USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 1 > Part 61
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David R. Kemper who was born on Sycamore street in Cincinnati in May, 1793, has been fre- quently referred to as the first born Cincinnati child, but this statement arises from a remark by Mr. Cist, who in 1845 said that he could not find any individual living at that time who was a native of Cincinnati at an earlier date than May 17, 1793, which was Kemper's birthday. Moody was alive at that time.
The minute book of the Cincinnati Pioneer Association contains a record of many births and arrivals in Ohio. Among these appear the names of the following carly residents born in Ohio : William Moody, born on Fourth and Main on March 17, 1790; Daniel Gano, born in the house at Front and Lawrence, afterwards styled Major Ruffin's, May 29, 1794; William Maxwell, son of the publisher, born November 9, 1794; Thom- as D. Kennedy, born on the northwest corner of Main and Columbia streets August 6, 1795; Fer- gus Anderson, born on Front street (near Wal- nut) June 14, 1797 ; Samuel B. Demoret, born at head of Broadway near Canal crossing, July 8, 1798; Elizabeth Reynolds, daughter of Benjamin Griffith, born in 1797; Sophia. B. Williamson, daughter of Samuel Williams, born October 23, 1798; Charles Kilgour Smith, son of Sheriff James Smith, born February 15, 1799; Isabella Anderson, daughter of Griffin Yeatman, born October 12, 1799; John H. Ewing, born October 2, 1801; and the following born in 1802,-Eze- kial Walker, Margaret Douglass, Abigail Bern- ard and Melancthon S. Wade. The following names are those born in the county outside of Cincinnati : 1700,-in the picket fort at North Bend, Daniel G. Howell; 1792,-Columbia, David M. Miller; 1794,-James Sampson and Drusilla C. Williams, daughter of Allen Cul- lom; 1795,-Stephen Schooly; 1796,-Spring- field township, Daniel Camron ; 1797,-Eliza Yeatman ; 1798,-at North Bend, Dayid Gerard ; 1799 ;- Mill Creek township, Maria Williams, daughter of Peter Mills; Springfield township, Cyrus Brown; 1800,-Francis Burns and Henry S. Earhardt ; 1801,-Julia Delaplaine, daughter
of William Cullum, five miles below Cincinnati ; 1802,-Anderson township, John H. Gerard- Springfield township, Cornelius Sprong-North Bend, Thomas J. Silvers, son of Judge James Silvers-White Water township, Sarah Gerard, daughter of John Gerard and Phoebe M. Wil- son, daughter of Benjamin Cutler.
As marriages are usually placed next to births the first ceremonics of the kind that are remem- bered may as well be mentioned. 'Squire Will- iam McMillan married two couples in 1790, --- Daniel Shoemaker and Elsy ( Alice) Ross and Darius C. Orcutt and Sallie MclHenry. A little later Peter Cox was married to Frances Mc- Henry. The death of Cox which took place shortly afterwards at the hands of Indians is de- scribed in another chapter.
The same magistrate married Benjamin Or- cutt and Ruth Reynolds of Columbia, March 17, 1790, and 'Squire John S. Gano married Joseph Kelley of Cincinnati and Kesiah Blackford of Columbia, on April 22, 1790.
EARLY SETTLERS.
The arrival of Benjamin Van Cleve on Janu- ary 3, 1790, has already been noted. He did not remain in Cincinnati many years, but removed to Dayton in 1796.
Samuel Dick with his wife and two children came from Washington County in September, 1790, and purchased the lot at the northeast cor- ner of Front and Walnut streets where he built his residence in which he kept tavern. He was one of those who subscribed to the first church and afterwards marched to the relief of Dunlap's Station. He purchased a number of pieces of property and opened a grocery and engaged in the forwarding of supplies to the various forts. He did not remain a permanent resident but re- moved in 1801 to Butler County.
In October of this year ( 1790), Ezekiel Sayre came from Stony Hill, New Jersey, with his four sons and two daughters. He finally settled at Reading. One of his daughters, Huldah, married Col. John S. Wallace. She survived un- til November 29, 1850, being at the time of her death one of the oldest continuous residents in Cincinnati. She retained her faculties to the last and from her have been obtained many of the reminiscences of early days.
A son of Sayre, Maj. Pierson Sayre, who was a soldier of the Revolution, came to Cincinnati some years afterwards and for a time kept the Green Tree Inn. He returned very soon to Bit- ler County from which point he had come, where he lived until 1852.
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI
Another settier of 1790 was Col. John Riddle from New Jersey who beeame a prominent eiti- zen. He was a blacksmith by trade and shod the horses for the garrison at Fort Washington. He accumulated enough at this trade to purehase from Judge Symmes the section of land near the subsequent site of the Brighton House, at that time two miles northwest of the village. On this, for which he paid 66 cents an acre, he settled in 1793 and lived until his death on June 17, 1847.
The most important arrival of the following year, 1792, was William Henry Harrison who after attempting for a time the study of medieine in Philadelphia had coneluded to enter the army and had been appointed ensign in the infantry. He was about 19 years of age and, as he tells us in his autobiography, was not pleasantly re- ceived by his fellow offieers as he had displaced the son of one of them who desired his appoint- ment.
Among the immigrants of the following year was James Smith who soon formed the partner- ship with James Findlay already spoken of. Smith held many offices including that of sheriff of the county which he retained until the forma- tion of the State, at which time he was elected to the office by the people and continued in that po- sition for eight years. He was also collector of taxes and of the Federal revenue, private seere- tary to Governor St. Clair, captain of the first company of light infantry and paymaster in the War of 1812. He was among the foremost of the early settlers as respects character, influenee and capacity for business, and possessed in a large degree that public confidenee most highly prized by gentlemen, the trust reposed in an honest man. He moved to a farm near Hamil- ton in 1805 where he died in 1834. ( McBride's Pioneer Biography.)
James Findlay, his partner, has been referred to frequently. He also was a man of great prom- inenee in the settlement. He was receiver of the Land Offiee for many years, major general of the first division of Ohio militia, and a member of Congress from 1825 to 1833.
In April, 1793, David McCash and his family emigrated to Cineinnati, landing at the Stone Landing near Broadway.
"They bought out a settler's right to a log eab- in, on Walnut, north of Third street, being the lot north of that on which the Masonic Building has been recently built, and purchased an ont- lot of four aeres for as many dollars, being the ground now including Miles Greenwood's foun- dry, the Bavarian Brewery, and bounded south
by the Miami Canal. and worth now, without in- eluding the improvements, three hundred thou- sand dollars.
"The oldest brother, William, constructed a water-cart, the frame of which was formed of two poles, in the middle of which a crosspiece was fastened ; pegs to hold the barrel were driven into the lower part, and the ends served for shafts. This was the first convenience for sup- plying the eity with water for cooking or drink- ing uses.
"The next step in the progress of vehieles for transportation, in this eity, was the construction, by McCash, of a wheeled cart. This was ef- fected by making a pair of wooden wheels, per- haps six inches thick, and two and a half feet in diameter, connected with-not running on-an axle, which was held by large staples in which it rolled, that secured it to the bed and shafts. McCash hauled the first barrel on his car and the first load of goods on his dray or cart, ever trans- ported through the streets of Cincinnati.
"James, the younger brother, from whom 1 have these facts, recollects, when but five years old, planting the four-acre lot alluded to, in pumpkins, which he dropped into the hills of corn, prepared by the old man, and planted by the elder brother." (Cincinnati in 1859. 1. 130. )
Another early trader, who staid but a short time however, was a Virginia tanner named Matthew Hueston, who landed April 17, 1793. His experience in the city was unfortunate. He had brought with him a stock of leather goods part of which he sold in Cincinnati to a man who took away the goods but failed to pay the money. Hueston thereupon went to work in the tannery afterwards owned by Jesse Hunt and later took service under William and Robert Mcclellan, paekhorse masters for Wayne's army. He served for a time as commissary in the army but in 1795 he resigned and took up the business of trader. He formed a partnership with John Sayre, who had charge of the business in Cin- cinnati and he himself conducted for a time a branch establishment at Greenville so as to be nearer the forts. The business was profitable for a time and quite a fortune was accumulated but Sayre beeame intemperate and took to gamb- ling and finally sold the stock and ran away, leaving Hneston to pay the debts. This he did in part and then he took employment as a cat- tle herdsman driving cattle to Detroit. For this service he was paid two and one-half dollars per head. He was successful and shortly returned
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to Cincinnati and soon paid off the remaining debts of his firm. He finally bought a tract of land near Hamilton where he settled and lived until the time of his death in 1847.
Another noted arrival of the same year was Col. John Johnson, so many years Indian agent and quite a prolific writer of carly history. Many of his articles, contributed to Mr. Cist's "Miscellany" and other periodicals, are of great value.
A citizen whose name appears as frequently as that of any of the carly inhabitants was Griffin Yeatman, who arrived June 20, 1793.
The arrival of Francis Menessier, who had been an advocate in France and a member of the French Parliament, took place in the following year. He had been one of those who were com- pelled to leave France just prior to the Revolu- tion and had joined the Gallipolis settlement. He finally gave up the struggle at that point and came to Cincinnati. Here the lawyer and states- man took up the occupation of a pastry cook and innkeeper at Main and Third streets.
Isaac Anderson who had been a lieutenant un- der Colonel Laughery and with his expedition had been defeated and captured just below the Great Miami in 1781 came back to Cincinnati as a settler in 1795. He took up his residence at the northeast corner of Front and Walnut streets in a cabin already crected there. Subsequently he built a larger house on the lot in which he kept a tavern known as the Green Tree Hotel. This tavern appears on the well known map of Cincinnati in 1802. About 1800 he was succeed- ed by Major Sayre and moved to Butler County.
The following year as already stated was the year of the arrival of Judge Burnet and his brother George W. Burnet. This was the most distinguished family in the early history of the city. The death of the brother George is pa- thetically mentioned by the Judge in his "Notes." Another brother, Isaac G. Burnet, was mayor of the city and editor of Liberty Hall. A fourth brother, David G. Burnet, finally went to Texas where he became the first president of the Texan Republic. This too was the year of the arrival of Rev. William Burke.
In addition to Francis Baily, whose visit has already been mentioned, two other distinguished strangers passed through Cincinnati in 1796.
One was the famous French philosopher, Vol- ney, the author of the "View" and "Ruins." He stopped at Yeatman's Tavern while in the city, where his visit excited inuch curiosity.
Another visitor was Andrew Ellicott, connnis- .
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sioner on behalf of the United States for deter- mining the boundary between this country and Spain. Mr. Ellicott in his journal spoke of Cincinnati as the capital of the Northwest Territory situated on a fine high bank and for the time it had been building a very respectable place. The latitude by means of three good ob- servations he determined to be thirty-nine de- grees five minutes and fifty-four seconds north. He was entertained while here by Mr. Sargent and Captain Harrison who commanded at Fort Washington.
In 1798 among the arrivals were John M. Wright, Hugh Moore, Samuel Newell, Ebenezer Pruden, David Kautz and William Legg.
The last of the old century, 1800, contrib- uted an unusual quota of distinguished settlers. Dr. William Goforth came in the early part of the year and his pupil Dr. Daniel Drake towards the end of the year.
Another prominent arrival was Rev. Joshua L. Wilson, pastor of the Presbyterian Church and for many years one of Cincinnati's most dis- tinguished citizens.
Martin Baum, one of the early members of the powerful German constituency which has done so much for Cincinnati, probably arrived this year.
Mr. Cist in his "Miscellany" published the fol- lowing list of pioneers of Cincinnati which of course was very incomplete. ( Although obvi- ously inaccurate in some particulars, it is given without change) :
1790-James Ferguson, John Riddle, Mrs. Mary Gano, Christop'r Smith, Mrs. H. Wallace.
1792-Asa Holcomb.
1704-Dan'l. Gano, Jonathan Lyon (?), Griffin Yeat- man ( ?).
1795-Jonah Martin.
1796-Jacob Burnet, Isaac Burton, William Burke, Sam'l. Stitt, Win. Saunders.
1797-John Mahard.
1798-David Kautz, Wm. Legg, Nich. Longworth ( ?), Hugh Moore, Samuel Newell, Ebenezer Pruden. 1800-Daniel Drake, Jno. B. Enness, Edward Dodson, Charles Faran, A. Valentine, Stephen Wheeler, John Wood, J. L. Wilson, Caleb Williams.
1801-Robt. Wallace, John Whetstone.
1802-Sam'l. Perry, Win. Pierson, Ethan Stone.
1804-Ephraim Carter, James Crawford, William Crip- pen, Henry Craven, Caspar Hopple, Andrew Jolin- ston, Benjamin Mason, Peter McNicoll, Adam Moore, Wm. Moody, Jona. Pancoast, Jos. Perry, Jos. Pancoast, Robt. Richardson, P. S. Symmes, Benj. Smith, P. A. Sprigman, G. P. Torrence. (Cist's Miscellany, Vol. 1, pp. 255, 271.)
This publication called forth a letter from Thomas Irwin who, referring to the trip already described at length, states that when he was
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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI
seventeen years of age he with James Burns landed from Washington County, Pennsylvania at Cincinnati between the Ist and Ioth of April, 1789, and continued here until the second week in June. There were but four families here when they landed. Mr. McHenry had a large family, two sons and two daughters; Mr. Ken- nedy, Mr. Dement and Mr. Ross had small fam- ilies. "Mr. McMillan, John Vance, David Lo- gan, Mr. Reeves, Hardesty, Van Eaton and Mc- Connell all lived in one shanty being perhaps the first that was ever put up in the place as nearly all of them had been out with the surveyors sur- veying Symmes' purchase and were there when the town was laid out and all had lots in it." Ir- win returned again in 1790 on Harmar's cam- paign and was also in Cincinnati in 1791. In the winter after Harmar's campaign he rccollected Mr. Riddle, Mr. Ferguson, who married a Miss Reeder, and Mrs. Wallace, whose maiden name was Sayre, as being at Cincinnati.
Another list of arrivals is as follows :
1790-Samuel Dick and family, Ezekiel Sayre and fam- ily, John Riddle.
1791-W. H. Harrison.
1792-James Ferguson, (?) James Smith, James Find- lay, Asa Holcomb, Captain Spencer.
. 1793-Matthew Hueston, David McCash, John Johnson, William Maxwell, Griffin Yeatman. ( ?)
1794-Hezekiah Flint, Francis Menessier, Daniel Gano, Jonathan Lyon ( ?).
1795-Benjamin Perlee, Jonah Martin, Isaac Anderson. 1796-Jacob Burnet, George W. Burnet, Samuel Stitt, J. W. Brown, Rev. William Burke, William Saunders, John . Mahard.
1798-John M. Wright, Nicholas Longworth (?) Hugh Moore, Samuel Newell, Ebenezer Pruden, David Kautz, William Legg.
1799-Aaron Lane.
1800-Dr. William Goforth, Dr. Daniel Drake, Joshua L. Wilson, Stephen Wheeler, Mr. Pierson, Charles Cone, John B. Enness, Edward Dodson, Charles Faran, A. Valentine, John Wood, Caleb Will- iams, Martin Baum.
1801-Robert Wallace, John Whetstone, Robert Park- halter, Ephraim Morrison, William Austin, C. Avery, Thomas Frazer, Levi McLean, Dr. Homes, Thomas Thompson, Michael Brokaw, James and Robert Caldweil, Aaron Cherry, Daniel Globe, Andrew Westfall, Nehemiah Hunt, Thomas Will- iams, Benjamin Walker, Edmund Freeman, John C. Winans, James Conn, Uriah Gates, Richard Downes, Lawrence Hildebrand, D. Conner, Lar- kin Payne, Henry Furry, George Fithian, Lewis Kerr, Joseph Blew, Isaac Anderson, William Mc- Coy, James Wilson, and Andrew Brannon.
Another list of pioneers and times of arrivals of more or less authority is as follows :
1788-Mrs. General Gano. 1798-Mrs. Col. Strong. 1799-Mrs. Dr. Goforth.
1793-P. S. Symmes.
1791-Nehemiah Wade.
1790 -- William Ludlow.
1792-John Whetstone.
1795-Jonah Martin.
1795-Stephen Schooley. 1796-Jane Wade.
1800-Dr. Daniel Drake.
1800-Samuel Perry.
1801-Robert Wallace.
1801-D. C. Wallace.
1801-Daniel Van Matre.
1803-William Dennison.
1804-Mrs. Squire Merrie.
According to the signed statements in the rec- ords of the Cincinnati Pioneer Association, Jesse Coleman arrived in Columbia, December, 1788, with Captain Stites' company; Samuel Hahn, 1789; Ezra and Abram Ferris arrived at Colum- bia December 12, 1789; Jonathan W. Lyon and Sarah Brown Gillespie arrived in 1790; Samuel Doddridge Kemper, Edward Young Kemper, R. Cunningham, John Covert and Joseph Benham Covert arrived in 1791; John Whetstone arrived at Columbia in . 1792; John Johnston and Hester Reilly arrived in 1793; Elijali Peircc and . Stephen Howell arrived in 1795; Will- iam M. Badgely arrived in 1796; John Loder, Benjamin Loder, G. C. White, Dan- iel Cost and Isaac I. Malcott arrived in 1797; Samuel Arthurs, Samnel J. Browne, Thomas Corwin and S. R. Strong arrived in 1798; James Orr and Sarah Burdge arrived in 1799; Thomas Armstrong, Zadock Williams, William Moorc, Robert Reilly, William Pierson, Stephen Wheeler, Ebenezer Wheeler and Will- iam Betts arrived in 1800; Benjamin Stewart, Thomas Autmen, Martha Hubbell and Abraham Larew arrived in 1801; Morton Wheatley, Re- becca Conklin, Robert Cary, William Carcy, Bradbury Cilley and Jonathan Spinning arrived in 1802; Nicholas Longworth arrived in 1804; William Perry and J. Craven arrived in 1805; Jonathan Pancoast and Joseph Pancoast arrived in 1806; J. L. Avery arrived in 1807. (Minute Book, Cincinnati Pioneer Association. )
The following list includes the names of many of the pioneers who were the invited guests of the city at the semi-centennial celebration on De- cember 26, 1838. The original signatures taken by John D. Jones were deposited in the archives of the city :
When arrived
Signatures. in the West. Where Born Age.
James Taylor, May I, 1792 Caroline Co., Va. . 70
Clark Bates, April 1, 1793 Massachusetts ..... 67
Isaac Dunn, Dec. 23, 1788 New Jersey . .57
Ezra Ferris, Dec. 12, 1789 Greenwich, Conn .... 55
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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
J. Bartle,
Dec., 1789 New York City. ... 94
Jacob Williams,
April, 1798 New Jersey .61 Daniel Gano,
Israel Donaldson, Nov., 1787 New Jersey .67
Peter McNicoll, May, 1804 Highlands of Scot- land. 68 March, 1791 Virginia 54
Reuben Reeder,
Hezekiah Flint, 1788 Massachusetts .68
Charles Coue,
May, 1800 Connecticut
.64
June, 1797 Ireland
68
John Mahard,
Stephen Wheeler, October, 1800 New Jersey
47
J. L. Wilson (Rev.)
Oct., 1781 Virginia
.64
T. Henderson (Judge)
John Matson,
April, 1798 Pennsylvania .68
David Griffin, Dec., 25, 1793 Pennsylvania .50
Aaron Valentine, Nov., 1797 Ohio .41 Wm. Burke (P. M.) Jan. 13, 1793 Virginia 68
Adjel McGuire,
April, 1785 Pennsylvania
.60
James Lyon, Sen., October, 1790 New York
.85
John Riddle, Sen.,
1790 New Jersey
.77
Robert Wallace,
1801 Delaware
.49
Asa Holcomb,
Virginia
.60
John Whetstone,
Dec., 1792 Pennsylvania .50
Aaron Gano, 1798 Ohio .40
1794 Ohio .44
Thomas Stansberry,
Maryland
60
Alexander Gibson, David Kacety,
Pennsylvania .55
1798 Maryland
57
Elmore Williams,
April, 1794 New Jersey
.60
Edward Dodson,
Dec., 1795 Maryland
55
Henry Craven, 1805 New Jersey .52
Daniel Drake (Orator) 1788
Ky., Cincin., 1800
New Jersey 53
Charles Hammond, April, 1787 . Maryland .60
June, 1806 London 70 J. Burnet, (Judge) July, 1796 Newark, N. J. .60
Wm. H. Harrison, Nov., 1791 Virginia .66
100
The most casual inspection will show that there are many points of disagreement in these lists ; it is obviously impossible to reconcile them or at this late date to decide between them. They are therefore given as they have been handed down.
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CHAPTER XXIII.
CINCINNATI VILLAGE (1790-1802)-II.
THE PIONEER CHURCHES-THE EARLY SCHOOLS-AMUSEMENTS-EARLY PHYSICIANS-THE COURTS- EARLY LAWYERS -ARTISTS -THE POST OFFICE-THE WATER SUPPLY-FIRE PROTECTION -- COMMERCE-PRICES OF LAND-BRIDGES-HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS-SOCIETY.
THIE PIONEER CHURCHES.
Despite the fact that among the first settlers there seem to have been men of strong religious feeling and that throughout its history Cinein- nati has occupied an important position in the religious history of the country, it can hardly be said that the religious enthusiasm of the early days was of a marked character. The Ordin- ance of 1787 which was the fundamental law of the Territory recited that religion, morality and knowledge were necessary to good government and happiness and therefore that schools and the means of education should be encouraged. Cu- riously enough, churches are omitted from this statement ; however in the original plat of the city an entire quarter of a square was dedicated for church uses. The most important use how- ever to which the lot was first put was that of a cemetery. The establishment of the first church of Hamilton County, the Baptist Church at Columbia, has already been described and ref- erence has been made to the organization of the first Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. The latter settlement was first visited in the fall of 1790 by Rev. James Kemper who was the pio- neer in the cause of religion in Cincinnati.
James Kemper was born at Cedar Grove, War- renton, Fauquier (then Prince William) County, Virginia, November 23, 1753, the son of John Peter Kemper and his wife Elizabeth Fishback. The manor house in which he was born is still the residence of a descendant of his father. Ac-
cording to his own statement he was born, bap- tized, raised and happily married in the Episco- pal Church. He was married on July 16, 1772, to Judith Hathaway, the daughter of a distin- guished jurist and soldier of the Revolution. He began his married life on a farm near that of his father, but soon added to the vocation of farmer that of school teacher.
One inclement day, we are told, when farm work could not be done and scholars were not in attendance, he took the opportunity to read and ponder over certain books that came accidentally into his hands including the "Westminster As- sembly's Shorter Catechism and Confession of Faith," together with the "Form of Govern- ment of the Presbyterian Church," and from that moment he became a Presbyterian and in that church his 15 children were baptized.
Finding that farming and school teaching were not profitable, he took up the vocation of civil engineering and became deputy county surveyor and was afterwards appointed a government sur- veyor. As such he was sent to Tennessee in 1783. In 1785 he started with his wife and six children on horseback for Kentucky having been induced by Rev. David Rice to undertake the vocation of a minister. He was convoyed at the time by a mounted escort of forty men and after a trip of eighteen days he arrived at the forks of Dyck's River near Danville, which was then the residence of Rev. Mr. Rice. On the day after the arrival, his seventh child was born.
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By reason of a misapprehension of the laws relating to the payments for government land he was soon in financial straits but finally accepted the use of a twenty-acre strip of land whose rent counted to him as salary. Here he began read- ing divinity, teaching school, catechising the churches and overseeing the farm, and his wife by her spinning and weaving supplied the live- lihood for the family.
In May, 1785, he became the teacher in a school then established by Mr. Rice which was the first grammar school in Kentucky. This was in a log cabin whose remains were still vis- ible as late as 1884.
In 1789 he was licensed by the Presbytery to preach "under the direction of Mr. Rice while he continues in the study of divinity." Under this authority he visited Cincinnati in November and December of 1790. On April 27, 1791, his examinations were completed and he was li- censed and appointed "to supply in the churches of the Miami at discretion." This was the first appointment of the kind for any place north of the Ohio and he was the first preacher under any denomination regularly empowered to act in the settlement.
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