USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > Early history of Cleveland, Ohio : including papers and other matter relating to the adjacent country : with biographical notices of the pioneers and surveyors > Part 9
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156
THE SOLDIER PIONEERS.
compensation. It required precisely such characters, as the impoverished soldiers of the Revolution, to conquer the western wilds. Men who had never been toughened by the exposures and dangers of the camp, would not relish such undertakings. Perhaps many of these, would not have sought after fortune in such remote regions, had not the war left them with nothing but their physical strength, ambition and courage. The rich wilderness which they had seen, had been conquered by their exertions. It was therefore in accordance with a fearless spirit, coupled with necessity; that they entered upon the danger- ous task of subduing the western wilderness.
In 1788 the settlement of Ohio was commenced, by an association of New England soldiers. During the next year a purchase of three millions of acres, was made in western New York, through the agency of BENJAMIN GORHAM and OLIVER PHELPS; embracing the rich lands which border upon Seneca and Canan- daigua lakes.
In Ohio the most accessible portion lies adjacent to the Ohio river, where the first lodgments were made, at Marietta and Cincinnati.
For thirty years, rude highways had been in exist- ence over the ridges of the Allegheny mountains, made by BRADDOCK and FORBES, to the forks of the Ohio, at Pittsburg. From thence, in boats, they could float onward with the stream. The settle- ments, following the impulse of the old French war,
157
ROUTES TO THE WEST.
had passed the crests of those mountains, and already occupied some of the valleys of the streams.
The northern route to Ohio was more difficult. The entire breadth of the State of New York must be penetrated, mostly by a land route, through a country not broken by mountains, but by marshes, lakes and streams, more impracticable than moun- tains. It required a few years more time, for them to reach the northern borders of this State.
Settlers had forced their way as far west as Canandaigua. A horse trail had been opened along the old Indian trail to lake Erie, at Buffalo, when the project of occupying this portion of the State was set on foot. OLIVER PHELPS, of Connecticut, the partner of GORHAM, of Massachusetts, in the New York purchase, was disposed to strike still deeper into the western country.
On the 14th of September, 1786, the State of Con- necticut made a deed of cession, whereby she released to the United States; all right, title, interest juris- diction and claim, which she had north of the forty- first parallel, and west of a meridian to be run at a distance of one hundred and twenty miles, west of the west line of the State of Pennsylvania; extend- ing north to the parallel of forty-two degrees and two minutes.
The State of Connecticut, made no disposition of the territory, between the Pennsylvania line and the meridian referred to, lying between forty - two
158
CONFLICT OF JURISDICTION.
degrees two minutes, and forty-one degrees. It was thus reserved to herself, from which it received the title of the "Connecticut Western Reserve." All the States, having claims to the territory north-west of the Ohio; having relinquished their claims, except to the Reserve; the United States proceeded to establish a government over it, and passed the famous "Ordinance of 1787."
As the State of Connecticut, had never relinquished her claim to the Western Reserve, she considered such an extension of jurisdiction, to be in violation of her rights. She very soon after, provided for the sale of her reserved lands in this region.
As the claims of the several States, to western lands under their conflicting grants, and the mode of settlement are fully set forth in the Land Laws of the United States; I notice them only inciden- tally here.
In October, 1786, that State had passed a resolu- tion, authorizing a committee of three persons, to sell that part, which lies east of the Cuyahoga river and the old portage path; by townships of six miles square. The price was limited to three shillings currency per acre, which is equal to fifty cents in Federal money. Six ranges of townships were to be surveyed, lying next to the Pennsylvania line ; to be numbered from lake Erie southward, and not less than twenty-seven dollars in specie, was to be paid per township to defray the expenses of survey. Five
159
SALT SPRING TRACT.
hundred acres of land in each township, was reserved for the support of the gospel ministry; and five hundred acres for the support of schools.
The first minister who settled in a township, was entitled to two hundred and forty acres. Until a republican government should be established, the general Assembly, undertook to provide for the pres- ervation of peace and good order among the settlers.
At their session in May 1787, some alterations were made, in the manner of surveying and number- ing the townships, and the mode of making convey- ances.
No attempt was made to execute the surveys. A sale was made however, to General SAMUEL H. PARSONS, of Middletown, of a tract embracing twen- ty-four thousand acres, afterwards known as the "Salt Spring Tract," in Trumbull county. This patent was executed by the Governor and Secretary, February 10, 1788. [Hon. T. D. WEBB.] It is described by ranges and townships, as though the lines had been run and marked upon the ground. General PARSONS had explored the country, and found the location of the well known Salt Spring, near the Mahoning river, which was considered very valuable. This spring is laid down by EVANS, on his map of 1755. The Pennsylvanians had recourse to it during the revolution, and cabins had been erected there. In 1785, Col. BRODHEAD, com- manding the troops at Fort Pitt, had orders to
160
GENERAL S. H. PARSONS.
dispossess them, and did so. The Indians soon burned the cabins they had erected. General PAR- SONS, was appointed one of the Judges in the north- western Territory, but was drowned in the fall of 1788, at the falls of Beaver river. Considerable quantities of salt had been made by Indians and traders before the settlement, and for a number of years after, its manufacture was continued by the pioneers.
General PARSONS was the only purchaser from the State, until the Connecticut Land Company was organized, giving him the choice of lands east of the Cuyahoga. The description in his patent is as follows : "Beginning at the north-east corner of the first township in the third range; thence northerly, on the west line of the second range, to forty-one degrees and twelve minutes of north latitude ; thence west, three miles; thence southerly, parallel to the west line of Pennsylvania, two miles and one half; thence west, three miles, to the west line of said third range; thence southerly, parallel to the west line of Pennsylvania, to the north line of the first township in the third range; thence east to the first bound." [LEONARD CASE.]
Although no surveys were made, General PAR- SONS proceeded to make sales and deeds, of undi- vided portions, to various parties. His patent was recorded in the office of the Secretary of State, at Hartford, but the United States having organized
161
SALES BY PARSONS.
the county of Washington, embracing this tract, it was again recorded at Marietta, as were many of the deeds made by him. Afterwards, when the con- flicting claims of the State and the federal govern- ment were harmonized, as doubts remained in regard to the validity of Washington county, north of the 41st parallel, they were recorded again at Warren, in the county of Trumbull. No taxes were effectually imposed upon the inhabitants of the Reserve, until after the organization of Trumbull county. Before that time, the settlers were left in a state of nature, so far as civil government was concerned. They were once disturbed by the authority of the United States, at the time when they were supposed to be included in Jefferson County.
ZENAS KIMBERLY made his appearance in this region, to enquire into the matter of taxation. As they did not acknowledge the jurisdiction of the United States, he was beset by ridicule and laugh- ter, until he concluded to leave them.
[T. D. WEBB.]
In May, 1792, the Legislature of Connecticut granted to those of her citizens, who had suffered by depredations of the British, during the revolu- tion, half a million of acres, to be taken off the west end of the Reserve, exclusive of the Islands. As no one except PARSONS had purchased lands under the resolutions of 1786-7, a new mode of
162
NEW TERMS OF SALE.
disposing of her western lands was adopted, in May, 1795.
Numerous parties entered the field as purchasers. Under the last resolution, a committee of eight citi- zens, representing each county in the State; was empowered to sell, three millions of acres ; next west of the Pennsylvania line, at a price not less than one million of dollars being a third of a dollar per acre. The names of the committee were
JOHN TREADWELL, JAMES WADSWORTH,
MARVIN WAIT,
WILLIAM EDMOND,
THOMAS GROSVENOR,
AARON AUSTIN,
ELIJAH HUBBARD, SYLVESTER GILBERT.
Speculation in wild lands had already become epidemic in New England. BENJAMIN GORHAM and OLIVER PHELPS had sold their New York purchase to ROBERT LIVINGSTON, of Philadelphia, who trans- ferred it to a company in Holland, by which the tract was afterwards known as the "Holland Pur- chase."
The committee, and the several adventurers, spent the summer of 1795 in negotiations. General WAYNE's successful movements, through the Indian country from the Ohio, to lake Erie, during the previous year; had convinced the British and Indians that the United States intended to occupy Ohio, whoever might oppose. The purchasers, were, notwithstanding; required to take all risks of title and of possession, Another condition was imposed
163
THE PURCHASERS.
upon the committee; which required them to dis- pose of the entire three million of acres, before concluding a sale of any part of it.
JOHN LIVINGSTON and others were in the field as competitors of the Connecticut men, but were induced to accept for their share, the supposed sur- plus, a million or more of acres.
On the 2d of September, 1795, the bargain was concluded. A sufficient number of individuals had presented themselves, willing to take the entire tract at the sum of one million two hundred thousand dollars; whose names, and their respective propor- tions are here given :
Joseph Howland and Daniel L. Coit, $30,461
Elias Morgan,-
51,402
Caleb Atwater,
22,846
Daniel Holbrook,
Joseph Williams, 8,750 I 1
15,231
William Love,.
I I 10,500 1 1 William Judd,
16,256
Elisha Hyde and Uriah Tracey,
1
57,400
James Johnston,
30,000
Samuel Mather, Jr.,
18,461
Ephraim Kirby, Elijah Boardman and Uriel Holmes, Jr., 60,000
Solomon Griswold, 10,000
Oliver Phelps and Gideon Granger, Jr., 80,000
William Hart, 30,462
Henry Champion, 2d, 85,675
Asher Miller, 34,000
Robert C. Johnson, 60,000
I 1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
164
CONVEYANCES.
Ephraim Root,- 42,000
Nehemiah Hubbard, Jr.,. 19,039
Solomon Cowles, 10,000
Oliver Phelps. 168,185
Asahel Hathaway, 12,000
John Caldwell and Peleg Sanford,
15,000
Timothy Burr, 15,231
Luther Loomis and Ebenezer King, Jr., 44,318
William Lyman, John Stoddard and David King, - 24,730 Moses Cleaveland, 32,600
Samuel P. Lord,
14,092
Roger Newberry, Enoch Perkins and Jonathan Brace, 38,000
Ephraim Starr, 17,415
Sylvanus Griswold,- 1,683
Joseb Stocking and Joshua Stow, 11,423
Titus Street, 22,846
James Bull, Aaron Olmsted and John Wyles, 30,000
Pierpoint Edwards, 60,000
$1,200,000
The committee of eight, immediately made deeds to these purchasers, of as many twelve hundred thousandths in common, of the entire tract, as they had subscribed dollars on the above list. These deeds and the subsequent drafts were recorded in the office of the Secretary of State, at Hartford; and afterwards transferred to the Recorders office at Warren. They are very lengthy, reciting the sub- stance of the resolution, and the mode of sale to the grantees. It does not appear that any part of the consideration was paid in hand. [T. D. WEBB.]
CONNECTICUT LAND COMPANY.
According to this record, the number of original parties was thirty-five, although it is generally represented as thirty-six. There were this number of bonds given to the State by them, for the above stated sums; which were secured by personal secu- rity at first, and afterwards mortgages upon the land. The first purchasers, however, represented other per- sons who were also constituted members of the com- pany, fifty seven in number.
The different grantees in the deeds from Connecti- cut, gave the Trustees a list of the persons whom they represented, and the Trustees issued a stock certificate to each, in accordance with the articles of the association. Some of those who had given their bonds failed; and others persuaded the State to accept bonds and mortgages from them individually. They gave a bond to the Treasurer of State, and a mortgage of the lands which were aparted to them in severalty under the draft of 1798, east of the Cuyahoga.
They gave also another style of security, called
166
THE EXCESS COMPANY.
the "Trust and benefit mortgages," covering their interests in common then undrawn. These were so worded, that the Trustees of the Land Company, after draft, made another mortgage to the State, in which the original purchasers had the right of redemption. LEONARD CASE.]
A partnership, or association, was immediately formed by the purchasers; who called themselves the "Connecticut Land Company"; all of whom joined in a deed of trust, to JOHN CALDWELL, JONA- THAN BRACE, and JOHN MORGAN, covering the entire purchase. As special corporate powers were not given them by the Legislature, and doubts existed as to the validity of their political franchises; this course was necessary for the convenient management of their business. The trust deed bears date Sep- tember 5, 1795, and with few exceptions, the deeds of the Trustees are the source of title, to lands on the Western Reserve. As late as 1836, all of the original Trustees were living, and joined in deeds of lands within this city.
OLIVER PHELPS, JOHN LIVINGSTON, and others, proposed to take the remainder, being the "excess," lying between the three million, and the five hundred thousand acre tracts. This scheme finally took the form of what is called the "Excess Company," of whom Gen. HULL, afterwards conspicuous at Detroit, was the principal owner. Shares in this company were sought after with as much eagerness as those
167
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION.
in JOHN LAWS company of the Indies, having about the same basis of value.
The State guaranteed nothing either as to title or quantity. She only transferred all the rights she possessed, as well political as those of property un- der the patent of Earl WARWICK, and the charter of CHARLES the Second. So little was known at this time, of the respective powers of the States and the United States, under the Constitution of 1787, that many of the parties thought the Land Company had received political authority, and could found here a new State. They imagined themselves like WILLIAM PENN, to be proprietors, coupled with the rights of self government.
Articles of association, fourteen in number, were signed by the proprietors, on the same day with the trust deed. These articles are very elaborate, pro- viding for the government of the company, giving extensive powers to the directors, pointing out in detail the mode of survey, partition and sale; author- izing transferable certificates of stock, and determ- ining the manner of proceeding at meetings of the company. These articles of agreement were so full and particular that, no changes were found necessary, in order to carry on and complete the business of the company.
For the purpose of voting and assessments, the concern was divided into four hundred shares. Pro- vision was made, in case one-third of the interest
168
FIRST DIRECTORS.
should demand it, to set off to the applicants one- third of the property in a body, but no such de- mand was made.
The affairs of the company were entrusted to the management of seven directors, and the gentlemen below named were elected to form the first board :
OLIVER PHELPS, of Suffield. HENRY CHAMPION, 2nd, of Colchester.
MOSES CLEAVELAND, of Canterbury.
SAMUEL W. JOHNSON.
EPHRAIM KIRBY.
SAMUEL MATHER, Junior, of Lynn.
ROGER NEWBERRY, of West Windsor.
The annual meetings of the company were to be held in Hartford, in October, from whence New Connecticut was to be governed, as New England had been by the "Council of Plymouth" in England. It would be exceedingly interesting to reproduce the official transactions of the company, while it held the soil of the Western Reserve, from 1795 to 1809, if the limits of this book would admit. I can only touch upon their most prominent acts and pro- ceedings.
They determined to extinguish the Indian claims, and survey their possessions into townships, of five miles square, bounded by lines crossing each other at right angles, to be run north and south, east and west. The proprietors were required to club to-
THE AGENT AND SURVEYORS. 169
gether and draw by townships, as in a lottery; after which the owners received a deed, and made their own sub-divisions into lots. Twelve thousand nine hundred and three dollars and twenty-three cents of purchase money, represented a township in the first draft. To equalize the townships, a committee was appointed to explore them.
MOSES CLEAVELAND, one of the directors, was made general agent, to conduct the surveys. AUGUSTUS PORTER, of Salisbury, who had been en- gaged in surveys for GORHAM and PHELPS, in the Holland purchase since 1789, was made principal surveyor. SETH PEASE, of Suffield, was given the place of mathematician and surveyor. He went to Philadelphia for instructions and instruments, to be procured of the astronomer, DAVID RITTENHOUSE. The other surveyors were JOHN MILTON HOLLEY, RICHARD M. STODDARD and MOSES WARREN, Jr. Their journey from Old Connecticut to New, with their boatmen, chainmen and axemen, is fully de- scribed in the extracts which I give from the journals of CLEAVELAND, HOLLEY and PEASE.
It has not been practicable to procure their diaries in full, or to insert them entire where they have been obtained.
The mode of dividing the property among its owners, was cumbrous ; but was made so by a jeal- ous regard to justice in the distribution. Six town- ships east of the Cuyahoga, were to be subdivided
12
170
NUMBER OF DRAFTS.
for sale, for the general benefit of the Company. Four more townships of the next best quality, were to be surveyed into four hundred lots, of one hun- dred and sixty acres each : equal to the number of shares, to be drawn by lot; three thousand dollars purchase money representing a share.
What remained on the east of the Cuyahoga, was to be divided into as many portions, to be called a draft, as there were townships of equal value. To come at this much coveted equality, the committee on partition, were required to select the best full township, as a draft; and add fractional townships, tracts, and lots, to all the others, until the less desir- able ones, were made in all respects equal to the best.
The avails of the six townships, sold for the gen- eral benefit, after the general expenses were paid, were distributed in subsequent drafts.
In the first draft the committee on partition made ninety-two parcels, each equal in value to the best township, which parcels covered all the ter- ritory to be drawn east of the Cuyahoga.
By foreclosure or by arrangement, the State of Connecticut became the private owner of some lands on the Western Reserve, which were sold by her agents. The late LEONARD CASE, of Cleveland, transacted a large part of this business. Thus through forms and proceedings that are complicated, a simple and safe system of titles has been secured
SURVEYS OF 1796.
We owe many thanks to the surveyors, for their intelligence and industry in making note of events. Other members of the expedition of 1796-'97, kept memoranda of their travels, some of which will ap- pear in their proper places. It is due to the general system of New England education, that her sons are able, wherever they go in unexplored countries, to record intelligibly, what passes under their obser- vation.
JOHN MILTON HOLLEY'S JOURNAL.
This day, April 28th, 1796, started from Dover for Lake Erie, lodged first night at JAS. DAKINS', second day at Col. PORTER's; left there about 1 o'clock with friend PORTER, lodged second night at JOHNSON's in Spencertown, third night at WENDELL'S Hotel, Albany.
Sunday dined at Shenectady, and lodged at Esquire MILES' in New Amsterdam, thence through
172
ROUTE OF THE PARTY.
Ballantine and Germanflats, and lodged at TALCOTT'S, next night at DEAN's in Westmoreland, and thence to MOREHOUSE's, thence to (torn off ), thence to SAN- BORN's in Canandaiqua. (A portion lost.)
The 6th of May .- Lodged at Mons. SANBORN's in Canandaiqua, was gone to the Eutrantiquet (Iron- duquoit) from Tuesday morning till Wednesday evening.
Tuesday, May 19th, '96 .- Left Canandaiqua for Eutrantiquet bay, lodged at RICHARDSON's in Stones- town.
May 31st .- In the afternoon left Canandaiqua for Gerundicut (Ironduquoit) a second time.
STOw and STODDARD came from Sodus, on lake Ontario, with information that three boats were cast away, but no lives or property lost; in consequence of which we left Canandaiqua the 31st of May, for Gerundicut, slept the first night at HowE's in Bough- tontown.
June 1st .- went to the landing to see our boat, but as it had not arrived, PORTER, STOw and myself embarked on DUNBAR's boat, to go to the great lake to meet our boat, but as luck would have it we went in the boat about half a mile to the landing, unloaded, and PORTER with four hands returned to Little Sodus, to give relief to those who were cast away, and Srow and myself with our hands encamp- ed on the Gerundicut. Built a bark hut, and the men lodged in it the first night. Srow and myself
173
REACHI CANANDAIQUA.
lodged on the floor at DUNBAR's. Go to SMITH'S mill and see if there is any flour or wheat, and if so, if there are barrels, if not, call upon STEEL, get four barrels of pork at CHAPIN's and two barrels of flour at CHAPMAN'S.
June 3d .- Gen. CLEAVELAND at evening arrived at Canandaiqua and gave us information that the boats had gone from Whitestown to Fort Stanwix, and Mr. STow got a letter from the British minister, or charge des' affaires, to the commanding officer at Fort Oswego, requesting permission for our boats to pass unmolested. This information, together with the favorable prospect of wind and weather at that time, gave us great hopes that the stores would get on safely and rapidly, but on Saturday morning there sprang up in the north-west a storm, and blew most violently on the shore of the Lake. This proved fatal to one of the boats, and damaged an- other very much, though we went a little forward to a safe harbor, and built several fires on the bank of the Lake as a beacon to those coming on. After the disaster had happened, the boat that was safe went on to the Gerundicut with a load, and left the other three, including the one that was stove, at Little Sodus, encamped near the Lake. Among the pas- sengers were two families, one of the women with a little child. The water at Gerundicut is about two rods wide and twelve to fourteen feet deep, very crooked and great obstruction for boats. Started
174
PASS OSWEGO AND LITTLE SODUS.
for Canandaiqua and arrived on the morning of the 4th.
All these misfortunes happened in consequence of not having liberty to pass the fort at Oswego. Such are the effects of allowing the British government to exist on the continent of America.
June 5th .- The boats left Gerundicut for Niagara.
June 7th .- PARISH returned from Buffalo Creek, with information how the Indians would meet us. At this time the court was sitting at Canandaiqua. I heard my ftiend SALSTONSTALL make a plea in the case of Williamston vs Berry. SALSTONSTALL in favor of Berry.
June 14th .- Left Canandaiqua Tuesday for Buffalo creek, lodged first night at THAYERS', in the Gore, was very sick with the headache, second night at BERRY's, on the bank of the Genesee river; and rode about two miles across the flat to the Indian settlement, six miles from here to Big Spring.
Thence about ten miles to Allen's creek, a stream about two rods wide, and not very deep, the bed is a solid rock, thence nine miles to the bend in Tona- wanto creek, thence about sixteen miles to where we cross the creek-this stream is about twice as large as Allen's creek-that is, twice as much water, thence through long openings and swamps, or rather low lands, to Big Fall creek, here is almost a perpen- dicular fall of about forty feet. Thence to Buffalo creek. This stream runs nearly north, and empties
175
NIAGARA FALLS AND CHIPPEWA.
into lake Erie about three miles from the outlet opposite to Fort Erie, it is about ten rods wide at its mouth, and very deep.
June 17th .- At evening we got to SKINNER's tav- ern, at Buffalo creek.
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