^^^e^wwwy^^^^yyg^^g^ ijj^ 'iMyii«^yywM«« ^ywyy^y^i^«^ '^"^^.IllIiyywiiii^W^^WWN^^ zSii^'Ntoww jUk-X.U-i^ iWMwM^Ci i#^*^*. '^^.^Wh^^^i J^^ww;-. 'W.WWW iii«iM^v^w^^.^gi^^ Wwi 'WSi^^^^t^M^ UJ^ Www 'JWW^W \jUJJJ^ *w'^v-/W> /WWWWV VWywwuwww^ 'wwwwwww ww-'^-'Ly*^ u^^^-^uwyyyf / HISTORY HANCOCK COUNTY, OHIO Containing A History of the County, its Townships, Towns, Villages, Schools, Churches, Industries, etc.; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; Biographies; History of the Northwest Territory: His- tory OF Ohio; Statistical and Mis- cellaneous Matter, Etc., Etc. IXjLTJSTI^j^TEID. CHICAGO: WARNER, BEERS & CO 1886. <6 CHICAGO: JOHN MORRIS COMPANY. PRINTERS 118 AND 120 MONROE STREET. PREFACE. AFTER surmounting many unlocked for obstacles and overcoming un expected difficulties, we are enabled to present to our patrons the History of Hancock County, which has been in course of preparation for more than a year past. A desire has long existed for a work that would faithfully [ -osent a correct, concise and clear record of events, beginning with the Mound-Builders and Indian tribes that once inhabited Ohio, thence tracing the history of this portion of the State down to the present period. That such an undertaking is attended with no little difficulty none will deny, and to procure the material for the compilation of the work, every avenue of reliable information has been diligently and carefully explored. The data have been culled, item by item, from books, pamphlets, periodicals, newspa- per files and manuscripts, from State, county and private records, charters, manuals, letters and diaries, as well as from the testimony of living wit- nesses to many of the events related. The general history of the county, including its townships and villages, was compiled by Mi'. R. C. Brown, of Chicago, 111. , whose many years of experience in the field of historical research have competently fitted him for the work. His efPort was more to give a plain and con-ect statement of facts than to indulge in polished sentences or to attempt a literary tone, for which, it is needless to add, there is little opportunity in a book of this kind. Dviring his labors in Hancock County, Mr. Brown received generous assist- ance from scores of citizens whose names it is impossible to mention here, biit to whom we return our sincere thanks for the interest which they manifested in the progress of the history. VCe, however, desire to specially acknowl- edge the valuable services rendered our historian by Messrs. Squire Carlin, Job Chamberlin and Henry Byal, Dr. Charles Oestei'len, Hon. James M. Coffinberry, of Cleveland, Hon. M. C. Whiteley, Heniy Brown, Esq., and Willis H. Whiteley, Esq., all of whom freely assisted him to the full ex- extent of their ability. THE PUBLISHERS. June, 1886. ^*> CONTENTS. PART I. HISTORY OP THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. freographical Position Early Explorations Discovery of the Ohio English Explorations and Settlements 17 ' American Settlements 17 i Division of the Northwest Territory 26 ! Tecumseh and the War of 1812 28 Black Hawk and the Black Hawk War.. PART 11. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. History of Ohio French History Ordinance of 17S7,No.32 .••• Comments upon the Ordinance ol 1787, from the Statutes of Ohio. Edited by Salmon l^ Chase, and Published in the year 18.33 The War of 1812 Banking The Canal System Ohio Land Tracts Improvements State Boundaries Organization of Counties 12^ Description of Counties l^ Early Events |2- Governors of Ohio l** Ancient Works |57 Some General Characteristics InO Outline Geology of Ohio 162 Ohio's Rank During the War of the Rebellion... 16.-) A Brief Mention of Prominent Ohio Generals... 172 Some Discussed Subjects 177 Conclusion 1°^ PART III. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. CHAPTER I.— .Vrch.wjlogy— Indians 187 201 The Mound-Builders— Their Great An- tiquity — Character of Their Works— The Wonderful Monuments which Attest their Occupation of this State— Some Evidences of their Presence in Hancock County— The North American Indians,and their Supposed Origin— Brief Sketch of Them— The Ohiu Tribes —Purchase of Their Lands by the United States— Ohio Reservations.and Final Extinction of the Indian Title— Indian Vil- lages in this County — Extracts from the "Personal Reminiscences" of Job Chamber- lin— His Recollections of the Indians Who Frequented this Portion of the State— Their Social Relations with the First Settlers. CHAPTER II.— Pioneers 2ol-22(i The Pioneers of Hancock County— Their Sacrifices and Heroic Perseverance — Blanchard, the French Exile— Erection and Occupation of Fort Findlay— Thorp, the Sut- ler— First Permanent White Settlers— Birth of the First White Child in Hancock County —Pioneers of the County Prior to 1830— Immigration to Northwestern Ohio and Its Accompanying Hardships — Beginning Work in the Unbroken Forest— The Pioneer Cabin and Its Furniture— Table Ware, Food and Medicine of the Pioneers— Habits, La- bor and Dress— Early Manners and Customs —Social Gatherings- First Marriage in the County— The (irater and Hominy Block- Pioneer Mills of Hancock County— DitHcul- ties of (ioing to Mill— Prices of Store Goods, Produce and Furs During Early Days- Mode of Living— The Pioneer Church and School— Rapid Growth and Material Prog- ress of the Countv After Its Organization —The Hancock County Pioneer and Histor- ical Association. HAPTER III. — Occupation and Settle- ment 221- CONTENTS. PAGE. The Claims of Virginia, Connecticut, Mas- sachusetts and New York to the Northwest Territory— Purchase of the Lands from the Indian Tribes — Indian Reservations and Their Final Purchase by the United States —Civil fiovernment Established by the Ordi- nance of 1787 — Successive Erections of Wayne, Greene, Champaign and Logan Counties — Survey of Northwestern Ohio and Its Division into Counties — Organization and First Election in Wood County — Waynesfield Township — Erection and First Elections in Findlay Township — Selection of Findlay as the Seat of Justice— Organiza- tion of Hancock County— County Elections of 1828 and Lists of Electors— Oflicers Chosen in April and October, 1828— Derivation of Name— Brief Sketch of John Hancock- Original and Present Areas and Boundaries of the County— Dates of Township Erections — Population of County, Townships and Towns — Present Condition of the Countv Compared With What it was One Hundred Years Ago. CHAPTER IV.— Topography 235-247 Original Appearance of Hancock County —Its Forest and Fruit-Bearing Trees and Vines— The Wild Animals, Birds, Reptiles and Fish Found in this Portion of the State, and Their Gradual Extermination — The Wild Honey Bee— General Topography of the County— Its Streams and Water Privi- leges—Marsh and Prairie Lands— The Wild Cat Thicket, Swamp and Fallen Timber Tracts— Diversity of Soil —The Sand and Limestone Ridges— Agriculture in Hancock County— Implements used by the Early Set- tlers, and the Introduction of Better Ma- chinery—Pioneer Stock Compared with that of the Present— Number of Horses and Cat- tle Assessed in the County in 1824 and 1829 —Stock and Crop Statistics— The Hancock County Agricultural Society— Its Small Be- ginning, Steady Growth and Present Pros- perity. CHAPTER v.— Organic 248-262 Public Officials — Members of Congress — State Senators — State Representatives — Presidential Electors, and Members of Con- stitutional Conventions — Commissioners — Auditors— Treasurers— Recorders— Clerks— Sheriflfs — Surveyors — Coroners — Probate Judges — Public Buildings— Court Houses, Jails and Infirmary— Political Statistics. CHAPTER VI.— Judiciary 26.5 286 The Judiciary— Organization of the Court of Common Pleas in Ohio and Its Subsequent Changes— Pioneer Courts of Hancock Coun- ty—Sessions Held at Findlay in 1828, 1829 and 1830- The Juries Impaneled and Princi- pal Business Transacted During Those Years— Items of Interest (Tathered from the Court Journals— The Bench and Bar— Com- mon Pleas Judges— Associate Judges— Pros- ecuting Attorneys— Pioneer Visiting Law- yers— Reminiscences of Pioneer Practice in Northwestern Ohio— Incidents of the Cir- cuit Riding Period— First Lawyers Who Lo- cated in Findlay— Brief Sketches of Resi- dent Attorneys Who Practiced in Hancock County Prior to 1860— Present Bar of the County. CHAPTER VII.— Educationai 287 2!in Education in Ohio— Lands Originally Granted for Educational Purposes— Com- missioners of Schools and School Lands in 1822— The School Lands Sold and a School Fund Established— Annual Distribution of School Money— Pioneer Schools, School- houses and Books in Hancock County— PAGE Character of the Early Teacliers—" Barring Out" the Master— How Pioneer Teachers were Usually Paid— (Growth of Education- Government and Progress of Schools Prior to 18.51— Schools for Colored Youth Estab- lished — Reorganization of Schools Under the Laws of 185.3— Their Present Govern- ment and the Educational Advantages They Afl^brd. CHAPTER VIII.— Internal Improvements 300-318 Internal Improvements— Hull's Trace— I Opening of the Perrysburg & Bellefontaine and Other State Roads through Hancock County— Pioneer County Roads — First j Bridge Built Across the Blanchard at Find- I lay, and its Successors— Early Navigation on I the Blanchard— First Mail Route Established Through the County— Joseph Gordon, the Veteran Mail Carrier— History of the Rail- roads—The Proposed Bellefontaine & Perrysburg Railroad— Findlay Branch of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western- Lake Erie & Western— Baltimore & Ohio— MeComb, Deshler & Toledo— New York, Chicago & St. Louis— Cleveland, Delphos & St. Louis Narrow (iuage — Toledo, Columbus & Southern- Proposed Railroad Enterprises that have Failed During the Past Forty- seven Years. CHAPTER IX.— Military 319-346 Military History of Hancock County- War of 1812— March of Hull's Army from Urbana to the Maumee River^Site of Fort Necessity, and Line of Hull's Trace— Fort Findlay Erected and ( Garrisoned- Descrip- tion of the Fort — Gen. Tupper's Campaign — Indians Pursue Capt. Oliver from Fort Meigs to Fort Findlay- Evacuation of the Fort by Capt. Thomas, and His Murder by the Indians — Pioneer Reminiscences of Fort Findlay audits Final Destruction — Mexican War— The Great Rebellion— Sublime Pati-i- otism of the People — Enthusiastic Demon- strations in Findlay at the Outbreak of the War— Stirring Scenes of Preparation for the Conflict— Enrollment and Organization of Volunteers and their Subsequent Departure for Cleveland— Brief Sketches of the Com- mands Wherein the Soldiers of Hancock Served, also the Names and Promotions of Commissioned Officers in each from this County— Number of Volunteers from each ' Township up to September 1, 1862, and Total Estimated Number of Soldiers from the Whole County During the War— Relief Af- forded by the County to Soldiers' Families — Good Work of the Military Committees and Aid Societies— Closing Scenes of the Rebell- ion—Celebration at Findlay over the Capt- ure of Richmond and the Surrender of Lee's Army — Joy Turned to Grief by the Assassination of Lincoln — Conclusion. CHAPTER X.— Allen Township 347 .355 Erection, Name, Area, Population and Boundaries — Wildcat Thicket — Streams, Topography and Soil — Pioneers — First Mar- riage and Death — The Burman and Ensmin- fer Mills — Killing of John Gilchrist and on— First Electors— Justices— Early Schools —Churches— Villages— Van Buren and Stu- artville. CHAPTER XL— Amanda Township 3.5.5-367 Formation, Taxable Lands in 1829, and Changes in Territory— Area, Boundaries and Population — Physical Features — Soil — Streams and Big Spring — Pioneers — Justices of the Peace— Schools— Churches— Early Mills— Postoffices and Villages— The Pro- posed Town of Capernaum— Vanlue, its CONTENTS. PAGE. Postmasters, Early Business Men and Pres- ent Material and Social Interests. CHAPTER XII.— Big Lick Township 368-377 Events leading to the Erection of this Township— Subsequent Changes in its Ter- ritory, and Present Area — Boundaries and Derivation of Name — A Hunters' Resort — Topography and Streams — Prairie Marsh, Soil and Original Appearance— First Elec- tion and Population by Decades — First Settlers — Justices of the Peace — Schools — Churches — Villages and Postotfices. CHAPTER XIII.— Blanchard Township-..377-389 Its Historic Name — Erection, Area, Loca- tion and Population by Decades— Streams and Runs— Destruction of the Timber— Soil and Topography— Tile Factory and what it has Accomplished — Pioneers — First Deaths and Marriage — Samuel Edwards, the Noted Hunter and Subsequent Author — Justices — Churches— Education— Villages— < )ak Ridge Postoffice — Cemeteries. CHAPTER XIV.— Cass Township 389-396 Erection, Organization, Changes in Terri- tory, Area, Boundaries and Population — Derivation of Name— Topography— Wild- cat Thicket — Soil and Water Privileges- First Land Entries and Pioneers — Mills- Schools — Religious Societies — Justices — Cass and Wineland Postoffices — Frankford. CHAPTER XV.— Delaware Township 397-406 Erection. Subsequent Changes and Area- Location, Boundaries and Population— Tim- ber, Streams and Soil — Pioneers — A Noted Hunter — First Marriages and Births — Early Mills— Churches — Schools — Justices of the Peace— Mt. Blanchard— Its First Business Men— Postmasters— Mayors— Railroad and Telegraph Facilities — Present Material and Social Interests of the Village. CHAPTER XVI.— Eagle Township 407^16 Erection, Name and Area — Location and Population by Decades— Topography and Water Privileges — Timber and Soil — Milk Sickness— Pioneers Prior to 1839 — Grist and Saw Mills — Early Education — Religious Societies— Justices— Towns and Postoffices —Railroad Facilities and Present Appear- ance of the Country. CHAPTER XVII.— Jackson Township 417-422 Erection of the Township and Origin of its Name— Area, Boundaries and Population — Drainage and Soil — First Settlers — Going to Mill — Justices — Schools — Churches — Towns and Postoffices. CHAPTER XVIII.-LiBEKTY Township.. ..422-438 Erection of Old Town and the Trouble Which Arose Therefrom — Liberty Erected, and First Election for Justice of the Peace Held in the Township— Changes in its Ter- ritory — Area, Boundaries and Population by Decades — Streams and Runs — Topography and Soil — Indian Green, Cemetery and Plum Orchard— First Settlers— First Marriage and Birth — Justices — Mills — Early Schools — Re- ligious Societies — Alba Postoffice — Ceme- teries. CHAPTER XIX.— Madison Township 439-449 First Attempt Made to Erect the Town- ship, and its Failure — Subsequent Erection —Derivation of Name, Area and Population — Surface Features and Streams — Forest and Soil — Milk Sickness — Pioneers— Justices — Grist-Mills — Schools— Religious Societies- Villages— Past and Present of Williamstown and Arlington. CHAPTER XX.— Marion Township 449-459 j Erection, Area, Boundaries and Popula- tion—Timber—Streams and Deer Licks— I Soil— Pioneers— Early Elections and Elec- i tors — Justices of the Peace — Schools — I Churches— Crow Postoffice— Mills. CHAPTER XXI. -Orange Township 459-468 Formation, Choosing a Name, and First Election of Township Officers — Area, Boun- daries, and Population by Decades — Topog- raphy and Soil— Stream.s— Pioneers- I'irst Birth, Death and Marriage in the Township — Religious Societies — Early Schools — Jus- tices—Hassan and Cordelia Postoffices- An Embryo Village— Railroad Facilities. CHAPTER XXII.— Pleasant Township.. ..468-178 Erection, Area, Early Election and List of Voters — Boundaries, and Population by Dec- ades — Primitive Appearance, Topographv, Soil and Streams— First Land Entries and Early Settlers— Justices— Religious Societies — Schools — Mills — Towns and Villages — A Paper Town — McComb, Its First Busine.ss Men, Postmasteri and Mayors— Railroads, JNIaterial Progress and Present Business and Educational Interests of McComb — Its Secret Societies and Fire Department — McComb fferald—Stendy Growth of the Town— Dew- eyville—Shawtown— North Ridgeville Post- CH AFTER XXIII.— Portage Township 478-485 Territory from which it was Formed— Erection and Subsequent Changes — Area, Boundaries and Population — General Topog- raphy, Soil and Streams— First Settlers— Schools— Churches— Lafayette and Portage Center Postoffice — Justices. (CHAPTER XXIV.— Union Township 485-497 Erection, First Election of Township Offi- cers, Area, Boundaries, and Population by Decades — Physical Features — Streams and Soil — Pioneers — First Marriage in the Town- ship — Justices — CJrist-Mills — Religious Soci- eties — Schools — Villages — Cannonsburg, Rawson and Cory. CHAPTER XXV.— Van Buren Township 498-501 Location, Erection, Name, Subsequent Changes in Territory, Area and Population —Streams, Wells, Topography and Soil- First Settlers — Their Characteristics — Jus- tices — Schools — Churches — Villages and Railroads. CHAPTER XXVI.— Washington Township 502-511 Derivation of Name, Erection, Area, Boundaries and Population— Disappearance of the Forest, and Wildcat Thicket— Soil and Topography — Streams — Early Settlers — First Birth in the Township — Churches— Education— Early Election and Justices— Risdon and Arcadia— Their Past and Pres- ent. CONTENTS. FINDLAY TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE. PAGE. CHAPTER XXVII.— FiNDLAY Township....512-529 Erection of the Township, and Derivation of Name — Subsequent Change.s in its Terri- tory, and Present Area — Boundaries, Streams and Water Privileges — Topography and Soil— Pioneers— Coming of Benjamin J. Cox to Fort Findlay — First White ( hild Born in the Township— Sketches of the Shirleys, Morelands, Simpsons, Chamberlins, Hamil- tons, Slights, Gardners, Hedgeses, and all of the Earliest Settlers of the Township Out- ■ side of the Village — Suspicious Disappear- ance of Dr. Wolverton from Whitlock's Tavern — First Elections and Township Of- ficers, and List of .) ustices — Churches and Schools— Roads and Population— Factories. CII.'VPTER XXVIII.— Village op Findlay. .530-5.59 Beginning of the Town — Site of the Orig- inal Plat Entered, and Coming of Wilson Vance— Survey of the Town Plat— Selection of Findlay as the Seat of .Justice of Han- cock County — Derivation of its Name, and Correct Orthography of the Word — Brief Sketch of Col. James Findlay— The Plat as Acknowledged and Recorded— Ambiguity in the Acknowledgment Regarding the Public Square Cleared Up — Lots Donated by the Proprietors to Erect ('ounty Build- ings, and First Public Sale of the Same- Business Men of Findlay in 1829-30, and Appearance of the Village at that Period- Names of Those Who Have Laid Out Addi- tions to the Original Plat, and Dates of Sur- veys— The Present Streets of the Town- Sketches of its Pioneer Business Men — First White Male Child Born on the Site of Find- lay — Early Physicians of the Village, and the Difficulties of Medical Practice During Pioneer Days. CHAPTER XXIX.— Village of Findlay (Continued) 569-.576 Progress of the Village — Postoffice Estab- lished — List of Postmasters— Incorporation of Findlay, and its Subsequent Mayors and Clerks— The Old Graveyard on Eagle Creek —Maple Grove Cemetery— California Move- ment of 1849 — Underground Railroad — First Fire Engines, and Organization of the First Fire Company— The Fire Department Or- ganized— Roster of Chief Engineers— Devel- opment and Present Efficiency of the De- partment—Town Buildings— AdVent of Rail- roads, Express, Telegraph and Telephone Lines — Findlay's Sewerage System and its Benefits— Mon umental Park — Organization of the Hancock Monumental Association — Brief History and Description of the Sol- diers' Monument — The Old Findlay Gas Light Company — Erection of the Gas Works and First Lighting of the Town With-Gas- The Works Closed Upon the Development of Natural Gas — Growth of Findlay Since 1831 — Her Present Appearance and Business In- terests, and Future Prospects. ( IIAPTER XXX.— Village of Findlay (Con- tinued) 576-.59.5 Schools and Newspapers — First School Opened In the Village— The Old Log School- house and its Successor — Pioneer Schools and Teachers of Findlay— Progress of Edu- cation — Past and Present Schools of District No. 9, and Their Superintendents Since 1864 — Organization of the Union School District — Its First Teachers and Schools— Early page. Members of the Board of Education— Super- intendents of the Union Schools Since 1854 —Growth of the Schools and Their Present Efficiency— Findlay Academical Institute— . Hancock Wesleyan Seminary— Findlay Col- lege—History of the Newspapers of Findlay— The Hancock Courier— Hancock Republican —Hancock Farmer— Western Herald— Han- cock Whig and Journal — Home Companion, and Findlay Weekly Jeffersonian— Daily Jefersonian—The Reporter— Findlay Weekly Republican — Findlay Daily Star — Improve- ment in the Press Within the Past Thirtv i'ears. CHAPTER XXXI. -Village of Findlay (Continued) 59G-612 Churches and Societies— First Religious Services Held in Findlay ,'and Names of its Pioneer Preachers— Methodist Episcopal Church— First Presbyterian Church— Evan- gelical Lutheran Church— St. Michael's Catholic Church and School — United Brethren Church— German Reformed Con- gregation—German Evangelical Lutheran— St. John's Congregation— First Regular Baptist Church— "Church of God"— First Congregational Church— St. Paul's Church of the Evangelical Association— Trinity Mission of the Protestant Episcopal Church— "Church of Christ "—Secret and Other Societies— Odd Fellows— Masons— Knights of Pythias— Knights of Honor— Royal Ar- canum — American Legion of Honor — Grand Army of the Republic— National Union- Good Templars. CHAPTER XXXIL— Village of Findlay (Continued) 612-631 Hotels Manufactories, Banks and Public Places of Amusement — Pioneer Taverns and Present Hotels of Findlay— Leading Manu- facturing Establishments of the Pa.st and Present— History of the Successive Banking Institutions of the Town — Building and Loan Associations— Early Amusements and Public Halls of the Village— Brass Bands. CHAPTER XXXIII.— Village of Findlay (Concluded) 631-647 Natural Gas in Hancock County— Its Discovery in 1836— First Natural Gas Found and Used in Findlay— Numerous Evidences of its Presence— Dr. Osterleu's Belief in its Plentiful Existence, and His Early Investi- gations of the Subject — The Gas on the Fos- ter Lot Utilized by Jacob Carr — Oil Excite- ment in Findlay— Attempts to Find Oil and Their Failure— Dr. 0.sterlen's Persistent Advocacy of a Great Natural Gas Deposit- Organization of the Findlay Natural Gas Company— The Men Who First Risked Their Money in the Enterprise— The First Well Drilled, and Gas Developed in Paying Quantities — To Whom the Credit is Due — Mains Laid and Gas Piped Into Findlay — Other Wells Put Down— Consolidation of the Old and New Companies— Subsequent Enterprises, and Number of Wells Now Drilled— Their Capacity, Product and Per- manency—Later Companies in the Field- Description of the Great Karg Well— Abun- dant Supply of Gas, its Superiority as Fuel and <'omparative Safety — Cost to the Con- sumer—A Few Cases Illustrating Its Won- derful Cheapness— What Natural Gas Hus Accomplished for Findlay. CONTENTS. PART lY. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Allen Township Amanda Township , Big Lick Township Blanchard Township Cass Township Delaware Township Eagle Township Findlay Township and Village- Jackson Township PAGE. .... 651 .... 657 .... 671 .... 682 I PAGE. I Liberty Township 792 j Madison Township 798 j Marion Township 802 j Orange Township 806 ! Pleasant Township 822 j Portage Township 848 I Union Township 853 Van Buren Township 873 788 I Washington Township '.'.'.'.'.".".'.'.'.'.!'.'.'.'.'.".".'.'.".""'.*.'.'. 876 PORTRAITS. Baldwin, Dr. W. H., Findlay Township 203 " Barnhill, Robert, Liberty Township 503 I ■ Brown. Henry, Findlay Township 313 ,• Byal, Hon. A. P., Findlay Township 303 ^ Chamberlin, Job, Findlay Township 47 : ' Chase Justus, Liberty Township 413 '■ Colfinberry. Judge,J. M., Cleveland, Ohio 273 t Coleman, Thomas, Union Township 663 [' - Cory, Judge D. J.. Findlay Township 263 . Cummins, E. T., Pleasant Township 423 j Deter, James, Portage Township 493 • Dewese, Flavins J, Orange Township 523 Dukes, Lewis, Sr., Blanchard Township 81 ' Dulin, S.F., Portage Township 403 Feller, Daniel, Eagle Township 453 ( Feller, Jacob, Findlay Township 149 f Firmin, Dr. F. W., Findlay Township 293 ■ Fry, Henry, Liberty Township 623 \ Ghaster, Solomon, Union Township 633 [' ' Glessner, Lewis, Findlay Township 323 \ Hamlin, M. S., Delaware Township 363 • Huber, Benjamin, Findlay Township 253 i Hard, Hon. Anson. M. D., Findlay Township.... 283 ' Hyatt, A. H., Findlay Township 233 Keel, Samuel, Blanchard Township 383 ' Luneack, Louis, Van Buren Township 573 '■ . McClish, N. B., Blanchard Township 483 I McKinley, Wm. M., Orange Township 513 McKinnis, Thomas, Blanchard Township 373 Marshall, Wm. M., Orange Township 563 Miller, Wm. B., Marion Township 433 Moore, John, Big Lick Township 443 Nigh, Andrew, Portage Township 543 Oesterlen, Dr. Chas., Findlay Township 243 Oman, Joseph, Eagle Township 553 O'Neal, Chas. \V., Findlay Township 213 Parker, Jonathan, Findlay Township 193 Pennington, Henrv, Pleasant Township 643 Phillips, Eli P., Findlay Township 343 Powell, B. B., Blanchard Township 673 Powell, Geo. W., Findlay Township 353 Rawson Dr. Bass, Findlay Township 183 Sheets, Hon. Henry, Washington Township 603 Shoop, Samuel, Pleasant Township 613 Showalter, Levi, Union Township 533 Snyder, W. E., Findlay Township 333 Spitler, Samuel, Allen Township 583 Stough, George, Allen Township 653 Strother, Judge Robt. L., Findlay Township 115 Turner, Dr. G. L., Pleasant Township 593 Ward, N. H., Big Lick Township 463 Weisel, Lloyd, Allen Township 473 Wilson, J. H.. Findlay Township 223 Wiseley, Allen, Marion Township 393 MISCELLANEOUS. Map of Hancock County 12-13 Population of the UnitedStates 69 Area of the United States 69 Area of the Principal Countries in the World... 69 Population of Principal Countries in the World. 69 Population of Ohio by Counties 70 List of Ohio's Governors 72 Population of Hancock County by Townships.... 232 iyo OCITOTTY PART L THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. The JSTorthwest Territory. GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION. When the Norihwestern Territory was ceded to the United States l)y Virginia in 1784, it embraced only the territory lying between the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers, and north to the northern limits of the United States. It coincided with the area now embraced in the States ot Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and that portion of Minnesota lying on the east side of the Mississippi River. The United Slates itself at that period extended no farther west than the Mississippi River ; but by the purchase of Louisiana in 1803, the western boundary of the United States was extended to the Rocky Mountains and the Noiihern Pacific Ocean. The new territory thus added to the National (Uimain, and subsequently opened to settlement, has been called the " New Northwest," in contradistinction from the old '' Northwestern Teiiitory." In comparison with the old Northwest this is a territory of vast magnitude. It includes an area of 1,887,850 square miles ; being greater in extent than the united areas of all the Middle and Southern States,, including Texas. Out of this magnificent territory have been erected eleven sovereign States and eight Territories, with an aggregate popula- tion, at the present time, of 18,000,000 inhabitants, or nearly one-third of the entire population of the United States. Its lakes are fresh-water seas, and the larger rivers of the continent flow for a thousand miles through its rich alluvial valleys and far- stretching prairies, more acres of wliich are arable and productive of tlie highest percentage of the cereals than of any other area of like extent on the globe. For the last twenty years the increase of population in the North- west has been about as three to one in any other portion of the United States. EARLY EXPLORATIONS. In the year 1541, DeSoto first saw the Great West in the New World. He, however, penetrated no farther north than the 35th parallel 18 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. of latitude. The expedition resulted in his death and that of more than half his armjs the remainder of whom found their way to Cuba, thence to Spain, in a famished and demoralized condition. DeSoto founded no settlements, produced no results, and left no traces, unless it were that he awakened the hostility of tlie red man against the white man, and disheartened such as might desire to follow up the career of discovery for better purposes. The French nation were eager and ready to seize upon any news from this extensive domain, and were the first to profit by DeSoto's defeat. Yet it was more than a century before any adventurer took advantage of these discoveries. In 1616, four years before the pilgrims " moored their bark on the wild New England shore," Le Caron, a French Franciscan, had pene- trated through the Iroquois and Wyandots (Hurons) to the streams which run into Lake Huron ; and in 1634, two Jesuit missionaries founded the first mission among the lake tribes. It was just one hundred years from the discovery of the Mississippi by DeSoto (1541) until the Canadian envoys met the savage nations of the Northwest at the Falls of St. Mary, below the outlet of Lake Superior. This visit, led to no permanent result ; yet it was not until 1659 that any of the adventurous fur traders attempted to spend a Winter in the frozen wilds about the great lakes, nor was it until 1660 that a station was established upon their borders by Mesnard, who perished in the woods a few months after. In 1665, Claude Allouez built the earliest lasting habitation of the white man among the Indians of the Northwest. In 1668, Claude Dablon and James Marquette founded the mission of Sault Ste. Marie at the Falls of St. Mary, and two years afterward, Nicholas Perrot, as agent for M. Talon, Governor Gen- eral of Canada, explored Lake Illinois (Michigan) as far south as the present City of Chicago, and invited the Indian nations to meet him at a gland council at Sault Ste. Marie the following Spring, where they were taken under the protection of the king, and formal possession was taken of the Northwest. This same year Marquette established a mission at Point St. Ignatius, where was founded the old town of Michillimackinac. During M. Talon's explorations and Marquette's residence at St. Ignatius, they learned of a great river away to the west, and fancied — as all others did then — that upon its fertile banks whole tribes of God's children resided, to whom the sound of the Gospel had never come. Filled with a wish to go and preach to them, and in compliance with a lequest of M. Talon, who earnestly desired to extend the domain of his king, and to ascertain whether the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico or tlie Pacific Ocean, Marquette with Joliet, as commander of the expe- dition, prepared for the undertaking. On the 13th of May, 1673, the explorers, accompanied by five assist- THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 19 ant French Canadians, set out from Mackinaw on their daring voyage of discovery. The Indians, who gathered to witness their departure, were astonished at the boldness of the undertaking, and endeavored to dissuade them from their purpose by representing the tribes on the Mississippi as exceedingly savage and cruel, and the river itself as full of all sorts of frightful monsters ready to swallow them and their canoes together. But, nothing daunted by these terrific descriptions, Marquette told them he was willing not only to encounter all the perils of the unknown region they were about to explore, but to lay down his life in a cause in which the salvation of souls was involved ; and having prayed together they separated. Coasting along the northern shore of Lake Michigan, the adventurers entered Green Bay, and passed thence up the Fox River and Lake Winnebago to a village of the Miamis and Kickapoos. Here Mar- quette was delighted to find a beautiful cross planted in the middle of the town, ornamented with white skins, red girdles and bows and arrows, which these good people had offered to the Great Manitou, or God, to thank him for the pity he had bestowed on them during the Winter in giving them an abundant " chase." This was the farthest outpost to which Dablon and AUouez had extended their missionary labors the year previous. Here Marquette drank mineral waters and was instructed in the secret of a root which cures the bite of the venomous rattlesnake. He assembled the chiefs and old men of the village, and, pointing to Joliet, said : " My friend is an envoy of France, to discover new coun- tries, and I am an ambassador from God to enlighten them with the truths of the Gospel." Two Miami guides were here furnished to conduct them to the Wisconsin River, and they set out from the Lidian village on the 10th of June, amidst a great crowd of natives who had assembled to witness their departure into a region where no white man had ever yet ventured. The guides, having conducted them across the portage, returned. The explorers launched their canoes upon the Wisconsin, which they descended to the Mississippi and proceeded down its unknown waters. What emotions must have swelled their breasts as they struck out into the broadening current and became conscious that they were now upon the bosom of the Father of Waters. The mystery was about to be lifted from the long-sought river. The scenery in that locality is beautiful, and on that delightful seventeenth of June, must have been clad in all its primeval loveliness as it had been adorned by the hand of Nature. Drifting rapidly, it is said that the bold bluffs on either hand " reminded them of the castled shores of their own beautiful rivers of France." By-and-by, as they drifted along, great herds of buffalo appeared on the banks. On going to the heads of the valley they could see a country of the greatest beauty and fertility, apparently destitute of 20 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. inhabitants, yet preseutiug the appearance of extensive manors, under the fastidious cultivation of lordly proprietors. On June 25, they went asliore and found some fresh traces of men upon the sand, and a path which led to the prairie. The men remained in the boat, and Marquette and Joliet followed the path till they discovered a village on the banks of a river, and two other villages on a hill, within a half league of the first, inhabited by Indians. They were received most hospitably by these natives, who had never before seen a white person. After remaining a few days they re-embarked and descended the river to about latitude 33°, where they found a village of the Arkansas, and being satisfied that the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, turned their couise up the river, and ascending the stream to the mouth of the Illinois, rowed up that stream to its source and procured guides from tliat point to the lakes. " Nowhere on this journey," says Marquette, " did we see such grounds, meadows, woods, stags, buffaloes, deer, wildcats, bustards, swans, ducks, parroquets, and even beavers, as on the Illinois River." The party, without loss or* injury, reached Green Bay in September, and reported their discovery — one of the most important of the age, but of which no record was preserved save Marquette's, Joliet losing ^his by the upsetting of his canoe on his way to Quebec. Afterward Marquette returned to the Illinois Indians by their request, and ministered to them until 1675. On the 18th of May, in that year, as he was passing the mouth of a stream — going with his boatmen up Lake Michigan — he asked to land at its mouth and celebrate Mass. Leaving his men with the canoe, he retired a short distance and began his devotions. As much time passed and he did not return, his men went in search of him, and found him upon his knees, dead. He had peacefully passed away while at prayer. He wal buried at this spot. Charlevoix, who visited the place fifty years after, found the waters had retreated from the grave, leaving the beloved missionary to repose in peace. The river has since been called Marquette. While Marquette and his companions were pursuing their labors in the West, two men, difi'ering widely from him and each other, were pre- paring to follow in his footsteps and perfect the discoveries so well begun by him. These were Robert de LaSalle and Louis Hennepin. After LaSalle's return from the discovery of the Ohio River (see the narrative elsewhere), he established himself again among the French trading posts in Canada. Here he mused long upon the pet project of those ages — a short way to China and the East, and was busily planning an expedition up the great lakes, and so across the continent to the Pacific, when Marquette returned from the Mississippi. At once the vigorous mind of LaSalle received from liis and his companions' stories the idea that by fol- THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 21 lowing the Great River northward, or by turning up some of the numerous western tributaries, the object could easily be gained. He applied to Frontenac, Governor General of Canada, and laid before him the plan, dim but gigantic. Frontenac entered warmly into his plans, and saw that LaSalle's idea to connect the great lakes by a chain of forts with the Gulf of Mexico would bind the country so wonderfully together, give un- measured power to France, and glory to himself, under whose adminis- tration he earnestly hoped all would be realized. LaSalle now repaired to France, laid his plans before the King, who warmly approved of them, and made him a Chevalier. He also received from all the noblemen the warmest wishes for his success. The Chev- alier returned to Canada, and busily entered upon his work. He at once rebuilt Fort Frontenac and constructed the first ship to sail on these fresh-water seas. On the 7th of August, 1679, having been joined by Hennepin, he began his voyage in the Grififiu up Lake Erie. He passed over this lake, through the straits beyond, up Lake St. Clair and into Huron. In this lake they encountered heavy storms. They were some time at Michillimackinac, where LaSalle founded a fort, and passed on to Green Bay, the " Bale des Puans " of the French, where he found a large quantity of furs collected for him. He loaded the Griffin with these, and placing her under the care of a pilot and fourteen sailors, started her on her return voyage. The vessel was never afterward heard of. He remained about these parts until early in the Winter, when, hear- ing nothing from the Griffin, he collected all the men — thirty working men and three monks — and started again upon his great undertaking. By a short portage they passed to the Illinois or Kankakee, called by the Indians, " Theakeke," wolf^ because of the tribes of Indians called by that name, commonly known as the Mahingans, dwelling there. The French pronounced it Kiakiki, which became corrupted to Kankakee. "Falling down the said river by easy journeys, the better to observe the country," about the last of December they reached a village of the Illi- nois Indians, containing some five hundred cabins, but at that moment no inhabitants. The Sieur de LaSalle being in want of some breadstuffs, took advantage of the absence of the Indians to help himself to a suffi- ciency of maize, large quantities of which he found concealed in holes under the wigwams. This village was situated near the present village of Utica in LaSalle County, Illinois. The corn being securely stored, the voyagers again betook themselves to the stream, and toward evening, on the 4th day of January, 1680, they came into a lake which must have been the lake of Peoria. This was called by the Indians Pim-i-te-u'i, that is, a place where there are many fat beasts. Here the natives were met with in large numbers, but they were gentle and kind, and having spent 22 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. some time with them, LaSalle determined to erect another fort in that place, for he had heard rumors that some of the adjoining tribes were trying to disturb the good feeling which existed, and some of his men were disposed to complain, owing to the hardships and perils of the travel. He called this fort " Creveeoeur " (broken-heart), a name expressive of the very natural sorrow and anxiety which the pretty certain loss of his ship. Griffin, and his consequent impoverishment, the danger of hostility on the part of the Indians, and of mutiny among his own men, might well cause, him. His fears were not entirely groundless. At one time poison was placed in his food, but fortunately was discovered. While building this fort, the Winter wore away, the prairies began to look green, and LaSalle, despairing of any reinforcements, concluded to return to Canada, raise new means and new men, and embark anew in the enterprise. For this purpose he made Hennepin the leader of a party to explore the head waters of the Mississippi, and he set out on his joui- ney. This journey was accomplished with the aid of a few persons, and was successfully made, though over an almost unknown route, and in a bad season of the year. He safely reached Canada, and set out again for the object of his search. Hennepin and his party left Fort Creveeoeur on the last of February^ 1680. When LaSalle reached this place on his return expedition, he found the fort entirely deserted, and he was obliged to return again to Canada. He embarked the third time, and succeeded. Seven days after leaving the fort, Hennepin reached the Mississippi, and paddling up the icy stream as best he could, reached no higher than the Wisconsin River by the 11th of April. Here he and his followers were taken prisoners by a band of Northern Indians, who treated them with great kindness. Hen- nepin's comrades were Anthony Auguel and Michael Ako. On this voy- age they found several beautiful lakes, and "saw some charming prairies." Their captors were the Isaute or Sauteurs, Chippewas, a tribe of the Sioux nation, who took them up the river until about the first of May when tlie}'^ reached some falls, which Hennepin christened Falls of St. Anthony in honor of his patron saint. Here they took the land, and traveling nearly two hundred miles to the northwest, brought them to their villages* Here they were kept about three months, were treated kindly by their captors, and at the end of that time, were met by a band of Frenchmen, headed by one Sieur de Luth, who, in pursuit of trade and game, had pene- trated thus far by the route of Lake Superior ; and with these fellow- countrymen Hennepin and his companions were allowed to return to the borders of civilized life in November, 1680^ just after LaSalle had returned to the wilderness on his second trip. Hennepin soon after went to France, where he published an account of his adventures. THE NORTHWEST TEKRITORY. 23 The Mississippi was first discovered by De Soto in April, 1541, in his vain endeavor to find gold and precious gems. In the following Spring, De Soto, weary with hope long deferred, and worn out with his wander- ings, fell a victim to disease, and on the 21st of May, died. His followers, reduced by fatigue and disease to less than three hundred men, wandered about the country nearly a year, in the vain endeavor to rescue them- selves by land, and finally constructed seven small vessels, called brig- antines, in which they embarked, and descending the river, supposing it would lead them to the sea, in July they came to the sea (Gulf of Mexico), and by September reached the Island of Cuba. They were the first to see the great outlet of the Mississippi ; but, being so weary and discouraged, made no attempt to claim the country, and hardly had an intelligent idea of what they had passed through. To La Salle, the intrepid explorer, belongs the honor of giving the first account of the mouths of the river. His great desire was to possess this entire country for his king, and in January, 1682, he and his band of explorers left the shores of Lake Michigan on their third attempt, crossed the Portage, passed down the Illinois River, and on the 6th of February reached the banks of the Mississippi. On the 13th they commenced their downward course, which they pursued with but one interruption, until upon the 6th of March they dis- covered the three great passages by which the river discharges its waters into the gulf. La Salle thus narrates the event : " We landed on the bank of the most western channel, about three leagues (nine miles) from its mouth. On the seventh, M. de La Salle went to reconnoiter the shore of the neighboring sea, and M. de Tonti meanwhile examined the great middle channel. They found the main outlets beautiful, large and deep. On the eighth, we reascended the river, a little above its confluence with the sea, to find a dry place beyond the reach of inundations. The elevation of the North Pole was here about twenty-seven degrees. Here we prepared a column and a cross, and to the column were affixed the arms of France with this inscription : "Louis Le Grand, Roi de France et de Navarre, regne ; Le neuvieme April, 1682." The whole party, under arms, chanted the Te Deum^ and then, after a salute and cries of " Vive le Moi,'^ the column was erected by M. de La Salle, who, standing near it, proclaimed in a loud voice the authority of the King of France. La Salle returned and laid the foundations of the Mississippi settlements in Illinois ; thence he proceeded to France, where another expedition was fitted out, of which he was commander, and in two succeeding voyages failed to find the outlet of the river by sailing Si THE N01:TH\VEST TEURiTOKV. along the shore of the gulf. On the third voyage he was killed, through the treachery of his followers, and the object of his expeditions was not accomplished until 1699, when D'Iberville, under the authority of the crown, discovered, on the second of March, by way of the sea, the mouth of the " Hidden River." This majestic stream was called by the natives " Malbouchia,'" and by the Spaniards, '' la Palissade,^^ from the great number of trees about its mouth. After traversing the several outlets, and satisfying himself as to its certainty, he erected a fort near its western outlet, and returned to France. An avenue of trade was now opened out which was fully improved. lu 1718, New Orleans was laid out and settled by some European colonists. In 1762, tlie colony was made over to Spain, to be regained by France under the consulate of Napoleon. In 1803, it was purchased by the United States for the sum of fifteen million dollars, and the territory of Louisiana and commerce of the Mississippi River came under the charge of the United States. Although La Salle's labors ended in defeat and death, he had not worked and suffered in vain. He had thrown open to France and the world an immense and most valuable country ; had established several ports, and laid the foundations of more than one settlement there. " Peoria, Kaskaskia and Cahokia, are to this day monuments of LaSalle's labors ; for, though he had founded neither of them (unless Peoria, which was built nearly upon the site of Fort Crevecoeur,) it was by those whom he led into the West that these places were peopled and civilized. H;.' was, if not the discoverer, the first settler of the Mississippi Valley, and as such deserves to be known and honored." The French early improved the opening made for them. Before the year 1698, the Rev. Father Gravier began a mission among the Illinois, and founded Kaskaskia. For some time this Avas merely a missionary station, where none but natives resided, it being one of three such vil- lages, the other two being Cahokia and Peoria. What is known of these missions is learned from a letter written by Father Gabriel Marest, dated '" Aux Cascaskias, autrementdit de I'lmmaculate Conception de la Sainte Vierge, le 9 Novembre, 1712." Soon after the founding of Kaskaskia, the missionary, Pinet, gathered a flock at Cahokia, while Peoria arose near the ruins of Fort Crevecoeur. This must have been about the year 1700. The post at Vincennes on the Oubache river, (pronounced Wa-ba, meaning summer cloud moving swiftly,') was established in 1702, according to the best authorities.* It is altogether probable that on LaSalle's last * There is considerable dispute about tliis date, some asserting it was founded as late as 1T42. When the new court house at Vincennes was erected, all authorities on the subject were carefully examined, and 1702 fixed upon as the correct date. It was accordingly engraved on the comer-stone of the court house. THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY 25 trip he established the stations at Kaskaskia and Cahokia. In July, 1701, the foundations of Fort Ponchartrain were laid by De la Motte Cadillac on the Detroit River. These stations, with those established further north, were the earliest attempts to occupy the Northwest Terri- tory. At the same time efforts were being made to occupy the Southwest, which finally culminated in the settlement and founding of the City of New Orleans by a colony from England in 1718. This was mainly accom- plished through the efforts of the famous Mississippi Company, established by the notorious John Law, who so quickly arose into prominence in France, and who with his scheme so quickly and so ignominiously passed away. From the time of the founding of these stations for fifty years the French nation were engrossed with the settlement of the lower Missis- sippi, and the war with the Chickasaws, who had, in revenge for repeated injuries, cut off the entire colony at Natchez. Although the company did little for Louisiana, as the entire West was then called, yet it opened the trade through the Mississippi River, and started the raising of grains indigenous to that climate. Until the year 1750, but little is known of the settlements in the Northwest, as it was not until this time that the attention of the English was called to the occupation of this portion of the New World, which they then supposed they owned. Vivier, a missionary among the Illinois, writing from '' Aux Illinois," six leagues from Fort Chartres, June 8, 1750, says: "We have here whites, negroes and Indians, to say nothing of cross-breeds. There are five French villages, and three villages of the natives, within a space of twenty-one leagues situated between the Mississippi and another river called the Karkadaid (Kaskaskias). In the five French villages, are perhaps, eleven hundred whites, three hundred blacks and some sixty red slaves or savages. The three Illinois towns do not contain more than eight hundred souls all ~told. Most of the French till the soil ; they raise wheat, cattle, pigs and horses, and live like princes. Three times as much is produced as can be consumed ; and great quantities of grain and flour are sent to New Orleans." This city was now the seaport town of the Northwest, and save in the extreme northern part, where only furs and copper ore were found, almost all the products of the country found their way to France by the mouth of the Father of Waters. In another letter, dated Novem- ber 7, 1750, this same priest says : " For fifteen leagues above the mouth of the Mississippi one sees no dwellings, the ground being too low to be habitable. Thence to New Orleans, the lands are only partially occupied. New Orleans contains black, white and red, not. more, I think, than twelve hundred persons. To this point come all the lumber, bricks, salt-beef, tallow, tar, skins and bear's grease ; and above all, pork 26 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. and flour from the Illinois. These things create some commerce, as forty vessels and more have come hither this year. Above New Orleans, plantations are again met with ; the most considerable is a colony of Germans, some ten leagues up the river. At Point Coupee, thirty-five leagues above the German settlement, is a fort. Along here, within five or six leagues, are not less than sixty habitations. Fifty leagues farther up is the Natchez post, where we have a garrison, who are kept prisoners through fear of the Chickasaws. Here and at Point Coupee, they raise excellent tobacco. Another hundred leagues brings us to the Arkansas, where we have also a fort and a garrison for the benefit of the river traders. * * * From the Arkansas to the Illinois, nearly five hundred leagues, there is not a settlement. There should be, hower, a fort at the Oubache (Ohio), the only path by which the English can reach the Mississippi. In the Illinois country are numberless mines, but no one to work them as they deserve." Father Marest, writing from the post at Vincennes in 1812, makes the same observation. Vivier also says : " Some individuals dig lead near the surface and supply the Indians and Canada. Two Spaniards now here, who claim to be adepts, say that our mines are like those of Mexico, and that if we would dig deeper, we should find silver under the lead ; and at any rate the lead is excellent. There is also in this country, beyond doubt, copper ore, as from time to time large pieces are found in the streams. At the close of the year 1750, the French occupied, in addition to the lower Mississippi posts and those in Illinois, one at Du Quesne, one at the Maumee in the country of the Miamas, and one at Sandusky in what may be termed the Ohio Valley. In the northern part of the Northwest they had stations at St. Joseph's on the St. Joseph's of Lake Michigan, at Fort Ponchartrain (Detroit), at Michillimackanac or Massillimacanac, Fox River at Green Bay, and at Sault Ste. Marie. The fondest dreams of LaSalle were now fully realized. The French alone were possessors of this vast realm, basing their claim on discovery and settlement. Another nation, however, was now turning its attention to this extensive country, and hearing of its wealth, began to lay plans for occupying it and for securing the great profits arising therefrom. The French, however, had another claim to this country, namely, the DISCOVERY OF THE OHIO. This " Beautiful " river was discovered by Robert Cavalier de La- Salle in 1669, four years before the discovery of the Mississippi by Joliet and Marquette. THE t;ORTHWEST TERRITORY. '^^ ,0 travel -|^ -£ ae"™l\ o^: e^^^^^^ expedition, soon occurred which deuaea mm i learned of a river called the distance that it lequued ei i considered as one stream. „,ei,t the Mississippi and '»; "";" J^.^^ ,;„, did, that the great conduct them to the Ohio, but in this they were ^^W^"'^^' The Indians seemed unfriendly to the enterprise LaSaUe suspected that the Jesuits had prejudiced their n.inds ''f-" P'^'^j^ ,^^^ heard for the first time the distant thunder of the cataract. Arriving ::ng the t,„ois, they met with a «endly recep^.n an^l«u.ed fromaShawanee prisoner that they could '^'^'^h the Ohio in sk weeks. Delighted with the unexpected good fortune, they made -f^y to resume theii iournev but just as they were about to start they heaid ot the '; -^fof ::o'Frenchmen in a ifeig.iboring village One of tliem P--^ to be Louis JoUet, afterwards famous as an explorer in the West. 28 THE NORTHWEST TERRITOR-i:, had been sent by the Canadian Government to explore the copper mines on Lake Superior, but had failed, and was on his way back to Quebec. He gave the missionaries a map of the country he had explored in the lake region, together with an account of the condition of the Indians in that quarter. This induced the priests to determine on leaving the expedition and going to Lake Superior. LaSalle warned them that the Jesuits were probably occupying that field, and that they would meet with a cold reception. Nevertheless they persisted in their purpose, and after worship on the lake shore, parted from LaSalle. On arriving at Lake Superior, they found, as LaSalle had predicted, the Jesuit Fathers, Marquette and Dablon, occupying the field. These zealous disciples of Loyola informed them that they wanted no assistance from St. Sulpice, nor from those who made him their patron saint ; and thus repulsed, they returned to Montreal the following June without having made a single discovery or converted a single Indian. After parting with the priests, LaSalle went to the chief Iroquois village at Onondaga, where he obtained guides, and passing thence to a. tributary of the Ohio south of Lake Erie, he descended the latter as far as the falls at Louisville. Thus was the Ohio discovered by LaSalle, the persevering and successful French explorer of the West, in 1669. The account of the latter part of his journey is found in an anony- mous paper, which purports to have been taken from the lips of LaSalle himself during a subsequent visit to Paris. In a letter written to Count Frontenac in 1667, shortly after the discovery, he himself says that he discovered the Ohio and descended it to the falls. This was regarded as an indisputable fact by the French authorities, who claimed the Ohio Valley upon another ground. When Washington was sent by the colony of Virginia in 1753, to demand of Gordeur de St. Pierre why the French had built a fort on the Monongahela, the haughty commandant at Quebec replied : " We claim the country on the Ohio by virtue of the discoveries of LaSalle, and will not give it up to the English. Our orders are to make prisoners of every Englishman found trading in the Ohio Valley." ENGLISH EXPLORATIONS AND SETTLEMENTS. When the new year of 1750 broke in upon the Father of Waters and the Great Northwest, all was still wild save at the French posts already described. In 1749, when the English first began to think seri- ously about sending men into the West, the greater portion of the States of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota were yet under the dominion of the red men. The English knew, however, pretty THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 29 conclusively of the nature of the wealth of these wilds. As early as 1710, Governor Spotswood, of Virginia, had commenced movements to secure the country west of the Alleghenies to the English crown. In Pennsylvania, Governor Keith and James Logan, secretary of the prov- ince, from 1719 to 1731, represented to the powers of England the neces- sity of securing the Western lands. Nothing was done, however, by that power save to take some diplomatic steps to secure the claims of Britain to this unexplored wilderness. England had from the outset claimed from the Atlantic to the Pacific, on the ground that the discovery of the seacoast and its possession was a discovery and possession of the country, and, as is well known, hergrallts to the colonies extended " from sea to sea." This was not all her claim. She had purchased from the Indian tribes large tracts of land. This lat- ter was also a strong argument. As early as 1684, Lord H oward, Gov- ernor of Virginia, held a treaty with the six nations. These were the great Northern Confederacy, and comprised at first the Mohawks, Onei- das, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. Afterward the Tuscaroras were taken into the confederacy, and it became known as the Six Nations. They came under the protection of the mother country, and again in 1701, they repeated the agreement, and in September, 1726, a formal deed was drawn up and signed by the chiefs. The validity of this claim has often been disputed, but never successfully. In 1741, a purchase was made at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, of certain lands within the " Colony of Virginia," for which the Indians received .£200 in gold and a like sum in goods, with a promise that, as settlements increased, more should be paid. The Commissioners from Virginia were Colonel Thomas Lee and Colonel William Beverly. As settlements extended, the promise of more pay was called to mind, and Mr. Conrad Weiser was sent across the mountains with presents to appease the savages. Col. Lee, and some Virginians accompa- nied him with the intention of sounding the Indians upon their feelings regarding the English. They were not satisfied with their treatment, and plainly told the Commissioners why. The English did not desire the cultivation of the country, but the monopoly of the Indian trade. In. 1748, the Ohio Company was formed, and petitioned the king for a grant of land beyond the Alleghenies. This was granted, and the government of Virginia was ordered to grant to them a half million acres, two hun- dred thousand of which were to be located at once. Upon the 12th of June, 1749, 800,000 acres from the line of Canada north and west was made to the Loyal Company, and on the 29th of October, 1751, 100,000 acres were given to the Greenbriar Company. All this time the Frencli were not idle. They saw that, should the British gain a foothold in the West, especially upon the Ohio, they might not only prevent the French 30 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. settling upon it, but in time would come to the lower posts and so gain possession of the whole country. Upon the 10th of May, 1747, Vaud- reuil, Governor of Canada and the French possessions, well knowing the consequences that must arise from allowing the English to build trading posts in the Northwest, seized some of their frontier posts, and to further secure the claim of the French to the West, he, in 1749, sent Louis Cel- eron with a party of soldiers to plant along the Ohio River, in the mounds and at the mouths of its principal tributaries, plates of lead, on which were inscribed the claims of France. These were heard of in 1752, and within the memory of residents now living along the " Oyo," as the beautiful river was called by the French. One of these plates was found with the inscription partly defaced. It bears date August 16, 1749, and a copy of the inscription with particular account of the discovery of the plate, was sent by DeWitt Clinton to the American Antiquarian Society, among whose journals it may now be found.* These measures did not, however, deter the English from going on with their explorations, and though neither party resorted to arms, yet the conflict was gathering, and it was only a question of time when the storm would burst upon the frontier settlements. In 1750, Christopher Gist was sent by the Ohio Company to examine its lands. He went to a village of the Twigtwees, on the Miami, about one hundred and fifty miles above its mouth. He afterward spoke of it as very populous. From there he went down the Ohio River nearly to the falls at the present City of Louisville, and in November he commenced a survey of the Company's lands. Dur- ing the Winter, General Andrew Lewis performed a similar work for the Greenbriar Company. Meanwhile the French were busy in preparing their forts for defense, and in opening roads, and also sent a small party of soldiers to keep the Ohio clear. This party, having heard of the Eng- lish post on the Miami River, early in 1652, assisted by the Ottawas and Chippewas, attacked it, and, after a severe battle, in which fourteen of the natives were killed and others wounded, captured the garrison. (They were probably garrisoned in a block house). The traders were carried away to Canada, and one account says several were burned. This fort or post was called by the English Pickawillany. A memorial of the king's ministers refers to it as " Pickawillanes, in the center of the terri- tory between the Ohio and the Wabash. The name is probably some variation of Pickaway or Picqua in 1773, written by Rev. David Jones Pickaweke." * The following is a translation of the inscription on the plate: "In the year 1749, reign of Louis XV., King of France, we, Celeron, commandant of a detachment by Monsieur the Marquis of Gallisoniere, com- mander-in-chief of New France, to establish tranquility in certain Indian villages of these cantons, have buried this plate at the confluence of the Toradakoin, this twenty- ninth of July, near the river Ohio, otherwise Beautiful River, as a monument of renewal of possession which we have taken of the said river, and all its tributaries; inasmuch as the preceding Kings of France have enjoyed it, and maialaiued it by their arms and treaties; especially by those of Ryswick, Utrecht, and Aix La Chapelle." THE NORTHWEST TERRITOE:i:. 31 This was the first blood shed between the French and English, and occurred near the present City of Piqua, Ohio, or at least at a point abou': forty-seven miles north of Dayton. Each nation became now more inter- ested in the progress of events in the Northwest. The English deter- mined to purchase from the Indians a title to the lands they wished to occupy, and Messrs. Fry (afterward Commander-in-chief over Washing- ton at the commencement of the French War of 1775-1763), Lomax and Patton were sent in the Spring of 1752 to hold a conference with the natives at Logstown to learn what they objected to in the treaty of Lan- caster already noticed, and to settle all difficulties. On the 9th of June, these Commissioners met the red men at Logstown, a little village on thj north bank of the Ohio, about seventeen miles below the site of Pitts- burgh. Here had been a trading point for many years, but it was aban- doned by the Indians in 1750. At first the Indians declined to recognize the treaty of Lancaster, but, the Commissioners taking aside Montour, the interpreter, who was a son of the famous Catharine Montour, and a chief among the six nations, induced him to use his influence in theij favor. This he did, and upon the loth of June they all united in signing a deed, confirming the Lancaster treaty in its full extent, consenting to a settlement of the southeast of the Ohio, and guaranteeing that it should not be disturbed by them. These were the means used to obtain the firsi treaty with the Indians in the Ohio Valley. Meanwhile the powers beyond the sea were trying to out-manoeuvre €ach other, and were professing to be at peace. The English generally outwitted the Indians, and failed in many instances to fulfill their con- tracts. They thereby gained the ill-will of the red men, and further increased the feeling by failing to provide them with arms and ammuni- tion. Said an old chief, at Easton, in 1758 : '' The Indians on the Ohio left you because of your own fault. When we heard the French were coming, we asked you for help and arms, but we did not get them. The French came, they treated us kindly, and gained our affections. The Governor of Virginia settled on our lands for his own benefit, and, when we wanted help, forsook us." At the beginning of 1653, the English thought they had secured by title the lands in the West, but the French had quietly gathered cannon and military stores to be in readiness for the expecte(? blow. The Eng- lish made other attempts to ratify these existing treaties, but not until the Summer could the Indians be gathered together to discuss the plans of the French. They had sent messages to the French, warning them away ; but they replied that they intended to complete the chain of forts already begun, and would not abandon the field. Soon after this, no satisfaction beiny- obtained from the Ohio recjard- 32 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. ing the positions and purposes of the French, Governor Dinwiddle of Virginia determined to send to them another messenger and learn from them, if possible, their intentions. For this purpose he selected a young man, a surveyor, who, at the early age of nineteen, had received the rank of major, and who was thoroughly posted regarding frontier life. This personage was no other than the illustrious George Washington, who then held considerable interest in Western lands. He was at this time just twenty-two years of age. Taking Gist as his guide, the two, accompanied by four servitors, set out on their perilous march. They left Will's Creek on the 10th of November, 1753, and on the 22d reached the Monon- gahela, about ten miles above the fork. From there they went to Logstown, where Washington had a long conference with the chiefs of the Six Nations. From them he learned the condition of the French, and also heard of their determination not to come down the river till the fol- lowing Spring. The Indians were non-committal, as they were afraid to turn either way, and, as far as they could, desired to remain neutral. Washington, finding nothing could be done with them, went on ta Venango, an old Indian town at the mouth of French Creek. Here the French had a fort, called Fort Machault. Through the rum and flattery of the French, he nearly lost all his Indian followers. Finding nothing of importance here, he pursued his way amid great privations, and on the 11th of December reached the fort at the head of French Creek. Here he delivered Governor Dinwiddle's letter, received his answer, took his observations, and on the 16th set out upon his return journey with no one but Gist, his guide, and a few Indians who still remained true to him, notwithstanding the endeavors of the French to retain them. Their homeward journey was one of great peril and suffering from the cold, yet they reached home In safety on the 6th of January, 1754. From the letter of St. Pierre, commander of the French fort, sent by Washington to Governor Dinwiddle, it was learned that the French would not give up without a struggle. Active preparations were at once made in all the English colonies for the coming conflict, while the French finished the fort at Venango and strengthened their lines of fortifications, and gathered their forces to be in readiness. The Old Dominion was all alive. Virginia was the center of great activities ; volunteers were called for, and from all the neighboring colonies men rallied to the conflict, and everywhere along the Potomac men were enlisting under the Governor's proclamation — which promised two hundred thousand acres on the Ohio. Along this river they were gathering as far as Will's Creek, and far beyond this point, whither Trent had come for assistance for his little band of forty-one men, who were THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 33 working away in hunger and want, to fortify that point at the fork of the Ohio, to which both parties were looking with deep interest. '' The first birds of Spring filled the air with their song ; the swift river rolled by the Allegheny hillsides, swollen by the' melting snows of Spring and the April showers. The leaves were appearing ; a few Indian scouts were seen, but no enemy seemed near at hand ; and all was so quiet, that Frazier, an old Indian scout and trader, who had been left by Trent in command, ventured to his home at the mouth of Turtle Creek, ten miles up the Monongahela. But, though all was so quiet in that wilder- ness, keen eyes had seen the low intrenchment rising at the fork, and swift feet had borne the news of it up the river ; and upon the morning of the 17th of April, Ensign Ward, who then had charge of it, saw upon the Allegheny a sight that made his lieart sink — sixty batteaux and three hundred canoes filled with men, and laden deep with cannon and stores. * * * That evening he supped with his captor, Contrecoeur, and the next day he was bowed off by the Frenchman, and with his men and tools, marched up the Monongahela." The French and Indian war had begun. The treaty of Aix la Chapelle, in 1748, had left the boundaries between the French and English possessions unsettled, and the events already narrated show the French were determined to hold the country watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries ; while the English laid claims to the country by virtue of the discoveries of the Cabots, and claimed all the country from New- foundland to Florida, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The first decisive blow had now been struck, and the first attempt of the English, through the Ohio Company, to occupy these lands, had resulted disastrously to them. The French and Indians immediately completed the fortifications begun at the Fork, which they had so easily captured, and when completed gave to the fort the name of DuQuesne. Washing- ton was at Will's Creek when the news of the capture of the fort arrived. He at once departed to recapture it. On his way he entrenched him- self at a place called the " Meadows," where he erected a fort called by him Fort Necessity. From there he surprised and captured a force of French and Indians marching against him, but was soon after attacked in his fort by a much superior force, and was obliged to yield on the morning of July 4th. He was allowed to return to Virginia. The English Government immediately planned four campaigns ; one against Fort DuQuesne ; one against Nova Scotia ; one against Fort Niagara, and one against Crown Point. These occurred during 1755-6, and were not successful in driving the French from their possessions. The expedition against Fort DuQuesne was led by the famous General Braddock, who, refusing to listen to the advice of Washington and those 34 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. acquainted with Indian warfare, suffered such an inglorious defeat. This occurred on the morning of July 9th, and is generally known as the battle of Monongahela, or " Braddock's Defeat." The war continued with A arious vicissitudes through the years 1756-7 ; when, at the commence- ment of 1758, in accordance with the plans of William Pitt, then Secre- tary of State, afterwards Lord Chatham, active preparations were made to carry on the war. Three expeditions were planned for this year : one, under General Amherst, against Louisburg ; another, under Abercrombie, against Fort Ticonderoga ; and a third, under General Forbes, against Fort DuQuesne. On the 26th of July, Louisburg surrendered after a desperate resistance of more than forty days, and the eastern part of the Canadian possessions fell into the hands of the British. Abercrombie captured Fort Frontenac, and when the expedition against Fort DuQuesne, of which Washington had the active command, arrived there, it was found in flames and deserted. The English at once took possession, rebuilt the fort, and in honor of their illustrious statesman, changed the name to Fort Pitt. The great object of the campaign of 1759, was the reduction of Canada. General Wolfe was to lay siege to Quebec ; Amherst was to reduce Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and General Prideaux was to capture Niagara. This latter place was taken in July, but the gallant Prideaux lost his life in the attempt. Amherst captured Ticonderoga and Crown Point without a blow ; and Wolfe, after making the memor- able ascent to the Plains of Abraham, on September 13th, defeated Montcalm, and on the 18th, the city capitulated. In this engagement Montcolm and Wolfe both lost their lives. De Levi, Montcalm's successor, marched to Sillery, three miles above the city, with the purpose of defeating the English, and there, on the 28th of the following April, was fought one of the bloodiest battles of the French and Indian War. It resulted in the defeat of the French, and the fall of the City of Montreal. Tlie Governor signed a capitulation by which the whole of Canada was surrendered to the English. This practically concluded the war, but it was not until 1763 that the treaties of peace between France and England Avere signed. This was done on the 10th of February of that year, and under its provisions all the country east of the Mississippi and north of the Iberville River, in Louisiana, were ceded to England. At the same time Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain. On the 13th of September, 1760, Major Robert Rogers was sent from Montreal to take charge of Detroit, the only remaining French post in the territory. He arrived there on the 19th of November, and sum- moned the place to surrender. At first the commander of the post, Beletre, refused, but on the 29th, hearing of the continued defeat of the THE NORTHWEST TERKITORY. 35 French arms, surrendered. Rogers remained there until December 28d under the personal protection of the celebrated chief, Pontiac, to whom, no doubt, he owed his safety.* Pontiac had come here to inquire the purposes of the EngUsh in taking possession of the country. He was assured that they came simply to trade with the natives, and did not desire their country. This answer conciliated the savages, and did much to insure the safety of Rogers and his party during their stay, and while on their journey home. Rogers set out for Fort Pitt on December 23, and was just one month on the way. His route was from Detroit to Maumee, thence across the present State of Ohio directly to the fort. This was the com- mon trail of the Indians in their journeys from Sandusky to the fork of the Ohio. It went from Fort Sandusky, where Sandusky City now is, crossed the Huron river, then called Bald Eagle Creek, to " Mohickon John's Town" on Mohickon Creek, the northern branch of White Woman's River, and thence crossed to Beaver's Town, a Delaware town on what is now Sandy Creek. At Beaver's Town were probably one hundred and fifty warriors, and not less than three thousand acres of cleared land. From there the track went up Sandy Creek to and across Big Beaver, and up the Ohio to Logstown, thence on to the fork. The Northwest Territory was now entirely under the English rule. New settlements began to be rapidly made, and the promise of a large trade was speedily manifested. Had the British carried out their promises with the natives none of those savage butcheries would have been perpe- trated, and the country would have been spared their recital. The renowned chief, Pontiac, was one of the leading spirits in these atrocities. We will now pause in our narrative, and notice the leading events in his life. The earliest authentic information regarding this noted Indian chief is learned from an account of an Indian trader named Alexander Henry, who, in the Spring of 1761, penetrated his domains as far as Missillimacnac. Pontiac was then a great friend of the French, but a bitter foe of the English, whom he considered as encroaching on his hunting grounds. Henry was obliged to disguise himself as a Canadian to insure saiety, but was discovered by Pontiac, who bitterly reproached him and the English for their attempted subjugation of the West. He declared that no treaty had been made with them ; no presents sent them, and that he would resent any possession of the West by that nation. He was at the time about fifty years of age, tall and dignified, and was civil and military ruler of the Ottawas, Ojibwas and Pottawatamies. The Indians, from Lake Michigan to the borders of North Carohna, were united in this feeling, and at the time of the treaty of Paris, ratified February 10, 1763, a general conspiracy was formed to fall suddenly 3(3 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. upon the frontier British posts, and with one blow strike every man dead. Pontiac was the marked leader in all this, and was the commander of the Chippewas, Ottawas, Wyandots, Miamis, Shawanese, Delawares and Mingoes, who had, for the time, laid aside their local quarrels to unit© in this enterprise. The blow came, as near as can now be ascertained, on May 7, 1768. Nine British posts fell, and the Indians drank, " scooped up in the hollow of joined hands," the blood of many a Briton. Pontiac's immediate field of action was the garrison at Detroit. Here, however, the plans were frustrated by an Indian woman disclosing the plot the evening previous to his arrival. Everything was carried out, however, according to Pontiac's plans until the moment of action, when Major Gladwyn, the commander of the post, stepping to one of the Indian chiefs, suddenly drew aside his blanket and disclosed the concealed musket. Pontiac, though a brave man, turned pale and trembled. He saw his plan was known, and that the garrison were prepared. He endeavored to exculpate himself from any such intentions ; but the guilt was evident, and he and his followers were dismissed with a severe reprimand, and warned never to again enter the walls of the post. Pontiac at once laid siege to the fort, and until the treaty of peace between the British and the Western Indians, concluded in August, 1764, continued to harass and besiege the fortress. He organized a regular commissariat department, issued bills of credit written out on bark, which, to his credit, it may be stated, were punctually redeemed. At the conclusion of the treaty, in which it seems he took no part, he went further south, living many yeass among the Illinois. He had given up all hope of saving his country and race. After a time he endeavored to unite the Illinois tribe and those about St. Louis in a war with the whites. His efforts were fruitless, and only ended in a quarrel between himself and some Kaskaskia Indians, one of whom soon afterwards killed him. His death was, however, avenged by the northern Indians, who nearly exterminated the Illinois in the wars which followed. Had it not been for the treachery of a few of his followers, his plan for the extermination of the whites, a masterly one, would undoubtedly have been carried out. It was in the Spring of the year following Rogers' visit that Alex- ander Henry went to Missillimacnac, and everywhere found the strongest feelings against the English, who had not carried out their promises, and were doing nothing to conciliate the natives. Here he met the chief, Pontiac, who, after conveying to him in a speech the idea that their French father would awake soon and utterly destroy his enemies, said: "• Englishman, although you have conquered the French, you have not THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. -37 yet conquered us ! We are not your slaves I These lakes, these woods, these mountains, were left us by our ancestors. They are our inheritance, and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like the white people, can not live without bread and pork and beef. But you ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and Master of Life, has provided food for us upon these broad lakes and in these mountains." He then spoke of the fact that no treaty had been made with them, no presents sent them, and that he and his people were yet for war. Such were the feelings of the Northwestern Indians immediately after the English took possession of their country. These feelings were no doubt encouraged by the Canadians and French, who hoped that yet the French arms might prevail. The treaty of Paris, however, gave to the English the right to this vast domain, and active preparations were going on to occupy it and enjoy its trade and emoluments. In 1762, France, by a secret treaty, ceded Louisiana to Spain, to pre- vent it falling into the hands of the English, who were becoming masters of the entire West. The next year the treaty of Paris, signed at Fon- tainbleau, gave to the English the domain of the country in question. Twenty years after, by the treaty of peace between the United States and England, that part of Canada lying south and west of the Great Lakes, comprehending a large territory which is the subject of these sketches, was acknowledged to be a portion of the United States ; and twenty years still later, in 1803, Louisiana was ceded by Spain back to France, and by France sold to the United States. In the half century, from the building of the Fort of Crevecoeur by LaSalle, in 1680, up to the erection of Fort Chartres, many French set- tlements had been made in that quarter. These have already been noticed, being those at St. Vincent (Vincennes), Kohokia or Cahokia, Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher, on the American Bottom, a large tract of rich alluvial soil in Illinois, on the Mississippi, opposite the site of St. Louis. By the treaty of Paris, the regions east of the Mississippi, including all these and other towns of the Northwest, were given over to England; but they do not appear to have been taken possession of until 1765, when Captain Stirling, in the name of the Majesty of England, established him- self at Fort Chartres bearing with him the proclamation of General Gage, dated December 30, 1764, which promised religious freedom to all Cath- olics who worshiped here, and a right to leave the country with their effects if they wished, or to remain with the privileges of Englishmen. It was shortly after the occupancy of the West by the British that the war with Pontiac opened. It is already noticed in the sketch of that chieftain. By it many a Briton lost his hfe, and many a frontier settle- 38 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. ment in its infancy ceased to exist. This was not ended until the year 1764, when, failing to capture Detroit, Niagara and Fort Pitt, his confed- (Tacy became disheartened, and, receiving no aid from the French, Pon- tiac abandoned the enterprise and departed to the Illinois, among whom, he afterward lost his life. As soon as these difficulties were definitely settled, settlers began rapidly to survey the country and prepare for occupation. During the year 1770, a number of persons from Virginia and other British provinces explored and marked out nearly all the valuable lands on the Mononga- hela and along the banks of the Ohio as far as the Little Kanawha. This, was followed by another exploring expedition, in which George Washing- ton was a party. The latter, accompanied by Dr. Craik, Capt. Crawford and others, on the 20th of October, 1770, descended the Ohio from Pitts- burgh to the mouth of the Kanawha ; ascended that stream about fourteen miles, marked out several large tracts of land, shot several buffalo, which were then abundant in the Ohio Valley, and returned to the fort. Pittsburgh was at this time a trading post, about which was clus- tered a village of some twenty houses, inhabited by Indian traders. This same year, Capt. Pittman visited Kaskaskia and its neighboring villages. He found there about sixty-five resident families, and at Cahokia only forty-five dwellings. At Fort Chartres was another small settlement, and jit Detroit the garrison were quite prosperous and strong. For a year or two settlers continued to locate near some of these posts, generally Fort Pitt or Detroit, owing to the fears of the Indians, who still main- tained some feelings of hatred to the English. The trade from the posts was quite good, and from those in Illinois large quantities of pork and flour found their way to the New Orleans market. At this time the policy of the British Government was strongly opposed to the extension of the colonies west. In 1763, the King of England forbade, by royal proclamation, his colonial subjects from making a settlement beyond the sources of the rivers which fall into the Atlantic Ocean. At the instance of the Board of Trade, measures were taken to prevent the settlement without the limits prescribed, and to retain the commerce within easy reach of Great Britain. The commander-in-chief of the king's forces wrote in 1769 : " In the course of a few years necessity will compel the colonists, should they extend their settlements west, to provide manufactures of some kind for themselves, and when all connection upheld by commerce with the mother country ceases, an independency in their government will soon follow." In accordance with this policy. Gov. Gage issued a proclamation, ill 1772, commanding the inhabitants of Vincennes to abandon their set- tlements and join some of the Eastern English colonies. To this they THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 39 strenuously objected, giving good reasons therefor, and were allowed to remain. The strong opposition to this policy of Great Britain led to its change, and to such a course as to gain the attachment of the French population. In December, 1773, influential citizens of Quebec petitioned the king for an extension of the boundary lines of that province, which was granted, and Parliament passed an act on June 2, 1774, extend- ing the boundary so as to include the territory lying within the present States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. In consequence of the liberal policy pursued by the British Govern- ment toward the French settlers in the West, they were disposed to favor that nation in the war which soon followed with the colonies ; but the early alliance between France and America soon brought them to the side of the war for independence. In 1774, Gov. Dunmore, of Virginia, began to encourage emigration to the Western lands. He appointed magistrates at Fort Pitt under the pretense that the fort was under the government of that commonwealth. One of these justices, John Connelly, who possessed a tract of land in the Ohio Vallc} , gathered a force of men and garrisoned the fort, calling it Fort Dunmore. This and other parties were formed to select sites for settlements, and often came in conflict with the Indians, who yet claimed portions of the valley, and several battles followed. These ended in the famous battle of Kanawha in July, where the Indians were defeated and driven across the Ohio. During the years 1775 and 1776, by the operations of land companies and the perseverance of individuals, several settlements were firmly estab- lished between the Alleghanies and the Ohio River, and western land speculators were busy in Illinois and on the Wabash. At a council held in Kaskaskia on July 5, 1773, an association of English traders, calling themselves the " Illinois Land Company," obtained from ten chiefs of the Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Peoria tribes two large tracts of land lying on the east side of the Mississippi River south of the Illinois. In 1775, a mer- chant from the Illinois Country, named Viviat, came to Post Vincennes as the agent of the association called the " Wabash Land Company." On the 8th of October he obtained from eleven Piankeshaw chiefs, a deed for 37,497,600 acres of land. This deed was signed by the grantors, attested by a number of the inhabitants of Vincennes, and afterward recorded in the office of a notary public at Kaskaskia. This and other land com- panies had extensive schemes for the colonization of the West ; but all were frustrated by the breaking out of the Revolution. On the 20th ot April, 1780, the two companies named consolidated under the name of the " United Illinois and Wabash Land Company." They afterward made 40 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. Strenuous efforts to have these grants sanctioned by Congress, but all signally failed. When the War of the Revolution commenced, Kentucky was an unor- ganized country, though there were several settlements within her borders. In Hutchins' Topography of Virginia, it is stated that at that time " Kaskaskia contained 80 houses, and nearly 1,000 white and black in- habitants — the whites being a little the more numerous. Cahokia con- tains 50 houses and 300 white inhabitants, and 80 negroes. There were east of the Mississippi River, about* the year 1771 " — when these observa- tions were made — " 300 white men capable of bearing arms, and 230 negroes.'' From 1775 until the expedition of Clark, nothing is recorded and nothing known of these settlements, save what is contained in a report made by a committee to Congress in June, 1778. From it the following extract is made : " Near the mouth of the River Kaskaskia, there is a village which appears to have contained nearly eighty families from the beginning of the late revolution. There are twelve families in a small village at la Prairie du Rochers, and near fifty families at the Kahokia Village. There are also four or five families at Fort Chartres and St. Philips, which is five miles further up the river." St. Louis had been settled in February, 1764, and at this time con- tained, including its neighboring towns, over six hundred whites and one hundred and fifty negroes. It must be remembered that all the country west of the Mississippi was now under French rule, and remained so until ceded again to Spain, its original owner, who afterwards sold it and the country including New Orleans to the United States. At Detroit there were, according to Capt. Carver, who was in the Northwest from 1766 to 1768, more than one hundred houses, and the river was settled for more than twenty miles, although poorly cultivated — the people being engaged in the Indian trade. This old town has a history, which we will here relate. It is the oldest town in the Northwest, having been founded by Antoine de Lamotte Cadillac, in 1701. It was laid out in the form of an oblong square, of two acres in length, and an acre and a half in width. As described by A. D. Frazer, who first visited it and became a permanent resident of the place, in 1778, it comprised within its limits that space between Mr. Palmer's store (Conant Block) and Capt. Perkins' house (near the Arsenal building), and extended back as far as the public barn, and was bordered in front by 'the Detroit River. It was surrounded by oak and cedar pickets, about fifteen feet long, set in the ground, and had four gates — east, west, north and south. Over the first three of these THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 41 gates were block houses provided with four guns apiece, each a six- pounder. Two six-gun batteries were planted fronting the river and in a parallel direction with the block houses. There were four streets running east and west, the main street being twenty feet wide and the rest fifteen feet, while the four streets crossing these at right angles were from ten to fifteen feet in width. At the date spoken of by Mr. Frazer, there was no fort within the enclosure, but a citadel on the ground corresponding to the present northwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and Wayne Street. The citadel was inclosed by pickets, and within it were erected barracks of wood, two stories high, sufficient to contain ten officers, and also barracks sufficient to contain four hundred men, and a provision store built of brick. The citadel also contained a hospital and guard-house. The old town of Detroit, in 1778, contained about sixty houses, most of them one story, with a few a story and a half in height. They were all of logs, some hewn and some round. There was one building of splendid appearance, called the " King's Palace," two stories high, which stood near the east gate. It was built for Governor Hamilton, the first governor commissioned by the British. There were two guard-houses, one near the west gate and the other near the Government House. Each of the guards consisted of twenty-four men and a subaltern, who mounted regularly every morning between nine and ten o'clock. Each furnished four sentinels, who were relieved every two hours. There was also an officer of the day, who p jr- formed strict duty. Each of the gates was shut regularly at sunset , even wicket gates were shut at nine o'clock, and all the keys were delivered into the hands of the commanding officer. They were opened in the morning at sunrise. No Indian or squaw was permitted to enter town with any weapon, such as a tomahawk or a knife. It was a stand- ing order that the Indians should deliver their arms and instruments of every kind before they were permitted to pass the sentinel, and they were restored to them on their return. No more than twenty-five Indians were allowed to enter the town at any one time, and they were admitted only at the east and west gates. At sundown the drums beat, and all the Indians were required to leave town instantly. There was a council house near the water side for the purpose of holding council with the Indians. The population of the town was about sixty families, in all about two hundred males and one hundred females. This town was destroyed by fire, all except one dwelling, in 1805. After which the present "new " town was laid out. On the breaking out of the Revolution, the British held every post of importance in the West. Kentucky was formed as a component part of Virginia, and the sturdy pioneers of the West, alive to their interests, /■J THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. Lzid recognizing the great benefits of obtaining the control of the trade in .his part of the New World, held steadily to their purposes, and those within the commonwealth of Kentucky proceeded to exercise their civil privileges, by electing John Todd and Richard Gallaway, burgesses to represent them in the Assembly of the parent state. Early in September of that year (1777) the first court was held in Harrodsburg, and Col. Bowman, afterwards major, who had arrived ill August, was made the commander of a militia organization which had been commenced the March previous. Thus the tree of loyalty was growing. The chief spirit in this far-out colony, who had represented her the year previous east of the mountains, was now meditating a move iniequaled in its boldness. He had been watching the movements of the British throughout the Northwest, and understood their whole plan. Ht caw it was through their possession of the posts at Detroit, Vincennes, Kaskaskia, and other places, which would give them constant and easy access to the various Indian tribes in the Northwest, that the British intended to penetrate the country from the north and soucn, ana annihi- late the frontier fortresses. This moving, energetic man was Colonel, afterwards General, George Rogers Clark. He knew the Indians were not unanimously in accord with the English, and he was convinced that, could the British be defeated and expelled from the Northwest, the natives might be easily awed into neutrality ; and by spies sent for the purpose, he satisfied himself that the enterprise against the Illinois settlements might easily succeed. Having convinced himself of the certainty of the project, he repaired to the Capital of Virginia, which place he reached on November 5th. While he was on his way, fortunately, on October 17th, Burgoyne had been defeated, and the spirits of the colonists greatly encouraged thereby. Patrick Henry was Governor of Virginia, and at once entered heartily into Clark's plans. The same plan had before been agitated in the Colonial Assemblies, but there was no one until Clark came who was sufficiently acquainted with the condition of affairs at the scene of action to be able to guide them. Clark, having satisfied the Vii-ginia leaders of the feasibility of his plan, received, on the 2d of January, two sets of instructions — one secret, the other open — the latter authorized him to proceed to enlist seven companies to go to Kentucky, subject to his orders, and to serve three months from their arrival in the West. The secret order authorized him to arm these troops, to procure his powder and lead of General Hand at Pittsburgh, and to proceed at once to subjugate the country. With these instructions Clark repaired to Pittsburgh, choosing rather to raise his men west of the mountains, as he well knew all were needed in the colonies in the conflict there. He sent Col. Wc B. Smith to Hoi- THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 43 stou for the same purpose, but neither succeeded in raising the required number of men. The settlers in these parts were afraid to leave their own firesides exposed to a vigilant foe, and but few could be induced to join the proposed expedition. With three companies and several private volunteers, Clark at length commenced his descent of the Ohio, which he navigated as far as the Falls, where he took possession of and fortified Corn Island, a small island between the present Cities of Louisville, Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana. Remains of this fortification may yet be found. At this place he appointed Col. Bowman to meet him with such recruits as had reached Kentucky by the southern route, and as many as could be spared from the station. Here he announced lo the men their real destination. Having completed his arrangements, and chosen his party, he left a small garrison upon the isl&nd, and on the 24th of June, during a total eclipse of the sun, which to them augured no good, and which fixes beyond dispute the date of starting, he with his chosen band, fell down the river. His plan was to go by water as far as Fort Massac or Massacre, and thence march direct to Kaskaskia. Here he intended to surprise the garrison, and after its capture go to Cahokia, then to Vincennes, and lastly to Detroit. Should he fail, he intended to march directly to the Mississij)pi River and cross it into the Spanish country. Before his start he received two good items of infor- mation : one that the alliance had been formed between France and the United States ; and the other that the Indians throughout the Illinois country and the inhabitants, at the various frontier posts, had been led to believe by the British that the " Long Knives" or Virginians, were the most fierce, bloodthirsty and cruel savages that ever scalped a foe. With this impression on their minds, Clark saw that proper management would cause them to submit at once from fear, if surprised, and then from grati- tude would become friendly if treated with unexpected leniency. The march to Kaskaskia was accomplished through a hot July sun, and the town reached on the evening of July 4. He captured the fort near the village, and soon after the village itself by surprise, and without the loss of a single man or by killing any of the enemy. After sufficiently working upon the fears of the natives, Clark told them they were at per- fect liberty to worship as they pleased, and to take whichever side of tlie great conflict they would, also he would protect them from any barbarity from British or Indian foe. This had the desired effect, and the inhab- itants, so unexpectedly and so gratefully surprised by the unlocked for turn of affairs, at once swore allegiance to the American arms, and when Clark desired to go to Cahokia on the 6th of July, they accom- panied him, and through their influence the inhabitants of the place surrendered, and gladly placed themselves under his protection. Thus 44 THE NORTHWEST TERRITOKY. the two important posts in Illinois passed from the hands of the English into the possession of Virginia. In the person of the priest at Kaskaskia, M. Gibault, Clark found a powerful ally and generous friend. Clark saw that, to retain possession of the Northwest and treat successfully with the Indians within its boun- daries, he must establish a government for the colonies he had taken. St. Vincent, the next important post to Detroit, remained yet to be taken before the Mississippi Valley was conquered. M. Gibault told him that he would alone, by persuasion, lead Vincennes to throw off its connection with England. Clark gladly accepted his offer, and on the 14th of July, in company with a fellow-townsman, M. Gibault started on his mission of peace, and on the 1st of August returned with the cheerful intelligence that the post on the " Oubache " had taken the oath of allegiance to the Old Dominion. During this interval, Clark established his courts, placed garrisons at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, successfully re-enlisted his men, sent word" to have a fort, which proved the germ of Louisville, erected at the Falls of the Ohio, and dispatched Mr. Rocheblave, who had been commander at Kaskaskia, as a prisoner of war to Richmond. In October the County of Illinois was established by the Legislature of Virginia, John Todd appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Civil Governor, and in November General Clark and his men received the thanks of the Old Dominion through their Legislature. In a speech a few days afterward, Clark made known fully to the natives his plans, and at its close all came forward and swore alle- giance to the Long Knives. While he was doing this Governor Hamilton, having made his various arrangements, had left Detroit and moved down the Wabash to Vincennes intending to operate from that point in reducing the Illinois posts, and then proceed on down to Kentucky and drive the rebels from the West. Gen. Clark had, on the return of M. Gibault, dispatched Captain Helm, of Fauquier County, Virginia, with an attend- ant named Henry, across the Illinois prairies to command the fort. Hamilton knew nothing of the capitulation of the post, and was greatly surprised on his arrival to be confronted by Capt. Helm, who, standing at the entrance of the fort by a loaded cannon ready to fire upon his assail- ants, demanded upon what terms Hamilton demanded possession of the fort. ' Being granted the rights of a prisoner of war, he surrendered to the British General, who could scarcely believe his eyes when he saw the force in the garrison. Hamilton, not realizing the character of the men with whom he was contending, gave up his intended campaign for the Winter, sent his four hundred Indian warriors to prevent troops from coming down the Ohio» fAM^tiuS '^AcQ THE NORTHWEST TEREITOKY. whole country, have had their nuclei in those rude pioneer structures, known as forts or stockades. Thus Forts Dearborn, Washington, Pon- chartrain, mark the original sites of the now proud Cities of Chicago, Cincinnati and Detroit. So of most of the flourishing cities east and west of the Mississippi. Fort Washington, erected by Doughty in 1790, was a rude but highly interesting structure. It was composed of a number of strongly-built hewed log cabins. Those designed for soldiers' barracks were a story and a half high, while those composing the officers quarters were more imposing and more conveniently arranged and furnished. The whole were so placed as to form a hollow square, enclosing about an acre of ground, with a block house at each of the four angles. The logs for the construction of this fort were cut from the ground upon which it was erected. It stood between Third and Fourth Streets of the present city (Cincinnati) extending east of Eastern Row, now Broadway, which was then a narrow alley, and the eastern boundary of of the town as it was originally laid out. On the bank of the river, immediately in front of the fort, was an appendage of the fort, called the: Artificer's Yard. It contained about two acres of ground, enclosed by small contiguous buildings, occupied by workshops and quarters of laborers. Within this enclosure there was a large two-story frame house, familiarly called the '' Yellow House," built for the accommodation of the Quartermaster General. For many years this was the best finished, and most commodious edifice in the Queen City. Fort Washington was for some time the headquarters of both the civil and military governmentt^ of the Northwestern Territory. Following the consummation of the treaty various gigantic land spec- ulations were entered into by different persons, who hoped to obtain from the Indians in Michigan and northern Indiana, large tracts of lands. These were generally discovered in time to prevent the outrageous schemes from being carried out, and from involving the settlers in war. On October 27, 1795, the treaty between the United States and Spain was signed, whereby the free navigation of the Mississippi was secured. No sooner had the treaty of 1795 been ratified than settlements began to pour rapidly into the West. The great event of the year 1796 was the occupation of that part of the Northwest including Michigan, which was this year, under the provisions of the treaty, evacuated by the British forces. The United States, owing to certain conditions, did not feel justified in addressing the authorities in Canada in relation to Detroit wild other frontier posts. When at last the British authorities were railed to give them up, they at once complied, and General Wayne, who iiau done so much to preserve the frontier settlements, and who, before the year's close, sickened und died near Erie, transferred his head- / THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 57 quarters to the neighborhood of the lakes, where a county named after liim was formed, which included the northwest of Ohio, all of Michigan, and the northeast of Indiana. During this same year settlements were i'onned at the present City of Chillicothe, along the Miami from Middle- luwn to Piqua, while in the more distant West, settlers and speculators began to appear in great numbers. In September, the City of Cleveland was laid out, and during the Summer and Autumn, Samuel Jackson and Jonathan Sharpless erected the first manufactory of paper — the " Red- stone Paper Mill" — in the West. St. Louis contained some seventy houses, and Detroit over three hundred, and along the river, contiguous to it, were more than three thousand inhabitants, mostly French Canadians, Indians and half-breeds, scarcely any Americans venturing yet into that part of the Northwest. The election of representatives for the territory had taken place, and on the 4th of February, 1799, they convened at Losantiville — now known as Cincinnati, having been named so by Gov. St. Clair, and considered the capital of the Territory — to nominate persons from whom the members of the Legislature were to be chosen in accordance with a previous ordinance. This nomination being made, the Assembly adjourned until the 16th of the following September. From those named the President selected as members of the council, Henry Vandenburg, of Vincennes, Robert Oliver, of Marietta, James Findlay and Jacob Burnett, of Cincinnati, and David Vance, of Vance ville. On the 16th of September the Territorial Legislature met, and on the 24th the two houses were duly organized, Henry Vandenburg being elected President of the Council. The message of Gov. St. Clair was addressed to the Legislature September 20th, and on October 13th that body elected as a delegate to Congress Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison, who received eleven of the votes cast, being a majority of one over his opponent, Arthur St. Clair, son of Gen. St. Clair. The whole number of acts passed at this session, and approved by the Governor, were thirty -seven — eleven others were passed, but received his veto. The most important of those passed related to the militia, to the administration, and to taxation. On the 19th of December this pro- tracted session of the first Legislature in the West was closed, and on the 30th of December the President nominated Charles Willing Bryd to the oflBce of Secretary of the Territory vice Wm. Henry Harrison, elected to Congress. The Senate confirmed his nomination the next day. 58 THE NOKrHWEST TERRITORY. DIVISION OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. The increased emigration to the Northwest, the extent of the domain, and the inconvenient modes of travel, made it very difficult to conduct the ordinary operations of government, and rendered the efficient action of courts almost impossible. To remedy this, it was deemed advisable to divide the territory for civil purposes. Congress, in 1800, appointed a committee to examine the question and report some means for its solution. This committee, on the 3d of March, reported that : " In the three western countries there has been but one court having cognizance of crimes, in five years, and the immunity which offenders experience attracts, as to an asylum, the most vile and abandoned crim- inals, and at the same time deters useful citizens from making settlements in such society. The extreme necessity of judiciary attention and assist- ance is experienced in civil as well as in criminal cases. * * * * x^j minister a remedy to these and other evils, it occurs to this committee that it is expedient that a division of said territory into two distinct and separate governments should be made ; and that such division be made by a line beginning at the mouth of the Great Miami River, running directly north until it intersects the boundary between the United States and Canada." The report was accepted by Congress, and, in accordance with its suggestions, that body passed an Act extinguishing the Northwest Terri- tory, which Act was approved May 7. Among its provisions were these : "• That from and after July 4 next, all that part of the Territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio River, which lies to the westward of a line beginning at a point on the Ohio, opposite to the mouth of the Kentucky River, and running thence to Fort Recovery, and thence north until it shall intersect the territorial line between the United States and Canada, shall, for the purpose of temporary government, constitute a separate territory, and be called the Indiana Territory," After providing for the exercise of the civil and criminal powers of the territories, and other provisions, the Act further provides : " That until it shall otherwise be ordered by the Legislatures of the said Territories, respectively, Chillicothe on the Scioto River shall be the seat of government of the Territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio River; and that St. Vincennes on the Wabash River shall be the seat of government for the Indiana Territory." Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison was appointed Governor of the Indiana Territory, and entered upon his duties about a year later. Connecticut also about this time released her claims to the reserve, and in March a law THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 59 was passed accepting this' cession. Settlements had been made upon thirty-five of the townships in the reserve, mills had been built, and seven hundred miles of road cut in various directions. On the 3d of November the General Assembly met at Chillicothe. Near the close of the year, the first missionary of the Connecticut Reserve came, who found no township containing more than eleven families. It was upon the first of October that the secret treaty had been made between Napoleon and the King of Spain, whereby the latter agreed to cede to France the province of Louisiana. In January, 1802, the Assembly of the Northwestern Territory char- tered the college at Athens. From the earliest dawn of the western colonies, education was promptly provided for, and as early as 1787, newspapers were issued from Pittsburgh and Kentucky, and largely read throughout the frontier settlements. Before the close of this year, the Congress of the United States granted to the citizens of the Northwestern territory the formation of a State government. One of the provisions of the "compact of 1787" provided that whenever the number of inhabit- ants within prescribed limits exceeded 45,000, they should be entitled to a separate government. The prescribed limits of Ohio contained, from a census taken to ascertain the legality of the act, more than that number, and on the 30th of April, 1802, Congress passed the act defining its limits, and on the 29th of November the Constitution of the new State of Ohio, so named from the beautiful river forming its southern boundary, came into existence. The exact limits of Lake Michigan were not then known, but the territory now included within the State of Michigan was wholly within the territory of Indiana. Gen. Harrison, while residing at Vincennes, made several treaties with the Indians, thereby gaining large tracts of lands. The next year is memorable in the history of the West for the purchase of Louisiana from France by the United States for $15,000,000. Thus by a peaceful mode, the domain of the United States was extended over a large tract of country west of the Mississippi, and was for a time under the jurisdiction of the Northwest government, and, as has been mentioned in the early part of this narrative, was called the "New Northwest." The limits of this history will not allow a description of its territory. The same year large grants of land were obtained from the Indians, and the House of Representatives of the new State of Ohio signed a bill respecting the College Township in the district of Cincinnati. Before the close of the year, Gen. Harrison obtained additional grants of lands from the various Indian nations in Indiana and the present limits of Illinois, and on the 18th of August, 1804, completed a treaty at St. Louis, whereby over 51,000,000 acres of lands were obtained from the 60 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. aborigines. Measures were also taken to learn the condition of affairs in and about Detroit. C. Jouett, the Indian agent in Michigan, still a part of Indiana Terri- tory, reported as follows upon the condition of matters at that post : " The Town of Detroit. — The charter, which is for fifteen miles square, was granted in the time of Louis XIV. of France, and is now, from the best information I have been able to get, at Quebec. Of those two hundred and twenty-five acres, only four are occupied by the town and Fort Lenault. The remainder is a common, except twenty-four acres, which were added twenty years ago to a farm belonging to Wm. Macomb. * * * A stockade incloses the town, fort and citadel. The pickets, as well as the public houses, are in a state of gradual decay. The streets are narrow, straight and regular, and intersect each other at right angles. The houses are, for the most part, low and inelegant." During this year, Congress granted a township of land for the sup- port of a college, and began to offer inducements for settlers in these wilds, and the country now comprising the State of Michigan began to nil rapidly with settlers along its southern borders. This same year, also, u law was passed organizing the Southwest Territory, dividing it into two portions, the Territory of New Orleans, which city was made the seat of government, and the District of Louisiana, which was annexed to the domain of Gen. Harrison. On the 11th of January, 1805, the Territory of Michigan was formed, Wm. Hull was appointed governor, with headquarters at Detroit, the change to take effect on June 30. On the 11th of that month, a fiie occurred at Detroit, which destroyed almost every building in the place. When the officers of the new territory reached the post, they found it in ruins, and the inhabitants scattered throughout the country. Rebuild- ing, however, soon commenced, and ere long the town contained more houses than before the fire, and many of them much better built. While this was being done, Indiana had passed to the second grade of government, and through her General Assembly had obtained large tracts of land from the Indian tribes. To all this the celebrated Indian, Tecumthe or Tecumseh, vigorously protested, and it was the main cause of his attempts to unite the various Indian tribes in a conflict with the settlers. To obtain a full account of these attempts, the workings of the British, and the signal failure, culminating in the death of Tecumseh at the battle of the Thames, and the close of the war of 1812 in the Northwest, we will step aside in our story, and relate the principal events of his life, and his connection with this conflict. THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 61 TECUMSEH, AND THE WAR OF 1812. This famous Indian chief was born about the year 1768, not far from the site of the present city of Springfield, Ohio. His father, Puekeshiinva, was ;i member of the Kisopok tribe of the Swanoese nation, and his mother, Methontaske, was a member of the Turtle tribe of the same people. They removed from Florida about the middle of the last century to the birthplace of Tecumseh. In 1774, his father, who had risen to bo chief, was slain at the battle of Point Pleasant, and not long after Tecum- seh, by his bravery, became the leader of his tribe. In 1795 he was declared chief, and then lived at Deer Creek, near the site of the present City of Urbana. He remained here about one year, when ho returned to Piqua, and in 1798, he went to White River, Indiana. In 1805, he and his brother, Laulewasikan (Open Door), who had announced himself as a prophet, went to a tract of land on the Wabash River, given them by the Pottawatomies and Kickapoos. From this date the chief comes into prominence. He was now about thirty-seven years of age, was five feet and ten inches in height, was stoutly built, and possessed of enormous powers of endurance. His countenance was naturally pleas- ing, and he was, in general, devoid of those savage attributes possessed by most Indians. It is stated he could read and write, and had a confi- dential secretary and adviser, named Billy Caldwell, a half-breed, who afterward became chief of the Pottawatomies. He occupied the first house built on the site of Chicago. At this time, Tecumseh entered upon the great work of his life. He had long objected to the grants of land made by the Indians to the whites, and determined to unite all the Indian tribes into a league, in order that no treaties or grants of land could be made save by the consent of this confederation. He traveled constantly, going from north to south ; from the south to the north, everywhere urging the Indians to this step. He was a matchless orator, and his burning words had their effect. Gen. Harrison, then Governor of Indiana, by watching the move- ments of the Indians, became convinced that a grand conspiracy was forming, and made preparations to defend the settlements. Tecumseh "s plan was similar to Pontiac's, elsewhere described, and to the cunuhig artifice of that chieftain was added his own sagacity. During the year 1809, Tecumseh and the prophet were actively pre- paring for the work. In that year. Gen. Harrison entered into a treaty with the Delawares, Kickapoos, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel River Indians and Weas, in which these tribes ceded to the whites certain lands upon the Wabash, to all of which Tecumseh entered a bitter protest, averriag 62 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. as one principal reason that he did not want the Indians to give up any lauds north and west of the Ohio River. Tecumseh, in August, 1810, visited the General at Vincennes and held a council relating to the grievances of the Indians. Becoming unduly angry at this conference he was dismissed from the village, and soon after departed to incite the southern Indian tribes to the conflict. Gen. Harrison determined to move upon the chief's headquarters at Tippecanoe, and for this purpose went about sixty-five miles up the Wabash, where he built Fort Harrison. From this place he went to the Prophet's town, where he informed the Indians he had no hostile inten- tions, provided they were true to the existing treaties. He encamped near the village early in October, and on the morning of November 7, he was attacked by a large force of the Indians, and the famous battle of Tippecanoe occurred. The Indians were routed and their town broken up. Tecumseh returning not long after, was greatly exasperated at his brother, the Prophet, even threatening to kill him for rashly precipitating the war, and foiling his (Tecumseh's) plans. Tecumseh sent word to Gen. Harrison that he was now returned from the South, and was ready to visit the President as had at one time previously been proposed. Gen. Harrison informed him he could not go as a chief, which method Tecumseh desired, and the visit was never made. In June of the following year, he visited the Indian agent at Fort Wayne. Here he disavowed any intention to make a war against the United States, and reproached Gen. Harrison for marching against his people. The agent replied to this ; Tecumseh listened with a cold indif- ference, and after making a few general remarks, with a haughty air drew his blanket about him, left the council house, and departed for Fort Mai- den, in Upper Canada, where he joined the British standard. In the Summer of 1813, Perry's victory on Lake Erie occurred, and shortly after active preparations were made to capture Maiden. On the 27th of September, the American army, under Gen. Harrison, set sail for the shores of Canada, and in a few hours stood around the ruins of Mai- den, from which the British army, under Proctor, had retreated to Sand- wich, intending to make its way to the heart of Canada by the Valley of the Thames. On the 29th Gen. Harrison was at Sandwich, and Gen. McArthur took possession of Detroit and the territory of Michigan. The pursuit of Proctor began October 2. He was overtaken on the 5th at the Thames. Tecumseh fell * in that battle and British power was forever broken, Canada alone being left them, as the Americans had no orders to follow up their victory eastward. Burr's inaipient insurrection of 1805 was quelled, and the murderer of the eloquent Hamilton driven from his beautiful island fortress in the Ohio River. * Supposed at the hands of Col. R. M. Johnson of Kentucky. THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 68 In January, 1807, Governor Hull, of Michigan Territory, made a treaty with the Indians, whereby all that peninsula was ceded to the United States, Before the close of the year, a stockade was built about Detroit. It was also during this year that Indiana and Illinois endeavored to obtain the repeal of that section of the compact of 1787, whereby slavery was excluded from the Northwest Territory. These attempts, however, all signally failed. In 1809 it was deemed advisable to divide the Indiana Territory. This was done, and the Territory of Illinois was formed from the western part, the seat of goYernment being fixed at Kaskaskia. The next year, the intentions of Tecumseh manifested themselves in open hostilities, and then began the events already narrated. While this war was in progress, emigration to the West went on witji surprising rapidity. In 1811, under Mr. Roosevelt of New York, the first steamboat trip was made on the Ohio, much to the astonishment of the natives, many of whom fled in terror at the appearance of the " monster." It arrived at Louisville on the 10th day of October. At the close of the first week of January, 1812, it arrived at Natchez, after being nearly overwhelmed in the great earthquake which occurred while on its downward trip. The battle of the Thames was fought on October 6, 1813. It effectually closed hostilities in the Northwest, although peace was not fully restored until July 22, 1814, when a treaty was formed at Green- ville, under the direction of General Harrison, between the United States and the Indian tribes, in which it was stipulated that the Indians should cease hostilities against the Americans if the war were continued. Such, happily, was not the case, and on the 2-4th of December the treaty of Ghent was signed by the representatives of England and the United States. This treaty was followed the next year by treaties with various Indian tribes throughout the West and Northwest, and quiet was again restored in this part of the new world. On the 18th of March, 1816, Pittsburgh was incorporated as a city. It then had a population of 8,000 people, and was already noted for its manufacturing interests. On April 19, Indiana Territory was allowed to form a state government. At that time there were thirteen counties organized, containing about sixty-three thousand inhabitants. Th« first election of state officers was held in August, when Jonathan Jennings was chosen Governor. The officers were sworn in on November 7, and on December 11, the State was formally admitted into the Union. For some time the seat of government was at Corydon, but a more central location being desirable, the present capital, Indianapolis (City of Indiana), was laid out January 1, 1825. > 64 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. On the 28th of December the Bank of Illinois, at Shawneetown, was chartered, with a capital of $300,000. At this period all banks were under the control of the States, and were allowed to establish branches at different convenient points. Until this time Chillicothe and Cincinnati had in turn enjoyed the privileges of being the capital of Ohio. But the rapid settlement of the northern and eastern portions of the State demanded, as in Indiana, a more central location, and before the close of the year, the site of Col- umbus was selected and surveyed as the future capital of the State. Banking had begun in Ohio as early as 1808, when the first bank was chartered at Marietta, but here as elsewhere it did not bring to the state the hoped-for assistance. It and other banks were subsequently unable to redeem their currency, and were obliged to suspend. In 1818, Illinois was made a state, and all the territory north of her northern limits was erected into a separate territory and joined to Mich- igan for judicial purposes. By the following year, navigation of the lakes was increasing with great rapidity and affording an immense source of revenue to the dwellers in the Northwest, but it was not until 1826 that the trade was extended to Lake Michigan, or that steamships began to navigate the bosom of that inland sea. Until the year 1832, the commencement of the Black Hawk War, but few hostilities were experienced with the Indians. Roads were opened, canals were dug, cities were built, common schools were estab- lished, universities were founded, many of which, especially the Michigan University, have achieved a world wide-reputation. The people were becoming wealthy. The domains of the United States had been extended, and had the sons of the forest been treated with honesty and justice, the record of many years would have been that of peace and continuous pros- perity. BLACK HAWK AND THE BLACK HAWK WAR. This conflict, though confined to Illinois, is an important epoch in the Northwestern history, being the last war with the Indians in this part of the United States. Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah, or Black Hawk, was born in the principal Sac village, about three miles from the junction of Rock River with the Mississippi, in the year 1767. His father's name was Py-e-sa or Pahaes ; his grandfather's, Na-na-ma-kee, or the Thunderer. Black Hawk early distinguished himself as a warrior, and at the age of fifteen was permitted to paint and was ranked among the braves. About the year 1783, he wentofi an expedition against the enemies of his nation, the Osages, one THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 65 ■of whom he killed and scalped, and for this deed of Indian bravery he was permitted to join in the scalp dance. Three or four years after he, at the head of two hundred braves, went on another expedition against the Osages, to avenge the murder of some women and children belonging to his own tribe. Meeting an equal number of Osage warriors, a fierce battle ensued, in which the latter tribe lost one-half their number. The Sacs lost only about nineteen warriors. He next attacked the Cherokees for a similar cause. In a severe battle with them, near the present City of St. Louis, his father was slain, and Black Hawk, taking possession of the " Medicine Bag," at once announced himself chief of the Sac nation. He had now conquered the Cherokees, and about the year 1800, at the head of five hundred Sacs and Foxes, and a hundred lowas, he waged war against the Osage nation and subdued it. For two years he battled successfully with other Indian tribes, all of whom he conquered. Black Hawk does not at any time seem to have been friendly to the Americans. When on a visit to St. Louis to see his " Spanish, Father," he declined to see any of the Americans, alleging, as a reason^ he did not want two fathers. The treaty at St. Louis was consummated in 1804. The next year the United States Government erected a fort near the head of the Des Moines Rapids, called Fort Edwards. This seemed to enrage Black Hawk, who at once determined to capture Fort Madison, standing on the west side of the Mississippi above the mouth of the Des Moines River. The fort was garrisoned by about fifty men. Here he was defeated. The difficulties with the British Government arose about this time, and the War of 1812^ followed. That government, extending aid to the Western Indians, by giving them arms and ammunition, induced them to remain hostile to the Americans. In August, 1812, Black Hawk, at the head of about five hundred braves, started to join the British forces at Detroit, passing on his way the site of Chicago, where the famous Fort Dearborn Massacre had a few days before occurred. Of his connection with the British Government but little is known. In 1813 he with his little band descended the Mississippi, and attacking some United States troops at Fort Howard was defeated. In the early part of 1815, the Indian tribes west of the Mississippi were notified that peace had been declared between the United States and England, and nearly all hostilities had ceased. Black Hawk did not sign any treaty, however, until May of the following year. He then recog- nized the validity of the treaty at St. Louis in 1804. From the time of signing this treaty in 1816, until the bi-eaking out of the war in 1832, he and his band passed their time in the common pursuits of Indian life. Ten years before the commencement of this War, the Sac and Fox 66 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. Indians were urged to join the lowas on the west bank of the Father of Waters. All were agreed, save the band known as the British Band, of which Black Hawk was leader. He strenuously objected to the removal, and was induced to comply only after being threatened with the power of the Government. This and various actions on the part of the white set- tlers provoked Black Hawk and his band to attempt the capture of his native village now occupied by the whites. The war followed. He and his actions were undoubtedly misunderstood, and had his wishes been acquiesced in at the beginning of the struggle, much bloodshed would have been prevented. Black Hawk was chief now of the Sac and Fox nations, and a noted warrior. He and his tribe inhabited a village on Rock River, nearly three miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, where the tribe had lived many generations. When that portion of Illinois was reserved to them, they remained in peaceable possession of their reservation, spending their time in the enjoyment of Indian life. The fine situation of their village and the quality of their lands incited the more lawless white settlers, who from time to time began to encroach upon the red men's domain. From one pretext to another, and from one step to another, the crafty white men gained a foothold, until through whisky and artifice they obtained deeds from many of the Indians for their possessions. The Indians were finally induced to cross over the Father of Waters and locate among the lowas. Black Hawk was strenuously opposed to all this, but as the authorities of Illinois and the United States thought this the best move, he was forced to comply. Moreover other tribes joined the whites and urged the removal. Black Hawk would not agree to the terms of the treaty made with his nation for their lands, and as soon as the military, called to enforce his removal, had retired, he returned to the Illinois side of the river. A large force was at once raised and marched against him. On the evening of May 14, 1832, the first engagement occurred between a band from this army and Black Hawk's band, in which the former were defeated. This attack and its result aroused the whites. A large force of men was raised, and Gen. Scott hastened from the seaboard, by way of the lakes, with United States troops and artillery to aid in the subjugation of the Indians. On the 24th of June, Black Hawk, with 200 warriors, was repulsed by Major Demont between Rock River and Galena. The Ameri- can army continued to move up Rock River toward the main body of the Indians, and on the 21st of July came upon Black Hawk and his band, and defeated them near the Blue Mounds. Before this action. Gen. Henry, in command, sent word to the main army by whom he was immediately rejoined, and the whole crossed the THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 67 Wisconsin in pursuit of Black Hawk and his band who were fleeing to the Mississippi. They were overtaken on the 2d of August, and in the battle which followed the power of the Indian chief was completely broken. He fled, but was seized by the Winnebagoes and delivered to the whites. On the 21st of September, 1832, Gen. Scott and Gov. Reynolds con- cluded a treaty with the Winnebagoes, Sacs and Foxes by which they ceded to the United States a vast tract of country, and agreed to remain peaceable with the whites. For the faithful performance of the provi- sions of this treaty on the part of the Indians, it was stipulated that Black Hawk, his two sons, the prophet Wabokieshiek, and six other chiefs of the hostile bands should be retained as hostages during the pleasure of the President. They were confined at Fort Barracks and put in irons. The next Spring, by order of the Secretary of War, they were taken to Washington. From there they were removed to Fortress Monroe, "there to remain until the conduct of their nation was such as to justify their being set at liberty." They were retained here until the 4th of June, when the authorities directed them to be taken to the principal cities so that they might see the folly of contending against the white people. Everj^where they were observed by thousands, the name of the old chief being extensively known. By the middle of August they reached Fort Armstrong on Rock Island, where Black Hawk was soon after released to go to his countrymen. As he passed the site of his birth- place, now the home of the white man, he was deeply moved. His village where he was born, where he had so happily lived, and where he had hoped to die, was now another's dwelling place, and he was a wanderer. On the next day after his release, he went at once to his tribe and his lodge. His wife was yet living, and with her he passed the remainder of liis days. To his credit it may be said that Black Hawk always re- mained true to his wife, and served her with a devotion uncommon among the Indians, living with her upward of forty years. Black Hawk now-passed his time hunting and fishing. A deep mel- ancholy had settled over him from which he could not be freed. At all times Avhen he visited the whites he was received with marked atten- tion. He was an honored guest at the old settlers' reunion in Lee County, Illinois, at some of their meetings, and received many tokens of esteem. In September, 1838, while on his way to Rock Island to receive his annuity from the Government, he contracted a severe cold which resulted in n fatal attack of bilious fever which terminated his life on October 3. His faithful wife, who was devotedly attached to him, mourned deeply during his sickness. After his death he was dressed in the uniform pre- sented to him by the President while in Washington. He was buried iu a grave six feet in depth, situated upon a beautiful eminence. " The 68 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting posture, upon a seat constructed for the purpose. On his left side, the cane, given him by Henry Clay, was placed upright, with his right hand resting upon it. Many of the old warrior's trophies were placed in the grave, and some Indian garments, together with his favorite weapons." No sooner was the Black Hawk war concluded than settlers began rapidly to pour into the northern parts of Illinois, and into Wisconsin, now free from Indian depredations. Chicago, from a trading post, had grown to a commercial center, and was rapidly coming into prominence. In 1835, the formation of a State Government in Michigan was discussed, but did not take active form until two years later, when the State became a part of the Federal Union. Tlie main attraction to that portion of the Northwest lying west of Lake Michigan, now included in the State of Wisconsin, was its alluvial wealth. Copper ore was found about Lake Superior. For some time this region was attached to Michigan for judiciary purposes, but in 183() was made a territory, then including Minnesota and Iowa. The latter State was detached two years later. In 1848, Wisconsin was admitted as a State, Madison being made the capital. We have now traced the various divisions of the Northwest Territory (save a little in Minnesota) from the time it was a unit comprising this vast territory, until circumstanceH compelled its present division. POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES. 69 STATES AND TERRITORIES. STATES. Alabama Arkansas California , Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts.... Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire. New Jersey New York North Carolina... Ohio AREA IN SQUARE MILES. POPULATION. 996,992 484,471 ,%0,247 537,454 125,015 187,748 1,184,109 2,539,891 1,680,637 1,191,792 .S64,399 1,321,011 7-.i6,915 626,915 1,457^351 l,184,Uo9 4a9,706 827,922 1,721,295 123,993 42,491 318,300 906,096 4,382,759 1,071,361 2,665,260 'MIL'S R. R. 1882. 1,262,505 8o2, 0.^6 864,694 194,327 622,700 146,608 269,493 1,542,180 3,077,871 1,978,301 1,624,615 ,325 4,764 6,112 3,718 1,714 999 1,021 1,047 1,934 1,6.36,93/ 4,2&3 1,943 1,802 1,0»1 2,266 2,274 958 278 •»0,773 1,131,597 2,168,380 452,402 62,266 346,991 1.131,116 5,082,871 1,399,750 3,198,062 1,231 4,211 2,310 890 1,025 1,753 6,278 STATES AND TERRITORIES. STATES. Oregon Pennsylvania ... Rhode Island.... South Carolina. Tennessee Texas Vermont Virgiuia West Virginia... Wisconsin Total States . TERRITORIES. Arizona Colorada Dakota District of Columbia Idaho Montana New Mexico Utah Washington Wyoming Total Territories, AREA IN SQUARE MILES. 95,244 46,000 1,306 29,385 45,600 237,504 10,212 40,904 23,000 53,924 113,916 104,500 147,490 60 90, 143,776 121,201 80,056 69,944 93,107 965,032 Aggregate of U. S... 2,915,203 38,555,983 50,155,783 POPULATION. 174,768 276,531 995,577 6,690 211 1,483 90,923 3,521,791 217,353 705,606 1,258,520 1,542,359! 1,9' 818,579; 1,591,749 5,344 330,551' 332,286j 915 1,225,163| 1,512,5651 2,193 442,014] 618,457 711 1,054,670 1,315,497 3,441 38,113,253. 9,658 40,440 557 39 864 14,181 135,177 1,638 177,624 32,610 14,999 265 20,595 39,159 231 91,874 119,565 975 86,786 143,963 908 23,9.55 75,116 479 9,118 20,789 533 PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. POPULATION AND AREA. COUNTRIES. POPULATION AREA OF SQUARE MILES. CAPITALS. POPU- LATION. China 380,627,183 254,899,516 98,297,407 50,442,066 45,234,061 42,213,400 37,786,246 37,405,240 35,925,313 35,262,762 28,452,639 16,952,000 16,625,860 10,025,649 9,883,622 7,653,600 6,497,245 5,519,844 5,290,000 4,348,551 4.324,810 4,114,077 2,846,102 2,699,945 2,300,000 2,223,434 2,075,245 1,979,305 1,969,039 1,859,685 1,700,211 ■ 1,252,497 1,066,137 1,050,000 800,000 554,785 438,245 350,000 350,000 300,000 180,000 1881 1881 1879 1880 1880 1881 1880 1881 1879 1881 1881 1875 1877 1881 1872 1881 1881 1880 1878 1878 1881 1881 1880 1876 4,413,788 1,425,723 8,387,816 3,602,990 212,091 2,396,692 240,942 204,092 148,700 120,879 114,296 1,406,250 182,750 743,948 ! 3,287,963 j 610,000 293,848 11,373 48,307 36,510 3,470,392 12,648 15,992 503,718 Pekin 2,000,000 876,575 147,293 1,122,360 800,000 1,103,857 2,269,023 200,000 4.764,312 169,000 250,000 397,690 United States— with Alaska German Empire Berlin France .!... Great Britain and Ireland s^n .:::::""::::::"""::":::::::::::;:::::" "Madrid Brazil 274,972 200,000 Persia Belgium Brussels 350 000 Roumania Bucharest 221,805 246 .343 Portugal Lisbon Dominion of Canada Ottawa 27,412 328,047 68,320 Netherlands Peru Lima Bolivia La Paz Chili.. 207,350 439,120 25,041 13,784 1,204,486 20,850 41,830 248,372 14,300 10,204 7,225 73,538 49,500 39,600 18,045 26,040 387,081 60,000 63,374 234,850 289.925 27 000 Venezuela 1881 1881 1880 1869 1880 1881 1875 Greece Athens Argentine Confederation iServia .55,728 70,000 13,000 22,000 Liberia Monrovia Hayti -... 1878 1880 Uruguay 73,353 "1880' 12,000 10,000 2,500 Costa Rica San Jo'ie POPULATION OF OHIO BY COUNTIES. The State Adams Allen Ashland... Ashtabula. Athens Auglaize . r Belmont J Brown ) Butler ) Carroll I Champaign . iClark i Clermont . . . ICimton ) Columbiana ! Coshocton . . r Crawford . . . S Cuyahoga . . . I Darke ) Defiance I Delaware . . . > Erie i Fairfield I Fayette ) Franklin . . . . Fulton Zi Gallia 28 Geauga , 'e of any force without his assent. The Governor shall have power to convene, prorogue and dis- solve the General Assembly, when in his opinion it shall be expedient. The Governor, Judges, Legislative Council, Secretary, and such other officers as Congrea* shall appoint in the district, shall take an oath or affirmation of fidelity and of office. The Gov^- ernor before the President of Congress, and all other officers before the Governor. As soon as a Legislature shall be formed in the district, the Council and House assembled in one room, shall have authority by joint ballot to elect a delegate to Congress, who shall: have a seat in Congress, with a right of debating, but not of voting, during this temporary gov- ernment. And for extending the fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty, which forms the basis whereon these republics, their laws .and constitutions, are created ; to fix and establish those principles as the basis of all laws, constitutions and governments, which forever hereafter shall be formed in said Territory. To provide for the establishment of States, and permanent governments therein, and for their admission to a share in the Federal Council on an equal footing with the original States, at as early periods as may be consistent with the general interest. It is hereby ordained and declared by the authority aforesaid, Tliai the following articles shall- be considered as articles of compact between the original States and the jieople, and States in said Territory, and forever remain unaltered unless by common consent, to wit : Article II. The inhabitants of said Territory shall always be entitled to the benefits of the writ of habeas corpus, and of the trial by jury; of a proportionate representation of the people in the Legislature, and of judicial procedure according to the course of common law. All per- sons shall be bailable, except for capital offenses, where the proof shall be evident or the pre- sumption great. All fines shall be moderate, and no cruel or unreasonable punishment shall be inflicted. No man shall be deprived of his liberty or property, but by the judgment of his peers or the law of the land. And should the public exigencies make it necessary for the common preservation, to take any person's property, or to demand liis particular services, full cnnipensatiott 90 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. ehall be made for the same. And in the just preservation of rights and property, it is umler- «tood and declared that no law aught ever to be made or have force in the said Territory, that shall in any manner whatever interfere with or effect private contracts or engagements bona fide and without fraud, previously formed. Art. III. Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; aqd in their property, rights and liberty they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress. But laws founded in justice and humanity, shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them. Art. IV. The said Territory and the States which may be formed therein, shall ever remain a part of the confederacy of the United States of America, subject to the articles of confedera- tion, and to such alterations therein as shall be constitutionally made, and to all the acts and ordinances of the United States in Congress assembled conformable thereto. The inhabitants and settlers in said Territory shall be subject to pay a part of the federal debts contracted or to be contracted, and a proportional part of the expenses of the Government, to be apportioned on them by Congress, according to tlie same common rule and measure by which apportionments thereof shall be made on the other States, and the taxes for paying their proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and directions of the Legislature of the district or districts or new States, within the time agreed upon by the United States in Congress assembled. The Legisla- tures of those districts or new States, shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the soil by the United States in Congress assembled, nor with any regulations Congress may find neces- sary for securing the title in such soil to the bona-fide purchasers. No tax shall be imposed on lands the property of the United States, and in no case, shall non-residents be taxed higher than residents. The navigable waters leading into the Mississippi and St Lawrence, and the carry- jhg places between the same, shall be common highways, and forever free as well to the inhabi- tants of the said Territory as to the citizens of the United States and those of any otlier States that may be admitted into the confederacy, without any tax, impost or duty therefor. Art. V. There shall be formed in said Territory not less than three, nor more than five, States, and the boundaries of the States, as soon as Virginia shall alter her act of cession and consent to the same, shall become fixed and established as follows, to wit : The western State in the said Territory shall be bounded by the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Wabash Rivers ; a direct line drawn from the Wabash and Post St. Vincent, due north to the Territorial line between the United States and Canada ; and by the said Territorial line to the Lake of the Woods and Missis- sippi. The middle State shall be bounded by the said direct line, the Wabash from Post St. Vin- cent to the Ohio, by the Ohio, by a direct line di-awn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami to the said Territorial line. The eastern State shall be bounded by the last-mentioned direct line, the Ohio, Pennsylvania and said territorial line. Provided, however, and it is further understood and declared, that the boundaries of those three States shall be subject so far to be altered, that, if Congress shall hereafter find it expedient, they shall have authority to form one or two States in that part of the said Territory which lies north of an east and west line drawn through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan. And whenever any of the said States shall have 60,000 free inhabitants therein, such State shall be admitted by its delegates into the Congress of the United States on an equal footing with the original States in all respects what- ever, and shall be at liberty to form a permanent constitution and State government. Provided, The constitution and government so to be formed, shall be represented, and in conformity to the principles contained in these articles ; and so far as it can be consistent with the general interest of the confederacy, such admission shall be allowed at an earlier period, and when there may be a less number of free inhabitants than 60,000. Art. VI. There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said Territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted. Provided always, That any person escaping into the same from whom labor or service is lawfully HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 91 claimed in one of the original States, each fugitive may be lawfully claimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or services as aforesaid. Be it ordained by the authority aforesaid. That the resolutions of the 23d of April, 1784, relative to the subject of this ordinance, be and the same are hereby repealed and declared null and void. COMMENT BY S. P. CHASE 1833. It would be difficult to find a more comprehensive review of the founda- tions of our system of laws than is given in the " Preliminary Sketch of the History of Ohio," by this distinguished representative of the bench and the bar of America. The work is now out of print, and is not easily obtained; besides, its great author has passed away; so these extracts are made more with a view of preserving old historical literature, than of introducing new ; furthermore, the masses of the people have never had convenient access to the volumes, which, for the most part, have been in the hands of professional men only. The publication of the work first brought its compiler before the public, and marked the beginning of that career which, during its course, shaped the financial system of our country, and ended upon the Supreme Bench of the nation. "By the ordinance of 1785, Congress had executed in part the great national trust confided to it, by providing for the disposal of the public lands for the common good, and by prescribing the manner and terms of sale. By that of 1787, provision was made for successive forms of Territorial government, adapted to successive steps of advancement in the settlement of the Western country. It comprehended an intelligible system of law on the descent and conveyance of real property, and the transfer of personal goods. It also con- tained five articles of compact between the original States, and the people and States of the Territory, establishing certain great fundamental principles of governmental duty and private right, as the basis of all future constitutions and legislation, unalterable and indestructible, except by that final and common ruin, which, as it has overtaken aH former systems of human polity, may yet overwhelm our American union. Never, probably, in the history of the world, did a measure of legislation so accurately fulfill, and yet so mightily exceed the anticipations of the legislators. The ordinance has been well described, as having been a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, in the settlement and government of the Northwestern States. When the settlers went into the wilderness, they found the law already there. It was impressed upon the soil itself, while it yet bore up nothing but the forest. The purchaser of land became, by that act, a party to the compact, and bound by its perpetual cove- nants, so far as its conditions did not conflict with the terms of the cessions of the States. ' ********* This remarkable instrument was the last gift of the Congress of the old confederation to the country, and it was a fit consummation of their glorious i)-J. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. labors. At the time of its promulgation, the Federal Constitution was under discussion in the convention ; and in a few months, upon the organization of the new national government, that Congress was dissolved, never again to re-as- semble. Some, and indeed most of the principles established by the articles of compact are to be found in the plan of 1784, and in the various English and American bills of rights. Others, however, ahd these not the least important, are original. Of this number are the clauses in relation to contracts, to slavery and to Indians. On the whole, these articles contain what they profess to con- tain, the true theory of American liberty. The great principles promulgated by it are wholly and purely American. They are indeed the genuine princi- ples of freedom, unadulterated by that compromise with circumstances, the effects of which are visible in the constitution and history of the Union. The first form of civil government, provided by the ordinance, was now formally established within the Territory. Under this form, the people had no concern in the business of government. The Governor and Judges derived their appointments at first from Congress, and after the adoption of the Fed- eral Constitution, from the President. The commission of the former officer was for the term of three years, unless sooner revoked ; those of the latter were during good behavior. It was required that the Governor should reside within the Territory, and possess a freehold estate there, in one thousand acres of land. He had authority to appoint all officers of militia, below the rank of Generals, and all magistrates and civil officers, except the Judges and the Sec- retary of the Territory ; to establish convenient divisions of the whole district for the execution of progress, to lay out those parts to which the Indian titles might be extinguished into counties and townships. The Judges, or any two of them, constituted a court with common law jurisdiction. It was neces- sary that each Judge should possess a freehold estate in the territory of five hundred acres. The whole legislative power which, however, extended only to the adoption of such laws of the original States as might be suited to the cir- cumstances of the country, was vested in the Governor and Judges. The laws adopted were to continue in force, unless disapproved by Congress, until re- pealed by the Legislature, which was afterward to be organized. It was the duty of the Secretary to preserve all acts and laws, public records and executive proceedings, and to transmit authentic copies to the Secretary of Congress every six months. Such was the first government devised for the Northwestern Territory. It is obvious that its character, as beneficent or oppressive, depended entirely upon the temper and disposition of those who administrated it. All power, legisla- tive, judicial and executive, was concentrated in the Governor and Judges, and in its exercise they were responsible only to the distant Federal head. The expenses of the Government were defrayed in part by the United States, but were principally drawn from the pockets of the people in the shape of fees. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 93 This temporary system, however unfriendly as it seems to liberty, was, perhaps, so established upon sufficient reasons. The Federal Constitution had not then been adopted, and there were strong apprehensions that the people of the Territory might not be disposed to organize States and apply for admission into the Union. It was, therefore, a matter of policy so to frame the Territorial system as to create some strong motives to draw them into the Union, as States, in due time. The first acts of Territorial legislation were passed at Marietta, then the only American settlement northwest of the Ohio. The Governor and Judges did not strictly confine themselves within the limits of their legislative author ity, as prescribed by the ordinance. When they could not find laws of the original States suited to the condition of the country, they supplied the want by enactments of their own. The earliest laws, from 1788 to 1795, were all thus enacted. The laws of 1788 provided for the organization of the militia; for the establishment of inferior courts ; for the punishment of crimes, and for the limitations of actions; prescribed the duties of ministerial oflBcers ; regu- lated marriages, and appointed oaths of office. That the Governor and Judges in the enactment of these laws, exceeded their authority, without the slightest disposition to abuse it, may be inferred from the fact that except two, which had been previously repealed, they were all confirmed by the first Territorial Legislature. * ** * :fc * * * * At this period there was no seat of government, properly called. The Governor resided at Cincinnati, .but laws were passed whenever they seemed to be needed, and promulgated at any place where the Territorial legislators hap- pened to be assembled. Before the year of 1795, no laws were, strictly speak- ing, adopted. Most of them were framed by the Governor and Judges to answer particular public ends ; while in the enactment of others, including all the laws of 1792, the Secretary of the Territory discharged, under the author- ity of an act of Congress, the functions of the Governor. The earliest laws, as has been already stated, were published at Marietta. Of the remainder, a few were published at Vincennes, and the rest at Cincinnati. In the year 1789, the first Congress passed an act recognizing the binding force of the ordinance of 1787, and adapting its provisions to the Federal Con- stitution. This act provided that the communications directed in the ordinance to be made to Congress or its officers, by the Governor, should thenceforth be made to the President, and that the authority to appoint with the consent of the Senate, and commission officers, before that time appointed and commis- sioned by Congress, should likewise be vested in that officer. It also gave the Territorial Secretary the power already mentioned, of acting in certain cases, in the place of the Governor. In 1792, Congress passed another act giving to the Governor and Judges authority to repeal, at their discretion, the laws by 94 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. them made ; and enabling a single Judge of the general court, in the absence of his brethren, to hold the terms. At this time the Judges appointed by the National Executive constituted the Supreme Court of the Territory. They were commissioned during good behavior; and their judicial jurisdiction extended over the whole region north- west of the Ohio. The court, thus constituted, was fixed at no certain place, and its process, civil and criminal, was returnable wheresoever it might be in the Territory. Inferior to this court were the County Courts of Common Pleas, and the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace. The former consisted of any number of Judges, not less than three nor more than seven, and had a general common-law jurisdiction, concurrent, in the respective counties, with that of the Supreme Court ; the latter consisted of a number of Justices for each county, to be determined by the Governor, Avho were required to hold three terms in every year, and had a limited criminal jurisdiction. Single Judges of the Common Pleas, and single Justices of the Quarter Sessions were also clothed with certain civil and criminal powers to be exercised out of court. Besides these courts, each county had a Judge of Probate, clothed with the ordinary jurisdiction of a Probate Court. Such was the original constitution of courts and distribution of judicial power in the Northwestern Territory. The expenses of the system were defrayed in part by the National Government, and in part by assessments upon the counties, but principally by fees, which were payable to every officer con- cerned in the administration of justice, from the Judges of the General Court downward. In 1795 the Governor and Judges undertook to revise the Territorial laws, and to establish a complete system of statutory jurisprudence, by adoptions from the laws of the original States, in strict conformity to the provisions of the ordinance. For this purpose they assembled at Cincinnati in June, and continued in session until the latter part of August. The judiciary system underwent some changes. The General Court was fixed at Cincinnati and Mari- etta, and a Circuit Court was established with power to try in the several coun- ties, issues in fact depending before the superior tribunal, where alone causes could be finally decided. Orphans' Courts, too, were established, with jurisdic- tion analogous to but more extensive than that of a Judge of Probate. Laws were also adopted to regulate judgments and executions, for limitation of actions, for the distribution of intestate estates, and for many other general purposes. Finally, as if with a view to create some great reservoir, from whic^i, whatever principles and powers had been omitted in the particular acts, might be drawn according to the exigency of circumstances, the Governor and Judges adopted a law, providing that the common law of England and all general statutes in aid of the common law, prior to the fourth year of James I, should be in full force within the Territory. The law thus adopted was an act of the Virginia Legislature, passed before the Declaration of Independence, when Virginia was HISTORY OF THE STATE ©F OHIO. 95 yet a British colony, and at the time of its adoption had been repealed so far as it related to the English statutes. The other laws of 1795 were principally derived from the statute book of Pennsylvania. The system thus adopted was not without many imperfections and blemishes, but it may be doubted whether any colony, at so early a period after its first establishment, ever had one so good. ********* And how gratifying is the retrospect, how cheering the prospect which even this sketch, brief and partial as it is, presents ! On a sur-face covered less than half a century ago by the trees of the primeval forest, a State has grown up from Colonial infancy to freedom, independence and strength. But thirty years have elapsed since that State, with hardly sixty thousand inhabitants, was admitted into the American Union. Of the twenty-four States which form that Union, she is now the fourth in respect to population. In other respects her rank is even higher. Already her resources have been adequate, not on-ly to the expense of government and instruction, but to the construction of long lines of canals. Her enterprise has realized the startling prediction of the poet, who, in 1787, when Ohio was yet a wilderness, foretold the future connec- tion of the Hudson with the Ohio. And these results are attributable mainly to her institutions. The spirit of the ordinance of 1787 pervades them all. Who can estimate the benefits which have flowed from the interdiction by that instrument of slavery and of legislative interference with private contracts? One consequence is, that the soil of Ohio bears up none but freemen ; another, that a stern and honorable regard to private rights and public morals characterizes her legislation. There is hardly a page in the statute book of which her sons need be ashamed. The great doctrine of equal rights is 'everywhere recognized in her constitution and her laws. Almost every father of a family in this State has a freehold interest in the soil, but this interest is not necessary to entitle him to a voice in the concerns of government. Every man'may vote ; every man is eligible to any office. And this unlimited extension of the elective franchise, so far from pro- ducing any evil, has ever constituted a safe and sufficient check upon injurious legislation. Other causes of her prosperity may be found in her fertile soil, in her felicitous position, and especially in her connection with the union of the States. All these springs of growth and advancement are permanent, and upon a most gratifying prospect of the future. They promise an advance in population, wealth, intelligence and moral worth as permanent as the existence of the State itself They promise to the future citizens of Ohio the blessings of good government, wise legislation and universal instruction. More than all, they are pledges that in all future, as in all past circumstances, Ohio will cleave fast to the national constitution and the .national Union, and that her growing energies will on no occasion, be more willingly or powerfully put forth, than in the support and maintenance of both in unimpaired vigor and strength." 96 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. INFLUENCE OF THE ORDINANCE OF 1787. The passage of this ordinance, since known as the '' Ordinance of 1787/' was immediately followed by an application to the Government, by John Cleves Symmes, of New Jersey, in behalf of the country, between the Miamis, and a contract was concluded the following year. The Ohio Company were exceed- ingly energetic in inaugurating settlements. Gen. Putman, with a party of forty-seven men, set out on an exploring expedition, accompanied by six boat builders. On the 1st of January, 1788, twenty-six surveyors followed, from Hartford, Conn. They arrived in Ohio on the 7th of April, 1788, and their active energy founded the permanent beginning of this great Western State- When we review the dangerous experiments that have been made, in this land west of the Alleghanies, the horrors which had overwhelmed every attempt, we can faintly realize the stalwart courage that sent these men on their way, and sustained them in their pioneer hardships. With characteristic vigor, they began their little town. Enthusiastic and happy, they did not rest from their toilsome march over the old Indian roads, but kept busily at work to estab- lish an oasis in this wide expanse of wilderness, before they should take nec- essary ease to recuperate their strength. The wise men met on the 2d of May, and the little town was named Marietta. Situated as it was, in the midst of danger, they had used precaution to build and equip a fortified square, which was designated Campus Martius ; Square No. 19 was Capitolium, and Square No. 61 was Cecelia, and the main street was Sacra Via. Marietta was especially fortunate in her actual "first families." Ten of the forty-eight men had received a thorough college education ; the remaining were individuals of sterling merit, honorable, and several had already attained reputations for superior excellence of abilities. Patriotic and brave, the settlement certainly possessed a foundation that promised well for the future. The following 4th of July was an auspicious event, and the Hon. James M. Varnum was the eloquent orator of the occason. The opening of the court, on the 2d of September, was a solemn ceremonial, the High Sheriff leading with drawn sword, followed by citizens, with an escort of officers from Fort Harmar, the members of the bar, the Governor and Clergy- men, the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas — Gen. Rufus Putman and Benjamin Tupper — all these constituted an imposing spectacle, as they pro- gressed over a path which had been cut through the forest to Campus Martius Hall, the edifice of law and order. The Judges took their seats, a prayer was offered by the Rev. Dr. Cutler, and immediately the Sheriff, Col. Ebenezer Sprout, proclaimed the response, and the court of impartial justice was convened. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 97 This ceremonial was, perhaps, made all the more impressive by the presence of several powerful Indian chiefs, who had journeyed to Marietta for the pur- pose of making a treaty. The settlement now increased rapidly, new cabins were erected constantly. On the 17th of December, a society event occurred, in the form of a grand ball, fifteen ladies being present. John Cleves Symmes had contracted for 2,000,000 acres of land, and suc- ceeded in obtaining his grant, but circumstances prevented him from meeting his part of the obligations, and the specification was reduced to 1,000,000. After vain attempt to make his payments, a settlement was finally effected for 248,540 acres, and Symmes was prepared to dispose of clear titles to new-com- ers. In 1788, a town Avas established within the boundaries of his grant, at the mouth of the little Miami, known as Columbia, and in the early part of 1787 another was formed opposite the mouth of the Licking River, by name Losanti- ville, analyzed by a frontier scholar — ville, the town ; anti, opposite to ; os, the mouth of; i, Licking. Judge Symmes had projected building his main town at North Bend. This plan was frustrated by reason of Ensign Luce — who had been commissioned by Gen. Harmar to erect a fort — deciding that North Bend was not suitable for the purpose. He selected Losantiville for the purpose, and Fort Washington was the result. In 1790, Gov. St. Clair was called to inspect the settlement, and proceeded to organize Hamilton County, at the same time calling the town Cincinnati. It will be remembered that Connecticut ceded most of her western lands to General Government, retaining, however, a minor portion. As the settlements began to increase on the "Virginia Reserve" and between the Scioto and Miami Rivers, all those holding claims were not disposed to part with them, while others were anxious to secure grants for the purpose of speculation, rather than the advancement of civilization. The Scioto Company was a questionable ad- herent of the Ohio Company, and began operations, which resulted well, what- ever their purpose may have been. Gen. Putnam cleared the land and directed the building of 100 dwellings and six block-houses. During 1791, the colony arrived, consisting of 500 persons. Only ten of these were tillers of the soil. Viscount Malartie ventured into the wilderness, but instead of settling, joined Gen. St. Clair's army, and was ulti- mately his aid-de-camp. Indian conquests were not to his taste, and he soon returned to France. This new colony was essentially French, and its location was Gallia County. The name " Gallipolis " was selected. These settlers, being unaccustomed to severe toil, and disinclined to learn its hard lesson, soon became demoralized, through deprivation and absolute want. Congress came to their aid with a land grant of 24,000 acres, but few of them cared to enter claims, and soon all traces of the old town were lost, and its inhabitants scattered. 98 HISTORY OF THE STATE OK oil In. Gen. St. Clair having become unpopular, through repeated failures in Indian campaigns, and Gen. Anthony Wayne having wintered at Fort Washington, the spring of 1793 was opened by a march of the army, well disciplined and led by " Mad Anthony," on a campaign that must crush the rapidly increasing depredations of the Indians, notwithstanding which these new settlements had been made. All winter, Gen. Wayne had dispatched scouts, spies and hardy frontiersmen on errands of discovery^ and his plans were, therefore, practically matured. His army cut its way through the forests, gathering horses, provis- ions, etc., as they marched, and finally came nearly up to the enemy before dis- covery. They again returned to Fort Washington, as the Commander-in-Chief, under the order of the Executive, had proclaimed inaction until the Northern or British Commissioners and Indians should convene and discuss the situation and prospects. Gen. Wayne, meantime, drilled his men at " Hobson's Choice," a place near Fort Washington. The Commissioners came from Detroit, and assembled at Capt. Matthew Elliot's house, at the mouth of the Detroit River. A meeting was called at Sandusky, and twenty Indian representatives were present, to argue the grounds of a treaty. Simon Girty acted as interpreter, and has been vehemently accused of unfaithfulness in this trust, since he did not advocate the adjustment of matters on any grounds. The Indians reiterated their rights and wrongs, and offered to receive the half of the purchase money, provided the actual settlers would accept it as the price of the land, move away, and leave the original owners the proud possessors of their lands. The Govern- ment would then expend less money than they would have done in a full Indian purchase, or a long and cruel war. This being out of the question and rejected, a decided specification was made that the Ohio boundary was to be obliterated, and a new one adopted, that encompassed a mere fraction of territory. This was also rejected. The Indians indignantly bade the Americans to go back to their father, and they would return to their tribes. The council was terminated in confusion. It is highly probable that some settlement might have been made, had it not been for English influence which instigated the savages, in the hope of ultimately making conquests for them- selves. The commander at Detroit evinced great uneasiness whenever there was a shadow of an opportunity for a peaceful understanding. On Christmas Day, 1793, a detachment of the army encamped on the identical ground made memorable by St. Clair's horrible defeat. A reward was offered for every human skull that was found, and 600 were gathered. The bones of the victims were removed from the spot where they built Fort Recovery. This, point was left in charge of Alexander Gibson. Early in the year 1794, Lord Dorchester addressed the Commissioners in behalf of the English. Even at this time, Gen. ^ Wayne, to avoid the terrors of a great war, again made overtures of peace, dispatching Freeman, Trueman and Hardin, all initiated in savage tactics, on errands of mercy — and the three men HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 99 were inhumanly murdered. The English went so far as to order Gov. Simcoe to erect a fort, in April, 1794, on the Rapids of the Maumee, thus rousing the Indians by a bold proof that they had espoused their cause. In May, the Spanish, who were ever jealous of colonial encroachments, were willing to aid in a general raid against the Americans. In June, a scouting party from Fort Recovery, fell into an Indian ambush and suffered severely, their foes following them to the very entrance. The siege continued for two days. It was plainly evident that white men augmented the Indian force ; ounce balls and buck-shot surely came from their rifles. Again, the Indians immediately began a search beneath the logs where pieces of artillery were hidden during the great battle of St. Clair, but fortunately. Fort Recovery had the use of them and they accomplished much. On July 26, Scott joined Wayne at Greenville, with 1,600 mounted Kentuckians, and on the 28th, the legion took up its line of deadly march. Halting at Girty's Town, they built Fort Mary's, later on Fort Adams. Throw- ing the enemy off their guard by feints and counter-marching, the troops surprised the Indians, and without the slightest resistance took possession of their villages at the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee. They found provision in abundance, and tarried a week building Fort Defiance. Again Gen. Wayne would have made terms of peace, on the principle of the Government to arrest bloodshed, but the Indians were rendered cruelly intent on war by an addition of a body of British militia from Detroit, and by regulars stationed at a fort they had built on the left bank of the river, below the rapids, called Fort Miami. The "Fallen Timber" ground was selected as the field for a battle by the savages, in the expectation that the trees cast down by a tornado and there remaining, would seriously impede American progress. August 15th, Wayne marched down the river, and at Roche de Boeuf, erected a fortification for their stores and luggage, naming it " Fort Deposit." On the 20th, the American army began the attack. Maj. Price and Maj. Gen. Scott were heroic in their assistance, and after a sharp, deadly conflict, the enemy was routed, fleeing in confusion, and leaving their dead and wounded strewn thickly over the field. The savages were pressed to the front always, and when the carnage was painful, the British troops not engaged looked on coolly from the fort and ofiered no assistance, aiding their own, however, when possible. Gen. Wayne being an ardent soldier, was apt tc forget his position, and impetuously place himself constantly in danger. Lieut. Harrison is reported to have requested the General not to forget to give him field orders, in his own partici- pation in the battle, and to have received the reply that the standing order ivas ahvays to charge hayonets. Notwithstanding the treaty of 1783, and the fact that the British were tres- passing, they encroached upon the Ohio soil, and essayed to vindicate their action by discarding American claims and recognizing the Indian rights, whereby thev might seek their own colonization and make treaties. 100 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. Maj. Campbell was in command at Fort Miami, and when he saw the sava- ges being cut down almost mercilessly, he not only refrained from offering aid, but when, in their desperate retreat, they attempted to enter the fort for pro- tection, he ordered the doors closed in their faces. On the following day, Campbell sent a message to Wayne, demanding a reason for hostile action, adding that Great Britain was not now at war with the United States. He received a characteristic reply. During the Revolution, Detroit w^as an important British point, and the Maumee was its outlet. Therefore, the English clung tenaciously to this pos- session, giving, as it did, the advantage of the great fur trade. The English Government evidently regretted ceding so much of her territory in the AVest, and were searching for an excuse to quarrel and attempt to regain at least a part of what they had lost. Their policy was to sustain the bitter hatred between the Indians and the Americans. The settlement of the Maumee Valley had been rapid, but the very name was an agony of remembrance of frightful massacres and atrocities. Col, McKee, the British Indian agent, and his assistant, Capt. Elliott, were from Pennsylvania, but being Tories, they had assimilated with the Indians. They joined the Shawnee tribe and married Indian wives, and made their, fortunes thereby, through British appointments to secure the savage interests. The Indians were directly served by McKee and Elliott, with ammunition and sup- plies, during the Wayne conflict. Several skirmishes ensued, but severe weather approaching, the troops moved for quarters, and on the 14th day of September, they attacked the Miami villages, captured them with provisions and stores, and erected a fort, leaving it in charge of Lieut. Col. Hamtramck. With cheers and rifle-shooting, this post was named Fort Wayne. The main army marched into Greenville and went into winter quarters. Wayne had achieved a brilliant victory, but his success did not overcome his practical reasoning, and he was unwilling to subject his men to a severe winter's campaign unless necessity was peremptory. Gov. Simcoe, Col. McKee and a few of the most savage Indian chiefs attempted to rally the Indians for a new attack. Gov. Simcoe, of Detroit, was aware that the mounted volunteers under Wayne had been allowed to return home, and that the term of service of a portion of the " Legion " was about to expire. The British and Indians held a conference, but the latter were weary with fighting for the glory of the Great Father at Detroit, and did not enter into the plan. The winter proved most poverty stricken to them, the English failing to supply them, and their crops and sustenance having been destroyed by Wayne. They were then fully prepared to listen to the faintest signal from Wayne to conciliate affairs, and the Wyandots and Delawares were the first to confer with him on the subject. Their position was exposed and they had suffered severely. HISTORY OF THE STATE UF OHIO. 101 They soon influenced other tribes to consider the question. As a mass, they were convinced of their inability to overcome the Americans, and had become impatient and disgusted with the duplicity of their British friends, who had not hesitated to sacrifice them in every instance, and who deserted them in their hour of distress. United, they sued for peace. Terms were made, and about the 1st of August, the famous Greenville treaty was ratified and established, and the old Indian war in Ohio terminated. The Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees, Chippewas, Ottawas, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel Rivers, Weas, Kickapoos, Piankeshaws and Kaskaskias were thus conciliated. The old Indian boundary line, settled upon at the Fort Mcintosh treaty, was retained, and the southwestern line was prolonged from old Fort Recovery, southwest of the Ohio River. " The general boundary lines between the lands of the United States and the lands of the said Indian tribes shall begin at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, and thence run up the same to the portage between that and the Tus- carawas Branch of the Muskingum ; thence down that branch to the crossing- place above Fort Laurens ; thence westerly to a fork of that branch of the Great Miami River (running into the Ohio), at or near which fork stood Lar- amie's store — Mary's River, which is a branch of the Miami that runs into Lake Erie ; thence a westerly course to Fort Recovery, which stands on a branch of the Wabash ; thence southwesterly on a direct line to the Ohio, so as to inter- sect that river opposite the mouth of the Kentucky or Cuttawa River." This boundary line has, ever since this memorable treaty, been a prominent landmark, and may now be traced as the southern boundary line of Stark, Ash- land, Richland and Marion Counties, and the northern. line, in part, of Tuscar- awas and Knox. Old Fort Recovery was located in Mercer, near the Indiana line. Laramie's store was in Shelby. Within the Indian Reservation, the United States held sixteen distinct sec- tions of land, for the purpose of military posts, so arranged that the Govern- ment had full right of way north and west. The "Joy treaty " between England and the United States was ratified early in 1796, and the British were obliged to vacate Detroit and Fort Miami, and recall the fact that they had no claim or right to either points. Gen. Wayne received them, and accompanied by Gov. St. Clair, "proceeded to Detroit. Here the lat- ter laid out a county, calling it Wayne, and designated Detroit as it's seat of justice. This was the fifth county in the Northwest Territory, north of the Ohio River. Washington County, with Marietta as a seat of justice, was first established ; next Hamilton, with Cincinnati as a county seat. Wayne County was organized in 1796, and included about twenty-six of the present counties, in the northwest part of the State, covering about a quarter of its area, besides parts of Indiana and Michigan. In other parts of the State, the population was rapidly increasing. In May, 1795, the Legislature authorized a committee to institute measures for the 102 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. disposal of their "Western lands. The Virginia and Connecticut Reservations required some action on the part of Government, inasmuch as ceding a portion and re-selling had in a measure disturbed free titles. Fifty-six persons negoti- ated and purchased lands, receiving (;[uit-claim titles and entire rights. Thej re-sold to John Morgan and John Caldwell and Jonathan Bruce, in trust. Thus 3,000,000 acres were prepared for settlement. Upon the quit-claim deeds of these representatives, the full title of lands included within the old Western Reserve rests. Judge Symmes began his active operations in 1796, and by the close of 1797 all lands east of the Cuyahoga were laid out in townships, five miles square. The agent of the Connecticut Land Company was Gen. Moses Cleveland, and in his honor the leading city in the Reserve was named. Some townships were retained for private sale, and others were disposed of by lottery, in 1798. Wayne's treaty led to the formation of Dayton, and the peopling of that section, A difficulty arose regarding the original Symmes grant and its modifi- cation. Symmes had sold land titles, in good faith, beyond his vested power, and Congress was now called upon to adjust these claims and titles. Seventeen days after the Wayne or Greenville treaty, St. Clair, Wilkinson, Dayton and Ludlow contracted with Symmes for seven and eight ranges, between the Mad and Little Miami Rivers. November 4, 1795, Mr. Ludlow laid out Dayton. During the years 1790 and 1795, the Governor and Supreme Judges of the Northwest Territory had published sixty-four statutes. Thirty-four of these were ratified at Cincinnati, for the purpose of forming a complete statutory. It was termed the " Maxwell Code." Mr. Nathaniel Massie founded a town on the Scioto, which was called Chillicothe. The Iroquois treaty had previously invited settlement, and embryo towns had begun as early as 1769, under the protection of the Connecticut Company. A land company was organized in Hartford, Conn., in 1795, sending out forty-three surveyors to divide the townships of that part of the Western Reserve, east of the Cuyahoga, five miles square. The first resident of the town of Cleveland was Mr. Job Stiles and family, and Mrs. Stiles was the mother of the first white child born on the Reserve. Some other parts of the territory progressed more rapidly in population. Along the Muskingum, Scioto and Miami, towns began to spring up, which might perhaps better be termed farming settlements. Cincinnati was increasing, and in 1796, had reached 100 cabins, 15 frame houses and 600 persons, with prospects for a firm future. The Virginia Military Land District was between the Little Miami and Scioto, and was rapidly increasing in population. Mr. Massie was unceasing in his eiforts to advance the West, and laid out Manchester, offering inducements that could not fail to attract settlers. Ebenezer Zane procured a grant in consideration of opening a bridle path from the Ohio River at Wheeling, over the country via Chillicothe, to Limestone, HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 103 in Kentucky. The year following, the United States mail was taken over this route. The comparatively tranquil condition of the country and the inducements it had to offer encouraged a rapid settlement of the Territory. A prominent feature of the early growth of Ohio was the general prevalence of reliable, stanch principle. The people were of the good colonial stock. In 1800, Chillicothe was denominated the seat of the Territorial govern- ment, and the first stone edifice in the State was begun in this town, soon after this appointment. About this time, a serious diflBculty suddenly occurred to those individuals who had taken lands on the Western Reserve of Connecticut. That Eastern power had, it is true, ceded a part of her claim to the General Government, and had stipulated for the sale of certain other tracts. At the same time, the State had not signed away her jurisdiction over some sections of her claim, and those unfortunate people in and about Dayton found themselves without any government upon Avhich they might depend in a case of emergency. The matter Avas, accordingly, presented to the Territorial government, which interceded with the Eastern State, and, sanctioned by the Assembly at Congress, Connecticut relinquished her jurisdiction in 1800. Cleveland was an important point, and was growing in the mean time. How- ever, it had suffered exceedingly from the ravages of fever and ague. For a period of two months, there was not an individual, but a boy thirteen years of age, able to procure food for the others. Flour was out of all rational con- sideration, and the meal upon which they lived was pounded by hand. In 1799, Williams and Myatt erected a grist-mill at the falls, near Newbury. A startling agitation occurred in 1801, which in these days would cause but a ripple in the political sea, but happening during a time when legislative dignity and state authority were regarded with reverential awe, it created the most intense feeling. Great indignation was openly expressed. The Governor and several legislators felt that they had been insulted in the performance of their respective duties, at Chillicothe, while the Assembly was in session in 1801. No measures being taken by the authorities at the capital to protect the Executive, a law was passed removing the seat of govern- ment to Cincinnati. This circumstance led to a general consideration of the advantages of a State government, and a popular desire Avas expressed for a change in this respect. Gov. St. Clair had fallen into disfavor through his failure as a military leader and his failures in the Indian campaigns, and from his assuming powers which were not vested in him, especially the subdivision of counties. He was also identified with the Federal party, which was not popular in Ohio. The opposition was strong in the Assembly, but was in the minority in the House of Representatives. The boundary question was agitated at the same time. The intention was to thus effect the limits of Ohio that a State government would necessarily have to be postponed. Against this measure. Tiffin, Worthington, 104 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. Langham, Darlington, Massie, Dunlavy and Morrow strenuously objected. After considerable discussion, Thomas Worthington obtained leave of absence from the session, and journeyed to Washington in behalf of a State government. It was obvious that the Territory, under the ordinance, was not entitled to a change. Massie suggested the feasibility of appointing a committee to address Congress on the subject. This the House refused to pass. An effort was then made to take a census, but any action on this subject was postponed until the next session. During all this ineffectual struggle, Worthington was doing his best in Wash- ington, and succeeded so well that on March 4, a report was made to the House in favor of the State government. This report was made on a basis that the census, in 1800, summed up over 45,000 for Ohio. April 30, Congress passed a law carrying into effect the views expressed on this subject. A convention met on November 1. Its members were generally Jeffersonian in their views. Gov. St. Clair proposed to address them as their chief executive magistrate. Several members resolutely opposed this action, insisting upon a vote, which, through courtesy and not a sense of right, resulted in permitting him to address them. He advised the postponement of the State government until the original eastern portion of the State was sufficiently pop- ulated to demand this right. Only one, out of thirty-three, voted to sustain the Governor in these views. The convention agreed to the views of Congress. November 29, the agree- ment was ratified and signed, as was the constitution of the State of Ohio. The General Assembly was ordered to convene the first Tuesday of March, 1803. This was carried into effect. A constitution was framed for the new State, adhering to the Ordinance of 1787. The rights and duties of citizens were plainly set forth, and general business was transacted. The new State consti- tution was signed by : Edward Tiffin, President and Representative from Ross County. Adams County — Joseph Darlington, Israel Donalson, Thomas Vinker. Belmont County — James Caldwell and Elijah Woods. Clermont County — Philip Gatch and James Sargent. Fairfield County — Henry Abrams and Emanuel Carpenter. Hamilton County — John W. Brown, Charles Willing Byrd, Francis Dun- lavy, William Goforth, John Gitchel, Jeremiah Morrow, John Paul, John Riley, John Smith and John Wilson. Jefferson County — Rudolph Blair, George Humphry, John Milligan, Nathan Updegraff and Bezaleel Wells. Ross County — Michael Baldwin, James Grubb, Nathaniel Massie and F. Worthington. Washington County — Ephraim Cutler, Benjamin Ives Gilman, John Mc- Intyre and Rufus Putnam. Thomas Scott, Secretary. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 105 The first Legislature of the State, under the new constitution, created eight new counties, viz., Gallia, Scioto, Franklin, Columbiana, Butler, Warren, Greene and Montgomery. The first State officers were : Michael Baldwin, Speaker of the House ; Na- thaniel Massie, President of the Senate ; William Creighton, Secretary of State ; Col. Thomas Gibson, Auditor ; William McFarland, Treasurer ; Return J. Meigs, Jr., Samuel Huntington and William Sprigg, Judges of the Supreme Court ; Francis Dunlavy, Willis Silliman and Calvin Pease, Judges of the Dist- rict Court. The General Assembly held a second session in December, at which time the militia law was revised, also giving aliens equal proprietary rights with native citizens. The revenue system was modified and improved. Acts authorizing the incorporation of townships were passed, and for the establishment of coun- ties. Furthermore, Jacob White, Jeremiah Morrow and William Ludlow were authorized to locate a township for collegiate purposes, according to previous specified terms of Congress. The Symmes grant and the college specification collided materially, but the irregularity of the former was not to create any inconvenience for the latter. Mr. Symmes had in good faith marked oiF this township, but circumstances preventing the perfection of his plans, that lapsed with the others, and the original township was now entered by settlers. Accordingly, thirty-six sections, west of the Great Miami, were selected, and are now held by the Miami University. Gov. St. Clair, notwithstanding his unpopularity, was re-appointed. Ohio was under a system of government which guaranteed the best improve- ments ; her Legislature being composed of her best statesmen, and the laws passed having the general interest of the people embodied in them. A bill was passed, appropriating the net proceeds of the land lying within said State, sold by Congress after the 20th day of June, 1802, after deducting all expenses incident to the same, to be applied to the laying-out of roads, leading from the navigable waters emptying into the Atlantic to the Ohio,- to the said State, and through the same ; such roads to be laid out under the authority of Congress, with the consent of the several States through which the road shall pass. In conformity with these provisions, steps were taken, in 1805, which resulted in the making of the Cumberland or National road. Burr, at this time, began an organization for the ostensible purpose of making a settlement on the Wachita, but his party being armed and his plans not being frankly disclosed, an investigation proved that his real design was a mutinous revolt against Governmental powers, and to gratify his ambition by founding his own kingdom in Mexico, and defeating the Spanish. If success crowned his efibrts, his ultimate victory was to rupture the Union by forcing the Western States to withdraw from their allegiance. By gaining an influence over the noble but misguided Blennerhasset, he established his headquarters on his island in the Ohio. The history of Burr's expedition is already well known. 106 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. The final capture by Gov. Tiffin, of ten boats loaded with stores, on the Mus- kingum, and four near Marietta, decided the fate of this scheme, and Burr was finally arrested and put on trial May 22, 1807. The advancement of the settlement of the State was in no manner impeded, and towns sprang up, farms were laid out, and all other improvements inaugu- rated which tended to a permanent prosperity. In 1808, Tecumseh left Greenville to join the Prophet on the banks of the Tippecanoe, a tributary of the Upper Wabash, on a tract of land granted herein by the Pottawatomies. The Indians were virtually by treaty allowed but a small proportion of land within the boundaries of the State, and were maintaining peaceful attitudes toward the whites, with exceptional border depredations, which were settled by mutual understanding. Although the United States had gained independence, and was treating with England as with other foreign powers, the British persisted in violating the national rights of the United States, impressing American seamen into the British service, seizing American vessels engaged with France in trade, and otherwise violating the rights of an independent nation, at peace with the Brit- ish power. The mission upon which Henry was sent by the British, to create disturb- ance between the States, and thus broken, to weaken the strength of the Gen- eral Government, added fuel to the fire, and united indignation cried for war. British agents again bargained with the Indians of the Wabash and Maumee Valleys, desiring them to inaugurate another war upon the western sections and to make a desperate attack upon the settlements south of the lakes. The Brit- ish agent at Maiden negotiated in rifles, powder, ball, merchandise, lead, blank- ets and shirts. The Indians were inspired again with the hope that the whites would be driven back, and that all the country north of the Ohio w^ould again revert to them. The Canadians in league with the English, gave the savages unlimited quantities of whisky, -which naturally aroused their fierce natures to acts of violence and blood. It is highly probable that the use of liquor was the main cause of the deterioration of the best traits of the Indian character, after the Revolution. Again, many unscrupulous men upon the frontier did not hesi- tate to commit the most merciless crimes against the Indians, such was the prejudice against them, and the courts invariably failed to indict them for these atrocities. This error on the part of the Americans served to influence the savages against them. At this time, the seats of justice were distant over a hundred miles each from the other, uninhabited tracts frequently extending between them which were absolute wildernesses. The routes were in many cases difficult and circuitous. As early as 1808, there was a mail communication for the people on the Lower Maumee, many days elapsing between the arrivals and departures of HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 107 the same, however. Horace Gunn was the carrier. Benoni Adams brought the news from Cleveland to the same point, his trip requiring a fortnight. It must be remembered that this journey was mostly made on foot. The Black Swamp could not be traversed in any other manner. THE WAR OF 1812. The war of 1812 can be called a continuation of the Revolution, with all justice. Although rumors had reached Ohio, that active preparations were being made for general action, no official tidings had been sent to Hull, com- mand^-in-chief of the Western forces. The Secretary of War, instead of sending a special messenger directly to Hull, communicated with the' post adjacent, depending upon a continuation of the news from that point. At the same time, advices were sent the British post at Maiden and Detroit. Hull sent out a packet with official papers, stores, etc., the day previous to that on which the official intelligence arrived that an open rupture existed between the two powers, and this was of course captured. The Western forces marched to Detroit and crossed over to Sandwich, pre- paratory to attacking Maiden, a post most favorable for the transportation of stores, troops, etc. which was therefore considered valuable. Peter Minard first gave the news to the settlers of the Maumee. He had heard from a Delaware chief, who assured him a general massacre was to take place in the valley. Maj. Spaffiard paid no heed to this "idle fear," until a few days thereafter a messenger came to his quarters, reporting a band of fifty Pottawatomies on the march to join the hostile tribes near Maiden. They had plundered and burned Monclova, and had nearly reached the rapids. The Major, with his family and settlers, immediately launched a barge on the river and were able to reach old Fort Miami just as the savages reached Maumee City. They could plainly witness the flames that devoured their old homes. They kept on their way in their miserable craft, until they reached Milan, where they learned that the entire country was in danger. Although the Indians were defeated in the battle of Tippecanoe in the fall of 1811, they plotted vigorously with the English for the invasion of Ohio. Gen. William Hull marched from the southwestern part of the State directly north, crossing the counties of Champaign, Logan, Hardin, Hancock and Wood, establishing military posts along the route and cutting a way through the wilderness of the unsettled portions. He crossed the Maumee on the 1st of July, and marched to Detroit. Hull was evidently actuated in his succeeding disgraceful failures by two fears — ^lack of confidence in the ability of his troops, and the belief that they might desert him in action. He proclaimed freedom, and a necessity of sub- mitting to the Canadians under existing circumstances. He held out induce- ments to the British regulars to desert their cause and essayed to pacify the savages, but he accomplished nothing beyond jeopardizing the American cause 108 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. and disgracing his army. His men became restless. Col. Miller and Col. Cass were delighted when detailed on scouting expeditions, and did not hesi- tate to attack advancing squads of the enemy. At last, an attack was made on the Niagara frontier, and Hull speedily abandoned his project and collected his forces at Detroit. Meantime, Col. Proctor had reached Maiden, and quickly perceiving the advantage of a post at that point, whereby he could cut off supplies and starve Hull into subjection, he massed his forces about this section, captured Van Horn and his two hundred men, and withstood the attack of Miller, although he gained nothing by so doing. Again Hull displayed his weakness by recall- ing his forces from further molestations. Gen. Brock, however, reached Maiden on the 13th of August, 1812, and began war preparations. Gen. Dearborn placed a force on the Niagara frontier, but an armistice was made with the British. Hull dispatched a third party under McArthur, to open communications to the Raisin River. Gen. Brock appeared at Sandwich and began to erect batteries, which Hull would not allow to be molested. The result was, that on the 26th of August Detroit was surrendered to the enemy, and not a blow had been struck in its defense. By this dastardly act, 1,400 brave men who had not been permitted to make a single effort to sustain the American cause, were surrendered to 300 English regulars, 400 Canadians and their Indian allies. Gen. Hull was, in consequence of this series of "mistakes," accused of treason and cowardice, and convicted of the latter. By the middle of August, the British had gained the control over most of the Northwestern Territory. The appointment of William Henry Harrison to the position of com- mander in chief of the Western forces, was most opportune. He speedily raised a vigorous army, and advanced by three routes to the foot of the rapids. Gen. Harrison commanded the right wing, and marched by the way of Upper Sandusky, where he located his depot of supplies. Gen. Tupper commanded the center, Fort McArthur, in Hardin County, being his base, while Gen. Win- chester marched from Fort Defiance down the Maumee to the foot of the rapids. A large force of British and Indians moved up the left bank of the Mau- mee toward Fort Wayne, and Gen. Harrison, to intercept them, marched to the confluence of the Auglaize with the Maumee. Harrison was aware that the enemy would be also hemmed in by Win- chester. The weather was rainy, and the prospects were that a most unfortun- ate season was to follow the expected engagements. Harrison heard that Winchester had reached Fort Defiance, and that the Indians and British were retreating down the Maumee. He followed, and marched to Winchester's camp, where he arrived in season to quell a mutiny under command of Col. Allen, of the Kentucky troops. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 109 In January, 1813, Winchester had reached the rapids, where he received tidings that Frenchtown was menaced and exposed. Without orders, he sent a party to the rescue, which defeated the enemy. The weather was intensely cold, and the company lay within eighteen miles of Maiden, where the enemy was collected in full force, consequently re-enforcements must be dispatched immediately or the town again left to its fate. Winchester then marched with a force of 259 men, and upon arriving at nightfall, insisted upon remaining on open ground, although warned repeatedly that this would be a most dangerous experiment. In the morning, he was surprised by the enemy, massed directly before him, with a battery within three hundred yards of his camp, and a shower of bombs, balls and grape-shot falling among his exposed troops, and the yells of Indians reminding him of his fatal error. Lewis, who led the party out in the beginning and had apprehended the danger, bravely defended himself behind garden pickets. Winchester was defeated on the 22d of January, 1813, and the Indians Avere permitted to massacre the prisoners and the settlers. Harrison fell back to the foot of the rapids. On the 1st of February, he began the construction of Fort Meigs. On the 27th of April, Proctor and Tecumseh attacked this fort, and laid siege with the full expectation of success. The stipulation was that Gen. Harrison was to be delivered to Tecumseh. While the balls and bombs were making havoc with the fort, the Indians were climbing trees and pouring a galling fire down upon the troops. Gen. Proctor invited Harrison to surrender, which was politely declined, with the assurance that the British General would have the opportunity to distinguish himself as a soldier before such a proceeding was enacted, Gen. Clay was descending the Maumee with 1,200 Kentuckians in flat boats. Orders went from Harrison that 800 men should land on the left bank, take and spike the British cannon, and then to enter the fort, from which soldiers were to issue to assist the re-enforcements. Capt. Hamilton was to pilot Gen. Clay to the fort, cutting their way through. All succeeded, Col. Dudley taking the batteries and spiking the cannon. But his men, too much elated by their success, against orders, and against the repeated expostulations of Col. Dudley, insisted on pursuing the Indians. Col. Dudley would not desert them. This act proved their ruin. By a decoy, they were led into a defile which proved an ambush, and the men found themselves surrounded by savages, without means of escape. A most frightful massacre began, and every man would have fallen had not Tecumseh sternly forbidden the cowardly carnage. One of his principal chiefs ignored this order, and the next instant the great warrior buried his hatchet in his head. The brave Col. Dudley was, however, tomahawked and scalped. There were no immediate signs that the fort would be surrendered, and the siege was raised on the 9th of May. It was renewed on the 20th of July, and abandoned a few days later. The enemy decided this stronghold was invulnerable. 110 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. On the 1st of August, the enemy proceeded to Fort Stevenson, at Lower Sandusky, garrisoned by 150 men under Maj. Croghan. The fort had the use of but one piece of cannon. The enemy with Tecumseh's Indians num- bered 3,300 strong, with six pieces of cannon. Gen. Proctor again tendered the offer to surrender, adding that a refusal would only bring about a useless resistance, and a massacre by the Indians. The reply was, that before the fort went over to the British, not an American would be left to be massacred, as they should hold out to the last man. Proc- tor opened fire. The first movement was an assault upon the northwest angle of the fort, as if to make a breach and thus carry the works. The command- ant strengthened that point by bags of sand, and during the night stealthily placing his one cannon in a concealed position, he filled it with slugs. The following day, the fire again swept the northwest corner, and, evening approaching, a column of 350 men swept up within twenty yards of the walls. They were met by the musketry, which had little effect, and the ditch was soon filled with men. The next instant the hidden cannon, so placed as to sweep the ditch, suddenly began action, and the surprised assailants quickly recoiled, and the fort was saved, with the loss of only one man. The next morning, the enemy had disappeared, evidently in haste, as guns, clothing and stores were left behind. They had lost over one hundred and fifty men by this useless attempt. Croghan had previously received orders to evacuate the fort from Gen. Harrison, and his determination to hold the position merited Harrison's reprimand and remand of commission. Such was the sev- erity of military law. However, the rank of Colonel was immediately conferred upon him by the President, for his gallantry. The ladies of Chillicothe pre- sented him with an elegant testimonial in the shape of a sword. It was decided to make a naval warfare effectual in the recovery of the Northwestern Territory, and accordingly vessel-building began under Commo- dore Perry's supervision. The British looked upon this proceeding with derision, fully intending to use these boats for their own purpose. They publicly proclaimed their intention. By the 1st of August, 1813, Commodore Perry set sail a flotilla, the Law- rence and the Niagara, of twenty guns each, with smaller vessels following. Some difficulty was encountered in launching the larger vessels, on account of the shallowness of the water. Perry's first destination Avas Put-in-Bay, thirty miles from Maiden, where the British fleet lay under the guns of the fort. On the 10th of September, the British fleet — exceeding the American by ten guns — under Commodore Barclay, appeared off Put-in-Bay, distant about ten miles. Perry immediately set sail. The wind shifting, the Americans had the advantage. Perry hoisted his battle-flag and a general preparation was made for the conflict. An ominous silence settled over all as the fleets approached. A bugle sounded on the enemy's ship Detroit, and a furious fire was opened upon HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. Ill the Lawrence. The frightful and desperate battle that ensued is so familiar that it is not necessary for us to repeat its details. It forever remains in his- tory as a prominent, desperate struggle that turned the tide most decisively in favor of the Americans. Hand to hand, for three hours, this furious struggle surged, resulting in a pronounced victory for the Americans. Commodore Perry immediately requested parole for his severely wounded antagonist, Commodore Barclay. Capt. Elliott was at this engagement highly commended by Perry for his bravery. Gen. Harrison now made preparations to follow Proctor, and reached Mai- den on the 27th of September. Proctor had retreated to Sandwich, and thence Harrison followed him, overtaking the enemy on the 9th of October, on the bank of the Thames. An engagement ensued, which was not particularly marked in its events, but which practically terminated the war in the Northwest. Tecumseh fell during this battle, and his death disheartened the savages to such an extent that they were willing to make terms of peace. Accordingly a treaty was concluded on the 22d of July, 1814, with the Wyandots, Dela- wares, Shawnees, Senecas and Miamis, the tribes engaged in hostilities. Again Ohio was able to turn her attention to the improvements within her own boundaries. Weary and disabled though she was, her ambition and energy were unimpaired. The struggle had been severe, but a grand reward had been won, and peace and independence belonged to these sturdy, earnest, pioneers. In 1815, a town was founded near Fort Meigs, and, in 1816, Gen. John E. Hunt and Judge Robert A. Forsythe located at Maumee. BANKING. Up to the year 1817, Ohio had no banking system, and on the 28th of January of that year, the United States Bank opened a branch at Cincinnati, and yet another during the following October at Chillicothe. These branches found a large amount of business to transact, and while being of assistance in various ways to the State, also received a fine revenue themselves. The State therefore resolved upon a tax levy, and, in 1819, the branches were to pay $50,000 each, and the State Auditor was authorized to issue his warrant for the collection of the same. The bank branches demurred, but the State was decided, and the banks accordingly filed a bill in chancery, in the United States Circuit Court, setting forth reasons whereby their prayer that Ralph Osborn, State Auditor, should be restrained from making such collection, should be seriously considered. Osborn being counseled not to appear on the day designated in the writ, an injunction was obtained, with the security given in the shape of bonds from the bank, to the amount of $100,000. On the 14th of September, the bank sent a commissioner to Columbus, who served upon the Auditor a copy of tlie petition 112 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. for the injunction, and a subpoena to make an appearance before the court on the first Monday in the following January. Osborn submitted both the petition and the injunction to the Secretary of State, with his warrant for col- lecting the tax. Legally, the matter was somewhat complicated. The Auditor desired the Secretary of State to take legal advice, and if the papers did not actually amount to an injunction, to give orders for the execu- tion of the warrant. The decision Avas that the papers did not equal a valid injunction. The State writ for collection was therefore given over to John L. Harper, with directions to enter the banking-house and demand the payment of the tax. In case of a refiisal, the vaults Avas to be entered and a levy made upon the amount required. No violence was to be used, and if force was used to deter the act, the sAme was to be reported to a proper magistrate and an affidavit made to that fact. On September IT, Mr. Harper went about his errand, taking with him T. Orr and J. MacCollister. After securing access to the vault, a demand was made for the payment of the tax. This was promptly refused, and a notice given of the granting of the injunction. This was disregarded, and the officer seized ^98,000 in gold, silver and notes. This was placed in charge of the State Treasurer, Mr. H. M. Curry. The officers were arrested and imprisoned by the United States Circuit Court, and the money returned to the bank. The case was reviewed by the Supreme Court, and the measures of the Circuit Court were sustained. The State, therefore, submitted. In the mean time, the Legislature had prepared and passed a resolution, as follows : Resolved, by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That in respect to the powers of the Governments of the several States that compose the American Union, and the powers of the Fed- eral Government, this General Assembly do recognize and approve the doctrines asserted by the Legislatures of Kentucky and Virginia in their resolutions of November and December, 1798, and January, 1800, and do consider their principles have been recognized and adopted by a majority of the American people. Resolved further. That this General Assembly do assert and will maintain by all legal and constitutional means, the rights of States to tax the business and property of any private corpo- ration of trade, incorporated by the Congress of the United States, and located to transact its corporate business within any State. Resolved further. That the bank of the United States is a private corporation of trade, the capital and business of which may be legally taxed in any State where they may be found. Resolved further. That the General Assembly do protest against the doctrines that the politi- cal rights of the separate States that compose the American Union and their powers as sovereign States, may be settled and determined in the Supreme Court of the United States, so as to con- clude and bind them in cases contrived between individuals, and where they are, no one of them, parties direct. The bank was thus debarred from the aid of State laws in the collection of its dues and in the protection of its rights. An attempt was made to effect a change in the Federal constitution, which would take the case out of the United States Courts. This, however, proved ineffectual. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 113 The banking system in Ohio has, by reason of State surveillance, not been subjected to those whirlwind speculations and questionable failures which have marked many Western States, in the establishment of a firm basis upon which a banking law could be sustained, with mutual benefit to the institution and the people. THE CANAL SYSTEM. In the first part of 1817, the Legislature considered a resolution relating to a canal between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. No action was taken and the subject was not again agitated until 1819. Gov. Brown appointed three commissioners in 1820, for the purpose of employing an efiicient engineer and such assistants as he deemed necessary, for the purpose of surveying a practical route for this canal. The commissioners were restricted in their actions until Congress should accept a proposition in behalf of the State, for a donation and sale of the public lands lying upon and near the route of the proposed canal. A delay was thus occasioned for two years. In 1822, the matter was referred to a committee of the House of Repre- sentatives. This committee approved and recommended the employment of the engineer. They furthermore added illustrations to prove the feasibility of the project. James Geddes, a skillful engineer of New York, was in due time appointed to the position and instructed to make the necessary examinations and sur- veys. The surveys were made, and estimates given of the expenses, which docu- ments were laid before the Legislature at several sessions. In 1825, an act was passed providing for the internal improvement of the State by navigable canals. Directly thereafter, the State set vigorously about the work of constructing two canals, one leading from the Ohio to Lake Erie, by way of the valleys of the Scioto and Muskingum, the other from Cincinnati to Dayton. The first canal-boat from Cincinnati to Dayton, reached her destination in 1829, on the 25th of January. This outlet of communication was extended to Lake Erie, and was completed in 1845. The largest artificial lake now known is on the elevation between the Ohio and the lake, in Mercer County, and supplies the St. Mary's feeder of the Miami Canal, about three miles dis- tant, eastwardly. This reservoir is about nine miles long, and from two to four broad. Two walls of earth, from ten to twenty feet high, were formed, on the east and west, which united with the elevations north and south, surrounded this basin. When the water was admitted, whole farms were submerged, and the "neighbors" complained lest this overflow should tempt miasma. So great was the excitement, that over one hundred and fifty residents of the county united, and with shovels and spades, made a breach in the embankment. Many holding prominent positions in the county were engaged in this work, 114 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. and all laid themselves liable to the State laws, which made the despoiling of public works a penitentiary offense. The matter was taken up by the courts, but a grand jury could not be found in Mercer County to find a bill of indictment. The officers who had charge of the work, ignored the law requiring the cut- ing and saving of the timber on lands appropriated, for canal reservoirs. The trees were ruthlessly girdled, and thousands of acres of valuable timber that might have been highly desirable in the building of bridges, etc., were destroyed. However, an adjustment was finally effected, and the work was prosecuted with the entire approbation of the people, who were convinced that convenient transportation was to be desired. OHIO LAND TRACTS. After the Indians relinquished all claims against the lands of those States west of the Alleghanies, as they had been obtained by conquest, the United States, as a government, owned the soil. When Ohio was admitted into the Union, a stipulation was made that the fee simple to all the lands within its boundaries, with the exception of those previously sold or granted, should vest in the General Government. At the present writing, but few tracts remain that can be called " public lands." In this, as in other States, tracts are des- ignated by their pioneer signification or the purpose to which they were origi- nally devoted. In Ohio, these tracts are known as : 1. Congress Lands. 8. Symmes' Purchase. 15. Maumee Road. 2. United States Military. 9. Refugee Tract. 16. School Lands. 3 Virginia Military. 10. French Grant. 17. College Lands. 4. Western Reserve. 11. Dohrman's Gi'ant. 18. Ministerial Lands. 5. Fire Lands. 12. Zane's Grant. 19. Moravian Lands. 6. Ohio Company's Purchase. 13. Canal Lands. 20. Salt Sections. 7. Donation Tract. 14. Turnpike Lands. , The lands sold by the direct officers of the Government, under the direc- tion of Congress, according to the laws, are known as Congress lands. They are properly surveyed, and laid out in townships six miles square, under the direction of the Government, and the expense incurred settled by Congress. These townships are subdivided into sections, containing 640 acres. One sec- tion is reserved, in every township, for educational purposes, to be utilized in any manner approved by the State as being the best to aid the cause for which they are assigned. The Western Reserve will be remembered as the tract originally belonging to Connecticut. It lies in the northeast quarter of the State. A half-million acres were donated by the old Eastern State, when her claim was in force, to sufferers from fire during the Revolutionary war, which created the name, " fire lands." Many settled here whose homes were destroyed by the British during the war. It will be remembered, that on account of discoveries by subjects of empires, in the New World, the " Old World " kings laid claim to different portions ^^^^^/-'^:^^T/^^ HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 117 of the young continent. At that period, European knowledge of American geographical positions and limits was exceedingly meager, which occasioned several wars and more discussions. These Old- World sovereigns also assumed the authority to sell or present tracts of land to their subjects, in those terri- tories they deemed their own. King Charles II of England granted to his loyal subjects the colony of Connecticut, in 1662, placing with them a charter of right to all lands within certain prescribed boundaries. But these " boundaries " frequently conflicted with those of others, and sometimes extended to the Pacific Ocean, or " South Sea," as it was then termed. Connecticut, by her original charter rights, held all lands between the forty-first and forty-second parallels of north latitude, and from Providence Plantation on the east, to Pacific Ocean on the west, except- ing the New York and Pennsylvania colonies. As late as the establishment of the Edited States as an independent government, those colliding claims fre- quently engendered confusion and warm discussion between the nation and Connecticut, regarding the original colony claim. This was compromised by the national claims being relinquished in regard to the territorial claim in Ohio, and Connecticut holding the 3,800,000 acres described as the " Western Reser- vation." The Government held the right of jurisdiction. In 1796, Congress set aside a certain division of land, to satisfy the claims of officers and soldiers of the Revolutionary war. It includes the 2,500,000 acres between the Greenville treaty line and the Congress and refugee lands, and " VII ranges of townships," on the east, and the Scioto River, west. This constitutes the '' Military Tract. " The " Virginia Military Tract " lies between the Scioto and Little Miami Rivers, and extends south to the Ohio. James I, in his authorized charter to the Virginia colony, in the year 1609, made rather visionary boundary lines, sweeping over the continent, west of the Ohio River, " of the north and south breadth of Virginia." Virginia reconciled the matter by relinquishing all her claims northwest of the Ohio River, with the exception of a tract for the purpose of donating the same to her troops of the Revolution — their claims demanding such a return in some section. Unfortunately, this tract was not regularly surveyed, and conflicting " lines " have given rise to litigation ever since that stipulation was made. The Ohio Company's Purchase has already been described — as has the Symmes Purchase. The Refugee Tract covers an area of 100,000 acres, extending eastwardly from the Scioto River forty-eight miles, in a strip of country four and one-half miles broad, north to south. Columbus, the capital of the State, is situated in the western portion. This land was donated by Congress to those individuals who left the British dominions and rule, during the Revolution, and espoused the American cause. The French Tract borders on the Ohio River, in the southeastern quarter of Scioto County. It includes 24,000 acres, and was ceded to those French 118 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. families that lost their claims at Gallipolis, through invalid titles ; 1,200 acres were added, after the above grant of 1795. Dohrman's Grant includes a section, six miles square, in the southeastern portion of Tuscarawas County. It was granted to Arnold Henry Dohrman, a Portuguese merchant, as a token of appreciation of the aid and shelter he ren- dered American cruisers and vessels of war, during the Revolution. The Moravian Lands were originally grants by the old Continental Con- gress, in 1787, and confirmed by the act of the Government Congress, in 1796, to the Moravian Brethren, of Bethlehem, Penn., in sacred trust, and for the use of those Indians who embraced Christianity and civilization, desiring to live and settle thereon. These three tracts include 4,000 acres each, and are situ- ated in Tuscarawas County. In 1823, the Indians relinquished their rights to the 12,000 acres in this county, for 24,000 acres, in a territory designated by^ the United States, together with an annuity of $400. Zane's Tracts included a portion of land on the Muskingum, whereon Zanes- ville was built ; another at the crossing of the Hocking, on which Lancaster i» located ; and yet another on the left bank of the Scioto River, opposite Chilli- cothe. These grants were made to Ebenezer Zane, by Congress, in 1796, as a reward for opening a road from Wheeling, Va., to Maysville, Ky. In 1802, Mr. Zane received three additional tracts, one square mile each, in considera- tion of being captured and held a prisoner, during the Revolutionary war, when a boy, by the Indians. He lived with these people most of his life, secur- ing many benefits for the Americans. These tracts are located in Champaign County. The Maumee Road Lands extend the length of the road, from the Maumee River, at Perrysburg, to the western limits of the Western Reserve, a distance of forty-six miles — in a strip two miles wide. This includes about 60,000 acres. These lands were ceded by the Indians, at the treaty of Brownstown, in 1808. The original intention of Congress was to mark a highway through this strip, but no definite action was taken until 1823, whe j the land was ceded to the State of Ohio, under an obligation that the State make and sustain the pro- jected road, within four years after the transfer. The Turnpike Lands extended over 31,360 acres along the western side of the Columbus & Sandusky Turnpike, in the eastern parts of Seneca, Craw- ford and Marion Counties. They were designed for the transportation of mail stages, troops and other United States property, free from toll. The grant was made in 1827. " The Ohio Canal Lands " comprise about 1,000,000 acres, set aside for the purpose of canal construction. When Ohio was admitted to the Union, a guarantee was given that the State should not tax Government lands until they should have been sold for five years. That the thirty-sixth part of all territory within the State limits should be de- voted to educational purposes, for the general benefit of the population. In. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 119^ order to secure tracts which would prove available, and thus insure returns, they were selected in small lots. No. 16 was designated as the sectional portion, in each township of Congress lands, the Ohio Company's and Symmes Pur- chases, the United States Military Lands, the Connecticut Reserve, and a num- ber of quarter townships. These school lands were selected by the Secretary of the Treasury. The college townships are thirty-six miles square. A section, thirty-six miles square, in the center of Jackson County, in the vicinity and containing the Scioto Salt Licks, was also reserved by Congress, together with a quarter- mile township in Delaware County. This swept over 27,040 acres. In 1824, Congress authorized the State to sell these lands. The proceeds were to be devoted to literary requirements, such as might be specified by Congress. IMPROVEMENTS. We have heretofore briefly alluded to the canal system of Ohio, which in the beginning caused considerable anxiety to settlers directly in the course of its survey. The Legislature passed the " Internal Improvement by Navigable Canals " act, in 1825, and the work was immediately inaugurated and hastened. The " Ohio Canal " extends from the lake to the Ohio, and the " Miami " con- nects Cincinnati with Dayton. The latter was completed to Toledo in 1844, a length of 493 miles. Its total cost, including reservoir cutting and feeders, was $7,500,000. The Ohio Canal was finished in 1833. During the construction of these canals, the curiosities which have attracted antiquarians and scientists, in the State of Ohio, were found in various places. Relics were discovered that must have belonged to a giant race. Nearly 3,000 graves were found, of the " mound type." A third canal was begun in 1836, reaching from Walhonding, in Coshocton County, to Roscoe, its length being twenty-five miles, involving an expense of $610,000. This was completed in 1842. The Hocking Canal, between Car- roll, in Fairfield County, and Athens, in Athens County, a distance of fifty- six miles, was also cut, about the same time, at a cost of nearly $1,000,000. The Muskingum improvements were also being carried forward. Locks and dams were requisite for the perfection of navigation in this water-course, from Dresden to Marietta, a distance of ninety-one miles. This added an expense of $1,630,000 to the call for improvement appropriations. To the Miami Canal was added a feeder, known as the Warren County Canal — extending from Franklin to Lebanon, which was not completed, although over $250,000 were expended in its construction as far as it went. Railway transportation was a subject which engrossed the attention of those in- terested in State perpetuity and general prosperity. About the year 1831, the Leg- islature received applications for railway charters. The first one granted was the '' Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad," on June 5, 1832. The " Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Railroad " obtained a charter in 1836, March 11, followed. 120 iiiSToiiv OF thl: state of ohio. three days thereafter, by the " Cleveland, Columbus k Cincinnati Railroad." The " Little Miami " was begun in 1837. Notwithstanding these chartered rights, but 129 miles were completed in 1847, and in operation. In 1878, the mileage had increased to 6,264. The valuation of the operating roads was estimated the same year, at $76,113,500. Their taxation summed up $1,128,116. No State in the Union has been more zealous in her educational interests than Ohio. Public lands were generously granted by Congress, and the State added her affirmation. However, no practical and eifectual system Avas adopted until 1825. An act was then passed to tax all real property one-half mill per dollar for the establishment of schools in each township, and the support of the same. An act of 1829, increased the tax to three-fourths of a mill. Trustees of townships were instructed to make divisions and locate convenient school dis- tricts. Householders were to elect three school directors, a clerk and treasurer annually. Privileges and restrictions were enjoined in all cases. The house- holders were allowed their discretion, governed accordingly, in imposing taxes for the erection of school buildings. The Courts of the Common Pleas appointed a committee to examine the qualifications of those individuals mak- ing application for the position of teachers. The school extended equal privi- leges to all white children. Those of colored parentage were excluded, and no tax was levied for school purposes upon colored parents. An amendment has admitted the children of colored parents. The system has continued the same, with a few amendments. A State Commissioner of Common Schools is elected every third year, who has general charge of the interests of public schools. A State Board of Examiners, composed of three persons, appointed by the State Commissioner, for two years' term, is authorized to issue life certificates of high qualifications, to such teachers as it may find to possess the requisite scholarship, character, experience and ability. These certificates, signed by the Commis- sioner, are valid throughout the State. A County Board of Examiners, of three members, is formed in each county. Boards of education, for cities, are made up of one or two members from each ward. City Boards of Examiners are also appointed. Section 4 of the law of 1873, was amended in 1877, which made the territory annexed to an incorporated village, at the option of the voters of the village and tributary section, whether it be included with the vil- lage as one school district, or left as two school districts. Section 56 of the law was amended, in its bearing upon cities of 30,000 to 75,000 inhabitants, by limiting to five mills on the dollar of taxable property, the levies in such cities for con- tinuing schools, for purchasing sites for schoolhouses, for leasing, purchasing, erecting and furnishing school houses, and for all school expenses. The public funds are subject to the discretion of voters, and boards are authorized, under instructions, to make the best use of such funds. Taxation is subject to the discretion of the State, certain limits being prescribed. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 121 In 1878, the number of youth of the school age numbered 1,041,963. On the rolls, 740,194 names were recorded. In the year 1878, 23,391 teach- ers were employed, receiving $4,956,514.46 for their services. Ohio not only sustains her public schools on a broad, liberal basis, but she encourages educational pursuits in superior universities and colleges throughout the State. These institutions are not aided by State funds, but are sustained by society influence, added to their self-supporting resources. Ohio alsc a large number of normal schools, academies, seminaries and busiiless colleges. These are not entitled to the privileges of the school fund. ScieKtific^ profes- sional, theological, legal and medical instructions are in no in3»jj:^ limited in their facilities. Industrial and reformatory school§.-«rg^espmally thorough. Institutions for the instruction of the deaf ahdclumb, arva blind, and feeble- minded, are under the best discipline. We may add, many female seminaries have been estal5lished which are entirely sustained by other than State aid. Ohio has, from its inception, been solid and vigorous in whatever tended toward improvement and enlightenment. We have also referred to the banking system of this State, as being first established on a basis through a contest between the State and the General Government. Authorities differ regarding the exact date and location of the very first house established in the State for the purpose of transacting banking business. It is highly probable that Marietta is more directly associated with that event than any other town. There are at present over one hundred and sixty-seven national banks, with an aggregate capital of $27,794,468. It also has eighteen banks of deposit, incorporated under the State banking laws of 1845, representing an aggregate capital of $539,904. Twenty-three savings banks, incorporated under the State act of 1875, with an aggregate capital of $1,277,500. Of private banks it has 192, with an aggregate capital of $5,663,898. The State represents in her banking capital over $36,275,770. The First National of Cincinnati has a capital stock of over $1,000,000. The others fall below that sum, their capital diminishing from 10,000 shares of $100 each. The valuation for taxation is $850,000 — Merchant's National of Cincinnati — to the valuation of a tax of $5,000 on the First National of Beverly. BOUNDARY LINES. We must not omit the subject of the State boundaries. Ohio was especially the field for most animated discussions, relative not only to State limits but county lines and township rights. In 1817, a severe controversy arose, which was settled only after violent demonstrations and Government interference. In primitive times, the geographical position, extent and surface diversities were but meagerly comprehended. In truth, it may be asserted they could not ' have been more at variance with actual facts had they been laid out " hap- hazard." The ordinance of 1787 represented Lake Michigan far north of its real position, and even as late as 1812, its size and location had not been 122 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. definitely ascertained. During that year, Amos Spafford addressed a clear, com- {)rehensive letter to the Governor of Ohio, on this subject, relative to the boundary lines of Ohio. Several lines of survey were laid out as the first course, but either Michigan or Ohio expressed disapproval in every case. This culminated in 1835, when the party beginning a '"pern^anent" survey began at the northwest corner of the State, and was attacked by a force of Michigan settlers who sent them away badly routed and beaten. No effort was made to return to the work until the State and various parties had weighed the subject, and finally the interposition of the Government became necessary. A settlement resulted in Ohio being bounded on the north by Lake Erie and the State of Michigan, on the east by Pennsylvania and West Virginia, on the south by the Ohio River, and on the west by Indiana. It is situated between the 38° 25' and 42° north latitude, and 84° 50' west longitude from Greenwich, or 3° 30' and 7° 50' west from Washington. From north to south, it extends over 210 miles, and from east to west 220 miles — comprising 89,964 square miles. The State is generally higher than the Ohio River. In tlie southern counties, the surface is greatly diversified by the inequalities produced by the excavating power of the Ohio River and its tributaries. The greater portion of the State was originally covered with timber, although in the central and northwestern sections some prairies were found. The crest or watershed between the waters of Lake Erie and those of the Ohio is less elevated than in New York or Pennsylvania. Sailing upon the Ohio the country appears to be mountainous, bluffs rising to the height of two hundred and fifty to six hundred feet above the valleys. Ascending the tributaries of the Ohio, these precipitous hills gradually lessen until they are resolved into gentle undulations, and toward the sources of the river the land is low and marshy. Although Ohio has no inland lakes of importance, she possesses a favorable river system, which, aided by her canals, gives her prestige of a convenient water transportation. The lake on her northern boundary, and the Ohio River on her southern limit, afford most convenient outlets by water to impor- tant points. Her means of communication and transportation are superior in every respect, and are constantly being increased. ORGANIZATION OF COUNTIES AND EARLY EVENTS. Adams County was named in honor of John Adams, second President of the United States. Gov. St. Clair proclaimed it a county on July 10, 1797. The Virginia Military Tract included this section, and the first settlement made withinits boundaries was in this county in 1790-91, between the Scioto and Little Miami, at Manchester, by Gen. Nathaniel Massie. In this town was held the first court of the county. West Union, the present county seat, was laid out by the Hon. Thomas Kirker. It occupies the summit of a high ridge. The surface of this county is HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 123 ihilly and broken, and the eastern part is not fertile. It produces corn, wheat, oats and pork. Beds of iron are found in the eastern part. Its hills are composed of aluminous shale. The barren hills afford a range for- cattle and hogs. A sort of vagrant class derive a support by collecting stones, hoop-poles and tanners' barks from these hills. Ashland County is one of the finest agricultural sections. It was formed February 26, 1846. Wheat comprises its principal crop, although large quan- tities of oats, corn, potatoes, grass and fruit are raised. Ashland is its county .seat, and was laid out by William Montgomery in 1816. It was called Union- town for several years. Daniel Carter raised the first cabin within the county limits in 1811. Auglaize County was formed in February, 1848, from Allen and Mercer Counties. Wapakoneta is its county seat. Allen County was formed from the Indian Territory April 1, 1820. Lima is its county seat. Ashtabula County was formed June 7, 1807, and was organized January 22, 1811. The surface is level near the lake, while the remainder is undulat- ing. The soil is mostly clay. Very little wheat is raised, but considerable- corn and oats. Butter and cheese are the main marketable productions. This was the first county settled on the Western Reserve, and also the earliest in Northern Ohio. On the 4th of July, 1796, the first surveying party arrived at the mouth of Conneaut Creek. Judge James Kingsbury was the first who wintered there with his family. He was the first man to use a sickle in the first wheat-field in the Western Reserve. Their child was the first born on the Western Reserve, and was starved to death. The first regular settlement was at Harpersfield, in 1798. Jefferson is the county seat. Ashtabula is pleasantly situated on the river, with a fine harbor two and a half miles from the village. The first church on the Western Reserve was founded at Austinburg in 1801. Athens County was formed from Washington March 1, 1805. It producer wheat, corn, oats and tobacco. The surface is hilly and broken, with rich bot- tom lands between. Coal, iron ore and salt add materially to its commercial value. It has the advantage of the canal, as well as other transportation. Athens, its county seat, is situated on the Hocking River. The Ohio Uni- versity, the first college founded in the State, is located here. We have mentioned the ancient mounds found in this county, heretofore. Yellow pine is abundant in the lower part of the Hocking Valley. Brown County was formed March 1, 1818, from Adams and Clermont. It produces wheat, corn, rye, oats and pork. The southern part is prolific in grain, while the northern is adapted to grazing purposes. The surface is undu- lating, with the exception of the Ohio River hills. Over this county Tecumseh ^nce held sway 124 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. Georgetown is the county seat, and was laid out in 1819. Ripley is the larg- est business town in the county. Belmont County was announced by Gov. St. Clair September 7, 1801. It produces large crops of wheat, oats, corn and tobacco, an annual crop of over 2,000,000 pounds of the latter being the average. It also trades largely in wool and coal. It is a picturesque tract of country, and was one of the pioneers in the early settled portions. In 1790, Fort Dillie was erected on the west side of the Ohio. Baker's Fort was a mile below the mouth of the Captina. Many desperate Indian bat- tles were fought within the limits of this county, and the famous Indian scout, Lewis Wetzel, roamed over the region. St. Clairsville is the county seat, situated on the elevation of land, in a fer- tile district. Capt. Kirkwood and Elizabeth Zane, of historic fame, were early pioneers here. Butler County was formed in 1803, from Hamilton. It is within the blue limestone formation, and one of the most fertile sections of Ohio. It produces more corn than any other, county in the State, besides fine crops of whesit, oats and large quantities of pork. Hamilton, the county seat, is situated on the Great Miami. Its hydraulic works furnish superior water-power. Rossville, on the opposite side of the Miami, is a large mercantile town. St. Clair passed through this county on his Indian campaigns in 1791, building Fort Hamilton on the Miami. Champaign County was formed March 1, 1805, from Greene and Franklin. It is drained by Mad River and its tributaries, which furnishes extensive mill privileges. Nearly a half is undulating, a quarter rolling, a fifth hilly, and 6 per cent wet prairie. The soil is fertile, and produces wheat, corn, oats, barley, hay, while beef and wool add to the general wealth. Urbana, the- county seat, was laid out in 1805, by Col. William Ward. He was chief owner of the land and donated many lots to the county, under condition that their proceeds be devoted to public improvements. Joseph Vance and George Fithian were the first settlers. The Methodists built the first church in 1807. The main army of Hull concentrated at this point before setting out for Detroit. Many Indian councils were called here, and Tecumseh was located for a time near Deer Creek. Carroll County was formed from Columbiana in 1832-33. It produces wheat, oats and corn, and valuable coal and iron. The surface is hilly. Car- rollton is its county seat. At Harlem is a celebrated chalybeate spring. Clark County Avas formed March 1, 1817, from Champaign, Madison and Greene. Its second settlement was at Kreb's Station, in 1796. It is highly culti- vated, well watered and very fertile. The Mad River, Buck and Beaver Creeks furnish abundant water-power. It produces principally wheat, corn and oats. Tecumseh, the old Indian warrior, was born at the ancient Indian vil- lage of Piqua, on the Mad River, on the site of New Boston. Piqua was HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 125 destroyed by Gen. George Rogers Clarke. Skeletons, beads, gun barrels, tomahawks, kettles, etc., have been found in the vicinity. Springfield, the county seat, is situated on the National road. It has con- venient transportation facilities, is handsomely laid out, and is noted for its cultured citizens. It is near Mad River, and Buck Creek runs through it. Clinton County was formed in 1810. It produces chiefly wheat, oats, wool and pork. Its surface is undulating, in some parts hilly, and the soil fer- tile. Its streams furnish desirable water-power. The county was settled in 1798-99. Wilmington is the county seat, and was laid out in 1810. The first log house was built by William Hobsin. Clermont County was the eighth formed in the Northwest Territory, by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, December 9, 1800. The soil is exceedingly rich, and the surface is broken and, near the Ohio, hilly. Wheat, corn, oats, hay, potatoes, tobacco, barley, buckwheat and rye form the main crops, while beef, pork, flour, hay and whisky constitute its main exports. Its streams furnish good water-power. Batavia, its county seat, is situated on the Little Miami River, and was laid out in 1820, by George Ely, Columbiana County was formed March 25, 1803, from Jefferson and Wash- ington. Its soil is very fertile, producing wheat, corn, oats and potatoes. It is wealthy in mineral deposits, coal, iron ore, lime and freestone being abun- dant. Its water-lime stone is of superior quality. Salt water is found on Yel- low and Beaver Creeks. This is also the great wool-producing county of the State. It was settled in 1797. New Lisbon, its county seat, is well built. The first paper-mill in Ohio was erected in this county, on Little Beaver Creek, by John Coulter and John Bever. Coshocton County Avas organized April 1, 1811. Its principal products are wheat, corn, oats and wool. Hills and valleys alternate along the Muskingum River. Abrupt changes are strongly marked — a rich alluvum being overhung by a red-bush hill, while directly beside it may be seen the poplar and sugar tree. Coal and iron ore add to its general importance, while salt wells have proven remunerative. Coshocton, the county seat, is built on four wide, natural terraces, at the junction of the Tuscarawas with the Walhonding. Cuyahoga County was formed June 7, 1807, from Geauga. Near the lake, the soil is sandy, while a clayey loam may be found elsewhere. The valleys near the streams produce wheat, barley and hay. Fruit is successfully grown, and cheese, butter, beef and wool are largely exported. Bog iron is found in the western part, and fine grindstone quarries are in operation. The sandstone from these quarries is now an important article of commerce. As early as 1775, there was a French settlement within the boundaries of Cuyahoga. In 1786, a Moravian missionary came to the present site of Cleveland, and set- tled in an abandoned village of the Ottawas. Circumstances prevented a 126 * lUSTOKV OF THE STATE OF OHIO. permanent settlement, and the British tacitly took possession, even remaining upon the lake shores after the Revolution. The first permanent settlement was made at Cleveland in 1796. Mr. Job V. Stiles and family and Edward Paine passed the first winter there, their log cabin standing where the Commercial Bank is now located. Rodolphus Edwards and Nathaniel Doane settled here. The town was, in 1813, a depot of supplies and a rendezvous for troops engaged in the war. Cleveland, the county seat, is situated at the northern termination of the Ohio Canal, on the lake shore. In 1814, it was incorporated as a village, and in 1836, as n city. Its elevation is about a hundred feet above the lake. It is a lovely city, and has one of the best harbors on Lake Erie. Ohio City is another important town, nearly opposite Cleveland, on the Cuyahoga. It was incorporated in 1836. Crawford County was formed April 1, 1820, from the old Indian territory. " The entire county is adapted to grazing. The soil is generally composed of rich vegetable loam, and in some parts the subsoil is clay mixed with lime. Rich beds of shell marl have been discovered. It produces wheat, corn, oats, clover, timothy seed, wool and cattle. Fine limestone quarries are worked with success. Bucyrus is the county seat, and was laid out February 11, 1822, by Samuel Norton and James Kilbourn, original owners of the land. The first settler in the town proper was Samuel Norton. A gas well has been dug in Bucyrus, on the land of R. W. Musgrove, which burns in a brilliant light when con- ducted to the surface by means of pipes. Crawford's Sulphur Springs are located nine miles from Bucyrus. The water is impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen. It deposits a reddish-purple sediment. In its nature the water is a cathartic, and is diuretic and diaphoretic in its efiects. A few rods away is a burning spring. The Annapolis Sulphur Spring is clear and has gained consid- erable fame by its curative qualities. Opposite Bucyrus is a chalybeate spring of tonic qualities. There are some beds of peat in the county, the most extensive one being a wet prairie called Cranberry Marsh, containing nearly 2,000 acres. Darke County was organized in March, 1817, from Miami County. It is abundantly timbered with poplar, walnut, blue ash, hickory, beech and sugar maple. It yields superior wheat, and is well adapted to grazing. In this county occurred the lamentable defeat of St. Clair, and the treaty of Greenville. Greenville is the county seat, and was laid out August 10, 1808, by Robert Gray and John Dover. In December, 1793, Wayne built Fort Greenville on this spot, which covered about the same extent as the present town. Delaware County was formed February 10, 1808, from Franklin. It pro- duces mainly wheat, corn, oats, pork and wool. ♦ Delaware is the county seat, and was laid out in the spring of 1808, by Moses Byxbe. The Delaware Spring in the village is of the white sulphur or HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 127 cold hydro-sulphurous nature, valuable for medicinal qualities in cases of bilious derangements, dyspepsia, scrofulous aftections, etc. Defiance County was inaugurated March 4, 1845, from Williams, Henry and Paulding. The Maumee, Tifiin and Auglaize flow through it. The Black Swamp covers much of its area. Defiance, the county seat, is situated on the Maumee. It was laid out in 1822, by B. Level and H. Phillips. A large Indian settlement occupied its gite in very early times. Wayne arrived here August 8, 1794, captured the place, finding about one thousand acres of corn, peach and apple orchards, and vegetables of all varieties. Here he built Fort Defiance. Erie County was formed in 1838, from Huron and Sandusky. The soil is alluvial, and yields large crops of wheat, corn, oats and potatoes. It possesses inexhaustable quarries of limestone and freestone. Immense quantities of bog iron are also found. The Erie tribe is said to have once occupied the land, and were extirpated by the Iroquois. As early as 1754, the French had built set- tlements. In 1764, the county was besieged. Pontiac came here with warlike demonstrations, but made peace with the whites. Erie was included in the "■fire lands"' of the Western Reserve. Sandusky City is the county seat, and was laid out in 1817, then termed Portland. At that time it contained two log huts. The town is finely situated, and is based upon an inexhaustible quarry of the finest limestone. In the "patriot war" with the Canadians, this city was the rendezvous for the "patriots." Franklin County was formed April 30, 1803, from Ross. It contains much low wet land, and is better adapted to grazing than agricultural purposes. It was in early times occupied by the Wyandot Indians. Its first white set- tlement was made in 1797, by Robert Armstrong and others. Franklinton was laid out in 1797, by Lucas Sullivan. Worthington was settled by the Scioto Company in 1801. Col. Kilbourn, who was interested in the work, constructed the first map of Ohio during his explorations, by uniting sectional Columbus, the capital of the State of Ohio, is also the county seat of Franklin County. After the organization of a State government, the capital was "portable" until 1816, In 1810, the sessions were held at Chillicothe, in 1811 and 1812 at Zanesville, removing again to Chillicothe, and, in 1816, being located at Columbus. The town was laid out during the spring of 1812. A penitentiary was erected in 1813, and the State House was built in 1814. It was incorporated as "the borough of Columbus," February 10, 1816. The city charter was granted March 3, 1834. It is beautifully located on the east bank of the Scioto, The Columbus Institute is a classical institution. A female and a theological seminary also add to its educational advantages. The Ohio Lunatic Asylum is also located here — also the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. East of the 128 lliyTORV OF THE STATE OF OHIO. State House is the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb. Fairfield County was formed by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, December 9, 1800. The soil is varied, being in some parts exceedingly rich, and in others very sterile. It produces principally wheat, corn, rye, oats, buckwheat, barley, potatoes and tobacco. Lancaster is the county seat, laid out by Ebenezer Zane in 1800, In 1797, he opened the road known as "Zane's Trace," from Wheeling to Limestone — now Maysville. It passed through Lancaster, at a fording about three hundred yards below the present turnpike bridge. Near the turn stands an imposing eminance called " Standing Stone. ' ' Parties of pleasure frequently visit this spot. Fayette County was formed from Ross and Highland in 1810. Wheat, corn, cattle, hogs, sheep and wool comprise its main productions. " The bar- rens" are situated in the northeastern part. This tract is covered by a growth of grass. Washington is its county seat, laid out in 1810. Col. Stewart was active in the interests of this section, and his memory is sacredly revered. Jesse Milliken was prominent in public affairs. Fulton County, bordering on Michigan, was organized in 1850, It is drained by Bean Creek and other small affluents of the Maumee River. The surface is nearly level, and a large part of it is covered with forests of ash, beech, elm, hickory, white oak, black walnut, etc., furnishing excellent timber. The soil is fertile. Wheat, corn, oats and hay are the staple products. Wau- seon is the county seat. Guernsey County was organized in March, 1810. Wool is a staple prod- uct, together with beef, horses and swine. It produces wheat, corn and oats. Cambridge is the county seat and was laid out in June, 1806. Mr. Graham was the first settler on the site of the town, and his Avas the only dwelling between Lancaster and Wheeling. The first cannel coal found in the county was discovered near Mill's Creek. Greene County was formed May 1, 1803, from Hamilton and Ross. It produces wheat, corn, rye, grass-seed, oats, barley, sheep and swine. The streams furnish good water-power. There are five limestone quarries, and a marble quarry of variegated colors. The Shawnee town was on the Little Miami, and was visited by Capt. Thomas Bullit in 1773. When Daniel Boone was captured in 1778, he was brought to this town, and escaped the following year. Gen. Clarke invaded this county and the Indians reduced the town to ashes. Xenia, the county seat, was laid off in the forest in 1803, by Joseph C. Vance. The first cabin was erected in April, 1804, by John Marshall. The Rev. James Fowler built the first hewed-log cabin. David A. Sanders built the first frame house. Nine miles north of the town, on the Little Miami River, are the Yellow Springs, which are impregnated with sulphur. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 129 Geauga County was formed in 1805 from Trumbull. It exports sheep, cattle, butter and cheese. It is situated at the head of Chargrine, Cuyahoga and a part of Grand Rivers, on high ground, and is subjected to snowstorms more frequently than any other part of the Reserve. Its first settlement was made in 1798, at Burton. Chardon is fourteen miles from Lake Erie, and is 600 feet above it. It was laid out as the county seat in 1808. Gallia County was fonued April 30, 1803, from Washington. Its princi- pal crops are wheat, corn, oats and beans. The surface is generally broken. Its first settlement was made in 1791, by a French colony, at Gallipolis. This colony was sent out under the auspices of the Scioto Company. This town is noAV the county seat. Hamilton County was the second established in the Northwestern Territory by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, January 2, 1790. Its surface is gen- erally rolling. It produces the ordinary farm products, and a great variety of fruits and vegetables for the Cincinnati market. Vineyards thrive well within its limits, and the manufacture of wine is carried on to a considerable extent. This county was the second settled in Ohio, and the first within the Symmes purchase. Settlers arrived at the spot now occupied by Cincinnati, and three or four log cabins were erected. Gen. Arthur St. Clair arrived here in Janu- ary, 1790. The army of Wayne encamped here later, at Fort Washington. Mr. Maxwell established in 1793 the Sentinel of the Northwestern Territory, the first newspaper printed north of the Ohio River. In 1796, Edward Free- man became its proprietor, and changed the name to Freeman s Journal. January 11, 1794, two keel-boats sailed from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, making regular trips every four weeks. In 1801, the first sea vessel built at Mari- etta came down the Ohio. Cincinnati, the county seat, was incorporated January 2, 1802. It was char- tered as a city in 1819. The city is beautifully laid out and delightfully situ- ated. Its public buildings are elegant and substantial, including the court house and many literary and charitable institutions. The Cincinnati College was founded in 1819. It stands in the center of the city. It is built in Grecian-Doric style, with pilaster fronts and facade of Dayton marble. Woodward College is also popular. The Catholics have founded the St. Xavier's College. Lane Seminary, a theological institution, is at Walnut Hills, two miles from the center of the city. It has over 10,000 volumes in its libraries. No charge is made for tuition. Rooms are provided and furnished at $5 per year, and board ranges from 62|- cents to 90 cents a week. The Cincinnati Law School is connected with Cin- cinnati College. The Mechanics' Institute was chartered in 1828, and is in all respects well supplied with apparatus. A college for teachers was established in 1831, its object being to perfect those contemplating entering that profession in their studies and system. 130 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. The Cincinnati Orphan Asylum is an elegant building, and has a library and well-organized school attached. The Catholics of the city have one male and female orphan asylum. The Commercial Hospital and Lunatic Asylum of Ohio was incorporated in 1821. Cincinnati is a large manufacturing city, and possesses fine water-power facilities. It communicates with the world by means of its canal, river, turnpikes, and railways. North Bend is another prominent town in this county, having been the residence of Gen. William H. Harrison, and the site of his burial place. The town was of considerable importance in the early settlement of the State. About thirty yards from Harrison's tomb is the grave of Judge SymmeS. Hancock County was formed April 1, 1820. It produces wheat, oats, corn, pork and maple sugar. The surface is level and its soil is fertile. Blanchard's Fork waters the central and southern part of the county. Findlay, the county seat, was laid out by ex-Gov. Joseph Vance and Elnathan Corry, in 1821. It was relaid in 1829. Wilson Vance settled there in the fall of 1821. Located in Findlay are the greatest gas wells of Ohio, the city being lighted and heated by natural gas, which has been known for over 40 years to exist at Findlay. Hardin County was formed April 1, 1820, from the old Indian Territory. It produces, principally, wheat, corn and swine. A portion of the surface is level, and the remainder undulating. Fort McArthur was built on the Scioto River, but proved a weak stockade. Kenton is the county seat,, situated on the Scioto River. Harrison County was formed from Jefierson and Tuscarawas January 1» 1814. The surface is hilly, abounding in coal and limestone. Its soil is clayey. It is one of the important wool-growing counties in Ohio. It produces large quantities of wheat, corn, oats and hay, besides a considerable number of horses, cattle and swine. In April, 1799, Alexander Henderson and family settled in this county, and at the same .time, Daniel Peterson and his family resided at the forks of Short Creek. The early settlers were much annoyed by Indians and wild beasts. Cadiz is the county seat, and was laid out in 1803 and 1804, by Messrs. Briggs and Beatty. Henry County was formed from the old Indian Territory, April 1, 1820. Indian corn, oats, potatoes, and maple sugar constitute the main products. The county is well supplied with running streams, and the soil is unusually rich. The greater portion of this county is covered by the "Black Swamp." Throughout this swamp are ridges of limestone, covered with black walnut, re type-setter. He was also admired for his athletic feats in field amusements. He completed his studies and began reading law, which pursuit was interrupted by an opportunity to edit a paper in Petersburg, Va. He returned to Marietta in 1831, and became editor and proprietor of a leading Democratic newspaper — the Washington County Republican. He achieved distinction rapidly, and in 1833, sold his interest, for the purpose of entering a more extended field of journalism. He purchased the Ohio Eagle, at Lancaster, and as its editor,, held a deep influence over local and State politics. He occupied the position of Clerk of the Ohio Senate, between the years 1835 and 1838, and relinquished his paper. He then represented the counties of Fairfield and Hocking in the Leg- islature. He was then appointed Auditor of State by the General Assembly, in which position he served six years. He then purchased the Phcenix news- paper in Cincinnati, changed its name to the Enquirer, placing it in the care of his brother, Charles, while he opened a law office in the city. His editorials in the Enquirer, and his activity in political affairs, were brilliant and strong- He retired from politics in 1848, sold a half-interest in the Enquirer and carried on a prosperous business, but was brought forward again by leaders of both 156 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. political parties in 1863, through the Yallandigham contest, and was elected Governor the same year, by a majority of 101,099 votes in a total of 471,643. He was three times married. His death occurred in 1865 — Charles Anderson serving out his term. Jacob Dolson Cox, the twenty-sixth Governor, was born in 1828, in Mon- treal, Canada, where his parents were temporarily. He became a student of Oberlin College, Ohio, in 1846, graduating in 1851, and beginning the practice of law in Warren in 1852. He was a member of the State Senate in 1859, from the Trumbull and Mahoning Districts. He was termed a radical. He •was a commissioned Brigadier General of Ohio in 1861, and, in 1862, was pro- moted to Major General for gallantry in battle. While in the service he was nominated for Governor, and took that position in 1865. He was a member of Grant's Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior, but resigned. He went to Con- gress in 1875, from the Toledo District. Rutherford B. Hayes, the nineteenth President of the United States, and the twenty-seventh Governor of Ohio, was born at Delaware, Ohio, in 1822. He was a graduate of Kenyon College in 1842. He began the study of law, and, in 1843, pursued that course in the Cambridge University, graduating in 1845. He began his practice at Fremont. He was married to Miss Lucy Webb in 1852, in Cincinnati. He was Major of the Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1861, and in 1862, was promoted to Colonel on account of bravery in the field, and eventually became Major General. In 1864, he was elected to Congress, and retired from the service. He remained in Congress tAvo terms, and was Governor of Ohio in 1867, being re-elected in 1869. He was again elected in 1875, but resigned in 1877, to accept the oflBce of President of the United States, Thomas L. Young acting as Governor the remander of the term. Edward F. Noyes was born in Haverhill, Mass., in 1832. While a lad of fourteen, he entered the office of the Morning Star, published at Dover, N. H., in order to learn the business of printing. At the age of eighteen, he entered the academy at Kingston, N. H. He prepared for college, and entered Dartmouth in 1853, graduating with high honors in 1857. He had begun the .study of law, and continued the course in the Cincinnati Law School, and began to practice in 1858. He was an enthusiast at the opening of the rebellion and was interested in raising the Twentieth Regiment, of which he was made Major. He was promoted to Colonel in 1862. At the conflict at Ruff's Mills, in Georgia, in 1864, he was so unfortunate as to lose a leg. At the time, amputa- tion was necessary, but was unskillfuUy performed. He was brought to Cincin- nati, and the operation was repeated, which nearly cost him his life. He reported three months later, to Gen. Hooker for duty, on crutches. He was assigned to command of Camp Dennison. He was promoted to the full rank of Brigadier General, and while in discharge of his duty at that place, he was elected City Solicitor of Cincinnati. He occupied the position until 1871, when he was elected Governor, by a majority of 20,000. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 157 William Allen, the twenty-ninth Governor of Ohio, was born in 1807, in Chowan County, N. C. While an infant, he was left an orphan, and his sister superintended his education. He was placed in a private school at Lynchburg, Va., at the age of fourteen. Two years later he joined his family at Chilli- cothe, and attended the academy a year, when he entered the law office of Edward King. Before he was twenty-five he was sent to Congress by a strong Whig district. He was elected United States Senator in 1837 and served until 1849. In 1845 he married Effie Mc Arthur, who died soon after the birth of their daughter. In 1873 he was elected Governor. His administra- tion gave general satisfaction. He died at his home at " Fruit Hill," in 1879. Richard M. Bishop, the thirty-first Governor of Ohio, was born November 4, 1812, in Fleming County, Ky. For several years he devoted himself to mercantile business in his native State. In 1848 he engaged in the wholesale grocery business at Cincinnati, and subsequently admitted his three sons part- ners, under the firm name of R. M. Bishop & Sons. He was a member of the Council of Cincinnati, and in 1859 was its Mayor, holding that office until 1861. In 1877 he was nominated by the Democrats and elected Governor of Ohio. Charles Foster, the thirty-second Governor of Ohio, was born in Seneca County, Ohio, April 12, 1828. He was educated at the common schools and the academy at Norwalk, Ohio. Engaged in mercantile and banking business at Fostoria, and never held any public office until he was elected to the Forty- second Congress ; was re-elected to the Forty-third Congress, and again to the Forty-fourth Congress as a Republican. In 1879 he was nominated by the Republicans and elected Governor of the State, was re-elected in 1881, and served through both terms winning the esteem of all political parties. George Hoadly, the thirty-third Governor of Ohio, was born at New Haven, Conn., July 31, 1826. His parents, George and Mary Ann (Woolsey) Hoadly, names well known in the educational circles of Connecticut, were inti- mately connected with the commercial and social progress of that State. Gov. Hoadly completed his education at what is now known as Adelbert College, of which he is a LL. D., while in 1884 he received the same honor from Yale. In 1844 he entered the law school of Cambridge, Mass.; in 1846 entered the office of Chase & Ball, Cincinnati, Ohio ; was admitted to the bar in August following ; elected Judge of the Cincinnati Superior Court in 1851, succeeded Judge Gholson on the bench of the present Superior Court in 1859, and was re-elected in 1864 ; refused a seat on the Supreme bench in 1856 and again in 1862; was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention 1873-74. He was nominated by the Democrats for Governor in 1883 and elected. ANCIENT WORKS. Ohio has furnished a prolific field for antiquarians and those interested in scientific explorations, either for their own amusement and knowledge, or for the records of " facts and formations." 158 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. It is well known that the " ]\loun(l Builders " had a wide sweep through this continent, but absolute facts regarding their era have been most difficult to obtain. Numerous theories and suppositions have been advanced, yet they are emphatic evidences that they have traced the origin and time of this primeval race. However, they have left their works behind them, and no exercise of faith is necessary to have confidence in that part of the story. That these works are of human origin is self-evident. Temples and military works have been found which required a considerable degree of scientific skill on the part of those early architects and builders. Evidently the Indians had no knowledge of these works of predecessors, which difiered in all respects from those of the red men. An ancient cemetery has been found, covering an area of four acres, which had evidently been laid out into lots, from north to south. Nearly 3,000 graves have been discovered, containing bones which at some time must have constituted the framework of veritable giants, while others are of no unusual size. In 1815, a jaw-bone was exhumed, containing an artificial tooth of silver. Mounds and fortifications are plentiful in Athens County, some of them being of solid stone. One, difiering in the quality of stone from the others, is supposed to be a dam across the Hocking. Over a thousand pieces of stone were used in its construction. Copper rings, bracelets and ornaments are numerous. It is also evident that these people possessed the knowledge of hardening copper arid giving it an edge equal to our steel of to-day. In the branch formed by a branch of the Licking River and Raccoon Creek, in Licking County, ancient works extend over an area of several miles. Again, three miles northwest of this locality, near the road between Newark and Gran- ville, another field of these relics may be found. On the summit of a high hill is a fortification, formed to represent an alligator. The head and neck includes 32 feet ; the length of the body is 73 feet ; the tail was 105 feet ; from the termini of the fore feet, over the shoulders, the width is 100 feet ; from the termini of the hind feet, over the hips, is 92 feet ; its highest point is 7 feet. It is composed of clay, which must have been conveyed hither, as it is not similar to the clay found in the vicinity. Near Miamisburg, Montgomery County, are other specimens. Near the village is a mound, equaled in size by very few of these antiquities. It meas- ures 800 feet around the base, and rises to a height of sixty-seven feet. Others are found in Miami County, while at Circleville, Pickaway County, no traces remain. Two forts have been discovered, one forming an exact square, and the other describing a circle. The square is flanked by two walls, on all sides, these being divided by a deep ditch. The circle has one wall and no ditch. This is sixty-nine rods in diameter, its walls being twenty feet high. The square fort measures fifty-five rods across, with walls twelve feet high. Twelve gateways lead into the square fort, while the circle has but one, which led to the other, at HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 159 the point -wlierc the walls of the two came together. Before each of these entrances were mounds of earth, from four to five feet high and nearly forty feet in diameter. Evidently these were designed for defenses for the openings, in cases of emergency. A short distance from Piketon, the turnpike runs, for several hundred feet, between two parallel artificial walls of earth, fifteen feet high, and six rods apart. In Scioto County, on both sides of the Ohio, are extensive ancient works. " Fort Ancient " is near Lebanon in Warren County. Its direct measure- ment is a mile, but in tracing its angles, retreating and salient, its length would be nearly six miles. Its site is a level plain, 240 feet above the level of the river. The interior wall varies in height to conform with the nature of the ground without — ranging from 8 to 10 feet. On the plain it reaches 100 feet. This fort has 58 gateways, through one of which the State road runs, passing between two mounds 12 feet high. Northeast from these mounds, situated on the plain, are two roads, about a rod wide each, made upon an elevation about three feet high. They run parallel to each other about a quarter of a mile, when they each form a semicircle around a mound, joining in the circle. It is probable this was at some time a military defense, or, on the contrary, it may have been a general rendezvous for games and high holiday festivities. Near Marietta, are the celebrated Muskingum River works, being a half- mile from its juncture with the Ohio. They consist of mounds and walls of earth in circular and square forms, also tracing direct lines. The largest square fort covers an area of 40 acres, and is inclosed by a wall of earth, 6 to 10 feet in height, and from 25 to 30 feet at its base. On each side are three gateways. The center gateways exceed the others in size, more especially on the side toward the Muskingum. From this outlet runs a covered means of egress, between two parallel walls of earth, 231 feet distant from each other, measuring from the centers. The walls in the interior are 21 feet high at the most elevated points, measuring 42 feet at the base, grading on the exte- rior to about five feet in heigth. This passage-way is 360 feet in length, lead- ing to the low grounds, which, at the period of its construction, probably reached the river. At the northwest corner, within the inclosure, is a plateau 188 feet long, 132 feet broad and 9 feet high. Its sides are perpendicular and its surface level. At the center of each side is a graded pathway leading to the top, six feet wide. Another elevated square is near the south wall, 150x120 feet square, and 8 feet high, similar to the other, with the exception of the graded walk. Outside and next the wall to ascend to the top, it has central hollow ways, 10 feet wide, leading 20 feet toward the center, then arising with a gradual slope to the top. A third elevated square is situated at the southeast corner, 108x54 feet square, with ascents at the ends. This is neither as high or as perfect as the others. 160 liiriTOKY OF THE STATE OF OiliU. Another ancient work is found to the southeast, covering an area of 20 acres with a gateway in the center of each side, and others at the corners — each of these having the mound defense. On the outside of the smaller fort, a mound resembling a sugar loaf was formed in the shape of a circle 115 feet in diameter, its height being 30 feet. A ditch surrounds it, 15 feet wide and 4 feet deep. These earthworks have contributed greatly to the satisfactory results of scientific researches. Their builders were evidently composed of large bands that have succumbed to the advance of enlightened humanity. The relics found consists of ornaments, utensils and implements of war. The bones left in the numerous graves convey an idea of a stalwart, vigorous people, and the conquests which swept them away from the face of the country must have been fierce and cruel. Other mounds and fortifications are found in different parts of the State, of which our limited space will not permit a description. Many sculptured rocks are found, and others with plainly discernible tracery in emblematical designs upon their surface. The rock on which the inscriptions occur is the grindstone grit of the Ohio exports — a stratum found in Northern Ohio. Arrow-points of flint or chert have been frequently found. From all investigations, it is evident that an extensive flint bed existed in Lick- ing County, near Newark. The old pits can now be recognized. They extended over a hundred acres. They are partially filled with water, and sur- rounded by piles of broken and rejected fragments. The flint is a grayish- white, with cavities of a brilliant quartz crystal. Evidently these stones were chipped into shape and the material sorted on the ground. Only clear, homo- genous pieces can be wrought into arrow-heads and spear-points. Flint chips extend over many acres of ground in this vicinity. Flint beds are also found in Stark and Tuscarawas Counties. In color it varies, being red, white, black and mottled. The black is found in Coshocton County. SOME GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. Ohio, as a State, is renowned as an agricultural section. Its variety, quality and quantity of productions cannot be surpassed by any State in the Union. Its commercial importance ranks proudly in the galaxy of opulent and industrious States composing this Union. Her natural resources are prolific, and all improve- ments which could be instituted by the ingenuity of mankind have been added. From a quarter to a third of its area is hilly and broken. About the head- waters of the Muskingum and Scioto, and between the Scioto and the two Miami Rivers, are wide prairies ; some of them are elevated and dry, with fertile soil, although they are frequently termed "barrens." In other parts, they are low and marshy, producing coarse, rank grass, which grows to a height of five feet in some places. The State is most fortunate in timber wealth, having large quantities of black walnut, oak of different varieties, maple, hickory, birch, several kinds of HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 161 beech, poplar, sycamore, papaw, several kinds of ash, cherry, whitewood and buckeye. The summers are usually warm, and the winters are mild, considering the latitude of the State. Near Lake Erie, the winters are severe, corresponding with sections in a line with that locality. Snow falls in sufficient quantities in the northern part to afford several weeks of fine sleighing. In the southern portion, the snowstorms are not frequent, and the fall rarely remains long on the ground. The climate is generally healthy, with the exception of small tracts lying near the marshes and stagnant waters. The Ohio River washes the southern border of the State, and is navigable for steamboats of a large size, the entire length of its course. From Pitts- burgh to its mouth, measuring it meanderings, it is 908 miles long. Its current is gentle, having no falls except at Louisville, Ky., where the descent is twenty- two and a half feet in two miles. A canal obviates this obstruction. The Muskingum is the largest river that flows entirely within the State. It is formed by the junction of the Tuscarawas and Walhonding Rivers, and enters the Ohio at Marietta One hundred miles of its length is navigable. The Scioto is the second river in magnitude, is about 200 miles long, and flows into the Ohio at Portsmouth. It affords navigation 130 miles of its length. The Great Miami is a rapid river, in the western part of the State, and is 100 miles long. The Little Miami is seventy miles in length, and enters the Ohio seven miles from Cincinnati. The Maumee rises in Indiana, flows through the northwestern part of the State, and enters Lake Erie at Maumee Bay. It affords navigation as far as Perrysburg, eighteen miles from the lake, and above the rapids, it is again nav- igable. The Sandusky rises in the northern part of the State, is eighty miles long, and flows into Lake Erie, via Sandusky Bay. Lake Erie washes 150 miles of the northern boundary. The State has sev- eral fine harbors, the Maumee and Sandusky Bays being the largest. We have, in tracing the record of the earlier counties, given the educational inter- ests as exemplified by different institutions. We have also given the canal system of the State, in previous pages. The Governor is elected every two years, by the people. The Senators are chosen biennially, and are apportioned according to the male population over twenty-one years of age. The Judges of the Supreme and other courts are elected by the joint ballot of the Legislature, for the term of seven years. During the early settlement of Ohio, perfect social equality existed among the settlers. The line of demarkation that was drawn was a separation of the good from the bad. Log-rollings and cabin-raisings were mutual affairs. Their sport usually consisted of shooting, rowing and hunting. Hunting shirts and buckskin pants were in the fashion, while the women dressed in coarse material, 162 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. woven by their own hands. A common American cotton check was con- sidered a magnificent addition to one's toilet. In those times, however, the material was $1 per yard, instead of the shilling of to-day. But five yards was then a large "pattern," instead of the twenty-five of 1880. In cooking utensils, the pot, pan and frying-pan constituted an elegant outfit. A few plain dishes were added for table use. Stools and benches were the rule, although a few wealthy families indulged in splint-bottom chairs. The cabin floors were rough, and in many cases the green sward formed the carpet. Goods were very expensive, and flour was considered a great luxury. Goods were brought by horses and mules from Detroit, or by wagon from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and then down the Ohio. Coarse calicoes were $1 per yard ; tea $2 to ^3 per pound ; coffee 75 cents ; whisky, from $1 to $2 per gallon, and salt, $5 to $6 per barrel. In those towns where Indian trade constituted a desirable interest, a bottle was set at each end of the counter — a gratuitous offering to their red friends. OUTLINE GEOLOGY OF OHIO. Should we group the rocks of Ohio, according to their lithological characters, we should give five distinct divisions. They are marked by difference in appear- ance, hardness, color and composition : 1 — Limestone. 2— Black shale. 3 — Fine-grained sandstone. 4 — Conglomerate. 5 — Coal series. They are all stratified and sedimentary. They are nearly horizontal. The lowest one visible, in a physical as well as a geological sense, is "blue lime- stone." The bed of the Ohio River near Cincinnati is 133 feet below the level of Lake Erie. The strata incline in all directions from the southwestern angle of the State. In Scioto County may be seen the outcropping edges of all these rocks. They sink at this point in the direction south 80|° east ; easterly at the rate of 37^ feet per mile. The cliff limestone, the upper stratum of the lime- stone deposit, is 600 feet above the river at Cincinnati ; at West Union, in Adams County, it is only 350 feet above the same level. The finely grained sandstone found on the summit of the hills east of Brush Creek and west of the Scioto sinks to the base of the hills, and appears beneath the conglomerate, near the Little Scioto. Although the rock formations are the same in all parts of the State, in the same order, their thickness, mass and dip, are quite different. Chillicothe, Reynoldsburg, Mansfield, Newburg, Waverly and Rockville, are situated near the western border of the " fine-grained limestone." Its outcrop forms a continuous and crooked line from the Ohio River to Lake Erie. In the southwest portion of the State is the "blue limestone," occupying a circular HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 163 space from West Union via Dayton, to the State line. The conglomerate is to the east of the given towns, bending around from Cuyahoga Falls to Burton, in Geauga County, and then eastward into Pennsylvania. Near this outcrop are the coal-bearing rocks which occupy the east and southeastern portions of Ohio. From Rockville to Chillicothe, the course is north, about 10° east, and nearly corresponds with the line of outcrop of the fine-grained sandstone for an equal distance. The dip at Rockville, given by Charles Whittlesey, is 801°, almost at a right angle, and at the rate of 37 feet per mile. At Chillicothe, the other end of the line, the general dip is south 70° east, 30 feet to the mile, the line curving eastward and the dip line to the southward. This is the universal law. The northern boundary of the great coal fields passes through Meadville, in Pennsylvania, and turning south arrives at Portage Summit, on the summit of the Alleghanies, 2,500 feet above the ocean level. It then plunges rapidly to the westward. From the Alleghanies to the southwest, through Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee, sweeps this great coal basin. Much of the county of Medina is conglomerate upon the surface, but the streams, especially the South Branch of the Rocky River, set through this sur- face stratum, and reach the fine-grained sandstone. This is the case with Rocky, Chagrin, Cuyahoga and Grand Rivers — also Conneaut and Ashtabula Creeks. This sandstone and the shale extend up the narrow valleys of these streams and their tributaries. Between these strata is a mass of coarse-grained sandstone, without pebbles, which furnishes the grindstones for which Ohio is noted. In Lorain County, the coarse sandstone grit nearly displaces the fine- grained sandstone and red shale, thickening at Elyria to the black shale. South of this point, the grindstone grit, red shale and ash-colored shale vary in thick- ness. The town of Chillicothe, the village of Newburg, and a point in the west line of Crawford County, are all situated on the "black shale." Dr. Locke gives the dip, at Montgomery and Miami Counties, at north 14°, east, six feet to the mile ; at Columbus, Whitelesey gives it, 81° 52' east, 22y'^% feet to the mile. The fine-grained sandstone at Newburg is not over eighty feet in thickness ; at Jacktown and Reynoldsburg, 500 ; at Waverly 250 to 300 feet, and at Brush Creek, Adams County, 348 feet. The black shale is 251 feet thick at Brush Creek ; at Alum Creek, 250 to 300 feet thick ; in Craw- ford County, about 250 feet thick. The conglomerate in Jackson County is 200 feet thick : at Cuyahoga Falls, 100 to 120 feet ; at Burton, Geauga County, 300 feet. The great limestone formation is divided into several numbers. At Cincinnati, at the bed of the river, there is : 1 — A blue limestone and slaty marlite. 2 — Dun-colored marl and layers of lime rock. 3 — Blue marl and layers of blue limestone. 4 — Marl and bands of limestone, with immense numbers of shells at the surface. 164 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. In Adams County, the detailed section is thus : 1 — Blue limestone and marl. 2 — Blue marl. 3 — Flinty limestone. 4 — Blue marl. . 5 — Cliif limestone. The coal-fields of Ohio are composed of alternate beds of coarse-grained sandstone, clay shales, layer? of ironstone, thin beds of limestone and numer- ous strata of coal. The coal region abounds in iron. From Jacktown to Con- cord, in Muskingum County, there are eight beds of coal, and seven strata of limestone. The distance between these two points is forty-two miles. From Freedom, in Portage County, to Poland, in' Trumbull County, a distance of thirty-five miles, there are five distinct strata. Among them are distributed thin beds of limestone, and many beds of iron ore. The greater mass of coal and iron measures is composed of sandstone and shale. The beds of sandstone are from ten to twenty or eighty feet thick. Of shale, five to fifty feet thick. The strata of coal and iron are comparatively thin. A stratum of coal three feet thick can be worked to advantage. One four feet thick is called a good mine, few of them averaging five. Coal strata are found from six to ten and eleven feet. There are four beds of coal, and three of limestone, in Lawrence and Scioto Counties. There are also eight beds of ore, and new ones are con- stantly being discovered. The ,ore is from four to twelve inches thick, occasion- ally being two feet. The calcareous ore rests upon the second bed of limestone, from the bottom, and is very rich. The most prominent fossils are trees, plants and stems of the coal-bearing rocks, shells and corals and crustaceae of the limestone, and the timber, leaves and dirt-beds of the "drift" — the earthy covering of the rocks, which varies from nothing to 200 feet. Bowlders, or " lost rocks," are strewn over the State. They are evidently transported from some remote section, being fragments of primitive rock, granite, gneiss and hornblende rock, which do not exist in Ohio, nor within 400 miles of the State, in any direction. In the Lake Supe- rior region we find similar specimens. The superficial deposits of Ohio are arranged into four geological formations : 1 — The ancient drift, resting upon the rocks of the State. 2 — The Lake Erie marl and sand deposits. 3 — The drift occupying the valleys of large streams, such as the Great Miami, the Ohio and Scioto. 4 — The bowlders. The ancient drift of Ohio is meager in shell deposits. It is not, therefore, decided whether it be of salt-water origin or fresh water. It has, at the bottom, blue clay, with gravel-stones of primitive or sedimen- tary rocks, containing carbonate of lime. The yellow clay is found second. Above that, sand and gravel, less stratified, containing more pebbles of the HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 165 sedimentary rocks, such as limestone and stone, iron ore, coal and shale. The lower layer contains logs, trees, leaves, sticks and vines. The Lake Erie section, or "Lake Erie deposits," may be classed in the following order : 1 — From the lake level upward, fine, blue, marly sand — forty-five to sixty feet. 2 — Coarse, gray, water-washed sand — ten to twenty feet. 3 — Coarse sand and gravel, not well stratified, to surface — twenty to fifty feet. Stratum first dissolves in water. It contains carbonate of lime, magnesia, iron, alumina, silex, sulphur, and some decomposed leaves, plants and sticks. Some pebbles are found. In contact with the water, quicksand is formed. The Hickory Plains, at the forks of the Great Miami and White Water, and also between Kilgore's Mill and New Richmond, are the results of heavy dilu- vial currents. In presenting these formations of the State, we have quoted from the experi- ence and conclusions of Charles Whittlesey, eminent as a geologist, ai^d who was a member of the Ohio Geological Corps. OHIO'S RANK DURING THE WAR. The patriotism of this State has been stanch, unswerving and bold, ever since a first settlement laid its corner-stone in the great Western wilder- ness. Its decisive measures, its earnest action, its noble constancy, have earned the laurels that designate it "a watchword for the nation." In the year 1860, Ohio had a population of 2,343,739. Its contribution of soldiers to the great conflict that was soon to surge over the land in scarlet terror, was apportioned 310,000 men. In less than twenty-four hours after the President's proclama- tion and call for troops, the Senate had matured and carried a bill through, appropriating $1,000,000 for the purpose of placing the State on a war footing. The influences of party sentiments were forgotten, and united, the State unfurled the flag of patriotism. Before the bombardment of old Fort Sumter has fairly ceased its echoes, twenty companies were offered the Governor for immediate service. When the surrender was verified, the excitement was tumultuous. Militia officers telegraphed their willingness to receive prompt orders, all over the State. The President of Kenyon College — President Andrews — tendered his services by enlisting in the ranks. Indeed, three months before the outbreak of the war, he had expressed his readiness to the Governor to engage in service should there be occasion. He was the first citi- zen to make this offer. The Cleveland Grays, the Rover Guards, the State Fencibles, the Dayton Light Guards, the Governor's Guards, the Columbus Videttes and the Guthrie Grays — the best drilled and celebrated militia in the State — telegraphed to Columbus for orders. Chillicothe, Portsmouth and Circleville offered money and troops. Canton, Xenia, Lebanon, Lancaster, Springfield, Cincinnati, 166 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. Dayton, Cleveland, Toledo and other towns urged their assistance upon the State. Columbus began to look like a great army field. The troops were stationed wherever they could find quarters, and food in sufficient quantities was hard to procure. The Governor soon established a camp at Miamiville, convenient to Cincinnati. He intended to appoint Irvin McDowell, of the stafi" of Lieut. Gen. Scott, to the leading command, but the friends of Capt. McClellan became enthusiastic and appealed to the Governor, who decided to investigate his case. Being satisfied, he desired Capt. McClellan to come up to Columbus. But that officer was busy and sent Capt. Pope, of the regular army, in his stead. This gentleman did not suit Gov. Dennison. The friends of McClellan again set forth the high qualities of this officer, and Gov. Dennison sent an earnest request for an interview, which was granted, and resulted in the appointment of the officer as Major General of the Ohio militia. Directly thereafter, he received an invitation to take command of the Pennsylvania troops, but Ohio could not spare so valuable a leader. For three-years troops were soon called out, and their Generals were to be appointed by the President. Gov. Dennison advised at once with the War Department at Washington, and McClellan received his appointment as Major General in the regular army. Cincinnati and Louisville became alarmed lest Kentucky should espouse the Confederate cause, and those cities thus be left insecure against the inroads of a cruel foe. Four hundred and thirty-six miles of Ohio bordered Slave States. Kentucky and West Virginia were to be kept in check, but the Governor pro- claimed that not only should the border of Ohio be protected, but even beyond that would the State press the enemy. Marietta was garrisoned, and other river points rendered impregnable. On the 20th of May, 1861, official dispatches affirmed that troops were approaching Wheeling under the proclamation of Letcher. Their intention was to route the convention at Wheeling. Military orders were instantly given. Col. Steedman and his troops crossed at Marietta and crushed the disturbance at Parkersburg — swept into the country along the railroad, built bridges, etc. Col. Irvine crossed at Wheeling and united with a regiment of loyal Virginians. At the juncture of the two tracks at Grafton, the columns met, but the rebels had retreated in mad haste. The loyal troops followed, and, at Philippi, fought the first little skirmish of the war. The great railway lines were secured, and the Wheeling convention protected, and West Virginia partially secured for the Union. After preliminary arrangements, McClellan's forces moved in two columns upon the enemy at Laurel Hill. One remained in front, under Gen. Morris, while the other, under his own command, pushed around to Huttonsville, in their rear. Gen. Morris carried his orders through promptly, but McClellan was late. Rosecrans was left with McClellan's advance to fight the battle of Rich Mountain, unaided. Garnett being alarmed at the defeat of his outpost, retreated. McClellan was not in time to intercept him, but Morris continued HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 167 the chase. Steedman overtook the rear-guard of Garnett's army at Carrick's Ford, where a sharp skirmish ensued, Garnett himself falling. The scattered portions of the rebel army escaped, and West Virginia was again free from armed rebels — and was the gift of Ohio through her State militia to the nation at the beginning of the war. At this period. Gen. McClellan was called to Washington. Gen. Rose- crans succeeded him, and the three-years troops left in the field after the dis- banding of the three-months men, barely sufficed to hold the country. He telegraphed Gov. Dennison to supply him immediately with re-enforcements, the request being made on the 8th of August. Already had the Confederate lead- ers realized the loss they had sustained in Western Virginia, and had dispatched their most valued General, Robert E. Lee, to regain the territory. Rosecrans again wrote : " If you. Governor of Indiana and Governor of Michigan, will lend your efforts to get me quickly 50,000 men, in addition to my present force, I think a blow can be struck which will save fighting the rifled-cannon batteries at Manassas. Lee is certainly at Cheat Mountain. Send all troops you can to Grafton." Five days thereafter, all the available troops in the West were dispatched to Fremont, Mo., and the plans of Rosecrans were foiled. Heavy re-enforcements had been sent to the column in Kanawha Valley under Gen. Cox. He became alarmed, and telegraphed to Gov. Dennison. Rosecrans again appealed to Gov. Dennison, that he might be aided in march- ing across the country against Floyd and Wise to Cox's relief, "I want to catch Floyd while Cox holds him in front." The response was immediate and effective. He was enabled to employ twenty-three Ohio regiments in clearing his department from rebels, securing the country and guarding the exposed railroads. With this achievement, the direct relation of the State administrations with the conduct and methods of campaigns terminated. The General Government had settled down to a sys- tem. Ohio was busy organizing and equipping regiments, caring for the sick and wounded, and sustaining her home strength. Gov. Dennison 's staff officers were tendered better positions in the national service. Camps Dennison and Chase, one at Cincinnati and the other at Columbus, were controlled by the United States authorities. A laboratory was established at Columbus for the supply of ammunition. During the fall and early winter, the Ohio troops suffered in Western Virginia. The people of their native State responded with blankets, clothing and other supplies. In January, 1862, David A. Tod entered upon the duties of Governor. The first feature of his administration was to care for the wounded at home, sent from Pittsburg Landing. A regular system was inaugurated to supply stores and clothing to the suffering at home and in the field. Agencies were established, and the great and good work was found to be most efficacious in alleviating the wretchedness consequent upon fearful battles. A. B. Lyman 168 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. had charge of aflFairs in Cincinnati, and Royal Taylor held the same position in Louisville. J. C. Wetmore was stationed at Washington, F. W. Bingham at Memphis, Weston Flint at Cairo and St. Louis. Thus the care which Ohio extended over her troops at home and in the battle-field, furnished a practical example to other States, and was the foundation of that commendable system all over the Union. Stonewall Jackson's sudden advent in the valley created the greatest consternation lest the safety of the capital be jeopardized, and the War Department called for more troops. Gov. Tod immediately issued a proclamation, and the people, never shrinking, responded heartily. At Cleve- land a large meeting was held, and 250 men enlisted, including 27 out of 32 students attending the law school. Fire bells rang out the alarm at Zanesville, a meeting was convened at 10 in the morning, and by 3 in the afternoon, 300 men had enlisted. Court was adjourned sine die, and the Judge announced that he and the lawyers were about to enter into military ranks. Only three unmarried men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-three were left in the town of Putnam. Five thousand volunteers reported at Camp Chase within two days after the proclamation. Again in June, the President called for troops, followed by yet another call. Under these calls, Ohio was to raise 74,000 men. The draft system was advised to hasten and facilitate filling regiments. It has always been a repul- sive measure. To save sections from this proceeding, enormous sums were offered to induce men to volunteer, and thus fill the quota. Counties, townships, towns and individuals, all made bids and urged the Tapid enlistment of troops. The result was, that the regiments were filled rap- idly, but not in sufficient numbers to prevent the draft. Twenty thousand four hundred and twenty-seven men were yet lacking, and the draft was ordered^ September 15. At the close of the year, Ohio was ahead of her calls. Late in the fall, the prospect was disheartening. The peninsula campaign had failed. The Army of Northern Virginia had been hurled back nearly to Washington. The rebels had invaded Maryland ; Cincinnati and Louisville were threatened, and the President had declared his intention to abolish slavery, as a war meas- ure. During the first part of 1862, artillery, stores and supplies were carried away mysteriously, from the Ohio border ; then little squads ventured over the river to plunder more openly, or to burn a bridge or two. The rebel bands came swooping down upon isolated supply trains, sending insolent roundabout messages regarding their next day's intentions. Then came invasions of our lines near Nashville, capture of squads of guards within sight of camp, the seizure of Gallatin. After Mitchell had entered Northern Alabama, all manner of depre- dations were committed before his very eyes. These were attributed to John Morgan's Kentucky cavalry. He and his men, by the middle of 1862, were as active and dangerous as Lee or Beauregard and their troops. Morgan was a native of Alabama, but had lived in Kentucky since boyhood. His father was large slave-owner, who lived in the center of the "Blue Grass Country." His HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 169 life had been one of wild dissipation, adventure and recklessness, although in his own family he had the name of being most considerate. The men who fol- lowed him were ajccustomed to a dare-devil life. They formed and independent band, and dashed madly into the conflict, wherever and whenever inclination prompted. Ohio had just raised troops to send East, to assist in the overthrow of Stonewell Jackson. She had overcome her discouragements over failures, for the prospects were brightening. Beauregard had evacuated Corinth ; Mem- phis had fallen ; Buell was moving toward Chattanooga ; Mitchell's troops held Northern Tennessee and Northern Alabama ; Kentucky was virtually in the keeping of the home guards and State military board. And now, here was Morgan, creating confusion in Kentucky by his furious raids ! On the 11th of July, the little post of Tompkinsville fell. He issued a call for the Kentuckians to rise in a body. He marched toward Lexington, and the southern border of Ohio was again in danger. Cincinnati was greatly excited. Aid was sent to Lexington and home guards were ready for duty. Morgan was not prominent for a day or so, but he was not idle. By the 9th of July, he held possession of Tompkinsville and Glasgow ; by the 11th, of Lebanon. On the 13th, he entered Harraldsburg ; Monday morning he was within fifteen miles of Frank- fort. He had marched nearly 400 miles in eight days. Going on, toward Lexington, he captured the telegraph operator at Midway, and his messages also I He was now aware of the plans of the Union armies at Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati and Frankfort. In the name of the operator, he sent word that Morgan was driving in the pickets at Frankfort ! Now. that he had thrown his foes off guard, he rested his men a couple of days. He decided to let Lexington alone, and swept down on Cynthiana, routing a few hundred loyal Kentucky cavalrymen, capturing the gun and 420 prisoners, and nearly 300 horses. Then he was off to Paris ; he marched through Winchester, Richmond, Crab Orchard and Somerset, and again crossed the Cumberland River, He started with 900 men and returned with 1,200, having captured and paroled nearly as many, besides destroying all the Government arms and stores in seven- teen towns. The excitement continued in Cincinnati. Two regiments were hastily formed, for emergencies,* known as Cincinnati Reserves. Morgan's raid did not reach the city, but it demonstrated to the rebel forces what might be accomplished in the " Blue Grass " region. July and August were passed in gloom. Bragg and Buell were both watchful, and Chattanooga had not been taken. Lexington was again menaced, a battle fought, and was finally deserted because it could not be held. Louisville was now in danger. The banks sent their specie away. Railroad companies added new guards. September 1, Gen. Kirby Smith entered Lexington, and dispatched Heath with about six thousand men against Cincinnati and Covington. John Morgan joined him. The rebels rushed upon the borders of Ohio. The failure at Rich- mond only added deeper apprehension. Soon Kirby Smith and his regiments 170 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. occupied a position where only a few unmanned siege guns and the Ohio prevented his entrance through Covington into the Queen City. The city was fully armed, and Lew. Wallace's arrival to take command inspired all with fresh courage. And before the people were hardly aware that danger was so near, the city was proclaimed under strict martial law. " Citizens for labor, soldiers for battle. There was no panic, because the leaders were confident. Back of Newport and Covington breastworks, riflepits and redoubts had been hastily thrown up, and pickets were thrown out. From Cincinnati to Covington extended a pon- ton bridge. Volunteers marched into the city and those already in service were sent to the rescue. Strict military law was now modified, and the city being secured, some inconsiderate ones expressed themselves as being outraged with " much ado about nothing." But Gen. Wallace did not cease his vigilance. And Smith's force began to move up. One or two skirmishes ensued. The city was again excited. September 11 was one of intense suspense. But Smith did not attack in force. He was ordered to join Bragg. On the Mon- day following, the citizens of Cincinnati returned to their avocations. In the spring of 1863, the State was a trifle discouraged. Her burdens had been heavy, and she was weary. Vicksburg was yet in the hands of the enemy. Rosecrans had not moved since his victory at Stone River. There had been fearful slaughter about Fredericksburg. But during July, 1863, Ohio was aroused again by Bragg's command to Morgan, to raid Kentucky and capture Louisville. On the 3d of July, he was in a position to invade Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. He continued his depre- dations, bewildering the militia with his movements. His avowed intention was to burn Indianapolis and " take Cincinnati alive." Morgan's purposes were never clear. It was his audacious and sudden dashes, here and there, which gave him success. Before Cincinnati was aware, he was at Harrison — 13th of July. He expected to meet the forces of Burnside and Judah, and to cut his way through. His plans here, as everywhere, were indefinable, and he succeeded in deceiving everybody. While printers in Cincinnati were setting up " reports " as to his whereabouts, he was actually marching through the sub- urbs, near troops enough to devour them, and yet not encountered by a single picket ! They fed their horses within sight of Camp Dennison. At 4 o'clock that day, they were within twenty-eight miles of Cincinnati — having marched more than ninety miles in thirty-five hours. The greatest chagrin was expressed, that Morgan had so easily eluded the great military forces. A sudden dash was made to follow him. There was a universal bolting of doors, burying of valuables, hiding of horses, etc., all along the route of the mad cavalryman and his 2,000 mounted men. They plundered beyond all comparison. They made a principle of it. On the 14th of July, he was feeding his horses near Dennison ; he reached the ford at Buflington Island on the evening of the 18th ; he had encountered several little skirmishes, HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 171 but he had marched through at his own will, mostly ; all the troops of Kentucky had been outwitted. The Indiana forces had been laughed to scorn. The 50,000 Ohio militia had been as straws in his way. The intrepid band would soon be upon friendly soil, leaving a blackened trail behind. But Judah was up and marching after him, Hobson followed and Col. Runkle was north of him. The local militia in his advance began to impede the way. Near Pome- roy, a stand was made. Morgan found militia posted everywhere, but he suc- ceeded in running the gantlet, so far as to reach Chester. He should have hastened to cross the ford. Fortunately, he paused to breathe his horses and secure a guide. The hour and a half thus lost was the first mistake Morgan is known to have made in his military career. They reached Portland, and only a little earthwork, guarded by about 300 men, stood between him and safety. His men were exhausted, and he feared to lead them to a night attack upon a position not understood perfectly ; he would not abandon his wagon train, nor his wounded ; he would save or lose all. As Morgan was preparing next morning, having found the earthworks deserted through the night, Judah came up. He repulsed the attack at first, capturing Judah's Adjutant General, and ordering him to hold the force on his front in check. He was not able to join his own company, until it was in full retreat. Here Lieut. O'Neil, of the Fifth Indiana, made an impulsive charge, the lines were reformed, and up the Chester road were Hobson's gallant cavalrymen, who had been galloping over three States to capture this very Morgan ! And now the tin-clad gunboats steamed up and opened fire. The route was complete, but Morgan escaped with 1,200 men! Seven hundred men were taken prisoners, among them Morgan's brother, Cols. Ward, Duke and Huffman. The prisoners were brought to Cincinnati, while the troops went after the fugitive. He was surrounded by dangers ; his men were exhausted, hunted down ; skirmishes and thrilling escapes marked a series of methods to escape — his wonderful sagacity absolutely brilliant to the very last — which was his capture, on the 26th, with 346 prisoners and 400 horses and arms. It may be added, that after several months of con- finement, Morgan and six prisoners escaped, on the 27th of November. Again was he free to raid in the " Blue Grass " country.. John Brough succeeded Gov. Tod January 11, 1864. His first prominent work was with the Sanitary Commission. In February, of the same year, the President called for more troops. The quota of Ohio was 51,465 men. The call of March added 20,995. And in July was a third demand for 50,792. In December, the State was ordered to raise 26,027. The critical period of the war was evidently approaching. Gov. Brough instituted a reformation in the " promotion system " of the Ohio troops. He was, in many cases, severe in his measures. He ignored " local great men " and refused distinction as a bribe. The consequence was that he had many friends and some enemies. The acute- ness of his policy was so strong, and his policy so just, that, after all his severe administration, he was second to no statesman in the nation during the struggle. 172 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. Ohio during the war was most active in her relief and aid societies. The most noted and extensive organization was the Cincinnati Branch of the United States Sanitary Commission. The most efficient organization was the Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern Ohio. When the happy tidings swept over the land that peace was proclaimed, an echo of thanksgiving followed the proclamation. The brave sons of Ohio returned to their own soil — those who escaped the carnage. But 'mid the rejoicing there was deepest sadness, for a fragment only remained of that brave army which had set out sturdily inspired with patriotism. A BRIEF MENTION OF PROMINENT OHIO GENERALS. George Briton McClellan, the first General appointed in Ohio, was born December 3, 1826, in Philadelphia. His father was a physician of high stand- ing and Scottish descent. Young George was in school in Philadelphia, and entered West Point at the age of sixteen. At the age of twenty, he was a bre- vet Second Lieutenant, tracing lines of investment before Vera Cruz, under the supervision of Capt. R. E. Lee, First Lieut. P. G. T. Beauregard, Second Lieut. G. W. Smith. At the close of the Mexican war, old Col. Totten reported in favor of them all to Winfield Scott. He had charge of an exploring expedition to the mountains of Oregon and Washington, beginning with the Cascade Range. This was one of a series of Pacific Railway explorations. Returning to Wash- ington, he was detailed to visit the West Indies and secretly select a coaling sta- tion for the United States Navy. He was dispatched by Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War, to Europe, with instructions to take full reports of the organ- ization of military forces connected with the Crimean war. This work elicited entire satisfaction. He returned in January, 1857, resigned as regular army officer, and was soon installed as engineer of Illinois Central Railroad. In 1860, he was President of the Ohio k Mississippi. He removed to Cincinnati, where he was at the opening of the war. William Starke Rosecrans was born September 6, 1819, in Delaware County, Ohio. His people were from Amsterdam. He was educated at West Point. When the war opened, he espoused the cause of the Union with enthusiastic zeal, and was appointed by McClellan on his staff as Engineer. June 9, he was Chief Engineer of the State under special law. Soon thereafter, he was Colonel of the Twenty-third Ohio, and assigned to the command of Camp Chase, Columbus, On May 16, his commission was out as Brigadier General in the United States Army. This reached him and he was speedily sum- moned to active service, under Gen. McClellan. After the battle of Rich Moun- tain, he was promoted to the head of the department. In April, 1862, he was succeeded by Fremont, and ordered to Wash- ington to engage in immediate service for the Secretary of War. About the 15th of May, he was ordered to Gen. Halleck, before Corinth. He was relieved from his command December 9, 1864. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 173 Ulysses S. Grant, whose history we cannot attempt to give in these pages, was born on the banks of the Ohio, at Point Pleasant, Clermont Co., Ohio, April 27, 1822. He entered West Point in 1839. " That the son of a tanner, poor and unpretending, without influential friends until his performance had won them, ill-used to the world and its ways, should rise — not suddenly, in the first blind worship of helpless ignorance which made any one who understood regimental tactics illustrious in advance for what he was going to do, not at all for what he had done — but slowly, grade by grade^ through all the vicissitudes of constant service and mingled blunders and suc- cess, till, at the end of four years' war he stood at the head of our armies, crowned by popular acclaim our greatest soldier, is a satisfactory answer to criticism and a sufficient vindication of greatness. Success succeeds." " We may reason on the man's career ; we may prove that at few stages has he shown personal evidence of marked ability ; we may demonstrate his mis- takes ; we may swell the praises of his subordinates. But after all, the career stands wonderful, unique, worthy of study so long as the nation honors her benefactors, or the State cherishes the good fame of the sons who contributed most to her honor." Lieut. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman was another Ohio contribution to the great Union war. He was born at Lancaster February 8, 1820. He entered West Point in June, 1836. His " march to the sea " has fully brought out the details of his life, since they were rendered interesting to all, and we. refrain from repeating the well-known story. Philip H. Sheridan was born on the 6th of March, 1831, in Somerset, Perry Co., Ohio. He entered West Point in 1848. During the war, his career was brilliant. His presence meant victory. Troops fighting under hia command were inspired. Gen. Rosecrans said of him, " He fights, he fights." A stafi" officer once said, "He is an emphatic human syllable." Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson was born in Sandusky County, town of Clyde, November 14, 1828. Maj. Gen. Q. A. Gillmore was born February 28, 1825, at Black River, Lorain Co., Ohio. Maj. Gen, Irvin McDowell was born at Franklinton, Ohio, October 15, 1818. Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell was born near Marietta on the 23d of March, 1818. His grandfather on the maternal side was one of the first settlers of Cincinnati. Maj. Gen. 0. M. Mitchell was a ijative of Kentucky, but a resident of Ohio from the age of four years. Maj. Gen. Robert C. Schenck was born October 4, 1809, in Franklin, Warren Co., Ohio. Maj. Gen. James A. Garfield, was born in Orange, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, mvember 19, 1831. 174 ISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. Maj. Gen. Jacob D. Cox was born in Canada in 1828, and removed to Ohio in 1846. Maj. Gen. James B. Steedman was born in Pennsylvania July 30, 1818, and removed to Toledo in 1861. Maj. Gen. David S. Stanley was born in Wayne County, Ohio, June 1, 1828. Maj. Gen. George Crook was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, Septem- ber 8, 1828. Maj. Gen. Mortimer D. Leggett was born in New York April 19, 1831, and emigrated to Ohio, in 1847. Brevet Maj. Gen. John C. Tidball was born in Virginia, but removed while a mere lad to Ohio with his parents. Brevet Maj. Gen. John W. Fuller was born in England in 1827. He removed to Toledo in 1858. Brevet Maj. Gen. Manning F. Force was born in Washington, D. C, on the 17th of December, 1824. He became a citizen of Cincinnati. Brevet Maj. Gen. Henry B. Banning was born in Knox County, Ohio, November 10, 1834. We add the names of Brevet Maj. Gens. Erastus B. Tyler, Thomas H. Ewing, Charles R. Woods, August V. Kautz, Rutherford B. Hayes, Charles C. Walcutt, Kenner Garrard, Hugh Ewing, Samuel Beatty, James S. Robinson, Joseph W. Keifer, Eli Long, William B. Woods, John W. Sprague, Benjamin P. Runkle, August Willich, Charles Griffin, Henry J. Hunt, B. W. Brice. Brig. Gens. Robert L. McCook, William H. Lytle, William Leroy Smith, C. P. Buckingham, Ferdinand Van Derveer, George P. Este, Joel A. Dewey, Benjamin F. Potts, Jacob Ammen, Daniel McCook, J. W, Forsyth, Ralph P. Buckland, William H. Powell, John G. Mitchell, Eliakim P. Scam- mon, Charles G Harker, J. W. Reilly, Joshua W. Sill, N. C. McLean, Will- iam T. H. Brooks, George W. Morgan, John Beatty, William W. Burns, John S. Mason, S. S. Carroll, Henry B. Carrington, M. S. Wade, John P. Slough, T. K. Smith. Brevet Brig. Gens. C. B. Ludlow, Andrew Hickenlooper, B. D. Fearing, Henry F. Devol, Israel Garrard, Daniel McCoy, W. P. Richardson, G. F. Wiles, Thomas M. Vincent, J. S. Jones, Stephen B. Yeoman, F. W. Moore, Thomas F. Wilder, Isaac Sherwood, C. H. Grosvenor, Moses E. Walker, R. N. Adams, E. B. Eggleston, I. M. Kirby. We find numerous other names of Brevet Brigadier Generals, mostly of late appointments, and not exercising commands in accordance with their brevet rank, which we omit quoting through lack of space. They are the names of men of rare abilities, and in many cases of brilliant achievements. In looking over the "War Record of Ohio," we find the State a great leader in men of valor and heroic deeds. It was the prolific field of military geniuses. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 175 Ohio was draped with the garb of mourning at the close of the war. Her human sacrifice in behalf of the nation had been bitter. There were tears and heart-aches all over the land. Her ranks were swept by a murderous fire, from which they never flinched, and many officers fell. Col. John H. Patrick will be remembered as opening the battle of Lookout Mountain. He fell mortally wounded, during the Atlanta campaign, May 15, 1862, while actively engaged. He was struck by a canister shot, and expired half a hour thereafter. Col. John T. Toland, in July, 1863, was placed in command of a mounted brigade, including his regiment, and was instructed to destroy the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad. He reached Wytheville, Va., on the afternoon of the 18th of July. The rebels were safely intrenched in the house, and poured a galling fire into the national troops. Col. Toland was on horseback, at the head of his command. A sharpshooter sent a bullet with fatal certainty, and he fell on the neck of his horse, but was instantly caught by his Orderly Sergeant, who heard the fervent words : " My horse and my sword to my mother." Lieut. Col. Barton S. Kyle accompanied his regiment to the battle of Pitts- burg Landing. The regiment was forced back, though resisting bravely. Lieut. Col. Kyle was at his post of duty, encouraging his men, when he received a bullet in his right breast. He survived five hours. Col. William G. Jones was engaged m the battle of Chickamauga, June, 1863. His regiment, the Thirty-sixth Ohio, was included in Turchin's Brigade of the Fourteenth Corps. He wrote in his pocket memoranda : " Oflf to the left ; merciful Father, have mercy on me and my regiment, and protect us from injury and death " — at 12 o'clock. At 5 that afternoon, he was fatally wounded and expired at 7 that same evening, on the battle-field His remains were taken by the rebels, but in December, 1863, they were exhumed and interred in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati. Col. Fred. C. Jones held command of the Tenth Brigade, in October, 1862, marching from Wild Cat, Ky., to Nashville, through a perpetual skirmish, During the battle of Stone River, Col. Jones' regiment, the Twenty-fourth, was on the front and left of the line. During the afternoon, when the rebel assault upon the left became furious. Col. Jones ordered his men to lie down and hold fire, which was obeyed. They rose to pour a deadly volley into the rebel ranks, and rush forward in a fierce charge. The capture of an entire rebel regiment was thus effected, but Col. Jones was shot in the right side. He was carried to the rear. " I know it ; I am dying now ; pay no attention to me, but look after my wounded men." He survived about ten hours. His remains are buried in Spring Grove, Cincinnati. Col. Lorin Andrews went with his command to Western Virginia, where he succumbed to exposure and severe duty. He was removed to his home, G^ambier, Ohio, where he died surrounded by friends September 18, 1861. 176 HISTORY OP THE STATE OF OHIO Col. Minor Milliken was sent to repel the attacks of the rebels at the rear. He led a superb cavalry charge against the enemy, vastly superior in numbers, and was cut off with a small portion of his regiment. He disdained to sur render, and ordered his men to cut their way out. A hand-to-hand conflict ensued. Col. Milliken, being an expert swordsman, was able to protect himself with his saber. While parrying the strokes of his assailant, another shot him. The regiment, again charging, recovered his body, stripped of sword, purse and watch. Col. George P. Webster, with his regiment, the Ninety-eighth, left Steu- benville for Covington, Ky., August 23, 1862, marching from that point to Lex- ington and Louisville. He was placed at the command of the Thirty-fourth Brigade, Jackson's division, Cooke's corps. He fell in the battle of Perryville, and died on the field of battle. Col. Leander Stem was appointed Colonel of the One Hundred and First Ohio Infantry August 30, 1862. His premonitions that he should fall during his first regular engagement proved too true. As the army was advancing on Murfreesboro, the engagement of Knob Gap occurred, when Col. Stem's regi- ment charged and took a rebel battery, with several prisoners. The army closed around Murfreesboro, and on the evening of the 30th, the One Hun- dred and First was engaged in demonstrations against the enemy. Next morning, the battle of Stone River began in earnest. When Col. Stem's regi- ment began to waver, he called out: "Stand by the flag now, for the good old State of Ohio ! " and instantly fell, fatally wounded. Lieut. Col. Jonas D. Elliott held his position in May, 1863. During the summer of 1864, he commanded the left wing of the regiment at Dodsonville, Ala.; in September, he was sent after Wheeler, and was ordered into camp at Decatur. On the 23d, he was dispatched to Athens, to participate in the attack of Gen. Forrest, of the rebels. Col. Elliott was sent out, with 300 men, and being surrounded by Gen. Forrest, with vastly superior numbers, a forced resist- ance enabled them to sustain their own ground, until a fresh brigade of rebels arrived, under Gen. Warren. This officer instructed one of his men to shoot Lieut. Col. Elliott, and a moment later he fell. He lingered nineteen days. Col. Joseph L. Kirby Smith took command of the Forty-third Ohio Regi- ment. He fell at the battle of Corinth, under Rosecrans. Lieut. Col. James W. Shane fell, June 27, 1864, in an assault upon the enemy's works at Kenesaw. He survived but forty minutes. Col. Augustus H. Coleman displayed the abilities of a successful commander. He was in the first charge on the bridge across Antietan Creek. He was fatally wounded. His last words were inquiries regarding his men. Col. J. W. Lowe commanded the Twelfth Ohio, and was ordered to assise the Tenth in the battle of Carnifex Ferry. Cheering his men, in the thickest of the fight, a rifle ball pierced his forehead, and he fell dead — the first field officer from Ohio killed in battle in the war for the Union. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 177 Lieut. Col. Moses F. Wooster was engaged with his regiment, the One Hun- dred and First Ohio, at Perryville. He was mortally wounded on the 31st of December, 1862, in the grand effort to stem the tide of defeat at Stone Biver. The list of staff officers we refrain from giving, through lack of space. At the opening of the war, William Dennison was Governor of Ohio. David Tod succeeded him. John Brough was the third War Governor. Secretary Edwin M. Stanton was one of the most popular war Ministers. He was born in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1815 ; he was engaged in the United States Circuit Court, in 1860, in a leading law suit, at Cincinnati, known as the Manny and McCormick reaper trial ; on the 20th of January, 1862, he was appointed Secretary of War by Mr. Lincoln. Ex-Secretary Salmon P. Chase's public services in Ohio have already been mentioned in these pages. In 1861, he was appointed Secretary of the Treas- ury, in Mr. Lincoln's cabinet. United States Senator B. F. Wade made his reputation in Ohio. This Senator of the State stood at the head of the Committee on the Conduct of the War throughout its duration. United States Senator John Sherman was a leading member of the Finance Committee, during the war. For some time he was its Chairman. Jay Cooke was the financial agent of the Government, furnishing money for the payment of the troops. He was born in Portland, Huron Co., Ohio. In our brief review of the war record of Ohio, we have omitted a vast amount of detail information that would prove interesting to our readers. We believe we have been accurate in whatever we have given, taking as our authority, that accepted " encyclopedia " of Ohio war facts — Whitelaw Reid, who has pub- lished a valuable volume on the subject. SOME DISCUSSED SUBJECTS. It may be well in glancing over the achievements of Ohio, her momentous labors and grand successes, to refer to the Ordinance of 1787, more minutely than we have done, in relation to many events, since its inherent principles are not only perpetuated in the laws of the entire Northwest, but have since been woven into the general Constitution of the United States. It made permanent the standard and character of immigration, social culture and political and edu- cational institutions. It was thoroughly antislavery and denounced involuntary servitude, which was sanctioned in every other State at that time, with the exception of Massachusetts. It protected religion and property. As late as 1862, Gen. William Henry Harrison, Governor of Indiana, called a convention for the purpose of considering the slavery question, and the feasibility of intro- ducing the system in the new States and Territories being formed. There was at this time a spirited contest, and Illinois, Indiana and possibly Ohio, barely escaped a decision that a full support should be given its introduction 178 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO into these States. Its adoption was based upon certain specifications and limits of time, which upon a deeper consideration was deemed perplexing and impractical. An animated discussion arose not long since, regarding the correct author- ship of this important ordinance, and its chief worker in gaining its sanction by Congress. Mr, Webster ascribed its authorship to Mathew Dane, of Massachusetts, which statement was immediately refuted by Mr. Benton, of Mississippi, who laid claim to it as the birthright of Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia. It has been almost impossible to obtain accurate reports of the actions of the old Continental Congress, from the fact that its meetings were held in secret, and any reports either narrated or shown in schedules or lists, were deemed a striking lack of trust on the part of the person who furnished the information. It was sufficient that its acts and conclusions be proclaimed without any prelude cir reasoning process. Hence it has been difficult to obtain early Congressional documents. But it has been conclusively proven that the great motive power in gaining the approbation of the Ordinance of 1787, was neither Dane nor Jefferson, but Dr. Cutler. He arrived at New York, July 5 of that year, after a journey from Ipswich, Mass., in his sulky. He obtained lodgings at the "Plow and Harrow," and saw that his good horse was properly cared for and fed at the same place. Congress was then in session, and he had come on a mission for the Ohio Com- pany, to negotiate their grant and its privileges in the ncAV Territory of Ohio. He remained in New York three weeks, constantly engaged in the work vital to the interests of the future great State. But he secured the installment of the principles deemed the corner-stone of a future powerful State constitution. Mr. Poole, Librarian of the Chicago Public Library, searched assiduously for con- clusive proof of Dr. Cutler's right to this honor, and in the North American Review, Vol. 122, this is emphatically set forth with substantiating proof under his signature. Other facts have been discussed and proven at a very recent date, relative to the State of Ohio, which heretofore have been omitted, and nearly lost from the historic thread which unites the present with the past. The first settlement of the lands of the Northwest is necessarily surrounded with interest. But those were exciting, troublesome times, and a few links were passed over lightly. However, the years are not so far removed in the past but the line may be traced. Mr. Francis W. Miller, of Cincinnati, has supplied some missing chapters. The earliest documentary trace extant, regarding the southern settlement at Cincinnati, is an agreement of partnership between Denman, Filson and Pat- terson, in the fractional section of land to which the city of Cincinnati was originally limited. It bears the date August 25, 1788. This was entered on the records of Hamilton County, Ohio, October 6, 1803. HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 179 A letter from Jonathan Dayton to the Hon. Judge Symmes, dated Septem- ber 26, 1789, says: "You have been selling your lands, I am told, for two shillings specie, the acre. The price at this moment is, and seems to be, and undoubtedly is, a good one ; but as much cannot be said of it when you find hereafter that in consequence of the rise of certificates, another acre, in another payment, may cost you in specie two shillings and sixpence." A letter from John C. Symmes to Capt. Dayton, dated April 30, 1790, says: "The land in the reserved township is held at much too high a price. Not a foot of land beyond the five-acre lots will sell. Five shillings, specie, or two dollars in certificates, is the utmost they will bring, and they will rarely sell at that." This state of affairs was in a large degree brought about by the breaking-up of North Bend and a removal of the town to Fort Washington, or Cincinnati, later. A search through the old letters and other preserved documents prove that North Bend was at one time the beginning of the great city on the Ohio, rather than Cincinnati. Judge Symmes wrote. May 18, 1789 : " I have not as yet been able to make a decisive choice of a plat for the city, though I have found two pieces of ground, both eligible, but not upon the present plan of a regular square. It is a question of no little moment and difficulty to deter- mine which of these spots is preferable, in point of local situation. I know that at first thought men will decide in favor of that on the Ohio, from the supposition that the Ohio will command more trade and business than the Miami. * * * But if it were built on the Miami, the settlers throughout the purchase would find it very convenient." Another of the earliest selections of town sites was adjacent to the most southerly point of what is now Delhi Township. To this the name of South Bend was given. Judge Symmes reports November 4, 1790, of this place, over forty framed and hewed-log two-story houses, since the preceding spring. Ensign Luce is said to have taken his troops to North Bend, but decided to remove to Cincinnati, on account of the object of his affections having settled there — the wife of a settler. But this story is refuted by contradictory evi- dence from Judge Symmes' letters, which illustrate the fact that the post of North Bend was abandoned by Ensign Luce and his men in consequence of a panic, caused by Indian attacks. The removal of the troops caused a general decline of the town. Again, history and letters from the same eminent Judge, assert that Fort Washington was completed and garrisoned by Maj. Doughty before the close of that same year, and was begun by him during the summer, that Ensign Luce must have still been at his post at the bend at that time. It has been, therefore, recently accepted that the traditional "black eyes" and the "Indian panic," had nothing to do with the founding of Cincinnati, and that the advantages of the position gained the victory. Cincinnati has advanced, not only in prosperity and culture, but in national significance. Our readers must have observed, in perusing these pages, that 180 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. from this city and the State which it represents, have emanated some of the superior intellects which have used their wise faculties and talents, tempered by a wise judgment, in behalf of the American Union. The originality of the Senecas and Wyandots have been debated at some length, while others have called the tribes the same, having two branches. We have searched the earlier records and have found an authenticated account of these two tribes. The Indian tribes of Ohio were originally bold, fierce and stalwart. The country watered by the Sandusky and its tributaries was frequented by the Wyandot tribe, who came from the north side of the St. Lawrence River. The Senecas were blood relatives of this tribe. Both tribes were numbered by the thousands. A war originated between them, in this manner: A Wyandot chief desired to wed the object of his affections, who laughed him to scorn, because he had taken no scalps, and was no warrior " to speak of" To change her opinion, he led out a party, and falling upon a number of Senecas, slaugh- tered them mercilessly, that he might hasten to the side of his dusky belle, with his trophies. This act inaugurated hostilities, which extended through a century. The Wyandots began to fear extermination, and, gathering their entire effects^ the natives escaped to Green Bay, and settled in several villages. But the Sen- ecas made up a war party and followed them, killing many Wyandots and burn- ing some of their villages. They then returned to Canada. Soon thereafter, they secured fire-arms from the French. Again they followed the Wyandots, firing their guns into their huts, and frightening thepa severely. They did not succeed as well as they expected. But the third party nearly exterminated the villages, because the young warriors were nearly all gone to war with the Foxes. The few at home escaping, promised to return with the Senecas, but desired two days for preparation. The Wyandots sent word to the two villages left undisturbed, and held a consultation. They decided to go as near the Senecas as possible, unobserved, and discover their real motive. They found them feast- ing on two roasted Wyandots, shouting over their victory. They danced nearly all night, and then fell asleep. A little before daylight, the Wyandots fell on them, leaving not one to carry back the news. The Wyandots then procured guns, and began to grow formidable. They set out to return to their own country, and proceeded on their way as far as Detroit, where they met a party of Senecas, on the lake. A fierce conflict ensued, and the Wyandots beheld the Senecas fall, to the last man, suffering fearful carnage themselves. They soon settled in this part of the world, their principal village being on the Sandusky. Northwestern Ohio was particularly dangerous with new Indian tribes, and the Wyandots were cruelly aggressive. The death of their chief, and their total defeat by Harrison, destroyed their power forever. On the 29th of September, 1817, a treaty was held, at the foot of the rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie, between Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur, HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. 181 Commissioners of the United States, and the sachems, chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawattomie, Ottawa and Chippewa nations. All their lands in Ohio were ceded to the United States forever. There was really not a Seneca in the Seneca nation. They were chiefly Cayugas, Mohawks, Onondagas, Tuscarawas, Wyandots and Oneidas. But the Mingoes were originally Cayugas, and their chief was the celebrated Logan. After the murder of his family by the whites, the Mingoes were scattered over the territory northwest of the Ohio. The notorious Simon Girty was adopted by the Senecas. Girty's name was a terror and fiendish horror for many years. He not only led the Indians in their atrocities, but he added barbarism to their native wickedness. CONCLUSION. When peace was proclaimed, after the surrender of Gen. Robert E.^2ee to Gen. U. S. Grant, the volunteer troops disbanded, and a return to home indus- tries instituted, Ohio, like many other States, gave direct attention to the inter- ests of returned soldiers. The thrift of the State was augmented by a spasmodic, and thereafter recognized as a fictitious, demand for products, commercial and industrial pursuits redoubled their forces. But the great wave of stagnation swept over this fair land — the re-action of a war excitement. Laborers were many, but wages were inadequate. Deeper and deeper settled this lethargy — called by many " hard times" — until the wheels of commercial life revolved slowly, and from the workshops and the factories went up the echoes of priva- tion and distress. There was no famine, no fever, no epidemic, it was simply exhaustion. In the larger cities there was much suffering. Idle people loitered about, barely seeking employment, the task seeming worse than hopeless. During the years 1870, 1871 and 1872, the stringent measures brought about by the depressed state of business retarded any material advancement in general matters. The years 1873-74 were marked by a preceptible improve- ment, and a few factories were established, while larger numbers were employed in those already founded. The year 1875 was under the direction of a Demo- cratic Legislature. It was marked in many respects by a " reverse motion " in many laws and regulations. The Legislature which convened in 1876, January 3, was Republican in the main. It repealed the " Geghan Law " passed by the preceding body. At the time of its adoption, there was the most intense feeling throughout the State, the charge being made that it was in the interests of the Catholics. Among the general enactments were laws re-organizing the government of the State insti- tutions, which the previous Legislature had ordered according to their own belief to follow new doctrines. The ofiice of Comptroller of the Treasury was abolished. The powers of municipal corporations to levy taxes was limited, and their authority to incur debts was limited. Furthermore, this body prohibited any municipal appropriations, unless the actual money was in the Treasury to meet 182 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF OHIO. the same in full. A law was passed for the protection of children under fourteen years of age, exhibited in public shows. The temperance cause received more vigorous and solid support than was ever rendered by the State previously. A common-sense, highly moral and exalted platform was formed and supported by many leading men. This year witnessed the serious "strikes" among the miners in Stark and Wayne Counties. The consequences were painful — distress, riots and distruc- tion of property. The State Mine Inspector reported 300 coal mines in the State, with only twenty-five in operation. Not oyer 3,000,000 tons of coal were raised during the year, owing to the dullness of the times. The State charities reported the aggregate number under public care to be 29,508. The taxation for the maintenance of these classes was one and one six-hundredth of a mill on each dollar of taxable property. The reports given of the year 1877 indicated a revival of business interests and prosperity. The State produced of wheat, 27,306,566 bushels ; rye, 914,106 bushels; buckwheat, 225,822 bushels; oats, 29,325,611; barley, 1,629,817 bushels ; corn, 101,884,305 bushels ; timothy, tons of hay, 2,160,334 ; clover, tons of hay, 286,265; flax, pounds of fiber, 7,343,294; potatoes, 10,504,278 bushels; sweet potatoes, 126,354| bushels; tobacco, 24,214,950 pounds ; sorghum, sugar, 7,507| pounds ; syrup, 1,180,255 gallons ; maple sugar, 1,625,215 pounds; maple syrup, 324,036 gallons; honey, 1,534,902 pounds. The growth of manufacturing industries, the remarkable annual increase in stock and in agricultural products since 1877, leave no room to doubt the rapid advancement of Ohio in general wealth. PART III. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY, ^"2" :r. o. :b:ro^jvi^ HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 195 built to protect themselves from the host of enemies around ; but to find the need of such j^rotection " now one must go beyond the Mississippi, to a few widely scattered points in Arizona, New Mexico and Oregon. The enemy that once camped in sight of the Atlantic has retreated toward the slope of the Pacific, and from that long retreat there can be no returning. East of the stream which he called the Father of Waters, nothing is left of the Indian except the beautiful names he gave and the graves of his dead, save here and there the remnants of once powerful tribes, living on reservations by the sufferance of their conqueror^. The Indian has resisted and will continue to resist every effort to civilize him by coercion, every attempt to force at the point of the bayonet the white man's ideas into his brain. He does not want and will not have our manners or our code of morals forced upon him. The greatest redeeming feature in the Indian character and career is that he has always preferred the worst sort of freedom to the best sort of slavery. Whether his choice was a wise one or not the reader can determine; but it is impossible not to feel some admiration for the indomit- able spirit that has never bowed to the yoke, never called any man ' 'master. ' ' The Indian is a savage, but he never was, never will be, a "slave. We have treated him like a dog and are surprised that he bites. In a speech in New York City, not long before his death, Gen. Samuel Houston, indisputable authority on such matters, declared with solemn emphasis that "there never was an Indian war in which the white man was not the aggressor. " Ag- gression leading to war is not our heaviest sin against the Indian. He has been deceived, cheated and robbed to such an extent that he looks upon most of the white race as villains to whom he should show no quarter. A very decided feeling of justice to the abused red man is gaining ground of late years, and numerous able writers have been engaged in defending him, among whom are Joaquin Miller, the poet, and Hon. A. B. Meacham. But we can well afford, after getting all his land and nearly exterminating him, to ex- tend to him a little cheap sympathy. The Indians of this continent were never so numerous as has generally been supposed, although they were spread over a vast extent of country. Continual wars prevented any great increase, and their mode of life was not calculated to promote longevity or numbers. The great body of them origi- nally were along the Atlantic seaboard, and most of the Indian tribes had traditions that their forefathers lived in splendid hunting grounds far to the westward. The best authorities affirm that, on the discovery of this country, the number of the scattered aborigines of the territory now forming the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan could not have ex- ceeded 18.000. The earliest date of any authentic knowledge of the Indian in this section is 1650, when the Eries held possession of the northern portion of what is now Ohio. They lived along the southern borders of the lake which bears their name, but when their domains were invaded by the Iroquois, about 1655, most of them fell before their relentless foes, whilst the remainder became incorporated with other tribes, were di'iven farther southward, or adopted into those of their conquerors. During the first half of the seven- teenth century the Shawnees were living along the valley of the Ohio, but they, too, were dispersed by the Five Nations, or Iroquois, and dispossessed of their lands, though they subsequently returned to their early hunting grounds. For many years before and after 1700 this entire territory was 196 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. occupied by the remnants of defeated tribes, who were permitted to remain by sufferance of their conquerors, the latter exacting a tribute', collected at will from the wandering and unsettled tribes. In 1750, however, some- thing like permanent occupation had again taken place, and we find in what is now Ohio the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees, Miamis, Miinsees, Ottawas, Senecas, Cayugas, Mohawks, Oneidas and Onondagas, the last five being known in history as the Mingoes of Ohio. The Wyandots then inhabited the valleys of the Sandusky Eiver and its tributaries, and also dwelt around Sandusky Bay, and along a few other streams flowing into Lake Erie. The Delawares and Munsees occupied the Muskingum Valley. The Shawnees lived along the Scioto fi'om the Ohio to the Scioto Marsh, and also had a few towns on the Miami and Mad Rivers. The Miamis occupied the country drained by the headwaters of the Mau- mee, Wabash and Great Miami Rivers, from the Loramie portage across to Fort Wayne and down the Maumee Valley. The Ottawas were scattered along the Lower Blanchard, Auglaize and Maumee Rivers, and around the western end of the lake ; while the Mingoes, composed of Senecas, Cayugas, Mohawks, Oneidas and Onondagas, were settled in the eastern and north- eastern portions of the State, but, like the other tribes, were gradually pushed westward. By the Greenville treaty, ratified August 3, 1795, the United States ac- quired from the Indians about two-thirds of the present territory of Ohio. The boundary line began at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River; thence up that stream to the portage leading to the Tuscarawas River; thence along the portage and down the Tuscarawas to the forks (the town of Bolivar) ; thence in a southwesterly direction to Loramie' s store, on the Great Miami River (in Shelby County); thence to Fort Recovery (in Mercer County); thence southwest to the Ohio, opposite the mouth of the Kentucky River. All of the lands east and south of this line were ceded by the Indians to the Government. The previous treaties of Fort Mcintosh, in 1785, Fort Fin- ney, in 1786, and Fort Harmar, in 1789, had a similar object in view, but failed in accomplishing a peace of sufficient permanence for the whites to obtain possession of the coveted territory. The Indians also ceded to the Government, by the treaty of Greenville, several tracts within the territory still retained by them, for the establishment of trading posts or settlements. Those in Ohio were located at gr near Loramie' s store, and on the St. Mary's, Auglaize, Maumee and Sandusky Rivers, and Sandusky Bay. The tribes likewise guaranteed to the people of the United States free passage by land and water between said posts. By a treaty made at Fort Industry (Toledo), July 4, 1805, all of the Western Reserve west of the Cuyahoga River was secured. In November, 1807, the lands north of the Maumee were purchased by treaty at Detroit, Mich. , fi-om the Ottawas, Wyandots, Pottawatomies and Chippewas; and in November, 1808, the same tribes, with the Shawnees, by a treaty at Brownstown, Mich. , granted a tract two miles wide for a road through the Black Swamp, from the Maumee Rapids to the east line of the Western Reserve. On the 29th of September, 1817, a treaty was made at the foot of the Maumee Rapids, with the W^yandots, Ot- tawas, Shawnees, Delawares, Senecas, Pottawatomies and Chippewas, and all of the lands in this State then remaining in possession of the Indians were ceded to the United States. Certain reservations were set aside by this treaty for the uses of the sev- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 197 eral Indian tribes, to which large additions were made by a treaty con- cluded at St. Mary' s, Ohio, with the Wyandots, Senecas, Shawnees and Ot- tawas, September 17, 1818. The Wyandot Eeservations embraced a tract of twelve miles square around Upper Sandusky, one mile square on Broken Sword Creek, 55,080 acres lying on the north and east of the Upper San- dusky Reserve, and 16,000 acres surrounding the Big Spring at the east end of the marsh (in what is now the southwest corner of Seneca County, and extending across the line into Big Lick Township, Hancock County), the last mentioned tract being ' ' for the use of the Wyandots residing at Solomon' s Town and on Blanchard' s Fork. " The Delawares had a reserve of three miles square immediately south of the Wyandots, extending into Marion County. The Ottawas had three tracts set aside for their residence, viz. : five miles square on the Blanchard River around the village of Ottawa (Putnam County), three miles square on the Little Auglaize around Oquanoxa's Town, and thirty -foiu- square miles on the south side of the Maumee, including the village of the Indian chief McCarty. The Shawnees had reserved ten miles square around their village of Wapakoneta (Auglaize County), twenty square miles adjoining it on the east, twenty-five square miles on Hog Creek, also adjoining the first mentioned tract, and forty-eight square miles surrounding the Indian village of Lewistown (Logan County). Another tract containing 8,960 acres, lying west of the Lewistown Reserva- tion, was set aside for mixed bands of Shawnees and Senecas. The "Sene- cas of Sandusky" were given 40,000 acres on Sandusky River, lying in what is now Seneca and Sandusky Counties. Besides the foregoing reservations, numerous smaller tracts were granted at different points to individual chiefs, half-breeds and adopted whites then living with the Indians. In 1818 the Miamis, whose reservation included lands on St. Mary's River, near the west line of the State, ceded the same to the United States. In 1829 the Dela- ware Reserve was purchased, and, in 1831, the reservations located in Logan, Auglaize, Seneca, Hancock and Sandusky Counties, were like- wise obtained, and those of the Ottawas in 1838. In March, 1842, the Wyandots ceded their lands to the Government, and in July of the following year the last Indian left Ohio for the far West. Thus, after a struggle of more than three-quarters of a century, the red man was at last forced^to suc- cumb to the strength and prowess of a superior race, and his bloodthirsty efforts were futile to stem the onward march of American civilization. The territory embraced in Hancock County lay between the Indian towns in what is now Wyandot and Seneca Counties and those located on the Blanchard, Auglaize and Maumee Rivers. It was a portion of the hunting grounds of the Wyandots and Ottawas, who within the period of American history roamed at will through its unbroken forests. The Wyan- dots had a small village on the site of Findlay, and cultivated corn along the river within the present limits of the city. Howe, in his ' 'Historical Collections, " speaking of the settlement of Wilson Vance at Fort Findlay, in 1821, says: "There were then some ten or fifteen Wyandot families in the place, who had made improvements. They were a temperate, fine-look- ing people, and friendly to the first settlers. ' ' Howe was, probably, mis- taken, as under the treaty of 1817 the Indians gave up all claims to' these lands and removed to certain reservations set aside for their benefit, one of which was "reserved for the use of the Wyandots residing at Solomon's Town and on Blanchard' s Fork." This plainly indicates that there were 198 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. settlements of Wyandots on the Blauchard, and we believe Findlay was the site of one of these villages. The writer called upon Mrs. Elizabeth Eberly, a daughter of Benjamin J. Cox, who now resides near Portage, Wood County, and in reply to his questions she gave the following information: "When my father settled at Fort Find- lay, in 1815, there were eight or ten families of friendly Wyandots living around and in the block-houses of the fort. They tilled two fields, one above and the other below Fort Findlay, on the south bank of the Blanch- ard. Kuqua was the chief, and one of his sons, Tree-Top-in-The- Water, died in a cabin west of the fort before the Indians removed to Big Spring Reservation. New Bearskin, another of Kuqua' s sons, lived in one of the block-houses, and the old chief also occupied one of the same buildings. Six or seven miles down the river the Wyandots had another village, which my father sometimes visited. Solomon, who once lived in Logan County, dwelt at the latter village, and often came to our house. We never had any trouble with the Indians who lived upon the Blanchard, and when they removed to Big Spring, Kuqua offered my father a tract of land near the spring if he would go and live with them, but he did not care to go, and refused the kind offer. ' ' The foregoing may be regarded as indubitable proof that the Wyandots had two villages on the Blanchard, in what is now Han- cock County, and also that the sites of these towns were at Findlay and ' ' Indian Green, ' ' in Liberty Township. As further evidence of the existence of an Indian village on the site of Findlay, an excerpt is here given from the work of Squire Carlin, who is recognized as a reliable authority on local pioneer history: "When I settled at Findlay, in the fall of 1826," says Mr. Carlin, "several small cabins stood west of the old fort, and others southwest of the residence of Wilson Vance, in the rear of the Sherman House site. There were no Indians living here at that time, but I understood these cabins were built by the Indians, and that they also had raised corn on the river bottoms above the fort. It has always been my impression that an Indian village once existed at this point, though I believe the occupants moved away soon after the treaty of 1818 and before the erection of Hancock County in 1820." In the history of Liberty Township, the Indian village that once stood on the north bank of the Blanchard, in Section 7, is spoken of. It is gen- erally believed that the Wyandots had a settlement here up to the treaty of 1818, when all these lands having been ceded to the Government, this band removed to their reservation at the Big Spring. Further down the river, in Putnam County, the Ottawas had, up to the time of their removal to the West, two villages, one on the site of Ottawa, and another two miles above that point. These towns were known as Upper and Lower 'Tawa, the latter being on the site of Ottawa, and the former between that and Gilboa. The Wyandot village in Liberty Township was surrounded by a clearing of some twelve acres, whereon the Indians had a graveyard, and a plum orchard. It has been claimed that an earth fortification once ran along the brow of the hill overlooking the river. Careful examination of what is said to be the remains of this defensive work leads the writer to believe the cut back of the elevation was made by the washings of the surface di-ainage into the river. There is nothing here to sustain the theory of an artificial earth- work, and no reasonable grounds iipon which to base such a conclusion. The site of this village was deserted prior to the coming of any white set- HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 199 tiers to its vicinity, and was subsequently owned by Robert McKinnis. A man named Ellison settled upon this tract and began opening the graves for the purpose of obtaining the ornaments or, valuables usually interred with the Indian dead. The Indians, learning of the desecration, visited Ellison, and so thoroughly scared him that he soon afterward left the county. Some of the pioneers tell us it was the general belief that Ellison stole about a half bushel of jewelry from these graves, but this is, no doubt, an exagger- ation. There is scarcely a township in the county where Indian remains have not been discovered, as they buried their dead in any spot which fancy dic- tated. Ornaments of gold, silver or copper were usually found in each grave. Some of the pioneers have claimed that Mount Blanchard is also the site of an Indian village, and, from the large number of relics found there by early settlers, it is highly probable that a band of Wyandots once dwelt at that point. The character of the Indians who frequented this ''county cannot be more appropriately illustrated than by giving a few extracts from the " Personal Reminiscences" of Job ChamlDerlin, Esq., of Findlay, written in 1874: ' ' The county, ' ' says Mr. Chamberliu (speaking of the early years of set- tlement beginning with 1822), "was full of Indians, chiefly Wyandots. Those that we became the best acquainted with were Solomon, Bigpan, Bearskin, Kuqua, Johnnycake, Half John, Isaac Hill and Armstrong. Sol- omon had been a chief in the war of 1812, and he had the temerity to boast, to some of his white fi'iends here, of his barbarous feats and inhuman treat- ment of his captives. He said at one time he cut his prisoners' tongues off. He compelled them to put their tongues out, and as he could not hold them with his bare hand, he would take a piece of flannel in his hand and catch hold of the tongue with that, then he could hold it and pull it out as far as possible to cut it ofl'. He would make a gurgling noise down his throat to mimic the victims of his cruelty in their efforts to talk. He also boasted of having killed twenty women at one time. He and another Indian went to a house where twenty women were collected together for safety, when he broke open the door and went in, whilst his companion stood at the door to prevent their escape. He said there was one woman who fought him with a chair, and came very near overpowering him, while the others crawled under the beds. But he finally killed the one who gave him battle, and then had nothing to do but di-ag out the others and tomahawk them. ' ' Kuqua was their doctor, and practiced divination. To cure the patient he would pow-wow aroimd the sick bed, and thump around the room until the demons, which were supposed to be the cause of the disease, would be driven away, and the patient restored to health. * * * ijij^p Indians possessed the same fanatical belief in witchcraft that was so dis- graceful to the Pilgrim Fathers, and like them would inflict capital punish- ment on the victims of their suspicion. Just after we came here, there was a squaw living in the eastern part of the county, whom the Indians decided had lived to such an extreme old age as to have outlived all usefulness, and must therefore be a witch. So they appointed two of their braves to execute the death sentence previously passed upon her for the crime of witchcraft. They took her into the woods, and each taking hold of an arm raised it up and thrust his knife into her side, which soon terminated her life. They very indifferently bui-ied her, and the hogs were afterward seen feasting upon the remains. ********* 200 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. ' ' The Indians were generally peaceable, but sometimes there would be a * difficulty between them and the white settlers, usually as to the ownership of stock. Their hogs ran wild in the woods, and occasionally a reckless white man would kill some of them, and then the innocent would be blamed. My father had a yearling heifer stray away to town, and when he went after it the Indians had caught and fastened it with a cord, and refused to sur- render the animal. My father, somewhat incensed, commenced untying the cord, when Bigpan came up and took hold of his hand, saying, ' No! no! no!' but father persisted, and untied it, and let the calf fi-ee. The Indian said, 'Now you steal my cow, and maybe you steal hog. ' "There were a few drunken Indians came into my father's cabin one day. My sister was sitting in a chair in front of the fire, when one of them came up behind her and flourished his big knife over her head, making murderous demonstrations ; but the squaws quickly came f orwai'd and took the knife away fi'om him. They also took the weapons from the other In- dians and carried them to a safe distance, and the band soon departed with- out further trouble. But the Indians were a fruitful source of wealth to traders and dealers in furs and deer skins. ***** "I have seen some of the Indians with their ears cut from the ear-lap about half-way around, close to the rim, but not cut loose at either end. The flesh would heal and hang in a cord, on which they would place their rings. They would wear moccasins on their feet, made of well-dressed deer skin, hand- somely ornamented with colored beads cut from porcupine quills, and beau- tifully arranged around the ankle and over the top of the moccasin. Some would wear a silver tube, three or four inches long and about one inch in diameter, on top of the head, which was held in place by drawing the hair firmly through it. The warriors occasionally Would paint their cheeks red, put a red stripe over each eye-brow, one down the bridge of the nose and one on the chin. The whites thought these marks significant of war, and that the Indians thus marked were the allies of some warring tribe of the West. Some of the whites were fearful they would be victims, but they were never molested, except in a few personal encounters, one of which took place on the premises of John P. Hamilton, Esq. Asa Lake had called to stay over night, and the Indian, Armstrong, who had been drinking too much whisky, also came there for the same purpose. They went to the stable to feed their horses, and when Mr. Hamilton went up in the mow to throw down hay, Lake thought he would have some sport with the Indian, and taunted him about decorating his face, until the redskin got mad, drew his knife, and thrust it at Lake's breast with all his might, but missed his aim, the knife passing under Lake' s arm and cutting a long slit in his coat. Lake sprang for a club, knocked the Indian down, and perhaps would have killed him had not Mr. Hamilton interfered and pacified Lake, by reminding him that he had provoked the trouble and should not blame the drunken Indian. Mr. Hamilton took the Indian into the house and kept him all night, which kind act made Armstrong his fi'iend ever afterward. * * * ' 'But the Indians, like the wild animals, were 'under cow' to the white man, as the following instance will fully illustrate: Mr. Hamilton set a trap to catch wolves, and one morning on going to where his trap had been set, found that it had disappeared. He concluded it had been stolen, and accused Half John with taking it, but the Indian declared positively that he was innocent. Mr. Hamilton, however, was so sure he was the thief HISTORV OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 201 that he told the Indian he would shoot him unless he returned the trap. Half John, thoroughly frightened, hunted all day for the missing trap, and in the evening came to Hamilton and requested the latter to go with him, that he had found the trap. Hamilton went, and was considerably chagrined to find his trap on the leg of a big hog. ' ' Prior to the departure of the Wyandots for the far West, in July, 1843, the pioneers of Hancock County were greatly annoyed by the numerous bands of Indian hunters, who roamed the forest in search of game. Many of these Indians regarded the produce of the whites as a part of their legiti mate spoils, and would bring venison and other game to the isolated cabins to exchange for other commodities, and always managed to get what they were most in need of. The struggling settler very often had to share his scanty meal with any Indian who called at his cabin, and they were always ready to eat. The Indians were, as a rule, goui'mands, and we can easily imagine the feelings of the needy family upon whom one or more of these lazy fellows would call for food. It is true they sometimes repaid such hospitality, nevertheless their frequent coming was often a heavy drain upon the meager resources of the pioneers, who were not sorry when they finally left the country. It was a part of the inevitable that the red man should depart and the white man take his place, and no thoughtful, civilized person would prefer a land covered with forests and ranged by semi-savages, to a great State embellished with all the improvements that art can devise or industry execute. CHAPTER II. The Pioneers of Hancock County— Their Sacrifices and Heroic Per- severance— Blanchard. THE French Exile— Erection and Occupa- tion OF Fort Findlay— Thorp, the Sutler — First Permanent White Settlers — Birth of the First White Child in Hancock County— Pioneers of the County Prior to 1830— Immigration to Northwestern Ohio and Its Accompanying Hardships— Beginning Work in the Unbroken Forest— The Pioneer Cabin and Its Fur- niture— Table Ware, Food and Medicine of the Pioneers — Habits, Labor and Dress— Early- Manners and Customs — Social Gather- ings—First Marriage in the County— The Grater and Hominy Block — Pioneer Mills of Hancock County— Difficulties of Going to Mill— Prices of Store Goods, Produce and Furs During Early Days — Mode of Living— The Pioneer Church and School- Rapid Growth and Material Progress of the County After Its Organ- ization—The Hancock County Pioneer and Historical Associa- tion. "What heroism, what perils, then ! How true of heart and strong of hand, How earnest, resolute, those pioneer men!" IN every country there is but one generation of i^ioneers. The history of that generation possesses a value and an interest which belong to no sub- sequent period. Leaving behind them the comforts and influences of a civil- ized community, the pioneers came to a new country, densely forested, and applied their stui'dy and earnest energies to the destruction of the 202 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. towering timber, and the rearing upon its ruins of a new civilization, similar to that fi'om which they migrated. The struggles and dangers they must undergo, the habits and customs which their new environment engen- dered, the gradual ajjproach of their institutions from the inadequacy at their inception to the present stage of efficiency, and the self-denying mode of life they were obliged to adopt, present a phase of life that has now de- parted from this State forever. Less than one hundred years ago there was not a single white settlement throughout the length and breadth of Ohio, and seventy- five years ago not a single white family living in Hancock County. Could those who have seen this county only as it now is, borrow the eyes of the sturdy pioneers who helped to make the transformation, in place of the now smiling fields and comfortable homes, naught but a vast wilderness, filled with savage beasts, would greet their sight. The present generation can form no just conception of the trials, endless labors, sacrifices and privations to which the first settlers heroically submitted. They were not seeking fortunes nor fame; they were intent only on making a home for their childi'en, and from that laudable impelling motive has arisen the splendid structure of Western civilization we see all around us. "These Western pioneers an impulse felt, Wliich their less hardy sons scarce understand." Their industry, enterprise and perseverance wrought from out nature's wilds the great prosperity which in the sunlight of to-day, fi'om every hillside and glen, looks up to smile u.pon us. The pioneers of Hancock County, with few exceptions, have passed to their final account, and it remains for their descendants to keep bright the recollections of such names and events as have come down to them, for the memory of their deeds deserves to be " written in characters of living light upon the firmament, there to endure as radiant as if every letter was traced in shining stars. " Prior to the coming of the real pioneers, a few wandering whites had found their way into the territory drained by the Blanchard River. On the authority of Col. John Johnston, long the government agent of the Shawnee Indians, Howe, in his "Historical Collections," speaking of Blanchard, after whom the stream was named, says: "He was a native of France and a man of intelligence, but no part of his history could be obtained from him. He doubtless fled his country for some offense against its laws, intermarried with a Shawnee woman, and after living here thirty years died in 1802, at or near the site of Fort Findlay. When the Shawnees immigrated to the West seven of his children were living, one of whom was a chief. ' ' There is no doubt that this portion of the State was traversed by French traders many years before and after the planting of the first permanent American settlement northwest of the Ohio. Many of these men married squaws and lived with the Indians as one of themselves. It is therefore probable that Blanchard, who, it is said, was a tailor, may have dwelt at intervals and worked at his trade in the several Indian villages located on the stream which bears his name; and as there was a village on the site of Mount Blanchard, another on the site of Findlay, and a third farther down the river in Liberty Township, one of these was doubtless the place to which Col. Johnston had reference. The following account of Blanchard, prepared and read before the %yio,fi Cl/.cLState there shall be taken, between the first Monday in September and the first Monday in October in each year, an enumeration of all unmarried youth, noting race and sex between six and twenty-one years of age, resident within the district and not temporarily there, designating also the number between six- een and twenty-one years of age, the number residing in the Western Re- erve, the Virginia Military District, the United States Military District, and in any original surveyed township or fractional township to which belongs Section 16, or other land in lieu thereof, or any other lands for the use of schools or any interest in the proceeds of such land: Provided, that in addition to the classified return of all the youth residing in the district that the aggregate number of youth in the district resident of any adjoin- ing county shall be separately given, if any such there be, and the name of the county in which they reside. ' ' The clerk of each board of education is required to transmit annually to the county auditor an abstract of the re- turns of enumeration made to him on or before the second Monday of Oc- tober. The county auditor is required to transmit to the State Commissioner, on or before the 5th day of November, a duly certified abstract of the enumer- ation returns made to him by clerks of school districts. The law provides that ' ' the Auditor of State shall, annually, apportion the common school funds among the different counties upon the enumeration and retiu'ns made to him by the State Commissioner of common schools, and certify the amount so apportioned to the county auditor of each county, stating fi-om what sources the same is derived, which said sum the several county treas- urers shall retain in their respective treasuries from the State funds ; and the county auditors shall, annually, and immediately after their annual settle- ment with the county treasurers, apportion the school funds for their respective counties according to the enumeration and returns in their respective offices." The law provides that the school year shall begin on the 1st day of Sep- tember of each year, and close on the 31st of August of the succeeding HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 299 year. A school week shall consist of five days, and a school month of four school weeks. The law also provides, in relation to common schools, that they shall be " fi-ee to all youth between six and twenty-one years of age who are children, wards or apprentices of actual residents of the school district, and no pupil shall be suspended therefi'om except for siich time as may be necessary to convene the board of education of the district, or local director of the subdistrict, nor be expelled unless by a vote of two-thirds of said board of local directors, after the parent or guardian of the offending pupil shall have been notified of the proposed expulsion, and permitted to be heard against the same; and no scholar shall be suspended or expelled from the privilege of schools beyond the current term : Provided, that each board of education shall have powei- to admit other persons, not under six years of age, upon such terms or upon the payment of such tuition as they prescribe; and boards of education of city, village or special districts shall also have power to admit, without charge or tuition, persons within the school age who are members of the family of any freeholder whose residence is not within such district, if any part of such freeholder's homestead is within such district; and Provided, further, that the several boards of education shall make such assignments of the youth of their respective districts to the schools established by them, as will, in their opinion, best promote the interests of education in their districts; and Provided, further, that nothing contained in this section shall supersede or modify the provisions of Section 31 of an act entitled ' an act for the reorganization, supervision and main- tenance of common schools, passed March 14, 1853, as amended March 18, 1864.' " Provision is made by law for the establishment and maintenance of teachers' institutes, which are established for the professional improvement of teachers. *At each session competent instructors and lecturers are employed to assist the State Commissioner, who is required by law to super- intend and encourage such institutes. They are either county, city or joint institutes of two or more counties, and the examination fees paid by teachers to boards of examiners are devoted to the payment of the expenses incurred by these instructions. Every youth in Ohio under twenty-one years of age may have the benefit of a public school education, and since the system of graded and high schools has been adopted, may obtain a general knowledge fi'om the alpha- bet to the classics. The enumerated branches of study in the public schools of this State are about thirty-four, including mathematics and astronomy, French, German and the classics. Thus, Ohio, which was in the heart of the wilderness one hundred years ago, and has been a State only eighty- three years, now presents to the world not merely an umivaled development of material prosperity, but a very good system of popular education. 300 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. CHAPTEK VIII. Internal Improvements— Hull's Trace— Opening of the Perrysbukg & Bellefontaine and Other State Roads Through Hancock Coun- ty—Pioneer County Roads— First Bridge Built Across the Blanch- ARD AT FiNDLAY, AND ITS SUCCESSORS— EARLY NAYIGATION ON THE BLANCH- ARD— First Mail Route Established Through the County— Joseph Gordon, the Veteran Mail Carrier— History of the Railroads— The Proposed Bellefontaine & Perrysburg Railroad— Findlay Branch of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western— Lake Erie & Western —Baltimore & Ohio— McComb, Deshler & Toledo— New York, Chi- cago & St. Louis— Cleveland, Delphos & St. Louis Narrow (jUAGe — Toledo, Columbus & Southern — Proposed Railroad Enterprises that HAVE Failed During the Past Forty-seven Years. DURING the earlier years of the county's history Hull's Trace was the principal highway through this portion of the State. It was opened in 1812 by the army of Gen. William Hull on its march from Urbana to the Maumee Rapids, and passed northward from the Scioto River through the cen- ter of Hancock County, traversing in its route what is now Madison, Eagle, Findlay and Allen Townships. Hull' s Trace could scarcely be called a road, for only the underbrush and very small timber were cut out so as to allow the gun-carriages and baggage wagons of the army to pass between the larger trees; yet nearly all of the travel fi'om Bellefontaine to the Maumee passed along this rude trace until after the organization of Wood County in 1820. Though the preliminaiy work of opening a highway from the Maumee southward via Fort Findlay to Bellefontaine was soon afterward commenced, it was nevertheless many years before anything that could be called a road was constructed through this county, and wagon paths blazed through the forest were the only means of communication between the scattered settle- ments. Many, even of the oldest citizens of the county, are under the impression that the Perrysburg & Bellefontaine road is located on the site of Hull's Trace, but such is not the fact. The trace struck the south line of Hancock County, about half a mile west of this road, thence, passing northward, ran down the west side of Eagle Creek to Fort Findlay, where it crossed the Blanchard; thence in a northerly direction, about half a mile east of the Perrysburg road, imtil reaching the highlands on the middle branch of the Portage River, a short distance south of Van Buren; thence took a north- west course along the southwest side of that stream into Wood County, and thence onward to the Maumee. The vanguard of Hull's army followed the dryest ground it could find, and avoided, wherever possible, the swales which then abounded in this region. Early in 1820 the General Assembly passed an act, ordering a State road to be laid out from the Maumee to Bellefontaine; and on the 27th of May, 1820, the commissioners of Wood County appointed Peter G. Oliver, ' ' road commissioner for the county of Wood, to assist in laying out the State road from Bellefontaine to the foot of the rapids of the Miami of the Lake. ' ' HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 301 This is familiarly known as the PeiTysbiU'g & Bellefontaine, but sometimes called'the Urbana, road, and is located on the range line between Ranges 10 and 11. Oliver entered into bond to lay out and let the contracts for open- ing said road from Fort Meigs to Fort Findlay, but it seems he did not ful- fill the conditions laid down by the board, and December 12, 1820, the com- missioners intimated thgit they would sue his bondsmen, biit gave him till February 1, 1821, " to finish his road, provided that the logs should all be removed out of said road by the 1st of January, 1821." The road was cut out as far south as Fort Findlay by the time specified, and accepted by the com- missioners February 21, 1821. From Fort Findlay to Bellefontaine the road was partly opened by John Enochs, of Logan County, about the same time. Nothing further relating to the road in this county aj^pears on the Wood County records till June 6, 1826, when the commissioners ordered ' ' that the sum of $400 of the 3 per cent fund appropriated for Hancock County, be expended on the Urbana road in the said county. ' ' This road could not have been satisfactorily opened through to Bellefontaine under the act of 1820, for another act was passed by the Legislature February 22, 1830, " to locate and establish a State road from Bellefontaine, in Logan County, to Fort Findlay, in Hancock County ; and thence on the range line be- tween Ranges 10 and ll,to the foot of the rapids of the Miami of Lake Erie. " Thomas F. Johnston, Thomas R. McKnight and James M. AVorkman, were appointed State Commissioners to lay out said road, and Walter Clement did the surveying. The survey was commenced at the public square in Belle- fontaine, May 20, 1830, and completed the following month, though the plat of the survey was not recorded in Wood County until about a year afterward. In Aiigust, 1830, the commissioners of Hancocli County agreed that the tax levied for the several State roads in this county be expended on the Bellefontaine & Perrysburg, the Upper Sandusky, Findlay & Defi- ance, and the State roads from Marion to Findlay, each of which were ordered to be cut out thirty-two feet wide, and the ground cleared of all timber. Thus it will be seen that ten years after the Perrysburg & Belle- fontaine road was first surveyed, it still remained comparatively unopened, but through the passing years it has been gradually improved, until it is to-day one of the best roads in the county. In the fall of 1828 the State road from Marion to Findlay was laid out by Don Alonzo Hamlin and George H. Busby, State Commissioners, and Samuel Holmes, surveyor. It unites with the Bellefontaine & Perrysburg road immediately south of the Eagle Creek bridge near the south line of Findlay Township, and passes southeastward through this county. In Au- gust, 1830, the county commissioners let the contract for cutting out this road thirty-two feet wide and removing the timber therefrom. The Upper Sandusky, Findlay & Defiance State road was surveyed early in 1830, and the contract for opening it let in August of that year. The survey of the State road fi-om Lower Sandusky (Fremont) to Findlay was commenced in November, 1830, by John Bell and Daniel Tindle, com- missioners, and David Camp, surveyor. Rome (now Fostoria), was after- wai'd laid out on this road. The Findlay & Port Clinton State road was surveyed in the fall of 1831 by David Camp, the State Commissioners being William L. Henderson, Joseph Hall and Ezekiel Price. This road runs in a northeast direction from Findlay to Port Clinton in Sandusky County. On the 6th of February, 1832, the Legislature passed an* act to establish 302 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. State roads through several counties, Hancock being one of those named in. said act. Under this act, Squire Carlin, Samuel Jacobs and Picket Doughte, State Commissioners, with William L. Henderson as surveyor, laid out the Findlay, Lima & St. Mary's State road in the fall of 1832. The State road from Findlay to Tiffin was laid out the same year, but it was not opened as we find it re-established in 1842 from Findlay to the east line of Marion Township, by order of the county commissioners. The Findlay & New Haven State road was established in the spring of 1833, beginning at Sandusky Street in Findlay, and running due east to New Haven, Huron Co. Case Brown was the State Commissioner, and T. C. Sweney, surveyor of this road. The Tiffin and Defiance State road was also laid out in the spring of 1833, by Jacob Foster, James Gordon and Christopher Sharp, commis- sioners, and William L. Henderson, surveyor. It passed westward through Kome and Risdon (now Fostoria), thence continued in a southwest course on the county ridge road surveyed in March, 1832, from the site of Risdon to the site of Van Buren; thence in the same general direction to the east line of Pleasant Township; thence inclined northwestwardly to the Putnam County line. In the spring of 1834, a State road was established from McCutcheaville, via Big Spring, in Seneca County, to Findlay. Joseph C. Shannon, John C. De Witt and Frederick Waggoner were the commis- sioners in charge, and Thomas C. Sweney, surveyor. In 1835, a State road was laid out from Bucyrus toward Fort Wayne, Ind., passing through Williamstown in its route; and the same year the Findlay & Kalida State road was established; Charles W. O'Neal surveyed the latter road, and Parlee Carlin and James Taylor were the road commissioners. Some of these highways were afterward changed in places, and parts vacated to accommodate the people living along their respective routes, while several years elapsed before they were fully opened and fit for travel. All of the earliest county roads, in Hancock County, were established under an act of the general assembly passed February 2(3, 1824, authorizing the opening and regulating of roads and highways within the State. The first road petition found on record, in this county, was presented to the commis- sioners June 1, 1829, for a public highway from the east line of the county to Findlay. The petitioners were John J. Hendi'icks, Justin Smith, Joseph Whiteman, James Beard, John Huff, John Beard, William Ebright, Sampson Dildine, John Williamson, Andrew Robb, Thomas Cole, David Hagerman, John Long, John Shoemaker and Mordecai Hammond. In September, 1829, the road was viewed by John HuflP, John J. Hendricks and William More- land, Jr., with William Taylor as surveyor; Peter George, James Beard, Joshua Powell and John Boyd, chainmen; and John Long, Philip Ebright and Norman Chamberlain, markers. The road was established by the com- missioners September 16, 1829. It began at Jacob Smith's on the county line (now in Wyandot County), and is the present road running westward through Vanlue to the Blanchard; thence passing down the northeast side of the river a few miles, when it crosses to the west side, and thence follows the meanders of the Blanchard into Findlay. The second petition was presented June 7, 1830, for a road commenc- ing on the line between Hancock and Hardin Counties, near the section line dividing sections 35 and 36, Delaware Township, thence down the west side of the Blanchard to Godfi-ey Wolford's mill in section 11, where it crossed the river, and continued down the east side of the stream through -5^^^^. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 305 the site of Mt. Blanchard until it intersected the county road to Findlay, laid out the previous fall, near the house of John J. Hendricks in Section 12, Amanda Township. The petition was signed by Aquilla Gilbert, Asa Lake, Jesse Gilbert, Chauncy Fuller, Reuben W. Hamlin, Godfrey Wolford, John Wolford, Josiah Elder, William J. Greer, William J. Greer, Jr.| John Rose, Asa M. Lake, George W. Wolford, John Elder, Ephrai'm El- der, Absalom Elder, Andrew Robb, Justin Smith, Amos Beard, William Ebright, Nathan Williams, James Gibson, David Egbert and Joseph W. Egbert. The commissioners appointed Thomas Thompson, James Beard and Peter G;e^rge, . viewers, and Wilson Vance, surveyor, to lay out said road; Elijah Beard and Charles Gibson were employed as chain carriers, and Godfi-ey Wolford, marker. All of the foregoing were pioneers of Del- aware and Amanda Townships. The road was surveyed in July, 1830, and established as a public highway April 18, 1831. In March, 1831, a county road was laid out, fi'om the Perrysburg & Belief ontaine State road, south of Chamberlin's Hill, up the west side of Eagle Creek to Section 14, Madison Township, where it crossed that stream, and upon reaching the center line of Section 23 turned southeastward and continued in that direction till it intersected the Perrysburg & Bellefon- taine road near the southern boimdary of the county. This road followed Hull's Trace from Chamberlin's Hill to section 23, Madison Township, but the north part of it was afterward vacated. The petition, as presented to the commissioners March 7, 1831, was signed by the following well-remem- bered pioneers: Benjamin O. Whitman, Jacol), Joseph, John and Jacob Helms, Jr., John, Adam and Elijah Woodi-ufP, Conrad Line, John Decker, Nathaniel Hill, Simeon and Thomas Ransbottom, John and Griffin Tullisi James West, Joshua Garrett, Abner Hill, Abel Tanner, Aaron Kinion| Alpheus Ralston, John Boyd, Leonard Tritch, Squire and Parlee Carlin, Henry Shaw, John C. Wickham, Major Bright, William Dulin and Isaac Johnson. Of these Squire Carlin and Alpheus Ralston are the only surviv- ors. The commissioners appointed William L. Henderson surveyor, and Jacob Foster, Peter George and John Bashore, viewers. John Tullis, Adam Woodi-uff and Elijah Woodruff acted as chainmen, and Abel Tanner, marker. The road was established June G, 1831, and was a little over four- teen miles in length. The Benton Ridge road was the next highway established by the com- missioners, in -compliance with a petition laid before the board in the fall of 1831, and signed by Squire and Parlee Carlin, Thomas F. Johnston, Levi Williamson, James Taylor, John Boyd, Matthew Reighly, William Taylor, Wilson Vance, John Groves, Joseph A. Sargent, William Dulin, Joshua Jones, William Moreland, Samuel Gordon, Joseph Johnson, William Fow- ler, Henry Lamb, Isaac Baker, Thomas Cole. Minor T. Wiclcham, Richard Wade, Zebulon Lee, Philip Cramer, John Mullen, John Cramer, Jacob Powell, Solomon Foglesong, Jacob Fox, Simon Cramer, William Lytle and Philip Cramer, Jr. The viewers appointed to lay out said road were Peter George, Isaac Baker and Thomas F. Johnston; William L. Henderson, sur- veyor; Frederick Henderson, Jonathan Parker, Stephen Lee, Reuben Baker, John Cramer, Henry Smaltz and William Greenly, chainmen; Mi- nor T. Wickham, Henry Baker, Philip Cramer and Adam Cramer, markers. The survey was completed in December, 1831, and March 5, 1832, the road was established by the board of commissioners. It begins at the west end 306 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. of Main Cross street, and runs northwest about a mile and a half to the Sand Eido-e; thence, turning abruptly southwestward, follows the ridge to the village of Benton, and thence in the same general direction to the Put- nam County line. Immediately west of Findlay was a low, wet piece of ground, and instead of running due west on a line with Main Cross Street, the viewers concluded to avoid this swale by deviating toward the north and following the higher ground. Throughout pioneer days the Benton Ridge road was one of the best public highways in the county, especially during wet seasons when many other roads became almost impassable. In February, 1832, William L. Henderson laid out a road, beginning at the house of Aquilla Gilbert, in Section 24, Amanda Township, thence run- ning northeast, till it intersected the State road from Upper Sandusky to Findlay, at the farm of Judge Jacob Smith, near the Crawford County line, but now in Wyandot County. Joseph Johnson, John Rose and Joshua Powell were the viewers; Henry Treese and Andrew Beck, chainmen, and Hemy George and Aquilla Gilbert, markers. The petitioners for this road were Adam Allspach, John Fenstemaker, Andi-ew Beck, Thomas Cole, Samuel Gordon, Thomas Thompson, Samuel Sargent, Elijah and James Beard, Joseph Egbert, Michael Misamore, Joseph Craig, Aquilla Gilbert, Isaac Litzenberger, John Condron, John Longwith, Asa M. Lake, William J. Greer, Henry Treese, William Ebright, W^illiam Taylor, Godfrey AVolford and Elisha Brown. The road was established in March, 1832, and is one of the principal highways traversing Amanda Township. A coimty road was laid out in March, 1832, on the ridge from Risdon (now Fostoria) to the site of Van Bui'en, and established by the commis- sioners as a public highway the following June. Christian Barnd, Jacob Foster and Thomas Slight were the viewers, and William L. Henderson, sur- veyor. The petition for this road was signed by John and Micajah Gor- such, David Heaston, Thomas Kelly, Michael Thomas, John Norris, James G. Wiseman, Elijah and John McRill, John Hiestand, John Burman, John Trout and Abraham Schoonover. In the spring of 1833 the Tiffin & De- fiance State road was established over the same route, and continued on westward into Putnam County. Another early county road was established in Union Township in the spring of 1833. The petition was presented to the commissioners Mqrch 4 of that year, with the following names appended thereto: Wenman Wade, William Fox, Jacob Burket, Hemy Smaltz, Philip, John. Simon and Philip Cramer, ■Jr., William M. Colclo, Alexander Hardin, Solomon Foglesong, Jacob Fox, Sr., Jacob Fox, Jr., Isaac Comer, John and Thomas Mullen and Solomon and Stephen Lee. This road commences at the Findlay & Lima State Road, near the southwest corner of Section 27, Union Township, thence runs north nearly two miles to the southwest corner of Section 15; thence northeast down the northwest side of Ottawa Creek, crossing that stream below the mouth of Tiderishi Creek; thence up the northwest side of Tider- ishi about a mile; thence due north to the Benton Ridge road. It was sur- veyed by William L. Henderson; John Byal and Asher W^ickham, viewers; Philip Cramer and Peter Folk, chainmen, and Simon Cramer, marker. From this time forward roads were rapidly established in every part of the county. Whenever a few cabins made their appearance in any portion of the county, or a new township was organized, a petition was presented for a road, and always granted. For many years after the organization of the HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 307 county one of the principal businesses of the commissioners was granting road petitions and establishing public highways. But even the best roads were at times almost impassable, and outside of Findlay Township very little stone piking has yet been done in this county, and mud roads are the rule instead of the exception. The lack of means with which to build bridges, was one of the great di*awbacks in this county, and during high water the Blanchard, and doubt- less some of the smaller streams, had to be crossed in canoes or rude boats improvised for the pui'pose. A few cheap bridges were built in some of the townships before the first one across the Blanchard at Findlay was con- structed, but they were usually temporary structures in danger of being swept away by the first freshet. In March, 1842, the commissioners resolved to receive proposals for building two bridges over the Blanchard; one at Findlay, and another on the Findlay & New Haven State road, in Marion Township. Aquilla Gilbert, one of the board, filed a protest against the proposed improvements, claiming that Findlay was getting more than her share of the public moneys, and naming bridges that had been built in other parts of the county by the townships wherein they were located, without any assistance from the county. The contract for constructing a bridge at Find- lay was let in April, 1842, to Squire Carlin and Horace Eaton for the sum of 11,600, and the bridge was completed and opened for traffic in the fall of 1843. It was an open, wooden bridge, supported by wooden abutments and trestles, and was used nearly seven years before being replaced by a better one. On the 19th of April, 1850, a contract for a new, wooden, covered "lat- tice bridge ' ' over the Blanchard at Findlay, was let to Jesse Wheeler, Will- iam Klamroth and Edwin B. Vail, to be completed on or before November 15, 1850. This bridge was 180 feet long, and eighteen feet above low water mark, with stone abutments and one stone pier in the center of the river. It. was a very substantial structure, and cost about 13,000. Besides the wagon track there was a foot path on each side, and when the bridge was finished it was regarded with much pride by the citizens of Findlay. It did good service for nearly twenty-three years, but the day of its usefulness finally passed away, and it was succeeded in 1873-74 by the handsome iron bridge now spanning the stream. The old bridge was sold to Dr. D. W. Cass, for $105, while the stone in the abutments and pier brought about .|900. Some of the timbers of this bridge were utilized in the erection of the grand stand on the fair grounds. The sum of $940 was expended in the erection of bridges in Hancock County in 1845; and about the time the second bridge over the Blanchard at Findlay was built, many good bridges were constructed in different parts of the county. The time had come when the people could no longer afford to plod along in the old way. The previous temporary stru.ctures were replaced by substantial ones, and new bridges made their appearance in many places. With the growth in population and wealth, good bridges became a necessity, but years elapsed before all this was accomplished, and the work still goes on fi-om year to year. Nineteen wagon bridges now span the Blanchard within the limits of Hancock County, two of which are iron, while two more iron bridges cross the stream on the boundary lines between Hancock and Hardin, and Hancock and Putnam Counties, half the expense of which was borne by this county. Bridges have also been built wherever any of the 308 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. main traveled roads cross the smaller streams; and within the last fifteen years many substantial iron bridges have replaced the old wooden ones over Eagle, Ottawa, Portage and perhaps other streams in difPerent parts of the county. As the present handsome iron bridge spanning the Blanchard at Find- lay is recognized as the finest in the county, it will not be inappropriate to mention it briefly in this connection. August 1, 1873, the commissioners entered into a contract with the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, to erect a one span iron bridge over the river at Findlay, 164 feet long, with a roadway twenty feet wide in the clear, and a footway on each side six feet wide in the clear, for the sum of $10,889.60. On the same day the contract for the stone abutments was awarded to Louis Bruner at the rate of $7 per perch of twenty-five solid feet, which, when completed, to- gether with the east wing, came to $4. 008. 90. The bridge was finished and accepted by the commissioners March 27, 1874, and warranted by the com- pany for thirty years from that date. It is a substantial structure and a credit to the builders, as well as a lasting monument to the wisdom and pub- lic spirit of the board under whom it was built, and to the people whose generous liberality rendered such a fine public improvement possible. Before the era of roads and bridges in this portion of the State, much of the goods brought to Findlay came in pirogues from Perrysburg via the Maumee, Auglaize and Blanchard Rivers, while furs and other products of the then sparsely settled country were often shipped to the lake over the same route by the traders and merchants of the village. A Government survey made in 1816 pronounced the Blanchard navigable from Fort Find- lay to the Auglaize, and many of the pioneers who located along its banks once regarded it as a navigable stream. The only boats, however, that have ever been used in the transportation of goods upon the Blanchard, were the clumsy, old-fashioned pirogues, made fi-om the bodies of large trees, and much resembling a huge trough. A little later goods and products were wagoned to and from Sandusky City, and goods shipped at New York came via Buffalo and the lake to Sandusky, usually arriving at Findlay from two to four weeks afterward. The first mail route through Hancock County was established about sixty-six years ago, fi'om Bellefontaine via Fort McArthur and Findlay to Perrysburg, with Joseph Gordon as mail agent. Gordon was born in Alle- gheny County, Penn. , January 29, 1784, and in 1801, ere reaching man- hood, began his career as a horseback mail carrier in Kentucky. In 1804 he carried his first mail into Ohio from Wheeling, W. Va. , some fifty miles, and his route was soon afterward extended to Chillicothe. via St. Clairsville, Zanesville and New Lancaster. He subsequently located in Bellefontaine, Ohio, and in 1820 commenced his horseback weekly mail service from that town to Perrysburg. The Findlay ofiice was established in February, 1823, and was then, and for years afterward, the only postofiice between Bellefon- taine and the Maumee — a distance of over eighty miles through a dense, unbroken forest, where the hum of civilization was yet unheard. Gordon was the only carrier over this route till the close of 1839, when a change occurred and his route ended at Findlay. He continued in the service from Bellefontaine to Findlay — some eight or ten years longer or until the route was abandoned. Gordon is remembered as a kind-hearted, generous, trust- worthy man, and was of incalculable benefit to the early settlers of Hancock HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 309 County in doing errands for them at Perrysburg and Bellefontaine. It is a sad ciiticism on our nineteenth century civilization that this veteran of the mails was compelled by force of circumstances to spend the evening of his eventful life as a pauper in the infirmary of Logan County. The railroads are the next in order of time, and perhaps the most im- portant feature of the county's internal improvements. In March, 1839, the General Assembly passed an act "to authorize the commissioners of Wood and Hancock Counties to subscribe to the capital stock of the Belle- fontaine & Perrysbiu'g Railroad Company and to borrow money. ' ' Under the provisions of this act the commissioners of Hancock, at a special meet- ing held April 26, 1839, decided to subscribe 1,000 shares, amounting to $100,000, to the capital stock of said company, and delegated Parlee Carlin a special agent to negotiate a loan for said amount in the citj^ of New York or elsewhere, at a rate of interest not to exceed 6 per cent per annum, the bonds to be redeemed in not less than twenty nor more than thirty years. The loan was never negotiated, as the project vanished into air, and few of the present generation are aware that such an enterprise was ever contemplated. The Findlay Branch of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Rail- road was the first railroad built through Hancock County. On the 19th of February, 1845, the Legislature passed "an act to authorize the commis- sioners of Hancock County to subscribe to the capital stock of the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company the sum of $60,000, or such sum as shall be sufficient to construct a railway or branch from the main track of said railroad to the town of Findlay. ' ' The following month, in compli- ance with a provision of said act, the commissioners ordered the proposed measui'e be submitted to a vote of the citizens of Hancock at the suc- ceeding April election. The people voted in favor of said subscription by 1,055 to 764," a majority of 291. On the 11th of April, 1845, the board subscribed $60,000 to the capital stock of said railroad, and on the 22d the first installment of $30, 000 in county bonds was issued. The same month Wilson Vance, William Taylor, John Patterson and William L. Hen- derson were appointed by the commissioners as their special agents to look after the interests of the county in its dealings with the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company. In June, 1845, John Ewing and Jacob Barnd were added to the list, but the latter dying soon afterward. Squire Carlin was appointed, September 11, 1845, to fill the vacancy. On the same date the commissioners added $15,000 to the former subscription, making a total of $75,000 subscribed by Hancock County toward the enterprise. On the 19th of August, 1846, the railroad company, at a meeting held in Kenton, agreed to accept said subscription, the county to retain and negotiate the bonds, and construct a branch railroad from Carey to Find- lay; "Provided that said commissioners will within four years fi'om this date, construct said branch railway as aforesaid, free of expense to this company, and will also pledge therefor to this company the stock by them subscribed as aforesaid, there to remain until said branch railway be completed; and Provided, further, that said branch railway shall be constructed as aforesaid, under and pursuant to the directions of this company, at a cost not exceed- ing the estimate of the engineer of the same, to-wit: $86,429.29, and when completed to be the property of this company; and Provided, further, that said commissioners fm-nish and convey to this company, ground, fi-ee of ex- 310 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. pense (not less than two acres in quantity), at said Findlay for a depot, and of such shape as may be surveyed by said engineer therefor, and also, free of expense to this company, secure the permanent right of way for said branch railway." It will no doubt surprise many of our readers that such a one- sided proposition was acceptable to the county, which was actually building a railroad and giving it to the company; but the people were so anxious for the road to be built that the proposition was gladly accepted by the com- missioners. On the 22d of September, 1846, the board appointed John Patterson, John Ewing and Hiram Smith, railroad agents, to transact all business in the building and completion of said branch from Findlay to Carey. They were authorized to borrow money, obtain the right-of-way, put the work under contract, and carry oiit all other business necessary and expedient for the furtherance of the project. In March, 1847, Hiram Smith resigned, and Charles W. O'Neal and William L. Henderson were appointed addttional railroad agents, and, with Messrs. Patterson and Ewing, served till March, 1851, when the office was terminated by order of the commis- sioners. The road was completed in November, 1849, and trains began running ere the close of that month. It was one of those old-fashioned strap-iron roads, similar to those first built through this State. Upon the bed, sleepers were laid lengthwise, placed apart the width of the track, the ties being laid crosswise on top of said sleepers. Two strips of timber were then laid on top of the ties, also lengthwise, and let into the same immediately over the sleepers, and upon these strips the rails, made of five-eighths strap-iron, were fastened. When all was finished the county had expended only $45, 500 of the amount subscribed, leaving a balance of $29, 500 of the subscription yet unissued. In 1852-53, an eflPort was made to furnish the road with T rails, the company making- a proposition to the county for the latter to issue bonds to carry out the improvement, and the former to issue railroad stock to the county for said amount, and guarantee that the dividends on said stock would be sufficient to pay the interest on the bonds during their term of existence. The railway company further agreed to considerably reduce the rates of transportation. The board agreed to the proposition, but the project finally collapsed, and nothing was done at that time. Though the subject of T railing the branch was afterward often talked of, it was not till twenty years after the road was built that the work was accomplished. In the summer of 1868, the railway company made a prop- osition to the county that if the latter would contribute $12,000 toward the enterprise the company would T rail, ballast and put the branch in good condition. Upon examining the records it was discovered that $29, 500 of the original subscription remained unissued, and that the county was still liable for this amount, whenever the company complied with the original condi- tions, and constructed the road on a permanent basis. This was brought to the attention of the commissioners in October, 1868, who, after taking coun- sel, were satisfied the county was liable for said amount, and gladly issued the $12,000 in bonds to assist in carrying through the much needed im- provement, the company releasing the county from all further obligation in connection with the original subscription. The work of T railing com- menced in the spring of 1869, and October 21 of that year a dinner was given at the Crook House to the president of the road and board of directors on their visit to Findlay in honor of its completion. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 311 The large frame warehouse at the depot was built before the road was finished, and as soon as completed the latter was leased by E. P. Jones, who operated the road and warehouse for about nine years. The company then took charge of the road, and engaged J. S. Patterson as their agent in Findlay. During these years this branch line was of incalculable benefit to Findlay, far more indeed than the average citizen is willing to admit. It supplied the town with shipping facilities, and thus built up its trade and population, thereby greatly enhancing the value of real estate. The road originally extended west on Crawford Street nearly to Main. From Findlay it runs in a southeast direction across the townships of Findlay, Marion and Amanda to Carey in Wyandot County, also crossing the southwest corner of Big Lick Township in its route, Vanlue being the only town on the line in this county. Originally operated by the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company, the name was changed by decree of the common pleas court of Erie County, February 23, 1858, to the Sandusky, Dayton & Cincinnati Railroad Company, and the branch went by that name. In January, 1806, the road was sold, and in July following i-eorganized as the Sandusky & Cincinnati Railroad Company. On the 11th of January, 1868, a decree of the common pleas court of Erie County again changed the name of the company to the Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland. This company operated the road over thirteen years, and March 8, 1881, leased its lines to the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railroad Company for the term of ninety-nine years to go into effect on the 1st of May following. The branch fi-om Carey to Findlay is about fifteen miles in length, and is now known as the Findlay Branch of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railroad, which has become one of the great trunk lines of the West. The Lake Erie & Western was the second railway built through this county, and it is yet the most important road that enters Findlay. It had its inception early in 1853, and was first conceived and advocated hr Hemy Brown, of Findlay, then a young lawyer, and one of the editors of the Han- cock Courier. He published an editorial in the Courier advocating the con- struction of a railroad from Green Springs via Rome (now Fostoria), Find- lay, Lima and St. Mary's to the Indiana State line, and sent a number of the papers containing the article to leading men along the proposed route. Charles W. Foster received one of the papers, and at once seeing the feasi- bility of the project drove over to Findlay, and, after talking the matter over with some of the monied men of the town, took Mr. Brown in his buggy and talked up a railroad feeling along the line as far southwest as St. Mary's. On their return a delegation from Fremont met Mr. Foster at Rome, and he told them what had been done. Fremont did not want the road to go to Green Springs, and induced Mr. Foster to favor their town instead. On the 25th of April, 1853, the Fremont & Indiana Railroad Company was incorporated, with a capital of $200,000, by Charles W. Foster, L. Q. Rawson, Sardis Birchard, James Justice and John R. Pease. The charter called for "the construction of a railroad from the town of Fremont, in the county of Sandusky, through the counties of Sandusky and Seneca to the town of Rome, in said county of Seneca; thimce through the counties of Seneca and Hancock to the town of Findlay, in said county of Hancock; thence throucja the counties of Hancock, Allen. Auglaize, Mercer and Darke, to the west line of the State of Ohio, in said county of Darke. " The people of Hancock County, at an election held in the spring of 1853, 312 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. voted to subscribe $100,000 to the capital stock of the Dayton & Michigan Raih-oad Company, if said road was built through this county. The Day- ton & Michigan and the Fremont & Indiana Companies entered into an arrangement for the latter company to take advantage of this vote, and get possession of the bonds voted for the pui'pose of building the Dayton & Michigan road, which was never really intended to be located through this county. In August, 1853, 100 bonds of $1,000 each were signed and de- livered by the commissioners to L. Q. Rawson, president of the Fremont & Indiana Railroad Company, though the transfer was bitterly opposed by some leading citizens of Findlay. The commissioners also turned over to the same company $51,150 of stock and bonds held by the county in the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad. The opponents of this transfer at once notified all the money centers that the $100,000 in Hancock County bonds issued to the Fremont & Indiana Railroad Company were fradulent, and would not be paid by the county. The company were therefore unable to sell them and in 1856 returned to the county $91,000 of the amount, also the stock and bonds which they held in the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad. The remaining $9,000 of county bonds had been negotiated, and the party into whose hands they fell afterward brought suit against the county and collected the full amount of their face. The loss of these bonds was a severe stroke to the Fremont & Indiana Railroad Company, but the principal cap- italists of the enterprise, L. Q. Rawson, James Moore, Charles W. Foster, D. J. Cory and Squire Carlin, were experiened business men, and deter- mined to go forward with the project. The enterprise, however, progressed slowly because of the financial de- pression of 1856-57, and the lack of pi'oper encoui'agement from the people of the country through which the line was located. In the spring of 1857 the company began an effort to raise money along the route by personal subscrip- tion to purchase iron for the road. The iron and rolling stock was finally con- tracted for in the summer of 1857, but financial diificidties soon afterward stopped all further progress. In 1858 work went forward slowly along the eastern portion of the road, and by January, 1859, the track was completed from Fremont to Fostoria, and ere the close of that month a daily train began running between those towns. The following June a daily hack line was established from Findlay to Fostoria, connecting with the trains to and from Fremont. In the summer of 1859 the railroad bridge spanning the Blanchard was commenced, and track laying between Findlay and Fostoria went forward during the summer and fall, reaching to within one mile of Findlay, and early in the winter of 1859-60, trains began running to that point. The track was completed to the Findlay depot, on Main Cross Street, in March, 1860, and a train arrived and departed daily from Findlay. In No- vember, 1859, the large elevator near the depot was completed and put in operation by George W. Myers, and when the road was finished to the de- pot it found the elevator ready for business. Here the enterprise collapsed and the road was finished no further for more than twelve years. In December, 1860, the road was sold, and, January 21, 1861, the pur- chasers organized a new corporation, under the name of the Fremont, Lima & Union Railroad Company. On the 4th of February, 1865, this company was consolidated with the Lake Erie & Pacific Railroad Company, of Indiana, as the Lake Erie & Louisville Railroad Company. In July, 1871, the road was again sold, and the following November that portion of the line located HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 315 in Ohio, and extending from Fremont to Union City, was reorganized as the Fremont, Lima & Union Raih'oad Company, and that lying in Indiana as the Lake Erie & Lonisville Raih-oad Company. These companies were once more consolidated, April 12, 1872, as the Lake Erie & Louisville Railroad Company. In the meantime considerable effort was made to complete the road to Lima. On the 10th of May, 1870, the company held a meeting at Fremont and made a proposition to complete the road by February 1, 1871, on con- dition that the people along the line would subscribe $100,000 toward the enterprise, to be paid as follows: $25,000 when the road was finished to Rawson; $25,000 on reaching Bluffton; $25,000 on getting to Beaver Dam, and the remaining $25,000 when the first train passed over the road to Lima. Meetings were held all along the line to stir up an interest in the subject, and raise the subscription asked for by the company. But it proved slow work, and the effort was ultimately a failure. In January, 1872, a condi- tional contract was made by the company with Perkins, Livingston & Post to furnish iron and equipments to put the road in running order whenever the company secured sufficient local aid to grade, bridge and tie the line, which it was thought would take about $100,000 to accomplish. During the spring the route from Findlay to St. Mary' s was resurveyed, and, in June, Findlay Township voted to subscribe $78,600; Liberty. $5,000; Eagle, $10,- 000, and Union $20,000 toward the enterprise. Work began at once, and July 15, 1872 agreements were entered into between the railroad company and said townships, by which the former, in consideration of said subscrip- tions, promised to complete the road to Lima within one year from that date. L. Q. Rawson, Charles W. Foster, D. J. Cory and Squire Carlin represented the company in these agreements. Track-laying was now pushed forward rapidly, and early in September, 1872, the first train reached Rawson. Before the close of the same month the road was finished to Bluff'ton, and the last rail connecting Findlay with Lima was laid November 21, 1872. On the 29th a dinner to celebrate the event was given at the City Hall in Lima by the citizens of that town, the officers of the road and many leading business men from Fremont, Fosto- ria, Findlay, and other towns on the road, being present at the celebration. Though the weather was very cold, every station along the line was crowded to witness and cheer the loaded train as it sped onward toward its destina- tion. Regular trains were put on soon afterward, and by the spring of 1873 its business was booming. In September of that year the road was opened through to St. Mary' s. Thus, after long years of vexatious waiting the peo- ple of Hancock County had at last a good competing railroad, and were accordingly haj^py. In February, 1877, the road was sold, and the com- pany reorganized under the old name of the Lake Erie & Louisville. In August, 1879, it was consolidated with the Indianapolis & Sandusky Rail- road Company of Indiana, under the name of the Lake Erie & Western Railway Company, and the following December that corporation absorbed the Indianapolis, Lafayette & Muncie Railroad Company. The link between Fremont and Sandusky City was afterward built, and the company has now a continuous line from Sandusky, Ohio, to Bloomington, ly. , a distance of 353 miles. It enters Hancock County near its northeast corner in the city of Fostoria, and taking a southwest direction through Arcadia, Findlay, Rawson and Cory, leaves the county near the northwest corner of Orange 316 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Township, its main line within this county being about thirty miles in length. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was built through the northeast corner of Hancock County in 1873, and opened for business Januaiy 1, 1874. Though it is one of the greatest trunk lines of the United States, and trav- erses a few miles of Hancock County territoiy, it can scarcely be regarded as one of her roads; yet the Baltimore & Ohio is of great benefit to the north- ern portion of this county, crossing Wood County from east to west only a few miles north of Hancock, thus furnishing first-class shipping facilities for the people of that section. The McComb, Deshler & Toledo Railroad Company was incoi'porated June 2, 1879, by a coterie of McComb citizens, with a capital of $20,000, for the purpose of building a railroad fi'om McComb, Hancock County, to Deshler, in Henry County. This company entered into an agreement with the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad Company to furnish right of way, grade, bridge and tie the road, and the latter agreed to lay the track and operate the road perpetually as a branch of the main line. Grading was commenced in the spring of 1880, and on the 2-4th of November, following, the first con- struction train came into McComb. On the next day (Thanksgiving) the event was celebrated at McComb by a grand dinner and a flow of oratory, a large delegation coming over the road from Deshler, and a few from Find- lay to participate in the happy festivities, more than 1,000 outsiders being present on the occasion. Regular trains soon began running, and the road has since proved a great convenience to the northwestern portion of the county. It takes a noi-thwest course fi'pm McComb to Deshler, passing through the village of Deweyville in its route, and about five miles of the road is located in Hancock County, the whole distance being nearly nine miles. Many years ago the Tifiin & Fort Wayne Air Line Railroad Company was chartered to build a road from Tiffin , Ohio, to Fort Wayne, Ind. A road bed was completed across the north part of Hancock County, but the project then collapsed. In June, 1872, the New York Western Railway Company and the Continental Railway Company of Pennsylvania were con- solidated and reorganized at Indianapolis as the Continental Railway Com- pany, to construct a great trunk line through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. The old bed of the Tiffin & Fort Wayne in this county was selected and regraded in the fall of 1872 as the route of the Continental Railroad, but that is as far as the enterprise ever got. The New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Company was incorporated in 1880 to construct a line from New York to Chicago. Findlay made an effort to secui-e this road, but it was finally located over the old Continental route in this county, from Arcadia westward, but running northeast from Arcadia to Fostoria parallel with the Lake Erie & Western road. Work began on this section of the line in the spring of 1881, and early in July the road was finished through this county and construction trains were in full operation. The ' "Nickel Plate, " as it is commonly called, is one of the leading trunk lines of the country, and supplies the north part of the county with excellent railroad accommodations. It runs southwest from Fostoria to Arcadia; thence due west through Cass, Allen, Portage and Pleasant Townships. Fostoria, Ar- cadia, Stuartville, McComb and Shawtown are the towns located on this road in Hancock, and twenty-five miles of the line are within the county limits. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 317 The Cleveland, Delphos & St. Louis Narrow Gauge Railroad was char- tered March 9, 1881, and during the summer work was commenced along the line, which had previously been located through this county from Del- phos to Carey via Arlington and Mt. Blanchard. The road was finished from Bluffton to Arlington early in the fall of 1882, and in December the construction train reached Mt. Blanchard. January 1, 1883, the road was formally opened by an excursion fr'om Delphos to Mt. Blanchard, and the following summer the line was completed to Carey. From Bluffton, in Allen County, the road runs due east across the north parts of Orange, Van Buren, Madison and Delaware Townships to Mt. Blanchard; thence takes a northeast course through the south part of Amanda Town- ship to Carey, Wyandot County. Besides Mt. Blanchard and Arlington, two villages — Jenera and Cordelia — have since been laid out on this road in Van Buren and Orange Townships, respectively. About twenty-one miles of the road are within the boundaries of this county, and, though it is an ac- commodation to the people living along its route, it will always be of very limited utility for shipping pm-poses until changed to a standard gauge. It is now called the Delphos Division of the Air Line Railroad, and as there is some talk of making it a standard gauge, the name will doubtless be again changed before the publication of this work. The Toledo, Columbus & Southern Railroad, formerly the Toledo & In- dianapolis, was chartered in May, 1881, and, in the winter of 1881-82, the right of way was obtained between Toledo and Findlay. All of the towns on the proi)osed line subscribed liberally toward the project, Findlay sub- scribing $25,000. Hon. T. P. Brown, of Toledo, was the leading spirit of the enterprise, and Patrick Dowling had the general contract for building and equipping the line. Work was commenced in the summer of 1882, and pushed rapidly, as the subscriptions were based on the completion of the road before the close of January, 1883. The first rail was laid December 15, and the first locomotive ran into Bowling Green from Toledo on Christ- mas day. Early in January, 1883, the track was built to within a couple of miles of Findlay, and soon afterward reached the northern part of that city. January 30, the connecting rail was laid some fifteen miles north of Findlay in Wood County, and on the following day the event was celebrated by a dinner at that point. Though the last rail was in position the road was not then by any means completed, the bed being still in a very crude condition. But it was vitally necessary for the company to thus fulfill, technically at least, the conditions under which the subscriptions were ob- tained. The first through train came over the road from Toledo to Findlay February 7, 1883, but regular traffic did not commence before spring, and by May 15 the road was in full operation. A temporary depot was fitted up near the track of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, east of Main Street, in North Findlay, and the new road got no farther till the summer of 1885. The right of way was then obtained southward to the track of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railroad; a bridge was built over the Blanchard and the road extended across the river to the track of the latter railroad, whence it runs into the depot of said road. Late in 1885 surveys were made southward toward Columbus, and it is claimed to be only a question of time when this railroad will be built to the capital of the State. It enters the county fe'om the north about a quarter of a mile east of the Perrysbiu'g & Bellefontaine Road, and runs due south through 318 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. the villages of Van Buren and Stuartville to Findlay. The route south of Findlay most likely to be selected, is also parallel with and a little east of the Belief ontaine road, via Arlington, Williamstown and Dunkirk to Kenton, though a survey has also been made southeastward through Mt. Blanchard. Officers of the company state that the road will probably be extended to Kenton, and perhaps Columbus, in 1886; and though it is now of great ad- vantage to the county, it will then offer far better facilities to both travelers and shippei's. In closing the history of the railroads it only remains to notice briefly the several roads that have been surveyed through this county, but never built. Mention has been made of the proposed Bellefontaine & Perrysburg Rail- road,' also of the survey made by the Dayton & Michigan Company, which was never really intended to be located through Hancock, and the Tiffin & Fort Wayne and the Continental Roads, In 1870 the Ohio & Michigan Railroad Company surveyed a road from Sturgis, Mich., r/a Napoleon andMc- Comb, Ohio, to Findlay; but that is as far as the project ever got. In 1870-71 considerable effort was made to get the Mansfield & Coldwater road located through Findlay, but Fostoria got the prize; yet though the road was grad- ed and some of the rails put down, it was never completed. The Toledo & Columbus Railroad Company was chartered, in 1872, to build a road be- tween the cities named, via Findlay. Liberal subscriptions were voted by the several townships of the county, through which the line was located, but the supreme court afterward declared the act unconstitutional under which the subscriptions were made, and the scheme fell through. In January, 1880, the Columbus, Findlay & Northwestern Railroad Company was incor- porated, to construct a line from Columbus, Ohio, via Findlay to Coldwater, Mich. Meetings were held and the people living along the route apparently took a deep interest in the success of the measure, but after a brief period of enthusiasm the enterprise collapsed and nothing has since been heard of it. The foregoing comprises all of the proposed roads, and though some of them would doubtless have been an advantage, the county now possesses good railroad communications with every portion of the country. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 319 CHAPTER IX. Military History of Hancock County— War of 1812— March of Hull's Army from Urbana to the Mai'^iee River— Site of Fort Necessity, AND Line of Hull's Trace — Fort Findlay Erected and Garrisoned — Description of the Fort — Gen. Titpper's Campaign — Indians Pursue Capt. Oliver from Fort Meigs to Fort Findlay— Evacuation of the Fort by Capt. Thomas, and his Murder by the Indians— Pioneer PiEm- iniscences of fort findlay, and its final destruction— mexican War— The Great Rebellion— Sublime Patriotism of the People — Enthusiastic Demonstrations in Findlay at the Outbreak of the War— Stirring Scenes of Preparation for the Conflict— Enroll- ment AND Organization of Volunteers, and their SuBSE(iUENT De- parture FOR Cleveland— Brief Sketches of the Com^iands Wherein THE Soldiers of Hancock Served, also the N'ames and Promotions of Commissioned Officers in each from tpiis County— Number of Volun- teers FROM EACH TOWNSHIP UP TO SEPTEMBER 1, 1862, AND TOTAL ESTI- MATED Number of Soldiers from the Whole County During the War —Relief Afforded by the County to Soldiers' Families— Good Work OF THE Military Co:mmittees and Aid Societies— Closing Scenes of THE Rebellion— Celebration at Findlay over the Capture of Rich- mond AND THE Surrender of Lee's Army— Joy Turned to Grief by the Assassination of Lincoln— Conclusion. "^TEARLY three-quarters of a century have elapsed since the arrogance JJN of the English Government brought on the war of 1812, and though it ended five years before the erection of Hancock County, the territory embraced therein was very closely associated with the earliest stages of that struggle for the preservation of our national rights. On the 4th of June, 1812, a resolution was passed by Congress declaring war against England; on the 17th of the same month the bill passed the Senate, and two days afterward President Madison sent forth the edict. Ohio had been prepar- ing for the conflict, and prior to the declaration of war troops began as- sembling at Dayton, Springfield, Urbana and other points in obedience to the call of Gov. Meigs, and Gen. William Hull was appointed to the chief command of these troops. On the 16th of June the army left Urbana on its march toward the Maumee Rapids, and Col. Duncan Mc- Arthur was ordered in advance to open a road through the forest from the Greenville Treaty line to the Scioto River, "where they built two block houses, which they named Fort McArthur, in honor of the ofiicer whose regiment had opened the road. To this fort the whole army came on the 19th, and on the 21st Col. James Findlay was ordei;ed to open the road as far as Blanchard's Fork, whither the army, excepting a guard left at Fort McArthur, again followed on the 22d. Here, amid rain and mud, another block-house was erected, which was named Fort Necessity. From this point the army soon after moved to Blanchard's Fork, where Col. Find- lay had built a block-house, which was named in honor of that ofiicer, and thence marched northward to the Maumee."* From the Greenville Treaty line to the Maumee Rapids the route of the army was through an unbroken ♦American State Papers. 320 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. forest, and as there were a great many baggage wagons and also some artil- lery, it was necessary to partially open a road the whole distance. The weather continued wet, and some of the time men and horses had to travel middle deep in mud and water. Frequently the van of the army had to halt and wait for the rear guard, which was often detained in reliev- ing wagons and horses from the mire. The army arrived at the rapids June 30, 1812, whence it proceeded to Detroit, and there on the 16th of August the campaign came to a disastrous termination through Gen. Hull' s disgraceful and cowardly surrender to the enemy without firing a shot. The quotation in the foregoing paragraph from the ' ' American State Papers ' ' might lead the reader to infer that Fort Necessity was located on the Blanchard River, but such is not the fact. Hull's Trace entered the southern boundary of Hancock County about half a mile west of the Perrys- burg & Bellefontaine State road, and Fort Necessity was constructed on the west side of the East Branch of Eagle Creek, in the southwest corner of what is now Madison Township. Several acres of forest were chopped down and a temporary fort erected, where the army encamped through necessity (hence the name) until Col. Findlay had the road opened to the Blanchard. Fort Necessity was never garrisoned, and Squire Carlin, Job Chamberlin, M. S. Hamlin, William Tanner, and many other pioneers, have told the writer that they never knew that a block-house was built at that point, as it was known throughout pioneer days as ' ' Mud Fort. ' ' The ' ' American State Papers, ' ' however, mention the erection of a block-house, and, as it was not garrisoned, it may have been burned down by the Indians before the close of the war of 1812. From Fort Necessity the trace ran down the west bank of the East Branch of Eagle Creek to near its junction with the West Branch, crossing the latter and thence continuing down the west side of Eagle Creek to Fort Findlay. Here it crossed the river, and thence ran northward, a short distance east of the State road, till reaching the high lands south of the Middle Branch of Portage River; thence followed the meanders of that stream northwestward, into what is now Wood County; and thence to the Maumee Rapids. Gen. Hull left a small gan-ison imder Capt. Arthur Thomas, to complete and guard Fort Findlay. When finished, the fort consisted of a stockade about ten feet in height, with a two-story block-house, built of round logs, at each corner. The enclosure was fifty yards square, the entrance or gate being on the east side. A ditch surrounded the stockade, the earth ■ from the excavation having been thrown up against the pickets to give them added strength. The outer walls of the block-houses projected a short dis- tance beyond the stockade, and the upper story of each extended a few feet over the lower one, thus commanding the approaches fi'om every direction. Each block-house was thoroughly loop-holed, and fiu'nished with one small piece of artillery. Within the enclosure a number of cabins for the use of the soldiers were built along the stockade, the open space in the center be- ing utilized by the garrison as a parade ground. To guard against surprise the forest was cleared off' for a considerable distance on the south, easi? and west of the fort, while the river on the north afforded a clear view in that direction. Though no attack was ever made on Fort Findlay, it was never- theless well calculated to successfully resist any ordinary force which the Indians could bring against it. The fort stood on the south bank of the Blanchard River, in Findlay, the southeast block-house being located on the HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 321 site of Judge D. J. Cory's residence, on the northwest corner of Main and Front Streets. It was one of the many wooden fortifications, which were peculiarly adapted to Indian warfare, erected as depots for military stores, and to giTard the rear communications of the army. In July, 1812, Gen. Edward W. Tupper, of Gallia County, raised a force of 1,000 men for six months' service, principally from Gallia, Law- rence and Jackson Counties, who, under the orders of Gen. Winchester, rendezvoused at Urbana. From that village Gen. Tupper followed Hull' s Trace to Foi't McArthur, where he established his base of supplies, and then marched northward to Fort Findlay. After a much needed rest his command pushed on to the foot of the Maumee Rapids. The Indians appear- ing in force on the oj)posite bank of the Maumee, Tupper attempted to cross the river and attack the enemy, but the rapidity of the current, and the feeble, half starved condition of his men and horses, rendered the attempt a failure. The enemy soon after took the offensive, and, crossing the Mau- mee, attacked the American camp, but were defeated and driven back with considerable loss. This defeat caused them to retreat hastily to Detroit, and Tupper subsequently marched back to Fort Findlay, and thence to Fort McAiihur, where his siipplies were stored. The following anecdote, related in Howe's "Historical Collections," page 238, is so closely associated with Fort Findlay as to be worthy of a place in this chapter : ' ' About 9 o' clock one dark and windy night in the late war, Capt. William Oliver, in company with a Kentuckian, left Fort Meigs for Fort Findlay on an errand of importance, the distance being about 33 miles. They had scarcely started on their dreary and perilous jour- ney, when they unexpectedly came upon an Indian camp, around the fixes of which the Indians were busy cooking their suppers. Disturbed hy» the noise of their approach, the savages sprang up and ran toward them. At this they reined their horses into the branches of a fallen tree. Fortu- nately the horses, as if conscious of the danger, stood perfectly still, and the Indians passed around the tree without making any discovery in the thick darkness. At this junctiu'e Oliver and his companion put spurs to their horses and dashed forward into the woods, through which they passed all the way to their point of destination. They arrived safely, but with their clothes completely torn off by the brambles and bushes, and their bodies bruised all over by coming in contact with the trees. They had scarcely arrived at the fort when the Indians in pursuit made their appear- ance, but too late, for their prey had escaped. ' ' Fort Findlay was gan-isoned until the spring of 1815, and a man named Thorp kept a small sutler store immediately east of the fort during the period of its occupation. Soon after the war closed the fort was abandoned, and its garrison retm-ned to peaceful avocations. The Indians though sub- dued, still entertained very bitter feelings toward their conquerors, as the treacherous murder of Capt. Thomas and son will serve to illustrate. ' ' Capt. Arthur Thomas, ' ' says Howe, ' ' lived on King' s Creek, three miles from Urbana. He was ordered, in the war of 1812, with his company to guard the public stores at Fort Findlay. On his return himself and son lost their horses, and separated from the rest of the company to hunt for them. They encamped at the Big Spring, near Solomon's Town, about five miles north of Bellefontaine, and the next morning were found killed and scalped. Theii- bodies were brought into Urbana by a deputation of citizens. ' ' 322 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. There has been considerable difference of opinion among the pioneers of Hancock County as to the number of block-houses Fort Findlay originally contained, but it is apparent that it had one at each corner, though a couple of them had probably been torn down by the Indians before the erec- tion of the county in 1820. "When my father, Benjamin J. Cox," says Mrs. Elizabeth Eberly, of Portage, Wood County, ' ' located at Fort Findlay in 1815, there were three block-houses yet standing in a fair state of preser- vation, and another partly torn down. Many of the pickets enclosing the fort had been cut down by the Indians for fire wood. Very little remained of the block-house at the northwest corner of the enclosure, but the other three were occupied by some Wyandot Indian families, a settlement of whom we found around the fort. ' ' From several interviews held with the venerable Squire Carlin, of Findlay, the writer is of the opinion that some of the mater- ial in these historic buildings was utilized by Wilson Vance and others of the very earliest settlers for fire wood and to erect out-buildings, and later comers found but one block-house intact, which was used by Mr. Vance for a stable. This fact led many to believe that the fort originally contained but one block-house, which remained standing on the site of Judge Cory's residence for several years after the organization of Hancock County in 1828. This too was finally torn down and removed, and with the passing years all traces of Fort Findlay were gradually obliterated. Mexican War. — The disputed territory lying between the Nueces and Kio Grande Rivers was the direct cause of the Mexican war. Texas, which had first won its independence and was afterward admitted into the Union, claimed the Rio Grande as the boundary line, while the Mexican authorities disputed this claim, asserting it was Nueces River. The United States Government proposed to settle the controversy by peaceful negotiation, but Mexico scornfully refused and made threats of occupying the territory in dispute. The Americans in the meantime had been preparing for war, which from the actions of the Mexican authorities seemed inevitable. In March, 1846, Gen. Taylor was ox-dered to advance to the Rio Grande with a few thousand men, which he had organized at Corpus Christi, near the mouth of the river Neuces. He erected Fort Brown opposite Matamoras, which was accepted by Mexico as a declaration of war, and on the 26th of April, 1846, Gen. Arista, the Mexican commander on the Rio Grande, notified Gen. Taylor that hostilities had begun. On the same day a small force of Amer- ican cavalry was attacked by the Mexicans on the east side of the Rio Grande, and here occurred the first bloodshed of the war. Hancock County was then very sparsely settled, and when the call for troops reached this portion of Ohio the quota of the State was full. A company, however, was recruited from Hancock and Putnam Counties and offered to the Governor, who replied that their services were not needed. As far as known only four citizens went from this county into the Mexican war, viz. : Dr. William D. Carlin and Allen Royce, of Findlay, and Jeremiah Yates and Loami Farmer, of Eagle Township. But the progress of the victorious army from the Rio Grande to the City of Mexico was hailed with a patriotic enthusiasm all over the country. Some of the Whig leaders, however, affected to see in the war a scheme for the extension of slavery, and on this ground made many bitter speeches against it, but the patriotism of the nation was aroused and the Government was nobly sustained by the people in its triumphant appeal to arms. Cx^-c-tA^ CAyU)- ?ointed chaplain of the regiment. Considerable feeling was manifested at the time, and much dis- satisfaction afterward existed among the companies from this county be- cause of their separation; but they were forced to submit to the orders of the higher authorities, and soon became reconciled to their position. The One Hundred and Thirty-third Regiment (O. N. G.) was mustered in at Camp Chase, May 6, 1864, and immediately ordered into West Vir- ginia, where it remained on duty till June 7, when it proceeded to Wash- ington, D. C, and thence to 'Bermuda Hundi-ed. On the 17th of July the regiment embarked for Fort Powhattan, on the James River. Here it was employed in various important duties until August 10, when it returned to Washington, and thence to Camp Chase, where it was mustered out of service August 20, 1864. HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 341 The One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment (O. N. G. ) was mustered into the service at Camp Chase, May 6, 1864, and the next day moved for Cumberland, Va. On the 0th of June it started to Washington, D. C, and thence proceeded to White House, on the Pamunkey River, but on its arrival was at once ordered to City Point. The regiment had its first and only engagement with the rebels at Port Walthall during the assault on Petersbui-g, where the men displayed admirable coolness under fire. For seventy days the regiment formed a portion of the advanced lines operating on Richmond, and was engaged in intrenching and picket duty. Its term of service having expired, it returned to Camp Chase, where it was mus- tered out August 81, 1864. The One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment (O. N. G. ) was mustered into the service at Camp Chase, May 9, 1864, and left on the same day for Cumberland, Md. It soon afterward moved to Martinsbm-g, W. Va., and early in June a part of the regiment was sent up to the Shenandoah Valley with the supply train to Hunter' s army. After tiu-ning over the supplies the detachment returned to Martinsburg, bringing back safely a long wagon train, many sick and wounded from the army, and several hundred prisoners and contrabands, the entire distance marched being nearly 500 miles. From Martinsburg the regiment fell back to Maryland Heights, where skirmishing with the enemy commenced and continued two days. It assisted in defending the Heights until the rebels were di'iven from the Shenandoah Valley. On the 25th of August, 1864, the regiment was ordered to Ohio, and mustered out at Camp Chase on the 2d of Septem- ber following. The One Hundred and Ninety-Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry was organized at Camp Chase, March 10, 1865. Moses Louthan and Jefferson H. Darrah, of Hancock County, having each recruited in this county nearly a company of men for the One Hundred and Ninety- second, were re- spectively elected caj^tain of Company H and I. On the 12th of March, 1865, the regiment left for the front and were first stationed near Harper' s Ferry, Va. The regiment was engaged in picket duty near Harper's Ferry and on the Shenandoah River, subsequently moving to the vicinity of Win- chester, Va. Upon the surrender of Lee the regiment moved to Stevenson Station; thence to Jordan Springs, and afterward encamped at Reed's Hill above Winchester, until ordered to be mustered out, which occurred at Winchester, September 1, 1865. It arrived at Columbus, Ohio, two days afterward, and on the 6th of September was paid and discharged at Camp Chase. Though the end of the war, coming soon after this regiment took the field, cut it off from much active service, it nevertheless stood high for drill, discipline and efficiency, and many of its men were scaiTed veterans who had faced the enemy on many a well contested battle-field. The foregoing commands are those wherein the soldiers from Hancock County mainly served; but several additional regiments from Ohio and other States contained some Hancock County boys. In fact she was repre- sented in every arm of the service, and her gallant sons did honor to their country on many a bloody field. Among others from Hancock, who served as commissioned officers in commands not previously mentioned, were \he> following: Dr. Samuel S. Mills, surgeon of the Fourth Michigan Artillery; Lieut. John T. Carlin served in the Eighty-second Regiment, and also on Gen. Sigel's staff; Abraham F. McCurdy and. Nat W\ Filkin, each served 342 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. as captain and major of the Tenth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, which also con- tained a few men from this county. But it is not the intention here to follow the fortunes of these outside commands, as the history of Hancock County in the war is set forth in the sketches of those regiments wherein the great majority of her soldiers fought — hundreds of them laying down their lives that a free and united nation might live. Up to September 1, 1862, the number of volunteers from this county by townships, as returned by the assessors, was as follows: Allen, 65; Amanda, 16; Big Lick, 47; Blanchard, 100; Cass, 46; Delaware, 74; Eagle, 50; Findlay, 247; Jackson, 51; Liberty, 63; Madison. 59; Marion, 44; Orange, 61; Pleasant 70; Portage, 42; Union, 93; Van Buren, 31; Wash- ington, 101; total, 1,260. Under all of the subsequent calls each town- ship had to furnish a certain designated number of men, and the county always filled her quota, though the draft had finally to be resorted to dur- ing the later stages of the war, as men were then so scarce that even large bounties failed to fill up the quotas of the several townships. Including every branch of the service, Hancock County furnished to the Union cause nearly 3,000 as brave men as ever carried a musket, and about two-thirds of that number served throughout the greater portion of the war. Her sol- diers displayed a spirit of valor unsurpassed in history, while their courage, fortitude and self-sacrifice were worthy of the glorious cause for which they fought. From 1861 to 1865 the local woi-k at home of encouraging enlistments and assisting the families of soldiers went steadily on. In June, 1862, the county commissioners passed an act allowing each dependent wife or parent of volunteers $8 per month, and each child under fifteen years of age $2 per month. The following September the monthly allowance of wife or parent was fixed at $4. Relief was afforded only to the families of non- commissioned officers and privates, and then only in cases of actual neces- sity. In February, 1862, the General Assembly passed an act for the relief of families of volunteers, by which a tax was levied on all taxable property, and a larger, more thorough and systematic relief was afforded. Under this act $38,070 were expended by the county among the families of soldiers dur- ing the years 1862, 1863, 1864 and 1865; and fi-om that time until February, 1868, when the last order was redeemed, $8,503 additional were paid out. In October, 1861, a "Military Committee" was appointed in this county, consisting of Edson Goit, James A. Bope, J. S. Patterson. J. B. Roth- child and J. F. Perkey. A thorough military organization of the county was effected, and sub-comniittees appointed in each township to aid and en- courage volunteering, and solicit contributions of underclothing, etc., for the "boys" in the field. The military committee appointed in this county in 1862, was Edson Goit, James A. Bope, W. G. Baker and Joel Markle; and in 1864 it was Henry Brown, Edson Goit, J. B. Rothchild, J. S. Patterson and J. F. Perkey. In every county of the State these committees did a noble work, and for their untiring efforts to sustain the Government and comfort its brave soldiers during the darkest period of the war deserve the highest praise. The soldiers' aid societies were among the most popular and efficient local institutions of the covinty, and the ladies of these societies did a great deal of good in gathering and forwarding sanitary supplies to hos- pital and camp. In fact the patriotic women of the county did their full share toward crushing the. mightiest rebellion in the history of the world. ^J^^i '^t,^ (PiLJl:^ HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. 345 When the news that Richmond was captured spread over the county, it created the most intense excitement, but it was one of joy. Bell-ringing, hand-shaking and congratulations were the order of the day. The citizens turned out en masse ; bonfires were lighted in every town and village, and an undercurrent of deep thankfulness pervaded the entire community.' All hailed the good news as a harbinger of peace, and happiness filled every loyal heart. With the fall of the rebel capital the war was comparatively at an end; and, though Lee struggled bravely to save his army from the iron grasp of Grant, its fate was sealed. On the 9th of April, 1865, he surren- dered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, and nine days afterward John- ston gave up his army to Sherman. Throughout the North the news of these glorious successes of the Union arms was received with unbounded enthu- siasm, and heartfelt prayers were offered to the God of battles, who in His infinite mercy had vouchsafed such a brilliant ending to the long tiu-moil of civil strife. After four years of bloody war— after the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of gallant men and millions of treasure, the great rebellion was at an end, the Government preserved, and freedom perpetuated The following poem, found by the writer, uncredited, in one of the local papers of Fmdlay, aptly illustrates the feeling of the people at the close of the war: VICTORY. When G(xl gave us Richmond, and victory o'er Lee The dark clouds of war, lilve a scroll, rolled away' Peace shed her bright halo o'er land and o'er sea And ushered the glory of freedom's glad day. Thrill the heart with such joy as the ransomed may feel' Fhng aloft the proud flag in its radiant light. From steeple and turret, from mountain top, peal The tidings of victory, the triumph of right. But there steals through the sound of thanksgiving and praise A low wail of anguish for brave hearts at rest; Their blood was the purchase that Liberty gave, That this may henceforth be the land of the blest. Lift the flag of the free to the azure above, Let the nation rejoice in the victory won; Bear the message, ye angels, on swift wings of love, A Republic redeemed by the blood of her sons. According to previous announcement a grand celebration was held at Findlay, April 14, 18()o, to rejoice over the dawn of a glorious peace. The day was bright and cheerful, and nature seemed to smile on the exalted happiness of the people. The exercises commenced at 6 o'clock in the morn- ing with the ringing of bells, and the firing of a salute of thirty-six guns. As the day wore on crowds of people came pouring into Findlay. At 10 o'clock services were held in several of the churches, and shortly after noon a large audience gathered at the Court House where appropriate addresses were delivered by Revs. Rose and Wykes. In the evening there was a fine dis- play of fireworks, and every business house, as well as many of the private dwellings, was brilliantly illuminated. This jov, however, was destined to be short-lived, and suddenly changed to deep mourning. About 10 o'clock on the following morning the news of President Lincoln's assassination reached Findlay, and fell like a pall on the hearts of its citizens. Every one was horror-stricken at the awful deed, and never was there so much 346 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. feeling manifested by the true and loyal hearts of Hancock County. In a short time all of the business houses were closed and draped in mourning, and the flags dressed in crape and raised at half mast. In the afternoon a public meeting was held at the Court House to express the sentiments of the people on the assassination of the President, and deep gloom filled every honest heart. The Jeffersonian fully expressed in the following poem the deep feeling of the people throughout the coiinty at that time: APEIL 15, 1805. Toll the slow bells ! fire the minute guns! Let rain-drenched flags at half-mast droop! This grief a nation's great heart stuns, Beneath this burden strong men stoop. Hang mourning emblems o'er the walls So lately winged with banners gay! He saved our flag from treason's thralls, "Who slain by traitors lies to-day. Let wailing fife and muflied drum Make moan as for a hero dead! But, oh! our deepest grief is dumb. Our bitterest tears congeal unshed. We loved him; and the traitors live Who forged the bolt that struck him down! "Tis not for us to say, "Forgive," When Lincoln's blood cries from the ground. Lincoln, who stood so far above These war-clouds that his great heart felt Even for the South a yearning love, Which must at least' e'en rebels melt. Oh! by the love he bore our land, By these four years of toil for us, By all he was, so good, so grand, Our hearts cry out for vengeance just. Soon after the war ended, the Union armies were discharged and re- turned to their homes, and once more joy reigned supreme around hundreds of firesides in Hancock County. Orators, joui'nalists and historians have re- corded the numerous well- contested battles, campaigns and marches of these great armies, and their wonderful achievements are enshrined upon the choicest pages of American poetry and eloquence. The spirit of patriotism that caused them to enlist, that sustained them through the trials and perils of the war, now pervades and radiates from all the institutions of the land, and is felt in every patriotic heart. To the survivors has been vouchsafed the blessing to witness the grand results of all their sacrifices, in a re- united country pursuing a common destiny under a government offering equal rights to all, while the name and fame of those who have fallen either on the battlefield or in the line of duty, have been commemorated through the pages of history and on the beautiful monuments of marble and bronze prominent in city, town and village all over this broad land. ALLEN TOWNSHIP. . 347 CHAPTER X. ALLEN TOWNSHIP. Erection, Name, Area, Population and Boundaries— Wildcat Thicket — Streams, Topography and Soil — Pioneers — First Marriage and Death— The Burman and Ensminger Mills— Killing of John Gilchrist AND Son— First Electors— Justices— Early Schools— Churches— Vil- lages— Van BUREN and STUARTVILLE. THIS township was the last one organized in Hancock County, being erected in Jnne. 1850, fi'om territory previously embraced in Cass and Portage Townships, taking twelve sections from each. It was named in honor of Gen. Ethan Allen, of revolutionary fame, and contains an area of twenty-four square miles, or 15,360 acres. The official census of 1850 gave Allen a population of 869; 1860, 1,009; 1870, 969, and 1880, 1,025. The west half of the township lies in Township 2 north, Range 10, and the east half in Range 11. Allen is bounded on the north by Wood County, on the east by Cass Township, on the south by Findlay Township, and on the west by Portage Township. When the first settlers built their cabins in this portion of the county,, the original forest was unbroken by a single clearing, unless the almost im- penetrable tract called "Wildcat Thicket" could be so named. This was a strip of fallen timber extending across the township from west to east, and covered with a dense undergrowth, where wild animals of every sort took refuge. The forest had evidently been blown down by a hurricane from the west long prior to the coming of the whites, and bushes and vines of every sort covered the decaying timber like a perfect network of defense. The Middle Branch of Portage River flows in from Cass, and winds across the northwest portion of Allen Township; while the east fork of Ten Mile Creek di'ains the southwest corner westward into Portage. The southeast corner of the township is di'ained by a small branch of the Blanch- ard. Along the Middle Branch the surface is somewhat broken, and back from that stream may be termed elevated and rolling. The " Wildcat Thicket" was originally low and wet, but the removal of the fallen trees and judicious drainage has reclaimed the greater part of this tract. A sand and gravel belt, known as Sugar Ridge, crosses the north half of the town- ship in a southwest direction, Van Buren being on the summit of the ridge.' South of this ridge the soil is generally a mixture of sand and clay, while north of it a black, sandy loam prevails. Pioneers. — Nathan Frakes was the first settler in this township. In 1827 he purchased of John Gardner the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 13, Township 2 north. Range 10 (entered by the latt^' in 1826), upon which he at once erected a small log-cabin. Frakes settled in Madi- son County, Ohio, prior to the organization of that county in 1810. He was there known as one of the ' 'fighting men' ' of the county, and his name 348 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. figures in one or more assault and battery cases at nearly every term of court held during the first years of that county's history. He subsequently removed to Logan County, where he bore the same reputation, and kept it up after settling in Hancock, voting and fighting at the first county elec- tion, in April, 1828. As a good illustration of his character at this period, the following anecdote is told by one of the pioneers who knew him well: "A man named Enochs, who lived in Logan County, was one of the con- tractors in opening the Bellefontaine road, and Frakes worked for him. Enochs became afflicted with a strange and apparently incurable malady. He was not a good man by any means, and one night, believing his end was nigh, and possessing little of that religious spirit necessary on such oc- casions, requested Frakes to pray for him. Nathan swore he could not pray for himself, and roughly told Enochs to do his own praying. The lat- ter finally concluded to make the attempt, and in a self-important manner began: 'Oh! Lord, what have I done that Thou persecutest me so?' when Frakes, looking at him in unfeigned disgust, blurted out, 'That' s a d d nice way to pray! What the h — 11 is it that you haint done, I would like to know!' " Frakes sold his improvement in Section 13 to Isaac Miller December 13, 1828, and in June, 1829, entered the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 12, upon which he had previously erected a cabin, with the in- tention of entering the land. On the 11th of June, 1830, he sold this tract to Elias L. Bryan, and removed to a farm of 115 acres in the south- east quarter of Section 10, Township 1 north. Range 10, now a part of the Infirmary Farm, which he had bought of Joseph Eversole, of Fairfield County, in January, 1830. Here he resided till his death, he dying about five years afterward, leaving a large family of children. His wife, Susannah, was an ardent Methodist, and constantly deplored her husband's combat- iveness. Finally Frakes met his match, being badly worsted in a rough- and-tumble fight with Josiah Elder, of Delaware Township. Going home considerably crestfallen over his defeat, he exclaimed: "Susy! Nathan has been whipped; I'll now join a temperance society, and also the church!" He kept his word, and ever afterward was a very peaceably inclined citizen. He was a large, muscular man, and bore the marks of many a savage en- counter, possessing not a perfect finger on either hand. Isaac Miller was the second pioneer of what is now Allen Township, coming in the fall of 1828. In December, 1828, he purchased the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 13, of Nathan Frakes, who had bought it of John Gardner. Miller died here early in 1830, and his family soon removed from the county. Elias L. Bryan came in 1829, and built his cabin on the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 12, which he entered November 9th, of . that year. In June, 1830, he bought out Nathan Frakes, who removed to his farm on the Blanchard, Bryan taking possession of the Frakes cabin. Bryan subsequently read medicine under Dr. Fisher, of Arcadia, and prac- ticed the healing art in this township. He finally left the county, but at what time or where he went is not remembered. The cabins of Frakes, Miller and Bryan stood but a short distance apart, and there are few now liv- ing who personally remember their locations. The sons of John Trout claim that he came to Hancock County in the summer of 1828, selected land and built a double-log cabin on the site of ALLEN TOWNSHIP. 349 Van Buren, and then returned to Perry County for his family, whom he brought out in December, 1828. The book of entries shows that John Trout entered the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 13, Town 2 north, Kange 10, September 1, 1829, and the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 7, Town 2 north, Range 11, June 2, 1830. It is therefore opined that Mr. Trout did not settle on the site of Van Buren until December, 1829, as his first entry in this county was not made till Septem- ber of that year. He was a native of Pennsylvania, whence he removed to Perry County, Ohio, where he married Miss Eleanor Skinner. Leaving Somerset November 12th, the family did not reach the little settlement on the Middle Branch of Portage River till December 14, 1829, and on the fol- lowing day Mr. Trout took possession of his cabin. The trip was long and arduous, and well calculated to discourage the stoutest heart. Fording swamp, stream and river, and being compelled at times to cut their way through forest and thicket, the sturdy parents with their five children, Eliza, Ephraim, John S., George W. and Philip, trudged many a weary mile ere reaching their destination. Eliza afterward mari'ied Elisha Beeson, which was the first marriage in the settlement; while the first death was that of Cornelius, her youngest brother. Mr. Trout served in the war of 1812, and in early life followed the potter's trade. In 1833 he and George Ensminger laid out the village of Van Buren iipon their land. Both he and his wife died in this township, and of their children but two survive: Ephraim, the oldest living pioneer of Allen, and John S. , a resident of Liberty Township. John Burman settled in Section 17, in April, 1831, and there resided till his death April 7, 1864, his widow surviving him until February 4, 1871. Mr. Burman was born in Northampton County, Penn. , April 8, 1784. Re- moving to Fairfield County, Ohio, he was there married in 1813, to Miss Catherine Fisher, a native of Berks County, Penn., born November 16, 1796. He served in the war of 1812, and followed the gunsmith trade until coming to this county. In 1835-36 he erected a grist-mill on Portage Creek, but on account of low water it ran only at intervals. Mr. Burman was a worthy citizen of the'county for thirty-three years, and left a family of seven sons and two daughters, only one of whom, Adam, resides in this county, he being now proprietor of the hotel at Van Buren. Christian and Rebecca (Skinner) Barnd, with four sons (Jacob, Adna F., Elijah and Gamaliel C.) and four daughters, came from Perry County, Ohio, in 1831, and took possession of the cabin in Section 13 previously occupied by Isaac Miller. Mr. Barnd was a native of Germany, and his wife of Pennsylvania. They were married in Somerset County, Penn. , and subse- quently removed to Perry County, Ohio, whence they came to this township. On the 27th of June, 1831, he entered the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 13, and the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 18, now mostly owned by his son, John. In 1832 Christian Barnd and family removed to Findlay, where he and his wife spent the balance of their lives. He was a saddler and tanner, and earned on a tannery in Findlay for many years. He also served as sheriff of Hancock County for two terms, and was one of the progressive men of his day. Three of his sons have filled county ofiices. Jacob was prosecuting attorney a short period, and recorder two terms ; Elijah was auditor two terms; while Gamaliel C. served three years as asso- ciate judge, and two terms as probate judge. The eldest son, John, has filled the office of justice of the peace in Allen Township for thirty years. 350 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. It will thus be seen that this pioneer family has been pretty well honored by their adopted county. The year 1832 brought in quite a large number of settlers, among whom we find John Barnd, George Ensminger, Michael Ensminger, Charles Baker, Hugh Gilchrist and Peter Hockenberry. Mr. Barnd was born in Somerset County, Penn., December 30, 1808, removed to Perry Covinty, Ohio, with his parents, there grew to manhood and married Miss Sarah Garlinger, and in 1832 came to this township. He located on the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 13, where he has ever since resided. Mr. Barnd was the first justice elected for Allen Township, and served con- tinuously in that office fi'om 1850 to 1880. He reared a family of eleven childi'en, ten of whom are living. His wife died March 29, 1884, after a happy married life of more than half a century. Squire Barnd is one of the few living pioneers to whom the writer is indebted for mxich important information relating to early events in this portion of the State. George Ensminger settled on the east half of the southeast quarter of Sec- tion 12, while his son, Michael, located on the northwest quarter of Section 7. They came from Wayne County, Ohio, in 1832, and the following year the former and John Trout laid out Van Buren. In 1836-37 George Ensmin- ger built a saw-mill on Portage Creek, which proved a useful appendage to the settlement. He reared a large family, and both he and his wife died upon the old homestead. None of the childi'en are residents of this county. Charles Baker, of Fairfield County, Ohio, built his cabin on the northeast quarter of Section "8, in 1832, where he died. The widow and family went back to Fairfield County, whence in after years one of the sons, George A. , returned and occupied the old farm. Hugh Gilchrist took up his residence the same year on the northwest quarter of Section 13, and there resided till his death. The family went West soon after this event. Peter Hocken- berry was a noted hunter, who located on the northwest quarter of Section 19, in 1832. He subsequently removed into what is now Portage Township, thence to Hemy County, but afterward returned and died in Hancock. He, farmed very little, most of his time being devoted to the chase. In 1833 Isaac Weisel, David Dorsey, Peter Heller and Henry Rader located in the township. The first two mentioned were brothers-in-law, Mr. Weisel having married Jane Dorsey, and both were natives of Pennsylvania. Weisel settled on the southeast quarter of Section 2, where both he and his wife died in 1878 or 1879. They were the parents of ten childi-en, six of whom survive. David and Rosanna Dorsey came from Bedford County, Penn. , in October, 1833, and located near the site of Van Buren in Section 18 in what was then Cass Township. Here Allen, now a resident of the township, was born in February, 1834, being one of the first births in the settlement. In 1835 David was elected justice of Cass Township, and re- elected to the same position. He reared a family of seven children, four of whom survive, Allen and Cordelia being residents of the township, where both the father and mother died. Peter Heller, of Wayne County, Ohio, settled on the southeast quarter of Section 25, in 1833, and the same year was elected justice of Portage Township, and re-elected in 1836. He finally sold his farm, and removed to Indiana. Henry Rader, a native of A'^irginia, settled in 1833 on Section 13, where his son, Adam, now lives. Both he and his wife died in this township. Daniel Warner, John Gilchrist, Christopher Ernsperger, William Dor- ALLEN TOWNSHIP. 351 sey and Isaac Wolf are believed to have settled here in 1833-34. The first mentioned located in Section 14, in February, 1834, and there a son, Dan- iel C. , was born the following November. Mr. Warner died at the home of this son in Portage Township, in 1881. John Gilchrist located per- manently near his brother Hugh in 1834, though he was in the county and voted in October, 1831. Soon after coming the Gilchrists went out one night "coon" hunting, and treed a "coon" about a mile and a half northwest of Van Buren. It became necessary to fell the tree, which, in falling, brought down another, the latter striking and killing the twelve-year old son of John Gilchrist, and injuring the father so badly that he died two days after the unfortunate occurrence, leaving a wife and five small children! Chris- topher Ernsperger was a son-in-law of George Ensminger, and came about two years after the latter. He subsequently removed from the county. William Dorsey came to the county about the same time as his brother David, or soon afterward. He is still a resident of the township. Isaac Wolf settled in Section 25, where he resided until his death. Two of his sons, David and John, are living in the county, the former in Findlay. James Moorhead, of Stark County, Ohio, built his cabin on the southwest quarter of Section 26, in 1835. His wife, Agnes, died there, and he mar- ried again. He reared a large family, and now makes his home with his daughter in Eagle Township. John Raney settled in Section 23 in 1835, but soon moved away. Josiah Moorhead came in 1836, and settled in Sec- tion 36. Cyi-us Hart also located here in 1836, and Abraham Kempher, John Beeson and Samuel Huntington in 1837. John Hardy moved in from Cass Township in 1837, and resided here till his death, in 1860. He was one of the pioneer school teachers of the township, and for more than twenty-five years taught during the winter seasons. He was a member of the Methodist Church after his marriage with Martha Orr, in 1822, and set- tled in what is now Cass Township in 1833, whence he removed to Portage (now Allen) four years afterward. Mr. Hardy was the father of five chil- dren, two of whom are residents of the county. His widow died in 1866. Others may have come in i^rior to 1837, but if so, careful research has failed to discover their names. First Electors. — At the organization of Cass and Portage Townships in April, 1833, each embraced half of what is now Allen Township, and Squire John Barnd says that the following list includes all of the voters then liv- ing inside of the boundaries of the latter subdivision: Elias L. Bryan, John Trout, John Burman, John Barnd, Hugh Gilchrist, Charles Baker, Peter Hockenberry, George Ensminger, Michael Ensminger, James Wiley and James Howard. The last two mentioned never settled in the township, but were staying here temporarily at that time, and were allowed to vote. Justices.— John Barnd (fi'om 1850 to 1880), W. L. Heller, J. W. Mc- Caughey, Philip Burman, Robert Thornburg, G. W. Barnd, John H. Spit- ler and Thomas Briggs. The last two mentioned are the present incumbents of the office. Early Schools. — The first schoolhouse in this township was a small log structure built in 1836, on the section line immediately west of the present building on the farm of Peter Whetstone. It stood in the center of the road now occupying the section line between 13 and 14, and was built of round logs, covered with a clapboard roof, had greased paper windows and a huge fireplace in one end. The Bryans, Trouts, Burmans, Ensmingers, 352 HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY. Barnds, Gilchrists, Warners and Raders attended this school, which was the only one in the settlement for several years, excepting one on the farm of James Moorhead. which was also opened at an early day. The pupils attending the latter, however, were principally from what is now Portage Township, and the pioneers of Allen scarcely remember it. With the growth of population more schoolhonses became a necessity, and from time to time districts were organized and schools opened. There are now nine good school buildings in Allen, that in Van Buren having two rooms. Churches. — The two Presbyterian societies — Pleasant Hill and Ebenezer — organized in Portage and Cass Townships, respectively, united Septem- ber 1, 1848, as West Union Church of Yan Buren, and put up a frame building in Van Buren, about 1855, which was the first church erected in the township. The Presbyterians of this vicinity have since generally at- tended services here. The old building has been replaced by a substantial brick one, more in harmony with the times. Rev. George Van Eman was the earliest pastor of this congregation, which embraced many of the pioneers previously spoken of in this chapter, besides those in Portage and Cass. The old fi-ame is now used as a dwelling. The Baptist Church in Van Buren is the lineal successor of the society organized at the cabin of Merri- man Price, on Ten Mile Creek, about 1836, though reorganized at Henry Rader's in 1855. Meetings were held at the houses of members until the erection of the present building in Van Buren, which has since been used. The United Brethren erected their church in Van Buren in 1868, while the German Lutheran and Reformed denominations purchased and fitted up the old frame schoolhouse in Van Buren. These are the only churches in the township, and most of them have good-sized congregations. Villages. — Van Buren was laid out December 28, 1833, by George Ens- minger and John Trout, on Sections 12 and 13, Range 10, and 7 and 18, Range 11, and originally comprised fifty-three lots surrounding a public square. It was named in honor of Martin Van Buren, who at that time was one of the eminent public men of the nation. Several buildings were put up at once, and for a time the little village became quite a busy point; but after a season of prosperity its growth came to a standstill, and it has never got further than a small country town. A postoflfice was established in the village in 1837, and the following postmasters have held the office: Dr. George Springer, John Zarbaugh, S. M. Heller, C. S. Wilkinson, Lewis Michaels, Dr. E. C. Wells, Daniel Friek, L. J. Hissoiig, Solomon Zar- baugh, H. C. Hartman, John Lee and Mrs. E. Wells. In June, 1866, Van Buren was incorporated, and Daniel Frick elected mayor. His suc- cessors have been C. S. Wilkinson, J. H. Loehr, Dr. E. C. Wells, Dr. Ed- ward George, Abraham Mummert, L. P. McCune and Abraham Mummert. The town lies seven miles north of Findlay, on the Toledo. Columbus & Southern Railroad, which was completed through Van Buren in the winter of 1882-83. Its business interests consist of two general dry goods and gi-ocery stores, a shoe shop, two blacksmith shops, a wagon shop, a steam saw-mill, a produce dealer, a hotel, a saloon and one physician — Dr. Ed- ward George. A steam grist-mill was built in Van Biu'en many years ago, but it has been abandoned about seven years, and the deserted building is all that is left of its past usefulness. In 1870 Van Buren had a population of 157, and in 1880, 130, a falling off of 27 in ten years. No apparent in- crease has since taken place, and the village wears an appearance of age \ xic^, //T"