USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Annals of the Early Settlers Association of Cuyahoga County, v. 5 number 5 > Part 3
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horse, as may be supposed, would now render a cavalcade some- what uncouth in appearance on the broadways of Cleveland. But then people dispensed in part with stylish appearances, and accom- modated themselves to the necessities of the time. We all arrived home safe and sound, and the horse that carried us, did it apparently without fatigue.
Perhaps that school exibition was where a desire had its origin to excel in dramatic performance several years later by Cleveland young men and ladies, under a tutor of more than ordinary repute. But what a change in that little company since that time .- I re- member the whole soul and ever cheerful Thos. Colahan, the social and generous Sylvester Gaylord, the eccentric yet well meaning Francis Billett, the genial and warm hearted Wm. Skin- ner, the staid friend James H. Elwell, and Lewis Dibble, the ever generous and true to his associates,- he remains with us .- And the ladies - I cannot forget them. And while tears of sadness start in memory of the departed ones of that association, let a warm greeting continue as often as the three or four remaining ones meet, and I would say to all, let the friendship of earlier days be imitated, and the kindly acts of pioneer life inspire the rising generation to kind and noble deeds.
The exercises of the forenoon were now concluded with a song finely rendered by Mr. Fulkerson, a popular singer of Cleveland. The Home Amateurs, and other singers who had so kindly volun- teered their services for the occasion, were invited by a vote of the Association to partake in the social lunch which was now announced as ready by the blowing of a conch-shell as in pioneer times. The shell was said to have been in use over a hundred years ago. Three long rows of tables had been set under the galleries in the hall laden with substantials and luxuries. The moment the chonch had ceased its sonorous tones, the Association took a recess and seated themselves with invited guests at the tables. All seemed to enjoy the feast, and especially the social chit-chat that accom- panied it.
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AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Association was called to order at 2 o'clock. The public had been invited to attend. The hall, large as it is, was filled. The exercises commenced with the singing of " Auld Lang Syne " by the Home Amateurs, in a style and with a zest that delighted the audience. The Annual Address followed.
ANNUAL ADDRESS.
THE CORPORATE BIRTH AND GROWTH OF CLEVELAND. BY HON. S. O. GRISWOLD.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION :-
At the request of your worthy President I appear before you to deliver your fifth annual address. While I cannot pretend to bring to you anything of personal recollection of the early days, my line of study has made me familiar with some matters which may be appropriately considered on this occasion. The authorities for the facts to be stated by me are in great part derived from the archives of the State, and the public records of the County and City, which I have verified by personal inspection. I must also acknowledge my obligation for other facts to that most excellent compilation in regard to the history of Cleveland by our distinguished fellow townsman, Col. Charles Whittlesey. The subject which I have chosen for my address is : The Corporate Birth and Growth of Cleveland.
This place, where the Cuyahoga river empties into Lake Erie, was regarded by the statesmen of the ante-revolutionary period as a strategic point for the command of the' northwest; territory, and the control of the future commerce of the lakes. Immediately after the ratification of the treaty of peace in 1784, the Continental Congress by resolutions passed the 23rd day of April of that year, assumed the control of this vast territory, and on May 25th, 1785, it passed an ordinance for the survey and sale of the land thereof.
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There then existed, however, on the part of several of the States, conflicting claims in regard to their jurisdiction and ownership of the title to this region. The State of Connecticut made large claims to the territory ; but on the 14th of September 1786, that State ceded to the Continental Congress all its rights over this region, reserving, however, the title to all the land bounded south by the 41st parallel of north latitude, and north by the line of 42º 1', and extending west between these lines from the Pennsylvania line, a distance of 120 statute miles.
On the 13th day of July 1787, the Continental Congress passed an ordinance for the government of this territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio river, which is known as the famous ordinance of 1787. In the fifth article of that ordinance, it was provided that not less than three nor more than five States might be formed out of this territory, and the western line of the eastern State thereof was coincident with the present western boundary of Ohio, said line beginning in the Ohio river at the mouth of the great Miami, and drawn due north to the territorial line between the United States and Canada.
A territorial government was immediately organized, and General Arthur St. Clair was appointed governor, and continued to hold the office till Ohio was admitted into the Union. On the 12th of July 1788, the governor, by his proclamation, established Washington County, including all the State east of a line from the mouth of the Cuyahoga river to the Ohio river, and on the 29th day of July 1797 he established the County of Jefferson, which included all the northern part of said Washington County. Although the Conti- nental Congress, by its resolutions and ordinances, assumed juris- diction over all this territory northwest of the Ohio river, the State of Connecticut yielded none of its claims to this reserved tract, described in its act of session of 1786, and proceeded to deal with it as its own rightful territory, and, as is well known, granted the title to the soil thereof to the Connecticut Land Company. The few scattered inhabitants of this district paid little heed to the assumption of jurisdiction by the territorial governor ; they laughed to scorn the tax gatherer sent among them, and he returned to his
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county seat with his pockets leaner than when he started from home. The spirit of those early emigrants is well portrayed by the conduct of the surveying party sent out by the Connecticut Land Company to survey this territory after the conveyance to it by the State of Connecticut. They arrived at the western bound- ary of Pennsylvania and established the point where the dividing line struck the lake, on the 4th of July 1796, and having per- formed this work, proceeded on that day, as was the custom of the whole country, to have a Fourth of July celebration, with federal salutes, dinner, toasts and speeches ; and the second toast on that occasion was the State of New-Connecticut, which was drank with well filled bumpers of good old-fashioned grog. They were actu- ated by the same sentiments and feelings as were their ancestors more than 150 years before, who, finding themselves gathered on the banks of the Connecticut river, and feeling the necessity of an established government, without any permission or authority of king, parliament, royal council, or colonial assembly, adopted a written constitution, the first known in all history, where the ultimate authority was based on the major vote of the people, and under that constitution established a government, and entitled it, "The Commonwealth of Connecticut."
The disputes, however, as to the jurisdiction of this territory, were settled in a wise and prudent manner ; the first Congress of the United States, at its first session, passed an act, approved August 7th, 1784, ratifying the ordinance of 1787, and continuing in force the territorial government, and by an act passed at the first session of the sixth Congress, approved April 28, 1800, authorized the President of the United States to accept for the general government the session of jurisdiction of this territory west of Pennsylvania, commonly called the Western Reserve of Connecticut, and by said act confirmed the title to the soil in the State of Connecticut, and authorized and directed the President to issue a patent to the Governor of that State for the territory embraced within the boundaries aforesaid. On the 10th of July following, the Governor of the territory, by his proclamation, established the county of Trumbull, which substantially embraced
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within its limits all of said reserved tract. The Connecticut Land Company after its purchase took immediate steps to have its land surveyed, and in 1796 sent out a surveying party, at whose head was General Moses Cleaveland, to perform the work. As before stated, this party arrived and established at the lake a point in the line of the boundary between this reserved tract and the State of Pennsylvania. It does not fall within my purpose to give any his- tory of that survey, and I refer to it only in connection with the laying out of this city. The plan of the survey was first to estab- lish the dividing line between the tract and Pennsylvania, then to establish the southern boundary line, being the 41st parallel of north latitude, then to lay off on this line ranges of townships containing 25 square miles, the ranges numbering upwards west- wardly, and the townships northwardly. That portion of the surveying party, whose duty was to run the southern boundary, having proceeded on that line sixty miles westwardly, being the west line of the 12th range, then ran the west line thereof north to the lake, and arrived here at Cleveland on the 22d day of July, 1796, where nearly the whole party were reunited, and furnished with supplies, which they greatly needed. You have well chosen this same day of the month as your anniversary day. When this party running the west line had arrived at the north line of the sixth township of the 12th range (Independence), they found the course of the Cuyahoga River, which passed centrally through that township, then bore substantially a due northerly course to the lake, and in accordance with instructions of the Company, the west line of this range was not further prolonged on its course, but they went eastwardly to the river for the rest of the distance, mak- ing the Cuyahoga River the west boundary to the lake, and the next township, which was Cleveland, therefore, according to the survey, became the seventh township of the twelfth range, although a small strip near the lake was on the line of the townships num- bered eight. When General Cleaveland examined the situation, with the prescience of a leader of men, he saw that this pla- teau at the junction of the river and the lake was the true site for a city, and he directed his surveyors to lay out here a plot for 3
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the same. In his judgment here was to be the capital of the State of New-Connecticut, which was to arise and grow on this reserved wilderness. The actual surveying work was done under the direction of Augustus Porter, assisted by Seth Pease and Amos Spafford as principal surveyors. The area selected contained about 520 acres, and was divided into two acre lots, 220 in num- ber, with streets, alleys, and public grounds. There was first made a rough field map on which these lots, streets, and grounds were marked and laid out, but a more perfect and complete map was made by Seth Pease and finished before the 1st of October of that year. On this old field map, there was written in fair hand, as well to perpetuate the General's memory, as the event itself, " The City of Cleveland." In the spelling, the letter "a" in the first syllable always used by the General himself, was omitted, which letter was not used in the English District of that name, called by the old Saxon invaders Clif-londe, which was the origin of the cognomen, and it has generally been omitted by the family to which the General belonged. There was a resurvey of the plot by Major Spafford in 1801, who had assisted in the original survey. The clearing away of the forest and other causes had destroyed many of the posts and monuments originally set and marked, but he had before him the original minutes and survey, and no sub- stantial change was made by him in the lots or streets.
The streets as copied from Pease's notes and minutes are as follows :
First, Superior street, north side beginning at the west end, where it connects with Water street at a post (from said post, a white oak marked D bears S 31° E dist. 21 links). Thence runs N 56° E (counting from the true meridian) 20 chains to the Square. Thence keeping the same course across the Square to a corner post on the other side of the Square 9 chains 50 links (from the last post a white oak marked F bears N 25° west 24 links dist). Thence N 56° E 20 chains to the west side of Erie street to a corner post, from which W oak marked R bears S 82° W dist. 46 links.
N. B. This street is 200 links in width.
Survey of Lake street north side, beginning at the west end at
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Water street at a corner post, (from which a whitewood tree marked H bears S 31° E dist. 31 links). Thence runs N 56° E 24 chains to the west side of Ontario street to a corner post, from which a black oak marked J bears N 42° E distant 38 links. Thence across sd. street 150 links to a post, from whichi a white oak marked K bears N 22° W distant 24 links. Thence to the west side of Erie street 24 chains to a corner post from which a white oak marked N bears 69° W 45 links distant. This street is 150 links in width.
Federal street is parallel to Superior street. The south side of Federal street is half way from Superior street to Lake street ; it begins on Erie street and runs 56° E to the east line of the city limits. Its length is 1800 links, and its width 150 links.
A description of Huron street. It is parallel to Superior street, and distant from it 20 chains. Its width is 150 links, its length from the east line of the city to Erie is 18 chains ; afterwards there was a triangular piece taken off from lot No. 97 to connect sd. with Ontario above the bank. The north side of Huron from Ontario to the river is 745 links. The south side of Huron street to Miami street is 16 chains, and from Miami street to the river 12 chains 50 links.
Ohio street is parallel to Huron street, and is distant from it 20 chains. The whole length is from Miami street to Erie street 16 · chains ; its width is 150 links or 6 rods.
The description of Erie street. East side. The distance from the south line of the city limits to Huron street is 31 chains 50 links, and from Huron street to Federal street to the top of the bank of the lake shore is 17 chains 25 links. West side. The distance from the south line of the city to Ohio street 10 chains ; from Ohio street to Huron street is 20 chains ; from Huron street to Superior street is 20 chains; from Superior street to Lake street is 20 chains 3 links ; from Lake street to the top of the banks of the lake shore is 708 links ; below the banks not measured. This street lieth at right angles with Superior street. That is N 34° W or S 34° E. The whole length from the south line of the city to the top of the bank of the Lake is 83 chains 68 links. The width of the street is 150 links.
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Ontario street. East side from Huron street to the Square is 14 chains ; from the Square to Lake street is 16 chains ; from Lake street to the top of the bank of the Lake shore is 7 chains. West side from Huron street to Maiden Lane is 8 chains 55 links ; from Maiden Lane to the Square is 6 chains 70 links ; from the Square to Lake street is 16 chains ; from Lake street to the top of the bank of the Lake shore is 7 chains 62 links. The course of Ohio street is N 34° W or S 34° E and 150 links in width.
Miami street connects the west end of Ohio street with Huron street and is parallel to Erie street. The length is 20 chains, and its width 150 links.
Water street. East side from Superior street to Lake street is 20 chains ; from Lake street to the top of the bank of the Lake shore is 8 chains 50 links. West side, from Superior street to Mandrake Lane is 15 chains ; from Mandrake Lane to Bath street is 13 chains 12 links. The width is 150 links. Its course is N 34° W or S 34° E.
Survey of Mandrake Lane. West side beginning at Water street, and run by lot No. 197 S 50° W 5 chains 72 links ; thence S 6° E 5 chains 61 links to Union street. South east side beginning at Water street and run S 56° W 5 chains 18 links. Thence S 6° E 484 links to Union Lane. The width of the street is 100 links.
Survey of Union Lane. North side beginning at the south end of Water street west side and run N 80° 40' W 316 links to a post ; thence N 56° 50' W 863 links to a post ; thence S 77º 20' W 200. links to a post, where it connects with Mandrake Lane, thence S 77º 20' W across the end of Mandrake Lane 101 links. Thence S 56° W 167 links to the river. The width of this Lane is 100 links.
Survey of Vineyard Lane. West side beginning at an angle formed by the continuation of Water street west side and Superior street south side ; thence running S 8° 20' W 435 links to a white oak ; thence S 24° W 12 chains to a post ; thence S 66° E 128 links to the river.
N. B. The road is laid 100 links wide ; also a reserve is made for a landing place at the river 6 rods, immediately east of the last described line ; likewise the last mentioned post is distant N 14°
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30' to 150 links from a stake set at the end of the 17th course Cuyahoga Traverse.
In the old field map, the name of Superior street was first written " Broad," Ontario "Court," and Miami " Deer," but these words were crossed with ink, and the same names written as given in Pease's map and minutes. In Spafford's map, " Maiden Lane," which led from Ontario street along the side of the hill to Vineyard Lane, was omitted, and the same was never worked or used. Spafford also laid out Superior Lane, which was not on the Pease map, which has since been widened, and become that portion of Superior street from Water down the hill to the river. "Bath street " is not described in the Pease minutes, but is laid out on the map, and is referred to in the minutes, and the boundaries and extent appear on the map. The Square also is not described in the Pease minutes, but is referred to in the description of Ontario and Superior streets, and is marked and laid out on the map. In Spafford's minutes the Square is thus described : " The Square is laid out at the intersection of Superior street and Ontario street, and contains ten acres, The center of the junction of the two roads is the exact center of the Square." These surveys, the laying out of the lots bounding on the Square, their adoption by the Land Company, the subsequent sale by said Company of the surrounding lots abutting upon it, make the "Square " as much land devoted to public use as the streets themselves, and forever forbids the same being given up to private uses. The easterly line of the city was the east line of one tier of lots, beyond Erie street, coïnciding with the present line of Canfield street. The east line began at the lake, and extended southerly one tier of lots south of Ohio street. The line then ran to the river, down the river skipping the lower bend of the river to Vineyard Lane, thence along Vineyard Lane to the junction of Water with Superior street, thence to the river, thence down the river to its mouth. Superior street, as the survey shows, was 132 feet in width, the other streets 99 feet. It is hardly possibly to fully appreciate the sagacity and foresight of this leader of the surveying party. With full consciousness of what would arise in its future growth, he knew the city would
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have a suburban population, and he directed the immediate outlying land to be laid off in ten acre lots, and the rest of the township into 100 acre lots, instead of the larger tracts into which the other townships were divided. The next year, the ten acre lots were surveyed and laid out. They extended on the east to the line of what is now Willson avenue, and on the south to the top of the brow of the ravine formed by Kingsbury Run, and extended west- wardly to the river bank. Owing to the peculiar topography of the place, some of the two acre lots had more and others less than the named quantity of land, and the same occurred in the survey and laying out of the ten acre lots. The flats were not surveyed off into lots, and there was an unsurveyed strip between the west line of the ten acre lots and the river, above and below the mouth of the Kingsbury Run, running south to a point west of hundred acre lot 278. Three streets were laid out through the ten acre lots, each 99 feet in width to correspond with the city streets, called the South, Middle and North Highway. The southerly one becoming Kinsman street, the Middle, Euclid street at its intersection with Huron ; the southerly one received its name from the fact that Kinsman, the east township of the seventh line of townships, was at a very early period distinguished for its wealth and population. The Middle was called Euclid, because that was the name of the next township east. The North Highway was a continuation of Federal street, but changed to St. Clair, after the name of the territorial governor, whose name, in the minds of his admirers, was a synonym of Federal.
Owing to the apparently poor character of the soil upon the lake shore, the great body of early emigrants pushed on into the interior, and for many years there were only a few struggling settlements to be found on the site of the future city. But the general population of the territory rapidly increased, and the seventh Congress, at its first session, by an act approved April 30th, 1802, enabled the people of the eastern division of the territory northwest of the Ohio to form a constitution for a State Govern- ment, and for the admission of the State into the Union on an equal footing with the other States. The western boundary of the
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State was the same as originally established by the ordinance of 1787, but the northern boundary was a line intersecting the same drawn through the southerly extreme of lake Michigan, running east after its intersection until it intersected lake Erie, and thence through lake Erie to the Pennsylvania line. The convention was authorized by said act to assemble on the first Monday in the fol- lowing November, and within that month, and on the 29th day thereof, they had completed and signed their constitution, and thereupon Ohio became one of the States of the Union. In the same year, 1802, agreeable to an order of the Territorial Court of General Quarter Sessions, the inhabitants of this township called Cleveland, met at the house of James Kingsbury, on the 5th day of April, and organized a Township government by choosing Rudolphus Edwards as chairman, and Nathaniel Doan as clerk, and elected as Township trustees Amos Spafford, Timothy Doan, and W. W. Williams. They also elected the then usual Township officers, appraisers, supervisors of highways, fence viewers and constables, and thus began the corporate existence of Cleveland. The Township jurisdiction then extended over a large surrounding territory, which was afterwards curtailed by the organization of new townships.
December 31st, 1805, the General Assembly passed an act for the division of Trumbull county, whereby Geauga county was established, which embraced all of Trumbull county east of the Cuyahoga river, and north of the fifth range of townships. In the same act provision was made for the future organization of Cuya- hoga county, and by an act passed January 16th, 1810, Cuyahoga county was established. It embraced all the territory now within its limits east of the river, including Willoughby, which was long afterwards annexed to Lake county, and on the west embraced the greater part of Medina and Lorain counties, for which provision had been made for their future organization, and which were after- wards established. It would be too much of detail to give any history of the township .; but I notice that one of the supervisors of highways chosen at the first election was Samuel Huntington, who was the same year elected as delegate to the State Convention,
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the first Senator elected from Trumbull county, afterwards chosen Supreme Judge, and subsequently elected Governor of the State. Stanley Griswold also was Town Clerk, but soon appointed by the Governor to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate from Ohio, and at the end of his term appointed by the President, Judge of the northwest territory. On the 2nd day of March 1799 Congress divided the northwest territory into custom collection districts, the Erie district including the shores of lake Erie from the Pennsyl- vania line to the Maumee river, then called the Miami of the lake, and the port of entry was ordered to be established at said Miami river, or near Sandusky; and two ports of delivery were also author- ized. The eigth Congress at its 2nd session, on the 3rd day of March 1805 divided this district, making the west boundary thereof the Vermillion river, and authorized the President by proclamation to designate the port of entry. This was done by the President, and he designated Cleveland as such port of entry. but no authoritative date of that proclamation can be found in Cleveland, as the records of the office have been destroyed by fire ; but on the 17th day of January, 1806, Judge John Walworth was commissioned collector of the district. On the 15th day of Octo- ber, 1814, the Township of Newburgh was organized from the ter- ritory of this original seventh Township of the 12th Range, the north line thereof being a prolongation of the original north line of the seventh Township till it reached the ten acre lots ; thence south and west on the line of the ten acre lots to the northwest corner of 100 acre lot 278. It embraced within its limits the residences of those then important citizens, James Kingsbury, Erastus Miles, and Rudolphus Edwards. Indeed, Newburgh town- ship, for a considerable period, was the more important place, as water power was to be found there, and a good mill had been built. Most of you doubtless remember in former days the sneer of our rival cities on the lake shore, who described Cleveland as the town on the lake six miles from Newburgh. The prejudices of the emi- grants against the soil gradually disappeared as its capacities became known, and the advantages of its situation began to pre- vail. Its being established as a port of entry, and its location as
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