Cuyahoga County, Ohio - Chapter 9: The Period from 1801 to 1806, 1870

Samuel Huntington - No Laws - Grand Fourth of July Celebration - Gilman Bryant and his Lady - The Ball - A Traveling Minister - First Town Meeting - First Township Officers - Mr. Huntington made Justice of the Quorum - His Polities - Attempt to sell Six Townships - Failure, and the Cause - The Townships divided - Huntington a Judge of the Supreme Court - First Indictment - The First Murder - '' Me no *fraid"' - A Treacherous Blow - Thre its of Revenge - A Compromise - Two Gallons of Consolation - Organization of Militia - Carter elected Captain - A Useless Protest - The Captain promoted to Major - The Sloop Cuyahoga Packet - Purchase of the Land West of the Cuyahoga - Proposed Council at Cleveland - Indians stay Away - Council at Sandusky - Terms of the Treaty - Silver in Payment - First Post-Office - Collection-District of Erie - Settlement of Mayfield - Another Mliitia Election - List of Voters - Formation of Geauga County - Survey of West-side Lands - The Perils of the Lake - A Terrible Scene - Rescue of ''Ben'' - Loss of the Schooner '' Washington,"

EAkty in the spring of 1801, Samuel Huntington, of Connecticut (a nephew of the governor of that State of the same name), who had been examining the lands on the Reserve during the previous summer, and had at the same time obtained admission to the bar of the State, came to Cleveland and selected that point as his future home. He immediately employed workmen to build him a large, hewed-log house, which, notwithstanding its humble materials, appeared quite aristocratic in comparison with the cabins of the other settlers. He also employed Mr. Samuel Dodge to build him a framed barn; this being the first framed edifice in the county. The boards were of course obtained from Williams and Wyatt's mill at Newburg.

Mr. Huntington was the first lawyer in the county. He did not, however, obtain any considerable practice; for the immigrants from the land of steady habits were not litigious, and were too few in number to make much business for an attorney. Huntington was evidently ahead of his time, as were many others, in expecting that Cleveland would soon be a large town. In fact no one could have appeared more incongruous among the rude settlers, the red Indians, the log cabins and the frowning forests of this extreme frontier than the slight, dapper counselor, thirty-five years old, about five feet eight inches tall, highly educated, and haviug acquired in European travel not only a knowledge of the French language but a demonstrative affubility of manner, described by Americans by the general title of "Frenchy." Yet so impartially were his bows and smiles distributed to all around, and so shrewd was his political manbd - .

Down to this time there had been no laws of any kind in the vicinity. There were no officials to enforce them, and in fact it had previously been some what doubtful whether the laws of the Northwestern Territory applied to the Connecticut Reserve. For a wonder, there had been no cases of lynch-law, and there had been but a single instance of what might be called club-law - the row between Carter and the Indians.

It might appear that there was now a prospect of more lively times, for in this year the first distillery in the- present county was erected at Cleveland by David Bryant. 'This, however, was entirely a matterof-course proceeding; a distillery being invariably one of the first institutions of a new settlement, and being generally erected by one of the most respectable and responsible men in it.

All the old chronicles speak enthusiastically of the grand celebration and ball in honor of the Fourth of July, in 1801. The writer was at first in doubt whether this sheuld be included in the general history of the county or be relegated to the more restricted details of Cleveland local annals. But after duly considering that it was the first Fourth-of-July celebration in the county, (at least the first that has found its way into history,) and was likewise the first ball in the county, and was probably attended by almost all the citizens of the county, he has concluded to assign it a place among the county annals.

Of the patriotic observances during the day no account has been preserved, but the grand ball has been described in glowing terms. Gilman Bryant, one of the participants, has narrated, ma letter published by Colonel Whittlesey, the appearance and mode of travel of himself and his lady, in terms doubtless applicable with some modilications to many others of the guests. The youthful knight, only seventeen years old, waited on ** Miss Doan, who had just arrived at Doan's Corners four miles east of Cleaveland," and who was probably the daunghter of Timothy Doan, who came 'thither that year but afterwards removed to Kuclid. The lady was but fourteen years old.

The cavalier attired himself gorgeously, in what he assures us was the prevailing mode; wearing a suit of gingham, a good, wool hat and a pair of substantial, brogan shoes. His long hair was bound behind in a queue about as long and as thick. as an ordinary corncob, tied round with a yard and a half of black ribbon, below which the hair extended in asmall tuft. Those were the days of powdered wigs among the gentry, and the youth came as near the gentecl standard as he could by annointing his hair with tallow, and then sifting on it as much flour as he could make stick. Thus arrayed, he mounted a horse and rode out to his lady's mansion of logs. She climbed upon a stump, and he rode up beside it; she kirtled her calico dress about her waist to keep it clean, spread her under-

_ petticoat on the horse's back, mounted, and clasped her cavalier about the waist to steady herself, and away they went in splendid style to the double loghouse of Mr. Carter, on the brow of the hill at the west end of Superior street.

Thither, too, came the whole elite of the Cuyahoga county which was to be. Wagons rolled in from the lake-washed shores of Euclid ; horsemen with dames behind them rode down from the mills of Mill creek, and young farmers came in high glee with their girls from the Kingsbury ridge, which had attracted so many settlers on account of its healthy location. No less than twenty gentlemen and fifteen ladies graced the festive occasion. John Wood, Benjamin Wood and R. H. Blinn were the managers; Samuel Jones, afterwards quite noted as Major Jones, was the chief violinist and floor-manager. His ringing tones called off the figures in ''Fisher's Hornpipe," '' Hi, Betty Martin" and the '' Virginia Reel," and cavaliers and dames, old and young, married and single, responded with a vigor which marked the rude floor with the dent of many « heavy brogan, while the rough ceiling was almost reached by the heads of some of the taller dancers. If their spirits flagged they were speedily renovated with a beverage concocted of whisky, water and maple sugar, and the 5th of July was well under way ere the jovial revelers returned to their homes by means of the same primitive conveyances which had borne them to the scene of festivity.

The first minister in the county, of whom there is any record, (aside from Seth Hart, whose business as superintendent of the Land Company was of a secular nature, ) was the Reverend Joseph Badger, a misstonary from Connecticut, who came along the lake shore about the middle of August, 1801. After lodging at Carter's he and a companion crossed the Cuyahoga in a canoe, (leading their horses which swam the stream, ) and then pursued the Indian path to Rocky river. There, while cutting brush, they were, as he says, saluted with a sing," which on investigation proved to be that of a "large, yellow rattlesnake," which they immediately dispatched.

In 1802, at the February term of the court of quarter-sessions for Trumbull county, it was ordered that the first town meeting of the township of Cleveland should be held at the house of James Kingsbury. It was accordingly so held, Rudolphus Edwards serving as chairman, and the following officers were elected: town clerk, Nathaniel Doan; trustees, Amos Spafford, Timothy Doan and W. W. Williams ; appraisers of houses, Samuel Hamilton and Elijah Gun; lister, Ebenezer Ayer ; supervisors of highways, Samuel Huntington, Nathaniel Doan and Samuel Hamilton; overseers of the poor, W. W. Williams and Samuel Huntington ; fence-viewers, Lorenzo Carter and Nathan Chapman; constables, Ezekiel Hawley and Richard Craw.

While Mr. Huntington's neighbors were thus electing him to the honorable, but not very important, offices of supervisor of highways and overseer of the poor, Gov. St. Clair had in January appointed him one of the justices ''of the quorum" for Trumbull county, and when the court of quarter sessions met,

This year an act was passed by Congress, providing for a convention to form a State constitution for.Ohio. In November an election was held for members of the convention, and Mr. Huntington was chosen a delegate for Trumbull county. In the division of parties Mr. Huntington ranked himself among the Republicans, or followers of Jefferson, in opposition to the Federalists, who believed in the principles of Washington and Hamilton. The former party ere long took the name of '' Democrat," which it has retained to the present time, while its own old name of "Republican" was adopted some twenty-five years ago by the new party formed to resist the aggressions of slavety. Mr. Huntington, however, was a moderate member of the Republican party, and the old Federalists, finding they had no chance of party success in Ohio, willingly contributed to the advancement of the ambitious Cleveiander, who thus mounted rapidly to high honors.

In July, 1802, Mr. Badger again visited this part of the Reserve. In his account of his former journey he makes no mention of preaching within the limits of Cuyahoga county, but this year he preached to the five families whom he found at Newburg, which name had already been given to the settlement around the mills on Mill creek. Hven there, the reverend gentleman could find no apparent piety. In Cleveland he states there were but two families, though we-cannot make out less than three. In Euclid, altogether, there were four or five families.

About this period the six townships, reserved as before stated for the general benefit of the Land Company, were put upon the market. The company was grievously disappointed at the results, for only very little land was sold and very low prices were obtained. "City lots" also fell from fifty dollars each in cash to twenty-five dollars on credit. Emigration, at least into this part of the Reserve, was very slow - slower than into almost any other newly opened portion of the United States since the Revolution.

The reason is evident. When the Connecticut Land Company made its great purchase, it was expected that large numbers of emigrants would go to New Connecticut by way of Luke Erie. But ere long the great tract of several millions of acres in western New York, known as the Holland Purchase, was bought from the Indians and opened to settlement at low rates. Consequently no one would go through that tract and two hundred miles beyond, unless he could obtain land at ruinously low prices. Add to that that in the early days this section had a peculiarly unfortunate reputation regarding fever and ague, and it is easy to see why settlement was extremely slow.

Many of the Land Company were heavy losers by the speculation, and even the most fortunate gained but little immediate benefit. Those, however, who were able to make their payments to the State of Connecti- eut, and their numerous assessments to the company for necessary improvements, and to keep their property twenty or thirty years, either secured good investments for their old age or left handsome estates to their children. In December, 1802, it being found impracticable to sell the six townships, they were divided by draft among the shareholders; thus disposing of all the Company's lands east of the Cuyahoga, except a few city lots.

After the adoption of the State constitution for Ohio, and the admission of the new State into the Union, Mr. Huntington, in the forepart of 1803, was elected a State senator for the county of Trumbull, and on the meeting of the first legislature he was made president of the senate. Even this rapid advancement was not all; on the second day of April, 1803, he was appointed a judge of the supreme court. His commission was the first one emanating from the governor of the State of Ohio.

Civilization steadily progressed; about this same time the first indictment against any one in the present Cuyahoga county was found by the grand jury of Trumbull county against our active friend, the landlord, constable and Indian-trader, Lorenzo Carter, for assault and battery on James Hamilton, of Newburg.

The same year the legislature divided the State into four military districts; Trumbull county falling into the fourth district, (under Major-General Elijah Wadsworth, of Canfield,) which also embraced Columbiana and Jefferson counties and included all that part of the State north of the south line of the latter county.

It was also in this year, as near as can be ascertained, (some say 1802,) that the first murder of which there is any record took place in the county; though, as both the parties were Indians, it is not improbable that some similar transaction occurred here long before any white man took the trouble to write about it. The crime sprang partly from superstition and partly from alcohol; the latter cause could not operate before the advent of the whites, but the former had an open field before as well as after that epoch..

Although, as before stated, there were but two or three families at Cleveland, yet there were several persons, without families, in active business there. David Bryant was running his distillery, Elisha Norton and David Clark were trading with the Indians, and a Scotchman named Alexander Campbell also built a small trading-house for the same purpose. This little cluster of cabins around the distillery, under the hill, formed a constant attraction for both Indians and squaws, especially at the time of their annual return from their hunting expeditions up the river. 'The squaws bought the gandiest calicos they could find and scarfs of the brightest hues, and were not averse while trading to exchangimg amorous glances with the traders, who were great men because they had so much calico. The warriors, more simple in their desires, bought whisky.

Among the Indians who frequented the little group of cabins was a Seneca, called by the whites '' Big Son," a brother of a chief named Stigwanish; the latter being a person of considerable influence, to whom was given the distinctive appellation of Seneca - he being considered the especial representative of that powerful Jroquois tribe, of whom only a few were settled in this section. Big Son's wife fell sick, and he employed as her physician a '' medicine-man " belonging to the Chippewa tribe, whose name was Mcnompsy - generally abbreviated by the whites to '"Nobsy." The squaw died and the disconsolate husband attributed her death to the medicine-man. Big Son made some threats, but he was generally considered a coward, even by his brother, Stigwanish, who had treated him with great coldness in consequence, and it was not supposed there would be any serious results.

Late one afternoon Menompsy was in Carter's tavern, when the subject of Big Son's threats was introduced. '' Me no fraid," said the medicine man; ''me charmed - no ball, no knife can kill me. See!" he exclaimed, throwing open his blanket and displaying several ugly scars on various parts of his body, 'see where Indian cut me; another Indjan shoot me, and me no dead man yet - me no dead man yet.*

Shortly afterwards he went down to one of the trading-houses at the foot of the hill. There he met Big Son, whose grief for his defunct spouse had been greatly stimulated by deep potations of Bryant's fiery whisky. A fierce altercation ensued, in which the "Seneca renewed his threat and Menompsy again repeated: '' Me no 'fraid - me no 'fraid."

They went out of the store together, and ascended the path which wound up the bluff, where Union lane had been Jaid out and now runs, It was then becoming quite dark. When partly up the hill Big Son held out his hand, as if to shake hands in token of reconciliation. 'The same instant he drew his knife and plunged it into the side of the unguarded medicine-man. The latter fell to the ground, while the Seneca speedily made his way to the encampment of his brethren, below Carter's.

An outcry was raised, and several white men came running to the sceene - among them Mr. Carter. The wounded man looked up in his face, saying: '' Me dead man now - yes, Nobsy broke now," and soon afterwards expired.

In a short time some Chippewas took up the body and carried it across the river. There a grand powwow was held over it, and yells'of revenge resounded through the forest hour after hour. The whites on the cast side were in extreme fear lest the savage Chippewas should attempt revenge on the small number of Senecas, in which case the settlers were liable to be assailed m the drunken rage of the two parties. The next morning the Chippewa warriors were seen

*This part of the account is derived from Mrs. Miles, before mentioned, who heard it from her uncle, Major Carter, immediately after the murder.

with their faces painted black in token of war, while it was not doubted that the Ottawas would stand by their friends against the arrogant /roquois.

Messrs. Carter and Spafford interposed, and after some negotiations the wrathful Chippewas were induced to forego their vengeance on very reasonable terms; to wit, in consideration of a gallon of whisky, which Bryant was to make for them that day. It was agrecd, however, that the Indians should remove their fallen brother to Rocky river before going through with the funeral ceremonies; as it was rightly supposed that an Indian "' wake" at Cleveland, under the existing circumstances, might be even more dangerous than a declaration of war.

For awhile the warriors waited patiently for the expected whisky. But Mr. Bryant, who happened to be busy at something else, with singular recklessness neglected to manufacture the promised peace-offering, and toward night the savages became more wrathy than before. They departed for their camp across the river, muttering threats of vengeance, which this time distinctly included the faithless whites. They were again followed by the principal men of the settlement, who solemnly promised that in view of their disappointment the amount of the peace-offering should be doubled, and they should certainly receive two gallons of whisky the next day. This time Bryant did not fail to perform, and the Chippewas obtained their consolation in time to remove the body to Rocky river the second day after the murder, accompanied by their friends, the O¢tawas. When the mournful but fantastic procession passed out of sight into the western woods, the whites breathed much more freely than they had during the previous forty-eight hours:

Meanwhile the murderer and his brother Senecas do not appear to have troubled themselyes much about the threats of the western Indians; apparently relying on the valor and warlike skill which pertained to them as a fraction of the all-conquering Jroguois. No one seems to have doubted that they would have defended Big Son against any attempt at vengeance on the part of the Chippewas. So far from being detested as a murderer by his countrymen, the lately despised coward had suddenly become a hero in their eyes. The treacherous method in which vengeance was taken did not affect the glory of the deed, and Stigwanish promptly received his brother into high consideration.

Early in 1804 we find the first movement made to organize the militia of this section; an event at that time of considerable importance. The "trainings" were holidays attended by the whole population, and to be a captain or major of militia added in no slight degree to the consequence of the fortunate official. On the sixth of April Major-General Wadsworth issued an order dividing his district into two brigade-districts, the second of which consisted of Trumbull county. This again was subdivided into two regimental districts, the first of which embvaced-all that part of the county north of the north line of township five in the several ranges; that is, north of North-

Cuyahoga county east of the river, together with Lake, Ashtabula, Geauga and part of Trumbull counties. It contained eight company districts, the fourth of which comprised the civil township of Cleveland; the boundaries whereof at that time have already been described. By the same order the companies were directed to hold elections on the second of May following, at which the members of each were to choose their own company officers.

Accordingly, on the appointed day the members of the fourth company, first regiment, second brigade, fourth division, Ohio State militia, assembled at the house of James Kingsbury for the purpose just mentioned. James Kingsbury, Nathaniel Doan and Benjamin. Gold were elected judges. There was a hot contest for the honors of the day, but the judges decided and certified that Lorenzo Carter was duly elected captain, Nathaniel Doan licutenant, and Samuel Jones ''ensign;" the latter officer corresponding to a second lieutenant at the present time.

A protest was, however, put on record by eight voters, including several leading citizens, requesting the major-general to set aside the election. They alleged that persons under eighteen, and others not liable to military duty, had voted for the successful men, as well as some who did not reside in the township. They also declared Carter ineligible, firstly because he had given spirituous LEquors to the voters, and secondly because he had frequently threatened to set the savages on the inhabitants. The first charge, considering the customs of the period, may be taken for granted without any evidence, but the latter is so preposterous, in regard to a man as popular as Carter evidently was, that it may safely be peremptorily rejected. Very likely, however, the loud-yoiced captain, who, in modern phrase, ''talked a good deal with his mouth," may have used some jesting expression in his convivial moments, which could be distorted into such a threat. The prayer of the protest was not granted by the major-general, and in the following August Captain Carter was elected major of the regiment; thus reeciving the title by which he was known the remainder of his life.

In this year the sloop 'Cuyahoga Packet," of twenty tons, was built at the mouth of Chagrin river; being the first sail vessel erected in this part of the country, though built just outside the present limits of the county. The other vessels of American build at this time running on the lake were the '* Washington," of sixty tons, the ''IIarlequin," the 'Good Intent,"

The most important event of the year 1805 was the making of a treaty, extinguishing the Indian right of occupancy to that part of the Reserve west of the Cuyahoga river. The first council was agreed to be the western Indians but by a deputation from the Six Nations, who still kept up a kind of shadowy claim to the lands, even west of the Cuyahoga, over which they had once marched as conquerors.

Accordingly in June thirty Zroqwois chiefs, accompanied by their interpreter, Jasper Parrish, came to Cleveland to attend the council. The commissioner for the United States, under whose auspices the whole business was conducted, was Colonel Charles Jewett, a large, powerful man, to whom the Indians looked up with the respect they seldom refuse to great physical strength. The representatives of the Connecticut Land Company were General Henry Champion, the first president of the company, Oliver Phelps, and Gideon Granger, postmaster-general; while the proprietors of the Fire Lands were reprensented by Roger A. Sherman, a distinguished Connecticut lawyer, J. Mills and William Dean.

For some unknown reason, but probably to enhance the price of their lands by appearing to hold back, the western Indians neglected to come to Cleveland according to their previous agreement. After wuaiting a few days, the commissioners sought out the chiefs of the Chippewas and Oltawas, who, with a show of reluctance, finally agreed to meet in council with the whites, at what was called Ogontz' Place, now Sandusky City. The usual ceremonies and speech-making were there gone through with, resulting at length, on the 4th of July, 1805, in the cession by all the Indians of their right to that part of the Reserve west of the Cuyahoga, including the Fire Lands. It was said, at the time, that after the signing of the treaty many of the warriors wept at the thought that they must now yield up their ancient hunting-grounds. <A barrel of whisky was however dealt out to them, which doubtless soon caused their tears to disappear.

By the treaty, the proprietors of the Fire Lands and the Connecticut Land Company jointly agreed to pay the Indians seven thousand dollars in cash, and twelve thousand dollars more in six equal annual payments. 'The United States government also agreed to pay the interest on thirteen thousand seven hundred dollars forever, to the Wyandots, the Munsees, and to those Senecas actually occupying the land. The Chippewas and Ot/awas appear to have had no share in the latter payment.

- William Dean, one of the commissioners, reported the expense of the treaty, aside from the payments, to be about five thousand dollars. This included rum, tobacco, bread, meat, presents, ''expenses of seraglio," and commissions of agents and contractors. Meanwhile the seven thousand dollars in silver, provided by the proprietors to make the first payment on the land, came through from Pittsburg in a wagon, by way of Warren to Cleveland, under the escort of seven resolute men, among whom was Major Carter. At Cleveland it was shipped on boats, and taken to Sandusky. It arrived there the day the treaty was signed, and the next day, together with an ample

During this year the first post-office in the county wus established at Cleveland, and on the 22nd of October Elisha Norton was appointed postmaster.

The same year the collection-district of Erie was established; embracing the whole southern shore of Lake Erie, with headquarters at Erie, Pennsylvania. Previous to this time there has been no collection of revenues along the lake; the amount of trade being too smull to justify the expense. The mouth of the Cuyahoga was made a port of entry at the same time, to be under the charge of an assistant collector. John Walworth, of Painesville, was appointed to that office, and soon after removed to Cleveland.

Another 'event of the year, showing the gradual spread of the population into the wilderness, was the first settlement in survey township number eight, in range ten, now the civil township of Mayfield.

On the 20th of May, 1805, another military election was held for the same company before mentioned, which, however, was now designated as the seventh company of the second battalion; the regiment, brigade and division remaining as before. Nathaniel Doan was elected captain in place of Carter, promoted to major of the battallion. Samuel Jones was chosen 'euftenant" (as the record says) and Sylvanus Burk (of Kuclid) ensign. The judges were Major Carter, W. W. Williams and William Erwin. The whole number of votes present was thirty, twenty-nine of whom voted for Doan and Jones; each of the worthy candidates declining to vote for himself. Sylvanus Burk, however, received but twenty-four votes; the other six going to Ezekiel Hawley, or Holley, as the name was sometimes spelled.

As the list of voters at this election comprised nearly all the males between eighteen and forty-five then in the county, we transcribe it from Col. Whittlesey's work, although the orthography of some of the names is a little doubtful. It is as follows: Jack F. Mason, David Kellogg, Ebenezer Charter, Jacob Coleman, Benjamin Warder, Daniel Parker, Christofer Gun, Wiliam Coleman, John Doan, Thomas Thomas, Henry Norton, Harry Gun, Jonathan Hubbard, Mason Clerk, Nathan Chapman, Nehemiah Dille, Timothy Doan, Seth Doan, Steven Gilbert, Samuel Hurst, Richard Blin, Epetary Rogers, Samuel Jones, Nathaniel Doan, William Erwin, Benjamin Wood, Sylvanus Burk, Samuel Dille, Meage Deta, Charles Prard. :

On the 21st of December, of this year, the county of Geauga was formed from Trumbull by act of the legislature. It embraced all that part of the present Cuyahoga county east of the river, and all west as far as the west line of range fourteen; that is, the west line of Rockport, Middleburg and Strongsville. The present townships of Dover and Olmstead still remained nominally attached to Trumbull county. The act did not go into operation until March, 1806.

Chardon, where it is still located. 'This was more convenient than Warren, but was still very unsatisfactory to the people near the mouth of the Cuyahoga, who were patiently expecting a great city to grow up at that point, and thought it inconsistent with the general fitness of things that they should journey nearly thirty miles, to an interior village, to settle their quarrels or record their deeds. So they made strenuous efforts to promote the organization of a county extending on both sides of the Cuyahoga, the natural focus of which should be near the mouth of that stream.

Soon after the cession by the Indians of that part of the Reserve west of the Cuyahoga, Messrs. Abram Tappen and Aaron Sessions obtained a contract for surveying it into townships. 'They and their twelve employees met at Cleveland on the 15th day of May, 1806, to commence their work. The United States government hud directed Seth Pease, then assistant postmaster-general, to survey the south line of the Reserve. 'Tappen and Sessions waited several days for him to come to Cleveland, but as he did not doso they proceeded without him; running their meridians so far south, that Pease's line would be sure to cross them. Pease did not begin his work until the 24th of June, when the meridians were nearly finished.

The same system was pursued on the west side as on the east; the townships being laid off five miles syuare, the best being taken as a standard, and some of the others being divided and added to the remainder to bring them up to that standard. An equalizing committee, on behalf of the proprietors, went with

It was while this survey was going on that the celebrated total eclipse of June 16, 1806, occurred; the day becoming in the forest as dark as night itself, and giving the Indians cause to think they had offended the Great Spirit by selling the homes of their fathers to the intruding white men.

Amos Spafford, of Cleveland, and Almon Ruggles, of Huron, were authorized by the Connecticut Land Company and the proprietors of the Fire Lands to run the line between their respective tracts. This being done, there remained, as near as could be ascertained, eight hundred and twenty-nine thousand acres west of the Cuyahoga for the Connecticut Land Company. ;

Early in the spring of this year, 1806, an event occurred which, though affectirg but a few persons, is so typical of the hardships of the pioneer days, when those who met with misfortune often failed of rescue on account of the sparseness of the population, that we have thought best to repeat it in the general history of the county. A man named Hunter, his wife and child, a colored man named Ben, and a small colored boy, who were moving to Cleveland from the settlements in Michigan in a small boat, were surprised on the lake by a heavy gale. hey were driven ashore a short distance east of Rocky xiver. Unable to ascend the high, perpendicular bluff, they all climbed up the rocks as far as they could, and there they waited with the cold waters of the lake beating continuously over them, hoping and praying that some chance traveler on the bluff above them might hear their cries, or some passing vessel might afford them relief. But no travcler came through the darksome forest, and, as the storm increased, all vessels remained within the protection of the harbors.

They were wrecked on Friday. On Saturday the storm grew more violent, and the two children perished from the chilling effect of the waters which washed over them. On Sunday Mrs. Hunter succumbed to the same angry element and expired. On Monday her husband, exhausted by cold and hunger, also dicd, leaving the colored man, Ben, clinging alone to the wreck and breasting the storm, which, however, was now abating. Still another night he remained in his terrible position. On 'Tuesday some French traders, who had started ina boat from Cleveland for Detroit, saw poor Ben on his dismal perch, took him on board, turned about and carried him back to Cleveland. They left him at the tavern of Major Carter, who treated him with the generosity he usually bestowed on outcasts of "every description. Ben's toes were frozen so that they came off, and the terrible sufferings he had undergone brought on the rheumatism, which twisted his limbs out of shape, so that he was hardly able to crawl around throughout the whole of the sugceeding season. In the special history of Cleveland will be found an account of the after adventures of Major Carter, poor Ben and his Kentucky master.

Another sad adventure of the year 1806 was the loss of the schooner '' Washington," though only slightly connected with this county. It received one of the first clearances from the new port at the mouth of the Cuyahoga, sailed out upon the lake and was never heard of more.