FIRST SETTLEMENT OF OHIO.

PERIOD SECOND.

THIS PERIOD COMPRISES THE TIME DURING WHICH THE TERRI

TORIAL GOVERNMENT EXISTED, COMMENCING APRIL 7TH, 1783, AND ENDING ON THE ADMISSION OF OHIO INTO THE UNION, AS A STATE, FEBRUARY 19TH, 1803.

THE Ohio company, and John Cleves Symmes, having purchased, the lands, as we have stated, the company having purchased the tract on the Ohio river, including the mouths of the Muskingum and Hockhocking rivers; and Symmes, the country between the Miamies-the Ohio company, early in April, 1788, took possession of their land at the mouth of the Muskingum, and Symmes, in the autumn of the same or next year, settled near the mouth of the Great Miami at the North Bend, where General Harrison, his son-in-law, now resides, on the same farm.

Under the act of congress of July 13th 1787, Arthur St. Clair was appointed Governor of the North Western Territory. Samuel H. Parsons, James M. Varnum and John Armstrong were appointed Judges. The latter not accepting the office, John Cleves Symmes was appointed in his place. Winthrop Sargeant was appointed Secretary.

The Governor and Secretary, and Messrs. Parsons and Varnum followed Rufus Putnam and associates, to the mouth of the Muskingum where they had settled on the 7th of April preceding. These officers landed at Marietta on the 9th of July 1788. Judge Symmes joined them soon after their arrival.

It was on Wednesday morning July 9th 1788, that Arthur St. Clair, governor of the North Western Territory, arrived at Fort Harmar. This fort had been previously erected by General Harmar, on an elevated piece of ground, opposite, and west of the mouth of the Muskingum river. On the 15th day of July, the governor published the ordinance, of congress for the government of the Territory. He published also the commissions. of himself, of the secretary, and those of the Judges, Samuel H. Parsons and James M. Varnum.

Having assembled the people of Marietta, he addressed them in a speech of some length, explaining to them, the ordinance of congress under which they had settled down in a vast wilderness. Three days after the delivery of this speech, St. Clair sent a letter to the judges, calling their attention to the subject of organizing the militia. Instead of attending to this all important matter, and without even answering the governor's letter, these Judges on the 27th of July, sent St. Clair, what they called "a projet" of a law for dividing real estate. This bill was so loosely drawn up that had it become a law, the non-resident owners of land, would have been swindled out of all their lands, by the resident proprietors. This projet was rejected by the governor. On the 26th day of July, St. Clair by proclamation, created the county of Washington, having within its limits. about one half of the present state of Ohio. He erected a court of probate about this time. He divided the militia into two classes "senior" and "junior" and organized them, by appointing their officers.

In the senior class, Nathan Cushing, captain; George Ingersol, lieutenant; James Backus, ensign.

In the junior class, Nathan Goodale, Charles Knowls, captains; Wanton Casey, Samual Stebbins, lieutenants; Joseph Lincoln, Arnold Colt, ensigns.

The governor proceeded to appoint civil officers, to wit: Rufus Putnam, Benjamin Tupper, and Winthrop Sargeant, justices of the peace. On the 30th of August, the governor established a court of Quarter Sessions, and appointed several

other justices of the peace, viz: Archibald Cary, Isaac Pierce, and Thomas Lord, Esquires, giving them power to hold the court of Quarter Sessions. They were in fact, judges of a court of common pleas. Return Jonathan Meigs, (our late governor) was appointed clerk of this court of Quarter Sessions. Ebenezer Sproat was appointed sheriff of the county of Washington. William Callis was appointed clerk, of the supreme court, Ebenezer Sproat was appointed colonel of the militia. Rufus Putnam was appointed Judge of Probate, and R. J. Meigs, junior, clerk of that court.

St. Clair by his proclamation, ordered the 25th of December 1788 to be kept as a day of thanksgiving.

On the 2d day of January 1790, St. Clair, at Fort Washington, now Cincinnati, organized the county of Hamilton, containing within its limits, the western half of this state.

He created the same offices at Cincinnati, that he had at Marietta; and he filled them as follows, viz.

William Goforth, William Wells, William McMillian, Judges of the common pleas and Quarter Sessions; Jacob Topping, Benjamin Stites, John S. Gano, justices of the peace; John Brown, sheriff; Israel Ludlow, clerk of the court of common pleas. Israel Ludlow, James Flinn, John S. Gano, Gershom Gard, captains of the militia. Francis Kennedy, John Ferris, Luke Foster, Brice Virgin, lieutenants. Scott Traverse, Ephraim Kibby, Elijah Stites, John Dunlap, ensigns.

On the 5th January 1790, a law was enacted ordaining, that the courts should be held four times in the year; on the first Tuesdays in February, May, August and November.

From Fort Washington St. Clair and Winthrop Sargeant, his secetary, descended the Ohio, and on the 8th day of January they were at the falls of that river, commissioning officers there, and proceeding as they had done, in the two counties of Washington and Hamilton. From Clarksville, they proceeded westward, and at Cahokia, erected the county of St. Clair, and created and filled all the necessary military and civil offices, in that county. The dangers of those times may be learned from an ordinance of the territorial government en

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acted at the period, which we have under consideration; which strictly prohibited all the citizens from entertaining any Indian or negro, without informing the military commandant in the vicinity, of the fact of the stranger being in the citizen's house. All the males capable of bearing arms, were ordered to constantly carry them, or keep them near by, even while attending public worship. By neglecting, sometimes, to obey this order, not a few men lost their lives.

We return to the feeble settlement at the mouth of the Muskingum.

ans.

As we have already stated, the Ohio company, began their settlement, at the mouth of the Muskingum, on the 7th day of April 1788, and named their town Marietta, in honor of the then queen of France, Maria Antoinette. The settlement was commenced under the superintendence of General Rufus Putnam, a son of the Revolutionary General Putnam. The first settlers were forty seven in number, emigrants from the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. That season, they planted fifty acres of corn, and erected a military work of sufficient strength to protect them from the IndiDuring the summer and autumn of that year, they were joined by about twenty more families. The first settlers were mostly military officers and soldiers of the revolution, innured to fatigues and hardships, and habituated to dangers and difficulties of all sorts. They always went to their work, with their guns near them, and had sentinels posted also near them, on some high stump of a tree. Such were their watch towers. On the 11th April 1789, settlements were begun at Belpre, and Newbury; the first was fifteen miles below Marietta, and the latter, twenty-five miles below, on the Ohio river. Strong garrison-houses were erected, in each settlement, to which, Conthe settlers fled for safety, when attacked by Indians. siderable numbers lived in these houses. There were three such houses in Belpre, the largest one was called the Farmers' castle. Other settlements were made on the Muskingum river also. Here these first settlers of this state were, fifty years since, few in number, far distant from any other settlers and

shut out, almost, from the civilized world, without a mill, a road, a bridge or any thing beyond their own immediate.

resources.

No steam boat, then navigated the Ohio river; they had no nearer neighbors than a few settlers, on the Upper Ohio, far above them; none lower on the river, until they descended to Limestone, now Maysville, and these far distant neighbors had enough to do, to defend themselves against the savages. The means of traveling were not then as they are now, and they were surrounded by warlike and savage nations. To one who now sees the growth of any new town, favorably situated, in Indiana or Illinois, the true situation of the new settlers on the Ohio Company's Purchase in 1788-9 can hardly be conceived. But we leave them, and descend the Ohio to the mouths of the two Miamis. On the 16th day of November 1789, Major Stites, from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, at the head of twentyfive others, settled near the mouth of the Little Miami river, and erected a blockhouse. They afterwards laid out a town, six miles above Cincinnati, and called it Columbia.

Symmes and Stites had become acquainted, in New Jersey, and united their interests so far that Stites had purchased a part of Symmes, tract, and settled on it, at this early day. Symmes preferred the North Bend near the Great Miami's mouth, and settled there.

But, leaving these weak settlements just begun, we are called off to treat of the Indian war which followed these settlements.

At the very time, that Stites and his twenty-five brave men, were erecting their blockhouse, Major Doughty was at Fort Washington, nine miles below the mouth of the Little Miami river, and six below the town of Columbia.

Lieutenant Colonel Josiah Harmar, a brigadier general, by brevet, who commanded the first United States regiment of, infantry, had been ordered to this frontier, by the old congress, and he was here at a very early day. He seems to have been the highest military officer, originally, on this frontier, about that time, but his force of regulars, could not have been, scarcely