Montgomery County, Ohio - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 4 of those read), 1882

Wayne's Treaty - Squatters - Purchase of Lands at Mouth oe Mad River- Surveying Parties - Dayton Platted - Drawing Lots - Formation of Cor, ony- First Settlers - Their Journey Through the Woods - Arrival b: River - Biographical Sketches - Topographical - Dayton Township - Taj Assessment, 1798 - Township Affairs to 1803 - Ohio Becomes a State - The Name - State Boundaries - Montgomery County - General Richari Montgomery - The Original Townships - Enumeration.

Indian chieftains of the tribes, in council, to make treaties that woul< insure permanent peace. Gen. Wayne and his aids were seven months in ai ranging the treaties. July 3, 1795, they were finally agreed to, and were signet upon the 3d of August, thus securing to the United States, clear titles to th Ohio Valley lands, from the source of the Ohio River to the mouth of the Wa bash. The news of the completion of the treaty assured to the pioneers perfec safety in opening settlements.

People from New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentuckj were wild with impatience at the delay in opening the land offices; hundred were pushing into the woods, locating "tomahawk rights," and "squattej claims." August 20, the following named gentlemen, Arthur St. Clair, Goi ernor of the Territory; Jonathan Dayton, then a citizen of New Jersey, am;, afterward a United States Senator from that State; Gen. James Wilkinson, o Wayne's army; and Col. Israel Ludlow, from Morris County, New Jersey, coij tracted with Judge Symmes for the purchase and settlement of the seventh an eighth ranges, between Mad River and the Little Miami.

On Monday, September 21, two parties of surveyors left Cincinnati to ru the bounderies of the purchase, and to locate a road. Daniel C. Cooper, c Long Hill, N. J., had charge of one party; John Dunlap had the other. The camped the first night at Voorhees' Station, about nine miles out of Cincinnati The next morning they separated, Cooper and his party to locate and mark, road, partially cutting out the underbrush from Fort Hamilton, up the east ban of the Miami River to the mouth of Mad River. On this road were afterwaij built the towns of Middletown, Franklin and Miamisburg. Capt. John Dunk with his party were to run the boundaries of the seventh and eighth ranges b| tween the Miami Rivers. They followed Gen. Harmar's old trail for ten mile to Turtle Creek, where they left a Mr. Bedell, who had come along to settj, about six miles west of the present site of Lebanon, and about a mile south <j( where the Shaker village now is. He at once erected a block-house, known < Bedell's Station. It was at that time the frontier settlement of the Mian1 Valley.

The night of the 23d, Capt. Dunlap reached the line that he had located 1788, between the third and fourth ranges of townships. The 24th and 25t he run north eighteen miles, to the south line of the seventh range, and the west to the Miami River, where they camped for the night. Their pack-horsj| were stolen by the Indians that night, and failing to recover them the next dajj the party were compelled, on the 27th, to carry their luggage to the mouth < the Mad River. Here a small party of Indians were in camp about thirty rot jove the mouth of the river. Both parties were suspicious, but soon a better seling prevailed, the whites exchanging flour, salt and tobacco, for jerked veni- Dn. One of the Indians bantering Benjamin Yan Cleve for a dicker, he gave ie Indian a large knife, scabbard and belt, for one of less value with a worsted pit, getting a deer skin to boot.

Cooper and his party came into camp before night, starting back the next leaning to make some changes along the road. Dunlap's party went down the ig Miami to the south boundary of the seventh range, then turned east through he timber nine miles, to Big Beaver Creek, and north, October 1, to Muddy am, a tributary of Mad River. Jonathan Mercer, the pack-horse man, and William Gahagan, the hunter, were sent to the mouth of the creek to make imp and cook supper. When the party came up in the evening, they found lat the Indians had been ahead of them, stealing nearly all the provisions and meatening the lives of the cooks. This party, in which were Capt. John iunlap, Benjamin Yan Cleve, William Gahagan, David Lowry, Jonathan Donel, Jonathan Mercer, and others, remained there in camp for several days, and h the 4th of the month, came down to the mouth of the Mad River, stopping ily to eat the last of the meat, then pushing on down Cooper's road to Hole's reek, where they camped for the night, marching next day thirty- four miles, ) Cunningham's Station, where they ate a hearty supper of mush and milk and lent in to Cincinnati on the 6th.

A party of Kentuckians had accompanied Cooper to view the country. On llonday, the 28th, they were up near the mouth of the Stillwater. Thick vines id high weeds preventing their seeing the land, they gave it up as a bad job, ad returned to Kentucky.

On the 1st of November, the surveyors came again to Mad River to lay out lie town, which was done by Israel Ludlow, on Wednesday, November 4, 1795. he town was called Dayton, for Mr. Dayton, of New Jersey, one of the propri- ;ors. With the party were a number who came to see the country, and locate, it proved favorable. The next day, after the town was laid out, here on the jot, those present for themselves, and for others who desired to settle with the )lony, drew lots for location, each man to have one in-lot and one out-lot as iatted, with the privilege of purchasing 160 acres of land at the rate of a rench crown per acre.

During the winter, a colony of forty-six men was formed at Cincinnati, to pttli at Dayton and in the vicinity. Several of the more venturesome started at ace; some of them stopped at the Big Prairie, near Middletown; two on Clear 'reek; several families at Hole's Creek, where the following spring they built ie stockade that was afterward known as Hole's Station. In the winter, or arly in the spring, Daaid Lowry and Jonathan Donnel located on land that ley had selected up Mad River at the old Piqua town; one man ventured up j) the forks of Mad River, and another went over to Honey Creek. Several ad come up to the mouth of Mad River, prospecting, then returned for their unilies.

Although forty -six were on the list, at the time of starting, but nineteen fullled their engagements. Their names were Samuel Thompson, Benjamin Yan leve, William Van Cleve, WTilliam Gahagan, James McClure, John McClure, Geoewcom, William Newcom, Abraham Grassmire, John Davis, William Hamer, oloraon Hamer, Thomas Hamer, Solomon Goss, Thomas Davis, John Dorough, Glliam Chenoweth, James Morris and Daniel Ferrell. They left Cincinnati i March, 1796, in three parties. William Hamer, with a party, started first, jut were delayed on the way. George Newcom, with the largest party of the jiree, started overland, the same day that Samuel Thompson left by boat with is party.

With Hamer were his wife, Mary, two sons, Solomon and Thomas, four daughters, Nancy, Elizabeth, Sarah and Polly, and Jonathan and Edward Mer cer. Mr. Hamer owned a pair of horses and a wagon, and in this way emigrated to his new home. It was a long, cold journey through the woods, up the narrow trace, only partially exit out by Cooper the preceding fall. With New com were his wife and his brother, William; Thomas Davis and family: "William Chenoweth and family; William Van Cleve, James Morris, John Dorough and family; Daniel Ferrell and family; Solomon Goss and family; John Davis and Abraham Grassmire.

With Thompson were his wife, Catharine, their daughter, Sarah, then two years old, their baby, Matthew, then three months old, and Mrs. Thompson's daughter, Mary Van Cleve, then nine years old; Benjamin Van Cleve; the widow McClure, her two sons, James and John, and two daughters, Kate and Ann, and William Gahagan. William Van Cleve was to drive Mr. Thompson's cow overland, in the herd of cattle belonging to the other party.

These two larger parties, with Newcom and Thompson as leaders, started! from Cincinnati on Monday, March 21, 1796. Thompson's party came in ai large pirogue, down the Ohio River to the Miami, and up that stream to Day | ton. The pirogue was a long narrow boat, sharp at bow and stern, and of light draft; running boards extended the length of the boat on each side for the man who poled the boat to walk on. She was decked to protect the women and children, household goods, clothing, provisions, tools, etc. The trip from Cincinnati to the Miami was made in one day, the boat landing at the bend above the mouth} of the Miami to land the women, who walked across the peninsula, boarding the boat after she came into the Miami. A short distance above they camped! for the night, resuming the voyage early in the morning, making eight or ten miles each day.

The second night on the Miami, they stopped seventeen miles from the} Ohio River, at Dunlap's Station. One man would steer the boat as she was! propelled up stream with poles. In passing over rapids, or rounding a point, where the current was swift, a long line was fastened to the boat, the other end! being fastened up stream to a tree. Then the crew would haul away on the line, thus slowly working the boat against the current to where the line wa<| made fast. This plan of stemming the rapids was called "cordelling."

From Dunlap's they made Hamilton in one day, then were a week on the river from there to Dayton, camping on the river bank at night, landing at the}! head of St. Clair street Friday, April 1, 1796. The Right of wild geese to the north that spring was enormous. The boat party had them to eat every day. with eggs gathered from the nests of the forest.

The large party of settlers, who, the day the boat left, started to come over land, were about two weeks on the way. All their stores and property wen! carried on pack-horses, rigged out with pack-saddles, large creels on each side, in which to pack the stuff. These creels or crates were made of hickory withes and in them were stored bedding, clothing, pots, skillets, stores and provisions)} plow- irons, and other tools and implements. The children, too small to walk were fastened in the creels so that their heads only appeared above:

Hardy as were the pioneers, from a long life in the wilderness, they fouiv the journey of sixty miles over an unbroken road, long and weary; while som« would lead the horses, others drove the cattle. With the trusty rifle, game it plenty was shot in the forests, and with the hatchet and ax they made camp a night, and thus they followed the narrow trace.

Cows and younger cattle were driven along, the milk was used morning anc evening, and carried in canteens for use during the day. The greatest difficult} was met in crossing the creeks, not only in getting the women and children zer, but in keeping the freight from getting wet. The road, as far as Fort amilton, had been used so much by the army that it was comparatively in a )0d condition, so that the trials of the journey did not really begin until they id started into the narrow rough trace that led to Dayton. Small streams were ossed by felling timbers over them for foot bridges. To cross the larger such as Dick's Creek, Clear Creek and Hole's Creek, it was necessary to instruct rafts to carry over men, women, children and the freight, while horses id cattle had to swim. The nights were cold. It had rained hard with a little >it of snow. The hastily- constructed camps afforded but little protection. A oot would be cleared of wet leaves; for the fire, if possible, dry leaves and sticks ere gathered from under logs or out of hollow trees, and the fire kindled by rubng together pieces of punk or rotten wood. For a bed, blankets were spread i a lot of brush and old bushes ; thus through such hardships did mothers and fctle ones bear up cheerfully, sleeping in the open air, getting up cold and unfreshed for an early start into another day of fatigue. They were detained >r awhile at the Big Prairie, just below where Middletown now is, then halted Hole's Creek, arriving here within a week after the other parties. Jonathan id Edward Mercer, with all of their worldly goods in the paniers of a single ick-horse, kept on up Mad River eight miles, and located Mercer's Station on nd that is now in Bath Township, Greene County. They were the first two hites to settle in the territory now within the boundaries of that county, heir's was an exposed position, and twice within the next two years, the ivages forced the abandonment of the station. Others settled a little higher |p, at Cribb's Station, in the forks of Mad River. All of the settlements were moyed by the Indians stealing horses and pilfering generally.