson
235
John W. Tipton.
139
Samuel Patterson 233
John W. Tipton, Jr.
144
Tempest W. Patterson 233
William Tipton
139
David W. Phillis
254 | Benjamin Thorla
137
John Phillis 255
Sılas Thorla 137
Joseph Pollman 238
William E. Tipton. 139
Landon Racey 143
Thomas M. Thurlow 137
Arthur W. Racey
143 Benjamin B. Waller 193
James W. Moseley
250
Charles P. Simons
Thomas M. McVay
146 | Edward H. Taylor
Freeborn G. Okey
139
Alden D. Tilton
Stephen Mills
212
Johnson Ruby
Philip McWilliams
167
William H. Richcreek
213
16 .
CONTENTS.
Page
Page
Mark Warren
227
John Winder
145
Edson F. Walters.
228
Harry A. Wilson.
223
Peter M. Walters.
228
John H. Williams.
147
Herman A. Wernecke
251
Joseph H. Wilson.
223
John C. Wernecke.
251
William Willey
162
William G. Wernecke
252
William W. Winder
145
W. W. Webber.
246
Clyde Wright
214
Joseph Wheeler
194
Emmett Wright
214
Leander W. Wheeler
194
Nehemiah Wright
215
Enoch W. Wickham.
137
Benjamin F. Young.
164
Jeremiah Wickham
137
David Young
222
Nathan Wickham
136
Henry J. Young.
164
Arch Wiley
140
John H. Young
165
John Wiley
140
Robert J. Young.
165
Thomas Wiley
140
William Young
164
Silas Willey
162
Wayne Young
222
William P. Willey
162]
The County of Noble.
Chapter I.
FIRST WHITE MEN-MISSIONS-TRADING POSTS-A LEADEN PLATE -FRENCH AND ENGLISH CLAIMS-OHIO LAND COMPANY- EXPLORATIONS - FRENCH FORTS - WASHINGTON'S MISSION- FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR-ENGLISH GAIN POSSESSION-FIRST SURVEY-SQUATTERS-INDIAN TREATIES-LAND BOUNTIES TO REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS-THE OHIO COMPANY FORMED- GETS A GRANT OF LAND FROM CONGRESS-RULES FOR SETTLE- MENTS-MARIETTA SETTLED-FIRST COURT-FIRST LAND PAT- ENTS-PROGRESS OF THE SETTLEMENTS.
D URING the latter part of the seventeenth, and the early years of the eighteenth century, the French missionaries and traders were active in founding missions and establish- ing trading posts at various points in the Ohio Valley. The principal avenues of travel were the Ohio and the Wabash rivers, and from the great lakes the line of missions and trading posts fol- lowed these streams, together with the Allegheny and Maumee rivers, to the Mississippi. The traders, being bent on gain, kept no records of their explorations, so that the only authentic account of this period is to be obtained from the journals of the Jesuit missionaries, and this is often so meager as to afford little information. Leaden plates have been found on the Kanawha and Allegheny rivers, and at the mouth of the Muskingum, bearing inscriptions to show that the French had laid claim to the country in the name of their king. The inscription on that at the mouth of the Muskingum was as follows :
"In the year of 1749, of the reign of Louis XV of France, we, Celeron,* commandant of a detachment sent by the Marquis de la
* This plate was found in the year 1798 and the dates mentioned in the in- scription correspond to the expedition sent out under Celeron de Bienville. This expedition built a fort at Sandusky and explored several tributaries of the Ohio.
2
18
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
Galissoniere, captain-general of New France, in order to establish tranquility among some villages of savages of these parts, have buried this plate at the mouth of the river Chi-no-da-hich-e-tha, the 18th of August, near the river Ohio, otherwise 'Beautiful River,' as a monu- ment of renewal of possession which we have taken of the said river Ohio, and all of those which empty themselves into it, and of all the lands on both sides, even to the sources of said rivers, as have enjoyed or ought to have enjoyed the preceding kings of France, and that they have maintained themselves there by force of arms and by treaties, especially those of Ryswick, of Utrecht, and of Aix-la- Chapelle."
By this claim that portion of the State of Ohio now included within the boundaries of Noble county became the territory of France, and subject to the edicts of the French king. But, before this plate had been deposited, the English had already began to dispute the pos- session of the country. As early as 1714, Governor Spotswood, of the Virginia Colony, had found an easy route through the Allegheny mountains and advocated taking possession of the country west of them. The governor of Pennsylvania joined with him in recom- mending the mother country to take possession of the region between the Alleghenies and the great lakes. Had the suggestions of those two colonial governors been accepted by the British Parliament the French and Indian war might have been avoided, and the history of the Conquest of the Northwest Territory would have to have been told in different language. From 1720 to 1750 numerous English traders and explorers visited the Ohio Valley. Some were licensed by the Pennsylvania authorities to trade with the Indians, but many of them assumed the responsibility and the risk and went on their "own hook." Among these early adventurers were Conrad Weiser, John Howard, who was captured by the French on the Mississippi in 1742, and George Croghan, who erected a stockade on the great Miami river, in what is now Shelby county, Ohio.
The first systematic attempt to establish an English settlement west of the Alleghenies came in 1748. That year Governor Robert Din- widdie, of Virginia, Thomas Lee, president of the Virginia council, and ten others organized the Ohio Land Company. The following year the company received from George II a grant of 500,000 acres of land. By the terms of this grant the company was given the option of locating their lands either between the Kanawha and Mon- ongahela rivers, or on the northern side of the Ohio, but in either case the conditions required the settlement of one hundred families within seven years. In 1750 the Company sent out a surveying party, under the leadership of Christopher Gist, to locate the grant. Crossing the Ohio near the mouth of Beaver Creek, Gist spent the month of December among the Indians of the Tuscarawas country.
19
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
In one of the Indian villages he found George Croghan, previously mentioned, and a Seneca half-breed named Andrew Montour. They had hoisted the English flag and were taking steps to hold councils with the different bands of Indians in the interest of the English traders. Accompanied by Croghan, Gist explored the valleys of the Muskingum and Scioto rivers, after which he descended the Ohio to the falls, but nothing definite was accomplished in the way of locating the grant of the Ohio Company.
In the meantime the French had established a line of forts from Lake Erie to the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers to prevent the English from gaining a foothold in the country. The reader of American history is familiar with the story of how George Washington, then a young man, was sent by Governor Dinwiddie to the French commandants at Forts Le Boeuf and Venango to demand the reason for their invasion of English territory. No satisfaction was received from the French officers at those posts, the French and Indian war ensued, and all efforts to found a colony north of the Ohio was for the time abandoned. By the treaty of 1763 the French relinquished all claims to the disputed territory and the following year an expedition was sent into the country north of the Ohio to punish the Indians for their participation in the French and Indian war. Although the English were given undisputed control of all the region between the Ohio and the great lakes, they were slow to take advantage of their new acquisition. A few resolute traders invaded the country and established a profitable traffic in furs with the natives, but it was not until after the Revolution that a finally successful attempt was made to settle the northwest territory.
In April, 1784, the Congress of the United States passed an ordi- nance providing for the government of the territory northwest of the Ohio river. This ordinance remained in force for about three years and under its provisions the first survey of the public lands was begun. Among the surveyors appointed by Congress were Rufus Putnam, of Massachusetts ; William Morris, of New York ; Nathaniel Adams, of New Hampshire; Alexander Parker, of Virginia: Adam Hoops, of Pennsylvania ; James Simpson, of Maryland ; and Isaac Sherman, of Connecticut. These surveyors were appointed on May 27, 1785, and at once entered upon their duties. They found a number of squatters upon the unsurveyed lands and reported the conditions to Congress, which led to the following proclamation being printed and circulated throughout the territory :
"Whereas, it has been represented to the United States in Congress assembled that several disorderly persons have crossed the Ohio and settled upon their unappropriated lands; and whereas, it is their intention, as soon as it shall be surveyed, to open offices for the sale of a considerable part thereof, in such proportions and under such
20
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
other regulations as may suit the convenience of all the citizens of the United States, and others who may wish to become purchasers of the same; and as such conduct tends to defeat the object they have in view, is in direct opposition to the ordinances and resolutions of Congress, and is highly disrespectful to the Federal authority, they have therefore thought fit, and do hereby issue this proclamation, forbidding all such unwarrantable intrusions, and enjoining all those who have settled thereon to depart with their families and effects without loss of time, as they shall answer the same at their peril."
The names of about sixty of these squatters were sent to Colonel Harmar at Fort McIntosh, and a body of troops was sent out to dis- possess them. The squatters showed fight, and the affair was finally adjusted by temporary homes being given them on the east side of the river until the lands were opened to settlement. By the treaty of Fort Stanwix, New York, in 1784 the Six Nations had surrendered all claims to lands in the Ohio Valley, and on January 21, 1785, a treaty was made at Fort McIntosh between George Rogers Clark, Arthur Lee, and Richard Butler, acting on behalf of the United States, and the chiefs of the Delawares, Ottawas, Wyandots, and Chippewas. By the provisions of this treaty the boundaries between the United States and the Indian lands were fixed and the different tribes relinquished all claim to the lands in Southeastern Ohio. On the last day of January, 1786, General Clark, Richard Butler, and Samuel H. Parsons met the Shawnee chiefs at Fort Finney and negotiated a treaty by which this tribe ceded their lands in the Ohio Valley to the United States. Thus the native red man retired before the march of the Caucasian, and the lands once the home and hunting ground of the savage, became the possession of a civilized race.
Meantime another agency was at work, having for its object the settlement of the Northwest Territory. In 1776 Congress had passed an act providing for a bounty of land to be given from the public domain to every soldier that served through the war. These bounties ranged from 500 acres for a colonel down to 100 acres for a private soldier. In 1783 a petition, signed by nearly three hundred officers of the army, was presented to Congress asking that the lands constituting these bounties be located north of the Ohio river. Owing to claims of certain States to these lands Congress did not deem that it had a perfect title to the domain and declined to act. The State of Virginia surrendered her claim in 1784 and another effort was made by some of the officers to have Congress recognize the claims of the soldiers. Among these officers were Generals Rufus Putnam and Benjamin Tupper. General Tupper had been one of the sur- veyors under the ordinance of 1784 and had been favorably impressed with the resources of the country. The soldiers of the American army during the Revolution received very little money for their
21
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
services, being paid in certificates, which in 1785 were worth about twenty per cent of their face value. General Tupper conceived the plan of organizing a company and purchasing a large tract of land, payment for which was to be made in these certificates. In January, 1786, he and General Putnam prepared the following address to . the people, and it made its appearance in the Boston newspapers on the 25th of that month :
"The subscribers take this method to inform all officers and soldiers who have served in the late war and who are by a late ordinance of the honorable Congress to receive certain tracts of land in the Ohio country, and also all other good citizens who wish to become adven- turers in that delightful region, that from personal inspection, to- gether with other incontestable evidences, they are fully satisfied that the lands in that quarter are of a much better quality than any other known to the New England people ; that the climate, seasons, products, etc., are, in fact, equal to the most flattering accounts that have ever been published of them; that being determined to become purchasers and to prosecute a settlement in the country, and desirous of forming a general association with those who entertain the same ideas, they beg leave to propose the following plan, viz .: That an association by the name of the Ohio Company be formed of all such as wish to become purchasers, etc., in that country, who reside in the common- wealth of Massachusetts only, or to extend to the inhabitants of other States, as shall be agreed on."
The address also recommended that each county choose delegates on February 15, and that these delegates should meet in Boston on the first day of March, 1786, to perfect plans for the organization of the company. Delegates were accordingly chosen, among them being some of the most prominent men of the State. General Putnam presided over the deliberations and Winthrop Sargent acted as secre- tary. Articles of association were adopted, providing for the sub- scription of a fund, not to exceed $1,000,000, each share of which was to consist of $1,000 in Continental certificates and $10 in gold or silver. A second meeting was held at Brackett's tavern, in Boston, on March 8, 1787. Only two hundred and fifty shares had been sub- scribed up to this time, the agents reporting that many had expressed sympathy with the movement but that they had declined to become stockholders because of the uncertainty of the company's being able to secure a suitable tract of land for a settlement. At this meeting it was determined to take immediate action and apply to Congress for the acquisition of lands. General Putnam, Samuel H. Parsons, and Rev. Manasseh Cutler were elected directors, and were given authority to make a purchase of such lands as they might deem best. In June Dr. Cutler went to New York, where Congress was then in session, to secure the title to a tract of land for a settlement. While
22
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
he was in New York Congress passed the act "for the government of the territory of the United States northwest of the River Ohio." This act, since known as the "Ordinance of Freedom," contained several provisions suggested by Dr. Cutler. It was passed on July 13, and on the 27th Dr. Cutler and Winthrop Sargent submitted propo- sitions for the purchase of 1,500,000 acres of land, which were adopted by Congress. The agreement was ratified by the Board of Treasury on October 27, and the Ohio Company became the owner of a million and a half acres of land lying along the Ohio and Mus- kingum rivers.
The first settlement made upon the lands of the Ohio Company was at Marietta, in April, 1788, by a party of forty-seven men from Massachusetts, with Gen. Rufus Putnam as superintendent of the colony. On September 2, 1788, the first court ever held in the Northwest Territory was convened at Marietta and was opened with imposing ceremonies. No business appeared before the court and it was soon adjourned. Prior to the settlement of Marietta, however, the Company adopted the plan of donating lands to companies of actual settlers. One of these donations was located at the forks of Duck Creek, about fifteen miles from Marietta, and consisted of twenty lots of one hundred acres each, to be given to twenty settlers who would bind themselves to observe the following rules :
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