Wayne County, Ohio - Chapter 6: Organization of Wayne County, 1910

Chapter 6: Organization of Wayne County

No historian was able to correctly define the boundary lines of Wayne county until the problem was solved by the zealous research of Hon. John P. Jeffries, assisted by Ben Douglas and Hon. R. M. Stimson, state librarian, and this was not accomplished until 1878. This statement has reference to the original county, its bounds and the various changes which narrowed it down to its present limits.

Wayne, county was established by proclamation of Gen. Arthur St. Clair, who, when the Northwest Territory was created into a government, was chosen as its governor. He was appointed in 1788, and continued to hold his office until Ohio was admitted into the Union as a state in 1803. The proclamation for that purpose bears date August 15. 1796. It was the third county formed in the great Northwest Territory, Washington county being the first, and Hamilton county the second, the former embracing all of the territory 'east of the Scioto and Cuyahoga rivers, and the latter what is now southwestern Ohio, which includes all the territory between the Big and Little Miami rivers, and extending north to what is known as the "Standing Stone Forks," on the first designated stream. The early boundaries were illy surveyed and were in no sense accurate. The investigations carried on by the historians above mentioned - especially that made by Ben Douglas - record the bounds of Wayne county (original) as follows: where it empties into Lake Erie, at Cleveland, thence following up that river to the "Old Portage" (a carrying place from which goods were transferred on the river to what is known as "New Portage," in Summit county, on the Tuscarawas river), now known as Akron, Summit county, thence diverging from the Cuyahoga river in a southerly direction, across the summit to a point on the Tuscarawas river, near New Portage, in the same county: thence following the Tuscarawas through the county of Stark to the iunction of the Big Sandy and Tuscarawas, at the north line of Tus- carawas county, and there terminating the eastern original boundary of Wayne county; thence in a southwestern direction on the Greenville treaty line.

The Old Greenville Treaty Line

On the county line between Stark and Tuscarawas, to the east line of Holmes county; thence across Holmes county to the northeast corner of Knox county; thence on the line between Knox and Ashland county to the southeast corner of Richland county; thence to the line between Richland and Knox counties, to the northeast corner of Pike township, Knox county; thence across the townships of Pike, Berlin, Middlebury, in Knox county, to the east line of Morrow county; thence across Morrow county on the south line of the townships of Franklin, Gilead and Cardington, in Morrow county, to the southeast corner of Marion county; thence on the line between Marion and Morrow counties to the northeast corner of Waldo township, in Marion county; thence on the line between Waldo and Richland townships, to the southwest corner of Richland township; thence across the townships of Waldo and Prospect, to the east line of Union county; thence across Union county, on the south line of the townships of Jackson and Washington, to the east line of Logan county ; thence across Bokescreek and Rushcreek townships to the southeast corner of McArthur township; thence on a line between McArthur, Lake and Harrison townships, to the east line of Shelby county; thence across Shelby county, between Jackson and Salem townships, and across the townships of Franklin, Turtle Creek and AfcLean, to the present site of old Fort Loramie, in McLean township, in Shelby county, this line terminating at the point of the beginning of the old Greenville treaty line; thence in a northwestern direction from Fort Loramie to the southeast corner of Darke county; thence continuing on the same bearing across section 7, of Jackson township, Auglaize county ; thence across the townships of Marion and Greenville, to the southeast corner of Recovery township to Fort Recovery, in Mercer county; thence north, bearing to the west through Recovery township, crossing the state line near the northwest corner of section 7, entering the state of Indiana in the county of Jay ; thence continuing in the same direction through Adams county, to Fort Wayne, in Allen county; thence west bearing to the north through the counties of Allen, Whitley, Kosciu.sko, Mar.shall, Starke, Porter and Lake, in the state of Indiana, to the most southern point of Lake Michigan; thence around that lake northward through the counties of Cook and Lake, in the state of Illinois, striking the summit of the highest lands to the westward of the lake far enough to inchide the lands upon the streams emptying into Lake IMichii6 igan, crossing the state line between Illinois and Wisconsin about twenty miles west of the lake shore ; thence in a northerly direction through the counties of Kenosha, Racine, Waukesha and Ozoukee, near the western shore of Lake Michigan; thence turning in a northwestern direction, following the summit of the high lands which cliYide the waters flowing into the lakes from those running into the Mississippi, through the counties O'f Sheboygan and Fond du Lac ; thence in a western direction, crossing the southeastern corner of Green Lake county, through the northern part of Columbia county, near the site of old Fort Winnebago, to the southeast corner of Adams county, the western part of Waushaka county, the southeast corner of Portage county, the western part of Waupaca county, the western part of Shawanaw, along the western line of Oconto, following the dividing ridge to the state line between ^^dsconsin and Michigan ; thence along the line between Canada and the United States ; thence along that boundary, through Lake Superior, Lake Huron, the River St. Clair, and Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, to the mouth of Cuyahoga river, the place of beginning.

It will be observed that Wayne county at first embraced a large scope of territory, including one-third of present Ohio, one-eighth of Indiana, the northeast corner of Illinois, including the site of Chicago, the eastern onefifth part of Wisconsin, the whole of the state of Michigan, embracing all of Lake Michigan, one-half of the area of Lake Superior, Huron, St. Clair and the northwestern part of Lake Erie, including the battleground on which Perry's victory was achieved.

The county seat of this vast domain, that contained one hundred thirtytliree thousand square miles, and was larger than England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, was located at Detroit, which city is still in a county named Wayne. The county seat remained at that point until eight years had gone by, and two 3'ears after the state constitution had been adopted and the government of Ohio had been established.

The Connecticut Western Reserve

This was situated in the northeast part of the state and is bounded on the south by the forty-first parallel of north latitude ; on the west by the present counties of Sandusky and Seneca ; on the north by Lake Erie ; on the east by the state line between Ohio and Pennsylvania. It had been granted to the colony of Connecticut in 1662 by Charles II, and reserved by the state of Connecticut, after the American Revolution, in its deed of cession to the government of the United States, with a view to compensate its Revo-

In 1803, by acts of the State Legislature, the counties of Montgomery, Greene and Franklin were formed. These three counties extended north to the state line, and it will be seen that they divided the original Wayne county, separating all the territory east of Franklin - it being the furtherest east of the three named counties - south of the Connecticut Western Reserve and north of the old Greenville treaty line, from the balance of the territory of Wayne county, leaving it without any county organization, form or name, and afterwards known as the New Purchase.

For five years this territory, called the New Purchase, remained without government other than as a part of the unorganized territory of the state of Ohio. By act of the General Assembly of Ohio, February 13, 1808, the boundaries of the county of Wayne were clearly defined in the third section of the act to establish the county of Stark. The entire section of this act is here given:

"Section 3. Be it further enacted, that all that tract of country lying west of the tenth range and east, of the sixteenth range in the said New Purchase, and south of the Connecticut Reserve, and north of the United States Military District, shall be a separate and distinct county, by the name of Wayne, but with the county of Stark attached to and made a part of Columbiana county, until the said county of Stark shall be organized (January I, 1809), and shall thereafter be, and remain a part of the county of Stark until otherwise directed by law.'' - See Ohio. Leg. Reports, Vol. VI, page 155.

present county line between Wayne and Stark counties: on the south by the old Greenville treaty line, including a strip of Holmes county, as now organized, about two and a half miles wide at the west end, which strip of territory compassed all of Washington and Ripley townships in that county, nearly all of Prairie, two-thirds of Salt Creek, half of Paint, and fractions of Knox and Monroe townships; on the west by the west line of Lake, IMohican. Perry and Jackson townships, in Ashland county: and on the north by the present county line between Medina and Wayne.

The change of the last description was made by act of the Legislature establishing FTolmes county, January 20, 1824, which took from the south side of Wayne county the strip of territory above referred to, lying between the old Greenville treaty line and the present southern boundary of Wayne county.

February 24, 1846, by act of the Legislature, Ashland county was taken from the territory of W a}Tie county. There have been no other changes in the territory of this once extensive county of Wayne.

By an act of the Ohio State Legislature, dated January 4, 1812, Wayne county was organized, the same taking effect March i, 1812. This act reads as follows :

The same law provided that the people of the county should elect county officers on the first Monday of April, 1812, to hold their offices until the next annual election. To the year 1810, Wayne county was one entire township, by the name of Killbuck, called after the old Indian chief of that name.

Wayne county's townships were organized in the following manner : April II, 1812, the county was divided into four townships, to-wit : Sugarcreek, Wooster, Mohican and Prairie.

The present territory of Wayne county was surveyed by the United States surveyors in 1807. The ranges were strips of territory, six miles wide, numbered from east to west, and extending from the old Greenville treaty line northward to the south line of the Connecticut Western Reserve - a distance averaging over thirty miles. These ranges were again surveyed into sections of about one mile square, or containing six hundred and forty acres, and numbered from one to thirty-six, beginning at the northeast corner, and each thirty-six sections being designated a township. These townships were again numbered from the south end of each range northwardly.

Range No. ii of the original government survey was the eastern and first range in the county, and in 1812 contained the originally surveyed townships, numbered 15, 16, 17 and 18 and a small fraction of township 14.

Prairie township, beginning at the center of range 14 and at the corner of sections 3, 4, 9, 10 in township 18, of range 14; thence east to the eastern boundary of the county; thence south to the southeast corner of the county; thence westwardly on the south boundary of the county, to the center of range 14, and thence north to place of beginning.

Wooster township began at the center of range 14, at the corner of sections 3, 4, 9 and 10, in township 18; thence north to the northern boundary of the county; thence east to the range line between ranges 12 and 13; thence south on said range line to the corner of sections 1,6, 12 and 7, in township 14 of range 13, and township 15, in range 12, and thence west to place of beginning.

Sugarcreek township contained all of the originally surYeyed townships 16, 17 and 18 and the northern tier of sections in township 15, in range 1 1, and all of the originally surveyed townships 16, 17 and 18 and the northern tier of sections in township 15, in range 12.

By order of the county commissioners, September 15, 1814, East Union and Lake townships were formed, the former embracing originally surveyed townships 16, 17 and 18 and the northern tier of sections in township 15, in range 12, the latter embracing the fraction of originally surveyed township 19 and all of township 20. in range 15, and the west half of originally surveyed township t8, and the west half of fractional township 17 in range 14.

September 14, 1814, four days after Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie, the county commissioners entered an order of record, changing the name of Mohican township to that of Perry.

On the 5th of June, 1815, the county commissioners formed the townshi]) of Springfield, as follows : Beginning at the northeast corner of section

24, township 19 (now Plain), range 14; thence west to the northwest corner of section 20, township j8 (now Clinton); thence east to the southeast corner of section 24, the range line; thence north cu the range line to the place of beginning.

September 4, 1815, Chippewa township was formed, beginning at the southeast corner of section 31, of township 18, range ii, original survey; thence north, bearing to the west, to the northwest corner of section 6 ; thence east to the northeast corner of the county ; thence south on the county line to the southeast corner of section 36; thence to the place of beginning.

Saltcreek township was established March 5, 1816, its territory including all of the originally surveyed township 15 and fractional township 14, of range 12.

At the last named session of the county commissioners. Paint township was formed from all of the originally surveyed township No. 15 and fractional part of township 14, in range ii.

At the last date named, originally surveyed townships 20 and 21, in range 14, were named Chester township, and an order issued to the inhabitants to elect officers.

^Vayne township was formed by order of the commissioners October 12, 1816, of the following territory: All of the originally surveyed townships

Plain township was formed as early as 1817 (no definite date now recorded), and it was composed of territory included in the original government survey of township 19, of range 14. Its formation obliterated the north half of Springfield township, formed on June 5, 1815.

Franklin township is composed of part of the originally surveyed townships 14 and 15, of range 13. June 7, 1820, the county commissioners bounded the township as follows : Beginning at the northeast corner of section 24, in township 15; thence south on the range line to the southeast corner of section 13, in township 14; thence west on the south side of sections 13 to 18 inclusive, to the range line on the west side of range 13 ; thence north on the range line to the northwest corner of section 6, township 14; thence east to the northeast corner of section 5 ; thence north to the northwest corner of section 28. township 15; thence east to the northeast corner of section 28 ; thence north to the northwest corner of section 22, township 15 ; thence east to place of beginning.

March 7, 1825, and after the formation of Holmes county, in 1824, by order of the county commissioners ithe above last-named township' was enlarged by the attachment of the southern tiers of sections, - 19. to 24 inclusive, - since which time no changes have been made in its boundaries.

Pike township was formed in 1817 and was composed of the exact territory which now constitutes Clinton township, and the formation blotted out the south half and all the balance of Springfield left after the formation of Plain township. And thus, after a brief existence of two years, Springfield township disappeared from the records and map of Wayne county.

June 7, 1825, Clinton township, the last of the present sixteen townships of Wayne county, was formed, by an order of the commissioners of that date. Its boundaries then were the same as now, and its formation struck from the map of Wayne county the township of Pike.

Thus it will be observed how the settlement of the county, from time time, produced the organization of the various townships, and established, as the necessities of the people reciuired, their local governments.

This county was named in honor of Major-General Anthony Wayne, an ardent patriot of the Revolutionary war. He was a native of Waynesborough. Chester county, Pennsylvania, born January i, 1745. He had a brilliant career and died in 1796 in a cabin at Presque Isle and. at his own request, was buried under a flag staff of the fort. In 1809, his son removed his body to Radnor cemetery, in Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where a monument is erected to his honor.