History of Lorain County, Ohio, Part 3

Author:
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia, Williams brothers
Number of Pages: 626

USA > Ohio > Lorain County > History of Lorain County, Ohio > Part 3

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).

of the government's claim,-a very just and formid- able one,-and to extinguish the title of the Indian. whose right to the soil rested upon the substantial basis of actual occupancy. Whatever interest Virginia, Massachusetts, and New York may have had in the Western Reserve had passed to the United States, and if none of the claiming States had title, the dominion and ownership were transferred to the general govern- ment by the treaty made with Great Britain at the close of the Revolution. There was, therefore, a very reasonable solicitude npon the part of the Connecticut Land Company, lest the claim of the United States would. if issne were made, be proven to be of greater validity than that of Connecticut, the company's grantor. Another dillicutty made itself felt. When an attempt was made to settle the Reserve, it was discovered that it was so far removed from Connecticut. as to make it impracticable for that. State to extend her laws over the same, or to make new ones for the government of the inhabitants. Congress had pro- vided in the ordinance of 18; for the government of the Northwestern Territory; but to admit jurisdiction by the general government over this part of that terri- tory would be a virtual acknowledgment of the validity of the government's title, and therefore an indirect proof of the insufficiency of the company's title. The right to such jurisdiction was therefore denied, and Connecticut was urged to obtain from the United States a release of the governmental claim. The result was that congress, on the 28th day of April, 1800, authorized the President to execute and deliver, on the part of the United States, letters patent to the governor of Connecticut, releasing all right and title to the soil of the Reserve, upon condition that Connec- ticut should, on her part, forever renounce and release to the United States entire and complete civil juris- diction over the Reserve. Thus Connecticut obtained from the United States her claim to the soil, and transmitted and confirmed it to the Connecticut Land Company and to those who had purchased from it, and jurisdiction for the purposes of government vested in the United States.

THE EXTINGUISHMENT OF THE INDIAN TITLE.

At the close of the Revolution the general govern- ment sought by peaceable means to acquire the red man's title to the soil north west of the Ohio. On the 21st of January, 1785, a treaty was concluded at Fort Melntosh with four of the Indian tribes, the Wyan- dots, Delawares, Chippewas, and Ottawas. By this treaty the Cuyahoga and the portage between it and the Tuscarawas were agreed upon as the boundary on the Reserve between the United States and the Indians. All east of the Cuyahoga was in fact ceded to the United States. The Indians soon became dissatisfied, and refused to comply with the terms of the treaty. On January 9, 1789, another treaty was concluded at Fort Harmar, at the mouth of the Muskingum, be- tween Arthur St. Clair, acting for the United States, and the Wyandots, Delawares, Chippewas and Sac

Uriel Holmes, Jr ..

Ephraim Starr, Luther Loomis. Titus Street,

William Judd,

Samuel P. Lord,

Ephraim Kelly,

Solomon Cowles, Jonathan Brace,

William Law,

HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

Nations, by which the terms of the former treaty were renewed and confirmed. But only a short time elapsed before the Indians violated their compact. Peaceful means failing, it became necessary to compel obedience by the use of arms. Vigorous means for relief and protection for the white settler were called for and enforced. At first the Indians were successful: but in 1:94, General Wayne, at the head of three thou- sand five hundred med, encountered the enemy on the 20th day of August. on the Maumee, and gained a decisive victory. Nearly every chief was slain. The Treaty of Greenville was the result. General Wayne met in grand council twelve of the most powerful northwestern tribes, and the Indians again yielded their claims to the lands east of the Cuyahoga, and made no further effort to regain them.

We quote as follows from Judge Boynton's Histori- cal Address, to which we are chiefly indebted for the facts given in this and the preceding chapter:

"The Cuyahoga river and the portage between it and the Tuscarawas. as between the United States and the Indians, constituted the western boundary of the United States, upon the Reserve, until July 4th, 1805, On that day a treaty was made at Fort Industry with the chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot, Ottawa, Chippewa, Munsee, Delaware, Shawnee and Pottawatomie nations, by which the Indian title to all the lands of the Reserve lying west of the Cuyahoga wasextinguished. By this treaty all the lands lying between the Cuyahoga and the Meridian. one hundred and twenty miles west of Pennsylvania, were ceded by the Indians for twenty thousand dollars in goods, and a perpetual annuity of nine thousand five hundred dollars payable in goods at first cost. And although this annuity remains unpaid, because there is no one to elaim it, the title to the land on the Reserve west of that river was forever set al rest."

SURVEY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE.

The title having been perfected, the company made preparations to survey the portion of the Reserve lying east of the Cuyahoga. In the carly part of May, 1796, the company fitted out an expedition for this purpose, of which Moses Cleaveland was the leader of a company-all told of about forty men- five of them surveyors, one a physician, and the rest chainmen and axemen.

By previous arrangement they met at Schenectady, New York, at which point they commenced their journey, ascending the Mohawk in four flat-bottomed boats, proceeding by the way of Oswego. Niagara and Queenstown to Buffalo, reaching the soil of the Reserve on the 4th of July.

The names of this surveying-party, a company of fifty-two persons, all told. are as follows: Moses Cleaveland. the Land Company's agent; Joshua Stow. commissary; Augustus Porter, principal surveyor: Seth Pease, Moses Warren, Amos Spafford, Milton Holley and Richard M. Stoddard, surveyors: Theodore Shepard, physician; Joseph Tinker, principal boat- man: Joseph Melntyre. George Proudfoot. Francis Gray, Samuel Forbes, Elijah Gunn, wife and child, Amos Sawtel, Samuel Hungerford. Amos Barber. Stephen Benton, Amzi Atwater, AAsa Mason, Michael Cottin, Samuel Davenport, Samuel AAgnew, Shadrach Benham, William B. Hall, Elisha Ayers, George Gooding, Norman Wilcox, Thomas Harris, Timothy

Dunham, Wareham Shepard, David Beard, John Briant, Titns V. Munson, Joseph Landon, Olney F. Rice, James Hamilton, John Lock, JJames Halket. Job V. Stiles and wife. Charles Parker, Ezekiel Morley. Nathaniel Doan, Luke Hanchet, Samuel Barnes. Daniel Shulay and Stephen Burbank.

It is a noteworthy coincidence that this advance- guard of the army of civilization that was soon to people the territorial limits of the Reserve. first touched her soil on the anniversary of America's independence. Thus, in this signal manner, did a new colony, destined to play so important a part in the future of the nation, begin its existence on the same day of the same month in which the nation itself began to exist. Nor were these sons of Revolutionary fathers oblivious of the day which not only commemorates the birth of their country's freedom, but should henceforth be to them and their posterity the anniversary of the day on which their pilgrimage ended, and on which began their labors. toils and sufferings for the establishment, in the wilderness of Ohio, of homes for themselves and their children. Animated with emotions appropriate to the occasion, these Pilgrim Fathers of the Western Reserve celebrated the day with such rude demonstra- tions of patriotic devotion and joy as they were able to invent.

They gathered together in groups on the eastern bank of the creek now known as the Conneaut; they pledged fidelity to their country in liquid dipped from the pure waters of the lake; they discharged from two or three fowling-pieces the national salute; they ate, drank, and were merry, blessing the land which many of them had assisted in delivering from British oppression; and they may have indulged in glowing predictions as to the future greatness and glory of the colonies they were abont to plant. Could one of their number who shared their fancies. but who lived to see no part of them realized, behold to- day the changes which have proceeded in so wonder- ful a manner, we think that he would admit that the boldest anticipations of the little party of 1896 were but a feeble conception of the reality. However diffi- cult it might be for him to understand the stages of the process by which so great a transformation has taken place, the actual truth would still present itself for his contemplation. What would astonish him most would be. not the conquest of forests, but that they have been succeeded by the numerons thriving cities and villages and the multitudinous homes of the prospering farmer, established on nearly every quarter-section of land in this county: that distance has been annihilated by the use of steam and the con- sequent acceleration of speed: that wealth and popu- lation have been so rapidly cumulative; that the com- munity is so opulent and enlightened; that education is fostered by so admirable a system of free schools; that intelligence is universally diffused by so many representatives of a free press; that moral opinion has gained such ground; that religion is sustained by the

HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

convictions of an enlightened faith, and that the hap- piness of the people is universal and secure.

They christened the place where occurred these demonstrations of patriotism and joy, Fort Inde- pendence, and the following are the toasts which they drank :

Ist. The President of the United States.

2d. The State of Connecticut.

3d. The Connecticut Land Company.

4th. May the Port of Independence and the fifty sons and danghters who have entered it this day be successful and prosperous!

5th. May these sons and daughters multiply in sixteen years sixteen times fifty !

6th. May every person have his bowsprit trimmed and ready to enter every port that opens.

The surveyors proceeded to the south line of the Reserve. and ascertained the point where the forty- first degree of north latitude intersects the western line of Pennsylvania, and from this line of latitude as a base. meridian lines tive miles apart were run north to the lake. Lines of latitude were then run five miles apart, thus dividing the Reserve into town- ships five miles square. As the lands lying west of the Cuyahoga remained in possession of the Indians until the Treaty of Fort Industry, in 1805, the Reserve was not surveyed at this time farther west than to the Cuyahoga and the portage between it and the Tuscarawas, a distance west from the western line of Pennsylvania of tifty-six miles. The remainder of the Reserve was surveyed in 1806. The Land Company made a contract with Abraham Tappan and Anson Sessions, in 1805, for the survey of the lands of the Reserve between the Sufferers' lands and the Cuyahoga, The limited width of range nineteen, embracing in Lorain county the townships of Brown- helm, Henrietta, Camden, Brighton and Rochester, is proof of the fact that the Reserve is less than one hundred and twenty miles in length. Judge Boynton says:

"This tier of townships is gore-shaped, and is much less than five miles wide, circumstances leading the company to divide all south of Brownhelm into tracts, and use them for purposes of equalization. The west line of range nineteen, from north to south, as originally run, bears to the west. and between it and range twenty, as indicated on the map, there is a strip of land, also gore-shaped. that was left in the first instance unsurveyed, the surveyors not knowing the exact whereabouts of the eastern line of the "half million acres " belonging to the Suf- ferers. In 1506, Amos Spafford, of Cleveland, and Almon Ruggles, of Huron, were agreed on by the two companies to ascertain and locate the line between the Fire Lands and the lands of the Connecticut Com- pany. They tirst surveyed off the " half million acres " belonging to the Sufferers, and, not agreeing with Seth Pease, who had run out the base and west line. a dispute arose between the two companies, which was finally adjusted before the draft by establishing the eastern line of the Fire Lands where it now is. This left a strip of land east of the Fire Lands, called surplus lands, which wasincluded in range nineteen, and is embraced in the western tier of townships of Lorain county."

THE APPOINTMENT OF AN EQUALIZING COMMITTEE,

After this survey was completed, the Land Com- pany. in order that the shareholders might share equitably as nearly as possible the lands of the Reserve, or to avoid the likelihood of a part of the shareholders drawing the best and others the medium and others again the poorest of the lands, appointed an equalizing committee, whose duties we will explain,

The amount of the purchase-money, one million two hundred thousand dollars, was divided into four hundred shares, each share value being three thousand dollars. The holder of one share, therefore, had one four-hundredth undivided interest in the whole tract, and he who held four or five or twenty shares had four or tive or twenty times as much interest undi- vided in the whole Reserve as he who held but one. As some townships would be more valuable than others, the company adopted. at a meeting of share- holders at Hartford, Connecticut, in April, 1296, a mode of making partition, and appointed a committee of equalization to divide the Reserve in accordance with the company's plan. The committee appointed were Daniel Holbrook, William Shepperd, Jr., Moses Warren, Jr., Seth Pease and Amos Spafford, and the committee who made up their report at Canandaigua, New York. December 13th, 1297, were William Shepperd, Jr., Moses Warren, Jr., Seth Pease and Amos Spatford.

The directors of the company, in accordance with Article III. of the Articles of Association, selected six townships to be offered for sale to actual settlers alone, and in which the first improvements were designed to be made. The townships thus selected were numbers eleven, in the sixth range: ten. in the ninth range; nine, in the tenth range: eight, in the eleventh range; seven, in the twelfth range: and two, in the second range. These townships are now known as Madison, Mentor and Willoughby, in Lake county: Enclid and Newburgh. in Cuyahoga county; and Youngstown in Mahoning. Number three, in the third range, or Weathersfield, in Trumbull county, was omitted from the first draft made by the company owing to the uncertainty of the boundaries of Mr. Parsons' claim. This township has sometimes been called the Salt Spring township. The six town- ships above named were offered for sale before partition was made, and parts of them were sold.

Excepting the Parsons claim and the seven town- ships above named. the remainder of the Reserve east of the Cuyahoga was divided among the members of the company in accordance with the following

MODE OF PARTITION.

The four best townships in the eastern part of the Reserve were selected and surveyed into lots, an average of one hundred lots to the township. As there were four hundred shares, the four townships would yield one lot for every share. When these lots were drawn, each holder or holders of one or more shares participated in the draft. The committee selected township eleven, in range seven, and town- ships five, six and seven, in range eleven, for the four best townships. These are Perry, in Lake county. Northfield, in Summit county, Bedford and Warren- ville, in Cuyahoga county.

Then the committee proceeded to select from the remaining townships certain other townships that should be next in value to the four already selected,

HISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

which were to be used for equalizing purposes. The tracts thus selected being whole townships and parts of townships, were in number twenty-four, as follows: six. seven, eight, nine and ten, in the eighth range; six, seven, eight and nine, in the ninth range; and one, tive, six, seven and eight, in the tenth range; and sundry irregular tracts, as follows: number four- teen, in the first range: number thirteen. in the third range; number thirteen, in' the fourth range: number twelve, in the fifth range; number twelve, in the sixth range; number eleven, in the eighth range; number ten, in the tenth range: number six, in the twelfth range; and numbers one and two, in the eleventh range. These tracts are now known as Auburn, Newbury, Munson, Chardon. Bainbridge, Russell and Chester townships, in Geauga county; Concord and Kirtland, in Lake county: Springfield and Twinsburg, in Summit county; Solon, Orange, and Mayfield, in Cuyahoga county. The fractional townships are Conneaut gore. Ashtabula gore, Say- brook gore, Geneva, Madison gore, Painesville, Wil- longhby gore, Independence, Coventry and Portage. After this selection had been made they selected the average townships, to the value of each of which each of the others should be brought by the equalizing process of annexation. The eight best of the remain- ing townships were taken, and were numbers one, five, eleven, twelve and thirteen, in the first range: twelve, in the fourth range; eleven. in the fifth range; and six, in the sixth range. They are now known as Poland, in Mahoning county; Hartford, in Trumbull county ; Pierpont, Monroe, Conneaut, Saybrook, and Harpersfield, in Ashtabula county; and Parkman, in Geauga county. These were the standard townships, and all the other townships of inferior value to these eight, which would include all the others not mentioned above, were to be raised to the value of the average townships by annexations from the equalizing townships. These last named were ent np into parcels of various sizes and values, and annexed to the inferior townships in such a way as to make them all of equal value in the opinion of the committee. When the committee had performed this task, it was found that, with the exception of the four townships first selected, the Parsons tract, and the townships that had been previously set aside to be sold. the whole tract would amount to an equivalent of ninety-three shares. There were, there- fore, ninety-three equalized townships or parcels to be drawn for, east of the Cuyahoga.

To entitle a shareholder to the ownership of an equalized township it was necessary for him to be the proprietor of twelve thousand nine hundred and three dollars and twenty-three cents of the original purchase of the company. This division by draft took place on the 29th of January, 1798.

The committee appointed to make partition of the lands west of the Cuyahoga divided the entire traet into forty-six parts, for the purchase of one of which the sum of twenty-six thousand six hundred and

eighty-seven dollars was required. This draft took place April 4, 1807, and the mode of procedure was the same as in the first draft. The townships were num- bered from one to forty-six, and the numbers on slips of paper placed in a box. The names of shareholders were arranged in alphabetical order, and in those instances in which an original investment was insuf- ficient to entitle such investor to an equalized township, he formed a combination with others in like situation, and the name of that person of this combination that took alphabetic precedence was used in the draft. If the small proprietors were, from disagreement among themselves, unable to unite, a committee was ap- pointed to select and classify them, and those selected were compelled to submit to this arrangement. If after they had drawn a township they could not agree in dividing it among them, this committee, or another one appointed for the purpose, divided it for them. That township which the first number drawn desig- nated belonged to the first man on the list, and the second drawn to the second man, and so on until all were drawn. Thus was the ownership in common severed, and each individual secured his interest in severalty. John Morgan, Jolm Cadwell, and Jona- than Brace, the trustees, as rapidly as partition was effected, conveyed by deed to the several purchasers the lands they had drawn.

"The lands of Lorain county, that were taken for the purpose of equalizing townships of inferior value, were those of Rochester Brighton, Camden, Black River, and that part of Henrietta that did not originally belong to Brownhelm. Tract eight in range nineteen, being partly in Brighton and partly in Camden, consisting of three thonsand seven hundred acres, was annexed to LaGrange, to equalize it. Tract number three in LaFayette township, Medina county, consisting of fonr thousand eight hundred and ten and one-half acres was annexed to Penfield. Traet one, in gore four, in range eleven, consisting of two thousand two hundred and twenty-five acres, was annexed to Eaton. Tract two, in gore four, range eleven, consisting of two thousand six hundred and fifty acres, was annexed to Columbia; one thousand seven hundred aeres, in tract four, in Rochester, were annexed to Huntington;

two thousand seven hundred and sixty nine acres, in fraction number three in range eleven, in Summit county, were annexed to Ridgeville; four thousand six hundred acres in tract nine, in Camden, were annexed to Grafton; four thousand acres, tract seven, in Brighton, were annexed to Wellington; four thousand three hundred aeres, in tract three. gore six, range twelve, were annexed to Russia; fifteen hundred acres in tract fourteen, in Henrietta, were annexed to Sheffield ; three thousand acres in tract eleven, In Camden, were annexed to Pittsfield ; tract three consisting of four thousand and fifty acres, in Rochester, was annexed to Elyria : four thousand acres in tract two, in Black River, were annexed to Amherst; Bass Islands, numbers one and two, and Island number five, lying north of Erie county, consisting of two thousand and sixty- three acres, were annexed to Avon; and Kelley's Island, consisting of two thousand seven hundred and forty-seven acres, was annexed to C'arlisle."

THE VARIOU'S DRAFTS.

The first draft was made January 29, 1:98, and was for that portion of the Reserve east of the C'nya- hoga. In this draft the lands drawn were divided into ninety-three parts, each representing twelve thousand nine hundred and three dollars and twenty- three eents.

The second draft was made in 1802, and was for such portions of the seven townships omitted in the first draft as remained at that time unsold. This draft was divided into ninety shares, representing thirteeen thousand three hundred and thirty-three dollars and thirty-three cents of the purchase-money.

IHISTORY OF LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO.

The third draft was made in 1807, and was for the lands of the company lying west of the Cuyahoga, and was divided into forty-six parts, each representing twenty-six thousand six hundred and eighty-seven dollars.

A fourth draft was made in 1809, at which time the surplus land, so called, was divided, including sundry notes and claims arising from sales that had been effected of the seven townships omitted in the first drawing.

QUANTITY OF LAND IN THE CONNECTICUT WESTERN RESERVE, ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY THEREOF.

Land east of the Cuyahoga, exclusive of the Parsons traet in arres ..

2,002,970

Land west of the Cuyahoga, exclusive of surplus land, islands, and Sufferers' Lands.

Surplus land, so called.

Cunningham or Kelley's 2749

Bass, or Bay, No. 1

1392

Id.

509

5. 32

5,921

Parsons', or "Salt Spring Tract"

25,150

Sufferers', or Fire Lands.

500,000

Total amount of acres in the Connecticut Western Reserve.

3,366,921

CHAPTER IV. PHYSICAL FEATURES.

GEOGRAPHY.

Lorain county is bounded on the north by Lake Erie, on the south by portions of Medina and Ashland counties, on the east by Cuyahoga and Medina, and on the west by Huron and Eric. Its capital town is Elyria, which is situated in longitude 82' 6' 49" west from Greenwich and in latitude 41° 22' 1". It is divided into twenty-one townships, most of which are five miles square, whose names are as follows: Columbia, Ayon, Ridgeville, Eaton, Grafton, Shef- field, Elyria, Carlisle, LaGrange. Penfield, Black River, Amherst, Russia, Pittsfield, Wellington, Hunt- ington, Brownhelm, Henrietta, Camden, Brighton and Rochester. The principal towns and villages named in the order of their population are Elyria, Oberlin, Wellington, Amherst, Kipton, and Grafton. The population of the county in 1870, by townships, was as follows:

Amherst

2.189

Henrietta

927

Avon.

1,921

Huntington

831

Black River

838

LaGrange.

1,309

Brighton ..

508

l'ittsfield

980

Brownhelm

1,161

Penfield.

719

Camden. 858

Ridgeville. 1.450

('arlisle.

1,219

Rochester 691

Columbia

Russia, exclusive of Oberlin 1,319

Eaton ...

1,052

Oberlin . 2,858

Elyria, exclusive of city ..

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.

History of Lorain County, Ohio, Part 3

Author: Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Philadelphia, Williams brothers Number of Pages: 626

Author:
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia, Williams brothers
Number of Pages: 626