Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1870-03-03
HISTORICAL SKETCHES.
GalIia County, 1888 S-95.

rior, whose special care it was to
watch over and propitiate the in
terests Of the household. These
images were held sacred and were
guarded zealously. The relentless
car of modern progress has not, it
seems,- -qaiteextinguished this pleas
ant relic of barbarism For what
family does not delight to stir up the
rustling, dead leaves of the past,
and, invoking the spirits of Its an
cestors, listen to the oft told, but
never tedious tale of how, in ''ould
lang syne," they struggled, bled and
conquered.
This proper pride, this yearning
desire to know snd perpetuate the
great events which have marked the
progress of our country, from its
infancy to its present state OF glori-
Gus manhood, is not without its
guardian spirit, and history now,
the sacred Palladium Of our country,
opens its ample pages, and while it
tells US truly of the past, assures us
that we need wish
g. No other herald.
No other speaker of our liUing actions,
To keep our honour from corruption
Than such an honest chronicler'
While the early history of many of
the counties is being carefully COM
piled, that of Gallia is little spoken
Of. The history of Athens forms a
well written and interesting volume
of the Ohio Valley Historical Series;
the history of Gallia, growing up
beside her as a sister, and an elder
sister too, lives only in the memory
and traditions of our fathers, and
they are passing away. 1 have long
been waiting for the Bard of Gallia
to weave these stories in immortal
verse, but his genius runs not in the
epic channel.
To meet this desideratum, and to
preserve from oblivion some of our
traditions, at least, is the aim of these
sketches. Could 1 say Of my story
as Aeneas did of his:
"All which 1 saw. and q great part
of which [ was"
l should write with o better grace;
but my information comes from
others lips, therefore I trust I shall
be pardoned for any mistake.
FRENCH GRANT
In the year 17SS, about Eve hun
dred fauilies of French emigrants,
bidding adieu to the "corn fields,
green and sunny vines of France,
came and settled on the banks of
''La belle riviere." Still bound by
the ties Of the fatherland, they gave
to the town which they founded the
significant name Galliopolis, city of
the French
Unfortunately the tract they had |
chosen, and which they felt confident
would be granted TO them, had al
ready been granted to the Ohio Com
pany by Congress in 1877. The best |
that could be done, therefore, under
the circumstances, was to fulfil the |
promise by grant of lands as near
as possible to Gallipolis, and as the
musty Old statue may prove interest
ing from its antiquity, if nothing else,
1 will copy.
Act of March 8, 1895, 2 V. L. U. S.
p5O3.
"Sec. l. That the President of the
United States shall be, and he is |.
hereby, authorized and empowered |
to cause to be surveyed, in the terri
tory northwest of the Ohio, tract of
land situated on the northerly bank
of the river Ohio, beginning one
mile and half on q straight line
above the mouth of Little Sandy;
thence down the said river Ohio,
along the courses thereof eight miles,
when reduced to straight line;
thence at right angles, from each ex-
tremity of said line, so as to include
the quantity of twenty four thousand
acres of land, to be disposed of as
hereinafter directed
1t was then provided that 10000
acres should be equally divided be-
tween the "French inhabitants and
actual settlers of Gallipoiis," being
males, above eighteen years Of age,
or widows To John Gabriel Ger
vais and his heirs the remaining
4 900 acres were granted.
In addition 10 the above, 1000
acres of land were divided into eight
equal tracts, and 'assigned by lot, to
Stephen Monot, Lewis Anthony Car
pentier, Lewis Vimont, Francis Val.
ton, Lewis Philip, A. Fichon, An
thony Maguet, Margaret G. 6, Cham
paigne, wife of Peter A. Laforge,
and Maria l. Dalle, wife of Pet er
Luc, who were prevented from OBJ
tanning their proportion of land
granted by the aforesaid act" F,
Taking advantage of-tnese grants
many of the settlers repaired to their
lands, and began the arduous task of
carving for them elves homee out of
the wilderness. Others purchased
lots from the Ghio Eorunsnxy and con-