USA > Ohio > Clinton County > History of Clinton County, Ohio Its People, Industries, and Institutions, with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families > Part 2
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TERRITORY NORTHWEST OF THE OHIO (1670-1754).
Ohlo was the first state created out of the old Northwest Territory, although Indiana had been previously organized as a territory. When the land comprebended within the Northwest Territory was discovered by the French under La Salle about 1670. It was a battle ground of varions Indian tribes, although the Eries, who were located along the shores of Lake Erie, were the only ones with a more or less definite territory.
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From 1670 to 1763, the close of the French and Indian War, the French were In possession of this teritory and established their claims in a positive manner by extensive exploration and scattered settlements. The chief centers of French settlement were at Detrolt, Vincennes, Kaskaskla, Fort Creverour and at several missionary stations around the shores of the great lakes. The French did not succeed in doing this without incurring the hostility of the Iroquois Indians, a bitter enmity which was brought about chletly beenuse the French helped the Shawnees, Wyandots and Miamis to drive the Iroquois out of the territory west of the Muskingum river in Ohio.
It must not be forgotten that the English also laid claim to the Northwest Territory, basing their claim on the discoveries of the Cabots and the subsequent charters of Vir- ginla, Massachusetts and Connecticut. These charters extended the limits of these three colonies westward to the Pacific ocean, although, as a matter of fact, none of the three colonies made a settlement west of the Alleghanies until after the Revolutionary War. New York sought to strengthen her claim to territory west of the Alleghanies in 1701. by getting from the Iroquois, the bitter enemies of the French, a grunt to the territory from which the French and their Indian allles had previously expelled them. Athough this grant was renewed in 1720 and again confirmed in 1744, It gave New York only a nominal claim and one which was never recognized by the French in any way.
English traders from Pennsylvania and Virginia began in 1730 to pay more attention to the claims of their country west of the Alleghanles and north of the Ohlo river. When their activities reached the ears of the French the governor of French Canada sent Celeron de Bienville up and down the Ohio and the rivers and streams running Into it from the north and took formal possession of the territory by planting lead plates at the mouth of every river and stream of any importance. This peculiar method of the French in seeking to establish their claims occurred in the year 1749 and opened the eyes of England to the necessity of taking some immediate netion. George II, the king of England at the time, at once granted a charter for the first Ohio Company (there were two others by the same name later organized ), composed of London merchants and enterprising Virginians, and the company at once proceeded to formulate plans to secure possession of the territory north of the Ohio and west of the Mississippi. Christopher Gist was sent down the Oblo river in 1750 to explore the country as far west as the month of the Scioto river, and made several treaties with the Indians. Things were now rapidly approaching a crisis and it was soon evident that there would be a struggle of arms between England and France for the disputed region. In 1754 the English started to build a fort at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, on the site of the present city of Pittsburgh, but before the fort was completed the French appeared on the scene, drove the English away and finished the fort which had been begun.
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR (1754-63.)
The crisis had finally come. The struggle which followed between the two nations ultimately resulted in the expulsion of the French from the mainland of America as well as from the immediate territory in dispute. The war is known in America as the French and Indian War and In the history of the world as the Seven Years' War. the latter designation belne due to the fart that it lasted that length of time. The struggle developed into a world-wide conflict and the two nations fought over three continents. Amerien, Europe and Asta. It is not within the province of this reste of the history of Ohio to go into the details of this memoralde struggle. It is sufficient for the purpose at band to state that the treaty of Paris, which terminated the war in 1743, left France without any of her former possessions on the mainland of America.
PONTIAC'S CONSPIRACY (1763-64).
With the English in control of America east of the Mississippi river and the French regime forever ended, the Indians next command the attention of the historian who deals
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with the Northwest Territory. The French were undoubtedly responsible for stirring up their former Indian allies and Pontiac's conspiracy must be credited to the influence of that nation. This formidable uprising was successfully overthrown by Henry Bouquet, who led an expedition in 1764 into the present state of Oblo and compelled the Wyandots, Delawares and Shawnees to sue for peace.
NORTHWEST TERRITORY AND QUEBEC ACT.
From 1764 to 1774, no events of particular importance occurred within the territory north of the Ohio river, but in the Intter year (June 22, 1774), England, then at the breaking point with the colonies, passed the Quebec act, which attached this territory to the province of Quebec for administrative purposes. This intensified the feeling of resentment which the colonies bore against their mother, country and is given specific mention in their list of grievances which they enumerated in their Declaration of Inde- pendence. The Revolutionary War enme on at once and this act, of course, was never put Into execution.
REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD (1775-83).
During the War of Independence (1775-1783), the various shites with claims to western lands agreed with the Continental Congress to surrender their claims to the national government. In fact, the Articles of Confederation were not signed until all of the states had agreed to do this, and Maryland withheld her assent to the articles until March 1, 1780, on this account. In accordance with this agreement New York ceded her claim to the United States in 1780, Virginia in 1784, Massachusetts In 1785 and Connect !- cut In 1786, although the latter state excepted a one-hundred-and-twenty-mile strip of three million five hundred thousand acres bordering on Lake Erie. This strip was formally relinquished in 1800, with the understanding that the United States would guarantee the titles already issued by that state, Virginia was also allowed a reservation. known as the Virginia Military District, which lay between the Little Miami and Scioto rivers, the same being for distribution among her Revolutionary veterans. There is one other fact which should be mentioned in connection with the territory north of the Oblo in the Revolutionary period. This was the memorable conquest of the territory by Gen. George Rogers Clark. During the years 1778 and 1779. this redoubtable leader captured Kaskaskia. Cahokia and Vincennes and thereby drove the English out of the Northwest Territory. It is probable that this notable campaign secured this territory for the Americans and that without it we would not have had It included in onr possessions In the treaty which closed the Revolutionary War.
FIRST SURVEYS AND EARLY SETTL.F.RS.
The next period in the history of the territory north of the Ohio begins with the pasange of a congressional art (May 20. 1785), which provided for the present system of land surveys into townships six miles square. As soon as this was put into operation, settlers-and most Revolutionary soldiers-began to pour into the newly surveyed terri- tiry. A second Oblo Company was organized in the spring of 1788. made up chiety of Revolutionary officers and soldiers from New England, and this company proposed to establish a state somewhere between Lake Erie and the Ohlo river. At this juncture Congress realized that definite steps should be made at once for some kind of government over this extensive territory, a territory which now includes the present states of Ohio, Indiana. Illinois, Michigan. Wisconsin and about a third of Minnesota, Various plans were proposed in Congress and most of the session of 1756 and the first half of 1787 were consumed in trying to formulate a suitable form of government for the extensive territory. The result of all these delfherations resulted In the famous Ordinance of 1787, which was finally passed on July 13. 1787.
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ORDINANCE OF 1787.
There have been many volumes written about this instrument of government and to this day there is a difference of opinion as to who was its author. The present article can do no more than merely sketeb its outline and set forth the main provisions. It was intended to provide only a temporary government and to serve until such a time as the population of the territory would warrant the creation of states with the same rights and privileges which the thirteen original states enjoyed. It stipulated that not less than three nor more than five states should ever be created out of the whole territory and the maximum number was finally organized, although it was not until 1848 that the last state, Wisconsin, was admitted to the I'nion. The third article, "Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged," has given these five states the basis for their excellent system of public schools, state normals, colleges and universities. Probably the most widely discussed article was the sixth, which provided that slavery and involuntary servitude should never be permitted within the territory and by the use of the word "forever" made the territory free for all time. It is interesting to note in this connection that both Indiana and Illinois before their admission to the Union sought to have this provision set aside, but every petition from the two states was refused by Congress in accordance with the provision of the Ordinance.
FIRST STAGE OF GOVERNMENT UNDER THE ORDINANCE.
The ordinance contemplated two grades of territorial government. During the operation of the first grade of government the governor, his secretary and the three judges provided by the ordinance were to be appointed by Congress and the governor in turn was to appoint "such magistrates and other civil officers in each county and town- ship as he shall deem necessary for the preservation of the peace and good will of the same." After the federal government was organized a statutory provision took the appointment of these officers out of the bands of Congress and placed it in the hands of the President of the United States. All executive authority was given to the governor, all judicial authority to the three judges, while the governor and judges. in joint session. constituted the legislative body. This means that during the first stage of territorial government the people had absolutely no voice in the affairs of government and this state of affairs lasted until 1799, a period of twelve years.
SECOND STAGE OF GOVERNMENT UNDER THE ORDINANCE.
The second stage of government in the territory was to begin whenever the governor was satisfied that there were at least five thousand free male Inhabitants of the age of twenty-one and above. The main difference between the first and second stages of terri- torlal government lay in the fact that the legislative functions were taken from the governor and judges and given to a "general assembly or legislature." The ordinance provided for the election of one representative for each five hundred free male Inhabitants, the tenure of the office to be two years. While the members of the lower house were to be elected by the qualified voters of the territory, the upper house, to consist of five members, were to be appointed by Congress in a somewhat complicated manner. The house of representatives were to select ten men and these ten names were to be sent to Congress and out of this number five were to be selected by Congress. This provision, like the appointment of the governor, was later changed so as to make the upper house the appointees of the President of the I'nited States. The five men so selected were called councilors and held office for five years.
ORGANIZATION OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITOBY.
The first governor of the newly organized territory was Gen. Arthur St. Clair, u gallant soldier of the Revolution, who was appointed on October 5, 1757, and ordered to
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report for duty on the first of the following February. He held the office until November 22, 1802, when he was dismissed by President Jefferson "for the disorganizing spirit, and tendency of every example, violating the rules of conduct enjoined by his publie station, as displayed in his address to the convention." The governor's duties were performed by his secretary, Charles W. Byrd, until March 1, 1803, when the state officials took their office. The first judges appointed were Samuel Holden Parsons, James Mitchell Varnum and John Armstrong. Before the time came for the Judges to qualify, Armstrong resigned and John Cleves Symmes was appointed in his place. The first secretary was Winthrop Sargent, who held the position until he was appointed governor of Mississippi Territory by the President on May 2, 1798. Sargent was succeeded by William Henry Harrison, who was appointed by the President on June 26, 1798, and confirmed by the Senate two days later. Harrison was later elected as the first delegate of the organized Northwest Territory to Congress and the President then appointed Charles Willing Byrd as secretary of the Territory, Byrd's appointment being confirmed by the Senate on Derember 31, 1700.
REPRESENTATIVE STAGE OF GOVERNMENT (1799-1803).
The Northwest Territory remained under the government of the first stage until September 16, 1790, when it formally advanced to the second or representative stage. In the summer of 1798 Governor St. Clair hnd ascertained that the territory had a popula- tion of at least five thousand free male Inhabitants and, in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787. was ready to make the change in Its form of government. On October 29, 1798, the governor issued a proclamation to the qualified voters of the territory directing them to choose members for the lower house of the Territorial Legislature at an election to be held on the third Monday of the following December. The twenty-two members so elected met on January 16, 1709, and, pursuant to the provisions of the ordinance, selected the ten men from whom the President of the United States later chose five for the Legislative Council. They then adjourned to meet on September 16. 1790, but since there was not a quorum on that day they held adjourned sessions until the 23rd, at which time a quorum was present.
At the time the change in the form of government went into effect there were only nine counties in the whole territory. These counties had been organized either by the governor or his secretary. The following table gives the nine counties organized before 1790, with the dates of their organization and the number of legislators proportioned to each by the governor :
Number of
County.
Date of organization.
representatives.
Washington
July 27, 1788
2
Hamilton
January 4. 1790
7
St. Clair
April 27. 1790
1
Knox
June 20, 1790
1
Randolph
October 5. 1795.
1
Wayne
August 6, 1796.
3
Adams
July 10, 1797
2
Jefferson
July 29. 1797
1
ROAS
August 20, 1798
4
FIRST TERRITORIAL LEGISLATURE OF NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
The twenty-two representatives and five councilors were the first representative body to meet in the Northwest Territory and they represented a constituency scattered over a territory of more than two hundred and sixty-five thousand square miles, an area greater than Germany or France, or even Austria-Hungary. It would be interesting to tell something of the deliberations of these twenty-seven sterling pioneers, but the limits
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of the present article forbid. It is necessary, however, to make mention of one Important thing which they did in view of the fact that it throws much light on the subsequent history of the Northwest Territory.
DIVISION OF 1800.
The Legislature was authorized to elect a delegate to Congress and two candidates for the honor presented their names to the Legislature, William Henry Harrison and Arthur St. Clair. Jr., the son of the governor. The Legislature, by a jolut ballot on October 3, 1790, elected Harrison by a vote of eleven to ten. The defeat of bis son undoubtedly had considerable to do with the subsequent estrangement which arose between the governor and his legislature and Incidentally hastened the division of the Northwest Territory. Within two years from the time the territory had advanced to the second stage of government the division had taken place. On May 7, 1500. Congress passed an net dividing the Northwest Territory by a line drawn from the mouth of the Kentucky river to Fort Recovery. in Mercer county, Ohio, and thence due north to the boundary line between the United States and Canada. Governor St. Clair favored the division because he thought it would delay the organization of a state and thus give him a longer lease on his position, but he did not favor the division as finally deter- mined. He was constantly growing in disfavor with the people on account of his over- bearing manner and he felt that he would get rid of some of his bitterest enemies if the western inhabitants were set off into a new territory. However, the most of the credit for the division must be given to Harrison, who. as a delegate to Congress, was in a position to have the most influence. Harrison also was satisfied that in case a new territory should be formed he would be appointed its first governor and he was not disappointed. The territory west of the line above mentioned was immediately organized und designated as Indiana Territory. while the eastern portion retained the existing government and the old name -- Northwest Territory. It is frequently overlooked that the Northwest Territory existed in fact and in name up until March 1. 1803.
CENSUS OF NORTHWEST TERRITORY IN 1800.
The division of Iste left the Northwest Territory with only about one-third of its original area. The census of the territory taken by the U'nited States government in 1500 showed it to have a total population of forty-five thousand three hundred and sixty-five. which fell short by about fifteen thousand of being sufficient for the creation of a state as provided by the Ordinance of 1757, which fixed the minimum population at sixty thousand. The counties left in the Northwest Territory, with their respective population, are set forth in the appended table, all of which were within the present state of Ohio, except Wayne :
Adams
3.432
Hamilton
14.632
Jefferson
8.700
Ross
8,540
Trumbull
Washington
5.427
Wayne
Total
45,365
The population as classified by the census with respect to age and sex is interesting and particularly so in showing that considerably more than one-third of the total popula- tlou were children under ten years of age.
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Males.
Females.
Whites up to ten years of age
9,362
8,644
Whites from ten to sixteen.
3,647
8,833
Whites from sixteen to twenty-six.
4,036
3,861
Whites from twenty-six to forty-five.
4,833
3,342
Whites forty-five and upward.
1,455
1,395
Total
24.433
20,593
Total of both sexes
45,02%
Total of other persons, not Indians.
337
Grand total
45,365
A digression is necessary at this point in order to trace the growth of settlement of the territory now within the present state of Ohio up to 1803. when it was admitted to the Union as a state. Marietta. founded in July, 1788, by the Ohio Company, is the oldest permanent settlement in the state. A number of New Jersey settlers were organized by John Cleves Symmes, and Symmes succeeded in securing a graut of land from Congress (1788-1792) containing two hundred forty-eight thousand five hundred and forty acres. located between the Great Miami and Little Miami rivers. This grant of land is known in Ohio history as the Synunes Purchase and contained the settlements of Columbia (1758) and Cincinnati (1759), although the latter place was first christened Losantiville. The man who devised this name exercised no small amount of ingenuity in its manufac- ture. The proposed settlement happened to be located at the mouth of the Licking river, and this circumstance, with a little knowledge of Latin and a vivid imagination, was responsible for this hybrid word. The Latin word for town is "villa" and for mouth "os." These three Intin words account for the completed word, with the exception of the "L." and this letter is the initial letter of Licking. To make the word clear it must be read backward. syllable at a time-thus Tros-anti-ville, which being interpreted means the town opposite the month of the Licking.
The Virginia Military District. to which reference has been made, was settled largely by people from that state. The Connectleut Reserve, along Lake Erie, attracted many settlers from that state, among whom should be mentioned Moses Cleaveland, who, in 1796, founded the city which bears his name. The northern part of the state did not begin to fill up rapidly until after 1832, when the Ohio-Erie canal was opened for traffic. There have been estimates running from fifteen to twenty thousand as to the number of people who floated down the Ohlo river within a year after the Ordinance of 1787 went into effect.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION (1788-1810).
It has already been stated that there were nine counties within the Northwest Territory in 1790, when It advanced to the second stage of territorial government. According to the provisions of the ordinance. the creation of new counties was in the hands of the governor, although after the federal constitution went into effect . the secretary was also given the same power. Knox and Wayne counties were started by Secretary Winthrop Sargent according to this provision. The state of Oblo is now divided Into eighty-eight counties, ten of which were created before the state was admitted to the I'nion on March 1, 1803. The counties organized by Governor St. Clair, . or his secretary, from 1788, when Washington county was organized, up to 1803. when ยท the state was admitted to the L'nion, are ten in number : Washington, Hamilton, Wayne, Adams, Jefferson, Ross, Trumbull, Clermont, Fairfield and Belmont. The dates of the creation of the first six have already been given. Trumbull county was organized on July 10, 1800; Clermont and Fairfield, December 9, 1800; Belmont, September 7, 1801.
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Between the years 1803 and 1810, when Fayette county was organized, there were no less than twenty-four counties organized within the state of Ohio. The first session of the General Assembly of the state organized eight counties, as follow : Franklin, Gallia, Greene, Scioto, Warren, Butler, Montgomery and Columbiana. Muskingum started its independent existence on the first day of March, 1804. In 1805 there were four countles created, Champaign, Atbens, Geauga and Highland. The session of 1807 added four more to the rapidly growing state, Miami, Ashtabula, Cuyahoga and Portage. The following year saw six new counties opened for entry, Delaware, Stark, Tuscarawas, Preble, Knox and Lleking. One county, Huron, was created in 1899. The five counties organized in 1810 included Fayette, Pickaway, Guernsey, Clinton and Madison. This makes a total of thirty-nine counties up to and including the year 1810. In this year Cincinnati, the largest city of the state, boasted of a population of two thousand three hundred and twenty.
INDIAN WARS (1787-1803).
The period from 1757 to 1803 in the Northwest Territory was marked by several bitter conflicts with the Indians. Just as at the close of the French and Indian War had the French stirred up the Indians against the Americans, so at the close of the Revolutionary War did the English do the same thing. This inciting of the Indians by the British was one of the causes of the War of 1812, a struggle which has very appro- priately been called the second War of Independence. The various uprisings of the Indians up to 1794 retarded the influx of settlers and was a constant menace to those who did venture into the territory. Three distinct campaigns were waged against the Indians during this period before they were finally subdued. The first campaign was under the command of Gen. Josiah Harmar, 1700, and resulted in a decisive defent for the whites. The second expedition was under the leadership of Gen. Arthur St. Clair, the governor of the territory, and was marked by one of the worst defeats every suffered by an American army at the hands of the Indians. A lack of knowledge of Indian methods of warfare, combined with reckless mismanagement, sufficiently accounts for both disasters, It remained for Gen. Anthony Wayne, the "Mad Anthony." of Revolu- tionary fame. to bring the Indians to terms. The battle which closed his campaign against the Indians is known as the battle of Fallen Timbers, and was fought on August 20, 1794. The scene of the battle lies along the Maumee river, within the limits of the present county of Defiance. This crusbing defeat of the Indians, a rout in which they had lost twelve out of thirteen chiefs, was so complete that the Indians were glad to sue for peace. On June 10, 1795. delegates from the various Indian tribes, headed by their chiefs, met at Greenville, Ohio, to formulate a treaty. The I'nited States govern- ment appointed General Wayne as commissioner plenipotentiary to draft the treaty and, after nearly two months of bickering, a treaty was drawn up on August 3. 1795. It was signed by General Wayne on behalf of the United States and by ninety chiefs and the delegates of twelve interested tribes. The treaty was faithfully kept by the Indians and ever afterwards Little Turtle, the real leader of the Indians, was a true friend of the whites. It may be said that this battle of Fallen Timbers was the most important battle fought in America between the close of the War for Independence and the battle of Tippecanoe in the fall of 1811. To Gen. Anthony Wayne will remain the honor of opening the way for permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory.
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