USA > Ohio > Greene County > History of Greene County, together with historic notes on the northwest and the state of Ohio > Part 20
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In 1804, congress passed a law concerning the boundary of the Virginia Military District which enacted that Ludlow's line should be considered the western boundary line of the reserved territory north of the source of the Little Miami, provided the State of Vir- ginia should within two years recognize it as the boundary of this territory. Virginia did not accept the proposition, and the rights of the parties remained as if nothing had been done. Again in 1812, congress authorized the President to appoint three commis- sioners to meet three other commissioners, to be appointed by the State of Virginia, who were to agree upon the line of military re- serve, and to cause the same to be surveyed. Should the commission- ers from Virginia fail to meet them, they were to proceed alone, and make their report to the President. In the meantime, and until the line should be established by consent, Ludlow's line should be con-
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VIRGINIA MILITARY SURVET.
sidered the western boundary. The Commissioners of the United States were met by those of Virginia at Xenia, on the 26th day of October, 1812, and proceeded to ascertain the sources of the two rivers and to run the line. They employed a Mr. Charles Roberts to survey and mark a line from the source of one river to that of the other. This line is called Roberts' line, and is drawn from the source of the Little Miami to the source of the Scioto. The Virginia commissioners refused to accede to this, and claimed, as has been stated before, that the line should be drawn from the source of the Scioto to the mouth of the Little Miami. On the 11th day of April, 1818, congress passed an act, declaring that from the Little Miami to the Indian boundary line, established by the Greenville treaty, Ludlow's line should be considered as the western boundary of the military reserve. This, however, was the act of only one party to the contract, and did not necessarily determine the boundary. But the subsequent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, made in 1824, based upon the language in the act of cession defining the phrase, " good lands to, be laid off between the Rivers Scioto and Little Miami," to mean the whole country from their sources to their mouths, bounded on either side by said rivers. It would be clear from this decision that the most direct line from the source of one to the source of the other would complete the bound- ary. This decision of the Supreme Court practically settled the the question, and the Ludlow line to the Indian boundary, and the Robert's line from the Indian boundary, together with a portion of the Indian line itself, became the established boundary line of the Virginia Military District between the sources of the Scioto and Little Miami Rivers. The Ludlow line begins at the source of the Little Miami River in the northeast corner of Madison township, Clark county, a little more than three miles east by north from South Charleston, at a point on the Columbus and Xenia Railroad, about a half mile southwest of the point where the road crosses the county line, and extends north by west through Champaign county, passing about five miles east of Urbana. In Logan county, it runs through the eastern part of Bellefontaine, and strikes the Indian boundary line in the northeast corner of Harrison township, about three and a half miles north by west from Bellefontaine. From this terminus of the Ludlow line, the Indian boundary line extends west by south along the northern border of Harrison township, about four miles, to the Robert's line. This Robert's line begins about one and a half
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
miles east of the northwest corner of Harrison township, and ex- tends north by west, through the middle of Lewiston Reservoir, to a point in a swampy or marshy region, about a mile and three-fourths south by east from the center of Wayne township, in the southeast- ern part of Auglaize county. Here the line makes very nearly a right angle, and extends in a direction east by north about two miles and a half to the eastern limit of Goshen township, where it termin- ates in the Scioto River. The original Roberts line must have begun at, or very near the beginning of the Ludlow line, but its bearing was so far to the west that it ran a little to the west of the Scioto's source. The Ludlow line on the other hand did not bear enough to the west. It ran a little to the east of the source, it was proper therefore that a part of both lines, in the absence of a third sur- vey, should have been made the real boundary.
The townships in Greene County included in this military dis- trict, are the entire townships of Cedarville, Ross, Silver Creek, New Jasper, Jefferson, and Cæsar's Creek; and part of the town- ships of Miami, Xenia, Beaver Creek, Spring Valley, and Sugar Creek. The entire township of Bath is outside of this district. The entire township of Xenia, except about four square miles west of the Miami, between Oldtown and Byron, is within the district; and the entire township of Beaver Creek, except about five square miles in the southeastern corner, is outside the district.
The territory of Greene County outside the Virginia Military District, is west of the Little Miami River, and is included in what is called Symmes' purchase, a tract of land contracted for in Octo- ber, 1788, by John Cleve Symmes, in behalf of himself and his associates, adjoining the Ohio, and between the Great and the Little Miamis. The original contract with congress was for the purchase of one million acres; but in consequence of his failure to make due payments, the greater part of this tract reverted to con- gress. This original purchase included the territory in Greene County, west of the Little Miami River. The patent that finally issued to him and his associates, included 311,682 acres, bounded on the south by the Ohio, on the west by the Great Miami, on the cast by the Little Miami, and on the north by a parallel of latitude to be run from the Great Miami to the Little Miami, so as to com- prehend the quantity of land named above. This northern line of Symmes' purchase passed through Warren County, very near its middle point.
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GREENE COUNTY SURVEYS.
In examining a map of Greene County, one is led to notice the regularity of surveys on the west side of the Little Miami, and the irregularity of the same on the east side of the river, and to inquire for the cause. All the public lands outside of the Virginia Military District, were surveyed regularly, according to act of congress, passed May 18, 1796. By this act a surveyor general was appoint- ed, whose duty it was, by himself and through deputies, to survey the unreserved and unpatented public lands, by running north and south lines, according to the true meridian, and east and west lines crossing the former at right angles, so as to form townships each six miles square, and sections each one mile square, unless some peculiar circumstance rendered it impracticable. In such case the surveyor was to approximate as nearly as possible to this. On the contrary, the lands within the military district were not surveyed pursuant to any order of government, at any particular time, nor in accordance with any definite plan. The land was entered by persons holding land warrants, issued by the State of Virginia to her soldiers in the continental army, and in the army of Gen. George Rodgers Clark. In many, and perhaps in most cases, the original owners of these warrants did not themselves enter the lands; but other parties purchasing them, in some instances one person purchasing many of them, located the aggregate amount claimed in one or more tracts, in whatever part of the territory he might choose, provided it had not been entered by some one be- fore. It was only necessary that it should be surveyed by a com- petent surveyor, that is, one regularly appointed or elected by legal authority to do this work. These surveys were numbered in the order in which the tracts of land surveyed were entered-the survey taking its number from the entry. It frequently occurs that a survey having a higher number was made at a much earlier date than that having a lower number; but in every case the tract having the lower number was entered first. The survey No. 387 was entered August 1, 1787, and surveyed November 20, 1794; while survey 571 was entered August 6, 1787, and surveyed Octo- ber 18, 1792. This latter number was surveyed nearly two years prior to that of the first number, but it was entered six days later. By examining a map of the surveys in the Virginia Military Dis- trict, it will be seen that some surveys have several numbers. Thus, one survey of 1480 acres, situated in the middle of New Jasper township, between North Fork and Middle Fork of Cæsar's
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
Creek, has four numbers, viz: 2358, 2359, 2475, and 2476. In this there were four different entries, all surveyed into one tract. There are also in several instances two or more surveys, each having the same number. Entry No. 2312, of 2280 acres, was surveyed into two tracts, one of 640 acres, and the other of 1640 acres, both sur- veys having the same number.
The first tract of land entered in the Virginia Military District in Greene County, or in the territory now comprised by Greene County, (for it was entered about sixteen years before Ohio became a state, and Greene County was organized,) was a tract of 1200 acres on the Little Miami River, bordering Oldtown (Old Chilli- cothe). It was entered by John Jameson, on the 1st day of August, 1787, on part of a military warrant No. 192, and surveyed for him by Nathaniel Massie, on the 20th day of November, 1794, returned to the land office, examined and recorded on the 21st day of May, 1795. The number of the entry, or as it is generally called, the survey, is 387. The chain carriers were Duncan Mc- Kenzie and Archibald McDonald, and the marker was David Love- joy. This survey is described as follows, viz: Beginning at two burr oaks and a hickory on the bank of the river, 400 poles on a straight line below the lower point of a small island, opposite Chillicothe, thence up the river, north 49 degrees east, 22 poles; north 14 degrees east, 12 poles; north 73 degrees east, 84 poles; north 22 degrees east, 18 poles; south 85 degrees east, 24 poles; north 67 degrees cast, 32 poles; north 39 degrees east, 41 poles; north 75 degrees east, 64 poles; north 36 degrees cast, 78 poles; north 39 degrees east, 38 poles, opposite the lower point of an island; thence south 36 degrees east, 466 poles, crossing a branch twice, to a white oak, dogwood, and hickory; thence south 54 de- grees west, 400 poles, to two black oaks and a hickory; thence north 36 degrees west, 466 poles, to the place of beginning.
This survey now comprehends the farms of Joseph Cromwell, John Middleton, D. S. Harner, Mrs. S. Boyd, J. Bryson, J. B. Wright, J. Sexton's heirs, F. M. Linkhart and William Linkhart. The north- eastern line of this tract extends nearly northwest and southeast, as by the above field notes, it reads south 36° east. It extends along the northwestern border of Oldtown. The southeastern line forms the northwestern bounday of John Woodrow's farm, and strikes the road leading from Xenia, past the fair grounds, to the Little Miami river, about one hundred rods southeast from the residence of Mr.
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GREENE COUNTY SURVEYS.
James Hawkins. The southwestern line extends along this road and strikes the river a few rods south of the iron bridge which crosses it.
The second tract was entered by Henry Bell on part of a military warrant No. 2,261, and surveyed on the 21st day of November, 1794, by the same surveyor, Nathaniel Massie, the same chain carriers, and the same marker. It contained 1,000 acres, and was located on the Little Miami river, adjoining the first survey, bordering it and bound- ing it partly on the northeast. From a point at the northeast corner of survey No. 387, sixty poles in a straight line below the mouth of Massie's creek, it extended up the river with its meander about 330 poles, and back from the river along its northeastern boundary 346 poles. The third tract was entered by John Stokes, contained 1,000 acres, and was surveyed by James Galloway, Jr., on the 29th of June, 1810. It borders the first tract on the southwest.
Survey No. 571, although not the first land entered in the county, was the first tract surveyed. It was entered on the 6th day of August, 1787, only twenty-four days after the ordinance of 1787, organizing the northwest territory had been adopted by congress, and sur- veyed for Albert Gallertin, by Nathaniel Massie on the 18th day of October, 1792. This tract is situated in the southern part of Spring Valley township, on the east side of Caesar's Creek, part in Clinton county, the larger portion, however, in Greene. The village of New Burlington is situated a little south and east of the middle of this tract. Across survey No. 1,391 (a tract of 2,500 acres, surveyed for John Woodford, by Nathaniel Massie, April 22, 1793,) was marked or traced the line of "Col. Logan's march to Chillicothe town," in the campaign of Gen. George Rogers Clark against , the Indian towns on the Miami. This tract is situated in the southeastern part of Xenia township. The trace crosses the northern part of the sur- vey, and if continued in a straight line to Chillicothe, it would pass the city of Xenia on the east and north.
Many surveys were made for persons who not only never occupied them, but who never saw them, some among whom were men of rev- olutionary fame. A tract of 2,500 acres was entered by Hon. Major General Horatio Gates, who commanded the American forces at the battle of Saratoga, and surveyed by Nathaniel Massie on the 8th day of March, 1793. It is located on the head waters of Cæsar's and of Massie's Creek, in Cedarville township, and its northwestern corner is but a short distance southeast from the village of Cedarville.
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
The largest survey in the county is No. 3,908. It contains 4,222 acres, and was surveyed for Robert Pollard, August 15, 1800, about the same time that Ludlow's line was run under the direction of the Surveyor General from the source of the Little Miami toward that of the Scioto. This tract is situated partly in Greene County and partly in Clinton. The part in Greene is in Caesar's Creek and Spring Valley townships. A tract of 1,000 acres on the Little Miami River in the eastern part of Miami township, almost due north from Cedarville, was located and surveyed November 14, 1796 for Robert Randolph, a relative of Richard Randolph, who, in subse- quent years came into possession of the land, making his home upon it until his death in 1859. In his will, he provided that the land should be sold and the proceeds used for the purchase and freedom of the Randolph slaves in the south. Before the provisions of the will could be carried into execution, the slaves were freed by the President's proclamation, and the heirs of Randolph claimed the property. The matter was thus brought into court and it has form- ed a long chapter of litigation in Greene County.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
Hamilton was the second county organized in the northwest ter- ritory. It was established January 2, 1790, by proclamation of Governor St. Clair, and named from Alexander Hamilton. At first its southern boundary was the Ohio River, between the mouths of the Little Miami and the Big Miami; its eastern boundery the Lit- tle Miami, its western the Big Miami, and its northern and east and west line extending from "standing stone forks," or branch of the Big Miami to the Little Miami. On the 22d day of June, 1798, its western boundary was changed. It began at a point on the bank of the Ohio River, opposite the mouth of the Kentucky River, where the general boundary line between the lands of the United States and the Indian tribes, established by the treaty of Greenville, August 3, 1795, intersects the bank of that river, and ran thence to Fort Recovery, in the southwestern part of what is now Mercer County, thence north until it inter- sected the southern boundary line of the county of Wayne, in the northern part of Mercer County. Hamilton County thus changed included all that part of Indiana lying between the Greenville treaty line and the western boundary line of
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COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
Ohio, and all that part of Ohio west of the Little Miami River, and extending north to the southern boundary of Wayne County. This original Wayne County was established August 15, 1796. It included all northern Ohio west of the Cuyahoga River, and also the southern peninsula of Michigan. Its southwestern boundary line extended from the northern part of what is now Mercer County, north by west to the southern shore of Lake Michigan.
Ross County was established on the 20th day of August, 1792. Its boundary line is described as follows, viz: "Beginning at the forty-second mile tree, on the line of the original grant of land by the United States to the Ohio Company, which line was run by Israel Ludlow." This "forty-second mile-tree" was forty-two miles almost due north from Pomeroy, on the Ohio River, and a short distance southeast from Athens, in Athens County. From this point it extended west, into the western part of what is now Highland County, about ten miles southwest from Hillsboro; thence north to the southern boundary line of Wayne County, described above; thence east on said southern boundary line of Wayne, to a point in the present southern boundary line of Wayne County, almost due south from Wooster, and a very little east of the eighty-second meridian, west longitude; thence south to the place of beginning. The eighty-second meridian west from Green- wich is a very little, perhaps not more than a mile, west of the original eastern line of Ross.
From these two descriptions of Hamilton and Ross, it appears that there was a portion of what is now Greene County that was neither in Hamilton nor Ross. The eastern limit of Hamilton County, as we have seen, was the Little Miami River, and the western limit of Ross County was a north and south line passing through what is now Greene County, not far from the village of Cedarville. It was eight miles west of the present east line of Greene County, and the distance from Hamilton to Ross, on the southern boundary line of Greene, was about ten miles.
It has been stated by historians that Greene County was formed from Hamilton and Ross. It must not be understood that all the territory of Greene County, as it was formed in 1803, belonged to those two counties. A part of Ross, a part of Hamilton, and a much larger part of what was originally Wayne County, besides that portion of territory between Ross and Hamilton which be- longed to neither, was comprehended originally in the county of
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
Greene. This strip of territory, although not included in the pro- claimed boundaries of Hamilton County, was evidently regarded as a part of it. One historian states that the eastern boundary of Hamilton County was originally as far east as the Hocking River. On the 24th day of March, 1803, the counties of Warren, Butler, Montgomery and Greene, were established. Greene County is described as comprehending all that part of Hamilton and Ross included in the following bounds, viz: Beginning at the south- east corner of Montgomery County, running thence east to the Ross County line, (across the intermediate territory mentioned above,) and the same course continued eight miles into Ross County; thence north to the state line; thence in a westerly course with said state line to east line of Montgomery County; thence south by said line of Montgomery County to the place of begin- ning. From this description it appears that Montgomery County originally extended from its present southern boundary to the north line of the state, and that Greene County also extended from its present southern boundary to the north line of the state, having Montgomery County as its western boundary.
On the 20th day of February, 1805, Greene County was circum- scribed in its limits, by the organization of Champaign County, which was composed partly of Greene and partly of Franklin. The southern line of this county extended east and west, between the eighth and ninth ranges of townships, and was two miles north of the present most northern limit of Greene County. It was two miles north of the village of Osborn, which is situated on the county line. It extended east of Greene, into what was at that time Franklin County. Champaign County also extended from its southern boundary to the north line of the state.
Greene County was reduced to its present limits by the organiza- tion of Clarke County, on the 26th day of December, 1817. Clarke County, named in honor of Gen. George Rogers Clarke, was formed from the counties of Champaign, Madison and Greene. The boundary line between Greene and Clarke, as described at this time, was as follows: From the east line of Greene County it extended first, west five miles; second, north one-half a mile; third, west to the line between townships four and five in the eighth range; thence north with said township line to the line be- tween sections three and four; thence west with said sectional line to the line of the third township; thence north with said line to the
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TOWNSHIPS.
sectional line between the fourth and fifth tier of sections in said range; thence westwardly with said line to the east line of Montgom- ery County. That part of this boundary line described as the third above, extending west to the line between townships four and five in the eighth range, ran a little to the south of the dwelling house of General Benjamin Whiteman, situated on the north side of the Little Miami, a short distance east of the present village of Clifton, thus leaving it in Clarke County. Gen. Whiteman was at that time, and had been for many years, a prominent man in Greene County. He was one of the first three associate judges of the Court of Common Pleas. Identified as he was with all the public interests of the county, he preferred to remain in it. He therefore procured the passage of a law, on the 25th day of January, 1819, so changing this line that it should run north of his dwelling house. It is described as follows: From the line running north one-half mile, " thence such a course west (west by north) as will strike the line between townships four and five, on the north side of the Little Miami River, in the eighth range." No other changes have ever been made in this boundary line be- tween Greene and Clarke. This line was carefully surveyed in January, 1880, by the county surveyors of the two counties, Levi Riddell, of Greene, and A. P. Bond, of Clarke.
TOWNSHIPS.
Greene County was first organized into townships on the 10th day of May, 1803. It was the first act of the first court for the transaction of county business held in the county, just forty- seven days after its organization. It will be remembered that neither Champaign nor Clarke counties were yet organized, and that Greene County extended from its southern line to the northern limits of the state. It was divided at this time into four townships, Sugar Creek, Caesar's Creek, Mad River, and Beaver Creek. The west line of Sugar Creek was the same as now, seven miles long, the northwestern corner of the township being at the northwestern corner of the tenth section, in the western line of the county. From this point the line extended south, along the west line of the county, seven miles, to the southwest corner of the same; thence east, crossing the Little Miami River, and the same course continued four miles east of the river, very nearly to
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
the southeast corner of what is now Spring Valley Township; thence north ten miles, to a point due east from the point of be- ginning. This point, the northeastern corner of Sugar Creek Township, was about two miles south, by a little west, from the present city of Xenia. The township included what is now Sugar Creek, nearly all of Spring Valley, and the southwest part of Xenia Township. Cæsar's Creek Township began at the northeast cor- ner of Sugar Creek, running thence north to the Little Miami. It ran about a half mile west of Xenia City, and intersected the Little Miami west of Oldtown, at the mouth of Massie's Creek; thence it extended east to the east line of the county. On the east and south it was bounded by the county lines. This township was about four times as large as Sugar Creek, extending north from the southern boundary about fifteen miles, and including all the southeastern part of the county. The southern boundary line of Mad River Township was the south boundary of the tenth range of the township, in what is now Clarke County. This line extends east and west, and is two miles north of a line passing through the city of Springfield, Clarke County, along which the national road passes. It was the largest township in the county. Its width from east to west was the same as that of the county, and it extended to the northern limits of the state. Beaver Creek was the next lar- gest township. It comprehended the remaining part of the county not embraced in the three townships named; that is, all north of Sugar Creek and Cæsar's Creek, and all south of Mad River. The village of Springfield was in Beaver Creek township, and the old forest trees that were then growing on the site of Xenia were in Cæsar's Creek Township. The voting precinets in these townships were as follows: In Sugar Creek, the house of Mr. Cheney; in Cæ- Creek, the house of William J. Stewart; in Mad River, the house of Griffith Foos; and in Beaver Creek, the house of Peter Borders.
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