History of Noble County, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographical Sketches of some of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 5

Author:
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Chicago : L.H. Watkins
Number of Pages: 709

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INDIANS OF THE OHIO VALLEY.

lifted the skin, which appeared like an ox-hide. He then said: 'What skin you think that?' I replied that I thought it was a buffalo-hide. 'You fool again; you know nothing; you think buffalo that colo'?' I acknowl- edged that I did not know much about these things, and told him that I never saw a buffalo, and that I had not heard what color they were. He replied: 'By and by you shall see gleat many buffalo; he now go to gleat lick. That skin not buffalo- skin; that skin buck-elk skin.' They went out with horses and brought in the remainder of this buck-elk which was the fattest creature I ever saw of the tallow-kind.

"We remained at this camp about eight or ten days and killed a num- ber of deer. Though we had neither bread nor salt at this time yet we had both roast and boiled meat in great plenty, and they were fre- quently inviting me to eat when I had no appetite. We then moved to the buffalo lick, where we killed sev- eral buffalo, and in their small brass kettles they made about a bushel of salt. I suppose the lick was about thirty or forty miles from the afore- said town. and somewhere between the Muskingum, the Ohio and the Scioto. About the lick were clear, open woods, and thin whiteoak land, and at that time there were large roads leading to the lick, like wagon roads. We moved from this lick about six or seven miles and en- camped on a creek.

"Though the Indians had given me a gun, I had not yet been per- mitted to go out from the camp to

hunt. At this place Mohawk Solo- mon asked me to go out with him to hunt, which I readily agreed to. After some time we came upon some fresh buffalo tracks. I had observed before this that the Indians were upon their guard and afraid of an enemy; for until now they and the southern nations had been at war. As we were following up the buffalo tracks, Solomon seemed to be upon his guard, went very slow and would frequently stand and listen and ap- peared to be in suspense. We came to where the tracks were very plain in the sand, and I said, 'It is surely buffalo tracks.' He said, 'Hush, you know nothing ; may be buffalo tracks and may be Catawba!' He went very cautious until we found some fresh buffalo dung. He then smiled and said, 'Catawba cannot make so.' He then stopped and told me an odd story about the Catawbas. He said that formerly the Catawbas came near one of their hunting camps and at some distance from the camp lay in ambush; and in order to decoy them out, sent two or three Catawbas in the night past their camp, with buffalo hoofs fixed on their feet, so as to make artificial tracks. In the morning those in the camp followed after these tracks, thinking they were buffalo, until they were fired on by the Catawbas and several of them killed. The others fled, collected a party and pursued the Catawbas; but they in their subtlety brought with them rattlesnake poison, which they had collected from the bladder that lies at the roots of the snake's teeth ; this they corked up in a short

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HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.

piece of a cane stalk; they had also brought with them small cane or reed about the size of a rye straw, which they made sharp at the end like a pen, and dipped them into this poison, and stuck them in the ground among the grass, along their own tracks, in such a position that they might stick into the legs of the pur- suers, which answered the design; and as the Catawbas had runners to watch the motion of the the pur- suers, when they found that a num- ber of them were lame, being artiti- cially snake-bit, and that they were all turning back, the Catawbas turned upon the pursuers and defeated them, and killed and scalped all that were lame. When Solomon had finished his story and found that I understood him, he concluded by saying, 'You don't know, Catawba velly bad In- dian, Catawba all one devil, Ca- tawba.'

"Some time after this I was told to take the dogs with me and go down the creek -perhaps I might kill a turkey. It being in the after- noon, I was also told not to go far from the creek, and to come up the creek again to the camp, and to take care not to get lost. When I had gone some distance down the creek I came upon fresh buffalo tracks, and as I had a number of dogs with me to stop the buffalo, I concluded I would follow after and perhaps kill one; as the grass and weeds were rank I could readily follow the track. " When they killed a buffalo they would lash the paunch of it round a sapling, cast it into the kettle, boil it and sup the broth. They were A little before sundown I despaired of coming up with them ; I was then thinking how I might get to camp before night. I concluded, as the | polite in their own way, passed but

buffalo had made several turns, if I took the back track to the creek it would be dark before I could get to the camp; therefore, I thought I would take a nearer way through the hills and strike the creek a little below the camp. But as it was cloudy weather, and I a very young woodsman, I could find neither creek nor camp. When night came on I fired my gun several times and hal- loed, but could get no answer. The next morning early the Indians were out after me, and as I had with me ten or a dozen dogs, and the grass and weeds were rank, they could readily follow my track. When they came up with me they appeared to be in a very good humor. I asked Solomon if he thought I was running away. He said : 'No, no; you go too much clooked.' On my return to camp they took away my gun from me, and for this rash step I was reduced to a bow and arrow for nearly two years. We were out on this tour for about six weeks.

" When we returned to the town, Pluggy and his party had arrived, and brought with them a considera- ble number of scalps and prisoners from the south branch of the Poto- mac. They also brought with them an English Bible, which they gave to a Dutch woman who was a pris- oner, but as she could not read Eng- lish she made a present of it to me, which was very acceptable.

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INDIANS OF THE OHIO VALLEY.

few compliments, and had but few titles of honor. Captains or military leaders were the highest titles in the military line, and in the civil line, chiefs, or old wise men. No such terms as sir, mister, madam or mis- tress, but in their stead, grandfather, father, uncle, brother, mother, sister, cousin or my friend, were the terms they used in addressing one another. They paid great respect to age, and allowed no one to attain to any place of honor among them without having performed some exploit in war, or become eminent for wis- dom. They invited every one that came to their camps or houses to eat as long as they had anything to give, and a refusal to eat when invited was considered a mark of disrespect. In courting, it was common for a young woman to make suit to a young man, as the men generally possessed more modesty than the women.

"Children were kept obedient, not by whipping, but by ducking them in cold water. Their principal pun- ishment for infractions of their laws or customs was degradation. The crime of murder was atoned for by liberty given to the friends or rela- tions of the murdered to slay the murderer. They had the essentials of military discipline, and their war- riors were under good command and punctual in obeying orders. They cheerfully united in putting all their directions into immediate execution, and by each man observing the motion or movement of his right hand companion, they could commu- nicate the motion from right to left

and march abreast in concert and in scattered order, though the line was a mile long. They could perform various military maneuvers, either slow or fast, as they could run. They formed the circle in order to sur- round the enemy, and the semi-circle if the enemy had a river on one side of them. They could also form the large hollow square, face out and take trees; this they did, if their enemies were about surrounding them, to prevent being shot from either side of the tree.

"Their only clothing when going into battle was the breechclout, leg- gins and moccasins. Their leaders gave general orders by a shout or yell in time of battle, either to advance or retreat, and then each man fought as though he were to gain the battle himself. To ambush and surprise the enemy and to pre- vent being ambushed and surprised themselves was their science of war. They seldom brought on an attack without a sure prospect of victory, with the loss of few men; and if mis- taken, and likely to lose many men to gain a victory, they would retreat and wait for a better opportunity. If surrounded, however, they fought while there was a man alive, rather than surrender. A Delaware chief, called Captain Jacobs, being with his warriors surrounded, took posses- sion of a house, defended themselves for some time, and killed a number of the whites. When called on to surrender, he said he and his men were warriors, and they would all fight while life lasted. Being told that they would be well used if they

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.

surrendered, and that if not the house would be burned over their heads, he replied that he could eat fire, and when the house was in

flames he and his men marched out in a fighting position and were all killed."

CHAPTER III. TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC LANDS.

FIRST MEASURE PROVIDING FOR TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT, 1784 - AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE SURVEY OF OHIO LANDS, 1785- NAMES OF THE SURVEYORS CHOSEN - SQUATTER IN- TRUSION ON THE PUBLIC LANDS - LIST OF SQUATTER SETTLERS IN EASTERN OHIO IN 1785 - THE JOURNEY OF GENERAL RICHARD BUTLER - ATTEMPTS TO DISPERSE THE SQUATTERS - ERECTION OF FORT HARMAR, 1785 - FRONTIER LIFE - THE BEGINNING OF THE SURVEY - PARTICULARS OF THE EXPERIENCES OF THE SURVEYORS, 1785-6 - THE INDIANS CAUSE TROUBLE - THE SURVEY OF THE FIRST SEVEN RANGES - TIVE MORAVIAN RESERVATIONS - THE OHIO COMPANY'S PURCHASE - SYMMES' PURCHASE - DONATIONS TO EBENEZER ZANE - THE ACT OF MAY, 1796, PROVIDING FOR THE SUR. VEY AND SALE OF CONGRESSIONAL LANDS - THE MILITARY DISTRICT - LAND OFFICES ESTABLISHED - LATER LAND LEGISLATION - THE ORDINANCE OF 1787.

O N the 23d of April, 1784, Con- gress passed the first ordinance providing for the establishment and maintenance of government by the United States in the territory north- west of the Ohio River. Thomas Jef- ferson was chairman of the com- mittee that reported the measure. The ordinance contained a provision prohibiting slavery in the territory after the year 1800, but this clause was stricken out before the law was passed.

Under this first ordinance the sur- vey of the public lands was begun. This appears to have been the only important result accomplished by the measure. Though the ordinance was nominally in force from the

time of its enactment until July 13, 1787, when it was superseded by the celebrated " Ordinance of Freedom," in reality it was a dead letter. The establishment of government in the West and the promotion of settle- ment there seem to have been warm- ly favored by Jefferson, but for a time all his efforts failed to accom- plish the desired result.

Congress, having purchased from the Indians at the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, in New York, in 1784, whatever title the Six Nations had to lands in the valley of the Ohio, now sought to provide for the sur- vey and disposal of the same; and on May 20, 1785, was passed “ An ordinance for ascertaining the mode

TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC LANDS.

of disposing of lands in the Western Territory." This ordinance pro- vided that a surveyor should be ap- pointed from each State, who should take oath before the geographer of the United States for the faithful performance of his duties. The geographer was to have the direction of the survey, and as soon as they had qualified, the surveyors were to divide the territory into townships six miles square, by lines running north and south, crossed by other lines "at right angles, as near as may be, unless where the boundaries of the late Indian purchases may render the same impracticable." The pay of the surveyors was fixed at $2 for every mile in length surveyed; this included the wages of chainmen, markers and all expenses. The first north and south line was to begin on the Ohio River at a point due north from the western termination of a line that had been run at the south- ern boundary of Pennsylvania, and the first east and west line was also to begin at the same point. The geographer was instructed to number the townships and fractional parts of -townships from south to north, the first township on the river being numbered one and so on progress- ively ; also to number the ranges in like manner from east to west, the first range west of Pennsylvania and extending from the Ohio to Lake Erie, being range number 1. IIe was also to attend personally to the running of the first east and west line, the fixing of the latitudes of the terminations of the first north and south line, and also that of the

mouths of the principal rivers. The surveyors were required carefully to note on their plats all mines, salt- springs, mill-seats, mountains, water- courses, the nature of the soil, etc. Plats of townships were to be di- vided into lots of one mile square by lines running parallel to the bound- ary lines.

It was also provided that as soon as seven ranges of townships had been surveyed, the geographer should transmit plats of the same to the Board of Treasury, by whom they were to be recorded in well-bound books, to which the Secretary of War should have access. The secre- tary was then to take by lot a num- ber of townships and fractional townships, both of those to be sold entire and of those to be sold in lots, such as would be equal to one- seventh part of the whole seven ranges, for the use of officers and soldiers of the Continental army. The Board of Treasury should from time to time cause the remainder to be drawn in the names of the thir- teen States. The plan for the sale of lands not distributed to the sol- diers of the several States was as fol- lows: The Board of Treasury to transmit to the commissioners of the loan offices of the several States copies of the original plats, with the townships and fractional townships that should have fallen to the sev- eral States noted thereon ; notice then to be given by advertise- ments in newspapers and announce- ments posted in public places of the proposed sale, which was to be at public vendue, in the following

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.

manner: Township or fractional township number 1, range 1, to be sold entire; number 2, in lots; and thus, in alternate order, through the whole of the first range. The same alternation to be observed in the sale of the second range, though begin- ning in the reverse order. The third range to be sold in the same order as the first, and the fourth in the same order as the second, etc. Provided, however, that none of the lands be sold at a less price than one dollar per acre, payable in specie or loan-office certificates, reduced to specie value, or certificates of liquidated debts of the United States including interest, besides the expense of the survey, and other charges thereon, which were rated at thirty-six dollars per township; payment to be made at the time of sale. The United States reserved for future sale four lots, numbers 8, 11, 26 and 29, in each township and lot number 16 in each township for the maintenance of schools in said township. One-third part of all gold, silver, lead and cop- per mines were reserved for future disposition by Congress.

May 27, 1785, Congress chose the following surveyors : Nathaniel Adams, New Hampshire; Rufus Put- nam, Massachusetts; Caleb Harris, Rhode Island; William Morris, New York; Adam Hoops, Pennsylvania; James Simpson, Maryland; Alex- ander Parker, Virginia; Absalom Tatum, North Carolina; William Tate, South Carolina; and July 18th, Isaac Sherman, Connecticut, General Rufus Putnam being then engaged in surveying lands in Maine for the

State of Massachusetts, General Ben- jamin Tupper was appointed in his stead. Caleb Harris and Nathaniel Adams having resigned, Colonel Ebenezer Sproat and Winthrop Sar- gent were chosen in their places.

Hunters and squatter settlers had penetrated the country now forming the eastern part of Ohio as early as the Revolution - a few even earlier. To the salt-springs in the present county of Trumbull white hunters had resorted as early as 1754, and salt was made there by Pennsylva- nians some twenty years later. From the old settlement of Wheeling and its vicinity a number of adventurers crossed the river from time to time and erected cabins. A number who came out with General McIntosh to Fort Laurens in 1778 as axemen, scouts, hunters, etc., are supposed to have remained and built homes on several of the branches of the Ohio and the Muskingum. After the treaty of Fort McIntosh, it was feared that there would be such a rush of squatters into that portion of the territory bordering on Pennsylvania and Virginia that evil results would ensue, and accordingly measures were taken both to drive out the intruders already there and prevent the en- trance of others. June 15, 1785, Congress ordered the following proc- lamation published and circulated in the territory :

" Whereas, it has been represented to the United States in Congress assembled that several disorderly persons have crossed the Ohio and settled upon their unappropriated lands; and whereas, it is their inten-

TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC LANDS.

tion, as soon as it shall be surveyed, to open offices for the sale of a con- siderable part thereof, in such pro- portions and under such other regu- lations as may suit the convenience of all the citizens of the United States, and others who may wish to become purchasers of the same; and as such conduct tends to defeat the object they have in view, is in direct opposition to the ordinances and res- olutions of Congress, and is highly disrespectful to the Federal author- ity, they have therefore thought fit, and do hereby issue this proclama- tion, forbidding all such unwarranta- ble intrusions, and enjoining all those who have settled thereon to depart with their families and effects with- out loss of time, as they shall answer the same at their peril."

The intrusion was confined princi- pally to the territory now forming the counties of Columbiana, Jeffer- son, Stark, Carroll, Harrison, Bel- mont, Guernsey and Monroe, and the names of the intruders in 1785 were as follows :

Thomas Tilten,

Jacob Light,

John Nixon,

James Williams,

Henry Cassill,

Jesse Edgerton,

Nathaniel Parremore, Jesse Parremore,

Jacob Clark, John Custer, James Noyes, Thomas McDonald, John Castleman, James Clark, Adam House, Thomas Johnson, Hanamet Davis, William Wallace, Joseph Reburn, Jonathan Mapins, William Mann,

George Atchinson, William Kerr, Haines Piley, Walter Cain, Daniel Duff, Joseph Ross,

James Watson, Albertus Bailey, Archibald Harbson, William Baliey, Jonas Amspoker, Nicholas Decker, Joseph Goddard, Henry Conrad, George Reno, John Buchanan,

Charles Chambers, Robert Hill, James Paul, William McNees, John Platt, Benjamin Reed, William Carpenter, John Goddard, Daniel Mathews.

The first attempt to drive out the squatters northwest of the Ohio was made in October, 1779, when Captain Clarke, of a Pennsylvania regiment, with sixty soldiers, was sent to Wheeling by Colonel Brodhead, then in command of Fort Pitt, with orders to cross the river and apprehend some of the principal trespassers and de- stroy their huts. Captain Clarke did not succeed in finding any of the trespassers, but destroyed several huts and reported that several im- provements had been made all the way from the Muskingum* to Fort McIntosh and thirty miles up some of the branches.

In 1785 Colonel Harmar, com- mandant at Fort McIntosh, sent out troops to dispossess the squatter set- tlers whose names are given above. The squatters actually banded to- gether to resist the United States troops; but a compromise was ef- fected, whereby they were allowed to prepare temporary habitations on the Virginia side before leaving their homes in the Territory. They then retired from the Ohio country, but subsequently many of them returned,

*The Tuscarawas, anciently called the Muskin- gum.

John Nowles, John Tilton, John Fitzpatrick, Daniel Menser, Zephaniah Dunn, John McDonald, Henry Froggs, Wiland Hoagland, Michal Rawlins, Thomas Dawson, William Shiff, Solomon Delong, Charles Ward, Frederick Lamb, John Rigdon, 4

HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.

and their descendants are now nu- | the leader, whom he warned to merous in Eastern Ohio and in the leave.

valleys of the Tuscarawas and the Muskingum.

On the next day General Butler called at the settlement of Charles Morris. who had rebuilt his house after the agent of the Government had pulled it down. Here he found

In the fall of the same year Gen- eral Richard Butler passed down the Ohio on his way to the Little Miami, where a treaty-meeting was , one Walter Kean, who seemed but a to be held with the Indians. From , middling character, and rather of a his published diary of his jour- , dissentious cast ; warned all of these ney it appears that many squat- off, and requested they would inform their neighbors, which they promised to do." Colonel James Monroe, member of Congress for Virginia, who accompanied Butler on this journey, also addressed the settlers and advised them to leave : his words had weight when the General "in- formed them of his character." They next called at the home of Captain Hoglan, another whose cabin had been pulled down and rebuilt; he acknowledged the impropriety of his conduct, and appeared very submis- sive. ter settlers still continue to reside north of the Ohio, notwithstanding the proclamation of Congress and their own promises to vacate. On October 1, 1785, General Butler passed the mouth of Yellow Creek and found considerable improve- ments on both sides of the Ohio River. Five miles below Yellow Creek he found Jesse Penniman, a squatter, on the north side of the river, whom he warned off; also one - Pry, his neighbor. General Butler states that he "told him as well as the others that Congress was deter- October 4, General Butler directed one corporal and three soldiers to stay at Wheeling until a boat should be sent to them from Fort McIntosh. He wrote to Colonel Harmar for three other men to join these as an escort to the Miami, and requested that Major Doughty be ordered to pull down every house, on his way to the Muskingum, that he found on the north side of the Ohio. mined to put all of the people off of the lands, and that none would be allowed to settle but the purchasers, and that these and these only would be protected ; that troops would be down next week, who have orders to destroy every house and improve- ment on the north side of the river, and that garrisons will be placed at Muskingum and elsewhere, and that if any person or persons attempted On the 8th, he noted that there was "good improvement on the north side," nearly opposite the mouth of the Little Kanawha. Ile also found a settlement on the first island below the Little Hockhocking (Hocking) and others further down on the north to oppose Government they may depend on being treated with the greatest rigor." Passing on to the Mingo towns, he found several white settlers, among whom a man named Ross appeared to be

TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC LANDS.

side of the Ohio. The people on the island appeared very reasonable ; among them were "several women, who appeared clean and decently dressed."

One object of General Butler's journey was the selection of a point for the establishment of a military post to protect the frontier inhabit- ants, prevent the intrusion of squat- ters on the lands of the United States and afford security to the surveyors. Before leaving Fort McIntosh he had prepared and left with Colonel Har- mar, the commandant, a paper in which he expressed the opinion that at the mouth of the Muskingum was an eligible site for the proposed fort. On October 8, his journal says : "Sent Lieutenant Doyle and some men to burn the houses of the set- tlers on the north side and put up proclamations. Went on very well to the mouth of the Muskingum and found it low. I went on shore to examine the ground most proper to establish a post on ; find it too low, but the most eligible point is on the Ohio side. Wrote to Major Doughty and recommended this place with my opinion of the kind of work most proper. Left the letter, which con- tained other remarks on the fort, fixed to a locust tree."

A few days later General Butler met a man ascending the Ohio, and instructed him to take the letter from the tree and carry it to Major Doughty. Shortly afterward a de- tachment of troops under the com- mand of Major Doughty arrived at the mouth of the Muskingum and began the construction of the fortifi-

cation, which, in honor of the com- mandant at Fort McIntosh, was named Fort Harmar. Hildreth says of it :

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History of Noble County, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographical Sketches of some of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 5

Author: Publication date: 1887 Publisher: Chicago : L.H. Watkins Number of Pages: 709

Author:
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Chicago : L.H. Watkins
Number of Pages: 709