The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1858-04-22
gfljst&llanroQs.

The First Settlement Of Cincinnati
Early Recollections Of a Lady Pi-
oneer.
Ho,o a Pioneer JuiH his House right IN
the Middle Of the Street, because the
Woods 1gere so Hicb he could not tell
1ohere the Streets ,0ere-The First Fer
ry-The first Store-The First Sder-
If and the First Hanging
The following letter from Mrs. Rebec-
ca Reeder was received by the Commit
tee of the Pioneer Celebration at their
Anniversary Banquet:
1 thought that l would write a few
correct statements in regard to the first
settlement of Cincinnati My father,
mother and seven children landed at
Cincinnati, then called Losantiville, on
the 8th Of February, 1889 The first
persons we saw after landing were Mr..
McMillen and Mr. Israel Ludlow, one
Of the proprietors of the place. These
two gentlemen were the surveyors Of
the Miami Purchase. There we're three
little cabins here when we landed, where
the surveyors and chain carriers lived.
They had no floors In these cabins
There were three other women here be-
sides my mother. Their names we're
Miss De Mint, Mrs. Conney Zenes, (aft-
erWard married to Mr. McMillen,) Mrs
Pesthal a German woman, and my
mother, Mrs. Rebecca Kennedy, which
made four women at that time There
were but two families that had small
children; they were the German family
and my fathers family.
Mr.. Ludlow came down to our boat,
and invited my father and family up to
stay in their cabin until we could get
one built; but my mother thought they
could remain more comfortably with
their small children in their boat. So
we lived in our boat until the ice began
to run, and then we we're forced to con-
trive some other way to live What few
men there we're here got together and
knocked our boats up and built us a
camp. We lived in our camp six weeks.
Then my father built us a large cabin
which was the first cabin large enough
for a family to live in. We took the
boards Of our camp and made floors in
our house. Father intended to have
built our house on the corner Of Wal
nut and Water streets, but not knowing
exactly where the streets were, he built
our house right in the middle Of Water
street. The streets we're laid out, but
the woods were very thick, and the
streets we're not opened; so it was impos-
sible to tell where the streets would be.
Father established the first ferry, and
received the first license ever granted. .-
He ferried all the militia and cattle over
the river. Mr.. Thomas Kennedy kept
the ferry on the other side Of the river,
and my father, Mr. Francis Kennedy,
on this side Between the two they did
all the business during the three cam
paigns of General Harmar, General Sin
clair and General Anthony Wayne. My
father was drowned at the close of the
war while ferrying cattle over the river
for the army, 1t has been stated in the
papers that Mr.. Joel Williams had the
FIRST ferry, but he did not he was here
before my father, but he did not have
the first ferry Shortly after my fa-
theirs death, Joel Williams applied to
Court 10 get license TO run the ferry
boat, but the Court would not grant him
license until they would know whether
my mother wished to keep it or not
They wrote her a note 10 know what she
wished 10 do She thought it would be
too much trouble for her 10 attend to H.
90 tho Court granted him license. The