USA > Ohio > Pioneer history : being an account of the first examinations of the Ohio valley, and the early settlement of the Northwest territory ; chiefly from original manuscripts > Part 14
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" 14th. The scouts returned. Many Kentucky boats pass daily.
" 19th. Several new arrivals for the Ohio company. This morning there was a severe frost, and weather cold.
"22d. Our old friend Captain Tunis, with a number of Indians, made us a visit. They were treated hospitably.
" 25th. The troops in the fort are mustered twice a day for exercise.
" 27th. I crossed the Muskingum to view the new city.
" 28th. Sergeant Sprague, with a party of men, went out as an escort for the Ohio company's surveyors.
" May Ist. St. Tammany's day was kept as usual. A party of the sergeants went up to the island, and had a din- ner provided at old Mr. Kerr's.
"5th. Kentucky boats pass continually ; ten or twelve every day.
" 16th. Captain Strong went out with his company to reconnoitre the country, about thirty miles up the Muskin- gum.
"17th. After leaving our last night's camp, we pursued a south-east course, to strike the Ohio.
" 18th. We fell on an Indian trail, and pursued it until it crossed our trail of the 16th. The streams are high, and we had to ford them, which made our march uncomfortable. At evening we reached the garrison in the midst of a hard thunder shower. This excursion brought on me the fever and ague.
" 26th. General Parsons, Major Sargent, and a number of other settlers, arrived at Muskingum, belonging to the Ohio company.
" 27th. Lieutenant Armstrong and Ensign Spear arrived 11
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from the rapids, and lost two men from the party, killed by the Indians.
"28th. General Harmer arrived from Venango. I was attacked with a fever.
" June 2d. Two hunters were fired at by the Indians, a little distance from the fort.
"3d. Lieutenant Armstrong, with a party, went out in search of the Indians, but saw nothing of them. Captain Beaty arrived with pay for the troops.
" 12th. The contractor busily engaged packing up stores for the Indian treaty.
" 15th. Major Doughty embarked with a command, to go up and demolish Fort McIntosh; and to escort Gover- nor St. Clair to this place.
"July 4th. This day was celebrated with thirteen rounds from the six pounder, and repeated again at four o'clock. The troops received an extra allowance. For my part, I had a turn of the fever and ague on me.
" 8th. Captain Bradford returned from a recruiting tour at New York.
"9th. Governor St. Clair arrived at the garrison. On landing he was saluted with thirteen rounds from the field piece. On entering the garrison the music played a salute ; the troops paraded and presented their arms. He was also saluted by a clap of thunder and a heavy shower of rain as he entered the fort; and thus we received our governor of the western frontiers.
" 13th .. An express came in from the falls of Muskin- gum, about ninety miles from this garrison, where it is designed to hold the treaty, with news that the Indians had attacked our party, who were guarding the stores and pro- visions, and killed four men and wounded several more.
" 14th. Sent off a command to reinforce them at the falls, and bring back the stores and goods to this garrison. " 20th. Ensign McDowell returned with the command from the falls of Muskingum, and brought as prisoners six
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Indians, supposed to belong to the band who fired on our men.
"28th. Early this morning the garrison was alarmed by the firing of the sentry, and we thought there was an attack by the Indians to rescue their friends, who were pri- soners. But it turned out to be occasioned by the escape of two of the Indians; who, although chained together, found means to break loose and get off safe.
" August 1st. Nothing very interesting to notice at pre- sent. There is but little prospect of a treaty at present.
"2d. Old King Pipes came in with a few Delawares, but staid only a few days. Governor St. Clair sent him, with one of the Indian prisoners, to the tribes, to invite them to the treaty.
"3d. I crossed the Muskingum to hear a sermon. (The preacher is not named, but was probably the Rev. Mr. Breck.)
" 6th. Lieutenant Kingsbury returned from Fort Pitt, and lost all his baggage the night before, by the sinking of his boat.
" 17th. Captain Hart arrived from Venango, and Cap- tain Strong left for Connecticut, to remove his family to this country.
" 19th. General Tupper arrived with his family.
"27th. Judge Symmes, of New Jersey, landed here, on his way to Miami, with a number of families. I purchased four hundred acres of land from him, lying in the reserved township, at fifty cents an acre. Paid him one hundred dollars, the balance in a year.
" September 2d. Major Doughty and Captain Hart left for Fort Pitt.
"3d. Captain Zeigler arrived with his company from Philadelphia, accompanied by a number of Seneca Indians. We saluted them with our field piece, which they returned by a running fire from their rifles.
" 11th. An express arrived from the falls of Ohio,
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informing us that the Indians had attacked one of our boats, on its way to " the post," with provisions, and killed seven or eight men, and wounded a number more.
"22d. Ensign Hartshorne arrived from Connecticut with twenty-nine men.
" October 4th. Captain McCurdy embarked for Miami, with forty-four men, as a guard for Captain Hutchins, the United States geographer.
"5th. The Indians had a drunken frolic, and drowned one of their men by dragging him in the river. The pros- pect of a treaty with them is very discouraging.
" 17th. The two Indians arrived who were sent with speeches by the governor to their towns. It is reported they intend making war.
"21st. Four canoes landed from Kentucky, loaded with ginseng, and report that the Indians had attacked a party of men with Judge Symmes, and killed one of his surveyors. Also had fired on Captain Armstrong's boat, and wounded two of his men.
" 21st. Weather very stormy and disagreeable."
About this time Mr. Buell obtained his discharge from the army, and returned to Connecticut, where he arrived on the 27th of November. The following winter was spent in teaching a school, and in making preparations to return to the North West Territory. On the 25th of May, 1789, he commenced his return journey, accompanied by his bro- ther, Timothy Buell, then quite a youth, and afterwards, for several years, sheriff of Washington county. On the 15th June he reached Fort Harmer. From thence he embarked for Miami, and landed at North Bend, the 26th of the month, where the journal ends. Mr. Buell soon after returned, and located himself in Marietta, and became one of the leading men in civil, political, and military affairs. At his death, in 1812, he held the post of associate judge in the court of common pleas, and major general in the militia.
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CESSION OF THE N. W. TERRITORY.
NORTH-WESTERN TERRITORY CEDED TO THE UNITED STATES.
On the Ist day of March, 1784, the state of Virginia, by deed, ceded to the United States her right and title to the territory north-west of the river Ohio. This right she claimed partly under her charter, and partly by right of conquest, under Colonel George Rogers Clark, in the year 1778, while it remained under the jurisdiction of Great Britain. The states of New York and Massachusetts also made a cession of western territory to the United States.
The 20th day of May, 1785, Congress passed an ordinance for the survey and disposition of that portion of the territory which had been purchased by treaty from the Indian inhab- itants. For carrying this ordinance into effect one surveyor was appointed from each of the states, and placed under the direction of Thomas Hutchins, the geographer of the United States. The territory was to be surveyed into town- ships of six miles square, by lines running due north and south, and others crossing these at right angles. "The first line running north and south as aforesaid, shall begin on the river Ohio, at a point that shall be found to be due north from the western termination of a line which has been run as the southern boundary of the state of Pennsylvania, and the first line running east and west shall begin at the same point and shall extend throughout the whole territory." The townships were to be numbered from south to north, beginning with No. 1, and the ranges to be distinguished by their progressive numbers to the westward; the first range extending from the Ohio to Lake Erie, being marked No. 1. The geographer was to attend personally to running the first east and west line, and to take the latitude of the extremes of the first north and south line, and of the mouths of the principal rivers. Seven ranges of townships, in the direction from south to north, were ordered to be first surveyed, and plats thereof transmitted to the board of
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treasury, and so of every succeeding seven ranges that should be surveyed.
After these lands had been advertised for sale, they were to be sold at a rate of not less than one dollar per acre, with an addition of the expenses of survey, estimated at thirty- six dollars a township. Four lots, numbered 8, 11, 26, and 29, were reserved for the United States, out of every township. These lots were mile squares of six hundred and forty acres. Lot No. 16 was reserved for the benefit of schools within the township.
In May, 1786, the state of Connecticut ceded to the United States her claim to western lands, with the reserva- tion of a strip "beginning at the completion of the forty- first degree of north latitude, one hundred and twenty miles west of the western boundary line of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as now claimed by the said common- wealth, and from thence by a line to be drawn north parallel to, and one hundred and twenty miles west of, the said west line of Pennsylvania, and to continue north until it comes to forty-two degrees two minutes north latitude." This arrangement with Connecticut put a stop to the con- tinuation of the ranges northwardly to Lake Erie, and ended them at the termination of the forty-first degree of latitude.
On the 27th of May, 1785, Congress proceeded to the election of surveyors, and chose one for each state, as fol- lows, viz :- Mr. Nathaniel Adams, for New Hampshire ; Rufus Putnam, Massachusetts ; Caleb Harris, Rhode Island ; William Morris, New York; Adam Hoops, Pennsylvania ; James Simpson, Maryland; Alexander Parker, Virginia ; Absalom Tatum, North Carolina; William Tate, South Carolina; and on the 18th of July, Isaac Sherman, for Con- necticut. General Putnam being engaged in the survey of Maine, for the state of Massachusetts, could not attend to the duty, and General Benjamin Tupper was appointed in in his place, "until Mr. Putnam shall actually join the
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geographer, and take the same upon himself." Caleb Harris having resigned, Colonel Ebenezer Sproat was chosen in his place. Nathaniel Adams, of New Hamp- shire, also resigned, and Winthrop Sargent, afterwards secretary of the North-West Territory, and governor of Mississippi, was chosen in his place.
At a treaty held with the Indians at Fort McIntosh, in January, 1785, the boundary line between the United States and the Wyandot and Delaware nations was agreed, on as follows :
" Article 3d. Beginning at the mouth of the river Cuy- ahoga, and run thence up the said river to the portage be- tween that and the Tuscarawas branch of Muskingum ; thence down the said branch to the forks at the crossing place above Fort Laurens; then westwardly to the portage of the Big Miami, which runs into the Ohio, at the mouth of which branch the fort stood which was taken by the French in 1752; then along the said portage to the Great Miami, or Ome river, and down the south-east side of the same, to its mouth ; thence along the south shore of Lake Erie, to the mouth of Cuyahoga, where it began.
" Article 4th. The United States allot the lands con- tained within the said lines to the Wyandot and Delaware nations, to live and to hunt on, and to such of the Ottowa nation as now live thereon, saving and reserving for the establishment of trading posts, six miles square at the mouth of Miami, or Ome river, and the same at the portage on that branch of the Big Miami which runs into the Ohio, and the same on the Lake of Sandusky, where the fort formerly stood, and also, two miles square on each side of the lower rapids of Sandusky river; which posts and the lands annexed to them shall be to the use and un- der the government of the United States.
" Article 6th. The Indians who sign this treaty, as well in behalf of all their tribes, as of themselves, do acknow- ledge the lands east, south, and west of the lines described
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in the third article, so far as the said Indians formerly claimed the same, to belong to the United States, and none of their tribes shall presume to settle upon the same, or any part of it."
At a conference, held in Princeton, New Jersey, at the house of Colonel George Morgan, Indian agent, the 10th of May, 1779, between several of the leading chiefs of the Delaware nation, and Lewis Morris, John Dodge, and Daniel Sullivan, commissioners, " they claim as their sole property, all the lands they have long inhabited and hunted on, contained within the following boundaries, viz .: from the mouth of the Alleghany river, at Fort Pitt, to Venango ; and from thence up French creek and by La Beouf along the old road to Presque Isle, on the cast ; the Ohio river, in- cluding all the islands in it, from Fort Pitt to the Wabash, on the south ; thence up the river Wabash to that branch Opeecomecah, and up the same to the head thereof; and from thence to the head waters and springs of the Great Miami, or Rocky river; thence across to the head waters and springs of the most north-western branches of Scioto river; thence to the head westernmost springs of San- dusky river; thence down the said river, including the islands in it, and in the little lake, to Lake Erie, on the west and north-west, and Lake Erie on the north. These boundaries contain the cessions of lands made to the Dela- ware nation by the Wyandots and other nations, and the country we have seated our grand children, the Shawa- nees, upon in our laps. And we promise to give to the United States of America, such a part of the above des- cribed country as will be convenient to them and us, that they may have room for their children's children to sit down upon."
This conference seems to have been held on the part of the Delawares, chiefly for the purpose of inducing Congress to supply them with goods and merchandise in exchange for their peltries and skins. They had faithfully promised
ยท
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to do this in their treaties at Pittsburgh, in 1775, '76, and '77, but had entirely failed to perform ; and as the savages had remained true to their promises not to trade with the Eng- lish, they were now in a suffering condition for blankets, &c. These goods Congress probably could not furnish, as they were unable to supply their own soldiers during seve- ral years of the war with suitable clothing. They also complained of having been cheated and deceived by Gene- ral McIntosh, and the commissioners, in a treaty made with them in the year 1778, which caused a great division in their councils, and induced two hundred of their tribe to go over into the neighborhood of the English, at Detroit- while on their part all their contracts were kept with good faith.
In all the interruptions and annoyances experienced sub- sequently by the agents of Congress, in making the surveys of the public lands, it will be found, as a general thing, that the Delawares were innocent, and that the mischief was accomplished by the Wyandots, Mingoes, Shawanees, &c. They could not brook the thought of the white man entering upon and taking possession of their hunting grounds, which their people had enjoyed unmolested for ages. They well knew that wherever the surveyor with his chain and com- pass penetrated, the settler and backwoodsman would fol- low, and the smoke of the white hunter would soon drive them from their long cherished homes. Who, then, shall condemn them for trying to put off the evil day that boded their destruction ?
INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH THE SURVEY OF THE SEVEN RANGES.
Some time in July, 1786, the surveyors appointed by Congress, under the direction of Thomas Hutchins, geogra- pher of the United States, assembled at Pittsburgh. Mr.
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JOURNAL OF JOHN MATHEWS.
John Mathews, of New Braintree, in Massachusetts, then quite a young man, and afterward a surveyor for the Ohio company, had also come on, with the intention of being employed in the survey, and to view the new region west of the mountains. Extracts of a journal which he kept at the time will show the progress of the survey, and some of the difficulties which attended it in the autumn of that year.
"Saturday, 29th July, 1786. Arrived at Pittsburgh about three o'clock, P. M. Found the surveyors had gone down the Ohio to Little Beaver creek. Received directions from General Tupper, by Colonel Sherman, to go down the river. The colonel being to set off immediately for Beaver, we crossed the Monongahela river and rode about a mile and a half, and put up for the night.
"Sunday, 30th. Proceeded down the southeast side of the Ohio river, and put up within four miles of the camp.
"Monday, 31st. Arrived at the camp, on the east bank of the Ohio, this morning; where the surveyors were waiting for the troops, from Mingo, which are to escort them in the survey."
"Mingo" was the common name for a post or garrison established at the upper end of a broad extensive tract of bottom lands, once occupied by a band of Mingo Indians, and known as the "Mingo bottom." The garrison was called "Fort Steuben," and stood on the spot where the town of Steubenville has since been built. It was evacuated the following year, and the troops sent to Muskingum or Fort Harmer.
"Saturday, August 5th. The troops arrived from Mingo, crossed the river and encamped on the other side."
Mr. Mathews staid in camp until the 15th-his journal giving daily the state of the weather, and the water in the Ohio river, which had been unusually high for this season of the year. On this day, he commenced the survey of the second range of townships, under the superintendence of Captain Adam Hoops, the surveyor from Pennsylvania.
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JOURNAL OF JOHN MATHEWS.
Camped that night five miles from the river, on the east and west line. In his journal, he gives daily the progress made, and an accurate description of the land passed over-as to soil, timber, and its apparent capability for crops.
"September 1st. Captain Hoops having been for some time in a bad state of health, and growing worse, concluded this morning to leave the line and return to camp at Little Beaver."
They arrived the next day at three o'clock, P. M., " and found the surveyors had all left camp, excepting General Tupper, Captain Morris and Mr. Duffey." Who this Mr. Duffey was does not appear, as his name is not found in the appointments by Congress.
" Wednesday, September 6th. Made arrangements to go out with General Tupper, on the survey of the seventh range of townships.
" 7th. Crossed the river with our horses and baggage at two o'clock, P. M., and started for the woods. Camped at night four miles from Beaver Creek.
" On the evening of the 9th, camped at the end of the fourth range.
"Sunday, 10th. Camped near the end of the fifth range. Major Sargent, who surveys the fifth range, came to our camp, and informed us that one of his hands had left him, which much embarrassed the progress of his work. General Tupper not being ready to begin work, as the geographer had not yet completed the sixth range, I went with Major Sargent to assist him for a few days, and General Tupper proposed to send his son Anselem, who had gone to the geographer's camp, also, the next day to assist us. On my journey from Beaver to this place, after leaving the second range, I found a great part of the third range, poor and uneven land - the timber pitch pine and small oaks. The fourth range is very good wheat land generally. The fifth is excellent for wheat, with many large glades that will make fine meadows.
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JOURNAL OF JOHN MATHEWS.
" Monday, 11th. Anselem Tupper came to our camp about ten o'clock, and he and myself carried the chain.
"13th. Completed the west boundary of the first town- ship in fifth range.
" 14th. Mr. Anselem and myself with a hunter, left Major Sargent's camp, in order to fall in with General Tup- per on the geographer's line, whom we found encamped near the end of the sixth range. In traveling from Sar- gent's camp, we passed through the first township of the sixth range. Land broken with large bodies of fallen timber.
" 15th. Decamped and moved to the westward five miles, where we joined the geographer's camp on Sandy Creek, a large branch of the Tuscarawas.
"Sunday, 17th. This morning I went to a camp of In- dians, who were returning from Fort McIntosh to their town. It was eighty rods above us on the creek. They were about eight in number, men and women. They had rum with them, and had a drunken frolic the night before, but appeared decent and friendly.
" 18th. General Tupper began his range, and our camp moved to the west about three miles, to a large branch of the Tuscarawas, called Nine Shilling. After running on the line three fourths of a mile, an express arrived from Major Hamtramck's camp at Little Beaver, with word that the Indians were assembling at the Shawanese towns, and intended making a general attack on the surveyors. Cap- tain Hutchins and General Tupper thought it unsafe to proceed any further. Notice was immediately sent to Cap- tain Morris, who had got about one mile and a half on the west boundary of the seventh range, and we all returned to the ground we left this morning, and passed the night.
" 19th. At nine A. M. decamped and marched for Little Beaver. Our party consisted of about fifty men, thirty-six of whom were troops, under the command of Lieutenant Percy. Encamped at night near the first mile post on the sixth range.
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"20th. Encamped at night near the first mile post on the fourth range.
"21st. Decamped and marched to the eastward. At one o'clock, P. M. met Major Hamtramck with the whole of his detachment, on their way to meet us, near the third mile post on the third range, where we encamped on an emi- nence by the line.
" 22d. Decamped at three, P. M., and marched about three miles to the east.
"23d. Marched and encamped at evening on the Ohio, five miles below Little Beaver, at Hamtramck's station, where we are to wait until the surveyors return from their respective ranges.
" Sunday, 24th. Mr. Simpson returned from his range, which was the sixth.
Tuesday, 26th. The surveyors not having returned, and business in suspense, I left the camp and crossed the river in order to go down to Mr. William Greathouse, who lives opposite the Mingo bottom, and with whom I had become acquainted in the woods, and there wait until I know what is to be done. Put up at night with Mr. Croxen, about eigh- teen miles below Beaver.
"27th. Arrived at Greathouse's about one P. M. The country through which I passed is hilly, but rich lands. It is thinly settled, but the inhabitants have in plenty the im- mediate necessaries of life.
" Wednesday, October 4th. This day I went to Esquire McMahan's, who lives about six miles below Greathouse, and found that the surveyors were principally collected there and determined to continue part of the ranges, and were to be escorted by the whole of Major Hamtramck's detachment. I concluded to go with Major Sargent to the fifth Range.
" Wednesday, 11th. Having made the necessary prepa- rations for resuming the survey, we crossed the Ohio at ten, A. M., one mile below the old Mingo town, and took
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the route of " Crawford's trail," which leaves the river at the upper end of " Mingo bottom," and encamped at night about two miles from the Mingo town. Our party con- sisted of the surveyor and his assistants, with a captain and twenty-five men as an escort. The Mingo bottom contains some thousands of acres of very fine land. Indian Cross creek runs through it.
" 12th. Decamped and proceeded still on the route of " Crawford's trail," in nearly a north-west course. At five P. M. encamped ; having made, as nearly as we could judge, about six miles of westing. The trail keeps the di- viding ridge, between Cross creek and the creek that falls into the Ohio above the "Mingo bottom." The surface is uneven, but the ridge no where steep, and the greater por- tion of the soil as rich as the Ohio bottoms.
" 13th. Decamped at six A. M. and moved before the troops, as they were not ready, and Major Sargent is anx- ious to get to business. At ten A. M. we left " the trail," it tending too much to the south-west, and steered to the north-west and came on the boundary of the third range, one mile and three quarters on the line of the third town- ship. Encamped at night at the south-east corner of the second township, fourth range, and found that the troops were ahead of us.
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