Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1862-03-22
Origin OF the western Reserve.

Origin OF the Western Reserve.
Hon. Seth P. Beers, Of Litch6eld Conn,
recently delivered public lecture 10 that
place. upon the origin aud history Of the
Connecticut School Fund. The history
necessarily EN- braces The origin of The
Western Reserve" for ont of that r serve
grew the present priDcely school fund OF
Conuec ticut, now valued at over So, ,076, 600
the interest yielding annually to each child
in the State, SIPS. The orgiu Of this
fund, and Of the 1--WE estern Reserve" ia thus
given in the address.
England, by right Of discovery, claimed
so much OF North America as lay between
3i deg. aud 48 deg north latitude extend
ing from sea 10 sea. She divided it uto
South Virginia, or Virginia proper aud
North Virginia, or New England King
James /. granted Virginia, extending from
81 deg. to 40 deg, and from the Atlantic,
to the South Sea, or Pacific, to the "Lon.
don Company" To "The Plymouth Coun
ell OF New England" he granted from 40
deg. TO 4S deg. from sea 10 sea, excepting
such portions Of the territory as might at
the time be possessed by any other Chris.
tian Prince or State" In 1923 Massachu.
sets, extending from the Atlantic to the
| South Sea, was granted TO the plymouth
! Colony" Iu 1880 the south portion of the
territory was called Connecticut, aud grau-
ted to the Earl Of Warwick; extending also
from sea to sea, aud in 1881 il passei into
the huuds Of THE Colony of Connecticut"
: aud afterwards was chartered by royal au.
, thority as "rhe Governor aud Company OF
: the English Colony Of Connecticut" Under
The exception in the original grant, New
York and New Jersey were not included in
the transfer. We pass over the history OF
! all OF Said territory, except the Western
! Reserve. We now give Mr.. Beers words:
At the close of The Revolutionary War,
(l7S4 81 Massachusetts, New York, Vir.
glnia, aud some of the Other States had, at
the request OF Congress, ceded to the United
5 States their Western lands, to enable the
- General Government to meet its heavy liza
bilities incurred in the achievement of our
Independence. Following their example,
on the l4Ih day Of September, 1886, Con.
ueclcut relinquished to the United States
all her right aud le to the western part OF
her territory, beginning 100 miles west of
The 1es ern boundary of Pennsylvania: re-,
serving, however, ali east of that line, abont
l29 miles from east to west, and about 70
from north TO south--nearly the same in
extent as the presentState OF Connecticut
supposed to include some $500. 600 acres.
/ out as IA part of it was covered by the wa.
terS Of Lake Erie, the real quantity may be
stated as about 8, ,0O0, 900 acres. This tract
included the whole or principal part Of what
are now twelve counties in Northern Ohio,
extending short distance beyond Saudus
ky; and having been reSerred in the cessiOn
TO the United States, it obtained the name
of The Connecticut Western Reserve
Amid the disasters Of our Revolutionary
War, about 1880 habitants of Greenwich,
Fairfield, Daubury, Norfolk, New Haven.
New London, ETC., had suffered heavy 10 {
ses of property by The nvasions of the cue.
my, aud the State having no other means
for their compensation, the Legislature, in
May, 1892, made grant to them oil 500.
600 acres from the Western section of their
reserved lands, to be divided among the
sufferers in proportion to their respective
losses as ascertained by board of Commits
sionerS appoiated for that purpose. For
the convenience Of managing the estate
thus acquired, the proprietors were, in
1896, Incorporated with ample power under
the name of "The Proprelors OF the half
million Of land lying soush of Lake Erie. -
The State having thus somewhat less than
three millions Of acres of the Reserve re
naming, having extinguished the indian
titles, caused survey Of The land TO he
made, and offered il for sale, but as no offer
was made above $3.50. 900, its sale was not
then deemed advisable.
Various legislation was had in Connet
cut with reference TO the Western Reserve
lands, until 1875. when the act m4king The
proceeds OF said lands fund for the support
OF common schools was passed, and CON
mittee appointed to dispose Of said lands
: The Committee, thus empowered, gayl
E public notice throughout the Northern
States, that on the 5th Of August, 1875
q they would be in session at Hartford TO rs
b ceive proposals for the purchase Of The en-
# tire tract of land, known as the WesfeTH
j Reserve. Having met az tile appointed
Q time. and considered varions proposals sun
dry individuals for themselves aud asSocl'
/, ates. offered 81 1000 for The whole tract
II with satisfactory securities Ihls having
e been accepted, each individual or company
i executed a separate bond to the Stale rlea
i. surer for sucb proportions Of the purchase
0 money as had been arranged among them
/ selves; whereOpon deeds Of conyeyance were
y given 10 each, Tor their respective undivided
}, proportion Of The tract The number o.
|, bonds thus given was 36.
D THUS was the original School Fund o.
Connecticut established