USA > Ohio > Butler County > A history and biographical cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio, with illustrations and sketches of its representative men and pioneers. Vol. 1 > Part 67
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When the regular army was increased, after the de- feat of General St. Clair, General Knox, then Secretary of War, sent to Mr. Jonathan Cass, then a private citi- zen, a commission as major in the army. This commis- sion was wholly unexpected and unsolicited, but was given by General Knox in recognition of long and faith- ful military service and soldierly character and bearing of one whom he knew personally. The personal pres- ence of Major Cass was most striking and commanding ; he had the look of one born to command. In height he was nearly or quite six feet, of perfect form, without superfluous flesh, black hair and piercing black eyes, and commanding brow. He joined his command at Win- chester, Virginia, taking his family with him, excepting his oldest son, Lewis, who was left at Exeter, that he inight continue his studies at " Phillips Academy." From Winchester he was ordered to take command at Fort Franklin, on the Alleghany River, in Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburg. His route to his new command was via Fort Cumberland, and across the Alleghany Mountains, and along " Braddock's road" to Pittsburg, and thence up the Alleghany River in barges. From Fort Franklin he was ordered to Fort Washington (Cincinnati), to which point he went about the Fall of 1793, taking his family with him, excepting his son Lewis, who still re- mained at "Phillips Exeter Academy." He remained in command at Fort Washington nearly all the time that he was with the army of General Wayne. In 1794 and 1795 he was at Fort Hamilton. While in charge of a reconnoitering party, his horse, in jumping over the trunk of a prostrate tree, fell, and in coming down fell upon and broke one of Major Cass's legs below the knee. In consequence of bad surgery. the wounded leg never healed, and required daily dressing for about thirty-tive years, and was painful all that period. It finally caused premature death, at the age of seventy-seven. His widow followed about five years later. in consequence of this injury, he was for a time so disabled from mili- tary duty that he was granted a leave of absence, and . Went with his family to Exeter, New Hampshire, travel- ing by a northern rente. He went from Cincinnati to
Detroit via Fort Wayne, Indiana (then "Block House No. 10 .? ), descending the river from Fort Wayne to Lake Erie, and coasting thence to Detroit. From Detroit he went by boat to Oswego, and thence to Albany ; from: Albany to Boston. This was in the year 1795 or 1796. In the year 1799 he was so far relieved from suffering that he applied for "orders," and was sent to Wilming- ton, Delaware, but was soon after ordered to the com- mand at Winchester, Virginia, at that time a principal recruiting station.
In the year 1800 he tendered his resignation as an officer of the army. The Secretary of War accepted it, to take effect at the end of one year. In the meantime he was granted a "leave of absence" to the date his resignation was accepted.
The choice of the four thousand acrc tracts of land in the United States military distriet in Ohio (west of the Ohio River, east of the Scioto, north of latitude 40°, and south of the Greenville treaty line), was decided by a lottery, drawn in Philadelphia in 1799 while Major Cass was stationed at Wilmington, Delaware. He drew No. 1. He commissioned Bazaleel Wells, surveyor, of Steuben- ville, Ohio, to make a selection for him, and the latter chosc the section at the mouth of Walkatomaka Creek, on the Muskingum River, fifteen miles due north of Zanesville, Ohio, and for his services received four hur- dred acres off of the north-west corner of the section selected. No. 2 was drawn by Thomas Backus, who "located" the section at the mouth of Whetstone Creek, above Columbus, on the Scioto.
As soon as Major Cass received his "leave of absence" he proceeded with his family (excepting his oldest son, Lewis, who was left in Wilmington, Delaware, in charge of a Latin grammar school) to take possession of his purchase of lands in Ohio. The warrants which were given in payment of those lands were purchased in the open market in Philadelphia. He came West by way of Cumberland and Pittsburg, stopping long enough at the last named place to make purchases of furniture, farm im- plements, supplies, etc., for his new home. He descended the Ohio River to Marietta in a " broad-horn" boat. At Marietta he transferred his family and effects into large canoes, called pirogues, and thus ascended the Mus- kingum River about one hundred miles, disembarking on his own lands. On arriving there he found several families from Maryland and Western Virginia living on the ground, each having a few aeres in cultivation .. On this farm Major Cass lived the remainder of his days, which terminated in September, 1830, in the 76th year of his age. As before stated, his death was premature, having been caused by thirty-five years of suffering, ocea- sioned by an injury in the military service of his country.
LAYING OUT OF THE TOWN.
In the mouth of June, 1795, a number of the officer> land sokliers of the army were disbanded at Greenville,
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and returned to Hamilton. There were then no persons living in the country anywhere near Hamilton, except Charles Bruce, who had settled in the year 1793 on the Miatni River, a mile and a half below the fort, at the outlet of the pond, and David Beaty, who, some time afterwards, built a cabin and settled on the bank of the poud, one mile south of the fort, near the junction of the two turnpike roads now leading to Cincinnati.
Fort Hamilton remained occupied as a garrison until . some time in the Summer of the year 1796, when the public stores, and property belonging to the garrison, were sold at public auction, and the fort abandoned. The line, however, where the pickets stood could be dis- tinetly traced, and some of the buildings of the garrison remained standing as late as the year 1812. They have been seen by persons still living.
On the 27th of July, 1795, Jonathan Dayton con- veyed to Israel Ludlow the fractional section, number two, in township one, range three, and on the 17th of December, 1794, Israel Ludlow laid out a town on this ground, in the immediate vicinity of Fort Ham- ilten, and gave it the name of Fairfield. The name was, however, shortly afterwards changed to that of Hamilton, in remembrance of the fort, which name it bears at present. The whole number of lots in the present plan of the town were not laid ont at that time, but addi- tional ones were laid off afterwards, from time to time, as persons proposed to purchase, or circumstances seemed to require.
Darius C. Orentt, who then resided at Hamilton, was agent for Mr. Ludlow, to lay out lots and contract with persons wishing to purchase. He was one of the carly pioneers of the country. He was a pack-horse master with St. Clair's army, and was on the ground on the day of the disastrous defeat. He was one of the second couple married in the Miami country. He was united at Cin- cinnati to Miss Sally MeHenry, in 1790. (The first couple married were Daniel Shoemaker to Miss Elsie Ross, a few days before.) Mr. Orentt owned lot No. 145 in Hamilton, on which he built a howed log house, which was afterward weatherboarded. It is the same house where Major William Murray lived, but was re- moved fifty years after, in consequence of the works of the Hydraulic Canal Company eneroaching on the site. Mr. Oreutt afterwards lived a long time in Rossville, was constable of St. Clair Township many years, and finally died in the vicinity of Hamilton in indigent circum- stances.
Shortly after the town was laid out, a few persons purchased lots and settled in the place. The first settlers were Darius C. Orcutt, John Greer, William Mcclellan, John Sutherland, John Torreuce, Benjamin F. Randolph, Benjamin Davis, Isaac Wiles, Audrew Christy, and Will- iam Hubbert. The first part of the town of Hamilton Iwing originally laid out under the territorial govern- ment, there was then no law requiring town plats to be -
placed on record, consequently it was not recorded at the time. Afterwawis, ou the twenty-ciglith day of April, 1802, Israel Ludlow placed the plat of the town on the records of Hamilton County at Cincinnati, where it may. be found, in book E, No. 2, page 57. This recorded plat only comprehended entire inlots from No. 1 to No. 221, 12 fractional lots, and outlots from No. 1 to No. 30. The most northerly blocks of lots in the town numbered from No. 222 to No. 242, inclusive, and outlots Nos. 31, 32, and 33 are not laid down on that plat, nor are they re- corded; hence the presumption is, that they were laid out after the first town plat was placed on record. Accord- ing to the original plan of the town of Hamilton, placed on record by Israel Ludlow, "the streets are sixty-six feet wide, except High Street, which is ninety-nine feet wide; alleys sixteen feet wide. The entire town lots are six poles by twelve, containing seventy-two square poles each. Entire outlots contain each four acres." However, the original survey, by which the town was laid out, was made with a two-pole chain, three inches and a half or more too long. Hence, it has ever since been the prac- tice of' surveyors, in measuring lots in Hamilton, to add three and a half inches to each two poles of measure, in order to correspond with the lots as originally laid out, and leave the improvements of individuals upon the ground which they believed they had originally pur- chased.
This circumstance was early known to the proprietor, but, having sold a number of lots in different parts of the town, to individuals who had made improvements npon them, he instructed his agents to survey and lay out the lots in such a manner that cach person shonkl have the ground on which he had made his improvements.
ADDITIONS TO THE TOWN OF HAMILTON.
Israel Ludlow, in consideration of the sum of five shillings, on the twelfth day of July, 1798, conveyed to Brigadier-geucral James Wilkinson, who had then sue- ceeded General Wayne in the command of the north- western army, the equal undivided half of the ground occupied by Fort Hamilton, compreliending all the land within the exterior line of pickets, and extending to low water mark of the Mimui River, estimated to contain three acres and a half.
Some time afterwards, when General Wilkinson had gone to the south with the army, Peyton Short sned out from the Court of Common Pleas of' Butler County a writ of attachment against Wilkinson for debt, and at- tached his interest in this ground, which was afterwards sold on the attachment on the 16th of April, 1806, and William Corry and John Reily became the purchasers for one hundred and twenty-five dollars. The deed made to them by the auditors appointed by the court bears date the fourth day of May, 1806.
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William Corry and John Reily afterwards, on the fourth day of October, 1811, sold and conveyed their interest.
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being the one equal undivided half of the garrison tract, to Lawrence Cavenangh for five hundred dollars, and Lawrence Cavenaugh afterwards eonveyed the interest .which he had thus acquired to this ground to the guard- ians of the minor heirs of Israel Ludlow, deceased, for the use and benefit of the heirs.
On the fifteenth day of September, 1817, Samuel W. Davies, Griffin Yeatman, and Stephen McFarland, guard- ians of the lieirs of Israel Ludlow, laid out this ground, together with all that comprehended between High Street . and 'Basin Street, and between Front Street and the Miami River, into town lots as an addition to the town of Hamilton. They are numbered from 243 to 262, inclusive, with four fractional lots on the river. They were offered at public sale on the ground in 1817, and brought high prices. Lot No. 251, on the corner of High and Front Streets, sold for $1,700.
On the 13th of November, 1826, William Murray laid out an addition to the town of Hamilton, on the Miami Canal, then in the course of construction, on a part of his farm situated in the south-west part of sec- tion No. 32, in township No. 2, of range 3, M. R. These lots were laid out on both sides of the canal, and extending westwardly along High Street, from where the Basin was, to near the outlots on the original plan of Hamilton. They were numbered from No. 1 to No. 62, inelusive, and ealled East Hamilton. The place scon afterwards acquired the sobriquet of Debbysville, after Mrs. Murray, by which name it was occasionally called for many years. Mr. Murray at first beld his lots at so high a priee that but few would purchase.
Notwithstanding, be sold a few, aud when the canal was completed to Middletown, and navigation commenced, business appeared to increase for a time. Some houses were built. The office of the collector of tolls on the eanal was established at that place. Pierson Sayre, the first collector, built a house and lived there, and after him William; Blair. Two taverns were begun, one by Benjamin Enycart. William Blair opened a commission warehouse, and Alexander Delorac kept a coffee-house and nine-pin alley; a blacksmith shop was soon added, and then, in the estimate of its projeetors, it was a full- fledged town. The distance from Hamilton proper was a pleasant walk on the basin bank when it was con- structed; the coffee-house and nine-pin alley of Mr. Del- orae were frequently visited by citizens of the place, but, unfortunately, they were consumed by fire, with all the refreshments and attractions which they contained, which put an end to that species of amusement. The basin was constructed in 1830. The collector's office re- moved to the west end of the basin in 1830, and the business of the place declined and dwindled away so as to be of little or no consequence. At the September term of the Court of Common Pleas for Butler County. in 1837, on the application of William Murray, Jr. (the late William Murray), who had then inherited the
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property, a deeree was made by the court, vacating that portion of the town plat which had not previously been sold out to individuais.
In March, 1838, James C. Ludlow subdivided four aeres on outlot No. 12, and that portion of outlot 15 lying south of the basin, including a portion of ground lying on the east, into building lots, as a further addition to the town. They are numbered from No. 1 to No. 37, inclusive, and three lots of a larger size, called outlots. But few of them were sold by the original proprietor.
The Hamilton and Rossville Hydraulie Company, hav- ing it in contemplation to construct their canal, to bring the water to their manufactories, through that ground on the river in front of the town, which had been desig- nated on the original plan of the town as commons, doubts were entertained that, should that measure be car- ried into effeet, whether it would not vitiate the original grant, by appropriating the premises to other purposes than that intended by the grant, and consequently that the surviving heirs of the original proprietor would elaim and appropriate the property to their individual use. Under these considerations, by mutual agreement between the heirs of Israel Ludlow, the Hamilton and Rossville Hydraulic Company, and the corporation of Hamilton, the premises were laid out into town lots on' the second day of March, 1843, and by an order made by the Court of Common Pleas at their March term, 1843, it was deereed that the heirs of Israel Ludlow should have one half of the lots lying south of the north side of Buckeye Street, and one-third part of that por- tion of the lots lying north of Buckeye Street. To the Hamilton and Rossville Hydraulic Company was decreed the one-half of the lots lying south of the north side of Buckeye Street, and the one-third part of the lots lying north of Buckeye Street. The town of Hamilton was to have the remaining one-third of the lots lying north of Buckeye Street, and aeecordingly partition was made of the property amongst the parties in this manner.
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The lots laid out are on the river bank in front of the inlots, heretofore laid out, extending from the north to the south line of the town, and are numbered from No. 263 to No. 311. Many of these lots in the lower part lie wholly on the river beach, and those in the upper part are so narrow, extending into the river, as to be of little or no value.
The lots lying between the bridge and Buckeye Street are the only ones of sufficient dimensions to be occupied advantageously for manufacturing purposes.
On the fifteenth day of August, 1843, Doctor Jacob Hittell laid out a few lots in original outlots, No. 1, on the west side of Front Street, and adjoining on the south of the inlots h retofore laid out. They are num- bered from No. 1 to No. 11, incinsive.
On the third day of November, 1843, the original outlots numbered 22, 25, and 28, through which the eastern branch of the hydraulic canal passes, were sub-
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HAMILTON.
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divided into building lots by William H. Bartlett, John Woods, John W. Erwin, Cyrus Falconer, William Bebb, and Evan R. Bebb. The lots are numbered from No. 1 to No. 79, inclusive, and denominated "The hydraulic addition to the town of Hamilton."
ROSSVILLE LAID OUT.
Previous to the year 1801, all the land on the west side of the Great Miami River was owned by the United · States, consequently no improvements were made on that side of the river, except by a few squatters who had set- tled on the publie lands. There was one log house built, at an early period, on the west side of the river oppo- site to the fort, near where the west end of the bridge now is. It is on the corner, and is the same house which has since been weatherboarded. A tavern was first kept in it by Archibald Talbert.
On the first Monday of April, 1801, the first sales of the public lands, lying west of the Great Miami River, were held at Cincinnati, under the authority of the United States, at which sale a company, composed of Jacob Burnet, James Smith, William Ruffin, John Suth- erland, and Henry Brown, purchased section No. 36, town 4, range 2, and fractional sections Nos. 31 and 32, town 2, range 3, lying on the west side of the Miami River, opposite to the town of Hamilton, on -part of which traet they afterwards laid out the town of Ross- ville, the plat of which bears date on the fourteenth day of March, 1804. It was named after James Ross, of Pittsburg. The town then laid out consisted of one hun- dred iulots, five poles wide by ten poles deep; twelve fractional lots, next the river, five poles square, and twenty outlots, most of them containing four aeres cach. The inlots 53 and 58 were given by the proprietors to the county of, Butler for public uses, and the ground lying between Water Street and the river was given for a public cominion, to be kept open for ever. The frae- tic ual outlot No. 20 was given tor a burying-ground.
On the fourteenth day of March, 1804, the proprietor had a public sole on the ground, at which the lots were offered at auction, and a considerable number of them sold at fair prices.
Encouraged by the success of the first sale of lots, the proprietors proceeded to lay out an additional number of outlots, adjoining on the south-west of the former ones, beginning at outlot No. 21 and extending to outlet No. 38, inclusive. The plans of these additional outlots were not placed on record at the time, nor have they since been recorded anywhere, but appear on an old map of the town which has the plan of those additional outlots, laid out at that time. upon it, made by John Brily, of Hamilton, and formerly in hi- possession. Mr. Reily was the general agent for the proprietors, who laid out the town and superintended the sale of lots for them.
On the sixteenth day of May, 1804, a second sale of
lots in the town of Rossville, including the additional outlets laid out sinee the first sale, was held, at which a considerable number were sold. The additional ontlots were all sold at prices from twenty-five to twenty-eight dollars each. Several buildings were soon afterwards erected, and the town began to grow.
On the eleventh day of November, 1818, John Suth- erland and Sammel Dick, who had then become the pro- prietors of the unappropriated ground adjoining Rossville on the north, laid ont an additional number of inlots in the upper part of the town, which are numbered from No. 101 to No. 112, inclusive, and also three outlots on the north of the burying-ground (now the park), Nos. 39, 40, 41, and 42.
The original outlots numbered 9 and 10, in the north- west part of the town, were subdivided and laid out into building lots by Robert B. Millikin and William Taylor, on the twenty-eighth day of April, 1831. They are numbered from No. 113 to No. 140, inclusive.
JOHN SUTHERLAND.
John Sutherland, the earliest merchant of Hamilton, was a native of Caithnesshire, Scotland, where he was born in 1771. His father was a farmer, and Mr. Suth- erland was brought up to the same calling. In 1788 he determined to come to the United States, and, on Lis arrival here, settled in the western part of Virginia. In 1793 he came to Ohio, and acted as a captain of pack- horse, engaged in transmitting stores from Cincinnati to the military posts in the interior. Robert Benham was in charge of the pack-horses, and was assisted by several others, among them Mr. Sutherland. Each had the care of about forty horses. Afterwards he held a position in the commissariat department. When peace was concluded, he settled in Hamilton, opening a store on Front Street. Here he did a large business with the Indians, who came in from the surrounding country to exchange furs for the articles of the white men. The business was very profitable, and he soon became easy in his circumstances. As they moved away from this neighborhood, he ent- ployed persons whom he supplied with goods to go to their towns and trade with them. Some years afterwards Mr. Sutherland also dealt largely in beef cattle, which he purchased in the lower end of this valley, and drove north to Detroit. Soon after coming here he formed a partnership with Heury Brown, under the firm name of Sutherland & Brown; after a time also establishing a store in Dayton, which was continued until they dissolved partnership in 1810. About 1813, Mr. Sutherland eu- tered into partnership with James P. Ramsey, and did business under the firm name of Sutherland & Ramsey until 1820. His store was at first in a double log build- ing across the alley which runs east and west behind the United Presbyterian Church, and then it was removed! to Front Street, between Stable and Dayton, where he built a house on Lot 120; and he subsequently built
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the house at the north-cast corner of Front and High Streets, now owned by the family.
The result of his economy, care, and sedulous atten- tion to his good name soon gave Mr. Sutherland unlim- ited credit, and his profits accumulated until he became the wealthiest man in the county, and one of the wealth- iest in the State. He was liberal in his dealings and trusted much, but in course of time lost a great deal of money by bad debts. In 1818, and in some succeed- ing years, he was largely in the pork and flour trade, and made heavy shipments to New Orleans. The times were unpropitious, and he lost heavily. He had also be- come an indorser to large amounts for his friends, and, these coming back to him, embarrassed him. He finally suspended business, and in the end he found it required the greater portion of his acquired wealth to pay off the indebtedness thus forced upon him. However, a sufficient amount to make his family comfortable was saved. from the wreck.
He was a man of unbounded charity and benevolence. He gave away much, and he assisted those who were weaker than himself to help themselves. He was a friend to every one who deserved it. He was a regular attend- ant of the Associate Reformed Church, although not a member, and gave of his means liberally to it, being a trustee at one time. He was a very hospitable man, and was never more pleased than when entertaining company. At his house ministers, and especially those of the Scotch Churches, were always sure of a hearty welcome.
He died on the 9th of September, 1834. He had been. three times married. His first wife was Miss Mary Scott, of Fayette County, Kentucky, and his second Miss Mary Steele, of Kentucky. To the latter was born Alexander, who died soon after reaching maturity. In May, 1810, he married Nancy Ramsey, daughter of James Ramsey, of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, who was born on the 6th of November, 1787. She was one of the original members of the Associate Reformed congregation on its being formed in 1817, and remained a worthy and respected member of it all her life. Her temper was most cheerful and even, and she appeared to advantage everywhere. No gossip or seandal was encouraged by her, and she loved the company of pious people. She died March 21, 1855. She had borne eight children, two sons and six
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