USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio, containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc., relating to its general and local history : with descriptions of its counties, principal towns, and villages > Part 82
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
This man became one of the most pious and devoted of the Indian converts. Although a chief, he was as humble as a child. He used his steady influence against the traders and their fire-water.
On the bank of the river, half a mile above Upper Sandusky, is a huge sycamore, which measures around, a yard from its base, 37 feet, and at its base over 40 feet. On the Tyemochte, about 6 miles west, formerly and perhaps now stands, another sycamore, hollow within, and of such generous proportions, that Mr. Wm. Brown, a surveyor, now residing in Marion, with 4 others, several years since, slept comfortably in it one cool autumnal night, and had plenty of room.
It was to this county that the celebrated Simon Kenton was brought captive, when taken by the Indians. We have two anec- dotes to introduce respecting him, communicated orally by Major James Galloway of Xenia, who was with him on the occasion. The first illustrates the strength of affection which existed among the early frontiersmen, and the last their vivid recollection of localities.
In January, 1827, I was passing from Lower Sandusky, through the Wyandot reser- vation, in company with Simon Kenton. We stopped at Chaffee's store, on the Tye- mochte, and were sitting at the fire, when in stepped an old man dressed in a hunting shirt, who, after laying his rifle in a corner, commenced trading. Hearing my companion's voice, he stepped up to him and inquired, " are you Simon Kenton ?" he replied in the affirma- tive. " I am Joseph Lake," rejoined he. Upon this, Kenton sprang up as if by electricity, and they both, by a simultaneous impulse, clasped each other around the neck, and shed tears of joy. They had been old companions in fighting the Indians, and had not met for 30 years. The scene was deeply affecting to the bystanders. After being an hour or two together, recalling old times, they embraced and parted in tears, never again expecting to meet.
While travelling through the Sandusky plains, Kenton recognized at the distance of half a mile, the identical grove in which he had run the gauntlet, in the war of the revolution, forty-nine years before. A further examination tested the truth of his recollection, for there was the very race-path still existing, in which he had ran. It was near a road lead- ing from Upper Sandusky to Bellefontaine, 8 or 10 miles from the former. I expressed my surprise at his remembering it. " Ah !" replied he, " I had a good many reasons laid on my back to recollect it."
Little Sandusky, on the Sandusky river, in the south part of the county ; Cary, on the line of the Mad river railroad, in the western part ; M'Cutchensville, on or near its north line, and Marseilles, in the southwest part, on the Bellefontaine road, are small but thriving villages, containing each about 200 inhabitants. Oregon, Mexico, Tyemochte, Crawfordsville, Bowshersville and Wyandot are smaller places.
S
st re je,
in
b
ADDENDA,
HISTORICAL, DESCRIPTIVE AND STATISTICAL.
This addenda consists in part of articles received too late for in- sertion in the body of the work, as well as of those that could not well be introduced there.
OHIO.
OHIO,* the northeastern of the western states, is bounded north by Michigan and Lake Erie ; east by Pennsylvania and Virginia ; south by the Ohio river, which separates it from Virginia and Kentucky ; and west by Indiana. It is between 38° 30' and 42º N. lat., and between 80° 35' and 84° 47' w. lon., and between 3º 31' and 7º 41' w. lon. from W. It is 210 miles long from north to south, and 200 miles broad from east to west ; containing 40,000 square miles, or 25,600,000 acres. The population in 1790, was 3,000; in 1800, 45,365 ; in 1810, 230,760 ; in 1820, 581,434; in 1830, 937,637; in 1840, 1,519,467; being the third in population in the United States. Of these, 775,360 were white males ; 726,762 do. females ; 8,740 were free colored males; 8,603 do. females. Employed in agriculture, 272,579 : in commerce, 9,201 ; in manufactures and trades, 66,265 ; in mining, 704; navigating the ocean, 212 ; do. rivers, canals and lakes, 3,323, learned professions, 5,663.
The number of counties in which it is divided, was, in 1830, 73; in 1840, 79, and in 1847, 83. Columbus, on the Scioto, just below the confluence of the Whetstone, is the seat of government ; but Cincinnati is the largest and most commercial city.
The interior of the state, and the country bordering on Lake Erie, are generally level, and in some places marshy. From one-quarter to one-third of the state, comprehending the eastern and southeastern part, bordering on the Ohio river, is generally hilly and broken. The interval lands on the Ohio, and several of its tributaries, have great fertility. On both sides of the Scioto, and of the Great and Little Miami, are the most extensive bodies of rich and level land in the state. On the head waters of the Muskingum and Scioto, and between the Scioto and the two Miami rivers, are extensive prairies, some of them low and marshy, producing a great quantity of coarse grass, from 2 to 5 feet high ; other parts of the prairies are elevated and dry, with a very fertile soil, though they are sometimes called barrens. The height of land which divides the waters which fall into the Ohio from those which fall into Lake Erie, is the most marshy of any in the state ; while the land on the margins of the rivers is generally dry. Among the forest trees are black walnut, oak of various species, hickory, maple of several kinds, beech, birch, poplar, sycamore, ash of several kinds, pawpaw, buckeye, cherry and white-wood, which is extensively used as a substitute for pine. Wheat may be regarded as the staple production of the state, but In- dian corn and other grains are produced in great abundance. Although Ohio has already become so populous, it is surprising to the traveller to observe what an amount of forest is yet unsubdued.
The summers are warm and pretty regular, but subject, at times, to severe drought. The winters are generally mild, but much less so in the northern than in the southern part of the state. Near Lake Erie, the winters are probably as severe as in the same latitude on the Atlantic. In the country for 50 miles south of Lake Erie, there are generally a number of weeks of good sleiging in the winter ; but in the southern part of the state, the snow is too small in quantity, or of too short continuance, to produce good sleighing for any considerable time. In the neighborhood of Cincinnati, green peas are produced in plenty by the 20th of May. In parts of the state, near marshes and stagnant waters, fevers
* The above concise geographical and statistical description of Ohio, is principally abridged from Sherman & Smith's Gazetteer of the United States.
K
Ki
557
ADDENDA.
and agues and billious and other fevers are prevalent. With this exception, the climate is healthy.
Salt springs have been found on Yellow creek, in Jefferson county ; on the waters of Killbuck, in Wayne county ; on Muskingum river, near Zanesville ; and at various other places. Bituminous coal is found in great quantities in the eastern part of the state, and iron ore in various places.
The Ohio river, which gives name to the state, washes its entire southern border. This river is 908 miles long, from Pittsburgh to its mouth, by its various windings, though it is only 614 in a straight line. Its current is gentle, with no falls excepting at Louisville, Ky., where there is a descent of 223 feet in two miles, but this has been obviated by a canal. For about half the year it is navigable for steamboats of a large class, through its whole course. The Muskingum, the largest river which flows entirely in the state, is formed by the junction of the Tuscarawas and Walholding rivers, and enters the Ohio at Marietta. It is navigable for boats 100 miles. The Scioto, the second river in magnitude flowing entirely within the state, is about 200 miles long, and enters the Ohio at Ports- mouth. Its largest branch is the Whetstone or Olentangy, which joins it immediately above Columbus. It is navigable for boats 130 miles. The Great Miami is a rapid river in the western part of the state, 100 miles long, and enters the Ohio in the southwest corner of the state. The Little Miami has a course of 70 miles, and enters the Ohio 7 miles above Cincinnati. The Maumee is 100 miles long, rises in Indiana, runs through the northwest part of this state, and enters Lake Erie at Maumee bay. It is navigable for steamboats to Perrysburg, 18 miles from the lake, and above the rapids is boatable for a considerable dis- tance. The Sandusky rises in the northern part of the state, and, after a course of about 80 miles, it enters Sandusky bay, and thence into Lake Erie. The Cuyahoga rises in the north part of the state, and, after a curved course of 60 miles, enters Lake Erie at Cleve- land. It has a number of falls, which furnish valuable mill seats. Besides these, Huron. Vermilion, Black, Grand and Ashtabula rivers fall into Lake Erie.
Lake Erie borders this state for about 150 miles, and has several harbors, among which the largest are made by Maumee and Sandusky bays. Besides these are the harbors of Huron, Cleveland, Fairport and Ashtabula.
Among the principal literary institutions, is the University of Ohio, at Athens ; the Miami University, at Oxford ; the Franklin College, at New Athens; the Western Reserve College, at Hudson ; Kenyon College, at Gambier, (Episcopal ;) Granville College, at Gran- ville, (Baptist ;) Marietta College, at Marietta ; the Oberlin Collegiate Institute, at Oberlin ; Cincinnati and Woodward Colleges, at Cincinnati. Willoughby University, at Wil- loughby, is a medical institution, with a college charter. Lane Theological Seminary, at Cincinnati, was founded in 1829. There are also theological departments in Kenyon, Western Reserve and Granville Colleges, and in the Oberlin Institute ; a Lutheran theo- logical school at Columbus ; two medical and one law school at Cincinnati. At all these institutions there were, in 1840, 1,717 students. Since 1840, other literary and scientific institutions have been established ; among which is the Medical College, at Cleveland ; Wittemberg College, at Springfield, and the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware. There were in the state 73 academies, with 4,310 students ; 5,186 common and primary schools, with 218,609 scholars. There were 35,394 white persons, over 20 years of age, who could neither read nor write.
This state has a number of important works of internal improvement. The Ohio canal extends from Cleveland, on Lake Erie, 307 miles, to Portsmouth, on the Ohio. It has a navigable feeder of 14 miles to Zanesville ; one of 10 miles to Columbus ; and one of 9 miles to Lancaster ; one to Athens of fifty miles ; the Walholding branch of 23 miles ; the Eastport branch of 4 miles, and the Dresden of 2 miles. This great work was begun in 1825, and was finished in 1832, at a cost of $5,000,000. The Miami canal extends from Cincinnati, 178 miles, to Defiance, where it meets the Wabash and Erie canal. The cost was $3,750,000. The whole distance to Lake Erie is 265 miles. The Warren canal, a branch of the above, extends from Middletown, 20 miles, to Lebanon. The Sandy and Beaver canal is to extend from the Ohio canal, at Bolivar, 76 miles, to Ohio river, at the mouth of Little Beaver creek. Cost estimated at $1,500,000. The Ma- honing canal extends from the Ohio canal, at Akron, 88 miles, 8 of which are in Penn- sylvania, to Beaver river, at a cost of $764,372. Milan canal extends 3 miles, to Milan, to which steamboats now ascend. The Mad River and Little Miami railroads form a continuous line from Cincinnati to Sandusky City. A railroad is partly constructed from the latter place, through Mansfield, Mount Vernon, to Columbus, and various routes are projected for railroads in different parts of the state.
The governor is elected by the people for two years. The senators are chosen bien- nially, and are apportioned according to the number of white male inhabitants over 21 years
. ..
558
ADDENDA.
of age. The number can never be less than one-third, nor more than half of the number of the representatives. The representatives are apportioned among the counties accord- ing to the number of inhabitants over 21; and there can never be more than 72, nor less than 36.
The judges of the supreme and other courts are elected by the joint ballot of the legis -- lature, for the term of seven years.
The right of suffrage is enjoyed by all white male inhabitants, over 21 years of age, who ) have resided in the state one year next preceding the election, and who have paid or been assessed with a state or county tax.
The first permanent English settlement in Ohio, was made April 7th, 1788, at Marietta ; and the first judicial court was held there in September of the same year, under an act of congress passed in 1786. The next settlement was that of Symmes' purchase, 6 miles below Cincinnati, in 1789. The next was made by French emigrants, at Gallipolis, in 1791. The next was made on Lake Erie, at Cleveland and Conneaut, in 1796, by emi- grants from New England. In 1799 the first territorial legislature met at Cincinnati, and organized the government. Early in 1800, Connecticut relinquished her jurisdiction over the Western Reserve, and received a title to the land, which she sold to constitute her great school fund. In 1802, Ohio formed her state constitution, and was admitted to the union.
PUBLIC LANDS .*
In most of the states and territories lying west of the Alleghany mountains, the United States, collectively, as a nation, owned, or did own, the soil of the country, after the ex- tinguishment of the aboriginal Indian title. This vast national domain comprises several hundreds of millions of acres ; which is a beautiful fund, upon which the general govern- ment can draw for centuries, to supply, at a low price, all its citizens with a freehold estate.
When Ohio was admitted into the federal union as an independent state, one of the terms of admission was, that the fee-simple to all the lands within its limits, excepting those previously granted or sold, should vest in the United States. Different portions of them have, at diverse periods, been granted or sold to various individuals, companies, and "bodies politic.
The following are the names by which the principal bodies of the lands are designated, on account of these different forms of transfer ; viz :
1. Congress Lands. 8. Symmes' Purchase
2. U. S. Military. 9. Refugee Tract. 16. School do.
3. Virginia Military. 10. French Grant.
4. Western Reserve.
11. Dohrman's do. 18. Ministerial do.
19. Moravian do.
20. Salt Sections.
Congress Lands are so called, because they are sold to purchasers by the immediate offi- cers of the general government, conformably to such laws as are, or may be, from time to time, enacted by congress. They are all regularly surveyed into townships of six miles square each, under authority, and at the expense of the national government.
All Congress lands, excepting Marietta and a part of Steuben- ville district, are numbered as follows :
VII ranges, Ohio company's purchase, and Symmes' pur- chase, are numbered as here ex- hibited :
6
5
4
3
2
1
36
30
24
18
12
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
35
29
23
17
11
5
18
17
16
15
14
13
34
28
22
16
10
4
19
20
21
22
23
24
33
27
21
15
9
3
30
29
28
27
26
25
32
26
20
14
8
2
31
32
33
34
35
36
31
25
19
13
7
1
* This article is abridged from the Ohio Gazetteer.
17. College do.
5. Fire Lands. 12. Zane's do.
6. Ohio Co's. Purchase. 13. Canal Lands.
7. Donation Tract. 14. Turnpike do.
15. Maumee Road Lands.
559
ADDENDA.
The townships are again subdivided into sections of one mile square, each containing 640 acres, by lines running parallel with the township and range lines. The sections are numbered in two different modes, as exhibited in the preceding figures or diagranis.
In addition to the foregoing division, the sections are again subdivided into four equal parts, called the Northeast quarter section, Southeast quarter section, &c. And again, by a law of congress, which went into effect in July, 1820, these quarter sections are also divided by a north and south line, into two equal parts, called the east half quarter section, No. and west half quarter section, No. which contain eighty acres each. The minimum price has been reduced by the same law, from $2.00 to $1.25 per acre, cash down.
In establishing the township and sectional corners, a post is first planted at the point of intersection ; then on the tree nearest the post, and standing within the section intended to be designated, is numbered with the marking iron, the range, township and number of the section, thus :
R 21 T 4 S 30t
R 20 T 4
+S 31
The quarter corners are marked 1-4 south, merely.
R 211 +R 20
T 3
T 3
S 1
S 6
Section No. 16, of every township, is perpetually reserved for the use of schools, and leased or sold out, for the benefit of schools, under the state government. All the others may be taken up either in sections, fractions, halves, quarters, or half quarters.
For the purpose of selling out these lands, they are divided into eight several land dis- tricts, called after the names of the towns in which the land offices are kept, viz : Wooster, Steubenville, Zanesville, Marietta, Chillicothe, etc., etc.
The seven ranges of townships are a portion of the Congress lands, so called, being the first ranges of public lands ever surveyed by the general government, west of the Ohio river. They are bounded on the north by a line drawn due west from the Pennsylvania state line, where it crosses the Ohio river, to the United States Military lands, 42 miles ; thence south to the Ohio river, at the southeast corner of Marietta township, thence up the river to the place of beginning.
Connecticut Western Reserve, often times called New Connecticut, is situated in the northeast quarter of the state, between Lake Erie on the north, Pennsylvania east, the parallel of the 41st degree of north latitude south, and Sandusky and Seneca counties on the west. It extends 120 miles from east to west, and upon an average 50 from north to south : although, upon the Pennsylvania line, it is 68 miles broad, from north to south. The area is about 3,800,000 acres. It is surveyed into townships of five miles square each. A body of half a million acres is, however, stricken off from the west end of the tract, as a donation, by the state of Connecticut, to certain sufferers by fire, in the revolutionary war.
The manner by which Connecticut became possessed of the land in question, was the following: King Charles II, of England, pursuing the example of his brother kings, of granting distant and foreign regions to his subjects, granted to the then colony of Connecti- cut, in 1662, a charter right to all lands included within certain specific bounds. But as the geographical knowledge of Europeans concerning America, was then very limited and confused, patents for lands often interfered with each other, and many of them, even by their express terms, extended to the Pacific ocean, or South sea, as it was then called. Among the rest, that for Connecticut embraced all lands contained between the 41st and 42d parallels of north latitude, and from Providence plantations on the east, to the Pacific ocean west, with the exception of New York and Pennsylvania colonies ; and, indeed, pretensions to these were not finally relinquished without considerable altercation. And after the United States became an independent nation, these interfering claims occasioned much collision of sentiment between them and the state of Connecticut, which was finally compromised, by the United States relinquishing all their claims upon, and guaranteeing to Connecticut the exclusive right of soil to the 3,800,000 acres now described. The United States, however, by the terms of compromise, reserved to themselves the right of jurisdic- tion. They then united this tract to the territory, now state of Ohio.
Fire Lands, a tract of country so called, of about 781 square miles, or 500,000 acres, in the western part of New Connecticut. The name originated from the circumstance of the state of Connecticut having granted these lands in 1792, as a donation to certain sufferers by fire, occasioned by the English during our revolutionary war, particularly at New I on-
e
1.
d
.
i. od er at
2 en
of es
560
ADDENDA.
don, Fairfield and Norwalk. These lands include the five westernmost ranges of the Western Reserve townships. Lake Erie and Sandusky bay project so far southerly, as to leave but the space of six tiers and some fractions of townships between them and the 41st parallel of latitude, or a tract of about 30 by 27 miles in extent.
This tract is surveyed into townships of about five miles square each ; and 3 2 these townships are then subdivided into four quarters; and these quarter townships are numbered as in the accompanying figure, the top being con- 4 1 sidered north. And for individual convenience, these are again subdivided, by private surveys, into lots of from fifty to five hundred acres each, to suit indi- vidual purchasers.
United States Military Lands are so called from the circumstance of their having been appropriated, by an act of congress of the 1st of June, 1796, to satisfy certain claims of the officers and soldiers of the revolutionary war. The tract of country embracing these lands is bounded as follows : beginning at the northwest corner of the original VII ranges of townships, thence south 50 miles, thence west to the Scioto river, thence up said river to the Greenville treaty line, thence northeasterly with said line to old Fort Laurens, on the Tuscarawas river, thence due east to the place of beginning ; including a tract of about 4000 square miles, or 2,560,000 acres of land. It is, of course, bounded north by the Greenville treaty line, east by the " VII ranges of townships," south by the Congress and Refugee lands, and west by the Scioto river.
These lands are surveyed into townships of five miles square. These townships were then again, originally, surveyed into quarter townships of two and a half miles square, containing 4000 acres each :- and subsequently, some of these quarter townships were subdivided into forty lots of 100 acres each, for the accommodation of those soldiers hold- ing warrants for only 100 acres each. And again, after the time originally assigned for the location of these warrants had expired, certain quarter townships which had not then been located, were divided into sections of one mile square each, and sold by the general govern- ment, like the main body of Congress lands.
2
1
3
4
The quarter townships are numbered as exhibited in the accompanying fig- ure, the top being considered north. The place of each township is ascer- tained by numbers and ranges, the same as Congress lands ; the ranges being numbered from east to west, and the numbers from south to north.
Virginia Military Lands are a body of land lying between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers, and bounded upon the Ohio river on the south. The state of Virginia, from the indefinite and vague terms of expression in its original colonial charter of territory from James I., king of England, in the year 1609, claimed all the continent west of the Ohio river, and of the north and south breadth of Virginia. But finally, among several other compromises of conflicting claims which were made, subsequently to the attainment of our national independence, Virginia agreed to relinquish all her claims to lands northwest of the Ohio river, in favor of the general government, upon condition of the lands, now described, being guaranteed to her. The state of Virginia then appropriated this body of land to satisfy the claims of her state troops employed in the continental line, during the revolutionary war.
This district is not surveyed into townships or any regular form : but any individual holding a Virginia military land warrant may locate it, wherever he chooses, within the district, and in such shape as he pleases, wherever the land shall not previously have been located. In consequence of this deficiency of regular original surveys, and the irregularities with which the several locations have been made; and the consequent interference and encroachment of some locations upon others, more than double the litigation has probably arisen between the holders of adverse titles, in this district, than there has in any other part of the state, of equal extent.
Ohio Company's purchase is a body of land containing about 1,500,000 acres ; including, however, the donation tract, school lands, &c., lying along the Ohio river ; and including Meigs, nearly all of Athens, and a considerable part of Washington and Gallia counties. This tract was purchased of the general government in the year 1787, by Manasseh Cut- ler and Winthrop Sargeant, from the neighborhood of Salem, in Massachusetts, agents for the " Ohio company," so called, which had then been formed in Massachusetts, for the pur- pose of a settlement in the Ohio country. Only 964,285 acres were ultimately paid for, and of course patented. This body of land was then apportioned out into 817 shares, of 1173 acres each, and a town lot of one-third of an acre to each share. These shares were made up to each proprietor in tracts, one of 640 acres, one of 262, one of 160, one of 100, one of 8, and another of 3 acres, besides the before mentioned town lot.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.