Summit County, Ohio - Chapter 9, 1881 (part 2 of 2)

The remaining settlement in the southwestern parts of Ohio, made immediately after the treaty - fall of 1795 or year of 1796 - was in what is now Madison County, about a mile north of where the village of Amity now stands, on une banks of the Big Darby. This stream received its name from the Indians, from a Wyandot chief, named Darby, who for a long time resided upon it, near the Union County line. In the fall of 1795, Benjamin Springer came from Kentucky and selected some land on the banks of the Big Darby, cleared the ground, built a cabin, and returned for his family. The next spring, he brought them out, and began his life here. The same summer he was joined by William Lapin, Joshua and James Ewing and one or two others. :

When Springer came, he found a white man named Jonathan Alder, who for fifteen years had been a captive among the Indians, and who could not speak a word of English, living with an Indian woman on the banks of Big Darby. He had been exchanged at Wayne's treaty, and, neglecting to profit by the treaty, was still living in the Indian style. When the whites became numerous about him his desire to find his relatives, and adopt the ways of the whites, led him to discard his squaw - giving her an unusual allowance - learn the English language, engage in agricultural pursuits. and become again civilized. Fortunately, he could remem- | ber enough of the names of some of his parents' | neighbors, so that the identity of his relatives and - friends was easily established, and Alder became a | most useful citizen. He was very influential with the Indians, and induced many of them to remain ~ neutral during the warof 1812. It is stated that | in 1800, Mr. Ewing brought four sheep into the community. They were strange animals tothe Indians. | One day when an Indian hunter and his dog were passing, the latter caught a sheep, and was shot by Mr. Ewing. The Indian would have shot Ewing in retaliation, had not Alder, who was fortunately | present, with much difficulty prevailed upon him to refrain.

While the southern and southwestern parts of the State were filling with settlers, assured of safety by Wayne's victories, the northern and eastern parts became likewise the theater of activities. Ever since the French had explored the southern shores of the lake, and English traders had carried goods thither, it was expected one day to be a valuable part of the West. It will be remembered that Connecticut had ceded a large tract of land to the General Government, and as soon as | the cession was confirmed, and land titles became assured, settlers flocked thither. Even before that time, hardy adventurers had explored some of the country, and pronounced it a "goodly land," ready for the hand of enterprise.

The first settlement in the Western Reserve, | and, indeed, in the northern part of the State, was made at the mouth of Conneaut* Creek, in Ashtabula County, on the 4th of July, 1796. That day, the first surveying party landed at the mouth | of this creek, and, on its eastern bank, near the | lake shore, in tin cups, pledged - as they drank the limpid waters of the lake - their country's welfare, with the ordnance accompaniment of two or three | fowling-pieces, discharging the required national | salute.

The whole party, on this occasion, numbered | fifty-two persons, of whom two were females (Mrs. Sales and Mrs. Gunn) and a child, and all deserve | a lasting place in the history of the State.

The next day, they began the erection of a large | log building on the sandy beach on the east side ot the stream. When done, it was named " Stow Castle," atter one of the party. It was the dwell- | ing, storehouse and general habitation of all the : pioncers. The party made this their headquarters part of the summer, and continued busily enzaged in the survey of the Reserve. James | Kingsbury, afterward Judge, arrived soon after | the party began work, and, with his family, was | the first to remain here during the winter follow- | ing, the rest returning to the East. or going south- | ward. Through the winter, Mr. Kinesbury's | fumily suffered greatly for provisions, so much so, that. during the absence of the head of the family | in New York for provisions, one child. born in his ' absence, died, and the mother, reduced by her sufterings and solitude. was only saved by the timely arrival of the husband and father with a sack of flour he had carried, many weary miles, on his back. He remained here but a short time, re- | moving to Cleveland, which was laid out that same | fall. In the spring of 1798, Alexander Harper, William McFarland and Ezra Gregory, with their families, started trom Harpersfield, Delaware Co., N. Y., and arrived the last of June, at their new homes in the Far West. The whole population on the Reserve then amounted to less than one hundred and fifty persons. These were at Cleveland, Youngstownand at Mentor. During the summer, three families came to Burton, and Judge Hudson settled at Hudson. All these pioneers suffered severely for food, and from the fever induced by - chills. It took several years to become acclimated. Sometimes the entire neighborhood would be down, and only one or two, who could wait on the rest "between chills," were able to do anything. Time and courage overcame, finally.

It was not until 1798, that a permanent settlement was made at the mouth of Conneaut Creek. | Those who came there in 1796 went on with their summer. Judge Kingsbury could not remain at Conneaut, and went nearer the settlements made about the Cuyahoga. Inthespring of 1798, Thomas Montgomery and Aaron Wright settled here and remained. Up the stream they found some thirty Indian cabins, or huts, in a good state of preservation, which they occupied until they could erect their own. Soon after, they were joined by others,

The site of the present town of Austinburg in Ashtabula County was settled in the year 1799, by two families from Connecticut, who were induced to come thither, by Judge Austin. The Judge preceded them a short time, driving, in company with a hired man, some cattle about one hundred and fifty miles through the woods, following an old Indian trail, while the rest of the party came in a boat across the lake. When they arrived, there were a few families at Harpersburg ; one or two families at Windsor, twenty miles southwest; also a few families at Elk Creek, forty miles northeast, and at Vernon, the same distance southeast. All these were in a destitute condition for provisions. In 1800, another family moved In the spring of 1801, seyeral families came from the same place. Part came by land, and part by water. During that season, wheat was carried to an old mill on Elk Creek, forty miles away. and in some instances, half was given for carrying it to mill and returning it in flour.

This was the first church on the Reserve, and was founded by Rey. Joseph Badger, the first missionary there. It is a fact worthy of note, that in 1802, Mr. Badger moved his family from Buffalo to this town, in the first wagon that ever came from that place to the Reserve. In 1803, noted

The surveying party which landed at the mouth of Conneaut Creek, July +, 1796, soon completed their labors in this part of the Reserve, and extended them westward. By the first of September, they had explored the !ake coast as far west as the outlet of the Cuyahoga* River, then considered by all an important Western place, and one destined to be a great commercial mart. Time has verified the prophecies, as now the city of Cleveland covers the site.

As early as 1755, the mouth of the Cuyahoga River was laid down on the maps, and the French had a station here. It was also considered an im- | portant post during the war of the Revolution, | and later, of 1812. The British, who, after the | Revolution, refused to abandon the lake country , west of the Cuyahoga, occupied its shores until | 1790. Their traders had a house in Ohio City, north of the Detroit road, on the point of the hill near the river, when the surveyors arrived in 1796. Washington, Jefferson, and all statesmen | of that day, regarded the outlet of the Cuyahoga : as an important place, and hence the early at- ; tempt of the surveyors to reach and lay out a town here.

he lived and died. By the 18th of Uctober, the surveyors had completed the survey and left the | place, leaving only Job V. Stiles and tamily, and Edward Paine, who were the only persons that | passed the succeeding winter in this place. Their | residence was a log cabin that stuod on a spot of : ground long afterward occupied by the Commercial Bank. Their nearest neighbors were at Conne- | aut, where Judge Kingsbury lived; at Fort McIntosh, on the south or east, at the mouth of | Big Beaver, and at the mouth of the river Raisin, | on the west. "

The next season, the surveying party came again to Cleveland, which they made their headquarters. | Karly in the spring, Judge Kingsbury came over from Conneaut, bringing with him Elijah Gunn, | who had a short time before joined him. Soon | after, Maj. Lorenzo Carter and Ezekiel Hawley | came with their families. These were about all | who are known to have settled in this place that | summer. The next year, 1798, Rodolphus Ed- | wards and Nathaniel Mane and their families set- | tled in Cleveland. Mr. Doane had been ninety- : two days on his journey from Chatham, Conn. In | | the latter part of the summer and fall, nearly every person in the settlement was down with the bilious fever or with the ague.

any one having only the ague was deemed quite fortunate. Much suffering for proper food and medicines followed. The only way the Doane family was supplied for two months or more, was through the exertions of this boy, who went daily, after having had one attack of the chills, to Judge Kingsbury's in Newburg - five miles away, where the Judgenow lived - got a peck of corn, mashed it in a hand-mill, waited until a second attack of the chills passed over, and then returned. At one time, for several days, he was too ill to make the trip, during which turnips comprised the chief article | of diet. Fortunately, Maj. Carter. having only the ague, was enabled with his trusty rifleand dogs | to procure an abundance of venison and other wild | game, His family, being somewhat acclimated, | suffered less than many others. Their situation can | " Destitute ofa physician. |

In November, four men, who had so far recoy- | ered as to have ague attacks no oftener than once | in two or three days, started in the only boat for Walnut Creek, Penn., to obtain a winter's supply of flour. When below Euclid Creek. a storm drove them ashore, broke their boat, and compelled | their return. During the winter and summer tul- | lowing, the settlers had no flour, except that | eround in hand and coffee mills, which was, how- | ever, considered very good. Not all had even that. During the summer, the Connecticut Land Com- shore, on the Pennsylvania State line, and extended In January, 1799, Mr. Doane moved to Doane's Corners, leaving only Maj. Carter's family in Cleveland, all the rest leaving as soon as they were well enough. For fifteen months, the Major and his family were the only white persons left on the town site. During the spring, Wheeler W. Williams and Maj. Wyatt built the first grist-mill on the Reserve, on the site of Newburg. It was looked upon as a very valuable accession to the neighborhood. Prior to this, each fam- ter. The runner, or upper, was turned by hand, by a pole set in the top of it, near the outer edge. The upper end of the pole was inserted into a hole in a board fastened above to the joists, immediately over the hole in the verge of the runner. One person fed the corn into the eye - a hole in the center of the runner - while another turned. It was very hard work to grind, and the operators alternately exchanged places."

Carters log cabin, on the hill-side. John and Benjamin Wood, and R. H. Blinn were managers; and Maj. Samuel Jones, musician and master of ceremonies. The company numbered aboutthirty,

Col. Hillman generally had charge of all these caravans, consisting sometimes of ninety horses and ten men. They commonly crossed the Big Beaver four miles below the mouth of the Shenango, thence up the left bank of the Mahoning - called by the Indians " Mahoni" or " Mahonick." signifying the "lick" or "at the lick " - crossing it about three miles below the site of Youngstown, thence by way of the Salt Springs, over the sites of Milton and Ravenna, crossing the Cuyahoga at the mouth of Breakneck and again at the mouth of Tinker's Creek, thence down the river to its mouth, where they had a log hut in which to store their goods. This hut was there when the surveyors came, but at the time unoccupied. At the mouth of Tinker's Creek were a few log huts built by Moravian Missionaries. These were used only one year, as the Indians had gone to the Tuscarawas River. These and three or four cabins at the Salt Springs were the only buildings erected by the whites prior to 1796, in Northeastern Ohio.

and Aehts. abundant meat. The settlement was constantly augmented by new arrivals, so that, by 1814, Cleveland was incorporated as a town, and, in 1836, as acity. Its harbor is one of the best on the lakes, and hence the merchandise of the lakes has always been attracted thither. Like Cincinnati and Chillicothe, it became the nucleus of settlements in this part of the State, and now is the largest city in Northern Ohio.

therein. was made on the site of Youngstown, Mahoning County, by a Mr. Young, afterward a Judge, in the summer of 1796. During this summer, before the settlements at Cuyahoga and Conneaut were made, Mr. Young and Mr. Wilcott, proprietors of a township of land in Northeastern Ohio, came to their possessions and began the survey of their land. Just when they came is not known. They were found here by Col. James Hillman, then a trader in the employ of Duncan & Wilson, of Pittsburgh, "who had been forwarding goods tenants were dispossessed in 1785 by Gen. Harmar. A short time after, one or two white men were killed by the Indians here. In 1788, Col. Hillman settled at Beavertown, where Duncan & Wilson had a store for the purpose of trading with the Indians. He went back to Pittsburgh soon after, however, owing to the Indian war, and remained there till its close, continuing in his bustness whenever opportunity offered. In 1796, when returning from one of his trading expeditions alone in his canoe down the Mahoning River, he discovered a smoke on the bank near the present town of Youngstown, and on going to the spot found Mr. Young and Mr. Wolcott, as before mentioned. A part of Col. Hillman's cargo consisted of whisky, a gallon or so of which he still had. The price of " fire-water" then was $1 per quart in the currency of the country, a deerskin being legal tender for $1, and a doeskin for 50 cents. Mr. Young proposed purchasing a quart, and having a frolic on its contents during the evening, and insisted on paying Hillman his customary price. Hillman urged that inasmuch as they were strangers in the country, civility required him to furnish the means for the entertainment. Young, however, insisted, and taking the deerskin used for his bed - the only one he had - frolic was the result. "Hillman remained a few days, when they accompanied him to Beaver Town to celebrate the 4th, and then all returned, and Hillman erected a cabin on the site of Youngstown. It is not certain that they remained here at this time, and hence the priority of actual settlement is generally conceded to Conneaut and Cleveland. The next year, in the fall, a Mr. Brown and one other person came to the banks of the Mahoning and made a permanent settlement. The same season Uriah Holmes and Titus Hayes came to the same locality, and before winter quite a settlement was to be seen here. It proceeded quite prosperously until the wanton murder of two Indians occurred, which, ' for a time, greatly excited the whites, lest the Indians should retaliate. Through the efforts of | Col. Hillman, who had great influence with the natives, they agreed to let the murderers stand a trial. They were acquitted upon some technicality.

i The trial, however, pacified the Indians, and no : trouble came from the unwarranted and unfortunate circumstance, and no check in the emigration or prosperity of the colony occurred.''*

As soon as an effective settlement had been established at Youngstown, others were made in the surrounding country. One of these was begun by William Fenton in 1798, on the site of the present town of Warren, in Trumbull County. He remained here alone one year, when he was joined by Capt. Ephraim Quimby. By the last of September, the next year, the colony had increased to sixteen, and from that date on continued prosperously. Once or twice they stood in fear of the Indians, as the result of quarrels induced by whisky. Sagacious persons generally saved any serious outbreak and pacified the natives. Mr. Badger, the first missionary on the Reserve, came to the settlement here and on the Mahoning, as soon as each was made, and, by his earnest labors, succeeded in furming churches and schools at an early day. He was one of the most efficient men on the Reserve, and throughout his long and busy life, was well known and greatly respected. He died in 1846, aged eighty-nine years.

The settlements given are about all that were made before the close of 1797. In following the narrative of these settlements, attention is paid to the chronological order, as far as this can be done. Like those settlements already made, many which

Turning again to the southern portion of Ohio, the Scioto, Muskingum and Miami Valleys come prominently into notice. Throughout the entire Eastern States they were still attracting attention, and an increased emigration, busily occupying their verdant fields, was the result. All about Chillicothe was now well settled, and, up the banks of that stream, prospectors were selecting sites for their future homes.

In 1797, Robert Armstrong, George Skidmore, Lucas Sullivant, William Domigan, James Marshall, John Dill, Jacob Grubb, Jacob Overdier, Arthur O'Hara, John Brickell, Col. Culbertson. the Deardorfs, McElvains, Selles and others, came to what is now Franklin County, and, in August, Mr. Sullivant and some others laid out the town of Franklinton, on the west bank of the Scioto, opposite the siteof Columbus. The country about this locality had long been the residence of the Wyandots, who had a large town on the city's site, and | cultivated extensive fields of corn on the river bot- | toms. The locality had been visited by the whites as early as 1780, in some of their expeditions, and the fertility of the land noticed. Assoonas peace | was assured, the whites came and began a settle- | ment, as has been noted. Soon after Franklinton was established, a Mr. Springer and his son-in-law, Osborn, settled on the Big Darby, and, inthe sum- | mer of 1798, a scattering settlement was made on | Alum Creek. About the same time settlers came to the mouth of the Gahannah, and along other water-courses. Franklinton was the point to which emigrants came, and from which they always made their permanent location. For several years there was no mill, nor any such commodity, nearer than Chillicothe. A hand-mill was constructed in Franklinton, which was commonly used, unless the settlers made a trip to Chillicothe in a canoe. Next, a horse-mill was tried; but not till 18035, when Col. Kilbourne built a mill at Worthington, settled in 1803, could any efficient grinding be done. In 1789,asmall store was openedin Franklinton, by James Scott, but, for seven or eight years, Chillicothe 'was the nearest post office. Often, when the neighbors wanted mail, one of their number was furnished money to pay the postage on any letters that might be waiting, and sent for the mail. At first, as in all new localities, a great deal of sickness, fever and ague, prevailed.

The township of Sharon in this county has a | history similar to that of Granville Township in | Licking County. It was settled by a "Scioto Company," formed in Granby, Conn., in the winter of 1801-02, consisting at first of eight associates. They drew up articles of association, among which was one limiting their number to forty, each of | whom must be unanimously chosen by ballot, a | single negative beingsufficient to prevent an election. Col. James Kilbourne was sent out the succeeding spring to explore the country and select and purchase a township for settlement. He returned in the fall without making any purchase, through fear that the State Constitution, then about to be | formed, would tolerate slavery, in which case the | project would have been abandoned. While on this visit, Col. Kilbourne compiled from a variety of sources the first map madeof Ohio. Although |

'"'As soon as information was received that the constitution of Ohio prohibited slavery, Col. Kilbourne purchased the township he had previously selected, within the United States military land

Ohio, and began improvements. By the succeeding December, one hundred settlers, mainly from | | Hartford County, Conn., and Hampshire County, | Mass., arrived at their new home. Obeyingtothe , letter the agreement made in the Kast, the first cabin erected was used for a schoolhouse and a church of the Protestant Episcopal denomination ; the first Sabbath after the arrival of the colony, divine service was held therein, and on the arrival of the eleventh family a school was opened. This | early attention to education and religion has left | its favorable impress upon the people until this day. The first 4th of July was uniquely and appropri- | ately celebrated. Seventeen gigantic trees, em- , blematical of the seventeen States forming the » Union, were cut, so that a few blows of the ax, at. | sunrise on the 4th, prostrated each successively with a tremendous crash, forming a national salute novel in the world's history.'"*

The growth of this part of Ohio continued without interruption until the establishment of the | State capital at Columbus, in 1816. The town was | laid out in 1812, but, as that date is considered re- |

The site of Zanesville, in Muskingum County, was early looked upon as an excellent place to form a settlement, and, had not hostilities opened in 1791, with the Indians, the place would have been one of the earliest settled in Ohio. As it was, the war so disarranged matters, that it was not till 1797 that a permanent settlement was effected.

The Muskingum country was principally occupied, in aboriginal times, by the Wyandots, Delawares, and a few Senecas and Shawanees. An Indian town once stood, years before the settlement of the country, in the vicinity of Duncan's Falls, in Muskingum County, from which circumstance the place is often called "Old Town." Near Dresden, was a large Shawanee town, called Wakatomaca. The graveyard was quite large, and, when the whites first settled here, remains of the town were abundant. It was in this vicinity that the venerable Maj. Cass, father of Lewis Cass, lived

| allowed three sections of land on the Scioto, Muskingum and Hockhocking, wherever the road crossed these rivers, provided other prior claims did not interfere, for opening ' Zane's trace." When he located the road across the Muskingum, ferry was kept about where the old upper bridge was afterward placed. The ferry-boat was made by fastening two canoes together with a stick. Soon after a flat-boat was used. It was brought from Wheeling, by Mr. McIntire, in 1797, the year after the ferry was established. The road cut ried, and, in 1798, the first mail ever carried | wholly in Ohio was brought up from Marietta to | McCulloh's cabin by Daniel Convers, where, by | arrangement of the Postmaster General, it met a mail from Wheeling and one from Maysville.

McCulloh, who could hardly read, was authorized to assort the mails and send each package in its proper direction. For this service he received $30 per annum ; but owing to his inability to read well, Mr. Convers generally performed the duty. At that time, the mails met here once a week. Four years after, the settlement had so increased that a regular post office was opened, and Thomas Dowden appointed Postmaster. He kept his office in a wooden building near the river bank.

Messrs. Zane and McIntire laid out a town in 1799, which they called Westbourn. When the post office was established, it was named Zanesville, and in a short time the village took the same name. A few families settled on the west side of the river, soon after McCulloh arrived, and as this locality grew well, not long after a store and tavern was opened here. Mr. McIntire built a double log cabin, which was used as a hotel, and in which Louis Philippe, King of France, was once entertained. Although the fare and accommodations were of the pioneer period, the honorable guest seems to have enjoyed his visit, if the statements of Lewis Cass in his "' Camp and Court of Louis Philippe" may be believed.

In 1804, Muskingum County was formed by the | Legislature, and, for a while, strenuous efforts made | to secure the State capital by the citizens of Zanes- | ville. They even erected buildings for the use of the Legislature and Governor, and during the session of 1810-11, the temporary seat of govern- | ment was fixed here. When the permanent State capital was chosen in 1816, Zanesville was passed by, and gave up the hope. It is now one of the most enterprising towns inthe Muskingum Valley.

During the summer of 1797, John Knoop, then living four miles above Cincinnati, made several expeditions up the Miami Valley and selected the land on which he afterward located. The next | spring Mr. Knoop, his brother Benjamin, Henry | Garard, Benjamin Hamlet and John Tildus estab- | lished a station in what is now Miami County, near the present town of Staunton Village. That summer, Mrs. Knoop planted the first apple-tree in the Miami* country. They all lived together for greater safety for two years, during which time they were occupied clearing their farms and erecting dwellings. During the summer, the site of Piqua was settled, and three young men located ata | place known as " Freeman's Prairie." Those who settled at Piqua were Samuel Hilliard, Job Garard, Shadrac Hudson, Jonah Rollins, Daniel Cox, Thomas Rich, and a Mr. Hunter. The last named came to the site of Piqua first in 1797, and selected his home. Until 1799, these named were the only unes in this locality ; but that year emigration set in, and very shortly occupied almost all the bottom land in Miami County. With the increase of emigration, came the comforts of life, | and mills, stores and other necessary aids to civilization, were ere long to be seen.

The site of Piqua is quite historic, being the | theater of many important Indian occurrences, | and the old home of the Shawanees. of which - tribe Tecumseh was a chief. During the Indian | war, a fort called Fort Piqua was built, near the ! residence of Col. John Johnston, so long the faith- | ful Indian Agent. The fort was abanduned atthe | close of hostilities.

When the Miami Canal was opened through this | part of the State, the country began rapidly to | improve, and is now probably one of the best por- | tions of Ohio.

About the same time the Miami was settled. a | company of people from Pennsylvania and Virginia, who were principally of German and Insh | descent, located in Lawrence County. near the iron | region. As soon as that ore was made ayailable. that part of the State rapidly filled with settlers. - most of whom engaged inthe mining and working | of iron ore. Now it is very prosperous.

Another settlement was made the same season. | 1797, on the Ohio side of the river, in Columbiana County. The settlement progressed slowly for a while, owing to a few difficulties with the Indians. | The celebrated Adam Poe had been here as early as 1782, and several localities are made locally | famous by his and his brother's adventures.

In this county, on Little Beaver Creek, near its mouth, the second paper-mill west of the Allechanies was erected in 1805-6. It wasthepioneer | enterprise of the kind in Ohio, and was named the | Ohio Paper-Mill. Its proprietors were John Bever and John Coulter.

One of the most noted localities in the State is comprised in Greene County. The Shawanee town, 'Old Chillicothe,' wason the Little Miami, | in this county, about three miles north of the site of Xenia. This old Indian town was, in the annals of the West, a noted place, and is frequently noticed. It is first mentioned in 1773, by Capt. Thomas Bullitt, of Virginia, who boldly advanced | settlement at the falls of the Ohio. His audacious bravery gained his request. Daniel Boone was taken prisoner early in 1778, with twenty-seven others, and kept for a time at Old Chillicothe. Through the influence of the British Governor, Hamilton, who had taken a great fancy to Boone, he and ten others were sent to Detroit. The Indians, however, had an equal fancy for the brave frontiersman, and took him back to Chillicothe, and adopted him into their tribe. About the 1st of June he escaped from them, and made his way back to Kentucky, in time to prevent a universal massacre of the whites. In July, 1779, the town was destroyed by Col. John Bowman and one hundred and sixty Kentuckians, and the Indians dispersed.

which implies the settlement was made a short time previously. A short distance east of the mill two block-houses were erected, and it was inthem and the mill with pickets. he mill was curiosity. It would indeed be a curivsity now. Zane strace, passing from Wheeling to Maysville, crossed the Hockhocking* River, in Fairtield County, where Lancaster is now built. Mr. Zane located one of his three sections on this river, covering the site of Lancaster. trace in 1797, many individuals noted the desirableness of the locality, some of whom determined to return and settle. in former times been the home' of the Wyandots, who had a town here, that, in 1790, contained ae iy ! the trace. river. Jolin Whitein the American Pioneer says: "About seven . , ° ° : uy vailes Not arcctor Loncarter, there aa fallin the Hockbucking of | back, and, in the settlements in this locality, was about twenty feet. Above the fall for a short distance, the creek is very narrow and straight forming a neck, while at the falla it snddenly widens on each side and swells into the appearance of the body of a bottle. The whole, when seen from above, appears exactly

"The site of the city had | | Muddy Prairie, and on Clear Creek. ; 2 : : | - 1799 - Joseph Loveland and Hezekiah Smith over 500 wigwams and more than 1.000 souls. | built a log erist-mill at the Upper Falls of the pal chief of that tribe. Another portion of the tribe then lived at Tuby-town, nine miles west of Tarhe-town (now Royaltown), and was governed by an inferior chief called Toby. The chief's wigwam in Tarhe stood on the bank of the prairie, near a beautiful and abundant spring of water, whose outlet was the river. The wigwams of the Indians were built of the bark of trees, set on poles, in the form of a sugar-camp, with one square open, fronting a fire, and about the height of a man. The Wyandot tribe that day numbered about 500 warriors. By the treaty of Greenville, they ceded all their territory, and the majority, under their chief, removed to Upper Sandusky. The remainder lingered awhile, loath to leave the home of their ancestors, but as game became scarce, they, too, left fur better hunting-grounds.''*

In April, 1798, Capt. Joseph Hunter, a bold, enterprising man, settled on Zane's trace, on the bank of the prairie, west of the crossings, at a place since known as " Hunter's settlement." For

He lived to see the country he had found a wilderness, full of the homes of industry. His wife was the first white woman that settled in the valley, and he was joined by Nathaniel Wilson, John and Alseed ¢ ' len Green, John and Joseph McMullen, Robert a primitive log structure, was long preserved as a |

This was the first mill on this river. In the latter part of the year, a mail route was established over The mail was carried through on horse-

In the fall of the next year, Ebenezer Zane laid out Lancaster, which, until 1805, was known as New Lancaster. The lots sold very rapidly, at $50 each, and, in less than one year, quite a village appeared. December 9, the Governor and Judges of the Northwest Territory organized Fairfield County, and made Lancaster the county seat. The year following, the Rev. John Wright, a minister of the Presbyterian Church, came, and from that time on schools and churches were established and thereafter regularly maintained at this place.

Not far from Lancaster are immense mural escarpments of sandstone formation. They were noted among the aborigines, and were, probably, used by them as places of outlook and defense.

The same summer Fairfield County was settled, the towns of Bethel and Williamsburg, in Clermont County, were settled and laid out, and in 1800, the county was erected.

A settlement was also made immediately south of Fairfield County, in Hocking County, by Christian Westenhaver, a German, from near Hagerstown, Md. He came in the spring of 1798, and was soon joined by several families, who formed quite a settlement. The territory included in the county remained a part of Ross, Athens and Fairfield, until 1818, when Hocking County was erected, and Logan, which had been laid out in 1816, was made the county seat.

The country comprised in the county is rather broken, especially along the Hockhocking River. This broken country was a favorite resort of the Wyandot Indians, who could easily hide in the numerous erottoes and ravines made by the river and its affluents as the water cut its way through the sandstone rocks.

In 1798, soon after Zane's trace was cut through the country, a Mr. Graham located on the site of Cambridge, in Guernsey County. His was then the only dwelling between Wheeling and Zanesville, on the trace. He remained here alone about two years, when he was succeeded by George Beymer, from Somerset, Penn. Both these persons kept a tavern and ferry over Will's Creek. In April, 1803, Mr. Beymer was succeeded by John Beatty, who came from Loudon, Va. His family consisted of eleven persons. The Indians hunted in this vicinity, and were frequent visitors at the tavern. In June, 1806, Cambridge was laid out, and on the day the lots were offered for sale, seyeral families from the British Isle of Guernsey, near the coast of France, stopped here on their way to the West. They were satisfied with the location and purchased many of the lots, and some land in the vicinity. They were soon followed by other families from the same place, all of whom settling in this locality gave the name to the county when it was erected in 1810.

A settlement was made in the central part of the State, on Darby Creek, in Union County, in the summer of 1798, by James and Joshua Ewing. The next year, they were joined by Samuel and David Mitchell, Samuel Mitchell. Jr., Samuel Kirkpatrick and Samuel McCullough. and. in 1800, by George and Samuel Reed, Robert Snodgrass and Paul Hodgson.

"James Ewing's farm was the site of an ancient and noted Mingo town, which was deserted at the time the Mingo towns, in what is now Logan County, were destroyed by Gen. Logan, of Kentucky, in 1786. When Mr. Ewing took possession of his farm, the cabins were still standing, and, among others, the remains of a blacksmith's shop, with coal, cinders, iron-dross, ete. Jonathan Alder, formerly a prisoner among the Indians, says the shop was carried on by a renegade white man, named Butler, who lived among the Mingoes. Extensive fields had formerly been cultivated in the vicinity of the town.''*

Soon after the settlement was established. Col. James Curry located here. He was quite an influential man, and, in 1820, succeeded in getting the county formed from portions of Delaware. Franklin, Madison and Logan, and a part of the old Indian Territory. Marysville was made the county seat.

During the year 1789, a fort, called Fort Steuben, was built on the site of Steubenville, but was dismantled at the conclusion of hostilities in 1795. Three years after, Bezaleel Wells and Hon. James Ross, for whom Ross County was named, located the town of Steubenville about the old fort, and, by liberal offers of lots, soon attracted quite a number of settlers. In 1805, the town was incorporated, and then had a population of several hundred persons. Jefferson County was created by Gov. St. Clair, July 29, 1797, the year before Steubenville was laidout. It then included the large scope of country west of Pennsylvania ; east and north of a line from the mouth of the Cuyahoga ; southwardly to the Muskingum, and east to the Ohio; including, in its territories, the cities of Cleveland, Canton, Steubenville and War- ren. Only ashort time, however, was it allowed to retain this size, as the increase in emigration rendered it necessary to erect new counties, which was rapidly done, especially on the adoption c* the State government.

The county is rich in early history, prior to its settlement by the Americans. It was the home of the celebrated Mingo chief, Logan, who resid 2d awhile at an old Mingo town, a few miles below t. ic site of Steubenville, the place where the troo s under Col. Williamson rendezvoused on their i1- famous raid against the Moravian Indians; ard also where Col. Crawford and his men met, when starting on their unfortunate expedition.

In the Reserve, settlements were often made remote from populous localities, in accordance with the wish of a proprietor, who might own a tract of country twenty or thirty miles in the interior. In the present county of Geauga, three families located at Burton in 1798. They lived at a considerable distance from any other settlement for some time, and were greatly inconvenienced for the want of mills or shops. As time progressed, however,

The next year, 1799, settlements were made at Ravenna, Deerfield and Palmyra, in Portage County. Hon. Benjamin Tappan came to the site of Ravenna in June, at which time he found one / white man,a Mr. Honey,livingthere. At this date, | a solitary log cabin occupied the sites of Buffalo and | Cleveland. On his journey from New England, Mr. Tappan fell in with David Hudson, the founder of the Hudson settlement in Summit County. After many days of travel, they landed at a prairie in Summit County. Mr. Tappan left his goods in a | cabin, built for the purpose, under the care ofa hired | man, and went on his way, cutting a road to the | site of Ravenna, where his land lay. On his return | fur a second load of goods, they found the cabin deserted, and evidences of its plunder by the In- / dians. Not long after, it was learned that the man left in charge had gone to Mr. Hudson's settlement, he having set out immediately on his arrival, for his own land. Mr. Tappan gathered the remainder ot his goods, and started back for Ravenna. | On his way one of his oxen died, and he found himself in a vast forest, away from any habitation, and with one dollar in money. He did not falter | a moment, but sent his hired man, a faithful fellow, to Erie, Penn., a distance of one hundred miles guide, requesting from Capt. Lyman, the commander at the fort there, a loan of money. At the same time, he followed the township lines to Youngstown, where he became acquainted with Col. James Hillman, who did not hesitate to sell him an ox on credit, at a fair price. He returned to his load in a few days, found his ox all right, hitched the two together and went on. He was soon joined by his hired man, with the money, and together they spent the winter in a log cabin. He gave his man one hundred acres of land as a reward, and paid Col. Hillman for the ox. In a year or two he had a prosperous settlement, and when the county was erected in 1807, Ravenna was made the seat of justice.

About the same time Mr. Tappan began his settlement, others were commenced in other localities in this county. Early in May, 1799, Lewis Day and his son Horatio, of Granby, Conn., and Moses Tibbals and Green Frost, of Granville, Mass., left their homes in a one-horse wagon, and, the 29th of May, arrived in what is now Deerfield Township. 'Theirs was the first wagon that had ever penetrated farther westward in this region than Canfield. The country west of that place had been an unbroken wilderness until within a few days. Capt. Caleb Atwater, of Wallingford, Conn., had hired some men to open a road to Township No. 1, in the Seventh Range, of which | he was the owner. This road passed through Deerfield, and was completed to that place when the party arrived at the point of their destination. These emigrants selected sites, and commenced clearing the land. In July, Lewis Ely arrived from Granville, and wintered here, while those who came first, and had made their improvements, returned East. The 4th of March, 1800, Alva Day (son of Lewis Day), John Campbell and Joel Thrall arrived. In April, George and Robert Taylor and James Laughlin, from Pennsylvania, with their families, came. Mr. Laughlin built a erist-mill, which was of great convenience to the settlers. July 29, Lewis Day returned with his family and his brother-in-law, Maj. Rogers, who, the next year, also brought his family.

"Much suffering was experienced at first on account of the scarcity of provisions. They were chiefly supplied from the settlements east of the Ohio River, the nearest of which was Georgetown, forty miles away. The provisions were brought on pack-horses through the wilderness. August 22, Mrs. Alva Day gave birth to a child - a fethrough the wilderness, with the compass for his | male - the first child born in the township.

November 7, the first wedding took place. John Campbell and Sarah Ely were joined in wedlock by Calvin Austin, Esq., of Warren. He was accompanied from Warren, a distance of twentyseven miles, by Mr. Pease, then a lawyer, afterward a well-known Judge. They came on foot, there being no road; and, as they threaded their way through the woods, young Pease taught the Justice the marriage ceremony by oft repetition.

"Tn 1802, Franklin Township was organized, embracing all of Portage and parts of Trumbull and Summit Counties. About this time the settlement received accessions from all parts of the East. In February, 1801, Rev. Badger came and began his labors, and two years later Dr. Shadrac Bostwick organized a Methodist Episcopal church.* The remaining settlement in this county, Palmyra, was begun about the same time as the others, by David Daniels, from Salisbury, Conn. The next year he brought out his family. Soon after he was joined by E. N. and W. Bacon, E. Cutler, A. Thurber, A. Preston, N. Bois, J. T. Baldwin, T. and C. Gilbert, D. A. and 8. Waller, N. Smith, Joseph Fisher, J. Tuttle and others.

an Indian trail commencing at Fort McIntosh (Beaver, Penn.), and extending westward to Sandusky and Detroit. The trail followed the highest ground. Along the trail, parties of Indians were frequently seen passing, for several years after the whites came. It seemed to be the great aboriginal thoroughfare from Sandusky to the Ohio River. There were several large piles of stones on the trail in this locality, under which human skeletons have been discovered. These are supposed to be the remains of Indians slain in war, or murdered by their enemies, as tradition says it is an Indian custom for each one to cast a stone on the grave of anenemy, whenever he passes by. Thesestones appear to have been picked up along the trail, and cast upon the heaps at different times.

"At the point where this trail crosses Silver Creek, Fredrick Daniels and others, in 1814, discovered, painted on several trees, various devices, evidently the work of Indians. The bark was carefully shaved off two-thirds of the way around, and figures cut upon the wood. On one of these was delineated seven Indians, equipped in a particular manner, one of whom was without a head. This was supposed to have been made by a party on their return westward, to give intelligence to their friends behind, of the loss of one of their party at this place ; and, on making search, a human skeleton was discovered near by." * ,

The celebrated Indian hunter, Brady, made his remarkable leap across the Cuyahoga, in_ this county. The county also contains Brady's Pond, a large sheet of water, in which he once made his escape from the Indians, from which circumstance it received its name.

The locality comprised in Clark County was settled the same summer as those in Summit County. John Humphries came to this part of the State with Gen. Simon Kenton, in 1799. With them came six families from Kentucky, who settled north of the site of Springfield. A fort was erected on Mad River, for security against the Indians. Fourteen cabins were soon built near it, all being surrounded by a strong picket fence. David Lowery, one of the pioneers here, built the first flat-boat, to operate on the Great Miami, and, in 1800, made the first trip on that river, coming down from Dayton. He took his boat and cargo on down to New Orleans, where he disposed of his load of " five hundred venison hams and bacon."

Springfield was laid out in March, 1801. Griffith Foos, who came that spring, built a tavern, which he completed and opened in June, remaining in this place till 1814. He often stated that when emigrating West, his party were four days and a half getting from Franklinton, on the Scioto, to Springfield, a distance of forty-two miles. When crossing the Big Darby, they were obliged to carry all their goods over on horseback, and then drag their wagons across with ropes, while some of the party swam by the side of the wagon, to prevent its upsetting. The site of the town was of such practical beauty and utility, that it soon attracted a large number of settlers, and, in a few years, Springfield was incorporated. In 1811, a church was built by the residents for the use of all denominations.

[eeeareee or Tecumshe, was a son of Puckeshinwa, a m-~ her of the Kiscopoke tribe, and Methoataske, of the Turtle tribe u: the Shawanee nation. They removed from Florida to Ohio soon after their marriage. The father, Puckeshinwa, rose to the rank of a chief, and fell at tne battle of Point Pleasant, in 1774. After his death, the mother, Methoata,ke, returned to the south, where she died at an advancedage. Tecumesh was born about the year 1768. He early showed a passion for war, and, when only 27 years of age, was made achief. The next year he removed to Deer Creek, in the vicinity of Urbana, and from there to the site of Piqua, on the the old Indian town of Piqua, the ancient Piqua of the Shawanees, on the north side of Mad River, about five miles west of Springfield. The town was destroyed by the Kentucky Rangers under Gen. George Rogers Clarke in 1780, at the same time he destroyed "Old Chillicothe." Immense fields of standing corn about both towns were cut down, compelling the Indians to resort to the hunt with more than ordinary vigor, to sustain themselves and their wives and children. This search insured safety for some time on the borders. The site of Cadiz, in Harrison County, was settled in April, 1799, by Alexander Henderson and his family, from Washington County, Penn. When they arrived, they found neighbors in the persons of Daniel Peterson and his family, who lived near the forks of Short Creek, and who had preceded them but a very short time. The next year, emigrants began to cross the Ohio in great numbers, and in five or six years large settlements could be "scen in this part of the State. The county was erected in 1814, and Cadiz, laid out in 1803, made the county seat.

While the settlers were locating in and about Cadiz, a few families came to what is now Monroe County, and settled near the present town of Beallsville. Shortly after, a few persons settled on the Clear Fork of the Little Muskingum, and a few others on the east fork of Duck Creek. The next season all these settlements received additions and a few other localities were also occupied. Before long the town of Beallsville was laid out, and in time became quite populous. The county was not erected until 1813, and in 1815 Woodsfield was laid out and made the seat of justice.

The opening of the season of 1800 - the dawn of a new century - saw a vast emigration westward. Old settlements in Ohio received immense increase of emigrants, while, branching out in all directions like the radii of a circle, other settlements were constantly formed until, in a few years, all parts of the State knew the presence of the white man.

Towns sprang into existence here and there; mills and factories were erected; post offices and post-routes were established, and the comforts and conveniences of life began to appear.

With this came the desire, so potent to the mind of all American citizens, to rule themselves through representatives chosen by their own votes. Hitherto, they had been ruled by a Governor and Judges appointed by the President, who, in turn, appointed county and judicial officers. The arbitrary rulings of the Governor, St. Clair, had arrayed the mass of the people against him, and made the desire for |the second grade of government stronger, and | finally led to its creation.